Blog War

If politics brings you boredom that could be fatal to you, I suggest you stop reading at this point and view my photo gallery in the link provided on the right. But honestly, it's not about liking politics or otherwise, it's about being sensitive and conscious on the things going on that could have a huge impact on our lives as ordinary Malaysians.

Yep, any issue-sensitive Malaysian would know what's going on lately. The main governing component party is "at war" with bloggers. So for the past couple of days I've been surfing a number of blogs and websites. I came upon the website of Kelab Penyokong Maya UMNO, and this particular post caught my attention. After you have read that, now read the blog mentioned in that post here. What do you think? I've asked a couple of Muslim buddies about this and they thought it's nothing really. It's all political man!

I'm not gonna write more here, else might get myself in trouble :p. For the record, I'm not a member of any Opposition Party, not affiliated in any way. Nor am I a supporter of BN. I have no political affiliations.

F.E.A.R.

If you have played the PC Game FEAR, it's an awesome game!

On a heavier note, lately there have been a lot being said by those in power about bloggers. Politicians have been ruffled by some of the things written in blogs. Some of them have suggested and warned that action be taken against these bloggers.

I smell fear.

ONLY THE FEARFUL WILL TRY TO INSTILL FEAR ONTO OTHERS!

My allegiance is to King & Country. Not the hypocrites that make up our politicians!

Lamak sik update blog (Long no update blog)

Have you ever been so hungry that you did not want to eat?

Yeah, me neither.

I woke up pretty late today, at about 12.30 in the afternoon. I actually woke up much earlier, but I felt it was too early so I went back to sleep hee hee. But before you slack me off, I went to bed just before 5am okay? It was partly the coffee's fault, power man! Speaking of which, I've "formulated" a "hybrid" coffee that kicks ass! I am a coffee addict. And I live in a small town where top-notch "coffee infrastructure" such as your Starbucks etc is non-existent. So one could only be content with the various 3-in-1s, 5-in-1s of Nescafe, Ali cafe etc apart from the coffee shops. And so far, none of the shops here serve a wonderful cup/mug of coffee.

Having the experience of living away from home, having to prepare my own meals at times, with limited financial resources, I am very familiar with 2 these important words: "Modify, Improvise". So with that philosophy deeply ingrained in my mentality, I as I mentioned earlier, "formulated" a kick ass mug of coffee. If I could be vain in anything, it would be my F&B skills, even if it's actually closer to crap. But I'll just share this one with you:

What you need:
1 sachet of Ali Cafe (the one with sugar)

1 sachet of Nescafe or Ali Cafe (without sugar) note: I'd recommend Nescafe

1 tea spoon of Milo

2 tea spoons of milk powder (I think any milk powder would do, I used my mum's Anlene :p)

Instructions:
You know the drill lah. And I think it doesn't matter which one you put in first. But strangely I mixed mine in the order above. Served hot or cold. The above is recommended for 1 serving only (if you are using a mug).

Note: I strongly suggest you use the brands I've mentioned, except for the milk powder. You could probably try using other brands if those aren't available.

I hope you will like it. I love it! I think you'll love it. If you think it's crap, maybe you missed an important step in preparing it. Or you just don't have it in you as a coffee maker.


PS: I was really annoyed by a man driving a van this afternoon. I had side parked the car initially so that my grandad would have an easier time going to the pharmacy. When we were about to leave, I turned on the signal to indicate I was going out. But a van came from behind, so I had to let it pass first before I could turn into the street. But the bugger stopped his van at our side but abit to the front, right in the middle of the lane, thus blocking our way. If I was alone, I would have cursed. It's not that I'm being impatient. But the van driver was being totally unreasonable and incinsiderate. So what if he's stopping there just for a couple of minutes, he could have parked the van infront of us as there was more than ample space. To make matters worse, he didnt even had his signal light on, and you should know that people who do not give a damn about switching on their signal lights is a pain in my ass.

The reason why not all stupid & dumb motorists have had an accident or get killed is because there are smart & wise ones.

As usual I was online lastnight until 4 in the morning. Hanging around in Yahoo Messenger with a couple of my buddies. Listening/Reading Bifi's lamentations or insecurities about his gayness and helping Jerome abit with his presentation preparation. At the same time past midnught, I kept going to the Ministry of Education's website every 20 minutes or so to check if the results have been released. But when it was already 4am, I thought the Ministry would only update the website during office hours.

So I passed the KPLI MTest...

WOOHOO!!! Yeah God is indeed merciful and true. The Man!

So the interview will be held on the 6th of next month, so I still a couple weeks to read up on stuff. And the good news is that those who applied for English will be interview totally in English, now thats a relief! On the flipside however, I might have to miss the English Football season opener, the Community Shield between Man Utd & Chelsea which is on the 5th, at 11pm. DANG!

PS: Screw the Premier League on trying to block Tevez's move to Man Utd!!

Malaysian Football: Still no light at the end of the tunnel

Alright, does anybody care about our local football scene?

Yes I am a self-confessed Manchester United fanatic. But as a quote I once came upon years ago goes something like this, "A true football fan will always support his home tea." Home team meaning your local team." I believe in this. No matter how sh*tty your local team is, its your team, man. While I'm not much of a Sarawak FA fanatic as I am a Devil, I still follow the team. I'm happy when they win, disappointed when they lose. I keep up with the team news. Proud to be Sarawakian.

Okay when I went on NST's site earlier, I found out our National U-20 team was thrashed in their tour of Thailand. That sucks, really. I may have second thoughts being proud of this country at times, but I still support our national team. Anyways, as i read on, I came across a statement by the FAM Deputy President himself, the son of the Sultan of Pahang, regarding those thrashings.

The squad, coached by FA of Malaysia technical director Robert Alberts, was thrashed 8-0 and 5-0 respectively by Osotspa FC and Thailand International University in a playing tour of Thailand and the FAM is shocked.

FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said: "I am shocked and Robert should be held resposible for these defeats."

I sympathize with Coach Alberts. But this isn't surprising. Nothing new. This is FAM. Always looking for a scapegoat. Always looking for someone to blame. Everytime the National team fails, it is the coach that gets the stick. Even more if the coach was a foreigner. Then they'll say local coaches can do as good if not better than foreign coaches. But then the pressure on foreign coaches are always higher and to some extent unreasonable. Just like feminists :p.

And if you are in the FAM hierarchy, you automatically get the privillege of blaming others when the National team screws up, the coach being the most convenient, heck you could probably even blame the FAM bus driver who drives the team bus. And the only people that would not be blamed is you and your fellow administrators and big wigs. The Secretary General, the Vice President and the President. Nobody blames them. Which is just understandable. How could the coach issue a press statement blaming the President? He'll definitely be given the boot.

FAM has been amusing and annoying Malaysians football fans for a long long time. It is a joke. A body that is run by clowns and jokers. Amateurs. In fact they should change their name from Football Association of Malaysia to Forever Amateur Management. Unless a complete overhaul of the leadership & administration happens, we'd be in the tunnel for a long run.

I'm blogging on a Monday...again.

What's with me and Mondays? No idea

I had ice-cream this afternoon. Nestle's something-stick with Tiramisu flavour. Good value for the Rm1.20 though. Weather was fairly humid today.

Was supposed to go jogging, but somehow I got stuck editing FM 2007. Even the Editor is addictive, damn.

