A Dream Client

I am probably a dream client for many (if not all) insurance company.

Super glad that I am healthy, no major complications that cause me to claim from the insurance.. so much so that I do not know how.

I should probably start digging for the policies that I have stashed somewhere and keep up to date with all the documentation. Time to Kondo-fy the file cabinets!

Academic Discourse

Very rarely will academia intersect with legal practice... and when they do, magic happens.

I have left practice far too long and that affected my confidence.

So when a friend of a friend called yesterday & I gave some comments to him: about e-commerce and the free trade zone, he seemed happy and appreciative. Great. Wonderful. I still have some value in the bigger scheme of things.

At this moment however I am staring at a module that I need to develop and record. Why am I dragging my feet? My excuse is that many little things/ inquiries are coming in between. Lame (excuse)!

Let's get it together and DO IT!

Kerana Cinta

Let's get married she said, again out of the blue

To each other?

No silly, to our respective other halves of course!

How, where and when? My other half seems like he is no hurry

There's this brochure I saw- they can arrange for the solemnisation, post wedding makan, and honeymoon package, according to your budget. If you need people to attend your post-wedding party, they can hire  actors to act like your genuine friends.. you know.. if you want more people there

This is your most ridiculous idea yet, you know that?

Well it's technically not my idea.. someone had gone on to do a business already- it was HIS idea

We'll not be going to Thailand for this, are we? I do not want to elope

No lah, I am also not the eloping type. This is all legit and in this very country. In fact it is just in the next town. I just wanted a private event with Randy.. before his parents plan a huge reception for us 

So you'll be married twice? 

Yes, but to the same wonderful guy

How would you convince Joe to get in on it? He has been dragging his feet. God knows why.. I was ready since the last 2 years #whinealert

Let me handle this- let's get Randy to talk to Joe.. you just have to be there, in your best dress

Well, Lily in fact managed to pull it off: persuade Joe and arranged the event (well the company arranged it). We got married on 20 October- we were thrilled to share the same anniversary date- we didn't hire the actors (a bit much, we think).. and the subsequent honeymoon was a dream.. very low key, not busy with people congratulating us, no crowds, no killer questions from relatives, no entertaining or meeting people we hardly know- parents' friends of friends or business associates, it literally was just US, waking up at sunrise (well we did not have much sleep anyways).. enjoying the sunset.. dining in via room service.. walks by the beach.. and endless chats with each other, about various things under the sky (and beyond).. I wish everyone can have their weddings like this!

I want to die thin (a work of fiction)

I want to lose weight to 52kg, she spoke up.. out of the blue.. So that people will have no trouble carrying my remains to the grave

(What??) You're not planning to die soon I hope.. and besides, you're not even overweight! I retorted

I am (overweight).. by 1 kg

My eyes rolled in their sockets. What is this ridiculousness? Why are we talking about dying anyways?

Daddy died young. I carry his DNA. I may die young too, she replied matter-of-factly

oookayyyy.. where do we go from here then? I want to cut short this uncomfortable conversation

I won't eat that much from now on, and no more oily food? almost doubting herself, because I KNOW her love for anything fried

Let's jog tomorrow morning, and no more talk about dying I decided with finality

She merely nodded, looking pensive. She has been thinking about this for some time already, I can tell.

 

Owls

Number Four when taking out the trash yesterday saw a pair of owls on a large tree growing at the playground in front of our house.

How did she know it was an owl? She said she saw protruding 'ears' from its heads. She knew they weren't ears but that was a short way to describe them.

As usual I did a google search and found that they may have been eagle owls which are common in Malaysia. Not endangered- thank goodness! Wonderful to know that we still do have thriving species despite the damage that we humans have done to Mother Earth.

In folklore owls sighting usually signifies that someone has lost his/ her loved ones. Well I do not believe in such a belief, but it had happened perhaps once in my life. My former housekeeper's husband passed away a day after I sighted an owl near our house (mind you, my house is in the suburbs and far away from the wilderness). She left for home, took some of her money for expenses back home, mourned his death, married her boyfriend and never returned. My loss for being gullible. And Mr Owl, it is not your fault.

Baked Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

One chicken cut in small pieces (cut to the size based on your preference)

Shallots & Garlic, pounded

Ground Ginger (I used powdered ginger, a bit milder in taste)

Light soy sauce (it is light coloured, but very salty- I didn't need to add salt at all)

Italian spice (or oregano + basil, or oregano as the lone star, for replacement)

Chilli powder (use as much as mentally and gustatorily acceptable)

Bread crumbs

Method:

Mix all ingredients together (except bread crumbs)

starting with soy sauce > shallot+garlic > ground ginger > chilli powder >> herbs

(I don't know if what goes in first affects the taste, but I am curious to know)

You may choose to leave this aside (1 hour minimum, or half day or even overnight- your choice) for the flavours to seep into the chicken, or you may not

Just before baking, add bread crumbs (in the amount to your liking, but not too much that it overwhelms the chicken)

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes (or slightly more, if you like the chickens well done) 

[Incidentally I learnt a new word today. I know the word olfactory which is the sense of smell, so I was wondering what is taste? Apparently it is "gustatory" https://sensory-processing.middletownautism.com/background/what-are-the-senses/#:~:text=Taste%20is%20processed%20through%20the,processed%20through%20our%20gustatory%20sense.]

