Work: Book Fair and Whiteboard Fixing

I was told to join my boss to another venue where another book fair was being held, and the school was located in Butterworth. So follow I did, and the book fair organised was rather small. It was held to help students to use Baucer 1 Malaysia before the vouchers expired.

It was fine, and at least the room was air-conditioned. The school was where my father taught, I've heard much about it but had never set foot in it, and I was glad I finally did. The book fair was held in the school library, and awful to say the students there were no better than the state of the school. They were noisy, playful, and typical of teenagers.

The fair ended at 12 noon, for it was organised mainly for form 6 students. We packed later and I was later told to go back with my boss, and my partner would join boss' wife.

On the ride my boss suddenly told me I would have to follow him to Sungai Petani to assist him in fixing the whiteboard. I was rather flabbergasted as I didn't know I had to travel this far when I joined them, but I never complained nor grumbled but agreed to him and I waited to see what would transpire.

As time was packed - money was a bit tight as well - I didn't have the time to have lunch, and my boss and the other Malay guy too. So my boss who was generous to a fault treated me some bread, and that was my only lunch for that day.

The Malay guy dozed off in the car, which left me and my boss still remained awake in the car. The boss started to begin a conversation with me, and I immersed myself in it while trying to fit in so that what I reciprocated would not result in humiliation or embarrassment or the skeletons in my cupboards would not come loose.

My boss acted weird, again, for trusting me so much. He told me a little too much about his private life - at least to me - and to keep the cat in the bag I would not disclose anything he said to me here. But he did tell me a little too much about his private life, as if I were his long lost friend and we were united when we met on the street. For the entire one hour trip, we chatted non-stop, and I glad I did for I knew much more about him, and he much more about me.

The school - SMJK Sin Min was an enormous, picturesque edifice. I had to admit - the first sight of the school left me stunned and my mouth agape. The school was strikingly beautiful with an exceedingly large football field that laid right after the entrance of the school gate.

When we reached there, there was no electric supply, so I realised the job might be hindered. But it didn't. I was led to the canteen to await the lorry that was ferrying a total of 10 whiteboards. While on my way there I got an insight of the school building, and the building, to me, greatly surpassed Jit Sin. If marks were awarded for the view of the schools, I would give Jit Sin a low 5 and Sin Min a high 9.

When we reached there, I was around 3pm and a basketball competition was about to begin in the school. I was not there to watch, nor was I there to participate, so I ignored it. My boss told me to wait in the canteen and guard the whiteboards while he and the Malay went in search for a teacher. I sat there for a while and then played with my handphone. Eating wasn't in my mind and I didn't know why.

Oh! Did I mention Sin Min students use a smart card? Every students, teachers and staffs in the school has a smart card that is similar to a Touch n'Go card. All you need is to top up your card, scan it, and off you go, you have your meal. Money is not needed in every buying.

I sat there for about 20 minutes when only the Malay came back, and he needed to ship several whiteboards to 2 classes that were located upstairs. I knew he couldn't handle it alone, so I ministered to him. I knew my meagre energy wasn't sufficient, but it was better than none. So I helped him carried the whiteboards and fixed them. We finished fixing 4, and that was the time my boss suddenly materialised and asked me to take a rest and have a bite. I declined, and said I was fine. I really was fine.

Then the Malay and I went surveying the classes in another block where the whiteboards needed to be fixed. The blackboards in the school were not screwed to the wall like most of the schools did. They whiteboards were hung and supported by only a few strong protruding metal blocks. Some classrooms were worse. The blackboards were not even hung, they were placed there and were actually falling down, but were prevented by two protruding/hanging metal blocks, two on the up and two down. The boards were basically left there to fall, but were prevented by tiny metal blocks that obstructed it from banging on the floor.

So we knew there were some problems. And since there was no electric supply and time was short (it was around 3.30, I conjecture), we left the problem behind momentarily, and then the boss came, telling me to go and eat again, and again, I declined.

He was worried about me because I hadn't taken my lunch. I was a bit touched because not many bosses were as kind as him, but I still declined. He continued to ask me several times, and he always wore that worried look on his face. It looked a bit funny - I know, I shouldn't think so - that he was so concerned about me, but I really wasn't hungry that time, so I continued to decline him. I guessed he asked me to eat for more than 5 times, because making people so concerned about me was unprecedented.

