Taman Negara

For some reason Taylor's College decided to send all of their employees on a trip to one of four destinations. My first pick was to go to a beautiful beach and just relax, but I was late in submitting my request so I got my second choice. I got to go on a jungle trekking adventure in Taman Negara. Taman Negara is a virgin rainforest. Tiger, elephants and black panthers roam around in this national park. For some reason, I have become a jungle trekking expert. I have been on four jungle treks in the past two years. Here are my rankings.

1. North Eastern Cambodia (Forget the name of the place). Way off the tourist trail. We hooked the whole thing up ourselves. We saw some tribal people returning from a hunt with the greatest bow and arrow set I've ever seen. Sandra said they should be in a museum. I'll never forget that.
2. Taman Negara is great. I may go back again and do some things I didn't have time to do on this trip.
3. Chang Mai Thailand. Pretty touristy, but we had a great guide and the food was awesome. Visiting the hill tribes is a bit weird (seems like a freak show). The bamboo rafting was awesome.
4. Phuket Tailand. This was my first jungle trek and even at that time I felt it was lame. We rode on elephants, but you could tell that they lived in misery.

Note: The photo of me on that bridge was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It's the longest bridge of it's kind in the world. Crossing it took about 20 minutes. Whenever I looked down I almost fainted. I've always been afraid of heights and this just made things worse.

Student Creativity

My students are currently working on international business plans. Part of it includes developing mamangement profiles. I encouraged them to use their creativity and this is what happens!
I'd also like to add that the same student who did this is responsible for the security violation post.

Back to the Nam

I went to Vietnam in 2004. I had a great time. I was only there for seven days. I explored the area around Saigon. Last week I booked a ticket to visit Hanoi during Chinese New Year. I believe that's the same things as Tet. Anyways, if you didn't know, Air Asia basically gives away tickets. The taxes and fees are more expensive than the actual ticket. I look like a weirdo in the picture with Ho.

In other news, my blog reached 1,000 hits yesterday. Today it's at about 1,060.
Total advertising revenue has reached a whopping $2.18.

Must Audioblog!

I want to master the blogosphere. I'm currently exporing the audioblog feature, but my phone won't call the number they supply. Anyone have any tips on how to add music or a better background?

Assalamu Alaikum

My Classroom

I teach four sections of Introduction to International Business. Most teachers share a classroom, but I got lucky and have my own. I can decorate it any way I want. It has a nice projector and I use Power Point everyday. The student have taught me a thing or two about how to make nice Power Point presentations. My class sizes range from 29-32, which is maximum capacity. I also keep my classroom chilly by blasting the a/c.

Back in Action

I didn't swing a golf club for two years while I was teaching in Asia. I returned home and went out about once a week when the weather was nice. I didn't really go to the range and practice so I constanly sucked. Malaysia's weather is perfect for golfing all year round.

I picked up a set of clubs for RM 800 ($250 CDN). The range is a three minute walk from my house. I can hit 100 balls for $3 CDN. My co-worker goes golfing at a course close to our school. The price is about $20 CDN with a cart. I should be hitting the links this weekend.

Security Violation

My blog has been exposed! Iron Maiden rulez!!!!!!!!! BTW, that's Eddie in Canada.

My School

These are some pictures of my school. Yes, I'm too lazy to take some picutres myself so I lifted these off the internet. I work at the main campus (TCSJ).
I work on the fifth floor, but it ain't no thang. Taylor's College is the equivalent of a community college in Canada. They are set to become a university-college within the next year.

Penang

I took a holiday to Penang. I was supposed to leave Friday, August 18th. However, I was so sick that night, I had to cancel.

I slept for two days straight and finally left on Monday. Once I got to Penang I slept for another two days. Basically, all of these photos were taken on one afternoon in Georgetwon. I felt better the next day and made it to the beach.

The oldest grave in the cemetery is from 1796. It belongs to Francis Light. He was the founder of Georgetown.

Crap, I have to go to work tomorrow and no more holidays for six weeks:(

Cool Wedding Pics

All the ladies look stunning in their Mandarin dresses. The dudes look like they should be holding guns (nice shell toes). Super cool pics! It looks like Lindz and Jordan put together a perfect wedding.

