nic's

2012

2012-01-14T17:05:00.002+08:00

oh man.. havent updated in a long time.

everything's going pretty okay. no new year's resolutions because i can't keep them anyways hahaha

got a 'triple promotion/quintuple promotion' this year for work. quite sad that i'm not the form of a lower primary class. they really make your day. quite surprising that i've gotta teach p6 even though it's a non-core subject. it's one real challenge man.

anyways, will try to do my best and God will do the rest :)

thoughts

2011-12-06T23:32:00.002+08:00

as 2011 comes to an end, it's a time of reflection of the events which occured.

- suffered a loss. seems like it happened so recently and it was a very sad time. i dreamt that she left us before christmas the year before, and the dream became reality.

- graduation. 4 years of university just flew by and it went by too fast. although i did well, i really regret not making my university stay more worthwhile.

-working life. started working full-time. the job has its ups and downs but at the end of the day, i love my job and cant imagine doing anything else.

i dont know, but i feel that besides these, 2011 for me was pretty unproductive. started out with alot of hopes and expectations, but in the end, it wasn't that fantastic. guess it's how i made it to be. maybe 2012 would be better, i dont know.

2011-11-07T22:51:00.002+08:00

there are days where the teacher also doesnt want to go to school.

tmr is one of those days. i wanna watch youtube the whole night :(

it's just one of those days

2011-10-22T11:51:00.003+08:00

student a: are you married?

i start to think: oh man.. not again. every week some joker asks me this question.

student b: NO LAH. she's a MISS.

me: yes, i'm a miss. miss is not married.

student b: yes mrs or mdm is married.

student a: so do you have a boyfriend?

*smacks face with palm* these kids can really hit the sore spots in your life, i tell you.

me: not telling you. don't ask. just finish eating your food. recess is almost over.

student c: i know what you're thinking about.

me: what? you can read minds?

student c: yes! you're thinking of finding a boyfriend.

*jaw drops*

student a: NO LAH. teacher is thinking of who has good behaviour and who can get the star student today!

student b: YAH LOR. like that you definitely won't be star student already. we're all very good today.

seriously, this comes from a group of p1 kids. i'm not making any part of this up. don't know whether to cry or to laugh. i didn't even give them the slightest hint of my personal life AT ALL.

this really makes your day. thank you God for cute kids who bring laughter and joy into my life.

good day :)

2011-10-07T23:31:00.002+08:00

just stumbled upon a lighthouse family video on youtube. had no idea they reunited. lighthouse family is one of the best bands around. really love their music 'cos we rarely hear raw melody nowadays with all the electronic mixing and all.

and their live music is really flawless :)

lighthouse family- ocean drive

2011-09-24T00:45:00.000+08:00

have been sighing significantly more these days. God give me strength.

2011-09-18T18:54:00.002+08:00

one of the kids was caught telling a lie by her friend and this is what i heard.

friend: ORH HOR! you cannot tell lies!!!
me: i dont like it when people tell lies.
friend: remember the story teacher told us? you are like THE-BOY-WHO-CRIIIEEEDDD!!!!!
another pupil: YAH!!!! the boy who cried WOOOLLLFFF!!!!

had to resist laughing. they are so cute sometimes.

nice songs on youtube- covers of the carpenters

2011-09-07T22:37:00.002+08:00

close to you- by corrinne may. really nice version. love the piano- wish i could play like that!

i've posted 'close to you' played by this guy a couple of years ago. view it here.
he just uploaded his version of 'we've only just begun' by the carpenters and it was lucky that i chanced upon it. it's really awesome!!!

the cockroach in the classroom

2011-09-03T13:17:00.002+08:00

one early morning in class.

pupil: arghhhhh teeeaaaccchhheeerrrr there's a cockroach on the flooorrrr!!!
other pupils: where?!!

other pupils run to the cockroach which is half dead, 6 legs in the air.

other pupils: eeeeeeeee!!!!! *screams*
a pupil steps on the cockroach qnd the children scream even more

me: MOVE away
*takes tissue paper, picks up cockroach, throws it away amidst screaming from kids

pupil: wah ms h- you're so brave!!

hahaha quite an adventure that day:)

i can't wait to get my hands on this!

2011-08-29T20:02:00.002+08:00

from http://beauty.lovelyish.com

so in love with the upcoming opi muppets collection. i want the whole bottom row!!!! too bad it only comes out in november. this shall be my christmas/new year present :)

watching news now

2011-08-28T01:23:00.000+08:00

shit.

2011-07-25T22:32:00.002+08:00

oh man, seems like there's alot of screwed up news these days.

sorry that i'm super defensive about my profession. i just think that some people are in it for the wrong reasons.

to be honest, feel annoyed and insulted that people see this as some last resort job because they can't get another better paying job. well, this job is not for people who want to earn money. and it's terrible that some are not passionate about the cause :(

unfortunately, it affects my morale :( it's easy to say just ignore things like that, but it's difficult.

nvm, will focus on the kids and doing my job well for them. even though i'm not exactly thrilled to wake up at 5.40am every weekday, the thing which motivates me is a student who has been showing an increased interest in learning extra things during morning assembly.

pray for patience, peace of mind and the passion to educate to last :)

an argument in class

2011-07-16T23:40:00.002+08:00

a small argument erupted in class among the children

child a: ms h, are you married?
child b: YES she is!
child c: NO, ms h is not married
child b: how you know?
child a: huh?
child c: all of you keep quiet! ms h has no children, so she is NOT married

*silence*

all children: orhh
me: *trying to keep a straight face

overheard in the staff room

2011-07-13T20:31:00.001+08:00

teacher: the parrot is a bird. what other kinds of birds do you know?
class: ANGRY BIRDS!!!!

