Malu Nya!!!

Was walking to my first class of the day when I suddenly realised something was amiss.

*thinking* Nama gak tunjuk kaki kiba tuk ngepit, kaki kanan relax ja???
(Why is it my left toes feel different from my right???)

*looked down at feet*

*LOL'ed*

*blush*blush*

I was wearing different sandals. Luckily I haven't reached my class yet, baru jak in front main office... Mun sik, malu tahap Gaban aku tadik...

Hiatus

Work is hectic as usual, even more so with the Debate season which coincides with the Public Speaking season that coincides with 'Kawad Kaki Formasi' Competition which happens to be not so far from the MUET Mid Year Exams and of course, not forgetting the 'headhoncho's' visit to my school...

And that means even more things piled on my shoulder.

I seriously need more than 24 hours in a day.

Haih...

On another note, here's something that I posed to my students for them to ponder upon:

"Andai hari ini kau semai lalang;
Masakan nanti hasilnya padi?"

Cheerios... TTFN!

p/s: Marking students' papers should be labelled as 'hazardous to sanity'...LOL!

SPM 2009

Boss senyum. Petanda bagus la tu.
:-D

p/s: STPM 2009. 94.6% Pass. Time tu Boss senyum jugak...

March: Mayhem? Mania? M...

It's March already? How time flies...
Changed my blog header today. Luckily I realized it. Otherwise, it'll be 'Frantic February' till half the year is gone. Hehehe
Decided to change my blog header every month to keep up with the theme of the month (the state of my sanity is more like it! LOL!)

Ta-dah

January Madness

January was a mad mad dash all the way. It's the busiest time in the school (ask any teacher and they'll agree... But then, it's always a busy time in my school. How leh?). There are the students' registration, new students, new responsibilities, new committees, new blah-blah-blah. I had meetings everyday, even up to three meetings back to back. Haih... Mana nak mengajar budak-budak yang language proficiency tahap tadika pun tak lepas. Essay? What essay? Essay yang membuatkan aku rasa nak korek bijik mata dan rendam-rendam dalan segelen Eye Mo. Mana lagi tulisan yang mampu mencabar kewibawaan seekor ayam kerana amat terlampau tahap penguasaan cakar ayam nya.

Tu lah... Gatal2 lagi nak jadi English teacher....Hahahaha

(Caution to All English Teacher wannabes: be prepared, both mentally and emotionally. Teaching English will increase the risk of losing your sanity by manifold. LOL!
My tips: Have a huge sense of humour and laugh. Be positive. If not, you'll surely end up crazy and deranged. ROTFL!)

I came back every single day feeling drained and tired despite the eternal optimist in me. Yet, the very next day, I'm as chirpy as a 'semalau' and raring to face a new day. Except for that time I fell sick with the dreaded C-bug. Ugh! Still aching here and there.

So yeah, January was a period of pure madness (and chaos). :-p

Frantic February

So after the madness that was January, February must've been a breeze right?

Wrong.

February was as frantic as ever with the looming deadlines for countless paperwork and stuffs. Which makes all of us very grateful for the one-week holiday for CNY. Never mind the fact that we had to come to school for replacement classes twice. It's all worth it. LOL!

Spent my the most part of my holiday in 'Farmville' (the real deal mind you, not the virtual one). It was a great place the relax and detox myself from ASTRO and the Internet. Hahaha, and I managed to get some work done. Hurrah!!!

Right after the holiday, it's the school's sports meet. Yes, the stay-under-the-sun-until-your-skin-shrivel-up-and-get-burned part of the school calendar. Hate it! (This is the part where the rest of this post 'disappears' after I hit the publish button... F*ck!!!)

Oh ya, dear ol' Hazel came by for a visit at the same time, so spent a night in Sibu with Hazel and Debs. Had a fantastic dinner and shopping of course. Hahaha... Drove back at 5.30-freaking-a.m... Hahaha... Crazy, i know. LOL!

Hmmmm... I wonder what March has up it's sleeves... Mayhem? Mania?
Bet you're just as eager to find out as I am, aren't you?:-)

Huh?

eh, it's February already?

my my my... how time flies eh?

As I've written before this, I've been so busy with work. I think I'll have some space to breathe (minimal, but grateful nonetheless) once I settle most of the stuffs at work. There are still some stuffs pending but plan to settle it all before CNY holidays which is roughly 2 weeks away *gasp*

2 WEEKS?!

Haih...