The KPLI Mtest results will be out tomorrow. Bit nervous about that. But with God's grace, everything will be smooth, I'm holding on to that in my nervous-ness. LOL

Peace out

Empty Conversations

A random conversation on Yahoo Messenger that I had with my mate Bifi aka Fifie (still chatting at time of writing) He's dio_kereen. Here goes:

siR doNkey: damn..im having soda susu

dio_kereen: why?

siR doNkey: just wanna try

dio_kereen: owh...

dio_kereen: is it good?

dio_kereen: is it make u feel like 'high' heels?

siR doNkey: i dunno abt d high heels part

siR doNkey: but it is good

siR doNkey: isnt it an indonesian invention?

siR doNkey: abit like fantasi tat u order at point one

dio_kereen: yaya

dio_kereen: i know that

dio_kereen: but its cannot make high heel

siR doNkey: does it know u?

dio_kereen: yeah

dio_kereen: we're familiar with each other

siR doNkey: cool

siR doNkey: now we're same gang

dio_kereen: a kind of family connection la

siR doNkey: really?

dio_kereen: yeah

siR doNkey: ur mum or dad's side?

dio_kereen: my stepfather one

siR doNkey: oh

dio_kereen: did i mention u that my stepfather is a man?

siR doNkey: nope

siR doNkey: tats interesting

siR doNkey: how long has ur stepfather been a man?

dio_kereen: its been a while...

siR doNkey: how did ur mum react?

dio_kereen: just sometimes he changes to woman or half if he feel kind of want it

siR doNkey: so its a self-controlled sex change

dio_kereen: yeah

dio_kereen: he some how can transform into a different person...

dio_kereen: u know what

siR doNkey: what

dio_kereen: when my stepfather and my mum make out to create me

dio_kereen: my stepfather use saifu apek face...

siR doNkey: damn

dio_kereen: yeah

siR doNkey: but how come ur face like silvestre?

dio_kereen: now u know why my face like this right?

dio_kereen: is it?

siR doNkey: ur face isnt like saiful apek

dio_kereen: not my face man

dio_kereen: mystepfather face...

dio_kereen: its not his real face one

siR doNkey: damn its very complicated

dio_kereen: he just made itthat way

dio_kereen: my stepfather

dio_kereen: he is differet...

dio_kereen: he is the special one...

siR doNkey: when he is a woman..what do call him?

dio_kereen: now he do research in India with Dr.Mohindar Suresh..

siR doNkey: I know that doctor

dio_kereen: do u know Dr.Mohindar Suresh?

siR doNkey: from clinic khaira rite? near Bcb

dio_kereen: khaira?

dio_kereen: ya ya

dio_kereen: kind of that

siR doNkey: cool man

Amazing how such conversation can go on.

It's Monday again...

It banjir-ed again in school this morning, on my last day. Which meant no classes the Year 1 & 2 kids, damn. On any other day, like last Monday it would have been a cool thing, having only 1 period with Year 5 for the whole day. But today was my last day, I wanted to have class with them little buggers for the last time, even if they piss me off, as usual. Oh well, so now I'm waiting for the call from my previous school should the English teacher post is still vacant. There's actually a vacant post at my mum's school starting today. Mum & her colleague asked if I was interested. But then I would be teaching Bahasa Malaysia, which is something I would really suck at. I mean, I don't even know what ayat majmuk or ayat tunggal means. And being colleagues with one of your parents is not a cool thing, not that they're not cool, it's just weird HaHa.

I finally got my Surat Pengiktirafan Kelayakan from JPA last Friday. As promised they Pos Laju-ed it, not that it was urgent, but I needed it to get my salary from my previous teaching stint processed, else they'd be paying me the SPM scale, and that's a huge difference from a graduate scale, probably around Rm 1,000 per month!! And you are right Andee those guys/gals at JPA do have a strange system. I called last Thursday evening to ask about my letter again, and told the person on the line that I was previously told my letter is done, just waiting for the officer to sign it. But when I told them this, they were kinda surprised, and they were asking each other about the status of my application in the background. Finally they forwarded my call to a superior, who told me that actually there's no letter yet as my application is still under consideration (Dammit, means I kenak bulak lah when I called previously). I told her I kinda need the letter next week, so she said they will send it by Pos Laju.

I slept for almost 5 hours earlier this evening. Damn.

Oh before I forget, I would like to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day & Happy Birthday too!! Thanks for being a wonderful father, and may God continue to bless you.

Easy on Monday morning

Woke up to a rainy Monday morning today. In fact it had been raining since lastnight. Secretly I was hoping I would get a call or sms saying we won't have to go to school today because it was flooded *grins*. I did my routine while hoping for that to happen, but it did not. And even the road to my school which is prone to flood was clear, damn.

Approaching the school, I saw a few cars by the roadside. Some were of my colleagues. See, we teachers don't park our cars by the roadside usually. As I drove closer, the school was flooded! The field wasn't to be seen. The pathway from the entrance to the school was invisibly underwater. YAYS! But turned out school was to go on. SIGH! So everyone had to walk in the water to the school. Good thing I had brought along my slippers, smart. So I began my walk in the water. The students probably loved it. Especially the boys haha. I thought it was a cool thing too. It was nothing to grouch or whine about. Damn I even wished the pathway was abit longer. LOL

SO the Year 1 & 2 students were told to return to their homes, while the rest stayed on to study. Which was a cool thing for me, initially. Supposed to have 4 periods with Year 1 and 2 periods with Year 2 today. My Monday is really long. So because of the flood, I only have to enter Year 5, which was only for 1 period. The rest of the day was dull. I did not bring my earphones so no music for me. I passed the first hour going through my lesson pla for tomorrow. And then, total boredom. Spent the rest of the day reading the novels from the Pusat Sumber. I must say they have much cooler novels these days, very contemporary.

Teacher & students walking in the water together-gether.

Then they stopped for a pose. Uztaz Fairuz & gang.

Ahh, the joys of going to school. Yours trully getting his feet wet.

Going back to school lalalalaaa

When the school holidays first started, I set out complete 2 tasks. One, to get my daily lesson plan done (2 weeks behind :p), and to go jogging at least twice a week (due to badminton being cancelled during the school break). Due to my constant procrastination, I have not achieved any of those objectives. Dammit.

So it's back to school tomorrow, no more going to bed at 3-4am in the morning. No more waking up at 11am.

Photobucket.com is pissing me off. It's awfully slow. I mean really slow. And even that's an understatement. A snail would have completed a meter and photobucket would not even be showing my album page after logging in. Any ideas on other alternative websites where i can store my photos?

Peace out...and selamat kembali ke sekolah to students and teachers.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

According to a website, these people look like me...



I've tried a couple of photos and Jet Li turned up in most of em. So can we conclude that Jet Li looks like me? HAHA. Some other interesting results from different photos include Evander Holyfield, Denzel Washington, SUHARTO!!

Fun stuff, go try it

Monday..boring Monday

It's past 4 in the evening and it's still a dull Monday. Hopefully there's badminton tonight.

Anyhows, I suddenly had a thought about past-life theories, not that I believe in that. But I took a test, out of fun...or boredom. Here are the results of my past life diagnosis:

Your past life diagnosis:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Poland around the year 1700. Your profession was that of a trainer or holder of fine animals, such as birds..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Person with huge energy, good in planning and supervising. If you were just garbage-man, you were chief garbage-man.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your lesson is to learn humility and faith in spiritual principles. You should believe in higher reasons.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you remember now?


Pretty neat eh? LOL.

Then I found another test. What would be my best quality?

What's Your Best Quality? Your Result: Out-Going   Your best quality is out-going! People like you because you are fun to be around and no one ever knows what you will do next. Also you are not afraid to say or do whatever you want.
Sense of Humor
Intelligence
Ambitious
Loving
Personality
What's Your Best Quality? Take More Quizzes

Out-going??

So I decided to take one last test/quiz...and I decided to see if I am datable enough.

Are You Datable? Your Result: You are Datable   According to the results, you are ready to go on Dates and have all the benefits that come with it :) Go out there and find that someone superstar before you end up wasting your skills and have no one in your life..
You are 50/50 Datable
You are Not Datable
Are You Datable? Create MySpace Quizzes

Damn I'm datable....LOL

It's June

Firstly, a belated Happy Gawai to my Dayak buddies.

