okie...more pictures. Enjoy
Monday, June 19, 2006
They rocked the house down! Part 2
Okie, I really should back track. Prior to the concert and stalking, I did the teeny bopper groupie thingy. I greeted them at the airport. hehhe hehe. I know, I know, my students have been telling me that I am old, not supposed to be over excited by some band and chase them around town. Some think I am crazy .... but guess what? I don't care. It is something I have never done in my life and I am glad I did it. Besides, what is age? It is nothing but a number. Don't compartmentalise me and say this is what a teacher/person of 27 should not be doing. Hehe Besides, it is fun. And I have my Sohabahs with me. We are a fun loving, crazy bunch of people.
Anyway, back to Peterpan... what can I say. We waited for them despite the delay in their flight. Took photos of their luggage that came first. Went for the Peterpan fan club launching. They are so near to me. Like 2 metres away. So reachable, yet at times like this, my self consciousness will kick in. I could not bring myself to talk to them. So star- struck, I was. I am amazed at how gals could hug them (shameless hussies). I remembered when I stalked them and took a photo with them, I was trembling all over. I walked past them 3 times and backed out each time. I had to call Chups for moral support. Hahha. Well, I did it, anyway. He hehe, By the way, I forgot to mention in the last entry that because of Peterpan, I went into a pub for the first time. It was at Chjimes. The smell of alcohol is not very nice, you know.
I came out of this experience, more the wiser. I know more about these boys from Peterpan. Some things pleasant, some things not so pleasant. I still like them but I have learnt I am no longer star-struck. From afar, they seem so surreal, giant-like to be admired and loved by all. But, our meeting have shown me they are just normal human beings - they just have the talent to rock, and rock they did. For their music, I love them still, I cannot wait for their next album. I still think Ariel is sexy, Andika cute and Uki has charms though, but they are just like you and me. :)
So, ada apa dengan Peterpan? You listen to their songs, you just can't help loving them.
Anyway, back to Peterpan... what can I say. We waited for them despite the delay in their flight. Took photos of their luggage that came first. Went for the Peterpan fan club launching. They are so near to me. Like 2 metres away. So reachable, yet at times like this, my self consciousness will kick in. I could not bring myself to talk to them. So star- struck, I was. I am amazed at how gals could hug them (shameless hussies). I remembered when I stalked them and took a photo with them, I was trembling all over. I walked past them 3 times and backed out each time. I had to call Chups for moral support. Hahha. Well, I did it, anyway. He hehe, By the way, I forgot to mention in the last entry that because of Peterpan, I went into a pub for the first time. It was at Chjimes. The smell of alcohol is not very nice, you know.
I came out of this experience, more the wiser. I know more about these boys from Peterpan. Some things pleasant, some things not so pleasant. I still like them but I have learnt I am no longer star-struck. From afar, they seem so surreal, giant-like to be admired and loved by all. But, our meeting have shown me they are just normal human beings - they just have the talent to rock, and rock they did. For their music, I love them still, I cannot wait for their next album. I still think Ariel is sexy, Andika cute and Uki has charms though, but they are just like you and me. :)
So, ada apa dengan Peterpan? You listen to their songs, you just can't help loving them.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
They rocked the house down!
Concert at HRC 17th June 2006.
First time, I went HRC. Probably my first and perhaps my last. Peterpan was responsible for it.
Peterpan band, made me do many a first.
1. Join a fan club
2. Go to the airport to greet celebrities - them
3. Take photos with celebrities - them
4. Go on a stalking mission
5. Go to HRC
6. Queue for 5 hours for a concert
:) :) :)
A pretty fun, exciting and cool time. Definitely the highlight of this June hols. By the way, I am wearing a Peterpan t-shirt and listening to their songs while blogging all this. My mind is doing a flashback of the concert that rocked the house!
4 sohabahs who went through the Peterpan experience.
First time, I went HRC. Probably my first and perhaps my last. Peterpan was responsible for it.
Peterpan band, made me do many a first.
1. Join a fan club
2. Go to the airport to greet celebrities - them
3. Take photos with celebrities - them
4. Go on a stalking mission
5. Go to HRC
6. Queue for 5 hours for a concert
:) :) :)
A pretty fun, exciting and cool time. Definitely the highlight of this June hols. By the way, I am wearing a Peterpan t-shirt and listening to their songs while blogging all this. My mind is doing a flashback of the concert that rocked the house!
4 sohabahs who went through the Peterpan experience.
Ariel, he looked at me many times during the concert. I swear! Cos I am a head taller than everybody else as I climbed the bottom rung of the barrier and I was so totally noticeable. So, he was so looking at me!. Heh heh.
They rocked the house man! All their sonsg they made into rock version. They are so good. The drums, guitars, keyboard and vocals working in harmony to prosduce such wonderful songs. Bliss!
