early Teachers' Day, early night..

there's only one good thing when the computer is spoilt.. i get to sleep early.. haa.. but i still can't get over the fact that i can't watch my final week of my drama!!! arghh..

had an early Teachers' Day greeting yesterday, and i'm still quite amused by the presents the kids gave.. they are not very practical, but i can make them useful.. haha.. my only hope for them is to get good grades.. i was surprised when the boy got 80+ marks for both Maths and Chinese.. he usually flunk when it comes to doing speed, but surprisingly he got them all correct.. but his "engrish", not good.. he always ask me to do him a "flavour" by telling him all the answers, and he just coined a new word "prettiful".. wow..

as for the girl, i've nothing to say.. sigh..

here come weekend..

yes! i survived my 6-day-kids week!! haha.. although i kept thinking why the weekend is not here yet.. i shall give myself a break.. go shopping!! hehe..

and it's a Bon Jovi week! haha.. bought their new cd, and i have a compilation cd of theirs in my office.. haha.. like his new songs, especially (You Want To) Make A Memory.. =) Bon Jovi rocks!! woohoo~!

jazzy night..

i'm glad that i went to the SCO's concert with Chris Brubeck's Triple Play yesterday.. i think that was the only concert the Singapore Chinese Orchestra was able to make me rock along.. haha..

it was an interesting mix of music - jazz with chinese music.. and i was truly amazed by the three members of Triple Play.. Chris Brubeck played the piano, the trombone and the electric bass guitar, and it was enjoyable listening to his compositions.. Peter Madcat Ruth is the first man on the harmonica who can make me go "wow~".. and Joel Brown, his jazzy-country style of playing the guitar is sensational too.. =)

at the end of the concert, i gave them what they deserve - a standing ovation.. but a pity, Singapore's audience are like woodblocks.. they listen, but they don't enjoy the music, they don't groove with the rhythm.. how to become a world-class hub for performing arts when these are the reactions performers receive?

------------------------------

was having dinner with the NUSCO peeps earlier on, and we suddenly remembered this childhood cartoon of ours - Mojacko, or familiarly known as 宇宙小毛球.. i used to watch it when i was younger, probably in my secondary school days.. haha.. i can't remember what the whole cartoon was all about, but the ending theme song is still familiar in my head.. and i find the lyrics meaningful.. =)

i wonder if i will get to watch this cartoon again..

numerology reading

found this numerology reading from a friend's blog.. do try it.. kinda true, in some aspects.. haha..

Your Birth Day number is 15

You are highly creative and artistic. You also have a gift for languages (like learning Tagalog.. haha). No matter what you do as a profession, your love tends to be the arts, especially the visual arts, such as painting, calligraphy, or sculpture (is it? i prefer music leh). There is a yearning within you to ground within the family or community structure, but there is a hint of wanderlust, too, which makes grounding difficult (haha.. like how i keep wanting to go overseas). You want the best in your life, and you strive for it.

Commitment to relationships - especially home and marriage - is a central issue in your life. You must be willing to bring out the best in your partner, or the place you live. In the same way, you must truly commit to your own abilities - make the most of them! Honor your talent and cultivate it with hard work and refinement.

You are very sensitive. Criticism has a very negative effect on you. For this reason, you tend to support others to the point of denying yourself. You want to live according to the Golden Rule, which is that you treat others as you would want to be treated.

You are generous and understanding. As a parent, you are devoted to your children (we will see this, in ten years time.. haha) and can maintain stability and love within the family. You tend to be demonstrative in your affections. You are responsible but keep your own counsel and make your own decisions. You probably look young for your age (yeahhey!). In addition to your artistic talent, you possess sound business and financial instincts (which explains why i keep being the treasurer?). You tend to be thorough and conscientious in your approach to business, traits that pay off in the long run.

You must beware of becoming too soft in relationships. People can see you as an easy mark, or abuse your well-worn shoulder, upon which many tears have been shed. Be more than a willing ear. (hmm..)

You have considerable talent as a healer, but need to develop the actual tools of the healing vocation in order to truly help others. You are multi-talented and with focus and determination, you have great potential for success.

borderline-pass mango graham..

i tried making the mango graham cake again.. i give myself 6/10.. i still can't make it perfect the filipino way!! arghh!!



a very fattening filipino dessert.. just look at the thick layer of cream.. haa.. they call it the 'ice-box' cake.. because you will put it in the fridge and freeze it.. and there's a joke shared between the house gang and i.. 'eat the coke and drink the box-ice'.. haha..

and they even prepared some for me to bring along to the plane leaving Bago.. aww.. the taste of 'hometown'..



tried making it while i was there.. it was so much better than this one.. haha.. all thanks to Joy.. Joy! Tricia! what's wrong with my ice-box cake? how to make it perfect?? why don't you guys come over and make one for me? haha..

