Sweeping away the cyberwebs

Once again, I was hibernating in my little real world and despite reminders for updates, I turned a deaf ear. And after many many numerous numerous reminders, I decided to get off my lazy butt and start updating.

You know, there are many times when the statement, 'I gotta blog about this' , plays through my mind. However, my will is just not strong enough to really blog about it. So I end up telling myself, 'Ok, I must blog about this, about that, about those, about these when I actually blog'.

But, once again, it all depends on my flow of thoughts when I sit in front of the computer. I forget sometimes. Excuses, excuses, excuses. Oh well, what else can I say. I've a baby to take care of ok! The most convenient REASON of all. ;p

So, in my teeny weeny little world, Raine is now one year old. She's sleeping really soundly now and so that's also why I can have the luxury of sitting here typing. Time is no longer in my control. My world revolves around her and so does my time. So sometimes, I beg for my precious' mercy and plead her to go have her nap so that I can have a little bit more time for myself. If she grows up, I'm gonna ask her to invent a drug that is suitable for making babies sleep. Kinda like a sleeping pill but harmless. I think I'm gonna be a millionaire should this pill ever be invented. All parents will thank me and babies will grow really quickly cos all of them have their beauty sleep. Remember, you first read about this idea here! This idea is MINE! So don't ever try to be funny and invent this pill before my baby Raine grows up. The pill shall be called 'Raine's beauty sleep'. But first, I must make sure that you people reading this have babies. Otherwise, no one will need 'Raine's beauty sleep'. When I mean have babies, have them when you're married. Remember, no sex before marriage! Don't go round telling your parents that I'm encouraging you to have babies. Of course, this applies to my young underaged readers. For older folks, or rather, matured readers, go get married and have babies. Oh whatever.

So I digress.

Yes, so Raine is one and we held 2 birthday parties for her. One at my mum's and the other at my own place. This is to prevent Raine from being overwhelmed with love. She can spread those love over 2 days. Isn't it nice? So she had two birthday cakes, sang the birthday song twice and blew candles twice.

Her first birthday cake

Her second birthday cake

The second birthday cake was significantly bigger than the first and we took about a week to finish it off. After throwing some away. I think she enjoyed herself but I doubt she understood what it meant when we wanted her to wear her princess party hat. She knew that she was the centre of attention when all of us sang birthday song and looked at her. She clapped and was smiling away. I reckoned the adults had more fun than the birthday girl herself. Especially when I was happily snapping away while Cousin Seth wanted to show his love for Raine.

Seth: Happy birthday cousin Raine

Raine: Hey, what do you think you are doing?

Seth: Happy Birthday my dear cousin!
Raine: Erm, I think you're getting a little too close...

Seth: Ok, I tell you what, let's face the back. Your mummy's a little annoying!

Seth just wanted to pose for picture with Raine. But Raine wasn't too cooperative. In the end, we gave up and decided to ask them to stand for a picture together instead.

What's up with the party hats?!

Her birthday party was simple but nice. I wanted to celebrate her birthday in style. You know, with lots of balloons, presents and lots of people. Then I decided not to cos she probably won't remember and I'll end up being really tired. And poor. So simple is good. But I'll definitely hold a MacDonald birthday party for her when she's older. I think every child deserves it.

Well, despite our efforts in giving her the best of everything, Raine is still very much the menace. She's becoming a little independent being who insists on wanting things her way. She'll want to walk on her own in shopping malls. Without us. She'll want to take things out of the stores. Without paying. She'll just do everything that we don't want her to do.

Can't imagine what it'll be like when she's older. Like in her teens. Oh gosh! Can't imagine. I'll just tell her not to let others know my occupation. How ironic if her teachers gotta ring me up every now and then to complain about her.

Back to my updates. After her birthday came the school holidays. My favourite time of the year. Went on a trip to Tokyo with just hubby. Decided to leave the little imp behind. Otherwise, I don't think we can actually enjoy our trip. Plus it'll be too cold for her. So the main reason why we didn't bring her is cos it's too cold for her. That's right.

It was a really good trip. We always love trips to places with cold weather. We just wanted to see smoke coming out from our mouths when we talk. Not from cigarettes. Loads of time alone together and that is something really precious nowadays.

We visited Disneyland, Mount Fuji and most of the other places listed in our trusty travel guidebook. Seeing how the Japanese behave kinda puts me to shame. They are soooooo polite and orderly. They queue for everything. They queue for the train, they queue for food, they queue for toilets, they queue for donuts, they queue even when they want to look at christmas decorations. Talking about christmas decorations, Tokyo is beautiful at night. They've lovely christmas decorations everywhere and with the cold weather, it really feels like christmas.

Us with Mount Fuji in the background

One of the beautifully decorated street

A view of Hakone while on a cruise along Lake Ashi

Now I know why so many people around me love Japan. The view is awesome and the place doesn't really have lots to complain about. Apart from the fact that it's getting a little bit more expensive with the exchange rate and and the amount of walking one has to do while you're there. The subway station itself can kill you! If you're complaining that Dhoby Ghaut is big, you wouldn't complain once you've been to Tokyo and back.

So I was saying that the weather over in Tokyo was cold and though I loved the cold, I just can't tolerate the dry wind that blows in Tokyo. It makes me feel that my face is all tensed up and it feels that my face is cracking each time I talk or smile. It is especially so when we were up on Mount Fuji. It was terribly cold and my hands were freezing. That's when my hubby said something that I thought was really funny. We were standing on Mount Fuji looking across at some other mountains. It was a really beautiful scenery. The wind was blowing against our faces and we were just taking in the moment.

That's when he said, 'So this is how it feels.......'

Inside my heart, I was thinking of, 'to be living in a cold country' or something to that effect.

Then he continued to say, 'to be a meat or vegetable in the freezer'.

Imagine my reaction in that instant. I didn't know whether to laugh or roll my eyes. I just burst out laughing and realised that my hubby does has his funny moments.

I had a great time this holiday. Though the trip was short but I had fun. While I was in Tokyo, no matter how impish my little baby Raine may be, I missed her tremendously. I'm seldom away from her for such a long time. Each day, I wonder whether she's sleeping well or eating well. And to some extent, I feel a little guilty leaving her behind in Singapore while we're having fun. We decided to bring her along for our next trip. I guess trips away from home will never be the same again after having a baby. A little part of you just seems to be left behind when she's not around.

