Friday, August 29, 2008
Majlis restu
Today marks a very important day in Sri Aman. Most people probably did not see its significance. But here it is .... why it is significant. Majlis restu has always been held for the PMR, SPM and STPM candidates in this school ... ever since I could remember ... for Muslims only. It was done with the purpose of encouraging the students and to remind them to turn to God at this time of severe stress and anxiety. For the first time, today, a separate majlis restu was held for the non-Muslim candidates. Why? Because ALL Sri Aman students deserve to have one done for them. ALL Sri Aman students are nervous, stressed and anxious about their public exams. So, under the Pendidikan Moral panel, the first ever Majlis Restu was held for the non-Muslim students.
Organising something that has no precedence is not easy. It was agreed that representatives of 4 religious groups would be invited to speak and pray for the students. So today, the Buddhists are ministered to by the Venerable Dhamajothi from the Maha Sri Vihara Temple in Brickfields, the Christians by Pastor Aaron Tham from PJ Evangelical Free Church, the Sikhs by Giani Lakhbir Singh who was a priest in the PJ Gurudhwara, and the Hindus by Mr Maniventhran of the Hindu Seva Sanga of Malaysia. The sessions done were generally well-received (I know some are better than others).
What is so amazing and wonderful is that students and religious leaders of 4 different faiths came together in one hall and participated in a function which involved prayers and words of wisdom from each faith. Students and teachers who have never before been part of any ceremony of other faiths had their eyes and minds opened to some practices they had never seen before. Imagine : a Buddhist monk who encourages breathing exercise and meditation, a Christian pastor who spoke about the Lord's Prayer and prayed for the students, a Sikh priest who spoke about his religion and recited a prayer for the students, and a Hindu guru who spoke about meditations and chanted with the Hindu students. To me, that in itself is a victory. It is a victory because I saw people of different faiths coming together for a common goal : to encourage the students and pray for them; and the best thing that happened (to me, at least) was when they called each other 'brothers', and all the students were their 'sisters'. There was no boundary. There was no caution of "don't talk about sensitive issues". We were all ONE family. I almost wanted to sing "You and me, in one world; we are family", like in the Olympics theme song. Isn't this a wonderful thing to happen? It only takes ONE precedence, and perhaps, next time, we will have a better organised function.
I have but ONE regret. I wish it was not only the 4 groups. I wish it included all the students. There was never any need to feel threatened or intimidated. We are, afterall, one Malaysia. Like what Dhamajothi said, all of us have blood that is red in colour. It matters not who we are, underneath it all, we are one human race. We all share the same kind of anxiety and worries when it comes to many issues, in this case, exams. I don't know if this stirs up the hornet's nest, but, deep in my heart, this is what I wish. (Am I opening myself to more issues that will turn this blog into a battleground?) Forgive me if this is sensitive to some people - yes, YOU. But it is MY wish, which I think is a meaningful one. And I might not be alone in wishing this.
Organising something that has no precedence is not easy. It was agreed that representatives of 4 religious groups would be invited to speak and pray for the students. So today, the Buddhists are ministered to by the Venerable Dhamajothi from the Maha Sri Vihara Temple in Brickfields, the Christians by Pastor Aaron Tham from PJ Evangelical Free Church, the Sikhs by Giani Lakhbir Singh who was a priest in the PJ Gurudhwara, and the Hindus by Mr Maniventhran of the Hindu Seva Sanga of Malaysia. The sessions done were generally well-received (I know some are better than others).
What is so amazing and wonderful is that students and religious leaders of 4 different faiths came together in one hall and participated in a function which involved prayers and words of wisdom from each faith. Students and teachers who have never before been part of any ceremony of other faiths had their eyes and minds opened to some practices they had never seen before. Imagine : a Buddhist monk who encourages breathing exercise and meditation, a Christian pastor who spoke about the Lord's Prayer and prayed for the students, a Sikh priest who spoke about his religion and recited a prayer for the students, and a Hindu guru who spoke about meditations and chanted with the Hindu students. To me, that in itself is a victory. It is a victory because I saw people of different faiths coming together for a common goal : to encourage the students and pray for them; and the best thing that happened (to me, at least) was when they called each other 'brothers', and all the students were their 'sisters'. There was no boundary. There was no caution of "don't talk about sensitive issues". We were all ONE family. I almost wanted to sing "You and me, in one world; we are family", like in the Olympics theme song. Isn't this a wonderful thing to happen? It only takes ONE precedence, and perhaps, next time, we will have a better organised function.
I have but ONE regret. I wish it was not only the 4 groups. I wish it included all the students. There was never any need to feel threatened or intimidated. We are, afterall, one Malaysia. Like what Dhamajothi said, all of us have blood that is red in colour. It matters not who we are, underneath it all, we are one human race. We all share the same kind of anxiety and worries when it comes to many issues, in this case, exams. I don't know if this stirs up the hornet's nest, but, deep in my heart, this is what I wish. (Am I opening myself to more issues that will turn this blog into a battleground?) Forgive me if this is sensitive to some people - yes, YOU. But it is MY wish, which I think is a meaningful one. And I might not be alone in wishing this.
Battle ground
My blog is NOT a battle ground. It is not a place to show your daggers and swords and what-have-yous. It is, however, a plae where we can discuss in a mature manner, without accusing people on grounds that have NO basis. Looks like I will have to respond to some people, though, honestly, they do not deserve to have me respond to them. READ : If you leave comments anonymously, you don't deserve a response. Howver, I will, for the simple rason that I do not want to treat this place as a battle ground.
