It is NEVER easy to be a .....

TEACHERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh gosh , I am very sure all teachers - specifically MOE teachers - will agree with me.

I am super , super swarmed with work that I don't know where to start!

I refuse to make a to-do list because as I do it casually in my head, the list never seems to end. Can you imagine how it will look like on paper ???? (must save trees)

My cousin who just entered polytechnic said," ... Secondary school teachers are the most hardworking teachers...." .... LOL. I shall not argue.

Yeah , so what in the world am I doing - updating the blog when I should go back to the piles of markings?

Hence, the short entry for me to rant .

Red pen , come back to momma.....

ADIOS.

MAYBELLINE OR COVER GIRL ?

I don't really wear much make-up but I would NEVER leave home without my two-way cake and mascara.

Why two-way cake? Well, for obvious reason that it helps to even out the skin tone and minimise any traces of blemishes there may be on the face (oh yeah... when it is THAT time of the month, I wish I can just mask my face!).

The mascara is like an absolute must. My eyelashes are quite alright in terms of the length but they are definitely not curled up enough! Besides, I swear that putting mascara on the lashes just help to make one look more awake and energized.

Since I use mascara everyday , I do not want to spend so much money on a tube.... I mean , seriously, there are mascaras in the market selling at $50 , $60 per tube. I use an average of a tube per 1 and 1/2 month or two months if I wear it sparingly...) so to spend that much on a tube is kinda above my budget :P

I am not shy to admit that practically all the mascaras I have tried are from the normal drugstores. In fact , I have only tried expensive mascara ONCE - that was from Lancome. Yet , that still did not satisfy me.

Others may not agree but I would say Maybelline has the best mascaras. My favourite is definitely the
MAYBELLINE VOLUME EXPRESS TURBO BOOST WATERPROOF MASCARA ( I know, such a long name...)



 The way the brushes pick up on every bit of the mascara and coat the lashes is really quite extraordinary! I would say if you want a doll-like effect , go for it! I have been using this for years and it is definitely among the top of my beauty-must-have list!

However, I was very intrigued by Cover Girl's Lash Blast Mascara after watching many seasons of America's Next Top Model. Thus, last June when I went to Sydney , I bought 2 tubes to just check them out .



I fell in love one more time!

LashBlast's patented volume-boosting formula and patent-pending brush are designed to max-out each and every lash, leaving you with the ultimate big lash look. This is definitely not a lie. I have been using it ever since. I was really lucky that my cousin went to Australia in December .... I made her get me another 3 tubes!

I have another 2 tubes to go before I have to look for another person who's going to Down Under, to do me the favour . Or I could buy online (yes, unfortunately , Cover Girl is no longer distributed in Singapore) ....

I may also decide to try out the Colossal Volume Express from Maybelline. I have heard numerous great reviews about it ...perhaps, it is time for some self test! :)


Next product test!

I have also discovered the best eye make-up remover. But that will go in another post.
[POST is up! Read here]

Enjoy your weekend, people!


**Photos are from maybelline.com and covergirl.com


Chocolate Chunk Marble Cookies

Last weekend, I decided to put the oven to good use.

Honestly, I don't bake. The only few times I did was just merely helping my mum make Hari Raya goodies in the past. My job , however, never included sifting flour and such ... just more of putting the batter into cups, cutting out cookie shapes or decorating them. heh... Thus to say that I know nuts about baking is perhaps , half-true.

Our own beloved Baby Belling has only been used ONCE - and that was also to make brownie from pre-made brownie mix!

Yeah. How pathetic. I know :)

Chocolate Chunk Marble Cookies


          This is not my work. It is actually a picture of
 how the cookies are supposed to look like.
Whether mine had any resemblance, you have to
read on :)

Managed to get the recipe from my cousin , through this blog ovenhaven.com. Must really thank her ...she seems to know many baking recipes.

And so , I went into the battlefield with lots of courage and confidence! Well, people say that if you do that , it is half the battle won!




