My *painful* day

• Ash walks out of lecture hall with friends.
• Ash meets Rosh.
• Ash gets separated by a bunch of people so she moves down the escalator to talk to Rosh.
• Ash’s bag ALSO has a buckle.
• Buckle gets caught onto escalator railing.
• Bag is firmly latched onto Ash’s shoulder.
• Bag buckle stays latched onto escalator railing.
• Bag stays firmly latched on Ash’s shoulder.
• Ash and her shoulder move in the opposite direction.
• Bag pulls Ash back.
• Ash feels like her shoulder is being ripped away from her body. 
• Ash falls on the escalator backwards because the pain is intense.
• Escalator brings a fallen Ash to the second floor.
•  
• Later. . .
  
• Ash’s butt and shoulder are both EXTREMELY sore.
• And then as she stands, so is her ankle.
• Ash walks with a limp and a sore shoulder.

I just want to thank Mr Good Samaritan for helping me with my stuff -it was very chavalier of you- and Rosh -Luthor owes you his life- and the other person whose name I didn’t get who saved Boink (my handphone).

*hugs*

So here’s me thinking that it’s gonna be a while till I make a real friend at IMU when I get a text about an hour later:

"Hey, you ok? How’s the leg, can you drive back or do you need me to give you a lift? Be careful la next time. . ."

Me :

"Hey, it’s ok, I’m good, twas the left leg, you use the right to drive =P thanks for asking tho =) lesson learnt today = bags with buckles are dangerous on escalators, heh"

"Good, lol, take care then. See you tomorrow?"

"Alrighty. . ."

Hmm. Silver lining perhaps?

*

So maybe a friend can be caring. But the family certainly isn’t -_-

Grandma : You’re supposed to pick Niraj up la.

Me : My leg hurts

Grandma : Left leg only what, you drive with your right.

Me : Ah phooey.

So off I went and the stupid security guard at the school wouldn’t let me take him back. Seri Mega’s usual UPSR motivation camp was going on so they lock all the kids in and the security guard was being a complete jackass and wouldn’t let Niraj come out so I could take him home for lunch. So in I went to talk to the teacher, frackin’ pissed off with the dude and the teacher in question happened to be. . .

DEAR CIKGU ROSLIN!!! =D

Yes, my class teacher from back in standard 6! Gosh, she was the best teacher ever. All of us got good grades because of HER. Because of HER, 32 outta 40 students in our class walked away with straight As in our sixth-grade exams (UPSR here in Malaysia) and there she was, walking towards the canteen. So I walked towards her and her eyes widened with recognition as I approached and before I knew it, she was hugging me, hee. . .

My fondness for my old school has never died. The friends, the teachers, the institution itself. I miss my teachers, Cikgu Roslin, Cikgu Leela . . .the most prominent ones I could remember. Cikgu Roslin taught us BM and Cikgu Leela, English. They were the strictest teachers in school (and also best friends), all the students spoke in hushed whispers about them, I remember. Cikgu Leela was our discipline teacher so with that apprehension and wariness, I threaded hesitantly into standard 6 in Seri Mega.

But what a surprise, they were such lovely teachers. And that spurred me and further encouraged me to study extremely hard. They loved the students, all of us and particularly encouraged the top 10. They gave us tonnes of work but it all paid off. We were a united class for the exams and I think that’s what counts inevitably. 

I still remember the day we got our results. Chao Yi, Alissa and I, we were impatient and restless. The teachers had gotten the results from the education department and we were waiting anxiously in class. So Chao Yi and I slipped out of class to meet Alissa (she was next door) and we hovered around outside the corridor. Under the pretext of going to the office to meet another teacher, we went down the stairs. To get to the staff room, you had to pass the office where our teachers had gathered to see what the results were. From the staircase I could see Pn Leela and Cikgu Roslin squealing in joy and hugging each other. We were dying to know what was going on and what had happened. So we hovered around there a little while but then our tuition teacher came up the stairs and met us and I remember her very well too, Pn Ho! Yeah *grins* brilliant name. Anyhoo, she came up to us and we eagerly asked her if she knew what we had got.