To passerby : I am not accusing the winners of the choral speaking competition of anything. My main contention is that rule breakers seem to win, and when WE follow rules, we don't. It is a complaint that is valid because when someone breaks a rule or several rules, and win, then it follows that : TO WIN, WE MUST BREAK RULES! Which is not exactly the kind of message I want to deliver to my students. Or childre, or anyone else for that matter. So what if my girls thought they would win only to feel sad when they didn't. They never expected to win in the first place. We were just hoping to get a fair chance. So we didn't win. We were sad for a minute, but we are WAY past the sadness. We are moving along. My students have better things to do than to focus on a little competition which they did not win. Ultimately, I am proud that they had done a pretty good job, and they behaved well during the competition, and they might have lost but they were gracious in defeat. END OF STORY! I do not wish anyone (Sri Amanians, included) to bring up the issue again. Hear?
To anonymous : I did NOT criticise the muslims. I did NOT criticise that particular political-religious party. However, I commented that it was a very wrong thing to do to ban activities which have been recognised to be a SPORT in Msia and internationally. Cheerleading is a SPORT. It is not about short skirts, and it is NOT about young girls prancing around. It is about a lot of discipline (read another blog entry of mine : Cheer frustrations) and sacrifice. Imagine you were prepared to go for a performance / competition and it is CANCELLED at the last minute. IF the party concerned did not want girls, they could have requested fopr BOYS. Yes, there are all-boys cheerleaders. Bottom line, though, is that these people CANNOT be moral police when it comes to things that are not against the law, and generally is a healthy activity. Go and be a moral police to night activities in the lake gardens instead.
Well, I have said all I want to say. I do not hope to see this silliness continue.
On a brighter note, we had a majlis restu today. We had TWO majlis restu today, correction. The non-muslim girls were grouped together to listen to short talks and pray together as people of different faiths. More to come later.
To passerby : I am not accusing the winners of the choral speaking competition of anything. My main contention is that rule breakers seem to win, and when WE follow rules, we don't. It is a complaint that is valid because when someone breaks a rule or several rules, and win, then it follows that : TO WIN, WE MUST BREAK RULES! Which is not exactly the kind of message I want to deliver to my students. Or childre, or anyone else for that matter. So what if my girls thought they would win only to feel sad when they didn't. They never expected to win in the first place. We were just hoping to get a fair chance. So we didn't win. We were sad for a minute, but we are WAY past the sadness. We are moving along. My students have better things to do than to focus on a little competition which they did not win. Ultimately, I am proud that they had done a pretty good job, and they behaved well during the competition, and they might have lost but they were gracious in defeat. END OF STORY! I do not wish anyone (Sri Amanians, included) to bring up the issue again. Hear?
To anonymous : I did NOT criticise the muslims. I did NOT criticise that particular political-religious party. However, I commented that it was a very wrong thing to do to ban activities which have been recognised to be a SPORT in Msia and internationally. Cheerleading is a SPORT. It is not about short skirts, and it is NOT about young girls prancing around. It is about a lot of discipline (read another blog entry of mine : Cheer frustrations) and sacrifice. Imagine you were prepared to go for a performance / competition and it is CANCELLED at the last minute. IF the party concerned did not want girls, they could have requested fopr BOYS. Yes, there are all-boys cheerleaders. Bottom line, though, is that these people CANNOT be moral police when it comes to things that are not against the law, and generally is a healthy activity. Go and be a moral police to night activities in the lake gardens instead.
Well, I have said all I want to say. I do not hope to see this silliness continue.
On a brighter note, we had a majlis restu today. We had TWO majlis restu today, correction. The non-muslim girls were grouped together to listen to short talks and pray together as people of different faiths. More to come later.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The water tank that broke through the ceiling
Here are pictures of 3E's ceiling and classroom taken this morning! YES! I was there to take pictures.
The big hole caused by the the tank.
Water tank in the classroom, and the very messy and wet classroom
A different angle. How messy it was!
This was in the toilet next to 3E!
So for those who did not get to see what had happened, now you know.
Chemistry
No, we're not talking about chemistry; we're talking about "chemistry". Hmmm, that sounded familiar. Oh yeah, the group we're going to have a pizza party with tomorrow! ;)
Back to chemistry. I find it enlightening that somehow some of us just have that chemistry. As friends, as buddies, as mentor-mentee, you name it. I was talking about some students who are pretty harmless and normal when alone, but when the right combination of them are put together, we can have explosions of sorts. Don't get it? Example, I am generally outspoken, but not particularly so, on my own. I can be quite the observer and just lay low. Same thing goes for my buddy, you know who! BUT put us together and we become threatening. All of a sudden, we're the naughty girls and the trouble-makers, and yes, we're the noisy ones. The same kind of chemistry works for most of us, especially my students. Student A might be a little mischievous, Student B might be the joker, but harmless, Student C might be an effective leader who is outspoken. When in different classes, they remain their harmless selves. Put them together and you might get a group of : a) dynamic girls who can get things done; or b) extremely outspoken girls who give their teachers a migraine; or c) BOTH. Well, or even d) something else!
What brought about this sudden train of thought was the continual reminder that my buddies and I (esp ONE buddy and I) are extremely threatening. I don't know, whether we are threatening towards the administration, or our colleagues, or students (I don't think so) or we're generally threatening. Hmm. I would welcome a lot of feedback about this. If your feedback is going to be lengthy, please write in the comments. Thank you.
Back to chemistry. I find it enlightening that somehow some of us just have that chemistry. As friends, as buddies, as mentor-mentee, you name it. I was talking about some students who are pretty harmless and normal when alone, but when the right combination of them are put together, we can have explosions of sorts. Don't get it? Example, I am generally outspoken, but not particularly so, on my own. I can be quite the observer and just lay low. Same thing goes for my buddy, you know who! BUT put us together and we become threatening. All of a sudden, we're the naughty girls and the trouble-makers, and yes, we're the noisy ones. The same kind of chemistry works for most of us, especially my students. Student A might be a little mischievous, Student B might be the joker, but harmless, Student C might be an effective leader who is outspoken. When in different classes, they remain their harmless selves. Put them together and you might get a group of : a) dynamic girls who can get things done; or b) extremely outspoken girls who give their teachers a migraine; or c) BOTH. Well, or even d) something else!
