Out on a boat

Courtesy of a school activity, Sofya and I had had the pleasure to go on a boat ride halfway round the island. We stopped by a few places during the ride, but the highlight of the day was the boat ride itself. That is to be expected when you get to ride a boat as cool as this!

Uh, not exactly..but it'd be pretty cool if it was eh? OK, this one's the real deal...

Introducing the Fila D' Nara, one of the largest tourist ferrying transport vessels available in Tioman. While it might not look much from the outside, the lower deck of the boat is equipped with a toilet as well as a kitchen to ensure a comfortable ride throughout the voyage.

The boat is spacious. There's plenty of places to hang around be it it on the lower or upper deck. My personal favourite though, has got to be the roof. Standing on top of the boat and looking at the great ocean around made me almost think being posted to this island isn't that bad afterall. Well, almost.

Normally, it'd cost somewhere around RM1500-ish to charter a boat this big for a trip around the island. Lucky for me, this being part of a school trip meant I got the ride free of charge. It is unfortunate that the wind wasn't doing us much favour that day, so we had to turn back half-way through the trip.

If any of my friends are reading this, we really should make this an event next year!

A piece of the future...

So we moved to new place a few days ago.

Didn't care much about the old place. It was small, cramped, and not to mention is an over-sized microwave oven!

But...

It was also the first place I lived with my beloved wife. Our first 4 month of being husband and wife was spent there.

You know, when I was smaller, my parents would show me pictures and tell stories about houses they had lived in, the places they've been, people they've met..

And it occurred to me today, that maybe some day, maybe in 15 years or so, I would be showing pictures like these to my children, telling them stories of their parents' past

"Lookie here, mom and dad once lived in a really small house"

or

"This beach was right in front of our house when we were younger!"

We are all always carrying a piece of the future with us. Everything that happens in the past and the present are things that, if we were to live long enough, will be woven into a tale for us to tell in the future.

p/s: going snorkeling again tomorrow. Huzzah!! =D

Moving over!

picture snatched from www.thechefinstead.ca

Yup, that's right. The wife and I have finally successfully moved out from our previous, miniature box into yet another box, only a much more spacious box. Compared to the old box, our current abode is a Goliath! Whereas our previous box was merely David's baby brother. Honestly, I'd put a comparison shot instead, but I can't find the transfer cable amidst those heaps of bags and boxes.

So, how fares our newly acquired abode? It is, as I've mentioned earlier, bigger, to be sure. However, the size, and the 4 star hotel-quality bed and pillows are the only true redeeming qualities. There are cracks all over the wall, the toilet needs serious repair, and there's only a thin wall of two pieces of plywood between our room and the next one. There's hundreds of giant bats making the trees in front of our house their habitat (it's around the place where this happened). The building looks a 12 years long rundown building which was only recently repaired to a bare minimum. Oh right, it's exactly that.

There's a substantially long list of negative qualities about the place but in the end, size does matter.

On the flip side, the place has a pretty nice view. Situated right in front of the beach, you can see the boats and yachts sail gracefully on the open seas. The only thing that stands between the building and the clear blue water is....a recently constructed public toilet. I know, GREAT view, right?

It isn't exactly ideal, but so was out old place, and I suspect that I will warm up to this place in due time just as I had with the last one. Afterall, teachers can't be choosers.


P/S: saw a kitten which looks almost identical to Eton sleeping at my doorsteps this morning! =D

Oh Crap!

We had a picnic at the beach this morning. Eager to test the my wife's new pair of goggles out for a spin, I almost immediately jumped into the sea the moment we got there. The goggles were only slightly more expensive than mine, but it feels much more comfortable.

I took my time enjoying the underwater view, the rainbow coloured fishes dancing around, and the soothing cold water I'm swimming in. Ok, goggle test drive was a pass! So I went out of the water to grab a quick munch. We were, afterall, having a picnic.

It was then that I realized... I haven't taken out my house key from my side pocket! Luckily it was still there. I was about to jump into the water again when I felt that there's one small thing that I forgot... my wallet in my back pocket.

Oh crap!

The wallet was soaked, along with everything in there. Every single card, and every single RM note.

It wasn't too bad. I mean, its not like they dissolve in water or anything, but its a sucky situation none the less.

On the way back home, we walked under some shades. Suddenly I saw something very quickly fell out of the sky right in front of my face and not a second later, a "splat" and a squishy sensation on my right foot.

Oh crap! Literally.

So what could've been a fantastic day turn out a little er..crappy, thanks to some little piece of crap which had his crap crapped on my foot.

Crap.

Little big adventure in small Tioman

When life throws you onto an island, go explore it! Okay, I lied, the truth is, since we've already been thrown into this inescapable exile called teaching on this hunk of rock, we really needed some sort of escapism. But then again, I think going deep into the jungle hardly qualifies as an escapism...

