Teru-juni

That's the name of our pet tortoise. One fine day, a little tortoise appeared at my bf's place. He was so excited abt it & couldnt stop emailing me abt it. We decided to give it a name. I came up with the name "Teru junior" as a joke (my bf's name is Teruyuki) but to my surprise, my bf liked it but shortened it to Teru-juni. He didn't mind that it meant he's a tortoise coz he said the tortoise is cute, so it means he's cute too! *puke*

My bf's crazy over the little tortoise to the extent of putting it in his room next to his mattress (he sleeps on the floor), so that he can observe it. It became the topic of our emails for the next 2-3 days. Once he even interrupted our phone conversation with a sudden "Ah! It's eating! It's eating!! I finally see how a tortoise eats!!" *faints*

He's really like a little boy sometimes...but that's what i love about him...acts like a knight in shining armour yet charms you with his child-at-heart behavior.

Anyway back to Teru-juni... anyone knows the significance of a tortoise appearing at your doorstep one day? In Fengshui terms, is it a gd or bad sign? I hope it signifies something good...if it isn't, please dun tell me coz i can be quite superstituous & affected sometimes...nobody likes to hear bad predictions mah...

A special couple

I met up with my frd for tea recently. She's the one who went to study in Japan with me 2 years ago. That trip to Japan changed our lives, esp for her. She met her husband there & went thru what i feel is a lot in a short span of time. I didn't end up with anyone then, but nevertheless i feel that my life has changed too, indirectly due to my time there.

Anyway, back to my frd. I came back after my studies while she stayed on for another term of studies. After that she came back to work for a short while then got married overseas. They came back recently with stories of the nonsense they had to go thru with job & immigration in Japan. Even tho they can finally settle down in S'pore, they are in another round of job & immigration issues now. And it's made worse by financial constraints.

What they went thru can probably be made into a mini love drama that tells of true love. I admire their strength in overcoming the obstacles together. Looking at them gives me the encouragement that things will turn out fine for my relationship too. I can foresee myself going thru similar problems like job, immigration & financial issues in the near future. Sometimes I do worry abt it, but i often psycho myself that there's always a way out. And now looking at my frd, I believe there really is a way out as long as both are determined to make it so.

All the best to you, my frd! You've been thru so much.... just hang in there a while more!

Dedicated to you

Did you check out the song i put up in the previous post? I guess I'm probably the only one crazy over it. I've stopped listening to it 1 day after i posted it. Yeah..my obsession is that short! hehehe...

However i visited the site again tdy. And when i heard the lyrics, i still feel emotional like i first did. I didn't mention it then...but i felt as if the song lyrics conveyed my feelings...of what I want to tell my dear, my family, my jie-meis, my close frds... THANK YOU! *muacks* (^-^)

Nice song

I was searching for a kid's song played during the P1 orientation and stumbled onto this very nice touching song. Here's the site to listen to it

--> http://www.osaka-shinai.ac.jp/element/elem/rose/renon/0202/thankyou020216.htm

あなたにありがとう
Thank you to you
　　　　　　　　　

作詞作曲：中山真理

１　あなたがいたから、がんばってこられたんだね。
Because you were around, (I) could work hard
　　一人ぼっちなら、とうにくじけてた。
When (I was) miserable alone, (I was) discouraged/disheartened.
　　あなたがいたから、元気でいられたんだね。
Because you were around, (I) could cheer up
　　いつもはげまして　くれてたからだね。
(Because you were) Always giving (me) encouragement
　　どんな時も　ささえてもらったから、
At any times, (because I received) support (from you)
　　つらいこと、いやなこと、いつしか忘れてた。
Tough times, times when I hated it, it’s forgotten (as it comes and goes)
　　あなたにありがとう、ありがとう、ありがとう
To you, thank you, thank you, thank you
　　いつまでも大事な宝物、そばにいたこと。
Always an important treasure, being beside me


