DeniseLav

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Follow me: Fighter: denisetan1107@gmail.com Denise Tan; 11 July 1995 Early Childhood Educator God's masterpiece † Far beyond my fairytale imaginations, is God's perfect plan for me ♡ ---------------------------------------- recent update: A Switch Over Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part IV Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part III Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part II Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part I Party-poppers! Goodbye, Grandma. be sensitive New Balance Sales! denise travelogue: June 2016 - Bangkok Part 4 June 2016 - Bangkok Part 3 June 2016 - Bangkok Part 2 June 2016 - Bangkok Part 1	written on Saturday, March 31, 2018 @ 4:31 PM ✈ With Love, Denise Lavelle Tan ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ A Switch Over written on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 @ 4:44 PM ✈ Hello little space! Not sure when was the last time I actually sat in front of my laptop and do this. I have been thinking of coming back to this little space and pen down my memories before they fade away but, laziness always overtake my mind. Oppsiedaisy! Here I am, on a chilly afternoon thinking of how far I've come. I've just sent off my first bunch of K2 kids last Thursday. Goodness, time passed so fast! I have been teaching for 2 almost 2 years already! Throughout the 2 years, I've my fair share of ups and downs. I've learnt many things and grow quite a bit and thus, here I am, sharing my thoughts. MISCONCEPTION Many people told me this: "Aiya, being a preschool teacher is so easy. All you do is to teach." "You don't even need to bring worksheet back home to mark." "All you do is to teach them ABCs, 123s and everyday play play play, if not draw." "Join kindergarten teaching very shiok hor." (and much much more....) Is that so? If you think so, I'm sorry to break your shell. It is not. Perhaps such misconceptions comes from the olden times where preschool teachers are often view as 'nanny'. But my friends, even as a 'nanny', it ain't easy. Imagine you have to facilitate in showering of 20 children, making sure that 20 children are well-fed (and occasionally, have to deal with children who does not want to eat because it's not to their liking), watching 20 children to sleep and waking them up after their nap time (and oh god, some of those children aren't sleepy and they will go on with their fascinating stories the whole nap time and when 1 child does that, the rest of the 19 of them, I assure you, they won't sleep). What if before toileting, children peed on their pants? Who is going to clear them? US. What about the rest of the children? These are simple things that we do everyday and even facilitate our younger family member to such activities but when they are x20 of them, here comes the tough part. ^ but what I've shared to you are what childcare teachers faced everyday. As for me, a kindergarten teacher, I faced similar situations as well. We do not have any worksheet to mark, but we have to create activity sheets that is suitable for preschooler yet, keeping up to the requirements. We have to plan events, major events, minor events, termly field trips, celebrations, yes, we are planning for them. We have to teach 8 hours - for some of us, we do teach both morning session and afternoon session; 2 form classes means more responsibilities We have to do portfolio for each child. We have to maintain a good relationship with all the parents. Besides teaching, we are also imparting lifelong values to the children . . . . . . and more I am not complaining the amount of things that we faced in this field, but I am helping people to understand that we, as preschool educators, are not 'nannies', our job ain't easy as well. Just like you and I, we are doing our best to to contribute to the society just like you. I am very passionate about my job and I am sure most of us in this field are as well. With Love, Denise Lavelle Tan ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part IV written on Sunday, June 26, 2016 @ 10:00 AM ✈ Day 5 agenda; Chinatown, Karmakamet Diner, Big C, Platinum Night Market CHINATOWN We heard that Chinatown is a must go thus, we decided to head down and understand why it is a must go. Frankly, I was pretty reluctant to head to Chinatown since I did not do much research on it and I am not sure what to expect there as well, so I went with practically no expectations at all. Well, I would say, Chinatown is indeed a must go area if you love accessories! There's no garments