Locked and loaded

So I'm posted near home, well back home.

The school I'll be going to, a big challenge. A place where my abilities will be tested to the max perhaps. Pull no punches, throw everything even including the kitchen sink. People don't give KPLI graduates much credit. We have to work twice as hard, twice as good in order to be equally recognised. We were already being doubted even when we were still in the institute. Already facing accusations of wrongdoings that we did not do. We were already seen as failures and unwanted in the profession. We are nothing, just worthless bunch of thrash who are wannabe teachers. Back in the institute, we were despised due to us belonging to the 4 letter acronymed programme. Administrators, lecturers, the degree KIDS and etc. Basically it was us against the world.

I've been reading some stuff being said about us by the ijazah pendidikan graduates in the internet, and it is surprising and downheartening to see graduates having such shallow thinking. We are graduates too, albeit of different fields. But we do not have such narrow point of view. Perhaps it just shows that those kids doing their degrees at the institutes are not exposed and lack depth. One word of advice to you kids, grow up! (okay, two words.)


On a different front, while I appear to bash individuals in the ruling party and etc, I would not say I am pro-opposition. In fact, I think both sides can be such jokers, even those in the opposition. One side talks too much crap, and the other side questions too many stupid issues sometimes. Malaysian politics is a circus.

Untitled

I'll know where I'm gonna be posted this Saturday. I'm altogether nervous and excited!!! Right now, every single plans I have goes out the window. I need to know where I'm posted, before I start picking them up again. I made a wishlist for 2009 a couple of months ago, there will probably be changes to it, depending on my posting. I know 1 thing that's for sure, I need to get myself a new pair of casual/multirole shoes.

My Adio got stolen the day after I got back from my BTN course. Then there's Sudirman (not the late artiste) who lost his football boots. It is disappointing to know that this happened in a teacher training institute. We KPLI have been getting dissed and screwed now and then, but we don't steal stuff, especially not from fellow trainees. But these kids who enter the institute after secondary school, they need to get their sh*t right. So anyways, I'll definitely be getting a new pair of Adio. Their designs are very very cool. Not too fancy, not too cheapish... just great!

Be going off to Kota Kinabalu with the family later today.

A couple of days ago, I read an article on Malaysia Today. It was a satirical interview with our dearest Home Minister. It was clearly stated that it was just a satire, and a very funny one.

Today I read that the Minister concerned was angry with Malaysia Today about that.

“It is very irresponsible and the article misleads the people,” he said, adding that the article was written to make him look stupid.

A real mature grown up guy would have taken the mock interview lightly or at most, with a good sense of humour. That type of man would have responded in an intelligent manner or probably even crack a joke himself. I would have done that, definitely.

But that quote was the response from the minister. That's totally childish and made him sounded like a 6 year old crybaby being laughed at by a 3 year old girl.

Back in town

Gosh! The last time I posted was Raya. I guess this post is long overdue.

Well, I've just completed my training. I'm back home, bumming and being unproductive. Actually I am being quite productive. Ever since I got back, I've been sh*tting frequently everyday, beyond my usual output. I won't say I have diarrhoea because my droppings weren't the watery types that is associated with that sickness. I have been producing proper decent looking crap. Hmm, that was gross.

Anyhows, so I have been back for 4 days now. Strange but I am adjusting to life back home. I now have access to luxuries that did not exist back in my hostel. But at the same time, I am missing some things. I miss walking to the bathroom with my pail for my bath. I miss hanging out with Pang and Ig in their room, talking nonsense, discussing and debating, and watching our weekly selected drama series on Pang's television set (the only room with a television set). I miss my hostelmates, especially those on my floor. I miss my classmates. I really miss playing football in the evenings. Obviously there are a whole load of stuff that I am missing.

Well, that was the end of another chapter. Now I wait for my new adventure. I will be able to know my posting sometime before Christmas. Very excited! I am actually hoping to be posted in the interior. People would probably doubt that. But as long as I don't have to travel using rivers, I won't mind at all. I have been setting my mind about this during my last month in the institute. I am pumped up and ready to go. But my gut feeling tells me I might be disappointed when posting comes out. All I leave to God. He knows best. I've been told my family members (not my parents) to pray hard so that I will be posted nearby. So obviously I'm not praying for that, nor have I been praying for my wish to be sent to the interior. Oh well.

