Began wrapping the Christmas gifts... ya, I know, Fr. Nick was thumping the pulpit two Sundays ago saying Christmas isn't about presents. Well, the presents may not be a religious part but they sure as heck are one of the most important cultural parts! And as happens every year, as I fit the paper to the gift and cut the tape just right, memories come flooding in. I've wrapped all sorts of gifts; gifts for siblings, gifts for student Christmases, gifts of hope .. and all kinds of feelings are associated with these Christmas gifts. Gifts in my family aren't the super expensive type. They are meant to show that someone's thinking of them... I've had the most fun looking for unusual or quirky gifts. But I have never managed to master the art of choosing gifts for men. I usually fall back on stuff like socks, shirts and hankies. I think the males in my family are swimming in the stuff. But I do so like to shop for gifts......
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Was reading a magazine (Personal Money). Interesting article about income tax. 4 Things To Do Before 2007 1. Add up all the book receipts for 2006 till it comes up to RM700. If not, go buy some more so you can get the max deduction. 2. Been thinking of insurance? Well, my life insurance + EPF is way over maximum so no need to top up. But my medical insurance is still only around RM2000. And I don't really need any more. 3. Medical check up? I can deduct RM500 for this. Hmm, actually I really do need this. Ponder ponder ponder.... 4. Tax residence planning? Non applicable. Hey, I can do Thing No. 1 while I do springcleaning, right? Thing No. 3 can swirl around in my head.. but I wanna nag the hubby to go get one. I kinda want him around for at least a half century more...
This is going to be a great Christmas cos I'm no longer in the office! When I was a teacher in La Salle, I'd start on the Christmas cards and gifts in mid November (right after school closes!). Polish up the necessaries like hair, bod, clothes ... clean up the spirituals (reflection and repentance.. lots of that.. heh heh!). Then it would be time to do spring cleaning (the most amazing bit would be scrubbing the driveway with soap and water!), dig up the Christmas tree and decorations, strings of lights..wrapping christmas gifts and hiding them. Someone would remember the carollers' visit at the last minute so we'd rush to bake cakes and buy packet drinks. Oh we had fun. Then I moved to the office. Urgggh. November would mean lots of meetings in KL or Malacca or Terengganu where I'd hear lots of carols in the shopping malls and gaze at huge (don't touch!) Christmas trees in hotel lobbies. At night, I'd be crunching numbers in Excel which would be a her...
I officially reported for duty to Pn Rafidah the principal of SMK Kolombong on the Ist of December 2006. First impressions: d*** big school, friendly but work-minded new boss. Good. Cos some people focus too much on chit chat and the canteen. I think I'm gonna like it there. But then again, I'm a very flexible person. I can adapt to almost any situation. Unless my very safety is threatened. Then it's time to run! So now my mind is geared towards school and plans and targets and analysis... 2007 is going to be a great year.
Today I walked around my car sitting in the garage and did a ruthless inventory. Paint's still okay though rubber trims are already no longer rubbery. Too many years exposed to the sun. Plastic bits are already crumbly at the edges... time to replace. Cushion covers need replacing too. Some rusting spots and of course there's the skewed whatchamacalit that I need to replace that's causing my car to prefer to move to the left rather than straight ahead on the road. But that whatchamacalit is going to cost me at least five hundred of my precious little ringgits. But I shouldn't complain cos I did that to the car when I hit the bridge. Heh. Time to replace the car? But the engine's still good ... most of the major bits are still working fine. And whenever I think of blowing a five-digit sum on an asset (not!) that depreciates the moment you buy it, I always back away. I've never bought a brand new car.. it's always been a secondhand car for me and I do...
The first time I learned about HTML code, I was already in my mid20's and my tutor was a 16-year-old who treated code with as much ease as she did her schoolbag and textbooks. Familiar story huh? But I wanted so badly to have my own webpages. Sara was my key to those webpages. Lucky she was accommodating. I went on to more complicated stuff and had the greatest fun. But I found myself a fish out of water. Or is it a fish on land? There I was using email, setting up websites... even now, I am blogging and just set up a tagboard. But the majority of my IRL friends (same age and common interests) don't do the Internet. They don't email and they don't get what a blog is about. Worse, I keep setting up emailboxes for them and they keep losing their passwords. Some are okay. But they don't do Internet communication. So my blog's not so much for communication... it's more for my personal records. The funny thing is m...
