Business Leadership students.

Our last day, June 3, 2010, Business Leadership comes to an end. We had a great time! Period 1, 2 and 4...U ROCK! Thank you for a fantastic semester.

The new CPU

This is our new location. We left the main campus and moved to this Business School. We have a new staff room, nice offices, windows, aircon; it's a nice place to work. Our classrooms have plenty of windows as well.

Reflections!

We landed here June 27, 2009. It's been almost a full year now. My opinion and perception about Malaysia and this experience have not changed.  Teaching is still as awesome as my first day. My students are still angels and I still really enjoy teaching. I'm ok with the constant heat now, I've adjusted. Taylor's is a fantastic place to work, no doubt about it, they take good care of their employees. One thing that still makes me shiver with inquisition...why?, is these open sewers or waterways along the sidewalks..

I just don't get it...why not cover them? Someone could fall into these cement pits very easily. I was told by one of my students that the reason they do not cover these pits is because they don't have to... YIKES!

Cambodia and Thailand really impacted my perspective on life and gratitude. I was humbled by what I saw and experienced in those countries. I would travel back there with anyone who comes to Malaysia because it's a life changing experience.

Anyhow, we fly back to Canada on June 19th, we're excited. I'm eager to hold and hug my children, see my family members, my friends and smell the Canadian air again. Overall, after a year of being here, I'm glad I came, I learned a lot, although I didn't grow much, I'm still 5'7", damn. I appreciate and love my country even more now, I see how much we have in Canada, I see how forward thinking we are in relation to rights and freedoms. My home and native land will always be my anchor.

Please say something!

Amy was trying to teach these three German tourists how to smile. She must have stood there for an hour, just smiling for them...well, they didn't even crack a tiny grin. When I asked them questions about their country and why they were in Thailand, they just looked ahead. Oh well, their loss, we were nice!

Memories of an awesome wedding day for Kim & Brian. The drinks were very strong, my face says it all.

Amy & Jwu Yng

Amy and her student Jwu Yng-a big hug during the musical event-, they really bonded throughout the semester, working together on the musical just cemented the relationship.

Petronas with James

James and Amy at the Petronas Towers.

At the Mosque, women cover their heads and men cover their legs, I think women cover their legs as well and men cover...wait, was it legs and heads or eyes and arms? Hmmmm

James on Broadway

James got all done up and attended our Musical production " A Night on Broadway" which featured 13 different songs from past Musicals. Amy directed two numbers, Fame & The Cell Block Tango.

Redang Island

Amy decided to grow her hair long again. With her tan, the pink hair piece and those eyes, she looks good.

We took a trip to Redang Island with Tom and Ann. It was like an Eden on earth. A beautiful spot that Amy found for us. Shelley and Jim Dale also joined us for our March break. I was ill for the first three days, busting headache and stomach cramps. Once it passed I was good to go...but it was time to go home!

Amy, in her new Barbie Girl look, and Asia's version of Wyatt Earp. Actually, I don't think they had sunglasses like those ones way back in Earp's day. So that would make this a picture of Amy and a wanna be "cowboy". There...that's more like it eh?

Amy's morning sunrise photo. She got up early and took a number of awesome sunrise photos. I think she will be the new team photographer...I'll take up a new hobby...basket weaving with rose stems. Now there's a prickly feat.

It is love!

Why am I dancing in the kiddy pool you ask? Yes that's the kiddy pool. I was not allowed to swim in the adult pool because my shorts were too LONG. Yes you read it right...too LONG. They had to be above my knees to swim with the adults. They even offered to rent me a pair of shorts.

Redang beach and our resort!

My quotes

Drama should be something we have no control over, not something we create. 
Mimic the heart of a child.
There is no worse feeling than standing graveside; wishing you had said this or done that.
You're the author of your life so write the happiest, most fulfilling book you can imagine. You only get to write one book, make it count!
Life is awesome, optimism is a choice,
forgiveness is a choice, regret is a choice.

Staff Game Night!

After a half day of parent/teacher interviews, we hooked up for a games night. This is the Texas Holdem table. I lost my shirt and then some, but we had a good time. A few people cashed out some "extra funds" while some of us made a donation.

Below, is the Settlers of Catan game "box" area. I don't know how to play but it seems like a blast. John, Michael, Christina and Lindsay are hacking it out.

The Wizard group played a few rounds under the fan, near the aircon while we sweat it out at the Holdem table.

Tom and Anne in KL

Tom and Anne smiling at the Luna Bar with those beautiful twins behind them. It looks like only one tower, but there are absolutely two. Seriously...I was there, I saw them.

Coming Home!

We arrive in Toronto on June 19th. We are quite excited. Three weeks in Canada, many people to see. My children will be a priority. James is in China, we are hopefully going to hook up either in Malaysia or in China before Amy and I head to Canada, our home and native land. My job is still awesome, the honeymoon has not eroded at all. The students are exemplary here; no such thing as classroom management issues, discipline or any other issue. 70 Minutes of class time involves a full 70 minutes of teaching/learning. Pinch me!  It feels like a dream.  See you all soon. We miss everyone.

A Taylor's Event

We enjoyed a nice meal, good socializing, and some very fine music from a live orchestra at Taylor's new campus. From left to right: Moaz, Jim Dale, Jim Leonard our program director, yours truly, Tom Cooke, Anne Cooke and Amy.

Strauss & Beethoven

Tom and Anne are with us from Canada. We are having a very comfortable time hanging out.  We escaped the realities of life during a 2 hour concert featuring Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, The Emperor and and Strauss' An Alpine Symphony. After the concert we sang karaoke for three plus hours. A fine day it turned out to be.

Aerial Flowers

Our weekly pleasure

Faking Fun!

Lindsay and I acting British.  "D'you drink tea? Nooooo, I don't even like the smell of it!" I guess the Habs t-shit kinda kills the whole British thing eh? BUT....it's always better the Habs than the Leaflets...ahhhhhhh!

Heads and a sunset

I am playing photographer again. Sunset, Shelley through amy's triangular shaped arm, taking a photo and I'm obviously behind Amy taking a picture. The interesting thing here is that Jim Dale was on the left taking an angled shot at the same time. I thought it was a cool shot...maybe I had too many Carlsbergs?

Bookstore

There are plenty of good bookstores here in South East Asia. Some, like the one below, even let you know before you enter, that they don't have the book you are looking for, it's stated in the name... Innovative eh? Saves time...everytime!

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

We spent last Sunday afternoon, soaring with the sounds of Halvorsen's Passacaglia, Schubert's String Quintet in C, and Saint-Saens' Violin Sonata No.1 in D minor. Violins, Cellos, Violas and a Piano played by excellent and passionate musicians. It was a relaxing, yet exciting concert. Before the show, we enjoyed the Traders Hotel buffet. It was splendid! Sorry, no photos here. They don't allow it, so, you will need to come to Malaysia for a visit and we'll take you to a show. Deal? This Sunday we will see Scaling Heights at the same venue. Canadian pianist Alain Lefevre will be featured.