Christmas is coming and we've gotten ready our gifts for the kids. No matter how bad a recession is, kids ought to receive presents on Christmas. I always receive Christmas with mixed feelings. I love Christmas but when Christmas is over, it means my holidays will be over too. Then it'll be back to the mad rush of school bells. I had better cherish my remaining holidays before it's over before I know it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my flight to Tokyo was delayed. For 4 hours! Goodness gracious! And I thought this wouldn't happen to the our local flight. It's supposed to be the best isn't it? Sigh, nothing's perfect in this world. And I can't agree more when I was trying my best to remain jolly at the airport.

My trip to the airport

Last weekend, we brought Raine to T3.
She enjoyed herself tremendously cos she gotta explore the place all by herself.

And this is what happened....

Ok ready? Is the camera on me? Ok ready. Good!

Ok let's play peek-a-boo!

Ok don't cheat! Don't look at me. Peek-a......

BOOO!!!!!

Not funny? Ok let me do the Donald Duck walk for you.

Still not funny?!?! You better laugh! Want me to box you right?

You come here!!! Gimme the camera!!! How dare you!

The trip ended amicably with Raine falling asleep on the way home.
No adults were hurt in the process.

Oh my butt!

Alright, just a short one.

Look at me on my bumbo chair!

Does my bum look big in this?

Oops! I think I'm stuck!

Oh gosh!! Mummy help!!!

Heng ah! I will not sit in that silly chair again!

Walk Baby Walk

My baby's walking confidently now.

Can almost imagine her saying, "Look Mum, no hands!"

Right now, Raine is sleeping soundly after exploring the house for the whole evening.

She's been babbling away as well, saying things like 'baba', 'dada', 'ya ya ba ba da da' and whatever combinations that you can form with all these syllabuses.

I wonder when will 'mama' occur....hmmm...

On top of all the walking and babbling, Raine's teething again.
Can see her two other toothies peeping out from her gums and she's been searching for her pacificier in the middle of the night.
I really can't wait for her to grow up!
I mean she's growing up but I mean really grow up.
I think I'll miss her baby days when she's really grown up but I can't wait to really have fun with her.

School's just school these few days.

O-levels has started and I'm passing all my luck to my 2 graduating classes.

Just keeping some for myself to make sure that no bird poo drops on me or me falling off the stairs.

Went invigilating today and I am really impressed by the manners displayed by the pupils of my invigilating school.

Manners abound and that's enough to impress me.

Pupils, you have to remember to thank your invigilators when they give out your writing papers to you.

It makes a whole lot of difference to the impression they will have of you.

Trust me.

Oh ya, to vegetarian tiger and carnivorous goat.

So happy to see the two of you talking again. =)

A little breather

No, it's not a busy period for me.

Or rather, I'm getting a little break now that 2E5 and 3T1 are having their end of year examinations and the prelims are over for the sec 4s.


So it seems that my marking of the prelim exam papers are over.
The exam papers didn't smile at them AT ALL.
In fact, most of them deteriorated and they didn't seem at all worried.
Goodness gracious!

However, one of the classes improved and though they didn't improved by leaps and bounds but they did improve.

Like I told them in class, I told them that though I'm glad to see their improvements but it's not enough for me to feel secure that they can do well in their O-levels.
I don't expect them to do well for me.
I want them to do well for themselves.
But how else can I help them except to be there for them when they need that little helping hand.


It's strange to think how complex human relationships can be.


Last week, I celebrated my 5th year wedding anniversary with my hubby.
It's been 5 years.
Sometimes, when I think back of the times we spent together, I still find it amazing that we've spent 5 years together as husband and wife.
No doubt we've our shares of arguments and disagreements but on hindsight, it's always due to the way we show our concern for each other.
Probably, overly-concerned hinging on paranoia.

My hubby has been a great husband.
He's thoughtful in his own little ways and always put the family first before anything else.
He has his fair share of flaws and I'm sure I do as well.
However, he often turn a blind eye to my flaws and accept me for who I am.

We celebrated our anniversary in a simple way with dinner and drinks.
Simple and yet something that we both appreciate very much.
Eversince Raine is born, we seldom get a night out without her.
So even simple things like dinner and drinks seem extremely rare and special.

Today, I'm blessed with my family, my friends and a healthy body.

Raine is growing up day by day and I'm etching her growing up process deeply in my heart.
She's learning fast and her latest craze is to roar at others.
Her confidence to take her baby steps is growing and I'm still waiting for the day where she can confidently stand up and take her first few steps into her toddler year.
She's now a mischievous little imp and her funny antics never fail to brighten up my days.
I can't wait for her to grow up and call me 'mummy'.
Now she's just blabbering away with words that just doesn't make sense.
But I'm starting to realise that they're now of different intonations and pitches.


Her hair is a constant worry of mine.
Brought her to the hairdresser finally few weeks back and it was a disaster.
She started crying the moment the hairdresser laid the scissors on her hair.
She didn't stop till the hairdresser was done.
By the time the hairdresser was done, her face was covered with a mixture of hair and tears.
That was indeed a very teary hairy situation.
Gotta coax her with her favourite ride on Barney before she put the whole hair cutting episode behind and started smiling again.
So how did the haircut look?
Well, nothing much changed except that her fringe is now shorter.
Wasted $20! What's worse was the hairdresser.
She looked like a total ah lian and stunk of ciggies.
Sigh!
I swear I'm never going back there ever again!

I'm still deciding what kinda celebration I should have for Raine.
It's afterall her first birthday party!
But I figured she's too young to enjoy anything and the only people that'll appreciate the whole celebration will be the adults.
How?
This is such a tough decision.

Long Overdue

So....it's been a while huh.

Haha!

Exam papers setting was waaay too long ago.

Holidays came and left.

Week 1 is halfway through and I still feel a bit dazed.

And what have I been up to?!

Seriously, I was busy.

Ya ya, everyone's busy!

"But I can blog when I'm busy and you cannot."

AH HA! I know that's what you're thinking!

However, that's where you are wrong!

I'm busily being busy so you can't blame me.

Let's see.

Before the holidays, I had to prepare for the Teachers' Day concert.

