Miss/Teacher/Cikgu

Selamat Hari Raya

2009-09-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Maaf Zahir Batin.

Ikhlas dari;

Haji Aidid Bin Mohd Salleh

Hajah Che Rohana Zulkiflei

Farhanna Aidid

Aizat Aidid

Farahin Aidid

Ikhwan Aidid

Iman Aidid

Erk.

2009-08-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Oh. It feels good to be home and of course, i am enjoying every second. the best thing, everyday i have the chance to break the fast with home-cooked lauks. This year, my mother chooses to cook everday. Tee-hee-hee. And, yeah, we only buy the kuehs from bazar.

i know some of my friends who choose to stay 'abroad' during this hols because we'v got another break coming close - the Raya break. I say, these people are berhati waja. *clap*clap*. I cant do it. Been to Bazar Ramadhan on the 1st day in KM@rudu and heeheee, its nothing like KL's and I was glad that i'll b going back to KL the next day. ngeee~~I heart KL!

KL and the malls.
I heart KL and the malls.
And the goood saleeesss.

I am now officially broke as i shopped like busybee. I finished the month's 'personal expenses' portion at the concourse level of KLCC. Only the concourse level and i didnt dare to go up to the other levels.

Antara hasil-hasil tangkapan:

Pl@ydoh (play-duuh?) set for Iman, my brother. I had to buy that first before he gave me all the ugutan-ugutan maut and so i thot i can shop peacefully after that la kan? It didnt really work.

Prim@vera shoes for him and me. I justified the purchase of my another - pair - of - pumps by saying 'Ma, they are really good for walking, try la'. Then my mom said 'why, all this while shoes are not for walking ke?'. Enough said la. Ye, saya kalah.

Then, there is another kedai opposite Prim@vera that i cant reveal the name. Hehe. In that kedai la, Iman lost his temper, I lost my money - the cashier took it and I knew it was time to go back.

To add to that, I am due to pay for all my online pre-booked items. Uwa.

Nampaknye, my Marc Jacobs tabung perlu dikacau lagi bulan ini. Uwa.

Sayda, u made the right decision of not coming back to Tanahair weh~

Just when I thought it'd be a lonely affair...

2009-08-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday yesterday and alhamdulillah it was 'filled'.

I seriously thought that it'd to be a very lonely affair for me; celebrating my 24th all alone in Sabah. I underestimated, apparently. Thanks a bunch to Tqa and Yao for making the day a memorable one. Just a simple dinner (oppsie daisie, twice actually~) on Sunday night and again, yesterday's night with an extra crowd-Dzull, a newly acquanted pal from Beluran.

The first dinner, Tqa took the effort to buy the cakes all the way from KK and gosh we're filled with faaattttssssss; 3 slices of different types of cheeeeesecakes and a special one for me st@rbuck's marble cheeeesecake for just the three of us! Yao, too, celebrated her birthday recently. We ate and chatted like the KFC belonged to us and we were in our own world, spoke the same language, laughed and smiled as we toasted the 'adultness' that should come with every birthday.

***************

How could i produced such thought that i'd be all alone on my birthday?

I am not sure about others, but being away from home almost crashes my will to go through the days. I am forcing myself to be strong and to cope. School isnt the best place to be but being around the students is the best thing. So its 50-50. Occasions like birthdays and deaths give me creep and I whine at the fact the I am very far from the family. Quite recently, i have been talking about homesickness quite a lot with Yao and Tqa. It is very hard. Very very hard. When you are away and not even on the same tompok of land in the peta with your family.

So thats why. Thats why I thought 'oh its gonna be black 10. black monday'.

Proven wrong, I apparently celebrate my birthday quite meaningfully too, this year, just like the years before. With friends like Tqa and Yao, where i could really see that our friendship is blossoming into something beautiful and strong. These people are the people that i can count on while i am away, here together with them in Sabah. Their sincerity alone gives me an oxigen supply to my already-drained-will to stand tall in Sabah. Thanks so much, girls.

Thanks alot too those who texted and called me on my birthday. Sangat2 di hargai.

Jaime, aku tak jadi rasa alone~~alhamdulillah.
Syd, thnx fr the call.
Nisa, Am okay already. Homesick sket2 ja.
Nada, yeaaahhh-i had fun!
Zue, its ok bebeh!

Ejat- Yes, you are right, i have friends everywhere, How could i be alone?

****************

And, im shouting out to other friends (yang i ingat) who are gonna celebrate their bdays in August;

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY GUYS!

Ana shirin, Fariza, Alin, Hadi, Star and Shaa...

Make sure you have a blast, sentiasa dimurahkan rejeki dan dalam perlindunganNya, Insya Allah.

******************

24ed already. Welcome to adultery. Hahaha.

ps: Lawak di atas berbentuk lawak bahasa ye. Sorry for inconvenience caused. *WINK*

Too Many Things~

2009-07-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Oh.

I was down with very high fever on the 14th up until the 16th which was the day i was supposed to go back to KL to catch the MU game. I nearly missed it but saya gagahi jua after my parents told me that my grandfather was unwell, suffered from a fall at the bathroom and it would be appropriate for me to be home with the family. I touched down at the LCCT around 11pm on the 16th. I spent half day of that Saturday at my granddad's home and looking at his condition, i was already calculating to just let the Sunday's flight go off without me.

Saturday's afternoon, with the fever accompanied, i dragged myself to the stadium along with my father, lil bro and Mr H. The LRT cabins were congested with a sea of red-clad fans. My fever was starting to go away (haha!) seeing all the red-mad-ness. At almost every stations, there would be MU fans coming in and anybody who went out of the cabins was considered a Liverpool fan and some naughty voices will sing 'of course, you will walk alone'. It was crazy, and commuters were talking using just one language; the football language. Everyone was laughing at everyone's footie jokes. Red was the only colour that mattered that day.

Simple conclusion, football unites us.

In a sense, i think thats quite true. Back in college, i connected myself with Shim, Guna through this football issue, among others. Of course, nobody could ever forget how Shim really hated (or hates) MU.

And yeah, i met these fellow devils too

red.red.red

Ali G, biasala kan with his antics - came to me, while i was busy flipping the tickets and said 'em, hi miss ' and i was shocked. Then Guna came forward - i introduced them to my dad- and - we took the photo. Too bad Syahir was looking for Ah Seng who came late; i didnt manage to see them. Btw, I thought Syahir was an Arsenal's fan? Hehe.

It was really a good game and we could tell that Van de Sar was damn tall, Giggs was the real show stealer (some may say Owen was), Amri Yahya was lucky, and some M@laysian players were really struggling to be the day's hero (trying too hard to score alone) and yeah, M@laysian players were there.

Heres another pic

papa.me.bro

Later that night, i went for a dinner with my family at M@dam Kwan's, KLCC. Due to the fever, i wasnt able to really enjoy the food but i totally enjoyed the company.

Sunday, i made my way to the airport and reached KK that noon. Thanks to Yao n Tqa who came to fetch me and we drove back to Kot@ M@rudu together.

