Teacher's Day

Across the island today, all schools will observe Teacher's Day with celebrations and possibly even having class parties. Well, I remembered that when I was still schooling, Aug 31st was a day when we showered our teachers with gifts, cards and our well-wishers. I recall the many teachers who had made an impact in my early years. Although I did have some of them who were very harsh in their speech and punishments, by and large they did so for our own good. At that point in time, I simply hated them. In retrospect, I am very thankful for their guidance.

In just another couple of months, I will soon join the ranks of full-fledged teachers who will impart our knowledge and life experiences to our charges. I am certainly looking forward to that as my own schooling life journey will be a source of inspiration or even light entertainment for my students. This fact can be confirmed by some LPS students past and present.

Happy Teacher's Day.

My SBR timing

I managed to access the SBR website where the results for the SBR were just released yesterday. Based on the rankings within the catagory (Men's closed) that I was competing in, I was the 935th finisher out of 1604 participants. That means I am at the 58% range and I am quite pleased with the result. Not bad as this is my 2nd half marathon which I completed. Here's looking to better it for the next half marathon which is in December. That is the pinnacle of all running events.

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21KM Men's Close
Rank Bib Name CheckPt NetFinish GunFinish
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935 C5450 TANG CHEE WENG 1:21:04 02:27:38.38 02:29:26.26
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Narrow escape

I almost got into a mishap this morning on my way to school. There was this dumb driver who was impatient to move off and decided to use the adjacent vehicle as a shield and moved simultaneously. However, the other vehicle was a MPV thus resulting in a blind spot. It was my right of way but at that spilt second, I saw this inconsiderate car and had to brake hard and swerve in order to avoid a collison. Had I been slower and if that car had been a little faster, I dare not think of the consequences. Thankfully the road was dry and there was no big drama. People are just too impatient thus endangering themselves as well as others.

Illegal parking

I saw at least 4 cars which illegal parked on campus today and that resulted in them being wheel clamped. I think the respective owners must have been wanting to find a parking lot failing which they took the risk by parking indiscriminately. Furthermore, the heavy downpour made them take the easy way out. The damage is about $100 on their wallets and a possible blacklist against their vehicles perhaps?

The logic is simple: If you wish to drive to campus, either leave early so that you can a lot or just incur $3 per day and park in a designated lot. It is simply not worth it to illegal park thereby obstructing others and risking a fine. Some places will just get the tow truck and this will result in more damage as the owner has to incur the towing fee and illegal fine as well.

Typical Sg mentality

We are supposed to read a particular book before doing a perticular reflection on it for the e-learning week. However, the campus library has only 3 copies and by the time the lecture had ended, only 1 remained. Needless to say, there will be a mad rush to go grab it. There was actually 2 students who were also using the search computer beside myself in order that we could locate where it was. In typical Amazing Race style, the hunt for that last book was on. However, they started looking from the side of the shelf where it was kept while I began from the other side resulting in them getting it.

I then decided to go to the NLB to locate it. There was none at the Bt Batok branch but 5 copies available at the Jurong Point branch. I then decided to incur a $1.55 reservation surcharge so that it will not be taken as well. The helpful librarian called the other branch to reserve it and I think between that short span of time, 4 copies were taken leaving the last one. This time I managed to get hold of it. I guess many of my fellow course mates must have headed there after class knowing that the campus library was out of stock. What bugs me is that there will be some selfish people who are so obcessed with wanting to cross over that they will deliberately hold onto the book knowing that it is in huge demand. How selfish and kiasu.

Sg Bay Run completed....

I crossed the finish line just a little below 2hrs 28 mins. According to my watch, it clocked my timing at 2hr27min47secs. Although it was about 7 minutes slower than my Stanchart Half Marathon last year over the same distance, I felt this time round I managed to complete the 21.1km with a little less strain. At this point in time, my legs feel a little sore and slopes and stairs are something which I am going to avoid for the next day or two! That spells trouble as I got to climb quite a number of steps in school tomorrow from the car park! Oh crap! Why did they not build an escalator that goes up from the bottom of that dreaded 107 steps staircase?

I got up at 0330hrs this morning and had my breakfast before setting off to Raffles City where I parked the Blackaltis. Put on my shoes and the timing chip which will capture my timing before making my way to the start point at the Esplanade Bridge. This is the start point for many running events as it is smack in the middle of the city. At preciously 0530hrs, we were flagged off to start on our 21.1km half marathon.

