Almost There!

For the past few days, I have been writing away. I wrote close to four thousand words! :P I have to give credit to my Muse who has been working hard too, giving me the inspiration to write. Thanks. :)

Know what? Another hour or so, I will be done with my dissertation. :)

BAD Service

This is the first time ever that I am writing about extremely bad service here on my blog.
We were at Swensen's, United Square for lunch. When we arrived, the restaurant was not even half filled but it took a while to get service. Although the girls ordered the same dish, one order came much later than the other and it was only after I told them about it. And it took me a while to get their attention again to tell them about it.

The vegetables that came with my food were raw and the mashed potato was absolutely tasteless! It was obviously boiled and then mashed up. They didn't even bother to add a bit salt or butter to it. I spoke to the manager about the food and you could tell he wasn't even listening as his eyes were looking all over the place except at me. I thought that is basic manners to have eye contact with whoever is talking to you. And NOT a word of apology! Next, it took almost 20 minutes just to get our bill settled and the girls' father blew his top and told the manager off.

We will never go back to that Swensen's ever again! I have never had such bad service before in my life. During the time we were there, I saw 3 families left after a while. Obviously I wasn't the only one who thought they were giving bad service.

Taking a Break

I had initially wanted to press on with my writing since I was on a roll. However, I thought taking a break from my writing might be good too. Juliane and I dropped by POSB, Ngee Ann City first before going to look up my friend who was selling drinks to raise funds for the President's Challenge. Juliane supported my friend by buying drinks from him. After doing her good deed, we went to Xin Wang HK Cafe, Ion for a simple lunch.

We went home around 2pm. I couldn't wait to get home. I guess my mind was still on my writing haha.

Writing

Back to writing seriously again. Today I wrote almost 1000 words which is quite good. I have found my Muse who is giving me the inspiration to write. Thanks, my Muse. :) I will be able to finish my last chapter by next Monday.

The end is near. :)

Back-up

I am a collaborator for one of the projects at my research centre and I am also helping to oversee it. It has been pretty fun as well as challenging for me - liaising with MOE, emailing to schools, making sure things are going ok with schools and the RAs. The data collection is pretty intense for this project as the 6 RAs have to go out to schools practically everyday until end of Term 4. Besides being a collaborator, I am also the back-up RA for the project. :) Just in case, any of the RAs is indisposed (touchwood haha), I can go in their place to their school. But I can only be at one school at any one time, unless I can clone myself 5 times lol. :P

Heineken Funny Commercials

I am sure we have all seen the Heineken walk in closet commercial (see below). :D I absolutely love the guys' reactions! :) Love the genius who came up with the idea of the commercial, so simple yet so powerful. :)



Now, what you probably don't know is that there is a 2nd Heinken commercial with a related theme. I shall not say too much and let you see for yourself. I was laughing so much and tearing away when I saw it! Hahahaha :D Go ahead, have a good laugh!

How are you?

Goodness, this blogthing quiz is good lol. :) "How are you?" is how I greet people, especially my counsellees. See my responses in orange.

You Are "How Are You?"

When you ask someone what's going on in her life, you truly want to know. You are very genuine. You are a compassionate and empathetic person. You want the best for everyone. It just screams "counsellor", doesn't it? Lol. Your life is an open book, and you appreciate it when other people are open with you. Once someone is your friend, she'll be a friend for life. You value friendship that much. Yes, a good friend has commented that I am like an open book. :P Yes, I definitely prefer that people are open with me. Yes, friendship is important to me. :)

What Greeting Are You?

For a Laugh

Marieann's Spaghetti

Marieann's class visited Health Promotion Board's Health Zone last week and their teacher gave them an assignment to complete this weekend. The students had to prepare a healthy lunch with their parent(s).

Marieann decided that she wanted to cook spaghetti for lunch today. We bought the ingredients last night - fresh mushroom, corn, minced pork, tomato sauce and spaghetti. We started preparing lunch at 12pm. Under my strict supervision, Marieann sliced the mushrooms, put the spaghetti into boiling water, stirred fried the minced pork together with the sliced mushroom and corn before simmering the mixture in tomato sauce. The cooking process was captured through photos which Marieann had to submit as part of her assignment, together with her reflection of her lunch preparation experience.





Marieann totally enjoyed cooking her own spaghetti lunch. I kept my involvement to a minimal so to let Marieann experience the cooking. Juliane was pretty vexed that she wasn't involved in the cooking. I told her she could cook when she is older lol. :P Marieann totally enjoyed eating her spaghetti too. She had a 2nd helping! Haha.

