It has been quite a long while....

Phew....have not been blogging for a long long while now! All because I can't seem to remember my password...

Well, anyway, got it done now. Reset a new password!

New semester has just started today...but I can't wait for year end :)

Ok, till then.

Wonder why??

Today's Saturday 9 August and I must admit that I look forward to weekends nowadays because I'm just so tired!!

My family had our family gathering at Teluk Gong last Saturday to celebrate my 2nd sister's birthday, Win. She works in Penang now so we had a belated birthday celebration for her! Food was not exactly superb but the "getting together" was the main agenda. Sis Win has just turned 36 on 26 July (I think she doesn't mind me telling ppl her age!) ....wow in her mid 30s now...and her two boys are growing up fast! I actually lost count of my two cheeky nephews' age. I think Shan is now 10 yrs old and Jingle Bell is 8 yrs old.

My bro-in-law didn't join us for family dinner and we wondered why as usual. Many thoughts were running in our minds but none spoke a word. Casually we dismissed the negative thoughts that he chose not to come to avoid being interrogated, to avoid being in a place where he doesn't quite feel comfortable. After all, Mum and Pa just had to ask and had to bring matters up not because they were nosey but I'll like to say that Mum and Pa are really worried and concerned parents (and grandparents!) Thank God for such loving and sacrificial parents like them.

My bro-in-law is going to Sudan to work pretty soon @ at the end of August. That leaves Shan and Jingle Bell to fend for themselves at this tender age. Sis Win will try to come back to visit them every weekend (hopefully) and she will apply for a school for them in Penang next year but what about the coming months when the two boys are left alone? Hmm......

Poor kiddies.... But I believe our loving God will provide and take good care of them. I hope in the next few weeks and months that follow, I won't be so busy with my work and could at least visit them once a week.

Hmm.... also forgot to mention that 3rd sister is expecting her 2nd boy.....due to deliver in 2nd week of November. New addition to our big family :) Yes, another nephew!!!

Nicole, my only niece is turning 6 yrs old soon on 16 October (I'll definitely remember her birthday coz she constantly reminds me to buy pressies for her :0) ) and next year, she'll be in Primary One! Wahh....I'm so proud of her!!

As for myself, no updates thus far! Still busy working, still busy dreaming and still wondering if I need to work so hard. Maybe one day, I'll be able to catch up with friends :)

Take care and till then!

Should I bake or not?

It's good to be back!! Yes, I know I've been a lazy bum....in fact, I've been on my 1 month plus winter hols for some time now....and I still have not accomplished the "major" things that I've set out to do....sigh! What a long list of things I need to do.....

Anyway, here's my latest passion : J-E-L-L-Y making, specifically Konnyaku jelly thanks to my 3rd sister! Yes, indeed. 1st trial....it was terribly sweet....way too much sugar and it tasted awfully SWEET....saturated sugar water.....plus of course the chewy longan....yummy yummy. So, not that bad after all. But I'm sure 2nd time would be better! So.....to-date, guess what, I've made 3 times already and each time was better than the one before. Thank God for that! Phew.....I think I really can't do without the measuring jar. But thank God that my dear doesn't mind eating all my experimental jellies for 3 consecutive days hahaha....so much for my passion! I know of course that too much jelly is B-A-D.....yes....so I mustn't make anymore jellies now.........

Should I try baking instead? Maybe :0p

Boy, I miss Perth so much!

Every now and then, I think of Perth and my favourite, fantastic and sooooo cheap Japanese food located in the city. Can't even recall the shop name nor the street but it's super famous coz it's cheap!! Ok, not very cheap if you were to convert to Ringgit Malaysia but so ridiculously cheap for a nice, filling and cosy Japanese meal in Aussieland. Maybe crowded should be the more appropriate word to use rather than "cosy" haha :p

Anyway, I just miss everything about Perth. The hours when I had nothing to do.....just read, sleep, be a couch potatoe, enjoy the cool breeze (no haze) at beach, visit the park and admire beautiful flowers ie tulips, roses and fruit trees i.e lemon trees as I walk past houses and of course ......crabbing in the cold in Mandurah :)

Wish I could be thrown into dreamland now! Not Melbourne, not Sydney but a place so lovely, so quiet and so enchanting in many ways if you take time to discover it.

