Cubicle

This is how my cubicle looks like almost all working days, an organised chaos which Hafiz Hazim once cleverly referred to as an aftermath of a horrendous typhoon. There are too many things to do, notice the hills of books waiting for me to peek in and later, have a severe headache over it (owwh, the constant perfectionist is annoying!)

Thus, I am in office at 7.30am on a beautiful Saturday morning, having Nesvita+Weetbix for breakfast while simultaneously correcting grammar and sentence structure in essays albeit my own concurrent mistakes in the same areas are still apparent.

I miss my other Saturday mornings back home, the ones either spent gobbling down The Mother's thosai or having a chai latte+wholegrain muffin at my favourite coffee spot, Marmalade over a good book and the newspaper.


Shit, I just realised that I just might be a workaholic.

"Funny" Lar You People

So just now we snapped pictures for the school magazine. Since my KP isn't around, I went to replace her as the advisor for the English Language Society. There I was, being all nice and demure as I always am (not) when Nuro and Fai had some really "funny" joke.

Nuro: Ni, kalau ambil gambar Persatuan Bahasa Inggeris kena bukak semua lampu and pasang flash terang

Fai: Pastu lepas cuci gambar, check gambar boleh tengok atau tak..

(aksi ini dilakukan sambil sengih-sengih macam kerang busuk yang patut dibuang 4 hari lepas)

Hahahaha.. funny, guys! You know what else would be funny? If Miss Syikin's and Mr Leong's laptop suddenly goes missing and the Integrity Room mysteriously gets burnt down.

Berry James Waters

Yesterday, I had an enlightening conversation with 4 Archimedes boys about music. They said a title of a song and I will name the artist. We discussed about what we are currently listening to and the boys suggested a few songs that I ought to listen and later share my opinion with them. I did so and I am glad they shared their knowledge.

Yet, when asked about my favourite genre, I scratched my head in wonder as I realised that the answer is too looooong. I like almost all genre with preference for non-mainstream sounds or plain revolutionary. So you can actually catch me listening to jazz, R&B, hip hop, rock and roll, rave, house music, folk (all walks), brit rock, reggae and new music on different hours of a day. I have little tolerance for metal, though.

For me, music knows no boundaries and I should not limit myself to just one sound. I frequent musical events for reasons as such, just to discover new sounds. And I also have that annoying habit of instantly hating indie artist going mainstream and being liked by all who just decided to join the bandwagon. Underdogs are my forte, man...

Anyway, just in case you're wondering what the title has got to do with the topic I'm writing about, I just watched Cadillac Records that is yet to be screened in Malaysia. It was a movie that helped me understand the dynamics of the race music that I have been reading all this while. The antagonist, Muddy Waters came across in my readings of The Rolling Stones who idolised this man like a God. In fact, Mick named the band after one of Muddy's song. The movie, which trailed on the true story of Chess Records which was THE record label for race music before Motown and Berry Gordy, features Adrien Broody, Mos Def (as the prolific Chuck Berry) and Beyonce.

I guess my education in music is going to go on for a long while where I will learn to appreciate different sounds and discovering the many faces of human.

Lonjakan Saujana

Semalam saya pi beli New Malaysian Essays 2 tapi bukunya belum sampai di Kuantan ini. Biasalah tu, I'm not surprised pun. So, I almost went amuk and the parang was out. But then, saya ternampak sesuatu yang gamit jiwa dengan lebih menusuk..

Ceritalah 3: Malaysia A Dream Deferred by Karim Raslan! Kau tahu erti lompat gembira, lonjak2 sikit tanpa malu2 selepas amuk kerana buku yang dicari takdo.

Macam tu lar aku semalam. Aku sangat gembira lepas kecewa. Along with that, also bought Tales from the court and other stories by Matthew Scott. Uuuwwwhh... time for utter hibernation

A Gap

I'm not good in this, I give myself too much sometimes. I need to create a gap in everything in my life. Enough with the doubting, I cannot bear to risk so many people.

Toodles, I wish I could go

Kita Bertanding Sapa Beli Dulu...