What brought about this sudden train of thought was the continual reminder that my buddies and I (esp ONE buddy and I) are extremely threatening. I don't know, whether we are threatening towards the administration, or our colleagues, or students (I don't think so) or we're generally threatening. Hmm. I would welcome a lot of feedback about this. If your feedback is going to be lengthy, please write in the comments. Thank you.
The python drama
For those who did not believe the python drama, I have pictures! The first one is of the dashboard taken apart. And the second one is of the service centre man with the python!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Melaka was fun
It was sooooooooooooooooo good to just get away from the family. I know. That sounded terrible. I mean, it's not as if I don't love them. I just needed time away from them and just be ME. Not someone's wife and those kids' mother. Being away overnight with my Cell Group ladies was just refreshing. It was tiring, but it was good for the system, MY system.
BUT a drama actually unfolded just before I left for Melaka. Remember my python? It involved the python. Here's the story. You can all laugh all you want:
So this husband of mine bought a white mouse to feed the python on Friday. Unfortunately he had forgotten about the mouse and left it in the car (inside a box). When he finally remembered about the mouse, he went to the car and duly found the mouse GONE! It had escaped and was hiding somewhere inside the car! So my darling hero ransacked the whole car for the mouse. He opened all the doors and had torchlights everywhere. He couldn't find it and I thought maybe the mouse had run away (what with the open doors). So after almost an hour of searching, he left it at that. The later in the night, AFTER I HAD GONE TO SLEEP, he wen to the car again and SAW ..... the mouse scurrying from one place to another, INSIDE THE CAR! So, wonderful hero that he was, he tried looking for it again. No luck. It had gone into hiding, somewhere inside the car, inside the area behind the steering. OH NO!!!!! So what did he do? You can just imagine the light bulb lighting up. The mouse was for the python, anyway. So .................... he let the python go a-hunting for the mouse. So the python slithered into the compartment behind the steering wheel and found his late night snack. As I'm sure all of you know, snakes eat, then snakes sleep. So the python went to SLEEP! In that compartment behind the steering. Hubby must have gone crazy after that. BUT he calmly went to sleep, it was afterall past midnight. The next morning, HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! So he couldn't drive me over to my friend's house to start the journey to Melaka. (I got a lift from another friend.) He took the car to Honda Service Centre. And got the people to dismantle the inside of the car to remove the python. Boy, he should have got a camera and taken pictures and send to The Star or something. I have yet to ask him how much they charged to dismantle and put back the things!
So, that was the drama, part of which I missed. The moral of the story is : DON'T LET A PYTHON LOOSE IN YOUR CAR!!!! Better still : DON'T KEEP A PYTHON AS A PET!!!
So, anyway, Melaka : was fun. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped and ate .... you get the idea. We had lunch at a stall somewhere famous for it's mee rebus and rojak. We had small portions. Then we had cendol at the graveyard! Literally on top of the graveyard. Nothing to shout about. At pm we had VERY early dinner at Muara Sungai Duyung. We had fantastic Ikan Bakar and bamboo clams. Then we went to Jonker Street and had another round of cendol and ABC. And cheese cake. The next day we had some noodles at the market area, then church and off to Jonker Street for the Chicken Rice Balls. Then we went somewhere and had Coconut Shake which is basically yummy coconut smoothie. Trust me, it is super delicious. And we went for some Nyonya dumplings. Then we came back to Subang Jaya. In between we had snacks, shopped for souvenirs, and various things. We each went with one bag and came home with 2 or 3 bags! And that's just shopping in Melaka!
Whatever it is, the trip was good for the 4 of us. We were able to just go to places we wanted to go to without having to worry about the kids. We ate things we wanted to eat, and bought things we wanted to buy. We yakked in the car, we yakked in my friend's apartment, we yakked as we ate and shopped. It was zero stress and certainly good for the mind. And that marked the end of my one week break. It's back to school, back to marking exam papers, back to setting EST exam questions and back to my roles : wife, mother, daughter, teacher, friend, etc.
BUT a drama actually unfolded just before I left for Melaka. Remember my python? It involved the python. Here's the story. You can all laugh all you want:
So this husband of mine bought a white mouse to feed the python on Friday. Unfortunately he had forgotten about the mouse and left it in the car (inside a box). When he finally remembered about the mouse, he went to the car and duly found the mouse GONE! It had escaped and was hiding somewhere inside the car! So my darling hero ransacked the whole car for the mouse. He opened all the doors and had torchlights everywhere. He couldn't find it and I thought maybe the mouse had run away (what with the open doors). So after almost an hour of searching, he left it at that. The later in the night, AFTER I HAD GONE TO SLEEP, he wen to the car again and SAW ..... the mouse scurrying from one place to another, INSIDE THE CAR! So, wonderful hero that he was, he tried looking for it again. No luck. It had gone into hiding, somewhere inside the car, inside the area behind the steering. OH NO!!!!! So what did he do? You can just imagine the light bulb lighting up. The mouse was for the python, anyway. So .................... he let the python go a-hunting for the mouse. So the python slithered into the compartment behind the steering wheel and found his late night snack. As I'm sure all of you know, snakes eat, then snakes sleep. So the python went to SLEEP! In that compartment behind the steering. Hubby must have gone crazy after that. BUT he calmly went to sleep, it was afterall past midnight. The next morning, HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! So he couldn't drive me over to my friend's house to start the journey to Melaka. (I got a lift from another friend.) He took the car to Honda Service Centre. And got the people to dismantle the inside of the car to remove the python. Boy, he should have got a camera and taken pictures and send to The Star or something. I have yet to ask him how much they charged to dismantle and put back the things!
