Jiawenist

Holidays and babies...

2011-11-29T18:11:00.001+08:00

One of the reasons I wanted to be a teacher in the first place was because of the holidays. And for the first time in the three years that I've been a teacher, I'm enjoying my first school holidays, like the children. I've given up my Year 6 tuition classes this year because Jimmy was supposed to book our honeymoon for December. Well, today is the last day of November and our honeymoon is still not booked yet. Well, actually I don't know if we are going for a honeymoon at all. Everything is so expensive these days and we are still in debt from moving into the house and all.

So anyway, my Father In Law is very eager to have grandchildren. Actually, he has been telling me that ever since Jimmy and I first started dating. Yup. We were just dating into our second month and my FIL told me that he longed to see Jimmy settled down and with kids. Scary, right? He backed off about us getting married and have children for a while but he's back at it again. I am so afraid of being alone with him for more than five minutes these days because he would definitely go back to that topic about wanting grandchildren...Sigh...why can't some people understand that it isn't that we don't want to have children but "takde rezeki lagi"?

I was saved from having another "I want to have grandkids pronto" conversation by a phone call that I normally would not take. Haha...I told Jimmy not to leave me alone with the father but he had to use the toilet. Dayumm.... I feel bad that I am "afraid" of my FIL now but I don't know how else to tell him that we are not pregnant not because we don't want it. *Frustrated*

Holidays are here again and I'm turning into an aunty. Cleaning and cleaning and cleaning from morning to afternoon. Gotta think of something else to do. Haha.... In the meantime, let me share with you some creative answers/notes written by my ex-students:

They keep thinking bout $hit...

This fellow really needs glasses...

Of Husbands and Dogs

2011-10-31T20:25:00.000+08:00

One of my favourite pre-wedding photos. I love the dress!

Time passes really fast. I have been so busy over the past few months that I barely had time to do much other than work, travel and sleep. And when I say travel, it is travelling from home to work and vice versa. :(

Married life is not as I imagined it would be. I don't know if other newly-weds feel the same way. My more experienced colleagues told me to 'train' my husband from the very beginning (haha...while I laughed that they sounded as though they were asking me to train a dog, I regret a little for not heeding their advice). :P

Train the husband to do what? To share the housework. While I am not the best housekeeper ( I admit I'm lousy...and glad that Jimmy doesn't complain that I don't cook, sweep and mop the house every day as I have heard from my colleagues), but I wouldn't mind if I had Jimmy trained to help with what little I do around the house. Hehe...

My efforts to 'train' him after two months of marriage failed miserably. Telling him to take out the trash one day, ended up with me taking a bag of rotting trash out days later. The garden that he had insisted to keep was left unkempt and I had to weed it alone (in anger). Luckily, I insisted on not doing anything with the aquarium that he had wanted. So now, the poor fishies are living in an aquarium of water that has not been changed since a couple of months ago.

However, it's a great thing that he enjoys cooking. Since we also have a rather well-equipped kitchen, he has been experimenting and making rather delicious meals for me. Although I must say that I would have a heck of a cleaning work to do after that because he uses almost all the pots and plates and bowls to prepare a meal. :)

Mashed potato and omelette to go with our roasted chicken

Roasted chicken with garlic and thyme

Malaysian style breakfast

6-course lunch that he prepared for my family before the wedding. My father gave him tips to improve his cooking. LOL

So, if someone asks me, "How's life, married woman?", I guess my answer is "It's like living with an untrained love-able puppy who cooks." Hahahaha...woof!

Life after marriage

2011-08-10T19:37:00.000+08:00

Photography by William Leong.

Has it really been almost 2 months now that I have become Mrs. Tan? My tea ceremony was conducted almost a month ago now. So, what has changed since changing my marital status from single to married? Nothing much except that I have now moved into our own house. That also means that I need to wake up really early in the morning and travel about 38 km to school. That's 38 km for one way. Yeah...I know it's a norm for many people. But I was staying a mere 5 minutes' walk away from my school for 3 years! Imagine the change! :)

Other than that, having our own house means a lot of cleaning. I was very enthusiastic about the cleaning up until I moved all my things from my rented room over. All the things are still in boxes tucked away in the maid's room. Hahaha...Jimmy has been great as in he doesn't complain about the many boxes hidden in the maid's room. He also understands that I have trouble adjusting to the fewer sleeping hours and the terrible mood swings that I have because of that.

I wonder how long I need to get used to travelling and then still find the energy to clean up the house AND do my school work. Thank God I live near my parents so my mom has been helping me out with the cleaning up at least once a week! Hahahaha...Mum's the best!

My mom and dad are the best! :)

ROM 120611

2011-06-24T20:02:00.002+08:00

I'm officially someone's Mrs. now. It's funny how Madam Tee instead of Ms. Tee makes me feel so old. Of course, I have not asked the students to change how they call me for fear that I would forget to acknowledge them when they call me. Hehe... Some of the pupils, however, have noticed the ring on my finger and the few photos on my Facebook account that they tried to call me Mrs. Tee just to see my reactions (and perhaps to see if I would tell them if I were recently married). Haha...smart kids.

So, I didn't lose any weight at all despite my attempts to do so before my pre-wedding photoshoot in less than a week. But then again, why worry about weight? Brides who are happy are always beautiful, right? :)

Outside the temple

Jimmy said that I spoiled the photo because Mr. Braun Buffel was visible. Hahahaha...that's my purse, by the way. :P

What started as regular dinners with family friends ended with a union of two of the three families. :)

I actually like this photo....hahaha...see our new and nice-looking shoes?

One done, erm...how many to go?

2011-06-01T18:13:00.000+08:00

It is a blessing in disguise as I am bigger than the average girl. It is because of that, the range of bridal clothes available to me was slashed to about 45% from the hundreds of clothes in that shop. And I took almost 4 and a half hours to choose 8 dresses for my pre-wedding photos, the tea ceremony and the reception. I remember my sister who starved herself skinny didn't take as long. It's probably because everything looked nice on her, so it was easier. Also, she was very particular about the type of dress she wanted. But my beloved mother and sisters gave useful comments for my dresses and chose dresses that would flatter my curves rather than work against them. Love you, jie jies and mama!

Jimmy, on the other hand, was very eager to try on his coats. He didn't give much comment on the dresses because 3 girls against 1 guy. Haha...and when it was finally his turn to try on his coat, it took him only 5 minutes. Haha...too bad la...weddings are owned by girls'. :P

So now, I've ticked the wedding dresses off my list. What else? Hmm....

...

You know, I'm sure there are more to do about the wedding. Haha...Let me just go and enjoy my school holiday first. :P

Getting wha?

2011-05-24T18:30:00.000+08:00

Following the Chinese Hokkien custom that when there is any death in the family, any celebrations must be done within a hundred days or wait for 3 years. Hence, my wedding has to be rescheduled to take place within the hundred days. Truth is, I had actually wanted to wait for the three years but it is not fair for certain parties; so, everything has to be done in lightning speed.

From expecting to be married at the end of the year or sometime next year, I got the date from the Feng shui Master for Sepember this year, and now, I'm suddenly going to be registered in June and have the Chinese ceremony in July. Wow...It is hard to digest. :)

So, what have I done so far for my wedding? Erm...I did start a diet. And then I lost control and almost gained back all the weight I'd lost. Jimmy and I have started the renovation works to our house with almost no input from me as I do not care much for designs, compared to practicality.

Everyone around me has been asking me if I am stressed out. Truth is, I think the reality hasn't sunk in. Hahaha...I think I will feel the stress when I try on wedding dresses that don't fit well the day after tomorrow. -.-"

In the meantime, let's just chill. =)

29 April 2011

2011-05-10T17:29:00.000+08:00

It was supposed to be a day full of joy. I was going to try on my wedding gown. My sister from Singapore flew home to go bridal shopping with me the next day.

I couldn't sleep the night before. I thought it was out of excitement.

I normally do not check my phone at school but as I was leaving my class after 2 hours of teaching, I heard my phone ring as a message came in. I walked to my place and took out my phone. It was Jimmy telling me that he was unable to go see me try on wedding gowns because he had an urgent meeting that afternoon. Bummer.

There was another message from my sister from Singapore: Grandma passed away 15 minutes ago.

My grandmother half-raised me up, if you could put it that way. My mother became a housewife shortly after I was born but I remembered playing with my grandmother a lot. I was her companion and she was mine for the first 5 or 6 years of my life. Then, we drifted apart as I went on to school.

Although we were never very close, I was perhaps one of the only other person in my house who would still chat with her from time to time. Everybody else in my family was too busy. I was just thinking that I should at least try to watch tv with her in her room for an hour or two the next weekend I was home (she was bed-ridden after suffering from a stroke last August or September).

It is all too late now. I regret not spending more time with her. I regret not letting her know that I care for her. I regret not letting her know that she had always been a good grandmother to me.

From her death, I have learnt a very valuable lesson: we need to spend time with our loved ones right now. There may never be another "tomorrow".

Rest in peace, Ah Ma. Til we meet again some day...

Volunteer work

2011-04-28T22:21:00.000+08:00

Wow, SGD100 for an hour of tuition? And I thought the Malaysian rate of an average of RM60 an hour was ridiculously high! So, parents who earn a modest income cannot afford to have too many children who are slow learners!

___________________________________________________________________

I've decided to take the plunge. I've always wanted to do it but I have a phobia to commitments, I didn't know where to start and was busy with my currently-postponed Masters programme.

I started with guiding my nephew who was in Year 3 last year. I went to his house every weekend to guide him in his BM and occasionally, English. His parents were very appreciative until I was too busy towards the end of the year that I could not guide him every week and he got a very bad result in BM. Then, the kind gesture that I thought I was extending backfired because my brother blamed my inconsistency for the bad result. Ouch!

I still feel that I am only partly to be blamed because I kept emphasizing that I was only guiding and not giving him tuition. Nevertheless, when my sister-in-law subtly hinted that I should continue with the guidance in Tatabahasa this year, while enrolling her son in a Penulisan tuition, I pretended that I did not know what she meant. You know, you can never teach your own child or relative's child. The familiarity will make it difficult for the child to listen to you and for you to scold the child.

So anyway, I have been feeling the pressure lately because the Express class that I am teaching this year is most probably going to get very bad results for English. Actually, I think it must be my problem. I don't know how to make them write well. I've been slogging like a cow, marking piles and piles of the written work every week without results (while the other teachers just looked on and sniggered that I brought it upon myself that my table is always full of books). By this time last year, the Express class was already showing improvement in their writing. This class, on the other hand, is still struggling to give me 6 correct sentences out of 10. I'm at my wit's end, trying to figure out how to at least push the Bs to Cs and a few of the Bs to As.

I can't do much to help the kids because many stay very far away and can't stay back. So, I managed to catch hold of two kids and give them GUIDANCE after school hours. I have to do it discreetly because I don't want other teachers to know that I am not accepting money for the time I put in. I teach them in school and during school tuition, so how am I suppose to accept more money for guiding them? It's my fault that they can't understand my teaching, don't you agree?

Cross my fingers that these two will score an A in their UPSR and enjoy English after some extra guidance. Haha...can never bring myself to call what I do with the kids "tuition". :)

Tuition or to shun?

2011-04-27T20:00:00.000+08:00

How much would you pay for your children's tuition? Do you send your children for all the subjects? Do you send them for the tuition because they need help in the subject or because everybody else is sending their children for tuition?

These are the questions that have been going through my mind since last Friday. Some parents took the opportunity at the meeting to ask if I give private tuition. Truth is, I don't believe in the way tuitions are conducted in most of the tuition centres/ by teachers. The aim-for-A concept that is followed is easy money for many teachers, especially when it comes to English.

My parents told me once that I should be giving tuition rather than spending my time doing nothing and that I should pick only the better pupils. Once the children get really good results, more children will come to me for tuition. Well, let's just say that the reason I wanted to be a teacher was not because of the easy money. Nope, nor is it because I want to shape the future generation. Haha...I am not that noble. It is mainly because of the holidays and the free time that a teacher has compared to other occupations. And, ok, partly because I want to help (not shape) some kids like how my teachers inspired me to enjoy English and school.

I digress. So like I was saying, some parents asked if I gave private tuition and told me sad stories like how they cannot help their own children in their schoolwork and haven't been able to find teachers to help the children. One particular boy's mother told me almost in tears that she doesn't know BM and English and can't help much in other subjects. She has been sending her child to tuition centres diligently since Primary One and the end result is that her son's class teacher bluntly told her that unless she sends him to a one-to-one tuition, all the money is wasted. Yup, this boy cannot understand BM nor English and can hardly write in Mandarin. Well, I do want to help but I cannot be volunteering because it would, as they say in Hokkien, "pak pai hang jeng" which means that I am spoiling the market.

So for this reason I have been asking around the fees charged by some teachers for a one-to-one tuition for English and BM. And the price that some of my colleagues discreetly revealed was astronomical. Haha...Gosh...really? Parents fork out so much money for their children yet most of these children do not know how hard it is to earn that amount of money and rather spend the time at the tuition playing and not learning much. And many parents just send their children to tuition blindly without considering that their children really just can't absorb much after one whole day of non-stop tuition. And truly, if a child is able to just pay attention to the teachers in school, most wouldn't need to go for tuition anyway.

Hmm...what is your take?

Meet the Parents

2011-04-22T22:05:00.000+08:00

Today was Parents' Day at my school. That means parents have to come and meet the teachers to get their children's report card and find out their children's progress in school for the past 4 months. It is a much dreaded day for some children and parents, and I can assure you that teachers feel the same way.

The first year when I had to meet the parents, I listed down the names of the children who were problematic. All 40 of them were problematic students (attitude problem, don't do homework, disruptive in class, don't pay attention etc). At the end of the session, I was so depressed that I cried all the half hour it took me to drive home because some of the parents were almost as bad as the students and defended their children's bad behaviour.

The second year of meeting the parents, I had learnt my lesson. I requested to meet only a few problematic children's parents and some who are angels in the class. To the parents of the angels of the class, I sang my praises and boost the children's confidence and made the parents (and myself) very happy. For the few problematic children, well, I don't remember much of what went on but I was accused of keeping a child's failed karangan paper for reasons only the child and his mother could think of. Ooh, and a parent of a child who never did her homework told me that she is very strict with her child at home (to which she asked her daughter to sit down and the daughter just ignored her)! Talk about the child being afraid of her. She must be living in a world of her own!

This year's meet the parents session went on better than I expected. I still had the mixture of angels and demons but more of the demons this time. I learnt that parents normally come with the worst expectations and were normally ready to defend their children's behaviour. So, this year, I told the parents with a smile that their child behaves really well/ participates in discussions/ has a basic mastery of the English language BUT I am worried because...

And all was well for me. No parent accused me of anything. No parent defended their children's behaviour. A parent or two told me a bit about their family problem. Sigh...I wish I could protect their children from it but I couldn't. Poor kids who are starved for attention and are creating trouble in the class in order to get the attention that they need. SIGH...

I got a headache at the end of the session. Some children did not turn up. A child cried. A few children almost cried. A few parents told me that they have family problems. A few parents told me that they do not know how to coach their children that's why their children have problems with their homework. Most parents told me that they normally check on their children's progress but was too busy these few weeks, hence the backlog in homework. Anyway, whatever the reason for their children's bad behaviour, I got the permission from most of the parents to punish the child in any way I think fit so that their child could be better. Muahahahaha....nah, I'm not a monster. Caning is one of the last resorts for me. I'd make them stay back in school first. Hehe...How else can I help these little monsters, I wonder?

Back in Malaysia

2011-04-21T20:13:00.000+08:00

There is a slight disadvantage of going to Krabi: there is only one flight to and from Krabi a day. So, we left Krabi on our third day there at noon. We didn't do much, just walked around the Ao Nang beach and shopping in 7-Eleven. Yup, Mr. Jimmy fell in love with the 7E there and was visiting it every day. Haha!

Everything was back to normal, with me in cloud nine as I recounted Jimmy's proposal again and again to disbelieving audience. :) We had a plan to get married at the end of the year but Jimmy had to first ask my father for my hand in marriage ala traditional culture. Once that was done, we had to give our birth time to a Feng Shui master who would calculate the best time to get married.

A message came in on 7th April from the Feng Shui master telling us that the best date to get married is on the 11th September. *Panic* That is less than half a year away!! That night, Jimmy quickly set out a working schedule. We've got lots to do before September: decide on a venue for the reception, get the pre-wedding photos taken, get someone to renovate the house and most importantly, LOSE WEIGHT!!

How are we to do all that in a span of 5 months? Luckily, the Home Fair was on at PWTC that weekend. So we went to have a look at the furniture to just get an idea of how much it would cost us to renovate and prepare our house just enough to be able to invite guests in on the wedding day. Well, you can say that we almost had a heart attack just looking at the price of even the basic necessities.

Outside the fair, there was a wedding fair for Malays. Just for fun, we went in and we were stuck listening to a very persuading group of salesgirls. In the end, we came out RM 200 poorer because they told us to give a deposit so that we can still enjoy all the perks thrown in during the fair. Hmm...I suppose our wits do become dimmer when we have so much to think about. Hahaha...normally, Jimmy wouldn't be so easy to persuade. Me? I'm the typical water fish who would believe anything that any sales person says. LOL

Sigh...it has been almost a month since we have known the prosperous date, and we have managed to tick off a few things to do in our list:

1. venue

2. pre-wedding package (nope, not the one that we signed up for in the fair) :)

Wish us luck! :)

Day 2 Krabi

2011-04-04T17:34:00.001+08:00

It is best for one to know that it is always never enough to go travelling out of a country for only 3 days and 2 nights. There are a lot of extreme sports to do in Krabi and we could only choose to go one that is not easy to find in Malaysia, so snorkelling is out of the question.

First, we had breakfast that was delivered to the table outside our room. Lousy food but the thought that it was sent over was out of ordinary.

Lousy American Breakfast sent to our room

At 8:30 Malaysian time, we went on a half hour journey to reach Bor Thor for Sea Cave Kayaking. It was tiring but worth every minute of it. Jimmy was extremely tired after the trip because he was rowing like a mad man throughout while I relaxed in front and took photographs. LOL

Beautiful view as we were coming out of a cave

Jimmy was super tired

After that, we went to a rather dirty river for a dip. Didn't take any photos there because it was really just a dirty river (although the water flows from underground).

Then, we went for an elephant jungle trekking ride. It was the most AMAZING experience ever. And it will definitely be my first and last experience! The female elephant which took us around was really nice but imagine you are about 2 storey-high up with only one rope tied across the bench you are sitting on. Not too bad, heh? And then your elephant actually had to climb up steep slopes and GO DOWN! Gosh, I was chanting Namo Amitabha almost throughout the ride! And worse was that it was raining, so the muddy trail seemed even less safe! We were dangling about 60degrees facing the ground twice when the elephant came down some slopes! After that ride, Jimmy and I thanked the elephant for getting us safely back! Hahaha...well, that's what you get for choosing something that you won't get anywhere else in the world! :)

Rewarding the elephant that got us safely up and down the muddy trail

I think if we ever go to Krabi again, we will just try to be safe and go for the white-water rafting package. :)

Krabi Day One

2011-03-29T23:58:00.000+08:00

Once we touched down in Krabi, fellow passengers started congratulating us. It was too bad that Jimmy was too nervous that he did not ask someone to take photographs or video of the situation. Nevertheless, it will always be ingrained in my memory. :)

On the way to the taxi, when the both of us had calmed down, Jimmy started to recount the things that he had memorized prior to the proposal (something along the lines of "we have been together for more than two years now and would you give me the honour of being my wife"). And then I complained that he had actually thrown the box at me. Hehehe...

Once we reached the hotel, the receptionists were whispering to each other. When we entered the room, it was decorated as shown in the previous post, in case the bouquet couldn't be sent on board. That was when Jimmy went down on one knee and proposed in Mandarin. Awww...

Another angle of the deco on the bed.

After a short rest, we went to hunt for food near the hotel that we stayed at. We had the most delicious Seafood Tom Yam that we had in our short trip to Thailand in a nearby Dutch restaurant (the area that we stayed in catered mostly to Caucasians).

The very good Tom Yam and so-so Green Curry

After that, we wanted to explore the Ao Nang beach which is about 15 minutes' walk. The place was previously partially destroyed by the 2001 tsunami. They have rebuilt it and the place looks really good now. Along the way, these two lazy fat bums decided to rent a scooter (eventhough neither of us have a license although Jimmy used to ride a motorcycle in his Uni days). The scooter rental was only 200 baht for 24 hours! Cheap!

At Ao Nang beach

Thank goodness for this scooter!

At night, as we were walking along the touristy area, a couple from the Air Asia flight recognised Jimmy. Haha...and the lady was like, isn't he the fella who proposed on the airplane? :)

The night was still young, so I went to have cheap manicure and pedicure done. At around 8, we decided to have seafood for dinner. We chose a restaurant which looked quite good. The food and service were disappointing. The only thing good was its ambience and the dessert.

Mango with glutinous rice and coconut milk.

Love is in Air Asia

2011-03-24T17:51:00.001+08:00

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is a special announcement." The voice of the head steward on the flight to Krabi woke me and other passengers from our naps. We must be nearing our destination now. Hmm..Jimmy was not at his seat.

"Love is in the air," the steward, Mr. Afif, continued. "We have a special proposal here from Mr. Jimmy to his girlfriend, Ms. Jiawen."

Oh. My. God.

There was a round of applause as Jimmy walked towards me (from behind the head steward) with a bouquet of flowers and a ring in his hand. I couldn't believe it! Jimmy, who is the most un-romantic guy I've ever dated, was proposing to me in front of so many people?! People craned their necks to see who the lucky girl was as Jimmy quickly sat next to me giggling nervously.

The bouquet of flowers and ring Jimmy gave me on the plane

I couldn't believe it. My hands shook as I opened the box with the diamond ring inside. Jimmy took it and slipped it into my ring finger (he forgot to ask the all-important question). There was another round of applause as the head steward congratulated the "future Mr. and Mrs. Tan".

He slipped the ring into my finger before asking the Question.

So, that is making a long story short. LOL...

Jimmy's plan started a few weeks earlier with him asking Air Asia's help to bring up the bouquet of flowers that he got from Mid Valley (and was sent to LCCT in a taxi). At first, his request was rejected. Then, a Mr. Jonathan from the Customer Care picked up his case and agreed to help.

