#11. The Dragon Boat Tragedy

Today commemorate the first week anniversary of the Dragon Boat Tragedy that took 6 lives of a teacher and 5 students from Chung Ling High School, Penang on the fateful day of 17th January 2010. Penangites especially the Chinese society really struck with this incident. Me myself were one of them. I learned this incident through Facebook when one of my ex-student who now in secondary school posted a message asking everybody to pray for the safety of those missing students.

On that very night, me and my family went to the tragedy scene after dinner. A lot of people still waiting there even though the rescue effort had stop at night. The surrounding area are so calm and all of us wonder how they can drown in a such narrow place like that where there are a lot of small boat and tongkang there.

Arriving at home that night, i start to see memorial page of the victims had been created by their friends in Facebook. From there, i learned that all these students are very active in their school life and a lot of people really missed them.. . By Tuesday, all remaining missing body had been discovered and that ends all hopes to find some of the victims alive.

This tragedy affect my life too. I've not taken dinner for the whole week because I have no appetite at all. Looking their pictures in their memorial page really makes me cry and feel as if they still alive. I feel like they are my boys and i know them. Looking at their sorrowing family members especially their parents really make me cry. I try to share the grief but i can't.

There is a number of question that keep running in my head about how things leads to this tragedy.

#1. How come some of the victim, even though wearing a life jacket, can still be drown? Life jacket, if you wear it properly can make our body float for at least 72 hours before the air in the life jacket disappear. I used to take a water confidence test during our teacher's training camp and it proves. Even though i don't know how to swim, but my body really float in the water.

#2. Some of the victims that are safe told that all 18 of them wear the life jacket but half of them took it out during training because they feel hot. I just wonder how those student neglect their safety by taking out the things that can safe their life?

#3. I can't believe that its not a requirement for those who participate in dragon boat competition to know how to swim. It just like you are in teaching profession but you don't know how to read and write.

#4. Extra curricular activities can be done during Sunday? This is ridiculous because how busy we are with our life, Sunday is a day where you should stay at home, had your leisure time with friends and family. Moreover, you have to recharge your energy after going through 1 hectic week by resting or have fun on Sunday.

#5. A narrow place like McCallum Street seaside can be a danger place? To read all the safe victim story saying that a very big current might pull down all those drown victim in the water can't be acceptable.

Whatever it is, things had happen. What we should do know is hoping that this thing would not happen again. For me, God try to tell us something about this and the thing is - don't take for granted all those small things in your life because those small things, can make a bigger things happen and our concern is, those resulted 'big' things should be the good one or the bad one? Think about it!

#10. Why They Are Still Here?!

I can still remember a few months before the school ends last year, some of my school pathetic senior school teachers are selling stories about them asking for transferring out from the school. Some of them spread rumours saying that, if they left the school, one of the senior teacher who now no longer in our school will come back and become one of the administrator. That mentioned senior are well known for her/his hot tampered and crazy behaviour.

Because of that rumours, a lot of teachers asking me whether that rumours are true because they know I'm quite close with that mentioned senior teacher. From my observation, my boss wont take anybody who he thinks cant work together with him. So that's why I'm too confident to tell all those frightening teachers that this thing wont happen.

But theres one thing that keep running in my mind. I wonder why those senior teacher have the nerve to circulate rumours about this senior teacher coming back to our school? Why they have to make everybody frightened and uneasy with this rumours? The only answer is, they try to tell us that ' I'm going out from this school, so, good luck with the crazy fella that will replace me!'.

In other words, they want to tell us that how unlucky we are to lost them and how unlucky we are to have someone like that crazy senior teacher to become our administrator. So now, my question would be, you are telling everybody that a worse teacher will come to our school, but have you realize that, the truth is, you are just as worse as that teacher that will replace you?

Why you have to circulate rumours about other teacher coming to our school where at the same time we are so relief that you will going out? Do you realize how pathetic you are? My advice is, please stop talking about all this crap and thinks that you are so special!

But God is great! Until now those senior teachers still in our school and the best part is, everybody is asking each other "why they are still here?". Well folks, answer it please!!

#9. The Secret Seven

Last week, while I'm at the school library, I saw my school library teacher cataloging one of my long time favourite book - The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. I'm so surprised to see that books there. I'm start to think about buying that book for myself. More ever, its been a long time I didn't read story books. So, I decide to look after it at Popular Bookstore when I have a visit over there.

