Many Changes

MCA Chinese New Year Gathering

LMS District Majlis Guru Cemerlang Meeting at Hotel Perdana, Taiping

MCA Larut Chinese New Year Dinner with Malay friends

With our MCA Wanita members and Selama friends.

Farewell Party For The Jabatan Perpaduan Officers organised by KRT Daerah Selama at SSL Traders.

Old Folk's Home in Ipoh 

At the Lantern Festival in Klang 

With the special children of Pusat Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti Nur Gemilang 

Victory for SK Selama Football team as Selama Champ.

LMS Red Crescent Commmittee 

Tea with RC members before the meeting.  

A memorable gift for a special friend, my colleague, Hjh Naimah on her retirement party.

Farewell to Hjh Naimah.

Puspanita Negeri Perak High-Tea in Bangunan SUK, Ipoh.

Farewell to Uz Tn Hj Ahmad Fikri on 2 March, 2012

A special gift from SK Selama English teachers for Uz Fikri.

During the LMS District Majlis Tilawah Al-Quran Carnival at SK Selama. 

A memorable photo together with officers from the LMS Education Office and other teachers.

Disney On Ice at PISA Penang on 11 March, 2012

A happy Granny

Grand finale -  Spectacular and great performance.

English Workshop in SK Ayer Puteh, Simpang on 14 March, 2012

At the beautiful Chinese Temple in Sitiawan

Was born in the Year of the Dog.

Together with a good friend, Pn Juriah Abu Bakar , the HM of SK (P ) Treacher Methodist.

I've been more active on Facebook that is browsing, reading postings from FB friends, commenting, sharing photos and news etc. compared to updating my personal blog.  Well , blogging should be fun and like keeping a journal more for my own pleasure and I guess I should spend more time on it.  


After the Chinese New Year, life went on smoothly with some new changes especially in school.  My appointment as the co-ordinator for the English Activities for the LMS District has kept me quite busy.  Then , the English Carnivals for the primary schools for the Selama Zone as well as for the LMS district are just around the corner.  There is hardly anytime to waste for these children need to practise their presentations for the competitions.  As usual, I had to spend some time cracking my head to write scripts for the Choral Speaking and the prepared speech for the Public Speaking Competition and edit a story for re-telling.  Even for the spelling competition, much earlier preparations is necessary. While my kids prepare themselves for the competitions , I take the golden opportunity to motivate them to learn English and apply the language appropriately.  The Malay kids I have been teaching are truly a shy lot and they lack of confidence to speak the language. 


My school was the district runner-up for Choral Speaking last year and we hope to beat the Champ this year.  Also for the Action Song, we've to perform better than last year.   So goes for the other events and I hope the participants themselves will put in more serious effort.  Well, just giving it some positive thoughts. 


Other than this, I guessed the most recent events that affected me most was the loss of my ex-colleague, Cikgu Idris . What a shock I had when I received news one evening and feared for the worst.  A gentleman , he was and he used to smile a lot.  His kind words and smile will linger on in my mind for a long time.  I posted in my Facebook Wall to let his friends and ex-pupils know about his critical condition.  I managed to visit him in the Penang GH but he had been in coma for about three days then.  I couldn't help crying seeing him lying in the CCU ward with tubes attached and he depended on the machines for survival as all his main organs could no longer function.  I had been consoling his wife, Fathilah who is a long time friend.  She needs all the strength now to move on with life and even more than that as she is the head of a primary school here.  Oh, I do hope she and all her four sons will be able to carry on their life smoothly without their dearest Abah but with only sweet memories of him . 


It was strange that he did some peculiar things before he passed away.  People say that one will act so weirdly before passing away as it is like a bad omen. He had made some kind of preparations so as not to burden his other half. Cikgu Idris had taught me to keep on smiling in the midst of a storm and to remain calm . 


Another bad news was that of my dear sister, Lian who had to undergo an operation.  I pray that she will be safe after undergoing this operation.   I hope all will be fine for her and she knows how to look after herself.  I'll be there when the day comes to pray for her and support her.  She needs to be strong.  As a Christian, she believes strongly in God and He will guide the hands of the surgeons and I believe He will do it.  

Being in hospitals had always raised some awareness in me and awaken me to look at myself.  According to my medical results, it isn't good as I need to control my cholesterol and blood sugar level.  Being scolded by the doctor is embarrassing as I realized I haven't been taking care of the food I've been eating.  Yes, I admit that since the Chinese New Year, I've forgotten about dieting and enjoyed all the dinners including steamboats, fried chicken and seafood.  Don't be surprise, I could even drink 4 small glasses of beer during wedding dinners.  But luckily, the time has come to cut off this nonsense and start serious dieting.  No, I don't mean to the extent of growing hungry but to slash down on the intake of rice, oily and fried food and sweet food and drinks.  I've to control and exercise more till my next blood test in June.   I'm confident I'll make it happen and I will be slimmer and healthier by then.   


