= FAVOURITE WORD =
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
[NIV]
New phase. More changes.
What would the future bring?
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Overwhelmed
Let me explain.
The EL department and the EL Secondary 3 Express level meetings on Thursday really overwhelmed me - especially the latter. As we will be continuing with the the modular system, I will have to move on from whatever Gek Eng has done - on Narrative Writing. There is just so much planning to be done - the bulk of which would have to be done by Yani. I don't know how she does it. o_O She's probably emailed the schedule to us by now. I haven't checked my email yet. Too afraid. x(
Anyway, I was so overwhelmed that I actually went down to work again on Friday (when I didn't have to in the first place). I had planned to be in school by 10am latest, but due to the rain and some sudden errands to run, I arrived only about 11plus. Then I was cracking my head over the preparation for Narrative Writing module - what to teach (content) and how to teach (pedagogy). And because Gek Eng did a pretty good job on starting off with the whole thing in Semester 1, I can't very well re-teach the same things. So I had to surf on the Internet for quite a few hours for ideas. By the time it was 6pm, I was still drafting out ideas. I still haven't got them in proper order yet. There are also the lesson materials which I still need to prepare. Sighs. Stressed. :(
Well, I'm supposed to be preparing these now, but feeling quite lethargic to start. I don't feel very well either. I was sneezing the whole afternoon in school yesterday - probably because I got caught in the rain yesterday morning on the way to school. I hope I will recover by this evening because I'll be supporting worship tomorrow morning.
I still have absolutely no idea what to do with my Sec 4NT and 5NA on Monday. Too overwhelmed by the Secondary 3 Express load... which really shouldn't be the case because my graduating classes are -still- my priorities. I guess I'm just afraid of handling THREE classes of EL once again. I had taught three classes of EL before one particular year - all lower secondary - and I was already struggling like mad. I can't imagine THREE classes of UPPER secondary EL. Why, I must've gone momentarily insane to have agreed to this.
It's too late now. Everything's been settled. I'll just have to grit my teeth and make the best out of this. >:B
Alright, I should not grouch about this anymore. It's about time I should start work.
jOyZ blogged at 1:51 PM
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Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Eat Less; More Space (haw haw haw)
Staff meeting ended at around 1pm. I had a small piece of chicken pie for lunch. Yes, I'm most determined not to eat so much for meals now.
I MUST SHED OFF THOSE EXTRA WEIGHT - ESPECIALLY THE FATS! Yuck.
It was a quick lunch. I stayed on to clear my new table. It's really spacious now. Well, at least more so than previously. Hah. I'll upload a picture of this clean table once I'm done with the Perth pictures. x)
Hm, now that my table's all nice and spacious, I think I'm going off. Almost everyone's left anyway. I don't think I should stay for too long. There's going to be an EL departmental meeting tomorrow at 8am anyway. Yani's treating us breakfast. Yum! =9~~~ Oh, but I must remember not to eat too much. Then again, McDonald's breakfast isn't very filling anyway. (Excuses... excuses...) Heh.
Alright, gotta head down to Tanglin Mall for an errand now. *poofiez*
jOyZ blogged at 3:06 PM
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Uploading Pictures
Alright, I've just uploaded 2 entries of pictures onto my photo album blog. (Click on June under Archives to see both entries because only the latest entry will be shown on this blog.)
I'm not done yet. There are more pictures of Down Under which I have yet to upload. I'll probably continue tomorrow as I'm feeling a little tired now.
Just a short blog before I go offline for a nap.
There was photo-taking at school for the staff at 8.30am. By the time all the photos for all departments were taken, it was already 11am. We split into 2 groups and attended 2 separate IT workshop/presentation. It was quite an interesting session.
I left school slightly after 1pm and headed to town to have lunch and run a couple of errands before heading back home... and I've been online ever since.
