about the this and the that

some 600 odd people were affected. so said the news. mum’s application for the haj visa didnt get thru either. only dad will go.

both good and bad. the bad: will miss dad a lot. the travel season has begun. the good: mum will be around to help with the wedding preps. alhamdulillah. mungkin ada hikmahnya.

mum said it’ll be possible to make an appointment with the deco people sometime next week, considering that she’ll be around. and cos my sis trusts us with the theme colour/deco decision-making, i shall, in turn, trust her to source for the sound system and music during our reception.

at work this morning, my students and were discussing about challenges in life and how to cope with difficulties. one asked whether i have ever considered counselling as a job. hmmm… is it too late to switch career?

i love communicating and relating to teenagers. but counselling is a whole different ball game altogether. i should know. i work in school where there are kids who come from a wide range of backgrounds. it’s not easy to counsel. but it’s easy to be kaypoh (in a good way, i mean) with what the kids are up to and whatever they are thinking/worried/sad/happy/etc about. huhu.

today being the last day of school, i can very well say that i most certainly enjoy all my classes this academic year. all the students are really sweet, girls and boys alike

calls

workwise, in the midst of busy busy. we are halfway there.

so far, it has been 99% confirmed that that i’ll be busy with work a week before our nikah. mesti serabut. can already foresee i need to complete all wedding related by december. cos january will be busy with endless meetings both in school and outside school. i can already expect prep for the ’99% confirmed end-of-january indonesia internationalisation project’ to be underway by mid january. once that is done, all i wanna do is rest, sleep, rest my mind and whathaveyous on the week we’ll nikah.

after nikah, must immediately start on the 2nd internationalisation project for the year. the next one will be from japan. cos nikah will be on the 12th and the japanese will be coming on the 22nd. and the preps for the Common Test in between. and i bet there’ll be ‘meet the parents sessions’ smack in between all these.

and dont think i’ll have it easy for the reception in march either. i can safely bet that preps for the school’s speech day will be under way apart from keying in the Common Test results, remarks and the usual end of term stuff.

yes, it’s only october 2011.. here i am yakking away about the upcoming 2012′s schedule. and it’s not even about the wedding preps.

a reminder to self that i need to complete the itty gritty matters by this year end. avoid last minute shopping. everything need to be ready by december. should there be other additional things that i might need, i need to make a list of the miscellaneous items that i can trust my sisters/family/close friends to source or scout for me.

this saturday, to arab street we’ll go. to buy the materials since mum will be attending a seminar in the area on that day.

excited much?

should

i really should start on something again, shouldnt i?

something like…

1. start on my work review.
2. start work review sessions rolling
3. finish up the new format for 2012′s things to do
4. the new SOW
5. trash things out

that even something like meeting up with may june fella for the customised sofa, make space in wadrobe for him, paint the room, do up the dulangs etc seem so trivial. i already have my oct and nov dates filled up with work related stuff. aint complaining. a reminder to self that i should get something going cos i really dont have much time.

trala. off i go now. time for a jog or some me time.

love,
h.

falling

after a week long break from work, you know how lengit it is to start again. must have been some excitement of some sort. i couldnt sleep last night. ended up sleeping at 4 am and rudely woken up at 615 am. work is work is work.

despite all that… the engine is still running at 530 pm. managed to clear a long overdue dept meeting. produced relief schedule at record time. prepared agenda. this and that. 2 more major tasks in the to-do list.

so far, the major issues pertaining the wedding are a-ok. my fbil and fh (chey, in forum lingo. huhur) will be sharing the kompang. that one, we’ll let the fbil, the other groom, take his pick. we no cerewet.

next, time to get the documents ready for the romm registration *i cant believe this is really going to happen soon. as in, sometime next week or the week after next kinda soon!*

and we cant believe that registering for a pre marriage course can be so melecehkan. the system didnt receive our application although we have submitted it online. even got the ‘thank you for registering with us’ page. still, the other side claimed that they didnt receive any submission

fret not. nevermind. esok will try again and i hope we are able to make a verbal application through phone and make the full payment when we attend the course this weekend. shall try my luck.

for now. all i wanna do is bury myself in world of work. 3 more weeks or so of this mayhem. and welcome the long break, we shall

in the mean time, hello dark rings and eyebags.