Secondly, congratulations to my cousin Clarence on his wedding yesterday.

I just realised today is the 3rd of June. Just got back from Lawas earlier late afternoon. My Cousin Clarence got married yesterday. Well, had a really nice time, despite not having everyone there. The Kuching 'crew' were missing, except my Uncle David.

Met some new people. A particular new and interesting person (Ndru, i told you about this one). Wonderful stuff about that person. But upon reaching a point, I would have slapped myself or smack my head because of that. Then there's the feeling of guilt. The feeling of ashamedly breaking the unspoken code of men. Dammit hahaha. I let myself in deeper I'm afraid...not my fault entirely. It's gonna be alright, gonna be okay. *talks to self* "Must resist the Force!"

Anyhows! The Immigration & Customs checkpoint (I think you call it CIQ?) at Pandaruan was operational last Friday. Ok, now I just realised I didn't take any pictures. It is now more convenient for our Bruneian friends from Temburong who visit Limbang, or those from BSB, KB who are going to KK. They won't have to stop in the middle of town to get their passport stamped. At the same time easing the traffic conditions for us locals.

Another week of holidays for me. And it's really a holiday. I've settled the report cards for my kids (when I say kids, I mean my primary 1 students) before the holidays started. My stint in this school will end on the 18th. I'd probably be teaching at my previous school straight after that. One of the English teachers will be transferred, or maybe she's already left. Apparently the English Dept had my name recommended to the Principal as a relief teacher, unless a new teacher gets transferred to that school lah. Well, I guess it would be cool to get a month or two. The money would come in handy.

Also last Saturday I sat for the KPLI examinations. 5 papers: Analitikal, Kuantitatif, INSAK, BM & English. The INSAK paper is something like a personality test, interesting. But 30 minutes to answer 135 questions??? It didn't help that I always blacken my answers carefully, and thats time consuming! The Bm & English paper were okay. What troubled me were the Analitikal & Kuantitatif papers. Analitikal was something like an IQ test. But the style of the questions were redundant. So I felt it was not so intelligent of them to do that. My arch-nemesis...Maths have always proved to be a tough nut to crack. In this case, the Kuantitatif paper. 25 questions in 30 minutes. No calculators allowed. How on earth would someone who suck at numbers perform decently??? Out of the 25, I would honestly say that I could do only 5 the most. The rest were, well, faced by a "firing-squad".

Therefore I would like to voice some grievances here (not that it would matter). I applied to teach English. So couldn't they just give us papers that are related to the course that we applied for? Okay, so English teachers might be asked to teach Maths. But the Kuantitatif paper was more like University level math! Or Secondary school stuff at least. And this particular KPLI intake is for Primary School Education. Why would someone who applied for a BM course have to take the English & Kuantitatif paper? Just doesn't make enough sense. What if that someone who's brilliant in BM, and would make an excellent BM teacher fails the Kuantitatif & English paper? It won't be fair man. Are they looking for candidates who is a Master of 1 skill...or a Jack-of-all-trades? Okay enough whining LOL.

For the rest of my holidays, I'll try to finish of my season dvd of The Simpsons. And I need to get on the ass of JPA about my surat iktirak kelayakkan. Well Cuz Andee, I actually applied for that letter last month. No, it was April, before the interview for the Guru Pemulihan thingy. About 3 weeks ago I called, was put on hold for nearly 10 minutes (this is no BS), if not more. Then they probably forgot I was on the line, and they hung up on me. The following week I called, and they said the letter is ready, "Tunggu pegawai sign jer." Does it take that long for them to sign stuff??? Are they short of officers? Then they should have hired me when I applied for the PTD post last year. Are they short of pens at JPA? If so, then the salary increment would enable them to buy pens.

Talking about PTD, last week I engaged in a thread in the forum at Cari.com.my regarding employment. Specifically about firms who prefer to hire people who knows Mandarin. Then an idiot who is said to be a PTD showed up, his posting showed that he's a government officer. He began to insult the Chinese, calling them/us dogs, babi etc. One of his quotes was something like this, "...suka makan babi...patutla perangai macam babi..". Hurling racist statements is one thing, but coming from a government officer, a PTD lagik is a big thing. I replied, with good humour, and did not forget to highlight that I was proud to be a pork-eater LOL. I can't give a link here because those postings were deleted by the mod hehe. Mine included :(

Peace out!

SARAWAKIAN FiRST!!...all the bullsh*t second

Overdue

Been a while since I've last updated this blog. It's the school holidays now, so I'll be having so much time, with so much to write (overdue/expired stuff mostly) but sadly so little desire. One reason being difficult to upload photos onto Photobucket. I've made up my mind that every post should have a photo/picture. Like the ones in tabloid mags with the caption "Gambar hiasan".

Anyhows I suppose i'll write about a couple of stuff in this post.

1) SCHOOL-LEVEL TEACHER'S DAY

Our school had our Teacher's Day celebration on May 19, a Friday. We didn't have it on its actual day because exams were on then. It's a really special occassion for me. Honestly I was excited. Well, because it was to be the first time celebrating that special day as a teacher. For once I will be appreciated *grins*.

SO first on the programme was an assembly. Then the reading of the speech from i don't recall who, but i guess it's either the Minister of Education or the Director. Didn't matter anyway *smirks*. Then the student rep gave a short speech...or was it a poem/sajak. Darn, just shows that I wasn't paying attention.

It became more interesting next, when it was the time to do the Poco-poco! So we had 4 students to show the rest of us how it was done. I guess we were doing ok for the first minute or two, and then we began to lose our steps...and finally everybody just stopped and just watch those 4 students strutting their dance moves. What was meant to be an exercise became a show haha. They were good though. Darn, now that I think of it, should have taken a video!

After that, it was time to get down and dirty...for us boys...those small boys and us big boys. Football! So the 5 of us men and a couple of students went against the whole boys (including unlimited subsitutions la). From the kick off the ball was passed to me, and in dash, 3 kids were around me. All i should do was make a simple pass to Uztaz Fairuz. But like what any real men would do, I tried to do the extravagant. There I was dragging the ball away from the 1st kid. Dummied the other. Turned the ball on the third. Ok time to pass. Swung my foot. SPLAT!!! Zidane-wannabe fell on his butt. SO it occurred to me...futsal shoes aren't meant for the field...especially a muddy and wet one. Studs matter. Scored a goal and we won the game 6-3...and had mud all over me.

Then I spent some time with my kids. They had brought some gifts for me. I lost count. Because they were all for the tummy haha. Some bottled drinks. Chocolates. Keropok durian (I despise durians but i didn't want to disappoint the kid who gave me that, so I told her I'll eat it at home....which I didn't la). There were some cakes and sandwiches. Good Lord, these kids really know how to feed their teacher. So here's a photo of my class kids, them lovely little buggers:


Front L-R: Franklin, Vanessa, Filicia, Sophia, Carberinie, Ronia, Francisca
Back L-R: Darriene, Fazzira, Flora, Calvin, Micky, Steward
Not in picture: Nur Syakirah (apparently she hates taking pictures)


2. GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED

I'm a Manchester United die-hard. Always have..always been..always be. It doesn't trouble me that a vast majority of my cousins & uncles on my mom's side are Liverpool fans. In fact I'm probably the only serious MU fan.

Anyhows, despite my devotion to this club, I've never owned a jersey. I did have one when I was around 8 or 9. I wasn't a fan then, that was before i fell in love with football.

So last month I bid for an MU away jersey on Lelong.com.my. Somehow some problems came up and i ended up receiving the jersey almost 3 weeks late, on a Saturday, just in time for the FA Cup final...which we lost though.



The Loves of my life, God...family...Manchester United, in that order. Heck, i think even during the times I was in relationships, my girlfriends weren't even placed above MU...LOL...sorry babes.