Intensive preparations ok!

But I was glad that it all turned out well and I have everyone to thank for.

And after concert was over, being sooooo soooo popular, I had to say hi to many many pupils.

4E1 2006, I am very glad to still see so many of you.

It's been 2 years and trust me, you guys still hold a special place in my very big heart.

I know I mentioned that I'll blog about you guys, I will, I will.

Later la ok? I have to do alot of updates you know.

Ok back to what I was typing.

So after saying hi to many many pupils, I had to rush off for my Teachers' Day lunch.

Alright, maybe saying hi to many many pupils was a bit of an overstatement.

Cos most of them were actually rushing off to go home and I was rushing back to the staff room.

They were in my way and so I kept saying hi to shoo them away from my path.

Then the holidays came!

Yooohooo!

The whole holiday was spent with my little princess.

Had to take care of her for the whole week as nanny was away on a holiday.

I enjoyed myself tremendously as I really get to see her every of my waking moment.

(She appears in my dreams sometimes as well, so it's not only every waking moment.)

I'm really proud of the progress that princess has made so far.

She's now starting to develop her own character and has started throwing her princess tantrums.

She's learning to understand simple instructions like, 'come here', 'clap hands', 'bye bye' and so on accompanied with actions.

I always love to sing 'When you're happy' cos she'll always get so excited and clap along when I sing that tune.

She's also starting to learn to walk.

Though she can always walk successfully without support on the bed, she's still not confident enough to do so when I put her on the floor.
She'll eventually end up crawling.

But she loves it when we hold her hands while she waddle her little diapered butt around.

Physically, she now has a total of 4 pearlies!

Well done!

And she loves biting my finger with them.

Trust me, it hurts.

So you see, sacrifices of a mummy.

Her hair is still standing even though most of them are starting to fall back into place.

Been wanting to bring her for a haircut but I just keep telling myself to wait till all her hair looks normal before I do that.

Haha!

But I wonder when will that be.

Each time I look at my little princess, I think to myself that my little princess actually doesn't really look like a little princess.

She's more like a little prince actually.

But I'm very sure with all the pink clothes that she have, she'll have no problem transforming into a princess soon.

I love spending my time with her.

Watching her grow gives me immense satisfaction.

I always like going through her photos when she was just born and compare her to now.

She's grown so much!

No wonder others always says that baby's first year is always a year of transformations.

I'm now planning her 1 year old party.

She's gonna be one!

Oh gosh, how time flies.

By then, another batch of secondary 4s will be graduating.

Mr Exam Paper, did you smile at them?

They probably didn't think your smile was wide enough.

Cos I'm definitely not smiling when I was marking their papers.

Disappointment yet again.

Oh well, like how they always love to say.

I love you Raine Raine.

I don't feel like going on anymore.

It's gonna be 11pm and it's bed time.

My dark circles are getting darker and I think I'm looking more and more like the Olympics mascots.

My eyebags are bigger than the trash bag.

Oh and trash bags are black.

Gosh, I think my eyes are looking like trash bags.

By the way, I posted a challenge to 2E5.

Told them that I wanted them to be the model class.

I'll find out tomorrow.

I couldn't help laughing when I told them this just now.

And worst, they laughed along with me.

Sigh.

Oh well....

I'm so done!

*PHEW!*

Dear Exam Paper,

Thanks to you that.....

I've suffered sleepless nights.
because of all these sleepless nights, I had low immunity.
because of my low immunity I fell sick.
because I fell sick, I took my first MC for the year.
because of this first MC of the year, I can't get my $10 NTUC voucher.
because I can't get this $10 NTUC voucher, I have less $10 to spend.
because I have less $10 to spend.....

*ponders*

Ok, I can't think of a consequence cos I have less $10 to spend.

Anyway, thanks to you Mr Exam Paper that I have less $10 to spend.

So Mr Exam Paper, to justify the time that I spent on you, please make sure that my students can do well for this prelims.

Smile to them when they see you so that they can feel more confident.

Pass them some wisdom so that they can remember what I've taught in class.
Well, of course that is subjected to whether they've learnt what I taught in class.
Then again, that is subjected to whether they were listening in the first place.
And that is on the condition that they decide to turn up for class on that day.

Sigh.

Many say that the job of a teacher is really difficult cos you need to multi-task.
I think that's really an understatement.
Cos at times I feel that I just don't know what I'm doing at work.

Just when I finished typing the sentence above, Raine started crying.
I think she misses me.
She misses me so much that she woke up from her sleep just to let me know that she misses me.
Once again, I've you to thank.
Because of you, I didn't really get to spend time with my baby for the past few days.
And I'm worried that she'll think that I don't love her anymore.
That can result in her having a traumatised childhood and end up having an emotional scar.
She'll then grow up to be a delinquent and hate me for the rest of her life.

Oh Exam Paper, please recognise my sacrifices and efforts.
Smile to them.
Make me happy.

Yours sincerely,
Me

DEADlines

I'm feeling really stressed.

Deadlines looming and markings still piling up.

Weather is horrible and adding to my frustrations.

Classroom is dirty and badly littered.

Students are still as annoying.

O-levels is coming and yet I feel more anxious than my students.

Why aren't we entitled proper lunch time?!?!

Why can't money drop down from the sky?!?!

Why don't you do my work for me......

*collapses into a pile and dies*

My weary bones

Yet another weekend passed in a blink of an eye.

Nothing very much accomplished.
In fact, nothing is accomplished.

This seems to happen every weekend.
Every Friday, I make a silent resolution that this weekend is going to be different.
I will finish everything that I've brought back home but I just end up bringing them back to school on Monday, untouched.

So I console myself with the fact that every weekend, I get to spend an enormous amount of time with Raine and my baby is more important than everything else.

And that's a fact.

Oh well, work can never be finished but Raine will only grow up once.

However, I must say that I had a good week.

Last Friday was our annual school Road Relay.
I think I was the happiest teacher around on that day.
I like to think that I am the happiest teacher around on that day.
I don't care!

Anyway, reason for my happiness was that my students really did me very proud.
Both my athletics kids and class pupils came in first and second respectively for both the girls and the boys race.
I am sooo tremendously proud of them and you can't imagine the pride I felt when I see them racing towards the finishing line.