Hang rasa sapa akan beli dulu? Aku rasa aku tak boleh tidoq malam ni memikirkan NME2 ada Shanon Shah punya hasil, The Khutbah Diaries dan juga satu tajuk yang konfem masuk mimpi aku malam ini iaitu Aku, Hang & Demo oleh Danny Lim. Esok, aku akan bakar Popular Megamall tu kalau depa takda buku ni. Mancis dah siap dah (ya, aku old school)


(i love the cover.. all my aunts and uncles on both sides of the family had such pictures circa 1970s. Malaysian, indeed)

OneMalaysia

I have waited for a while before I had the mind for my 2 cents on the issue. Reason being is that the concept is such a fuzzy one and seems to stand as yet another policy by another prime minister who seeks to outdo the previous one. As time comes along, we sort of anticipate for the policy to be abandoned or left lurking in the lukewarm while another steams up the scene. It's a pattern long practiced in this beloved land, with the exception of Rukunegara or the rather debatably disastrous NEB (DEB).

So while I took the time to read my head off on the topic, I could not help myself but to identify some issues that might raise a few eyebrows. I have noticed that instead of being a platform for the government to assert their want of uniting people, it has challenged the belief of many of the top tier people in the country as well as your laymen around. They follow, yes.. But ask them a question about One Malaysia, you will have many contrasting opinions on the adequacy of the implementation.

For example, on the issue of vernacular schools. Some are proposing that the different vernacular schools being closed down as it hinders unity while others think that it would be rather unfair and ignite racial unrest. The matter is; it should be a choice made available and the education system can be effective in dealing with the issue. If the Malays get the opportunity of studying in full residential schools that were designed specifically for their success, why deny the other races of privileges that they need to strive for personally?

(I have asked a bunch of 16 year olds in a full residential school about this and the answers were sometimes disconcerting, with hints of righteousness and "hak saya, bukan mereka" perception.. I am sure glad I have brought the issue up to be discussed)

The key here is OneMalaysia needs to be developed with a strong foundation without relying too much on empty rhetorics. Yes, a few plans have been developed like the Yayasan OneMalaysia or the National Scholarship where merit is the way to go. But if some of the top ministers could not lay their fingers down right to the core of OneMalaysia, you would recognise that the policy is one of a populist nature that seeks to tap on the common interest of the younger generation.

At the very end, it seemed like a knock-off version of Malaysian Malaysia, just subtly built with preference for some.

My Wishlist

Evening Is The Whole Day- Preeta Samarasan



Snow- Orhan Pamuk



The Japanese Wife- Kunal Basu




The Audacity of Hope

Ode to My Flower

Where am I to find thee,
For thou lingered always in the background,
Sharing the perfume of thy wonderworks?
Why are thou vigilante eyes a dear distance,
Though it looked through many frames,
Sharing the scenes of thy wonderworld?

Even in thy deep slumber,
Thy name continues to bring the fragrance,
Of realisation and hope of oneness,
Even in the hiding eyes of the doubts,
Thy visions bring colours to yearn,
Of reciprocal dreams and wish of togetherness

I would lead my way down the road,
Of questions and qualms of myself,
Guided by thy potent reverie of hope,
To believe that everything is possible,
Blessed, is thy soul of a beaming light,
For never wilted are thy petals of dreams...


Obit: My Flower, Yasmin Ahmad (1958-2009)

You brought a meaning to my life, as I am sure to some other millions out there.

*My: Mine; Malaysia

priscilla ahn mp3 | priscilla ahn lyrics

free music downloads | funny games | priscilla ahn pictures

H1 What??!

After all the scare has worn down, I think it would actually be nice to be quarantined like the other 8 people from my school. They went to the Hari Kebudayaan Jepun event in SBPI Gopeng and some of the participants had some symptoms similar to those with the Influenza A disease.

Since I just came back from Girls Worldwide National Public Speaking Competition in Bangsar, I remembered a conversation I had with a student from Sabah who said that she was on a plane with SMS Lahad Datu students. So, as usual, sources leaked in and I went to see my GPK 1. Okay, no need to go back. Fine.. I was relieved at that time.

