Duty Week

I'm on duty at work this week. I oversee everything from morning till after school. It's great that I do not feel so much dread being on duty this year. Why? Because under me are 7 teachers, and I know for certain that I can rely on 5 of them to do their jobs well. The burden is shared and I worry less. This, for me, is a great feeling.

Last year was a horrendous year, whereby, all the problem teachers were dumped into my group, including the vicious woman I was referring to in my last post. Unintentionally, according to Vice Boss as he was the one who assigned the grouping.

Intentional or not, there was none who was reliable. I complaint right after being on duty for the first round, but Boss advised me to persist and to work on "developing" these problem people. In the end, I think I developed heartache and stress more than anything else.

I tasked people to be to keep watch at the gate. But for the first time in the history of the school, the gate was unmanned. The discipline teacher came and informed me, "Nobody at the gate!" he said, flustered. I had already known it. But what could I do? People were scheduled but they did not turn up.

I tasked people to come early to help out before the morning roll call. Never mind that they came late, I could not even see the tiniest bit of initiative to come a tiny bit earlier.

All these uncommitted people drove me to rely on myself the whole of last year. Subsequently, I went to the gate every time I was on duty. I asked other teachers who were early to help me do this and that, and they had always been gracious. It was me, myself and I the whole way through. No wonder I was drained out by the end of the year!

Boss had tried to help me out. He had gathered the problem people and coached them to be more effective. Well, they were - like for a day or two. And then they reverted to being their old problematic self. Didn't they say a leopard can't change its spots?

My other colleagues could only look on with sympathy. Even the canteen operator empathised with my predicament, and commented on the sorry state my teachers were in.

Well, I'm sure glad that I lived through the nightmare last year, and I made it a point to have a say when Vice Boss assigned teachers in groups for this year. Because of his unintentional inequal distribution of teachers, I suffered the whole year. So to make up for it, Vice Boss indulged me. I chose whom I wanted to be in my group this year. ;)) And so, I retained a problem male teacher, added a non-performing female teacher, and chose 5 others whom I could rely on.

This week, a young female teacher was tasked as the group leader. Her first time, she told me. She's scared, she said. But I was adamant that she took up this opportunity, and she did. She's not the assertive kind, but I can see her taking the initiative to lead. I coached her and communicated with her what to do, and so far, her response had been very positive. This morning, she handled the morning roll call, and I am so proud that she did a brilliant job. She was slightly embarrassed when I praised her effort, though.

Well, it's only the end of February. The school year is still a long winding road ahead. I count 5 more rounds to be on duty for this year. But as long as I have my people, I am ready to take on any challenge.

No Names

Vice Boss came and sat in front of me, looking very serious. "Your Head of Panel ..."

As soon as he said those words, I knew nothing good would ensue.

Well, you see, a complaint was lodged against me by my Head of Department and Head of Panel. What did I do wrong? I did not follow the procedure when I prepared exam questions. I did not let the Head of Panel sign on the question papers. Nor did I let the Head of Department nor Boss sign.

I accept that charge fully. Because that was what I did not do. But why did not I just collect those signatures and have them printed in my exam question papers?

1. I put in a lot of effort in setting the Form 5 exam questions. I do not know why, but I have a lot of passion for teaching Form 5. Since 2007, I have taken it upon myself to prepare questions from scratch. The standard practice is to photocopy from books here and there and then construct an exam paper out of those. The better teachers will at least type the questions after selecting them from various books. With the advent of technology, some teachers will just download sets of questions off the Internet and attached a cover with the school logo on it. But, I go for authentic materials. I source magazines, newspapers, and also articles in the Internet to prepare "original" questions. I spend a long time to set those questions, till I'm happy with the standard and the quality. I usually do it during weekends, cooped up in the house in front of the computer. Though the papers may not be perfect, I take a lot of pride in them. I do not want the other teachers to see it, lest they may hint to the students the questions that may be tested. I do not want my effort wasted, just because some questions leaked.

2. In answer to no. 1, Vice Boss suggested that I print their names on the cover. They will be signing on the cover and not look inside, he says. Fair enough. But what for? I prepared the paper. Only my name should be on it. So what if they are the Department or Panel Heads? What have they contributed? They have done nothing except to pick on every little wrong doing that I do.

3. I'm stubborn. I absolutely do not want anything to do with the two Heads. Their quality of work has never met my standards. So why should I make my papers an eyesore with their names on it? To put it very bluntly, I feel very strongly that they are NOT qualified to sign on my papers.

4. Just because the two do not put down their signature on the papers, does it affect the validity and reliability of the test? I can assure you my test papers have got face and content validity. That is the most important thing of all, isn't it?

I hate politics in the work place. I go along doing my work finely, and there comes these vicious people attacking here and there. You'd think that I'm being petty. But for me, it's a matter of principle. I'm also not saying here that everyone should set original questions such as I like to do. All I'm asking is for a little bit of commitment and the correct attitude at work.

Vice Boss was just letting me know of the complaint so that I would be prepared, in case they made a big issue out of it to Boss. Whatever it was, I did not care. At the end of the day, I only have to ask Boss : Would you rather have me or them in this school? Deep down in my heart I know the answer.

Bling

Lately, I've taken to wearing bracelets on a daily basis. Not gold bracelets as they give off a very "Auntie" impression. I feel old wearing anything in gold. ;p Not white gold bracelets too. I only have 2 very fine pieces, and there had been a few times which I had to hunt for them when they dropped. Fortunately, I was able to get them back on those occasions when I dropped them. I dare not wear them now. Plus, I'm into chunky jewellery now.

Of course, I have my Thomas Sabo charm bracelet. It's only that I'm short of charms at the moment because I am adamant to buy only the charms I like. And since it's very expensive, I do not wear it very often. I don't like it when they get scratched. ;p I'm a rather clumsy and klutzy person. ;))

I have another piece made of beads, which I bought from Kota Kinabalu. It only cost me RM7.00. But it's in maroon and it's rather difficult to match. I can only count in my wardrobe, 1 or 2 blouses in maroon.

