Monday, August 18, 2008

cuti sekolah

The school break started again. This time, it is only for one week. My boss had earlier ran away from school to spend two weeks in Kuala Lumpur with his family. Well, I get to spend the end-of-year school break at home too anyway and that would be a whole month. So what is two days stuck in school minding the business while he is away?

Last Friday, the last day of school and with what little attendance we had, we had the closing ceremony of the Language Week. They thought they get to leave school earlier than usual. Come on, it wouldn't happen on my watch, right?

So after the last period of class planned that day, we all gathered in the school hall and gave away prizes to the winners and were presented with the two performances that day, a poetry recital from the winner of the poetry recital held during the week and also, an extra, which was a choral speaking presentation by the 5 Science class.

They were awesome during practice, but then just as I had expected, they freaked out during the actual performance and suffice to say, I was not very happy with it because I seriously believe that they could have done better than that because I have seen them done it ten times better during practice. And I have warned them about freaking out on stage and how to handle that. I guess it doesn't matter how much you tell someone not to do something they will still do it, unless if they have had lots of practice.

Last Friday, some kids also lost some money and they came to me to report it. We had a spot check done on the classes we suspected of the crime. But we did not come up with the money of course. I wish they could have been more careful with their money. For god's sake, how do you find money when it's lost? I myself have lost my phone twice. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do after a report of money lost is made other than an immediate spot check?

Then two people came into my office and grabbed me by the neck and choked me to death. Well, sometimes I wish that actually happened, because I am starting to feel tired of the struggles.

Well, these two people came into my office on a totally unofficial business. They are the son and daughter-in-law of my sort of foster family that I had made through a friend. They came to me asking me to help out with a case involving a teacher who once taught in this school. He moved away to a school in Sibu and we have never heard from him since.

The thing was, he sold his motorbike to these people for RM2500 worth of cash and has yet to mail his photocopy of identity card so that they can do the transfer of ownership of that thing. I think it all came up to the fact that there is that petrol rebate when you renew your road tax. They would not have bothered if it's not that. Or wouldn't they? I don't know.

Anyway, if it happened to you, wouldn't you help? Or feel forced to help? Even if you hate having to call up the dude and ask him for the stupid thing? I called anyway, and asked anyway. I had to. And he was beating around the bush about it and telling me not to listen to the villagers due to the fact that they can be untrustworthy. What the fark? He obviously was unwilling to do just that. I asked him to just make a photocopy of that thing and fax it to my school, and it will all be okay. But he said he will have to wait for the school break when he can go into town and do those things. I thought he is giving me bullshit.

But the sad thing is, they did the transactions in cash, there was no written agreement, nothing signed, nothing witnessed. People ted to trust teachers so easily. That guy, should not have been trusted. My colleagues agreed with that because what we can remember most about him is that he is one dodgy character. If worst comes to worst, they should just sell that thing off to the scrap metal yard, so they can have some money to buy a new bike with legal papers.

So after about ten minutes of talking to him and and then to his school clerk in order to get the damned photocopy of his ic, it all ended with him trying to be a smart ass with me. What the hell? Well, that's what you get when you are forced to butt into other people's problems just because you knew that person once and you are sort of a foster child of the other party. I wish my life here can be simpler. But then, nothing like some sh*t like this to perk me up from time to time.

Then I jotted down his ic number given to me by his clerk and handed it to the two people and asked them to file a police report (I don't know, maybe just to show that they actually made some sort of effort to gain ownership. They did. He's stopped responding to phone calls and their sms about the matter). They can ask our school clerk to dig up closed files and get a copy of his ic from there. IF the clerk can find it. And that is a big if.

Anyway, in his frustration (he also talked to that guy on the phone by the way) , after he hung up and I handed the IC number to him, he commented on how my room was looking a little like a store room. Funny.

It does look like a store room. I have all these junk ready for the dumpster and there were old wires dangling from the ceiling waiting to be discarded by the wiring people. (The decrepit admin building is being rewired, I have not had lights in my room since Tuesday. Even today, when I came in for work, it's still not on yet). But really he should have saved that for another day when I have not been forced to talk to a dipsh*t on the phone. I felt icky afterwards, ok?

We went and did the closing ceremony at the hall and then before everyone left, I handed back the money some parents had asked me to keep for their kids for them to pay for their fare home in Ba'Kelalan and Long Semadoh.

Then after all the commotion had all gone away, I too finally get to go home.

Unlike the numerous other breaks when I had things planned... I don't for this one. And since I had been obliged to keep an eye on the school during the break, that had worked out beautifully.

I'm tired. My mind is tired. My body is tired. But really, my brains are tired. I wish I can be in a coma for a while and come back a clean slate. But the thing is, I will still be me and I will still have the same people hating my guts. I can't change that.

I need to get away from it all and regain the strength I once had. I need it to get me through the day at work. I love my job. I just need some energy boost. I am feeling a little sick and tired of it sometimes, despite the fact that I love being where I am and doing what I do. I don't have a lot of me time on my hands. I don't even watch tv or surf the net as much as I used to because I'd be dead tired when I get home, and all I had the energy to do is strip, shower and sleep. Just to get up and do it all over again the next morning.

When I get drowned in work, I always dream about being able to just quit my job and stop caring about these kids and just walk away. But then when I think about it, I might just die of boredom since I am not a very social creature. I might just end up sleeping myself to death. Or eating myself to death. Or surf the web to death. I'll probably just lock myself inside my home and do really bad things to myself. So I am grateful for this job because it keep this hermit sane with lots and lots of things to do.

Gosh! I am so not complaining. I just need a reboot of some sort but that is not gonna happen any time soon.



2 comments:

Anatel Ameen said...

Happy School Holidays Yus! Sabar banyak2 ye...aku kat ofis ni pun mcm s**t jugak dengan boss yang lemau. Nyusahkan aku selalu and yet tak pernah bagi aku cemerlang. Hampeh!

Narcissca Ariadne Alvarez said...

I am very the sabaring here.

You be good lah over there.... Lemau bosses make us very strong and resourceful.

Jangan semak kan jiwa. Try buat macam sesetengah orang tu... kalau orang nak marah, pi lantak dialah nak marah, sampai dapat hypertension and hyperventilation.

Does it make any part of you luak? I don't think so.

Remember, despite everything, at the end of the day, you did your best and no one can take that away from you.

Esok aku pergi exam PTK, and I am planning on tikaming my way through the umum paper. it's 3 am and i am still awake. aku sangat nervous. not for the exam. for the trip up to KK. i always get like this before a trip somewhere. excited semacam sampai susah nak tidur.

Wei... love ya. Take care.