Re-vamping the Prefects' Board - an ongoing process as there's just too bloody many things to set up. A wonder how some people could manage to go by without it. No proper documentation, lots of overlapping and grey areas. I'm trying to steer them towards more effective end efficient work process. It ain't easy (I've employed some of my tricks and threats) but at least I can see some progress now. Haih!

Supervising students' research project - a grope in the dark affair as we're still unclear on how to do it. I'm thankful for my experience in doing research and the fact that I was a research assistant before... Phew, at least I have some ideas to guide my students. Just a simple topic for them. At least they'll have a basic idea on how to write/conduct a research.

2 weeks till holiday, I can hardly wait!

On another note, I'm happy. There's a few things but one of it is that...

Mr.Laling is finally working in Kuching! ♥♥♥ Woots!!! This means we don't have to spend lots of $$$ on the airfare (Sorry Mr. Fernandes!)... Hehehe. Finally can save more $$$... :-)

Alltogether now, HOORAY!!!

LOL!

gtg now... work beckons :-p

12th Day of 2010

It's the 12th day of 2010 and I haven't written not even a single line, let alone a proper post?!

Is my blogging days over?!

...



...



...


Okay, stop clutching your chest/heart or pulling your hair while screaming your lungs out.

I'm not quitting.

It's just that school's back in business and this time of the year is the busiest period of the year ( I have meetings almost every day. Sometimes up to 3 meetings per day) o.O'

Also, the new year brings new (and more) responsibilities, so I have a lot of re-adjustments to do. Still getting the hang of it although I had to hit the ground running. It ain't easy, but I know I can do it! *Yeah, super optimistic me. Ask me again in a couple of months! LOL!*

What does the new year bring me? A lot of opportunities and challenges intertwined together. This year I'm appointed as 'Ketua Guru Lembaga Pengawas' (my friend said it should've been Lembaga Pengganas...LOL!), 'Ketua Pentaksir Sekolah ULBS SPM', Trainer for both Projek Gemilang (Parliamentary Debate & Public Speaking) as well as the English Editor (cum Photographer) for the School Magazine. Actually I was also appointed (again) to be in the Staff Committee and the AJK Perhimpunan but I had to decline the two appointments as I think I sure have too much things for my two not-so-scrawny hands. Plus, I think it's also wise to give others a chance to be in those two committees.

It was not an easy decision for me to make as well, because although I'm honored to be given such level of faith/trust, I don't think it's wise to have my abilities stretched thin. I rather go for quality rather than quantity. Most importantly, my clients' need. Yes, my students are my clients. They should come first.

Some of my colleagues told me that I should try to just bear it beacuse I'm yet to be confirmed (bila la aku nak pergi Induksi ini? Jgn la time exam dah dekat oi!), as doing so may 'affect' my confirmation process. Yes ladies and gentlemen, kuasa di tangan Boss! I can't help but beg to differ. I don't want to wake up dreading every minute of the day. Kerja cikgu sudah cukup hazardous to sanity tau?!

I consulted some of the senior teachers before making my decision. Thanks to Kak Ju, Mdm J and Mdm R(mummy!), I finally plucked enough courage to face off meet my Boss. Siap baca doa penyejuk hati, penenang jiwa sebelum masuk jumpa Boss. Hahaha...

Thankfully my Boss understands my situation. I listed all of my responsibilities as well as my teaching schedule (which is filled to the max okay!), and discussed why I need to decline some of the appointments. So, hip hip hoorey!!! Tabik spring Boss!!!!

So, that sums up some of the happenings so far.

Here's to a great year ahead! Cheers!

p/s: I know I should change the header since Christmas is over... but soooooo busy la :-(

Hell, I did it again!!!

and now I have work work work even when the kids are enjoying their holiday (except for my exam kids la). Why do I have to do this (to myself) every single time beats me.

However, work can be fun.

WHATTTT????!!!!

It's fun when it's something I genuinely like doing. Something like preparing the teaching modules. Weird but that's fun for me. I enjoy it because it stimulates my mind. I need, no, crave mental stimulation. I enjoy it when I can utilize my strengths.

Mental stimulation. Yes.

Creativity. Yes.

Physical exertion. NO.
I'll not lie. I know my limits and I value my health and well-being. TQVM!