a few more days to go…

Hi Mr/Ms ______

i have never sent work related emails back and forth this much ever. i think kalau add all up, almost 2 hours was spent doing that today.

hence, this explains the format for today’s blog entry.

the Os a-coming. till now and the 1st… we’ll be having intensive revision every morning for almost 3 hours, and another 3 hours in the late afternoons. and the mtp this friday. and the carnival this saturday. and the admin matters in between. being busy is fun (i am being sincere here), to a certain extent. but that also means i need a memory like an elephant cos i have to remember so many details all at once.

ah well, at least being kept on my toes helps me feel alive which also remind me that i’ve been on my feet all day. thank goodness i invested in a good pair of heels. long live, clarks!

tho i have to admit, i wish i have the time like pau. boleh bake nice cakes and desserts.

next month perhaps. june hols

am looking forward to the KL trip in three weeks. cos i really tengah miss the sweetheart.

regards,
sugarnova

where do i begin?

where do i begin? between now and the 6th i have my hands full with….

bear with me cos i’m trying to make a mental list of ‘things-to-do’ for these two weeks.

not in any order of importance or priority

1. meet the parents session
2. report books
3. o level intensive revision
4. o level paper
5. the smoking cessation programme
6. the netball carnival that we are hosting
7. netball day/overnight camp
8. the smoking cessation rehearsals
9. the cip/cme project

two weeks.

two weeks to keep me occupied enough.

science (chemistry)

it was science (chemistry) paper today. so lil missy here attempted sec 3 normal (academic) paper cos i happened to do invigilation for a class. my colleague, a chemistry teacher, marked my paper. in total, i got 17/50

i did section A, mcq questions, properly and scored 13/20 *wheeee* not bad for someone who last did chemistry in 1996… and didnt do any bit of last minute revision *grins*

the section B and C….. *doo doo bee doo*

before you get the wrong idea and report, let me remind you that i’m not making fun of any student… cos the answers are purely whacked out ones from a non-science teacher (reads: me). plus, the paper has already been done by students many many hours ago and are being marked by teachers…. hence, it is not a breach of confidentiality *winks*

Explain using the particulate theory of matter, why solid ice loses its shape when it melts.

ans: time to go shopping for new clothes

name all the elements that make up sodium acetate.

ans: sodium (correct!) and acetate (wrong)

nitrogen atom forms bonds with three hydrogen atoms to form ammonia NH3. explain why does nitrogen atom form bonds with hydrogen atoms.

ans: cos they super love each other

but, not all is lost i got one correct

write a balanced chemical equation for the following reaction:
Magnesium burning in oxygen gas (O2) to produce magnesium oxide (MgO).

ans: 2Mg + O2 -> 2MgO

*gleee*

perhaps i shall ask my second sis, who is a chemistry teacher, to let me try her school’s mid year exams science (chemistry) paper.

dalam kegelapan

i had a tiny bit of an adventure yesterday at work *giggles*

kira wang pelajar. kena kira betul-betul. simpan wang. lock it. make sure everything ok. was the last person in the staff room. the school attendant dah nak lock sekolah.

tetiba… tummy ache! left a quick note on the door that reads “URGENT! huda. toilet”

namun begitu….

when i keluar dari staff room nye tandas…. jeng jeng jeng.

entire room dah gelap gelita. i was locked in!

*weargh*

panic kejaps.

switched on all the lights and aircon. cepat-cepat called up general office. satu kali. dua kali. tiga kali, tak da orang jawab

huda pekik pat dalam office tu. knocked on the glass door loud loud. tapi tak de orang dengar. (imagine citer om shanti om tu. time shanti locked in the burning building, knocking on the door trying to get out.. tapi tak dapat.. ah, lebih kurang macam gitu lah. cuma dalam citer tu, shanti mati… heroine ni, apa jadi?… jom read on…)

called up office lagi. nasib baik ada orang angkat *phew*

rupa-rupanya, when she walked past the room, the school attendant ada terdengar bunyi pat dalam office. macam suara orang tengah pekik. tapi dia takut. kecut. (pasal, time dia lock bilik, dia ingatkan nobody was around).. cepat-cepat she walked off.

then she realised, ‘hantu’ tu saya rupa-rupanya *giggles*

get over it

cant wait for this week to end. i’ll be up to my neck on friday.

