Saturday, December 31, 2005
New Year's Eve
I woke up not too long ago and received Pei Chin's message about school's closing at 11.30am today. So now it's quite pointless to head down to prepare work since I'm only left with 45 minutes. Anyway, Pei Chin told me my timetable for Tuesday which isn't too bad really. Raani said she'd try to think of something for the CPA class... probably some revision on Word. Phew! Many thanks to Pei Chin and Raani!
I will have to come up with something for my form class (first 2 periods of the day) and EL class (1 period) over this weekend. Hm, I don't have anything that's remotely related to work at home now. I wonder how I'm going to do that. O_o'''
La la la...
I think other than house-hunting with my parents later in the afternoon, I won't be going out at all today unless there's something interesting enough to lure me out of my home! Heh. Oh, and I don't know why... but I'm starting to get stomach upsets and diarrhoea again. Hm.
I haven't been blogging the past couple of days. There wasn't anything much I did actually. Thursday I rotted at home the entire day.
Yesterday, I had to attend EL Department meeting and I was about 20 minutes late. Oops! And boss was there when I entered the Conference Room. *sheepish look* I couldn't sleep at night and I couldn't wake up in the morning... what to do? Grrr... Just like last night and this morning. Hopefully, by next Tuesday, I won't have this problem. I can't very well be late for school everyday! ARGH!
After the EL meeting, I sat down together with Pei Chin and Kar Keat to plan out the CA framework for the 4NA. By the time we finished, it was already 1.15pm. I didn't even have time to discuss with Marianne for the 3NA's CA framework because she had to leave earlier for a 1pm appointment.
I left for town thereafter to get some stuffs and a quick bite. Jocelyn took half-day leave from work so I met her after that at Kinokuniya. We walked around to check out the handphones she was interested in and then decided to walk down to Hotel Rendezvous's Coffee Club to chill out. It was a long walk. Somewhere midway, the sky looked ready to pour so we took a bus the rest of the way instead and quickly entered into Coffee Club. I like relaxing at that outlet because it's so quiet there. =)
We talked for like 3 hours, I think. Heh. After that, we walked down to Plaza Singapura to meet Gina, Jann and Joey for dinner and movie The Stone Family at 7.45pm. The show was not too bad actually... explored almost all aspects on love and family. Sarah Jessica Parker was this high-strung, prim and proper (to the point of being awkward) woman who really had very low self-esteem and she couldn't seem to fit into the family at first - no matter how hard she tried. Anyway, the ending was touching. I shall not say too much. ;p
The movie ended at around 11pm and everyone went home. I didn't know my brother was on the same bus until I alighted and he called out to me from some distance behind. I was really quite tired by the time I got home because I'd slept late the night before, but I just couldn't sleep. I decided to go online and chatted a while with a couple of people. I went offline at 3am but tossed and turned in bed for quite a while before I could sleep. Bluah!
Ah, well.
I guess I'd better go brainstorm a bit on what I want to do with my classes on Tuesday.
Oh, I almost forgot...
Happy belated birthday to Fangling (29th Dec) and Jane Khim (30th Dec)!!!
Happy birthday to Pikie (today)!!!
jOyZ blogged at 10:40 AM
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Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Spaced Out
Christmas is already over and the new year is almost upon us. As usual, the school conducted a workshop for the staff over a span of one and a half days. The sessions were long and tiring, but I think everyone enjoyed today's session the most. Everyone nearly died laughing while watching all the fantastic performances put up by each team - particularly Eric's bold rendition of the famous "I have a dream" speech. I laughed till I teared.
We had staff meeting after lunch and it ended at 6.30pm! I was pretty zonked out by that time. Somehow, I managed to get home. There was a jam along Orchard Road so I was pretty agitated. Thankfully, the bus wasn't crowded and I simply spaced out, my mind completely exhausted.
I only had about 3.5 hours of sleep this morning. I was so tired that I couldn't sleep last night so I went downstairs to catch some crappy movies on tv. But while I was in front of the goggle box, I couldn't really focus on the movies either. =\ Hopefully, I can sleep more easily tonight.
