Meet Ad

Taken from Ad's FB profile

I've a new friend! His name is Advertising. We call him Ad for short. Seriously, I have him in my Facebook.

A series of nightmares

I had a series of nightmare yesterday. Yeah, a SERIES. Well, in my dream, I was trying to track down spooky ghost; threw a peculiar-looking, green and blue-looking frog out of the car; kept a corpse wrapped in white hospital bed sheets; saw Valerie, a serious and cautious driver, hitting another car deliberately while parking(gasp, that's a nightmare!); and worst of all, my front tooth fell off!! That's a lifetime worth of nightmares! I woke up not terrified, but sleepy.

You know, they say dreams tell us something about our future. If it does, that's a whole lot of future to intepret there. I'll probably take the alternative view - that's me watching too much TV. I confess that i've been indulging myself with too much couch potato time this week - Juno, Ghost Whisperer, Fast Food Nation, Little Miss Sunshine, 8 simple rules, etc. I guess it doesn't take a rocket scientist to explain my series of nightmares by now.

To read or to watch?

Josh came to me the other day telling me that he had watched Kite Runner the movie and how awesome it is, but of course not as great as the book la. But according to him, it's still bearable as compared to P.S. I Love You.

Now i'm in a little dilenma. Should i watch it first or should i read the book first, or should i watch and not read, or should i just read and not watch? Such a dilenma, right? I just don't want to walk down the same emotional path i did after watching P.S. I Love You.

Not sure about you, but when I read, i begin to create vivid images in my mind. And i create a certain expectations on the characters, scenes, emotions and reactions. And of course the accuracy of screenplay is most important. By altering the story just so that it fits into a 2-hour plus movie is a crime. A good story relies not just on the characters in it, but its plots too. The plots build the story, hence making it a superb story. Simple as that. Perhaps movie makers should stick to making movies out of scripts and not books.

So, to watch or to read.... I think i'll do both for this. I trust Josh's review :)

Requirements of a teacher

My 8-year-old student made a remark the other day on requirements of a teacher.

Stephy asked me in the middle of class, "Teacher, are you married?"
I answered, No.

She went on querying, "Do you have kids?"

Duh, I'm not married and i'm not that sleasy, kid!! And i answered politely, No.

"So, you're not married and you don't have kids, then you're not a teacher, right?"

What!! Just because I'm hot, young, unmarried and have no brats of my own, I'm not a teacher??? I smiled and told her that not all teachers are married and have kids.

Stephy pondered for a while and made the most remarkable remark, "So, you cannot celebrate Teacher's Day la?" Her eyes glimmered when she stared at me.

Oh boy, she's only 8, what do i expect. She's forgiven for being discriminative. "Stephy, it's fine that I don't celebrate Teacher's Day."

And she gave me a hug at the end of class.

Men don't listen

Got this from a friend today:

Wanda's dishwasher quit working so she called in a repairman. Since she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, 'I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you a cheque. Oh, by the way don't worry about my dog Spike. He won't bother you. But, whatever you do, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, talk to my parrot!'

'I MUST STRESS TO YOU: DO NOT TALK TO MY PARROT!!!'

When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he has ever seen. But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet watching the repairman go about his work. The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling, cursing and name calling.

Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled, 'Shut up, you stupid, ugly bird!

To which the parrot replied, 'Get him, Spike!'

See - Men just don't listen! Period.

Utterly cool read

After having had lashed out at a student, irked by oblivious and obnoxious and selfish individual, worked 7 hours, and bickered about the same issue over and over, I finally got to unwind with a kids lit - Utterly me, Clarise Bean.

Utterly what, you asked? Well, though you may think it's utterly unpopular, it is an utterly good book for the day. I desperately needed something to keep me occupied. Something light, something fun, something with big prints, and something that's utterly brainless. This read is utterly good for today. And I finished it within an evening.

