the orange ~ weekly (special edition)

i dream of painting and then i paint my dream
Vincent van Gogh

its the end of 2007!!! so lets make it a special round up edition as a conclusion on 2007.

1st quarter (january - march)
"A new year, a new beginning" that's what i told myself. I reach KK in the 1st of Jan, and straight get my mind in school activities. throughout the quarter, my quarter i had been so busy with all the stuff. other than that, i received the 1st bad news of the year.. exam results.. haizz. and its also the end of all school activities. the complete review for the 1st 3 months can is here.

2nd quarter (april - june)
this will be my exam quarter. after all the EB and stuff over, all my effort was concentrated into studying the life line of my future. nothing happening in this quarter other than spending most of the time staring at notes, notes, and more more notes. this lasted till early june when the exam was over. then, my 1st official graduation ceremony. then, joined a rafting competition which is a nightmare!! of course, at the end of this quarter, i was back in sandakan, carrying all the memories from KK.

3rd quarter ( july - september)
this will be my mouldy quarter. i did nothing for this 3 months! how great. Being busy with all the universities application can really stress one out. beating all the dead lines, praying hard that Malaysian "Malaysia-boleh-lah" postal system that the mails i send will reach is mentally and physically demanding. thank god everything is over by the end of september. though i didn't got my 1st choice, but its alright. So when all application is done, i started doing some job hunt around sandakan. it was fun, being able to walk all around town asking for job. At last, i landed a job at a tuition center. in this quarter, i work for 8 days and was paid RM1++. MY FIRST SELF EARN MONEY =)

4th quarter (october - december)
this will be my most active quarter. I was officially being called a teacher!! my time is being filled up by teaching and preparing for the workshop at the end of november. wow.. thinking back really makes me wonder how i did pull through that 2 month of teaching. anyhow, working for 2 months i had earn about RM1+++. hehehe. then the trip back to penang. 1st time being back penang without bro somehow made my holiday bored at times.. but then, the december holiday was my long waited break after squeezing my brain juice for 2 months of teaching. At the end of dec, was very enjoyable as most of my friends are back. enjoying the company of friends is one of the world's greatest treasures.

through out the whole 365 days of 2007, the ups and downs are very sudden. one day you feel you are on the top of the world and the next day, something will hit hard on you that makes you fall down hard to the dirt, face down. this year, i have been through many new challenges, made many new friends, maybe anger a few, and i think a few hate me. hey, i can't make everyone love me right??

few things that i had learn this year.
1) do not take things for granted. taking things for granted is a fast way to disaster. after all everything can happen right?? who knows, maybe this will be my last post here before.... erm.. something happen???

2) life moves on. this year, i have been look down many times. being look down when you know your own capabilities but you are not able to retaliate always piss me off. Yeah, i know i am not smart, i know i don't own a professors brain. SO?? what do you want me to do?? why can't some people look at the brighter side of me? I believe i am a son that many parents can be proud off. i don't do gaming, i don't smoke. i don't drink and i still abide to a curfew. @.@ SO?? life moves on right?? yeah. No matter what we do, what we hate, what we are unhappy of, life moves on.

3) plans are mend to be as a guide and not followed completely. i am not sure whether i am a bad planner or just fate is going against me. In 10 things i plan, i think 6 of them fail to achieve its original plan. SOooo... i have been practicing on spontaneous planing and using what ever i can get my hands on. Its not that i don't plan.. but my plans now are kinda un-fix kind of plans.

so what i haven't achieve this year??
basically, being not able to become my dream job its a little disappointing. BUT, being able to doing something in the similar field is good enough. other than that, erm.. i guess that all for this year. unless having a girlfriend was one of the targets... but as far as i remember, i don't have plans having one for the time being.

before i end, there are a few post in this blog that i like and always think of.
the balancing act
the driver of life
and one more from my last blog site
how much does it cost
this 3 are my favourite posts

overall, this year its a learning year for me, and the year that i can close soon as the 2nd chapter of my life, my pre-U life. the year before i step into tertiary education. can't wait for that to come.

badminton

i thought of blogging now.. but 2 hours of badminton had put an end to this bright idea..

Badminton had been one of my favourite sport since form 4, started with play for fun games among my friends during school holidays in the afternoons. then, of course we pick the shuttle cocks more than we hit them across the net. and of course, there are good ones that always smash the shuttle cocks on other player's bodies. since we use to play quite often, we hired a banker that hold all the money and shuttle cocks for all the games.. that was 4 years ago.

badminton had become a staple sport during my time in KK. there badminton games are ranging from 1 miserable hour up to 5 long hours straight. and the best part is we play for free. 5 long hours all for free. but free things don't come easy. as usual, good badminton shuttlecocks doesn't come cheap. so after a game or two, someone will start asking money from everyone.. RM10! RM10!. who ever don't pay will be answered "YOU OWE ME RM10". In KK there are more good players, and i am considered a 'noob' there. BUT i think i did improve.. thanks to my friend's dad 15 minute drill, all the body aches, all the counter pain used and not to mention all the sprains, tear n bleed during game.

today, my body start to ache in the early 30 minutes, and after 2 hours, i can't feel my legs anymore. walking seems to be like floating on two long jelly. and i think i injured my right leg muscle from all the drop shots. i am so going to be bed ridden tomorrow when i am awake. and the worst part of all, i broke my racket today T.T the frame broke beyond repair. I wondered how i smash today till the frame broke. thou handicap, but the racket is still usable.. until you see another obituary post here.. then u know what happened.

i still can't feel my legs... and i think i am going to lose feeling on my hands soon.

snake!

a snake just entered my house. No.. i am not joking.
a tiny thin about 1 and a half feet long snake enter my lovely humble warm house 20 minutes ago. by looking at it, it looks lost to me.