there to shop, but there's really a lot of cheap accessories! A pair of earrings cost 5 baht with no minimum buys! There's also a lot of unique food to try! Thus, it's a must-must go! Thai Green Milk Tea & Thai Milk Tea this prawn is really damn good! MUST TRY BBQ Banana Thai pancake Thai milk-tea ice-cream that cost 10 baht! And our first authentic coconut in Thailand! PAD THAI THIP SAMAI Pad Thai from this restaurant is really the best Pad Thai that I have ever tasted! Back in Chinatown, we tried to flag a taxi down to Pad Thai Thip Samai but none of the taxis that we flagged down was willing to send us there. After the fourth taxi, this Thai lady approached us and offered help. She wrote down the address in Thai on a slip of paper for us to show the taxi driver to send us to the area. The slip of paper from the nice lady! If you are heading there, show the taxi driver this slip of paper, and he will send you there! x loots of the day x - Stick-on bra from Chinatown - Accessories from Chinatown - Garments from Big C and Platinum Night Market - Snacks from Big C Day 6 agenda; Pratunam Morning Market, Airport Since it was the last day, we decided to YOLO and head down to Pratunam and MBK before we go back to SG. We just, can't get enough of shopping! x this marks the end of our 6D5N Bangkok Trip x Till then All pictures are taken by Denise/ Yuh Meei/ Yuh Shi; non-edited Labels: denisextravelogue With Love, Denise Lavelle Tan ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part III written on Saturday, June 25, 2016 @ 10:28 AM ✈ Day 3 agenda; Pratunam Morning Market, Platinum Fashion Mall, Big C Pratunam Morning Market We woke up at 5am to head down to Pratunam Morning Market since most of the readings I read online says that Pratunam Morning Market is a must go if objective is to shop! Indeed, Pratunam Morning Market, is a must go. We reach at about 6.30am and the shops are already open. The things are really dirt cheap and hagar is a must, especially at their tentages. Since it is a wholesale market, we are required to pick up 3 items to be able to purchase at a good price. We left the morning market at about 11am. The items that we bought were more than the loots that we bought the past 2 days! After Pratunam Morning Market, we head to MacDonald for lunch. The Mac in Thailand is slightly different from Singapore, the variety of food is slightly more and there's Thai Milk Tea available there as well. So yeap! We were so hungry after shopping in Pratunam, thus, no photos. Hehe. Platinum Fashion Mall We were so tired after shopping in Pratunam Market. Our (not Yuh Shi) legs are aching so badly. But Platinum Mall is really filled with so so so much stuffs. Some of the stuffs were really cheap, some not. You must judge it for yourself. However, it is tougher to hager there. Pratunam VS Platinum, Pratunam of course. the cap cost 100 baht, the only thing that i regret not buying We were so damn tired; while Yuh Shi is still shopping away the few pictures can definitely tell us how tired I am Big C Supermarket We went to Big C at the end of the day to check out what the big supermarket offers us. The Big C near our place is really big and it is filled with so much goodies - that's also where I get most of the souvenirs back for most of my friends and colleagues. It is definitely must go! One-stop place to get all your goodies. However, at MBK, the snacks sold there are much much cheaper. We only found out the next day when we went there! Hence, if you want snacks, head to MBK! But if you want to save on traveling, Big C is a one-stop place for you to get all the yummy snacks! Thus, snacks of the day! Hehe. Big C of the day Loots of the day - 95% from Pratunam, 5% from Platinam Mall Day 4 agenda; True Love Cafe, MBK, Asiatique Night Market. True Love Cafe We reached slightly before 12.30pm. There's not much people at the queue when we reached however, we were required to fill up a form before we pay the entrance fee. So by the time we finished, there's a queue & by the time the queue reaches us, there's no more seat left. But the lady was really nice; she let us in and wait by the railings before the dogs were released at 1pm to mingle with us. So, if you really intend to visit, do come at least 30 mins earlier to chill and have a slice of cake and drinks before you meet the dogs! :) This is what will greet you when u enter The ticket that you will receive We were required to wear this over our feet before we enter to the area. So, here's all the dogs photos! We've never tried so hard to take pictures with dogs! Hahaha. It's a fun experience though