Oo.. AIDILFITRI

Looking at people busy preparing for the coming Hari Raya reminds me of the things I used to do as a child. Celebrating Hari Raya was really exciting and fun. We (my siblings & me) would be waiting for mum to finish sewing our Baju Raya. After that we would have a mini fashion show displaying our new baju raya and shoes in front of mum & dad. Sometimes we would sleep with our new shoes as we can't bear the thought of being separated from them. Mum would be busy baking Kuih Raya or cakes. We would sit next to her thinking of breaking our fast and hoping to have a taste of the kuih. But, we were scolded by her as we were all fasting.

At night we would light up the kerosene lamps around the house and play fireworks. Raya eve was the best time as mum would be very busy cooking and preparing the Raya dish. We can smell the aroma of her Chicken Rendang and beef curry, which made our mouth water... Her ketupat will be left on the stove for a few hours until they are nicely cooked. Then we would hang them on a piece of stick to dry off some of the extra moisture. At night we would help mum clean the house, hang the new curtains and others. We could hardly sleep as we were eager for the Raya morning to come.

In the morning we would dorn ourself with new set of Raya attire and have all the delicious dish prepared by mum. Afterwards we would go around the village from one house to another with the intention of visiting the people. But, they know that our main motive was to collect as many Duit Raya as we can. Once we were home, we would start counting our Duit Raya and thinking of what to buy with them :D

Hmm... those were the days where we were able to collect duit raya instead of giving it. However, now... I'm the one who have to part with some of my bonus and hand them to the children... Well... that's what u call payback hehehe.... *sigh*

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI TO ALL, ESPECIALLY TO MY FRIENDS WHO HAPPEN TO READ THIS BLOG. MAAF ZAHIR BATIN ^_^

SCHOOL DAYS

I can still remember the time when I was in secondary school. In form 1 my class was on the top floor of the furthers block of the school. The thought of walking to class from the gate entrance and up those flights of stairs with a bag of heavy books every afternoon was really unbearable. Sometimes my friends and I were almost crawling up the stairs.
When we were up on the top floor, we were just too tired to go down to the canteen for recess or even to the ladies as it is located on the ground floor.

When I was in Form 4 & 5 my class was also on the top floor, but the building was overlooking the school field which was near the school gate. (^-^) It was a great blessing for my friends and I, as we don’t have to rush out just to catch the bus….
The class was always noisy as there were 24 boys and only 2 girls in it. However, those boys were the best! They were always there to help us, girls with almost any thing.

Now, looking at my own students I sort of missed those days where my friends and I would spend our time discussing different things and issues… Arguing and debating with ours teachers during the lessons… asking so many questions to the teachers and each other looking for answers… complaining about small things to the teachers… fighting and arguing in class with the boys over mundane stuff… and a lot more…

I can still remember all my teachers in school… they were the BEST! I remember Some of them for being kind, sweet and caring. I also remember them for being strict and firm.
Now… I am given a really great honor of working with some of my former teachers, and one of them happens to be the Principal in my school…

Now… I know the things that my former teachers felt and experienced when they were teaching their students. And I hope one day some of my students would become a teacher and experience the things I am experiencing now….

# some of my students are enjoying themselves in class (^-^)

SMT HOCKEY TEAM

I'm not that good in hockey but then, this year I am the Manager for the school's boys' hockey team (^_^). I can say that my boys are all good and spirited players (though sometimes they do look lost on the field). They've done their best to go to the final and they did. Unfortunately they only managed to get second place. But, hey it's better than getting nothing at all.... especially after I've spent quite a sum of money to feed them for three days!!!!

Well boys... congratulations and well done on the good work.

Shah.. thanks for keeping me company for three days...

Khai... thanks for coming and watching my boys in action...

Moon... watch your words, we don't want u to get another green card.

Pak Din... the stiches on your forehead were the best prize u got for going to the final (^.^)

The Mechanical Kids



Looking at the photos of these students (KM 1) brought back a lot of memories. They were a bunch of active, naughty, loud but brilliant boys. The girls were always sweet and polite most of the time *wink* They were the best students a teacher could asked for. Good Luck everyone, where ever you guys are.....

WINNER VS LOSER

The winner is always part of the answer;The loser is always the part of the problem.
The winner always has a program;The loser always has an excuse.

The winner says, "Let me do it for you";The loser says, "That's not my job".
The winner sees an answer for every problem;The loser sees a problem in every answer.
The winner goes through a problem;The loser goes around a problem and never gets to it.

The winner says, "it may be difficult, but it's possible";The loser says, "it may be possible, but it's too difficult".

The winner makes commitment;The loser makes promises.

The winner knows what to fight for and what to compromise on;The loser compromises on what he shouldn't and fights for what isn't worth fighting for.

The winner says: "There ought to be a better way to do it."The loser says: "That's the way it's always done here."

Quitters never win;Winners never quit.
Follow, lead, or get out of the way.

FESTIVAL LAYANG-LAYANG...

My first International Kite Festival was in 2001. It was a great experience as I got to learn and to experience a lot of things. Making the kites was a real challenge especially the train kites. We had to make 100 small kites of the same shape and size and tie them together. But.. flying them was the best task. When all of them flew in the air it was such a beautiful sight... if all 100 of them can fly lah... ;-p

Though we had to be under the hot sun for a week,the rewards were priceless. The students really enjoyed themselves playing the kites and meeting kite players from other countries. This is the time for them to practise their English *wink* :-) We always come out a champion every year and twice darker than our original colour hahaha.....

Congratulations to all... Abby, Hakimah do your best!!!!

#1. beautiful kites flying in the air.

#2. the students busy making their kites. Hopefully the kites can fly ;-D

#3. the students showing off their creative 3D kites...

THE FIRSTBORNS!!!!

Teaching a bunch of restless and noisy teenagers is not an easy task… especially when u have a class of over 30 boys. What do expect? TOTAL CHAOS!!!!! When u try to tell them the differences between present tense and the past tense at 12.30 in the afternoon u’ll be greeted with sleepy eyes and blank faces. They’ll look at u as if u r talking to them in language from out of space. Well… of course English is a foreign language, but they listen to song and seen movies in English!!!! They can memorize the lyrics of the English songs by heart!!! But when u ask them to memorize a simple text for their essay… NOTHING!!!

Can still remember my first time teaching in class. As I stepped into the class, 40 pairs of male eyes stared at me curiously... I flashed a very sweet smile to them, but... inside I was scared to death hehehe... phew!!!

#1 My first class as a form teacher. 5 KE 3 2000.

#2 & 3 celebrating my ...th birthday with them was unforgettable. Please... have some cake!