外婆

我的黑色会外婆！祝您生日快乐！

celebrated my ah-ma's seventy-fifth birthday today out at a vegetarian restaurant (as we usually do every year). glad that everyone could make it! :) it's always a happy affair gathering everyone together. i wish we could gather more often like this. but somehow, our hectic schedules just simply don't allow it. but still, i love my ah-ma and my family! ♥♥♥

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Inception

finally, after hearing so much about the much-raved about inception, i went with wei to watch it this evening. i think i have heard so much about it that i've no idea what to think when the show ended. but still, the show is quite exciting. it keeps you on the edge of your seat almost throughout the show.

i ended up having the following questions constantly in my head: "will they get out alive?", "will they be able to complete their task?", "will they end up in limbo instead?". truth to be told, i actually felt kinda stressed during the show - trying to follow, understand, and ultimately, appreciate and enjoy it.

at the end of it all, i still think the idea behind inception is pretty much similar to that of matrix, just in a more complex form, i.e. complex matrix. but i must say that the it's still pretty ingenious. and overall, it's really quite cool. the way they had to really plan everything right down to the last nanosecond, and the way they could improvise and think on the spot is really quite exciting - a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream.

but the parts with the wife is like a horror show - she is kinda scary. and all i could think was, this cobb is one troubled man. i mean, to have that amount of baggage, and seeing his dead wife and kids in every single dream he has, how tiring it must be to be living like that. so i guess at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether it's a dream or reality, i think as long as you're happy is what that really matters. ^^

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

The HQ Officer

yesterday i sent an email query to hq to ask a question. a simple one-liner answer from them would suffice. but in addition to that, the hq officer had to add on by asking me the following questions:

"May I know are you a new AM who has just joined the school ?

May I know do you have any more query ?

Fyi. I always try my best to download to schools those grants that are within my control on time and if any is any delay, I will always drop an email to inform schools."

there were some other comments too but her first question above was the one that really put me off. and reading such an email first thing in the morning was not really such a gd idea. i was feeling so irritated by her remarks so i replied:

"I am not a new AM who has joined the school but I believe that not only new AMs are entitled to queries. I believe that if we're in doubt, we should ask to avoid future misunderstandings.

Fyi, I'm not doubting that you're not doing your best to download to schools the grants on time, neither have I actually thought about it. My email was simply just to clear my bosses' doubts."

and not wanting to sound rude or invite further trouble, i ended off with:

"Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it very much for clearing our doubts."

seriously, what is wrong with these hq people? do they really think we enjoy asking them questions? and if only new ams can ask them question, does that mean they will be out of a job if moe doesn't employ anymore new ams? asking me ridiculously questions will only get you not-so-friendly answers. there are ams who have been doing their job for twenty years and even they have some things that they do not know (seriously, i know one who is like that, because i had a query, i tried asking her, she couldn't answer and simply asked me to go check with hq and since then, i've stopped asking her anything).

i do know that she was trying to be sarcastic - her underlying meaning from her question would be "if you're not a new am, shouldn't you already know this?" it is obvious she thinks i am asking a stupid question. though honestly, most of the time, the questions that my bosses wants to me ask are, often but not, stupid questions. but what to do, they prefer to hear answers given from hq, my words alone are not strong enough. to them, i've not been in this line long enough to give them the security that i know my stuff. well that is true sometimes, but i have learnt to be firmed when i know i am right.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Simply Nothing

my aim was to post an entry a day with at least a picture. but today, i have absolutely nothing to post. my mind is blank and i feel a dis-interest in everything.

right now, i'm just feeling real tired even after just awaking from a three-hour nap which i took immediately after work. this is me just pms-ing and trying to post something despite having nothing to post. i think i should just go back to sleep. goodnight world!

