Where Magic Comes From....

Once, there was a little boy who asked his Grandmother a very special question.
"Nenek, is there such a thing as magic?"
"Why, yes my child. Yes,there is magic,"said the grandmother in surprise.
"Nek, where does it come from?".
Grandmother slowly smiled. Then she grabbed the little boy and tickled his tummy. Their laughter filled the room and bounced around the house.
"Child, do you know what that sound was?"
"Yes Nenek.That was laughter."
"That, my child, was magic. When you laugh, it makes the fairies dance."
"Really?"
Then the Grandmother smiled lovingly at the little boy. The boy smiled happily back.
"Do you know what you are doing child?"
"Yes, nenek. We are smiling."
"it's magic child. when we smile, it floats on the air to everyone around us. then, they smile too."
"really?'
then the grandmother took the little boy's hand and led him outside. they laid down in the grass and stared up at the clouds.
"tell me child. what do you see?"
"i see clouds, nenek"
"it's magic child.if you look, you can see anything you want in the clouds.close your eyes, wish and then look. you'll find your wish up there."
"really?"
that night, when the little boy went to bed, the grandmother gave him a good night hug."do you know what this is,child?"
"it is a hug,nek"
"This is magic,child. when you give someone a hug, you pass on love and protection.
"really?"
then the grandmother pulled the blankets up and tuck the little boy in for the night.
"now,child, can you tell me where the magic comes from?"
"yes, nenek,"the little boy said with a sleepy yawn.
"magic comes from me."

25 random facts about me...?

the other day, while idling at c-mart kopitiam, chiawei popped up this topic that she tagged me on fb called "25 random facts about myself". raising my eyebrows, i tried hard to comprehend what was the whole idea about. i mean, it has been 2 months since i last opened my fb account(im on an fb hiatus,obviously..and it works!this thing called 'life without facebook' does exist after all.....)
sensing my blurry,insipid face, she handed me her bb and asked me to read what was written in her blog.
oooo....u mean that'25 random facts about you...'
why do you want me to write about facts about myself...i am not very interesting...
well, since you insist, i will try to find 25 random facts about myself. lets just hope, i dont stop at #5, and those facts about me would not send you to slumberland...zzzzzzzzz...

here i go......

25 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT MYSELf

1. i do know how to sew clothes.back in my college years, i did sew my own baju kurung. after spm exam, my father had made this arrangement for me to attend this sewing class for two months. but, i actually hate sewing. it makes me sleepy. the last time i got close to the sewing machine was 7 years ago when i sewed my own curtains for my house.

2. i really love beach and seaside.....i stayed in teluk kemang port dickson for 4 years and that was during my childhood, and the best moments of my life. i still remember frolicking on the beach building sandcastles and collecting seashells....wish i could turn back time to those moments. now that im working in kuala perlis, sometimes, after school, i would drive along the coastal road, enjoying the seabreeze, reminiscing those jovial chilhood moments...mmmm....

3. i used to be a caffeine junkie. my day would not be complete without nescafe. caramel cream frappuccino at starbucks used to be my fav.i could sit for hours at starbucks or dome just enjoying the fine brew of coffee.but now, i have totally ditched coffee for health reasons-and for good....

4. but i grew a liking for tea. tried almost every brand there is on the shelf. my favourite would be moroccan mint tea. might not be as authentic as the one from morocco, but i used to prepare it at home. thanks to tlc(travel&living channel),i learnt how to prepare it at home.i stock this 'raba'a' tea to be infused with fresh 'pudina' or mint leaves.....and don't you dare tell me tea contains caffeine as well...i also drink green tea sugarless.



5. i luv luv luv bangles....ever since i was a small girl. i have this huge collection-more than 300bangles and bracelets-beads,silver,wood,charmbracelets,crystal,leather,gold,magnetic,cheap plastic,metal,sporty,chunky...and the latest-pearl...gedigedigedigedi.....
so, limchiawei-everytime you do that haadyai trip, you surely know what i want.

6. i really enjoy driving. my personal record was 18hours of driving on the PLUS highway, stopping at all the r&r along the way.my favourite drive would be the tanjung bungah - batu feringghi route.extra enjoyable with a sporting co-pilot.

7. i started leaving home at 13,spent 5 years at a boarding school,another 4 years attending a university in PJ and another 10 years renting different houses here and there...

8. i love to spend quiet times at home. with my danial. and my two dotting cats, tommy and timmy.and my loyal companion,my laptop.

9. my favourite perfume - used to be white musk from body shop. but i will forever adore cacharel by anais anais and bvulgari's omnia amethyste.



10. i love playing computer games!!i could stay up late playing games(thus the procrastination...)the latest game i played was 'Farm Craft'...finished all 24levels in 2days. a freak, i am.........



11. i love the smell of freshly cut grass and the after rain smell.

12. my friends call me mamarazzi, for obvious reason.i love toying around with my canon 500D, capturing every opportunity to freeze the moments without them realizing it. i would then edit their pictures and post them on fb...and having those crazy comments pouring in afterwards. the power of photography-imagine having the power of hiro nakamura-the ability to freeze time and make it last.yet to follow a formal photography lesson coz i find it difficult to do self-study..lack of time?lack of passion?hmmh...

