Teachers' Day Celebration at LPS

I was at LPS for a good part of the morning and did not leave until 2pm as I had to rush to NIE for a make-up class. But the 5 hours or so spent at LPS was great.

It is indeed very heart-warming to receive little gifts, cards and wishes from the students. Every student, irrespective of the gift or well wishes, really makes our day when they show their appreciation to their teachers.

To all those whom I received a little something from you, I am really really grateful. It is such a blessing to have students like you all. It is my wish and deisre that all of you do well academically and mature into teenagers of exemplary character but displaying such traits with humility.

Once again, thank you all for your gifts and have a fruitful break.

Teachers' Day Dinner with LPS colleagues

I got back from the Teachers' Day Dinner with my LPS colleagues an hour ago. It was a very fun-filled evening. Kudos to the organising committee and also to both MCs: Hassan and Fadil who made the evening so hilarious with their unparalleled wit and humour. And the best part was that I won the 1st prize in the lucky draw segment!!

Earlier in the day, the presentation for 101 went very well. Our tutor was very pleased with all four groups for their in-depth coverage. At least it made our next component which is the individual written assignment easier to handle.

Will be going back to LPS tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting up with my ex-students from 2T, 5R & 5D. There are of course others whom I have not taught but have interacted with along the way.

Wishing all fellow teachers a Happy Teachers' Day. May all of you have a fulfilling journey investing in the young lives under our care.

Thunderstorm Tuesday

On my way back from NIE this afternoon, it rained cats and dogs. I was glad that the rain cooled the environment as it has been rather scorching these few days. But the downside is that I HAD JUST WASHED MY CAR YESTERDAY!!!! *sigh*

We have finally completed our group presentation for tomorrow. After uploading the slides to our tutor, we were relieved. Just these 2 days saw us having 2 group meeting lasting 4 hours each.

Over the next 2 weeks, there will be quite a number of things to be done. Assignments to be handed in, tests are coming and besides that, group meetings for major assignments will go on.

The Teachers' Day dinner with my LPS colleagues is tomorrow evening. The venue is just opposite my block! Held at the Civil Service Club, I am sure it will be a great time for everyone to get together.

To the P6s in LPS, work towards your PSLE. For those of you who did well in your prelims, keep it up and continue to put in the effort and ace the PSLE. If the unfortunate situation in that some of you may not have fared too well, fret not. Though this is the prelims, use it as a wake-up call and a chance to identify the gaps and lapses in your understanding and knowledge. Make good use of the 1 week break to do a thorough 'post mortem'. Know where you went wrong and refrain from repeating the same mistake. Remember to exercise as well as a healthy body and healthy mind will certainly help in your studies compared to falling sick.

As for the P5s, the SA2 is next. Do the same as what I mentioned above to the P6s.

Some last words: The race is never over unless you youself declare it. A small setback does not equate to the end of everything. Likewise, never rest on your laurels. Continue to keep up the good work. All the best!!

Monday Blues....

I am sure that everyone suffers from Monday Blues. I sure do suffer from that. It is not so much due to the Sheares Bridge Run yesterday but more of the fact that the weekend is over and it is back to the routine of getting up bright and early, sending Angela to work then heading to NIE.

I had a rather long group discussion today. It was for our presentation on Wednesday. Still waiting for my group memeber to email his portion to me so that I can import his portion into the final presentation. After that, Dora will need the completed slides to edit the one page summary.

I had to make a huge detour this morning on my way to NIE. Acording to the radio, there was a smash at the Pioneer Road exit affecting 2 lanes. The tail back was all the way back to the Corporation flyover. I dread making detours as that would mean start-stop driving thereby using up more fuel.

Another 2 days to Teachers' day celebration. No prizes for guessing where I would be. Many of my course mates are also going back to their contract school. We are all looking forward to Wednesday.

To all my ex-students at LPS, I'll be back!!!

I completed the Sheares Bridge Run !!!

Praise God! I managed to finish the race and broke my own personal time of 66 min by clocking in 60min. However, the run was not without its challenges. So I will now take you through the journey. Buckle up and let's hit the road!

0500hrs: I got up and had trouble getting back to sleep. Could it be the amout of food I had for dinner the night before?

0615hrs: My CG friend YS who was to run with me called to say he cannot join me as his cough was still quite bad. That was a good choice and you will know why later.

0710hrs: Traffic flow at junctions where the 21km runners were was slow as the police had to stop traffic to let the runners pass. There were so many participants.

0740hrs: Gathered at the start point along Esplanade Bridge. Did my warming up exercises. Seemed as if half of Singapore was there! Do I see some dark clouds looming?

0800hrs: Defence Minister flags off the run. Never had I the chance to run along Shenton Way without any traffic. We had the whole road to ourselves.

0800hrs -0900hrs: I will now take you through the various intervals.

2km: My right shoelace was undone! Oh crap! I pulled to the side so that I will not disrupt any runners. Tied it and carried on running.

3km: The most difficult but also the best part of the race. Running up the Sheares Bridge and admiring the beautiful city skyline. Tough it was but certainly well-worth the effort.

5km: Mid-way there! Keep it up!