i wish it was peace that i feel with this mind blank - but sadly, it isn't :(

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

The Principal

my p is a really weird man. one day recently, he suddenly walked to my cubicle, with a solemn look, and the following conversation took place:

p: i have something for you to do now (in my mind, i was thinking it was something important)
p: i need you to find out for me how much it is to rent a treadmill.
me: oh, you mean for the school? but we already have treadmills. (sudden realisation) oh or you mean you want it for yourself?
p: yes for myself. i want to put one at home. (chey, and i really thought he had something important to tell me)
me: isn't it cheaper to buy than to rent? how long do you want to rent?
p: for 2-3 years. i think rent maybe about $50 a month?
me: i don't think so la. for so long, definitely cheaper to buy la. (i went on to quote my own experience in trying to rent wheelchairs and beds - in which buying was definitely more worth it than renting)

which reminds me, i still have no idea where to help him start looking seeing that i'm totally clueless about treadmills. he should go to a sports shop to shop! maybe i can just lend him my world of sports membership discount card. hmph.

i forgot how random my p can be. sometimes asking people to do things for him out of nowhere. i still remember one particular time he 'made' me helped his family book a badminton court online.

but it's these little 'unexpected' things that makes your work just that slightly more interesting.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

The Primary School Friend

awww this is so cute i had to post it :)

other than my family members, primary school friends are probably the oldest friends i can remember. i completely have no memory of my kindergarten friends - though i later on found out that one of my st nicks friends was in the same kindergarten as i am.

i have this primary school friend who stays in the same block as my ah-ma. but i have never talked to him since we left primary school (probably except once), even during chance meeting at the lift. though usually during those chance meetings, by the time we recognised each other, it was time for me to exit the lift.

so today, we had time to realise that each other was there. so we spent those two short minutes in the lift catching up - with only enough time to find out what each other is doing now. i kinda felt that he probably wanted to talk somemore. but somehow, my floor reached, and it was, like before, just time to exit the lift. and which i did.

but it was nice to somehow finally acknowledge each other after a whole fourteen years of living in such close proximity but never talking. so i found out that he has signed on with the navy after army, and just returned from a six months trip to the usa. wow. never did i expect myself to have a friend in the navy.

well it's like a lost friend found, albeit too short a reunion. but if it's fate, may our paths cross again.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

the cow and the monkey

happy birthday to the monkey and the cow! :)

one is eighteen (totally doesn't look like it) and the other is well, i shall let the cake tell you her age.

happy moo-day dear sista!

ordered the cake from a friend as i've seen his online posts on fb on all his lovely creations and i tot i gotta try his cakes one day. so finally found an excuse to order a cake from him and the above is what i got. i totally had no idea how the cake would turn out - i only told him i want a purple cake with a cow and the wordings. and i left the rest up to him.

so how the cake looked like was a 'surprise' to myself as well on the day itself. i'm happy with it as long as my sis was happy with it. so other than the fact that the cake was kinda inedible (as it was really too sweet and 'heavy-duty'), the design of the cake wow-ed all of us. especially since this was done by one person, handmade with no special machines in an ordinary kitchen.

so happy birthday to the two youngest in the chen & lim family respectively! thanks for being the entertainment centres in the family, but please do 快高长大! ;)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

八仙

on a what otherwise would be a boring saturday, the 八仙 gathered once again where the three hollanders came over to ah-ma's house to play some boardgames, mainly pictionary man, big taboo (that's the game with bendy bob btw) and cranium and later, wii. it was lots of fun and laughter, as all our times spent together are - something i deeply and always miss, cherish and love. we celebrated the cow's birthday (and the monkey's too) at the same time.

this is us - dog, monkey, rabbit, mouse, rabbit, tiger/cow, horse & snake

it is always lovely and heartwarming and the safe feeling you get to know that you have such a close family and there are always people you can count on to bring cheer to you in times of any sadness or difficulty. as we all grow older and have lesser time to meet up with each other, we still (or at least try to) remain as close as possible. the 默契 we have with one another is something that is precious, cannot be replaced and something that hopefully will not be lost with time. cheers to our everlasting family-ship! and thanks to all of you for a wonderful saturday! :)

p.s. will post photos on fb soon! ^^

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Dilemma

what do you do when you have to choose between doing something right and being a friend?

prisoners' dilemma - omg i studied this in game theory for my honours year!

recently found out one of my teachers submitted an illegitimate claim for lds by claiming the cost of two play tickets for himself and his partner who attended the production with him. well, claiming for himself is fine, but not for the partner.