Monday, on my way back to home after school, i received a call from my mother;

'tokbak dah takde tapi kakak tak payah balik ok, uve seen him already, its ok'

I wasnt able to think straight, wasnt sure if i should go back and i called my PK HEM, who advised me to just go back and be with the family as my father had just lost his father.

I called my aunt who managed to get her staff in KK to arrange the flight back to KL for me.

The flight was fully booked; ade rombongan sekolah KK g KL (gile best~) and the seats available were only on the biz class section. So i flew biz.

It was my first time flying biz, the ticket was all paid for (Thanks so much Kak Yus and she refused any payment from me), it was the normal 2-hour domestic flight and i got to know that in biz, the attendants call you by your name and they bancuh the tea for you.

But heres the best part of the trip, there was a F-L-Y in the chicken rice they served me. How EM-H was that? Hehe. Very EM-H, i guess. Thanks to the very helpful female attendant and the funny leading attendant who cracked a joke about how the fly made his way into the nasi.

I arrived at KLI@ at around 9pm and reached Ulu Klang at around 10.30pm. I missed the pengebumian but i was glad to be home with my family at this difficult moment, esp for my father. Held kenduris for nights. And on friday, my grandmother (mummy's side- the only grannie i have now) was admitted at Taw@kal Hospital for liver problem. Hmm. Too many challenges.

I went back to KK last Sunday.

So, it was hectic. Very Hectic.

***

And the fever is back. Homesickness is the free gift that comes along with it.

If only i could fly home, everyday. Forget the bussiness class.

United

2009-07-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

11 days to go.

Counting.

Back On Track~

2009-06-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Oh well, i am happy to announce that my school's team will be going to Kot@ Belud this monday to represent the district in the Zone Level's Chor@l Spe@king Competition. We are going to compete against schools from Kot@ Belud as well as Kud@t. Alhamdulillah.

The district level competition was held at my school yesterday and yeap, we made it. Thanks to the originality of the script (read:wrote by me, so its considered school's property and original). I really have to thank my colleagues, esp my GB, PKs and KP for their support and understanding. The event was alhamdulillah, a real success.

Now, Let me tell you a story that will defintely break my heart each time i think about it.

Since the school was only given a very short time to prepare for the event (1.5 days), we had to rush many things. During the meeting, the need for a proper platform for the choral speakers was highlighted and i politely said that if we didnt have the platform, it should be ok (who wants to built a platfrom in a night?)...but to my surprise, few male teachers openly suggested that they could do it if they were given enough nails and some proper papans. Thats all they needed. What the? I was like 'aha? u sure?' and yeah, they didnt mind at all and GB granted them permission to leave the meeting to go and get the stuff they needed to build the platform. I was already crying in the inside. Talk about extra miles some teachers willing to take.

Oooh.

You see, at that point i saw the real 'teachers' in my school's teachers.. real teachers who would do anything to ensure the students could get the best they could offer. It was just a simple (yet sweating) gesture but meaningful (for me and the school's team). the next morning (event day), the platform was ready on the stage, strong n steady and even had a 'clothes' on. Haha.

Thanks to the wonderful teamwork, the event went well and was regarded by the PPD as a 5-star hosting. Alhamdulillah.

********

Remote Potentials~

********

A lot of potentials was showed and found yesterday, from all walks of the the schools corridor...

the teachers as well as the students. Yesterday's event enabled me to reunite (again!yey!) with IPb@ friends (Cohort 1 students) and also teachers from other schools who showed great enthusiasm and high energy level for meaningful language activities like yesterday's. I personally felt that with more (in number) competent teachers in Pit@s, we could really make it happen. At least to move Pit@s to a better spot in the state's districts ranking. Why do i sound like a politician? Haha.

But, seriously...yesterday's event was very inspiring; the teamwork shown by my collegues, the highly motivated visiting teachers and most importantly the students. Performances showed made me forgot that i was in a rural area. Seriously, no kidding. 'Tabik Spring' to the coaches for the wonderful presentations given by the students, especially from SMK Tel@ga. It was almost at CBN cum National Winners' level (now im being mengade~~hehe~~saje brag about my old school~~)... I talked to the teacher cum coach and i quickly decided that this guy isnt ordinary. I was proven right when i found an article about him on nSt Online.

Oh. I have so much to write about yesterday's event and pics too but i am very tired~will upload them soon and till then, pray for our success this Monday.

Berdeborrr nih~~

Post Holidays Syndrome

2009-06-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

Of course, the title is a cliche.

Post Holidays Syndrome? Caught the bug and yeah, i just have to live with it. Plus, there are so many things under any teacher's belt and i cant count myself out.

Choral Speaking Competition is on its way and yikes! the date has been changed to an earlier date than the proposed's. But, saya mempercayai kebolehan pelajar2 saya..so yeah, bring it on!

Those who kenal me all the way should know that I used to have (hopefully still have) a soft spot for choral speaking. In school, and even in IPba. I like choral speaking alot. I just like it alot. I remember that we (the girls and i) won the 2nd or was it 3rd place back in IPba, helped the preparation for a choral performance during IPba 2008 T's day and recently (earlier this year) i even voluntereed to help+coach the team from a secondary school in my neighbourhood (kids were first timers and they won 2nd place..aint bad, eh?).

IPba T Day 2008 ( i wasnt in the pic~)

Today, we had a meeting for this upcoming competition and i was elected Pegawai Teknik (at first i was like 'nganga' what the heck is Pegawai Teknik?) and was thrilled. Funny. But at that point, i could feel the 'gigih' rush...hahaha. The meeting solved few mysteries and I left the meeting calculating things that i should do prior to the competition. and competition is on Friday baby! this friday. Talk about the level of competency required, huh?

I see this event as another challenge that will later help filling my experience vessel (i hope it really will) and furthermore, its Choral Speaking! It is something that I have close to my heart... definitely, I am all game.

****

Reunion

****

Well, the meeting felt like an IPba reunion. Okay, almost like a reunion. Christie, Kak Ain and Kak Zura (all of Cohort 1) and i... and hooray, it felt really good to see faces who had been there and done that (IPba, where else?) and I was delighted.

I felt as if we were comrades from the same training ground, currently combating the English's lack of exposure in Pitas and always finding the strategies to win the battle; the students' interest. And the sisterhood. It felt like a sisterhood too. I will be working with them for few upcoming events too and yeap, looking forward for it as we speak the same language. Haha.

Turning Private.

2009-06-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

I might be turning this blog to private reading.

Let me know what u think, IPBA friends.

Thank you so much.

At the airport.

2009-05-26T00:27:00.001-07:00

I ve just finished a medium set of double cheese, fries n lemon tea...and rm170!

rm170 at the body shop because theyre having a very good sale and i cant resist. dang.

my flight, apparenty, is delayed for 30mins...and im pissed. but just now, i had a very good read (read: syada's blog) and am felling much better now.