8km: The skies opened up and as the oldie sung by Engurlbert Humberdick (sp) goes," Raindrops keep falling on my head..." I was soaked! Where is the nearest shelter? Need to keep my handphone dry! Thankfully YS did not take part else his cough will be made worse.

9km: Took shelter along the Kallang Riverside Park which is part of the route. Just as I looked at the 9km signboard, I thought, " Just another 1k, just bite the bullet and press on! I am already drenched!"

10km: The feeling is great. Hearing the cheers and seeing the two huge words spread across St Andrew's Rd- "FINISH LINE", I felt as if I had all the energy in the world.

So the SBR has come and gone. I learnt that once you have done adequate conditioning and training, the psychological factor plays a part. What next? The StandChart Singapore Marathon on the 3rd Dec 06. That one is 21km. Will rest for a few days before I resume training again. Care to join in anyone?

F1 Turkish GP Qualifying

Whoo hoooo......! Ferarri all the way! Just read on the Formula 1 website that my favourite team grabbed the front row of the starting grid for tomorrow's race. Though Schumi was a little slower than his Brazillian team mate Massa, I am sure they will do something so that the former will be able to end up in front of the latter. The reason is simple. Get Schumi in front so that he can score the maximum points in order to reduce the deficit between himself and Alonso. This means that tomorrow's race will be a nail-biting one. However, kudos to Massa on grabbing his first pole victory of his career.

Practically the whole of today was spent in front of the computer. I was preparing the slides for Wednesday's presentation but as you all are aware, that was not the only thing I was doing concurrently. I managed to squeeze in some time vacuuming the WHOLE house and doing the laundry in between.

We just got back from dinner with Joyce. 5 of us had a great time. We went to this restaurant opposite SMU called ( oh dear....cannot recall the name already!!! Goodness gracious!). The food was awesome! Just as we finished, we saw one of the Channel 8 news journalists entering with someone. (not sure if that is her bf or husband) She appears slightly smaller build in person compared to on-screen. Perhaps that applies to everyone.

I got to go to bed now as I have to arise at 6am. Got to pick 2 church friends who are also running the SBR as well. Cannot wait to marvel at the view from atop the Sheares Bridge.

I will post again tomorrow and tell all of you about the event. Till then, sleep well and sweet dreams!!

Ciao!

11 weeks old.....

We went to see our gynae in the afternoon. He was very pleased with the development of the foetus. It is now 11 weeks old and the ETA is on 15th Mar 07. Through the scan, the head, spine, fingers and toes are quite visible! And our little one was rather 'active' as well. It took him sometime to be able to take a measurement! Thank God for technology. I asked him when he was still a gynae-in-training, did they have the luxury of such high-tech equipment. The answer? No. They went by gut feel. (literally and figuratively) Back then, they did not even know the gender of the child only until birth. The date of arrival was also not known.

Times have changed. With the existence of technology, every nitty gritty detail can be known by just clicking a button. The next thing is to constantly pray for our child and that he/she will truly experience God's love even as He knits our child in the mother's womb.

We are very blessed to have a great CG who has been, is now and will always be upholding us in prayers. Quoting from our CGL, this child will be the 'first authentic disciple' of the CG. The reason is that Angela and I met in church, starting dating and walked down the aisle together. Now we are expecting our first child. It is truly by the grace and mercy of our Lord.

I guess the next two trimesters will be an exciting time for us. Thankfully, she has not had morning sickness so far. As for food cravings, she also has not been asking for anything in particular except the observation that she makes a beeline for sweet stuff.

The weekend's here! 1 more day to the SBR! Hopefully my running partner Yat Sing will be back to normal as he was nursing a slight blocked nose. We will conquer the Sheares Bridge together.

Event-packed weekend ahead!!

It is going to be a rather busy weekend for me. I got to prepare my portion for the presentation which is due next Wednesday. As my group will be meeting on Monday, we have to complete it and send the soft copy of the presentation to our tutor by Tuesday afternoon. By and large, it is not that difficult but we are not over-confident as we intend to do well in it.

Joyce's (one of the church staff) farewell dinner will be on Saturday night. Which means I will miss the F1 qualifying session. *sigh* The Sheares Bridge Run will be the next morning after that. I also have a baptism service to attend in the afternoon. It seems that my whole weekend is packed! I reckon that I have a good part of tomorrow to settle most of the presentation stuff so that I can fully utlise the morning and afternoon of Saturday to prepare my tutorials and do my readings.

I have already ruled out doing any work on Sunday as it will be a time of recovery after the run. That means I can watch the Istanbul GP! However, I believe it should be ok as I have been training rather consistently. After the SBR, I will work towards the StanChart Half-Marathon.

We will visit the gynae tomorrow afternoon. According to him, the limbs can already be seen! How exciting! I'll keep all of you posted on the progress of the pregnancy.

Dad's b'day dinner tomorrow evening. Wish him good health and happiness always. Angela and I are praying that he will be part of God's kingdom in His time.

Speed thrills but kills!

When I read the papers this morning, my heart sank when I read about the 23 year old undergrad who was killed in a horrific car crash that occurred two nights ago. He was driving a high performance car along Pioneer Road when according to the papers, lost control of the vehicle. The Subaru WRX hit 2 taxis, uprooted 2 trees and knocked down a lamp post. The skid marks and debris scattered spread over a distance of 100m. This tells how hard the impact was. Needless to say, the car was totalled. I saw the pictures which was shown on last night's news. My heart goes out to his parents who bought the car for their only son. A very big mistake in my opinion to buy such a high performance car for such a young driver.