it was too bad that the claim was picked up by the system to be checked by the office. if it did not go through the office and we did not know about it, well i would say good for him. but too bad i had to see it. my dilemma lasted probably all of 5 minutes before i decided i had to do the right thing. so i had to tell him to put up the required form (to kinda admit to hq that he had put up an illegitimate claim) and get hq to claim back the reimbursement that was given to him (by deducting from his next salary i suppose).

sometimes i wonder if these teachers really do not know what they can or cannot claim, or they are just acting blur, trying and pushing their luck. i mean, this would probably be an obvious case that you cannot claim for an amount paid for someone else, plus i just reminded them not too long ago that they can only make claims for their own personal use and not for others.

i've known of other teachers doing the above, got caught by hq and received warning letters. is it worth it? just for those few dollars to put your career at risk? it is two very different situations for the case to be picked up by the school and for it to be picked up by hq. well, it is too bad if he doesn't understand why i couldn't close one eye and not be difficult with him.

blogger's dilemma - lol i realised i face this dilemma pretty often! especially so on fb. 

"to post or not to post?" "to comment or not to comment?"

on another note, i met up with yn, an ex-colleague for dinner. and we had a great time just chatting and mostly me updating him on the school like staff movements and new happenings. but we did talk about other things too that's going on in our lives. he was my lunch and kopi kaki in school, someone i got to know better during the hk trip, i could talk to and was like a  大哥 to me (coincidentally, he has a sister who's my age and was my schoolmate in st nicks!). so sad that most of the people i am close with have left the school. first it was my cso, then this 大哥, and now my om. i think it will be my turn very very soon.

this picture is a little irrelevant but i happened to see it and tot it's so cute that i had to post it with this entry! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

overheard this topic on radio just a few mornings ago. and found the article from bbc dated a whole five years ago. so this is like old news? anyway the apparently, "failing to make your bed in the morning may actually keep you healthy, scientists believe."

"Research suggests that while an unmade bed may look scruffy, it is also unappealing to house dust mites though to cause asthma and other allergies.

A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.

The average bed could be home to up to 1.5 million house dust mites.

The bugs, which are less than a millitmetre long, feed on scales of human skin and produce allergens which are easily inhaled during sleep.

The warm, damp conditions created in an occupied bed are ideal for the creatures, but they are less likely to thrive when moisture is in shorter supply." - source

so now if you're feeling lazy about making your bed every morning, you can simply use this as an excuse! i used to dislike making my bed when i was younger. but as i grew older, i slowly got into the habit of making my bed. though somehow, i feel that an unmade bed is more inviting than a made one. simply because the made bed looks too neat for me to want to mess it up. whereas an unmade bed looks more inviting, as if it's all warmed up and ready for me to sleep in.

okay, maybe those are just my excuses for not having the time to make my bed on some mornings. but i believe not everything in your life has to be so orderly, otherwise where's the sense of adventure and excitement? live in the now and do things spontaneously! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Postcrossing

started on this project called postcrossing sometime in may this year. "the goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. well, almost free! the main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random postcrosser from somewhere in the world."

why did i decide to join this? well, simply because i love to receive real mail. though of course it would preferably be someone i do actually know. but i guess as most of my friends don't really write, i guess this will suffice. "the element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you probably have never heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises - and who wouldn't like that?"

dutch tulipe from netherlands (holland) - my very first postcard received! 

disney greetings from florida, usa - one of my favourites to date because it looks so cheery! plus i was having a bad day when i received this card, so it certainly brightened up my day!

i hope this will be a long-term project that i will continue doing - i do tend to start something and then leave it hanging there, i.e. 半途而废. like my learning of spanish online last year. but i did, at the same time, successfully completed two cross-stitches over the past year! so i guess that's pretty hopeful? well, hopefully i will "see" this through. perhaps i should start writing to some of my friends, just to say hi. maybe, maybe.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

The Pledge

我们圣尼各拉女校的学生，

誓愿坚守德纯意坚的校训。

我们要发扬圣尼各拉精神，

爱天主，爱人如己。

我们要真诚，正直，热爱自由。

我们要发挥女性应有的美德，

温文尔雅，高贵大方，谦恭有礼。

在家孝顺父母，关怀亲人。

在校尊敬师长，友爱同学。

我们要自强不息，精益求精，

为建设繁荣，进步的优雅社会

共同努力！

ah how i miss this! especially the days when we used to say this every morning! what fond memories :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

