the_xcatastroph

And you know what? As flighty as I am, I have moved back to: http://the-xcatastrophe.blogspot.com :D :D find me there!

1 week is all it takes for someone to adapt to a new environment, and that someone, you could have guessed, is me. Amazing much?

This week has been tiring, I have been sleeping so early every night and waking up at a time where almost all of you are still sleeping comfortably in your nests because I have to be in school by 715am :0 And I used to find it a chore to wake up in the morning even when I was schooling as a student. But now it's turning into a habit? I don't know... but seems like I have got no choice now, do I? :0

Hahaha anyway, today was good 'bonding' session with the class during the Library period :) :)
Remember the Safari theme reading corner I was talking about the other time? I got them to help me draw out the animals that they are interested to draw!!!!! AND THEY ARE A TALENTED BUNCH OF ARTISTS!!!!!!!!! Seriously, you look at their drawings and you would not be able to tell that they are Primary 4 kids! So I have brought all their art pieces home and I'm going to help them do their outlines and fill in the colours since I have nothing better to do at home nowadays :/ As well as to... start planning for English lesson on Monday on fossils and dinosaurs.

& 3rd Chingay Training tomorrow morning :@

I went to school this morning, only to realise that I am supposed to relief a P6 Courage class for Social Studies, for the first 2 periods after Assembly :0 :0 And I haven't been in touch with Social Studies in the longest time...

Then it was English lesson with 4 Honesty and someone came to me with a blue bag of I-don't-know-what-was-inside, asked me to put my hand inside. So I did after those kids keep assuring me that it's nothing scary inside, a non-living thing. And when I picked it out, I realised it was a bag full of colourful stars -- and it was those shiny ones. Awwwww.

Tomorrow's a Friday and I am down with a flu :(
I need to sleep.

I was just thinking about what title I could come up with for my post when I remembered I have to draw animals using the templates I have photocopied from an Art book. Yeah... so now I am being put in charge by my Teaching Supervisor, Mdm Siti Aishah for doing up the class 4 Honesty's safari corner :0

And Contact time (meeting) wasn't as what I have expected, not like those board room meetings you could have imagined. Tomorrow will be a crammed day with loadsa lessons going on; and you know what? I like having to go to class and see those kids (: Perhaps teaching satisfaction actually comes from them? ;)

HAHAHA guess what? I am typing this from a computer lab in school :D
My art lesson starts at 1230pm here with the P6 kids and Juliana's finding pictures to print for Safari theme. School's ending in approx. an hour's time. Hmmmm, today started off really IT savvy -- have to help those kids open up their powerpoint slides/files from their thumbdrives. These kids here are really dynamic and polite; they help me open their door when they see me patiently waiting for the rest. Then there was someone who said Hello to me (even though I didn't see him/her) :( I am sorry, I didn't mean it :(

There was Modular CCA just now; the kids were drawing robot cartoons and letting their creative brain juices flow. They will be starting to paint their designs on the plain shirts from next week onwards ;) I am starting to get used to the classroom noise -- it beats being in a quiet classroom.

How could I not blog on the first day of a new month? When everything seems and feels new to me... when I am not used to even being called Ms. Goh, or teacher, or stepping into the Principal's office and talking so comfortably with her.

First day of school experience was alright, not too bad as expected. Just that I was almost late today when majority of the students are getting ready for their Assembly. WHICH WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF TODAY. It's been so long since I have heard so many young lovely voices blending in unison... and boy, must I say it was truly beautiful. The national anthem, and especially Elias Park Primary's school song. So cheery, sprightly and it totally brightened up my morning. Ever since I stepped into JC, the voices of one became softer and almost inaudible... besides singing in a Choir, that's a different thing altogether. But it feels really good to sing with the kids, they sang so loudly, it was as though they are all so proud of their school song and their voices.

& something I never knew about I thought I would like to share as well... Do you know an apple is a symbol of a new teacher starting his/her career? It's like strawberries and chocolates are suitable for Valentines' Day -- it has the same analogy. Michelle told me that :) And then it was because when we went into the staff room today to our assigned tables, we saw 3 reddish pink apples with a blue WELCOME TO THE ELIASIAN FAMILY sign (: Hahaha, told you apples signify something. Not like the old adage goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Ironic ttm!

I'm going for more observation lessons this week, with my Teaching Supervisors. And probably start co-teaching next week. And I'm kinda taking P4 kids for English & Art. OH AND THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT ELIAS PARK PRI!!!! You know it's like you are walking in a museum of Singapore's historical past because of EPPS's vibrant culture for National Education. Omg, I almost couldn't believe it and there's so many artefacts, how cable cars used to look like in the past. It feels as though I am walking down a historical alley...

