New Norm At Work

School's started last week. The timetable changed to accommodate the SOPs. The staff and students' body temperatures were taken every morning. We had to wash our hands before going into the school premises. We had to sanitize our tables and chairs every morning as well. 

The P allowed the teachers to eat at the canteen. The students, though, were disallowed to do so. During recess, the students had to queue up to go to the canteen, and then wash their hands too before buying their food. They then brought their food back to their classroom to eat, supervised by the teacher. 

I was assigned recess duties. So every recess, I had to go to a designated class to "invite" the students to go to the canteen, and then accompany them downstairs, ensure they line up and wash their hands and then accompany them back to their classroom, and keep watch while they eat. It was babysitting duties which I did not mind since it allowed me the opportunity to exercise a bit, climbing up and down the stairs to the classroom and the canteen. 

Because of all these procedures, the regular housekeeping period and recess had been lengthen ... and we all would go home 30 minutes later than usual. Next week, we'd have to do our extracurricular activities online in the afternoons as well.  

Our regular teacher-on-duty schedule was revamped too. I was now on duty every fortnight, on Fridays. I was in charge of a classroom block .. that meant I just had to stand there to make sure that the students were orderly and stayed one-metre apart from one another while they go in and out their classrooms in the morning and after school.

My table in the staffroom was x-ed. Lol. That meant I had to move out and sit elsewhere. My colleagues and I convened in a classroom .... but somehow it turned out that all of us in that classroom were Chinese. It was very distracting because we talked too much. Heh. So I couldn't get things done for the first 2 days. The 3rd day was better since there was a new Internet network installed at our location and I could get on with work. 

Age is surely catching up. I just felt so lethargic over the past 4 days since school reopened. I think it was because I had to wake up early at 5.00 am. After all these days, I still hated waking up at the ungodly hour of 5 am. So for 3 months during MCO, I'd been happy to wake up past 7.00 a.m. I knew I'd suffer once school started ... and indeed I am now suffering till I can tune my body clock once more to waking up early. I would force myself be in bed by 10.00 pm ... but sometimes I'd wake up at 3.30 a.m. If I were lucky then I'd manage to sleep till the alarm woke me up at 5.00 a.m. Another reason why I was so tired was probably because of PMS. Now that I'm older, I feel the effects more. 

I'd be functioning alright in the morning in school ... but once I reached home, I would be zapped out of all the energy. I'd be struggling to keep my eyes open. It would be good to have a short power nap. I didn't because I was worried that it would hinder me from sleeping at night. So I'd be lying down on the floor and be too tired even to get up.

Now that school's started, I only have time to play around in the kitchen during the weekend ....

Chicken and potato Paratha Puff

These puffs are easy to make using frozen paratha pastry .... just cook up some potatoes and chicken with curry paste to wrap in the pastry and bake till browned. They make a great tea time treat! Have a good week ahead, people!  

 

June 2020 : Update on Life

How's everyone? Like everyone else, I've been holed up at home since 18 March 2020. Luckily, I don't really mind staying at home so I must say that I do quite enjoy the lengthy time spent indoors. Not all's sweet, of course. At first, I was really anxious about the Covid-19 virus and the potential risk of infection. 

 Well, you see, before the movement control order (MCO) was imposed, there was a big event at my school. And there was a guy who visited us at the time. A few days later, he was tested positive for the virus. We were all scared because we were either in contact with him, or in contact with others who were in contact with him. That meant that my whole school was at risk. So we were all asked to self-quarantine for 2 weeks, and in case there were symptoms, we were all asked to go for tests. Thankfully though, no one from my school was infected. 

3 weeks into the MCO, the filling of my tooth came out. And I hesitated going to the clinic to have it extracted. One, I was scared of being at risk of Covid-19. Two, I was afraid of getting a tooth extraction. Three, I didn't want to go around with a missing tooth. Well, I'd been struggling with this tooth for at least a year. I think I knew that it was already cracked because it gave me a lot of pain every time I chewed. Eventually, my gum swelled. I went to a dentist, and he suggested root canal treatment. But 3/4 through the treatment, he said the tooth had cracked and couldn't be kept. Funny that he didn't see the crack earlier?? I'd paid RM800 for a botched treatment. He wanted to extract it, but I was adamant about keeping the tooth with a temporary filling. 