On the day when we were supposed to leave for Krabi, Jimmy got a phone call from his boss and numerous calls which he did not pick up. I did not think much of it as it was a Thursday. When we reached the airport, Jimmy's parents decided to park the car and wait with us. I did not think much of it also as I thought the parents wanted to have lunch with us. Jimmy went off to look for a clean toilet as he told me he had a stomachache. We waited for half an hour and I got angry because we had to check in soon.

After we had checked in, Jimmy claimed that his sub-contractor had come to LCCT to meet him as he had some urgent documents for him to sign. I believed him as his phone did not stop ringing the entire morning. So, that was how he had managed to pass the bouquet of flowers to Mr. Jonathan, who brought it into the plane, without alerting me. :)

Jimmy's original plan was for Mr. Afif to hide the bouquet of flowers in his cart and push it to us as we were nearing Krabi but he did not have a chance to tell him that before we boarded the plane. When Mr. Afif approached Jimmy and asked if he had ordered a meal, Jimmy answered "no", to which Mr. Afif tried another tactic and said that there must had been a mistake and insisted Jimmy to follow him to the front. As Jimmy realised what was going on, he became extremely nervous. Looking at the almost full plane, he forgot all his plans and all the things that he was supposed to say to me. So, when Mr. Afif asked Jimmy how he wanted him to help, Jimmy was totally blank. That was why Mr. Afif took it upon himself to announce the proposal and Jimmy forgot to ask me the question. :)

Well, it would have been a big YES anyway. But it was truly a memorable proposal. THANK YOU AIR ASIA, especially to Mr. Jonathan (from Customer Care) and Mr. Mohd. Afif (the head steward on the AK 804 flight to Krabi on 17th March 2011).

Special arrangements made by Jimmy at the hotel for Proposal Plan B.

P/S: Jimmy went down on one knee and popped the question when we reached the hotel afterwards. :)

Do you have any proposal stories to share? :)

Demoted

2011-03-09T19:02:00.000+08:00

I am officially playing second fiddle to my 6 month old niece. My father declared it the other day when he asked if I wanted to join my mom and him for a holiday with their friends. I was happy for a while until he said that since The Precious couldn't join them because she was teething, he called me, the second Precious. -_____-"

At 2 months old. This was what she liked to do. =)

At about 4 months old, puts everything into her mouth. Even mommy's T-shirt.

Who you calling Botak Head?

Showing off her ability to turn at 5 months old.

Actually, I don't mind. She is the cutest thing! Hehe...

The day I almost lost Baby

2011-03-08T19:06:00.000+08:00

Baby lost her right eye last week. It happened so fast that I didn't even realise it until the maid told me. She has been reluctant to move these 2 weeks. She is now totally blind due to cataracts to both her eyes. I've read that cataracts aren't removable on dogs. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.

When I called out to her on Sunday morning, she wagged her tail and came out of hiding, banging her head and body against walls. And when I looked at her, I started crying because she seemed to be on her last legs. She hadn't been eating well because she couldn't find her food or water, I think. The maid told me that Baby had been falling into the drains and did not want to come out.

While I was weeping while patting Baby, Jimmy noticed that there were a lot of flies around her. When he bent down, he saw gaping holes at her neck area and they were bleeding. My first thought was that some dog must have bitten her. I called the vet but he was in surgery and his assistant told me to call again the next day.

Monday morning came and I was preparing myself for the worst. Baby is 13 years old this year, which is equivalent to 91 dog years. I don't want her to suffer. When I reached home, the maid complained that Baby was very grumpy because she couldn't see and she would snap at the maid whenever the maid tried to get her out of drains or under the car. But the maid had already bathed Baby and got her ready to go to the vet's. By this time, Baby's wound was dripping blood and she smelled of rotten meat.

The journey to the vet's was easy as Baby sat quietly and with my hand protectively on her head. She didn't seem to mind not being able to see at that time. When I reached the vet's, he took a look at her and asked if I had time to take care of an old dog like her because many more ailments are bound to come. As much as I prepared myself for the worst, I burst into tears.

I told the doctor to look at Baby's wound first and treat that before saying anything else. It turned out that Baby had a maggot infection. It started with a small scratch wound that attracted flies to lay eggs in it. The vet tried to pull a maggot out to show me, but Baby whined in pain so he stopped. I had two options: put Baby to sleep or put her under anaesthesia so that the vet could treat the maggot infection with the risk that she might suffer a heart attack or never wake from the anesthesia.

I called my mother and she suggested that I put her down. Why let her suffer, she asked? I was crying uncontrollably by then. I really don't want her to suffer. Jimmy shouted at me for wanting to give up on Baby so easily. I wasn't giving up on her. I cared for her too much that I can't see her suffer in old age. The vet left me alone to think about it for about an hour. A second call from Jimmy made me realise that I really couldn't give up on her so easily. She came with me to the vet happily because she trusted me. She was sitting on the surgery table comfortably because she was leaning against me and because she knew I was there. How could I put her to sleep just because I think she was suffering? She surely didn't look as though she was suffering! Uncomfortable, yes. Unable to adapt because she is newly blind, yes. But she was not suffering.

I took the chance that she might suffer from a heart attack. It's God's will if she died on the surgery table. The doctor put her under anaesthesia and she suffered from spasms for about a minute. I thought I had lost her then. But, everything was well. After a 45 minute surgery, the 20 over maggots that were about 1cm each was taken out and the wound cleared.

(Googled for image)

Baby was knocked out for about 6 hours in total. When I left that night, she couldn't move her body yet but she was blinking and wagging her tail when I touched her. Thank God for Jimmy for talking me out of making the worst decision ever!

I know in my heart that there might come a day in the near future that I might have to make the decision again. But I'm grateful for the days, weeks and months that Baby still has with us.

Love is in the air

2011-02-25T20:49:00.000+08:00

Wow...time truly flies. Before we know it, February is coming to an end. Everything seemed to have happened in a whirlwind after the Chinese New Year.

This Valentine's Day brought a surprise to me. Well, a day after the Valentine's to be exact. Jimmy actually took the initiative to take me to a romantic candle light dinner! He booked the place for 730 p.m. and after a day of strolling in Mid Valley, we went to the restaurant. Too many people booked or the person whom Jimmy called was irresponsible; no table was reserved for us. Luckily, we were early, so there were still tables for us.

After placing our order, we sat in the romantic ambience. We overheard the people at the next table saying that the service is very slow, which is fine by most of the lovebirds there. So, we sat and waited and waited. And waited. And waited. Jimmy was in a good mood because he was looking for information on his phone. I was getting more and more impatient. A couple who came later than us had already got all their food...stupid me thought that they had ordered only the main course while we had order set meal, so maybe that was the reason. We got our entree after half an hour of waiting. What finally got me angry was that the table next to us who came at least an hour after us got their main course before us. I mentioned it to the waiter and the waiter said that the food was on the way. Wow, does it take an hour for the restaurant to cook the food? By this time, Jimmy had come out of his trance and was angry too. The romantic mood was ruined.

Finally, we got our main course after twenty minutes. Jimmy had wanted to leave and I was so angry that I actually didn't touch the food even though I was hungry. And if you had noticed, I didn't mention about getting our appetizer.

After wolfing down the pitifully small main course in silence, because both of us were irritated, I told the waiter to serve our appetizer and dessert together. Yay...that finally got their attention. They've made a blunder with our order and they haven't served us our appetizer! The captain apologised and said that the dessert can be served in a short time.

The restaurant gave us 2 complimentary cakes to make up for their inefficient service. Too bad, that will be the first and the last time I'll ever go there. Since they have apologised, I will not bad-mouth the restaurant in this blog. Haha...but if anyone recommends a romantic restaurant in the Jalan Dewan Bahasa area, be prepared! We reached at 7, ordered at 725, got our entree at 8 plus, got our main course at 845, got our appetizer at around 920, finished our dessert at 940 or so, got our complimentary cakes at 945 and left the place at almost 10. Haha....Or maybe it's just my luck. :)

Candle light dinner

Flowers that Jimmy got for me in Cameron Highlands because roses are CHEAP there. HOPELESS!

My laptop still works!

2011-02-13T18:37:00.000+08:00

Phew...it has been two months plus since my last post. And today, I finally sat in front of the laptop and turned it on. A lot of work has got to be done by tonight (after I update myself with the going-ons at Facebook, other people's blogs and finish reading my e-mail).

The past two months have been rather relaxed. Spending time with my family has been great, and I appreciate the time with my parents even more now. My grandmother who is 92 suffered from a mild stroke two months ago. It is sad to see a proud woman like her being treated like a toddler because she can no longer move around. Sigh...live the day as though there is no tomorrow. I need to spend as much time with my family as possible. That's my resolution.

Taking our parents out on a trip to Cameron Highlands. Major sponsors: sister and bro-in-law. My role? Menyibuk-ing. :P

Dog license (I)

2010-12-01T12:02:00.000+08:00

So, all was busy with the Land of Dogs.

On Sunday, Jimmy and I went back to Rawang to have a gathering with my family and my sister's family from Singapore. Before we returned to KL, we took a photo of the two dogs (but Charlie kay-pohed and was running around). Taking a photo of Baby was a breeze albeit Charlie was also in a few of the photos because he was excited, so we had to take a couple of shots of Baby minus Charlie.

1st attempt to take a photo of Baby...Charlie is in the picture.

2nd attempt of taking Baby's photo. She was following me everywhere so I had to make her lie down first before taking her photo. (And of course, ask Charlie to get into the house.)

Taking a photo of Hunter was not as easy. He is truly hyperactive. And in the process of taking his photo, Jimmy got scratched and I got scolded for being slow. Let's take a look at the few attempts:

I was too slow to press the button, so he moved out of the frame.

He was sitting before this, and by the time the image is captured...well, this is it.

I squatted down to take a photo of him. He tried to jump on me and Charlie looking on blur-ly.

Sent Charlie and Jimmy into the house. Asked Hunter to sit and took a photo of him FINALLY. And if you notice, his eyes have an unfocussed look. Sigh...my crazy dog.

So, it was with the photos ready and all photocopied documents ready that I took them both to be vaccinated. Phew...was it a chore! Baby was all right. But Hunter was definitely more than a handful. He was so hyper that he moved around like a crazy dog and scared everyone at the vet's. When it was his turn for his vaccination, it was as though we were trying to kill him! I was trying to put on a muzzle on him and he was so scared that he rolled, growled (so the vet's assistant was scared and left me to it), shat and peed at the same time. So, there I was being scratched by him, while trying to calm him down, in his pee and poop. The vet looked at the situation and zoomed in from behind and gave him his shot (I wonder now why the vet didn't come in earlier...hmm...)

Hunter just doesn't trust me. It's probably because I don't spend enough time with him. With the mother, I could just hold her and she'd calm down. This fella was hysterical! I got scratched on my left arm mostly and one long scratch from my neck to my chest area. My silver necklace broke when he scratched me at my neck.

With the vet's card in hand, I quickly went home to change into a long-sleeved shirt to cover the scratches and rushed to the City Council branch in Rawang at 3:45 p.m. to get the license but..."kena ambik kat Selayang la, dik"... =_______="

So, after dinner, while every one was joking that I might have rabies and start biting the kids, the angry welts on my arm became swollen and one wound in particular developed a slight dark circle around it. My mom rushed me to the clinic and I got a tetanus shot. Sigh...what a day...and the license has not been obtained...

(to be continued)

Dog-haters should leave dog-lovers alone

2010-11-26T18:42:00.004+08:00

Isn't it unfair that you have to have license to have dogs? I mean, I'm sure it is for safety reasons that they have such a ruling. But to give the owner 7 days to get a license or action would be taken is a bit harsh, don't you think? And the worst part is that I had wanted to get a license for my dogs long ago but I don't know how and where to get it! I used to ask my friend from Terengganu to buy them for me as it was very easy for her to get until I found out that you have to get the license for your dog from your City Council or Majlis Perbandaran (MP). After being sent on a wild goose chase from one department to another, I gave up. After all, life was peaceful for me and my dogs for years.

Somehow, someone in the neighbourhood must have lodged a complaint and my father received the warning letter last Thursday. I wished I could go and settle it but I am having examinations this week. So, my poor dad who never liked my dogs had to go on a wild goose chase. First, someone told my father to go and get the license from the MP. RM 20 only for a license. Then, another person told my father that he should actually get it from the local government animal clinic. When my father went to the clinic, someone from the clinic told my father that he has to get the dogs over to any vet to be vaccinated so that the vet can write a letter or something so that he can apply for a license in the MP. And I have to take a photo of the dog. Mug shot and side view.

My dad gave up because he cannot handle the two dogs alone. I normally had to bring the maid along or bring the dog on two separate trips to be vaccinated. Luckily the two dogs enjoy car rides, but to get them out is a problem because they know what awaits them at the vet: injection and de-worming pills.

Sigh..sometimes I feel that the government is just trying to make life difficult for us nons who have dogs. Why don't they start a ruling to make cat-owners, hamster-owners, iguana owners, snake owners to apply for a license as well? They can be health-hazards, a nuisance and dangerous as well, right? And the fact that you have to renew the license every year? Just trying to make money, I think! It used to be RM 5 a license, a year. Then it went up to RM 10. Now, God-knows how much they are charging. *edited...RM50 a year a dog* And even then, you have to apply, not just buy like last time.

And I curse the person who lodged the report. Baby has been with the family for 12 years!! And the dogs have been trained to stay in the house compound until recently when Baby is a bit senile that she loves to go out for a run round the neighbourhood. And even then, we make sure that she doesn't disturb anyone (she would avoid people and animals on her runs out since she is half blind and helpless). I hate the injustice of it all! Hope you step on dog poop every day even when there are no dogs around!

Does anyone know the proper procedure to get a dog license? Please help. *For those who live in Selayang, can download the form from their website. But only 1 dog for an area of 300m squared allowed. You also need to bring lots of document along*

Once upon a Paris...

2010-11-24T15:50:00.001+08:00

I mentioned in my blog post long ago that I was posted to a very small town about an hour plus away. In that small school in the small town, I was perhaps something out of the ordinary. You see, I was different. My first day reporting to the school, I went with my father and his driver. Since the school did not need me in the first place, my father just took me there for formalities' sake and had wanted to take me to Putrajaya to sort the problem out. (By the way, my dad got himself a driver after his by-pass surgery a few years ago and not because we are very rich or anything like that).

So anyway, since the department made the blunder, the headmistress received a call from them to tell her to take me in (even though the quota was full). So, there I was for 4 months. The town was so small that there were only 4 blocks of shophouses in the 'town centre'. And most of the time, the shops are not open. ALL the shops are also closed by 6.30 p.m. So, my arrival and the special case of the department asking the HM to take me in must have been something rather exciting to the folks in that town.

I travelled daily for a week and a half when the price of petrol was at its peak. Transportation alone cost me more than RM 70 per day (coz my car guzzles petrol like crazy and the toll fare was more than RM 10 per trip). I travelled because I didn't have anyone to rent a place with. Rather than having me to travel almost 4 hours daily and spending so much on petrol, my father said that I should rent a whole house on my own since the place wasn't too expensive either (big news to people around there as well).

My kind colleagues were worried because I was going to be staying in a house with 4 rooms alone. I told them not to worry as I planned to bring Charlie along to accompany (and protect) me. Yup, Charlie, who is friendly to everyone. But, hey, my landlord wouldn't let me bring bigger dogs over. So, anyway, I suppose in the eyes of the town folks there, I was their local Paris Hilton. LOL...

Low Quality Imitation

====>

The pupils look forward to see what I would wear to school every day. They scrutinize the brands of bags that I use. They complimented me. They whispered to each other in front of me, talking about what they liked about my appearance that day. Their comments spurred me on to look better every day. And, at the beginning, I didn't even try to look better to please them. It was just that I was the only Chinese lady teacher who had more than 10 different outfits to school. No offence to the other teachers intended.

However I hated the "no-lifeness" in that small town and however I dislike their scrutiny of what I did and when I did what with whom, I basked in the adoration of those people. I enjoyed being praised. And I took the effort to look good so that they have more nice things to say about me. Hehe...that is a good cycle, I think.

Transferring to this current school, the people aren't as simple and nice. Whatever you do would attract criticism. You wear nice clothes, some would praise you while some would say that what you wear is not appropriate or wouldn't even notice that you are wearing nice/new clothes (which is better than being criticized). You wear make-up and the teachers strongly criticizes you at the back for not allowing your pores to breathe. When you are in this kind of place, it just gets you down and you end up not doing anything to make yourself look out of ordinary or look good. This, my dear friends, is a very bad cycle. We'll all end up looking like old aunties very soon.

By the way, I googled for this image. Somehow, I ended up with Indian 18+ photos for my search for "aunty"! What has become of this world?? Sheesh!

I think I'm not going to care about what those people say. I wanna look good! I wanna be local Paris Hilton again! I'll lug Charlie to school in my back pack tomorrow! LOL...

The not-perfect housewife

2010-11-20T13:53:00.000+08:00

I think I'm a hoarder...a mild one, that is. Since I was home because of unexpected holiday on Thursday and Friday, I managed to catch the show on Bio.. Hoarders. As I was watching the case of a young lady who uses the entire floorspace as her office because she doesn't have enough space on her table, I see a striking similarity between myself and the woman. I have a lot of books that I don't read anymore: children's books that I keep buying because I know it is a good one but I don't have the target readers (yet). Magazines that I buy but never throw because there are handy make-up tips in there (that I never use). Magazines that I subscribe to because I thought was cheap but never even got it out of the mailing packet. Paperwork that I copy and kept because you can never know when you would be asked about it again. GOSH...no wonder so many people complain that I have too many things in my room.

So, motivated, I drove 45 minutes back to my rented room and moved all the things that I have not seen in ages into my car. 2 hours later, I've cleared only a small portion of my room, and found countless pens, paper clips, files that I've "collected" over the years because I couldn't find them when I needed them. Hmm...

When I left my room, I can see that my gigantic bookshelf still cannot fit into the area that I just cleared. Sigh...

45 minutes drive home again. And now it's my mom and the maid's turn to sigh. LOL...love you, mum! =P

So anyway, is anyone interested in Newsweek? They are all brand new and I don't read them. I've subscribed to them up to next year...sigh...good money gone to waste. Leave a comment. I'll mail them to you. :)

Now, to minimize the clutter area. I gotta remind myself to throw or donate! Throw or donate! Throw or donate!! Yeah...

A B C D E...U P S R

2010-11-15T17:02:00.002+08:00

It's raining cats and dogs outside and I'm still waiting for my gigantic bookshelf to arrive. Sigh...Jimmy finally spoke up and said that my room is really just a little messy, so he decided to buy me a bookshelf so that I can get organized. Sigh...

______________________________________________________________________

UPSR results were annouced last Thursday and how did my pupils do? Better than I expected for two classes and not so good for the other. But I am happy, overall. I didn't sleep well the previous night and my pupil told me that I looked more tensed up then they were. Well said, SY! LOL

The express class that I was teaching had 7 people who scored a B in their English. The other, supposedly slightly weaker express class had only 3 Bs. The first piece of news I got about the UPSR was that. The other English teacher loudly exclaimed that her 2nd class only had 3 Bs while the 1st class had 7 Bs. Well, granted, the school expected all to get A in their English paper. Sigh...

Anyway, my last English class in which I was doing remedial lessons with 10 of them (remedial as in doing kindy things because they are at that level) had 10 failures while I expected more. It is the worst in the whole of Year 6 but I am so happy. I was actually expecting more to fail. But the same teacher who boasted that she had only 3Bs was going on and on about how her worse class had 9 failures after she found out that my class did worse. If I hadn't told her about that class, she was just talking about the 3Bs compared to my 7Bs. Dang...should have just kept quiet when she asked me about the other class.

A pleasant surprise was my BM class, which I was struggling with, has the highest passing rate among the normal classes! 80 over per cent! Woo hoot!! 7 failures for Penulisan and 6 failures for Pemahaman. =)

Well done, kids. And to the teacher who kept harping about your better results. It is not YOUR results. The kids did well because of their hard work and their ability to take in your teaching. If you don't take the blame when students do badly in their exams, don't take the credit when they do well. Phew...that is cathartic. LOL what to do? I don't have the guts to tell it to her face. Hehe...

Have a good day y'all!

I love my old man

2010-11-09T19:47:00.000+08:00

I was reading a blog post about a day out with papa and was suddenly inspired to write about MY days out with my beloved papa. :)

The way with typical Chinese family where both parents are Chinese-educated is that the children will never be really close buds with the parents. My family is one of these families. I grew up knowing that my parents love us very much but in their own ways. There never was any outward displays of affection. My father was strict but he never raised his hands on us (except for one time, which I still complain about until today).

So anyway, my siblings and myself were always closer to my mother when we were younger. Then, when my eldest brother and sister went to study overseas, my father must have suddenly realised that children grow up very fast and that he must spend some time with his younger two. So, my elder sister and myself got all my father's attention from the time when I was about 9.

Being the youngest, I got away with a lot of things with my father. And to be fair, my sister was my mom's favourite, and I became the apple of my father's eye. My dad and I used to quarrel a lot...and we actually enjoyed the tongue sparring. =)

Recently, (well not so recently actually), I went on a movie-date with my dad. A lot of people looked at us in a strange manner, possibly thinking that I was my dad's young wife. LOL We were at the airport once and my dad was buying me bottles of perfume when the cashier tactfully asked for our relationship and I had to call my dad "Papa" so many times because people were giving us looks.

And my friends all think that it is so nice to be going out with your dad because our dads' generation just don't do these kinds of thing!

Ooh...I also go shopping with my dad quite often...as in buying household stuff. Hehe...Sigh...and to the little sprouts' mama: don't worry, your children will understand that their papa loves them very much when they are a little bit older. :)

To all you Chinaman papas out there, go take your kids out la. It's really not that bad! ;)

Googled for image. Love the warmth. Can you feel it? :)

He loves me, he loves me not...

2010-11-01T13:39:00.000+08:00

Ahhh...the smell of coffee wafting through the air is the best wake-up call for a non-working Monday! Hehe...yup, that's what you can expect, being a teacher/student, so don't be jealous. LOL

___________________________________________________________________________________

Anyway, I don't get it with kids these days. They want to grow up fast and they grow up so fast that it scares you. The boyfriend-girlfriend thing in the Year 6 classes is rampant after UPSR. And I am actually surprised that the "smarter" students are especially keen and excited over them. They profess their love and relationship openly on Facebook and in the class. Gosh...I don't know whether to laugh or to shout at them. I mean what's the rush? I hope they are not doing anything else that is not for their age...

