Jarod Yong

My girlfriend revealed that, at the early stages of our relationship, she struggled with the thought of being with a teacher. She also revealed that many of her girl friends have decided to write off being with teachers altogether! And this even when some of them are teachers themselves!! Holy cookies! Are teachers really so undesirable? I dont know about you but female teachers rate highly in my eyes. Not that I have a particular sexual fantasy from some inhibited childhood memories... It's just that female teachers have high chances of being an excellent wife. Here's why... Husband Pleasing At their workplace, they submit themselves to a Ketua Jabatan/Principal/Head Master. I am a traditional man. I prefer a wife who submits to me. In return, I will love her with all that I am & I will respect her spirit. Money Making They have a steady income which will increase with each passing year! If they are extra hardworking, they can make a significant jump...

Want to go on a memorable 3 night holiday & spend less than RM1500 in total covering meals, accommodation, transportation & souvenirs? You don't have to look any further than our good ol' neighbour, Indonesia . I was in Indonesia with my girlfriend, to view the sunrise at a lookout point overlooking the plains & 3 mountains including the world famous active volcano, Mt Bromo . Dear friends, let me share with you that the sunrise at the Bromo Highlands is something you MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE . It is breathtakingly picturesque & probably something you will never be able to experience anywhere else! No photo will be unable to capture the beauty of the experience. I took a lot of time just standing there taking in the beauty & praising God for his creation. Furthermore, there's nothing more romantic than holding your girlfriend in your arms while the both of you watch the whole world light up before you. How did I get to the Bromo Highlan...

Dear friends, I'll be away for 2 weeks on holiday! I'll be visiting Indonesia ( Surabaya & Mt. Bromo ), Melaka & KL. Will get back to blogging when I can! =) p/s: I'm going to try to reproduce this picture! taken from wikipedia

My friend, Loren Bong , is the lead in this Independent Malaysian short film by Juliane Block . I took a look at it & I find that it is really something worth sharing. The film is currently in a German competition to win a grand prize of 10,000 Euro. All it needs is your votes. Wait for the flash video application below to load. You will see 5 stars at the bottom right corner of the application. That is where you vote. Please vote 5 stars every day to support this awesome piece of work. This is a Malaysian action film that is actually worth watching! Watch the 30 min clip & then vote to support it! I apologise for the limited width of my content column. This video plays just fine in full screen. Click 'play' & look to the right for the partially hidden 'full screen' button that is just before the cut off point of my content column.

It’s near the end of the year & very soon a new academic year will begin for Malaysian national schools. As a newly trained teacher, I’m sure there are many of you out there who are excited & eagerly anticipating your first year at school. Some of you have received your placement/posting letters. Some have not. Whether it is one or the other, you have better start preparing for your placement  NOW . Things to Bring Here are some certificates that should be handed to your Ketua Jabatan (Headmaster/Principal). Original AND photocopy. All your Secondary School & Tertiary co-curricular certificates Academic certificates & transcripts (PhD/Masters/Degree/Diploma/STPM/SPM) Birth certificate Identity card Placement letter (If available) KWSP details (If available) Income tax details (If available) Marriage certificate (If available) BTN certificate (if available) KISSM certificate (If available) Bank Account Book Some of the documents mentioned above are ...

Many new teachers who will get posted into the Malaysian national school system have asked me what advice I have to give them. Well, I have summed all I have to say into 5 tips. Let me put it here so that I dont have to repeat myself indefinitely. =) #5 Go Wherever You are Sent This is probably the last thing you want to hear but I realise that good teachers are in short supply everywhere in this country. It is also my heartfelt belief that a good teacher will be a good teacher regardless of location. Furthermore, every teacher has something unique to offer to the school they enter. Do not be afraid of a place just because of hearsay. Do not judge prematurely. Go & experience the school for yourself. Try it out for a year. Work on it before you decide to call it quits. #4 Brace Yourself When you first arrive at school, you will carry a ‘ donkey ’ label on your head. Chances are... You will receive the most brain-dead jobs in the school that other teachers do not w...