anyhow, mum found out the snake and started shouting for everyone in the house. and she don't look very happy about the long visitor. So, i attempted to catch that poor long fellow and release it somewhere close to its home(which i don't know where) behind my house. BUT, the animal loving "me-safe-the-snake" act was strongly prohibited to move by mum.

so, dad came into action, by using a cloth and a mosquito spray, YES a MOSQUITO SPRAY, he made the tiny little slithery snake out of the house. by giving the poor little fella a good spray every time it turn its head back. i guess the total chemical use can clean a whole double story from those pesky blood sucking mosquito for a good 2 months.

so... the snake slither out of the house into the bushes outside the gate... lonely alone in the dark night, cold and hungry(maybe) finding his new home near my house. i guess my house will be paranoid with snakes for the next few days.

christmas

Ho ho Ho... merry christmas everyone =)
though nowadays christmas is over-rated and being seriously commercialise, let us not forget the basic principles of christmas, the joy of sharing and giving and of course not forgetting those that are under privilege through out the whole world. mant thanks to those that still have to work on this very special occasion such as reporters, pilots, air stewards, security forces, and many many more that work behind the scenes in order to allow the world to continue spinning. thank you very much and merry christmas to you all =)

here is a christmas song i edited.. hope u all enjoy =)

Millo the colored-horned kerbau

Millo the colored-horned kerbau

[kerbau]

Had a very shiny horns

[red and green in color]

And if you ever saw it

[saw it]

You would even say it glows

[like a glowstick]

All of the other kerbau

[kerbau]

Used to laugh and call him names

[like a traffic light]

They never let poor Millo

[Millo]

Play in any kerbau games

[like hide and seek]

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say

[Ho Ho Ho]

Millo with your horn so bright

Won't you guide my cart tonight?

Then all the kerbau loved him

[loved him]

And they shouted out with glee

[moo-ieee]

"Millo the colored-horned kerbau

[kerbau]

You'll go down in history!"

[like rudolph]

===

==

=

nice a not?? ok.. alright.. i know its lame.. @.@
merry christmas to all...

p/s: no animals are harm in the making of the song. many apologies if feelings are hurt form this song..

socks

"sei lo.. no sell banana here leh... how??"
"buy papaya la.. same family oso wat... "
"i am sooooooo not going to get your gift for gift exchange later..."
===
=
i have run out of ideas of stuff given to people. and after spending 10 days roaming all over penang's shopping complex.. and lots of brain straining, suddenly a small tiny 1.5 volt light bulb appear.
.
'why don't you give something regarding the feet?? since u are going to be a podiatrist right?'
.
so what is that 'something-regarding-the-feet'??? hmmm... now a 3.0 volt light bulb appear..
.
"shoes!!! but wait, how am i going to pack 6 pairs of shoes back to sandakan???@.@"
"what else will do???" ah ha...
.
.
.
"SOCKS!"
.
.
.
Free size, fun, lovable, 2 in one wonderful socks!! so with all my might and effort, i went sock hunting... looking for socks everywhere i went, every shop i enter and i found, the heaven of all socks!!! hmmm.. a little over-rated.. never mind.. so socks i found, socks i bought. muahahaha..


baby penguin socks

for da gals, (should hav 3.... but 1 of them was given to cousin)

for the guys

hahaha.. smart gift huh, y?? one side for christmas present, one side for birthday present. good example of getting 2 gifts with 1 buy.. am i smart?? i know i am =)

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=======================

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special addition

happy 19th birthday to jinyii, the goldfish youngest keboringanz member. best wishes to you, and may all the things you wish for come true. and if you wish that i stop calling you goldfish or fishball.... erm... kinda hard la.. i will 'try' my best... hahaha.... hope you will enjoy life till the very max. and even in you hit some stumble stones in life, never give up. lastly, always remember, your friends will always be with you =)

yours truly, your evilly mean 'bro'....

the orange ~ weekly

tong yuens

the 3rd week of december. and i missed 2 saturdays from this weekly post. anyway.. ITS DECEMBER!!!! there are a few things about december:~ christmas, ~birthdays, ~winter solstice festival, and most important of all, ~spring cleaning.



at every 22 of december, most of the chinese will be celebrating this winter solstice festival. in chinese will be said as 'tong zhit'. during this day, tong yuen(pic) will be made and eaten with soup or syrup. long ago, people eat tong yuen to keep them warm from the cold winters and it has become a celebration these days. all family members will group together and roll this rice flour into shapes of sphere and then cook with boiling water. sometimes fillings such as red bean paste or nuts are place in the tong yuens. i once tried filling them with hotdogs, crab sticks and even mango.

christmas!!! <=o) the feeling of christmas is in the air!!! owh.. i love this feeling =) christmas, 25 december, the day for presents, reindeers, santa, snowman, turkey, christmas tree, christmas socks etc etc!!! in sandakan there is not much 'chirstmas' fever here... but in penang.. christmas is always the best time to shop. with all the christmas deco for sale plus the christmas songs that are played at every shopping center... ahh... malaysia is just lacking snow... hahaha.. just a question.. whats the story about kissing under a mistletoe?? anyone knows??

as for birthdays, 4 birthdays lining back to back.. time to be broke =/ hahaha..

lastly, for every december, something will begin, as always, spring cleaning!!! time to dig up all the rubbish and kick them out of the house. yay!! surprisingly, i always wonder where did they come from. every year, bags and bags of 'recyclables' will appear from somewhere in the corner. oh well, time to arm myself with the Mr broom, Ms feather duster and the most important one, Mr vaccume cleanner!!! muahahahaha... "Dust beware, Orange is here!!!!"

weather in sandakan is freaking wet. raining day and night. its so wet outside but then, there is water cut everyday. i wonder what on earth is 'bekalan air sabah' doing. Using our water to make rain?? sooner or later, i might have to have my shower under the rain.

