Back Alley Doors

Hidden quietly in the back alley, doorways to someone's life, someone's haven, someone's memories.

Peranakan Tiles II

More Peranakan tiles on the pre-war terrace houses along Koon Seng Road. Always have a thing for Peranakan stuff, could be because of studying ten years in SCGS and teaching there for a couple of years.

Peranakan Tiles I

Beautiful Peranakan tiles seen on the pre-war terrace houses along Koon Seng Road

Peranakan Trail: Koon Seng Road

I was at the Katong vicinity for data collection and took a walk along the Peranakan Trail: Koon Seng Road admiring the pre-war terrace houses of Peranakan design. I feel like a tourist haha.

DisneySea Chocolates

Time to break out another goodie bought from DisneySea Tokyo last December! 

I thought the box is pretty cute. :) Ok, the chocolates are not too bad too. 

Comfort Food

Once in a while, nothing brings more comfort than eating local comfort food of bak kut teh.

Yes, I was extermely hungry! :D

Bad Habit

of checking work email even on weekends. I need to break this bad habit. 
I should be spending time with my girls, I should be resting to recharge for the new work week, I should not be checking work emails.  

Tim Tam Limited Edition

A friend came back for her hols in Sydney, Australia and I received this Tim Tam as a souvenir. It is a limited edition - Coconut & Lychee. Saving it for a special occasion haha. 

Acceptance Notice

I have just been notified that my manuscript has been accepted for publication in an international journal! Happiness! 

Where to find this?

A friend brought these snacks from China as souvenirs for us. It is really delicious. 
I am down to my last two packets. Heard that Popular bookshop carries them at times but so far, I haven't had any luck finding them. Last heard that I may be able to find them in Chinatown... Any idea, anyone? 

New Movies

There are a number of movies coming soon that I am interested in watching. 
Ghost in the Shell, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Alien: Covenant, Wonder Woman, The Mummy...
Now the issue is how and where to find time to watch them?!

Appreciation: Cupcakes

I had data collection at MOE. My RAs and I were given these. What a nice gesture! We really appreciated it. :)

Day Off

This is so me. :D

You Should Spend the Day Lounging

You take the idea of self care seriously, and when you get a day off, you are all about renewal. Even if you spend the whole day on the couch, you never feel guilty about it. You know how much you need your downtime. You are never one to believe that a day resting is a wasted day. Rest only makes you stronger, smarter, and saner. You treasure your quiet time, and even when life is hectic, you find it in bits and pieces as much as you can.

How Should You Spend Your Day Off?

Cupcakes

Saw these cupcakes and couldn't resist buying them for my girls.

Thai Milk Tea, Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate, Ondeh Ondeh

Support Local Talent

This is the second set of notebooks that I have bought. The covers are beautifully illustrated by our Singapore's own talented illustrator, also author, columnist and polytechnic lecturer, Lee Kow Fong aka Ah Guo.

I have been giving them away to friends and colleagues who need a smile. :)

First RS Work Appraisal

I had my first work appraisal as a Research Scientist. I have to report on three areas of work - Research, Teaching and Service. I think I did pretty ok considering I have only been a RS for nine months. :P  

Sweet Debriefing

After another day of data collection, my RA/friend, Cheryl and I had a debriefing and break at a cafe nearby the school. It was a sweet debriefing with our charcoal waffles and ice cream. :)

School Break Work

Although it is the one week school break, there is no respite for my research team. We have requests from schools to conduct our data collection during the break. Just today alone, we met with school leaders, HODs, and teachers - 2 interviews and 2 FGDs. 
Going to be a busy week, school break or no school break.

TRAISI Course

When I was a teacher, I used to attend TRAISI courses. I never expect that one day I would be conducting a TRAISI course myself training teachers! Talk about coming full circles. :P
Today, I conducted the first session (7 hours) of my CPO course on Self-Assessment: 5Ws and 1H at Academy of Singapore Teachers from 9am to 5pm. Although it was a long day, the discussions and sharing among the teachers were really great. I learnt quite a few things too. I hope my teachers managed to bring something back with them to mill over. The next session is on 13 April. I hope the teachers will have enough time to implement one strategy in their classrooms between now to 13 April. Good Luck!

First Time Jitters

I am getting a bit anxious. I will conducting my first 10 hours course tomorrow. Although I have done workshops, they are only 3 hours long. I worry about not being able to keep the participants engaged for 7 hours. Wish me luck! 

Dumplings with Love

My mother is making dumplings today. She can easily prepare and make close to 140 dumplings each time. She will freeze them in trays of 12 dumplings so that we can have them for lunch or for snacks at a later time. Usually her dumplings will be gone within the week because they are really delicious!

Happy 20th Anniversary BtVS!

It is the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer today! I cannot believe it was 20 years ago that I first watched Buffy. It seems like it was only yesterday haha. 
I know how I will celebrate 20 years of Buffy. A marathon of Buffy Seasons 1-7 and Angel Seasons 1-5!!!

Friendship Cookie

I am touched to find a teddybear cookie waiting for me. It is a little reward from my RA and friend, Liyana. Thanks so much. But how to eat it?! It's too adorable! 

Happy Women's Day 2017

First Team Visit

To provide support (moral and physical) to my research assistants, I went with them for this school visit. A milestone for our research team. :) We had a debriefing at a nearby cafe, Penny University, followed by nice lunch celebration. 

Monster Movie

According to Blothings quiz "What Kind of Horror Movie are You?", I am a monster movie. Yes, I do enjoy my monster movies where there is action, destruction and death. As such, I LOVE the series like Alien, The Mummy, Predator, ... Ok, it's time to watch my Alien and The Mummy blurays again.

You Are a Monster Movie

Nothing makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up like a menacing monster, whether that monster comes from a lab or outer space. You like horror movies with a lot of action and destruction. Of course you want the good guys to win in the end... but not until many people die first. You appreciate the creativity involved with imagining the ultimate monster. The idea of an evil that is capable of anything both delights and frights you. Your favorite movies have a unique take on the definition of monster. You go for movies like Alien, the Mummy, and King Kong.

What Kind of Horror Movie Are You?

Dim Sum

Some restaurants have been getting creative with their presentation of plain looking dim sum. This is the salted egg yolk custard buns but with a twist. Now they look too adorable to be eaten. :P

Prep at Dental

While waiting to see my dentist, I worked on my slides for a 10 hours course. I can recycle some materials from my previous workshops (3 hours) but I need to expand it substantially.

Notice

I saw a notice on the lobby door. 

It provokes lots of thoughts...

Happy 13th Birthday, Juliane!

Happy Birthday, Juliane! 
As you start to explore who you are and what you want to do, please know that I will always support you 100%! Happy Birthday! 
Enjoy your school's Peranakan trip to Malacca, 1-3 March 2017. It is your first trip overseas on your own and you will be celebrating your birthday with your classmates. :)