Good Bye Mr Ang

Yesterday was 23rd July, which marked my one year anniversary at evergreen. Incidentally it was also my first day at NIE starting my orientation to a new phase of life as a student.

My last neighbour at evergreen: Rasilah. Before her, there was aaron and pang. Gosh, i've been there so long to have 3 different people come and go. Okay my table was filled with stuff and even though i cleared lotsa stuff already i still had lots to bring back on the last day.
The nice big-vanguard card prepared by 3 care. Im so touched. Its cover is emblazoned with the same four words as the title of this post.

I never thought i would say this but I really do miss some of the people at evergreen. And on the train to NIE yesterday as we went past admiralty there was a tinge of sadness in me. Not regret, because I know that I have did to the best of my ability during my time at evg. It felt great to be loved by the kids and fellow colleagues and their words, cards and gifts have really encouraged me deeply.

Just thought I would do a time-line thing to reminisce my time at evg.

July:
As i got my posting, I really had no idea where evg was or that it even existed! Turns out that it is in woodlands and many of the colleagues actually reside in yishun as well. Went to me P and VP before i started and found out I only have to teach PE.. Taking over this guy called Sakthi who was very popular in the school. On the 23rd, Me farhanah and Nisha were officially introduced to the school and started teaching. I shadowed alfiyan for 3 days and began.

It wasnt easy as i had to get used to a new place and new teaching methods and subjects.

August:

National Day highlights and we had to be involved with maths telematch and evg idol.

The infamous teacher's day dinner where i got 3rd in best dressed but had to strip for the crowd. Haiz. Got teased till the last day i left evg. But it was a fun dinner and i had fun that day taking all the photos with fellow colleagues.

Sept:

Teachers' Day where i received cards and gifts.

Performed for the kids with the rest of the level with a theme of retro and we did the 60's era dancing to the beat of " That thing you do" by the wonders. Kids loved it and I specially performed on the guitar for 4 care.

Mid -Autumn Festival : The entire sabotage about voting your teacher to sing on stage with 50cents per vote got out of hand as i was voted to sing. I paid my way to get myself outta trouble but at the same time was maligned with causing another innocent person getting the unenviable vote to sing. BUT IT REALLY WASNT ME. Anyway i let that incident pass.. if the person has not forgiven me then i have nothing to say. Really.

But i had fun and brought roslyn around the school and carnival stalls. Not bad. The kids thought she was my gf. Forgive them though. haha.

October: Exams time! Did invigilation both internally and externally. My first -hand experience was quite good.

November: Post exam activities and we asked mastereign to come do a sports carnival for the graduating classes. IT was fun and they enjoyed it. We even had a teachers vs students game! To which of course we won... ;)

Dec : Holidays. Did help out in the Drama Fiesta @RP and we had quite an interesting staff retreat

Jan: Started with 40 periods. Basketball zonal competitions. Organised friendlies with other schools and setting of papers took a toll on me. I understood what "shiong" meant.

Feb : CNY celebrations.. I wore black..haha.. P was asking me in his deep husky voice: Why never wear red?! haha.. Dont care lah. CCA open house was quite a success.

March: OE camp that i was camp commandant. Glad that i fought for going out and made this camp a reality. Enjoyed the time with the PE ppl and others.

April: Swimming programme and relinquishing of time-table to alfiyan.

May: MYE and NAPFA tests. Helped Audrey in Netball

June: Staff Retreat. Rugby and Netball coaching competitions. MESRC Adventure Challenge.

July: NE Show and lots of learning journeys. Netball Zonal and Nationals Competitions.

So yup there's the time-line of my one year there. ONE SOLID YEAR. never have i been in a school teaching for such a long time!

And yeah there were nonsensical and ridiulous moments but I guess God really showed me how strong he really is as he enabled me to survive there and gained favour with colleagues and students. Thank God this one year as I believe it was not wasted coz precious lessons have been learnt and taught.

To my colleagues and students, you'll be in my thoughts! I intend to go back and visit whenever time permits!

As for now.. I've go pack up as my PESS camp will begin in like 5 hours time..

More updates after the camp..

Ya Kwang Dai Pai Dong

After the inspring sermon, my foodie week just GOT BETTER. I am so priviledged to visit the holy grail of fusion zi char ! Ya kwang; which has already had raved reviews by most foodies here.

