Today and Yesterday

Today is just great
Its wonderful

Today is magnificent
And history begins

Its simply marvelous
And beyond words

Why is it special?

Maybe because it's not yesterday

Yesterday,
That was a dread

Wasn't the day,
I'd rather forget

More of todays should come
And more of yesterdays should retreat
So happiness sets in
And miseries let go.

What will be

I know it won't
Secretly wishing for it

Sadly,
Prediction is coming true

Hopes,
Dashed to pieces

Dreams,
See fading away

Realisation,
Setting in

It may not be
Anymore

Hopes,
Cursed

Sadness,
Overpowering
And remains

Remote

When you need me,
I am searched
When you are busy,
I am thrown aside
How used I felt.

One day, I am thrown away
As I am seen useless
New one in exchange for me

I was sent to well I belong,
The dump
Resigning to my fate,
I told myself,
"This is the new place I will be"
Either with new owner or destroyed
Time will tell

Sad as it is,
Belonging to you,
I'll never be,
Ever again

Questions

Question after question were thrown
As the answers are all vague and blurred
Sounds were made to substitute response
Definite answers are not apparent
Probably since no value is attached to it

What a week it has been...

What a week it has been for me! Super vexed…super tired. Let’s talk about being super tired.

Last Saturday was my school’s CIMO (an open-house cum racial harmony day cum many more). I was in-charged of the Haunted House. The helper I got was super terrible, always disappearing, during the décor as well as during the event itself. Lucky for me, a colleague of mine, Winston, helped me a lot by doing a whole of things for me. He was a superb help although he was busy with own booth. I’m sure the “Haunted House” was a real success with lots of people entering it.

Then Monday and Tuesday, I was an Oral examiner for P6 Oral. On the first day, I had to take 22 students (EM2 kids). I had a hard time judging these kids. Had to be fair according to the EM2 level yet I know these kids were from the tail end. However, felt better when I was testing EM3 kids. I realized I could understand those kids better.

Come Wednesday, I had to go to NIE after school for a refresher course by Prof Chia. He was kind enough to give me a refresher course and Susan (my colleague) a Crash Course on OHP (Orchid Hybridisation). At the same time, we pollinated the first seedpod from our pollination about three months ago. On that day, I got real shocks. First, when I went to the orchid area, I realized that my second seedpod is plucked by someone (I have no idea who though). Rather sad to find out that coz it is such a tedious job to get it (though many people think what I am doing is easy, UNFORTUNATELY).

Then on Thursday, the day for BT Orientation was finally over. Super tiring…the whole day event. Phew, will pass it to the next BT…too tired.

Then finally, just when I thought I’d be free on Friday, my RO smsed me and asked if I do not mind attending a launch at Suntec. Off coz I had to agree…but seriously…I am super duper tired. Then at noon, after school, I finally asked her if its alright if I don’t attend the launch and luckily she said yes.

In btw those times, I also had to prepare slides, called suppliers for oreos and all my markings. But finally, the week is over. Next week will also be another long week for me, sadly though. And this makes me think of the direction I am heading after the 4 years. Do I or do I not want to stay? The question is still left unanswered. One thing for sure, I have the opportunity to leave now if I want, but would I take it? Not sure yet! Though some friends happiness made me want to leave. But leaving everything familiar to unfamiliar ground wouldn’t be easy, definitely!

Time Must Stop

There you were talking about the gals,
There I am thinking...
Thinking about us

There we were sharing,
Sharing about them.
There I am angry,
Angry about us.

Stop!
That I must do
You have your life,
I have mine!

Stop!
The dreams!
As dreams are dreams,
Will never be a reality.

Clarity is determined
Distance is made
No matter the closeness

Star

Twinkle twinkle little star
You are up high and so far
I won't reach even with the best car
I'l put the door ajar
Pray you can enter the bar
But I forget, you are a star!

