Blocked Time

The long weekend has really been great for me in terms of my revision! I could really concentrate on my revision. I could work late into the nights like 3-4am without having to worry about waking up early the next day for work. :)

Belated Wishes

Have been so engrossed with my writing that I ignored everything else.

Happy Belated Hari Raya Haji!

Oh Snap

After sitting for close to ten hours each day while working on my revision for the past two days, my right knee finally "snapped". :(
As I was packing up my notebook for bed, my knee gave way. The kneecap seemed to be in a awkward angle and I could hardly straightened my knee. It really hurt! :(

Writing, writing, writing

On a roll now... can't stop... or I will lose the momentum...

Writing

Have been writing intensely today... Need to finish my revision soon...

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) by Katy Perry

Quite a funny music video from Katy Perry lol. :)
(uploaded by KatyPerryVEVO)

Results are Out

Marieann got her exam results. Thank goodness, she passed her exams! :) :)

Fast Talk

Today's counselling session was really short because the students had their examinations in the early morning. So I could only see them after 11am and I had to stop at 12.3opm when they break for the lunch. I was also rounding off the sessions for the year with the five students I was seeing today. I had to talk really fast and them too lol. :P

A Great Fall

I had a great fall at workplace today. :(
As I was going to my office, I used the Basement 4 to get to the lift that services the floor where my office is. There is some works being done at the Basement 4 and one of the machinery that was being maintained was leaking oil or some kind of liquid. I failed to see the oil stain on the floor as the floor was a of a slight reflective material and the whole area was dimly lit. A colleague was walking with me when I fell. He cried out a warning to me but it was too late. Everything was in slow-mo. I could hear the last echo of his warning as I was suspended in mid-air before dropping heavily onto the floor with my notebook bag in one hand and my books, iPad and Kindle in another bag in the other hand. If my hands were free, I could have break my fall. Sigh. I pulled something in my lower back when I fell. :(

Once I got back to office, I fired an email to the Estate Department to tell them about the workplace hazard. By noon, they have cordoned off part of the corridor that was affected by the leak, put up warning signs around the area, mopped up the leak, and put up mats for walking. All these were only done after my complaint. Apparently, the leak had been going on for some time before it covered a big area of the corridor. If only the estate department was more vigilant...

Happy Birthday, Mother/ Grandmother

Today is Halloween and it is also my mother's birthday. She was born just after the witching hour lol.

Happy Birthday, Mother/ Grandmother!
Wishing you lots of love on your birthday.

lots of love,
Your children
Your grandchildren:
Marieann, Yeun Yi, Juliane, Yeun Song, Yeun Zhen

Halloween

Well, we don't celebrate Halloween, even though my girls would love too. Apparently the below is How I feel about Halloween lol. Quite apt that I see Halloween as scary. Time to watch all the scary movies haha. :P

You See Halloween as Scary

A bit of an introvert, you like the special occasions just as much as everyone else. You just have your own unique way of celebrating Halloween. Yes, celebrate by watching scary movies! You definitely think of yourself as someone who has a dark side. And part of having that dark side means not showing it. True :) Your inner child is stubborn and a bit bossy. Some people would agree to that lol. You truly fear the dark side of humanity. You are a true misanthrope. You're prone to be quite emotional and over dramatic. Deep down, you enjoy being scared out of your mind... even if you don't admit it. Should see me when I am watching a really scary movie :P You are picky and high maintenance. If you wear a Halloween costume, it's only when you really feel like it. And it has to be perfect. More of all or nothing. If you really want to do something, then be perfect at it. Ok maybe that is the perfectionist streak in me talking lol

What's Your Halloween Personality?

Sweets

Here are the photos of Zen Q desserts and the mini cupcakes from House of Mini. :) My girls love them. :)

Happy 9th Birthday, Yeun Yi!!

Happy 9th Birthday, Yeun Yi!

Hope you have a great day full of fun and many happy returns. :)


Lots of love,
Cousins Marieann & Juliane

My Birthday Celebration III

It is my birthday today. I decided I will give myself some tender loving care today lol. :P
First, I started with a late morning breakfast at Jimmy Monkey. The French Toast sounded nice and it tasted really great. :) It was really nice having my breakfast leisurely.


