My advanced Christmas gift!

Eeee? What's this next to my darling plush pug?



Rip it open...What do we have here???


It's the Nintendo DSi! :D

This is the latest handheld game console by Nintendo that follows the Nintendo DS Lite. Hubby got this for me, intending to present it to me for Christmas, but he ended up having to pass it to me last night. Haha...it's a funny story. After watching the Singapore Grand Prix on TV last night, I craved for some excitement in racing of my own, so I challenged Hubby to a game of Mariokart on DS (yeah yeah, mine's the cartoon race version :p). Realised while playing the game that there was something wrong with my left direction button -- it was kinda retarded and wouldn't respond well when I pressed it, and I had to press it so hard that it hurt my thumb after a while. Was thinking that I'd have to take out my first generation DS to use cos I didn't really wanna spend money buying a new one just cos that button wasn't working fine...then a few minutes after I said that, Hubby re-appeared before me with this pressie! Haha...said he had no choice but to give this to me now that my DS Lite isn't working well. So sweet... ^_^

Nevertheless, Hubby was a little annoyed that his little Christmas surprise was ruined, but I totally enjoyed myself exploring some of the functions that came with this toy. Compared to the DS Lite, the DSi has got larger screens, and is slimmer, but the most fun part is that it's now got this built-in interactive camera function. I can actually use the DSi to take pictures, and then transfer them to my SD card (there's a slot for this at the side of the console) to be loaded onto the computer! I can also edit the images taken using various effects. Cool! There's also connection to an online store etc, but I doubt I'd be using that much. Can't wait to play and take pics on the DSi! Haha.

Hubby also made sure my new DSi has got screen protectors plastered on both the screens. My previous screen was so badly scratched cos there wasn't one to protect it and I can get kinda rough when playing games using the touch screen. :p

Am delighted with this gift! But now there's one problem: What shall I get for Hubby? *scratch head*

Saturday with lots of treats...

Today has been, I must say, quite an eventful Saturday. It's now the time of the F1 craze once again, and Hubby and I are now seated comfortably in the living lounge viewing the qualifying race on TV (with me typing here at the same time :p).

Visited my aunt and uncle with Hubby and Beebee in the late morning...they were both so pleased to see us. Spent over an hour chatting with them. I'm glad we made them so happy today. :)

Then enjoyed all these yummy treats...(I finally satisfied my recent cravings for my favourite chye tau kway!!!)

Also enjoyed some visual treats with these artistic displays of racing-related items... especially love the race car constructed using various breads, cos I'm a bread person. Haha. This breadie's actually the largest sculpture made of bread and has its name on the Singapore Book of Records. Cool!

And then, there're the two items I brought home at the end of the day besides a pair of Chomel earrings. Sigh. Just when I'd declared to Beebee and Benne that I'd sworn off buying bags till the end of the year at least, I ended up getting two! (I should've just kept my big mouth shut.) One's a simple Marc by Marc Jacobs canvas tote that came with the brand's magazine in Japanese at Kinokuniya. Hubby was the one who noticed it first and bought it for me. The other one's a new arrival from Burberry -- a small pilgrim shimmer check sling bag, which I absolutely adore. Think it's quite versatile as a weekend leisure bag, and also a formal evening bag -- if I tuck in the sling and carry it by the handles. :)

I'm downright incorrigible.'Nuff said.

Hari Raya Lunch

Hasnira invited a number of us and some of our other ex-colleagues over to her home again for her yummy Hari Raya lunch as usual...it's been a few months since she transferred to another school. Glad to hear that all's great over there at her new workplace. Also had the chance to catch up with the rest, especially those I hardly see anymore now that they're working elsewhere. For some people, it's amazing how positive a change they go through when they start a new work life elsewhere. Makes me wonder how I'd do if I weren't still working where I am. :p

Everything she cooked seemed fantastic...but cos I don't take beef and sotong, I had to give the beef rendang, satay and sambal sotong a miss. But I loved her lontong and sambal chicken...sedap! *thumbs up* If I could cook like she does, I think Hubby would be really really BIG cos of all the good food he'd be eating. Sigh. (Sorry, Hubby.)