kids say the cutest things

2011-07-11T23:14:00.002+08:00

kid: teacher, are you married?
me: no. why?
kid: i want to get a boyfriend.
me: HUH? NOW?!
kid: noooo... when i'm in secondary school
me: no be a good girl. find a boyfriend AFTER secondary school
kid: okay!

seriously, they plan so far ahead that they forget about the PSLE.

on another topic, the family has been blessed. really thankful for my aunt:) i guess i need to trust God more next time.

a day at work

2011-07-09T19:56:00.002+08:00

after recess upon looking at a group of sweaty p1 boys

me: what did i say about playing 'virus'?
boys: stop 10 minutes before recess
me: so did you stop 10 minutes before recess?
boys: uh.... yes?
me: then how come you're all still so sweaty and smelly?
boys: because 'virus' is so fun! we played until the bell rang!
me: -_-

hahaha p1s and their cuteness. they can't even tell lies properly haha.
apparently, 'virus' is a modern version of catching. the things they come up with these days hahaha

first week of work

2011-07-02T21:30:00.002+08:00

it was quite a hectic work week with loads of admin. have to admit that i was completely lost at times and things are still quite disorganised as i'm so new to this environment. however, i love teaching and interacting with the kids. it is the one part of my day that makes me really happy. the kids are quite playful and it is a struggle to remind them to behave, but they are manageable overall.

they're quite blur (like me), so i guess i have to up my alertness levels hehe. anyways, know that the rest of the weeks are gonna be kind of a struggle, so i gotta try my best :)

june

2011-06-18T19:18:00.003+08:00

havent blogged in a long time. was kinda busy running around getting things done/bought for work. gonna start the real teaching in 2 weeks time and i feel anxious yet eager for it. really want to inspire the kids and be a role model for them, but quite afraid of failure though. well, i'm put there for a reason so i guess God has the appropriate plan for me there.

visited grandma yesterday. she's cute. she kept asking who i was and whether i loved her. fed her mashed potatoes because it's a real treat for her :) would be nice to visit her more often though. too bad she lives at the far end of the country.

graduation's soon and i can't believe time just flew by. it's a bittersweet moment indeed.

the last thing you say

2011-05-27T08:43:00.003+08:00

last thing said to her was, "bye, i'll see you again tmr. and you'd better wake up okay?"

you're going to be so happy in heaven. we'll miss you so much, but we know that God will take good care of you. you won't go through anymore pain. till we meet again :)

He will carry you

2011-05-23T00:16:00.002+08:00

something to always turn to for encouragement when embarking on this new stretch of life

if He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know my sister, that He will carry you

i dont know what to think

2011-05-18T22:49:00.002+08:00

these past few days, i've had someone telling me that i look like i'm going to be a principal. and another person saying that i look like a hod.

hahahaha long way to go. and i'm not even sure if i want to go down that track. still young, still have lots of other things to do :)

2 lessons learnt this week

2011-05-12T00:38:00.002+08:00

a motivational speaker who was also a pastor spoke to us during this 2 wk-enrichment course. he told us to say, 'i love myself'. couldnt do it. really dont love alot of things about myself and i've tried to change. to be honest, i think i've tried to change by my own effort and not through prayer and reliance on God.

was really touched when he offered to pray for christian teachers at the end of his talk. i'm glad that kim dragged a reluctant me to go up to be prayed for :) amazing thing was that i was (wrongfully) reading a book during some parts, but some things he said were exactly in line with my book. such a freaky coincidence! maybe God is trying to tell me something.

second thing i learnt this week. one of the things i dread most is waking up early. really really dread this. something my dad said today made me realise that instead of being grumpy and grouchy when waking up, I should thank God that I can even wake up and move out of bed by myself.

I should thank God that my eyes can open.
I should thank God that I can stretch.
I should thank God that I can yawn loudly.
I should thank God that I'm given a new morning (or afternoon).
I should thank God that I have a bed and I'm under a roof.
I should thank God that my feet can swing out of the bed and touch the floor.
the list goes on.

simple things we often take for granted are ignored till they're taken away from us. 2 interesting lessons from some supposedly little events which took place this week. and it's only wednesday/thursday :)

dreams

2011-05-10T22:48:00.003+08:00

my mother recently mentioned a dream that i had months ago. i'd forgotten all about it till she talked about it. dreamt that something terrible would happen by christmas this year. it wasnt a good dream and i was terrified at that time that it would come true. now, i think that the dream seems like it would come true and only God can change the situation.

i'm definitely not a prophet, but sometimes i think that God tells me things through dreams to prepare me for situations. of course, not every dream i have turns into reality, but there have been quite a number which have come true. i also do not claim to have the ability to foretell future events because that's blasphemy. i believe God has given some people such gifts, but it's
difficult to trust people because so many people claim to have such a gift of prophecy.

i had another dream on sunday that something would happen on monday, the following day. however, that thing didn't happen, so i'm really hoping and praying that the terrible dream i had months ago wouldnt happen.

2011-04-12T20:41:00.001+08:00

life's pretty awesome though it's busy. the kids are really cute and great :) doing fine, but getting increasingly forgetful and scatterbrained heh. hope everyone's doing fine!

