My Latest Gadget

This is my stunning cool-looking MP3 player from Sony! Well, have been scouting for a reasonably-priced one for some time and last week, Wanz went with me to The-Mall-of-All- Things-Electronic to get it. :)

At first Silly me wanted to get it from Courts at 299. Youthful Yan was the one who felt this design was the coolest. Then Digitally-inclined Donny and Caring Christina told me to go to Sim Lim and finally Wonderful Wanz went with me. Haha!!

The first shop wanted to sell it to me at 299, the second one 285, the third one 278 and then suddenly I saw 250!!

Anyway, it's kinda challenging for me to get used to its Connect software. Till now, I am still trying... struggling to arrange everything nicely. Need to get in all my P&W songs n sermons, and also others that will help me through J-land. It's a sense of achievement though, to be able to listen to what I meticulously put into this shiny silver gadget.

And it looks like this... Nice? :)

Last night (Part 1)

Well, last night, I had a really good time fellowshipping with my mum and my 2nd sister, Apple. One of those rare and precious moments that the 3 of us could actually sit down, put aside our individual agenda to talk. We discussed and shared many things and strengthened each other. Really it was awesome.














This is a pict of Apple and me. Do we look alike? When we were young, lots of people said we really looked alike, and we would vehemently disagree. Well, Apple is a really very smart young lady. So full of zest and passion towards her work. Intelligent and eloquent too. :)

Last night (Part 2)

I decided to check my email and I saw a mail from Japan regarding my actual placement, where I will be teaching, who I will be working with, where I will be staying, etc. It was so exciting. I couldn't sleep and went on to do some research about what's upcoming for me. :)

I will be teaching at Kobe Kouhoku Senior High School, teaching 15-17 year-olds, just like my Bedok North students. :)
Here is a pict of the school and the students.





Where I will be staying
I will be staying at Kobe-shi and living in an apartment that's quite roomy. 3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 toilet and 1 bathroom. :) At the present moment, it's my predecessor's home. She's Jennifer and she was so helpful last night. Thank God for her! It will really help me ease my way into this new phase of my life.

Well, anyway, I have been trying to upload the apartment picts but it's so frustrating. Been trying for the past half an hour, but to no avail! Hmmm, something's not quite working here and i can't rectify the problem. :(

I'm going to give up!! And well, today is the start of a brand new week. Have a great week ahead and to all the students, do enjoy the last week of your holiday and finish up your homework!!

I know I have not been here for a really long time. Everytime I reach home, I do not really wish to log on to the internet or surf. Sometimes, I just feel "I have enough of this at work... I want to just read a book, go for a run..." that kinda feeling when I reach home.

Today I woke up thinking that something wasn't quite right. I was supposed to go to CGH for the knee appt, but then, there was a gnawing at the back of my mind. I checked and realised I had gotten the date wrong. I was supposed to be there yesterday. My watch was one day slow!! Well, I called up CGH and yup, they kindly changed my missed appointment to tomorrow.

Anyway, thank God for one more day of recovery from VERY SORE MUSCLES. Yanyan, if you read this, well, Calista, Kelvin, Steve and I went blading n running on Sunday, and they bladed for 16 km!! I woke up yesterday so sore so sore so sore...

Acutally I am just rambling. Before I set my heart out to write this post, I had actually written another entry, but that's my private entry, not available online. :) I am gonna share some of my thoughts though.

I am now reading this book and its title is "The Language of Goodbye".

Actually I was not extremely fascinated when I first picked up this book, but its opening chapter relates a story of a teacher. Call it job hazard... I was instantly interested to find out what happened. Anyway, as I read on, many times, I stopped and wondered why I wanna read such a sad book.

This book explores the intricacies of human relationships and what love meant to the various characters in the book. Well, at some point, I really felt that this is such a sad sad sad sad book. The teacher in the book teaches the English language to some foreign speakers and well, talked about how grief should be written in the past tenses, but yet, when she read her students' work, grief was always presented in the present tense.

Anyway, as an EL teacher, I really felt something... about the beauty of the language.

And the story went on and on. It is hard to keep reading because the pages are sorrowful, filled with pain, resentment, insecurity and anger...

The melancholic part of me took over and hence, I am writing this post I guess. I wouldn't want my life to be dictated by negative emotions like what I had written above.

1 Cor 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Well, the weather now seems good. It's evening time. My mum just made a strange drink but it's nice! She learnt it from Billy, the radio personality. Seasame with soya bean drink. It's really very nice and she made 2 glasses for me cos I like it. :) Thank God for such a wonderful mum!

Should I go for a run now??

Not feeling too good

Today I woke up with a numbness and pain in the right knee again. Sigh. The pain comes on periodically. There were times when I felt so encouraged, because actions that were too difficult for the knee to manage could be done with ease, but then sometimes, when the pain comes back, I would feel frustrated.