After my breakfast or rather my brunch, I did some window shopping before I decided to go for a massage. Might as well pamper myself today lol. I felt absolutely relaxed and wonderful after an hour of aroma therapy massage. :)
I met up with friends for an early dinner. We went to Sofra Turkish Restaurant. I ordered a Guvec Tavuk: Oven baked chicken and mushroom served with rice which was absolutely delicious. :)


It is a wonderful end to a series of celebrations for my birthday. :) Besides, celebrating it with friends and family, I also had some alone time to recharge. :)

Pressie from my girls :)

My Birthday Celebration II

Today is Deepavali. Happy Deepavali! :)

Being a public holiday, with no school and no work, I celebrated my birthday one day in advance with my family. We went for buffet dinner at Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel. Dinner was really nice and we were all a couple of kilograms heavier by the end of dinner lol. When we were having our after dinner tea and coffee, the staff presented me with my birthday cupcake and sang me a birthday song. It was a really nice gesture. :) I had to pack my birthday cupcake to go because we just couldn't take another bite. Yup, we were that FULL lol. :P

Breast Cancer Month

I saw this video on a friend's Facebook about 3 weeks ago and thought it is really funny and well-made. Since it is still October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I though I should share the video. With this video, women would definitely rethink breast cancer and carry out more regular self-checks on their breasts lol. :P

To all women, be breast aware for earlier detection.

Uploaded by rethinkbreastcancer1

My Birthday Celebration I

My colleagues and friends celebrated my birthday in advance today. It was really sweet of them! :) We had lunch at Fig & Olive, Jurong Point. I thought the food was not too bad but the company was definitely great! :) We ended the lunch with a chocolate banana crepe as my birthday cake. Yum!
I will upload the photos from the lunch later as my camera SD card is faulty :( and a friend is trying to help me recover the photos that have been corrupted (thank goodness not the lunch photos).

My wonderful colleagues and friends :)

Here's what my colleagues/friends got for me. Really sweet and adorable! :) Love the photo best of all lol :P

Childhood Comfort Food II

For the second weekend, we visited a Zhi Char restaurant. It is one of the two zhi char restaurants that my family used to frequent when I was a child. It is Woh Hup at a Chinatown hawker centre, most famous for its fish slices bee hoon soup. Juliane wasn't too happy eating at a zhi char restaurant again, without aircon lol. However when the food started coming, especially the pork ribs, she forgot the non-aircon situation and tucked heartily into the food. :P Marieann was more game to sit at the hawker centre and try out the food. She liked the bee hoon soup as well as the Tofu with gravy.

Fish slices bee hoon soup

Fruit Paradise

Craving for desserts, we went in search of some after dinner. It was literally a "roadside conference" in the car before we could decide where we wanted to go for dessert. In the end, it was Fruit Paradise at Orchard Central that won lol.
We each had the $9.80 tart set (a slice of tart with tea/coffee/soft drink). Marieann had the Mango Banana tart, Juliane the Chocolate Banana tart, I the Seasonal Fruit tart and the girls' father had the Coffee Pear tart. The coffee pear tart was quite light and refreshing.

Mango Banana tart (foreground) and Chocolate Banana tart (background)

Coffee Pear tart (foreground) and Seasonal Fruit tart (background)

Last Exam

Marieann has her last exam today. It is her Science exam. Although she is really interested in Science, I worry because she can be really careless. Sigh.
Her exams are finally over. Now for a different kind of stress - waiting to know her exam results. I am not hoping for great marks, just that she passes her exams.

House of Mini

I saw House of Mini when I was at Yew Tee Point and just couldn't resist buying the mini donuts for my RAs. I initially wanted to buy the mini cupcakes because they were so CUTE!! But I was so lost in what to choose that I gave up lol. :P (no pics of the donuts because I didn't have my camera with me)
However, here are some photos of the mini cupcakes! My RAs were so enthralled with the mini donuts that they went to Jurong Point where there is another House of Mini branch haha. :P They went nuts and bought three boxes of mini cupcakes (each box of 6)! :P



House of Mini is on Facebook too. Log in to find out more about their mini donuts and mini cupcakes.

Zen Q Desserts

My colleague and I decided to try out another eating place for lunch, Yew Tee Point. I discovered a dessert stall called Zen Q Desserts. I was really excited because it is selling traditional Taiwanese desserts!! Including their Q balls which Marieann loves ever since we had Q balls desserts in Jiou Fen. :)

I love their Honey Apple Vinegar drink which I would add aloe vera so that it is sweet, sour and with bite. :) Their Milk Tea with Pudding is nice too. All their milk tea drinks can have the sugar level adjusted which is good for people like me. :P I absolutely adore their Zen Q Glass Jelly dessert that comes with pearls, Q balls, glass noodles and glass jelly. Yummy. :) I will upload photos of the desserts next time. I keep forgetting to take photos of the desserts before eating them lol. :P

Zen Q Desserts is on Facebook. You can log in to see some of their desserts. :)

Happy Birthday in Advance, Grandmother

My mother is leaving for Taipei today so we celebrated her birthday last night in advance. Her birthday is on 31 October.