I was filled with emotions seeing them race.
Mainly cos I see another side of them that I had never seen before.
The sheer determination in their eyes when they race and the triumphant that they have when the win.
They suddenly became so grown up and are like the students I've always wanted them to be.
To do the best in whatever they do.
They did just that on that day.

This is especially so for J Khoh who always tells me that he's such a slacker and can not do well in things.
He's so different while he was racing.
He's so filled with purpose and I can really sense the fighting spirit in him.
J Khoh, stop thinking of yourself that way.
You can achieve what you want if you put your will to it.

Apart from J, I saw another side of CL too.
Not that I'm purposely trying to mention the golden couple.
CL became really serious on that day.
She seemed so grown up.
Not the usual CL-who-speaks-without-using-her-brains-first.
I'm so proud of her.
CL, you know what's your weakness.
Be more aware of your speech. You can also do it.

Having mentioned the two of them doesn't mean that the rest of you are not special.
Every single one of you made me what I am today too.
Teachers need motivation and encouragement from students too.

A special shout out to the Athletics team.
We have came a long way from the days when you guys ran around the school aimlessly.
In the past, others used to comment that the athletes are no good cos we can't even win at running events.
Today, you have proved them wrong.
You have shown the rest of the school that training hard produces results.
And you can tell everyone proudly that you are from the Athletics team.
Just like what Jo shouted, 'Join Athletics and you can become champion!'.
D has done us proud with his recent win at the Nationals.
The rest of you have done us proud at the road relay and sports day.
All of you are champions!
Thank you for all the good times and the glory.
I am really very proud of you.

2E5, you have proven others wrong too.
You are indeed the best class.
But please, I need you guys to pull up your socks for studies.
I've told pupils from the other classes that we didn't do well during mid-year cos we wanted to shock the rest of them for end-of-year examination.
Don't make me lose face!

So that's Friday.
Exhausting but definitely happy.

Everytime I have a bad day in school, I always rely on happy moments like these.
And that's the reason why I only blog about happy things.

Sunday, that's this morning was spent at Fort Canning.
Brought the prefects for a walk for a charity event.
Most of them turned up bright and early in their pink flamingo t-shirts.
Others overslept and gave irresponsible excuses for not turning up.

Was rather disappointed with a couple of them.
Reasons like 'I want to go out?'
I'm having second thoughts about keeping such people in the board.
I really can't depend on them.

Though it was a rather easy CIP to perform, I'm still glad to see most of them.
Throughout the walk, they chit chatted leisurely and I hope some form of bonding has taken place.
I came to know more about some pupils as well and times like this can not achieved in school.
I'm glad I went too.
Although we didn't really get to see the children, I hope they are happy that we turned up for them still.

After the walk, I managed to spend some time with JP and V.
Realised that V is really sporting and JP can be a real gentleman.
We talked about their future among others and discussing about their next milestone in their education made me realise that they'll be leaving the school soon.
A bad thing about teaching graduating classes is the fact your students leave you after their 'O' levels.
It gets very difficult when you've formed a certain bond with them and you get so used to having them around.
So, I especially cherish my times with them.
After meeting hubby and baby, they left.
That's when I realised that they actually hung around to keep me company.
Thanks JP and V.

Shopped around the supermarket and went for lunch after that.
Reached home around noon and that's when I feel that my lethargy has gotten the better of me.
Took my shower and just laid on the bed while having Raine next to me.
Raine didn't seem sleepy at all while poor Mummy just wanted her to sleep.
So my dear hubby thought that his poor wife can't take it anymore and decided to bring Raine down to my mother-in-law.
That's when I went dead and slept for a good 3 hours.
My hubby can be considerate like that. =)

That's my weekend.
Mundane you say.
But I always enjoy my simple weekend.

Double Happiness

Yesterday two births were announced.

Congratulations to my sister-in-law for being a mother a second time round.
Baby arrived shortly after she was admitted into the hospital.
He looks exactly like his elder brother except chubbier.

Congratulations to my dear friend Nan as well.
Welcome to the madness of motherhood, where days become nights and nights are crazy.

I can't imagine myself going through labour again.
Imagine the epidural, the contractions, the pushing and bare nakedness.
Aiyo!!!
*Shudders at that thought*

And the delivery is just the beginning.
Following that is the crying, poo-ing and waking up every 3 hourly.

Gosh....Motherhood.....

Neverthless, still CONGRATULATIONS on the arrival of your bundles of joy.

Happily Tired

Term 3 started off leaving me feeling very exhausted.
It's only week 2 but I feel as though it's almost the end of the term.
Thank God for Youth Day that I managed to get a day off tomorrow.

I think it's probably due to the fact that supplementaries are really intensive and also the camp in week 1.

The camp in week 1 left me feeling very nostalgic.
Jalan Bahtera was where I used to have my school camps in secondary school.
My secondary school organised lots of leadership training camps and I was very active in those camps back then.
At that time, the camp site wasn't like what it is now.
We used to have to pitch our own tents and the toilets were really filthy.
Mosquitoes were abundant and I always go home with lots of bites.
I even had to have my finger injected because my finger swelled up due to the mosquito bites.
But I had good times there.
I used to love the night time when I can look up to the sky where I can see stars and smell the grass.

As I see my pupils engaged in their activites, it reminded me of myself when I was doing those activities myself.
I recall the fear that I felt each time I try a new high element course.
Hence, I know exactly what my pupils felt when they tell me that they are scared.
However, I feel very proud of one particular pupil of mine.
Let's just call him S.
We were at the abseiling station and S was adamant that he didn't wanna attempt it.
So after much persuasion, he told me that he'll go for it with a smile.
However when it was his turn, he didn't dare to come down.
He started crying and that's when I thought he's really brave.
I asked myself if I were in his shoes, will I dare to cry and let the whole world know that I'm scared.
And the answer is 'no'.

How many of you reading this actually dare to put your pride aside and admit that you're scared?
That's why I feel that S is really brave cos even though he was crying, he attempted to abseil down a few times.
Another pupil made a remark saying that if S is considered brave then she is also brave.
Afterall, she didn't only go up to the top of the abseiling tower but she made it down as well.
But do remember, everyone has a different limit.
To someone who has no vertigo, doing a bungee jump is a piece of cake.
But to another person, it takes a whole lot of courage to do the same thing.
To S, going up to the top and attempting to abseil is already his limit.

