Retreat @ Amara Resort Sentosa

Hello I'm back! Yep, back from a work retreat at this new and tranquil resort tucked away somewhere off Palawan Beach @ Sentosa.

About 30 of us were invited, including the 'powerhouses' at work. So I guess it's quite a privilege for me to be part of this fully-paid-for retreat.

Amidst the interaction in both formal (ie. seminar room) and informal (meals, rest and relax time) settings, I found myself tuning in to my personal work values and belief system, as well as learning about those of others. And I certainly appreciate the honest and sometimes emotional sharing among myself and my colleagues. I guess this profession really is so dynamic and requires so much commitment and passion that it will create lots of ups and downs in one's life, and we all find ourselves having gone through loads of emotional struggles in the course of our work. But what's important, I realise, is how we face these struggles and find more meaning in our work, not just for the school, but for our personal well-being too. Only when you take care of yourself can you take care of others.

Of course, I was constantly missing Hubby too. The place is so beautiful and relaxing that I wished we could have enjoyed it together. Okie, about the place... :)

GREAT SERVICE! *****

Was really impressed with how the staff at the resort treated guests with such sincerity, extending a smile and greeting whenever they met us, and being so considerate in attending to all our little needs. Here's the cold, refreshing lemongrass drink with a tinge of peppermint taste served to us whenever we sat at the lobby. Loved it! :)

COOL AMBIENCE! *****

The resort was officially opened only last year, and a spa and wellness centre is still in the process of being constructed, and will open next year. But everything else in place is great. The furnishing's all those 'zen zen' kind, like those you find at Barang Barang, but more luxurious. And cos it's got glass walls almost everywhere, we feel like we're in constant touch with nature and it feels so clean and spacious too.

Oh, and there's the skypool where some of us managed to just swim (not me :p) and soak (yes, this I can do) in the water and enjoy the scenery from above. Can even see the Merlion's head from there. Heh. Got jacuzzi too. :) Then there's also the ballroom that we used for our work discussions and presentations. Good for wedding banquets too.

YUMMY FOOD! ****

Here's the restaurant-- one of my favourite places there-- with an open kitchen concept so you can see the chefs going about preparing the food. Hee. While I enjoyed some dishes served there at the buffet each meal, I'm quite proud of myself for staying away from desserts (didn't take even a small slice of cake!) and carbo stuff like bread, pastries, rice, even sushi. :p So scared of putting on too much weight. But sigh, ended up still gained a bit of weight probably cos of all the sitting around after meals. =.=

Think the restaurant's forte is in serving deliciously cooked fish and meat. Am not a great meat-eater so mainly tried their chicken (which also explains why I didn't enjoy the poolside BBQ we had the second evening... so many meaty stuff I didn't wanna eat :p). Loved the restaurant's grilled fish though-- they just melt in your mouth! Also enjoyed their soup. :)

MY LUNCH (DAY 1): Spicy tomato soup, grilled cod fish, roasted chicken, salad and beans, broccoli and mushrooms

MY LUNCH (DAY 2): Tom yum pumpkin soup, olive rice, grilled chicken, curry brinjal and vegetables

MY LUNCH (Day 3): Mushroom soup (authentic, not campbell soup one :p), spicy vegetables, grilled snapper in butter sauce, prawns with wasabi mayo

KINKY BEDROOM! ****

Haha, this one caused Sophia and me quite some amusement. We were the only pair among the rest who were given this very lo-man-tic room, meant for a young couple I guess. Haha. It's got a king-sized bed but what's kinky is this see-through glass panel between the room itself and the bathroom/ shower area. We had to make sure we told each other we'd be doing business in the bathroom or showering so that the other would very very consciously NOT look in that direction. Hohoho. Very funny. But luckily it's us and not either of us with someone we're less familiar or comfortable with. :p

SPECIAL MENTION: THE CHATTY PEACOCK

Introducing The Peacock, who likes to talk to us when we're in our rooms with calls that can reach to even the upper levels of the resort from the compound it roams about in. Some colleagues spent some of their free time trying to coax it into fanning out its 'tail'. Haha. And me? I dreamt of the peacock chasing after me the second night! =.=

Sigh, now that I'm back from this retreat, I appreciate home more, even though I was only away for a few days. It might not be as expensive or luxuriously furnished as the resort, and my cooking is certainly zero compared to the chefs' food there, nothing beats being in our own home. Home Sweet Home. :)

Magic Exhibition@ Science Centre

Hubby and I visited the Science Centre today cos of an advertisement placed in the papers about its newly opened Magic Exhibition. So we bought tickets that gained us admission to this special exhibition that comprises live magic shows, plus entry to other parts of the centre.

