Buang masa jap

Abang is asleep in front of the TV, and I'm not sure whether we'll be going home to his home as tomorrow's Labour Day holiday and I'm bored so I figured I'd do this..

NERD TAG

HOW MANY SCHOOLS DID YOU GO TO?
1-Sekolah Rendah Raja Perempuan Ipoh - I'd like to think of this school as the poor cousin of my next school.
2-Methodist Girls School Ipoh - located right next door to my former school, we could see each other clearly through the fence. Parents wanted me to go here initially but there was no space so I ended up coming here only in standard 2.
3-Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Kajang - my first experience of a co-ed school. and Yes, boys DO like to pull at your tocangs (plaits).

Then papa was transferred back to Ipoh, so I ended up again in school number 1, followed by number 2.

4-Sekolah Rendah Kerajaan Green Road, Kuching.
5-Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Green Road, Kuching.
6-Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Selayang Bharu - I have to admit, I harbour no great fondness for this school despite spending two years here. Tak sabar-sabar aku nak berambus dari sekolah yang begitu racist. By the way, Sheila Rusly went here...hehe.
7-MRSM Kuantan - definitely a life changing experience.
8-MSMKL, Cheras - we were spoilt for choices of continuing education during my time. If you were even only marginally brainy, people will be showering you with options regarding your future career. Here for 2 months or so, while waiting for my SPM result.
9-PPP/ITM - An A-level preparation kinda thing. Three months of lepaking and spending Govt scholarship money - didn't learn a thing.
10-Walthamstow Hall School for Girls in Sevenoaks, Kent - watching the dining hall in Harry Potter movies still remind me of this school.

then, Queen's University of Belfast for med school (still a school, yeah?)


WAS I THE STUDIOUS NERD OR THE LAST MINUTE HERO?
I studied last minute. In fact, I don't remember studying for my SRP and somehow managed to secure a good enough result to get me to an MRSM. Ma says I'm just lucky, but I think it was a bit of both (luck and genius (haha))- I'd never gone for tuition at Ming or Kasturi, except for a two-three month stint at a tuition centre in Selayang (only because my neighbour wanted me to accompany her). I don't recommend this style of studying to everyone though.

WAS I THE TAIKO OR TEACHER’S PET?
Hmmm, a bit of both I guess. I was always yapping away in class that teacher once moved me to a different table away from my gang. Once, I skived off class and was caught and brought to see the Headmistress. Takut giler masa tuuu... Tapi later on I repented (haha) and sort of became a teacher's pet.

BEST 2 SUBJECTS
I loved the languages. In MRSM, I was awarded prizes for being the best student in both English and Bahasa Melayu. In fact, I wanted to become a journalist or a writer at one time. Macamana boleh end up jadik doktor ek...?

3 TEACHERS THAT I REMEMBER MOST (FOR VARIOUS REASONS)
Mrs Leong (I think) - she taught English at MGS. Loved wearing cleavage exposing dresses, despite once turning up with a huge burn wound on her chest, a result of frying fish, I was told. She had told me that I was unsuitable for a chinese fan dance she was coreographing because I was too chubby.
Puan Norlela - Taught me Chemistry in MRSM. Made Chemistry a lesson I would look forward to each week. Had a high pitched voice and would make the boys wash her car for failing the monthly test.
Dr King - my bapak angkat at Uni. Gave me a talk to that I would never forget, after failing my first year (or was it second year?). He went to Med School (Belfast la) with Lim Keng Yaik, and mentioned that the first time he met me.

Fear

What do you call fear of people? Wait, I can't have that, I work WITH people, so it can't be that.....maybe it's fear of crowds, but that can't be it either; if that's true, then I would be a hermit, shying away from society.

My problem is this, when Abang's family has a 'kenduri', I find myself breaking out in cold sweat, my insides somersaulting and cartwheeling thinking about all those family that I have to meet. People in Abang's kampung still practice the traditional gotong-royong when it comes to holding a ceremony. Something we very rarely see in the city nowadays. When I say gotong-royong, I meant EVERYBODY comes. and EVERYTHING is done by these people. A group will be sitting round the gunny sack of onions, another will be cutting up the meat or veges. One or two will be stationed at the sink, eveready to receive gifts of dirty crockery to be washed. One makcik will be solely in charge of making the drinks. You get my drift?

I have no qualms about getting my hands dirty. I don't mind washing dishes until my fingertips get SO crinkly, even CSI wouldn't be able to identify me from my fingerprints. Give me a gunny sack of onions, I'll be more than happy to peel them, even if it means I'll be crying my eyes out.

Tapi, when the kitchen (and the outside too) is full of makciks talking in very thick Kelantanese accent, saying words I've never heard of, spreading juicy gossips about people I don't know; it can get very intimidating....but I guess this is something only an outsider daughter-in-law can understand. Being a daughter-in-law makes it even worst. I mean, if my side were to have a kenduri, Abang can happily sit outside reading the newspaper and nobody would say anything. But then, my family caters, so the situation is slightly different.

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE my in-laws. They're a bunch of honest, no pretence type of people. Loud but kind at heart. I can handle being with them during the weekends, and I treat my two youngest anak buahs like my own, but when the whole clan gets together....adoooiii.....I get lost. I stand at the periphery, making myself available, praying silently someone would order me to do something. I mean, I'm not that hard to ignore, you know, being nearly the size of a small continent.... So, in the end, I do the work that no one seems to be interested in doing: getting the ruang tamu ready. I happily instruct Abang to carry the sofa outside, vacuum and lay out the mats.

Thank god Abang isn't the fussy type. I guess, if he doesn't complain, why should I care if someone else says a mean thing about me being anti social (which is partially true) or lazy (completely untrue)?

Well, until the next kenduri comes, my stomach is taking a well deserved rest from all that cartwheeling and somersaulting...

Betul ke..?

You Are 34% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

I'm sad...

Life goes like this - born, grow up, get married, get children, get grandchildren, die. Hopefully a fulfilling life.

I once thought that if mine doesn't go the way it's supposed to, I wouldn't mind very much. But I'm wrong.

I now know what people mean when they say "I would give my right arm for...." because sometimes I really feel that way....

Despite achieving what I have, not being able to do this one thing has made me feel so much less of a person.