Ionic Ion

For the second week in a row, Juliane and I are back at Ion lol. Again, we didn't browse around Ion but headed straight for The Soup Spoon. :P This time, it was Juliane who had a craving for soup, especially for clam chowder and her favourite waldorf salad.

After our early lunch, we went over to Isetan Wisma to get some stuff. However, we missed the turning to the Orchard MRT which would lead us to Wisma and we ended up lost haha. We finally managed to backtrack and found our way to Wisma. :)

PS I remain uninterested in shopping at Ion. Strange huh.

Movie Watching

Another personality quiz based on movie/ film. My responses in blue.

You Should Watch a Horror Movie

You are a bit of a thrill seeker. You love to get your heart thumping, even if it's just from watching a movie. Oh yes. Heart thumping is my way of knowing I am still alive lol. If a movie can scare you or creep you out, then it's done it's job. You love the rush of being frightened. Most definitely. :) For you, no idea is off topic or off limits. In fact, the darkness of others fascinates you. Maybe that's why I am a psychologist?! Lol. You like to see the chilling side of people, even if it leaves you scared for days. Never say no to learning more about people.

What Kind of Movie Should You Watch Tonight?

District 9

I had some time off today and decided to watch a movie. Settled on District 9. It looked interesting enough from the advert and it is only showing in a few cinemas which meant I could also avoid the crowd.

District 9 turns out to be one of the best movies I have seen so far. It is a thought-provoking movie. It makes you ponder long after the movie has finished screening. District 9 is a sci-fi movie filmed as a mock documentary by first-time filmmaker, Neill Blomkamp and with first-time actor, Sharlto Copley casted as the lead role, a goofy government officer. It is almost like Cloverfield, another sci-fi movie as seen from a videocam but District 9 is tons better!! As the movie advances, it makes you ponder long and deep about issues such as rights as a group, rights as an individual, segregation, supremacy, what is humanity. There is also the exploration of emotions. Before you dismiss it as one of those boring thinking movies, there is action too and pretty cool. :) District 9 is definitely engaging both in terms of the drama as well as the action. Oh, but if you can't stand blood and gore, District 9 might not be so suitable for you. If you enjoyed movies like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project, you will definitely find District 9 your cup of tea.

District 9 is about a race of aliens who became stranded on Earth, and most refreshingly, in South Africa. The humans designated a district (thus, the name of the movie, District 9) for the aliens to live in but they are kept segregated from the humans. A series of events followed when the aliens were being moved from their slums in District 9 to a new district... Enjoy the trailer.

District 9 - Theatrical Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Squishy Squashy

I had a fright tonight when I stepped into the dark kitchen to get a drink. Being familiar with the kitchen layout, I didn't bother to switch on the light. Imagine my fright when I stepped onto something squishy and squashy. I immediately lifted up my foot! Before I switched on the light, I murmured a prayer, "Oh please, oh please, don't let it be what I think it is!".

Oh gosh! There really was a lizard on the floor! AHHHH!! I quickly checked my foot to see if there was any blood and gore. There wasn't any! PHEW! The lizard seemed to come alive at that point too and quickly moved away. It must have been playing dead. I hope never to encounter something like that again. It was a most unpleasant experience. Gives me the creeps. :S

Ageless

I was back at the school today interviewing the students in the library. After the interviews were conducted and when my colleague and I were about to leave, a lady who was smiling at me, walked up to me and called my name. I was surprised. I didn't know if I knew her. But if she was able to call me by my name, I would know her, right? Lol. She must have seen the look on my face (yes, I have been told by a good friend that I can be read like a book haha) and she introduced herself. Oh my goodness, she was my SCGS schoolmate. Oops! Sorry. I didn't recognise her at all.

We talked for a while before I had to rush back to office for a 2:30pm meeting with my boss. My SCGS schoolmate claimed that I still look the same as I was in secondary school which was why she could recognise me immediately. Well, she could have been polite by saying that. But she's not the first who have said that, so there might be some truth to it that I still look the same after all these years. Hmm, maybe I have found and have been drinking at the Fountain of Youth. Now if only I can recall where this Fountain of Youth is! Hahaha. :)

Interviews in School

Went to school in the morning with one of the RAs to conduct interviews with teachers for the assessment project. It is always nice going to school. I mean I like to see the buzz and action in school. :) The interviews went well and the teachers were informative. Hopefully we can get as much information from the students tomorrow.

I transcribed one of the interviews which was an hour long. I managed to transcribe it within 2.5 hours. :)

Hearty Brazilian Feast

I needed to restock my lavender oil from Perfect Potion, United Square. It was close to lunch time when we were there. Well, looking around, we saw Fiesta Brasilia. They are having a 1-for-1 ala carte deal. Not bad and I was hankering for some meaty stuff so we decided to eat there.