In March, I consulted the dentist at my school. She checked my tooth, and confirmed that the tooth had cracked vertically and had to go. But before I had the chance to get it extracted, the country went into MCO. I decided to wait out the virus before extracting my tooth. Only that the filling came out while on MCO and I had a gap in the tooth for such a long time. I had to make sure I kept up with oral hygiene - brushing and rinsing after every meal. It was a hassle but at least I didn't struggle with toothache. Until last Friday, and it got really painful and uncomfortable. 2 days ago, I finally had it removed. My gum's still swollen and I'm one tooth short. Thankfully it is well-hidden and cannot be seen when I speak or smile. The next thing to do is to look into the option of dental implant. 

In May, 2 bad news hit the family. An uncle was at the final stage of liver cancer and passed away on 17 May. He was the most generous person I knew of. You couldn't meet in at the coffee shop for he would surely pay for your food. And he was the one who constantly supplied us with durians, bananas, and lots of other fruits and vegetables - all grown in his own orchard. Not only was he kind to us, he had surely touched many lives. I read a tribute written by one of his staff and it brought tears to my eyes. Immediately after this incident, we were then informed that another aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer. She's currently on medication. 

Work wise, lots of things are going on online. However, I am deprived of the opportunity of online teaching because I currently do not have any classes. This year, I've only been assigned Lower 6 classes - and till today, I do not know when the Lower 6 students are enrolling. So while others are busy with Google Classrooms, I am just busying myself with CPDs by attending webinars and online courses. I did physically go to school yesterday for a meeting. Because school is recommencing next week, there are lots of preparation needed and for reasons I do not know, the P said he was "angry" with the lack of a committee to oversee the sanitization of the school premises when indeed there were people in charge of it. Weird. I think the current school that I'm in here is weird in many ways, and I just cannot enjoy working in the same way I enjoy working with the professional Mr. MR in Miri. Sigh. 

This year also, I can kiss my travel plans goodbye. I want to go to Italy and China and South Korea this year. And in the beginning of the year, I was looking into Hokkaido. My friends and I had in fact planned to drive to Mukah as well ... but currently all those plans have to be put on hold. That doesn't stop me from dreaming about travelling. One night, I was visiting Switzerland and it snowed but I forgot to bring my winter clothing. Lol. Another night, I was enjoying some good food in Thailand. Lol. I really look forward to traveling again in the future. 

Most of my time at home was spent watching K-dramas - I watched Crash Landing on You (CLOY), Itaewon Class (IC), Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2 (RTDK2), Masters Sun (MS), Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (WFKBJ), The World Of the Married (TWOTM), The Tale of Nokdu (TON), City Hunter (CH), VIP, Because This Is My First Life (BTIMFL), The King: Eternal Monarch (TKEM), Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (MLSHR). I also watched Kim Ji Young Born In 1982 (KJYBI1982) and The Great Battle (TGB). 

Hmn .... Hyun Bin was dashing in CLOY but the story did not really excite me. I enjoyed IC, and loved Park Seo Joon's confidence and charisma in there. RDTK2 was really moving for me and I enjoyed the moral dilemmas faced by the characters. It also turned me into an Ahn Hyo Seop fan. MS was funny in the beginning but somehow got so draggy towards the finale. I loved WFKBJ because it was so light and comedic and the entire show sailed through for me nicely. I also loved the 2 leads which I thought both suited the roles very much. I loved the shock and angst while watching TWOTM, especially in the first six episodes, where I found myself gasping at the unbelievable twists in the plot! Loved the execution of the drama. Neither TON nor CH engage me with their plots. But I found both VIP and BTIMFL contemplative and thoughtful dramas that were worth watching. TKEM was too confusing for me - I had trouble recognising the many characters' doubles and I couldn't understand the mathematical concepts so it affected my enjoyment of the show. TKEM had only succeeded in only turning me into a Woo Do Hwan fan. I liked MLSHR because of Lee Joon Gi and that was it. I honestly did not care for the succession story, but I wished the romance plot was dealt with in a better and a more satisfying way.  KJYBI1982 was such an ordinary tale with deep meanings. The Mandarin lines in TGB was hilarious for drama about war. Of course I also watched some K-variety shows like Ask Us Anything, 3 Meals A Day, vlogs on Youtube and so on. 

So with so much of K-content during MCO ... so I did try to make some K-food. I think my cooking skills have deteriorated a lot because I do not cook regularly now. But still, I like to experiment making the food. Sharing some of my favourites this MCO :

This is just Spicy Jin Ramen. I bought the ramen pot in Busan when I visited 2 years ago. 