It's been nearly two months since that accident at ECP. Sometimes, it is quite hard to bear when I think about the fall. You know that kind of urge, that intense "gian" emotion when I see someone running, skating, playing tennis, playing basketball or swimming with strength and grace? I would want to very much do the same!

I am standing on God's promise that I will be totally well soon.
I have faith for healing.


Feeling slightly better :)

Anyway, now I am in school. The C girls are going to play Dunman High soon. I really hope they continue to play better and better! This group of girls has so much potential and maybe one day, some of them will get to represent Singapore in games? :)

Well, last night, went to NTU to help Steve move out of hall. Let me tell you, his room was so easy to pack! In less than 45 minutes, we were ready to set off. I was reminded of my own hostel room few years back. Wow. There were so many things I had to bring home. Countless pairs of shoes, lots of clothes, books, my hi-fi, fan, chairs, laptop, food, barang barang, hurhur, and even a refrigerator. I had to pack for a few days! I was indeed impressed with his belongings, or rather a lack of it. We managed to squeeze his stuff into the car boot with ease. I remember I had a van to transport my things back last time!

And he has graduated from uni. Time flies so fast. Passed by the hostel where I stayed during NIE days too. Memory lane. Sweet ones. :)

It's examination time in school now. I pray 5D and 4I do really well for their MYE, and of course, more importantly, the GCE 'O' and 'N' exams!

Ganbatte students. Make good use of this coming weekend to work hard.

Specially to my dear angel / angels and mortal /mortals

Once there was this special game that was thought of by Somebody. Somebody thought the game was very exciting and introduced it to Everybody. Everybody got excited about this game and thought that Anybody might just be interested in it. Afterall, how could Nobody get excited with such a fantabulous and incredizing game? Anybody could be Everybody in this game. This was a great game of pretense in the name of love.

So Everybody participated in the game and Nobody could make any sense out of the game because as long as Anybody tried to pass a present to Somebody, Everybody started talking to Anybody beside them, all at the same time. There was confusion and madness! Everybody became really puzzled and confused at Nobody in particular because it seemed that Everybody could be Anybody and Nobody had an exact identity.

There was this Somebody who questioned Everybody because Nobody seemed to be able to answer her/his queries...

Well, dear friends out there involved in this game, let me tell you something...

Everybody has already told me who their Somebody was, so that Nobody would be confused by Anybody....

I AM GOING CRAZY.


Dear friends, thank you so much for your kindness, your love, your gifts, your prayers...
We could always give without loving, but we could never love without giving.

Thank you very very very much for making these few weeks such a memorable and enjoyable one for me. :)

A true display of grit
An indomitable spirit

Yesterday, I watched one of the most exciting matches the girls have ever played. It was a match against Chung Cheng and we were the underdogs. What really struck me was not the fact that our girls were very talented or skilful (no doubt some of them are), but the fact that they gave their best, fought their best and tried their best.

We were losing all the way till the last quarter when we caught up. I really almost fainted, because it seemed like mission impossible. By half-time, we were already down by 12 points. I had seen this team since its beginning and watched it grow, through the good times n the bad times. The beginning of the year, the team faced their biggest challenge. When things did not work out, many of them persevered and encouraged each other. This kind of spirit is valuable. I remember their toughness through their struggles.

Actually I really have so much I want to share about this group of special girls. I will leave it to another blog specially dedicated to them.

We won in the end.

Champions are not those who never lose, but those who never quit.

REVEALED

Friends forever!

Nadhira n Saliza :)

Miss Shufinah n Mr Brian

A Happy Family

A Happy Family II

THE BASKETBALL CHALLENGE

One sunny and lovely Saturday evening,

A group of sporty and fun-loving people gathered.

These were our challengers, the young and mighty ones.

They tried their best for a rebound,

Guess who managed to get it? The reigning rebounder then was MS.

One would think that he would get all the rebounds.

Look at how he jumped!

Little did he expect that there was another one. Someone just as fantastic! Therefore, he looked on in awe.

MS n PR couldn't believe their eyes. They looked at the hoop in wide-open wonder. How could one jump at that height, they wondered.

LH decided upon revenge. He tried to get the ball. But our flying fish BUBU was faster!

After a really difficult game

There reigns only one champ.

WE ARE THE CHAMPS!

Blading Craze

Today, after service, we went to buy our blades. Kel saw a good lobang.. buy 1 get 1 free and we decided to go and take a look. Of course, we bought it.. at a good price for a great pair!

Ha ha. So excited now. A family that blades together stays together. :)

Anyway, here is a pict of my new blades. My goal is to be able to blade to school by the end of June. Ganbatte to myself, and of cos to Ah ne.. n Kel, n Cal, n Don, n Steve, n .... too many to count.