My verdict?

BORING!!!!!

I'm sure the good people at the Science Centre spent lots of time and effort putting everything together. But maybe cos I'm no longer a kid, the various exhibits did not seem to interest me anymore. Although some magic tricks sort of amused and entertained me somewhat, they didn't make this trip worthwhile at all. What's worse was that some of the displays appeared to be broken cos they just didn't work the way the instructions mentioned, and the washrooms were in a really bad state -- the ladies was smelly and Hubby said the gents had a cockroach running along the sink. Omg. Is this really what we really call a tourist attraction? (There were quite a few foreign visitors there today, and we even saw a posh car that seemed to belong to the American Embassy parked outside the centre. Wonder what they think of the Science Centre.)

Even Hubby, who's so interested in Science, was bored. And me? I think the visit killed whatever little interest I have left in the subject. I just couldn't wait to get out of that place! :(

On a more positive note, I guess the place really caters to kids cos the children there sure looked like they enjoyed themselves. And I might enjoy myself more perhaps if I brought kids there. But for adults who go without kids... uh-uh. *shake head*

Well, at least the visit gave us a little treat at the end of the day. We bought dinner and some rich durian cakes at a coffeeshop at Jurong East Central before heading home after we left the Science Centre. I think the cake's nice. Check out the tuft of durian flesh on the cake... yum. :)

PS. Gonna be in Sentosa this coming Monday and staying there at a resort till Wednesday for a work-related retreat. Sigh. Will miss Hubby. :(

Early EARLY Christmas pressie...!

Two days ago, this appeared in our home:

Hubby said it's for me... a surprise!!! And it's supposed to be my Christmas present, but heck, if I can enjoy it earlier, why wait till Christmas to open it? So yup.... I happily removed the outer plastic covering and tape and saw, to my great delight, a box that I knew contained a watch of a brand I've always admired, but couldn't bear to spend money on... RADO! :)

Yeah, I've noticed this brand of watches since Hubby and I took an interest in looking at watches, particularly when his passion in watches grew. Hubby didn't think much of Rado before this, but I've always thought Rado watches look solid and reflect quiet strength, and admire them a lot. So imagine my great surprise and joy when I received this as a gift from Hubby! :D

The following are some close up shots of the watch. I really really like it, and I think it's now climbed to the top of my favourite watches list. Found out more about the watch too. It's got a scratch-proof bezel (Rado's special technology) and the face is sapphire crystal and multi-faceted, so it's not like most other watches with a flat face. The back of the watch has got an engraving of 2 seahorses, which Hubby had actually wanted to invent a romantic story about (he says one is him, the other's me... so sweet...^_^), but didn't manage to cos impatient me opened the pressie on the day it arrived. :p

Wore this out yesterday and today... and stole glances at it whenever I could. Haha. I guess it's cos it's still all new. But like I said, I really really love it. I like watches that embodies strength, and this does it so well.

Thank you, Hubby! ;)

Experimenting with sushi! ;)

Hehe. Went to the supermarket downstairs yesterday and did some grocery shopping for a special lunch that I was suddenly motivated to prepare: SUSHI !!!

Spent about one and a half hours in the kitchen going about preparing the sushi lunch. Was so happy! Haha... enjoyed making the sushi a lot. Decided to be a little creative and make use of everyday ingredients to make the dish. Although it's far from restaurant standard (judging by comments such as "Eh, why so much rice here one?", "Girl ah, your rice no taste one leh... you never put enough vinegar is it?" etc. =.=), I'm pretty pleased with my first serious attempt at making sushi. I've done it before only once, but it was a half-hearted attempt with a pathetic outcome. This time, it looks pretty pleasing to the eye and is EDIBLE! Yahoo!

