My handphone is now running the final lap of its last mile. The screen's image is gone. Can't receive calls sometimes. No more alarm clock in the mornings.
Time to get a new phone. But the question is... What kind of phone?
Have been secretly eyeing a camera phone. Imagine the novelty of:
Having a camera device in your pocket.
Getting to snap a picture whenever "the moment" comes. You can't possibly carry a real camera with you all the time, rite?
Getting to post more pictures on my blog.
Getting to snap a picture when the separuh iblis are up to mischief, and show it to the Rotan Man.
Not having to remember the exact spot where your car is parked anymore.
But that novelty will also mean...
Splashing more than half a grand on a camera phone. If you want to get a camera phone, may as well get a good camera phone, rite? No point buying the cheapest camera phone off the shelf if the picture quality is so bad, you don't even want to look at it or use it.
Risking it getting stolen. More people will be eyeing your handphone now.
Risking it getting spoiled. Drop it, and it's gone.
If I stick to my prinsip hidup and get the most basic handphone for what it's fundamentally supposed to be for...
I won't have to splash half of half a grand on it. A little over a hundred bucks will do.
No fear of thieves. They may as well steal my students' handphones. Don't bother with mine.
No fear of spoilage. If it drops, explodes and scatters... Just pick up the pieces and fix them back. No pain.
Many people who used to share the same prinsip hidup as I... Has strayed away... To the dark side... And bought camera phones... Ha ha ha ha! Meowlisa... Li Ean... Thou art apostates...
Still, it's very tempting. Imagine rite... Camera phone... You can actually see the face of the person calling you... It's not really that expensive what... I mean... I deserve it, don't I? I have always been thrifty and responsible... I do earn my own keep now... There's nothing wrong about it, rite... It's not like I'm gonna buy the most expensive phone on the planet... Just a simple camera phone... Not too teruk, but not too canggih... I'm sure it should be ok mah... But then again...
Oh, LOOK!! The screen is back!!
Yay. End of dilemma. End of conflict.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. But Nokia is faithful. It will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, it will also provide a way out and make the screen come back on it." (1 Nokiatians 10:13)
...when your girlfriend hilang until election day?
You cook.
Warning... Super boring post ahead...
Do you know what is the cheapest, 1L milk in the market? Marigold UHT milk. It's a record. Only RM3.19!
Do you know that for RM3.99, you can make an asparagus dish for three times? How much is one asparagus dish outside? And how many strands of asparagus do you get in it?
Do you know that Al-Fatimah cili giling (the type of chilli paste you buy in a small plastic container) is not spicy? It just looks red.
Do you know that the red jambu (the type that you buy along the highway's resthouses, where all the auntie suddenly come out and say "leng chai leng chai") costs only RM3.98 for 6 of them? And to think you pay RM2 at those resthouses for only, I think... 1.5 of them?
Do you know that any cooked chicken (the type that they display on the counter, half bird or whole bird) in Giant is dead chicken? I mean... It's like corpse meat. You put it in the fridge, after a few days, you can smell dead chicken.
Do you know that Jasmine rice is the best rice to buy? It's the second cheapest one. Don't buy the cheapest one. That one, it will take you longer to wash the rice. You must do at least 5 washes to get rid of the murkiness. Jasmine, good. Jalaludin Hassan say wan. Must be good la.
Do you know that a Jusco card must be renewed every year at RM12? It's actually worth it. Because you get 5% discounts on J-card days, and you get free parking.
Do you know why women (generally, not all of them) are good at multi-tasking? Because you must be good at multi-tasking in the kitchen. Or else, it will take you a short eternity to prepare a meal.
You must plan ahead. What do you need? Make sure everything you need is chopped, sliced, diced, and put near the stove before you start. Make sure all your equipment are in order too. You don't want to go scrambling for your kicap or your corn starch when your food is over the fire.
You must think strategically. If you do all the fast things first, then you must wait like a dongkoi for the slow things to cook. Then your fast things will turn cold.
If you do all the slow things first, then you don't have to wait for your fast things to cook. You save time, and you get to enjoy a warm meal.
Do the rice first (it takes the longest to cook). Then, heat up whatever meat you want to heat up in the microwave (you can leave whatever's inside in the microwave. It won't get cold). After that, you do the vegetables. Then, you boil the soup. While you're waiting for the soup, cut the fruits.
If you got it timed just right, you will hear the microwave "ting" first, then the rice cooker "click", then the soup sizzling last. Turn off the gas, scoop out the rice, then take out the meat from the microwave. Perfection! Timing is everything.
On a good day, it takes no longer than 15 minutes flat.
If the election campaigning period takes 30 days, imagine what a "see lai" I will become.
