Tuesday, July 31, 2007
goodbye goodbye, may God bless youi ended my last day at the kindergarten today. i [fine..my sis and i] decided to be really nice to the staff of BA and got them some begawann[spelling?] solo keuh. well..technically its my mom cos she very generously bought them on our behalf and took a cab to send the boxes to me:) we are going to pay her back i assure you.
going to back to a previous job isnt as easy at it seems. i enjoyed the kids just as much but somehow the job got a little boring after a while. maybe its a case of familarity breeding contempt but there were instances when i just couldnt wait for the days to pass. i couldnt[and still cant] quite put my finger on why so but i suspect that its the liminal nature of the work - working but not quite. in that im physically working yet it isnt hard and my mind isnt being used enough. for lack of a better way to put it, i got a little bored.
i will miss the kids most, even the ones that make me so mad. and it isnt because i do not have a trained tolerance for nonsense cos some teachers do come very close to pulling their hair out too. i miss the few seconds of each day when i take the temperature of the kids and say good morning to them. i will miss getting free hugs.i will miss the conversations and funny little things 4 year-olds do. i will miss seeing the tangible benefits a school brings to a child. i will miss the teachers and my moments of marvelling at their dedication to the kids. i will even miss some of the parents.
yet..i do not feel as sad, compared to last year, to leave. to an extent it could be due to the fact that a part of me could not wait to leave. but i guess that it really because i have someone now to share memories with. my sis and i can sometimes just talk some time, telling each other the funny little stories about the class. we remember together, even the sobering fact that the kids would not remember us for long.
my take home lesson from the last couple of months - the process of growing up is not something to be taken for granted. the element of nurturing and training is so crucial to a child's development as a person. witnessing the improvement of a few children brings meaning into what you are doing. and hence i leave the kindergarten again with an even deeper appreciation for early childhood teachers.
my prayer for all the little children would be that the 3/4 years in BA would give them a good start into the christian life. and that each would grow into a fine gentleman or lady whose faith in the Lord is solid.
will i one day enter early childhood education? i do not know. i know that i have the heart for children and we shall go as the Lord leads:)
3:20 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Sunday, July 29, 2007
and another turns 20celebratory lunch at serangoon gardens 'sushi tei' yesterday
slice of cake from coffeebean
photos and editing courtesy of ericablessed birthday bonnie:)
life has its hiccups
and the way is often tough to travel
but at least you have us to walk alongside with you
may God continue to be your source of hope and strength:)
9:18 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Saturday, July 28, 2007
hot wheelsmy daddy has a new toy:)
it isnt technically new cos its second-hand
but doesnt matter lah
it just better be worth the ruckus it caused
after abt 3 and a half years my family is back to an MPV
which for all practical purposes is so that all 6 of us can travel comfortably
for the initial ride i forgot that a MPV is higher compared to normal cars
and nearly tumbled out when alighting
the 3 of us at the back usually sit hip-to-hip in our sedan
in the new one..its like "whoa there is so much space"
and has a "basement boot" as we have affectionately termed it
the old car sadly has been parked outside the house the past couple of days
the sorry fate of having lost its position of being the "first love"
and according to my dad..it would be taken away on monday by the agent
cant help but feel a little sad
a tribute to the car that has served our family very well. with approx 119 000 km of mileage under its belt, its by far the most well-used car [ratio of length of use and distance travelled] that my dad has had. i'll miss the lovely colour which i help choose - by vehemently refusing the initial one my dad picked. i still remember the initial few rides when i would turn to the back and be mildly surprised that the car has ended already [no 3rd row of seats]. and of course..the huge boot which can comfortably accomodate all our bags when we travel up north. i hope it would serve its next owner [if it gets one] as well as it did us.
