Category: Citra Karisma

Someone casually asked if I wish to submit the application for Citra Karisma this year under the Teaching category. I told her that I am not interested to do so. But then she posed this question “What if there is no one from our faculty submitted the application?” I looked at her in disbelief. There will always be someone who will submit his or her application.

For the Webometrics category, I decided to submit my application this year. Someone said “Hantar je la. Bukan nak menang kan?” My intention is, I just want to be one of the representatives of the faculty even though I know we are never short of applicants. I do not think too much after that. Let it be! After all, I would never dream to be a finalist again second time around.

I was contacted by the PIC to give a brief biography about myself on 11 July 2023 (Tuesday). It was nearly 5pm at that time. I was preparing myself to go back. The last thing I want is to write something about myself which people can read from the programme book.

I know that writing something about myself is good for letting others to know about me. But my stance has remained largely unchanged. I don’t take pleasure in being well-known. After discussing with few more people (you know who you are), they gave me lots of suggestions of writing a biography. One even volunteered to proofread my biography. “Oh come on! They have better things to do at this moment than to proofread my biography” I told myself.

I came a bit early the next day (12 July 2023, Wednesday). So, this is what I wrote.

Dr Hadijah Jaffri adalah pensyarah kanan di Sekolah Pendidikan, Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan.  Berlatar belakangkan psikologi pendidikan, minatnya terhadap penulisan secara santai adalah salah satu cara terapi kendiri.   Dengan sokongan berterusan dan padu dari rakan-rakan khasnya Dr Norah Md Noor yang tanpa jemu dan tidak lokek berkongsi tips dan pandangan dalam penulisan blog di pautan platform https://people.utm.my/hadijahjaffri, Dr Hadijah giat menulis dengan niat berkongsi ilmu, pandangan dan maklumat yang mungkin bermanfaat kepada pembaca.

I told Norah. I can imagine her reaction when she replied to my Whatsapp message “Oit, jangan masuk nama aku dalam biografi yang kau nak bagi kat Citra Karisma tu. Rakan-rakan sudah“. Well, it is too late, Norah. I gave her two choices of wording: seperti atau khasnya. I know she does not favor either one. But it seems I leave her with no option at all (tongue in cheek!).

I asked Norah for her opinion as I was contemplating withdrawing from the nomination. She advised me to stay put. I told her that there is another finalist who is also from FSSH. So, FSSH has a representative already. I am just an extra. She told me that she is the OTHER person who is also the finalist! What a joy to hear that! She told me “Nanti kita dok meja sama ye. Kali ni sure ada makan. hahahaha Baru best experience kau masuk Citra Karisma“. This is her hint to make sure that I come to the event, not withdrawing (as I wish).

It is done. I already submitted it to the PIC. I want to express my joy and appreciation for her unwavering support in the greatest way possible. So, I will attend Citra Karisma again this year to eat. Like Norah said long time ago “Bukan senang nak dapat UTM belanja makan sedap“.

Note: Norah and I were not seated at the same table. So, her wish to sit and eat at the same table as me did not come true. This post was prepared earlier as a draft but I nearly forgot about it to publish it.

When I submitted the application form, I need to write something about the blog.  Other nominees would write about themselves more than 50 words long.  Me?  I cringe with just the thought of writing something about myself.  Nay.  So I ended up writing “Laman web saya mengandungi kandungan yang serious dan juga santai seperti bukti pengajaran, strategi yang saya gunakan untuk mengawal tekanan dan sebagainya” [22 words].  There you go.  As you can see, the person in charge of this booklet screen captured one page from my webometrics and lo and behold, look at the title: “Anugerah Webometrics 2019: Should I?”

If you look at previous recipients (2016, 2017, 2019), they wrote extensive narrative description about themselves.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But in my case, I chose not to write lengthy stuff about myself.