1st year anniversary as an "official" teacher in a public school.
Reflections for the past one year...
How do you feel after 1 year of teaching?
I feel like... I keep forgetting that I am a grown up. When you have to keep going to school every day, sometimes it makes you forget that you are an adult.
You'll still think about, "Should I cut class at 10:45 am?"
You still ask yourself, "Can I not go to school today?"
You still wonder, "Hmmm, what should I have in the canteen afterwards..."
It's like high school never ends!
What do you like about teaching life?
Well... You get to be king most of the time.
You get to think about what you want to do after school. And zoom off to do it as soon as the bell rings!
What do you dislike about teaching life?
Having to go to the bottom classes after 10:45 pm. That's when the monkeys have had their glucose boost.
What do you fear most about teaching life?
That I will get bored of it one day. I think I am getting bored about it already! I'm getting bored of Math... *gasp!* What is your biggest achievement so far?
I think I've come up with a really good way to explain intersection and union. You remember the topic about Sets, where you see the (A ∩ B) and (A U B) stuff? The "∩" in (A ∩ B) means gunshot.
Imagine you had a gun with only one bullet. The bullet can penetrate anything. Where do you shoot so that A and B will get hit in one shot? The "U" in (A U B) means bombshell.
Imagine you have a bomb. You want to blow up A and B. You just blacken off A and B. The whole thing. No need to think so much. Just blacken the whole thing. A and B. That's right.
It works every time. How would you describe the pinnacle of your career?
Hmmm...
After doing some soul searching...
I can't believe it...
I realized...
My childhood dream is still there!
I still want to be...
Headmaster of Penang Free School.
The SOS (save our school) syndrome is still there. Hidden inside of me.
Maybe I'm still naive enough to believe that it is possible by merit alone.
Or, maybe it's true... That I haven't really grown up :)
When you've got a big windfall, and you know you can't keep it with you forever, what do you do with it?
You send it on ahead to a place where you can keep it.
Where is that place?
That place is not here. You store it in heaven. How do you store it in heaven?
By giving it away on earth.
Doesn't that sound silly or radical? Or isn't that just plain stupid?
But that is exactly what Jesus taught.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 7:19)
Even if we stop hoarding treasures on earth and start stockpiling treasures in heaven, aren't we still stuck with the mentality of accumulating things? The problem of obsession with treasure isn't really dealt with. We did not vanquish the obsession itself. We merely transferred its destination. Isn't it selfish to be thinking about treasures in heaven all the time?
Nope. Jesus Himself said, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:20)
Note that He said, "Lay up for yourselves." Not "Lay up for someone else," or even "Lay up for God". Selfishness is gain at the expense of someone else. Laying up treasures in heaven comes at nobody's expense. In fact, it comes at everybody else's gain.
Won't this attitude make me bitter towards God? How can I find pleasure in Him and His kingdom, if I have to give my treasures away, instead of keep them?
Nope. Jesus goes on to say, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21). In whichever place you put your money, your heart will follow it. Your interest will go there, and you will find pleasure there too. The pleasure is not lost. Why do you think you check the stock market everyday if your money is in stocks?
Test Him on this. Put your money in Saudi Arabia.
See if you will still remain disinterested about Saudi Arabia. You will scramble for every piece of news to update yourself about Saudi Arabia. The next time a Christian is martyred in Saudi Arabia, or the next time a Christian meeting place is burnt there, see if your heart won't get wrenched over it.
If your money is in Saudi Arabia, you will want to know how your investment is doing in Saudi Arabia. You will want to know if your money is reaching the target group effectively in Saudi Arabia. You will want to know if you have been wise in giving to Saudi Arabia. You will want to know everything about the advancement of your Ringgit in helping God's people in Saudi Arabia.
You will find yourself praying for Saudi Arabia. You will find yourself worrying about Saudi Arabia. You will find yourself worked up about Saudi Arabia. You will smile or you will cry over Saudi Arabia. Your mind will be constantly preoccupied with Saudi Arabia.
You won't feel much about Saudi Arabia if you have not given much to Saudi Arabia. If you put a chunk of your treasure there... There your heart will be also.
I believe that the Lord is leading me to give to Barnabas Aid on a frequent basis. Being placed in an area that is predominantly Muslim, I believe God has been trying to tell me something.
He is showing me things that I would not have seen if I was placed elsewhere. My exposure to a predominantly Muslim society have increased my understanding of Islam. And along with it, my sensitivity towards the plight of suffering Christians.
1 in every 10 Christians live with persecution. No, it's not the "My mum won't let me go to church" type of persecution. It's the kind of persecution that violates basic human rights. It is a matter of life or death.