Happy Birthday, Grandmother!

Love,
Marieann & Juliane :)

PSLE Marking Days

The girls will be enjoying four days of "holiday" because it is the PSLE marking days from 17-20 October. Ok, Juliane can still enjoy her holiday but not Marieann as she still has her Science exam on Friday. I have to make sure Marieann revises for her Science exam during these four days.

Childhood Comfort Food

Since my mother is leaving for Taiwan next week, we took her to her choice of restaurant for dinner. I haven't been here for a long, long time - Fatty Weng Restaurant. It is a zhi char restaurant. My girls were quite shocked that we were sitting outdoors by the roadside for dinner lol. :P
We ordered pork ribs, fried Soon Hock (fish), claypot seafood, fried tofu and vegetable. The food was absolutely delicious and my girls really enjoyed the food despite eating out in the open in the warm night lol. As I ate, my childhood memories started coming back. :) It is my childhood comfort food indeed.

Travel Guide

My friend passed me a travel guide on Canada when my girls and I went to visit him and his family. I haven't had much time to look at it. :(
However, to my surprise, when taking a break from doing their homework today, my girls were looking at the Canadian travel guide and saying to each other, "Wah, this place is so nice. I want to go there". Lol.

Never seen my girls so interested in a place before. Looks like there is hope we may go to the Canadian Rockies for our next trip lol. :)

Exams are Over (Almost)

Marieann has sat for her English, Math and Chinese exams in the last 3 days. She has one more exam on Science and it is held next Friday 21 October. My stress is almost over...

Canadian Rockies

My good friend came back from his holidays in the Canadian Rockies. Last weekend, my girls and I went to visit them and at the same time, to view the holiday photos. The photos were so beautiful!! My girls were in awe of what they saw.

Ok, our next family trip, the Canadian Rockies lol :P

"Half Day"

It was "half day's" work at counselling today. Most of the P6 counsellees were all over the school participating in their different post-exam activities. It was really tiring for me going all over the school trying to "catch" each counsellee. When I do catch them, half our counselling time is gone... :( But the P6 girls do need their break after their PSLE. :)

The Walking Dead S2

I am so glad that "The Walking Dead" will return to tv soon. I can't wait to watch the second season. :) I really enjoyed reading the graphic novel which is still on-going.

Happy 7th Birthday, Cousin Matthew

Happy Birthday, Cousin Matthew!

Hope you have a great day, full of presents and fun! :)

Love,
Cousins Marieann and Juliane

A Dinner Affair

My mother will be going away again soon so she invited my cousins and cousin-in-laws over for a family dinner. Today, she cooked a new dish, a soup that was cooked for hours with chicken stock, cabbage, pumpkin, three different kind of mushrooms, a whole fish, squid, meatballs, etc.


The soup was really tasty. Everyone of us had at least two helpings of it lol. :)

Featured!

Dawn, my former student, who is working currently with Singapore Women's Weekly, asked me for a quote about my experience with difficult parents. Always happy to help out when people need help, what more my student. :)
My quote which accompanies an article about Tiger Mum is now out in Singapore Women's Weekly October issue lol. :) My friends and colleagues commented that I am "famous" haha. :P
Here it is, the snapshot of my quote. :)

Children's Day 2011

Today is Children's Day. The girls were enjoying a carefree day at home, almost for one of them. Well, Marieann had Chinese tuition in the afternoon.

It is also "Family Week - Bring Your Child to Work Day" today at my work place. There were activities planned for the children of the staff from 9am - 5pm. Unfortunately Marieann has her tuition so I couldn't bring both girls to work. It was unfair to bring only Juliane. Equal misery policy had to apply here lol.

RIP, Steve Jobs

I was really shocked to hear about Steve Jobs' passing this morning. Although I am not a die-hard Apple fan, I do own an iPad which I can't live without. Steve Jobs has, through Apple, really revolutionised technology and changed the world digitally. For that, I am grateful and appreciative.

Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs.