May 16

Happy Teacher's Day to all teachers especially my Mum, my cousin Andy and his wife Linda, my mates Nijan & Deli..new teachers on the block.

And happy birthday to myself, haha.


Create your own Friend Test here

You're Beautiful

Okay, so the content of this entry has got nothing to do with the title above, at least not in an objective or obvious manner.

Well, this has been a hectic and fairly stressful week for me at work. The primary 1 kids have been driving me crazy, but not to worry, my temper is still under control. They can be adorable and cute at times, and in a minute turn into an evil child that wants to be our biggest nightmare. The illiteracy rate doesn't help things for me. But its all good lah, they're just kids who are just 5 months into school life. As proof, the primary 2 kids are fine.

Even for myself, i'm still adapting to the new environment. Its very different from the previous school that I taught at. So much smaller...everything. The school, staff, students. So much farther from home as well, some 12km compared to just under 2km for my previous school.

Time flies really fast though, spending just 30mins per period. And when I am free, its really dull. No cafeteria/canteen to hangout, enjoying a cold glass of teh o peng as I always do previously. On the brightside, I don't have to face rude motherf*cking ahbengs, mat rempit wannabes etc of the secondary school. It's a different kind of stress here.

Next week will be exam week, so it would be quite relaxing. And I won't have to mark 150 essay papers here!! I had to crack my head abit to come up with the question papers though. Just earlier I just finished compiling questions for English Year 2 & 5. There's the Moral for Year 2 left. The Year 1 BM paper, I will source it from my mum's colleague :p , networking bah, save my time, plus I have no idea on how to set that one.

I'm gonna burn a huge hole in my pocket (thats already filled with holes) though, bearing the costs of photocopying all those exam papers, cause somethings wrong with the machine at the school, damnit!!

Well I thought I deserved a break this evening after photocopying the master copies. So I bought some bishop's nose and another chicken part, went to the Esplanade/Waterfront, and chilled, enjoying the sunset.

I really liked this one, dunno what its called though.

Liverpool - United Final?

Wasted precious hours of sleep when I decided to watch the Liverpool - Chelsea Champions league 2nd Leg semi-final.

It wasn't really dull. But it was uninteresting. Nothing spectacular.

I was just checking some comments on BBC's website about the match. It's just normal that Liverpool fans are estatic. But most of them went to extent of describing the match as fantastic. And that they were the better team. For once I'll agree with Jose, you weren't the better team scousers. On both legs. Dirk Kuyt played one of his best games for Liverpool? What did the man do? Maybe its in the nature of Liverpool's fans to exaggerate stuff. Fact is, the match isn't even half as exciting as the MU - Milan match lastweek. The lack of goals I can except, but the way the games were played.....BORING

So tomorrow morning will be a big moment for Man Utd. I'm disappointed I have yet to receive the jersey that I bought. Else I might just stay up for that match for the first time wearing the shirt n watching this team that I adore. Win or lose, I just want to see a superb effort from the team. But of course I really want to win the cup haha.

New assignment, new haircut

Lastnight I received an sms from my former BM cum form teacher and former colleague, Cikgu Mahda. He requested my help with his Masters assignment. Coming from him, i just can't reject. And this morning my Uncle Robert came and asked me to go to the Education Dept to settle my posting at his school, to relieve a teacher on maternity leave, who happened to be my Aunt Josephine who gave birth to a baby girl lastweek. This assignment would be different as I'll be teaching primary school kids. A new challenge! Primary One class teacher lagik.

I got myself a haircut after the trip to the Dept and breakfast. A crewcut at the oldskool barber shop.

After that I went to the mall to buy bathing soap and fabric softener. I bumped into Deli, and he said he didn't know Mawi is in Limbang. Curse him! At home, after my sis arrived, she asked why did I get a Mawi haircut. ARGHHH!!!

Interviewed

Today or technically I should say yesterday, was the Guru Pemulihan interview. And I also found that its called Remedial Teacher in English...i think, OK, but at least that sounded better than Rehabilitation Teacher.

Anyhows, I was supposed to have my turn concluded by 1pm, but our batch of applicants took longer than expected to be completed so the last 3, including myself had to join the 2pm batch. I considered myself fortunate as my 3 buddies, Deli n Nijan had their interviews the day before, and Pian was with the first batch last week. So they relayed stuff to me on what they were questioned etc. Basically I was all set. Current issues and Falsafah Pendidikan Negara and all those stuff you can find from the Ministry's website. To be honest, I just read through them once, and kinda memorized the Falasafah part.

When we were waiting our turns, the others were busy discussing the potential questions, with notes n papers in their hands. I thought that was overkill, its just like preparing for an exam. I actually thought they were wasting their time and its not much use. All the while I just sat there, text messaging my friend Dunstan, going through my mobile Spanish dictionary. I didn't know anyone in my batch, so no chit-chatting for me. Though the girl sitting infront of me was a babe. In my previous post I was worried about how my BM would fare. And as i sat there, the same thing hung around. I practiced the interview in my head. And i began to think if I was under-prepared. But all the while I was cool.

Fast forward, the candidate before my turn entered the interview room, and I started feeling tense. Ah, typical me. My breathing was now different. And I had to hold myself, taking slow and deep breaths. When it was my turn, I stood outside the door waiting for the sound of the bell, indicating that I could enter. Somehow it took quite a while. And imagination crept in. I began to picture myself as Gary Neville, captain of Manchester United. The way his face n eyes are very focused, his body stance. And i did just that!!! HAHA. *Ting!!* Game on...

I entered and greeted the 3 interviewers, the lady asked for my file, and as I gave it to her, the guy in the middle (let's call him The Don) barked, "Kamu graduan oversea, kenapa nak mohon jawatan ni??!!"

Damn that was quick, didn't see it coming!

"Sebenarnya saya bukan graduan dari luar negara, cuma saya mengikuti program twinning di Inti College Sarawak."

The Don nodded, "Oh macam partnership lah, jadi kamu tidak belajar di luar negara."

"Ya betul." Good heavens!! So technically I did not answer the question, and I would have no idea how...haha.

"Sanggup pegi pedalaman?? kalau pegi Bakelalan mau??"

Damnit, the pace and the atmosphere of the interview just kept heating up.

"Bakelalan? Boleh juga. Sana pun memang kampung mak saya." Back at ya!! I bet he didn't expect that answer, considering I have a Chinese surname and have the looks.

"Ok. Kalau posting sana sampai 10-15 tahun?? Masih sanggup kaa, guru pemulihan ni susah sikit kalau mau transfer." Crap!! 15 years!! Ok I admit he psyched me a lil there. I mean, I would love it there, but 15 years is a long time man. And what he said ain't horsecrap.

Still with my pokerface on, I smiled, "Saya rasa saya boleh cuba."

Next we moved on the questions on to stuff like the difference between an ordinary teacher and a remedial teacher. Then he asked about the vital characteristics needed in a remedial teacher. So I answered all those calmly, and in midspeech I realised I was speaking an above average Bahasa Malaysia...Haha.

Then he asked what I undertand and know about the word Integrity. And what I think about it in the context of the Msian Govt...in English (finally). I've read quotes on integrity and also articles on people known to have that quality. That was sometime back when I wanted to know what intregity really meant. Paid off afterall.

Finally.

"Benjamin, kamu punya prestasi dlm temuduga ini sangat baik." Turns to his henchman and henchlady for agreement, and continued, "I think this is among the best we had so far."

Pokerface mode still switched on, but with a wider smile, and a thank you.

"But you don't have your CGPA in your transcript, and you don't have the letter from JPA to certify your qualification. Ini sangat-sangat penting. Banyak markah yang kamu tak dapat score ni. Sangat sayang lah."

Pokerface mode, smile still visible. They told me to process those documents/requirements ASAP by the 19th. That gave me the impression that I hit the jackpot, but I need the lottery ticket to claim the prize, which I do not. And it is quite difficult if not impossible to sort those things out by the 19th.