If you are reading this, you are the other nine.
Do you want to start stockpiling in the right place?
Have you ever toyed with the idea of running for the elections? Let's see if you can. Say, if you want to run as an independent candidate...
If you're an independent, you must have the dough for the deposits.
RM15k, at least. Can just do a bank loan. No problem...
You must be over 21 and of sound mind, not an un-discharged bankrupt, and not have been convicted of an offence by court and jailed for more than a year or fined more than RM2,000 and have not received a free pardon (invalid after five years).
Age? Checked. Sound mind? Checked. Bankrupt before? Close, but not yet. Convicted in court, jailed, or fined more than RM2,000? My parking summons don't amount up to that much. Ok so far...
A person who is a citizen of a country outside Malaysia, and a person convicted of offences in connection with the elections is not eligible.
Malaysian? Checked. Did anything wrong during elections? Nope...
You need a proposer and a seconder; they must reside in the constituency where you are contesting.
Easy only. Just call Ah Goo, Ah Kau...
Next, you have to obtain the nomination forms from the EC...
Isi borang! I like...
... All filled out in triplicate.
Lagi, I like!
If you’re an independent, you get to pick your symbol from a list of 20 approved ones. Sorry, you can’t come up with your own symbol.
Very ugly lah, the approved symbols. Never mind. Still can...
You can appoint an election agent (one), canvassers (more than one); polling agents (who will help observe whether voting goes according to the rules on polling day at each polling station); and counting agents (who must verify the votes cast for spoilt ones) at the counting centres.
If you are planning on campaigning, then come up with some manifestos or issues that make up your platform. No problem. Can start writing right away...
Anyone in the public service sector – namely, civil service, armed forces, police, judicial and legal service, railway service and the education service – is disqualified.
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14-17)
It is shocking for me to discover how many Christian votes will be going down the gutter.
Here is the thing. When Christians don't vote in the upcoming elections, we are forfeiting more than our right as a citizen of Malaysia. We are forfeiting our right as a child of God to pray for Malaysia for the next 5 years.
We say, "I wish you well, Malaysia. Be a better place to live in." We are liars if we say that we care, and yet we don't vote. The Bible says such faith is dead. It will be better if we said "I don't care at all." At least, we won't be lying.
We should not have "Light Up Our Nation" campaigns anymore. We should cease having all-night prayer meetings to ask God for revival in our country. Our prayers for the Malaysia will not be heard for the next 5 years. Because God knows we are lying.
Picture this. Many young adults either have not registered, or are not going to vote. That leaves the "old voters" to do the voting, while the young ones remain silent.
"Old voters" are already set in their political inclinations. They probably won't change their vote.
So if young voters stay away, and "old voters" continue to vote... Mathematically speaking, should we expect any change in the result? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.
Some say "It doesn't matter whether or not I vote. The voting system is flawed. We only have a perceived democracy. But actually, it isn't".
If it is true that there are phantom voters, the only way to beat phantom voters is by sheer volume. How are you an answer to that?
If it is true that we don't have real democracy, then we have to change perceived democracy into real democracy.How are you an answer to that?
Some say, "I will vote when the government is not anti-Chinese."
If that is true, show me the logic of how your silence going to make the government less racial. How are you an answer to that?
Some say, "The government is corrupt. I will not vote."
If that is true, how much less injustice must there be before it is the right time to vote? (I feel really weird trying to reason this way, for this argument and also the previous one) Spare me the logic of how the government can get less corrupt when we don't cast our vote. How are you an answer to that?
Some even have the audacity to give a holy answer. "I don't intend to vote. But I will pray. Because I believe God's plan will be revealed."
Ok. Something is fundamentally wrong here. God is sovereign, right? There is nothing we can do to change God's will on the election results, right? God is in control of what will happen to Malaysia for the next 5 years, right? So, why vote.
Along the same line of reasoning... If God is all powerful, and He already knows all things, even of our needs before we ask Him... Then, why pray at all.
We say we believe that God is sovereign over all things. Including our lives. But we do not submit to Him in prayer. We believe He is God, yet we don't treat Him as God. That is the irony.
James says, such faith is dead. We may as well have no faith at all. It will be no different.
Ask anyone of any religion. Anyone who believes in any god will tell you that the one thing you must do for that god is to pray to it.
But Christians know better. Christians say we don't have to pray.
Ask anyone who does not believe in any god. Especially the ones who think that they are gods. They will tell you that the future is in their hands. They can make things happen if they want them to happen. They hold their destiny in their own hands.
But Christians know better. Christians say we don't have to do anything, and yet things will happen.
