Monday, July 31, 2006 / 3:36 PM

welcome famous five's uprisng star Tai D!!!! hahah hez mr pr, mr schmmooooze..smooth and smart....enjoying the food and alwaz ready fer the camera!!

the grand master chef herself...shez a real dear....

the food berd whipped up on sunday night!!

eating at the dinner table with my boy!!
gAWd.........been messing around with nieportal, printing out lectures after lectures of stuff..ahhhh..okie...gotta keep my cool...zonghan's laffing at my inability to keep my life in order..too many events, too simple brain...cant keep up...bt at least i gt sum of my blast and jitterbugs schedule down, on top of assignment dateline on fri!!! arrrgh gt assignment already!! cant believe it...gotta start working on it tonight..i guess..if AI QING MO FA SHI dsnt distract me too much..heehee..i feel like in nus again..its the same sense of nt being on top of my work like the rest of my peers who alwaz print their notes, alwaz gt their work done and ready for class...im actually quite thankful fer this quiet break today, especially since its the first day of a bz week ahead...so still gotta count my blessings...
enjoyed my sunday, hmm although i fergt to NEW ZEALAND All natural ICECREAM again..u noe they got a 30% discount evry 30th of each mth....but berd, D and i went to Shaunz to cook..hahah had carbonara pasta with soya sauce chkn!! plus atched a gd french flick...it was gd lah!! gd night chilling...and laffing...D really has his moments lah..S11--coffeeshop, S12--wld b a sci class already!! *pingz* hahah bt he was indeed a joy to be ard...and berd is so organized and gd at cooking!! hahaha...plus she QCed the cleaning up after dat....so strict...gonna meet her agn later fer LONG HU MEN!! cant wait!!
felt really tired after hip hop ystdae, but dancing with fen, eugene and jasmine alwaz gifs me the extra energy and hype!! haha guess cuz i miss seeing them esp dat small tanned gal!! miss her alwaz being there, miss clubbing with her, eating brekkie with her, bt its all gd...shez studying hard fer her 'A's so gambatte lady!!
Sunday, July 30, 2006 / 12:34 AM
my satisfied grin cuz my dad juz gave me a digicam!! he wanted a test picture of me!
its a dancing weekend bt i love it!! been doing alot of hip hop in nus...and jazz was a gd chance fer me to stretch those tightened muscles and limbs....only thing was, i was too darn slpy to be really concious the 1st 1hr..oops...thank god by lyrical and turns class, i was feeling a tad more awake..anyway..turns felt satisfying today, cuz unlike i the morn, i felt lk i found back what i needed to do to turn!! the magic was in the plie, i need to really step n melt into it...sounds lk basic stuff dat i shld already noe...bt hey it finally felt more correct juz nw...so was quite relieved...fen showed us videos of overseas dance competitions today..totally jawdropping!!! reminds me dat i need to keep watching betta dancers and thinking of dance to inspire me n push me more..cant afford to slackmichelle lim pulled out of grad show cuz of her leg injury or sumthing...sigh..whilst im looking ferward to the two performances coming up, i cant help bt feel worried too..bt i noe all the rehearsals are gonna keep my adrenaline pumping! i cant wait fer the bugz rehearsals to start..and a shout out to ANDY OF SOUL!! FINALS LE, JIAYOU!!!! and to jasmine who has started her leave fer A level revision, study hard babe n noe dat ure dearly missed k!!enjoyed a very sweet movie today...called helen the fox...jap film...very touching, simple and sweet lah...go watch k...hmmm il think its a weekday show more than a weekend one...hahah..and to top the gd night off, dadie gave me a digicam!!!! supposed to share with nicole bt yay!!! still my own cam dat i can bring ard!! very happy!!! thanx pop!!! and gd news in the family, mummy juz gt promoted!! my dear chubby fat mama, so proud of u!! glad to share her joy n c her happy fer me wen she looks at pix of my students and all....may god bless all these beautiful faces in my life...
my very capable, young and pretty mentor kelly...she was my english mentor, sumtimes made me feel a lil intimidated cuz she was so on top of things..bt she taught me alot...so very thankful fer that...
my sweeet cute sec 1e3..hahah they very cute lah..noisy and can gt very easily distracted during class, bt still a very nice bunch of kids...
the very small and cosy class of 2NA..they were a really nice small class...bt the kids in there are really sweet...haha although they laughed at me and asked me to stand on the chair and write on the top part of the board...
kasturi, malini and sumita....the sweet articulate trio of 2e3...hahah notice the boys behind them..
boys of 2e2..hmmm nt too sure if they really paid attention lah..bt i was very lucky to be teaching them history cuz they were really a gd class to teach....hahah cept one of them threatened to cut my hair whilst standing behind me....ahem..
wilson frm 2e2..taught him history..he left a deep impression cuz officially he was the 1st student i came into contact with cuz my first lesson in chong boon was history with his class..still rem it was a tues class...hahah he was very impt okie..he had to gt me my chair and table in the class..if nt hw i observe?!!!..looking all grown up in this pic..he was mc fer racial harmony mah...
Saturday, July 29, 2006 / 11:10 PM

