The World of Tai Tai

PMR results were released last week. I was happy to learn that my students had bettered last year's passes of 91.07% with a satisfactory 94.04% in 2011. The following is the breakdown of the results: A : 47 students B : 41 students C : 29 students D : 25 students E : 9 students I was glad that all inclusive education students passed English. All of them passed with a 'C'. 60% of the students who got an E should have passed the subject. They told me that they had left most questions unanswered. In PMR, you can get a 'D' easily as long as you write something, be it relevant or not. I hope the Form Three students of 2012 can do better than 94.04%. However, there are 12 students who always failed their English within a mark range of 8% to 15% in Form Two. It would be very difficult to push their grades up next year.

Last week, Aunt Peggy stayed with my family for Christmas. She is from Canada. The following are what we always heard from her throughout her stay: "Tai, your house is no good, so small and narrow." "What's the use of having a skylight in your house. What a waste of space!" " Your Uncle David's house is much more comfortable." " Edmond is very capable. He will be doing his masters." " Are you a degree holder?" " Do you like reading? You should be like Edmond. He reads a lot of books." " Edmond, Marie and Suzie are better than most youths. They are cultured people." "Tai, do you know what 'nook and cranny' means?" "Tai, Edmond, Marie and Suzie speak good English. You should work hard to be like them." "Tai, I don't understand why I couldn't make dumplings well. I think it is because of your bad steamer!" "Tai, I think it's better to c...

I celebrated Christmas in a simple manner. First, I woke up early to attend a morning mass in church.I was there with my parents, my older sister and my fifth aunt from Canada. The atmosphere was a little dampened by the sloppy singing of the choir. How I missed the heyday of the choir, when every member was a powerful, expressive singer. After the mass, we had breakfast in a coffee shop. Then, we went shopping in a mall. In the afternoon, we had a simple meal of sago. I finished reading E.M. Foster's 'A Room With A View' in the evening. Mama cooked stewed beef for dinner. It was delicious. Before I slept that night, I prayed for the good health of all my loved ones.

This year, I attended a total of three Robert Raymer's writing workshops in Sabah. When I learnt that there would be one more workshop of his in Kuching,I submitted my name to him via email without a hitch. Several hours later, he emailed me his telephone number, asking me to talk about my accommodation with him on the phone. I contacted him straight away. When I told him that I would be arriving at Kuching at night, he offered to pick me up at the airport and put me up at his house. For the sake of convenience, I agreed. I hadn't made any room reservation yet. My flight to Kuching was delayed and I arrived at Kuching late. I was so guilty to have kept Robert Raymer waiting. He said it was alright good-naturedly. I slept rather late at his house that night because I had some school work to do. After finishing my work, I drifted into a deep sleep and woke up refreshed the next morning. Robert prepared a simple but delicious breakfast for me -- cheese omelet and orange juice. I...

The moment I find myself lost, I know it is not easy to go back to my hotel through a claustrophobic maze of buildings . It is my second day in Hangzhou, a scenic city famous for its large lake - Xi Hu, which literally means western lake. Steeped in history, the city is the dwelling place of many a famous scholar in China. The famous snake maiden legend also takes place here. With a twenty-member tour group, I visited Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi and Yangzhou before setting foot on Hanzhou . The name of our group is Halim, a well-reputed travel agency in Miri, Sarawak. It is my first trip to China, and I am excited beyond measure. I have decided to venture around the city on my own after dinner. The city is fringed with dripping willow trees, and the splashes of Xi Hu animated the air. I have passed by serried ranks of shops and turned into multiple alleys before coming to a cluster of bric-a-brac and ceramic stalls. Many vendors have pitched their items to me with flattering, persuasiv...

I am reading Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' now. It is not an easy read. I feel like being tossed around in a maelstrom of words. I have only twenty more pages to go for finishing the book. Then, I will write a review .