It's work for me when I don't enjoy it. When it's something that ranks somewhere near the region of visiting a dentist. When it's something like being in the committee for 'tanam bunga'. Come on, my parents wouldn't even trust me with a cactus plant. >.<

It's work when I dread every moment spent dealing with egoistic glamour-seeking homo sapiens...

It's work when I have to restrain myself from physically strangling or murdering those 'tai-chi' experts.

So far I'm done with the Form 5 Teaching Module.
MUET, 2 units to go.
Board of Prefects, in progress.
Bos kata tak siap, tak bleh cuti
ada aku kesah??? so kena siap jugak la

And right after that, I'll be going to Kch. Meeting my supervisor. Huh, aku perlukan doa bertan-tan... Mintak2 lah mak daten tu bukan tgh pertukaran angin monsun (I just want to get this thing over and done with. So I can move on, maybe do post-grad studies in education. Hoyeahhh!!!!).

Then, I'll fly to KL. CUTIIIIIII!!!!! ♥♥♥


So, to end my post... Enjoy another sajak spontan from me... Muahahaha
(Disclaimer: May or may not have anything to do with any living or dead person)

Aku benci orang yang suka bagi alasan.
Tak tahu maka bertanya.
Tak pandai maka belajar.
Tak rajin berenti je kerja...
Senang cerita.
Case closed.

Aku benci orang yang mengada2...
Banyak songeh
Banyak kerenah
Banyak cakap
tak serupa bikin
Suruh ini
Suruh itu
Berlagak diva
Pirrraahhhh mampos!

Aku benci orang tak profesional
Hal personal terheret sama
Bangkit-membangkit
Ungkit-mengungkit
Mulut kata tidak
Tangan cakap ya
Apaaarrraaaa....
Otak masih tahap juvana

November Madness

... is almost over. Bogged down with the endless reports, meetings, evaluations, marking and whatnots that needs to be completed before the school holidays. Hence the long absence from blogging. I'm so busy that I haven't seen my lil' nephew. Balik rumah, mandi, makan, sambung kerja, sleep, wake up, work, and the cycle goes on...

Two more days... till school's over.

But next week I will still be in school. Have to make the preparations for next year's session. And also classes for my exam classes. Then December, org still enjoy2 bercuti bagai... I will be in school with the Prefects. Nasib badan jadi Guru Pengawas. Haha...

So this holiday, I plan to get enough R&R to last me through next year. I don't need a crystal ball to know that next year will be (another) busy year for me. Unless aku sendiri yang mencari nahas...LOL!

Modul. Modul. Modul. Mamposssss....

*may not make any sense to you readers. I told you it's November Madness.... Hahaha

Teacher Talk: My Boys & C.A.M

Phew... It's October already? My my, time flies when one is busy or having fun. October means that soon it will be school holidays (Yay!) but before the fun starts, I have tons of work to do. Preparing students for examinations, testimonials, marking, etc. (*sob*sob*).

Soon my 'boys' will be sitting for their SPM and then they'll be 'out there'. I'm sure I will miss them... My first 'anak-anak'. I put our class photo on my desk. Mischievious as they are, they're rather well-behaved, and I've my own methods to handle them. I think I'll cry during our farewell party :-(

I remember the day I reported for duty in school. When the Senior Assistant told me that I'm the Form Teacher in charge for the Vocational class, I couldn't help but notice the 'meaningful' glances exchanged between him and another senior teacher. I knew then that this would be one challenging task. The horror stories that the senior teachers told about vocational stream students soehow helped me to mentally and emotionally prepare myself to meet my 'kids'. After a period of adjustment, we went along rather well. I think the boys knew that underneath my 'stepmother' persona, I deeply care for each and every one of them. I don't care if others think that they're slow learners, I am proud for the fact that my boys at least jadi manusia. Apa guna pandai kalau perangai mengalahkan setan???

My dear boys, I wish you all the best. My blessings and prayers will be with you always. (and you better answer the summary question and the essays! LOL!)

--------------------------------------------------------

C.A.M. is what I'd like to call Cardiac Arrest Moment.

And I had one such moment yesterday.

I had just arrived in school when one girl, a form 6 student, came to me and passed a card to me (I shall write the dialogue in Iban).

Me: Eh, nama utai tuk?
(Eh, what is this?)

