Ba Sian Mau temple, Sungai Kinabenua (The biggest temple in Labuan)

on the 27 of march 2009 i brought some students to this temple at Sungai kinabenua it was my first visit. i have heard about it but never thought of bringing my students there so this is my first time here. its not located anywhere near town and really have to rent a bus to bring students here and HEP (Students affairs department) is making it hard for me to bring students out they want two teachers to accompany students a male and a female leecturer. next time( if there is a next time) i would bring them out sunday or saturday make it a normal outing and not an outdoor activities with the teacher in charge.

me singing on stage during CNY in KML?

yes I did sing during the 2009 KML CNY with other lacturer as well, I don't have a good voice or a bad voice just an average voice but singing in a group it's just ok. sing solo don't think i will haha.

CNY 2009

welcome everyone to our CNY 2009 (it was done after CNY like last year! the Hall was Book in advance so we have to push it way later after CNY)

door gift. was told not to do it but we still did it, gave the students a pack of box drinks, 2 mandarin Oranges and a candy.

The director of KML writing in Chinese calligraphy? haha it was for the opening ceremony (he did not write the word he just completed the word "FU")

This is the Director's first visit to my activities i try inviting him a few times but finaly he came to one of the event organize my me.....but he still don't know my name.......

During the Directors speech. he said this is KML's first CNY celabration .... sorry to some of my students he forgot we had one last year where he did not show up and the one that did show up last year was not here this year because they were away on duuty.

HEP students affair department head officer actually show up for my CNY
so happy and i have to thank Mr Megat( the new HEP assistent) for inviting him to come.

Mr Othman was with his child he look happy I did my best to stuff the kid with candy so he wont get bored.

my CNY lion dance drummer. KML has a policy where the performer have to be students of KML it self we can't ask other to come performed.

Lucky I have a group of students from ChungHua Miri that are very good at this.

now we can't have CNY without lion Dance can we?

so instead of one lion I have two lion performing haha

everyone love to watch lion dance young and old. I think this is the first time KML have a lion dance on Dewan Mutiara's stage and i am so glad i Help to make it happen.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Angpow without money... we are not that rich hehe even if he is the so call god of wealth

God of Wealth giving out Angpows everyone want one from him. it is very symbolic

lots of Chinese Songs with just one English song.

wushu very talented students. they even perform a cartwheel the Director was sure happy to see the Wushu

Group photos everyone......great memories of that wonderful night where every thing you plan come togather so nicely.

I ask the Informatics department to help take picture and video during the event so the pictures quality was way better than last year and was i ever happy with it

This is not the first CNY event under my supervision but it sure was the most elaborate and expensive one i did thus far.I don't dare think I can top this one anytime soon with the recession going on. you always wish you can out-do last year but for some reason i don't think i want to continue my role as the teacher that organize Chinese event every year. so 2010 i want to sit out on the planning and just enjoy the performance and i wish other teachers that promise that they will take over my role as teacher advisor for such events to do thier very best i wish them luck.

word play

hey there everyone here is a little fun word game for you
try to arrange these six words in as many meaningful sentences as you can.
example:

the man walk his pet dog
the dog walk his pet man
the pet dog walk his man

i can only make 3 meaningful (i hope) sentences from the 6 words ( the, dog ,man, his,walk, pet)
now how many meaningful sentences can you make with these 5 words(the woman is consider

the woman/loves/nobody/knows/he

come give it a try. tell me your answer and how many sentences you get

my casio

can you tell me the time?

For me digital wristwatches tell the best time, down to the last minutes and second. You don’t have the trouble of mistaking the time because if it doesn’t have any battery you see a blank screen. I usually come with a built in light as well good for telling the time at night but sadly people don’t prefer digital wristwatches that much some don’t even have a watch instead they use their phone to tell the time.

