Drama

5 minutes to 11pm. Can you believe our teacher's meeting just ended? Clock in at 6:35am this morning, clock out at 10:50pm. Time to eradicate the mind set that teachers work half day.  It's an extremely tiring day, most probably due to the physio exercise. Freshen up, curled up in bed, lent 'Perfect Match' to a teacher, so decided to update my blog again. Note: This is not a professional blog, and I don't intend to make it professional simply because .... this is one of my refuge where I can pour out, and assure myself that you visitors are my God sent listeners. Arigatok.

*breathe in and out, slowly* Finally, this is it. 32 years to go into this profession.

Thank you God for the passion for teaching is still burning. I pray, it will only glow brighter, especially at the darkest time. I understand, having the future generation as our clients is a huge responsibility. Forsake me not & give me enough love to spread to my kids.

In the process, let's rejoice & celebrate this wonderful life with the people God sent into our lives ♥

In Jesus name, I pray, Amen! :) - c/p from my FB, again :P

  


Honestly, there is nothing to brag about this piece of paper. Every teacher will eventually receive it, just a matter of time. Nonetheless, I can't hide my joy upon receiving this letter of confirmation. It's symbolic because it sorta releases me from the probation period. As Puan Aminah advised, with great power comes great responsibility.

Amazed by the students' enthusiasm!

Day 2: Kapit Division Basic Theatre Workshop

How to train students to "not be noisy" in class: Take a book and whisper out the words.

The creative techniques:
#1 sit and whisper.
#2 stand.
#3 lie flat on tummy.
#4 lie side ways.
#5 lie facing ceiling
#6 squat

  

Belajar dari kejatuhan. Kalau ulang kesilapan yang sama, kita bodoh. We should bounce back.

Love letters activity:
Students thanked their parents mostly. Promised to strive hard for success.

One student outshines the others. A potential leader is discovered.

  


I love this basic theater workshop SO MUCH! I like the facilitator, Mr Zach. Not only does he know his subject matter well, truly talented actor; he's also a great motivator. I like how his eyes and actions speak to the 30 participants. They are hooked to him throughout the entire program.

Boy am I lucky to be have the opportunity to select and bring these students to join this workshop. Other English teachers couldn't make it, and since opportunity knocks but once, I said 'yes boss' without hesitation and .....the other side of the coin was that I caused discomfort to yet another colleague. Sorry teachers, for choosing your students to participate in this workshop which I highly regard as beneficial, but in your eyes, skipping classes for this is not right. (Alright, I feel like deleting this post now.)

Do you feel the freedom of speech is shrinking as we grow older?

For example, at the discipline meeting tonight, we teachers are reminded not to sms/fb using mobile phone while in class.  That's a rule everyone must abide. But the thing is, I do use the dictionary app in my smartphone (blame my limited vocabulary, but hey, that's why dictionaries are invented) and sometimes I google for photos for my kids to see, on the spot, in the class. Comparing to the Boston Marathon Bombing, this is really nothing worth to mention. Beh...

Count blessings:

This afternoon, we did a 'love letter writing' activity: the aim is to encourage students' to pour out their feelings to their loved ones. I am so touched by their letters. Most of them wrote to their parents, apologizing for they're not obedient children and promising their parents they will study hard and be successful to make them proud. I nearly cried upon reading the first few letters until ..... I came across one letter: kepada orang yang sayangi iaitu orang yang tiada kebebasan. He wrote about anarchy, about freedom, justice, the rich VS the poor, social discrimination and ended with, Bangunlah Orang Timur!

At his tender age of 17, he's felt the freedom is robbed off his people. According to Mr Zach, this boy has a lot of positive energy in him, he just needs to know where to direct the flow of the energy to. Yesterday, when they were assigned a simple dramatization based on feelings: angry, sad, nervous, shy, sarcastic etc, his expression was something I'll remember for the days to come, if not years. When he outburst the dialogue 'MARAH', he really showed it by having his red blood pumping up and redden his fair face, his nose even shivered and his eyes, wide opened. Everyone in the library was taken aback. Ah, such talented actor, his first attempt and he did fantastically. Imagine if he's a good coach or given more opportunities to explore and use his talents.

