Last Day of 2010

It is the last day of 2010. We decided very late to eat out for dinner. We made reservation at Blue Potato, Merchant Court Hotel. The girls were happy to eat out. :)


After dinner, we went home to watch the Countdown to 2011 on tv. We could hear the fireworks, "boom, boom, boom" but our apartment was facing the wrong side so couldn't see the fireworks live. At least we had surround sound for the fireworks lol. :P

Eve of New Year's Eve

It is already the eve of New Year's Eve.
In another 24 hours and 31 minutes, it will be 2011.
Time for remembrance. Time for reflection.

Sherlock

I watched all 3 90-minutes episodes of BBC's Sherlock on bluray in one go. It is absolutely BRILLIANT!
Sherlock is a modern update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. The characters are the same, their personalities are the same, the only differences are modern times and modern technology and tools. I love how Sherlock blends into modern day effortlessly and seamlessly. Sherlock now uses texting, internet and GPS in his crime-solving activities and he has a blog, The Science of Deduction! I also love how Watson uses his blog to keep track of Sherlock's detective work. :)
If you love reading Sherlock Holmes, this Sherlock is worth watching if it ever comes to our shores. I can't wait to watch Sherlock series 2!

Here's the trailer for Sherlock (posted by JoeZy27)


Here's the theme song for Sherlock (posted by AledWyn91)


Clips from Sherlock accompanied by Katy Perry's Hot n Cold (posted by chavivi86) :)

Neighbour of Another Kind

I am working from home today since it is the girls' last week of holiday before they start school next week.
In the afternoon, the girls called out to me excitedly from the dining room window. I rushed over and saw our "neighbour" perched on the air-con unit. No, don't panic. Our "neighbour" is not of the human kind but of a feathered kind. The hornbill is back! :)



The hornbill staring right into my camera

For a number of years, a hornbill would fly to a particular 9th floor flat in the next block of flats in our estate and rest there for an hour. But two or three years ago, it disappeared. Now it is back. Okay, it might not be the same hornbill but we are all thrilled to see a hornbill back.

Extra Holiday

Due to Christmas falling on a Saturday, my workplace has declared today as holiday in-lieu.
I have an extra day of holiday! :)

Boxing Day

A Sunday.
A rainy day.
A perfect day.
For staying in, watching tv and sleeping. :)

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

We decided to try something different for Christmas dinner. We went to Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant, TripleOne Somerset. The girls were excited about having steamboat. What I really like was the different soups that one could choose to cook the food in. We went for the traditional pork bone soup and healthy chicken soup. Overall, it was a very healthy dinner. :)

The different kinds of condiment we could choose to dip our food in

Christmas Lights

After dinner, we took the girls and our domestic helper for a joyride down Orchard Road to see the Christmas lights. We left around 7.30pm and the traffic was still pretty smooth but I bet it would be badly jammed later in the night after most people are finished with their dinner.

Firework by Katy Perry

The girls are currently into songs by Katy Perry. I have to admit her songs are catchy. No wonder the girls like listening to her. Here is their favourite at the moment: Firework by Katy Perry posted by KatyPerryVevo.

Prep for School

In one and a half week's time, the new school year commences. Marieann needed to get new uniforms and I needed to collect the car decals for 2011 and not wanting to leave Juliane at home, I brought both girls to SCGS with me.

After SCGS, we went to Tanglin Mall for lunch. Initially I wanted to take the girls to Nando's (which I love eating when I was in Australia) but they wanted Japanese. Sigh. Maybe try Nando's another time.

Tron: Legacy

Goodness, another trip down memory lane lol. Tron!!

The original Tron (1982) was, at least for me, considered darn radical, high-tech and futuristic. :P The new Tron: Legacy is still just as radical, high-tech and futuristic!! :) Lol. It didn't just bring back some of the original cast like Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, I was really tickled to see the movie also incorporated things from the first movie! :) Never mind if there are loopholes in the storyline, the special effects, sound effects and music score are absolutely awesome and brilliant. Tron: Legacy definitely provides a perfect escape from our world. :)

Tron (1982) posted by FrankSchenk6


Tron: Legacy official trailer #2 posted by DisneyMovieTrailers.


Tron: Legacy official trailer #3 posted by DisneyMovieTrailers.

Hawaii Five-O

I finally caught the new Hawaii Five-O (2010) on tv. Oh gosh, it sure brings back childhood memories, especially the catchy theme song!! :) However the opening credit/theme song for the new Hawaii Five-O seemed very short as compared to the original one.

I managed to find this opener of H5-O posted by DS9Sisko who blended scenes from the original opening credits with the current one. Fantastic job! This is more like it, can enjoy the theme song a bit longer lol. :)



For those who want more of a good thing, here is the full version of H5-O's theme song posted by sunfilling. Enjoy! :)

Family Ties

Today is my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.

Happy Anniversary! :)

In the evening, the girls spoke to their grandparents via Skype and also to their cousins, Yeun Song and Yeun Zhen. It is really cold now in London, snowing heavily. The girls lamented that they wanted to see snow. Don't worry, I will ask your Uncle YM to take some photos of the snow and send over lol. :P

Earlier in the day, I visited my grandmother-in-law at the ICU ward at TTSH. She looked really frail. I hope she gets well soon.

