The World of Tai Tai

The mere mention of the word 'Ambuyat' makes me salivate. It means sago starch in English. Those living in West Malaysia may not be familiar with the glue-textured food but it is a hit in East Malaysia and Brunei. How to eat Ambuyat? First, soak market-bought sago starch in a bowl of water . After thirty minutes, the powder will settle in the bottom. Drain the water and add hot, boiling water to the wet lump little by little. Stir consistently until it becomes a gooey paste. A bowl of well-stirred, cooked through Ambuyat imparts a transparent, glistening sheen. Twirl it up into a bite-sized ball with 'Candas', a double-pronged bamboo stick and dip it into a hot, tangy sauce made of cincalok(krill), bird's eye chilies and lime juice. It melts in your mouth immediately, leaving a smooth, zingy aftertaste. My tongue has never become jaded from eating Ambuyat.

I have always found it difficult to write about myself. There is nothing fascinating about me. I am as plain as a cup of tepid coffee. You could have passed me in the street without giving me a second look. I am a loner. I can easily count the number of my friends with my fingers.I always feel ill-at-ease in the midst of a chattering crowd. My lips will remain tightly-pursed throughout a conversation unless you ask me some questions. Don't ask me too many because I get stupefied easily.I hardly express my opinion. I don't have the faculty of impromptu. I can't string words to form a coherent strand of thought off-handedly. However, in certain rare circumstances, my speech may become free-flowing. I will speak more than I should. The verbal incontinence gives me more than my fair share of problems. To save myself from embarrassment, I try to keep myself as quiet as possible in any social gatherings. It is difficult to find people on the same wavelength as me. I have a l...

In my life, I have never seen any English lecturer as strict and hardworking as Mdm. Mitty Chai. When she was teaching, smile eluded her. She was prim and rigid. Nothing could escape her all-knowing, penetrating eyes. She spoke with full authority. Each word she uttered rang like a decree. Nobody dared to mess up with her. She could detect any lapse of attention like a blood hound before you had a chance to cover it. Making grammatical errors was a mortal sin to her. She could not tolerate future teachers committing such offence. Hence, my classmates and I were constantly scolded for our error-riddled writing.To improve our English, she always drummed the rules of grammar into our heads. She took great pains to read and edit every single piece of our assignments before returning them to us.Her tireless effort was fructifying. We became more confident in writing after doing tons and tons of corrections. The following are some of the things she frequently said when scolding us: ...

There are many groups of trouble-mongers in my school's staff room. First, the pursuers of merits. it's good to do good things for the well-being of school but what makes them hateful in my eyes is that they want every one to know what they do. The question of who contributes the most has always been a bone of contention among them. They drive you round the bend by belittling your contribution. Second, the wielders of influence. Some veteran teachers are good in exerting their power over fledgling teachers. They make the young group follow whatever they do with a lemming-like obedience.Like the previous group, they call themselves the standard of quality. Third, the malicious bullies. They like to tell jokes at the expense of quiet, introverted teachers. Claiming themselves as avid readers of motivational books, they boost their self-esteem by frequently reminding the latter group of their own weaknesses. Fourth, the dissident teachers. Their chief mission in life is ...

The excerpt above was picked from a speech written by the ex-language department head of my school.Please take note of the verb 'convene' in her first sentence. I think it is wrongly-used.If I am not wrong, the word 'convene' means to call people together for a meeting. It should not be used in the same way as the word 'urge'.

Last Wednesday, Mr. Choo, a colleague of mine, cried foul over my Principal's decision to give a teacher an outstanding service award in the teachers' staffroom. " I should have been given the award. Mr. John did not do anything that benefited the school last year!" said Mr. Choo, fuming. He always takes a vociferous stand against anything which he deems unfair. "How did the Principal react when he heard that from you?" asked a lady. "He told me that Mr. John was a more deserving recipient because he contributed to the 100 percent passes for the Art subject in last year's SPM Examination," he answered,raising his voice. "but he taught only one of the six classes that sat for the examination. And I taught five of them!" "How unfair it is. Of all I know, Mr. John even asked you to give his students extra-classes several months before the examination." said Jenny, the lady teacher. "You practically taught all of...

Yesterday afternoon after school, I hitched a ride to town in a colleague's car. He dropped me at a restaurant. I thanked him for the lift and entered the eatery. I ordered a plate of barbecued pork rice.I had not taken it for months due to health reasons.I chose to dine in the tarped area outside the restaurant. While enjoying the savory succulence of the meat, I kept hearing a buzz of voices behind me. I turned round and saw three girls two tables away from me. They were puffing away on cigarettes while prattling on trivialities in Mandarin.Their faces were caked with thick makeup(which smudged in hot weather)and their clothes fashionable and scanty.Wisps of smoke were uncoiling from their glossy,lipsticked mouths. I don't like smokers and the sight of them disgusted me.I turned back and went on eating. After eating and footing the bill, I rose and strapped on my knapsack. I walked in the direction of the bus station past the three chattering girls. I halted in my tracks ...