M.Y.M.P

yup, as promised, every month i'll change my playlist, and with a headstart, the theme of the month is --- M.Y.M.P



M.Y.M.P (Make Your Mamma Proud) is one Filipino band that has made me see the Filipino music in a different light.. their acoustic music is smoothing, something that you will yearn for more..

Juris Fernandez has the beautiful voice that will melt your heart with all the love song renditions, while Chin Alcantara has his fingers slide smoothly on the guitar.. they are a duo whose performances never fail to wow the audience..

the first time when i hear their music, i was so much attracted to them, that i was searching for their CDs the next day i went to the shopping mall in Bacolod.. haha.. and everytime i hear a new song from them, the song would end up in my MP3 player very soon.. haha..

and many of their songs became an instant hit with the Filipinos.. songs like "Love Moves (In Mysterious Ways)", "I'll Never Get Over You (Gettin' Over Me)" and "Only Reminds Me of You".. =)

so, i'll say no more, and you guys just sit back and relax, and enjoy the music.. =)

missing them..

Bago never fail to make me smile..

i was having a little unhappiness at work yesterday.. oh well, over trival matters.. but really, a call back there cheered me up a lot.. it was really nice to hear tricia's voice again.. =)

cheese cake and nice food with my Bago gang also lightened my mood.. it always bring back memories whenever we come together..

the BHBH3 had a presentation at the Asian Civilisations Museum yesterday, and funnily, the people who went were all from the big BHBH family.. haha.. nice to see things are going well for the Bago community.. =)

my dreams are simple, but the paths are always full of stumbling blocks.. i'm slowly clearing the paths, climbing over those stumbling blocks.. but every time i cross over a block, down come another.. sigh..

oh well.. i have my filipino Skyflakes biscuits in my office.. i miss my graham cake.. tricia! joy! make one for me!!

no more Bago December..

somehow things don't go as what you expect them to be.. and i have no idea why it's happening this way..

my initial plan was to find a part-time job to save up for my trips, and leave the country after my kids' end-of-year exams in November.. i had also wanted to go on a holiday to Bangkok after my exams last May.. then my grandpa got ill, and all of us devoted our time to him.. i couldn't dare to mention about my plans to my parents for fear of adding to their worries..

then grandpa got well.. but came a job offer from my teacher.. pay was low, but all i wanted was to earn enough for my trips.. i accepted it, and i had to give my Bangkok trip a miss.. and because of the job, i had to push back my plan for going overseas till after January next year..

thinking of the possibility that my parents (and maybe grandpa) would be angry and disappointed if i'm not going to be around during Chinese New Year, i further pushed my plan to end February..

and now, i blur-ly took up the position to be in the NUSCO concert committee for next year's concert.. i don't know if i'm not firm enough to reject it, or if i feel that i should do something for the orchestra.. it would mean another postponing of my trips to end March..

all the responsibilities are piling up.. my job, my kids, the concert committee, plannings for my trips.. and family..

the thought of not being able to spend my christmas in Bago is making me feeling down.. the thought of not being able to see familiar faces, the thought of missing out all the laughter, the thought of not being able to hug my friends who have been like a second family to me..

i have always look forward to December every year.. but this December is never going to be the same.. i want my old December back..

horrible kid..

me: ok, read this word.
girl: seasons.
me: good.. so read the meaning out.
girl: 4 sections of the year associated with different types of weather. (actually she didn't know how to read 'sections' and 'associated'.. haa)
me: ok, so here they say there are 4 sections.. that means 4 different types, right? tell me what are the 4 seasons.
girl: i don't know.. Singapore don't have what..
me: yar, so? it doesn't mean you won't have to learn..
girl: ah.. i know.. korea has, right?
me: yar.. you've watched those dramas right? which one can you remember?
girl: i don't know.. not my country what..