As I reflect on this tragic incident, I reminded myself to be extra careful on the road. Occasionally, I have the Schumacher bug in me and tend to go a little over the limit. In my 13 years driving experience, I have had many near misses and of course I had been involved in a crash as well. Thankfully it was minor despite me having to do some minor repairs to my car. The other car was not so lucky though as I was driving a Volvo! Coming back to road safety, I always recommend that new drivers ought to be guided by more experienced drivers. For the first two months since obtaining my license, my parents did not allow me to drive the family car alone. It was until I 'passed' my father's 'test' did he allow me to use the car. Even then, they always reminded me to drive safely.

For those of you who are learning how to drive, once you have passed, you are at the start of the learning curve. It is the start of a long process to build up one's skills in judging, anticipating, steering and defensive driving. If possible, drive an old car with no power steering as this will really nail down the basics. I learnt a lot driving the family's then 15 year old manual Nissan with no power steering! Imagine me struggling to park that car for the first time!

The Turkish GP this weekend should be exciting! After a three week break, I am looking forward to the red scarlet car facing off with the blue and yellow one! Guess you know my favourite team.

So I will have to finish up my work by sat cos I got the SBR on sunday morning.

SCHUMI & HIS FERRARI ROCK!

Multi-tasking on the computer - Just like what PM Lee illustrated in his ND Rally speech!

As I am posting this entry, I am multi-tasking. The MP3 is playing, MSN is on, typing out my portion for my group discussion tomorrow. The presentation is due next Wed. We aim to complete it by the coming Mon latest.

Listening to Whitney Houston's hit entitled "One Moment In Time". She has got a great voice. If you listen carefully, Houston can drag her voice to a very high note and if the song requires a lower key, her voice can adjust. I am not musically inclined so please pardon me if I do not know how to use technical terms. It may be a very old song but I simply enjoy listening to the 80s and 90s songs. They are really fantastic. I especially like Class 95 FM's "All 80s or 90s weekend" where they play ALL the songs of the two decades. My course mates may be born in the next decade after myself but they too like the 80s. Aaron and WH downloaded all my MP3s into their PCs so that when the need arises for some music, it is readily available.

Got up at 4.30 am this morning and had a superb run with my new shoes. It seems like taking a car on a drive when it has just been fitted with brand new tyres. The additional cushioning really helped. Compared with the SAF Brooks (it is a multi-purpose cross-trainer), this Saucony is a world of a difference. You could say that the Saucony is a Bridgestone Potenza whilst the SAF Brooks is like the entry level OEM tyre. Will not be running anymore till Sunday. Need to have the adequate rest before the race.

My team leader Bernard called me earlier asking if I could make alternative arrangements to have someone take over me this Sunday as I am actually rostered to serve in the AV team this week. I then SMSed Lian Siang and he could! Thanks guys! Owe you all one!

This is the CA and prelims week. I wish all the P3s, 4s and 5s all the best as they face the challenges of the CA. The same goes for the P6s.

I will break for dinner now. Take care everyone.

I bought my shoes!! US size 13!!

I managed to purchase my running shoes today. My brother gave me his contact(by the name Godfrey) at Kaki Bt Tech Park. Although it is quite a distance from NIE, (25min to be exact via PIE) the discount which I got was rather substantial. It costs just 60% of the normal retail price. I only paid $72 for it.

When Godfrey took the measurement for my foot I discovered something. My shoe size was US 13! All along I could fit into size 12 but I must admit that when I am running, I can already feel a slight strain on my toes. Based on his recommendation, I took his advice. However, I did not have much of a choice on the design. The resaon is that they only bring in large sizes (13 and above) for just one or two of their entire range! In fact, purchasing footwear has always been a headache for myself since young. The first question I ask when I wish to purchase footwear is ," What is your largest size available?" Those of you who have big feet probably know what I am talking about!

After that I had lunch at Ampang Yong Tau Foo at Upp Thomson Rd. It was awesome! I have not patronized that shop for ages! I went with my course mate Dora and she too enjoyed it. Over lunch, we were talking about all the good food around Singapore. Needless to say, we will go with the rest of the group if timing permits.

Met Aaron later and 3 of us went to BBDC to register for their Basic Theory Test. I recall myself learning the BTT years ago. I must admit that learner drivers nowadays are really fotunate. Brand new cars with all the specifications and they can also learn on automatic! However, those who learn on auto cannot drive a manual. I wish both of you a fun and adventurous time learning driving. I sure did enjoy my driving lessons back then. My L-plate car was the 1989 model Honda Civic which has long been taken off the road already. It only had power steering and nothing else. There was air-conditioning of course but the mirrors and windows were mechanical. Times have changed!

Going to hit the sack. Need to rise at an unearthly 4.30am to go for my endurance run.

Scratch marks got even more obvious!!!! *heart pain*

Some of you may know that my car bumper got grazed about a month or two ago. It happened on a Sunday afternoon when we went home after lunch. I usually park at the MSCP (multi-storey car park) beside my church building. Just as I was approaching the car, something 'extra' on the left side of the front bumper caught my attention and upon closer look, there were scratch marks.