hahah was alwaz fascinated abt the eco-pond garden cuz the first day in chong boon, i had to depend on it to figure out where the classrms were..hahah so die die also hafta take a pic with it!!

my students in Dn T, working hard fer their buggy compeitition which they had fun and satisfaction doing!! proud of them..


trying to act like i can play the piano...hahah cldnt resist clowning ard..

amazing mr paul!!!! hahah he taught the sec 1s hy and hez this super nice guy with super high tolerance level...

mr yeow..the first teacher i got to noe in chong boon cuz i sat nex to him on the first day of assembly...n hope eventually he will pick up salsa with his wife...

wendy n i on the spiral stairs....thank god fer her..

fri......ever since i started my teaching stint, i found out what it meant by accumulated weariness....fer the 1st time ever, i woke up with bloodshot eyes! horror of horrors!! nv had dat even wen i was mugging my ass off studying fer 'A' levels...i dunno wads happening....marcus commented that iv been looking more tired den i was as ms lin...guess all the rushing back and forth studios and school is taking a toll on me...embarassing but true, i found myself dozing off at evry possible break, be it during dose boring briefings, or even after lunch..arggggh....i dun mean to really...i really hope things settle down fast...including my body clock....
but all the rushing ard is not without satisfaction..evrytime i gt betta at Candy's or Idil's dance, i feel great!! i feel this huge sense of relief and the urge to wanna dance more and perfect it.plus of coz the choreo is super nice!! heh heh...as usual dance--alwaz my dose of consolation...
and amidst all this chaos, i realy c god working in the people around me...i really wanna thank zonghan fer helping me print out my timetables and reminding me of nex week's classes, without which i would still b as lost as a dodo bird.....so cheers to the man who figured out my life fer me..hahah at least fer the nex week in nie....xiao nu zi gan ji bu jing....and fer my gfs who are taking up the same subjects in nie..fer being ard me and making life in nie much easier to near even if its meeting at 8.30 at boon lay mrt...*contented sigh* i feel myself sinking into my own lil world of indulgence again...heeeheee at this veyr second, life tastes sweet life bread and butter pudding with vanilla ice-cream....yummy...
Thursday, July 27, 2006 / 3:34 PM
sooooooooooo hot....sum1 pls switch off the sun....suffered a horrid sunburn ystdae while playing tennis with dat plushie coach bf of mine....nw shoulders hurting so much so dat slinging my bag oso pain...juz ended my orientation games at nie..can u imagine, after so long, and still having to cheer, be enthu and onz..hahha...lucky fer me my facilitator was quite fun so nt so bad...and im glad i was in the earlier session today cuz den it freed up my aftnoon for dance prac!! heh heh more dancing....hmmm...actually was looking at the pe trainees today, and part of me wished i did pe instead..like so fun..plus i really think i gt a problem teaching english...dun wanna hai si ren u noe...but well im still gonna try my best...n let god do the rest!!its been a rushy week..i foresee the follwing weeks to be worse especially wen i start full rehearsals at jitterbugs and wen lessons at nie gets more intense...aiyoh...all this rushing about is really wearing me out...im falling asleep ion evry possible place...on the train, bus, outside the studio, along the corridors....terrible...howwwww....so unglam....BUT!! one thing that cld possibly cheer all this up----LINDY HOP!! had such a blast tonight, dancing with eric, marcus and sean mostly, cuz their moves and leads were amazing!!!! thank god fer their energy and their talent!!! and the music was perfect!! all the nice songs which i cldnt resist but had to ask marcus to dance like CEST SI BON and L-O-V-E....OHHHH....ecstasy....i was so indulgent in my last dance with marcus dat he juz kept laughing..at ,me i think..hahah bt still he noes i had fun....soooo much fun...it was indeed my adrenaline shot fer a very tired night...im glad i satyed fer swing....i think the lindy magic is back!!!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 / 1:02 AM