All my Good Intentions

My honest to goodness plan: 

To start developing and recording the micro-credential courses starting on 2 November

The skeleton is ready, the materials available, so I needed to record some short lectures & created the quizzes for TWO courses

What materialised:

Not what I planned

Live+

Usually if hubby is around, I would watch GV7 with him on Astro Ria.

Since he is away, I decided to watch it via YouTube streaming, because I no longer subscribe to the overpriced and unavailable-during-heavy-rain cable TV service monopoly that is Astro

On YouTubem the live stream is called Live+ 

What is Live+ actually? A scam

It does not broadcast the show live

It merely records behind the scene footage with endless chatter by the MCs

Excerpts of the show are shown here and there, but you will never get the satisfaction of watching our shows for free muahahahaaaa [Astro would say this, if it was a person]

The Happy Prince

The second son of the Brunei monarch passed on this morning and the news appeared in our local TV.'

Little is known about him, but a few articles have popped up in western media about his philanthropy work, his interest in fashion, and his movie company.

What I am going to do next is to watch the 3 movies that he has produced in his personal capacity.

I have tried looking for interview footage, or write up but did not find any. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough, or he could have been a recluse somewhat.. despite his flamboyance & zest for life.

Rest now dear Prince. Al-fatihah. May your passage in the Afterlife be eased.

Duolingo

Uncle Roger from the "egg fry rice" fame had mentioned Duolingo in one of his videos.

So one fine day I downloaded the app to learn Chinese (which I have postponed for the longest time: 12 years to be exact!)

The app teaches me 5 minutes a day useful phrases coupled with the characters in written form. It is actually up to the learner how much time he/she is willing to put in daily and incidentally this is where Duolingo has succeeded where edX and Coursera have not (when it comes to me at least): the daily reminders and the rewards just drags me back. And the lessons are pretty well done too.

So far I have learnt hello, goodbye, numbers.. and now names/ introductions.

And I get the benefit of having 2 little teachers correcting my pronunciation. Nice.

Here's to hoping that this initiative will last longer that the other abandoned courses. 

Aku Sepasang Kasut

These sort of essays used to be my favourite ones is school.

Narration & imagination: what if I am a pair of shoes?

Where was I born?

Where was I sold?

What happened to my friends who were defective?

Who bought me and was I treated well?

The end of such essays tend to be: the pair of shoes became old and worn

and are discarded by its owner.

If I were to write this essay again now, I would make the shoes a collector's item. 

"I carried a higher price on e-bay than at the time I was brand new".

How about that?

Sheer Luck

Staying with me right now are my 3 girls.

Lucky am I to not have picky eaters. They eat what I cook so long as it is chicken and the occasional fish.

Our staple food (or rather, my repertoire) is limited to the following choices: chicken soup; steamed fish; chicken & mushroom; chicken in soy sauce; chicken sambal (or fish sambal); baked fish or chicken; chicken (or fish) curry; fish asam pedas (this one I learnt to make during the March/April MCO); gulai udang; ayam masak cili padi; lasagna; boiled or steamed stuff (for example: lala or crabs); fried noodles; fried rice (basically I am pretty good with frying things); chicken stew (this I learnt recently during the Sept/ Oct MCO).. and variations to the above.

I am not one of those who can cook at the drop of a hat. Cooking unfortunately is not my favourite thing to do, but I try to feed my children. So any recipe ideas are welcome, so long as it is not too complicated & the ingredients not too hard to find. 

Masters Class

Teaching a higher level class has always been daunting to me, especially when my students already has working experience.

It is perhaps my low self esteem + my feeling of inadequacy after having left practice for too long (and most likely never to return).

To overcome the 'panic", I normally try to drill down to the very basic i.e. basic principles, general rule, examples, non examples, contrasts.

With higher level students, the fun thing is their critical thinking ability: they're able to synergise the concepts and connect to how it is applied in business/ finance. I LOVE the interaction and the discussions and the scope of answers that need not be limited to 'marking schemes" that tend to be favoured by undergraduate students.

Hence, I will take it one day at a time. 

I do not have all the answers but you betcha I do know how to teach!

Refresher

Today I presented a a refresher session about online teaching and we reviewed the teaching tips via MS-Teams.

The session was initially planned to be face to face, but with the CMCO the session had to be conducted online (and I am the happiest person because of it).

What is interesting: as the "trainer" I had been supporting my colleagues in online teaching since MCO was first announced on 18 March 2020. There was a lot of consultation from March & April.. we seemed to have gotten into the swing of things around May and by October, things have generally gone quiet i.e. I do not get any issues or request for assistance anymore UNTIL we do a refresher session.

People say "No news is good news" but with online teaching, it may be good to just say "hi, how are you doing" once in a while. The sentiment survey sent out in July/ Aug seemed positive, but it's always good to ask.

In the refresher session, a lot shared their tried and tested methods (as we have matured in e-learning as teachers too) and one person was supported to conduct a live event, as he had been allocated a lecture with 550 students. A daunting prospect yet I am happy to report his positive attitude, given his age and his unfamiliarity with technology. Let's do this people!

Gegarvaganza

Gegarvaganza Season 7 (GV7) is now showing on Astro Ria every Sunday at 9pm. I have not watched the earlier 6 seasons and have not had any interest until now. I have to attribute this tendency to watch local shows to hubby. He believes that I should have an education about local entertainment scenes and local artistes, instead of always listening to Billboard + Korean songs. Incidentally I have watched many local shows (especially the dramas) and would like to say that we need to have more variety (PLEASE!). I particularly appreciate work by Sabri Yunus, Khabir Bhatia and Micheal Ang.. and absolutely appreciate dramas like "Leftenen Zana" that presents other aspects of Malaysia beyond its complex love stories (read: romance-affair-betrayal-romance).