Thinking back, my first crush was my best friend in Year One. He's now married to his high-school sweetheart. LOL...yup, we used to play together all the time. Erm...actually, do you even consider that a crush?

I remember my first real crush was on a Indian-Muslim senior when I was in Form 3. Yup, emotionally-late boomer. But I thought it was all right. Of course, I didn't do anything about the crush because I knew nothing would come out of it, and if he had liked me too, I would not go on with a relationship because I knew that studies are more important.

After that, I had a crush on my ICQ friend. And that was when I was in Form Five. I almost started dating him until my mom put a stop to it and that was that. From a young age, I told my dad to match make for me. You know, I always thought that parents know best. And I actually asked my dad for permission to go out on dates and told him the funny things that boys do/talk about when they were courting his youngest daughter. Gosh...I miss those days.

My next huge crush is on my Indian classmate, especially when he was singing and playing the guitar. And I almost had a second date with him until he found out that I was on the verge of going steady with our schoolmate. Shucks... =P

And at the age of 22, I started dating seriously. Yup, I was 22 (not 12!!). My own choice, but after 2 and a half years, we broke up.

Meeting Jimmy at the age of 25, I think my days of crushes and flirting with other guys are over. My dad is happy. His parents are happy. LOL. But, I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet though. Maybe it's because he hasn't asked me properly yet *hint*! Hahaha...

The first time he actually planned for a surprise. 2nd bouquet of flowers after a year plus together (at that time). Hahaha...

Dreading THE day...

2010-10-28T22:36:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Meet Hunter. I was browsing at my photos and I realised that I have not uploaded this photo from a few months ago. And sad to say, this is the only photo I have of that crazy dog because he wouldn't stop moving/twitching/howling when he saw me. He looks beautiful especially when he is running. Jimmy sometimes gets imaginative and says that it is so touching to see Hunter run towards me from very far away when he hears me call his name (ala long-lost Lassie with its owner)...until Hunter crashes so hard into me and then runs away again. LOL.

I am suddenly saddened by the thought that his mother, Baby, might not be with us for long. I just found out that her brother from the same litter suddenly died 4 days ago. Her health has deteriorated rapidly since the beginning of this year. And as you can see from the photo, she has cataract in one eye. Jimmy and myself noticed that in the past two weeks that she may be almost completely blind now as she bangs her head against our legs and follows us everywhere that way. =(

I really can't bear knowing that she may have to leave me soon. My companion for 12 years. I really wouldn't know what to do if I receive the heart-breaking news. God, please, let her be with us for at least another few years. Or, let her leave the world peacefully without much suffering.

Argh...I don't know! I want her to be with me but it is sad to see that she is no longer herself! Sigh...how do you deal with this kind of loss, or this kind of dread? My family can't understand my feelings. Of course, they love her (as much as they could love a dog). But to them, a dog is just that...a dog. SIGH...

I love you a lot, Baby. I hope you know that even though there are two other dogs around, I still love you best...

Spare the rod, spoil the child

2010-10-27T14:37:00.000+08:00

Oops...sorry readers. The blurry photo actually showed the child writing "bite god" as one of the vegetables that he knows. Now, can you guess what vegetable is that? :)

Anyway, something disheartening happened in school this morning. The school piano was obviously vandalised and the discipline master managed to find the culprits. So, the parents of 5 children were called to school. All the parents denied that their child had done anything wrong eventhough the children have admitted that they used sticks to bang on the piano keys (and they could still afford to snigger when they were telling the discipline master how they spoiled the piano! Too bad their parents did not witness the admission ).

One parent said that it wasn't the child's fault if he was a bit too rough while playing the piano: if the school had left it in the hall, it was meant to be used by the students!

One parent said that it was the school's fault for not locking up the hall. Erm...ok, this one maybe can accept la. But your kids are not supposed to be in the school already at that hour. The hall is open for the afternoon session students to use, ok?

One parent said that the child was very remorseful when he went home as he had witnessed his friends vandalising the piano. So, obviously, as a witness, he shouldn't be held responsible for the payment for the repairs. Oh, and the parent shouted at the senior assistant for telling his/her child that the school would report the case to the police, making the child too frightened to go to school. Hmm...

I forget if the other parent said anything (as 5 children are involved) but the classic retort of a parent is this:

It is the guard's fault for not realising that the kids had climbed over the wall to get into the school after school hours. It is the school's fault for leaving the hall open. A damaged piano is of small matter. If his child had injured himself in the school premise (by climbing over the wall, mind you), he would sue the school and everyone in it!

Whoa....B-R-A-V-O parent! You have succeeded in turning your child into a gangster and a nuisance to the community!

Sigh...just another day of a teacher's life. Let's take a look at another classic work of a child:

Have a great day! :)

Back from the busy days

2010-10-22T20:34:00.000+08:00

Phew...it has been a while since I last updated my blog. I really don't know how did time fly by so fast. I was swamped with work because I am teaching 3 Year 6 classes this year. Before I knew it, the UPSR is over and I had to deal with other work such as my university assignments and erm...spending money. LOL

So what has gone on? Well, there is the arrival of my darling niece. Meet Anabelle. Isn't she adorable? She's only a few weeks old and she has stolen the hearts of all who have seen her. She does the cutest things: not suck when her mummy gives her plain water to rinse her mouth after milk, smile and coo when you talk to her, calls for you when she knows that your attention is not on her etc etc. Ahyi loves you a lot!

And then here's something funny to share with you. Look at number 7 and guess what vegetable is the child trying to write. :) Have a great weekend ahead.

Red hot chilli

2010-08-23T18:24:00.000+08:00

Ouch...I caught a piece of bomb this morning when the headmistress lined the language teachers up and fired at us from many directions. Amazing, how some people are so skilled at "murdering" - everyone was shot yet no one actually knows who the headmistress was really aiming at. Hahaha...I guess the Malay adage of "siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas" is true. Though the meeting this morning seemed as though those who didn't taste chilli in the first place felt prickly in their tongues and throats.

But it was obvious that the one person who caught the bomb in her hands before it exploded, so to speak, was my subject supervisor or "ketua panitia". And inadvertently, guess who caught it too before it exploded because she is the secretary? Hahaha...

Funny how some people would want to make a hill out of a mole hill for no reason. I mean, it doesn't benefit her when all the language teachers have to face the firing squad. In fact, it only makes the language teachers dislike her more, since we have also have a mole among the non-language teachers who told us the real reason behind the headmistress' wrath.

True, a handwritten backdrop for the story-telling competition was a little too "cincai", the standard of the participants was too low and the paperwork involved was given out a bit too late. But no one noticed or cared much about the ugly backdrop until the teacher kept saying how lousily it was done for 2 hours to anyone who was present and willing to listen to her (headmistress included). How can we control the standard of the participants? We gave them the stories and speeches 2 months before the competition. Threats and persuasion for the pupils to memorize the stories and speeches didn't get us anywhere, so what else do you want us to do? And I admit, the paperwork was really last minute. My subject supervisor gave me the things late, I gave her the things as soon as I could (which also took at least a day or two), yet it was still. So, there you go. I feel that some of the experienced teachers are also not right in the sense that they were having a jolly good time criticizing new teachers who were unable to do things as good as they did last time.

Sigh...going to go lick my wound now (although Jimmy insisted that I was just sensitive). Haha...what to do? I did eat chilli! :)

Bleak future

2010-08-10T18:34:00.000+08:00

Thanks +Ant+ and mNhL for your comments. :) I haven't tried eating grubs although I had plenty of opportunities in China and Thailand. How does it taste, +Ant+?

________________________________________________________

Another day of having my body cells die by the millions: what has happened to our children these days? It is sad to know that many children these days are emotionally unstable or just plain spoiled to the point that you wish to blame their rudeness to a less-than-happy family upbringing.

What would you do, parents, if your child tells you that he/she cannot show you the exam paper because the teacher has kept the exam paper from him/her? Would you believe your child and blame the teacher or would you clarify it with the teacher first? Or what would you do as an adult, or put yourself in the shoe of a teacher, if a child tells you that another teacher has asked 4 of them to stay in the class to finish their work when the entire school (inclusive of the said teacher) has to be at the assembly? Would you believe what the child says?

I think many people are blinded by their love/guilt/protectiveness over the child that they would leave their logic behind. I mean, why would the teacher keep the child's paper when he/she has returned all the papers to the others? And, would a small fry of a teacher dare to excuse 4 children from an assembly when even he/she has to attend it?

I am really afraid of how our future leaders would turn out to be. Liars. Rude boors. Spoiled brats. Unthinking generation.

What is your take?

Day 3 of Challenging myself - failed

2010-08-06T19:27:00.000+08:00

Yup, as the title says, I have failed in the challenge that I have given myself. Everywhere around me is tempting me with sinful, high-calorie, high-fat food! For the past few days, food would magically appear on my table because my colleagues would 'belanja' for one reason or the other. And since my table is in the middle, it is where everyone puts food to be shared by our island. Furthermore, Hari Raya is almost here, so the clerks are giving out samples of kuih or cakes or cookies that they are making to sell on my table.

Hmm...I suppose I have more fate with food than anyone else I know. Hahaha...Jimmy complains sometimes that the photos that I take are always with food or of food. Hahaha...

Which reminds me of a few photos of food that I took when I went to Vietnam last June. Just a random question, when you go for holiday overseas, would you prefer to eat the local food or would you prefer to find a Malaysian restaurant or a Chinese restaurant? I know a lot of people cannot stomach the food of other cultures. I am the more adventurous type. I would prefer local delicacies and would eat almost anything except for raw animals/insects/fish, snake, dog and cat.

And, a lot of people shudder when I showed them that I have eaten this in Vietnam:

Behold the "Duckling Egg". It is an egg with a fully-formed duckling. Specialty in Vietnam. Tastes totally like hard-boiled egg yolk except that as you chew, you would chew soft bones and feather. I stopped eating when my second or third spoon scooped up a chunk with fine feather.

Ok...I'll let you digest on that while I go and digest my food in calorie-burning exercises. Haha...have a happy weekend!

War in the Making

2010-08-05T19:34:00.000+08:00

War is brewing under the seemingly-peaceful unit that I share with my two colleagues. Why? Because of the electricity bill and tuition. Huh? Yup, they are not very happy with each other because of the electricity bill that is creeping higher every month. With an air-cond each, one shouldn't be surprised that our electricity bill is in the RM300s range. But, there is amazingly the dissatisfaction that one stays at home more often than the other, thus using more electricity. Erm...I mean, I have stayed out since 2002 and I never encountered that kind of problem before (thank God, actually).

And what has tuition got to do with anything? Before we moved in together, my colleague and I agreed that the place that we live in should be a place for us to relax after work. When my second colleague moved in, she was in need of money, so we let her use the living area to give tuition in the evenings on alternate weekdays. And somehow, a student in my first colleague's class joined my second colleague's tuition and I believe that is the root of the other half of the dissatisfaction.

Hmm...what do I do? I keep to myself like a hermit. Once I come home, I stay in the room and do not go out unless I need to use the washroom. Even without much interaction with the two warriors, I get annoyed sometimes because of petty things that they do: my detergent container is filled with water and extremely dirty toilet. By which the latter encourages me to go to the gym more often just to use the shower. LOL

I totally miss my 2 and a half goofy housemates and the blur roomie. Those were the days when we could have enjoyed ourselves but decided to sleep our time away. :)

Don't have a photo with my blur roomie. Woon, come let's go lepak so that I can put your blur face on my blog! :P

Begone fatty tissues!

2010-08-04T17:08:00.000+08:00

Thanks Melwin and mNhL for the comments.

Update on my sister: she was cleared of diabetes by the doctors, but it is a warning to all of us. However, she is still waiting to meet the neurologist to rule out a transient stroke. Hmm...

It's sad that some people who know that they are at risk do not take good care of themselves, saying that they would get whatever disease sooner or later. And then there are people who take good care of themselves and still get whatever disease that they are trying to avoid.

After my sister received her early diagnosis, I was determined to lose weight and make full use of my gym membership. Unfortunately, the determination only lasted for 3 days. LOL...joining the gym was my idea, but I hardly go now except for my appointments with my personal trainer. Yes, I engaged in personal training because I knew I would not go if I do not have a personal trainer to torture me.

6 months later, I actually GAINED 0.7 kilogram. How did that happen? I actually lost 2 kilos after 4 months of training but I got contented and ate and ate and ate. Hence, the gain of 2.7 kilos in the last 2 months!

Haih...

My goal now is to lose a kilo by the end of August. My plan: Milo Fuze in the morning with 3 pieces of biscuits, rice in the afternoon, coffee in the evening and soya bean for dinner. Let's see how long I can last this time. :)

Any brighter ideas?

Change your destiny? Dream on...

2010-06-20T13:32:00.000+08:00

It is worrying, this thing about life and health. My family is basically a ticking time-bomb. My parents have almost all the hereditary diseases that you can name: heart problem, diabetes, kidney problem, hypertension...so my 3 siblings and I are basically just waiting to catch any of it. I, myself, am waiting to catch the diabetes ball. Well, my mom had diabetes when she was pregnant with me. After I was born, my mom was clear of diabetes for about 3 years. Although, subconsciously, I know that I have to be extra careful with my diet, I could not bring myself to eat the way my mom does...

Today, I am overweight and probably tripled my chances of getting diabetes at a very early age. I got a wake-up call this morning when my most health-conscious sister fainted and the doctor thinks it is most probably diabetes-related. She is only 34. I mean, how unfair can the world be? She is gorgeous, has a great life, eats healthily, exercises regularly and is probably diabetic??!!

What is God's intention? That we should not strive so hard to achieve anything because it can be taken away from us in a blink of an eye? That He has the power to give and to retract? That He loves us all equally and would therefore give us a little impairment in return for the blessings we have received so far?

Well, I don't understand it and I sure as hell do not like it. But what can we mere mortals do, right? To hell with we make our own destiny. It is all in His hands. Have mercy, won't ya mate?

Random

2010-05-29T11:55:00.001+08:00

What would you do if you need to be with your beloved and they are either:

a) locked up in the cage because the kids are afraid of it; or

b) coming up with excuses of having to finish their work because they do not want/have the courage to be with your family?

I think I would rescue the first one and elope far, far away and dump the second one. Agree?

___________________________________________________________________

Haha...my sister's family came over for the long weekend. I love my nephews in my own way. I don't PLAY with young kids. So, stop forcing me to. It will not happen no matter how you cajole me to do so. Wait until they are older. I'll play language games with them. :P

Long weekend...I love 'em. Going to continue with my movie marathon now. Have fun!

Happy Teacher's Day and a heart-felt thank you

2010-05-26T18:30:00.001+08:00

Ok, I take my words back. Kids still enjoy Teacher's Day because there were no lessons for the day and they could be as rowdy as they liked. I, admittedly, also enjoyed my Teacher's Day celebration. No lessons for the day, everyone in good mood, and we could see how we are appreciated/not appreciated by the others.

Best appreciation from pupils, however, was shown a day and two days after the celebration. The first was when 3 of my 7 special pupils in Year 6 English class whom I am doing remedial lessons passed their English paper. Of course, I didn't tell them that the paper is rather easy compared to the other times. One of my pupils whooped with joy and thanked me, saying that this is the first time he had passed English since Year 4. Yay! :) Another looked at me unbelievingly and said that it was the highest he had ever got for English. He got a 52. I feel rather sorry for the other pupils, especially the average ones because my attention is more often than not spent on the very weak and the better ones during class time, but I can't do it all. Maybe after this, I'll try to push the average ones to at least a B.

Today, my pupils from my BM class came and asked me why they got so high marks for their BM paper. Only 7 failures this time compared to 22 failures in the last exam. Reason being, the Section A and Section C of the paper is extremely easy this time. They were happy but still in the disbelief mode. :) Kids. Give them low marks, they complain. Give them high marks, they don't believe you. What do they want?

The life of a teacher. Love it or hate it? Or maybe both? :) Have a good day!

Teacher's D-Day celebration tomorrow

2010-05-22T13:20:00.000+08:00

Teacher's Day...how I used to enjoy the celebration at school because that would mean a day without lessons and performances by the pupils for our teachers. I think I stopped giving my teachers presents from Year 4 onwards. I only gave presents to selected teachers - my favourite teacher to this day, Puan Zaiton Mahmud, my favourite spoil-me-rotten Mandarin tuition teacher, Mrs Cheong / Liu Lao Shi and my mentor, my idol of a teacher, Mrs. Mahinder. Other teachers would not get presents from me. I don't remember where and how I got the idea that it is pointless giving teachers presents just for the sake of giving presents.

Fast forward to my first Teacher's Day as a teacher trainee. I got little presents from kids who are strangers to me because the kids thought I was cute (coz I smiled a lot). Second Teacher's Day was also the same, but with more meaning because I have taught the children for about 3 months. I still keep all their gifts, their cards and even their wrapping paper. I cherish the gifts as my first meaningful and really memorable Teacher's Day presents.

My first Teacher's Day as a trained teacher, however, was not so eventful. I didn't mind not having many gifts. I appreciate those who did give me gifts and thoughtful hand-made cards. I still keep them. I didn't mind the celebrations were cut short because it is not the culture of the school to celebrate the whole day. At least an hour of the day must be used for teaching. I minded the fact that the Teacher's Day Dinner was done in a not-so-happy manner. We heard that the President of the PTA complained that the teachers were only good at eating and not working. Hmmm... it didn't really bothered me then because I was rather new.

This year, however, Teacher's Day celebration is going to be a full-blown whole day affair. Teachers are complaining about the extra work that they have to do because of the celebration. (No wonder the complain I heard last year) To not attend the dinner, it is as though we do not give face, to go for the dinner, we are 'only good at eating and not at working'. Hmmm...dilemma, dilemma.

I keep telling my family, you know what is the best teacher's day gift? Let us off for the day. Let us enjoy the celebration like the workers do on Labour's Day. 'So many school holidays, still not enough?' you ask? If you think we are asking too much, then no need to celebrate Teacher's Day lo. It is like the idea of Mother's Day and Father's Day. I don't see the point in celebrating and appreciating these people only a day in a year.

Sigh...tomorrow's celebration is going to be a BLAST...I just hope I'll survive it...

Lousy service providers

2010-05-10T20:45:00.000+08:00

Oh my...Malaysia's network service providers are really lousy!!

My Celcom broadband has been rather hopeless for the past week. Maybe it is because of the thick rain clouds, but the connection was horrible. I haven't been able to log on to Yahoo for 2 weeks now. And my facebook is also neglected. Sigh..."bik chik".

The other day, my phone line got barred. Ok, so I forgot to pay last month. Since the line is under my father's name, I pay in advance as though I was using pre-paid to avoid my father paying for me. So, my last payment of RM 500 was in December and I forgot to pay last month. When I got the message of possible service interruption, I went to the nearest branch to pay. But they only open during office hours (coincidentally, the time where most people would be at work). So anyway, I saw a new payment machine that was not there the last time I paid. So, I paid using the bank card, thinking that it is so convenient for me to make payments now. Two weeks later, my phone line got barred. I could only call the customer service.

Me: Hello, my line got barred today but I paid via the machine number XXY. This is my transaction number ABA.

Woman: Oh, the system was not updated. How much did you pay?

Me: RM 200. Can you un-bar the number for me?

Woman: May I know who is on the line?

Me: (My name). The number is under (DAD).

Woman: Oh, then I need to speak to your father to un-bar the number.

Me: What for? I can give you his IC number and details. Just un-bar the number.

Woman: Sorry, Miss. It is the procedure. Just ask your father to call us and we will un-bar your number.

Me: That is ridiculous. You barred my number. My father is not anywhere near me. How am I supposed to ask him to call you? I can give all the details that you need!

Woman: I'm sorry Miss. I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Angry, I was ready to go to war with people in DiGi. I had to wait for an hour before anyone served me. Most of the customers were there because their Iphones had problems (hahaha...too high tech dy...use the traditional phones, no problem one...). So anyway, the person who served me was very nice and unbarred my number right away. Apparently there was some problem with my bank or something. I was given the transaction number as though it was completed even though the transaction was not successful. So, I had to pay a second time at the machine, using cash.

Seriously, sometimes I wonder...procedures are important, but I am making payment. I am not asking for an extenion of credit. Why the heck do you need to speak to my father to un-bar my number??!! If I had just asked any man to pose as my father, the person wouldn't know either right?

Sheesh!!

Challenging the pupils

2010-05-03T19:20:00.000+08:00

Hmm...Voon, thanks for the comment but you didn't try typing it out. :P

See, what happened was I was teaching a chapter in Bahasa Melayu about lagu kebangsaan. And I think although I could write the lyrics out since my primary years, it was not until my secondary school years that I truly knew what the songs really meant. It is disheartening that Malaysians forget the lyrics to the national anthem after leaving school. Yup, don't deny it...how many of us can actually remember the entire song and our state song if we have not been singing it for years? (I'm glad that both my parents who are in their 60s could still remember the lyrics. I tested on them so many times!)

I digress. Anyway, I was teaching that chapter and the song lyrics were there for all to see. So, I tried my best to explain the lyrics to the Year 6 children and tried to instil in them the love for our country through an understanding of the song lyrics. After explaining the lyrics, I challenged them to write the lyrics of the Selangor song. The pupils were excited. Some started singing the song the moment I challenged them.They have been singing it for 6 years every week, no problem! My old school in a small town had problem after the first two lines and would start to murmur. The headmistress had to hold a competition to make them memorize the lyrics. This school, they didn't have problem with the lyrics, as far as I could see, they just had problem with the pronunciation of one or two unfamiliar words (or so I thought, how naive!).

So, the class of 33 pupils, 19 boys and 14 girls competed to write out the lyrics on the board. All 33 pupils did not get it right. The girls had a good start and wrote the first few lines well but the final 2 sentences were disastrous. The boys were rather hopeless from start to finish. I was laughing my head off. After correcting the lyrics and explaining the meanings, I erased the board and asked them to rewrite in their exercise books. I think many of them cheated, but still, there were still the few over-confident, don't want to listen in class, and do cincai work boys who produced the below for me. Take a look:

Pening oh...

