Reflections and Lessons for 2009

Beware : Long post ahead!

Christmas is over but its spirit remains. 

It was the best Christmas ever!! 

I got nearly everything I wished for!! 

 Christmas and Belated Birthday present from my best friend, Imelda Vitales. She did the wood plaque and yes, she drew the picture sendiri too! Nice kan?

   A handbag and Angela's Ashes novel by my youngest brother, John! You rock! Penat ko cari tu buku kan?hehehe

 Now my Paolo Coelho collection has been added!! Two novels from Pus!

 A novel and perfume from si Daddy Long Legs. Thanks!

Tapi, yang paling champin punya present is from Dad and Mum:

P/S: Bukan tu cermin ah...tuh naaa...camera yang sia pegang! hehehe Nikon D3000! Thanks for chipping in my DSLR fund! You guys paling champin kasi hadiah hehehe

I hope those getting presents from me were happy with their presents too!! In less than a week, 2010 is emerging and it's time to wave 2009 goodbye. 2009 has been a great year for me with all its triumphs and tribulations. I may conclude that 2009 has been a year of taking risks and a year of strengthening friendships. I have been experiencing many setbacks and I've taken the lessons from these setbacks as stepping stones. I think my biggest regret is not telling the people I cherished how much I do care about them. It's all going to change next year.

Career-wise, I'm thankful that at least 60% of my students passed their PMR English paper. I received sms after sms telling me that they scored  Bs and Cs for the language they never thought they would be able to master. Knowing that their English profienciency is quite low, I consider them getting Bs and Cs are an achievement. I'm feeling sad for my 2 IN students (who'll be 3 IN next year). They are not the brightest lot in the form but surely they are a joy to teach. When I hear them being able to read without my help, it sounded like music to my ears. My goal for next year? More students to love English!

As for my personal goals, I plan to travel next year. Kesian tu passport yang due 2012 baru satu kena cop.  My list of personal goals is getting longer by the minute. I just hope they are realistic enough to be achieved..hehehe.

All in all, I learned this year that :
1. Always have a plan B, or at least a black& white document in your work. Documentation is vital.
2. There are always good friends and no-so-good friends.
3. Mum is not 100% right. But it's good to have an opinion from someone who's been there before.
4. When travelling, go to parks instead of museums. Because life can be found in parks.
5. It's mandatory to stop and smell the air, look at the sky and run like mad. It's good to ponder the past and dream about the future but never forget the present.
6. Mistakes and errors are bound to happen. Be humble about it.
7. Lipstick and high heels are a girl's best friends, too. So is a saloon-day with your besties.
8. Writing down your wishes could make it 65% come true. You just have to be specific (hey, I tried in my journal and so far, it works).
9. I need to enhance my cooking skills.

There's a lot of lessons but those in the list are the vital ones. So, till next year! See you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2010!!

Have Yourself A Merry Christmas!

O tidings of comfort and joy!

Comfort and joy!

O tidings of comfort and joy!

Blessed Christmas everyone!

Ramblings

I'm having new school jitters!

What if my new colleagues didn't like me?

I'm beginning to feel the discomfort of a new beginning.

I'm worried.

So worried.

I'm scared. I have fear of the unknown. I'm feeling the anxiety!

But somehow, I just think that I'm overreacting.

Licik Pt.2

I am currently at the car aircond service shop. This is Licik's first time- servicing his aircond i mean. 7 years of dirt accumulated in the vents. Malu sia mau kasi tingu!! Itam2 itu habuk, ada sarang labah2 lagi tu..dui! Well, 7 years bah! Luckily no serious damages or leakage. The uncle reminds me of Rufus Humprey from Gossip Girl. Geleng2 ja kepala dia tingu aircond..kaw kaw isi dia, he said. Never mind. I love my ride, so biar lah hehehe

Licik's Annual Check-up.

My Kancil which I affectionately call Si Licik (meaning 'cunning', synonym 'fast' or 'smart') is due for his annual overhaul. I spent hundreds on this little fella - changing its timing belt, absorbers, spark plugs, etc so that he can go on being 'licik' on the road and parking space. Just a few tips for our ride, ladies..make sure u know a bit about your car because some mechanics can bluff and you end up paying extra. Be nice to them, bat your eyelashes and smile- no mechanic, unless he's gay or married could resist your charm. At the workshop, bring a book or mp3 player so that you'll be occupied. Will blog later, need to see what else Licik needs. Xoxo

Classic Black and Whites

I JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF BLACK AND WHITES!!

I've practiced my skills using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and voila!! Have a lookie...

This was Felly's BEFORE practice picture.

And this is her AFTER practice picture!! I think I loved this one.

And this is me!!

I just can't resist making our picture into a sequence and desaturate it!! WooHooo!!!

MONOCHROMATIC IS CLASSY!!

Our Christmas Gathering

Last Tuesday, my TESLian friends and me attended our much anticipated Christmas Gathering. After months of discussion, finally it was materialised!! We had tonnes of fun and acted crazy eventhough our former lecturers, Miss Patsy and Mr. Mior were there hahaha...We sang so many songs, we danced...we even had a stand-up comedy by Mr Mior...it was quite an unforgettable moment! My only regret was that some of our friends were not able to attend due to personal matters and distance. It'll be more fun with the whole TESLian cohorts to get together! Who said teachers can't have fun? We did! And we don't care what others have stereotyped about teachers...we are human after all hehehe. It was a great night and the best was the present exchange! I told Alicia that I wanted hers, and I did!! Yeayyyyyy!!! Last but not least, I look forward to next year's gathering...perhaps, who knows..it might be a tradition for us TESLians.

I love you, all!!

Picture Perfect

Apart from being in love with photography, I love the editing part of it. I am an ardent fan of the classic black and white photos and I have been experimenting with so many picture editing softwares in order to get the elegant and timeless look and feel of that classic. I've used Adobe CS3 and Picasa as well as an online editing software, Picnik. I think among these three, I can't make a decision on which I preferred best. I guess all three softwares has helped me in making beautiful black and white photos. I just need to work on a few things to improve..hmmm...Here are some photos made into black and white!

I made this one with Picnik.

This is my friend, Felly. I edited her pic using Picasa. I just wished I could learn how to make her beautiful eyes "popped".

And this one was edited using Adobe CS3. I wanted to achieve a mysterious feel to it; a some sort of a haunted house feel. I can't resist adding a charcoal pencil effect on it.

I'll be making more black and whites soon.

Monochromatic is so cool!

Congratulations to Mimi and Abang

Congratulations to Mimi and Abang on your wedding day!!

And baby and I were busy taking pictures and camwhoring ourselves hehehe...

I had fun at their reception, chit-chatting with old friends and eating. I realised I gained so much weight!! Oh dear. Nonetheless, here are the photos taken at their wedding reception.

Enjoy!!
There's more in my Facebook album ;-)

Anyway, CONGRATS again to both of you!!
Live Well, Love Well.

My nikon d3000 is here!

At last! My baby has arrived! I finally got my nikon d3000! Woot!