31st of October 2006 was a big red-letter day for SK Kipovo, Penampang. For the Director General of Education, his five deputies and twenty plus directors all descended upon the pretty rural school. SK Kipovo's one of the schools involved in a projek rintis for the I-Board technology (basically converts a whiteboard into a touchscreen) and the synergy between the teachers, the students and the technology there is good enough to get the DG to drag all his big guns all the way from Putrajaya to Penampang. So on the last day of October, officers swarmed all over SK Kipovo, the visitors to see what the technology was all about and the local education officers to smooth the way the path the very AIR in and around the school. I was the 'lucky' creature assigned the MC job. Do it well, you sleep well at night. Do it badly... hmmm, better start pondering alternative work choices. No lah.. ha ha .. just joking. But an MC can make or break a function. Say the wrong thing or me...
I am sitting at the computer table surrounded by 4-metre-lengths of textiles. One length is of an irridescent green splashed with turquoise that I couldn't resist when I went to Silky's for a colleague's goodbye gift. Another is a deep dark pink with tangerine slashes. Yet another is navy blue silk with velvety ultramarine flowers surrounded by thin royal blue ribbons. YET another is a forest green with shades of grass green mixed in so beautifully. I LOOOOOVE Malaysian silk and batik and everything else related! If I sit in any cafe, it will be to peoplewatch...or more precisely, clothwatch. Sometimes I am guilty of looking at the dresses and robes first before I look at people's faces. And in case my close friends are wondering, I spend more time gazing at the beautiful textiles than wearing them! My ICT colleagues still remember the time when we went to Terengganu and I lugged twenty pieces of silk batik home. After I came to my senses, I sold them all off. ...
Went to work in serviceable jeans, ready to dig into files and boxes. It's amazing how many useless bits of paper I can keep, thinking that maybe it will be needed or maybe someone will ask for info that only these useless bits of paper have. But most of the papers were of courses that had already been completed. Imagine having to print a one-page invitation letter for every teacher you invite to a course. So if you plan to have fifty of them, that would mean fifty letters to be faxed. After faxing the letter, the clerk would dutifully stamp the date of faxing on each letter which would be my proof of 'posting'. So if I have ten courses in a year, that would mean 500 pieces of paper. That wouldn't include the fax cover page and the extra copies of printed notes and stuff like that. And that's how my paper garden grows every year. So today.. well, actually YESTERDAY, I was extra ruthless - one copy of a letter for each course + name list and the rest went into ...
One of the best things that ever happened to me was discovering electronic books. Yeah, well, it was a simple ol' pdf document. And it was ages ago... but the idea of being able to carry puh-lenty of books in my palm was mindblowing. Now I've stuffed my PDA with almost 50 books and they save my life everytime I have to wait for something or someone. I get really edgy and fidgety if I have nothing to do, so having a book to read is restful on the nerves. Anyway when I get irritated, I get mouthy. And my mouth tends to move a few steps ahead of my brain. So the e-books save a lot of people a lot of grief. IF they grieve over my words lah.. Anyway, I've adjusted pretty well to the electronic books, considering how I can drool over crisp new printed pages. Aaah, nothing like a whiff of a freshly opened book. But I'm willing to trade in the whiffs for the easy access to lotsa books. Best of all, I can download a book within minutes of purchase online. No more wait...
Well, the briefing went well, bar a comic turn by the usually serious S3P Sector Head. Or two comic turns. Sigh, the man always surprises me. But he did entertain the roomful of nervously sweating professionals. I was utterly relieved to find that I was going to be transferred to a nearby school, SMK Kolombong. Will sleep tonight.