And i wasnt disappointed at all! In fact, this proves that what all thos bloggers said were spot on!

The Menu-list at Ya Kwang; not your average zi char menu.
The vongole-clams you-mian!

Sweet flower clams with al-dente noodles. The whole sauce was full of the ocean sweetness of the clams. IT was oh-so-tasty that it was polished off within 5 mins. Certainly my favourite dish as it was on my mind for so many months already. Im a clam-lover!
The teriyaki beef ribeye steak: Ribeye had good proportion of fat and meat. Was well grilled and had nice sweet caramelized onions with teriyaki sauce on it. Shiok! For 20bucks, it was quite value-for-money.


Penang fried kway-tiao: Dont let its plain looks fool you! It may looks white but the kway tiao was well fried with some charred taste which was really good, displaying wok-hei. And there was ingredients aplenty. Every scoop had a chockful of lap-cheong, prawns, egg and fish cake.The kway-chap: The staple dish at ya kwang, its really well done with the trotter meat standing out. Also present were the salted vegetables, intestines, beancurd, tau-pok and eggs.

All in all, Ya kwang definitely warrants future visits! and the next visit I will try out the Boston Lobster noodles and kurobuta + Wagyu set!! Im salivating liao..

Fathers

Today i visited a friend's church and had a really encouraging and inspiring sermon from this person called Jason Wong.

He's currently the director of Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services Division at MCYS. He shared his heart out about how God has called him and used him in his career. I've decided to blog it down so that i can constantly remind myself about it in future.

He began as a prisons officer and initially his career choice met with some doubts by his mum and then-girlfriend. However, as he prayed, God showed him clearly that his call is be in the prisons as God revealed a vision to him that said " trash of society". So he obeyed God and availed himself to his service and joined the Prisons.

As a scholar, he rose the ranks quickly and in 2001, he was no. 3 in the prisons as AD(Ops) and one day God spoke to him; asking him to wash the feet of the prisoners. He was initially adamant as it was quite tough for him and he brushed it aside. Then in 2006, he was DD prisons (no.2) and his subordinate actually told him about the chapel service and wanted to bring him a pail and water. That was a sign from God that he had to wash the feet of the prisoners.

He spoke with conviction that no social programme or counsellors can save the most hardcore of criminals (drug addicts and others) Only God can do it! Amen! So he decided to seek for confirmation and got it. He then obediently went to wash a prisoner's feet and hugged everyone of them, in a way it was a reconcillation between the officers and inmates. That passed on as the inmates felt touched by God and they even offered to wash the social volunteers' feet. Much to their surprise!

From there it passed on and the washing of feet was spread to other places because he obeyed. Then in 2004, he began the yellow ribbon project as it was all about forgiveness and 2nd chances. Just like how God forgave mankind and gave us a 2nd chance. Wow!~ this really hit me man. What a man can do for God in such a powerful position.

Subsequently, he left prisons for MCYS as director of Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services Division. There he is in charge of all the boys and girls home, juvenile deliquency and pregnancy. Beyond parental control cases. He realised so many children were abused by their parents(mostly fathers) and at this point he wept.. he was really desperate to save those children. At that point, it really struck a chord with me and tears welled up my eyes as i really know of kids that are suffering from abusive fathers or absent fathers.

He went on a trip to God's HQ at israel and there God spoke to him to claim Singapore's destiny as the children here need to fulfill their destiny and not be hindered. Then, he wanted to quit his job and go full-time into ministry and his subordinate scolded him saying: Sir cannot! Coz God has given you the legal key. You must use your position to influence for the greater good.

So he stayed on and God gave him a verse that was to help him pilot a project.

Malachi 4:5-6 : See, I will send to you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.

He knew what God's heartbeat is about; FATHERS have to play the central role in the family. Because God meant for fathers to be the head of the household. Both parents have to play their roles. But because some fathers are either too busy or cant be bothered. or are in prison or addicted to some vices. This has lead to children not fulfilling their destiny because they do not have the proper guidance.

So he referred to Nehemiah when he wanted to rebuild Jerusalem's walls, he went straight to the king and queen. Which by protocol is incorrect. But Mr Wong did exactly that and wrote an email to the minister requesting to see him. In his email he stated his heartfelt thoughts about the state of families in S'pore and wanted to pilot this project to save the families here.

