PARTY!!!! .... at school

On a lighter note, my class had our first party this year. We've agreed to have a birthday celebration every two months, combining all the birthdays of the students during the said two months.





Err... we're all holding candles because I got candles with the cake... and COMPLETELY forgot to bring a lighter to light them. I forgot serviettes too, but fortunately the kids brought enough tissue paper to go around.

This was also some kind of "farewell" for two students who have transferred down the hall to a Humanities class.... Yeah, yeah, I know. "Farewell" kononnya when we can still see them everyday. Doesn't mean that their presence in the class won't be missed.





And this is our first class picture. Not everyone's here though. Some are absent. And some are... well, I don't know where they went. I don't know why anyone would want to give up a party. OK, admittedly they had an Add Math test after that. But, still....




I've got lots more photos (because of Alvin who trigger-happily kept snapping my camera at every moving object) and a very short video of the party. Don't worry, kids - you'll all be getting a copy of everything. I hope to compile photos and videos of the class throughout the entire year into one nice fat CD. If you want these photos ASAP though, I'll make a link available for download on my website.

At the end of the whole party, Iman cheekily smeared cream on my cheek. Fortunately the camera and videocamera were already in my possession and there are no pictures of that...

My story at the gym today

I went to the gym just now, as part of my usual routine. I don't attend the classes; I typically do the cardio machines, the weights machines, or the free weights.

There are always people coming up to me to correct me whenever I do something incorrectly, or to give me suggestions on additional exercises I should do. These, of course, include some of the personal trainers who work there, but I make it clear that I can't afford to pay for personal training lest they try to sign me up for a course or something. Some personal trainers don't even bother to look at some of the people working out on their own; I think they're really in it for the money and not to help people. There's one who did come up to me and he was pretty sincere in helping, because he told me what I should do and also explained the reasons for what he said.

There are also a couple of guys who often work out there and have also corrected what I've done. I've noticed that they always help out some of the girls in the gym, and they've also offered to help me. I sort of accepted the help of one of them (let's call him A). Sort of, because he kind of just came over and started telling me what I should do. He had very quickly noticed my scoliosis and explained what I should do to try to make it look more balanced. From then on, I trusted his judgement because he always explained every exercise very clearly, the correct posture, the muscle groups that are working, and why I should do that exercise.

And then, another personal trainer (let's call him B) suddenly comes up to me and makes an appointment with me. I was quite surprised, and I wasn't sure why. I even told him that I can't afford PT, but he said "Saja...." However I missed two appointments, albeit unintentionally.

Anyway... I had told A that I'd be at the gym today and he said he'll meet me then. So at the gym just now, I was warming up with cardio when B sees me and then he tells me he will meet me upstairs. I was like... OK.... Then when I went up I saw A and I told B that he was my "si fu". A begin making me work my shoulders with free weights when halfway through B cuts in and makes me work my legs.

I could actually see A wasn't too happy about the interruption. And neither was I. But I went along with the flow, and somehow B's exercises just didn't work for me. He made me do walking lunges that were supposed to work the butt muscles, but I didn't feel the right muscles working. So he made me work on stationary lunges with weights, and they ended up exhausting my thigh muscles and I almost collapsed. A saw me and told me to sit down and noticed that I seemed to feel a sore in my lower back. So A told me to use the stretch machines to stretch properly but then B comes along and makes me stretch on the mat. And again, his stretches didn't work for me; in fact I almost got a cramp in my side. I even felt slightly nauseous, but I focused on my breathing to try to alleviate it.

I got quite pissed off, actually. Here, B was telling me that he's got this trainer competition coming up soon and he's not all that good in identifying exercises for me. I'm sure whatever he suggests may work generally, but he hadn't identified the problems I have in my body, and what my actual aims are. So I told him I would rest awhile and use the stretch machines on the lower floor.

I went down, did the stretches, and got a fizzy drink from the juice bar. And I sat there fuming. I was pretty upset because I didn't like the way he interrupted my initial training session, and I felt that the failed exercises he told me to do may have ruined my workout session today. I don't have many chances to go to the gym in a week, so I try to maximise the few chances I get. But I was also pretty angry at myself. I should have just politely but firmly declined his offer to help, and all this could have been avoided.

I was lucky today though. My back stopped hurting, and the slight nauseous feeling went away. I went back to the free weights area, but when I saw B I just mumbled incoherently and quickly looked A up to get a proper training session. Man, I really worked out today and I'm pretty exhausted now, but I'm feeling darn good too. Whether I can lift my arms tomorrow is a completely different story, but at least I'm working the right muscles. Right?

My archive...

Just realized that the archive links on this page didn't work. Sorry!

