I'm invigilating SPM this year. There are four of us in this particular hall. Today, the chief was away for another meeting. One of the teachers in my hall went out 10 minutes after the paper started and returned 10 minutes before the paper ended.
I asked loudly when she walked in apologizing her absence, 'Where have you been?' She mumbled some rubbish and sat down.
Another teacher came by and asked, 'Balik tidur ke?' She started to talk about some family problem.
Oh my....how appalling. No wonder teaching is no longer the respected and revered profession.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
keropok making
It was probably five or six years ago when I last made keropok (when I had a maid to peel the prawns). Yesterday at the market, we saw the prawns (not too small; so easy to peel) that is suitable for making keropok. The fishmonger said the magic words...it's good for making keropok. KC was nodding his head. I know I had to buy it and do something about it. So I bought one kilo of it...RM8.00. Then I bought tapioca flour. According to the recipe it is two kilos of prawns to a kilo of flour.
Cleaned my marble top table...it's the best table for making keropok as it's solid. Pour out the flour next to the prawn paste so that it's easy to mix and knead in.
The first part of mixing is very messy as it's wet and gooey and sticky. Make sure all rings and bracelets are removed.
As it gets drier, the work gets easier.
The dough has to be kneaded till it doesn't stick to the hand. Then knead it well; like washing clothes.
There, the dough is ready. See how clean the table is now. As I kneaded, Kristen used the scraper to clean the table and I just rolled all that she scrapped into the dough. If the dough is still sticky, it won't be able to clean the table up like this. I did not use all the 500g flour...there was a little left.
Shape it into a log.
Before shaping the logs, need to slam the dough on the table many times to remove the air bubbles. Otherwise the keropok will have holes. That is why the marble top table is good.
A kilo prawns can make two logs. See the fly; hopefully my family members who see the fly will decide not to eat any of my keropok so I can have more share!!!
Line the steaming tray with aluminium foil. MIL uses banana leaves. Steam for 45 minutes and this is the result. This is the time when the kids will ask me to cut a slice for them to test; not just the kids...the worst culprit is the father.
The logs are wrapped in the foil and left in the fridge overnight. This morning I rushed home from church to slice the keropok. I use a slicer as above. Don't put too much pressure if you want the keropok to be thin but we like it thicker...there's more to bite.
This is how it looks like after slicing the log. The ends and bits here and there were eaten up by KC.
The keropok is laid out slice by slice under the sun. Thank God it's sunny today. It may take two to three days to dry. If it's not dry, it won't 'kembang' after frying and it may taste like 'masuk angin'.
KC putting the keropok under the sun. It's his mother's recipe and a must in his during CNY. Cookies are not popular but keropok will finish in no time. As it's his favourite, I learnt to make from MIL. Actually whatever I learnt from MIL are all his favourite. The way to a man't heart is through his stomach. You can see him grinning from ear to ear because next CNY he has his wife's home made keropok to eat. That amount of keropok in the picture is worth at least RM26 - 28 in the market. I spent at least RM100 this year buying keropok for CNY!!!! Every reason I should make my own. This is the first round...more rounds to come.
The stuff needed...I used to make two kilo of prawns but I only had a kilo yesterday (forgotten the recipe)...a kilo prawns, half kilo tapioca flour, two tsp fine salt and pepper.
Used my chopper to mash up the prawns till it is like a paste. Add seasoning to it.
Used my chopper to mash up the prawns till it is like a paste. Add seasoning to it.
Cleaned my marble top table...it's the best table for making keropok as it's solid. Pour out the flour next to the prawn paste so that it's easy to mix and knead in.
The first part of mixing is very messy as it's wet and gooey and sticky. Make sure all rings and bracelets are removed.
As it gets drier, the work gets easier.
The dough has to be kneaded till it doesn't stick to the hand. Then knead it well; like washing clothes.
There, the dough is ready. See how clean the table is now. As I kneaded, Kristen used the scraper to clean the table and I just rolled all that she scrapped into the dough. If the dough is still sticky, it won't be able to clean the table up like this. I did not use all the 500g flour...there was a little left.
Shape it into a log.
Before shaping the logs, need to slam the dough on the table many times to remove the air bubbles. Otherwise the keropok will have holes. That is why the marble top table is good.
A kilo prawns can make two logs. See the fly; hopefully my family members who see the fly will decide not to eat any of my keropok so I can have more share!!!
Line the steaming tray with aluminium foil. MIL uses banana leaves. Steam for 45 minutes and this is the result. This is the time when the kids will ask me to cut a slice for them to test; not just the kids...the worst culprit is the father.