This can't be a long entry. I don't even know why I blogged today in the first place. Heh. The brain's malfunctioning probably. La la la...
jOyZ blogged at 9:12 PM
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Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas 2006
Christmas Eve was kinda boring during the day. I spent the whole day at home, wondering if I should go out in the evening. The family dinner is on Christmas Day itself, so I was actually free on Christmas Eve.
Anyway, I ended up having dinner with Cheryl at Centrepoint. At around 8.30pm, I left town for Tiong Bahru to meet the girls for Chronicles of Narnia. The traffic was surprisingly clear during that hour. Maybe it was also because I was leaving Orchard. Hah.
The movie was alright, I guess. Could tell certain biblical characters in there. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was in Primary 4. After knowing more about the bible, it certainly made watching the movie more interesting and meaningful.
I was wondering if I should catch King Kong thereafter. There was an 11.50pm slot, but I was a little daunted by the fact that it was a 3-hour movie. Haha. Anyway, we walked all the way to River Valley for prata. Christmas came upon us when we were walking there. Hohoho. At River Valley, we ate and chatted a bit then left for home at around 1plus.
I came online for a while and, as expected, not many people were online, though Pikie did come online for a while. She's now in her hometown back in Sabah. I slept at around 2plus. I didn't realise I was actually tired - fell asleep the minute I hit the sack. It must have been all the walking from Tiong Bahru to River Valley. Haha.
Anyway, I'm staying home again until evening when we have to go over to my second aunt's place for steamboat dinner. Probably the usual stuffs - eat, sing-along, talk, eat some more and... presents? Haha. Now that I'm so old, I don't think there's really anything extrinsic that I crave for - except my own apartment, which is too expensive to be a Christmas present since I don't know anyone THAT wealthy. LOL!
I was just thinking about the past Christmases I've had. Some were spent in church, some overseas and some at home with family and relatives. There are some differences between how Christmas is celebrated locally and overseas. I see some similarities between Singapore and Hong Kong. People are generally out of their homes, enjoying the lit-up decorations on the streets, the carolling and doing some last minute Christmas shopping. Christmas in UK (perhaps generally in European countries) is celebrated at home with the family or some other office parties. I remember seeing hardly anyone on the streets.
Well, behind all the celebrations - inside or outside of home - what's the true meaning of Christmas? Some Christians may say it's to celebrate the birth of Christ and spending quiet time with Him. For some it's just gathering of family and relatives and/or friends - simply spending time with the ones you love. I guess it's a bit of both? I've gone through both and, to me, neither is less meaningful than the other.
Merry Christmas to all! Enjoy the holiday season!
jOyZ blogged at 11:25 AM
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Friday, December 23, 2005
Crappy Entry
I haven't been doing much the past few days so there isn't much to blog about. It has been mainly sleeping, going online, watching 倚天屠龙记 - my all-time favourite gongfu serial. I finished watching all 21 vcds within 3 days. Hoho... mad eh?
I've already missed driving lessons for more than a week. I think the earliest I can have my next lesson will be next Thursday - after the staff workshop and meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
I'm still deciding what to do tomorrow for Christmas Eve. My dad told me that he'd made more appointments to view houses from 9am onwards until afternoon. o_O!?! That's like almost the entire day gone! I guess I won't be able to join Hwei Leng to view Cheryl's friend's new home in the afternoon after lunch.
I watched Mr & Mrs Smith again on vcd this afternoon. I was really bored. Should I watch The Bourne Identity again? I haven't had dinner yet... don't really feel like eating - especially instant noodles again.
Alright, I'm signing off. This is a crappy entry. ;p
jOyZ blogged at 8:57 PM
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Monday, December 19, 2005
A Fine Day
Today has been quite a fine day.
It started off as usual. I dragged myself out of bed at around 10am and came online for a while. At around noon, my dad, brother and I started cleaning the living room - washing and mopping the floor actually. My mom came home with lunch so we stopped to eat and then continued cleaning the dining and kitchen area. By the time we finished, it was around 3.30pm.