Hitched a ride to Lot 1 at CCK after the meal to shop for some mooncakes at the little fair there for 姑姑. It's been so long since I last stepped into that mall. Think it's more happening now compared to before. Anyway, decided on some mooncakes from The Baker's Cottage, apparently a well-established brand from Malaysia. Prices are quite reasonable -- approximately $8-$9++ per piece, and I get to mix and choose the flavours too. Boxes are also quite pretty. ^_^

Tomorrow Hubby and I are meeting BeeBee to go visit her. Beebee and I are also going to give her a blender cos her old one's spoilt. Hope she'd be delighted with these gifts. She certainly deserves it for all the time she spent helping to look after us when we were young and for always treating us so kindly. :)

Songs that touch the heart

最近迷上了傍晚九点在第八播道播出的香港电视剧《溏心风暴》。感觉这部戏非常有意义，而且包含了许多人生的价值观与感人肺腑的人与人之间的感情。昨天得留在学校到晚上九点，我一离开学校就赶紧地走到车站。等不到半辆巴士，就越来越急了。我虽然称得上是连续剧迷，但很少会因为没办法赶回家看戏尔着急！最终还在第一时间截住了一辆德士，然后才松了一口气。 :p

好喜欢剧中的正派人物--Mr OK, 常在心，Alfred, 大干，大鲍 等等。 虽然我好期望Mr OK 和常在心能成为一对，但我也被Alfred与常在心的恋情深深的感动到了。每当故事呈现关于他们俩所经历的事，电视机总会播出两手动人的歌曲之一。第一手是 Christine Glass 所唱的 "My Love Will Get You Home", 而另一手就是 Don McLean 的 "Starry Starry Night".

好简单的曲子，但又能另听者感到非常陶醉。这两首已在我最喜欢的歌曲榜上有了排名。:)

Mooncake shopping

It's time to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival once more although, I have to admit, my way of celebrating it is basically to purchase and deliver mooncakes to my parents and in-laws with Hubby, and then munch on whatever we buy for them during our visits while the elders savour them too. :p

Well, this year's a little different. Instead of shopping with Hubby for mooncakes as usual every year, I went to Takashimaya B2, where the mooncake fair is usually held, with Charine, Portia and Wai Yee. We had to attend to some business in Orchard after leaving the workplace, so once the business was settled, we made our way to do our mooncake shopping. Charine left a short while after we got there, so the three of us were left to go about sampling bits and pieces of mooncake from stall to stall. My goodness, the variety's great this year!

It was fun doing the shopping with the girls. I think females generally have more patience in doing such shopping than guys. :p Anyway, I initially wanted to buy the golden pumpkin or yam flaky Teochew mooncake by Peony Jade Restaurant. Apparently, the chefs used to be the ones making such mooncakes at the ex Crown Prince Hotel, which were said to be among the best in Singapore. By the time we got there, however, these had already been all sold out! And that was only like 4 plus in the afternoon. Sigh. Never mind...at least I still managed to get some pretty yummy ones:

These precious black babies are introduced by Bakerzin...the skin's made of bamboo charcoal powder, which is said to make the mooncakes easier to digest. The filling comprises both lotus paste and black sesame paste -- the black sesame taste kinda overwhelms the more common lotus paste in a good way. Very 'fragrant'! Think fans of black sesame like Papa will surely love this. And guess what? In the middle of the filling is a white round chocolate truffle. Set against the rest of the mooncake which is black, this white choc symbolises a round shining moon in the peaceful dark night. Cool! ^_^ (Know what else is cool? The reusable bag that the mooncakes come in. Maybe I can 'kope' it from Mummy after giving them the mooncakes. Haha.

Then here're the other types of mooncake we'd be giving away. On top are what I bought after missing out on the flaky Teochew mooncakes by Peony Jade. These are the ones produced by Eater Palace. It's the first time I bought something from them. One pair's with the pure yam filling while the other one's a combination of yam and pumpkin, which tastes rather interesting. Also, they contain less sugar and are thus not too sweet and heavy. :)

Finally, the one in the black box is what we're going to pass to my PIL. I like them cos they're really meaningful. On them are imprinted the words: '感恩'， '知足'， '善解' and '包容' respectively. They're produced by a Buddhism-associated organisation, hence the simple but meaningful words that express desirable personal values. :)

And we all know how pretty mooncake packaging can be these days. Heh, see this? So lovely right? Portia bought two boxes of pure durian mooncake from Home's Favourite: Cookies n Durian. We tried those and I must say that they taste like real fleshy durian, and the snowskin seems to melt in your mouth with the durian! I was so tempted to get these too, but I guess it'll have to wait till next year.