The logs are wrapped in the foil and left in the fridge overnight. This morning I rushed home from church to slice the keropok. I use a slicer as above. Don't put too much pressure if you want the keropok to be thin but we like it thicker...there's more to bite.
This is how it looks like after slicing the log. The ends and bits here and there were eaten up by KC.
The keropok is laid out slice by slice under the sun. Thank God it's sunny today. It may take two to three days to dry. If it's not dry, it won't 'kembang' after frying and it may taste like 'masuk angin'.
KC putting the keropok under the sun. It's his mother's recipe and a must in his during CNY. Cookies are not popular but keropok will finish in no time. As it's his favourite, I learnt to make from MIL. Actually whatever I learnt from MIL are all his favourite. The way to a man't heart is through his stomach. You can see him grinning from ear to ear because next CNY he has his wife's home made keropok to eat. That amount of keropok in the picture is worth at least RM26 - 28 in the market. I spent at least RM100 this year buying keropok for CNY!!!! Every reason I should make my own. This is the first round...more rounds to come.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
To hike or not to hike....Broga Hill
We had wanted to hike Broga Hill a long time. The first attempt failed because of heavy downpour. We planned for the hike on the Monday after Deepavali hols (as all of us are still on holiday).
By two pm that day, I was getting a bit worried. The clear sky was getting cloudy. I told KC we had better start early instead of leaving at 4pm. I smsed Tiffany and found out that it was also cloudy her side. By the time we left the house (it's very difficult getting people out of the house); it was almost 4pm....so much for an early start. My heart dropped when it started raining.
Leaving Seremban....pretty heavy rain but we were praying that it would stop raining or it won't be raining at Broga.
There was no rain when we hit the Lekas highway but the sky was definitely dark. I was feeling real lousy as I was looking forward to this hike very very much.
We made a wrong turn and ended up in Semenyih town but it wasn't very difficult getting out as the king scout sense is very good. It's quite a cowboy town.
We stopped in front of this place (the entrance to the hill is opposite of it). Rabbit Fun Land....is it a place for the rabbits to have fun or people to have fun with the rabbits?? It seems this place sells rabbits and rabbit meat. Thought of getting some rabbit meat for ma but it was not opened. So I don't think the rabbits have fun here.
We parked our car at this oil palm estate. This is the beginning of the journey uphill.
There are many wells like this around the estate. Don't know what's the purpose. Not deep.
Ha.....here is the sign showing us the way uphill...not that far. Just 4.8km; seemed easy to me.
We left the oil palm estate and started our way uphill. This is definitely different from the hike to the lighthouse at Cape Rachado. The path is narrow and more difficult and steep. It was quite tough for the children. I rushed them quite a bit because it was very dark and I was hoping to get to the top before it started raining.
There is deep ravine to the left and right of the path; so it is quite dangerous. Many people hike up early in the morning (6am) to catch the sunrise. I think that is even more dangerous (maybe there is another route).
We made up halfway....Lyn wasn't feeling good. She said it was as bad as doing Segak (physical fitness exam in school). She didn't look good. I felt bad for pushing her. So decided to go downhill. The sky was turning real dark and I could hear thunder. Didn't feel safe because we were exposed to lightning at certain stretches.
Nottingham University here we come!!!! We met Tiffany and she introduced us to the ducks in the lake. These ducks are imported from UK!!!! The white duck is always alone. Poor duck. We pity it so much. KC suggested getting a local duck to accompany it.
Tiff bringing us around the lake and campus. It's a small campus. Very new...maybe 5 years old. Looks nice and quite scenic as it is hilly.
Another group of ducks. There is a total of 7 miserable English ducks.
As we were walking pass the cafeteria, I spotted a familiar looking face inside. She looked at me and I looked at her. It's Geraldine! We were quite excited to see each other (probably that's the last place on earth she expects to see me). Geraldine was my student.
After visiting the sports center, (good facilites), we went to dinner with Tiffany. The first restaurant (no 58 was closed); so she brought us the pineapple restaurant.
By two pm that day, I was getting a bit worried. The clear sky was getting cloudy. I told KC we had better start early instead of leaving at 4pm. I smsed Tiffany and found out that it was also cloudy her side. By the time we left the house (it's very difficult getting people out of the house); it was almost 4pm....so much for an early start. My heart dropped when it started raining.
Leaving Seremban....pretty heavy rain but we were praying that it would stop raining or it won't be raining at Broga.
There was no rain when we hit the Lekas highway but the sky was definitely dark. I was feeling real lousy as I was looking forward to this hike very very much.
We made a wrong turn and ended up in Semenyih town but it wasn't very difficult getting out as the king scout sense is very good. It's quite a cowboy town.
