My First Tag! Woohoo!

Ok, seriously, I don't know what this 'tag' thing is all about and when or how it started. I certainly never got 'tagged' during my school days. Anyway, I guess there's a first time for everything, so here goes...

I was tagged by:
Bev (having SPM but can still tag people) xp

I tag:
Steffi

1st: What's your name?
Caleb

2nd: How old are you?
Hahaha! More than 10,000 days old.

3rd: What are three electronic devices you can't live without?
Cellphone, computer & MP3 player

4th: Are you amazing?
Somebody thinks I am ;)

5th: What cellphone brand are you using?
Sony Ericsson

6th: What colour is your phone?
A clean glossy white. Cool man!

7th: Have you slept in school before?
I lost count.

8th: How long do you spend on the net each day?
About 4 hours on average.

9th: How would you describe yourself?
I'm patient, emo, optimistic, crazy & cool!

10th: What's your favourite topic to talk about?
Love

11th: Which teacher do you like?
Mr. Gerald, Ms. Juliana, Mrs. Parvinder, Ms. Bessie, Mr. Vijaya "The Great", the late Ms. Sujata, Mr. Corbet Hays & Dr. Tang. These are the teachers who've left a mark in my life. I'm the teacher I am today because of them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

12th: Who do you think is the most handsome in your class?
What? You mean like in the classes I teach? Susah loh... I teach so many handsome dudes.

13th: Who are you currently aiming for?
Hebe. Haha! Kidding... No, seriously, Hebe.

14th: Do you know a lot of your sibling's secrets?
Uhm... not a lot... just some.

15th: How do you rate your sibling(s)?
On a scale of 1-10, my bro = 7, my sis = 9

16th: Is/Are your sibling(s) gorgeous?
Oh yeah! My bro has his fair share of female fans and my sis is a real sweetie (a bit crazy though!)

17th: Do you judge people?
I do... but I'm not sure if I'm always right.

18th: Do you run?
No, I crawl. What kind of question is this?

19th: Are you lazy to tag people?
This is my first time dude!

20th: Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
My 'heng tai', Wong.

21st: What's 2 + 2 > 4?
The total number of letters (two + two = 6 letters, which is > four = 4 letters) Smart leh? ;)

22nd: Who's your idol?
Fernando Torres

23rd: Are you a monster?
No, I'm human.

24th: Do you play with Barbie Dolls?
No, but I used to play 'masak-masak'. Haha!

25th: What was the last movie you watched?
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa!

26th: What do you think about your English?
Can pass lah.

27th: What do you think about your Bahasa Malaysia?
Sudah koyak loh.

28th: Who do you hate?
Cristiano Ronaldo!

29th: Do you love yourself?
You gotta first love yourself before you can love others.

30th: Blurt out 5 random words
Ice-cream, Love, Memories, Missing, Someone

I Still Like To Move It Move It!

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a night out at the movies. The last movie I watched was High School Musical 3 and before that, it was The Mummy 3. That's a record for me considering I used to visit the cinema at least once a month. My hottest streak was when I went to the cinema 3 days in a row - alone! Those were crazy days when I was a college kid.

Nowadays, I would do anything except go to the movies alone. I may have enjoyed it back when I was a teen but now, the mere thought of it would be depressing enough to make me cry. So, I was really glad that I got to watch Madagascar 2 with my former student. It wasn't even planned! I had just called her up since we hadn't met for a long time. I try my best to keep in touch with all my former students and I'm glad my simple invitation for 'yum cha' turned into a wonderful night of laughs at the movies. For those who haven't seen it yet, go watch it! It's a fun-filled wild ride that'll have you laughing your socks off!

I get a little sad when I think about going to the movies. Simply 'cause it's getting harder for me these days. It's so much easier when you have a girlfriend; trust me! Not that I don't have friends but my friends are usually either busy, too tired or with their girlfriends. Sure we still catch the occasional blockbuster together in a group but not as often as we used to. It's one of the reasons why I emphasize the importance of cherishing one's youth to my students. The best time of our lives are when we are in school. College and university have their fair share of best days as well but I still feel that life as a young teen really tops it all!

