Life of scholars at Taylor's =P

Scholars in Taylor's study as though it's a crime not to be studying!!


Until there's the symptom of lack of sleep...

But thankfully, J9 knows the importance of fun.
...We draw and doodle in class when the teacher is out,


we have I-touch to entertain us (to keep our sanity)...Even in the bus, we can have simple fun!

Conclusion?

Of course, you got that right.

J9 rocks! ^.^

Says Rei-kun - Lecturers for 2009 + THANK-YOU LIST for English teachers who impact me a lot in the past

Gosh... the title's a tad bit too long...

It's been two weeks since class started in college. Most of lecturers changed. Only my Economics lecturer, Ms. Malini remains with my class. I was pretty depressed when I knew the day before school started (that'd be 6 January 2009) that Ms. Julianne was no longer my class mentor and English lecturer. Good old Mr. James was also taken away from us. (Gah... I didn't like Math class but at least I enjoyed listening to him teach... Err... did that sound right?)

Anyway, I'm going to talk about my present lecturers. (No, silly! I'm not going to badmouth them, just talking and introducing them! xD)

Firstly, my new Legal Studies lecturer: Mrs. Wendy Loo. Let me make a statement about her - She is impressive. Mrs Wendy is a very organised lecturer who knows what she's saying or doing. Having her as my LS lecturer is a pleasure and an honour. We respect her not because she is strict or fierce but because of the opposite. She makes the class fun and at the same time productive. We memorise things with ease and we understand her lessons without much difficulty. We don't even feel uncomfortable or 'stupid' if we had any questions and will ask her without hesitation. It's quite a different experience as compared to my previous LS lecturer, Mr. Vijay.

Okay, my Accounting Studies lecturer up next: Pn. Anizah. Well, she's not that new to J9 (In case you forgot, J9 is the class I'm in. And don't give me excuses if you did forget. =.=). She taught my class AS last year for a month or two at the beginning of our first semester but got transferred to other class. I'm really sorry to say that I don't enjoy this subject. But it's hilarious at times to watch and hear her teach. I'm not too sure if she did it on purpose but she does crack jokes with a poker face, or maybe she didn't think of it as a joke, just that our class took what she said as a joke and laughed. Lolz!

Another thing about Pn. Anizah is that she ALWAYS writes in capital letters on the white board. It's only the truth to say that sometimes we can't read or interpret what she wrote on the board. We asked her if she could write with the proper usage of big and small letters but she replied, "If i write with small letters, I'm sure you will not be able to read anything I write at all."

And we laughed. =D

We laughed even more when we asked her to read what she wrote out loud for us and she uttered, "What is that that I've written?!" xD xD

Moving along now, let me introduce to you my new Mathematical Studies lecturer: Ms. Sia. Yeah, you can't expect much from me when talking about my MS lecturer. She's okay. I had her a few times last year as a replacement lecturer for MS. She's much better teaching us this year. She seems more friendly now.

In fact, let me tell you a very shocking fact. The thing is... I realised that I frown much more in English class than in MS class. Wow. I think dinosaurs have come back to life to roam our planet.

See, I have a 'Dr.' for as my current English Lecturer. Dr. Santha, to be exact. Oh, you have gotten it so wrong, my friend. She is no Santa Claus nor his wife nor one of his little green elves or reindeer. She is a no-fun, no-nonsense lecturer who barely gives you any space to breathe. She slays you for a missing 's' or an inappropriate tense. She blasts you to goodness-knows-where because you forgot to bring your dictionary to class.

I think it's because I've had too many cool and fun teachers for English class that now, I have run out of luck, and ended up with a dragon-lady this year. I can't believe I'm not going to have any fun for my last year of formal education in the English language.

You may argue that she's being strict for our own sake but I just don't enjoy that. Miss Mary, my English for Academic Purposes and IELTS teacher, was strict on us when it comes to English but she corrected us nicely, teasing us for our mistakes that we automatically know them and cease to commit them.

Dr. Santha, I believe, needs to know how to have a little bit of fun because right now, I picture her as some sort of bully trying to bully her way in and out of things. She was right in saying that getting A1 for English in SPM was no big deal but she was wrong to put it in a way that it doesn't worth a penny.

Language is supposed to be a fun subject. For that, I would like to thank all the teachers who were once my English teacher, that includes:

1. Mrs. Chong (I'm sorry I couldn't remember your full name), Living Springs Tuition Centre, Kuching - Thank you for encouraging me to write when I was only twelve years old. KATELION owes her existence partially to Mrs. Chong. Without her encouragement, I wouldn't have even begun to think I could do well in creative writing.

