All decked out in the operating robe, I was a bundle of nerves last Friday evening – the day of my Lasik Surgery!

I have never been so frightened in my life before. It didn't help very much when the operating theatre was freezing cold. As I lay on the operating chair with the machine hovering very closely over my face, I almost wanted to call it quits. But oh well, vanity of all vanities! I braced myself up and told myself that it would be over very soon.

The smell of the antiseptic in the operating theatre was choking (probably because I was so petrified that I couldn't breathe!). Though the doctor was very reassuring throughout the surgery, it was still a nerve wrecking moment for me. It reminded me of the movie "Awake". I could hear every single conversation that was going on in the operating theatre and all the clanking of the operating tools around me. The only difference was that I was not under any form of anesthesia, except for a few drops of numbing eyedrops. I was WIDE AWAKE. How I wish I could be put to sleep during the surgery!

Very soon, the machine started to drone in the background and I was all set for the surgery. The whole process only took about 10 minutes, but it was the most agonizing 10 minutes of my life!

It was a horrendous experience which I will never want to remember or relive. So, pardon me for not being explicit about the traumatising operation and I shall spare my readers of the gruesome details just in case you are considering Lasik in the near future too. (Disclaimer: Perhaps I have a lower threshold for pain, so you might want to take this with a pinch of salt… haha)

The surgery went pretty well. I'm still recovering from the surgery, so no straining of the eyes for now. I will update my blog again when my vision gets better!

Blurring out….

Time is not on my side! I need to run on a day with 36 hours. All the afternoons are spent conducting Oral Exams this week. I will have a mountain of backlog to clear next week because grading of assignments has almost come to a standstill.

I fret because …

1) I'm on a guilt trip. (I don't have time to fomulate a thought, much less a blog post. A thousand apologies to all avid readers of my blog.)

2) I would be yanked out of snooze land abruptly every morning and feel totally worn out.

3) I've been eating chocolates to make me sugar high so that I can function effectively (there goes my "stay-healthy" diet!)

Watching an ant moves languidly across my desk makes me yearn to swap identities with it now. Ha... what a morbid thought!

Do you get the pun?
Ouch! Truth hurts!

A few of my students went to New York for a Band Conference during the March Holidays and came back with presents for me. It's heart-warming to know that they actually thought of me amidst all the fun they had. That is special.

Some of them were really adorable. They came up to me and watched my expression closely to see if I would cry. Well, I didn't but I promised that I would blog about them.

It's not that I have a heart of stone. I do appreciate their thoughtful gestures very much. I would tuck it carefully in a corner of my heart and relish these moments every now and then.

Personally, I think this is one of the significant moments for a teacher. The MOE often promotes teaching as a rewarding career. I do not deny that. However, the rewards do not come instantaneously. Sometimes, it takes years for students to understand your intentions and appreciate your chastisements. Sometimes, they never come to that realisation at all.

Nonetheless, as I focus my thoughts on appreciative students like these, I'm revitalised once again. Undeniably, teachers need to be given a pat on their shoulder occasionally. The cost or the types of gifts are immaterial. It is the thought that counts. A little "Thank-you" note works wonders too.

I must admit that monetary rewards from the Ministry do uplift a teacher's spirit to a certain extent because it serves as a form of recognition for the teachers' hard work. However, the joy that students bring to the teachers is immense and infinite. That, to me, already makes teaching a rewarding career.

Thank you Han Xuan, Ling Hui and Wai Yen for your gifts! (Disclaimer: This is in no order of merit! I just went by alphabetical order of your names.)

Here's a little note for all 3 of you!


Thanks Han Xuan for your "Dream Catcher". It's hanging on the blinds in my bedroom now. All thanks to your charm, I've been sleeping extremely well since I hung it up on Monday!


The chocolates are so prettily wrapped that I can't bear to eat them!! I will definitely savour them slowly. Thanks Ling Hui!


Dear Wai Yen, the quote on the bookmark is very meaningful. I love it! Thanks for the Godiva chocolates too! They are very yummy. = )
It was a terrific trip. We managed to catch up on our badly needed rest over the 4 days in Bangkok. We had great food, mind-blowing shopping sprees and not to mention the thai massages! We stayed in a cozy little hotel, strategically located at Saladeng. The location was excellent as the BTS and MRT were a stone's throw away from the hotel.

