Nitro PDF Reader

have you ever had to fill out a form you got online that was in PDF format?  what i've been doing in the past was printing out the PDF file and then filling the form in by hand which was a hassle since i didn't have the full blown Adobe PDF program.

i just discovered this really cool program, Nitro PDF Reader, that allows you to do a lot of things that Adobe's PDF Reader doesn't.

The Nitro PDF reader allows you to not only read PDF files but also to fill in forms (i really need that), use your own handwritten signature on those forms (so you no longer have to print out the forms and then have to sign on them with a pen the old fashioned way), allows you to make notes on PDF documents, highlight points as you read and even make notes on them!  these are not only great as collaboration tools but also great studying tools for students (i know i would have appreciated having a program like this when i was doing my masters).

it also lets you convert files of other formats into PDF (according to the website, you can convert from 300 different formats).  it also allows you to copy information from a PDF document and place it onto any other document.

it's compatible with Adobe PDF and best of all, it's FREE!!!  :) 

pinching business

the cube is pinching clients from the place that we both work.
  
i don't get why she is doing what she is.  she claims to be making 12K for just 3 day's work and often says, "I don't need to be doing this," so, pray tell, why is she travelling to a student's home just to teach 3 students for a mere 2K???  

worse, why is she pinching work???  ethically, i don't think what she is doing is right.  strangely enough, this person prays... an oxymoron, no?   

besides, did she not think that this piece of information would eventually make its way back to someone at the centre???

so much for her high horse talk --- seems that she's willing to stoop low to do this.  

two days ago, she dropped by the centre for a meeting with the owner at around noon and left the office around 2 in the afternoon. Stepping into the lift around 7 pm later in the day, I met her at the lift --- she was still in the building!!!  I asked her what she was doing still around and she claimed to be "counselling students about university admissions".  yeah rite!!!  she was listening in for gossip and was schmoozing the students so that she can later pinch them.

simply NOT nice

there is only one way to describe rusty's behavior towards plump girl today --- RUDE!!!

why do the students adore him???  the female students were dreamily telling me that he "has a nice car, it's 2.0" and that he has "his own company".  one even went on to say that "i can be with him because he is always busy doing something" = meaning that he would be a good provider.

okay, so can somebody please explain to me why the hell is he working as a part-time english teacher???  he even asked kadesh how much a full time teacher makes --- a sign that he is considering a full time position.

and oh, i'm sure he's always busy doing something --- he's busy shagging MEN!!!  oh, in case i haven't mentioned it before, we suspect that rusty's gay.

the girls are no doubt shallow but i wonder if they are aware that a teacher's salary isn't enough to pay for fancy wheels which cost 125k brand new.  when are they gonna realize that the fancy spanky wheels are courtesy of rusty's wealthy boyfriend???  yup, sorry girls... he's a taker! (how else would he be able to afford such wheels???)  :P

i don't know about you but rude is NOT hot in my books.

real men don't park cars in a shopping mall and then not know where they left them!  rusty took the girls to 1-utama one day and then got lost looking for his car.  a sure sign of not possessing a male brain, i'm afraid.

the preacher

got into work this morning, said hey to the oz sheep who happened to be standing in my way in the office.

he asked me what Mc Donalds was like this morning (seeing that I was holding a Mc D's coffee cup in my hand) and when I said ok, he went on to say that the food there is isn't that great and on top of that is unhealthy and then, he walked out.

note that this comment came from someone who i hardly know and who, on top of that, has a pretty huge rear end himself. what a strange person this oz sheep is ...

This is what happened...

I was told today that Nat was told to leave yesterday morning itself. The decision took not only me but her by surprise.

It seems that Nat went to work on Monday morning prepared to teach when Post told her that she could leave yesterday morning.

What is Post trying to do? Isn't she aware that we are all judged by what we do? Does she not know how to treat people like human beings? So much for "looking out for the teachers" --- people believe more what you do rather than what you say...

Prior to this, Scotty was told to leave the company without saying goodbye or explaining his sudden departure to the kids. Perhaps Uncle was right in leaving the announcement of his departure till the very last minute...

I think people going is nothing personal --- it is just a part of life. Circumstances change, opportunities arise and people move. It is all just a fact of life. Post has to grow up and stop treating everyone else who is moving on as enemies of the state.

gone :(

went into the office this morning after a week away from the office, saw nat and she told me and another colleague of mine who had also just come back from a week's break that "oh, btw, today's my last day".

i was surprised as she handed in her notice in the middle of last month (after raya) and her last day should have been on october 13.  apparently, the dos decided to let her go earlier.  the dos, when announcing her leaving, was very clinical about it.

i hugged her goodbye before my class began for the day and i knew i was going to miss her.  she's like a kid sister to me.  why can't the centre hold onto staff???

so out with nat and shah, and in with three new faces, one of which is australian (and judging by his mannerisms today, seems to come packed with a lot of attitude).  it's his first day at work and he was already getting annoyed about minor things.  okay, the place isn't the most organized and some people seem to be fond of instructing others (or maybe it's just a lack of social interaction skills??? i don't know...) but surely he can keep his thoughts to himself on his very first day at work???

okay, so i'm guessing that the mat salleh sheep isn't gonna last that long... a month tops??? stay tuned...

is age catching up with me???

ever had one of those moments when your brain just goes blank and something you know is lost???

it happened to me today.  i totally forgot my password for the copier machine at work.  it's a five digit number, and i remembered the last three but totally was clueless as to what the first two was!!!

i told myself not to panic and to breathe... after a good 15 to 20 minutes of trial and error, the numbers finally came back to me... only for me to discover that after making 20 copies that i had maxed out on my limit!!!  rats!!!

misunderstood and unloved :(

many people fail to see the real me... the me who is actually easily hurt.  many think that i'm a tough cookie --- i just don't wear my heart on my sleeve but that doesn't mean i don't have a heart!

just because i do a better job at concealing my feelings doesn't mean that i don't hurt when mean things are said to me.  

the layered cake

there is a new center manager at work.  she's clueless.  she has been placing students in the wrong levels and when the students request to go to the next level because the current levels that they have been put in seems too easy for them, she makes it the teachers' problem by calling us into a meeting and asking for our thoughts on the matter.  thing is --- we would be saving everyone a lot of time if she just got it right in the first place!!!

on top of that, she's quick to label students --- something that i'm not comfortable with.  it's only her third day at work and she has already label one student as having an attitude problem just because she greeted him and he didn't respond.  when i tried to suggest that it could just be a cultural difference thing, she said that she has seen many iranian students who are polite.  so okay, she thinks she is right... yep, she's one of THOSE...

so, i'm gonna keep my distance from her...

a day without the arab brats

how wonderful it would be if i could just spend my days reading books and not have to worry about having to educate arrogant and pig headed arab brats.

okay, okay...there are a handful who are absolutely great students but they are too few and far between.

i get friday off --- yay!!! the kids are off on a field trip and i'm certainly not complaining.

the thought of having a long weekend without having to deal with their demands certainly feels super blissful!

hmm... think of all the things that i could do... gotta plan, gotta plan!!!   :)

Air Head

Some people are just full of BS. They are full of talk but when it comes to getting down to getting the job done, they suck.

Professionalism? Doubt if they have even heard of the word. I hear her often saying "I've done this, I'm doing that, I'm earning XXXXX for just three days' work, I don't need this job, blah, blah, blah...".

Then I discover, her grammar sucks. Sheesh!!! Some people really have the cheek to make claims when they do such a shitty job.

back to the grind

it's back to work for me tomorrow  :( 

where did my 5 day break go???