I love the plot. Actually who am i kidding, there isn't any plot in this story. It's basically about Clarise who's crazy about the story of Ruby, who's a 11-year-old daughter of a socialite, who has a secret identity - jeng jeng jeng - she's a secret agent. Ruby receives messages via her bread toaster and messages are imprinted on her toasted bread. Oh, to destroy the message, she has to chow the bread down. Of course, she can choose to slap peanut butter and jam on it or just corned beef. Destroying a secret message has never been this tasty. And Clarise suddenly found herself in an investigative mood after realising that her best friend Betty was missing for a week without a trace (actually, Clarise's dog literally chewed the trace). And oh, there's this book project she had to do with one of the wrecked-up boys from her class because Betty was missing. At the same time, she tried inventing ways to get rid of her slimy brother. And also her grandfather who sneaks into shed in the middle of the night. Yeah, there's a lot going on in the story.

The story is written as such that no analyzing is required. You don't need to muse about why she hates her teacher who behaves like a 40-year-old spinster or why her best friend Betty Moody parents are way cooler than hers. As the story progresses, Clarise, who has recurring habit of drifting in thoughts, rambles about the happenings around her. It's like reading Gareth Owen's Horror Film but in more pages. Pure rambling but with a point (yeah, how oxymoron can this be, right?).

And i love the layouts. The sentence twirls into oval when Mrs Bean tells Clarise that they are running out of eggs. And sentence is arranged in stagger to tell that Clarise is walking down the stairs. And not to mention crazy caricatures and punches of large prints here and there.

It has cool phrases and expressions like:

Absolutely no way, hozay!

I bet he's using my hairbrush, the weasel.

Mrs Wilberton is a hippipotimis.

China is gersquillion kilometres and miles from here.

All in all, i had a good laugh. I'm envious of kids today; they've got utterly cool books like this as compared to my time, when Enid Bylton was like the only 'in' thing. Fairies and elves are cool, but hey, who would have figured that gersquillion is the distance of China from wherever we are.

I am upset

Enough said.

Job for a psychologist

A friend of mine told me that he has enrolled into a Psychology course. I was excited for him because i've always wanted to study that. But having typical chinese parents who believe that graduating with a Psychology degree is akin to career suicide, my dream suffered premature death.

I'm amazed by how we think or are motivated. What's more amazing is to find out what sort of joy it brings to one when he/she announces to the world his/her drunkedness. Identity crisis? LOA? ADD? Mind boggling eh? Well, let's leave it to the psychologists to explain.

Picture updates: Myanmar

I know of a church planter, Ps Stanley, who was in Myanmar when Nigris Cyclone swept the nation, and he only managed to fly back to KL yesterday once the roads were opened.

The Rangoon hotel he lived in was destroyed, badly, and all patrons had to be evacuated. Rangoon, being one of Myanmar's most developed city was devastatedly destroyed - electricity and water supply was cut off. Everyone lived in darkness broken heartedly. What's worst is that there isn't any clean water supply - which could lead to cholera outbreak.

Everyone was made homeless by the cyclone. The most saddening news is that many are still missing especially those who lives around Irrawardy River.

Continue to pray that the junta government will be open to international aids. What kills the nation is not just cyclone, but the various disease outbreaks (i.e. Cholera, Malaria) due to slow and limited relief effort.

Here's something for you to ponder. Cyclone and earthquake hit Myanmar and China, and prior to these, these 2 countries brutally attacked the monks. Pure coincidental? Go figure.

Here are some pictures of Rangoon taken by Ps Stanley.

Don't Waste Your Life

I am constantly aware that I am who I am today because many have sacrificed to nurture me and help me along the way - Soo-Inn Tan

And I'm ever so grateful for the many whom had made their sacrifices for my sake.

For you who are reading, I'm sure you've just as many (or probably more) who sacrificed and prayed for you each day :)

So, in Dr Yinsen's words, "Don't waste your life."

