Stories of me and myself

They were supposed to be banana mocha chocolate chip muffins. But due to Chien's advice on her experience with banana muffins, I decided to un-save the bananas by not adding them in. Not that I eat muffins anyway! *grin*

Muffins still in the oven.


Trying to be artistic.


I still dunno how it tastes like, but it looks okay. Heh. I forgot that I was baking, hence the second batch looks a little darker than usual. But we shouldn't discriminate muffins based on colour.... so we should pretend it's normal. Haha!

I miss my friends. Chien, Meow, Emay jiejie, Becky, YP jiejie, HF, pure fren, buddy, Shutch...

Seems like faliing sick, going away (to the wrong country, not just place, Meowmeow) and all makes one miss the close ones around. Good also lah... makes me appreciate the people around me more. And it din help that Chien had to be in Shanghai happily being someone's Shanghai gf and also got adopted as a Shanghai daughter! Hahaha!

So yeah, it's nice and heart-warming to catch up with them.
But it's funny too cos the flu bug is powerful this time round and has gotten to us ABCD! Chien was suggesting we hold a sick party (party for the sick lah!) and name it "party-itis". Haha!

Oh, and Meow meow is now called Ala-tulla aka Ala-ku-cing (get it? heh), a somewhat Mongolian tribal name and she is gonna marry Heshan-Beikou (a muscular, skilled man who rides the horse and hunts) and have up to 7 kids or more. They will thus be named Ah-yi, Ah-er, Ah-san, Ah-si,.... you get the idea. =)

Haha! Anyway, if you miss me, do call me. Or even if you don't miss me, you can still call me! I have my voice now! It stopped gallivanting since last week! =)

Girlfriends are important. I treasure them. A lot. *grin*

I have been down for an extended period of time. Almost a week.

Down with what?
- fever (which disappears when I'm at the doc's)
- cough (which almost kills me)
- sore throat (which caused my voice to go gallivanting)
- running nose (I've a rather fit nose now, yes.)

Which made me drowsy, giddy and weak all over. I lost my appetite as well.

And even before I had finished the first round of medication, I was down with...
- tummyache
- gastric
- diarrhoea (which caused me to run to the loo a record of more than 20 times!)
Just thank God it isn't painful!

Yeah, so you name it, I have it.

Mr Doc was quite amusing. Told me the virus had migrated downwards. Well, according to Physics's law, it should rite? I asked him if there was any other place it would/could travel to, he looked at me interestingly and said matter-of-factly, "Out". *Grin* He asked if I needed an MC, I said no need. He thought I was still studying! (See how young I am? Haha!)

When he heard that I was with NIE, he looked at me unbelievably and asked me, "You sure? Your very sure?! My wife's a teacher too. You sure you want to be a teacher? You very sure? You know many people want out before their bond is up right?" I told him, yes, I want it, I have wanted it for a long time. And well, let's see in 3 years then. He said, "Good, we need more people like you." Hmm... I hope so.

Now to wrestle the virus. Sickening thing. I feel like a druggie! (If you know me well, I don't like medicine at all and usually don't even take it! But this time I finished one whole cycle! Be proud of me.) Different kinds of medication for each place the virus attacked! Yucks.

Please pray for me. Thanks.

Apparently yes.

Why? Cos instead of booking flights to Bangkok, I booked flights to Jakarta! So yeah, my hyped-up shopping escapade in Bangkok resulted in me slacking in Jakarta. And guess what, the night before our departure, I copied down the code for the airline and even happily jotted down "Destination: Jakarta/ Soekarno-Hatta Airport". To realise that we were headed towards Jakarta and not Bangkok!! How dumb.

Don't tell anybody I am a Geog 'cher k? How kuku! It must be the biggest booboo of my life! But I bet I will make more in time to come! Hehe.

So yeah, Jakarta it was. Boring it was. Only business travellers go there... not tourists! So we maxed out our time at the hotel, which had an excellent pool and free drinks and a cool breakfast spread which was free! If you dun already know, the only thing that attracts my mum is the American breakfast at the hotel! Argh.

American B/F (Look at her... so gian! Haha!)


Enough was enough. I was not about to waste my entire time at the hotel, with no interesting surrounding! So I booked ourselves a train to Bandung and a hotel. And my, was the view scenic! So much Geography to talk about! From wet rice agriculture to urbanisation to transportation to physical landforms! Woohoo! All the time I was just filming and filming... Oh so to Geog teachers who teach Sec Sch (argh!), I have lots of agri videos I will share. =)

Train to Bandung



Wet rice agriculture



We stayed at a upclass hotel, not out of choice, but out of necessity. There were no other hotels available.


That's the decor of the lift lobbies.