WAHHHHH!!!! kill me!!!

should i be sad for her lack of intelligence, or should i be glad for her patriotism?? please enlighten me..

a night at Global Sounds Cafe..

hmm.. apart from the mudane and tiring work life and annoying kids, nothing much happening these days.. but here i am, recommending a nice place for chilling out.. =)

the Global Sounds Cafe.. =)



an unique cafe.. what i like about it is its coziness, and its theme.. quite a variety of musical instruments on display, and some for you to play around with them.. =) and interestingly they have things like the thumb piano, the thunder tube and some squeaky thing that reminds us of a friend.. haha..

and it's kinda suitable for us the slackers-amateurish musicians.. haha..



food there is alright, offering what most cafes would.. popular choice would be their tiramisu.. the service is good too.. the people there are always on their smiling front.. despite me standing at the counter, asking to smell the fragrance of the tea leaves before deciding what i really wanted.. haha..

as usual, we had fun with photo-taking..


oh, so cheesy.. haha.. though i like that slogan.. haha..


yes, me acting cute again.. and i think joyce is sick of me doing that.. haha..

and they had some special marimbas which we had fun laying our hands on.. haha..


yup.. Global Sounds Cafe is situated near Smith Street (i think.. haha).. walk to the end of the Chinatown Food Street and you will see it.. =)

it's a nice place to explore, and just sit down and relax.. by the way, the chairs and sofas are very comfortable, so comfortable that i can sleep there.. haha.. oops.. =P

i want my sleep back..

i hate it when i have to vent my frustrations on my kids.. yes, my kids can be irritating and the way they retort back my questions with "i don't know" can make me clench my fists and go "arghhhh"..

i used to be able to fight back their silly tactics.. but not these few weeks.. i got frustrated so easily that i don't how to get through the lessons..

i suppose work has drained away all my energy.. even though it is no-brainer, the long hours and the occasional warding off knifes that may come stabbing are tiring.. and having to teach the kids after work makes it even worse.. not having enough sleep is killing me too..

and this is going to be so, at least for the next few months.. but i will adapt to this..

i will..

little tiger is back..

our little tiger is back!! haha.. =D

after her 10-month stay in London, our dear huijie is back for her holidays.. =) a friend i truly admire, i'm glad to see her well and fine.. and of course, happy to see her doing well in pursuing her dreams.. =)

cheese and chocolate fondue has again united us, and we had so much laughter during dinner, teasing each other, updating each other about what is happening in our lives.. haha..

so many interesting stories, yet so little time..

so many things have changed since our expedition to Bago.. we have since moved on.. aline and waipeng are getting married, huijie is happily studying art in London, ryan is busy with his student activities (as usual).. as for me, the end of school days, still finding the direction i want in my life.. there are many things i wish to achieve, there are many things i know i can't..

but yes, we have been working hard to reach out to our dreams, we have been trying the best that we could in whatever we do..

our hearts are still attached to Bago, and i wish for the day that the 5 of us could return to Bago together.. =)

a week's thoughts..

i think i've over-worked myself.. such that my forgetfulness is back to haunt me again.. i was standing outside the door, searching frantically for my keys, and somehow i couldn't think of where and how i might have dropped them.. i had to call my mum to open the door for me, and then i saw my keys lying on my table.. arghh..

------------------------------

sent peiying off this morning.. was spending the previous night at the airport with a bunch of friends.. i guess i was too tired to really enjoy the company.. haa..

anyway, yes, i wish her the best of luck.. it's not easy to be able to go overseas to further studies, and i'm always envious of friends who are able do that.. i'm sure she will definitely reach out to her dreams and do well.. =) waiting to see you again next year when you return!

------------------------------

i think i'm a bad friend.. of course not in terms of being a bad influence (i've an image of a tutor to set.. haa) but i think i bully my friends a lot..

it's always them who put in more into the friendship.. and i admit sometimes i really take them for granted.. but i truly feel that i'm very blessed to have friends who sincerely care for me, and they are there whenever i need a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear to rant to..

really, a big thank you to my friends.. =)

------------------------------

i need more sleep.. better still, give me 30 hours a day.. haha..

ah.. this post is really so random..

new music playlist..

have created a playlist (look to the right column).. somehow the songs in there are the sadder ones.. haha..

anyway, i will change the songs, perhaps once in a month.. =) i'll also introduce nice pinoy songs through that.. haha..

yup, so peeps, enjoy..

the day of commencement..

the end of a chapter, the beginning of another..

the commencement was just an event that signified the end of my academic education.. 18 years of schooling (since nursery) isn't a short timeframe.. almost a quarter of my life! haha.. but again, i believe in life-long learning, though not neccessarily academic-wise.. haha.. and besides, i hate exams.. haha..

but this was an important moment for my parents, with all the investment they have made.. i think it's something all parents would be proud of..

for the first time of my blogging history, i present to you, my parents! haha..



see? i got my grey-hair trait from my dad.. haha..

and i was surprised when he bought the NUS commencement lion for me when i told him it was a waste.. $40 for a plush toy leh.. haha.. yeahhey..



