My Raya Photo Diary

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Such bliss to live in a country with such diverse celebrations! Looking forward to great food this long weekend :) All hail ketupat and rendang!

MUSIC CONCERT

The college's music department is organising a concert come 27 November (at night). This is the fourth time running and it should be good. A variety of classical and contemporary pieces performed by about 20+ students in a variety of instrument disciplines. Tickets are priced at RM15 and RM20 so if anyone's interested, give me a buzz :)

...................................

Enjoy the weekend everyone! Drive safe, take it easy, and let loose :)

The Incredibles!



Such a fun movie! Definitely more adult than previous Pixar fare, and not as great as Finding Nemo, but definitely a blast! Characters are really hilarious and the superhero parody is just insane!

Fun fun fun.

The Pyramid Tower

Sunway has a new hotel, the bright orange Pyramid Tower. From the outside, the building is really unremarkable. But in the inside, it's actually quite appealing.



Check out the snazzy restrooms.



And the retro cafe seating.

And if you were wondering what I was doing there, well, met a friend for:



:)

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!



Having Halloween Week at CreativeKids where room is darkened and we share ghost stories. Made the awful mistake of telling a scary one when my housemate was out of town. Spent the night alone with every lights on and TV on full blast. Bluergh... hate being horrified.

Have been incredibly busy but am now incredibly liberated!!! Finished 3 reports amounting to 20,000 words on top of earlier assignments of about 10,000 in all. But it's done and I've finished my first semester in my Masters program!!! HOORAH!!!

Long weekend coming up. All the best everyone and enjoy :)

Updates

Phew, had such a hectic past week. LAN visit came and went. Then had workshops at Sekolah Sri Aman for 2 days. Parents came over the weekend. And this week, new semester has started so it's back to full working hours as usual. Exhausting... top off with assignments due for my Masters, of which this is the 2nd last week of my first semester! Will have a glorious one week break before I take on 2 more subjects. Argh...

Meng and HL came by on Sunday for a visit and they dropped a surprise! Thanks guys for the belated birthday gift :)

Resident Evil Rocks!

After a long hiatus from the cineplexes, decided to give GSC some of my business and watched two movies over the weekend. The first was the sappy but feel good Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement. Pretty funny stuff though very light hearted :) Great movie for little girls and princesses wannabe's. Haha...

The one that got me piqued was Resident Evil: Apocalypse! Just watch the trailer, how cool is that? Never a fan of gratuitious violence and gore galore, I am however inclined towards movies/tv shows with macho heroine chicks (eg Charmed, Xena, Lara Croft) and Alice in RE:A is so cool! Forgiving the crappy dialogue and really funny looking zombies (I swear those extras look like they are about to burst into laughter at their silliness in some scenes), the movie overall is fun. Nice pacing, not too overdrawn, and ending hints at a sequel. Fun :)

Now I'm looking forward to Shark's Tale and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!

Yawns...

Am so sleepy. Slept late last night because I forgot about an assignment that was due today! Haha... talk about pot calling kettle black. And here I go in class telling students to always do work on time and commit. Then again, students study fulltime... and they don't have work and a house full of kids to reckon with :) Anyways, 4 weeks left in my first semester so crunch time is coming!

..........

Petrol prices went up. I wonder how many people went to queue at petrol stations last night to fill up. 5 cents is almost negligible and considering how countries like the US have their petrol prices almost double, we're pretty lucky to have the government buffering the prices for us. Though as usual, I'm sure there'll be the tirade against 'exorbitant' price increase and blah blah blah. Ah well...

..........

LAN is coming in 2 weeks. Hoorah... bluergh.... Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks!



My birthday banana says it all! Had a good birthday this year, kicked off with the monthly company birthday makan for all September babies, and then a surprise party at home with family, and then another surprise party at a student's place where they conned me with a mooncake gathering, and finally a surprise cake party by colleagues :) I had a lot of cake, well wishes, and greetings from good friends. Thanks everyone!

HOT NEWS!!! I am so happy :)

SpongeBob Drips More Episodes
Wed Sep 22, 4:04 PM ET
NEW YORK - Looks like SpongeBob is getting squeezed for more screen time.
AP Photo
Related Links
•
SpongeBob SquarePants (Yahoo! TV)

"SpongeBob SquarePants," the popular animated Nickelodeon show, is returning with 20 all-new episodes, set to premiere on the cable channel sometime in 2005 after the big square sponge and his undersea friends soak on the big screen.

"What could be better than announcing that the world's most beloved and optimistic sea sponge is coming back with 20 new episodes?" asked Nick President Cyma Zarghami Wednesday. "SpongeBob is the most successful property in our 25-year history, and we're thrilled to bring his fans more adventures from Bikini Bottom. And maybe he'll finally get his driver's license."

The series, which follows the absorbent adventures of a talking sponge and his best friend Patrick in the underwater lair of Bikini Bottom, launched in July 1999 and has became a sensation with kids and adults alike. Many fans believed there would be no more "SpongeBob" on the tube after the toon's upcoming film.

Not true, according to show creator and executive producer Stephen Hillenburg.

"While I'm completing the day-to-day production of the SpongeBob feature film," said Hillenburg. "I am also looking forward to overseeing the creation of these new SpongeBob episodes for television."

"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" hits theaters Nov. 19.

MidAutumn Festival!

Over the weekend, I've decked my house with paper lanters, approximately 20 in total. Pretty! Have always loved the MidAutumn Festival. And the mooncakes! Nyam... kids should be surprised today. We did the Legend of Chang Er last week so they are getting into the groove of things :)







Saturday should be fun. Have reserved seats for those who confirmed. Haven't seen most of the films myself (wouldn't go if I have). And then will be headingback to Melaka the morning after. On leave till Wednesday just for the heck of it! Woohoo...

College is having it's monthly birthday staff bash tomorrow... so that means free cake and chocolates for birthday people! Yay! Unfortunately, unlike most months, there's 13 people celebrating their birthdays this month so cake portions likely to not be as generous. Darn... Also have a colleague sharing the same birthday so presents from colleagues will also likely be divided. Double darn. But birthdays are fun nevertheless... never quite mind being the older. Am actually enjoying life older than younger. :)

Anyways, enough rambling. I'm just enjoying a brief respite between assignments. Come next week and it'll be back to hitting the books (or in this case, online documents). Ciao!

Long Weekend

Back from the weekend and will be work as usual tomorrow, darn. :) Well, looking forward to the end of the month for another long weekend! Hehe... anyways, here's some snapshots of my weekend (thanks to my new cellphone with it's teeny weeny cam).



Nandos! Had such a great meal. Sigh... comfort food.



Had a Sate Celup dinner to celebrate mom's birthday. Good stuff :)



Food offerings for Grandad's death anniversary.



My Grandma's collection of erm, animal figurines. Lots of history there, mostly tacky ones.



Here's Grandma making 'chai pau' or vegetable pau. Nyam...

Also,

SenseWorld
A Sensory Exploration with Multimedia

15-16 September,
Theater,
3rd Floor,
MSC International College.

Free admission, do drop by if you guys are free :)

Wednesday! But it feels like Monday?

Yay! It feels like a 3-day weekend! Bliss... plus semester's over so no classes for me until OCTOBER!!! WOOHOO!!! All I have to do now is to finish the exams and marking and I have the entire work day to myself :) (Well, have to study but at least I can do it at work and go back to my Astro at nights!).

Am such a shallow but happy man. Plus I have tonnes of leave to use up! Sigh... happy happy happy...

Happy Birthday Malaysia!



Here's to another great year!