Me with 4 out of 6 of the band members. Notice, Andika's hand around me. Hah hha. Ariel and Uki, missing. From left, Andika, me, Lokeman, Reza, Indra. I was at Paragon and "accidentally" met them. he heh (15th June 2006)
Anyway, they are very nice.
I met Andika accidentally, this time pure coincident, on friday. Shook his hands. He's a cutie, both looks and personality.
Okie, enough for now. More Peterpan ... next entry. :)
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Old injuries
It is amazing how old injuries come back to haunt you. My right ankle and left elbow twinges when moved in a certain way. My right ankle's injury took me by surprise just now. It sort of twisted and gave a crack which hurt and made me lose my balance. Fell down, but I stopped the ball anyway. It still hurts when I twist them around. But, no pain no glory....? What glory? it's not like I am taking part in any tournaments. Oh well, satisfaction, I suppose. The competitor in me, the 'it is all or nothing' person, the 'you go girl, you can do it' character that does not give up that drives me to play just now.
I feel kinda guilty about my elbow. Every now and then when I exercise and my left elbow twinge, I remembered what my physiotherapist said at the last appointment 2 years ago : Now you are discharged, but you need to use weights to strenthen your left arm and you need to straighten it further another 5-10 degrees. (oh, if you straighten your arm, the angle is more than 180, my right is 194, but my left after it got broken is 18 something. So, when I straighten both arms, they are not parallel.) Well, it twinges and it is so weak. I can't support my weight with my left arm! The elbow really hurts. A constant reminder that I push myself too hard to attain excellence in sports, but I don't learn...I still push myself harder. Except for skating of course, that sport, I will take it easy... Don't want to risk another broken limb. heh heh.
Now, I am suffering from 2 old injuries, pain in the neck and stiff shoulders. I am not very comfortable. oooh my neck....my ankle, my elbow....Ow!
I feel kinda guilty about my elbow. Every now and then when I exercise and my left elbow twinge, I remembered what my physiotherapist said at the last appointment 2 years ago : Now you are discharged, but you need to use weights to strenthen your left arm and you need to straighten it further another 5-10 degrees. (oh, if you straighten your arm, the angle is more than 180, my right is 194, but my left after it got broken is 18 something. So, when I straighten both arms, they are not parallel.) Well, it twinges and it is so weak. I can't support my weight with my left arm! The elbow really hurts. A constant reminder that I push myself too hard to attain excellence in sports, but I don't learn...I still push myself harder. Except for skating of course, that sport, I will take it easy... Don't want to risk another broken limb. heh heh.
Now, I am suffering from 2 old injuries, pain in the neck and stiff shoulders. I am not very comfortable. oooh my neck....my ankle, my elbow....Ow!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Mistress Cat
I swear cats are much more intelligent than we think they are. Another cat had adopted my family, yes, that's right, cats adopt us and not the other way round. So far there has been, starting from the latest adopter: manja, hitam-putih, minah, mat, belang, 5 cats that has adopted us. It is all very unceremonious, we do not even know they have adopted us until we find them sleeping on the sofa or bed. Usually, sleeping in the flat confirms it all. They managed to get into our hearts and we allowed them to stay.
If you notice, their names are not very glamorous or remotely cute. You see, these cats will come and ask for food and they usually go away and then they keep coming back for food. We don't give them cute names cos it would mean we get attached to them. But, they stayed and eat and sleep in the flat, eventually. Most of the time, they end up on my bed, taking away precious space from me. It is sad, but I usually give in to these cats. They always sleep in the centre and I have a tiny weeny space at the side. You see, how smart they are. They rule the sleeping arrangements. Hahha. It is a wonder these tiny little things can manipulate human beings.
So this new cat, has already claimed my bed. She is in the middle, that is expected. She has this gorgeous huge yellow eyes that are so curious. She is black and white just like Hitam Putih. So we are not sure what to call her. We can't call her by her colour cos then we will have to call her Hitam Putih Junior or HP 2. She is so lovable, always purring and she is just putty when we pick her up. She loves to be kissed. I have been calling her manja for her coyness, my dad calls her betina, which means female. Naturally, we don't expect to keep her, but I think we are in for a long haul with her.
Seriously, my family has always been in a state of denial about the cats. We always claim they are not ours because they don't stay in all the time. I think the cats consider us an extension of their cat family who feeds them. It is funny that we don't call these cats ours when they only respond to us outside and follow us into the lift and walk home with us. With other people they just run away. So, yes, they are not ours. Right.
Anyway, we are all in a dilemma, cos Hitam Putih is very territorial. He had seen Manja at home before and he would have beaten her to a pulp if I have not stepped in. I had to clean the mess they made. Cat pee all over the floor and fur flying. What a todo! So now she is inside and what happens when Hitam Putih comes home?
