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.