Girl: L**** enda ulih datai sekula, Cigu... Accident ia kemarik.
(L**** cannot come to school, Teacher. He had an accident yesterday.)

Me: Apu! Balat ia?
(Apu! How bad is his injuries?)

Girl: Belubang pala ia Cigu.
(There's a hole on his head)

Me (almost cardiac arrest): Hah?! Dini ia diatu???
(Hah?! Where is he now???)

*Mental picture: The image of him connected to every tube and wire in I.C.U.*

Girl: Ba rumah ia Cigu.
(He's at home, Teacher)

Me: Hah?! Bakani ko Doktor enggau ia deh?
(Hah?! What did the doctors do?)

*mental picture: Doktor geleng2 kepala, no hope so sent home*

Girl: Jait urang ia Cigu.
(They stitched him up, Teacher)

Me: Apu, berapa jait ia?
(How many stiches?)

*mental picture: He's all stitched up like Frankenstein*

Girl: Siti aja.
(Only one)

Me: Erk?!

*mentally tumbuk dinding*

Hampeh punya budak. Buat aku hampir sakit jantung je. Argh!

Come to think of it now... It's hilariously funny. LOL!

A teacher's life can be so very interesting. Our students' antics make excellent conversation material. Hehe...



STP, MLT, Chegu, Grace: Any interesting ones to share?

Mini Shout: Post Holiday Blues

Back from holiday.
Back to the hectic pace.
Work. Work. Work.
Busy weeks ahead.
I need to readjust.
Be back soon folks!

p/s: Good to see the kids again.

Grafix: Bulletin Cover

This is the cover that I designed for the Bulletin PSKPP. Spent maybe 2 to 3 hours editing the layers, adjusting and tweaking the layers (was using Photoshop) and using a netbook to do it all. My eyes getting juling from all the squinting.

Not that I mind that much anyway, since it's something I enjoy doing. Just like photography :-)

Teacher Talk: Laugh Out Loud Wednesday

I think I've never laughed this hard since back-breaking July started. Students, you surely made me smile and tickled pink today. I'll remember this day for a long long time, hell, maybe I'll tell my anak cucu about it one day.

Today was something that seems like it came from 'a series of unfortunate events' but in my case it was more like 'a series of hilariously funny events' (at least it was for me).

Read on...

Part 1
~walking down the stairs to go to the loo, saw the makcik cleaner and makcik kantin talking animatedly to each other

Me: Hi... Apa hal ya buk? (Hi... What is it aunty?)

MC: Nembiak luka cikgu. Tetikam pisuk kali tadik... (A kid suffered a cut teacher. Maybe accidentally cut with a cutter)

Me: Menar kah? Oh... (Really? Oh...)

~ rushed into toilet. Got business can't wait ba. Came out and saw some female students standing outside the sick bay and some colleagues talking to them

Me: Nama hal nya cikgu V? (What is it Mdm V?)

Mdm V: Eh, nembiak begagai ngena cutter nyau tetucuk ka kaban... (Eh, students playing around with a paper cutter and now accidentally cut their friend).

Me: Pia... Balat? ( Is it? Serious?)

Mdm V: Pama ga peda aku... Bisi nya bejait legik. (Quite bad from what I see... It'll require stitches)

Me: Apu, bendar ndar nya. Kelas ni? Pom satu? (Apu, that's serious. Which class? Form 1?)

Mdm V: Pom satu apa! Tuk ah, sida ke gagut tu nya ah... Pom 6AA*! (What Form 1?! These ah, these (how to say gagut in English?) ... Form 6AA*!)

Me: Ah? Indu? (Ah? Girls?)

Mdm V: Ba ia... (that's why...)

Me: Pey... Nti tek lower form tadi baik gak gik... Tu nyau bala inik sema jaku agik ka begagai baka nya... (Pey... If it was lower form students it's not that bad... These are old enough to be grandmothers still play around like that...)

Mdm V: Nya meh... Aku nyau kesal ati meda darah tadik. ( That's why... I got scared looking at the blood)

Me (talking to the students): Balat gak kitak udah gagut baka tu agik begagai baka anak mit. Nya kumbai org tuai keranjur ka antu nama utai baka nya... Begagai bangat kelalu... Nya bisi ditat ke jait nya legi. Bikin malu kaum wanita ja... (You are old enough but still play like children. That's what the elderly refer to as 'keranjur ke antu'. you went too far... You'll have to bear the pain from the stitches later. A shame to women only)

*might not seem that funny but for me it was kind of funny since I was expecting some lower form boys but instead got the neneks Form 6. Muahahaha...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2

~on my way out from my MPV (vocational) class.

