Looking Back and Looking Forward
Hi everyone, I'm back! Finally!

As mentioned, I have been busy with so many things, EOY workshop, friends' weddings, meeting up with friends and catching up with ex-classmates. It has been exhausting but every minute spent was worthwhile. I bet everyone has heard about the tsunami crisis in Asia. The devastation and destruction dealt to the various countries is really a huge blow and a terrible way to end the year. I really feel for the various victims and their family members of the causalties.

I am now blogging away at 7.15 am in the Staff Room. I initially thought of not coming to school but we (CO and I) have to settle and hang up the banner which dropped from the 3rd storey yesterday. Alas...It was one of the nicest CO banners I had ever seen and I was utterly disappointed when M broke the news to me yesterday. Nevertheless, we will rectify the problem by today.

2004 has been a great year for me, in my career, family and personal life. I had been given new challenges in my career. Although difficult initially, the support and help from fellow colleagues helped pull me through. Praise God for them! I am beginning to see my colleagues as great pals both at work and in school. I have also began to grow fonder of the EL department because the colleagues are creative, dynamic and supportive people. It's great fun working together when everyone has a common goal and we really hope that all our students will be proficient in the English Language.

The SWC team is another group of colleagues I have grown to love. It is through this committee that I got to know people like S, N, D, Y and L. It's really amazing how we worked, looking back now, it seemed as if we had just started.

My angels have been such a blessing to me this year as well. Although they can be rather mischievous at times, they can be totally irresistibly adorable and lovable at other times. Sometimes they make me boil with seething anger but most of the times they simply add a little smile to my face through their enthusiasm and ability to learn. I really hope that I was able to guide these angels to learn to their best ability this year. To all my angels, thank you for the fun and joy you have provided me this year. In your little ways, perhaps unperceivable to the naked eye, you have given me a greater sense of purpose and a further encouragement in teaching. You have spurred and stirred in me new ways of teaching to interest and excite the class. You have come to me with your personal problems, treating me as a friend you can confide in. For all these I am grateful...

With 2004 coming to a close, I guess it's high time I should write about my resolutions for 2005.

My resolutions for 2005:
1) I hope to complete most of my work in school instead of bringing them home. This is so that I can spend more quality time with my family and friends.
2) Learn new strategies on how to make my lessons more exciting and experiential for all my new angels.
3) Allow students to take up more responsiblity in their own learning(Still thinking of how to do this).
4) Get a new hair cut.
5 Lasik my eyes (Still deliberating whether or not to perform lasik).
6) Exercise more to get a trimmer and leaner figure.
7) Learn to relax and not over-panic.
8) Relate more to students on a personal level.

Hopefully, 2005 will be a better year for each and everyone of us; that 2005 will be a year free of rifts, war, calamities and a year filled with love and joy!



- posted by NaNa @ 7:15 AM |

M and J
Merry Christmas, everyone! (I know it's rather late for this greeting but, nevertheless, here's a sincere hohoho from Ms Ho*apologies for the corniness*) =)

How fast time flies. Soon, I would be back to school and it's going to be back to a routine of waking up at 5.45 am and sleeping at 12am. Somehow the holidays seem to pass extremely quickly, so quickly that it felt as if it has not really began. I know that my carefree days will soon be over but, ironically, I am actually looking forward to seeing new angels for next year.

Just went for M's wedding today at Habourfront. J and M really make a compatible couple but I must admit that J is really one lucky guy! M is everything a man would want in a woman - looks, figure, pleasant personality and disposition... Known M since JC and I remember a gushing M talking about how she and J first met. The video show created for their wedding really said it all. It was played to the tune of Sun Yan Zi's "Yu Jian" (Theme song of movie 'Turn Left, Turn Right'). It was really sweet, romantic and apt when they flashed images of the couple, then strangers, taking the same buses and MRT and not knowing each other until....they found that they were actually neighbours who are staying in the same block. Fate somehow played a major role here. Cupid played a bigger role and voila... they remain true and faithful to each other.

