Wow..I have never been so busy ..not even when writing my Honours Thesis! Had back-to-back assignments for the past week...and with my grandfather's funeral I barely had time to finish them, had to ask for extension for some of them. Hmm..now that the NIE term has ended, I'll just be waiting for Practicum to start (20 Feb).
In fact I just came back from GMSS, went down to meet the CTs and get my timetable. Teaching all express classes(or rather, Faith classes..GMSS name their Express, N(A) and N(T) classes as Faith, Hope and Joy respectively)...Sec 1 EL. Sec 2 Maths, Sec 3 EL. Had quite a good impression of the place, although the school was rather cramped since they are using a temporary building while waiting for their former building to be renovated. The poor teachers have to make do with very small cubicles in their staff room..and there was just no more space for us (8 trainee teachers at one go!) ..so we are all just going to squeeze in the pantry. Heehee quite okay lah..the fridge, the coffee machine, the microwave oven..all just next to me. =)
Hmm..I think I will like the place. All the best for my practicum!!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Chinese New Year has come...and gone. Well for a while we weren't sure if we were going to be celebrating because my grandpa is in a critical condition in the hospital. Doctors told us to be prepared for the worst. Well new year has passed and he's still in the hospital but his condition has worsened.
There's only one more week of school before I get a one week break. Hurrah..it has been a rather busy term. Then it will be 10 weeks of practicum. Posting will be out this Saturday..but I'm no longer eager to know where I am going..it's like..just tell me when you are ready to tell me, I'm sick of all the anticipation. Congrats to Calbin though, who already knew his posting and it is where he wanted to go. ;)
There's only one more week of school before I get a one week break. Hurrah..it has been a rather busy term. Then it will be 10 weeks of practicum. Posting will be out this Saturday..but I'm no longer eager to know where I am going..it's like..just tell me when you are ready to tell me, I'm sick of all the anticipation. Congrats to Calbin though, who already knew his posting and it is where he wanted to go. ;)
Monday, January 23, 2006
Snow, public baths, calpis and nigiri(part 2)
I was interrupted in my last entry because the NIE computer was threatening to shut down on me. I had to abruptly end my post, as a result I didn't even mention anything about public baths, calpis and nigiri which were prominently displayed on my title, resulting in some of my friends losing a few more strands of hair because of the head-scratching.. tsk tsk...
Basically public baths, calpis and nigiri are what I missed most about everyday life in Japan, and I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I suppose what public baths are is pretty self-explanatory. Calpis is, ahem, * JIAHUI SCREAMS * this refreshing drink commonly found in convenience stores all over Japan. It is kind of like Yakult but much more watery. Unfortuantely the word Calpis is frqeuently accompanied with suppressed giggles because it is the euphemism used by Japanese schoolboys for some kind of body fluid...The drink is milky white in colour..enough said.
Nigiri is Japanese rice balls. (饭团）There is usually some kind of stuffing inside, ranging from mayonnaise chicken, plum, tuna to other more exotic Japanese ingredients which I cannot identify, and wrapped in delicious crispy seaweed. It is convenient to eat and readily available in any convenience stores. The package is very unique: the seaweed is separated from the rice to maintain its crispness and freshness, and there is a special way of opening the package so that the whole nigiri does not come apart. The first time I bought one I just ripped open the package callously without reading the instructions (hmmm...reminds me of the time I ripped open the McDonald's Grilled Chicken Foldover.. * Calbin nods in agreement * ) ..as a result the seaweed was torn apart and I was eating the rice separately from the seaweed. Ingenuous innovation I must say.
Sadly nigiri and Calpis are not commonly available in Singapore. I was so desperate for Calpis that last week I went all the way to the Japanese supermarket in Liang court to hunt for it. They cost a horrifying $4 per bottle (about same size as a small bottle of mineral water), whereas it only costs 120 yen or so(around $1.80) in Japan(who says prices are high in Japan?? =p) There is a cheaper $2 version...but the taste is so vile it left an unremovable aftertaste in my mouth for hours. The $2 version is called Calpiso..must be a cheong brand! So sad. I am deprived of a basic necessity!
