I didn't get in, again.

Hello world, I just got the letter today. THE letter from NTU. Says the same thing as the one they sent the year before. I'm pretty okay with it. Mentally ran through the possible scenarios in my head before I opened it. Let's go back to when I first got the message while I was still at work..

At 7.58PM..

Mummy: Dear you have a letter from NTU!! Shall I open?

When I saw this, so many thoughts went through my mind..wow does that mean I got accepted?? Cause they said the results would be out by the end of May and I recall that I got the letter after May last year (or was it during May? I can't really remember) so I was so excited and nervous at the same time! I've been secretly praying that I'd get in this year..been checking the admissions website every day though it's always the same thing I see..but I kept telling myself..maybe no news is good news..just keep hoping and praying..but then after all that hype, i thought of..THE OTHER OUTCOME..suddenly my heart started to beat slower, my hands felt less cold..I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be too disappointed when I see the letter..after all, my grades are the same cause I didn't retake..but still, I held onto a glimmer of hope..maybe, just maybe, because of Mr Poh's recommendation letter and because I wrote about my RT experience in the essay, the judges decided to let me in this time round? And so my reply was..

"REALLY!! Wait ah.."

I wanted to check the admissions website..though I already checked it in the afternoon..I thought, since they have sent a letter, maybe the result would be shown on the website now? And so I went..using my phone, i pressed on the email icon, scrolled to "Starred" (I starred the email so I can go back to it easily) and opened the email..then as usual, I copied my admission number, clicked on the link and entered the website. Pasted the number, keyed in my IC no and logged on..

Nothing changed. It still said "We have received your application". No semblance of whether I have been accepted or rejected..hopeful side of me: okay..maybe they haven't updated the website..no news is still good news.. however, I knew that slowly but surely, the fact that I might not be successful again this year started to sink in deep..I messaged mummy again..

"The admissions website doesn't say anything leh..you open lor!"

And after a short while, she replied, "Ok"

I reminded the colleague that said she'd be going home with me today (for the first time!) that it was already 8 and she said to give her 5 minutes..at that point of time, I really didn't wanna think of the outcome..kept praying and committing everything to God..I don't wanna think about it..at least not when I'm still at least an hour away from home..not now, if it's not good..not now..

Then when she was finally done, we left together and when we reached the traffic light, she asked "so you're from poly?" haha must have thought so cause I'm not in Uni now..can't escape the topic, can I? Haha so I told her everything! And that was when I realised I was really quite worried about the result cause at the end after telling her I applied for NIE again this year, I blurted, "and my mummy just told me that I got a letter from NTU!! I don't know what's the result yet.." then after that she told me her poly friend got in and it shouldn't be that hard to get into it..my first response was.."her GPA was quite good?" and she nodded. Turns out that she actually got into NTU too but because of financial problems, she rejected the offer..

Well well..fast forward..didn't check my phone again till I reached the escalator then I told her I think my mummy replied but I don't dare to check..so I took out my phone slowly and opened the messaged even more slowly..

"You left office?"

That's the only thing she said. Whew. At least she didn't drop any bomb haha and so I thought..there's still hope! I replied "Yea going back now..why?" and "Should I go home and see?"

Then I resumed the conversation with my colleague..speaking of which it's really cool cause I think God planned that she'd go home together with me today so that I'd be distracted and not be too worried about the result..and she stays further from the office than I do so I won't even have time to think of it cause we'd be talking haha so yea God is so thoughtful! =D

During our conversation, we found out that we shared quite a number of similarities!! She was from NYP, I was from AJ, we both alight at YCK for school! Haha and the best part is..she was from PHS as well! And we graduated in the same year!! I was really shocked cause she's a year older than me then I found out that she studied for 5 years! Then we started talking about teachers we know..haha isn't that cool?? Actually when she told me she's going home with me today, I was quite scared so I prayed that we'd have things to talk about cause I don't want any awkward silences!! So yea thank God!! He answered my prayer!! Haha =D

I only checked my phone when I reached my stop..mummy said "I open and see first..". To which I replied, "Okay I'm reaching home".

And on the way home, the different scenarios kept running through my mind..haha God really knows me well..thank God for the "diversion" on the train or I might have become pretty stressed about it!! Haha thank God I live near the MRT so those thoughts couldn't stay with me for long!

First thing Mummy said to me when I reached was "Go and take your dinner first"..I wondered if she's keeping the suspense (if it's a piece of good news) or making sure I eat before I find out (if it's a bad news cause she's worried I wouldn't eat if that was the case)..so anyway, with these thoughts in mind, I took my dinner..didn't rush through it at first but towards the very end, Mummy seemed to have noticed that I was finishing dinner soon so she went to place where the letters are usually placed while still keeping her eyes on the TV, maybe to make sure I wouldn't suspect a thing haha but mummy, I saw it! I saw it all! And I really want to thank you for being so thoughtful!! :')

Then the moment came, I picked up the letter and walked into my room while opening it..Mummy quietly followed..then she closed the door behind her and took the letter from my hands and asked enthusiastically "ARE YOU EXCITED?" with big eyes haha "is this a good thing?" I thought..then she asked "ARE YOU NERVOUS?" now, I could answer this one..I replied meekly, "yeaa" then she passed the letter back to me and watched me unfold it..couldn't comprehend what I was reading at first..it seemed like the words were jumping around on the piece of paper..but then I got it..I didn't get in, again.

Mummy hugged me and said many things to console me, as she usually does. Haha but I told her "it's okay..I was mentally prepared for the different scenarios already" haha so yup! I'm fine! Thank God! =D

Thoughts came into my mind again..seems like other people who got better grades than I do have it easier..they got in..even if teaching isn't their dream, even if they decided on the route because it's a "stable job"..how come things are harder to achieve when you really want it? IT'S MY DREAM TO BE A TEACHER YET I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE LONGER AND HARDER WAY TO ACHIEVE IT. WHY IS IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T REALLY WANT TO TEACH YET HAVE GOOD GRADES?? GOOD GRADES = CAN TEACH WELL? Isn't passion the most important thing? There is no guarantee that I'll be a teacher in the future because I still have to go through one year of contract teaching and see if the principal recommends me to study the diploma at NIE the following year. I'll be under probation. Things are not confirmed. I've waited for more than a year. Applied for the diploma last year as well but I didn't get any email or call. I felt so disappointed. Then this year they told me my grades got mixed up in their system..not sure if that's the reason why I wasn't contacted last year.

BUT ANYWAY, I'm fine with things now. At least I've got something this year. Those in NIE might not survive long as a teacher BUT I AM DETERMINED TO SURVIVE AND SURVIVE WELL. I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP AFTER WAITING SO LONG TO FULFILL MY DREAM. To other people, teaching may just be something they do to put the rice on the table but for me, I'M GONNA BE MORE THAN THAT. I'm gonna give my very best because I HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH. I've had enough of being left out of the system just because my grades don't make the cut. I'M GONNA BE A LIVING EXAMPLE AND SHOW MY STUDENTS IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM AND LIVE IT AS LONG AS YOU DON'T GIVE UP, NO MATTER HOW TOUGH THE GOING MIGHT BE.

NIE, you might have rejected me twice but I thank you because it is because of your rejection that I am determined to do EVEN BETTER than I planned on doing. Thank you for making me a stronger person. If I do get in someday to study for a degree in education, my aim is to learn as much as I can and do very well so that I'll be the best teacher for my students!!