If I'm not too tired, I'll probably come back online again later. Tata.
jOyZ blogged at 6:57 PM
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Monday, June 20, 2005
The Perth Experience
I've been at home the whole day. I missed my room - my messy bedroom. Haha. Can you believe it?
I touched homeground at around 4.30pm yesterday. The minute I passed the custom check points, I went straight for my luggage at Belt 18 - and there was my bag. That was like my cue to go straight home. I said my goodbyes to a couple of people and left quickly. My dad was already waiting for me at the Arrival Hall. Gosh, there were so many people - most of whom I supposed were the parents of the pupils. Heh.
I came home and went online for a couple of hours because - despite the fact that I was exhausted - it was too hot to sleep! I had enjoyed the freezing temperature in Perth and the heat at home has become almost unbearable. Haha.
I concussed right after dinner. Then Pikie called me at an unearthly hour. Haha. But it was real sweet of her. We had a really short chat and I had no problems concussing once we hung up and I slept all the way until 10.30am this morning. I vegetated in front of the laptop and in bed the whole day. Lunch was at 3pm and dinner at 8pm. I suppose I won't be able to sleep early tonight even though I have to be at work tomorrow by 8.20am.
The trip to Perth was pretty fun but extremely tiring. The plane ride to Perth was thankfully uneventful except for the 2 smacks which Kian Wee accidentally gave to my head. He was sitting right behind me on the plane, you see, and given his size and hyperactive state, it wasn't surprising that I had been assaulted in such a manner. Haha.
Our schedule was extremely packed due to the long distances between the places of attraction. According to Esther, a journey in the car or on coach that lasts 45 minutes is considered short or of average length - I can't quite remember which. Thankfully, we had short stops along the way to our destinations - for food, water and toilet breaks. I slept a lot in the car, but was nevertheless bushed each time I retired to bed for the day.
We had great tour guides (Constance, Karen and Cindy - the latter 2 are actually primary school teachers on industrial attachment) and coach-driver (Alan). They were all very patient with us. But when it was time to move on, they tried their best to push us. It was not easy to herd a group of 48 pupils who were interested in taking pictures all the time, mind you. It was also quite funny to see Constance running to Osman to tell the whole group that we had to move on. Then Osman would boom, "Okay! Everyone, time to go! Back on the bus NOW!" x)
Some unforgettable sights and experiences were at the Wave Rock, Stirling Ranges National Park, The Gap, Tree Top Walk, climbing the Diamond Tree, the Jewel Cave, the Chocolate Factory, a wool and craft farm and Caversham Wildlife Park. I will upload some pictures in my album blog soon hopefully. The scenaries were beautiful and I'm afraid I haven't done them justice with my awful photo-taking skills. Sighs!
It was really an educational tour. Everything about physical Geography that I'd learnt back in school suddenly made a lot of sense. I recalled all those weathering processes (exfoliation, onion-peeling and so on) when I saw the Wave Rock. In the Jewel Cave, which is actually a limestone cave, I learnt something new - helictites. These are formed on stalactites but, instead of going downwards like how stalactites are formed due to gravity pull, they are formed horizontally due to pressure. It was really amazing. Haha, I never learnt that back at school. Even if I did, I obviously couldn't remember other than stalactites and stalagmites. Haha. ;P
The Tree Top Walk was quite fun too. It was a little bit scary at first because we had to walk on metal bridges which creaked eerily and dangerously each time they swayed. The Gap exhibited a magnificent display of coastal features caused by powerful waves. We were advised not to go beyond the safety boundaries as there had been a couple of freak accidents some time back. One person got caught unaware by a sudden huge gust of wind which swept him off the cliff and into rocky waters below. -shudders- Most of us were quite cautious except for a pupil who nearly slipped because he was too engrossed in taking photographs. Osman was really mad about the whole thing the entire day.
