had a short 2 days 1 night holiday at Batam over the weekend just before school started on the following mon (25 july 2011). probably there will be more of such short weekend getaway in the future to take a break from the busy life that we are leading. it feels good to slow down the pace of your life and relax once in a while.
school started last week with all the orientation talks. it's quite inconvenient to travel from yishun to NTU/NIE, especially during peak hours when getting onto the train is a problem. but still, i have to get used to this as i'll be travelling often. i attended the physical education and sports science (PESS) freshman orientation camp last weekend. it was awesome! i was in orientaion group (OG) 7 and our group name is Khoo Swee Chiow. wondering who he is? click here to find out more. although the camp last only 2 days 1 night, i thoroughly enjoyed it. i'm fortunate to meet everyone in my OG. without them, the camp wouldnt have been so fun. we did amazing race around the west area on saturday night, running from one checkpoint to another. climbed a 40-storey HDB flat at clementi. i hope that everyone will still keep in contact and we probably will be seeing each other around in NIE. PESS, proud to be!
i'm currently typing this blog entry in my hall at NTU. going to spend my first night here today. met my room mate in the evening before i left for dinner at jurong point. he's also from PESS too! just that he's doing a Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme while i'm doing a Degree one. i'm glad that we have something in common. that's all for now. i'm going to take a look at my timetable for semester 1 before i go to sleep. going for an early morning run tmr, up and down the slopes of NTU (provided that i can wake up in the morning). hahaha.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
a busy week.
i ended my work at the student care centre last fri, 15 july. saying farewell to the staff and children whom i had spent about 5 months with is never easy. i wish to thank everyone for the happy memories i had during the short stay at the student care centre. wonderful memories of the children who never fail to brighten up my day. and also the nicknames that they have given me. mr豆, 豆老师 ( 黑豆, 白豆, 红豆... depending on the colour of the shirt i'm wearing for the day), ah 飘, 黑人老师, mr tohfu... hahaha. although i have left, i'll definitely be back at the centre again to visit everyone soon.
a short one week break before school starts. the only thing left to do for the admission to nie is the e-matriculation which can be done only after 22 july. submitted my hall application this morning and hopefully the result of the application will be made known to me soon. went to pulau ubin yesterday with some army friends to cycle. not many people around since it's a weekday. saw some people coming back to the mainland with bags of durians. they seriously made their 5-dollars trip (2.50 for the one wat ferry) worthwhile. hahaha. talking about pulau ubin, i am now goggling about stories regarding the island. german girl shrine, history of pulau ubin... shall end my post now to read the interesting stories which i have found and also to find out more about batam since i going there this coming weekend.
a short one week break before school starts. the only thing left to do for the admission to nie is the e-matriculation which can be done only after 22 july. submitted my hall application this morning and hopefully the result of the application will be made known to me soon. went to pulau ubin yesterday with some army friends to cycle. not many people around since it's a weekday. saw some people coming back to the mainland with bags of durians. they seriously made their 5-dollars trip (2.50 for the one wat ferry) worthwhile. hahaha. talking about pulau ubin, i am now goggling about stories regarding the island. german girl shrine, history of pulau ubin... shall end my post now to read the interesting stories which i have found and also to find out more about batam since i going there this coming weekend.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
远方亲戚的拜访
the nie admission package from vital.org finally arrived. enclosed in the package are the information about the teacher training agreement signing session and admission to nie, some documents to be submitted back to nie, orientation camps and hall application. looking for a roommate at the moment, but it's so hard to find one at this point of time.
some relatives from china came over these few weeks. had a family gathering at my uncle's house yesterday night. many relatives, both the closer ones and distant ones, attended the buffet. photo taking session at the end as the relatives from china wanted to bring back some nice photos and memories they had here. it was like a mini press conference with a flurry of camera flashes. hahaha. one more gathering next weekend as my cousin has moved to her new house. another round of good food and great time with the relatives.
4july was youth day. i went to cisco centre with bernard to take photo for the public service smart card. the guy at the photo booth was terribly rude, with a bad attitude. from his 'black' face, you can see he was in a bad mood. i was asked to sit down in front of the camera. queuing behind me was a malay guy. he asked the officer some questions regarding the type of card to make. the officer was irritated and raised his voice at the helpless guy, which i felt there wasnt a need to. before i could tell him that i was ready, he just simply said 'done'. my photo was taken without him informing me at all. thinking about the incident now, i still feel angry about it. should have asked for his name and lodge a complaint about his lousy attitude.
we then headed down to redhill/queenstown area to hunt for good food for lunch as we were going to queensway shopping centre. i remembered watching '老字号' on channel 8 recommending claypot rice at ABC brickworks food centre. yuan yuan claypot rice! hahaha. we alighted at redhill mrt and navigated our way to the food centre. on the way there, we realised alighting at queenstown mrt would be nearer and indeed, we spent quite some time walking under the hot sun. managed to try the claypot rice. i particularly like the diced chicken. it was tenderly soft. there are a lot of good food at the food centre. shall go there again to hunt for more good food.
some relatives from china came over these few weeks. had a family gathering at my uncle's house yesterday night. many relatives, both the closer ones and distant ones, attended the buffet. photo taking session at the end as the relatives from china wanted to bring back some nice photos and memories they had here. it was like a mini press conference with a flurry of camera flashes. hahaha. one more gathering next weekend as my cousin has moved to her new house. another round of good food and great time with the relatives.
