#Graduation2016

It was April 2013, I was new. In fact, everything was new. I was blown into the wind of change. 

Two veteran teachers decided to call it a day after many years of hard work serving the young school. I was then told to take over some of their classes. One of them was a Form 2 class - the better one (in academics). I was given mixed feedbacks about this class (in which I already forgot), but they, to me, are the same until the present day. 

As I stepped into that class, I met a group of 5 close friends who would stick to each other close and tight (Yes, they were Alison, Chiaw Ying, Dennice, Joanne and Erica). I encountered this girl who would smile at me randomly (Crystal), and another girl who reminded me of an ex-classmate of mine who was my guardian angel (Wen Yee - they almost looked the same in fact, just 10 years apart in age). I even met a 15 year old boy who had fond knowledge of politics (Joel Chua), a Korean girl who speaks like a Malaysian (Esther Lee), and slowly, in the second semester, an Indian genius whose essays are almost in perfection (Agil Timothy). Altogether, they are like cartoons to me - this is a praise. 

I did have some bittersweet moments with them in 2013. It was the year when I was trying to figure out my type of personality in teaching. There were disappointments, heartbreaks and anger, but at the same time, they never failed to make my day. I remembered there was a day when they asked me to be friends in Instagram and Facebook. There was even a day when they planned an interesting  icebreaker before my textbook time began. During the second semester post-exam period, I remembered seeing them hitting each other with their exam papers while playing Musical Chairs in a class discussion. Their laughter were so hilarious that I couldn't help laughing when I got back to my office. 

I even enjoyed their Vision Night drama the most (In A Selfish World, The Selfish Rules). They were so adorable that they were like cartoon characters performing on the stage. 

In fact, this class is unique on its own (until today, which is why the PRESENT tense is used). Never did I know, 3 years after teaching them in Form 2, I would see them again in 5 Newton and 5 Adam Smith. We do have new faces such as Gabriel Bong and Yit Chung (do not forget about John Mark too) who have added up the uniqueness of this batch. 

Having them as your pals is a blessing. 

I won't mind if any of you do not manage to repeat what your seniors in 5 Newton did in SPM 2015, for that was a once-in-a-blue-moon achievement, but what I mind more is when you don't realise that your SPM examination is near and you are still pretending that the exam is 6 months away. 

Thank you, Ho Ming Xuan for the partnership we have in Photography Club. 

Ryan, Myra, Alison [5 Newton]
Crystal, Chiaw Ying, Nicholas Liew [5 Adam Smith] 
#MyTopGuns

To Siaw Yen and Kuo Young, 
you, to me, are like Yap Bao Lin and Chung Yee Chen who both showed the best improvements in English. Enjoy your new level in English and keep it up! Same goes to Alison as well. 

Thank you, Crystal for that Graduation Night message. 

Last, but not least, 
I would like to apologize if I have accidentally left any harsh scars or wounds to you in a form of words. I am not perfect, as I am just like any other ordinary men. Once again, if you were once hurt by me, I extend my apologies as I might be quite rude in disciplining people. 

Believe it or not, I do scold myself when I screw myself up. 

I wish you all the best in your upcoming IGCSE or SPM examinations. Hopefully, we will see each other at a kopitiam and we can sit together as friends sipping coffee and tea. 

The Pride of Eating Alone

Hiatus by hiatus in the blogging world is somehow, choking. It reminds you of how much connected you are to your work and your own self - your really true self, especially when you come to the stage where you have to work the stamina out of yourself to survive - to earn a living.

Such is your workaholic days, indeed. And gosh, what am I going to do with the pictures of food that I took using my phone these days?

Forget about work- right now let's talk about life. Life outside work is somehow beautiful. It is liberating and refreshing. Despite being occupied by many books around me, there are some tiny whiny escapades that you can have - even if you do not have a chance to take a real vacation.

One of these tiny escapades is food. Of course, everybody likes to eat with his group of companions. I, myself, too enjoy the company of others who share the same table with me during my meals. We can have random topics under the sun and we can even discuss about them until the cows return home. Those are great moments well spent.

However, eating alone is always better. It is equivalent to those moments when you walk alone with nature accompanying you - just like when you wish to embrace the breeze at the beach, watching the sunset and listening to the waves. It reminds you of yourself and who you really are after a long day of work.

Eating alone is always refreshing, especially during the moments when your taste buds are entertained by the work of culinary arts.

More importantly, the looks of them - the seamless temptation in front of your own eyes invites you for a quiet meal, with yourself.

You need not to be occupied by anyone except for the rare moment when the waiter tells you that your favourite dish is unavailable. As you are eating, a terminal of thoughts opens as you begin to leave the present to reminisce the past and predict the future. A sea of opinions flow around you, as you chill yourself to the meal.

I know these are pictures of burgers and special breads that I have taken since January 2016. I do not always eat burger everyday, okay? This one is from a dinner with three persons when I was eating at Pavilion, Bukit Bintang. 

A plate of rice, with its presentable meat and vegetables - a combination that can symbolise life itself, as it is full of surprises and mysteries. Somehow, you wish that everything is presentable and predictable in life because you want to be safe and secured. It is natural for everyone, as all of us hope that tomorrow will be another day you will survive.

And that is the great thing about eating alone - one of the many ways of meditating yourself out from stress. It is a time where I do not wish to be disturbed by anything that is negative.

Yeah, call me an introvert, but everyone of us does the same - You do entertain your own thoughts in planning what you want to do the next morning when you are awake to sunlight, don't you.?

All pictures were taken using the Vivo X5.