Each time I visit Bangkok, I'm always impressed by how tourist-friendly the country is. The transportation system makes most part of the city accessible. The only complaint I have will be the traffic congestion in Bangkok. Though the taxi fares are relatively cheap, the wait in the gridlock can be frustrating.


This is our cheery little hotel room. I absolutely love this hotel for their clever use of colours in the rooms!


Our first makan stop at MBK food court. I've been craving for good Pad thai and the pig's trotters! The fats was simply yummilicious!


This is one Chinese eatery you should never underestimate! We chanced upon this restaurant during our last visit and fell head over heels in love with their beef noodles and xiao long bao! We liked the food so much that we went back again for our last meal before we left Bankgkok.


Calling out to all girls out there! This is THE place to shop!! They have a wide variety of fashion wear, accessories, bags and shoes! More importantly, it's air-conditioned with wide walking aisles. Everything there was amazingly CHEAP too!! 200 baht (less than SDG10) for a pretty dress!! Chaktuchak market? I can give that a miss!


My first time taking a public bus in Bangkok. It was quite an experience!


We knew we went to the right Thai restaurant when we saw more locals than expats dinning there. The food was authentic and palatable!

Our holiday finally came to an end last Sunday with the nauseating thought of returning to work the following day at the back of my mind. But hey, on a more positive note, there's no free lunches in this world. Without work, there won't be any more extravagant holidays. So, I shall work harder and look forward to my next holiday in June!

Alright folks, I will be away from 13 March - 16 March for a short holiday! Will update my blog when I'm back! Tata!

*What it should have been
Sawadee krub!

Lester, thanks for enlightening me on the correct spelling! Kekeke...

Disclaimer:
This blog post ain't for the faint-hearted if you are not a foodie!! It's going to be a lengthy post, so gear yourself up!

To celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary yesterday, my husband and I went back to Chef Chan's for dinner. He had actually closed down his former restaurant at Odean Towers where we had our wedding dinner last year to open a private eatery at The Art Museum.


A Beautiful Night at The Art Museum

Now, he serves only a maximum of 7 tables. Reservations have to be made way in advanced if you intend to try his African Abalone at a whopping price of $300 / piece (what?!) and his Bird's Nest at $70 / person (at least, that's more affordable!) Ala carte menu is no longer available. He only serves set lunches/dinners which change on a weekly basis at $88++ per person now.

We expected a smaller crowd yesterday since it was a Monday and it was raining. To our surprise, the private eatery was fully booked! Well, I guess this is the trademark of Singaporeans. Where there's good food, rain or shine, trust the Singaporeans to be there!

His new private eatery is a stark contrast from his old restaurant which was cluttered with his antique collection from China. The décor of his new eatery is that of a fusion Chinese, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and beautiful slabs of marble as tables.

We heard much about Chef Chan's limited stock of specialty tea that he bought from his travelling. Hence, we decided to try his famous Dried Lychee Rose tea. It was really palate-cleansing.


The combination of the lychee and rose was utterly delightful.


The Melon Strips enlivened with Orange Juice was a refreshing appetizer. The citrus flavour literally took my breath away when I bit into the melon strips.


The pan-fried Brinjal with minced pork was tastefully done with fragrant condiments.


The prawns were an excellent taste of the ocean!


Wow.. I feel like I'm Empress Dowager! What do you think is inside?


The Chef Chan's famous Shark's Fins of course!!! The generous serving of shark fins, crab roe and crab meat instantly teleported me into paradise. Yata!!!


Chef Chan's famous crispy chicken was so tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. I have never liked to take the skin because of its fats. However, for Chef Chan's chicken, I had to make an exception because it was so finger-licking good! Boon Tong Kee Chicken? Wee Nam Kee Chicken? Nah…. No fight man!!


This simple steam fish was a winner! The garlic and ginger added just the right amount of flavour to the fish.


My favourite dessert! Xue-Er with red dates and papaya!!