Just received a letter informing me to attend a briefing on the 19th of October 2006. My director will be giving the briefing and with her few words, she will change my life. Not just my life but a few hundred others as well... I will find out that I have been given a promotion. Good. I will find out whether or not I stay in the office... but this would mean I will be low in the promotion rankings. Or I am posted back to school as one of the principal's right hand men... this would mean I will be relatively higher up in the promotion rankings and will become a principal sooner. I don't really care where I work as long as I get to stay in the Kota Kinabalu district. As long as I can drive to work from home and not risk falling asleep at the wheel. And school's a pretty neat place to work in cos you meet creative young people every day as opposed to the office. And the long weeks of holidays end of the year are pretty attractive too. In the office, November and December...
More than 25,000 senior teachers who are eligible for promotion under the time-based promotion scheme are in a dilemma. They must now sign a declaration saying they are willing to be transferred to any part of the country, including Sabah and Sarawak, before they are promoted. These teachers, mostly women above 40, fear they will have to uproot themselves which will disrupt their family lives. From an article in The Star, 10th October 2006. Guess what, I'm one of those women but not yet above 40 lah...:) But I face the same dilemma and so will every teacher once he or she is 'in the zone'. But if we don't sign that paper, we don't get promoted. And if we don't get promoted, we are stuck where we are. Is that good or bad??? Hmmm, I think this is indeed what they call a dilemma.
Visited a school on stilts yesterday. Yes, all on stilts. So about 600 students move around on walkways and teachers from the mainland come in by boat everyday. Susan G teaches English there and even had her own plump orange lifejacket. Their decor consisted of seashells, saltwater-friendly plants and murals. Will post some pics soon.
Was in Midvalley Megamall last Thursday. Drooled over the latest HP Ipaq... but didn't care for the price tag. Not while I have humongous credit card bills to clear. So I console myself by surfing the gadget sites and hanging out in MyPDACafe.com . And by upgrading software in my PDA and downloading more pretty themes at PocketPCThemes.com and Pocket McDeb . Well, I suppose going nuts over PDAs is much cheaper than going nuts over cars. That hobby cost me a bomb.
Beth just left for Brisbane yesterday... she's currently waiting for her connecting flight in Singapore. I'm so excited for her... It is so weird... In 1999, I was all ready to pack up and go. My destination was different. A few years in Singapore and then I would've gone on to Hawaii...or some other destination (but Hawaii was top of the list, thanks to Dr Hyacinth Gaudart). Then things happened and my plans changed for good. No regrets, though. But I would love to know every bit that happens to Beth...
---------------JANUARY BABY-------------------- Pretty/handsome. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Sensitive. Down-to-Earth. Stubborn. ----------FEBRUARY BABY -------------------- Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. sexiest out of everyone. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Horny. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp. L...
Today I sent Dylan to school... they call it Nursery but this nursery comes complete with classrooms, bumper cars, playgrounds and toys galore! He will get to play with friends, do arts and crafts, listen to stories, sing and climb stuff... I was worried that he might cling to me.. but no, not Dylan. The minute he saw the colourful murals on the buildings, he dashed from the carpark right into the school area. Went from mural to playground to another mural... and one of the murals was 3D.. cars popping out of the walls! Good ol' Dylan didn't waste any time... and Mummy was left chasing after him. And of course his minders' first question was "How old IS he?" He only turns three end of June but he already looks a strapping five. This is one boy who's not going to waste time crying after Mummy... too many new experiences to chase. Good for him.
Together with thousands of other procrastinators, I sweated bullets trying to access the LHDNM and DigiCert sites last night. Never mind that we were given a month's extension. Never mind that I've been submitting income tax returns for nearly 13 years now... I had to read a newspaper article about the queues at LHDNM branches before I got off my backside. The queer thing is that I'd already completed the form more than a month ago. All I had to do was spend about 5 minutes online. Why do I do this to myself every year? Hubby steamed about it... HE sent his by good ol' snail mail ages ago. Luckily the World Cup could distract him a bit. I think the LHDNM officers think we are idiots. Heh.
The News Straits Times carries this article today and what caught my eye was : the focus would be on critical subjects such as Mathematics, Mandarin, Physical Education and English, for which there was a shortage of teachers. So what happens when you don't have a 'critical subject' option? Switch? ICT is not on the list so now I am imagining an ICT optionist learning how to throw a javelin so he can switch options. Hmm, the way you grip the javelin is actually similar to the way you grip the mouse. Just change the angle... and the javelin goes between the index and middle finger. Well, whatever it may be, there will no longer be guaranteed jobs for teachers beginning next year (and in fact, some graduates are already hanging around...).