Anyway, someone's asked me to clarify a post I wrote in September. I was waiting for a good time to write it, and it seems to be right now.

Earlier that day, I received a call from a friend. The conversation went something like this:


Friend: Sze Yen, where are you?
Me: In the staffroom. Why? (typing away at my laptop to complete some work)
Oh. OK. Well, don't scream when I tell you this.
Me: Why? You're getting married? (in my usual sarcastic manner, still typing away)
Friend: Err... yeah.
Me: ........ Huh???!!!!

I was very quiet for the remainder of the day.

Well... I was in shock simply because I did not expect it and I didn't expect my sarcastic answer to be, well, true. Anyway the couple is very happily married now and I'm very happy for them.

Passing thoughts

Nothing significant to report today. Just heard that in addition to Tai Yang and Danil, Darryl is also thinking of switching to a sub-science (Bio) class. Why are they all breaking my heart? *sob sob*

Took a video of three boys who were doing something that looked really funny. When I've compiled it, I'll upload it onto my website... muahahaha....

By the way, anyone interested to go for the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching this year? I wanted to go last year but couldn't get tickets. Anyway the very week before I was already in Kuching for a friend's wedding. Can't afford to go to Kuching two weekends in a row. Not that I'm really interested... it's way too near my birthday. Rather hang out with my friends and be the centre of attention then to go somewhere else to pay attention to someone else... hahaha!!!

Awards for my students...

If I had to give the classes I teach awards, these are the awards I'd give...

CLASS THAT PAYS THE MOST ATTENTION goes to 4 ARISTOTLE. Sure, there are some kids in there who make a lot of noise. Every class has its clown(s). But having taught five rowdy classes last year, three of which are still in the school this year, it's amazing to be able to teach a class in which almost every student is paying rapt attention. For once, I actually feel appreciated.

QUIETEST CLASS DURING CLASS TEST goes, again, to 4 ARISTOTLE. It was simply amazing. I gave my usual threats of destroying papers of anyone who cheats or lets someone cheat off their papers, and that I will write TALKED DURING CLASS TEST in marker ink all over their test papers if they did. Almost none did though. And when they asked me a question about the test paper, it was merely to clarify something they didn't really understand in the question. Unlike the following award, which is the...

NOISEST CLASS DURING CLASS TEST which goes to 5 DICKENS. This does not only pertain to talking (or attempting to talk) during the class test. They actually ask me questions like, "Teacher, is this the right answer?" "Teacher, is my working correct?" "Teacher, what's the answer?" Not one minute during the entire class test goes by without someone raising their hands to ask some kind of question. And they ask why I look so angry whenever I'm in the class!

Seeing that the other two classes might feel left out, here are some awards I have concocted for them:

CLASS THAT MAKES THE MOST NOISE IN THE LABORATORY goes, hands down, to 5 ARISTOTLE. Somehow, they seem to think that the laboratory is the place for them to talk in amplitudes way above their usual. It makes me almost want to never take them to the lab ever again.

CLASS THAT PARTICIPATES MOST IN THE LABORATORY would have to go to 5 MOZART. I suppose that this is mainly because there are only 11 students in that class who take the subject, as opposed to 15 in 5 Dickens, 27 in 5 Aristotle and 28 (now 26) in 4 Aristotle. But like I wrote in Student Lounge, this is my guinea-pig class among the Secondary 5 classes, and they're the most willing to try any experiment even though it might turn out to be a failure.


What about the other classes, you ask? .... What other classes? I only teach four! I did say "If I had to give the classes I teach awards, these are the awards I'd give..."

If you're looking for medals or a trophy though, dream on.

From 28 to 26

One of my students from my homeroom told me today that she's changing classes next week. That brings it a total of two students leaving (the other told me last week on Saturday). Well, they say that's it's not because of me (I really hope it isn't!! Haha!!!) but because they don't want to do Pure Science anymore. They've opted to switch to a Humanities class. I'm really very sad about it, because I like the two of them very much. Oh, I like my whole class, but there are some students whom I got to know better than others. Lest you think that I'm playing "favouristism", I'm not - it's the natural way things work. You always get to know some people better first before you get to know the rest. I can't possibly get to know 28 people at one go at the same pace, right? It's only a little more than one month that I've been their homeroom teacher which is really a short period of time, and I won't pretend that I believe that I've impacted them in any way. I'm not that conceited.

Rather silly, isn't it?

When your car's drink costs more than your own

Damage control...

There seems to be a little argument going on in the comments of my last post. Thanks, kids, it's an interesting read. I'm now somewhat grateful that my msjbox is temporarily not working lest you use that as your platform instead.

