just write...

...whether you darn like it or not.

25/06/09

11.16 a.m. I'm sitting at the teacher's desk in Form 4 class. I wonder if my students like this subject at all - English for Science & Technology. Let me tell you something - I'm trying to figure out how to make my students do their work. I forgot how it was when I was a high school student, a Form 4 student sitting and learning new things every Mondays to Fridays a few years back [in this very class]. Did I find school interesting? Or any of 'my' subjects interesting? Sure. I had one or two. I wish there was this subject during my time. 2001. About eight years ago. Geez. I'm that old already and these students are that much younger than me. Dang. But nevermind, everyone grows older by the tick of the clock or by the bell (school bell) that just rang. Oh, no! Not one student has handed his or her work yet? Am I that bad a teacher? Why am I in this proffession, anyway? Yeah. Because I had no choice? "Bagus jadi 'housekeeper' di hotel". That was nonsense. This whole piece of writing is nonsense. Just trying to keep and keep on writing without pausing. Well, to be be (Oh, no! I repeated the 'be') completely honest, I did pause but it wasn't for more than 30 seconds. Just to let you know - the second bell just rang. It's 11.30 a.m. Sharp on the dot! How? How?! How many will hand in their work? I've got fifteen students in this class. How many will do their work? How many will actually be responsible enough to hand in their work? The students from the other class are done. They are waiting outside. I'm going to stop writing. Give them the green light to come into the class. Whoooo....

Please excuse any found grammatical errors. It's not like I wanted it there.

Something I wrote in class while the students did the writing assignment I gave them. Except for the words in the square brackets, sentence four. No, I didn't bring my laptop to class. Just transferred what I wrote in my spiral-bound note book into the virtual surface of this blog. By the way, out of the fifteen students, nine handed in their work. The word 'tomorrow' (or perhaps a big fat 'never') is shaking its arse across their foreheads. No, I don't hate my students. It's more likely that they hate the teacher.

Okay, I need to go pee. I just had to say that.

*Mood Bug*

No, no... Don't you block my way... Now, talk to me...
Last Monday's just not quite over yet...

I was browsing and surfing and all that stuff over on the vast digital world of the Internet.

I fell in love with this song. And perhaps, became an instant fan of this singer.

I Was Here - Lady Antebellum (Brice Williams).

The song is found. ;)

Wildlife Park

My Sunday morning today wasn't my time to doze and laze away in bed until seven. I had to be up earlier. The scheduled destination: Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. Went with a group of students from the Nature's Club and two other teachers and their 'plus--es'. I didn't go with the mini-bus - took a ride in the principal's car. Ain't that the better choice? 'Course it is. ;)

I won't be dumping out all the details into a large mixing bowl for you to see and read. I'll spare you from that. What I can say is that the park has had some changes (from the words of someone who has been there). Simply put: I got to see the improved version of the area on my very first visit! The impression I got is that it'll continue to improve from the two or three sections of the park that were closed for entry because of the development progress or maintenance taking place.

Anyway, there was one bird that I would have wanted to have as a pet. Too bad it's origin isn't from anywhere around in this country. The feathers - it was red! Bright red! Hey, two others wanted it too. If I'm not mistaken, it's one of those parrot species. The other parrots were talking a whole string of nonsense. Those birds.

Oh by the way, I thought I saw "Promiscuous Monkey" on the mini boards placed at different spots in the park. It was actually "Proboscis Monkey". 55555!!!


Now, isn't that the coolest pose you have ever laid your set of eyes on?

Wish I had my own camera to take some shots of the day's events. Especially of myself. Kidding. A black cat has made its path across me when it comes to cameras this year. I'm serious about that. Ughh.

Anyway, I'm glad I agreed to join this trip. It wasn't bad. Not at all. ;)

Brilliance in the Written Form

My answer's this.. It's radiant because it's beaming with something so addictive.. You can't possibly miss the sight of that curve on the edge of those lips..

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could,
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

-Stanza 2-

-Stanza 3-

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The above: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I'd put a thumbs-up for this.