Was tired but pretty satisfied after the day's events. Had a great time during shopping and enjoyed the conversations I had with the girls. Think teachers must get together like this and talk about stuff other than work more often! It's so liberating! Haha... like so deprived like that. :p

Posters surprise

Finally had a chance to come home a little earlier than usual this week, and once I stepped in, I noticed what Hubby had put up to surprise me with...

Heh, he'd been expecting the delivery of the posters since last week. He found and purchased them online some time ago. The one of the white tiger cubs was the first one I saw cos it's facing the main door. The cubs are so adorable! I love the one of the little pug with its doleful eyes pleading for a hug. Haha... so cute... it's the first time Hubby bought such poster photos of animals for our home. Hee. Certainly cheered me up after a stressful time at work today. Now I can't stop looking up from time to time at the pug!

The other two posters are of Michael Jackson in his classic stance and the main characters of Seinfeld, a sitcom both of us enjoy. Hubby bought 6 posters in all, and only 4 are on display around the place right now. The other 2 would remain as a mystery to me till they're put up. :p

Sausage galore!

Been a little crazy about sausages these days...think it all started after Hubby kept saying he wanted the 'real' sausages instead of the normal skinny frozen ones you get at the supermarket. So recently, I kept looking out for 'real' sausages to include in meals so Hubby would be more satisfied. :p

The above pictures show 2 meals in which I incorporated the use of these sausages. There's the time I cooked some tomato spaghetti, but didn't have much else to go with it, so I raided the fridge again and found a large, attractive yellow capsicum, some cheese, some nice sausages, and some seaweed bits. Cut the capsicum into halves, melted the cheese in them in the microwave (which I love more and more cos I'm experimenting creating items with it more often!) and positioned the cut (and cooked) sausages neatly in them. Drizzled some olive oil over everything, then sprinkled the seaweed pits over them. Pretty! ^_^

Then there's the American breakfast I made last Sunday. Usually I'd have bread or toast, but Hubby got tired of them, so I substituted bread with boiled red-skin potatoes and carrots, which was mixed with some Heinz sandwich spread, and served it with scrambled eggs, a side salad that I mixed with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and a jumbo chicken sausage that I bought from Cold Storage the day before. It's quite a filling breakfast, but definitely healthy! Oh and check out the cherry-on-vine tomatoes I tossed into the salad as well. They're so pretty that I couldn't resist them. And hey, they taste lovely too. Sweeter and juicier than the normal cherry tomatoes.

And this one's a refreshing cold glass of passionfruit drink, created by simply mixing water with some passionfruit puree that my student and her mum made for me on Teachers' Day. Made this for Hubby to go with the spaghetti that evening, but took a sip of it. Yum! Curious about how the puree was made. Shall look it up when I've time. Maybe I can create some of my own too.

No more tweets

Ok, call me fickle-minded or whatever. Anyway, I'm no longer a Twitter user.

Yeah, it's just a few days since I signed up for Twitter and I've only posted two updates on it so far, but the novelty has officially ended. Guess compared to blogging, twittering doesn't quite give me as much satisfaction, especially since I love expressing myself in words. Plus, I really don't wanna have my every move recorded in 'black and white', albeit by myself. Just feels weird that I'm updating my movements or thoughts as if there are people out there who really care about what I'm doing so often.

No offence to any Twitter fans who probably have lots of followers or a wide social circle in which everyone is a Twitter user and tweets everyone else in the group. Me? I'm just a simple girl leading a simple life who shuttles between work and home most of the time, and who hangs out with mostly family and people whom I like enough and who like me back enough. :p I just wanna preserve some memories of what I go through every now and then in life...with words, pictures or sometimes videos.

Blogging it is for me. Bye, Twitter. *Tweet*----.

My first tweet!