２　あなたがいたから、楽しくすごせたんだね。
Because you were around, it became enjoyable (for me)
　　けんかをした日は、笑えなかったよ。
Days when there were fights, (I) could not smile
　　あなたがいたから、やさしくなれたんだよね。
Because you were around, (I?) became kind
　　いじわるな気持ち　消えていったよね。
Ill-natured/spiteful feelings were gone
　　どんな時も　ささえてもらったから、
At any times, (because I received) support (from you)
　　つらいこと、いやなこと、いつしか忘れてた。
Tough times, times when I hated it, it’s forgotten (as it comes and goes)
　　あなたにありがとう、ありがとう、ありがとう
To you, thank you, thank you, thank you
　　いつまでも大事な宝物、そばにいたこと。
Always an important treasure, being beside me (be there for me?)
　　そばにいたこと。
Being beside me (be there for me?)

I did the direct translations to my best ability. I'm still not expert level in japanese language yet! Those in brackets are what i felt is needed to make some sense of the translated lines. Hope it makes sense to u. Anyway, just enjoy the nice song!

Miss Chan

Not been updating lately... coz i'm bz with other matters. But of course laziness plays a big part too! hehehehe...

Now the updates...

"Good morning, Miss Chan...." I'm a school teacher now!

Such a sudden career switch... even i'm surprised by it! Since my uni days, I've thought that i'll be a successful HR manager, earning lots of $$. After I started working as a HR personnel, I lowered my ambition to that of a HR Exec earning enough $$ coz I didn't want to end up like my bosses. It seems like the higher you get, the more "attitude" you become. It's sad but true, judging from my ex-bosses whom i admire for their work but not character. Maybe i've not come across a nice but powerful boss...

Anyway, as my contract HR job was driving me crazy (boss + jobscope), I started looking out for better offers. I was thinking of another HR job.... or if I go into teaching, a full-time English teaching job in some language schools... Then this job came along. Nevermind that it's a part-time position. The jobscope, the environment, the "brand-name".... it's the perfect stepping stone for me to find a teaching job in Japan more easily. They didn't mind that I'm inexperienced. And they pay pretty well per hour, almost double of what I've been earning. But this being a part-time job means my monthly take-home pay is quite low. However I've about 3 months of school vacation & I'm allowed to take up another part-time position.

My boyfriend was very excited. We both saw it as a good opportunity for me. My close friends & my sis were quite supportive. As usual, it's my parents who were giving me problems. They're so practical. "You're suffering a pay-cut? Do you think it's so easy to get another part-time job to supplement this? What happens if u dislike teaching and want to switch again? You'll forever be stuck at the lowest jobs... etc etc..."

Haiz....haven't they realised that I'm not the typical Singaporean who wants to climb the career ladder, buy a condo, buy a car and live life happily ever after in safe, clean & green Singapore? Ever since I lived in Japan, I know it's gona be difficult for me to settle down in Singapore. The world is so much more exciting out there. No doubt it's stressful & tough sometimes, but that's what makes us grow up!

Even if my bf isn't a Japanese, I'll still try to find opportunities to work in Japan as a teacher. It's something I want to try out. Now because I want to settle down with him in Japan, it's something I have to do. I don't want to be a financial burden on him. And I don't wana be bored to tears as a housewife in Japan. This teaching job is perfect. I die die must excel in it, get a good testimonial & find teaching opportunities in Japan.

So here I am.... every morning greeting students from ages 6 - 9. There're little angels & little devils. If you think that the Japanese are well-mannered, please go to the busiest subway in any major city in Japan to convince yourself otherwise. If you think that Japanese children are well-behaved, please relief one of my classes. Hahaha....

Formal lessons have not started yet. I'm now playing games with them to kill lesson time before they get their textbooks. It's amazing how tired I am at the end of my half-day of work. And my mind is constantly working, thinking of things to do, games to play, ways to keep their focus/interest. My supervisor told me not to feel stressed and to enjoy teaching. There are no tests and preferably no homework for the students, so we don't really have to push them. But I can't relax. It's my first teaching job!! I want to be a friend to my students. I've succeeded with some of them, but i still have a long way to go in winning the hearts of the rest...

I've only been teaching for abt 2 weeks... long way to go! I'm still excited by it, esp since I've not started on formal lessons like teaching grammer.... more updates on this new chapter of my life in future!