I am a Teacher and Hear Me Roar.

I am a teacher, and even though I am not perfect, or even thoroughly dedicated, I am still one.

That's why I HATE it when people just say anything without checking the facts, and pretend they know everything.

It irkes me the most when I am actually talking to them, not just see their stupid remarks on FB etc. Its like having nails scrathing the blackboard of my soul.

And when I tell them off, I don't do it rudely, just without expression because I do try to contain my anger, the expression on their faces is like I just murdered the entire village, plus the lifestocks.

Being sensible and right is hard.

Sorry for this but I am royally vexed at someone :(

To the Seaside With Friends

Living in a small diverse state has many advantages for me. I can go anywhere from the mall to the mountains in a short period of travelling time. Heck, we can go shopping at Parksons and then be at the foot of the highest peak in less than two hours! But this post is not about malls or mountains... 

 I love the beach. But I stopped swimming in the sea for a very very long time, mainly because I hate the heat and the sand. (So why the heck you are there in the first place?!)

I go there to unwind with friend(s). We just sit under the trees, take in the scenery and enjoying the sea breeze. Oh, and do some people watching too.

Above is a friend who insist me take his picture with the small banner-thingy soccer fans bring to the matches (I am SO not into football). 'Pahang' is his home state, some 200 km away from here.  

What else we do by the beach? Mostly we talk, while NURSING to our own smartphones. (I hate this, sometimes I asked them to put down their phones and look at ME).

What we talk about? Anything. from local crime to why-is-he-wearing-such-an-ugly-pair-of-shorts-to-the-beach?

In this photo, it was about 6.45 pm, and the sun set at 7.05 pm (info from my smart phone). There were still people swimming and doing activities by the beach. The place was not sparkling clean, but ok. If I come to the beach in the afternoon, I can witness some municipal workers cleaning up the beach, and they do this daily, methinks. 

The sun is setting...  and behind clouds. There were still people. And my friends were cranky because they were hungry. We only stay at the beach for an hour, and rarely more than that. Usually after, we may seek food at the nearest restaurants. Some of the best dishes I know are from these eating places by the sea. But this is NOT a food blog :)

I had something minor done to my kitchen and will blog about it soon. I was unable to cook for a few days because of this, it made me miss my own cooking, ha!

The Case of The New Bookcase and Missing Books

This bookcase is actually a combination of four cheap plywood cabinets I glued together with some strong adhesive. That was 3-4 years ago. 

I've read all of these books and put my action figures / robots / Transformers above them for display. Too cheap to buy a glass case :P 

 Recently I bought this ultra light 5x3 from the supermarket and built it up myself. The materials are only plastic fasteners, steel rods and canvas. It took me more than an hour to finish, although I could ask for help from my two friends who were only watching with much amusement.

I moved the books from the old bookcase to the new one the next morning. I put my favourite books by the late author Sir Terry Pratchett on the highest shelves; and the rest of the fantasy stuff according to their respective authors; Salvatore, Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Eddings etc.

And I realized I LOST FOUR BOOKS!

They are the first three of the Chronicles of Narnia; 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', 'Prince Caspian' and 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' by C. S. Lewis. The fourth book is the third volume of The Dragonlance Tales 'Love and War.'

This come as a surprise for me because those books were buried deep BEHIND the rest and who would took them? My friends and immediate family do not read English fantasy books for fun.

p.s. - I did some thinking.... who would inherit my books one day? None of my relatives enjoy what I do and I am not someone who easily donate my stuff elsewhere. I might ask to have all my worldly stuff burned in my will someday.... 

Time Wasted and Wasting People

Yesterday a friend wanted me to drive him to town for some errands. He wanted me to pick him up at 4.00 pm, and graciously I said OK.


And then at almost 4.00 pm, he texted me and said if I can come much later, say 4.20 pm because he had to meet some people who owed him money. And again I said, OK.


Came 4.20 and I was already at the designated spot, he texted me again to wait until he arrived because the people who promised to meet him didn't show up yet.


This time I didn't say OK, and you can say I was royally pissed.


I hate waiting for people. Because all my life, very few people waited for me.
WHY?
Because I am ALWAYS on time.