M, if you are reading this, my sincere congratulations and may your wedding be a blissful and blessed union between 2 people who deeply love each other!

Will be going for A's wedding tomorrow, my third wedding dinner in 5 days.

These few days would probably be busy for me, with the EOY workshop, weddings and all. This means that I might not have time to blog. However, I would definitely be back again to update my new year resolutions for 2005!

- posted by NaNa @ 7:54 AM |

What a blog means
Recently, the newspapers have highlighted the blog of Grace Chow, www.dyingis.blogspot.com . Her blog is a general collection of thoughts written a month before she succumbed to cancer. Her weakening of her physical body was recorded in her blog. Despite the fact that she had only managed to record 11 blog entries, I believe that she was trying her best to use her blog as a legacy for those who loved her and to create a lasting memory of her life.

Sad.

However, her perseverance to write despite her vulnerability has led me to further believe that my blog is for a purpose. I'm inspired by Grace Chow. In actual fact, many angels have come up to me in school, telling me that they read my blog faithfully and they actually enjoy my writing. Perhaps it is not often that a teacher reveals what she does to her students. Blogging has now become a way I express my thoughts. Somehow, somewhere, sometime, I realised that I have never kept a journal for more than a month. This blog is the exception. Perhaps, the knowledge that there are people reading my entries actually keeps me going. It keeps me going so much that I actually missed writing when I was on holiday. Amazing? Not so, I guess. Writing/Blogging just comes naturally after some time. I now believe why my secondary school teacher also said that writing improves with practice. I certainly agree with her whole-hearted now!

- posted by NaNa @ 1:47 AM |

Malacca - Day 2
I'm rather frustrated with blogger these days. Somehow, I can't upload my photos. Either that or I get a little square with a cross in the centre. Can someone tell me how to solve this problem, please? Is it due to the fact that I have too many photos in my blog page. Someone, HELP!

Anyway, this leads me to day 2 of my trip to Malacca. Well, coincidentally, day 2 happened to be my daddy's birthday as well. 8th Dec. Mummy's birthday falls on 10th Dec. Surprise? We always celebrate their birthdays on 9th Dec. Hehe, this strategic move helped to save some cold, hard cash for brother and me.

Anyway, I digress again... On that day, I totally forgot it was my daddy's birthday, until Mummy whispered into my ear during breakfast to remind me to wish him a happy birthday. Only then, did it daunt on me that I had almost forgotten my daddy's birthday! Well, to make up, I immediately gave him a warm hug and an extra-saccherine-sweet greeting to make up for my forgetfulness.

After breakfast, we (Brother, GF and I) decided to explore the hotel grounds for the slightest fun activity held there. We checked out the swimming pool, wanting to go for a quick dip when Brother decided the pool was too small to satisfy his huge swimming capacity *rolls my eyes*. Anyhow, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we found the hotel spa. Entry was at 10 ringgit per head. Of course, we took a sneak peak at the surroundings before putting our money down. The spa appeared rather luxurious. However, the male and female spa areas were separated. We decided to pamper ourselves and asked my parents along, all because Brother didn't want to be all alone in the spa. He's a timid little mouse although he looks rather manly externally. Anyway, we tried almost everything there, from the steam bath, sauna, jacuzzi to this cold shower thingy

After the pampering session, we went for a nonya lunch. Sadly, the original restaurant(Oleh Sayang) we wanted to go to was closed. Instead we went to a restaurant that sounded like "Maggot" (Sorry, but I can't recall the name). The food was only average and based on memory, Oleh Sayang was a much better choice in terms of taste and ambience. Next, GF spotted this shopping centre some distance away. We walked all the way there only to find that it was a Malacca version of Katong Shopping Centre. People who have been there will understand what I mean. It's a terrible spot for shopping! Disappointed, we trudged all the way back to the hotel before embarking on another crazy shopping spree at Mahkota. It seems as if only Mahkota is worth browsing.