2011-03-19T11:03:00.004+08:00

churning out lesson plans like crazy. so nervous for the observation on tuesday- my nerves are completely shot. i think about lesson plans before sleeping, in the gym and in the shower. and i even dream about lesson observations and those arent good dreams.

on the bright side, i'm sleeping at 11pm-12am and waking up at 8-9am like a normal person. guess this means the university days of sleeping at 4am and waking at 12pm are over.

to the last ever nie assignment

2011-03-15T21:45:00.004+08:00

just submitted my ace assignment in the afternoon even though the deadline's in 4 days. seriously, it was a rush job done during observation week in practicum. went to school, printed it out, submitted it, bought $50 worth of teaching manipulatives from the bazaar. really hope that i can clear this assignment man.

now that's the end of my last ever nie assignment after 4 years.

gotta rush through lesson plans cos my supervisor's coming on tues. had a really bad nightmare that the observation session went really horrible :( need to think and plan more. and PRAY more.

jia you to pple still doing ace! and a happy birthday to joyce- someone i've known since pri 2 :)

ACE assignment

2011-03-14T15:25:00.001+08:00

so confused! how to write the integration principle? completely STUMPED.

still gotta come up with the rubrics :( will not sleep tonight till this is done.

2011-03-12T22:48:00.003+08:00

had dinner with eeli today- really really awesome catching up :) seriously, i miss hanging out with friends alot. i'm super tired nowadays. seriously dont know how full time teachers can manage it lor. thank God for the march hols where i can (sort of) recuperate. of course, need to do lesson planning and ACE assignment :(

btw, this is my award for teaching for 3 weeks hahaha. seriously, was sooo nervous abt running but it turned out so awesome... it was super fun lor!!! will definitely do it again if i get the chance to :)

2011-03-08T17:30:00.001+08:00

my MOE email has been activated- now i really feel like a teacher hahaha

I HAVE AN EMAIL ACCOUNT FOR WORK!!!!

cheap thrill heh

conversation with parents

2011-02-26T23:13:00.003+08:00

me: hmm last night i had the weirdest dream

parents: what?

me: i dreamt that you guys needed $5000.

parents: *silence* um...

i seriously think God tells me things when i sleep.

2011-02-20T23:54:00.004+08:00

"the man who can't be moved" by the script.

"thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we meet" - i would go back to my old house even after 10 years

anyways, 10 weeks of attachment commences in about 7 hours and i'm looking forward to it :) on the other hand, i'll miss pulau nanyang and friends.

2011-02-12T00:32:00.003+08:00

starting on english draft assignment- seems like the work's never ending :(

slept for like 3 hours after doing the finishing touches on the math research paper. before that it was the portfolio things and now i've got a music reflection, a draft, a presentation and a consultation. great way to end my last week in ntu.

think that because of the craziness, my emotions are all over the place like some pregnant woman. actually cried like a moron a few hours ago over an innocent passing comment about valentine's day. sometimes i feel like such a loser.

anyways, gonna do work now. aim to finish at least half by tonight. probably wont sleep till really really late, but i work better at night with the adrenaline rush and all that :)

happy cny!

2011-02-05T00:25:00.004+08:00

i cant believe that i'm up at this hour NOT counting money, but doing my part for a math research paper :( but oh wells, concentration for me is alot better at night than in the day, so gonna churn out my part by tmr night even tho' we agreed to finish it by monday. contrary to popular belief, i really really do not like to do last minute work because i don't feel 'safe'. maybe i did pull alot of last-minute, shoddy nonsense in jc and secondary school, but it's all different in uni. last-minute work does NOT work.

was joking around with the family, saying that nathan is a really nice name and i would seriously consider naming my son (if i ever have a son) 'nathan'. my sis was such a kill-joy and she said, "HUH?! NATHAN?! why are you naming your son after the president?!"

damn it.

hahaha anyways, happy cny :)

results of the craziest sem ever.

2011-01-18T19:02:00.004+08:00

results were out today and i was really happy. have really been blessed last sem despite the sheer no. of assignments and work. God really works in great ways :)

decided to check the portal on dad's computer while daddy was playing neopets on his mac. when i saw the matric no. page, i shrieked and told my dad that i was super scared. so quickly keyed in the matric number, hit enter, hid behind his chair and told him to check out the results hahahaha

was so scared lor until he was like, it's fine, you did good. hahaha this is called fear of results.

think i can hopefully graduate nicely from uni now :)

2011.

2011-01-06T23:32:00.003+08:00

happy belated 2011!

gotta feeling that this is gonna be a great year with work and graduation. just saw an email that church is gonna organize another cambodia trip- thinking about going for that cos it seriously taught me alot the last time.

sighs. dont like being so materialistic, but i saw this online just a couple of minutes ago and i really really really like it! (maybe the first paycheck or second paycheck can go towards it) dont normally wear rings but this is really really nice, simple, elegant and clean.

tiffany & co just popped into my head 'cos i got a nice necklace a year ago as a present so wanted to see what other nice stuff they have. and just for reiteration's sake- this is very very nice!

5-day week in school, but it's okay cos of the relatively okay distance from home. dont really mind that much 'cos i gotta feeling that i'm gonna miss ntu alot when attachment starts hehe :)

and a happy belated bday to my mum who's still young and awesome :)

2010-12-17T23:19:00.003+08:00

my sis thinks i'm crazy.

have finished my last ever examination this week and it was seriously a bittersweet moment. more bitter for me, surprisingly.

felt quite sad that after 22 years of studying, the last exam i've taken just ended like that. felt really empty in the sense that i'm just wondering "what's next? there's nothing much to work for. there's not much motivation for me to work now." i think at this rate, i would feel terrible after my last ever module next sem haha.

of course, taking the chinese "AO" levels was a different thing. felt so very very happy when it was over but this is different :(

maybe God would show me the way to having something fulfilling in life from now on? idk.