Nothing much to see or do... but I did come upon something interesting.

Animals for sale, along the roadside.


"How much is that doggie in the window..."


Wanted to have a nice dinner to celebrate Mother's Day. I actually picked a really nice place ona peak, which overlooks the whole of Bandung. Quite classy place. But my mum wanted local food. So I gave in. And we ended up at this place called Bumbu Desa, which allowed you to choose your food from the display, and then pay accordingly. Quite an experience lah... but the food was not awesome. And it made my throat go beserk. Heh.

Bumbu Desa


All the time I was on the trip, I was feeling terribly sick. Got the bug on Thursday nite... tossed and turn and wrestled the hot-cold feeling. Throughout the trip, I had to wrestle it as well... waking up with a start, to realise that I only slept 30 mins to 45 mins, drink more water, pee more.... and the cycle continued throughout the nite. Gross! And cos the fever hit me hard, I could hardly walk without feeling faint. So yeah, I was mostly confined to the hotel room watching "Spongebob Squarepants". I kinda like him. Hahah!

Yeah, so that's my short getaway. In fact, I would have preferred Singapore anytime. I dun think I would ever want to live there... not when I'm Chinese.

10/5/06 (Wednesday)

i'm into squash now! Yay!

"Squash 'em like a cockroaaaach...." =)

It's fun. And the courts are easier to book. But of course that doesn't mean I'm giving up my first love - badminton. Hee.
Kudos for a new sport! Hee.

Oh, and you know what? I had several 'firsts' on Wednesday.
It was the first time I have witnessed the Merlion stop puking recycled water and totally cease operation. Maybe his tummy finally got better. Poor creature.
I also witnessed the Esplanade durian as it is, without its illumination! Heh. Just like a rotten durian. Oops! *covers mouth*
I also witnessed this concentric ring around the moon. Apparently the light from the sun is defracted through the little water vapour molecules in the clouds, thus forming a concentric circle. I bet there were more concentric circles and more complicated layers... but within little bright Singapore, it's impossible to observe them clearly.
It was also the first time I entered the HUGE candy store at Millenium! Woohoo!! All the chocolate there... tempting you with their evil clutches... I wanna go back again and immerse myself in there... like in Chocolate Factory! "Willy Wonker!"
I also walked like I owned the carpark at Marina Square! Down the ramps and all... just like it was my own house! =)

Satisfying. How often can one have so many 'firsts' in one nite? Heh.
Oh must thank the good company too.

By the way, I received my posting. JC it is. A tad disappointed cos all my life I wanted to teach Sec Sch kids. No more monekying around, teasing and smoking students, tekan-ing them, having them look up innocently to you, whacky role-play lessons, etc. Now it's older, more matured kids who are probably more focused on their academic life. No moneky business. I wonder if I will still possess the "I want to play" spirit with such old kids. U say leh?

But I guess God has a plan for me... I left it to Him and the plan can't be clearer when it's a mission school! Hee. Anyway, when God leads, He provides. Trudge on with my head lifted up I shall. And praise God. =)

8/5/06 (Monday)

Woke up at 630am. Why so early? Cos the muddle-headed me had conveniently left my Apple power cable in school... leaving my poor poor Apple to struggle for dear breath. So I had to put it out of its misery by collecting the life-saviour. So i sneaked into the school, prowled to the PLC, said "hi" and "bye" to a teacher in the room innocently and slipped out. Apparently I'm not invisible. Cos I got spotted! Oops! =)

Was early for CME. How often is it that I'm early?? And for CME! And the ground rules that they set was "punctuality" and "no talking when someone is talking". Oh man.... can you imagine my misery?!! So yeah, I had a really restless time. And when we broke up into small groups, our natural sopcial circle was too tiny to be validated, so we were "posted" to various group. My group was filled with corrupted people. Yes, corrupted. And I will not get into too much detail... but something like "Educators are like condoms. They (not we) are there whenever you need them (not us). One size fits all." Yikes.

One question which caught my attention was this. "What do you do when the values which you are supposed to preach to the kids clashes with your own values system?" It was apparently very easy for someone who said, "Just wayang lor." Hmm.. it's an easy way out... but isn't that lying? I know, we are supposed to be teachers, educators, role models, but neither are we perfect. To what extent should we be REAL and reveal our flaws to students? Tough one which needs more pondering. Heh.

But in the meanwhile, we had a 4 hour break till the next History class, so a couple of us caught "The Wild" cartoon. Quite funny at times, but not highly recommended lah. Quite a fusion between "Finding Nemo" and stuff. You get the picture. I fell asleep. Haha! And it was a good snooze. Heh.

And the day ended with me playing Hangman with PinP in class. Ssshhh...