At the Margaret River Chocolate Factory, I drank hot chocolate. It was delicious especially in such freezing weather! I think business was especially good for the factory that morning - everyone bought tonnes of chocolates. The T-shirts were rather cute too. The girls, Siew Hui and I decided to buy a red one for Pikie. At the wool and craft farm and Caversham Wildlife Park, we had the chance to feed sheep and kangeroos. I think the pupils found it fun to have these animals up close and personal, eating out from their hands.
Of course we had our shopping done in Perth City and Fremantle. I was most appalled by the way the pupils shopped! It made me wonder how much each of them had actually spent. I bought quite a bit of things myself though: 1 black Fila bag (A$36), 1 blue United Colours of Benetton bag (A$30), 7 packs of chocolates (A$65) and 2 T-shirts (A$25 each) from the Chocolate Factory, 3 pairs of sunglasses (A$5 each) and 2 casings (A$2 each), 2 packets of biscuits (slightly over A$3 each) and a small packet of dried apples (A$6). I didn't bother to buy any souvenirs - realised they wouldn't be of much use to me or anyone else. Heh.
Things in Australia are definitely getting more expensive. I'm wondering how I can survive if I were to study there for my Masters degree. Hmmmm...
Anyway, I enjoyed the stay at Albany best. The motel was fantastic. The staff and food were fantastic. The teachers had quite a bit of wine that evening. Speaking of which, I think I've developed a penchant for wine on this trip. We even had a bit of wine-tasting at one of our lunch stops. That was when quite a few people bought some bottles of wines - even the pupils, who claimed they were buying for their parents, uncles and aunts.
In both Albany and Augusta, I had a room all to myself. The motel in Albany provided us rooms - each came with FOUR beds! Haha. I changed my mind about sharing room with Cheryl and Siew Hui. I figured the pupils would knock on their door (to ask about assignments or whatever problems they would encounter), which meant I would not be able to have time on my own. I wasn't supposed to be on official duty on this trip and I wanted to keep it that way. Hence, the 2 nights away from Perth City - 1 night in Albany, 1 night in Augusta - I had time on my own without being disturbed. Unfortunately, back in Perth City at Goodearth Hotel all the 5 teachers had to share a room, so every 5-15 minutes we had someone knocking on our door or calling us in our hotel room.
But of course, there were benefits. x) A few girls expressed concern when Cheryl and Siew Hui fell ill and gave us lemons and honey. That night, I cooked us instant noodles while Siew Hui made the lemon-and-honey juice for us to drink. The following evening, our last in Perth, a group of boys cooked us instant noodles. How sweet eh?
There were a lot of laughters in the car when we were on the road - thanks to Osman, Luke, Constance, Karen and Cindy. Cheryl and Siew Hui were mostly on the coach with the pupils but they had their chance to sit in Constance's car. Most of the time, I was either sleeping or in awe of the beautiful blue skies streaked with pretty white clouds, listening to music and joining in the group's bantering once in a while when I felt like it.
Oh yeah, Sherwin was there in Perth too. Siew Hui and I talked to his mother quite a bit - met her once at the Carousel while shopping and the next day in Fremantle. Oh, and a seagull dropped poo on my head when we were having lunch at McDonald's! Siew Hui and Sherwin's mom had to help me clean it off. Gosh, what awful luck.
Anyway, all in all, I felt the trip was good - exhausting but extremely educational. I'm already missing the weather in Perth! :)
jOyZ blogged at 11:31 PM
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Monday, June 13, 2005
I Am All Set
Yep. I'm all set. Finally done with packing for the trip. Actually the packing itself was fast. It was just that I was taking my own sweet time listing out what I have to bring. La la la.
I suppose I should sleep now. Heh. I'm supposed to wake up by 5.30am. My mom will be sending me to the airport. I was kinda hoping I could take the train all the way to Changi, you know. Then it occurred to me that it might be a bit too early for the first train to appear. Haha. Oh well. Never mind. :)
I'm quite tempted to take a cold shower now. I'm feeling really hot!