Some pieces that I have are too elaborate for daily wear. I've got a very colourful Swarovski crystal hearts bracelet and I love it lots, but it's kind of too fancy for casual wear. Then I have also in my collection a fresh water pearl bracelet but it comprises of 4 strands attached together, making it only suitable for dinner wear.

So, it looks like I have a very limited choice of bracelets to wear. I usually wear my Swarovski Crystal & Pearl bracelet in the Nude. The neutral colour matches just about any colour of clothing that I wear, and I love how its crystals reflect light. Most of all, it makes my wrist look delicate and elegant at the same time.

But since I've been wearing that forever, I started to look around to expand my collection. And today, I acquired 2 more pieces! I'm so happy and excited!!

Icelandic
Materials : Flower Cabochon, Blue Zircon Swarovski Bicone, Metallic Turquoise Pearl Bead, Midnight Blue Chinese Crystal Teardrop, Blue Faux Pearl Bead, Mint Faceted Acrylic Bead, Princess Crown Charm, Rocking Horse Charm, Eiffel Charm, Snowflake Charm, Heart Charm, Love Seat Charm

Valentine II
Material : Flower Cabochon, Matte Red Acrylic Heart, White Fat Teardrop Pearl Bead, White Textured Pearl Bead, Red Faux Pearl Bead, Floral Heart Charm, Love Link Charm, Red Faux Pearl Oval Bead, Heart Key Charm, LOVE Charm, Padlock Heart Charm

Beautiful, aren't they? They're handmade. Of the two, I like Icelandic better as it is more striking on my wrist. Icelandic also has quirkier charms, my favourite are Eiffel Tower and Rocking Horse. I can't wait to wear them! Yayy!!

Getting To Know Me

Hmn. My colleague and I were talking about mystical stuff the other day, and he mentioned that he read his horoscope daily. I was intrigued that this masculine character in front of me was into astrology. Lol. And so it prompted me to read up on mine that night. As I read, I found some descriptions or characteristics to be particularly interesting.

As I reflected about them, I do agree that they aptly described who I was. And so, here goes a list :

• mild but not meek
  
• charismatic and yet low profile
  
• serene, calm and organised
• gentle and non-irritating
• non-confrontational
• soft-spoken and not demanding
• considerate
• intuitive
  
• very tactful
  
• loyal
• cautious
• need a lot of sleep
  

Lol. I find the last item particularly interesting. It is said that I need a lot of sleep or else I will not be happy. Lol. I don't mind sleeping, but then lately, I've been experiencing some irregular sleeping patterns. It's strange.

Previously, I did not want to get up even when the alarm rang. Lately, however, I've been getting up at the wee hours of the morning. I've woken up at 1.00 a.m. Sometimes, 2.00 a.m. Other times 3.00 a.m. And I'll not be able to get back to sleep. I haven't any idea why and it makes me worried. Is it stress?? Sigh.

Vegetarian Mee Suah

I love Mee Suah or flour vermicelli, and I usually have it served with a chicken soup. Today, however, I decided to experiment and cook it the vegetarian way. The result? Well, I myself was surprised as the whole combination tasted fantastic.

All I did was braise good quality shiitake mushrooms with tofu and vegetarian chicken in a soy sauce, sugar and water mixture. Braise till the broth thickened and reduced. Then in a separate pot, I blanched some Mee Suah and some vegetables. Drain and place noodles and vegetables in a serving plate, drizzle some sesame oil before pouring everything else on top.

Vegetarian Mee Suah

Well, I suppose it tasted great because of the mushrooms, which gave the whole dish a very rich and robust flavour. The slightly salty Mee Suah, when coated with thick soy broth really enhanced the taste of the whole dish. Though it appeared simple, the assortment of ingredients brought to it a lot of different textures - the mushrooms tender, the tofu soft, the vegetarian chicken chewy and the vegetables crunchy. How wonderful is that!

What's more fascinating was that it's totally meatless! I must really thank my colleague, T** for inducting me to Vegetarian cooking. I've more to learn yet!!

Braised Tofu & Mock Chicken - My Version

I absolutely do not have time (nor the inclination ;p) to go to the wet market during working days because I am usually at work by 6.10 a.m., though the official clock in time is 6.40 a.m. There are among us, however, who make their way to the market as early as 5.30 a.m. to source for the freshest ingredients. And my colleague, T** is one of them.

Today, she approached me early in the morning and told me she had helped me to buy fresh tofu and a packet of mock chicken. How sweet of her to do so.

Vegetarian Princess Chicken
I think I like its Chinese name better. It is called 贵妃鸡 (Gui Fei Ji). A 贵妃 is an Emperor's consort of the highest ranking, so it has a very regal and beautiful feel to it. Lol. Anyway, this Malaysian-made product is manufactured of textured soybean protein, soy bean, vegetable oil and vegetarian seasoning. A packet is 450g and cost RM7.00.

It looks like chicken nuggets, and it has a soft, springy texture.
Lol. You'd wonder what's so regal-looking about these, huh??

Fresh tofu from the market, and soaked in water.
T** told me that this Tofu Auntie makes her own tofu and that she sets up her stall at 2.00 a.m. every morning. I'm really baffled!!

So I decided to replicate T**'s recipe the other day. What I did was pretty effortless. I dumped the mock chicken pieces into a pot. Then I tore the tofu into huge chunks and threw them into the pot as well. I poured in about 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sugar and a cup of water. This I stewed for about an hour over very low fire before adding some snow peas, just for colouring. As I was about to serve, I drizzled a bit of sesame oil for flavouring.

Braised Tofu & Mock Chicken
Well, I must say that it tasted quite good. The soft tofu retained its soy flavour despite being braised for so long. The vegetarian chicken with its distinctive savoury taste was chewy, while the snow peas gave the dish a crunchy texture.