7/5/06 (Sunday)

We were gonna celebrate Merf's birthday... hence I decided to bake a mango cake. What an ambition...

I found a recipe which sounded good. But I had little faith, cos it din require ANY butter! And inexperienced me thought that it would surely die! Hee. But I trudged on anyway. And hence, here is the result...






Hee. "M-E-R-V-I-N M-O-U-S-E - Mervin Mouse!" (To the tune of "Mickey Mouse") Hee.

Funny thing is that it was super huge! And when my mum opened the fridge and saw the humongous monster, she laughed till she cried! Hahahah! Oh well... next time I'll shrink it and not beat the batter so much to keep it light and fluffy. At least my mummy learnt... A week ago when I told her to separate the eggs which I gave her, a total of 8 eggs, she asked me, "4 - 4 is it?" Hahahah! I guess non-bakers will not get the joke, cos separating eggs means separating the yolk and the white, not dividing the eggs. =)

Badminton was fun too. Played with Meow for at least 5 games. Quite fun. And I had a fun time disturbing Chien, calling her an ah-lian cos of her highlighted hair, a cute one who pranced from court to court, and imitated each other's actions. A-B-C-D game was very fun. Meow, Becky, Chien and Daffy. And add an 'E' for Emay jiejie!! We should all play more often! Ok? Set! =)

Headed for tuition. It's a fun affair... we talk rubbish. Yes rubbish. A lot of rubbish. Heh. Out-of-the-world conspiracies and ridiculous ideas. Yep, student starts it, I fuel it. Hee. Smart boy he is though. What a breeze... he grasped whatever I needed to teach him just like that. No struggle. I guess the difference is the one-on-one attention and the willingness and urgency to learn that factors in. Too bad it's just a one-off thing. Back to being my poor teacher. Hee.

6/5/06 (Saturday)

To kick things off, I am a true PAP supporter. =)

I only believe that opposition should be of a certain stature before they deserve to be elected into Parliament. Although I do buy a little of the idea that opposition is good, cos it keeps the government in check. But it should be kept at a safe level, such that it doesn't topple the government when it is doing its best for the nation. Not any kuching kurak opposition will do. That absolutely turns me off. So do PAP bashers, with no good or valid reason.

I believe that our government is upright, has integrity and delivers its promise. Lots of thought is given into decision and it is given the mandate and the freedom to plan long-term, which is important. Compare this to other nations, and I think we should really appreciate what we have. And not complain. I personally find the fact that some S'poreans' votes based on upgrading promises is sickening. Does the big picture sink in in the first place?! Have they considered the more important issues of the economy, stability and security into consideration?! "Any opposition, good or bad, is good." Hmmm... debatable. But if it keeps the government on its feet, ok then. But not too much k? And don't bash here and insult there and all lah. Though it's a good reflection of Singapore's politics.

We realised that the real politics are discussed at kopitiams. And so on Sat nite, after a game of badminton with old badminton kakis, we settled at AMK's kopitiam and made ourselves comfortable as we joined the ah-peis in watching the live telecast of the elections results. Exciting I would say. =)

Let me vote the next time! Don't let me wait forever! Hee.

This is long long overdue. But here I am! The procastinator is back!

5/5/06 (Friday)

Last day of practicum. No teaching anymore.
Mixture of feelings. Of unwillingness to leave my comfort zone, of anticipation for the long break at NIE, for the future...
But good things, or bad things, will all come to an end on earth.

I stayed up the whole nite on Thursday. What for?
To make lemon meringue pies and chocolate pies for the farewell party.
To watch the movies I had borrowed from Video Ezy.
To write personal cards to both my classes of Sec 1s and Sec 2s.
To meet J and J for teh to certify J's good character for the bar. =)

So for the farewell party, we had big tupperwares of fried rice, fried by K, swiss rolls by ML, desserts (mango pudding, almond jelly with longan) and durian puffs by Kel, my pies, fried marcaroni and sandwiches. Loads of food! Too much! So much that I could afford giving 1 out of 4 pies to my dear Sec 2s, and distribute the leftover food amongst all available personnel.

It was a good end, I would say. Managed to rush out the video of the last Prophet Mohammed race riots for my Sec 2s. And they didn't know I was leaving till the last minute. But they were so sweet. Gave me a surprise when I was walking along the corridor. Got ambushed by a hoard of Sec 2s and one of them jumped behind me with a vanguard heart with all their little notes. It was such a sweet gesture that I almost cried! And they were waiting for me to cry! Hahaha! Too bad! Another time... but we ended with a sweet group hug. Aww...

Here are my students...






And the sweet heart...