Oh, last month I went for a course, the Biro Tata Negara thingy. Very tempted to share what went on. But then I am bound by some Secrecy Act, and I would be risking alot if I spilled the beans LOL.

It's 5.10 in the morning. The Manchester United - Aalborg match is almost ending. I'm hungry. So I'm out!

Rendang Ketupat Satay

Woohoo! It's Raya!

Not that I celebrate it, well in a way I am.

Raya is the time when I look forward to enjoy awesome kickass homecooked Malay food.

My last Raya was disappointing. I only went to my neighbour's house. One house. Only one house. Hardly satisfied my cravings.

Anyway, this Raya will be a good one I hope. I'll be going to some friends' homes as well. But I will have to push back my visiting hours. Call of duty, transporter. My grandma, of all the days, wants to go to town and buy chicken (meat) tomorrow morning. Shortly after that, I need to drive my uncle to the airport. I received both these news after I woke up from my evening nap. I had an evening nap because I wanted to stay up for the United vs Aalborg match. It would be a small matter if Manchester United did not have their Champions League match scheduled for 2.30am, which is in another 30 minutes. This, is an important event for me, every United match. Back in Miri, I had to forget watching these early morning matches in order to conserve energy for classes etc. But well, people won't understand anyway.

I guess I'll always be deprived of sleep, holidays or not. Which brings us to another topic. I just completed a very hectic 3 months teaching practicum. Some people probably downplay the workload that trainee teachers have during that period. Well, screw you lah. Try doing a minimum 3 page lesson plan everyday, you will also add the preparation and creation of teaching aids to that. So yeah, screw you again. Sometimes I wish I could go somewhere else during my holidays besides back home. If only I had enough money that I could go somewhere else for my holidays. A place where I could just relax. Away from the phones. I admit I am being a little bit selfish here. But then again, I have yet to embark on such vacations and have never failed (almost never) to answer the call of duty (transporter etc). So I am only selfish in my thinking, but not my actions. Which still does not vindicate me. So what the heck.

Before I forget, here's wishing all my Muslim friends and relatives a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

So there I was...

thinking...in a way

Everybody has their wishlist. Things that we would like to have or own. So I am no different. I've thought of a list of things I'd like to get my hands on next year. Some if not most are stuff that were in my 2007 & 2008 list, but I could not afford them.

1. A new mobile phone - My cell has a screwed up display screen. I'll probably be aiming for a Sony Ericsson Xperia or a Nokia N96.

2. A new multimedia player - I would need to replace my ageing Creative Vision M. Top of the list is the iPod Touch, I guess I need to accept the fact that it is easier to find accessories for iPods compared to Creative.

3. A new pair of shoes - Adio, without a doubt!

4. A new pair of working shoes - whatever's thats decent and durable.

5. A new G-Shock for the more extreme conditions

6. A DSLR

7. Last but not least, I aim to get myself my own set of wheels by Christmas next year. It'll be the bestest Christmas gift I've ever gave myself! (pathetic kan?)

Anyway I'll be having my final week of practicum at the school where I'm at. Part of me can't wait to get over with all this. The mornings of waking up at 5.15am will be gone. But then I'll miss the kids. My lecturer mentor and guru pembimbing recommended that I go for the Guru Pelatih Cemerlang award. Which means that as a nominee, I have to prepare the perfect lesson plan and teaching aids almost everyday because the evaluation panel will come anytime unannounced. When my lecturer asked me if I'd want her to nominate me, I said no.

Yeah, I know. I'm stupid to reject the opportunity to spar with the best.

God bless

I

I was afraid. Afraid of old hurts. But I went on. I held my breath. Anticipating, almost welcoming the impending pain. It did not come. I did not feel it. I felt no pain. A smile. It came from the heart. The hurt is gone. The bitterness is absent. I was happy. I am at peace. Today I can say, that I am no more afraid.


September 15th, 2008

One Country, One Big Messed Up Country

There will be 2 parts in this post. If you want to read about politics, please....oh what the hell, just read the whole damn post.