I am not defeated. Still holding on, still gonna go on. This is not the end. This is only the beginning. And God will be with me all the way! Woohoo! =D

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

(Psalm 46:1-5 NIV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1 NIV)

Thank you if you've read everything! I love writing, it really helps me to sort out my thoughts! Haha last but not least, God bless, take care and byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! =D

Updates on my lifeeee

1. It's official. I'll be doing my braces at Parkway Parade!
   
   Turns out that the overall cost will be cheaper than that of Q&M at Yishun! No payment needed for the subsequent reviews and the dentist said he'll waive yesterday's consultation fee ($70) on the account of my grand-aunt! Background story: My grand-aunt's son's braces was done by this specialist who also happened to have worked in NUH before and won many awards for his dentistry work! Apparently he also did the teeth of a very important minister before..haha I forgot who! Will check it out the next time I visit the clinic! It's a one-hour long journey though..will have to wake up earlier on Saturdays (maybe 8.30am??) so that i'll reach the clinic on time..cause I'll still be going to CDAC after every visit..but I mustn't complain! Cause my granddad who is not working at the moment is paying for everything so I should be grateful! =D
   
   
2. Have been doing RT on a really frequent basis recently!! =D Haha I was 王老师 today!
   
   
3. It's really funny cause I teach all the subjects so some of my students know me as Ms Ong and some as 王老师! And today during Chinese class, a few accidentally called me Ms Ong instead of 王老师 haha!
   
   
4. Really thank God for all these RT experiences.
   
   No matter what subject I teach, I'm learning day by day how to be a better teacher for my students, how to manage the class, how to make sure they take away at least a little something after my lessons! I try, I really do. If I go to the rowdiest of classes, I may not get everyone's attention but what I do is that I focus on a few students and help them as much as possible. Will try to improve over time though! Really wanna be able to make an impact on the students that teachers would usually complain about/ give up on! =D
   
   
5. Had to deal with an unexpected situation in the middle of a lesson today!!
   
   A child was asked to go to the dentist but it seems like she has a huge phobia of visiting the dentist!! She started crying and refused vehemently to go to the dental clinic! Some of her friends gathered around her out of concern but I told them to go back to their seats cause the girl got even more agitated when they talked to her plus the lesson hasn't ended yet. So we continued with the lesson and although the atmosphere was a little strange, I'm glad they listened to instructions and allowed me to take control of the situation.
   
   Then when the bell rang, I made my way to the girl and told her I'll go to the dentist with her and let the dentist know she doesn't want any treatment. It took a little bit of coaxing but thank God she finally agreed and we went down..I'm not sure but I think the previous treatment at the dental clinic might have caused her a lot of pain which is why she was so against the idea..and only wanted to go the the dentist at the polyclinic..oh well..so I stayed with her and kept talking to her since I had a free period..was hoping I could stay with her throughout but I couldn't! The dentist wasn't done with the other pupil when I had to go! I was quite worried cause I told her I need to go to class and she looked like she was going to cry again! And then I asked her "so if I stay here with you, you would do the treatment?" and she nodded!! Wahhh from not wanting to do it at all, she actually said yes!! But only if I stay there..sigh in the end I rushed off to another class..really hope she was okay!!
   
   
6. Then on my way to class, I walked past a group of students who were sitting outside a classroom and waiting to enter it. And a few of them greeted me and as usual I responded with a smile and a "hello" and then I heard something.."that's my favourite teacher!" one of the boys in the group said as he pointed at me excitedly! Haha I'm really sorry that I don't remember the boy's name but I really do appreciate little things like that! =D I hope I'm his favourite teacher cause my lessons are interesting! Hahaha =D

Haha so eventful right!! And I haven't even listed every single thing that happened! Haha really like how everyday is different! =D Haha okay gonna stop here! Getting kind of tired! Haha so God bless, take care and byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! =D

Braces or veneers?

Haha that's the question I've been contemplating upon for the past one month! I visited dentist@orchard for a free consultation on Smiledesign (instant braces) and also the dental clinic near my house (cost $40 for the consulation!! Lol)! So here are the differences between these two..may not apply to everyone unless you have rabbit teeth like mine! Haha so here goes!

Smile design (crowns and veneers)	Braces
Very fast. Process can be completed in a month!	Slow. Have to wear them for 2-2.5 years
Painless	Painful. Will have ulcers.
No need to extract any teeth	Have to extract 4 teeth + 2 wisdom teeth!
No need to take MC	After taking out the wisdom teeth, I will have 5 days of MC which means it will be painful!!
Have to extract the nerves of my front teeth in order to shift them which means I won't be able to feel my teeth ever again	No need to extract nerves
$6k++ for only the 6 front teeth	$7k++ for all the teeth which means I will have nice teeth for both the top and bottom rows! Price inclusive of the monthly reviews and X-ray!
No need to wear retainers	Need to wear retainers for life
Have to shorten and thin my two front teeth so that dentist can insert crowns	No need to change the size of my teeth

Okay so as you can see, there are a lot of considerations! The cheaper but more painful option would be braces but after the 2 to 2.5 years, my teeth will look nice forever if I wear the retainers regularly haha and there won't be any problem about the crowns/veneers breaking! Though the Smile design dentist did tell me that most of his patients do not experience breakage, I'm still quite apprehensive because I'll never know when I accidentally bite onto something hard! Then the crowns/veneers would drop off and everyone will see the shortened and thinned original teeth!! Haha I'd like to keep it real!! No pain, no gain right! Haha I guess the trigger for me was when someone who did veneers before told me to go for traditional braces instead! I thought he'd be more supportive of veneers! Haha so yea! I think it would be worth it!! Yay!! And thank God my grandfather is gonna sponsor this whole thing!! Haha my grandma wants me to visit a specialist at Parkway even though I already told her that the cost of doing braces at the dental clinic near my house is much cheaper! But oh well! Haha pray that everything will go smoothly!! =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! =D

Because there should be a place for it..

Initially this is what I wrote for my personal essay for the Uni application haha but my writing juices overflowed in the wrong area and it turned out to be too narrative for an application essay! I had written too much and exceeded the word limit but I still had not really answered the second part of the essay topic I chose! (Share an event or incident you have encountered personally and why and/or how it has affected you or is especially meaningful to you.) Haha so..because I don't want to waste what I wrote, I had to find a place for it and I think..this is the perfect place! Haha I remember putting all my drafts for the application essay last year here too! Gonna edit it to make it sound more complete! Enjoy! =D

It was nearing the end of the school day. As I sat at the teacher’s table and looked at the pupils reading quietly in the classroom, I was thinking about how I could make an impact as a relief teacher. It seemed rather impossible to think of any ideas since I was only doing it on an ad-hoc basis. “How much of an impact would I be able to make even if I have the heart to do so?” I questioned myself and sighed inwardly as I knew there would not be any answers coming my way.

In order to distract me from thinking further and getting futile results, I decided to stand up and walk around to look at what the students were reading. I stopped when I saw a girl holding a book related to the brain. That stood out among the rest because most of them were reading storybooks meant for their level (Primary 2). As I looked at the contents of the book, I actually began to explain the concepts to her using layman terms. Soon after, I found myself teaching not just one but at least five other students! The rest had gathered around me, eagerly waiting to hear more of what I was going to say. As I flipped page after page to teach them more concepts, the students’ excitement grew and I thought to myself, “Wow, maybe this is the answer!” After I was done with the last page, the bell rang and it was time to go.

As I was switching off the lights in the classroom, one of the pupils asked me if her eyes got bigger, which is what I taught earlier. She did not use the correct term but I was felt a sense of satisfaction, like I really did make an impact. That is one of the most memorable incidents I encountered while doing relief teaching. It may seem small but to me, it was especially meaningful because it showed me that as long as you have the passion to make an impact, you do not need a long time for it to happen. An impact can happen at anytime, within any time frame.