4july was youth day. i went to cisco centre with bernard to take photo for the public service smart card. the guy at the photo booth was terribly rude, with a bad attitude. from his 'black' face, you can see he was in a bad mood. i was asked to sit down in front of the camera. queuing behind me was a malay guy. he asked the officer some questions regarding the type of card to make. the officer was irritated and raised his voice at the helpless guy, which i felt there wasnt a need to. before i could tell him that i was ready, he just simply said 'done'. my photo was taken without him informing me at all. thinking about the incident now, i still feel angry about it. should have asked for his name and lodge a complaint about his lousy attitude.
we then headed down to redhill/queenstown area to hunt for good food for lunch as we were going to queensway shopping centre. i remembered watching '老字号' on channel 8 recommending claypot rice at ABC brickworks food centre. yuan yuan claypot rice! hahaha. we alighted at redhill mrt and navigated our way to the food centre. on the way there, we realised alighting at queenstown mrt would be nearer and indeed, we spent quite some time walking under the hot sun. managed to try the claypot rice. i particularly like the diced chicken. it was tenderly soft. there are a lot of good food at the food centre. shall go there again to hunt for more good food.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
是你 决定我的伤心
last week, the students taught me how to play 跳棋 (direct translation: jumping chess). it's not the usual one which i used to play with the pieces being eaten while moving diagonally. in 跳棋, the pieces can move in all directions except backwards and the aim of the game is to get all your pieces to the other side of the board. none of the pieces will be 'eaten' throughout the game. the children were quite surprised that i have not heard of it before. hahaha.
i was out with bernard, justin and hongkai yesterday. we had lunch at Chong Boon Market and Food Centre. bak kut teh, sesame oil chicken, curry stingray and apple juice. totally awesome. we then headed to katong shopping centre for our 3h singing session at teo heng karaoke. had a lot of fun and laughter. the song '是你决定我的伤心' is now stuck in my head, partly because the way justin and hongkai sang it was very hilarious. had dinner at upper thomson. bak chor mee (Meng Kitchen) and beancurd (Rochor Beancurd House). a great saturday.
i was out with bernard, justin and hongkai yesterday. we had lunch at Chong Boon Market and Food Centre. bak kut teh, sesame oil chicken, curry stingray and apple juice. totally awesome. we then headed to katong shopping centre for our 3h singing session at teo heng karaoke. had a lot of fun and laughter. the song '是你决定我的伤心' is now stuck in my head, partly because the way justin and hongkai sang it was very hilarious. had dinner at upper thomson. bak chor mee (Meng Kitchen) and beancurd (Rochor Beancurd House). a great saturday.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
:D
i passed the physical proficiency test! the email came this afternoon after i attended the appointment briefing at MOE in the morning. happy and relieved. i was informed by the officer this morning that i still need to attend another Teacher Training Agreement signing session during one of the coming saturdays with two sureties whom i have yet to find. currently, i'm still waiting for the arrival of the admission package which will provide more details on admission into NIE, matriculation number, hall application and probably orientation camp. photo taking (cisco centre) on 4 july and medical appointment (raffles hospital)on 12 july.
june, a month filled with happiness and laughter? yes, definitely (despite the fact that i just cut my hair 30 mins ago and look like a noob now). laughter from the students when i return to the studentcare centre tmr morning i guess. hahaha.