First of all I would like to express my utter disgust regarding United's defeat at Anfield lastnight. I would have been frustrated of we played well and but not win. I would have been content if we played badly but still win. But to lose in the manner that we did lastnight, I am lost for words! Even John O'shea would have looked like a dazzling Zinedine Zidane if he had played.

Watching the lineup at the begining was mouthwatering. I had high hopes. I expected a lot. But my hopes died when Van Der Sar decided to be generous. It died a second time when Giggs was brought in instead of Fletcher or Nani (or even O'Shea!). The corpse of my hope was turned into ashes when Giggs in all his experience and wisdom decided to play the fool at place so near the goal. Finally, the ashes of my hope rested in pieces.

Okay now to the issue that I had originally intended to write about. There is a news in today's (Sunday) New Straits Times titled Police stop march for Orang Asli rights. Some weeks ago we saw certainly more than 150 Uitm scholars demonstrating, shouting and displaying banners that are ridiculous. I have nothing against Uitm. Only that particular group who happens to come from a particular ethnicity. Watching the protests or whatever they called it on television was sick. They acted like their very lives were threatened. They shouted with so much vigour and such. But when 150 natives just want to march peacefully in their colourful traditional to deliver a memorandum to the palace, the police did not issue a permit.

3 individuals were recently arrested under the ISA. The reasons for their arrests were absurd to say the least. I am not against ISA, I just believe it is a law that should not be misused. Now we all still remember a certain individual from Penang who stirred up anger among the Chinese community. I find that equally if not worse than what the 3 detained persons had commited. How come he only received 3 years suspension? Suspension means not being in prison or even house arrest.

WE ARE MANCHESTER UNITED

It's the big game against archrivals Liverpool tomorrow, a match every Liverpool and United fan will look for whenever the season fixture is released.

This post is also to promote a web-blog that my buddy and a few others have set up. It's a blog or site where the fans of United can contribute articles or whatever. I am one of them. I am posting my first article, a preview on tomorrow's battle at Anfield. So if you are a United fan, you are most welcomed to the site and support it as well.

I'm in love again

I made my debut at the Institute's football field on Thursday evening. That was after almost a year and an increase of around 10 kgs.

My pair my Lotto boots were still wrapped in newspapers, in a plastic bad, just the way it was when I first arrived in January. I decided it was high time I returned to the sphere where I find joy and the occasional cussin' and pain... the football field.

Not surprisingly, the guys were surprised (probably an understatement) when they saw me coming to the field. I also caused similar shocks to those who arrived after me. Take William for example. He stopped in his tracks, a good 200 meters away from the field, extended his head to the front as if he could zoom in to see if it was really me.

So I did some warmups, a little kickaround with some of the guys, and when the match was going to start, I felt I had enough already. It's like I already played a full 45 minutes of a half. After a long absence, a good first touch is vital. It is as important as your first date with the girl that you (currently) like.

Game on. Somehow the ball was going my way, where I was the last man. The opposing striker was nearby. I took a touch. The guy was probably thinking, "Big fat slow 27 year old who is playing for the first time, should be easy." So he ran towards me. I thought of making a pass to Harrison on the right wing but the boy was quicker and he closed me down. I ran a little to the right. Boy looked to be going for the ball. Moved my left foot to the ball, but stopped short of touching it. With my right foot I moved the ball further right and made a pass as the boy was rooted earlier by my initial move. Not a bad start afterall. Looking forward to play again.

Merdeka

Yesterday we had our weekly school assembly. The Headmaster gave his speech and announcements as usual. Nothing interesting as usual, of course! But there was this one moment, when he said, I quote:

"Tahun ini, Hari Kemerdekaan jatuh pada 31 Ogos."

You didn't get it? Here's the subtitle:

This year, the National Day falls on 31st August.

So, it means that, next year, Merdeka day would probably be in September or something. I don't know if you find it funny or not. But me and 2 of my fellow trainees, Hasliza and Yvonne had a good laugh about it. It as I looked at the others, it seemed that the 3 of us were probably the only ones who noticed. But then we were seating at the far end, away from the eyes of the students, so we could joke and laugh about it.