I do not know about you guys, but when i read blogs that belong to ppl that i know, i will imagine that they are telling the stories to me 'live'. live telecast.

ms syada~

i mean, when i read syada's blog, i feel like we are talking to each other, like shes telling me the stories herself. it is the same if i read sayda's, nisa's, jaime's, mr.j's sume2 la. i can imagine how they talk, the gestures, etc..

and people..u know syada...I can just imagine how she talks, her hands and her voice, most importantly.

i guess thats how the 'kerinduan' to my friends solved~

cant wait to see everyone!

here's another interesting read. CLICK!

At the airport.

2009-05-26T00:27:00.000-07:00

Of Everything and everything.

2009-05-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Dang~
Its a dang dang dang dang week for me.

First i was sent for a short course in a very short notice last week. Luckily the course was worth the hassle i had to go thru. It was given by lecturers from English L@nguage Dept of IPG K@nt. The content was actually a 'replay' for as I have already learned the reading strategies when I was in IPB@/M@rjon. It was a good experience, meeting teachers from nooks and crooks of Pitas, I learned that some of the teachers had 2-3 hours journey (by boats and bikes) to get to the Pus@t Kegi@tan Guru, where the course was held.

I had gastric attack on Sunday, went to Hospit@l Pitas Emergency and got the needle. And, for the 1st time (of all my experiences going to hospitals) this one, i didnt see any doc. not even one. at the emergency lobby and even in the emergency ward where i was admitted for 30minutes.
MC on the next day, and i have to thank Yao and my dear housemate for 'driving' me to the hospital.

When I got back at school on Monday, I was 'cornered' (ohh i really love this word) and made to say 'yes' to a task of chaperoning 10 UPSR students to UMS for a UPSR programme. Dang. I currently teach Year 1 and 2 and why the heck? huuuwaa... But since this task could contribute to my career portfolio, i am on it~thanks to words of encouragement from yao. Hehehe.

Moving on, oh yes baby~one silverware is in the cupboard again. 3 seasons in a row? Bought the ticks for the 18th July's match already and surprisingly I am going with a die-hard Liverfool fan. Dang. I managed to get passes (i think theyre given for free along with the tickets bought) to see the training session too but am not sure if i could make it as i will only arrive in KL the night before the match. Wanna have the passes? Text me.

and,

i have already completed the marking task. and with mixed feelings (of proud and worry), i announce, 5 of my Yr1s got As and 6 of my Yr2s got As and some students have improved extraordinaryly while a handful didnt show any...looks like i have to work extra extra hard next semester.

Ooooh. I cant wait to go back to KL.
Cant wait.
Cant.

Paint the town red~

2009-05-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Red.
I like the colour red. I dont know why. But yeah, i like red.
So, I think its ok to have a red coloured car. It will stop the traffic.

Talking about red.
I already bought return tickets for Kuala Lumpur, 17 - 19 July 2009.
Just for the weekend.
Just for the red weekend.

The devils are coming to town.

I didnt want to go back earlier... but since we'r going to the Champs League Finale and we've got three matches before the end of the Barclays season, why not? Haha. 3 matches, Wigan (uhum), Arsenal (duh?) and is it Hull and we are now 83? (hate the fact that liverf@@l is tailing close behind, 80).

so,

I think its worth taking the risk (of investing on the flight tics).

Isnt red the colour of danger?
Haha.

My A B C s

2009-05-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

A for Anya Hindmarch Darling Tote patiently waiting for me in KL..soonnn soonn deariee...

B for Bandung - I went to Bandung-Jakarta last month, flew str8 from KK!

C for CERRUTI 1881 watch for my graduation (tq pa&ma!)

D for DKNY watch i bought to mark my first pay~

E for Err..exam questions for my kids still half-touched~

F for Fatigue...MC for 2 days last week~

G for Gombak. Gombak. Gombak.

H for You know who you are.

I for I am hungry.

J for Jaime, i cant wait to see you.

K for Kopitiam..why no halal kopitiam in Kota Marudu?
for Karambunai - went there last week. A+

L for Lazy-ness. Thats why no update.

M for MAS. Cant wait to fly back to KL.

N for Nine West Red Tote i have my eyes on.

O for Oppsie daisy, sorry no serious update this time.

P for Plymouth. U wait there ok~

Q for Queuing at the one and only BSN in Kota Marudu can kill.

R for Re-format. I had my laptop re-formatted last week. I cried on my way to the shop fearing i
was losing all the docs.

S for Speaking, Choral. Currently coaching my kids and my school is going to host the
competition for the first time the district history! Thanks to 'that cikgu bahasa english yang
bersemangat betul tu'. Read: ITS ME.

T for Thankful. I am thankful for quite few good news i had these few months/weeks.
-My first pay was in. read: was gone in 60 seconds. haha.
-Cerruti 1881.
-Jabatan Perdana Menteri. (haha)
-Uitm
-My Year 2 ss can read few short texts! Did i tell that i nearly cried when i was listening to
them reading the texts?
-Tanjung Aru Beach. Superb foodddssss~

U for YOU. Cant wait to see you. Only my family and ipba friends read this blog. So its you.

V for VE,+. Positive. Im staying positive despite all the 'challenges' i face in school now.

W for Weddings. Lotsa invites coming in. Wow!

X for I dont know.

Y for Yassin,booklets. Sedekah'ed to few suraus to mark my first pay.

Z for Zero Fat. Haha.

Essay I Wrote for Allen's PD Presentation next week~

2009-04-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

Teaching in Sabah is never in my to-do list until December. From a total non-existence in the list, it becomes a have-to-do before it then elevates itself to be my favourite to-do. The students were pure and untouched small souls that will break your heart when they flash the smiles. Imagine this; their shirts are clear of the whiteness thus nearing yellow, with small, pale hands which automatically screen the hard lives they are in. You might think I exaggerate, but seriously I am not. Adding to that, I fall in love with the school rather instantly because the school locates itself beautifully next to the sea and take this, the canteen is actually on the sea and I can clearly see the other ear of Sabah’s; Kudat. And the school totally changes me.

I now hold students‘hands without hesitation which on the first day I couldn’t bring myself to do (the school has no steady water supply- we depend on the rain- so you can guess), I now stock pencils like l run a little stationery shop (only they are given for free) after I give all of mine on the first day leaving only a mechanical pencil in my case, which of course, none of the students own.

I now, do not give homework as I please after I learn that most of my students walk 2-3 hours to school everyday (while I drive 40 minutes in an air-conditioned car) and these little monster drag their mommies to school because they are too young to walk past valleys and hills and yeah, you should guess it right, mommies are heroes, heroes carry heavy bags, and school bags are heavy. I now know that they are two types of students in my classes, 1; students with *stembok, 2; students without *stembok, which mean 1; they are daughters/sons of teachers and 2; daddies are farmers and fishermen (mommies? they carry the students’ bags), which of course indicate that 1; earn RM 2500/month while 2; daddies earn RM200-RM400/month.