I ran through Shenton Way before turning right at Lau Pa Sat to head towards Chinatown. Having the whole road to ourselves is great as you need not worry about traffic. The authorities either closed up the entire road or they barricaded more than half of it so that runners had the space they needed. Turned left at the Maxwell FC (well-known for their 'hum jin peng') to head towards the ECP and of course the highlight of the run: up the Sheares Bridge. Although I ran the 10k for SBR last year, due to distance constraints, only the half marathoners had the privilege to run the whole bridge towards Fort Rd. However, they made it such that the 12k and 21k runners will run the whole bridge! One other marked improvement was that runners need not stop at junctions unlike last year in order that traffic could pass through.

I turned right at Fort Rd and headed towards East Coast Park. The U turn was slightly before Marine Parade. Runners will then backtrack where they came from to head towards Mountbatten Rd and onto Nicoll Highway. Usually, it is the last few kilometres which is the most difficult as fatigue and strain sets in. However, this is where the mental strength comes in to spur you on. Slowed my pace and walked a little where necessary and once I saw the the 20km mark I could 'smell' the end point! Picked up speed a little and turned into the floating stadium where the end point is. The moment of truth came when I stepped and crossed the finish line and heard the beep. At last, the 21.1km run was over. The satisfaction feeling was simply fantastic. Returning the timing chip in exchange for the finisher's medal was the icing on the cake.

Despite the pain, soreness and fatigue, it was worth it. All the training that was invested, the perspiration, blood, sweat and tears paid off. The bottom line is to keep pushing on. The going does get tough but the euphoric feeling that overwhelms you when you finish is indescribable.

So the SBR has come and gone. Overall, it was way better than last year in terms of the running route and end point. The weather too was very favourable. I will now rest for a week or so before I resume training for the next event in 3 weeks time. That is the Terry Fox Run For Hope Sg which will be held at Sentosa. The distance is 8 km. Registration is still open I think. Care to join anyone?

MiO up and running....after some glitches

Since I am going to run the Army Half Marathon in just a couple of hours, I shall make this a short post. Our MiO is up and running but not without some hiccups and they were all caused by human error. Not mine but the installers and SINg**l personnel. I shall fill you all in tomorrow.

Going over to MiO

We will be changing our home internet access to the mio modem which combines our home fixed line, handphone and internet broadband access tomorrow. The technicians will be at our place in the morning to do the switching of the cables and access points. As such, we may not have internet access from tonight till tomorrow which explains why I am posting somthing so early in the morning. This 3-in-1 mio seemingly makes the billing easier and for users like us who do not exceed out monthly air time for our mobile phone, it sounds quite ecnomical. The only catch is that we will need to have another phone line. As we have a security alarm system in place, the mio will upset the system. However, callers to our home via our fixed line will still be able to reach us as that original line is only used for receiving in coming calls only.

DCM lesson

I enjooyed my DCM lesson this morning. It was on number patterns and my tutor broadened my horizon a lot with the many other concepts and ways that this topic can be taught and how some seemingly simple numbers form patterns which can set you thinking for quite a while.

I worked with Joanne and Reza on a problem and there was another group who was also tasked with the same problem. Both groups came out with a very different set of solutions although we arrived at the same answer. We did the more pictorial and visual way while the other group did it by logical numerial manipulation.

It is friday tomorrow. This will be a great weekend as the Singapore Bay Run is on sunday. Stay tuned to my blog because for sure I will post something about it.

Annoying water cooler

I got so annoyed with one of the water coolers on campus this morning. I usually select the hot water to make my 3-in-1 instant coffee. When the water flowed out, what dismayed me was that the coffee powder did not dissolve but they all floated to the top! I then knew that there was no hot water at all from this particular outlet. It was hard to find another source of instant coffee and no way was I going to drink that cup of cold brown-coloured half dissolved coffee powder. Too bad that I had to purchase another mug.

The cool morning weather really makes me want to get somemore sleep but I have a morning class coupled with having to drop Esther off at the day care centre. Perhaps I could get some cat naps in between lessons? Unfortunately, I got a meeting with Dora to discuss our DLK assignment which is due next week.

DED presentation

DED presentation went extremely well this morning. At first, the dumb computer in the tutorial room could not boot up. Tried entering my login password and it did not work but thankfully the technical staff managed to resolve it for us. Anyway, we had hard copies of the slides and since the visualiser was working, all the better.

Initially, Michelle was quite nervous but we encouraged her and during the whole process, she did exceedingly well. I jokingly told her that she will have no problems for the DLK 100 module next year! Ivy did a great opening especially with the light-hearted 'McDonald's' story. During the individual group discussions, each group managed to come up with quite a bit of information and arguments which opened a whole new perpective to the topic. When Joanne wrapped up the whole thing, I think we gave the whole entire class some food for thought.