I have not recovered from my allergic fever, and it is now my second day in Kuala Lumpur. I was in Penang three days ago, waking up finding that there were red rashes all over my body. I had indulged myself in a seafood meal with my friends and it must have been the shellfish that caused the allergy. As soon as I reached Kuala Lumpur, I went all over the place looking for a clinic but none of them was open. I rang up my younger brother but we could not meet each other due to miscommunication problems. At the end, I hailed a taxi and the driver agreed to take me to a 24-hour-clinic. On the way to the clinic, the driver asked me, "Sir, do you have problem with your 'Lampa(penis)'? Almost jerked up from my seat, I said, "No, I have an allergic fever!" The driver chuckled and said, " I'm sorry, but most of my customers have such a problem. All because of their one-night-stand adventures." "I am not like them!" I said curtly, feeling ...

One day, I was talking about books with two teachers, one Indian and the other Chinese. "What books did you read as a teenager?" the Indian teacher asked me. "My English proficiency was quite poor then," answered I, "I read a lot of Chinese novels. I would only read English novels when I was in the mood. My favourite was the Famous Five Series". "I also read The Famous Five Series. I was the fan of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys too. But I read them in Primary Four to Six. When I was a secondary school student, I graduated to reading classics," said the Indian lady. "Me too," echoed the Chinese teacher, " My strong foundations in both English and Chinese stood me in good stead. I read the classics of both languages when I was a teenager." "How impressive!" I could not help praising them. "Have you ever read classics?" asked the Chinese teacher. "Yes, but only recently" was my reply. ...

December is a meaningful month to me. It signifies my victory over depression two years ago. I had an armada of sufferings in 2009. I subsisted on a diet of fret and anxiety. I had countless bouts of panic attacks. I lost all confidence and hopes, blaming myself over-critically for having made a lot of unwise decisions. Fortunately, my family and friends gave me plenty of support. They pulled me out from the mire of depression and made me realize that I had a bright future ahead. No matter what happens, there is nothing as precious as my life. I should never destroy it. Thank you, Lord, for giving me salvation.

December came creeping in without my realization. The following are my plans: 1. visit Penang from 7th to 10th December 2. visit Kuala Lumpur from 10th to 12th December 3. finish my reading of Rose Treman's 'The Road Home', then read Charles Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend'. 4. proofread my school magazine with my colleagues before its publication. 5. celebrate Christmas with my family. I will bake a cheese cake. 6. interview my mother about her childhood and jot down every thing in a notepad.

Jiang Rong's 'Wolf Totem', translated by Howard Goldblatt, is a haunting read which made me yearn to experience a walk with wolves on the Mongolian Steppe, a large expanse of grassland currently undergoing the process of desertification along with the dwindling number wolves. The novel, drawn from the writer's real life experience, depicts the battle for survival between man and wolves under the onslaught of modernization. The main character, Chen Zen, captivated by the mystifying wolves in the grassland, adopts a cub despite having to run the gauntlet of disapproving local authorities and nomad herders. He tries to tame the cub, only to find it become increasingly wild and beyond control,  The prose is vivid and powerful, sending me on a roller-coaster of emotions  and leaving me ponder upon life for a long time after finishing the book.

I was in Kota Kinabalu from 18th to 22nd November. On 19th November, I joined a local tour on a trip to Kinabalu Park, a world heritage site which boasts the famous canopy walk and the Poring Hot springs. The drive up the park took nearly three hours. The undulating road wound around the crocker range like a serpent. The higher the van drove, a wider expanse of emerald vegetation spread before us. Layer after layer of mountains rose like waves, becoming one with the sky in the far end. My companions were a four-member British family.They made the bumpy ride an enjoyable one with their humorous banter. When we reached the park, I was blown away by its beauty. It was surrounded by mountains in greens of all hues. The sight offered me a welcome respite from the concrete forest that I live in. To go for the canopy walk, we had to hike a steep slope for fifteen to twenty minutes. The steepness took a toll on my plump body. I fell behind my companions, unable to keep up ...

