Memoirs Of My Jalopies

Which is best:

A) Repair an 80's Ford Laser 1.3. The repair costs more than the car itself.
B) Buy a 2nd hand 1984 Honda Accord for RM4500.
C) Buy a 2nd hand 2003 Proton Iswara 1.5 for RM15,000.
D) Buy a brand new Proton Iswara 1.3 for RM26,999.

My Ford Laser overheated. Steam blew out from the bonnet. Fumes leak into the car ever since. Shortening my life span with each long drive I take in my car. Engine overheats whenever there is a traffic jam. It starts smoking when it stops for too long. Mechanic told me there is no band-aid solution. Repairing it requires an overhaul.

My mechanic landlord recommended me a 1984 Honda Accord. Meticulously polished, shiny, black body. Never left overnight under the sky. Sports rim. Brand new tyres. Carefully maintained interior. Everything in the interior works. Including central locking and power windows. Got power steering. Legs also can feel air cond. Got sun roof. Opens at the push of a button. Engine, steady and good. Can reach 80 km/hr on a 4th gear without straining the rpm. 2-digit number plate. Rarely used. Owner's wife asked to sell it. Because she is the one who has to clean it.

Tried to bargain for RM4000. Before I could put in a deposit, it was sold to another person that very same night. Some guy came along, wanted it, and paid RM4,500 cash on the spot. I only found out the next morning. How can that be? That car was mine! I feel robbed.

My friend is changing to a company car by the end of next month. He's selling his 4-year old Proton Iswara 1.5, with sports rim, for RM15,000. If compared to the current price of a Proton Iswara 1.3, it's a drop of RM12,000 in 4 years.

A brand new Proton Iswara 1.3 will cost a minimum downpayment of RM2,800. The longest period for installments is RM306 for 9 years. Is it worth to invest in a new car, when my pay hasn't kicked in for more than 2 months already? What about my rental, water bill, electric bill, Digi bill, internet bill, makan bill? Not counting the little luxuries of life yet, like catching a movie in the cinema. Or eating something else rather than home-made sandwiches or economy rice. Or driving anywhere further than Selayang to Kepong. Or Selayang to Sri Gombak.

Well, if I do get a brand new car, there will be things that I won't be used to:

1) A car that starts up when I want to go somewhere in my car (Wah, good morning, car!)
2) Seeing all the doors unlock when I open the driver's door (Oui, why together open wan?)
3) Seeing all the doors lock by itself when I lock my side of the door (Like that also can?)
4) A signal light that works without manually handling it with my right hand (Can blink by itself wan... And can turn off by itself after I turn!)
5) A back door that can open from the inside (no more child safety feature).
6) A steering wheel that is properly aligned (Wah... Straight...)
7) Not having to pour in water and buy engine oil frequently (No more oily hands).
8) Not being able to park it anywhere I like for days (How to travel outstation now?)
9) Having to lock the security lock whenever I park the car (Slow la...)
10) Having to unlock it again when I wanna go off (But if rushing, then?)
11)Having to wash it with something else rather than rain water and natural sulphuric acid cleaner (No time la...)
12) Hearing a beeping sound when I back up the car (Hahh? Not yet bang also got sound??)

Man, I miss my good ol' Datsun 120Y. The one I drove before my Ford Laser. I miss:

1) Driving without a right side mirror (Best training)
2) A hanger attached below the air-cond vent, to hang stuff like teh peng or hokkien mee (Easy to tapao).
3) A cluster of McDonald's straws, taped together and shoved into the air cond vent, to keep the shaft from closing (When hot, just put your face at the straw)
4) A left window that cannot close properly if you wind it up too fast. Once, it dropped all the way to the bottom, and cannot get back up (The one who did it, you know who)
5) Flicking the signal lights up and down to create a blinking light (Multi tasking, man...)
6) Hearing a F1 engine rev up underneath a Datsun casing (Can see the envy in their eyes)
7) How light the car feels, steering it with only one thumb (Country roooads... Take me hooome..)
8) How the brakes feel like it isn't there, and having to brake very early for a gradual and safe stop (Look before you leap, brake before it's late)

And, of course...

