Reward: One Million Dollars*

Lost: My Focus..
Description: My focus is usually short and never remains still for long. It flits about all day and hardly can I ever get it to settle on important issues. Currently, it has gone missing again when I have work to rush, which is why I'm offering the reward. Anyone who has seen or has news of "My Focus", please do contact me. Oh, it also responds to the name of "attention span".

*Terms and conditions apply..

yeah.. I think I cannot play MP3s while marking at home coz I'll be staring at my monitor, fervently hoping that someone I usually talk to on MSN will appear, so that I can get away from marking.. even when no one appears, I'll be doing something else.. like this.. *crap*
there are like so many things on my mind now and I really don't know where to start thinking about them, which is perhaps why I'm rather happy to be crazily marking essays these days, not forgetting the fact that I do have to mark them anyway, but that's beyond the point.. it juz serves as healthy distraction from all other thoughts..
sigh.. haven't been feeling right since last week, I sure hope this doesn't last.. I hate putting up a cheerful front while iside me, it's all mixed-up.. but to stand in front of twenty and look glum, how inspirational can I get, what choice do I have.. oh well, seems like My Focus has come back to me, so too bad, I get to keep my million bucks.. hee~

New Jukey!

ok, was surfing around looking at blogs when I saw this juke box thingy on someone's webbie and thought it was cool.. so instead of marking, I started fiddling with it, and in an hour, I have a new juke box on my blog..
loved the previous song that was on, Cao Ge's Superwoman, but think that must be the most short-lived song on my blog ever.. I haven't even gotten down to putting down the lyrics.. hopefully I can find it somewhere on that juke webbie thingy and put it into my playlist too..
alritey.. enough said and done really.. need to go back to marking essays.. sigh.. juz when I was in a HTML-y mood.. *cheerz*

Post-Obs..

changed my song, but don't exactly have the time to go look for the lyrics and transfer them here or something.. knowing my compulsive need for tidiness, I'd probably spend another half an hour trying to make sure that everything is in line before I even publish it.. so well, to spare myself the agony, I shall not do that first..
alritez.. observation went fairly well I must say, even though my video didn't work becoz I stupidly put the link up on my PPT presentation but conveniently deleted the video which I had stored in another folder.. quite dumb.. luckily that wasn't too important a segment.. oh, thanks to S14 for being cooperative, though I knew that you guys would be.. there's a reason why I chose your class to be observed you know.. so well..
still crazily marking like mad, but shan't complain about that.. we are paid to mark anyway.. oh.. remembered something my HOD said.. something to the effect that I seem so much more relaxed and at ease in front of my students than with my dept colleagues.. I suggested that I open up slowly to people and therefore don't talk much to colleagues, yet in front of a class, I have no choice but to speak, and therefore, I feel at ease more quickly.. but I have no idea at all.. anyone wants to confirm that for me?
still can recall rather hazily the first time I stood in front of a class of 40 and started on my first lesson during my contract days.. it wasn't even a proper lesson.. my CT had this urgent phone call she had to attend to and suddenly left the class to me.. if I hyperventilate, I would have hyperventilated there and then.. but I managed somehow.. what struck me was that I became quickly at ease with the students, even before I talked much to my colleagues.. and that happened again during prac.. my point is.. I don't know.. haha.. lost my topic sentence..
whatever it is, exam period is coming, so for those who are having prelims, 'O's, promos, good luck for the papers.. for those who are marking these papers, even better luck, for I know understand how wonderful it was to just study for the papers instead of poring through tonnes of *@#&^% trying desperately to hunt for marks.. just joking.. "the sky is not falling, but the roof over our head is collasping"..