had such a blast! today!! haha gotta thank idil and candy fer it, fer coming a whole 2hrs earlier to teach me the steps, for trusting me enuff to learn the steps in time and fer being very understding abt me skipping pracs.......i truly appreciate it guys...n i owe u guys big time, which is good cuz dat will make me work harder....anyway the choreo is grt, i love both!! now i really hope i can arrange time fer xiao's piece...keep ur fingers crossed fer me dat my lessons wun all start nex week...il juz b happy having my mon n tues off..hahah so today was major choreo day...my mind has like candy's choreo, idil's and aishah's...hahah plus in between i went fer clare's hip hop class...really dancing day..but felt so gd u noe...unlike ystday, after tushing frm nie, juz felt so tired..even though din do much...today felt much fresher..mayb cuz i gotto slp in....today was darling's first day as tuition teacher, seemed like evrything went well...hope this keeps up fer him..cuz i noe he wants to pack his time more meaningfully too...jiayou k..wundering hws the chongboonites doing....half wished i woke up early and dropped by school in the morning...bt hahah as if ure so missed stupid gal....bt i miss them...nope bt wadeva it is, there will alwaz b sum1 here keeping them in her prayers...
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 / 12:09 PM
It was back to being a student again....looking for the lecture theatres, the tutorial rooms..and finding my way around that maze of NTU!! was late along with a whole bunch of ppl who cldnt find lee kong chien auditorium..i mean we walked the entire stretch, from the north spine to the south and yet we still cldnt find it!! arrgh...but well didnt miss much cuz it was sooo boring anyway..these lecturers are supposed to b educators!! but nope, they sure didnt catch my attention..hmm feel like a punk, back to the familiar taste of being a not-too-ideal student...okie dun listen to me, im a bad example...but it was good to be back with my history mates!! endless chatter about our school experience, and ewww in sum unlucky cases, staffrm politics...nasty..but it was nice hearing all the stories about the students...c, they alwaz end up being a joy us..no matter how naughty...shuhui started her first dat at DEyi today...i noe shez gonna learn alot as a contract teacher..really wish her all the best..but im sure she will do well lah...cuz shez so nice..anyway wanted to tell her that mdm tay still remembers her as the pretty one in class!!! wooooooo...she told me that eventually wants to go back and serve ChonG bOON WITH prIde as a trained teacher...so deyi will be her moulding ground....talk about school spirit! Ivan with his unconventional teaching methods won his kids over...as expected...we shld make him share his classrm stuff...cept that he said, to boys, its alwaz abt sex and bgr..hahahah..idiot...but he did so well that the school has asked him to go back!!! wah wah wah...after all the hype in nie, i was already feeling quite slpy..but still had to go to nus fer idil's dance prac..not dat i minded of coz...im really grateful dat candy and him are not pissed abt me nt turning up fer so many pracs cuz of my teaching and all...sorrie guys,...now is my turn to really work hard, rem steps and catch up!!! the steps are great lah, juz dat my state of mind wasnt the best...but its okie...meeting idil and candy earlier to go thru steps agn...i need all the adrenaline pump..cuz jitterbugz grad show rehearsals starting too...so im gonna be a no-life soul, shuttling between nie, ntu and millenia walk..juz pray that my health is kept intact..i dun mind all the activities...at the end of the day, i noe its wad i want to achieve b4 i start teaching proper..cuz i think wen dat starts, i wun b dancing as much....anyway, thinking of all this chionging reminds me of chiahao and zhaofa's buggy competition later today...hope they'll be rewarded fer all the effort they put in! good luck guys!
Monday, July 24, 2006 / 12:30 AM

some of the students i relieved while i was ms lin....hahah....in some classes which i thot will scare me..but hey waddaya noe, god alwaz leave me a pleasant surprise...these are new friendships and experiences gained....