More camp photos!

Camp photos!!

One of my worst nightmares was the unimaginable 8-foot wall. Believe me, it was so fun watching people struggle climbling the wall but not so fun after all when it was my turn to finally "climb". One-two-three.......and I was still on the ground, not over the wall yet. So, of course, I tried many times but to no avail coz I was still on the same side haha! Alas, with many kind souls motivating and encouraging me as well as lifting my body, soooo......I was finally over the other side of the wall.

I particularly like the above "wall" picture because of the colour combination.....old but nice wall, nice coloured t-shirts and nice stunts :) Where am I? Definitely not in the picture :) I was contemplating, to climb or not to climb haha :)

I like this picture too.....very nice, don't you think? Speaks volume about our theme, "Woven Together". This activity ain't possible without any team work.

Balancing was all right for me. No qualms about it. See me?? I'm somewhere in yellow......

This was also one easy task for me.....I just had to remember to lower my buttock and move forward haha :) But I forgot to smile....sigh! Looked so fierce coz I was concentrating :)

Say cheese, say "konica"..... with due respect, I salute all the girls in my team. All super powerful ladies. I was half-dead when we finished the last lap and could smile no more, thus the fake smile :)

Headache endured!

I've finally posted the grades for the Marketing tutorial activity. I'm expecting some indignant students to hunt me down next week for giving them such low grades for their first Marketing assignment. Well, the only unknown fact is that the marks should have been much lower than what I've finally decided to give out of compassion I reckon.

Some wrote in perfect English copied straight out from the Internet or their reading materials while some had "plagiarised legally". Well, a new term perhaps, "legal plagiarism" refers to doing referencing for every bit that was written in the report and thus, leaves no room for even a tiny bit of originality. Sighhh...... what a headache!! To PASS .....or the ultimate FAIL.

Who's to blame? Hmm....It is undeniable that education is getting more and more commercialised today. It does not matter whether or not the students meet the basic entry requirement to pursue their tertiary education as long as their guardians/parents can afford to pay for the tuition fees. This is such an ugly sight to behold but unfortunately, it is "REAL". So real that it is reflected in the attitudes of the students; their poorly done assignments or plagiarised work from their seniors for fear of not being able to meet the passing grades.

Most of my colleagues and I didn't have our one week so-called "break". While the students were busy rushing for their assignments, we were either busy marking their exam papers or their atrocious assignments and scratching our heads wondering what went wrong. Did we really teach so badly that the students couldn't comprehend the lectures at all or was it mere laziness on their part for submitting slip shod assignments?

Of course I remember very vividly that I was once a student and had to toil day and night just to complete the neverending assignments. But, I'm glad to say that I've been through it myself and truly missed the good old times in college/university; experienced the "so-stressed out" period as a student and the worst that you could ever imagine for a student i.e being a failure was the turning point in my life....... Yeap, been through it, seen it all and I'm still surviving :) Praise God!

As a student who had failed in the eyes of the society, I thought I would never be able to stand up again because I've lost all hope and brought shame to my family. Nothing else remained in me except the faith that I had in GOD. Indeed, it was all that I've ever needed in my life. I was humbled, so humbled that I started all over again and what can I say, but life is good!!

Well, I thank God for my experiences in life because I believe GOD wants me to encourage and share it with those who are going through the rough patches in their lives especially the students. I do not teach in a big varsity as much as I would love too, but Metropolitan is indeed a great place to start off. Thank God for my wonderful colleagues and friends; Ms Choo, Juliana, Yeng May, Mrs Chan, Mr. Prabah, Mr. Rama etc just to name a few :) Life would be so dull without them!

"May we never lose sight and hope of our passion to teach no matter how difficult the students/situations may be"

On Hols Again!