I earn RM3500/month, Shouldn’t I be ‘giving’ it back? So, teaching is a must do as far as my heart concerns. And, who wouldn’t want to be paid for doing her favourite thing? Even the MERIT I require during practicum does not promise the equal ecstasy when I hear my Year 1 students recite Monday – Friday in just a breath.

* stembok = pencil box

Hmmm~

2009-03-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

2.5 days before i board the plane for KK, then Kota Marudu.

and,

you

can

guess

bagaimanakah

perasaanku~

Oh I Can't Wait~

2009-03-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

Tick tok Tick tok.

2.5 days to go.

2.5 days to go.

Can't wait for my eat-all-i-can visits:

Breakfast at Jalan Tanglin (superb charkoayteow! n white coffee)

Breakfast at Kelana Jaya (superb charkoayteow too)

Lunch at Nasi Ayam Hospital Besar

Lunch at KLCC (lasagnaaaaaaaaaa)

Lunch at Pavilion (again, superb charkoayteow)

Late lunch at Pha-pha Seafood (seafooodd tomyaaammmm)

Late lunch at Kuah Sup Island

Late lunch at Rak Thai Amcorp Mall (tomyaaaammmm yumyum)

Tea at Goreng Pisang Taman Melati

Tea at Cendol Setiawangsa

Coffeee dose at Oltown!

Dinner at Chilis (chicken sandwich and ribs eyeee..gosh!)

Dinner at Jalan Imbi (superb charkoayteow. teehee)

Dinner at Sakura Kristal (i like the restaurant's atmosphere)

Dinner at Bubba Gump ( shrimps shrimps shrimps)

Fancy to join me?

Of Farhanna and Farhana

2009-03-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

Haish. Haish. Haish.

Just to share a short account on what happened in my Year 1 class today. I was quite mad and annoyed at some of the students for talking outloud and singing songs softly under their breaths. I was annoyed because I was trying very hard to figure out which songs they were singing. Annoyed because I wanted to guess the title of the songs correctly (pelik gile kan? but seriously i felt disturbed if I couldnt get the titles correctly).

The soft songs then were really getting on my nerves hence I asked the students to stop singing.

Student 1: Pelahan la ba. Tcher mara suda tu.

Students 2: Senyap la. aku mau buat kerjaa.

Student 3: Btul ba, bukan sedap pun suara mu *******...

*******: Aku tukar lagu la aa. Paraaanaaa oh paraaanaaa...(farhanaa oh farhanaa)

Student 4, 5,6 dan yg lain2: Paraaanaaa oh paranaaaa...(farhanaa oh farhanaa)

TCHER: Uwaaa... Cemana nak marah ni?

Btw,

Last weekend, Tqa paid a visit to Kota Marudu and on Saturday we (yao pun ade) made our way to KK. We met up with Mien, Sheila and Hafiz. anddddd...Mien had his 1st P.A.Y alreadyyyy~ (He was Orang Kaya Baru berhati baik sebab belanja his poor friends makan~ngeh ngeh ngeh)

PLUSSS, Mien sorang je la muka bercahayaaaa (Kalo dah no dalam slip tu bermula dengan no 5***.** untuk 1bulan lebih, muke sape tak bercahayaaaaa.hehehe) dan tangan penuh dengan plastik berisi souvenirs for his family as he is also goin back to KL/Ganu this March. His flight will be at 9pm while mine is at 8pm.

Insya Allah we're going to hang out or waste our time together at the airport on Friday, the 13th. Yeay.

Cant wait to get on the flight.

Happy Birthday Sissstaaas!

2009-02-23T04:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthdaayyy tooo yooouuuusssss~~

To my one and only dearest younger sister; Nur Farahin Aidid

and

kepada ssoohabaatt sistaah Wan Hasniza Othman yang kini berada di Langkawiii~

Semoga sntiasa berada dlm berkahNya, Insya Allah.

Skrg tade gaji, nak blnja adiah pun tak boleehhh..tp yg passtiiii cardsss are on their waaayys...

xoxo,

NFA

Of Hari Sukan Zon 1 Pitas and Kebaya~

2009-02-21T20:24:00.001-08:00

These are some pics snapped on Pitas's Zone 1 Sports Day.

Can you see our asrama desa?

the athletes, ready to go~

SK Rosob yang merah menyala~

We were the 1st runner-up for Acara Perbarisan (I was the chaperon with another senior teacher).

Funny thing was, I wearing a Kebaya on that day.

Why?

In Pitas, apparently, at times, events could be forwarded or postponed or delayed atau dengan erti kata lain, diubah masa nya in a very short notice. And really really short notice. That fateful Thursday, when I was busy decorating the sepanduk and the same time sewing ribbons onto the school's flag (dont ask me how I did two things at one time, IPBA taught us well~), we received a calls from our teachers who were already at the Tuanrumah's padang saying that Acara Perbarisan will be on that day. On Thursday instead of Friday, the next day.

Whatt the??

I only had around 30mins to finish both of my tasks and luckily most the students involved for Perbarisan lived near the school so they could run to get their Perbarisan gears. A handful of students couldnt join because they lived 2 hours away and its ridiculous for them to go back just to get the clothes and of course they wont be able to make it on time.

Tick tock tick tock.

We reached the Tuanrumah's school at 8.45am and I was fully dressed in a purple kebaya and yes, E.Y.E.S were on teachers from SK Rosob sebab datang Hari Sukan Zon pakai baju kurung and kebaya dan berkasut tumit tinggi (drumrooooolllls).

Nasib baik menang. Usaha tangga kejayaan. Agi Idup Agi Gelaban. Hehe.

ps: Lajuu wo budak-budak zon 1 ni lari. Kalah Apiz and Guna~

Lebih Hangat Daripada Biasa

2009-02-17T02:37:00.000-08:00

Suhu badan menunjukkan kepanasan yang luar biasa.

Lebih hangat daripada biasa.

Maka demam lah jawapannya.

uhuk. uhuk.

Of Stealing and Teaching Aids

2009-02-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was on talking on the phone with a friend in Beluran (nama dirahsiakan) and she said since she cant go anywhere that weekend, she was actually taking a proactive action by producing ABMs akaTeaching aids. Teaching Aids...Something that I had passion for during practicum. Notice the use of 'Had'?

To be honest, since I started teaching in Rosob, I have only used around 50% of my 'ability' to produce ABMs. I wasnt motivated due to the lack of materials and really looking forward to go back to KL and buy everything I need to make proper ABMs. Seriously. There are alot of kedai runcits and 2 superstore here. hmm. But not thaaaat super. Uhu.

Back to the conversation I had with that dear friend, she said 'fa yang cemerlang tu wat ABM tak?'

DUSH! DUSH! DUSH!

Upon hearing that, I had this small 'tiiing' in my mind and that night I figured out ways and strategised for how to make things work in this condition im living in - where superstores arent that super.

'I have to make ABMs that will function and of course, first, I have to buy, borrow or steal things I need in order to make them. I cant even find a decent box of Buncho's crayons here. And they have very limited colours for cardboards and manilas. How?'