Coming to Terms

I am now slowly coming to terms with my grandmother's death. It was the hardest on the day of her funeral. But I am really glad that I have really nice colleagues and friends and it has certainly helped being in their company. Thanks a lot. I really appreciated it.

Now it is time to get on with life.

ICU

The girls' father's grandmother is admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital this afternoon.
I was told not to visit her yet as her condition was unstable and the hospital was going to change her ward. She was initially in the normal ward and was then changed to the high dependency ward and now, she is in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. I hope she will be alright soon. I should be able to visit her over the weekend.

That Time of Year by Sick Puppies

Another Year
Has Come and Gone again
Look around
And think where have you been
Trace the Lines
On your face tonight
And don't forget
That this will pass in time

It's cold out this morning
You should be getting into bed
Can't believe its that time
Of year again

Curled up tight
A darker shade of white
Thinking Back could be here for a while

Its cold out this morning
And it's getting harder to pretend
Can't believe it's that time of year again

Can you believe the life you led?
Did you achieve the goals you set?
Did you lose your mind?
Well and then

Is there a reason you own them
It is a season that won't end
Can't believe it That time of year again

Another year
Has come and gone again
Look around
and wonder what happened

It's cold out this morning
You should be getting into bed
Can't believe it's that time
Of year again

You're fresh out of warnings
Maybe it's time you called a friend
Forget that it's that time of year again
Forget that it's that time of year again

My Grandmother's Last Journey

Today, my grandmother is setting off for her last journey and I couldn't be there to send her off. It will always be a deep regret for me. Even though I have tried my hardest to get a flight back, even though my Taiwanese relatives have said it was ok, even though my grandmother would understand, I still feel very upset.

Some have said at least I managed to see my grandmother in June and that was better than not at all. But I promised her that I would be back to see her again. Not being able to send my grandmother off, I have broken that promise. There would be no closure for me...


Ah Ma, rest in peace.

love,
your granddaughter in Singapore

End of the Journey?

I met with my supervisors today. They feel I need to do a bit more polishing and my dissertation will be ready for examination. They have set me the date for early January 2011.

I can't believe it. After working on my dissertation for so long, it feels really strange that my PhD journey is coming to an end soon. I actually feel a bit lost...

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I promised the girls that I would take them to the movies during the school holidays. There are a number of options but we finally settled on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The girls enjoyed the movie very much. Juliane thought it was scary at certain parts, especially the green mist scenes. I did enjoy the movie too but I would have enjoyed it even more if there was a big epic battle scene lol. :P

Here's the international trailer for the movie.


Here's two versions of the theme song "There's A Place for Us". :) This one is by Joe McElderry.


This version is by Carrie Underwood. I think I prefer her version. :)

Happy Birthday, YM

Hey YM/ Uncle YM,

Happy Birthday!

love,
Your sis, HM
Your nieces, Marieann and Juliane

PS We called UK to wish you a Happy Birthday but you were all out.

Disappointment

I can't send my grandmother off on her final journey on 14 December Tuesday.
I have tried to book a return flight to Taipei, departing on 13 December Monday and returning on 15 December Wednesday. However, as it is the holiday period and festive season, all flights and all classes are fully booked. For some airlines, the wait list are closed too. I managed to be placed on the wait list for SIA but the agent forewarned me that it is extremely unlikely that I would be able to get my flights confirmed.
After 24 hours of waiting and monitoring, it is confirmed that I won't be able to attend my grandmother's funeral in Taipei. :(

Touched

I am really touched by my colleagues' and friends' concerns and gestures towards me over my grandmother's passing.

Thank you, everyone. I am really appreciative of your concerns and gestures. Don't worry about me, I will be fine.

In Mourning

I received news from Taiwan that my maternal grandmother has passed on this morning. My grandmother's funeral is set for next Tuesday, 14 December at her hometown, Shen Ao. I had to relay the sad news to my mother who is currently in UK. Although I am not extremely close to my grandmother, I am still affected by her passing. I can't imagine the grief my mother is going through right now. I may fly back to Taiwan to attend my grandmother's funeral...

May my grandmother rest in peace.

Home

I am home. :) Tired but I am home. I will try to backtrack and update my blog accordingly. Thank you for bearing with me.

TRUE HOLIDAY!

My best friend, Min and her family were fantastic. They went about their usual Saturday activities while letting me sleep in! I only woke up at 12noon!! This is what a TRUE HOLIDAY should be haha. :P Sleep in and do nothing!
Well, I did wake up briefly at 7.30am. Once a mother, always a mother. You will know when there is a child in the room. Josh came to my room in the morning, trying to get dressed as Min had left with Ben for his sports activities. Without many words between us, I helped him out. He left the room and I went right back to sleep. It was only later in the day that Min and Graham found out I had helped Josh. Oops sorry. It was faster to help him than to have him take his time in dressing lol. :P

Min came home with Josh after his swimming and she made us smoked salmon with avocado sandwiches for lunch. It was so darn delicious!! I should make them when I return to Singapore. :P We also had more time to chit-chat about our lives while deciding what to do on Sunday.