After constant running from 7.30am until 3.30pm (Pentaksir Kawasan for ULBS came around, so there goes my only break between 11am-12pm), I thought that the one week break wouldn't be that bad anyway. As it also translates into going back home to KL, it will mean that I'll be quarantined with Dome Breakfast, continued with Devi's lunch and further with The Mother's awesome parpu curry for dinner. I would visit Acap at Guthrie for lunch and force Nabil to bring me up to Hartamas for my local special pizza..

aaawwhhh.. the plans of quarantine. Looks like I'm just gonna enjoy March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up by Kee Thuan Chye for the week and bury my head with work while I am at it. Hold up, I think I just sneezed.

empty space

there is a hollowness in me,
when i miss you,
but i don't know if you do,
when i love you,
but you never say you do,
i clinch my heart tight,
stopping it from ballooning
from sorrow and emptiness,
its space characterised by
an eerie concave of nothingness,
but it seems to swell worst
as time propels onwards,
i fear there is no cure;
to an empty space of hollowness

Say Something...

If you were my brother,
I would have slapped you,
If you were my sister,
I would have hugged you,
If you were smaller,
I would have pat your back,
If you were bigger,
I would have gave you a smack,
If you were younger,
I would have gave you sweets,
If you were older,
I would have fed you wheats,
If you were legal,
I would have dated you,
If you were any different,
I wonder if I would have spoken to you?

Name Me!

I like these names (so you can't steal it)

Jessica Jasmine
Aidan Aqim
Melody
Faridah Hanum
Aqmal Afendi
Athena Amirah

berangan orang putih nama-nama ini... walaupun hidung pesek, nama tetap meletops okaaayyy???

FOC Awards 2009

A great shout out to Shih-Li Kow for being shortlisted in the prestigious Frank O'Connor Short Story Award for the anthology Ripples and other short stories published by (why am I not surprised?) Silverfish Books.

Other shortlisted works are:

1) An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe) published by Faber, London
2) Singularity by Charlotte Grimshaw (NZ) published by Vintage, New Zealand
3) The Pleasant Light of Day by Philip O Ceallaigh (Ireland) Published by Penguin Ireland.
4) Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower (USA) Published by FSG New York and Granta UK
5) Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy (USA) published by Harper Perennial New York (such a beautiful book, my personal favourite for the win)

I have read Ripples and other stories and Love Begins in Winter as I own a copy but I'm yet to read the other shortlisted works. FOC Awards has seen receivers such as Jhumpa Lahiri in 2008 for her excellent "Unaccustomed Earth" and Haruki Murakami in 2006 for the lyrical and highly appreciated "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman"

So, we're in the league finally! Why do I feel like I'm contending? Blaargggh.. I sure wished I did :p

Kau Ingat Kau Bagus?

*I just felt like bitching about this so bear with me*

I just came back from a rather tiring camp from the deep jungle of Hutan Lipur Jerangkang where I was supposedly the AJK for F&B. So there were many work and things to be done. Imagine food for 120 6 times a day... fuh, struggle

But surprise, surprise! I went there with a princess... A princess wannabe. Menyampah tengok muka toye kau yang rasa bagus pi hutan tapi tak nak tolong langsung apa-apa. Duduk je kat bangku, rasa bagus..

okay, so you don't wanna be a teacher but you still have the pay as a teacher. You wanna be a lecturer but you are obviously not good enough. Think if you are really good, why do you have to contract yourself to something so insecure in the government service?

You are no better than us... In fact, you're worst. Sekian, terima kasih.

Come 2012, Go ETeMS

I am expectedly frustrated and perturbed by the recent announcement of the government to drop ETeMS. Honestly, it is rather unfair for a policy implemented in less than 10 years to be assessed and discarded as such. I wonder if the decision has been very much politically motivated as most students have been found to be more comfortable learning in English Language nowadays and I could see that my 10 year old sister's ability to think critically using the language is far superior than mine when I was her age.

In my humble opinion, it was a wise decision to execute the policy back in 2003 even though the government was severely criticised by the general public for taking such a rushed action into place. I am fully aware that we live in a democratic country but do we really have to follow EVERYTHING that the public demands despite the fact that they are not the ones directly involved in the teaching-learning process. Why should we just let everyone be confined within their comfort zone and don't challenge their ability to push their limits? How can we ever be successful in the acquisition of knowledge if we are so reluctant to get over one hurdle? Yes, maybe those in rural areas are at disadvantage but where else is the opportunity for teachers to use the language in various dimensions?

