"Homed"work

Can't believe that this weekend I am homed - The scheme of work has just intensified, so I had to spend my Saturday doing powerpoint slides and lesson plan. Thankfully, most of us had shared some resources so I don't have to create notes from scratch. And now I am taking a respite and blogging after working on my dissertation. Tuesday need to submit first draft and I am nowhere close to a quarter. But my supervisor has been more than generous and allowed me to give a shorter version since it is a first draft. I had to resort to cancelling ALL my tuitions for the weekends, something which I had not done for some time.

I must say I am considered one of the lucky ones who got pretty decent classes. A bit chatty, but that's fine with me. In fact, I would rather have that than a graveyard of a class. Mentors were excellent and they were kind of vested in making sure I learnt the ropes from them. From tomorrow onwards, I'll be doing classes.

There was this colleague who came up to me and said, "Ey, I saw your name and realised your surname is Mr ***. And I am finding it incredibly familiar. Have I met you somewhere?" To which I offered a few suggestions... Erm maybe NUS?? -no. NIE??? -no. Or were you from #JC?
To which her eyes lit up and she squealed, "Oh yes, your are that Mr *** who gave relief teaching for Chem. But sorry to disappoint you.. after you left, I dropped Chem cos that teacher who came in cannot teach and I cannot tahan oredi".

That's what I like about the profession - so many degrees of separation but which eventually draw people together. Nice.

Anywya, I'm going for some voice recording this weekend with ACRES. Playing the role of an elephant and a slow loris. Wonder how slowly I should speak as a slow loris, or how elephantine I should be in my voice quality. After all, SL LLG has anointed me as the person with the most elephantine memory - has full capacities for remembering all details to their finest exaction. Of course, I just recently chilled his bone when I recounted ad verbatim, the connection between his Mum, him and the Oxford single girl (let's call her M) I was trying to introduce. To reproduce the famous text I mouthed here which SL LLG had forgotten, this was what I said,

"Well SL LLG, so you still can't remember what you said to me that connects your Mum, you and M?"

With that inscrutable look, he only had to confessed that age has caught up with him and he had no recollections.

"Well, let me tell you SL LLG...
Previously you said before, 'My Mum would be easily contented with my brother and I just growing up to be decent boys graduating from a local university. She would never had thought that one would go to Cambridge, and now she would never even have expected that her future daughter-in-law has a degree no less than BCL Oxford' --- so there you go, SL LLG, the connection I promised to draw up between you, your Mum and M!", giving that smug look.

Stopping in his track, he heaved, "you really remember everything hor"

Of course.

Schooling

'So, those long-sleeved shirts have to be worn eventually eh?', I mused as I ironed my "teacher's uniform".

And yes, school started today at one rather traditional school. Taking the bus and eyeballing those uniformed boys and girls, I realised in pure relish, that these kids have not known me as a teacher yet, and so would not be watched by some unknown students discreetly somewhere.

You never know if some of them would later gossip on even the smallest frivolous details as that this teacher listens to ipod on bus, and worst still, "I saw him board the bus in interchange, so he must have lived nearby". Of course, I always knew this school is quite near to my house, so I can always walk there, but since this is the first day, I shall take a bus.

I discovered there were more newbie colleagues than expected. I thought there would only be two of us in practicum, but mercifully, there are quite a number of others who are attached to the school either for relief or for ESE (enhanced school experience which one does before entering NIE). With cheerful dispositions, I knew right from the start that they would be my kakis in the next few weeks, though my practicum term is longer and I would outstay them.

Nothing much about today really, so we left the school at about 2. Thankfully, all classes end by 2 for me, so that's really nice...

Wait, hang on -- Am I really a teacher already? Can't believe time flies.

That quaint and lovely place

As a secondary student and whenever my bus passed by Jack's Place in Ang Mo Kio, a longing thought would come to my mind that one day when grow up, I would have save enough money and procure a simple meal for myself at Jack's Place.... for by all standards of a HDB boy, a Jack's Place is a Jack's Place is a fine restaurant.

