That Thing

My students keep asking me if I was married or not. Everytime they asked, I gave them different answers, because they keep asking. Usually I'll get replies such as 'Tipu lah', 'Benar kah'. Just the other day, a couple of my students from my class came to the staff room to pay some fees.

I was writing some stuff then, so I told them to wait. While waiting, one the 8 year olds asked me if I was married.

Without looking up and still doing my work, I answered,'Yes'.

If yes, then where is your wedding ring?

Still occupied I blurted, 'No ring'.

But if you don't have a ring, ladies will think you are not married, and they will like you!

Now that she got my attention, 'Really?'. I found that really amusing, and almost laughed. But I just put on a serious front.

Yes! So you better get a ring quickly.

How do I do that?

How do I know, I'm just a little kid.

Oh, now she says that.

Today I got free advice on the time for one (a guy) to get married. This time from a guy. All year long, I've been listening to my female colleagues pestering me about marriagedom. So today, it was a dude to dude thingy. He's actually a longtime friend of my Dad. A retired teacher who is on temporary contract in my school. Some of the guys were hanging around my table during recess and the topic of me+marriage came up. The guys were telling me almost the same thing I got from the womenfolk. But my Dad's buddy had different opinions. This is what he told me.

No doubt your age is ripe for marriage. But it is not wrong or a bad decision for you to wait a little longer. Because then, you will be a more experienced person in life, being more prepared thus being a very good prospect of a husband. You will be worth so much more than you are now.

Wise words. How can you not be convinced when someone with his hair totally white tells you this. My grandmother told me I should save money for the time when I have a wedding reception. What if I told her, I'm saving money...for an iPod Touch :D LOL

Any questions?

Wow, it's a new week. I had a real hectic one before this. Averaged less 4 hours of sleep for a few nights, starting Sunday night until Wednesday. Worked very hard and really put in as much effort as I could. One of those times when I don't hold back. And again I see how much I could do when I step into 5th gear.

The reward for my tireless performance was a very relaxing and most importantly, uninterrupted weekend. I had the whole weekend for myself, of course there is church on Sunday morning lah, some God time there. So I had some good recovery and refreshing time, although another extra rest day wouldn't have hurt.

After the assembly, I had to recap the whole thing to my kids (students) later in class. One of the responsibilities of being a class teacher. Plus they always bug me with questions regarding what were mentioned during the assembly. My class, 2 Cerdik, are really cerdik as the name suggest. They are way ahead compared to the other 2 classes in the same year. They are probably even comparable to the Year 3 classes, I can say so because I teach 2 of the Year 3 classes, including the best. There is no doubt among the teachers that they are very good in their studies. I think they're really bright kids. Very sharp. Very inquisitive. They have a say in anything that is to be said. They ask me silly intelligent questions all the time. You get what I mean? The kinds that you first dismiss but then pause and think, "what the..", yeah that kind. There is no way you could bulls**t these kids, because they'll just keep coming at you with the same questions, until you answer them seriously. The only time they 'believe' my bluff is during story time, when I add up, make up things.

Anyway, back to what happened today. So I was going to finish the recap with the last point being announcing that there will be a collection for a student whose father had passed away on Saturday. I told them that they could give any amount they want, as long as they are sincere with it. Working with kids, you need to repeat bah. So while I was going through the points again, a girl asked something. I wasn't paying attention, so I asked her to repeat her question.

"Did her father go to heaven or hell?"

What the..

"Could you please say that again?"

"Did her father...go to heaven...or hell?" With expressions that showed she was annoyed by having to repeat the question.

"Well..."

That is a difficult question to answer, considering the situation. Plus, it's not a question you get to answer everyday.

"If he was a good person, which I'm sure he is, then maybe he did go to heaven, but it is better to ask God (i did not say 'your god') this question because He knows so much more about this."

Girl smiled. Phew!

I want a massage

Monday. We had another briefing, we've had lots of those lately and will be having some more. It has been tiring. Mentally and physically drained, though I was stressed out until I had brief moment just an hour ago when I finally cracked due to problems with the printer. Anyway, here was what I went through during the briefing today.

This is not an emo post #2

The previous post probably came as a shocker for some, well, it was for even myself. I revealed a part of me that I believe I’ve never showed, yala, I have to deal with emotions also bah.

It also sort of threw me into some kind of retrospective mood, or something like that. I am pleased to say I am really a happy person. Having to carry something like that for a long time doesn’t make me feel miserable. Although it has somehow made me a bit hesitant to even try to be in a relationship for the consequent years, I don’t feel bad for myself.

Life has taught me many lessons, some of them the hard way. I guess everyone goes through that. Sometimes it is so trying, so tough, that people give up in life. That’s probably how the phrase “Life’s unfair” came up. I believe that’s partly true. The world in an unfair place. But if you believe in a just God, then things will be okay.

I’m thankful I went through shit in the earlier part of my life. It has been a big help in building up my character. It’s like joining the army, where they break you down, in order to build a stronger you. I was plain stupid, very self centered and…stupid haha as I approached the end of my teen. For those couple of years, I’ve wasted that part of my life away. I’ve disappointed so many. I let myself down. But by grace and the will to finally listen to my God given conscience, I am what I am today. I keep thinking back to those dark days, but not with regret, rather with a heart of full of gratitude. Most importantly, I can smile and feel happy that I had gone through all that.