hehe. The story behind taking picture of the dog the video that Yuh Shi took when the dogs were running in, in slow-mo After the interactions, most of the guests would leave and that's when we have a place for us to dine in. I was honestly starving after the interactions and thus, all of us decide to dine in here for lunch! The cakes were really good! I ate strawberry shortcake - my number 1 favourite cake while the 2 girls took matcha ice-cream cake and strawberry ice-cream cake! My main that came super late. That was because the mains I ordered were out-of-stock and I had to change twice to get my food. The food is super normal I would say, it felt very microwavey kind. So, I would rate it 3/5. The lady boss ordered a tuktuk for us at 40 baht to the nearest station. MBK We head to MBK after True Love cafe to shop. The top level of MBK is where everything is dirt cheap and hager is possible - fake havainas with their logo which looks real is also found there. But the colours are not really nice. Hahaha Anyway, MBK is a shopping area that is ideal for a guy. All around Bangkok, you can easily find loots for the ladies but to find garments for guys, it's not that easy. However at MBK, you can find a lot of garments suitable for man! So, if you're traveling with guys/ your boyfriend, MBK is a good place to shop for them! Also in MBK, there's this snack shop at either level 4 or 5 that sells a lot of cheap and authentic Thai finger food! It's even cheaper than Big C and there's more variety as well! So I would suggest to get your snacks in MBK instead of Big C! Thai Pancake for 10 Baht in MBK! Asiatique Night Market Asiatique Night Market is a tourist area where everything is really pricey and all. However, it's possible to hager to a lower price if you insist. Most of the shopkeepers will just tell you that the price is final and they are not possible to lower any further. However, my friends and I managed to hager 2 pairs of slippers from about 400 baht to 200 baht! So I feel that anything is possible! There's quite a lot of food to try there but, as I said, it's quite pricey. 1 plate of Phad Thai can cost as high as 260 Baht. Even though the prices can be pricey, it's worth a visit there! Standard Tourist shot hehe We spot this coconut drink for like 25 baht or cheaper thus we decided to get it. x this marks the end of day 4 X & the end of Part III Labels: denisextravelogue With Love, Denise Lavelle Tan ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈ ✈	written on Saturday, March 31, 2018 @ 4:31 PM ✈ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Switch Over written on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 @ 4:44 PM ✈ Hello little space! Not sure when was the last time I actually sat in front of my laptop and do this. I have been thinking of coming back to this little space and pen down my memories before they fade away but, laziness always overtake my mind. Oppsiedaisy! Here I am, on a chilly afternoon thinking of how far I've come. I've just sent off my first bunch of K2 kids last Thursday. Goodness, time passed so fast! I have been teaching for 2 almost 2 years already! Throughout the 2 years, I've my fair share of ups and downs. I've learnt many things and grow quite a bit and thus, here I am, sharing my thoughts. MISCONCEPTION Many people told me this: "Aiya, being a preschool teacher is so easy. All you do is to teach." "You don't even need to bring worksheet back home to mark." "All you do is to teach them ABCs, 123s and everyday play play play, if not draw." "Join kindergarten teaching very shiok hor." (and much much more....) Is that so? If you think so, I'm sorry to break your shell. It is not. Perhaps such misconceptions comes from the olden times where preschool teachers are often view as 'nanny'. But my friends, even as a 'nanny', it ain't easy. Imagine you have to facilitate in showering of 20 children, making sure that 20 children are well-fed (and occasionally, have to deal with children who does not want to eat because it's not to their liking), watching 20 children to sleep and waking them up after their nap time (and oh god, some of those children aren't sleepy and they will go on with their fascinating stories the whole nap time and when 1 child does that, the rest of the 19 of them, I assure you, they won't sleep). What if before toileting, children peed on their pants? Who is going to clear them? US. What about the rest of the children? These are simple things that we do everyday and even facilitate our younger family member to such activities but when they are x20 of them, here comes the tough part. ^ but what I've shared to you are what childcare teachers faced everyday. As for me, a kindergarten teacher, I faced similar situations as well. We do not have any worksheet to mark, but we have to create activity sheets that is suitable for preschooler yet, keeping up to the requirements. We have to plan events, major events, minor events, termly field trips, celebrations, yes, we are planning for them. We have to teach 8 hours - for some of us, we do teach both morning session and afternoon session; 2 form classes means more responsibilities We have to do portfolio for each child. We have to maintain a good relationship with all the parents. Besides teaching, we are also imparting lifelong values to the children . . . . . . and more I am not complaining the amount of things that we faced in this field, but I am helping people to understand that we, as preschool educators, are not 'nannies', our job ain't easy as well. Just like you and I, we are doing our best to to contribute to the society just like you. I am very passionate about my job and I am sure most of us in this field are as well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part IV written on Sunday, June 26, 2016 @ 10:00 AM ✈ Day 5 agenda; Chinatown, Karmakamet Diner, Big C, Platinum Night Market CHINATOWN We heard that Chinatown is a must go thus, we decided to head down and understand why it is a must go. Frankly, I was pretty reluctant to head to Chinatown since I did not do much research on it and I am not sure what to expect there as well, so I went with practically no expectations at all. Well, I would say, Chinatown is indeed a must go area if you love accessories! There's no garments there to shop, but there's really a lot of cheap accessories! A pair of earrings cost 5 baht with no minimum buys! There's also a lot of unique food to try! Thus, it's a must-must go! Thai Green Milk Tea & Thai Milk Tea this prawn is really damn good! MUST TRY BBQ Banana Thai pancake Thai milk-tea ice-cream that cost 10 baht! And our first authentic coconut in Thailand! PAD THAI THIP SAMAI Pad Thai from this restaurant is really the best Pad Thai that I have ever tasted! Back in Chinatown, we tried to flag a taxi down to Pad Thai Thip Samai but none of the taxis that we flagged down was willing to send us there. After the fourth taxi, this Thai lady approached us and offered help. She wrote down the address in Thai on a slip of paper for us to show the taxi driver to send us to the area. The slip of paper from the nice lady! If you are heading there, show the taxi driver this slip of paper, and he will send you there! x loots of the day x - Stick-on bra from Chinatown - Accessories from Chinatown - Garments from Big C and Platinum Night Market - Snacks from Big C Day 6 agenda; Pratunam Morning Market, Airport Since it was the last day, we decided to YOLO and head down to Pratunam and MBK before we go back to SG. We just, can't get enough of shopping! x this marks the end of our 6D5N Bangkok Trip x Till then All pictures are taken by Denise/ Yuh Meei/ Yuh Shi; non-edited Labels: denisextravelogue ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well-deserved Bangkok Trip! Part III written on Saturday, June 25, 2016 @ 10:28 AM ✈ Day 3 agenda; Pratunam Morning Market, Platinum Fashion Mall, Big C Pratunam Morning Market We woke up at 5am to head down to Pratunam Morning Market since most of the readings I read online says that Pratunam Morning Market is a must go if objective is to shop! Indeed, Pratunam Morning Market, is a must go. We reach at about 6.30am and the shops are already open. The things are really dirt cheap and hagar is a must, especially at their tentages. Since it is a wholesale market, we are required to pick up 3 items to be able to purchase at a good price. We left the morning market at about 11am. The items that we bought were more than the loots that we bought the past 2 days! After Pratunam Morning Market, we head to MacDonald for lunch. The Mac in Thailand is slightly different from Singapore, the variety of food is slightly more and there's Thai Milk Tea available there as well. So yeap! We were so hungry after shopping in Pratunam, thus, no photos. Hehe. Platinum Fashion Mall We were so tired after shopping in Pratunam Market. Our (not Yuh Shi) legs are aching so badly. But Platinum Mall is really filled with so so so much stuffs. Some of the stuffs were really cheap, some not. You must judge it for yourself. However, it is tougher to hager there. Pratunam VS Platinum, Pratunam of course. the cap cost 100 baht, the only thing that i regret not buying We were so damn