for some unknown reason, i am constantl hungry for food after coming back from penang. i have no idea why i can get hungry at 12 midnight since i came back. hmmm.. maybe my stomach has expanded from its usual size... =/

count down: 1 month 2 weeks to adelaide, 1 month 1 week to chinese new year.

reply of comments~

s1m: haha.. thanks.. ta pau?? cannot leh.. i scared i can't resist to eat them before giving them to you... =/

adoria: half a day?? hmmm.. can oso.. never go shopping trips with you =) and bout the koala hugs, didn expect him to hang on me before i leave your house... i am touch *sniff*

amelia: nicer?? i have never tried melaka food before, but i guess penang food is the best!! muahahahahaha

hsei di: better be quick.. apom stalls oso going extinct soon.. the good ones i mean.. need to go hunt for them orh... hahaha

merry merry christmas everyone =)

hawker food

haha, penang hawker food list and pictures. i will let the pictures do the talking this time =)

words in brackets are the location of picture taken.

the ones in bold will be my super favourite

air itam asam laksa. darm famous in penang. lots of vegetables in it. kind of spicy. not recomended for people who will travel the next day. (next to air itam market)

chee cheong fun. with seseme seeds, sesame oil and prawn paste. this is one of the best in penang. this is different from the hong kong chee cheong fun as this is kind of dry (genting)

hokien mee. penang very own version of mee udang

apom. indian pancake. super nice when hot. usually cook in small woks. it kind of looks like a UFO. thin at the side, thick in the middle. (bayan baru hawker center)

wan tan mee. cook with char siew, vege, fried wan tan, and tok tok mee. sometimes serve with soup and boil wan tan (almost in every hawker center)

10 fruits ABC and rojak. the ABC really has 10 kinds of fruits there. with a scoop of vanila ice cream on top. not too sweet just nice. this 2 plates was my lunch that day. frutty lunch (some where near 'new world')

lobak. its not carrot. its.. 'bak' in hokien is meat. not too sure what 'lo' means. but, a plate of fried meat, prawn crackers, egg and some cucumber. eaten with some special sauce

kuey kak. fried flour with egg, bean sprout, clam, lard and black sauce. place on a banana leave for better aroma.

mua chee. steam rice flour coated with powdered peanuts and sugar. 1 of my favourite food in penang. only available in penang i think. ate 3 times in a week. they are sold by stalls on motorcycle. so you have to go hunt them down. =) (genting, air itam, sungai ara)

cendol. green jelly worms, red bean, ice, coconut milk and gula melaka!!! super nice whether the day is hot or not. this is from penang famous penang road cendol stall. everyone will stand and finish their bowl. it is once said that they put some kind of worms in the cendol to help preserve them. (penang road)



popiah. vegetable, egg and some other stuff wrap in popiah skin. good as a snack or side dish after some light meals (penang road)

kueh tiau thing. kueh tiau soup. very light and good for an upset stomach. not spicy. serve usually with fish balls, meat, kueh tiau and some vege. (almost all hawker centers)

nyonya kuih. kuih lapis and kaya kuih. i use to peal them 1 layer at the time when i was small. the kaya one is made of pulut rice and then smear with kaya and eaten. bro's favourite =)

mee rebus and me goreng. this is one of penang famous mee goreng. its a must for all penang visits. friend with squid, egg, vege, crackers and their very special sauce.

(bangkok lane, Pulau Tikus)

penang road asam laksa. this is also penang famous laksa. situated in penang road, its a must to stop by as well. a little spicy. difference is there are more fish in this and this is more sour compare to the air itam one. also not recomemded for those that plan to travel the next day (penang road)

missing in pictures. Char kueh tiau, jawa mee

btw.. this are only some of the hawker food i ate. the rest ended up in my tummy before i remembered to picture them. n this is my 2nd attempt to post a food blog, so comments are welcome =)

penang trip

"cabin crew, please be seated for landing. thank you"

sitting next to the emergency escape

i am now back in sandakan, with all my shopping, food, 312 photos, gifts and wonderful memories. good things usually last a short while and that make us appreciate the time spend.

sunset at a beach

if u ask me to blog about the trip, i won't know where to start. there are too many things to talk about. the food, the people, trips, accidents, people i see, things i saw, experience and think. to round them up in words is something almost impossible. although i had trips back to penang every year for the past 19 years, this trip will be different. as this will be most probably my last one before going to australia.

'kopi', 'nes C' and 'teh'

i sometimes envy those that stay close to their extended family members. i mean, staying in the same town, or city, or even staying in nearby states. all they need is to get on a car or bus and they can visit each other. as for me, the need of flying pass a sea makes visiting a once a year thing. and always being look forward to. now back in sandakan with both parents. it use to be with bro together, but since bro is far down south, so now its only 3 of us.

staying at the very east and the very west of malaysia.

anyhow, this will be one of the trip that i will always think of in the future, and will always be wondering when will i be returning. always thinking, grandparents, uncle and aunts, cousins and my hometown.

p/s: suddenly i miss cousin bro's koala hugs.....

next will be on food =)

holidays

"young man can eat more!! come come!!"
"oh no...."

hmm.. 2 weeks of the holidays has come to an end. many pictures taken, n will post them up once i get back to sandakan. and this might be and most probably my last post from my hometown for some time.(long long long time).. anyhow, the food war between me and all the hawker food has come to a conclusive winner, hawkers 1, orange 0. my tummy now feels like a washing machine set to wash mode with heave load in it. hmmm.. need to drain everything out soon.

anyway will be leaving in the noon tomorrow, and will reach by night =)

sure going to miss penang a lot... sigh~

holidays

"uncle cha kueh tiau yi ke. Pu yau la ciau."

rite.. hawker food has officially become my staple food for the past 8 days!!!