new one page to a day diary for work so that i can jot down all the important events for the day, what i did and said. to help me with the work review. with the amount of things that keep piling, it’s pretty easy to lose track of things… and forget them. it’ll be my little black book full of confidential details.

and today against doc’s order, i put on my red heels *grins* cannot tahan anymore. itchy. must wear them. red brightened up my mood, despite everything that’s crummy about thursday. nothing was crummy on thursday, actually. cuma that unsettled feeling, you know. the feeling that you have so many things that you need to do but time is soo limited and you have no way out of it for the time being.

i’ll come back on saturday and catch up with work. saturday’s my duty, anyway.

when is….?

c*k-gu, when is the first day of school? 2nd or 3rd?

so my student had the cheek to sms (which i refused to reply to) and call me soon (after that) *see how eager she is* when is the first day of school. at 11 pm, no less.

of cos i went “what do you mean you dont know???”

and of the girl went “c*k-gu jangan dramamama lah c*k-guuuuu”

*giggles* better get used to this missy’s antics all over again, luv. cos you have a whole year ahead with me *winks*

although i’ve been very very vague about it, i’m sure they have a good idea that i’ll be teaching them again

p/s: i dont give students my hp numbers. only those whom i need to be in frequent contact with have my number. and i trust them enough to keep it to themselves so far, it has been good

talked to a friend who’s currently taking her masters. it is advised that if i wanna do dissertation, better to take MA instead of MEd. however, MA lagi mahal. $4700 a year.

sekarang tengah fikiran… sastera traditional, should i do hikayat panji or sejarah melayu? but sejarah melayu dah ramai sangat orang. hikayat panji, however, cuma ada beberapa orang sarjana melayu sahaja yang benar-benar mahir dalam bidang ni. hikayat panji is interesting. cuma i tak sure nak take it from which angle. tapi yg susahnya, mostly hikayat panji dalam both bahasa melayu and jawa. and resources tak banyak. sejarah melayu pula, resources aplenty.

or should i do some more on laras dalam syair. although that laras essay gave me a huge headache. but laras is interesting, cos pengetahuan laras penting and is useful for many bidang, not just education. perhaps i should do syair? how about that?

i cant wait for 2008. lets see what new adventures the year ahead has in store for me

things

selamat hari raya haji

a friend, who was missing her mum so much, sms-ed me few nights ago about parents not being around for long period. “are u used to it?”

so what am i to say to someone who misses her mum who is away on haj? *shrugs* i really cant emphatise on that one. desensitized already.

i’ve been left for long periods by my parents since i was a six months old baby. i’ve stayed on my own away from family for 4 or 5 days a week, a passport chop away. even when in sg, my parents are the type who’ll be back home anytime between 9-11 pm. and they are also very occupied in the weekends. i’m so used to just waving them goodbye at the door when they had to leave for some short trips.

so that is why my sisters and i, you wont find us bawling our eyes out at the departure gate. cos we are so used to this. yes, we laugh and smile and chat. we crack jokes. we go home. sleep. next day, life goes on.

okay. that doesnt sound cheerful enough for a raya entry *grins*

yang sebenarnya, apa yang saya nak ceritakan.. pasal satu tempat makan. the other night, we (pau, farhat, baby dahlia and i) ate at sedap corner. amat sedap it’s at the corner of simpang bedok. bila masuk the left carpark entrance, just go straight, and you’ll find it snucked at one cosy corner. the mee goreng mamak was sedap. manis. and very filling. with two fried prawn wantan, which i saved for the last. hehe. and the roti bakar was yummy yum yum! there’s a choice of traditional pandan dip, vanilla and custard dip, jackfruit dip or vanilla and chocolate dip. so sedap

the price might be a bit steep, but i give 2 thumbs up for the quality of the food, the presentation, cool plates, service, as well as ambience. perfect place to hang out with close friends for long engaging chats. trust me, i’ll be back for more

it’s the same sedap corner yang pat jb’s city square, angsana and kotaraya, by the way. here’s the link

besok. kena kerja. budak2 nak register masuk sekolah. i suka buat benda gini. can doll up

the incoming batch ni, it’ll be the age of my batch of pri 1 students from 2002. mari kita tengok siapa antara mereka yang akan masuk sekolah kita.

