It happened again today. Oh well.

Got back my Chem paper 2 today. Major disappointment. Only managed a D (50%). Argh. I think might just fail Chem this time. Break record liao. Sigh. So what Mrs Suresh said is true afterall. Practical's the only paper I did well. =(

Physics - 6/16 for paper 5. I think I might pass it if they round my total mark up by a few decimal points.

Math - Scored 47/100 for paper 2, which means 43.5% in total. Coincentally, Liling also scored the same mark as me! Hahaha! And Mrs Tan's gonna round our scores up to 45%. Yayness man! I FINALLY passed Math!!! =) It's been such a looong time! This's probably the biggest improvement I made this year - from a very pathetic F to an E! WoOhoO!! "Sarah, you've improved alot!"

Today's review on Physics paper 5 was freaking hilarious! It's incredible what some of the answers were. Hahaha!

Tomorrow's Childrens' Day, so Mrs Kok gave each of us a bag of chips. A thoughtful gesture, and perfect for today's lunch.

I forgot to mention this yesterday. Mrs Kok popped by during the extra Gp lesson to give every one of us a collar pin with the words 'I Care' on it. Apparently, the 'I Care' meant that she cares about us, the tutors care about us, we care about our As... But I'm guessing it's cos our grades are too mediocre, even the tutors' comments will not be enough motivation for us to study harder. So the pin will serve as a morale-booster cum source of motivation of some sort (since it'll be on our table all the time), so that - perhaps - we'll start mugging real hard now. Haha.

Mr Low shared some studying-smart strategies with us, and I'm gonna employ them real soon. =)

It'd have been my 1st time having a clean latecoming record (for 1 semester) in my life. The last time I was late was way back in April! This's probably the longest I've not been late for school! WoOhoO!

Alas, I was stopped at the gate again this morning (I think I'm getting used to it. Hahaha!). Though Chun Hong and I were on the same bus, he made it through while Brenda and I were stuck behind. The reason - He's blessed with longer limbs, and that proved to be the winning edge. Oh well.

Got Chem paper 3 back today. Managed an Ao (41%). There were 2 comments on my cover page. The 1st one was right beside the 2 zeros I got for the biochem qns - "STUDY BIOCHEM!! You could have passed!", written in red and highlighted in orange no less. Hahaha! And the 2nd one was something like I've shown improvement, but I gotta study all topics. =)

Okay, I should have studied biochem. I only needed 4 marks to pass! Argh.

We also got our Math paper 1 back today. I scored a remarkable 40/100! Which I thought was not too bad, relative to how the class did this time and considering I was officially the lan-est in class for Math. WoOhoO! =)

Well, I had thought that perhaps she'd say something different this time. But it was, "Sarah, still not good enough" instead. Oh well.

Recently, there's been a big hooha about schools coming down hard on students who 'flamed' teachers in their blogs. So I went to read my archives and wow! I realised how eventful this year has been!

Many issues were raised. Some were blown into epic proportions. And things were never quite the same again. All in a short span of 9 months!

And I found out that my latecoming for the Chem prelim was actually my 3rd time being late for an exam. My 2nd time was less than a year ago - for the 'A' Level PW Oral Presentation! Hahaha!

Note: Difference between Females and Males - Females tend to be more tactful people.

Today was one lecture-full day!

Mrs Lim went through the solutions for Math paper 1 during the lecture today. The questions did not seem as tough as it was then. And it's odd that when I look at the questions now, a rough 'How to solve' plan would actually form in my head. Yet, I was totally clueless as to how to even start doing the question then.

Got physics paper 3 (43/110) and 4 (37/53) back today. Did some math, and realised that I managed to get 45.05%, which is an E!

Now I just need a pass in paper 5, and that'll round things up perfectly.

Today's Chem lecture was pretty hilarious! For almost 1 period, Mrs Suresh gave us a review of our performance at prelims. They would rather mosquitoes bit them so they'll get dengue fever and need not mark our papers. I guess that says it all. The funny part was when she compared our performance to enzyme kinetics in biochem! They sure know how to link man! Incredible!

And we realised that 2s12 was notably left out for the Prelim paper 2 Re-paper. =)

Finally, the highlight of the day!

I scored 82% for my Chem paper 4 (practical)! And I got full marks for QA!! WoOhoO!

I'm super super duper duper delighted! It's like so WOW la!

It was certainly a nice surprise!