TGIF? No... it's TGI-HOLIDAY!!!

As the title indicates, am ecstatic because I have a long weekend coming up. Took leave so can rest, hangout, and spend time with family members who are coming up for a visit. Also need some time to finish another Master's assignment but not going to dwell on that for now.

Family from the States might come down but with standby tickets no one really knows whether they will make it or not. Keeping fingers crossed though and hope they do. Will be nice to meet them again :)

Was late for work yesterday because a stupid squirrel ran into the house and didn't know how to get out. Jumped on furniture, pulled on curtains and ended up in the downstairs room. I was kinda afraid to enter (afraid it will jump on me and gouge my eyes out or something) so I did the next best thing. I send Biscuit in. Hehe... I kinda see Biscuit like a dog. He's just too burly and aggressive to be a bunny. Anyways, he didn't do much but hopped a bit and went back to the garden. Took me awhile but with a broom and a pillow (for a shield), managed to chase the poor rodent out of the house and then rushed off to work (on foot).

Anyways, am on half day leave today, leave tomorrow and another half day on Monday! WOOHOO! Holiday, holiday, holiday...

Reflections

Been having some soul searching of late. A few incidents prompted it. One was the realisation that I've spent 6 months at my current job! And it just whizzed by. I can remember how every month at my previous job was so slow coming. Thinking about things like this prompted a flashback (which is always good to have to keep you grounded and forward).

10 months ago:
- Seemingly pointless job and zero career path made me turn in my resignation. Also prompted by boss who never kept his word. Promises should always be kept.

8 months ago:
- Began job hunting in earnest. Offered a part-time teaching position at The One for Business Management. Never taught before and was intimidated as I really know nothing about Business Management but jumped into it and enjoyed it.

7 months ago:
- Job hunting was not going well, probably because I wasn't keen on most of the prospects. Decided to change tack and apply for lecturing positions.
- Feb 2004 was both a blissful relaxing month but also stressful as after 3 months of job hunting, no jobs were forthcoming. Finally got my current job 2 days before I took a break to go to Cambodia.

6 months ago:
- Kicked off new job and had a whole new lease on life. Amazing how perspective can change so much so quickly.

5 months ago:
- A last minute decision made me rent an entire house which will have cost me half my salary. Jumped into it with eyes closed and started CreativeKids. Realised that if I didn't commit, my hopes for a side business will never materialise so commit I did. No students = no money to pay rent = unthinkable.

4 months ago:
- CreativeKids kicked off with 2 students in the first week. House has also been done up and things seem positive.

2 months ago:
- Student numbers reached the 10 student mark! A target I thought will take half a year to achieve, not 2 months. Although am working harder than ever before, it's very rewarding to be in control of your life.

1 month ago:
- Signed up for a Masters in Online Education. Realised that after working full-time and with CreativeKids, I still have time to spare so didn't want to waste it. Am going to do all I can now to achieve goals before I hit 30.

Today:
- Bike is stolen but inconsequential. In 10 months, I've moved from being grumpy, directionless, and lethargic, to being driven, positive, and pumped. It's an amazing experience and all it took was the decision to quit. Risks must always be taken for rewards to come to play. Never believed in that (always played it safe) until now.

:)

Mulling over a monday

Yawns... woke up this morning thinking that I had no job (flashback to when I quit) and it felt both exhilirating and scary. Then realised I had a job and became tired all over again. Hahahahaha... weird.

Had a good weekend with family. Spent time chilling out and doing some shopping. Ikea was fun as usual. Had 15 meatballs, a hotdog, and a currypuff for lunch. Burp... Every weekend with family around I tend to overeat. Argh... lethargic...

Two assignments for Masters due end of this week. Argh... and I have an evening class every Monday now till 8pm. Double argh...

Yawns...

When I get peeved, which is actually rather often, the following three phrases will likely be on my mind :)




On another note, Dominose has ran away. Hope he is well. Search party of one will commence this evening.

You light up my life

Weekend was a blast, albeit unproductive. After the talk at The One, which was admittedly mediocre, I rushed off to Ikea to find the roads clear, and Ikea as empty as a weekday. Deduced it to be due to the deluge of traffic heading towards the Hush Puppies and Diethelm warehouse sales. Hehe... couldn't be happier :)

Ikea was great! Sale's on so stuff is cheap. Got me a lot of knick knacks. My living area or CreativeKids hub now has 10 lamps! I so love lights. Can go from classroom lights to romantic to soft with a few switch clicks. And removed all fluorescent tubes. Homes should not have fluorescent tubes. Too bad I don't own the place or I'll remove everyone! My room itself has 5 lighting options :)

On another note, ground floor tenant has moved out. I'm thrilled. More space, more privacy and more freedom! Woohoo! Plus no more icky baby smell. It just makes me feel like I'm at my grandma's place. Not what I want to smell at home. Bluergh.

Recent flyer exercise has been pretty good. Netted potentially 6-7 students. They're doing the free trials now but hope they stay. If they do, I'll be earning almost half my current salary. Very cool. Although, my current take home earnings (creativekids including) is not even equal to what I was earning at my last job! But now I'm enjoying a much greater spending power and doing a whole lot more. Goes to show it's not how much you earn but what you do with it. :)

Working hours at work has changed to 930 - 6. This means I could sleep as late as 9am if I wanted to. BLISS! :)

Incoherent babbling

This week hasn't been too great class wise. Have been resorting to more incoherent babbling than usual! Wonder why though since I'm feeling pretty good with August on it's way. Maybe it's all the late night studying. Derailing my trains of thought. Hmm...

Doing the Masters online is a pretty novel affair. Taking 2 classes, one with 77 students and the other with 46, and they come from everywhere though the majority is Australia. It's actually quite fun (if you disregard the assignments). :)

Streamyx has been up and running for the second week now and already I can't imagine life without it. Streamyx (and Astro) are my two best friends. Life is just so much more fun with them around :)

With the help of students (or rather part-time workers since I paid them), I have distributed 2000 flyers around the neighbourhood. Am hoping this will help jumpstart some numbers for CreativeKids. Really too bad that no other classes are running except for mine. Might have to resort to hiring outside teachers if I want to get the place up and running.

It's Tuesday with 3 days to the weekend. Giving a talk at One Academy on Saturday. Yay! Talks there are fun to do. Lots of eye candy :) (slaps self for shallow, but true, remark).

Blushing and burping
 
Am finding it a tad difficult to concentrate at work when colleagues and students are cultivating the fancies of a group of female students who erm, find me 'cool' and have asked about my availability and weirdly my starsign in less than direct means. Tsk tsk... students nowadays... must stop my face turning red though, kinda hard to be stern and strict while blushing. One plus point is that I have higher than usual intakes for my department :) Hehe...
 
Had such a good lunch. Great 'nasi goreng cendawan' with a dessert of dried mangoes and chocolates. Sweet tooth very satisfied. Nyam...

On another note, have started a new blog as a study journal record for my masters. Those inclined are welcomed to drop by :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HL!
 
First up, a big birthday greeting to HL who celebrated his 25th birthday last Saturday :) And with that done, well, where's the cake?
 
..........
 
Had a good weekend back home, doing usual home stuff like eating and tv. Did somewhat of a bigger than usual pigging out session simply because from today onwards, I'll be majorly swamped. Outside of work, my Master program has started so homework and studying will have to take some priority. Am also giving a two-day talk at The One come the end of the month so there's also that to prepare for. Plus two new CreativeKids classes kicking off in August so that's another to do on my list. Not forgetting the current Creative Writing classes. I hope I'm not being too ambitious but if I get grumpy and more reserved than usual, you'll know why!
 