So yeah, I am happy. I am happy that I have a wonderful family. I am happy to have nice bosses at work. I am happy that I have friendly colleagues. I am happy that I can still keep in touch with awesome and great people I call friends. I am happy to be this blessed.

Are you happy? Why lah? Don’t worry, happy lah. Just like the song bah.

This is not an emo post

I am a rather selfish person, I can say that honestly. I don’t know what people really think, but I feel I am selfish. It’s a bad attribute for a person to have. But for a selfish person, I have made selfless decisions in life when usually one would be selfish. One of those decisions have been haunting me ever since. It is perhaps the one right thing I have done that I have regretted. I like to think that it isn’t a regret. I tell myself all the time that I’ve moved along. Whether I’ve really got over it or not, I don’t know.

Letting someone go is one of the hardest things in life. Especially when you have so much affection and hopes for them. But when I was facing that moment, listening to her, for me to let her go, it didn’t take much for me to say alright. I was holding on to the saying that if you love someone, you must learn to let them go, if they come back to you, bla bla bla. I also wanted to respect her wish, and not force her to do what she doesn’t want, and I told her that. I was told that one day we would have the possibility of starting over. I assured her I will be alright and she doesn’t have to worry about me. I was thinking of that day we could start over again. I held on to that hope. Apparently it never surfaced.

I’m not sure if it is her that I can’t get over with, or maybe why it turned out this way for me. There have been times I’ve wondered, and asked God. I believe I’ve done the right thing. It was a decision made solely for her sake. I had nothing to gain. I keep thinking maybe I still have a lot to do, to atone for all the wrong I’ve done before I met her. Sometimes I feel I am still unforgiven,something like that. Perhaps I have yet to find vindication.

If you ask me what I would do if I could turn back time and return to that decisive moment, I will tell you this…I won’t change a thing.

Meh

Before starting your day at work, it’s important that you arrive with a pleasant and positive mood. I feel that my drive to work should be a nice one at that. I hope that I don’t encounter more than one a$$hole driver (being realistic, you’re bound to bump into at least a couple everyday). Another thing would be the music played on the radio. Well, I prefer tuning in to the radio than putting in an mp3 in the morning because I like the feel of listening to someone talking (the deejay lah) through my speakers.

I normally switch on the player when I’m about halfway to school. This morning, as I pressed the ‘ON’ button, this came on:

"Time is waiting"

No. Not this song, please.

"We only got four minutes to save the world"

Damnit, Justin! I’m less than 10 minutes away from school. What the heck is this saving the world business in 4 minutes??? This is the sort of song that I can do without at 6.35am, on the way to work. A song that’s pointing out some urgency and time. Radio deejays should have better song selections at that hour of the day lah. They should play some cheery, happy and uplifting stuff. No doubt this song is upbeat, but, please lah.

"No hesitating
Grab a boy
Go grab your girl"

Oh, come on now! I just turned 28, wearing a batik, and is driving to work! Why in the hell would I want to do that?!

"Time is waiting
We only got four minutes to save the world
No hesitating
We only got four minutes huh four minutes"

*changes the station*

Monday Eve

It's 10.45pm on a Sunday night. Earlier this evening, I spent about an hour reading, browsing through my whole blog, from the first post, back in 2005. Oh? Going through nearly 4 years of blogging in only an hour? That was short! And I thought I was taking too much time doing so earlier, sheesh. A song came to my head after all that. It's a rather old song lah, so you kids layaning Lady Gaga would most likely not know the song, or the band even. This is my favourite song from the band, Competition Smile, by Gin Blossoms.

This is not an Eid post

First stop, I would like to wish a Happy Raya Aidilfitri to all my Muslim friends and relatives. This year's Raya was just decent for me. At least this time I went to triple the number of houses I visited to last year. Yes you read that right! Triple! Last year's visiting statistic was more or less, two houses.

I feel that I have wasted my one week break. I have done nothing really productive or interesting, Raya visiting aside. Also, it's like I almost wanted to waste the week away by purpose. I think so. Perhaps I could have done the many things I wanted to do. Before the break, work's been really busy that I don't have the time to do certain things in my nonexistent to-do list. My break started last Friday, and I still haven't ticked any of the boxes in the to-do list. Maybe that's the problem, of having a to-do list, that doesn't exist, technically. So yeah, I guess there's a solution to this. For the next school break, all I need to do, is to create a to-do list, on paper, and stick it somewhere prominent. I'll just put this in my to-do list, the non existent one.

It's back to work on Monday. Tons of work waiting for me as well. Being the guru data, I've got to update the EMIS, SMM, STS, look into the ICTL and HRMIS. As a class teacher, I deal with RMT, SPBT, OMGIHAVEALOTOFWORK. It's all about dealing with acronyms. So much so that I don't feel like an English teacher anymore. I've got so much responsibilities on my hands that I've lost that something. Teaching it seems, have faded into something secondary. Students are bored during my classes, because I show little interest these days in the teaching & learning process. Can't really blame them. In fact, I feel for them. I want the class to be exciting, interesting, like how they were, earlier in the year. I'm really looking forward to next year's school year. I know I won't be a class teacher anymore, so that's like one third of administrative related duties gone.