I also made Korean Street Toast. Just cook shredded cabbage and shredded carrots in the omelette. Yummy and easy to make. Must serve with tomato sauce! 

Instant Jjajang Ddeokbokki and Chicken Buldak noodles are a good combination!

Menbosha which I airfried so that it was healthier. 

Loved this chives pancake which was crispy. I made the kimchi too. I was most satisfied with this batch of kimchi which was drier and not watery. 

After watching TKEM, I was tempted by the PPL in the show and drove all the way to buy this bubble tea. Turned out meh. It tasted flat and one-dimensional. 

2 weeks ago, my local supermarket stocked up on Korean products and I managed to get Jjapaghetti which I had wanted to try for the longest time! 

Made Japchae from scratch. Mom loved this dish.

Made bibimbap for the first time also. I really loved it as it turned out more delicious than expected. It was easy to make too! Will definitely reprise soon. 

I bought a hotteok press online and when it arrived, I made some hotteok. I couldn't handle the soft dough very well and so the sweet version did not look presentable to be photographed. They tasted superb though. These mini hotteoks were filled with chives and pork ... they tasted good and looked cute too. I will make some more hotteoks soon. 

Well, I do have thoughts about writing again because it is therapeutic for me. Hopefully, not too long before I am inspired for another post. Annyeong! 

The Ambulance and The Nurse

This rainy morning, the peace and calm of our household was interrupted. And I calmed myself down when I was tasked to call 991 as it was crucial that I spoke clearly and logically. Second Uncle couldn't move at all ... he'd actually been struggling when moving for the past few days and we 're all not sure what was wrong.

The operator led me through the procedure, asking the necessary questions. Then, they connected me to the hospital. And after asking me a few more questions, the operator instructed me about how to deal with the patient in case he got weaker before the ambulance arrived.

The whole process went well, and I was terribly happy about how it went.

About 15 minutes later, the ambulance arrived. But the personnel in the ambulance was hardly friendly and reassuring. Especially the nurse. Because I caught the look on her face when we greeted her with a good morning.

Did she wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Or perhaps had she been on shift the whole night?  Was she too immuned to other people's ordeal?

It's a tall order, but I wish all medical personnel would have a sense of empathy for the pain and suffering of patients. Sure, they are looking after so many of them, but without the sense of compassion, they will never be able to provide comfort to the patients and their caretakers. And that's really a sad thing.

I Made Kimchi!

My colleague M had been making kimchi and bragging about how easy it was to make it. She'd encouraged me to make my own .... and even given me a cup of Korean red pepper flakes and 1 Tbsp of fermented shrimp.

I used Maangchi's recipe and well, it turned out pretty good. Everyone who'd tried it had liked it.

Red pepper paste

Cabbage - salted and washed 

 Bottled

I left the bottled kimchi to ferment for about 24 hours .... and then transferred them to the fridge. 

Dried oyster porridge and kimchi

Kimchi, egg omelette and Korean fire noodles

 Cooking kimchi jjigae 

I think my kimchi jjigae was yummier and more elaborate than the ones served at Seoul Garden here in Kuching .... 

After I made this batch of kimchi, I liked it so much that I went to the supermarket to buy myself a big packet of Korean red pepper flakes .... so now I would be able to make my own kimchi whenever I feel like it! 

CNY 2019

This CNY, I did not really have the inclination to bake, until school closed on Friday. That afternoon, I baked cranberry cheese cookies, but it was only because I wanted to use up the mascarpone cheese I had in the freezer ...

Pineapple Nastar and Cranberry cheese cookies

I used this recipe from Little Duck. The cookies turned out alright, but they didn't really taste spectacular ... heh. I did help Mom to bake some Nastar Pineapple Rolls using my go-to recipe from Nasilemaklover.

Since Saturday, however, I tried to help Mom out in the kitchen so that she wouldn't be overburdened with the cooking over the festive period. I drew out a meal plan so that Mom wouldn't have a headache thinking about what to cook for every meal. With some planning, we even managed to cook laksa for the whole family during this busy period .....

 Laksa feast 

Yummy homecooked laksa 

I was glad that cooking for our reunion dinner seemed breezy. I had everything written down so that we would be more organised. All meats were prepared at one go, and only after that did we prep all the veggies. I also controlled the portions so that we would only be cooking enough .... if it was up to Mom, she tended to go overboard and we'd always end up with a lot of leftovers. 

