Red hot chilli

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

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+?

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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

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

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!

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...

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

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?

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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

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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!