My Shakespearean Name

My Shakespearean name is Helena Silvia. Sounds impressive. :P I like the quote. It is from As You Like It. 

Your Shakespearean Name is Helena Silvia

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

What's Your Shakespearean Name?

I studied literature when I was in primary school, continued in secondary school and in junior college and with many of the literature texts by Shakespeare, e.g., Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew and a few others. My favourites are Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. :)

Studious Cats

Hmm, interesting article

What's that concept again?

Let me sleep on it...

We are Powerful by Lenka

I don't know why but I really like this song, We are Powerful by Lenka. Maybe it is the lyrics, maybe it is the tune. 

We are Powerful (uploaded by Lenka Vietnam)

The Hammock Test

In truth, I have never been able to balance myself properly in a hammock lol.

You Are Connected

You live a very mindful life, and you pay close attention to the world around you. You are aware. Even when you are alone, you are engaging your senses fully. You never feel too isolated. You value your time with others, and in general, you may be more social than not. It's how you staying a part of the world. However, being connected also means enjoying some rest and relaxation. You recharge in a way that enhances your relationship with others.

The Hammock Test

Missing

I realised that I have not seen a movie in ages. :( Missing the excitement when the lights go out, the movie starts, eating popcorn, ... :)
What's showing now? 

General Election 2015

Parliament has been dissolved. General election 2015 has been called and polling day will be on 11 September 2015, Friday. 
I finally have the chance to vote after so many walk-overs! Can you guess which GRC I belong to? 

Wanderlust

Juliane has been hit by the wanderlust bug. She disclosed to me that she would love to go away again at the end of the year, preferably to Korea. Haha she is my daughter. 

Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson

Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson. A catchy song. 

(uploaded by kellyclarksonVEVO)

Little Flower

Subway Sub

I haven't had Subway sub in a while. Yes, I tend to love meat in my sandwiches. 

You Are the Italian BMT Sub

You have a hearty and adventurous appetite - so much so that you need a made up sandwich that's big, meaty, and tasty. In general, you tend to say "yes" to life and experiences. More is more for you - and the challenge is fitting it all in!

What Subway Sub Are You?

Family from Afar II

We met up with Marieann's godfamily for dinner at Mr Prata, Evans Road. It's our second gathering with them despite their tight schedule, trying to take in the sights and food in four days lol. :P
We had a blast eating our prata while Evelyn and I were also reminiscing about our days at MOE HQ and all the wonderful colleagues we had! :) Those were the good old days. :)

Marieann and her godma Evelyn, godfather Ken and godsis Pippa

We hope you have a safe flight home to Dubai and hope to see you again soon, either in Dubai or back in Singapore. :)

Family from Afar

I met up with Marieann's godfamily for dessert at 7:30pm at Paul, Tanglin Mall. The girls were supposed to come along with me but they fell asleep. 
I met up with Evelyn, Pippa and Ken, had delicious tarts and had a great catching up. We made our way back to my place after dessert to surprise the girls. :P 
The girls received pressies, as did I. :) They were thrilled with their bracelets and I with my jewellery roll which will come in handy for my travels. :)

Our wefie

 A single meeting is not enough. We arranged to meet up tomorrow night for prata dinner! 

Souvenirs from Denmark

I received these souvenirs from my reporting officer who went to Denmark for a conference.

Magnet and chocolate! :) Danmark is the Danish name for Denmark. 

Thank you! :)

First Meeting

Today is the first time I met the undergraduate students that I am teaching this semester. It is going to be strange teaching adults instead of children. :P

Surprise News!

I received a message on my Facebook Messenger. What a SURPRISE it was! 
Marieann's godmama Evelyn, godpapa Kenneth and godsister Pippa will be arriving in Singapore on Monday and staying for four days until Friday. We haven't seen them for a long time! There is some catching up to do! :)

Out of Order

The lift at NIE Block 5, next to the Sports Hall broke down with me inside! It was about 10:15am. I was more amused than anything actually. I waited for about a minute before I pressed the alarm bell. And even then, I didn't realise that I was supposed to press and hold the bell! Lol. Soon, a voice came through the intercomm. 

Voice: Hello? 
Me: Hello. 
Voice: Hello? Hello?
Me: Hello. Can you hear me?! I am stuck inside the lift.
Voice: Oh ok. I will send help, ok? 
Me: Thank you. 

I waited and started wondering if I should take out my laptop to do some work. About 3 minutes later, the voice spoke again. 

Voice: Hello? Are you still there?
Me: Yes, I am STILL here. *thinking to myself, "Geez, where can I go?!"*
Voice: Help is coming to rescue you. Don't be scared. 
Me: I am not scared.  