Back to GV.

Its concept I believe, is quite noble. Basically their idea is to revive the careers of forgotten (read: older) artistes. In that vein, its fan-base are equally older and middle-aged people. Interestingly however, Astro Ria now streams the show live via YouTube and the commenters come from all ages. 

Talent, pure and raw, will withstand the passing of time- this, I truly believe in. This season I see the performance of past artistes whose careers are being revived. One or two appear terribly nervous when performing. Some appear to miss the stage so much. As usual with artistes, there are some with fantastic showmanship and some who focus on voice control, completely comfortable performing alone. Last week's 'theme' during the interview was 'family': one singer sang "Sempurna" by Andra and the Backbone and cried towards the end. I had felt it- the connection- and cried with her. She is a single mom who is temporarily separated from her son, and (the unsaid part is that) income from the show will help her find a house for them to be together again- so in my heart I will be rooting for her, because the SMS-ing and online voting is a little bit too much work for this makcik. [Personally however, I do not agree to this trait of digging too much into an artiste's personal details- it is a very Malaysian thing- our press LOVES to ask questions about the artiste is seeing/ dating/ marrying and who the artiste is related to and what naughty things their children did bla3 WHEN THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION SHOULD BE ABOUT HIS CAREER!]

This is the performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o7w069KHgQ

Thanks Hubby for introducing this to me. Looks like GV7 has found a new fan 😂

We bought a car

 Hubby fixed his car radio today and while waiting I went to the nearby shops to explore.

What was supposed to be a 30 min installation, ended up to be nearly 3 hours 😲

So my exploration ended up in me buying some hijab/ tudung for my girls, groceries and fresh food, and a car 😅

We had bought a car registration number last year and the date is expiring next month. Hubby has been searching for a second-hand Mercedes for us to attach to that number but haven't found a suitable one. Somehow everything clicked today and we purchased a brand new local car model 2020. Not quite a Merc but reasonable for my use. Toyota engine + Malaysian automotive technology. Why not.

https://www.zigwheels.my/new-cars/perodua/myvi/colors

A New Way of Cheating?

Yesterday I handled an online exam with one re-sit student. Basically it is an open-book exam with 4 questions. Student had to write the answers and submit them online.

To avoid the similarity scanning, he had added the letter "i" before almost every word.. and the letter is in white font. The turnitin scanner did not detect any 'similarity' but the submitted work was red all over, because the grammar checker picked it up as a "non-word". 

Anyway, to keep this story short, his work was terrible short and he failed the exam. Again. Marking was done under 15 minutes because there was not much worthwhile content to mark anyway. The case was flagged up for plagiarism and I probably would need to see him again for the hearing. Joy.

The Blackpink Chronicles

"Blackpink: Light Up the Sky" is currently showing in Netflix and out of curiosity, I had watched it. One reason is that this makcik can't tell the members apart. So in the interest of research, I watched the documentary to be able to differentiate the girls?

Like any manufactured Korean band, the girls went through grueling training for 4-5 years before they were introduced to the world. We're looking at 13 days of training, 14 hours a day.. with one day off in 2 weeks 😱 for 4-5 years 😱😱. Perseverance, eat your heart out.. and incidentally, that's probably how they maintained their tiny bodies.

The documentary first covered them as a group- their success and achievements- their interaction with their music director/ composer/ songwriter Teddy Park, then it went on to do individual interviews with every member. Teddy had said: We have a LOT of materials here, but whatever we put out, we think about it carefully and select the one that creates the best positioning. The whole process (of course) is very purposeful and technical.

They girls were discovered between the ages of 14-16 (the talent scout said in the background that these girls will learn various dance moves that their young minds will remember for a long time).. plus 4-5 years of training.. that makes them probably 18 at the youngest and around 20 years old on average. 

Despite ending on a 'high' from their tour and being the first Korean group to perform in Coachella, one of them had said: newer girls will replace us but they will remember how bright we shone. Another member remarked that during training they enjoyed themselves singing and dancing, without much pressure.. and now that they're successful, fans are expecting new releases (what's next?).. when they have just concluded their tour, or recently released a song or MV..  

As I was watching the documentary and doing their age calculations, it hit me: no wonder in some cases these performers consider themselves "has-beens" before they even hit 25 or 30 (when the rest of us have just finished university and are beginning to start work/ start being independent, they have literally conquered the world).. and it is sad to see instances of suicide.. we do not know the reasons, but the pressure of fame & being successful (and continuing to be successful) could be a reason.

Apart from the rigorous training and image building, that had clearly worked, I think the entertainment companies should provide a resident counselor/ psychiatrist... and this role will need to do a session with the stars on what happens after this. Like how to upskilling yourself or transition into a new career? By the way, perhaps I should also research what members of the Girls Generation are currently up to? They were supremely successful one time, and now have gone on to live their lives doing different things. Something like "Where are they now"?

For Blackpink.. Lisa could probably open a dance school in Thailand, Rose could probably be a songwriter next.. or a writer.. The other 2 members haven't quite delved too much into their personalities for me to predict their next career change but I do hope that they find a new project before this fantastic journey comes to an end.

YouTube Dreams

One of my ideas this year, after having done many hours of online lectures, is to be a YouTuber.