The things we do sometimes

You're at a mall or hotel. You want to go up. You arrive at the lifts. You press the button. You wait. Lifts aren't down yet. You press the button again. You wait. You see the lit up button. You press it again. You press it again. And again and again and.......

Have you ever done something that you know wouldn't work, but you still do it? Of course you do, you idiot! What the heck, I do it too! My handphone freezes or is taking a long time to switch applications etc. What do I do? I knock its sides gently. On the extreme side, I shake it.

There are alot of instances where we do dumb things such as the above.

But there is one case where a whack does come good. My old computer's monitor. It sometimes turn greenish or pinkish by itself. So in order to get the united colors of benetton back, I simply slap its side. Though sometimes it takes more than one slap.

Spit

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone. Someone who isn't close to you like a friend that is.
So when you talk, your spit comes out and lands on the other person. Have you ever noticed that? And you don't say anything. I mean, you saw what happened, but you don't say anything. Why? Because you're embarrassed! Why didn't that person say anything then, you ask.

So now think back of a time you were in a similar conversation but this time, the other person's spit lands on you. You definitely saw and felt it. And you better bet he/she knows it as well. But no one says anything about it...again. I bet you have never mentioned it to him/her. I've been there. Funny thing. I mean, he/she spits on me, and I'm worried about his/her feelings if I say anything about it.

Is there a new government policy to 'domesticate' institutions or religious bodies going on that I do not know?

Apparently the Catholic Church here in Malaysia need not refer to the Vatican anymore. Now they can do that at our very own Home Ministry. So instead of Pope Benedict, they'll have ....... :p

UiTM rocks

It must be cool being a Uitm student these days. You could skip lectures, go out protest and join demonstrations against someone's mere suggestion. If I was a student there, what I'd do is a daily protest. I won't get into trouble for missing classes, nor will I get arrested for illegal assembly. BUT, fortunately I'm not. First of all, I'm not a Bumiputera, even though the majority stakeholders of my ethnicity is Bumiputera (Lun Bawang, Bisaya, Malay), but the Government says I'm not. Second, even if I was a student at Uitm, even if I'm not A-student material, I do not have sh*t-as$ brains. I would not display my stupidity, unlike what those students did.

It is also cool to have a VC that talks like he's a gangster. So when people want to mess around with you, you just tell them you're from Uitm and you have the VC on your speed-dial.

PS: Another reason I feel less Malaysian by the day.

I’ll probably always remember the 2^nd day of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Not because of the Games itself, but for something that happened to me personally.

It was something that I can say has shaken me, mentally.

On 09.08.08, I, Benjamin Yeo Ee Seng, had been involved in my first ever accident as a licensed driver. For the record my driving license is still valid until November 23^rd of this year.

I, Benjamin Y.E.S., at around 8 pm, the night when the whole Miri had a blackout, knocked a Ford Ranger from behind with my mother’s Kancil. I guess you should have a good guess of the outcome.

The damage was not that bad though. The guy had a dented bumper and I had my front area half-f*cked. I’m thankful I made it safely to dinner. The guy was cool, so we settled it there and then that no payments or compensation were needed.

While I am thankful that nothing happened to me seriously or no serious damaged happened, I was still asking God why that happened.

Today we had replacement classes for Raya, so I went to school on a Saturday morning. But I went extra early, around 5.50am. I have never ever driven off from home/work or wherever that early. I was early because I was doing a favour to drive Nancy and a fellow trainee to SK Senadin.

At school, I had no lessons to teach because my class was involved with a health talk. After that I was on duty to watch the students as they go about having fun at the simple demo by the Police, Fire Dept and Army. I even went on after my ‘shift’.

I also did something, something that I myself would not expect of myself. I finally talked to the pretty young teacher.

When school was over, I helped a teacher reversed her car from a difficult position.

I went off to have lunch, without breaking any traffic rules, and paid every single cent required of me.

I went back to my hostel, and knocked myself off to sleep.

I woke up and the electricity was out, so I thought I’d get out of that. But soon found out it was the whole city in darkness.