So, that was the drama, part of which I missed. The moral of the story is : DON'T LET A PYTHON LOOSE IN YOUR CAR!!!! Better still : DON'T KEEP A PYTHON AS A PET!!!
So, anyway, Melaka : was fun. We ate and shopped and ate and shopped and ate .... you get the idea. We had lunch at a stall somewhere famous for it's mee rebus and rojak. We had small portions. Then we had cendol at the graveyard! Literally on top of the graveyard. Nothing to shout about. At pm we had VERY early dinner at Muara Sungai Duyung. We had fantastic Ikan Bakar and bamboo clams. Then we went to Jonker Street and had another round of cendol and ABC. And cheese cake. The next day we had some noodles at the market area, then church and off to Jonker Street for the Chicken Rice Balls. Then we went somewhere and had Coconut Shake which is basically yummy coconut smoothie. Trust me, it is super delicious. And we went for some Nyonya dumplings. Then we came back to Subang Jaya. In between we had snacks, shopped for souvenirs, and various things. We each went with one bag and came home with 2 or 3 bags! And that's just shopping in Melaka!
Whatever it is, the trip was good for the 4 of us. We were able to just go to places we wanted to go to without having to worry about the kids. We ate things we wanted to eat, and bought things we wanted to buy. We yakked in the car, we yakked in my friend's apartment, we yakked as we ate and shopped. It was zero stress and certainly good for the mind. And that marked the end of my one week break. It's back to school, back to marking exam papers, back to setting EST exam questions and back to my roles : wife, mother, daughter, teacher, friend, etc.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Too fast
Sigh. I seem to be sighing a lot nowadays. Time has flown by too fast. I have not enjoyed enough of this very short holiday. It was great getting together with friends. It was super-dee-duper taking my kids out. Tomorrow I'm going to Melaka for an overnight trip ... just ladies!!! Coming back on Sunday and then .....MONDAY will soon hit me!
So what have I done the last few days? I went for Wall-E with my friends and our kids. It was so funny when they had to check our tickets! So many of us. I took the kids to Pyramid several times just to jalan-jalan and to shop. My whole family went out to Science Centre today, and it was closed! So we adjourned to the National Museum. That was a very quick tour as there was hardly anything on display. So we went to KLCC Aquaria. I think hubby balked at the price of the tickets. 3 adults and 3 kids. I didn't bother asking how much! The kids had a lot of fun, as did the domestic helper! Tomorrow, without me, I doubt hubby wil take the kids anywhere, though I'm hoping that he will take them to the Science Centre. So there, that's basically what I have done the last few days.
Oh and I did about half of the questions for EST Trial Exam for SPM too! No, Laksh, I am NOT telling you what's coming out. My only answer will be : QUESTIONS! Setting questions for the EST Paper 2 is soooooooooooooooo stressful. EST surely makes me crack my head and all my veins and whatnot are all knotted up!!!! And I'm only halfway done. I will need another day to finish up! Aaaargh!
And so, I NEED ANOTHER WEEK'S BREAK!!!! I haven't finished marking the PMR trial papers!!!! Sorry, Mel and whoever else. I have not been able to bring myself to look at the papers. Enough just trying to do the EST exam paper! Brain freezes after that!!!!
So tomorrow, I look forward to Melaka. Then I will come back and catch up on work!!!! Sob!
So what have I done the last few days? I went for Wall-E with my friends and our kids. It was so funny when they had to check our tickets! So many of us. I took the kids to Pyramid several times just to jalan-jalan and to shop. My whole family went out to Science Centre today, and it was closed! So we adjourned to the National Museum. That was a very quick tour as there was hardly anything on display. So we went to KLCC Aquaria. I think hubby balked at the price of the tickets. 3 adults and 3 kids. I didn't bother asking how much! The kids had a lot of fun, as did the domestic helper! Tomorrow, without me, I doubt hubby wil take the kids anywhere, though I'm hoping that he will take them to the Science Centre. So there, that's basically what I have done the last few days.
Oh and I did about half of the questions for EST Trial Exam for SPM too! No, Laksh, I am NOT telling you what's coming out. My only answer will be : QUESTIONS! Setting questions for the EST Paper 2 is soooooooooooooooo stressful. EST surely makes me crack my head and all my veins and whatnot are all knotted up!!!! And I'm only halfway done. I will need another day to finish up! Aaaargh!
And so, I NEED ANOTHER WEEK'S BREAK!!!! I haven't finished marking the PMR trial papers!!!! Sorry, Mel and whoever else. I have not been able to bring myself to look at the papers. Enough just trying to do the EST exam paper! Brain freezes after that!!!!
So tomorrow, I look forward to Melaka. Then I will come back and catch up on work!!!! Sob!
Monday, August 18, 2008
First Tag I am going to respond to
The ONLY reason I am doing this is because it is easy, and does not involve other things, like name of people or songs or some strange things. So yeah (!! did I just type that?) here goes (no thanks to Yap Evelyn) :
3 Golden Rules. state 15 weird things/ habits/ little known facts about yourself. The 10 people I tag are to then to follow my footsteps and write their own 15 weird things/habits and little known facts.. No tag backs.
1. I wanted to be a teacher when I was a little girl.
2. I hate flying.
3. I cannot swim and if forced to, I will hang on to whoever is nearest for dear life.
4. I like to sing (though I don't do much of it these days).
5. I would like to learn to play the piano.
6. I have met 6 internet friends from Australia.
7. I started chatting in a teachers' chatroom in 1998.
8. I cannot stand horror movies, or stories.
9. I played badminton, basketball, softball for school as a student.
10. I used to be a sprinter!
11. I had my first major crush at 14. (Blush!)
12. I was supposed to study for my degree in Canada. Don't ask ....
13. I took my driving exam when I was 26! Passed the first time I sat for it.
14. I often wonder what anyone would say about me during my funeral.
15. I was adopted.
And I am tagging the following persons :
Latifah, Millie, Syahiirah, Lydia Miller, Ee Von, Laksh, Frisha, Natasha Nadia, Eishah,
Ain Zulkifly.
