Lobo's Lessons

Although moving in with my parents takes more than a little adjustment, there is one thing that you can't beat here. It's the ability to take your work literally outdoors. Right now, it's 10.30am on a Monday morning. I've attended the monthly address by the UTM Vice-Chancellor, made a few important phone calls, and had breakfast. Only thing is I realise I made a boo-boo. The key to my room/office is attached to the keyring that holds my car-keys. My car-keys are used for my car. My car is being used by my wife. This would mean: 1.0 I have no keys to my office   1.1 I cannot enter my office   1.2 I cannot do the work that I have to do   1.3 Feeling sheepish, and a little annoyed. Perfect for a palm-to-forehead moment. 2.0 I am using my bike   2.1 I look frickin'cool wearing an all black suit, black half-cut gloves and a deep-red full-face racing helmet, racing along on what appears to be a superbike.   2.2 I do not f...

It's a big change having to adjust to living with my parents again. Basically having to uproot and move everything back to Skudai. Of course I'm no stranger to Skudai. I work here and go to my parents' house every other day after work before I left for home in Kulai. But living here and dropping in every other day are totally different things. I have still to adjust. Right now I have no fixed schedule. There is still a lot to unpack. I do not know when I get up and when and where I can go for my usual walks. There is still no rhythm, no routine. One of the things that I realise that I have taken for granted was that my old house was in gated and guarded, in a very nice neigbourhood. It used to be that I could do just about anything I wanted to at any time I wanted to, though that may not be a good thing to some people. What I mean is, let's say if I felt like I hadn't exercised in a particular week, and the feeling hit me at 12 midnight, all I had to do ...

I am packing my room/office. We are going to move out of our house tomorrow.  This house, where we have shared so much joy and laughter, me, my son and my wife... my family. All of a sudden, a harrowing sense of sadness threatens to overwhelm me. We are moving out of our family home, to rent it out to complete strangers (a nice enough family but still), and I will be uprooting my wife and son from everything we've ever known as a family.  We will be staying with my parents is Skudai. My son will transfer to the Skudai branch of his kindergarten, having to start over again with new teachers and new friends. My wife will now have to travel the arduous 30-45minute journey to her school from Skudai, heading out at 6.15am in case of the jam. Strangers in a strange land. And for what? A chance that we can go overseas to NZ. A guarantee? No... As much as I hate to admit it, this uncertainty is tearing away at my soul, and I can't help but wonder... What am I doin...

A couple of months ago, when my parents moved house, I saw the biggest collection of stuff I had ever set my eyes on. Old stuff, new stuff, used stuff, unused stuff... You name it, they had it. And it all had to be moved... It was then that I said to my wife these words: "We're lucky. When we move it's going to be much easier, cos we don't have that much stuff..." Boy... Was I soooooooo wrong... Two weeks of pain...packing. One day of pure agony...lifting and sifting. Unending torture...unpacking. Pain...Agony...Torture... But at the end of the day, the best feeling one could ever have. I now have a spacious, beautiful house To call my own... :)

These two weeks have been hectic like heck: Classes - 6 additional hours of a new subject I never taught before. Part-timers - 70 exam scripts to mark before the end of this day. Drama - Oversee TESL Drama preparations House - Moving to a new house soon. Need to settle: 1) Housing loan 2) Personal loan 3) Electricity 4) Wiring 5) Telephone 6) Grille 7) Lighting 8) Painting 9) Minor repairs 10) Complaints 11) Minor repairs of current house before moving out 12) And as ton of other smaller things to do Sorry for the yet unanswered tags girls...