9) How things went slow motion, as the right tyre came off, drifted like a Jackie Chan movie, and flew over the divider one fateful night. And trying to see if I can see my body in the driver's seat from outside the car (Good thing I couldn't)

I guess I was brought up to believe that one doesn't need a new car to get through life. I always thought it best to drive old cars, and invest the money somewhere else. "We don't serve the car. The car serves us," my father would always say. I've never dreamt about cars. Hence, my lack of knowledge and interest on automobiles. The thought of buying a new car never really crossed my mind.

Until recent happenings...




You've served me well. A few more months is all I ask...

The Pursuit Of Happiness

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

We've discussed the matter of "pursuit of happiness" before in Sungai Ara Youth Hour some time ago. Not in the legislative sense, though.

The pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right? A recent newspaper article made me ponder how far this can be true in our country.

The Education Ministry has highlighted that teachers are not allowed to give tuition classes for more than 4 hours a week. Other restrictions include:

• Giving tuition at tuition centres registered by the state education department.
• Application to give tuition has to be approved by the state education director two months beforehand.
• Applicants must achieve a minimum of 80% in their performance appraisals in the previous year.
• Tuition centres must not be more than 25km from a teacher's school.

Any normal tuition centre pays approximately RM30 per hour. 4 hours a week will be RM120. In a month, that will be RM480. So government school teachers are restricted to earning an extra income of RM480 a month. Any more than that, then you are breaking the law.

In Rule 5 Regulations on Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) 1993, teachers are not allowed to do outside work and be paid for it (see reference). So, if you are coaching, let's say, a swimming team for a professional club, then you are breaking the law. Even if many school swimmers are developed under that club, or even if you are "sedang memajukan sukan untuk negara", if you are getting paid for it, then you are breaking the law.

If you want to help develop sports among the youth of the nation, or if you want to give kids a healthy co-curricular purpose, or if you want to keep kids off the streets after school hours, you have to do it for free. Either that, or quit the government service. Then you can groom the nation's athletes legally.

In short, teachers are not allowed to earn money outside the government's payroll. If you do, make sure it's not over RM480. If it exceeds that amount, then you are a lawbreaker. If you are passionate about a sport, you can only develop that sport under the confines of a school. If the school has the facilities, then you can do it. (But only for the students of that school. Students from other schools are denied that privilege) If the school does not have the privilege at all, then your passion for the sport is limited to a couch in front of ESPN's Sports Channel.

You tell me how far is the pursuit of happiness an unalienable right in our country.

On the further restrictions:

1. On the tuition centre's registration. Which tuition centre wants to register itself with the state education department, if the employees under its payroll is going to be tabbed by the ministry? As Lawrence Law said, school teachers (at least, the good ones) should be the best people for the job. Ironically, you can't hire the best people for the job to work at your center for more than 4 hours. But you can let anyone else work for unlimited hours in your center. Does this make sense for any thriving tuition centre?

2. On the teacher's registration. What if you are already teaching tuition for many years already? Registering now will mean you have been ignoring the law for a long time. Also, after you have registered, you have to wait 2 months before you start teaching (if you get approved). So, at the meantime, you have to quit from your centre?

Also, with all the stipulated restrictions, what motivation is there for anyone to step up and be registered? It will make more sense to remain under the radar. How would the ministry find out about their involvement in tuition centers anyway? It's not practical to seek out every tuition center, and ask for the list of people under their payroll.

Another obvious point. We all know that teaching outside a tuition center pays way, much better. How are these stipulations going to apply for private home tutors? It doesn't solve the problem of teachers moonlighting as tuition teachers if they quit their centers and do home tutoring instead.

3. On performance appraisals. We all know that performance appraisals do not really reflect a teacher's performance in school. It is highly abritary. And it is also easily manipulated if you know the system.