Okay, my time is up again. Hmm nowadays I am always blogging in NIE Computer Lab when I have one of those terrible 4-hour break in between lessons..... =(
Basically public baths, calpis and nigiri are what I missed most about everyday life in Japan, and I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I suppose what public baths are is pretty self-explanatory. Calpis is, ahem, * JIAHUI SCREAMS * this refreshing drink commonly found in convenience stores all over Japan. It is kind of like Yakult but much more watery. Unfortuantely the word Calpis is frqeuently accompanied with suppressed giggles because it is the euphemism used by Japanese schoolboys for some kind of body fluid...The drink is milky white in colour..enough said.
Nigiri is Japanese rice balls. (饭团）There is usually some kind of stuffing inside, ranging from mayonnaise chicken, plum, tuna to other more exotic Japanese ingredients which I cannot identify, and wrapped in delicious crispy seaweed. It is convenient to eat and readily available in any convenience stores. The package is very unique: the seaweed is separated from the rice to maintain its crispness and freshness, and there is a special way of opening the package so that the whole nigiri does not come apart. The first time I bought one I just ripped open the package callously without reading the instructions (hmmm...reminds me of the time I ripped open the McDonald's Grilled Chicken Foldover.. * Calbin nods in agreement * ) ..as a result the seaweed was torn apart and I was eating the rice separately from the seaweed. Ingenuous innovation I must say.
Sadly nigiri and Calpis are not commonly available in Singapore. I was so desperate for Calpis that last week I went all the way to the Japanese supermarket in Liang court to hunt for it. They cost a horrifying $4 per bottle (about same size as a small bottle of mineral water), whereas it only costs 120 yen or so(around $1.80) in Japan(who says prices are high in Japan?? =p) There is a cheaper $2 version...but the taste is so vile it left an unremovable aftertaste in my mouth for hours. The $2 version is called Calpiso..must be a cheong brand! So sad. I am deprived of a basic necessity!
Okay, my time is up again. Hmm nowadays I am always blogging in NIE Computer Lab when I have one of those terrible 4-hour break in between lessons..... =(
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Snow, public baths, calpis and nigiri
New entry for my blog! I realized that more people read my blog than I expected, so it's good to know that I touch lives in ways more than one..hee hee. I have been chastised for not updating my blog, not telling people about my Japan trip, and worst of all not putting up pictures taken during the trip. Well, in my defense, there was countless Christmas/New Year parties/chalets/barbecues once I came back to Singapore, and then the NIE term started. Since this semester is so short, everything was very intense unlike last semester which was more laid-back for me. In fact I am already half-way through the semester! (Since there are only 6 weeks this sems)
The Japan trip was good, of course, thanks to global warming which resulted in the erratic climate that Japan had to face in Dec 2005. The Kansai and Tokyo area almost never get any snow in December, but snowstorms struck Japan on 18 Dec 2005, breaking the record held for the highest amount of snow accumulated in a single day in 25 of the cities. The result: Kiyomizudera covered in snow. In fact there was enough snow that even people like me who are seeing snow for the first time finds it a little annoying after some time.
Some things I had not known about Japan:
1. When visiting a temple/shrine/places which require you to remove your footwear, Japanese leave their pricey trendy boots on the shoeshelves for people to steal, but their much cheaper umbrellas are safely locked and secured in the umbrella stands provided.