Before that though, there's this trip that I really look forward to. A roadtrip with my man, Dennis. I think it should be cool, it's been years since we last hung out. So I suppose this trip would be nice, before either one of us ties the knot. And I know it ain't gonna be me man! LOL. Basically, it's going to be a 2 man team operation. Driving my own vehicle, we would be able to travel heavily equipped, you know, extra undies and all that. I just hope Big Daddy Najib would be giving out my bonus. For the sake of the 1Malaysia concept (whatever it really is), please lah, give us the bonus we deserve.


PS: My Mom's on Facebook, now she has found the joy of chatting with friends and relatives through the site. Go mom!

Birdie

Took this pic from my room's balcony, with my new lens of course :D. I was half a second too slow in capturing this, else bird would not be too far at the edge.

Wake me up when September ends

Not that I've been sleeping alot. On the contrary, my daily average sleeping hours is less than previous months so far. In the same month last year, I made a wish list for 2009. So since it has been almost a year, let's see how things have gone.

#1 New mobile phone
In March, I got myself a Sony Ericsson Xperia. Ownership was shortlived as I decided to sell it off to fund my dream of getting a DSLR. Verdict: Wish achieved.

#2 New multimedia player
Sold my Zen Vision a couple of months ago, also part of my plan to raise DSLR funds. Kinda miss it. A replacement has yet been acquired. Verdict: Wish not achieved

#3 New pair of shoes
Thought of replacing my stolen Adio with the same brand. But I got myself a sleek looking pair of Nikes. Very very light and comfortable. Verdict: Wish achieved

#4 New pair of working shoes
2 pairs within 6 months, enough said. Verdict: Wish achieved

#5 New G-Shock
Decided that a new watch is not really what I need or even want at the moment. So next year maybe. Verdict: Wish not achieved

#6 DSLR camera
WooHoo!! I got myself a Canon EOS 1000D last month. Finally, finally I have one. Soon, I'll have even more fun as my 55-250mm lens will arrive in a couple of days. YAY! Verdict: Wish achieved

#7 Car
I had guesstimated that the earliest I would be getting a car will be around Christmas. I got it much earlier than expected. Instead of being a Christmas gift, it turned out to be a birthday gift. Not exactly the car of my dream, but still, I really liked the Proton Persona even before it was released. When the Gen 2 first came out, I thought it would be really cool if they made a sedan version of it. A couple of years later, they did. So what if its a Proton. The most important thing is I got it with my own money. So you punks showing off in your Japanese sedans bought my your mamas can just kiss my ass. It's not perfect, but I truly enjoy driving it everyday and I'm glad to say it is definitely my pride and joy :).

SIALCOM

This is my 3rd month as a Celcom Broadband Advance Unlimited user, the RM 98 per month package thingy. While I never really buy all the penis size bragging that Celcom does about their broadband service, i thought if I can get just only 1/3 of the 3.6MBps speed offered, I would be happy enough. I was almost converted to Celcomism when I experienced awesome surfing and downloading speeds, so much better than our home's 512Kbps STreamyx connection.

But the good times ended after about 3 weeks as I exceeded the data cap. As stated in the T & C, or FAQ regarding the data cap / fair usage policy, I should be getting top speeds in the next cycle, like the menstrual cycle la. However, I never enjoyed the cool speeds, though it was still more than decent. But lately, it has been shit. The speeds or connection I am experiencing is absolutely ridiculous. For the Rm98 that they charge, it is like paying the price of a Toyota Camry for a Kancil!!! (No offense to Kancil owners).

Malaysia's No.1 mobile broadband? Nah kau! No.1 taik asuk la.
Just like the 1Malaysia concept...bollocks!

Being responsible for certain things in school that requires me to have convenient access to the internet, especially at work, I can still bear with this sh*t. But not at home. "Go get wireless streamyx connection la you lousy f**k!", you might say. Well screw you. Having a 512Kbps connection with 3 users, 2 of them heavy users, you are, the lousy twit. So earlier after school, I stopped by TM on my way home. The dude gave me good, bad news and the worst news. The good news is, there are no extra charges in the process of upgrading my package, I only need to get a wireless router. The bad news would be, the need to fill in forms. The worst news is, even if I managed to survive filling in the form, my area might not have the capability to serve me the 1mbps speed, with the 512kpbs package being the standard offered here.

I love my town, but these are the things I hate about being here. Politicians and corporations don't give a shit about providing the good stuff (I'm not talking about the cool shit that only major cities have okay???) to the nice people of Limbang, who have for years and decades showed them unwavering support . Maybe one day there will be a by-election here, and the government will definitely campaign by offering the stars and the moon. Then, I can hope that maybe, just maybe, TM will make available all its Streamyx packages.

Shrimp'd

Late lastnight, I saw KFC's ad on tv about their new dish, the shrimp thingy. It looked really tasty on screen. I am also a shrimp / prawn lover :p. So I decided I'll check it out for lunch the next day (today). There I was at the counter, saw the image of the meal, a set meal in fact, 2 sticks of the shrimp thingy with 2 pcs of chicken, mash potatoes, coleslaw and an air sirap. Not bad for Rm 12.80. In fact, the size of the shrimp sticks on the pictures really are attractive. Generous in its size, with the prawns showing if you take a bite off it.