By the way another reason why cats are smarter is because they make you feed them good food. Really, stray cats will eat anything you throw at them. Fish, chicken, liver, you name it. They will also put on their cute face and will roll around for you asking to be tickled and stroked. But, when they claim you as their adopted family, they don't do these thinsg anymore. They don't want to eat the same cat food or fish anymore. They want a variety of food. Then, they don't want to do the cute things they did to captivate your heart anymore. Such cunningness, such planning and drama! Once, they know that they have gotten you, they drop all acts and be the King and Queen that rules the roost! That's cats for you.
If you notice, their names are not very glamorous or remotely cute. You see, these cats will come and ask for food and they usually go away and then they keep coming back for food. We don't give them cute names cos it would mean we get attached to them. But, they stayed and eat and sleep in the flat, eventually. Most of the time, they end up on my bed, taking away precious space from me. It is sad, but I usually give in to these cats. They always sleep in the centre and I have a tiny weeny space at the side. You see, how smart they are. They rule the sleeping arrangements. Hahha. It is a wonder these tiny little things can manipulate human beings.
So this new cat, has already claimed my bed. She is in the middle, that is expected. She has this gorgeous huge yellow eyes that are so curious. She is black and white just like Hitam Putih. So we are not sure what to call her. We can't call her by her colour cos then we will have to call her Hitam Putih Junior or HP 2. She is so lovable, always purring and she is just putty when we pick her up. She loves to be kissed. I have been calling her manja for her coyness, my dad calls her betina, which means female. Naturally, we don't expect to keep her, but I think we are in for a long haul with her.
Seriously, my family has always been in a state of denial about the cats. We always claim they are not ours because they don't stay in all the time. I think the cats consider us an extension of their cat family who feeds them. It is funny that we don't call these cats ours when they only respond to us outside and follow us into the lift and walk home with us. With other people they just run away. So, yes, they are not ours. Right.
Anyway, we are all in a dilemma, cos Hitam Putih is very territorial. He had seen Manja at home before and he would have beaten her to a pulp if I have not stepped in. I had to clean the mess they made. Cat pee all over the floor and fur flying. What a todo! So now she is inside and what happens when Hitam Putih comes home?
By the way another reason why cats are smarter is because they make you feed them good food. Really, stray cats will eat anything you throw at them. Fish, chicken, liver, you name it. They will also put on their cute face and will roll around for you asking to be tickled and stroked. But, when they claim you as their adopted family, they don't do these thinsg anymore. They don't want to eat the same cat food or fish anymore. They want a variety of food. Then, they don't want to do the cute things they did to captivate your heart anymore. Such cunningness, such planning and drama! Once, they know that they have gotten you, they drop all acts and be the King and Queen that rules the roost! That's cats for you.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
All a flurry
Have you ever wondered what it is like to ride at the back of an ambulance? If you do and you have not, don't fret, it is not worth wondering. I took a ride in an ambulance down to Changi to accompany a student. His face and a fast softball collided. Not a pretty result. Blood, blood, blood everywhere. All from 2 cuts around the eye. But still, blood dripped everywhere. Yeah, so that's how I ended up at the back of an ambulance. Nothing like the shows you watch like ER, Third Watch or whatever Hollywood feeds into our gullible minds. It was all very sedated, the paramedics were kind and calm. I was all in a flurry, because the girls are in a room at one end of the school and the office is at the other end. I had to run and lock up the room, get my stuff and of course shout last minute instructions at my kids and ask a favour from a colleague, why would I not be in a flurry?
So, I spent 4 hours in a hospital with a set of parents who cannot speak English at all. Lucky another colleague came. We started talking about holidays and other nonsense. So I told him of what went on in a course I attended yesterday. The trainer, a British who had taught in Singapore and Western Australia told this story:
A Singaporean went to Western Australia to teach Bahasa Indonesia. So holidays came and he was dissatisfied with the performance of one of his classes. So he went to the Principal and said "I have a very weak class of students. I will tutor them for 1 and 1/2 hours everyday during the hols."
The Principal replied "It is the holidays - the students are having fun on their holidays, they are out surfing. You should go and enjoy your holidays."
Isn't that a great story? We all wished that our Ministry and Principal would say such things. Ban remedials, extra lessons, let the kids take back their childhood and let teachers have a well deserved rest. We came to a conclusion that there is paranoia about grades and doing well and getting As for exams. A student who has all As for his exams may not be the nicest person or someone I want to lead the country. A very weak student on the other hand has much more EQ and understanding, empathy and a heart and that person is someone who I would proudly proclaim as my student. So, the process of developing a person should go beyond grades. But I digress, the issue of social emotional learning is something to be discussed on its own. My point is, why are teachers still working hard during hols? Why are teachers tortured and punished into going back to school to give kids remedials? My take is, if students don't have the courtesy to pay attention in normal curriculum time and don't hand in work, why should I give up my holidays to re-teach them again? It does not make sense. At least if I have kids who are just slow learners, I wouldn't mind. It all boils down to grades and ranking. To quote Shakespeare "Something is wrong in the state of Denmark" well, in this case, Singapore.