It was there that we ate a satisfying meal of Kenny Rogers. Brother and GF secretly rushed out to buy 2 slices of cake to celebrate Mummy and Daddy's birthdays. Their selection - Carrot cake and cheese cake from Coffee Bean. After which, we caught the movie "Shutter" as a family. Nothing scary. In fact, I enjoyed a good laugh from the usual storyline but GF was covering her eyes the whole time through the movie. I really wondered what she saw through the tiny gaps between her fingers. Alas, to each her own.

We had such great time that day, shopping, eating, relaxing, chilling out... I can still picture myself back in Malacca. How nice!

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

These few days I have been busy packing my room. It's in such horrible condition that anyone who stepped in would most likely faint from shock. I simply had to do something about it! I tossed out my prized magazine collection consisting of magazines dated back to 1997 till now. Serious! I'm not joking. I'm an avid magazine reader and collector. I buy magazines the minute they hit the newsstands. Well, I tossed out the magazines which cost me at least $600 through these years. It's crazy, I know. Imagine buying a magazine a month for the last 8 years!!! In the recent 4 years, I buy an average of 3 magazines per month. Go figure how much I have spent on them....












- posted by NaNa @ 6:45 AM |

Ooh, this blog may take a bit of time to load because of the multitude of photos but it's definitely worth the wait.

The journey to Malacca started at Golden Mile Shopping Centre, where we (my parents, my brother, his girlfriend and I) boarded one of the Super VIP buses. The bus was surprising comfortable and the journey to Malacca was fun-filled, relaxing and exciting because I was looking very much forward to the well-deserved break. It was all perfect with the exception that the temperature on the bus was much like the Artic regions. It's true! Everyone was freezing their butts off, shivering madly and trying their best to keep warm. Our efforts were very much futile with the aircon at full blast. After journeying for approximately 2 hours, my bladder was screaming for attention (probably because of the cold) and I was very much relieved when the driver actually stopped over at Yong Peng for a toilet break. The entire journey took us 4 hours.

The driver drove us to our hotel, Hotel Equatorial. I must admit that it's by far one of the better hotels I have ever stayed in Malacca. The fact that it was near Makota Shopping Centre perhaps gave it the edge. The last time I was there, I stayed at City Bayview. Hotel Equatorial is a much posher and comfortable place to stay in.

Hotel Equatorial, Malacca


Upon checking into the hotel, we immediately proceeded to Jonker Street. It's one of the well-preserved streets in Malacca with authentic Nonya heritage and definitely one of the must-see and must-go areas. Well they have everything there, from shops selling food to Chinese Clans which hold their members funerals there. Well, my father was badly craving for his favourite satay stall. We walked for almost 1 and a half hours in a light drizzle in a bid to find the place but try as we might, lady luck eluded us. We were rather disappointed but decided to give up and changed our target. Instead, we had Satay Ceylop. This was a dish in which all foodstuffs, from fishballs to lady's fingers to cockles are skewered onto satay sticks and we were supposed to dip them into a boiling pot of satay gravy to cook them in. It's based on a pay-as-you-eat principle and you can choose whatever you like to eat. We had this at a roadside stall and we paid only 4o ringgit, equivalent to $20 Singapore dollars. A great deal, considering we ate our fill and it was something unusual. Each stick only costs 0.40 ringgit.

Satay Ceylop


Shopping was basically on our itinerary everyday. You would find us at Mahkota Shopping Centre at least once everyday. Haha...talk about being shopaholics. Anyway we caught 2 movies there, Polar Express and Shutter. Amidst Polar Express, I was extremely irritated by a man sitting behind me who was talking non-stop and making silly comments, probably in a bid to impress his girlfriend. Sadly, she was not impressed by his lack of movie etiquette and I was extremely put off by his behaviour.

That ended my Day 1 of my holiday in Malacca.