I believe we will have lots of fun! YAY!!

Angel n Mortal Episode 2

Dear E151

Today is cell group day again
The holy mess will begin again
Who's your angel, who's your mortal
Confusion, amazement, they are here again.

Haha, but Xiaowei is right. It's a whole lot of fun! I can already see that later someone will get a big big blessing, and another a small blessing, and some others, weird blessings. hahahahha.

Anyway, I am so glad to have all of you in my life. You are my biggest blessings!

I better do my work now!

Musings on a Saturday morning

Here at the workplace marking scripts. Need to take a break. The basketball girls are training hard. They are playing Anglican High on Tuesday. Difficult match. Anyway, I do think that it is nice to be back in school on a Saturday morn. It is so quiet here. Not many people are around and I feel a certain sense of peace, unlike the rush and the hustle n bustle of a usual weekday.

It is already the 7th week of the first term. Time really flies! It was difficult to bring myself back to work after the good December hols, but now, I am approaching the March hols. Really fast. Time waits for no man. I learnt that we have been made to be productive and creative, and we have indeed been given the ability to do that. :) I want to see more of this creative power in my own life!

Anyway, last night I told Steve a really silly and lame joke. Here is how it goes. Actually I told him and many other people this joke before. But this is my latest version. After tennis last night, as I told him this latest version, I really cranked out and laughed and laughed.

There were 3 friends who met up for a reunion. One is an Australian, the other an American and the last one, a Singaporean. They were amazed at the number of electrical appliances they found at Mustaffa Shopping Centre during a midnight shopping spree and so the Australian asked, "Hey friends, name me an electrical appliance that starts with the letter 'L'."

The American said "lamp", the Australian said "lawn mower" and the Singaporean thought for a long time. Finally, she said, "Lalio".....

Next, they decided to talk about fruits that begin with 'L' again. The American said "Longan", the Australian said "Lychee" and the Singaporean said... "Lulian". Both the Australian and American were amazed at the answer. The Singaporean then went on to say, "I know of one more fruit that starts with the letter 'L'! It is called ... Ling Mong!"

Astonished, they asked her what it meant. She said, "Haven't you heard of Ma Ma Ling Mong? " (That's the dishwishing liquid.)

Finally, they were going home after the shopping spree. In a cab, they decided to talk about brands of cars beginning with the letter 'L' again. Unanimously, both the American and Australian said "Lexus". The Singaporean smiled smugly and asked them if they could think of another one. Both shook their heads. The Singaporean then said "Lolls Loyce".


I was already laughing non-stop as I told Steve this episode. Anyway, he is a really great genius. We discussed animals beginning with the letter 'L' and wondered what the Singaporean will say. I thought of "Labbit" straightaway. You know what Steve said? hahahahaha. He said "Laohu". I laughed till my sides cracked. hahahahhaha.

Anyway, blame it on my profession as an English teacher. I somehow find jokes like these very very very amusing and funny. There was this other time I told a Maggi Mee joke. That one was also a classic.

Anyway, I hope you do have fun reading the above.

Well, I think I better get back to work...

:)

Have a lovely lovely weekend!

Angel and Mortal Episode 1

Last week, during Tues night service, during Praise, Yanlin just turned to me and told me that she had a feeling that i would receive a great great blessing the next day!

In my mind, i was so surprised and happy, haha, n the first thing that came was that it must be something from my angel...

N indeed, it was. Wed nite came, we met at the toilet at expo, n tada, she gave me a wonderful wonderful gift from my angel, titled 'Christ the Lord'!

'Christ the Lord' by Anne Rice



What else can i say? It must have been one of the most heartfelt gifts one could ever give, for the book talks about CHRIST... I am in the midst of reading it now dear angel... once i finish the book, i will share about it...

My angel wrote this:

Behold, the Holy Spirit has spoken with the Angel,
For you told the Holy Spirit your wish.
Now, the Angel comes to you with blessing,
A blessing so imaginary that it renews your mind,
And you will LOVE Jesus even more.


I am prompted to think that my angel is Xiaowei! She always writes such beautiful poems. :)

So here I am expressing my thanks. Thank you dear angel, and of course, the angel's messenger, Yanlin!

Well, 5D is also playing angel n mortal. Dear class, I hope you have a lot of fun too! We can make it happen and show each other that we care. I have already read some of the notes that you had written for each other. Really encouraging! Let's keep up the class spirit!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 5D!!!!!



The beautiful 5D




The beautiful 5D again




What is Albert doing??




Me n Mr Brain




GONG XI FA CAI!!

Uncle Franky and us

Tonight, i can't really get to sleep, so I decided to get online and do a bit of work. Whaha, but hmmm, i don't think i am really fruitful at that.