I continued waiting while describing my situation on Facebook. I had quite a few friends and colleagues who responded to my Facebook post being very concerned for my safety and "scolded" me for facebooking when I should have called for help! Haha. Actually I didn't think about calling for help with my phone. About 5 minutes later, I heard some noise outside the lift door. I could see someone trying to pry the doors apart. I could actually see the technician/ electrician through the 2cm gap when he shouted through the gap.

Guy: Hello? Hello? Are you there? Are you there? 
Me: YES, I AM STILL HERE. *thinking to myself, "Er, I can SEE you and you CANNOT see me??!! What am I? Transparent?!* 
Guy: Wait ah, wait ah. Coming to rescue you!
Me: Ok, I am not going anywhere. 

Goodness, I think the guy sounded more panicky than I was. While the guy was outside, I started thinking if the lift crashed from B2 to B4 (because it was jerking up and down) where should I stand and at what point should I jump up to avoid impact! Hahaha. Finally, the lift doors opened at around 10:35am. 

Guy: Anyone in there?
Me: Where do you think I can go?
Guy: (standing at the lift doors) The lift is very dangerous.
Me: (at the lift doors). Yes, can I go out now?
Guy: The lift is very dangerous. Need to repair. 
Me: Yes. BUT can I come now?!
Guy: Yes, can come out now. 
Me: Thank you. 

After that exciting and amusing ordeal, friends and colleagues were coming up to ask about my well-being. Thank you all for your concerns! Really appreciated it. 
At 3:34pm, the lift was still being repaired. 

My Portrait

This is me from the viewpoint of my counsellee. Lol. 

Life's Simple Pleasures V

What a surprise when I accidentally saw Hello Kitty folders in a Sanrio store! 
What a simple pleasure of life - being able to buy and satisfy my childhood desire without having to ask my mother for permission! :) :)

Childhood Memories: Hello Kitty

During my growing up years, Hello Kitty was the cute in-thing just like now with all those cute Japanese stuff. I didn't get to buy a lot of Hello Kitty merchandise because my mother is a practical lady and doesn't believe in buying something, e.g. soft toys that you have no useful need for. So most of my childhood Hello Kitty stuff were stationery. :)

(Source: www.flickeringmyth.com)

(Source: www.mtv.com)

I love Hello Kitty! :)

Post National Day Holiday

It is the day after National Day, another public holiday as it replaced National Day falling on Sunday. Juliane and I went to Food for Thought, Singapore Botanic Gardens for lunch. Marieann refused to go with us and she's smart because it started raining while I was ordering food. I decided to try local fare and ordered chicken laksa and iced rose bundung ripple latte. OMG, I almost died from the spiciness. No idea what I was thinking when I made my order! :P 

Juliane's kid meal

After our lunch, the rain had stopped. We walked around the garden to admire nature and to walk off our lunch. :)

A visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a nice end to the National Day Jubilee Weekend. :)

Happy 50th National Day 2015

Happy 50th National Day 2015!
I woke up early to watch the recording of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew reading the Proclaimation of Independence being broadcast on Channel 5 at 9am. Before the broadcast, sirens sounded across Singapore. It is a special moment for me to partake in this historical moment of Singapore's history. 

I finally managed to catch the 20 F-16 fighter jets in their "50" formation as they flew over my estate during the National Day Parade! What a thrill to see them and to hear the roar of their engines. :)

My Student's Wedding at Chijmes

On 8 August 2015 (8815), my Primary 4 Prudence 1998 student, Yen Ling invited me to be a witness at her beautiful wedding to Chen Heng Qing at Chijmes and the wedding lunch reception. 
I left for Chijmes early as it was raining heavily and I didn't want to be late for the wedding ceremony at10:30am. I was really lucky to get a cab at the first call. :) The perks of being early - I arrived at 9:30am, just in time to watch my student, Yen Ling doing a rehearsal. I was also surprised to see two more of my students, Ingrid (4P 1998) and Ying Ying (3P 1997). I had some photo opportunities with my students as well as around the wedding venue. 

The wedding rehearsal: Yen Ling and her father

My 4P 1998 student, Ingrid and I

My 3P 1997 student, Ying Ying and I

The wedding favour, a "Cute as a Button" soap

The wedding ceremony is beautiful. The bride is beautiful. 

The bride and the father of the bride

Prayer of Blessing

Marriage Vows

Exchange of Rings 

Signing of Marriage Certificate

Mr & Mrs Chen Heng Qing

Thank you speeches

Photo with the beautiful bride and groom 

I am really happy for Yen Ling that she has found her best friend and soulmate to accompany her in this life. Thank you, Yen Ling for inviting me. It is my great honour to see my student embark in the next phase of her life. I wish you and Heng Qing a wonderful and blissful life together!

A few photos of Chijmes before heading home. :)