Hm, anyway, I hope I didn't forget to pack anything into my bags. Initially I thought I'd be bringing quite a lot of things. Now that all the packing is done though, I think my load is pretty okay. Ah, oh yes. My slippers. You think it's necessary to bring them? The hotels should be quite clean yar? *crosses fingers and toes*
Okay, this is my last entry before I flap off to Perth. I will be touching homeground on the 19th June in the afternoon.
*wonders to myself* Will I be missed? ;P
Have a great week everyone! *waves* =)
jOyZ blogged at 3:18 AM
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Sunday, June 12, 2005
Aching All Over
I just came back! =)
Well, I was slightly late for Bodypump but it wasn't too bad. Thanks to the girls who helped me set up the equipment. Heh. We did a lot on the upper part of our body today. I decided to stay for Bodycombat in the end too. I don't think I really worked that hard because I wasn't very familiar with the movements, so I wasn't very 'into' the kicking, hitting and all the other movements.
After gym, we bathed and went to the foodcourt at City Hall for lunch. I ate some black peppered chicken noodles and I'm regretting it! I probably should have ordered yong tau fu soup - no carbohydrates at all! Sigh. I just can't resist noodles. I think I must have a day when I don't eat noodles at all. Or have a carbohydrate fast or something. I NEED TO LOSE MORE MASS!!!!! I'm looking and feeling freaking bulky... :(
Right. I will just drink soup and eat vegetables tonight for dinner.
After lunch, we went to Harvey Norman because I needed to get a memory card for my digital camera. I bought a 512MB-sized XD card (thanks to my brother, because I'd forgotten to check whether I was supposed to buy an SD or XD card and had to call him to check... haha). It cost me $199. I suppose I could have got it cheaper somewhere else but my legs were too useless to take me all the way to Sim Lim Square (huge place to explore, mind you) just to get one miserable memory card.
After that, we walked around the shops. When the girls decided to get ice-cream and/or yoghurt, that was my cue to go home. Haha. I didn't want to eat anymore - healthy stuffs or not! Anyway, I still have yet to pack for the Perth trip. Yeah. I'm probably not sleeping tonight. Amazing. And I only slept like 3 hours this morning after eating the two packets of instant noodles and watching the two movies on TV.
Maybe that's why I'm aching all over now especially after 2 hours of workout at the gym. x_X
jOyZ blogged at 5:06 PM
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Madness Part II
Haha. That's because it's going to be a cRaZy day.
I woke up at around 8plus and realised I couldn't make it in time for the service at Jane's church. I need to go to gym later too (or else I'll need to starve myself in Perth just to stop my body from gaining weight). Then I have to buy some last minute stuffs for the trip. Sigh. I just realised I don't have a pair of suitable shoes to wear. Even if I were to buy a pair now, the shoes would probably be extremely uncomfortable - as how it always is with new shoes. I guess I'll just have to dig for an old pair.
I slept at around 5am this morning. My gastric was just about acting up and I actually cooked two packets of instant noodles (my mom dumped 4 huge fishballs into the pot too) to eat. Just because of that, I decided to stay up to watch TV. I was switching the channels around and there was Scent of A Woman on Cinemax. It's one of my favourite movies, starring Al Pacino (great actor) and Chris O'Donnell. After that, I watched Twister on HBO. Hah. Madness.
Oh, Pikie just sent a message to say goodbye. She's going back to KL, then flying to her hometown in East Malaysia on Wednesday. Will miss her. She's great company. (Pikie: Have fun but don't play too much yar. Remember to study.)
Alright, I have to pack and go for gym. I'm probably CABBING to Far East Square -again-. Boo hoo!
jOyZ blogged at 10:44 AM
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Madness
I'm tired, but why am I still online? 'Tis just simply madness.
In fact, I'm hungry. I'm wondering if I should just cook myself a packet of instant noodles before I suffer any gastric attacks. I had dinner with Mag and Abigail at AMK Central after ID service. All three of us ate porridge for dinner! Which explains why I'm so hungry now. Oh well.