It's certainly the first time I've ever cooked vegetarian, thanks to T** who is not only a devout Buddhist, but also a Green Warrior - our very own Captain Planet in the school. She is passionate about recycling, and is the one who always gets her hands dirty sorting out plastic containers and aluminium cans. She is now also actively promoting vegetarianism to us colleagues, I suppose. After all, going vegetarian is the easiest and quickest way to lower the carbon footprint, reduce pollution, and save energy and water.

To be honest, I'm not ready to go fully vegetarian, and I am quite happy to explore cooking yummy and easy vegetarian dishes. Actually, I can't wait to cook for Grandma when I get home as she eats vegetarian food on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. ;))

Something Round

My student was outside the office yesterday, so I asked her what else her family sold at the coffee shop, and she was trying very earnestly to describe to me a specialty. Something round, like a biscuit. Her Aunt makes it and a lot of people like it.

But for the life of me, I did not know what she was trying to describe. Is it a kuih? I asked her. She said no, it's like a biscuit. Finally, I told her to help me buy 2 pieces when she could.

This morning, she came with a bag of guess what?

Kompia

Lol. "What are these called?" I asked her.

"Kompia," she replied.

"Why didn't you just say "kompia" yesterday?"

She smiled shyly but did not answer me.

Toasted, slit and filled with meat

The filling was flavoured with soy sauce and five spice powder.
It was quite fragrant and tasty.

These kompia sold for RM0.70 at the coffee shop, Public Seafood Centre @ Morsjaya.

Braised Tofu & Mock Chicken

At school, our schedules are fixed, and it happens that this year I constantly have lunch with my colleague, T**. She's a Buddhist vegetarian.

So while the rest of us ate what's served in the canteen, T** came with her thermal pot filled with her vegetarian dishes. Today's menu was Braised Tofu with Mock Chicken. She even garnished the dish with a few stalks of basil. We were all amazed at the effort she put into preparing her lunch.

Braised Tofu With Mock Chicken

Lol. Everyone had a taste and found the dish pleasantly tasty. We wondered where she found time to cook at all. T** disclosed that it was very easy to prepare as all she had to do was to stew the mock chicken with the tofu with soy sauce and a bit of sugar. That was it? That easy? We were all dumbfounded, but inspired. We made up our minds to try cook it at home.

Talking about trying our hands at vegetarian cooking, I got T** to help me buy kelp. I want to have a go at making kelp salad. But erm, I'm not sure when I will have the time.

Dried kelp, only RM2.00

Rest assured, I'll share it here when it comes to pass. Soon, hopefully. ;))

Unhappy, Unplanned, Unhealthy

Well, I wasn't supposed to eat noodles for dinner. But since I was feeling rather depressed, I went ahead and cooked an ultra unhealthy dinner for my unhappy self. It was totally unplanned, but thanks to ready ingredients in the kitchen, it took only a few minutes to prepare dinner.

First, I raided the larder. I only had in there a packet of Mi Sedaap Original Flavour. I took that out and continued my onslaught of the fridge. I had an egg and spinach in there. Then, I moved on to the freezer and saw some chicken sausages. They weren't thawed but I did not care. I chopped up whatever I could of the frozen sausages.

Then, I boiled a pot of water to blanch the spinach. When they softened, I drained them and threw in the sausages to thaw in water. Once convinced that they had thawed, I transferred them onto an oiled pan. I waited till they were lightly browned and then cracked an egg over them to make an omelette. In the same pot of boiling water just now, I finally cooked the noodles.

Meanwhile, I squeezed the pre-packed sweet soy sauce, chilli sauce and shallot oil onto a clean plate. Then I sprinkled half a sachet of the flavouring over the condiments. There was another sachet containing deep-fried shallots, but that I discarded as I did not like.

When the noodles cooked, I drained them and poured it together with my veges onto the plate. I tossed everything well to coat and garnished with the omelette.

Unhealthy, Unplanned dinner because I was feeling Unhappy

Did I feel happy after that? Heck no. I felt guilty instead, for consuming something I wasn't supposed to consume. So why eat in the first place? I don't know. I wasn't thinking straight at the time. ;(

Doodling In My Class

I'm seasoned enough to know what the students are doing at different corners of the classroom during a lesson.

Today, I caught a boy doodling and confiscated it :


I had assigned the students group work, and while I was helping some students at the back of the class, those in front were left unattended. This was when the boy did the drawing.

I had not caught anyone doodling for a long time already, and so it both amused and annoyed me to see what this boy had done.

Farmville Isn't Fun For Me Anymore

I played this game since 2009, and lately, it got really laborious and it's taking away all the fun for me.

1) I have 4 farms, and they confuse me. Instruction says, "Harvest Sweater Cow" and I have no idea where I have placed my Sweater Cow, or whether I even have a Sweater Cow. Looking for Sweater Cow took time, and it gets frustrating, especially when the broadband isn't functioning at its optimum speed.

2) My Home Farm has grown really huge and it took so long to load.

3) I can't complete my quests. There are just too many and they keep rolling out one after another. I have currently 3 uncompleted quests, and I don't think I am going to do them at all.

I've lost my motivation for playing. I don't miss playing it, really. But I feel sorry for all my neighbours who are serious players, because I still wish to help them to complete their game quests.

Healthy Snacking

Snack healthy, I keep reminding myself. Rather than the usual potato chips or corn chips or corn puffs or prawn crackers, I now force myself to go for healthier options.

It does not mean to say that I'm now shunning those chips and crackers which I so love. I'm merely cutting back of all the empty calories that I will consume alongside the MSG and sodium. I suppose it is still alright to eat some once in a while. ;p

But well, healthy snacks aren't very widespread in this part of the world. Overseas, I will be able to get lots of natural roasted nuts and dried fruits at the supermarket. In fact, the bulk food section is one of my favourite sections at supermarkets in New Zealand. One of the brands is Alison's Pantry, which sells a large selection of the freshest blend of cereals, nuts, fruits and snacks.