Another blessing:

My 3J actually approached me and asked if I'll enter their class today (they know I'm exempted from work for 3 days for this workshop) because they want to have SPELLING! Geez, this little request that comes from the weakest class sent booster potion to me instantly. Coincidentally, the participants were having their tea break/group discussion, so I asked for permission and joyfully entered my favourite 3J. (I do like 3E too, and 3F my own class, 3B is my hope, and upper 6A1 is my where I can communicate with them in English) All in all, I am just so grateful that I love every class appointed to me.

p/s They (including the naughty boys) smiled so brightly when they saw me and I even heard 'I like you!' .....not bragging but it's my nature to share my happiness. Also, they moved their chairs to sit in front of me. Schematically, it's not right to move from your seats, more so, lift your chairs; BUT, they moved to come closer, they raise up their hands enthusiastically to answer; they shouted out of excitement, aren't those worth praising? BUT, no, THAT'S WRONG. Wrong, because I failed to be a police officer; I should double check with Miss Pauline if their enthusiasm disrupted the neighbouring class.



 

Shoot, 11:45pm. Time to key in the number of books read by students at i-Nilam, 120 students...

Oh, when will I fall in love with these unnecessary paper work?

Mubahay from Philippines~

Sibu-KL-Clark Field (4 hours via Air Asia), took a 2 hours bus to Manila.

Day 1: Manila City Tour, Greenbelt, Makity City.

7am ferry from Cebu to Bohol. We took Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Cebu.

Took a ground tour, tour guide came to pick us. The thing about blogging late, memory loss, can't remember his Philippine's name. Anyway, he was a friendly tour guide :) (minus the fact he offered a double fare to airport, hm..)

Before reaching the peak of Chocolate Hill lookout point, tour guide dropped us by a souvenir shop and we took a few photos here.

Thank you Cupid! I'm currently struck with the love portion =)

Personal favourite shot with my buddy Yvonne! Thank you for making this vacation so complete!

Since young, I'm told caterpillars are poisonous and well, it's spongy :)

Lunch on cruise @ Loboc River. P450 per pax (round RM 40) one hour cruise and watched kids perform at stops.

Baclayon Church, Bohol.

Blood Compact Site, Bohol.

TARSIERS! Geez, aren't they adorable!

TARSIERS are the only extant entirely carnivorous primates. Tarsiers are amazing jumpers able to jump 40 times more than its own weight. Young tarsiers are born furred and with open eyes. They are able to climb within a day of birth. Tarsiers are able to rotate their head 180 to compensate for the immovable eyeballs! Their third finger has the same length as their upper arm. The second and third toes of their hind limbs bear claws instead of nails using for grooming. Tarsier exhibits the slowest fetal growth rates of any mammal taking 6 months to reach a birth weight of 23 grams. Scientists differentiate tarsier species through their song and singing styles. Tarsiers do sing in high-pitched voice.

 

 

Butterfly Farm staff took the initiative to take creative shots for us.

chilling out by the beach.

Casa Manilla..

Mexican Food @ SM Mall, Manila

Getting ready to Dolphin Watching, snorkelling at Tagbuliran & Virgin Island.

Sea urchin. Tasted like mussels, eaten raw, with a dash of vinegar.

Virgin Island.

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This trip, we touched crispy cacoon, rubbery caterpillar, spiky urchin, hard starfish. Tasted vinegar-ed sea urchin & having butterflies as earring & hair accessories.

And, that is why I heart travelling.

Balut.

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(Sorry for the unorganized photos, due to weak WiFi connection at Kapit.)
Overall, this budget trip exceeded our budget. Nevertheless, it's worth the $ for the experience and memories shared Hui Yi, Yvonne and Samantha. Due to the war between Sabah & Sulu, we did consider cancelling our trip. This is the perfect time to PRAISE GOD. It was truly a blessed journey, with beautiful weather, protection and ... cheerful hearts :)

It's the holy week (24th-30th March 2013) when we were there. Since Philippines is populated by Catholics, we are amazed that shopping complexes were closed on Holy Thursday (thus the last minute shopping idea was replaced by strolling along the Riverside, watching sunset, I like!)