penang is currently still very wet. it has been raining for the past 8 days... Mr sun didn't came out and say 'hi' to me. anyhow, my shopping is done. i was always thinking i need a fashion adviser. and i realise that my shopping stamina and skills has surpass my parents shopping skills. thanks to my friends in KK. 2 hours for me is not enuf!!! oh no...


till then =)

holidays

updates, i am alive..
penang is paradise to the tongue, and hell to my digestive tract.. have been eating too much hawker food.. but then, once a year, never mind lah... if i go for a body check now, i guess my cholesterol level will be high enuf to hit the celling.

water cut at the place i am staying.. no water to bath n do 'nature-call-business' apparently a water pipe burst somewhere...

right =) going for food hunt soon =) *hears stomach groans again*

note: 4 march against the gov in a year in malaysia so far.. i wonder when is the next one??

holidays

"ladies and gentlement, welcome to Penang International Airport. please remain seated until the seat belt sign is switch off. Its been a pleasure flying with you and we hope to meet you again. if you need any assistance......"

Wha.. at last back to the island at the west side of Malaysia.. PENANG!!!

anyhow.. short updates.. arrived on the 4th.. without any delay.
just learn something the bad way through this trip back. get enough rest the day before you fly. well.. here is what happen.

the night before.. a smart guy, (orangeng) thought that he can sleep alot on the plane. so he slept at about 1+ in the morning. and woke up at 6 the next morning to do some final packing and stuff. everything was fine for him, untill when he went up the plane. everytime when he wanted to wonder to dreamland, there will sure be some kind of sound disturbing. serving of orange juice, in-flight meals, or the pilot's in-flight speech. it was quite ok for the morning and afternoon....

but at the evening, orange start to feel the effect of getting not enough rest. started with being very sleepy and blur. after dinner, orange went and bath and so some slight reading. and slept earlier than usual about 10+ near 11.

the next morning, life as usual, shopping, visiting and eating. and the climax of the effect of not getting enough rest came at the noon. serious headache from evening till night. and this bad headache manage to make orange sleep at a super early time at 9 p.m.

moral of the story... get lots of rest before traveling. important rest.

anyhow: 'wan tan mee', 'jawa mee', 'kueh tiau th'ing', 'mee goreng' down.. many more to go =)

p/s: thanks to cousin sis for her laptop. enjoy your trip to genting =)

workshop ~ finale

'alright class, that's all for today. take care and all the best in everything you do.'

and that's how i end my 10 day experimental science and mathematics workshop.

here are the feedback i got from my boss:

~better than expected

~teaching is in your genes

~parents ask about workshop in the future

~have a new pathway to go for the future

~kids like you

this are the interesting feedback from the students

~teacher in should improve in his chinese

~time extend to 3 hours for 90 days

~more work, more cutting, more origami!!!!

names that add to list:

~lau tze

~sin sang

~sir

~teacher

~kor kor

~mad scientist

~NWQ

its been a great experience teaching the 22 students for the past 10 days. and i have really learn a lot from this workshop. humans are organisms that is able to adapt to its surrounding and its needs. i admit i once say before that teaching is not my line. although now i still don't think teaching is my line, but now its a choice for me. a new pathway, or maybe as a last resort.

teaching students of different background makes you a fair person. especially when you are facing a very well to do student and also students that only have plain white rice and maggi seasoning as flavour for dinner. yes.. white rice + maggi seasoning. there are some that never even see and eat a pizza. and of course, for those well to do, they own mobile phones more advance than me. the gap is there.

for the three classes i conduct, i like the most is with the primary 5 - 6 class. they are the best among all, i love them =) and i am going to miss them. especially the group of girls =) and the guys that always cheer the atmosphere up with their naughty ethics. you 8 people have always make a good start for the days ahead for me =) thanks a lot.

for the primary 3 - 4 class, well your class is the hardest to control and also the hardest to teach. not that i am complaining here, your group is so diverse that group approach seems impossible. and i have to resort to personal approach. its tiring but fulfilling. i hope you have learn something out of me

for the primary 1 - 2 class, your class is the easiest to handle. maybe i have the experience to handle children of your age. and because its only 4 of you around. anyhow, its enjoyable to finish up the day with the 4 of you.

maybe its because i like helping people. or maybe like what my boss say, teaching is in my blood. I took my job to a step further, well.. making people happy my strong point. i belief that all my students are happy. i hope they are happy. and i wish they are happy. small things like having a picture taken and also printing for the student makes a brighter day for me n him/her. and being happy is always a part of me.

i will surely miss all the name callings, the good morning wishes, the boring/cold faces you show me in the 1st lesson, the shouting, laughing, joking, running, and all the small minor things that happen in this 10 days.

so do you think a 2 month planing for a 10 day workshop worth all the effort??

personally, i still believe i can do better. there are days that i slack of a little. and there are days that i give the fullest of myself to all. if time can be reverse, i will tell you i can do better. but, given the time, money and effort, i guess i am quite happy for the outcome. =) i would say... a score of 8/10??

special thanks to my boss, ms cindy for this special opportunity for letting me conduct this task. with your help and effort in guiding this 'new teacher' here, family for your suggestions and support, and not forgetting the important ones.. my friends that are always supportive for me that help me go through all this 10 indescribable days. thanks everyone.

p/s: sorry for the randomness, i am now still unwinding all that happen for the past 10 lessons.

short note: i will be leaving for penang from the 4th till the 18th of dec... will update when there is a chance. =)

the orange ~ weekly

when is the last time you browse through your old old emails with your friends?? the stories your friends share with you, the gangs you form through the Internet, and also all the touching emails on how important your friends are to you send to you and from you? i had just browse through my inbox where my mails dated from 2004 to the latest 2007. reading them is just like reading a mini-novel, with different chapters, and different characters. only this novel is in real life, real stories, real dialogs, and real characters. i laugh and smile all the way looking through as i saw the different way people think 2 years ago and now..

