tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47799390738778683382024-03-14T13:05:39.239+08:00Hundred and Twenty Pounds of Happinessnewly-wedded, fighter, hopeless romantic, God-fearingFelicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-34513265195190305572014-07-12T09:41:00.001+08:002014-07-12T09:41:22.866+08:00How do you use Microsoft Word?Anyone who knows how to use a computer would be familiar with this...<br />
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I could be bias, but I am extremely proud of my husband, who could do this... with Microsoft Word!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rmuFEce8rU8/U8CQl139W8I/AAAAAAAABcA/2xNf8Z80YTI/s1600/aston+martin.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rmuFEce8rU8/U8CQl139W8I/AAAAAAAABcA/2xNf8Z80YTI/s1600/aston+martin.png" height="348" width="640" /> </a><br />
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or even create ideas to expand the current house in Auckland to maximise its value with the least amount of renovation fees...<br /><br /> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fv5FrcMIFI/U8CRkHJ2_zI/AAAAAAAABcI/jFXkHTg8AmI/s1600/home.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Fv5FrcMIFI/U8CRkHJ2_zI/AAAAAAAABcI/jFXkHTg8AmI/s1600/home.png" height="640" width="554" /> </a><br />
...all while having no background in art but a whole lot of interest in cars and houses...<br /><br /><br />
I love how my husband is someone who thinks out of the box! Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-7458954071724667342014-07-05T21:11:00.000+08:002014-07-05T21:13:46.507+08:00Do not lose heart<span style="font-size: small;">This morning I waited for my pastors to pick me up for our prayer meeting. There were only 3 of us, but then again, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20).</span><br />
<span class="p" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="p" style="font-size: small;">Compared to the many prayers meeting I've been before, the ones we have here in this church in Gua Musang is a whole lot more intense... We're not talking about an hour of intercession, but it went on to more than 4 hours... Praying in tongues, seeking the Lord, praying for the land, the people, the many needs...<br /><br />You see, I have been praying for a long time to hear from God. From time to time, it felt like there were prompts, the 'still small voice', messages, songs etc that felt like guidance from Him but I was never really sure. I mean, we often read about the audible interaction between God and men in the old testaments. the disciples get to hear directly from Jesus in the New Testament, and also testimonies of people having dreams and visions of God speaking to them... I guess I always wanted to have a personal encounter as such; yet a part of me would still be worried and wondered what if God really did speak to me but I didn't like what He said lol.<br /><br />With all the challenges Alex and I are currently facing, I couldn't help but really needed to hear from God. Scared or not scared, I felt like we needed specific direction or even hope, to persevere and brave the storm... So after praying and singing in tongues, I was silently praying within me "speak to me Lord, speak to me Lord..."<br /><br />The beautiful thing about praying in tongues is that you have no control over what you speak and it felt like a beautiful language... and suddenly I found myself repeating 'too chora sei', </span><span class="p" style="font-size: small;">'too chora sei', </span><span class="p" style="font-size: small;">'too chora sei'..... And even when I started praying for other things, those 4 syllables kept coming back to me... I had no idea what it meant... And I started praying to God to explain to me...<br /><br />Next thing I knew, I just had to stop praying, and I reached out for my phone, to locate my bible app...<br /><br />To be honest, I have no idea what gave me that thought, I was led to interpret </span><span class="p" style="font-size: small;">'too chora sei' and 2 Corinthians (from 'too chora') chapter 4 (from the cantonese sound of the number 4 hahahaha)... And I really don't know whether that would even make sense lol... But that was the chapter I turned to...</span><br />
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<span class="p" style="font-size: small;">I read each word... the whole chapter... repeatedly...<br /><br />The whole chapter was speaking to me...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-1">Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-2" id="en-NIV-28862"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-2" id="en-NIV-28862"><sup class="versenum">2 </sup>Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-3" id="en-NIV-28863"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-4" id="en-NIV-28864"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-5" id="en-NIV-28865"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-6" id="en-NIV-28866"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-6" id="en-NIV-28866"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.</span></span> <br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-7" id="en-NIV-28867"><sup class="versenum">7 </sup>But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-8" id="en-NIV-28868"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-8" id="en-NIV-28868"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-9" id="en-NIV-28869"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-9" id="en-NIV-28869"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-10" id="en-NIV-28870"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-10" id="en-NIV-28870"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-11" id="en-NIV-28871"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-11" id="en-NIV-28871"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-12" id="en-NIV-28872"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-12" id="en-NIV-28872"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-13" id="en-NIV-28873"><sup class="versenum">13 </sup>It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-14" id="en-NIV-28874"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-14" id="en-NIV-28874"><sup class="versenum">14 </sup>because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-15" id="en-NIV-28875"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-15" id="en-NIV-28875"><sup class="versenum">15 </sup>All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-16" id="en-NIV-28876"><sup class="versenum">16 </sup>Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-17" id="en-NIV-28877"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-17" id="en-NIV-28877"><sup class="versenum">17 </sup>For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.</span> <span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><sup class="versenum">18 </sup>So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><span style="font-size: small;">While I meditated on the whole chapter, the first few verses were the wake up call for me - especially on the part of <b>do not distort the word of God</b>. It is so easy to compromise on God's order by rationalising it to fit with our selfish desires.</span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><span style="font-size: small;">It is also extremely easy to 'simplify' God's words according to our own understanding... <br /><br /><br />But the verses that really spoke to me were verses 16 to 18: <span style="font-size: large;"><b>DO NOT LOSE HEART</b></span>....</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878" style="font-size: small;">I suddenly realised how tired I have been emotionally, battling the challenges of a long distance marriage, complicated family issues, uncertain future, my husband's new transition, and the burden placed on my heart for the unjust treatment the Asli students received and the brokenness in the lives of my students...<br /><br />But still what tires me out the most is the lack of breakthrough in Alex's situation even though he had worked so hard to honour God and not succumb to the ways of men, to do the right things, to go the extra mile, and yet we were brought back to the starting point... Though we are both praying together, supporting each other, and excited for the new future, I realise I do get scared... Scared of the disappointments, of having to go through rounds of road blocks, halfway leads, near misses, and the worst - disappointment from people especially the ones that matter....<br /><br />BUT I FELT SO MUCH PEACE as the words sank in, <br /><br />HIS WORDS RESONATED WITH ME, AGAIN AND AGAIN...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-16" id="en-NIV-28876">Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-16" id="en-NIV-28876">I realised it is so true that we may feel defeated on the outside, but within us, God is working, and renewing us. Just like the eagle, that braces the storm, builds its muscles in the process and soar above the storm...I really believe (regardless of whether 2 Corinthians 4 has anything to do with 'too chora sei'), God did lead me to those scriptures, to those very words I needed at that moment - the reassurance from Him.<br /><br /><br />I hardly write about my Christian faith though I do often give God the glory... But this could not pass without been penned down.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878" style="font-size: small;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-16" id="en-NIV-28876">And so I will not lose heart. We will persevere. We will come out victorious for God is with us. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="text 2Cor-4-18" id="en-NIV-28878"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span>Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-20361508556238058942014-06-26T22:32:00.000+08:002014-06-26T22:42:15.369+08:00getting to their levelThere has been a lot of heat recently when a PHD student wrote a public open letter to a rather controversial yet popular news webpage, telling teachers to use L2 instead of L1 in the classrooms and was very against word-to-word translation, indirectly blaming Malaysian English teachers for the downfall of the overall English proficiency among students.<br />
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To be perfectly honest, while I feel victimised by her opinions, I looked at the teachers around me and would give her credit to a certain extent.<br />
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Of course, no language teachers would choose to teach the target language in the students' mother's tongue if they have a choice. Speaking for myself, I would choose to teach in English above all else in a really ideal situation. But how often do we get an ideal classroom?<br />
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The truth is, there are HEAPS of lazy teachers.<br />
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Those who are only concern about their salary and their 'claims', those who do not enter classes, those who enter classes but do not teach, those who never even bother coming to school, those who leave the school way before they should, those who use school hours to run personal errands, those who hand out answers to students during exams to ensure his/her class score well, those who never step foot in the school assembly, those who eat in the canteen during school assembly, those who get students to run tasks for them while they laze at their couch smoking, those who blatantly stand up and leave the meeting room even when the principal is still giving his speech, those who are more concern about selling things than their lesson plans, those who constantly trying on the array of tudung, those who do not enter the exam classes to invigilate and give students the permission to cheat, and those who take the easy way out.<br />
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(the examples above are found in my school.)<br />
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And I have also come across English teachers who teach in L1, simply because they do not have the competency in L2.<br />
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There is an obvious lack of creativity, passion and dedication among many of our teachers. Of course they have to take the blame to a certain extent, but I also see the great burnt out as well as lack of motivation amongst them, simply because many of us are stuck in very discouraging situation.<br />
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Most of them are struggling with long-distance-marriage, our students are a tough bunch to teach, the students' parents do not value education, and mostly, for the bright and enthusiastic teachers, their fuel easily runs out simply as there is a great lack of professional development, acknowledgement or even support.<br />
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I really enjoyed my time teaching the Catholic High Students. They are highly proficient, witty, and a whole lot of fun to teach. Not only was I able to apply whatever I've learned in teaching, I taught only in English, was able to maximise my lessons with help of technology, and students often surprised me with their end product.<br />
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But now,<br />
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I teach in a high school in Gua Musang, Kelantan.<br />
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We were apparently ranked at the very bottom of the high schools in Kelantan, and Kelantan's SPM achievement was at the bottom tier out of the 13 states.<br />
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To better show you my students' level, here's a glance of their recent results:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGTpbB1zGuE/U6wjUFfygZI/AAAAAAAABaA/gPlXsy40zT8/s1600/20140617_094321_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGTpbB1zGuE/U6wjUFfygZI/AAAAAAAABaA/gPlXsy40zT8/s1600/20140617_094321_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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Most of them scored below 25 marks and those marks are already from their effort in cheating during test. (3 out of 5 classes admitted to cheating when I threatened to retest them after seeing the obvious attempts in cheating; while the other 2 were just too weak to even cheat).<br />