tired; while Yuh Shi is still shopping away the few pictures can definitely tell us how tired I am Big C Supermarket We went to Big C at the end of the day to check out what the big supermarket offers us. The Big C near our place is really big and it is filled with so much goodies - that's also where I get most of the souvenirs back for most of my friends and colleagues. It is definitely must go! One-stop place to get all your goodies. However, at MBK, the snacks sold there are much much cheaper. We only found out the next day when we went there! Hence, if you want snacks, head to MBK! But if you want to save on traveling, Big C is a one-stop place for you to get all the yummy snacks! Thus, snacks of the day! Hehe. Big C of the day Loots of the day - 95% from Pratunam, 5% from Platinam Mall Day 4 agenda; True Love Cafe, MBK, Asiatique Night Market. True Love Cafe We reached slightly before 12.30pm. There's not much people at the queue when we reached however, we were required to fill up a form before we pay the entrance fee. So by the time we finished, there's a queue & by the time the queue reaches us, there's no more seat left. But the lady was really nice; she let us in and wait by the railings before the dogs were released at 1pm to mingle with us. So, if you really intend to visit, do come at least 30 mins earlier to chill and have a slice of cake and drinks before you meet the dogs! :) This is what will greet you when u enter The ticket that you will receive We were required to wear this over our feet before we enter to the area. So, here's all the dogs photos! We've never tried so hard to take pictures with dogs! Hahaha. It's a fun experience though hehe. The story behind taking picture of the dog the video that Yuh Shi took when the dogs were running in, in slow-mo After the interactions, most of the guests would leave and that's when we have a place for us to dine in. I was honestly starving after the interactions and thus, all of us decide to dine in here for lunch! The cakes were really good! I ate strawberry shortcake - my number 1 favourite cake while the 2 girls took matcha ice-cream cake and strawberry ice-cream cake! My main that came super late. That was because the mains I ordered were out-of-stock and I had to change twice to get my food. The food is super normal I would say, it felt very microwavey kind. So, I would rate it 3/5. The lady boss ordered a tuktuk for us at 40 baht to the nearest station. MBK We head to MBK after True Love cafe to shop. The top level of MBK is where everything is dirt cheap and hager is possible - fake havainas with their logo which looks real is also found there. But the colours are not really nice. Hahaha Anyway, MBK is a shopping area that is ideal for a guy. All around Bangkok, you can easily find loots for the ladies but to find garments for guys, it's not that easy. However at MBK, you can find a lot of garments suitable for man! So, if you're traveling with guys/ your boyfriend, MBK is a good place to shop for them! Also in MBK, there's this snack shop at either level 4 or 5 that sells a lot of cheap and authentic Thai finger food! It's even cheaper than Big C and there's more variety as well! So I would suggest to get your snacks in MBK instead of Big C! Thai Pancake for 10 Baht in MBK! Asiatique Night Market Asiatique Night Market is a tourist area where everything is really pricey and all. However, it's possible to hager to a lower price if you insist. Most of the shopkeepers will just tell you that the price is final and they are not possible to lower any further. However, my friends and I managed to hager 2 pairs of slippers from about 400 baht to 200 baht! So I feel that anything is possible! There's quite a lot of food to try there but, as I said, it's quite pricey. 1 plate of Phad Thai can cost as high as 260 Baht. Even though the prices can be pricey, it's worth a visit there! Standard Tourist shot hehe We spot this coconut drink for like 25 baht or cheaper thus we decided to get it. x this marks the end of day 4 X & the end of Part III Labels: denisextravelogue -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------	Life is full of battles & you are only given 2 choices - Defeat it or be defeated by it. Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it. I was constantly reminded that after every storm the sun will smile; for every problem, there is a solution, and the soul's indefesible duty is to be of a good cheer. Hence, I want to pen down my story of how I defeat the battle I'm constantly in. “To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.” - James Allen Quotes