I decided to use the car polish and wax to rub it thinking it will remove the scratch marks! Unfortunately it did not! On the contrary, it ended up making it even more obvious! The only way to remove the marks completely is to have the WHOLE bumper resprayed which will make me at least 200 bucks lighter.

Decision? Just leave it. I can live with that scratch mark but it sure feels terrible! Barely six months old and someone has already left his/her signature on it! xin3 tong4! (heart pain)

It is the PM's ND rally speech tonight. I wonder what will he talk about and what new policies will he introduce. Further refinements to the economy? Additional perks/benefits to address the falling birth rate? We shall see.

6 Days to the SBR! Going to purchase running shoes with Dora and Steph tomorrow.

Adios!

W4 Cluster Run with my LPS colleagues

I nearly missed the event this morning. I recall setting my hp to ring at 0630hrs this morning but I did not select the repeat alarm on saturdays! I woke up at 0715 which was the time tt I was supposed to be at JJC! OMG!

But, I managed to wash up, get changed and drive to JJC in just 20min! LOL! Well, the schumi bug got into me.....errr...not really! Traffic was very light so I mged to get there in time. Yoke Ting thought I was not coming!!! Luckily I made it there else Diona will be wondering where her pacer wld be.

So I found out that there wld be 2 waves of running and walking segments i.e: 4 gps. That means I had to run the 2.4K twice. Diona and Zainah were in the first wave whilst Jane, Ishak, Wanting, Catherine, Lawrence and Woo YY were in the second. I thought since I was aldy there, use it as a parctise session for my SBR in 7 days time! I paced Diona whilst Lawrence paced Zainah. In the second wave, I paced Ishak.

What impressed me most was not trying to clock in the deisred time but the spirit of determination to finish the event. So a big applause for all of you!

After that Lawrence, Diona, Ishak and Yoke Ting and I adjourned to Boon Lay FC for breakfast. So much for burning away the calories!!

I received some nice photos from 1 of my ex-students. Very nicely done indeed! I put them in the screen saver. However, I m still trying to figure out how to add photos into my blog just to spice things up a bit.

Ok, gou4 le4. (enough) Time to get back to my books!!!

everything's back to normal....

Praise the Lord! The technician came by and resolved the problem. It turned out tt the modem is fine but not the fixed line. There was a problem with it therefore it cld not detect the signal. Anyway, everything is back to normal.

GOt back from LPS abt an hr ago after a 1.5hr badminton session with 4 other colleagues. Also heard tt quite a number of them are going for the W4 cluster run thing. Too bad I am not with the school anymore else can register as a participant and there is a monetary award as well!!

Nvm, I'll be their pacer 2mw then.

Gtg as there is CG later.

TGIF!!!!!

Greetings!

Washed the car yesterday evening after I got home. Cld not take it anymore as the car was super dirty. Thought there wld be a heavy downpour so at least the rain will give my car a 'pre-wash"!! But it did not! So much for buying a car that is black in colour.

Just finished my one and only maths lesson for today! Yup, just 1 miserable 1 hour class! M now in the 'suite' posting and also accessing the network for any new materials. We are going to do a maths research quiz thing later. Think it is stg which test our model drawing and algebra skills.

One of my ex LPS colleagues asked if I cld join them in sch later for a round of badminton. Have not been playing for a long time. Take it as a sweating out session. Goodness....seems like I m becoming an exercise freak!!

Got to be home at abt 4 cos the Singnet technicians are coming to my pl to repair the modem thing. Hopefully they can resolve it by today otherwise I got no internet access over the weekend. Feel so handicapped!!!! On a lighter note, dun complain! There are others who do not even have a computer, let alone knowing what the internet is.

CG mtg later tonight. Looking fwd to the fellowship and bible study.

I'll be back!!

Boradband modem down..........nearly got involved in an accident!!!

Good morning. If u are wondering why I did not post anything last night, read on for the reason. And if you are wondering why this post is so early in the morning, read even further....


*SIGH*. I have got no internet connection at home since last night. Had wanted to go online to do some research and of course to post and MSN and blah blah..... Then....how come the modem is not showing the 3 steady green lights. Tried to switch it off and on again, rebooted my computer, check the cables, even swapped the phone filter and still no signal. Called the help desk and even then the customer svc personnel cld not diagnose the problem. My take is that the modem could be faulty. Crap man!!!! They can only come to my place bet 4-6 pm 2mw. At least I can be home then. That means once I am out of NIE, I have no internet access. *shakes head* I FIND IT HARD NOT TO HAVE THE INTERNET!!!! Nvm, hopefully they can resolve the problem by then.

I got up at 4.45am this morning and went for a 10Km dawn run. The air was so fresh and cooling. Think I wld do it again on sat morning.

On my way to NIE this morning, I almost got involved in an accident. Was travelling on lane 1 of the PIE just before Toh Guan Flyover and this dumb car on lane 2 started drifting twds me just as I passed him. His RHS wing mirror came within inches to my LHS mirror. I eased the throttle and blasted my super loud horn at him. When I passed him, at least he had the decency to wave his hand in apology. He seemed a little sleepy so I think my horn woke him up!! Gosh, I still felt a sudden chill when I arrived in NIE and parked my car.

