The Eye

It is, officially, the start of my annual leave. Several years of staying put in Hong Kong resulted to almost a month of holidays. And what better way to start the day than with a signal number 8 cyclone?

Alright, I’m overreacting. It’s just T3 as I stepped outside my building. There was a light drizzle but I decided not to buy another umbrella—a bad habit (buying, that is). I keep forgetting the umbrellas at school and I’m quite sure I have at least five waiting for me there. If I can keep my composure while walking in the rain, I’ll make it to school only slightly wet.

It is my first day off on my annual leave and I’m heading to school. Each step on a puddle got me irritated not because of my wet sneakers but because of why I have to go to school in the first place. In a nutshell: three months of unpaid salary, and I’ve come to collect. I just hope the supervisor checked the weather. A cyclone is headed his way.

The rain strengthened just as I arrived at the school. All the other teachers were there. Most of them anyway and the ones who were there have filed their resignations. Three teachers and two staff will be leaving the school. It only shows the degree of mismanagement of the so-called ‘super’visor. Why I’m still with them is a long story that you will not hear today.

The super and his sidekick (we lovingly call ‘the rat’), arrived an hour or so later. I just stared at them. They obviously know why I’m there. I have sent a demand letter, sent an email, attached the same letter, and sent a follow-up in a span of three days.

They dodged me, pretending to attend to other matters. To be fair, the other matters did matter. I waited patiently. Two hours later, the super sat beside me. Took a deep breath and said “I received your email.” The rain outside increased, I’m boiling up inside. I am the eye of this storm. “We are working hard on it,” he added.

After that, I let out a rant that might have been out of place if I had no claim to anything. At one point, the rat said that I should write to members of the organization to ask for my salary. I told him that I have never been in a workplace where employees sourced out their own salaries! In a sense, I told him to do his job.

When all has been said and done, the rain calmed down. I’ve accepted the incompetence of my supervisor and it is perhaps my fault why I am still in the school. I walked out of the school empty handed and only with a false sense of hope that everything will be fine. When I got home and typhoon signal 8 was hoisted. This is indeed a sign of better things to come.

Back from the Ashes

“Material things have always meant happiness,” my curry-stuffed friend said as he chewed on the last bit of beef brisket.  I looked at him, then to his iPhone 4, then to my relatively cheap(er) HTC Salsa and then I wondered why I’m still smiling after all these years.

Sawdust stove. Photo by ketoo

A day ago I was in front of my class telling them a piece of my childhood, particularly the summer days I have spent with my grandmothers.  We lived at my grandmother’s house for the most part of my childhood.  Nanay and Lola Pacing were both notoriously stingy despite having a steady flow of cheques from a wealthy sister.  They chose to grow their own vegetables, raise their own pigs and ducks, sourced their own water, made their own cooking stove, and if they could, they’d probably generate their own electricity.  Nursery rhyme potential, I know, e,i,e,i,o.  As a result, I learned how to grow plants, clean a sty and turn sawdust into a stove.  Somehow, they managed to do those things on a daily basis and never complained.  On times when I helped out, I actually had fun with the chores.  My class was mesmerized at my grandmas’ resourcefulness.  As a price for hearing my story, I let them answer Post-Reading questions on “Caring for Others”.

Back on our dinner table, my friend asked if he’s too ambitious.  I said that it’s not a bad thing.  I told him that maybe I’m not ambitious enough.  I told him that I’m contented.  I’m a person who’s easily contented.  And I asked him if it’s a bad thing.  No answer.

I suppose people have different views on happiness.  Whatever makes one person happy may not be true for another.  When I look at myself, like really look inside of me, I can honestly say that I am happy.  I have sad times, that's a given, but I've always felt that I am still better off than most people.  I can have more, I guess, and maybe I deserve more.  But then I would remember the sawdust stove.  I remember packing handfuls of sawdust into a paint bucket.  I remember the amazement of having to cook a meal without spending for gas.  I remember using the ash from the stove for washing up dishes.  Maybe we deserve more but maybe we already have what we need and we just need to start being creative.