So that I can reach out to more people to teach law, or other things that I know of: such as online teaching from scratch, or assessments, or knowledge management, or how to make sense of news (from the legal perspective) >> the last one is hubby's idea. 

Incidentally on FB, I was recommended videos by Kendall Rae- basically she did (does) short videos (+/- 15mins) about unsolved crimes or historical mysteries. She puts together a thread from various footage or photos or news readily available- she narrates an engaging story to her audience, and I might say that she does a pretty darn good job at it!

So, my brainstorming led me to some potential themes/ titles (for channel name):

1-Teach to Learn

2-Demystify/ Law Demystified

3-Insider/ From the Inside

4-A Penny for your Thoughts

5-Fancy Learning Law?

6-K-Management

7-Share/ Sharing Session

8-Lazy Law (explainers/ simplify law for the masses > Denzel Washington in Philadelphia > explain it to me like I am a 6 year old)

9-Me & Friends (interview friends in various professions- for career discernment)

Medium: English; Caption: English/ Malay/ Indonesian

Areas: Review news item & unravel it e.g. fiduciary duty + examples

Unfinished business

Today I installed the Duolingo app to learn Chinese. In 10 minutes I had learnt "hello" and "goodbye", together with its written characters. The 2 little ones who are proficient speakers and writers kept interrupting- they want to help me answer the questions.

I had wanted to do this when they were in pre-school, before I registered them to a Chinese school (SJKC in Malaysia). The plan is that by the time they start school I would be able to speak a sentence or two in Chinese. That was 8 years ago, I am embarrassed to say. Decided that today is the start day, and I will forge forth (watch this space if you want to know how I do in the next few months- hubby says I cannot sustain my interest beyond a few days, but we'll see- I would like to keep on going).

Another reason for this: I would like my brain cells to be revived, to avoid Alzheimer's. My concern started when I begin forgetting things. Not major ones, but sometimes where I put the keys, or certain dates (so to overcome the date-challenge, I have utilised my phone's calendar function more these days).

Good Luck to me on both counts (learning Chinese & reconnecting my brain cells)!

Comfort Zone

Starting 2 November we will offer micro-credential courses to external parties i.e. the public.

From what I gathered the mode of delivery depends on the lecturer i.e. no fixed mode. I would like to plan mine to be asynchronous (if possible). For starters, one session will be async & another will be guided thereafter followed by assessment. Sounds reasonable, correct? 

I will know (the good the bad and the ugly) when the time comes. Godspeed my girl!

CMCO

The Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) will take effect on midnight tomorrow night.

Before that happens, I must make a quick dash to the office tomorrow to update the laptop. After that I am home free. Nothing pleases me more than being able to work from home full time 😍

Why did the government decide to have the CMCO implemented? Because the number of infections has climbed again. Beyond the five hundreds.

It will affect events planned months before, like my friend's daughter's reception event. All that hard work, monies spent, all the preparation and invitation, just to be told "No". Plain and simple. I totally understand both sides. The government perspective and the heartbreaking personal perspective. 

Referring to the results of Google Search below, we Malaysians collectively managed to flatten the curve around June/ July 2020 with everyone staying at home religiously and faithfully for 3 whole months. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+19+cases+malaysia&rlz=1C1CHBF_enMY922MY922&oq=covid+19+cases+malaysia&aqs=chrome..69i57.8043j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

... then the MCO lifted and we (cautiously) started travelling locally, then the clusters started popping up in Kedah and Sabah

... and our politicians (post-Sabah election) successfully spread the virus again. Maybe to prove a point, the newly minted CM of Sabah was also diagnosed with the virus (https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/10/09/sabah-cm-hajiji-tests-positive-for-covid-19). Poetic justice, don't you think? No denials or smart comebacks necessary. 

This is perhaps most upsetting to many law-abiding citizens who wanted so very badly to travel yet postponed it for safety reasons; those affected by cancellation of university registrations; those who have not seen much of the outdoors for the most of 2020... and our medical frontliners who have been busting their arses off to keep cases in check. We have been failed by our politicians, yet again. Our options? Do it like Sweden and have no restriction of movement whatsoever, or perform lobotomy on our political leaders?

So what's my point? I have mixed feelings. It's like deja-vu all over again, but shops can open. Not too bad then. I can work from home. I just wished Sabah election did not happen but it did, so we should learn something from it. 

Is 2 weeks curfew enough? Perhaps. The economy needs to continue churning. We cannot afford a total lockdown. One certain thing = immerse ourselves in uncertainty. Remain patient. Learn more things during isolation. Stay safe and take care everybody 💝

Things not adding up | Let things take its course

As friends we wished her the best on her new journey. May the bride and groom be blessed with all the good things matrimony has to offer, and may they sail the sea and handle the storms with wisdom and patience. May all things that have been planned run smoothly and may all rough edges be smoothened. 

I am a bad reader of people (or am I?). There seemed to be an 'uneasy' air in the house, or am I reading too much into it? Mixed families have their own set of issues to overcome, but with positivity they may find an acceptable middle ground/ mind meeting point which will provide a happy solution. May all communications between all parties be constructive and productive.

Between the bride and groom, he will take care of her (and she him) so that is all good. Let's just sort out my own issues and not get too caught up in other peoples' matters, shall we?

Managing Grief

A close friend's mother passed away yesterday afternoon & I saw her post on FB this morning. [Context: I so very rarely go on FB, incidentally this morning was one of the rare occasions when I logged in & had read the post + subsequent posts].