2010-12-10T11:03:00.002+08:00

love the weather.
feels like the best winter singapore climate can offer.
nice, cool weather.
wish it could snow though :)

i blog more as a form of procrastination

2010-12-05T01:12:00.003+08:00

woohoo i've never blogged ever so often this whole year. it's a stall-tactic.

ookay about 60 more words to go. just need an awesome ending for the essay (but not sure whether the whole thing is awesome enough for the tutor haha).

down with a seriously bad flu. think it's the i-dont-have-enough-sleep-flu. anyways, the weather is super cold nowadays to the point that i do assignments and sleep in my australia winter jacket.

feeling a little bit better today after texting the friends and apologizing. sighs- is everybody changing in year 4 or am i the one who's changing? my patience/tolerance level is seriously at an all-time low.

had a nice buffet dinner the other day. seriously, our music tutor is super nice lor. the first in nie to be so enthu and nice to her students :) really thankful for her (but i'll be even more thankful if she somehow gives me an A for her mods hahahaha jk).

quotes from wise people

2010-12-04T01:09:00.002+08:00

"in life, you only need a few good friends. you don't need many friends. just one or two good friends would be more than enough." - old man in old folks' home i visited in sec 1 or sec 2. i think sec 1.

"you have to be a door bi**h, not a door mat. the door bi**h is the one who turns people away without feeling anything." - daddy.

"are you going to let people climb on top of your head, s**t on it, and then offer them toilet paper to clean?" - daddy.

"why are you such a moron?" -myself.

sighs.

2010-12-02T03:22:00.003+08:00

3.30am in the morning and i'm chionging an assignment. after that, another assignment will slap me in the face hahaha

love working in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning because it seems like the brain can function better. (btw i think that i have super bad memory especially during the daytime. maybe i'm having early dementia or something)

seems like this whole sem is just rushing through assignments and tests like mad. well, at least it's ending soon :) and i'm pretty blessed because it was reasonably spaced out so i wasn't drowning that badly.

christmas is coming soon!

2010-11-24T00:26:00.002+08:00

i cannot believe it lor.

2 years ago when that joker escaped, there were posters in nie every 5 metres. and guess what, one of the students/ex-students helped him escaped.

i can just imagine that woman snickering everytime she saw the poster and thinking, "hahaha... post for what- i helped him escape yesterday/last week/last month. go uncle!" or something like that.

either that or in school assemblies the P will prob talk about the joker and then she must also be at the side sniggering and trying to keep a straight face and then after that telling the kids that they have to be vigilant and socially responsible or something. AND the whole time she must have been thinking, "what nonsense- i helped him escape hahaha"

this is a serious disgrace to teachers man. glad that they'll sack her.

2010-11-18T23:21:00.002+08:00

so sad.. i think my gpa's gonna drop like mad this sem :(

bye bye 2nd upper and nice future pay!

2010-11-12T22:50:00.003+08:00

Dear God,

i need guidance and peace from You. too much turmoil and politics in my life. help me to be content with what i have and not focus on what i don't have.

sometimes, wish i could just go back in time to undo stupid things which i have done or said or whatever. still feel alot alot of guilt over many many things, like i'm stuck in the past or something. really need the peace and courage to move on with life and learn from them.

I LOVED THIS BAND

2010-11-08T02:18:00.004+08:00

a1!!!! hahaha suddenly thought about a1 the other day. my favourite's mark read. used to be crazy over them when i was in primary school :)

really love this song. now that i'm listening to all their songs again, this seems to be my favourite hehe :)

and the vid below is them singing it really recently. they've still got it man!

now i think they're the most awesome band hahaha

overheard at nie

2010-10-18T23:17:00.003+08:00

was handing in my assignment today at the ell office and i overheard an ell prof telling her 2 colleagues (not in the exact words):

"with each new batch of students comes a new set of stupid questions they ask me"

HAHAHA i had this stupid big grin on my face as i was walking away lor hahaha. TOTALLY MADE MY DAY.

moral of the story: asking questions for the sake of asking questions wont impress lecturers. it doesnt sound participative. it just annoys them that stupid questions are asked :)

PEDICURE!!!!

2010-10-08T00:11:00.002+08:00

highlight of the week-

getting a pedicure :) my first ever ever pedicure and now my toe nails look pretty sweet. but the pink's a little too bright.. couldn't decide on the colour lor.. all the colours were so pretty!!

maybe next time i'll get them painted a different colour. i think pedis will soon become a monthly staple in my life hehehe

this is gonna sound so stupid but...

2010-10-03T00:10:00.003+08:00

okay this is really really trivial, but last friday in school while boarding 179, a guy actually let me go up the bus first.

HAHAHA it's very rare that ntu guys are so gentlemanly! all these years i've only seen "it's every man for himself on the bus" and "i-dont-care-if-you're-a-girl-i'm-still-gonna-get-on-the-bus-first". i was so impressed! if that happens to you, rmb to thank the person whether it's a guy or a girl :)

reminds me of sajc days when the guys would hold the LT doors open for us and make us sms them when we reached home late.

cheap thrill lah. but it gives me hope for ntu people and that guy made my day hahah

it's been a long while!

2010-09-26T23:52:00.003+08:00

when a person is alone and has free time in a shopping centre....

she spends alot of money :) but she goes home really really happy!

not a big fan of clothes shopping, but i love buying body shop stuff, accessories, food and other things which are not clothes hahaha

had sort of an informal agreement with my bible study group today- we'll try to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. seriously, think that these are my major downfalls so i'm really gonna try my best!

LAST year of school!

2010-09-05T19:23:00.001+08:00

i really wonder what the new semester/AY holds. it's the last one and i can't believe time just flew by so fast!