Something else was going on as I had my order taken, the guy behind the counter was being 'timed' and evaluated by the supervisor. I noticed she had a stopwatch hung round her neck, and she was also putting ticks and crosses on a questionnaire-like sheet. So my order was done and dusted in 2 minutes and 5 seconds. Not bad. But it was the dude's last touch that screwed him up. He had punched in the wrong amount for the money that I gave him, therefore resulting in me getting the wrong change. Sucks for you man.

My verdict on the meal?

The main cast were a bit disappointing. They did not appear to look as nice and large as the ads had depicted. They were tiny, no fatter than my thumb, no longer than my index finger. I wanted to take a picture of the stick measured alongside my fingers, but that would make me look like a weirdo. While I would still give it good marks for taste, the size and looks made it almost a flop. They do not deserve the main role given, more appropriate as supporting casts to the chickens.

Bon Appeteeee

I did something last night. Since it is the school holidays, I figured I had too much time to waste, why don't I revisit the kitchen? And I mean expressing my culinary-ness beyond the norm. It has been a long time since I last tried to cook or prepare a fancy/new dish.

Before embarking on my kitchen adventure, I had already pictured the dish that I would prepare. I have to be honest, I really think it was a very mouthwatering image. So off I went. While I'm no chef material, I do know how to find my way around the kitchen and stuff, so I'm no beginner when it comes to cooking. The process wasn't long, not to mention me enjoying some 'appetizers' while waiting. So this is what I managed to produce.

Well, didn't really turned up the way I had imagined. Not even half. I guess it's just like going to those eateries where the menus have pictures of the food. So you order something that looked really attractive. When the dish arrives, it does not look as cool as the picture. Yeah, that was what happened to me last night.

Selamat Berpuasa

Yesterday was the last day of school, for the month of August. It’s going to be a very normal and ordinary 1 week break for me. No plans of going anywhere, partly due to financial constraints. For the past 2 to 3 weeks, I had conducted an asset/financial restructuring operation in order to get my hands on a new earthly possession. While technically I suffered a huge loss, I finally got myself a DSLR camera. Just last week I struck a deal to purchase a Canon EOS 1000D. It was safely delivered on Monday by the Poslaju van driver. Apparently this delivery was different from the others.

Poslaju dude : “Makin lama, makin besar ah.”

It probably crossed my mind, for a split second, that I first thought he was commenting on the part of my body above the waist. You see, I was only covered in my towel about to take my shower when the Poslaju van arrived and honked.

Then he took a box and passed it on to me. Memang besar. It was a Dell Notebook box, slightly smaller than the one when I got my Dell Inspiron 2 years ago. Anyway, the unwrapping process was really special. I’ve never felt so excited/touched/emotional/________ (fill in the blank) when unwrapping a package. I guess it’s because of after all those few years of desiring to own a Dslr camera. Heck, I can honestly tell you that it even feels so much better compared to the time I went to the EON showroom to get my car. Ah, I actually intended to write about something else, but being me, it turned out different and unorganised.

I think I have just completed my wish list for 2009.

Safety First

We're definitely feeling the 'heat' of the H1N1 these days. Anyway, I guess I started something good by providing soap for the kids of my class a couple of weeks ago. A few days after that, some other classes have begun doing the same. So stay safe peoples. God bless.

Plan C...what plan C???

Okay, here's what happened. I was already typing 2 paragraphs of a new post, entering the 3rd, when I did something, which, caused everything that I had typed to disappear, forever. Feeling a little pissed, I decided to take a drive and enjoy the airconditioning in the car, at the same time go buy some supplies. On my way home, I thought of another thing to write. Upon entering my room, I moved the mouse to "wake" the laptop from its sleep mode. The dang machine didn't respond. So I had to restart it. After all that, I logged back into blogspot. Having the great memory that I have, I forgot what I had wanted to write about. So here we are, with no back up topic for the back up topic, no Plan C. I'll just probably type whatever that's crossing my apparently cluttered mind.

I have two "main" tables in my room. One for my laptop and stationery mess. The other is for my 3 in 1 printer thingy and my few toiletries, namely my perfume, deodorant and facial foam. The last time I applied facial foam would probably be the day after the Gotong Royong Perdana Sekolah Zon A thingy, sometime in June. Maybe I need to put it on later before I sleep.

I've been swearing a lot lately, in the car. I don't know if it is just me or there are more less than average drivers out there. I don't usually do that in the morning on the way to work, but I've been doing so for the past few days, since last week. It is disappointing that the targets of my foul mouth are people who are sending their children to school. While I admit it's not nice thing to do, swearing at other drivers (even if they don't know it), I only say bad stuff at those that drive stupidly. I mean, you are sending your kids to school, aren't you supposed to show them to be good road users? Also, just because you drive your huge luxury cars, it doesn't give you the right to drive like Lewis Hamilton on busy routes on a school day morning. You have no right to drive like a maniac at the expense of the safety of other road users. Screw you people. It is because if sensible and careful drivers that d**kless pea-brain people like you are still alive. Screw you.

