The World of Tai Tai

Last Friday afternoon, I was on my way to a supermarket. Many cars were driving fast on the road and it was not easy to cross it. I was confined to the roadside for quite a while before a Bruneian Hilux slowed down to let me pass. The driver was a middle-aged Malay man. Sitting next to him was a woman who could be his wife. I gave them a smile of gratefulness. As I was about to cross the road, the car gave a sudden roar of acceleration and surged forward. With a start, I quickly backed away from the road. The woman looked at me contemptuously as the Hilux sped past me. I cursed under my breath. Why did the driver slow down his car and change his mind unreasonably? I could have been killed by his action.

Good morning, everyone, We, SMK St. Joseph Miri, would like to present a choral speaking performance entitled “Colourful Malaysians” Malaysians are an interesting lot in South East Asia We are a mélange of colours, creeds and cultures Among us you can see Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and other indigenous ethnic groups. Many of us are bilingual and trilingual, being able to speak more than one language. It’s not a surprise to see Ahmad being able to speak Malay and English Puyang being able to speak Malay,Kayan and Iban And Ah Meng being able to speak English, Chinese, Hokien and Hakka. We profess different religions. Khairunisa is a Muslim, Gillian a Christian, Neeta a Hindu, And Ah Meng a Buddhist. We celebrate a motley assortment of festivals. The Malays celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, The Chinese celebrate Lunar New Year, The Indians celebrate Thaipusam and Deepavali, The Ibans celebrate Gawai. We can live under one roof in peace and harmony....

The moment Papa put the long-awaited letter from the Teachers’ Training College into my hand,   I knew that the brightness of my future depended on its contents.   I had been denied admission into the college thrice and one more rejection would have crashed my confidence.                                My hands were shaking with anticipation as I tore open the envelope.    I was scared by the possibility of seeing the phrase ‘Regretfully we inform you that you are not accepted as a trainee teacher’ in the letter.     It had taken me months to get over my sadness the last time I was turned down from the application.   With bated breath, I unfolded the letter and read it.   The first line of words that greeted me was: ‘Please be informed that you have been accepted as a trainee teacher for the En...