First Guidance Class

Yesterday, 28 June 2010 was a historical day for me. I held my first guidance class for MUET. I don't wanna call it tuition because I'm not here to make big bucks like some teachers out there. I just want to guide my students to get them to know MUET and practise so that they're able to achieve the minimum Band 3 set by the university in order to proceed to Beta level.

Any kind of service comes with a fee, and this guidance class is no exception. How much I charge my students? Well... very minimal because my students can't afford to pay too much unlike city kids. Pity them la... they want to learn, but if I charge them too high, they will be discouraged to have that opportunity to learn. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm getting a bit of pocket money which is sufficient to pay my utility bills while helping students who need help. Part of my earnings will go to charity, too as they need donations - this is my pledge to society.

I planned to have such a class years ago but somehow it didn't materialise. It takes something bad to happen to me to realize that I've got to do something with my life or else I'll rot forever. So, I decided it's time to start this guidance class - I did it... and I got my first batch of five students last night.

Start small but aim big. I won't be greedy yet, but I've plans over the next few years to expand (not sideways) but it all depends on how I handle this first batch of students.

Wish me luck that I'll succeed this time... for once.

A 6-hour Torment

At dawn, while almost everyone else was still fast asleep on that "fateful" Saturday morning on 26 June 2010, my phone alarm screamed at me. It was 5:30 AM, and I was supposed to wake up to get ready for an event - The Writers' Workshop - at Cyberjaya. We were told to get to campus by 6:30 AM as the bus leaves at that time. We departed almost 7:00 AM in a typical Malaysian style. OK, so here's what I captured with my 3.2MP smartphone ... ain't that smart, you know:

Catching up with lovely sleep

Cyberjaya campus: The venue of our workshop

Generous breakfast spread, tea breaks and lunch for us
Thank you, we're starving. 

Some of the participants - teens!

The man who could talk for 6-hours
He really knows his stuff.

Practice time: Mock press conference

Despite having to listen to Willie (the only facilitator there) for 6 hours, I didn't feel too bored, but I must admit that I daydreamed quite a bit, while I saw someone snoozing away. His lecture was intermittent with five activities that are tied to each other.

The participants were 99% students from both campuses. There were only two staff members as participants, me and another guy. Basically we learnt a lot of journalism and reporting. The skills are useful as I've plans to be a writer some day ... perhaps make that as my full time job.

Well... it was worth the early morning wake up call. By the way, my hands are lousy when it comes to taking snapshots... see the blurry pix?

Karate Kid

Yesterday evening, I watched a movie - Karate Kid. This is the remake of its predecessor shot in 1984 with Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio as the main characters. In this 2010 remake, Jacky Chan (Mr. Han) and Jaden Smith (Xiao Dre) play the respective the roles. How was it? It was great!!!

When my colleague asked me to watch a movie, I thought it would be Toy Story, and I was sceptical about this kung-fu movie. Since there's Jacky Chan in it, and I've watched the trailer some time back, what the heck, I decided to go. No regrets. What I like most about this movie is the kid himself, a carbon copy of his dad, Will Smith in terms of the way he talks and moves. He's so darn cute, so go watch him even if you dislike violence.

I'm not gonna spoil your interest by revealing too much, but you know that if there's Jacky Chan, there will be plenty of action, humour and moral values - his movie trademark. He didn't direct this movie, though. There's a tiny touch of romance too. Oh by the way, I was actually moved to tears toward the end - now how often do you see tears in a man's eyes? Or was there another reason for those eyes to be wet? Hmm...

There's one particular statement that Mr. Han said that struck me: "Life sometimes brings us down; it is up to us whether or not we get up" - roughly that's what he said, but the message is clear. It definitely applies to me. See? Even watching movies can teach you a lesson or two.

Father's Day Bash

We celebrated Father's Day yesterday, 20 June 2010 (Sunday) in the capital city. After going round and round, we finally found the restaurant - Tenji Japanese Buffet - at the high end Mont Kiara area.