We left the house at around 4.30pm to view some apartments at Holland Hill area. They weren't really that fantastic. On top of it, they were kind of over-priced. Anyway, we left at around 6pm to have dinner at Suntec's Marche. I felt a bit sick after dinner when we were driving my brother to Bukit Batok East. My stomach got worse when my parents decided to do some grocery shopping at Bukit Timah's Giant. I had to go to the ladies twice! Bad case of diarrhoea. =(
I just got home not long ago and had to pop some pills. My stomach still feels a little queasy, but at least it's not as bad as after dinner. Sigh. This stomach flu is really troublesome. =(
Oh, I just remember I've got facial appointment at 10am tomorrow. That means I can't wake up late. Speaking of which, I haven't arranged for my next driving lesson. It's been 5 days since my last lesson. I hope I can still remember my parking skills. ;o
Hm, this entry is kinda crappy even though my day went pretty okay. Haha. Okay, that's probably a sign I'm tired and not really thinking anymore. *zombified*
I'll blog another time then.
jOyZ blogged at 9:49 PM
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Friday, December 16, 2005
Lame Quiz
jOyZ blogged at 4:42 PM
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Ill Again?!?
I've barely recovered from flu and now I've fallen ill again. =(
Yesterday afternoon, I could feel a fever coming and decided to take a nap. When my mom woke me up for dinner, I felt like vomitting and my head hurt so much that I couldn't even stand properly. I decided it was just impossible for me to eat so I slumped back into bed.
I didn't really have a good sleep - the stomach hurt on and off throughout the night. 16 hours after my first fever, the diarrhoea finally came. My mom gave me some tablets and I went back to bed.
I woke up again, feeling a little better. At least I could stand and walk properly though I still feel like puking. I called up the driving instructor to cancel my driving lesson at 930am and Spa Esprit to cancel my 1230pm facial appointment.
Then suddenly my dad was screaming away for someone to answer the door because someone had just rung the doorbell. Sigh. It's hard to have a peaceful rest in this house. My parents can't seem to understand that when a person is ill, he/she needs rest - undisturbed rest. Now I wish I hadn't cancelled my facial appointment. At least I can relax over there. Oh well. Bleauch!
I guess my immunity system has hit an all-time low.
jOyZ blogged at 9:47 AM
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Thursday, December 15, 2005
I Don't Know
Sigh. I hope we haven't bungled things up last night. If so, it was really never our intention. I'm wondering if we have made things worse? =(
I don't know.
Is it true that some things are better left unsaid?
Honestly, I don't know the answer. I realise as I grow older, and supposedly to have gained greater wisdom and experience, I don't know the answer to many questions.
Perhaps there are just no answers to questions like that.
I don't know.
The timing of events, the choice of words, the tone of the voice, the understanding between people and blah blah blah... There seem to be so many factors dictating what clear, open communication ought to be.
I don't know.
What should I do now?
I really, really don't know.
I don't know what I know anymore.
jOyZ blogged at 11:38 AM
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Tuesday, December 13, 2005
沉重
也不晓得为什么，听了孙燕姿的歌《眼泪成诗》之后，感触特别多。可能这几天，心情有点沉重吧。
想了好多 - 太多！想到了过去，现在，未来 - 尤其是七年前的他，和过去这七年的起落。想了又哭，哭了再想。真的不要再这么沉重下去 - 太没意思了。但是，有时候，情绪是很难控制的。算了，就随着它吧！我想，我是需要时间，来平息自己的。=）
分手，对我而言，不只是代表恋爱的短暂。或许，也是友谊的失败吧？
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眼泪成诗 [孙燕姿唱]
我已经 已经把我伤口化作玫瑰
我的泪水 已经变成雨水早已轮回
我已经 已经把对白留成了永远
忘了天色 究竟是黑是灰
分手伤了谁 谁把它变美
我的眼泪写成了诗 已无所谓
让你再回味 字不醉人人自醉
因为回忆 总是美
我已经 已经把绝情变成了恭维
因为不配 你就忽然自卑说声失陪
我已经 已经把沉默变成了忏悔
无路可退 只能无言以对
分手伤了谁 谁把它变美
我的眼泪写成了诗 已无所谓
让你再回味 字不醉人人自醉
因为回忆 总是美
分手伤了谁 谁把它变美
我的眼泪写成了诗 一首 无所谓
让你再回味 字不醉人人自醉
你的品味 总是美
jOyZ blogged at 8:03 PM
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Choice / Rest, Relax Or Boredom?