Her mom had been diagnosed with kidney failure a few years back and yesterday she bid everybody goodbye. The passing of someone, anyone is so very sad.. never mind a mommy.. this is a sacred relationship- someone who bore you in her womb for 9 months and 10 days.. and probably someone who knows you more than yourself. [Again, I am contextualising to biological moms who bore the child and raises her; unique mixed families may have had their own equally special and wonderful experiences].

Her subsequent posts were equally sad- about how she missed her- about how the love cannot be expressed to someone who has left one's side- and only prayers will be said to ease her way in the afterlife.

That's probably how I had felt when my late father passed on in 1991. We had missed him so very much. Now we still do, and wonder all the time what type of conversations we would have had with him in our adulthood (he always have so many ideas & funny stories).. how happy he would be to see all his grandchildren.. and basically how he would look like in old age.

To my dearest friend, may your mother's soul be blessed endlessly by the Almighty and may she be granted Jannah for all her deeds. May you & your family be granted the strength to overcome this challenge, and may you always remember the great moments you have had with her.

Making the Leap

Marriage: Is it for everybody?

Honestly? Perhaps not.

If a person is very comfortable single, has his routine set down part & is happy with his life... there is probably no compelling reason to get hitched. 

However if/when he gets lonely, how is it handled? If he is comfortable in solitude, then he should be able to manage. Like many of my friends. Although some may not be fully comfortable in solitude... but they know what to do when the niggling silence bugs them... one goes for a run or a holiday... one decorates or rearrange the house... one calls her mum or goes out with her friends for tea (or by herself if friends are unavailable)... one cooks & bakes fantastic pastries... one organises events & helps those in need... wow I do have many wonderfully single friends! Being single doesn't define them. They are complete and wholesome and happy, and for this I am supremely happy for them.

So, if a person volunteers to be their companion, imagine how wholesome and wonderful this person (too) need to be?

Today another friend is making her way into matrimony, for the third time. May she be granted happiness that she seeks. 

Omnibus Law

This news popped up in my google news feed this morning: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54460090: 

Indonesia: Thousands protest against 'omnibus law' on jobs

Usually I do not comment on a neighbouring country's news, because I know how touchy Malaysians and Indonesians get on almost every issue: badminton, football, food, songs, artistes, batik, politics... and the list goes on... but today I'd like to highlight this piece of law that has caused furore amongst working class Indonesians.

[NOTE: I haven't read the law yet but have asked my student from Jakarta, about where I can get hold of the full copy]

Let me start with this: working class Indonesians are probably the hardest working people I know. The ones who opt to work here in Malaysia can and have become successful if they manage their money well & have clear objectives. A lady who works as a cleaner at my office earned enough money to put his son through high school and university. Same like my former home helper: her son completed university funded by his mom's Malaysian job; he went on to work in Bali for the tourism industry [I suspect that he probably would be back in Madura now, since Bali will be closed to tourists till December]... last I heard, my home helper has started buying materials to build her house on a plot of land (also bought using money from her working stint in Malaysia).

At the university, I had the privilege of teaching the wealthy Indonesians' offsprings. They are wealthy, well-mannered, speak good English, and did I say they're wealthy? One time a student lost her Macbook, and she bought a new one within the same week. (Context: I can barely afford one on my salary). Many often go on holidays in Malaysia (especially before the MCO), their families come here for their children's graduation and stay the week for shopping. Their choice of food is Starbucks, McDonalds, Subway.. the choice for teens these days. Rather 'affluent' choices, even by Malaysian standards. So in contrast, this group has the good things in life.. no complaints there, as my university and myself are recipients of a share of this wealth.

Hence I was able to deduce that there is a class gap between the very rich and the poor who made the difficult choice to leave their children/ family to earn more, for a better life. 

Now, let's preview the news item: it was reported that large numbers of workers have protested against this law, "that critics say will harm workers and the environment"

The law intended to reduce red tape when doing business (as reportedly said by their President), while other news report have mentioned the public concern that in supporting the 'capitalists', employees' rights and the requirement for environmental impact assessment have been reduced.

As mentioned earlier, I have not read the actual law itself (although summaries are available e.g. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/02/21/guide-to-omnibus-bill-on-job-creation-1028-pages-in-8-minutes.html) so this write-up only covers the review of newspaper articles read this morning.

My final & general comment (not specifically for Indonesia but for Malaysia & the developing nations in general): it is good that the government is consolidating the labour laws to revive the economy (by making it easier to do business), however workers' protests usually indicate that something is not quite right somewhere. The leaders could probably sit down with trade union leaders and activists to understand their perspective, apart from doing focus group studies with manufacturers/ employers. Workers' rights in my view should be increased over time: for example, as the country's wealth increases minimum wage and minimum protection for workers should also 'inflate'... this will improve the overall standard of living for the nation. At the same time, being a mini/ small scale environmentalist, economic growth should not be at the expense of environmental destruction. Green belts should be maintained. Replanting is absolutely necessary (althouh not many do it, I am referring to Malaysia & the commonly experienced landslides). One of the talks about 'environmentalism' that I remember was about the Easter Island: the person who cut the last tree on that island realised that he & his family would eat today, but the next generation would not (or something around these lines). We should have continuity of resources for now & the future, so I do hope that the laws that we pass will have that foresight.

