little did i realise that while im spending time with family and friends, i forgot that there’s a whole bunch of food that im gonna miss! so, heres the agenda.
mon breakfast: nasi lemak
mon lunch: chicken rice
mon dinner: somewhere outside with family
mon supper: chinese rojak
tues breakfast: mee siam
tues lunch: crispy seafood noodles
tues dinner: mom’s cooking (havent chosen the menu yet)
wed breakfast: prata
wed lunch: hokkien mee
wed dinner: mom’s cooking (fried chicken wing, chicken curry with white radish and brinjal, long beans, cabbage)
wed supper: carrot cake
thurs breakfast: prata
thurs lunch: mee hoon goreng
thurs dinner: mom’s cooking (havent chosen the menu yet)
thurs supper: satay
fri breakfast: homemade sandwich
fri lunch: mom’s cooking (mushroom with potato, french beans, greens)
fri dinner: mom’s cooking (puri with dhal)
if you were leaving Singapore forever, what local dishes would you have before leaving? (just in case i missed out one of my fav foods… )
2 sundays ago, i went for my first dive in Singapore waters. ppl always say you cant find anything in singapore waters and ive always argued otherwise having done some intertidal stuff and seen many many many creatures on our shores.
but, well, i now understand why ppl would say such a thing. the visibility in hantu is beyond terrible. we had to use a torch light on a bright and sunny day. akin to muck diving. but still, that doesnt mean there’s no marine life in singapore.
i only managed to take a few pictures during both my dives and i must admit, if i go often enough, i’d probably get used to manouvering in hantu waters. the best thing abt the trip?
i saw my first seahorse! and it was just pretty. amazing. it looks like such a delicate creature, so gentle:)
here are the other pictures, and i apologise for the blur shots. i realise my macro function is not good enough.
filefish
flatworm
dont know what fish this is…. might be a frogfish?
nudibranchs
and some eel looking thing which someone said might be a large worm? i dont know… it looks like a snake body with a fish head…
check out hantu bloggers for better quality photographs and evidence that there definitely is marine life in singapore. you just got to give it a change. you wont find the kind of 30m clear waters around, but, poor vis means less predators hang around, which provides quite a good hideout for alot of other creatures… so… yes, i shall check out hantu one more time when i come back in 2013.
perhaps things might have been cleaner if i had resigned. but i didnt. and now im facing the music.
with the new year holidays over, the uni has been emailing me stuff and i have been in contact with various branches of the uni. fixing on-campus accommodation and waiting for their reply is nerve wrecking. cos if i dont get a room allotted, i will have to go back to finding off-campus accommodation. i have to wait till mid jan to activate my computer account. and until i do that, i cant enrol into my modules. i havent booked arrival service, i havent gotten my visa because i waiting for my passport to be renewed. and the best part is, i dont even know when my leave starts.
reporting to work has been mundane enough for me to feel like this is just stupid and redundant. and it doesnt help that i have jealous ppl walking by saying, “you very free ah”. or when i ask ppl out for lunch, “some of us actually have work to do you know?”. you mean you usually dont find free periods to eat meh?
well, of course im free. ive not been deployed. but im not the one who requested to report to work. given a choice, i’d much rather not earn the salary for the first 2 weeks and stay home to settle my stuff. so stop patronising me, you green-eyed ppl. its not what i asked for. its just the way the system is.
i have also already been paid for january. now i have to liaise with yet another dept (finance) to return them as deemed necessary. thats adding on to unnecessary paper work.
ive started packing my room and that marks the reality of me leaving. suddenly im wondering if im spending enough time with everyone. its not an overnight camp or a 1 week holiday. i will be gone, for quite a while. and the reality of that is slapping my face every single minute that im not occupied with something to distract me.
what do you do when you have a few weeks left with your family? i was worried abt how my family is going to handle it. but now im worried abt how I’M going to handle it!
conveniently, the ability to stay in a state of denial is growing. ever so often, i dont wish to face up to the fact that i will be alone in a foreign state, with no friend to turn to. living independently, while being a refreshing idea, suddenly makes me fearful.