S, I'm really proud of you.

I slept through both days during the weekend after the camp.
Didn't really recuperate well as I still have little baby Raine to look after.
Hubby was really considerate as well.
He took over the task of looking after Raine most of the time and asked me to just sleep while he spends time with her.
But I'm still tired.

So week 2 came and left.
Supplementaries everyday is really no joke.
I am tired. Students are tired.
Count the number of 'tired' in this post and you'll know how tired I am.
Gosh!

And you might ask then why is the title of the post 'Happily Tired'.

Cos I'm really happy even though I'm tired.

I once told a fellow colleague that teaching is not an easy job.
It takes a whole lot of energy and passion and sometimes, the rewards are not seen immediately.
So in order to keep me going, I relish on the happy memories that I've collected in my 5 years of teaching.
Last week, I had more of such memories to add on to the collection.

On one of the draggy afternoon, I was informed by the office clerk that an ex pupil sent me a postcard.
I looked into my pigeon hole and found a postcard of scotland lying in it.
I knew instinctively who it is from.
I read it and the content warmed my heart.
I love receiving hand written letters.
Though it's not a letter but I guess a postcard gives the same effect.
You know you've been missed and remembered.
You also know that at some point in time, you made a difference to this pupil's education in secondary school.
It brightened up my day and gave me more meaning to my job.

The second chapter of 'Chicken soup for my own soul' happened the following morning.
The day started off innocently with a series of math lessons.
Just as I was going to get some markers from my markers container, I saw a note there.
It was written from some pupils from my form class last year.
They wrote about how they missed being in my homeroom cos it brought them back some sweet memories.
Like I said, I really love handwritten messages.
So I smiled to myself like a silly goon and felt very contented for that day.

I think I've wrote about how blessed I feel most of the time.
But this is my blog so it doesn't hurt if I am to repeat it.

To start off, I've a wonderful family.
Caring parents, my-always-makes-me-laugh sister, loving hubby, ever adorable daughter and considerate, understanding in-laws.
I've a job that I feel happy in.
Note that I'm just happy in it cos I still think that the pay is too low and the workload is too heavy.
It'll be good if they can find a balance somewhere and I think that'll make me feel excited to be in this job. Hee!
I've good colleagues that I can complain to and laugh with.
I've friends who I can count on when I need help.
I must admit that I'm a very lousy friend cos I'm hopeless with meet ups.
That is why I think I'm doubly lucky to have friends like them.
I've good students who makes me feel that teaching them is not a waste of time.

So you see, what more can I ask for?

Actually, there is.
A round trip of Europe will be good.
One year bonus sounds cool as well.
What else....hmmm....a big bungalow complete with many maids and chauffeur?
Haha!

Guess all these are just wishful thinking.
Contentment is bliss.

Updates about baby Raine.
Her first pearly is finally appearing.
The lower front teeth is surfacing from her gum.
There's still no sign of her other teeth though.

She's still as cheeky as ever.
I have to add that I really love it when she snuggles up to me in the morning when she's lying next to me.
I love those moments.
I'm not too good in expressing how I feel about it but if you close your eyes and imagine it, I think you'll know what I mean.

This Sunday feels different.
No work tomorrow!
Triple Hip Hip Hooray!

Updating in progress

Hey my lovelies!

It's been way toooo long. How time flies when you're having fun!
The holiday is over and let me see.....my last post, I was still marking exam papers.
I reckon most of my loyal fans would have already forgotten their terrible results?!
Haha! Just kidding. I sincerely hope you guys learnt something from your results.

Lesson learnt: Study for exams.

Simple but difficult to follow I guess.

Right, so this thought 'I should update my blog' runs through my mind many many times from then till now.
But it seems like procastination got the better of me.
Tomorrow just never seemed to happen.
Until yesterday.
Told myself I've to blog tomorrow.
And today I'm doing it!

*Three cheers and three cheers and three cheers for Queenie!!!*

To be honest, I really wanted to blog about many things.
I wanted to blog about all the examination results, my friends, my holidays, my thoughts, my family and many others.
But somehow, sitting in front of the computer just makes me forget it all.
Maybe it's the radiation.

But I think the real reason is just that I'm way too lazy to switch on the computer to blog about all my thoughts.
So day after day, I keep it inside me and then forget about it.
If it's happy thoughts, I'll think about it, keep it with me and smile to myself when I think back about it.
If it's sad thoughts, I'll think about it and try to forget it.
Generally I try not to think too much about it and believe that things will somehow work out by itself.

So this holiday wasn't much of a holiday.
First 2 weeks were spent in school having lessons still.
It's just so unfair that the press writes bout how pupils don't get to enjoy their holidays and have to go back to school for lessons.
On the other hand, what about teachers?
We go back to teach them as well.
Shouldn't we get some appreciation?
Anyway, that's another story.

Managed to bring Raine to Sentosa for a short getaway.
Wasn't very exciting as we couldn't really bring her to many of the places as it was too warm and sunny out there.
So most of the time was spent in the mall and we did get to bring her swimming though.
This is the first time we brought her swimming and didn't really know how she'll take to it.
We made sure that we had all her gear ready.
Bought along her swimming float, swimming costume, swim diapers, bath robe and towel.
Initially when we put her down into the water, she was a bit apprehensive and I guess the water was a little cold.
But after a while, she seemed to enjoy herself and started splashing and kicking away.
It was real blissful to see her enjoy herself.
But of course, tiny little she didn't play too long in the water as her face turned blue when the wind started to blow.
Whipped her out of the water and rushed straight to the hotel room.
Showered her, dried her and boy was she tired!
That night she slept really well and I think she's really bushed after the swim.

So that was her first swimming experience.

She didn't look too pleased being photographed in her swimming costume.

Seeing my little baby grow is one of the happiest thing that can ever happen to me.
Going through her many firsts with her.

Now she's able to do baby talk and crawl.

Just a week back or so, she attempted to walk without support.

I'm glad that I was there to see her through the different milestones.

Her hair is growing but unfortunately, they're growing upwards.
She looks kinda weird with all her hair standing up.
Think she's cut out for one hair product commercial which goes 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hair'.