To the greatest Artist ever:

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

You're really really the best!! Thank You for never giving up on me, thank You, thank You, thank You for loving me, forever and always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I sing a love song to You Lord, every day, every night, I'll tell of Your goodness and mercy, tell the world how You rescued me, brought me out of sin and shame, Your breath gives me new lifeeeeeee.."

--

"Nothing is missing"

God doesn't miss out on any detail on our lives, just like how He didn't miss out on any detail when He created nature and US! Those who learnt Biology would probably know that really well! =D If nature is already so amazing, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW AWESOME THE CREATOR IS??

--

Dear God, when I get stressed out and fail to see Your goodness, may You always remind me to look in the right places..

--

You know, I'm actually someone who'll get panicky very easily..so if you see that I'm not, it's really because of God's peace! Haha

Yup sorry this post is really incoherent!! But I'm feeling this peace in my heart and I absolutely LOVEEEEEEE this feeling!! =D So much peace that I'm not even thinking about my application essay and whatever other things I have to do! Haha because I know God's gonna handle it WITH me!! Dear God, I just wanna pray that You'll help me write an awesome essay!! 300 word limit but God I know You can do so much even with just 1 word!! =D God I pray that even if I don't get into NIE again this year, I would not be disappointed. Give me a heart that will willingly accept whatever You have in store for me. Be it the degree or diploma, God I pray You'll use me wherever I go and I pray for Your strength and Your joy to be with me at all times! And I pray for lots of humility! :) :) Thank You God! In Jesus' most precious and powerful name I pray, Amen! =D

My 2012 so far..

Hello everybodyyyyyy! Haha okay so guess what?? =D APS actually called me last Tuesday to do relief teaching in the afternoon session!! Super cool! It's like every time the cell group prays for me to get a long-term relief teaching job, I'll get the call within the next few days!! It was like that last year too!! Not for long term RT but still, God is too cool!! =D

Okay I wanna write down everything I remember while I still can!! Haha so on that day, I took a P2 class and a P2 malay class at the end of the day! Hahaha I didn't have to teach Malay la..just had to make sure the class isn't noisy! Haha actually managed to teach some kids Science during those periods! Really happy that one girl asked "so Miss Ong, now our eyes get bigger?" after I switched off the lights at the end of the lesson! Haha yay sense of accomplishment! Even though the correct term should be "pupils" instead of "eyes" but still..she's only in P2 so yea! =D

Oh yea the teacher didn't give me any instructions so I just told the kids to do whatever they wanted to do but they had to keep the volume down..haha oh yea! It was on that day that I realised (when I was in the hall for assembly) that actually many teachers wear sandals with pants in school! Haha so I told myself that I'm not gonna torture my feet by wearing my blue wedges the next time I do relief teaching!!

Hahaha oh and the male teacher who helped me last year when I came to school as a relief teacher for the first time helped me again on that day! Haha helped me to find my class in the hall and even got another teacher who would be teaching in the classroom next to mine to tell me where I should go and everything! =D And I remember seeing him again when I was making my way to the malay class! Haha he had made the classroom really quiet by the time I walked in! So yay thank God!! =D

Other things I wanna remember about that day's experience: a few of them made cards for me! Haha and wrote "Ms Ong I love you" haha yea and one of the girls drew me on her whiteboard! =D oh and the really cute kids! Felt like pinching one of the girls haha her cheeks!! And the way all of them said the pledge!! Kids' voices!! =D And thank God for another little helper, T!! =D

And thennnn this week, I got the call on Monday again!! Yay!! Haha most enjoyable relief teaching experience to date! The least hiccups and problems! =D Hahaha yea so they called me at 8plus in the morning to ask me if I can come for the afternoon session! And of course I said yes! =D Then after the call I rested for about an hour or so and I read devo!! =D Okay now I'm gonna fast forward to the time I stepped into the GO of the school! =D

Couldn't find the file for relief teachers to sign in and out so I went to Mdm N and saw it beside her table..so I signed in..then she asked me to sign on this appointment letter from MOE..haha it was just to inform me that I am under the READ scheme la..haha then after that I asked her "so..is there any way to get a recommendation letter?" and she told me they are not looking for any long term RT now so they'd only call me on an ad-hoc basis..and she can get the VP to write recommendation letter only if I work long term cause now they don't know me well enough to do that..so yea..pray for me okay! =D

After that I went up to the hall and this female teacher came up to me to tell me that the teacher I'm relieving on that day actually wrote a list of things for me to do!! Yay!! =D Haha it's really better when there are instructions because it'd be easier to manage the class that way so thank God for that!! =D

She brought me to the staff room and showed me the teacher's table! Carried the P2 math activity books to the hall, sat down on a chair and waited for assembly to start! Haha so nostalgic!! Sang the school song again after so long!! With a new perspective of the lyrics! =D

First period was PE so we stayed in the hall..the kids wanted to play monkey ball so I got some of them to help me bring the balls to the hall..and while waiting for them, I asked them to introduce themselves! =D but I didn't get everyone's names because the helpers came back before I managed to do that..but anyway! It was a good start! =D So I split them up into 4 groups of 5..there are supposed to be 25 students in my class..a few boys didn't wanna participate and I think there were 2 absentees so yea haha and then they started playing! Haha then oh my not long after, accidents started to happen! Thank God they were minor ones! Lol some of the girls got hit by the ball accidentally and were on the verge of crying!! Lol got the students who caused the accidents to apologise..and funnily, those who got hit still wanted to play! Oh and one girl really looks like Shirleen when she's gonna cry! Lol felt like I was looking at Shirleen a few times! Hahaha so yea thank God everything was fine after that! =D

While they were playing, I talked to the boys who didn't wanna join in..haha they were playing catching on their own! Haha got to know them better..which was good! Because building rapport with the kids makes them more willing to listen to you haha so yea thank God! =D

After PE, it was time for math so I asked for volunteers to help me carry the books to class and so many little hands went up!! Hahaha so yea it was really heartwarming to see them so willing to help me!! =D Anyway after that we were supposed to proceed to this particular room but I didn't know where it was..silly me..should have checked the school map that I had! Lol instead I asked the kids and they were all so excited and kept telling me they knew where it is so I got them to bring me to the room and they led me to the com lab!! Lol oh yea when we were making our way there, one boy (S) asked if he can sit with me later! Hahaha yea he sat at the teacher's table when we got into the lab!