Reunion dinner 2019

Gado gado

This was my contribution to the reunion dinner this year. I cooked the peanut gravy from scratch 2 days prior .... I used this recipe, and it turned out very yummy. The vegetables and other ingredients were easy to prepare. This dish was pretty well-received. Everyone enjoyed it! 

Basket of Deepfried Goodies ..

Our favourite was the deep fried prawn. Mom made the meat rolls while I made Gai Tod Nam Pla using the recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen. By itself, the chicken wings were a bit salty, but they were really good when paired with cold beer. 

Curried Cuttlefish with Peppers

Mixed vegetables 

Leek stirfry

Mutton curry masala

Fifth Aunt cooked both the leek and the mutton curry masala. 

Fish Maw Soup with Homemade Prawn Balls

Braised duck and pork 

Happy CNY 2019!

I'm Suffering From The Jin Woo Withdrawal Syndrome

In 2018, all the k-dramas that I'd watched weren't that engaging. Most of the dramas actually started out well. But somewhere along the line, the plot seemed to have faltered ... and I lost engagement before the drama ended. It was like that with Live - when they lingered on the rape storyline and turned the drama quite dark, and WWWSK - when it became all fluff from Episode 9 onwards. I did enjoy a bit of Familiar Wife ... but well, I hadn't been obsessed about any drama for a long time.

One of the dramas that received an enormous amount of interest last year was the Memories of the Alhambra (MOTA). It was pairing Hyun Bin and Park Shin Hye. Hyun Bin, though I hadn't watched him before (I know. How can, right??? Heh ...), was a big name in the K-entertainment industry and I knew he wasn't so famous for no reason. So that got me excited. Plus, I'd always have a soft spot for Park Shin Hye. She had this girl-next-door appeal and so far, what I'd watched of Park Shin Hye, I really liked. She was also known to be able to create chemistry with all of her co-stars. So I thought  that should be something to look forward to.

MOTA was said to be a sci-fi action thriller. Though sci-fi wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I thought I would try watching Episode 1 after I came back from my Eastern Europe trip. I told myself that I did not have to carry on with it if I did not like what I saw.

And guess what, Episode 1 DID engage me and I found myself asking, "What happened?" Heh. Little did I know it at that time. But literally, I had to ask that question after watching every episode. There were no answers absolutely .... even right up till it ended in Episode 16. Which was probably why this show sparked a lot of discussions online. Since the show did not explicitly let on the answers, people came up to theory after theory to seek the answers themselves. And I suspiciously think that it is also why, even now, a week after the show ended, people are still thinking about it, discussing it, because a lot of people cannot make sense of the story and are trying to find  a logical explanation to it.

Why got me hooked to MOTA?
1) The cast is certainly good-looking. Hyun Bin is really sexy and swoony, but most of all, his acting is just awesome. He'd successfully brought Jin Woo to life! Jin Woo who is smart, confident, driven, cunning juxtaposed with Jin Woo who is fearful and broken - I think Hyun Bin delivered the nuances of his complex character very well. I am hopeful that he will be awarded with at least one Daesang for his efforts. Park Shin Hye has matured into a beautiful lady, and though her role as Hee Joo is mostly passive, I believed it has served the purpose of the drama very well.

2) The story was engaging. From Episode 1 onwards, we were with Jin Woo as he battled the Nasrid warriors in the AR game. We literally tagged along with Jin Woo in his game, rooting for him as he fought, cringing our teeth as he got injured ... and as the game turned nasty, we feared for his life. This was Jin Woo's story, and we journeyed along with him in his quest to find the answers. I felt very much a part of the story - it was as much my quest as it was Jin Woo's quest. I wanted to know the answers. What happened?

3) The drama was beautifully filmed. As a wanderlust myself, I appreciated the setting in Granada, Spain, and it made me want to go there and visit the Alhambra Palace one of these days. It's certainly something for me to look forward to.

At that point when I started watching MOTA, episodes 1 to 6 had already aired. So from then on, I waited weekly for new episodes to air ... and the wait was quite agonizing I would say. I scolded myself for starting an ongoing drama. Darn I should have only watched it after it ended.