Dinner was the highlight of the day!! Min bought my favourite meat - kangaroo meat and Graham barbecued them. There was marinated roo meat, roo fillet, roo bangas and there was enough roo meat for 3 persons and it was all for me, me ME!! :) I was so happy eating roo meat and was really stuffing myself FULL. :) Have to since I can't get roo meat in Singapore. Graham remarked he has never seen a small person eat so much before hahaha. :P

The uncooked roo meat!

The barbecued roo, beef and lamb together with pasta salad. Yummy home cooked food!

My Best Friend

I think everyone should have a best friend. I am very lucky I have a best friend and I get to travel too in order to see her. :) See, my best friend, Min lives in Sydney, Australia with her wonderful husband, Graham and two awesome boys, Ben and Josh. :)

I really needed a break and my best friend so I flew to Sydney today. :) Min picked me up from the airport before picking Josh up from school. While Min was whipping up dinner for us, Ben came home. Soon after, Min left for her office Xmas dinner and it was just the boys and I. I had a really relaxing first night in Sydney, just lazed around and did nothing haha. :)

It is really fantastic to see Min and her family again. It was March 2008 when I last saw everyone. I am really glad that the boys still remember me. :)

Presentation

I was a nervous wreck on this day of my presentation. I wished I have had more practice. :(
I was the first presenter. Due to my cold, my voice was really nasal and husky and it didn't sound like me at all!! :( I finished my presentation on time and there were a few questions. Thank goodness, I was able to answer the questions. After the session, one of the audience who asked me a question actually told me it was a study well done. I was really happy to receive such encouragement. :)

Meeting Up

I was really happy to meet up with David and his wife, Ursula. I met them earlier in May at the AERA, Denver too. :) It was really nice to catch up with them again. In a way, I feel they are like grandparents to me. After the conference ended for the day, David and Ursula took me to dinner at an Italian restaurant, not far from the conference venue.

We had a delicious dinner (I had the most fantastic duck and mushroom risotto!!) and a wonderful chat about work, dissertation, and educational issues in USA and Singapore. After dinner, they even walked me back to my accommodation, citing that they needed to walk off the heavy dinner. David and Ursula are really nice people, very grandparent-ly to me that is. :P I hope they will come by Singapore again so that I can bring them around.


When I returned to my apartment around 9pm, it was time to work as my presentation is on tomorrow morning. I haven't had the chance to practise my presentation yet. :(

Unfocused!

I have to make a mental note to myself: NEVER fall ill before going away! I was really unfocused at the conference and most of the time, I found myself wishing I was back at my apartment sleeping. :( I was suffering from my cold and jet lag. A double whammy. :(

Arrived

Cold and miserable in a foreign country. It was only a low 18C and I was still trying to recover from my cold. :( I managed to do an early check-in into my studio apartment accommodation. And the next thing I did was SLEEP!

My studio apartment from the door


The living and the dining areas

The dining area, the kitchen and the bedroom


View from the bed towards the living and dining areas


I woke in mid afternoon, still feeling tired. :( But hunger won and I needed to get food. I walked to the city centre which was about 10 minutes away, had lunch (at Subway! haha :P) and bought groceries from the supermarket. After depositing the groceries at the apartment, I went to the conference to register and collect the conference materials. While walking back to the apartment, I saw an Asian supermarket! :) I went straight in and bought instant cup noodles!! Haha :P That was to be my dinner as I was still too tired and sick to venture out later in the cold for dinner.

I was nodding off at 9pm while watching tv. The overnight flight has taken its toll on me, and I think being unwell added to the toll as well. I decided to have an early night so that I can be ready for the first day of conference tomorrow.

Away

I will be away for a conference and a short break after the conference. There is no Internet connection where I am staying. I will try to update my blog during my break in Sydney. If not, I will definitely update it when I return to Singapore after 7th December.
Thanks for bearing with me.

Juliane's Graduation Ceremony

Today is Juliane's graduation ceremony. She will be in Primary 1 next year.

We arrived at NTUC Auditorium, Marina Boulevard at 11am because K2 graduates have to arrive earlier to dress up in their graduation gowns and hats. The MMI concert started at 12.10pm with a welcome speech and followed by the presentation of certificates to the K2 graduates. I am so proud to see Juliane in her graduation gown lol. :P

Juliane was also the emcee for their K2 dance item as well as being in the dance. She showed a lot of confidence speaking in public which is good. :)


The concert ended at 2pm and Juliane took some photos with her K2 classmates as after next week (last week of school for K2), they will be going their separate ways.

Happy Birthday, Dinh

It is my sister-in-law's (who is in UK) birthday today.