4. On distance. Picture this. Let's say, your house, your school and your tuition centre are in a straight line. Your school is right in the middle, as the center of reference. The distance between your school and your house is 25km. The distance between your school and your tuition center is also 25km. Your house and your tuition center are at opposite ends, with your school right in the middle.

To go from your house to your tuition center, you are allowed to travel a total of 50 km. But if there is a tuition center which lies outside the 25 km radius from your school, then you cannot teach there. Even if that center is just right across the street from your house.

I don't know if Mei Mei (see reference) knows what she is talking about. She says the government wants to make sure that the teachers’ main priority is school-going students like herself. I can't help but wonder if she goes to tuition centres herself. What if she finds out her favourite tuition teacher is also a school teacher. What if that same school teacher is also the students' favourite in his own school. Does she realize that there are students who actually need tuition classes, either to excel, or to eke a passing grade?

Of course, there are some school teachers who misplace their priorities in school, and compromise them with their involvement in tuition centres. But is it so hard to believe that not all teachers are like that? Is it fair to legislate a blanket restriction on all teachers?

What about primary teachers who struggle to make ends meet? If the government cannot help them in that area, they are not allowed to help themselves?

A more pertinent question to ask is, how much is the tuition industry affecting the education system? Is the education system reliant on it, or is the education system suffering because of it? Does the tuition industry have a positive or negative impact to its students? What does that tell us of the current state of our education system? Is placing restrictions on teachers and tuition centres a move for the better, or for the worse? If, for some reason, tuition centres ever get abolished, will the education system survive without it?

It's an acceptable thing if a teacher's salary is a humble one. But the implication is a worrying one when people are denied the freedom to pursue happiness outside the government's payroll.

What's In A Name

Mei Yee thinks that getting anonymous comments is nothing to be agitated about. But I automatically get annoyed with deliberate anonymity. Here's why:

Firstly, going back to Public Speaking and Speech Writing 101. Why are introductory speeches important? In any decent seminar or conference, the chairperson takes great lengths to properly introduce the speaker before he speaks. He elaborates on the speaker's background, his status, his accomplishments, etc. Why is that necessary? Because a good and proper introduction validates the credibility of the speaker.

Granted, it's the content matter that counts. But the credibility of the speaker speaks volumes of what he is going to say even before he opens his mouth. If he is who he is reputed to be, you'll take in what he has to say with much more respect. If you know that the speaker is far from impressive in the field he is in, you'll take whatever he says with a pinch of salt. Would you take a person speaking on "Corporate Ethics" when he has been famous for harassing people in his workplace?

Yes, it will put either a bias or a prejudice on the speaker. But I say it's a good bias, and a wise prejudice.

So if you want more respect, do not shy away into anonymity. When your talk matches your walk, you have nothing to hide. People will give you respect.

Secondly, anonymity doesn't work. If Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the north door of Castle Church in Wittenberg and signs off as "An Unhappy Theology Professor", do you think anything would've happened? Nope. He put his name on it.

Anonymity doesn't work because people cannot identify with nameless, faceless entities. But if the writing comes with a name and a face, people will realize that "Hey, here's a real story! This is a real person! What he says is true!" The public will realize that the issue, and the propagator of the issue, is for real. People will either rally behind you, or directly oppose you. Things will happen.

But if you submit an anonymous letter, it's not hard at all to put it into the trash can.

Thirdly, the motive of anonymity doesn't work too. If indeed technology is so advanced and investigators are so efficient to tap into phone lines and put bugs on the internet, you don't even need a name to be found out.

Once, in a feedback form that my Christian Fellowship collected, an anonymous person focused his/her dissatisfactions directly on me. (The Exco Board of 2005/2006 would know what I'm talking about) It only took elementary deduction to make out who the writer was.

Firstly, it's obvious that the writer lied in his/her identity. He/she indicated that he/she was a postgraduate. But he/she couldn't tell the difference between an Exco member and a Cell Group Leader. So obviously, he/she is a freshie, not a postgraduate. Also, there are only so few postgraduates around. Ummm... Sadat? Nah, I don't think so :)

Secondly, it's not too hard to narrow down who talks like that. Usually, a person's sentence structure, choice of vocabulary, and maturity of thought is reflected in his/her writing.