For those who know me I wear a digital wristwatch that is almost like a part of my body. I seldom take it off and this casio model digital wristwatch is very durable and could last for years and years. Most adult don’t wear digital wristwatch and I may look like a kid wearing one but it’s my choice =)

MY DIGITAL CAMERA BenQ DC C540

BenQ DC C540 I always wanted a digital camera i guess i am the type of person that like to take picture to help me remember the happy and sad time in my life.

i used to have a camera but you need to load film into it but almost everyone was using these digital camera so i made a promise to myself that when i start working the first thing i want to buy was a digital camera so finally i got this camera. look nice right?
its not top of the line but it will do i guess at first i wanted to buy a sony brand digital camera but they are very expensive but the cheaper one don't have shake mode to make sure your picture are not blur . but this BenQ is not bad with 5megapixel 3xoptical zoom. i Love it.
my brothers advise me to buy a 3G hand phone that way i could take picture, listen to music and so much more. but in the end i got a BenQ. well its my money i decide=)

my phone

my Nokia 3310 this is the phone i use now, it is my second phone my first phone was also this model. i like it because of its easy to use function and its durability my parents are starting to use hand phone now and they use a newer model of nokia which used to belong to my younger brother. i guess i like to stick to things that are familiar =P

beauty ???

A Bad Case Of Humans

you can also watch this clip on this website
http://media2.guzer.com/videos/bad_case_of_humans.wmv

A street for women to Drive?

in·fi·del / Ñ 'InfIdJl; NAmE Ñ / noun(old use) an offensive way of referring to somebody who does not believe in what the speaker considers to be the true religion.

My question are all muslin Fanatic and want to kill all "infidel?"
I live in a Muslim country, I'm not a muslin and I LOVE living here. The people are warn and friendly of course we have our 'ups and down' and issues we need to work out but personally i find living in this country very enjoyable and even consider myself lucky to be born in my country and the thought of living in another country(migrating) never cross my mind but then again i never visited or stay in any other country before.

China and Taiwan

Taiwan is part of China? well what is your opinion?
Taiwan up till now is not consider a 'country'. it has its own government, its people are Chinese-Taiwanese, an island that is great and produces some of the Best mandarin-singing singer and some of the funniest TV game show ever.
The Taiwanese are some smart-creative bunch of people.
would Taiwan ever get independent? do they need independent?



I personally feel that they should just leave it be.
they are doing fine and why do you want to upset the balance? i would not like to see China and Taiwan at WAR. why? because they may have different opinion about the issues of independent but they are all Chinese and the idea of killing each other over this issues benefit no one in the end.

its not good for the economy and stability of the world and especially so to the South-East Asia.
China is doing fine, business is booming people are happy, last thing they want is a war.
i am with the STATUS QUO leave thing be the way they are.

THE FUTURE

Life is short

Teaching in kolej matrikulasi Labuan

My posting was out I will teach matrix, my parents and me were worry that I was not going to get my posting as a educator due to the news about having too many teachers and me and my parents were asked about my posting when I will start working where will I be working. To tell the trough I was a bit annoyed being ask so many times and not having a good answer for it just that I’m still waiting.

Finally some news about posting but unfortunately my name was not in the web so again I was worried. I went for the interview only after I called KPM to ask why I did not get a letter to ask me to attend the interview to my surprise my address was missing and I was ask to go without any letter and now my name is not on the teacher posting web?

I was worried my friend gave me a number to call and that what I did and It turn out that my name was under matrix (16/03/07) to my joy I was to teach pre-u not only that I would be a lecture not just a teacher, on top of that I will teach in W.P.Labuan its only 40 minutes flight from my home town miri and I heard from a friend it was nice to stay there

My impression of Labuan is that things are not cheep her only some stuff are cheaper, the food here is not that nice too., a lot of meat and not much vegetable the weather here? Hot

My new office is nice have my own cubicle but not my own computer, maybe later

The students here wear very formal and I look more like one of the students here than a lecture. The colleagues are nice and friendly with most of them still very young.