10:57 AM
heaven in a wildflower
Thursday, July 26, 2007
changing paradechanging 20 soaked-to-the-bone kids is no joke
even with 4 teachers
the kids just LOVE waterplay
just mention it and their shoes and socks are ripped off
the aprons take a while longer cos some still cant figure how to wear it
then they would line up really quickly to go out
i sometimes wonder whats so fun abt it
its basically a water trough filled with water and various playthings
rubber duckies, floating toys and recycled mineral waterbottles
but they just have so much fun
some finish with wet sleeves [from reaching into the water]
but today..it was different lah
if i could play i would have had mighty fun too
the principal ms L wanted some cooking toys to be washed
so she killed 2 birds with one stone - kids wash the toys = waterplay
and so they did:) with a little soap squirted into the water
"see..i wash the plates like ka kak at home"
and since the water was soapy the stuff wouldnt be really clean
so a change of it was needed right
so ms L took out the water stoppers and the water started flowing out
and the kids went MAD from the sudden freeflow of water
they were sticking their feet under the the gush
squealing with delight at the sensation
[getting their shorts/pants wet]
ms L then filled up the troughs with clean water
and sometimes she really is like a big kid [said in a good way]
as in she really knows what kids would love and she gives it to them
so she started pretending to spray the kids from the hose
some ducked behind the trough, some used plates to "protect themselves"
most just screamed themselves silly while they got wet
it really looked like alot of fun
and by the end..
we had 20 wet ducklings
and the changing parade..
we had to do it according to level of wetness and possible parents complaints
[some parents are very finicky abt such "unhealthy things"]
we ran out of spare uniforms for the girls [15 girls in the class]
so i ran down to the pre-n class to take theirs
and it was all the small sizes which looked so tight and short on the bigger girls
that still wasnt enough so i had to go to the k1 class too
these were the bigger uniforms which somehow went to the smaller kids
aiyoh..but they looked so funny in them - sleeves until the elbow kind
in the end we switched between 2 girls cos the sizing was just too ridiculous
it was kinda fun actually
just that its something that cannot be done too often
4:23 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
footprints from puddle splashingrain the night before makes everything wet
and we don't like it very much
but something good comes out of it
seeing the kids run around the basketball court
and jumping into the shallow puddles
i wanted to take my shoes off too
4:55 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Sunday, July 22, 2007
full circle2 years ago
this was what i had to say
my thoughts at 18 years2 years on
life's still wonderful even without the books and movies
maybe i would finally catch up on them next time
but currently..potter mania isnt for me
although if spoilers are posted on blogs i'll probably skim through
just that i've been so out of touch that it isnt interesting anymore
5:46 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Saturday, July 21, 2007
if only i could..i was going out for dinner at serangoon gardens
there was no one at home
AND the car was parked in the car porch
and what came to my mind..
"man..if only i could drive"
but i cant, so how else did i get there?
by my usual way lah
a 2 persons accidental "hot date" planned at 'friends'
turned into a 4 persons party at 'cafe cartel'
and a 35 min wait on my part for them
which i spent watching an episode of "friends" in video ezy
and which earned me a dinner treat:)
not a bad way to spend a free evening i must say
9:58 PM
heaven in a wildflower
my version of coffee joint reviewsi do taste tests on their ice-blended chocolate drinks and cheesecakes:)
well..someone has to drink something besides coffee
1. places where i've drunk ice chocolate- coffee bean:) the 'pure chocolate ice-blend' is my fav pick-me-up anytime. there is abt a 6/10 chance i would buy a cup if i walk past a shop. there was a point in my life when i got rather addicted to them - drank them like at least once a week till i realised the damage its was doing to my pocket. the drink is thick and chocolately with a generous dose of whipped cream[oh the artery-clogging fats]. service is good across outlets and my only grouse is the recent increase in prices.
- TCC
- starbucks
- coffee club. between the 'ice chocolate' and the 'chocolate milkshake' i prefer the latter. its deliciously creamy with a scoop of chocolate ice cream to add to the decadence. this drink comes in as my favourite treat when im in the mood for spending money. it isnt that expensive but the whole sitting down in a cafe place plus a customary slice of cheesecake [more abt it later] ups the whole "fake tai tai - fai fai?" factor.