I try searching for that books at Popular Gurney Plaza and Prangin Mall but what a shame :- none of that place have it. So I decide to go to Tan Mark Bookstore. After asking about the book from Tan Mark tauke, he showed me the book section. There they are...waiting for me to buy them! But I'm so surprised to find out that The Famous Five character that I used to read before in Malay language is not there!

The Famous Five character I know are Eddie, Mona, Dean,George and their dog, Tompok. Because of that, I refuse to buy that book. Suddenly, I found something even interesting - The Secret Seven Books! Oh my..I still can remember reading The Secret Seven books while I'm in primary school and of coz it was in Malay language.

In Malay language books, all the characters are with an Indian name headed by Rama, his sister, Sarojini, followed by their friends Mala, Pamela, Khana, Balan and Chandran. Rama and Sarojini got a dog named Bobo and Balan got a little mean sister who always want to join the Secret Seven Club named Susila. Actually, I grew up with all this character until I'm entering secondary school where I lost my reading hobby.

In its original Secret Seven series, the characters are Peter, Janet, Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin and George with a dog named Scamper. Reading this book really bringing back all sweet memories while I'm still young. I hope I can finish up all the series during this coming school holidays!

Sajak Nostalgia Kemerdekaan

Its been a month since my last entry on this blog. Very busy with Hari Raya and daily routine. But now, eventhough quite busy as usual, but I will retrack back all those important event that I'm going thru for the past month here.


A few days before Hari Raya holiday starts, my school conducted a Majlis Penutupan Bulan Kemerdekaan for this year. As been promised, I'd been asked from my school Penolong Kanan Ko-Kurikulum to trained one student to recite a poem. My PKKK were surprised when I told him that usually I will create the poem by myself - and this not the first time I'm doing it. To recite this poem, I choosed one of my talented student from standard 5, Kuhan Daniiel from Tahun 5 Merah.


So, here is this year Hari Kemerdekaan poem written by me :-

Nostalgia Kemerdekaan

dulu

tiga puluh satu Ogos

seribu sembilan ratus

lima puluh tujuh

tarikh keramat bagi kita

bermula detik itu

terlerai belenggu hamba

di jiwa, jasad dan nyawa

di stadium merdeka

ribuan rakyat dan bangsa

tidak kira darjat atau usia

bersama-sama menunggu ketika

rakyat dan pemerintah

penjajah dan yang dijajah

duduk sekata dan senada

menunggu detik menjelma

tampil satu kelibat

berpakaian hitam

bertengkolok hebat

menjulang tangannya ke udara

sambil melaungkan kata azimat

jeritan merdeka yang amat gamat

tercapai sudah mimpi dan angan

terlaksana sudah cita dan harapan

berbaloi sudah keringat dan penat

terbalas sudah dendam dan kesumat

kini

dua ribu sembilan menjelma

selepas lima puluh dua tahun merdeka

kita masih bersama

mengingati nostalgia lama

yang masih kekal di minda

UPSR is here !!!

Today all my boys sit for UPSR exam. After the exam, some of them eagerly want to know the correct answer for thier Pemahaman paper. I explained to them the rational of every answer option given and the best answer that they have to choose. While explaining, theres a lot of 'ooohhh....!!!' and 'yesss......!!!'. Overall, the Pemahaman paper is not that tough.

When it came to Penulisan paper, some of them complaining that the question quite easy for them. Maybe they expect that the question should be very hard just like the last year one. I personally keep telling them that this year Penulisan paper would be as hard as last year. More ever while we are doing the Akhbar Didik exercise, all the question and exercise given are very hard and toughs.

But as a teacher, I have to prepare and teach them in the hard way so that they will take it seriously. If not, they will take it easy for everything. I know very well my boys!!! This year, my teaching are a better than last year even though there's a lot things that still have a loop hole here and there. I hope I can improve my teaching next year whether I'm still in 6M or not.

Tagging The Teachers

While having an hour break during PTK exam last Thursday, me and long time colleagues had a long chat about recent rumours and gossip in our school. There are certain gossip that I never heard before because at school, I really hate to hear gossip and rumours because usually gossip and rumours sometimes aren't true and the nature of this thing usually negative matter about others. That's why I always left behind concerning recent news at school.

