The World of Tai Tai

The first time I came to Kuching was in 1990. Failing to secure a place in government schools after the SPM, I enrolled in the sixth  form  at the now defunct school on Stampin Road, St. Patrick's. It was my first time away from the comfort of home, and I was staying in the school ’s  wooden boarding house, naturally fe eling  emotionally challenged. In the first few months of my stay, I was wrought with unmitigated homesickness, which sapped my confidence, energy, and optimism for life. My weight plunged, and it took a toll on my health. One time, I was so delirious with fever that the world was almost dead to me. My fellow boarders took turns looking after me, bringing me food, sponging my feverish forehead, and washing my sweat-soiled clothes. I finally came to my senses when a boy named Simon  warned me that if I continued letting my emotions control me, I would disappoint my parents. Like me, he had come all the way from Miri to study. He...

I would like to live a short, intense life. Living a short life is a blessing. The shorter you live, the fewer sins you commit. I'd rather live until seventy, a not-too-ancient age, and have a lot of fulfilling moments, the likes of being able to concentrate on things I like. Living a long, calm life, on the other hand, is depressing, particularly if senility has caught up with me. A short, intense life would make my life more purposeful. I would always be on the go, trying my best to get things done properly to delight myself and my loved ones. Diary-writing has been my passion, and to make my life a memorable one, I would make the publishing of my own memoir a life goal- sharing my life stories with everyone. Before seventy, I would make use of all my savings to travel around the globe, my focus being South Pacific islands, particularly Solomon Islands. Their pristine forests and friendly aboriginal people have a strong magnetic pull on me. I...

Lo  s tood  in the administration office, hemming and hawing, scared of the possibility of making himself the butt of jokes during roll call. Although he was a teacher, he had no confidence when it came to speaking in front of a large group, and he was considering getting someone to replace him. But would anyone be willing to do it? Deep down, he knew that he couldn’t possibly run away from the job. Sooner or later, he had to face it. As the commotion  made by the students pounded the office from different directions, Lo  stiffened in trepidation and bit his lower lip. The public address system was not working, so Mr Zulkifli , the senior assistant, handed him  a portable speaker box, which was as heavy as his heart. Lo  dragged himself through the door and began walking up onto the stage . H e could feel his legs shaking. Panic came over him as he looked at the sea of faces in the assembly hall. The students, carrying their bags either on their back o...