A Lot To Be Thankful For

On the one hand I did not want to be reminded of my fiftieth birthday, but on the other hand I have to remind myself that I have a lot to be thankful for, especially to Allah Almighty for having given me the gift of life and the ability to carry on his bidding, Alhamdulillah.

But, on top of everything else, I have to admit that I did feel repulsed at the idea of any kind of celebration, so much so that when the love of my life did not wish me happy birthday that morning, as she had done on all my birthdays, I honestly did not feel unappreciated.  In fact, I felt a sense of calm. 

STAR STPM 2010 Results

The 2010 STPM results are finally out today.  As far as the successful ones are concerned, there was no big surprises there.  Those whom the teachers targeted would excel, did not disappoint.  However, the same cannot be said for those who did not do well or those whose results did not meet the their expectations or that of the teachers.  That was the big surprise.

My heart actually goes out to those who expected to do well but did not.  Some of these students had the expectations of their parents and any one close to them on their shoulders.  So, I can understand how frustrating it must feel when you cannot fulfill, not only your dreams but the dreams of your loved ones.

Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You! Part 2

PTPTN  is offered to students who are successful in pursuing their studies to tertiary education, especially to those who are financially unable to pay for their own education.  A former friend (the picture of him, does not actually do him justice!) argues that not only does he have to pay RM14,000, he also has to pay for the interest incurred on the amount that he borrowed, which would total up to a lot more. 

Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You! Part 1

A former friend of mine (I say former because he now does not consider me as his because of an opinion I gave that apparently was contradictory to how he felt! Well, I say tough!!) brought forth a discussion as to why students need to repay their PTPTN loans, which I felt was nothing to be discussed in the first place.

He conceded that the money given, even though in the form of a loan, should be given freely without any obligations to the students.  When countered with the argument that if he does not wish to pay his loan, then he should strive to achieve a first class honours in is degree, he retorted that if everyone were to get first class honours, then there would be no one who would work as sweepers, cleaners or garbage collectors; a reply which I thought was pure rubbish; no pun intended!

The Prawn Behind The Stone

New Take On A Malay Proverb

Some people extend their hands in the name of friendship with an ulterior motive lurking in the dark recesses of their minds.  I have had my fair share of so called friends who initially said that their friendship are genuine but later want from me more than I can actually give them.

A case in point is someone I got to know towards the end of 2009 through a popular social network.  Initially my intention of joining that social network was just to find as many friends as possible.  I never entertained messages sent to me because I did not want to get into things that would affect me negatively.  However, this particular person was very persistent in winning my attention and later on my friendship by consistently sending me messages of hopes of friendship, which I finally gave in to.

The Need To Address Stress Part II

My Prayers Go Out To You

Other than family members, one can always tell your problems to your very close friends in relative confidence.  Of course, it is not easy to find friends with whom you can confide your deep secrets but if you do get such a friend, it is definitely one worth keeping.  I would say that among the hundreds of friends that we have probably made in our life time, there is bound to be those precious few who are the real diamonds.

The Need To Address Stress Part 1

Family Helps

Living in this day and age, one cannot help but fall head first into the deepest trenches of stress due to various situations that surround us, which include the work environment and the people around us.

One of the greatest contributor of stress is the work environment where one has to be on top of everything; except the boss.  You would have to be on your toes running a hundred and one tasks, all of which need equal and immediate attention; and all having similar due dates.  On top of that you have every Tom, Dick and Harry breathing up your neck, trying you to get to do this and that and all the time saying that their requests are more important than the others.

To Parting Friends

Even though some of my dear friends will be retiring only starting next year, I am starting to feel uneasy as to how it would be when they finally do retire. And what's more, five of the closest friends will be saying their farewell to years of teaching that has been part and parcel of their daily lives.

Not only will I miss their presence, but more than that, I will also miss their kind and wise advise, which I always request from them every time I am burdened by problems mostly related to this profession. They have never let me down.

Of course to these friends, they have done their just service to thousands of children who have become adults in their own rights, some of which have also become teachers and have students of their own. I, on the other hand, will continue to serve, God willing, forging through thick and thin in this every changing field. I will have many more rivers to cross and cross them I shall! I will follow in those retiring teachers whose passion in teaching I truly admire and has become my own spirit!

Thank you friends and may all of you live well and prosper. Amen!

A Solo Festive Feast

It is now a week into this year's Chinese Lunar New Year but celebrations are still happily going on here and there, minus the ear-splitting noise from the firecrackers, thankfully.  And this particular celebration held in school this morning, is a different feast of sort because it was single-handedly financed by our Co-curriculum Senior Assistant.

I say different because, as far as I can recall, never has a feast been held, financed only by one person.  Usually any treat that was to be given to the teachers and staff of the school, amounting to about one hundred and twenty personnel, would be equally financed by at least two people, obviously to reduce the expenditure.  There was a time when four teachers shared to throw a feast!  Not that I am complaining because any treat given is always welcome by all.

Anyway, I personally would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to our Co-curriculum Senior Assistant for having this treat for us, and at the same time thanks also for giving some of us who do not eat some types of food, the option to choose something else.

In the mood of Chinese New Year, may this Senior Assistant be blessed with prosperity and health this year of the Rabbit!

Old Friends And New Knowledge

Some Friends Are Worth Having

This morning as I left home heading for Tampin to attend a meeting, I felt butterflies in my stomach, not because of the people I would meet there, but more because of the fact that I hate driving long distance; and for me 54 kilometres to and fro is a long distance.