2. Pn. Lucy Sim, SMK Batu Lintang, Kuching - You are simply amazing. I'll never forget how you kept English so lively and colourful. I never felt bored even once in your class. Thank you for believing in the fact that English can be and should be fun for everyone.

3. Pn. Anita Wee, SMK Batu Lintang, Kuching - Although you were not my official English teacher in class, I learnt a lot from you during our debate practice sessions. Your English, I absolutely admire. (The food prepared when the debate team was over at your house, I miss even more!) Don't worry, I now pronounce 'development' properly whenever I use the word. "It's dee-vé-lep-ment!" =D Thank you for correcting my pronunciations!

4. Brother Albinus, Le Salle Tuition Centre (currently residing at SMK St. Joseph, Kuching) - You were my most respected Bible Knowledge and Literature in English teacher. I've never had an Irish for a teacher and you were my first. You were strict but I enjoyed your class because you were in a way, fatherly. Thank you for helping me understand and getting closer to God and also, have a stronger grasp in English.

5. Miss Julianne, Taylor's College Main Campus - Though I had only six months with you, I really missed your classes. They were fun! Your English-based games were interesting and challenging. You, too, believed that English classes should be fun. J9 really misses you as our ESL lecturer and mentor. Thanks for the good times!

6. Miss Mary Josephine Morias, Taylor's College Language Centre - Your English is (may I say it) flawless. You taught us so much! Group 11 must have been quite a handful for you last year but we (at least Sher Rin & I [she insisted that I add her name too. =.=]) really loved your classes. You were 'funnily strict' but we still adored you. Thank you for pointing out all my bizarre slang and accents, unknowingly resuming Pn. Anita's job of correcting my pronunciations and assisting me in enhancing my presenting and writing skills.


Missed every one of you great English teachers~!


P/S: I'll try to get photos of them lecturers next time. ^o^

Happy New Year!! (I know! I know! I’m really late!)

This is my first post for the year 2009 (Yeah, the Chinese knows this year as the Cow/Bull/Ox [pick your choice] year) So what I have to say?

Obviously, New Year new resolution!!! One of my most important goals this year is to never be late to church in Subang Jaya. I realised that I was often late to church last year after going to college. Either that or I missed church. That has got to stop. I am firmly putting a stop to it and I'm going to promise God that I will do whatever I can to be punctual to church every week (you heard me right the first time, no need for me to repeat).

Next, of course, my 'lovely' contract with JPA. TER 85 and above or it's kissing JPA scholarship and Australia goodbye (so, yes, I expect you to empathise me and understand why I won't be blogging that regularly anymore). I must work my butt off this year. T_T I've never felt ever the more compelled to do well in my studies. Two years ago, I was thinking, "Ah... SPM, how nice if I could score straight A's..." Notice the dreamy and airy part, never mind the lack of vigour to do well.... Now, it's "God, help me! If I don't do well, I'm in deep trouble. I have no choice but DO WELL!" Yeah... the difference is priceless. Haha

 My Greatest Achievement in 2009 (up till date)

I know it's wee bit too early to mention about one's greatest achievement of the year but in any case, I'm so proud of myself. Last Friday, I actually WALKED home to Casa Subang all the way from Taylor's College main campus with my housemates (Sher Rin, Yih Ling and Qiu Gee). It's a thirty-minute walk. We even stopped by a nearby shopping complex, The Summit, to eat 'tauhu fa'. =D Just that morning, I was thinking to myself, how is it even possible to walk back home from college? You see, the buses which take us to and fro from Casa Subang to Taylor's College can be rather fantastically late. Now that I know it is POSSIBLE for me to walk home or walk to college, I think walking is a very valid option from now on. Try getting stuck in a jam for more than an hour and getting to class late. I think you will agree with me, no?

 

Global Peace: A talk by Dr. Tun Mahathir at Taylor's College Main Campus

Yes, I attended the talk by our former prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir. He talked about Global Peace. For those of you who did not have the opportunity of listening to him speak personally and see him in the flesh (no, I did not say that to annoy you nor to boast. xP), I shall try my best to recall what he had said in his speech.

Firstly, we were given the idea by Tun that generally, peace is the absence of war. If there is no war, then the world would be a peaceful place to live in. Now, in order to lead the world towards a more peaceful direction, the solution suggested is to criminalise war.