Have to postpone board meeting to maybe August or later, simply because of the above. Will have to settle the talk and the new classes first before I have a better measure of my time. But will be good to catch up with Jacq and Aimo. Let me know when you guys are free :)
 
.........
 
Had an orientation program for new students today. One of my Multimedia students didn't know how to spell 'multimedia'. How promising...

Board games, themeparks, and rabbits

Finally got my board games I ordered from Amazon. Arrived in mint condition and quickly took them out for some play action. Here's the verdict.

1. Vampire Hunter:
A unique game where you play in the dark. Game board comes with a built in light that switches from night to day revealing different things on the board. Basically when blue light is on, all blue toned images become invisible and vice versa with red. Takes 30 mins for first time set up and 10 mins to finish. Needless to say, stupidly designed game, albeit with a neat concept.

2. Roller Coaster Tycoon:
Looks exactly like the computer version. Fun game, objective being to 'buy' as many attractions and see who gets the most guests. Very cool, very fun. Although a tad quick. Game ends in less than an hour.

3. Nascar Pictionary
Your standard Pictionary but Nascar themed. Made the mistake of assuming that the theme extended only to the board design. Apparently, everything is Nascar themed so words such as 'brakes', 'harness', 'speed zone' are common. TOUGH!

Should be an interesting board meeting :)

~~~~~~~~~~

Genting was alright. Weather was gorgeous. The first time I go to Genting without a camera and they have this awesome weather and just amazing cloud formations. First time I've seen a rainbow ringed cloud. Really spectacular. Everything else is just the usual. Genting fails to excite after the 8th or so visit within 3 years.