Being alone - would it bring greater freedom or restriction?
Would it allow one to do what one had always wanted to do? Or would fear envelop one's heart so much so that one would feel suppressed?
Which would one choose - to move on or be crippled?
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I woke up early today but only dragged myself out of bed two hours later. I slept at around 3am this morning, chatting online with a few people and flipping through some magazines. Oh, and Zhen'ai kept laughing over 'tomama' until her tummy and jaw hurt. LOL. Sorry about that! ;x
It's going to be a rest and relax day. Well, it's not that I haven't been resting. I've been out nearly everyday - usually for driving lessons and then some shopping (or window shopping). Travelling to and from Bukit Gombak itself is like 2 hours wasted on the train or bus, so that's like 6 hours gone in a week. Sometimes I sleep, read, listen to music on my iPod mini or just space out, thinking about nothing. Haha.
I think I'm going to be quite bored this holiday despite having driving lessons 3 times a week. Speaking of which, I must remember to register for Advanced Theory tomorrow after lesson. Otherwise I will never get to sit for the Driving Test! My brother has already got his test date in April. I hope to get mine in June. Heh.
Sorry, a slight digression there. Yeah - much boredom this holiday. Cheryl is now in Taiwan for a week or so. Pikie has left for Malaysia this morning and won't be back until January 2006. Vanessa is still in Beijing - probably only coming back for a short while during CNY 2006. Junmin stopped over from the Maldives last Friday but she's gone back to Hong Kong and won't come back for a visit until CNY 2006 too. And some friends have been getting pretty exclusive in their outing or meeting-up plans - not that I am in any position to say anything about that really. =)
So who's left around for me to pester? Hah! My cousin has been pestering me to join her and her colleagues at KTV. I'm not too sure if I can recover in time to join them. I've been coughing badly the whole week so the throat's rather sore and the voice hoarse. I'm just thankful I've not gone voiceless - YET. *crosses fingers and toes*
I think Christmas for me this year will be a very quiet affair. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm glad or sad about that. Well, I seriously hope for *peace* and *harmony* this Christmas. A simple wish but something not very easily achieved.
What Christmas wish(es) do you have? ;)
jOyZ blogged at 10:56 AM
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Sunday, December 11, 2005
Lost Hope / Queasy Tummy
The night sky cleared momentarily somewhat - finally. Even then, the rain came intermittently, unpredictably - sometimes lightly, sometimes heavily and other times varying intensity between the two extremes.
Perpetual gloom, the thought was stuck in one's mind. This was going to be one long night. A cold one too. Very cold.
When the rain did stop the first few times, the hope to catch sight of some flickering stars renewed. Sadly, each time there was not one slightest glimmer of hope. Each time when the rain pattered down again, the hope grew dimmer. After what-seemed-like-an-eternity it was finally extinguished.
The desire to hope was gone.
For what was there to hope for?
There was nothing around - just complete lifelessness and a sense of despair so deep it wrenched the soul. Emptiness grew from within, along with self-alienation.
Confused.
Lost.
Alone.
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I had driving lesson yesterday and was terribly late! Anyway, it was a new instructor with a different car. I think by far, he's the best. He speaks clearly and objectively, yet pleasant enough to not make you feel like you're a total failure in driving. Haha. I had fun seriously.
Unfortunately, right after the lesson, I had a very bad headache and felt like throwing up. While waiting for the train, the urge to vomit was so strong I had to go to the toilet. I felt a bit faint after that but continued my way home. I alighted at Redhill MRT Station and felt really horrible. Thankfully, my dad came to fetch me home.
I slept for the most part of the afternoon and felt a little better. I made arrangements to have dinner with Pikie at Takashimaya's Crystal Jade. We waited for our table for quite a while due to the weekend crowd. We ordered 3 dishes which took a while to arrive. I was still feeling a bit queasy in the stomach, so took my time to finish just one bowl of rice while Pikie had TWO! Heh. After that, we headed to Stadium to shop for sports wear. I bought a pair of Adidas sports shoes with the vouchers my friends had given me on my birthday this year. Hopefully, I can start gym this week, though I'm still feeling a bit sick. Never mind, I'll just do brisk walking or something less strenuous. It's better than lying around at home in bed or in front of the TV, don't you think?
