Two weddings and a funeral

2011, it came and left in a blink of an eye. Now, we are at the end of the 1st quarter of 2012. Time does really fly. Lots to of things to be expected and of course the unexpected as well. Within just a month, I've attended two weddings and a funeral. Plenty of emotions flying through the air, and it is very tiring.

February 18, a date we were looking forward to for a while now. We were most excited when informed of my beloved cousin, Veronica's wedding to her best friend, Ron. Its been a few years since the last wedding in the family and before that it was about a decade plus since the last wedding in the family. It was the most beautiful and down to earth wedding. So off we went the to The Good Shepard Church in Setapak for an evening wedding mass.

The uncles and aunties with the bride and groom.

Of course, Veronica's creativity could be see throughout the decor and especially on the dress she wore. It was simply perfect! It suited her personality to the tee. Then to the K Club in Taman Melawati for the dinner. Except for a few absent family members, we were really, really happy to have an occasion to gather, laugh, drink and dance. Wow!! we did dance the night away. Even the aunties let their hair down and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

Some of the cousins

On March 3 it was off the Ipoh for me. For another most anticipated wedding. You know, I was the happiest person when I was told the dates for my cousin and then my best friends wedding. I decided on a day trip with my cousin, Kathleen to keep my company. We left Bukit Jelutong at around 8am and arrived at the Canning Garden Baptist Church in Ipoh well ahead of time for the wedding. It being a christian wedding service we were anxious of the proceedings. All the anxiety was in vain though. The service was long but it was a happy and fun kinda of way. There were some heartfelt moments but mostly it was just smiles, laughter and claps, lots of whooping and claps. Unusual for me!

(Will upload pics later)

Next, was lunch at a Chinese Restaurant in Ipoh itself! Simple and delicious food it was. I enjoyed it tremendously. Then, it was the drive back to PJ. I was very happy to get out of KL even for just a few hours, the scenery on the way was just simply refreshing. Long, rolling GREEN hills, actual hills yah!! Not oil palms plantations. Blue sky and lovely fluffy white clouds. I'm looking forward to the next road trip very much. Kudos!!! to Kathleen for excellent map reading skills. She was my GPS for the day in Ipoh!!

After all the lovely things that had been going on, it was most disheartening to get a phone call from my cousin, informing me on the death of a beloved grand uncle. Uncle Michael to everyone else (but Godpa to me), was a very cheerful man. He had his way of just making you smile always. I never really got to spend a lot of time with him but the time that we did meet was always full of smiles, hugs and laughter.

Michael Nunis and his brood of granchildren
(except for 2 strays there)

 He loved his whiskey and he loved his Dunhill. He lived until he was 74, and he was just a couple of days shy of his 75th birthday. He was always concerned for each and everyone around him, always giving advice and a helping hand, always giving. He has lead a peaceful and happy life.

Michael John Nunis
(20/03/1937 - 12/03/2010)

Dearest GODPA, May your soul have eternal rest in GOD's wonderful splendour!!

July 2011

Busy, busy, busy.

It’s been this way since January and there are no signs of it letting up, even for just a short bit. Seems like having a class size increased by 50%, also means 50% more paperwork to be marked, checked and filed. I would not have any child being transferred into another class or my class being split up though, for I could never choose between all of them.

Teacher's during the Chinese New Year celebration in school.

The first 3 months was a period of adjustments in many areas, the children needed to get to know me, get comfortable with me and me with them too. I also had to assess their level of reading, counting and general knowledge. What I have with me, is a bunch of really good, motivated and intelligent 6 year olds.

Children being children they need to know that what they do is important, it matters to me when they are not in school, it matters to me when they can’t spell or read well. It makes me happy when they have put in the effort to try and read a long word.

The first time I was assessing their reading level, I wasn’t happy with the level for some of the children. So I had to make sure that the children know what is required of them. They would need to reach level 6 by the end of the year, so there is a long road ahead for some of them who are only in level 2. Motivation is the key to it!

It’s been about 7 months of school year now. Guess how they are doing? The lowest level now is 4. Those few who struggled in the beginning had made the most improvements. No! No! No! It’s not because of me. It’s the children’s motivation. You wouldn’t believe me, but the children motivated themselves and each other.

One of the many birthday parties that I had attended this year!