There are so many things that happened today that are still in my head. And I have already got 3 long paragraphs. But there was this message from Crystalbelle that Jennifer wanted her to relay and it goes like this; Hey. Jennifer so so MISS you. She ask me to message you. She ask if teaching is fun? Are you enjoying teaching and the noise?
Hahaha, I swear my heart was smiling. It's so heartwarming a message ;) and there's Annette, Cherylette and RJ who sent me those encouraging texts too. Thank you (:

And there's Modular CCA for 2 hours tomorrow within curriculum time. Its something like an elective CCA in case you are wondering. Guess what will I be doing??? Because I am attached to an Art teacher, I may be doing some Cartooning and T-shirt painting! :D :D Oh and there's so many interesting CCAs currently introduced into primary schools now, like Cheerleading and the aforementioned. The next few days will be fun I suppose? :)

P.S To my ex-colleagues and friends who are working at TOPPAN now, you guys must have just finished working overtime, have a good rest :) And I miss you all! I think only one of you will read this :P

I like the way how autumn is spelt and how concerto sounds when you read it aloud. Hahahaha but what I am driving at is that I am currently watching an awesome taiwanese drama - Autumn's Concerto (: which have glued me to the screen ever since the first minute I have started watching it. Amazing much? :D :D But the downside is, it has a sad ending :(

Anyway, tomorrow's my 1st day at Elias Park Primary School. I'm having mixed feelings; both anticipation and anxiety. And I have a TAP 'journal' to write out my weekly reflections, as required by MOE. But if time permits and everything's fresh in my head, I will update about it here. How does that sound? (:

Can't believe it's a new start of a new month tomorrow. Monday. 1st of February, new job, new environment, new faces. I don't know how February is going to treat me. Anyhow, bring it on :)

You know what? I'm upset because last night was the last night I'll ever get to see them. But I am trying to move on from this whole tear-jerking affair... after feeling kinda attached to this boring job. (yes you have heard it, attached)

1. I'll miss scanning in and out of Solutions Dept (insane and dumb of me to say this, but you get the idea.)
2. I'll miss our lunch breaks together and the food there at Ubi.
3. I'll miss the smell of the air con; and my sweater still has that smell
4. I'll miss Jennifer and her random dosage of small talks which never fails to make me break out into random bouts of laughter in the midst of pure boredom during work
5. I'll miss Crystalbelle & Eunice for being such awesome friends and colleagues all this while, for making work such a memorable experience for me.
6. I'll miss Wei Chuen and Siew Hwa, my 2 team leaders, for being such entertaining people and lifting up our moods with their Malaysian accent -- so distinctive, I will never be able to forget.
7. I'll miss the CEPAS system for always having to make me reject cards and not hitting a nice target of 2000 cards per day (my best target), and thus not giving me a peace of mind.

I'll miss all the people in TOPPAN for having played a wonderful role in my life, each and every one of you. Thank you (:

Hahaha, 2 words that still sound foreign to me... Overtime and colleagues. Both work-related words.

So today was my last second day @ work -- and in less than 24 hours' time, I will be bidding farewell to all of them ): I don't like the feeling of saying goodbye, nor feeling this sudden, empty sense of reluctance that I don't particularly like. Our hearts recognise familiarity, don't they? The idea of moving onto another aspect of life, in my case, my attachment in Feb (which officially starts next Monday) doesn't seem to excite me, like how it was supposed to be. Maybe because I am leaving this job and that I have already grown attached to (slowly but surely) somehow. And now it's like a right smack on my face, how reality usually hits, that I am leaving in a day's time.

I know that I'll never be able to work with such people anymore in my life, that I am sure. How light-hearted our jobs were, though processing cards is boringzxzxz I must agree, how we eagerly yearn to reach our targets before we called it a day, how we experienced different bus routes within eunos and kembangan and doing stupidly funny things that I can't help laughing at myself either. Today and tomorrow, I'm working overtime. HAHA. And it's quite a pity I wouldn't be able to work overtime with the rest of them from next week onwards. And... instead, I am reporting to school, and this time round, so much earlier. 07 10 hours? D: I pray wish hope I WILL NOT BE LATE.

Back to topic: I WILL MISS WORKING WITH THE PEOPLE IN TOPPAN SECURITY PRINTING PTE LTD SOLUTIONS DEPT. That's the bottom line.

Because I don't know how to love -- FT Island (:


I'm in ♥ ♥ ♥ with their songs! :D :D :D

So I was so tired I yawned like nobody's business before and after lunch in the midst of processing cards. HAHA. Put away the boredom, work's fine... and there are 3 days left for me to fully embrace the monotony of having an admin/operating job. I think I am going to miss Crystalbelle & Eunice especially for their wonderful and lovely company for the past 3 weeks :(

Gotta sleep early tonight!!!! Nightz :D