Thursday, July 30, 2009

A wondrous day...

There are some days in life that God just decides to give u a big huge grin and make everything right. At this moment in time, my planets are all aligned and my rising stars are shining irridescently.
Basically I was observed by the principal (standard procedure) and got lotsa favourable remarks from him! I taught a bunch of Sixth formers a speaking lesson based on Task B which is a 10 min discussion per group of 4 ppl . I started by getting them to discuss then interrupting them with specific language structures (eg I beg your pardon but..., I'm sorry to interrupt but... etc) then i put all the language forms on the board and they guessed the category (interrupting skills). The fun bit was each student got 6 bits of paper which they copied the phrases on, and wrote their names on the back. then i put a jackpot container in the middle of their group n told them they had 10 mins to discuss and every time they used the phrase, they could throw it into the jackpot.. the winner was the one who successfully used up all their phrases! Suffice to say that the class was abuzz with English language being spoken (no matter how broken) as the kids competed to use up all their cuecards.. my principal had a smile on his face so that's always a good sign! The kids laughed n talked lots, n he gave them a positive pep talk in the end so that was that. *happy sigh

Anyway, I get back to my table n find a form faxed to me wanting my details for a promotion from DG41 to DG44 based on the form 6 teachers quota.. I missed the first phase in July by a whisker cos i'm still new here.. but apparently i made the cut for the second phase in August if this fax is anything to go by. Wow it's like striking the jackpot not once but TWICE in a day!!! lol..
The amazing part abt this is not the money (which will undoubtedly come in handy when it finally gets here via tunggakan!) but the fact that I got kicked out of my ex-school because my then Datin principal decided she didn't like the sight of me and thought that I didnt deserve DG44 eventhough I was a MUET (form 6 English) Teacher Trainer for Sabah (Jurulatih Utama) at one point. I'm not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I'll be damned if I'm going to meekly accept my fate being kicked around like a useless football without some sort of retaliation. haha.. the great plan is when i get the letter of confirmation, i'll make a copy, put on hot red lipstick, kiss the priceless piece of paper and personally deliver it to the doorstep of her highness Datin!!! lol.. ok ok i might not do that, but the thought of it really thrills me. just like the thought of saying to her smug face: "I got it anyway, no thanks to you, biatch, kiss my b**t!!!!" hahahahhahahahha anyway, i'm counting my chicks before they hatch but boy is it making me grin like a cheshire cat!!!!

also the contractor called today n said we now have a replacement electrician to replace the one that ran away with the deposit he gave the man.. been almost 2 months pending trying to solve this problem that's why the house hasnt changed much n i havnt blogged abt it much. but we went there as a whole family today (first time out in the car with both kids and the nanny!!!) and it's so great to see wires in the conduits for a change!!! hopefully my painstakingly chosen lights n fans n other fixtures will be up on the ceiling soon enough... then the sliding doors and windows n finally the curtains which are ready but cannot be installed because of the hold-up. Only then will the house be a home! can't wait!!!!

finally i'd like to make a comment abt all my close friends... esp the ones that i made in college.. funny how during college days not everyone had a chance to gel with every other person, and we were mostly lost in our own lil tunnels without appreciating the greater underground system of friendship... but with facebook and reading other ppl's blogs from time to time, it's amazing how letters of the alphabet thrown together seems to convey a plethora of emotions, images, smells n even tastes that has enriched our lives to quite a point. so to all my friends, old and new, i'm proud to be acquainted with u guys and thank you for taking time out to read what menial things i have to say here.. ;-) i read something that really stuck over the last few days, it's this: most of us forget to thank the people in their lives who make the time for you, because the very fact that they make the time for you, however little or after however long, it means that they really truly care. so there it is.. hopefully, you will all make it a point today after reading this to tell as many ppl out there as possible that you would like to personally thank them for making time for you. big huggles goes out to everyone out there... may you strap on super high heels of positivism and may your outlook be draped in a rainbow of beautiful experiences ! haha, hope that makes sense even if it sounds like a bunch of gibberish!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

My prince charming!