At home, my house is now filled with hampers and party packs. No, I'm not going to have a massive X'mas party. These 50 hampers are to be given away to the needy as a goodwill gesture from the church. Hopefully, this hamper would bring some cheer to the recipients because they are not only hampers containing foodstuffs but hampers which also contains the spirit of sharing, love, care and concern for the lesser fortunate at this time of the year when the rest of us have so much. The 170 party packs are for the old folks' Christmas Party this Saturday at Christalite Methodist Home. Hopefully, they'll enjoy the party and these packs will bring some smiles to their faces.

At least, we know the "Ang Paos" (red packets containing money) will.

Hampers Galore

Party Packs


- posted by NaNa @ 8:22 AM |

It's over...finally!
After almost one week of not blogging, I have finally resurfaced to update my blog. I must say it has truly been an eventful week for me, with the holiday in Malacca and Let's Twist Story Dramatisation.

After the three-day holiday in Malacca(which I will blog about in my subsequent entries), it was a frantic 2 days of rehearsals and more rehearsals for Diamonds That Rust. Sadly, we only received the consolation prize for the effort but what was most important was the fact that we all tried our very best! Thanks to the wonderful support of everyone, Mrs Sum, MBA, the storytellers' parents, as well as the people rooting for us at home and couldn't come because of some reason or another. Thank you so much for believing in us.

We wanted to do the school proud and bring everyone better news. However, the competition was tough, much tougher than what we had expected. Well, 3 of the 5 schools actually sent their Drama Club members. Come to think of it, our school was probably the only school who had sent Sec 1 students (the others all sent their sec 2s and 3s). This was their first time and mine, as well, to be involved in a National competition of 51 schools. Perhaps we lost out due to the lack of experience, but nevertheless, I'm sure we all benefitted from the exposure which we would not get in school.

Let me now narrate a little story to you:

Once upon a time, there was a team of Sec 1 students (Heidi, Hup Song, Nabeel, Shazlin and Sheryl) who were invited to participate in Let's Twist Story Dramatization. They called themselves 'Diamonds That Rust'. Although they were aware of the amount of work it would bring them, they responded with extreme elation and enthusiasm. In fact, they were happy to be given the honour and opportunity to take part in a national event.

Initially, they wanted to use the story of the Little Match Girl. However, the storyline was too predictable and probably unable to sustain audience's attention for long. Being a perfectionist and rather finicky, I told them to rewrite the script. Despite the fact that they had already written it out, Heidi started from scratch to write the story of Rapunzel. This time round, there was quality in the script. There were some literature elements in it, use of rhyme, dramatic effect, even soliloquy. I was impressed and everything started from this wonderful script!

During the holidays, these 5 people came back almost every single day to practise and to design the props. They did all these without any complaints and did them most willingly and with their best effort. I was tired and exhausted from coming to school everyday but their keenness and zest for performance kept me going. I never knew that these teens (Nabeel told me not to call them 'kids') have such perseverance. They acted, swayed and charmed their way into the finals. When the news was broken to them, all of them responded with equal excitement and hysteria.

They displayed equal zest after that. On the day of the competition, they reached school at 7.30am to rehearse before journeying all the way to West Mall. It wasn't until 2 pm that they had their performance. At 4pm, when the results were announced, I could sense the disappointment in their faces but they did not say it out loudly. Frankly speaking, I was disappointed because in my heart, they were one of the better performers that day. It was then that I realised that it was not the results that mattered, but the journey they took that mattered to them. They had learnt much more than what they had learnt by sitting in class.

I am grateful for the chance to get to know these 5 diamonds better during the rehearsals. Somehow, we have bonded in the process. Despite all the scoldings, criticisms, harsh remarks, we had great fun too, to be able to act along with these gems, to see them enjoying themselves doing silly things. I will never regret taking on this project. I bet it is the same for these 5 diamonds. These 5 diamonds were initially raw, dull and lacked lustre. After some polishing, they have emerged to be confident teens who are able to shine without fear in front of an audience of 300.