After shopping, we went to Coffee Club because Pikie said Eunice was working there and she wanted to 'disturb' her. Haha. It was quite funny. We were given a table which wasn't where Eunice was assigned to serve, so Pikie requested for a change. Finally when we settled down at our new table, we made our orders and asked Eunice for warm water (because I was coughing - I wasn't faking this; I'm really ill). She was really nice about it (along with other 'demands' we had). And because Pikie was constantly giggling away, Eunice giggled too. Aiyo. Two giggling girls. But I must say, on the whole the service Eunice provided us wasn't too bad. She was very pleasant, very polite and very helpful - not just because she knows us. ;)
We left for home a little before 10pm. It was a good thing I came out for a while. I think I would have felt worse sleeping away at home. I guess a little shopping did me a little good too.
jOyZ blogged at 12:17 PM
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Thursday, December 08, 2005
When?
The rain did not - could not - stop. It just kept pouring. The eyes in the sky were unseen - hidden by the puffy, swollen and frighteningly dark clouds which reluctantly - grudgingly - revealed the even darker sky at certain parts.
A gloomy time. How so very bleak. And dreary.
Where were the twinkling stars that would banish the feelings of despair and pain, one wondered. Still, the heavens poured mercilessly, seemingly oblivious to bleakness itself, and threatening to flood the world to death for the second time.
The rainy night seemed especially long. Wearily long.
When would it end?
When would the rain cease?
When?
jOyZ blogged at 5:25 PM
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Monday, December 05, 2005
Dreaded Flu Bug
The dreaded flu bug is at it again. I developed a bad throat while watching Star Awards last night with my parents. By the time I was about to go to bed, my nose was going crazy and I was coughing slightly.
I woke up this morning with a fever. Cheryl sent me a message to ask if I wanted to join her and Hweileng for lunch, but I replied that I felt too ill to do so. In fact, I called up the driving instructor to cancel today's lesson at 2.30pm. He wasn't too happy but didn't have a choice. I couldn't possibly drive with my fever, right? He gave me the 11am slot tomorrow. Then I sent Belle a message to tell her I wouldn't be able to attend her wedding dinner tonight. What a waste... missing out the good food at Marriot. Oh well, perhaps God is trying to tell me cut down on eating. Hoho. I can do without all the good food.
Speaking of good food, I attended Benson and Jane's wedding dinner on Saturday evening. Shyama and her family came too, though they missed the couple's first entry into the ballroom. I was the co-MC of the night, with Benson's friend Malcolm. He spoke in English while I had to translate what he said into Mandarin. Weird, huh? An English teacher speaking in Mandarin. I tried my best to speak in 标准华语. I think I was quite alright, seriously, though of course there were a couple of times I accidentally lapsed into English! I think I used the word 'and' when I had to say 'Benson 和 Jane'. It wasn't easy especially with two English names sandwiching the word '和'. Haha. Oh well, but that was that. Other than going up and down the stage, I chatted with Shyama and Chandra and tickled Harjun a lot. He's so ticklish! x) The wedding dinner ended after 11pm and we all went home. It was quite an interesting experience being an MC of a wedding dinner. Thank God for the script though! I'd have been totally lost without it. Heh. :)
Anyway, back to what I did today... I had a late lunch and was online for a couple of hours before I slept until it was time to watch the last episode of Tong Xin Yuan. It was generally a happy ending, except for Zhou Daqiu. He was spooked by his own imagination of his step-father's ghost and promptly fell over the bridge, knocked his head (or was it his neck?) on a pipe just below the bridge and tumbled into the water. Whether or not he survived the fall, it was up to the audience's own imagination and interpretation.
I think I'm going to pop some medication and nap a bit more before coming back online. I can feel a fever coming. ;(
jOyZ blogged at 9:01 PM
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
Promenade
Prom Night or Promenade Night: a night when most people are dressed up to the nines; a night when people flash their pearly whites at the camera lens; a night that is filled with loud banters, laughter, screams of joy, claps and cheers, food and music.