Traveling is addictive.

p/s To my future husband, can we have a simple wedding by the beach and use the $$ for a memorable honeymoon instead?  Hahahahaha! Yeah, dreams can come true.

Rejuvenated. Enjoying basking in the sunshine while waiting for the best to come.

SPELL WELL, WRITE WELL

It has been ages since I last type on my netbook, simply because I can't access to our weak school WiFi. Yesterday, the connection is back. Boy, am I excited to come back to this blog =D Chosea good activity book, and finished typing the 15 activities in 56 minutes, just to share with you all. 

 

Spell Well Write Well

“…gives teachers ideas on how to conduct spelling and dictation activities.”

(Sektor Pengurusan Akademik Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Sarawak)

PREFACE

Spell well Write Well is designed to assist the English Language teachers in conducting activities to help pupils spell and write well.  The module provides ideas on how to conduct spelling and dictation activities and hence develop spelling and dictation skills among the pupils.  A detailed description is given for each activity.  Teachers are encouraged to adopt and adopt the suggested activities as part of their lessons.

INTRODUCTION

Competency in the use of English Language entails the correct spelling of words. Thus, to help pupils to develop their spelling skills, teachers could carry out activities which would stimulate the pupils to recall words that they have learnt.  These activities can be introduced as set induction; incorporated into the lesson as reinforcement, or can be a form of feedback at the end of the lesson.

Besides, teachers should constantly ensure that pupils maintain sufficient contact with the language in order to remember the spelling of words.  This can be done by implementing reading and writing enrichment exercises.  This avid reading will not only help them remember the words, but also to expand their vocabulary.  Continuous writing hones the spelling skill.

HELPFUL HINTS

1)    Spelling activities: Five minutes a day, keeps the spelling errors at bay.

2)    Create awareness of words and spelling used in advertisements, signboards, labels etc.

3)    Teachers may correct the spelling errors during lessons.

4)    Set up a spelling corner in your classroom.

TABLE OF CONTENT

1)    Pictionary

2)    Bingo

3)    Running Dictation

4)    Actionary

5)    Musical Dictation

6)    Rhyming Words

7)    Catch It Fast

8)    Sing Along and Spell After (SASA)

9)    Newspaper in English

10)                      Unjumble the Fumble

11)                      I Spell, You Check

12)                      Jingle Spell

13)                      Match-making Words

14)                      Word Hunt

15)                      Word Staircase

16)                      Spelling Wasp

 This week, I did PICTIONARY with my 3B, 3E, 3F, 3J and 6A1. I thought the better classes will find it boring because I used Ladybird Sounds and Pictures series. I was pleasantly surprised to know even 6A1 enjoyed the game and they requested for more of such games in the coming lessons. As for the extremely weak 3J, they laughed throughout the lesson and it touches my heart to see them diligently learn the spellings. 

PICTIONARY

Activity: Pupils identify the pictures and spell the words

Aim: To identify the pictures and spell the words

Materials Required: Picture cards & Posters

Preparation before activity: Prepare pictures without labels.

Steps:

1.    Flash picture cards or posters.

2.    Pupils are instructed to clap once if they want to spell.

3.    The first pupil to clap gets the chance to spell.

4.    The pupil who spells the most number of words correctly is the winner.

Variations:

1.    Pictures labelled with words of which some letters are omitted e.g. c_t, p_ng_in

2.    Pictures labelled with scrambled letters.

3.    Pupils draw pictures on the board for others to guess and spell.

4.    Pictures used as clues for word maze/word search.

BINGO

Activity: Pupils are asked to identify the said words in the word maze.

Aim: To crunch words

Materials required: Word maze based on themes (e.g. fruits, animals etc)

Preparation before activity: Prepare a word maze.

Steps:

1.    Each player is given a word maze.

2.    Teacher says out a series of words learnt.

3.    Pupils search for the words in the maze and circle them.

4.    The first pupil to find the complete set of words shouts BINGO.

5.    He/she needs to spell out the word correctly before he/she is given points.

Variation:

1.    The pupil who shouts BINGO presents the maze to the teacher for checking.

 Will take photos of their excited faces next time (as memory for me to see, when I retired, 30 years later) haha. Blessed week ahead to all :)

From Pain to Blessings

Lights off. Crawled out of bed and took out my lappie. Decided to pour out my current fear --> restriction from sports.