When I was there in New Zealand last June, I bought these mixed fruits and nuts.

Natural dried fruits with a selection of nuts
See how fresh and yum they are ~ pecans, hazel nuts, almonds, peanuts, mixed dried fruits, and carob coated raisins. Just heavenly!

Unfortunately, supermarkets over here in Malaysia only sells snacks like muruku, peanuts, preserved plums, and biscuits at its bulk food sections.

At Ta Kiong Supermarket today, the best option I got would be

Tong Garden Cocktail Snack
185g @ RM11.90

and

Camel Natural Sweet & Nutty Mix
150g @ RM12.30

The Tong Garden Cocktail Snack contains a mixture of figs, black raisins, cashews, almonds, pistachio kernels and green raisins.

Tong Garden Cocktail Snack

But you can see that it has more fruits than nuts. According to the package however, the ratio is 52% fruits to 48% nuts.

On the other hand, the Camel Natural Sweet & Nutty Mix has dates, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and raisins.

Camel Natural Sweet & Nutty Mix

Of the two, I prefer the Camel Natural Sweet & Nutty Mix. It really does have a natural feel to it, with its air-roasted nuts and sun-dried fruits. I do feel that it is far better in quality compared to the Tong Garden. Of course, the price speaks for itself as it's more expensive too.

Anyway, these snacks, when consumed in moderation, are good energy boosters in between meals. Since I'm peckish most of the time, I hope that these fruits and nuts will satisfy me and stop me from craving potato chips and prawn crackers!

Lesson Planning ... Or Not

Some of my best lessons were unplanned.

Vegetarian Delights

My colleague, T** is a vegetarian. She has been one for a few years. Lately, she has been bringing her own lunches to school. And we marvel at the variety of vegetarian dishes that she prepares for lunch.

Last week, I had the honour of trying her Vegetarian Chicken Rice. She used ginger and mock chicken and sesame oil to cook the rice. The result was a very fragrant rice, which was infused with flavours of the ingredients. I was surprised that Vegetarian Chicken Rice could taste so good.

Today, T** made a Kelp Salad and gave me some. She bought the pre-shredded kelp, then boiled it in water to rid it of the strong smell. The kelp was drained of water and then seasoned with salt, sesame oil and a bit of lime juice. She topped it off with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Kelp Salad

A taste of the Kelp Salad and I was totally won over. It was very rich and fragrant with the taste of sesame oil, and the tangy lime made it very refreshing. Delicious! I want to make some for myself soon!

For her own lunch, she made a Vegetarian Tom Yum Medley. She used many types of vegetables and soy sheets.

Vegetarian Tom Yum Medley

T** told me that she's a very picky eater, and she would go all out to cook yummy vegetarian dishes to please her palate. She even had bothered to add lemon grass into her Tom Yum. I had a bit and found that it was full of flavour - fragrant, sour and spicy. Interesting indeed!

Well, I am just discovering through T** how colourful a vegetarian meal can be. She gave me some suggestions, one of them being Steamed Assorted Mushrooms with Wolfberries and Basil. It sure sounds good and I do hope that I will one day be able to experiment cooking this dish. ;p

More Sandwiches

I came back to my office to find the girl waiting for me. She brought me sandwiches again.

And so, I had for lunch,

a Ham and Cheese Sandwich, and

a Tuna & Egg Sandwich.

She asked if I wanted some for tomorrow too. Geez, I can't be eating sandwiches every day, can I? So I thanked her and told her that I would tell her so if I wanted some.

Oh yeah, I'd finally found out her name.

Surprise Sandwich

I was walking down the stairs after class one day, and this student came along and asked if I wanted to buy a sandwich from her.

Strange, I thought. Why would she want to sell me a sandwich? Did she not want to eat it herself? I asked. She told me that she had brought some food for recess.

Her cousin had made the sandwich, she told me, and it sold very well at their coffee shop.

"Where is the coffee shop?" I asked.

"Public Seafood Centre," she replied.

"Where is that?"

"Morsjaya."

She said that there was also ham sandwich available if I was interested next time.

Since she had approached me, I obliged and bought the sandwich from her at RM2.50.

I did not know this Form 2 girl's name but I knew she had always come to clarify things with me, especially when she did not quite understand what was being informed to the students during the assemblies.

At the end of last year, I met her mother, and she knew me as the teacher who asked her daughter to buy kolo mee. I laughed, remembering that at one time, Vice Boss and I had asked this girl to help us buy kolo mee. Then, we had just found out that her mother worked at a coffee shop and we wondered if she could do us a favour. I quickly thanked her mother for helping us.

So, I suppose it was the same with the sandwich. This girl was doing me a favour by helping me buy the sandwich. Only that this time, I had not asked for it and she did not inform me earlier. Anyway, I was always happy to get extra food, especially when I was hungry at work and a visit to the canteen did not yield much.

Star Lunches

I can only go out for lunch on Fridays. So over at Morsjaya is a corner cafe called "Star". In Mandarin, it's 星星小食. Well, I like the economy rice or the chap fan there.

I always go there with my Tupperware Crystal Wave container, and the girls there remember me after the third week.

"Hi, teacher!" a former student called out to me when I was at the shop one time. He was buying rice and bantering with the girls there. It looked like he was familiar with them. Why not? I found out that he worked nearby and often frequented the shop for meals.

Thereafter, the girls were generous in their serving too. I think they give me quite large portions every time.

Lunch 1

Lunch 2

Lunch 3

Lunch 4

The food suit my taste, be it the veges or the meats. The veges are never overcooked - always green and crunchy. And they used a variety of ingredients for flavouring, i.e. minced pork, dried prawns and so on. The meats, on the other hand, are always full of flavour. So I guess I'll be buying from Star till I get bored of their dishes.

He Says, She Says

I made a mistake about disregarding what my colleague had said one fine day. I should have explained to him how I wanted things done, but somehow I did not. It was an oversight on my part.

