LEAN ON ME

 

My dad says “God must look like Morgan Freeman”

Maybe because Morgan Freeman was God in Evans Almighty and my dad is a fan of the movie. My dad also said “Morgan freeman is God”…he also said, “I wont be suprised if we realise on the day of judgement that Morgan Freeman is REALLY God and he might just say ‘GOTCHA’”

Please take a look at GOD in the picture below.

Thi picture proves he is God cos there is a light behind him. Can you see that? So he is GOD.

Anyways, I did watch Lean on me after Keenan’s uper strong recommendation. It was an awesome movie and much better than Dangerous minds actually cos it was funny. Dangerous Minds is more on to the serious side. Apparently Lean on me is a true story which makes it alot fun to watch. It is a story of Eastside high school which was a reputable school until it got rotten and then its situation got way much better when a tyrannical pricinpal Joe Louis Clark came in. He was a tyrant man! One who would walk the schools with a bullhorn and shout at students. He would expel anyone mercilessly including teachers. He chained up the school from drug pushers and force students to know the school song by heart.

So i read up a little on Joe Louis Clark…and yes its true! He did even pose with bat in TIME magazine.

The Real Joe Clark.

I dont want to spoil the movie for you. I didnt quite watch it for the film style even tho i learnt quite a few things. I enjoyed it for its biographical value. I am glad this movie followed quite closely to Joe Clark’s biography unlike Dangerous minds. Cos if you read LouAnne Johnson’s book you would realise that LouAnne had a lot tougher time dealing with the “dangerous minds”. In hollywood…things are alot easier…n full of action. Anyways…i still love the movie.

Well…in my sister’s secondary school things were pretty bad too…until this principal came and he would walk around with his cane and just hit anyone. I dunno if i agree with this sort of tyrannism. Cos i dont like the idea of hitting or insulting students or kids. Maybe it works. “Spare the rod…spoil the child?”

Maybe the principal has power cos he doesnt directly deals with students…unlike a teacher who has to worry for her/his safety.

I dont quite agree with his methods…cos i wont do it. I rather let someone else do it. But he does have a point about discipline. I respect him alot for it as well. Maybe we are being a bit too easy on young people for the wrong things. I mean some things. Young people think they know what they do…quite forgetting that older people have walked the same paths they are walking now.Well its pretty normal for the young. Its that age where we jump for everything. N as we get older we become slower n we think before we jump. Sometimes we think too much.

Anyways im thinking too much already. N writing too much of what i think.

This movie is really very good and makes me realise why i loved 80’s movies alot better …cos when they made movies…they really made them…nowdays computers make the movies with all the CGI and crap..

I hate CGI..CGI is like monosodium glutamate,…add little…for taste…dont overkill and run ur entire film on CGI. Anyways i still find this character pretty hard to digest cos i believe very strongly in treating people with respect. I rather choose LouAnne’s treatment anytime over Joe Clark;s…just a personal preference. Well Joe Clark is a cool man…even though i cant figure out whether he is a good man or a bad man…maybe BAT MAN

Dangerous minds/ My life as a teacher…

Hmm this is not really a movie review. It was a movie i heard about many years back and never really got the chance to watch it. Yesterday i finally managed to get my hands on the movie. Film style wise i can say its very 90’s hollywood. But what really touched me was the story. Its about a high school teacher making a difference on students lives.

This story reminded me alot of the time i spent teaching technical students. Its not that high school kids from other countries are worse off. Its smtg like my sis said. Society. You give them guns and drugs…Singaporean teens would be as bad as them. There are no real difference between youngsters from different countries,

I had always hated our education system that labels and classify students ability basing on their PSLE results at a tender age of 12? Where they are labelled for life…and everything is pretty much planned for them by the ministry of education.

When i was in secondary school, i never had much contact with anyone from the techical side. I only got to know them when i was teaching for a period of 1 to 2 years. Many teachers looked down upon them, dont bother to teach them…and tell them to their face that they are gonna be blue collar workers.

Technical kids are not stupid. But i do agree they dont think like us. My elder sis still teaches them and she says she sees a difference. Maybe because all their life they have been labelled hopeless and they dont think for themselves anymore? Its the same pattern in every school. The teacher doesnt even conduct lessons.

I worked closely with this techical student, Alisha. She used to give me the same complaints. And i realise just like this film…i kind of used the same methods as the teacher. Anyways this movie is based on a true story… The actual teacher even wrote a book “My posse don’t do homework”.