We had originally planned on going swimming at the Marine Park. It was as a 20 minute-ish journey on foot from our..er.. 'hut', so to speak. But then somewhere along the way we (and a couple of other teachers from Tioman) ended up having to lead a bunch of school kids from the mainland deep into the mystical hilly jungles of Tioman (confession: I just added that 'mystical' bit to spice things up).

It was my first time to that part of the jungle, and it was Sofya's first time trekking on the island. I really can't describe the jungle in detail because it was all like green, green, and green. And then there's MORE green. Okay, there's some brown too.

[Too small for you? Click them pictures]

The 60 minutes of trekking and hiking wasn't a cake walk. We climbed up uncountable steps - some cemented, some just plain ol rocks formations, traversed plant-laden path few have trodden, performed death-defying leaps (not), survived encounters with terrifyingly savage beasts (again, not), and at the end of it, rewarded only by the fact that we have most definitely shaved a few cals off!

Like the point I made earlier, the view wasn't much different regardless where we were, but I gotta admit though, being in the heart of nature feels very different. The air is in a totally difference level of fresh, the ambiance is relaxing, and not to mention the denizens there! Well, they're sort of creepy like...

They're even creepier up close

The path down the mountain was much faster, but its toll towards our poor legs also significantly higher. We went out the jungle with shaky knees and blistered soles. A word of advice: never ever try trekking with your walking slippers! That, however, wasn't the end of our weekend escape. We had after all, planned to go the sea, and I was dead set on going there.

Swimming at the marine park is great fun. The water isn't exactly crystal clear, but it's pretty darn near that quality. The wave isn't strong there so it's particularly easy for people like me, who's just starting to get his bearings with swimming. There's some great view to be seen there too, though it definitely isn't the best that the island has to offer. I'm really into snorkeling since. Might even make it a weekly routine if possible.

All told, we had a lot of fun and it was a good diversion from our same old daily routine. The only downer is that the wife was down with fever for 2 days after the adventure - she's doing much better at the time of this writing though =)

What I've Done

The PMR trial results from all the schools across the district have been gathered a few weeks back and I've received words of the analysis.

For the English subject, my school managed to place no 16!

16, as a number isn't bad at all. It's just a digit away from making into the top 15. It's also within the top 20 so that's still a rather good feat.

16, when put into context of there being only 17 schools in the district however, becomes decidedly less flattering.

It wasn't just the students who failed. I failed as well.

Maybe next year, I should just ditch all those story books, songs and 'English is fun' stuff altogether for a more 'do exercises til you die, you maggots!' approach. They didn't seem to work anyways.

Bastard!

I was on my way back from buying food for berbuka when I came across a most amusing scenario. Allow me to paint you a mental picture:

A boy, who from his size, I gather is around 7 to 8 years old was running around while holding what seemed to be a toy in his hands. A younger boy who, I believe is his younger brother was chasing the boy with the toy. Not too far away from the two boys, a lone woman sits comfortably under the shades of a tree. From the way she looked at the children, as well as some facial likenesses between them, I have made the assumption that she is, in fact, the children's mother.

While the two brothers were running around in the manner of playing tag, the elder, seemingly out of the blue shouted, "Jangan la ikut aku gampang!".

I was shocked, but the mother didn't even bat an eye!

What kind of ill-civilized society do I live in? It is no surprise that my secondary school students constantly bad-mouth each other, even in class. Maybe I should accept that such behaviour is a norm for the people here, but to say such filth to your own kin, and in front of your mother too, without being reprimanded in any way is not something should be considered acceptable, norm or not.

Pulau Tioman : The Official Game of the Experience

5/25 achievements unlocked

100/1000g

1. Through the looking glass – 20g

Took a trip on the Mermaid and viewed the underwater world.

2. The Journey Begins – 10g

Left the hub town

3. N00b Traveler – 20g

Reached either Panuba or Paya Village (on foot).

4. The Road Less Taken – 30g

Make your way (on foot) to Monkey Bay .

5. You’re Winner! – 30g

Make your way (on foot) to the East-most village, Juara.

6. Through the Fire and Flames – 50g

Make your way (on foot) to the South-most village, Mukut.

7. Island Hopper – 30g

Crossed the ocean to another island during low tide.

8. Float ‘n’ Flow – 10g

Master the basic art of swimming; staying afloat, without the aid of a life jacket.

9. The Schwimmer – 20g

Swim!

10. Phelps In Training – 100g

A master of the art of swimming; Swim your way to Rengis Island.

11. Swimming With The Fishes – 50g

Buy your first snorkeling gears and successfully complete your first snorkeling mission.

12. iFish – 10g

Fish your first fish.

13. Fishing with Feeling – 20g

Fish at least 5 different types of fishes.

14. John the Fisherman – 30g

Catch a total of 100 fish

15. Legendary Fisherman – 50g

Catch a legendary class fish.

