Rare baking success!

It was an accomplishment for me to successfully bake 15 chocolate cupcakes today! 

Most of them cracked but as long as it's edible I'm happy! 

2015

It's 2015 already?!

They are my babies this year. The prince and princesses of 4E. My worst fears when I received my timetable during the first meeting were unfounded. They are well-behaved, understanding, creative and obedient. Although they are weak in English, they try their best to stay awake. If they could not stand the explanation anymore, they will voice their frustration and I will start a hands on activity. 

As their class teacher, I tried to beautify the class, in hope that they will love and enjoy their time spent in school. They surprise me with their initiative to go to school in the afternoons and a Saturday to decorate their class. 

 

Watching them work teaches me to slow down and let them work at their own pace because the class is theirs and I can't be dictating what they should do though out the year. 

One fine evening, a blackout gives you the reason to join other teachers and students on a fishing outing by the jetty. 

 

Happy birthday to mummy and me. I thank you God for your blessings upon my family. 

Precious time together, now that we don't gather as often. 

Girlfriends for life! This year we have a new addition to the family, baby Shaun! As we grow older and live our lives apart, I'm glad we can still find time to meet, catch up and gamble =P

Without realising, this is already the second week of march. Good time seems to pass so quickly, I feel that I have not done enough! 

May this year be a productive and meaningful year although I have not written any new year resolution. I will take one day at a time and hope to make the most of everyday. 

Time to get back to my ithink online course! 

 

The End of School Holidays

Time at home always passes very fast. After a long anticipation of the two weeks holiday, now it is over. School reopens again tomorrow.

Today feels like the first day I arrive in this school again. I feel like a cry baby. I could burst into tears anytime.

The 5 hours drive here was mostly sad, thinking of the life after my two friends I made here leave for their new school back in their hometown on Tuesday. I am happy for them that they got their transfers, but at the same time feel sad for myself, that I will be quite lonely after this. One of them is my housemate. She was right. She was lonely when she was here three years ago. I might be feeling the same soon. As she is packing now, I also feel like going home. 

Time to stop this pessimistic thought. It has flooded my mind the whole day.

On the bright side, I thank God for these two friends, for guiding me when I just arrived in January. I walked with them to school and back from school. I eat with them at the canteen. I felt happy and joyful here the entire semester. I had someone to cook with and eat dinner with. I had company in the house, someone to chat with, someone to go for walks with, someone to go to the nearby shops with.

I wish them all the best and I will miss them...

Update

And finally at 4.30pm, it's done!

Kayu Wood

It has been almost 2 months and I have delayed making the path for the car to be parked under the teachers' quarters. Every day the car is put under the scorching sun. *dislike* always feel angry at myself for delaying the work.

One Thursday two weeks ago, I went to the village to search for the 'kilang papan'. The school's office assistant pointed the direction. I failed to locate the 'kilang papan' the first trip. It was on the left behind the bushes so I did not see it.

Last week, I went again, but the boss was not in.

Yesterday, I went again.

Took one hour to choose the wood. In the end the wood was not suitable. too thin, might break easily. So this morning, I went to see the wood again.

The men working, under the hot sun :( 

Thank God for man, without man, who will do this carpentry work? They could carry the big plank of wood with their bare hands. Seeing them holding the wood makes me worry about the tiny splinters that might pierce their hand.

It makes me want to have my daddy here with me in Beladin, to help me decide on the type of wood to use, the width needed for the tyres to get up the curb safely.

Another day of learning.

Thursday

Thursday's brunch at school :)

 So far, my housemate and I have cooked these 5 times.

Something to look forward to after my 4A3 class.

A weekend at Beladin

Hi blog, it seems that I only visit you when I am angry, sad or bored.

This weekend, I decided to rest here in Beladin after 4 weeks of driving 5 hours home and 5 hours back to Beladin. My weekend has been filled with munching on snacks, chips, sunkist, beans soup, instant noodles. I just can't stop eating. I even bought a bottle of 7up Revive to drink over the weekend!

It's almost 4 months of teaching, and it wasn't too bad. I have put the previous unhappy experience behind me. So far, it has been good.

I have learnt not to scream at my students, because that whole week i screamed my lungs out at my students, I could not sleep well the whole week! Now I wonder how do those teachers who always scream at students sleep?! So I learnt to not get angry. If I do get angry, I scold them but not scream at them. I also practice a lot of nagging. I nag so much that one of my student could imitate me. "........Jangan buat begitu lagi" (and turning/moving/ rotating his hands (could not find a right word to describe that action) Then I realised that I unconsciously move my hands a LOT when I talk. Talking about that student M, he can be very chatty that it disrupts the whole class. At times he is the joker of the class and makes me laugh. One day I can be very furious in that class, one day I can laugh my heads off. 

Teaching geography is fun. Syiok sendiri. I enjoy drawing the mind maps on Mahjong papers (so that I don't have to write the same thing on the board for 4 classes). I enjoy photocopying exercises for them to do. but it's quite disappointing when I mark their mid term papers. Well, I guess they do not understand what I am talking about, just like I don't understand what they are talking about. I say "huh???" three times and they stop asking me questions in their language.

Teaching English on the other hand is __________. I still cannot teach them, I mean I don't think they learn from my class. It's either they look at me blankly, or sleep, or talk to each other. They tell me they do not understand anything I teach. I need to find a way to teach them some basic English. but how are they going to take SPM English? I don't want them to fail. I had 4 passes out of 50 students for the mid term test. I hope the results will improve this time. BUT after doing the SNS, I realised the questions I set for this term's exam paper are mostly at low level. Let's see how my students perform this time. I am still learning how to teach English. I feel that I cannot remember anything I have learnt.

I do find that praising and scolding in a softer tone works on some students. Screaming helps at time to shut a students' mouth after numerous warning to stop talking at pay attention. 

One day one class started playing with paper 'lastik'. As I was teaching I see folded papers flying across the classroom. After punishing the students to pick up all the papers on the floor, they continued 'lastik'-ing. In anger, I snatched one lastik and lastik-ed the students nearest to me. It was fun! I had to hold my laughter. After that day, the lastik game stopped. They must have gotten a good scolding from their form teacher. Ha Ha.    

That's all for tonight!