oh. yesterday’s facial was goodie good black and white gone *poof* hehehe. it was also at the dermatologist’s that i terjumpa someone an image consultant whom i interviewed earlier this year for a module’s assignment. turns out that both of us go to the same doctor! macam fated… cos past few days, i’ve been itching to sign up for a one-to-one make up and colour analysis workshop (yes, to feed the girl in me). since i’m comfortable with her and we already have rapport, i think i might as well engage her services next year.

come next week.. dah nak kena switch on my rocket-science mode already. back to work.

i cant wait for 2008 i just want to see what will happen. positive changes, we hope

2007 has been an interesting year i’ve learnt to identify some vile human traits beneath that ‘sweet, i do no wrong’ persona. i’ve learnt to love and let go (and still be friends). made new friends. rekindle the old. learnt to ignore toxic people *giggles*. got my old job back. got back my spending power *wohooo* got knocked down but picked myself up again and remain positive. happier.

2008. i plan to do things while i still have the opportunity to do so, before ‘marriage’ comes into the picture. things like… spending my money with the sole purpose of pampering me… without having to think much about it at all *gleefully rubs palms*

nari

nasi briyani yang amat sedap tapi… tak terhabis cos banyak sangat.

tadi bingits sikit. geram. tapi dah cool

my kerja admin dah abis

i walked home from school today!

till the end of this year, i just wanna be happy

the phase? tak de mood.

just words.

friday

cheese sticks were a bit too salty for me.

and before that. nasib ah tahun depan *bleargh*

non work related. things done this week:

orchard
manicure
dinner
trip to hair salon
dahlia the darling

gym right after this *yeay* it’s high time. i need to jog the stress away. pronto.

me love the fringe let’s make hair treatment a monthly affair soft bouncy hair is a must. hehe.

lets make me happy. we have yet another stressful work week coming up.

dont ask me how

datelines to be met. one after another. i’m exhausted.

wednesday drained me out. the concert went well. but have you any idea how much of a headache that caused me? 2 boys tak datang on the actual day *geram* kenapa? pening. yes, pening! *urgh* and we had to do some last minute changes, much to the boys’ dismay (and the teacher’s as well). otherwise, things were all dandy good

marks keyed in.

briefing. my o level schedule is tight. and i need to check my diary. seriously. so many things happening at the same time, i badly need to keep track.

meeting today. meeting tomorrow.

i need tea. yes, punggol too, if that’s possible. i need silence, at least.

i need my sleep.

reports *bah*

work review.

this is worse than the times i had to submit my essays.

i cant wait for saturday. dapat see dahlia. to remind me that there’s more to life than work.

i foresee that things will get messy. cos tea was good.

confusion

need not think about it at all.

cos being happy doesnt need much thinking.

consequences? once again, lets throw it out of the window, shall we?

kl was good. a bit glad. a bit sad.

glad to be back in kl. the familiar places. the usual haunts. time with the cousins, chats over tea late into the night. wonderful. sempat do a bit of shopping.

sad. to be reminded of the stress free life i had back then. for 3 years. the only stress was when the assignments were due. otherwise… pagi sekolah, malam keluar. now, pagi sekolah, malam sambung kerja *sigh*

books choosen? 10 in all which amounted to a little over rm200. can you believe that? 10 buku je dah cost rm200. 8 were academic books. 1 is a collection of pantun by themes. actually i dah pun ada collection of pantun by daerah, same thing, cuma i lebih suka the thematic one. lebih senang nak buat rujukan.

and the tenth book? well… enough of academic ones, konon je pretend nak jadi pandai, intelligent konon (padahal habuk pun takde *hehehe* siapalah saya ni, pandai pun tidak).. i got me a novel. choosed it NOT because it was a good one written by a prominent writer. padahal, bukunya was plastic wrapped. i dont even know what it’s about.

choosed it just cos :

1. i love the colours used for the cover. cheery pink and fresh green. hehehe. i love the two colours

2. the title macam bimbo gitu. cinta sang pari-pari. macam cool kan?

hahaha. padahal buku-buku Hamka were already in my hands. tapi tak jadi beli. cos there wasnt Di Bawah Lindungan Kabah in stock. that book, me think is still one of the greatest love stories i’ve ever read. and i wouldnt mind reading it over and over again.

and oh. i bought a cookbook. masakan bistro. like what a friend casually remarked when i mentioned it to her… “Now, when will you actually cook it?”

well well… we all know. i rarely cook. i suck at it. and i cant cook curry at all *covers face in shame*