And my Sec 3s gave me a little PINK piggy and a huge baby bottle with cranes in them. And individual Sec 1s gave me really encouraging and sweet notes, telling me to believe that they will work hard and that I have helped their interestin Geog grow. What more can a teacher ask for? *beam*

And these are my fellow trainees who put up with me throughout the 10 weeks, and who have been with me thru the ups and downs at school. I'm particularly thankful to K for the daily rides home and the encouragement for the Sec 3s, for being my videographer, for always being generous with his computer and stationery, and for always being on top of things and being a reliable source of information. It's important cos I'm such a muddle-head that my Sec 1s could easily do a better job at being a secretary! =) I'm also thankful for Kel for his funny antics ("No time! No time!!") and occasional break out into out-of-the-blue songs which never fail to crack me up, for being cooperating and understanding regarding the Sec 1s remedials, for being my videographer, for all the offers to help print/staple notes, for being our official stationery loaner, etc.

So yep, here we are in our cosy little PLC.

Haven’t blogged for a week. Lots to say. Where should I start?

I shall start by thanking God and counting my blessings. Like Emay jiejie. =)

1) I thank God for the close friendship with badminton friends from Cedar, especially the endless laughter, joy and love that is enjoyed amongst us. And the freedom to just be oneself, regardless of how silly it is. (Eg. Singing ATPS’s song with actions, WJ’s silly accent and antics, etc.) Although we meet up rather infrequently due to professional commitments, the bond has still remained strong. Thanks be to God!

2) I thank God for the super long weekend! Rest! Break! Playtime!
Thursday and Friday were invigilation days, so I got to wake up a little later than usual, dressed casually and just walk up and down in class. No preparation needed! No teaching required! Just give out papers, walk walk walk, collect paper. End of school! =)

3) I thank God for the lunch on Friday, where I indulged in a Japanese buffet with my colleagues. We stayed there for 4 ½ hours, eating and talking and laughing. Till the dinner buffet dinner started! Hahah!

4) I thank God for the meeting up with pure fren on Saturday. I thank God for pure fren, who has given me lots of support, care and laughter. One of the few si gin na who will actually go crazy with me! Haha! She showed me the importance of safeguarding the ‘talents’ which God has provided me with.

5) I thank God for HF who ‘counselled’ me in this issue of making the ‘talents’ grow, and for directing me to the bible reference.

6) I thank God for miraculously allowing me to mix up the timing and think that church service starts at 9am on Sunday, so much so that I had to rush. And in the end, I was early enough (for once) to do up the powerpoint. I typed EVERY single thing! Hee.

7) I thank God for my wonderful Sunday school class and all the fun that we have each week while learning about God’s words. Though I pray that they will turn up more often and that it might grow.

8) I thank God for my cell group, for its support, the love, the fun… and of course the sharing and the teaching! Makes me look forward to Sundays even more.

9) I thank God for blessing us with pies which turned out okay. I thank God for the love shown to my mummy in church. I thank God for giving us the perfect opportunity to celebrate her birthday in church. It made her very happy.

10) I thank God for answering my prayer in improving my relationship with my mummy. I pray that the relationship will only grow stronger and not otherwise. I thank God for allowing me to book a short trip to Bangkok over the long weekend to bring my mummy shopping, despite the last minute plans.

11) I thank God for weekly badminton sessions. It’s one of my favourite sports and an awesome way of spending my weekends and public holidays with close friends.

12) I thank God for blessing the people whom I play with. For their vast improvement in skills, their enthusiasm… and of course, the protection against shuttlecocks. Hee. I thank God that they still play with me despite me attacking them. But I swear I do not mean it! (For Emay jiejie at least… Hee)

13) I thank God for close friends like Chien, Meow and Emay jiejie who play and hung out with me and gave me a fun life. Haha! It was a fun(ny) Sunday night with them… with Emay jiejie the bimbo named Ooh-la and Chien the bimbo named Ooh-la-la… with Emay jiejie using the gross cheenapok accent… Meow the President of Club of Stupidity, etc. I thank God for this time when we can just hang out like before, when we were studying, without worries. I miss studying… do you?

14) I thank God for all the good food that He has provided. I feel guilty at times, thinking about how I am able to enjoy life… yet there are people who are going hungry out there. I need to do my part in showing God’s love.

15) I thank God for the progress package which has kept me ‘healthy’ this month.

16) I thank God for all the students I have, both good and bad. The former make my day and make me smile and feel good. The latter are a learning experience. The challenge to reach out to them. I think as long as we are sensitive to little changes and appreciate them, we can see how God works. I thank God for instilling in them that little sense of urgency and willingness to know more, and the willingness to put in effort to study. It makes it all seem worthwhile.

I thank God for all these multiple blessings and more. Of course there are more! =) But till next time. Hee.