Revival

My blog is dying. Lol I've been away due to tight schedule.

But fear not, I'll never let my blog dies.

I'll come back, and one day my blog will be active again.

Nostalgia

The greatest thing that has happened in my life is none other than studying form 6.

I miss form 6 life.

Waking up early in the morning, drive lazily to gate 5, and then drag myself into my class and then fall asleep on my table.

Watch my friends come in one by one, then wait for the bell to ring and the teacher to enter the class or go to DK.

Normally, for the first few periods, my lethargy triumphs. I would just fall asleep until the sun is shining enough or the aroma of fried chicken from the chicken permeates to my class.

I too once in charge of the attendance book. It was a burden and troublesome too.

Then normally after recess time, I would be more lively.

But the humid and hot weather make almost all of us listless. We can't concentrate in class so we just play around and ignore our teacher.

Sometimes when teacher does not enter the class, we'll just go out lepak. Form 6 is quite free, they aren't strict with discipline.

I remember we once played boardless chess in class. We had the pieces only, so we used a ruler as the river and played boardless chess.

Then we play with syilings.

Then we poked people around.

When assignments are due and we couldn't do them, we just go search around for plausible answers and copy one entirely because we have no better choice to take.

When STPM result is released, we'll quickly contact everyone and ask about their result.

Then the next day after school, we'll all move to BSN to buy PIN number for retake, turning BSN into Jit Sin.

When we see too many people lining up, we'll just shove all PIN number to one who arrives first and gets to be served first.

I miss the moment, after school, we all go play badminton together.

I miss the moment, after school, we go around BM to look for famous hawker food. Sentosa yam rice, Jalan Kulim laksa etc...

I miss the moment, on Thursday, we go to now closed AEON Jusco to watch movies.

I miss the moment, every semesters, we wait for new publications to be on sale.

I miss the moment, every week, we have to stay back in school to study or attend co-curriculum activities.

I miss the moment, every day, after school we'll stay back and have lunch.

I miss the moment, sometimes, it rains and we wet ourselves on our way to our car.

I miss the moment, every day, whole throng of people walk out of the gates together in the hot sun.

I miss the moment, after every class, we'll go to toilet together and enter the class slightly late.

I miss the moment, for almost every week, we have a time to mingle around and play sports at our favourite place.

I miss the moment, every day, we play like children in the class.

I miss the moment, weirdly though, that we cooperate and clean the class during gotong-royong.

Form 6 life is awesome, and I never once regret taking STPM.

I would give everything I could if there's an opportunity to study form 6 again.

It is the best thing that has happened in my life. The most beautiful and memorable.

I miss it so much I refuse to write this post in past tense.

Nostalgia.

Sarawak

Hi guys, l am now in Sarawak for the eighth day and have adapted much better than I did when I first reached here. First day was extremely lonely and torturing actually as I was totally alone and in a place extremely unfamiliar.

Totally alone in a foreign place is relatively unpleasant, especially when I first checked in hostel and realised that the hostel internet actually block almost all video sharing website - there goes my entertainment.

Swinburne University is a small university, only slightly bigger than Jit Sin. But surprisingly comfortable. At least when I walk from one office to finance department I don't have to walk like a kilometre.

My hostel internet is only available for one server. That means if I use laptop to serve the internet, I can't use my smartphone and vice versa. That prompted me to, for the first time in my life, purchase mobile data.

People here are friendly but they come from totally different cultural and societal background from me. People here strictly speak English, only a small number of Chinese speak Mandarin. That makes me an odd one out.

There are lots of Australians, Koreans, Indonesians, Europeans (some Swedish I heard), Africans, Sri Lankans and people of other countries. It is truly an international university.

However, so far, I've only come across three Peninsular Malaysia people - one from Penang, one from KL and another from Johor. Others are Sarawakians and Sabahans.

People in Sarawak are different. Lots of bumiputeras here and I have yet to be able to distinguish them from Chinese.

Certain things here are more expensive than Penang, while certain things are much cheaper. Food, for one, is much more expensive. However, some bottled drinks are cheaper. Penang White Curry Mee is only RM6 here compared to RM6.50 in BM, which is ironic since it's made in Bukit Tengah.