Another sad occasion was when my old friend and school clerk , Pn Hjh Naimah retired recently .  We are both of the same age.  That made me realized how fast my turn will be.  The time will come when I too have to leave this teaching profession which I have been devoted to for more than 33 years.  Hjh Naimah's farewell party was simple yet sweet, just like how she wanted it to be, just an in-house affair.   She was very surprised to see the video presentation about her life and must be wondering how the her precious photos got into the teachers' hands.  Though the photos were too few, the presentation was nice.  I will not forget how En Aziz praised his wife for being a perfect wife to him.  No I wouldn't go down to put on my husband's shoes for him.  He can do that himself! But the loving couple truly has a lot of romance that kept them close for a long time.  

The main entertainer and joker was En Awang Mansor, our new music teacher and he could play the guitar and sing as well.   Mama Haizan delivered an old favourite and then she led us to sing the Malay version of Auld Lang Syne.  I wasn't very prepared but presented, " Seasons In The Sun" accompanied by music from Awang's guitar strumming.  Instead, I should have sung, "Selamat Tinggal Bungaku"  popularized by S.M. Salim long ago .  This song is very touching and can make us cry.  I love that big photo taken outside the Galeri Gemilang and as I've uploaded albums in my Facebook, hopefully they will remain there to share with friends for many years to come.  All that remains are only sweet memories of the past that we had once crossed each others paths.  


Then, our school held the Islamic religious programme or MTQ at district level.  I was pleased to be part of the programme although I was the odd one out.  As usual even equipped with a cheap camera, my service has always been needed so I was busy clicking photos everywhere.  I handed my video cam to the new Uztaz Fadhil for recording . I didn't feel odd actually as I knew some teachers would like me to put on a scarf. As no one insisted me doing it, I felt glad they respected me as it was my choice to put it on or not.  Well, finally, when I suggested for a final group photo, the j-QAF officer suddenly reminded me to do so.  Everyone was in a good mood and I told them I had brought along my scarf too. And so the photo was taken.  It was no big deal actually as I've put on the scarf to cover my head just as a mark of respect especially when I went along with Kak Long to the 'madrasah' and graveyard a year ago.  


Right after the MTQ , our j-QAF and Arabic language teacher, Tn Hj Ahmad Fikri got transferred out.   I must admit I couldn't hold back my tears either as it rolled down my cheeks as I bade farewell to a good colleague.  He told me he had learned a lot from me especially my spirits and my passion to help others especially muslims.  He remembered a few cases as uztaz was the person I confined in when I was in doubts.  I admire him for his steadiness and maturity as he gave his advice though he is much younger than me.  I know he would go far in his career as a teacher.  Yes, now he is no longer in SK Selama but had been transferred to SK Kg Jambu.  The school had lost an efficient and excellent religious teacher .  It is not easy to find a good replacement for him so it is a great loss indeed.

It was my pleasure to be of some help when En Mat Zen  asked me to take photographs of the football teams and I had uploaded them to FB upon the requests of teachers and pupils.  I was even drenched when cheering our school team one evening during a heavy rain.  So great was the love for SK Selama that we didn't mind that.  Luckily, there was no lightning but it was indeed very risky.  I wondered too why the referees didn't stop the final match between our school and SK Toh Rakna Sakti.  Finally, it was cancelled and the match was replayed on another day.  We were very excited of course and cheered loudly as our team was declared the champ after beating our opponent 3-2.  


Due to the big enrollment in our school, we were granted another English teacher.  One or two English teachers are not English optionists actually.  It was good news that another English teacher had been transferred to our school.  En Md Akram , his name reminded me of Dato' Akram, our LMS Red Crescent Chairman.   Thanks to the LMS education officer for  allowing another Year 4 class to be opened.  Indeed, the class I was teaching , which was 4 Cemerlang had almost 40 pupils and was too difficult to handle.  So now , after reshuffling, the class size is much smaller.  Hopefully, the teaching and learning process will be easier and more effective.  Our new English teacher has agreed to help me train our Choral Speaking team .  He will be teaching English in the Yr 4 Bestari class.  Looking forward to good team building spirits among my English teachers. 


Then , we received another shocking news that our Senior Assistant for Co-Curricular Activities, En Shamsudin was transferred to SK Banggol Jas , the post was vacated due to the demise of Cikgu Idris.  With a heavy heart, I bade him farewell too  and told him I will miss him.  We owe a lot of changes to him as with his help we got a few projects done and when he was around, the school had achieved some successes in co-curricular events.  He told me I am a very pleasant person with 1 Malaysia spirits, who would dedicate my life and service to Malays too and he respects me highly .  I am very touched by his compliments and those words have motivated me to be a better person.  I thank him and wished him good luck and success in his new school. 

Also , had the opportunity to meet our new Senior Assistant of Co-Curricular Activities, Pn Rohana from Taiping.  I congratulated her and took her photo for our school official portal http://www.skselama.net/v7
She is a very enthusiastic lady who had been promoted to this new post and I wished her well. 