taken from pinkcakebox.com First of all... YAHOOO!!!! YEEHAAA!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Yes, you guessed it... It’s the holidays!!! HOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!! Yes, being a teacher has not taken the joy out of holidays. No, dear students, we do not enjoy prowling around in school. Yes, teachers are also capable of fun & some really stupid things. No, you may not do the same in our presence. 2009 will be remembered in history. It’s my 1st year as an overseas graduate. It’s my 1st year in the workforce. It’s my 1st year as a full-fledged teacher. It’s my 1st year making my own money & spending it anyhow or anywhere I like... YES!! It has also been a really challenging year. I was placed in a school in the middle of the jungle accessible only by water. I suffered a year of lousy internet & no cell-phone coverage. I worked with students who have little interest & ability in my subject matter. I had to...

It's finally out! Here is a picture of the 2009 Empurau Magazine of SMK Katibas! Those of you who are close to me would have heard my squeaks & creaks on how hard I worked on this magazine to make it work... ALONE ! The person who was supposed to give me the biggest support simply  refused to give me any help! Although I did most of the work myself, there were several other individuals who came up to me & offered their help. For these people, I am thankful. Without them, this magazine wouldn't be as good as it is today. Without them, I'd already be a burnout psycho teacher murdering 'bad' teachers. Now that I finally have the magazine in my arms, I dare say that I am proud of my baby. He has come out looking like a great piece of art. All the months of slaving overtime  unpaid just to get the information right & painstaking making sure that every page is exactly how it is supposed to be has paid off. The people who have read magazin...

Ever since I got my SLR, I've been the designated photographer for my school. I have been called upon to take photos of almost every person & literally every event. It's as if a whole new world of imagery has opened up for the residents of my school. Another probable motivating factor is... I snap for a zero fee! Every time I look through the pictures taken after a photo-shoot or after an event, I cant help but notice that I do not exist in any of them. Then, I'd pause & feel my heart break over the thought that I would never ever have a recorded memory of the event with my face in it. Everybody would be exclaiming with glee & discussing excitedly how ridiculous they looked in the photos but they'd still copy the photos & cherish then. As for me, I have nothing to cherish. It's only me & the fleeting memories I have difficulty retaining. Often I'd be having dinner or taking a nap & then a photograph would pop into my head... ...

I've been seriously considering lately whether I should follow the blogger's cliche of blogging about every darn restaurant they've been to. You know, the ones where they take insanely close-up pictures of the food to show how 'yummy' it looks & share their experiences with the world (be it good, bad or so-so). I eat out quite often but I do not find a need to blog about every single shop or stall that I visit. Mainly because I only blog about things that have touched or impacted me in some way. I've written posts about a few priviledged establishments because they have something there that sets them apart from the others. This doesn't mean that I wont write about food establishments. I'm planning to blog about my favorite places for food in Kuching simply out of my overflowing love for them. I want to expose my love affair with Kuching food to the whole wide world! p/s: I've got really good taste ( oh, I'm so vain ) so be sure to c...

The Budget for 2010 was just announced today & a bonus of RM500 will be given to all mid-level civil servants from the rank of 41 to 52. (I hear that even retirees are getting it.) Previously a bonus of RM500 was given to lower level civil servants to help with festivity costs. Only a few hours after the announcement of the new budget, some of my fellow civil servants are already complaining that the bonus is too little. True enough. Compared to the yesteryears, this new bonus is a midget dwarf. This really got me thinking... The first question I asked myself was: Do civil servants deserve a bonus? In the private sector, employees are given a bonus based on individual performance as well as the organisation's performance as a whole. I personally think that I deserve a bonus because I waded through a whole load of sheet this year. I gave my school 100 & 10 percent. However, I dare not make the same assurances for my fellow servants. How much have you done this y...