Will leave it here for now. Might be back later. I am bringing Aaron and Dora to BBDC 2mw to register for their driving lessons. Good luck u 2. Pass it at the first attempt....

P;S- All the best to the P6s as you take your oral exams today and 2mw. Go for it!!

Tired......but shoik!!!

I am shacked out! Yesterday after posting, I went for a run. At first I wanted to just run 10K but just as I reached the 8K mark, I felt that I cld go further so I pressed on. Guess what? I ended up doing 15K!!! But when I finally stopped (which was 95 min since I started running) I cld feel the strain and fatigue. But I made sure I did a proper warm down and stretching so that it greatly reduces the chances of getting cramps. Shoik sia....felt very refreshed after the run.

However, I feel a little tired today. Cld get up and walk of course lah but can feel the strain. Suppose this is the conditioning phase. I asked my brother where can I purchase good running shoes. M now using the SAF Brooks which IMHO is not very advisable for long dist running as it does not give the necessary cushioning. He recommended the Saucony which is not bad and guess what? He passed me his contact to purchase running shoes and it is at least 40% cheaper than outside!! Maybe I will go and chk it out sometime this week. Need to season the shoe as well.

Ok man this is it! I m going to conquer the Sheares Bridge and then the StandChart Half Marathon!!! Focus & concentrate!!!!

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

I signed up for the StanChart Sg Marathon this morning online after English lecture. It was after much thought and encouragement by my brother and a few of my course mates tt I decided to give it a go. However, I am NOT running the full 42.195Km but the Half Marathon which is 21.1Km. The route will basically take me through the CBD area, Marina South, Suntec area and a portion of Nicoll Highway. Seeing the map kind of gave me butterflies in my stomach but like I mentioned, the upcoming Sheares Bridge Run (10K) will be a good conditioning run up to the half marathon which will be held on 3 Dec. The best part of it is that it is during my holidays. At least I do not need to make my way to school the next day! Thank God I signed up early else it will cost a lot more than the $38 that I incurred. On a lighter note, there is no choosing of the # tag so it will not be 412!! Haha!!

Earlier this morning, we tried linking up 4 of our computers to have a friendly game of 'dai dee'. Thought it worked, somehow or rather, WH kept getting bumped out of the network! Think using the actual cards wld be the most reliable! OK ok, better not get carried away!

Going running again! The weather is great for running! Cloudy, windy and best of all moderate traffic. Perhaps I shld try getting up at 4.30am and have a feel of running early in the morning! Hmmm....anyone care to join me? :-D

Today......

Went to church today and our CG had a great pre-svc prayer. It is wonderful indeed to gather and pray as a CG, uphonding each and every member unto the Lord.

Another 2.5 weeks to aug 31st and think u know what tt day is. NIE has this learning fest thing but no prizes for guessing where I wld like 2b on that day. I'd rather be back in LPS to visit my 2Topaz, 5 Diamond and 5 Ruby. Of course, other students (P6s esp) whom I interact with as well. Will make use of that 4 hr break between lessons to take a drive back to LPS. Found out tt my course mates are also doing the same. The 7 of us will be all around the island in our respective contract schools. WH, Dora and I wld be in the west, Steph might be up north. Jo, Aaron and Jon will be somewhere in the east/north east region.

This is so encouraging. When the 7 of us share our teaching experiences, each have wonderful stories to share. Despite some of the negativities encountered along the way, we thank God that He taught us to look beyond the problem and focus on why we chose to take this career path. We desire tt years down the road from today, we will still have tt first passion for being in this career.

It is the start of a new week again. Tomorrow will be our games day after lesson as declared by Aaron and Jon. Wonder what will we attempt to play 2mw.

Ok time to go running again! And... I'll Be Back!!!

my 2 nephews

We just got back from my brother and sis-in-law's place. Went to see my second nephew, Derek who is abt 2 weeks old. For a new born, he is huge! Derek looks different from his brother, David. Lao3 da4 looks like my bro and lao3 er4 resembles my SIL. David can already start talking and he was trying hard to keep us entertained with the words he knows so far. Besides trying to talk, David was walking round the whole house and climbing all over the place. Throughout the whole time we were there, David hardly sat down for more then 2 min. Only when his father read a book to him did he keep still. Other than that, David was all over the place! So adorable! Well, when our little one comes along in March next year, it will be our turn!

Earlier this morning, Ps SB left for Guangzhou with his family to heed the Lord's call to serve full-time in the mission field. A number of covenanters were at teh airport to send him off. I really respect such fellow believers who heed the Lord's call to give up nearly if not everything to go into full-time ministry. The faith needed is tremendous. I am way way behind that level of faith. Another of our CG members Boon CHee is leaving 2mw for CHina as well and she will be doing social work.

Finally the dumb NIE portal is up! It was down for almost 24hrs. Need to access it to d/l some materials and other stuff. So technology is not fool proof and when it is down, practically everything comes to a standstill.

Got morning prayer mtg with the CG in church at 9am 2mw. Think the rest of the day will be clearing my work and of course going for a run again!

13 days to go to the SBR!