Minister had a 45 minute breakfast with him and agreed to the project! God really works for those who love him! How awesome man! Think minister is also a christian..

So he is gonna set up this father's project to involve fathers more in the kids' lives by having fathers groups in schools as most PSGs consist mainly of women. Then he also suggested having more parenting courses for dads. After which he showed a video of kids from st hilda's primary asking them what they think of their dads and what they want or dont want their dad to do.

Mostly viewed their dads as their hero and wanted their dad to spend more time with the family. The wishes of these kids are actually very simple and its really up to the fathers to do it!
Wow.. awesome..

This whole sermon really inspired me as he also mentioned about fathering the fatherless. As a teacher i want to father all my students, to meet their needs and be there for them as they grow up. Really an inspiring message; I so wanna save the kids! God be my helper; Amen.

Mellben Seafood

Ah, I've been on a roll lately, well at least in foodie terms. Haven been eating quite some good stuff. Today had a gathering dinner for Natalie as she's flying back to aussie-land this saturday.

So we visited Mellben as i suggested trying there coz me and Jam had already tried Uncle Leong's. Just to see if there was any real difference between this two eateries as they are said to be related. Coach should also make a trip down here to check it out..

The line-up: Chilli Crab, Crab Bee Hoon Soup, Mongolian Pork Ribs and Mantou.

Chilli Crab: Consistency of the sauce is just great. Tastes less sweet compared to uncle leong. Generous serving of the egg-white.. Flesh of crab was firm and succulent.

Winner: Unknown.Crab Bee Hoon Soup: This dish is unbelievably "oh-my-goodness" shiokness! The soup is so creamy and thick. It encompassed all the essence of the crab and was so smooth down the throat. An absolute stunner. Clear leader of the field in the crab bee hoon war.

Winner: Mellben.Natalie with the mongolian pork ribs. This ribs taste slightly pepper-ish and savoury but i cant quite distinguish it from the other ribs. The Guinness ribs at uncle leong on the other end was more aromatic and had more distinctive taste.

Winner: Uncle Leong.

Crowd-wise, Uncle Leong beats mellben hands down as there was totally no crowd there. Nat, Jam and myself thoroughly enjoyed the meal and adjourned to Island Creamery for desserts.. Crazy I know.

Oh well Since Nat is going to fly back to aussie-land, just hang out a little longer. Then had good chat with Jam as well. Take care Nat.. Cya in December!

Pasta Brava

Pasta Brava is a quaint restaurant that is housed in an old post-war shophouse. Owner Rolando Luceri hails from Italy and insists that the pasta be made his way only. That is how they have managed to maintain such high standards.

Entering the eatery, awards and plaques adorn the walls , a testament to their dedication to their pasta. The pasta here is made fresh daily by their in-house chefs.

The quality of the photos may not be good as i used my handphone camera.(Pardon me!) Ambience was great and service was truly attentive. But the star definitely has to be the food.

Stracci Ai Gamberie Capesante (Flat pieces of pasta cooked with scallops and prawns in creamy Saffron Sauce)
The pasta was truly fresh and al-dente. Saffron sauce was delightful!

Ossobucco in Cremolata (Braised Veal Shank with fettucine)

The veal shank was smothered in tomato herb-ed sauce and was braised till the meat fell off the bone with the slightest of touch from the fork. Risotto Nero Alla Sinfonia D. Nos (Seafood Risotto cooked with white wine and squid ink)

Really thick and rich sauce with the full ocean-sweetness of the seafood(scallops,prawns,clams and squid) The risotto oozed class as the white wine permeated in each grain! Viola ! This dish really did it for me! But mind you, this dish should be avoided at all costs during business lunches lest you scare off your dining partner with black teeth!

Price wise, this place is only due for visits once in a blue moon. Quite ex but still okay coz i was really craving for it. Quality of food is undoubted. Should want to visit it again with friends.

Conclusion: Authentic Italian Pasta so good that you'll never patronise pasta mania again.

