Steve Jobs, the genius

I do feel really bad for the leaving of Steve Jobs. He was really a visionary and innovator. He saw what we hadn't seen. He pushed the world to move forward. He inspired people's minds. He changed people's lives. He was brilliant and amazing. He was also a very charming presenter as I love the ways he introduced new products in Apple events. Just very neat! I really believe that iPhone is one of the greatest invention in the world. (you can guess that I am really really tempted to buy iPhone4S!!!) Steve, you will surely be always missed and remembered. Your name is in the world's history.

tiring holiday

Today is a holiday of some Chinese festival. We just hung around, not even far, and we didn't do much, but after awhile it's enough for me to feel tired, actually really tired. It's probably due to my period which makes me weak and have stomachache and back pain. By the way, when my period arrived, I was a bit disappointed. I thought, maybe, just maybe, this time we might hit the jackpot. However, once again, we aren't that lucky. Well, we didn't put much effort in making a baby as we want the process without much stress. But it turns out that it isn't that easy as we expected. I am not so sure whether I really want to be pregnant, but honestly when I saw my period, I felt like a kind of failure. I know, just try again, and we didn't try hard enough anyway.

pens or pencils

I was holding a book with lots of errors and lots of ugly crossing out. Grade 4 has just started to use pens, but not everyone prepares an erasable pen or a pen eraser (we don't allow students to use white-out). I said, 'If you hand in your homework like this, I will ban you from using a pen FOREVER. You can never ever use a pen again.'

At that moment, a boy said, 'What? Even when we grow up and become an adult, and do business, we still use pencils???!!!' I didn't realize until a very firm 'YES' slipped out of my mouth. And everybody found it funny and cracked up. I couldn't help laughing too.

Hey I was trying to be serious and strict. Don't ask me silly questions and destroy the atmosphere. My grade 4 always make me laugh whenever it's really time for me to get angry.

relationship status

List of the Sims Social Relationship Status:

Strangers
Acquaintances
Friends
Good Friends
Close Friends
Best Friends
Best Friends Forever
Inspired Best Friends Forever
Dating
Going Steady
Inseparable
Totally Inseparable
Soulmates
Inspired Soulmates
Awkward Friends
Sort of Friends
Friendly Rivals
Inspired Friendly Rivals
Ex-lovers
Ex-friends
Frenemies
Inspired Frenemies
Just Friends

How complicated! I really don't know how to use it to categorize people around me in real life. Actually in real life, apart from friends, we also have family, relatives, in-laws, co-workers, schoolmates, internet friends or maybe sex buddies???!!!

Relationship is a complicated thing!

Teaching Blog

Inspired by my friend, I have set up my very own teaching blog, Magical Tales from Ms Ling's Classroom (http://thewitchyschoolteacher.blogspot.com) where I can upload different kinds of stuff like notes, worksheets and mini books for students to download and I can also share some good poems, web links and good quotes with them. I spent a whole morning working on that, and I do think I have done a good job!

kiss

We were at the playground, and it's noisy with the kids playing and running around us. A grade one boy, Mike, came to talk to me.

Mike: Miss Ling, ... Emma (a grade two girl) ... kiss my cheek ...
Me: What? Why did she kiss you?
Mike: No, Miss Ling. She didn't kiss me. She wanted to kiss me.
Me: How do you know she wanted to do that?
Mike: I closed my eyes on the bus, she sat next to me and I just know that she wanted to hug me and kiss me!
Me: ... (Stop dreaming, boy!)

2 is better than 1

When is two better than one?
The answer is when playing Zookeeper. I can NEVER EVER complete the whole game, play through to the end without Adrian. It is so much more fun and exciting when he is also poking his finger in my iPhone. At that moment, I feel it's a truly really right choice to live with someone coz it does need four eyes and four hands to level up in Zookeeper.
If you are single, I doubt how long you can last before game over all by yourself.

Talking to kids

Me: Do you know who your new English teacher is?
Alain: Ms Chan.
Me: Right I happen to not teach you any subjects this year.
Alain: I know! (looks frustrated)
Me: (Smiles) I'm gonna miss you!
Alain: I miss you too, Ms Ling!

--

Me: If you are very good in my lessons, you will get a behavior ticket, and when you have collected 5 tickets, you can use them to exchange a gift from me!
One boy in grade 1 class: I can give you a gift too, Ms Ling. I want to give you a very nice eraser.
Me: (Surprised) Oh ... OK, thanks!
One girl: Ms Ling, I want to give you a candy.
One boy: I want to give you my snacks!
One girl: I will give you a new ruler tomorrow!!!
(They totally ignore the meaning of the behavior tickets.)
Me: Alright, class. Don't give me anything. Keep all your stuff and they are for children. And remember, be good and you'll have a behavior ticket.
One boy: It's OK. You can have my candy bar. It's not only for children.
One girl: Ms Ling, I still wanna give you a pencil ...

This is how the kids lose tracks of what you are talking.