Here's the thing: To murder a person, is a crime. As we all know, a breach of the law, performing a crime, results in sanctions i.e, punishments. You will be given the death penalty or life imprisonment etc. In fact, there are even advanced nations which come up with the 'noble' proposal that the death penalty is barbaric and inhumane. So murderers don't deserve to die too.

However, it is legitimate to wage war: to sacrifice innocent lives of men, women, children, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick.

Do you see the queerness of the picture which I am painting before you?

Now, you must understand the fact that people in the olden days warred against each other only because they didn't know any other way how to resolve their conflicts. Leaders led their skilled soldiers into war with swords and shields, arrows and bows to fight their enemies in a battlefield. The death toll and damage done was at the minimal. Unlike today, the battlefield is a city/cities of a country, the damage done is massive and unbelievable. In fact, the world could get wiped out if our leaders aren't too careful. (What do you think nuclear bombs can do?!)

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the ones who first tasted the destructive powers of the atomic bomb, yet, as though the destructiveness was not enough, people create better bombs—accurate bombs. Accurate bombs to...? To annihilate more people, to kill more innocent people. With such terrible tools available, war should not be an option to resolve conflicts between nation anymore.

War is very real, ladies and gentlemen. Why? Does it thrill you when you see people suffer because of war as you watch comfortably while sipping a glass of iced lemon tea from the television? Do you think that war can never reach us in Malaysia? Do you think that the word 'war' does not associate with our country as it normally appears alongside only with Gaza or Somalia or Afghanistan? If your answer is 'yes', shame on you. There is always the possibility that we will one day find ourselves in a war. War can happen anywhere if people believe that war is a method of resolution.

In order to obtain peace, criminalising war is an answer to it. People who initiate war should be trialled. If war is criminalised, people will see it as a bad and evil thing to do. During the Q & A session, Tun explained that awareness itself plays a vital role in spreading the message of global peace. (I used to think awareness is a kind of useless myth we mention in our moral papers to answer questions. "Kita perlu menyebar kesedaran tentang..." Sounds oddly familiar, no? I didn't know it actually has some practical use in it until now. Haha)

Anyway, as I was saying, I remember Tun mentioning that awareness itself is important. If the world believes in peace, then there would be no war. When awareness becomes a part the society, then people will refuse war. When people have a reluctant attitude towards war, then war can be avoided. People will refuse to fight in a war. When the people disagree with their leader going to war, the leader will not so easily place war as his number one option to solve conflicts. This is what is called a value system of the society; a mindset. Law is formed out of values and rights agreed by majority. So, naturally, if the world truly holds onto peace and hates war, war can be criminalised. It is not radical or just a mere illusion.

Evidence...

Tun's touch of humour

There was a student who asked a question (which I forgot to note down) and this was Tun's reply.

"Whether or not the bomb is accurate bomb or not, people are still terrified. People at Hiroshima and Nagasaki really could not possibly feel honoured when they were about to be killed by the first atomic bombs [which are much more accurate and destructive than a normal bow and arrow]. They were terrified."

I don't know about you but I find this part particularly funny. Lolz!

Conclusion

Global peace will definitely help improve the lives of a lot of people, especially those victims of war. Please support global peace. Spread the message. Nothing's worth to go to war for. The consequences are too dire, the sacrifice too colossal.

Doubt of my own, unanswered

Tun wishes that there will be no war. My question is if there is no war, how do you counter terrorist attacks? The September 11 incident happened, the Bali bombings happened, the London trains bombings happened. If there is no war, what about all these terrorists? They terrorise people. If a nation threatens to attack you, how will you retaliate?

Would you want to try to answer my question? =P

*To know what happened BEFORE the talk (the huge, unfortunate incident which upset quite a number of us), please click here~~

Christmas Buzz!

Sorry for not blogging in a long time. I've really been enjoying myself in Kuching. I really miss home, I guess. I used to think Kuching is really boring since it's such a small city (actually, I still do think so...anyways!) but now, everything about Kuching, I miss. The traffic here on the road is not as busy as KL or Subang. Well, duh since both cities are big cities unlike Kuching. You don't need to take long to travel from one location to another. You don't need to curse as much on the road since there are less cars on the road... Then, the food here is cheaper too. It's good to see Kolo Mee and Laksa again. Kam Pua Mee too. Man... I missed them tons. I'm halfway through my holidays. I'm really dreading going back to college again! That's why I don't really want Christmas to come so soon...