2. The sheer amount of verbal announcements on public transport. I believe up to 70% of the Japanese I heard on my 11 day trip is made up of announcements made on the train/bus. Kyoto buses growl "TO-BI-RA-GA-SHI-MA-RI-MA-SU"(The door is closing) annoyingly frequent. Shinkansen trains give a nice melodic chime before a sweet female voice purrs and reminds you to watch your steps as you board or alight. (Ashimoto o gochu-i kudasai!) The announcements are so lengthy that they need to begin shortly after the train leaves each station. My train barely pulled out of Osaka when suddenly the announcements are reminding me "Mamonaku Kyoto desu" (Soon we will reach Kyoto). But the soon turns out to be at least ten minutes of endless announcements. They tell you which doors are going to open(left or right), they tell you where you should get off if you are transferring to other train lines, they even tell you what time the next train on the other line is departing.
3. When paying with credit cards, the salesperson will ask you how many times you want to pay(literally). I was a bit taken back the first time I used my credit card and did not understand the question despite my, ahem, above average Japanese proficiency. You mean I have to pay more than once? It took me a few days to realize that most retail shops allow credit card users to pay by instalments and the salesperson was asking me how many instalments do i want to pay. * sheez *
4. Of course I had heard that the Japanese people are very orderly, but I didn't realize the extent to which the statement is true. I was in Tokyo on Christmas eve for the Christmas lights illumination. I have always hated crowds and never have I been in such a huge crowd for the past quarter of a century. (Tokyo has 7.8 million people. Compare that with Singapore's 4 million) I can barely step out of Tokyo Station although the actual illumination is still some distance from the station. An endless throng stretch in every direction and the end of the line is nowhere to be seen. Yet surprisingly the line moves pretty fast, almost at a walking pace (despite a slow one). When I reached the illuminated site, I was amused to see that nobody stops to take a picture. The Japanese take pictures with their high-tech mobile phones while they are simultaneously walking forward, not wishing to cause jama (disturbance) to the rest of the Christmas crowd. The few people who stopped in their stride to take pictures (causing the immaculate system set in place by the local police to break down) are, sure enough, tourists (Singaporeans?).
Okay, my time is up and the NIE Computer Lab is not allowing me to extend my time.....so I guess more of my trip in the subsequent entries!
The Japan trip was good, of course, thanks to global warming which resulted in the erratic climate that Japan had to face in Dec 2005. The Kansai and Tokyo area almost never get any snow in December, but snowstorms struck Japan on 18 Dec 2005, breaking the record held for the highest amount of snow accumulated in a single day in 25 of the cities. The result: Kiyomizudera covered in snow. In fact there was enough snow that even people like me who are seeing snow for the first time finds it a little annoying after some time.
Some things I had not known about Japan:
1. When visiting a temple/shrine/places which require you to remove your footwear, Japanese leave their pricey trendy boots on the shoeshelves for people to steal, but their much cheaper umbrellas are safely locked and secured in the umbrella stands provided.
2. The sheer amount of verbal announcements on public transport. I believe up to 70% of the Japanese I heard on my 11 day trip is made up of announcements made on the train/bus. Kyoto buses growl "TO-BI-RA-GA-SHI-MA-RI-MA-SU"(The door is closing) annoyingly frequent. Shinkansen trains give a nice melodic chime before a sweet female voice purrs and reminds you to watch your steps as you board or alight. (Ashimoto o gochu-i kudasai!) The announcements are so lengthy that they need to begin shortly after the train leaves each station. My train barely pulled out of Osaka when suddenly the announcements are reminding me "Mamonaku Kyoto desu" (Soon we will reach Kyoto). But the soon turns out to be at least ten minutes of endless announcements. They tell you which doors are going to open(left or right), they tell you where you should get off if you are transferring to other train lines, they even tell you what time the next train on the other line is departing.