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I don't know whose fault is it that at the age of 14 - 17, many still can't identify the meanings of very basic vocabulary such as 'trees' and 'bread'. I wanted to blame their previous teachers but then again when I tried my hardest to teach them, they seemed to have learned it well on that lesson but very soon forget everything the next day and even had the guts to claim that I had never taught them that before.<br />
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TEACHING IS HARD.<br />
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It is a profession that brings you a lot of disappointment, if you fully invest yourself in it.<br />
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It is a profession where your pay does not equate to the time and effort of your toil.<br />
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It is a profession with the highest risk of stress-related illness.<br />
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It is a profession with little respect and regard in our country.<br />
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It is a profession highly misunderstood by many.<br />
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It is a profession you either hate or love.<br />
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But, when you have GOOD TEACHING DAYS, or a simple ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or APPRECIATION from your students,<br />
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ALL THE NEGATIVES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN.<br />
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Satisfaction, pride, relief, joy..... It is also a profession that brings you meaningful experiences.<br />
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I would not bash this particular person for her opinions, as she does have valid points; but as a senior of mine had pointed out, <a href="http://www.ahkamkoko.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-jungle-teacher-responds-to-nadilla.html" target="_blank">WE WANT TO BE SHOWN WHAT TO DO</a>. <br />
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To be fair,<br />
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I give you the situation of my classroom, and how I handled it. I am open for constructive feedback, as I believe that's how we actually learn to be a better teacher.<br />
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I have a class of 41 students, aged 14. They are a mixture of Malays, Chinese and Asli.<br />
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Here's the thing, only 2 out of 41 could make simple sentences, very simple SVO or SVC type of sentences.<br />
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The other 39 couldn't even tell me what's the past tense of 'sing' and have yet produced a single, unguided, error-free sentence. I can safely say, they are only at 'word-level'. I even had them tested and out of the first 1000 common English words, most of them scored 50 and below. We are talking about them not even knowing the meaning of 'care', or able to differentiate 'you' and 'your'.<br />
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The Chinese students to my horror, could not understand Malay. Possibly due to their family background and the strong racial sentiment in this place, they would rather fail in the Malay language.<br />
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The Malay kids are not even proficient in Malay, as they use the 'Kelate' dialect. I have been using 'Standard Malay' for my translation and even that proved to be hard for the students. Interestingly, the Asli students were the ones with better Malay proficiency, having learned it the 'baku' way.<br />
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We could easily say that to them, English has never been a L2. It is FOREIGN. <br />
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Now, the question is,<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>HOW SHOULD WE TEACH A POEM (PART OF THE SYLLABUS) TO THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS?</b></span><br />
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Do be mindful that in any Malaysian classroom, we are very time-constrained and are expected to finish our syllabus before their exams while our classes are often cancelled due to many school programmes and constant new launches by the government from time to time.<br />
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As for me,<br />
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<b>I TRIED MY BEST TO USE AS MUCH ENGLISH AS I COULD WHICH UNFORTUNATELY IS ONLY <span style="font-size: large;">30%</span> IN THIS CLASS.</b><br />
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The other 70% consists of explanation in Malay as well as Mandarin, followed by a lot of drawing and acting. I even had to use their different L1 to elicit responses in English from them.<br />
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The poem I had to teach was 'The River' by Valerie Bloom.<br />
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Using google image, I sourced for pictures, and drew them onto a Manila card.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10489652_10152512901995789_8694477064440014801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10489652_10152512901995789_8694477064440014801_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdcGw1ManPk/U6wq0YQmToI/AAAAAAAABaQ/eBzVU5Nt-jE/s1600/20140625_105645_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdcGw1ManPk/U6wq0YQmToI/AAAAAAAABaQ/eBzVU5Nt-jE/s1600/20140625_105645_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then I started off my lesson asking them in their L1, what comes to their mind when they think of a river.<br />
Their answers were, "water, stones, fish."<br />
Yup, that's all they could offer as a whole class.<br />
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I then proceeded to write six words on the board - Wanderer, Winder, Hoarder, Singer, Baby, Monster. 'Which of these words, do you already know its meaning?'<br />
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Not a surprise, they could only identify 'Baby' while a few boys yelled out 'Monster'. I was actually taken aback that none of them knew 'Singer'.<br />
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I then explained each of those words with a mixture of L1 and L2, and got the students to match my pictures with the 6 words. Thankfully, it was easily achieved.<br />
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As none of them brought their literature textbook (though I repeatedly reminded them before), I had to write down the poem, stanza by stanza on the board, explain to them word for word, and make sure they copy down neatly in their writing books.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-37NCPEZV7qM/U6wsVvlo73I/AAAAAAAABac/dV19Q9oEOFA/s1600/20140626_091147_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-37NCPEZV7qM/U6wsVvlo73I/AAAAAAAABac/dV19Q9oEOFA/s1600/20140626_091147_%E5%89%AF%E6%9C%AC.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can very well see, I had to teach in three languages.<br />
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At the end of the lesson, I tested their vocabulary by yelling out the L1 of the words, and having them give me the answer in English. Even the weakest in the class was able to provide me the right answer, which was a relief to me.<br />
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Lastly, I told them to draw the different characteristics or persona of the river beside their notes, in hopes that it will help them to remember better.<br />
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So that was how I taught the poem of The River in 70 minutes to this particular class.<br />
<br />
Even if I tried, I would have not been able to teach completely in L1 for my lesson objectives to be achieved. It could be of my own lacking, so I would really like to know, how would you have taught differently with this particular group of students?<br />
<br />
Any form of suggestions and ideas would be very much appreciated, as I truly want to be shown of new ways / perspective / techniques to teach my students. <br />
<br />
If you feel like commenting on a more personal space, feel free to drop me an email on<br />
<br />
felicia_p7@yahoo.com<br />
<br />
<br />
If you are a fellow teacher and wishes to collaborate in any way (I have actually done quite a number of collaborations and thoroughly enjoy them), do drop me an email too :)<br />
<br />
<br />
That's all for today,<br />
<br />
God bless~Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-85069865712960677952014-06-26T20:59:00.000+08:002014-06-26T21:01:53.156+08:00Review: Little and Friday, Newmarket, AucklandHands down, New Zealand probably has the best coffee! Then again, I might be downright bias.<br />
<br />
Always on a lookout for a good cuppa flat white, I suggested to Lina to pay a visit to this cafe that is highly raved in many commercial reviews. Surprisingly Lina told me she had been to this place and said food is definitely good, hence our brunch venue was decided!<br />
<br />
With her trusty GPS, and a short 10 minutes after, we found this cute little cafe that is co-joined with a textile shop (interesting)~~<br />
<br />
Unlike most cafes that provide cosy little tables, this one has long, large dining tables. Not much privacy I guess, but sometimes it's good to share the table with others, and passing around the amazing chutney (which we fell in love with).<br />
<br />
Picture below taken from www.thecorporatelunchbox.co.nz since I did not have a photo taken of the layout...<br />
<br />
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Spot a very interesting sign lol.<br />
<br />
<br />
Food choice wise, one may be disappointed if you are looking for some big breakfast or soft, gooey egg benedict as they only serve whatever is on their cabinet - which mainly are quiches, frittatas, sweet tarts and cakes. We later found out that they do however reheat your choice, and serve alongside a generous portion of salad greens :)<br />
<br />
Lina picked Beetroot Walnut Galette, while I opted for a Mushroom and Feta Cheese Quiche. Seeing how pretty the chocolate and Raspberry cake looked, I couldn't help myself but ordered one as well!<br />
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<br />
They gave us those cute animal statues instead of the usual (and boring) waiting numbers!<br />
<br />
and our food came...<br />
<br />
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<br />
Now let's rate the food~~~<br />
<br />
Flat White: 4 out of 5 AWEstars<br />
Quiche: OMGSORICHANDMOISTANDFLUFFY<br />
Galette: A real pleasant surprise, packed with flavours!<br />
Chutney: OUR FAV. Nuff said.<br />
Cake: Too full and had to takeaway to share with hubby and WE LOVED IT. <br />
<br />
Final rating?<br />
<br />
We will be back :)Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-72132866044442273692014-06-17T19:50:00.001+08:002014-06-17T19:55:38.921+08:00Paper Planes...I'm one of those teachers who are just never disciplined enough to write detailed lessons plans before entering classes.<br />
<br />
In fact, I work best under spontaneity.<br />
<br />
Probably my weakness which coincidentally could also be my strength, I am often unprepared, but with an idea or available resources, I could somehow whip up something... Which is the case of this lesson of mine 2 days ago~~<br />
<br />
<br />
It was once again a double period with my notorious 2A4. Since it was the first lesson with them after a two and a half week break, I was kinda unsure of what to expect. Wasn't exactly a good thing that the class was right after our school assembly, meaning I had no time to make a run for my desk to grab some worksheets or whatnot... Oh well, I had literally no one to blame except for myself since we actually had a rather comfortable break (which I as a *self-acclaimed* passionate educator should have used wisely to plan my activities in advance)....<br />
<br />
I sat on the chair, throughout the assembly, trying to think of something to do with them. But no, my brain decided to go dead on me, possibly still hibernating... oh yeah, I haven't had my caffeine fix which is the most crucial part of my day....<br />
<br />
Soon enough, assembly was over, students dismissed and I entered the class, still clueless and a lil worried lol..<br />
<br />
At least it was a relief that only 19 was present out of the usual 30, with most of the troublemakers not back at school yet... Not the best inner thought to have but I was thankful for their absence, because I had no confidence that I could handle all the craziness at such an early start of the new semester...<br />
<br />
After the salam and doa, I found myself just picking up my marker pen and wrote the word 'HOLIDAY' on the board, asked them what does is stand for, proceeded to explain the difference between 'HOLIDAY' and 'VACATION', and got them to share with me what have they done during the holidays or whether they went for vacation.<br />
<br />
After all the noisy and rowdy 'sharing', I shared about my trip to New Zealand, which somehow led to questions on how long was my flight and which airline did I take....<br />
<br />
Next thing I know, I got all of them to fold paper planes...<br />
<br />
Yup,<br />
<br />
Paper planes.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Since they were rather weak not only academically but also in simple motor skills, some actually had difficulty folding the most basic and simple planes... I had to teach them how to fold a plane step by step. @_@<br />
<br />
There were a couple of them who actually came out with more complicated designs and looked pretty damn proud lol.<br />
<br />
Once I made sure everyone has a plane, I taught them to label parts of a plane.<br />
<br />
'WINGS' - Both wings were labeled<br />
<br />
'TAIL' - They cut the end of the plane, folded it upwards to create the tail<br />
<br />
'ENGINES' - They had to draw the engines below the wings<br />
<br />
'WHEELS' - Obviously they had to draw the wheels.<br />
<br />
'COCKPIT' - Drawn on as well<br />
<br />