june, a month filled with happiness and laughter? yes, definitely (despite the fact that i just cut my hair 30 mins ago and look like a noob now). laughter from the students when i return to the studentcare centre tmr morning i guess. hahaha.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
To Be With You - Mr.Big
To Be With You - Mr.Big (video)
Hold on little girl
Show me what he's done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can't be that bad
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Build up your confidence
So you can be on top for once
wake up, who cares about
Little boys that talk too much
I've seen it all go down
Your game of love was all rained out
So come on baby, come on over
Let me be the one to hold you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Why be alone when we can be together baby
You can make my life worthwhile
And I can make you start to smile
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Just to be the next to be with you
Hold on little girl
Show me what he's done to you
Stand up little girl
A broken heart can't be that bad
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Build up your confidence
So you can be on top for once
wake up, who cares about
Little boys that talk too much
I've seen it all go down
Your game of love was all rained out
So come on baby, come on over
Let me be the one to hold you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Why be alone when we can be together baby
You can make my life worthwhile
And I can make you start to smile
When it's through, it's through
Fate will twist the both of you
So come on baby come on over
Let me be the one to show you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
I'm the one who wants to be with you
Deep inside I hope you feel it too
Waited on a line of greens and blues
Just to be the next to be with you
Just to be the next to be with you
mizuno mt faber 2011
Tag ID: 3630
Name: Toh Yong Yuan
Category: Open Men
Nett Timing: 0:56:11
Offical Timing: 0:57:07
Position: 185 / 1121
i'm quite happy with the timing for my maiden mt faber run. more running events coming up next. Singapore Bay Run/Army Half Marathon 2011 and Standard Chartered Marathon 2011.
Name: Toh Yong Yuan
Category: Open Men
Nett Timing: 0:56:11
Offical Timing: 0:57:07
Position: 185 / 1121
i'm quite happy with the timing for my maiden mt faber run. more running events coming up next. Singapore Bay Run/Army Half Marathon 2011 and Standard Chartered Marathon 2011.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
最后的考验
And so the long awaited letter from MOE came. i've been offered a place in BSc (Education) (PE) (Secondary). really happy to receive this good news. however, it's not finalised yet. i will be attending the physical proficiency test which has been scheduled on this coming friday, 24 june. this test is a must for those who want to teach PE or have been offered to teach PE. another problem is that i am required to do an online acceptance for the course through the online acceptance portal which i cant log in to. called NTU this afternoon and was informed to drop them an email to notify them that i will be accepting the course offer instead as the portal is under some administrative problems. sent an email to them just now, but still feeling a bit worried.
i'm looking forward to 24 june and hopefully everything will turn out well for me, especially the gymnastic test. during these few days, i will be practising headstand to prepare myself for the big day.
Physical Proficiency Test, a test which i cannot fail, a test which i must not fail.
i'm looking forward to 24 june and hopefully everything will turn out well for me, especially the gymnastic test. during these few days, i will be practising headstand to prepare myself for the big day.
Physical Proficiency Test, a test which i cannot fail, a test which i must not fail.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
everyday's full of surprises
friday started out well as i slowly made my way to work. it was a delight seeing the p1 and p2 kids playing masak masak happily under the void deck with mats laid on the ground while walking to the student care centre (beta) after alighting from the bus at marsiling. upon seeing me, several kids greeted me with a loud 'MR TOHHH'. they immediately served me a breakfast set and i pretended to drink the coffee and eat the food. kids are bundles of joy, arent they? later during the day in the afternoon, we had our 2nd cooking lesson during this june holiday for the upper primary children. they made pizza this time round. last week was sushi making. these cooking lessons brought back memories of the fun time i had during home economics lessons back in the secondary school days. 多想回到童年的时光啊!
mizuno mt faber run 2011 took place this morning. took a cab down to bukit merah view with lejun as the train wasnt operating yet when we left house at about 5+am. i left my shoebag in the taxi and almost couldnt join the run. luckily we managed to contacted the taxi driver and got back my shoebag. met 1WO Chandran while waiting for the run to start. the run started at about 7.30am. a brand new experience, a brand new running route. the run was still ok, with some uphill and downhill challenges. the moment you reached the top of mt faber where the jewel box is located, you know you are almost done with the tough part of the run. nice view from the hilltop. saw one of the p2 kids and her family after finishing the run and i mingled with her mum. her dad was the one running, not the p2 kid. the event ended with a lucky draw, but i wasnt any of the lucky ones though. visited queensway shopping centre and i bought a pair of sneakers and running tights. we then proceeded to PC show 2011 at suntec city to see see look look. ran into joozhi, thomas foo and jian he. it was time to take a train home in the late afternoon and i realised that my ezlink card was missing. i had no choice but to purchase the standard ticket. everyday is full of surprises, be it pleasant or unpleasant and that's what make life interesting.
mizuno mt faber run 2011 took place this morning. took a cab down to bukit merah view with lejun as the train wasnt operating yet when we left house at about 5+am. i left my shoebag in the taxi and almost couldnt join the run. luckily we managed to contacted the taxi driver and got back my shoebag. met 1WO Chandran while waiting for the run to start. the run started at about 7.30am. a brand new experience, a brand new running route. the run was still ok, with some uphill and downhill challenges. the moment you reached the top of mt faber where the jewel box is located, you know you are almost done with the tough part of the run. nice view from the hilltop. saw one of the p2 kids and her family after finishing the run and i mingled with her mum. her dad was the one running, not the p2 kid. the event ended with a lucky draw, but i wasnt any of the lucky ones though. visited queensway shopping centre and i bought a pair of sneakers and running tights. we then proceeded to PC show 2011 at suntec city to see see look look. ran into joozhi, thomas foo and jian he. it was time to take a train home in the late afternoon and i realised that my ezlink card was missing. i had no choice but to purchase the standard ticket. everyday is full of surprises, be it pleasant or unpleasant and that's what make life interesting.