AT said, “you scared for what! wah lau! 1.5 yr got no government. you can do whatever you want. stay out however late you want. no need to answer to anyone” and i thought, “ya, i should be excited uh”. but the truth? its freaking me out that i have to handle everything myself. what if i make no friends and have no one to turn to? what if the ppl i get to know are cunning and evil ppl? how will going to the common kitchen in every level be with strangers? meeting strangers in the toilets. meeting strangers in class. meeting strangers in the library. where will i work? what will my hall residents be like? wild undergraduates or mature post grads?
it appears like i dont have enough time to mentally prepare myself just cos im constantly worried abt my leave date. haiz… and blabbering abt this isnt gonna make things better. its just that i was hoping that going away would be alot smoother and planned. rather than unplanned like this…
i hope my leave matters get settled soon and i can stop reporting to work so that i can sort out my other issues.
time to get back to doing miscellaneous things. ciao!
as the date approaches, i cant help but feel a sense of heaviness. ive spent the first week in sch observing while trying to stay hidden. the usual first few weeks of classes bring abt a certain excitement in the staffroom. but i was going through some photographs to give to my cadets for the sec 1 CCA presentation and came cross many photos that brought a smile… and i thought i’ll share some of them.
SJAB
we’ve achieved gold in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011…. through the efforts of all the trainers and cadets. its been a wonderful journey.
all their efforts culminate with POP.
this video of the rehearsal in 2007.
seeing them grow from being primary school kids at sec 1 to the leaders they are today. each year, POP appears to have a different meaning to different cohorts of cadets. perhaps the feeling is dependant on how much effort they have put in for their yrs in service. this photo is from the 2008 POP.
of course all of these woudnt have been possible without the officers/sncos who helped with the training.
but after training, what goes on in SJAB room is yet another thing.
i was also lucky to witness the corps’s 10th yr anniversary. while i didnt know the ex-sjab cadets, the many who came reminisced abt their times in KSS. they looked at the SJAB room (which has now sadly shifted to a new miserably small room), saw photos and videos of the past 10 yrs of SJAB in KSS.
Derrick aka Uncle Young Man who started the corps must definitely be thanked for his efforts. having a constant in an organisation is impt. and through all the handing overs, uncle young man has been a major support. his english however, is just terrible. to the point that some of them thought that the script written for him for the 10th yr anniversary celebrations must be shortened to save him from potential embarrassment.
of course what would sjab be without this woman who served 10 yrs before going to SSS. while i think it was fun to bully her, i think i was the one who got bullied more often than not!
well, to be honest, i feel sad. im leaving sjab under the charge of someone who seems quite different from beeleng and me. but well…. things always have a way of working out right…
NPD and other UG stuff
each year, i look forward to NDP cos thats the UGs showcase. week in and out, from the start of july, these kids rehearse under the hot weather to perfect their march. unfortunately, it doesnt always go as planned on the actual day. but it still doesnt discount the proud moment for the kids as they march past and march out the parade. this video is from 2011′s NDP.
Shunnie’s NCC POP and change of command 2009
leaders day is yet another proud moment as the exiting leaders pass on the baton to the incoming ones. here’s a shot of the leaders handing over from my fav 2009 batch.
Babies
Sec 1G 2006
Sec 2G 2007
Sec 3G 2008
Sec 4G 2009
Sec 5A 2010
with beautiful memories, a few of my happy times with this class included the Leaders Day segment where i had so many students with appointments.
as well as doing well for N levels.
and the YOG Class decor where we owned the entire sch!
Netball
my first cca in this sch was netball and it made me fall in love with the sport i never thought much of…
the 2006 B and C div girls were enthusiastic and serious bunch of players. and i hope they are doing well whereever they are.
Other classes
my time with other classes are just as fantastic. ive had the privilege of mtg and teaching really great students over the yrs. and i think ive learnt abt myself from teaching the different type of students..
my yearly bt timah fieldtrip with my bio kids
5NA 2011
3AB 2010
5NA 2009
there has been so many experiences that i can list, but it still wouldnt express enough how much i have gained from them.
ive enjoyed watching students play frisbee, i enjoyed going for tournaments to watch the kids ive taught fight it out on court. and i enjoyed supporting the SYF judging. its been quite a ride.
my overseas trips, the fieldtrips, maths trails, research projects, sch events, etc….. of course none of these would have succeeded without my fellow team mates. and so i have to thank the trs ive worked with over the yrs.
among other nonsenses that happen…. which made school an everyday-fun affair.
birthday celebrations at the then staff lounge was a norm…. and fun and funny too…
and my good good friend and mentor ms karen wong’s birthday when she was preggie with her no. 3.
thanks to all who have given me fantastic memories! my 6 yrs have not been wasted!
and with a few weeks left to leave, i will definitely miss the students and colleagues and our sch events.
you wont find the kind of 30m clear waters around, but, poor vis means less predators hang around, which provides quite a good hideout for alot of other creatures… so… yes, i shall check out hantu one more time when i come back in 2013. 