Take that!!!
You finally understand the theory of relativity?? Gosh I knew that like before I was born even!!
Look Ma, I can stand!!
Stretching in my bunny suit!
I'm a super happy bunny boy! hehehehehehehhehehe

My bundles of joy... ;-)

I still can't believe just how lucky I am to have such lovely well mannered children. Besra was a joy to raise (except her puking antics! hehe) and she is so amazing to listen to as she chatters away in her animated lil voice. And her linguistic skills just blows me away:

Example 1-
Mommy: I don't like this show, Bes.
Besra: Yes, mommy. I don't like it EITHER.
(My adult Uni students can't even use this structure n she's not even 3 yet!!!)

Example 2 (while watching the cartoon)
Mommy: Besra, is KungFu Panda fat?
Besra: Yes, mommy.
Mommy: Is Besra fat?
Besra: No, mommy. I'm happy.
(How priceless is that???)

Example 3 (which i've blogged abt before but can't resist reblogging)
Mommy to Lanner: You're my lil cutiepie!
Besra: He's not your cutiepie!!!
Mommy: Why Bes, what's wrong?
Besra: You don't EAT him!!!
(I'll never forget this for life!!! Simply amazing!)

Example 4 (when i'm driving)
Besra: Go Mommy, Go Mommy. (Chants)
also - Besra: Don't go too far, Mommy. Be careful, Mommy. Drive slow ok.
(driving advice from my own 2 yr old child? lol.. who would hv thought?)

Example 5
Besra: Look mommy, trees. A lot mountains. Many grasses!
(Suffice to say she overlearnt the rule but I didn't hv the heart to correct her.. maybe when she can understand the concept of exceptions to the rule, eh)

Example 6 (she n I were going out, just the two of us.. her 'r' sounds r cutely confused with the 'l' sound)
Besra: You're SUPPOSED to bling my baby blother.
and another time...
Besra: You're SUPPOSED to bling my blanket.
(can your students use 'supposed' correctly? lol)

Anyway, like I said earlier, I'm as blessed as can be when it comes to the children's dept. Besra has turned out to be a lovely mannered child, she was saying her 'please' and 'thank you very much' when she was just over a year old, and even in her sleep she manages to cover her mouth with her hand when she coughs. Brilliant. ;-) Hopefully she keeps it up. ;-)

As for baby boy Lanner, I've never met such a mild mannered child ever. Hardly ever cries and when he does, its just a single warning sound, quite like a meow of a male cat. Ha ha.. ever so cute. For the first 3 months, he just drank his milk, slept, pooed n peed... but these days he smiles so gorgeously and wants to sit up on my lap or be carried against my shoulder so he can inspect the world. sooooooo cute.. also starting to coo but not much. my friend Ivy, who also has a son Sean, visits almost daily and is amazed how big Lanner has grown (6.4kgs) and how easy this child is to look after.. in fact, she said that if hers was this easy, she'd have six more by now! hehe..

So all my friends out there who have children in their lives, either their own or their godchildren, i'm sure you'll smile with me knowing there is indeed no greater joy in this world than to see them smile n better yet, laugh out loud. it's simply priceless and i can't wait for the day i manage to make Lanner laugh over and over again!!!

If you wanna see Besra laugh out loud when she was younger, follow this link. simply superb!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyC_IPiKII4

And ashley, if you're reading this, you're doing an injustice to Ryan for not documenting his every move.. lol... no pressure babe!!!! hehe..

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Besra n her moves... ;-)

This is a really pretty gown i just bought for her to wear to my bro Steeve & Jo's wedding end of August...
Martin really likes it, esp the colour! Need to start shoppin for green ribbons n nice shiny black shoes..
My girl the super poser!
Look at me mommy!!!!
How cute is this???
I bought her a bracelet n necklace set from england...