You Look Like You Need a Free HK Holiday!

I was busy snubbing my blog because I've neglected myself when I stumbled upon Rye's blog.  Summer break is over but I didn't have a proper R and R so Rye's contest might be the only chance I have to a first class pampering this year.

But I know you're as knackered as I am so why don't we roll our dice at it and see who's luckier?

Point and click your mouse here: Rye's Hong Kong Holiday Contest, read his entry and follow the rules.  You owe me dinner and drinks if you win.


Quick Question of the day: (In honor of the contest,) Who let the dogs out? 

Leave your comments to this post or your creative responses to the QQ by clicking on the orange number beside the post title. Click on Like if you enjoyed reading, Share on Facebook if you think it's a good read.

342: Board to Death

Cut, paste, trace, snip, punch, pin, lace, dot.  A week before classes start, teachers are expected to be at their craftiest.  Where's my fairy godmother when I need her?

Decorating a classroom has never been my strongest point but this year, I'm determined to give it my best.  The newly painted 5th grade room is giving me positive energy.

It's no secret that P5 classroom has a ghost or two.  I haven't seen one but I can vouche for eight-legged freaks on a daily basis.  But all these bad press need to go away and the only way to do that is reclaim the cool.  My new tenants will be proud of their classroom come September.

I snapped a couple of photos from my progress so far.  I'll post more pictures of the rest of my boards soon.  I'm all tapped out, to be honest so I'll end this post before I use up the last drops of my creative juices.

Quick Question of the day: Any suggestion for a classroom bulletin board? 

Leave your comments to this post or your creative responses to the QQ by clicking on the orange number beside the post title. Click on Like if you enjoyed reading, Share on Facebook if you think it's a good read.

343: The Animal Kingdom According to Matthew

Matthew's back!  My trusty companion when I'm alone in the classroom after classes is back from his Indonesian holiday.  With a hermit crab in a glass box, he gave me a hug and a kiss and said, "Sir Jay, I have a new pet!"

Matthew is our cleaner's son so he's basically part of the school family.  Matthew's obsession is the animal kingdom.  From dinosaurs to reptiles to mammals and, apparently, crustaceans, he observes, studies, and draws anything that moves.

I asked him what he did in Indonesia.  His eyes lit up and he started to stutter.  He stutters when he's excited.  "Yee, yee, yee, yeeow know, we went to the zoo!" he said.  I asked him if he went to the beach.  "Yes, but wait, aaa, aaa, aaayyy, I want to tell you about the zoo," he began his long story.

When Matthew left three weeks ago, he was mesmerized with Komodo Dragons.  But now, he's into bats.  He drew bats.  Bats with Mickey Mouse ears.  Bats with pointy ears.  Fossils of bats.  He drew a vampire, too!  I made him promise not to draw scary pictures with blood on them.

He talked about the animals he saw in Indonesia for the most part of the day.  The hermit crab kept peeking out from its shell to see if Matthew has set it free or at least stopped yakking about "optopuses" or "porchupies" or "chicken with big feathers".

Finally, Matthew drew the naughty monkey who stole his sister's food during their trip.  He also drew an elephant.  I asked him to name the monkey and the elephant.  Like a true English lad (and I'm not making this up) he named his animals after the two better known (for me at least) English Youtubers: Charlie and Alex.  Of course baby Matthew never watches Youtube so I assume it's just pure Brit genes in action.

Incidentally, Charlieissocoollike recently uploaded a music video about monkeys!  

I'm just glad my little monkey is back to keep me company.

Quick Question of the day: What name would you give YOUR monkey? 

Leave your comments to this post or your creative responses to the QQ by clicking on the orange number beside the post title. Click on Like if you enjoyed reading, Share on Facebook if you think it's a good read.