We have been on two field trips this year, the first was to watch a play “The Ugly Duckling”. The children enjoyed it because it was a first for all of them to watch a play. They know cinemas very well but a stage play now that is something new. The trip was in May it’s now August and they still talk about the play and sometimes when they are playing they pretend to be the characters in the story.

The 'Ugly Duckling' play which the children enjoyed!

The second field trip was most recent. We visited Aquaria KLCC. Some of the children had been there, but going on a trip with friends always seem more exciting. They enjoyed themselves, but poor things had to walk for about 2 hours non-stop. It was tiring, even for me.

Now, we are concentrating on concert performance. They are excited and looking forward to the costumes. Also, it’s their graduation ceremony. It hasn’t sunk in yet that they will be moving on to different schools, meeting new friends and teachers and going into a very different environment. But I’m sure they will adapt with ease.

This year’s concert will be their last kindergarten performance. So, we are all busy, busy, busy with the practices. I’m just hoping they don’t forget their steps or music notes or get a stage fright. So far, practices has been going well. So, I’ll be keeping my finger cross they continue this way.

It's 2011!!

Well, the new year is here. It's 2011, and I've started it off with a BANG!!

We were at the funeral parlour for my grandmother's wake. The BANG was from the fireworks that was let off just after midnight, also we could see the fireworks at a few other places from the parlour. Many family members were there, I don't think we have gathered together like this for quite a long time. It was great to have the family there!

The weekend whizzed passed and soon it was the first day of school which was also the day of my grandmother's funeral. I had to take some time off from school to attend the mass and then head back to school. It helped tremendously to have the kids surrounding me!

Soon it was time for the company annual dinner. Themed : Polka Dots - quite a many of them came 'dotted' for the occasion. It was great food, games and entertainment! The teachers really had their fun on that night.

All 'Dotted Up" for the night!

Then came Aunty Penny's 50th Birthday Party. She had a really 'retro night'. It was great!! The food, the entertainment, the decor, the music and the dancing!! Happy 50th Aunty Penny!!!

The Hippie Birthday Girl!!

A very hippie 50th birthday!

Then there was also Kathleen's 21st Birthday party two weeks later!

Happy 21st Kathleen!

Sam and Me

Very soon it was Chinese New Year! The family gathered together for a whole afternoon of food and laughter. It was a whole lot of food and a whole lot more of laughter during the card games!!

After this was the 40th day prayer and dinner, which was the usual fun, food and laughter for the whole family.

Remember this is still in the month of February only!! Next we had uncle Jude's birthday celebration at his home.

Happy Birthday Uncle Jude!

Then we had Kenny and Sarah's marriage registration at Putrajaya! Most of us had work so we couldn't make it but some could and made it all the more merrier.

Congratulations Kenny and Sarah!

Well, so far this has been my year 2011!! Very eventful and its promising to be more eventful as the year progresses. We'll keep you posted!

Dedicated to Mary Pinto

December 30th, 2010

The news of my grandmother passing away was quite hard to deal with. She passed away yesterday - December 29, 2010. It's the day after my mum's death 6th anniversary. Well, now mother and daughter are reunited in the House of the Lord, the best place ever to be at.

She had lived a full life, born in China, she travelled to Malaysia when she was a teenager. She met my grandfather and brought up a large family here.

Mary Pinto @ 1942

Mary Pinto @ 1957

Mary Pinto @ 1972

She had a total of 10 kids - 7 boys : Johnny, Tony, Aloy, Jerry, G-boy, Martin, Jude and 3 girls : Margie, Aggie and Cecilia. My mum being one of her daughters.

Pinto Family around 1967

Pinto Family 1997

She had 18 grandchildren : Harry, Zack, Kenny, Ann-girl, Joey, Kevin, Nicky, Patricia, Veron, Philip, David, Mark, Kyle, Sarah, Jared, Timothy, Marissa and Jennifer. She also had 8 great grandchildren : Noriza, Arieffin, Nadira, Raiyan, Dahlia and Jasmine.

We had lots of fun growing up together. She was funny and strict at the same time. She was a good cook, no, no, scrap that, she was a great cook, she fed all of us very well. Very well indeed!!

She and grandpa travelled to many places too! She had style and grace, she also had lots of fun!

Dearest Mary Pinto, May you have eternal rest in God's wonderful splendour!!