As we grow older, we tend to see things differently. We also tend to behave differently. It's all right if we mature naturally but if we fall into the trap of adhering to society's norms, then that's not being mature. That's just being plain boring. I've said this before in my previous blog - I don't know what it means to act my age. I just act the way I feel inside; and inside this supposedly old body is a guy who's still young at heart and who definitely still likes to move it move it!


Man, I love those penguins! Haha!

You Never Know

It's been surprising to hear from some of my friends that they are loyal fans of my blog. Seriously, I didn't think many people read, much less follow my blog.

A blog is like a diary but while a diary will forever remain private to the writer alone, a blog is hardly private. In fact, there's zero privacy as any Ali, Ah Chong and Muthu can read your thoughts! That's the reason why I'm personal and sincere in my blog yet I don't reveal too many details. In a way, only those who know me personally or are one of those mentioned in the blog would know what it's about.

I used to be religious in writing diaries. I started in secondary school and only stopped writing once i started my college days. Even then, I had English teachers who encouraged me to write diaries in class as homework; something I've learnt to apply in my classes as well.

Some students have jokingly accused me of knowing everyone's secrets. My students are free to write on anything they wish, so it's untrue to say I'm forcing them to reveal their thoughts in any way. I feel honoured whenever my students share something with me. To me, it means that they must trust me to tell me these things. So, I'm very strict with their privacy. Afterall, trust is not something that can be asked for, it must be gained.

To me, my blog is my way of sharing my personal life with my students. While it often acts as an outlet for me to express my joys and sorrows, the reason of this blog's existence will always be because of my students. It's my way of saying, "thank you for sharing."

To all those who faithfully follow my blog, I really appreciate the time you take to do so. I'm really honoured. Thank you!

Hmm... now where should I hold my autograph-signing session?

Going Off-Key Is Cool!

I was glad today came soon enough. After having to cancel our original outing last week, I couldn't wait for November to turn 17. I never like to have my students think that I only say I would take them out and then not do it. So today, I delivered my promise.

My students joked that people would think I was a dad bringing his 4 kids out shopping! I told them, if that were true, then people might also think I have 4 wives 'cause all my kids look so different!

We met up with another 1 of my students who was already there singing away with his cousins. After a while of waiting, our room was ready. Not long after entering, we were back outside looting the snacks counter, taking all 6 varieties with us and filling up our glasses while at it. Once we started our K-session, it was non-stop singing and laughter 'til they chased us out at 5:30. One moment which had us all in stitches was when one of my students went off-key in the funniest way you can imagine. He was a good sport and continued singing nevertheless.

We ended our outing with McD's sundae cones and I took them back to the centre to start our lesson for the day. It was group project day and most of them participated well. After having so much fun earlier, it was important to give them the right activity or else they might lose interest. The most important thing was that they had fun while learning. Then again, don't they always?

My student's masterpiece. Judging by this, he's well on his way to becoming an architect!

Reunion

It's been a week since I last saw my students and I was nervous as much as excited to see them again today. Considering the circumstances I was meeting them again, it was perfectly understandable.

Today's reunion was not one where we sat at a cafe and laughed about the 'good ol days' . It was a brief, tense and rushed meeting at the school canteen minutes in between their SPM English papers. Most people were amazed I was even there at all; and that includes me. I've never done anything like this before. Then again, I've never met students like these before.

At 7:40 in the morning, I found myself waking up to a phone call from one of them asking for advice. Those who know me would go "What?". Quite simply, I'm impossible to wake up when I'm asleep. So, actually responding to my phone ringing early in the morning is quite an amazing feat! I was more than happy to pick up the phone and happier still knowing that I played my part for them.

By 9:45 I was at my student's school helping him go through his literature and barely 10 minutes later, off I dashed to a nearby school where the rest of my students were. Time was in such short supply and I had to quickly say my "Hi"s, go through the paper with them and just as quickly say my "Bye"s.

Barely an hour back home, I was on my way to their school again to find out how they answered the paper. It's a good thing I live so near to their school though I wish I could have been at my other students' schools as well. Then again, teleporting isn't one of my abilities.

Our second meeting lasted longer and was less tense in nature, which allowed me to speak to them one by one. I was so happy to see their smiling faces as most of them were confident they had done well. I can only pray their confidence is merited.