Interesting Maths lesson

Maths lesson yesterday (110806) was quite interesting. Our lecturer showed us a video abt how 2 persons argued over the value of 25 divided by 5. Obviously most if not all of us who have some maths knowledge will give the answer as 5. However, this video showed tt the other person's answer is 14! How is tt possible? Haha...if you want to know, drop me a tag or msn and I will try to explain it over the net!

Aaron just suggested tt every mon will be sports and games day. At least we can have some other activity besides our books. May as well make full use of the facilities on campus. Wed has been reserved as 'dai dee' day! WH and Aaron downloaded my MP3s from my computer into theirs. Basically all my MP3s are the evergreen 80s and 90s. Man...these songs rawk!!!

*frown*. My dumb handphone consumes battery energy like a fuel guzzler. Barely two days and I have to charge it again! Must be the frequency of my SMSing. Hopefully I do not exceed my SMS quota for this mth. Else got to pay extra. Have been maintaining at below $35/mth thanks 2 free unlimited incoming calls. err....my handphone is not the fanciful 3G N70 kind of thing. Just stg good enough for my use. Heh, heh! I am a simple and easily contented person matarially.

Ok gtg zzzzzz.....going to the airport in the morning 2 send off Ps Swee Boo. He is going to Hainan as a full-time missionary. May the Lord bless him and his family richly as they do God's work in the mission field.

Annoying!!!!

I am annoyed! Why can't pple drive properly? Don't they remember what is the basic meaning of common road courtesy and the importance of basic road safety? Throughout the time that I was on the road today, I encountered countless reckless drivers (taxis esp) who will not signal their intention and swerve suddenly, fail to give way to traffic with the right of way and oh my goodness.....my temperature rises if I have to go on!! So what do I do with such pple whose driving licenses were obtained from some 'kopitiam'? Stay away from them, beware of the hazards they pose or I will just blast my horn shld they come close to my precious car. BTW, for those of you who may have sat in my car, I changed the horn to the super loud one. Though my car is a Toyota, the horn is just as loud if not louder than the BMWs. *sheepish grin* That is because the original horn is so soft that even the ants will not be scared!!

Only had a 2 hr lesson today from 1530-1730. My GESL gp mbrs are fantastic. Can sense that everyone is rather clear of the objectives and I am confident that we can achieve the desired outcome. And I was 'arrowed' to be the gp communicator with our tutor. So much for being so tall....*sigh*

Maths class at 0830 hrs 2mw. Then it is a 5 hr break till the make-up class for DED101. Aaron suggested tt we chill out in the suite whilst doing our English tutorial questions for next week. At first he suggested going to Jon's or Joanne's hall but I think having the air con in the suite wld be best for all. Agree Dora, Steph & WH??

It is Friday 2mw. The weekend's here!!!! 15 days to the Sheares Bridge Run!

Happy 41st B'day Sg

I just got back from the Esplanade where I was with 4 other church friends. We were watching the NDP on the huge screen and the crowd there was quite huge.

" And I will sing,
A song of home,
A land of peace,
Where dreams are born everyday,
My home wherever I may be
I believe,
You will always be a part of me"

This is such a fantastic song. The lyrics are really meaningful. For the benefit of those who do not know this song, it is the theme song for this year's NDP.

On my way home thinking what I should post, I recalled the 4.5 yrs I spent abroad during my varsity days and at that time, I had wanted to apply for an Aus PR as I was quite used to the lifestyle there. For a whole lot of reasons which I will not disclose, I perished the thought and returned.

The 1st 6mths when I came back was hard to adjust. I was always thinking of Aus and wanted rather badly to go back there. God had His plans for me here in Sg instead. Fast forward to this time last year. I submitted my online application to MOE to be a teacher and the rest is history. Though I must confess that the 4 years or so spent away from home was a good eye-opener for me, I think my heart belongs here. I adapt to changes and new environments quickly and easily. But to ask me to uproot myself and relocate for an indefinite period of time would be a very tough decision to make.

I have friends currently working, living or staying in countries from as far south as Aus to as far north as the US. Everytime when we meet up in Sg, it is a time of catching up and deep down their hearts, they know that this is the place they call home. They may have PRs abroad but they will never ever surrender their red passport.

My b'day wishes for Sg wld be:

• God will bless and protect Sg
• God will grant our govt and leaders wisdom in leading and running the country
• S'poreans will be humble and glorify Him in all they do
• More and more pre-believers will look to Him and accept Him as their Lord and saviour

Many happy returns once again, Sg.

A whole new look

After much consultation with an expert and in-depth overhaul, I got a new blog. But this expert did an excellent job in helping me transfer whatever tt was from the friendster one here. In fact, 1 of the deciding factors was the availablity of the tag board. It appeared tt the friendster one is not very user friendly in this aspect. As such, I 'upgraded' to using blogger. Many thanks to this blogging expert.

So pls take note: my friendster blog has been laid to rest. Pls delete all links to that old 1 and link to this blogger one with immediate effect.

It is like I traded in my old Civic to my current Altis. Ha ha! Me and my cars again! The next thing I might be planning is to include some photos.

Ok, time to hit the sack. Can hear my bed and pillow calling me. The moment I smell my sleeping gas-filled pillow, I will start meditating horizontally almost at an instant!!