~~~~~~~~~

Woke up this morning to realise that Dominose is ill. Has an open wound which is badly infected. Very gross, very disgusting. He's now in the vet undergoing a minor surgery to clean the wound, suture, and undergo antibiotic treatment. Biscuit and myself to be blamed. Biscuit for biting him and me for not getting someone to come over when I was away. Paying the price of pet neglect. Sigh....

~~~~~~~~~~

Have a good day ahead everyone!

Holiday beckons!

Next week is the mid-semester break for the college so I can finally take leave! Academic staff can only go leave during semester breaks, a little sucky but we get 20 days annually. So am off for three days and going to go spend time in Genting come Monday! WOOHOO!!! Genting, here I come!



ps: Genting mega savings room rates mean one night only costs RM18. El cheapo!

On a student proposal...

Materials: semen, stone, toy, water

Construction: First, build a square platform as a base, then mix with water with semen and put into the base...

I should have asked him where he gets his supplies. Gawd...

The morning after...

Yawns... sleepy and cold on a slow moving Thursday evening. Reeling from the after effects of Wednesday TV night. Spent the entire evening/night glued to the TV. Here's what I watched:

6:30pm - Justice League
7:00pm - Playhouse Disney Channel
7:30pm - Just Shoot Me
8:00pm - The Amazing Race 5 Pilot
9:30pm - The Practice (midway)
10:00pm - CSI
11:00pm - Random channel surfing
11:30pm - Charmed

Finally got to bed at 12:30am... yawns... for me that's late. Am usually in bed by 11pm, except for Wed TV night of course. :)

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Love the weather of late. Beautiful crisp mornings. Nice cool evenings. Perfect! Times like this, I'm glad I'm able to take in the morning sun, rather than having to rush off at 6am to get to work like before.

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Masters kicking off soon. Getting a tad nervous. Also a little weird to be on the receiving end of e-learning :) Am so used being the one on the other side of the LMS, and now lecturing rather than studying. But am keen to start. Already making friends with a whole lot of Aussie folks. Unfortunately, I seem to be the baby of the bunch. Everyone else seems to be in late thirties onwards, very professional people with tonnes of experience. Daunting...

---------

Friday tomorrow! Hoorah!!!

Bringing out the Simon in you

Had another review class for the final semester Multimedia Design students this morning. Really would like to be supportive and encouraging but always end up emulating America's infamous critic. Among phrases I repeatedly use:

'That's just normal, where's the creative concept?'

'Speak in English, I can't understand you.'

'And when are you going to finish?'

'Did you start sketching yesterday?'

'How are you going to pass?'

Needless to say I'm not exactly the most popular lecturer around. Hehehe, not here to win a popularity contest however. So out with the niceties, in with the whip. *LASH*

In a similar vein, anyone out there in the Multimedia industry who will like to be an external moderator for my department? Give me a buzz, there's a small honorarium (money) but you must be a competent multimedia professional. Very little work one, no worries. Buzz me :)

Berbahasa

Selepas menimbangkan cadangan rakan kita Kotakkosong, saya memutuskan untuk menggunakan Bahasa Melayu untuk paparan 'blog' saya pada hari Isnin yang biru ini. *menguap*

Seperti yang biasa, hari Isnin sememangnya tidak dialu-alukan. Kalaulah dapat tidur 5-6 jam lagi, barulah kepuasan lebih berimpak. Malangnya, tiada apa yang dapat kita lakukan. Sedihnya.

Hujung minggu saya yang lalu hanya sederhana. Bergotong royong di pejabat pada hari Sabtu, mengosongkan bilik setor. Selepas itu, saya pergi menonton 'orang labah-labah kedua' pada malam hari. Tersangat bagus, penggunaan kesan-kesan istimewa dan cara lakonan sungguh menakjubkan! Tiada terasa pun betapa kelakarnya nama 'Tobey', pelakon utama tayangan itu.

Pada hari Ahad, saya membantu rakan saya memulakan kelas bimbingan matematiknya di 'Studio Budak-budak Kreatif'. Saya terpegun dengan kadar harge kelas itu. Pada RM35 sejam, dengan 4 jam seminggu, rakan saya mampu mengaut keuntungan yang bersamaan dengan apa yang diraut saya dengan hanya 11 murid! Bidang kerja ini sememangya mampu membawa untung! *bermimpi*

Sebelum DBP datang menyaman saya kerana merosakkan bahasa Melayu, baik saya menamatkan paparan ini untuk seketika. Semoga hari Isnin yang biru ini membawa kegembiraan kepada rakan-rakan sekalian!

(cubaan berbahasa saya sememangnya sedih....)

Oh Mandy...

Yawns... weekend was full and tiring. As per usual, had to clean the house on weekends and considering that the house is relatively large, and I'm doing it alone, it's quite an effort. Plus there's the garden to tend, house plants to take care, aquariums to clean, and rabbits to baby. Gosh... I have the utmost respect for mothers the world over.

Was also busy with designing logos for a competition. Very tough considering that the logo is for the Board of Engineers and I had no idea what to depict. Took the entire weekend and a week of sketching before that to come out with two mediocre work. Sigh... hope I win maybe consolation.

Also took time to distribute flyers. It's really amazing how humbling it can be. People give weird looks to people who distribute flyers. Must be what garbagemen and all those other jobs the general population relatively look down upon, be like. Was uncomfortable for awhile but couldn't be bothered after. The only thing that bothers me a lot though is the dogs. Argh... hate having a dog bounding towards you and you rushing to get the flyer in and buck out. Dogs terrify me (though I still love the nice ones).

And oh, had weird but strangely pleasant dream last night :) First up, met Donald Duck. So cute but weird meeting a blabbing incoherent duck in sailor uniform. AND I met WESTLIFE! Hahaha... not like I'm a fan but well, t'was interesting :)!

Bunny Battle Royale

Wombat is now in USJ with me :) Decided that I have enough space in the backyard to cope with three bunnies. They did try to fight a bit but they've all somewhat settled in their own spaces. Don't know why but from being good bunny friends, the three of them now are aggresively territorial. Maybe it's the hormones...

So glad it's a Friday. Has been a very lethargic and tiring week. Don't quite know why though, probably a mental event. What with evicting tenants and deciding on a Masters. Can't wait to sleep in tomorrow. Hoorah!

Tenant making it difficult, pleaded for me to reconsider. I will not. People who open unopened biscuit tins and take your biscuit are downright rude and annoying. So OUT they go. Giving a reminder letter to them today, very the harsh but what to do.

Anyone free this weekend to lend me a hand distributing more flyers? Dinner treat on me! :) Let me know yeah!

Getting seasick in choppy waters

It seems like change is the theme for this year! Getting a little nauseated with all the tumult but moving ever onwards.

First up, plan to do my Masters. Don't want to put it off anymore. Since I'm quite comfortable being in education, a Masters will definitely be useful. Planning to do a Masters in Online Education. Seems to be more relevant (and a little more fun) than an MBA.

Also evicted my ground floor tenant. A little scary in the sense that budget will be tighter but I don't plan to give up CreativeKids anytime soon. Instead hoping to double student numbers by year end. And AIMO! Where forth art thou? Back in USJ yet?

Anyways, tenant made a pretty emotional plea for continuing his tenancy. Apparently his wife is 7 months into term. Now, if I had known that, I wouldn't have wanted him renting in the first place. No place for a baby in my home. So notice has been given. Have to put my needs before sympathy. Plus I've had enough of pilfered food.

And oh, thanks Meng for the chang! Nyam... love them except for the Chinese one. Didn't quite fancy that but Rick liked it. Thanks!

Board games coming by end of month. Will let you guys know when the next board meeting is :)

It's a Friday! Oh joy!

Weeks seem to be zooming by very quickly lately. Possibly because days are much fuller. Unlike my previous job, where work comes in unpredictable bits, teaching in a college is somewhat more predictable, although very time consuming. There are always lesson plans to prepare, students to entertain, classes to go to, and papers to mark, and on top of that, being the Head of Department also means working with the part-timers and a lot of forms to fill and sign. And then at nights, there's CreativeKids :) Now, there's a real challenge!

Have a new student who the parent proudly mentioned as having completed one of those kiddy franchise language programs. Don't know how to break it to the mom though but her son is the slowest in the class. He can write well enough but seems to be unable to think on his own. Says a lot about franchise programs. Tsk tsk...

The boy is also a troublemaker. You could see everyone's eyes suddenly got bigger when I raised my voice, stood to full stature and sent someone to a corner. Muahahahahaha...

It's such a challenge though... you need to be both educating and entertaining. Very rewarding learning experience. Reinforces my decision that having kids is something you have to think twice over, and then twice over again. I think I'll just get a dog.

Am also considering taking up an MBA. Anyone keen? Hoping to get a buddy to get in the program with me :)

My room

Was cleaning up the house as usual on Sunday (managing a house is tough) so after 2 hours of sweeping, mopping and wiping (did I say tough?), and rubbing off pencil marks from my tables, decided to do my room (2 hours just for the ground floor). Remembered I had a wallpaper mural that I hadn't opened so well, decided to put it up and here's the result :)



Ah... bliss... now I can put on my Deep Space Nine Trekkie outfit, hit my Voyager comm badge, and play pretend. Some boys never grow up...

~

And oh, anyone seen these wizards?

Earth to erm, Earth

Am in a jolly good mood this morning :) Never underestimate the power of good nasi lemak! After years of crackers and soymilk for breakfast, having nasi lemak is so great! Wished I could do it daily, although my body probably wouldn't appreciate me for it!

Life has been tumultous but not all in a bad way. Lots to think about, lots of changes but keeping pace and staying focused. A parent dropped a note the other day saying how much her kids (she sent 2 of her sons for Creative Writing) loved the class and she wanted to thank me for inculcating a joy for learning in them. Never felt so pleased in such a long time :)

Work has been at a pretty upbeat pace. Semester slowly kicking in and assignments and exams are slowly looming. Am already building a reputation as a no nonsense, stern lecturer and already students are complaining. Although being the head of department as well, there really have no one to complain to but me! Muahahahahaha... lazy students are gonna die. No tolerance for late submissions and late classes. Muahahahahahahaha....

Hope everyone is doing good. When is Chun and Saw coming back anyways? Need kaki for 'board' meeting. :)

Watch the upswing!

Am in a better mood of late. Guess I have resolved some things in my life and there are some new events and people that's putting things in perspective. Good to be moving on.

So thrilled with the prospect of The Prisoner of Azkaban! Got my tickets already for Saturday night. Just can't wait :) Also looking forward to a family outing to Sunway Lagoon this Sunday. Gonna be fun fun fun! Although am breaking my bank just a wee bit, especially since I'm also planning a Genting escapade in July. Must always never forget to pamper oneself... wonder why my colleagues think I'm thrifty though. For someone with zero savings, thriftiness isn't in my vocabulary (well, it is, but you know what I mean).

