Here are some things you probably don't know about me.
1. I am actually a year younger than almost everyone in my batch.
In 1996 there was this exam called Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS), and my batch (back then) was the
first Standard 3s to sit for it. If you passed, you had the options of skipping Standard 4 and went
straight to Standard 5, saving you one elementary year. Somehow I passed the test, and my parents opted for me to go straight to Standard 5 (after a lot of persuading from my teachers, I believe). The test they said was some sort of IQ tests, like the ones you answered in Facebook these days involving patterns and such, and I believe if you practice enough before the test, you can easily answer them all. But some of us who skipped one year did badly in UPSR (luckily I did okay), and after a few years the ministry stopped the entire thing altogether. I think if there is one failed experiment from our ministry, this would be the one 😆 Anywaysssss that's how I ended up a year younger than most people in my batch including my husband and all of my best friends.
2. I am the biggest scaredy-cat there is.
Seriously guys, I am really penakut. I got nightmares every time I slept alone. During my boarding school years, I always slept before lights off - no staying up for me because I didn't want to be the last one awake. I felt a huge relief every time I heard azan Subuh because nights were over. And in my Form 5 there was this huge hysteria episode went on in our school, oh God that DID NOT make things any easier. The incident haunted me for years, and it did get better when I went to uni. But I still don't watch horror movies to date. I made a promise to my then-boyfriend that I'll go watch horror movies with him after we get married because then I won't be sleeping alone anymore, but we've been married for 8 years and still I have not make good of that promise 😆
3. I don't eat kurma.
When I was younger, I didn't even want to touch them. I don't drink anything kurma, I don't eat anything kurma. Not only kurma, but all dried fruits for that matter. I often have digestion problems - sometimes I don't do number two for days, yet I will never eat dried prunes even when everybody around me swears it works like magic. But I did eat fresh kurma when I did my umrah few years ago, that, I can handle.
4. I have the longest love-hate relationship with Mathematics.
I mean, I aced my Modern Maths, but I didn't do so well in Add Maths. In fact, I failed once in my Form 5, which was such a huge wake up call for me because I never failed anything in my ten years of school. I studied like crazy afterward, forever asking questions from my dorm mates and class mates (luckily I was surrounded by plenty of Maths geniuses). I made sure I did one question before assembly in the morning, and one question at the start of every prep session. After SPM, I tried to shy away from Mathematics as far as I could. But I went to University as a Physics major, naturally most of my course mates took Maths as their minor. I did too, such a bad decision that was because my grades were horrible (but enough la that I didn't have to repeat) so I took an extra of four IT subjects to make it my minor. Boy I aced all four! But somehow in the system my minor is still registered as Mathematics, so I ended up teaching Add Maths instead. The very subject that I once dreaded. That's why I can empathize with my students' struggle, because I've been there too.
5. I am allergic to Rejoice (as in the shampoo), and Ponstan.
Rejoice gives me terrible headache, which I found out the hardest way, and Ponstan triggers these red bluish patches all over my calves and they itch like hell.
6. I am afraid of water.
Not aquaphobia level, but scared enough to avoid anything that involves submerging my entire body into the water. I had this since I was little, and I never really told anyone because we rarely went to waterfall or beaches back then; if we did, no one had really asked why I only played until waist level. But we went to Redang for our honeymoon and we only did one out of three snorkeling sessions we paid for, because I fell sick (like 40℃ fever) right after the first one. Banana boat scares me the most. What if I get thrown out into to water and no one realizes I am not there? What if I get run over by a jet ski? I can't even float, let alone swim!
7. I don't have any favourite colour.
Because it changes from time to time, right now it's emm... I don't know. But last month it was emerald green, and there was this one time that I was obsessed with royal blue.
8. I like folding and ironing clothes.
They're like my me-time, because usually I do them without my kids around. I hate dish washing though. Hate hate hate. I always avoid doing that in any kenduri.
9. I'm a decent cook, but a terrible, terrible baker.
I can't seem to make sense of the chemistry behind it; my cakes always sunk in the middle 😓 every single time I try to bake them. But my red velvet cupcakes get my kids' approval, so I think I will only make that from now on.
FINALLY IT TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO GET HERE
10. My personality literally changes depending on who I am with.
I am not the most approachable teacher, I feel awkward when they start to act very friendly with me. I always build a high wall, a very distinctive boundary that clearly say "I am your teacher stop talking to me like I am your friend". I was once acknowledged as cikgu paling garang in school. Back in my uni days I was a head block, the most hated one that block ever had, I think, because I always had this bitch face on every time I had to unlock the gate when my block mates came home after the 12am curfew (who wouldn't be? They literally woke me up from my sleep and I am not an easy sleeper). My boy/man friends always said I am very stern, strict and kasar, that no one will ever wanted to marry me because of that. But people close to me will say the total opposite, that I am a very childish, immature, spoilt, manja girl who is too dependant and can never be taken seriously 😅 one of my bosses once said that I have a split personality, the teacher-me and the non-teacher me.
THERE. I finally finished with the first one! Lets hope that topic two will be up tomorrow. Till then, daaa!