Let me just give you a very simple analogy. If your kid refuses to eat vegetables, what would you do? Just let him get what he wants or do you try to improve the taste/presentation of vegetables to attract his interest and attention towards such healthy food? The detrimental consequence of not eating vegetable is very much the motivation that should encourage parents to force
their kids to adhere to this simple rule. Okay, so he might be fine in his first few years yet in the long run, the nutrients will be undoubtedly essential to the well-being of the kid.

Similarly, the ETeMS policy's success should be easily seen in a few years to come when graduates as well as a breed of fresh Maths/Science teachers who have been mastering the scientific knowledge in English Language from early years joins the work force. We were in the midst of an imperative process and I believe that we were also in the right direction yet due to some voices saying that the darjat of Bahasa Melayu is ridiculed with such an emphasis on English Language hence reflecting that the government as un-Malay, we revert back to a time when we realised that there is a missing link between us and the rest of world players.

The bane of democracy is felt in times like this. Where is Mugabe when you need him?

Nak Pi Mana Ni?

Just recently spoke with some of my girls. Found out that Durra is going to Indonesia and Aimi is going to NY this coming long holiday in November.

Gosh, I thought to myself that "I pun nak pi jalan-jalan after I'm finished with SPM marking. Nak pi mana ya?" Soon after, I was inspired then there's no stopping me once I get to it..




KOH SAMUI! It's a great place to party or simply to unwind with closest friends. You can just lounge at the beach in your swim attire (uwwhhh..gotta check out Zimmerman) and a large hat to protect your face (harus!).


(Yes, I wasn't planning to take a swim but instead to just walk around in this.. hahaha)

Flight ticket
Round trip 01-06 November 2009 (if booked now)
KL-Bangkok- RM166 (Air Asia)
Bangkok-Samui- THB 5740 (approximately RM537) (bangkok airways)

thus, Flight ticket: around RM700

Accomodation

Green Villa, Lamai Beach (AC Room)= RM140 per night
Green Villa, Lamai Beach (Fan+Pool View)= RM40 per night
Green Villa, Lamai Beach (Fan+ Garden View)= RM30 per night

Makan is quite cheap in Koh Samui but we ought to be careful as a lot of the cuisine is dashed with alcohol or mixed with Mr Porky.


The most anticipated party of Koh Samui, The Full Moon Party will happen on 2nd of November 2009. It will also be great to be able to be part of that.

Now, it goes down to finding suitable victims to accompany me. Wish me luck, people!

Climb Down

I'm going to say something very controversial. People might end spilling red paint all over my door but I have to say it!

I HATE MILEY CYRUS' VOICE! SHE IS NOT A SINGER! I HATE THE CLIMB! THAT'S NOT SINGING, THAT IS CALLED NASAL CONGESTION!

Okay, all you teenagers out there. You may shoot me now...

What Does A Guy Do That Makes Me Smile?

You know when you see random stuff and you smile? For example, when you see a really cute kid and your eyes just lights up upon the sight. Similarly, I feel a certain delight when I see a guy doing these things-

a) accompanying his mum on a shopping trip
b) wearing baju melayu to kenduris and weddings (seriously, very few do this nowadays)
c) playing with Rubic cubes
d) wears gorgeous glasses that frames his face well
e) reading a book (not a car gear magazine)
f) playing with children who are not his own kids
g) cleaning up/ tidying up his house
h) earnestly jogging without oggling the passing girls' properties
j) holding up the door for strangers
k) checking his tie in the lift reflection
l) when he smiles that stranger smile (which is something that Malaysians always misunderstand)

On that note, I'll just relate an opinion thrown about myself. Someone bluntly said that he thinks I wouldn't look twice at a large guy. That was his critical thinking skills being applied where he tries to make a generalisation based on my choice of partner before this. I was taken aback by such accusation. Yes, thin is good but it's not the only way to go. I am also a human being, who am I to crave or demand such perfection when only God is perfect?


Apparently, it's easy to make me smile :)

A Teacher..

Should not bash up his/her students.
Should not lash out his/her anger or frustrations towards the students.
Should be the better one.
Is not judged based on his/her appearance.
Instead by his/her passion and love for he/she does.

I hope I will not be one that causes students to feel pain.
As my job is partially to entertain.
Honestly, I'd rather be a clown than a wrestler.