The UMNO mini-series

Excerpt taken from Malaysia Today.
Note: Readers to exercise their discretion when reading the following excerpt.

“You sure you were not followed?” asked the UMNO insider, glancing over his shoulders.

“Of course not!” I replied. “Why should I be followed?”

“Who knows? You are an ex-ISA detainee. I am sure the Special Branch is monitoring your movements.”

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I made sure I went round and round on my bike to shake off any possible tails.”

“And make sure you don’t mention my name,” he stressed, yet again. “When you made that report on ABIM you said, ‘someone close to the previous Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’. That’s dangerous. Everyone can suspect who you mean though you never mentioned his name.”

“Don’t worry,” I assured him again. “I will not make that mistake again.”

“Mahathir did not intend to retire after October 2003,” said the UMNO insider after he had calmed down. “He was never given a chance to finish his closing speech. They quickly surrounded him and escorted him off the stage. If Mahathir had been allowed to finish his speech, he would have announced that he planned to retire at the end of this year, not the end of next year.”

Read On

....

I believe that no appointed leaders will be perfect. They'll fall short. They may turn out to be corrupted. Or unintellectual. Or perverted. Or they probably just have a plain ugly face. These are traits of imperfections.

Nevertheless, it doesn't give anyone permission to not try harder or to manipulate anyone/situations. All in all, leadership comes with making conscious effort humbling one's self, self-sacrificing, and to be all loving and determined at the same time. Not to forget the most potent ingredient - INTEGRITY.

Neither TDM, AAB, Najib, nor DSAI will make a perfect leader. But just as long as one's intention is clear and know to whom they serve, the rakyats will be more forgiving.

Till then, let's wait and see who's the next emerging hero to save these scumbags from hot soup.

My American Idol

Dear David C,

If you're reading this, know that I WILL vote for you if I was in America yesterday. I'm very glad that you won after all! And you're HOT!

This is really hilarious

Mok Sunny to Dr. M: Pak, I tak nak resign dari UMNO lah.

Dr. M to Mok Sunny: Biadap punya anak. Apa pasal tak resign?

Mok Sunny: Banyak hutang lah! Nanti tak dapat loan dari bank!

Dr. M: Pasal wang jangan susah susah. Nanti ayah arrange dengan En. Diam. Dia ada banyak bank di Afrika.

Mok Sunny: Kalau macam itu boleh lah I resign.

Dr.M : Pergi announce cepat cepat.

Mok Sunny: Oklah. Tapi macam mana dengan bang Mok Keris?

Dr. M: Mok Keris itu lagi satu kepala batu. Telepon pun tak... terus buat announcement...

Mok Sunny: Mungkin dia pun banyak hutang kot? Dengar dengar...beli business lagi...

Dr. M: Tak boleh harap semua. Chissss..chisss...

Mok Sunny: Hati hati pak,... nanti heart attack lagi.....

Dr. M: Suruh emak bagi ubat sekarang jugak....

Taken from here.

Gold Glee

Gold prices went up again! *Glee*

A moment of silence

And China mourned for 3 minutes...

Pictures taken from New York Times

If any of you felt led to help China and Myanmar (in any way), do let me know. I can help make arrangements for you (and/or your money) to be sent there. Btw, they are in need of tents because it's rainy season over there now.

Birthday Shout Out...

.... to Jess

May your days continued to be filled with Holy Spirit, favor, dreams, visions, promises, wisdom, great looking people like me, wonderful moments, unforgettable experiences, blessings and miracles and a whole lot more.

I hope you'll enjoy the b*wax session we got for you. Or is it aromatheraphy massage? Whichever it is, i know you'll have a great time. And don't forget to sign up as a member. Then we can be spa babes.

P.S. I think it's OK

One of my favourite love stories of all time finally made it to silver screen. Just the other day, Daniel surprised me with, well not the original, but a downloaded copy. We watched it today and boy..... i was quite upset lar.