That was when I decided that I will just work with what I had at the moment and instead of collecting reasons for this issue, I might as well just live and produce the best I could with it.

So, in a week, I managed to 'start' English sections for three classrooms, produced two identical posters on Prepositions for my Year 2 classes, made a hanging Days-in-the-week poster for my year 1 (which my ss really loved) and cards (with different greetings on it) and pasted them all over my year 1 classroom. I did all that in a week and I know that I can actually do more in the coming weeks and I cant see myself stopping now that I have had my 'ability' and 'the touch' back. Great Teacher Faa is back! Yeay!

I didnt steal anything, anyway. Maybe not yet.

ps: Semua manila card yang digunakan untuk membuat ABM yang disebutkan diatas berwarna biru. Uhuks.

Bulih ba kalo ko~

2009-02-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

Bulih ba kalo ko.

Thats 'ok, of course' in Sabah. Or probably just in Kota Marudu? Sabah ppl, help me.

And, i like using that phrase. I will use it every chance i get then i'll laugh. The other day, i noticed a car with super large sticker 'BULI BA KALO KO' and i laughed out loud and I didnt manage to snap a pic.

Okay, lets move on to my little monsters. I just found out that most of my year 2 students have got their own nicknames. And they hv been using the names openly and of course, loudly in the classroom sampai I pening which one was which one. Until i learned their 'nicknames'...

Here's the list;

Ramlee - Embok
Wafi - Ayang
Nizam - Along pendek
Azmawie - Botak woi
Atiqah - Abby (what the?)
Nurrahman - Along (not the pendek one)

Think you can handle it?

Njoy this lovey-dovey weekend!

Of Playground and Playboy

2009-02-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

Okay.

Today I had a very good start with my year 2s. I brought them jalan-jalan pusing sekolah and showed them places around the school. So, I showed the canteen, the mini library, the toilet (aha!) the classes, the hostel, the hall and of course, the playground. (Bunyi macam sekolah ni lengkap je kan? lengkap juga ba, cume kayu la buatan nya tu~)

T : Okay, itu..lihat sana ya, itu apa itu yang tempat kamu bermain masa rehat tu? what do we call that place? Can somebody help me?

Ss 1: Padang besit cigu...

T : Padang apa? Besi?

Ss 1,2, 3 and the rest: Padang bessiitt..

T: Okay...tapi kita boleh panggil juga padang permainan kan?

Ss 2: Iyaa cigu. boleh juga tu ba.

T: Tapi, kalo bahasa inggeris nya bagaimana? apa kita panggil tempat tu ya? can you help me?

Ss 4: Play ciguu.

T: Ya..pandai..very ggoodd...dekat suda tu...play apaaa... plaayy...

Ss 5 : Playboy teacher!

T: Aaa. apa? Playboy?

Ss 6: Iss salah..,playground ba. yang itu ko jawab tu lelaki ba.

T: Betul tu Ss6. Betul jawapan kamu.

I ushered them back to the class right after that.

Of course, I wanted to laugh outloud at that time but I wasnt able to. It was clear that the child was an innocent girl and i wondered where the heck did she learn abt playboy. Haha.

Moments like these are of unavoidable in the classroom or outside of the classroom (depending on where you hold your classes, of course!).

Hayyy la.. Playboy ke playground?

Amacam, wanna swap classes with me?

But, seriously, I welcome anybody, esp juniors (or fellow teachers from my batch yang nak swap places with me.haha) who are interested to come and see with their eyes as well as having this hands on experience of teaching little monsters aka young students in a very very very rural place like Pitas to come over~ Atleast, the experience (i hope) will be able to teach you something extra. Something that you cant get in KL. Haha. I think this is a crazy offer, of course ppl will say no.

Saya rindu KL sudaa~

My New Comfort Zone~

2009-01-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have just successfully moved in into another house, very near to the pekan Kota Marudu a.k.a the nearest call to civilisation I can find in Kota Marudu.

Alhamdulillah.

My new housemates are also teachers; Kak Zabrina (Auckland Uni, C1) and Kak Aini (UM)~ and both of them are supernice.

My new room is small compared to the room I rented before, but this new room brings a homey aura thus I have nothing to complaint. The room is mine and I am free to do anything without ever have to consult others'. yeay. Plus, I love the smell, I put on an air-frshner and each time I walk in...the room smells nice. Haha. I think I am going overboard in describing my newly acquainted happiness. But yeah, H-A-P-P-Y is the word this week!

The are a few shocking and happy news hitting me this week. Here are some:

A very best friend of mine is getting engaged this March (I will be treating her the baju for her day with my own pay, exclusively bought in Jakarta. jeng jeng jeng) .

Another best friend is going to have a baby (I envy the cuti panjaaaaaang she'll be enjoying end of this year! haha).

Another good friend is getting married this June (and i'll be treating her an electric periuk nasi as part of my pact with her. hehe).

another best+superb+good friend texted me and said she managed to bake her first professional cupcakes with BEN 10 deco (isnt that nice to heaar? cakess..i havent jumpa any kdai kek here in Kota Marudu).

and, my barney friend is being nice by going tru the hassle to hunt for Dodol to fulfil my hunger quest and shes going to pass them tru Yao~

yeay!
Can you smell my happyyy-ness? Alhamdullillah. I think everthing now is falling into its' places and I really hope that this happy-happy thing could stay they way they are now in the future. So far, this week is the best week of my stay in Sabah~ Thanks to Him.

Lots of H-A-P-P-Y-love;
f

Spilling It All Out

2009-01-28T23:53:00.001-08:00

Oh well.

Im back in Pitas, Kota Marudu. I'd like to spill it all out.

Okeh!

Day 1 , arrived at KKIA around 8pm. Stayed the night at Airport View Hotel. L-o-u-s-y. But it was a free stay with free foodsss. I started to not eat heartily there and then.

Day 2, got THE letter, SK ROSOB PITAS. hmm. Before i came, I had always looked at the list of schools in Sabah and always, always i will had my eyes on Pitas. hmm. Jodoh kot?

Day 2, arrived in PPD Pitas at abot 6pm. Magrib approached and i waited for reps from my school to come and pick me up. No tears tho despite seeing other beginning teachers leaving with the Guru Besar. Mine arrived late. And, it wasnt the GB, It was the school's clerk, a pakcik with a golden heart. i was brought to his home. built strategically di atas laut. saya ulang, di atas laut. i had to take off my Charles n Keith pumps and brought up my kain dekat paras lutut because of air pasang. there you have it, my first taste of air laut in Sabah! Btw, theres another teacher with, from IPPerlis, Kak Ros. Both of us were to report the next day at SK ROSOB.

