Emotional Checkpoint

Today I was feeling particularly out of form.
It wasn't the weather's doing, perhaps it's just me not having enough rest.
When I came to school, I had a nice chat with a fellow teacher.
We talked about life, we talked about death.
We talked about diseases and we talked about suicide cases.

Whenever I touch on topics like these, some memories of my past surface out.
These memories, may it be bad or good, will still have an impact on me.
I think it's things like that that make us stronger, make us wiser.
And I think that it's okay to be sad, it's okay to feel small sometimes.

I'm glad that I still feel deeply about some particular memories.
Today, I am thankful for my life right now.
Today, I embrace my past and I embrace my emotions.
To the people who have shared a piece of my life's journey with me, just so you know, you are being thought of and I miss you all.
May your souls rest peacefully in heaven.

Signing off
JCG

Meet ups

I think I made a HUGE mistake...

of not taking more photos!

This short post serves as a memory checkpoint. 

I'm fortunate to be able to meet up with some of my friends this Raya holidays.
And I'm really glad to see each and everyone of them.
I really hope I gotto take more photos next time.

I am thankful that I have such wonderful family and friends around me. 

Special thanks to these two crazy peeps who are always game for spontaneous trips! 

Us @ Summit Hotel 

Given the chance, I would hug each and everyone of you that I've met and tell you that you are really awesome. 

To you who are reading this right now, 

Wendy misses you. 

Let's definitely meet again soon. 

Peace & Love

Signing off

JCG

Melting hard kids

Hey ya pepo!
Short update: I'm now teaching in a secondary school.
Which makes my teaching life waaaaaay more challenging.
Good thing: my voice is not as sore as compared to when I was teaching in primary.
Bad thing: students are waaaaaay harder to control.
What to do?

One of my classes gives me headache the most.
This particular class is a low proficiency class, where students are totally not interested in learning.
They come to school because they have to and they enter class because it's listed down in the curriculum.
What's more, they are more interested in their own stories and personal life to even care about a teacher mumbling in class.
I tried yelling, scolding, talking softly with each and everyone of them...
Well, the only hopes I have is when they grow up, they grow out of this phase.

Today I had a breakthrough.
It's nothing much, but I got them to listen to me, to my stories.
It was just a normal class in which they have to complete assignments using computers.
So there I was sitting at my desk, waiting for them to give me their marks...
When I noticed one of the noisier girls was looking kinda dejected.
Curious as I was, I asked her what's wrong, only to find out that she was given a suspension letter from the school.
After giving her some counselling and help, I then had a relaxing chat with her.
More to my surprise, when I was telling silly stories of my past, more students crowded towards my desk and was sitting on the floor listening to my stories.

Well...
Looks like a good story never fails.
And it looks like, the more you need to help them, show that you care for them...
The more they feel it, the more they understand you...
While this is only the beginning, it feels good to have them be "good students" for a day.
I am totally sure that there's always ups and downs for this particular class, but I am relishing it for a lil bit longer...
I hope that when I'm done teaching them as a sub, they could still remember the efforts I put in to help them be a better person in future.
That's what a teacher's job is right?
To Inspire. :)

Oh ya, another thing I've learnt is, 

if you're eating choc doughnuts, 

remember to bring some fork or sth

elsewise you'll end up with poopy hands...

HAHAHA

Love
JCG

Year of the Hustle

I came across this concept after watching JK Films peeps talking about how 2015 was their year of the hustle.
They explained how they doubled their efforts and their time spent to make better videos and to keep their fans entertained in general, which in return, gives great revenue.
I liked how they introduce this concept and their plans to make everything work.
So I've decided to make 2016 my YEAR OF THE HUSTLE!