-coffeeclub express. the coco freeze rivals that of coffeebean although its more cocoa-ly - nosebleed inducing 'heatiness'. perhaps the only outlet remianing [rest have been converted to coffeeclub cafes] is in nus which serves cheaper and hence substandard versions of the drink. so i usually buy only if i really need a cuppa to perk the day/fill the tummy before heading home.
-gloria jean's
-gelare
2. cheesecake places-coffeebean
-gelare.
-gloria jean's. its uber big a slice at $5.50 each making it rather reasonably priced. really cheesy - as in real creamy cheesy. slightly weird cirtus tasting base that has somesort of gelatinous jelly infused in it. perhaps the only problem would be the fact that one finishes up being totally over-stuffed.
-coffeeclub. great great cheesecake there. i have it nearly everytime i visit an outlet. helped that for a while there was this great offer of "buy 1 cake and get the 2nd free". i visited various outlets a couple of times to enjoy it. but since then the offer is over and at 6 bucks per cake its rather expensive so i havent really been eating it since. indulgences are still as only as good as the money required to pay for them i guess
so there..my little version of a coffee joint review. items which have no short write-up basically means that there is nothing really much to write abt it - its normal and less fantastic compared to the others. and for the record..this post was inspired by erica when she laughed at me for having no appreciation for coffee although i visit coffee joints fairly often [averaging maybe once a month].
11:54 AM
heaven in a wildflower
Friday, July 20, 2007
wise words indeed"your wallet is the most important thing when you leave the house
besides your handphone and your underwear."
and that came out of my brother
its so unbelievably stupid
and yet so true
8:35 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Monday, July 16, 2007
high stakesyou just know it when a VVIP and/or government body is involved in an event
the elaboratedness of the preparation goes off the charts
and it leaves me wondering if its really all that necessary
i guess
they think it is
and im sore abt the insane reporting time of 840am for a 3pm ceremony
7:58 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Sunday, July 15, 2007
1 and 1 makes 2and thats 2 years of blogging already
with 346 posts to date
i wonder how many words there are..
8:43 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Saturday, July 14, 2007
i so very nearly bought something2 things in fact
but currently not enough excess liquidity for the first
and unacceptable sewing for the second
je suis un peu triste
esp since my mom was more than happy to pay for the second item
i would write up a shopping list and paste it on the blog
but i cant see any use except to fuel my desire to be spending unhealthily
so none here
10:10 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Friday, July 13, 2007
virgin car ridewith erica as the driver:) woohoo!
im pretty cool abt being in the car of a new driver
cos agnes gave me some practice [the adrenaline-inducing frights and all:)] ok not..
but erica and i need to work on our communication man
we just seem to not really understand each other's directions and intentions
so erica..must drive me around more:)
botak jones for dinner with bonnie and erica
and the one who suggested the place didnt have any idea where the place was!
thankfully someone else did:)
western food fare - slightly higher class compared to usual coffee shops
the prices were very reasonable for the portion size which were mountainous
food is quite nice although it wasnt as incredible as i had envisioned
[from what i read from others and people's opinions]
good place for family dinners and casual meals
had a great time there with our very funny conversations
they have 4 outlets in spore and maybe just google the name to find out
it was too early to go home
so we kinda decided on going to heartland mall
but the roads seemed kinda jammed so we turned towards serangoon gardens
parked far far away from the "mall" area
finally settled for coffee bean [i thought of bringing them to ice3]
erica left earlier at abt 830
bonnie and i stayed till 930 talking [we are getting really good at this]
we cabbed off with me dropping her off at serangoon mrt
yet another week has ended
i have been working for 3 weeks already!