Challenge

2010-05-02T09:48:00.000+08:00

Ok..here's a challenge to all Malaysians and Selangor people who are no longer in school:

Can you type out the entire lyrics of these two songs without Googling/cheating? Negaraku and Lagu Negeri Selangor. :)

More tomorrow. Cheers!

I didn't realise until when I Googled for these flags' images that the star on the Selangor flag is slanted. Is it supposed to be so?

A scientist works in a ...

2010-04-23T19:34:00.004+08:00

Yay! I love Dr KK! He really tested us on what he had taught. Haha...finally, my motivation to continue next semester returned as I wrote pages and pages of answers in the freezing room. :)

___________________________________________________________________

Poor kids. I didn't sleep well last night due to the exam this afternoon.

Not enough sleep + stress = Monster

I normally am very relaxed with the kids. This morning, they got my blood pressure high when I saw a bunch of the Year 6 boys running around the basketball court eventhough the bell has rung. My shouts at them went unheard as they squealed in delight of being chased by one of their classmates.

I rushed into the class and asked the monitor to borrow a cane. After the pupils in the class had handed in their homework, the 7 boys walked in all sweaty. Uh-oh...something did not seem right. Teacher looked angry and was wielding an unfamiliar-looking cane in her hand. They walked in meekly through the front door.

*Thwack* *Thwack* *Thwack* went the cane for 7 times. The boys looked at their palms after the cane came in contact with them. For once, they looked at me guiltily, rather than insolently and went back to their seats. And one boy, came near to me and said "Sorry, teacher. Thank you, teacher."

Sigh...Now, I feel guilty for caning them. But they were too much la...running around the middle of the school as though the bell meant that they could have the entire school compound to themselves!

Then, I gave them spelling....Laboratory. Look what my best student in that class of below average students wrote:

The boreh tree...apa tu??? :)

Another day of a teacher's life

2010-04-22T17:31:00.004+08:00

"Jiawen"...uh-oh...must be some work that she wants me to do again. Sigh...just as I sat down to mark the piles of books that are quickly taking up my entire surface of the table, my subject supervisor asked me to "help" her with the sorting of books to be put into the new cupboard in the staffroom. Help meaning that I had to do it on my own while she rushes off to her class. I mean, why couldn't she have chosen her free period to sort the books if she had really wanted me to help? I mean, it's not as though I am lazy and don't want to do anything extra at all, but she should be reasonable also la, right? Write a report for her because she doesn't know how to (BS!). Prepare the material for the in-house training (okla, I was supposed to be the trainer. So, fine.) Print out the labels for the cupboard. Sort out the books. And when she asks you to "help", she expects the things the next day. Hey, I got other things to do one you know??
_______________________________________________________
Sometimes, to motivate the pupils to learn BM, I give them quizzes. My lessons are just before their recess or the last period, so I'll tell them that they have to answer my questions before they can leave the class. So, I was asking my questions as usual and a few of my pupils, who were not participative at all before our one day trip to Putrajaya last Saturday, ventured to answer my questions.

And I was speechless when I got this particular child's answer. I asked the pupils the difference of three Kata Hampir Sama Makna: lembik, lemau, lembut. Her friends are able to tell me what lembik and lemau are used for. And when I came to lembut, she raised her hand excitedly and shouted "NIU!!"

-_____-"

After 6 years of studying BM (and doing her homework diligently), lembuT (Soft) is "NIU" (Cow in Mandarin) ?? She mistook lembuT for lembu! Oh my...how to help them to pass their UPSR BM??

Hmm...I'm soft what...mooOOOOha ha ha ha ha

Stress-relieving food

2010-04-21T18:51:00.003+08:00

OMG...this is another emo post as I was thinking of what to have for lunch and dinner. I don't know why my craving is always for fast food...fried chicken in particular. A call to Jimmy and I received an earful, telling me many reasons why I should not be thinking of having fried chicken for lunch and/or dinner. And then I was like, "why did I call him in the first place? I could have had my fried chicken and he wouldn't even notice!"

So, after a refreshing shower, I was all dressed up (in proper T-shirt and jeans as opposed to my big T and shorts) and ready to have fried chicken in the fast food restaurant so that I don't leave any evidence for Jimmy to pick on. Just then, I saw my reflection in the mirror. And I lost my appetite to have fast food. You know, I read somewhere that losing weight is not just about exercise, it is 70% control of food intake. I can exercise every day for hours and still not lose any weight if I continue to eat the way I eat and more.

Humph...but the craving was bad. I really don't know what chickens did to me in my past life. I must have been a squirmy worm for many lives and been eaten by chickens over and over again, hence my intense love for chicken meat especially in times of stress! :P

To have fried chicken or not? I was still battling with the decision. I was hungry. The cheaper food stalls were already closed at that time. The ones that sell dinner were not open yet. My options, a ridiculously high-priced coffee shop, fast food, a "restaurant" that sells cakes and western food, or dim sum. As my legs carried me towards the fast food restaurant, I had a glimpse of some healthy looking girls in nice clothes. SIGH~~ I only had that kind of figure for 2 years max. Sadness crept into me.

To reflect I looked like this: (not too bad right? almost at my skinniest from the time I hit puberty)

to the whale that I look like now. Hmm...dating really made me fat. Ten with the previous one, and three with Jimmy...OMG!!

Really need to go exercise more often. Who wants to join me to cycle at Taman Pertanian on a kid's bike?? :)

Cannot touch the ground with my feet with the adults' bikes la...

P/S: Oh, what did I have in the end for lunch/dinner? A cup of coffee, a slice of swiss roll and loh mai kai. :) Need to lose weight babeh!

Cleaner table

2010-04-20T15:35:00.004+08:00

Yay! Do you see the table now? After 2 days of staying back to mark the piles of books, I can finally see my table again! :)

Been wanting to post this for some time. Classic examples of my students' work:

The piece of work from the boy who couldn't write a word at all. Can you identify the words that I taught him?

Saya, dia, kami, Jumaat, ibu :)

A pupil who really tries hard to write but I have no idea what she wanted to say.

Very good memorized beginning...

Sigh~ another exam is coming. I hope they do better than the last time!

Presents, presents, presents

2010-04-19T11:49:00.006+08:00

My family loves me! ^O^

Although I complain all the time about petty things, being the youngest definitely has its perks. My brother and sisters have been working long enough to pamper me with some things now and then (not to mention the generous ang paus I've been getting from them for years!) :P My parents are retired and have lots of time for me. Muahahaha....

You know, sometimes, when people say that the youngest are normally the spoilt ones, I can definitely agree to that. :)

My favourite present...Charlie :) 21st birthday present!

My 25th birthday present

On the right, a partial image of my 23rd birthday present. On my right in the photo, my 24th year's Christmas present ;P and in his arms, my 21st birthday present. Hehehe...

Ooh...and my most recent loot. :) A Burberry bag! Love lots!! :)

Tidiness vs Cleanliness

2010-04-13T16:41:00.003+08:00

I admit that I am an extremely untidy person. Those who have stayed with me would know that I have things strewn all over my room. But, I must say, although my room is messy, I do clean up my room. I am quite particular about cleanliness, just not the tidiness. :P

I normally become very particular about tidiness when my stress level is very high. Then, I will throw a lot of things, drag a lot of things out and tidy them up. Of course, almost every time after I do that, I will regret later because I would find a lot of new things which I have kept for a long time and got new ones because I forgot about them, and also because I wouldn't be able to find the things that I normally would be able to find when everything is everywhere.

I really don't know how Jimmy is taking my untidiness. He is almost as messy as I am, but I am better than he is in the sense that at least I clean up! :P But then, I dislike the fact that people complain about my messiness. Hey, I am living in it and I don't/didn't ask you to live in my mess! So, what gives you the right to complain? Anyway, if you don't like it, don't look at it la. What's your probrem? That's why I get very agitated and offended when my current housemates complain about the many things in my room. "Suka hati gua la! U blow ar?"I wish to shout at them when they say my room is messy.

Sigh~~ unfortunately, the past few weeks have made me look at the state of my room (and the state of my school table) and smile shyly coz they are really in a mess!! So, before I go and study for my exam this Friday, I'm gonna clean it up! Will show you the after picture when I've cleaned it up. :P

P/S: Don't complain! I'm just showing it to you to share. You don't have the right to complain. :P

My table full of unmarked books due to the Sports Day rehearsal.

My untidy working table with my coffee mug, printer and what nots.

My unmade bed because I was almost late this morning.

The worst, most untidy part of the room. Gosh...mandarin oranges from February! Ewwww...

Haha...phew..that is relieving...I'll show you the after pictures in a few days...watch out for the transformation. :)

I Love Malaysia

2010-04-02T17:31:00.004+08:00

I had the opportunity to be a part of the pilot programme of Sahabat 1Malaysia. I don't know if I am allowed to blog about it, so I'll just go briefly over.

It was an amazing experience. I was surprised actually that so many of our Malay friends are so unlike the ignorant, attention-grabbing politicians that we have and actually dislike the politicians as much as the non-Malays. All this while, the questions burning in my heart were buried because we can never know who we can discuss racial issues with with an open mind. Some may look as though they are open-minded but in actual they are not. This course, however, gathered selected people who are educated and objective during discussions.

I have yet to have the guts to ask questions that are truly sensitive. I don't think some people can accept my questions. Just as my fellow non-Malays who cannot accept the historical fact that our grandparents' grandparents came to this land to earn money to be sent home to their families back in China/India. I must stress that although it is a historical fact, over the years, our forefathers had settled down here and MADE THIS THEIR HOME. And like my facilitator said, MALAYSIA IS NOT MALAYSIA WITHOUT THE CHINESE, THE INDIANS AND THE OTHER RACES. So, even though history showed that our forefathers may not be loyal to this land and the king, it changed along the way and many of us if not all of the previous generation and this generation and our generations to come are Setia kepada Raja dan Negara (loyal to the King and contry).

Our country should be run by people like my facilitator, not ignorant fools who see the world through narrow eyes and speak without processing.

I love this country. I love the people. I love the food. I love the culture. I love the differences that we have and the similarities that we share. I am trying to do what I can to neutralize the deep dislike in some people about our country. I am trying to spread the word and the love for our country. I am trying to clarify the many misunderstandings created by our ignorant politicians at the grassroots. I am trying my best to make this beloved country of mine peaceful for me, my family, my children and my children's children too.

Enjoy this beautiful and meaningful song from the late Sudirman. Brings tears to my eyes (although Jimmy shakes his head not comprehending). ^_^

Warisan

Di sini lahirnya sebuah cinta
Yang murni abadi sejati
Di sini tersemai cita-cita
Bercambah menjadi warisan

* Andaiku terbuang tak diterima
Andai aku disingkirkan
Ke mana harusku bawakan
Ke mana harusku semaikan cinta ini

Betapa
Di bumi ini ku melangkah
Ke utara selatan timur dan barat
Ku jejaki

Aku
Bukanlah seorang perwira
Gagah menjunjung senjata
Namun hati rela berjuang
Walau dengan cara sendiri
Demi cinta ini

(ulang *)Ku ingin kotakan seribu janji
Sepanjang kedewasaan ini
Ku ingin sampaikan pesanan
Akulah penyambung warisan

Funny but true...

2010-03-19T10:06:00.003+08:00

Read this in an e-mail and couldn't help smiling. :) Jimmy, study this carefully!

NINE WORDS THAT WOMEN USE:
1. FINE: Used to end an argument and cue for you to shut up.

2.5 MINUTES: Depending on situation. If she wants you to wait for 5 minutes, it could mean 5 minutes or half an hour. If she tells you that you have 5 minutes, it means 5 minutes.

3.NOTHING: The calm before the storm. You should be on your toes. (Arguments normally start with NOTHING and ends with FINE)

4.GO AHEAD: It is a dare, not a permission. DON'T DO IT!

5.LOUD SIGH: In women's vocabulary, it is a word full of meanings but often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means that she thinks you are an idiot and she wonders why she is wasting her time and effort arguing with you about NOTHING (Refer No.3).

6.THAT's OK: The most dangerous phrase a woman can say to a man. She is thinking long and hard how to make you pay for what you have done.

7. THANKS: Just accept it. Don't question it. Reply with a courteous "You're Welcome"

8. WHATEVER: A woman's way of saying FU** YOU!!!

9.DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, I'LL DO IT: Another dangerous statement, meaning there is something that she has asked you to do several times but is now doing it herself. This will normally result in you asking her "What's wrong?" for which she will respong NOTHING. THEN YOU SHOULD RUN!

Blur me...

2010-03-18T10:37:00.003+08:00

I was determined to try the famous fish ball noodles today. I walked purposefully to the stall and asked if they had "lou shu fan". When the lady said they did not have it, I said then just give me the fish ball koay teow soup. She said okay and then asked, fish ball? I said yes, and she turned to the old man next to her stall and shouted, "UNCLE, FISH BALL LOU SHU FAN!"

Yup, I walked to the lonely stall next to the stall I intended to go to and ordered something that her rival sells. -.-"

Malu-nyer....and the best part is the aunty whom I always go to for economical rice was staring and smiling at me. Sigh...I think I need to bury my head somewhere...or get thicker glasses. :P

Complaints of a teacher

2010-03-16T18:30:00.000+08:00

What would you do if students whom you used to like do not do your work? What would you do if the child of a gangster did not do your work and you have punished all the others who did the same thing? What would you do if a child has no manners and is in your class? What would you do if a child does not want to learn and wastes your time and his time and all his other friends' time?

These are some of the things that make a teacher's life miserable. Of course, there are also some things that make teachers enthusiastic about teaching. But, more often than not, these cases of stubborn learners make a teacher's blood boil and make the teacher want to squeeze those scrawny necks of theirs (in the teachers' minds only-lah)!

It's sad that these people would grow up being rude and remain uneducated even after 11 years in the school system. In fact, I actually feel that the uneducated people of the past actually behave better than these people we forced into schools.

The government blames the teachers for not producing quality manpower. The secondary school teachers blame the primary school teachers and the primary school teachers blame the parents who in turn blame the teachers. So, who is at fault? I believe all of us are at fault. Don't think that primary school teachers don't make an effort to teach individual pupils. But when they are younger, most of the time is spent on controlling their discipline rather than teaching. And even with teaching, demands from the parents and society require the teachers to teach at bullet train speed so that they can move on to bigger and better things in the next year. How are the pupils supposed to cope when they can't even understand the basic?

I have 3 Year 6 pupils who can't even pronounce the BM "ba", "be", "bi", "bo" and "bu". 2 of whom I have subjected them to writing 3 to 5 lines of words daily. The other child told me that s/he doesn't want to do that as s/he thinks that his/her tuition teacher can do that for him/her. Of the 2, only one has progressed to a vocabulary of almost 50 words. The other child is still stuck at Ahad, Isnin, Selasa, Rabu, Khamis, Jumaat, Sabtu, Januari, Februari, Mac, April.

Today, I had asked the pupils to copy a piece of karangan from a book and then use the points to write a Laporan. I explained, written the draft, showed them, reminded them that although the points are similar, the format is different. Yet, only the usual 6 handed in both pieces of karangan to me. I gave them 45 minutes and 3 pupils were still unable to finish COPYing.

Stupid? I don't think they are. Lazy? Perhaps. My fault because I did not make sure that they copy? Maybe but mind you, I have 33 pupils and only 6 to 10 rather dependent learners. What can I do? I am very afraid. Afraid that I would have ruined it for these Year 6 kids because I did not do enough. Because I was not strict enough. But how much can I do if the parents and more importantly the learners are not willing to pull their weight?

This is only my second year of teaching and I get so frustrated. So angry. The school administration is not helping by giving me all sort of donkey work. Sports team leader, secretary for this and that, Advisor for a club, RIMUP leader...SIGH...and you people thought that teaching is easy. It is easy if you don't care for the children. At this point, I still care for some of the children. I just hope that I will continue caring for them and that they will respond to the effort that I have put in.

Just another day of a teacher's life...

Jumbled thoughts

2010-03-10T13:21:00.001+08:00

Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned.- Buddha

Phew..the past two weeks had been horrible. With 3 assignments due, exam in school, teaching and clerical job...I was in a wreck. The worst part of it is that your hard work is not appreciated. This year, I got a heck lot of responsibility. And my direct superior has not been helpful at all by asking me to do a lot of nonsensical or small stuff that she could have done herself. Is this her way of showing her superiority? While doing what she has asked of me, she would be constantly at my back saying that what she had wanted me to do, she needed urgently. When I have given her what she had wanted, she scrunched up her face and said that it was not good enough! Dang!

On top of that, I was starving myself like no body's business. One, because I was on a diet; two because I didn't have the mood to eat; and three because I didn't have much of a choice. The shops that are walking distance from my place has been exhausted. I can tell you that I am super sick of old town white coffee and almost completely sick of McD. To drive out for food is also another headache because of parking and the fact that I don't know what to eat. I suppose it's the syndrome for having too much to choose from. Ironic, right? :)

So, with all the stress of work, studies and no food, I've been picking fights with people around me, namely Jimmy. Poor fellow had been taking nonsense from me for the entire 3 months now. Which reminds me, working and studying part time is really difficult. I kind of regret taking up masters now, but then again, it has been great experience (enjoyable too) to be able to learn new things and know that I am improving myself in some way. :)

Phew, am I glad that it is the holidays now. Maybe now I can practise to be a forgiving person now. I just hope that I don't see the woman when I get back to school tomorrow. Hahaha...

Turning into a recluse

2010-02-21T10:57:00.000+08:00

After the 6th or 7th "So, how are you doing now?" from me, I think he got bored and left me alone so that he could go take photos with the new couple. Sigh...so much for being a grown-up who has been working for a few years. I feel bad. My senior from secondary school, whom I have not met for at least 7 years but could still remember my name and still remember me having short and curly hair, was trying to be nice by small talking with me because I was alone. Me, on the other hand, didn't remember his name, didn't know what to talk to him about and couldn't even remember that he was not the one doing medicine. Hmmm...

I don't get it. I used to be able to small-talk and then make friends. Now, I don't small talk, I don't make new friends much and I would rather not go for gatherings with my old friends except for a select few.

Chinese New Year came and is on its way out and guess how many friends I met up with? One. And that is also because it is not awkward for the both of us to visit each other's family alone. Willie actually asked if I had wanted to go for a reunion session one of the evenings but I didn't want to go. What is the point? I asked him. We barely said ten sentences to each other in secondary school, and I doubt that I would have anything to say to them 7 years later and worlds apart. Although surprisingly I made a friend with the fella who sat next to me for a couple of years only after graduating from high school. We did not speak to each other unless very necessary when we sat next to each other. Haha...

I guess I'm just turning old. Uninterested in new people, new things and wasting time with people who are not relevant to my current life. I am also disappointed with a few of my friends who kept saying that they miss me but not make an effort to meet up (you know who you are). Hehehe...hinting strongly already la, you lazy fellas!

And here's a photo of sweet memories. Love you gals a lot!

Jiawen is sick...cough cough

2010-01-28T14:51:00.003+08:00

Hello everybody. Phew...keeping up to my resolution is truly difficult. By the 3rd week, I'm burnt out, and as you can see from the title, I've fallen sick by the fourth week. I really don't know how people cope with stress and virtually not much rest. I am a sleep addict. If I don't get my daily eight to 10 hours of sleep, I fall sick. Luckily, this time around, I am hit by my favourite sick bug, fever. Hehe...yeah...some of you would wonder why I have a favourite sick bug. It is because I hardly ever have fever before I work in my current school. I always get the flu, which does not guarantee a medical certificate and makes it difficult for me to sleep at night. I used to get migraines, which guarantees a medical certificate but makes me feel vomittish and makes me want to guillotine my own head to make me feel better. Fever, on the other hand, guarantees a medical certificate and allows you to sleep and sleep and sleep. Get it?

But, my on and off fever is making me feel all wonky. I have alternately felt the chills and sweat that I don't even know whether I am sweating because of the heat or because of the fever and feeling the chills because of the fever or because the fan is blowing at me. But at least I have an excuse to sleep and sleep and sleep...poor sleep-deprived creature that I was. Hahahaha...

Anyway, Jimmy and I have decided that his time to be the baby is over now that I am down with fever, so he has been my slave for the past 2 days. Buy me dinner, bring my medicine to me, be my temperature checker sometimes, be my chauffeur and...and...hmm...need to think of more tasks for him to do. Hahaha..

2 days off work has made me a bit relieved but I don't think the teachers in school took it well. "Young teachers these days keep taking MC, I've worked for ten over years and I never took a day's MC" I heard some time last year after one of my bouts of migraine. Well, aunty, you are built of stronger stuff ma...younger generation these days grew up on chemicals and are so pampered that if a dust flew into their lungs, they get pneumonia. You think we enjoy getting sick? Erm...let me rephrase that, you think we are so lucky that if we want to be just sick enough to not go to school, we get it? Hahaha...

Ok...I am skipping my masters class today also. Feel so dizzy that I don't trust myself to be able to take the public transport to UM and to my faculty. Cross my fingers that nothing very important is being taught. Gotta read up lots coz next week is another test. SIGH...

Resolutions...to keep or to throw? Let's keep it in view first. Haha

Doing my work yo...

2010-01-06T17:07:00.004+08:00

Phew...another productive day at school. I wonder how long this can last? Hehe..so far, I am still holding true to my resolution of not procrastinating. Erm..but of course, workload now is not too heavy that I can fool around for a bit. Hehe...

Ahh...I do hate/love Facebook games. I've been wasting 3 hours of my time trying to get a high score of more than 150 000 for Bejewelled Blitz to no avail. Hmm...gotta get back to work before Jimmy comes over. Hahaha...

Hmm...Maybe another 3 tries. :)

Busy busy year!

2010-01-05T20:09:00.002+08:00

Phew...Happy New Year everyone! So, how was your first day at school (to the teachers and students)? Mine was surprisingly quite all right. Except of course the part where I got the class that I specifically requested not to teach. Haha...well, we can't have everything our way, now can we?

Overall, I suppose I should be happy with my classes. It's better than Vilo's anyway, Years 2 to 6 English and Year One BM, not to mention other "lighter" subjects! Whoa...My classes this year are English, BM, Arts and Phys. Ed. I also got the very important position of Setiausaha Kokurirulum. Yay! Not to mention being the leader for RIMUP and the secretary of BM panel. Gosh... I love the job of a teacher. We really need to be omniscient and multitask and live, drink, eat, sleep teaching life! Woo hoot!!