Back home, I thought about all those, and I guess I don't really want to be a Remedial Teacher anyway. Considering the the job description, future prospects and all. Sometime later that evening my friend Graman in Sibu texted me telling me that the advertisement on KPLI is out. So I guess I'll have my eyes on this one. Most importantly, it's something that I prefer and want. All in all, the interview was a invaluable experience, having never attended one that was conducted in BM.

Mother mother

Today, April 16 is my mum's birthday. She's ummm...*thinking*...*calculating*...she's 49 today. So I would like to dedicate this post to wish her happy birthday, and may God grant her many more birthdays. We'll be having the birthday dinner tomorrow as my parents have some stuff over at church tonight. I will also be making my debut as Chef De Mission, and my main masterpeice will be the grilled chicken.

On a different front, I'll be having an interview tomorrow for the Guru Pemulihan thingy. I don't know what you call it in English, Rehabilitation Teacher? Just doesn't sound right man. I mean you do not go around rehabilitating students right? It will definitely be a new experience, to go through an interview that'll be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia. I'll need to watch whats coming out of my mouth, no "Well...", "so...", "then..." etc. OMG its gonna be tough out there tomorrow!!

Hmmm...I just got a text msg from an unidentified number asking me if I had my interview already, identifying him/herself as Lek. Who's Lek??? Oh my cousin duhal. Peace out!

What's the price to pay for loyalty?

If I were to be asked what is my strongest trait or quality during the upcoming interview, I'd probably say loyalty.

I'm telling you that this is very true. I am a true believe in brand/people/etc loyalty. I practice it!

Just earlier while on YM with ndru, we talked about the longserving Man Utd players, Solsjkear in particular who has been with the club for 10 years. Ndru and I have been loyal supporters of the club before that. Me being a year or two longer lah. And it is also amazing that Ryan Giggs has been there before we were fans. Another example of loyalty to a football club. I have never switched loyalties, even during the tough times when we weren't winning trophies.




I am also a loyal user of Digi Telecommunications. I have been with Digi ever since the day I owned a mobilephone. I've changed numbers a couple of times but I remain a loyal Digi user. So loyal that I have never changed to a different telco during the period of having 3 girlfriends (not at the same time of course!! Well that's another example of loyalty LoL) even when they are not Digi users. The only time I ever used a different services was a couple of years ago when I went back for my long semester break, and in those days Digi's coverage had yet to reach Limbang. So I used Maxis for that 1 month plus period, and only during that period of time. Despite the cool image of Maxis and the wide coverage of Celcom/TM, I am still a Digi user.




I am also a loyal user of Colgate range of toothpaste. I guess this is one habit that has been instilled since childhood. I mean, we even call any toothpaste regardless of brand as colgate. There was a time when I was younger, when we go travelling and the house that we stayed in had no Colgate toothpaste, I would rather not brush my teeth. Even if I did, I would still feel that my teeth are not clean. But lately I've been using Darlie lah. Cause my sister prefers it, and she gets mom to buy them. And also it's not economical to have 2 toothpastes at the moment. But I guess the quality is better than before lah.




I just thought of another. I am a loyal shopper/window shopper at Grand Supermart. Ever since the store opened a couple of years back, I spend my time browsing the cold storage section, canned food section etc etc even when I don't plan to buy anything. The Departmental store section is also much fun, decent quality clothing. But since Uncle Spencer was promoted and transferred back to Kuching, Grand Supermart isn't what it was like before. Nevertheless, I still prefer shopping there.




To end, I am also a loyal owner of the house cat, Kitty, or as I call her fondly, Babi. We have a love hate relationship. My mum actually got her for my sister who loved our cousin's kittens. But after a short time, the ownership of the kitten changed, and so did her name. From Sweetie to Kitty @ Babi. She was recently pregnant but the poor little felines justs didn't make it.



This is Kitty posing immediately after the washing cover fell to the floor. A rare moment where she actually looked at the camera. A strange pose, I guess thats what been seducing those male cats in the neighbourhood.

Hero, Heaven, Hell, Help me

For the past couple of days, I had thought of so many stuff I intend to write here. But the moment I finally logged in and clicked the "New Post" icon, I have no friggin idea on what to write. I guess I shouldn't be one to be surprised, happens. Anyhows, there is this one thing that I won't forget to post.

My grandad made the news!! My dad who was surfing the net yesterday found this on New Straits Times Online. Dad called out and I came running from the kitchen. "Look at this guy". I looked, and I wondered who was this dude in the picture. (yea yea I know I suck) After a few seconds it finally hit me....that's my ipu! (grandad in Lunbawang)

The rest of the story, you could read from the link. This is one badass grandpa I tell ya. And I say that with tremendous affection and pride. He once told a story about the first time he chopped off a Japanese soldier's head. I asked him, not to question what he did, but just a question, why did he chopped off the head. He replied, "Naru tupu." Subtitle: "Just for the heck of doing it." I just love this guy.

Seventh Heaven

Wednesday morning Europe were shocked and awed by a majestic Manchester United destruction of AS Roma. I can't believe what I was watching either. I was trying hard not to shout there and then, at 3.10am in the morning, as not to wake up my mum especially. All I could do to contain my joy when the 3rd goal was scored, was jumping like a madman in the living room. Such ecstasy! Next, AC Milan....

Burning grass? Call 994!

Last Friday evening, as me and my cousin Nathaneal were driving my uncle's house to the town center, we spotted a trail of black smoke. I suspected it was a fire, so we change course and went to find the burning location. After a few wrong turns, we finally got to the place. Too bad it wasn't something big, like a house or something. Well, I mean luckily it wasn't someone's house or anything! *grins*

Turned out it was just a bushfire. But there were houses nearby so, it's definitely not a good thing. When we reached the place, it was already crowded with people. Ah Bengs, local equivalents though more subtle Mat Rempits, joggers, kids etc. But most of them stayed away from the fire. I saw some dudes near the fire, so being the arsehole that I am sometimes, I joined em. Thanks to the continous advancement of technology, people were snapping away with their cellphones, and I am one of em. And I was fortunate my cell was in its glorious mood. Moments later Jabatan Bomba Limbang arrived in amazing fashion, the fire engine drove through bushes and uneven ground to the scene.

Firemen getting ready to do their thang!

Firemen in action.

Firemen assessing the situation after the fire was under control. Joining them was a "local expert" on fires (man in blue pants + singlet).

Found the culprit! Bad tyre...

To end things up for tonight, I'll be having my big interview on Tuesday. I don't know if I'm nervous about it, but I should be. It's gonna be conducted mostly in BM, Bahasa Melayu my man!! I just hope I won't suck or even get carried away with some fake semenanjung accent. For those who don't know me, I don't speak BM!! I mean I do speak Bahasa Sarawak (fluenty) and the local Limbang Malay, but not the National language. So I just hope to God that I would do just fine!!

It's April

Happy belated Easter people.

April is like the start of my new year. Not that it's official like a personal fiscal year. It's like everything begins in April. New hopes, new job, new hobbies, new everything. So I wish u all a very happy new year, month of april version.

Wanted to put up a few posts + pics. But the process is pretty cumbersome, and that makes me lazy. I would have to resize the pics and upload them to Photobucket before I can put them up here. Blogspot in all its glorious wisdom would most of the time not show the photos if I do it the easy way.

Eh?