Back to School

Have a good year of teaching!

new hairstyle

Have already been having long straight hair for many years. I actually wanted to straighten my hair and keep the length, but Eric (the stylist) suggested a new change, a fresh look on me. That's great! I do need some new changes in life. And now my hair is short and curly. I look different. I can't tell whether I like my new hairstyle better, but I am happy to see the new me.

Just Waiting

Just Waiting
(from Oh, The places You'll Go!)

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their
Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a better break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or another chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

off the plan property

I cannot concentrate on my work. I cannot take my mind off the whole matter of our new property. Keep worrying about the mortgage, and how we are gonna save up more and keep thinking about how we are gonna decorate our new home. There are so many months to wait (maybe a whole year!) till we can have a real look on our new apartment. This is one big drawback of buying off the plan.

Adrian finally has a day-off. Recently he has been asked to work on all Saturdays, and even Sundays and public holidays. Today he is free! He has suggested to go to the museum to see the exhibition about Pixar's animation. Okay, let's get ready for that now.

uncertainty

7:15 am
Looking at those few pairs of high heels I recently bought and have had no chances to put on yet, how pretty and delicate they are, I wonder when I can walk in heels again. Will it be nine months later? How fat and heavy will I be by the time? My period is 3 days late. Perhaps tonight I am gonna find out the answer.


10:00 pm
Extremely worried about money. We didn't expect the stamp duty would cost us extra 150 thousand dollars. Dad is gonna help us out first. When I was back home, looking at our empty bank account on the computer, felt so scared as well as so uncertain about the future. Adrian reassured that we would be okay. Actually I know and I believe we can handle it. I could not explain why my emotions fluctuated so much.

By the way my period is here. I'm so not pregnant. But then I also feel a bit disappointed. Well, I am NOT pregnant ...

eventful holidays

There is so much happening during these few days.

1. I don't know how the whole folder of C://users/me/download was gone. All the things I downloaded and didn't put into other places disappeared. There were no ways I could recover them. I couldn't even remember what files they were so I couldn't even know what I lost. All I know is that I did lose something. But what are they?

2. I have bought the MOST expensive stuff in my whole life. It was the BIGGEST, EXTREMELY HUGEST purchase I have ever had. Me and Adrian bought an apartment in Uptown. The place is about 1000 square ft, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two balconies, one storeroom ... It amazed me so much at the show flat. I really wish to have an apartment as big as that but it's just way too expensive that honestly we have never put this price into our consideration. It's really out of our budget, but guess what? We bought it. Now I am still shocked and feeling so worried and anxious.

3. There is one more thing that gives me tons of worries. My period is 2 days late. Period Tracker in my iPhone is always accurate. So far it has never predicted wrong. If I am really ... I really don't know how I am able to handle so many big changes in my life at one time. Adrian urges me to check but I need some more courage.

holidays

On the first day of my Easter holidays, I was so laid-back that I took a whole-day rest at home. I had a very precious afternoon nap that can't exist on working days. Well I also did some work. I finally tidied up the files and folders in my work laptop. I am proud to say that I have quite a huge collection of teaching resources. There are so many good teachers who share their work online and now getting resources is really easy. The main point is how to use and apply them into teaching.

holiday housework

It's a very tiring working day but it also means that my Easter holidays have begun. I don't need to go to work tomorrow, so once I was off work, I went to do some grocery shopping, and cooked our dinner which had three dishes and one soup. After washing all the dishes, I quickly put on a surgical mask and rubber gloves. I washed and cleaned and rubbed and scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen a whole night. I am now very exhausted. But it is so good to start my holiday in a cleaner home! Plus, I am done with the first, the most prior job on my holiday to-do list.

a sweet couple

Jan and Ken are going to get married. They haven't decided the big date yet, but they have just bought the package for pre-wedding photos, which is a remarkable move. And I know very soon everything will fall into place. They will be so busy preparing for the wedding. Not long after, she will be a pretty bride and then a happy wife. I am so happy for them. I was once a bride-to-be and for me the best part was the anticipation which gave me lots of hope and excitement. Now I miss that feeling very much.

when the faucet handle broke

I was taking a shower and suddenly the handle of the faucet broke. It came off the faucet and I just could not turn it off and water kept running. It wasted too much water and I had no idea what to do. I called Adrian for help after I quickly washed all the soap off my body. He rushed back home to help me shut off the main water supply of our apartment and get someone to fix it.

crazily busy

I can't imagine how tiring and exhausting Adrian's job is. He spent most of his time working and working and working. He even works a whole day on Saturday. His phone keeps ringing at midnight for dealing with abrupt system problems. So he wakes up at 2 or 3 or 4, talks and explains on the phone, and then turns on the computer and types and types. After that, he calls back and then explains in such a computer language that normal people don't understand. I never know when he returns to sleep coz by the time he finally solves all problems, I have always fallen asleep. He is so exhausted that I feel bad and worried. This project tortures him (perhaps so does his company!). The best moment of the day is looking at him sleeping peacefully. By the way, he has the cutest tummy.

quail eggs

After school, on the way to the minibus stop, I walked past an itinerant roast chestnut cart where we can also buy sweet potatoes, salt-baked eggs and quail eggs. I always love quail eggs so I stopped and wanted to buy 10. But one of the hawkers told me that it was their last day to peddle for this season. Right, summer is coming and it's not the time for hot and steamy potatoes or chestnuts. He told me that I would see him again in September. He asked me to buy more on this very special last day. Sure no problem. Dunno what they are going to do in this long summer. Dunno whether they can find a job to earn a living during these few months. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing them again in September. Please take care.

surprise!