If this is the popular view of Christians, I am ashamed to be identified as one of them.
Every single thing we do, or don't do, has an eternal impact on eternity. When we face Christ one day, He will ask us what we think of the country He put us in.
We will go on and on about how bad it is, if that is how we really feel. Time will not be a problem. We have all eternity.
The next question He will ask is, "What did you do about Malaysia."
No need to explain why evading taxes was better than giving money to the wrong hands. No need to justify about why it was ok to accumulate as much wealth as we could from the soil which we believe should also belong to us. No need to explain about how our righteous anger was justifiable when we countered racial injustice blow for blow. Those are the questionable things that He had not asked us to do.
The least we could have done is vote.
Even if we are not that long-sighted to think eternity-wise, let's be a little short-sighted for now. Let's just think about the next 5 years.
Remember God's continual call to remember the fatherless, to defend the widows, and to help the alien, the poor and the weak? Remember what God said about impartiality, be it to Jews or Greeks, slaves or free? Remember justice and equality?
Our inaction to vote makes us guilty of not heeding those calls. We can't pray about those things too, because God knows we are not sincere. At least for the next 5 years.
Note that I did not say "vote for who." All I'm saying is, vote. It is our responsibility. To ourselves, to our nation, to God.
By not voting, we are already doing the wrong thing by default. "To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17)
Another thing that conspired in my mind during Chinese New Year... Operasi upgrade to Masters.
My maternal uncle told me this during our reunion dinner:
"Tua hoo tiok buey siew tua hai. Ah si loo si say hoo... Siang ka lay hoo, thor sat... boh huat lah, tiok buey siew say hai. Tua hoo eng kai siew tua hai. Ah see eh khee, tiok buey support hor ee khee mah."
Translation:
"Big fish must swim in big sea. If you are small fish, like lay hoo (still can't figure out what that is) or thor sat (catfish), then no choice la, must swim in small sea / river. But big fish should swim in big sea. If can go up, should support until can go up mah."
Coincidentally, a day after, Aiching said she dreamt I was doing an MPA. She asked me if it meant anything to me.
I said it must be Male Pessimist Award. I had no idea what it was.
Then, Mei Yee told me there is actually such a thing as MPA! Masters in Public Administration.
Hmmm... So I started toying with the idea....
In the end, operasi tak jadi again. Why?
Because if I ask my father to support me to get a Masters, I know his logic well enough. He'd ask me to take a loan and pay it off as I work. "It's not much mah. Just a few hundred bucks per month..."
Like I'm so willing to get into another debt. If a Masters degree costs approximately RM8k per year, I'm looking at an RM24k loan over three years. That's equivalent of the car loan that I took from Bank Rakyat. With a Masters degree, I'll be paying off something similar to two car loans every month, and drive only one. Not very smart for a Master's degree holder, is it?
Furthermore, promotions and increments in my vocation do not depend on how many paper qualifications you have. Promotions up the salary scale depend on how many Guru Cemerlang awards you win, and how fast you pass your PTK (Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan) exams. Why would I need an MPA for that?
Even if I set my eyes on switching to an administrative position with an MPA, here's the reality: It's not about what you know. It's about who you know. It's not about merit. It's about colour.
If I aim for advancement with an MPA, I'll get even more frustrated when I don't get it. So, why work myself up for an impending frustration? And later, make myself work harder to pay off a debt for something that did not serve its purpose?
"Why not get a Masters in something else, and switch to the corporate sector?"
The thing is, that is not what I want to do. I want to stay in public schools and be a school teacher. If I can gain advancement, I'd still want to stay in the area of education and make an impact at a different level. My motivation to get a Masters is to go up in the same field, not to get sidetracked into another field.
But if I know for certain that a Masters degree won't propel me in that direction anyway... Why bother.
After all, it's not as though I can comfortably afford to get another piece of paper qualification.
Even if the day comes when I can afford to do a Masters degree, I'll let Mei Yee do it. She's the nerdy one. I only look smart on the outside. But actually ah, bluff wan :)
One of the things that conspired in my mind during Chinese New Year... Operasi beli rumah.
A church member who lives in Kepong is migrating to US. He is selling his house for a little over RM200k.
I have been toying with the idea of staying in Kepong. First of all, it's very near my church. Secondly, it's midway between Selayang and Taman Paramount, so I won't have to travel so far to meet Mei Yee. Thirdly, I may have a stronger chance to get myself transferred out of SMK Selayang Bharu. Fourthly, I have a feeling that Kepong is a safer neighbourhood to be in. Fifthly, non-kosher food abounds.
Since I've been thinking about shifting there... Why not buy a house there?