Wishes Come True

Away, thats the plan
Since asking to stay
Is never going to be

Keeping at bay
It must be
As theres no other way

Trying to say
But it just go away
The moment I m treated like hay

Come what may
Its not an option to stay

Chocolate and Coffee

Chocs and Cafe
Known for short
Both are addictive
But yet so fatal

Chocs
Taste superb
But yet the calories counting
And the pain begins

Cafe
Marvellous as always
But yet the caffeine
Allows the agony to remain

Chocs
You melt in my mouth
The moment you linger on my taste bud

Cafe
You are my friend
My mornings and afternoons

Chocs and Cafe
Both great and wonderful
Wonder which is better
And more flavourable
Not here to decide
Or worst to argue
Both have special ablities
To hypnotize you away

You think I am dumb
I think you are bright
You think I am gory
I think you are right

I think you are proud
You think I am joking

I think you are quite ordinary from the crowd
But you think I am kidding for crying out loud

You think good stuff are meant to be shared
I think it is crap
Just an idea to scare
So what the hell,
I should stop to care

With all those dares
It is so unfair
Its my bloody heart that you tear
So you can blair for all I care

Venture

Venturing in one's heart
Looking for one's self
Fruitless search
Of the uncertainty in the hearts

Searching to clear the doubts
Finally release from the burden
Of being trapped
From the heart
That doesn't care

A week early

I'm back in school, a week earlier that I should. Tiring on its first day. Probably because I have been holidaying for quite a bit that a little bit of work tires me. Did Science to prepare the kids for PSLE (not my own students). Lecturing a class of 40 can be pretty tiring. Also because I don't know most of the kids. I only know a handful of them. But it went pretty well. I hope the kids were able to grasp of the process skills that were taught. Tomorrow will be supplementary lesson for my own students. Hopefully, they will not give me problems in the next six months. Hoopefully, it will be fruitful and nice teaching them the last few months before their PSLE. Above all, I hope they will do well...will promise some rewards for those who do well....bribery... nope...they are incentives...:)

A message that shouldn't be

A text sent,
Hoping for a reply,
From the one that's missed

A sincere reply
Seeking by you
Expects nothing else

Many received
None from the one you wait

The distance makes the bridge harder to cross

So a wish made,
Knew truth isnt what you seek
But its what you deserve

Gone are the smiles
Coz the truth is out

New adventure seeks
No more of the dream
Pursuing the ordinary

Black

Absence
Black Tie
Cultures
Dress and death
Elegant
Funeral
Gemstone
Hats
Inconspicuous
Lack of light
Mysterious
Night
Onyx
Polarities
Restful emptiness
Solemnity
Threat
Uncertainty
Vanity
White

Travelogue: Turkey

Destination: Turkey aka Turkiye by the Turks
Time Frame: 10 Days
Cost: $2160 (plus Insurance)
Important information: 5 hours behind Singapore
Important Information: Bargain is a must in Turkey (@ least 50% off the price)

Day 1
At the airport at 9 pm. Set off at 11.10 pm (SG time) to Turkey on Flight TK67.

Day 2
Arrived in Turkey at about 6.30 am (TK time). Changed some US currency to Turkish Lira. First place of visit was the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii). Magnificent sight which looks heavenly. Then next to it was a memorial place for the Earthquake's victims in 1999. Then proceeded to Aya Sofya (St Sofia Museum). Unique, with features of Islamic and Christian beliefs, bounded by many histories. Next was the Topkapi Palace ("Palace of the Cannon Gate"). It was home of the Ottoman (Osman) sultans for nearly 400 years. Then went onboard a ship with the bus on it to Bursa which is the 4th largest city in Turkey. On board, drank Turkish tea, really bitter. Also had a taste of the pita bread which was super hard and difficult to swallow. Then proceeded to the first hotel at Bursa, Kervansaray. The hotel is nicely decored and looks beautiful. Rested for the night there.