Lol anyway it was hilarious..I didn't have the pass so I couldn't enter..so 2 girls went down to the GO to get it for me..and when we got in, we saw bags everywhere! A class had already came and left their bags there! But still, since we were already there..and silly me believed that the kids knew what they were talking about, I got them to sit down and then got some children to help me give out the books..and got markers from some of them (actually i only asked for one but I got 3 hahaha cute right?)..and when everyone had finally settled down and got their books, I started teaching them..but shortly after, the class came back!! Lol it was actually the P2 class I relieved the week before!! Hahaha yea so the teacher told me where that room was and everyone had to move out..(so you see, a lot of time was actually wasted..but thank God the kids still finished their work after that!) and then we got to the REAL room, waited for everyone to settle down and open their math books to the page..and I finally could start my lesson again..had to teach them the concepts of ordering numbers, "more than", "less than" and number patterns! So yea thank God it wasn't that difficult and thank God the kids are smart! Haha so when the lesson ended, most of them were already done! =D

Okay then after all that, it was time for art class and we were already late because the kids were asking me questions and someone dropped his sharpener into the hole on the teacher's table..loool and when I got them to line up some students wanted to line up with me! Hahaha so cute..as first only one girl asked, (the one who looks like Shirleen..let's call her M! =D) "Ms Ong can I line up with you?" and I said yes and then more of them asked me the same time! So in the end I was lining up with like 5 kids!! LOL okay so without further ado, we proceeded to the art room! Yay! Because there was another teacher who'd be conducting the lesson! (Saw her the week before! The other class had art lesson on that day too! Haha) I just had to sit and watch! =D They were gonna continue with their fortune cat made of clay! Haha had to paint it and attach the angbao to it! =D

Okay so after art, it was HE! Haha the teacher didn't assign any instructions for that period so I used it to help those who didn't finish their math work or did it wrongly (haha I checked a few books during the art class)! Got them to come up individually so that I could teach them! =D Haha it wasn't a lot..I don't know if I missed out anyone who didn't complete their work..but I felt like a real teacher during that time!! =D Thank God the class was relatively quiet and were doing their own stuff and I could focus on teaching those who needed my help! =D so yay I feel like I made an impact! =D

Yup then it was time for recess! Yay! Haha some of the kids were like snatching to stand with me when I got the class to line up before we move to the canteen! Lol so I said it's okay all of you can stand with me! No need to snatch! Hahaha and so with that, we made our way down! =D Had to bring one boy (let's call him K! =D) to the GO cause he said he didn't have his food and drink coupons! LOL super funny! Oh yea and the girls who wanted to line up with me followed hahaha told them to go and eat but M said "no Miss Ong i'll follow you wherever you go" hahaha awww..so yea they came into the GO with me! Then I told Mdm N about K's situation and she had that exasperated look on her face hahahaa cause he wasn't under the scheme that's why he wasn't given the coupons! Hahaha and then a funny dialogue happened between Mdm N and K! Hahaha don't think I'm supposed to write it down here so yea everyone who heard it was laughing away! Hahaha okay so after everything was settled, the kids and I finally went to have our recess! =D

Wanted to eat the maggie mee with soup but they said it was sold out already! So I asked the kids what they were gonna eat (yea they were still following me! Lol!) and they said porridge so I had porridge! Haha it's still 80cents!! =D that's what I bought for my first recess in school! =D

Then I ate with my students again! Hahaha seems like they only do that when I wear contacts and the dark blue dress! Or maybe cause I'm not so tired that day!! =D thank God!!! Was praying for that!! Haha this time, there was a boy who was at the table with me! Haha yea it was K! Oh yea C was sitting with me too! Thought she didn't really like me cause she didn't smile when I talked to her before that but during recess she actually started to talk to me and tell me about her grandparents! Haha thank God! =D Oh yea M gave me a jelly! Haha =D

Okay then after recess, as usual, the pupils had to gather at the bus bay before they can go back to their class! So yea when everyone was ready, I led them back to their class! =D Hahaa M started to hold my hand and then soon after T held my other hand and G wanted to join in but she couldn't hold my so she held my arm! Hahaha I was telling them "I only have 2 hands! I'm not an octopus!" and they broke out in laughter hahaha

Yup so it was English next! They were supposed to do their penmanship books! Haha yea M, T, JR and K wanted to sit with me so I let them sit near the teacher's table..okay I remember Sh and B were there too but I don't remember if it's because they wanted to sit with me..haha okay so anyway after I told them what to do, most of them started on their work but K wanted to do it as homework..so I stood beside him and told him "You do now, I'll be standing here" and then he really listened to me! Haha yea actually he has nice handwriting! And he's smart! Just needs a lot of attention and a bit of pushing..haha so yea I waited until he was engrossed in writing till I moved away and went to the others who didn't feel like doing their work..haha and P told me that my dress is nice! Haha it was the first time I heard her telling me something not related to her classmates' behaviour! Hahaha she'd be like a little reporter and tell me what's going on..what the naughty pupils were doing and so on..hahaha so yea it was nice to hear that from her! =D

Oh yea and it feels good when you manage to get those naughty pupils (like Sh and B) to actually do their work..haha sense of achievement there! =D haha they really like talking and every time I walk past them, they would talk to me so I told them "Okay you finish this page then you talk okay?" haha and thank God it worked!! =D

Okay after English it was MT so I had to leave the class..and as I was leaving, T shouted "Bye bye Ms Ong! I love you!" Hahaha another aww moment!! =D Oh yea before I forget, some of the girls drew me on their whiteboards! Hahaha should have taken photos of their drawings for memory's sake! =D Seems like all P2 pupils love drawing on their whiteboards!

Haha okay so I had to go relieve another class..it was rest time for me..haha after all that drama..haha but I played QUIET heart attack with some of the kids! =D yay thank God haha yup then after the lesson, had to go to the parade square to gather..didn't know where to go at first..a lot of kids were telling me the gates they have to exit by but seems like everyone were in their classes so I was quite confused..but anyway thank God things were fine after that! =D Made my way home after everything ended and saw a few CDAC kids when I was walking to the MRT! Haha nice way to end the day!! =D But I'm never gonna wear those flats again..they always give me blisters..haha oh yea P said "teacher you must take care" when I was putting the plaster! =D haha so yea..that's actually the pair of shoes I bought last year..you can scroll down and refer to my previous post..hahaha oh well!! Hope I will be able to get a REALLY COMFORTABLE AND SUITABLE PAIR OF FLATS FOR WORK!! Oh oh and my contact lens were REALLY easy to get out after that!! Thank God!! Haha both came out after just one try!! Hahaha would usually require more than one try to get them out but guess God knew I needed to rest ASAP haha cause the day was really quite tiring!! Haha

Okay then on Tuesday, they called me at 6.57am for relief teaching again!! Hahaha that's the first time they actually called me for 2 consecutive days!! =D Oh this time it was for morning session! Woah I really thank God because I couldn't really sleep the night before even though I tried to sleep early (9 or 10pm) and I didn't get a good sleep so yea THANK GOD I SURVIVED!! TALKING IS SO TIRING!! Haha yea I went to work after doing relief teaching! Seriously crazy..haha that's the first time I did that too! Do relief teaching in the morning then go to TP to work..wahhhhh haha madness!! Okay so let's start with the teaching experience! =D

So this time I went to school wearing sandals!! Haha yay no more feet pain!! =D When I reached the GO, one staff said "Oh Sandra is here!" haha thought that was quite cool! Think they really know me already! Hahaha =D So I took my schedule for the day (was gonna take a P4 class that day!) and went to the staff room cause classes started at 8.30 on that day! =D

When I got to the staff room, there was a teacher who walked up to me and asked if I needed help! Haha she showed me to the teacher's table and told me I could ask for her help anytime if I need any! Haha her table was just beside mine! =D So yea that was nice! And then shortly after another teacher told me that the students' activity books are in the locker so I could go and check and see how I can plan my lessons! Haha yup then after that I still had some time to rest so I went to check FB..and I felt like I really needed prayer so I posted on the CG page! Haha yea then I left the staff room at 8.15 because there wasn't anything else to do already haha and I ended up listening to the last part of the Chinese class! Another nostalgic moment! Haha found myself enjoying listening to the lesson! =D

Haha after it ended, the teacher walked away and gave me a wide smile hahaha think she saw me paying attention to her class! Haha then I walked in and waited for the students from the other MT classes to come back! Got some kids to help to carry the science workbooks from the locker to class! And then everyone settled down, I greeted them, took a book from one of them as reference and then I started teaching! =D Had to teach them systems haha reminded me of one of the songs I taught but that's for body systems haha but anyway yea those those periods were quite fun! Got to recap my primary school science hahaha thennn it was time for recess! Haha had dry maggie mee with 2 nuggets and 1 seaweed chicken! And no one sat with me..haha so my hypothesis is right! Kids will only wanna sit with me when I'm wearing that dress hahaha oh but there was one girl who came over to the table I was at..haha okay la better than nothing! Lol I actually asked some other kids from my class if I could sit with them and they said no..aww haha oh well!

