Merry Christmas!

Firstly, a very merry Christmas to all and a wonderful 2009 ahead.

I've been taking a break for the past week... and I finally managed to catch up with Naruto's anime and manga. It's been two months since I started watching the anime... starting from the first episode all the way till Shippuden 89. A total of 309 20-minute episodes. I've also managed to continue reading the story from the manga... till the current chapter 429. Quite an experience in itself, made possible by random late nights. So all I can do now is to wait for the next episode of the anime or next chapter in the manga.

I went back to school last Friday though... for the Sec 1 registration. Managed to get a new work laptop as well =] An Acer Travelmate 6293 with the following specifications...

Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400
(2.26 Ghz, 1066 Mhz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
12.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LED LCD
3GB DDR3
320GB HDD
DVD-Super Multi DL
WLAN and Bluetooth enabled

Managed to take some photos of my workspace and transfer them to the laptop via bluetooth. Quite a cool laptop I guess. My only complaint is that the screen is reflective...

Went for a class BBQ last Thursday as well... organised by my form class in 2007. It was a nice gathering for them I guess, since they were in different classes for this year and will still be for the coming year.

Well, some pictures of the BBQ and my workspace...

Genting Trip

Yep, I'm back safely from Genting all thanks to the superb driving skills of a friend.

Didn't really do much in Genting. Watched two movies though... Disney's "Bolt" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". "Bolt" is quite entertaining because of that fat hamster. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was nice too, with the message that we should protect the environment. It was a good trip except for the fact that I was suffering from the effects of my flu.

Am now stuck in my room with a friend's dog. I'm taking care of him for a few days. He refuses to listen to me... so I'm keeping him with me to prevent him from running around the house. Will probably bring him down for a walk in the evening.

The flu bug got me...

What a time to be down with flu... one day before my short trip to Genting Highlands.

Just reached home not too long ago from sending two colleagues off at the airport. Will need to pack my stuff before I attend a wedding dinner this evening.

Will be away from 12th - 14th December... then it'll almost be the end of my break liao. Back to school soon~

My 2008... as seen by others

Decided to do a thumbnail collage of photographs, uploaded and tagged in Facebook by my friends.



A collection of photographs of some events I was involved in, in almost reverse chronological order...
Teachers' day dinner (Shanghai night theme), In staff room while spring-cleaning, Frog porridge at Chinatown, Hightea at Orchard, Friend's ROM, Gathering at friends' place, Singapore Flyer learning journey, Friend's birthday, Chill-out session with colleagues, JustBlog outing.

Reservist: 24 Nov - 6 Dec

Ho ho, it's been more than a month since I last updated...

Nothing much happening so far except for the fact that I've been going back to school until the week before my reservist and that I've just finished my 14-day "vacation" at Sungei Gedong Camp. I've always enjoyed my reservist mainly because of the fact that I get to meet up with my army friends of about eight years. My only lament is that reservist normally falls during my year-end break from school. However, reservist next year will be in August... which means that I will probably miss three weeks teaching in school, which means that I will probably be super busy prior to my reservist next year, rushing as much of my work as possible.

This year's reservist marked the 6th reservist training for my unit. The highlight of this reservist was ATEC Stage I, the first part of the exam for all active and reservist NS units. There were a total of about 28 skills/drills to be tested and I was required to be trained in four or five of them, but was tested in only one station finally, the AI section crew drill. Next year's reservist will be a shiong one... 21 days... with many many outfield activities.

IPPT (physical fitness test) was the next "big" activity that takes place every year. Having not exercised for a year, it was of no surprise that I didn't manage to clear my running. Will probably start running regularly so that I can pass my IPPT (and be SGD100 richer) by my next birthday. The results of this year's IPPT: Shuttle run - 10 sec, Standing broad jump - 225 cm, Chin up - 5, Sit up - 39 and running - 13 min 17 sec. A total of 16 points but an overall fail because of my running. Not bad for not having exercised for a year, but I'll definitely do better for my next test. Heh.

Another week or so before returning to school to start preparing for the coming year. Will be going to Genting from 12 - 14 December... hopefully it'll be a good trip =]