Day 3
Set off at 730 am. First place visited was the Grand mosque (Süleymaniye Mosque). It was the oldest and the largest mosque in the city. Then we went to Green Mosque (Yesil Mosque). It is an elaborate and significant building in the new Turkish style. Got its title "Green" from its gardens and parks, and of course from its being in the middle of an important fruit growing region. Then we went straight to Koza Han (Silk Market). A covered bazaar with many beautiful scarfs and shawls. After lamb kebabs for lunch, we had a treat to Turkish delight. Bought quite a number, rather expensive in US dollars. Then was a long journey to Kusadesi. Rested at Grand Ozcelik Hotel. Sea view. From the balcony, you can see a beautiful sight of the sea. Took several pictures of sunset and sunrise.

Day 4
After breakfast, went to leather factory. Watched fashion show. All the stuff were super ex, so didnt get anything from there. But the models, at least one of them was gorgeous. Then after that, went to the House of Virgin Mary. Located in located in a nature park between Ephesus and Seljuk. Then went to the Ephesus (Efes). Believed to be under the Roman empire. What was left was its ruins. It would definitely be a beautiful place. It was located at Izmir. After lunch, headed to Pamukkale, which was about 2 and half hour drive. Stayed at Pamukkale Lycus River. They had a thermal pool. We didnt go in though.

Day 5
The morning started with a long journey to Capadocia. The first pitt stop was after 1.5 hour jouney, the first one before lunch. After another 1.15 hour, we had our lunch, another Turkish lunch. The food served was good. After that we continued the journey for yet another 1.5 hour before we had another pitt stop. The next stop was Traders' Hotel. There we met a cute two-year-old boy named Yahya. If you were to see him, you may not guess he is 2 years old, look like 4 to 5 years old. During our jourey, the guide also pointed out about the significance of huge cola kinda can on the roof of some houses in an Anatolian area. The purpose of the cans is to signify that there are virgin ladies who are ready for marriage in the house. Interesting right, can't imagine that in Singapore. We continued our journey and eventually reached the Dinler hotel, where we stayed for 2 nights. It was big and nice. It was pretty cosy and was located at Shihir town.

Day 6
The day started with a carpet factory. We saw a lot of beautiful carpets with magnificent designs. It was however super duper expensive. Next was Gerome museum. There are many churches in between the museum. The kitchen area is spacious yet constricted. You should be there to witness it. Words can't describe it. Food was served in a cave restaurant in Capadocia. Then we went to the Jems store called Pyramid.It sells gold, silver, onyx and stones. It is well-known for its stones and I found out that turqoise is actually known as Turkish blue and a popular and expensive stone in Turkey. Interesting to watch how the stone suddenly becomes translucent and shiny after polishing. After that, we went to Underground city. It was stuffy. We had to bent and the pathway was small and narrow. We were told that there are still a small group of people living in such caves. The temperature was 15 degrees celcius so it was rather cold. We went back to Dinler Hotel at 4.30 pm. We didn't managed to go on hot-air balloon as it was super expensive, priced at US$180.

Day 7
I woke up at 5 am though the wake up call was 5.30 am. After breakfast at 6.30 am, we set off at 7.30am. The first stop was Pottery store. It was underground. There, I was picked to try out pottery. My end product looked terribly ugly. We bought a clock at 45 Lira in the store. On the way to Ankara, we were stopped by the police for random check. The officer was super good-looking...ahaha. At the pitt stop, I had a back massage using the massage machine. It only cost 1 Lira. The things there are super bloody expensive. We had lunch at Uchisar. We were told that the restaurant is popular amongst Ministers. The food served was Iskender kebabs and lentil soup. Desert was a turkish dish, a vermicelli like sweet with cheesy....it was cheesily sweet. We reached Ankara about 2 hours after lunch. Ankara, the capital of Turkey is a business district. However, Istanbul is seen as the commercial capital. We then visited Ataturk Mausoleum. Atarturk was seen as the Father of Turkey. His name was Mustafa Kemal. He brought independence to Turkey from the Greek empire. He was the first president of Turkey. According to the guide, he was a women's man but he never got married. The Mausoleum is adorned with statues, relief's and embellishments created by many of Turkey's artists. Then we went to Yadoer Otel. The hotel was well-decorated. It has a beautiful tree-top at its garden. Dinner was a 3-course dinner. However, the breakfast was one of the worst one. During our journey back to Istanbul, we had a stop over for photos. We also paid for the Bosphorus Cruise which cost US$55. We also had XXL meal at Burger King. It cost 10 plus Lira, shared between the two of us. At night, we went for a belly dancing show at Kansaray Club. There we met a superb singer. An old man who could sing songs from many different languages. He was very entertaining. Though I wasn't entertained by the belly dancing, I think their Anatolian dance was fun and interesting.