I've not been able to find any shops that sell Gardenia.

Time here seems to be one hour faster than Penang. 7pm is already very dark here.

McDonald is not found plenty here. I've yet to see one, but there's a franchise here that's called 'Sugar Bun' that is something like a hybrid of KFC and The Chicken Rice Shop. It's also the only fast food franchise I've seen that serve both fast food and Asian cuisine (claypot).


Fly Fm and Red Fm are not available here.

There are a number of local newspapers like 'The Borneo Post' and local radio stations which are in Malay or Iban language.

Nobody speaks Hokkien here, and the Chinese spoken here is slightly different from Penang. Even the accent is different - so you can tell, from the way the person speaks, whether he's from Borneo or out of Borneo.
Economy rice is virtually non-existent here. Rice here is incredibly expensive but normally comes in extremely big serving, almost twice the size of that in Penang.

Living cost in Sarawak is way much higher than Penang, but from what I've heard it's still lower than Sabah.

Oddly, most of the hawker centres are close by noon. It appears that do business only in the morning. Which means I've great trouble finding food for lunch and dinner except school cafeteria and The Spring Mall.

Saturday is not a working day in Sarawak. Not even half day.

On Saturday and Sunday, The Star Newspaper costs RM1.50 in Peninsular Malaysia, RM2.00 in Sabah but only RM1.20 in Sarawak.

Drivers here are less reckless and much more understanding than drivers in Penang. At least when I'm crossing the road, the car will stop and let me through. Unlike in Penang, even if the traffic light allows me to go there'll still be motorcycles that will break the light, and annoyingly even appears to think you are the one who wish to die.

Roads here are also much well-paved than roads in Penang. There are significantly less bumps and potholes.

Throughout six days of my life here, I've yet to hear a single honk by a car driver.

And I too haven't seen a single public bus on the road.

According to wikipedia, Kuching is the wettest town in Malaysia. I do not know when it triumphs Taiping, but Kuching is indeed wet.

Bumiputera here closely resemble Chinese, and to say the truth whenever I approach someone, I do not whether to speak Malay or Chinese.

Taxi ride here is incredibly expensive. 3km ride could possibly cost RM15.

I do not know why people say you'll get fat when you go university. I walk a lot everyday in the sun to the nearest food stalls outside, and I feel like everything I've eaten were burnt away on my way back to my room. I hardly see how I could get fat.

Classes start next Monday and I hate my time table. It's the worst time table I've seen ever since I was born.

Just to leave a message to let those who care about me to know that I'm fine, and I'm glad to hear everyone I care is also doing well.  

I still miss home, my family, Penang, Penang food, all my friends especially form 6 pals. I wish to say that despite I'll get a life here soon, you guys still have a place in my life. You won't get removed, replaced or substituted because you all mean a lot to me. 

See you guys. Miss you all. =)

Swinburne University of Technology

Hi guys, it has been a long time since I last updated my blog.

I'm now in Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus, and am quite busy dealing with lots of stuffs and struggling emotionally.

I miss Jit Sin, I miss Penang, and I miss my families and friends.

Years ago I've told myself, if circumstances allow, I would spend the rest of my life in Jit Sin, and in Penang.

Bye, I'll update whenever possible.

UPU

UPU result was released yesterday and this is what I got.

Now I've got three offers: one from UM, one from USM and another from Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus.

I've accepted Swinburne offer and paid the fees, though I can get a refund.

Now I'm in a dilemma - which to choose?

Teaching and Learning

7 years had I spent my life in Jit Sin, and almost half a year working as a temporary teacher. Like it or now, Jit Sin has become a part of my life, it has become a place where I once belonged, and it'll forever be a place where once my happiness grows.

Secondary school is often a place teenagers shun or despise. There are some elements of truth in it, and I won't deny I hate secondary school to a certain degree. I hate waking up early in the morning, walking shakily and sleepily into the classroom only to sleep again on my desk. I hate struggling so hard to stay awake in class to gain knowledge only to fail and eventually fall asleep again. I hate the continuous hours of lessons with only a few minutes breaks in between. I hate going to cocurricular activities because I found the activities involve incredibly childish games, baffling morale and ridiculous organisation. I hate 1M1S that is only conducted for the purpose of validating a report. I hate the hot and humid ambience in a classroom during the dry season. I hate a lot of things.