Canadian Rockies

My friend came back from his 2.5 weeks Canadian Rockies holiday. Really glad to get my pressies - postcards and magnets! :) The photos he took on his trip are absolutely breathtaking! Hmm, maybe my next family trip should be to the Canadian Rockies lol. If not, I could go alone as a treat for myself, especially after my oral defence. :)

Exam Stress (or Unstress)

It depends on who is taking it (or not). I am stressing out for my child's exams when I am not the one taking the exams. On the other hand, my child is not stressed at all for her exams when she is the one taking the exams. I really don't know what she is thinking. Sigh. Her exams starts today. I hope she will take her exams seriously.

Burning in the Skies by Linkin Park

I have been hearing this catchy song on the AXN trailer when it features the new series. It has a familiar tune to it, as if I have heard it before. Later I realised it is "Burning in the Skies" by Linkin Park. No wonder it has a familiar ring to it, sounds similar to Linkin Park's other songs, "What I've Done" and "New Divide". :)

Cat Sitter

My neighbours went away for a holiday and they asked me to keep an eye on their cat over the weekend. I did it gladly because I miss having a pet and I do miss my late cat. :)

Changes

In Singapore, Children's Day is usually celebrated on 1 October, with that day being a school holiday for the school children. However with effect from 2011, Children's Day will now be celebrated on the first Friday of October.
The change has been brought about due to feedback from schools, and parents that Primary 6 children, who usually sit for their PSLE in early October, could not enjoy their last Children's Day which falls on 1 October. Now with the new change, Primary 6 children could enjoy their Children's Day holiday after their PSLE in peace. :)

*On another change: Teacher's Day school holiday has also been changed, with effect from 2011, from 1 September to the first Friday of September.

I am Chai Tea

I am a tea drinker and I like strong tea. Interesting results from Blogthings. :)

You Are Chai Tea

You're quite the charmer. You know how to get what you want from almost anyone. You are high-powered and spunky. You bring a lot to the table... sometimes too much! You are brilliant and pioneering. You never do things the normal way... you do them your way. Friends describe you as sensitive, spirited, and compulsive. Bright and blazing with intensity, you seem mysterious and moody to many.

What's Your Tea Type?

PSLE 2011

Today is the first paper of PSLE 2011. This year's PSLE starts earlier than previous years and ends with the last paper (Higher Mother Tongue) on Wednesday 5 October 2011.

To my P6 counsellees: Good Luck!

Gut Feeling or Professional Wisdom?

A fellow counsellor who is new to the profession chit-chatted with me a while back. I was asked this: How do you know what are the right questions to ask?

The truth is, sometimes you don't know what are the right questions to ask. A lot depends on the situation, the person you are counselling, and your counselling experience. Personally, I feel that gut feeling or intuition is very important in counselling too. My intuition hasn't let me down yet in my counselling work. Well, of course some would say "my intuition" is the accumulation of my counselling experience and professional wisdom after so many years of counselling. They may be right but there is still sometimes this unexplainable hunch that propels me to ask a certain question that turns out to be the right question to ask. Professional wisdom or gut feeling? I think it is both.

Happy Belated 1st Birthday, Yeun Zhen

It was my 3rd nephew's 1st birthday a week ago on 21 September. Sorry, Gu Ma is getting old and forgetful. :(

Here is Happy Belated Birthday to you. Hope you have had lots of fun, presents, and cake! :)

Lots of love from Singapore

Keep Up

There are so many interesting shows on tv such as Teen Wolf, Harper's Island, The Killing, The Gates, Primeval, Downton Abbey but I can hardly keep up with them! :( Heard new shows are coming, Falling Skies and Terra Nova. Looks like I won't have time to watch them either. :(

Summer Rain by Belinda Carlisle

Another great song. Couldn't get the MTV but this clip is really well-done. :) (uploaded by asconstantinides)

I Get Weak & Heaven is a Place on Earth

Two more songs by Belinda Carlisle. Kudos to the 80s lol.