Last Sunday, the show finally ended. And the ending was pretty abrupt. Huh? That's it? What happened? The ending seemed "open" ... so it certainly did not satisfy those who wanted to see a happy ending between Jin Woo and Hee Joo.

Me? I was very disappointed. Like millions of viewers out there, I was upset.
1) No happy ending?
2) No happy Jin Woo?
3) What happened to Jin Woo? His game alter ego Zinu turned to a pile of dust. But Jin Woo disappeared without a trace.
4) There was no Jin Woo for the two-thirds of the show. After his disappearance, the show focused on everyone else but Jin Woo. How can that be satisfactory for viewers who had been alongside Jin Woo right from Episode 1? Surely we deserved to know what exactly happened to Jin Woo? Surely we wanted to see our Jin Woo at peace after he'd finished his quest?
5) A silhoutte appeared for 20 seconds before the show ended - Zinu or Jin Woo?? No one was sure.
6) The game LOGIC seemed ILLOGICAL. The hows and the whys weren't explained.

Because of no. 4, I felt disappointed because it felt like Jin Woo had lost a good fight. I also felt pretty cheated because it felt like my journey had been in vain. Because even in the end, I could not get the answers I wanted.

But after I watched the finale for the second time, it dawned on me that I'd been seeking for answers that needed NO answers.

MAGIC was a central theme to this drama ... and how do you explain magic?
1) Magic was logic-defying ... and I think viewers could not come to term with the ending because they were trying to look for logical answers to explain the story. That actually marred their enjoyment of the drama in general.
2) In magic, what you see ... it it real or not real? The answer lies within each individual. How the ending is - whether the silhoutte was Zinu or Jin Woo - depends very much on each individual. If you believe in what you see, for instance, then for you, Jin Woo is very much alive and it is implied that he is going to meet up with Hee Joo.

The moment I realised that, I appreciated the finale more and was at peace with the ending, and I appreciated that the writer was consistent with her theme. Whether intentional or not, the writer had instigated such a furore amongst drama fans. Social media and forums came alive with people dissing the story and the writer. Heh. More came forward to propose alternative endings and even now, people are still in deep discussion about every aspect of the show. All these happened ONLY because of the deep engagement that people have with the drama - the story and its characters.

A happier Jin Woo in ep. 13 

Post-MOTA, I am rewatching my favourite parts of the drama, and I am still reading the various theories about the AR game, and the analysis people have upon the story and it makes me miss Jin Woo a lot. But still, I am happy to be part of this obsession. ;))

P/S: I did squeal in delight when I saw that the final scene was shot at the Seonggwak Park in Dongdaemun. I had visited this place only in June last year .... and it was certainly pleasing to know that it became a filming location for a show that I loved. :))

Final scene was shot here!! This was the park when I visited in June 2018... 

A Nasty Fall

Just last month, Fourth Aunt slipped and fell, and broke her knee cap while shopping at her local supermarket. She had her surgery done and is currently at the nursing home. I'd visited her whenever I was free, and happy to find out that she's recuperating well.

Yesterday, on the first day of my year-end break, I went for a walk at the park ... I was walking my usual track when I slipped and fell as I was going down a slope. I was trying to avoid bumping into an elderly uncle ... so I moved slightly to the left, but the ground proved slippery. I lost my balance and fell, my left knee scraping the floor.

"Be careful," the uncle said. Too late ... I had fallen.

I let out a little shriek, picked myself up, checked my knee and proceeded walking. The pain was bearable so I did not think it was serious ... until I saw blood flowing down my legs. Drat. I had no tissue. I walked to the toilet, wiped the blood with my hands and washed. I wiped and washed till the blood flow slowed ... and I drove home.

Back home, I couldn't see the wound too clearly ... as it was caked with blood. I used cotton wool to clean as much as I could, and then I covered it up with cotton wool. Soon, the cotton wool was seeped with blood .... and I knew I needed professional attention.

I went to the nearest clinic to dress my wound. The nurse used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound, the doctor came to check on it. He said it was quite deep ... gave me a tetanus jab and prescribed me antibiotics.

Today, I went back to the clinic to change my dressing. Today's nurse was a very experienced one, and she thought the younger nurse who attended to me yesterday did not do a good job. So she proceeded to scrub the wound (ouch!), cut away the dead skin, medicated it and then dressed it up again.

Jeez .... what a bad start to my holiday! Sigh. I really hope that I will heal quickly as I'll be travelling soon!