Clever inventions

Some of these are really pretty cool...

GIANT REMOTE
Never lose your remote again! 
With giant buttons, this extra-large remote is easy to use and impossible to lose. It's a 6-in-1 remote so you can use it to control your TV, VCR, DVD player, satellite, cable and auxiliary A/V device. It even features glow-in-the-dark buttons, so you can easily find the remote in the dark. 

DAYCLOCK (one of my favourites!)
What day is today? You don't know? Then you need a DayClock. It's uniquely designed to keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. It's ideal for vacations and cruises when it's easy to lose track of the day. 

LASER SCISSORS (super useful!)
Laser ScissorsCutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge. 

ILUMINATING CAR SLIPPERS (my favourite! wish someone will really produce this!)
Do you get up at night to drink water, go to the toilet...Do you wish you could see in the dark? Remarkably bright LED lights are triggered by your footsteps and light up the floor 30 feet in front of you; ultra-soft plush style are extra comfortable and cozy warm. 

"THE THING" - INFANT PILLOW (this is rather scary ha!)
The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night. 

CUP & COOKIES

Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don't need extra plates. It's made for right handed and left handed. 
BANANA GUARD 

Protect Your Banana!  Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and storage individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime, anywhere. 
LOCK-CUP 

Lock Cup - Anti-Theft Coffee Cup. Are you tired of others stealing your coffee cup? Well now there's a solution. The Lock - Cup has a hole which prevents most people from using it. Only the owner of the cup can use his/hers shaped key to close the hole.  TRANSPARENT TOASTER (another of my favourites!) 

You love toast, but you always burn it? Than, this invention us for you. This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the colour is right. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology. BUTTER CUTTER

One Click Butter Cutter controls your portion as an important part of staying healthy. This ingenious butter cutter delivers one standard pat with each click of the handle. 

students who don't talk!

Ha, am meeting the same problem that I had with all of you in J1! 

I'm teaching a group of students who have very minimal language ability, the kind that has to check the dictionary when you compliment them on giving a 'smart answer!' and don't know what 'each other' means! And as we all know, I hate classes that don't respond, and it's especially difficult with this class because you know they don't respond because they really really don't know what you are talking about. Sigh, next week is the make or break week...if I can't get this people to understand the basic English that I'm gonna teach them next week, then I'm probably not gonna be able to survive in ESL teaching.

halfway through!

                                        my course mates and the students we have been teaching

I'm halfway through my month-long course! Some people have been asking what my course is about. Well, it's to prepare me to teach English to people who didn't grow up speaking the language...so their English is worse than all of you! Ha, I've got to learn how to give instructions more simply and slowly, and to explain things with more gestures and simpler language. I've also been learning how to be more encouraging...trying to say 'great!', 'good job!', 'excellent!' Haha, you know how difficult this is for me since I'm more used to 'not bad', 'not really'....

I have teaching practices in the afternoons and have been teaching an intermediate class the past 2 weeks. It was a very fun class 'cos their language ability is not too bad and they are very willing to speak up. They come from all over the world...Korea, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, France... with different backgrounds. Some are retired teachers and principals, others are people on working visas to try to earn extra cash, and others are like me, travelling to see the world! So it's fun when they do discussions and give opinions from their own experiences. Guess, that's what I'm looking for in taking this course and hopefully to teach these people - the chance to get to know different cultures.

I've only got 3 other classmates, but it's interesting studying with the 'ang mohs'. It's time like this that I'm thankful for the rigour we've been put through in school....having regular homework is nothing new and something we can cope with pretty well. For some of them, they are pretty stressed out with the work and sleeping very little 'cos they are not used to it. So there's value in our education system after all!  

Am going to start teaching a beginner's class next week. That's gonna be a whole new challenge altogether. Hope it'll go well!

in retrospect

there are days like this when i wonder whether i've made the right decision in throwing away a stable job for a more "exciting" life....

...because there are days when things aren't exactly exciting and there are more uncertainties than expected

...the days when you wished you still had your old salary because that $2 the faulty vending machine swallowed means you'll have to scrimp on lunch the next day (and it didn't even dispense the coke that i was craving for!) 