workshop updates:
Wha.. so fast reminder 1 more class then the work shop will end. and in this 2 weeks, they are the most experiments i have done in such a short time. Well, i did learn a lot from this workshop and i of course, hope that my students can learn something from me. =) and so far, 4 of my students got my full name(chinese and english), 2 of them had my signature, 2 plastic sheets with "WISH U HAV A GIRLFRIEND" & '"SMILE ALWAYS, HAPPY ALWAYS" got a polo tube of candy.

oh.. speaking about working, my 1st student, gave me a surprise that day. Ok.. not him.. but his mother gave me a surprise that day. She gave me a nice Levis t-shirt. i of course was surprise with that present. its a brown t-shirt and i guess it match well with jeans...

manage to met up with leon last thursday. it was a short but wonderful reunion. glade to see him and updates from him as well. as for now.. he is in the palm oil estate with his family =) hope you can score and get down to Melbourne next year =) then we can meet there again. as for the others, will be meeting up with another 2 gang members later for lunch, jinyii and also WHY, looking forward to this lunch...

my little science experiment:
i am trying to understand why some people likes to keep long fingernails. to understand this, i had only cut my nails on my left hand. Therefore, my 4 fingers and my thumb on my right hand now is long. what i have found out.
long fingernails are good for : scratching, opening knots, making a 'tak tak tak' sound when bored by rubbing 2 nails together.
long fingernails are bad when : you are tying, when you are sms-ing, when you get your hands dirty with soil and dirt, and when you are using a touch pad.

bro is having summer break in aussie.. and he is working.. and he works 3 days a week.. and gets pay as much as me working for 1 whole month... so unfair =(

erm.. count down, 2 more days to penang soil... 2 months and 2 weeks to adelaide... 24 days to christmas!!! frosty the snowman~

lastly replies of comments,

meewea: hello =) if i am given a chance, i will do like what you say.. and then get a photo and we can share n see.. hahaha..
s1m: haha.. penang syok ma.. with all the food and shopping there =)
carol: lucky you didn't notice, hahaha.. spending time with kids makes me a 'big-kid' now...
jinyii: erm.. yeah you know her.. it happen during form 4 in chemistry lab

workshop day 7 - 8

students can be very hyper at times. so hyper that it caught me off guard. students have simple sense of humor that they laugh at simple actions that you do. simple 'crazy' actions like drawing a smiley emoticon on the whiteboard. maybe they never expect a teacher to be so childish like me. and i was surprise to see that they are so happy. when they are happy, that makes me happy and also gives a lively atmosphere to the class.

there are a few things that my students told me today.

1) i don't blink when i teach. 0.O which means i can open my eyes for 3 minutes till i turn to the whiteboard before i blink the next time. is this normal?

2) i look 17 years old and bellow =/ Should i be happy with this statement??

its nice talking to your students after class. i don't know why, every time before a class, its teacher - student relationship, while after class, it will be friends. i like talking to them after class. as the teacher - student barrier is gone. they are more open and talk more naturally.

as for younger children, whatever that moves can take their attraction. simple to handle right?? if you want to get their attention, try out some experiments that involve movement of some objects. other than moving objects, experiments that produce sounds or light

on the other side, there are some parasites in my group of students. parasites here means they need the attention a lot more than other students. which means that i have to spend more time with them and less for the other students. sometimes i wonder whether they really don't know or just play the ' teacher,-i-don't-know' game. sigh~

on the lighter note, like they say, kids will always be kids. no matter what you do, they will still be kids =)

2 more lessons and counting =)

small talk: i met up with Leon today and we had a nice 1 hour chat at KFC in Giant hyper mart. so nice to meet up with him back =)

workshop day 5 - 6

workshop now has grown into my daily routine and i think i am started to miss my students already.... crap..

I can control the 3 classes now. the way is = different kind of approach for different classes. phew, at last, i am able to find them now. happiness is in the air!!! wahahahaha

ok.. ok.. what have i learn after 6 days of shouting talking loudly.

1) balloons bring joy to all age group.
i still haven't discover why, the brightly rubber bag filled with air, is an eye catcher. all kids love balloons, most of the teenagers like balloons, some adults likes balloons. as i started this workshop, i didn't expect students to be so attracted to balloons. of course boys will have many ways to make a balloon interesting. and as for girls, all i can say, a balloon can make any quiet girl smile and laugh out. ahh.. the wonders of balloons.

2) Boys Vs Girls
have you ever heard primary school teachers complaining how naughty a 'boy' student will be and how good a 'girl' student is?? well its true. Boys are usually more active and hyper compare to girls. this usually apply to older pupils. as for primary 1 and 2, girls can be as hyper as boys if you know the method. Boy students need more attention compare to girls. i was actually surprise to see its the boys that need the attention i am giving. and the girls can always be left aside... hahaha..

alright. my observation skills are not as sharp as before already. so that's what i have so far.

on the other note, one of my student celebrate her birthday today. and guess what i gave her??
---
--
-
a pink balloon =) and i also taught her how to strike a match. yes, light a fire with a match stick. don't be surprise to see children now a days don't know how to strike a match. i remember i have a friend that don't dare to strike a match at the age of 17 years old. and i made her to strike it.. hahaha..

as for the rest, i guess they are now starting to open up now. they now dare to speak and shout the answers and also dare to approach me to ask for questions. which i think is good =) asking is good. although some students still have the 'you ask.. you ask' syndrome.. but, i will to force them to ask anyway.

anyway, i got the pictures of the moldy bread, but i don't have the cable or a flash card reader in hand =( so i can't upload them. maybe i will get the photo shop to burn them into a CD for me.

So i guess so far.. after 6 lessons.. i am doing some thing right... i hope i am. and i will get a feedback from my boss.

till then.. 4 more lessons and counting =)

chicken little.

Everyone, this is Chicken little. Chicken Little, this is everyone. This is the chicken that made to the spot light of hollywood with the quote:

"the sky is falling!!!"