Ultimately, education in Singapore is NOT an expenditure but a long term investment. Great job people. It was fantastic working with all of you. Hopefully we can cooperate again in future modules.

ELL club

As we missed the DipEd people last week whcih resulted in not getting any new members, we had another shot this week. This time, we managed to catch hold of them. When the lecture ended, there were 10 Dip Ed potential members, 2 from the Deg course with one each from the Arts and Science. Hopefully they will bring in more members so by the time we graduate, they can carry on where we will leave off.

Next up will be the welcomer's tea for them and offically they are the new members. We decided to get it done quickly as the workload will be piling up fast as the semester progresses. I did a summary of what is to be done for the rest of the semester and it seems to me that wk 7 and wk 12 are the most hectic weeks as there are 3 things in each be it a quiz or assignment due. However, that will certainly not disrupt my running routine as I still intend to continue with my 3-times-per-week runs on campus.

6 days more to the SBR.....and I have quite a number of NIE friends running too...

Typical parent....

Being the typical parent in Sg, I drove to Carrefour at Plaza Sing to purchase diapers that were on offer. Sometimes, I just wonder why are there no Carrefour branches in the west region. I usually do my purchases at either Shop N Save or Giant but never at Carrefour. Occasionally, I may walk into Sheng Siong or NTUC. Perhaps the Carrefour management should read this post?

SBR number tag

Printer down....

I was printing something earlier in the day when the low ink warning light came on. I thought it was the colour cartridge problem so I drove down the the refilling shop at Sim Lim Square to get it done. When I came back and tried it, the test page was ok and I thought it was resolved. However, it still fails to print. Now I wonder if there is anything else that is not right. This printer was given to us by my brother-in-law about 2 years ago when he brought a new printer. So that means this printer is already more than 2 years old. Guess it is time for a change?

Just as I am about to click 'publish post', the printer is working already.....

Collected my SBR number tag

I collected the SBR number tag and it is C5450. Compared to the Stanchart Marathon, I find that the way this SBR is organised still pales in comparison. The gift pack is so cheapo. Just a plastic bag with the T-shirt inside and some other peripherals. Other than a backdated magazine and a voucher, that is all. But then again, the cost of this SBR is much lower than the Stanchart Marathon.

Cool morning

On my way to school this morning, it looked as if it was going to pour. Dark clouds could be seen hovering around the western region and just 8 minutes from my destination, it did pour and it was a heavy one as well. I am not complaining as it gave the car quite a good surface wash and just as I parked the car, the rain stopped! It poured heavily again at about 9am for quite a while. This time, I think the car had a better wash!

Met up with Ivy for breakfast and it was only when she told me the PSLE oral began today that I realised the traffic was a little different. Perhaps parents could get up a little later as those whose kids are not taking their PSLE have today and tomorrow to be at home. How nice eh?

I want to wish the P6s all the very best for the upcoming PSLE oral and their prelims (or are they over already). I prayerfully hope that their prelims will be a good gauge for their current level of understanding so that come the actual examination, they can do well. Although it is widely confirmed that no employer will ever look at your PSLE results, it forms the entry into your secondary school life where you will face the O levels and THAT is essential. So work hard. The same goes for those whose CA2 are coming.

Esther pooed last night......

After 5 days, Esther pooed last night after the last feed. I was so relieved as it seemed to drag for quite some time. We actually gave her some prune juice that was diluted about 6 hours earlier. Somehow we find that when she poos, we are quite happy! Guess it really clears her system so that there will be little discomfort. Typical parent talk!

Met up with my NIE kakis this morning and we went on the full 12k route around the campus. The weather was great except for a slight drizzle which lasted only a few minutes but we carried on nonetheless. Friday will be my last running session before I have some rest in preparation for the Sg Bay Run next weekend.

Fruitful discussion

Was in school as usual at 0800hrs and I managed to meet up with Joanne for breakfast. She was in school even earlier as she had gone for a dip in the pool. We were talking about our different exercise styles and she told me she was attempting the full marathon this year end. When I told her that I have got 5 running events this year, she was like wow! Seems that I am able to find more and more running kakis on campus.

DED mtg with out tutor was next and we had a very good discussion with him about our topic. It seemed that he gave us a whole new prespective to our presentation topic and thankfully, what we discussed on sat was also helpful. So now the key thing is to view that dreaded video which cant be opened from home and also to read up that related paper.

DCE class tmw and I have not even read up on what to do...........