That's my notebook with the recipes handwritten.
The mobile phone is there for emergency calls to
the momma!



I did not manage to get through the process without calling my mum. I distinctly remember my mum sifting flour whenever she bakes. But it sure was not written anywhere in the recipe! Thus, I made the first emergency call ... hehhee.... and she just said," It is not written because it's common sense that flour must be sifted first".

Ok , so I felt like an idiot... LOL.

The sifted flour!




I was supposed to place the cookies on greased paper but
I've totally forgotten about the paper. So, I just greased
the pan :) It makes no difference lah ...


And that's my first batch of cookies ! I know they
don't look like how they are supposed to but don't
judge a book  cookie by its cover!






Overall, it wasn't such a bad turnout. Although the second batch was slightly burnt at the edge , everything was edible. Brought some to my grandma's place in the evening and one of my cousins could not stop eating.

Even the husby, my food critic, said they were more than fine though there is defnitely room for improvement. Yeah! Thank you , dearie! I would definitely make you my guinea pig.

I am super motivated now ...hahhaa.... you can't blame me, you know. This was my first attempt from scratch and no one had food poisoning!

I would definitely try again this coming weekend , or the next. I shall make the Baby Belling my new BFF :P




Dance !!!

Gosh...it has been such a long week. I swear I could hear my body complaining that it is going to break down anytime soon.

Twice this week, I fell asleep at 8 plus..all the way till 4:20 am , snoozed my phone alarm like a gazillion times ... before I dragged my still weary feet and body to go to the ironing board to get the clothes ready for yet another busy day.

Sigh . I feel depressed just thinking about it .

Anyway , the school's Speech Day was last week and I guess, it turned out pretty well. Very simple , nothing fanciful like all the Speech Days in my previous school. (But I am not saying I prefer it this way..hehe..once in a while, it's kinda cool to have the whole school bursting with activities and vibrancy!).

The students in the Ethnic Dance put up a rather good show, despite it being only their second performance. For a group that is only about 4 months old, you guys rock :)

While watching them perform on that day, I was somehow reminded of how I first started with the Malay Dance Club in the previous sch. I should count myself lucky that when I opened the application for a dance instructor back in 2004, I managed to get hold of Huda. She is one fantastic lady . I love her exotic looks, her passion for dance, her creativity and her resourcefulness. I have worked with a few others along the way but I stand by my statement, she is the best !


That's Huda on the extremely left, the reason for the
championship in our first Dance Explosion. It was a
crazy night , get the story here. Written by Ratnah.

Rat , a lady who is sorely missed. She was my partner-in-crime for about 2 years, I think. It is difficult to get someone whom one is able to work well with. But with Rat, it was pleasant at all times. We are both crazy (but I think she is crazier) but we could just gel and I think , those 2 years with her were the most memorable ones.



See? We even had the same top! Although this is definitely not the best pictures of us, it just goes to show that great minds think alike. ..heh... ok , here's a better picture (I hope!)


I have digressed, yet again . Job hazard ah....

So I was walking down memory lane and my thoughts went back to my darling girls whom I saw grow from cannot-really-dance-a bit-kaku dancers to confident and exemplary ones. Some are even attached professionally to Sri Warisan now, the well-known performing Arts group here. It is just heart-warming to see them grow up .

Heh...I sound like some frumpy old lady.


First musical 2005 : Metamorphosis



Fiestari Dance Competition 2006


Collage



Starburst Musical 2007


At the recent Anak Wayang Musical at Victoria Theatre

I am sure glad that in the current school , I am handling a CCA which I enjoy very much. That, itself, is half the battle won  :)

I shall try to put a video of the recent Speech Day performance in the next entry (which was choreographed by the same Huda)

Till then .

Toodles!