Day 3, reported myself to the school. filled in the borangs. and lucky me, i was living (Actually menumpang) with the clerk whos responsible for my pay! yeay! gave all the docs he needed and he said my pay could be in February! but...sadly, just before school ended, he said, PPD couldnt allow for that to happen. so, its going to be in March. isk. bolehla tu~

Day 4-5 I went for house hunting and it was very hard to find a proper house here in Pitas. and, mind you..tiada bekalan air sempurna ye, semua turun dari langit. alhamdullilah, so far, my kulit macam biasa suda. tiada masalah pun. terima kasih kepada body shop, i guess the cleanser can work well with nature. haha. cut short, we managed to get a room, rm300 permonth on sharing basis. no aircond or water heater ye najib.

Day 6- up until now; Moved to the new house/room. hoho. water crisis; no water supply if theres no rain. electricity crisis; my tuan rumah is a verry verry cermat old lady and can u imagine living with a person who wont let the lights up smpai dah betul2 gelap?

okeh. am tired to type more actually.

but seriously, here, i have learned about how help and assistance could come to you from persons you barely know...

i feel indebted to the clerk's family; provided me with food in the shapes of super XXL size prawns, fresh from the sea and a place to stay before i found a suitable house for me.

next, to Kak Ain of cohort 1, she called me on Day 6 and i nearly cried. but i managed to hold it. i wanted to cry because her voice sounded very honest when she asked about my current being. of course i said i was fine. Kak Ain also helped to to find a better house in Kota Marudu, about 30mins from my school but the place is the (nearby and only) area of civilisation that could help me stand strong and preserve my sanity. haha.

Kak Zabrina, my future housemate; i learned from my Cohort 1 friends that she is very nice and a cool person to be with. insya Allah. i met her the other day and i really hope i could get along well with her once i have moved in.

The best thing is, i will be living only few doors away from Yao! One very familiar face and we made the pact the other day to take good care of each other. kite tgkla sape jg sape nanti. haha.

I went to Yao's place last friday and for the first time, i announce, the first time, i ate whole-heartedly. Udang freshhhhh (i bought on my way to Kota Marudu) with sambal belacan stolen from Yao's hsemate. I told Yao that i wanted to perform sujud syukur that night and i did during magrib. i was really pleased to see Yao and very pleased to feel the nikmat of makan-makan again.

i shall continue later. i need to pack my bags as im due to move out tomorrow. insya Allah.

Reconnecting~

2009-01-24T23:14:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum and hi ppl.

Alhamdulillah, im well and alive.

currently im in KK and just had a very memorable reunion with my IPBA friends.

catch u ltr!

Kota Marudu: Here I Come

2009-01-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

MH 2662

1655

KL-KOTA KINABALU

tuai padi antara masak,

esok jangan layu-layuan,

intai kami antara nampak,

esok jangan rindu-rinduan.

All the best to dear Cohort 2 friends.

Insya Allah, ketemu lagi dibulan Mei.

Nur Farhanna Binti Aidid

off to Kota Marudu~

Kota Marudu's Future Puppeteer

2009-01-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

I am waiting patiently for my flight day. I think this time around I am having different kind of ‘leaving’ feeling. I think I look forward to this new adventure than my 2006’s departure to the UK. Maturity is kicking in, you think? Most of my fellow Sabahan future teachers know that I have finished packing days ago. Ding Dong. And my bag weights at 21kgs! (Jaime says im a light traveller!) That is quite an achievement considering that I have put in 18 pasangs of Baju Kurung and 2 puppet theatres besides other necessities. Here are some of the lucky things that have secured places in my bag.

Portable/Hand held Puppet Theatre

Bought in the UK, GBP 7.99.

Another one…

Foldable Puppet Theatre

Bought in IKEA, RM9.90 (quite a steal, huh?)

Then, presenting…

The Actors! TITTA Mini Puppets!

Available in IKEA too, RM19.90 for 10pcs
A lot can be done with these little figures.
Adjectives. Colours, Shapes, Speaking Skills...I cant stop! Yeay!

But sadly, only binatang laut available…the binatang darat out of stock~ Sume dah jalan gi Marudu kot~~ Sigh!

And surprise surprise…

RM 5 for both sets.
Need my explanation of what are these things going to help me with?

Well, I gulped when I heard Syida plans to bring mini rice-cooker whereas I never thought about stuff like that at the initial stage of packing. So, to give myself a sense of ‘security’, I bought these utensils. And, yes, of course I am going to get myself a mini rice-cooker once I am in Kota Kinabalu.

Many things happened yesterday. I would like to congratulate my fellow secondary teachers for securing places that they favour. All the best, guys!

Regarding the Surat Lantikan issue, I was pretty frustrated yesterday as this problem surfaced in the midst of these very hectic weeks…where flights are about to take depart and classes are about to begin. However, I have to thank some of my friends for making the effort to seek clarification for the rest of us. The letter is apparently important for our pay and yes. Pay is important for us beginning teachers, especially those who are going be away from home and comfort zones and of course from our non-gangster-money-lenders; our beloved Fathers and Mothers. Ding Dong. And the pay is important. For my June camping trip to Pavilion. Haha.

So far, I have heard quite many mixed remarks about Kota Marudu and I am taking them very positively, Insya Allah. Plus, my positive friends are helping me in this (you know who you are) and of course, I just smiled at the not-so-positive comments. I hope that I can maintain my ‘positiveness’ up until I reach and see with my own eyes; the school and of course, Kota Marudu. I googled for images of Kota Marudu and for non-photography lover like me, I personally think that the scenery is amazing…tu baru tengok gambar…belum sampai betol-betol~

Okay, I might sound too positive, as if I am denying the probable dangers, risks or all sorts of kesulitan that I might face once I am there. But, the truth is, I would like for once (again) to be all positive and prepare myself with sufficient strength that may be needed when I step on Kota Marudu’s ground rather than mind-mapping the un-positive probabilities. So, cut me some space eh? Honestly, they are comments that came out from people (you don’t know who you are) that I can categorise as non-positive-at-all-so-i-will-just-smile-at-you, your-comments-aren’t-honest-enough and your-comments-are-meant-for-your-own-self-assurance-not-me. But. That’s it. No offence taken. Its alright.

And, I received texts and call from friends that I could straight away smell their sincerity (you know who you are). Somehow, text from Ungku took my heart away. Thanks girls! And Jarod, for your comment for my previous post.

Hmm… I think that’s it for now. I have to start practising my finger puppeting technique!

Of Kota Marudu and PSP?

2008-12-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

It is almost a week after I got to know which state I will be posted to. In a week, I have been to Singapore, back to KL and managed to get to know that I will be sent to Kota Marudu, flying from KLIA on the 7th day of January 2009. More specifically, within the week, I actually managed to hold a Kenduri Doa Selamat and Kesyukuran, celebrated my grandma’s birthday with perfect attendance of my cousins (which rarely happened because I was abroad, my cousins were in boarding school etc), went out for a farewell lunch and breakfast with my closest friends and last but not least, I bought a PSP. Portable Play Station. Can I just say that, the thought that I might not have proper ‘entertainment’ in Sabah lead me to make the purchase? I was not and I am still not a game addict or enthusiast. I just like the idea of having a portable machine that can store things; pictures, songs, movies and of course all sort of games. So, that’s my explanation.