Ok, see... the picture on the left above shows all my sushi rolls nicely sliced and presented on a large plate -- like a sushi platter! Hohoho... There're a few types of stuffing/ topping there: pan fried cod fish in batter, salmon (from can one...AYAM brand!), chicken sausage and cucumber, egg and sausage as well as crabstick and mixed peas in mayo. Heehee. Then the pic on the right shows the remaining crabstick and mixed peas in mayo that I dished out as a salad side with sticks of cucumber and sliced tomatoes, plus a dash of my trusted Japanese dried seaweed mix that I always get from Isetan supermarket.

My most critical food critic -- aka Hubby -- didn't say it was delicious. But he also didn't say it was bad! So that means it's "OK lah" by his standards. Pass! Good enough for easily contented me on my first try. :p Plus at least there's one very tasty component of the meal: chuka wakame -- the Japanese seaweed salad that Hubby bought from Isetan supermarket the same time he bought the edamame (ya, that was the thing that Hubby said was "most delicious" =.=).

The chuka wakame that Hubby loved most (sigh) and my dainty glass pot of green tea. The pot's been with me for a couple of years and I love making tea with it. :)

So that's my special sushi lunch yesterday! Really wasn't easy rolling them and making them look presentable. Hats off to all sushi masters out there! Packed some of them and brought them over to Bukit Timah when we went back for dinner too -- that's when Mummy and Beebee commented that my sushi was 'bland', 'out of shape', 'too fat' etc, and Papa who usually eats anything didn't want anything to do with them. =.= Ok ok... this time just pass. Next time I shall do a much better job (I hope)!!! :D

PS. Found this sushi game at miniclip.com. Now I can make sushi online too! Hohoho...http://www.miniclip.com/games/sushi-go-round/en/ (see game at my side bar)

Great food @ Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

Last evening, I attended the school's Graduation Dinner, something like the kids' annual prom night, at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

Perhaps it was cos I was on a course from early in the morning, and only managed to grab a short nap after getting home in the afternoon before having to rush out again, so was feeling a bit tired and stoned during the dinner. But luckily there were colleagues and students to chat with and activities to entertain us, not to mention the great food that was served, so I managed to survive the long night even though it was close to midnight by the time I got home.

Here're the wonderful dishes that made up the 8-course dinner (the only one missing is the dessert, which is some almond paste thing. Personally can't stand the smell and taste of almond, so I stayed far far away from that dish :p):

Hot and cold platter combination dish -- this comprises cold lotus root and abalone, sushi, baby octopus, different kinds of fried rolls/ dough

Double-boiled chicken soup with mushroom and chinese herbs

Crispy chicken with roasted garlic and deep fried curry leaves (love the skin and the leaves!)

Sauteed prawns with asparagus (yum, fat fat succulent prawns!)

Braised broccoli with three types of mushrooms

Steamed sea bass in yellow bean sauce

The usual fried noodles

Hehe, those who know my food preferences well can imagine how happy my taste buds were last night! Haha... except for the baby octopus and the almond dessert, everything was what I love. That's cos I had a hand in voting for the final confirmed menu mah. ;P But the best 'dish' last night was.... ....

*Happy sigh* Specially baked cookies given to me by one of the students to thank me for my time tutoring her after school even though she wasn't from my original English class. Such a sweet sweet girl. Really like her -- she's so diligent yet super humble and caring towards others. Nominated her as prom queen cos she discarded her usual tomboyish look and showed up looking like a demure princess for the dinner. Also nominated her for several other values awards. She didn't emerge prom queen but at least she clinched one of the awards. :D

When I finally walked out of the ballroom after the dinner, 5 boys who were from my form class from 2004-2005 and who'd already graduated last year surprised me by suddenly greeting me and we had a great time catching up a bit and taking pics too. They were my favourite group of boys back then. ;) All of them look so stylish and handsome now, but are still so cheeky. Haha.