13. once, in 1994,a friend of mine and fellow practical teacher, razali from ukm, dared me to ride the 'senandung malam' train,alone,from butterworth-kl-gemas-gua musang. i took his challenge. started the train ride at 8.00pm in butterworth, reached kuala lumpur at 1.00am, gemas at 4.00am, reached gua musang at 11.00am the next morning, but i finished the journey when i reached tumpat, kelantan at 2.30pm. in my own 'globe trekker' moments, i made a lot of friends along the way, and was asked to take care of 2 goats on the train by this uncle who took the lift from gua musang to the nearest town. won the bet, and the expense for whole trip was fully paid by that guy..

14. how i met my husband? well, i never actually 'met' him..it was a classic story of family arrangement.....

15. marrying my husband was practically the best decision i have made so far...heh...<3

16. as a child, i used to like polka dots...i had this polka dot skirts,dresses,and even shoes. even my bedsheets and blankets are all in polka dots. it was during this one night ,when i was a 6 year old girl, during my high fever that i had this nightmare which was so real and alive - that those polka dots came to life and swarm over me, trying to bite my head off...i was screaming and crying..and that explains my phobia towards polka dot pattern...any term for that? polkadottophobic....??



17. I have been using the same e-mail address since 1997.

18. my emotional feelings are easily aroused. i am alwaYS involved in other people's problem as a result of my overly sympathetic nature...so much for being a good listener.

19. I always have lofty goals and high ideals, but lack practicality, system and concentration to materialize them.

20. i hold a yellow belt in silat lincah(a type of local martial art). i used to master 23bunga silat (different attack and defence strategy/formation), and was even selected to represent my school for that 43kg category, but was pulled out the last minute due to this injury on my left arm (which i got during practice.my sparing partner, elly shuhada was recovering from a broken heart and vent her anger and frustration on me....damn....)

21. I pay my bills online.

22. Being an 80s child, i love listening to retro songs of any genres. But i especially love bon jovi.



23. I love milk. Especially goat's milk. Drinking a glass of warm goat's milk at night helps me to sleep better.

24.I hate doing household chores. I hate scrubbing and mopping the floor. Hate to do the dishes. Hate to do the laundry or fold those pile of clothes...(as if i have a choice of escaping...and as im typing this, i am yet to do the dishes which is already up to the brim).but i grow a liking for cooking.

25. I have been through eye surgery twice, for both my left and right eyes. It’s not the surgery that bothered me. It’s the aftercare. The pain could not be described in words.. Simple movement would make me scream in pain. Even the slightest gush of wind could hurt me .Only morphine and steroid could help ease the pain.....


so, there you have it!!
25 random facts about me........

boun appetito...!! "felice compleanno" to me...

we were strolling along the waterfront of kota kinabalu town, admiring the busy waterway. it was 6.30pm, but the sun was already down. i decided to walk back to our hotel, but danial had a better idea.he wanted to treat me "something fancy" for dinner. i didnt know any fancy places around here. we just arrived the day before, and we didn't explore the town that much. but danial said that he saw a fancy restaurant around the corner when we were on our tour bus. ok, why not....

that fancy place he was referring to was an italian restaurant, just a few walks away from the philippine market, which is nearby the central point, that famous shopping complex in k.k. it was indeed a fancy italian restaurant, fratinnie's the name.

we were the only customer at that time. danial chose the best seat in the house, which was next to a window overlooking the beautiful sea. on our right was a glass cabinet housing all the paraphrenalias of the essence of italy-the pesto,sauce and cream,those different shapes and sizes of pasta( i could only recognize penne, macaroni, spaghetti..err...do excuse my italiano ignorancio...)and not forgetting, a small red ferrari on display...

in no time at all, the menu was presented to me...i coud not make out whats on the menu list....all in italian....but the waiter was kind enough to explain to me with the help of a few pictures in the menu....but, i cut it short by asking him what would he recommend.......

so, we ordered appetizers and main dish....danial was at his antics again, trying to utter a few italian language that he learnt from the online games -boun appetito(enjoy your meal),ti amo(i love you), passione(passion),azzuris, bella(ask you dad...seriously, ask your dad, and he'll answer alfa romeo...)bla bla bla

i was just about to take out my camera to snap the interior of the restaurant when suddenly the waiter approached silently and lay those wonderful foods on our table..that was fast...i love restaurants with fast service, which is why i love fast food, but this is real food im talking about...


-this was the main course-whats the name? i could not remember, but basically, it was penne with orange meat sea salmon and other ingredients..(i shouldve copied the name somewhere..on the serviette perhaps, coz it has a really interesting name, in which you would sound like a hopeless romantic when reciting it aloud..)


-danial, enjoying his appetizer- its salad, with sea food(mamma mia!!!really love those clams..)and garlic toast



-this delicious meal was "sicillian soup"-it reminded me of a milder version of tom yam kung minus the bird chillies...heh...but of course, with an italian twist....ordered this one, coz i was thrilled to find out what kind of food do those mafia bosses indulge in...talk about sicillian food...but it was really good!!the clams and squid and medium sized tiger prawns are fresh and simply out of this world....


