Wednesday is the worst day of my week. That's because I have 5 teaching periods back to back (i.e. 3 hrs 45mins of teaching without a break!). Usually by the end of the last lesson at 2.30p.m, my throat will be dry from all the talking, my legs will be aching and I will be totally exhausted.

Yesterday, after a long day in school, I decided that I should go home early to rest before heading out for dinner at one of our favourite hawker centres in Toa Payoh.

It's really hard to find good Fried Oyster Omelette aka Orh Luah and Chng Teng these days. The oysters were of a good size yesterday. Coupled with the crispy fried eggs and the right amount of flour, the Orh Luah was utterly delicious!

Apart from the fact that Orh Luah is high in cholesterol and Chng Teng is laden with calories, they are a heavenly match! I LOVE it!





It has always been a challenge to teach the 1pm - 2.30pm time slot because it's the time of the afternoon when most of the students are feeling drowsy and tired from the afternoon heat, and they are simply looking forward to dismissal. I can understand how they feel. Much as I would like to make the lesson light, sometimes (or rather most of the time), out of no choice, lessons still have to be heavy-going (lots of drill and practice) to prepare students for their national exams.

Today, I thought I should try to be a little more adventurous and do something new with the class. To kill two birds with one stone, I tried to teach techniques for picture discussion with drama in order to liven up the lesson and perhaps, to rise up to the MOE's call to 'Teach Less Learn More' (keke!).

I got them into groups and they posed one another questions about the picture and I integrated drama into the lesson by getting the students to put up a skit based on the picture. The whole rationale was to illicit some personal responses from them on what they thought the characters in the picture might be thinking or feeling through the use of 'Tap and Speak', and to suggest possibilities on what would happen after the picture was taken in the form of a skit. It was a picture depicting a photographer taking picture of some kids with Ah Meng in the zoo. The students played the role of either the kids or Ah Meng. As for me, I played the role of the photographer.

Well, I have a few drama queens and kings in my class, who are pretty fun-loving. Some of them were really spontaneous and we had a good laugh over some of their creative responses and skits. Here are some of the funny shots that were taken.



















Many of my friends think that I have too much time on my hand to kill when they found out that I have started to blog recently. Is this really true?

The fact is, there will never be enough time. There's always insufficient time to rest and relax, to spend time with our family and our loved ones, holidays are always so short, weekends will whiz past before we know it, and the list will go on indefinitely. There's always so much to do and yet so little time. So then, the question is, why do I blog?

Here are the 4 reasons why I blog:

1) Take Some Time Off to Smell the Roses
Having a blog somehow compels me to take time off amidst the hustle and bustle of life to think and reflect. I think it's extremely pathetic to go through the week without remembering anything significant or to have nothing that's worth mentioning or sharing with the people around you. It could be something you heard over the radio, a conversation with a friend, something you read about in the newspaper or Internet, etc. Surely, something must have struck a chord in your heart during the week!

2) Capture Memorable Moments
A blog is a good means to capture memorable moments. I’d like to pen down my travelling experiences with the best tour guide in the world – my husband, and all the delightful moments or misadventures we share in our pursuit to try all the 50 best restaurants in Singapore and the makansutra-recommended food.

3) A Glimpse of my Life
Apart from teaching, marking students’ work, chasing students for their overdue assignments and consent forms, disciplining them, nagging at them, calling up their parents, clowning in front of them, etc, I have a life too, just like everybody else! Sometimes, students simply think that teachers derive pleasure from lecturing them, and our only hobby is to mark their assignments. *Sigh* How wrong can they be!

4) It's Therapeutic
After starting the blog, I realise creating collages and exploring the Internet for ways to improvise my blog can be quite therapeutic. Though my blog is not as fanciful as I would like it to be right now, I'm sure it will get better with time. In fact, blogging has become something which I look forward to doing now.

Right now, I'm looking forward to the CNY break to spruce up my blog (hopefully).

The Chinese New Year has always been a time of feasting for the Chinese, of course, it’s no exception for me. Last night, I started my first round of feasting with my ex-colleagues at the Grand Park Hotel. We even had the ‘Lau Yu Shen’ before we hit the buffet counters. The buffet spread was pretty decent. However, the only complaint I have was the music at the bar. The musicians were singing extremely old hits such as the Carpenters. The choice of songs just made me feel that I was in some 1970s lounge which my parents would probably have gone for a romantic dinner back when they were dating. I thought the ambience would be better if there was some jazz music playing in the background instead. Nonetheless, we had a swinging good time yesterday catching up with one another.

