Shiz, you were there for me earlier this year, I wish I could be there for you too. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

My sincere condolences to you and your family.

Another long pause from updating my blog. A little update on my life so far:

For the past two weeks, I have been going to Seri Insan as a replacement teacher. It was a last minute thingy, and I was lucky I didn't have to do any teaching because by then, the students were already done with their final exams. I just had to help with the students' drama practice, which was fun but could be stressful and tiring too! Luckily the MD was satisfied with all the hard work the teachers and the students put in in making the drama a success at the Annual Dinner night.

I'm kinda glad for the two weeks, even though I was hesitant at first. I got to know the teachers. I got to know how things work in that school before I officially start work in January. Plus, I get to meet the students! It's really fun mingling with the students (outside the classroom..inside the classroom is a different story :P).

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only newbie at that school. I'm really happy and thankful that Fiona will also be there next year! Fie, good luck! :D

Other than that, I'm looking forward to December. It's my favourite time of the year! My Aunt's coming back, 3 weddings to look forward to (plus 1 in Thailand which I can hopefully attend), and some other exciting events that will take place which I will reveal probably later :D

Happy Holidays people!

I'm sorry for the long hiatus. :D

Well, here's something I received in my Friendster inbox from an ex-classmate of mine:

Have you ever heard people ask us
Sabahan,
whether we still live in the jungle,
hunt for food and
wear clothing made out of leaves?

If I was asked so, I would proudly say
yes.(Cuba
imagine Linda AF2 pakai Nipah leaves
skirt
sama Coconut bra) hehe..

When you as a Sabahan start to feel
low just
because youre from Sabah, these facts
would
make you change your mind:

We have the second largest
International
airport in
Malaysia. While others might not even
have any.

We have FIVE major airports, while
others might
not have one

Car fuel is the cheapest here.

We have two official cities, KK and
Sandakan and
soon Tawau, while others might only
have
a town.

We are still the reason why tourist
comes to
Malaysia, for our mount Kinabalu.

Two out of the top three of the sexiest
girl in
Malaysia are from Sabah(Daphne Iking
and
Amber
Chia) according to FHM.

Sipadan Island, need I explain?

Everybody says Mokhtar Dahari is the
main
reason Malaysian football team
qualified
for the
Olympics, football event in the 80s.
With all due
respect, the two goals are scored by
Hassan Sani
and James Wong, both Sabahan. Not
forgetting the
man who kept Malaysia at bay, Peter
Rajah, also a
Sabahan as the goalie.

The most air travelers are from Sabah.
Almost all
Sabahan have atleast traveled once or
twice with
airplane, compared to the west
Malaysians.

We have our own daily newspaper, Daily
Express, Borneo Post and Sabah Times.

Every time theres a reality show, our
contestant
always reaches respectful level. AF,
Blast-Off etc.

We live in harmony, not just with
Malay,
Indian and
Chinese, but also with Kadazandusun,
Bajau,
Murut, Rungus etc. The term Sabah truly
Asia is
more like it.

First 'Survivor' series was held in
Pulau Tiga Sabah.

Most of us Sabahan speaks atleast 4
different
language.

1 Borneo will be the largest Mall
outside
Klang Valley

An internationally reknowned artist,
CheNelle is also Sabahan (Putatan girl
man!!) Its ok if
she fell in love with the DJ, we'd
forgive her!

Dun forget, Gary Cao Ge - Singer of
Chinese version Superwoman also from
Sabah.

This is just to name a few, but despite
all this, we
are still proud to be Sabahan!!!!!

Oh yes, I AM proud to be a Sabahan :D I've encountered such situations where I've seen people being skeptical about Sabah and whether we live on top of trees, or in the jungle or whether we even have paved roads in Sabah! Come visit Sabah, and you'll know :D

Last Saturday, I played violin solo (for the first time since I came back) at the crossroad concert at Rani, Tenghilan. Jay was my pianist, and although it is his first time playing as an accompanist for me, I was pretty satisfied with his playing. Planning to make him my official accompanist, paying him each time he plays for me. I guess I'll be playing solo now, and that's something that I need to adjust myself to because all this while, I have been playing either with the String Ensemble or playing duet with Dael.