3 Golden Rules. state 15 weird things/ habits/ little known facts about yourself. The 10 people I tag are to then to follow my footsteps and write their own 15 weird things/habits and little known facts.. No tag backs.
1. I wanted to be a teacher when I was a little girl.
2. I hate flying.
3. I cannot swim and if forced to, I will hang on to whoever is nearest for dear life.
4. I like to sing (though I don't do much of it these days).
5. I would like to learn to play the piano.
6. I have met 6 internet friends from Australia.
7. I started chatting in a teachers' chatroom in 1998.
8. I cannot stand horror movies, or stories.
9. I played badminton, basketball, softball for school as a student.
10. I used to be a sprinter!
11. I had my first major crush at 14. (Blush!)
12. I was supposed to study for my degree in Canada. Don't ask ....
13. I took my driving exam when I was 26! Passed the first time I sat for it.
14. I often wonder what anyone would say about me during my funeral.
15. I was adopted.
And I am tagging the following persons :
Latifah, Millie, Syahiirah, Lydia Miller, Ee Von, Laksh, Frisha, Natasha Nadia, Eishah,
Ain Zulkifly.
Just relaxing
The last few days have been the most restful and most relaxing period for me. It was wonderful not having to wake up so early in the morning. And it was certainly enjoyable being able to take my boys out even if it's just for window shopping. I get to enjoy their company and they get to enjoy mine.
Today was pleasant and overall, NICE! I had lunch with some friends and it was not just the delicious food that made it nice. It was mainly the company. We had fun just talking about nothing in particular, esp not work! This kind of outing brings back some sanity into my life. So to the four of you whom I had lunch with, THANKS for being a balm in my very crazy life. WE should do this more often.
Today was pleasant and overall, NICE! I had lunch with some friends and it was not just the delicious food that made it nice. It was mainly the company. We had fun just talking about nothing in particular, esp not work! This kind of outing brings back some sanity into my life. So to the four of you whom I had lunch with, THANKS for being a balm in my very crazy life. WE should do this more often.
Friday, August 15, 2008
A rewarding career in a special way
I have just been reminded why I enjoy teaching, why teaching is such a rewarding career. During times when I have felt frustrated or just felt under-appreciated, under-paid, etc, I am given a reminder why I am where I am.
Yesterday I had a good time with Azlul Malihah, a former student. We spent over an hour chit-chatting about old times, about where everyone is and how everyone is getting on. It was such a rewarding experience, seeing how someone I used to teach has grown up. We reminisced about the times when I taught her in Form 2, oh so long ago.
One incident which has stuck in my mind is when she and her classmates asked if I would like to go to the Moffatt's concert with them after their final exam. I was rather surprised, to put it mildly. When I asked them "Me? Are you sure?" and the likes, I got this response : "Teacher, I'm sure if you go with us, you'll be the one jumping higher than us!" It was something I had not expected and that probably showed me that we had a bond that was special (to me, anyway).
We recalled the times when we had done funny things in class. Eg for process and procedures, the girls prepared some food (which was yummy) in class and we actually ate during class!!! I remember someone making fruit cocktail, and some pasta thing. It was fun!
And I remember how impressed I was when I asked the class to create a homepage in groups of 5 or 6. Their homepages were WOW! I was extremely impressed and I even showed the homepages to some net friends from abroad.
We talked about what some of the others are doing now and where they are. We talked about adult things, such as relationship, marriage, etc. It was probably strange to her, but it felt so natural to me. Afterall, she is among those ex-students I consider to be a friend (refer to a post not long ago).
And last night, surprise, surprise. One of Ema's friends added me in facebook, another former student. Lindy, I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised. It is so wonderful to know where you are and all that. And we chatted so late in the night ... unbelievable.
So ... YES. I am reminded that I am where I am because there is a reason. I might not know exactly what the reason is but I think I am happy being where I am. There might be times when I am frustrated and down (who doesn't), but times like these remind me I have not done that bad a job. I hope and I pray that I will do an even better job with my current students, and those I will teach in future. And I hope I will learn to not take it to heart if some of my students are not thoughtful, or say unkind things (to me or behind my back).
To my students, past and present ... and future, there is always a special place in my heart for all of you.
Yesterday I had a good time with Azlul Malihah, a former student. We spent over an hour chit-chatting about old times, about where everyone is and how everyone is getting on. It was such a rewarding experience, seeing how someone I used to teach has grown up. We reminisced about the times when I taught her in Form 2, oh so long ago.
One incident which has stuck in my mind is when she and her classmates asked if I would like to go to the Moffatt's concert with them after their final exam. I was rather surprised, to put it mildly. When I asked them "Me? Are you sure?" and the likes, I got this response : "Teacher, I'm sure if you go with us, you'll be the one jumping higher than us!" It was something I had not expected and that probably showed me that we had a bond that was special (to me, anyway).
We recalled the times when we had done funny things in class. Eg for process and procedures, the girls prepared some food (which was yummy) in class and we actually ate during class!!! I remember someone making fruit cocktail, and some pasta thing. It was fun!
And I remember how impressed I was when I asked the class to create a homepage in groups of 5 or 6. Their homepages were WOW! I was extremely impressed and I even showed the homepages to some net friends from abroad.