So the two classes with the hanging problem left us stunned for a while. The Malay and the boss tried to analyse the problem and solve it, but the situation didn't seem promising as the length of the whiteboards itself posed a huge enough problem for the fixing, exacerbated by the misshaped wood that was initially fixed to support the falling blackboard to make sure the force exerted was even.

So the Malay guy suggested a solution by screwing the whiteboards onto the wooden block manually. After several discussion, my boss gave the green light and he began. And again my boss asked me to eat.

Fixing a whiteboard really wasn't as easy as it appeared. The length itself was a problem and we adjusted it several times until it was even, and we altered the shape of the metal blocks to ensure the whiteboards fit in. After many adjustments, the whiteboards were successfully fixed, but because of the misshape wood the whiteboard was slanting. But we had no other alternatives.

So, since time was short (it was around 4.30pm) and no electric supply, we were not able to complete the task that day. So my boss and I shipped the remaining 4 whiteboards to an abandoned toilet for storage. And that was the time my boss told me something horrible about my school's past that I had no knowledge about.

After that we called it a day, and left the school around 5pm. I was a bit beat, so I dozed off in the car for about 15 minutes. My boss chatted to the Malay guy for the entire journey, just like he did to me while we were going there.

After I arrived at the office, the Malay guy went home, and my friends and David were still in STAR. My boss's wife asked me :“午餐有吃吗？", and my boss helped me answered: "chiak loti nia." and she was like huh? in a way someone had thrown her the worst news in the world.

I wasn't trying to make fun of them for being concerned about me. I liked it, actually. But it was so weird for me. No one has care about my health and well-being as they do, and since they were still strangers for me I was really touched deep in my heart. But I wasn't hungry - don't asked me why, I just wasn't famished - and told them I had got used to it, which was somehow true but I never liked the feeling of emptiness in my stomach. Sometimes, in some time of my life, I can feel my stomach is empty, but I simply am not feeling hungry.


From the next post onwards, I'll call my boss A, and my boss' wife B. 

New Job: First Week

First Day:


First day was alright. I arrived early and saw my friend there. Coincidentally she was working there as well, so at least I had topics to chat with her. The first day went well, I just needed to count the books, take their names down and wrap them.

The there was an one hour lunch break between. I drove to the restaurant I previously worked at and told them I resigned and that she need not bothered to help me in finding another job. She looked relieved and I didn't care. Then I went to visit another friend who was working in a restaurant nearby. Lol. The life of a waiter - I experienced it first hand, and it sucked.

Then I went back to work. After that, the boss came in. He looked young for his age, and when he stepped into the shop he saw me and greeted me. I was sitting on the floor then, and I made a mistake by not standing up to reciprocate. I know it's bad, and I regret it. He looked hostile and fierce when he was serious, but when he greeted me he wore a totally different facial expression - he looked hospitable and loving.

He was acting a bit weird when he asked me how long I could work, before I could give a reply he said "the longer the better". It was curious. He didn't know how I perform, why would he say that? What if I turned out to be someone who was incredibly fragile and unable to lift a single box of books, and I was always reluctant to do any physical work or simply wrap a book? Would he betray what he said and fire me?

Well....I guess I won't know.

Second Day:


Book fair day! I had to start my work before the sun ray struck. As a boy I had to help to transport the piles of boxes of books to the lorry. It was hard in the beginning, since I ain't physically strong, but it was indeed a good exercise.

Then we travelled to SMK TAR, about 30 minutes ride from BM. At first, my boss brought us to the venue, and the venue, frankly, looked screamingly incongruous. The place looked like an ignored part of the school, where students gathered around to laze around or chit-chat after schooling or during recess. Weird.

But then we had our book fair there. It was tiring, since I had to unload all the boxes of books (with the help of another two guys though) and emptied their contents on the tables. It was extremely tiring and wasting time, and before we could finish unloading them students began to pour in. We were told to dump whatever they were still un-dumped on the table, and so did we heed his advice and let it be.

After that my duty was to walk around, secure the area and prevent thefts. It was fine, and I began to chum up with the guy named David there. After hours of fair, we began to pack the books back into the boxes and, tiringly, sat on the tiny little kancil and drove back to Bukit Mertajam which is situated approximately 30 minutes drive ride from the school.