And once we see chicken little, of course the 'numa numa' song comes in to mind..

Earlier this year, my EB family members had gave me a nickname,


'chicken little'


my 1st reaction will be like this ---> o.o --> o.O --> O.O --> -.-'''


WHY??


"erm.. because you really look like chicken little. with the specs and the cute face" [double swt!!]



and i still don't belief that i look like chicken little. And you know what i am going to do....
this time going back Penang, i am going to hunt for a t-shirt with green stripes and wear it with a brown shorts. HA HA HA. then we will see... muahahahaha..

as for the time being, lets compare the face..

hmmm you be the judge...

the orange ~ weekly

i have been now upgraded to work 8 to 5 from monday to friday for the whole week. its kind of tired and also quite fulfilling. and in that 9 hours, i need to talk for about 6.5 hours. and having 2.5 hours break. At last, after the long holidays, something to challenge my stamina i once proud of.

Holiday workshop updates!! workshop has begun, and 4 lessons, 24 hours of talking has past. Wow, its kind of fast and interesting. teaching now is getting more and more challenging. my patience has been put to great use. i now understand why teachers always complain about a teaching so much. i guess you really need to pull yourself down to earth, be humble, patient, and also give the very best you have to teach. One thing i notice, girls are so much better to teach than boys. more updates in workshop day 1 - 2 and also 3 - 4 posts. i will post an update everyday 2 days.

Mount Kinabalu updates: sad news here, plans didn't work as there are unforeseen matters appear.[yinng, don't blame yourself k] .Anyway, like they always say, Mount Kinabalu won't disappear that soon( i hope its true ). so plan B will be going to somewhere else to 'sit-back and enjoy'. Friends!! what is your plans!! let me know k?? so i can do some arrangement and thinking =)

Personal life updates : Erm.. nothing much really happen actually. Doing my part with my best effort, looking forward to holidays,

count down: 2 months and 3 weeks to adelaide!!! 9 days to penang!!! can't wait. can't wait. can't wait!!!

comments to reply
carol: I also really want to go with you leh.... maybe in the future lorr ya =) naggy?? haha.. yeah i know its for my own good 0=) thanks ya
amelia: thanks ya.. i will remember to smile =)

yup that's all for this week, take care and be nice people. =)

workshops day 3 - 4

'all for one and one for all'
three musketeers

students in all 3 classes are now getting along well with each other which means, not much discrimination and also all of them have friends now. and in this situation, there will be the good side and the bad side.

the good side will be students will not feel alone and they are more willing to voice out as they are not as shy as when they just begin. i am surprise to see friends being made at this speed for children.

the bad side?? when the students unite, there will be a risk of trouble of losing control of the whole class. which means trouble for the teacher. What's worst is, pupils at this age make friends easily and also fight easily. When they fight?? it will be the nightmare of the teacher.

Anyway, there are cups of beans growing wonderfully and bread mold start appearing in today. surprises me is, there is a pink mold growing on my experiment set. looks so cute =) i had to change plans to planting green beans as most of the pupils had already planted spring onions.

out of 3 classes, i like 2 of them very much. as for the other one. there are pupils that give me a hard time. i still haven't discover the correct approach method for that particular class.

on a personal note, there are 2 voices in my mind every time i teach in the workshop. One of them is telling me to give all i have to help the students with patience and kindness.. the other one keeps telling me 'it's just a workshop.. students won't care to remember things that you teach'. This 2 voices seems to be getting louder and
louder..

6 more lessons and counting......

3 in a day makes.....

when was the last time when you wake up and feel that there will be something wrong with your day ahead? The bad feeling of so call waking up on the wrong side of the bed. As you procede with your day, you forgot your things like to comb your hair, get your watch, or maybe you took everything but there is a feeling of 'I-forget-something' lingering in back of your mind?

When is the last time when people start to take you for granted? when they ask for your help, you give them all you have. But when you ask them for help, they give you all kinds of excusses like 'aiyah.. no need lah.. they will know how to do want larr..' or 'aiyah, i lazy call larr, no need call larr, just send a sms will do...'. It always makes you worry about whether the important information that you want to tell get to respective people. Why i can give you my time during my breaks to help you do your personal things and you cannot help me do some official things when you are free?? I feel I am being used.

When was the last time that when you are drain and after a day that didn't go well as plan, and someone call you do something that takes your time. Things that are not important but urgent. Things that are suppose to be done by them but they get you to help without knowing how tired you are? i always wonder whether you know what i am thinking. Or should i say how do i feel when you call me to 'help' you. Maybe you think i have nothing to do and its give you a chance to call me 'help' you with your stuff but the fact is i have something in mind that i have to do.

when this 3 adds together in a day?? how do i feel?? like shit.

%&^#(%^#&*&(@!!!

p/s: this have nothing to do with my students.

workshops day 1-2

'it has begun'
LOTR 3

Holiday workshop for science and mathematics in english has begun. My number of students jump from 1 the previous month has suddently pop up to a total of 26 all together in 3 classes. So to give an overview about this workshop, its divided into 3 groups, standard 1-2, standard 3-4 and standard 5-6. Each group spend about 2 hours with me everyday for 10 lessons. The workshop starts at 9-11, 11-1 and 2-4. This means i have been speaking about 6 hours at average everyday.

For the 1st 2 lessons, there have been red and green beans growing and bread mould breeding projects running and most probably, spring onions will be planted tomorrow. Yupp, i have started with biology topics(animals and plants) and next will be physics topics. I can't do much chemistry with them as i don't have suply of the chemicals and also I won't want to blow a hole in the building =)

Anyway, preperations have been serving me well, and of course there are some bumps and holes along the way of the workshop. But luckly i am able to adapt to the situations. hehe.. and of course mental preperations have been working till a certain level. My imaginations seems to be working well for the time being.