Few of my friends asked me “What was I thinking?” when I wrote that knowing that it will appear in the booklet for this year Citra Karisma.  Oh do I care!  That is my initial reaction.  Why should I be pretentious, right?  I am what I am and who I am cannot be defined with what I wrote, have written, write and will write in any piece of paper.  [This quote sounds familiar.  Oh no!  I sound more like my mentor, Yedullah Kazmi]

Ada orang tanya macam mana nak menang Anugerah Teknologi Maklumat (Webometrics).  Macam mana nak menang? (I rolled my eyes when I saw the question popping up on Whatsapp) Saya teringat tips yang saya dapat dari rakan-rakan (dua dari mereka merupakan pemenang anugerah ini juga bagi tahun 2016 dan 2017)

1) Niat menulis untuk berkongsi maklumat dan pengalaman. Sharing is caring. Contoh: Ada rakan yang mungkin tak dapat hadir ke bengkel yang kita dapat hadiri. Bagaimana nak berkongsi pengetahuan atau maklumat terkini yang kita perolehi dari bengkel yang mungkin berguna kepada orang lain juga? – zaman sebelum ada Webex. Ini adalah soalan yang diutarakan oleh Dr Norah (Pemenang Anugerah Webometrik 2016) kepada saya untuk saya fikirkan apabila menulis di people.utm.my. Alhamdulillah saya juga boleh lihat kembali (ingatkan diri saya) tentang perkara atau proses yang setahun sekali sahaja perlu diisi seperti TESDCP. Saya dapat lihat pertambahan elemen yang diperlukan bagi tahun ni berbanding tahun lepas berdasarkan penulisan tentang TESDCP pada tahun lepas.

2) Guna webometrics sebagai cara mendokumentasi pengajaran. Bukan untuk menunjuk-nunjuk tetapi sebagai ingatan kepada diri sendiri tentang aspek pengajaran yang boleh diperbaiki. Ini adalah tips yang saya perolehi dari Dr Asmawi (SKA) (Pemenang Anugerah Webometrik 2017).  Dalam hal ini, webometrik boleh digunakan sebagai E-content (bawah kategori blog). Webometrik Dr Asmawi amat tersusun dan padat.  Boleh dijadikan contoh sebagai rujukan.  Highly recommended! 

3) Untuk TESDCP, salah satu elemen yang perlu diisi adalah Falsafah Pengajaran.  Dengan kekangan karakter (4000 characters), Dr Nihra ada menyarankan saya “Kalau nak tulis panjang lebar, letak la kat kau punya webometrik.  Kat TESDCP ni nak yang ringkas dan padat je.  Letak URL link webo kat TESDCP tu.”  Saya mengikut saranan beliau sejak tahun lepas ketika mengisi TESDCP saya bagi tahun 2019 dan 2020 (tahun ini).

After I replied the email to confirm my attendance as one of the finalists, I didn’t think too much about it.  I started to feel cringe.  So,  only few people know that I would attend the event.  Some even teased me that I would have a sleepless night before the event.

I know some might be perplexed why I cringe to attend such event.  If you can see the picture that they took, my face shows how I feel at that moment.

Friends from the school where I did my Latihan Ikhtisas even know about it.  One of the teachers has a husband who works at UTM.  He gave her the link.  They watched the event at school from FB live.  Eh since when Citra Karisma becomes my school’s event?  I rest my case.  So, how can I not cringe when I got such messages from my friends and students?

When I first got the email from the organiser to confirm my attendance to the event, I wanted to decline without any specific concrete reason except “I feel cringe”.  Yup. I don’t like to be in the spotlight.  I know some are looking forward and even create opportunity to be in the spotlight.  Nope.  That is not me.

I revel in being nobody.  Yup.  I am so used of being nobody since childhood.  I was not the straight As student (academically outstanding) nor athletics.  Nope.  None of it.  But I asked one of my seniors that I am close with to get some opinions whether I should go to the event.  She said “Dijah, you need to go or ________________ (fill in the blank)”.  The way she said is like I will be doom to reject such invitation.  It is akin to decline the invitation from Don Corleone (if anyone is wondering who is Don Corleone, as a start, you can find more information HERE).   Seriously?  I never thought that we have Don Corleone at UTM.

I asked another senior.  Her reply “Pergi je la.  Bukan senang nak jumpa Datuk NC.  Nak naik pangkat kena la tonjol muka biar orang pentadbiran universiti kenal” .  Errr…. Meeting Datuk NC and making myself known by the important people is the last thing that I have in my mind.  Nope.

I was not convinced.  So I asked few seniors more including Norah.  Norah said “Dijah, rugi tak pergi.  Makan sedap.  Bukan senang nak dapat UTM belanja makan sedap”  Makan sedap?  It sparks my curiosity:  “What kind of food they will serve us?”.    Yup.  I made my decision based on food.  So shallow, right?