We talked about what some of the others are doing now and where they are. We talked about adult things, such as relationship, marriage, etc. It was probably strange to her, but it felt so natural to me. Afterall, she is among those ex-students I consider to be a friend (refer to a post not long ago).
And last night, surprise, surprise. One of Ema's friends added me in facebook, another former student. Lindy, I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised. It is so wonderful to know where you are and all that. And we chatted so late in the night ... unbelievable.
So ... YES. I am reminded that I am where I am because there is a reason. I might not know exactly what the reason is but I think I am happy being where I am. There might be times when I am frustrated and down (who doesn't), but times like these remind me I have not done that bad a job. I hope and I pray that I will do an even better job with my current students, and those I will teach in future. And I hope I will learn to not take it to heart if some of my students are not thoughtful, or say unkind things (to me or behind my back).
To my students, past and present ... and future, there is always a special place in my heart for all of you.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Yahoo account
I don't know if anyone has had this problem before but my yahoo account has been compromised. I received an email in my hotmail account that my Yahoo password has been changed. True enough, I cannot access my Yahoo account anymore now. I have since emailed the Yahoo people about it and they have refused to reset my password because the date of birth I supplied did not match the one I gave at registration. Can you beat that? So .... for those of you who have emailed me anything and want to email me, my new email address is puan.chris@yahoo.com
This is such a major hassle for me. Primary in my concern is the fact that 5SC has emailed me their assignment, which I have NOT printed out, and I can now NOT access. So they will have to redo, resend and I will have to print out ASAP. Bother! I have had this Yahoo account for almost 10 years, I think. How in the world am I going to recover things I need?
So the lesson to be learnt here is : save up whatever information you have given at registration, esp if the info is NOT true, like your date of birth.
Gosh I feel like strangling someone from Yahoo, and whoever else compromised my yahoo account. Now I cannot even go to my Yahoo group and access my photos. :(
This is such a major hassle for me. Primary in my concern is the fact that 5SC has emailed me their assignment, which I have NOT printed out, and I can now NOT access. So they will have to redo, resend and I will have to print out ASAP. Bother! I have had this Yahoo account for almost 10 years, I think. How in the world am I going to recover things I need?
So the lesson to be learnt here is : save up whatever information you have given at registration, esp if the info is NOT true, like your date of birth.
Gosh I feel like strangling someone from Yahoo, and whoever else compromised my yahoo account. Now I cannot even go to my Yahoo group and access my photos. :(
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ridiculous people
Some people can be extremely ridiculous when it comes to what is allowed to be performed in this country / state / city. Now what has prompted this uneasy feeling in me? Certainly not the protests about letting Avril perform here. Not a fan of hers.
So .... what had happened? Well, Sri Aman was approached by another events company to provide cheerleaders for an event. They were going to pay quite a fair amount of money, but that is besides the point. It would be great experience for the B*starz to go this time, since most of D*starz would be busy (PMR trials and all as well as PRS gathering). So we went through the process of faxing and phoning to confirm things etc. Unfortunately, I was told that the event could not include a cheer performance. WHY??????
Okay, here's the deal. The event is by a foreign company, launching a new product. Venue is in Titiwangsa. Which political party is in charge there? The same one that protested the Avril concert. So it was decided that it is NOT appropriate to have cheerleaders prancing around there. And so, no cheerleading performance. I wonder if they would protest if it was a performance by male cheerleaders? Anyway, another round of frustrations for me and the cheer girls. I did not tell them the reason we are not going, only told the captain.
I really wonder, are these people sooooooooooooooooooooo narrow minded? Do they honestly think that the presence of cheerleaders will reflect badly on a "religious" political party? While part of me understands the whole deal, I cannot accept it. It is just beyond me. Anyone has any comments about this? To me, Malaysia is already 51 years old, very much an ADULT. And yet we are governed by people who do NOT behave like adults. Are we always to be told what CAN and CANNOT be done in public? Are we always going to be told what is appropriate and what is not? Moral police, are they? If they are talking about "coupling" in the Lake Gardens, I can FULLY understand. Or even if they were talking about doing some art exhibitions that feature nudity, YES, I can understand. BUT young girls performing in a sport, THAT I cannot understand.
So please, I welcome comments.
So .... what had happened? Well, Sri Aman was approached by another events company to provide cheerleaders for an event. They were going to pay quite a fair amount of money, but that is besides the point. It would be great experience for the B*starz to go this time, since most of D*starz would be busy (PMR trials and all as well as PRS gathering). So we went through the process of faxing and phoning to confirm things etc. Unfortunately, I was told that the event could not include a cheer performance. WHY??????
Okay, here's the deal. The event is by a foreign company, launching a new product. Venue is in Titiwangsa. Which political party is in charge there? The same one that protested the Avril concert. So it was decided that it is NOT appropriate to have cheerleaders prancing around there. And so, no cheerleading performance. I wonder if they would protest if it was a performance by male cheerleaders? Anyway, another round of frustrations for me and the cheer girls. I did not tell them the reason we are not going, only told the captain.
I really wonder, are these people sooooooooooooooooooooo narrow minded? Do they honestly think that the presence of cheerleaders will reflect badly on a "religious" political party? While part of me understands the whole deal, I cannot accept it. It is just beyond me. Anyone has any comments about this? To me, Malaysia is already 51 years old, very much an ADULT. And yet we are governed by people who do NOT behave like adults. Are we always to be told what CAN and CANNOT be done in public? Are we always going to be told what is appropriate and what is not? Moral police, are they? If they are talking about "coupling" in the Lake Gardens, I can FULLY understand. Or even if they were talking about doing some art exhibitions that feature nudity, YES, I can understand. BUT young girls performing in a sport, THAT I cannot understand.