I was in Kota Kinabalu from 18th to 22nd November. On 19th November, I joined a local tour on a trip to Kinabalu Park, a world heritage site which boasts the famous canopy walk and the Poring Hot springs. The drive up the park took nearly three hours. The undulating road wound around the crocker range like a serpent. The higher the van drove, a wider expanse of emerald vegetation spread before us. Layer after layer of mountains rose like waves, becoming one with the sky in the far end. My companions were a four-member British family.They made the bumpy ride an enjoyable one with their humorous banter. When we reached the park, I was blown away by its beauty. It was surrounded by mountains in greens of all hues. The sight offered me a welcome respite from the concrete forest that I live in. To go for the canopy walk, we had to hike a steep slope for fifteen to twenty minutes. The steepness took a toll on my plump body. I fell behind my companions, unable to keep up with their spee...

1. I was born into this world on 23 August 1970. 2. I gave myself a name. The first thing I said was 'Tai-Tai'. From then onwards, everyone calls me 'Tai-Tai'. 3. I called my father 'Papa' 4. I called my mother 'Mama' 5. I called my elder sister 'Jiejie' 6. I called my younger brother 'Weng-Weng. 7. I learnt how to walk. 8. I produced my first comic book at age seven. 9. I was in top 10 three terms in a row in Primary Six. 10.I completed my primary school education. 11. 'Sinbad The Sailor' is the first English story book that I read. 12. I was the best pupil in Art from Primary One to Six. 13.I entered secondary school. 14. I became the best student in Art when I was in Form Three. 15. My grandpa in Brunei told my cousins with pride that I wrote good Chinese. 16. I was one of the top 3 students in Forms Four and Five two years in a row. 17. I went to Kuching for my Form Six education. 18. I scored 2As 2Bs and 1C for m...

I was in Sabah last weekend. After eating at McDonald's one afternoon, I went to a washstand to wash my hands. I pressed the soap dispenser but nothing came out. A Chinese lady standing next to me said, "Tak ada sabun di dalam." "Terima kasih," was my reply. It was not the first time I was mistaken for a Bumiputera. Many people think I am a non-Chinese. I am half Chinese, half Dusun. "Mum, it's a shame that he speaks no English." A voice rang out and I saw a little girl who could not be more than eight beside the lady. The lady smiled at the child and stroked her head. I was washing my hands without soap, pretending not to understand anything. "Mum," the girl went on. "Why I know how to speak English, and he don't?" The mother said, " It's all because he doesn't get a good education." I was stunned, not expecting the mother to come up with such a prejudiced explanation. Turning to the mother, ...

Sabah beckons me with the highly-motivating writing workshops organized by SPARKS.I did not miss the opportunity to attend the third workshop. In the four-hour session, the writings of all participants were shown on a whiteboard through an LCD projector. Robert Raymer, guest speaker for the workshop, went through all of them and gave us his valuable, insightful feedback. I felt honoured to have my stories critiqued and edited by Robert Raymer. He advised me to ease up the use of adjectives and adverbs because they punctuate the flow of reading. He also pointed out some inappropriate vocabulary of mine, which gave negative connotations. In addition, the writer told me to avoid making redundancies and unnecessary reports like 'I could see' and 'I could hear'. He brought home to me the fact that a good story is one which concentrates on specific details and a systematic plot development. A story replete with over-the-top vocabulary and voids of information turn...

The following are the top 100 books listed by the BBC 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien 2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman 4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne 8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell 9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë 11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller 12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë 13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks 14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier 15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger 16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame 17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens 18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott 19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres 20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy 21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell 22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling 23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of S...

Thomas Hardy's The Mayor Of Casterbridge(very touching, beautiful prose) Anne Frank's 'The Diary Of A Young Girl'(very moving) D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers(a haunting and sensual tale, beautiful prose) Jean M. Auel's The Clan Of Cave Bear(An engrossing read)

The crowds at the Sunday bazaar begin to thin away with the decline of the sun towards the upper end of the riverside town.Kassim has just finished eating the rice given by Mak Minah, a generous lady who runs an economy rice stall at the bazaar. Licking the leftover gravy off his lips, he sits on a curb beside the bus stand with an intent look at the slowed-down transactions between vendors and customers. The vendors begin to pack up their stalls while the customers are in haste to go home. He never comes to the bazaar when it is thick with people. He makes his usual appearance at the bazaar around 5.00pm. He always sits in the same spot, biding his time and waiting for an opportunity to collect unsold, wilted vegetables. "Come on here, Pak, I have some vegetables for you!" A Chinese vendor named Wong hollers, while beckoning him over with a wave of the hand. A grateful smile is etched on Kassim's sagging, wrinkled face. He props himself up on his walking stick from the...