taken from peperonity.com Malam Khamis yang lepas, ada seseorang hantar sms kepada nombor telefon bimbit saya. Hi Sepuluh minit kemudian, dia hantar satu lagi. Alo0. . . Pada masa itu saya dekat ulu sana mana ada line? Saya terima lah dua sms tu pada petang Jumaat. Masa tu saya baru keluar dari hutan nak berimam dan sembahyang la nih. Saya pun hairan la. Siapa pula dia? 014-955XXXX Takde dalam fonbook. Macam nombor semenanjung aje... Terfikirlah mungkin member saye kat sana kot. Oleh tu, saye pun balas pula. Yes? How can I help you? Tapi tak da pun reply. Saya pun lupakan aje la. Tak kan la nak call. Bazir kredit aje. Pastu, malam Jumaat pula sampailah sms die. B0leh t0l0ng i tak? Konfirm minah semenanjung la ini! Siapa lagi yang guna gelaran glamer 'I' kan? Mungkin juga kawan saye so saye play along aje lah. Tolong buat apa? Menyamar jd max,bf  aku?? Ape nih? Masa tu saye sudah dapat konfirm. Ni bukan kawan saye ni. Saye ...

taken from singaporelearning.com Shout Out to Nesa, Guna, Diren, Guna 2, Vimal & everyone out there who celebrates the festival of lights! Happy Deepavali! According to Wikipedia , Deepavali or Divali has a spiritual meaning of "the awareness of the inner light". Just as there are celebrations for the birthday of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of our inner light. The light which outshines all darkness & awakens the individual to one's true nature. Deepavali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship. There are varying stories behind Deepavali but the essence is the same: to rejoice in the inner light. Enjoy the festivities with your friends & family! Most significantly, enjoy the long weekend!!! Oh, and do think of me fondly... because I dont get a holiday tomorrow... **sob**

After 12 days of teaching (I didn't have a weekend last weekend), I'm now in Sibu for a long-awaited weekend of rest & relaxation... Well, not quite. I'm currently working on the school magazine (finishing touches) & will submit it to the printing press tomorrow morning at 8am together with my Big Boss aka. Mr Principal. Earlier today, I spent the afternoon registering the Police Cadets of my school with the IPD so I had to take the last express to Sibu at 4pm. There were no seats left & I had to sit on the roof of the boat. Great. No, not really. I arrived in Sibu at 6pm. I went straight to my budget hotel ( Yes, I'm a poor guy without a sugar momma. ) Immediately, I jumped into the shower for a long relaxing warm water wash. After I was done, it struck me. Sheet! No towel! I opened the bathroom door, looked around & true enough. NO TOWEL!!! ( I don't bring towels with me. I don't mind using towels from 'reputable' bu...

As a dutiful & loving teacher, I will perform the compulsory cliché of wishing you (students) good luck. Then, I will hide in a secret corner to snicker at the thought of the long awaited vacation time away from you after you go off for the exams. Oh, the thought of it makes me so... kihehehehe~~~ To PMR students all over Malaysia... Do your best!! taken from riggsfamilyblog.com Be sure to say a prayer before you start each test!

This is the first & last episode of the hit TV series, 4 - Season 1: The SPP Interview. The following takes places between 7am-11am. *imagine a clock ticking... tick... tick... tick...* 7-8am *imagine a husky voice narrating* My alarm clock rings. It's 7am. I wake up to find myself covered in sweat. It was a long & sleepless night. I look beside me & she's still here. I hate her. But I need her. She kept me awake all night. I reach over to crush her, but I resist the temptation. Bloody interview notes! I'm hooked on you now, but once I'm done with you, you'll be my toilet paper! I head to the bathroom. I cant bear the sight of the ghost that's staring back at me. The heavy bags under my eyes are a reminder of the hell that I went through the past weeks. I was given a desperate case to solve. I gave it all I've got. I fought with the PIPP. I roughed up the NEP. I even got high on 1Malaysia. As I put my toothbrush in m...

