Dragon

You know,

if you want a child who is well-behaved,

a child who grows up the normal he should,

a child that would be obedient, polite, and not at all rude,

don't give birth in the dragon year.

All I can see now is that dragon year babies are badly spoilt

by parents who are superstitious

who thinks that they bring good fortune or luck to the family

and who thought they would be active instead of passive.

Owing to that many people have chosen to give birth in dragon year,

and due to that we have too many students in a school for that year's intake,

and due to that one class would contain too many students,

and due to that discipline is extremely hard to control.

Exacerbated by the fact that they are overly protected,

it makes them very hard to control in the school,

and very hard to have discipline and manners instilled.

Don't give birth in dragon year,

if you love your children.

Gift

So I left the office and found the fairly naughty boy roaming around. He saw me and immediately he turned around and called for his buddy, and he began to appear nervous, as if something huge was coming. My instincts told me something was wrong - nobody reacted that way when they bumped into a teacher. Why would they?

So he caught up with his friend on our way up, and upon turning a corner I caught a glimpse of the class. Several people were out the class, apparently peeking at where I was. Upon catching sight of me, they nervously turned back into the class.

So the two "guides" guided me to the front of the class. The classroom door was closed tight, and so was the back door. I knew when I pushed open the door, something was bound to transpire. Something perhaps unpleasant but it definitely was going to be unexpected as I wasn't prepared for anything unforeseen.

I moved a bit further to attempt to see what was happening behind the door. I saw nothing, but a class of students sitting silently in the class as if something sudden was going to abruptly materialise anytime soon. The back door was shut tight. I was forced to enter through the front door. I pushed open the door without stepping in, and I saw the students sitting on their chairs without moving or talking, and a guy standing right behind the door. I actually thought they were going to pour me a bucket of water, or to throw thrashes at me. But turned out I was merely too imaginative. The moment I stepped inside, I was hit with something, and the class broke into screams. I got momentarily flabbergasted and turned to see what had hit me - and there it was, the Stitch, lying on the floor in a bag with a collection of signature.

                           

I had to admit, I was stunned for a moment and didn't know what had actually happened and how to react. Perhaps my momentary lack or devoid of response and unintentionally offended several students as my response was, at the moment, inappropriate and incongruous. I am deeply sorry for that. It took me a while to catch up with what had happened, and a feeling of elation began to brew, and burst, though I had smartly suppressed it.

I was touched. To be given a duty to d something you have not much confidence in, but to be somehow rewarded for your effort of trying is indeed a feeling that is beyond describable. The best feeling in this world is to be felt appreciated, especially after you have tried your best very to accomplish something you never thought you could have done, and you thought you have failed.

Thank you, 2A2! I will never forget all of you, for your warmth, for your sincerity, and for your surprise. The biggest surprise in my life! =)

UM: Ujian Kelayakan (Engineering)

I wasn't sure whether 94s were the first batch to sit for a qualification test before interviews, but it certainly seemed so. Anyone who applied for engineering course in UM needed to sit for an ujian kelayakan. It was announced only one week before the test, and it provided no information whatsoever pertaining to what we would face, what we would be tested, and what format would be adopted.

I asked around, and nobody knew. They said we were the first batch.

Not that I cared, but expecting a proper reaction to something so sudden is a little aggressive.

So I didn't care. Together with my friends, we went to Alor Setar. After getting a hotel and settling down, we slept, and the next day we woke up and went to Regency Hotel.

As expected, we saw tons of people literally squeezing into the hotel. We saw several familiar faces, expectedly, and without much delays and with a tad anxiety, we walked to where we should go. After we sat down in the hall, we were instructed to leave the hall until the doors were opened for us.

So out we went. And as expected, since punctuality was one Malaysians lack of, everything got delayed.

And finally we were told to get in. We sat down, and we were tentatively instructed to fill the objective papers.

Then we were allowed to see the question papers. Oh yes - UM were testing us on STPM Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

The questions were extremely easy. The only reason we complained hard is because we had no touched anything STPM related stuffs for half a year, and expecting us to ace the exam when we were given last minute information to prepare was quite impossible.

Maths was okay. Rather simple if you can remember the formula. Chemistry was okay, only balancing equations and finding moles. Physics was ok though I couldn't be sure. PA was downright weird.

And then, we ended our ujian kelayakan. Quite flabbergasted, but relieved.

Alor Setar: Hotel and Relax

It was suddenly announced that on a Friday, the result of our online university application will be released. I checked the website every minute and yet there was nothing, until several hours later it was announced that the result will only be made available at 3pm on the same day.

So I waited patiently and I got my result: I got an offer to interview for Civil Engineering course in UM on next Saturday. The first thing it came to my mind was: are you crazy? You released the result today, and you expected me to go to Alor Setar by next Friday without providing accommodation, advanced notice (I don't consider a week early as 'advanced'), and transport?