ahhhh its another wake up at 6.10 in the morn day in abt 6hrs!!!!!!!! noooooooooooo....dreading it....had a very sinful but absolutely delicious and yummy dinner at marches with famous 5 juz nw!!! hahaha we have been tight since we travelled taiwan together...as usual...tokking crap..bt soooo hilarious, esp Ted D's obsession and ever ready for the camera moments!! haha...hahah berd and i were juz singing and happily in our lil conversation discussing the nice taiwanese and korean drama serials......sigh....since work started, there hasnt been those nights, and days, where i juz lay in bed and watch the serial endlessly..kinda miss dat couch potato life...bt its bad!!! hmmm this week officiates me as ms nie trainee.....juz checked my timetable...its SUX!! gt sch evryday, lessons frm 8.30 -4.30!! ahhhh n tues i end at 6.30!!!! NOOOOOO*plasters hands to face in horror* i cant believe it!! its worse den my uni timetable fer the past 4 yrs!!!!! and to make things worse, theres dance blast pracs dat i desperately need to catch up on....n jitterbugz rehearsals starting soon..esp my pas de deux with ah fen....imagine hez gotta lift me, n turn me and all...hahahah...i hope i dun crush his bones....hiaks....anyway i hope my graduation show will turn out good...gt alot of items lined up n im very excited abt peter's lyrical piece cuz its very smooth and flowy!!! juz need to gt down to rem steps...bt fer nw...its shuttling between sch, nus and jitterbugz evryday!!! i feel like im leading a dual life..bt hey...wads new!!!
Saturday, July 22, 2006 / 12:50 AM
Today was my last day at chong boon and it ended on a very gd note..hahah already in the morning, i was greeted by the cheery voices of 2E3..actually mayb it was just me imagining it, but were they more in unison today?? hmmm anyway, they never sound as good b4!! *secretly pleased* Bought chocz for them and 2E2, cuz they have been a very sweet class too, never gimme problems during my boring history class one..and yah i noe its boring cuz gt feedback frm Daryl that he almost fell asleep...*feigned offended* haha i promise il worrk harder to b a more interesting teacher...anyway..they stood ouTside 2E3 thanked me in unison too for the chocz!!! ahhhhh..their voices still ring in my head...still brings me smiles.....after that good class, i went wandering around the campus with wendy, like excited kids, snapping shots of evry corner....hahah we wanted badly to take pix in the workrm where we fondly recalled how we singlehandedly screwed up evry zapping machine inside!!! hahah nightmare!!!! the most impt thing a teacher muz noe, is how to work a zapping machine...no machine, no worksheets for your class..how can?!!!anyway, it was a gd way to end my stay with racial harmony..evryone was in a relaxed state with the last two periods at assembly....very pleased to see 2E3 AND 1e3 so involved in the preparations of the event...cld feel a familiar sense of pride creeping in agn..they really very cute wad...esp chiahao and zhaofa all barefooted...hahaha...and malini, kasturi and arie looking very ladylike and pretty in their costumes...hahah wad really cracked me up was 1e3's ABCs of racial harmony!!!! the song was so cute...half sounded like rap though and emmmanuel leading it...adorable lah..after the event, i harrassed the kids to take pix with me....very soori though: gt tianyi to help me take sum pix yet in the end, didnt gt any pix with him cuz he lah nv stay back after nafa....right or not.....ate ice cream le den zhao liao...hmmm gt a nice pic with wilson though,looking very 'grown up' in the blazer...all these lil snippets of chongboon are my precious takeaways....of coz, there was also sumthing which still bothered me about Kenneth...dunno if hez really okie...i wanna trust that he wasnt lying to me...bt anyway, i hope evrything will work out ok..gotta really thank zhaofa today, accompanying me to gt ice cream, helping me publish my card fer the class, and helping me gif out the ice cream to evryone...very efficient really...felt a sense of reluctance to walk out of the gate, just felt that i hvnt had enuff yet, hvnt done enuff, hvnt taken enuff pictures of the students, hvnt had enuff of their energy and clowning ard yet...i told them officially that im back to being michelle, not their miss lin anymore, they din haf to call me ms lin anymore...hmmm bt well sum things dun change, i headed to the studio fer salsa..fell aslp on the sofa in the studio..hahah slpt only 3 hrs the night b4 typing out my reflection for mdm tay....bt salsa was gd...and got to spend short bt quality time with shaun..had bubble tea with him...simple, bt treasured moments...