3. When paying with credit cards, the salesperson will ask you how many times you want to pay(literally). I was a bit taken back the first time I used my credit card and did not understand the question despite my, ahem, above average Japanese proficiency. You mean I have to pay more than once? It took me a few days to realize that most retail shops allow credit card users to pay by instalments and the salesperson was asking me how many instalments do i want to pay. * sheez *
4. Of course I had heard that the Japanese people are very orderly, but I didn't realize the extent to which the statement is true. I was in Tokyo on Christmas eve for the Christmas lights illumination. I have always hated crowds and never have I been in such a huge crowd for the past quarter of a century. (Tokyo has 7.8 million people. Compare that with Singapore's 4 million) I can barely step out of Tokyo Station although the actual illumination is still some distance from the station. An endless throng stretch in every direction and the end of the line is nowhere to be seen. Yet surprisingly the line moves pretty fast, almost at a walking pace (despite a slow one). When I reached the illuminated site, I was amused to see that nobody stops to take a picture. The Japanese take pictures with their high-tech mobile phones while they are simultaneously walking forward, not wishing to cause jama (disturbance) to the rest of the Christmas crowd. The few people who stopped in their stride to take pictures (causing the immaculate system set in place by the local police to break down) are, sure enough, tourists (Singaporeans?).
Okay, my time is up and the NIE Computer Lab is not allowing me to extend my time.....so I guess more of my trip in the subsequent entries!
Monday, December 19, 2005
今京都にいるよ！
This is my fourth day in Japan, and also my last day in Kyoto since I will be moving on to Himeji and Osaka tomorrow morning. Using the computer in my hostel to update my blog..hee hee
These four days have been wonderful..and there have been several "firsts" for me. First time seeing snow(It snowed heavily for the last two days...for once I'm thankful for global warming), first time in a outdoor onsen (hot spring), first time in a public bathhouse (where the obasan owner can look into the male baths) and many many others.
Can't type for long, not used to this Japanese keyboard and input method, therefore..till I get back to Singapore! (or maybe till I next have access to a computer.....by then I should be in TOkyo...) =)
These four days have been wonderful..and there have been several "firsts" for me. First time seeing snow(It snowed heavily for the last two days...for once I'm thankful for global warming), first time in a outdoor onsen (hot spring), first time in a public bathhouse (where the obasan owner can look into the male baths) and many many others.
Can't type for long, not used to this Japanese keyboard and input method, therefore..till I get back to Singapore! (or maybe till I next have access to a computer.....by then I should be in TOkyo...) =)
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
DANNI is the sole Survivor!
After watching six seasons of Survivor and two seasons of Amazing Race, finally a contestant that I have been rooting for managed to emerge as the champion in Survivor/TAR. It's quite disheartening when someone you have been supporting got voted off/eliminated off from the game, and watching the remaining episodes of the season becomes an obligatory chore rather than fun-filled evenings of reality TV. Well I no longer emotionally attach myself to reality show contestants anymore (Aaron and Arianne! Boo hoo..those were the days) but it's still nice to see someone you have been supporting win the game.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Hee hee, I started the previous entry, saved it as a draft and never really got down to finishing the entry until now. In fact I was rather lazy recently and haven't been updating my blog..but now I'm back!
It was a pretty eventful holidays so far (at least for me). Did some catching up with MSCO juniors, in fact there was one week where I keep running into them. Did some catching up with the 3 people who are in Shanghai: Zhengjun, Jiaming and Zhenyuan. Discovered that Pearls at Changi no longer stock my favourite chocolates. Did a bit more of catching up with Zaoxiong, located in Singapore but haven't been seeing him in real life for quite some time. Played for Edvox Music School concert. Watched ruanzu's 281105 concert. Took JLPT for hopefully the last time. More reading up for Japan trip.
Still, the GESL project was at the back of my head all the time, preventing me from fully enjoying my holidays. It was tiring playing frisbee and touch rugby with pri school kids (or rather, teaching them how to play the game). Sometimes I think maybe we should have stick to more "kids-oriented" games like "Catching" or "Dua Beh Long", since the games we taught them were rather rules-intensive (and counter-intuitive, in the case of touch rugby) . Anyway, the way they play the games had more resemblance to catching and dua beh long than a team sports. heh heh.