I had the Brazilian Churrascaria ($21.90) which came with buffet of side dishes and dessert (ice cream). I was served soup (cream of mushroom) and fried banana fritters which the girls really enjoyed. I had from the skewers - chicken heart, ham, spiced pork sausages, chicken thigh, chicken wrapped in bacon, fish, and pineapple. The meats were all tender and juicy. :)

Juliane had Porco Platter ($16.90): Brazilian pork sausages, honey ham , chicken with bacon and salad. She finished almost two thirds of the dish. I am impressed lol. Marieann had a simple dish of spaghetti in tomato sauce (no photo).


The girls' father had Bahia Almoco Set ($13.90): rice with black beans and pork bits, salad and steak but he changed the steak to pork sausage, ham and chicken with bacon.


It was a hearty lunch, at least for me it was! Haha.

People Watching

Juliane and I had lunch at The Soup Spoon, Ion. It was accidental that we were there at all lol. We had wanted to cut through Ion using the underpass to get to The Wheelock Place. However, on the way to the Ion-Wheelock underpass, I accidentally heard someone mention there's The Soup Spoon at Ion. That was all I needed to start me on my crave for soup! Lol. I dragged Juliane along and within minutes, we found The Soup Spoon. :)

We ordered the usual, Clam Chowder with Waldorf Salad. While eating, I like to observe people and how they interact and from there I guess their relationship, etc. All of a sudden, I realised there was silence. Juliane was too quiet lol. She was having her salad while looking all over. So I asked her what she was doing. I laughed at her reply.

She said, "I am watching the people". Haha. Like mother, like daughter.

In UK Soon

No, not me. How I wished! Lol. My parents are going to UK tomorrow to visit my brother and his family. They were last in UK 2 years ago, I think. My parents will be in UK for 2 months at least.

Before they leave for UK, my parents have been having friends and relatives over for lunches and dinners, right up to today, their last day in Singapore. So like my parents to think of appeasing friends' and relatives' appetite in their 2 months' absence lol.

My Walk

Another personality quiz lol. My responses in green.

Your Walk Says You're Approachable

You are outgoing, funny, and friendly. You love attention, and you make sure everyone knows when you enter a room. I dislike sneaking up on people and scaring them. So it is not attention that I want, just didn't want to scare people. My colleagues have told me that they know it is me coming round the corner by my footsteps lol. Other people see you as humble and down to earth. You don't put on airs. I can be a bit distant at times but that's because I want to be alone. Not cos I am haughty. You are assertive, energetic, and curious about the world. You never hold back, and you're often the first to try something. That's why I love travelling and didn't mind one bit about travelling on my own to far places. :) You tend to be all work and very little play. You are too responsible to let loose. Being involved in 3 projects now, it seemed to be true lol. :P

What Does Your Walk Say About You?

NOISY!

I came back from counselling today only to hear my mother telling me that our upstairs neighbour was renovating and it was really noisy. I was like "Really? There is no noise leh". Before I could even complete my thought, the drilling started! Oh gosh, it was really NOISY!! The renovating unit was directly above us so the noise seemed even more amplified. It was only when the drilling stopped intermittently that we realised we were actually shouting at each other in order to have a conversation. :(

I really hate the drilling noise. It is extremely irritating and it is giving me a pounding headache too. :(

National Day Parade 2009 Fun Pack

Through a good friend, I managed to get hold of two NDP 2009 Fun Pack, one pink and one purple for my girls. :) Thanks, YZ.

The girls were most happy to get their fun pack. :) Thank goodness, this time round, the girls were happy to settle for different colours - Marieann wanted the purple fun pack and Juliane took the pink. Phew. :P They were actually more excited about the the sweets and biscuits in the pack lol. They still don't know what the heart thingy is (the torchlight thing) because I didn't put in the batteries hahaha. :P Maybe in another day or two, they will figure out.

Wet Weather Plan

Today, Marieann, Juliane and I were supposed to go to the zoo with Marieann's classmate, Jewel and her mother. However, when we woke up at 7am, it was still drizzling and there was thunder rumbling in the distant. A quick check of the weather forecast in the papers indicated it was morning showers with thunder. Ok, it is time for Wet Weather Plan. Anyone who has been a teacher would be most familiar with wet weather plans lol.

Once the kids knew what the wet weather plan was, they were no longer disappointed about not going to the zoo lol. Instead of leaving for the zoo at 8am, Jewel and her mother pick us up and we went to Mckkies at Ridout Tea Garden, Queensway for breakfast. It has been a long time since I sat down to have breakfast at Mckkies. :) It was nice having a leisurely breakfast with the girls.