Sigh...the life of a working adult. You thought studying was torturous? Hahaha...well, at least being a teacher means I still get to take off days like a student! :P Enjoy the rest of the month!

Good Bye 2009!

2009-12-31T12:51:00.002+08:00

Wow...too soon, the year 2009 is coming to an end. Looking back, I think I've done quite a lot this year:

1.Starting at a much bigger school in town, I've taught, learnt and decided that giving my all to a bunch of ingrates is not worth it at all. :P

2. I've learnt to be more money-savvy. Every sen counts when you earn your own living and are trying to survive without financial aid from your family.

3. I've learnt to be less naive. Office politics...sometimes, rumours have to be believed.

4. I've learnt that it is a great feeling to be loved, and I truly appreciate it this year. I realize now that I don't have to go against my family to find true happiness. :)

5. I've learnt that we have to take the initiative to meet up with old friends, to do things. We are in control of our lives. Sometimes, we cannot just wait for things to happen

Any resolutions for the new year? Well, I do. For the next year, I vow to:

1. Stop procrastinating.

2. Take initiative to do things.

3. Live healthily...my cholesterol level is way high for my age, not to mention my weight. Hehehe...

Only 3 resolutions this year. Don't want to get over my head with too many changes. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

One of my dreams came true

2009-12-30T16:20:00.003+08:00

Yay...here's an update of a dream of mine that came true on 11th December 2009. Ever since I could remember, I had wanted to go ice skating with my good friends and they kept ignoring me. So, on the 11th December, during our reunion, we finally did it. Linesh insisted that the first thing that we do at Sunway Pyramid was to go to the ice skating rink. So, confidently the four of us went to the ice skating rink. As we were there looking down, the three of us (Mel, Vilo and I) began to chicken out. Linesh on the other hand, insisted that we go and get the tickets. Why did we chicken out? Well, because the people on the ice skating rink were either teenagers or parents of young children. We were neither here nor there and it was truly intimidating considering that none of us knows how to skate!

So, putting on a brave face, we went to get our rather expensive tickets, socks and gloves. Then, when we went to get our shoes, Linesh freaked out. Haha...how were we supposed to balance ourselves on the thin blades?

After putting on our skates, we practised on the carpet. My one-time experience back in 1999 came back to me. Lock your knees and bend a little, I kept telling them. Marching to the ice, I put one foot in and slid. Hahahaha...fortunately, I caught myself and went back to the carpeted area. Saw a little girl and asked her to show us how to get in. Before we could see what she was doing, she was already off. Hmm...

Putting on a brave face, I led the girls and went in again. Experience had given me an advantage and I could pretty well balance myself on the ice. I needed to hold on to the side because I was afraid of falling. Linesh came behind me, followed by Melwin and I thought I caught a glimpse of Vilo after her. As I was "teaching" Linesh how to balance herself on the ice, I went further and further away from her. Linesh and Melwin were practically hanging on to dear life on the side. They were blocking the way for a whole bunch of people who came behind them and Linesh was shouting, asking them to find a way to get around them because she is not moving! Hahahaha...

It was really comical to think about it now, but at that time, we were just regretting getting on the ice. Vilo had wisely gone in the rink for 2 minutes and reversed her way out. So, with Linesh left further and further behind me because I do not know how to reverse, I tried to finish the round as fast as I could. However, Linesh and Melwin were helplessly blocking a lot of people. Miraculously, at one point, I reversed and was close enough to talk to Linesh. She looked up at me and thought that she had reached me! Hahaha...

After trying to guide her through (she said afterwards that she didn't understand what I was telling her), I left them behind again and finished the entire round. Ithink it took me about 20 minutes to go through the entire round. After getting off the ice, I sat down with Vilo and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after about 15 minutes, Linesh and Melwin emerged.

We rested for about ten minutes and told each other that the time we spent on the ice was worth the $$ we spent on the tickets. After that, we just took photos of us with our skates on the carpet. Hey, gotta really make the money worth right? Haha...fun day over all, although bodies ache like grandma's later that day. Should do it again, girls! :)

How I spent one week of my holiday

2009-12-12T21:32:00.004+08:00

Dear all,

Holiday has finally started for me. I was at school for the past two weeks, trying to drill subject-verb agreement and sentence construction techniques to 90 unwilling students who were forced to go back to school while the others are on holiday. Hehe...

So anyway, what have I been doing for the past two weeks besides torturing myself and the kids? My housemate, Y, was feeling lonely, so we went out almost everyday of the second week because my other housemate (i.e. her usual companion) went to Sabah. So on Monday, we went to Sungei Wang by bus+monorail at 5 and walked aimlessly til 930 p.m. before proceeding to Jogoya, Starhill. The Japanese restaurant was (is) having a promotion buffet supper which starts at 940 and ends at 12 midnight. The 2nd person is only charged RM10+. So anyway, we felt so out of place in Sg. Wang! Haha..talk about feeling old! And we pigged out at the rather posh-looking Jogoya until 1130 p.m. Y can really eat! I mean, she was eating almost non-stop for the 2 hours that we were there - oysters, mussels, crabs, fish, grilled meat, desserts! I made the mistake of getting myself a Japanese hand-roll very early on, so I stopped eating after an hour. But I walked around and took a lot of drinks and snacks for Y! Haha..she was smiling from ear to ear while eating. I think I ate RM 30 worth of prawns that night! Haha..I love my prawns! After stuffing ourselves full, we went for a short walk around Pavillion. The Christmas deco is beautiful. Jimmy came to pick us up and I slept almost immediately. Pig, I know.

The next day, I felt so awful that I slept through the afternon after class. I didn't have anything for breakfast and lunch save a glass of coffee because I was still stuffed from the night before. :-/ When I woke up, Y forced me to have some thing to eat so we went to SS2 and stuffed ourselves with dessert.

The next day, I went for medical check up at a private hospital. I wanted to go to UM Hospital, but the queue was horrible!! So I spent 4 x of what you would spend at a private clinic for a normal medical check up. But everything was completed within an hour. The report was to be picked up the next day, but I haven't gone to pick it up yet. Hehe... My other housemate, M came back that afternoon, so I thought I would have a break from Y, but M needed to go shopping and she didn't have transport, so Super JW was there to save the day. Parking in Mid Valley is a nightmare. We went round for almost 45 minutes looking for a parking. I normally give up within the first 15 minutes, but M needed to buy her wedding stuff. Shopping with my housemates is not something that I can take for more than 2 hours in 3 months. I don't think it is the lack of money issue with them but they are extremely careful with their money but at the same time curious of every little thing that is in the store. You know what I mean? It is quite tiring actually to go with people who have different styles when you go shopping. I can't shop with my mom because she doesn't look at the things that I like to look at and her taste and mine are different. And as she grew older, she loses her patience as well. So anyway, I was saved from further torture by my date with Jimmy at 7. I went back to pick them up at 11 p.m., an hour later than I promised because Jimmy and I were stuck at the place that we were at.

My final day of tuition was spent happily. I was lazy to go in for the first period, so Y took over. I lazed on the bed for a record 3 hours before getting my bum out of the bed and get ready for school. 2 hours later, I was ready for another round of going out with my 2 housemates, knowing fully well that I have to leave them earlier like the day before. Y had wanted to go for a karaoke session ages ago and we were finally going. Because of the price factor, she had chosen Gbox. Neither of us has been there, so we were quite excited about it. Y booked for 3 o'clock and started washing her clothes while waiting for M to come back from her chores. By the time M came back it was 2+ and Y was still washing her clothes. By the time we left the house, it was almost 3 and we were "surprisingly" stuck in the jam. We reached Sg Wang at 3.50 and M wanted to have something to eat. We chose a restaurant that looked quite empty and ordered. We didn't know that the restaurant had another section and it was actually quite crowded. We got our food at 4+ and by the time we finished, it was almost 430. When we went to Gbox, we had to book a room again. And we had to wait til 5. ANother round of aimless walk around Sg Wang later, we finally got into a pathetic small room. Seriously, it's PATHETIC. Pay a little extra and you get better service in other karaoke lounges. So, anyway, when M and I were getting our drinks, Jimmy called and said that he'd be there to pick me up in 15 minutes. Hmm..I just paid my share adn got my drink and haven't even sung yet and it was time to go? Jimmy and I had a miscommunication and dinner was supposed to be at 7, not him picking me up at 7. So, after 2 songs, I left the two of them to go for dinner with Jimmy's parents and client. I tell you, Chinese really eat well. And they would rather the food go to waste just to show that they can afford it. Gosh...5 of us and we ate about RM 600 + worth of food??

So anyway, that's just part of the week of holiday. More later...sorry Ashley, forgot to post this one after typing and I have lost my train of thoughts. Hehe..have fun!

Jiawen is emo~

2009-11-24T16:41:00.004+08:00

Dear all,

It's the holidays again. Ironically, instead of feeling happy or excited, my holidays have started off wrongly. Perhaps I am just too demanding, or comparing too much. What is it that they say? The grass is always greener on the other side. Yes, that's it. How can I not compare my situation when I am so unhappy now? Yes, I count my blessings too. But humans are always not contented, aren't we? And isn't it that when we want something that we will strive to achieve and thus improve ourselves?

So what is it this time that I am unhappy?

Well, I am unhappy that my mother thinks that I waste my time. First day of the holidays, and I was reading a storybook in my room. When I finished, I came out and my mom gave me this disgusted look and said that I was wasting my time, not knowing that I have been awake for a few hours already.

I am unhappy that Jimmy is always unhappy. There is nothing that I can do to make it otherwise for him and I'm quite annoyed with myself. I mean, I know that when you are unhappy, the world is supposed to bow to you but...

I am unhappy that I am fat and I can't seem to bring myself to lose the weight.

I am unhappy that money seems to vaporise when you are earning your own living.

I am unhappy that I get cheated all the time... be it magazine subscription, broadband, books. I hate cheating Malaysians...may they rot in hell.

I am unhappy that my life is not as happening, or as sweet as others'.

I am unhappy that I am unhappy when I should be contented and happy.

I am unhappy. So help! Make my day!

A Post for Hunter

2009-10-25T12:11:00.007+08:00

I have a lot of work to do this weekend...typing out a piece of what-I-think-is-a-waste-of-paper document, marking 3 classes' test papers, marking some books that I lugged home, spending time with my family, resting...yet I was reading the book "Marley and Me" that I bought some time in March. I was tickled silly by the antics of Marley, even though I watched the movie.

Reading about Marley made me think about Hunter. Who, you ask? Remember Baby's last batch of cute puppies?

Yup, I had wanted to keep the laziest puppy I named Trevor. I kept it. After a few weeks, however, we decided that Trevor did not suit him. My whole family called him "Hantu" because he yelps and howls and barks whenever some one is near. And he is naughty. I mean really NAUGHTY. So, since my family kept calling him "Hantu", he kind of thought it was his name. And, I decided to change a little bit of the pronunciation so as not to confuse him, and call him "Hunter". Macho name what...

Yup..this is the face which melted my (and my family's) heart...

Amazingly, since the maid came and I was always not around. Hunter grew up to be not too close to me. Nevertheless, I am still the only one that he would jump up to greet and the only one he would howl a melody for when I return. However, his antics (milder than Marley's case, of course) had made him the most unwelcome living thing in the house. He digs holes eventhough he has been punished for it many times. He jumps up (only on me now) to greet. He bangs your face, aiming for your lips with his nose eventhough he is beaten many times for that. He runs out every time you open the gate. He howled until his voice is hoarse now.

And perhaps because I don't spend as much time with him, he is neglected by me. When he went missing for a few days the other time, my whole family was worried yet relieved at the same time. And can you believe that I have not taken any photo of him from the days of puppy-dom? I mean, I have so many photos of Baby and Charlie when they were younger. I stopped taking photos only last year because I don't know how to upload them to the laptop and my charger was missing and since I bought a new one, is with Jimmy.

I mean, I think Hunter is mentally unstable. Could be due to the mom's old age when she gave birth to the litter. Do you know that he doesn't know how to pee properly? He would walk around and suddenly stop and the next thing you know, he's peeing and he doesn't even squat a little like Charlie does, so he ends up spraying his front legs. Eeewww...and his old mom would sometimes still lick his pee or eat his crap as though he was still a 2 month old puppy. And the heartbreaking thing is that Baby is now the lowest in the dog-hierarchy. Her ingrate of a son would growl and bite the mom when she is eating what he deemed is his. The mom would also try to teach her son to not to get into trouble by nipping his ears or head when he has done something wrong but would end up being bitten by that rebellious son of hers. And the best part is that the crazy dog would look as happy as a looney when seconds earlier he was beaten by my father for a wrong doing.

He loves the rain. He loves to use his head to bang any part of your body. He loves to crash into you with his whole body when you are petting another dog. He bites his own tail to the point that it is bald. He uses his brute strength to pull on his chain and chokes himself in the process. He eats 3 adults' portions daily and is still hungry all the time.

I mean, I feel bad for him sometimes. As much as I think I love him, I could not bring myself to bond with him as much as I used to do with Baby and Charlie. He is uncontrollable. Sometimes in the evening, I'd bring Charlie out to ease himself, I'd play with Charlie and Baby for a while. And Hunter would look forlorn and wag his tail sadly. I'd let him go to join in the fun but he'd just crash into me or the other two and spoil the fun for everyone. So, chained up again, he would be. I really don't know how John Grogan and his family tolerated with Marley's behaviour. I mean, it must be taxing as marley lives in the house! But then again, I don't know if I can bring myself to put Hunter to sleep. So, he's born mentally unstable...doesn't he deserve a life, too? Who are we to decide that he should end his life much earlier than God intended?

Hmm..maybe I'll try to upload some photos of him next weekend when I'm not so busy... :)

The matter with fish...

2009-10-09T19:16:00.003+08:00

Haha...thanks Melwin!

This week had been hectic. I was supposed to set the question for Year 4 BM this time around. And as I am a procrastinator, I did the work only last weekend. I completed setting the questions last Sunday. I finished the work quite quickly because I had already chosen the questions beforehand.

As the exam is only a week away, I thought I could send my papers for photocopying by the past Monday after being checked by the person-in-charge. Unfortunately, I did not trust the person-in-charge. The person has a reputation of not being responsible. So, what I did was probably not right but I did not think that it was wrong at that time. I showed my questions to my subject supervisor. This subject supervisor(SS) of mine had my utmost respect and admiration.

So anyway, the person-in-charge looked very worried when she came to see me. She told me that her pupils told her that they had done the essay before in their tuititon class conducted by my SS. My SS had actually mentioned it and I thought it was all right as the questions are all almost the same. But what made me wonder was why all of a sudden the pupils told the person-in-charge that they have done the question before.

I mean, I was sorely disappointed! What has become of the professionalism of teachers these days? I mean, it is very normal to want to help your own students, but to tell them the questions? Or even to remind them which essay that they have done to memorize! Isn't that against the whole teaching principal? As the teacher-in-charge to set the question, I did not tell the pupils which ones to look into. You know the whole concept of teach someone to fish rather than giving them a fish?

SIGH~~~

I am very naive. And slow. My housemates who joined the school with me seemed to know who is trustworthy in school and who we should be wary of WAYYYYY before I did. The life of a common man...is there no one you can trust at your work place?

On a happier note, once the exams are over, I can't wait for the arrival of the holidays in peace!! Can't wait. Hehe...gotta go to bed early today for LADAP tomorrow. Night night people!

Enjoy the mid-autumn festival!

2009-10-03T15:12:00.003+08:00

Haha...hey, I still have visitors to the blog! Thanks Willie! And...I was multitasking (kind of)... Playing game, blogging and erm...thinking about doing my work! Haha....

So anyway, after blogging yesterday, I managed to finish 25% of one of my work. Good lah...considering that I was on the verge of not doing anything at all.

What do I have to do on this Mid-Autumn Festival? Not that it is a tradition for my family to celebrate it, but it would be nice if you could spend it with your loved ones, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, I had to go back to school for some training this morning. So, off to school at 7 in the morning. After 3 hours of rather interesting talk about story-telling, I got restless and started yakking with my housemate. I could no longer take it when the speakers asked us to do group work. I mean, although it is interesting, we know that we will not be able to apply any of it in a classroom of 40. So, what did I do? I skipped the final hour. It is not good...but I think I wasted enough time.

The journey home was quite slow because of massive jam everywhere. I guess a lot of people still spend the day with their families. When I called one of my loved ones, he was more interested to spend the time with his friends. My sister, on the other hand, needs to be with her in-laws...So, in the end, I am going to spend the day with my TRUE loves - my parents and my DOGS. But I also need to spend it with something that I do not love at all, which is my work. Haha...

Well, another nonsensical blog post...which by the way, should be the title for this blog. I mean, I don't have many sensical stuff to talk about anyway. Hehe...have a happy mid-autumn festival!

To-do or not-to-do?

2009-10-02T20:33:00.004+08:00

I have been sitting in front of the laptop for approximately 4 hours now and I haven't even started with the work that I am supposed to do. Gosh...seriously, at this rate, I am never going to finish any of my work today. O, thou evil internet games! :)

I am trying to be more disciplined. Professionally, I have picked up a lot of bad habits which is not very good. Personally, well, I need to make good use of my time. After all, youth will not always be with me. So, help me out, whoever who is still reading this...what do I need? Checklist? To-do list? Files? My to-do list always has at least 5 or 6 things to do every day, and I could only complete maybe 1 item or 3 items a day. What am I supposed to list down in my to-do list? I have many goals...work-wise and to be a better person kind of thing. So my normal to-do list would look something like this:

1. Drink 8 glasses of water

2. Finish marking 46 pieces of karangan

3. Type out the meeting minutes

4. Photocopy notes

5. EXERCISE

And then, at best, I'd complete item number 3 and the rest will just go into the next day's to-do list. Haha...what am I doing wrong, I wonder?

Erm...time management? Maybe...but 24hours a day is simply not enough. See, I spend about 8 hours at school, one and a half hour for meals, about an hour to shower, 8 hours to sleep, maybe an hour and a half to travel to places (for dinners etc) and I am left with 4 hours to clean up my room, do my laundry, take a breather... sigh...I seriously wonder how working mothers do it!

Well, I have another 3 hours to go to at least tick off one item on my to-do list today. So, I'd better go and do now. Ta-tas!

Cracking, cracking, CRACKED

2009-08-29T12:25:00.004+08:00

Ok...most of the times I think of myself as an unfilial daughter. I didn't spend enough time with my mother or father (I'd prefer to sleep or go out with my friends). I am not patient with my mother (nowadays I snap at her when she cannot comprehend what I am trying to say). I don't like the fact that my mother gives stinging comments (I know I am fat, you don't have to keep reminding me AND tempt me with food while you do it).

I appreciate the fact that I am VERY lucky to be born into this family, but I am not contented. I love the fact that I have a lot of time to spend with my parents, but the thing is, when you know that someone is waiting for you and just hawking on the time to spend together with you every single time eventhough you were thinking of doing something else, is tiring...that's why I never thought having children is a good idea. Haha...

I mean, I know that my mother is lonely. In many ways, I am like her. I don't need many friends. Leave me alone with some money and space and I can spend my time happily and fulfillingly. My mother, unfortunately, has had too much alone time that she is just waiting for company, which her children can't provide. And accompanying her is not a problem at all...I mean I love my mother...but I can't stand it when she grumbles at me for not tidying up my room, or when I sleep in (on weekends, for God's sake!), or when I changed my mind about doing some chores. Give me a break...I've been doing things at my own pace for 5 days a week, I can't change my habits just because I come home on weekends! I've been tempted to not come home for the weekends. It didn't work out because of the guilt factor and the fact that I can't stand being in the house with my housemates the whole weekend either (more on that in other post). I mean, I admit...I AM WEIRD.. I AM A LONER, so LEAVE ME ALONE!!

Sigh...am I really that bad? I mean, working from Monday to Friday (and sometimes Saturday), I just want to spend a day of doing nothing or doing things that I want at whatever time that I want on the weekends. I don't know if other people feel the same way as I do. Torn between wanting time alone / time to spend at your leisure versus time with family members / fulfilling their wants? I see that my siblings will advise me to be patient and just spend time with our parents, but I hardly see them doing the same...

Sigh...a week at home has taken its toll...and the stress of my sister's family coming home, and the fact that my boyfriend was almost non-existent the whole week, and that I am just a whiny, lousy person over all. Hate you, world. Hate you too, God! Hate MYSELF the most!

Woo hoot~ I didn't waste the day away!

2009-08-27T22:41:00.004+08:00

It has been a productive day today. I had a to-do list of 10 items, and by 10:30 p.m., I have completed 7. The other 3 that I haven't done? Well, they are for me to run on the treadmill, to do at least 30 sit ups and clean up my room. Haha..well, I guess the first two can be postponed. Anyway, my abs are still aching from the 20 sit-ups I did yesterday. :) I watched one a too many diet programmes on Discovery Home and Health and on Hallmark (Oprah and The Biggest Loser).

So anyway, I have finally done 80% of the application for the Master Programme. The uploading of the certificates and the postal order was the most troublesome part of the online application. You would think that online application means it is a faster and more convenient way of applying. Well, I can tell you, it is still a hassle. Perhaps the only convenience is that you do not have to run to UM every other day to get a form or another item. You just had to call the IPS til it rings off the hook and run to IPS once or twice. Haha...

Well, I also managed to bank-in the airplane ticket to Tisha finally. I had to queue up for about half an hour in a bank. Malaysian inefficiency. Similar to the so-called high tech idea of online-application, this is a bank which was the pioneer among the Malaysian banks to have lots of machines for cash deposit, cheque deposits and bank book update. However, the machines are not maintained properly. The fellow in front of me must have been at the machine for at least 15 times trying to get the machine to accept the RM 50 notes. When he finally gave up, I was already impatient. I tried twice and gave up. Off to another machine and voila! a foreign worker was withdrawing money for his friends and I had to wait for another ten minutes or so. Grrrr...

Well, it's 1135 p.m. now. I still have that one thing on my to-do list to complete...or I wouldn't have spac eto lie down on my bed. Hahahaha...

Cheerios!

Update for the sake of updating

2009-08-16T01:38:00.002+08:00

OMG...I have been missing for a long time, it seems. Haha...not that anyone would have noticed.

So much has happened since the last I blogged. Just realised that Celcom broadband doesn't work well at my place, so I am basically without internet connection when I'm there either. Hmmm...spent lots of money but didn't get the service I expected.