So please, I welcome comments.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Beijing Olympics
I have been a fan of the Olympic Games ever since I can remember. I used to catch as many events as possible on TV. I remember The Road to LA which was a run up to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. I used to memorize the names of many past Olympic champions. I watched clips of Jesse Owens during the 1936 Olympics and how he won 4 gold medals. I watched how the German lad lost to him in the Long Jump and yet they were the best of friends until death. One has to remember it was 1936 and Germany was the host and Adolf Hitler was there. And yet, a friendship formed during the Olympics. THAT, to me, has always been what the Olympic Games is all about. Competition and friendship. It was never just about winning. Unlike now. Ever since 1980, the Games has been tainted. In 1980, the Games was held in Moscow, in the former USSR. The USA and many other countries boycotted it, Malaysia included. Then in 1984, it was held in LA, in the USA. What happened? The USSR and eastern bloc countries boycotted it. Then when it was staged in Seoul, Korea, once again politics took centre stage, instead of the athletes. In 1996, it would have marked the 100th anniversary of the Olympics, and sentimentally, it should have gone to Athens, Greece, the first host of the modern Olympics. Instead, it went to Atlanta. It was a matter of who had more money to host it. This Beijing Olympics has not been spared of political problems. Free Tibet! That was the slogan shouted during every torch run. Once again, the Oympics is being used in the political arena. This is such a sad state of affairs. Once, nations stopped war just to let the Olympics run its course. Now, everyone who has something to say uses the Olympics as a platform for their cause.
Oh well, we're into the 4th day of the Olympics in Beijing. I have not caught much of the events but the Opening Ceremony was impressive.
Oh well, we're into the 4th day of the Olympics in Beijing. I have not caught much of the events but the Opening Ceremony was impressive.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Dogathon
My kids and I had a nice day today. We went for Dogathon in UPM. I don't think my boys have ever seen so many dogs in one place before. They really went crazy. Other than dogs, there was also a place with horse riding. And for those who have been dying to see my python, here are 2 pics of Joel with it. The python went for Dogathon too.
This dog is called a St Bernard. Jonathan duly got a wet lick from the dog!
These are called Great Danes. Very handsome dogs. Very tall too.
Hmm, a Labrador, I think.
Here's the python! No worries, Joel is fine with it!
We adjourned to IOI Mall and Joel had lots of fun at Kid's World.
This dog is called a St Bernard. Jonathan duly got a wet lick from the dog!
These are called Great Danes. Very handsome dogs. Very tall too.
Hmm, a Labrador, I think.
Here's the python! No worries, Joel is fine with it!
We adjourned to IOI Mall and Joel had lots of fun at Kid's World.Saturday, August 9, 2008
Old photos - recognize anyone?
These were taken during Pn Yap's retirement. I'm sure there are some familiar faces here.
The ones below are of the school scrabble teams for 2005.
Newborn baby
I was just rummaging through old files in the computer and found these photos of my Joel. For those of you who have never seen a newborn baby who has just been delivered, here goes :
Just something I thought I'd share .... for the benefit of those who have not had the experience before!
Just something I thought I'd share .... for the benefit of those who have not had the experience before!
Me? Emo?
It's just one of those days when I am just not in the mood to be nice. The day started normally enough. Went to school, got too fed up to actually teach table tennis, so let the girls play football. Then 3G wanted to play charade (I still don't understand why), so, I let them. They seemed to need to let off steam. Too near to the trial exam, I think.
CAme home, and had a rest, then picked Jon up. After that, I just decided to go over to Sib's with Jon and Jeremy. Don't know .... just felt the need to get out. I wasn't upset or angry aout anything in particular. So the boys had a good time with Sib's kids.
After dinner at home, I took another walk out of the house. Took Jeremy out for a walk in Pyramid and wandered aimlessly for a while. I don't know .... it's difficult to describe how I was feeling. I felt a rushing need to just get out and not bother. If I could, I actually wanted to go further. But I still got home with Jeremy by 9:30 and pretty much got myself left alone. Hubby knew better than to irritate me or cause me any anxieties when I'm like this. Oh well .... hopefully I'll sleep it off tonight. Tomorrow .... maybe I'll go out, for real.
CAme home, and had a rest, then picked Jon up. After that, I just decided to go over to Sib's with Jon and Jeremy. Don't know .... just felt the need to get out. I wasn't upset or angry aout anything in particular. So the boys had a good time with Sib's kids.
After dinner at home, I took another walk out of the house. Took Jeremy out for a walk in Pyramid and wandered aimlessly for a while. I don't know .... it's difficult to describe how I was feeling. I felt a rushing need to just get out and not bother. If I could, I actually wanted to go further. But I still got home with Jeremy by 9:30 and pretty much got myself left alone. Hubby knew better than to irritate me or cause me any anxieties when I'm like this. Oh well .... hopefully I'll sleep it off tonight. Tomorrow .... maybe I'll go out, for real.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Why is someone depressed?
You know who you are. Why are you depressed? Why were you in school looking so uptight and panicky? You were more than upset. You looked like you needed to talk to someone urgently. But you didn't. And you just stayed for a while looking like someone who was lost. Those of us who knew you got worried and we even wondered whether you were going down the deep end. We have witnessed that before and we are not about ready to witness it again. So, please, talk to us, share with us your troubles and DO NOT DO ANYTHING SILLY! You asked many of us about forgiveness. Do you want someone's forgiveness? Do you need to forgive someone? Whichever it is, PLEASE understand that there are people who care about you and are worried about you. If you feel ready to talk, come and talk to us. You came because you needed help. We are here. Come and talk, ok?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Just not our turn
This is just not our turn to win when it comes to choral speaking. It is frustrating. I have seen Sri Aman NOT getting top 3 for 3 competitions in a row this year and it's not as if we are NOT good. Let me explain :
- District competiton - Rules are generally strict and things like NO hand movements, and no movements anywhere except waist up should be followed. So, like the obedient child, we obeyed. We followed to a T. We kept things very ... shall we say, safe. Only major booboo was the school uniform rule. Result? We were not in the top 3 although we were acknowledged to be GOOD. Instead, the winner was La Salle, the team that had LOTS of hand movements. Yes they were clear, THAT I grant them. But having used their hands in many instances should have given them a heavy penalty. And yet they won. Another rule was to keep the choral speaking presentation between 8 - 10 minutes. We just touched 8 minutes. Tmn Petaling was less than 7 minutes. They got 3rd. They were not very clear, they got 3rd!!!! Chief judge hated us, I was told. Nasty!