I Get Weak (uploaded by johnpiiiii)


Heaven is a Place on Earth (uploaded by BeeGeesAndMore)

Runaway Horses by Belinda Carlisle

Nice song. :)

Runaway Horses (uploaded by twistoftroy)

Vision of You by Belinda Carlisle

What can I say? It is another great song. :)

Vision of You (uploaded by moonfloated)

In Too Deep by Belinda Carlisle

Wonderful song, wonderful music video, wonderful singer. :)

In Too Deep (uploaded by yamanyildiray)

Circle in the Sand by Belinda Carlisle

Ok I am in a retro mood lol. Let it be Belinda Carlisle week. :)
Here is another of her songs, Circle in the Sand (uploaded by vbeloff)

Leave A Light On by Belinda Carlisle

An awesome song by an awesome singer! :)

Leave A Light On (uploaded by RECORDPAUSEPLAY)

La Luna by Belinda Carlisle

Love this song from my teenage years. :) Belinda Carlisle is a great singer.

La Luna (uploaded by elpeter82)

Secrets by One Republic

I can't shake this song from my head after watching The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Nice movie and nice soundtrack. :) (uploaded by waltdisneystudiosph)

Melt Again

Juliane picked out tonight's dinner venue via the hungrygowhere website lol. She chose Melt - The World Cafe and as if to get me to approve tonight's dinner choice, she even showed me the kind of cuisine Melt serves. She claimed that she had never been there before. (Actually she has but she was only 4 years old then lol.)
There are quite a few food stations - Western, Indian, Malay, Japanese, Chinese, Seafood, BBQ and of course, Dessert! We left Melt quite stuffed and very happy. :)

Western salads

Mix of Asian cuisine - Chinese, Malay and Indian

"Holiday" Again

The girls are having another "holiday" again today due to the PSLE Listening Comprehension. They are pretty happy about the extra day of rest and not having to go to school. But there are also plenty of school homework to keep them occupied for the day.

Mid Autumn Festival (Belated)

It was Mid Autumn Festival on Monday 12 September. Chinese families would gather together on this day and celebrate a tradition by having mooncakes, chinese tea and pomelo. The children would also carry lit lanterns to walk about the neighbourhood.
This year, we had mooncakes, tea and pomelo but the girls did not carry the lanterns even though we bought the lanterns. We totally forgot about the lanterns, being more absorbed in the eating lol. :P

Quiet Time

Today is one of my most quiet counselling day ever. 4 out of the 7 scheduled counsellees couldn't make it due to taking their tests. Normally, I would be informed and counselling would be cancelled. However the teachers informed the teacher-in-charge of scheduling too late (only this morning) and the teacher-in-charge was away on medical appointment in the morning. Thank goodness for iPad to pass the time lol.

On Track, On Task, On Time

On track.
On task.
On time.
Final revision of my PhD.

Ghost Message

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Juliane asked me excitedly.

Juliane: Mama, you saw the ghost message in the bathroom?
Me: Huh? What ghost message? *shooting her a strange look*
Juliane: There! See? See?! *she dragged me into the bathroom*
Ah, I see. On the mirror, there was a message, "I love you, Mommy". Haha. :)

When Juliane took her shower, the mirror was misted over. She took the opportunity to write a message to me knowing that I would be taking a shower when I returned home from work. The message showed up again when the mirror was misted over during my shower lol.
Fancy her to call it a ghost message lol.

10 Years On..

It is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Time flies but for those who lost their loved ones at the 9/11 attacks, time has stood still.

After a stormy period of mixed feelings of prolonged sadness, there comes a calm.
After we become convinced that we are at the very brink of eternal despair, or fear, or guilt, or sadness, we are given a reprieve. We have a breathing space that eventually leads to whole days that have personal value and offer us the opportunity for affection.
Then we recognize that no period of misery is endless and unrelenting; it is instead, changeable.

-Carol Staudacher

Gathering Missed

My SCGS friends had a gathering today to view the photos from our Bali trip as well as to settle some bills. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too well and had to miss the gathering. :( Wish I could be there to see the photos and also to show my photos. Oh and I missed out on the chocolate cake too... :( I hope the next gathering will be some time soon.

Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum

This is a really nice song, Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum. Somehow the song gives me a warm feeling. :)

It's Sale Time Again

Came home from work, I had a quick dinner and went out again with the girls. It is Isetan Private Sale again. :)
I bought Clarins skincare products for my mother and the girls bought files. But we spent the most on food! Haha. There is currently an Autumn Kyushu Fair on at the supermarket from 6-19 September. :) Must go back again before the Kyushu Fair ends.

Marina Barrage

After the conference, my colleagues and I had a simple dinner at the MBS food court. Since Marina Barrage is nearby, we went for a look. I have heard Marieann talked about her field trip to Marina Barrage and that she liked the place. Not sure how it looked like in the day but the scenery was nice at night. :) It was really cool and windy too.

