Jarod Yong

Close your eyes. Imagine the mist-velveted lush green rainforest in all it's glory. Imagine the air filling your lungs with its crisp, sweet & cool goodness. Imagine the golden glow of the sunrise illuminating the scenery before you as you rush downhill in a blur of speed. One small slip on your mountain bike & you'd fall & risk injuring yourself hours away from help with nothing but a cheap plastic helmet to protect your valuable noodles. But it's worth it. Working in the interiors of Sarawak does have it's moments. Esp if you've got a hot-blood for adventure & the persistence of a hamster on two wheels. After working here for 6 years, I've finally decided to get a set of wheels for early morning rides to Song from my school. Bought a bike in Kuching, had it packed nicely, carried it all the way to the jungle so that it will carry me in return. I'm still considering whether I want to carry it all the way back to Kuching once I transfe...

A few weeks ago, when I was stressed-out & madly rushing the paperwork required for Guru Cemerlang, I got a call from an HR agency working for an education consultancy about a job position in the consultancy. The person saw my profile, read my information & thought that I would make a good candidate for the vacant role. I've heard of the consultancy & have a friend who works there but I didn't know much about what they did. I was provided with some basic information on the consultancy & the job description. What really surprised me was the remuneration package. It was huge. I was surprised that there was such an amount in the education sector. The offer really caught my attention & got me thinking seriously about the direction I was taking in my life. Is this better than what I am doing at the moment? Is this the legacy that I want? Is this the only way for me to finally be able to move on to a new challenge? Do I stay as a common teacher or become a co...

You've probably heard me lament many times on Fb/Twitter about the lack of water at school. Well, the main water pump in our school is really old & in a poor state of repair. It breaks down or a pipe bursts every few months & immediately plunges the school into drought. Also, the speed in which repairs take place can drive a snail mad so we can go on for weeks without water being pumped into our lodgings. The situation gets worse when the mini-pumps at our apartment blocks break-down after an extended period of disuse. The record time for not having any water pumped into my apartment is 4 months: October 2013 - January 2014. Imagine you're a student who is sitting for SPM & you have to endure a drought throughout your preparation & exam. You have to endure no matter what & do your best in your tests. I really respect my students who went through SPM in such conditions last year. I wouldn't want anything like this to happen to me during an important...

an exact replica of the article in the Victorious magazine When I received news about appearing in the newspaper again, I thought that this principal in Sibu was pulling my leg. I laughed off the early morning WhatsApp message in good humour. Soon, more messages came & then I was FB tagged in a picture of the article by a hot dentist friend. Apparently, I have made a surprise appearance in The Borneo Post , an English daily distributed all over Sarawak. At that time, I was in KL for TFM's energising Connect_ED . I didn't know about the article & my permission was not sought. I studied the picture of the article & found that it is an exact replica of an article written about me in Victorious, the alumni magazine of my alma mater,  Victoria University of Wellington . I don't know whether to be alarmed or happy about this. Even though I appreciate the recognition & being used as the face of New Zealand education in Sarawak, I should have at least bee...