I'd summarize my 2015 in one word: confused.
I was pretty lost as I've not set a clear direction as to what I am to do and how am I going to do it.
Being a freshie, I simply don't know what I want to do.
It was a year of finding myself, trying out stuff and generally knocking my head into many things at once.
I made many crazy decisions, all which I had not regretted so far as, well, that's just me finding me. :D

This year, my prime target is to fill my free time doing productive things.
After my tiny fallback last year - not being able to get Masters - I'm now refreshed and back at it again.
Tuitions are now more frequent and I have more 'kangtaos' going on, which is nice.
I'm involved in much more teaching practices and more opportunities.
I'm also trying to applying for Masters yet again, hopefully I can get it this time round.
I hope that this will be the year I get to outgrow myself!

Anyways, I'm still fortunate enough to have time for my friends and some gatherings here and there.
I really appreciate everyone that's in my life now that I'm more occupied and hustling.
I love all of you and thank all of you for your constant support and care.
Let's make 2016 a year worth remembering!

To end this short update, I'd like to introduce my now grown-up chicks!
They are the most adorable thing to me, and they always have a way to make me smile.

Have a nice day pepo!

Smile!

Signing off

JCG

Ending 2015 with a bang - Langkawi 4D3N Trip

Great friends, great scenery, great trip!

One of the highlights of my year is this trip to Langkawi. 

It was a pretty spontaneous trip, I'm very happy to share this wonderful memories with these bunch of crazy pepo. 

:heart:

Pre-Langkawi 

PY had a great idea to bake some cookies for everyone as a Christmas present.

Being the great chef we are (we totally are), this is what happened that day.

 

It's something!

Langkawi Trip - Day 1

We went there by driving directly into Langkawi. our car was ferried by LangkawiAuto.
It was a very nice experience no less. The ferry provided a nice and comfortable passenger deck too!

Upon reaching

Then we checked into our humble accommodation @ Shaka Langkawi. It was a decent place, but would be nicer if there's aircon. There's a delicious Nasi Kukus right beside the Roomah Shaka, which was a major plus point! Then we went about and jalan around the streets of Cenang Beach.

Sunset @ Yellow cafe.

Awesome food, Awesome beer, Awesome scene...
And that's how our first day went.

Langkawi Trip - Day 2

Twas the day we pick up TPY from the airport.
BUTT! Their flight was delayed, we had waaaaay too much time on our hands to kill.
Hence, we explored Langkawi!
Beer / cider in our hands, we started off our journey!

Breakfast @ Red Tomato Restaurant

Road Trip!

Sun & Beach = Paradise

We found this hidden treasure of a nice a peaceful beach near to the edge of Langkawi OTW to Mount Raya.
James made us vowed to go back for a second visit...
Sadly, that visit was never made.
We went to Kuah Town for lunch and bought these cool hats!

Yey!

Anyways, we then went to Mount Raya and Makam Mahsuri to kill time.

Then, it's time to get TPY

Armored and prepared, we were soooo ready to receive them @ Langkawi International Airport...

Only to found out that their plane got delayed (again). 

Armored and prepared

We almost didn't make it to the sunset @ Cenang, hence The Amazing Race Langkawi happened!

Seriously tho, sorry for the shaky video... Heh...

Langkawi Trip - Day 3

Rise and shine! It was not a pwetty day cause some of us are still pretty hang over from the Christmas countdown party yesterday night. 

We had the bestest time burying each other's legs in the sand and dancing around the beach half drunk. 

BUTT, ready we are, to conquer the islands of Langkawi!

Hopped on a boat and off to Island Hopping we go!

We had a great time and after that, we took a rest, got some food in our tummy and bought souvenirs. 

Fortunately, it was a breeze going back the next day.

Our car was not held up by the Custom check and we went back home tired and happy. 

Thanks guys for the awesome adventure. 

Let's go somewhere else next! 

Hopefully, I got time to write another blog post for my previous Cameron trip too! 

2016 started off with me clearing off my previous videos and photos. 

Lots of editing and cleaning to be done... 

See ya soon pepo! 