One of the most surprised rumours that I had been told by my colleagues is about tagging a teachers. Now days every teacher had been tag in various ways. Me, for example, had been tagged as Malay language teacher by my school. So, if there is anything about Malay language, I would be among the first person to be referred to.

Recently, there is another tagging the teachers going on. This time its concerning the Senior teacher who had been in a particular school for more than 10 years period. These senior teachers have to leave the school and continue their service in other school. There is a number of senior teachers in my school. Some of them had been there for more than 10 years. These senior teachers usually the one who always uphold the 'school culture' whether its good or not. Administrator will come and go but these senior teachers will stick in that school as if they would be there forever.

For me, there is a pro and contra about these senior teachers. Some of them can be a good friends and some are not. Some of them we can rely on but some of them, we cant. Some of them we can trust and some of them, we cant. These pro and con of senior teacher will shape the junior teacher of a particular school. If some of the junior teacher want to introduce new ideas or suggestion, they must get an unofficial approval from these senior teachers. The same thing apply to the administrator. If we didn't get the approval from these teachers, there would be some circumstances arise. Some of it would be - you will get no support from these teachers and the worse thing could happen when they will going around the school complaining and gossiping about your action which is not in their favour.

I had going through this experience a few times. They can criticize you in your way of teaching in the class as if they are the only expert in the school. They also can criticize you in your way of handling certain matter in school and worse, they will teach you how to criticize others! For me, these group of teachers are like dinosaurs - they should extinct and let other species grew and take over their position! But some of them don't want to accept the facts that the school no longer need their service. That's why the will 'syok sendiri' with their precious 'experience' and so called 'knowledge'. What a pathetic bunch of losers!!

But this is the facts. Whether they like it or not, they have to admit it. But not all of them behave like a jerk. Some of them are very nice to work with. Some of them can be your brother, sister or even mother at school. I really thank to God for giving me such a good senior teacher for me to work with.

When this new tagging the teachers procedure arise, some of this pathetic senior teacher who could not get along with the administrator already took their own initiative to leave the school before they will chase out. Some of them already telling the whole school that this year would be their last year in the school. But the story behind this matter are different. Some of them already know and can predict that sooner or later, they will be chase out from the school. So, before the will be chase out, better for them to tell everybody that they are actually moving out!! Hehehe!!! Reputation come first!!

Whatever it is, I would like to wish good luck to all these teachers and hopefully they can share their 'precious' experience and so called knowledge in other school. I always pray to God that when I become a senior teacher, I will be a modest and respected senior teacher - not like some in my school who trying so hard asking people to respect them!!!

The Hardship of Conducting A Programme

Conducting a programme is not an easy task. Its been proved since the early years of human civilization. The more complicated our life, the more complicated the programme could be. I had been experienced this in organizing my Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan programme for almost 2 years. The key success of each programme rely on how much support you received from your colleagues and superior.

Our motivation programme today is a hell of controversy also. It is normal to receive a critics after conducting a programme but to receive a a critics before you start the programme is not a fair things to do. The controversy starts with the chosen of date of the programme. Coincidentally, this year motivation programme was held during the fasting month. An issue arise whether the Muslim boys should receive their breakfast and lunch food during the programme.

From my opinion, they shouldn't be any problem because they can bring it back home and can have it during the breaking the fast. The matter of whether they will eat it before breaking the fast is beyond our control because for me, the boys are matured enough to think what is good and bad things to do. Moreover, they have their parents to guide them on this matter.

After that things settled, arise another stupid matter. 'How can a Muslim teacher should be assigned in Food & Drinks Committee'?. One of my colleagues informed me about this matter. I asked her whether it would be a problem for her to handle food while shes fasting? She said of cause not, she an adult, she know her limits while shes fasting. That's why I told her, she should explained to the person that bring up this matter that as a Muslim, even though we are fasting, it doesn't mean that our daily routine should stop or reduced.

Life must go on - whether you are fasting or not. We cant use fasting as an excuse not to do anything. But we must know our limit while we are fasting. There is a guideline for a fasting Muslim on how to behave and act in order not break their fast.

After listening to all this stupid issue that had been raised by our 'own people', I can conclude that its very hard to satisfy everybody!