The Trainee

last week, a nie trainee, popped out of nowhere into my cubicle, to ask me something about lds. this was how it went:

her: hi (with no greeting, or intro of herself or whatsoever), how do i claim for my lds?
me: (did not feel like answering her without knowing who she is) erm, you are?
her: (she must have tot i didn't understand her question) where do i go to claim for my lds? do i claim from you? (ya right, i'm so rich you can claim your money from me)
me: (in my mind i was thinking, who the heck are you?) well you just need to go pac@gov to claim. same as how you claim for your medical and dental.
her: oh so i can just claim from there? do i need to buy the item first then claim?
me: erm... (i was caught completely off guard by that question) of course la. otherwise how you key in the receipt number, date and amount? (isn't this like common sense?)
her: oh okie. (and she walks off without even a word of thanks. maybe she tot i was being sarcastic cos i gave her a rather incredulous look when she asked her second question. but honestly, i couldn't help it. as i said, i was kinda 'shocked' that she even had to ask that)

after the conversation, i felt like she was somehow treating me like some sort of joke. like i was one of those customer service counter, just there to answer your questions, full-stop. i wouldn't have mind if she had at least first made sure i was the correct person she was talking to (like asking me if i was the am because someone obviously directed her to me), intro-ed herself (so at least i know who i was talking to and especially since i asked who she was), and then say thanks after giving her the info. i mean, that's like basic courtesy. i can't believe that she is going to be a future teacher, educator of our future generation. how is she going to be a role model without some basic courtesy and common sense? you can only claim for something after you buy it is 普通常识, no?

well, i let that pass given that she is just a trainee now. she has so much more to learn & improve on her EQ. hopefully, she gets better by the time she graduates. well, one can only hope for the best right?

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Despicable Me

despicable me - being good is so overrated

caught despicable me this afternoon with wei & lj and it was great! plenty of laughs - the minions are so cute that i want my own little minions too! so are the 3 little girls - margo, edith & agnes! especially agnes who's so adorable - "it's so fluffy i'm gonna die!" and gru himself, though supposedly a villain, is quite the comedian too, saying "light bulb!" whenever he has an idea. the story shows how he changed from someone whose goal in life was to be the world's greatest super-villain to someone who just wants to be a dad and protect his children from harm. the 3 girls taught him many things - of which the most important of all was love and how family members help one another when another is in trouble. it was really quite sad when he was kinda 'forced' to send them away that i teared a little.

agnes - "does this count as annoying?" (and she proceeds to make some noise with her hands on her face and mouth as seen in the picture)

however though, the show's underlying meaning reminds me of UP - where the old man who slowly opened up his heart again and became a better (i.e. friendlier) man after being forced to befriend and spend time with a little boy.

disney pixar's UP that was released last year

it shows the power of kids - how they can change someone, from a cold, unfeeling, despicable person, to someone who's warm, caring and loving. how amazing. i believe that is true, for the love of a child is the most real and the most pure - nothing else in the world matters but you. ^^

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Floods, Floods & More Floods

16 June 2010 flood - orchard river! flooded junction between wheelock, ion and marriot hotel (see source)

as the flash floods hit singapore in the wee hours of saturday morning, i slept on peacefully, totally unaware and un-awoken by the heavy downpour. i should say i am feeling lucky that i currently live on the ninth floor of a hdb building, so it is unlikely (i would like to say impossible, but nothing is entirely impossible nowadays) that my flat will be flooded right?

but after watching all the flood videos, especially the ones of residential areas getting flooded, i feel like waterproofing all my belongings lest i get caught in such a situation. i feel so sorry for them, caught totally unexpected and having all your personal belongings ruined. things that can be bought again is fine, but what if important documents and precious memories like old photos, letters, handmade gifts etc gets ruined? these are probably things that cannot be replaced.

i am tempted to complain and ask what's wrong with the gahmen, but i've decided to hold my peace, for, as i do in everything, i remember the good that they have done. i just hope that they do something fast soon, to appease the people, and to solve the problem before it becomes way too serious and results in more than just monetary loss.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Song for Singapore

NDP 2010 Theme Song
Written and performed by Corrinne May



i love this year's ndp theme song! it took me awhile to warm up to it, but i am kinda connected to it on some levels, that i can't help but sing along and fall in love with it.

