new family member

Just wanted to welcome my newest family member... Benjamin Choong! Congratulations to my cousin Sharon and her husband who are now proud parents!

baby benjamin + sharon benjamin moses

proud grandparents + benjamin yawning

finally finished something!

I finally taught my Mandarin lingo lesson to my classmates. I have to admit it was quite a scary experience cuz each one of my classmates also have to present in their own target language so they are all experts in their own way... plus seeing one or two critical frowns made me feel a little intimidated.... nevertheless I taught and it's now over!!! Special thanks to Ren who helped me tape a segment of Taiwanese radio (it was a really tough task for him and all his mates at Sony BMG!!) so I could introduce it in my class to help add a tad of realism into the language learning process. I love my friends I have in my LOTE (Languages Other Than English) class, they are really precious! I was so touched as they volunteered to help me set up my classroom, helped me stick my maps and pictures on the wall, and afterwards took it all down, helped with the packing up... I am so blessed!

I also finished knitting the scarf for my brother. It's supposed to be his birthday present. Hope he likes it. I was quite rusty at first... hadn't touched the knitting needles in years... eventually got into the swing of it... and here's the end result!

glitter amidst intensity

Been back at uni for a week... my brain's still fried... I really do pray that it recovers soon. Had lots on my mind as well. I've had quite a few talks with God regarding vunerability, insecurity, rest, friendships and relationships recently, and funnily, a few close friends shared that they were also pondering on similar issues. I've been encouraged reading what Tom wrote in his blog about friendships and I'm currently loving his band Uncle Joe's track "It's your still small voice".

It's your still small voice I hear
Whispering to me
And how I feel so close to you
I can feel you breath
I feel I can't live
Unless you live in me
I feel I can't be
Unless you're near

Take away my stubbornness
Take away my pride
Take away my glory
In you I will reside
I know that I have said this
I've said this all before
But I will say it any way,
I can give you more

You're all I want, all I need!

My simple words cannot express
My thoughts cannot compare
The beauty of your sacrifice
The beauty of your care
It makes me weep to think of it
You're watching from above
Oh lord I think I'm coming back
To my first love

You're all I want, all I need!

In between my scarf knitting time and uni, I managed to go to Matty's 21st last night at a Freo pub. It was relaxing - eating ice-cream and dancing. And an additional plus was that I was able to meet up with quite a few of my Canadian classmates throughout the night! (here are just a few pics taken last night)

jess, marj, leanne and jj + azza, matt j, bryce, matty

happy 21st Matty!

it just keeps on going

Just finished my first prac at a primary school. I got placed in a Year 6/7 class. Being very unfamiliar with what kids were like at that age my initial thinking was that they were like young adolescents, bratty, hormonal etc... I totally overestimated! They were the sweetest batch of kids, and I felt very lucky to have them as my students. While I loved the kids, I found it very very difficult to plan my lessons. I had many 'I didn't get much sleep' nights while writing out lesson plans, working them out in my mind, creating worksheets and tasks for them to do, etc. By the end of my prac I just felt that my brain was totally fried and wasn't able to plan another lesson. Although it was a lot of work, I really enjoyed the time I got to spend at the school... no, in fact I loved it. It's heaps more practical than the stuff I'm learning at uni, cuz I actually get to see the reactions and responses from my students, and that's just something theories can't prepare you for. Going back to uni on Monday... (the less enjoyable part of this course!) gotta teach a 20 min lesson of Mandarin in my LOTE/ESL class on Tuesday... and have massive assignments due later too!!! It just never seems to end. Over our lunch breaks during the prac, we (the student teachers) would encourage one another "don't worry, it'll all be over in November!"... Really? If I got a job next year teaching, I think I would be spending quite a bit of time planning what I will be teaching and assessing the students... I don't think the busyness will ever end will it?!... just have to learn to adjust and balance it all out! I'm just finding the whole situation quite amusing at the moment...