$3 for 2 soft toys
Monday, June 6, 2011
端午节
happy 端午节, also known as dragon boat festival. do read about this festival here if you have no idea what it is about.
i went to yishun safra to attend a wedding dinner on saturday night. good to see all the relatives present, catching up with each other enthusiastically. 那晚的婚宴，最漂亮的是新娘，最帅的就是新郎，而最开心的不只是他们俩，还有双方的家人、亲戚和好友们。衷心祝福这对新人百年好和！
had lunch with bernard and lejun on sunday afternoon as bernard was going on a holiday. he flew off to taiwan this afternoon. went to angmokio to meet my badminton team mates in the late afternoon as we are having dinner together at the same zichar stall where we louhei-ed for the past few years. a few of them couldnt make it. some of us then made our way to yishun safra after the dinner for bowling. if i remember correctly, the last time i bowled was when i was still in secondary school. played 'spot the difference' at the game machine. with some one-dollar coins left, i took out 3bucks to play the claw crane and caught 2 soft toys. hahaha. they are now sitting on my table staring at me.
went for the interview at moe today. it was still ok. i dont have much comment on it. hoping that everything will proceed smoothly after attending today's interview. hurried back home, changed and went to yishun safra for a swim. yes, yishun safra again. my whole body's aching as i kept doing cartwheel on sunday, and so i swam only for a while this afternoon. alright. that's all for now. feeling a little hungry. time for another bazhang (rice dumpling)! (:
i went to yishun safra to attend a wedding dinner on saturday night. good to see all the relatives present, catching up with each other enthusiastically. 那晚的婚宴，最漂亮的是新娘，最帅的就是新郎，而最开心的不只是他们俩，还有双方的家人、亲戚和好友们。衷心祝福这对新人百年好和！
had lunch with bernard and lejun on sunday afternoon as bernard was going on a holiday. he flew off to taiwan this afternoon. went to angmokio to meet my badminton team mates in the late afternoon as we are having dinner together at the same zichar stall where we louhei-ed for the past few years. a few of them couldnt make it. some of us then made our way to yishun safra after the dinner for bowling. if i remember correctly, the last time i bowled was when i was still in secondary school. played 'spot the difference' at the game machine. with some one-dollar coins left, i took out 3bucks to play the claw crane and caught 2 soft toys. hahaha. they are now sitting on my table staring at me.
went for the interview at moe today. it was still ok. i dont have much comment on it. hoping that everything will proceed smoothly after attending today's interview. hurried back home, changed and went to yishun safra for a swim. yes, yishun safra again. my whole body's aching as i kept doing cartwheel on sunday, and so i swam only for a while this afternoon. alright. that's all for now. feeling a little hungry. time for another bazhang (rice dumpling)! (:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
smile like the sun
june, a month filled with happiness and laughter?
Smile - Uncle Kracker
You're better then the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip side
of my pillow, that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Let me know that it's ok
Yeah it's ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
and just like that
You steal away the rain
and just like that
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Don't know how I lived without you
Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Smile - Uncle Kracker
You're better then the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip side
of my pillow, that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Let me know that it's ok
Yeah it's ok
And the moments when my good times start to fade
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
and just like that
You steal away the rain
and just like that
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Don't know how I lived without you
Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed
Sing like bird
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Oh, you make me smile
Sunday, May 29, 2011
雨过天晴
finally, after two years, i am granted an interview. :D this could be the only chance for me to pursue my passion in teaching, in becoming a teacher. this is the last chance.
was out the whole day on saturday. went for work in the morning. had lunch at mcdonald, celebrating teck hock's 12th birthday with a few other volunteers. he was so shy as he was the only kid present. hahaha. we went for Supervised Homework Group programme after the small birthday treat. had the birthday song singing and cake cutting session together with the rest of the children. watched the kids play captain's ball. my squirrels lost to the other two groups and they were quite disappointed. but still, i know they had tried their best. dont be disheartened squirrels, i'm proud of all of youuu! met up with lejun after that. my stomach felt a little painful. thought it's because of hunger. took bus to thomson road and ate 928 ampang yong tau foo. then took bus again to novena velocity to collect mizuno mt faber run racepack. stomach getting more painful and i felt dizzy, wanted to vomit. collected the racepack and tahan-ed a bit, walking around to look at shoes. took a cab home in the end. totally drained, mentally and physically. took medicine and slept for a while. woke up around 11 and vomited. terrible night.