But all the apprehensions I felt earlier quickly disappeared when I saw old and familiar faces who have shared this teaching profession with me for more than twenty years; well at least for some of us.  Things got a lot more relaxed when we started talking about what we have been doing and exchanging teaching ideas.  It got more relaxed when we began to exchange anecdotes about our profession and people whom we have met along the way.

When the session ended at 2.30 p.m. I really felt as if only 2 hours had passed even though we had sat down to do what we were supposed to do from 8 o'clock in the morning.  Thus, it is true what people say about time flying fast when you are having fun.  On top of all that, I learned a lot of new things from my colleagues; so, who says you cannot teach old dogs new tricks?

As I left the premises of the venue for the meeting, I realised that I was actually looking forward to the second part of the meeting that will be held in March.  Well, I hope I will remember to bring my peach cake to the meeting.  Peach cake anyone?



Goodbye 'Muka Buku'!

To Have Or Not To Have?

Rumours are rife amongst gossip mongers that the ever popular social network that has been successful in helping people to make new friends and find long-lost ones, have finally become the latest media to face the penalty.

The penalty in question is the possibility of this social network, Facebook, being disallowed anymore in this dear old country of ours.  It had to come!  And the people in those higher places, have made a statement a few weeks back informing the public of this tentative possibility.  They feel that the discontinuation of this network is timely considering the number of criminal cases, like sexual crimes for example, culminating from the inappropriate use of this social network.  In some cases, people misuse this social tool to trick people into getting involved in bogus businesses while some use it to find sexual partners and create a menage a trois, if you will, and many more. 

However, before steps are taken to permanently stop this social network's services here, perhaps a few other things that other people use it for should also be given serious consideration.  There are some people who use this service to give advice to close friends and relatives; some people use it to find friends whom they have not met for decades; some use it to inform others about impending problems that may affect everyone like natural disasters, just like the flood that happened here a few days ago, and some even use it for teaching purposes just like a teacher would.

What I am trying to say here is, as with everything else, there is always two sides to the coin; the ying and yang of things.  This social network was never created to bring harm.  However, along the way, people have found numerous ways of manipulating it's function and in doing so, have managed to cause a lot of harm to others.  Perhaps actions should be taken against these culprits who misuse this social network and not on the network itself.  After all, with the huge advance in technology that the people in higher places claim we have, it definitely will not be that difficult to identify the perpetrators and charge them!

There is a Malay proverb which, literally translated sounds like this: 'Burn not the mosquito net just because you are angry at a single mosquito'; or in this case, a few mosquitoes.

After The Flood : Of Being Responsible

Who Will be Held Responsible When School Furniture is Destroyed?

When we live in a society, we are bound to be responsible towards each other's well-being, whether in good times or bad times.  People are drawn to each other, especially when they face dangers and hardships, and those who are in the position to help, will more often than not, are always willing to extend their helping hands.

As in the case of the recent flood that occured here in this town, concerns and generousity abound, when people from all corners of the state, congregate in this town, to do what ever they could to ease the hardships of the flood victims.  One institution that is always open to the responsibility of helping others is the local school, which becomes a flood relief centre every time the natural disaster strikes.

But what concerns me most is not the school's responsibility towards the flood stricken society who put up in its premise, but the responsibilities of the victims themselves towards the school that has been generous enough to do so.  We can only share their grief emotionally but it grieves us more to see what becomes of the school, once the temporary residents leave.

Last Tuesday, one of the school staff was rushing to one of the blocks inhabited by some of the victims, where a water pipe had burst.  And as I strolled from classroom to classroom, I saw people carrying platefuls of food to their temporary abodes, having mini feasts there, when food is served in the school canteen where consumption of food should also take place.  Eating food in the classrooms would deteriorate what ever cleanliness was left when too many people take refuge.  I also noticed some people washing their soiled clothes along the classroom corridors and wringing their wet clothes right from the first floor.  And to top it all off, some of them even turned plastic student tables into makeshift beds.  Can you imagine what would happen to these bendable furniture?

People should learn to be more responsible, I guess.  If they want other people to take responsibility for their hardships, the least they can do in return is show some responsibility to the people who put up with them.  After all, kindness begets kindness.

After The Flood.

The last time this town was hit by flood it was in 2006.  Fortunately for my family and I, we were in another district having our holidays, in spite of the rain which fell throughout the country as it usually did every December.  And fortunately for those who were in this town at that time, the flood was not as serious.

The flood that happened for two days ago for two days, saw a lot of damages.  The day after the flood water receded, I went around town just to take a look at the situation.  The roads were covered with thick mud and strewn all over with debris, which consisted of rubbish and pieces of wood.  Shop owners were already starting to clean their premises, sweeping away water that had stayed stagnant in their shops for two days while salvaging whatever things that were still worth saving.

A former student of mine whose father owns a furniture shop told me that there was no one at the shop when the flood happened, so none of the furniture could be saved.  While we were talking, his mother who was chatting on the phone, cried as she related her experience to the person on the other end of the line.

Another friend who owns a shop selling cellular phones and clocks was speechless when I asked him about the extent of his losses.  He was at a loss for words, with his sad and gloomy face telling me everything I needed to know.  I pursued the conversation no further.

Shop owners not only lose their belongings, but they also lose their livelihood.  It is no wonder that the friend I mentioned earlier refused to say a single word, because he did not only lose all that he had built to provide him with his livelihood, but with its loss, he may have, in spirit, lose a part of his life too.