I can’t recall doing any wrong actions etc. So I asked God, why, at a time when I’m borrowing money from my parents as our August allowance is held up, when I am going through a physically and mentally tiring period, did He allowed the accident to happen.

But I then realised, everything could easily been very different. It could be some Ah Bengs in an outrageously pimped car with heavily tinted windows that had I knocked. And you know Ah Bengs don’t take shit from people who are not Ah Bengs. So it could have been a violent scene that followed the accident. Yeah, those punks would have ended up in the hospital.

Or worse, it might have been a fatal accident where this post would not have been written.

So God, I am grateful everything’s alright. Come to think of it, my knocked up wallet is already that bad. I mean, my finances are already on a deficit. The only hurt I have is a bruised ego. I now have an accident on my personal driving ‘record’.

It's been ages!

So much to write, but so little enthusiasm and battery life. So I'll make this brief:

1. Had my first teaching observation a couple of weeks ago. Aced it! HOOAH!

2. Calderon and Real Madrid can go *$%@ themselves.

3. The Gomen or should I say ruling party has been a complete joke recently. Do they still think that we are that dumb?

4. Due to recent events that concerns me personally, and also reflects the overall situation in this country, I ask this once more, "Are we not Malaysians too?"

5. Right now we really need more schools, not new education policies and programmes. Maybe those higher ups should try teaching in classrooms that averages more than 40 kids.

6. What has Dr. SMS or Dato or whatever his title his, done for my benefit and well-being?

God bless!

YAYS...I'm back in Limbang. Well it sucks actually that I will be leaving in a few more hours. Planning to leave by 8.30 in the morning later. Before leaving I desire to indulge myself with the best Wantan Mee in Limbang, and probably in the nation.

Arrived here late Friday afternoon from Miri. Tagged along with my classmate Fiona, so I saved some bucks. With the petrol price hike, the van sapu could have cost me 60 bucks. Came home to take mum's Kancil. No, my mother does not have a mousedeer pet. My search for a cheap car rental in Miri have been futile. So Dad suggested or offered that I use the Kancil instead. The reason I need a car is because I will be starting my 3 months teaching practicum on Monday. The school where I am assigned to is quite far from my place. And I need a car so I would not have to be dependent on others, which is very important during practicum.

Well, it will be tough for my parents to go back to the days of sharing 1 car. I feel bad about that really. Hopefully they could cope for 3 months LOL. On the bright side, they'll be sharing petrol costs for only 1 car now, so they'll be saving some. I'll also be chipping in for the Kancil's monthly payment. Speaking about payment, I hope we'll see an increase in our allowances. I've heard from my friend that a trainee from another institute said they received a RM 200+ increase in the allowance. I am hoping I will see that next week.

The past 2 weeks in the institute has been nice. My schedule was relax/rest-friendly. Assignments are over. Some classes' credit hours have been completed. It was like college days all over again. All in all it was a great settling in period after a long break.

We had a mini sports last weekend. I entered the shot putt event. It was fun. There were guys of all sizes. Some bigger than me, and mostly smaller. I guess most of us did not really have any training. This was evident during the course of the event when we witnessed various styles from the contestants, some funny, some weird. I can safely say that out of at least 15 contestants, only 3 had experienced in that sport, excluding myself. Well, I made it to the final 8, but just wasn't strong enough to challenge for the medals.

I guess I should be going to bed now. Get a few hours of sleep before the journey tomorrow.

One more thing, I will miss the weather here in Limbang. It has been scorching hot in Miri ever since I returned from the semester break.

PS: Wish the Rabbit luck!

Men are arseholes... I'm proud to be a man!

I came across something in an issue of Reader's Digest that made me realize something. Advice columns. I can't recall reading an advice column written by a guy. I mean, in the papers and stuff you will normally see "Dear Abbie", "Dear Stella", and all those female names. But you don't see a "Dear Tom", "Dear Kassim" etc. Guys just do not write these stuff! And the piece I read in Reader's Digest probably best explained why:

Dear Steve,

I hope you can help me here. The other day I set offfor work leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn't gone more than a mile down the road when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.

When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with theneighbor lady. I am 32, my husband is 34, and we have been married for 12 years. When I confronted him, he broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the past 6 months. I told him to stop or I would leave him.

