Good Samaritans

Present day.

The year is 2009. (This story took place yesterday, by the way)

Class has just ended at three. Maggie and I had decided to see Mrs. Wendy for her review on our Legal assignment which is called CPT. You don't have to know what it stands for. But wait! Nature called. So, I obediently took a trip to the washroom on the same floor.

In my hand, I was holding the golden pouch which had my two hand-phones in it.

I didn't realise I was holding it until I was right inside the cubicle of a toilet and ready to... well, answer nature's call. I looked around. A-ha! A hook on the wall. For the sake of convenience, I hung my pouch on it. I was too lazy to go back to class and asked a friend to take care of my phones.

I flushed and walked out of the cubicle. Then, left the washroom. (I did wash my hand before I leave!)

After meeting Mrs. Wendy, I went to the library, eager to start working on my English assignment. It was due today and I had not begun my work. It would have been a piece of cake if our lecturer wasn't so picky.

One hour later, my fingers itched to text people. I felt for my phones in my pocket. Oh! The right pocket. No? The bottom right? No? The bottom left? No? The pockets behind? NO?!

Oh, I must have placed the pouch on the desk. I looked for it under the piles of papers and books.

NO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was then that I figured I lost them. BUT WHERE!!!?????

DAMN! The toilet!!!!

I rushed out of the library and ran (would have flown if I could) to the old block where the toilet was. I prayed fervently that the pouch was still where I left it. When I pushed open the door, to my disappointment, though it was expected, the pouch was no longer there. I cursed.

But before I panicked, I told myself I must think calmly and try to recover my phones.

The cleaners!

I saw none in sight, so, I ran to the new block where I bummed into two cleaners.

"I lost my phones in the toilet in the old block. Did you see them?"

The lady cleaner shook her head. "We're not in charge of the old block. You should look for the cleaners there. They should be still there."

Thanking them, I ran back to the old block and busted down every door of every classrooms, from the third floor to ground level. I spotted them near the labs.

Tired and panting, I could only manage, "Phones... lost.... did you see them?"

"What????"

"I lost my phones in the toilet, second floor... did you see them?"

Their answers were not good. They said the time when I lost it, they were cleaning the classrooms and not the toilet. They assured me if they had come across it, they would have handed it over. I didn't doubt their sincerity. They didn't look like they were lying. It was by my own fault that I lost them.

Now, I panicked. I didn't know what steps I should take next.

Lodge a report, you idiot!

Ah, right!

I sprinted to the new block and entered the SAM office. I gaped at the empty place. There was no officer in sight.

WHERE'S EVERYONE?!

Feeling rather lost, I headed for the student central, which was in front of the old block. At the reception desk, the lady was busy answering a call. The phone seemed to never stop ringing. If I were Piper from Charmed, I would seriously have blown up that piece of communication tool.

Finally, she was able to entertain me.

"How may I help you?"

God, please let my phones be in the lost and found section already.

"I lost two phones in a pouch."

"Please fill up this form." She passed me a pen and a form.

No such luck. I sighed. Depressed, I filled it up with all the details and descriptions of my lost belongings. My mind was totally numb with the thought and the prospect that I was phone-less then. I could not accept that fact. I had friends who lost their phones. I never thought it could happen to me too.

"We will inform you if we recover it. Thanks."

"Okay..."

I exited the student central building. That. Was. It. There was nothing else I could do. My phones were as good as gone.

I decided to pack up and leave the library. Go back home and lament to my friends or something. I was no longer in the mood to study or do any work.

As I was about to climb the stairs, I bumped into Siew Fong and Kevin.

"You look very distressed," said Kevin.

"You look very tired," said Siew Fong.

"I am very tired AND distressed," said I. I told them the whole story. Siew Fong was kind enough to lend me her phone so that I could call my cousin Nick to tell my dad to cancel my phone lines.

"Let me give you a hug. If it makes you feel better, I lost four pendrives in college before," comforted Siew Fong.

It sounded amusing but I couldn't bring myself to laugh because I just lost two phones, my two darlings. I bid them goodbye and resumed my grave march to the library.

I was going back to the desk I was using when I met Jie Hui.

"Ahh!!! JOYCE!!!"

Don't worry. The main campus library isn't exactly the quietest place on earth anyway.

"Oh, hi, Jie Hui," I greeted her, less energetic than usual.

"Did you know..?!"

I looked at her blankly. How did she know I lost my phones so soon?

She shoved a golden pouch before my face. My eyes widened and I blurted, "MY PHONES!!! Holy cow!!!!"

"Did you even know they were gone?!!!" she asked incredulously.

"Of course! I've been looking for them for the past half an hour!"

It was amazing, that gush of joy. Indescribable. What I have lost, I have now regained. (sounds like something out of the Bible. Haha)

"How did you find it?? Thank you so much!!!! I'll treat you to one week of vegetarian food no problem!" (Jie Hui is a vegetarian, okay, not that I am stingy. =.= and mind you, vegetarian food can be quite expensive!)

"You are a very lucky person. It was my friend who found it in the toilet. She looked through your contact list and found my name. She called me up so that she could return the phones back to you!"

"Thank your friend for me. I owe her big time!!!" I exclaimed.

I was astonished at such... honesty! I was touched at the same time.

"There, that's her!" Jie Hui pointed out. She waved and signalled her to come over. The girl came to us and I thanked her gratefully.

"Oh no, not me, it's natasha (I think that's what she said)."

I had the opportunity to thank the ultimate saviour of the day as the girl who found my phone was in the library too. Gosh, what good Samaritans!!!!!

It suddenly struck me.

"Oh crap!"

"What?" Jie Hui enquired.

"My dad is going to cancel my lines!"

-end-

We have a few lessons to learn here:

1. We must be honest people. (Natasha, Jie Hui's other friend and Jie Hui)

2. We must help those in need. Don't be stingy with your credits. (Siew Fong)

3. We must thank those who help us.

4. We must thank God every time He helps us. (Everyone I met along the 'journey' to find my phones was angels in disguise, I believe.)

The greatest lesson of all...

MUST SURE YOU HAVE A LONG CONTACT LIST SO THAT WHEN AN HONEST PERSON WANTS TO RETURN YOU YOUR PHONE, THE PERSON CAN DO SO!! HAVE GOOD P.R. AS WELL OR PEOPLE WOULD NOT WANT TO HELP YOU! xD

What.

There's no more lesson left from the story for today.

I didn't leave any out on purpose.

Okay, fine.

Don't be another forgetful girl like me. I was only lucky. My luck might run out if this happens again. You may not even have that luck that I had. =P

Oh, and no worries, I was in time to stop my dad from canceling my lines.

Appreciate

Last Chap Goh Meh, I took it for granted, not knowing that in the next year, I would not be celebrating this day with my family and relatives.

I've always spent the fifteen days of Chinese New Year with my family previously. Suddenly, breaking the tradition, I realised how much it meant to me. Not the ang pows or mountains of food, but the sheer presence of being with my family was what mattered.

Though still living in the same country and just a sea apart, it struck me how it was a simple blessing from God to be with your loved ones every day.

So, those of you who have not left home for a long period time, appreciate your family. Don't take them for granted. Make every single moment with them meaningful.

Happy Chap Goh Meh! Cheers!

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