This really made my day, despite the comment "Sarah, this's the only paper you did well" (That's very comforting to hear thank you)! =)

******

I watched a Chinese movie at 2 am this morning (only after I completed the Nyjc Math paper 1!). It was about a blind female athlete, the way she trained and all. But I fell asleep after 30 mins. Argh. Btw, this's my favourite way of falling asleep. WoOhoO!

That got me thinking. If there ever came a day when I had to make a choice between being deaf, dumb, blind or physically handicapped *choy choy choy!*, which would I choose?

After much deliberation, I think I'll choose to be dumb.

The reason: I feel that a dumb wouldn't as much of a burden than a blind or physically-handicapped person. They're able to do most of the things normal people do, except talking (obviously). But there's always the paper and pen or signing to communicate. Plus, Singaporeans aren't exactly kind and helpful people. The blind are often left stranded at bus interchanges until a kind soul comes along (usually after a pretty long while). Yes, we see them, but we don't offer our help.

Then again, if they do get into trouble in inconspicuous places, they'll have no way to attract the attention of others. And that really sucks.

Liling said that she'd choose to be deaf, so that she'll not hear the bad things people say. Plus, there's always the paper and pen or signing to communicate. But I was thinking, if you're deaf, you wouldn't know how to speak, and that means having a double handicap.

Then again, with technology so advanced now, there're hearing aids which are said to be able to allow you to regain 70-80% of your hearing.

Hmmm... I change my mind. I think I'd rather be deaf. Cos with hearing aids, you'll more or less be able to speak.

Oh. I just remembered the existence of something called the 'personal alarm'. So the dumb may not be that helpless afterall.

Dammit!!!! My post disappeared! Argh.

I sooo totally hate it when this happens!

I was saying...

Scored 22/60 for Physics paper 1 and 39/90 for paper 2. Which totals up to 40.9% (Ao).

But hope's not lost. Cos there's still papers 3, 4 and 5. So yea.. no worries!

Well, I must say that I was surprised, yet not really surprised, by my grade. Yes. On one hand, I'm glad to know that my grade isn't too far off from the rest of my classmates considering that I was, and still am, one of the lan-est in my class for Physics (Actually, I think I'm pretty certain I'm one of the lan-est in my class for all subjects). Yet, I kinda expected this grade cos though I memorised loads of formulas, most of them never got to see the light of day. And I really do wonder why.

I'm certainly hope I do pass Physics, cos Math is like a hopeless case! Argh.

Today's a pretty good day.

I guess I do amaze myself sometimes. We had 3 free periods today, which would have totally sucked if not for the fact that (wow!!) I spent my time fruitfully! WoOhoO! Yes, you didn't read it wrong! I actually got down to revising my most dreaded and feared subject - MATH! Started on the Nyjc paper! =)

Shit! I wanted to say something... but I forgot! Argh.

Oh ya!

I find myself going to dictionary.com ever-so-often these days! Even when I was doing my article commentary this morning. Hmmm... maybe it's cos I studied Chem too hard? Hahaha! You get what I mean.

To my credit, I realised that there was a spelling error in Saturday's issue of The Straits times. =)

One more thing. I've changed my msn nick. It's "I want to be a nerd!" no more. The latest one is "I want to be a clever nerd!" Who cares about being a stupid nerd ya?

*Prays hard that this entry doesn't go poof! again!*

Don't say I spend hours reading blogs for nothing! Cos it isn't true!

Here's presenting 2 of my 'more brilliant' finds:

general paper (8005)
Tym Blogs Too!: Rules of Engagement

Do go to these webbies, cos they have some pretty useful tips for Gp.

I ain't no selfish girl ya? Hahaha! =)

WoOhoO! There's only 1 journal article due tmr! =)

And I suppose it's the last one I'm going to ever do in my life!

Which brings me to my next point....

I realised that I'm soo outdated! I haven't read the newspapers since the last time we had to do the article commentaries (since random flipping doesn't count) - which is like a month ago! So I do need some "force" to get me to do certain things!

Oh.. But I do spare time to read Urban and The Sunday Times, no matter how busy I am. And everytime I start reading them, it'll be hours before I finally get off the papers! Cos I read them from page to page! =)

Which brings me to my next point....

Some time back, there was a feature in Urban on the best-dressed students in Singapore unis. And it turns out that on the whole, SMU students appear marginally better dressers, possibly due to its location in town. As for NUS, fashion oases are in faculties like law and the arts and social sciences.