Celebraring student number 12! Although not all have confirmed since some are still using their free trial classes, I'm just happy to have the warm response. Classes are quite fun and kids getting boisterous, probably because a guy with rabbits in his backyard can't be all that evil now, can he? :) Hope to be able to convert them all to paying students soon but in the meantime, finally reaping some profits from the ones who have finished the free May classes! Made just enough to pay off my Astro subscription and installation. Yay!

Hope all of you guys are well. Chun and Saw seems to be having a ball! Let's all meet for another 'board' meeting when everyone's back :)

Rabbit Run

Went down the hall last night to see two eyes staring back at me from the dark porch. Thinking it was a cat (who infuriates me by swishing at my outside fishies) I went out only to realise it was Dominose and Biscuit who have learnt to hop over the lower fenced grille and run outside. Took awhile and a lot of running and jumping to catch them and bring them back. Argh... need to get more wire mesh now.

Caught Shrek 2 last night. Outside of idiotic parents and their loud mouth kids (to be expected with any kiddie appeal movie), it was alright. Fun watch but nothing mind-blowing. Looking forward to Potter though, especially with Dementors, Hippogrifs, Boggarts and so much more! Fun fun fun...

Decided on a whim to indulge in an Astro subscription. Just feel like some material pampering and what's better than satellite tv? :) Needless to say, Enterprise has something to do with it. Looking at Streamyx as my next target.

Looking forward to the weekend as always. Has been a whirlwind week that I'm glad is ending. First week of classes as well at work, so quite an experience.

Greater Meaning

Am such a big fan of the Star Trek franchise. And have just been catching up on the Enterprise showing on Astro. Reluctant to bug my aunt on a Sunday night but too tempting to resist. Sigh, just listening to the opening theme gives me goosebumps. It's such a great notion of having humanity united towards seeking a greater meaning. And the star ships plain rock! Hai... what would I give to be able to work at NASA.

Just got back from a last minute roadshow to Muar yesterday evening. Really don't mind the roadshows. Get to go out, stay at a hotel, check out a new town, and get on average RM 100 in claims per day :) Don't mind it at all except for the fact that most of the roadshows we go to are to Chinese schools so Mandarin-ignorant me becomes really useless to have around.

Am still generally bummed out. Misspelled 'exercise' during evening English class yesterday. Hope credibility is still intact! One new student who was supposed to come didn't turn up though. Probably because the mom realised that Puchong is really quite a way from USJ and I doubt I'm that good as to warrant the time and expense. Looking forward to catching up with Aimo to make new plans for the drawing classes. Am very pleased that the studio is doing well, at least that's something to keep me occupied and sane before I mull myself into angry depressive Dan again.

Family and most of my extended family in Melaka will be coming up tomorrow morning for a cousin's wedding tomorrow night at Sunway. Should be fun, especially with everyone cramming into 3 houses in USJ, mine, my aunt's and my other cousins. Gonna be hectic but fun. 6 people per bathroom... interesting. Have to do some housecleaning tonight and stock up the fridge. Also going Ikea tomorrow... meeting Jin there probably. Anyone else wanna come? :)

Anyways, thanks guys for the support and consolation. I'm good and will be good especially with so many good friends about. Happy Friday now everyone and to Chun and Saw, have a GREAT trip to the US! :) Get as much rest as you can on the flight and drink lotsa fluids (avoid coffee, tea and alcohol). And don't forget to get me a postcard!

Mid-Week Crisis

This week has been pretty eventful in a lot of ways and am quite drained already. Having diarrhorea from suspect nasi lemak doesn't quite help. Tuition students probably wondering why I keep giving them breaks. Had to empty my stock of MooJooz to tide them over.

It's really amazing how we change as we get older. I can just remember how my problems and priorities used to be so overblown. Taking a bigger view of the world also helps that. Can't help feeling that small things like 2 cents petrol increase and etc. is so diminutive when there are wars fought, and riots, and bombs going off elsewhere in the world. Which is why I'm also very peeved with idiotic house owner who threw garbage bags full of leaves that MPSJ collected and left by the side of the road, everywhere. First of all, you don't own the side of the road, even if it flanks your house. And just think of all that hard work gone to waste?

Maybe am being a little edgy but darnit, even am mad with tenants who don't seem to grasp the subtleties of ownership. When I hit 20 students, (and I hope I do), groundfloor tenants will be given the boot. Just not feeling comfortable with them around. Have 11 students so far though so am pretty glad. At least financially things are better now.

New events really put a new spin on things. Guess I wasn't as accepting of the separation as I thought. And that I don't like, GRR.

Like soda gone flat

Life has been mighty quirky. You know how people say when things are going too well, get ready for a bump. Well, got my bump over the weekend. Nothing quite much to elaborate since not all of you know about this, but for those who do know, well, am going through a trial separation thingy from a loved one. Tough.

Other depressing bits of info will be the insanely anti-climactic and dull Survivor finale. This is the first finale where I called it quits midway and went to sleep. Plus American Idol has lost La Toya and kept incredibly annoyingly smirky Trias instead. Reality shows are only fun when they sway to your opinion, once they don't, appeal is lost fairly quickly.

Have to say that I'm somewhat messed up a bit but no worries, will definitely be alright as always. If there's anything experience has taught me is that you just got to roll with the punches and throw some in when you can :) Like that insanely melancholic song that starts off with... why does the sun go on shining? Well, it does... whacks lyricist.

Ah Monday...

Mosquitoes begone!

Bored? Check this out!

Viridian Room. Amazingly cool game, although insanely difficult. Give it a go :)

Monday Morning Blues
Took me 2 hours to get to work today... yawns. Though, that's about the time it takes to drive from Malacca anyways... hehe...

Weekend was quite alright... or in the words of Randy... aight. Mother's Day was fun, brought my mom clothes shopping and got her a dress. This is my 3rd dress that I got her, and the first one where she tried it first. I usually bring a girl friend to do the fitting for me! Hehe... my mom is notoriously unable to buy nice things for herself so I have to do it for her.

Other than that, satisfied my tv longing by watching repeats of Charmed, Monk, C.S.I., Buffy, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, and most importantly, Enterprise! Dan the incredibly huge trekkie fan has to catch Enterprise whenever possible. Having a late night Sunday timeslot makes it incredibly difficult though. Aimo, where are you?

Am also looking forward to the Survivor Finale this week :) I am liking this month more and more.

Bunnies in the Rain

It was raining last evening and I went out to check on the bunnies. Got a slight scare when I couldn't see them anywhere, not even in the cage (which is the dryest place around). Took out the flashlight and umbrella and found them huddling deep within a serai bush. Don't know whether to laugh at their lack of common sense or aww at the extreme cuteness of the scene. Anyways, took them to the cage and at least now they know how to get in the cage when it rains.

Except for Biscuit that is, who seems to enjoy sitting in the open under light drizzly showers. I really must have rabbits with some 'wild'ness in them. Don't see Wallaby (sob sob) or Wombat ever surviving being wet all the time. Then again, there are rabbits who can swim and there are those that live in swampy areas. Maybe Biscuit is one of those. Hmm...

----------

CreativeKids seems to slowly be picking up. I have 7 students already (excluding my 2 cousins) for Creative Writing. Hope to keep them through free May month and start earning some moolah! Also hope to maybe convert some to the Art classes. Looks like Dan has to do more flyer distribution. Anyone free to help? :)

All work weeks should start on a Wednesday!

Ah, what a blissful weekend. Even the horrendous traffic can not ruin it! Ah... May seems set to be a great month :)

Got back home on Saturday to see Wombat having fairly bad bite wounds on his body. Got real angry especially when I saw the meds the vet gave. Which idiot vet gives a rabbit medicine that is clearly labelled for cows and dogs? Small animals such as rabbits and hamsters do not do well with medicines designed for bigger ones. No wonder Wombat was somewhat down in the dumps. Brought him to a new vet, got 4 jabs and he's back to being himself. Dominose (the evil Wombat biter) and Biscuit (the evil mom biter) is now with me in USJ. They're running loose in my backyard, probably giving hungry cats nightmares.



Biscuit and Dominose.



Here's Biscuit, the nicer of the two.


On another note, petrol is up by 2 cents. Seeing the silly queues and virulent sms'es about filling up before the 1st of May, I'm as usual surprised and embarassed by typical Malaysian behaviour. Queuing in the middle of the night to fill up just so you save less than a ringgit? Someone please help explain.

NEWSFLASH!!!

Popular Bookstores has started their clearance sales from today till Sunday! Books as low as RM1!!! Great books as well, all areas, all topics. I got myself 90 books for a Ringgit each and a RM100 book for only RM10!!! Cheap cheap cheap! :)

Introducing Greymontaro!

Went to get rabbit food yesterday and as usual, everyone stares at the guy in the office suit buying 20kg of rabbit pellets. Anyways, saw an adorable hamster on sale (yes on sale) so decided to get it. So, let me introduce everyone to...



GREYMONTARO! (note, the above isn't him, just a similar breed).

So the studio now has a mammal mascot :) Let me tell you a bit more on Greymontaro. The reason he was on sale is because this hamster is erm, overweight. To put it not nicely, he's so darn fat that he can't even climb up the cage ramp to the 2nd level. Needless to say he's on a diet and on an exercise routine but right now, he's so darn cute! Like a sumo wrestiling hamster.

Also, Greymontaro has all the manners of Dominose. In other words, none. He's aggressive, attacks things and like to bite. Hope to get him toned down as the weeks go by. :)

Anyways, happy long weekend everyone! WOOHOO!!! Back to Melaka I go.

Early Morning Comedic Relief



So funny... :)

Snarling Traffic

Was walking across to Summit on the overhead crossing and decided to stop and 'enjoy' the view. Ah... I'm sure you guys can guess what I'm thinking :)

Feeling Antsy

What a weekend. Studio launch somewhat lacklustre, and felt more like a housewarming, but one where the guests brought the food! Haha... well, at least Survivor the board game was fun, as always. I must remember to bring up my Pokemon board game the next time for the next board game session :)

Am also adding the following board games to my collection. Just ordered them this morning:



In order, the games are Roller Coaster Tycoon (yes, from the PC game), Vampire Hunter (a cool night/day RPG thingy that you play in the dark), and Nascar Pictionary. Will only be getting them much much later but sure can't wait :)

Good to be back

First up, for those of you who are wondering about the sudden flood of pictures, well, just got introduced to a photo hosting site that allowed hot linking. So can finally put my trusty low res cheapo digicam to good use :)

Also, the following blog is somewhat opinionated. Have nothing against ulu areas, or its people, but the combination of events for the past 2 days made things somewhat annoying.