After that, I quizzed them to make sure they remember the parts before moving on to teach them two verbs - 'TAKE OFF' and 'LAND'...<br />
<br />
With their planes in their hands, they have to act it out when I shouted 'TAKE OFF' or 'LAND', much to their amusement.<br />
<br />
I was even more amused by how excited they were. A glimpse of innocence could be seen underneath all the rebelliousness, the 'bajet pandai', the annoying antics, the rude comments, the stupid and uncouth jokes and the laziness....<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, activities as such would not be quiet and peaceful or even orderly. Some of them started 'flying' their planes or even grabbing others'.... But thankfully, when I managed to obtain order again, I tested them and they could still remember those words that I taught earlier... Learning objectives achieved!<br />
<br />
Tiring it was, but who would have known that simple resources such as unwanted papers could bring laughter and learning into the classroom ;)<br />
<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-85358689429771735152014-06-10T06:00:00.001+08:002014-06-10T06:03:40.314+08:00Here comes the drill...Final few hours before the well-dreaded farewell... again...<br />
<br />
It's always the hardest during the last night.. the anxiety.. the churning in the stomach... the thought of needing to hold and to be held while you try to cherish and soak in every single moment of it....<br />
<br />
Then again, that's the beauty of a long-distance-marriage.<br />
<br />
When moments as such become scarce, every single tear or laughter becomes so much more appreciated.<br />
<br />
He had to work really long hours yesterday with quite a lot of mental turnmoil happening to him... Real estate is definitely a tough business to be in... So I was home, praying for him and occupying myself in ways I know, just to lessen a lil burden for him...<br />
<br />
To my great surprise, he dropped by home around 3pm (during a 2-hour gap before his next appointment) with these...<br />
<br />
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... from my new-found fav bakery :)<br />
<br />
My man, he is big on Love Through Actions. The biggest reason why I love him so much!<br />
<br />
Then it was back to work and dealing with difficult buyers and vendors and even colleagues for him... While I waited patiently at home, prepared dinner, and waited nearly two hours for him to be back, heated up the meal, and we had the most awesome time eating dinner while watching Games of Thrones (with me closing my eyes most of the time during this particular episode lol)..<br />
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<br />
<br />
Best part was, despite the food being a lil cold after so long, Alex told me I did a good job and personally I too think I served up a rather decent meal lol. We had roasted chicken wings and potatoes (which I marinated overnight with fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, chilli powder, lots of crushed garlic and sesame seeds) and a cabbage + carrot slaw (cooked with sweet chilli sauce and a self made vinaigrette)~<br />
<br />
After a playful night and lots of teasing and chats and a restful sleep, I got up with him at 6.30 in the morning, made him his usual breakfast, sat on the toilet bowl and chatted with him while he showered and finally sent him off to work with a tight hug and a word of prayer..... Now here I am, penning this entry...<br />
<br />
You see, <span style="font-size: large;"><b>LDM is tough</b></span>, and not an ideal situation to be in...<br />
<br />
But all these little things make it so <span style="font-size: large;"><b>worth it</b></span>.<br />
<br />
I find <span style="font-size: large;"><b>JOY</b></span> in the waiting, in the every single little opportunities which I could play my role as a wife, being able to pray for him before he leaves home, cleaning up after cooking him a meal, whenever he surprises me with his thoughtfulness, when he makes me feel beautiful, when he sucks in his displeasure with me and lets me get away with certain things, and the list goes on...<br />
<br />
I found gardening a therapeutic experience (only here in New Zealand shall I stress lol)...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10406429_10152471803260789_9140249582574334275_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10406429_10152471803260789_9140249582574334275_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">... especially at such a
charming transition of autumn/winter... </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">Surrounded by fallen leaves of
various colours... </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">Vibrance.. </span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">That's the word. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">Seeing how a season is
ending, my stay here in Auckland is also coming to an end.. I will be back on that plane, struggling to fill up my time
during an 11-hour flight, and a further 5-6 hour bus + car trip to my hometown, back in Malaysia.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}">It will be a few days of running essential errands in Taiping, before going back to Gua Musang to face the many challenges of a teacher, teaching in less than satisfactory conditions and dealing with hormonal and identity-developing teenagers... <br /> <br /> But the good news i<span class="text_exposed_show">s,
with every end of a season, comes a brand new season, a brand new start
waiting to be filled with amazing adventures and stories of God's
works... And I can't wait to go back to my classes, energized and recharged after such a lovely break here in Auckland while knowing we are moving closer to the day that ends the distance for good... <br /> <br /> With just about 2 seasons down the road, </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">God-willing, </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Alex and I will be celebrating the same seasons, in the
same timezone, on the same ground....</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" data-gt="{"timeline_og_unit_click":"1","app_id":"124024574287414","action_type_id":"282366618453208","object_type":"instapp:photo","unit_id":"447280888645770","og_ref":"ogexp","is_intentional":"1"}"><span class="text_exposed_show">in a place we could call home :')</span></span></span>Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-1141323536434416502014-06-09T12:40:00.000+08:002014-06-09T12:43:55.451+08:00Review: Olaf's Artisan Bakery & CafeAfter hearing Alex exclaiming about this particular place over viber and sometimes torture me with pictures of his loot, I was more than excited to try out the treats myself... Thankfully the wait wasn't too long and on the 3rd day of my arrival, Alex took me to Olaf's Artisan Bakery & Cafe at Mt Eden for a well-needed brunch!<br />
<br />
My oh my was it packed. While queuing up, my eyes were glued to the cabinet selection... Alex was telling me to just pick whatever I want and that we could even take-away, but as usual, the Asian in me would be doing a lot of mental calculations and we ended up sharing an egg-benedict with some sweet treats...<br />
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Alex's first pick was that delectable portugese egg tart (that of course has a fancier name which I could not remember); while I picked that raspberry and custard brioche... Before we were about to pay, Alex suddenly ordered the third pastry (no idea what's it called) but turned out to be a let down...<br />
<br />
I really love the raspberry and custard brioche as not only it will look good in pictures, it was surprisingly amazing!<br />
<br />
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I would say its a very well-balanced delight. you have the sourness of the berries, the creaminess from the custard, and some bitterness and sweetness from the decadent belgium chocolate... It's a dessert that won't make you feel 'jelak' or sick from it (if you get what I mean)..<br />
<br />
The not-so-up-to-the-mark for us would be these two items here..<br />
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That pastry with the powdered sugar on top just tasted kinda 'meh' to me, and probably too sweet for my liking... And the husband's mocaccino with extra chocolate (He's the one with the sweeter tooth) turned out to be quite diluted and didn't have the 'kick'...<br />
<br />
My flat white on the other hand,<br />
<br />
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... was divine...<br />
<br />
I love how fragrant the coffee is with slight bitterness and punch, supported by the velvety texture of the milk.... Ahhhh... I love my coffee... hahahaha<br />
<br />
And finally came our Eggs Benedict on Sourdough with in-house citrus-cured salmon<br />
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A lil hefty in price, at $21.50 one would expect at least some salad greens on the side but it is a pretty damn good dish. I particularly like the combination of the creamy hollandaise sauce and the runny yolks, together with the sourdough bread.... It was addictive!<br />
<br />
Definitely a great place with great food! I rate it as 'WILL VISIT AGAIN, and AGAIN and AGAIN' lol.<br />
<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-32102478833671230472014-06-04T07:24:00.001+08:002014-06-04T07:24:27.740+08:00The man I marriedThis entry had a lot of interruptions, causing me to write... paused... saved as draft... rewrote... reedited... paused... etc.<br />
<br />
Because, let's face it... Marriage is not perfection. And is never as simple as 'happily ever after.'<br />
<br />
One moment I would be in cloud nine counting my blessings; the next I would be grumpy and dissatisfied because of some disagreements that we had as a married couple. In fact, 30 minutes ago I just got rebuked by Alex for not bringing him the right black belt. Yup.<br />
<br />
We are so different in so many ways and I get upset by how particular or even anal he is about certain things...<br />
<br />
He is so disciplined and independent that he makes me feel useless and redundant at times...<br />
<br />
He has a sharp tongue and when he is not in a fine mood, he unconsciously provokes and snaps at people... And I know I had been hurt by the negativity that comes out of his lips, especially when he says things like 'I should have known better not to expect much from you'....or.. 'I should have just done it myself..' (Referring back to how he wants things done in a certain way and I am just not good in following instructions or doing those same chores that I do back home in his ways)..<br />
<br />
EVEN SO,<br />
<br />
I do know that I married an amazing man.<br />
<br />
He has his imperfections and neither am I a saint. I am messy, impatient, clumsy, which directly clashes with his perfectly aligned routines and methods.<br />
<br />
But his imperfections also made him the man I have no regrets in marrying.<br />
<br />
He is so disciplined that he wakes up at 6am, gets his breakfast done, wipes the car (every single morning), does a 30-minute sit (to strengthen his posture), reads the news, showers, shaves, and prepares for work even though he only needs to leave home at 9am.<br />
<br />
<br />
He is so disciplined that every time he comes back, he would first clean the shoes he wore (special treatment and cleaning would be done for his white Lacoste), placed them back into the box, complete with the protective layer of papers... (While I chucked the shoes wherever, running into the house)<br />
<br />
And when I asked why would he go to that extent, while assuming that he has OCD, he merely explained that he is maintaining the condition and quality of the items he possesses... Of which becomes a really important trait that sustained our Long Distance Relationship... As much effort as he puts in to care for his shirts, shoes, cars etc, he puts in even more effort in our relationship. Not a day passes throughout the 5 years and 8 months without communication between us. Other than a few instances that could not be avoided, we have at least 1 hour of interaction (be it through Viber, Skype or whatnot) Every. Single. Day.<br />
<br />
As fast as his tongue is, as fast he is to pacify me and cheer things up. It's either I let go really easily or he is really good at being funny lol. Somehow, I never managed to put on that pissed off face long enough before I cracked out in laughter.<br />
<br />
I know he has a lot of things in his mind, especially when our financial situation causes strains, but yet he puts me high in his priorities. For instances,<br />
<br />
He is a man, who would warm up the bathroom and bring my towel in before I enter to shower. <br />
He is a man, who would take the yoghurt out from the fridge and let it warm a lil for me, before I consume it.<br />
He is a man who finishes up any food I cooked regardless of whether it was a successful attempt, not leaving even a single grain of rice.<br />
He is a man who would make me desserts. I especially love his baked flans. <br />
He is a man who massages for me, especially when I have menstrual cramps.<br />
He is a man who would looked up bus times, restaurant reviews, and sends me a comprehensive guide when I mentioned about wanting to go into the city on my own.<br />
He is a man who makes sure I have my vitamins, and that I use the hand lotion after I do any washings.<br />
He is a man who goofs around and plays childish tricks with me lol.<br />
He is a man who stood by my side even when he was persecuted. <br />
He is a man who hugs me, kisses me, and tells me he loves me every day.<br />
He is a man who prays for me, every day.<br />
He is a man who held on for more than five years of long distance, albeit the MANY challenges and storms, and said his vows without any hesitations...<br />
<br />
<br />
I may not have achieved many of my dreams and my current circumstances may still be a distance away from the ideal, but while many spend a lifetime searching for the right partner, I am glad that the man I married, is the man that completes me and makes me a better person, the man I could envision a lifelong journey with. <br />