We're gambling with choices every day. At some point, it gets pretty tough. You make the wrong step - you get unsteady and stumble (possibly fall, too). You make the right step - you sigh with relief. You're torn with what's laid on the table in front of you. Choices, choices. Then, the consequences. Oh... such a long windy tale to tell. Wonder how'd it be if we didn't need to think so hard. If we could save ourselves from the possibilities of consequences.

Dang. Just, dang.

Framed Moments

So you reach some place, one that makes you look around and makes you think and say, "So, this, is where I'll be staying..." which is somewhere between a question and simply a blunt statement. The tone of that carries hints of wishing you weren't where you were at that particular moment.

This episodic moment happened on a hot and humid afternoon two Sundays ago. It was the last day of May. Sweat was dampening my T-shirt. Then, there was that sticky-ickish feeling (from the sweat) of which I think, if someone said something irritating to my face right then and there, my temper would have flared.

Ha. Kidding.

We... were the newcomers. I bet there was a little more self-consciousness there since we got a little more attention. Expected. I can imagine how'd it be like if the situation was vice versa - me, the villager. We were in a village where the only access out was up a steep hill. Now, I don't mean to make this place sound so disconnected from the outside world of technology and all that. They've got cars parking outside.

"SASS Task Force". All together there were 20 of us, 16 students and 4 teachers - me being the quite useless one. Why did we bring ourselves there at the beginning of a school break? As for my case, I didn't really have a choice. But, neither was I heavily reluctant to go. I made a promise to myself to go along since I didn't do so in the previous one last year. We didn't show ourselves there to promote the school. It was more or less like a "duty of evangelism" (if I got this whole info wrong then it's my bad). We did some work where you get your hands on grass and dirt. A little bit of sunburn expected. And maybe, sore fingers for those who weren't used to that nature of work. That took place in the mornings from Monday to Friday (except for Tuesday - no one showed up to give us work). In the afternoons, it was the kids' + teens' activity where they sang some songs, listened to stories and did some paper cutting activities with us. Night time was when Bible studies were conducted (more to the adults).

I can't make those details any shorter. I'll just say, "Thanks for reading up 'til this point." :)

Anyway, the question is, did all of that meant anything or something to us who came and stayed there for a week long?

Yes. A lot. Because by the time it was a new Sunday, all the students were teary-eyed. The parting was hard. A bond had been created. Even as I'm typing this, I'm a little moist at the eyes thinking of it. I remembered looking back as the van was climbing the hill - there a boy was at the steps, sitting, his small-framed body shaking. He was crying but I couldn't see his face because it was ducked down into his crossed arms. Another boy, as I heard it from one of the students, was all quiet and emotional himself when we were paying our last home visits and saying our goodbyes and well-wishes. The boy couldn't talk. The question, "You miss us already?" made him burst to tears (the student himself couldn't hold back the tears seeing the boy). He was given the hat owned by the student who asked him that question. Something tangible to remember the presence.

A window into our afternoon activities.





Me with the 7-year-old girl who became my student.


Most probably I'll share a little more about this whole experience in my next post(s). It meant something to me. Maybe more than just something. I'm pretty sure the rest of us who went there felt the same.

Happy Sabbath to those who have dropped by today ~

Malam Pertama

First night. That's what the title is. And no - I didn't mean it as in losing my virginity to some guy that I just tied the knot with. The news that I want to tell you (no one in particular) is I've finally moved out into the 'apartment' that I blogged about briefly in one of my previous post. So, June 10, 2009 is the lucky date. Not bad. I had a good night's sleep despite the 'load of guilt' that I felt. In my attempt to punish myself, I stuffed myself with these two: maggi, chocolate. Those two in my stomach and something to read before having my late night zZz's. Have you ever felt that slight burning sensation + dryness in your throat? That was what I felt yesterday and I was expecting to wake up with a terrible cough from my Kit-Kat. I think my health meter is going down. Tu lah.. you wished for it.


Harap-harap dapat tengok movie malam ni.. mau kasi lepas stress.