The front of the restaurant

As you enter the premise, you're transported into a different world - the world of Japanese culinary. The landscaping and interior design were fabulous! See the photos:

The rock garden that greets customers

A garden in a restaurant

See what you like, and drop your clip in the bowl

Another area

Kids' favourite: The chocolate fountain

Tea lovers: Drink as much as you like

People digging into Haagan Dazs. The chef looks worried.

Baskin Robbins and sexy girls galore

The mini bar. Try their fresh coconut.

Oysters with cheese toppings - a "gift" from Tenji

How's the food? FANTASTIC!! How's the price? FANTASTIC too, as it was half price for lunch - that's RM48++

Flashback at a Wedding

I attended my cousin's wedding dinner in KL last night. The food was good, the company was alright. I took many snapshots, and my relatives wanted to have their photos taken too with my camera. The menu was something extraordinary - something which only Tai Thong Restaurant could come up with. At RM1,000+ per table, this was the menu:

The menu: Click to enlarge

A Toast - red wine.

However... despite the company, the noise and the happy atmosphere, I felt something missing.  When I saw the video presentations and the atmosphere, I had flashbacks of what I had gone through three years ago. Every one was happy for me - finally I'd ended my bachelorhood, they thought. Now, I'm a bachelor again - though not exactly the same anymore.

Next month, I've to attend another cousin's wedding. I can't escape... I need to be brave and face reality. I shall just go blindfolded.

Ouch, My Back Hurts!

I'm now in Week 2, I travel twice a week to Cyberjaya either in a van or a bus. Whichever mode of transportation I use, the result is the same - pain. Sitting on a bus is more comfortable though as there's enough leg room and the seats are more cozy.

But each morning I wake up, my back hurts. Just before it recovers, I've to travel again because I go to Cyberjaya on alternate days. It hurt bad this morning ... sigh :-(

Don't know what's going to happen by Week 14. I jokingly told my colleagues who travel with me that at the end of the semester, we would have to use a walking stick - yeah, they laughed, I laughed - but then... jokes aside, it's bad for all of us.

Partners of Different Religions

I had a virtual chat with a netpal a couple of days ago. Then the issue of having partners of different religions was brought up. "I'm a Christian, so I must marry another Christian." - strange, you know. And when I asked the reason, she said that she wanted someone who shares the same values. Before you have any thoughts in your mind, let me clear it for you - we're NOT dating... hehehe. We were merely discussing.

We have the right to choose our own partners, and we have the right to embrace the religion of our choice. Fine, thank you. What if you've found a great person, but you refuse to make that move due to religious differences? In addition, what if that person decides not to convert to your religion? Easy answer: "Let that person go, la. After all there are many fish in the sea. If not, then being single is also not bad anyway."

As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't mind marrying anyone from any race as long as I get to keep my religion, and I will let her keep hers. The other thing is that I do not have to change my name or add something to it because my present name was given to me by my parents. People tend to believe that by marrying someone of the same religion, things will go smoothly as they will understand each other better. True, to a certain extent. However, marrying someone of a different religion has its benefits too. You get to learn and understand another religion, not only your own. You will also learn to tolerate other religions better. Isn't this what being a multi-racial country is all about, too? A good example is my parents - my mom is a Christian, dad a Buddhist. My brother chose to be a Christian, while I chose to be a Buddhist because we siblings have our own beliefs. Well, nothing's perfect. There have been some minor differences but nothing keeps my parents' love for each other going for close to 50 years despite that difference in faith.

If we respect each other's religion, that would be great, wouldn't it? The problem with us is that we think, or have been indoctrinated by people that our religion is better than others; some people make a mockery of other religions. This is when trouble ignites, and later turns into a full blown explosion.

I think we should all be open about having an open-religion marriage. There's no superior religion in this world because God has never taught us to think that way and all Man are equal in His eyes. The bottom line is, we all do good, be good and see good always, and life will be alright - regardless of whom you marry.