He's not ALL That (a work of fiction)

"What am I here for- your wife satisfies your every need" I had asked him

He gave a sly reply, "I want to show you off during official functions and dinners"

To which I replied "You can hire people for that"

And he quickly responded "... but I can't be hiring different people all the time, I have a public image to protect... why don't you let me hire you instead" 

That was meant as a joke but it chewed me inside. I am the "trophy" to be shown and his wife stays at home faithful and loyal, attending to his every whim.

"I am sorry to disappoint you but I am not that person"... this was how the conversation went in my head, adamant and assertive and firm, representative of strong women of the world.

What came out was "Let's have dinner, I'm hungry"

Despite all that inner conflict, it doesn't take away the fact I am unreasonably in love with him.

Crowded

Growing up in a 'busy' household with 8 siblings... and being an introvert, I have always enjoyed solitude.  Number 3 on the other hand, likes company and friends and the recent MCO was a rather misreable experience for her... being unable to leave the house to meet her friends.

Despite my love and appreciation of solitude, I chose to have 5 children. I still look forward to school mornings sometimes, and I love having my little kittens home from school with their stories and updates.

Ramadan of 2020 was especially special, because everyone was together at home. Usually the university-going children will be off after 3 Ramadan to continue their studies... but this time due to the MCO we had sahur and broke fast together as a family, every day. We also appreciated the modest meals daily, because the bazaars were closed. Incidentally, for many years Malaysians have grappled with the issue of food waste during Ramadan. With the bazaars closed & having basic staples available... we do not have such issues this year. Isn't that wonderful?

How will people remember 2020? In high school I had written copious essays about Vision 2020 as we prepared for SPM. Malaysia did not become a developed nation this year. Our economy is still struggling and in fact have fallen behind out equals in the 1960s (South Korea) and the 1980s (Singapore) and may well be left behind by Vietnam and probably Thailand in the next 5-10 years or earlier. 2020 did not turn up vibrant and gung-ho as we had expected. Instead we spent most of the year (so far) indoors and many became jobless. Luxuries are food, health, money to spend, family, and excursions in clean air. Back to the very basic of basics.

Many people would probably remember 2020 as all that, but I will remember it as:

- the beginning of new possibilities i.e. working from home (YAY!!!)

- the deployment of online learning (and the many things that we all have learnt)

- the year when kindness overcame human 'badness' i.e. people helping with PPE sewing, food banks, caring for each other

- families being together

- me becoming a slightly better cook, not that much better but okaylah

- being able to stay home and not have busy weekends outside

691

That is the total number of new infections today. Once cluster "Tembok" are behind bars while another cluster "Bangau-bangau" is scot free. 

Personally I am not too worried with the cluster behind bars, because they are contained in a restricted facility.. only that I do hope that they get decent healthcare & not further discriminated than they already are.. the right to basic healthcare is after all a right for all humans, is it not?

Our PM went online for a press conference to address the nation. He had said "Maaflah jika Abah ingin mula menggunakan rotan sekarang" ["Papa/ Daddy apologises if I have to use a "stick" (approach) right now (in punishing the non-compliant ones)]

Well Abah, your kids (me especially) have a mental block already. Were the congregation that returned from Sabah compliant? Completely? Or are they exempted? Is there a green lane to bypass covid-19 screening and compulsory home quarantine of 14 days? What about the minister who returned from Turkey many moons ago and disregarded all quarantine requirements? What about the minister who made rounds in universities and other locations after returning from Sabah, only to be found positive with covid-19 shortly thereafter? Abah, where was your rotan yesterday & the day before? Why are you pulling out the rotan to punish the small fries?

Today a one-year-old girl died from covid-19. What do we do? The Health DG is overworked and completely tired and I would be utterly disappointed (if I were him) to have all his team's great work thrown in the drains. They get a short reprieve and now have to go back to work handling higher numbers (of infection), much3 higher than we have ever had.

Across the seas, Trump returned to the White House after making full recovery??? How so??? He had like 2 days off & returned to work. Good work ethics... or a bad decision? We will know in the next few days and months. In the meantime, Americans are told not to fear the coronavirus (as it had not brought their great President to his knees): https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-trump-idUSKBN26Q0CU... but wait, where is Melania?

Malaysians helping Malaysians

The public university registration cancellation last week brought forward many kind souls who offered to help the stranded (and probably confused) students:

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/10/04/netizens-rush-to-offer-help-to-stranded-students/

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/10/04/stranded-students-get-helping-hand

https://www.thesundaily.my/local/kindness-malaysia-can-help-ipt-students-stranded-in-campus-to-go-home-GK4419787

However the good deeds are not always appreciated: 

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/10/04/i-was-just-trying-to-help-says-ebit-liew-after-uni-rebuke/

We have all kinds in this world.

Perfectly Imperfect

These lyrics came from the chorus of the song "Sempurna" (Perfect) from Naim Daniel

Biar biar biar biar [Let it be/ Ignore (what they say)]

Biarkan saja [Just let it pass]

Tak bererti apa-apa 

Tiap satu kata mereka [Their words carry no meaning]

Biar biar biar biar

Biarkan saja

Dengar hatimu bicara [Listen to what your heart is saying]

Percayalah dikau menuju sempurna [You are on the path to perfection/ perfecting your craft]

I had introduced the song to my daughters, because I love the lyrics. My littlest one liked the beat and she is doing an animation with this excerpt playing in the background.

In the MV Naim Daniel addressed the issues that teens grapple with, and in some cases they decide to end it all with suicide. Actual mean comments that appeared on his social media popped up in parts of the MV: these were done by real people, why?

