A scientist works in a ...

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. :)

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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

"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??
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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

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

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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...

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!

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!

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

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

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~

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

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... :)