I turn out that Labuan is a very small island with limited work and school available so if KPM were to transfer an older educator to teach here it would be hard for their spouse to find work here in Labuan plus land here is expensive that is why KPm send fresh uni grad to teach here because we are all single so are not tied by family this would be like another university that I teach in instead of studying in for a few years. Another thing about teaching matrix is that there are less holidays compare to schools and I will only have the maximum of just 3 week holiday per year =(

Anyway I think I can survive here it feel and look nice to teach here =)

longest week

This has been a very long week for me. I was supervised by two supervisors, Dr. Edwin and Pn. Suntari. Slept quite late most of the nights and finally today I all come to and end.
Could have done better, capable of better work. Dame it, you only have one shot at doing it and it’s do or die and was I ever de-motivated by what Edwin Said and I quote “ I am very disappointed with you, I fear for you and your students. =(
i am teaching the the future genaration better teach the right stuff or you destroy the future of these students man thats heavy...try to better myself and improve my teaching skills.

malysian

http://www.eslgo.com/resources/sa/role_plays/intercultural-date.html

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

If someone asks you haw many days do we have in our life time? Well there are actually just 3 days in our life. Yesterday, today and tomorrow. The problem we face today is due to yesterday and what we can’t solve today will be tomorrow’s problem.

It used to be that the more you earn yesterday the more you can spend today or tomorrow, but with the birth of credit card and loan, we now actually can spend tomorrow’s money today! Spending future money today and paying it back tomorrow.

I am now spending my future money. I will be paying back Rm200 a month when I start working in the future. I pray and hope that the economy will be good, because if the prices of goods skyrocket I am going to have a hard time paying back my present Education loan from PTPTN.

Together forever

When we decided to be together
A bad habit was beginning to form,
I began to lean on you
My weight shifted towards you
And your stability started
Depending on my support

Our posture look awkward
Like our cripple love
No one will fall down, yet
No one can stand right
No one can leave one another.

Time and friendships

Time will age the youth
And fade the memories
Friendship die
With distance and time

People change in the course of time
What is left of yesterday
Is but a bitter, sweet
Memories
The past is for reminiscent.
By:Brian CBC

Flower

When there is spring breeze
I will brilliant brightly bloom
No matter if anyone passes by

some other poems

http://www.aldenkahn.com/akkohq/screens/lpage.html

Stress

Stress
There is no good or bad stress just big or small stress. In a way it is a type of motivation or a reason for suicide. Its your expectation of your self or past experience that make stress big or small.

Say what you mean, mean what you say

There was once a host who organize a party. Some of his guest did not show-up so he said “Why hasn’t the one that should come, haven’t arrive yet?” when the guest that has showed up for his party heard what he had said walk out of the party feeling insulted and that they should not have come to his party. To make matter worst the host seeing his gust leaving said without thinking “oh! Now the one that should have stayed have left!” the remaining gust left the party thinking that they should not have stayed.
From this story it is clear that it is important to think what your listener may feel from your comment. You may not meant what you said but people may interpret differently from what you mean.

Boys and girls

Men fall in LOVE with thier eyes
women fall in LOVE with thier ears.

blogsweb

http://numericlife.blogspot.com/

http://www.wongseowlee.blogspot.com/
http://www.husiewjing.blogspot.com/

南拳妈妈

南拳妈妈
http://www.wx6666.com/musiclist/7832.htm

MyBlog

me

Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire’

Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire’ said W.B. Yeats and most English teachers would agree with him in principle, if not always in practice.The reason for this practical qualification, of course, is that education legislators over recent years seem to have more concerned with emphasising “bucket filling” in schools and telling teachers what should and should not go into the bucket than with safe-guarding and developing the inspirational. Perhaps this is inevitable, in that it is far easier to legislate for the tangible, but it sometimes seems as if counting and measuring the components of the curriculum have endangered our sight of the whole process and its purposes. The ‘Standards’ may themselves be regarded as one more example of this preoccupation. It is likely to be in the broad field of ‘literature’ teaching that the inspirational aspects of English teaching are likely to be most keenly felt and it is here that the philosophical distinction alluded to by Yeats often may be transformed into a struggle of supremacy.