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With less than a week to go before going back to Long-Distance-Marriage, I shall savour every single waking moment, with this man I married :) <br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-30437782812738791732014-05-29T11:11:00.001+08:002014-05-29T11:11:05.890+08:00Teacher's Day 2014This entry is as obvious as its title. To be perfectly honest, there was nothing much to look forward to, for this year's Teacher's Day. Firstly, Nadia would not be around. Secondly, most of our students have already gone on their own holiday, skipping both Sunday and Monday of school. And thirdly, it is organised in a 'skema' manner with very very little elements of fun. Come on, last year we even had 'boling kelapa' - Coconut Bowling!<br />
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Anyhow, I had much lesser responsibilities for this year's celebration and only had to come out with a performance from the teachers. Even so, trying to garner participation from my fellow colleagues is like trying to get a cat to come down from a tree... It was ... hard. In the end, one would find it really hard to believe, but while I was in church, the idea just came really strongly onto me - to get my Asli kids involved in that performance. Not entirely sure whether it was a prompting from God but it was definitely an idea I love and a decision with zero regrets!<br />
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These kids were a delight to work with. We had so much laughter, I'm sure my fellow English teachers have too fallen in love with them, and despite the HORRIBLE PA SYSTEM on that very day, we had a blast!<br />
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I won't even delve into the many things that went wrong and made me cringe on that day, but just focus on the good parts - the parts I want to remember for years to come ;)<br />
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Presenting to you .... *drum rolls*...<br />
<br />
OUR TEAM!<br />
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The girl power~~~<br />
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and the lovable kids~~~~ (I promised them to have the pictures printed out for their own keepsake)<br />
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and that lil cheeky one with all the dramatic poses... that's Eddy lol.<br />
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Oh, here's a more complete group of us - the English teachers who took the stage ~<br />
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any guesses what could the theme colour be?<br />
Hmmmm... Such a tough one...<br />
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And when they saw us taking pictures on the stage, some of our senior teachers and admin wanted to be included lol~<br />
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<br />
So yea....<br />
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I know some of my teaching peers received a LOT of gifts from their students, with some filling up the whole car boot and whatnot... and my loot was definitely not as much as them. Then again, I have come to accept the lack of giving culture here and just went through the day with little to no expectations...<br />
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And I received two really really pleasant surprises.<br />
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The first one was so unexpected, hence adding on to how special it was...<br />
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An ex-student of mine, asked his sister (who is still studying) to hand me a gift...<br />
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Needless to say, I was completely blown away. This boy has always been great artistically and from what I know, he is currently studying graphic design in college... This has easily become one of my most-prized possessions! He even made my nose smaller!!!</div>
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Here's the original picture for comparison ;)</div>
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So talented!!!<br />
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The second surprise was this...<br />
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a closer look?<br />
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<br />
Yup. My first response was actually "WTH! Am I a troublemaker or something??? Hahahahaha"<br />
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Turns out, 'HAVOC' means 'GEMPAK' here, or in English, probably best described as 'wow, best, sporting, of that sort lol'. One must agree it means very very different from the English definition :p<br />
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So yea,<br />
<br />
Teaching has always been a humbling experience, and Teacher's Day or Teacher Appreciation Day or whatever one decides to call it, is a nice way of celebrating a teacher's contribution. While I also know the many backlash from media about teachers being 'syok sendiri', unworthy of the tributes and gifts, and experience grief myself seeing many colleagues of mine 'skipping' the celebration and took their own 'day offs'.....I still want to thank many out there who made me feel validated and acknowledged.<br />
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Ego-feeding aside, I really love teaching. It is something I want to keep on doing, for the rest of my life.<br />
And I hope, with age progressing and experiences multiplying, I would not be complacent, but develop and improve until I am proud to call myself, an educator :)Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-13684726340824723422014-05-18T20:11:00.000+08:002014-05-19T16:04:17.473+08:00Let's learn Bahasa Temiar :)This year, I am super duper proud to say that my relationship with my Asli kids .. is... TIGHT.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKNYXOjBLHU/T5Vc-z8F5MI/AAAAAAAAAnU/Ae4RdB4kqew/s1600/Fingers-crossed1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKNYXOjBLHU/T5Vc-z8F5MI/AAAAAAAAAnU/Ae4RdB4kqew/s1600/Fingers-crossed1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yup.<br />
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I simply love them. And they are very easy to love.<br />
Give them empty folders for English, and they...<br />
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And their energy is always so high!<br />
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Meet my fav boy! At 15 years old, this is Pereexjeex, bright, dependable and extremely hardworking!<br />
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oh, and here's Rokeey~~ the gentleman, who's gonna break many girls' hearts lol.<br />
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and here are some of my fav gals~~</div>
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their smiles are infectious!</div>
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and here's what my 'baby asli' kids have done... They created a really simple storyboard~~</div>
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Alright, let's get back to the topic of this particular entry~~~ Let's learn Bahasa Temiar!<br />
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When pronouncing, remember that each suku kata is 'baku'~<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Baik</span> (Good): <span style="color: blue;">mejc</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Tak Baik</span> (Bad): <span style="color: blue;">la es</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Cantik</span> (Beautiful): <span style="color: blue;">lawa</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Pandai </span>(Clever): <span style="color: blue;">na lek</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Sayang </span>(love): <span style="color: blue;">sayek</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Saya sayang awak</span> (I love you): <span style="color: blue;">yeak sayek mahak</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Saya tak nak awak </span>(I don't want you): <span style="color: blue;">yeak ijek mahak</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Lelaki</span> (Boy): <span style="color: blue;">babe </span></b></div>
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<i><pronounced as bar-ber.. not the way we call our girlies lol></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Perempuan </span>(Girl): <span style="color: blue;">babok</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Ibu (Mother)</span>: <span style="color: blue;">amek</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Ayah (Father)</span>: <span style="color: blue;">apak </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Lapar</span> (Hungry): <span style="color: blue;">cerok</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Kenyang</span> (Full): <span style="color: blue;">behik</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Mengantuk </span>(Sleepy): <span style="color: blue;">seled</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Tidur </span>(Sleep): <span style="color: blue;">seklog</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Tunggu</span> (Wait): <span style="color: blue;">poijh</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Tak faham</span> (Don't understand): <span style="color: blue;">tok eleg</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Faham</span> (Understand): <span style="color: blue;">eleg</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Selamat pagi</span> (Good morning): <span style="color: blue;">selamat yeh yah</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Selamat tengah hari </span>(Good afternoon): <span style="color: blue;">selamat es is</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Selamat petang</span> (Good evening): <span style="color: blue;">selamat leng ar</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Selamat malam </span>(Good night): <span style="color: blue;">selamat layeg</span></b></div>
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Hope you learned something ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>YEAK SAYEK MAHAK!</b></i></span><br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-60875746831302181072014-05-18T18:52:00.000+08:002014-05-18T19:02:33.138+08:00lesson learnedWhen you learn that it's more important to please God than men, everything just makes sense.<br />
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Two days ago, marked the National celebration of Teacher's Day. 16th May 2014 for me was a really low key affair, since it falls on a Friday, which is our weekend here in Kelantan. As expected, social media was buzzing with heart-warming dedications, pictures of gifts and events in the schools.... It was definitely a 'feel-good' day for teachers.<br />
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It brought me back to my first Teacher's Day here in Gua Musang, back in year 2011... which.. was unfortunately non-existent. Sad as it was, we didn't get to celebrate Teacher's Day but instead were assigned to use the funds and resources for our then-principal's farewell @_@<br />
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Then came 2012, and still... no Teacher's Day for me... We had a 'state-level' Teacher's Day held in our school instead where principals and Assistant principals from all the schools in Kelantan were celebrated while we had to do all the donkey work since our school was the host @_@<br />
<br />
And finally in 2013, I had my first taste of Teacher's Day, which was organised by Nadia (as the president of KIB). But, both of us were the ones mainly handling most of the behind-the-scenes work... While it was a really successful event, it was also maybe a little disappointing to realise the lack of gifting culture among our students... We are humans after all. Though we do not expect our students to spoil us with gifts, but it still feels nice to be appreciated. In fact, it still saddens me that our students easily ask teachers to 'belanjo', to give them 'satu ya' and even proudly declare they find no shame in 'minta sedekah'.... It's a culture that shocked me fours years back, and still frustrates me till this day... :'( <br />
<br />
They are always, I repeat, always, wanting to be at the receiving end. They have no concept of giving... and they want to be rewarded for basically everything.<br />
<br />
Imagine, they demand for any form of reward just because they handed in their homework.<br />
Yes, we are talking about homework. Something they should complete out of obligation and responsibility...<br />
Worse still, when they demand for reward just for passing English with 'E'.<br />
<br />
As much as I try to be positive in my classes, mentality of this sort from them breaks me. Sometimes I just could not comprehend how is it possible for them to be so shameless... One of my worst outburst happened <span style="font-size: large;">when a student took my pen without my permission, and when I asked for it, that student yelled that since I am a teacher earning thousands I should not be so stingy with my stuff and that I should just go buy a new one!!!!!</span><br />
<br />
Total disbelief.<br />
<br />
I just could not bring my mind to comprehend that form of logic. Even when I was a student, I don't remember any friend of mine with such guts and lack of manners, especially when talking to teachers!!!!<br />
<br />
So I started to develop favourites, and dreaded certain classes (2 to be exact). In fact it was apparent in the amount of effort I put in towards different lessons with different classes. Deep inside I knew I shouldn't be so, but it's easier to be nicer towards those who appreciates your effort than those who couldn't be bothered....<br />
<br />
Then, I remembered what my dad always told me... "Please God, not men."<br />
<br />
I took a really deep breath, stared at my messy table full of books and all sorts of resources, picked up a book called William's Dragons, a stack of plain papers, my 'Learning Tools Box' and walked into 'that' class.<br />
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<br />
It was still a rather rough battle. As usual these kids were late, some were playing truant, some decided to come in 20 minutes late, some sneaked out, one kept running out from the back door and back from the front door and repeating that stupid action, some belting out in songs, some throwing their bags from one end to another, one for no reason went around kicking people, some blantantly told me they wanted to go out for a smoke, some screamed out of nowhere..... It doesn't matter how many times you scolded them, slammed the table, showed your displeasure... They can be just plain impossible. And they themselves will happily tell you that they are 'kureng' - mentally ill or retarded. I HAD NEVER, EVER, HAD SUCH A DIFFICULT CLASS OF STUDENTS BEFORE.<br />