It's Christmas Time!!

December 26, 2010

Christmas is here again!!

It's time to meet up with the whole family for some good laughs. Hohohohohohoho!!!

There were lots of food involved and us cousins did our usual outing on Boxing Day, instead of bowling we decided to watch a movie at the not so recently opened mall in Wangsa Maju, Wangsa Walk. Nothing impressive about the place, just another shopping mall for people to spend more money.

'Little Fockers' was quite a disappointing movie. Just as expected, the 3rd movie for comedies are usually a failure. We expected more laughs, but it just wasn't there. They were just trying too hard to make it funny so in the end it was a disaster.

This time of the year also means that I'm off from work the whole month. It was filled with work still. I was getting ready for the new academic year. It wasn't easy reading through the syllabus, it never is when we are handling a new age group. But I'm looking forward to the coming year, it seems to promise more good things at work and development as well.

We will see how it all goes after that.

A Summary

From the time I left Bangkok till my flight touch down in KL I barely had time to breath up until now! There were just things happening, one after the other. But now that the water is calm, I can catch up on the many things that I have left stranded.

The academic year at BHS ended on a high note. Many parents came to collect their child's report card and left with a very big smile on their face. Which made all the teachers smile too. Sadly, we also had to say 'goodbye' and 'goodluck' to Teacher Asella and Teacher Mary Anne who has left BHS.

The last day of school also meant that we will find out which age group we are teaching in next year. For the last two weeks of school there were a lot of speculation. We were all very excited and at the same time a little bit apprehensive. When we are familiar with an age group like for instance this year is my second year teaching the 4 year olds. I knew what to expect and what had to be done. I was prepared this time. So we prefer to stick to something familiar so that we can expand, improve and excel in it. At the same time, we would also like to teach a new age group so that we can move forward, increase our experience, improve and take up the challenge to excel.

I was most surprised when I was told that I was to take the playgroup children, means I will be taking the youngest lot - the 3 year olds. Its a daunting task and I was most apprehensive of it. But after 2 days of thinking about it, I felt that I'm ready to take on the challenge and excel in it. I started planning almost immediately on what I would do and also started asking Teacher Lina (the playgroup expert) on what to expect.

A week later, I find out that there might be another change. Instead of the playgroup, I might have to teach the Kindergarten group - 6 year olds. Hmmm!! Definitely an easier bunch to handle but the report writing part is what I'm not looking forward to. Well, its not confirmed yet! I will find out tomorrow morning, I hope.

But come to think of it. It doesn't really matter which age group I teach, because every year its a new bunch of kids and each class will present a different set of challenges for me. So I say to myself tonight : "BRING IT ON!!!!"

Besides work. *sigh*, too much had happened for me to put it down. Basically, when I got back from Bangkok, I was most keen on going back there or any other place to teach. Living and working in Bangkok has given me a very different perspective on my career. I have been teaching for the last 6 years, and it is a job, not wait its not just a job its what I love to do. I love working with kids on a daily basis, I find it most fulfilling. I love the title that comes with my name now - Teacher Stephanie. When parents or any students see me outside of school hours, its Teacher Stephanie and I'm proud to have been these students teacher. I hope I had taught them well.

Now, moving forward, I asked myself what else can I gain from me being a teacher here in BHS. Well, I got my answer recently, there is a lot of possibilities and opportunities that comes with being a teacher at BHS. It's a big school that constantly encourages teacher development and that is what teachers at BHS are looking for.

So my first step towards my career development would be to further my studies in the field of early childhood education. I will be going back to University to gain my next level, but this I can only begin in the next intake sometime in the middle of next year.

For now, its time to celebrate!!! There were a lot of things to celebrate for. Firstly, the teachers celebrated their job well done the day after all report cards were handed out. It didn't start out so well, we were stuck for an hour in the traffic jam, getting into Mid Valley. But once we were in, we just relaxed and enjoyed our time. We were supposed to do Karaoke, but that plan had to change because of the traffic jam. Instead, we went bowling. Hahahahaha!!! We had a jolly good time bowling. It was good to have some fun time and talk about other things besides lesson plans and students.

Then about 4 days later we had the year end class party at BHS and it was filled with food and games.The children and teachers had their fill for the day.

