It has been forever since I last updated, probably about two weeks. Work is starting to get crazy and I've been swamped with so many things, but I've been managing so far. Things are starting to look up. On the work front, lessons with my kids have been great. I lost my voice again last week, but still went to school cos I knew I would be overcome with guilt if I went on medical leave again. So I dragged my ass to school, and I did not regret coming to school at all. Every single one of my classes that day was so great. My 5As were completely silent, with some telling me, 'Ms Khai, dont talk. Just show the slides to us and we'll just copy.' Any semblance of noise was greeted with 'Can shut up?' LOL!, my 4Es were fab and even my lower sec classes were quiet. :) I went back early that day and did a whole lot of resting and when I came back the next day one of my Sec 5 girl actually brewed honey barley herbal drink for me and put it in a thermal flask and passed it to me! And my angel, Kok Tiong, bought herbal chrysanthemum tea for me! So I got well in no time at all! Amazing! :)

I've been spending a lot of time with my kids the past few weeks. They spend their recess with me, their free periods are spent with me. After school, they wil buy food for me (cos I suck at taking care of my meals) and we eat lunch together in my homeroom. When I have afternoon meetings, they wait for me to end and walk home together. The love they have for me is just astounding. I'm blessed. :) And it makes all the pain and rubbish that I have to go through disappear. I laugh so much and am so happy that they enjoy my company as much as I enjoy theirs. :) And of course, the unwavering loyalty they have for me. It's crazy. LOL! It's like I have a cult following or something. And we have been running together once a week. My boys are all really fit and strong, so running with them is great for me as I pace them. On my own, I run at my own pace, but when I run with them, I try and keep up with them. So I reckon, Im running much faster than I used to when I ran alone. :)

On another note altogether, Ryan was in town last weekend. He was here to visit so I checked us in to Elizabeth Hotel and we did so many things in the 2 nights that he was here. We shopped like crazy (he spent bloody $1000 at AX!), ate like pigs (kaya toast, mee siam, Thai food, satay, sting ray, Korean food, Japanese food), snapped pictures everywhere, swam by the pool, partied both nights, and most of all, we did a hell of a lot of talking. It was so great to have him over. Familiarity and comfort. He is one of my closest friends in Australia, and he's always so great to me. I remember having slumber parties with him and Rushika, the countless parties we went to, the crazy dancing in the clubs in Perth, dim sum on Sundays, sleep overs at my house....It was so much fun. I really miss him and I was so happy to have him over. :)

So here are the pics taken...More on facebook....

Elizabeth Hotel!

By the pool

Hotel lift. We took pics everywhere, I told you.

The hotel lobby.

Takashimaya

Fullerton

Along the Singapore River

After our 2nd night of partying

My angels came to send him off too cos they wanted to see him. And we all had a good time, talking rubbish over an early dinner. And Ryan loved them too! LOL! He said they were sweet and cute and were so amazed by the amount of love and devotion they have to me. :) That's Kok Tiong on the left and Lowell on the right.

And final picture before he went off

What's there to look forward to next? The long CNY weekend. I can't wait for the break! YAY! :) Endure till then people cos Im sure Im not the only one who's looking forward to the very long break. Am so tempted to fly.....

I am a positive person by nature, always seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty. I am always able to see the positive out of every bad situation and it's one of the qualities about myself that I am really proud of. But this year, being positive is so hard given the nonsense that I have had to put up with.

Everyone and anyone who reads this blog would notice that my blog is a happy blog. I seldom gripe or whine or complain and when I do, it's always really trivial. But this time round, this entry is going to be a griping entry.

School has started for 2 weeks, and it has not been good. I did not get my class back. My class of 4A3 was taken away from me. For no apparent reason. Everyone in the school acknowledges that I have done wonders with the class, and how the kids are so much more wonderful now, yada, yada, yada. And since most of them came back, I just naturally assumed that I would be getting them back as my form class. Imagine my horror when I found out I didn't. I was devastated. I went round all the HODs, begging for them to change the form teachership. Got to a point where I asked nicely, then I started to beg, and then I started crying. Badly. Im not talking about little tears coming out, Im talking sobbing crying. It was horrible. I went to the VPs to the P and nothing was done. During the week before school started, I cried every night and I went to school with puffy eyes. That's how I got sick. Cos I did so much crying.

 And if you are wondering if I got back my class, the answer is no, I didn't. I have accepted it. My new form class is great, and my old class still sees me as their form teacher, always coming to me after school. One of my VPs puts it as such, 'Think of it as impacting and influencing more students'. I told myself that I would be positive about this, and I will have more kids loving me. :)

There are other 101 things which are happening in school, all of which are just to deary and tiring for me to thnk about. Im so worried I won't be able to do good work this year. My energy level is low, Im still not 100% well, my time table is crazy heavy, and I have so much work this year.

The only thing that's keeping me sane? My kids. As always. They come to see me every single day after school, just hanging out with me, talking to me, making me laugh, waiting for me to finish my afternoon meetings just so they can walk with me to the bus stop. Lessons with them are wonderful. They are 100% attentive and try so hard and it is gratifying for me the amount of effort they put in. I am truly blessed for the unconditional love they give me.