I'm writing about this now, just so that I will be able to read back one day and remember an important lesson learnt.

***

I have always organised the school level CNY celebration. The first year, I was approached by Boss. And somehow after that, it seemed like an annual task for me.

This year, sadly, there was a lot of politicking about organising the event. A senior Chinese teacher came to me very early on to hint that she was NOT going to organise so I could not depend on her. It seemed like people were pushing responsibility back and forth. So I asked Boss and Vice Boss about it, and we agreed to have an ultra simplified event this year.

After that, I called the Chinese teachers for a short meeting, in which we agreed to pay RM10.00 each. We did so every year and we usually used the money to pay for the lion dance, and to buy mandarin oranges for the staff, and chocolates for the students. The collection of money was never enough and so every year, if we applied for it, PTA would help us out with RM500.00.

So then at the meeting, just when everyone agreed to RM10.00, this brash young teacher announced. "Okay, okay. Just give this money to the Chinese Society for the Chap Goh Mei celebration on Saturday night. Bring your whole family along." None of the other Chinese colleagues said anything. I suppose they were indifferent about how their money was spent.

"Where am I going to to get the money for the lion dance?" I asked.

"You go get it from the PTA," he replied. "There's money there."

I did not reply, but the more I thought about it, the more it felt wrong. I had collected the money for the school level CNY, but here he was directing me to give it to him for a different event altogether. Without even discussing it with me first! How could he??

By right, if he had needed funding for his activity, he should have applied from the PTA directly instead of asking me to apply for it, just so he could benefit from the amount of money I collected for my event. I felt so MANIPULATED.

So, because I did not agree with it, I dismissed that suggestion totally and in the midst of my hectic schedule, I had totally forgotten about it. The two events were over, and my poor colleague had been waiting and waiting for me to hand over money to him. To the point that he started giving me the cold shoulder.

Today, he came and asked about it, and so I explained to him my decision and suggested him to apply for funding from PTA when necessary. He looked like he could accept it.

New Coin

The other day, I was paying for my purchases at the pharmacy, and the cashier placed a few coins on the counter. I stood there for a long time staring at the coins. Because instead of the normal silver coins, these were yellow.

"Excuse me," the cashier interrupted my thoughts and handed me the receipt. I snapped out of it and inspected the coins.

Upon a closer look and seeing the words "Bank Negara Malaysia", I realised that these had to be the new coins. How silly of me for not realising that. Lol.

New 20 sen coins

Compared to the old coins, these new ones were smaller and lighter. I've yet to seen the other coins yet though it's said that they're already in circulation.

Palace - Jade Lock Heart

My cousin WS left a bagful of Dvds at my house the other day, so I picked those which I wanted to watch. Palace had seemed to be one of them which attracted me. Well, I'd watched the Korean version of Palace and enjoyed it, so I wondered what the Chinese one would be about.

Palace - Jade Lock Heart
(Source : spcnet.tv)

Of course, I didn't know it was a China production then. I'd thought it a Taiwan production or something. I mean, if I had known, I would not want to watch it. Gosh, I'm so prejudiced. Lol. Of course, I had not known then that Palace - Jade Lock Heart became a phenomenon in China after it was broadcast early in 2011. So much so that the popularity of its lead actors increased by leaps and bounds. That aside, the casts of this drama did include a few actors from Hong Kong, like Sonija Kwok, Maggie Siu and Kent Tong.

As I started watching, however, I was enchanted by the beautiful actresses gracing the screen, and good-looking actors (despite their Manchurian queue braids), colourful costumes and elaborate hair pieces for the ladies (they fascinate me for some reason), some comedy and of course the plot of deceit and betrayal in the Forbidden Palace.

Mostly, however, I was captivated by the love story between the Eighth Prince and Qing Chuan. Forgive me. I'm a sucker for a good romance. When they first met, he rescued her from drowning and she slapped him. Later, he continued to bully her out of amusement. He decided quite early on that he wanted her as his consort, but she rejected him time and again because of her infatuation with the Fourth Prince. It was only very much later that she was touched by his sincerity and accepted his love (It took her 24 episodes to come to her senses! Goodness! Lol.) So, after many trials and tribulations, they got married. However, life in the palace was not only stifling, it was tense as the Princes battled fiercely for the throne. Fourth and Eighth Princes were the strongest contenders.

Actually, this was a time travel tale and Qing Chuan was a 21st Century lass who had traveled back to the Qing Dynasty era when Emperor Kangxi reigned. And she coming from the future, knew that Eighth Prince would in the end, lose out to his Fourth Brother who would eventually become Emperor Yongzheng. Not only that, Eighth Prince would finally be stripped of all his titles, expelled from the Imperial household, and held in custody for life. Historically, Eighth Prince would die while in custody. So, I mean, how could such a love story have a happy ending? I wanted to tear my hair watching how the couple was framed and threatened, wronged and separated.

Overall, Palace - Jade Lock Heart received more negative reviews than positive ones. People were disappointed that the plot was cliched, and that some historical characters were not accurately portrayed. There was even a major error about a historical fact. Despite all those weaknesses, I totally enjoyed the unfolding of the love story between the protagonists, Eighth Prince & Qing Chuan.

My favourite character in this drama would be the Eighth Prince. Feng Shao Feng played the role of Eighth Prince, and he received favourable reviews for his acting. I thought he was downright adorable. I loved his complete devotion for Qing Chuan and the way his face lighted up whenever she was around. He could be mischievous and playful, gentle and attentive, and yet commanding and assertive. I love his character, and I think Feng Shao Feng is a great actor as he portrays the many facets of the Eighth Prince really brialliantly.