Happy Birthday, Dinh. Hope you get lots of love and LOVE. :)

Lots of love from your family in Singapore

Farewell, Shirley

Today we had a farewell lunch for our colleague and friend, Shirley. We went to Pastamania, Tuas as it would be less crowded than our usual eating place. :)

We talked and laughed in between eating our pasta. All too soon, the good time ended and we have to go back to the office. Before we left, we presented Shirley with her farewell gift. We hope she will remember us always whenever she sees the gift. I think it would be hard for her to forget us haha. :P

See, with a gift like that, how to forget us?! Haha :P


It is sad to see Shirley go but at the same time, I am happy for her as it will be a new journey in life for her. I wish you all the best, Shirley. Keep in touch, ok?

Trip Prep

I will be going off on Saturday night. I have yet to finish packing my luggage. :( I initially thought I could bring my summer clothes but it seems the weather is going to be cold, max around 22-24C while min can be as low as 11C. :( I have to pack my winter wear instead. Sigh. That is going to add weight to and take up space in my luggage which means I can't shop as much as I want lol. :P
Can't shop as much aside, I think I am more worried about my health. As I am still recovering from my cold, I will certainly dread catching another chill there. Touchwood!

Down and Out

I thought I might be able to sleep off whatever I was suffering from yesterday but it didn't work. I dragged myself to see the doctor this morning and I was given a bunch of medication. Yup, I am down and out. My only concern is that I might not recover in time for my trip where the weather is currently erratic, one week hot and another week cold. :(
Meanwhile, I sure try to rest as much as I can, drink plenty of water and (yes, my family doctor said this to me) DON'T talk so much! I talk so much meh?! :(

Down

While at work, I didn't feel too well. My throat was really sore and my shoulders and back ached. :( I hope I am not coming down with something...

Conference Prep

I am still in the midst of finalising my slides. :( I had initially hoped that I would have finished by now. Maybe another day or two.
After the slides, I have to start thinking about writing and submitting an abstract for another conference next May. The due date for the submission of abstract is on 1 December. Not many days left... :(

Hi Cute Baby

For the very first time, the girls met their latest cousin, Yeun Zhen via Skype. They were really thrilled. Juliane kept saying that Yeun Zhen is so cute. :)

They also spoke to their maternal grandparents and their other cousins, Yeun Yi (Abel) and Yeun Song (Matthew). It has been a while since the cousins last saw each other via Skype. They haven't met each other in person yet. They should do that in the near future, in a year or two. The girls mentioned that they wanted to talk to their grandparents and cousins more often via Skype. I agreed. Maybe next weekend before I leave for my conference.

P1 Orientation 2010

It is Juliane's P1 Orientation today at SCGS. We arrived in school by 8am and proceeded to her allocated class, 1 Grace. In the classroom, I met my former SCGS colleague who was on duty and also a close family friend and a former classmate whose daughters are allocated to the same class. :)

We left Juliane in the classroom and proceeded to the auditorium for a parents' briefing which started at 9am and lasted for an hour. The new P1 students, after being orientated around the school, joined the parents in the auditorium during the second hour for a concert. After watching the concert, Juliane now wants to join gymnastics and dance. Oh goodness.

Juliane seems set to be in P1 in 2011. She is already talking about meeting her new friends next year. However, she has also asked about exams, if they are going to be difficult and if she is going to do well in them. It is not a good sign that she is overly worried about exams now! I have to do something to allay her fears.

What are Kids listening to Nowadays?! II

I don't believe this. I have been asked to look up "Annoying Orange" videos on Youtube by my girls. I did and I am truly amazed by what the kids are listening to nowadays. I am even more amazed that some Annoying Orange videos have as many as over 5 million views!!!
BUT I have to admit some of the Annoying Orange videos are funny lol. :P However, I doubt my girls actually understood the jokes or spoofs. And oh, the endings can be horrific as there is always character 'death'. :( So it might not be a good idea to let young children watch them.

Here's my favourite Annoying Orange video - Lady Pasta. Please take it with a pinch of salt. Oops, no pun intended haha. :P

What are Kids listening to Nowadays?!

Just the other day, my girls told me to go to Youtube and listen to Gummibär, "The Gummy Bear Song". I did and I think I am mentally scarred for life. :( The lyrics alone is fine and quite catchy but the animation, it was... disturbing... a gummy bear showing off his butt crack and shaking his butt... OH MY GOODNESS!

Here is a clean (still) version of "The Gummy Bear Song"


WARNING: Should you decide to look up the original "The Gummy Bear Song" video, I cannot accept responsibility for any mental breakdown or disturbance arising from watching it.

All Things Katsu

It's a public holiday today, Hari Raya Haji.