He was let go from his job six months ago, and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but eversince I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. He won't go to counseling and I'm afraid I can't get through to him anymore. Can you please help?

Sincerely,

Maria

Dear Maria,

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pumpitself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber. I hope this helps.

Steve

I'm back in good ol' Limbang. Been home for the past week. All I've done is sleep, sleep and sleep. It's like sleeping's a new found sensation. Other than that, done nothing much, not even eating. I guess I need to start stretching my legs for the remainder of my break.

I'm broke, but it's alright because I'm home, and I'll also be getting my allowance by next week. But I won't be able to spend much as I've got lotsa payables to settle. They say we are lucky to receive fat allowances, but they just don't understand how much we have to settle our dues. Some trainees are husbands, and even fathers, so I guess they have more dues to worry about. Every month, after deducting all my payables and "fixed costs", there's about 300 bucks left. There's not even enough for me to save. Been wanting to get a new digital camera for months now. AARRGGHHHH!!!

Anyhows, last month, my classmates gave me a surprise on my birthday. I disappointedly went to the classroom where we were supposed to have a replacement lecture, which should have been a free time for us to go out have lunch and still time to enjoy an afternoon nap. So in the class, I waited for the lecturer together with most of my classmates. I had my laptop on, trying to get online, and b*tching about the lecturer being late. Then we moved to another room as we were told that the class would be held there instead. So I grudgingly packed my laptop and stuff and b*tched again on why we should change rooms as we were the only poor souls to have lectures that time. When I entered the other room, went to the back and got my laptop on again and wondered aloud why the heck is the lecturer taking a long time.

Then my mates started to sing happy birthday and they brought the cake with candles and stuff. It was weird. I was pissed because of the long wait and then the surprise. So the change of emotions was, I don't know. Haha. But I was touched, I've never had a surprise birthday before. Those bloody people, and I mean this in an affectionate manner, they really got me. They played the whole replacement lecture thing really good. It was so good that after gobbling up the cake, I had to ask if we really did not have a replacement lecture.

It was very sensitive of them not to put up all 27 candles. HaHa. The cake was delicious, I must admit I wanted to have more. Ah, sik malunye aku!

"Dengan ini saya merasmikan..."

What I got myself for my birthday. Skateboarding shoes. I don't skate. But one thing I like about skate shoes is the comfort they offer.

Esok birthday aku!

It's gonna be my birthday tomorrow. As it stands now at Thursday, May 15, at 8.51pm... it will only be a few more hours away.

I had a wonderful early gift as Manchester United won the League on Sunday.

I have absolutely nothing planned for tomorrow. Maybe do a bit of packing.

Next year, on the same date, I'll probably be somewhere in the jungle or highlands.

God bless.

A happy birthday to friends celebrating their birthdays today, Bong, i don't know where you are right now. And also to Cammy.

Happy Teacher's Day to all teachers too.

Used to be him

It's a Saturday. A real Saturday.

The worst is over. I hope. It has been a hectic week to say the least. Rushing to complete my assignments that are due. Extra lectures. Crap extra curricular activities. Sleeping late. Waking up early. It was really bad that I literally thought my head was going to burst, literally. Shows you sometimes the pressure is so tremendous that you would actually believe something like that could happen. But I got through, safely, with my head still intact :p.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but in lectures, my name has been synonymous with sleep. Back when we just started the course, I found it really tough to be sitting through lectures for 5 straight hours etc. So there were a couple of times where I fell asleep in some lectures.

I don't have a particular thing to write, just glad I could write/type. Going to get a haircut after this. And something happened very recently that has made me really happy. Something that sometimes leave me smiling to myself. Guess it has made me a happy idiot.

Here's a thought. Most people, young people, don't dig patriotic songs, myself included. Some people despise the government etc so much that they even make fun/hate the national anthem etc (I'm not referring to that Malaysian dude in Taiwan). I believe we should give respect where it's due. There are just some things you just have to draw a line to. If one would just listen, and I mean listen, our National Anthem is actually a beautiful song. I was actually glad the reverted to the old slow version instead of the upbeat one. In fact, the slower version brought more meaning to it. Maybe one day we could see the words in "Negaraku" would come to past. Our Sarawak's state anthem is also a nice piece. In fact I think it is an amazing song to sing to. The lyrics, the melody, just beautiful. I don't believe the other states' anthems would be even half as wonderful.