Shoes !!!! @ Charles and Keith online

**UPDATE
    Shoes are on the way ! Yippee!

The past weeks or months have been really busy for me.Too busy that I hardly have time to cook. Hehe....That normally does not sound like me. Well, it's not that I don't enjoy cooking ..I just would not categorise it as my hobby (things you like to do when you have the time *chuckles*).

But I absolutely love my kitchen . There's nothing fancy about it though ...it is just a simple one. But it gives me some kind of pleasure knowing that ONLY I know exactly where everything is! :P We always love it when we have some kind of powers no one else has, don't we? :P

I spent about two hours cooking just now. Maybe that was a bit too s-l-o-w but I felt that was the fastest I could handle , inclusive of all the cleaning and washing up. I was bushed after that.

Thus, to reward myself, I decided to do some online shopping!

I discovered CharlesnKeith online a few days back and have been itching to make a purchase. The items sold online are quite different from the one in local stores..perhaps it's because they cater to international taste as well.

I am a disciplined person (yah right!) so I told myself I shall purchase a maximum of only two pairs!

Scroll, scroll, scroll.....I decided on ......


Aren't they pretty ?

Alas.... God does not want me to spend too much  (Husby has probably prayed for that ...heehee) .The one in taupe does not come in my size anymore. .. :( Sigh,I really think it is very pretty.

But I shall not be so disheartended since I managed to get the second one on the list! Yippeeee....as per normal, all my online purchases are sent to my mum's place since we are often not at home... Sorry ye mak......

Oh , there was another pair which I like....


These simple grey pumps, I reckon, will look great
with the grey pants I intend to buy. But I shall put them
on hold first  because I saw an equally nice pair at
 J.West the other day.

Eeeee.... see lah! I get weak in the knees when it comes to shoes!



Spice it Up! Make it PINK!

I have never been a very neat person. Well, I am not THAT untidy but I cannot deny that I do leave mess around.

The messiest place was definitely my work cubicle. It was always full of books, files, loose papers and whatever rubbish you could think of. Haha.

But that was in the past.

Anyway, just for your info, teachers' work cubicles in schools here (or at least, the many that I have seen) have never come in attractive designs. Often , they also come in horrible, drab colours. The first time I stepped into the current staff room , I really hated the brown coloured cubicles! The colour combination was enough to make one feel unmotivated to work. But of course, there was nothing we could do about it , would there? Who has time anyway?


Towards the end of last year, I knew that 2010 would be a frightfully busy year , with new CCA, new subjects to teach and more responsibilities to shoulder (Still, I prefer this to what I did in the previous school. That was really exploitation to the max!) . I had to do something to make sure I feel energized to do work.
 
The husby was in the process of doing up his work cubicle and upon seeing his pictures, I decided to do up mine too, during the December holidays!
 
 

The stationery area ,which I tried my best to make it look pleasant...


But I really could not stand the brown fabric. Having tolerated
 that for more than a year, I decided it was time for a makeover :)


So I got down to work.... I felt like one of those contestants from
Project Runway! hehe....with all the measuring, cutting and pinning !



This was actually the toughest area. It was already difficult
enough to pin the art papers into the hard and stiff board, I still
had to sit on the table and bend my body just to reach the inner
corners. Luckily, I am petite.Otherwise, the table might just
give way!



Ta-dah! Found some last-minute faux boa at Spotlight...


One of my best classes ever...forever in memories :)


Some colleagues say it looks like a Barbie shrine! LOL. But this
is my favourite corner... I love my pink bin and clock !



Another favourite corner. In those boxes, I have my pink
 stapler, pink hole-puncher and 3 pairs of pink scissors. Oh,
have I told you about my favourite colour?   :P


This is where I put up photos of friends, ex-colleagues and
family. The door on the right has now been filled up with
 photos of my 2009 form class. I just miss them very much :(

Oh ....noticed the pink and furry tissue box? It did me great justice
throughout the past 3 years but it was definitely time for a change......

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Personalised tissue box cover!!!!  I love the design and
of course, the letter 'H'.


