HeyHey! A nice week!

Was a nice week.
Most of the school was out for camp, leaving only the graduating classes. i was excused from the camps, which means i'm only left with lessons with the very sweet n grown-up Sec 5s, so you can imagine how easy and light work was this week. =) =) =) I super appreciate this "break".

Enjoyed the archery session and the etiquette class with my form class. =) They are so much fun when u dun have to worry about their results and they're not in an emo/angsty mood.
Enjoyed lessons with the Sec 5s... impressed with the way they listen and work so conscientiously even though we were having 2 classes together at the same time and it would have been so easy to skive/ be naughty. But they were so on-task you just know your efforts and energy are not wasted. =) =) (Which made me wonder if i would be happier dealing with adults rather than kids)
Enjoyed the slow start to the mornings with no meetings to rush for.
Enjoyed the emptier timetable that leaves me time to set exam papers and have breakfast AND lunch.
Enjoyed chatting with colleagues who shared about their experiences with their classes, coping with ... well, life and so on...
The week just felt so manageable and enjoyable...i could even attend Bible Study at night! Which i really really needed - was sick of too much thinking, sick of the feelings of guilt at not meeting my own expectations, sick of too much mundane duties and sick of busying myself with earthly concerns. Was looking forward to this series of BS - not that i know what it was going to be about, but simply because i just know i needed to be immersed in God's word so that i can renew my mind and perspective. And it was just so nice to be taught by Ps Tiak (yah, i'm quite biased sometimes - i like Ps Tiak's bible studies, i dun like those feel-good-sound-good-but-not-biblical types).
It is just such a lovely week - the kind that doesn't feel like work and i would gladly have it replayed over and over again, the kind that i would gladly do without salary, the kind i wouldn't mind coming back for, even if i'm on maternity leave. :O Hmmm.. perhaps therein lies the answer to MOE's perennial problem of teachers' attrition/burnout/IMH rate! A reduced workload! (As in, REALLY reduced, not some other add-on initiatives) Then they wouldn't have to spend so much money reviewing salaries of teachers, there might even be people volunteering to be teachers, and they wouldn't have to worry about merceneries who don't really care abt students!

Anyway, back to this lovely week... Saturday was great too! With my papers set, and energy tank still undepleted, and with the impending birth threatening to take away future opportunities to gallivant/shop aimlesly, munch took me out =)
We started the the day well by waking up when we felt like it, sans alarm clock.
Then we had dim-sum breakfast while watching CJ7. Next we went to get our tyre fixed (yeah, our very puncture! we heard the strange sound and noticed the "drag" when we drove on Wednesday morning, but it took us till Fri night after supper to realize it was due to a flat tyre!! quite goondu hor? And then we thought we'd need to have the tyre replaced. To our great delight, it was mended at a mere $8)
And then our date started =)
We wanted to go to town, and i convinced munch to park at bishan while we take a train to Orchard. ( Save on ERP and exorbitant town-area parkinf fees) It was quite fun taking the train again, after so long. But y'know what? I still had to stand all the way on the train. Grrrrrr.... 8 months alr leh!
Shopped/waxed at Paragon & Taka, then had dinner at Lawry's.
I'm mad.
I'd scrimp and save like crazy, eat vegetarian beehoon everyday coz it costs 50cents less than other meals, park at bishan to save on ERP and parking fees, then blow $200 on dinner.
Mad, i tell you.
But i enjoyed it though. =)
And thus ends a very lovely week.

The weeks coming up look like it's gonna be a bit of a tornado - NE validation's on Wednesday!! Praying for smooth preparations and interviews and successful validation!
And then Founder's Day preparation's next, then exams, then i should be popping anytime! Ahhhh!
We didn't attend any child-birth classes, so i'm still quite clueless about what will happen. Have read a couple of books/ websites though, and i suppose the doctor will guide me thru the rest.
Had quite a few questions & worries (What if i go into labour before the school hols begins? What if i go into labour in the middle of a school day? How to arrange for relief?) But lloyd went thru the SOPs with me (before school : As per Medical leave procedure. During school: Inform General office, then scoot) and somehow knowing that helps.
HAven't confirmed a relief teacher to cover my classes yet - the one who was gonna cover decided to go get a full-time job instead - so that's another niggling problem.

[ Anyone interested? Or know anyone who might be?
May '08: invigilating duties and marking papers. Answers provided!
July/Aug'o8: Actual teaching for Sec 3s, Revision for Sec 5s]

Juliana also gave us a very practical advice today - we should move over to Neram before the baby comes so we have time to adjust and prepare ourselves and the things there. Hehe, it's so sensible and practical, i don't know why we didn't think of it.

Oh, and, church camp's coming soon! I secretly really wanna go... i'm sure it'd do us more good to be there and be refreshed and renewed and recharged and with the church, than just being at home. Struck a deal with munch - if Baby comes out in the first half of May, we'll go! Though i also secretly know that we're gonna get LOADS of nagging from in-laws!

Oh, and latest update of Baby's name.
Wong Ji-Hyun, Glory.
黄紫宣。　（purple - royalty) (announcing)
Imagine when she sings certain songs ... eg "King of Glory enter in......"
it'd be so personal for her ;)