DAVID STEVENS(TTA,1998,p96)

Teaching

Teaching is without a doubt the most important profession; without teacher there would be no other professions. It is also the most rewarding. What role in society can be more crucial than that which shapes children’s lives and prepares them for adulthood?Teaching: A Guide to Becoming a Teacher(TTA, 1998,p.1)

I think this is very true and in a way make a lot of sense. I guess I should go into the field of teaching with that kind of positive attitude and hopefully that strong positive attitude will remain until the day I resign, not becoming bitter and unmotivated with the uphill task of teaching student who most of them don’t really like to go to class and therefore uninterested in learning.“ You can send your child to school but you can’t make them learn if they don’t want to” for those teacher teaching in secondary schools they have to face with a bunch of student who are going through their puberty and it is said to be the most difficult years where their own parents face problem communicating with them.

pictures

EDU3234 Final Entries

Well to tell you the truth this course was stressful mentally, because I have to produce two academic writing and it really squeeze dry the creative, analytical skills in me. But hey, it was worth it because I have produce two-piece of written paper that I am very satisfy with. I have gone through drafts and drafts and the whole process of trial and error for my assignments, but even though it was “stressful” I think it is a “good stress” because it motivated me to try to do the best that I possibly can, on these two papers. Yes believe it or not, there is such a thing as “good stress”. In fact, good stress even has a name – “eustress” (something every student should learn about =)

Well you have to take what life throws at you and make the best out of it

Well the part of this course I like was during lecture classes and during our presentations of our position paper. I got a lot of input on how to use different kind of material like fables, autobiography, letters and diary as reading materials for students and how to use and adapt these reading texts.

I especially remember how to adapt a Diary as a teaching recourse, because I was the first in class to actually presented an adapted diary as a reading text for students, what I presented was not that good actually the text was ok but my instruction was a bit off and after some correction from Dr. Edwin, I feel I could actually use it when I am teaching. He pointed out how I could get students feedback by way of asking student’s to write a diary, so it was a priceless experience for me. I was the lucky few that got the opportunity to present our work in from of the class.

I actually collected a few of my friends position paper because I think they are interesting to read, they pointed out some interesting points in the text that they are working on. So during our presentation of our position paper, those who are working on interesting topics or texts that of an interest to me, I would ask for a copy from them, so beside my own position paper I have actually a compilations of my friends position paper (on print and in a Floppy disk), but unfortunately not all of them gave me a copy.

To conclude I did a lot of reading in this course that have enrich my mind? Well it definitely opened my mind to use and adapt a variety of text in class. A lot of practical skills was obtain in this course, skills and knowledge that I eventually will need and use, during my teaching. A priceless experience that enriched me as a teacher to be.

To top it all, there is no test for this course at the end of the semester, and I actually score the highest score for the position paper, now that is priceless.

I did some analytical assignments with Dr. Edwin before in my previous few semesters, and I always manage to do well, but to score the highest in the class for the last paper with Dr. Edwin that is priceless. To me I prove that I improve a lot and getting the highest score from Dr. Edwin made it all that wonderful.

Approval

My supervisor couldn’t make it for our meeting yesterday, and out of the six of us only me and two other show up for the meeting , probably because yesterday was the start of the fasting month.

Today however Dr.fauziah had a meeting with all of us and well I was late for class because of this meeting but the good news was that she APPROVE my out-line with some minor clarifications on the points I have work on, but other than that It was all Good.

This Monday I need to past up my research paper on the topic I was doing, so with just some fine tuning to my otherwise completed research paper I am ready to go. Now I just need to work on the cover of the page this weekend shouldn’t be to hard.

The Sample Paper a Life Saver

To be honest, I have the points for my research paper but I really don’t know how to put it in a systematic, presentable way. Luckily for me there was a sample paper given for us to refer to.

When writing my research paper I don’t know how to “kick-start” the paper. I type out my topic and have my out line in my hand, but for some weird reason I was blank on how to go about it? What should I start first? How do I start?
The sample paper helps me get a rough idea on how to go about writing it and I fine it very useful to have when writing my research paper. It helps me focus on what to write first and whenever I got stuck on the way I would refer to it.

The implication for my research paper took me some time to construct it, and if it was not for the sample paper I would probably still be scratching my head thinking, how to do it.

The research paper Feedback?

I have decided not to wait for my supervisor’s feedback on the new out-line of my research paper and start writing out my research paper.

The reason is very simple; I am not going to sit around on a Sunday morning doing noting but wait for her approval first

This research paper is a 3000 words paper, I feel restless just waiting without doing any thing. At first when working on the point for my research paper, I was a bit sceptical about coming up with enough points to do a 3000 words write-up but as I analyse the text more and more point was discovered, what luck for once I feel driven to write a lot maybe it’s because I did so well on my position paper that I hope to do the same with this research paper as well.