Day 9
The final day in Turkey was a free day. However, having taken the cruise, the guide first brought us to the Spice bazaar. Unfortunately, it was closed. We only got stuff outside the bazaar area. Things were pretty cheap there. Then we went ahead to the Bosphorus cruise. The cruise was an hour long. We took lots of photos during the cruise. After that, we went to a place like Clarke Quay. We didn't buy anything much as nothing there interest me. We spent some time at burger king. We noticed that the service people there are all men. After that, we went shopping at the biggest shopping centre in Europe. It looks like our Takashimaya. Stores like Zara, Topshop and a few known brands are there. It was however a bit more expensive that Singapore. After two hours, we headed to the airport. It was parting time for Sibel (our guide) and us. After hugging sessions, we checked-in. We took TK66 home at 11.45 pm.

Day 10
At 33o pm, we reached Singapore. Home sweet home at last.

Some Turkish words we learnt there:
Yavash yavash: slowly slowly (often said by our guide)
Gooniden (Good Morning)
Fine (Iem)
Giris (Entry)
Cikis (Exit)
Kach para (How much)
Choke para (Very expensive)
Yo para (No money)
Indrem (Discount)
Teasyukur Enderum (Thank you)
Monduer (candle)

Couting the days...

Wow, before I know it, holiday is here. The time I look forward to. But I realise I feel quite empty. Hahahaha, weirdly, I want school again. Ya, crazy. Maybe because of the sudden feeling of being free after a hectic and quite scary period. Well, many things happened during this semesters.

Besides having many meetings with one of the big bosses because of the kids under my charge, I also got into a few troubles myself (trying to forget the details). Whatever, it is, everything is solved now. I sure hope the new semester brings new beginning and challenges but not problems for me.

Anyway, next week, I'd be flying to turkey for 10 days. Initially, I was excited and looking forward to it but after the bomb blast, not really. I am kinda worried. Hopefully nothing happens, especially to my sis. I don't really care about me, just doesnt wanna go home and face problems. So hopefully we will both be fine. Then it will be an experience I wont forget, an exotic place.

The truth

Then, there were the doubts
Now its obvious

Then, swooned
Now broken

Previously, sweetness
Now shattered

Happiness and wonderful
Turned sour
When the truth emerged
Reflection seen directly

Pretense
Ignorance
But never forgotten

Steps to Don't Know What

First Step: Friendship

Second Step: Humiliation, Beginning of the end?

Third Step: A fight, Number deleted (stupidly memorised it)

Fourth Step: Silent

Step 1, 2 and 3

Next Step: Message after message ( Due to stupidity)

Anger thrown

Then, an invitation but rejection

Expected

After which, pictures erased

Memory still clear

Hopefully fading away

With the distant

Strength surfaced

Disappearance

All change

James Blunt - Tears And Rain Lyrics

How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.

How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning.
I guess it's time I run far, far away;
find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same:
it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.
How I wish I could walk through the doors of my mind;
Hold memory close at hand,
Help me understand the years.

How I wish I could choose between Heaven and Hell.
How I wish I would save my soul.I'm so cold from fear.
I guess it's time I run far, far away; find comfort in pain,
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
Hides my true shape, like Dorian Gray.
I've heard what they say, but I'm not here for trouble.
Far, far away; find comfort in pain.
All pleasure's the same: it just keeps me from trouble.
It's more than just words: it's just tears and rain.