God, can i pls have some hints on what is there to come? hahaha

22nd bday

2010-09-03T22:08:00.003+08:00

i'm really touched by the well wishes from everybody and appreciate it lots :) sighs, i'm 22 already and it seems like 21 and 18 wasn't very long ago. time really flies and i'm really doubting if i've ever accomplished much in life so far. i would say that my life is like one straight horizontal line where it represents a constant graph hahaha.

still don't know what God has in store for me. i don't know if the 22nd year would bring any difference because the 21st year wasn't really any different in general. i think the only highlights of the 21st year were the aussie and cambodian trips.

anyways, i've been listening alot to stevie wonder and this is a really awesome guitar version of "isn't she lovely" :)

these are the people who completely spoil your day

2010-08-26T21:38:00.003+08:00

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/377910/teachers_overworked_hardly_with_so_many_long_school_holidays.html#commentSection

i do not understand why stomp even posted this nonsense from such a disgruntled soul who knows absolutely NOTHING and assumes everything. he should just get back to his day job, mind his own business and not comment about OTHER people's jobs when he seriously doesn't know anything. teaching isn't old school or straight-forward anymore.

ignorant fool. so smart then you become a teacher lor.

cambodia and dreams

2010-08-15T23:39:00.002+08:00

dreamt of cambodia during the usual sunday afternoon nap.

maybe it's a sign of things to come?

2010-08-10T15:17:00.001+08:00

happy birthday to the most awesome guy ever- my dad.

the most helpful, generous and loving guy i'm seriously lucky to have in my life :)

he still looks young hahah

since when did teaching involve death threats

2010-08-05T00:48:00.001+08:00

hahaha if i get murdered tmr, it's been nice knowing everyone!

the perils of teaching hehe

sleep

2010-08-04T00:32:00.005+08:00

so tired these days that i take afternoon naps immediately after reaching home from work.

and i sleep like i'm in some kind of coma.

even though some just drive you up the wall, i still love my job :) most great kids outweigh the really bad ones. even then, most naughty ones care if you're happy with them hahaha

2010-07-19T20:07:00.003+08:00

teaching is the most exhausting job ever

wake up before sunrise, never-ending cycle of marking and lesson planning (and for normal full-time teachers: the addition of supplementary classes and CCAs after school), etc etc.

but

teaching is also the most rewarding job EVER

when students call out and are genuinely happy to see you, it really makes your day no matter how exhausted you are :)

i'm back!

2010-07-02T21:20:00.009+08:00

back from the aussie trip with nie friends and the cambodian mission trip with church friends. both trips were super AWESOME. aussie was a great time of relaxation and shopping, and cambodia was a really good learning experience with great interaction with the locals. don't really have pics of the cambodia trip, but i have a few aussie favourites :) enjoy!

sorry, no time to go into detail 'cos holland vs brazil match is coming up in about half an hour.

with a koala bear. it's super cute!

feeding and patting the kangeroos

@sydney opera house

@sydney harbour bridge

@bondi beach

and lastly, one of my favourites @ dreamworld gold coast

there are tons more pics, so will post them soon. hopefully before work starts this coming tuesday. can't wait!

2010-06-06T15:37:00.002+08:00

off to australia!

thanks parents for running around with me to get last minute stuff and *still* helping me pack hehe. will miss the family sooo much even though it's only 11 days hahaha.

then again, it's no surprise cos i get homesick even if i'm in pulau nanyang's hall for a night :) cheerios!

love, nic

travelling prep

2010-06-05T00:13:00.002+08:00

had to do tons of stuff for the 2 trips today. took 4 jabs- 2 on each arm for the cambodia trip cos i won't really have time after coming back from australia. it didn't hurt, just a little bruised after. tts's travel clinic was super efficient. everything done in less than half an hour and the place looked like a spa instead of a clinic haha.

then.. results were OUT. was about to log off after checking emails, but something told me to check portal and lo and behold, results apparently were just released i think. haha my parents seemed more excited than me and were pointing at the modules and everything on the laptop screen. anyways, quite happy with everything. feel really blessed despite this turbulent semester. and i'm thankful :) hopefully, would be motivated for practicum and the upcoming 7 modules next sem.

the math modelling camp was pretty awesome. loved working with the kids and interacting with them. yes, it was tiring to help build 5 tents and taking care of them in a stuffy classroom accompanied by the humid singapore weather, BUT it was really rewarding when they said they had fun and learnt stuff so it was definitely worth it in the end :)

2010-05-27T23:42:00.002+08:00

this is ridiculous. i'm more terrified of exam results than of both lizards and cockroaches.

was scouring through fb and saw a ton of ntu pple posting abt exam results and my heart literally pounded so loudly and quickly for awhile.

then i realised that nie results come out 2 weeks later. false alarm, heart attack.

chalet

2010-05-22T23:13:00.002+08:00

went for a chalet to catch up with a few secondary school friends. only 4 of us, but it's nice in the sense that we cld really take time to catch up with each other more thoroughly instead of superficially.

it was simple, yet great. my favourite part was when we went for a walk after dinner and sat at a table near the seaside and talked for a couple of hours. LOVE the sea and seabreeze.

and i guess i'm seriously not that afraid of cockroaches (and hopefully lizards) anymore haha :)

2010-05-08T22:22:00.002+08:00

i just realised why i cant find nice dresses anymore. it's because i have to use them as tops instead of dresses. bought a new top last week and i saw a girl wearing it as a dress when i was at vivo the other day. sighs.

am woken up everyday by my father storming into my room saying, "how's my oldest chipmunk today?" cheek is still puffy (but i'm sure it's quite endearingly cute to the parents) and i've been on a mostly liquid diet this past week. thank God liquid includes ice-cream hehe :)

the bathroom lizard

2010-05-02T23:11:00.002+08:00

caught and killed a lizard in the bathroom today. flushed it down the toilet.

yup, my accomplishment for today is killing a lizard haha

xin tia

2010-04-30T21:50:00.002+08:00

saw this honda driver who scratched the entire right side of his car (from back to driver's door) while negotiating a turn which was too sharp and narrow. he looked super "pissed off" (in the words of my parents)

i think sometimes car drivers underestimate the size of their car. so the moral of the story is: drive a van before driving a car so you wont underestimate turns :)

poor guy. he looked absolutely heartbroken that he had to reverse and make a deeper scratch in order to free his car from the turn.