Anyway they say the mind is a muscle, the more you work out on it the better it gets. I hope mine is still in optimum state after days of working until the wee late hour of the night.

Do the “feminist” thing

I decided to do the “feminist” reading thing; well I did a Freudian reading for my position paper might as well do some feminist reading. Since she like to stress on how write uses masculine term “man” to represent both gender and all that stuff in class, she would probably enjoy reading how the literary text in the secondary schools actually have these generic term and how women are stereotype in these literary text and how sexist language, sexual bias and all that is found in the secondary school literary text.

This would be my second new out line. She ask me to work on my existing out-line, but I am going to give her a new one that is totally different from the first one I hope she is ok with this. It is quite near to the due date of this research paper better don’t do so much changes and work on more progress.

My first outline

My first outline was rejected. I did something on how teacher should use setting in the two form 5 novel “the Jungle of Hope” and “the Return” and use the cultural setting in the novel and relate it with the students cultural knowledge of the setting to read the novel but, My supervisor said my outline was more like the implication for teaching that we all have to do at the end of the research paper.

She suggested I do material selection of reading text and how setting is to be considered in choosing these texts or some thing similar to that. She even shows me a research paper she did on “ principles of Material Selection in the Teaching of Reading” and asks me to make a copy of it for my reference in doing my research paper. I was very grateful that she was so willing to help me but unfortunately the literary text in secondary schools are “prescribe” by the ministry of education so, I can’t really comment on how they should be choosing the text for the students in secondary schools. It is by the way an academic paper that I am writing and don’t want to sound as if I am anti establishment or anti government.

26 the Date the Score

Today my result on my position paper was out and was I happy with my results. Finally some good news from my position paper. This paper was suppose to be an argumentative paper and I guess my position paper match the description because I argue that the snake is actually a male intruder in the short story the drover’s wife by Henry Lawson. I think my position paper is argumentative because I am not simply describing things in the story but presenting my view that the snake is a male intruder. I was very skeptic about my position paper at first because I needed to write on something very abstract with no hard evidence to support it not to mention that the snake was basically absent most of the time, but with very useful help from my dear Lecturer, I manage to produce a great paper.

I have a friend who was celebrating his friends’ convocation so he bought a bottle of bubbly fruit drink with a fancy bottle, what luck a celebration for all I care I could be drinking Champagne celebrating my result, a two in one celebration. Haha

The presentation

All dress up for my presentation minus the tie but when I got to the class everyone was wearing pretty much the same as they do on a normal day. So hopefully wearing formal will help me look more presentable and increase my credibility as a speaker trying to present a position paper.

Some of my course mates have some very interesting position paper and I really wish I could get a copy of their position paper. While some have some contradicting points and even spelling mistake.

It was the first times that I heard some of my course mates present their points in front. Albert was one of them his presentation seems very confusing to me, don’t really understand what he is trying to say; the text that he has chosen to do his research on was totally unfamiliar to me. Most of my course mate did their research on text that Dr. Edwin has taught us before so it will be easier for me to follow their arguments.
This presentation has been an interesting one beside getting a round of applaud for speaking in front of the class I got some interesting input from my course mates, not really a full presentation of their paper but a sample of what they have to say. This presentation also mark the end of the position paper assessment and hopefully this Monday I will have some good news on my position paper result which consist 30% of my total grade for this course.