We left for Great World City at 9:30am. We thought we were early. We were seriously wrong! The only seats left were the 1st to 6th rows from the screen for Up 3D. Well, couldn't disappoint the kids a 2nd time. We took the 6th row seats from the screen. Once the movie started, it was silence from the kids. I really enjoyed the Up. It was a fantastic movie, really entertaining and funny. Go watch it if you haven't done so. :)

Up - Theatrical Trailer Movies & TV SPIKE.com

After the movie, we had lunch at the food court and browsed at the book fair before heading home for a rest so that the girls can get ready for school tomorrow. To be honest, I think the mothers needed the rest more than the kids lol.

National Day 2009

Happy 44th Birthday, Singapore.

We went to Vivocity because Juliane said she had not been there for a while. Had lunch at HK Kim Gary Restaurant. The girls had instant noodles which I thought was unhealthy but their father thought nothing of it. :( I was still too tired to object. I could never fathom why people hanker for instant noodles at a restaurant and pay A LOT more for it when you can cook it at home, and it is not exactly healthy food. Sigh.

We watched the National Day Parade on television. Somehow, I don't recall a lot of it now. :P I think I was doing other stuff too lol. But I love the segment where they put the songs from the 80s and 90s together. Sure brings back memories lol. :) Both Marieann and I did the Pledge Moment lol. She was surprised that I could still recite the pledge and even more so when I could recite the pledge in Mandarin! Hahaha.

Under the Weather

Feeling a little under the weather, feeling very tired. Didn't bring the young one out. Only went out briefly to get lunch from the nearby food court. Spent the rest of the day resting and doing some light reading.

Pleasure Viewing

Besides the number of books that I want to read, there are also a couple of movies I want to watch lol. :) G.I. Joe - for the gadgets and special effects, Up - for the laughs, Public Enemies - for the drama and Johnny Depp hahaha :P

Hazy Day

As I stepped out of my place, an acrid burning smell hit my nose. Huh? Is there a fire somewhere? Must be a pretty bad one. As I travelled towards my workplace, my eyes seemed to become"blurry" at times. There seemed to be a "mist" veiling some places.

Finally I knew why there was a burning smell hanging in the air and a smoky haze shrouding the place. The haze, which is the result of smoke from slash and burn activities in Indonesia, is back in Singapore. :( It seemed the haze situation in Singapore would only get worse as the dry and hot weather peaks in September. :( :(

Pleasure Reading

I am reading this book, The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chunk Hogan. Yes, Del Toro, the director of The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Hellboy II, Blade II and Pan’s Labyrinth lol. The Strain is Book 1 of The Strain trilogy. Gosh, the book is really gripping. I haven't finish reading it yet but I know I can't wait to read the next 2 books!

I am also waiting to read the 6th Sigma Force thriller, The Doomsday Key by James Rollins and the latest Pendergast thriller, Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. :)

What Salad?

Even salad can be used to predict one's personality, that is amazing lol.

You Are Cobb Salad

You seem simple, but you're actually a very complicated person. Most people would have sides of them not revealed... You stay well organized, and because of that, you're on top of all the chaos in your life. I am forced to be organised... lol You work well with others. You are able to check your ego and cooperate. I try my best... lol You are also very open-minded and accepting. You're happy to let people do their own thing. I try... lol

What Kind of Salad Are You?

Classroom Observations

It has been a long time since I have been to a classroom observation. I used to do classroom observations when I was an educational psychologist (EP) with MOE. I would sometimes observe students who were referred by the schools in their classes, in different lessons, in their interactions with peers and teachers. The observations would aid in my diagnosis of the students' problems or difficulties. A part of my former job as an EP was to observe the Learning Support Coordinators (LSCs). I always enjoyed observing the LSCs in action. They are a bunch of creative teachers.

This whole week, starting today, I would be going out to a school to do classroom observations. It was really nice being in a classroom again, being with the students, lol. I am looking forward to the next classroom observation tomorrow. :)

Lazy Afternoon

We went for a really late lunch at Minori Dining & Sake Bar at 1pm. The girls had ramen from the ala carte menu while the adults had the ala carte buffet.

The girls' Ramen

After lunch, we went to Bakerzin for dessert. The girls had their single scoop ice cream while I ordered the Coupe Tutti Fruity ($9.80). My Tutti Fruity was really colourful and a pure delight to the senses. :) We girls finished it in no time lol.

Workshop

I was at a whole day workshop today. The topic was of my interest and a good friend was presenting it so I thought I should be there to give support lol. Moreover, when my friend was preparing for the workshop, I gave some input with the slides so I felt somewhat responsible too lol. Overall, I had a good day even though it was tiring as it has been a long while since I had been to a whole day workshop. It also makes me miss my "workshop-giving" days lol.