My personal hope that we raise more nice people in this world, starting with the children in our own homes. Ones who are confident, strong and patient (among other things). Those who ideally think before delivering crushing words on a seemingly familiar but hostile platform.

To Naim Daniel and others pursuing their dreams, there is no ONE way to succeed. Keep at it and keep shining.

Silence the noise by believing in yourself!

The Neighbourhood

When I was a child, my family would move every 2 years to a new address by virtue of my late father's job. As the eldest child I would be asked to pack things (I hadn't learn to label the boxes, otherwise I would have). Mum did most of the work and the little ones' job is to stay out of the way. Growing up I decided that I won't work for the government (I didn't) and I would stay in one location with my family (we did!).

We have stayed in this location (in the same house) since Dec 1999, nearly 21 years in total. After my graduation in 1997 we stayed in KL and then in Bandar Sri Damansara. Number One was born in 1998 and he stayed with Mum for 1.5 years while I completed my professional studies.

Having been at the same location for a looong time, I/ we grew up with the area. I remembered a time when the Kinrara Golf Club was a rubber estate, when the masjid and school and Giant were empty lots, when the houses were few and far in between. We were excited when the BK5 LRT station was completed, and I believe the crime rate dropped when the IPD (District Police HQ) was built... but we were not too excited when things got a bit busier and traffic became heavier. Overall however, it is a wonderful place to live and raise my children.

We saw our friends' children grow up, I knew their parents and the children knew each other (having gone through kindie-primary school-secondary school together)... our local shopkeeper has been there since this housing development's inception (we bought our first mop and pail there!)... Mum participated in a survey when the preschool at the street corner was planning to open (as required by the municipal authorities... and we celebrated Aidilfitri and Aidiladha prayers at the masjid.

So far there is no plans to move out yet. We may stay here until my retirement at least (another 9 years or so), but kids have decided that they want to maintain this house regardless. Our little piece of home.

Staring into My Soul

Teaching is one thing that I LOVE to do: I enjoy being in class, enjoy the interaction with my students & especially enjoy the thinking process although I do NOT enjoy research (in the literal sense) and the research paper writing process. So you may call me a glorified tuition teacher (instead of a lecturer), but then again that's also a Malaysian (and perhaps Asian?) way: if we do not do research papers, we cannot call ourselves 'lecturers'. Well I don't mind, as I am a teacher/ educator... and lately I have found a career pathway titled "Teaching & Scholarship" that does not insist that I write many research papers. Thank Goodness!!!

Don't get me wrong though: I fully and thoroughly respect the great minds that write excellent papers that the rest of us (read: I) fleece and cite, and I actually envy those who receive research grants or has research labs to do life-changing and groundbreaking research for humankind, and the whole process is not easy- intriguing, mind-blowing in some cases, and completely 'clever'! [so a lazybum like me finds it a total chore & I'd rather just tell people how to do research (i.e. supervise student projects) instead of doing multiple titles on my own EXCEPT when it is completely necessary e.g. when it contributes to my Masters award, or is needed for appraisal/ MOHE ratings]

The direction I am going towards now is the "teaching" path, i.e. focus on teaching excellence [which I am already doing however one criteria is to win teaching award(s) which I do not normally go for, because I consider myself mediocre and SO MANY OTHERS are doing a much3 more fantastic jobs than me... and eventually I would have to submit an entry for one award at least although internally I don't really want to #gasp #hyperventilate #noooooo]. See? 😂 

May this 'selection' pave my way forward towards helping others, towards making me a better, kinder person,  towards making better students for Malaysia and the world, towards me being a responsible educator, ...and towards the betterment of humankind? It just might happen 🙇

The Early Bird

Today hubby is playing golf at a nearby club. He normally doesn't rise very early, not especially during weekends except for golf. I have been told that this is a common habit/ pattern of golfers.

Anyway, we felt that we wanted to buy breakfast from a stall that makes the best "nasi berlauk" ever on this side of KL (in his & my opinion at least), so he woke me up at 6 to go & buy it.

Mum always tell me that the early bird catches the worm, and it has been true throughout my life, and I fully subscribe to this principle so I almost never wake up late (but again I digress...).

So here I went to this stall at about 6.40am and the workers were just about to open their tent (and the food was nowhere to be seen). The early bird did not catch the worm this particular morning, so I went to another shop that was still preparing some of their menus & bought our breakfast there. A different 'worm' was caught and savoured, and we are all very grateful & blessed. Moral of the story: best to start foraging for breakfast after 7am. The 'mamak' shops usually open earlier (some at 5 or 6am) but we didn't feel like having mamak food today.

Backstory: In Malaysia's towns, the roadside stalls tend to sell food/ breakfast that have been cooked elsewhere: they bring their trays and containers and packaging etc, sell their wares & pack up and leave their 'premise' once the roads get busier; usually they'll be done by 9 or max 10am before the municipal authorities make their rounds- it's a Malaysian thing- these businesses either operate early in the morning or after 6pm. [Maybe there is a pattern here based on the authorities' official working hours? 🙈] 

Kisah Semalam [Yesterday's News | What happened yesterday]

Yesterday we went to number 3's university to register (for their new semester) and was told to turn back, because the Ministry of Higher Education has just released a circular that all registrations are postponed. 

Students who have registered in the morning and moved their things in the dorms were asked to vacate the premise and recommended to go home. 