Chinese actor, Feng Shao Feng
His version of the Eighth Prince is very likeable, and he's winning over a lot of fans fast. His popularity has soared and he's since received many offers of acting projects (Good for him!!). I anticipate to see more of him in his future work! Another talented actor for me to watch out for.
(Source : Credit as labelled)

Qing Chuan was portrayed by Yang Mi. I think her character wasn't very consistent. She was like very girly and outspoken and spunky for half of the show. On the second half, all that spunk disappeared and she looked serious and sad most of the time. It could be that the plot required her to deliver such emotions. What's great, however, was that she had great onscreen chemistry with Feng Shao Feng. It was said that they were really good friends in real life.

Beautiful Chinese actress, Yang Mi, as Qing Chuan the time-traveller
(Source : Credit as labelled)

Anyway, this has to be the very first C-drama for me and I'm glad I watched it. It is more of a sort of a trivial love story between the characters in the palace. So if you are looking for a political drama, you will be terribly disappointed.

Some of the casts of Palace - Jade Lock Heart
(Source : spcnet.tv)

@ @ SPOILER @ @

So after going through an emotional roller coaster ride, the ending was unexpected. Qing Chuan made it back to modern times, and guess what? So did Eighth Prince. And in his traditional robe and queue hairdo too! Our main couple got reunited, but erm, I wasn't too sure what this meant. Cause the caption stated that Eighth Prince died from an illness while in custody. So, did Qing Chuan change history and save Eighth Prince from his fate? Not sure. Basically, things were rather unresolved and erm, not so logical.

Manchurian prince & modern lass in the 21st Century. Believe what you want to believe. It'd been a fantasy-ride since Episode 1 after all ;p

(Source : Credit as labelled)

A Chalk Holder

I was teaching in class on a 2-hour stretch the other day, and writing a lot on the chalk board (Yes, we still use the chalk board!). Thereafter, I felt a burning sensation on my thumb and my forefinger. Later on, the skin on my fingers started chafing. That was about 3 weeks ago, and till today, my fingers hadn't healed. They felt rough and dry.

Geez, I'd been teaching for donkey of years and held the chalk forever in my fingers, and yet I'd never had this problem before. I started to wonder if there was something wrong with this batch of chalk. I'd have to ask my colleagues whether they had the same problem as I did.

As I went for my lessons this week, I started to wrap a tissue around a piece of chalk. Even then, I held it gingerly as I wrote on the board. It definitely affected my handwriting on the board. Students too seemed fascinated. They would look at my tissue-wrapped chalk with their eyes opened big, wondering what I was up to. None dared or bothered to ask though. Heh. I would have told them if they'd ask me why I was holding my chalk in such a peculiar manner.

Another way to protect my fingers would be to use a glove. Off I went to the Science laboratory to ask for one. The lab assistant, M****** gave me one pair without any questions. When I was in class, I put on a glove on my right hand. The students laughed at me but I did not care. These were older students, so I told them that my fingers hurt because of the chalk.

Immediately after my lesson, I headed to the canteen for lunch. There, I shared with my colleague, L*** my chalk incident and asked if she experienced any problem with chalk. However, L*** suggested that I got myself a chalk holder. Chalk holder? Call me a daft but I'd never seen a chalk holder before in my entire life. So, L*** showed me hers. Well, it had a cylindrical casing with a spring grip inside. It held a chalk firmly and all I had to do would be to grip onto the plastic casing when writing.

Great, I thought. I needed a chalk holder. After dinner, I drove to the nearest mall to search for one. I went to the book store and the discount store, but to my disappointment I did not manage to find one. Instead I walked to the pharmacy to buy disposable gloves. I thought that I would have to use those gloves till I could find a chalk holder to buy. I thought it not likely available in Miri.

As soon as I reached home, however, I received a text message from a student.

A: Teacher, what happened to your fingers?
Me : Very painful. The chalk burns my skin.
A : Teacher, we bought something for you.
Me : Gloves?
A : No, no. Haha.
Me : Hand cream?
A : Nononononono.
Me : I don't know then.
A : Chalk holder!!

OMG! I love these kids! How sweet of them to buy me a chalk holder when I was indeed looking for one to buy! Apparently, they'd gone to a bookshop in town after school (and we finished school near 5.00 p.m. today) to buy it. Not cheap, they told me. So they used a book voucher to pay for it.

My chalk holder in cheerful yellow

But the funny thing was that I did not even know how to use it when they passed it to me this morning. There were no instructions which came along with it. I tried a few times but could not get it to work.

Finally, I headed to the staff room in search of my colleague, L***. She took off the cap, and inserted a chalk into the cylinder. The smaller side of the chalk had to go in first, so that when you push the button on top, the chalk would slide out smoothly. Great! I was ready to use it.

I'm so touched that these students had me in their thoughts. I'm so touched that they cared enough to go and buy me something I needed. I feel so loved and blessed. This chalk holder will forever hold a special place in my heart. Thanks so much, kids!!

Book Vouchers

While the other students received RM100 each the other day, the Form 6 students could only look on enviously. They'd not been given any money. Or so they thought.
1.03 p.m.
Please come back to school later to handle d rm200 bk vouchers and distribute by tmr to Form 6 students

4.10 p.m.
Sorry, I just saw your earlier message. Can i get them handled and distributed tmrw?

4.49 p.m.
M***** help you with paperwork. Given to her already.

4.50 p.m.
Thanks. It's for the current batch, right?

4.51 p.m.
Yes, the current students. You told me only 24 of them?

4.52 p.m.
Yes, 24. Thanks.

Those were my sms exchanges with Boss. I'd left school at around 2.3o p.m. and drove across town to the bank to retrieve a cheque, and then drive back to the town centre to cash the cheque. Then I made my way home. I was on the road for approximately an hour and a half due to road closure and traffic jam.

So when I saw Boss' message, it was too late for me to drive back to school to do the paperwork for those vouchers. I was pretty thankful that Boss assigned my colleague M***** to help out.

To make it easier to distribute the vouchers, I put a message in Facebook and tagged the students, demanding everyone to be present at school the next day. I find that this is a good way to get messages across, and to get things done.

