Category: Other

What are the impacts of Latihan Ikhtisas?

I have been wondering about it myself.  Well, to tell the truth, what I gain from the LI is a new experience of teaching adolescents (and its challenges).  Well, that’s it.  Networking?  Indeed.  Networking with the school.  Yup.  I still conduct tuition class and whatnot as a form of my after-LI-service.  

Making impact or difference in the students lives?  How on earth would I know that?!!!  I am not going to be overambitious on this part.  After all, only Allah knows best on this matter.  

Other than that?  Nothing much.  For example, did I get any  Industrial grant?  Nope.  So, it does resonate with the survey findings.  

Well, perhaps I can tell what I have gone through instead.  Yup.  It might take a while since I need to look at evidences that I collected in various forms such as daily journal, students reflective notes and such.  

I have posted some personal rambling on various posts.  Here are some of them:

Things that I produce when I did Latihan Ikhtisas_Part 1

Things that I produce when I did Latihan Ikhtisas_Part 2

Teaching poetry and literature

Latihan Ikhtisas Part 1

Latihan Ikhtisas Part 2

Latihan Ikhtisas Part 3

Latihan Ikhtisas Part 4

Latihan Ikhtisas Part 5

Scam? Oh please

I came a bit early today because I was planning to finish my marking.  Finally, the students have submitted their assignments and all so that I can start marking their papers etc.

Around 805am, the land line phone in my office rang.  I was a bit suspicious.  Who on earth will call me this early when I know that half of my colleagues are not even in the office yet.  I just let the phone rang unanswered.  Then, it stopped.  Well, at least it stopped ringing on my phone but there was a phone ringing nearby my office.  Yup.  My next door neighbour’s phone was ringing.  It rang for several minutes before it stopped (well, this neighbour of mine will not come to his office during exam period this early.  That’s his routine since the last few years). 

But then I faintly heard another sound of phone ringing.  It must be one of the few doors neighbour’s phone.  What a heck!  I thought it has stopped (few weeks ago, there was another colleague got this kind of call.  He answered but he was informed that he got some loan etc. and needs to settle certain amount of money to certain bank).  This is clearly a scam.  Beware guys!  This is an example of digital fraud.  There are many cases which might leave traumatic experience to some.  My stance: Stay calm.  Don’t panic.  Know your financial state.  

Free meal and Free Market

It is the brain idea of one of my colleagues, and thus, this project was started since Semester 1 2016/17 (on 20 November 2016 to be exact).  At first, the project only offered free meal (100 pax) but later on, the project also includes offering stationery that students might need (this is known as Free Market).  

Alhamdulillah, even though there is ups and downs of this project since it started but the people who support the cause try their very best to make sure it runs on regular basis.  It is not easy to run this project on regular basis especially it needs financial supports and also volunteers to assist us in making sure that it will be run on weekly basis.  

For semester 2 2018/19, the last Free Meal and Free Market was conducted on 2 May 2019 (a week before Ramadan).  In sha Allah it will be continued on the next semester.  I have got some of my colleagues who passed me some stuff (stationery) that they bought.  Based on my observation, black pen, foolscap paper, rulers and yellow highlighter are among the most highly-sought after stationery.  

Me? Baking?

It has been a while since the last time I baked something for Eid.  I think it was two years ago, when I made chocolate chips and almond london biscuit for Eid.  Last year, even though I bought some ingredients to bake chocolate chips, but I didn’t feel like I wanted to celebrate Eid at all.  The passing of my mom in September 2017 still has its effect on me.  But, I still remember when I lost my dad in 2009, my mom insisted us to keep the tradition alive i.e. the tradition of preparing cookies and whatsnot for Eid.  It was some of the things that she normally used to do without fail before Eid.  Being me, I would rather buy than bake unless I have to.  

I know that I baked a lot when I was doing my PhD as compared to now (post PhD period).  I guess at that time, I enjoyed baking and cooking because whatever I baked and cooked would be enjoyed by many people i.e. my housemates and #60 Steavenson Stresst PRs.  