~~~~~

Got back from Simpang Renggam last night. Am so happy to be back. Trip was originally slated for 2 days (woe) but thankfully, due to weak response and miscommunication, we were allowed to leave after 1 day. Yay!

To explain my joy, you have to understand how tiresome roadshows can get. But usually, the organisers treat you pretty well and it's organised in a short burst of activity. Now, this stupid school (name not mentioned), invited colleges during a carnival. Students were too preoccupied with all the events and food to be concerned with their future studies. I mean we all remember Canteen Day right? It's not like we bother with college roadshows then.



Anyways, to top the weak response, you have a school that seems to be populated by idiots (teachers including). You don't invite like 20-30 outside organisations to participate (including a Gen-2 booth) and then don't tell us where to park. Car situation was haphazard to put it nicely. Students seem unable to speak coherently and don't understand what a college is. When there is a big sign saying COLLEGE behind a booth, you don't ask, 'sini buat aper?'. As rudely as I could, I chased away everyone who is not in Form 5. Grr...

And then you should see the toilet. At least, show us the teacher's toilets but no, they directed us to filthy student ones where the toilet cubicle doors are metal grilles with top perforations. Talk about privacy. And there was no sink. Honestly, come on. And to top that of, we were expected to buy coupons (which cannot be refunded) for the food on sale. There wasn't even the usual complimentary mineral water bottle. Anyways, I paid by cash and when some silly ol' teachers threated the stalls to not sell their wares to me, I threatened back by walking away. I got my food, paid in cash and saw a horde of silly teachers fuming and probably cursing 7 generations of my family.

~~~~~~

Simpang Renggam is such an ulu place. After 30 mins of driving, I either ended up in a palm oil estate or en route to another town. Found the only decent looking hotel, and really, decent is being nice. At RM50 a night, well, you can't quite expect all too much. The towels provided were paper thin, the type our grandparents used to wash faces with. Soap was some goats milk thingy, ironically from Batu Berendam Melaka (my hometown). TV was a stunning 14 inch wonder, and beds made you itch. Looking at the lobby, I guess we should have kinda expected it.



And water is provided from this kitchen area, opposite the lobby. Drink water from those bottles? I don't think so.



Was so glad to be on the road again. Some places are just designed for the locals.

Caught this beautiful sky scape on the way back to KL. Pretty.



~~~~~

Woohoo! The book I won arrived! Great looking book as well :) Too bad they don't have a book on Star Trek space ships. Ah well, this will just have to do :)

Snapshots of my Workplace

(pardon the cheapo low res digicam)

1. The corridors in orange and black.



2. The sofa set in the staff room.



3. My desk!

Simpang Rengam Where Forth Art Thou?

I'm off to Simpang Rengam in Johor today for another college roadshow tomorrow. Wished these people would give more than a day's notice. Gah... got to postpone mailbox spamming till Thursday and Friday. Am looking for a map now, where on earth is Simpang Rengam?

Been a little on edge lately. Not to say I've always been patient (I'm not), but I don't usually get unnerved so easily. Just kinda peeved with people who:

1. Ask for an opinion then can't deal with it.
2. Wants everything their way.

Grr... ah well, enough of a mini-rant. Off I go again to Johor!

(ooo, won a coffee table book commemorating 100 years of flight, yay!)

Moving into Hyperdrive

First up, Ipoh was great! It's really a pleasant city, with very nice people, and superb food without the hefty price tag. Enjoyed the trip and would never thought I say this but would definitely love to go back. After numerous work trips to (ack) Penang, Ipoh is such a refreshing change. Work however was a different thing. Doing roadshows at Chinese Schools severely highlight my language handicap. Spent the day saying, 'tui' 'ke yi' and 'ten ee sia'. Sad. Thank goodness for the tauge chicken kuetiau... how I miss thee... and the heang pia's... ah....





Arrived back in USJ on Friday evening and rushed off to my final class at The One Academy. Pretty uneventful except when a student started crying because she couldn't understand the questions. I have no idea how someone with such limited English language understanding can get to final year. Gave in to her request for a dictionary, unfortunately, she still failed the course. Thank goodness I won't be there for that drama.

Spent the weekend doing last minute shopping and getting the studio in shape. Things seem settled now, just need to add a few decorative stuff and put up a sign and I'm good. Will be printing flyers later for distribution. ANYONE who wants to help out in the evenings will be forever remembered. Spamming mailboxes is boring solo work.

Also got my aquarium finally set up. Pretty... spent quite a bit on bulbs as well. Changed most of the bulbs in the house to the economical ones... though at the hefty price tag, I wonder how much savings it actually works out to. One of those bulbs = RM15+ as opposed to RM1.50 for the regular ones. However, they claim a lifespan of up to 4 years. Hmm... someone should do the math and let me know. Wonder if there's an online calculator for it. Hehe...



Also finally got my garden settled. After endless rainy evenings and postponement with Saw, decided to just get the grass cutter to do it with the weed whacker. 30 mins and he's all done. Will have probably taken 2-3 man hours instead. Garden is so bare tho... anyone with plants to contribute? :)

And oh, also watched Super Sapiens on Thursday... fun :)

Monsters unleashed? Really?

Caught the Scooby Doo sequel last night. Was kinda expecting a fair bit but movie didn't quite live up. It was like watching a big screen tv movie and it felt like the third part of a trilogy with the 2nd movie missing. Rather big jump from the first movie. In the first, they were kinda jaded and lacking the Mystery Inc. team spirit. And suddenly in the sequel, they're mega superstars with a kick-a** hq. Just felt like a jump of sorts.

No need to dwell on the premise and such as the movie will prob be out of screening come Thursday (which is why I decided to catch it on a week night). Pretty usual standard fare, ideal for kids, mildly entertaining. Monsters are pretty cool tho and definitely got laughs here and there. Just would have liked to be bowled over... ah well.

Going to Ipoh tomorrow afternoon... I have college roadshows at two SMJK's. Hope it'll be fun, although it'll be nice to be away from office. However, going with a colleague I don't know quite well and if the students from the Chinese medium schools don't speak English, I'm screwed. Lalalalala...

Bunny Battle Royale

Weekend in Melaka has been somewhat the usual. Took my obligatory Saturday nap but instead of the usual 2-3 hours, I woke up 5 and a half hours later. My sleep debt must be higher than I thought. Feels great tho... darnit... I so love napping.

.....

Brought bunnies together. Wombat initially staked dominance by chasing everyone about. For those who don't know, rabbit society always has to have an Alpha Rabbit, usually male. And they determine the alpha by the rabbit who can put down the heads of the other rabbits, whether by submission or force. Anyways, Wombat took an early lead in alpha domination by sheer size and since Dominose and Biscuit still recovering from travel stress. A few hours after however, saw ALL of them engaged in bunny wrestling. Sigh... Worried that they might injure themselves... Wombat also kinda got spooked and took refuge on the upper level of the cage. Gah...