...the days when familiarity, certainty, and the support of family and friends seem more important than "excitement" 

...the days when "the grass is always greener on the other side - the side that you are not on" rings so true, when you wished you had gritted your teeth and roughed it out back home

maybe these are the issues that I should have considered more carefully before making a decision, but these are the lessons that I have learnt and will learn, hopefully helping me to make better decisions in future. every decision, whether 'right' or 'wrong', is a lesson in itself. my prayer is that it is a decision made according to God's will and i'll learn the lessons He wants me to learn. 

Snapshots of Toronto

The fun thing about travelling abroad is getting to know different cultures and seeing how they handle things differently. One conclusion I've come to is that Canadian children are very free! They have a lot of time to play! Ha, it's probably biased 'cos it's only based on my observations of the children in my neighbourhood, but they are certainly more laid back.

I've also got the chance to meet people from all over the world 'cos I'm doing teaching practice for my course. Today I was just told that the 'Oi!' that we consider so rude in Singapore means 'hello' in the language of one my students (Polish I think).   

I'm not a voyeur, but mowing the lawn is such an 'ang moh' thing that I just had to take a pic of this neighbour doing this.

Why are we so critical of our efforts to have a Clean and Green city when other people do the same thing too! Canadians are proud of the fact that the law states that there must be a park every few miles

  
I've no idea when the Canadian national day is but I'm sure this flag is out the whole year round. That's patriotism for you!

Chinese food in Toronto is supposed to be very good...I just haven't had the chance to try it. My first taste was this expensive S$8 chow mien with "oriental chicken"...too dry though!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Ha, these creative answers to "why did the chicken cross the road" are pretty good!

BARACK OBAMA:

The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE!

The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MCCAIN:

My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need

to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other

side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:

When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross

the road.

This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day

One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves

to cross the road.

But then, this really isn't about me.......

 

GEORGE W. BUSH:

We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.

We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.

The chicken is either against us, or for us.

There is no middle ground here.

 

JOHN LENNON:

Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

 

BILL GATES:

I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but

will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check

book.

Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken.

This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C %

.......... reboot.

 

BILL CLINTON:

I did not cross the road with THAT chicken.

What is your definition of chicken?

 

AL GORE:

I invented the chicken!

 

LEE KUAN YEW:

I am telling u that the highly paid chicken should cross the road first.

It is our right to cross the road.

 

LEE HSIEN LOONG:

Gantry points have been set up.

All chickens wanting to cross the road are advised to top up their cash

cards first.

 

ABDULLAH BADAWI:

We have to be fair to all chickens.

Some want to cross over the road, some do not. ........

Zzzzzz .......zzzzzz .......

Now what were we talking about?

Ah yes, chickens.

We will form a Royal Commission to decide whether it is right for them

to cross the road.

 

MAHATHIR:

Now even the non-bumi chickens want to cross the road?

How can they disrespect and disregard the bumi chickens?

We must be allowed to cross over first. It is our right!

 

ANWAR:

We have enough chickens waiting to cross over in September.

 

SHAHRIR:

All foreign chickens are welcome in Malaysia but they must not cross

over the road within 50km of the border.

 

Wong Kan Seng:

I am sorry that the chicken was allowed to cross the road.

It was an HONEST MISTAKE.

Lets move on.

Away from home...

The first 3 days of reaching a new country are usually the hardest....a sudden realisation that everything's real, that it's not just a 2 week holiday, that I'm 27 hrs away from what's familiar and I have to live with whatever path I've chosen, whether it's good or not.   

These 2 months are gonna tell me whether I can really survive for long in a different country. I'm no longer the 21 year old who could survive on her own for 8mths in Germany...when you are older, people don't forgive your mistakes as easily and they expect more of you. So for those of you studying away from home for the first time, enjoy it! 'cos it's a great experience that you may not get again! The homesickness will surely come but once you wait it out, things will get better.

Oh well, am gonna take that exact advice...gotta wait for these 3 days to pass and for school to start...then hopefully I'll start enjoying what Toronto has to offer