Made It - But This Is Only The Beginning!!

Happy Convocation Day to all Tarcians!! (With the name change, what shall we call you - Tarucs, Tarucians? Give a suggestion.)

After seven semesters of study, today is a great day in the lives of these Tarcians (there will be greater days ahead). With diploma in hand, they are now promoted to the second year of the Bachelors Degree Programme. Mind you, it's tough really to get their diplomas - the standards set are really demanding. Graduates can rest assured that, with the strong foundation they have, they will be able to confront the challenges of the degree programme.

 

Words to a Graduate

Dare to dream, dare to try, 

dare to follow your heart. 

Opportunity is calling 

and graduation's the time to start. 

As you seek new challenges 

and make your dreams come true,

may this graduation day 

be a reminder of all that you can do.

As a parent, I know the satisfaction of seeing a child graduate. As a teacher, I'm thrilled to see the outward representation of the success of my students. Congratulations to you all and may there be more success coming your way. Let me buy you a drink. Yum Cha!!!!

Hearts of Gold

Hi, guys!!! It has been a wet day and a long week. TGIF!!! Just came back from dinner and in flew a message from one of my students, "Hey there!! Sorry to disturb you. I'm doing a charity event next week. Wanna grab some cookies? $2 per packet. :))" I was wondering - hey, so cheap meh? Only $2?? Famous Amos charges a bomb for a similar sized packet. Oh well, these are logistics students - they know more about delivery systems than about pricing strategies. Should be charging the lecturers $20 per packet - all in the name of charity, right?

Don't the cookies look nice? I think they are really wonderful. And the students who make them are simply beautiful. They have good heads. They have good hearts. Hey, this is a pretty awesome combination, don't you think so?

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” 
― Mother Teresa

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” 
― John Holmes

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” 
― Jack London

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” 
― Maya Angelou

“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful then a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

I always say, "God loves Tarcians." How many lives have Tarcians saved through their blood donation campaigns every semester? There are so many other activities that Tarcians do that contribute to the well-being of society. Do Tarcians come merely to study? I think, more than that, they have come to enrich the world.

SandWISHES!!!!

Selling for charity outside Bangunan TTSS

Update 6/12/2013

When I reached FAFB, was ambushed by a group of DHR students selling boxes of cookies - 10 bucks gone. Later entered office and met another group - my wallet getting lighter and lighter. Went to the canteen, which was a big mistake, and emptied my wallet. Pokai habis... had to go to the ATM nearby to save my life... Some images of today's actions...

tasting her own poison..

you and me?

live simply that others may simply live

now i know the gang leader!!!

one for all, all for one, all for charity

we make a life by what we give...

the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others

Teachers and students inspire each other. I have not planned to do any writing tonight, but am so touched by my students' hearts of gold that I simply have to write something.

Going to be a busy weekend of convocation, football and assignment-marking for me. Have a great weekend, folks!! Yum cha!!!

You Should REALLY Be Here!!!!

Hectic two days at work. Haizzz.. work life is tough!!! Nowadays, work doesn't stop at the workplace. At this moment, messages regarding assignments are flying in through Facebook. My inbox is going nuclear. Haha, I need a break - not too long, about 7 weeks will be just fine. :)) Boss, you here?

I just did the most awesome thing today!!! Ryanz (yellow tee) invited me to a "table talk" with his friends, Jon and Adeline (the couple).

Jon: Hi, Roland. Do you like to have fun?
Me: Who wouldn't?
Jon: Good. Would you pay to have fun?
Me: Forget it.
Jon: Would you like to be paid to have fun?
Me: Tell me more.

Getting paid to have fun? That is really going to be fun. Jon took out a piece of paper and started explaining. In truth, all these stuff are nothing new to me. Had listened umpteen times, done it umpteen times and failed umpteen times. Just go try selling insurance, soap powder, nutritional products, water filters.. what else have you? Do you enjoy doing all these? You need to have a pretty thick face to survive. Ha, your friends see you come one way, they run the other way. They see you like they are seeing ghost. 

So, what is Jon selling to me? The actual product (pardon the academic jargon) is a vacation club membership at an unbelievably affordable price. The core product (academic jargon again - sorry, occupational sickness) is FUN. The better part is you are paying a 2-star price for a 5-star product. The best part is you are actually not paying because you are earning $$$ by sharing your unforgettable experiences with others and they in turn want to be part of this happy community. Ha, your friends see you come one way, they join hands with you and go all the way. No ghost this time. :)) Do you see a window of opportunity?

That sweet thing in the picture is my wonderful wife. She and my daughter are the ones who have the travel bug so YSBH is perfect for them. Me? Well, if my boss gives me time off ....

Until next time, guys, let's yum cha!!!

You Should Be Here

YSBH (You Should Be Here!) - Haha!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you should be here in this blog with me although I hope you do spend a few minutes reading my stuff. YSBH is the clarion call of one of my students. I teach him Entrepreneurial Skills and he has been bombarding all of us with this business adventure of his. What I teach is so theoretical, what he has is so practical. I'm learning from him as much as he is learning from me. Keep the energy up, Ryanz - you will make it!!

I was warned just now that when I go to class tomorrow there will be a teh tarik party waiting!!! LOL!!! How can you not love such students? They say it is most appropriate since my blog is entitled "yum cha". I'm wondering how I have lasted so many years in teaching. One reason is that I have had fantastic students all these years. Build that bridge with them. Connect with them. At the end of the day, it is all so worthwhile. You go home and you get a good night's sleep.

The School of Business Studies (SBS as it is affectionately known) is now the Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business (FAFB). After 44 years of excellence and having produced more than 160,000 graduates, Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC) has now been upgraded to a University College (TARUC). May it continue to provide affordable and quality education to all Malaysians. Kudos and syabas to all students and staff!!! Anda Boleh!!!

That's all for tonight, folks!! Let's yum cha before sleep.

Holy!! My first blog!!

Today, Sunday 24th November 2013, is a historic day in my life - I'm writing my very first blog!! Doing this has been lingering in my mind for the past three weeks, ever since I attended a workshop on social media. I was so inspired and awed by our facilitator, +Suthesh Kumar, a great guy, who shared so much of his experiences with us. There is also one of my ex-students, Lim, who is always ready to offer blogging tips to me. This young man, an avid blogger himself, has my respect. He has guts and that determination to move upwards.

You might be wondering why this blog is named "Come Yum Cha With Me". Oh well, we like to yum cha (means having a drink in Chinese) and during this time we chat about a thousand things under the sun ranging from politics to scandals to cursing your lecturers (if you're students) to who's going out with whom. This blog represents my views on a variety of issues that happen in my workplace. There is a bit of something for everybody - my colleagues, students, students' parents, friends, in fact, anyone. I don't target any niche segment - too boring. I much prefer a rojak blog - something of everything for everybody. I will be sharing a lot of my interactions with students, campus happenings and maybe some issues of public interest too (ISA has been repealed, right? :))

Suddenly, I realise that I'm multi-tasking. Watching the Hong Kong Yonex-Sunrise Super Series Finals, responding to students' queries on Whatsapp, facebooking and writing this blog. Haha.. I get bombarded by queries all through my weekends. Hey, don't disturb me when Manchester United is playing, and they are playing tonight - match preview at 11.30 Astro Channel 810.

Gosh, I'm already all pumped up for this blogging stuff. Need to keep my eyes and ears open from now on and be in touch with all campus happenings especially in the Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business (FAFB). Do feel free to put in your comments - don't worry, your comments are deeply appreciated - I don't consider you as lawyer buruk giving your 1 sen worth. Remember? We yum cha - open discussion and brainstorming.