Signing off

JCG

My Braces Journey - Part 1

In 2013, I made the brave decision to get my braces done...

But it wasn't until 2015 that I gathered the balls to proceed.

I had terrible teeth since I was in secondary school. 

I always thought that a crooked teeth is no big deal as I was not "earning my living by using my face" (靠脸吃饭)

It started to get worse when I was in my uni. 

That's when I got the urge to get braces, for aesthetic purpose of course. 

But that wasn't a good enough motivation. 

Cause right after I got one of my wisdom tooth removed (along with 2 weeks of jaw swelling and the agonizing memory of the dental surgery), I was ready to give up. 

I put the braces thingy aside in hopes that my teeth would "move and straighten itself" post surgery.

Terrible memory of my swollen jaw after wisdom tooth extraction

NOPE, I was sooooo wrong. 

After I grad I started to busy myself with work. 

It was until after 1 year that I realize how annoying my crooked teeth are. 

First, it was hard for me to clean my teeth cause of overcrowding. 

Second, how easy those plaque appear. 

Third, the overbite is getting worse.

Fourth, the times I woke up only to realize I accidentally bitten my tongue while I sleep.

Fifth, those photos that I was tagged in... 

And these were the last straws... 

Got my ass back to the orthodontist's office a few weeks back. 

Boom!

Gone were my other wisdom tooth and 3 other of my teeth. 

Now I'm pre-braces ready. 

Honestly, I don't know if I should laugh or cry when the dentist said I looked like 九王爷

Getting over the extractions was the worse part of it so far. 

You getting woozy post surgery is a piece of cake compared to the after-effect when the anesthetic went off. 

It's like your body is angry at you for getting rid of these teeth, and they are taking revenge on you. 

But I guess the pain / annoyance of missing these teeth is more in my head than actual suffering. 

I took extra care to not piss my other teeth off; eating slowly, brushing slowly, rinsing slowly, moving slowly... 

Basically, I live a sloth life. 

What's next? 

The braces will get on. 

Metals, on my teeth... digging into my mouth... 24/7...

The only upside of it is that I'll definitely be slim... 

Hahaha. 

Let's see what will happen next! 

Hopefully I got the energy for Part 2 in future. 

Love,

JCG

Bean Boozled!

One week after I came back from KL, I called up a few of my friends to have a small gathering...

While torturing them with this lil thingy right here.... MUAHAHAHAHA (*insert devil laugher)

I bought this in One Utama, in a shop called Candylicious. 

And, I thought it would be a great Challenge to us all!

Everything is set. 

We (Ms.Pheyee and I) cooked a delectable Western dinner beforehand to first pleasure their tastebuds...

AND THEN, we whipped out these bad guys and started our game. Yeeeehehehehehehe!

It was awesomely awkward nonetheless!

Check out the video to see how we played the Bean Boozled challenge!

Ahhh, fun times. 

Hopefully there will be more? 

Have a nice day pepo! 

Love

JCG

New blog, new opportunities, new changes!

Yes it does get dull sometimes running through my daily routines.
So I've decided to up it a notch.
Rest assured, I will still be continuing this blog (so many memories here)
But, I'll be also doing side blogging on another more work related blog of mine.
It's called Wendy Teaches Angmo
It is in wordpress, which is something new for me.
It's fairly new so don't judge. haha!

Next, I've just created a Carousell account as advised by my online guru, Ruii Lynn.
Posted my mom's Stone Art!
Check it out here!
*tears (proud daughter)

So these are the changes I've made.
More ways to explore and learn more about myself.
Hopefully you guys are having a fun day too!

Love
JCG

This is a stone art made by mua!

To my first ever mid-life "crisis"

Well, I'm not really reaching a mid-life "crisis" pe say, more like a mid-life "questioning".
So I am now shaping my path towards education in language and music.
But questions flowed in my head when I begin to wonder if I'm doing the 'right' thing for my future.
Say for instance, how could you be sure or certain about the things you do and how can you guarantee 'success' from it?