We went out for a late lunch as I was working on my slides. We went to Vivocity first and the car park was full. Next we drove to Paragon and again, the car park was full. We finally went to Ngee Ann City. By then, it was close to 3pm and we were famished! :(

We went straight into the first restaurant we saw, Tonkichi. Thank goodness, the food came really fast. :) Juliane had the Kid's Plate ($8.90): rice balls, deep fried prawn and chicken and edamame. Marieann had the Chicken Katsu Don ($22.90) which came with miso soup, salad, appetiser and fruits. The girls' father had Hire Katsu Toji ($25.90): deep fried pork fillet simmered in egg and special soy sauce in hot clay pot, served with rice, miso soup, salad and fruits. I decided to go for the promo, Hokkaido Katsu Gozen ($32.90)(photo below): scallop katsu, konbu katsu (seaweed and asparagus rolled with sliced pork loin), prawn katsu, hire katsu (pork fillet), appetiser, chawanmushi, kinoko mushroom tonjiru (miso soup with pork slices, root-vegetables and mushroom). The katsu items were tender, moist and most delicious. :) The soup was yummy too. :)

On My Plate

After my dissertation, I will be working hard on my conference slides. I realised I only have two weeks left before I leave for the conference! However, since I have been revising my dissertation, it makes it easier for me to work on the slides as I have a fairly good idea of what I want to go into the slides. :)

Handed In!

I feel happy and relieved when I handed in the latest version of my dissertation to both my supervisors this morning. Both are happy to see me finished with it. Hopefully, they are happy with this version and I can proceed to the next stage: send my dissertation for external examination!

Applebee's Singapore

With Juliane having dinner at her friend, Catherine's place, we decided to go somewhere nearby to have dinner before picking Juliane up from her friend's at 7.30pm.

We decided to try out Applebee's, TripleOne Somerset (the former PUB Building). Marieann had, from the Kid's Menu, Pasta in Marinara sauce ($9.90), the girls' father had Double-Glazed Baby Back Ribs with Honey BBQ sauce (half rack: $21.80) and I had a Parmesan Chicken with pasta in cream sauce ($15). The girls' father thought his pork ribs were only average. My chicken was really tender and moist and the Parmesan was just the right touch, without being cloyingly rich. :) Be warn, the portion is fairly large too. I had to doggy-bag my pasta lol.

Birthday Parties

In the early afternoon, I brought Juliane to my colleague/ friend's son's 1st birthday party at Club ITE, Dover. Marieann didn't go because she didn't finish her homework.

We arrived around 12.30pm and soon met my two other colleagues/ friends there. There were a lot of toddlers at the party lol. When Juliane saw the birthday boy, Luke, she had these words, "He's so young?!" haha. She had thought Luke was around her age. :P I was tasked to be camera person for the cake cutting. I am glad to be able to use my skills learnt at work outside of work context lol. :)




In the late afternoon, the girls' father brought Marieann and Juliane to Marieann's classmate's birthday party. I was still recovering from the earlier birthday party so their father had no choice but to bring them and chaperon them at the party. Hopefully he would now know how tiring it is, chaperoning the girls at birthday parties.

All Done!

I have finally finished with my dissertation revision. I have added another section in my Introduction chapter, added in another chapter as well as revamped my final chapter. I printed out three copies of my dissertation and ring-bound them. Two copies will be on my supervisors' table come Monday. Wish me luck, LOTS OF LUCK. Lol. :)

Big Bruise

I had an accident last night. I fell and landed on the raised door ledge. This morning, I woke up to see a huge bruise on my left calf. :( HUGE bruise, the size of my palm. :( :( It is so darn ugly! Although I know it will take a few days to heal, I hope the bruise will go away sooner.

Since becoming pre-diabetic, I found myself bruising very easily and my wounds and cuts also heal a lot more slowly. :(

Last Session

Today's the last session of counselling for the year 2010.

As it is the close of the year, the students were also busying preparing and rehearsing for the school's 55th anniversary and Graduation Day. As such, I was running around, up and down the school trying to find my counsellees because they were all over the school practising or rehearsing. It was a workout that would last me for the next 2 weeks. :P

Have a good holiday, everyone. See you in 2011.

Celebration

As mentioned, my colleagues/ friends celebrated today after last night's hard work and this morning's hectic testing. In between the morning testing and afternoon observation, we had a window for lunch out of school.

We went to Northpoint, the nearest shopping centre to the school and we had lunch at Swensen's. We had baked rice and pasta for mains and ordered two sides to share. The finale was The EARTHQUAKE haha. Delicious!! What a sugar rush after that haha. :) We had a really good time, eating, chatting and laughing away. Oh yes, and playing on my iPad too. Lol. It was my pleasure to give the girls a treat for their hard work. :)



Ladies, it has been a great pleasure and fun working with you! Let's hope we can have another lunch or dinner gathering like this again. :)

Working Late

We are going into school for a reading test tomorrow morning. But we still have a few things to prepare before our school visit.

My colleagues/ friends and I stayed back late in the office to prepare the passages. It was tiring but I think we had fun while working. Jokes were cracked around the table while working hard to sort out the different combinations of passages. With many pairs of hands, we finally got the job done at 8.30pm. :)

Great teamwork, Ladies. We will celebrate tomorrow! :)

What Side of the Brain Are You?

Interesting and fairly reliable results lol.

You Are the Right Side of the Brain

You are a naturally creative and imaginative person. You have the mind of an artist. You are inspired by the whole world around you, and you never hesitate to act on your inspirations. You are very spontaneous. I can be too spontaneous at times lol. :P You are a true multitakser. You are always scanning and processing the world around you while you get other things done. So excuse me if I sometimes don't seem to be focusing on you. I am and on other things as well. :) You see the big picture like no one else. You have spot on intuition and a good memory. Spot on intuition, yes. Good memory, hmm not sure haha.