With that, I end my blog with a photo tribute to Diamonds That Rust. Thank you!
- posted by NaNa @ 7:52 AM |

Storytelling Dramatization Finals
Almost slipped my mind. Anyone interested in showing us your support for the Let's Twist Story Dramatization? We'll see you at Westmall Shopping Centre(Choa Chu Kang) Level 1 Atrium from 2-5pm. See you then!

- posted by NaNa @ 6:49 AM |

Woah, I have not been blogging for only 3 days and my fingers are itching again. Anyway, I have been pretty busy these few days meeting up with friends and trying to finish up my SOW before I leave for my trip to Malacca (7th to 9th). Unless I can find some internet connection there, it is highly likely that I would not be blogging from tomorrow onwards. Fret not, because I'm sure that I would have so much to write when I get back from my trip!

Anyway, I promised answers to my photo quiz in my earlier blog. Here they are! Some angels have managed to get them right and I must say that I'm rather impressed!

Object 1: Strawberry yogurt face mask that smells absolutely yummy, especially when you smear it on your face. There's always this great urge to take a lick!

Object 2: Not iodine, but rosehip oil in an iodine-like bottle.

Object 3: Some hair styling stuff to spiff up one's hair. This helps me hold my curls throughout the day.

Object 4: No one managed to guess it right. It's a Hershey lipgloss. Unbelievable right? The gloss even smells like chocolate!

Object 5: Specially baked muffins and cookies only for man's best friend. Notice the cream bone on the muffin? Well, I bet it tastes as good as it looks to my dog. He gobbled them up in no time at all!

Object 6: Specially made dog chocolates. For the uninformed and ignorant, chocolates are actually harmful to dogs. Therefore, this is a specially chocolaty treat made only for doggies.

Anyway, I'm pretty sick of my hair again. I'm contemplating a haircut and I mean a major one. Permed hair is rather high-maintenance. This, coupled with the fact that I had the same long hair for 4 year, makes me yearn for a brand new look! These are some of the hairstyles I have in mind. I wonder which would actually suit me? I'm still deliberating... Guess I will go under the scissors after 27th Dec, after all the weddings.




- posted by NaNa @ 6:13 AM |

This is the night...
The finals of the Singapore Idols has just ended its run.

I'm happy for Taufik that he has made his mark after coming so far. He is the perfect example for so many of us that dreams do come true, if we try hard enough. Indeed, who would have thought that Taufik could remain in the competition night after night, even in the face of solid competitors like Olinda, Jessea and even David? However, I do believe that he has managed to win over the hearts of many Singaporeans with his determination and never-ending perseverance. He has the talent and he can definitely go far!

While the show has ended on a high note, I can't help feeling rather sorry for Sylvester and his fans. Everyone who supports Sylvester must be devastated right now. Sylvester worked hard, came so close but yet second place has no difference from the 11th. To all my angels(you know who you are) who support Sylvester, don't despair or be upset because Sly will be back in no time at all. *Winks* After all, he's the people's choice and he will probably be just as successful as Clay Aiken.

Anyway, I do not enjoy watching shows where there can only be one eventual winner. Taufik and Sylvester are as different as chalk and cheese. Why can't there be 2 Singapore Idols? This way everyone can be satisfied and pacified. However, no, this is not how the world functions. It's a harsh world out there and a survival of the fittest, based on Darwin's Theory of Evolution. There can only be one winner. Sad, but true. Therefore, this is one of the reasons I tell myself to give my best in everything I do, to not look back and to treasure and seize every moment I have because sometimes life only gives you a chance. Squander it away and it's gone just like that. To all my angels out there, do treasure the times you have with you friends, your family and your studies because....THIS IS THE MOMENT!

All right, it's guessing time again. Guess what the following objects are and what they are used for. I'll be back with answers in my next blog. You can try placing your guesses in my tagboard. Once again, no prizes for the winners but you get something bigger...the satisfaction of getting the answers right!With that....Annabel out!

Object 1

Object 2

Object 3

Object 4

Object 5

Object 6


- posted by NaNa @ 7:40 AM |