Xie Xie Ni Men

As I get “younger and younger”… I don’t really feel like wanting to have a grand bdae celebration but just a simple meal with my friends will be great. But most of all is the smses/calls made by my friends to send their greeting… is AWESOME to know my friends still remember my birthday.

(ps: if you are reading this blog and you realized you haven’t send your greeting yet… is not too late cause Yanni’s birthday celebration is one month so flood in your smses/calls. Haha!)

Shall I propose a toast to my beloved kakis!
Thanks guys for everything… for your time & for your money! I’m shocked to receive 2 presents from you guys… hope you all didn’t spent much on me. Really appreciate and will surely answer your prayers soon by “wearing” the blessing real soon. =)

Shall I also propose a toast to my great ZS Joli!
Thank you for the most-filing lunch at Jack’s Place! Will also make sure I “wear” your blessings too! =)

Another toast to my cell group JM1 & JM2!
Thank you for the blessing! Truly now I will WATCH and pray! =)

My beloved w5!
Thank you for the little presents & also the self-service to celebrate my bdae on bus. I’m shocked when my students took out the cake and shouted 1 2 3 and got everyone to sing together. Cause all along is we teachers who do it but that day, I was left doing busing alone so I cant possible sing to myself, wasn’t prepare to do it also. But think my helper “rehearse” with them beforehand.

My helper Xiaoying!
Thank you for the cake! That realllllly surprised me cause didn’t expect anything on bus so all that really shocked me.

My always-generous Yanjie!
Thank you for blessing me with the 2 books! Will read and write you a book preview? Haha… just kidding! Not forgetting the $xxx voucher… is more than enough!

Shihui & Yajing!
Thanks for taking out your time to come for the dinner at GlassHouse! Be blessed as you blessed!

Sis Iris & Chris!
Your presence really made a difference! Thanks for coming despite the late hour!

surprise-less BDAE adventure...

On my actual bdae, I met up with my kakis at GlassHouse for dinner.
My “surprises revealed adventure” started when KN asked me what time SH is coming. I was shocked… you mean SH is coming?! Then when I turned to look at JZ and SM, there was a unnatural look on their face like “oh no! surprise burst!”. =p

Just when I was told that not many will turn up for my birthday dinner by JZ… from the staff at GlassHouse, I overheard that actually our seats has been reserved beforehand and from not many will turn up for dinner, I heard the staff telling SM, “Ok, table for 10 right.” Hahaha… I thought not many will turn up for dinner.

As we were waiting for the rest, I received a sms from CQ that she will be late for dinner. Wowow, I wasn’t told that CQ is coming, was only told that SH came on behalf of all. Just when SH reached, she told me about YJ who is on her way and I was again shocked that “YJ is coming too!”. When I told JZ about CQ and YJ, he got a ...... look! muahahaha!
Other than them, I also happened to know other (YJ & YY) who also being invited but couldnt make it. Think all this, the "organiser/s" for my bdae meant it to be a surprise for me. Heehee! =)

The dinner went off well… except for an embarrassing moment where I am being sabo, not by my own kakis but by the staff of Fish & Co. as I failed to accomplish their task to blow off my candles on my cake on the table while standing on the chair without bending my body/head. I was asked to dance! When I failed to do it, I was asked to “invite” someone from other table to dance with and it must be a guy. It was really a moment of embarrassment… (hello! I am 22 years young! not keen on all this already). I rather be splashed with flour or water or powder! =)

The night was completed when Sis Iris and Chris came after their cell group meeting. Though only fellowship for a while but was a fruitful time. Was kandong that Sis Iris and Chris took the extra mile and came met me up despite of the late hour.

My “surprise-less adventure” didn’t end just like that… on Sunday before service, JL turned to me:
JL: Why you didn’t wear your skirt and jacket today?
Me: Huh?! What jacket?
JL: They (kakis) brought you a jacket right?
Me: Hmmm… don’t have. Just a shirt ar!
JL: Oh… they got buy you a jacket also
Me: Hmmm… don’t have lehz
JL: Maybe later they will give you
Me: Oh.. … … … OK!

Hahahah… a meant-to-be surprise from my kakis to give me my 2nd present was again revealed so when my kakis passed me the present, before I even open it, I already knew it was a jacket.

Still I want to thank ALL for making my birthday a interesting, great & memorable one!

pArT 2...

What made all my tiredness on Sunday all worth it? =)

After sending all students back, I was at West Mall with my JAMs friends. We saw this big crowd queuing to get free bottled coke so we decided to join them too… so interesting.

While Miss Tang & I was queuing, Mr Sia & Mr Cher went to “check out” this boy who was with his father as he looked like special student as Mr Cher already spotted him before we arrive. After we’re done with our freebies, we went over to join them and soon, approached the father & the son. Right! This boy used to study in a Special School and the rejoicing part for me is… they stayed at Bukit Batok! (Hahaha… the area I’m incharge). Just when I was talking to the father & son with the teachers around me… Miss Tang spotted another girl who looked special too. When I got hold of the particulars of the first contact we saw, I went over to approach the girl who was with her mum with Miss Tang… Right again! She is currently studying in a Special School and they stayed Bukit Batok too!!!!

Amazing right?! =) Praise God! Praise God! Just in like 10minutes… we met 2 contacts! And these 2 contacts are actually very potential & have given their word to come. Best of all is that their parents are actually very opened. The girl’s mum actually was so “quick” that on the spot she confirms her daughter’s attendance for the following JAMs service with me. When I asked for her number for the first time, she was like “no need lahz! Want come now say already… no need so troublesome! Will let her come one!” And I was like “wowowowow!”