1. You blame others for the mess your life is in. Don't like your life? Fix it already! 2. You take out your frustrations on others, especially those with less power than you. A bully, plain and simple. 3. You judge people by the stuff they wear, the money they flash... First impressions are important but shouldn't stop there. 4. You think too much of yourself Guess what, your feelings aren't the most important thing in this world. World's spinning... watch out or you'll get left behind! 5 . You look down on others for whatever reason. Today's loser can be tomorrow's winner. The final judgement only comes when you check out of this world. 6 . You have a bias against others; whether colour, creed, preference or just appearance. Keep an open mind... Life's best revenge is to make you fall in love with that man you just rejected for his appearance (after which he doesn't want you anymore!) or have you meet that woman you dissed for her background i...
Was sitting in front of the computer, looking at the monitor. So early in the morning, so quiet outside... and I thought of two friends from the past... a brother-n-sister pair, long out of touch. They belonged to a time when I needed nonjudgemental company, company to soothe and yet poke fun at my straitjacket conventionality. I was in turmoil then, under pressure to conform and yet desperately rebelling. But all around me were the trappings of demanding society; my job, my family, my relatives... The nonstop mantra was 'Conform Conform Conform..' My only escape was the night. But even then I only really let myself go when I was with them. And even then... not really. Control was such an issue with me. And they were so much younger than I was. And as I was about to fly off away from my 'cage', Defere came into my life. And so I traded my potential freedom for a different sort of freedom within a cage I wanted. That cage, this cage I am in now, put me squarely...
I was sleeping fitfully, throat burning and head aching... when I felt someone hugging my legs. I opened my eyes... it was Dylan. He looked at me and smiled so sweetly, so trustingly. I just knew he had an 'accident' and was waiting for me to make things all better. And so at 2 am in the morning, I got up and bustled about while telling him to TELL me... don't just look at me and use his big expressive eyes. Yes I will normally know what he wants (moms' telepathy?) but when I'm sick, telepathy not so effective. That made me wonder how such a 'little' creature can change my life so much. My priorities are all listed out beginning with DYLAN. Defere comes a close second ... and jostles for first place sometimes. And I REALLY know for the first time how mothers can kill for their children or be killed. Scary? Not at all. So after Dylan's all comfortable and as sweet-smelling as his breath, he lies down on his pillow, tucks his little hand...
I finally had the opportunity to watch Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen) last Monday. Well, it was a holiday and Dylan was sound asleep at an unusually early time (thanks to his workout in the swimming pool!). The VCD was a bit jumpy (thanks to same little boy) and I had to polish it a bit on my jeans. But when I managed to view the film in two stretches from start to finish, I was left marvelling all over again at how well Jane Austen can put a story of human relationship together. Yes, I know... it wasn't her book.. it was a flashy movie garnished with beautifully dramatic characters and glorious scenery... but it was still her story. Knightley gave a pretty good interpretation of Elizabeth Bennet's sense of independence and of course, Macfadyen gave just enough smoulder to his enigmatic and yet vulnerable Mr. Darcy. I'm glad there was no hint of wimp. Too many wimps in today's world... My favourite book of Jane Austen's g...
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> Internet ScamBusters™ The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud By Audri and Jim Lanford Copyright © Audri and Jim Lanford All rights reserved. Issue #129 <>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> The Evil Twin - The Newest Dangerous Thing People Do on the Internet That Doesn't Seem Dangerous at All <>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> We all do lots of things on the Internet without giving them much thought. And unfortunately as you'll see, that can be a big mistake. In this issue and the next, we're going to talk about 7 things that don't seem dangerous, but can ...