Typing area. That black laptop just spoils it. I wish I can have
my Pink Vaio in school. I would be extremely glad to type
 out worksheets then....That wristpad was already dirty 
and dusty and thus, suffered the same fate as the tissue box
cover... R.I.P.


Awwwwww....isn't it pretty ?



You have seen now how I try to keep myself sane at work. It is really very therapeutic....for me, at least , to come back to my pink cubicle after a tiring day. More things have been added and the desk is no longer as neat. But I believe I am doing a pretty good job in keeping it clutter-free. The trick is to just ensure that I clear any mess before I go home....So far , so good...

Maybe if I am free one of these days or I have the mood, I will take updated photos of my Barbie shrine :)

Ok , I need to go to bed now. I am really drained out from all those Speech Day practices and rehearsals. Saturday , come quick! Get it done and over with!

Upin and Ipin !!!

I present to you..... 

UPIN & IPIN !!!!!!





So cute !!! I want to BITEEEEEEEE!!!!! :P

Oh Fish! @ Manhattan Fish Market

It has been a rather long time yah ?

Well, I was really under the weather. I shall not dwell on it . But it was definitely not very pleasant. It was also my first time going to A & E , being wheeled around in a wheelchair some more! Not an experience to be cherished , that is for sure.

I have been resting and am definitely getting better. I just have to be careful when doing my chores / work as there is still that tendency to get breathless and all.

But anyway.... have I ever told you I love fish ? Yes! I love love to eat fish! Actually, the adoration for this scaly being only started after I got married. It was way at the bottom of my favourite list before that.... I guess it is definitely one of those things you pick up from your partner.

What type of fish ? I would say anything .. but dory and stingray are my top two! I love my fish baked and grilled, either with lots of herbs and spices ...or extremely spicy sambal.

So...on one of those 'recuperating' days , husby decided to try out the new HALAL fish restaurant at Whitesands Shopping Mall ....


We have always wanted  to eat here. Each time I passed the outlet in the past , I often wondered ...it's just seafood. Why can't the restaurant apply for the HALAL cert? Thus, imagine my joy when I found out from a colleague that it is now halal.... apa lagi !



I don't know why I have this 'fetish' for sauces which are nicely presented. It gives me a very 'warm' feeling. Haha! I don't really care for the taste most of the time though , as long as they're edible.



Calamari for starters. They were crunchy enough ... but still not as nice as Pizza Hut's, I feel.



His 'Catch of the Day' - Pan Grilled Dory . See the fork? That's me trying to fish out (pardon the Pun) some fries while waiting for my dish to arrive.



Mine ! Mine! Baked Dory in Olive Oil and Basil Leaves. 

I just adore anything cooked with olive oil .... and basil leaves. Ever since my dinner with friends at Porta Porta (they basically cooked eveything with olive oil) two years back, I am hooked!



NOTHING was left .

I would say it was really quite good. The total cost of the meal , including  fruit juice and a chocolate shake , was about $58 so I would say it is comparable to Swensens.

There was only one thing I did not like about the place... And that was the numerous greetings by the waiters/waitresses all over. You know ... just like when you enter a Japanese restaurant , and you are immediately greeted by shoutings of 'Ohaiyo Gozaimasssssss...' from all directions. Urgh!

That always pisses me off. Heh. I prefer a simple nod and smile as a welcome greeting.

It is really such a blessing for the Muslim community in Singapore that there are many halal eating places here(so I wonder why some people still insist on consuming otherwise...). I remember when I was in primary school, even MacDonalds was not Halal-ed yet! Sis and I always salivated each time we passed by an outlet.

To end , here are the outlets of Manhattan Fish Market in Singapore:

1) Iluma @ BUgis
2) Marina Square, Raffles Boulevard
3) Central, Eu Tong Sen Street
4) Plaza Singapura @Orchard Rd
5) Junction 8 @ Bishan
6) Northpoint Shopping Centre @ Yishun

Have a good Fishy Time!