I met up with Tina at Rani and it was good seeing her. Time and experience have changed the situation and I'm glad that it did. :D


Dze kazens (me, Jay and Tina) ...


Another photo of the prominent cousins, this time with the addition of the little one.

And to end this post...two recent photos of my 7-month-old puppy, Patches:


She loves putting her head out the window of the car and feel the wind..and she also loves the river! :D


Sleeping with its bolster and Mr. Platypus (her constant companion)

Malaysiaku Gemilang!

Malaysia will be celebrating its 50th year of Independence tomorrow. The spirit of "Merdeka" is everywhere! This is the first time, in four years, for me to be home during Merdeka and it is a different feeling being home celebrating and celebrating it away from home. I really enjoyed the Malaysian parties back in MC, especially the one celebrating Hari Merdeka! It was really fun!!

Btw, I am now tied to a semi-international primary school in KK and will be starting work officially in January. Hmmmm, good luck to me! :D


50 years ago...



HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY, MALAYSIA!

Patriotiknya aku...

I visited the school. Met the principal and the managing director for interview. Interview went really well. Tomorrow will be the confirmation. So, we'll see what happens next! :D

Time passes by quickly. I have been home for two months now and things are about to change for me really soon. If all goes well, I'll be a teacher soon. *crosses fingers*

I'm hoping to visit Mission College in December to attend a very special event. Air Asia, please reopen the direct flights to BKK. Pweety pweessee!! :D




What are you guys up to nowadays? Hihihi :)

I've been staring at the computer screen for almost two hours now. My contact lens are dry. Time to go home and prepare lunch.

I took the exam this morning, and I PASSED!!! Yays! I did it in 21 mins 52 secs, and scored 47/50. The passing mark is 42, so yes, I did it! :D I was nervous (and my fingers were shaking!), but after I was done answering all 50 questions, I clicked on the results, and what a relief to see my score. Hehe. Now that the hard part is done, I'll just have to improve my driving skills, and take two more exams.

My puppy has lost 4 teeth ... so far. And she's bound to lose more teeth if she doesn't stop biting all sorts of things. I hope it grows back. Hehe.

Here's a little update about my life:

- I teach violin and piano the whole day on Sunday.
- My students range from 5 yrs old to 17 yrs old.
- I am still maintaining my weight (hehe).
- I am watching TV again after almost 2 weeks of being Astro-less.
- I'll be taking the driver's license exam this Thursday. I hope I pass. *Crossfingers*
- I'm still waiting to get a real job. Hopefully soon.

Yep, that's it. I really hope that I pass the exam. I have never been good in answering exam questions that are in Malay, and four years of college with written exams in English, man, I'm really hoping that I could get pass this one. It's quite easy, but sometimes it's confusing. All those new terms, some of which I have never seen before. I studied..a little. But as my friend, Choco, said, "reading the book makes me sleep." She's just gonna use her common sense. Good for you my friend, I'll probably rely on using common sense too. We'll see what happens.

The internet connection at home really frustrates me, so here I am again, at the cc just for the sake of uploading photos. I just got the CD that Damien gave us. The CD contains pictures he took before the Consecration service began. It was really fun taking pictures, we had some laughs about how we should look in the pictures. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures, and thank you Damien for all the pictures! :D


I like this picture. Thanks, Damien :D

I'll upload more of Damien's pictures some other time.

Meanwhile, here are some pictures of my 4-month-old pup, Patches and her favourite toy, THE tennis ball...