If I have to rank the dishes, here's how I will rank them.
1) Melon Strips with Orange Juice, Shark's Fins & Crispy Chicken
2) Prawns & Fish
3) Pan-fried Brinjal & Dessert


Chef Chan

One other thing which impressed me last night was Chef Chan himself. As a celebrity chef, there's no airs about him. He even came out of the kitchen to serve us when his waitresses were too busy. At the end of the dinner, he was there at the door to greet us too. Up till now, I can still remember how hospitable and affable he was when we had to discuss about our wedding dinner menu with him last year. Though he was busy with the journalists and reporters when we were there, he didn't simply leave it to his manager to finalise the details with us. He bothered to take time to talk to us and assure us personally. What a humble person he is!

Wait a minute! Just in case my husband thinks that I'm a heartless wife who will forget all about him at the sight of food, here's a little note to my dearest husband.

Dear, you have been a pillar of support all these while. I'm really sorry for all the times which I have driven you up the wall. I truly appreciate all the things you have done for me and how you have painstakingly tried to nurture our marriage. I'm looking forward to many more blissful years ahead with you. Finally, I'm glad that I met you. Love you much always.

Happy One Year Anniversary!
The Choir Camp ended on a high note last Sunday night. Many parents attended the Parents Appreciation Concert. Here are some snapshots of the Grand Finale!


The Parents Appreciation Concert.


Wow! Full house!!


The Choir Skit - It was totally hilarious, all of us laughed till our sides hurt! Some of the choir members could really act. Think the Oscar award should go to Arifin and Samuel. = )


Our Choir President, Li Yu giving her farewell speech.


A tearful farewell for the Sec 4s.


AMKSS Choir, You Rock!!!
I had to stay over in school last night for the Choir Camp. The school was really quite different at night. The staffroom became unusually quiet. Cockroaches became my companions in the stillness of the night. They sounded as if they were starving and were calling out to me desperately.

At a quarter to 12 midnight, the Choir was still bursting with energy. I couldn't help but respond in wonderment and awe at their inexhaustible energy. By 2a.m, there was a throbbing pain in my head, nudging me to enter snooze land quickly.

It was a somewhat daunting experience, especially when I had to sleep alone in the staff room, with silly thoughts of Mas Selamat joining us for the camp in the wee hours of the night at the slightest sound I heard. Well, there was an old security guard on duty overnight. However, it didn't help very much to see him fast asleep at the guard post, oblivious to my presence when I did my patrolling at night.

Nonetheless, apart from all the discomforts of camp, I think it's all worth it to see the students enjoying themselves and forging a stronger bond with one another.

Singapore's version of the very popular Prison Break = )
My husband and I happened to catch a television programme which recommended mango desserts during the week. A few places that are famously known for their mango desserts, mango puffs, mango cakes and mango muffins were featured. We wasted no time in taking down all their addresses so that we could try something new this weekend.

Though I have a sweet tooth, muffins have never ranked very high on my “To-Eat” list until I tried these this morning. They were really light and fluffy. Ooooohhh….I have never tasted such delicious muffins!! We are definitely going to go back there again to try the other flavours.

Their mango puffs and durian puffs are something to die for too! Sorry, no pictures for the puffs. The puffs simply looked too yummy and before I knew it, we have polished them off. Well, I couldn't help it. The glutton “demon” must have possessed me at that instant!


From top left: Banana Walnut (x2), Cheese
From bottom left: Orange peel & cream, Blueberry & Cheese, Peach


Look at the generous filling!!

Here's the address
Beccarino Cakes & Pastries
Blk 1, Tanjong Pagar Plaza, #01-56
Opening hours: 8a.m - 6.30p.m
Close on Sundays & Public Holidays
Patrick, Min & Serene

A good friend of mine and his wife (Patrick & Serene) came back to Singapore recently and yesterday, I invited them over to our home for dinner. Though Min could only join us later in the night, we had a whale of a time catching up with one another till 12 midnight!

It was really good to see him again after such a long time. He migrated to Australia two and a half years ago and ever since then, we have only kept in contact through MSN and updated each other with our holiday pictures via email. Nonetheless, it can never be compared to having him with us personally.

We had a wonderful time reminiscing about the misadventures we had when we went to Bangkok several years ago with some friends and updating one another about the happenings in our lives.

However, all good things have to come to an end somehow. He will be returning to Adelaide soon. *Sob, sob*

Take care Patrick and Serene! I'm sure we will meet up again. In Melbourne perhaps? = )