I helped a colleague to present her writing during the second day of a literature course. Unaware of the silly grammatical errors she had made, I made myself a laughing stock during the presentation. One teacher even made such a remark: "What a lousy English teacher!" The following is her writing: Diligence - Hans has been a very loyalty and hardworking member of the expedition. He fulfils his responsibilities without having to be told. For example, he builds a raft using giant reeds, cut it off and tied it together with the climbing ropes. Determination - Otto is very determines person. He spends as much times, effort and energy to decode the message meaning of the message so that he can set off on his journey to the centre of the earth. Perseverance - When Otto finds himself and his team back at the same shore they set out from as a result being caught in the electric storm, he is courage enough to carries on his journey despite many setback and difficulties. ...

During a course, I argued with three 'Guru Cemerlang'(outstanding teachers) over the use of 'determine' as a verb until I was blue in the face. Below is the cause of the verbal spar: on second thought he determined to take upon his own shoulders the responsibility of organizing some amusements (I picked the sentence from Thomas Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge) Insisting that the word could not be used as a verb, they had the gall to tell me to go back learning English in Primary One!Almost everyone in the conference room agreed with them. I suffered a humiliating loss. However, can the word 'determine' be used as a verb? The answer is a definite yes. But nobody wanted to look at its usage in my Oxford dictionary. So Lame! According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "determine" can also be a verb. Some examples: verb [with object] 1 cause (something) to occur in a particular way or to have a particular nature: it will be her mental atti...

I wrote a story entitled 'They Found Me'. The title was given by the famous expat writer Robert Raymer during a recently-held writing workshop. I haven't done much editing yet. So, It may have many errors. Title: They Found Me The crowds at the Sunday bazaar begin to thin away with the decline of the sun towards the upper end of the riverine town.Kassim has just finished eating the rice given by Mak Minah, a generous lady who runs an economy rice stall at the bazaar. Licking the leftover gravy off his lips, he sits on a curb beside the bus stand with an intent look at the slowed-down transactions between the vendors and their customers. The vendors begin to pack up their stalls while the customers are in their haste to go home. He never comes to the bazaar when it is thick with people. He makes his usual appearance at the bazaar around 5.00pm. He always sits in the same spot, biding his time and waiting for an opportunity to collect unsold, wilted vegetables. ...

I have a phobia of entering Two Diligence. I can't control the students well. My morale has almost gone phut. They shake their heads when I ask them where their textbooks are. They don't write anything in the distributed worksheets. They make noise when I am teaching. All my language games are bland to them . They like comparing me with other teachers. They doubt my credibility as an English teacher. Recently they like to practise street dancing in my lessons. They perform one-arm push up, cartwheels, tumbling and whatnot. My warnings fall on deaf ears. I can only pray that they won't get hurt. Some of them also like to play truant. They let fly at me with a stream of curses when I admonish them. I find my enthusiasm for teaching gradually sapping. Only the girls are attentive in my lessons. No wonder female students account for 70% of the entire university population in Malaysia. Some teachers told me point-blank that my teaching was too insipid and uninspiring. ...

I am attending a module-writing course for literature component. The JUs are pontificating ad nauseam about teaching approaches. I hate their haughtiness. I wish I were at home now. I want to sleep and wake up re-energized!