Haha...I forgot to mention that I'm actually on hols again....yeap, currently on my 1 week mid-sem break again till 1 October 2006......and 3 months summer break is not too far away :)

No wonder I have time to put up my top 10 of YA CAMP today hehe :)

Have a blessed holiday dear students!! God bless!

signing off,
*-me-*

My top 10 of YA Camp :)

Ok....this is long overdue.....stories of YA camp yet to come but here goes my top 10 of YA Camp in no particular order:

1. Ps Stuart's tender love and care towards his only beloved wife, Kathleen was demonstrated through his unceasing prayers for her as he shrouded his fears and watched her climb, jump and fly!!! Two thumbs up for Pastor and his brave wife :)

2. My willful attempts to mark some, if not all of my exam papers in the camp! Yes, I marked papers discreetly in the camp, so good that not even my roomie realised it :) Thumbs up for me haha!

3. Meng Meng's perpetual joy truly enlightens my day! Rain or shine, when she's around, there's never a dull moment :) **drum roll for Meng Meng, thumbs up for this cool girl**

4. Superb worship sessions! Love to sing praises unto the LORD :)

5. Pastor Dennis Balan's constant care and concern for all the sisters' welfare! Feels so privileged to be a "woman". Thank you Pastor for the gentle reminders to the guys....treat the sisters nice nice ok :) hahahaa....

6. Variesties of food to eat.....did I mention to you guys that I love to eat?? Anywhere, anytime.....ate to my heart's content!

7. Unbelievable backache, cramp, exhaustion, muscle ache + darker complexion( wanted to use umbrella like I did on the beach some time ago but this time shy hahaha), thank God came back in one piece with a package of body ache :p

8. Great fun, great team, great challenges! Had overcome 20 obstacles like a military camp; no more no less, secured ropes to build a raft, rowed & sailed approximately 1 km (about 500m one way) & jumped off a platform to fly! I did all that....wow, am so proud of myself! Can you imagine a not-so-fit, not-so-sporty, love to sleep, love to mug, love to eat "me" completing such energy consuming great feats?? Thumbs up for me again :)

9. I would have smiled more if only I knew that I'm on candid camera! Errr, possible to edit the camp movie slightly haha??

10. Special thanks to all the committee members for showing great zeal, care & concern and commitment towards making this camp a success!! I learnt one thing, "Keep cool, GOD is in control, not you and definitely not me!"

Pictures.....wanna watch the camp movie.....someday when I'm free haha :)

YAF CAMP @ Eagle Ranch

Honestly, I can't exactly say that I'm really looking forward to my upcoming Young Adults Fellowship (YAF) camp but perhaps I might get more excited as it draws nearer :) We started promoting the YAF Camp in church about 1.5 months ago and to date, we have 80 young adults who have signed up excluding the pastors and their wives. Isn't that awesome :) I think so!!

More like, I'm excited to meet some new faces in the camp and looking forward to have a good break plus good time of fellowship with my friends but ain't really looking forward for the sea rafting activity..... coz I'm scared of drowning haha!! But no worries, I believe we have lotsa good swimmers around plus lotsa life jackets available :) Other fun and challenging activities include flying-fox, go-kart and team obstacle course..... interesting & fun, fun, fun hehe :)

I do hope that all the campers would really have a great time in the camp plus get to know some new friends. Ok, I think I'm getting more excited now. Should I bring chips to the camp? Should I start packing now? Hahaha.... getting cranky already.....

~Some details of the camp~

THEME : WOVEN TOGETHER

DATES : 15 to 17 Sept 2006

VENUE : Eagle Ranch, Port Dickson, Malaysia
(web site : www.eagleranch.com.my)

SPEAKERS : Pastor Dennis and Sue Balan


"Need a break, need a friend, need a hug; give you one, see you there!!"

P/s: Special thanks to May Yi for sacrificing so much of her time and energy to help design the YAF Camp flyers. It's superbly lovely, thank you so much. Really appreciate your effort and your kindness.