I'm so glad that I'm not going to teach primary school kids. It's more like being a baby-sitter/nanny rather than a teacher. It's impossible to reason and talk sensibly with them, and sometimes you wonder if they really got what you were trying to say. They have boundless energy, endless questions(most of which are impossible to answer) and insatiable inquisitiveness. They were waving to us as they left NIE, still bursting with youthful vigour, while we twenty somethings look like we are ready to keel anytime soon.
Still, it was quite an enjoyable experience. The kids triggered our paternal instincts, but sadly doused the maternal instincts in the females of our group. We (as in the guys) were swarmed by enthusiastic kids huddling around us, calling us "kor kor" (thankfully not "uncle") and asking that we carry them on our backs. Javier and Sheik, in particular, have a knack for entertaining kids. We took a photo of Javier with a cute boy sitting on his lap which the government will gladly use as a publicity tool for stimulating our birth rate. The ladies, on the other hand, were saying that the sight of all these kids running around further convinced them that giving birth is one of the last things on their personal agenda. Heh heh, maybe we can feedback this to MOE, then they'll put an end to the GESL project since it is incongrous with the government's plea for young people to get married and bear children.
Tomorrow is the final competition, but I have the feeling that the kids would have forgotten all the rules of ultimate frisbee and touch rugby, and the competition will degenerate into a far simpler game of "catching" and "dua beh long" again. Hee hee. We shall see.
It was a pretty eventful holidays so far (at least for me). Did some catching up with MSCO juniors, in fact there was one week where I keep running into them. Did some catching up with the 3 people who are in Shanghai: Zhengjun, Jiaming and Zhenyuan. Discovered that Pearls at Changi no longer stock my favourite chocolates. Did a bit more of catching up with Zaoxiong, located in Singapore but haven't been seeing him in real life for quite some time. Played for Edvox Music School concert. Watched ruanzu's 281105 concert. Took JLPT for hopefully the last time. More reading up for Japan trip.
Still, the GESL project was at the back of my head all the time, preventing me from fully enjoying my holidays. It was tiring playing frisbee and touch rugby with pri school kids (or rather, teaching them how to play the game). Sometimes I think maybe we should have stick to more "kids-oriented" games like "Catching" or "Dua Beh Long", since the games we taught them were rather rules-intensive (and counter-intuitive, in the case of touch rugby) . Anyway, the way they play the games had more resemblance to catching and dua beh long than a team sports. heh heh.
I'm so glad that I'm not going to teach primary school kids. It's more like being a baby-sitter/nanny rather than a teacher. It's impossible to reason and talk sensibly with them, and sometimes you wonder if they really got what you were trying to say. They have boundless energy, endless questions(most of which are impossible to answer) and insatiable inquisitiveness. They were waving to us as they left NIE, still bursting with youthful vigour, while we twenty somethings look like we are ready to keel anytime soon.
Still, it was quite an enjoyable experience. The kids triggered our paternal instincts, but sadly doused the maternal instincts in the females of our group. We (as in the guys) were swarmed by enthusiastic kids huddling around us, calling us "kor kor" (thankfully not "uncle") and asking that we carry them on our backs. Javier and Sheik, in particular, have a knack for entertaining kids. We took a photo of Javier with a cute boy sitting on his lap which the government will gladly use as a publicity tool for stimulating our birth rate. The ladies, on the other hand, were saying that the sight of all these kids running around further convinced them that giving birth is one of the last things on their personal agenda. Heh heh, maybe we can feedback this to MOE, then they'll put an end to the GESL project since it is incongrous with the government's plea for young people to get married and bear children.
Tomorrow is the final competition, but I have the feeling that the kids would have forgotten all the rules of ultimate frisbee and touch rugby, and the competition will degenerate into a far simpler game of "catching" and "dua beh long" again. Hee hee. We shall see.
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