Wednesday, July 19, 2006 / 2:40 PM
these thoughts came to me as i took a slower than usual walk out of school today....with scenes of the english class i just had with 2e3 and the ruckus they made, still fresh in my head, i was interrupted wen i heard sum1 calling behind, "teacher, teacher!". Being used to that familiar label the past 3 weeks, i turned my head to spot boon kiat frm 2TA waving gdbye to him from behind the fence...i waved back, knowing that he was just up to his usual teasing....he was probably just fooling ard to test waters and c how id react....bt really wad his intentions were, it didnt matter..cuz he started off a string of greetings and goodbyes from students across the rd, returning to school etc.....believe or not, these were the greatest morale boosters to me even after a slpy day at school...
D greatest satisfaction of my day is not about completing my task on time. Sure that was important because it made me feel save to know that im on time with work. But its the smiles of these students, be it notti, cheeky or happy smiles, dat my students carry s dey wave goodbye to me readily. At the end of 4 weeks, i really dunno wad ive given to these kids, be they the ones i taught or the ones i relieved. but these lil strangers from my 1st day at chong boon, my very 1st teaching stint, have given me soooo much. They wldnt believe dat their laughter brings more den a smile to my face. it mades me smile from my heart. Clifford wldnt noe that he gave me a good start to my day wen he spoke to me on my way to sch dat morning. Neither will Tianyi guess dat it made me laugh wenever i think of that conversation we had on fri as he "walked me to the sch gate. Caiyi and "gang" from 2TA nv fails to lifet my spirits wen dey greet me along the corridors..yup these things dat they may not remember a week down the rd, have already formed the foundations of my memory as a teacher.
Wen i saw adrian and Chiahao perform at the opera, Zhaofa at the band concert or even the familiar faces i saw on stage today receiving their apptment as councillors at the investiture, i felt very proud. It probably sounds very silly, but i did. Proud not only because i teach em but simply because i know them. I noe this bunch ofgreat kids, not only 2e2/2e3/2na but even faces from the classes ive sat in b4 like 1e3, respect 3...i wun ever fergt these cheeky and sweet faces. Along with my nurturing and experienced mentors, these kids have shown me the warmth that characterizes chong boon. They changed my opinion towards teaching..sure the money is still good, but the satisfaction i gt is priceless. Now i have higher hopes of myself as a mentor and friend. im really gonna miss evryone, even those faces whose names i cannot rem...
my first taste of teaching: sweet,warm like caramel over vanilla icecream on waffles.
Monday, July 10, 2006 / 10:50 PM
Ive never thought i'd survive to this day...well maths was alwaz my biggest barrier in my academic career...yah n i say career even though i really didnt achieve much relative to those brains in my class....BUT....the whole morning of bustling around in the graduation gown, donning that mortar board has been a truly surreal experience to say the least....Much as i was reassuring Celisa that shez not gonna trip over her heels, that short walk towards the pro-chancellor was truly MY MOMENT...a short 5 secs where i noe my parents will b beaming with pride,where my friends who has seen me through my uni days will b applauding knowing that this journey hasnt been the smoothest for any of us present....n yup..we r truly all achievers in our own right....