Next, was Mel and Mark's baby shower. Lots of people came bearing lots of nice gifts for the happy expecting couple. Theirs is a Christmas baby!! We are all looking forward to welcoming their newborn. It was also a good time for everyone to catch up with each other. Some whom I hadn't seen in a while, I was glad to see them again. Then there were the little ones for all of us to coo and ahh over. Hehe!! I bet they enjoyed all the attention on them for that night.

Bree to Skye "Your mitts are so nice"

Angie, Bree and I

Bubu

A few days later I met up with some very long, long, long time friends. San, Tati and Mary. We had a good time chatting over drinks and food. Its as if we had never been apart. Hehe!!

Christmas is around the corner, its going to sneak up on me, I just know it. I had better get started on my Christmas gifts for this year!!! *phew*!!!!!

What?? Time to go home!!!

Time has flown by!!

My 6 weeks here in Bangkok is up and I shall be returning tomorrow. I wish I could stay! I've grown to love this   air-noise polluted-yet bright and huge city!! There is still so much more to discover, I imagined doing it all, but alas, it was not to be. My last 2 weeks here has just passed me by with a clip of my fingers (really, it's like being in an action movie and the scenes just flashes pass you).

I had a school trip, a weekend on an island, school concert and staff party all in the last 10 days.


Koh Samed (NOT Koh Samui), is a nice island. It was about 2 1/2 hours drive from school (in Prawet District) to the seaside town of Rayong. From there its another 30 minutes by speedboat to the island. You can opt for the cheaper and longer ride on the ferries. But it was getting dark soon, so we sped off to the island to check in. We headed straight out for dinner after a change of clothes and from then on it was party till early in the morning. It's really fun when the teachers let their hair's down. 

In the morning, I was most surprised that we woke up in time for breakfast. After that, we booked our 'seats' on the deck chair by the sea and planted ourselves there the whole day. You will be amazed at how planted to the deck chairs you can get. Food came to us when it was time to eat, massage ladies came by when it was time for massage and you can even by stuff by just sitting on the deck chairs. 

Then it was time for dinner, so after a quick shower we headed to the other end of the beach to watch the 'Fire show' while having dinner. Dinner was great, they had a wide variety of seafood, meat and vegetables. One of the teachers was a vegetarian. The "Fire show" was very good and we also managed to catch some World Cup matches on the big screen they had set up on the beach. 

I had a great time with the teachers on the beach!!! Then it was back to Bangkok and the last week of school. We had to prepare for the year end performance and party at the end. Here it's done differently. The parent are invited to attend the performance and then the party where the school canteen prepares a BBQ. The children in my class performed a rap version of the '3 Little Bears', they enjoyed and so did the parents. Then awards were given out and also presents to the teachers. I was unprepared for this part and turned tomato red when I was called. After that it was time for the BBQ and some dancing. It was great!! 


Well, I had to say my goodbyes soon after and headed back to my apartment. I had another four days in Bangkok and I wanted to do everything in these four days. My friend SP arrived from KL on that Friday night. Saturday morning we headed out to visit the Temples and Shrines all around Bangkok. It was a hot, hot, hot day, we had to make sure we were constantly drinking water. Then we headed to the shopping mall to cool down, do a bit of shopping and have our dinner. I was quite an expert in getting around Bangkok by now and could explain things to SP. Sunday morning we headed out bright and early to an old part of Bangkok, Khoasan and then from there we went to Chatuchak. SP did a lot of shopping there and was most amazed, the same way I felt when I first walked into that labyrinth. Then we headed home when it got too hot. 


That night we went for dinner at my favourite Thai Restaurant on Rama 4 Road. It's a cheap place to eat at and only the locals know the place. I was introduced to it by my manager who was introduced to this place by a local. Again, it was great food at a good price. That night we stayed up to watch the World Cup Final match in the apartment. 


Monday morning, again we SP and I headed out for some shopping and a bit more sightseeing. We got a massage and a hair cut too. Things in Thailand are really cheap. Then I had to start packing. Oh dear!!! I wasnt looking forward to that part.


On Tuesday morning, SP left early, then I had another 6 hours before I had to leave for the airport. Only that morning I started packing up my things. I had too much to pack. Then it was time to say goodbye to everything in Bangkok!! 


I had a great time when I was there, but I was also looking forward to going home to everything that is familiar. My comfort zone!!