It's the make or break match against Chelsea tonight. God speed!

Finally! Finally, finally, finally. Finally I'm able to blog. I have been bogged down with gigatonnes of assignments, projects, tasks and awful wireless internet connection for the past 1-2 weeks! There were dozens of things to do that I honestly had difficulty keeping up and even to the extent of forgetting to do a couple of assignments. Then there is this problem with the f*cking wireless internet connection that we have here. We have access to free wireless service provided by a local company, but it is inaccessible for most of the time. Then there's the wireless service provided at the library, but is also inaccessible for most of the f*cking time. SO as you can see, our internet is pretty much f*cked to say the f*cking least.

I'm able to blog now because this week has been a breath of fresh air as most lecturers are away, so we have dozens of free periods. And, we are able to spend more time relaxing and also right now, blogging. At the moment I'm at the top floor of the campus where the wireless signal is strongest.

Ever since our monthly allowances had been released, non-academic life has been so much better. We can now afford to enjoy cafeteria food with less b*tching about the unreasonable prices. We can also indulge ourselves with more costly meals. As for myself, I've made some big money purchases over the past 2 months. They may not be as costly as what others have splashed their cash on, but at least I spend within my means and with my own money. Now if only I could hire someone to tidy up my half of the room.

I'll be going to a school for what they call school-based experience, for 2 weeks starting next Monday. It will be extremely nice to be out of campus, even if its only for half of the day. And the best thing is that I won't have to attend lectures as well, woohoo!

I asked a friend to take a proper picture of me the other day. I guess it's the only proper picture of me that I've taken in the past months or even years! So I avoided making any stupid poses that I would definitely do usually. I wanted it to be good. Not perfect, but decent enough. No stupid faces, no silly gestures, no nonsense. So this was the result:

Maybe it's just me, but I think there's something silly about that picture. Hahaha

In one's shoes

Ever wonder what it's really like being a superhero? I mean, seriously, what we know are from movies, and movies aren't real, they're just acted out by actors. Sometime last year though, I was given the opportunity to have a sneak-peak of one of the more well known superhero.

Yup, I'm talking about Spiderman. But not the one acted by Toby Maguire though. I'm talking about the real deal here.

Anyways, as we all know, thanks to excellent education from the media, Spiderman, behind his suit, is a normal person. So when he wears his suit, he becomes Spiderman. So the first thing Spiderman does before going on to save the world and what nots, is to put on his spidey-suit.

The spidey-suit is Spiderman. Without it, Spiderman just isn't Spiderman. The suit provides the much needed protection for his human body against blows from the bad guys. And unlike Superman, Spidey here wears his undies inside.

Next, Spidey or just about any other superheo needs to be physically fit. He doesn't need the body of Goldberg or John Rambo, but just enough muscles would do.

Yes, enough muscles to scare any kindergarten bully away. Besides being able to project a macho image, a superhero or Spidey here to be exact, needs his muscles to do what he does best....

Climbing up walls.

Money Matters

Help

We're broke

Some trainees are starting to stock up instant noodles

The sucky thing is, we are not allowed to cook, so we can only "soak" our noodles in hot water.

Please release our allowances in March!

No, we are not being money-minded or whatever

Just imagine having your salary held back for 2 months....

Yeah, I rest my case.

People actually need money to continue living....

Ever come across a serious news report that is as hillarious as watching Kung Pow? I just did.

MALAYSIA's Information Minister Zainuddin Mydin has said that the government will not be affected by blogs and other Internet forums that may be created during campaigning for the upcoming elections.

Mr Zainuddin insisted that while the younger generation are tech-savvy, they tend to believe newspaper reports over comments made on the Internet, China Press reported.

He added that the Internet is used mainly to book budget airline tickets or to get entertainment news.

He claimed that he is not worried that blogs and forums critical of the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition would affect its chances of winning the election.