All in all, I quite enjoyed the evening. At least I don't regret paying the $65 for the dinner. :p

Poppin' peas!

Japanese soybeans! I love 'em!

In the past, simple-minded me never used to understand why people would take hairy peas off the conveyor belts in sushi bars, place them in their mouths and chew on them. But ever since I realised how to enjoy them, I've been loving them lots and enjoying popping the beans out of their pods and into MY own mouth. Hee. ;)

A couple of weeks ago, when Hubby and I were at Sushi Tei, we ordered these beans again. Then, I just sort of wondered where we could buy them cos I've never really come across them in supermarkets before (or perhaps I just wasn't on the lookout for them). Then a few days ago, Hubby surprised me by returning home from Isetan supermarket with:

Yes! Frozen soybeans! Haha... was really delighted to see the packet cos that'd mean we get to pop them whenever we have a craving for them at home. Heehee. Hubby also bought a tube of wasabi and some Japanese seaweed too. Gonna have a good time enjoying these. Not very cheap though. It costs $10.50 for a pack that's not exactly very big.

Actually, before this, Hubby also surprised me with a bean toy he saw at Takashimaya toy department. Haha. It's supposed to help you relax or amuse you when you squeeze it cos it's nice to squeeze and a little bean will be pushed out. That little bean comes with various expressions depending on which box you choose, and you won't know which expression you get till you open the box. Mine's this:

Very cute leh. It's a sad sad teary-eyed expression. Haha. So like me cos I can be such a cry-baby and shed tears so easily at times. :p

Ok, here're some simple facts about these beans, taken from wikipedia.org.

• Japanese name: Edamame, meaning "twig bean" cos of the short stem attached to the pod
• These beans are young soybeans (older ones don't taste as good)
• The U.S. has declared these beans as a snack with a 'nutritional punch'
• Benefits: Rich in fibre, help to prevent mood fluctuations by managing blood-sugar levels, contain protein and omega3 fatty acids, which combat depression, great source of Vitamins A, B and calcium

Hmm... judging from the benefits, these beans are exactly what people under stress (like me :p) would need to keep happy! ;)

Fun @ Costa Sands Resort (Pasir Ris)

Today's the day when my class would gather for a chalet outing cum BBQ. Not bad, the kids organised it among themselves. All I had to do was turn up after work (and after about an hour's ride on the MRT :p) to enjoy the gathering with them. :) Here's a summary of what I mainly saw and heard throughout the event:

Here's the pool that greeted me when I entered from the lobby. The kids had told me the block and unit they had checked into earlier in the afternoon. It was sort of drizzling by the time I got there so no one was allowed to swim in the pool. I guessed that the kids would all be chilling out in the chalet cos of the rain but when I found my way to their unit, I saw...

NO ONE. Door was locked. Inside was dark when I peered in. But I saw slippers and bags strewn all over the floor. So ok... whipped out my phone and called one of my boys.

"Harlow? Mrs Lee ah? Hey everyone, it's Mrs Lee on the phone. Say hi!"

"HIIIIIIIII....IIII, MRS LEEEEEEE...EEEE!!!!!" *peals of laughter*

"Eh, where are you people ah? I'm here already! Went to the chalet but it's totally empty!"

"Oh...hehe...we're all at the beach! We're playing games! You try to find your way over here can?"

=.= --> Me.

Next thing I whipped out was my brolly.

"Ok ok, I'll try. You people just wait there. I'll go look for you now."

"Yaay! Ok!" *more laughter*

When I got to the grass near the beach area, I wandered about till I heard sudden screams.

"Eh, Mrs Lee... Mrs Lee there! MRS LEEEE.....EEEEEE!!!!!! WE'RE HERE!!!! QUICK!!!! QWEEEEEEK!!!! RUN LEH! HURRY UP!!!!" *many arms suddenly waving at me in the distance* *many legs jumping up and down too*

"I CANNOT RUN OVER THERE LAH! SO MUDDY! I'LL MOST PROBABLY END UP SLIPPING IN THE WET GRASS!"