But I cannot deny there are favourable elements in every despicable events. I enjoy being around with friends. I like having something to look forward to because it motivates me to do what I want. I like being around the same people for a year and interact with them. I like studying and sharing knowledge with friends. I like staying in school after school hours to study or mingle around. I like the sense of accomplishment when I finally deciphered something I initially thought was incomprehensible. I like being involved in committee because it allowed me to learn to organise and to carry out things effectively while tolerating with stuffs I detest, I found having a desk and a chair of your own is very enjoyable and I always like it when I sit on my spot. I like carrying out experiments and watch what I learn in textbook materialises in reality.

I like a lot of things in school. Just because there are flaws it doesn't mean I should overlook its pros.

Finishing study, I was given an opportunity to be a temporary teacher back in SMJK Jit Sin. Being a teacher is different from being a student, yet in certain occassion you don't feel different. Teachers represent another society in an ordinary school - the other one being the students - and like every society, it has its internal turmoil and problems that need to be dealt with. The internal politics in a secondary school actually is much murkier and dirtier if compared to the students'. Adult world are darker, it is generally acknowledged.

Being a teacher does not always mean you can always get what you want, and I don't mean from the students - I mean from your 'employees'. Teachers are someone who is caught in between two layers of society - employees (government) and students/parents. There are a lot of situations teacher stand along with the students, but due to certain complications the teachers are not allowed to express their stance. To say the truth, teachers are often oppressed more than students, but the students don't see it, simply because they are still young and naive and pumping with excessive adrenaline.

Yet being a teacher is also a bless. It allows me to speak to a class of 44 students with no fear, and to share a knowledge you have with a class of students is indeed a generous act. Often, the students would not show any sign of interest in your teacher - and that poses a challenge. Students are usually uncooperative, and I understand why. You're tired, the weather is hot, you simply can't sit still and listen intently.

And this is where the teaching profession is unique. In every profession, when two parties could not reach an agreement or reach an impasse and could not proceed to the liking of both parties, they would attempt to reach a solution that neither parties would be disadvantaged. Yet in school, one party consists of a member, and the another consists of at least 20 members of which are young, naive, adrenaline-pumped, active, recalcitrant and in certain cases, difficult. Reaching an impasse is a sheer impossibility, and that's why teachers are allowed to give lectures on disciplines, while in any other jobs you don't get to tell how someone should behave. If one behaves badly in a job, we ignore, and we let him stumble upon an obstacle that will make him turn around. In school, teachers lecture to avoid the students meet an obstacle so that they learn things the easier way.

Teachers should try to understand the problem the students are facing, and try to understand a little by tolerating a bit. If they refuse to listen to your class, let him be at the initial stage. Observe. If he doesn't listen and his results are bad, then make him listen. If he refuses to listen and his result is okay, and let him be. Students however should try to be as cooperative as possible, and don't create troubles that'll disrupt lessons. Teachers have people to report to, students don't, so please try understand a teacher's situation. After all, you go school to learn, and now to stir troubles.

Sad

We know that extremists represent only a very minority of the huge population that walks the Earth, yet the destruction they bring along and give is far beyond what they could withhold, and far beyond control. ISIS massacres thousands of Christians in Iraq in the name of religion, even though no religion would condone any inter-religious conflict. Israel and Gaza continual bombardment would never let up until a harsh international intervention takes place, and before such event transpires, thousands of innocent civilians would be slaughtered mercilessly with weaponry so horrible militants themselves shun. Islam is a nice and peaceful religion, the Muslims extremists need to stop misinterpreting the teachings and start to respect the religion of others, while some politicians need to realise a peace talk work better than continual offensive, and in the mean time stop provoking and overreacting. 2014 is not yet over, and yet the trouble it piles have sent a shock wave never witnessed in the history throughout the world.