Work-wise, I've been swamped with work. Marking never-ending books. Getting more wrinkles and hypertension when I enter certain classes. I used to love Fridays because that would be the day I come home to Charlie and my family. But I hate Fridays now because the new Senior assistants revamped the whole school's schedule, putting me in a class I dislike the most in the last two periods. However, I always breathe a sigh of rlief when the class is over for the day. And I always go home with a sore throat. Haha... Can't complain much, I suppose.

Baby is getting older these days. She had an ear infection last month and she nearly bit me because she was in pain and she looked accusingly at me when the vet put a muzzle on her and put her on the surgical table. She's all right now albeit suffering from a little arthritis. Hunter, on the other hand, ran away from home the other day and did not come back til 2 days later. My parents and the maid searched high and low for him but could not find him. When he ran home yesterday, he was so skinny and dirty that I could have mistaken him for another dog. And he had a traumatized look in his eyes. Thought that he would have learnt a lesson and not go out of the house, but he still ran out with the mother when I opened the gate this morning. Grrr...dogs never learn!

It's 3 a.m. and my mom wants me to go to bed already. Hmm...25 and my parents still treat me like a kid. Haha...Well, maybe will blog again tomorrow morning. Hopefully, before next year. Haha...take care you people who still drop by! :)

2009-03-04T18:06:00.005+08:00

Yay! I finally got my Celcom broadband! And what trouble I had to go through to get it! I went to Low Yat on Sunday morning to get a few things. Jimmy dropped me off there because he had some business to deal with near Pudu. So, off I went at 1030, going straight to Celcom centre and getting my package. The price for a new modem and "free one month subscription" (Promotion, or so the man said) would set me back by RM 599. Phew..that's a lot of money. But I remembered that when I asked for the price during the CNY was RM 599 without having one month free. So, ok...I signed up for the package while the other workers were busy opening up.

Feeling as though I had done a good job, I continued with my shopping at Low Yat. Luckily I learnt from Brian a couple of things about IT stuff. So, I got myself a few good deals and as I was leaving Low Yat, I saw an offer for Celcom Broadband...RM 479 and free one month subscription of the RM 98 package! I was angry. I went back to the man I got my package with and asked for an explanation. The man said that my modem has an 18-month warranty, that's why it is more expensive. Since the man was able to come up with an explanation, I cooled down (anyway, paid for it already, what can I do right?) and happily went home.

After lunch, Jimmy and I tried to use the broadband (one hour activation). Guess what? The laptop couldn't detect the USB modem! Calls to the man who sold me the thing was futile. I think I called for at least 20 times and he just cancelled my calls. Calls to the office were also left unanswered. I was disappointed with the Chinese community (don't ask me why).

So off to Low Yat again I went, this time with Jimmy. He was more angry than I was. Like I said, I was feeling disappointed rather than angry. At the shop, no one bothered to serve us because there were lots of people. Jimmy snapped at the fellows who asked if they could help us. The fellows didn't like his attitude and pretended we were not there, which made him even angrier. I was feeling disappointed by the minute. Disappointed with Malaysians by that time.

The man who served me in the morning came out looking apologetic which cooled Jimmy down somewhat. After some time, we found out that the USB cable was the problem. So, after spending less than 20 minutes there, we left.

Thinking that everything is well again, I did not attempt to go online for the past few days because I was busy marking exam papers and what-nots. When I finally tried to go online less than an hour ago, I could not. Luckily, the calls I made to the fellow were answered politely. So, after a few tries of taking out the sim card and restarting the laptop, I am finally online. And that's the whole story of how much trouble I had to go through just to post this. Hehe...

So, the moral of the story is, when you want to buy any IT stuff, go with someone who looks fierce or is rude to get things that work perfectly. Hahahaha....have a great week!

Ms Sour Face

2009-02-09T10:52:00.002+08:00

Phew...I finally finished setting the question papers for the Year 6 pupils! It is actually quite easy to set the questions, I just hope the level is low enough for most of them to pass.

I was a bit disappointed with myself and the Year 6 bunch for the last few days. I used to believe that strict teachers do not equate to good teachers. In that sense I mean that an effective teacher does not necessarily have to be feared. I used to think that Year 6 pupils are old enough to understand the concept of "I treat you nice, you treat me nice". I thought that they would know how to be responsible for their own learning. How wrong I was!!

I am essentially not a strict teacher. I am quite easy-going and I think my best virtue as a teacher is that I am very patient. I learnt to be patient when I was asked to teach Year One kids during practical and in my first 4 months in Sepang. My approach to teaching, which is to be nice to the pupils, was accepted and well-liked in my practical school and towards the end, in Sepang. Applying this approach in town chinese-medium school is a huge mistake.

For three weeks, I struggled with class discipline, getting the pupils to pay attention, to do work. I used psychology on them, advising them, nagging them. It would work for a while and then everything would be as though I was not in the classroom the next day. Worse part is that the classes would be more in control when there wasn't a teacher in class!

The girls who are willing to study, who are more matured and more susceptible to my approach felt that my classes were boring because they don't learn anything. I was stunned. What do they mean by they do not learn anything during my classes? What have I been doing for the past 3 weeks screaming my voice hoarse in front of the class? Quickly, the girls changed what they said, said that the boys were too noisy that they could hardly hear my explanations. Hmm...it is something for me to think about, I told them. "Teacher, use the cane on us." I went berserk. These kids actually prefer a teacher wielding a cane before they could do their work, before they could learn?!

I am disappointed with myself, the kids and the chinese school system. I came from a national school. I am lucky I was a good student. I didn't have very strict teachers, I remember all my teachers were quite nice. I didn't have to be caned. A word of advice and most of my friends would feel regret and be more proactive in learning. I didn't have to be drowning in homework to learn to be responsible. But my friends and I turned out well.

When I went home, I cursed the school system. No child of mine is ever going to this kind of school. No child of mine is going to want to be caned before they learn some thing. No child of mine is going to be turned into an animal which needs to be trained and whipped!

Then, I talked to my sister. Remember Mr. Tan Bong Leong? she asked me. Yup, a teacher so nice that noone bothered listening to him when he was in class. A teacher whom everyone knows is so good at BM that those who are kiasu went to his tuition but do not listen to him in school. A teacher so lenient that copying is rampant when he is invigilating during tests. That is the kind of attitude Form 4 and Form 5 kids from the best class gave him because he is too nice and lenient. What do you expect from Year 6 kids?

So, the next day, I went to school with a resolution. To hell with being nice to unthinking kids. I was Ms Sour-puss the whole day and the kids were actually easier to teach. They listened. They did their work. They spoke in English because I did not bother about them when they asked me questions in another language.

And it is hard for a happy-go-lucky person to be sour-faced the whole day. I don't know how some people can be unhappy all their lives. Hahahaha...gotta make myself angry for the whole year! Wish me luck!!

Top prize

2009-02-06T21:52:00.003+08:00

Well, I have been transferred to a new school this year. My old school's district made a blunder and sent me in there when there was no vacancy. So, before I get kicked out and then posted to a place even more "ulu" than my old school, I took the initiative to apply for transfer while pulling cables and begging for a school which has vacancy to take me in. And so, I got my transfer. In town. Big school. Need English teachers. Perfect? Well, I prefer my kampung pupils. Hahaha...

First month in the school and I created history in the school. The longest-serving teacher told me that she had never heard of that kind of a thing happen in all the 30years that she was there. What happened?

Well, I was teaching Year 6 Phys. Ed and a child was hit on the head with the putt. Yup, I was supposed to be choosing a pupil for the short putt and the freak accident happened. At least 10 kids had given their best shot before this boy threw the metal ball waaaayyyy out of range and hit a girl on the head. It all seemed to happen in slow-mo. I saw the boy throwing the putt. I saw the ball making a big curve in the air before I noticed that it was flying in the direction of the girls who had strayed to the left-front of the boy. I screamed for the girls to run. I saw the girls running helter-skelter while screaming. I saw the tallest of the girls scream loudly. I saw the same girl looking at the putt coming at her. I saw the same girl cover her head with both her arms and ducked. I saw the putt hitting her head. I saw her fall to the ground with a thud. I ran to her. I saw the first rush of blood from her head. I saw my hand putting pressure on her head. I saw blood flowing freely from under my hands to cover her face when she sat down. Within 2 minutes, her face was covered with blood. I panicked.

Valuable lesson number one: never show that you are afraid, shocked, or not in control in front of the children.

It was not a good experience. Trust me. It was horrible. Seeing so much blood made me really, really scared. I then realise that the films actually did not exaggerate to portray fear. When the girl's head stopped bleeding, my hands shook so much that I could not put the mouth of my water bottle to my lips properly. I felt so nauseated. I hyperventilated. I burst into tears when my colleagues asked me to recount the incident. Yeah, embarassing. But the accident was just too shocking.

Luckily the girl is all right. She had to get a few stitches but her skull was not fractured and she did not have a concussion. The boy blamed himself at first but kids can easily forget about these things. For me? Well, it's not something that I'll ever forget. So, new teachers...think of every possibility. Get out of this profession when you have the chance! Hahaha...

Aunty or leng lui?

2009-01-06T20:03:00.007+08:00

Yay...my 100th post is also my 1st in 2009. Too soon, another year has passed. Worst part of the new year? I feel I have not achieved much. I cannot believe it, 2009 means that I am going to be a quarter of a century old soon! Quarter of a century...geez that sounds OLD!

It's ironic, isn't it? I FEEL and LOOK old yet when I hear that eerie phrase "quarter of a century old", I cringe. Sigh...I'm tired of the loud and disbelieving exclamations of "You are only 24?!" Yes, I may look old but you don't have to be so insensitive ma, right?

Recently, I got into the habit of turning away from people whom I know will make nasty comments on how I look. Unfortunately, I cannot do it to those whom I have just met and are rude enough to comment negatively on another stranger. Perhaps the most disheartening comments come from the supposedly most honest and innocent bunch, which are the children. I thought I have become numb to the "honour" of being called an "Aunty/ Mak Cik" by younger children. Unfortunately, the insecurity of looking much less than perfect and the frequency of being seen as older than my age may sometimes make me feel ...

Well, as the saying goes, "Tomorrow is another new day". I probably cannot change even a single moment of the past, but I can try to change for a better future. "Aunty" is going to be "Jiejie" at the age of 25! Hahaha... Just as I told my colleagues this morning about my teaching principles (which I think really doesn't work in primary schools, so Mel...don't bother respecting those kids), the square peg is going to have to force itself to be round. =)

The blog post may seem disconnected because the first three paragraphs were written early in January and the final paragraph was only written just now. Hahaha...til the next post...take care!

The last weeks of 2008

2008-12-23T20:01:00.004+08:00

2 days to Christmas, 8 days to 2009, 13 days to new school term.

What have I done with my 6 weeks' holiday? Erm...nothing much yet actually. A summary would be that I met some of my friends, I went on a very memorable and interesting holiday at a homestay, I met with more of my friends, I went to Bali with my family members while building muscle in my left arm, and I read a few good books.

An expansion on the things I've listed once I've got some of the photos and a computer with internet access at home. :)

In the meantime, enjoy being crushed by the crowd during Christmas eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Years... I am going to avoid the crowds by staying in after certain time. Have a good one y'all!

I thank God(s)

2008-12-05T10:00:00.003+08:00

I wake up this morning feeling absolutely great! I am so touched that I am so loved by my family, friends, pets and the Gods above! Why am I suddenly so grateful (seeing that I have been an absolute ungrateful brat before this)? I don't know. Enlightened, I suppose. ;)

I thank Gods above for my beautiful family. I realise now that my parents, brother and sisters and their families love me unconditionally and are worried about me all the time. They would walk on fire or shelter me from rain with their own bodies if there is the need. It was unfortunate that there is the communication break down within the family that makes each of us forget how much the other loves us sometimes. But I am determined to not let that happen to me again.

I thank Gods above for my extended family. Without you, Ah Yi and Ashley, I think I will not realise how much my parents have done for me. I'm sorry for my MIA status for over 2 months, but I did not want to repeat myself like a broken recorder and be reminded of the difficult times. :) Now that all is well, you can question me all you want. :)

I thank Gods above for Brian. It is definitely quite unusual among the people I know to still be friends with their ex. It is great that he is such an awesome and understanding guy. Girls, this guy is amazing! (Hey B, lemme know if my advertisement for you works, k?) ;)

I thank Gods above for my lovely friends...William, Linesh, Vilo, Melwin, Woon, MeiJu, Hwa Cheat, Sara, Ming Keat, Jarrod, Siaw Hui, Sin Yuan, Sophia, Joshua Paul, Jono, KY and others who were truly worried about me when they heard rumours of the break up but dared not ask for fear of intrusion. Haha...you guys are the greatest...And again, sorry for my MIA status.

I thank Gods above for my good looks and kindness. Hahahahahaha...You people who have/had crushes on me, better 'fess up or risk losing me to another person! Muahahaha...I know Vilo, you have told me so many times, let others have a chance! Hahahaha...

I thank Gods above for my job (and with that, my patience). Teaching brings much satisfaction sometimes. And some of the kids make you really passionate about teaching and helping them do better in their lives.

I thank Gods above for my lovely pets - Baby, Charlie, Hunter and Kristy. Baby for not biting me much these days and only welcomes me with a helicopter tail. Hehe...when she was slightly younger, she'd be so excited to see me that she could fly bottoms up because her tail was spinning wildly. For other family members, she would just wag her tail. :) And those of you who have seen Charlie would know that he follows me around as though he can't bear to be apart from me even for one second (except when my mom is eating snacks in the kitchen). Hunter, for all his craziness leapts as though his legs were springs when I'm at home. And poor Kristy who used to snap at me is on her last legs after my mom bought Bobby(which is dead after 2 weeks) home to accompany her. I didn't know that turtles are even more violent than dogs when they fight for dominance.

I have much more to be thankful for. Right now, it is for KFC. Hahaha...am off to have my finger linkin' good lunch now.

Amen, Amin, Namo Amitabha, ohm Shanti shanti shanti...

I love hugs

2008-12-03T10:37:00.003+08:00

~Sigh~ I so do love hugs... and I just realised this not too long ago. It is not just me. Melwin has been feeling the same way too ever since she came back from Sabah. Too bad it is not in the Chinese culture to hug. Of the Chinese I've hugged, I think my aunt and cousin (love you lots, ah yi and Ashley!) are the only family members (ooh..and Willie). Heck, I hugged my friends' fathers and mothers and aunts and sisters but never hugged my own! I did attempt a half-hug with my father when he gave me my car but I don't recall him hugging me back. And my eldest sister's first hug for me was when she was leaving for UK and I stood there like a log feeling disgusted at being hugged. Hahahaha...that is/was the culture of my family.

Growing up imagining myself being open minded made me enjoy hugs. Somehow the hugs were only shared amongst the ones who went to national primary schools. Very rarely were hugs given to those who went to Chinese primary school unless they were really really close to you. I think the only one whom I hugged from Chinese primary school was Yoke Thing on her 21st birthday. And I remember her feeling awkward because she wasn't expecting a hug. Haha..or maybe it was just me giving her an awkward hug. :P

And then in Maktab days where my closest friends are Indians, I embraced the culture of hugging. Meeting someone after a long time *hugs*, before leaving *hugs*, family members *hugs*, just so that you know you are important and loved *hugs*...Before being posted and separated from my dearest friends, I had thought that it was some kind of obligation or habit for people to hug for no apparent reason. But I have since realised that it is not an obligation or a habit, it is just a need and a rather effective way of showing that you care...

I've been really lucky that I have been able to meet up with many of my closer ex-coursemates over the past 2 weeks. And I had a glimpse of the very different culture of the 3 main races in our beloved country:

My first outing was with Daus, Aisyah, Azee, Hakimi, Apai, Ikin, Sarah, Is (and Nana) and Vilo. Yup, a rather muhibbah outing we had at KLCC. Even though I was not close to some of them, we met and shared the particular 3-time hugs of the Malays. And even though it looked like standard hugs, the different levels of affection could be felt. For me, it is very natural to hug the one I am closest to or am friendliest with first before hugging those whom I am not that close to. And the ones I am closer to will hear the "muah, muah, muahs" while those whom I am not close to will just feel me doing the obligatory three time hug. Haha... Of course, religion and culture dictate that guys and girls shalt not hug (or touch) each other, so this "culture" was only exchanged among the girls. I would not mind giving Daus a hug though...hahahahahhaha...he's such a great friend! Besides the hugs, it was great to be able to meet and chat with them about everything and nothing again. And to go to the Skybridge together (the ticket collector was surprised that Vilo and I were together with them). Too bad Daus and Aisyah want to keep our photos close to their hearts and do not want to share them with others *hint*. ;P

The second outing I went to was with the Indian girls...the ones whom I almost always went out with. I am very bad but I would always try to hug the person that I miss most first even though it would be out of the way. So, without noticing it, I (kind of) ignored the person who was standing closest to me and went and hugged Melwin first. The Indian hug is different from the Malay hug that it is only done once but is felt by intensity. So, if I hug Vilo (hahaha) it would be a tight squeeze as opposed to me giving the obligatory hug to erm...Vilo's aunt. Great fun to be with the girls again...Mindy, Vilo and Melwin, we should go bowling and watch movie again soon! Miss chatting with you gals and laughing for no apparent reason! Haha...

The third outing which lasted for almost a week was with the Chinese gals. Siaw Hui, Hwa Cheat, Sin Yuan and Woon were in KL. And guess what? No hugs at all. Hahaha...we just waved and stood awkwardly saying hi to each other even though we are quite close, closer than I am to the Malay girls, at least! I only hugged Sophia and Dasha in the outing but not with any of the others who joined us after that...Ming Keat, Mei Ju...It's a little sad because now I regret not giving them a hug. But something about the culture holds us back... Chinese just don't hug...

Like, the culture in Chinese school is to stay away from the teachers. The children just don't want to get to know the teachers better. It is very different from national school children who would love to be closer to their teachers. The Yr 6 graduation ceremony is so stiff and awkward compared to the time when we left our practical school with hugs and kisses from the children. Sigh...it is sad that we don't adopt some of the better cultures of other races. Perhaps one day...one day, Malaysia will be truly be made up of Malaysians...

Girls are impossible to understand

2008-11-21T15:58:00.003+08:00

Ok...I've been truly bored for the past few days. Haha...I know some people would kill to be in my position right now, but too bad, you guys still wouldn't have holidays like me even if you had killed me. :P Ahem...so anyway, as I was saying, I am bored. And in my boredom, I have been bugging some of my old friends for outings and been talking on the phone almost non-stop. And in one of those nonsensical phone calls, a friend tells me his opinion about "paying". My first reaction to his opinion was "Which century are you from?" and I was a tad offended by his male-chauvinism. But then, after the phone call, it made me think again. I mean, many girls would be charmed by the idea that a guy would be so chivalrous.

So what do you think of this modern girl dilemma: If a guy insists on paying for everything, do you think that he is being chauvinistic or chivalrous? My first thought would be that the guy is being chauvinistic. On the other hand, if a guy lets me pay for my own on a date anyway, he is being a cheapskate. I mean, friendly date, never mind la: you pay one time, I pay one time OR go on Dutch. Fair ma...But this should not happen on a date date.

Sigh...I can't understand girls. Hahaha...I mean, I don't know what I am thinking about most of the time anyway! But I am very sure of my position that the boyfriend should not pay for all of the girl's expenses. I mean, come on you guys, some girls are truly out on the hunt for bill-payers. Don't be so dumb, ok? When you are paying the girl's rent, phone bill, shopping and what-nots, you are definitely not being chivalrous. That is being STUPID. I mean, the occasional presents and shopping bill is ok, but if you two are at the cashier and she is waiting for you to fork out the money, something is wrong, man!

I used to have girl friends who do that. Flirt with guys and make them buy expensive cosmetics and perfume for them. The girls who do that, I don't respect. But to imagine that there are guys stupid enough to buy them those expensive gifts, I am speechless. And I remember scolding one of my secondary school friend who used to go shopping with a girl he was after so that he could pay for her with his few months' allowance. CRAZY males!

Any comments girls and guys on this issue? Please, do leave your comments. Am so freaking bored!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL MONKEY

2008-11-18T14:26:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday WILLIAM!!! Wishing you many happy returns of the day! Looking forward to the karaoke session! Haha...luv ya lots, kiddo!

Lost without school...

2008-11-17T18:42:00.002+08:00

Well, humans are never contented, are they? I mean, a week ago, I was so looking forward to the school holidays (truth is, I don't have any respect for teachers like me! ). Now that the school holidays are here, I am bored half to death eventhough I have only been at home for erm..3 days.

Yeah...as much as I hate to admit it, I miss those little monkeys who would run around in class screaming "Lao shi! Lao shi!" even though I've already told them a million times to call me either "Cikgu" or "Teacher". Thinking about those kids make me feel sad. They have only just begun to warm up to me, and I may not see them again after this year. Why? There is this little problem of the school population shrinking and that they do not need as many teachers as this year. The possibility of me being the extra teacher is high as I am the last to be sent in. Hmmm...crossing my fingers that everything will be all right.

Many people seem to have the misconception that teaching is an easy job. I suppose compared to many other jobs, teaching has the least official hours. But I doubt many other jobs require as much patience, dedication and love. I mean, do you think it's easy to face 40 kids everyday? Try babysitting 3 of your nephews/nieces on your own and then comment on how easy a teacher's job is! Well, ok...actually taking care of your own relative's kids is much harder because you are not supposed to scold or correct the brats' behaviour unless you want a cold war with your relative. But the point is, it is not easy to take care of kids.

Haha..I suppose not many people are enlightened to the fact that there is no "easy" job in the whole world. You would think that the lower paying jobs are easier, but would you be willing to put your hand in other people's trash even if you were paid thousands? Would you be willing to spend hours under the hot sun cleaning the roads and still be unappreciated? Would you be willing to be on standby 24 hours with no off days except maybe on Mother's Day?

Gosh...am ranting. AM SO BORED!! SAVE ME! Any idea of what I can do during the holidays? I was planning to go volunteer in SPCA. Any one wants to go with me? Please, all you MPIK-ians and Segarians out there, update your blo*dy blogs!! Hahahaha...I think I'm crazy. Better go jump around like a monkey now. Adios amigos!

I hearby promise...

2008-11-16T20:39:00.002+08:00

Dear Ashley, thanks for staying loyal to my blog. Haha...