About two weeks ago, I stood outside my TESL students' class and read an SMS... My cousin Roland and my former student Dax (I was his form teacher for three years!) had just passed away. Roland was only a year younger than me and ... Dax just got married and had just moved to a great new job. I was just stunned and all the feelings of shock upset grief was roiling in me. And the ever familiar question was WHY? But Death doesn't care. Death stalks our footsteps and we all know he's there and we all know he will come for us one day. But when he comes too fast too soon, we are unprepared and family members are left to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives. It's all right if one has lived a full life and lived a full cycle ... you've either got grandkids with your nose or your temper or grandnieces and nephews who remember you for your lavish treats (unlike mummy and daddy who scrimp on the chocs and fries!). But when you haven't even seen y...
I had a meeting at Avillion Resort, Port Dickson..and it was such a memorable one day-one night that I am thinking of going back. The place is beautifully landscaped and the rooms are GORGEOUS! Two of my colleagues took advantage of the steam n sauna facilities and luxuriated their pores out! The food was nothing to shout about (although I did eat a whole lot!) compared to Hotel Cititel Penang but good enough to keep me happy. Dylan would've adored the three pools with the slide, the jets of water and the hide n seek nooks and corners. I wasn't interested in the beach (not when I am so used to Tanjung Aru). But best of all, I managed to catch up on sleep lost and find my glow again.. Thanks, GITN Sdn. Bhd. for sponsoring such a great meeting. Govt officers would never have seen even the lobby!
YES.. I survived the interview. Ya I know ... what's the big deal? But no matter how you prepare or tell yourself it isn't a big deal, it IS a big deal. And there is something unsettling about being interviewed by other adults that make you want to cringe at the idea of making a fool of yourself. So I didn't make a fool of myself. I may not have been greeted with tears of joy and celebration but I had a good time at the 'chat session' with Dr. Sharifah Bee and Dr. Kassim. Cos I didn't make a fool of myself.
My interview is on 21 March... And what am I doing? Reading my cousins' blogs.. It's a sure sign of panic ... silently insidiously creeping up my neck...
Read and weep... Well, maybe only the English teachers will weep. The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service, at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the Far East Economic Review: Room Service (RS): "Morrin. Roon sirbees." Guest (G): "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service." RS: "Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??" G: "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs." RS: "Ow July den?" G: "What??" RS: "Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?" G : "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please." RS: "Ow July dee baykem? Crease?" G: "Crisp will be fine." RS : "Hokay. An Sahn toes?" G: "What?" RS: "An toes. July Sahn toes?" G: "I don't think so." RS: "No? Judo wan sahn toes??" G: "I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes...
Just got news from a little bird... one of the interviewers will be visiting Sabah on the 22nd of March.. so there you are, I have a date to focus on. BUT... BUT... the problem is I have an OUM deadline on the 20th, I've got courses to put together between now and YESTERDAY... arggghhhh... Well, I don't need to sleep, do I?
And my preparation for my PhD interview? Zip, nada, none, nothing, zero, aiso. There you go, in four languages; American, Spanish, English and Kadazan. Heh. *digs in bookshelf.. found book... Social Methods for Research..* The tiny mouse in the corner : You dead mon.
Don't take me wrong... I love my job because I get the chance to meet people all over Malaysia and I get to do different things everyday. But sometimes it becomes a drag when I have too many things on my plate and I'm haunted by deadlines and the colleague who is supposed to be sharing the joy with mejust doesn't give a d***. Yeah he has more important stuff in his life ... riiiiiiiiight.... But it really pisses me off when I sound off to other people (the ones giving me more work) and they just say,"Hey there are two of you right? Why hog the work all to yourself?" But what do you do when work you ask the other partner to complete either is stuffed under the table or gets messed up big time? So like an idiot I worry about the repercussions and decide to never mind just do the job yourself. I used to keep quiet but after last year, I just couldn't take it any more and began unloading on others. One good thing came out of it... other people...
I think there is something not right in my relationship with my car. Not just the hatchback I'm driving now but also the sedan I used to drive. I seem to be having accidents galore... This time, I nodded off at the wheel and hit the sharp base of the small Putatan bridge just after the traffic lights. Luckily I have steady hands and I kept the car moving. Owwwch, the beautiful melody of the slap grind rip of rubber and steel rim on the road... every note symbolised a chunk of ringgit leaping out of my wallet. Worse, I was on the fast lane and a few hundred metres AFTER the curve. So while waiting for the tow truck, one car managed to rear-end another. I was waiting at the nearby bus stop (the sight of the trucks barreling towards my tiny auto made me scramble out to seek refuge elsewhere) and tried to hide behind a sapling while the two car owners battled it out. But I realised something good. There are plenty of kind people out there on Malaysia's demolition derby hig...