"NEVER MIND.... QWWWEEEEEK!!! RUN RUN RUN!!!"

"TELL YOU PEOPLE I CANNOT RUN ALREADY LOH... U JUST WANNA SEE ME FALL DOWN IS IT...HAIYO..." *mutter mutter and continued WALKING*

When I finally crossed over large puddles and deep muddy grass area, with my feet all wet and soiled (thank goodness I wore casual sandals and not shoes), I saw my kids divided into 2 teams, and each team was tightly bound by raffia strings around their wrists.

"Alamak, look like prisoners-of-war leh" was the first thought that crossed my mind as the kids headed out towards the water like that. Haha. The 2 teams were supposed to compete to see which team could walk together to the sea and fill more water bags. The winning team gets to bomb the other team. Hehe. Not bad not bad. Quite a good turnout, and the games were pretty well-run.

Later on, the food ordered from http://www.ezb.com.sg/ came. Tried their food before at HZ and Jess's previous BBQ gathering and found it really good, so when the kids told me beforehand that they were gonna order from the same place, I gave my strong approval (and asked them to order more chicken wings and cheese sausages. :p).

Had so much fun while waiting for the fire to start. Helped with arranging the charcoal and cooking some sausages, but left the rest to the kids cos I know they'd enjoy doing it themselves. Meanwhile, I went around like a social butterfly...haha...posing with the kids, taking pictures with them and of them, getting conned by self-invented magic tricks, playing Blackjack (gulp, yes, that's the first time I ever did that with students-- but I told them strictly no $$$ involved ok), watching Chinese drama on TV (the kids were actually surprised that I would watch Chinese drama, as if they thought I couldn't understand Chinese. Alamak. Probably cos I always nag them about speaking and practising English), 'gossiping' with the girls etc. And EATING, of course!

See the many many wings and sausages being BBQed at one go to satisfy as many hungry kids as possible. But amidst the cooking, I heard shouts like "Aiyo CAO DA ALREADY!!!", "Quick, save the otah! Save the OTAH!!!!", "Why the stingray no sambal chilli one? Kena cheated leh....", "Why the fried rice soggy soggy one?", "Mrs Lee, you help me taste this one, see cooked already or not" (*faint*),"QUICK, it's going to rain! The sky black black liao!" "Ok ok, ALL EVACUATE!!!! MOVE THE PIT INTO THE SHELTER!!!!" "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! RAIN LIAO! RAIN LIAO!!!" *pitter patter of many feet scrambling about*

And even later, when it was time for me to go back to the other end of the island, I got to my feet and called out to groups inside and outside the chalet unit, "K, I'm going off, people! Enjoy yourselves ok?"

"OKKKKAAAAAY!!!! BYYYYYEEEEEEEE, MRS LEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! Bye BYEEEEE!!!"

Hehe. That's my class. The brightest lot of their cohort, and the most fun-loving and good-natured kids one could encounter. Sigh. Am really glad I'm their form teacher this year. Really count myself lucky to have such a nice bunch of kids to handle.

And as the kids would say, "3E1 '08 rocks!" :D

Holiday deco plan

Yaaay, got my homeroom at school new curtains! :D

Heehee, been wanting to do away with the shower curtains that I buy for my homeroom every year and that I used as curtains. Guess I just wanted something that I can wash and keep re-using year after year until it tears or something. So I decided to make a trip to IKEA @ Alexandra this afternoon after work.

Did some research online before I went and noted some cheap curtains that I could buy within my budget of $50. Found these nice sheer orange ones that would brighten up my homeroom. They originally cost $15 per pair, but now there's a sale and they're only going for $9 per pair! Hohoho... of course I grabbed them lah. Bought the markers I like for classroom use too -- only $1.90 for 6 different colours, and these markers have a side that can be used as stamps too.

Not bad not bad. A quick trip down and I managed to get these cheap stuff. Love the new layout of the IKEA store too. Not as congested as before and quite easy to navigate now, unlike before. Am almost ready to start working on tidying, cleaning and re-decorating my homeroom this hol! ;)