8 random facts about me

i got tagged by dan, but i'm going to break the rule - no tagging anyone :p but since i'm very obliging, here goes:

1. my name is actually derived from emmeline, which my father shortened to emmy as he said emmeline was too long. i love my name btw, and usually tell people that it's spelt e-m-m-y like the emmy awards.
   
2. since we're on the topic of names, my surname is considered uncommon here in west msia and i've been asked numerous times if i was korean (because jung is a korean surname). my surname is spelt j-o-n-g coz in my hakka dialect, it is pronounced as such. the mandarin equivalent would be 'yang'.
3. the longest i've kept my hair was until it reached my waist. that was when i was 15. i promptly asked my friend's mother to chop it all off (to just above the shoulders) the day after the PMR exams. no idea what got into me.
4. i have a degree in IT but in actual fact, i know nuts about computers. hahaha (my darkest secret is now out in the open. yikes!) my philosophy when it comes to gadgets, comps included is - if it's not broken, don't touch it!
5. i have always found it easy to mentally make links or connections between the various chinese dialects that i speak eg hokkien, cantonese and hakka, and used to think that everyone could do the same as well. i find it amusing that a person who is able to converse in mandarin can be totally lost when another speaks cantonese.
6. when i was younger, i used to save up to buy books or ask for books as my birthday/christmas gift but now i seldom buy any books coz they just seem too expensive. most of the time, i borrow books from others (read: IRENE!)
   
7. my father taught me to bake apple pie, and now it has become my signature dish. i've also added banana pie to my repertoire, thanks to persistent requests from sherman.
8. i can't cook very much. and when i do, its usually more western simply because i find it easier to learn as most of the time they are 1-dish meals. chinese food takes more time, and i'll have to come up with more than 1 dish for a meal.

ok, that's my list! it's nothing new really, since most people who are close to me already know these facts. but oh well...

my personality??

hey i got the same results as dan! not really surprising :p but i'm not so sure about the "selfless" part. feel like i still have a lot to learn in that respect. i think sherman's was really accurate tho. haha

end of term event

we had our last 'enrichment activity' with the students today. it wraps up the activities we've been doing together with the students for the whole semester. and since i'll be leaving KDU very soon, this is the last batch of students i'll be teaching here too.

there's nothing as rewarding as teaching - when your students let you know in various ways that somehow u have made a difference in their lives (even if just a little).

one student (xiaolong) walked up to me after class, and gave me two handmade bracelets because he knew i was leaving. *touched* he was chosen to give a speech at the event today, to tell of his experience being in this english course. he said he used to hate english while still studying in china, but now he loves english! that really made my day :) of course, my part was a small one but just to know that he now has a passion for the language is really great.

i will miss my students, my colleagues, my laptop *sob* and the fact that workplace is only 5 minutes' drive from my house. it's been a good 4 years plus. and to think i almost did not come for the interview! hahaha...life sure wud hv been different.

although i have my gripes about KDU, it's been a good learning experience overall. and soon, it's time to say adios to this yellow-and-blue building. but i'll come back for visits definitely ;)