With all the reunion dinners and gatherings coming up in the next 2 weeks, I will have at least another 3 rounds of feasting! Looks like I've got to be extra careful with what I eat now. Cut down on snacking, no fast food, and eat lots of greens and fruits!

Hmm... so it shall be fish soup mee suah for dinner today then!

We had a good time at California Pizza yesterday with a friend of ours. Think nothing beats a good dinner and good company at the end of a tiring day. We ordered our favourite Caesar's Salad, Peking Duck pizza and the BBQ pizza. Dinner was GOOD!!

I'm looking forward to the reunion dinner with my ex-colleagues tomorrow!


I don't know why but I have been feeling really lethargic and down today. I couldn't think of anything that could have caused it. I slept well last night, my time table for today is pretty well spread out… basically it's just the usual, mundane stuff.

After staring at my markings for 15 minutes, I decided that I should just take a break and take out the chocolate that I have deliberately placed in an inconspicuous spot in my cabinet for the longest time ever (disclaimer: this is based on my personal record). I have been trying very hard to refrain myself from consuming it for the past 1 month. Each time I feel like snacking, I will remind myself about the amount of calories, trans fat and saturated fat in that little bar of chocolate. It's sinful! So don't look at it! Close the cabinet! Give it away!

Oh well… today, I succumbed to the temptation. *Sigh* I told myself I needed to perk myself up a little and somehow I managed to convinced myself that chocolate contains serotonin aka HAPPY HORMONES and I needed the happy hormones badly! The good news is, I did feel much better after that and I marked a few more scripts. So I guess those calories are worth it!

Hmm… Come to think of it, my husband has some Ritter Sport Minis in the fridge at home. They have been there for a SUPER DUPER long time. Maybe I should just bring them to school before they expire! Don't waste!

Argghhhh..... 9 more essays to go now. Press on!!!



Yesterday, I was pretty upset when some of the 4N students did not bother to complete the comprehension homework that I had given out last week. The infuriating fact is that some of them can't be bothered at all!

The 'N' Level exams are just round the corner and yet, they don't have any sense of urgency to study hard. Even after some of the students were told to stand at the back of the class for not doing their homework, they continued talking and laughing amongst themselves, and some of those who were seated were simply staring into space or talking amongst themselves too. They claimed that it was the last period of the day, so they were listless. Well, to me, this is no excuse!

The thought of their coming exams just frightens me, especially when they don't seem to feel any stress at all. I think I'm more stressed about their exams than them!

They really don't have much time left. Their 'N' Level Oral Exam will commence in June, 4NA Prelim in July, and their 'N' Level exams in September! That's only about 6 months away from their Prelim! Can't they see that the national exams are not too far away?! Some of the teachers and I are simply exasperated! They just don't understand how worried we are for them.

According to a research done by MOE, currently, 78% of Sec 4N students go on to Sec 5N after sitting for their ‘N’ levels. I definitely want my 4B students to be amongst the 78% that do well enough to go on to Sec 5N next year!

So my dear 4B, please pull up your socks while you still have time! I want to see all 39 of you in 5B next year! Start working on your studies now! There's no time to lose! It's URGENT!!!


I went down to the Dairy Farm and joined my form class at the Adventure Camp. The students enjoyed themselves tremendously and I had fun too! I managed to take quite a number of pictures. Can't wait to show the class! Some of the shots are really hilarious! It's just a pity that the videos didn't turn out well. Most of the students enjoyed themselves except for one who was not comfortable participating in the physical activities. But I'm glad that he got better later on after all the encouragement from the teachers and students.

Day 1:



I thought this instructor was good. He made a point to make all the students speak in English and those who communicated in their Mother Tongue would have to be drawn on their faces as a forfeit. It worked!


Miss Lee and I joined in the game. We had fun!


This one was tough! I tried it and I was so glad my class caught me, otherwise I would have fallen face down!


Poor boys! Their hands must have hurt a lot!


This fish is mine! No, it's mine now! Meow!!!