What Side of the Brain Are You?

Discovery Visit to RWS

The girls' father had his company's D&D, 6.30pm at RWS Convention Centre. Since he was going to drive there, we hitched a ride. :)

As I had earlier been to RWS once (exploring too :P), I was able to lead the girls from Hard Rock Hotel to the Universal Studio and Candylicious where we took some photos.


My photo from an earlier visit to RWS


My photo from an earlier visit to RWS

We went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. The girls had the kiddy meals ($10 each): Mac & Cheese and Hot Dog. I had the Rock Chop (pork chop, $26). Unfortunately, it tasted like a rock too, really tough and dry. :(

After dinner, it was pouring most heavily which stopped us from exploring further around the area. :( We went back to Hard Rock Hotel to wait for the girls' father to finish his D&D. We waited for close to an hour before he was done with his D&D. Thank goodness for my iPad, otherwise we would be bored stiff haha. :P

Zombie Day

It was zombies and more zombies for me today lol. Oh, by the way,

HAPPY DEEPAVALI. :)

Back to zombies lol. While I worked on my revision, I watched Zombieland which was really funny. Juliane was watching it along with me and she commented, "Not nice, not scary". Haha. We have a horror movie buff in the making here haha.
Later in the night, I watched "The Walking Dead". I have been reading the graphic novel for The Walking Dead and it is very good, a real gripping storyline. :)

Zonked Out

Updated 5 November 2010, 1:15am
I only just woke up! I was that exhausted. :(

I am totally zonked out today. As I was waiting for my bus home, I totally spaced out and missed it! In the end, I had to wait an extra 20 minutes for the next bus. :( All that waiting made me even more zonked out. I got home close to 7.30pm and I am going to sleep now. zzzzZZZZZZZ

Wrapping Up

I am starting to wrap up some of my cases, especially the P6s. I hope I don't see them again. No, don't get me wrong. I meant that in the nicest possible way. If I see them again next year, that would mean they didn't do well for their PSLE and had to stay back in primary school. So to all my P6 counsellees, I said to them, "All the best, keep in touch but I don't want to see you again next year!" Lol.

November Checklist

Ok I better make a checklist for myself so that I will be on task. (I hope!)

Draft revision
Prepare slides
Prepare abstract
Prepare for trip

November Plans

It is already November. Times really flies. I am behind in my MAIN To Do task. :( I will finish my writing by end of this week. I HAVE TO as I am already two weeks behind schedule. There is no more time left... :(

Happy October Birthday IV

It is the last October birthday in my family and the honour goes to my mother. Yes, she was born just past midnight on Halloween many years ago haha. The girls are in total awe of their grandmother and her uncanny ability to know when they are up to no good! They think she has magic like a witch lol. :P

Happy Birthday, Grandmother/ Mother!
Lots of love from All of us in Singapore and UK

Food Places

It has certainly been a long time since we were last at Vivocity. I am really surprised to see many new eating places up on the ground floor. Hmm, maybe we should start coming back to Vivocity more often in order to sample the new eating places lol.

Late Night

I attended a farewell dinner for a colleague who is retiring. By the time it was done, it was close to 8pm. I went back to office to do some work. By the time I was done, it was close to 9pm. There weren't anyone left in the office and it was DARK! Hahaha. I have never stayed so late in the office before. It is kind of scary and ... exciting lol. :P

Happy October Birthdays III

For the 3rd birthday in October, it goes to my eldest nephew in UK, Abel. His birthday is on 28 October! Just one day after mine. We could celebrate together if we are in the same country lol.

Happy 8th Birthday, Abel. Hope you have lots of presents and fun at the movies! :)

PS. Let Gu Ma know which movie you watched, ok?

Happy October Birthdays II

I am the second person in my family to have a birthday in October. :)

Happy Birthday to me! :)

It has been a really wonderful day. First, I have received many birthday wishes from my former students, my friends, my colleagues and my family. :) It feels really great to be remembered and wished happiness. :) Thank you.

Second, I met my friend whom I got to know really well in 2009 when I was her buddy at the conference. She is a well-known Finnish Professor in teacher education. It was really nice to see her in Singapore again and on my birthday too. :)

Operation "Rescue Babies!"

The girls' guppies keep dying. :( :( I have changed the water in the fish tank but the problem persists. :( I decided to change the sponge in the filter system. Juliane was helping me and in the midst of changing the sponge, the water in the tank clouded up. Juliane was shouting excitedly that there are babies. I was thinking, "Oh dear, she needs to have her eyes checked. Where got baby fish?!". But lo and behold, when I concentrated hard enough, there are baby fishes and they are so tiny!! No wonder, I had missed them. Ok, I am the one who needs my eyesight checked haha :P

We spent a good half an hour fishing out all the babies into another container and it wasn't easy as they could hide easily amidst the pebbles. :( Finally, we got all of them, 17 of them! :)

1000 HS

I am now a proud owner of a silver Canon IXUS 1000 HS! :) It is a really big leap in terms of functions from my current Canon IXUS 950 IS. :) I am going to have fun exploring how the various functions work.