spent half the day sleeping on sun. feeling quite weak. didnt do anything much today. wont be going for work tmr too. hopefully i'll be feeling better tmr. this weekend was the sundown marathon. congrats to all those who completed the run. 'sleep can wait. beat the sunrise.' but for me, it's 'sleep cannot wait. beaten by the sunrise.' what a weekend!
was out the whole day on saturday. went for work in the morning. had lunch at mcdonald, celebrating teck hock's 12th birthday with a few other volunteers. he was so shy as he was the only kid present. hahaha. we went for Supervised Homework Group programme after the small birthday treat. had the birthday song singing and cake cutting session together with the rest of the children. watched the kids play captain's ball. my squirrels lost to the other two groups and they were quite disappointed. but still, i know they had tried their best. dont be disheartened squirrels, i'm proud of all of youuu! met up with lejun after that. my stomach felt a little painful. thought it's because of hunger. took bus to thomson road and ate 928 ampang yong tau foo. then took bus again to novena velocity to collect mizuno mt faber run racepack. stomach getting more painful and i felt dizzy, wanted to vomit. collected the racepack and tahan-ed a bit, walking around to look at shoes. took a cab home in the end. totally drained, mentally and physically. took medicine and slept for a while. woke up around 11 and vomited. terrible night.
spent half the day sleeping on sun. feeling quite weak. didnt do anything much today. wont be going for work tmr too. hopefully i'll be feeling better tmr. this weekend was the sundown marathon. congrats to all those who completed the run. 'sleep can wait. beat the sunrise.' but for me, it's 'sleep cannot wait. beaten by the sunrise.' what a weekend!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
time is running out
要坚强
我常常对着镜子里的人大声讲
放不下 - 龚诗嘉
just went for a short 5.6km run with bernard along the sembawang park connector along the big canal leading to the bottle tree village. the weather wasnt very good, with flashes of lightning and seemed as if it is going rain cats and dogs any moment. since bernard was quite enthusiastic about running and had asking me to run since some time ago, we carried on with our plan. recently whenever we have planned to swim or run, the weather will turn funny on the day of the activity. sun going missing la, dark clouds gathering above our heads... tmr i'm going to swim and hopefully the weather will be good with the sun in the clear blue sky, not the dark clouds. as usual, had roti prata as supper after the run. roti prata kosong, roti bomb, banana prata, teh tarik and longan drink. feeling a bit full right now.
have been looking for a pair of sneakers or any casual footwear. saw this pair of shoes at royal sporting house (northpoint). puma L.I.F.T racer. more like a pair of sneakers rather than running shoes. on top of this, GSS has begun, just at the right time. good time to do shopping. yeah.
我常常对着镜子里的人大声讲
放不下 - 龚诗嘉
just went for a short 5.6km run with bernard along the sembawang park connector along the big canal leading to the bottle tree village. the weather wasnt very good, with flashes of lightning and seemed as if it is going rain cats and dogs any moment. since bernard was quite enthusiastic about running and had asking me to run since some time ago, we carried on with our plan. recently whenever we have planned to swim or run, the weather will turn funny on the day of the activity. sun going missing la, dark clouds gathering above our heads... tmr i'm going to swim and hopefully the weather will be good with the sun in the clear blue sky, not the dark clouds. as usual, had roti prata as supper after the run. roti prata kosong, roti bomb, banana prata, teh tarik and longan drink. feeling a bit full right now.
have been looking for a pair of sneakers or any casual footwear. saw this pair of shoes at royal sporting house (northpoint). puma L.I.F.T racer. more like a pair of sneakers rather than running shoes. on top of this, GSS has begun, just at the right time. good time to do shopping. yeah.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
different reasons
i am packing my bag.
my brother is packing his bag.
i am packing my bag because i am going to yishun safra for a swim first before going to fish farm.
he is packing his bag because he is going to hongkong for a holiday.
i want to go on a holiday too! haha. ahbiao, 一路顺风 and have fun in hongkong! back to packing my bag. -.-
my brother is packing his bag.
i am packing my bag because i am going to yishun safra for a swim first before going to fish farm.
he is packing his bag because he is going to hongkong for a holiday.
i want to go on a holiday too! haha. ahbiao, 一路顺风 and have fun in hongkong! back to packing my bag. -.-
Friday, May 20, 2011
this is just the beginning. it is never the end.
i did everything i could. now, i can only pray and hope for the best. havent been sleeping well these few nights. shall take a break this weekend, get my mind off the worries and fears.