- this was truly phenomenal!!it was crabmeat stuffed in portobello mushroom.....my first time ever trying this, and it really activated my taste buds...yummy indeed!! and i actually "vacuumed" the whole plate...


italian dish - is best enjoyed with selected wine,ehm...of course...
but i dared change that rule- by ordering mint tea..hehhehh...(initially, i ordered teh tarik, but then changed my mind when i saw that funny look on the waiter's face.....again, excuse my ignorance....)

verdict:
five stars for the service(hello-where do that 5% service charge should go,huh...)
four stars for the ambience (cannot get full mark coz i expect more italian touch...if you understand what i mean)
five stars for the food-its my first time in an authentic italian restaurant-so im rather biased.
overall - e eccellente!!a night to remember. the night ended perfectly with a hug and birthday kiss from my beloved cheeky handsome son, danial....e il mio preferito!!
grazie mille!!Ho un buon momento!!(thank you very much! i had a really good time!!)

lunch date...

school dispersed early that day. it was 12.35pm, and our tummy started to growl. earlier on, we only had a light breakfast at the canteen. so, we decided to go for a quick lunch fix.

it was a scorching hot afternoon. i was turning on the air conditioner lever to the maximum when suddenly suhaila decided that we should eat at kuala perlis as the route to kangar would be jammed during lunch hour. then, she dropped the much-hated question,"where shall we go?". really dreaded that question. i mean, for once, why don't you do the deciding while i do my driving. i hate to figure out where we should go for lunch as we r always left with little choice. can't help it if you are in this small state called perlis. i mean, we have tried every fancy place there is in kuala perlis-seriab-arau and kangar. most of those outlets were never tried out more than once due to the substandard food quality or horrible dining experience....

please su, help me figure it out this time....why dont you decide. KFC??? Are you sure...hmmhh...well, since you decided...why not...

so, off we went to kuala perlis town. as we drove along the coastal road, my mind started racing, thinking of a better place..i've made up my mind...sorry su...no, not KFC this time...dont feel like eating fried food and adding another kilo to this already overweight body.....

as we passed by putra brasmana, su gave me that look...what....here? are you serious? i dont feel fancy enough to dine here....well, no....i mean, try asking me again on the 26th when my purse would be tight with the newly withdrawn cash fresh from the atm....

suddenly, out of the blue..tadaaaaa..that orange alphabet appeared from the upper right corner of my windshield....like that "ahaa....hallelujah...hallelujah..." effect...shining like a beacon through the dark clouds....the "T" hotel....lets check it out su....



and off we went into the "T"hotel restaurant.....we were the only customer at that time....sat down,ordered our meehoon hokkien and stared nonchalantly at the kuala perlis jetty opposite the restaurant.....and said nothing ....merely anticipating our lunch at this newly discovered place........


verdict :
service : slow, considering we were the only customer at that moment and both of us ordering the same food. took 25 minutes for the food to reach our table.
ambience : 2 out of 5. inferior interior design. they need an expert touch.
food : 3 out of 5. still cannot beat the same dish @restoran ariff, kangar. the vermicelli is slightly overcooked somehow.
price : 4 out of five. that hokkien mee cost rm4.50. not bad!!i mean compared to putra brasmana......

overall, am going to revisit this place with the green hoodies . not very crowded. air conditioned space. can talk for hours as the service is slow. so, it is recommended for those who plan to come here on their first date.....

congratulations!!!

Hope it is still not too late to congratulate the top achievers in SPM 2009..., especially to my doting students, lim chia wei, mooi , low sin yee, syafiq muzammil and faizah.....!!!

amidst the celebration, one single result slip puzzled me.....

this particular candidate registered for nine subjects, failed to turn up for 8, sat for one subject, which is english and managed to pass........

what can i say.....bravo to the teacher for instilling such motivation into her student....good job, dear.....

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Wishing all my friends and students A Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!add oil...add oil.....

Hope it is still not too late to wish all of you a happy new year-2010.......

i was on a blogging hiatus for quite sometime. it has been quite a trying moment for me- these few weeks i mean-but now, with a sense of relief, i am back........

frankly speaking, i am truly elated to be reunited with my "work capsule" - most of those learning modules and lesson preparation happened here- including those AHA- moments....

not forgetting being reconnected to wonderful colleagues and beloved students.

bet the schedule is going to be hectic as ever. but, quoting my head panel's word of wisdom- 'its time to kickstart the teaching and learning mechanism'- i am going to 'add oil' (right choonpei....this time, i'm using ron97 so the citra would be smoothsailing...) to the rusty cogwheel thus reducing the friction ...hopefully i won't be stucked in the second gear this time around....

rest assured my students, as i have declined the offer to derma-and hopefully, my 'wise' decision to stay in kola would be a blessing in disguise. i am yet to comprehend the 'collateral damage' i've created.

in the mean time, i promise you that we are going to have a lot of fun in our english class.....