It's the end of the 3rd week of sch. This week has been very fruitful. On Tuesday, the kids went for CIP and they went to this Uncle Franky's house at a very ulu place - Munyak?? I hope i got it correct? I joined them very late cos there was CCA registration in sch and when i reached, i was really touched.

I saw the whole class there, many of them putting in the effort to help Uncle revamp his house.

Actually, i feel that scenes like these are really very precious and valuable. We have often been taught to be kind, to share, to spread joy, to love, but how many are really doing it from their heart?

I spoke to Uncle too and was indeed deeply touched to know that the kids had really made a difference in his life. He teared and told me that these kids are good kids and that it was one of the best days in his life. I took a good look at my class. I really felt that way too. I saw many students really giving their best, co-operating to finish up their makeover. Others chatted with Uncle and listened to his stories and experiences. I really think that there is so much potential in each and everyone of them.

Specially dedicated to my form class:

GANBATTE

It'll be the last year in this school for all of you
Let's start this year with a heart brand new
A clean slate for your dreams and desire
Whatever you do I pray you burn with fire

Time is precious, don't procrastinate
Once it's gone, it'll never come back
It's always a choice, so choose it wisely
Don't let this year be one of folly

It'll get tougher and more challenging
Yet there's always a time for emerging
Slowly but steadily, stay in the race
Slowly but surely, increase your pace

Work hard now, give your best
Let your life be filled with zest
Remember that you are unique
As class 5D, we will make it!

A great meal after a tiring day!

Last night was the night where 4 hungry people gathered. Scott, Heather, Steve and myself went to Steve's Dad's place for dinner and really, it was one of the best weekday-eat-out-dinners that I had ever experienced.

Haha. Maybe it was cos we were all very hungry, or it could be because it was after another long day in school, or maybe it was cos there was an anticiaption of the holiday today. All in all, we were famished. Although we ate normal "zi cha" fare, it was truly satisfying. Hmmm. Wish I had taken pictures. Anyway, we had "fu rong dan", "pipa dou fu", "dou miao", "tie ban lu rou", "butter fish-cum- sotong", "xi yang cai tang" and "chilli crab with man tou"!!

Amazing!!

We finished every single bit and this morning, i woke up thinking about it. More than just the food that we had, it was the company and the freinds. It's really wonderful that God has given me friends like them in the workplace. People whom you can trust and rely on.

Anyway, Steve's Dad refused to accept our payment and in the end, I managed to give him a small token for the food that we ate. I really appreciate the generosity his family has shown. Although they may never see this entry, thank you nevertheless!!

Well, today is a cold and dark day. Haha, but it's not really that bad. It's nice to be able to sleep through the rain, warm and wrapped up at 6 am in the morning, not having to go to school!! :) Heez, I am sure many will share the same sentiments!! Ah-ne, you saw this?? Tuesday ain't blue anymore. Today is rainbow.

Decisions, Actions, Consequences

This week, the Lord has shown me something
I pray my eyes be open, my heart be ready
I see the episode unfolding
Every single bit heart-wrenching

A three-year tussle, a three-year struggle
it really ain't too easy for me to handle
Lord I pray your hand moves in this matter
Lord I pray you give me the wisdom

Decisions and actions
Will all bring about certain consequences
Lord I have taken my stand; they are my convictions
Speak to me Lord, give me the revelations
Help us truly make the right decisions.


Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

HMMMMM

WHY IS MY TIME 4.16 am???

bewildered cen

To my dear students of 5D

It is indeed wonderful to be able to be your form teacher and EL teacher again this year. I promised you guys that I would write something to encourage all of you, so here goes.

This year is going to be challenging! It's gonna be a great jump for most of you this year, but i am very very sure that you can do it. ALL OF YOU. I have great faith in each and everyone of you and i believe that if you put in the effort now, you will reap success at the end of it.

Haha, actually i am finding it a bit strange to blog like this to the class.

Anyway, coming back to the class, I would also like to extend a great great welcome to the ex-4G girls. I hope that you will find the ex-4F a warm and lovely bunch. Together, we make up 5D! Ha ha, can anyone come up with any excellent adjective starting with 'D'? 5 Dangerous? 5 Dilligent? 5 Dreamers? Suggestions?

Some gentle reminders here to you:
1. Remember to stay organised. Use your handbook to help you.
2. Remember the 1st expectation - RESPECT: ONLY ONE SPEAKS
3. Remember the 2nd - PUNCUALITY
4. Remember the 3rd - CLASSROOM CLEANLINESS

Ok, that's all for now. Thanks, Elisa, for offering some valuable help on blogging. Haha, i have to spend some time polishing up my blogging skills!!

Quote of the day: IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL. (This not only applies to English essays, it's applicable to other areas in your life too.)

HELLO

hello