After recess, it was supposed to be SS then HE but the teacher didn't assign any instructions for these two subjects..and I didn't really understand what she wanted me to do during the English lesson..so I used that time to get them to do their math! Haha and the kids were asking me to bring them to the com lab and this time I told them to ask the GO if I am allowed to do that! Haha =D Initially they didn't wanna go but I guess their desire to go to the com lab won over haha so they went! Hmm they took quite some time to come back but thank God the answer is yes! Haha so I told the students that the earlier they complete their work, the earlier we'd go to the com lab! Haha made sure they did their work properly before we went! But yea I really thank God for the break because I needed some time to rest..still had to work almost non-stop for 5 hours later in the end..hahaha yea so bringing them to the com lab was a good choice! =D

After school, I went to admiralty place for lunch and ate wanton noodles! Haha by the time I finished eating it was around 2pm already so I knew I'd be late for work haha but thank God it's okay! Cause I can still work 5 hours then leave later than 8! Haha oh yea I got a seat on the train! Yay so thank God!! Got to sit from Admiralty to Raffles Place! =D

Okay so when I got to TP, I bought 2 cream rolls! Lol and I only ate one cream roll!! Haha was so tired during work that when I closed my eyes for just a second, i felt I could fall asleep!! But by God's power and grace, I still managed to get 2 appointments!! And I made more calls than I usually would make!! (since the last week!) haha God is amazing!! =D Oh lol and my colleagues looked at me funnily cause I was wearing the teacher outfit hahaha

Yea okay then yesterday I actually missed a call from APS even though my phone was on general mode!! Must have been really tired!! They called at 7.25am! Saw it at 9 and called them back but they said they already found someone! Hope they will call tomorrow and Friday since my boss said I don't have to work on those days!! =D and I went to CPS again! =D Then to SSC to see if I can get new flats and bag..preferably one that is similar to my yellow Elle bag! So that I can use it for both work and non-work purposes! =D Didnt find any suitable shoes..and I found a really comfy bag (as soft as a pillow!! Love it!!) at Esprit but it's $44.90!! =O oh well..will come back to get it if I really don't find a bag I like somewhere else..! Actually, it doesn't really match some of my clothes..haha so it'd look quite funny..haha never mind! New flats are more important!! The current ones are really painful to walk in! Should find a solution..anyway I went home to rest and have lunch! =D then as usual, I bought cream rolls at 7-11 when I reached TP before going to work! =D

Yup so as you can tell, I'm not working right now..kept getting up since 6plus in the morning cause I was afraid I'd miss their call again..but they didn't call..oh well it's okay! Hope I'll get the call tomorrow! =D

Hahaha I think I should rename this to "The Chronicles Of A Girl Who Wants To Be A Teacher"..!

What have I done in 2011?

Hello!! It's been a long time since I last posted!! Haha so..2011 has come to an end and I've been compiling a list of the things I've done over the year, things that I have never experienced before! (even before the year ended! Haha) Okay so here goesssss! =D

I have..

Worked at IRAS for more than 3 months! Good experience! =D

Worked as a photographer for a few hours and got paid $50 for covering the event!!

Ran at Yishun stadium for the most number of times in a year!! Haha

Played badminton at the open court near my house!

Went to Kbox with colleagues!

Went to a chalet for BBQ with colleagues!

Went to Teo Heng for karaoke (the cheapest outlet I've been to!)

Ran in the Nike 5K run!! =O

Ate at Wild Honey and didn't really like it =/

Ate at Hatched! Haha

Tried Quiznos and liked it!! =D

Ate terriyaki chicken McGrill and liked it!! =D

Bought a phone with my own pay! =D

Ran from sun plaza's toilet, past KFC to the entrance! =O

Tried stone bowl rice at Ishi Mura (the Japanese foodcourt at northpoint) and liked it! =D

Went to The Mind Cafe at Funan IT Mall! =D

Went to Soju Bang!! Love the chicken!! =D

Bought a whole lot of (junk) food from M&S using Robinsons vouchers cause I didn't know what clothes to buy!! Hahaha!

Experienced no signal for half a day in May!

Got a lot more involved in CDAC, went for the sessions almost every Sat! =D

Applied to NIE but didn't get in (but could be a blessing in disguise!! Hahaha)

Learnt more about God's intention for marriage and why I should wait for God's timing!

Applied for relief teaching!

Went to WLTPS, CPS, APS and SPS to put my name down in the list (those who wanna be relief teachers)

Bought my first dark-coloured dress! For work! Haha and work pants! And white flowy tops! =O

Went to the airport to send someone off!

Ordered 20 meatballs to eat at IKEA for the first time!! =D

Learnt more about purity and what being a radical Christian means!

Learnt more about spiritual warfare! "This is a spiritual fight so we have to fight spiritually not carnally, there is nothing you can do outside of praying."!

Learnt another way to pray for protection! =D

"I bind satan and his attacks, fruits, tentacles, plans, plots, and ploys that he has set up for their lives - I pray that every time he goes to touch them that his hand withers back in the mighty name of Jesus! I pray Lord that you continue to give them grace to operate and fulfill your will according to your perfect unmatched plan. I ask these things in Your mighty name, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen."

From http://godsperfectwill.tumblr.com =D

Went to Malacca with family, ate at Makko restaurant!

Tried bai mi fen opposite SSC!

Went to the newly-opened H&M!

Ran 13 rounds!! =D 3,3,3,2,2! =D

Worked as a tuition teacher! =D taught English and Chinese! =O never taught I'll do it because I've always thought teaching languages isn't easy!

Started going to cell group again!

Worked as a relief teacher for two days!! =D

Worked in Fuji Xerox Towers at Tanjong Pagar as a telemarketer!

Went to Changi City Point! Ate at buffet town for free!! Birthday treat!! =D

Went to ECP and tried rollerblading in Jan/Feb!

Went to ECP for BBQ in December!

Went to Henderson waves! Learnt the proper way to bowl! =D (finally not a complete failure at bowling!! Hahhaa)

Sat in a cable car! To sentosa! (the last time I did this was when I was just a kid! Haha) Ate at Tastes of singapore! Watched Songs of the sea musical and laser show!! =D

Ate at a Thai restaurant at Chong pang! Good value for money! =D

Watched fireworks from the helix bridge on the last day of the year!! Counted down to 2012 there! =D

So what are my plans for the new year? Haha planning to go to those schools again when they reopen to let them know I'm available till August..PRAY PRAY PRAY I'LL GET INTO NIE THIS YEAR!! Really hoping that I'll get a long-term relief teaching job and someone in school will help me to write a recommendation letter!! Please help me pray about this if you're reading this! Thank you so much! Really appreciated!! =D

Last but not least, have a blessed 2012 people!! =D If you count your trials as your blessings, you'll most definitely have the best year yet! I believe that 2012 is gonna be better than 2011!! Woohoo!! Haha okay God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! =D

W.O.W.

