I went out for lunch with ah^kam_koko’ when he was in town last Saturday because he was awarded the APC or in full, the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang (Outstanding Service Award) and he wanted to give me a treat with his prize money.
I must say that he deserves it even though he is only into his 4th year of teaching as he is truly passionate and dedicated in his work. Most young people (and old ones as well) who are posted to a desolate school like his would spend their time counting the days till they could get out of the place. To get there, one would need to catch a boat from Sibu and go some 3 hours or so upriver to a town called Song…and from there, one would need to take a small longboat up a tributary to the school, a couple of hours away – if a boat is available, that is. His efforts have not gone unnoticed and he has been featured in a national tabloid here and also here.
No doubt he is doing a lot of good there despite it being so isolated and derelict but I do think if he could be posted to a better school in the bigger towns and cities, someone like him would be able to do a whole lot more with the quality of the students he would have. Hopefully, he’ll be given that opportunity soon…
We went to this place that I have featured many times before for the chicken rice…
…and we had the char siew (barbecued pork) and roast pork…
…as well as the roast duck and roast chicken…
…and the stewed eggs…
It was indeed a hearty lunch and the whole thing inclusive of drinks totalled RM18.00 only. It wouldn’t be that cheap, that’s for sure, if I had taken him to one of those classier high end cafes but I did not want him to spend a huge chunk of his money unnecessarily. After all, it was a very delightful lunch – the food was good and there was so much for just the two of us…and young people should be a bit more prudent and save whatever they can to use for any beneficial purposes that may crop up in their lives. After all, they’ve only just begun and they have a long long way to go…
After lunch, he wanted to go for dessert and we went here for the jelly pisang and the banana cake with ice cream…and the bill for the two items came up to RM15.00 which was almost the same as all that food (minus the drinks) that we had for lunch earlier. Ah well, he insisted…so I just let him have the pleasure of giving me a real good treat. Hehehehehe!!!!
Well, thanks a lot, ah^kam_koko’ , and congratulations on your award. Keep up the good work and all the best in whatever you undertake in the years ahead.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 