My student: Teacher, I had stomach edge (ache) yesterday, I went to the doctor but I did not know how to explain the pain. So I told her that my shit cannot come out. Can or not teacher? Right or not ah?

Myself: You mean constipation? You feel like you need to pass motion but it won't come out?

My student: Teacher, what is pass motion? I want to pangsai then my shit cannot come out, like that lo....

Myself: It is called constipation.



Next Class
Student: Teacher, I saw your body errr.....wah very sexy lo....
Myself: ??????I don't get what you mean.
Student: Yesterday I went to watch Jennifer's body. I like it so much teacher....
Myself: Owh, ok but that is not MY body, so how can you say you saw MY body?
Student: TEACHER WHY YOU WEAR SLIPPER TO CLASS!????
Myself: Speechless...
(Due to the leg pain I've been wearing socks and slippers in the staff room and I forgot to change) I got to go up and take my things.
Student: Take your time ah....we will wait for you ohhhh......


Sometimes, a little humor is needed to make life interesting. Have a nice day!

Since the wedding is drawing near, I decided to inform some friends ahead of time so that they would be able to block the dates and make it for the wedding. My heart broke when I read this reply from a friend.

"Hi, congratulations to you! I'm not sure if I can make it because I'm now looking after my mom. She met with an accident last December"

That message surprised me. I did not know that her mom had an accident and was actually bedridden. She can't talk or eat. Suddenly I felt grateful that despite the aches and pains that I have on my body, at least I am still able to do many things and still enjoy life despite the pain.

My concern is now real. I received my blood test result today and it is RHEUMATOID FACTOR POSITIVE. I have been referred to see a specialist. I'm upset. I remember Auntie Samson and I have always felt sad for her. For so many years, her husband and children had to lift her from the car and sit her near the church entrance because of Arthritis.
I'm not even married yet and I already have it. Why? I just cannot comprehend. Is this a wake up call for me to do the things I have failed to do all these years? That I should not take my life for granted anymore?

It's not gout! My blood tests results are out and my health condition is clean. So what's the problem? I really have no clue. 'Yau Kwai' told me that it could be because I lack certain nutrients in my body. I still have the joint pains. The medical officer gave me some vitamins and told me to see him again in 1 week if the pain is still there.....anyway, I'm glad it is not gout yet at the same time I hope it's not something worst.

Our newspaper man lost his home early this week when bulldozers came to clear Kampung Buah Pala. It is actually hard to believe that Kampung Buah Pala will never be what it used to be again. In fact, I wonder if Jalan Kaki Bukit too will still be there in years to come. Bukit Glugor will be different with that village gone.

Jalan Kaki Bukit is the steepest road in Bukit Glugor, it is almost impossible to cycle up the road as it is too steep. I always had a sense of achievement each time I successfully cycled up to the top of the road without having to push my bicycle. Going up and down that hill was like an adventure itself. It was dangerous yet thrilling. I will never ever be able to do that again because Jalan Kaki Bukit has been sealed by the developer who will soon build Oasis- Condominiums on that piece of land. I'm going to miss the cows and goats that moo as they pass by my house and the smell of their dungs too. Dogs in our area will not have dungs to roll onto and cows to bark at anymore.

It is so sad to see the change take place in our housing area IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT. For who is the development for? I really wonder. How could that piece of land be sold when there were so many families dwelling in it? Machines are going to come in. Our roads are going to be damaged, there's going to be pollution in the air in our once peaceful little housing area of Bukit Glugor.......

Being the youngest in the family, I never had anyone younger in my family to care for. Therefore I sometimes treated my younger friends like brothers / sisters. Understanding a student's way of life, prompted me to spend on these friends whenever I felt I should. Some learnt to give in return in their very own way. "Yau Kwai" was one of those who often gave in return.

I call her "Yau Kwai" because that was what she used to address herself when talking to me. She was different from the rest. She had a lot to give and was often generous at least to me. I liked her, I was fond of her. To me, she was like a little sister. Automatically, I played the protective role in our friendship even though I did not have to and sometimes I go overboard, advising her when she did not need to be advised.

This weekend, she came over to spend a day with me. We had meals together and she paid for my meal for the very first time. Her reason was that she had received her paycheck and she wanted to give a treat. Today, 'Yau Kwai' is no more a student. She has graduated and is a government officer. In fact, she is earning more than I am. After she left, I realized that I should stop treating like a student. I should stop my protective behavior and respect her as an adult. It's going to take me a while to make that change but I should.

I'm done marking! I am so glad that I'm through with it.The past 8 days were terrible. I was tempted to fail many of them but at the same time I knew that making them repeat the paper would not help them to improve their English either. The results proved that we the educators were not miracle workers and that the fourteen weeks we had with them was not enough.

As I marked the written work, I noticed that students were very much alike in their thoughts. The storyline of their essays were very predictable. Where did they get their ideas from? The sample essays sold in the market? I understand that many have poor command in their language but I am disturbed that many of them lacked in ideas. They did not have logical reasoning in their points for essay.