Indeed, I was real glad that every single one of them was present at school the next day. However, I found out that M***** had not done anything aside from putting a blank form on my table. I was to fill in the blank form with my students' names, IC numbers, voucher numbers and so on.

Each student was to receive RM200 worth of book vouchers, and that meant 4 x RM50 vouchers each. In each voucher, I had to write their full names and their IC numbers. 24 students, 4 vouchers each and that amounted to 96 pieces. Then, I had to get all of them stamped.

It took me 2 hours to format the form and to write in the vouchers. It was all very clerical, and my fingers ached by the time I finished.

Book vouchers

Then came the time to distribute those vouchers. I'd asked the students to collect them during recess. When they came, I asked them to queue up alphabetically. Then I handed them the vouchers and they were to check their names and IC numbers in there.

After that, one by one, they were to check their names, IC numbers and voucher numbers in my form. If there were no changes, they signed. It took only 10 minutes to distribute, so I thought I was rather efficient. Lol.

I returned the form to M*****. There were 2 more forms to complete but M***** volunteered to do them for me. Yayy!

Well, happy spending your vouchers, kids! I do hope that you will buy yourself some good books!

Are You Superstitious : Wallets

A few years ago, I was shopping with my friend at Parkson Departmental Store. She was looking for a wallet and was very interested in a Bonia.

She was quite superstitious, however, as she had only wanted to buy a wallet which had an odd number of pockets or compartments.

"Why?" I asked her.

Well, apparently, it is believed that wallets with an odd number of pockets or compartments will KEEP money. That is, it will help you save money / sustain your wealth.

How true? Hmn, I have no idea but I guess it's just a matter of what one chooses to believe in. As I recalled this incident, I opened up my Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet and counted the compartments inside :

8 credit card slots + 1 open compartment + 3 large compartments + 1 zippered compartment + 2 inside patch pocket = 15 compartments altogether!

So, is my Zippy Wallet going to help me save up? I certainly do hope so!

My Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet

Second Aunt said carrying my LV Zippy Wallet back to Kuching for me, made her rather anxious. She put the whole thing into her tote and then kept it close to her side at all times. Poor Second Aunt. Lol.

One day before they helped me purchase the wallet, my cousin and Second Aunt went to the LV Island Maison at Marina Bay Sands to help me check out the price. Second Aunt told me that she was very impressed with the size of the store there.

After I had made my decision, my cousin and Second Aunt went to LV Ion Orchard the next day to help me buy. She said that people queued up to go into the store. Not only that, people queued up to buy. Wow!

Really, as soon as I opened it, the wallet took my breath away. It screamed GOOD QUALITY. It looked expensive. It looked elegant. It was very solid. It was very beautiful. I held it to my chest and jumped up and down. My parents thought I was nuts. Lol.

My very own Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet

I guess I had never expected the wallet to look so glam. After all it wasn't every day that I got to see the real thing. Sure, I had seen it on the Internet and in magazines. But pictures did not really exude the elegance that came with the wallet.

Moreover, what I was also so familiar with the many faux pieces selling at retail outlets. Those looked insubstantial, but in my mind, I had expected my wallet to look something akin to those. So, when I saw for the first time the genuine piece, it really knocked my socks off.

I am convinced that I had made the right decision in choosing this wallet, over so many others. Reviews by users said that this is a very functional wallet. Lots of things can go into the many compartments in there, including a passport and an iPhone. Compared to the Sarah Wallet, the Zippy is more durable as it has got less cracking issues on the edges. By the way, I'd almost gotten the Sarah Wallet 2 years ago in KL.

The Sarah Wallet is the same size as the Zippy, but instead of an all-round zip (duh!), it's got a snapped flapped closure. As I was looking at it, however, I felt that the flap looked slanting. It was indeed slanting because of the slider of the zippered pocket inside. I immediately put my purchase on hold.

Well, I'd never ever bought myself expensive wallets before this. I'd never owned a Bonia nor a Sembonia nor a Carlo Rino, not even an Esprit. But here I am, buying a Louis Vuitton. Some people think I'm crazy. But to me, the Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet in the signature monogram canvas is a classic piece of leatherware, one which I am going to enjoy using for many years to come.

Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet

"Hello, Louis Vuitton Starhill Gallery. May I help you please?"

"Hi, I'd like to find out the price of the zippy wallet in monogram canvas."

"Zippy wallet in monogram canvas. Hold on one minute. I'll check in the system for you. How may I address you, please?"

"I'm Ms I********."

"Zippy wallet in monogram canvas. RM2500, and it is available in all of our three outlets. Are you planning to visit our outlets today?"

"Maybe tomorrow."

"I would like to share with you the opening hours. We are opened at Starhill Gallery from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at KLCC and The Gardens."

"Thank you very much. You are very helpful."

*****

Alright. I've been drooling for so long over Louis Vuitton handbags, totes and wallets forever! I see women everywhere carrying them. And one of my favourite pastime is to figure out whether the pieces they carry are the real things or just replicas.

I balk at imitations. I detest them. I will not carry an imitation for the world! I had one many years back. Someone gave it to me. I took a look at the poorly stitched bag and shoved it into the cupboard. Later, I gave it away to the Indonesian maid who cleaned my house.

Last December, I'd almost owned a Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM but somehow, my cousin could not help me buy it when he was in Europe. Though I understood that he did not have time for shopping, I could not help but feel disappointed.

The desire to own a piece of Louis Vuitton bag really came on very strongly these past few days. So, I Apps-ed my cousin in Singapore to ask her to check the price. I wanted to buy the zippy wallet. SGD965.00, she said, after visiting the store at Marina Bay Sands. Tourists get a 5% tax refund, so it will cost about SGD917.00.

My cousin volunteered to help me buy the bag, using her Mom's passport to get the refund. And her Mom (my Second Aunt) will bring it back for me in 2 days.

After converting, it will be about RM2267.00, still cheaper compared to Malaysia. Buy, I instructed her over the phone and jumped for joy.