No way I can buy it on my own. I'm not entitled to get a government housing loan yet. Even if I am, I can't afford to pay off more than a grand every month on house installments alone.
Talked to my father about it. We hit a great idea: He buys half the house, I buy half the house. He buys as an investment, I buy to stay. When the price of the house appreciates, we sell it and split it 50-50. It's better for him to put the money in a house than in fixed deposits.
It all sounded pretty fine and dandy. But after thinking about it one sleepless night, I realized it's not such a good idea after all.
My father's motivation and mine are different. He's buying to invest. I'm buying to stay. Let's say he wants to sell it after 5 years. I have to move. If I don't, my father will be cheated.
That means, from the moment I step into my new house, I have to start thinking of acquiring a new one. I have to be continuously saving up for that bigger, better house. So when the time comes, I can sell it and move. Where is the peace in that?
Eventually, when I do get a bigger, better house... That will also mean I'll have bigger debts to pay off until an older age. Where is the sense in that?
And while I'm staying in that bigger, better house, I'll have to pay installments for two houses. Until I can find someone to buy my "old" house from me. How long is that going to take?
For a person of my vocation, what does buying a house in Kepong mean?
Getting that house in Kepong will mean putting a lot of attention into acquiring wealth, only to move to another new house, and plunge myself into a deeper debt. Surely I have to find a lot of side income to keep my head above the installments. Whatever extra income I may earn no longer becomes a bonus. It becomes a need. I have to keep working harder and harder. I won't own the house. The house owns me.
I fail to see the logic in that.
So, operasi tak jadi.
Calculator in hand, fast-forwarding myself into the future. To spare you the calculations, here is the result: I won't be able to afford a RM200k house on my own. I can only hit the RM100k-ish bracket. You're not looking at freehold, landed property in that kind of bracket. You're looking at an apartment. A small one.
What can I do until I can buy that small apartment?
Continue renting a flat for RM350 a month.
"If you're gonna be paying RM350 for a flat, it won't be too much to pay an additional RM250 for a RM600/month installment for an apartment of your own, isn't it? Why pay rental to other people, when you can be paying installments for your own place?"
Of course it won't be too much. If I accumulate the amount of rental I would have paid over 3 years, I would have enough to make an initial payment for an RM100k apartment. But where am I going to stay for the next 3 years?
Hence, the necessary evil of renting a place instead of buying one.
Since I'm at it, I may as well toy with the idea of never owning my own place. Why?
Because there are people who actually get by that way. They may not have their own house. But they are not in debt like those who do. They are not enslaved by the very thing they stay in.
By the way, this world is not my home. Why should I be so preoccupied with making my home here, when it isn't? I would rather be found busy in the house of the Lord, than to be caught struggling to maintain a house I can't comfortably afford. And thus pierce myself with many griefs.
Instead of asking God for a house in this world, I'd rather ask Him to continually remind me not to love it. If I can shift my paradigm, I can shift my goals. If I shift my perspective, I shift the place where I want to build my home.
Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9)
What I realize I missed most when I went home for Chinese New Year...
Waking up to find food on the table. Really good food, still warm, in huge amounts! It's a rarity in my part of the world.
Meeting familiar people and hearing familiar languages, even if I don't understand them. I may not understand what they are saying, but it gives me the feeling that I am home.
Knowing that my parents still love me a lot. My mum bends over backwards to make all my favourite food. She has been doing that since I was Joshua kecik.... Until I am Joshua besar.
Moral of the story...
Good things cannot be realized as long as they are taken for granted.
What I learned most during Chinese New Year...
When traveling towards KL after the holidays, the traffic is the same. Be it 1:30 am or 1:30 pm. I can testify for the 1:30 a.m. part.
Moral of the story...
Travel with somebody in the car. So something bad won't happen and you won't add to the jam.
What I learned most about my mental self during Chinese New Year...
I cannot do nothing for too long. Or be in a state of mental inactivity. I will get brain freeze, stoned, or irritable. Gimme an idea to think about. Or something to dream about. Even if it's just wishful thinking, or a plan to build a castle in the air. It keeps me excited, it keeps me occupied, it gets me going.
Moral of the story...
During gong xi fa cai, take steps to ward off the gong gong feeling. It comes easily when you've finally had enough rest.
What I learned most about my physical self during Chinese New Year...
Something is seriously wrong with my posture. I can't stay on my feet for prolonged hours. I get lower back pains. And I'm hardly 30.
Moral of the story...
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Before difficult days come by... When you have to put a lumbar support in your car seat, and vocalize an exhaling sound whenever you sit down.
This is my favourite Petronas Chinese New Year advertisement. Because I don't need to read the subtitles for this one :)