I certainly have no doubts about that, looking at the people in school. People from the Arts tend to have better fashion sense better than those in Science. And this applies to teachers too.

It's particularly obvious in the way the guys dress. From what I've observed, what most of the guys from Science wear tend to be pretty predictable - plain tee and shorts/pants, in neutral colours no less. Whereas the guys from the Arts seem to be more adventurous in the way they dress.

The difference in the way the girls dress is - fortunately - not as clear-cut I believe.

******

This part is based on my observations in school:

- I've noticed that blue is the colour of choice for many male teachers in Sr! There was this particular examination day when I saw not one, not two, but three male teachers in blue shirt! And that was only in the hall! Imagine the number of teachers in blue shirts walking around school!

- When you see teachers in the shorter version of this hairstyle...


straight hair

... you know they're from *drum roll* the English department! Yes, I've also noticed that no other teachers sport this hairstyle in school besides those teaching Gp.

Okay, enough of this crap.

******

But don't you guys agree with my observations? =)

Wow! This is pretty cool!

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty. At work and school, you do best when you're researching. When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often. In friendship, you are considerate and compromising. Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking. You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

Happy 18th Birthday BRENDA and GRACE!!!

Today marks the end of the agonising prelims. Which means...

- It's back to school for lessons next week
- I gotta churn 3 journal articles out by Monday
- It'll be another busy weekend
- I'm 1 week closer to Doomsday (Math As)!

Oh well. I think the prelim's pretty screwed.

This is probably what I'm gonna see on my result slip:

Gp - C (Obviously, it'd be nicer if it's a better grade)
Chem - C
Physics - D or E
Math - Big fat F! Argh. (Getting an Ao will be a miracle!)

It sure doesn't look comforting ya?

Hmmm... Must come up with a strategy!

The question is - Should it be a 'How to Score Well' strategy or a 'How to Get Retained Next Year' strategy? Hahaha!


*After 2 hrs at the computer...

I've decided that it's time I have a makeover.

Now, you see Sarah in ankle socks.

But in 4 weeks...

lt'll be Sarah looking like a Jap student in her ultra-high knee-length socks!

Yes, I'm gonna (try to) pull my socks up real high! WoOhoO!

Now I just need the motivation to start the sock-pulling...

I just realised that it's been about a month since I attended lessons at school!

But it didn't feel like it's been soo long right?

I think I'm going gaga over the show 'Pride'.

The theme song for the show - I Was Born To Love You - has been playing in my head since last night!

Tmr's Physics Paper 5. And I still don't know how to connect the c.r.o in an experiment. Must find out the moment I reach school tmr.

Friday's Chem Paper 1. Must practise doing mcqs tmr.


P.S Must not forget that there's 3 Gp journal articles due on Monday morning.

*Note to self: Sarah, you had better start on it soon, or it'll be another sleep-deprived night come Sunday!

1 thing I like about the As...

- After that, we'll be totally free!

2 things I dislike about the As...

- I hate mugging so bad!
- 12 November is right smack in the middle of the As. (What a way to celebrate your birthday! Great.)

3 things I need to change...

- Gotta get my eyes off the 'boxes' and onto my books
- Stop eating junk food
- Punctuality (though I've improved loads!)

4 things I dread...

- The few days before the As
- Getting my prelim results
- Next year's results day
- MATH!!!!!

5 things I'm guilty of...

- Watching too much tv
- Being a couch potato
- Snacking ever too often (I think I've put on tons! Argh.)
- Reading too many blogs for my own good
- Constantly falling asleep the moment I hit the books.

Ok... I'm running out of inspiration, so let's just jump to...

10 things I wanna do after the As...

- Work (So that I'll have $$ to do the rest!)
- Learn to ride/drive
- Travel!!
- Shape up! Enough said.
- Improve blading/ice skating (Inspired by 'Pride'. Hahaha!)
- Brush up on my Chinese/Learn a new language (I ought to feel ashamed by the "fluency" of my Chinese. Argh.)
- Learn to scuba dive/windsurf
- Read books
- Read up on investing (Hahaha!)
- Research on uni alternatives (Not that I want to but I need to)

My first time at Hougang Polyclinic wasn't a pleasant experience. I never got to see the doctor cos my queue number never came. Or so I thought. The mystery was finally unravelled today.

I accompanied my sis to the polyclinic after my paper today. Rather reluctantly, I must admit. The waiting time at polyclinics is always damn freaking long - it took nearly 2 hours today!