16. Return to Dragon Castle – 50g

Catch a turtle and put it where it belongs.

17. The Boyscout – 20g

Helped tourists find their way around the hub town.

18. Beach Runner – 30g

Make your way to the end of Tg. Said beach and back in under 10 minutes.

19. Xtreme Beach Volleyballer – 30g

Play and win a beach volleyball match

20. Lungs of Steel – 30g

Play and win the breath holding minigame.

21. Picture Perfect – 50g

Visit all the main villages on the island, and take at least 1 photo in each village.

22. Brochure Boy – 30g

Convince a friend to visit Tioman

23. Calling All Pals – 50g

Convince a group of at least 10 people to visit Tioman.

24. Master of Ceremonies – --g

This is a hidden achievement. You need to unlock it to view it.

25. GAME OVER – --g

This is a hidden achievement. You need to unlock it to view it.

Still Alive

Despite my apparent inactivity on the cyberspace for some time, I am in fact, still alive! A lot has happened during that time, like a half day walk to other parts of the island, learning to swim, befriended a gentleman from Germany, chat with a couple of Japanese in Japanese, and even walked across the ocean to another island! Yeah, I've probably scored more achievements in those 2 weeks than I did in 2 months of 2008. Okay, now lets talk about work!

Work sucks.

The long short of it, Tioman is a really good place and I'm liking it so far, save for the part where I don't have any video game consoles with me and no personal internet connection to browse gaming stuff. Oh, and work. Come to think of it, those should be enough reasons for me not to not like my stay here, but no. Truly a miracle that is.

If you're interested in visiting the place, just let me know and I'll try to to arrange something. And to all you Cohort 2 dudes and dudettes (especially those around Johore area), I implore you to come!

p/s: written from a PC in the staff room - where lots of stuff are blocked.

Still Alive, performed by Ellen McLain. Ending song for Portal. Sweet song; creepy lyrics. I like it. 4/5.

Welcome Home

As I'd mentioned in the previous post, I managed to get myself a place to stay in Tioman. It isn't much of a house. Well, it isnt't even a house to begin with; getting a house in Tioman is borderline impossible. The place I'm renting in now is a small chalet. When I say small, I really mean small. I left the cables for my camera in the room (silly me) so I couldn't put the pictures here, but here's a schematic of the room.
It's about as big as 6-tatami room, probably even smaller. The small space beside the bed is just enough one person to perform the prayers. By the way, the bed takes up about 60% of the space. There's no kitchen so I have to eat out every day. Good thing there are restaurants nearby. Grocery stores, and most importantly, the school where I'm working at are also within walking distance.

The room is equipped with air-con and water heater, but I agreed not to use it, unless I want to be paying more than RM250/month. I'm not exactly thrilled with my new home, but I am thankful to have one. At least I won't be obliged to stay in the warden's room anymore, so at this point, I really can't afford to be picky.

Welcome Home, performed by Metallica. Also known as sanitarium. This is metallica in their prime.

I Get By

I have a lot to write about the 5 day experience living on that patch of land called Tioman, but instead of writing a lengthy wall of texts, which could be unpleasant for both me and you, I present you with a very concise summary of the experience, in the form of the following chart :

Click chart for a larger version

Note: my normal psyche level is at 75

(1) The boat got stranded because the sea level wasn't high enough. Stuck on the boat for approximately 2 hours, 55 minutes and 22.66 seconds. Boring.

(2) Tioman was definitely a beautiful place. First impression: impressed!

(3) The warden's room I was given to live in looks like a dilapidated room that has been left unattended for 2 whole decades.

(4) The toilet. Look at the scale. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

(5) Started work immediately. The working environment is relaxing and the colleagues are a real nice bunch. I figure I could get along well.

(6) First staff meeting. TOV, ETR, WTH?? Was also given the position of panitia and a handful of paperwork to do. I was so totally lost there...

(7) Learning the ways, thanks to the guide from the senior teachers.

(8) I got a place to stay! Well, a room to be exact. It's a small chalet not too far from the ocean. Rent: RM250/month

(9) Started moving in most of my stuff from school. It was then when I realized how truly small the room is.

(10) Made friends with a few people who were also pretty new to town. We went fishing. I decided to pick up fishing as well soon.

(11) Went around town. Got to know various individuals. Many people already knew me as 'the new teacher'. They really made me feel welcomed.

(12) A colleague showed me around town on a bike. Free tour is always appreciated.

(13) The marine reserve has got to be some of the nicest waters I've seen in my lifetime.

(14) The plan was to go swimming, but I caught a terrible fever. Really bad fever.

And I returned home the following morning. It wasn't a terrible experience, but it was by no means a truly great one either. Oh well, I can get by...

* I Get By, by Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives, is song with a nice tune but really weird lyrics. 3 out of 5 stars.