(yea, I know, success is such a big word!)
Which brings me to my point.
What do I want in life?

Everybody wants to live a nice peaceful life without needing to worry about basic needs.
Some would even go to the extend to achieve more when they're young, to be lazy when they are old.
They call it the passive income. (another big word!)
Well, Sheng and I had been through several 'business' models that attracted us with the aforementioned passive income.
But so far, we had not found one that is suitable for us.
I stumbled upon this Singaporean blog I'd like to share to all > Be inspired. Be A Champion
And I'd say, I've learnt a lot reading from this.
To practicalise this, there's still some gaps to be filled.

Back to my own story, well, I think what I can do right now, is to focus on getting my basic needs first.
I tend to get distracted at times, but I do hope I'm on the right track.
Well, what's the worse case scenario anyways...
But I'm definitely not satisfied enough with my current lifestyle.
More to go, there's definitely more to go...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a less serious side note, if you guys are ever in BM central market, do give this place a try!
It's a 煮炒 place where they serve incredible food.
It's called the 兴利 restaurant.

Kitchen manned by two brothers

 

Famous dished include the steamed fish, fried brinjal and fried tofu.

Well, we finished it in no time. 

It was delicious. 

To the beautiful people out there, stay strong, stay lovely. 

Signing off
JCG

A musical journey

It has been, what, 1 month since I've written?
Yes, and I have a totally legit reason for it.  (^ ^;)
I'm now in KL for a training, GCTP they called it. 
I'm going to be a music teacher!!!... for four year olds. (/◕ヮ◕)/

This is the first actual step for me in my music career.
Knowing I have been putting music aside for the most part of my life, it was definitely a step out of the comfort zone.
I experience new things daily, I was like a katak exploring a much bigger world...
I'd say, my eyes are wide open for most parts of my training (curiousity + sampat)
But it was a great way to upgrade myself. 
I've practised so many pieces and sang so many songs, I've even played on the piano (a bit more skillfully)
I also glad that the teachers here are very experienced and knowledgeable. 
It gave me a whole new level of respect for Yamaha.
Awesome stuff...

I'd say going to this training had made me realize how much more of a musician I can be, will be, should be.
It has been my lifetime dream to be a music teacher, and now I'm on track with my life goals...
which made me very happy. (＾▽＾)///

Chasing goals, chasing dreams...
Yes, I love it when my life is like this.

Le school: Yamaha

Le person: Me!

Prepping for class

Me beside grand piano!

Me beside WHITE grand piano!

JOC concert me

In UM Experimental Hall

Had a fun time there

I've made the decision to partake in next year's Electone festival. 

For me it's like a checkpoint I have to make. 

Hopefully, I got to try that out real soon. 

Have a nice day people!

Peace!

JCG

Life in Progress!

Whew, I've been wanting to do some of my personal stuff for some time.
For example, editing videos, blogging, and many more.
One thing I'm proud of myself for doing is that I exercise... Everyday!
But yea, food intake wise, that's another ball game.
Hence, the stagnant of my body weight. Heee...

Anyways, coming back to topic, I have so many things lined up for me.
But yesterday, I had finally closed some of the open files.
I've edited 3 videos in one go!
Which took me for about 3 hours (I've been doing my work while I was waiting for the render)
So, I'm happy of that!

Then I think to myself, when work actually comes, it demands such a big part of you.
Time is of the essence they say, but how do you actually spend it is what makes everything worth while.
Take for example, me writing this blog!
I may not have a million views or likes, but I'm happy that I got to put a small part of my life experience here to share with those of you who checked my blog.
Thank you so much for stalking me, I love you guys. :)

Sometimes, taking time to do your own stuff is satisfaction itself.
Now that I've completed some of my to-dos, I feel much relieved.
No regrets people! That's how I wanna live mah life.
Peace!