Climb - Asia

Met up with jamin for a rock session at Climb- Asia.
They recently relocated to civil service club at Tessensohn Road.
Was there with Rachel as well and we found out that the gym was very well furnished with a double-storey boulder gym and they also have an indoor as well as outdoor rockwall.
Posing at the outdoor walls.. we didnt climb there as it was drizzling.

After some bouldering, our low-endurance arms couldnt take it anymore as they were rather "pumped" ! Then we went out to the indoor walls and scaled 2 walls. Saw Springfield sec there, a DSA rock-climbing school. Cool stuff seeing teenagers climbing so well. I was telling myself that this is what i want to build for for my future secondary school. Yeah Man!!

Farewell Dinner with Evergreen @Sakura Clementi

Ah, time really flies and i have come to the end of another chapter in my life. Moving on from Evg to NIE. 23rd July indeed marks a special date as it was the day i join and also the day that i leave evergreen. I've learnt alot during my time at the school enduring the nonsense as well as embracing challenges and developing bonds with my dear colleagues and friends. So it was a very nice gesture of Boss to buy us the dinner at Sakura Clementi yesterday.

Nice Group Pic with beautiful Sunset.. No wonder they call that place in clementi sunset way!
Me and Sye
Shaan..
My Towkay and Boss: HOD and Sports Sec.. Eating still busy..
Shaan is eyeing the food!Food was not bad in terms of variety, had crayfish, scallops and oysters..
Alfiyan had one too many oysters.. too much aphrodisiac caused him to talk nonsense the whole night..
Group pics with James around.

Its really been an interesting journey at Evergreen where i've really grown alot and learnt to trust God more for all the things at work. From simple things like lesson plans and execution to organising the outdoor camp I've really come to a point where I could lean on him and trust him to guide me in doing these tasks well..

TRIBUTE time: (To all the important people in my life at evergreen)

Mr Samy Lim (PE HOD) : My Boss. Ultra nice boss that was gives consent to almost everything. Sadly he's always tied-down to doing menial admin tasks for the school. Otherwise, i believe he can really bring up the PE Dept in Evergreen. Learnt alot from him about organisation, man-management and how to look at things with a macro-view.

Mr Alfiyan (Sports Sec) : My mentor. Inducted me into teaching. Observed him and he helped me alot when i first began. Forged a very strong bond with him due to his extremely friendly disposition. We went for rock-climbing together last dec, go for rugby course together and also the MESRC race last month.Enjoyed out time together at the Labrador outdoor camp. Great friend whom i can confide in.

Mr James Seah : first guy i ever spoke to at evergreen. Nice guy with good motives and intentions. Learnt alot about relations in office from him. Also has a wealth of experience in teaching PE.

Ms Shaan Gan: The team chick for Evg Pe Dept. She is one gutsy lady and ultra outdoor! Too bad couldnt go NOLS with her. But she's really nice to chat and work with. Always knowledgeable about sports and always game for anything.

Ms Koh Mui Noi: a great friend and teacher. She knows the methods and techniques of teaching so well that i have learnt much from her.

Ms Woo Sye Lai: Another great friend who truly cares and was always there for me. Also equally ultra-competent in teaching, she's zai one la..

Yupz. Cool Stuff.. See.. there are still good people around.

Just sticked on the decals that i bought with Coach El from Ipoh! Wah damn sui !

Got the "Runnaholic Foodie" sign on my bike! Sweet !=)

Coach, Lets go for a ride leh.. This decals need some fresh air =p

Mistakes

Just saw this poster and it hit me that the words actually made so much sense.

It was about MISTAKES

Goes like this.. Everybody makes mistakes but when we do we MUST

1. Admit it
2. Learn from it and
3. Not repeat it again.

Wow. Punchline material man.

Recent events have shown that people do not do all 3 that were mentioned above. That is why so many relationships and people have been destroyed. It is with disdain that i write this post and yet by the same token i am not excluded from it. I have done wrong too. Many times. But I put both hands up and say that i did it. C'mon. what's so difficult? Scared of losing face? Well i guess when push comes to shove, you've just got to do it otherwise when its too late, it will be too late to apologise.

I have learnt alot in recent times. Events have come to shaped me. Even in a netball game, i recognised such fighting spirit, such pain losing and even the courage to put their hands-up to admit they were the second best. Thats why i can salute them. They have got the BALLS. Netballs that is.

And that leaves me feeling more human.