just came back from supper with my cousin. he's staying over at my house tonight. went to fetch him from khatib camp and drove to prata house along thomson road. it's my 1st time eating there despite passing by it for years. prata was not bad. quite crispy. sing song session @ teoheng karaoke on monday with army buddies. tues was vesak day. went for a swim at yishun safra and then to bugis. bought a new book at kinokuniya. the zahir by paulo coelho. have not started reading yet. shall wrap it nicely 1st before reading it. went to jurong point today after making a trip down to moe to submit some documents. supposed to go to Run Bike Swim Expo with chen zhong, but he's down with fever. and so i had lunch with mark at old town white coffee. wandered around jp while waiting for him and got lost somehow as i havent been to jurong point for a looong time. the last time i visited the place was when i undergoing Basic Section Leader Course and Advanced Section Leader Course at Pasir Lebar Camp. went into harris and found two nice books, The Slap and Before I Go To Sleep. The Slap caught my attention because of its cover. here's a picture of it. it says 'one day, at a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own...' haha. isnt it interesting. now i know what two books to read next. Before I Go To Sleep is about $32 at harris. :( maybe i'll shop for the books at San Bookshop as they will be cheaper.
tmr we are celebrating grandma's birthday at dad's fish farm! woohoooooooo! can go there to relax and 放松心情. until now, i havent get to drive a lorryyy! if possible, i'll try driving it tmr. maybe i can try the bulldozer as well. :P shall take some photos tmr to upload onto here.
just came back from supper with my cousin. he's staying over at my house tonight. went to fetch him from khatib camp and drove to prata house along thomson road. it's my 1st time eating there despite passing by it for years. prata was not bad. quite crispy. sing song session @ teoheng karaoke on monday with army buddies. tues was vesak day. went for a swim at yishun safra and then to bugis. bought a new book at kinokuniya. the zahir by paulo coelho. have not started reading yet. shall wrap it nicely 1st before reading it. went to jurong point today after making a trip down to moe to submit some documents. supposed to go to Run Bike Swim Expo with chen zhong, but he's down with fever. and so i had lunch with mark at old town white coffee. wandered around jp while waiting for him and got lost somehow as i havent been to jurong point for a looong time. the last time i visited the place was when i undergoing Basic Section Leader Course and Advanced Section Leader Course at Pasir Lebar Camp. went into harris and found two nice books, The Slap and Before I Go To Sleep. The Slap caught my attention because of its cover. here's a picture of it. it says 'one day, at a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own...' haha. isnt it interesting. now i know what two books to read next. Before I Go To Sleep is about $32 at harris. :( maybe i'll shop for the books at San Bookshop as they will be cheaper.
tmr we are celebrating grandma's birthday at dad's fish farm! woohoooooooo! can go there to relax and 放松心情. until now, i havent get to drive a lorryyy! if possible, i'll try driving it tmr. maybe i can try the bulldozer as well. :P shall take some photos tmr to upload onto here.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
$18.95
managed to get an interesting book from times bookshop @ marina square on tues when i went for dinner with jian nan, chen zhong, zhair and quan heng. finished reading it just now. a good book which i would recommend to all. for friends who want to borrow the book, do feel free to drop me a sms, email or post on my shoutbox and let me know.
the blurb of the novel :
'Darling, this is Younes. Yesterday he was my nephew, today he is our son'
Younes' life is changed forever when his poverty-stricken parents surrender him to the care of his more affluent uncle. Renamed Jonas, he grows up in a colourful colonial Algerian town, and forges a unique friendship with a group of boys, an enduring bond that nothing - not even the Algerian Revolt - will shake. He meets Emilie, a beautiful, beguiling girl who captures the hearts of all who see her, and an epic love story is set in motion.
Time and again Jonas is forced to choose between two worlds: Algerian or European; past or present; love or loyalty, and finally he must decide if he will surrender to fate or take control of his own destiny at last.
the blurb of the novel :
'Darling, this is Younes. Yesterday he was my nephew, today he is our son'
Younes' life is changed forever when his poverty-stricken parents surrender him to the care of his more affluent uncle. Renamed Jonas, he grows up in a colourful colonial Algerian town, and forges a unique friendship with a group of boys, an enduring bond that nothing - not even the Algerian Revolt - will shake. He meets Emilie, a beautiful, beguiling girl who captures the hearts of all who see her, and an epic love story is set in motion.
Time and again Jonas is forced to choose between two worlds: Algerian or European; past or present; love or loyalty, and finally he must decide if he will surrender to fate or take control of his own destiny at last.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Touch My Hand - David Archuleta
I see the sparkle of a million flashlights
A wonder wall of stars
But the one that's shining out so bright
Is the one right where you are
Touch My Hand - David Archuleta
Saw you from the distance
Saw you from the stage
Something about the look in your eyes,
Something about your beautiful face,
In a sea of people
There was only you,
I never knew what this song was about
But suddenly now I do
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Reach out as far as you can
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
I see the sparkle of a million flashlights
A wonder wall of stars
But the one that's shining out so bright
Is the one right where you are
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Reach out as far as you can
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
Saw you from the distance
Saw you from the stage
Something about the look in your eyes,
Something about your beautiful face
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand (I'll never get the chance again)
Reach out as far as you can (I'll never get the chance again)
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Yeah, yeah...