Came across this in a blog, of a pretty popular singkaporien blogger.
In her older posts, she wrote about her history being sexually molested & harrassed on several occasions. Now that sucks, really. And its understandable for her to be highly emotional about it. I quote:

"Well some very cynical ppl may be thinking this in their heads now:
I dress up like a slut, so i deserved the molest?
To such ppl i say: If one day ur daugther/sister gets raped, will u say the same thing? Well, I would like to stress that everytime i get molest cases i was in school uniform. And besides this, even if women dress scantily, it is NO excuse to touch them. If this logic applies soon all women will be dressed like those in Pakistan. Not only it is unaesthetic, many will die of heatstroke in Singapore. "

But you get the "what the heck" question in your head when she idolises a US Marine who was accused of rape in the Phillipines. Quote:

"Fourthly, I know I sound ridiculous saying this, but Smith is totally hot. Rape is supposed to be traumatizing, but I don't see how screwing someone who looks like a hot US Marine, wait, IS a hot US marine can be so bad.
I can understand how some girls can feel all violated and disgusted when some old fat man rapes her, but Smith!"


I mean...what the heck!? It's alright, cool and super fun to be raped by a "hot" or "cute" US Marine. But when some Bangla migrant worker shows u his dick or some old guy touches you, they should be cut into pieces there and then? I just can't comprehend. So does that mean I can rape her if i'm cute? LOL. I might get some flak from her fans or whatever. But hey, if she got rights. I got my rights to say or write what i want to.


"cute & hot" Marine


Bangla dudes

Nothing Much

Been awhile since I last typed stuff in here. Mostly due to my laziness. And the fact that I hate Blogspot. I hate it because I can't have proper paragraphs, and posting photos is a pain in the neck...literally sometimes.

A belated Happy Chinese New Year...and Chap Goh Meh.

Okay, so I've been staying at home for the past week or so. After the short break, I went to work as usual, and got the confirmation that my services won't be needed anymore. Heck, saying that makes me feel like a mercenary, cool. Well, 3 new teachers arrived and reported for duty that Monday. And I learnt that actually I didnt have to come that day. The boss was supposed to call me, but apparently he didnt (apala bos tok!).

Wanted to see the boss to clarify the whole situation, but he was briefing the new teachers for sometime, I just hung around in the staffroom as usual, besides having what was my last breakfast there. Was sitting at the hotspot zone with my uncle's laptop, downloading stuff for him (yes,I have an uncle teaching there as well, mom's cousin) when boss and the 3 new faces entered.

After giving them a "tour", he approached me.

Boss: Hey Ben, I wanted to call you the other day, but tak sempat lah

Me: Oh, its okay (what the heck, you forgot all about me!!)

Boss: But it's good also that you are here, so you could hand over your things, lessons and brief the new teacher.

So I was introduced to the new teacher. I forgot what her name was. Very young. Probably younger than me. Fresh grad. Sweet-looking.

So I explained to her about the stuff I've done with the class, and what I had actually planned. All along she kept nodding and the frequent "Okays", and she had this look, which I could not describe. It was like, every single word I said were gold. I don't know. Just that I thought it was funny. Made me look like a soldier who's been shot at 10 times talking to an inexperienced new officer. Heck, even that metaphor doesn't describe it well.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Well the termination of my contract also meant that my masterplan goes down the drain. Not exactly I guess, just postponed. So instead of a laptop and all the other stuff, I'll be getting a digital camera.

The 'selection' process is similar to what I did before I bought my mobile phone. Created a shortlist, and did some eliminations. So now I'm down to the final 2 contenders. Canon's A630 & A710IS. Hopefully I could get my hands on my new baby by the end of this month.

PS: I think this post is rather crappy. Messy. Sums up the situation in my brain.

Movie Review : Miami Vice

Okay, so I am slow. Being in a small town that has no cineplex, and shops that sells pirated dvds like some government uncontrolled item, not too mention the lack of quality (some pirated dvds are of decent quality for those who dont know).

I only got to watch the movie few hours ago. I bought it sometime last year during my trip to Kota Kinabalu. Haven't got the time to watch it. And when I did have the time, the TV set at home isn't in the condition where one could enjoy a movie. Watching movies is a big thing to me. I hate disruptions, and companions who ask alot of questions or talks alot about stuffs unrelated to the movie. And when I watch a movie, I intend to finish it there and then.

Back to the topic at hand. Having read some reviews about the movie, also having watched the ads and trailer, it was a total disappointment. The trailer and ads depicted the movie as some action-packed, kick-ass, punch-in-your-face experience. Reviews were decent to say the least. The line up itself was convincing on paper; Colin Farrell & Jamie Foxx.

Okay, so it had a slow start. Not a problem. But halfway through it, I got turned off. For some 10 or 15 minutes, I watched scenes of Farrell & Gong Li seducing each other or whatever crap. From the boat ride till the next morning after a night of love-making. That was pure sh*t. And thats not a compliment. Why the heck did the producer come up with that? Nothing important ever happened during that run. No important dialogues. No important information for the audience.

The kick-ass scene only happened towards the end of the movie. But it wasn't much. Which was followed by another run of lovey dovey between Farrell & Gong Li. I mean, f*ck, did I watch an action movie or what? I don't mind if there are some bits of romance thrown in action films. But Miami Vice left me wondering if I just watched a love story with some action in it. My Cousin Davin who watched it with me couldn't agree more. This is probably the type of movie that your girlfriend/wife/mom would enjoy watching with you. For the males who are action purists, forget it. I rate it 2 out of 5.

License to kick ass...no?

My school had our sports day last saturday and then Monday til Tuesday. Monday and yesterday's session were exhausting cause of the full day schedule. Especially Tuesday cause it was a hot sunny day. So obviously I was completely burnt out when I got home yesterday evening. Went to bed after doing my shower and laundry, and that was around 6.30pm. Woke up around 8.30pm to pee and felt hungry so I went downstairs had a quick dinner and went back to sleep til the next morning. Shows how tired I was.

Was sleepy and still feeling abit tired today at school. So were most of the teachers, and students. Had a sit-in in a 3C, my former class during the 6th period, and half the class were sleeping. And since they weren't making much noise and I had no one to talk with, I almost fell asleep myself. The next period, I had another sit-in with 4A, my one and only class for now. I could have opted to have some lessons since they are a bit behind schedule. But we're all tired.

After 5mins, I noticed that there was an "illegal alien" in the classroom, meaning someone from another class. One of infamous Geng Rayau (this group literally merayau-rayau around the block during classes, sukati keluar even when teachers are in their class) in school. The most hardcore problematic group of students. He was sitting with my students in a group, and his gf who's in my class was beside him of course. I went up to them at the back and told him NICELY (with a smile lagik!) that he had to leave. He asked for 5mins. In the spirit of Valentines Day, I allowed him so.

I gave him not 5mins, but 15mins. Then another illegal alien entered the class from the backdoor unnoticed and hung out with the first "alien". But I saw the wanker and decided that Happy Hour is over for both of them. So in my usual fashion, I walked to the back slowly with arms crossed, and said that those who are not from this class should leave now (again I did so nicely). The 2nd wanker ran out of the class. But the first one stayed, unmoved. What do you expect from a hardcore student who do not give a damn about the principal or disciplinary teachers. Some AhBeng who thinks he's all that just because he's a national player in a particular sport. So I told him nicely that I have been very generous by giving more than 5 mins. And that he should leave. Ah Beng remained unmoved while giving the "so what, fuck you" look. So I told him calmly and NICELY, that I can't force him to leave, but he should. Ah Beng stood his ground. At that moment, gf was tugging at his arm, motioning him to leave. Ah Beng maintained his position.

So what would you do if you were in my position? As a teacher who is bound by rules. That kids should be protected even if they are being assholes who dont give a fuck about who you are. Kids who think they're all that and have no fucking respect for you. Yelling would do no good. Making a report with the disciplinary teachers won't have any effect. You can't do shit. When a student does this, you can't do shit. A scolding won't do much.