Today, I learnt that the system at Hougang polyclinic is like this: First, you go to the reception to get a queue number to register. Next, head to the registration area and wait for your number to be called. The staff will then give you a service chit with the room you are supposed to go to, and yet another queue number. After seeing the doctor, you go to the pharmacy, and obtain a queue number (again!). Wait for your turn to get your prescription. Make your payment and... Woohoo, you're finally done!

My sis followed the abovementioned steps. In fact, I was the one who directed her to the registration area! Was reminded of the last time I was there while waiting for her turn - I waited (until the staff turned the fans and lights off) for my turn to come, but alas, it never did.

Midway through my train of thoughts, it suddenly dawned on me - I never did register the last time I came!

No wonder my queue number never came la! And I was waiting like a dumb fool! Hahaha!

Anyway, I went back to the doctor's for a review last Friday. I didn't like the doctor who saw me that day. He seemed soo aloof. He's a rookie I think.

Doctor: So what's wrong with you?
Me: Erm.. I'm supposed to come back for a review.

*Takes a look at my records*

Doctor: Oh. So are you still coughing now?
Me: Yep.
Doctor: I've seen your x-ray. It's actually pretty okay.
Me: Oh.
Doctor: What's the colour of your phelgm?
Me: Colourless. (After soo many years of studying Chem, I've learnt - it's not "transparent", it's "colourless"! Hahaha!)
Doctor: How are you feeling now?
Me: Huh? I'm okay.
Doctor: Has your coughing improved?
Me: I think it's the same.

*Takes a referral letter*

Doctor: Are you really still coughing?
Me: Ya.

*I'm getting a little pissed already*

Doctor: What's the colour of your phelgm?

*Oh boy*

Me: Colourless!

Doctor: I'll prescribe another cough mixture (it's for dry cough, when my cough's actually the wet type), and you see if it helps.

And so I'm due for an appointment at cgh on 10 October at 2.40 pm.

Just did this test, and... wow!! I think the analysis is spot-on!

At this time in your life you feel like 'giving up'. For every time you have tried to build up your hopes and dreams something has come along to burst the balloon. You may feel that, at this particular moment in your life, there seems to be no chance of fulfilling these dreams but you are so wrong. You are the sort of person that can influence any situation, that is - If you don't give up. So consciously make the effort... You have that inherent power to succeed.

You enjoy taking part in anything that may constitute fun and excitement. You need to be stimulated and need to feel that 'Life is worth living' and you are awaiting that stimulation and you don't particularly care where it comes from!

It's the old old story - I am misunderstood - my partner (be it in your private life or in business) just doesn't understand me and you also believe at this time that you are being completely misunderstood by one and all. It then obviously follows that you naturally feel inhibited and not appreciated. It is perhaps because of this belief that you feel compelled to stand back and let the rest of the world go by. As for developing a firm relationship - inwardly deep down in your subconscious mind you are wary of even trying to get close to another person because you feel that if you open up your heart and feelings you are sure to get hurt. Since you are living in a society where close relationships are the norm, you feel that there is that need to conform, but any close relationships of any magnitude that you may have tried in the past have unfortunately left you without any sense of emotional involvement.

It is said that we are all influenced by our environment and indeed you are no exception. It would seem at this time that even though you may be surrounded by people, you are experiencing an inner loneliness. Fortunately you are sufficiently strong minded to realise that life has a great deal to offer you and that you may miss your share of experiences if you fail to make the best use of every opportunity. You therefore pursue your objectives with a fierce intensity and are prepared to commit yourself deeply and readily. You believe that whatever you would like to do or think 'you can do' - you do! It is because of this attitude that you may be considered by others as arrogant and even conceited, but its fair to say that whatever it is that you really want out of life you will put your heart and soul into it and will not take 'NO' for an answer.

There is an inherent fear that you may be prevented from achieving the things you want. This activates your subconscious desire for peace of mind and mental security. It is increasingly obvious to you that the environment that you are in is not conducive to your well-being and so you are seeking fresh fields - somewhere free of conflict where you can RELAX and THINK.

Sidenote: I can finally see colours again!! My screen is no longer in its permanent shade of yellow. WoOhoO!

Throughout the 12 years I've been in school, I've been infamous for being punctual or late, but never early.

History repeated itself on 15 September 2005.