The problem with them is…you have to grab their attention. One of the teachers call it “Edutainment”. You have to be them..to teach them. That requires you to be as “cool” as them. Even if its saying vulgarities..better not let the principal know this…

I didnt use vulgarities…but i had my own methods. Stories…jokes…smtimes unique ways to teach them…even if its a little sexual. Its like packaging information in the most entertaining ways. Like “what is stronger…iron or steel” So i created a story on the “iron man” and the “steel man”. It helped them remmeber. Or why north poles of a magnet…can NEVER attract. Sometimes it scares you when you realise these guys cant read at all. And you have to be really dedicated to help these guys. You cant shout over them…scream at them.They have dignity. You have to be “friends” with them.

Then there is this politics among teachers…where some assholes dont like your efforts..They expect you to give “worksheets”. Seriously…fuck your worksheets. Cos this kids aint  gonna do dem. You have to teach them visually and they learn visually. And these “assholes” have to interfere and tell you how to teach. Dudes…did your methods work? The kids listen to me! Not you!

Truly enough the teacher in this film faced the same issue as well. I gave them “express” stuff to do. I didnt tell them i was giving “express” stuff to do. Cos express to dem is sooo high up there. N sadly “express” students look down upon them…like they are alien or smtg. I told them…they are not any different.

1stly, i had to be like them. I had to joke around. Dont worry…the class is never quiet. Its alright. They dont get alot of basic stuff. Even proper grammer in English. Dont be disheartened. They will improve over time. Get them to like you! They need to feel safe with you.

Dont scream shout or make them look small. They are only gonna be harder to work with, Sometimes they sound rude..not because they want to be rude…they dont know how to talk. Many of them either have a problem with their brain (honestly) or they are from dysfunctional families.

Praise them. I did that with Alisha. I told her she was intelligent. These kids never get praised all their lives. Saying “Good”, excellent…mean alot to them. They feel encouraged and they want to impress you more…so they will take efforts. Alisha told me that her teachers thot she was hopeless…and i told her “Na…its they who are hopeless”..I bitched about her teachers with her. Bitching helps…it makes you “their” friend. When they talk about problems…listen to them.

Candies.I bring sweets always with me..whether its preschoolers…primary or secodary. Those 1 dollar sweets make a huge difference in their lives. When they make effort…i throw them a sweet…and they find it mor fun to partcipate in class. Dont get upset when you see some of them sleeping in class…after some time they will join in the fun.

Ghost stories. It always works. The more gory the better…and if its about their school…even better. I would ask them to switch off the lights…close the windows to create the “atmosphere”.

 I dont like saying sexual jokes. I rather  stick on the horror side. Sharing with them personal stuff help as well.

I try to avoid telling them my age…cos im pretty young to teach…i was a contract teacher during the time i was handling them. N among all three streams…technical was my favorite. Cos they are grateful creatures. They remmeber you and they will love you. Unlike express kids. These guys smtimes want to sit with for lunch or even help you carry books. The scary factor is these guys are big..and its pretty scary to seem them jumping around…but they are actually kids in heart.

I really wish MOE does away with their streaming. Many boys arent very matured at 12…and they screw up their exams. Technical kids need really dedicated teachers an they are NOT HOPELESS. Many of them were suprised that they were doing “express” maths and they started trusting their abilities more.

This film kind of confirmed the same methods i used. I managed to help Alisha top her stream. And she topped really well. Her marks were excellent and she surprised her other teachers as well. I couldnt help everyone. In reality, its impossible. There were a few which were sadly beyond hope.Sometimes you wish you could do smtg for them

I wasnt NIE trained. I was a contract teacher with little training. What really matters is dedication. It takes alot of energy to work with them..but once you start loving them…you really apreciate them for who they are.

In the indian lagauge there is a saying “Mata (mother), Pita (Dad), Guru (Teacher), Deivam (God)”. The teacher ranks the 3rd….giving us a very high position. N we shld never abuse our position by discouraging them or labelling them. What we say…matters to them alot. I had a terrible experience with a primary 5 teacher…and i told myself if i evr teach…i wont be like her. N im proud to say…im definitely a better teacher than her. Alhamdullilah.

You should watch this movie. Its excellent and lets you think … It available on youtube in 10 parts. Flo i recommend you to watch it…maybe we can discuss abt it

Secrets to isolation in bellydance/ GLUTES WILL WALK ALL OVER YOU

Lol. This must be the weirdest exercise ive ever demonstrated->Glute exercise. Something Suhaila Salimpour been talking about. At first I thought it was mad. Later on, I realise how correct she really is. Glute exercise though boring and embarrassing can really help you in bellydance. You can find it from her dvds Bellydance buns.  This was a request from sonilixxious. Sorry for the late reply.

SECRETS TO ISOLATION?