<br />
Still, with no idea how I managed it, I read them that book, and got 'some of them' to repeat after me, phrases to phrases. At the end of the book, they gave me a round of applause lol. I proceeded in giving them a piece of paper each, and told them that instead of William's dragons, they will draw their own dragon... Not surprisingly their first reaction was that they can't do it. Even with much coaxing, some of them refused to do the task and even wasted the paper I gave them... However, there were still some who told me they can't draw but will give it a try... I actually thanked them and gave them full use of my stationery... It was then I realised, they really can't draw.<br />
<br />
They had difficulties drawing simple shapes, little to no confidence in whatever they are doing, especially when you have the ones who couldn't even try, going around mocking their drawings... I really could not stand that 'bullying' mentality! Very quickly, I went to their defense and sternly rebuked those naughty boys that they had NO RIGHT to criticise people when they themselves couldn't even produce their work. I made it clear that I never look down on those who are weak, but I have NO RESPECT for those who couldn't even try. Soon after, I saw them picking up a paper and started doodling... Though their drawings were rather ugly (probably worse than kindergarten kids), at least they were trying.<br />
<br />
Come to think of it, I regretted for not taking any pictures of their drawings. I wanted to but they were too ashamed of their work for me to snap pictures of it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, while they were busy drawing for their lives, I was just chatting with this boy who is often bullied in the class. I was shocked to learn that he lives in Kuala Betis and had to take a 2-hour ride to school every day, departing at 5am in order to arrive at school by 7, in a small, crowded school van. He is definitely one of the weakest in the class, could hardly copy correctly, and possibly very low IQ. But this boy, albeit being very shy at first, thanked me for reading them the story... He said he had never been read a story...<br />
<br />
That was exactly what this job is all about.<br />
<br />
It finally made sense.<br />
<br />
I was stupid for dwelling on my own negativity to the extent that I had limited myself on what I could do for my students...<br />
<br />
When my class ended, this very same boy helped me to rearrange my Learning Tool Box and carried the box for me to the staffroom, without me asking.<br />
<br />
And on our way to the staffroom, I too found out that he had two stepmothers, five step siblings, and though he hates getting bullied in school, he finds it better to be here rather than staying at home. He even apologised to me for being stupid and so weak in English, but tells me he likes my class...<br />
<br />
Though I know he would never come across my blog or even understand what I had written,<br />
to that boy,<br />
thanks for reminding me that I am a teacher,<br />
thanks for being my student.<br />
<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-74532687876667256652014-05-11T17:15:00.001+08:002014-05-11T17:15:06.319+08:00New ObsessionTruly and deeply, I have always believed that we are our biggest enemy, and everything boils down to 'ATTITUDE.'<br />
<br />
It's just not a secret that when your attitude changes, everything else changes for the better.<br />
<br />
Looking at my situation,<br />
<br />
I thought I could rejoin my husband for good, but it was short-lived and I have to come back to Malaysia...<br />
And on the sideline, there were so many challenges, misunderstanding, discouragement and confusion, caused by people who matter...<br />
<br />
But by the end of the day, my husband and I knew that this was the right decision, for me to be back for now.<br />
<br />
So, how does one deal with been woken up from a beautiful three months of experiencing togetherness with your husband (after 5 years of LDR and you thought it would be over), been thrown back to a school that had kinda given you a send off, and been allocated all 'weak classes'...<br />
<br />
Mopping definitely would get me no where.<br />
<br />
Thus, I chose to make the best out of my situation... and wouldn't have wanted it any other way...<br />
<br />
Never would I have imagined the huge contrast between my teaching life now, and three years back. I mean, I am still teaching in the same school, with the same colleagues, so how different could it be?<br />
<br />
For starters, I am not focusing on teaching upper forms anymore (which was what I had been doing for the past few years - preparing students for SPM).. They only gave me one Form 5 class in which I became the class teacher too... <br /><br />Second, I am teaching 4 lower form classes which are involved in PBS (which I had no clue at all).<br />
<br />
Third, I am teaching 2 classes of Asli students - as in two classes of only Asli students.<br />
<br />
There was just no time for self-pity or doubt, it was all about diving in, and making sure it was a strong dive. And soon, I find myself doing something I should have been doing for the past 3 years - falling in love with teaching.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, I have always loved teaching and it IS my first choice. And although I do conduct creative projects and lessons for my students, I also stumbled with the balance of getting them to pass and actually teaching them the language. But this year, because I was given classes with 'low expectations to pass', I was able to focus on motivating them to learn this scary, foreign language - which is a situation I find myself very blessed to be in!<br />
<br />
And as I look for ways to get extra resources for my students, I was hugely encouraged and inspired by so many generous givers out there. Many of whom I have lost contact with, be it relatives, friends, and also acquaintances from all over the world. It really cheers me up knowing that there are many people who cares about education and are willing to be a part of your effort - no matter how big or small they are.<br />
<br />
Wonders from social media (if put to good use), I get so many packages delivered to me in my school that it gets so much interest lol.<br />
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<br />
so much so that I have more than enough stuff for my Asli kids (there are even more not shown in the pictures above) that I started distributing these awesome goodies to other students I deem deserving or needed that extra boost of encouragement.<br />
<br />
To all you wonderful people, no amount of thanks is enough, but you have my word that I will make sure these go to the right kids for the right reasons :)<br />
<br />
Oh yeah,<br />
<br />
My title of the blog is about new obsession...<br />
<br />
So what am I currently obsessed about?<br />
<br />
Bahasa Temiar!<br />
<br />
Yup, you read it right. Bahasa Temiar!<br />
<br />
My little teachers, (mark the 's') have been very patient and excited about teaching me their language. I would probably be generous and teach you guys some of it on my next entry ;)<br /><br />Till then,<br />
YEAK SAYEK MAHAK!Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-42182990762664231012014-04-26T17:00:00.002+08:002014-04-26T17:00:41.571+08:00How I came to love my Asli kids...<span class="userContent"><br /> <br /> I
remembered the first day I entered their class. They were a bunch of
kids, passive, timid, and very quiet. I wasn't quite sure whether they
even understood me albeit me speaking in very simple, 'baku' M<span class="text_exposed_show">alay...
I was being enthusiastic, while not really getting much response from
them.... At the back of my mind, I kept hearing voices from my fellow
colleagues saying, 'mereka senang nak ajar, suka salin nota dan tidak
bising.'<br /> <br /> Suddenly, a big group of Malay boys walked past the
class, playing truant as usual. Clothes untucked, loud and
disrespectful... these boys were shouting 'babi', 'kotor', 'balik hutan
lah' etc and I could see the pained faces of my kids. Immediately, I
stood out of the class, called them out for being 'kurang ajar', and
telling them that these kids who chose to be in the class instead of
'derak' like them have higher chances of succeeding. "At least", I told
them, "these kids have the will to learn while you are out wasting your
time and your life, doing stupid things while thinking too highly of
yourself."<br /> <br /> Right after that, I went back to the class and told
the Asli kids, not to be affected by the hurtful words from the boys,
and don't bother stooping down to their level. They suddenly became
rowdy and started telling me how often they were teased, bullied, and
even pushed around by those students.<br /> <br /> That was exactly when, I
felt the need to reassure them to be proud of their roots. I started
telling them that "I respect them", which led to them looking at me in
disbelief. <br /> <br /> I said,<i><b><span style="font-size: large;"> I could not imagine having to leave my home
as young as 13 (or even younger), go somewhere hours away, being put
into hostel life, forced to eat food I am not accustomed to, being asked
to study in languages I am not accustomed to then labeled as
academically weak because I could not perform well when everything I
learn is in a foreign language, being frowned upon for being different,
being misrepresented and misunderstood, and not having the luxury of
confiding in my own family whenever I need to.</span></b></i><br /> <br /> I told them that
they are brave. And despite all odds, they have a beautiful culture and
background, which are the essence of who they are. Hence I started
aligning my lessons with them, with a stronger focus on their Temiar
heritage.</span></span><br />
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<br /><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We
had so much laughter in the class and they excitedly described to me
how they prepare their yam balig (pronounced as nyam balik) and tried to
convince me that roasted bats are yummy lol.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> For one of my lessons with them, we created lil handbooks of these. </span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Much thanks
to the generous supply of stationery I now have, the students had real
fun creating their lil books. Even though it was already their recess
time, they refused to go to the canteen and asked whether I could stay a
lil longer while they try to make their books prettier. How could I say
no to that?</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> And so I sat down, and those who had already
finished theirs came crowding around me, asking me questions, telling me
stuff, while taking turns to stroke my hair (seriously, they been
telling me that they love my hair lol). Then one girl asked whether I
like Kpop, which I answered that I know quite a bit about it... Then she
proceeded telling me that I look like 'onji' from 'epen'... which
totally made me go 'what?'... I later figured out she meant Eunji from
Apink lol, and apparently they all chimed in and said I look like her...
I told them I think that celebrity is quite young while I am old. They,
such angels, told me I am young too because I am only 21. SO SO SO
FREAKING HAPPY OKAY. lol<br /> <br /> How not to love them?<br /> <br /> PS. They want to teach me how to dance Sewang too <br /> PSS. The boys actually help me to rearrange my 'Magic Box' every time after they used the stationery</span></span><br />
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Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-75994837809738289822014-04-26T16:52:00.002+08:002014-04-26T16:52:12.438+08:00Creating readers with students<span class="userContent">When I realised majority of my students can't
read let alone understand simple vocabulary like 'likes', 'care', and
even 'old', I knew I had to get them to read Peter and Jane, a book
series that accompanied me since young, and helped me to<span class="text_exposed_show"> read and gain common vocab. Problem is, I do not have the books with me and definitely not in the quantity that I need... <br /> <br />
So, inspired by some ideas from fellow friends, I got them to create
simple Peter and Jane 8-page books. Using plain papers, I cut them into 8 rectangular pieces each, stapled together with coloured front and back, making simple booklets...</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">After distributing a booklet each to the kids, I started with guiding them to design their cover page, followed by Page 1. I had to do one page at a time with
them because some can't even write properly and were copying with wrong
spelling. But of course, there are also those who put in extra effort to
create the best book they can. <br /> <br /> Believe it or not, it actually
took 3 periods for the students to complete their books (when I took
less than 10 minutes to create a sample *with drawings included *). But
you could see they are proud of their work. </span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> Once I was certain
everyone has a complete book, I started drilling them on reading. It
was hard at first because despite all the drilling, some are still
reading 'likes' as 'lee kers' and 'he' as 'her'. Talk about first
language influence. <br /> <br /> Having said so, the kids impressed me with
their effort to read the book with correct pronunciation. I carried out
band 1 reading test, using the booklet, and they were practising hard
for it. It was chaotic because while one is reading for me, many others
were shouting out the pronunciation of the words to help their friend!
Some wouldn't stop yelling, some were reading at the top of their voices
and some kept coming to me to check their pronunciation, all while I
was trying to test them individually! On a positive note, they were
reading! <br /> <br /> These kids were so proud when they passed band 1 lol.
Some even asked me whether they can read again though they had passed.