I remembered myself sharing with my students on our Deputy Prime Minister- Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin bin Mohd. Yassin once and my students asked me who was that. Surprised by that question I asked my students from other classes if they knew who this man was and only a handful of them told me that he is the Deputy Prime Minister. How could tertiary students not know who their Deputy Prime Minister was? In fact, what do they actually know?

I'm disturbed by it and at the same time keen to create some awareness within them....where do I begin?.....how to make them think and at the same time enjoy it?

I've been having massive pain on both my feet and sometimes my fingers. I believe the injury on both my hands and feet are similar yet I feel the pain more on my feet because I stand on my feet and my whole body weight is on it.

The pain irritates me as I have difficulty wearing shoes.I can hardly try on a new pair of shoes due to the pain. I can't walk fast and even struggle as I walk down the staircase. My movements are restricted and I am frustrated.

Today, I finally found time to go to the government hospital for a check up. The medical officer suspected that I have Gout and has requested that I go for a blood test.

How can I not be worried? I'm not yet even thirty, not yet even married, I don't even have any children yet and I have a great life ahead of me to enjoy and cherish. I can't afford to be mentally unfit. I still want my legs to carry me wherever i go. To be able to run, jump, walk and dance whenever I feel like it. I still want to cook and not feel any pain as I do the things I enjoy.

After spending so much time on the photo session it was natural that we felt anxious over the outcome. We headed to 'Blissful' again the following day to have a look at the outcome as well as to select the 20 photos for the album. It was a difficult task.

The photos turned out to be not too bad but we did not look perfect all the time. I was not fully pleased with the outdoor shots. I firmly believe that the photos could have been better if Chris and Ah Khoon had done more. Perhaps outdoor photo shoot is just not Ah Khoon's cup of tea as the studio shots looked so much better than the outdoor shots. I liked a few shots but sadly we could not have all the shots we really liked as we could only choose 20 pictures and we had to fulfill certain criteria. It was really painful to press the delete button sometimes but I guess we had to do it or else we would have to pay more.

So......our photo shoot is settled. Now we have to wait for the final outcome. Meanwhile, it's time to worry about the other matters, to continue planning for the wedding.

It has been a wet week. I had almost given up hope that there was going to be any sunshine on Saturday. I was however wrong. God was kind enough to actually give us some sunshine, enough for us to have a few outdoor photo shots.

Leslie and I arrived at 'Blissful' at 9am. We were the first to reach. In fact, the bridal house was not yet even open. Mei Ling the make up artist greeted us and briefed us about the whole process of the photo shoot. We had a little discussion prior to that so that she would understand our style and liking. After the discussion, we were brought to the make up room where we were transformed. I actually did not really like what I saw but I believed Mei Ling knew best on what was suitable for me and at 10.30 a.m, the first setback took place when Mei Ling brought in a gown for me to change into. My gown which was the first out of five was not altered as promised and it did not fit me perfectly. The tailor had to make last minute modification on my dress and obviously, the last minute work on the gown was not perfect.

Nevertheless, we left for Botanical Gardens at 11 a.m for the first photo shoot. We had requested to have our photos taken by the beach but Ah Khoon our photographer said that the beach was not the best place due to the weather, the sky was not blue enough for a nice scenery. It was probably a blessing in disguise as Ah Khoon brought us to the seaside after that. Therefore we had more variety for our outdoor background instead of only one as stated in our package.

We knew that photo sessions would be taxing but we never expected it to be so time consuming. At 1pm, we were only done with our first gown and we had four more to go. I got my second shock at 1 p.m too. The second gown that Mei Ling brought in was not what I chose! I began to feel slightly irritated. How could they make such a big mistake? It was ridiculous for a professional bridal shop to make such a blunder. Fortunately, Mei Ling was quick in finding a solution. Damage was already done yet the make up artist and the photographer did their best to make the best out of what was lacking.

The photo session finally ended at 7p.m. We were exhausted but happy despite the setbacks. Thanks to Ah Khoon the photographer, Chris and Mei Ling the make up artists, I would say we did enjoy ourselves. There were lots of laughter together with a lot of first time experiences. During the photo shoot, I was bitten by ants and Leslie stepped on my fingers, I screamed in pain and and had tears rolling down my cheeks thanks to those fake eyelashes yet I would say it was an enjoyable experience and I have to admit that the session brought both Leslie and myself even closer. I had never looked into his eyes so many times in my whole entire life!

If one can afford it, I think the bridal photo shoot is definitely worth the experience. We actually opted for the cheaper package with only one album and I think that is good enough. Bridal photo shoots should be fun and exciting. I feel it should not be overly done to the extend of tiring oneself.

I have lost a piece of document which is very important. I cannot imagine if it fell into the wrong hands. The damage will not be 'that' bad but it would not be nice for others to see as the content is confidential. I'm disturbed that I can't find it and my emotion is printed on my face. I don't look happy but what can I do? I do not know where to search anymore. I've gone through all the possible places.....sigh...is all I can say.