It's always true that no movies based on novels can satisfy their readers. And i am one unsatisfied reader.

During the entire movie, I went like:

But, Holly didn't do this...

Daniel wasn't like that...

It's not suppose to be like this...

No, it's not him...

Why didn't they show....

Where is...

THEY DID NOT GO THERE!!!!

She... arghhhhh

I spoilt my own favourite story :(

But Hilary Swank looked gorgeous and she had beautiful shoes, and not to mention Gerard Butler's ohh la la body. Good that they've got eye candies in the show.

Most of all, i watched it with Daniel. That's what this whole movie is all about. He made my day.

Let's pray for China

This flashed through my mailbox a minute ago:

Breaking News Alert

The New York Times

Monday, May 19, 2008 -- 2:47 AM ET-----200

Earthquake Relief Workers Buried by Mudslide in China

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency says more than 200 relief workers have been buried by a mudslide in Sichuanprovince.The Chinese government has declared a three-day period ofmourning for the May 12 quake. It has estimated that as manyas 50,000 people died as a result of the earthquake.

Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

****

I read that newspapers across China were printed in black and white during this mourning period. And headlines like, "The nation mourns," "Pray for life," and "National tragedy" flashes on their front page.

"Pray for life"? Reality finally hits this Communist country that they are not that great after all. No wealth, no mortal power, no human intelligence, no GDP, no technology, no Olympic games, and certainly no iron fist who demands to build a dam by ruining God's most impressive gorges in the world can ever save any nation in the history of mankind. And finally, they are believing in prayers.

Let's take a moment of silence and remember all who lost their lives to this beastly earthquake.

Pictures taken from New York Times

More reasons why

In class today...

Characters:
Me (the teacher)
Nadia (8-year-old)
Muqri (8-year-old)

Me: We may have a new student joining this class.
Nadia: Is this person a boy or girl?
Me: A girl.
Nadia: (cheered) Yeah!!!
Me: Why, Nadia, do you prefer a girl to join us and not a boy?
Nadia: Because boys are gross!
Muqri: (shouted from the back) I HATE GIRLS!

And for the rest of the class, they went on irritating one another.
Thank God they are cute. It compensates all the irritations they bring to my life :p

****

We celebrated Teacher's Day in class ala primary school style today - a cake, Mamee, and Vitagen. These brats also left me a whole lot of Mamee crumbs on the floor and chocolate cream smeared all over tables.

My brats

Cake of the day

Teacher's Day

Many reasons why I love being a teacher more than anything else in the world...


note: Clients a.k.a. students

1. I get to scold my clients when they are wrong.

2. If I am wrong, my clients don't get to scold me.

3. There's no deadlines to meet, proposals to rush and meetings to attend.

4. I get to threaten my clients telling them that i'd drop them as my clients if they don't buck up.

5. I get to read more (it is said that to be a good teacher, you need to be very 'smart'. So i've to read to make myself look intellectual. But i've no complains; in fact, i love it)

6. I get to complain to my clients' bosses (a.k.a. parents) if they are doing a lousy job.

7. It makes my heart smile when parents tell me how their child(ren) love my classes.

8. It makes me so proud of my clients when i see them improve.

9. I get to celebrate Teacher's Day. Well, you can't celebrate Doctor's Day or Lawyer's Day, right?

10. My clients give me flowers and chocolates and gifts for Teacher's Day.

11. I get invited to my clients' birthday parties. And they get to parade me around telling others that i'm their teacher.

12. My clients fascinate me with deep questions like, "Who created God?" (asked by my 9-year-old), and weirdest & most irrelevant questions like, "Why are u wearing this shirt" when we are talking about dinosaurs.

13. I get to be apart of God's nation and generation building plan.

14. I get school holidays :)

15. If i make a boo-boo, my clients forgive and forget the very next second.

And the list goes on...