Talking about rights. I had my lunch at a hotel's coffeehouse today. It's not as posh as you think it is okay. Food is just slightly more costly than the normal cafe. It is also a place where now and then, some group of Ah Bengs would be there as well. I guess it's a convenient place to meet up as it's adjacent to the shopping mall. I don't really care if a guy would dye his hair outrageously. Wear outfits that have awfully striking colours. Always putting on the "I'm bad" look. I don't care. What annoys me is that these people are illiterate. Yalah, siapa suruh masa skolah dolok sik mok belajar membaca. I can ask my 8 year old students what a particular sign means, and they can reply 'No Smoking' without any doubt whatsoever. But these adults who have gone through puberty, do not understand what the 'No Smoking' sign means. It's okay if they do not know how to read. But what's so difficult to comprehend when you see a picture of a cigarette and a line crossing over it at a 45 degree angle?If they had wanted to hang around, have some drinks over a few smokes, why can't they just walk over to the dozens of coffeeshops across the street. Besides being illiterate, these people are also emotionally sensitive. Touchy. A waiter might politely tell them about the no smoking policy, and they will almost definitely act like you had just flirted with their girl.

Goodness, the weather must have got to me haha.

Conversations with the Conscience fellas

I've experienced so many firsts lately. During my brief trip to Miri last weekend, I've bought a couple of stuffs for the very first time. I also just realised that my blog has got its first follower, thank you Musa. Today I completed my first online sale, after sending off my Creative Zen to its new owner earlier today. I'm glad to say that all these "firsts" are quite sentimental to me. One of it is finally fulfilling a childhood dream.

Anyways, I've managed to get my hands on most of the stuff on my wishlist this year. One interesting item on the list is getting a DSLR Camera. For my recent trip to Miri, I planned to check out some of the DSLR models available, with no solid intention to make a purchase.

So I there I was, walking around in Bintang Megamall on a Saturday afternoon. Saw a couple of DSLRs, with one particular model that really got my attention.

The Canon EOS 1000D. I've done my homework on some of these DSLRs and the 1000D is one of them. You could say it's a nice entry-level DSLR. So there I was, standing, eyes fixated on the camera. The fact that none of the salespersons approached me gave me a whole load of fantasy-time. That also caused me to ponder on the possiblity of purchasing it there and then. As mentioned earlier, I have no plans on making a buy on this trip. But when you have plastic pals named either VISA or Mastercard going with you, tempting thoughts are bound to come up.

Still standing and gazing, my brain began its Business Meeting. There were some calculations going on up there, definitely. And the meeting was leaning towards making the decision to purchase the camera. Then Conscience barged in the meeting. You know, like what you see in cartoons, when the character has an angel on one side and a devil on the other?

When you have nobody beside you to ask for a second opinion, your conscience is your best bet. This is the best depiction of how we came to the final decision:

Angel Ben : Hey, this wasn't in your travel itinerary.

Me : I know, but I can afford this now.

Angel Ben : Perhaps you're right, but you ARE rushing into making this decision.

Me : I'm not.

Angel Ben : You are.

Me : As long as I can afford it, it's alright.

Angel Ben : Yes. But it will just add up to your card's debts in a short time span.

Me : I can afford the monthly repayment.

Angel Ben : Sigh, you're a ****head.

Me : So, do I get a 'Yes' or 'No' from you?

Angel Ben : Definitely a NO! Are you dumb? I just gave you valid reasons not to buy.

Me : Whatever man, the devil me would vote 'Yes', and that would mean 2 'Yes' votes to 1 'No' vote. So, devil me?

Devil Ben : What a ****head! Do you even need to ask? Go for it!

Me : *grins*

Yeah that was what happened. But it didn't end there. A few moments after ending that conversation, I walked away from the shop and did not look at any more cameras after that. As I was walking along:

Angel Ben : Hey, what happened back there? I thought you were going to buy the camera?

Ben : Nah.

Angel Ben : *smirks* So, you realised I was right afterall, huh.

Ben : Nah.

Angel Ben : ****head.

Devil Ben : ****head.


Moral of the story? You tell me.

Creative Zen Vision M 30GB FOR SALE!!!

I took a few minutes to think on how to start this particular post. I couldn’t think of any ideas so I’ll settle with this:

I’m putting up my Creative Zen Vision M 30GB (white) for sale!

This is not a drill readers, or should I say, potential buyers. This is real. The reason I’m selling my beloved and evergreen Vision M is that, I need to raise some money to make a big purchase. For the past couple of weeks, I have also rarely used the Vision M. In fact, I can tell you frankly that I have yet to use it for at least a week now. It used to be my best gadget buddy. I listen to mp3s on it, sometimes I watched movies on it and of course the occasional times when I tune to the FM. This device is about 3 years old.

Okay, I’ll now start my product introduction or description. As I have already mentioned, the item on sale is a white Creative Zen Vision M with 30GB of memory space. It is comparable to the iPod before the Touch generation. It’s direct iPod competition would be the iPod 30GB (5th Generation). The size is almost similar, albeit the iPod being the much thinner or slimmer device. The Vision M is almost twice as thick. While the iPod’s back is made of metal, the Vision M is plastic all round. Having said that, it is still very sturdy.

That’s the physical comparison. The iPod will certainly trump the Vision M in terms of brand recognition and sleekness of design. However, take serious note that the Vision M or Creative is not some China made imitation wannabe. The sound quality is up there with the iPod. The question of which is better would be quite subjective. But the area that the Vision M comes on top over the iPod is the display quality. The colours are richer. You can see the difference by looking at comparison pictures of the Vision M and iPod side by side (google it). So your movie/drama/music video watching experience is more pleasant.