How saddening and depressing did that sound? 20 nights ago, I painted my bedroom here in Kapit. Yeap, sometime like now, 10pm, till 12 midnight. Later I learned, people normally paint in the day. Perhaps it's my first time painting, I thought it's easy, thus didn't remove the furniture out of my bedroom. Ta-da, being a prone-to-minor-injury person, I must have knocked into the bed frame while squatting down for more paint.

Little did I know that careless could lead to sleepless nights. Consulted 4 doctors-friends during Chinese New Year, they advised me to rest and time will heal the pain. If the pain persists, I should go for an X-ray.

The reason I blog this out is to remind myself of daddy's love for me. Daddy called SinSei Urut and he said he's on CNY holiday, thus the 'ang pow' will be charged 50% more than usual. It warmed my heart when daddy said he'll consider. Daddy put down the phone, looked into my eyes and knee and called back 3 minutes later to book the sinsei. That instant, I felt guilty of buying unnecessary dresses! *watery eyes*

How was your CNY?
Mine was memorable and worth being grateful for. From having a friend who came to pick me from the wharf to the airport,

 

minor diarrhea which enables me to zip up the dress *wink*,

 

receiving good news about friends' wedding proposals/engagements/weddings,

 
celebrating V-day with bestie where our guy friend gave us a rose each, having friend over for a chat till 2:45am which ends with a friendship hug *smile*,

 

lao-ing yee sang with secondary school mates,


 
catching up with church members and old friends,






 

boarding a flight back to Kapit, practicing Praise and Worship with him *wink*,

 
 seeing my naughty kids again, attending open houses here in Kapit for three consecutive nights, and....receiving a good bye kiss on the cheek from 3 year old David an hour ago!

Ah, I think the pain subsided when the mind start thinking of blessings~


 

5 more days to Chap Goh Mei, Happy Chinese New Year to all =)

Top of the World =)

My favourite song is on air again =)

Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in 'most ev'ry thing I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream

Everything I want the world to be
Is now comin' true especially for me
And the reason is clear, it's because you are here
You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen

I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world

Somethin' in the wind has learned my name
And it's tellin' me that things are not the same
In the leaves on the trees and the touch of the breeze
There's a pleasin' sense of happiness for me

There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here

I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world

I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world

Farewell rainy 2012, Hello rainbow 2013 :)

Do you have that feelings....like when everything goes so smoothly and your world is so beautiful that you are afraid it won't last?

2012 had been a year filled with joy and tears. My 12 Joys in 2012:

1. Met up with Malcolm while conquering Mount Kinabalu for the second time, 16 September 2012. (Btw, my bruised toe nail finally broke off today, wee!)

2. Get to know this mentor, Jik Kam after following his blog at ahkamkoko.blogspot.com. (Promised him to start small by doing THINGS for my kids in Kapit.)

3. Accompanied daddy and mummy to 9days Round Island Taiwan Trip in November =)

4. Met up with my traveler coursemate, Hui Yi and Yaan for our 8Days Hanoi Back Packing, early December.

5. Get to know Pastor Yu and flew to Sibu to attend her wedding. I enjoyed all her sermons, sharings and advice! Especially Journey to Intimacy Course =)

6. Among the fun lessons while teaching Peralihan, Form 1E, 1H, 1K: Mr Nobody video, Journey to the Centre of the Earth movie, Sing Along, Phonetics, Adjective games, posters making, art crafts,.....my, those boring composition and grammar drillings are not listed as FUN in my mind XD

7. My awesome colleagues: Ping Ping, Tay, Tiing, Sam, Nong, Chan, Wong, Mei Yun, Leyu, Xia, Ting...Life in Kapit will be extremely lonely without them.