At work now. Been here since 8am and gotta station myself here till 5pm. That's like another FIVE whole hours! :S And how is it that even when you have loads of things to do, you can still feel bored??? Sigh. I guess it's the feeling of being cooped up in an office with nowhere to go except to the loo. Maybe this is how one starts to feel claustrophobic. Thank goodness I've a job that keeps me on the go on normal workdays. :p

Anyway, just a while ago, I decided to do something to allow myself a minute or two of respite so that I can get through this day, and perhaps other days when I feel like this. I signed up for Twitter! Haha. Yeah, I know...I'm a bit s-l-o-w cos it's been like all the rage quite some time back. Just ask my kids and they'd know. They've been asking me to sign up for an account on Facebook and I still haven't quite gotten down to doing so. *sheepish*

Never mind, never mind. Let's start small eh? Twitter it is for now! :)

Happy happy!

开心事第一号：

Beebee 遇上另她非常意外，却又极度欢喜与兴奋的事。
真为她开心！
今天我工作时，还在不停地为她所遇到的事而感到阵阵的喜悦。
祝Beebee每天都那么happy! ^_^

开心事第二号：

Perth,　我们来也！
旅行社的Joey真行。原本差点去不成的Perth trip， 给她搞一搞，就去成了！
Yeah! 好向往体验农场上的生活，并与种种可爱的动物打成一片。
果园，巧克力厂，酿酒厂等等的旅游圣地也好吸引我。
终于又有机会让我期待一个能出国的假期。

真的开心极了！:D

Pasta Delight

Our dinner last evening...

I've made pasta before, but this one's really one of my own favourites. Was just thinking of what to prepare for dinner last evening and ransacking the fridge for ingredients. Decided to put together penne pasta, 2 types of sausages (one normal chicken sausage and the other chicken cheese sausage), broccoli, carrots and lettuce for this really easy-to-cook dish. I just boiled everything together except the lettuce, then drained everything, dumped the lettuce in and tossed together, with a small ramekin of mayonnaise mixed with hot water, over a small fire. This prevents the pasta from being too rich and hence way too sinful for me too. :p By mixing the mayonnaise with hot water, the entire dish becomes lighter in taste.

While tossing everything over the fire, I also added some Japanese seaweed and roasted sesame, which comes lightly salted so there's a tinge of added flavour in addition to the mayonnaise. Popped a couple of de-cored tomatoes stuffed with strips of cheese and lightly drizzled with olive oil into the microwave oven and cooked them for a short while till the tomatoes softened and the cheese melted. These go well with the pasta, and could make a simple but savoury snack any time too. ;)

MMMmmm!

Army Open House 09

Several days ago...

Hubby: There's Army Open House this weekend leh.

Me: Then? You wanna go ah?

Hubby: Maybe. You'll get to see display of tanks and other things.

Me: Huh... *looks disinterested*

Hubby: You don't wanna go? Don't you wanna see what your hubby does during reservist? The kind of things I have to go through? You don't wanna know what I go through MEH??? *eyebrows raised*

Me: ... K lah, k lah. We go lor. (=.=)

And that's how I got 'psychoed' into making my way in the hot afternoon sun on a Saturday all the way to Pasir Leba Camp in the extreme west near Joo Koon. It's kinda like Hubby's secret talent -- getting me to agree with him in the end by using some form of his own 'logic'. But it turned out to be quite an enriching experience in the end, so I'm still glad we went after all. :)

Like what Hubby said before, there were indeed tanks and many more state-of-the-art military equipment like helicopters and battle trucks. We climbed on board some of these equipment and had the chance to view what it was like inside. There were also simulation stations showcasing the latest technology used by the army and how casualties are treated by medical personnel. I enjoyed the short but exciting 3D simulated video of a warzone which also highlights the third generation soldiers in action. That was a pretty cool film that got me breaking out in goose bumps cos I could feel the thrill of the action going on and after that, I was kinda proud of our Singapore Armed Forces. 加油， 加油！

It's a pity we didn't get to see dogs in action too at the K9 Dog Show. There were also other adventures such as wall climbing and live shooting for the public to try out. Anyway, we couldn't stay longer to walk around more cos we were supposed to meet Mummy, Papa and Beebee at Chinatown to go book the trip to Perth at the tour agency in the early evening, plus I was already tired out from all the climbing into equipment (my thighs are still aching!).