Busy busy busy..

been really busy recently with all the marking of the assignments and stuff like that, keeping in mind that the promo paper is like next Friday.. almost every available bit of time is spent poring over yet another badly written essay or scribbling yet another 0 or 1/2 beside the compre question number.. kinda frustrating, but really wondering if I have been focusing too much on content that I've neglected skills.. think I'll feel terribly guilty if that's the case..
but whatever it is, there's no time to feel guilty now.. still got marking to do, and even when I complete this next week, the promo papers will come in.. juz like del says.. "we're marking machines!", and I would agree.. poor del also slogging away at prelim papers.. jia you there if you somehow manage time to read this.. =)
oh well.. can't really say I'm stressed up over it, but pretty upset these few days, feeling really moody.. and simply can't get out of it.. no idea why.. but soccer earlier was good.. at least it has made me so tired tonight that I'll probably juz sleep easy, unless of coz my legs start cramping up in the middle of the night..
and yes, juz remembered that I have an observation by my HOD tmr.. hope it goes well.. sigh.. so that I won't feel so shitty tmr.. or rather, I won't feel more shitty than I already do.. wish me shit loads of luck.. *cheers*

Light you candle now..

got this in my email.. thought it's quite meaningful.. go light a candle.. it won't hurt to try and help.. =)

The innocent victims of Internet child abuse cannot speak for themselves. But you can.

With your help, we can eradicate this evil trade.
We do not need your money. We need you to light a candle of support <http://www.lightamillioncandles.com>.

We're aiming to light at least One Million Candles by December 31, 2006. This petition will be used to encourage governments, politicians, financial institutions, payment organisations, Internet service providers, technology companies and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the commercial viability of online child abuse.They have the power to work together.

You have the power to get them to take action. Please light your candle at lightamillioncandles.com <http://www.lightamillioncandles.com> or send an email of support to light@lightamillioncandles.com.

Together, we can destroy the commercial viability of Internet child abuse sites that are destroying the lives of innocent children. Kindly forward this email to your friends, relatives and work colleagues so that they can light a candle too.

Sept Hols??!!??

wow.. one week really flies huh? the one week break has juz flown past and it's back to the grind of sch again.. gp promos coming up in 3 weeks time and there's lots more to cover.. not to mention the marking..
guess I haven't been most dilligent with the marking and I really should be, but somehow.. well.. no excuses.. it was pretty fruitful the two days that I was in sch to do it, but at home, it's juz different.. channels 10, 11, 12, and 16 were most distracting, and I pretty much spent my time surfing these 4 channels the whole day..
so I figured.. the next time I have stacks of marking, I should juz do them in sch, with my headphones plugged in and not come home till it's done.. no motivation though.. sigh..
anyway, del and I came to the conclusion that the one week break does more harm than help.. firstly, it's not a time for resting but a time to catch up with marking, and more importantly, it disrupts the whole sleep pattern.. can't remember the number of nights I slept before 2am the past week, and it probably won't do when sch reopens..
oh well, one week has flown by and it's too late for regrets.. I'll try.. next time I guess.. haha.. knowing me.. oh well.. =)

Lucky Number?

Su Chan, your lucky number is number Six

Ah, 6, you're so gullible. Probably because you're such the Loyalist—very trusting. Cheer up, your friendship is rarer than a faithful politician. And if there were more 6s out there, the world would be a better place.

Only problem is, once you've been burned, your trust flees the scene like a scared rabbit. As a result, it's possible to come off a little cold and standoffish. Bad first impressions might stick with you. And if people don't pay their share of a dinner tab, it might taint your view of them as potential friends.

On the other hand, your BS radar is one of the sharpest around. That's why you may prefer shooting pool with friends instead of jockeying for position at the local singles' night. As a loyal Number 6, you're short on pickup lines and long on eye contact.

If you find security within yourself, you might become less affected by the mistakes of others. So if you find a little extra support in life, you'll be well on your way to joining the ranks of other famous 6s: Michelle Pfeiffer, Jay Leno, Tom Hanks, and Julia Roberts.

The Mood Swings Test?

Su Chan, your mood tends to swing between Calm & Energetic.
Most of the time you feel calm. Your positive outlook on life is paired with a fairly low energy level. Although you might not realize it, your lower energy level is a positive attribute—it allows you to fully experience and appreciate your feelings of optimism. When you feel energetic, you are consumed by flurries of activity. You probably keep to a busy schedule and rarely take time out to relax or veg out in front of the television.

When you experience the ups and downs of mood swings, the most important thing to remember is that you're not alone. Everyone—even the calmest individual—is liable to fly off the handle now and again.