Classy people are rarely late, and as I literally have CLASS(es) (as a teacher), I am not known to be late. That's why I secretly look down upon tardiness, no matter who you are. That hundred ringgit worth of watch on your wrist is not only a fashion statement, it also tells time.

Once a long long time ago, a dear friend made me appreciate my very own personal time. He had me waiting for him 5 hours, while he was sleeping away the afternoon, and I only knew about this when his mother picked up the phone and told me his son had just woke up, and was still lazing around the house, when he called me much earlier saying he was already halfway to see me.

It really broke my heart.... (and this guy never see me again)

After that, I made it a personal agenda to tell my friends and (fewer) new friends how I HATE waiting. You make me wait, better have a very valid reason WITH proof. And I lost some friends this way.... but hell, its much better this way. You don't respect me, and I don't have to keep you as a friend.

p.s. - I was not angry with my earlier friend as he KNOWS my wrath is akin to Smaug, the Dragon. I told him to waste his friends, saying if they owed money from you, you have actual power over them, not the other way around. (Lessons over money lending soon....)



I Don't Feel Like Chicken Tonight.

 I went out with a friend today to accompany him on an errand. He wanted to have dinner at the near KFC, and was very adamant about it, even when I showed some resistance to the idea. It's not that I have anything against the food chain, I just don't feel like chicken tonight.

But I relented when he promised that he will find something less chicken-sy on the menu and he pays for the meal too.

(I took this pictures 20 minutes since he started to queue. I just hate lining up. No matter how good the food, I will not waste time like this, UNLESS somebody else does it for me)

We also went to some mobile phone stores to gawk at the products. Samsung and the Apple stores were the most busy, unsurprisingly (because their oh so in-your-face advertisement on most media). That makes people with fully capable mobile phones wanna buy a new Samsung or iPhone. 

Advertisement is an investment that pays. 

And onwards to some amateur photography...

 This is a row of shophouses in the middle of my hometown. The row was built in 1938, way before Independence. The second floor houses the occupants and the shop is downstairs obviously.

The District painted anew the row once every few years for aesthetics. 

The other half of the row.

The main row was empty because it was still very early in the morning.

What was I doing there? Looking for breakfast of course.

I rarely cook my breakfast.

The Teacher Has Kitties in His House, Yay!

By popular demand, I am including some pictures of my cats, currently residing together in the store cum catroom. I had several species of pets before this, yet cats seems to last way longer than the rest.

 Above is Artemis Kikuraides II or 'Kiki'. Yes, there WAS an Artemis Kikuraides before her, but he was male (Artemis is an ambiguous name). The first Artemis (a big, ginger tomcat) was killed by stray dogs several years ago....and I did exact my revenge by sling-shooting them with ball bearings.

I found Kiki a few months later, in a small petstore in the city. She was fluffy and very very affectionate (and still is!). You can see Kiki as a kitten in this video.  and also this video. Kiki is now almost 7 years old.

Kiki is a domestic long haired cat. Tricoloured, or calico. Her colouring is considered very lucky in the Orient, thus giving fuel to the rise of maneki nekos, the popular waving cats of Japan / China.  

Kiki is mild mannered, and always seek attention. She will come to me everytime I call her name.  

 This black cat is not really mine, even though I pay for her kibbles and litter. She belongs to my housemate, who suddenly thinks he need a pet cat.

This cat has no fancy name, and is called Tamtam (or for you English speaking people 'Tum-tum'). Her name simply describes her colour. Like we call a cat 'Blackie'. Tamtam is less than a year old, and is very very very very active. She also screams and yowl at unholy hours, making me scream back in reply to shut her up.  

Some people considered black cats to be unlucky.... but heck, I don't care. Although Tamtam is extra loud and hyper, I love her as well.

(This is the catroom, my housemate cleans it every week).

And this picture explains their behavior. See older Kiki lounging on the carpet watching her much much younger sister, Tamtam playing by herself.

The two pics above is of younger Kiki.She had a collar with bells then. Tamtam is almost impossible to take a decent picture of because she is constantly moving!

p.s. - I also had two females I gave away as presents to friends. I don't know why, but I always liked and got female cats....

The Bored Teacher Posted Some Pictures...