8. Hock Ing Methodist Church, get to serve in Sunday School and participate in young adult fellowship :)

9. My tuition kids! Adorable and most importantly, they are serious to learn.

10. Baby Xin Yu! Ah, she walks steadily now. And can call me Yi...single syllable still. In that sweet voice of hers. So gentle. Bet by CNY, she'll learn more actions and new stuff. The last words I whispered to her was 'Yi Yi will come back to see Xin Yu during CNY k." She gave a nod as if she really understood and planted a kiss on my cheek....*melted!*

11. Cell group retreat at Lundu. Another bunch of trusted siblings in Christ: Lock Tee, Susan, Mel, Nic, Erwinia, Fang, Ling, Yvonne, Harry, Thomas, Sylvester, KK, Kenneth....

12. Last but not least, L.O.V. E.


As for Resolution 2013?

Nothing much, perhaps 12 reminders for self that:

1. Happiness is a CHOICE.

2. Be patient.Words of anger/impatience/grumble shall cease.

3. Continue to be optimistic. My colleague said she needs it. *wink*

4. Maximum 3 minutes of sadness/tears.

5. READ up more. WRITE more. and LISTEN to others' stories more.

6. S3 aside when there's a human to chat with. (unless he/she is playing his/hers too, or checking urgent info)

7. Continue my 'Counting Blessing' booklet.

8. By heart one chord a day, maybe a week. hm...haha.

9.Start my masters this year. (Keep this in your prayer, k? Thanks, God bless you too!)

10. Attend baptism class. (er....er, will pray bout this)

11. Be committed to Sunday School Ministry and my tuition kids. And of course, my school's children.

12. Last but not least, enjoy the feelings & moments 'to love, be loved and IN LOVE' \(^_^)/



 

Happy New Year 2013

Having a bad dry cough, yet it did not stop me from savoring Tom Yam fish soup  nor cease worshiping God at Hock Ing Methodist Church earlier. Blessed 2013 to all my loyal/passing-by readers (blogspot do inform us how many people read our blog but I've no idea who you are. So as a belated X'mas gift, can you kindly drop a comment, be it Hi or anything so I've an idea of what I can/should write?  Thank you!)


10:31pm, 1 January 2013 (Tuesday)

Received a surprising call all the way from Switzerland! Anthony, a senior acquaintance turned mentor, from my previous Ha Long Bay cruise called. My bad, for not keeping my promise that I'll keep in touch. He called to remind me not to give up my childhood dreams and hope to meet us three again at Scotland someday.

What are your childhood dreams?

Mine was to study abroad and migrate to New Zealand (for the green pastures). You know how they say we shall not live in regrets? Well, I've to admit I do have some regrets. Among them are not doing my best for SPM. I really could have performed better should I not go clubbing admist SPM break/ burn midnight oil instead of mIRC/ICQ, lamenting over a spilt milk etc. Peers do have a big impact on us. Unlike my well off friends whose parents secured their admission to overseas universities a year earlier, I have to bury my childhood dreams of studying abroad (UK).......

My parents did send me to a private college for accounting (I've no foundation in accounting, just their salary captured my attention. What path do we know what to take straight after SPM?), but as much as I love Mathematics, the lessons of balancing both sides of the sheet bored me. On the other hand, I was constantly looking forward to weekends, as I gave part time tuition then. Monday-Friday (accounting: monotonous and stressful), Sat & Sunday (tuition: joy and meaningful).

It is the cheerful faces of the little ones that made me realize my passion: teaching.

Typing this down, I am actually counting my blessing of having a job I truly am passionate about. It saddens me to hear from a 58 years old teacher that she taught for the sake of living and nope, she did not enjoy teaching. Wow, 35 years not enjoying what you do daily??? Wow! Sorry, I should really stop typing before I unintentionally hurt any parties.  Nonetheless, I believe she is a good teacher who carried her duty well. A little grumble over the heavy workload is human nature anyway. We are not robots, we do get tired and frustrated with the forever changing education system.

The ultimate reason for this post is to encourage my readers and peers to love what you are doing. 

Quote from one of my favourite lecturer, Dr Malachi Edwin:

To all teachers who go back to school tomorrow: Have a great year ahead. Despite all the technological advancements the human presence is ever so important and it is all the more important that it is a positive one. We may not be foundations of knowledge but we can guide our students to learn in a meaningful and personal way! All good wishes!

P/s I had a memorable countdown for 2013 at Kapit, how's yours?

Our favourite activity: EAT.