Some were simply showing off by yelling '<span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is Peter. He is a boy. He
is ten years old.</b></span>' to teachers or students passing by lol. <br /> <br /> Definitely chaotic. <br /> <br /> But amazingly satisfying.</span></span>Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-8680511165362527192014-04-20T20:32:00.000+08:002014-04-20T20:36:34.130+08:00Who dare say teaching is easy???I get really emotional and annoyed when someone tries to downplay the role of a teacher... At the back of my head I would be yelling 'COME, I GIVE YOU MY CLASS. JUST TEACH FOR TWO PERIODS THEN YOU TALK.' lol.<br />
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Though I have been updating rather frequently on Facebook about my school adventures and misadventures, I realised I have not penned them down here on this blog. Then again, I too feel like I'm repeating myself which kinda demotivates me from writing lol. <br />
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Just to recap, I have been given three different levels to teach - Form 2, 3 and 5... It's a lil unusual (teachers are mostly given only 2 different form levels) because I came in late March, so I was practically given all the classes with least expectation to succeed (the important classes would have been allocated permanent teachers while my classes went through several replacement teachers whose main job were to 'babysit' them). Needless to say, I have my doubts when I saw my time table... Not only I would be teaching PBS classes for the first time, I am teaching all the 'back classes', which subsequently means 'problematic students' with very very very few passes in English.<br />
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One of my five classes was possibly labeled as the worst class in the whole school.<br />
Teachers would complain and asked to be removed from teaching that class.<br />
Teachers would warn me about the students from that class.<br />
Many serious disciplinary cases in the school are related to the students from that class.<br />
<br />
Yup, and I am just teaching them English, a subject they have no interest in, a subject no one passed.<br />
No biggie.<br />
lols.<br />
<br />
First week itself, I walked out from that class. In fact, this was what I wrote on my facebook.<br />
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After much reflection, I was determined not to give up easily, though I contemplated asking to be removed from this class and take on another class...<br />
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...<br />
I would be lying if I said it doesn't feel good to be receiving so much kind words and encouragement. But to be perfectly honest, I wasn't exactly posting stories of how I deal with students or my personal reflection to 'fish' for compliments or acknowledgement. In fact, I always feel that social media is over-saturated with negativity, gossips, ads, and more often than not, teachers are often misrepresented and misunderstood by the larger community (though there ARE a lot of rotten apples in the bunch). You can say that I want to have my voice heard, to spread some hope, to encourage my fellow teaching friends not to give up, to state that 'Hey, I know how it feels. I am on that same bloody boat. Let's keep on working so that we won't drown', and most importantly, to glorify God.<br />
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The only reason why I work hard in school was not to seek for approval from my 'bosses' or colleagues, it was mainly to please God, to be a living testimony for Him, especially when I am the ONLY Christian teacher.<br />
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Anyhow, here are some other teaching stuff that I spontaneously came out with or planned, for my lessons. Somehow my lessons are much better when the ideas come minutes before the class starts lol. I for one am someone who really does not follow my Rancangan Pengajaran Harian :p<br />
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Took advantage of the free Manila Cards from the school storage to make posters for What Does The Fox Say!<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t31.0-8/p843x403/964862_10152333581370789_1670185574911567852_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/t31.0-8/p843x403/964862_10152333581370789_1670185574911567852_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">I
wanted to teach them 'feelings' so I used a 20 cent coin to draw
circles, had the tasksheet photocopied and went through each of the
emotions with my Asli kids. I love teaching them because although they
are weak, they have the best learning attitude and it's a nice class
size of 20 students. After all the drilling and some games, I told them
I would test them with a spelling test on the next day, in which they
exclaimed in utter horror. To 'bribe' them, I said those who scored all 9
correct, I will give them lollies from nz </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t31.0-8/p480x480/1522886_10152333673655789_3882691167975131906_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t31.0-8/p480x480/1522886_10152333673655789_3882691167975131906_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"> <br /> And so the spelling test was given. <br /> <br /> .... I gave out 26 lollies (2 lollies each). So freaking proud of them.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Also, I used various brain games to teach my students simple vocabulary.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Made simple readers with students, and hopefully be able to get them to read the books to their family members.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1907964_10152355563970789_5966035309718507104_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1907964_10152355563970789_5966035309718507104_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Started a mobile library, fondly called by me as "Library in a box" lol</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10151924_10152355683540789_1490280315572739300_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10151924_10152355683540789_1490280315572739300_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /><br /> ...</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">and the most recent project...</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Trying to teach English while acknowledging students' first language as Bahasa Temiar, inculcating pride in one own's culture among the Asli kids :)</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-kul.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t31.0-8/p843x403/1973971_10152346385955789_8887842259231713911_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://scontent-a-kul.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t31.0-8/p843x403/1973971_10152346385955789_8887842259231713911_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show">Last but not least, I posted this on Facebook...</span></span></span><br />
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Within seconds, I had friends messaging me through various means, offering help and pledges and all form of contributions!!!<br />
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As I am still waiting for some exciting packages to arrive... here are some stuff that I have managed to gather for my Asli kids ~~~<br />
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Yippie!!!!!!!!!</div>
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I have sets of stationery for the kids, communal stationery for language arts and creative activities, and I know there are MORE coming!</div>
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So to all of you , those super kind-hearted ones,</div>
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I AM REALLY GRATEFUL that you are willing to partner with me, in the journey of educating the students with needs.</div>
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In fact, with the extra stationery, I plan to bless my other classes, including 2A4, as I believe, they too deserve the opportunity to learn the best they could. </div>
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Thank you.</div>
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There will never be enough 'thank yous'.</div>
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You guys really made my day!</div>
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<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-72811619366201639142014-04-17T20:06:00.001+08:002014-04-17T20:06:31.458+08:00Marriage 漏满地#7 - Gigolo<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Him:</span> I have become a gigolo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Me:</span> Do they pay you well?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Him:</span> Yeaaaaaa... They pay me $2.95.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Me: </span>Whaaaaat? What can they get with $2.95? I want some of the action la! I give you 3 dollars and you can keep the change!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Him:</span> NO!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Me:</span> WHY????</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Him:</span> Give me $2.96 and we have a deal!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: magenta;">Me:</span> Hahahahahahahaha... You are not very smart hah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Him: </span>That's why I'm a gigolo.</span><br />
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<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-23369370660963372172014-04-07T21:23:00.001+08:002014-04-07T21:23:07.045+08:00New Chapter in an Old PlaceFaces of disbelief and shock were seen when I appeared in school, on the 30th of April 2014.<br />
<br />
I had so many colleagues coming to me asking whether I was back to visit or stay. They expressed their concern for me, some comforted me, while most of them welcomed me back with open arms - something I was extremely thankful for.<br />
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The first week was probably one of the craziest ride. Since I knew I was going to return to Gua Musang, I was certain that I wanted to try new things this year and make major changes - including looking for a new accommodation. So while I was still in New Zealand, I was in contact with my pastors here in GM and with their help, they contacted Aunty Kim who found me several options to choose from. However, there was some misunderstanding and the option that I felt the most comfortable with turned out to be a room on top of a shop lot instead of 'a room within a double-storey house.' Even so, we decided to have a look at it...<br />
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The stairway leading up to the room had a grill door. Once you opened up the wooden door upstairs, you will see this...<br />
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On the right, there's the toilet / washroom<br />
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which I later found out that the lights and showers were not working... And the toilet bowl must have been clogged as every morning, a horrible stench would come up from the sewage... @_@<br />
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I actually had to shower the first night with the door open as there was no light. The landlady after been informed the next day, immediately got the lights repaired and replaced.<br />
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This place also comes with a small pantry<br />
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Picture above is actually taken after I did a major clean up of the place. Imagine the place cramped with bags after bags of rotten stuff, lizard's poo everywhere, rusty kitchen utensils, and slimy substances....<br />
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Then, there's the room...<br />
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I couldn't even capture all the details of the room due to the constraint of space... but basically it has a mahjong table filled with weird stuff in the chips drawers, posters, cutouts, a bed, a broken couch, a massage bed, an old air-cond that constantly scares me with it's jumpiness when switched on, especially when there were sparks lol, a fan that couldn't turn sideways and fixed to be in place with strings, a chair with wheels and torn leather, bags and bags of weird stuff hidden in all corners of the room, acupuncture doll etc etc<br />
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When I saw the place, I was actually okay with it as I am someone with very low expectations lol. I saw there was an air-cond, water heater, and thought 'hey, this place could work!' So without wanting my parents to worry about my accommodation, I was quite happy to settle in this place, and spent the rest of the day cleaning up as much as I could after my parents left.<br />
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That was when things kinda went a lil downhill......<br />
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When I was done with the room cleaning, I just wanted to shower... and guess what... I found out that the toilet light was out.<br />
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I still managed to give myself a quick wash, before realising that there was no water after 8pm...<br />
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I was still able to be thankful that I had kept my two pails filled with water. Then I realised that the wooden door could not be closed, let alone locked T_______T<br />
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So I basically spent my whole night praying for protection and sleeping with uneasiness as the door kept flinging open (towards outside) as the wind was rather strong that night.<br />
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Slowly, the problems of the place kept adding up... I found a hole in the corner of the ceiling where lizardsssssssssss kept going in and out from; there was no water from 7pm ish till 1-2am everyday; the stench from the toilet was overpowering; due to no basins, I had to wash dishes and whatnot in the smelly toilet; the air-cond can only function possibly 1 out of 5 times; I found used instant noodle cups outside on the stairway leading to my room (there were prople lepaking right outside of my living quarters)... and yet, I was still trying hard to hold on and be strong.....<br />
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Until...<br />
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That fateful night.<br />
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I was in deep sleep, completely knocked out from school. Suddenly, I heard ruffling noises. Thinking it was possibly from outside since I lived on top of a shop lot, I ignored the noises. Next thing I know, water was dripping on my face waking me up!!!<br />
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Startled, I switched on the light only to find my ceiling was LEAKING!<br />
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Immediately I jumped up, saw my extension cables and electrical stuff were all super near to the wet patches, and moved them quickly to dry places!!!!! There and then, I shocked myself with a total breakdown.<br />
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I cried, and cried, and cried.<br />
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Though it was rather late, I was feeling so alone and scared, I picked up the phone and called my dad.<br />
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Still crying uncontrollably, I told him what happened. I knew I must have given him a shock as well. He stayed up to check on me, advised me, while I did as much damage control as I could...<br />
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Not sure whether you can see, but basically the leakage spreads....and that was in the bedroom. Hence I could not use a pail to contain the drippings, so I gathered as many towels as i could (including the ones left by the old tenant) and spread them out all over the affected parts ....<br />
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By the time I fell asleep, it was way past 3am... and needless to say, I woke up with super swollen eyes...<br />
