2008's top 10

it's the final day of 2008!

no time for a lengthy post as i've still got to finish up setting the last set of test papers. but figured i'd like to quickly pen down my thoughts before the clock strikes at midnight.

so here's my list of top 10 events in 2008 that affected my life one way or the other:

10. The Sanlu tainted milk scandal - thank goodness i breastfeed :)

9. Obama's election into the White House - Change has finally come!

8. The Beijing Olympics record-breaking moments - go, BOLT!

7. Woofy's Corner - a new insight into the pet food retail industry

6. Pre-nursery classes for Wen - so proud that she's picked up stuff real quick

5. Primary One Registration for Xian - it's the start of my nightmare

4.Avenue Q the Musical - a rare chance to catch musicals so i totally treasure it

3. My x'mas surprise - Peni

2. My Perth Trip - 9 fantastic days with the family Down Under

1. Being mum for the 3rd time to Baby Wei

that wraps up 2008. and, before i go, here's a quick look at my 3 leonglets Monsterina (Xian), Rascalrella (Wen) and Terrorliza (Wei):

Have a very Happy and Healthy 2009!

my surprise x'mas pressie

i didn't expect any christmas pressie from the hub this year as there wasn't anything in particular i wanted.

he'd asked many times but i couldn't give an answer as i really had no wish list. jewellery doesn't wow me and i can't phantom the fascination with branded bags and clothes. ever since the kids came along, my shopping trips usually end in purchases for the girls and hub, but unsuccessful buys for myself.

of course, i do indulge in the occasional splurge on story books, CDs and LOTR toys (which i've stopped buying as there aren't anymore figurines left - i've gotten all the ones i want). and such items are alien territory to the hub. just like how i'm clueless about kois and cars.

naturally i did tell the hub not to waste any money getting something i didn't want - he's practical enough not to, anyway.

on christmas day, the kids happily ripped open their many presents - the older girls were most thrilled with the super-soaker water guns which the hub had bought (technically i did the shopping but it was his idea to get them the water guns) and we all had fun shooting and spraying each other with water.

i'd bought the hub some "fun" gifts too - Andrea Bocelli's latest album "Incanto", a die-cast Volvo CX 90 (the hub's dream car and i obviously can't afford the real deal) and 18" realistic-looking German Shepherd plush toy which i'd bought from ebay and had to be shipped from USA. (the hub's already brought the toy dog and car to the office so i didn't take photos of the actual presents). these are how the gifts look like though:

initially i wasn't sure if the hub actually liked the gifts as he didn't seem very surprised by them. but since he said that he'd display them in his office i figured he must appreciate them enough. :)

late on friday afternoon, i called the hub to ask if he was sending the girls for their back-to-school haircut and then he dropped the bombshell on me with a "aiyah, why you call now? i'm on my way to buy your x'mas present! but since you already know about it, do you want to come along?"

i was startled and curious for a bit before he explained further "i just called herbert. peni is still available, you know."

six months ago, we'd visited a dog trainer who wanted to sell a female German Shepherd named peni. we were toying with the idea but were not really sure if our little (who's not that little anymore) prince arif would take to having another dog in the house. besides, the asking price was off our budget so we shelved the plan. but i know the hub was still in contact with herbert once in a while.

i wasn't feeling well on friday so the hub went directly from the office to see the dog again. the next day, we packed the kids and arif along, and drove to herbert's home. we wanted to see if arif would take to his potential playmate before we bought her.

peni was little timid when arif started sniffing her but gradually they warmed up to each other (although arif seemed to prefer another female dog who's not for sale - she was bought directly from germany and cost a cool $11k).

here's a close up of arif

our latest canine addition, peni

arif (back, left) and peni (front, right)

the one with "yellow eyes"

arif (left) and peni (right)

peni in her new home

arif in his corner

so far, it's only been 3 days but arif's been a pretty good host - of course he's exceedingly jealous now that he's got a rival for the hub's attention though i'm sure he'll soon be pretty accustomed to having another dog around.

xian's delighted with peni. last night, she followed the hub as he took the dogs out for a long walk. peni's well trained and xian was even able to walk her on the leash. (arif's too strong for xian to handle, so the hub doesn't allow her to hold his leash).

i would have loved to walk along with them but it's tough since i've to take care of the baby. perhaps when i've got extra pairs of hands to help babysit i'll be able to take arif and peni out for their walks.

not enough time

just 3 more days before the curtain falls on 2008.

much as i'd like to jot down everything that's happened over the past few weeks, i've to mindful that i'm hard pressed for time to complete my jobs on hand. the most important being work-related of course.