Already being really tired, and now faced with this asshole, I didn't need that. That very moment I felt like locking his head with my arms and then smash him with the chair. But I can't do that. My contract would be terminated. Parents will take action. And the newspapers will report that a teacher had bashed up a helpless and innocent student. A student who is a victim of an evil teacher. Then it will become a big issue and start a national outcry against teachers. And the Minister of Education, Dato Hishammudin will promise to the people that he will take stern action against me. Then I will be in hell. And nothing will be mentioned about the Ah Beng. So for those who read with cynicism (including Mr Hishammudin himself) some time back when the Teachers Union President said that alot of teachers suffer from stress, think again. You won't wanna be in our shoes.

On a brighter note it's not too late to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. This has been the 4th year running that I don't have a date for this special occasion hahaha. Nasiblah, mun sekda gerek.

Anyhows, here are some pics I took during the sports meet.

Superstars...not. HAHA. Some of the students I know posing at my station (athletes registration section). Here you can see Koh aka RockDude from my previous posts. He's the one in the foreground, with the stuff in his mouth. Just behind him is his younger brother, Engkas, self-proclaimed bodyguard of mine.

Athletes from Blue House (my sports house). L-R: Raymond, Frederick, Ricky...the annoying faggot. But a faggot that could sprint like hell.

Lunchbreak...free food and free drinks.

Section boss Mr Khairuddin.

The group of kids I hung out with at the side of the track. Bunch of clowns and naughty. But at least they weren't rude and disrespectful like them fucking Ah Bengs. The guy in the red & white striped shirt in the foreground owes me a drink. We had a bet on which House will win the 400m relay and he lost.

For the love of the game

Sepak takraw. A game that's alien to quite alot of people in this country, especially the non-Bumiputras. It's an interesting game to watch, really. The closest I've come into contact with that sport was during PJK periods back in school. Anyways, my school was the venue for the Sarawak Primary Schools Inter-Division Tournament from Wednesday til yesterday. And since I only teach for 5 periods in a week, I have something to watch for the past couple of days at the hall.

So the hall was filled with kids in their respective team jerseys, Kuching, Betong, Sibu, Miri, Sarikei and of course my homeboys. Generally these little guys were....well, little. Only 3-4 boys were those you would consider tall. The rest were shorter than the net!!

It's no doubt that it wouldnt be that interesting to watch these little guys play as compared to the secondary school students. Can't blame them. They are too short to make those acrobatic moves/kicks, and a lower level of technique. But still, I was glued. The initial reason was the fact that I've got nothing else better to do LOL. Then later it was purely because of them kids. The little guys.

I've watched people, adults, play sports, team sports to be exact alot of times. And i've played some myself. And at times things get very competitive, even when its not a competition. And some guys, they tend to take things a little bit too seriously. You see finger-pointings after a mistake. You see an angry face at a poor pass. You see teamates yell at each other. But watching the kids the other day absolutely brought this feel good feeling to me.

The kids seemed to enjoy the game. Very often, I would see smiles. Even when there were mistakes commited by a teamate or miscommunications. They still smiled at each other while saying a few words of encouragement. Even those on a side that's trailling or losing. This is probably something trivial, not a big deal for some people. But I find this amazing. This should be an example for adults. Not that the kids weren't serious. Of course they all wanted to win. But in their pursuit of victory, they had the time and space for the little things that is often overlooked in the adult world.

It was unfortunate that my homeboys didn't win. But they did put up a good fight against the city boys from Kuching and Sibu.

2 double-o-7

Just got back from sports practice and doing some stuff to my ride's battery. The dang thing was flat when I was about to leave home for school yesterday morning. One problem after another. At least this time I wasn't stranded or having to do some pushing in the middle of nowhere, dark and raining.

Okay, I just thought of the things that I want/need for 2007. If I get the temporary teacher job (temporary teacher is different from a contract/relief teacher) that would be great and I would be able to get all these stuff. So here's the list, which does not indicate priority.

1. Digital Camera. Something decent for taking photos. Probably something with at least 5.o megapixels. Something priced within the rm600 - rm900 range. No particular model in mind yet. Would be doing my research soon. Hopefully before my birthday.

2. Watch. Shit, I've been wanting to buy this since last year. Never gave serious thought (and budget allocation!) about it though hehe. So I will get one this year. I NEED it. Then I won't have to ask the students what time it is. My preference would be Adidas, BUM and Swatch, in that order. Budget of rm150 - rm250.

3. Man United Jersey. Enough said.

4. Laptop or PC. Yet to make up my mind. Would need some serious saving if I chose the laptop. But it would be great as it would be easy to bring around.

5. Shoes. Casual, formal and sports. Also maybe a pair of boots.

So I hope to God that I get the temporary teacher job, which I will know before CNY. The teachers I talked to were optimistic. Should I land that job, it would mean I'll be teaching at least until the end of the year. And my salary would be paid monthly. And not to mention the end of the year bonus.

Double Digest

I. 'Stranded'

As usual on Wednesday nights, I'll be off playing badminton at the school hall. And at night, especially after 10pm, only the main block, hostels and guard post will have the benefit of lighting. So we wrapped up just after 10.20pm. With 5 of us being the last to leave. That night I didn't want to be the last to leave, banyak gilak dengar cerita hantu bah lately hehe. Because the parking bay is dark as there are no lights there switched on. So Mos left first on his bike in the rain. Pian, Nizan and Deli were car pooling. So I quickly started the engine as those 3 guys were still lepaking around Pian's car. Mission accomplished, I wasn't the last to leave.

My school is located about 800m to 1km from the main road. The small road that we have to travel along before reaching the main road is filled with potholes. There are no streetlights and houses along the way, with trees and tall bushes on both sides. I probably drove for almost 300m when the car's engine seemed to be dying, and it finally stopped. So there in the dark night and rain, in the middle of "nowhere", I was stuck in a lifeless car. Attempts to start the engine failed. Few minutes later, the guys stopped beside me. And they decided that we should try and kickstart the car. So Deli got into the whell while the 3 of us pushed the car. It isnt easy doing it in total darkness and on a road filled with potholes. Not too mention the rain. I think we tried 4 times to no avail. So we entered our cars, with me trying helplessly to start the engine while they parked along side and kept me company. Invaluable company!!! Imagine if I was the last to leave as always, I'd be stuck there alone man.

So I decided to leave the car there and settle whatever the problem is the next day. But the guys being ever helpful offered to push the car back to school where it is much safer. Had the mechanic to look at the car this evening, the problem was the fuel pump. Minyak sik sampai destination. I was f*cked, but I didn't lose my patience or temper or my mind lastnight. Instead, we had some good laughs and jokes. So I would again like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Pian, Deli and Nizan for being such awesome buddies.

II. Teacher 101 (Episode 2)

Had sports practice today. So I was there to observe those athletes that were practising their javelin and disc throwing, and also shot putt...putting? Was cut short due to the rain that started to fall. So after making sure the kids kept the stuff in the store, I hung out with some students at the benches, while watching the 5000m walking athletes doing their thing around the block. Rock Dude (RD) was there. Just as I was approaching them, they started pointing to a direction while saying, "Cepat cikgu!". When I looked at that direction, I saw Miss H walking back to the staff room (you would have to read my previous post Teacher 101 to know the story). WTF! seems like those guys are still at it. So I took my seat with them and talked about other stuff. Besides RD, another 2 boys were there. Asf whom I knew from the Futsal Club and also because of his reputation and another dude (AD). Somehow the subject of conversation returned to me & Miss H.

RD: Cikgu, kenapa tidak kejar tadi?

Me: Tidak perlu lah. Buat apa mauk kejar.

AD: Rugi nanti cikgu.

RD: Yalah, Miss H itu bagus bah. Dia tidak macam banyak cikgu lain yang slalu marah-marah.

Asf: Betul itu cikgu, dia baik.

Me: (just listen and act uninterested)

RD: Cikgu, kamu rasa Miss H itu cantik tak?

Me: Itu saya tidak mau komen laaa, nanti kamu guna komen saya.

Then those 3 boys pestered me for an answer.