Me: Okay class, see you again tomorrow.

Students: Thank you teacher!

Me: HK, please help me to carry these dictionaries.

HK: So heavy teacher... bla..dont know where to hantar... bla...

Me: (evil stare)

HK: okay..okay...

~ reached Staff Development Room. The door was closed.

HK: Teacher, can open the window?

Me: There's a big door there and you want to enter through the window? Bukan main besar lagi pintu itu kamu nak masuk guna tingkap?

HK: Heheh...

* Students from this class fall under the low proficiency category. Last year they could hardly string a sentence in English. Now, at least they're able to string a sentence (even if it's not 100% correct). Without fail, these boys made me smile and laugh (inside) although they do make my blood boil every now and then. Haha...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 3

~ On my way to my car. Bumped into Pooh who's also going back.

Me: Pulai dik Nie? (Going back?)

Pooh: Auk, pulai meh. Aie, nama pintu nya geguyat? (walks to the Sick Bay door. We parked right in front of it).. Eh, tunggu cikgu ambil kunci. (Yes, I am. Aie, why is the door shaking? Eh, let me get the keys)

Me:???

Pooh: Bisi nembiak tekunci ba dalam. Apu, ka ngiga matron ku ngambi kunci. (There's a student locked inside. Apu, need to find matron to get the keys)

Me: Ba ofis bisi kunci spare pelaba ku. (I think there are spare keys in the office)

~ Pooh quickly went to the office to get the spare keys.

Me: Tunggu sekejap, nanti cikgu bukakan pintu. Macam mana la kamu boleh terkunci ni? (Wait for a while, we will unlock the door for you. How on earth did you get locked inside?)

~ Waited for Pooh to come with keys. Turned the ignition on. Started to smile sheepishly..

Me: Kenapalah kamu tak minta tolong? Senyap-senyap saja. Kalau cikgu 'Pooh' tak perasan tadi, bermalam la kamu kat sana. (Why didn't you cry for help... So quiet. If cikgu 'Pooh' didn't realize, you'll be spending the night there).

~ Sat inside the car. Started to giggle la pulak. When Pooh opened the door, I saw the kid's face. That's it, I roared with laughter. I know I'm supposed to pity the kid but I couldn't help it. It was so damn funny okay. Pooh was laughing as well. I laughed the whole drive home. Serius lawak case la.

* The poor kid was resting or sleeping in the sick bay. Apparently the Ketua Warden (KW) or Ketua Guru Disiplin (KGD) didn't realize that someone was still in the sick bay so they locked the door after school session ended. What made it seeem so funny to me was the kid's action. She didn't cry out for help, just shook the door. Didn't even knock to get attention. Mau aku tak gelak? So many teachers and students passed by and no one even realized that someone's locked inside because no one heard her.

Snapshots: Last Working Saturday of the Month

Finally, the last working Saturday of the month! Yesterday, we organized three events simultaneously and I was involved in two of them as emcee. Managed to sneak around while off-duty to capture some of the students' antics while they were doing the aerobics exercises.
The students' enjoyed themselves and although some 'perasan bagus' boys thought that they are way above doing these activities so they didn't participate, everyone had a great time. Those 'perasan bagus' boys had to arrange all the chairs after the function. Ingat aku nak bagi korang lepas macam tu je? Silap besar la. Muahahaha *evil laugh*

So what am I doing today? Relaxing, maybe cook something nice and also complete the designs for the bulletin PSKPP cover ( as again, I've volunteered myself to do it - at least it's something I actually like doing).

Teacher Talk: Overworked & Underpaid?

Image taken from here

That's some of my colleagues main gripe about our job. The mound and piles of work never decreases and the incessant demands made by everyone up, down, right and left never seems to cease. The pressures of the job do get to some of the best of us sometimes. Couple that with the needs of modern living, it can be overwhelming at times.

Honestly for me, I'm not asking for a five or six-figure paycheck, just reduce the non-teaching related duties and responsibilities so I would have the time to focus on what I want to do: Teaching.