Annoying alarm

We were woken by the dumb alarm coming from the CSC opposite our place early this morning. It was only after an hour which was already about 4.45am that the alarm was finally switched off. Apparently, this has happened umpteen times and I overheard other residents complaining about it in the lift as well.

Had a great run this morning around campus as usual. Met up with my usual group for lunch and managed to convince Steph and Shing Fang to join me on wed morning. They have not tried the full 12km route around campus. Also managed to 'jio' Kar Leong to join me on fri morning.

I think coming fri will be my last running before the SBR which is next sunday. Looking forward to that.

Petrol discount

It seems to me that the pertol discount for UOB cardholders has ceased. I was surprised to hear that I only had a 5% discount when I went to refuel the car just before lunch. And since the tank was almost empty, it cost me a whopping $83 to pump it full. It may seem a very big amount but it works out to an average consumption of 12km/litre. For my kind of driving and climate, this is a very good result. Thankfully it is only a 1.6L car. Cannot imagine if I drove a bigger capacity car.

Relaxed weekend...well almost

I had my DED gp mtg earlier in the afternoon at Toa Payoh. As the other 3 mbrs are staying nearby (1 in Potong Pasir and the other 2 in AMK), it made more sense for me to travel to meet them. Moreover, I am the only one with a car.

Had a fruitful discussion coupled with some lighter moments where we chatted and ranted about certain issues. However, I can already sense the dynamics within the group as we mroe or less knew one another beforehand. Joanne and I were in the same classes before while Ivy and Michelle were in the same OG as myself.

I then went to a warehouse sale at Leng Kee to see if there were some stuff worthwhile purchasing. Spent only a little $ there as I found most of the items were not very appealing. Last week, I puchased 2 sets of running attire and I never regretted at all. Had I known, I should have bought them when I started my running regime. Needless to say, the colour that I chose was obvious. I just find it hard to accept other colours except black. That explains why many of my things are black in colour. Car, handphone, most of my clothings etc. However, I do have some formal wear that is made up of other colours. Those who have seen me wearing my long-sleeved (rolled up to my elbow) shirts might have noticed that I have an assortment of colours. Bought them at the Great Sg Sale sometime back and at least I do have clothing in dary grey, light green, pale orange, light purple.....

Might have my fridays off.....

By this time next week, I should know if my friday class can be changed to wed instead. It is very ridiculous to have a class at 1430-1630hrs on a friday and the ONLY class as that! I dunno who is the dumbo who planned it this way! Thankfully, our tutor is more than happy to change it and everyone is ok to have it brought it fwd to wed morning. Despite having a 7hr day it this happens, I do not mind it just as long as I have a long weekend.

Got a scare..........

When I booted up the computer earlier this morning, there was this message saying that I needed to register my windows first before I could use. I was baffled as I did not recall updating or downloading any software. Or perhaps i did but was not aware of it. Called Microsoft hotline and managed to resolve the issue.

I cannot imagine if my computer had died on me cos I got so much stuff which I need to do and even though I have backed-up almost all my data, the hassle of having to repair it is quite annoying.

It is the Republic's 42nd birthday today. I encourage everyone to think back 42 years ago when Singapore became an independant nation with huge obstacles ahead. Everyone said Singapore was doomed to fail. On the contrary, where we are today is testamount to the blessings of God, the diligent people and good governance. As the PM said last night about the economy growing well, the city is undergoing a major makeover to face up the the challenges of the region, the next couple of years will be exciting.

Happy Birthday Sg.

Just cleared the HUGE pile of laundry

The huge pile of laundry has just been cleared. Not only our clothes but hers as well. The next thing is to do ironing of our clothes which I hope to do over the next couple of days. Got my 1st gp meeting this sat as our gp is doing the first topic. As it is due in the 3rd week, we got to get things done pretty quickly as well. This semester will be quite hectic as there are more individual assignments compared to group ones. To me, it does not matter but what is essential is that the group must have good dynamics else it can be pretty sticky.

I had another great run this morning around the whole campus. Managed to complete it in about 70 minutes and I found that the most difficult parts are those 2 long upslopes. However, when it comes to running down slope, just open your step and let gravity do the work. Obviously, you need to be careful and be on the lookout for hazards. I think I will run again on Friday and this time I might increase the mileage a little longer.

Tried the new GPS navigation

This morning on our way to work, we tried out the navigation feature inside my phone. It's really cool. Say 'adios' to street directories and maps as this one will do all the navigation for you. However, technology is not 100% foolproof as there are some roads which it suggested that were already closed permanently or have been amended. This however, is a small issue as the map that was pre-downloaded could have been some time back. Nonetheless, it pays to update it periodically as the road network in Sg is always changing.