"Wise" Words?!

I am attending a two day English Language Institute of Singapore conference organised by MOE at Marina Bay Sands. Pretty exciting as it is the first time I am stepping foot at MBS. :) Must have a good look around. For personal reasons, I will never willingly step foot at MBS or Sentosa Resort World.

I enjoyed the keynote and one of the paper presenations very much. Really made lots of sense. However when it came to the launch of ELIS, what a certain "whose-name-cannot-be named-and-still-held-in-awe/fear-by-the-current-government-and-politicians" said, had my jaws dropping to the floor. Literally! When he said that American English would be the way to go for the future because America is a big power, and it is a big economy, I could hear the waves of murmuring of disbelief spreading across the ballroom like a tsunami. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit but it was disbelief all over the place. Sigh. He has a great mind but I think it is time that he retires in peace...

My Favourite Time

This is what my favourite time of day - late night says about me. :) Quite accurate haha.

You Are Independent

You dance to your own drummer, and you like to live life on your own terms. You do and say whatever you feel like. People are sometimes shocked by your outrageous behavior. You have a wild and passionate side that you love to express. You have your own way of doing things. You are a bit of a loner at times. You need space to grow and become who you really are.

What Does Your Favorite Time of Day Say About You?

Hari Raya Gathering

Every Hari Raya, my former MOE HQ colleague, Rahidah would invite my family over to her place for a gathering. At the gathering, I would often meet up with my other former MOE HQ colleagues. My girls who love Hari Raya cakes, cookies and kuehs have been looking forward to this once-a-year event.
This year, the gathering is on 4 September. When I told the girls that we would go at noon and leave for their tuition around 2.30pm, Marieann spoke in a serious tone, "Ok we go for lunch, then we go for tuition. After tuition, we come back here again for dinner." Oh my goodness, I don't know what to say.
We had a great time at Rahidah's place, delicious food, yummy cakes, and great company. :)


PS. No, we didn't go back to Rahidah's for dinner. :P

TIRED OUT

Yesterday, I had to make 2 presentations to the Dean and it was really pressurising and stressful for me. I wanted to make sure I make a good presentation because I still feel accountable to my former PI even though the project has ended. I also wanted to make sure I make a good presentation because I am making the presentation to the Dean!
However, in the end, we only had time for one presentation as I was questioned several times throughout the presentation. The second presentation would be postponed to a later date but soon. Argh, prolonged stress. :(
I was so exhausted and tired out by the whole experience that I slept immediately after dinner from 7+pm till 2am.

Holiday...

started one day earlier for the girls. Today is a day off for teachers in Singapore (replaced 1 September) so there is no school. The girls are really happy with an extra day of of holiday.

Happy Teacher's Day 2011

It's Teacher's Day. The girls gave their presents to their teachers yesterday as their school celebrated Teacher's Day yesterday. To show their appreciation for their teachers, Juliane bought "Best Teacher certificates" for her teachers while Marieann made bookmarks for her teachers. :)
Every year this time, I would also visit my former lecturers to thank them for giving me the gift of knowledge. :)

Email

I didn't know that email has been around for 29 years! Wow, that's a pretty long time. :) I don't think I can live without email lol. Email will probably be around for another couple of decades unless something else can be found to replace it... Nah, I doubt it lol.

Happy Hari Raya

To all my Muslim friends, here's wishing you and your families a Happy Hari Raya! :)

Juliane asked me today if my friend and former MOE colleague, Rashidah has invited us over to her place for Hari Raya. I was surprised that Juliane remembered lol. She went on to say how she enjoyed eating the cakes, kuehs and cookies. So, Rashidah, when are we going to your place for Hari Raya makan?!! Hahaha. :P

Failed

I tried to do some work on my PhD revision but failed miserably. :( Hopefully I will have better luck and focus tomorrow. I really need to get it going.

Post PE 2011

There is a recounting of votes between the top two candidates for the presidential election as the difference of votes between the two is less than 2%. I have been waiting since 1am and I am still waiting for the results. :(
Feeling really sleepy. I won't be able to last much longer. Guess I will have to read the papers for who has been voted in as the 7th President of Singapore.