Happy Diwali

Juliane was invited to her K1 friend, Shloka's Diwali party. Diwali is also known as Deepavali or Festival of Lights. I thought it was a great opportunity for her to learn about another culture.

All the children were given their own small clay lamps (diyas) which they painted and decorated with glitters and stuff. The kids really enjoyed the hands-on activity. After the hands-on, it was dinner. I particularly enjoyed eating the rice cakes with lentil soup. :) It wasn't spicy at all! :) The highlight of the party was the "fireworks" for the children. The children played with sparklers amid lots of excitement and screaming lol.

Aging

Ok I think age is catching up with me. :( I might have pulled a muscle in my shoulder during the team building games at yesterday's retreat . The pain only surfaced tonight. Ow, ow, ow, ... :(

Retreat

My centre had a whole day retreat today. It was business before pleasure. We had group discussions in the morning, followed by poster session and presentations and finally, the team-building games in the afternoon lol. There was lunch and tea breaks at the appropriate times, of course. :) In between, there were three lucky draws. Luck was with me and I won a prize in the first draw haha. A water jug with glasses, very practical. :)

The serious business was fruitful, especially the poster session. I learnt a lot about the other projects. :) For the pleasure, I never expected to have so much fun playing the games. My team was the overall winner in the games lol.

PS. I realised I have a competitive streak in me and I don't like to lose. I was all out to win in the games lol. :P

Prepared

I had to do a few chores so I swopped my usual counselling day to today.

I collected my new passport. Thank goodness I made an e-appointment for the collection. There were 219 people in the queue when I arrived at ICA. But because I had made an e-appointment, I only wait for under 20 minutes before I received my new passport! :) I love my photo in the new passport haha. :)
After collecting my new passport, I went to collect my air ticket from the travel agent. At the same time, I also applied for my travel insurance and travel visa through the agent.

By 5pm, I am all prepared to fly off for my conference next month. :)

Attack

I kept thinking I have been unwittingly eating food with MSG (I am allergic to MSG) as my throat has been most uncomfortable - sore, constricted and irritated. :( Now I know who the culprit is, the haze!! :( :( :(

The Haze

The haze is back and it is really bad today. When I stepped out of my office, it was really hazy and the acrid burning smell is really choking. :(

When I got home, the windows were all shut. The girls said they didn't like the haze as it reminded them of "The Fog". What?! I think it is time they stop watching horror movies!

Approved II

My application for a new passport has been approved. I can collect my new passport anytime from today onwards. I finally have a nice new photo in my passport! Haha. :)

Offer

The girls' father offered to get me a new camera. Hmm, I am wondering if he means for the new camera to be my birthday present. Lol.

I want a Canon IXUS 1000 HS. :)

Kangaroo Lion

That was what Juliane called my kangaroo loin at The Moomba Restaurant haha. :P

I was craving for Australian food, kangaroo meat in particular(!) haha, so we went to The Moomba. For appetizers, we ordered their signature dishes to share: Bacon Wrapped Crayfish with spinach and poached egg ($20) and Squid Cakes with thai styled mango salad ($18). The crayfish was really succulent and fresh! :) The squid cakes were not too bad.



The girls shared a Mushroom Risotto ($25) which was really fragant. I had my Kangaroo Loin ($38). ABSOLUTELY Delicious!! The girls' father had Swordfish. Dinner ended with ice cream for the girls and I and Tiramisu ($12) for the girls' father.

Killing Spree

With rolled up newspaper, I went on a killing spree.

Whack. Whack. Whack!

What the heck. One more for the road. WHACK!

Wasted 2 cockroaches. :)

Approved

My conference leave has been approved. :) I didn't know if it would be as I applied for it 2 months past the deadline for submission of leave application. I know, my bad. I was procrastinating, deciding if I should go for the conference even though my abstract has been accepted. It is on my Phd so I would have to go on my expenses and it won't be a small sum, at least $3000 minimum. A good friend's advice finally persuaded me.

"You know, it is not easy to get one's abstract accepted, especially at an international conference?"

With that, I decided to go for it. I shouldn't just throw away the opportunity I have gotten to present on my Phd work.

Neighbourly Dinner

I had dinner with my neighbours at Cedele, Wheelock Place. It was a nice leisurely dinner. While enjoying our food, we also chatted about travels, antiques, and our homes. I hope to have such dinner or lunch with my neighbours more frequently. :)

"Stressful" Times

Marieann is having her examinations this Wednesday till Friday and another paper in a week's time.

Somehow, Marieann hasn't learnt to be anxious about tests and examinations yet. Not sure if it is a bad thing or a good thing. Bad because she isn't doing much to prepare for her examinations. Good because she isn't bothered by her examinations and she is going through her life as usual, watching tv, playing with her sister, do the necessary homework, ... NOT like her parents who are totally stressed out by her examinations.