Presenting....Patches :D


I love this pose, hahahah...Shiz, it's a yoga pose, the uhm, "Downward Facing Dog" or the "Adho Mukha Svanasana" pose! Hahahahah! :D I'm just proud of her, she's just like her owner :P


Oh, and at this stage, she's super active and not only does she likes to lick, she has upgraded her charm by picking up another favourite thing to do, which is biting! Since her two front teeth grew, that's all she does...bite, bite, bite. I have several markings on my arms to prove it! :D

---

A few minutes ago, I entered the MC website, and the yearbook is out!! Yay!! I'm looking at it in its pdf. version now. It's fun looking at the pictures! :D

Here I am again after a short break. So far, nothing really exciting happened in my life, just the usual things. I haven't started working yet, but I have gone through a very boring 1st step of getting a driver's license!

Well, life's not too bad for me now. For the past month, I have enjoyed doing stuff with my family and friends and it makes me happy :)

Two days ago, Fiona came over to give something to me and I was surprised to see Pappu! Suddenly, I missed MC more! It was great to have them over at my kampung house, Jr and Steve were also here. I had a great time talking to Fie and Paps, catching up with the latest happenings at MC, and, uhm, some other stuff :P

Great having them here, looking forward to more meetings with friends I made at MC :)

So far, so good - made a new friend online, my pup is now 4 kg, and I am having sore throat.

Yesterday was the last episode of "One Tree Hill" (Season 3). Since I came back, I was hooked up on watching that show, but it ended too soon! And now, "O.C." takes its spot on Star World everyday at 10 a.m. "O.C." is a nice show too, but I want to know what happens to Lucas and Brooke, Nathan and Haley and Peyton and Jake! I want to watch it, not read it online. I shall go DVD hunting when I have the moolah to do so. I'll probably be hooked up on watching "O.C." until the season is over.

Anyway. There's a mosquito in the house, and it's attacking my legs from all angles.

Good night! :D

The two special songs went well this morning. It was recorded, and I have yet to listen to it. The name printed on the buletin was "In Unity" , and the introduction made by Romeo was quite long. Haha, I managed to catch a little portion of what he said, it was something like this: "Kumpulan ini terdiri daripada pelajar and bekas pelajar SASS yang sekarang ini sedang bercuti." Those who sang were all ex-students, none of us were 'current' students of SASS. Hehe, maybe he didn't notice.

Singing with the group feels different for me. Daron, you know what I'm talking about. But, I'm glad we sang the song (which was supposed to be sang acapella) with accompaniment. Hehe.

Tomorrow, I'll be taking the first step of having a driver's license (finally!). I'm nervous, because I'll be all alone, no friends. Although it will just be listening to 6 hours of ceramah, still, I hate doing it alone. Choco wants to come, but she's going to KL tomorrow. *Sigh* I hope I won't be bored to death. Hehe. I have been driving illegally these past few years, but I can't do it anymore if/when I get the teaching job. I need a license...and a car. Hehe. Soon, soon.

Sorry for the long delay in updating my blog. No easy access to the internet now, and it's not cheap either. Hehe.

Well, anyway, I'm happy tonight because I get to chat with Miss Dorothy and Asron!!It makes me miss MC more.

I can't write long because I'm not at home (again), I'm at the CC. So, this short post is for Shimona. Hehe. Hey Shiz, I'm sorry because I can't upload any new pictures of my puppy now. But puppy no.5 has a name now! :D This was how it got its name: Two days after arriving home, puppy no.5 got sick so I had to bring it to the vet to get a couple of injection. When I arrived at the vet, he asked me what the puppy's name was, and my response was, "Ehm, Patches". Heheheh. So Patches became its name. Sometimes its "Patchy-poo-poo", sometimes it's "Patchy", sometimes it can be another different name. I treat her as if she was a baby, hehe, you know baby-talk and stuff. And she's really a cutie! She does this cute stuff, I don't even know how to describe it. The stuff that makes you go "awwwww!" Since I'm the youngest in the family, so she's considered the 'baby' of the family now. Hehe.

I miss Cassi, Shiz! Hehe, I bet she's bigger and more active now, huh?