t'is fast the speed that time passes
abt 2 more weeks of work left - earning my extra pocket money for the year
i will really miss the kids then
but i'll deal with it when the time comes lah
10:14 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
dim sum dollies 2007spore's history according to the 3 of them
its really worth the 40 bucks my sis and i paid for our own tickets
helped that we had the best of the crappiest [cheapest] seats
the script was really good:)
very witty and super "pun-ny" [i came, i saw and i conquered (concurred)]
and the way different events were strung together very well
like the rickshaw pullers with their races [F1]
who were drunk when stopped by the policeman in shorts
who conducted a "sophisticated" breath test and suffered a "hit and run"
it was soooo christopher lee drama, esp that last part
the inclusions of international figures was refreshing
like mao zedong and gandi and 3 kamikaze pilots
hossan leong as gandi was soooo hilarious
the 3 dollies are still very impressive
all the singing and comedy acting
and hossan really outdid himself this show
the "lo mai guys" had more showtime compared to the previous show i watched
great dancers they are
overall the show was marvellous
except for a certain part that was a little OTT
this IJ school part with the dancing nuns and stuff
its funny but i mean..some things cannot be made fun of what..
and i felt that some of the material used is really duh..
and some political bits is a little passe like the whole malaysia-spore saga
the "lee" part is amusing in a slightly disrespectful way
i really loved the samsui women part and the IR spoof - very apt
it was an expensive evening
but well..the money wasn't wasted:)
11:11 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
a nondescript routinemy daily timetable now
645 - 740
wake up and usual morning routines
dress up and go down for breakfast and newspapers at the same time
till abt 720/725
back to the toilet to put on contacts and tie up hair
leave home at abt 740 if im walking to the kindy
745 if my dad is able to send me there
~800 to 230 : working in the kindergarten
2 sessions of 3 hours each
and i do nearly everything except cook, clean and teach
like accompanying the class and their teacher out of class
handing out food during the snack time
following along to the toilet
taking temperature for the kids
and bascially help the teachers when any help is needed
time i reach home - 5
slack, read papers, eat stuff if my mom bought home any
bathe after that
use the internet to mostly blogsurf or blog and check email
if there's something good on the tv i'll watch
or read a new magazine thats available
or read any random book
5-6
watch "party planner with david tutera" on channel 16
just a show that i find quite interesting cos of the theme-ed parties filmed
plus there are nice looking foods and handicrafts
although the host is a little weird
as in like what we always loosely term "gay"
but its not too bad lah
6 -7
dinner preparation and dinner
preparation ranges from heating up foods to cooking max 2 dishes
[yes..i can cook. and it isnt at "just to survive" standard anymore]
usually the meal is only with my brother
the rest reach home at a variety of timings
7 - ~10
internet fix though mostly for chatting online [when in the mood]
depends if my siblings ask for the laptop too
used to watch tv from 9 but the current show isnt my cup of tea
now i may watch the last 20 mins of the show
maybe a bit of news too if the headlines look interesting
10 to 11
quiet time and some reading
usually i try to sleep by 11
but it depends if my sis and i decide to talk at night
yeah my little boring life for now
i kinda like that its stress free but its a little too un-happening
but i love the kids there [well..most of them]
just that the life has not enough mental stimulation
8:18 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Monday, July 09, 2007
not enough wordsyou know how you could be so happy that you cant describe it
or so irritated that no words justify
basically there is alot to say but somehow no words fit
in it right now
8:54 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Thursday, July 05, 2007
bespectacledsaw a 3 year old pre-nursery kid with glasses today
commented to the teacher that she looked really cute
you know..like a really miniature grown-up
2 mins later something struck..
"man..so thats how
I looked last time too!?"
yes..i have been shortsighted since i was 3
and one time you have to understand..
kids' spectacles these days are alot better looking
and no..no old photos of mine here to illustrate that point
6:57 PM
heaven in a wildflower
Sunday, July 01, 2007
learning contentment in the face of dissatisfactionmy God really watches over me:)
3 incidences in one weekend
its got to be more then a coincidence
10:25 PM
heaven in a wildflower