Look at her hair. She loves her biscuit.


Was blogging halfway when Raine started crying.
So I've decided to stop and continue another day.

Haha! So that's the life of a mother.
Your time is really being manipulated by this little person whom you call your child.
I do miss those times when my time was just mine.
I miss late night outs.
I miss crazy times spent with my family.
I miss meeting up with my friends.
I miss so many many things among others.
But I feel that those are things that can always be made up.
Seeing your child grow is something that can never be replayed.

Do I still miss those times?
Honestly, I do.
But I think I'll be less selfish and share my time with my baby instead.

Okie Dokie, till the next 'tomorrow'.
Enjoy term 3.

Ok, I was just trying to console myself.
I'll enjoy term 3.
Haha!

My distraction

Marking exam papers can be so daunting!

Especially when the results aren't very good....

Sigh SIgh SIGh SIGH!!!!

So I ended up on MSN talking to my cousin.

This is her display pic.

So I asked her, 'What's that ugly thing on your display pic?'

She replied, 'It's me la!'

I was unconvinced and replied, 'are you sure? It's so ugly!'

The reason why I replied that way was cos my cousin is a beauty!

So how can that ugly thing be her right?

Haha! I'm praising you dear.

So she told me that it's indeed her upside down.

I replied her, 'But your eyebrows are still above your eyes.'

'That's my eyebags!' came the replied.

OOPS!

I was determined to find out the truth.

I tried looking upside down while facing the laptop.

But I just look ridiculous.

So I downloaded her display pic and rotated it.

It's indeed her!

Note: I've been trying to upload her pic for a few million times but Blogger just would't cooperate.

So I give up!

If you are bored just like me, copy the pic and rotate it yourself.

She's actually very happy in the picture!

Girl, you're famous!

Many of my ardent fans are going to have your pic in their pc.

Waaaaaaaaay to go!

p.s.

Can't believe my baby cousin is now a ravishing beauty.

Somethings just run in the family! Haha! Get it get it?

I used to bully her when she's at my place.

My mum's her nanny.

But of cos, being the nice cousin that I am, she realised that it's all a facade.

I was just mean to her cos I wanted to show her my luuuurve. ;P

My form class

Dear 2E5,

I know I promised some of you that I'll blog about the class over the weekend.
But I didn't.
Now on hindsight, I should have done that over the weekend.

Came to school today eager to find out how you guys fared.
Although I somehow knew what the outcome was going to be.
But it was worse than I thought.

Disappointed.

Maybe J Khoh is right, the problem must be with the teacher then.

My Rainey Day

First off, pupils who are reading this, I hope you've done your bit of studying.
Secondly, I'm so glad that they've having their exams on Monday cos I can finally take a short break before the examination papers come in.
That's when I just feel like killing them and my blood pressure will shoot up tremendously.
But I shall just enjoy my weekend before that happens.

So today Raine took her dunno-number-what vaccination.
Poor girl has been taking a jab almost every month since she was born.
Not to mention the first few jabs that she took when she was still in the hospital.
And the needle pricks that she had to undergo to draw her blood to test her jaundice level when she was barely a few days old.

When the doctor asked me which jab was she taking.
I replied, 'I lost count'.
Sad but true.
Then when I enquired bout her flu jab, the doctor advised me not to let her take it cos she's still got lots of jabs ahead of her.
I decided not to let her take it.

But my poor baby is a strong girl.
She gave out a short cry and ended with a little whimper and continued her day.
The doctor checked on her well-being and everything is fine and dandy.
And having her being healthy is of my utmost concern.
Nothing else really matters.

When we reached home, we decided to let her try spoon-feeding again.
The last time I tried, it was unsuccessful cos she kept spitting out her food.
Today, I was determined to let her try again to let her get used to eating from a spoon.
So I prepared the brown rice powder that I bought and started feeding her.
Initially she was quite resistant but by and by she seemsed to be getting the hang of it and started opening up her mouth for more food.
It was a thrilling moment.
My baby girl's grown up!!

Nothing satisfies a parent more than seeing her baby grow up and reaching the next milestone of her development.

I really feel very contented with my current life.

I've everything that I want and everyone who is dear to me.
Hmm....maybe not everything cos I want lots and lots of money.
But that's besides the point.
Haha!

Seriously, I really feel contented.
And that is the greatest happiness.

Walk Raine Walk

Raine has successfully learnt how to turn over to one side and now she loves sleeping facing down. I love it even more when she falls asleep while I cuddle her.



Raine has learnt how to walk. On the walker. Just last week, she was walking backwards all the time and this week, she has learnt how to move forward. It's amazing to see your baby learn new things every week. It's difficult to explain how it feels but you just feel contented and happy.


I've introduced rice cereal to her but she's still not quite ready for apple puree. She spits them out as soon as the puree reaches her mouth. I'll try again this weekend. I refuse to let anyone else try doing that first cos I want to be the first one to introduce new things to her. I'm selfish like that. But I'm her mummy. Having her inside me for 8 months automatically grants me that privilege.


I love coming home everyday to see her grinning widely at me. I love it even more when she laughs. Her laughter is so contagious that you just laugh along with her. She can keep laughing over the same joke. And sometimes, you just need to repeat the same sentence that makes her laugh.


See how she laughs over the sentence "wake up already ah...."



Ahhhh bliss........and definitely happy contentment.

Sniff Sniff Cough Cough

After the runaway adventure on Saturday, Raine fell sick.

She woke up on Sunday morning with cough and a drippy nose.
Goodness gracious!
Luckily, she's still a bundle of energy and can play and laugh.

However, the thought of it developing into something more serious was worrying.
So we brought her to the GP at TMC.
Raine was a curious little girl and kept playing with the stethoscope while the doctor was trying to examine her.
She pulled and tugged at the instrument while waiting for some reaction from the doctor.
Luckily the doctor was pretty patient and even attempted to play with her.
Attempted cos I didn't think he was being very entertaining. Haha!

Last night, her cough developed into something more serious.
At one point, she almost coughed till she ran out of breath.
My heart nearly leapt out from my mouth.
So I told myself that I better bring her to the paediatrician today.
Took leave today so that at 9am sharp, I waited outside the clinic's door queuing to see the doctor.
I thought I'll be number one but someone else beat me to it!
Shucks! Hee! Singaporeans must be number one in everything!