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Be scared.<br />
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Yup.<br />
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If not for that whole incident with the leaking ceilings, I might not have made the decision to change accommodation and stop lying to myself that I am fine with that living condition.<br />
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I was quite frustrated because I did spend three days to clean up the place and made it 'livable'... But definitely, it wasn't the place for me long-term wise...<br />
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Just to show you some little stuff here and there that I included in that room of mine...<br />
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So much cleaning, scrubbing, throwing, moving and decorating to make the room pleasant to me... So sad that I had to leave, even at the risk of losing the 300 bucks that I had paid.... It was just a decision that has to be made.<br />
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Thankfully, when I was in nomadic mode, Nadia and Saqinah both offered their places to me...<br />
I went with Nadia for the first night of homelessness... and was pleasantly greeted with a bed with new clean sheets, and scented candle burned in the room :')<br />
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Interestingly, that same day (it was freaking April Fool lols), I received missed calls from an unknown number and a text message from SL, a TESL teacher just posted into Gua Musang! Immediately I called back after my classes and found out that she was coming to GM with her dad from Kota Bahru, and will be looking for accommodation.... Whatever that happened after that was too much and too heavy to be narrated in detail, so to cut the story short, after a whole day of phone calls and arrangements, SL became my new housemate.<br />
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How we found this current house is like a whole miracle on its own too. She told me she had a few options in Taman Tropika for us to look at. Leaving the topic at that, I went to school and met a close colleague who lives in Taman Tropika. So we chatted and I told her my situation and our interest in looking for a new place. She then told me she knows someone who has a nice house to sell, but will ask whether that someone will be willing to rent the place to us. While on the phone, that someone (let's call her K) said that someone else is also asking her about her place, and that someone else turned out to be SL lol! How small is the world that SL was posted to K's school, and became colleagues, were talking about the house when my colleague called her up!<br />
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K has been a really great landlady. She and her husband fixed things up for us in the house, and were really nice and flexible in many areas. We love this new place, definitely a lot more than my old place (SL could not stand that place after only one night of bunking with me hahahahaha), and we have been making ourselves feel at home by adding essentials and also purchasing a fridge! hehehe<br />
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Here's a look at our new humble abode~<br />
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Fan with remote control and air-conditioning in the living room!<br />
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Our kitchen <br />
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We turned the 3rd room (that's much smaller) into our so-called 'walk-in closet' lol. <br />
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The bathroom <br />
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The toilet <br />
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The living room (that came with the couch and streamxy yo)<br />
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and lastly,<br />
my cosy lil space... <br />
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The greatest lesson I learned from that past week of drama was that - God protects and provides.<br />
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With the incident of ceiling leakage, I felt like I was being woken up by God, or His angels, just in time before the water gets to the electrical stuff.<br />
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And when I took that huge step of faith, to move out from those walls (a place where I knew of the problems yet stubbornly tried to held on to), stepped into the uncertainty of homelessness, God arranged for me to meet SL, to move into this new place that could provide me the shelter and comfort throughout this tough time of separating from my husband by being back in Gua Musang.<br />
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At my most vulnerable moments, when I was unafraid to show my Lord how weak and scared I was, He delivered me, and surrounded me with love and care in form of very good friends here in GM, very concerned parents and a very supportive husband.<br />
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Stepping into the unknown, could be a scary thing. But I learned, if God is for us, who can be against us.<br />
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Right now, the song that came to my mind is..<br />
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<b><i>"I walk, by faith,</i></b></div>
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<b><i>each step, I take,</i></b></div>
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<b><i>to live, by faith,</i></b></div>
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<b><i>I put my trust in You."</i></b> </div>
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A new day, a new challenge.</div>
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Lord, refresh me with your grace, make me anew, each waking moment.</div>
Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-54688808042444980182014-04-05T20:06:00.002+08:002014-04-05T20:06:36.328+08:00tour of dutyCame the day I had to leave.<br />
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We been telling each other to be strong, but obviously I was still weak. We could be just talking, or reminiscing, and tears would flow out from my eyes... Wasn't intentional, in fact I was trying so hard to hold them back as last thing I wanted was for him to worry about me, as he was sending me off on a long journey alone...<br />
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Our selfie before heading off~<br />
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As part of our farewell customs, we had yum cha at Racecourse Newmarket...<br />
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It will be hard to get good dimsum in Malaysia huhuhu...<br />
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Then, it was the oh-so-familiar route.,..<br />
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The place I got to tightly hug him before seeing him again in months.... :'(<br />
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Then walked in alone through customs, hand baggage checks, got patted down, sniffed by dog, before arriving at..<br />
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The plane was delayed by 40-ish minutes due to something with the runway... After feeling restless, we finally took off... Hence my 18-hour journey began.<br />
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The only thing that got me motivated was the in-flight meals but both were really mediocre on that flight ~boo. <br />
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Chose the beef and mashed potato for 'lunch'.<br />
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and the Fettucine with chicken for dinner. Feeling 'adult'ish, I ordered red wine lol. <br />
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To kill time, I watched 4 freaking movies - started off with The Book Thief (which possibly wasn't the right choice for that flight as I was bawling through all the 'farewell' scenes, Saving Mr Banks, The Hunger Games (yes I haven't brought myself to watch even the first one when it came out), and Delivery Man (not worth my time)...<br />
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When we finally arrived in KLIA, we were nearly 50 minutes late, and our luggage took forever to arrive at the aisle @_@<br />
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Once I saw my humongous, 30kg red luggage, I lugged it onto the trolley and ran for my life across the arrival terminal, down the lifts, through Food Garden, manually carried my stuff down the stairs to catch my bus to Ipoh!!! Everything happened so much in a rush that I was quite unsure how I managed to do all that within 10 minutes and made it just in time for the bus lol.<br />
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Another 3 and the half hours, I saw my parents, and just felt thankful. Thankful that they came at such an ungodly hour to pick me up. Thankful to be back with people who love me. Thankful that they look healthy.<br />
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And the tour of duty began......<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-58273156762121860322014-04-05T16:32:00.002+08:002014-04-05T16:32:46.779+08:00Cocoro Auckland - Lunch CourseAlex and I loveeeeeeeee food. But we are very selective when it comes to eating out. If we were going to pay quite a sum to eat out, might as well make it a great experience...<br />
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Knowing I was leaving in a few days (then), Alex tried to find time from his very busy schedule to have lunch with me, and we went to Cocoro, a new-style japanese cuisine restaurant, highly raved by reviewers.<br />
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And because we were really pleased by the service and their exceptional food, here's my write-up about our delightful lunch ;)<br />
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While I was trying to read the menu, Alex immediately ordered the Lunch Courses. I was rather shocked by that because the lunch course was quite pricey, at $45 per person! But he insisted that we will indulge on that day so I very 'submissively' decided on my appetiser and main lol.<br />
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For the amuse, we had<br />
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deep-fried lotus with spicy tuna, and a tempura salad..<br />
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followed by<br />
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line-caught snapper and Ora King salmon sashimi with micro leaves, cucumber, and soy base vinaigrette (mine) </div>
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while Alex had<br />
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Deep fried Waitoa free range chicken 'Karaage', garden salad and creamy sweet ginger sauce</div>
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We love both appetisers!!! Mine was refreshing while Alex's karaage could be the best we have had!<br />
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Then came our mains,<br />
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I had Grilled Market Fish with sweet miso 'Saikyo-yaki', poached spinach, gingered tempura balls and Yuzu citrus foam~<br />
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and Alex chose Wakanui beef eye fillet steak, sauteed seasonal vegetables with manuka honey infused garlic teriyaki sauce (I loved mine but I much preferred his lol)<br />
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we finished off with Fresh Yuzu and Miso Creme Brulee and Black Sesame Sable~<br />
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ze perfect ending to a foodgasm ;)<br />
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Price-wise, definitely on a higher end. But if you think of it as a four-course meal and divided the price, it makes complete sense. We would really come back again for special occasions ;)<br />
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He had his eye on the lobster and sashimi degustation hahahaha... Maybe next time~ Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-18315350111262141232014-03-19T15:10:00.003+08:002014-03-19T15:18:11.682+08:00The day before the farewell <div dir="ltr">
I have been dreading this day. And yet it came. </div>
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One positive thing about facing such separation : Alex pays more attention to me, and literally gives in more lol. For instance, I did something that would have annoyed him and warranted a lecture from him, but instead you could see him actually breathing in heavily, and letting it go. Hahaha... </div>
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So how did we make the best out of today? </div>
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As usual, after our morning routines, I prayed for him and saw him off... </div>
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Then it was straight to simple house chores like doing the washing, drying them in the sunroom,</div>
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ironing Alex's shirts...</div>
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Once all those were done, I got ready, sprayed on the very important sunblock (really really essential in New Zealand) - Broad spectrum, SPF70+ , before I took a 15 minutes walk to Countdown.</div>
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One thing I love about doing shopping here - </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">SELF SERVE CHECKOUT! </span></b></div>
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Once I came home, it was time to start that MUCH LOATHED stage, called 'packing'...</div>
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I really dislike packing.</div>
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It makes the separation feel so real... and I admit I was quite down during that particular process :'(</div>
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At least, I know I be bringing these goodies home which would 'hopefully' make some people happy~</div>
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They totally filled up 70% of my humongous luggage @_@</div>
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When he came back for lunch, we grilled leftover pork ribs
from yesterday and walloped them up before I took a picture of it lol.</div>
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oh wait, I have a picture of how it looked 'yesterday' lol</div>
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YUMS!</div>
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After lunch, he went back to work,while I was onto a different project~~~<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>When your husband asked you to cook him curry chicken that would last him a week since you be leaving, you will do it at a heartbeat</b></span>. Hence the reason why I went Countdown - to get the chicken nibbles...</div>
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Here we have 1.3kg of chicken meat, thoroughly cleaned~</div>
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And the other ingredients..</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0cwEvNZiFE/Uyk41MH78eI/AAAAAAAABL8/cexa0t_bY48/s1600/20140319_150504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0cwEvNZiFE/Uyk41MH78eI/AAAAAAAABL8/cexa0t_bY48/s1600/20140319_150504.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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and the secret recipe to making yummy chicken curry - is that awesome A1 curry paste (bought from Malaysia)!</div>
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<span class="st">Sauteing the garlics and onions, lightly-fried the chicken, sauteing again with the curry paste, adding roughly 700 ml of water, getting it to a boil, letting it simmer, adding in the carrots and potatos, boiling again before mixing in the coconut milk....</span></div>
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...</div>
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and tada~</div>