Anyway.. back to my mental preperations for tomorrow's lessons, i try to get some pictures on their projects soon =)

8 more lessons and counting........

Mental Preparation

"how can we do it barney?"
"use your imaginations!"

mental preparations are important in doing anything big. becoming barney is now a useful tool. i remember when i was many many years younger, i use to hate this purple dinosour. and my friends(and me of course) use to sing

'i hate you,

you hate me,

lets gang up and kill barney,

with a great big bang,

and a knife in his back,

no more purple dinosour.'

and yes, this song still last till today. what does this mental preparation got to do with the stupid purple dinosour? well, in every episodes, the kids a.k.a barney's friends will imagine their stupid dinasour turn alive and make all kinds of stuff with them. alphabet soup, going to space, do this do that. and the purple dinosour will always "use your imaginations" and the impossible will become possible.

let me quote some examples on how to practice mental preperation

for a speech in an orientation day activity i imagine
'as i walk up the stage.. holding my script that i wrote and re-wrote thousands of times.... hundreds of eyes staring at me.. i look back at them with a confident face, and start. "good morning!" and i felt a cold breeze over my face and neck and i see crows flying over... so i try again "GOOD MORNING PEOPLE"... "good morrnin" a soft barely audible whisper... so i shouted on top of my lungs " GOOD MORNING PEOPLE!! RESPOND YOU DAMN STUPID %#$@^ NEWBEE NOOBS!!!!" "GOOD MORNING!!!" a louder responds.. ah. dats better...... [and so on...]

or maybe when i propose to my future wife.. i imagine
'as i walk towards her sitting on the bench in the park, in my hands holding tight a [insert object] and a beautifully design ring engrave with the special date and names... with the face of determination.. step by step i took.. she looks up.. her beautiful face shines like the sun.. i was blind, quickly i swift out my sunglasses, put them on, regain my composure, take a deep breath, and continue my walk that might change my destiny, i walk.. and walk... as i approach her, i kneel down, and recite [insert love poem] and the killer 4 words question,.. will you marry me?? her mouth open wide and her face now shine like a stadium spotlight and i was......

right... too much information. anyway.. practicing mental preparation needs great imagination skills(like barney) and some expectation on what are you are going to face. i find this few steps helpful when i do my mental preparations.

1) imagine the non-living objects that you will see when you.. the path you take or walk..
2) then, you can add the living things in. humans, plants, housefly, mosquito, dog, cat, etc etc
3) since you have everything, den make this a picture in your head with both living and non-living things.. draw a map or a picture if you want.
4) now the fun part. give life to your picture. make the things move.. give life to the living things..
5) now everything is set, you can start placing yourself in the picture. what are you doing and what will you do if....
6) repeat step 4 and 5 to change the scenario of the whole picture. maybe a fire happen. or suddenly superman flew in with a green underwear. how will you act or react

tada.. this is how i practice my mental preparation.. it usually works with me.. and maybe other too.. who knows right?? anyway preparation is still the key to a better success right?

the orange ~ weekly

sometimes time fly past so fast that you never know what on earth happens between that period of time. and my week fly past so fast that there seems like there are lots of vacumed space where i cannot remember what happen. all i know is my week is a tired one.

holiday workshop updates!! my physical preperation is about 90% done!! and i think the workshop can run now.. and now i am mentally preparing myself on what might happen in the 10 days. my boss has been kind to help me in my mental preperation.. her advice "don't expect anything'. this reminds me of my maths lecturer mr teh. don't expect anything so you won't get disappointed. anyway mental preperation is almost as tiring as physical preperation. and in my head this words keep repeating ' it will be over soon' over again and again

mount kinabalu updates!! i got bookings for 4 already!!! now need to pass 3 more levels before i can officially concure this mountain. parents, gang members and also physical conditions. i hope everything goes well and we can celebrate banana's birthday at m0unt kinabalu.. wow.. dats sounds fun =) anyway.. i hope i can get 2 more reservations.. 6 a group sounds good =)

decorate my christmas tree~

frosty the snowman~ dear santa, i have been a good boy this year. and i really really really wish that i can have an err... erm... i forget.. i will get back to you ok santa?? ( i wonder santa reads blogs) yupp.. christmast is in the corner =) other than chinese new year.. christmas comes closely behind for orange's favourite celebrations. with those addictive and stick-to-your-head christmas songs, it really adds to the celebration feel. i still remember making the guy sitting next to me in secondory school sing frosty the snow man with me... hahaha.. darm funny. back to you santa, i wish that i can get a beautiful girlfriend i can get a nice massage chair to massage my aching back. =)

i am starting to lose my patience on some facebook users that add me. i wonder if they know me or just because they see me before in school and they add me. whats worst is they are not using their real names and no self pictures of them in their account. i hate ths this people. are they repeating the 'friendster' syndrom?? who gets the most add's win?? i am going to send them a mail and see what they reply.. if i am not happy about it then.. delete. afterall there is a delete function right?

pearl of the orient

Penang trip!!! argh!! can't wait to get my ass back to that island. I miss the feel when i step into the arrival hall in penang airport, the huge advertistment tower out side the airport and also the smell of penang. i don't know why, there are different smell in different places. example, sandakan airport smells differently from penang airport. weired right?? I MISS YOU PENANG!!!lolz.. oh.. cousin sis is in sydney now.. enjoy yourself k and take good care arr.. looking forward to see you soon =)

count down 2 months and about 3 weeks to adelaide!! can't wait. can't wait. can't wait....