Every man has got a favourite food, a favourite sport or a favourite band. The same can be said about their taste in women. Look at a man's dating history & you will see that he has a preference for one certain type of woman. That’s his favourite type. Some men will go goo goo over girls with big boobies or a tight ass. Some collect life-sized Barbies. While I prefer smart girls... Thinking back, I realise that I have a soft spot for slim, chic, adorably nerdy-looking girls in glasses. These girls are hard to find in the right combination but once I see one, I'm just not myself! hahaha~~ These girls compel you to step over & make a fool of yourself by saying hi. Oh, hello. There’s one right there! Okay, take 3 deep breaths first to calm your nerves & slow your thumping heart. Now all I have to do is leave my seat & don’t look too awkward as I walk over… WAIT A MINUTE! I’m already in a relationship! OH NO!! So what can I do to stay loyal? What...

taken from nizam83.wordpress.com Eid ul-Fitr is Arabic for 'festivity for the breaking of fasting'. Those of you who have no idea should really click to read about it from Wikipedia . Any Malaysians who have no idea what I'm talking about should really go & jump from the tallest building you can find. Seriously. Shoutout to my IPBA-rian dudes & dudettes! Shoutout to my Kuching futsal kakis & buddies & buddettes! Shoutout to my fellow bloggers! Shoutout to all you Malayisans studying overseas! Finally, a shoutout to the Muslims in Malaysia! You guys, enjoy the festivities! Being the inspirational & influential & responsible & great teacher I am, I'll be here in the middle of nowhere watching over my wide-eyed & innocent students as they study for SPM & PMR. Sorry for not sending any SMSes, ya? No line mah! Can save money oso! hehehe~~ I'll be back at home on Monday evening & will be visiting my Muslim fr...

Here is the school schedule for 2010 from Kementrian Pelajaran Malaysia . Get your holiday air-tickets now while it's still cheap!! Semester 1 Sekolah: 4/1 - 12/3 ( 10 Minggu ) Cuti: 13/3 - 21/3 Sekolah: 22/3 - 4/6 ( 11 Minggu ) Cuti: 5/6 - 20/6 Semester 2 Sekolah: 21/6 - 3/9 ( 11 Minggu ) Cuti: 4/9 - 12/9 Sekolah: 13/9-19/11 ( 10 Minggu ) Cuti: 20/11 - 2/1

from kampungboycitygal.blogspot.com I absolutely love Ramadhan Bazaars! Every year I look forward to visiting one of these daily glorious Malay food fairs! The best of Malay cuisine are not to be found in exquisite exclusive expensive boutique diners. The best of the best is always born out of years of trial & error in the humble kitchens of everyday makciks! And just for 30 days a year, these sweaty chubby golden girls share their works with you at a token price of what these priceless creations are worth! Step into one of these carnivals that can be found all over Malaysia (even in Sibu, Sarawak!) during the Holy month of Ramadhan & breathe in the festivities. Watch as families, teenagers in school uniforms & senior citizens walk from stall to stall counting their money & wondering what delights they will find in the next stall. Sample the stalls yourself & you'll find Roti Jala, Kek Lapis, Kari Paf, Tempeh, Agar-Agar, Leko, Ayam Masak Merah, Ka...

Kepada Semua Warganegara Malaysia... Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan! To all Malaysians, happy Independence Day! I look upon this year's Independence Day with great patriotic fervour. I am grateful that every Malaysian citizen still has some say in how the country is to be run & I am glad that Malaysia is currently experiencing the teething struggles of a truly democratic country. I used to be a neutral I-don't-mess-with-you you-don't-mess-with-me jaded indifferent uninterested inhabitant of this country. As long as I can make a living & enjoy life, I don't care who wins the elections. The only politicians I could name were merely Mahathir, Badawi & (recently) Najib. Heck, I wouldn't even bother to register to vote. Neither would I read about current events.. I'd just go straight to the comics or football news! But all that has changed since my nationalistic awakening. I would prefer not to comment much on the current political s...

I have recently received an email from a prospective Malaysian student of Victoria University of Wellington , New Zealand. In this email were relevant questions that any student should ask to better prepare themselves before flying all the way there. I have decided to share my reply here because I think that there are many other people in the world who may be seeking similar information... This is written specifically for middle-class students from Malaysia who will study on Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus. Any past or present student of VUW are welcome to comment & add to this post! The University On the satelite map from google maps, I've highlighted Kelburn campus in blue & Wellington CBD in red. Ask you can see, the university is very close to the city centre so you dont have to worry about transportation or food when you get hungry. They are about 10-15 mins walk from each other. Be aware however, that it is a steep uphill walk f...