Presidential Election 2011

This is the first time I am ever voting in Singapore! Since turning 21, I always missed out on voting at General elections because my area is part of the Tanjong Pagar GRC. :( I missed the other Presidential Election back in 1993 because I was studying in Australia.
It is really exciting for me. My parents and I left for our polling station at Raffles Girls' School around 9.45am. We arrived, we voted and we left all within 10 minutes!! It was really quick lol. :)
My virgin vote went to Tan ... ... Not telling lol. :P

Decision

Tomorrow is Singapore's Presidential Election 2011. There are four candidates and all with the surname (last name) of Tan. It is decision time for 2.27 million voters in Singapore. It will either be a difficult decision for some, torn between two candidates or it will be an easy decision for some, loyal to one candidate from start to end.

Killer

I was working on my stats and organising the results into tables when I noticed that, halfway through the analysis, the N changed. I went back to the raw data to check. Please don't let it be... *fingers crossed* Oh no! Argh!

I failed to delete an invalid case. :( Now I have to re-run the stats because my N is quite small so even if the difference is 1, it would affect the means and standard deviations. Sigh. My work over the past two days is down the drain. :(

Sabotage

Today, the Primary 3 students had to take the GEP Screening Test* that comprised of 2 papers, English and Mathematics. Marieann came home and asked me a question.

M: Is it true that if you do well in the test, you will have to leave the school?
Me: Who told you?
M: My friends.
Me: Nonsense. If you do well, you can choose to stay.
M: My friends said we have to go to another school.
Me: No. You can choose to go to another school or you can choose to stay in SCGS.
M: My friends said don't do well and we can all stay in SCGS.
Me: ... *speechless and shaking head*

I seriously don't know whether to cry or to laugh. The silly girls have just sabotaged themselves just because they didn't want to leave the school. Their loyalty to SCGS is commendable but they just deprived themselves of a chance to find out what and where their potential is. Sigh.
*Parents are given the option to opt their child out of the GEP Screening Test if they so choose.

New Look?

I have been using this blog design for quite some time now. Seems to be a bit boring and dated. There are some pretty nice blog templates. Thinking of getting a new look... :)

It is officially DEAD

The 12th 4-weekly enbloc notice has been placed around my estate. The percentage of owners who signed the CSA has remained unchanged for the past few months, standing at approximately 32%.
The enbloc is officially dead in my estate. Hooray!! :) Here is to, at least, two years of peace and quiet before some idiot decides to try to enbloc my estate again.

Cook & Share a Pot of Curry Day

Today is Cook & Share a Pot of Curry Day. And guess what? My mother really cooked a pot of curry and shared it lol. :)
I am not sure if it was intentional on her part or just a coincidence lol. She had invited my cousins and cousin-in-laws over to our place for dinner. Marieann has also been pestering her grandmother to cook curry for her. Yes, my eldest daughter happens to like spicy food lol.

Curry chicken and vegetables

Braised duck

A table full of food :)

O'Gambinos @ Raffles City

We went out for a rather late dinner. It was crowded at Raffles City. There were long queues at most of the eateries at Basement 2. Decided to go to level 1 to try out the restaurants there. Wanted to go to Double Bay restaurant again when another eating place caught our eyes. One, it was rather empty and we were hungry as it was already 8pm. Two, the menu looks good with a wide variety to choose from. Three, we have never tried Irish Italian fusion food.

We were really glad that we tried out O'Gambinos. The serving was huge and the food was delicious. I am quite sure us being us didn't result in us being favourable towards the food. Good food is good food, regardless we are hungry or not lol. The girls shared a Seafood Pasta ($26) and the girls' father had Seafood Risotto ($26). Both tasted yummy. I tried the Atlantic Salmon ($28): pan seared salmon with roasted garlic mashed potato, vegetables and pineapple cream sauce. The pineapple cream sauce was quite refreshing and went well with the salmon.




As we were having our dinner, the crowd started coming in. I guess it being a bar and bistro, it catered to a different crowd. I don't mind coming back here again. There are a few other dishes that I want to to try. Maybe next weekend lol. :P

E-learning Days II

It is the second day of e-learning for the girls.
Juliane completed all her English, Math and Chinese e-homework.
Marieann completed her Chinese and Science e-homework. But she had problem logging into her English and Math group in Edmodo. When she called her friends to check, she had conflicting instructions from them. Sigh. In the end, I emailed her teacher. Thank goodness, she replied promptly. Now Marieann can complete her e-learning lessons and worksheets for English and Math. :)

E-Learning Days

As it is the PSLE Orals on 18 and 19 August, the rest of the Primary 1 to 5 classes need not attend school. However, it won't be a holiday for those students. Most primary schools, if not all, have designated these 2 days to be e-learning days for the rest of the Primary 1 to 5 classes.
Both Marieann and Juliane have e-learning lessons and I have to get ready and print out all the instructions, e.g. how to log on, what to do for each subject, etc, for them. I also went through the instructions with them prior to them starting their e-learning lessons and worksheets.
Using technology as a tool for learning will become more and more commonplace for students.