Back in the office I was told to join boss to another location on the next day (expected, since he needed me to carry the loads) and he asked me a question: "Is today tiring?", to which I answer: "It'll take me some time."

A feeble answer, I know.


Third Day


My third day was spent at another two completely different places, and I'll regale you with what I did in the next post as it'll be extra lengthy considering I had done quite a lot in the day.


Fourth Day


The third and the last day in STAR. People had begun to lose interest in book fair, as those who were interested had already visited it two days before and those who wanted to buy anything had bought what they wished for. Rarely there would be a person whose interest was enigmatically rekindled after two days of exposure.

As it was the last day, the job was rather easy and the throng was significantly less.

We finished at around 5pm, and began to pack everything. All books were collected back into the boxes, and the lorry came to help us ferry the books back to the office. It took quite a while to pack them and clear the scene as we were short-handed (can't imagine how it would be without us, since they were already short-handed even with 3 helpers), and we left the school around 6.15pm.

Alas, the traffic congestion was terrible. Around 7pm, out of concern, the boss' wife called me and inquired where we were, and I told her we just exited Juru toll and then probably she felt relieved.

Well, first book fair was all right. I'm looking forward to other book fairs.

Change Of Job

I'll go straight to the point.

The boss of the restaurant I worked for innocuously told me that, owing to unsatisfying business, they only needed workers for Saturdays and Sundays. She was indirectly telling me to change a job. But probably due to that immense guilt building in her she told me she could recommend me one, and that the chance I would get it would be high.

That was the time my worst fear was realised - I've got sacked. I hate getting sacked. But I remained calm and hid my consternation. I hedged, and told her I would tell her my decision later.

So the next day I went scour for new job. Initially I was intending to ask two restaurant for the vacancy for waiters, but I realised waiter wasn't a job I enjoy much. So, I resort to my third option which wasn't high in my list. It was a stationery shop, and I thought I would have to do paper work which was quite sedentary.

But I called anyway. The boss answered my call, and after getting the details, I was kinda interested. I went straight to the shop, asked for more details, and immediately told them I could start working the next day.

Well, basically the company organises book fairs in schools, so my job is about counting stocks, arranging stocks, transporting boxes, selling books, and keeping the book fair location under surveillance lest books got stolen.

Yes, there definitely is a lot of heavy work, considering that I'm the only part-time boy there. It appears that the boss fancies my presence there as I could lighten his work. Boss needs more boys to help him with his work, but everybody I calls baulks when they hear about "transporting boxes/heavy work".

By the way, one of my friends also works there. What a coincidence! I didn't know she works there before I asked for a job.

So the first day went well. The staffs there are expansive. They treat us as a family, especially the boss. He told me a lot about his life, and he seems to trust me implicitly enough to keep the cat in the bag. So, that's why I quite enjoy this job, although I have been asked to do jobs that warrant physical strength and resilience.

So far I've worked for them for four days, and now I believe I am running on all cylinders. I'll elaborate on what I did on the first four days in another posts as it'll be lengthy.

STPM: Modular System Confirmed!

STPM has been officially confirmed to be semester-based beginning 2012. This has been confirmed by e-mails from government few days ago.

Extra Information on Lower Six 2012:

1) Schooling hours is totally unaffected. We will lead a normal school life as students of other forms, including co-curriculum activities.

2) Form six students have to sit for MUET.

3) Mathematics S has been renamed Mathematics M, Computing has been renamed Information and Communication Technology while Kususasteraan Melayu has been renamed Kesusasteraan Melayu Komunikatif.


4) There will be school-based assessment for all subjects except Bahasa Cina, Bahasa Tamil, Literature in English and Further Mathematics T.


5) At the end of each semesters they'll be written tests which will be the STPM all students will be sitting for.

6) The result for each semester will be announced approximately 4 months after the exam. (No confirmation on this yet, but is believed to be so). 

7) There is no minimum grade or passing marks which all students must achieve to proceed to the next semester.

8) Lower 6 2012 begins on 11 June 2012, approximately one month later than the usual dates. (Updates: Registration commences on 8th of May, and the beginning date of schooling varies with school, but is very likely before 11 June and should in no way later than the said date).

9) New syllabus and sample exam papers can be viewed on the official website of Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia.

10) The recognition of STPM remains unaffected and widely accepted.