Found some good links.. SearchERIC http://searcheric.org/ FindArticles http://www.findarticles.com/ Nfer Research Areas http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research-areas/ Taylor and Francis Journals http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/
*stares mournfully at deleted files* Someone put a virus in my office PC... and I brought it home to my home PC which has the latest antivirus signature files. Being the efficient creature it is, it healed 6 of 17 infected files and deleted 11 files that it couldn't heal. I KNOW KNOW KNOW it's better deleted than causing trouble and spreading trouble and making mini BRONTOKs... but I still feel sad... And I don't know what's going to happen with the files in my PC that I'm going to scan with AVG. Well I don't have original software so I must be satisfied with AVG. Good AVG. Smart AVG. Clever AVG. If only it didn't kill files so efficiently... I hope all of you update your antivirus software at least once a week. You do, don't you?
I am also an oxymoron (or is it my life that's the oxymoron?) because I am as modern as they come and yet there is stuff in my life that's *not modern*. Lessee now... MODERN I can't live without my PDA, broadband connection, notebook and mobilephone, those ubiquitous symbols of You-Are-In-Tune-With-The-RatRace (come on feel free to disagree with me!). I just love Simon Cowell (he is so deliciously nasty! - no, I don't agree with a lot of his comments). I voted in Malaysian Idol and Akademi Fantasia... it was like an obsession! AND I BLOG! NOT MODERN Yet at the same time, before I enter a hotel room, I invariable 'ask' permission from unseen inhabitants to stay for a while in the room. When I walk in the jungle, I don't throw stuff, pluck flowers or leaves or make comments should I see anything unusual.. These are all taboos ... cannot offend the jungle inhabitants.. again, unseen most of the time. I never leave baby clothes outside at night so that no-o...
Just got info that my PhD scholarship interview is slated for March. Beginning, middle, end??? *Checks calendar" Oh GAWD.. March isn't very far away, izzit? (Reminds me of the Malaysian disease; Appending Izzit To Every Statement, regardless of grammar correctness). I've been searching the Internet for i-am-not-quite-sure-what but so far, haven't been very successful. I'm interested in studying how teachers in rural schools are dealing with ICT in their workspace but not quite sure about my approach focus method etc etc. I've been informed that this is normal and not to worry about... but i wooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy.... March...*sigh*
I've been an oxymoron in my head ever since I could think. Mum made me behave although inside I was the type to mess up and freak out. And when she wasn't watching, I did. Spectacularly. When I got older, I didn't bother hiding. I am an unconventional person working at one of the most ultra-conventional jobs ever... where people watch and pounce the minute you do something 'not proper'. I don't wanna do things the way I am expected to... but to please people (and cos I don't really care), I do it. Sometimes. Other times, I do stuff the way I want to and watch the fallout. I mean, the time I just had the guts of my car ripped and replaced with an engine that could take me higher... I didn't stop hearing the lectures till I sold the car but I had fun driving it. My dad blew his top when he drove it (without my knowledge) and found that the thrust was more powerful than the brakes. I mean, who wants to brake? We just wanna go faster, do...
People here have been arguing over this issue since forever but it doesn't make sense to say that a politician created the term. Wow did he have that much power to make all the Kadazans change their race? And if so, what was the term used before? I wish people would come up with a better argument other than the politician bit.
This morning, I headed out up into the green leafy hills in my normal everyday 10-minute conquest of Signal Hill on my way to work. Man, I never tire of seeing all the green and glimpses of azure blue sea as I wind my way around the hill. So far I haven't knocked down a single jogger or cyclist .. not that I am aiming to. At my previous place of work, I had no hill to wrestle with but my drive was along the bay (beautiful beautiful aquamarine and turquoise waves) and down wide tree-lined roads. Lucky lucky me...