Me: Ok Ok! Ya, dia ok lah. (playing it cool, mun padah kacak, ada2 jak klak)

All 3: Haaaa!! (all 3 laughed).

RD: Memang boleh ini.

Asf: Cepat cikgu, kami sokong cikgu nanti.

The conversation went on for a while till i finally managed to change the subject until I left.

Teacher 101

New teaching assignment today. Won't be teaching those 4 Form3 classes anymore. Sigh...just when we were starting to get along. But I guess it's just right, its better for a 'real' or more experienced teacher to guide them for their PMR. So I only had 1 period for today, and was given 2 sit-ins. One of the sit-ins was for a Form 5 class. So as usual, I would identify the 'big shots' in the class. One of my 'hearts and minds' strategy :p. It's been tested and proven...by me. So there was this 1 guy i kinda got to know. But i forgot his name lah. Just 'Rock dude'.

Dude: Cikgu, siapa nama cikgu?

Me: Benjamin. kamu?

Dude: (I forgot what he said)

Dude: cikgu rock ka? (while showing me the 'rock' sign)

Me: (shows the 'rock' sign) rock-rock juga...tapi mesti control la

So this evening I was in school for sports practice. Was assigned to Blue House for the upcoming inter-house sports. Can't ponteng because the chief personally asked me to take over to oversee the atheletes as he'd be attending a meeting. So there I was, hanging out with the big shots who were practising their javelin and disc throwing. Actually, the boys were alright. I guess it isnt much a problem for me since I hang out with the same kind of crowd back in school too :p. It's just the Ah Beng types that I just can't click with.

The last half hour or so, Cikgu H, a teacher whom I think is kinda pretty came over. Great, we were in the same House :p. But somehow we're only on 'smiling' terms hehe. Malu-malu kali hehehe. So the boys were probably distracted and did more talking with her then throwing the javelins. I was, on the other hand making sure these 2 Form 1 boys could 'master' disc throwing.

I wrapped up practice early. And i went to watch the sprinters and long-jumpers. Then 'Rock Dude' (RD) came. And we had some chat. Turned out he was a nice person. Not the intectually bright student, but more of a technical person. So i took the opportunity to spur him on. Encouraging him, that someday his skills might take him places and big bucks. So the conversation then steered towards me.

RD: Cikgu driving atau guna moto? (in Limbang, moto would mean a motorcycle, whilst in Kuching it would be a car)

Me: Drive

RD: Sorang saja cikgu?

Me: yea, sorang saja.

RD: Kenapa takda teman cikgu? (grins)

Me: Tak tau. Takpa jugak.

RD: Kereta apa cikgu? Evo ka?

Me: Mana ada duit mau beli Evo!!

RD: (laughs) Yalah cikgu oh, mau duit pakai kawin lagik nanti.

Me: Apalah kamu ni. Mana la cikgu ada fikir mau kawin lagi. Kerja tidak steady. gerek pun tidak ada. (damn i let that one slip)

RD: Aduh, kenapa takda gerek cikgu? tidak patut ini.

Me: Nasiblah.

RD: Cikgu tackle cikgu perempuan yg tadi lah.

Me: (raised my eyebrow) cikgu mana satu?

RD: Yang tadi tempat kamu orang berlatih melontar-lontar

Me: Oooohhhhh

RD: (Grins) Aahh itu lah. Saya tengok dari jauh, memang cun cikgu.

Me: Sempat lagik kamu

RD: (still grinning) Betul cikgu, memang cun. Saya imagine kalau cikgu dengan dia masa kawin nanti, ngam cikgu!

Me: (laughs) Aaahh... apala kamu ni, macam-macam jak.

RD: Betul cikgu, kamu cuba lah.

Then I felt it was time to direct the conversation back at him. So today I received some lessons about women from a 17 year old.

Rackets and cocks...shuttlecocks

Last week, I've started to play badminton. After a long 5 years. And I mean 'competitive' badminton. Not the ones you play infront of the house with your dad or sister. 'Competitive' when one would dive for a dropshot, serious faces when making the serve and not too mention the fist-pumpings after a hardfought point.

My first outing was on Wednesday night. Only had 1 net since the rest were brought to Lawas by the school's badminton team. So we only played doubles and winners stay. During the warm up with Pian, I kept hitting the shuttle with the rims of my racket. Evidence of my rustiness. After a few more strokes, I began to get myself right. But my right arm began to have this slight pain. Again, signs of being rusty. And it didn't help that Pian had such strong hits.

So first game, paired with Mos. Towards the end of the 1st set, I began to tire like hell. In the 2nd set, I wished we had lost much sooner cause I just had to drag my legs around the court. If it was a singles game, I would have been down lying on the court. All in all that night, I played 3 games, all on the losing side and a sore right arm. The next evening after taking my nap...it wasn't just my arm that was sore. My whole body.

So our next session was on Friday night. Again we played with only 1 court. Still my my sore body, I played 3 games. Losing every single set again. But thankfully, and to my surprise, I didn't feel as tired as the previous session. All in all, it was great exercise and fun.

Pian and Deli (aka Rexy Mainaky)

Back to Skool

So today was my first day of work/teaching this year. Was to report for duty at the Principal's, and I guess I was abit late, or maybe just in time. When I entered the office's lobby, I saw familiar faces sitting there. Seems that these people were reporting for duty as well...as Guru Pengganti.

So then the principal called all half a dozen of us into the office. Told us about the offer, which we all accepted. Then he began to give out our assignments/timetables I was first, and I got English for 4 Form 3 classes. Not too bad. Though I'd prefer teaching Form 6, like last year. Then one young lady was assigned to teach English for a couple of Form 4 and Form 6. Which she expressed her doubts at doing that. And the Boss was persuading her to accept it, telling her it's not that hard. Hell, I wanted to tell her it's so much fun and if she wanted to exchange tasks with me. But didn't feel like doing so in front of the Boss :p.

Had 4 periods today. All after recess. First class, form 3A. Top class. Supposedly. Unlike the reception I received when I entered the Form 5 and 6 classes last year, these 15 year olds were pretty much subdued. And maybe abit intimidated by me. Shit, I was smilling all the while. After going through the introduction phase, I introduced myself, and asked if they had any questions. None. Not a single word was spoken. Silence. At least they could have just said, "No". Then I asked if anyone was from outside Limbang. That's when they started to talk bull about some being from Bangladesh etc. Great, finally the kids have loosen up. So I talked about the international dudes during my time at college. Silence. Serious faces. WTF!!!!

My next class...3B...was pretty much the same. I hope things would just get better next week.

The Next Chapter

Happy New Year.

This is the 2nd day of 2007. I would have hoped to get a job by now. But nothing happened. Disappointed and frustrated..I was. Til this evening. I was doing my laundry at the back. While waiting for the machine to do its duty, I played Project Gotham Racing (PGR) on my cell. Good game i must add, great graphics for a game played on a mobile phone. If you played Asphalt 3D or something like that...trust me, PGR is way better.

Okay I got a bit sidetracked there. Well as I was cruising around a track...aiming to finish with the best time, my phone 'brought' me out of the game and to the main display...showing me an incoming call. And it was from the school were i taught sometime ago. The dude from the school office was pretty straight forward.

Dude: Cikgu Benjamin, ini dari SMK ******
Me: Yeah (wondered pleasantly,"wow they still call me cikgu")
Dude: Kamu sudah ada kerja?
Me: Belum lagi
Dude: Kalau macam itu, esok boleh datang ke sekolah untuk melapor diri dan mengajar?
Me: Ok boleh
Dude: Ok.
Me: Ok. terima kasih.
Dude:Ok cikgu

So...looks like it's not gonna be a bad start to my new year. Hopefully I get to teach for at least 3 months. Good money :p *ka-ching!*

Well I wish everyone else a pleasant journey through this new year.