and this is why i feel connected to the song:
- corrinne may was from nus css, and i'm from there too!
- my mum personally knows corrinne may's father!
- the main leads are a student and a teacher from cedar girls, my mum's alma mater
- most imptly, students from the school i'm working in now are involved in the mtv (they're the ones at flag-raising ceremony, and various scenes in their multi-colour pe t-shirt, esp at the end where everyone is waving), and majorly involved in the ndp - 400+ of them from sec 1 to 3 (if i was well, i wld volunteer myself to chaperon them for the ndp rehearsals!)

i've been humming & singing the song to myself these few days. it's been awhile since i have actually liked the ndp theme song. so well done ndp team 2010! looking forward to watching the actual parade and fireworks from the comfort of the swissotel room! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

AM

seen in many circulars sent out from hq: "Please consult the respective school’s Administration Manager (AM) for help if necessary."

hmm honestly they should pre-empt us (like educate us or something) before quoting us in their circulars. like i know what i need to or can do. but thankfully (for my school that is), i'm quite resourceful and will find out things for them. my conclusion on the AM job? we're problem solvers! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Colleague vs Friend

i went to see my p today in his office to let him approve the invitation letter that we are going to send to the guest-of-honour for our school's 45th anniversary celebrations.

he looked at the letter, then looked at me and asked, "why are you the one doing this?"

i was stunned for awhile and simply replied, "cos i'm the one doing it la. but actually this hod drafted the letter, so i'm just following up." (it was her job to draft the letter but she just passed it to me cos the theme wasn't settled yet. so she asked me to help put in the theme and then get p to approve and sign and send it out.)

i should have said, "i've no idea either. not sure why this hod is not completing it and i'm the one suddenly handling it."

it got me thinking about how convenient it is for them (colleagues in general, my own staffs included) to simply leave their work with me, always making me think that it's my job to do it, when obviously my p thought otherwise. maybe being too friendly with some of your colleagues ain't such a good thing. you find it really hard to reject them when they ask for your help. to them, it's just more convenient for you to do it. sometimes i can't help feeling that they are being friendly with me simply for the motive that i will help them when it's to their advantage. sometimes, you can just tell. to them, you're just a colleague, a helping hand, but definitely not a friend.

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Of Resolutions and Recoveries

my only resolution for the year twenty-ten is to leave my job. but it seems like that isn't going to happen this year. i actually forgot that i kinda like my job, not to mention some of the people i'm working with. of cos recovering and travelling is on the list too, but those aren't as difficult to achieve as resigning. well, if only.

too many things to consider, too many favours to repay, too many things to leave behind. i guess that's why some people, though they complain endlessly about their jobs, never do leave them eventually. it's hard to uproot oneself, go to a new environment, make new friends/colleagues and start from ground zero all over again. especially when you've built up something in your existing place and made some close friends - how can you bear to just leave everything behind?

for me, the only thing that is holding me back (for now at least) is my yet-to-fully-recover leg. once i've got that settled, i'm honestly going to FLY! doing my masters (and overseas, that is) is high on my to-do list. so still surfing around, looking around. if i can do that next year, it'll probably be the best. but everything's too early to say for sure now. we live in such a volatile environment, where everything can just change in the snap of a finger.

sometimes, i still wonder what i would be doing now if that fateful accident did not happen. but there's no point wondering, because i can't possibly go back in time and change things. i can only look forward and decide for myself what i can since the accident has taken place. just to share one of the last few pictures i took before that fateful accident.

the fateful road

i'm considering having a celebration on that day every year to celebrate my rebirth and escape from death! :) though honestly speaking, it may sound a little morbid, but i don't think i would have regretted dying on that day. other than the fact it would have cost major heartache to my family, i just felt i wasn't particularly attached to anything on earth that i couldn't leave behind. plus i believed i had a fulfilling life till then - i had experienced many things in my short life - childhood, school & exams, love & heartbreak, working and living overseas, having a full-time job, working like there's no tomorrow. and surviving would only mean working for the rest of my life - which the one-year of worklife had given me enough to last a lifetime.

