Happiness Journal 1/11/25

People say that parenting is expensive, but they don’t reckon the surge of fatherly love and pride that surges within a parent when he buys elementary school uniforms for his boy.

Money can buy happiness sometimes.

Why is it that a child simply has to exist to instigate happiness in his parents but has to score stellar grades in order to maintain shreds of pleasure years later? This must be the greatest mystery of parenting muahaha.

Happiness Journal 10/11/25

A boy from my form class surprised me by bringing a Science past year examination question book that he had earlier received from his self-help organisation. So honoured that he had remembered me during the weekend and even took the initiative to bring his book to share it with me this morning.

A girl from another class showed me her storybook that she had started last night. Apparently, she wants to give it to me before the school holidays. I am skeptical that she will continue beyond her first paragraph, but I am touched nevertheless.

Suffice it to say that they made my day today.

Happiness Journal  12/11/2025

I took Urgent Private Affairs leave yesterday to attend my son’s orientation, which meant that I had to forgo the Year 4s’ graduation today.

Amidst this group of students whom I went toe to toe with was a young man who recently came back to school after a brief stint at the Singapore Boys’ Home. To this day, I can vividly recall the moment in which he left me so pissed off that I had to consciously regulate my breathing in front of him, afraid that I might blurt out something that I would regret. So atrocious was his behaviour back then. But even then, we forged an easy connection that was quite hard to beat. After all, I don’t address myself as 干爹 (Godfather) for most of my students.

Anyway, two ex-colleagues were kind enough to capture him in a video saying all those words of gratitude. As one might have expected, given that emotions were running high and people were nostalgic about an era soon to be relegated to the past. Honestly, I couldn’t quite hear his emphatic affirmation because the background noise overshadowed him. Still, his earnest and shy 腼腆 demeanour shone through.

I guess that was enough.

I matter to him - as much as he mattered to me back then.

The starfish story sometimes rings hollow for a job that is jam-packed with responsibilities. Moments like this serve as validation that I have served my purpose with strength and dignity. That 我坚守着自己的岗位。