Of going to Sabah, I must say that I was shocked but not really surprised. One string has been pulled and it failed. My recommendation letter from my former GB (during practicum) also didn’t quite play the magic. I took the news quite alright. My mother was unhappy but my father was quite supportive. Quoting him; ‘You just go,kakak…Yang menurut perintah, right’. He was right.

Right after the trip to Singapore, I started to pack my things much to the dismay of my mother. She thought I was too eager to leave her. Ding dong. It was not that I was too eager, it was because I basically had nothing to do during the hols and by packing up my stuff, I guessed I was utilising my time for the right thing.

About going and not going. There are few friends that I learned might not be going to ‘lapor diri’. I have no judgement and not in the position to make one. It is up to the one; to decide whether he or she shall take the first step of their future right away (that means to lapor diri on the required date) or let it linger a while (wait for the second posting offer which might come in two months or four years time) or let it pass (which means you let the offer pass?). None of the mentioned acts promises a strong and solid future, personally, that’s what I think. Each has its own advantages, risks and challenges that require one to carefully choose and walk on. I guess I am being very broad here.

I have to say that I am very motivated to go and teach in Sabah despite of all the shocking news. I will (partially) list them, in order:
Placed in Sabah
Placed in Kota Marudu. Alone while others mostly got Sandakan. And I was with that shocking news for half an hour before a friend called and said she got Kota Marudu too. You do not want to know what I have been thinking during that half an hour.

The truth is, my source of motivation is me, myself and I. Of course, there are people around me who gave a lot of nasihat and kata-kata pendek for me to go and look for valuable experiences in Sabah but they are just saying those to respond to the news (that I’ll be going to Sabah), I think. The real motivator is the thing inside my head that keeps telling me that it is alright to start my career in a place that I might have not imagined I’d be in before. I can’t keep my on my comfort ground all the times. Sometimes, I just have to let KLCC go…and go explore Pasar Pagi in Kota Marudu instead? And I believe in one thing; He will always be with me. Allah is the best of providers. I really love saying that. And, just now, I read Abang Faisal’s entry about being posted to Sabah and I was touched by what he wrote. Saya tumpang letak ye, abg Faisal…

Life might not be fair to you,
but...it doesn't give you the right to treat other people unfairly.
Life might not be fair to you,
but... you could make it fair to millions of life around you.
Life might not seem to be fair to you,
but... who are you to say so,
when you're destined to be great,
you're fated to something more!
(firus_azali_ 070108)
a poem written as a challenge to my own self,
without intention of implying it to anyone else.

I appreciate this short poem, probably written from the deepest point of his heart and this piece of writing is actually helping me to play support for the motivation button in my head. Adding to that, The Ustaz who lead the prayers during the kenduri the other day said (dalam nada paling menyentuh hati) ‘Insya Allah, takpe pergi jauh, untuk mendidik anak bangsa’. Insya Allah.

I am now waiting for the day of the flight and I can’t wait to see the place physically. I am praying that I will not lose the battle that I haven’t fought for. Insya Allah. Ya Allah, kuatkanlah hatiku. Amin.

One Ride Fits All

2008-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

Can one size and I really mean one size fits for all, for everyone? Responding to one of the Ketua Pemuda aspirants’ (read: Mukhriz Mahathir) proposal to having just one type of school for the students in Malaysia, as a future teacher (who is still waiting for ‘the posting letter’) I personally feel that I have a right to say something.

I studied in an SRK school, mingled with almost 100% Malays up until I was in Form 3. Meanwhile, from the age of 10 until 17, I attended extra English classes every weekend and Alhamdulillah I could say that my English was quite good, thanks to my family’s policy about mastering the English language. In form 4, I shifted to Convent Bukit Nanas, and that was when I actually saw the true colours of Malaysia. The school, is an SMK filled with girls from various sorts; three main races, Malay, Chinese and Indian and some other races, girls with mixed parentage…oh we were all sorts, I could say.

I personally think that, during my school years, I had the best of both worlds, first in a school that I saw no other different colours and there were no issues, then in a school where I saw a lot of differences but none of the differences actually mattered. My circle of friends widened; maintained friendships from my previous school as well as blossoming friendships in CBN. It was in CBN that I knew that we were different but we felt indifferent.

In was in that school too that my perception towards ‘unity’ changed. I remembered that we conversed in both English and Bahasa, and, there were no indications that my identity or Kim Ann’s identity as a Malay and a Chinese respectively were about to change. Talking about our Bahasa competency, I am proud to announce that there was one Indian girl (its Shuba) who always managed to score the highest. It was almost, always her each time. And not once, that I saw Shuba claiming that she was converting to the ‘other’ culture. Thus, it has been my policy that the competency in (different) languages will not take away the ‘culture’ out of the person. Do you see where am I going?

Should we mix the students? As a teacher, I shall say yes. It is, in the classroom that, almost every lesson about almost everything will be taught. You might disagree with me, but I have my every reason to believe in such. When I did my teaching practice, I had a problem of mixing a few Malay and Indian girls for group activities. Lucky me, there were other girls who didn’t mind with whom they will be working with and their products were just brilliant. For the girls that I mentioned earlier, they couldn’t even move to any agreed decision for the task! That is just an example of how a little unity can go for a long way and how a dis-unity couldn’t move a muscle.

It is in schools that we are allowed and given the opportunity to learn about other people’s cultures. I feel awkward writing the word ‘other people’ because, really, I feel that no matter what colour you present but when you carry the word Warganegara, you are ‘us’ people or ‘our’ people and we just have our own unique ways of leading our lives and sometimes different sets of menus for lunch! Putting different menus in a school canteen would welcome a lot more options for the students, as well as for the teachers. And, yes, there should be guidelines or batas agama dan kesusilaan which will help and guide ‘us’ in the school. I hope you can see where my analogy is going.

Unity, for me, is about giving chances. When you give a chance, you will be rewarded with a chance too. Imagine if you give a lot of chances…what will you be getting in return?

As a beginning teacher, I see schools as the microcosm of the society. There is always the saying that if we want to change the society or the fate of the country, we need to change the education system. And, we keep changing the policies. And, we do not want to wait for the policies to unleash its effect in the long run. The different talks about Teaching Maths and Science in English, and now about mixing the students in one type of school are the type of talks that could bring to, again, the change of the policies. Allow yourself to take a minute and think, where would these two policies take us? Forward or backward?

If you asked me, I would answer, it depends on the policy of your heart. If you allow change to happen, you open door or probably doors to a lot of things. It might not promise you a bed of roses or a broken bed, but it could lead you to a lot of dreams and possibly, nightmares. Again, it depends on the policy of your heart.

Who says Malaysians can’t have the change of heart?

The Final Ride

2008-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

We said goodbyes last Friday. Some goodbyes could be permanent. Some could be tipu-tipu ones. Permanent; when I or the other party choose not to keep in contact (which I have the super tendency to do so.woohoo), and tipu-tipu ones; when friends like nada syada ejat live just countable miles from me and of course, each other.