but since it was god's will that it was not my time to leave yet, i shall make use of my new life to experience things i have yet the chance to. studying overseas for one. it was my biggest dream when i was in jc. but somehow i couldn't do that because 1. i wasn't smart enough to get a scholarship, 2. my parents claimed they were too poor to afford to send me overseas. and now, suddenly my parents had enough money to do that! haha what more can i ask for but of course grab the opportunity before they change their minds.

ok i think i went totally out of point in this post. i just gotta remember, one step at a time, and i will get there! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Out of School!

it's been awhile since i had the chance to get out of school for half a day for a briefing. and what better time to do that when your partner for the briefing is a friend you've been wanting to catch up with? i kinda volunteered to go for the briefing, partly because of who's going and partly because i wanna know what's going on. the former playing the larger part of the equation.

anyhow, i've no idea why, but i was so happy to be going to the post office! went to send the birthday present for my ex-om who's accompanying her hubby all the way in jordon. it was kinda exciting having the whole post office to yourself and the staff there being so helpful to you! ok cheap thrill i know. but still, i think i like the feeling of mailing stuff. so people overseas who i know, be prepared to receive stuffs. haha well i will try. so got that done, bought some postcards and stamps for my postcrossing project, posted 2 postcards and i felt totally accomplished. i'm so easily satisfied.

then headed for lunch with chris at 鼎泰奉 where we had the usuals (at least for me) - xiao long bao, fried rice with pork chop & spinach with garlic. decided to try the dessert of mango pudding on crushed ice and it was pretty good with real mango pieces found in the pudding! what a nice ending to a lovely and yummy lunch (thanks for the treat!). mango now always remind me of my time in hong kong and taiwan. so i just need to eat something with mango to transport myself back in time :)

dropped by sistic to collect shirl's and moo's boeing boeing tix and went on to teachers' network for the ict briefing. i was mainly there to find out more about the ict funding and to get first-hand info on how the ict in school is going to be changing. the changes they are going to make are a little exciting and definitely a big project. but it wouldn't really affect the users much. only those doing the procurements will most likely be affected. another big change is the email system of p, vp and am. no more lotus notes! we'll be using outlook express and this new system is called SOEasy (pronounced "so easy", and no, i'm not kidding). maybe the person who came up with the name had a sense of humour, i'm not sure, but i certainly found it kinda amusing.

the briefing was from 2.30pm to 6pm. i tot it will end early, as most briefings always do. but no, this one had to stretch all the way till 6pm >.< and i tot maybe i could have some time to do a little shopping in town. so it was time to go home and i can't believe i managed to stand on the bus for almost a whole hour (but the hr was spent just chatting and gossiping so it was great!), then take the train and later still have the energy to climb the overhead bridge back home (given that i was really tired and didn't have much sleep the night before due to world cup finals). this is a really good sign! i'm feeling all ready to conquer the world again! ^^

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Independence & Freedom

i love a relaxing day like today - have breakfast, give tuition, have lunch, watch a movie, home to shower and then sleep (skipping dinner in the process), then waking up and have some soup and now, slacking in my room again.

totally no pressure, all at one's own pace. you know, like go with the flow, don't think too much about how your day will work out. just let things happen and go along with it. how nice if everyday could be like this. but i'm sure i'll get bored of such a life really soon. though speaking of which, i think that was how my life was the whole of last year! and i was sure i enjoyed it pretty well. thanks to family and friends who have not forgotten me and left me to rot in my room. hehe. i wouldn't have got through the past one year and seven months without any of you! :)

on another note, i seemed to be living the past two months with a vengeance - going out every weekend and always planning something to do ahead. it reminds me of how i was in 2008, and i wonder if i want to be how i was like that time - burning myself out. is it a good or bad thing? i'm not sure myself. but one thing's for sure - being able to go out on my own is definitely sweet! :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Blogging

reading my previous blog posts in 2008 makes me wanna blog again. and reading those posts made me realise that i really did had a busy (but rather fulfilling) 2008 -  though rushing for work and going out so often that i was hardly at home. it also made me realised that though there are some people i hanged out with so often that year, i hardly hear from them (or see them) during my times of difficult (i.e. the accident). it makes you wanna re-evaluate your friends and your priorities. but i guess i don't ask for much, though i must definitely be more appreciative of those who really care. :)

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain