Reflections on 2011...... before I Say Goodbye to You!!!

     ' 2011' ......I hate you but I like you too. The year that caused me great pain and sadness but on the other hand, gave me new hope and happiness too...... This year had shown me the true colours of some people very close to me and it had also taught me a great lesson that sometimes it is better " To forgive, to forget and to let go............" Although it was so difficult in the beginning, I finally managed to do it. And now I can proudly say that " I'm okay.....I'm so totally okay and happier." There's one thing that I do regret very much though, that was wasting the first 8 months of this year grieving over petty matters. I can't believe that I had wasted all those months until I looked up in my planner. I hope I will not repeat the same silly attitude again next year.......^_^

     Now let's forget about the sad part. Many great things happened to me this year too. I managed to add two more countries to the list of countries that I have visited so far. Apart from that, I also shared a special bond with my Year 6 Blue pupils. They made me very happy and although I have lost my best friends but I have gained many new adorable little friends in return........^_^

     Other than that, I also managed to overcome my fear of heights when I joined the flying fox activity and my fear of going to the dentist. I have also just undergone a surgery to remove the bone spur in my right foot that had been causing me pain and trouble for many years. Starting from next year, I can be more active and travel more without worrying about my  swelling foot.....which is a total relief for me.....haha.....

     In short, 2011 has been a great year for me. There is so much more that I wanna share but mentioning the important ones will do for now. I hope the year 2012 will be better for me since it's my zodiac year ( dragon ). Before I close this chapter and open another new one, I just wanna say  goodbye to 2011 and my sincere wish is to bring all the good things to 2012 and leave all the bad things behind as memories and lessons that I will never forget...........

The Pupils Who Changed Me A Lot.......^_^

     I have been a teacher for more than 14 years now and I have taught more than a thousand pupils. Every year, I meet new pupils with different characters and personalities. All this while, my relationship with my pupils has been based on the terms teacher-student relationship. It had never gone beyond those terms until I met my 6 Blue pupils this year. At first, I was only their English teacher and they were only among my 200 pupils whom I met 3x a week. As time went by, everything changed. Everything changed just like that......I would say, just like magic. We became more like friends and amazingly, we could talk and joke like real friends do. They still respect me as their teacher and as someone who is much older than them. This is the main reason why I love and care for them very much.

     This year has been a tough year for me. I lost 3 of my best friends because of personal reasons and I have shed a lot of tears. I was sad, hurt, lonely and angry all the time. I have also given up on friendship. Being betrayed and taken advantage of many times was something that I couldn't endure anymore. Despite all of these, my pupils made me smile and laugh a lot. They made me forget the pain I was going through and they healed the wound in my heart. Because of these, I am forever grateful to them. They just didn't realized how much they have helped me in these few months. I hope when they start their schooling life in secondary school and when they meet new and probably better teachers than me, they will still remember me cause for me, it would be so impossible for me to forget them........I will always wish and pray that they will always be happy, healthy and excel in their studies. The video below that I made specially for them is a sign of how much they mean to me.........

     To my beloved 6 Blue pupils, Class of 2011.......I love all of you very much and right now I miss all of you terribly. Please don't ever forget about me ya. If you ever need me, I will always be here for you. I will always be your teacher and also your good friend..........^_^

My Obsession with Korean Dramas

List of Korean dramas that I have watched so far & the number of times I've watched them ( only the nice ones are listed here ) ......;-)))))

1)     Winter Sonata - 2x

2)     Autumn in My Heart - 3x

3)     Jewel in the Palace - 2x

4)     Into the Sun - 2x

5)     Stairway to Heaven - 3x

6)     Love Story in Harvard - 2x

7)     Boys Over Flowers - 4x

8)     Accidental Couple - 3x

9)     You're Beautiful - 2x

10)    My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox - 2x

11)    I am Sam - 2x

12)    Loveholic - 3x

13)    Sassy Girl Chun-Hyang - 2x

14)    My Love Patzzi - 2x

15)    Dream High - 2x

16)    City Hunter - 2x

17)    All About Eve - 2x

18)    My Girl - 2x

19)    My 19-year old Sister in Law - 2x

My Travelling Destinations......