Regardless of the class of honours one graduated with, we as students all noe the sacrifices involved....those early mornings, getting squashed on the bus because there just wasnt any seat, our parents' endless nagging and bothersome reminders (though we know deep down its really for our good), bad grades, lousy project mates etc......the list could go on......but at that moment where we put on that scholarly gown, i couldnt help but only rem all the beautiful moments captured in my academic life... as i turned to c the excited, jovial faces of those around me, i knew we all shared that same anticipation...that confirmation that we truly made it, we've graduated....whether we loved or hated the very education system that we could never escaped from, we've all walked the walk, talked the talk and lived through evry trying, challenging, gratifying moment in a student's life....so right here i wanna congratulate evryone class of 2006 NUS, NTU, SMU, to buddies, aquaintances, strangers, dance mates....and let this be a motivation to those who still hate school, still has to take the bus evry morning, face ur discipline master, grumpy teachers, tests and exams......
my student life was no different, i din haf a chauffer, din haf a bursting allowance, couldnt choose the best teachers....but you, like me, have the choice to pursue your passion, whether it is profitable or not in the future, haf the choice to choose the right friends, the type that support and love you for who you are, and what you believe in, the ones that would fill up the gaps in your life where you failed to fulfill.....for me it is my history honours buddies.....the BRAINS that i never thot id fit in with....especially Shu Huang, Delia.....and the wunderful, hardworking, down to earth Tiananmen comrades: Sherwin Tan! Pauline Wong! Ong Shu HUi!! and miss dear ottilia hoo....these were friendships forged in a year where i felt most incapable, where i felt most torn between dance and work. These were friendships remembered by the mere sight of Boon Tong Kee chicken rice, buffets, cheap yummy suki sushi!!! cheers to you all!! and of coz i cannot ever leave out my amazing dance pals......people who share the same love, the same plight of not using studios but practicing in front of AS7's glass windows....people from all walks of life at jitterbugz who has given me invaluable advice whenever i had to whine about school, about dance....CeLIA, cANDY, sHUYI, jENJEN, rOZ, Peixuan, cheese, jimmy, peter, Xiaomei, xuan, marcus, eugene, ah hock, sophia, cindy, sandy, amy, gerri, phi fern..and the clan cherorgraphers, group mates that ive ever trained with...i dun think i could ever love dance the way i do if not for their peer pressure, their good choreos, their motivation and their belief in me and the opportunities they have given to me....LOVE YOU ALL TO BITS....
I can't end without special mention of my family and loved ones, because it's their silence, their tolerance and patience that has given me the space and time to grow into who i m today, (although height wise i really din grow much). Id never forget my dad's strict discipline with me in my growing up days....n im so thankful that with time, he has loosened up so much...it muz haf took alot for him along the years..n iv gotta admit, alot of what i do is really to make him feel proud n gain his trust in me....so thanx papa....and to the wunderful ng family that has welcomed me with open arms, treated me like their own, fed me well and took care of me like second parents....im soooo grateful for such love.....

i made my dad and mum very proud today...felt gd abt dat!!! still rem hw my dad cldnt believe that i gt A1 fer GP during my 'A's..he said the examiner muz haf marked the wrong script!! okie lah so my eng nt so zai bt stilll...tok abt faith..
my dad commented dat this was the most natural shot of all...hahaha

my plump bt very chirpy mummy dat evryone loves...haha i call her my joyball!!

sherwie!!!! only male of the tiananmen clan!!! totally sweet and patient and alwaz willing to share and help!! thanx!!


my fav lecturer right in the middle!! very glad he cld be there with us!!! n dun u think he looks like john travolta?!!! i took evry single module he teaches in nus..hahah no prizes fer guessing y..

hahah ottilia and i used to alwaz juz go by his office n say hi....


ho shu huang!!! the most unexpected fren i made in my final yr bt hez such a joy to b ard!! alwaz a smiley face, damn smart bt zero airs....and hez street smart and indt too,.....ladies...hez still available!!!!
Monday, July 03, 2006 / 11:23 AM








HELLO! =Dnicole was here! (: