It has been a whirlwind of a school term so far.

Am coping fine though hehe. Just thought I'd need more wind-down activities :P

My colleagues said something very sweet to me yesterday. Well, the story is, I am in Science committee as a Core Committee, but I am really not teaching Science this year. So I had doubts about how I could contribute to the committee at all when I am suddenly cut off from the level teachers and the other com members because they are all still teaching Science. Also, I wondered if I was only allocated this committee because I have been there for the past 2 years and they couldn't fit me in any other committee already.

But just yesterday, my Science SH (like an assistant HOD) and my Science Coordinator told me, "Do you know we had to fight to keep you? They wanted to take you away, but SM (HOD, aka Boss of Science Dept) fought really hard to keep you. We know you don't teach Science this year, we are aware. And we have you in mind when we have projects, so don't worry about not having any contributions at all. Please please don't have this mentality. We really want you."

So sweet right... It is really my colleagues who keep me encouraged most of the time! (Okay, we have a new Science SM this year and he is very supportive and encouraging. So make that my colleagues + ONE superior)

It's such a surreal feeling when you realise you're teaching your ex-pupils' younger siblings.

How time flies!

My ex-pupils were in P5 when I took them, and back then they talked about waiting for their brothers/ sisters to go home together after school. Now my ex-pupils are in already in Sec 2 and I am teaching their younger siblings!

Cannot deny that I'm getting old experienced? :P

In any case, work has been a "BAMMM!! WHAMMMM!! GO!!!!" Pupils are not too bad, so far. LOL. I'm finally taking a major crunch as NE coordinator, as my department sees a new head who is dynamic and very forward looking.

Apart from the 小人 at work (first day I step into school I have this fella coming up to me to make disclaimer that my class has the best breed blah blah blah... though our classes are of the same profile; and this same fella concealed the fact that my class library books were in his classroom all the time that I was searching for them and I made such a big hooha that concerned colleagues even stepped forward to ask after me every day), I'm hoping I will take everything as they come along and that I'll find peace within me that will help me manage my emotions and stress that will mount up in time to come!

It has been a very draining flight experience.

My flight back from London Heathrow took a total of 28++ hours instead of the usual 13.

My flight was originally scheduled to depart at 2205 hr (UK time, as will be for all other references to time in this entry) on Wednesday. Since there had been rather heavy bouts of snow all over the UK from Tuesday night, we kept our fingers pretty crossed that the flight will take off as usual. So when hubs went off for lessons in the morning, I was at home checking airport and airlines news, as well as road conditions on the M4 (a major motorway leading to LHR airport) for the day. By 5pm, hubs had returned home and decided we ought to leave the house early in case of sudden road closures/ accidents that might cause major jams to LHR.

And so we arrived at the airport on time, with me entering the customs by 5 mins to 9. Then, the boarding time given was 2105 hrs but gate was still unknown. So I cleared security and hung around the duty free areas (where a massive crowd had gathered because many flights were delayed) until I saw the boarding gate number flashed across the screen. It was about 2130 hrs.

Okay, some delays. Never mind, I thought. As I crossed the final boarding pass check and entered the lounge, I noticed someone handing out biscuits and orange juice from a couple of cartons near the boarding pass checking counters. I even joked with him, "Looks like there's an imminent delay? You guys are just feeding us so we're not hopping mad!" To which he replied, "Yeah, but it shouldn't be that long. they're making some final checks now..."

So I plonked myself down with biscuits and juice on hand and started glancing around, particularly at the airbus that was just parked outside.

(Wed)
2150:Great, we're still waiting! No announcement, nothing!

2210: An announcement was made for first class/ business class/ families with young children/ elderly to come forward and prepare for boarding. These people gathered near the gate and formed a queue but nothing very much happened for another ten minutes.

2220: Those who had formed the queue were told to take a seat and wait for further announcement.

2230: We finally had some inkling on what was going on. At this point, most people thought it was really because of bad weather conditions that the flight was delayed. But no, the problem was that they had detected an unusual signal in one of the main wings and they were looking into it. So the engineers pretty much tried various methods, which resulted in a resolution at 2210 (when they first announced for people to prepare to board). However, when they rebooted the system to make sure everything was running, the error came in again (so they called the passengers to take a seat). Currently, the engineers were looking into the problem to see if we could take off.

2240: Hubs reached home and he tried calling me (coz I didn't drop him the usual "Bye-flight-is-taking-off-already" sms), which to his astonishment, went through and I picked up. Told him what was going on and that I would update him again.

(Thurs)
0020: Hubs called me again only to realise I was still in LHR! Phone was disconnected and I called him back and yakked away, forgetting that my topup value was running REAL low. And my line was disconnected just when I told him value was low. I had TWELVE cents left in the topupcard, which could only allow me to make ONE sms (couldn't even call out lor...) and so i smsed him to tell him that I would call him only when I reach SG (when he's most likely to be up and awake). Little did I know he'd call me back (incoming free) to talk for a short while  before he turned in for the night as he still had to wake up early for college (If I had known he'd call me back I'd conserve that last sms lor!!)