Thus I ended my day with great JOY & not the “presents of tiredness” from Miss W & Mr B. =)

so "happening"

Sat JAMs- special appearance by Mr Sato who came with great expectancy as he can only come once a month. Without any obstacles, he freely made his way to the sound system and sat down on the floor. Overall he was ok, just that at times he will: attempt to bend his tape, stand up and jump for no reason, give painful massage on female teachers’ hands & suddenly shout to give you a heart attack.
One rather funny incident I remembered was Mr Sato knocked on a teacher while trying to stand up (just imagine his size! a gentle knock from him made a BIG difference), 2 male teachers came and like trying to “grab” and stopped him, then our half-Japanese boy shouted “Help! Help!” in Chinese. And throughout whenever he did something wrong like making a chip on the headset peeled off, he will just gave us a cheeky & innocent smile which made it hard for us to scold him.

Sun JAMs- “drained” is the word I’ll used to describe after that particular day of serving.
Miss W- due to her past few months’ behavior and attitude, she has been named “Ah Lian”.

Actions that she is famous of:
. freely come in/freely go out of the hall
. if she is outside, she walk/squat freely whenever she want at the lift lobby
. if she is in the hall, she will sit at her secret corner and munch her tibits
. walk like a supervisor to the stage area and look for food and if there is food, she will freely grabbed and walk to her corner to eat
. if we stop her from taking the food, she will lie on the floor to show you her ‘power’
. if she is being spotted/stopped she will freely shout
. open teachers’ and friends’ bags freely
. grabbed people’s food to eat (warning! she is quick, very quick!)
. (WORSE OF ALL) don’t know is it she is too hungry… her habit/lifestyle/hobby is to EAT. So bad to the extent that food on the floor or even in the dustbin, she will pick it up and eat. (trust me! I am not exaggerating)

That particular Sunday, she is like Queen of the Queens… as usual she didn’t want to go in to the hall and she happily squat at the lift lobby and don’t know from where, she was “served” with sweet and cake which I STRONGLY am not happy cause it will only made her think that “is good to stay outside of the hall cause I will be provided with food”. And when finally she decided to go in, she went around to open 2 teachers’ bag to take their sweet and bread to eat then when she was asked to sit on the chair, she decided to greet the people around them by pushing/beating. Not only that, on the bus back home, she beat hardly on the head/pull the hairs of the friendS sitting infront.

Seriously I really don’t know what to do with her… she is really getting out of control. Soft & hard approach just doesn’t seem to work. Her ‘addiction’ for food is really so bad that sometime I wonder her purpose of coming to church. We tried using food as reinforcement but no use cause she is not able to understand that she will get her reward of food only if she is good. She want food means she want food NOW and if we give it to her, once she finish eating she will forget all that she promised us and start her “business” again.

Mr B- famous of grabbing (realllllly grab) male teachers’ hands real tightly. That particular Sunday he was extra full of strength… he grabbed a male zone helper at the lift lobby, our service guitarist & our security head. Once he grabbed, is very difficult to ask him to let go… most of the time when he grabbed… I was/got to be there to pull him away so physically is really very tiring.

Throughout the service, I think my time was spent with Miss W & Mr B… on one side of the hall, I need to watch Miss W as she kept opening teachers’ bag and disturbing her friend & on the other side, I need to grab Mr B back to his seat as he kept walking toward the stage. The workers on Sunday JAMs is really not many… that’s why I got to self-service! So bad that when Mr B is in the toilet taking his own sweet time, I just felt like dashing in to get him out or even bringing a big boy like him to female toilet cause there wasn’t any male teacher around who I can asked to help.

So at the end of the day, during returning trip when Miss W is asleep (FINALLY!) and Mr B who usually ok on bus… I just sat on the chair, too tired to move or talk. “SURRENDER” was written on my forehead… physically surrender to Mr B & mentally surrender to Miss W. =(

*to be continued… testimony!*
(what made all the day’s tiredness worth it)

tiring~~~~~

Last week had been a longgggggg & tiring week. In just one week, I got to help out in the walkabout for 2 days (cause my school’s “big boss” is one of the Candidate for Election 2006).

1^st day- togther with other volunteers, I went around to 4 HDB flats, going to every single floor to knock on nearly every single house. In a block, there can be like 4 stairs-linkway so we got to take lift up to the highest then one floor one floor go down then again took lift up to the highest floor and take the 2nd linkway down and again and again again! It was still fun when I walked down the stairs of the first block but when it come to third block, could feel the tiredness of the feet already. And the most tiring part is after walking for non-stop for like 3hours, I still got to head back to school to teach for 4hours. Toward the last few hours, basically is like… Teacher Yanni: “Children, do something to self entertain yourself k.”

2^nd day- last minute was called to help distribute flyers to terrace houses. Was at the branch waiting for the flyers to come from 2pm then was told there was a delay and flyers will only come at 430pm. Shortly after, was again told that printing machine jam so flyers will only come at 630pm. *flipped*
Was back again at 630pm… waited and waited to like 7pm then the flyers came. Off we go in groups to different areas of terrace houses we are assigned to. “Bark! Bark!” was the welcome lines we received whenever we reach a terrance house. We were extra cautious cause we 're told there was a lady who was injured that morning while "throwing" the flyer over the gate as the dog jumped up and bite her finger.

That particular week also wasn’t a good week for me in school… children extra “active” and extra “not obedient”. In this one particular active class (where almost ALL children are active)… I actually lost my cool (somehow it do made a difference in keeping them quiet but only for like 10mins before they are back to square one). After the incident, I do felt bad about it. The next day feel like I went to school with a “heavy heart & heavy legs”. Really got to pray for greater patience and love towards the children in school… especially towards this particular class of children.