How should I start? Haha okay so I got the call this morning! Yes, the long-awaited and elusive call!! Hahaha was really excited!! Omtian so today has been really eventful! Good and not-so-good stuff happened but never mind I'll learn from today's experience! =D So what I wanna do here now is to list out all the nice things that happened today while I still can remember them..haha albeit my tired mind..hahaha okay so here goes! =D

- Thank God I woke up when I heard my hamster biting the cage!! Haha fed him afterwards then when he finished eating his fill, I went took my phone out from the charger and placed it beside my pillow! Was gonna go back to sleep but just then, my phone rang! Haha didn't know who it was calling early in the morning (6.52am!) and the call got cut off when I picked up! Lolll but!! It rang again!! Hahaha was so thrilled when I heard that it's from the school!! I thought they wouldn't call again because I missed their call the other time (because for some reason my phone was on silent mode! =X) but thank God they did!! =D

- Got ready to go to school and thank God it didn't take long for the contact lenses to get into my eyes hahaha =D

- When I got to the school's General Office, I was given my schedule for the day and thank God lessons didn't start immediately so the lady had time to brief me and I had some time to rest in the staff room! Haha =D

- Was kind of lost when I reached the staff room so thank God there was a teacher there walking then he guided me to the table I was supposed to go to haha =D

- Once I walked out of the staff room, I saw a familiar face looking at me! Hahaha it's one of the kids I see weekly at CDAC! =D So nice to have a sense of familiarity! =D

(OMGOSH SORRY BUT I SUDDENLY REALISED WHY EVERYONE WAS TELLING ME TO TRY APPLYING AT MY PRIMARY SCHOOL!! IT'S BECAUSE GOD KNEW THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WILL CALL ME!! HAHAHHA WOOHOO GOD IS GOOD!! AND THANK GOD THAT DESPITE MY INITIAL HESITATION TO GO TO MY PRIMARY SCHOOL, (BECAUSE IT WASN'T AS NEAR..YEA I WAS LAZY!! BUT THANK GOD HE KILLED THAT LAZINESS HAHAHA) I EVENTUALLY DID!!)

- Okay then I proceeded to find the class I was assigned to! Haha I reached early..they were having chinese lesson haha so I stood outside for a while! And the Chinese teacher smiled at me when she walked out! =D

- Thank God I wasn't nervous at all once I stepped into the classroom! Hahaha was feeling the butterflies when I was waiting outside! So thank God for His peace!! =D

- Thank God for my little helper! Hahaha she came up on her own to help me distribute the worksheets! =D

- I talked to the cleaner auntie who was cleaning the classroom when the kids went for recess! =D Haha

- Went downstairs afterwards and thank God the bookshop sells plasters!! =D Haha the new shoes were really hurting my feet haha

- Went to the canteen and sat at an empty table to put my plasters and just then a girl from the class came up to me and asked what I was doing! Haha then suddenly a group of girls came over to the table I was sitting at with their food and sat with me! Hahaha so nice right? Thank God for them! =D

- Talked to them during that time and got to understand them better! =D

- One of the girls said I look like some superstar who acted in a show a few years ago! Loool I remember the "except for the eye bags when you smile" hahaha she even asked why I don't put concealer!! LOLL before I could answer her question someone else talked to me..haha so I forgot about it after that!

- Saw another CDAC kid!! Haha so she knows some of the girls in the class cause they are from the same CCA! So cool haha =D

- Found out that my little helper and her friend who said I look like some superstar/actress are Christians! Haha cause they asked if I am then one girl said "See I told you" or something hahaha cooliooo =D

- One of them recited the fruit of the Spirit hahaha good reminder, good reminder..thank You God for letting me know that You're there with me! =D

- Some kids are really very cute!! Haha the innocence of a child =D

- Managed to get the class to complete all the tasks that the teacher instructed them to! =D

- After everything, went back to GO to sign out and one teacher put her hand on my shoulder and asked if things were okay for me hahaha so we talked a bit! =D

- Haha was asked if I'm free on a few days next month to do relief teaching again! Haha so yup I'll be going back for more experience! Haha and put what I've learnt today to good use hahaha =D

- One girl asked me after the class was dismissed if I'll be going on FB later hahaha she's one of those cute ones! Her best friend also very cute! And they told me they don't know why they are best friends because they think they are so different! Hahaha =D So yup anyway I talked and walked with her all the way till we reach the first level haha =D

- All in all, I think the class I took is like the CDAC kids I take every Saturday..but on a larger scale..amplified; multiplied..Hahaha but nonetheless, good experience! Thank God for today! =D

Okay! I think that's all! (That I can remember now) Haha gonna take a short nap now! And then prepare to go for Speedlight's Worship Night! =D Okay God bless, take care and byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

The search for the perfect pair of shoes..

Haha in my previous entry I stated that I'm intending to get flats for work! So these few days I've been going out to hunt for it! Haha and here's what happened in chronological order!

On Monday, I went to AMK and walked into many shoe shops but didn't see any pair that I really like! Haha saw Cotton On there too! So I happily thought that it's fine if any of the shoes in the other shops don't catch my eye cause at least I'd be able to go to Cotton On to get that pair that, though expensive, is something that I'd wear for work. BUTTTTT to my dismay, after browsing through all the other shoe shops in the mall and stepping into Cotton On with that hope, the pair of shoes I wanted looked so different from how it used to look like!! When I saw it, it was dusty and looked rather dirty!! Omgoodness I have no idea what happened! And you know how they arrange the shoes in Cotton On? All the shoes of the same design go into one transparent plastic container underneath the clothes? ALL OF THEM WERE LIKE THAT! DIRTY! Aww so disappointing!

But anyway thank God it wasn't all that bad! Haha I managed to find the kind of pants I would wear to work! Nice cream colour, no garish gold buttons and it looks sleek and simple! =D Hahaha so yay thank God for that! =D Will buy it when I need it! Hahaha okay so in the end I went out of the mall and walked along the streets outside to continue the search for THE SHOES. Hahaha but sadly, those that were selling at very prices don't really suit my taste oh well haha then I had an idea..I could go to the Cotton On at SSC to see if the quality of the shoes are the same as those I saw at AMK! Haha and so I went! But when I got there, I saw that..it was already closed! Oh mesh haha so I went home empty-handed!

Then on Tuesday, I went to SSC's Cotton On again. Haha earlier this time! And sighhhh I saw the same thing I saw the day before - dusty and dirty flats!! Oh mesh I wonder why they are still selling it!! So I left the mall and went to NP, thinking..maybe the shoes in the outlet there would be better? Haha but oh my I was wrong! Oh Cotton On you've disappointed me time and again. Haha so I walked around the rest of the mall but none of the shoes are what I'm looking for sooo again, I went home empty-handed..