Pn Ho : All of you. All 5As.

Me : YOU SURE?? 

Chao Yi : Even ME?!

Pn Ho : Yes, even YOU.

We didn’t know whether to believe her but our excitement only peaked further. Then Cikgu Roslin came to class and read all the results out. And she’d read your name, your subject, then your grade. So we held our breaths till she read out all our subjects. 

"Ashvini. . .Pemahaman=A, karangan=A,English=A,Mathematics=A,Sains=A!!!,"

So if she read a name and all the grades were As for each person, we’d all cheer for that person and if there was a B or C, we’d go "awww. . ."

Gods, I miss those memories.

And then I brought my cert home, with intentions of telling my grandparents that I got 5Bs and it didn’t work cuz my crafty granddad -who was then mobile and walking and always taking me to and fro from school- had come to school without me knowing, gotten my results and gone home.

Me : I got 5Bs you know.

Granddad ; Oh really?

Me : Yes. Are you mad?

Grandma : No. Cause we know you’re lying.

Me : *grins*

Granddad : I came and took your results while you were at class.

Me : Yerr. . .no fun la you.

I was 12 and I sucked at lying then, I still do now! =P

Is this the end of this extremely long memoir?

Not at all! =D cuz after I met Cikgu Roslin today -who expects my brother and sister to get the same grades I did, poor things- she took me to the canteen to meet the standard 6 kids.

Cikgu Roslin : Pelajar-pelajar, saya nak kamu semua dengar sekejap. (students, listen up)

*The kids looked up from their plates*

Cikgu Roslin : Ini bekas pelajar saya, my ex-student from 1999. She used to study here dan merupakan antara satu yang dapat 5A dalam UPSR pada tahun itu. Sekarang dia dah menjejak ke menara gading dalam bidang perubatan (she’s my ex student from 1999, she’s one of them who got 5As during that year. now she’s in university and doing medicine) *she turns to me* First-year is it?

Me : *is red* Yes.

Cikgu Roslin : Ya, she’s studying to be a doctor at IMU. She always finished all my work, 20 karangan dalam satu minggu pun masih boleh siap (can finish 20 essays in a week). She’s under scholarship, has come out in the papers, seorang pelajar yang sangat cemerlang(good student) and has done Seri Mega proud.

Kids : Waah. . . 

Me : *wants to disappear*

Cikgu Roslin : So ada apa-apa soalan nak tanya, about your exams, macam mana nak study( any questions on how to study), please ask now. You all are fortunate she’s here during your motivasi camp. 

Me : Cikgu. . .

Cikgu Roslin : Ye?

Me : Is this really necessary?

Cikgu Roslin : Of course! Budak ni semua, hah. Kerja bagi sikit, dah nak mengadu kepada ibubapa. Macam mana nak groom untuk UPSR ni? (these kids ah, you give em lil work and they complain to their parents. How can you groom them for the UPSR?)

And that was when I was attacked by a few students. I just wish I had looked a bit more impressive: my hair was a mess, I was limping and blah, the whole affair was embarassing. Because all I did for UPSR was past year questions and whatever homework we were given =P No mugging and shit. 

Me : Past year questions. And read your, erm, science book. Sasbadi is good.

*sniggers*

Moral of the story?

I miss school. I miss my teachers. I miss Seri mega, Taman Yarl and yes, even Sri Sentosa.

I miss my childhood period.  

But I take solace knowing that I spent it well and hat I did lots of people proud and I’m hoping those memories push me to do a lot more in life to be proud of. 

Glossary (for the Malay-deprived =P)  :

1. Cikgu = teacher

2. Pn(short for Puan) - Mrs

Anything else I missed, Christu? =P