Obligated selfie post with new Taiwan boots!

Thanks to my cousins K&K!

This is one of the videos I was talking about. 

My silly friends and me enjoying ourselves at Jason's Bro's Wedding!

Bunch of awesome people they are. :D

Signing off
JCG

Choices in Life // New year!

Yey! I'm back from Taiwan!
Boo, here comes tough choices...
I felt bad for not being able to squeeze more time out for me to blog about my Taiwan trip.
But I guess leisure have to make way for more important stuff.
I'm finally starting off my career! :)

Hence the dilemma.
Well, it's kind of a complication with date clashes...
I have this training, which clashes with every other things I'm working on now.
Which is a sore headache.
Whelp, what to do but to toss a coin... Lol
*le sad me

It's a new year, 2015!
Woohoo!
Glad to say I've celebrated mine in Taiwan at Taipei 101.
An awesome experience no doubt.

New year is the time for new year resolutions right?
Wrong.
After so many years of making resolutions, I'd say even though many of them was actually realized,
This year perhaps I'm not going to write down each and every one of them like before.
It's always the same anyways.
But I'm still progressively working towards my goals.
The usual: get money, get fit, be fabulous.

Stay cool, stay awesome!

Signing off

JCG

How to Burger

So when a bunch of friends decided to squeeze some time off their busy schedules and meet up... 

What do they usually do?

Chill at a cafe? Lunch at a fancy restaurant? Or grab a movie at the nearest mall?

NOT FOR US!

We go back to the basics: man, nature, AND burger

First off, deciding to meet at 10pm at a Friday night is already as crazy as it sounds

But, to insist on having a nice warm BBQ session right after a rain? 

You know nothing's gonna stop us!

So here we are at our fav spot

Underneath Penang Bridge

A nice view to look at while we prepare our fire...

Which was sipek challenging cause of the rain

Finding tree branches and leaves are the easy part

Lighting em up to a decent fire took us about 1 hour

So it's 1 hour of non stop fanning, blowing onto almost-dead flames and throwing in small branches

But the guys did manage to ignite the whole BBQ set with only 1 火种 and a few charcoals

As fo me... Well, while I was waiting for the others to arrive, I was busy taking selfies

.

.

.

Until I tripped and sprained my ankle...

Which confined me to sitting on a tiny rock afterwards for the whole night

Boo.... 

Readying the fire

Baby you're a firework...

 You just gotto ignite, the light...

And let, it shine!

Voila!

Burger in the making

Look at em go

Mr.Tommy - chicken tosser

Mr.Sheng - fire controller

Ms.Wendy - Rock sitter / Selfie taker

United, as one!

Pepo, these are the rare instances where you can see

womenfolk sitting around doing nothing, while the guys do all the work.

A toast, to you both!

Then 3 random strangers decided to come join our fire

Yes, they are totally random :D

How to prepare a mouth watering burger?

(hidden episode from how-to basics)

#1 - Ready the ingredients

#2 - Burn the buns

#3 - Slap waaaay too much mayo on your bun

#4 - Put in cheese that doesnt look like cheese

#5 - Smash in readied chicken breast

#6 - Regret your decision and try to save it by slapping black pepper sauce

#7 - Enjoy it anyways! 

*Ting*

Moar photos!

Le first burger taster

Working with almost melted cheese

Reminds us of... Stuff.

Fire burning our burnt bun

Mayo slapper

Everyone enjoyed their burger

Nice chilling and catching up with everyone :)

All in all, an awesome experience!

Even tho I got a bit tipsy towards the end, but I self-declare this gathering...

A SUCCESS!

I had an awesome time hanging out with you guys

Hopefully, there will be another one soon!

To end this amazing blog post, a photo of our beloved 大姐!

To many many more gatherings in near future

"I love you guys, you guys are awesomeeeeee"

- Jacky, 2014

Signing off
JCG