The responses are so much better than I expected. I believe that my secret plan is going to be a success (hope so!). I love creating surprises!

I'm counting down the days!

post-wedding photos

Today we talked to our wedding photographer. He lost some of our photos and he is going to do something to make up for our loss. He promised he would take some photos of us. That's great. I always wanna have some sweet and loving photos with Adrian taken by a professional photographer. This time, I want us to be more natural, no fancy clothing, or heavy make-up, just showing lots of love and intimacy.

odds and ends in life

- I can cope with the workload, but why don't I deserve to have my own life beyond school hours?
- The nuclear crisis in Fukushima has reached the highest rating to a seven. Hope the whole nightmare will soon end.
- I love marking my students' journal. They have interesting minds.
- Dad and Mum are back home from China. I was worried about them but today when I called home, they sounded great.
- I am planning something BIG and SURPRISING. I am trying my best to make my plan go really smooth. It's also very hard to keep a secret!

marking marking and marking

I am a marking machine ...

pack-rat syndrome

I have read a short article in SCMP, Boxing tips: how to kick the pack-rat syndrome. I guess I am a kind of pack rat, as well as a clutterer. I always need to learn to be more organised. The point is I do feel more comfortable to be messy. I am so not a tidy person. So I'd better not to buy so many stuff.

good rest

A relaxing Saturday. I didn't shop as I planned. I couldn't even finish all the reading as I scheduled. I didn't do any marking today. But I am happy to have done nothing. All I have had is a good rest. That's great.

life

Today I attended my friend's father's funeral. I could not imagine the pain and the sadness of losing anyone of the family. It must be terribly miserable. I felt so sorry for her. Her father's death was due to lung cancer. He wasn't old.

Em's foetus seems to be okay after a thorough examination. Life and death happen every day. It is the law of nature. But I don't comprehend.

secret

I am secretly planning something ... BIG!

Very excited about it.

sad news

A gynecologist has found that the body size of Em's baby seems abnormally bigger than it should be at a pregnancy checkup. The swell may be due to some problems in its internal organs and of course there may be other reasons too, but it already worries Em enough. She is really down. Well, right now, nothing has been confirmed yet and perhaps things are not as bad as what we think. Maybe the baby's just got a bit fatter. There are lots of different possibilities anyway. Before the results get announced, all we can do is to have positive thoughts. Positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes! Hang in there, Em!

good hike

It's our hiking day. We completed the whole section 8 of the Hong Kong Trail today. We first started at To Tei Wan in Shek O, and then went along the walking trail to the ridge of the Dragon's Back. It has spectacular views. Plus, today's weather is really wonderful. The cool breezes made the whole hike so much fun and enjoyable. I didn't even apply any sunscreen. No raging hot sun and no sweat at all. It was really a nice walk. We reached Big Way Bay Beach at the end of our hike. We haven't been to the beach for long. The last time we went to the beach was taking our pre-wedding photos in Taiwan. I love the feeling of my feet walking in the sand and leaving lots of footprints on it.

thank you card

Every year, there is Teacher Appreciation Drive and today the kids have got their blank thank-you cards so that they can write something to show their appreciation to their favourite teachers.

There is a girl who couldn't wait to give me that card. She knew about it in the regular morning assembly and before she had even got the card, she had already told me that she was going to give that to me. She was really excited about it.

After school, she quickly asked her mum to sign the card and gave it to me before she headed for home. She wrote,

Thank you for such lovely stories of Robert Munsch. I like your kindness to everyone. You are a special person to me.

She melted me down with her sweetness.

family day

Today I bought a really cute and classic small leather camera bag and a gold camera strap. Both are so lovely and really truly match my white Sony NEX-3.

It's our family day today. In the morning, we visited my deceased grandparents and swept their graves and then we had dinner with Adrian's family. Family life means more and more to me now and we had a such great time spending time with them.

I've already prepared a birthday present for Amelia. Can't wait to see her and give her a surprise tomorrow!

unforeseeable honeymoon

Suddenly I felt like reading this blog and then I've just read all the entries here and they reminded me so much of our last summer trip in Tasmania, which I hardly think of after I started my hasty working life in this school. And after that, we haven't been on any holidays. We stayed during Christmastime and Chinese New Year, and we are not gonna go anywhere at Easter. Adrian has suggested to go to Japan for our honeymoon, probably Hokkaido to see snow. But snow time has long gone, honeymoon almost no longer exists between us and Japan is not the same after the catastrophe.

Perhaps I should start to plan for our next summer trip. It has to be so wonderful that can make up for all the fun trips we have missed.