So, what is goodbye when you don’t cry, eh?

I cried. At first, I wanted to be macho wannabe but my friends knew that crying has been my core business since forever. I cried. I hugged a few friends, apologised for my wrong doings and stupid jokes then I cried. I never said I’d keep in touch because I was afraid of making up ‘unpromisable’ promises. I just said to few, ‘kahwin nanti jangan lupa jemput’.

I think I hugged Jaime and Ainur the longest. Jaime for the chemistry we built since we got back from our respective 2 yrs stint overseas. Ainur, for the time lost, I guessed. I love them both to the bones.

I didn’t say goodbye to nada. She’s the best. She’s my rock. My super understanding roommate. One who could actually live in the same room with me!

My UK buddies, they are super major (what the heck is major? (Tak kenal Posh eh?) Ina; I’d like to remind you, true friends are those who stay through thick and thin and that means even when you sakit. Leng; Kelantanese yang out of the box, speaks perfect English, you’ll never guess she’s a Kelantanese (adakah komen aku ni bersikap region-ist?). Ejat; we went a very long way together, one who can speak with my mood and moods. Love her to bits. And my Mimsy; super kakak, her words could break you but her smile can make you! Love you, mi!

I said goodbyes to my housemates; Aziati and Niza; memang cool hsemates (yang lain pun cool gak) but Aziati is less cooool-ler because she stayed back during our KISSM exam. Thanks to my super housemates, for the memories. Hey, my favourite housemate; Hanna from Benoni. Which part of Malaysia is that? Go google it. She’s a real head-banger cum head turner! Muah!

I said goodbye-s too to Zue, Nisahk, Syada, Sayda, Syida, Soya and many other girls and also the boys. Love you guys to bits too! I exchanged the ‘glance’ with Mien. I think we had the unspoken love hate relationship. There were things I did, which he didn’t agree and things he did I didn’t agree. But hey, it was Friday and our final day. We exchanged the ‘look’, I heard he said sorry, and I said those words too and seikhlasnya, at that particular moment, all the not-so-sweet memories just flushed away. Alhamdulillah.

So, that’s the goodbye. Regrets? I think I have a few. For chemistry lost from a friend probably caused by my own withdrawal. For not being able to walk the finish line with my dearest friend, Hassanah. And for not being able to keep some of the friendships due to my own uncertainty.

I am now ready to step out, as a real teacher. Alhamdulillah, the 5½ yrs journey was a good one. I thought it could take forever when I first walked in, but it ended in just a blink. Just a gulp. The graduation ceremony will take place in May, long way to go. I can;t wait because that is when I will be meeting my Cohort 2 comrades again. I can’t thank Him enough, Allah the Almighty for His kindness and punca segala rezeki. I will be graduating with Second Class Upper degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, with an additional Merit for teaching practice. Alhamdulillah.

To my Cohort 2 friends, good luck and all the best. Let’s rock the teaching field.

Let’s Initiate changes.
Love;
NFA

Riding Home My Point

2008-08-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

I have received some helpful comments and support from some dear friends and bloggers who read my draft (Thanks so much for time and comments!). So, finally I have gathered enough confidence and courage to actually publish my first entry.

Through this cyber channel, I hope to initiate some changes, if possible, in our community to be more loving and brave enough to show that we care about each other. I suggest we forget about the different dialects we speak, different spices we put in our kualis or pots and different colours we are wearing when it comes to giving help to each other.

What do you say?

I have seen many incidents on the bus, mainly involving the younger people; where the school children and teenagers have forgotten about manners, love and care. Incidents, acts and their ‘language’ scared me each time. Could these incidents actually represent the real value of our society, especially the younger people?

Hence, I am going to pitch my campaign to initiate and if possible to educate my dear adik-adik who are taking the public transport for various purpose ; to school, attending tuition or even for leisure destinations (yeah!, KLCC, Pavilion, etc) to be more courteous. To not be afraid of showing that they do not mind standing all the way to KLCC as long as the seats are surrendered to more deserving passengers. To show that it is cool to help old uncles or aunties even when you don’t speak their language. To prove to themselves that their actions worth more than the RM2 use-all-day-fare, and yes, to show that we,

Malaysians do care.

So, when can we start?

The Bus Ride

2008-08-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Today, I took the bus, the public bus, to get home from school.

But today’s ride was not a normal one. Not the normal ride where I just sat and got irritated by the sound of loudspeakers from those super-powerful handphones, irritated by ‘voice-over’ some makciks were doing and annoyed by looking at young people (I mean school children and teenagers) kicking their friends in the bus, throwing bottles and paper pieces to each other, laughed out loud, doing some ‘shuffling’ moves (my brother introduced me the moves just months earlier) and most important of all, watching the little dearies standing near the door and jumped in and out of the bus (…to give way to people to get off in style…) each time the bus stopped.

Today’s ride got me thinking. Not that I didn’t think before. But I thought deeply today. Rather deeply than doing the deep thinking for lesson planning. Haha. So, what happened that it got me thinking?

One very old uncle got on the bus, very old and he didn’t look well. And I looked around. The bus half filled by obviously younger people; the primary and secondary students who were busy looking at their phones (the school should have more spot checks, I suggest), and partly filled by older passengers but definitely younger-than-that-uncle. So that uncle walked on further but he stopped few seats before me. I looked around and I saw that this uncle was not even acknowledged! Like he was not even there. So I got up and offered him my seat. He said ‘no, no, lu duduk, its ok, its ok’. So I sat back and stole the show. Eyes were on me. The eyes were probably saying ‘ala, tunjuk baik la tu’… So, my dear old uncle stood steadfastly holding to the tiang and at the next stop, one guy got off and the uncle won a seat.

Talk about fate. The next two stops saw a pregnant lady who got on the bus together with number of people, and the bus was full but not packed. And this soon-to-become-mommy didn’t have a seat. Ouch. Again. So, I got up and offered and she refused and smiled. Eh? Eyes were on me again. I stole the show twice! Can anyone do better?

You must be thinking, what was wrong with me that all these people were refusing my offer. At that moment, I didn’t know why. At this very moment, I still do not know why.

So, that got me thinking. I want to live in a more loving and love-able community. I want us, especially the younger people to show their love. To show that we care more about the elders than our blasting handphones. To know that it is ok to surrender the seat to someone more deserving despite paying the same fare (students pay less, they should sit less~). So I decide, that, we, us, the people need some educating to be done in order for us to be more loving and caring. Love and care can be shown through small actions, small steps that anybody can take or initiate.

Thus, I am going to pitch a campaign. A campaign to promote love and care, and more awareness among our people (especially the young students) and this campaign should start right away. I just hit lucky 23 (Beckham’s Jersey No, so I guessed kire lucky la) last Sunday, so probably something had just got into me and yeah, I will start my own blog which will feature my 2 cents (hope they can worth more in future), my ideas (things that come out when I think) and most importantly, my campaign. My campaign to promote a more loving and caring society through small but practical and do-able acts and steps.

What do you think?