The next day, which is yesterday, I went to FEP..haha wanted to settle the shoe thing once and for all and FEP is probably the best place to do that cause it has a lot of variety and the prices are cheaper! Okay so actually, not one pair of shoes there resembled the Cotton On ones..the CLEAN ones haha when I first saw them..no cream-coloured, stretchy kind..many black and dark blue coloured ones that aren't stretchy though..haha retailing for less than 15 bucks! There was only one pair that looked slightly like what I wanted..it's camel-coloured, has a ribbon (which isn't as nice as the one on the CO pair) and isn't stretchable..tried it on the first time I saw it but I didn't really like it so I went on to look at the shoes from other shops..there was Mimosa, the brand of the wedges I bought..2 shops even! But..the flats that were retailing in them were, again, not what I was looking for..haha sighhh so after walking rounds and rounds in the mall, I finally went back to that shop where I saw that camel-coloured flats and asked the salesgirl for a bigger size and then she came out holding two designs of the same kind of flats, with almost the same colour! And the colour of the other pair looked nicer!! Lol weird right, why didn't they put the nicer one on display! So I tried on both flats and realised that they didn't look that different when you look at it in the mirror haha so the next step was to decide which was more comfortable haha actually both really felt the same to me..couldn't tell the difference! But the one that was on display, the one with the colour that's not as nice as the other pair, felt SLIGHTLY more comfortable..haha was really hesitant to buy it cause it doesn't look that nice but ahhh to accomplish my mission of the shopping trip and get the shoe issue done and over with, I bought it!! Hahhaa yup hopefully I'll grow to like it more in time to come!! Hahaha so I wouldn't regret buying it haha

Okay so that's the end of my search for the perfect pair of shoes..haha the one I bought isn't all that perfect but at least I finally bought a pair!! Hahaha yup okay actually this entry is really boring right haha it's just to update whoever read the previous post hahaha okay so maybe I'll talk about other stuff too! Hmm so this morning I got to know that the tutee's mum is celebrating her birthday this Sunday so I don't have to teach her child this week..thinking of doing a make-up session..probably on Saturday morning, before CDAC haha waiting for reply now! Yup and I haven't eaten lunch yet..think I'll eat the laksa instant noodles hahaha okay yup God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

Updatesss!

Haha helloooo! Okay so as of yesterday I have a new schedule! Haha started 2 things yesterday! One, cell group. (yup again! After so long! Haha) Two, giving tuition! Haha first time I'm getting paid for teaching tuition! Hahaha thank God for the new job!! =D Finally working after sooo long! Haha

Yup so yes it seems like I'm busier during the weekends than on the weekdays. Hahaha and yup that's true..for now! Hahaha currently STILL waiting for the call from any of the schools I applied to and I really hope I don't miss it if they do call! 4 more weeks of waiting (because after that the school holidays would start and they wouldn't need any relief teacher)..and then I'm gonna find a temp job! Yay! =D Hahaha can't wait!! Then I'll be earning income during both the weekdays and weekends! Hahaha =D

Okay so..waiting is actually a really tiring process..you don't know if you're gonna get the call..you have no idea when they are calling..sigh..they can call in the morning at 8plus, in the afternoon at 12plus or later at 4plus..which means you have to be on STANDBY at all times! And just to let you know..I've already missed 2 calls from 2 schools..SIGHHHHH so I'm guessing they won't call me again :( Oh well..I didn't miss the calls on purpose..ahhh okay shall not think about it! Just hoping for the best now! =D

Bought a formal dress for work and a pair of wedges but I think it won't really match the dress..plus I have no idea why I keep having this funny feeling when I think about what the other teachers in school will think of me if I turn up in that dress and wedges on my very first day! Lol so I'm intending to get flats! Probably that pair from Cotton On! Sigh but it's $29.95..if I buy it, there goes more than half of my pay from yesterday's tuition..oh well..but never mind! It'll be worth it right!! At least I won't have that funny feeling which makes me feel really worried after that!! Haha but I'll be so happy if I can find another pair of flats that I like and can wear for work which is much cheaper..hahaha okay God will make a way! =D

Hmm okay I guess that's all for now! God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

Cooked spaghetti today! =D

Bought the pasta from Marks and Spencers! Haha thank God I took it out yesterday and saw that the expiry date is 13 October so I decided to cook today! =D bought the pasta sauce and parmesan cheese from cold storage! =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeee! =D

P.S.: first time using the blogger app to post an entry! Haha speaking about that, I'm excited for the launch of IOS 5!! Maybe at 12am yay!! =D

What I've been doing for the past one month or so in pictures..

Hello! So I haven't updated this space for more than a month and as I was uploading the photos from my phone to the computer I thought of doing something I haven't done in a long time - let the pictures do (most of) the talking! Haha so here goes! =D

I went to Malacca with my family in early September cause JW and Shirleen were having their school holidays then!

This was taken in our very comfy hotel room!! =D Haha the hotel is seriously, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the trip!! =D

And I've been reading devo (as mentioned in my previous post! =D)

Yay praise God!! =D For dealing with the lazyworm in me hahaha!

Haha I also cleaned my room woohoo!! Hahaha mummy kept nagging at me before that and I finally did it so yayyyyy was so happyyy hahaha she finally can't complain that the floor of the room looks so dirty! Hehehe =D I really brushed the corners of the room repeatedly till there were no more brown dust!! Hahaha and yea I brushed not sweep!! And I cleaned the fan as well! =D

Hmm yup and I went to CPS to put my name down in the list last Thursday! Really hoping they would call me soon and I got a feeling they would! At the end of this month! So I'm looking forward to that!! =D

Went for a run (finally! Haha omgosh just checked! The last time I ran was on 10th Aug!!) with JY yesterday after some shopping! =D Really really amazed that God gave me enough strength to break my record and achieve my long-time target of running 13 rounds!! My goodness haha I didn't run continuously! Ran in sets of 3 at first! So it was 3, 3, 3, 2, 2! And I still had the energy to sprint at the end of the last few sets!! Crazy right I think so too!! Lol having muscle aches all over today like mummy predicted haha but it's okay! Today is rest day! Haha =D

Reminds me of the double helix! Hahaha taken outside the stadium! =D

Then we went to a nearby coffeeshop to eat our dinner and talk! =D

I had wanton mee..for only $2.50!! Haha really value for money! =D

And I've been taking care of my hamster..

Hahaha and I've been going to CDAC on Saturdays! =D and to church on Sundays as usual! =D really hope the P6 kids in CDAC do well for their upcoming PSLE!! Haha

This was taken on the 30th of July! =D These are the kids I see almost every Saturday..haha the ones who make me run up and down just to catch them and make them do work, the ones who make me feel so tired after every CDAC session, the ones who make me laugh because of their funny antics, the ones I can talk to like friends and feel comfortable with! Hahaha I wouldn't have it any other way..except maybe if they are more obedient?? Hahaha but it's okay still love all of them! =D

Oh yea it may be hard but it's so fulfilling! When you see them improving not just in their results but as a person! =D Haha I received my very first teacher's day present from one of them! =D And just today one of them told me over FB chat "thank you for helping me (in) my english and maths" haha aww so nice right haha I saved a screenshot of that convo for remembrance sake! =D

Hahaha I realise that I ramble on and on when I talk about the kids! Haha so much for letting pictures do the talking! Hahaha anyway I just wanna say I wish I could help more of them! Cause during last Saturday's session, due to the lack of mentors, I was the only mentor in the group! Out of the 6 mentees who came, I only managed to teach 4 of them! And because I taught 4 of them, the quantity of test papers each of them did was only 1 or 2! I like to go for both quantity and quality when I teach haha so yea wished I could have done more! But thank God that this Saturday's session will be better cause at least one more mentor will be present! =D

Haha yup guess that's all I wanna say! Oh and it's kind of tiring to upload photos to Blogger cause they appear at the top of the post every time I upload a new photo and I have to shift them down one by one haha okay God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

I used to..

want to read all the books that Nicholas Sparks wrote..it was part of my to-do list after the A levels:

"Dear John, The Notebook, Message in a Bottle..and another books by Nicholas Sparks =D"

but today, I'm gonna remove that part! =D Because I realised after reading Leslie Ludy's devotional Hollywood Lies that it actually "portrays a patently false and dangerous message"!! And I definitely don't want to read that book and allow the devil to subconciously mess up my mind with the notion that sin seems "so right, so good and so noble"! I've made up my mind to follow Jesus! And during this period, God has been showing me so much! =D

Oh yea I discovered her devotionals yesterday and I love them! I can feel that God is using them to speak to me! =D So thank God for that!! =D

And after reading The Significance of Physical Purity, I gained a new perspective! =D Part of that devotional reads: Instead of asking the question “how far is too far?” God challenged us to start asking a new question – “how far can we possibly go, to honor Him in this area of our lives?” So I wanna challenge myself..how far can I go to honour God? =D

And yes for those who read my previous post, I've started reading my devos daily again!! YAY!! Praise God! =D Please pray for me if you're reading this that God will continue to grant me His divine strength and self-discipline and patience to do all that I have to do! Thank you! =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

But one day, as I was sitting on the bus, I looked over this person a few seats down and thought “God knows everything about them - all of their faults, strengths, personality quirks, deepest thoughts - and loves them so much.”