Nervous

That's what my P6 counsellees are telling me with regards to their PSLE Oral on 18 and 19 August. Having been a teacher once, I was able to give them some tips.
Good luck!

Reality Shows

Other than The Glee Project, I am also watching Hell's Kitchen 6, and Masterchef US 2. :) I just love reality shows lol. :P Have seen the Next Top Model series, Got to Dance UK, Junior Masterchef Australia and Masterchef Australia 2. :)

New Reality Show

There is a new reality show in town. For those of us who love Glee, you just have to watch The Glee Project lol. The Glee Project finds 12 talented performers (from over thousands of hopefuls) to compete against one another. Through intensive rounds of workshops, singing, dancing and acting–based assignments, only one hopeful will win a seven episode guest-starring role on Glee.
I just watched the first episode and I am totally blown away by the contestants. Actually they should just let all 12 of them each have a chance to guest-star in one episode in Glee 3.

Bali Trip Updated

I have finally updated my Bali trip. Sorry that I took so long. :(

The links are here for easier viewing. :)

Bali Day 1, 28 July 2011: I am in Bali

Bali Day 2, 29 July 2011: Bali Eat and Play

Bali Day 3, 30 July 2011: Bali Eat, Spa and Play

Bali Day 4, 31 July 2011: Farewell, Bali

New TV Series

There are a couple of new tv series on telly, either just started or coming soon such as Teen Wolf, The Gates, and The Killing. So many shows, so little time lol.

Extra Holiday

meant extra homework for the girls. The girls, especially Marieann had a few extra sheets of homework to complete because today is a school holiday. So their joy at having an extra day of holiday is coupled with the lament of having to do more homework lol.

Happy National Day

Happy 46th Birthday, Singapore.

We stayed home for most part of the day until evening time when we went to Ngee Ann City for dinner.

Half Day

Schools in Singapore are having half day because of the National Day (ND) celebration in schools. The girls were extremely pleased to be going home at 10am. Too bad, we can't have half day at work on the ND eve lol.

Unwell Still

My tummy is still not feeling too good. :( Tried taking charcoal pills but not working... :(

Unwell

My tummy is not feeling too well. It started not long after supper. :S Somehow, I am the only one affected although everyone in the family have been eating the same things.

New BFF

Received another email. More number crunching to be done! Since I first joined the research centre, I never once thought I would crunching so much numbers as I do now. Stats has never been my strength but at the rate this is going now, stats is going to be my new bff whether I like it or not lol. :P

Crunch Time (and Numbers)

It is crunch time this week. Due to the erroneous termination of my work account for 12 hours, I now have to make up for the lost time by working late into the night crunching numbers. Thank goodness, my boss is very understanding and he is even willing to negotiate with the ministry for a later deadline to submit the report. I am really thankful.

Bali Trip Update

It will take a while before I can post my Bali trip on the blog. There is too much to do at work now. Looks like I can only do the posting during the coming National Day holiday. Please bear with me. Thanks.

Your Account has Expired

I was really frustrated when I couldn't log into my email account last night and there is tons of work to be done. Thinking it might be my password expiring soon, I changed it. Thrice! Nothing worked. I gave up at 1+am and decided that I would check with the IT department when I get into work first thing in the morning.

The first thing I heard when I called the IT department was "Your account has expired".

Me: What do you mean by "my account has expired"?
IT: Your account has been terminated.
Me: What?! What do you mean?!
IT: On our record, your contract ended on 31 July 2011.
Me: I am still here! I have been renewed till 2012!
IT: Sorry, our record shows that you are no longer staff...
Me: I have lots of work to do!! I need my account reactivated!!! (getting hysterical)
IT: Maybe you can get your department's reporting office to call us.

That's what I did. My project managers (both current and former) helped me to sort out the glitch. Somewhere, somehow, someone messed it up. It was an uneasy 12 hours' wait before my account was finally activated again.

Back to Work

I just returned from a really good break from Bali. However, there was no time to take a post-break break. I had to return to work immediately because we have to rush a report by 8 August for the ministry. :(