alright, finaly comments reply.
carol: you are really naggy... and if i wait for you to accompany me.. when will it be arr.. hahaa...
jinyii: no.. i wan to climb
yinng: too many words?? okok.. i try putting some pics in this time.. =)
adoria: haha.. dats nice, glad you like it =)
wx: tell your friend, nursery rhymes are violent in the 1st place.. hahaha... this one us just showing a better picture on the violent side =)

yupp thats all for this week

children's mind

note : I am tired. i am very tired. i am just tired. for the whole week, i am tired. i am tired but i can't sleep in the afternoons. i am tired

observing children sometimes is funny. they have the most 'dreamy' mind i have ever seen. or i should say, as we grow older, we tend to be more and more realistic. yes. we need to be realistic to survive in this world. here are some examples..

all meat eating animals are bad
i realised that children are prone to be afraid of all meat eating animals. for children, meat eaters are bad, evil and scary. maybe is because of the childhood nursery rhymes like 'the big bad wolf'', snakes, lions, and tigers always play the bad guys in disney cartoons. but in reality, almost all meat eaters are now endangered and staying in the red list. imagine telling a kid that we need to safe a tiger.. "but tigers are bad.. they eat meat!!!" how will you respond?? what happen to good ol bouncy tigger?? or imagine a meat eating winnie the pooh

lines can mean anything to them.
there is once my student saw a line of something in the sky which i presume the line of water vapour when a jet fly past. he told me that its the ghost crossing the sky. and he insisted i saw it too!! other than this, give a child a whiteboard marker and a white board. see their art work and try understanding it. i bet u cannot understand them without them explaining it to you.
[draws a stick man with long lines] "this is mr long arms." "he has LooOOOooOOoooOooOOoOooOnnnnNNnnnNnnNnggGGgggGgggGg arms and he beats bad people" [me thinking.. the arms looks like maggie mee... *stomach growls*]

anything can be a game to them.
put two erasers on a slope and let them slide can be a game to them. a stack up ruller can be a game. running around the table can be a game. everything and anything can be a game. and for me, i can give you a long winded explaination on why the eraser slides down, stuff like gravity, friction bla bla bla.... and for children, it will be 'I WIN YOU, LOSE HA HA HA!!!'

almost everything has poison or bite.
have they ever heard of antidote?? oh man.. i have heard to many harmless things with poison tru children's mouth and all of them made me 'sweat' in buckets. if i can lauf that time.. i will. and i will laugh out loud and hard.. but no. its not possible. Poisonous household ants anyone?? or.. poisonous biting earthworm?? or a biting starfish?? maybe a meat eating panda anyone??

there are many more new things can be learn about them. suddently i really wish to be a small kid.. carefree, relax, run all over the place, and leave the stress to other people. *nostalgic*

p/s: children has good memory too... so dun play play with them....

rhymes (part 2)

The Three Little Pigs

The animals i really dig

above all otheris the pig.

pigs are noble, pigs are clever

pigs are courteous. however,

now and then, to break this rule,

one meets a pig who is a fool.

what, for example, would you say

if strolling through the woods one day,

right there in front of you you saw

a pig who's build his house of STRAW?

the wolf who saw it licked his lips,

and said, 'that pig has had his chips.'

'little pig, little pig, let me come in!'

'no, no, by the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin!'

'then i'll huff and i'll puff and i'll blow your house in!'

The little pig began to pray

but wolfie blew his house away.

He shouted, 'bacon, pork and ham!

'oh, what a lucky wolf i am!'

and though he ate the pig quite fast,

he carefully kept his tail till the last.

wolf wandered on, a trifle bloated.

suprise, suprise, for soon he noted

another little house for pigs,

and this one had been build of TWIGS!

'little pig, little pig, let me come in!'
'no, no, by the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin!'
'then i'll huff and i'll puff and i'll blow your house in!'

The wolf said 'okay, here we go!'

he then began to blow and blow.

the little pig began to squeal.

he cried, ' oh wolf, you've had one meal!'

'why can't we talk and make a deal?'
the wolf replied, 'not on your nelly!'

and soon the pig was in his belly.

'two juicy little pigs!' wolf cried,

'but still i am not satisfied!

'i know full well my tummy's bulging,

'but oh, how i adore indulging.'

So creeping quitely as a mouse

the wolf approached another house,

a house which also had inside

a little piggy trying to hide.

but this one, piggy number three

was bright and brainy as could be.

no straw for him, no twigs or sticks.

this pig had build his house of BRICKS

'you'll not get me!' the piggy cried.

'i'll blow you down!' the wolf replied.

'you'll need,' pig said, 'a lot of puff,

'and i don't think you've got enough.'

wolf hiffed and puffed and blew and blew.

the house stayed up as good as new

'if i can't blow it down,' wolf said,

'i'll have to blow it up insted.

'i'll come back dead dead at night

'and blow it up with dynamite!'

pig cried, ' you brute! i might have known!'

then, picking up the telephone,

he dialed as quickly as he could

the number of red ridding hood.

'hello,' she said. 'who's speaking? who?

'oh, hello piggy, how d'you do?'

pig cried, 'i need your help, miss hood!

'oh help me please! d'you think you could?'

'i'll try, of course,'miss hood replied.

'what's on your mind?'...... 'a wolf!' pig cried.

' i know you've dealt with wolves before,

'and now i've got one at my door!'

'my darling pig, ' she said 'my sweet,

'that's something really up my street.

'i've just begun to wash my hair.

'but when it's dry, i'll be right there.'

A short while later, through the wood,

came striding brave miss red ridding hood.

the wolf stood there, his eyes ablaze

and yellowish, like mayonnaise.

his teeth were sharp, his gums were raw,

and spit was dripping from his jaw.

one more the maiden's eyelid flickers.

she draws the pistol from her knickers

and kills him with a single shot.

pig, peeping through the window, stood

and yelled, 'well done, miss ridding hood!'

Ah, piglet, you must never trust

young ladies from the upper crust.

for now, miss riding hood, one notes

not only has two wolfskin coats

but when she goes from place to place,

she has a PIGSKIN TRAVELLING CASE.

from revolting rhymes by Roald Dahl