In any case, Christmas carolling for my church, the Sunday Morning Chinese Choir starts tomorrow. Been busy with choir practice. I love carolling! I think that's fundamentally because I love singing anyway. LOLZ! I'm wondering what to get for friends. I've settled Angie's... A reindeer soft toy I gave her! XD She wanted Rudolph (the doll's got no red nose) but I told her Santa needs it to lead his sledge. HAHA!!!!!

Thanks, Angie, for getting me those two books from Doulos! The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and a biography of Oscar Wilde. This is a clue for those of you trying to get me X'mas presents. Hehe Do not get me the same things. XD XD 

Cheers!

Introducing my new idol... 黃靖倫 Huang Jing Lun!

Name: 黃靖倫 Huang Jing Lun

D.O.B: 23.07.1983

Nationality: Singaporean

Height: 173 cm

Weight: Approximately 63kg

Education: 2nd Year Undergraduate at 

Singapore Institute of Management (University of London) 

Faculty of Finance & Economics

Interests: Soccer, singing

Before you roll your eyes at me and think to yourself 'there she goes again' (Yes, Sophia, I especially mean you), let me explain to you why.

First of all, I didn't fall for JL because of his looks first. I fell for his voice first. ^o^ This calls for a brief introduction about JL.

I knew him from One Million Star 超級星光大道3 Season 3, a Taiwan-based singing competition. He was a contestant for that competition. No, I didn't 'chase' after that show on purpose. I was surfing for videos on Youtube and I just happen to come across an episode of XGB3 with him in it, singing. His voice is unique, almost feminine. He is deemed to be able to sing four keys higher than an average lady without using falsetto. My favourite song he sang in OMS3 is Bu Zhi De 不值得.He sang it with Rachel Liang from OMS2. I love the song ever since. XD

 Rachel Liang and Jing Lun ^^

Then, I fell for his not-your-average-sense-of-humour. He speaks in a manner that sometimes makes you think that he's a real dreamer; airy-like voice, slightly toneless. For the first time of my life, I find Chinese proverbs interesting. That's because he never fails to use proverbs whenever he speaks. XD Almost every episode (I noticed this later when I decided that I wanted to watch the whole season because of him), he would be asked by the MC, Tao Zi to mimic a famous person. Let me tell you, if you ever feel down and low, watch a video with him in it, you will laugh. =)

Amazingly, JL is not good in dancing. He is bad with body coordination. He normally avoids fast beat songs too as he preferably sings slow serenades. And throughout the competition, JL discovered his crippling weakness: his tempo is slower than others. Once, he was forced to play the drums and that episode exposed clearly that he has a problem with tempo. For singers, that can be troublesome and frustrating.

But throughout the competition, he perservered. In fact, there are times he proved that a person who can't dance like... hmm... TVXQ (my ultimate favourite Korean boy band) or Suju can still sing and captivate the hearts of people and there are times he proved that a person who has a problem with tempo can still sing a song to near perfection. His hardwork really impressed me and inspired me. (I'm thinking if he can do it, so can I, as in my issue with Math.)

Besides that, JL is an obedient son who loves his parents. He is well mannered and polite. Even when Yuan Wei Ren criticised him hurtfully and offensively (seriously!), he kept a calm mind. He even rationalised his scoldings and still managed to be grateful (he expressed his thoughts after the recording of that episode in his blog later on). Now, how many of us can do that? I know my hot temper certainly would fail me at the point if I were in his shoes. 

After I realised what a great personality JL has and how much I am to learn from him, I saw how good-looking he was. There are many other singers/actors who look much more charming or handsome than him, but it is his voice and personality which primarily lead me to acknowledge and enshrine him as one of my favourite singers. =)

Recently, JL released his debut album called 伦语录 (Lun Yu Lu). I'm waiting for the local music stores in Malaysia to start selling his album. Yes, I have actually decided to buy the original thing. Lolz! This shows how much I love his voice.

If you've never heard him sing, please do try. Go look him up in Youtube or something. After that, if you like him, please support him by buying his album - the original CD. =) You may not be able to appreciate his voice immediately, it may take a little getting used to. But trust me, it's a blessing if you can love such a voice. It's one in a million. Hehe

I'm home!

Well, actually, I've been home for about a week. It's just that I haven't announced to the whole world that I'm home in Kuching. I haven't really met up with old friends or anything. I believe there's time for that later on. I'm just loving and appreciating every single moment I'm home; whether it's squabbling with my siblings or washing the dinner dishes.... I enjoy it all. 