After the visit to the paediatrician, we still can't go home.
That's cos the banging and drilling outside my unit is still going on.
So we had to bring Raine to her caretaker's place to spend the day there.
A good thing is that after all the medication, her nose stopped dripping and her cough has somewhat subsided.

Stole some time to return back to school to settle some matters.
Finally felt more relieved that everything is more or less settled.

Tomorrow, I've to be back in school.
I'm having Tuesday blues.

I hate stupid people

Today has been a really looong day for me cos I've been out the whole day since about 11am this morning.
All due to some construction, right outside my door!
The noise is just irritating every single cell in my body and not to mention that it's potentially harmful to the hearing of my little girl.
So we packed our evacuation bag and left home to Botanic Gardens. Again. Hee!

Right after we reached Botanic Gardens, I felt that it was a wrong choice cos it was almost noon and the sun was blazing hot.
Of course, I didn't air that view cos I was the one who suggested that we go ahead with the plan of visiting Botanic Gardens.
So it wasn't long before I decided that we should leave the place and head for greener pastures. Or rather, colder pastures.
Where else to enjoy free air-con but the shopping malls? Haha!
So aunty you say! But don't you do it as well? It's just that I dare to admit it but you don't! Loser. :p

Another reason why we needed to reach the shopping mall soon was cos Raine has pooped and soiled her little panty!
Talking about panties, did I mention that Raine is totally unsuitable to wear dresses?
While we were strolling her around Botanic Gardens, her legs were propped up in the pram and she was constantly tugging and pulling on her dress.
And she looks totally comfortable while doing that.
I think she enjoys it. Sigh!

Anyway, the whole day was spent in town after we cleaned her up.
She didn't really sleep a lot today cos she was so busy being fascinated by all the sights around her.
And she only managed to fall asleep for about half an hour or so.
The only form of shopping that I managed to do today was to stock up on my beauty products.

I think I seriously need them cos my dark circles are spreading just like ripples in the water and they're as dark as the night sky!
My skin has been really bad eversince I was pregnant.
And I thought it'll get better after giving birth to Raine but it didn't.
My life is sooooooo sad!

Needless to say, the lack of sleep equates to a cranky Raine.
During dinner today, she was totally frustrated and fussy.
My heart bleeds just seeing her that way.
Just don't feel like elaborating further what else happened during dinner.
I hate blogging about unpleasant stuff.

Upon reaching home, it was like a rush against time.
I plonked her into her bath tub, rinsed her and then fed her.
She didn't finish her feed cos she was just too sleepy to continue drinking.
Poor baby! She was crying till she almost went hoarse.
Luckily she fell asleep very soon and now, I'm just waiting to give her her last feed.

Why do people have no common sense sometimes?
I just don't understand.

Anyway, I'm posting again tonight cos I feel guilty for my million of fans out there who are checking out my blog everyday.
It sucks to read the same posts again and again right?
But seriously, it's not about the quantity but quality right?

Luckily, I have both lately. Hahahahha!

No longer - Just the Beginning

Aren't you glad that you're not reading the same post again?

I've decided to post after the loooooooooong hiatus cos today isn't a really good day for me.
I think I've been too busy to stop and think about what I've been busy with for the past few months.
Yes, I hate being back at work now! Haha!
Sometimes, I just wish I can laze at home ,just like before ,reading my magazines on the bed while cuddling Raine to sleep.

I've been wanting to post for a long time but my will is just not strong enough for me to actually login and start posting.
So one night, as I was lying in bed tossing and turning, half asleep, I conceived the beginning of this blog entry.
I told myself that I'll explain why I've been missing in action for so long.
So you see, Eureka may be a genius to discover something while taking a bath, I think I'm equally a genius too, I can compose a blog entry half asleep. :p

So what have I really been busy with?

The obvious will be work. After going back to work, everyday is just like a mad rush.
I wake up, rush to get ready for work and then slog my life out for 12 hours and then rush home.
Take my shower, have my dinner, spend time with Raine and then finally pat Raine to sleep.
By the time I actually have some time for myself, it's bedtime.

Weekdays pass by really fast and weekends, even faster.
On weekends, I spend both my days with Raine. Doing what other Mothers do.
Feed her, play with her, pat her to sleep, etc etc.
I feel guilty at times for not spending enough time with her and so I try not to do any work over the weekend.
But it's really difficult.
Hard as I try to finish up my work in school, time is never on my side and I can never seem to finish the ever piling up stack of work.

Sometimes, I find that I can't breathe.

So much have happened and after so long, it became sweet memories.
Raine had her first Chinese New Year and we really dressed her up for the festive season.
Luckily she was quite cooperative most of the time and didn't give us much trouble as we go round visiting.
Except for the two times when she decided to poop at my relative's place and soil her clothes.

This is her in one of her Chinese New Year outfit.

As usual, we tried really hard to 'girlify' her. Hee!
But once in a while, we still have people asking us, 'Boy or girl?'
Seriously, after a while, we give up.
We just answer them nonchantly, 'girl' and thinking to ourselves, 'why would we want to dress a boy up in pink, Dumbo!'

We're bringing her out more often nowadays and one of the popular venue is to actually bring her to the Botanic Gardens.
My initial idea of Botanic Gardens is a boring garden with trees, trees and more trees.
But now, I'm pleasantly surprised that there're more to trees in Botanic Gardens.
There's even a children's playground there and once Raine is big enough to enjoy the playground, I'll definitely bring her there.

Raine gotta wear a cap cos we shaved her head.
We need to do something to make her hair grow!

Blogging about Raine definitely brightens up my day.
I'm just having so much fun spending time with her.
And she's my consolation whenever something bad happens at work.

Nowadays, Raine is learning how to turn over.
Many babies her age is already turning and yet, she's still struggling to turn.
She'll know how to flip her butt over and yet her head will still remain in the same position.
So after a while, she'll get tired and her butt will just flop back.
It's quite cute to see her that way actually. Haha!



I've planned to blog so much initially.
But now, I just can't seem to remember what else I wanted to blog about.
Sometimes, I think I'm falling into depression cos I can't seem to remember a lot of things lately.

Am I normal?
Or is it a sign of old age?