2010-04-19T21:28:00.003+08:00

i'm sorry, but i dont understand why some people have this need to fb their essay progress every 5 minutes. wouldnt time be better spent WRITING the essay than updating everybody abt your wordcount/progress? it's annoying, sorry.

sorry, in a very angsty mood now. too many readings and nothing's retaining in this brain of mine.

love.

2010-04-14T23:52:00.001+08:00

suddenly very taken in by 'glee' since i chanced upon the marathon on starworld. gotta love cable tv :) seriously, i never thought that i would be into 'glee' but i was so wrong. this song has been in my head since hearing it and love it love it love it!!

the only problem with it is that it's too short, so thank the youtube user for being kind enough to play it back-to-back twice.

sweet caroline by mark salling :)

it's almost the end of sem and i cannot believe it.

2010-04-14T02:36:00.004+08:00

went to starbucks on friday- first time this year! really needed it that day man... i think i'm having a starbucks addiction now. especially when thinking about/doing assignment.

what. a. semester btw. let's just say that things happen for a reason- good or bad. still quite mad about things but i'm sure that God wants me to learn something abt this. maybe i'll figure it out like 6 years later (like how other things took 6 years to realise). need to cool down- maybe with a chocolate chip cream from starbucks heh :)

i'm thankful for my nie buddies especially this sem. you guys are awesome la and i cant wait for the aussie trip!! and my family has been really great too- they really came thru for me.. so touching!

miss my buddies. really wanna catch up with them lor!

2010-04-04T23:53:00.002+08:00

so is it implying that it's OKAY to hit-and-run just because you're an ambassador. well, he's not the best ambassador i've seen.

it's so easy to spot the loopholes and hide under the safety of 'law', but what happened to BASIC HUMAN DECENCY? apparently this joker has none whatsoever. he's not even feeling guilty about it can! and he thinks that money can pay people off- moron.

they should take away his diplomatic immunity and declare him an international criminal.

I'M JUST SOOO MAD AT THIS DEGENERATE NOW.

ace assignment 1 done

2010-03-07T02:18:00.002+08:00

woohoo. it's 2.20am in the morning and i've just submitted my ace assignment online. feeling super relieved that i managed to complete this a day before monday's deadline so i can rest tmr. really Thank God for His blessings this week, that He has granted great time management, calmness AND inspiration despite all the busyness that went on. He is great :)

gonna sleep now. church is in like 6 hours.

this week

2010-03-04T22:47:00.003+08:00

feeling really blessed (and loads of relief) now.

has been a roller-coaster week, feeling alot of tiredness but am still reminded that God listens and that He blesses.

still thinking abt the ACE assignment. seriously, it's at the forefront of my mind, but not really done yet :(

2010-02-25T18:58:00.001+08:00

sometimes, it would be nice if God told us the purpose for things instead of us wondering about it all the time. but it's in His time, for the best. what do we know anyway right.

2010-02-22T10:57:00.000+08:00

I THINK MY WISDOM TOOTH IS COMING OUT. hurts like mad!

update

2010-02-06T01:10:00.003+08:00

music presentation went pretty much okay. though i really dont appreciate pple trying to be funny, glad that the kiasu-ness in anticipation paid off, so it didnt go badly at all, i wld say :)

would say that 60% of the math lesson plan is pretty much done. just need to refine and churn out the appendices.

overall, it's been a good week. (and yes, call me a sadist but i'm stoked that CNY is on valentine's day this year heh)

haven't met you yet

2010-01-26T00:26:00.004+08:00

this is a very happy song- love it lots :) i've always loved live recordings (only if they're done well) and this one is great. fast forward to 1:55 for the song.

always thought that the recording quality at abbey road is awesome. the show is where i first learnt about the gipsy kings too.

life decisions

2010-01-23T21:06:00.003+08:00

sometimes we gotta just make the best out of decisions we make :) though sometimes, i really regret doing things cos they cant be retracted.

doing music lesson plan now. it's tough thinking of some funky stuff which kids can do. super terrified that the tutor might hate it or something. and yes, wish that i had inherited half the creativity my parents have hahaha.

too bad creativity is no genetic :)

another random conversation

2010-01-06T22:10:00.002+08:00

life has funny moments and times where people say the most unexpected things.

mummy: yeah, i would say you're a girl-next-door. i think you'll get married, but you'll marry a nerdy kind of guy.

so random- let's see if it'll come true hahaha.

now the internet's all abuzz about this girl who got molested by 4 guys at the count-down party. honestly, i think that if you're alone, indecent and drunk, you're just putting a target on your face. and it's just disgusting that people can make use of parties like that to take advantage of others.

there's another much commonly talked about forum post- about how schools are not paying enough attention to MORAL EDUCATION.

are you kidding me? i seriously don't know what gives parents the right to blame the education system if they find their kids lacking in morals. let me challenge the assumption that morals can be taught. morals CANNOT be taught- they have to be modelled. what's the point of giving examinations and worksheets to teach morals if people around the child don't practise morals, if parents happily litter and do all sorts of discourteous things? there's only so much a school and teacher can do- they cannot follow all students around to tell them that something is moral or immoral. i think morals come with experience, with proper upbringing and it's the duty of parents as well, not solely the school to equip kids with the right knowledge.

other than that, decisions which kids make would fall on their own judgement.

the most random funny thing

2010-01-05T01:02:00.002+08:00

while watching tv with mum.

me: that guy looks like Jesus.

mum laughs at the same time

mum: i was just about to say that.

me: since when did we have this idea about what Jesus looks like?

i blame it on too much history channel/discovery channel and the passion of Christ.