That thought mysteriously vanquished, only to be replaced by the more affordable Marina Bay alfresco BBQ @ $10 per head. Never mind the dripping oil and MSG laden stock, it's a commoner gathering ground for students.

And yet today, SL LLG and I in our quests to find a nice comfy place to chat about his trip to Bangkok (he called it "Bangcan't" though can't isn't supposed to be spelt this way...see post-script please). Before long, our feet took us to the doorstep of the hallow grounds of Jack's Place.

That sweet little place. Of course. To SL LLG, this outlet was also his first Jack's Place visit. What make this a wonderful chatting ground was the right amount of white noise in the background. Not too many dining guests to interfere with our confabulations, nor too little guests for our conversations to be overheard. Another thing is the prices of the food. If inflation has reared its ugly head, the cost of Jack's Place food has certainly walloped it down. Service is just nice, with a homely auntie who would causually top up our water from time to time.

What else was there to stop us? Words left the lips just as easily as thoughts arose from the germinal minds, so that the topics over dinner spanned from how to pronounce plagiarism correctly to what is a palate cleanser to how does a brassage brings about comfort. In the words of Dr Irina Spalko to the alien, "I want to know everything"... that thought dominated our evening... just that only SL LLG has the alien look!





P.S. The forbidding word of a can't (as wrongly spelt again) as used by SL LLG, is all but crude, when we consider that this word is a critical and prominent component to an important twist in the novel and film, Atonement. For Robbie wrote to Cecilia, "In my dreams, I kiss your cunt, your sweet wet cunt. In my thoughts I make love to you all day long." Bearing in mind that Atonement is considered one of the best novels of Ian McEwan, he has certainly avowed how the English Language should endow this word its utmost reverence. Of course, this does not elevate the status of any Beng, Lian and Huay who have wantonly (no pun intended) used this word in their myraid versions and dialects.

Pig-out in remote hide-outs!

True to Jon's words and much to the delight of the food-maniacs moi and ZH HHG, getting a driving licence means we are no longer restricted to venues close to the MRT lines nor to the midnight strike that even the proverbial Cinderella fears. Not that I got mine which would probably be next year, but it suffices if a good friend has one, and even more impressively, a car!

Last night's escapade to Robinson at Raffles City to grab the no-GST shopping opportunity, then to Chomp Chomp for some serious supper that really got me excited at the choice of food attests to one thing which I have always believed but never got the chance to experience that -- When you can atasly travel to far-flung places for supper in a car -
You have arrived! (or should I say Jon has arrived!)

Since I have NOT got my CYMA watch and any Car (only hybrid cars please), I can hardly claim to stake a Claim that I have those six (last time was five) Cs. But does going to China count?

And so as I was saying, going to remote places to Chill out seems to be an obsession of Singaporeans that Sunday Times (Life Jun 8, 2008) even had a page dedicated to name some of the hot chill-out (sorry for the oxymoron) places to visit. I decided to immortalise the places in my blog here:
In the North
(1) Beaulieu House
117 Beaulieu Road, tel: 6257-9234
Open: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm (Mon-Thur)
11.30 am to 2.30 pm, 6 pm to midnight (Fri & Sat)
10 am to 11 pm (Sun)
Getting there:
Drive (So excited at this word!!) to Sembawang Park and park at Carpark No. 1. Then walk about 100 m to the sea.
About the Restaurant:
This restaurant facing the Straits of Johor is housed in an 8000 sq ft pre-war building, which used to be home to the most enior British naval officer in Singapore, Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Layton, from 1940 to 1942).
The eatery serving Western and Chinese dishes, has been in existence since 1981 (Year I was born!). in 2004, owner Lim Hock Lye, 54, expanded its premises to include an alfresco area that is now a popular watering hole.