Got the above from a blog which I visited before. I had randomly pressed some letter on my keyboard and the URL of the blog appeared as the first result so I went, even though I saw that it had already been taken down the last time I visited it. But surprise surprise, it's still alive! Haha so yup and I happened to read this post. And I just wanna say..it's so cool..the same happened to me! Except that I wasn't sitting on a bus, I was standing in a train. Haha yup God is so cool. Even when I'm so horrible. Like now. But I know He'll do something about me and make this feeling of procrastination go away. Yup!

So bottomline is, God loves you - everything about you. =D oh yea and I had this thought earlier on - so many girls put all their hopes in their relationship. And end up feeling insecure and confused..even though they keep trying to tell themselves that it'll all work out, and even though they do have happy moments with their boyfriends, I seriously think that such times are just temporal..I've seen so many of such examples..and I never ever wanna be like them! I wanna put all of hope in God and God alone! =D Cause God's the only one who will never ever fail you. That's why it's so important to have a close relationship with God! =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

Hmm

Was thinking if I should I delete the links I have on this blog since I don't visit them anymore.

So I started to click to find out if there's anything there that show that they are worth reading and my, what different lives everyone's leading now. People I came across during a particular period in my life..everyone's on their own journey haha and then there was the sudden realisation..oh, how they've changed. And oh, how I've changed.

As you can see, I've decided to keep the links there. Not because I need them, but because they serve as a reminder for me :)

And who knows, maybe one day, someone would be bored enough to want to see who's linking their blog. And then they would visit this little blog of mine. And hopefully they would see that God is real through my blog. =D

Haha okay God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

I'm feeling happy! =D

Just wanna write this to remember this moment! Haha thank You God for this happiness! =D

"Happy 812!" =D You just have to feel like it's that day again! Relive the momentttttt =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! =D

I wanna live a life without regrets!

And thank God I still have time to! Don't wanna leave earth tomorrow without doing what I want to do!! Go Sandra!! Go do whatever you've planned to do!! God I pray You'll keep this feeling in me!! Don't wanna waste my time already! Okay time to sleep goodnight!! =D

Finally! =D

Background info: NIE didn't contact me after so long (for both the diploma and the degree) so I guess I didn't get in..which is why I thought of appealing! :)

Was thinking of what to write for my reason for appeal and the following are what I came up with! Haha the first and second paragraphs are part of my thinking process..which eventually led to the third paragraph, what I wrote in the appeal form =D

In achievement-obsessed Singapore, there are many students who are afraid of failure due to the social stigma it carries and I want to change that. I want to be a teacher who will help her students to achieve good grades but more than that, I want to let them know that results are not everything and what matters is that one has tried his or her very best. I want to be a part of their journey as they discover this very simple truth which will enable them to succeed in their future endeavours. =D

It stems from a simple desire - I want to make people happy. People say clowns and comedians do that job but I think teachers do that too. When I have taught my students well, they will be happy and so will their parents. Let’s say I have a class of 40. When all my 40 students do well, not only 40 people will be happy. It will be at least 40 + 80 = 120 people! And when I achieve my aim, I would be happy too so make that number 121. That’s the minimum. And that’s how impactful a teacher is. =D

I think teaching is the best way to make a positive difference. A teacher can help many to reach their maximum potential, not only academically but as individuals as well. To me, that is one of the greatest joys in life and I want to be part of their journeys. =D

Haha yup so yayyyy! Thank God for the inspiration haha my appeal is finally done! =D If I want to be a teacher, I shouldn't be afraid of failure. If I get in, thank God! If I don’t, I’ll thank God too! Cause I know He has better plans for me. =D

Hi again!

I just read this!!

http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/fpo/itpp/BABSCHandbook2010-2011.pdf

Curriculum structure for the 4 years can be found on pages 60 to 63! =D

Haha all the important things I can expect if I get admitted successfully to the course I wanna go to..BSc (Education) (General) (Primary) I'm going to teach primary school students woohoo!! Pray I'll get into the course!! And that I'd do well for the interview if I do get in!! :D Thank you! =D

God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

Hmm..

Okay honestly all I could do was stare in disbelief when I saw the results slip at first..and haha just so you know, it wasn't because I did well..but well, things happen right? Haha I'd be lying if I said I've completely taken it in my stride..not entirely but I'm sure I'll get there :D

Haha when my teacher asked me what went wrong I couldn't even answer her..what do I say? It's not supposed to be like that..this must be a mistake..? How can this be? Lol I could only utter "No-nothing.."

Then the mind war started..the logical side VS the unable-to-accept-reality side..logical side said "Well it could have been worse..you know you should thank God no matter what happens" and the other said "Is this some kind of a joke?? Living nightmare??" Haha but thank God logical side won over for the day..though sometimes the unable-to-accept-reality side kicks in..though the extent of how negative the thoughts are has decreased over time..now it's more like "God why did you allow this to happen? I know there's a reason for everything..I know You have a plan for me..is it because I didn't pray enough? Is this punishment for my sins? Are You angry or upset with me? God, why?" And then after all that I'd get back up and tell myself I'm not going to let the devil feel like I've been defeated..because no I haven't! I'm still going to thank God, I'm still going to go to church, I'm still going to pray and God is going to carry me through this and I still want to be close to God! =D So forget it, no matter how you try to get me down, you won't succeed because God's not going to allow that and I thank God cause that's more important than the results..so what if I didn't do well? So what if I thought God would say yes to my prayer? So what if I thought God told me I'd get 88.75? So what if that's the reason I kept holding on to that belief? So what? You and I know that His ways are higher than anyone else's and His thoughts are higher than anyone else's as well! =D

So this is just a trial I know :D And God definitely has blessings prepared for me in the days ahead..I just need to follow Him and get there! =D I'm gonna believe that there's gonna be a brighter tomorrow! :D Haha God has carried me through so many things..and this time He's gonna do the same, for sure! Though this time my results aren't fantastic, I can use my attitude to glorify God :D Because it's not what happens that matters, it's how you react to what happens that matters. Something I told JS before and something that resounded in my head after I got my results..yup there are many ways to give glory to God and getting good results isn't the only way..I wanna use my entire life to glorify God! =D Sure it isn't perfect but that's how God has planned for it to be and I want to live it well because life is one of God's gifts to me! :D And I hope God's gonna use my story to inspire many others in the future! =D

Hahaha yayyy thank God I've finally come to the end of my entry..haha thank God I'm a writer at heart so writing things down makes me feel better :D Thank You God! Okay God bless, take care & byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! =D

[Edit]

I wanna live out Romans 5:3-5! =D

³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.