London oh london... ;-)

Had the pleasure of Rick's company at the Royal Opera House, we had a lovely time sippin champagne and nibblin on salmon sandwiches.. mmmmmm
recognise this anyone? lol..
just chillin at the part in the middle of leichester sq... ah it so brings back memories..
This was just before the opera started, the director lady comes up on stage n welcomes us then proceeds to tell us that the leading lady broke her leg, hence she would do her part in a wheelchair(!) and the leading man had a bad cold but still wanted to act so some other guy sang his part from the side! haha.. what a mishmash but it was still a great show.. ;-) Look!!!! I found my very own street!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeee
This pic was taken inside Shakespeare Globe theatre... and it is done up just as it was during his time.. the play As You Like It was just so amazingly entertaining, it was fabulous! One of the characters was named Audrey as well.. n she was exactly like me, a witty n sensual woman! haha. :-)
Taken before we reached the Globe. Its the short white building between my head and the long pole like structure.. had pre show dinner at the Swan with Rick and Beatrice.. ;-)
Couldnt resist this touristy shot... :-) me in the tube, mind the gap please!!!

Overall, I achieved all that I set out to do and boy did I have a brilliant time.. was so nice to just be myself again, do the things that I love doin, catching the sights in covent garden and leichester sq as well as chinatown where I used to hang out often when i was in London... all happy memories.. 10 years down the road, the place seems pretty much the same.. and i'm glad that nothing's changed. Maybe will have a chance to revisit again in the next 10 years, and will definitely drag besra n lanner to a couple of musicals n concerts. ;-)

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friends made the visit extra special.. ;-)

Beatrice n i before i jumped on the plane to come home... look we both have valleys of death! lol
Beatrice and Rick.. what a lovely couple. ;-)
Me n Julie at Richmond..
At a pub having a lovely pub lunch.. yummers!
One big happy minus James (workin that day), Briany (gorgeous big girl now), Brian n Julie.
The Church family... awwwww
Just me and the girls.... Molly n Emma. ;-)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

More pics of the magical time i had there..

Garden reception before the dinner.. ;-)
Gala Dinner at Magdalene College hall..
Me n the girls..
work that stairs!
an incredibly talented string quartet to entertain us!
speaker george pickering with successful hair implant!
candlelit gala dinner... no electricity in this ancient building. :-)
what gorgeous stained glass work!
traditional english summer pudding with seasonal berries and cornish clotted cream.. mmmm
slow roasted rump of lamb with roasted shallots, carrots, petits pois and potatoes with rosemary.. delish!
patriotic or what?! he he
how beautiful is this??
Carol from Longman... the woman who made it all happen!
me in the heart of cambridge
striking a pose... watcha think?
It was a really insightful lecture by Jeremy... takes a real man to wear pink! he he

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

More of Amazing Minds!

The Great Man Himself: Jeremy Harmer, god of the English Language Teaching bible. haha.. how all of us english teacher trainees used to quote him to death in our assignments.. !!

3 hot babes!
Amazing Minds Asian Chapter.. from right China, Thailand, Indonesia, West Malaysia, Korea. !!
Fantastic Jazz Band, we danced till we dropped.. almost!

'Bookstack' carved out of an entire oak tree trunk. purty! we had a lovely BBQ garden party with a famous Cambridge Jazz Band entertaining us. was fabulous!
Me n Anna from Argentina. A lady smaller than me! hehe
Posing in one of the many gardens in a college in town..
The round church, for obvious reasons. ;)
Gorgeous buildings everywhere!
Typical english pubs with lovely potted flowers hanging around.. how pretty!
Me with the brazillian delegate.. lovely woman. the upside down longman reference she's holding was free for every one of us, the most common 3000 words in basic english. ;-)
Garden on the roof of Longman Pearson HQ, Harlow.
Me n the hot men on this course, Kristof (Hungary - he says in his country the average class is one teacher to 12 students.. bloody amazing!!!), Marek (Poland) and Rene (Lebanon).
Me on the rooftop garden with the rolling hills in the background. ;-)