Results for my finals for this semester wasn't very...hmm...good. I'm horribly worried for my Math Studies in SAM. If I never make it to Australia, it'll be because of Math. Of course, I know what I must do during this holidays. Catch up! 

Still, I'm so happy to be home till January 2009! =)

Malaysian Taxi Drivers = An Atrocity

I know I am about to face my final exam for this semester for college and am supposed to value every single second, minute and hour of my life now by revising my butt off as preparation for exam. 

But I MUST relate my experience with taxi drivers today, just this afternoon. 

Class ended early today. By 1.30p.m., my housemates and I had finished lunch and were eager to go back to our hostel unit to resume revision and studies (yea... we are THAT 'guai' -Mandarin for being good-) The shuttle buses which take us back to our hostel do not come until 3p.m. Four of us didn't want to waste any time, hanging around college. So, we decided to take a cab home. 

Cindy (the big sister of the unit) flagged down a cab. The driver was a Chinese man. She asked him if he could send us to Casa Subang and enquired for the price. He said, "RM15."

@#&@#^!@&*$&@%#&!@&#*!@(!@*!!^! (list of swear words. Please insert as you wish.)

Fyi, it is a fantastically expensive price. Cindy said that was too expensive. "Do you use the meter?" Guess what the fella said? 

"I don't use meter! Don't live there la! So far away! Move somewhere around here then if you think it's so expensive. That area so jam at this time also!" (in Mandarin)

I swear if I'm some samseng ah lian who has an ah beng boyfriend who has a gang of samseng friends, that driver is a roasted Peking duck. Damn impolite and rude! A disgrace to the Chinese. 

We flagged down a second cab. Indian fella. RM15 too. We rejected it. He went off quietly.

A third cab. 

Wah! Let me tell you! Now, this is the GEIST of the story for today.

"Casa Subang? How much?"

"RM15."

"Do you use the meter?"

"No."

Another Indian driver who is hanging around the 'wait-for-taxi-spot' near our college asked, "How much do you want?"

We answered, "RM7." 

"You wait until tomoro also you won't find a taxi with that price!"

"How come you don't use the meter?"

"(sarcastic laugh) Have you ever SAT in a metered taxi?"

I thought it was the most ABSURD thing I've ever heard recently. In fact, it is of knowledge that the cabs in Selangor MUST follow the meter. Quoting from the News Straits Time:

"Wed, May 07, 2008, 

"...Taxi drivers caught over-charging passengers, being rude to customers, declining to take customers to requested destinations, driving recklessly, using modified meters and charging passengers a flat rate without the use of the meter will lose their licence immediately." 

The statement was made by the Road Transport Department enforcement director Salim Parlan. Selangor, KL, Johor and Penang are the states where meters are compulsory for taxies. Sarawak too!

Then, we came across the fourth cab. A Chinese uncle. He uses the meter. Cindy mentioned out loud that this taxi has a meter and the Indian fella who spoke rudely to us yelled back, "Go lah, miss! Go lah! You naik saje!" As if we are sure to be cheated for the trip. I didn't like the scene because it felt like he was threatening us. When we reach Casa, the fare was only RM 4.60. We paid the uncle RM5 anyway. We were so happy to find a good taxi driver in the end. 

Now, here's the thing. I'm going to make quite a condemning remark here. If you can't handle it, please click away from my blog. 

I seriously find that taxi drivers, especially Indian ones, tend to scam passengers a lot. Seriously, I've heard too many stories about taxi drivers. I personally had had my own share of experiences. They are generally (NOTE THE WORD 'generally' which means not all) deceitful and never sincere. In fact, the way they carry out their duty is completely unethical and unlawful. I've met nice Chinese and Malay taxi drivers but NEVER an Indian.

For our case, I believe that these taxi drivers are in a league and have a pact to 'standardise' their charges and fees. Their attitude is atrocious and preposterous. They are f-king barbaric towards passengers. I think they didn't respect us as much since they knew we were students. 

Malaysia will get nowhere if her nation is still as under-developed in terms of mentality and manners. I have always blamed the leaders of this country for our hapless shape of the country but i do remember that a country is not only made up of the leaders but also the people. If the people themselves do not buckle up and change, there will be no advancement in the country. How do you demand respect for others when you do not act like you DESERVE that respect?

It is also not news that taxi drivers were known to cheat foreign tourists of taxi fares.What kind of impression would they bring home to their homeland?"

*How did you find Malaysia?*

*Oh, you know, I got down from the plane and I was scammed right off for a taxi fare to city central.*

Wow, we are so prepared to be a first-world nation.