I say, okay. Maybe it's the way it's supposed to be. I would bear with it. 

And there was an 'ujian kelayakan' (qualification test). What would be tested and what should we expect were never told. 

I began to find friends who were going as well, and got many response. Eventually, I followed two friends - Wei En and Eric - there to Alor Setar on Thursday evening.

Before we departed to Alor Setar, we stopped by at Sunway Carnival to buy the necessary attire. It took a moment for my friends to lay eyes on those they desired, and it took some time later when we arrived Alor Setar.

You see, Alor Setar is a city where Malay's the majority. Hence, there bound to be cultural difference as there in Penang. In a deeply Islamic city, dress code tended to be strict, and nightlife were therefore somehow limited.

We went to search for Regency Hotel first, as there was where we would have our interviews and exam, and later, through the poor attempt by GPS, we began to search for hotels nearby that would be conveniently close and financially affordable. 

Of course we found one, it's Hotel Koperasi. It looked neat, grand, and at least well managed, but alas there was nobody at the reception and therefore we forwent the hotel. Then there was one very close to the hotel - Hotel Sri Gemilang - and it looked rather dilapidated and dirty. I said we shouldn't judge the hotel by its looks and told Eric to give it a try.

So we ascended the stairs and entered the lobby, and we were rather greeted with a cold, a little intimidating and indifferent receptionist. We requested to have a look at the hotel first before we booked, and there he offered. He opened the door, and the first sight I caught was a flying cockroach in front of a rather dirty, perhaps musty, toilet with yellow stains.

We fled.

My friends then use GPS and found Fuller Hotel, one that appeared to have received appreciably positive comments. So I called in desperation, fearing the hotel would be fully booked as I expected lots of people swarming into Alor Setar looking for accommodation. To my surprise, there were still rooms available, at RM108/night.

Again, we fled, only this time rather happily.

So we arrived at Fuller Hotel, after a momentary wait, we managed to get a hotel room. The hotel room was rather clean, though the floor was sticky. The bed was extremely comfortable, the toilet resplendent, and the decoration was beautiful. It was the right call to stay here.

It was around 9.30pm and therefore we went out in search for dinner. There were a number of cafeterias and pubs below but the cafeterias catered for the rich and the pubs for serious drinkers, so we strolled further and after bending a corner, we were greeted with a street of hawker centres. 

Oh yes, there was indeed a great location! 

However, food at Alor Setar, despite we tried to be positive, were rather bland and unsatisfactory. Perhaps we were to use to eating Penang food, but food in Alor Setar tasted rather stale. 

Thomas Cup 2014

Malaysia was so close to winning the Thomas Cup, and so close to breaking a 22 years record.

Alas, Malaysia lost, but Malaysia managed to get into Final. I consider that good enough. =)

I'll be doing edits next time as right now my heart is still with the match, and I'll post about my experience with UM interviews soon.

I'll be back! =)

Coffee

I still enjoy drinking coffee. Yes, I'm addicted. Coffee is too tempting to resist. The aroma of coffee wakes the sleeping cells in me, and the first sip of it brings out the dying soul that fought hard to stay alive. Coffee really is a beverage that's too challenging to refuse. I don't go for Latte, Mocha or any other coffees that are deemed classy. A simple 3-in-1 coffee and Tesco branded white coffee are sufficient to lighten me up. In fact, Tesco 3-in-1 white coffee is superb! The taste is powerful and the fragrance was mind-blowing. However, 40g per packet is too much. It contains approximately 17g of sugar, half of the average amount one should consume per day. Not a healthy beverage, obviously, but then it's still too tempting to reject. I enjoy coffee, and will always do. By the way, I have begun to show preference for pure black coffee, unpolluted, un-tampered and original. Nice!

Random

How is your life?

Mine is a bit challenging, and somewhat tiring.

The job I currently undertake requires some social skills

of which I do not dread but have not truly acquired.

Students

are people of confusing characters.

Adolescence

is the matter

Recalcitrance best defines them

or annoyingly resilient, if you prefer

listening to instructions ain't a choice,

it's a resistance they are genetically coded to shun

PBS has engendered yet another level of education deterioration

students under PBS finds almost none motivation to study

and ergo the basic they have is one that falls on light impact

and one that collapses on one hit

Malaysian education is screwed up.

People who do not know the system runs the system

and therefore we get tonnes of rubbishes

and instructions that are unrealistic and impractical

This government must be changed.

When I'm eligible to vote, I'll make sure I personally oust them

To toy with a country's future is a treason

where one should never escape scot-free. 

Yet the culprit in Malaysia is politically protected

and with abuse of power strengthens their hold

and eliminate their enemies

Malaysia is sick.

We need new government

who actually cares about the country.

Pray for Malaysia.

And Malaysians please rise,

for the future lies on our hands.

By the way,

MH370,

where are you?