Well, can't stay long, singing practice in 13 minutes. Daron, we'll be singing "Prayer of Being" this Sabbath. Cikgu ArAr asked Mae2 to sing special song, so the sisa2 "In Unity" will be singing this Sabbath, plus Clarice lah. And "One Desire" (Choco sings in place of Marsha, hehe) will be singing for Sabbath School. We have a special phrase now, thanks to Douglas, which is "Kami akan buat yang terbaik."

I'm home!

It feels great to be home, but I'm missing MC at the same time! Now, I have to get used to living at home once again.

Am having withdrawal symptoms right now.

I miss the place, the teachers, friends, New Zealand, Las Vegas...my room!!! :D

Memories...


Festival of Faith


OSOKO


One of the many bike rides....


Getting injured...


Taking picture in the middle of the road?? Hmm...


Going to Bangkok for the AYA Rally...


At the football field..


Going to the talat


Friends


Sumandak Negeri di Bawah Bayu..Hihi...MC Cultural Night


News Writing (or Journalistic Writing) Class Field Trip


Music Rendezvous


Longgggg bus ride to Chiang Mai


Chiang Mai


Shampoo Commercial Girls


Sabah Sarawak Tour


FRIENDS! :D

Four years and I survived.

I'm DONE!

It's actually quite hard for me to believe that I have survived four years of study here at Mission College. My only hope now is that I'll pass all my final exams (I'll know the results by this Friday *crossing my fingers*) so that I can march, receive my degree from the princess and berambussss. Hehe.

No more exams. No more stress. :D

I can almost smell freedom.

I'm back from a fun but very tiring trip. Am having withdrawal symptoms (again!). I miss the food. I miss the places. I miss the people.

The trip to Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore was really great!

In Penang, I finally got to taste Penang Laksa, and it was delicious! I had the opportunity to meet up with many of my ex-classmates and schoolmates, and really, it felt so good meeting them again after a few years. Lots of catching up, but there was little time. But it was nice to be able to meet them anyway.

In Ipoh, I had the chance to meet up with Pastor David Kumar and his family again after two years. It was nice meeting them again. We didn't stay long in Ipoh because we had to travel back to Penang the same night.

The five-hour bus ride from Penang to KL was not so bad after all. It was so comfortable riding on the bus that I was able to sleep soundly. The driver made one stop, and I was able to taste Ramly burger. Hehe.

Arriving in KL on Sunday evening, I went straight to the place where we stayed (PJ Chinese Church). I met one of my few favourite cousins and she took me out to Mid Valley and surprised me by wanting me to choose my own graduation gift. She gave me three choices, and I opted for option #1. I was really happy to be able to see her again, I've missed her so much although I've been keeping in touch with her. Kakak Bibi, if you're reading this post, thank you again for my graduation gift! Love you! :D

On Monday, Jayce brought us to KLCC and Sungei Wang. I finally got to take a picture of the twin towers (I didn't have a camera when I visited the towers in 2003). We met up with one of our good friend in Sungei Wang and he brought us around the shopping mall.

On Tuesday, we went to Aenon Health Farm. Ate healthy vegetarian food there and the people were nice.

On Wednesday, we headed down to Kulai, Johor. Stayed at one of the church member's house and our hosts were such an inspiration to me. I must remember to send an email of gratitude to them.

On Thursday, we went to Johor Bahru and stayed at the church. A group of us took a taxi and went to Plaza Kotaraya for the purpose of buying hangers and detergent, but I ended up buying some other things.

On Friday morning, we took 5 taxis to enter Singapore. No problems and we arrived at the SAUM safely. The room was awesome and the shopping places were great! I want to go back to Singapore to shop some day in the future. Oh, and we even sang on the streets. :D

Ending our singing performance at Jurong Church, we headed back to the guestrooms to change and went shopping!!

We landed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7.30 p.m. and reached MC at 10.30.

Fun trip. Lots of memories to be treasured.

Will post more later...