As I walked down the slope towards the school gate, I wonder how much I was really able to help them. I guess even if I didn't, at least my presence would have meant something to them; and that, is all the comfort I'll ever need.

Vrooommm!!!

Ever been to a race event? Not talking about F1 or one of those illegal street races. I'm talking about one where you use your own car and punish it by slamming the accelerator pedal and speed, drift (or fail trying to) and skid around an obstacle-fitted carpark. Well, today was one such day.

It was something new to me and certainly to the person I was there to show my support for -my student! He was there on his own and rightly so, seeing that SPM is just 2 days away! Anyway, I just did what I could as a friend, even if I didn't really do much by standing there with an umbrella and a camera while my student flung his orange Kancil around the rain-soaked tarmac.

After 2 rounds, we went for a short walk past the many booths set-up by the side. There was a Yokohama tyre stall and obviously a few for the main sponsors Pennzoil. It was the sight of 2 sexy models which made me decide to hang around the booth a little longer. We stood there watching a bunch of kids play musical chairs until it ended (although the attraction certainly wasn't that!). Then, we were surprisingly called onto the tiny stage to take part in a game with another 8 people. We were split into pairs and told to place a can of Pennzoil oil between our heads and keep it there hands-free while doing the 'joget'! Needless to say, we failed miserably but it was good fun.

After taking photos and chatting with the models, we hung around waiting for the announcement of the results. My student didn't win but it was a good learning experience for him. I guess he was a bit downhearted but I'm sure he'll be back next year, stronger and wiser. As for me, I'll be back next year as well, dressed better and smelling nicer!

The consolation prize for my 'Do the Joget with Pennzoil' act

Time After Time

Time after time, my nerves start to shake, my nights become sleepless and my mind can't seem to focus. Everytime I have to say "goodbye", I become a nervous wreck. So much so that my students have to tell me, "Don't be so kan cheong."

I spent the past few nights preparing for tonight's class... just as I prepared for my previous 2 classes. Every year as November nears, I find myself having so much to do and so little time to do them. I guess I can never do enough for my students. I always want to do so much more.

As it was with the previous 2 classes, I was late for tonight's graduation. Every year... somehow, this happens. No matter how much I prepare in advance, I never seem to have enough time on that day. I guess it's also because part of me is reluctant to go to class because I know exactly what it means - goodbye.

I'm a strange character. The nights before the final class arrives, I will get so emotional and cry in my room. However, when the day comes, I'm the coolest person around. I remember last year's graduation when a few of my students cried and yet I stood steady as a rock. I can't understand that part about me. Being the emotional person that I am, I should be crying the moment I step into class. I guess I have to somehow force myself to be strong in front of my students. As a teacher, I can never let them see me cry.

I stayed behind long after class was over at 10:30. I washed the cups and plates, wiped the tables, cleaned the floor, threw away the rubbish... and I was happy to do it all. By the time I was done, it was almost 11:30 but I still didn't want to go home. I stood in my class staring at all the empty tables and chairs, knowing that my students will never take their places there again. It seemed like the perfect moment to cry but I held it in. I hadn't had my dinner and was going to meet my student later. So, I walked out and closed up the center at 12:12am.

It was strange seeing my student so soon after saying "goodbye" and he did ask me how I felt when he came into the car. Of course I told him I was sad but other than that, I really didn't know what to say. We had our meal and talked about a lot of things but we didn't stay out long.

After dropping him off at his house, I turned up the music and sped away. Throughout the short journey home, I saw nothing in front of me. My mind was blank and I just stared into space. The moment I drove my car into the porch and stopped the engine, it started... the tears... slowly one by one... and then, without warning, in one big wave, it came bursting out. I remember the last time I cried like this... it was 2 years ago when my girlfriend left me. It's a feeling I don't want to remember but tonight I did. Tonight, I felt pain in my heart - pain I had not felt in a long, long time.

As the tears began to slow down, I reached for my phone in my pocket. I looked through my phone messages and read a text from my student. I smiled as a tear touched my lips - she wrote, "... dun b sad because it is over, b happy because it happened..."

I looked up into the millions of tiny tears shining in the silent sky and knew she was right. Our time together should be celebrated. Our time together should be cherished and we should be happy because we've created a friendship that will last... time after time...

After the darkness has turned to grey...