Yesterday, I made yet another grand entrance into the examination hall, 3 mins after the Chem paper had started. Knew something wasn't quite right when I got there, cos it was eerily silent as I walked along the hall. Though I wasn't late per se (the paper began 5 mins earlier), I did get a little panicky. I fumbled with my pencil case when it had to be checked, my hands were shaky when I started to do the paper. But all in all, it was quite okay.

My first time being late for a major exam was merely 2 years back - for my physics big 'O's. Although I'm one very forgetful person, the whole incident is still clearly etched in my puny mind.

On a day in November 2003....

7.45 am - Got a call from a friend wondering why I still wasn't at school when the paper's at 8 (am already the infamous latecomer then! =P). I tell you... I went into an immediate state of frenzy/fear/shock! Although I lived pretty near my secondary school, it still took at least 15 mins for me to get changed and reached there. Plus, I still had more than half the syllabus untouched (had thought that the paper was on the next day)!

8.20 am - Made the grand-est entrance in my entire life! Could feel every invigilator's eyes on me as I walked briskly to my seat. They must have been thinking, "Who in the right mind would be soo late for a major exam?!!"

8.21 am - Got to work immediately. Had only 39 mins to complete 40 mcqs! And with my mind working like an obsolete pentium 1 processor (situation hasn't improved =( ), it was clearly an impossible task!

8.58 am - Aiya... sure cannot finish! Tikam... tikam...

9.00 am - Done, just in time! Phew!

Old habits die hard indeed. I guess I'll always be labelled as the Ultimate Punctuality Queen, no matter where I go.


*Note to self: Must be in school at least 15 mins before the paper commences.

3 words: Prelims is screwed =(

It's ironic how I'd like someone to acknowledge that I did something for him/her, yet I'll be at a total loss of words when he/she actually does just that.

Just last Friday, Mrs Suresh came up to a few of us to thank us for the Teachers' Day gift we got her. She was like, "Sarah, thanks for the Teachers' Day present." And all I could managed was, "Oh.. er... ok...", with an extra wide smile. Brilliant reply, Sarah. Truly brilliant.

I'd like to think that maybe it's cos I was in a frenzy with the big mess I made on my bench during the chem prac. But I have to admit that's hardly the case. Somehow, I'm always clueless as to how to react when someone thanks/compliments/wishes me. On good days, I can - fortunately - blurt out a "thank you" at least. On bad days, a stupid reply like the abovementioned will be heard. Luckily, a wide smile is usually included in the 'Reaction to Replies" list. Yes, it's to make up for the lack of words.

I really don't like the way I reply. I think it sounds insincere. I think it sounds like you don't bother. And I bet nobody likes that kind of vague replies.

I think I seriously need someone to teach me how to react in such situations.

******

Today's physics prac is a screw-up. I had lots (x10 to the power of infinity) of trouble tying the knots for the oscillations expt. Just taking down the readings took me a gruelling 45 mins. In fact, some of the measurements were estimated, cos I didn't have time to actual measure them. And the graphs totally got me man! I had to redraw both the graphs cos they needed the y-intercepts. Argh.

For some reason, I was literally sweating like a pig during the whole prac. Drops of perspiration were trickling down my face as I carried out the expt. Don't know if it's hot or cold sweat. Haha.

My revision for physics prac has officially begun - I shall start tying my shoelaces from today. WoOhOo! =)

"Real achievement comes from hard work and sacrifice. Suffer now and enjoy the better rewards later." -Mr Btan

No doubt I've been revising. But progress has been slow.

I feel bad.

I feel unprepared.

Oh boy.

Last Friday's chem prelim prac's pretty screwed.

Being clumsy old me, it ain't surprising at all. Reagent was dripping out of my burette cos I didn't clip it properly. I toppled my reagent in my haste to get another. My bench was totally wet cos the reagents were all over it. And the organic chem qn totally suck. Cos I didn't study a thing on it. Argh.

My sis wanted me to accompany her to watch a horror movie on Saturday night. A korean one I think. Well, 5 mins into the show and I gave up. I hate watching horror movies, especially so in the middle of the night! So stupid to choose to freak myself out when I can choose not to. =)

Sunday was my mom's birthday. We went for dinner at this zi char place at Changi Village. The bus ride to and fro was sooo freaking long, it got me feeling real queasy. Food was pretty good, price was reasonable. But the best thing was, there was a huge tv so I wouldn't have to miss the whole episode of the nurse show! WoOhoO!