After a few more hours of this rabbit silliness (Biscuit and Dominose took to actual wrestling, with Biscuit literally rolling Dominose about) and Wombat retreating, I got them all by force, forced down all their heads and put Wombat's head firmly on top of theirs. Held them in that pose for a minute or so and now, everyone's amicable again. Silly rabbits...

.....

I've deduced that Biscuit is the only normal rabbit (normal as in behaviour and temperament). Wombat reminds me of Garfield... fat, lazy and cat-like. He doesn't flinch at anything and allows you to rub and pet him without fear (very unlike most rabbits). Dominose is like a small dog. I have never in my life had a rabbit that attacks you. Put my hand in to pet Wombat and here comes Dominose darting towards you, takes a bite, and then retreats! GAWD... pyscho... took a broom to whack some sense into his bunny head and before I knew it, he was attacking the broom! Sigh...

Introducing Dominose and Biscuit

Snuck to the pet shop during lunch today and finally found one that had adult sized rabbits at a price I won't faint at. They had 2 left (both thankfully males), one almost all black with splotches of white (his nose is white), and the other in varying shades of brown. Was contemplating which one and then realised that if I do take one, the other will be left alone. Adult rabbits are notoriously hard to sell and the black one didn't look all too saleable. So decided to take both instead. All I hope now is that Wombat welcome them without too much trouble, especially also since these 2 are quite docile and smaller than Wombat.

So, black rabbit = Dominose, and brown rabbit = Biscuit. :) Welcome to the family!

ps: Rabbits will be in Melaka for the time being. USJ seems to be filled with cats. Have to figure that one out when the place is a bit more settled.

Minty Staleness in Your Mouth

Was munching on my Cloret mint from my trusty Cloret mint dispenser that I have in my bag. Was giving it some thought and realised that my Clorets seem to be lasting a long time! Very economical I thought. How wonderfully convenient I thought. Then think somemore and realised that I could count the number of times I've taken the mint and I have enough fingers to do the math. Hmm... so flipped the dispenser over and read:

MFG: 04092001
EXP: 04092002

'Ack'ing ensued.

Morpheus


Which Of The Greek Gods Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

You are worth exactly: $1,560,210.00.

So little? GAH!!!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For...

It's a Friday! Whoopeedoo! Let's all do the dance for joy... all together now...

Met up with Chun and Saw last night for dinner. Vietnamese food is great! Anything with lots of vege, vinegar, and chilli echoes well with me. Nyam... Also managed to assemble one of my bookshelves last night. Took me an hour and a half but with only ONE mistake, I thought it was pretty good. I usually screw up 3 times at least and resort to hammer and nails. This time round managed to stick to the instructions for the most part. Woohoo!

Looking forward to the weekend. Days are going by fairly quickly now. Wonder why...

Bright and cheery, So orangey...

College is going through an aesthetic upgrade :) Plain beige walls are now being painted a bright orange with black accents! Ah... I love orange. So reminiscent of StudioKuning tho. Ah... if anyone didn't yet know, orange is probably my favourite colour. Thus all the logos I do has orange, and I get most anything in orange if given a choice. When I repaint my car, it'll be orange as well :)

And oh, I bought a 2nd hand bicycle yesterday. Decided that cycling to work would be quicker and more fun. And the bike's orange as well :) Didn't even test it, just bought it. RM 90 for a year old mountain bike in great condition. Sounds like a good deal to me. Hope no one steals it tho.

Need to go get a raincoat later, just in case. Hope they have an orange one. :)

Haven't done this in quite a while so here goes :)

Food Review: Spicy Oriental Chicken Salad (Starbucks) ~ RM 11.90

Rating: <> <> <> <> <

What can I say, I love good salads! Especially chicken ones. This salad has it all! Generous portions of tender juicy chicken breast, crunchy leafy lettuce and a tossing of the slightly bitter kind (pardon my gourmet inadequacies), and this great dressing of vinegar and chilli somewhat reminiscent of chicken rice chilli sauce but funkier. Great meal although could do with more vege. It is however somewhat spicy but oh so yummy! Garlic bread will probably go well with this, although none available to order. Lack of side dishes is my main gripe but the salad itself is delicious!

Food Review: Jumbo Hot Dog (Ikea) ~ RM 2.50

Rating: <> <> <> <>

Boiled hot dog in a bun. Simple pleasures :) What's great though is the unlimited supply of relish, onions, and mustard! NYAM! I love lots and lots and lots of onions and relish and bad breath withstanding, this is just a feel good simple meal :) NYAM!

Warning: Windows may showcase nudity

To anyone who's moving into a new house, first thing you should do is put up curtains. I say again, before anything else, make sure your windows (especially the ones looking out to the street) has curtains (or blinds or newspapers even). And do this ESPECIALLY before you undress for the shower. Nuff said.

(I don't see how I'm ever going to get any students from my neighbours.)

20 Car Trips, 12 Hours, One Exhausted Dan

I've moved! Woke up like any other day, then went to sleep in a brand new house in a brand new room and with my entire body aching. Sorry Saw for the disappearing act! Got so caught up that I didn't quite kept you informed. But it was either this weekend or next anyways.

First of all, not to say this is of any use, but to my irritating ex-neighbours who insist on taking up my parking space, sweeping leaves to where I park, and numerous evil eye exchanges, SEE YA! It is so frustrating to not have a place to park at home to the point where you hesitate going out in case your spot gets taken. FREEDOM!!! :) Gonna miss being near to Taipan tho and living in a home with friends. Renting out rooms to strangers takes a way some privacy but having the space helps give Creativekids a boost.

Have my room settled, TV plugged in to crystal clear reception. Next up, the rest of the house... GAH. Gonna take quite a bit of work. Will also be starting on the studio setting up. Anyone wants to come and help let me know :) Also, those wanting to teach, do bring over some of your artworks for display. Lots of bare walls to liven up. Come come help.

Gonna be welcoming first room tenant today, a TGIF chef and his wife, a pastry chef. And tomorrow, room tenant #2, an aerobics instructor :) talk about opposites. Lalalala....

ps: walked to work today, woohoo!

Putting a Price on Education

My prevailing optimism seems to be nose-diving these past few days. After giving out my 2nd exam, and my first subjective one to the One students, I've been going through academic hell and back with the results. Appaling is to put it nicely. If I had it my way, only 10% of the students will pass. What with the incredibly poor command of English (that has already been dumbed down), zero commitment, intense cheating, and probably downright stupidity, I have no idea how any of the students made it to final year. Now, most people would say, 'but they're designers, they don't need to know business management'. That's probably like saying designers are stupid ignorant folk who's only fascination is with colours and font-type.

I am beyond disgust at the way these colleges are bringing up their students. Taking money from the students and deluding them into skill-based superiority. The students have no vested interest to be better, their only concern is to pass (and being ONE, draw quick sketches). They are happy regurgitating old ideas and don't see any need to question, test, or challenge anything. If this applies to all other colleges in Malaysia, we might as well rename the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Population Cloning for Mental Degradation and Subjugative Control. GAH! You know, lecturers should NOT HAVE TO DUMB DOWN TO THE STUPIDITY LEVEL OF THE STUDENTS but students should strive to meet the pre-set bar! I am so incredibly pissed not because of the sheer pointlessness of giving them marks but the affect it has on the overall growth of society and country.

Needless to say, I can't fail them all. College admin has already told me to pace down to the students. I've already revised the syllabus twice. At its current level, a Form 5 student can take it and do well (probably better). Education is a misnomer. These students are not learning, heck, they're not even memorising. I actually don't know why they are there in the first place. Probably needed a justification to hang out at Sunway all the time.