Another plus of the Vision M is its ability to play various formats of music or videos. This is especially useful if you would like to watch movies on the device. Seldom will you have to convert the video format in order for it to play on your Vision M. I personally download movies from torrents in the AVI format and I have viewed them on my Vision M many times.

Lastly, you do not need any software like iTunes to manage your songs in your Vision M. You can just delete any song directly from inside the player if you become sick and tired of listening to that particular tune. However, should you want to create a playlist, you will need a software. I do not require playlists, so I have not explored the methods.

Now we move on from the general view of the product to a more specific description of this very Vision M that is on sale. I will make this brief and as clear as I can.

Package includes:
1x  Creative Zen Vision M 30GB
1x  Original Creative earphones
1x  Philips SHE 9700 in-ear phones
1x  USB cable/charger
1x  3-pin wall charger/power adaptor

Price: RM 370 (Negotiable)

Delivery charges: FREE        Delivery method: Poslaju, courier services
Payment:

Maybank2u or over the counter transfer to my Maybank account.

**A brand new unit is retailing at around RM 900 - 990

NEGATIVES
- No warranty, of course.
- Low battery life (due to its age). You might need to do some research on how you can get its          battery replaced. At the moment, you can watch 2 hours of a movie or around 4-5 hours of            listening to songs.
- Some scratches, nothing major, I think.
- No manual booklet (although I think you don’t really need one)
- No car charger


POSITIVES
- Still in very good working condition.
- Screen has been protected by the plastic/sticker protector.
- Apart from a USB cable/charger, you also get a wall charger/adaptor. So you can plug it into          any 3 pin power socket if the batteries are low. You can also solve the short battery life while        watching movies by plugging the adaptor at the same time.
- I’m throwing in my old Philips SHE series in-ear phones, besides the original Creative                    earphones (which sucks to be honest). One side of the Philips is having some problems anyway,    so I guess you need to shop for a new pair of earphones if you don’t have one.
- Besides the player itself, you will also get a total of 3400 songs already in it. Yes, you read              that right, 3400 songs!!!
- Besides more than 3000 songs, you also have 2-3 movies included in the player. I would                provide you with the list of movies that I am able to include should you require that.
- Free shipping/delivery.

What I recommend you to do should you intend to purchase this from me:
- Find out if you can get the batteries replaced. If you can do so, I think this Vision M will be a          steal. As for me, I live in the far corner of Sarawak in a little town, so it’s tough for me to do          such things.
- Get a new pair of in-ear phones if you do not have one yet. I recommend Philips if you want          something that produces nice quality sounds at an affordable price. You can easily get a decent    pair for about RM 80-90.
- Read various reviews of the Creative Zen Vision M 30GB for more product knowledge.

All that for RM 370. But I’m a reasonable guy, so the price is still very much negotiable. The transaction or process is pretty much Lelong.com.my standard. Just in case:
1. You email / sms me that you are interested.
2. We agree on the price.
3. You give me your mailing address.
4. I pack the item.
5. You complete the payment.
6. I send the item.

So should you be interested to know more, email me at bxnjamin@yahoo.com or sms me (hp number will be given upon request). Thank you. 

I've been wanting to have my windows tinted, according to JPJ specifications of course. But one thing that have been bugging me is the law of another country. Their law prohibit vehicles from having tinted windows. This is one screwed up dung. I mean, I want to tint my windows according to the specifications that my country permits me. But, I also can't because a foreign country prohibits such things on vehicles travelling on their roads. 

Why would I give a dung about that foreign country you might tell me. Well, I live in a town that is almost separated from the rest of the state and country, being sandwiched by an oil rich country. I will need to drive through that sultanate should I wish to go to Miri and beyond, or Lawas/Kota Kinabalu and beyond. I do not want to end up at a roadblock on foreign soil having some foreign cops telling me to tear down the tint or even pay the fine in their currency which is more than twice the value of ours in the exchange rate.

Therefore, I will have to drive without tinted windows that would be able to keep the interior of the car a little cooler. But you can put up blinds what? Or you can also use a RM15 Rayban immitation what? Blinds will put up more blindspots and gives you a lesser all round visibility and a RM15 Rayban immitation, well I think I don't need to say much about this one.

I do not know what this country aim to achieve by making tinted windows illegal. Their citizens drive like they have 9 lives. They can't park their car for shit. This is the truth, is it so hard to manouver your vehicle into a 45 degrees angled space that is more than reasonable for one car? Do you actually need to have your car parked in two bays? You are depriving people like me who have our constitutional right for a vacant parking bay.

So I hope one day the government of this neighbouring country will come to its senses and allow cars (Malaysians at least) to drive on their roads with tinted windows. God bless you.

Resident Feline

Most workplaces such as mine, seem to have their very own resident feline. A cat that roams/stays in the school compound. And to some extent, a cat that is 'officially' taken care of by the school.

My school has a resident cat. The name's Garfield. Don't get too excited as the only resemblence to the famous cat from the comics is its habits, that is sleeping and eating. Come to think of it, it does share some similarities with myself.

This is Garfield.

He is seen here sleeping on the cement floor, beside where I used to sit.

This is Garfield, again.

Here, you can see that he is, sleeping, again. This time on the sofa in the staff kitchen/dining room.

Garfield is a big sized car really. Weighs about 2kilos. My colleague, Nadira feeds it everyday with Friskies, and she's also the cat's unofficial mother. And the two of them does have a unique human-cat bond. That is all I have to write about Garfield. 