Eve of ND

I do not know if I am getting obcessed with running to train up for the SBR (Sheares Bridge Run). I went for a run again at abt 5 plus. Was a bit sleepy but i knew if i were to smell my pillow, that's it! Will definitely end up meditating horizontally! So off i went. BUt i could feel the strain. Think i got to beware as 1 mistake and not only will it cost me the chance to 'conquer' the Sheares bridge but something more serious like an injury may seem imminent. So i ought to take extra care.
Had an interesting day in sch today. Spent about 4 hrs in the lib with gp mates watching an online video for our module. NIE lib rawks! We can access the network whilst sufing the net using the wireless feature. If we need to do gp discussions, there r rooms avail complete with LCD screens / projectors for presentation purposes and a cafe to fill hungry stomachs and thirsty throats. Oh the air con is great too. A precious asset esp when it is warm. On a lighter note, the lib sofas are very comfortable to catch forty winks when fatigue sets in!!!
Great! It is a PH 2mw. Can catch up on some sleep, do housework and do some readings for thu class. Will be meeting CG friends 2mw to catch the fireworks. As i have aldy seen it couple weeks ago, (right 5D? ;-) wonder if it will be better as 2mw is the actual day. The preview 2 weeks ago was lousy. As Angela wanted to see it, i drove to Singapore Swimming Club and we climbed to the 5th floor multi storey car park. Boy it was packed! As the stadium is just across the Geylang river, we got a great view but ......like i mentioned, it was not as good as the NE show!! So 5 Diamondians, aren't u all blessed?? :-D
Hao3 le4. Ming2 tian1 zai4 jian4. (ok, be back 2mw)

Day 1 in NIE

Today's my first day in NIE. Full of confusions as to which module's tutorials start only next week. There is one module tt has no lectures till week 6, only tuts. So basically only had lesson from 0830 -1000. Spent quite a lot of time checking out computer deals with my gp mates and also hanging out in the library to talk abt our different modules.
We plan to maximise the crappy layout of our timetable to settle our gp project and mtgs. In between discussions, we cld chill out at the canteen or take a mid-day dip in the pool just to relax before hitting the books again.
Praise God tt almost all my gp mbrs are believers! Jon, Aaron, Steph, Dora and Joanne are believers....not sure abt Wee Hwa (WH). Think we shld reach out to him. We are planning to start a kind of a cell thing. Aaron and Dora esp are very keen on that. I for 1 will definitely go for it.
Went for a run to train up 4 the Sheares Bridge Run. Goodness gracious! My timing was slower by abt 6 min! Must have been my inconsistency of late which caused the deficit. But I intend to at least finish the 10k run irrespective of whatever timing i get. Since this is the 1st time, it will be a initialization for the StandChart one coming up on Dec 4th. Hopefully by then, i can conquer the 21k!!! If not, i will go for the 10k but aim for a better timing. On a lighter note, i felt so refreshed after the run.
Focus focus!!! Excel in my modules and finish the run (even if i have to crawl to the finish line, so be it!!!)
Ok, getting back to my readings for 2mw.

A relaxed and lazy Sunday......

The heat is really overwhelming. Just got back from church and it is so warm outside. Was contemplating on going for a run later (training for Sheares Bridge Run) but the heat is really making me think twice. Aiyah, if dun go running then wash car lor! Got to be back before 5 as we are having dinner with Melissa. It's her b'day 2mw so the extended family is having a little party for her today.
My wish for her is that she will do well in her upcoming PSLE. My sis-in-law is hoping that her aggragate can qualify her for SCGS. (Mel is currently studying there) Though she has been struggling throughout her primary school life esp in CL and maths, I really hope she can go to the sec sch of her choice and not other's choice. Getting into express stream is not a prob for her. Go for it girl. Uncle CW and Aunty Angela have confidence in you!!!
Tonight's Hungarian GP will be exciting. I shall not bore those of u who are not F1 fans. Visit the official F1 website and you will know y tonight's race will be fantastic.
School starts 2mw. 2pid timetable sucks! Got an early morning lesson at 0830 then a HUGE break till the next class at 1530! It is also like that for wed and thu. Then on fri i only have 1 miserable lesson at 0830 for 1 hr then that's it! Oh crap! Who is the dumbo who planned this timetable??!! Anyway, like it or not bo bian (hokkien for no choice).
But looking at it this way: with the long break in between lessons, it is a gd time to do gp discussions, project mtgs, do assgn and research. Errr....hopefully it does not become a time to slack off!!
Ok. Enough ramblings for now.....

Sheares Bridge Run: my # tag is also my car #!!!

I went to register for the Sheares Bridge run organised by SAFRA. It is also held concurrently with the AHM (Army Half Marathon: 22km). Errrrr....b4 I go any further, I signed up for the non-competitive 10km run! Not ready for the half marathon yet! Depending on my schedule and if all goes well, might try for the StanChart Half Marathon in Dec this yr.
My CG mbr told me abt it and I thought I wld be too late to register. Called up SAFRA and drove to the Telok Blangah clubhse to register. The receptionist was a rather kind middle-aged lady. A bit kan cheong spider type! When she gave me the # tag, it was numbered 398. I then asked if she cld give me a couple of #s down the line so tt i can have my car # as my tag. She said ok!
The T-shirt is quite nice. Asked for an XL. I was quite frustrated with my 2 orientation Tshirts given by NIE as they are rather tight! ARGHHHHH......they said they do not have bigger sizes! Oh well, I can let Angela wear them.
Well, gtg read up my lecture materials. Also want to catch the Hungarian GP qualifying this evening. Tomorrow is race day. Will be going to Melissa's (my niece) pl 2mw as it is her 12th bday. Many happy returns girlie! May u do well in your upcoming PSLE!!!
I'll b back...........

