I am Chai Tea

I am a tea drinker and I like strong tea. Interesting results from Blogthings. :)

You Are Chai Tea

You're quite the charmer. You know how to get what you want from almost anyone. You are high-powered and spunky. You bring a lot to the table... sometimes too much! You are brilliant and pioneering. You never do things the normal way... you do them your way. Friends describe you as sensitive, spirited, and compulsive. Bright and blazing with intensity, you seem mysterious and moody to many.

What's Your Tea Type?

PSLE 2011

Today is the first paper of PSLE 2011. This year's PSLE starts earlier than previous years and ends with the last paper (Higher Mother Tongue) on Wednesday 5 October 2011.

To my P6 counsellees: Good Luck!

Gut Feeling or Professional Wisdom?

A fellow counsellor who is new to the profession chit-chatted with me a while back. I was asked this: How do you know what are the right questions to ask?

The truth is, sometimes you don't know what are the right questions to ask. A lot depends on the situation, the person you are counselling, and your counselling experience. Personally, I feel that gut feeling or intuition is very important in counselling too. My intuition hasn't let me down yet in my counselling work. Well, of course some would say "my intuition" is the accumulation of my counselling experience and professional wisdom after so many years of counselling. They may be right but there is still sometimes this unexplainable hunch that propels me to ask a certain question that turns out to be the right question to ask. Professional wisdom or gut feeling? I think it is both.

Happy Belated 1st Birthday, Yeun Zhen

It was my 3rd nephew's 1st birthday a week ago on 21 September. Sorry, Gu Ma is getting old and forgetful. :(

Here is Happy Belated Birthday to you. Hope you have had lots of fun, presents, and cake! :)

Lots of love from Singapore

Keep Up

There are so many interesting shows on tv such as Teen Wolf, Harper's Island, The Killing, The Gates, Primeval, Downton Abbey but I can hardly keep up with them! :( Heard new shows are coming, Falling Skies and Terra Nova. Looks like I won't have time to watch them either. :(

Summer Rain by Belinda Carlisle

Another great song. Couldn't get the MTV but this clip is really well-done. :) (uploaded by asconstantinides)

I Get Weak & Heaven is a Place on Earth

Two more songs by Belinda Carlisle. Kudos to the 80s lol.

I Get Weak (uploaded by johnpiiiii)


Heaven is a Place on Earth (uploaded by BeeGeesAndMore)

Runaway Horses by Belinda Carlisle

Nice song. :)

Runaway Horses (uploaded by twistoftroy)

Vision of You by Belinda Carlisle

What can I say? It is another great song. :)

Vision of You (uploaded by moonfloated)

In Too Deep by Belinda Carlisle

Wonderful song, wonderful music video, wonderful singer. :)

In Too Deep (uploaded by yamanyildiray)

Circle in the Sand by Belinda Carlisle

Ok I am in a retro mood lol. Let it be Belinda Carlisle week. :)
Here is another of her songs, Circle in the Sand (uploaded by vbeloff)

Leave A Light On by Belinda Carlisle

An awesome song by an awesome singer! :)

Leave A Light On (uploaded by RECORDPAUSEPLAY)

La Luna by Belinda Carlisle

Love this song from my teenage years. :) Belinda Carlisle is a great singer.

La Luna (uploaded by elpeter82)

Secrets by One Republic

I can't shake this song from my head after watching The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Nice movie and nice soundtrack. :) (uploaded by waltdisneystudiosph)

Melt Again

Juliane picked out tonight's dinner venue via the hungrygowhere website lol. She chose Melt - The World Cafe and as if to get me to approve tonight's dinner choice, she even showed me the kind of cuisine Melt serves. She claimed that she had never been there before. (Actually she has but she was only 4 years old then lol.)
There are quite a few food stations - Western, Indian, Malay, Japanese, Chinese, Seafood, BBQ and of course, Dessert! We left Melt quite stuffed and very happy. :)

Western salads

Mix of Asian cuisine - Chinese, Malay and Indian

"Holiday" Again

The girls are having another "holiday" again today due to the PSLE Listening Comprehension. They are pretty happy about the extra day of rest and not having to go to school. But there are also plenty of school homework to keep them occupied for the day.

Mid Autumn Festival (Belated)

It was Mid Autumn Festival on Monday 12 September. Chinese families would gather together on this day and celebrate a tradition by having mooncakes, chinese tea and pomelo. The children would also carry lit lanterns to walk about the neighbourhood.
This year, we had mooncakes, tea and pomelo but the girls did not carry the lanterns even though we bought the lanterns. We totally forgot about the lanterns, being more absorbed in the eating lol. :P

Quiet Time

Today is one of my most quiet counselling day ever. 4 out of the 7 scheduled counsellees couldn't make it due to taking their tests. Normally, I would be informed and counselling would be cancelled. However the teachers informed the teacher-in-charge of scheduling too late (only this morning) and the teacher-in-charge was away on medical appointment in the morning. Thank goodness for iPad to pass the time lol.

On Track, On Task, On Time

On track.
On task.
On time.
Final revision of my PhD.