APPLES

= Application for Passport On-line Electronic System

ICA sent me a notice about my passport expiring in May 2011 and an application form was also attached with the notice. However I decided to apply for my new passport through the online system. It is less of a hassle. :)

Happy October Birthdays

Talking about birthdays, my family has four birthdays in the month of October alone! My two nephews in UK, my mother and myself. :)

For the first October birthday, the honour goes to my 2nd nephew, Matthew! :)

Happy 6th Birthday, Matthew. May your day be fun, fun, fun and more fun. :)

Birthday Month Perks

Now-a-days, you actually get birthday perks for the whole month and not just on the day of your birth. For some businesses, the perks are even valid for 2-3 months after the birthday month.

I have been receiving vouchers from my favourite stores because it is my birthday month. I must plan my shopping properly so that I DON'T end up over-buying haha. :P

Servicing Needed

I discovered the On/Off button on my Cannon camera going wonky. When it is pressed, one side of the button would sink in which is not supposed to be the case. It also becomes not very responsive at times, that is, I can't switch it on or off. :( Servicing is definitely needed and soon too!

Ring Ring..Ring Ring

There has been a sudden influx of phone calls on the land line recently. The girls have discovered that they could give out the phone number to their friends and have their friends call them! Everyday, it is "ring ring... ring ring... ring ring" several times in the afternoon or night. In fact, they receive more phone calls in one day than I do in a fortnight!

I will have to set ground rules soon if the phone calls get too disruptive.

PSLE 2010

Today is the first paper for PSLE 2010. The last PSLE paper will be next Tuesday 12 October. I saw the P6 students after their paper today. Some looked relieved, some looked worried. But all will be going home to revise for the paper tomorrow.

Good Luck, P6 students.

Hearing and Songs

I had a conversation with a colleague today and we were talking about songs. There have always been songs that I simply could not hear the lyrics. I only know what those songs are about until I look at the lyrics. Upon further discussion, I realised there are some songs which I totally get the lyrics and they all belong to a certain genre.

I have no problems with the songs by Carrie Underwood, Trisha Yearwood, Shania Twain, Lady Antebellum, ...

Can you guess what genre it is?

COUNTRY MUSIC!! Haha.

Pray for You

Just the other day, when I listened to the radio which I haven't done so for a long time, I heard this song that made me laughed! It is "Pray for You" by Jaron and The Long Road to Love. It is hilarious lol. If you haven't heard the song before, listen carefully to the lyrics and you will know what I mean.



I think we can all think of someone in our lives whom we can dedicate this song to haha. :P

Halloween Month

My girls seem to be gearing up for Halloween each in their own way even though we don't celebrate it lol.

Marieann made a "dress" for the peephole. I had a shock when I first saw it, not expecting it to be there. But I have to laugh at her creativity. :)


Juliane geared up by watching the RE trilogy with me. Although I have seen the movies a couple of times, I still jumped at scary places. Juliane didn't even moved a muscle but she chided me for scaring her when I jumped. I was rendered speechless...

Art is Alive

Since Marieann is interested in art and Alive Gallery is ending its run on 3 October, we brought the girls to Alive Gallery at Downtown East. This is the Children's Day compensation for the girls. As we were in the line to buy the tickets, this lady came up to me and offered me 4 tickets. She explained that she had 6 tickets but she would only need 2 tickets for herself and her nephew. She gave me the remaining tickets and left. Bless her, what a kind soul. She saved us from paying $50 for the Family deal. :)

The girls were most enthralled by the paintings that came "alive", e.g. the ancient Egyptian drawings on papyrus, the Greek gods and goddesses, da Vinci's "The Last Supper", Michelangelo's "The Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco" as well as great artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet and Jean Millet who told inside stories of their works to the audience. I am surprised that Marieann recognised some of the art work on display, e.g. The Birth of Venus, The Gare St-Lazare by Monet. She is really interested in art. :) A strict no photography policy was enforced throughout the gallery except at 2 photo-taking points: mocks of the paintings - The Avenue at Middelharnis by Meindert Hobbema and Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. We had fun pretending to be in the "paintings" while the girls' father took our photos. :)

After the visit to Alive Gallery, we browsed around Downtown East. Juliane and I went for a ride on the indoor Ferris wheel while Marieann worked on stain glass art. The girls were really happy about their belated Children's Day celebration. :)

Juliane and I taking the Ferris wheel ride

Before going to Alive Gallery, we had brunch at Hatched which is down the road from where we stay. The girls shared a Pancake Party ($10): 3 pancakes with caramelised banana. I had a Ozzy Baked Egg ($8) with bacon, mushroom and tomatoes and cheese on top as well as a Blueberry Bircher Muesli ($4). I was hungry haha. I just love bircher muesli! :) Used to have it as breakfast every morning throughout my student life. The girls' father had Waffle with ham and egg.



The bacon, mushroom and tomatoes in my baked egg. Simple dish but filling.

My bircher muesli with rolled oats, raisins, green apple and milk. YUM! :)


Hatched candies given to my girls by the Hatched staff