and of course, i was happy to see friends there.. it was glad to have them to be part of this milestone of my life..



biyun, who has seen me through my ups and downs in NUS.. it was these 3 years that have bonded us closer.. we celebrated our birthdays together in the midst of exam preparations, we slept through lectures (on rare occasions, i must stress.. haha), binged on chocolates during our stress-high periods, complained to each other about horrible people in school.. thank you my friend, and let's look forward to our tai-tai life.. haha..



another surprise, when kaiwen called.. a coincidence that her brother had the same commencement session as me.. a very close friend from JC, somebody who never failed to cheer me up, give me encouragement when i needed them..

and of course, many other friends who were there as well.. =)



i'll miss the free time i had as a student, the friends and the fun.. now, it's time to work towards my aspirations and dreams.. =)

or maybe, work towards the goal of earning big money, so that i can buy this $50 baby dress from TopShop for my future kid.. haha..



haha.. kidding.. =D

graduation photos..

ok, here are the photos.. after selecting those more presentable ones.. if not it would be 250++ of them.. =D



to view all photos, click here: graduation photos

graduation photos galore..

haha.. sorry for the long no-post.. busy with money-spending activities.. haha.. so, photo galore for making up..

took many pictures with the peeps from NUSCO before my commencement.. whooping 259 photos.. will upload them to somewhere else.. but here are some highlights.. =)

main characters: me, helen, peiying, andrew, daida - class of 2007.. haha..


me acting cute..


i think i looked weird playing the piano with the gown..


with our instruments!


i like this one.. haha..




tossing it up into the air!


at our familiar grounds.. haha..


act cute again.. haha..




this looks like a family portrait.. keke..


posing around, while Jin Lao Shi helped us take photos with his Nikon SLR.. free photo-taking by professional photographer.. woohoo..




guess who's who.. (ok, it's kinda obvious..)


i'm the little gold ridding hood.. haha.. or rather, i look like somebody from Lord of the Rings.. haha..




i think i acted cute too much..


assembly point!




with Mr Lum, a fatherly figure, who has sorta seen me growing up since my secondary school days..





yeah.. meanwhile, hang on for the full album.. haha.. =)

kids make me sick..

sometimes kids really make me sick..

me: so, what's the first step?
girl: what?
me: we did so many examples already, you should know by now..
girl: what? i dunno!

(after revising the first step again..)

me: ok, then the next step?
girl: what?
me: what? you tell me, not i give you the answer..
girl: then what?
me: then what what?
girl: how i know??

(my goodness.. so i had to do the whole thing with her again..)

me: ok, next question, do it yourself..
girl: har? i forget how to do already..

(wah biang oei.. that was the n-th time i was going through division questions..)

me: hoy.. look at what you are writing.. this is a division question, not multiplication question..
girl: i only know how to times, dunno how to divide..
me: they are opposites of each other what, and we did so many questions already, and don't tell me that you forget again hor..
girl: aiya, don't care lar..

(eyes big big.. this kind of student exists.. my god..)

me: see, the same mistake again.. what is 7 x 8?
girl: 60
me: wrong
girl: 64
me: wrong again
girl: correct what.. wrong meh?
me: wrong
girl: then what?
me: count it out, don't guess.. maths you cannot use guessing one..
girl: then how?

(i really wanna puke..)

US$1000 to do volunteer work?!?

i'm not giving up.. =)

was searching for organisations which i can work with for my overseas volunteer work.. came across quite a few, majority are US-based.. still trying to find more organisations that are Singapore-based, or with branch offices here.. so that i know they are in existence, something i can trust..

and to my horror, many organisations charge more than US$1000 for the fees to volunteer overseas.. my goodness.. why would people pay that much to volunteer??

i understand that fees are required, of course we can't be staying and eating for free in foreign lands.. but US$1000?!? and some organisations require a fee of US$2000 for a month's stay.. wah biang.. with that amount i can go tour Europe.. my god..

and i don't understand why people always have this misconception that you need lots of money in order to help the poor, or to do volunteer work.. yes, money can do a lot of things, but it can't bring you everything.. wasn't i able to gather boxes full of clothes and toys for the children? wasn't i able to get sponsors to donate stationery?

but anyhow, i still need my parents' support and approval.. pray for me.. pray real hard.. =) it's gonna be a long road down.. must persevere.. haha..

ice-skating again..

great, now my knee got a big bruise..

second time back into the ice-skating rink after 7 years, the enjoyment of re-mastering the sports is there, but it's not when you have a fall (and i had it more than once), or being pushed by people.. so i still want my Ben & Jerry's.. bleahz..