My Hood

This is the area that I live in. If you look at the map, my house would be at the bottom left corner.
My houses are not shown. You would turn left at the lights and then make a right into my complex. It take me 10-15 minutes to walk to the big lion. I got these photos from an expat website.
The big lion and Pyramid are outside a shopping mall. The whole area is a tourist attraction. The photo of the lion is taken on a bridge which leads to a very shady part of town.

Separated at Birth?

I was told I look like Ben Stiller last year during my second practicum. It was a one time thing so I figured there was nothing to it. However, in my current period five class everyone tells me I resemble that actor. I try to pretent like it bugs me. I tell them that Ben Stiller isn't handsome. I think it has more to do with the way I behave in class. Anyways, judge for yourself.

My Toilet is Clogged

Sometimes you get caught off guard. My toilet got clogged. Now I know I need to buy a plunger. I am slowly going to acquire everything I need to make my apartment complete. My next purchase is a comforter. In order to sleep at night I need to have the a/c on and it gets cold. Right now I sleep in a sweater and track pants. It does the job but it just feels a little ghetto. I think my current illness is due to a/c shock. I am always moving from a/c to 30 degree heat. I need to adjust my a/c policies.

School is going well. The students are the best! The first three weeks have flown by so fast. Once I get my lazy butt out of bed, I actually enjoy going to work. I don't have any pre-class anxiety like I had in China and Korea. The students know we have to TCB and we work together. It's not like teaching in Canda where it's a constant challenge to get students to work.

The photos are of my old Chinese friend Julie. She just e-mailed me and attached some photos. This is the only one I could upload to my site. The other two are so awesome. She must have gone to a glam shot studio. In the shots she looks like a cartoon character like Sailor Moon or something. Much more interesting than Canadian glam shots.

No Phones Allowed

It really bugs me when students text message in class. I had a problem with this in my first practicum. You really need to lay down the law during the first class. I put this photo on my PowerPoint presentation on the first day. The students had a good laugh but they got the point. I rarely see students messing with their phones in class. When they do, they are sneaky about it which is ok with me. I just don't want phone mania in my class.

Since foreigners need to put down a RM 1,000 deposit to get a phone I figured I'd be better off buying a snazzy cell-shot. It can take pictures and short video clips. When I'm not broke anymore I'll buy the attachment so I can upload my cam pics to the blog. I've got some nice pics already.

I'm sick as a dog at the moment, but I got to skip an after school meeting to go to the doctor. He filled a little bag full of goodies for me. All I had to do was flash my school I.D. card and it was free. The whole process took less than thirty minutes. I would have never even bothered going to a doctor in Canada if I were in this condition. I could use a sick day tomorrow and make it a long weekend, but I'll tough it out. I just need to watch some presentations and give my students a case study so I can be in zombie mode. I'm going to save my sick days until the dreaded six month mark when culture shock can really hit home.

My New Place

It's a nice two bedroom townhouse. It has 24 hour security. I've seen five other foreigners living in the same complex. I think Sunway University College puts their teachers up in these houses. I pay RM 1,300 per month. This is almost $400 CDN. Locals tell me it's not a bad deal for what I got. For anyone considering coming to teach in Malaysia, you must bring a lot of money for your starting costs. Three and a half month's rent right away. Plus you need enough to live on until your first paycheque. Anyways, I'm really happy with my place. It's a bit far from my school but I'm near the action and I don't have to share with anyone.

Peace
Saint

A Trip Around KL

Yesterday all of the new teachers got a tour of KL. it was very interesting, but walking around for hours in the heat can get to you. The best experience was eating at the Indian restaurant. The plates were banana leaves and the forks were our hands! We didn't get to spend much time in the heart of KL. I'll go back next weekend. The buildings behind me are called The Pertronas Towers.

Peace

Dave in Hong Kong

I didn't really go to Hong Kong. I just had a two and a half hour stop-over there. Everyone says it's an interesting airport, but I can't see what the big deal is.