Picked up the heart beat......!!!

We went to see the gynae today (shld be yesterday by the time this is posted) for the scheduled follow-up appt after the DNC was done on 29th May. Just 3 days prior to the DNC, our gynae broke the news to us that the foetus did not show any heart beat. In fact, Angela was spotting practically the whole week before that. We prayed and committed it to the Lord but at the back of our minds, we were prepared for the worst just as much as we hoped 4 the best. When the doc said he cld not detect any heart beat, we knew that was it. The pregnancy failed.
Angela was in tears and i was on the verge of it too. Inside me, I was already in turmoil. But we knew tt this was nature's way of getting rid of a defective foetus. Imagine if she had carried it to the full-term and ......OMG!!! I dare not think of the outcome.
On the day of the DNC, (clearing out the dead foetus from the uterus) I actually teared just as the nurses wheeled Angela into the OT. Though it was a very simple surgical procedure which will only last 10 min, I had a frightening thought tt I wld lose her. I prayed to the Lord to protect and sustain her.
The next two weeks was almost like a living hell. We grieved over our loss. But it was when we prayed, talked and cried together tt made our marriage even stronger.
Fast fwd 2 mths till yesterday (4th Aug). Our gynae did a scan and he detected the heart beat!! BTW, we suspected tt something was amiss when she missed her period. Did a pregnancy test and it showed 2 lines!!!! So our gynae was very pleased with the development of the foetus which is currently 8 weeks old. ETA (estimated time of arrival) is 17th Mar 07.
We were overjoyed. Really over the moon as detecting the heart beat is already a gd start. The next appt is in 3 weeks. By then, the baby's limbs can already be seen.
Our CG mbrs were happy and prayed for us. We committed our unborn child to the Lord and asked for divine spiritual protection throughout the whole pregnancy. The next 8 mths to parenthood for us will not be easy but we know that with the good Lord guiding us, all that needs to be done is to pray, trust and have faith in Him.
When we do our best, He will do the rest. Praise the Lord!!

TTC Freshmen Orientation

Good grief!! When i went for the TTC orientation today, i was the ONLY one whose IC # started with 7. The others were like all 8s and 2 of them are not even 20! Oh no....i felt so 'old'. But then, i m proud to say that in the "amazing NIE race" around the campus, i cld keep up with the rest. So at least i felt 10 - 15 years younger!!!
The morning part was ice breakers and coming out with 3 gp cheers. We also had to make a banner. Thankfully i was doing the cheers as i am not artistically inclined. Moreover, i do not like the idea of having paint on my skin.
We ran around the whole campus solving puzzles and clues coupled with us having to do our gp cheers just to get extra pts from the games facilitators.
I think the esprit de corp amongst my gp mbrs will go a very long way even when we leave NIE . The friendships formed and the networking will always be there. The last game we played was the one where we had to disentangle ourselves with our hands joined. The cemented the cohesiveness of the gp.
Tomorrow is the same orientation but since i went today, i got an off day. Whoo hoo!!!! However, the 'fun' begins on MOnday when we start classes. Praise the Lord that many of my TPP netowrk course mates are doing exactly the same subjects as i m. Makes it easier when it comes to gp work. At least the getting-to-know one another part is already in place.
Will leave it here. Tomorrow is FRiday! The Hungarian GP is this wkend. Hope my fav dvr and team will win again. Scumi rawks!!! Ferrari rawks!

Orientation in NIE

ok ok....enough abt F1. Still trying to figure out other features. Kind of like test driving a new car. Hmmm....apologies if i am using a lot of car terminology.
Orientation is still on. Got the freshmen thingy 2mw. The prog is quite hectic. Whole day affair and i think there is this afternoon activity which is stg lyk the amazing race. Wonder what kinda stuff they wan us to do. Roadblock or detour...but of course there is no USD1m at stake or risk being told, " I am sorry to tell that you have been eliminated from the amazing race." :D
Looking fwd to starting class next mon. I just cannot sit still cos i m too used to fast paced school life...this is despite many telling me to enjoy my time in NIE.
Well, kind of true, nice campus, cool library, cheap and gd canteen food....conducive pl to study...wireless surf zone campus wide...etc etc
ok, b back tmr.....

Hello......

Greetings,
finally I decided to join the bandwagon after much persuasion and 'harrassment' and just created a blog. It was easier that i thought.
Yes! Yes! My fav F1 driver won the German GP. Schumi rawks! Hope that the same thing will occur this coming weekend at the Hungarian GP which is held in Budapest. But team Renault and defending champion Alonso will obviously not let down their guard. Afterall, the gap is just 10 pts in the constructors' title and 11 pts in the driver's title. Hope i got that fact right.
Short entry for a start. More coming.....Akan Datang