After all the team-building games, the students were supposed to cook their own dinner outdoor. Though I know nuts about cooking, the way my class prepared their dinner was an eye-opener. Cooking rice (or is it porridge?) with the seasoning from Maggie Mee, Maggie Mee with baked beans, mixing eggs with oil together and put them over the fire, etc. I wonder if this is called creativity! I think the only dish that turned out pretty well was the fried fish fillet. Well, I just hope my Oreos could at least save some of them from starvation at night if dinner was a disaster! (that's if they managed to get back the Oreos from their instructor!).

While observing and participating in the activities, I discovered quite a few gems in my class. Some are natural livewires, some are really spontaneous and ever so ready to lend a helping hand to their team mates. I'm really glad that I was there yesterday. This camp really gave Miss Lee and I some idea of who to elect for the Class Committee.

Day 2:



What a pity! I had lessons in the morning so I could only join the class in the afternoon so I missed out a whole lot on the High Elements activities. When I arrived, Miss Lee told me about Chin Koon's misadventure in the morning. My heart went all out to him! I perfectly understand what he had gone through. I have a phobia for heights too! I wanted to check on him after he was back from kayaking, but I saw him joking and laughing with the class and the instructors, so I guessed he had gotten over it and I should not bring it up again just in case.

Chin Koon: I'm really proud of you! You have been extremely brave to face your own fears. I'm sure you will do better the next time round. You are one real livewire at the Camp! Ganbare!!

The next activity was the Amazing Hunt. The kids were exhausted and thirsty after the kayaking. They needed the toilet badly but were told to look for a 1cm ant, find all the colours of a rainbow, solve some riddles, etc, but a toilet! After that, they headed for raft building. When I left for the Dairy Farm, I saw them carrying the canoes back. The camp really roughed them up quite a bit. Poor things!

When I finally arrived at the Dairy Farm, I was told that one of my students was not feeling well. That got both Miss Lee and I worried. Fortunately, she was alright. *Phew*



Finally, it was the Camp Fire!!! 3/3 put up a good performance. I tried to take a video of their performance, but it was too dark. The video and photos at the camp fire didn't turn out well. *Sigh* The camp fire ended at about 11pm. The teachers were really exhausted. My clothes and hair were wet (from the rain), I was sticky, smelly and tired. At the end of the event, all I longed for was a real good bath and to hit the sack asap which I did eventually at 12.30am!

On the whole, I think the students had a whale of a time at the camp. I hope that through this camp, the students managed to know their classmates a little better. Though I do not expect the class to be miraculously united or bonded by the end of the camp, at least this is a good start!

3/3, feel free to download the camp photos... Enjoy the slideshow!
Dearest 4B,

Just to clarify some speculations that are going round in class right now... I am NOT pregnant! So stop asking other teachers whether Mrs Koh is pregnant! I guess I just didn't look flattering in the school magazine photo and I probably have put on some weight over the holidays too!

Well, I don't blame you. My ex-students who visited AMK website also thought that I was pregnant. I guess it's time to cut down on my Ruffles and Lays Potato Chips. *Sigh* = (

So my dear 4B, don't worry. If I'm pregnant, I'll let you all know. Thanks for your concern though.. hahaha
It's a very bad start today in school.

First, I was informed that half my class was missing during SSRP yesterday as all 19 of them went to the toilet at the same time. Next, I had to deal with two disciplinary cases. Then, I was late for Contact Time (Staff Meeting) as I had to deal with one of the disciplinary cases and missed out quite a bit of the meeting. I'm just so glad that it's all over now.

My class will be heading to the Dairy Farm tomorrow morning for their Sec 3 Adventure Camp. Hope they will have a whale of a time there and most importantly... BE SAFE! Praying much for all of you 3/3!

The Grand Canyon

Just over the weekend, my husband suggested that we should think about visiting the Grand Canyon this December. We actually planned to go last June for our honeymoon. But due to time constraint, we had to give it up. I thought we will never get a chance to visit the Grand Canyon again... but... Yippeeeeee! We are going end of the year!!!! Yeah... it's still a long way to go. But we are both really excited about the trip already! We went to the library and grabbed quite a few travel guides on USA and started our research... or rather, to be more exact, 'his' research.

Oh well.. he says I'm lazy. I guess to quite a large extent, that's true. But honestly, I'm just clueless. I'm always very impressed by how good he is at planning trips. He will know which page to flip to in the travel guides to get the necessary information and all the interesting websites on the Internet.

Last night, he tried to get me started by searching for cheap flights and car rentals. That was nothing as compared to what my husband is doing, but at least I got started!

I will update more when we have more concrete plans for my dream trip!