Recently, we celebrated my husband's, Chuah's 57th birthday with a sumptuous seafood dinner.  Coincidentally, my youngest daughter's boyfriend's birthday falls on the same day, so it was more meaningful.  Time flies and it had been a year since my the other half had retired from teaching service.  He truly knows how to relax and is enjoying his retirement. Well, it's up to him to do whatever he likes and I pray he will be healthy and strong.  I am lucky too that he is around to help me and drive me around when necessary.  Recently, I was so touched when he agreed to fetch me to the Rumah Seri Kenangan in Taiping as I had wanted to visit, Kak Long Kamariah whom I had looked after in Selama .  I love her very much and pray that she will be happy and well.  At least she is safe staying there than in her kampung in Batu 30, Selama.  I will never forget all the trouble and bad experience I had faced when saving and helping her.  By sending me to RSK it meant that my hubby had understood how I felt about this old lady and my sincerity towards her and the misunderstanding once I had with him over her issue was over.  When involved as a care giver in society, it takes some sacrifice of my time and effort.  I am sharing what I am doing, my love and passion with him and he gets involved by listening and giving me some sound advice which I need.  I appreciate the love and care from a good husband. 

Well, this year I hope I'll be able to start to further my studies to obtain a degree in the field I love most.  Yes, it's Social Science and I'll be doing it through the USM long-distant learning programme.  I'll major in anthropology and minor in political science.  I've been procrastinating a few times over entering U and this time, I've to make it.  Learning is a life-long process and though it is challenging, with great determination, I'll make it within 4 years.   It will be great after I've retired as I plan to devote my time to my  family and doing social work.  By then, I'll be more knowledgeable and experienced about a lot of social issues, the laws and political matters.  

I am sure I'll be in a better position to help the NGOs I've joined in organizing and planning activities.  I can be more actively involved in helping in their mission for the sake of women and children welfare.  Recently, the shocking news about Nadia's ( Diyang's murder ) had upsetted me as well.   There'll be a lot to contribute and work to be done and enjoy after retirement.  No way shall I go senile as I'll be on the move all the time.  Every minute of my life will be well spent. 

I treasure the love from my family members including my close relatives and I always pray all of them are well and happy.  Recently , my uncle, Dr Tan fell ill and now he is recuperating.  Aunty was placed in a home and I learned a lot about Alzheimer disease because she is suffering from it.  After the age of 50 , I see the people whom I love suffering from illnesses and I realized they had not been looking after themselves well.  Stress had made them ill too.  

I also appreciate the friendship of some good friends who care and love me like sisters.  I've learned that it is some close friends who really care for us and will be around to help us when we fall.  To be nice and treat others with respect and speak politely to our friends is of utmost importance.  I've realized that some so called friends are very rude and they simply shout and speak roughly to others.  Some of them who have some power or are holding high positions who react that way have made me lose respect for them.  I would ignore them and go on with my work.  However, I am not going to remain quiet when stepped on as I am no coward and would fight on for my rights and will put things straight. 

Talking about mental illness, I did what I had to do when the lady suffering from schizophrenia and who loved wandering around at night returned to Selama town.  It was a good opportunity to bring her back for treatment at the psychiatric ward in Taiping Hospital and hopefully they will send her for further treatment at the Ulu Kinta Hospital formerly known as Hospital Bahagia in TR. My friends and I have helped placed her in a half-way house for rehabilitation but she refused to stay there.  I can't be able to help her now as she is out and without anyone to care for her, she will definitely get into trouble.  Sending her  to Taiping at night in the ambulance together with the police on duty and returning at 3 am is a real experience. 

Recently, I had opportunities to visit an old folk's home and children's home in Ipoh.  I was very impressed by the excellent management of the two centres by the Buddhist monk and committee.  The lantern and flora festival in Klang was most breathtaking and I will never forget the brightly lit and creative lanterns and beautiful surroundings.  It took serious discipline to manage the nicely kept garden.  I joined the Selama Kedah Moral Uplifting Society members on a trip to the Tua Peh Kong Temple in Sitiawan.  I went there happily to pay respects and pray to the gods there for blessings and peace.   I was impressed by the gigantic statues outside the temple.  It was a relaxing trip with good company. 

The most beautiful event of the year I attended with my grand daughter, Grachael was the Disney On Ice at PISA Penang on the 11th of March.  It was a spectacular and most memorable show.  Grachael enjoyed herself and she loved the souvenirs I bought for her including her crown, mug and programme book.  She looked very pretty with the crown on her head.  Yeah, my little Princess Grachael.  I had recorded the whole show and we could watch it anytime.  It was nice that my second daughter, Joyce and her boyfriend for taking us there. 

When talking about work, I would say a teacher's work is never done.  This year finds me teaching the best class of Year 6 Gemilang, the second or last class of Year 5 Cemerlang and Year 4 Cemerlang which had just been split into another class .  Well, realising the poor standard of English among my Malay pupils , I know I have to double my efforts to help them improve it.  Hopefully, all my pupils will be motivated to learn English and mastering it mostly depends on themselves.  Many of them have negative attitudes which ought to be changed.  Have updated our school English Panel SK Selama Blog ( http://englishpanelskselamaperak.blogspot.com/ )  with some new videos, slide shows and notes which will be useful for teachers and pupils. 

Every day, I'll live my life the best I can and without regrets.  I pray for peace throughout the world.  Hope everyone is well and happy always.