You, the sunset and me

Whinerpool

That's right. The Liverpool story this season has been full of whinnings, led by chief-whiner cum manager, Rafa Benitez. They weren't whinning when for a time they were leading the league for a while, earlier in the season. After being caught and overtaken by the Red Devils, you see them whinning til kingdom come. Being such bad whiners, you can expect no creativity from them. There was a stage where Rafa accused referees of awarding favourable decisions to Man Utd that resulted in his sorry-arse team being leapfrogged.

Towards the end of the season, they have been talking about Man United being all money. That is, the mark of losers. Winners need not look for faults in others. When the Chelsea revolution first began, and Man United beaten to the league title for a couple of seasons, I don't recall reading the United players and staff saying Chelsea won because they spend big. In fact, Sir Alex said Chelsea had set a much higher standard in order to win the league. 

This season, as it comes to a close, you read about Rafa Benitez saying Man United is top because of the money spent. Bollocks you gay Spaniard. We are on top, and will most probably win the league, because we are the better team this season.

Bolafoot

Back when I was still doing my teacher's training at the teaching institute, I played football almost every evening. It was cool that I was doing something I love and also it keeps my health in check. That's one of the many things I missed about life in the institute. It's funny because during our time there, we used to bitch and whine. 

So, back home, I can't really satisfy my desire for a kickabout. No mates. And I don't have a field within walking distance from where I live.

But I had this problem solved. Though not as ideal as I hoped it to be. Now I get to play football twice a month. With 10-12 year olds. 

It's not as easy as you think though. Those little devils are charged up when they play against someone much older and obviously, bigger. The second the ball arrives at your feet, you will have at least 3 pairs of legs snapping at your heels. Makes you want to fall down, roll over and do a Ronaldo. By the time you get to blow the whistle to award a freekick in your favour, the ball is gone far. Why bother.

Old tradition = make a line and say out '1' , '2' alternately. As the teacher, I would be joining the team with less players, or the weaker side.

Game on. Some of the kids are really good. Some are so good, sometimes nobody bothers to get the ball from them.

Then there are those who are not so good that they need instructions by others.

But at the end of the day, just like back at the institute, it's not about how good you are. It's how much you love the game. Coz thiz iz ma crew, and thatz how we roll yo! *shows some peace sign thingy with fingers*

Hotelling

This is me getting ready for the big day tomorrow. 

These things I'd never say...

Unfortunately they are not foul words, for I have uttered profanities before, and I can't promise I won't say a foul word in the future.

I don't know why i suddenly thought if posting this. Probably due to listening to dedications on the radio during my drive to and back from Lawas this weekend. So these things I'd never say to a girlfriend:

#1 I think of you every second
#2 I will do anything for you
#3 You are my everything
#4 I love you forever
#5 I cannot live without you
#6 You are my number 1
#7 We are meant to be together

I can honestly say that in my past relationships, these words have never been mentioned. Except for one :p. Okay, so I'm not a romantic guy, i get it.

Oohh..my mademoiselle

We've been together for more than 2 weeks already. Our shared time has been wonderful.

Gambar hiasan

Now this is what I'm talking about.

Miss Sony Ericsson Xperia

While not as model thin as Miss Apple Iphone, to me she's just fineee!

And unlike Miss Iphone, this piece of beauty can do this!

Miss Ericsson-Xperia's mugshot.

She boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera. While possessing the same resolution as my Nokia N73, this Swedish angel captures better quality photos.

So now, let's take a look at qualities that constitutes her inner beauty.

A satisfactory amount of simple yet fun games.

Bejeweled!

Games aside, Miss Xperia has decent Internet browsing capabilities. Internet Explorer is installed but the Opera browser provides a much smoother net surfing experience. 

Blogging is only a wifi connection away.

Catching up with team news? As the Swedes would say...No problemo! Well, you get my point.

Anywho, another quality that makes her beautiful is having a built-in GPS. The retailer have also been kind to install Malsing Maps in my set. 

Kuching! Woohoo! This one is showing the location of my crib....4 years ago. Too bad no map for good ol' Limbang. I guess this town is too small for a GPS map thingy. But hey, some people still do get lost around here sometimes.

Well, there is one other attribute of hers that at least shows Limbang in a way or another.

Google Maps! 

Woohoo! Limbang! Unfortunately though, this is the closest zoom I can get for Limbang town. No rooftop view of my house for me then!

But who cares about some zinc roof when you could watch dvd quality movies right from your palm!

Miss Xperia? Bond, James Bond. 

Okay, back to the basic stuff. I don't really know what to highlight here. I mean, you make phonecalls the same way you do on other phones. One thing I like is the SMS system. It arranges your inbox based on the people you have received/sent smses. For instance, all my smses to/from my Dad will be in one 'folder'. I think it's pretty cool. 

Conversations with the father. As you can see, these are smses from the 3rd, 4th and 7th of April between me and my dad. So it's abit like an instant messenger interface.

If you were hoping for a comprehensive review, sorry to disappoint you. But in short, what I think of the Sony Ericsson Xperia or X1 is....

BEAUTIFUL!!!

It is here!

I've finally got my hands on this baby! My dying Nokia N73 can finally retire in peace....