In a few hours, we'll be leaving for Suvarnabhumi Airport, then to KL, then to Penang! Will be gone for 10 days!

Happy Songkran to all!

On Thursday the MC Chamber Choir and String Ensemble will be leaving for the Malaysia-Singapore tour. I'm excited to be going on this trip, but at the same time, I'm also sad because I'll miss my last Songkran here in Thailand. Of the two Songkrans I had here, the first one was the best. One of our Thai friends, Kip, invited us to go home with her to Roi Et (about 8 hours from MC). It was really fun! We sat at the back of her pickup truck all the way to her home (arrived at midnight). Playing water at her hometown, going to Ubon Ratchathani and swimming in the Mekong River - those were some of the things we did while we were there. Oh, and we also had the chance to participate in the 'blessing' ceremony held at her grandparents' home. :D


Taking picture at Pha Taem (Ubon Ratchathani)...Laos is just on the other side of the river. Hehe.


At Kip's grandparents' home.


Felly and I at the Mekong River. So "sakai", it was as if we have never seen sand before! Haha!

Good times. Good times. :D

Ramai golongan muda belum daftar mengundi

Oleh Sazarina Shahrim

KUALA LUMPUR: Sebanyak 70 peratus daripada 4.9 juta rakyat yang belum mendaftar sebagai pengundi sehingga Disember lalu, adalah golongan muda berusia antara 21 hingga 35 tahun.

Timbalan Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, berkata kebanyakan mereka pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) dan yang baru bekerja.

“Kita sudah memberi segala kemudahan, seperti membuka kaunter pendaftaran setiap hari sepanjang tahun dan tempoh pendaftaran pula tidak sampai 10 minit.

“Bagaimanapun, mereka tidak begitu mengambil berat atas alasan sibuk,” katanya selepas melancarkan kempen pendaftaran sebagai pengundi anjuran Pergerakan Kebangsaan Sikh Malaysia (Geraksikh) di sini, semalam.

Kempen peringkat kebangsaan itu pertama kali dianjurkan pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) berasaskan kaum di negara ini.

Wan Ahmad berkata, sehingga Disember lalu 15.2 juta rakyat layak mengundi selepas mencapai umur 21 tahun, tetapi hanya 10.3 juta yang mendaftar sebagai pengundi.

Selangor mencatat jumlah paling ramai penduduk yang belum mendaftar, iaitu 600,000 orang, diikuti Sarawak (450,000), Johor (400,0000), Perak (375,000) dan Kuala Lumpur (300,000).

Beliau berkata, pelbagai usaha dan program dijalankan SPR bagi memudahkan rakyat mendaftar sebagai pemilih, tetapi sambutannya tetap kurang memberangsangkan.

“Sikap menunggu saat akhir atau menjelang pilihan raya, tidak peduli hak di sisi Perlembagaan serta tidak mengetahui kepentingan menggunakan hak sebagai pengundi, menjadi faktor 4.9 juta rakyat Malaysia belum mendaftar,” katanya.

Wan Ahmad berkata, SPR memerlukan masa sehingga tiga bulan untuk memproses setiap pendaftaran sebelum disahkan sebagai pengundi. Selepas pembubaran Parlimen, SPR ada 60 hari untuk tentukan tarikh pilihan raya dan jika ketika itu, ada yang mahu mendaftar, ia sudah terlewat.

Wan Ahmad berharap NGO lain mencontohi kempen dianjurkan oleh Geraksikh bagi memastikan semua rakyat yang layak mengundi, mendaftar sebagai pemilih.

Sementara itu, Presiden Geraksikh, Tan Sri G Darshan Singh berkata kempen itu bertujuan meningkatkan kesedaran warga Malaysia khususnya golongan muda untuk mendaftar sebagai pengundi sebagai persediaan menghadapi pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Beliau berkata, Geraksikh juga akan mengadakan beberapa aktiviti bersama SPR termasuk melawat Institusi Pengajian Tinggi (IPT), tempat ibadat dan sewaktu musim perayaan bagi menjayakan kempen pendaftaran pengundi itu.