It was QTSS's first Prom for the graduated pupils last night. Other than all of the above, most interestingly, there were spontaneous, resounding bursts of yam sengs all over the ballroom.
The theme of the night was Seasons - up to one's own interpretation of what it meant as long as the dressing wasn't vulgar and sloppy. It was quite a sight to see all of them transformed into good-looking, well-dressed young adults. Ah, youth! What would I give to be youthful again! LOL!
Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures with them as I had hoped. I was eating extremely diligently almost throughout the dinner. I was starving by the time the dinner started - despite the huge lunch in the afternoon. Other than that, I was taking a good look around - to see how well-dressed some of the students were. I realised that there were indeed many good-lookers. ;)
The choice of music wasn't too bad honestly though the food could be better. But since I was famished, I couldn't really complain. Heh. ;p
There were performances put up by 3 bands too. They all gave their best and I felt everyone enjoyed it and was very supportive. My favourite was definitely the first number done by the 3rd band - because it was the only song I knew! Hah! They did That Thing You Do and I think it really got everyone's attention with Pikie's fantastic singing and John's superb drumming skills. I think one of his sticks flew out of his hand during a particularly vigorous segment in the 3rd song, but somehow he magically whipped out another and continued pounding the drums.
It was quite amazing to watch him play the drums. He reminded me of Song'en who taught me a bit of drums back at BOL a couple of years back. Both of them are very industrious when it comes to drums. I haven't heard anyone hitting the drums with such strength and precision during live playing since... God-knows-when? (Okay, I'm being too lazy to do mental calculations here.) ;p
Anyway, kudos to all the performers for bringing the house down. *thumbs-up!!!*
The dinner ended with a slideshow of moments - candid and otherwise - captured by the camera throughout the students' four to five years at QTSS. Many of the photos were pictures of them when they were in lower secondary during several school events, so it was really nostalgic for most of them I guess. Each time a face appeared, there were cheers as the name was being screamed or shouted out. Even though the features were very much the same on their faces, one could tell how much these people have grown over the four to five years.
I think you could say the dinner was quite a success despite it being the school's first time organizing something like that for the graduated pupils. Much credit should go to Cheryl - she really slogged over this and it was heartening to see the kids appreciating her efforts when they presented her with a gift and a bouquet of flowers. =)
When the dinner ended, some left, some made plans for a post celebration while the rest continued snapping away with their cameras. Some people from 5NA came over to my table and proposed a last toast with me. It was a deafening yam seng. =)
After that, I proceeded to leave the hotel to go home. On my way out of the ballroom, I spoke briefly with a couple of pupils, shook hands with them, wished them all the best and asked them to keep in touch. Then at the waiting area just beside the elevators, I met some of the 5NA boys sitting around talking. Jiayun and Pegan came out from the ladies and Jiayun gave me a big hug! So touched. =) Jessica came running to give me a hug a while later too. In between all this, I made plans to watch Chicken Little with Reynold, Eugene and Pikie. Then I took a couple more shots with some of the girls before they left for their night of partying elsewhere.
The four of us took a cab to Orchard Cineleisure, where I saw some of the Sec 3 Express boys outside. We spoke briefly before going to the box-office to get the tickets 5 minutes before the movie started. Thankfully, there were still some good seats left. We queued up for popcorn, nachos and fried chicken (oh boy, my diet plans really fell apart on this night) and hurried to the theatre. The movie was quite hilarious, though there were also moments that touched the heart. It was a really short animated movie - around an hour I think.
After that, Reynold and Eugene went over to Jocelyn's place for more fun while Pikie and I, tired, went home. It was a really interesting evening. =)
Anyway, after this dinner, I guess I won't see very much of them, though they have promised to visit during CNY and major school events. Somehow, I know deep in the recesses of my heart they will all be very busy with their new lives at work and later at the Polytechnics. Well, life goes on. I guess I have to move on too. But I pray and hope that the relationships built over the 4 to 5 years will only get better in the years to come. May God continue to bless them all. =)
jOyZ blogged at 10:17 AM
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