Many seemed to be upset about Matthew being called the supreme intellect of the universe. I was being sarcastic, did you not read my previous post? I'm not sure if he's just being some kind of egoistical cynic (OK, he obviously is...) or if he's just joking, but this trait of his is what seems to be so endearing to all of you. Someone's even got a blog dedicated to writing about Matthew. By the way, Darrel, you stole one of the photos off my blog without permission and without giving me credit for it.

Matthew - thanks for announcing to the world about that silly little thing I signed up for years ago. I never got around to removing that entry. By the way, you need to run a spell check on your blog and the comments you write on others' blogs (including mine). And I've removed the link to your blog from my links page. It's not that I can't take bad language, but I simply cannot tolerate it from an underaged student who may think that it's cool to pepper every other sentence with offensive words. I still am your teacher, and I can't say that I find your entry about the cats remotely amusing, even if you didn't mean it (which I really hope you don't).

Having said and done that - I still like all of you kids very much, whether or not you're in my homeroom or in my class. I just think that there is still a long way more for you to grow up.

A little something for you

While I'm online, here are some photo updates taken with my brand new Nokia 6270. *gloat gloat*

A little something for you which my students from 5 Mozart made with the light box they were supposed to be doing the diffraction grating experiment with...

Oh, and since I'm talking about my beloved homeroom, here are some photos with which you will then be able to identify some of them should you happen to bump into them on the streets:

And here's the Supreme Intellect of the Universe who concocts the Fundamental Dynamics of the Universe...

The secret's out...

My blog has been discovered by my students! OK, actually many of them have read it before, but they were all my students of last year. Unfortunately my big mouth let slip to my homeroom yesterday that I have a website. I didn't want to actually, wanted to keep it under wraps (I shy shy mah). I didn't tell them the URL of course, but I did say that they can Google my name and it'll turn up. And of course one of them tried it.

My older students have already found out my website because many of them added themselves to my MSN messenger, and I usually announce my website updates on MSN (with the URL in blazenly written, of course. What's the point in telling people my website has been updated if they don't know where they're supposed to go). No, Matthew, I am NOT going to give you my MSN username.

Anyways... after reading his comment, turns out this young chap who constantly has AIDS on his mind (if I had a penny for everytime he utters that word, I'd be a millionaire) has a blog too. Very cynical and seems to be under the impression he's some sort of supreme intellect. Just because you carry a calculator that can play Super Mario Brothers doesn't make you one, you know! Anyway, I've added it onto my links page. Quite interesting read, really. Am very curious about what's happening between him and NS. Must dig that out from him soon. If not him, well.... then his classmates. Haha!

By the way, just to let you know, I'm going to be changing the URL of my website soon. The domain name http://www.zyenhoo.com is still going to stay, of course. In case you didn't notice, it always points to a subdomain, i.e. http://zyenhoo.thewildwestbabes.com. Yes, yes, I know many of you are wondering what's up with the wildwestbabes bit. It's my dance team name. Read more about it on The Dancer. However the team has disbanded and we're going to discontinue the website, so obviously my website won't be residing on that domain anymore. I haven't planned what the name of the main domain should be yet. But the main URL will stay so you kids can still use it with or without the change.

Why do I use a subdomain in the first place? Well, simply because I've purchased web hosting space that I'm sharing with others and I can't afford space all on my own. I'm not rich like you kids, you know. :D

By the way, about the earlier young chap - OK, to give him his due credit, he is some sort of Math genius. And PC genius too. I'm sure he's itching to tell me quite a few things I should do to improve my website. He does have some spelling errors in the entries in his blog, but I suppose the AIDS... I mean, Math ability makes up for it.

And if the rest of you 4 Aristotlians are reading - you're all great kids too. I'm still so proud to hear how much you've chipped in for the notice boards. I'm just waiting for the work to be done on the notice boards.

If the rest of you are students from other classes who are waiting for your names to be mentioned - errr, why don't you go visit the blog of your homeroom teacher or something...

Tuesday update

I was so blur that I went in for my relief period at the wrong time. When the subject teacher came she was surprised at my presence and upon checking the relief timetable, it was so embarrassing to find out that I was the wrong one. I don't know why I remembered the time incorrectly. Sigh!

Then when I tried to use my new charger which I had just bought last week in school, not only did it not work, but the top plastic bit broke off and got stuck in the wall socket. Fortunately the maintenance people came to my desk to do some minor work (which I had requested for last month) and they pulled the plastic bit out. Have to take it back to the shop to show what inferior quality goods they sold me.