- Subang Parade competition - Again movements were supposed to be restricted to from waist up, and no music / singing. La Salle, which was good, did not win. Seafield won. Why? They were more animated. La salle was 2nd. Did we get 3rd? NO! Who got 3rd? Section 9 school from Shah Alam. Were they better? NO! But why did they get a better ranking? They were MORE animated! One two cha cha cha??? Tick tock sounds? So ... we were not there in the top 3. Are we having choral speaking or something else? Choral singing? Choral jigging?
- Toyota Eco Youth Choral Speaking Competition - This is a different team. BUT the girls worked hard and performed well. Did we get top 3? NO! It was a close fight, I was told. BUT why didn't we win? Rules : NO singing. Assunta sang, rapped and bboxed (??). Major NONO. BUT they won. No I have nothing against Assunta. Give us a fair fight, whereby the penalty is given for infringement of rules. Let them win fair and square. La Salle was 2nd, and they had NO infringement. 3rd ... was Seafield. I cannot even remember Seafield's performance. Where were we? I don't know. And so we console ourselves with a possible close 4th. Oh and the judge from the MOE ...has nothing to do with English. The Toyota judges ... well, are from Toyota, so choral speaking is not their thing. Sigh!
So, where are we? Are we so bad that we do not deserve a good placing for being the obedient children? Why did rule breakers get to win? That is the question utmost in my mind. Can someone answer me? NO, not you, my dear students. I want an answer from the powers that be, the organisers and judges!!!!! Let's play fair. Am I a sore loser? I honestly don't think so. I can lose, but I want to know why the ones who broke the rules won! It is extremely discouraging for those who keep to the rules and who have worked so hard and actually done well.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Pleasant weekend
After so many weeks of having to work through either Saturday or Sunday, it was a nice change to have had last weekend free. I spent Saturday morning with my sons. Took them jalan-jalan in Sunway Pyramid and then had lunch at Kenny's Roasters, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Their favourite is Mac & Cheese. Even little Joel can finish the whole bowl. After lunch I got them home, then took Jon for his art and music classes. Hubby and I went off to attend a wedding in Cheras. Managed to catch the pengantins arriving. The wedded couples consist of a man and his bride, plus his sister and her groom. Super! Less worries for the parents. In the evening, after picking up Jon, we were at home. Rather boring, but not so tiring for us. Then Jeremy and I had a quick dinner and we were off to Sri Aman for its Musical Nite.
What do I think of it? I think it was a very good effort by the teachers and students. Generally the event went smoothly except for the little hiccup due to disconnected wires. Otherwise, I thought the students put up a good show. The dancers were rather good. The songs were quite well-delivered. I thought that having 2 cupids on the stage was a little too much though. But they were cute-looking angels. The choir was good mostly. They sort of started their song a little early with "Think of Me". The orchestra was all right, slightly messy for "Phantom of the Opera". I don't think the arrangement was that good. Sounded awkward. But the girls played well. Most of all, Jeremy enjoyed himself. He was rather good the whole night. I am proud of him. After that we adjourned to McD. He waanted supper and since he was soooooooo good, I relented. Nuggets and Ribena for supper!!!
Sunday was also a nice day. After church and all, hubby decided to take me to the movies to watch Dark Knight. Jon refused to be left behind, so he came too. Oh well, but he also had a good time except he was a little upset with all the explosions. He hates explosions, even the sound of balloons bursting. Then we went o Pasar Malam and later visited a friend's mum who is suffering from cancer. She looks ok, but we understand that it's terminal and there is little hope for recovery. That is sad and we hope that the family will be able to deal with it in the future.
All in all, it might sound like a boring weekend to some, but it was pleasant and not too taxing. It was a more "normal" weekend and I'm glad I spent it with my family. After the neglect the last few months, they deserve better.
What do I think of it? I think it was a very good effort by the teachers and students. Generally the event went smoothly except for the little hiccup due to disconnected wires. Otherwise, I thought the students put up a good show. The dancers were rather good. The songs were quite well-delivered. I thought that having 2 cupids on the stage was a little too much though. But they were cute-looking angels. The choir was good mostly. They sort of started their song a little early with "Think of Me". The orchestra was all right, slightly messy for "Phantom of the Opera". I don't think the arrangement was that good. Sounded awkward. But the girls played well. Most of all, Jeremy enjoyed himself. He was rather good the whole night. I am proud of him. After that we adjourned to McD. He waanted supper and since he was soooooooo good, I relented. Nuggets and Ribena for supper!!!
Sunday was also a nice day. After church and all, hubby decided to take me to the movies to watch Dark Knight. Jon refused to be left behind, so he came too. Oh well, but he also had a good time except he was a little upset with all the explosions. He hates explosions, even the sound of balloons bursting. Then we went o Pasar Malam and later visited a friend's mum who is suffering from cancer. She looks ok, but we understand that it's terminal and there is little hope for recovery. That is sad and we hope that the family will be able to deal with it in the future.
All in all, it might sound like a boring weekend to some, but it was pleasant and not too taxing. It was a more "normal" weekend and I'm glad I spent it with my family. After the neglect the last few months, they deserve better.
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