... and almost immediately, the social media platforms blew up with various comments and brickbats: why were we not informed earlier, what about our costs of traveling, we have paid for accommodation deposits, why must we pay for online lessons when we cannot use the labs & everything (I heavily generalise). [Incidentally Parti Muda collected a little over RM50,000 to support the affected students, but they have yet to announce how to claim for the compensation]

I asked my daughter not to participate, to be patient, to not be a member of the keyboard warrior clan.

However yesterday and until this morning she was uncharacteristically quiet. She was so looking forward to meeting her friends and starting classes again after a long hiatus.

As a parent, I had a hunch that maybe the registration could be cancelled. Never had I been so disappointed to be proven right. And from the perspective of crisis management, the university's announcement could have been made a little earlier. Perhaps even the night before at the latest? Pandai aku cakap, sebab aku tak handle masalah ni.

Whatever it is, this is the situation and we will move forward stronger.

It is probably sad to see our students being treated this way, however the bigger picture is: national security/ health hazards need to be handled before it gets worse. [By the way, yesterday's infection has increased to 287 people, our highest ever since the MCO started on 18 March 2020 😰]

I will not comment further. The parties involved (in MOHE) have their own reasons to make the announcement the way they did & the universities probably do not have much say anyways.. and students even more so.

2 Porsches

On the way to hubby's house I saw 2 Porsche Carreras. One was on the opposite side & another was in tandem with me: one yellow and another grey (with a blue-ish hue)- the latter which I have always found unique & attractive. The yellow Porsche was fully tinted as it drove beside my tiny car, being polite or practical on the inner roads- not speeding. [Imagine driving a Porsche at 60kmh!]

Is this a premonition.. that another one is coming my way? A girl can dream, can she not?

If there is a way to be a bum and earn tonnes of money legally I would consider buying one. But then again, I am quite a miser when it comes to cars so I don't know if I WILL get one even when life gets a bit more comfortable 🤔

A few of my friends do own Porsches: Carrera, Panamera & Cayenne. Their income is quite phenomenal. Some had inherited the wealth, many have worked their way up to be able to earn their Porsches.

Why Porsche? I don't know. Compared to Lambos and Ferraris, or other luxuries like Rolls Royces and Bentleys or Maseratis.. I tend to like Porsches' designs more.. except one SUV by Lambo ("Urus") which is super-groovy-lit! In white or grey. Bellissimo!

What will they think of next?

a.k.a. Policies that widen the gap between the haves and have-nots

This piece of news appeared in my FB page, shared by a friend. I had thought that this could be one of those fake news (so much faith do I have in Malaysian ministers), but when I searched on, this report came out in a few sites:

https://www.therakyatpost.com/2020/09/30/government-plans-to-build-elite-preschools-for-m40-families-with-better-curriculum/

The Rural Development Deputy Minister had made this statement apparently. Why? Only he can explain it. Maybe the Ministry had indeed conducted a thorough research and found a need for an "elite preschool"? Maybe it is just a thought-process that come out prematurely? It could also be a case of him being misquoted (see how much faith I have?).. or maybe he had not thought much about what he wanted to say, before he said them?

When number 3 was younger, I had told her to wait 3 seconds before she opens her mouth.. because she says what's in her mind too quickly.. she would blurt out something and I would gasp "oh no!" quietly.. and everybody else would think that I am a bad parent for teaching the kid to say inappropriate things..

[One example: one of my relatives married an older woman, when we met them she asked their age.. the relative said we're almost the same age.. and she replied "how come she looks older?".. they both laughed the statement off but I suffered internal shock, because we do not discuss age difference or whatever when we have family conversations, and here she goes pointing out that the woman is older... but again, I digress 😿]

I have 5 children. 3 have effectively completed pre-school, primary and secondary school.. and higher education in Malaysia. Our pre-school choices have always been private ones (costing +/- 6000 a year). The first 3 went to SRK i.e. national primary school (funded fully by the government) and the younger 2 are currently in SJKC i.e. chinese-medium primary school (partially funded by the government).

Why did we send the children to private pre-schools? Because there are many to choose from, the syllabus is developmental, and because we don't really trust the KEMAS (government funded) tadika... one friend actually sent her child there (because we had gone to similar pre-schools when we were younger; it is provided by the government & she is a taxpayer) and found that the teaching was so bad that her child was unable to read or do basic maths in Standard 1.. she had to send her son for additional classes when he was in Standard 1, just to catch up with everybody else (I will dive deeper into this later).

My take:

1) Improve current government pre-school syllabus ACROSS the board, not just for the elites. We do not need another reason to widen the class gap, unless it is our intentional message that "the rich gets better things with abundant money at their disposal".. they already get better things full stop, the government should support everybody from low to medium to high income. EQUALLY [I will not go into the economics of this, because the rich tends to opt for private sector schools, universities, hospitals.. because they can]

2) The unequal syllabus between government and private sector preschools must be addressed. The kids from KEMAS otherwise will have to attend remedial reading writing and counting classes due to the botched job done at preschool level. They will miss core classes, get left behind in primary school which is CRUCIAL as foundation to higher levels. The kids feel inadequate, struggle through school and may at one point drop out because it is all too much.. not because they were not clever, but because the government has not done right by them. These may give rise to other social issues like 'rempit' and their lack of education will stop them from earning high(er) income to be able to contribute to the economy (and especially to help themselves!). See how preschool is SO VERY IMPORTANT?