By the time I retire, I hope I have already visited all these countries around the world. Of course, even after I retire I still plan to travel but it all depends on my health at that time. The ones ticked ( √ ) visited already....... ;-)

1)   South Korea : Seoul-Incheon-Cheongpyeong-Mt. Sorak ( √ - 2007 ) ,
                          Seoul-Jeju Island

2)   China : Shanghai-Hangzhou-Heng Dian-Suzhou-Wuxi-Nanjing-Shenzhen ( √ - 2008 ),
      Hong Kong-Macau-Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Zhongshan-Zhuhai-Dongguan ( √ - 2011 ), 
      Beijing,
      Zhangjiajie,
      Guilin,
      Yunnan

3)   Vietnam : Ho Chi Minh-Cuchi-Vung Tau-Mytho ( √ - 2010 ),
                     Hanoi

4)   Taiwan : Taipei-Taitung-Hualien-Taichung-Kaohsiung ( √ - 2010 ) - Round Island Tour

5)   Thailand : Bangkok-Pattaya

6)   Cambodia : Siem Reap-Angkor Wat

7)   Phillipines : Manila-Baguio-Clark ( √ - 2011 )

8)   Japan : Tokyo,
                  Hokkaido

9)   Australia : Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne

10) Canada

11) Spain

12) Singapore

13) Indonesia : Jakarta, Bandung, Bali Island

14) Brunei

15) New Zealand : Round Island

16) England : London

17) Rome

18) Switzerland

19) Germany

20) Netherlands

21) Italy
22) USA : New York, Los Angeles, Washington
23) Dubai

I will keep on updating this list as there are still some countries that I need to do research on....... ;-) Some people might think that I'm just dreaming but I will make this dream come true as long as I'm still healthy and strong to move around.........

Sometimes Giving Up Can Be The Best Solution........

          From now on, I will accept whatever comes my way. No matter what people say about me and no matter how they treat me, I will gladly accept everything. I'm just so tired of everything. I'm on the edge of giving up already and nothing seems to matter anymore. Right now, I hate the words 'starting over' so much that if they were objects, I wanna destroy them so that I won't have to face them ever again. Why in the first place did I think that I could start everything all over again??? Starting over is causing me more pain than before. I have known the fact that I can have everything that I desire if I sincerely work very hard except this one thing but I still keep on dreaming and wishing that one day I will be able to find it. Am I being stupid or stubborn??? How many times do I have to go through this situation before I can really learn my lesson???

          My mind and my heart are always going against each other till it's difficult for me to tell which one is good and which one is bad for me. But now, I will force myself to accept this fact. It's time for me to put myself first in whatever I do......no more thinking of others, no more trust in the word 'true' and I wanna destroy the word 'care' from my heart......if other people can survive by doing so, why can't I!!! 

~ Footprints in the Sand ~ by Zie Del (22/09/2011)

My dear friend.....

As I was standing on the edge

of a high cliff

Thinking of falling into the deep sea

You held my hand firmly and

whispered in my ear.....

Don't be afraid of falling as

I am always here to carry you.....

My dear friend.....

As I walked along a wide sandy beach

Thinking that I was all alone

Staring ahead with uncertainties

Not knowing what lies ahead

You held my hand firmly and

whispered in my ear.....

You're not alone anymore as

I am always with you

Like your footprints in the sand.....

A Drama Worth Watching!!!

I have just finished watching a Korean drama called "The Princess' Man". It's a love story and also a historical drama. This drama is known as the Korean version of Romeo and Juliet. In my opinion, after "Jewel in the Palace" aka "Da Changjin", this is the second historical drama that I think is worth watching. The love story between the main characters is so touching that I cried while watching it. This drama also shows the importance of love and loyalty between good friends. It really broke my heart when one of the three good friends had to betray his friends for the sake of love and power. I would gladly recommend anyone to watch this drama......;-)