Well, life has been different for me. I've been through quite a lot of new feelings and experiences in the three months that I have been posted. It's ironic how I used to laugh at Melwin because she said that her mother was going to live with her wherever she was posted to until she got used to herself and end up having my mother stay with me for 3 whole months. Hahaha...not that I am complaining (the place which I got posted to is seriously a dead-end) but I used to be so proud of my independence and wished that I could stay away from my family a bit. :)

In the end, having my mom with me for the three whole months made me think of how much my family really do love me. For fear of my safety, my mother who is approaching 60 decided to leave my dad to fend for himself and come live with me. The truth is, if anything had happened in those 3 months, my mom wouldn't be of much help. But the idea of her wanting to protect me from harm, is just priceless.

I seriously regret having to hurt their feelings just so that I could feel a bit happier. I've learnt my lesson. Rebellion will not last. At the end of the day, it is your family whom you will fall back to. However much you disagree with their points of view, you would have to admit that they see things clearer.

Thank you all who have made me see my ways. I promise that I will try not to hurt my parents' feelings after this. Ashley, you gotta remind me, ok? Haha...take care y'all.

m back..kinda

2008-10-21T19:15:00.003+08:00

I can't believe it! I have been working as a teacher for 3 months+!! Sorry for not updating but I do not have internet connection. I used to have for a while but I am returning the broadband modem to the owner.
So much has happened that I don't know where to start. Well, if you want to know, wait til the school holidays before you check this page again la. Hahaha...happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari raya!!

Grateful...maybe not

2008-08-23T17:15:00.005+08:00

After reading my friends' recount of the places that they have been sent to: Sabah and Sarawak, I truly feel ashamed of myself. Yes, I thank the greater power for placing me in Selangor. Yes, I thank the greater power for placing me in a "town". Yes, I thank the greater power that I have all the basic necessities and amenities. I am grateful that I have 24 hours' electric supply and endless supply of pipe water. I thank my friends who have been sent to nowhereland for reminding me of all the things that I should be thankful about.

I scoffed at an inspirational e-mail which I got which goes something like "for every 100 reasons there is that makes you cry, think of 1000 reasons to make you smile". To me, by the 10th reason to make me cry, I would have been suicidal already! Often, I forget about all the things that I should be grateful of and dwell on the things that I dislike about life. I suppose it happens to most people. We almost always need to lose "it" before we we realize the importance and significance of "it" in our lives.

~Sigh~

Isn't it just a drag to be a human? I look at Charlie and Baby and Hunter and I think their only concern was whether there was food and whether I was home to protect them from the "big, bad man" of the house. Haha...

Look at the silly grin on his face! =P

My dirty huge elephant

2008-08-21T20:14:00.004+08:00

Apparently, my hyper-ness is too much for my dirty elephant! Haha...that's Brian by the way. ;P

Go mandi la you! :P

Teacher of monkeys

2008-08-21T18:11:00.004+08:00

Dear all,
I have finally settled down in a small chinese school in a small town an hour plus' drive away from my house. I was a little lost at first because the headmistress said that there was no vacancy in that school...hmm...it was the first time that I actually heard that a school didn't have vacancy. I mean, why would the education department send me there if there was no vacancy, right? So, anyway whatever it was, I am staying put in that school and teaching BM, English, PJK and Seni! Foowee!! I had expected to teach PJK and Seni, but never in my mind was I expecting to teach BM! Haha...surprisingly, it is now my favourite subject to teach because the kids can converse and understand the language better than English!

Haha...so anyway, instead of travelling daily for an hour and a half, I have decided to stay in that God-forsaken place. It is convenient although I wouldn't have a life there. Anyway, if I continue staying at home with my family, I wouldn't have much of a life still, so not much of a difference. The people there are super friendly and helpful. It is almost as though the only excitement that they have for the day is to find out what you need and what you did! Haha...

I suppose the only thing that I didn't like too much about the place is that the people live within their community only. There is no need for them to learn BM or English other than as subjects in school because they don't communicate with people outside their community, except for maybe to their Indonesian maids.

Anyway, I have already turned jaded after teaching for barely 2 weeks. Hehe..dun blame me la...it is to ensure that I don't go cuckoo by the end of the year. I teach as best as I could, if the kids still don't know their ABCs, it's either they don't want to learn or they are slow. Muahahaha...I hope the slow ones catch up soon and those who don't want to learn leave my life in peace! Haha...

Ok, I think I'm bullshitting already. My apologies, I just drank a cup of coffee kau kau...hyper. Gonna go jump around like a monkey now! Wooo-heeeeeeeeeeeee!

Posting, posting, posted...

2008-07-27T19:54:00.002+08:00

It is final. We have been posted to the respective states. It still seems surreal to me. It was just in the previous post that I said we haven't been posted yet. Good thing I haven't started breaking my back to redecorate my room! Well, I am very lucky that I got Selangor but I could still be posted to places an hour and a half away! Many of my friends got posted to Sabah...it is a shock to many as all of us only had a week plus' notice; and moving to Sabah and Sarawak is not like moving down the street. With the date of reporting and the convocation date only a few days apart, those who have been posted to Sabah are in a dilemma. The way the things work in the government is so unclear that rumours are flying around faster than you can type "rumours"!

~Sigh~

I don't know what and how to console my dear dear friends who have been posted so far away. I suppose it would be seen as an adventure if the government had given us enough time to digest the news. Perhaps they should have told the teacher trainees where they would be posted to once they graduate? Or they should have told us three months in advance? Whatever it is, they should have had a better option than just to pop the order to the trainees so few days ahead.

Whatever it is, I'm sure the 73 of us would do our lecturers in Maktab proud for doing our best to guide our youngsters to be good citizens. I think all of us have truly felt and practised the magic of tolerance and respect in the multicultural environment that we were in for the past 6 years. Here's hoping for a better future because of us! =)

"Berkhidmat untuk negara" no matter where we get and no matter who our pupils are...

No longer a ping-pong ball

2008-07-21T18:12:00.002+08:00

Hello everybody!

I finally got a room to myself. My elder sister and her husband have moved into their new house and my eldest sister and her family have returned to Singapore after a short visit. Muahahaha...I am so excited at the thought of being able to throw away all the "antiques" in the room that I can hardly wait to start work! From tomorrow onwards, when the mattress that Sean wee-weed in dries, I am going to finally be able to remove the bedframe that is my parents' wedding present from my uncle. Not that I don't appreciate the history...but I just can't wait to get rid of the things in my room. Yahoo!

I just hope that I don't get posted to a far off place where I am only able to return to my house once a year once I start making the room truly mine. Since we have not received our posting yet, I have been planning to make use of the time and repaint the room besides redecorating. Haha..hope fate is not that cruel to us!

Well, here's hoping that all the TEYL Cohort 1 will savour the holidays and get the posting place of their choice. Cheerios and miss you all! (Even you, Adilah and Azee...say I'm fat... =( ) hehe...

I am 50 goin on 24!

2008-07-13T21:34:00.004+08:00

Weeks at home have added a few unwanted kilograms onto my already fat body. Yup, life is tough for the glutton with a too loving mother and an efficient maid. The situation was made worse when people seem to have the urge to tell me that I have put on weight after not meeting for some time. Hey, didn't your mama teach you not to say anything if you don't have anything nice to say? Telling people that they have put on weight is under the category of "not nice", ok? I was cursing and swearing about the person who made my days ahead gloomy when my skinny sister laughed at my anger. Wtf? I believe in karma...may those skinny people who laugh at a fat person die obese or put on lots and lots of weight after giving birth to children!! Muahahaha...

So anyway, I noticed that my mother who is approaching 60 was still making an effort to look good and do things that make her feel and look good. Compare that to me who is only 24 but look and feel like a woman 50 years older. I was devastated. I haven't even started enjoying my life as a teenager or a vibrant 20 something and I am already ancient. I kid myself about being in the teaching profession was the reason I look and feel like a mothe rof 30 children, but the fact is, I have just not been LIVING like my age!

I have been conservative my whole life. My only attempt at wanting to follow the fashion and wear a spaghetti strap top for shopping was frowned upon by my father. And that was it...I never did try to wear anything that is considered fashionable or acceptable to a young lady after that. Haha..not that I am blaming my father; my yoyo weight did not help either.

So, today I experimented with my boundaries. I bought an orangey halter top last year for my sister in Australia but it was too big for her. I have kept it with my growing pile of clothes that I hoped to wear someday because they are either sleeveless or too tight for me just now. So, I've decided to live a little today and wore the said orangey top out on my date with Brian.

It took a lot of Dutch courage. Haha...I had to get a boost from coffee and whiskey. Nah, just kidding. But it did feel weird wearing something that bares your shoulders when you are out in public. I think I shocked my maid who has never seen my shoulders! Muahahaha...

Although I felt uneasy at first because it is SO not my style, it made me feel good, overall. I felt that I somehow fit in the "young" crowd in KL. And I was finally wearing clothes that I longed to wear but never dared not fear of being laughed at. Surprisingly (or thankfully) no one made the attempt to laugh at a fat girl who's trying to wear skimpy clothes! And no one looked twice either, which is good! It means that there are more (ugly) girls wearing ugly clothes in Malaysia! Haha...Hmmm...or maybe there are just too many old aunties in KL trying to look young by wearing so not age-appropriate clothes for the KL youngsters to care anymore? Hmmmmmmmmm....

Anyway, my mom was also shocked by my "sudden change" as she could not recognize me when I came home. I don't know, it may sound stupid to you, but wearing that top made me feel refreshed, rejuvenated, reborn! Haha...it may be another few months, weeks or days before I may try to attempt to live my age, but at least I am trying to do some stuff before I die!

Well, laugh at my flabby arms if you want to but I felt like a million dollars when Brian took this photo of me! Ahh..the power of being loved. :P

Bangkok Shopping Tips

2008-07-09T14:31:00.005+08:00

Dear friends,

Sorry for another late post. The caged bird got to go Bangkok with her mother and her friend for 6 days at the end of last month. Between the Singapore trip, the moving back home, the wallowing in self-pity and the trip, I have had the busiest time! So, anyway, before I forget the details of the Bangkok trip, let me give you (and myself) some tips to having an affordable and enjoyable shopping trip to Bangkok.

1. Get cheap air tickets

- My mom and I had decided to go to Bangkok since last year. We booked the AirAsia tickets last November for only RM 6. Of course airport tax and fuel surcharge and what-nots came up to RM 270 per person...but the RM 270 is for a two way ticket. When I thought I couldn't go with my mom last April, I had wanted to book the same flights for my sis (as the tickets are non-transferable) and it would have cost us RM 600++. So, book the tickets early!

2. Travel by taxi (even to and from the airport)

- Yup, most of us would think that taking the tuk-tuk would be cheaper, but in actual fact, the taxi is often the cheaper option. The Thai taxis are almost all very comfortable and trustworthy. The starting price is at 35 baht which is about RM 3.50. A helpful fellow Malaysian told me to go to the 4th floor of the airport (the departure hall) and take a taxi from there. This is because most taxis at the departure hall are waiting for customers to go back to the city and would charge slightly cheaper and according to the meter compared to the ones waiting at the arrival hall (which I read somewhere on the internet that you have to buy tickets or coupons to board). Maybe those taxis waiting at the arrival hall are those limousines or minivans (?). Don't bother asking for directions from the officers in the airport because they will direct you to the coupon-ed taxis. Just go to the 4th floor and walk out of the airport. You will see lots of taxis waiting there. The taxi fare from the airport to the city inclusive of toll is about 200-250 baht. The taxi fare from the city to airport might set you back at between 300 to 500 baht because most taxis do not want to go there.

Taking the metered taxis around the city from shopping mall to shopping mall will be less than 100 baht at all times. The tuk-tuk will charge you at least 50 baht per person even for short distances. Don't be lured by touts who charge 10 baht per person to any shopping malls because they will first drive you to jewellery or silk factories that will give them coupons and benefits for bringing in customers. Always, ALWAYS, flag down taxis with a red light on as this will signal that they are using the meter and also that they are available.

3. Get a hotel near the shopping area

- My father's friend recommended Bangkok Palace. We got a Deluxe Room which is about RM 250 per night. But you can actually get it cheaper over the internet. The hotel is only a 10 minutes walk to the Pratunam shopping district where we did most of our shopping.

4. Exercise

- This is to prep you up for a lot of walking in Bangkok. Bangkok utilizes its spaces so well that a shopping mall half the size of MidValley Megamall may have up to 3000 stalls/shops. And they have many, many malls in concentrated areas.

5. Plan to spend a weekend there

- The Chatuchak or Jatujak Weekend Market is a must-go for all! From pets to kitchen ware to toys, you name it, they have it! But get there early (preferably Saturday morning) to avoid the afternoon crowd and the price hike by some of the sellers.

6. Bring lots of money

- Shopaholics will die happily there! You have so much to choose from that no wonder it is a shopping haven if not THE shopping haven in South East Asia. The things are even cheaper than the things in China! And the sellers are not so rude too!

So, a summary of the places that I went to:

- I booked an 10 o'clock flight so that by the time we reached the city, it would be just nice to check into the hotel at 2. After a short rest, we went to Pratunam market. Pratunam area is a wholesale area. They have stuffy backlanes and dark alleys where tiny shops and stalls line the way selling mostly clothes. The market is sectioned so you will find clothes and only clothes in one area, tailors in another area, and shoes and bags and accessories in another area. Don't be fooled by the prices there though. Not so organized environment does not mean that they sell their goods at the lowest prices. If you are looking for things at a reasonable price and a more comfortable shopping experience there is a small shopping centre called Indra right next to the Pratunam market. You will find a food court there too.

- The second day, we went to the city. Bangkok authorities are very forward thinking in that they have a walkway called the Skywalk which stretches at least 4 kms in the directions that the Skytrain goes and connects ALL major shopping complexes in the city! The shopping complexes in the city are for those who are looking for more high-end products such as Jimmy Choo (ironic that he does not own an exclusive shop here), Ferragamo, Coach etc etc. Although you may not want to buy any of these things, it is worth a walk. Of course, being in the city we also went to the famed four-faced buddha in front of another shopping complex to offer some very expensive flowers. My advice, the Buddha will know your sincerity even if you don't offer the flowers sold at exorbitant prices outside.

The best thing about these seemingly expensive shopping malls is that they have huge supermarket and they sell so many different brands of things from so many countries that you would just wonder why you were so impressed by the things they have in Cold Storage at the Gardens. And they sell the things at reasonable prices too. The aunty bought a bag of 1kg glutinous rice (don't ask me why) and 2 guavas for less than RM 6!! The food court there may cost a bit more though.

Since we were not very interested in high-end products, we walked to a shopping mall called MBK (Moh Boon Krong or something like that). It is similar to Times Square but has more stalls in a smaller area. Things there are quite reasonably priced.

- On the third day, the aunty and I went to Pratunam area again but to a shopping mall called Platunum Mall. It is also a wholesale area but you can buy things separately or mix things up and get the wholesale price. Very worth the visit. Too bad I went with the Aunty who did not look very interested in the things that I was looking at and made me feel guilty for dragging her along for almost 4 hours before we sat down to have something to eat. (Shopaholics would understand the special energy that flows through their body when they see lots of good stuff at low prices that they do not need to sit, go to the toilet or eat =P)

At night, we went to a touristy area at the other side of the town called Suan Lum Night Market. If you are looking for the touristy stuff, you can go there from 6 p.m. til daybreak. But as in all touristy area, this place sells things at a high price and it is up to you to slash the price. I won't recommend that place though...

- On the fourth day, which is a Saturday, we went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. They open from 8am to 6pm only on Saturdays and Sundays (GMT +7). You can spend the whole day and all your money there. Shirts as cheap as RM 5 or 50 baht and shorts of good quality only at 100 baht! CRAZZEEEEEE!!!

- Mom, Aunty and I went to Indra Mall again on Sunday because we didn't want to go too far and because I didn't want to (couldn't) buy anything anymore because our bags were full to the brim and might be overweight! Haha...imagine, I only brought 3 change of shirts and a jeans to Bangkok and my bag was filled with nearly 40 pieces of clothings and 5 pairs of sandals on the trip home!

- On the last day, book an afternoon flight so that you can do some last minute packing and leave for the airport at around the check out time. The airport's name is Suvarnabhumi but pronounced as SuwarnaPUNG.

I took some photos of the stuff that I got but, you know me...I hate to upload photos, so maybe in the distant future, I might post them here. Hehehe...have fun!

Golden Jail Bird

2008-06-24T18:26:00.004+08:00

Hello everybody! Sorry for having not posted anything for quite some time. I have been officially "captured" and back in my "golden cage" (refer to my analogy of a chick who has learnt to fly and stuck in nest...my perspective of the nest has since changed to a cage). It was an eventuality actually but I am angry because I was dragged home 3 days earlier than I planned. My father gave me the order to return home when I disappointed him by returning to Cheras the moment we came back from Singapore. I didn't mean to disappoint him - I had just wanted to have my freedom and my own room for a little while more. Is that a crime? Apparently, it is a crime in my family law.

The transition from having my own room in a rented room to not having my own "permanent" room has been horrible. For the first few days, I resolved to sleep near Charlie's cage in the living room. But my mom who sensed my unhappiness had kept coming out to check on me in the middle of the night (and anyway, the living room is half of her bedroom). So, after 2 late nights in the living room, I moved temporarily into my grandmother's room. I am still unhappy with the arrangements, what with my clothes are in bags and my newly washed clothes back in the room that I have no access to AND the fact that I cannot find many of my things which are all in bags and arranged clumsily in the living room!

My attempts to escape from the "cage" by re-reading the Harry Potter series (ooh, the last book makes more sense to me now) and by going out to KL on my own have received comments and criticisms too. The worst part is that I could not even o out for drinks in the mamak stall with Brian! My parents are seriously driving me crazy! Their determination to lock me up in the house and my resistance to relinquish my freedom has resulted in a cold-war of some sort. Yes, I love them and I know what they are doing is a way of showing their love towards me. But enough is enough. Wasn't it true that children learn to be stronger when they fall? If they keep locking me up and keep ushering me towards what they want me to do, when will I get the chance to learn? When they pass on to the next world??

Do I sound like an ungrateful brat? Someone I spoke to did say that...Well, how would you feel if you were in my situation? I am truly running out of patience. HELP!

Practising to be a babysitter

2008-06-10T17:30:00.004+08:00

Hello everybody...greetings from Singapore! Yup, I've been exported to our neighhbouring country along with my mom to be temporary babysitters/maid. It was just a phone call on Saturday afternoon and less than 24 hours later, my mom and I were on our way to the rescue.

Having helped my sister take care of her elder son for a day and a half almost all by myself (my mom accidentally had some sweet stuff to eat and was tired the whole day), I cannot imagine how a mother can live a normal life! What more a working mother! I think I learnt to look at a mother's life from a different perspective after watching this reality tv show called "Crash Test Mommy" on Discovery Home and Health. One thing I've learnt is that your house can never be as clean or as tidy as you wish it to be when you have kids (unless of course you have a maid to clean up the mess the whole time).

Another thing is that children are so full of energy that you someties wish that you could change their batteries from Energizer to some imitation brand batteries! I was worn out by the end of the first day. And Sean is already much easier to take care of these days!

Well, I got to go now. I think my charge has awaken from his nap. Haha..wish me luck! =)

Supposedly photo-filled post about Redang

2008-06-03T20:41:00.004+08:00

Ok, so I finally got the time to go and get these photos from Woon who lives downstairs. Hehe...yup, I am still in denial and living in Cheras. I was just talking to her just now and we agreed that we will be living with our families again, cooped up like we used to be once we get posted. *Cross our fingers* Hope that we still may have our social life once we are back at home. Thinking now, most of my classmates are either first-borns or the youngest. The first-borns set a precedent to their younger siblings - still living at home with mom and dad, and probably still have a curfew at the age of 24; and the youngest (like myself) well, our parents just don't want to let go of their youngest "baby" so soon because they have no other children to hang on to by now.

Hmm..I am guilt-ridden. I miss my family and wish I could spend more time with my mom because she is so lonely. On the other hand, I can't give up my freedom - just yet. Besides, I don't have a room to myself at home still. It's not like I'm trying to get rid of my sister but now that her husband works the night shift, it means that I could not even use what used to be my room too in the afternoons! Ahh..the dilemma of a young chick who has somewhat learnt to fly but is still stuck (or going to be stuck) in the nest for the next few years!

Well, we all have our problems. But, let us not dwell too much into it and enjoy these wacky photos my friends and I took in Redang. You can actually rent the cameras with water-proof casings at the reception. And it's quite cheap too. RM 35 for 50 photos, Rm 45 for 80 photos and RM 60 for 130 photos. They also give you a CD and a free folder of professionally taken photos of the underwater world.

*Ok, I've tried uploading the photos so many times and failed that I give up! So, no photos this time. Wait for the next post or when I have a better internet connection. =)

I like...

2008-06-02T13:19:00.005+08:00

I found this remarkable singer when I was watching a YouTube clip of my ex-schoolmate playing the guitar. Sorry, Luke (don't think you will read this, but anyway...) but I prefer this singer's videoclips to yours. Haha...So, people, download this! It's seriously great stuff! Enjoy!

Redang, Kuala Terengganu, Dungun Day 3

2008-05-26T11:12:00.006+08:00

Ok, back in Redang...the third day we didn't do much. Brian and I decided to go take photographs and just walk around after breakfast. Laguna Beach Resort is really a nice place, I bet the price is nice too. =P

Laguna Beach Resort...nice.

Here is the famous MoMoCha Cafe. I never did finish watching the movie because I dislike Sammi Cheng's acting (although the movies that she was in all have rather nice plot).

A couple of jumping photos before we left:

We left Redang Island at around 9:30 a.m. in a speedboat which took us only half an hour to reach the mainland. Compare that to an almost 2 hour journey to reach Redang Island on the ferry! Brian's GPS showed that the speedboat was only going at 60km/hour. It was a rather bumpy ride but I enjoyed every moment of it. MeiJu didn't know that sitting at the front of the boat meant that it would be a bumpier ride and happily sat across from Brian and I. Haha...she was "faint boat" for a while (haha..classic translation from YiLoon to mean sea sick).

Meiju feeling "faint boat"

What is a journey to Redang without souvenirs? We went on a shopping spree at the jetty. Advice: Never buy things on the island itself because it would cost more. MeiJu and I bought a cuddly turtle each.