Speaking of the tour, the lady we spoke to at the tour agency told us that she'd call to confirm if the trip during the days we can make it would be on. Apparently, they need 10 people to make up a tour group and when we were there, there were just the five of us and possibly another three. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed -- let there be Perth to enjoy this coming December!

Food, food and more food!

Breakfast on Teachers' Day 2 days ago was...



Tofu burger (chicken patty, tomato and cheese between 2 halves of a pan-fried square tofu), broccoli with light maiyonnaise and scrambled egg

Lunch that day was...

Home-cooked ramen...Love the smooth texture of the noodles and the generous packets of thick soup base sauce that comes in the same packet. Really does taste like ramen soup and not instant noodles! :) Found this item in the Japanese section of Cold Storage some time ago. It costs $7 or so, if I remember correctly, but serves two, so it's like having nice ramen soup for $3.50 per bowl, plus you can add whatever you like. Yum!

'Breakfast' for my form class the next day was...

Hehe, just wanted to thank everyone in the class for putting together such a wonderful album of words and pictures for me to cherish, so bought 37 assorted doughnuts for all of them to surprise them the following morning at the start of my lesson with them. All the doughnuts were gone in a few minutes! Haha...I'm glad they enjoyed the little treat. :)

New 'eyes'

Collected my new pair of 'eyes' from Suntec City two evenings ago...

Been meaning to get my eyes checked again for a while cos the last time I did that was almost 2 years ago, plus it's been rather annoying to not be able to view words and numbers projected on the screen during meetings and having to ask my colleagues seated next to me about them. Finally managed to get that done and my suspicion turned out to be right -- my eyesight has indeed worsened...UGH. :(

Anyway, it took Hubby and me quite a long time to search for a pair of frames I liked. From Jurong Point to Jurong East Central to Orchard to Marina Square to FINALLY Suntec...we must have gone to at least ten different stores! (Hubby deserves a prize for his patience!) Well, that's cos initially my goal was to find this pair of brown Armani frames that I'd seen someone wearing before, which I really quite fancied. But think that was an old model, cos it's matt and Armani doesn't seem to have many matt frames nowadays. I gave up on that then, and liked this pair of Boss specs once I tried them on. Had to consider the image I project at work, so this pair's nice cos I think it makes me look kinda 'sharper'. Heh. By the way, I also found out later on that this model's for guys! Oh well, never mind...found some female eyewear by Boss that looks kinda similar anyway! Who can tell? :p

Also, now that my eyesight has worsened, Hubby made it a rule for me to wear my old Zio specs at home. Though the density of the lenses of my old specs is different from that of my new pair, Hubby says it's better than me not wearing specs and possibly straining my eyes further. Sigh, so now I've to wear specs almost all the time!

Alamak.

Happy Teachers' Day! :D

To all the teachers who have taught me
and inspired me to join this profession
to continue the wonderful deeds
that you have performed for your students,
I thank you.

To all the colleagues who have supported me
both at work and emotionally
and acted as role models for me to emulate
so that I may become better at what I do,
I thank you.

To my wonderful Hubby
who has been my strict but supportive personal manager
and who always eggs me on when I'm losing steam,
listens to me when I'm feeling upset,
and constantly reminds me how I can continue to achieve in my job,
I thank you.

To my current form class
whom I have been with for almost two years now
who never fails to amaze me
with what you can achieve as a class
and move me to a teary mess
with your ultra-sweet and creative plans
to make me feel like queen of the world,
I thank you.





To my previous form class
and other ex-students
who still shower me with love and affection
despite me not teaching you anymore
and who still value me
not just as a teacher, but a friend
I thank you.



And to all the students who have touched my heart
in one way or another
with your warm gestures
your thoughtful words
your sincere gifts
and your bright smiles,
that make me feel so appreciated
and so encouraged to persevere
even if I may face difficulties at times.
For helping me to realise that my goal of making a positive impact in your lives
in character, thought and perspective besides academia
has been fulfilled,
Thank you!



*on the verge of happy tears again* T_T