Thoughts

It's exam week at the workplace. I had the last hour slot with my own class. So to keep them occupied while I mark the exam papers, I gave them each a piece of paper. Their task, draw whatever they want, as long as they don't turn the classroom into a zoo.

Below is what a student of mine drew. Still 7 year old, Nur Arifah. One of the tiniest student in my class, if not the most, but has one of the loudest ear piercing voice. Thank goodness she only uses that to say, "SIR!!!!" or cover her ears and shout "NOISY!!", when the class becomes a zoo.

The Art

The Artist

Tips for KPLI (1)

I noticed recent visitors arrived here after searching for KPLI tips. My friend Gramman called me just the other day that the iklan is already out. So it is my duty as a fresh KPLI graduate to assist those trying to get into the programme.

The first step is application. Filling in the forms online, and before that purchasing your PIN number at the nearest Bank Simpanan Nasional branch.

Second. Choosing the right course. Do your SWOT analysis here. I took English. #1 Because I had accumulated more than a year of teaching English as a temporary teacher. #2 Because I can't speak the level of Bahasa Melayu needed in teaching. #3 Because I like English. #4 Because I graduated with a degree awarded by a UK university. #5 Because I feel I have a very good (not excellent) command of the language. So based on all that (and prayers), choosing English was an obvious choice.

Third. If your application is successful, you will sit for the mTest. Yes, some people do not get to sit for the test, even after paying for the PIN and the hassles of filling up the online form. My advice is to get sample questions or past editions test papers. Not to study or revise like your younger years in university. But to familiarise yourself with the type of questions in the test. If you suck at Maths, I tell you this, forget opening up your old SPM Math books. I suck at calculations, even simple fractions. The math/add math paper was very tough for me. It was so tough that I reached the last question in probably 10-15mins....that is, without able to answer 95% of the questions. As for the 5%, I was sure I did correctly for half of that. Okay now I'm going to tell you something important, so read carefully. There will be a paper called INSAK, or something like that. It's like a personality quiz, with questions touching on your tendencies and stuff. Try to answer them as honestly as possible. Do not think too long for each question. Spend an average of 30-40 seconds ONLY for each question, for you are only given about half an hour to answer close to 150 questions. Based on what one of my lecturer told us, I'm telling you to maybe lie a little, regarding questions on physical and mental fitness. Show the selection panel that you are always positive and physically fit. It's been 2 months after my posting, and I can tell you that you really need to be positive and physically fit to be a teacher!

Also, please wear the appropriate clothes when sitting for the test. The safest bet for a girl/lady would be a baju kurung. Guys, pakai office wear lah. Plain shirt (it is better to wear long sleeves), put on your tie, slacks (not jeans or even soft jeans, NO NO!!!), and your kasut kulit. They place very high importance on how you present yourself when coming for the test. I have seen with my own eyes, candidates get scolded and some even turned away because of their dressing. It's only half a day, so bear with the formal wear lah.

This is all for now. Next, I'll be touching on the next step, after the test.

Hidden Agendas

I won't go into the details, you guys can read more in the news and also Malaysia Today.

Here's how I see it, for the past few months groups mostly involving people of the ethnic majority have been calling for the teaching of Science and Mathematics to be reverted back to Bahasa Malaysia because many children, especially those not living in the cities are not proficient in English.

Then, we have another issue, a totally different one. People from the same ethnic majority have been questioning the use of Bahasa Malaysia Bibles and a certain word in particular. A minister even went to the extent of saying Christians have a hidden agenda of doing so.

My take; time and time again, federal leaders from the peninsular have showed not their deep understanding, but rather total ignorance and knowledge about the culture and people in the Borneo states. It's does not matter what religion or culture you practice, it's either their way or the highway. So this is what I predict of what to come in the future:

1. Citizens will be prohibited to write their text messages using shortforms. So instead pf typing 'Wtf'...we must type 'What the f..", well you get my point. It is said that this malaise is the work of the Mossad, though we are not told what specific threat it poses, we are assured that they have a hidden agenda.

2. Malaysians will have to spend 70% of their television watching time to watch local programmes (Astro suscribers included). Your decorder will automatically be deactivated if you violate the time limit. This is to make sure that our minds are not polluted by the evil Americans, and to some extent, the Brits. It was said that the decline in Malaysian football was caused by the popularity of the English Premier League shown on weekends. The Brits are said to have a hidden agenda.

3. Dictionaries will only have those that are Malay to Malay translation. This is to instill patriotism and also to ensure that the younger generations would not be colonised. Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka will guarantee that the Malay translation will show what the English translation would be like, get me? The Home Ministry announced that they have evidence that Oxford and Cambridge have sinister motives in publishing English dictionaries. While we are not told what those devious intents are, we can be confident in the Home Ministry's explanation that it is a hidden agenda.

Any other ideas?

What about us?

The Malaysian Government has always been very outspoken in voicing out support to the plight of the Palestinian people and condemning 'astrocities' of the Israelis. The past week or so, we have read about the Government calling for sanctions, boycotts and even for the Israelis to be tried in an International Court. Looking from one angle, it is heartening to see a country standing up to defend another.

But, the question is, WHAT ABOUT YOUR OWN PEOPLE??? This country may not be at war, but there are alot of crap that the CITIZENS or RAKYATS have to endure and put up with in this country. Do we need to change citizenship and get a Palestinian passport to be heard and get help, justice and equality? (No disrespect to the Palestinian people)