A Break of Sorts

With the School Supplementary Board of Examiners' (BOE)Meeting completed on Friday, we're almost done with Semester I (April) Academic Year 2009/2010. This Tuesday's the Polytechnic BOE and results will probably be released on Thursday.

And then it's time to move on to Semester II (October) Academic Year 2009/2010 which starts officially on 19 October 2009.

There's just 2 weeks of so-called break. Technically it's our holidays because there're no lessons scheduled. But there's tonnes of administration and preparations for the new term. And in between the period there're meetings and our annual Diploma Retreat.

ARGH. That leaves only a couple of days for a quick reprieve. And that also explains why I get irritated when people assume that teachers and lecturers share the luxury of "long" holidays when school's out. Nobody (save those in the same plight and education industry) understand the behind-the-scenes work involved.

Exactly on the same day last year, our entire family of 7 (including MIL and FIL) were en route our 9-day trip to Perth. Now that Xian's in Primary 1, it's impossible for us to take an out-of-school-term holiday. And the only time her vacation coincides with mine is 2 weeks in December - a traditionally more expensive and crowded period as all other families also take the chance to travel overseas.

At the moment, we're planning a short road trip to Genting Highlands. I guess that's as much of a holiday we're going to enjoy this year.

Drive Time

Guess what?

I've been driving Pollie regularly for about 2 weeks now!

Yay me!

Although it's just a straight "home-work-home routine", I'm beginning to recognise the bumps and uneven surfaces on the regular roads, and familiarise myself with the morning and evening traffic conditions.

And I'm starting to be a little less scared of driving although I'm still extremely cautious and keep strictly to the speed limits - much to the annoyance of other drivers who impatiently zip in and out of lanes to overtake me. To these people, I laugh in their faces because most of the time, I end up next to their vehicles again at the traffic lights.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Honestly, I still prefer to be driven around as it's much less stressful. Maybe it's because I'm still not used to handling a car.

Ah well. Practice makes perfect.

I'm suddenly in the mood for some retro music and very aptly, "Drive" by The Cars pops to mind!

Supplementary Exams

We're now in the middle of the supplementary exams.

As expected, the sole candidate who ruined my 100% passing rate didn't show up - the story's that his family is migrating overseas, so I guess he's decided to quit school and didn't bother to show up for all his papers.

If only he'd put in the paperwork earlier to withdraw from the course. Then I'd have a perfect pass rate for Corporate Events Management.

Anyway, this coming Thursday, when my colleagues can take a breather before the new semester begins, I'll be furiously extracting tables from the exam system and finalising the report for presentation on Friday.

Arghs. I think I've stated this before really am not very comfortable with facts and figures, and analysing data is definitely not my cup of tea. So I can't wait to get this over and done with.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends!

After a month of fasting, it's time to celebrate with good food and greater company of friends and family. So do enjoy yourselves.

Have fun!

The Hub's Simpsons Avatar

This is kinda fun.

My Simpsons Avatar

Just for the heck of it.

Me. Drive.

I survived my first day driving to work and back.

I even made a slight detour on my way home to buy breakfast (bread and muffins) for the family. Of course, I parked a little further from the popular lots right in front of the mall and chose to walk a wee bit more. (I managed to execute a simple reverse parking manoeuvre, although I had to adjust it 3 times to get it nicely in the centre between the 2 cars).

Pathetic, I know. But to me, these are baby steps. I'm not a "natural driver" (if there is such a term) like the hub - the sort who can close both eyes to drive or park any vehicle, anytime, any place. My judgement is totally whacked (I've lost count of the number of times I've mounted curbs) and I have no intuition to guide me out of traffic ruts or emergencies.

Ah. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll soon become a more seasoned driver and get used to the roads.

Achtung: Das Auto

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...

It's with great pleasure that I introduce to you...

Pollie!

Yes, that's right! My new car! It's a 2nd-hand, 2005 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Auto. I wouldn't dream of driving a brand new car 'cos my heart would ache too much when there are scratches on her. And with my wobbly driving skills, that's bound to happen sooner of later!

Plus it's financial suicide to buy a new car. Especially since the hub doesn't trust me with any other car-make except a continental one (read: German) which would easily cost above S$70K and I don't have that kind of money to blow.

We've been debating over buying a 2nd car for months, visited several car showrooms to check out the latest models, and the hub's been scouring the classifieds for good deals. All this time weighing the pros and cons of purchasing either a 1st or 2nd hand vehicle.

In fact, we'd merely taken a spin on Sunday to Turf City to view the resale cars, only with the intention of browsing - we hadn't intended to actually commit ourselves into buying a car! Up till then, the hub was still toying with the idea of buying a car for himself while I take Zafira. As mentioned in my earlier entries, I wasn't very keen on the plan because Zafy's a 2.2 MPV and psychologically I'm not prepared to drive a bigger car (even though it's much safer).

After making a few rounds visiting several dealers at Turf City, we were almost settled on a 3-year-old Mazda 2 which was asking for a slightly lower price. It was by sheer coincidence that we chanced upon Pollie as we'd initially stopped to look at a silver Volvo S60 (for the hub). We were about to walk away when the sales consultant Andrew asked if we were looking for anything in particular. The hub gestured to me and said that we were looking for a small car (for me).

That's when Andrew prattled on about the few small cars like the Honda Fit / Jazz, Mazda and a single Volkswagen Polo that were available. Pollie was inconspicuously parked right in the back row corner, behind a Mercedes Benz and several BMWs.

The hub gave Pollie a test-drive, with Wen, Wei and myself seated at the back. Although the car was intended for me, I didn't drive it I had to carry a sleeping baby. Besides, I trust the hub's judgement and assessment better than my own. After the test-drive, we walked back into the small sales office. I knew then that the hub was pretty convinced and he proceeded to discuss the price and other administrative matters.

After an hour or so, I handed over my driver's license, identity card and signed the papers. The hub made a S$2k deposit. Andrew promised we'd get the car by the middle of the week.

Pollie arrived home at 4pm. I wasn't home to receive her, but my ever-reliable hub took care of all the necessary paperwork, as usual. By the time I was back in the evening, the hub had pumped petrol, placed in parking coupons and tidied up everything else.

How can I NOT love the man?

I know the hub's disappointed as he wanted to buy a sedan car (Pollie's too much a ladies' car) but I was quite adamant that if he wanted me to drive, I'd much prefer a smaller vehicle so that I can practise and familiarise myself with the roads and brush up on my driving skills.

So I now officially own a car. My very own. A little hatchback for me to zip around from home to work and back, and to run mummy errands like chauffeur the girls around for their classes etc. Looks like I've got no more excuses not to drive anymore.

Labels or Love Dance Routine

It's Teachers' Day Celebrations at St. Nicks!

Xian, together with her Modern Jazz Dance Group from school, performs to Fergie's "Labels or Love". This is her first ever public dance performance in Primary School. She's one of the only two Primary 1 girls in the group as the rest are in Primary 2 and 3.

Given that she's only started dance classes for a month, I think Xian's put up a pretty decent show and I'm really proud of her. It helps that she's naturally inclined to dancing and she enjoys it tremendously.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go up close to the stage and could only make do with the zoom function on my camera to shoot the video. So please pardon the grainy footage, poor picture and sound quality.