"What happened to you?" Mom asked. "Why are you so happy?"

"I just asked T*** to help me buy an LV wallet," I squealed excitedly.

"You like to waste your money," Mom disapproved.

But I did not care! "What time's Second Aunt's flight? When will she arrive? Is Dad gonna pick her up?" The thought of getting my LV piece soon was eXXXciting.

Here's a pic my cousin sent me :

My LV Zippy Wallet, bought from LV Ion Orchard, Singapore

I'm counting the days till I get to see my much desired LV wallet! Hurry, hurry! I may just make a placard to welcome my Second Aunt (or rather, my wallet ;p LOL) at the airport.

Hurry, hurry!!! 2 more days to go ...

A Goose In The Heavens

Second Uncle has 2 sons who are of marriageable age. Every Chinese New Year, it is inevitable that they go through "counselling". The counselor? Grandma, of course.

"When are you getting married?" "When are you bringing your wives to visit?" "There's this girl who is very nice. Why don't you two just get married?" "Every year you promise you will get married. Every year, you lie to me." "No house? No car? It's very easy. You are all working. Just apply for loans." "You are not getting younger. Isn't it better to settle down?"

My cousins, of course, tolerated Grandma's questions and statements. Sometimes they joked with her.

"You listen to me. Next year, bring your wife home," Grandma urged.

"Ok," said my cousin. "How many should I bring?" We all broke into laughter.

"Don't pull my leg," said Grandma. "I'm very serious here."

The other day, during one of the counselling sessions when my cousins were visiting, Grandma shared with us a poem. It was the first time I'd heard it and I found it totally amusing. It goes something like this :

Tee teng ji jiak gor.

Ah di wu bou, Ah hia bo.
Ah di say kia kio Ah pek.
Ah pek siau li bo nai ho,
Siu gai sar bao guay Siam lo.

Lol. It's in Teochew. It means :

There is a goose in the heavens.
Older Brother does not have a wife, while Younger Brother is married with a wife.
Younger Brother's child addresses Older Brother as Ah Pek (Uncle).
Older Brother is totally embarrassed.
He packs a bag of clothes and leaves for Siam.

Grandma was urging my younger cousin to get married ahead of his elder brother. Lol. Anyway, the poem was rather interesting, don't you think? I recited it to my Mom albeit rather nonfluently, and halfway through, she finished the poem for me. She said she'd learned it as a child.

So apparently, it's a classic. It's only us, the younger generation which had never heard of it before. The next time I am home, you bet I'm going to ask Grandma to recite me more poems!

3 Generations

We love our iPhones. Each of us has one, but of different generations.

 L to R :

3 Generations -
iPhone 3GS , iPhone 4 , iPhone 4S

L to R :
iPhone 3GS bought in 2009, iPhone 4 in 2010 and iPhone 4S in 2012.

Bro, being an early adapter uses the iPhone 3GS. I use the iPhone 4 and Sil recently bought her iPhone 4S.

Back at home, I often accompany Grandma in the room. Grandma's 89 years old and she'd recount to me, stories from her younger days and asked me questions about my work and my life in Miri.

All the time when I was in the room with her, I'd have my iPhone with me. Sometimes, while chatting with Grandma, I'd surf, play games or just try out the variety of apps available.

One day, while I was tapping on my iPhone, Grandma said to me, "That's like your companion, isn't it?" So on a whim, I decided to entertain her by playing her songs from my iPhone, and also showing her video I stored in there. I then snapped a photo of her without her realising it, and showed it to her on the spot.

Grandma was impressed. She wanted an iPhone too! She said she'd be able to amuse herself with the countless things she could do on the iPhone. "There's a bigger one," I told her, referring to the iPad.

"How much is one?" she asked.

"About RM2,000," I told her the price of my iPhone 4.

"I can easily buy one anytime I like," she supplied. Lol. Grandma's telling me that she's loaded.

Thereafter, Grandma began asking everyone who visited her whether they had the RM2,000 thing which could do this and that. "It's very useful," she told them. Indeed, a lot of my relatives have one too.

During Chinese New Year, many of my cousins whipped out their iPhones to take photographs of Grandma or with Grandma. When they showed the photographs to her, she'd never fail to say how amazed she was with the iPhone. Lol. "When did you take my photo?" She asked of some candid shots. "Why didn't you tell me first?" She reprimanded. "You people like to take my photo. Don't take my photo," She said. Heh. But we took anyway.

Come to think of it, just like the 3 generations of the iPhone, Grandma and us are 3 generations apart. But still, she could appreciate a cool gadget such as a smart phone. Erm, what did they say about generation gap again??

Pandan Agar-Agar

Every Chinese New Year, we never fail to make this Pandan Agar-agar. I help Mom to make it sometimes.

All that is needed is to dissolve the long strips of agar-agar in water, add in a bit of freshly extracted Pandan juice, a little bit of sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. The longer you cook it, the more springy it will become later on.

Then, we wet a tray with water and pour the agar-agar mixture into it. We let it chill in the fridge before serving it.

Apart from the fragrance of the Pandan flavour, our agar-agar is virtually tasteless. The bit of sugar that we add is usually not enough to sweeten the dessert. We prefer it unsweetened, actually. So our Pandan Agar-agar may not be to everybody's taste.

Agar-agar makes a refreshing dessert after a meal, so I have always enjoyed eating it especially if it is not sweet.

Lavender's Vegetarian Almond Cookies

For Chinese New Year, my cousin, T gave us this beautiful canister of Vegetarian Almond cookies.

Beautiful red canister

It is from Lavender, a confectionery based in Johore.

The cookies are kept in a zip-lock bag inside the canister.




Just open the zip-lock bag to reach for the cookies inside.




Here are the cookies.




Each cookie is approximately the same size and weight. The chopped up almonds are visible. The cookie is crumbly and isn't too sweet. Best of all, it has a home-made feel to it.