(2) Sunset Grill & Pub
140B Piccadilly Road, Seletar Airbase, tel: 6482-0244
Open: 4 pm to 11 pm daily except Tuesdays
Getting there:
From Piccadilly Road, turn into Lambeth Walk, Hampstead Gardens, Western Avenue, East Camp, then drive all the way to the Republic of Singapore Flying Club (Aiyoh, so convoluted!! but I like it this way!!)
About the Restaurant:
Set in the heart of the Seletar Airbase, it is perfect for plane spotters (though in my opinion, it is also perfect for couples, married or dating!! BL sis, please take note hor!)
Even the drive in is scenic: You pass a number of black-and-white colonial bungalows, and the whole journey is akin to travelling through a World War II move (Wah! For history buffs like moi, this is abs fantastic!). Anyway... to continue typing...
The grub is Western, or American, and the spicy buffalo wings are a must-try (my insufferable commentary again: buffalo got wings meh?!?)

Since I live in the North, I shall spare my fingers of typing out the remaining 12 places. BUT i am keeping the pages and you can also dial me to ask for the remaining places!

CYMA and the City

The sale is now on!



And so is my hunt for watches. After a few years of cheap Pasar Malam watches (I'm easily contented you see), I've decided that it is time to own my very own real decent watch.

At this point, I am reminded of the squeal that Louise let out when her boss Carrie gave her a Louis Vuitton handbag as Christmas gift in Sex and the City and quipped "No more rentals..." "OMG, I finally have my very own Louis Vuitton!"


Thanks to the wide circle of friends I network, this friend said he knows of another friend working in City Chain and so would be able to get the watch at staff price. Excellent!



A friend of mine once commented "A watch speakth volume about the character of a man".

So presenting to you, ladies and gentleman, the watch that reveals everything about my character!

And what does CYMA got to do with Sex and the City besides the parallel that the watch elicits in me in the same way that the LV bag did for Louise?
Nothing. Haha.. I just want to make a point that Sex and the City is worth watching and is nothing like the sleaziness, bitchess and rauchiness that some of my friends claimed to be.

It's more than those. Armed with smuggled Long John's crispy chicken set and well ensconced in my seat, I was feated to a very Americanised introduction of the four characters - Carrie (herself making the introduction), Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. Americanised in the way that the introduction is very forthcoming, and the very no-apologies-in-your-face way of how the four women lead their modern lives.

Careers, sex life, friends - the ingredients of a grown up woman living in New York City... all these four seem to be in well control, but as the film would mean to show, affairs of marriage and love are the matters that they would self-righteously defend (or reject) only to be defeated by themselves. Now if this doesn't make any sense, there are two possible reasons - (I) My English is bad or (II) You haven't watch Sex and the City!!

Back to Earth

It seems that the three legged cat has not mewed for long... or am I supposed to return to RoARRRR!!??

It's been pretty hectic period these one month when all the assignments collapsed into one black hole sort of phenomenon that sucked my energy dry... Not anymore.. been on the nuah mode for the past one week since school holiday starts. Well actually school hols have already started for two weeks but the first week still saw me in a frenzy to submit assignments that have deadlines at the end of the month, and later spent the weekend attending a camp.

Anyway, for no rhyme or reason, Cate Blanchett has caught my imagination when I caught Indiana Jones. First, it did not occur to me that Irini Spalko was played by her... Imagine the shock I got when I realised that Cate Blanchett is actually a blonde, starred as Queen Qlizabeth in the movie Elizabeth and also in Lord of the Rings! TIMES actually voted her as top 100 most influential woman. Anything more I would faint.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the inner world. I just love the gaze that Cate has... that steadiness which soothes the insecurity in me. Haha....

As what I would do to all thespians who bewildered me, I check out their quotes. No exception for Cate Blanchett:

"You know you've made it when you've been moulded in miniature plastic. But you know what children do with Barbie dolls - it's a bit scary, actually”

"If you know you are going to fail, then fail gloriously"

And of course my most favourite:

"I’ve got the ugliest hairstyle I’ve ever seen. If that doesn’t send signals that she’s the villain then there’s no point. Once I got into it, I actually found it quite liberating playing a really bad girl because you can sort of do anything you want"