We stopped in front of this place (the entrance to the hill is opposite of it). Rabbit Fun Land....is it a place for the rabbits to have fun or people to have fun with the rabbits?? It seems this place sells rabbits and rabbit meat. Thought of getting some rabbit meat for ma but it was not opened. So I don't think the rabbits have fun here.
We parked our car at this oil palm estate. This is the beginning of the journey uphill.
There are many wells like this around the estate. Don't know what's the purpose. Not deep.
Ha.....here is the sign showing us the way uphill...not that far. Just 4.8km; seemed easy to me.
We left the oil palm estate and started our way uphill. This is definitely different from the hike to the lighthouse at Cape Rachado. The path is narrow and more difficult and steep. It was quite tough for the children. I rushed them quite a bit because it was very dark and I was hoping to get to the top before it started raining.
There is deep ravine to the left and right of the path; so it is quite dangerous. Many people hike up early in the morning (6am) to catch the sunrise. I think that is even more dangerous (maybe there is another route).
We made up halfway....Lyn wasn't feeling good. She said it was as bad as doing Segak (physical fitness exam in school). She didn't look good. I felt bad for pushing her. So decided to go downhill. The sky was turning real dark and I could hear thunder. Didn't feel safe because we were exposed to lightning at certain stretches.
It started raining before we reached downhill. We opened our umbrellas and walked down. At the foot we met another hiker going up with an umbrella and walking stick.
So it was off to Nottingham University to meet Tiffany. So much for our hike to Broga. I was very disappointed but the kids disliked the hike as it was too tiring for them. From their faces I know if they have a chance, they would not want to do it again....I think I need to be more diligent in forcing them to build up their stamina.
Nottingham University here we come!!!! We met Tiffany and she introduced us to the ducks in the lake. These ducks are imported from UK!!!! The white duck is always alone. Poor duck. We pity it so much. KC suggested getting a local duck to accompany it.
Tiff bringing us around the lake and campus. It's a small campus. Very new...maybe 5 years old. Looks nice and quite scenic as it is hilly.
Another group of ducks. There is a total of 7 miserable English ducks.
As we were walking pass the cafeteria, I spotted a familiar looking face inside. She looked at me and I looked at her. It's Geraldine! We were quite excited to see each other (probably that's the last place on earth she expects to see me). Geraldine was my student.
After visiting the sports center, (good facilites), we went to dinner with Tiffany. The first restaurant (no 58 was closed); so she brought us the pineapple restaurant.
We reached home close to 830pm; and ma was quite worried. She phoned to check on me.
Monday, November 8, 2010
fellowshipping via cyber
Wen and Win came to visit during the Deepavali hols. The kids were so excited to have the cousins around. Everybody was looking forward to it. Picked Win up at 7.30pm and went to the airport to pick Wen at 10pm. Her flight was horribly delayed. Waited for her for her long enough to order coffee and toast.
The next few days passed by quickly. Everybody was busy. Two pretty girls sprawled on the living room floor with their laptops. Two desktops in the study was busy working....with lots of sound. Dan was teaching the father how to play Red Alert and he complained that the father is slow.
Another two laptops running somewhere in the house(some people can control two gadgets or more at a go...it's called multi-tasking). I had not the chance to touch my laptop as it was monopolized by the kids. But of course I was as usual busy reading my book using my iPod Touch. In between, we managed to stay in contact via facebook!!!!
Even ma was not left alone in the cyber-hecticness. Win recorded her saying some foochow proverbs using the iPhone and here is Talking Tom imitating her!http://www.facebook.com/siamooi#!/video/video.php?v=143849918995367
When night came, I had to phone the kids to come upstairs to sleep as I was too lazy to walk down and they can't hear me if I holler from my room.
Suddenly, the fellowship of the computers ended. It's so quiet today. The kids enjoyed the cousins. I think the cousins enjoyed them too. Not sure how much communication went on but they did fellowshipped; I believe.
The next few days passed by quickly. Everybody was busy. Two pretty girls sprawled on the living room floor with their laptops. Two desktops in the study was busy working....with lots of sound. Dan was teaching the father how to play Red Alert and he complained that the father is slow.
Another two laptops running somewhere in the house(some people can control two gadgets or more at a go...it's called multi-tasking). I had not the chance to touch my laptop as it was monopolized by the kids. But of course I was as usual busy reading my book using my iPod Touch. In between, we managed to stay in contact via facebook!!!!
Even ma was not left alone in the cyber-hecticness. Win recorded her saying some foochow proverbs using the iPhone and here is Talking Tom imitating her!http://www.facebook.com/siamooi#!/video/video.php?v=143849918995367
When night came, I had to phone the kids to come upstairs to sleep as I was too lazy to walk down and they can't hear me if I holler from my room.