One thing about the food centres at Changi Village is that you can watch tv shows almost anywhere. It seems that all of them have giant tv screens. Not the usual big black boxes, but huge plasma tvs. They must be making good money man!

I've decided to get home tuition for Math and Physics. The first lesson was on Monday. Well, the tutor was pretty alright, except that he couldn't carry a decent conversation in English. He would start his explanation in English, then suddenly halfway through, switch to Chinese, and yes, he'll end off in Chinese. And that kinda make me feel alittle uncomfortable cos I haven't had a someone teaching me in Chinese for soo long. Plus, y'all know, my Chinese ain't that fantastic either. With all those Physics terms in Chinese, it certainly got me taken aback.

Dad was off on Tuesday so we had dinner at home. Kinda lazy to blog everything out. So I shall just cut and paste this extract from my sis's blog:

Dad, mom sarah and i were chatting after dinner last night. A few interesting stuff were revealed.

- I was supposed to have an elder sibling (besides sarah). But the foetus wasn't growing after 2 months so my mom aborted it. It (it was still too early to distinguish whether it was a male or female) had a heartbeat though. I can understand why she did what she did. Am totally cool about it!

- When rachel was young, to wash her ass after she did her business, sarah and i (of course we were also young then) would use the hose and spray at her butt. If you think rachel didn't like that, oh no you thought wrong. She willingly squatted for us to do that! What a brilliant way to clean! And we didn't even get our hands dirty. See we had a high IQ even then. :)

- Sarah and i used to bite the coat of paint on the baby cot. So much so that dad and mom had to twirl something along the cot so that we wouldn't be eating paint all the time. No wonder our stomachs are so strong now. Both of us haven't been down with food poisoning in the 18 years that we've been here.

- Sarah used to have constipation the whole time. There were times when they (dad, mom, uncle etc.) had to use toothpicks and tissue to 'assist' her in pooping when she was still a baby. Once, the doctor shot something up there so that the poo poo would come out (the first one hard and then the rest soft and nice). -haha-

- I only weighed about 5 pounds when i got introduced to this pretty nasty world. Lucky me! Any lower and i'd have required some time in the incubator (you know, the one where premature babies are always put into). I was a tiny weeny baby then. But hey, look what i've turned into! A humongous creature!

That's all for today.

Here's wishing all teachers a...

HaPPy TeAcHeRs' DaY!!!

I didn't pop by school for the celebrations yesterday cos I woke up late.

And I didn't go for tuition cos I was feeling drowsy after taking the medicine.

So the whole of yesterday was basically spent at home, on the couch, in front of the tv and my lecture notes.

What a way to celebrate Teachers' Day! Boo.

When I was in primary school, there was always a big hooha over Teachers' Day. Being the naive and innocent kid that I was, I often thought, "The more expensive the gift, the better". Or so it seemed. The idea of giving the traditional hand-made card was often seen as being cheapskate. Remember how our moms used to tell us to just give a box of red pens since teachers used them to mark? I thought that was utter crap! How can we give such a cheapskate gift right?

In secondary school, the big hooha remained. A few of us would chip in to get presents for the teachers, so that we could get better (more expensive) ones. The thought of giving a personalised card was never even considered. At least, I never did. Even though we had so much time. It's like soo cheapo ya?

Now that we are in jc, we want to go the 'personalised gifts' route. Ironic isn't it? When we have more money to spare and less time to waste, we go for the more inexpensive (most of the time) and extremely time-consuming gifts. Just like how the canoeists decided to do the scrapbook for the teachers. It was surely one of the most time and effort-consuming gifts I've ever given!

Personally, I feel that personalised notes are one of the best gifts one can ever receive. And they're easy to keep! Plus, it won't empty our bank accounts! That's why I'm all for giving not-so-expensive stuffs e.g cards now. Though - I admit - a treat or gift will make the whole deal even sweeter. Heh.


Adapted from a blog:

"this is an appropriate moment to point out that the best gifts you can give your teacher are a personalised message --- be it in the form of an SMS, card, handwritten note or email --- and edible goods. Forget the stuffed toys, mugs, doodads and knick-knacks; don't wrack your head over what your teacher would like unless you know his/her taste well (e.g. the class that got me nothing but Buffy and Powerpuff Girls swag a few years ago scored rather highly in that respect). We don't need stuff, but a sincere thank-you is always welcome and, oh, if you insist, a little tasty treat won't be out of place either."