2009-12-26T23:31:00.002+08:00

thanks friends for the loving smses during christmas and the encouragement & concern regarding the 'thing which made me sad'. they really made my day and christmas better :)

this song is super old, but i just discovered it. quite enjoyable. it's a fusion between bossa nova and hip hop. at first, i thought it would be nonsense 'cos it 'dilutes' bossa, but it sounds great!

enjoy it! and may everyone have a belated blessed CHRISTmas. there's a reason why it's called "CHRISTmas"

never thought that i wld cry

2009-12-23T23:14:00.002+08:00

never thought that i wld cry esp since i didnt during funerals of immediate relatives, but i did today.

it's difficult losing your mum when you're only 14. so so sorry for them.

though it's easy to say "sorry" and that "she's in a better place", honestly dont know if it'll help the family with their grieving.

but she really is in a better place with no more pain. pray that God would slowly heal the family in this time of need and grief.

death

2009-12-22T01:23:00.003+08:00

1 corinthians 15:26

"and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death"

no it's not from harry potter- it's from the Bible.

i'm amazed at the efficiency of funerals in this country. it seems like a meticulous, mechanical process driven by the need to finish within half an hour so that the next group of people in line can mourn their beloved.

it doesn't rain when there are sad times. it pours (literally).

hmm chronic fatigue?

2009-11-30T22:14:00.002+08:00

after my 2nd nap which was at 5pm-

mother: eh are you okay anot? you're always sleeping- sure you're not suffering from some kind of chronic fatigue?

now that's a consideration.

went to a wedding on sunday
-where i knew neither bride nor groom.
-where the bride and groom were younger than me.
-where the table i was sitting was full of people over the age of 50 (with the exception of my cousin who's the same age as me, thank goodness).
-where the people mostly conversed in hainanese (it's quite a vulgar sounding dialect in my opinion).
-where the bride and groom looked like 'who on earth are these people' when they made table rounds.
-where it seemed more like a bash for the bride's parents' friends instead of her wedding.
-where my aunts went around gossiping and coming to the conclusion that most people think the marriage would end up in divorce because
1) the boy hasnt even gone for NS
2) they are both under the age of 20
3) both are of different race/religion (AMX!)
4) the girl is hot-tempered
5) they are flat out financially unstable

family entertains right? sighs

time FLIES!

2009-11-27T22:19:00.002+08:00

i CANNOT believe i only have a year left in university. have been really loving the uni life. seriously, it's ALOT better than jc life :)

too fast too fast!!

thanksgiving

2009-11-21T18:01:00.002+08:00

had 2 papers on thursday. first time i had two papers on the same day in my entire uni life, so was quite worried and strung out.

prayed for peace and wisdom for my friends and i for the past few weeks before the exam, and thank God, had this sense of peace and calmness throughout BOTH exams. very thankful that whatever i could recall just flowed through my mind even though it wasn't that much. but still very thankful :)

my cousin's road to recovery seems alright. saw her on friday and she looked alot better and healthier. very very glad to see her recovering and pray that it continues.

it's a good week, where there's affirmation that God hears prayers and it was seriously great encouragement for me :)

one more paper to go!

awesome :)

2009-11-17T00:21:00.002+08:00

jason mraz- make it mine (live version)

i have a weakness for jazzy soul sounds hehe :)

2009-11-14T17:03:00.001+08:00

I run to you- Lady Antebellum

said before that i'm really not into country music, but this is a really nice song which i made an exception for :) hope you like this.

procrastinating instead of mugging

2009-11-13T22:49:00.002+08:00

isnt that the story of my life? hahaha

took a super long nap today. how can you not when the weather is so AWESOME? cold rainy days signal that christmas is coming.

with my daddy

2009-11-08T01:05:00.006+08:00

monday morning en route to a 2-hour music module and a long day of school.

daddy: are you hungry? let's go eat breakfast.

2 half-boiled eggs, 2 pieces of toast and an ice milo caused me to be late for class by 10 minutes.

it was a great day to spend with dad and chat about stuff over breakfast. cause you can forget what you learn in class, but you cant forget the times spent with loved ones.

and 50 years down the road, i still wont regret spending extra time with dad who always cracks the half-boiled eggs for his kids before cracking his own instead of being punctual for class:)

dad is great heh. will blog about mum soon! this makes me feel blessed and happy.

facebook

2009-11-03T22:39:00.000+08:00

have you tried fb in pirate language? it's AWESOME :) arrrr

homework

2009-10-31T03:31:00.005+08:00

it's 3.30am in the morning and i've just finished my 1000 word reconstruction essay.

feels good that 1/5 of the work has been done. i find that blogging out assignments pressure me to finish them on time/ahead of schedule heh :)

what's left to do:

1. music reflection (the 7th one this sem)
2. think of ed psych presentation mode (something entertaining and fun)
3. study for ase test on tues
4. finish math prac test paper (maybe this one can do on the train tmr. how fun can it be doing maths with a scientific calculator on the train on a satuday? haha)

some words of encouragement:
even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. -Isaiah 40:30.

give me strength so i may run a good race.

thoughts on teaching

2009-10-29T18:26:00.002+08:00

am reading through this textbook/handbook in preparation for this assignment coming up with regard to my personal teaching pedagogy in the future.