Sometimes having all these 'extra' duties make me feel as if I'm short-changing my students. I feel I could do much better than what I'm doing. Some say I'm doing a great job so far but at what expense? Juggling all these things isn't really a walk in the park. It takes a toll on my health and quality of life. I'm constantly tired and not getting enough rest is making things worse. My back hurts. I don't want to be in physiotherapy again.

Being multi-skilled can be a curse and blessing at the same time. A blessing because one will be able to handle any task but a curse because this means that one is stuck for life doing those tasks day in and day out. Macam orang lain tak dapat buat kerja tu. Tak dapat or tak nak?

Diluah mati emak, ditelan mati bapak.
Tolak tugasan menjemput bahana, terima pula diri merana.
Alahai cikgu!

Mini-Shout: Meeting

Meeting. Meeting. Meeting.

Punggung pun dah jadi lebar.
Otak jadi makin sebal.
Jiwa pun dah sengal.

Bosan.

Mini Shout: Zits... Zits... Zits

Image taken from here

F*ck these darn zits. Woke up to a humongous zit the size of Mt. Fuji on my nose. My nose!

Great!

Now I look like Shrek. Shrek on a bad day.

Dah la on normal days I can make kids pee in their pants, having these zits only made things worse. Luckily the kids behaved rather well today. If not, huh, there would be major casualties today. One kid dared not complete the swear word he was about to mouth out. Smart move kid. I would've snapped your head off. Probably the kid remembered what would happen if anyone uses some swear words in my class (share this story later).

I'm sleepy. Early day tomorrow. Gotta hit the bed.

Ciao, peeps!

Rant: Incompetent Lazyass Nincompoop!

Haih!

What a day! So early in the morning I already had the urge to brutally slaughter people. Mentally I was on a murderous spree.

[picture this: a bloody massacre. kids and teachers running like headless chickens. blood everywhere. Music: All the seram movie sound effects].

Damn those incompetent, lazy nincompoops for unleashing my Jekyll/Hyde persona. Know why?

Every Tuesday we have the school assembly and since I am one of the teachers-in-charge for it, I try my darnedest best to ensure no major hiccups during the assembly. Not an easy feat when you're supposed to work together with an incompetent nincompoop and a bunch of numb skulls with plankton-sized brain. Every Tuesday, without fail they will raise my BP a few notches with their carelessness. Every time that happens, I pointed out what went wrong and how NOT to repeat the same mistakes. Semua angguk-angguk, ok-ok, sengih-sengih and assured me that they understand and it will never happen again.

But today I just had enough of that crap. The assembly was a near disaster of catastrophic porportions. Everything was CRAP! It took all my inner strength to hold myself back from marching up there and wring their scrawny necks. The senior prefects lepas tangan, letting the two freshie prefects as the emcees. When the two newbies f*cked up, they didn't even bother to assist or take any action to rectify the situation. The script, announcements, prize-giving, everything just went bust.

[turn to Hulk-mode]

I almost went ballistics! What did the nincompoop do? Absolutely nothing! Man, you on dope or what?! You are sitting right next to them and you did nothing?! I called you on your cell (you didn't answer). I sms'ed my friend to inform you (which my friend did. Thanks, R).

and.you.did.nothing.

(take deep breaths. think happy thoughts. -repeat 10, 000 times)

After the assembly, I called all the prefects-in-charge. They took one look at my face and they know it already "Uh-oh, we're in deep shit!". Damn right they are. I didn't blame the newbies but the senior prefects, I chewed them right through and through that by the time I was done, mata merah-merah sudah. Nak nangis kunun. Ada aku kesah?

Next I marched up to the Nincompoop and told him in a calm, murderous voice that next week this better not happen again. What? I was on leave on Monday and he was supposed to have a briefing with the prefects to finalize all the details before the assembly. Guess he never bothered to. And today act all surprised as if he never expected this to happen. Buduh! Do I have to pull YOUR strings to get you to do your job? I'm your colleague, we're paid to do our job well so start pulling your weight, you nincompoop!

If you want to put up a show as blistering idiots, do it some other time. You want to look stupid, find some other time. Not during assembly. Definitely NOT when I'm here. Definitely NOT if my name's gonna be dragged into your bloody mess!

Like how many times to I have to bloody repeat myself? Do I have to literally drill a hole into your thick skulls and shove the f*cking instructions into your (perhaps non-existent) brains?