I'm again thankful to God for the worship service just now. The more I lead, the more I feel unworthy of leading. Okay, this is obviously something I have to clear with God. Sigh.
I'm going to Jane's church tomorrow (today actually since it's already past midnight) just to visit. The service is at 9.30am. Despite being tired, I can't seem to sleep, so I hope I can wake up in time for service later.
After service, I'm going Far East Square for gym! Esther, Jann and Joey had said they would be attending the 12pm Bodypump class and 1pm Bodycombat. I'm not too sure about Gina - didn't have the chance to ask her just now. I'm probably just going for the 12pm Bodypump and then scramble like a hamster on the treadmill. Haha. I can actually feel my newly developed muscles turning flabby - I haven't been going to the gym as religiously this past week. Hopefully, all this last minute workout will last till I return from Perth next Sunday.
Speaking of which, I haven't even done my packing! I probably won't get to sleep at all tomorrow night - there's quite a bit to pack.
It's only 12.45am. Someone should just hit my head with something hard so that I'd just faint and sleep till 8am. Hah.
My hunger pangs are getting more painful now. I think I should just cook my noodles now and eat. I'll work all the fats away at noon later!!!
jOyZ blogged at 12:29 AM
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Friday, June 10, 2005
Feeling Tired
I'm feeling tired.
I didn't sleep very well last night due to a stiff neck. I woke up late and had to cab down to work. Then had some technical problems setting up the laptop for the EL presentation. Murphy's Law really works when you don't need it. By the time everything was properly set up, it was already past 11am. Well, anyway, the presentation more than made up for the wait. Some of groups' short dramas were really hilarious. But fun aside, I hope the class have realised what gambling can do to them if they ever get tempted to try.
We ended late. I had a quick lunch with Pikie, sent her home and ran all over town to check out the lowest rates to buy the Australian currency. My dad told me I could try Mustafa. But I was really exhausted from running all over Lucky Plaza, Orchard Tower and Far East Plaza. I didn't even bother to run back to Lucky Plaza to get the cheapest rate I could find and simply settled for something that was conveniently nearby. I figured I'd spend those few dollars saved on cab fares anyway, so what was the point, right?
Get this straight though: I actually took a bus home from town! I'd wanted to take a cab actually but changed my mind. So, by the time I got home, I was really exhausted. I was actually toying with the idea of going down to the gym for a jog, but decided against it. My feet were hurting and, after running all over town earlier in the afternoon, I guess I'd done the exercises I'd wanted. Hohohohohohoh... And so, I napped!!!
Amazingly, I didn't over-nap too. I even had time to go online for a while, cooked and ate my dinner! Whoo-wah! Then, I went church for worship practice. We ended in less than an hour, packed up and went home.
Okay, I guess I'm panicking again for tomorrow. :(
jOyZ blogged at 10:32 PM
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Thursday, June 09, 2005
Yay, No Work Today!
I could finally wake up late enough today to see the sun up in the sky. Haha. How rare even for this holiday. x)
I was planning to hit the gym by 10am really, but somehow couldn't get my butt moving! Inertia. Well, maybe tomorrow afternoon I'll go for a jog on the treadmill before heading down to church for worship practice.
Well, since I'm feeling relatively more relaxed as I don't have to go to work today, I shall update a little on yesterday.
Wednesday (8th)
I woke up a little late and had to call for a cab to get to work. What was worse was that it was pouring heavily then. By the time I got to school, the cab fare was like close to $10. Oh well. Then I had EL remedial with some pupils from 5B. All 10 of them turned up, though Tian Guan was pretty late.
After that, I spent a bit of time typing out some of the essay outlines they did. Then I went for brunch with Pikie at Zion Road after her filming was done. I sent her home and headed down to City Hall to meet Shyama, Belle and Jane.