Maybe it's just that I'm having a bad day.

I don't want to blog anymore. The End.

Haha! Abrupt I know. But this is my blog! Sue Me! :p

Just the beginning

I'm so done with the first week of being back at work.
Tomorrow is another Monday.
It's been a while since I experienced any Monday blues.

Been asked how's it like being back at work many times the last week.
Well, seriously I do enjoy the thrill of being busy.
Sadistic you might think but staying at home for an extended period of time makes me feel very bored.
Then again, it's just the first week of work so what I've written may not hold for long.
Check the next post and it might just be me grumbling away again. Hee!

Humans are complicated animals.

The one thing that I really miss is the amount of time that I get to spend with Raine.
I used to see her 24/7 and now I only get to see for about 2 to 3 hours before it's her bedtime.
I cherish weekends very much now cos that's the only time that I get to bathe her and spend large amount of time with her.
I miss seeing her toothless grins and naked body? Haha!

This weekend has been really fruitful as Raine gets her first trip to town.
We brought along both her pram and the baby carrier.
Honestly, we are really amateurs at bringing baby out as we fumble with the mechanics of the pram.
Even going up and down the escalator proves to be a challenge for us.
Seeing those parents handle their prams with ease while on the escalator makes us a little embarrassed about taking the escalator.
So we ended up carrying her most of the time with the pram being our shopping trolley. Haha!

It was my first time feeding Raine in public and thank goodness for the nursery room at one of the major shopping centres in town.
I'm seriously impressed by the thoughtfulness of the establishment.
There's a hot water dispenser, nursing room, lots of changing mats, baby powder, baby lotion and of course, a huge bin for soiled diapers.
However, it was quite an experience trying to throw diapers into that bin.
It's lethal and I believe standing next to it for about 5 minutes can kill! Haha!
I never realised that there're so many babies around town until I start feeding Raine in the nursery.
She's so distracted by the number of people walking in and out of the nurseries that it took a while for her to be settled down to drink.
Lucky for me that before feeding her I bought some tops cos after burping her, some milk regurgitated out and it totally soiled my top.

She's still not very used to being out and sleeping in the pram.
Each time she sleeps in the pram and wakes up, she cries.
I guess it's cos she's just not used to it.
Or maybe she's claustrophobic?
She also refuses to sit in the pram for long.
That also explains why we're carrying her most of the time.
Really need to train her otherwise, carrying her will be tough when she gets older.

Bringing her out makes me more aunty than ever cos I have to squat in the middle of busy Orchard Road trying to pacify her and not to mention the swaying to make her sleep.
It's impossible to remain glam when you bring a baby out. Haha!

Maybe I need to change my nick to 'Aunty' instead of 'Queenie'.
Cos Queens have maids while I'm the maid.

Motherhood, motherhood.

You know you're a mother when you...

1. become an aunty,
2. don't associate the word 'latch' with locks,
3. go grocery shopping and then start comparing diaper brands to see which is cheaper,
4. lug a big bag out complete with diapers, hot water, milk bottles, baby clothes etc etc when you go shopping,
5. know that 1 ounce is 30 milimetres, (at least for me)
6. readily put your nose to your baby's backside to smell if he/she has poo poo,
7. don't feel very embarrassed to be naked in front of a team of medical personnels,
8. start talking silly and tends to repeat every word twice, for eg 'milk milk', 'poo poo', 'mum mum' and so on, you get my point,
9. notice the number of babies around shopping centres and secretly compare them with your own baby,
10. no longer can remember how it feels like to sleep for more than 8 hours.

Yay!!!! This week is a short week.
3 working days!!!
I know this is kinda abrupt but I can't think of how to end this post otherwise.

And so the story goes......

Once upon a time, not too long ago, a Princess was born.
She was daughter to Queenie and ermm...Kingy? Haha!
She was tiny and wrinkly and didn't look very much like a girl.
Queenie consoled herself that all babies look the same and so her Princess was just like any other baby. Bloated.

Days go by and deep in the heart of Queenie, she had one concern.
'Princess still look very much like a boy.'
So attempts to make her look feminine included donning her in pink, pink and more pink!
Slowly but surely, she was more convinced that Princess is becoming more lady-like.

All was peaceful and tranquil until one night....Queenie attended a banquet.
Queenie's cousin was getting married.
She went alone as Kingy was out in the battlefield defending his kingdom.
Sitting next to Queenie was another cousin who she has not seen for eons.
Eager to introduce Princess to Cousin, she flashed photos of Princess to Cousin.
Cousin then went..'Oh baby boy ah! Very cute!'

Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the hall!

Queenie's face went blank and looked at Cousin.
She then calmly said, 'No, she's a girl'.

Look at her, does she really look like a boy?

Granted, she does look a bit stoned but she's still very feminine what.
It seems to me that I'm not the only one with this problem.
M seems to be having this problem of her daughter not looking very feminine either.
Sigh.

Put Princess next to a boy and see what happens...

See! She's shy! But poor Dylann looks a bit terrified! She's still a girl at heart. Haha!

Anyway, this is my another attempt of making her look more like Princess.

She doesn't look very pleased.

How?! You tell me how?!

To top off the misery, I'm going back to work in another week's time!!!!
No choice, the kingdom needs me.

Three blind mice.......see how they run

The title is totally irrelevant.

Raine is 2 months old today!

I was arranging all her photos prior to posting and it just feels almost magical that a little foetus can grow into the little girl that she is today.

Sometimes, when I lay her on my tummy, I imagine her inside still.
What is her favourite position?
Does she cross her legs?
Are her arms by her side or tight against her chest?
I do miss the little wriggles and nudges but I still prefer her terrorising my days and nights.

She's now gotten into the habit of sticking out her tongue.

I certainly hope this is a passing phase.
I wish for her to be a princess and not a cheeky monkey!
I still want her to be the president's wife one day. Haha!

Before she was born, I imagine her demure like a princess.
She has to be smart and take her O-levels at 5.
She'll learn to be a real lady so that she can charm the socks off anyone.

Now, I'm still holding on to that hope except it's a little difficult.
.
.
.
.
She kicks off her blanket within 5 minutes of me tucking her into bed.

How to be demure?
I think it's possible. Look at that smile.
Isn't she demure? Haha!