I can't do anything about the situation I am in, it is too huge. It would mean changing the whole system amd mindset of the whole nation. Since it can't be done, maybe I should consider just migrating for the slower path. The path that allows me to stop and smell the roses, the path that tells me to relax in the countryside, and there is actual countryside! Sigh, wouldn't that be a dream come true?
By the way, the student who got hit by the softball, he is fine. He required a few stitches on the 2 cuts around his eye, but he will live to tell his tale. He might have a scar, but scars add character and some chicks dig scars. Hehe hhee. It is a rite of passage. You are not a true softballer unless you have sustained an injury. hahah.
So, I spent 4 hours in a hospital with a set of parents who cannot speak English at all. Lucky another colleague came. We started talking about holidays and other nonsense. So I told him of what went on in a course I attended yesterday. The trainer, a British who had taught in Singapore and Western Australia told this story:
A Singaporean went to Western Australia to teach Bahasa Indonesia. So holidays came and he was dissatisfied with the performance of one of his classes. So he went to the Principal and said "I have a very weak class of students. I will tutor them for 1 and 1/2 hours everyday during the hols."
The Principal replied "It is the holidays - the students are having fun on their holidays, they are out surfing. You should go and enjoy your holidays."
Isn't that a great story? We all wished that our Ministry and Principal would say such things. Ban remedials, extra lessons, let the kids take back their childhood and let teachers have a well deserved rest. We came to a conclusion that there is paranoia about grades and doing well and getting As for exams. A student who has all As for his exams may not be the nicest person or someone I want to lead the country. A very weak student on the other hand has much more EQ and understanding, empathy and a heart and that person is someone who I would proudly proclaim as my student. So, the process of developing a person should go beyond grades. But I digress, the issue of social emotional learning is something to be discussed on its own. My point is, why are teachers still working hard during hols? Why are teachers tortured and punished into going back to school to give kids remedials? My take is, if students don't have the courtesy to pay attention in normal curriculum time and don't hand in work, why should I give up my holidays to re-teach them again? It does not make sense. At least if I have kids who are just slow learners, I wouldn't mind. It all boils down to grades and ranking. To quote Shakespeare "Something is wrong in the state of Denmark" well, in this case, Singapore.
I can't do anything about the situation I am in, it is too huge. It would mean changing the whole system amd mindset of the whole nation. Since it can't be done, maybe I should consider just migrating for the slower path. The path that allows me to stop and smell the roses, the path that tells me to relax in the countryside, and there is actual countryside! Sigh, wouldn't that be a dream come true?
By the way, the student who got hit by the softball, he is fine. He required a few stitches on the 2 cuts around his eye, but he will live to tell his tale. He might have a scar, but scars add character and some chicks dig scars. Hehe hhee. It is a rite of passage. You are not a true softballer unless you have sustained an injury. hahah.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
End of
May has ended and June has started. End of the first week of hols! Arrgh! it is going by so fast, and I have not done plenty of things. So much for planning. See I planned this elaborate scheme of one month skating and exercising, reading, movies, go for a trip to Malaysia, sleeping and so much more. But I have only gone for 2 yoga combat classes and went to school for remedials and training. But, I have been reading. I bought books. I chanced upon Times and Borders on my many errands and decided I have to get some books. I can't stand borrowing from the library especially during the hols. They are too crowded and noisy with kids and I can't find what I want to read anyways. So I bought loads of books, mostly chick literature. I wanted to go back to my usual reading of philosophical, deep thinking sort of books, but I decided that my brains are fried (because of school) and cannot take any intense novels for now. Have not been reading for so long, I really should put aside some money every month to buy books. Errmm...wait, that would mean I have to spare some time in my already packed schedule to go shopping, and oh yeah, spare some time to read....When would that be? Some time between 12-4 in the morning, when I suffer from insomnia or when I wake up from one of my many school induced stress nightmares? Perhaps.
At least I am going to see Peterpan band on the 14th and 17th. I am thinking of changing my blogskin to Peterpan. But, I would feel like a groupie ... (okie chups, i know, not groupie, fan from a fan club). oh well, I might just change my blogskin...we shall see.
At least I am going to see Peterpan band on the 14th and 17th. I am thinking of changing my blogskin to Peterpan. But, I would feel like a groupie ... (okie chups, i know, not groupie, fan from a fan club). oh well, I might just change my blogskin...we shall see.
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