I was half-an-hour early, so I walked to the HMV at Citilink and browsed through some VCDs. Quite a few were on sale (below $10) but I didn't get any. Nothing interesting. Heh.
By the time the 4 of us (oh, Shyama brought along her 4.5-month old son Harjun too) settled to eat at Cartel, it was close to 2.30pm. We caught up with what had been going on in our lives while we ate. Jane is in the midst of preparing for her wedding (so is Belle) and Shyama's life is now mainly looking after her baby son. It was a good time together. For once, we had a super long lunch. Shyama's son was really cute. He has her eyes. Oh, at one point, he tried to reach out to grab some food from Shyama's plate of pasta. Haha. I managed to snap a couple of pictures of little Harjun. (Click here to see.)
We left at around 6pm, I think. (Wow, actually dinner time!) I quickly rushed home as I had to reach Kris's place for cellgroup at 7.30pm.
I was half-an-hour late. Heh. Anyway, we shared about Psalms 1, 2 and 3. Then we prayed. It all ended at around 10.30pm, after which everyone went home. I was really tired. By the time I got home, I just collapsed into my bed.
And didn't wake up until this morning. Heh. ;p
jOyZ blogged at 11:08 AM
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
It's Been A While...
I know. It's been a while since I last blogged. I guess with the holiday mood, I've been more slothful in my blogging habits. ;p
Actually, I've been going to work quite often (3-4 times last week). This week, I'll be heading down for work for 4 days. Yesterday didn't quite count though. I met 5B in school and the chartered bus brought us to Somerset for a seminar, after which the pupils could leave the place on their own. Today, I met some of them for 2 sessions of EL remedial. Then, I stayed till about 4pm to shift my things to the table beside me (swapping seats with Sandy so that it'll be easier for me to discuss things with Mrs Dass).
I'll be having another remedial session tomorrow. Then, on Friday, there's the EL Project Presentation by 5B. They've been assigned to film a short drama (of 15 minutes per group) on the dire consequences of legalized gambling in Singapore. I'm most certainly looking forward to watching their mini-productions!
Oh, I've been going to the gym a bit more regularly too - with Esther, Gina, Jann and/or Joey. I've decided to stop going for Bodypump so intensively. I'm looking way too bulky and I really prefer a more slender look. Okay, gotta lose plenty of mass, which means I can't eat very much. Probably one-third to half of what I usually consume per meal. 4 more months to the 2 weddings. I wonder how much excess fats I can possibly lose by October. Argh, why can't they get married like 1 or 2 months later?! That'd give me more time to lose all the unwanted fats. ;p
And finally... the highlight for this June Holiday: the trip to Perth next week! I'm looking forward to this and am hoping to snap some really fantastic shots of sceneries (not that I'm claiming to be a good photographer... in fact, I'm really not... hoho). I'm not too sure if we'll get to do any fantastic shopping as it's winter over there now. They're probably selling winter items which aren't practical for any use at home here, unless we're talking about freezing temperatures at our work places. If not, well, I'll just flash my credit card! WHEEEEEE! Okay, control my spending I must. -_-'''
I shall stop here. It's a rather lengthy entry for once though I've typed even longer ones before. Until the next time I blog... stay tuned! Au revoir!
jOyZ blogged at 8:49 PM
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Thursday, June 02, 2005
Movie Buff
Why? Simply because I saw 3 movies over the past week - Starwars: Revenge of the Sith, Monster-In-Law and Madagascar.
Starwars wasn't particularly fantastic in terms of storyline, which was pretty predictable. It simply completes the entire Starwars saga. Oh, here's something hilarious - a vegetated version of Starwars: http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html
On the contrary, the other 2 movies were hilarious. Haha. I thought the cartoon was really cute. A pity the animated movie was rather short - barely 1.5 hours.
Alright, I don't intend this to be a long entry. I'm getting a bit too slothful to blog regularly and at great length. ;p
jOyZ blogged at 3:16 PM
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