Now, that's let out. I'm never accepting a lecturing position at the One again, though I doubt they'll want me after I land my wrath on the students tomorrow. There are a lot of things I can tolerate, like inefficient admin, greed, corruption even... but messing about with education is jeopardising our future. Can you imagine our kids (if) being under leaders like these? ARGH!!!

Goodbye my dear bunny...

On this day and hour, my dear bunny, Wallaby Wallace the Fourth has passed on leaving behind his brother, King Wombat. Wallaby had to be sadly put to sleep due to the worsening of his illness. Sob sob... he is sorely missed and dearly loved and hope he can now hop free and happily in the lush green fields of rabbit heaven. God bless...

2 Weeks to April

March seems to be the most interesting month of all this year. In this month, I've started a new job, signed a tenancy agreement for a house, planned and came up with CreativeKids and committed to the business model, met a new friend and we're now good buddies and it's only middle of the month still. Wonder what April will bring but life at least seems exciting now :) Can't imagine that just 3 months ago I was in a dead-end job, complaining and griping, and living a routine dull life. Change is exciting, not to mention highly addictive. It's like once you start something different, you just keep wanting more. :)

Can't wait for this weekend. Been awhile since I've had the opportunity to go home. Work and all. Will be good to spend a weekend in Melaka and catch up.

Oh Friday, Oh Friday, where forth did you go?
For though now you are here,
You were not days ago...
Come save us from Monday, malicious and sly,
Stay with us through tomorrows,
Never do say goodbye...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Two whole weeks have gone in new work place :) Time sure did whizzed by. Been having a pretty good time so far, probably due to me still not having a full work load. Slowly starting to realise what I got myself into. Managing the Multimedia major means being proficient in software such as Flash! Gawd... back to the computer then...

One interesting thing about this place is that it is very chinesed. And me speaking zero dialects and a handful of Mandarin words makes me stick out like a sore thumb. Haven't been called a banana for ages. Ah well... got to start learning Mandarin I guess. Maybe I'll take a class at the CreativeKids@Studio in USJ. Muahahahahaha!

Happy Friday everyone :) Enjoy the weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AH MENG!!!

First up, happy returns for the day Meng :) Someone turns 24 today! (Applause) No cracks needed about the age (since we're all of the same age anyways). Sorry for forgetting though, hope you can forgive me! (Bila makan?).

Work for me has been good so far. Finally got my desk settled and my computer moved from the central workstations to my desk. Yay... surfing in private! Woohoo... weird thing tho is that my PC has no CD-ROM drive. Ah well... LAUNCH @ Yahoo! it is then.

Gonna be moving out soon so gonna be real occupied. All of you guys on the Groups thingy, well, let's get it rolling! Don't want to bring out the whip just yet.

So once again, best birthday regards to meng meng :) Have a good Thursday everyone!

Cheerful Dan logging out.

Blardy Frigid on a Hot Saturday Afternoon

I have finally 'personalised' my computer and suddenly feel at home again. Getting a new computer is like a new house I think. You take some time to take stock, evaluate the potential, and then get right on making it look and feel like your previous home. Comfort is such a driving human ambition!

Anyways, I am at work this blistery cold Saturday... with the air conditioning at full blast and me tucked in my sweater. College has an open day event today so all staff out at full force. This is officially the end of my first week at work and things have been interesting. Here are some notable insights.

~ Big company environment: We all get a monthly ration of one ream of A4 paper, two rolls of toilet paper, and enough Milo, Nescafe, and Coffeemate for each day.

~ Working hours: I have a punchcard. It feels weird but at least I don't have to justify to anyone when I leave. Hoorah!

~ Working Saturdays: Only twice a month and occasionally for fairs and etc. Have to work next Sunday but there's immediate leave compensation and etc. And no one complains. Unlike previous company where everyone does. It's amazing what an understanding boss and good office morale can do. Everyone here is very cheerful :)

~ Having more colleagues than you can remember: It feels weird coming to work and seeing more than 3 familiar cars and 6 familiar faces.

So far, things have been interesting. No complaints and I have a feeling I will be pretty contented here for a while :) Largely also due to the fact that I can walk to work. I just cannot stress enough how liberating it is to be free from bad traffic snarls! WOOHOO!!!

2004: Change is in the Air

Seems I'm not contented with just a new job. Am also moving out from Saw's place. Thankful to Saw for putting me up the past year or so but it's time to move on :) Most of you who have gotten the (da da da dam) SMS'es (except Saw who had the verbal version) would know what's up with the move. In a nutshell, basically going to rent a house, and convert the halls into learning studios to give tuition and a host of after school activities such as arts and crafts. Quite a bit of the gang have shown interest but if anyone can commit at least an hour a week, have something to teach, and can do so in a fun way, buzz me :) If you don't know how to reach me then maybe I don't know you enough! Hehehe... or in other words, this is a friends thingy... so not looking at strangers joining. After all, I am living there.

Anyways, moving out in April to USJ 2. Which also means I can WALK to work from then on. Woohoo... such a bliss to move from 6am bleary morning drives to 8.30am walks to work. Sigh... bliss...

New job has been good so far though I really have done nothing these past 2 days. Not much work for me yet and being a semester break, office has been real quiet. Not to say I'm complaining but I hope when I get evaluated they remember that my slacking is not by intention. Hehe... only other drawback though is that this place seems to be a very Chinese environment. Not being able to speak any makes me stand out a fair bit. Hope to gradually blend in though. Fingers crossed.

Anyways, for the SMS'ed, don't forget our first meeting on the 13th. Check out the Yahoo Groups for details alrighty :)

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Announcement:

LIGHTOLOGY

Presented by The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur & Toki Doki-Jido. "What's Lightology?" The theme is about 'light' and it shows the conflict between human's despair and hope. The premiere was in Tokyo, 2002. Many people appreciated it as a true contemporary art piece with the organic linkage of music, dance, audiovisuals and words. For premiere, we created various scenes together with many volunteer performers. The word "Lightology" was originally named by the director Naoyuki Asahina, with the meaning of "to think about light (=hope)."

Date: 20 - 21 March: 3.00pm 20 March: 8.30pm
Price: RM 35 (Adults) & RM 15 (JFKL members, students)

Hi again one and all... after a month long hiatus off work and a good 3 weeks from the blog, it's somewhat good to be back (and working). :) Office setup is till ongoing so until I get my own machine, this blog will be short and sweet. (just like the 10 min drive to work).

Short story is, moi am back! And with some of you receiving my sms'es, there's a lot of stuff I have planned for year 2004! :)

WOOHOO!

Woke up this morning, tuned in to Mix.FM, heard the horrendous traffic report, then snuggled back to sleep while laughing ever so contentedly. I am so relishing my month off work.

Got back from Cambodia last Friday. It was a great trip. Needless to say that the temples are breathtaking. Having two pretty good guides helped. Very fascinating and eye-opening, though having everything in US dollars make for a somewhat pricey event. Have photos with me so do drop by and visit moi to view them. (let's not consider putting them online considering i'm now using a dreadful dialup).

Have found a job and will be starting in March. Did some test drives and it takes me 5 minutes to get to work now :) Distance from home of 3km. WOOHOO! Dan will no longer be complaining of traffic. Hooray!

My desk is 80% cleared of my personal belongings.

My computer has been wiped clean of any traces of personal usage and work folders streamlined.

I should be getting my final paycheque today and will be surrendering my pc to replacement staff for file familiarisation.

Woohoo! Second last day of work and I'm already doing the dance of joy. :)

AND I'm going on a trip next week :) Heading for a short 3 day tour to Cambodia. Woohoo!