A wonder wall of stars
But the one that's shining out so bright
Is the one right where you are
Touch My Hand - David Archuleta
Saw you from the distance
Saw you from the stage
Something about the look in your eyes,
Something about your beautiful face,
In a sea of people
There was only you,
I never knew what this song was about
But suddenly now I do
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Reach out as far as you can
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
I see the sparkle of a million flashlights
A wonder wall of stars
But the one that's shining out so bright
Is the one right where you are
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Reach out as far as you can
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
Saw you from the distance
Saw you from the stage
Something about the look in your eyes,
Something about your beautiful face
Can't let the music stop
Can't let this feeling end
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never see you again
Can't let the music stop
Until I touch your hand
Cause if I do it'll all be over
I'll never get the chance again
I'll never get the chance again
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand (I'll never get the chance again)
Reach out as far as you can (I'll never get the chance again)
Only me, only you and the band
Trying to reach out to you
Touch my hand
Yeah, yeah...
Monday, May 9, 2011
ROOM
the weather recently is very warm. scorching hot in the afternoon and even at night. buaytahan. went for a swim at yishun swimming pool this afternoon. felt so shiok. and so i stayed in the pool for about 3hours. as usual, the only thing i hate about public pool is that the water seems dirty. my hair still felt sticky even though i shampooed like 3, 4 times. shall swim again on wed. hopefully can go for a short run tmr late afternoon before i meet up with some army buddies for dinner!
General Election is already over. but many people still making noises here and there. like why she's in and he's out. since it had been decided, then stop complaining. no doubt so mps might be new and have a lot to learn, i think we should give them a chance to prove themselves during the next 5 years. quoted from my best friend, lejun who posted this: 'Maybe we shud just stop all the petitions. Wads the point? They are in means they are. If petition works, why do we even have elections. Elections are meant to settle this kind of "i think she dun deserve it" issues in a fair and control manner. so.... deal with it. Do with what u have for the next 5 years. Make the rite decision when u finally have the right to decide 5 years later. =)' something good about GE2011 is that there's finally a breakthrough with opposition team in the GRC. i believe this time round, youths are more involved with Singapore politics due to the presence of new media like internet and fb. looking forward to the next GE because i'll be voting! haha.
finished the book i bought some time ago last night. went to popular to hunt for a new book today after swimming but cant find one that i'm interested in. shall try again at other bookstores tmr or sometime soon.
General Election is already over. but many people still making noises here and there. like why she's in and he's out. since it had been decided, then stop complaining. no doubt so mps might be new and have a lot to learn, i think we should give them a chance to prove themselves during the next 5 years. quoted from my best friend, lejun who posted this: 'Maybe we shud just stop all the petitions. Wads the point? They are in means they are. If petition works, why do we even have elections. Elections are meant to settle this kind of "i think she dun deserve it" issues in a fair and control manner. so.... deal with it. Do with what u have for the next 5 years. Make the rite decision when u finally have the right to decide 5 years later. =)' something good about GE2011 is that there's finally a breakthrough with opposition team in the GRC. i believe this time round, youths are more involved with Singapore politics due to the presence of new media like internet and fb. looking forward to the next GE because i'll be voting! haha.
finished the book i bought some time ago last night. went to popular to hunt for a new book today after swimming but cant find one that i'm interested in. shall try again at other bookstores tmr or sometime soon.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
relief teaching
and finally the 3 weeks of relief teaching ended. it was a fun and enjoyable experience. i have learned a lot during this period. handling a class of about 30 students is totally different from what i have been doing previously, tutoring kids 1 to 1 @ yishun student service centre (CDAC supervised homework programme) and teaching the children @ student care centre in marsiling which are still going on at the present.
i still can remember my 1st day at the primary sch. it was a long wait from 11+am to my 1st lesson which starts at 2pm. took the time to look through the textbook, workbook and the teaching guide book. planned what to finish by the end of the 1st week. weeks before 18apr, which was the 1st day of the relief teaching, i requested to understudy the teacher one afternoon. that was when i met the two classes, p4 and p1, for the very 1st time. went back to the school on 15apr afternoon so that the chinese teacher can hand over everything to me clearly. i must say it's not easy being a chinese teacher. 课文、习字、 活动本、 课文练习、 听写、 作文、 测验等等. essay marking was one of the toughest. during my days as a student, i always like to read comments written by the teacher about my essays. to me, i feel that having comments for the student would be beneficial to them. and so after marking each of the every essay, i wrote my 2cents worth of advice to the students.