Thirdly, all I had to do is dig up some old forms that the CF members have filled before. It doesn't take long to match people's handwriting.

However, although I cannot stop mental acrobatics from happening, I didn't allow myself to finish step 2. The Exco Board means it when we say that anonimity in feedback forms will be respected. Exco people are smart people. But we use it for good, not for evil. Cunning as serpents and harmless as doves, are we :)

The point here is, it's not difficult at all to narrow down the identity of anonymous writers. But I chose not to know. Anyway, if the writer is reading this, rest assured that although there was only a small pool of people to guess from, I still do not know specifically who you are, and I did not allow it to happen. And I don't hold anything against you. I believe in handling criticisms professionally, at work or at play.

So, if anonymous writers are going to be found out anyway, why not just be man about it.

Coming back to the issue...

Fourthly, being not anonymous works! Many people already know about how my story was featured on the first page of the Sun not too long ago. With name, face, quotations and all. But what not many people know is... I was the first KPM scholarship holder to get a posting before any other scholarship holder did. If NST's anonymous version was all the Education Ministry had to go by, I don't think even a feather would have been ruffled into action.

Fifthly, hiding behind anonymity is rude. Why is it that you don't like it when someone talks to you with his sunglasses on? Why do you feel reluctant to respond when someone talks to you while wearing a mask? It's because you do not know to whom you're speaking to. The man behind the mask knows to whom he is talking to, but he doesn't give you the privilege the other way around. That is rude.

Sixthly, anonymity is cowardly behaviour. Sometimes, you have something to say. You got a matter to deal with. But you don't want to confront the personality. So, you resort to ways of sending the message across without having to deal with the personality. Maybe it's because that personality is a force to be reckoned with. Maybe it's because you don't want to deal with the backlash after saying what you have to say. Maybe it's because you just want to say whatever you feel like saying, and you want to get away with it. Whichever way it is... That is cowardly.

Sometimes, don't you think it's improper when someone has something important to tell you, but he'd rather SMS than call? It makes you feel that the other person has something to deal with. But he doesn't want to talk to you.

So, in conclusion... If you got something to say, put your money where your mouth is. Or, in this case, put your name where your writing is.

And be responsible for what you write.

Peanuts Or Brownies

They're paying me peanuts.

My tuition center at Sri Gombak is paying me by a profit-sharing basis. 70-30 split. I keep 70% of the profit, the center keeps 30%. Sounds good, rite? If I have a class of, let's say, 10 students... That's great, right?

But not if your class has only 2 students.

The center told me that they have 9-10 students before I committed myself to the center. I feel conned.

Well, yesterday, 1 new student turned up in my Form 4 Add Maths class. It's safe to say that I have 50% growth in less than a month :)

The center told me yesterday that they're opening up two more classes for me. Add Maths Form 5, and Chemistry Form 5. How many students? 4 in the Add Maths class, and only 1 for Chemistry.

If I calculate how much they're paying me a month... It's peanuts. In fact, it's a loss to me.

But, stranglely enough, I actually feel kinda good inside after every tuition class at this center. Weird. I know at the back of my mind that what I'm doing here is akin to charity. But every time I end my class, I feel as though I've helped someone. Like I've given someone hope.

I decided to take up the 2 new classes. I figured, "Well, if they're giving me peanuts, I may as well earn brownie points here."

I didn't come into education for the money. If I was after the money, I wouldn't be looking for it in schools.

Melissa Ng asked me this question before: "Seriously, why are you into the tuition business? Is it purely for the money, or for some other purpose?"

Here's why... It's because I believe in giving people hope.

And I need another source of income too. If I can get that by doing something I believe in and love doing, then it's a win-win situation.

That's what I have to keep reminding myself. I'm here to give people hope.