Did I tell you the monsoon season is here again? This is taken right at my doorstep. The monsoon rain is usually heavy and long lasting. Heck, sometimes it rained the entire day. This may cause floods somewhere, but my housing estate is right on top of a hill.

I love the cold. I love the rain!

(Oh, there was a landslide at the highway to the east, nobody died though)

This is my living room. Initially it was almost bare, only filled with the sofa and dining table set. But as the years gone by, I bought many stuff that I don't usually need, and the house is rather crowded with items. I have an entire room converted to be a store.

Notice the teddy bear. It was given to me.

(This was taken in the afternoon, a week ago)

 Another shot of my living room. See how messy the table is now, complete with a flypaper. (I just hate flies!) The opening to the left lead to the kitchen, and the right to two rooms, including my master bedroom. The door you see is the storeroom I mentioned. My cats are in there too.

(This was taken this very evening).

 One of the restaurants near my house I go to if I am in no mood to cook. Usually if the place is too crowded, I would leave, but I make an exception during the rain. I would order from the least crowded stall, something very easy to prepare, and then enjoy my meal while watching the other patrons waiting (sometimes) for an hour for their food.

Oh, and I never gi out alone dining at restaurants. Usually I am with friends or housemates.

 This is taken earlier this week, during an examination. The boy, which is unfortunately, a student of mine slept after 10 minutes into the exam. My students RARELY show this lack of moral in front of me, knowing how I enjoy to retaliate this. But this boy is something special. The kind who takes warning as suggestion, and a scolding as noises in the wind.

I woke him up and made him to sweep the entire class during the entire examination.

The class was spotless after two hours of solo cleaning :)

 And this was taken scant hours ago. I accompanied a friend who wanted to have his hair cut. This barber shop opens early and closes at 1030 pm. This is a boon for people who are busy working during the day (or too lazy to wake up early in the weekends), like me.

p.s. - I take all photos using my HTC Desire 816. If you find the pictures to be dark and gloomy, now you know my favourite theme :) Bright and sunshine are great to see with and enjoy from the dark side. I like to stay in the shadows (literally. Heck, I even teach in dark, poorly lit classrooms).

The Haze is Finally Gone. Yay! And Brutality Gets You Famous.

 This was the view from my school during the haze. The air was dirty and understandably unhealthy.

People stayed indoors and many events got cancelled for health reasons. 

Respiratory illnesses spiked in the entire region, and there were deaths cases, especially in the country of origin, Indonesia.

Imagine not being able to see 50 metres in front of you! 

 Now this is what I mean when we can see for miles in a clear day. The haze is no more! Thanks to the shifting winds, which blew the haze back to its originator. I just love blue skies!

The monsoon is here, here expecting a lot of wind and rain.

And floods too, yay!

(Both of the pictures were taken at the same time in the morning, before I attend my class)

 This was taken last Friday during a ceremony. The school is on top of a hill, yet we still have two hills which are higher next to the school. I sit at the front, but usually I walk around the students, and buildings, just because I can :)

And this was taken this morning, in a ceremony celebrating the many achievements of the hostel students and wardens. It took a lot of energy to control the boys, especially the older ones who think they know everything. But never mind that, most of them who were against me will be gone next year. And we shall build our empire anew!
I am the most brutal warden of the seven, heck, the scariest teacher in school. Yet, I am abnormally popular amongst students. Fascinating character attracts attention.

We, Teachers are under Attack! (because of the bloody haze!)

This godawful haze, originated from Indonesia has created many problems for the neighbouring countries. The rise in respiratory illnesses spiked this time of the year. A lot of outdoor events, some major and important are also cancelled because of the worsening air quality.

And schools were closed for days too..... People should stay indoors for health reasons.

This created a new problem, for parents at least. When schools are closed, where do you put your children for care? Most parents cannot bring their children to work, and the hyper active ones will bring major headaches without supervision.

So where do the parents go to vent their anger and frustration? The Internet, especially FACEBOOK.
Who they blamed? The TEACHERS for closing schools.

The war between these narrow minded parents and teachers online has gone critically viral these couple of weeks.

I must make this very clear; The decision to close school was made by the Ministry of Education, not us lowly teachers. A directive was issued for the schools to be closed for certain times in certain areas. And the schools were closed not by whim, but to save a great many children from travelling to school in hazardous situation. (So why blame the teachers? We don't create the haze to close schools for pleasure). 