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will only season it further tomorrow morning... This will be Alex's dinner tomorrow, and a few more days after... Poor kid :'(</div>
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After all the kitchen work, he was back from work, and we spent some quality time together, before he went to pick up our 'celebratory dinner'~</div>
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though we don't like the name of the brand, they definitely sell really yummy pizzas!</div>
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Our super fattening and fulfilling dinner consists of:<br />
<br />
Apple, Cinnamon, Apricot, Berries, Crumble and Custard on an original snack base dessert pizza~<br />
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Half of Lust Deluxe (Marinated Steak, Venison Pepperoni, Salami, Ham, Bacon & Smoked Cabanossi, Lashed With Béarnaise Sauce) and half of Serpant (Smoked Salmon, Spring Onion & Cream Cheese. Optional: Capers, Avocado)<br />
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and...<br />
32 inch cinnamon sugar churros with chocolate dip!!!!<br />
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Feeling super super fat now.<br />
<br />
We are happy fat kids lol.<br />
<br />
Now he is watching Supernatural, while I am doing this blog entry... Later we be watching our new favourite series - Brooklyn Nine-Nine!<br />
<br />
Though we have done this whole saying goodbye thing for so many years now, it is still hard... especially when I thought the time we boarded the plane together to come here signifies a whole new chapter of togetherness...<br />
<br />
But I am certain that our God is real, our God is good, and our God will watch over us and guide us through these months... Our end goal is the same, our vision is the same, and most importantly, we are a strong couple who willingly admit our limitations, constantly communicate, and have been facing all kinds of adversity and challenges together.<br />
<br />
We will overcome.<br />
<br />
Now I shall go and pay full attention towards my husband...<br />
Be updating more in Malaysia ;)<br />
<br />
ps. I really do not look forward to traveling alone for more than 18 hours tomorrow (Auckland - KL - Ipoh - Taiping) @_@<br />
pss. I wonder whether they would miraculously upgrade me to business class again...<br />
psss. I know that's just wishful thinking lol.Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-6166656065086417932014-03-18T12:34:00.000+08:002014-03-18T12:38:51.066+08:00Dating MyselfI have always known that getting married would mean going from just 'me' to living for 'us'.. What I didn't know was how unprepared I was to just wait upon my husband and see to his needs, especially when I have always been the on the go person. Before you judge, I am definitely not complaining. In fact, I see all the little things of praying for him before he goes to work, cutting him fruits, doing gardening with him as luxuries, even more so when we knew my days are numbered here in New Zealand in the near future. However, there are times when you just feel like having some time just for yourself, without having to accommodate to someone else's time or likes, and just be at your own pace.<br />
<br />
I am thankful that my husband understands, and often wants me to get out of the house for a breather. And that was exactly what I did today... I dated myself :)<br />
<br />
After seeing the husband off, I got ready, put on some makeup, and stepped into the beautiful weather~<br />
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Ahhhh~~~ I love the sun.<br />
<br />
One of the greatest perks of living in this neighbourhood,<br />
the bus stop to the city is exactly opposite our house!<br />
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But the bus was a lil late today... hmm..<br />
<br />
Bus fare here in NZ probably is a lil pricier (especially if I compare it to Malaysia).. It's 2 stages from my place to Civic Centre so that was NZD3.40 for a one-way ride..(It's RM9.51 for one way okay!)<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />
And...<br />
<br />
Hello Queen Street!<br />
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I LOVE SHOPPING ALONE...<br />
ok let me rephrase..<br />
I LOVE SHOPPING / NOT-SHOPPING-AND-JUST-BROWSING-AROUND ALONE!<br />
<br />
For one,<br />
I am the type who can spend a whole hour in Whitcolls (a 3-storey bookstore), and loves entering quirky stores. Though shopping with girl friends brings a different type of fun, there is just something relaxing about wandering around at your own pace, entering any shops you like, and spending as much or as little time in the shops as you like.<br />
<br />
I could never shop with Alex. He is a very practical type of person, the type who goes out with a shopping list and clear idea of what he wants to get. I on the other hand, if given a chance, would love to spend as much time as I want in a supermarket, browsing aisle to aisle, wondering what recipes to prepare.<br />
<br />
<br />
So yea,<br />
<br />
I went into quite a number of shops, mostly coming out empty handed, because things are more expensive here (especially when I had to convert everything to RM)... But I did get a few items that I quite like, not for me though... I am very stingy towards myself lol, and am more of a giver. I am the product of my dad. He too, is more of a giver. For instance, I saw this unicorn pen that I really like. It was NZD3, so at the back of my mind, it is more than RM8, which to me is not worth it for a pen.<br />
<br />
Then, I saw this cute stationary which I knew a friend of mine would like, and it was NZD 15.<br />
<br />
And I bought it.<br />
<br />
lol.<br />
<br />
Yea...<br />
<br />
After walking for quite a bit, I saw this cute cafe, called The Shelf.<br />
<br />
The decor is really interesting but I didn't snap pictures of it.. Basically its filled with shelves, decorated with all sorts of quirky pieces.. and has different layouts and seating~<br />
<br />
I made my order...<br />
<br />
and was given this..<br />
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short wait later, came my Flat White and possibly the best blueberry cheesecake I have ever had~<br />
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People watching, doing reflection, going through my usual mobile reads, sipping a cup of fragrant coffee, taking small bites of my creamy cake.....<br />
<br />
I really enjoy this lil coffee date with myself.<br />
<br />
<br />
Pampering our own self once a while is really important.<br />
<br />
Instead of just lugging ourselves through the days to make meets end, or getting distracted by things around us, or going through life pleasing everyone but yourself,<br />
<br />
it feels really good just to have that time and space, even though just for a couple of hours,<br />
<br />
to pay attention to yourself,<br />
to love yourself.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When was the last time,<br />
you dated yourself? <br />
<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-89179694920848111262014-03-13T09:19:00.001+08:002014-03-13T09:22:44.971+08:00Bullies...The anonymity provided by the internet has been abused in many ways by bullies to feel invincible when attacking people.<br />
<br />
Be it spreading rumours and lies,<br />
<br />
condemning and judging,<br />
<br />
expressing ill intentions,<br />
<br />
inflicting hurt and so on.<br />
<br />
It irks me all the time when I see comments left on publicly-available pictures that are just vulgar, distasteful and downright mean.. Worse still, when those comments are directed to innocent babies or people who has no connections with them whatsoever, and whom I believe in no ways would have provoked them to make such horrible remarks. <br />
<br />
Human nature can be such a scary thing.<br />
<br />
When there are no consequences, and being able to hide behind the screens, humans can be real horrifying.<br />
<br />
Relating to this topic, I remembered how I was once bullied too... not 'cyber'ly, but physically.<br />
<br />
I was five, in a kindergarten.<br />
<br />
There it was, an empty swing out of two in the whole kindy, which I happily sat on, swinging away... Next thing I know, came a group of bigger kids, pushed me down the swing and laughed at me when I cried. They too snatched my little bag and took out my colour-pencils from the box, picked out the pretty colours and left me with yellow, white, and green (I can even remember the colours T___T ).<br />
<br />
When we went back to class, the teacher asked us to colour a picture... With only those three colours, I remembered how I coloured the face on the man in the picture with yellow (instead of the more acceptable 'orange'), and the teacher scolded me in front of everyone....<br />
<br />
I was too young to stand up for myself, or to even realise how I had been unfairly treated by the teacher then. But whenever I remember this past memory of mine, it challenges me to NOT be that teacher. In fact, I always have that innate fear of misjudging my students, or not giving them the benefit of doubt. Yes, it does mean that I get taken for granted and lied to at times, but in this world where we are taught not to trust anyone, I still want to offer a listening ear.<br />
<br />
It's a weird feeling that I have right now. In seven days I be leaving this home of mine, and my husband, to return to Malaysia. A week with my family and settling stuff, I be going back to being a teacher in Gua Musang. It freaks me out when I start to dwell on what people would comment and think of my coming back because they actually gave me a farewell party despite me telling them I was on an unpaid leave (they strongly believed that I would resign after my unpaid leave and be settling down in NZ for good)... Then I realised, I care too much about what people think of me, and should just aim to please my God.<br />
<br />
As my dad said, my return this time is a tour of duty.<br />
<br />
I know I be serving my people,<br />
I know I can teach,<br />
I know I can help out with the church ministry back home,<br />
I know I am doing what I could for the future with my husband,<br />
I know my God is in control of my circumstances...<br />
<br />
and I know I can once again be, that teacher who listens...<br />
<br />
I look forward to holding that marker pen, standing in front of a class / pretending to be as young as the kids lol.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I did the 'tongue' in 2012, before Miley Cyrus made it viral)</span></div>
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<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-33851345165978176522014-03-13T06:17:00.003+08:002014-03-13T06:17:38.330+08:00Good job honey!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fB3eIYJbR-Q/UyDcpnJQovI/AAAAAAAABJM/FbXq8i744Wo/s1600/Alex&Felicia-Highlights-026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fB3eIYJbR-Q/UyDcpnJQovI/AAAAAAAABJM/FbXq8i744Wo/s1600/Alex&Felicia-Highlights-026.jpg" height="640" width="426" /> </a></div>
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we have done 3 months of marriage!</div>
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To more days, weeks, and months and years to come!!!!!!!!!</div>
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<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-80236651110769962632014-03-09T14:07:00.001+08:002014-03-09T14:07:11.574+08:00#prayformh370<p dir="ltr">With the whole world buzzing about the disappearance of the flight, my heart sank and I am quite overwhelmed by unexplainable feelings... </p>
<p dir="ltr">I felt disgusted by the awful speculations and blaming by self-proclaimed experts;</p>
<p dir="ltr">I felt sad for the close kins who are probably worried sick or in limbo;</p>
<p dir="ltr">And I felt vulnerable. <br>
Something like this does not only happen in movies and series that we loved to watch. Something like this could happen, to me, to you, to anyone. </p>
<p dir="ltr">While there are many people who sensationalises the situation, I for one, was given the wake up call... </p>
<p dir="ltr">With only slightly more than a week to go, I will have to bid goodbye to my husband and possibly see him soonest in 2 months, or latest in 8. Though knowing how hard it would be, never have I thought that could be my last farewell. </p>
<p dir="ltr">How silly it is for us, though well aware of the fragility of life, we tend to think that we will not die, at least not today. </p>
<p dir="ltr">It is so easy to take things for granted, be glued to screens, live lifelessly, or only to 'exist'... </p>
<p dir="ltr">How many of us can say, if the Lord decides to take us home today, we have lived well and finished our race? </p>
<p dir="ltr">How many of us can be proud to have today as our last day on earth? </p>
<p dir="ltr">As my heart and prayers go to those in the flight and their families and friends, I also promise myself to appreciate the privilege of being alive, to love to the fullest , to be the best that I can be, to be a lighthouse for the Lord. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm going to hug my husband tighter, and to tell my parents I love them... </p>
Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4779939073877868338.post-37820147314300937252014-03-06T07:57:00.000+08:002014-03-06T07:57:20.389+08:00The need to be neededThe title of my entry perfectly sums up my all-time feeling.<br />
<br />
Maybe it is because I am the eldest in my family, have been brought up with certain expectations and instilled strong sense of responsibility;<br />
<br />
Maybe it is pride;<br />
<br />
Maybe it is the fear of being useless or unproductive...<br />
<br />
I would always have that nagging feeling inside, of needing to be needed.<br />
<br />
It doesn't help when my husband is really independent and capable of household duties.<br />
<br />
It sure doesn't help that I was unable to contribute financially to the household bills.<br />
<br />
And it definitely wears me out that I was unable to share the emotional stress and pressure that Alex has to go through except for praying for him and supporting him in the little ways that I could...<br />
<br />
The funny thing was, I used to think that maybe I love Alex more than he loves me. I mean, I was willing to endure the challenges, took an unpaid leave, and followed him all the way without actual reassurance of financial stability or comfort.<br />
<br />
But after experiencing and knowing what he has to go through, just to be with me; without the support from the ones that matter to him.. or how much pride he had to suck in and bury, and all the pressure he places on himself to give me a good life...... I just feel so overwhelmed, with thankfulness for him.<br />
<br />
Too bad,<br />
<br />
When I started to really find my place in this new land, when my service was actually needed, I had to leave.<br />
<br />
I love going to those free English classes and bible studies on Friday and Saturday, because I knew I was really helping those new and old migrants to learn English. And after an impromptu request of me to help translate and interpret the testimony of Eric (from China) who had just been baptised, I began to receive more requests for translation in other occasions :) And to be recognised and told that I was an asset to this new church and they are sorry to see me leave, gave me a sense of pride and joy - that I was needed after all.<br />
<br />
It is so easy to feel insecure of your own worth. Though I know that Christ makes me whole, my human self made me doubt myself at times. Being rejected even from minimum wage jobs added to those self-doubts too. Thankfully, I know Christ will continue to watch over us, I have an amazingly supportive husband who is ready and willing to go through all odds with me, and my parents whom I can always count on - to feel like their little girl again.<br />
<br />
On a side note,<br />
<br />
I am preparing myself mentally as well as resourcefully to rejoin the teaching force in Malaysia.<br />
If you have any great teaching ideas, songs, links or any related stuff, please share with me. I will be really grateful for that :)<br />
<br />
<br />Felicia Pehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10956191165487278148noreply@blogger.com0