It's frustrating to work with people like this. Glad big boss wasn't in today. If not, my ass would have been fried and the headlines on tomorrow's paper would have read;

"Enraged teacher on killing spree".

Disclaimer: This post may or may not be based on real-life events.

Weekend Update

A very short weekend for me as yesterday was a working Saturday for me. Next weekend is also another working Saturday as I have to attend a training session.

I hate working Saturdays.

>:-(

Now some people may say that I shouldn't complain as teachers only work half-day. How wrong they are. Let me set this straight. Teachers do not, i repeat, do not work half-day. My typical week would go something like this.

Monday to Friday
(0630 - 1340):
6.30 am must be in school already. Usually 3-4 hours of classes daily. Squeeze in lesson preparation, meetings, management duties.

Afternoon:
Monday (usually I'm quite free on Mondays unless there are meetings, extra classes, etc.)
Tuesday & Wednesday ( Training session for the Projek Gemilang English Debate. Extra classes too once a fortnight.Until 1630)
Thursday (This day is usually 'set aside' for meetings, meetings and meetings. Once it lasted until almost 6pm. We started at 1.20pm and some haven't had lunch yet)
Friday (ok, can cabut early from school provided I don't have any school-related activities)

And that is my typical week. So I do look forward to spending my weekends as leisurely as possible, and I do my laundry on weekends too (twice; one for work clothes and another for non-work clothes. Yeah, I can be anal sometimes), watching TV because I don't watch TV on weekdays, or just curling up with good book in hand. I need to unwind and relax to be refreshed and energized to meet the week ahead.

I love what I'm doing actually. I just hate the non-related stuffs that get in the way of doing what I love to do best. Teaching.

Some may say that private sector employees work on Saturdays too. No big deal. To you kind sir, go and try going to a school and teach and by teach I mean you give your damn best (not the half-hearted crapsh!t) and then you tell me if we have it easy. I've worked in the private sector too and it's different.

Teaching can be stressful. My advice to aspiring teachers will be "Have a genuine passion for teaching and manage your stress well. I you can't: Kalau tak mati cepat, boleh jadi gila. Focus on the job and handle the pressure from your students and also your superiors."

Okay, I'm off to some R&R time. TTFN!

Random: Hu-Ho-Ha

Friend : You've lost weight.

Me : And you need new glasses.

Location: Staff Room

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Me : You should see a Dentist. Your cheek seems to be swollen.

Student : No, I don't want to.

Me : Why? Are you afraid of the Dentist?

Student : No. I love my tooth *while grimacing in pain*

Me : Oh, so love is pain :-)

Location : Classroom

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Busy, busy, busy
Have a debate competition to organize next week for the Academic week. Exam results analysis to complete, Report cards to prepare. I love my job too damn much
I heard 'Big Brother' coming sometime near *sigh*sigh* Unrealistic demands, here we go again!
Just realized what a pain in the ass it is to be assigned to select the 'batik' fabric for all the staff. Like standing buck naked in the middle of the field in front of a firing squad armed with sniper rifles and bazookas (over exaggerating, but you know what I mean). Small wonder the predecessors hated this task.
We have English Day every Wednesday and Friday.
Everyone must speak English on that day.
No big deal for me but...
... The school's eeriely quiet.
LOL!

Prayer: School Reopening

Dear God,

I pray that as the new semester begins, let me be energized and inspired to give my very best to teach and guide the students. Grant me the patience (lots of it) to deal with everything and everyone as well as the extras that I know will be given to me. Continue to bless me with the crazy sense of humour that You've given me as it keeps me sane all this while.

I pray for my students to want to be in school and learn and God, please grant them the wisdom of never to mess around in my class especially when it's PMS-time. Grant them the will to complete their homework before I have to make them eat it or other unimaginable horrors that I would really love to inflict on them. Grant them the faith and hope that they can make a difference in their lives and that I can be an instrument to help them make a change.

and most of all dear God,

Please make the weather cool and the heatwave disappear. You know of the 'skunks' that's been making the staff room a horrid place to be. The hot weather will make their stench even more lethal and hazardous to our sanity. We've been so miserable enough when the weather was normal and now with this heatwave? Are You kidding me? Sitting near those two skunks would be experiencing purgatory on earth.

So please God, for my sake and the students' sake, let there be rain tomorrow or even better, make the skunks odor-less.

Amen.