Ghost Message

As I stepped out of the bathroom, Juliane asked me excitedly.

Juliane: Mama, you saw the ghost message in the bathroom?
Me: Huh? What ghost message? *shooting her a strange look*
Juliane: There! See? See?! *she dragged me into the bathroom*
Ah, I see. On the mirror, there was a message, "I love you, Mommy". Haha. :)

When Juliane took her shower, the mirror was misted over. She took the opportunity to write a message to me knowing that I would be taking a shower when I returned home from work. The message showed up again when the mirror was misted over during my shower lol.
Fancy her to call it a ghost message lol.

10 Years On..

It is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Time flies but for those who lost their loved ones at the 9/11 attacks, time has stood still.

After a stormy period of mixed feelings of prolonged sadness, there comes a calm.
After we become convinced that we are at the very brink of eternal despair, or fear, or guilt, or sadness, we are given a reprieve. We have a breathing space that eventually leads to whole days that have personal value and offer us the opportunity for affection.
Then we recognize that no period of misery is endless and unrelenting; it is instead, changeable.

-Carol Staudacher

Gathering Missed

My SCGS friends had a gathering today to view the photos from our Bali trip as well as to settle some bills. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too well and had to miss the gathering. :( Wish I could be there to see the photos and also to show my photos. Oh and I missed out on the chocolate cake too... :( I hope the next gathering will be some time soon.

Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum

This is a really nice song, Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum. Somehow the song gives me a warm feeling. :)

It's Sale Time Again

Came home from work, I had a quick dinner and went out again with the girls. It is Isetan Private Sale again. :)
I bought Clarins skincare products for my mother and the girls bought files. But we spent the most on food! Haha. There is currently an Autumn Kyushu Fair on at the supermarket from 6-19 September. :) Must go back again before the Kyushu Fair ends.

Marina Barrage

After the conference, my colleagues and I had a simple dinner at the MBS food court. Since Marina Barrage is nearby, we went for a look. I have heard Marieann talked about her field trip to Marina Barrage and that she liked the place. Not sure how it looked like in the day but the scenery was nice at night. :) It was really cool and windy too.

"Wise" Words?!

I am attending a two day English Language Institute of Singapore conference organised by MOE at Marina Bay Sands. Pretty exciting as it is the first time I am stepping foot at MBS. :) Must have a good look around. For personal reasons, I will never willingly step foot at MBS or Sentosa Resort World.

I enjoyed the keynote and one of the paper presenations very much. Really made lots of sense. However when it came to the launch of ELIS, what a certain "whose-name-cannot-be named-and-still-held-in-awe/fear-by-the-current-government-and-politicians" said, had my jaws dropping to the floor. Literally! When he said that American English would be the way to go for the future because America is a big power, and it is a big economy, I could hear the waves of murmuring of disbelief spreading across the ballroom like a tsunami. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a bit but it was disbelief all over the place. Sigh. He has a great mind but I think it is time that he retires in peace...

My Favourite Time

This is what my favourite time of day - late night says about me. :) Quite accurate haha.

You Are Independent

You dance to your own drummer, and you like to live life on your own terms. You do and say whatever you feel like. People are sometimes shocked by your outrageous behavior. You have a wild and passionate side that you love to express. You have your own way of doing things. You are a bit of a loner at times. You need space to grow and become who you really are.

What Does Your Favorite Time of Day Say About You?

Hari Raya Gathering

Every Hari Raya, my former MOE HQ colleague, Rahidah would invite my family over to her place for a gathering. At the gathering, I would often meet up with my other former MOE HQ colleagues. My girls who love Hari Raya cakes, cookies and kuehs have been looking forward to this once-a-year event.
This year, the gathering is on 4 September. When I told the girls that we would go at noon and leave for their tuition around 2.30pm, Marieann spoke in a serious tone, "Ok we go for lunch, then we go for tuition. After tuition, we come back here again for dinner." Oh my goodness, I don't know what to say.
We had a great time at Rahidah's place, delicious food, yummy cakes, and great company. :)


PS. No, we didn't go back to Rahidah's for dinner. :P

TIRED OUT

Yesterday, I had to make 2 presentations to the Dean and it was really pressurising and stressful for me. I wanted to make sure I make a good presentation because I still feel accountable to my former PI even though the project has ended. I also wanted to make sure I make a good presentation because I am making the presentation to the Dean!
However, in the end, we only had time for one presentation as I was questioned several times throughout the presentation. The second presentation would be postponed to a later date but soon. Argh, prolonged stress. :(
I was so exhausted and tired out by the whole experience that I slept immediately after dinner from 7+pm till 2am.

Holiday...

started one day earlier for the girls. Today is a day off for teachers in Singapore (replaced 1 September) so there is no school. The girls are really happy with an extra day of of holiday.

Happy Teacher's Day 2011

It's Teacher's Day. The girls gave their presents to their teachers yesterday as their school celebrated Teacher's Day yesterday. To show their appreciation for their teachers, Juliane bought "Best Teacher certificates" for her teachers while Marieann made bookmarks for her teachers. :)
Every year this time, I would also visit my former lecturers to thank them for giving me the gift of knowledge. :)