Somebody shoould tell the old man that the internet is also used to surf porn, and Facebook, though some people still stick to Friendster and Myspace.

Come to think of it, this comes straight from the Minister of Information. Oh for the love of mother nature! If I was one of the reporters there, I bet I would not be able to put up a straightface after hearing those comments. God have mercy on my country!

KPLI Tips

No, this is not about how one could pass the MTest and interviews.

I'm just doing my civic duty to let aspiring KPLI applicants on what they should do or expect after they get through the screening process.

First of all, you would need to save a lot of money. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. I'm talking 4 digit figures here. You would need a figure that could last for at least 3 months. You'd never know when your allowances will be released. Don't believe them when they say it would be settled as soon as you hand in your completed agreement forms.

Your budget for meals would probably be around RM 300 per month. There's also the RM 300 registration fee that should be paid on the day you are to register. As a trainee teacher, you will also be involved in co-curricular activities like sports and uniform units. If you're lucky, you'd get to pick your choice. Then you will have to cough up a 3 figure sum for your uniforms and accessories for the uniform unit. Mine almost hit the RM 300 mark. Being assigned to a cheap sport like ping pong does help a little. I mean, you can easily find a ping pong bat as cheap as RM 6.90, like mine.

You will also need to come up with over RM 100 to buy equipment and accesories for the Bina Insan Guru (BIG).

Money matters aside, you should have about 20 passport sized photos ready. It doesn't matter if they say they only need 5 in the letter they sent you.

So, add that all up to your other commitments like your car, credit-cards, loans etc.

Yes, of course we get a handsome allowance (rumor is that it has increased to around RM 1,600/-). But please bear in mind that you will have to wait for 3 months to get it. And before you get it, you have all sort of things to pay/buy.

I hope this helps. So start saving now!

Inmate F207A

At this very moment, I am listening to songs, doing a full-scan for viruses on BitDefender, downloading Avast! Home edition...another antivirus software, waiting for some videos on Youtube to finish loading, chatting on YM and last but not least, blogging (finally!).

I've been back home since Saturday for the holidays. On our way back, he Unser was knocked from behind by a Bruneian family's Pajero, and I'm suffering from an irritating cough. Nevertheless I still went to have laksa for breakfast this morning together with cousin Alveen who's here on a short visit.

It's good to be back home. Especially when your savings have dried up. Hopefully we'll be getting our allowance soon. I really do need the money. For both wants and needs.

I won't be wearing any new shirt or any new piece of clothing for that matter, for this year's Chinese New Year. I just did not have the budget even when the Durban shirts were on discounted prices like nobody's business.

Institutionalised

I'm in prison at this very moment. At least that's what some of us call this place. A correctional institute rather than a teaching institute, due to the stringent and also some unreasonable rules and regulations. I sincerely believe the conditions in our prisons are better, at least the one we have in Limbang. Over here, we have a watercooler at our hostel block, but without any filter. So we are basically drinking water that is of the same quality as the yellowish water we use to bath. We basically eat at an airport outlet, not that it's at the airport, but if you look at the price, you would think you're at the airport.

All that aside, everything else is okay. The English subject lecturers seem to be fun people. Fellow KPLI-ers are cool with each other. The bedroom's not bad. Wi-fi coverage sucks though. I guess that's all for now. Will post up some pictures next time.

Sex Sex Sex

The Minister of Health, Dr Chua has just announced his resignation from all government and party posts as a result of the dvd thingy. The guy has balls, to admit it straightaway and to do all the necessary steps. You can't take that away from the man.

So what are the rest of the politicians waiting for? The poor guy screwed around, was obviously a set-up, and was let known to the public. What about the other bigshots who has abused the power, the corrupted etc? Just because there weren't any dvds being distributed about their misdeeds, they are safe to continue with them.

I will be going for a medical check-up soon. I noticed in the form, there's a test called "Pemeriksaan Uro Jantina". I have no idea what 'Uro' means. Dictionaries didn't help. Someone said it's something like checking on one's manhood. Why would they need to do that??? To see if its real??? Imagine someone who failed to get a job because he failed the penis test.

"Sorry Mr X, the government can't hire you, it seems you do not have a full set of testicles."