(front view of the old folks' home, blocked by two buses) Although Mama is no longer the chief caretaker in the Old folks' home, she still misses her friends there. Mama keeps receiving phone calls from them every now and then, complaining about their having no one to take them to hospital and their having very little to eat. She has often told Uncle David, director of the shelter home, about their predicament but he does not believe a single word she says. To him, the present group of caretakers are good Christians who treat the old residents with kindness. He is the one who forced Mama to resign through dishonest means. However bad he is, Mama still loves him.Uncle David is her younger brother. She looks up to him as the first overseas graduate of the Teo family. She looks after him when he is sick. She cooks for him when his wife is busy with church activities. She never harbours any grudge against him. Uncle David always shows a perceptible contempt for Mama. He lours...

Situation: One day, I was having lunch with some male teachers in a coffee shop. Mr. A: The food in Miri leaves a lot to be desired. It is Not as good as that in Kuching. Mr. B: Agreed. We are spoilt for choice there. Mr. C: I find it quite alright. The chicken rice I'm having is palatable enough. Mr. A:(face turning in my direction)Mr. Lo, are you smoking? Me :(baffled) No, I am not. Mr. A: Are you saying that you are not smoking? Me : Yes, exactly. Mr. A: A-ha!You have just committed a serious grammatical error! Me : What's wrong with my sentence? Mr. A: Are you a non-smoker? Me : Yes,I hate smoking. Mr. A:(smiling slyly)As an English teacher, you should have responded to my question by saying,'No, I don't smoke.' Me : But your question was 'Are you smoking?'. I thought you'd mistaken me for smoking! Mr. A: I was only testing you. I wanted to find out how good your English was. Apparently your English leaves ...

I have just taken the first step to ending my over-reliance on writing on the laptop. A few moments ago,I bought myself a diary at Popular Book Store. I also bought two pens, two pencils, a sharpener, an eraser and lastly, a pencil case to keep all the newly-bought stationery. I will fill the pages of the diary with all ramblings and musings of mine. They will reflect the core of my mind and the depths of my heart. My thoughts tend to veer from hither to tither, and diary-writing can help organize anything that comes to my mind. It can also develop any inchoate idea of mine. Diary-writing is not new to me. I did it when I was a kid. However, I was not consistent in it. You may ask me why I revert to diary writing? Isn't online blog writing more fun and convenient? My answer is I want to retrain my fingers for manual writing. They have become too weak to hold a pen because of too much typing on the laptop.I can't even produce a paragraph if you give me an hour to write a stor...

One day during recess at school. Teacher S: Mr. Tai Tai, Have you marked all your students' compositions? Tai Tai :I have marked all of them. Teacher S: May I see one of them? Tai Tai: Yes, here you are. Teacher S:(reading through the composition)You made one mistake, Tai. Tai Tai: What is it? Teacher S: You did not do the student justice. Her original sentence is 'I was stressed out in work' but you changed it to 'I was stressed out with work'. Her use of the preposition 'in' is correct. Tai Tai: There's nothing wrong with my sentence. Teacher S: No, it's absolutely wrong. Tai Tai: I am very sure I am right. Teacher S: I have been teaching English since 1983 and I know what I am talking about.My English teacher, Mdm.Txx taught me to say 'I was stressed out in work'. (Two Other English teachers passed by) Teacher S: Hi, Miss N and Mdm O, come over here. Miss N & Mdm O: What can we do for you? Teacher S: Which sente...

On 13 August, I attended a Creative Writing Workship at Wisma Anglican, Sabah.It was the follow-up of the first one in April. Its main objective was to help all participants to produce the first drafts of their short stories. The speaker was again the famous expatriate writer Robert Raymer. The workshop was divided into seven parts(I may be wrong. My memory may fail me). a)Part I The speaker asked us to list out 15 topics we would like to write about. Mine were as follows: 1)My childhood neighbour's dog 2)How My Father was cheated when I was ten years old 3)My first day of teaching 4)How my mum got married to my Dad 5)How I met a girl who had constantly appeared in my dreams 6)My fight for dignity at school 7)How I became an English teacher 8)My love-hate relationship with English 9)My first injection at school 10)How my aunties chased an unwelcome visitor from my mum's home 11)How I became a lapsed Christian 12)How I was ostracized by my friends at college 13)...