This teaching career has been awestruck and I can only thank God for putting me in such a position to be some form of influence to the next generation.

This shout out is to all the teachers out there (tuition teachers, school teacher, lecturers, sunday school teachers, teachers of life, etc),

Happy Teacher's Day.

A day in my life

I'm loving the idea of blogging. I am beginning to see that I'm prone to become an obsessive compulsive blogger. soon.

Anyway, as i was saying about my life today, I went to town to help Dad collect some documents. Wasn't that excited about the idea. Mainly because it was going to be a 2-hour journey to & fro to collect something which would take me 20 minutes to complete. To add to it, my absent-mindedness only made the journey more eventful:

First, I had to join the rakyat on the train ride to town. If it weren't for my chicken rice uncle increasing his price per plate of rice, i wouldn't have forego my privellage of driving in my cooling box. sigh, if the food crisis continues on, i foresee myself cycling to town very soon.

I missed my train stop because i was too engrossed in reading the news about this malay man who is denied his right to marry his fourth wife by the Syariah court. I always thought Muslims are entitled to marry anyone (any four, to be exact) they fancy. Little did i realize that the court has its right to intrude to his personal life. Isn't that fascinating?

Crossed Jalan Masjid Jamek 3 times looking for the entrance to Putra LRT station. They closed one of it for renovation, and went round looking for it. I knew i looked silly.

The best of it, i nearly took the Rapid KL bus from the station back home because i forgot that i parked my car at the station. phew.

And i had to walk miles long under the sun to get to my car.

Finally, I'm home, extremely exhausted by the whole ordeal.



On another note, I read that the bloggers launched the campaign "Penangites for Trams".



My take? In all honesty, i think it will be a great project with very good and sensible intentions. However, before the trams could happen, i think that there's a lot more that needs to be worked on, i.e. revamping the public transportation system in Penang.

Let's take Perth for example. Though trams system doesn't exist there, they've what they call the CAT bus system. Basically, these CAT buses provide free transportation within City and Fremantle (tourist attraction). In the city, CAT runs on 3 routes (and i'm not too sure how many routes in Freo) connecting every part of the city. Because of CATS, there's hardly any traffic congestion in the city nor Freo.

And you probably might think that one needs to drive to the city and park their cars in the parking blocks before they can hop onto CAT. And if they do, why don't they just drive to their desired destination? Well, the Perthians do... but not all. Mainly because petrol price is sky high (mind you, their petrol is NOT subsidised by the g'ment) and there's very limited parking spaces in town, not to mention it's expensive too. So. the Perthians join their rakyat hopping onto one of those suburb buses and/or trains connecting to the city. And in order for these systems to integrate well, buses and trains come on time, there are ample buses and trains on stand-by, and drivers are considerate and ethical.

Hence, my take on trams for Penangites is that revamping the system is most vital before anyone plants another white elephant in the middle of the road. Let's hope that the new CM will have better foresight than the previous one :)

I'm most loved

I learnt something new:

Something pure, loving, blissful, fun, hopeful, & what seems to be endless could be torn down at the spur of anger, slipped of tongue, & jealousy.

Boy, am I glad that despite their destructive power, love covers over a multitude of sins. With just a hug, it soothes the most battled soul.

I'm most loved, everyday.

On another note, I'm still learning how to embed pictures though. And i know i'll somehow manage it!! *hopeful*

And hey, it works!! See! I said i'll somehow manage. And it's managed!

Next - to locate smiley faces :)

First Entry

It's so ironic that i spend approximately 3 hours a day online, am argumentative and opinionated, and constantly commenting on others' blogs. and i don't have a blog myself. I actually did previously but gave up when i tried uploading pictures and putting it in the right place. As you can see, I'm very impatient.

But it's been a year since I last wrote my 1st entry in my previous blog. And I have this hunch that this attempt is not gonna hit that bad *fingers crossed*. Well, we'll see...