In 22 days, I'm going to turn 21. :P

Three weeks ago, I sent a package to my brother - it was a little 'shirt' for his puppy and 2 collars for my puppy and his puppy. He got it two weeks ago. :D


I can't wait to play with this pup!! :D


They're jealous of her.. Haha! The white puppy is my brother's.


6-1...don't know where the black pup is. They're getting used to being placed in a wheelbarrow!

I haven't decided on a name for her yet.

Have a good day!

Classe de Sapienta - Class of 2002

The picture above was taken five years ago when I finished high school. The next year, I came to Mission College. Four years later, I am gonna walk down the aisle again. Before I came to MC, I promised myself that I will finish in four years, no matter how hard college life will be. Two motivation factors:
1) My parents
2) The comparison made of me and somebody by my own aunt.

I wanted to prove to her that the government exam results does not mean that I cannot succeed in college. Looking back through the four years I was here, I can see how God has led me through all the ups and downs of my studies and specifically, my life. He has been my Guide, and I attribute my success to His guidance and love. I also attribute my success to my parents who have always been there for me to give me support and encouragement.

In about six weeks, my parents and brother will arrive on campus. I have fulfilled my task to study hard and make them proud. There's nothing that could compare to the look on their faces as they see me receiving my degree. They have spent a lot of money in order to support me here in MC, and it is time for me to repay them (although I realize that I could never repay them fully). I love them very much and that is one of the reason why I want to go back home after graduation. I want to take a break from being away from them for four years...I want to be near my family.

---

On the other hand, in two week's time, we'll be heading to Malaysia! Last year, the MC Chamber Choir and String Ensemble went to Sabah and Sarawak during the Songkran break, and this year we'll be heading to Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore! I haven't been to any of the churches in Peninsula Malaysia. I have been to Singapore when I was a little kid but I don't remember much about Singapore. Some of the things that stand out in my memory of Singapore:
1) I got 2 stitches on the corner of my left eye...the doctor offered me an orange candy, at first I refused, but he insisted. So I took it and put it in my mouth, and spitted it out when we were outside the clinic. (I hated eating candy for quite a long time after that).
2) There was where I got chicken pox
3) I remember going to the zoo - I loved going to the zoo!
4) I think Singapore was the place where my two front teeth came off! :D

Yes, that's about what I could remember about being in Singapore. I have pictures of being in the shopping malls, but I don't remember anything much about it.


Sight seeing in Miri, Sarawak.


Performing in my former school, SASS


Met ex-schoolmates in Kuching, Sarawak.

I will be able to meet more ex-classmates and ex-schoolmates when we go to Penang. It will be exciting to meet them again after going our separate ways after graduation. I will also be able to meet my cousins (one of which I haven't seen in many, many years!) in Penang and KL, and they have offered to bring me around :D I hope there'll be time to do that.

My puppies are 1 month old today! :D

I chat with my brother on weekends, and that is usually the time when he would send pictures of the puppies to me. Last Saturday, he not only sent pictures of the puppies, but also a short video of the puppies taking their first step! So cute! :D

Well, I have chosen my puppy and that is puppy no. 5! Why? Because that pup is the biggest and guaranteed to have long fur. Oh, and according to my brother, that pup is not lazy (as the other 5) and she is also smarter than the rest! Hahaha! Go girl!


That's my girl :D




Inside a wheelbarrow...don't ask.


Follow the leader...and who's the leader? Only her tail is visible...Hehe! :D

I haven't decided on a name for her yet. Still thinking...for now, I refer to her as 'black head' whenever I chat with my brother online or whenever I call home. Don't worry, she will have a name. Hehe :D

Puppies! (at 3 weeks)

Here are some pictures of my puppies! I'm supposed to choose which one I want to keep (between pup #2, #4 and #5), but I haven't chosen any yet because I feel like keeping ALL of them! Hehe :D