And... I had sent off a mass email to some of my school friends and for some reason one of them decides to change the mailing list group instead of "Replying All" - changing a lot of their email addresses, adding some into the list, removing some from the list, and worst of all, adding a person who isn't even in the circle of friends in the list. The guy added is the current president of the school alumni and almost none of us even know him, much less personally. I don't understand why he was in the former's mailing list anyway. I got quite pissed off. Not the first time he changed the mailing lists. The first time he did it, he had sent it to someone's work email which is not a personal one. Everyone who replied after that merely clicked "Reply All" without realising the change, until that person had to write an email to request the change of email address. I don't understand how some people do things sometimes. Was it necessary to change the mailing list group when a simple click of the "Reply All" button would suffice? If you wanted to add more names, you can just add them along the way. And it makes me look bad because people would think that it was my initial mailing list all along. Very few would realise the sudden change in the recipient list.

Keeping Mum....

I just watched one of the most unusual films this year... (but then, hey, it's only February. Hmmm, come to think of it, it's the first movie I've watched this year. I've been that busy...) Keeping Mum starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Dame Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It's a British black comedy about a vicar who's so preoccupied about writing the perfect speech for an upcoming convention that he doesn't realise his wife is having an affair and his kids are messed up. That's all I knew about the film when I got into the cinema hall, from what little I read in the papers. I hadn't seen the teasers nor the trailers, so I wasn't quite prepared for the real underlying plot. The real reason for my watching this film in the first place, is for the comedy of Rowan Atkinson.

Watching at GSC in Midvalley, I was stuck immediately behind the divider in Hall 2, which was not quite comfortable. Oh, I can see the screen fine; but I had no place to stretch my legs, and I unfortunately have long legs.

And the idiot behind the reel screwed up the focus a few times.... one of the usherers had to go up and tell him to focus the film on the screen properly. Fortunately it was done within the first few minutes of the film.

*** WARNING. SPOILERS AHEAD***

The film was about a psychopathic killer!!! Ok, not entirely. But mostly. It starts off with this innocent-looking sweet, young pregnant lady on a train whose large leather trunk had started bleeding at a corner in the luggage area of the train. Spotted by a train officer, the police was very quickly notified and they discover... the dead bodies of her husband and his mistress. Sent to a mental institution with no hope of release unless decreed by the Home Secretary.

Forty-three years later, in a town called Little Wallop whose population of 57 is much less than the number of students I personally teach in my school, we see an absent-minded vicar who does not notice how burnt-out his wife is; that his daughter getting lucky in the back of the van in front of their house on Sunday morning; that his son was getting picked on in school. All he seemed to care about was the algae-filled pond near the house (getting his updates from two workmen in yellow raincoats) and the speech he has to write for the upcoming convention.

In steps a new housekeeper who seems like a lovely motherly old lady, who does her best to make the whole family comfortable. Does a little too much, actually. It starts with her silencing the dog - forever - to allow the vicar's wife peaceful nights' sleep. And then she deals with the bullies of the young boy. Oh, and she teaches the slutty teenager to cook.

The wife, in the meantime, is getting hot and heavy with her golf instructor who wins her over with his American accent and athletic body, who wants to give her what she's not getting from her husband. The housekeeper finds out about it, and to fix it, she nudges the vicar into reviving his sexual desires for his wife. (First time I've ever seen Rowan Atkinson in such scenarios. I'm so used to seeing him do slapstick a la Mr Bean and Johnny English)

Just before that however, the golf instructor manages to elicit an acquiescence from the vicar's wife to go with him to the sandy beaches of Mexico. But having spotted the hot teenaged girl once when he sent her home, he comes to the house the night before equipped with a videocamera (which looks a lot like the model I have) to capture the nubile young body changing her clothes through her window.

Caught by the housekeeper, he ends up not in the beaches of Mexico, but at the bottom of the lake near the vicar's house.

Quite a number of people had to die in this film, and I'm suprised that the remaining 50+ residents raised no questions about the missing persons. And the seemingly motherly love the housekeeper has for the family is truly motherly, for the daughter who is now 43 years old. She leaves one night for another job, but she still keeps in touch with her new-found family via letters. Because of her, the couple have rekindled their love, the vicar has found a splendid sense of humour (his speech was a great success, by the way), the boy is self-confident, and the girl now has a proper boyfriend which the family accepts (in the show, she had changed boyfriends up to four times, and we only see each boy once). They're now a perfect family in a perfect house.

The pond is still not forgotten, and the vicar who is blissfully ignorantwhat really happened to the missing persons (only the wife and daughter know) learns that the blue algae that now fill the pond is extremely detrimental to the pond, which in turn can adversely affect the entire village. With the film coming rapidly to an end, I just sat there waiting while the camera panned underwater to the lake until I saw what I was looking for - the yellow raincoats.

I told you there were spoilers!

This show has a very twisted sense of humour. Nevermind the holes in the plot. It's still worth watching for a good laugh.