On the way to Woon's house in Dungun, we stopped by in Kuala Terengganu for lunch. We had steamed lekors (which didn't taste too good).

On the way to Dungun from Kuala Terengganu, we stopped by one of the many stalls by the roadside to buy satar. It tastes a little like otak-otak but it has some glutinous rice and very spicy chilli padi in it. We also bought corns. At the stalls, I wanted to try air nira kelapa which I've not heard of and bought a bottle. MeiJu warned me that its taste needs some getting used to. The moment I opened the bottle, I regretted my purchase. It smelled like the ammonia stuff hairstylists put on your head when you go for a perm. Drinking the air nira wasn't too bad. It just leaves a weird after taste. I gave the bottle to SinYuan who seemed to enjoy it when we stopped at Rantau Abang beach.

Satar

Corn, satar and air nira at Rantau Abang

After that it was an hour journey to Woon's house. We settled in and took a rest before going out for dinner with Woon's family at a Chinese restaurant. You would think that we would have stopped eating after dinner, but no, we went on to eat lekor and drink fruit juice for supper. Oohh..and nangka juice is not as bad as it sounds. It is actually very good. Do try it if you find a stall which sells it. It was only after that that we said enough and went to Woon's house for a good night's rest. Talk about eating non-stop!

D'uh...slow reaction

2008-05-24T17:17:00.003+08:00

Ok, need to move away from the Redang topic for a while to let me digest a "sudden" realization... I am graduating and my friends are going to be everywhere after this week.

The reality FINALLY hit me. No wonder my friends were crying their eyes out on the day of our final paper! I just realised that I won't be able to meet my friends whenever I like after this week when I went to SiawHui's house to get some photos from her, MeiJu and SinYuan. No, I didn't feel it when I went in the house and saw that they have already packed their stuff. I still didn't feel it when I went into their almost empty room to get the photographs. I only felt the loss as I was leaving. Slow right?

As we were driving away, I tearily told Brian that I would no longer be able to just send them a message to ask them to go for karaoke or a drink after this. Of which Brian retorted by asking "do you ever?". It doesn't really matter if I did or didn't...it's just that the thought of being able to do that in the past was comforting enough. Now, whenever we think of each other, we would be too far away to meet up.

And as Vilo and Melwin kept writing about, 6 years is not a short time. I didn't cry in my primary years because most of my closer friends went to the same secondary school as I did. I didn't cry at the end of the secondary school years because I only had a few friends and I still keep in touch with them when we are back in Rawang. I promised myself to not to cry this time around, but it is just too much. Too many bitter and sweet and funny and sad and angry and countless indescribable emotions were shared with these bunch of crazy maniacs throughout the 6 years.

SIGH~~ many of my friends have already returned to their hometowns by the time this realization hit me. Another week or two and we will be posted to God-knows-where. For those who are still in KL, please, do give me a ring or send me a message and we WILL meet up.

Missing some of you badly already... =(

Redang Day 2

2008-05-23T10:30:00.004+08:00

The 2nd day in Redang cannot be just narrated with words. You have to look at the photos, which of course has not been uploaded yet. Hehe...I will, I will...

So anyway, the snorkelling session for the 2nd day started at 9 a.m. We headed off to the marine park for this session. I was a little disappointed with the marine park condition as there are not many live corals there anymore. Too many tourists shh shhing there perhaps? Hehe...but Brian and I had fun looking at swordfish swimming among snorkellers who did not notice that the fish was around them because they kept looking down instead of near the surface where this fish is normally found.

After about an hour, we headed back to Redang Beach Resort for lunch. Brian left the lifevest that we rented on a bench at the beach while we went snorkelling (Oh, I didn't mention that Brian can float?). When we came to take it, someone had mistakenly taken the lifevest and left his own, which is boldly marked BRBR for Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. Grrr...talk about being blur! So, after asking the resort people for advice of what to do next, we took the much smaller vest and headed back. On the way back to the hotel, the "captain" of the boat suddenly stopped his engine in the middle of nowhere. We thought that there was something wrong with the boat when one person pointed into the sea and said "turtle"! Everyone rushed to one side of the boat to take a look that the boat was not balanced for a while. Haha...great luck that we could see turtle in the clear waters though.

About Brian floating, I believe his father has done a great job at training his children to be good swimmers since they were young. Brian and his sister can float in deep waters without the need of a life jacket. FuSeng, who is a capable swimmer himself tried to imitate Brian's "floating style" insead of treading water (because it is very tiring treading water for a long time), nearly drowned. Hahaha...Brian just has to kick occasionally to stay afloat. I tried that too but in a faster pace and I too nearly drowned (all the swimming lessons gone to waste as I did not think of treading when I was panicking).

After a good lunch, Brian and I went snorkelling in the areas that he missed out the day before. We saw three baby sharks and many many other beautiful fishes. After that, we went snorkelling in another spot in the deep sea. The spot on the second day is more beautiful than the place where we snorkelled on the first day. There were many corals but not too many fishes. Brian dove a couple of times to collect rubbish from the seabed. He attached them to the back of my life jacket which fell off during my attempt to do "stunts" and take underwater photographs. Haha...

A full day out in the sun. We headed back to Redang Beach Resort and went to the baby-shark-infested area. Hehe...we took a couple of photos and went back to clean up. Dinner that night was not good. SiawHui's skin has begun to react to the sunblock that she is allergic to. The girls had to take her to see a doctor. Brian dragged me to the beach for a moon-tan and I insisted on buying a can of beer. While happily sipping on the beer, Brian came up with a box and voila! a diamond ring for the full second year anniversary of our real date. Awww...is the diamond ring real? Well, that's for me to know and for you to wonder! ;)

Sunburnt but happy.

Diamond ring. Real McCoy or fake?

Love you sweetheart!

Redang Day 1

2008-05-22T12:25:00.005+08:00

So, right after our final paper, when everyone (almost everyone) cried their eyes out, 6 chinese girls were gleefully laughing away at the excitement of going to Redang some time very soon. Yup, the 6 girls were myself, Woon, HwaCheat, Meiju, SinYuan and Siaw Hui. As our peers bid tearful goodbyes, we were smiling and saying "see you on Wednesday!!". Haha...

Brian, FuSeng, Woon and I started our journey from Cheras at 11 p.m. Tuesday night, the others were taking a flight straight to Kuala Terengganu the next morning. So anyway, we left Cheras at 11 p.m. and reached FuSeng's house in Dungun at 4 a.m. That was Brian driving after a full day's work. So, we took a nap at FuSeng's house and left for Kuala Terengganu at 6 a.m. because we didn't know the way to the Merang Jetty. I valiantly fought sleepiness from KL to Dungun because I know how drowsy it would make the driver feel if all the passengers in the car were asleep but I could fight it off no longer and left Brian to fight fatigue on his own from Dungun to Kuala Terengganu (of which I got an earful of complaint after that). The bus was crawling and we only reached the jetty at 9a.m., the same time as SiawHui and the gang arrived.

I napped again on the ferry and got another earful of complaint from Brian because having been knocked out meant that he had to stay awake to watch over our belongings. Hmmm...

OOh...the fun part about Redang jetty is that it is a mobile one! And it stops halfway so you would have to step into water to get to the hotel! Fun right? Good thing Woon told us or we would be all wet in our jeans!

We stayed at Redang Beach Resort which is a very nice place at a very reasonable price of RM 300 per person. The way the cafeteria is runned reminds me of a camp site. You know, bread available all day, Meal time from what time to what time, self-service and clean up after your own mess kind of thing. But the food was superb. So, after munching on a bit of bread and attending a short briefing, we checked in into our rooms and prepared to go for our first snorkelling session.

Having an energy-giving ice-cream before going for a snorkel.

Snorkelling was fun. Hmm..the photos of the snorkelling session are not in the computer yet. I'll upload them in a post later. After about an hour of snorkelling, we went back, took a rest and had BBQ dinner. Yum yum...Brian threw a tantrum because of lack of sleep that day. Haha...but all is well during dinner after he had a nap after the snorkelling session while I went snorkelling at the beach with FuSeng, Woon, MeiJu and YiLoon. Hehe... I may sound like a horrible girlfriend but you spend the amount of money to have fun, right? After all, he was cranky because of lack of sleep ma, so let him sleep la while I have fun for the both of us. :P Love you, sweetheart!

Before getting a sun tan, on our way to the deep-sea snorkelling spot.

The location for our snorkelling activity that day. Beautiful place. Too bad my camera couldn't capture the different shades of blue and green of the water.

Graduation dinner 2008

2008-05-21T11:11:00.006+08:00

Dear Ashley, this is an update for you. Hehe...

I just came back from Terengganu with a stomachache that lasted for 1 week. So this is an update of something that happened way before...even before the trip to Terengganu. Yup, it is the night of our graduation dinner. The night which many have spent hundreds to dress up and to attend. The night which caused so much heartaches and arguments between the "committee".

Actually, it was a rather successful night considering that many did not turn up and that there were so many dramas involved prior to the night. Whatever happened, everyone breathed a breath of relief once it was over. It was not a night of crying or sadness for most of us because we still had to sit for an exam on the following Monday, and anyway who wants to have mascara run down in two black streams? Haha...

It was lucky that DD and Esun managed to scrape up with something that looks like a door gift with the limited funds that they have. But the magazine looks fabulous. No doubt about that. And I got an award : Einstein Award. Haha...that's for being the one of the more notable "brains" in the cohort. Nah...they practically gave awards to everyone, so nothing to be too proud of.

The door gift that is the magazine and some ja-jans.

The highlight of the night must be that we hadto stand for almost ten minutes singing the national song, the UM song, the IPIK song, and Kami Guru Malaysia! Haha...I thought it was awkward but fun because we would not have much chance to sing these songs after graduation. But then it was Awkward with a capital A.

Having to sing patriotic songs before the dinner. Weird.

The food was all right considering it is hotel food. I had a taste of heaven with the payassam...Yum yum...There were actually two bands performing while we pigged out. Friday's was actually quite good compared to the band that jarrod was in. Unfortunately, not many paid attention to either of the bands because we were famished. The dinner was scheduled to start at 8 but Malaysian timing meant that we could only start eating at almost 9:15p.m.

The buffet food that I took before wolfing it down.

After eating, most people were busy taking photographs with each other rather than to pay attention to the bands or to the games that or award-giving ceremony at the front of the ball room. Haha..tough luck la that our cohort isn't too into these kinds of things. Leave us be in a room with soft music playing and lots of cameras and we are happy. The initial plan was to have soft music and maybe a band playing at the end, which would have saved us a lot of money but...

Well, cool and dampening responses or not, here are some of the many photographs I took that night...

Almost everyone important in my Uni life in the photo. Meiju, HwaCheat and Woon are missing.

Sempat lagi smile in this random photo.

Look at the butterflies syuck to the eyelashes. Classic. :)

With the Bollywood beauties. :)

Rawang's historical moment

2008-04-30T10:47:00.006+08:00

Last Friday may have been a "historical" moment in the political scene in Rawang. My father's Chinese association had invited the newly-appointed wakil rakyat and the former wakil rakyat to its 75th anniversary. And all the VIPs sat in the same table. I had actually taken photos of them but the photos are in my other computer.

So anyway, everyone seated at the VIP table were feeling a little awkward, I suppose. But like all dinner functions, everyone just put on a smile and pretend as though they were long-lost friends. And then came the time for speeches. As the president, my father started the speech session with a speech that I think(I wasn't listening to the entire speech :P) is telling the two political party to work together for the good of the rakyat. And then it was the Organizing chairman's speech. He is a stauch supporter of MCA but he didn't touch any political issues, merely reporting the figures and support that he received for the celebration etc. (Ooh...I didn't know that some people are seriously thick-skinned and would actually pull a Rudy-JJ stunt of inviting themselves to functions!!)

After that, it was time for the politicians' speech. Why did my father invite the former wakil rakyat, you might ask. Well, I think it's because the former wakil rakyat had been quite helpful to my father's association and anyway, my father's association is not a political one. So,inviting him is a gesture of appreciation for his generosity for helping the association and the people for so many years. And it is only right to invite the new wakil rakyat.

So anyway, the former wakil rakyat started his speech well, telling of his party's defeat and that he is no longer a YB but an ordinary citizen like us with a lot of free time on his hands. And then he turned the SPEECH podium into a debate podium and bombarded the new wakil with a lot of questions about his former mega projects that have stalled and the allocation of funds that he procured from the federal government during his time. And you could see the shaking of heads and smiles of disbelief in many of the audience's faces. And when I turned to the new wakil rakyat, her head was down as she was busy eating her bowl of shark's fin soup. SIGH~~~

After the former wakil rakyat's speech, the new wakil rakyat, a young woman of 27 years, was invited to give a speech. She had a piece of paper with her as well (oh, the former wakil rakyat's speech was written by a reporter but I don't think the list of questions was included because the reporter was very quiet and kept looking down and shake his head when the former wakil rakyat came to that part). I think she must have been an active member of the debate team in her school or speech. She hardly looked at the piece of paper that she brought on stage and she humbly accepted the former's "words of wisdom" that because she is still young, she has much to learn. And then, she calmly retorted the questions asked by the former by saying that she has already asked for a meeting of some sort with the former in the newspaper and personally to discuss all these issues because she knows that she is new to the place and does not know the place and people as well as the former. Whoa...TABIK, girl! For the time being, she's my new political idol, other than RPK (But RPK is not IN politics, is he?).

After her speech, her "superior", the representative of Selayang, was asked to give a speech. Ok, so I wasn't paying attention to the announcement because a fresh dish was served then. Anyway, I didn't hear his name and when I turned to isten to the speech, I saw a man with a very red face, swishing his hand from right to left and speaking in monosyllables. My first thought was "what the...why is the drunk on stage??" and then I turned to mom with a scowl and asked who he was. My aunt turned and told me that he is English educated while my mom told me his name. And I was like...O.M.G! This man is THE man whose poems and articles are published all over his party's website? I looked again and he was still standing there swishing his hand from right to left and speaking in monosyllables. After a few times of swishing his hand but no words came out, he spoke in Cantonese and apologized for his lack of Mandarin knowledge and that he had tried to learn the language over the past month but that he is still unable to speak much. I felt so sorry for him! He seemed a little relieved after his apology and he continued his speech in English. I was trying hard to listen to his speech because I have read his articles and poems and I thought he would be a very eloquent speaker. Hmm...with the rising noise in the restaurant because many of the uncles and aunties couldn't be bothered with this English speaking alien, he was almost speaking to a handful of audience and as I turned 180 degrees to listen to him, he would focus on my table (and maybe me) when he turns to his left. After a few repetitions about inflation and dunno-what, I decided to go explore a gimmick from a bank with my aunt. I feel guilty for not listening to his entire speech, but the noise level was so high that you can't really hear his speech anyway.

Hmm...so anyway, the whole point of this blog post is that, Malaysia's political scene is getting more interesting these days. I still hope that my aspirations of being a political spokesperson for animals and plants would be fulfilled - it's just which party to join when the time comes that is the question. Oh, and of course, that learning more languages is always a good idea (better than swishing your hand in an unknown sign language :D).

The story of a toilet (and maybe children)

2008-04-25T10:00:00.005+08:00

The story of a toilet (and maybe children)

What's with guys and toilets? I don't get it. No, I am not talking about leaving the seat up. That is not an issue for me. The seat's up? Put it down before use lor...what's so difficult? I don't understand why girls like to nag about that though when there are MORE serious issues than that.

See, I share a toilet with three guys. Ok, so I can understand if they don't wash the toilet because I have the most free time. I can understand that they don't flush after peeing because they are trying to save water. I can understand that they smoke in the toilet, the smell will go away. I can understand that they throw the cigarette butts into the toilet because they don't want to burn the house down. I can even understand how they forget to turn off the water heater but turn off the water source that the heating element of the water heater (that Brian got for me, mind you) melted part of the plastic inside.

So, having tolerated all these nonsense, what am I fumed about?

Spraying everywhere.

Like, serious. For a few weeks I thought it was Woon's dog, Pluto who made the toilet stink. Can't blame me la, he did shh shh in the toilet a couple of times because he couldn't get out of the house. And once he shh shhed outside the toilet because someone was inside and then the floor mat outside the toilet was soaked in it. And I understand that no one bothered because their noses was stuffed that they couldn't smell the stench.

But hey, come on la...haven't these guys been toilet trained yet? It isn't enough that I wash the toilet every week or two weeks. I had to spray lots of water everywhere around the toilet and scrub it every time I go to the toilet now because someone couldn't aim properly? Damn it! Do they move around or dance while spraying?

Aim for the light, you idiot!

And you thought leaving the seat up is such a serious offense?

Bad Hair Day

2008-04-24T11:25:00.005+08:00

I did a stupid thing over the weekend...I permed my hair. Yeah...I got talked into it by my sister who wanted to perm her hair and I got excited because HwaCheat's hairstyle looked so cute on her. And not to mention, I felt like experimenting/rebelling with my hair, like how Woon did with hers. But you know what's the stupid-est thing with my hairstyle? Not many who knew me before I straightened my hair noticed it. Hahaha...why? Because my natural hair is curly. And in those days when the straight hair-style was In, I straightened it. And now that the straight hairstyle is Out, I spent 200 bucks to perm my hair so that I look like my old self. Stupid right?

HwaCheat looking cute with her new hairstyle...kawaii neh

Woon a.k.a Storm or any anime character...wild and cute at the same time

My hairstylist reassured me that I will get used to my look after a few days. But I turned to my mother and said, I don't feel weird about my "new" hairstyle because that's how I used to look after coming out of the shower! Of course, my curls weren't that aunty-ish and were a little flatter compared to the one that my hairstylist styled for me. Coming back to Cheras, my best friend Woon and her boyfriend noticed a change in me but could not point it out. And my aunty thought I did not dry my hair before meeting her that day. Hahahaha...

Sigh...the pursuit of fashion and beauty is truly a waste of time and money! I bet you would remember the times when big hair was in in the 1980s. Or the scary, over the top make up of the 1980s through 1990s. And some of you may remember the hiphop clothings...big top, skinny jeans or miniskirt. Urgh...thinking back and looking at old photos make me laugh til I faint. :)

Well, I don't have photos of my old self with long-hair untied. But here, look at this photo and imagine it on a slightly slimmer face and you'll see me 5 or 6 years ago. :P

Same hairstyle! That's me on the left and Vilo on the right. Hehehe..

Friend - - - ship

2008-04-18T11:53:00.008+08:00

Yes, we will soon be graduating (finally)! We can almost smell the bouquets of flowers and Ferrerro Rochers *hint, hint* and see the flashes of camera before our eyes. Haha...ok, so there is still the matter of a small, little itsy bitsy, tiny Future Studies examination between us and that figment of my imagination. But then, no harm in imagining and practising for the smiles of triumph on our graduation day, right?

Ahh...so much has happened in the last six years. The tears, the joys, the busy days, the bored til we grow mould days...It is truly hard to believe that we are all going to go our own ways soon! What's with the Vilo-Linesh-Melwin, SiawHui-SinYuan-MeiJu trios, and the Sophia-Dasha, Apai-Rina, Swing-Julia duos and the MeiLee, Zali, Luqman monos, and of course all our random cliques, we are finally going to have other people to gossip about and criticize! Hehehe...

It is sad in a way that I have not spoken to some of them for more than twenty sentences over the past 6 years. Not that I think they care coz many of them are not bothered about attending the graduation dinner or supporting any of our functions anyway. But then, you think about it again, the sad cases are these people. I understand why these people are not bothered to attend the functions and stuff - coz they have nothing to celebrate, nothing and no one to bid goodbye to - they've always been alone in their 6 years journey. I'm sure that they are more than glad that their lonely journey has finally ended.

But I digress, what I had in mind when I started writing this blog was to celebrate the friendships that I've gained in this journey. I was some sort of a loner when I was in secondary school. You know, the normal teenage angst thing and thinking that everything would be better if you died. The people who stuck by me all through the secondary years (and still is) is this fler and in those days this pretty lady:

Willie

Yoke Thing

Hmm..I went out of topic again. In my 6 years of Maktab-sation, my pillars of strength and hope have been these 3 clowns (haha..pretty girls la) and these bunch of maniacs (no, really - maniacs with a capital M). :P

The three clowns (pretty gals) - Vilo, Linesh and Melwin

The MANIACS - Woon, MeiJu, SiawHui, SinYuan and HwaCheat

Not to mention, I also found a slave sometime in my 4th year in Maktab, who would slog over my assignments too when my pressure is too great or would worry about me endlessly:

Brian when he's doing my assignments for me or worrying about me.

Brian when he's not worrying about me.

And of course there are the others whom I have had great joy being friends with:

TEYL Cohort One. Graduating class of 2008

6 years is not so easy to wipe out from one's minds. Despite the occasional "name-nesia", I bet many of you would be able to remember all those who were in your primary school class, your secondary school class even after all these years, right? What more of us in the Maktab. How can one forget another so easily? Hmm...I'm starting to miss bitching about someone from our cohort already...

O mother...my mother

2008-04-17T15:14:00.002+08:00

Yup...it's almost to the end of our journey and we have lots to plan these days. Plan for a trip to Woon's hometown this time, plan for the graduation dinner, plan for the not-too-distant future when we are going to be posted to God-knows-where...When there is so much planning to do, my mom, whom I know is very worried about me, kept nagging me to "don't care about the dinner la, what for?", "don't worry about the posting la, come home la" and "don't need to go for trips la, dangerous"; I doubt you will blame me for being a little angry. That is adding on to the fact that I've had nothing to eat since I woke up at 8 this morning and the grumpiness after the "graduation dinner meeting" that it was not a meeting at all!

*sigh* Mothers. You love and hate them at the same time. Well, maybe hate is too strong a word, but the feeling is indescribable. I love my mther, no doubt about that, but what she does and says infuriates me sometimes too. Take for example at times when I was talking about some serious issues that I have with her, she'd be half-listening and then talk about some errands that she wants you to run for her. But then again, she was a very good secret-keeper when I was young because she never listened to me, really.

Of all these times when I can barely stand her, I think again about how lucky I am to have a wonderful (although at times, funny and silly) mother. Hehe...she makes the darnest jokes sometimes with her "blur-ness". Aiyo....a jumble of thoughts. Too weary to think and analyse them at this point. Maybe I'll call my mother up and cheer her up a bit after raising my voice to her just now. Hmmm...