I tried the get the phone to navigate me to PPH from Bt Batok and it not only shows the speed of travel, it also prompts you (yes, a voice will sound out) what to do ahead be it turn left/right, filter left in how many metres etc. From PPH, I got the phone to navigate me to NIE and even though you may veer off-course, it will still 'topo' (army term for navigate) you to your desired destination. Angela said that this phone is great for those who have a very bad sense of direction.

1st day of the new semester

Reached school at 0800hrs and car park 5 was already half filled. Got a lot and then waited for WD to come and collect a book from me before I embarked on a 12km run around the campus. Indeed it was great as I tried the entire route which included both the steep slopes as well. Had a refreshing shower before I headed for class.

This semester modules look pretty interesting only thing is that they are all assignment based. Other than 1 module with a final test, the rest are based on project and individual work. I guess this is great as having to prepare for the final exam can be quite stressful. Nonetheless, that does not mean slacking is possible.

Made my decision

I decided to purchase the 6110 Navigator instead of the N73ME. It was based on the recommendation of my friend and also due to the fact that the N series are not very well known for their reliability. The damage was $356 and now comes the tedious part of 'bluetoothing' my songs and images from the 6230i to the 6110 Navigator. Did not trade in the old one as it was still going strong and it would be a good backup phone. BTW, I still have my 6 yr old 8250(yes it is the one with the blue lighting and butterfly buttons) to use when I have to go for my in-camp trainings.

Oh and this morning when I was driving to church, I was about to turn into Jelapand Rd and I saw that at Senja Sq, there was this HUGE banner about the National Day dinner in that area and they are having a "zhenghua superstar" contest. Guess whose picture was up there? Give u a hint. She, I say again, she was the ex-head prefect of LPS! At 1st, I saw the name and then the photo! Way to go Bibi! Hope you will win it.

Executive decision to make....

Went to view both the N73 ME and Nokia 6110 navigator. Spoke to a friend who works in the telco industry to get some advice. Both are currently selling at the same price from Hello!Singtel stores and there is a futher $42 discount due to the National Day promotion.

Basically, the 6110 comes with a built-in GPS map of Sg, KL and JB which is great if you need to find you way around. Not that I need to find my way around Sg but it sure helps if I am across the Causeway or if I am seraching for some obscure place in Sg. The N73 Music Edition has a bigger memory card (2Gb vs the 6110's 512Mb) and it is great if you need lots of music.

However, the N73 ME is basically the same phone as the N73 only with a bigger memory and the N73 has not been known for its reliability. In fact, I know of quite a number of users of the N73 who DO NOT recommend this phone due to its questionable reliability. Likewise, my telco friend has used both phones and his recommendation is the 6110 Nav.

So which should i take? Decisions, decisions.....

Ran to NIE in my new running jersey....

I bought a new running jersey from Saucony earlier in the week and this morning, I ran from home to campus to try it out. Indeed it felt great as compared to those cotton material which will have your perspiration stuck to your skin and it takes quite a while for it to dry up and it makes you feel ......ewww....... But this running jersey just feels so much better and I did not suffer that kind of being soaked through and through.

Met up with WD and Joyce in campus for 'brunch' after that and initially Joyce did not believe that I DID run from home to campus. Oh well, it sounds quite far if you are not a runner but for those runners, the distance is about 12k so I guess it is just like 'many running events' kind of thing. Moreover, the Singapore Bay Run is just 3 weeks away.....

New term starting soon

Looking at my timetable for this coming semester, it looks quite alright except that those I know in option C do have either a 4 day or 3 day week. I really wonder sometimes how do they plan the allocations of the classes. It really irks me to have huge breaks in between lessons and worse of all, only 1 class on a particular day. Furthermore, my friday's are such that my only class is a 2 hour lesson from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Horrible eh? However, I still will be in school bright and early to have my breakfast, suf the net and maybe read the morning papers while also preparing for the day's classes. So I guess I had better enjoy the last few days of this short break before term begins. One other thing is that I notice there are a few holidays that fall on a thursday which means my thursday classes need to be rescheduled.

Went running with my NIE kakis

I met up with 4 other NIE friends at MacRitchie Reservoir this morning for a great run. Even though we took a slightly longer time to run the whole route it was nonetheless enjoyable. The weather was great and we finished just before the rain came. Adjourned to Toa Payoh Hub for 'brunch' after that.

When term begins, we will probably start our weekly runs on campus and this time round we will be running in the morning instead since our timetables are quite favourable. We also talked about what events we are intending or have already signed up to participate.

As for myself, I will be running to campus this friday morning if the weather permits.