but i've also foolishly taken on extra responsibilities, like helping out as the editor of my alumnae's online newsletter. the stories are in but i haven't had the time to open the files and edit the articles.

when i was persuaded to take the project on i was very excited and enthusiastic about doing something for the alumnae. unfortunately everything is peaking at the same time, including stuff from work and on the home front.

darn. i wish i had more hours a day!

more time! more time! more time!!!!

cook me a storm

it's the mid-term break and i'm buried in a pile of marking that's driving me crazy.

i've been reading stacks of resumes and cover letters (that's the assignment) and i'm appalled by the standard of work produced by my classes.

yes, of course there are the sparkling gems whose assignments brought smiles and gave me a glimmer of hope for the future generation of youths who'd be running the country.

but i can count these potentials with one hand.

the rest? i'm disappointed by their obvious last minute hotch-potch job cobbled together by flimsy threads of cliches and grammatically challenged sentences.

do these students really think that they'd land their dream jobs with a quarter-page resume, some written in point form and not even in full sentences?

*sigh*

anyway, i just needed to get away from the marking and decided to play my new David Cook self-titled CD.

and man, is he sizzzzzzzlin' hot!!!

the American Idol season 7 winner's rocker-dude attitude and gruff voice, combined with his smoldering good looks is a marketing dream: he's got the total package. the album's great (acoustic, alternative soft rock's one of my favourite genres) but it's a real pity that it didn't contain "Always Be My Baby", his rendition of Mariah Carey's hit song, which he performed "live" in one of the episodes:



he's a little off-key here, so i've included the studio version:

always be my baby - david cook

you can bet that i'll be buying his second album when it's out in the stores.

now that i've torn myself away long enough to write this, it's time to (regretfully) get back to grading the assignments...

*sigh*

The Graveyard Book

i haven't had much opportunity to catch up on my reading for several months since i got back to work. one of the reasons was partly due to the fact that nothing seemed particularly exciting every time i visit the bookstores.

then dev lent me his copy of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book last week. as usual, i finished reading it over the weekend, in 2 days.

and i must say it was...excellent.

although it's supposed to be a children's fantasy novel, i thought it was a tad too dark and chilling for kids.

the first 3 pages of the novel produced an almost immediate tear-jerking response from me - i was completely caught unawares by Gaiman's clinical and matter-of-fact narration of how the boy hero became orphaned. and Gaiman never once used the word "killed" or "murdered" when describing the circumstances that lead to the tragedy.

nevertheless, i was hooked on to the boy's highly unusual but fascinating journey through life in the graveyard and his relationships with the community of ghosts and other gothic creatures: his forster parents, teachers, caregivers and guardian. in the book, the living are viewed as evil and dangerous while the dead are, well, the good guys.

being a fan of gothic literature, i lapped up all the details eagerly. i'm not giving anything away, but both the events at beginning and ending of the novel left me terribly upset. no fault of Gaiman's though. he's a masterful storyteller and i think the reason i feel the way i do is because i totally understand why the tale had to end the way it did: in a typical gothic-fantasy fashion.

dev asked me what i'm going to pick up next now that i'm done with The Graveyard Book. i've researched a bit and i think i'll try Stephanie Myers' Twilight series. it looks like a series i might enjoy. ;P

beeee-zeeee

two letters describe my current state.

B(ee) and Z(ee).

recently i seem to have trouble trying to cram in all my work within the usual 8-hour day and have been staying back till about 8pm to finish up stuff for at least twice to thrice a week.

i still do manage to beat deadlines but that's because i put in longer hours.

have my time-and-task management skills totally rusted?

i haven't really complained about coping ever since i started teaching at the poly but i guess the "honeymoon" period of 2 years is over and my return from maternity leave marked the start of "operation payback".

*sigh*

this month i got assigned a new role - a buddy to a new colleague. i'm happy to take her around, orientate her to the new surroundings and introduce her to the other colleagues and key personnel.

honestly, it couldn't have been a worse time to give me this. not when i'm saddled with my current responsibilities.

plus, for our team's retreat next week, i've been assigned to write a brief scenario for discussion.

?!?!?!??!!!??!!!!??!!??!?!!??!!!!??!??!!!!!?!??!!!!!

and all this i'm trying to do while i'm still teaching, marking and managing the administration of the subject.

admittedly i enjoy the challenges and in a sadistic way, i miss the crazy-slave-driven-infohell days. but this is a bit much for one person to handle at any one point.

maybe i've been on holiday mode for too long and have grown a little too soft.

looks like i really need my mid-term break.