i really wish that i had known all this while relief teaching two years ago. feel like i short-changed the kids then with my ignorance/lack of experience.

teaching is something really special and i feel it even more while reading the textbook. it requires so much more than just a lesson delivery and lesson preparation. it affects the lives of 40 kids and it's one bad thing that classes are so big. it was a struggle to concentrate on each and every one of the kids and their needs/problems and it still is a regret i have till today. remembered that there were things i wouldnt have noticed until parents would bring it up- that's why i feel like i short-changed this bunch of kids alot.

hopefully i would be a better teacher when i go out and try the next time. i really really want to do a good job, and grant kids good memories of their time in primary school.

i HAVE to blog about this

2009-10-26T23:58:00.003+08:00

our lecturer showed us this website for kids learning phonics today and there was a very contagious jingle playing on the website non-stop.

of course, being the impressionable musical soul, i started to hum along and hummed even when the website was closed. lala got super annoyed (but i think she was secretly amused).

so as the lecturer was saying that one of the cons of the website was the jingle, she hummed along to it the same time as i was humming. so lala got so fed-up, she said, "SHUT UP LA".

and the lecturer heard it. she was like, "yeah i know". think lala almost died of embarrassment and i almost died laughing.

letting go

2009-10-22T22:54:00.004+08:00

letting go is the hardest thing for me to do in life so far.

but maybe acknowledging the fact that you have to let go, is the first but crucial step of many many more steps to come for complete healing.

it's in Your hands, God. i trust you :) trust that there's better things to come eventually and a lesson would be learnt.

150 colourful sticks of happiness in a 3-tier container

2009-10-20T00:33:00.003+08:00

Truly an investment for a non stressful and joyous time. It's an early christmas present for myself :)

arranged according to colour :)

oh happy day. haven't been this happy/excited since the start of the year. yeah i know- deprived life with zero social interaction heh.

seriously worth the 40 bucks. and btw, forget the previous post :)

a song

2009-10-19T00:58:00.003+08:00

"if you're happy and you know it clap your hands"

not clapping. cos of a botched presentation. still cant get over it. kns.

break time

2009-10-10T17:25:00.003+08:00

phonetics DONE. finally. after sleeping at 5am in the morning and continuing 6 hours later. hope the sacrifice is worth it man :)

gonna start on amx tonight. prob would end up with eye bags when i go church tmr, but hey- my fault for doing stuff last minute.

just in case you're bored/procrastinating:

donating blood

2009-10-08T22:21:00.002+08:00

okay, took up this suggestion by one very nice nie friend to blog abt this heh.

today was the first day i donated blood in the donation drive in school. seriously, it's not painful.

something which really inspired me to do so was this post written early this year:
http://nocturnalnic.blogspot.com/2009/01/grandma-was-warded-into-icu-on-tuesday.html
noticed a pack of blood used for blood transfusion to my grandma and thought, hey- it would be nice to do something good so it could help someone else's grandma.

so anyway, the process wasn't painful, but was late for class! the person there said the duration would depend on how much blood comes out, so i said, "okay, i'll make my body give out blood as fast as it can" and everybody laughed lor. true enough, a pack of blood was filled very quickly (according to them) and was 15 mins late for class. left with a warning on not to run or i wld faint or something.

seriously, it was an amazing experience (for me, cos i guess i get easily excited over random stuff). surprisingly, daddy was more excited when i came home. he took out the camera and started snapping away at the bandage and all hahaha.

okay back to phonetics :)

2009-09-30T17:45:00.002+08:00

my new crush. this one is serious.

wang lee hom.

SERIOUS. saw him conducting an orchestra on cnn a few months back then suddenly thought about it and googled and youtubed it. bingo! hahaha

okay. i'm happy.

btw, it was a protest against doing phonetics- i have no idea how to do the paper. 20 pages sighs.

another 10 random things

2009-09-28T22:51:00.002+08:00

1. i'm 1/3 through my bilingual assignment and this is considered a study break

2. if someone brings me a nice cold glass of juice right now, i will seriously kiss that person hahaha.

3. wish the coms of all those idiots who posted their own personal commentary under 'kanye interrupts taylor swift' ALONG with a credible looking screenshot in youtube, would crash. and burn. i wanna see the interruption, NOT your commentary/opinions/bs.

4. my dreams of joining band have been dashed haha. my friend says that you have to be good at the instrument and i think i've lost my touch. or maybe i never had the trumpet touch in the first place.

5. will not sleep till i finish this bilingual assignment. serious.

6. miss talking to alot of people. even though they probably have no idea that i wld really like to talk to them.

7. watched csi: ny's new season's first episode. AWESOME.

8. wished my life was more exciting and more random. but i cant really afford exciting and random now :(

9. half the battle is won when your content page is done (something i use to delude myself EVERY SINGLE assignment)

10. the gipsy kings are really good. listening to djobi djoba now- go check it on youtube

2009-09-24T18:21:00.002+08:00

what an interesting way to start the morning.

one of my best friends betrayed me lor. and my 'best friend' also found a way to tell me that i'm gaining weight hahaha

who is the best friend? MY BED.

my bed BROKE this morning. woke up, walked around the house and i wanted to go back to sleep, but as i put one knee on the bed, the STUPID thing broke and now my bed is tilted.

it woke my sister up and she was trying to control her laughter as she told my parents. i was still very sleepy so i just sat on the floor. so my parents came in and started laughing at me.

stupid bed.

2009-09-21T17:56:00.001+08:00

ed psych and music weekly reflections DONE.

questionnaire for aae 440 DONE. observation and interview not done yet though.

ASE assignment due oct 5 IN PROGRESS.

i'm just glad i only have school for 2 days this week.