Once more around the Galaxy

Interesting that my friends know what I lack. There's the issue of a cell phone I either keep on silent or I just don't carry around with me, which keeps me incommunicado most of the time. That is a source of irritation for some quarters -- which I apologize for -- but I was waiting until I could re-contract with my service provider without penalty for a premature handset upgrade. 

The other thing I was waiting for was the unveiling of the iPhoney 5, but recent legal developments forced me to reconsider my potential ties with the Evil Empire.

And so, meet my newest mobile device, a Galaxy SIII in a slick pebble blue case. It boasts a big, beautiful, sharp (Super AMOLED) screen that my ageing eyes are so very grateful for; a fast camera that takes pretty decent pictures; and a whole bunch of other functions that could effectively take over from my current 7" tablet and still be able to fit in my trouser pocket comfortably 'cos it's surprisingly light for its relative size. My only problem with it after a day of use is that the smooth case is horrendously slippery. But that's nothing a silicone skin can't fix. Oh in case you're wondering what's propping up the SIII for the pix (above), that's Momo. Good girl, Momo.

In other news:

Pix from my SIII: the wife is embarking on a DIY home-improvement project. We're in Defu Lane to scrounge up some scrap planking, but wound up purchasing teak! A bit extravagant for what she's planning, I think, but if it turns out well maybe it'll be worth it.

And somewhere across the road, we pick up more supplies. Act like a DIY newbie and the vendors are sympathetic and offer a lot of advice. And I believe we still got away with paying reasonable prices for the stuff we got.

Hopefully, I'll be able to upload project details by next weekend when the work begins in earnest.

'chers' Day 2012

Lots of things to be grateful for this 'chers' Day. The Drama Club's 'recruitment ad' skit went off nicely. The story was focused and tight, nothing extraneous or distracting, intentions crystal clear. Our performers could use more practice hand-holding their mikes, though -- we occasionally lost sound with a couple of characters. I'm sure Sirius had a hand in the final tweaks prior to curtain, and that's really decent of her because it wasn't any of her contractual obligations with us.

Nice of the kids to present me with a hand-made card fronted with a portrait of myself. Ahem. What's really nice were the many hand-written notes appreciating how different their GP experience has been, and how they've been able to learn from it. Good to know because most of the time I get more flak than accolades for the kind of classes I run. I have a great bunch of kids this year... or maybe it's just Stockholm Syndrome. Hope their faith pays off in spades with their final grades.

Combined schools dinner with the usual crazy bunch seated at a table far from the main proceedings. Best case scenario, as we were generally left to our own devices for entertainment, and we are usually our own best entertainers. That, and a little good news of a general modest raise all round for every rank-and-filer in the industry. As someone said, it isn't just about the money... but a little mo' money doesn't hurt. Yays!

Inhale... exhale...

Time to breathe after a week long marathon of grading assignments and writing testimonials. And tomorrow it starts all over again... :p

And just to be ironic, here are the cats doing what they do best...

while I'm busy scrambling to earn enough to buy kibble for them. Hmph.