But, today I baked brownie cookies (I get the recipe from Youtube).  Since I didn’t have the exact ingredients that they use, I improvised.  I didn’t know how it will turn out because I am fasting (at the moment of writing this post).  

Here are the pictures that I took: Before and after.  

P.S:  I know that the shapes and sizes are not standardised but I don’t care.  I just let it be that way.  After all, I am pretty sure that I will be the ONLY one who eat this and there is no way that I serve this to any guest who come to my house during Eid.

Prison break

The columns have existed more than 15 years.  There were many small kids growing up here or came for a visit.  But, none of them had ever done this before.  All of them would take the normal route, to get into the house.  Not in between the columns like this girl.  This girl is one year and two months old.  She has started to walk less than a month before.

What happened here?  She went out for a while and while trying to get back inside, she used this method.  Don’t get me wrong.  This picture was taken by her dad.  So, she was under close supervision by her dad.

Worst case scenario?  If she was stuck between the columns, we need to call the firefighter to get help and there goes the newly painted columns that I painstakingly painted during the CNY school break.  Alhamdulillah, she could get through the columns in one piece.  

What is the trend now? To experience fasting?

I was in the midst of marking the examination scripts and to take a break, I googled some articles, browsed here and there before finding this thing: some non-Muslims guys (and ladies) are vlogging about their experience fasting.  At first, I was thinking “Wait a minute?!  Are they newly reverts?  Or are they just fasting for the sake of experience of not eating for few hours?”  But as I watch their videos (more than one apparently), I realise that they are really seriously doing it like a Muslim.  They take sahur and do not eat from subuh until maghrib.   Some have been doing it for few years.  Man, I am really amazed.  One of them is even praying tarawikh (I guess he is newly reverted to Islam.  Alhamdulillah).  

I am not saying it is a bad thing to do but I truly believe that Allah’s hidayah can be in various types and forms.  Perhaps, this is one of it.   

 

How fit are you when you are a part of 4 series club?

It was National Sports Day (Hari Sukan Negara) which happened to be on 13 November 2018 (Saturday).   To be honest, unless I go window shopping at the mall like JPO with my sister (an annual event for us to find new shoes and whatsnot before Eid), I would never walk more than 3k steps per day.  That shows how “physically active” I am (tongue in cheek remark!)

But when I was at school while undergoing my LI, I could not help myself from not involve in any of the school event.  So, one of the events that I have to participate in was this National Sports Day in which we had to walk more than 3km (which equivalent to 3k steps).  We were assigned to walk with a group of students based on their form so, Ita and I were assigned to walk with the Form 2 SK (girls). What I notice was the 14 years old girls walk slowly than I am.  I was impatient when I have to walk slower than my normal pace, so I overtook many of them.  I was supposed to be on the back row and Ita has to walk on the front but here I was overtaking everybody and Ita caught me in action.  I was guilty as charge because Ita took this picture as an evidence.  But, there was nothing to worry because there was form 3 at the back of this group and there were teachers walking with them as well.  The students were in a good hand.  

When I overtook some of the students, some of them could not help from saying “Teacher, why are you walking so fast?” (Teacher, kenapa jalan laju sangat?”   I replied, “This is my NORMAL pace”   They tried to copy my pace but after a while, I heard some of them started to grumble “I am tired.  I give up.  Teacher walks so fast” (Penat lah.  Tak boleh ikut teacher jalan laju sangat“.   I just laughed.  They are younger than me, for obvious reason.  But, unlike them, I would bare the consequences later on (which of course, they wouldn’t know about it ;P) 

But still, Alhamdulillah at 40+ I can still walk more than 3k steps per day.  In Sha Allah I will try to stay physically active as regular as I could.

What a day!

What a day!
Fill with happiness and sadness
Extremities at its finest
Mixed of feelings that hard to endure

Do I have a choice to choose?Or do I have to follow?

Should I let my heart to decide?Or should I let my head instead?

What a day!

What a day!

What a day!