Monday, August 23, 2010

Red hot chilli

Ouch...I caught a piece of bomb this morning when the headmistress lined the language teachers up and fired at us from many directions. Amazing, how some people are so skilled at "murdering" - everyone was shot yet no one actually knows who the headmistress was really aiming at. Hahaha...I guess the Malay adage of "siapa makan cili, dia rasa pedas" is true. Though the meeting this morning seemed as though those who didn't taste chilli in the first place felt prickly in their tongues and throats.

But it was obvious that the one person who caught the bomb in her hands before it exploded, so to speak, was my subject supervisor or "ketua panitia". And inadvertently, guess who caught it too before it exploded because she is the secretary? Hahaha...

Funny how some people would want to make a hill out of a mole hill for no reason. I mean, it doesn't benefit her when all the language teachers have to face the firing squad. In fact, it only makes the language teachers dislike her more, since we have also have a mole among the non-language teachers who told us the real reason behind the headmistress' wrath.

True, a handwritten backdrop for the story-telling competition was a little too "cincai", the standard of the participants was too low and the paperwork involved was given out a bit too late. But no one noticed or cared much about the ugly backdrop until the teacher kept saying how lousily it was done for 2 hours to anyone who was present and willing to listen to her (headmistress included). How can we control the standard of the participants? We gave them the stories and speeches 2 months before the competition. Threats and persuasion for the pupils to memorize the stories and speeches didn't get us anywhere, so what else do you want us to do? And I admit, the paperwork was really last minute. My subject supervisor gave me the things late, I gave her the things as soon as I could (which also took at least a day or two), yet it was still. So, there you go. I feel that some of the experienced teachers are also not right in the sense that they were having a jolly good time criticizing new teachers who were unable to do things as good as they did last time.

Sigh...going to go lick my wound now (although Jimmy insisted that I was just sensitive). Haha...what to do? I did eat chilli! :)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Bleak future

Thanks +Ant+ and mNhL for your comments. :) I haven't tried eating grubs although I had plenty of opportunities in China and Thailand. How does it taste, +Ant+?

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Another day of having my body cells die by the millions: what has happened to our children these days? It is sad to know that many children these days are emotionally unstable or just plain spoiled to the point that you wish to blame their rudeness to a less-than-happy family upbringing.

What would you do, parents, if your child tells you that he/she cannot show you the exam paper because the teacher has kept the exam paper from him/her? Would you believe your child and blame the teacher or would you clarify it with the teacher first? Or what would you do as an adult, or put yourself in the shoe of a teacher, if a child tells you that another teacher has asked 4 of them to stay in the class to finish their work when the entire school (inclusive of the said teacher) has to be at the assembly? Would you believe what the child says?

I think many people are blinded by their love/guilt/protectiveness over the child that they would leave their logic behind. I mean, why would the teacher keep the child's paper when he/she has returned all the papers to the others? And, would a small fry of a teacher dare to excuse 4 children from an assembly when even he/she has to attend it?

I am really afraid of how our future leaders would turn out to be. Liars. Rude boors. Spoiled brats. Unthinking generation.

What is your take?

Friday, August 06, 2010

Day 3 of Challenging myself - failed

Yup, as the title says, I have failed in the challenge that I have given myself. Everywhere around me is tempting me with sinful, high-calorie, high-fat food! For the past few days, food would magically appear on my table because my colleagues would 'belanja' for one reason or the other. And since my table is in the middle, it is where everyone puts food to be shared by our island. Furthermore, Hari Raya is almost here, so the clerks are giving out samples of kuih or cakes or cookies that they are making to sell on my table.

Hmm...I suppose I have more fate with food than anyone else I know. Hahaha...Jimmy complains sometimes that the photos that I take are always with food or of food. Hahaha...

Which reminds me of a few photos of food that I took when I went to Vietnam last June. Just a random question, when you go for holiday overseas, would you prefer to eat the local food or would you prefer to find a Malaysian restaurant or a Chinese restaurant? I know a lot of people cannot stomach the food of other cultures. I am the more adventurous type. I would prefer local delicacies and would eat almost anything except for raw animals/insects/fish, snake, dog and cat.

And, a lot of people shudder when I showed them that I have eaten this in Vietnam:


Behold the "Duckling Egg". It is an egg with a fully-formed duckling. Specialty in Vietnam. Tastes totally like hard-boiled egg yolk except that as you chew, you would chew soft bones and feather. I stopped eating when my second or third spoon scooped up a chunk with fine feather.

Ok...I'll let you digest on that while I go and digest my food in calorie-burning exercises. Haha...have a happy weekend!

Thursday, August 05, 2010

War in the Making

War is brewing under the seemingly-peaceful unit that I share with my two colleagues. Why? Because of the electricity bill and tuition. Huh? Yup, they are not very happy with each other because of the electricity bill that is creeping higher every month. With an air-cond each, one shouldn't be surprised that our electricity bill is in the RM300s range. But, there is amazingly the dissatisfaction that one stays at home more often than the other, thus using more electricity. Erm...I mean, I have stayed out since 2002 and I never encountered that kind of problem before (thank God, actually).

And what has tuition got to do with anything? Before we moved in together, my colleague and I agreed that the place that we live in should be a place for us to relax after work. When my second colleague moved in, she was in need of money, so we let her use the living area to give tuition in the evenings on alternate weekdays. And somehow, a student in my first colleague's class joined my second colleague's tuition and I believe that is the root of the other half of the dissatisfaction.

Hmm...what do I do? I keep to myself like a hermit. Once I come home, I stay in the room and do not go out unless I need to use the washroom. Even without much interaction with the two warriors, I get annoyed sometimes because of petty things that they do: my detergent container is filled with water and extremely dirty toilet. By which the latter encourages me to go to the gym more often just to use the shower. LOL

I totally miss my 2 and a half goofy housemates and the blur roomie. Those were the days when we could have enjoyed ourselves but decided to sleep our time away. :)


Don't have a photo with my blur roomie. Woon, come let's go lepak so that I can put your blur face on my blog! :P

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Begone fatty tissues!

Thanks Melwin and mNhL for the comments.

Update on my sister: she was cleared of diabetes by the doctors, but it is a warning to all of us. However, she is still waiting to meet the neurologist to rule out a transient stroke. Hmm...

It's sad that some people who know that they are at risk do not take good care of themselves, saying that they would get whatever disease sooner or later. And then there are people who take good care of themselves and still get whatever disease that they are trying to avoid.

After my sister received her early diagnosis, I was determined to lose weight and make full use of my gym membership. Unfortunately, the determination only lasted for 3 days. LOL...joining the gym was my idea, but I hardly go now except for my appointments with my personal trainer. Yes, I engaged in personal training because I knew I would not go if I do not have a personal trainer to torture me.

6 months later, I actually GAINED 0.7 kilogram. How did that happen? I actually lost 2 kilos after 4 months of training but I got contented and ate and ate and ate. Hence, the gain of 2.7 kilos in the last 2 months!

Haih...

My goal now is to lose a kilo by the end of August. My plan: Milo Fuze in the morning with 3 pieces of biscuits, rice in the afternoon, coffee in the evening and soya bean for dinner. Let's see how long I can last this time. :)

Any brighter ideas?