looking at the p1 students who never fail to ask me for permission to go toilet or drink water, i always find them extremely cute and sometimes just 舍不得 scold them. hahaha. their lessons were easy to teach, but getting them to listen to you is a little difficult as they have rather short attention span. so from times to times, i drew pictures, played games (听写比赛）with them in order to get them to absorb what they need to learn. my p4 students are very active too,walking around and engaging in discussions. but i must say they are able to listen to me when i am teaching. as long as they respect the teacher, able to listen and learn what they need to know, i find no problem in teaching them. you cant force the children to listen to you talk all the time. everyone wants to have a say too. i hopefully i have helped them in any way during the 3 weeks.
my last day of relief teaching was a little rushed. went to sch earlier than usual to mark the p4 活动本 as i wanted to return the books to them to study during this long weekend. brought home half of the pile to mark on thursday night and finished the remaining when i reached sch on friday afternoon. stayed back until about 7pm to finish marking everything and wrote notes to mdm hoh to update her about the two classes. told the p1 towards the end of the lesson that it was my last day here with them. one of them like going to cry. they made some noise here and there and i brought them down for recess. one of the students suddenly asked, "卓老师,我可以抱你吗?" before i could answer, he came forward to hug me. awww. sweet little boy. and so the rest did the same. hahaha. like teletubbies. as for the p4, they let out a loud 'huh' and asked me if i going to hawaii like mdm hoh. -.- i doubt she went hawaii. few questions they asked were my full name and if i have fb account. i missed those 热情的 students. they never fail to greet me (even if they had to shout across the canteen) when they see me around and some of them arent even in my classes. i think they know me because i have eleven fingers. hahaha.
lastly, i want to thanks the teachers in the chinese department who have helped me in many ways during my 3 weeks there, be it answering my questions or helping me to cope with the students. a big thank you to all of you. i wont forget all of you, teachers and students and if there's a chance, i'll definitely be back again to teach!
i still can remember my 1st day at the primary sch. it was a long wait from 11+am to my 1st lesson which starts at 2pm. took the time to look through the textbook, workbook and the teaching guide book. planned what to finish by the end of the 1st week. weeks before 18apr, which was the 1st day of the relief teaching, i requested to understudy the teacher one afternoon. that was when i met the two classes, p4 and p1, for the very 1st time. went back to the school on 15apr afternoon so that the chinese teacher can hand over everything to me clearly. i must say it's not easy being a chinese teacher. 课文、习字、 活动本、 课文练习、 听写、 作文、 测验等等. essay marking was one of the toughest. during my days as a student, i always like to read comments written by the teacher about my essays. to me, i feel that having comments for the student would be beneficial to them. and so after marking each of the every essay, i wrote my 2cents worth of advice to the students.
looking at the p1 students who never fail to ask me for permission to go toilet or drink water, i always find them extremely cute and sometimes just 舍不得 scold them. hahaha. their lessons were easy to teach, but getting them to listen to you is a little difficult as they have rather short attention span. so from times to times, i drew pictures, played games (听写比赛）with them in order to get them to absorb what they need to learn. my p4 students are very active too,walking around and engaging in discussions. but i must say they are able to listen to me when i am teaching. as long as they respect the teacher, able to listen and learn what they need to know, i find no problem in teaching them. you cant force the children to listen to you talk all the time. everyone wants to have a say too. i hopefully i have helped them in any way during the 3 weeks.
my last day of relief teaching was a little rushed. went to sch earlier than usual to mark the p4 活动本 as i wanted to return the books to them to study during this long weekend. brought home half of the pile to mark on thursday night and finished the remaining when i reached sch on friday afternoon. stayed back until about 7pm to finish marking everything and wrote notes to mdm hoh to update her about the two classes. told the p1 towards the end of the lesson that it was my last day here with them. one of them like going to cry. they made some noise here and there and i brought them down for recess. one of the students suddenly asked, "卓老师,我可以抱你吗?" before i could answer, he came forward to hug me. awww. sweet little boy. and so the rest did the same. hahaha. like teletubbies. as for the p4, they let out a loud 'huh' and asked me if i going to hawaii like mdm hoh. -.- i doubt she went hawaii. few questions they asked were my full name and if i have fb account. i missed those 热情的 students. they never fail to greet me (even if they had to shout across the canteen) when they see me around and some of them arent even in my classes. i think they know me because i have eleven fingers. hahaha.
lastly, i want to thanks the teachers in the chinese department who have helped me in many ways during my 3 weeks there, be it answering my questions or helping me to cope with the students. a big thank you to all of you. i wont forget all of you, teachers and students and if there's a chance, i'll definitely be back again to teach!