See-saw

“There are many ways to describe life, one way I can describe it it’s a see-saw, going up and down.” This is what someone in her online diary wrote and I share her view in some respect.
Today the 19th of September, my Lecture gave our class a sample copy of a research paper by our senior. I just past up my position paper last week and this week I have to start worrying about my Research paper again, just when you start having some fun going up the see-saw you are on your way down again.
This Research paper may prove to be a bigger challenge than my position paper, for my position paper my lecture was kind enough to help me through with my thesis statement and all, but for my supervisor, well not much meeting was conducted and I really don’t know if every thing will go smoothly.
My lecture gave me good advices today, do what your target audience like, or was it write what your target audience like? Don’t quite recall his exact words, but basically I need to put into consideration the target audience “my Supervisor” because I will be writing for them so might as well imagine my self to be a salesmen trying to convince my costumer to bye what I have to sale. In my case my thesis statement and my supporting points.
My supervisor Dr. Fauziah taught me about reading and I learn from her a lot of useful knowledge and terms like prior knowledge and top-down, bottom-up reading skills so it would be the basis for what I will probably be focusing on.
The form five novels is an interesting topic than I wanted to do my small research on. the novels like “the Return” is fill with Indian cultural references, the novel “Jungle Of Hope” rich with Malay culture but the novella “the Pearl” has no Chinese cultural references, strange? And the way in which different state would do different novels I suppose is because places with dense population of a particular ethnicity was put under consideration of distribution of navels so the students prior knowledge, background knowledge must have play a part.
There must be a final section entitle “Implications for Education or Teaching” in my research paper, so if I am doing text already in the syllabus it would be easier to relate to this requirement stated. Hopefully everything go as plan. Than up see-saw I go again haha.

16 September

Tomorrow is the due date for my Reading and Project work, assignment 1. This paper consist of 30% well with some mark allocated for a 5-minute oral presentation which will commence the following Saturday.

I feel liberated; ironically today is also the independent day of my state Sarawak as well. So it’s kind of a double celebration

This assignment has done me good. I learn a lot, from studying on the text I am doing and gaining and learning even more from others who work on different text as well. I plan to compile as much as possible the assignment that my dear course mate is working on. I hope they are kind enough to give me a copy for free.

These assignments may not be from an avid analysis of literary work but they are the end product of hour of hard work, that I feel are worth reading and collecting.

To risk appearing a fool?

The assignment was meant for us to analyse text and produce a decent position paper with a little help from our lecturer, but most of all we were to do some research on the topic we would like to do on, but that is not the case for some of us obviously

Most risk appearing a fool, when they present their ideas on a topic they work on as expected most did badly because this is the first time we are ask to do such academic writing. One can’t really blame us or expect too much, we were unfamiliar with some of the requirements even though we were given sample paper.

The sample paper was a guideline on how we should organize our writing, but it does little in helping us identify if what we have written is suitable or not with our thesis statement. That is why we have a trial presentation of our points orally in class. This helps me identify what topic are they doing on this assignment and their progress beside knowing from my lecturer whether I’m going about my position paper correctly.

It is not a question of how much point you can come up but how suitable and relevant they are with the topic. Some times your point may seem suitable to you but not to the lecturer or simply because your points are repeated or related some how to the previous point you mention earlier.

It’s strange how so many are risking “appearing a fool” and some few never took that risk. There are a few that do the “calculated risk” they are the one that seek lecture for help and guidance. I know someone who literary let lecturer see his/her assignment progress from start to finish, so determine was he/she to “proof-safe” the assignment, to suit the requirement needed that every thing was check out and recheck by their respected lecturer.

How could this students fail or do a wrong, if lecture already look through this “guided” assignment over and over again (no creativity) most ideas would have been from the many meeting they have, can lecturer say the assignment was weak and give a low mark? No, how could they.

These are not week student who seek help but are actually good student that is looking for a sure safe “A” assignment. The calculate risk the smart way

Ironic how the good would look for help
They see lecture at the beginning of the semester for upgrade from –A to A. they see lecture to proof safe assignments, yet they are the strong one the top scorer in class, that to many would believe that they did well because they are smart creative expressive hard working individuals. Are they? Yes they are the smart one.

Not to sound as if I am bitter, it’s ok if you feel that you are not sure and seek guidance but it is another ball game if you “proof safe” your assignment.

I’m on the right tract

After days of sleep less night finally I know I’m headed at the right tract with some help from my lecturer of courses. But I still see some room for improvements to be done and hopefully when I hand up my paper it would be perfect if not approve of. It has been a bumpy sleep less journey with a lot of “hiccups” but I’m glad it turn out good. You get that feeling of satisfaction that is just so hard to describe. My other course mate have some pretty interesting thesis statement as well and I feel like getting a copy from them I ask most of them most of them are shy to give me their paper but most agree as long as I give them a copy of my paper as well, which I think is just fair,
Any way the mid-semester holiday is here and since my position paper is on the right tract I should be concentrating on my research paper from now. Another sleep less night of idea hunting for me.