Thursday, January 27, 2011

Friends

Just a short one tonight. Been a while since I updated and I think I should update tonight. I just wanted to write about friends and friendship. I am blessed to have friends who are on the same wavelength as me. They are a boon and never a bane. They have helped me to grow in many ways. They have even sometimes told me things about myself I never knew about. For these friends, I am really thankful.
I have friends from childhood days, from university days, from church and also from work. Each group is different but one thing that they have in common is their friendship which I cherish.
Here is to more time spent together and more laughter together.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Bees

There are lots of bees buzzing everywhere around me at work. Everyone is is turning into bees. Everyone is busy with paper work in addition to teaching work. Furthermore, activities have started and everyone is involved in one activity or another. I have not had time to formally welcome 2011. I don't think I want to anymore. I just want to do my work, try and finish all I am supposed to do on time, and to be the best that I can.
Some people might think that my responsibility is on the lighter side this year. I agree, it is true, in terms of the number of posts I have. But my work is far from being light as I am in charge of the busiest club with the most number of "meetings" and "outings"; and with the most "money in and out". Just look at my accounts and you will agree.
Next is my involvement with the editorial board. I have not done a very good job in the two years prior to this. I intend to do a much better job this year. And I will start earlier too. And I hope to be more systematic and organised.
Teaching is still my core business. I will try very hard to do a better job. I will try to complete my work faster and be more organised. I really would like to focus better on teaching. And the drama that my girls and I are putting up next week will be the biggest project for me this year. I hope.
Does this count as a resolution? Perhaps. But I need to stop being a bee and become a human again.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Goodbye to 2010

It has taken me over a week to actually say goodbye to 2010. And it has been over a month since I last posted anything. I have been lazy and also busy. I was basically protesting over the lack of holiday because of SPM invigilation.
The year that was ... 2010 .... time for a reflection.
For the most part, 2010 can only be described as havoc. Havoc because of what was going on at home when the domestic help ran away. Havoc because the master of the house refused to hire part-timers to help with the cleaning of the house. Havoc because the children still needed to have a care-giver most of the time. Havoc because I was inundated with work. Havoc because the school's cheer club got involved in many activities and programmes. Havoc because I refused to participate half-heartedly. Havoc because the school had so many things happening. Havoc because the principal retired and was almost immediately replaced by someone new.

On the other hand, I can also describe 2010 as a year of blessings. Blessings come in many forms, and I have been blessed because of some people. I am thankful for friends and colleagues who understood when I was less than what they had hoped for. I am thankful for the aunty who came down from Penang for almost half a year because I needed someone to help with the children. I am thankful for the children themselves, as they learned to be more independent. I am blessed with a husband who eventually rose to the occasion and learned to do a lot more house work than he had ever done in his entire life. Love you, dearest! I am blessed with my cell group brothers and sisters who have been ever so understanding and allowed us to not host any meetings in our house for the duration we did not have a helper.
Most of all, I am blessed because God has shown me that I can manage, and that I need to spend more time with my family and pay them more attention.

Emotions went up and down a lot throughout 2010. I was angry when, in April, the domestic help ran away, leaving us all in a lurch and causing us so much trouble. I was, however, relieved at the same time. I had never liked her. But having her disappear on us made me really mad. The inconvenience and all .... oh well. I was exhausted a lot, during the first month or so after that. I lost weight, lost appetite, and was not myself sometimes.
Eventually I learned to cope. I had to. Work does not wait for us. And there was A LOT OF WORK in school.

Cheer Club. D*starz. Cheerleaders. Competitions. This area of work was a major part of my life. We (the team and I) went further than ever before. We achieved more success in this one year than all the years put together. It was just simply, our year. Looking back, it was almost as if it was a parting gift for Pn Alainal from Cheer Club. We won the SOX All Stars Dance. Plus a few other categories. We were 5th in Cheer 2010. Plus a few subsidiary categories as well. The emotions ran high for us all. The amount of time and effort put in by all of us, the girls and me, was tremendous. Worth it, yes, but taxing for the family life. I felt a lot of guilt for spending more time with the girls than with my own children and husband. Thankfully, after the season was over, I was able to be more of a mother and wife. Then of course, came the Koperasi competition, and Cheer Club won for the state level competition, and that qualified us for the national competition ... more work. But it was a good experience, nevertheless. We didn't win anything, but it was a good learning experience for me, especially.

The school work. SBT. HPS. So much of paper work. So much of time spent planning for the school activities involving lots of money. 2010 marked the year the Lit students sat for SPM. And the year they put up "An Inspector Calls". I didn't have a lot to do with this, but it was something for me to learn from for 2011. Oh yes, Literature. My first year teaching Literature. It was difficult at first, as I had never taught it for real. I had only done micro-teaching of it, and done lesson plans which were never carried out. It was a challenge. But then I asked for it. I actually volunteered to teach it. Why? I guess it's because it was a challenge that I thought I could manage. And I have managed. My girls have managed.

I spent 2010 doing all sorts, experiencing all sorts, and learning all sorts. Looking back, I don't have a lot of regrets. I have been blessed. Though I look forward to 2011 with fear and trepidation, I also look forward to it with boldness, knowing that my Father will carry me through.

Next post for 2011....