Some of the comments by these frustrated parents are dangerously scathing. Other than blaming the teachers for closing schools, they accused most teachers to be improperly trained  and not really serious about the well being and education of their children.

And some comments are seriously not proper to be typed here.

Teachers retaliated (including yours truly) by pointing how narrow minded these adults were. We teachers ARE NOT glorified nannies, to care for your children while they work.
We educate and improve minds and body. A school is NOT a daycare centre.

(My actual nuclear bomb; If you cannot care for your own children for a couple of days without us, you have no business whatsoever to breed!)

About the level of education of teachers, those of us with high levels would seek these misguided parents in their Facebook domain, challenging them to see whose education is higher. (Mind you, we teachers got so many university grads and even PhDs. ) After heavy fire, many FB accounts of said victimized parents were terminated by the owners.

It maybe petty and bullying. but WAR IS WAR.

There are still a great many parents who thanked us teachers during these hours. A lot of the people understand, and are still happy to send their children to school, trusting us with the education and growth. For this kind of parents, we teachers are very happy to accept the responsibility.

Now picture time; (something to show that a teacher is not only good in class, and I already posted this in my FB account to prove)

This is me calmingly waiting for something....

Here, in a hospital ward, at midnight...... (seriously, after midnight)

For this student of mine, who had his foot stitched because of an accident at the hostel room. 

We are TEACHERS, and We do Serve.

But We are NOT your damn NANNIES!

p.s.
- Facebook can be a very very bad place to be when people with limited intellect decided to share their piece of mind :P

I am a School Warden, and Hear Me Roar

I am just back from looking after some 300+ students in the school hostel. Its only babysitting the students, making sure they do stuff on schedule and hoping nothing bad happens during my time on duty.

What are the bad things that may happen you asked? Children are still children. Accidents during sports. They might fall off the stairs. Brawling rarely happens, but its a possibility. Some students may have high fever in the middle of the night. They might got food poisoning. Unauthorized personals invading the hostels. Or the students decided they wanted to go out of the hostel grounds without permission. The list can be quite long....

There are 7 wardens, all of us are also teachers, three men and four women. Only me and a fellow male teacher live outside the school compound. (I love my house anyway, and do not wish to stay apart long with it). Close proximity to the students will be BAD for a warden's health. There'll be constant knocking on the door, and endless stream of questions from both students and parents during the weekend. From 'when can we go out' to 'can I bring my child out for her grandma's wedding'.

Every wardens has his / her own style. And mine is 'in your face' approach.

If I don't like a student (behavior) I will tell the rest that I hate that particular human being and his associates will also feel the heat. I don't usually sugarcoat my words because I always believe honesty is the best policy.

Some may wonder in shock, WTH are you posing as a teacher then? From my 14 years experience, my observation of human (student) nature is; they will never change in school. A good student may improve, but an average or the bad ones may continue being so for the rest of the year. I am talking in behavioral terms, not academic. A tardy boy will continue being late, and a hardworking girl will continue creating great diagrams in her homework.

So what kind of children do you have?

The best way to change children's mind for the better is by telling them why they must do so, making them UNDERSTAND what will happen if they fail. Yes, talk to them to nail in the facts, properly.

This may prove very hard because usually peer pressure will destroy this holy task of yours.

So I always turns to BLACKMAILING instead. The next best thing.

You don't do what I ask, I will never look at your face again. You will make 5 copy of this correction paper if you fail my test. You will stand the entire hour in my class if you are late. You will acknowledge yourself as an idiot if you fail to answer me, even after I told you to read. You will sit in the middle of the corridor if you fail to hand in your work etc etc.

Harsh. (Not very) brutal. But it works. I don't do much shouting anymore when I found out that the results will be much the same without any screaming. Now I aim for their ego.

Anyway, picture time!

I used my younger prefects to set up the hall for yesterday's ceremony. These students work directly under me and know what will happen if I don't get my way. So everything went fast and smoothly. If I use the average students instead, sharp and abusive words may have to be expressed to have the job done. (They will play... oh how they play....)
Oh and this was about 930 in the evening....