I don't think anyone in school realises how affected I am by this whole change of class issue. I know a lot of my colleagues probably think Im over reacting. They do not realise that I wasn't just good for them. They were good for me. And my mental well being. 2009 was great for me cos of them. During my down moments in 2009, they were my source of happiness. I did so many things with my kids, and taking them away from me is just plain mean.

Am I happier now? I still feel sad at times when I see them with their new form teacher.  I think of all the things and events we will have to do as a form class, and I get nostalgic cos we accomplished so many things as a class last year. But I am thankful that my new class is embracing me with love, and my former form class still loves me as much.

I hope things look up soon. Please.........

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe a whole year has passed. As always, I make it a point to reflect on what I have accomplished (or not) and make some form of goals for myself for the next year. It's a little late cos it has been a week since the new year has started but I have been busy with school and am really sick.

2009 has been great for me. What made it so great?

1. My babies. I got back into teaching after 2 years of hiatus. So I was really nervous about starting to teach again. And being assigned a really difficult class did not help my paranoia as well. But it has been fabulous. My attachment to my kids are amazing and the amount of love they shower me is just astounding. And 2009 has been a meaningful year as I have impacted them so greatly, and in return, they have made me so amazing, and remind me of how much I love teaching. To round up a great year with them, they have made me proud by giving me 94% passes and 27% distinctions for my subject, which is crazy amazing. :) Love, love, love, love them.

2. My family. Being away for a whole year in 2008 made me appreciate my family a lot more. We do more things together as a family now. Countless of hotel buffets, countless of shopping trips with my sisters, just hanging out with my niece and nephew. These are things which I used to take for granted and I appreciate it so much more now.

3. Crazy travelling. This year has been insane. I think I went travelling more than 5 times just this year alone. I went to Perth twice, Melbourne thrice, Bali, and Greece. I love the freedom and independence I get when I travel. I love the fact that I have the ability to pack and go as and when I want to. I love going up on a plane on my own, and knowing that Im going to a new place and meeting my friends and new people. I love seeing new places, and familiar places. It's such a high for me. And I have been lucky to have been able to do that this year. :)

4. Greece. I finally managed to go to Greece. I have always wanted to go to Greece. Was saving it for my honeymoon, but I decided to go anyway cos you do not know what the future holds for you. And Greece did not disappoint. The islands were just stunning, the archaelogical sites were mind blowing, the people were so friendly. It is probably the most beatiful place I have ever been to. Love it there.

5. Recognition for my hard work. 2009 saw me working really hard. I gave my heart and soul to my kids, my department, my committees, my CCA. And all that hard work saw me working 12-14 hour days, especially closer to the national exams. And not only did the results prove for itself, I was also recognised by getting the Outsanding Contribution Award (Individual) as well as the Outstanding Contribution Award (Team). These awards were really meaningful cos it was voted in by fellow colleagues and it's heartening to know that your conterparts recognise the efforts you have put in. :) A source of motivation for me.

What are my dreams for 2010? Resolutions, as people would call it. 5 things for me this year.

1. To learn a new skill. I hate being stagnant. And I promised myself that this year, I want to learn something new. Doesnt have to be anything academic. Just something new. And I have decided on taking up pole dancing. Great workout regime, dancing involved (my most favourite thing to do), and Im learning a new skill. You never know when you will have to pole dance! LOL!

2. To be healthy through keeping fit and eating properly. 2009 has been shit in terms of fitness. Cos I have been so busy in 2009, my workout regime was very erratic. So in 2010, I aim to exercise more regularly. At least twice a week. And not just crazy running. I wanna incorporate kickboxing, step class, dance class, body balance into my current yoga and running regime. In terms of my diet, I have also been bery inconsistent in 2009. So this year, I am going to start eating properly. I'm starting to drink green tea with honey every morning, having my cereals with blueberries every morning, eating wholemeal bread instead of white bread, snacking on cashews, almonds, dried cranberies and blueberries instead of my usual Marks and Spencers biscuits, having more fish soup and fruits. Im going to try very very hard to maintain this. Less rubbish and more good things.

3. To save money. As mentioned earlier, I have travelled like crazy in 2009. Which equates to spending a whole load of money. So this year, I aim to spend less and save more. You never know what's in store for me next year. :)

4. To continue travelling. I hope to go to Melbourne (see my friends), New York, Montreal and Jamaica (to shop, go to new places and see Fatima) and New Zealand (to travel with my family). We'll see how this one works out. :)

5. To work as hard as last year and accomplish great things with my kids, and bring myself to a whole new level professionally.

Have a good 2010 everyone!

Oh, below are the pictures of New Years when Fatima was in town with me. :)

Berjaya Hotel, a boutique hotel in Chinatown. Quaint place. We loved it there!

Celebrating New Years at Clarke Quay. Mark and Angela joined us. I forgot how crowded it would get! It was crazy! But a lot of fun though. :)

Fatima's 2nd night in Singapore.We did so many things in her 3 days here. Mani, pedi, clubbed, coffee, high tea, massage, facials, shopping, yakking, and other 101 things!

Sending her off at the airport.

I've been really sick actually this whole week. Started on the first day of school but I trudged on in school anyway, until Thursday, when I completely lost my voice and I caved in and went to the doctors who proceeded to give me 2 days medical leave. I've got a terrible bacterial throat infection. Been eating the medication which makes me half dead so have been doing so much sleeping. I actually feel weak from all the medication Im taking.

Alrighty, will update again when Im less busy!