0150: Announcement was made to say that we are most likely not flying off because of the problem and that some arrangements are being made at this point in time. We were to wait for further updates.

0215: Announcement came in to confirm we are not leaving and the airlines was making arrangement to ferry and put us up in hotels for the night. However, the nearest available hotels were in Central London.

0300: Ground crew started issuing out cards for different hotels and we were leaving by batches by coaches to the different hotels.

0340: Reached hotel, checked in and realised I only had 1 bar of phone batt left!!! Shit! I kept my fingers crossed that it will be enough to last me for - Alarm (I was not functionally well mentally by then to think of hotel wakeup calls) + 1 incoming free phone call from hubs (which I speculated would come in because he said he'd be checking the flight status to see what time I'd arrive in SG and road conditions for his drive to college) to tell him I was safe and that I was still in London waiting for the flight to be up.

0700: Hubs really called because he couldn't comprehend the flight status online and thought I could still be stuck in LHR airport! Got time to tell him where I was, and to tell him to inform my mum and his parents about the delay, and that the tentative time we were flying off was 1400 later, before the phone went flat.

At this junction, I was really stretched mentally and physically and my body was crying for more sleep. But as it didn't occur to me I could get the reception to do morning calls (told you I was mentally stretched liao), I jumped up in fright thinking about oversleeping and missing the flight back. So tired as I was, I got up, brushed my teeth, watched some BBC news before I went down for a leisurely breakfast.

0945: Came back from breakfast where I spoke to the airlines rep about my situation (being uncontactable) and he said that I could make phone calls to my family and let the hotel charge it to the airlines. Wanted to call hubs to complete my conversation with him and tell him that the flight was more or less up for the afternoon takeoff, only to realise I don't remember his UK no (and he doesn't carry his SG line with him)! In end, I called my sis in SG and told her my story and got her to inform him via facebook (her mobile didn't register his UK no. when he last called her).

1000: Showered and went off to lobby where the coaches were already waiting before we were whisked off to the airport.

1130: Had to clear security checks again! We were told to proceed to Gate 1 for boarding after security checks. All the passengers went, only to be waiting around yet again for I dunno wat! There was no ground crew at Gate 1, so we could only wait outside the lounge and sat around on the floors and some limited benches.

1300: We were diverted to Gate 5 so the whole lot of us lugged out stuff again and proceeded. There, we waited again because it was a Quantas parked outside, instead of our airbus??!

1400: The Quantas was towed away and the slot was vacant. No airbus??!

1410: We were told the airbus was on its way from way across the runway. Traffic was LHR was very heavy as usual and they had to make sure there was least disruption to the other flights while the airbus travelled across the runway to make its way to us. After about 20mins, we finally saw our carrier!

1500: Boarded and homebound!

(Fri)
0250: Arrived in SG, FINALLY!!!!! This meant 1150hrs SG time, Fri.

The first thing I did when I reached home- charge my mobile and used my SG line to sms hubs to tell him I was finally home...

I had a wonderful Christmas + New Year Holiday, thanks to hubs for planning everything way in advance! Though many flights were delayed/ cancelled across Europe due to the bad winter spell, we were very very lucky to have everything go on as planned - no delays or cancellation!

Prague is really a lovely lovely city, and I love spending time in a less urban city for a relaxing change. I am thankful that hubs shares similar travelling preference as me, which was why he decided to book us for Prague-Dresden-Berlin, the last stop being a city for shopping and coz we can fly back to the UK from there...

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I can't help but rant:

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made a wrong decision. Made a wrong move. And am regretting it right now. Majorly.

Sian.

Am so going to miss this baby:


Prada Nappa Leather Wallet in Graphite Modore

BOOOOOOO~

Right.

Just got news that I will be teaching a P6 class again! And a top class, to top it all off (no puns intended).

Why or why?

I so want to begin from P5!

It's gonna be another wild crazy whirlwind of a time.

I am barely leaving London yet, but already am checking out air tickets for my next trip here!

Am I addicted to this place or what??!

SQ has a new offer for SIN-LHR-SIN for 2-to-go at $1587 per pax, nett. Is that cheap, anyone?

Cold...

It was -1 degrees celsius on our way back, and currently zero degrees. The night will only get colder later me think.

And we had our first bit of light snow when we were driving back!

How cool is that! :)

Apparently, this week will only get colder! Wheee~~~

Hubs and I went off to London again just yesterday (the last time we were there was the previous Saturday!!!) to simply immerse in the holiday shopping mood! We spent an hour meeting up his friend who was just in town at the same time and caught up over coffee, after which he had to hurry off to catch his flight back to Geneva.

Then, it was walking around, window shopping, taking pictures, and simply immersing in the Christmas shopping mood with the huge throngs of shoppers in the midst of all the glitzy city christmas lightings... The streets were simply packed... The metro stations crowded... the malls were busy with people who were doing their Christmas shopping. Though it was a mere 3-degrees celsius, we were fortunate that it was a pretty good day to walk around town yesterday, with only a very light passing drizzle.
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