The next day, when all of them are in school prefects uniform. I didn't have to tell them twice (now that's a teacher's wet dream). You girls sweep and you boys pick up the pigeons' feathers (our school is infested with these flying vermin). Observe and Obey, my personal motto.

You just cannot win the war by playing nice. The Dark Side of the Force can have things done too :)

Needful Things and Wanting Stuff

I have just started a new hobby four months ago.... which is collecting MONEY. (You may also call it saving, you boring people you).

Usually by almost the end of every month, I would have some cash to spare and always ended up spending it all up before payday. I know its a very very bad habit, and I did waste thousands upon thousands on the little things that amused me.... but still, I think they were well spent. I am going to be 40 soon and it would be stabbing on my own proverbial back if I don't save some for the rainy days....

(I actually LOVE rain and the cold weather, mind you).

So since four months ago I set aside quite a significant amount of money (in fact, I transferred it to another bank for NOT ease of use). The amount I set aside monthly is always the same, for me to remember. And still at the end of every month, I still have some surplus.... (what the hell have I spent on before this?!)

And now I wondered.... if I started saving YEARS ago, I might be as rich as Scrooge McDuck or Toupee Trump!

Yesterday my mom gave me a lot of cash money, my small share from the sale of one of our houses. I immediately put the money into my collection bank! A few friends who know my new hobby said I should put it in some trust fund for maximum profit. I think I will do it later next year.

For now.... other than new PS4 games (fortunately the titles I really like are very few in between) I don't want anything else. But I NEED to repair the gates, and my house sink. That will not cost an arm or a leg :)

If I work much harder, I can accumulate more money... That's why I don't hate rich people because I know most of them work hard for it. I am just lazy, and only make so and so.

p.s. - I was thinking what to post earlier as I was browsing through your blogs.... :)

The Greatest Author on This Planet; Sir Terry Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015)

This may come WAY so late, writing about somebody who passed away much early this year. But I just kickstarted my blog (again) and at least I may run away with that excuse, eh?

Once in 1997 I was bored and decided to buy a book with my own money (yes, yes, i admit I have STOLEN a great deal of books from people and EVEN libraries.... but that was way when I had few cash to spare, and good books were (and still) expensive). So I visited Kinokuniya of SOGO, the nearest bookstore to the light railway transit station I board to go home.

I love fantasy. And was very familiar with most of the good authors and titles. But the fantasy section in the bookstore was dismally inadequate. Only a measly row remained, with titles I had never heard of. As I did not wish to go empty handed, I picked up a few books to look.

And yes, I am someone who JUDGED a book by its cover.

(And I rarely open a book for a quick read before buying).

In the midst of those few books was a purple blue one.

Heck, the cover is bloody ugly, I thought, no wonder nobody wants it. I turned it to read the blurb;

"FAERIE TRASH.   Ever wonder what those magic circles of stones in the English countryside are for? They're to keep the elves out.

Elves are nasty (besides being brutish and short). They're vicious. They love cruelty. Plus to make things worse, they have got IT. Glamour. Style. Humans find elves absolutely irresistible. They actually think elves are cute!

So when an infestation of faerie Trash invades the Kingdom of Lancre, upsetting the Royal Wedding Plans, the ordinary people of Lancre are helpless. It's up to the witches, led by Granny Weatherax, to deal with the vicious little bastards.

Which is all right with Granny. She thinks elves are cute, too. And that makes them even more fun to kill."

I never smile while reading a book. And this blurb created an instant miracle!

I love fairy tales. And here is an author who tries to be funny in fantasy. 

I broke my own rule to judge a book by the cover, bought it and left for the station.

In the train, I opened and started to read. And it happened again, me smiling! The book was so cleverly funny that I continued reading it and finish all 281 pages that very evening.

I was smitten. Never an author had that power over me. I returned the next day after class and bought every single book by the same author (I only got two). I walked to further bookstores to acquire more titles. Traveled across states and one time, used my penpal in America to get me a couple of elusive titles (Amazon.com and online shopping were still unknown back then).

I even got some of his collaborations with other authors.

Yes, he is THAT good. Try him.

So when Sir Terry Pratchett died of Alzheimer's last March, you can say there was a small yet significant hole in my soul. This was a man, who I never met, but through his writings conveyed fantastic little miracles. He created memorable and powerful characters to emulate and hate. Elegance of words even in crude jokes. Observation of the human psyche, and the truth about human nature.