Everyone wants to be an instant bellydancer. I wish i could. Unfortunately no matter what. The secret to perfect isolation is practise. Ive  tried my best to explain. Drilling can really really help you. If you are skeptical in adding weights to ur exercise routine,…you can tie more hip scarves. This was what my teacher taught me. I hadnt tried it before. I just jumped straight onto weights.

Exercise like the glute ones help prepare you for more stronger and vibrant hip drops.

Glute Exercise benefits

Well i experimented. My shimmies, hip drops, hip drop kicks were all instantly strong. Take some time in squeesing your glutes. I know this sounds funny but it can really keep you strong. Oh yah plus point you can get a prettier butt…Maybe lol

Apart from squeesing glutes, i do rib lifts or suck in my diaphrahm. I suck it really in so my bellyrolls will be really good. My flutters have improved tremendously. Small isolation exercises like this are good enough. There are really no secret. Its just drilling and drilling means doing the step over again for atleast 5 to 10 mins non stop. Good enough!

Tribal fusion

I am not against any dance form. I just wish to learn all styles. But i was pretty disappointed to hear from my teacher that tribal style was imagined and it doesnt have roots in history. But i am not against any style. I like them all. I wish to learn them all. Mainly cos i love bellydancing alot.

I invented this strange weird costume and i realise how cheap it can really be. Even though i guess i look much better in a tradition egyptian or turkish costume.  I decided to break down the costume cos i guess not many people know why people wear this and that.

My Teacher was awesome to teach us to interpret different musical instruments how to intrepret them and move accordingly. It helps me alot. Many times we cant fully choreograph. I go by ear most of my time. For me, i have to be free. Then i can interact with my audience

Music and me

I love music and i respect musicians. I dont play any instruments. I wonder if the turkish zill counts! lol. I was with Keenan while he made music. I felt pretty useless most of the time cos i really want to help him. But i cant. I wish i had the knowledge of piano or some classical indian music. I really wish to learn the arabic drum. Cos i like immersing into an artform compltely getting lost in it and merge into it. I love bellydance and thats why i wish to learn all styles no matter what they are. Its an expression. I cant do tribal for now. I wil imitate till i find a tribal teacher.

FLORIAN LAUR (blorian)

Yeap and he was here this holidays. We didnt had the same energy to travel all around singapore again. We did what we could. Talk. We had some family time together. Dad cldnt play games wid him so we chatted bt history

Flo is matured and better at decisions now. So i dont have to keep mummying him. N i dont want to. It was fun having someone who has the same mindset as you around. We wish to travel together some time. We found Singapore flags hanging around some really weird danger signboards. Is it patriotism or someone trying to act funny? I wished he could stay longer. We could have discussed alot more. Seems like he likes movies i like too! So i got introduced to David Lynch. N i found a new line of cinemas i can watch and analyse.

Artwork

Ravi Verma’s paintings are just awesome. He is Malayalee. So ive another reason to be proud of. N i looked at some old paintings of the sultry beauties from Kerala. Even as a women i tell you….its sexy…more to sensual.

Wet after a bath…skin showing through…a bashful face. POetry i tell you! Poetry in a painting. How many artists can do that. Paintings to me are in a way scarier than photographs. Photographs capture whats there in reality…maybe in a subjective manner. But in artwork,,,an artist thoughts feelings and emotions get locked in it. Its scary to keep a fragment of someone’s mind….long dead in your home.

But i still love it. I would appreciate collecting stuff like this more than commercial stuff. My elder sis understood me well and got me paintings from UK instead of clothes and shoes. I like collecting historical items. I am going to collect artwork because it inspires me. I wish to collect the painting with the nipple showing. Except my parents might cry out loud its PORN! I guess olden times Kerala Ladies were topless…thats what someone told me.  But its BEAUTIFUL. N Its embarassing cos ive a dad at home. N it might be disrespectful to hang dat picture in my house. As Hes da only male inda house other than my rabbit Mr.Panda

I also hear drum beats from mRidangam and tabla lately. It calms me and give me ideas. I begin to read poetry as well. Even tho i took tamil at school instead of Malayalam. I am very familar with great tamil poets like Bharathiyaar and Kannadasan. Their poetry makes you think. We lack poetry in our lives and movies. I wish to bring it back. Like what Jean Renoir does. Im beggining to see poetry in the littlest things we do in life. I wish people will appreciate the beauty of their own culture. I am not Tamil…I cant speak Tamil…But i love Bharathi.  N many tamils i meet here dont appreciate him or love him as much as i do. I am refferring to some people only. The most beautiful qoute Bharathi ever said in my opinion is… MANATHIL URUTHI VENDUM meanining…THERE SHOULD BE FIRMNESS IN YOUR HEARTS NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!

REQUESTS

Requests welcome. Mail me in my youtube inbox. M happy to help my bellydancers

Sabreena