Suddenly, the fellowship of the computers ended. It's so quiet today. The kids enjoyed the cousins. I think the cousins enjoyed them too. Not sure how much communication went on but they did fellowshipped; I believe.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
exasperating
I was trying to relax last night when Dan came along to remind me that I need to go to school to meet his headmaster to explain why he is not attending extra classes during the holiday!!!
I should have just lied in the letter I wrote and said that I will be bringing my children away for holiday instead of being so blatantly honest and explained that I will be invigilating SPM and therefore I may not be able to rush on time to pick him up after the extra class. If it is a schooling day it's ok for him to stay around till I come to fetch him as there will still be students and teachers around. But it's holiday.....the school will be empty in no time once the extra class is over. I may be delayed for an hour or more. Can't the stupid teacher and headmaster understand another fellow teacher's predicament and be kind and merciful?
I am so so angry with this silly Chinese School system that I am breathing fire now.
I am not a kiasu person....I don't rush my kids all over the world for the best tuition teacher or for tuitions so that they score As. I allow them to go for tuition only when they request it or when I can't help them like the Chinese Language. Whatever Dan learns in this extra class will be forgotten in no time. He has to relearn again next year. Why rush next year's syllabus this year? Is it going to make him smarter and guarantee him As? I doubt. He will get whatever he gets for his UPSR whether he goes for the extra classes or not.
Infact the last extra classes which they had after UPSR exam for the Standard 5s (Mon to Thurs up till 430pm) wore him out totally and by the end of it he fell sick and skipped the last few extra classes. He had no time to do his own revision for the final exam. He was so tired after school and on certain days he had to attend his own personal tuitions.
He mentioned that a few times there were no teachers for the extra class and sometimes after giving the students work to do; the teachers don't even discuss the answers. What is the point of the extra class then??
If I were to go to see the headmaster today, I'm not sure if I can control my temper or not. Anyway, what can he do if my son does not turn up for the tuition during the holiday? The only person who will be frightened everyday till I meet him will be Dan.
Why take the holiday out of the holiday? Might as well don't have holiday at all.
I should have just lied in the letter I wrote and said that I will be bringing my children away for holiday instead of being so blatantly honest and explained that I will be invigilating SPM and therefore I may not be able to rush on time to pick him up after the extra class. If it is a schooling day it's ok for him to stay around till I come to fetch him as there will still be students and teachers around. But it's holiday.....the school will be empty in no time once the extra class is over. I may be delayed for an hour or more. Can't the stupid teacher and headmaster understand another fellow teacher's predicament and be kind and merciful?
I am so so angry with this silly Chinese School system that I am breathing fire now.
I am not a kiasu person....I don't rush my kids all over the world for the best tuition teacher or for tuitions so that they score As. I allow them to go for tuition only when they request it or when I can't help them like the Chinese Language. Whatever Dan learns in this extra class will be forgotten in no time. He has to relearn again next year. Why rush next year's syllabus this year? Is it going to make him smarter and guarantee him As? I doubt. He will get whatever he gets for his UPSR whether he goes for the extra classes or not.
Infact the last extra classes which they had after UPSR exam for the Standard 5s (Mon to Thurs up till 430pm) wore him out totally and by the end of it he fell sick and skipped the last few extra classes. He had no time to do his own revision for the final exam. He was so tired after school and on certain days he had to attend his own personal tuitions.
He mentioned that a few times there were no teachers for the extra class and sometimes after giving the students work to do; the teachers don't even discuss the answers. What is the point of the extra class then??
If I were to go to see the headmaster today, I'm not sure if I can control my temper or not. Anyway, what can he do if my son does not turn up for the tuition during the holiday? The only person who will be frightened everyday till I meet him will be Dan.
Why take the holiday out of the holiday? Might as well don't have holiday at all.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
adult joke
Dan poked his nose to my computer and tried to understand a joke which I was reading.
Joke : ......this machine provides service men need when away from their wives.....
Dan : What does it mean?
Me : It's an adult joke.
Dan : Oh...adultery!
(Actually it's a vending machine that sews buttons but the silly man opened his fly and got something else sewn.)
Dan : What happened?
Lyn and I : It's an adult joke!!!
Joke : ......this machine provides service men need when away from their wives.....
Dan : What does it mean?
Me : It's an adult joke.
Dan : Oh...adultery!
(Actually it's a vending machine that sews buttons but the silly man opened his fly and got something else sewn.)
Dan : What happened?
Lyn and I : It's an adult joke!!!
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