He was the greatest author who ever lived, because he made me smile (and think).

There will never be a new Discworld novel... and I have to wait for the final book to reach this shores still..... But farewell and goodbye Good Sir, your stories will live on within millions of readers who (may accidentally) stumbled upon your works....

p.s. - I found out that in later publishing, the covers of Pratchett's books had improved somewhat :)

Vain vain Vanity Yay!

I was vain (2013) and still am :)

Of Star Wars and Pink Netbooks

My housemates never watched Star Wars before, and as I am so hyped for the latest 

installment this December ("The Force Awakens"), I had to force them to watch both 

previous trilogies on my Bluray player (and yes, I have the box dvd, every fan should 

have wot?)

So, two nights ago we started on “Star Wars IV; A New Hope” and last night we 

continued with “Star Wars V; The Empire Strikes Back”. When I asked them when do

 they think the films were made, both said maybe earlier this millennium. When I told them the first movie was released in 1977, they cannot believe it at first. Heck, even I 
cannot believe it myself while watching starcruisers chasing the 
Millennium Falcon on glorious HDTV. Its cinematic orgasm, I tell ye!

Anyway that is beside the point. I was born a year after the first Star Wars, 
but was only

 able to watch it in the late 1980s, when we had our first colour tv. I didn't understand 

much at the time, but heck EVERYBODY knows Darth Vader. I even wished to grow up to be a Sith Lord (no secret there to those who knew me). Galactic domination! Red 

lightsabers are cool! And to kill anyone through tv screens! Yay!

(Makes me very good in reading people... and then manipulating them later)

I am typing all this using an Acer netbook. My Asus notebook died on me after only a 

year (making me hate the brand and not wanting to do anything with it anymore). A 

netbook is indeed smaller, and WAY slower. But it does it job, as I only use this 
netbook to blog and do some light work and browsing.

But some people just cannot understand why the colour is pink.... 
(“It’s so not you....”) I told them

 that was the only colour left, when all the blues, reds and silvers were out of stock. 
And is it so hard

 to imagine a Sith Lord with a pink death ray console?

Anyhow I read somewhere; it is a very brave man who sports pink (not gay, ok!)

Hazing the Neighbours....

This picture was taken earlier today, at 10.50 am. Nope, it wasn't fog. It's the bloody haze.

My school is on top of a hill, Bukit Merchat (or Mer-chut Hill to you English speaking people). We have a spectacular view of the surrounding, and from over elevation, can see kilometres away. The haze has made this impossible for months now...

Indonesia is on fire.... The country surrounding Malaysia is burning its jungles for new plantations. Smoke and ash are spread throughout South East Asia and the neighbouring countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines are affected. This happens EVERY FREAKING YEAR!

The air was so polluted that some states close schools because of the high API (air pollution index). In the picture, our API is about 128.... Just imagine in south Sumatra, Indonesia, some parts reached 800 - 1000 units.

And yesterday in the news, a minister from Indonesia asked why must they apologize for the haze?

....... some people are born stupid it seems....

Almost A Year Without Blogging....

Facebook kills blogging.....

I used to blog frequently once. And made it a point to post a few entries every month without fail. I met many good people here, read their blogs and commenting on their posts. And they did the same with mine too.

Then enter Facebook.... (I don't do any Instagram, Tweeter etc as I see no point in having more social accounts.) Snapping a picture and updating it online is SO easy with my mobile phone. Updating a status anytime, anywhere and anyhow is a breeze, with some clicks on the digital keyboard.

I was enthralled, like the millions of people all over the planet.

Facebook is king. Everybody must have an account. Everybody must be connected there. There is no escape.

Once upon a time I believed that e-mail @ the internet killed snail mail. I had some penpals all over the globe and we wrote religiously to each other MONTHLY. As the age of the internet peaked in the late 90s, I found it was tedious to write long, descriptive pages. This sentiments must be shared by my penpals as we all drifted from each other.... and I have none left.

All this for the sake of progress (?)

Now I think I should start blogging all over again. (Yes yes I know some of you have heard this before). I will try to limit my time on Facebook, and give blogging a go once again.

May the Force be with me. Yay!