Another pouch?

I was running out of zippers. But I know that I need to do something to relieve stress. It was raining yesterday and thus, it is nothing much can be done outside. So, I made a pouch. Yup. To put Pandan leaves inside my car. Since I cannot buy any potpourri due to MCO (well, I need to find alternatives now), I decided to make one using Pandan leaves. So, this is my new potpourri pandan hand-stitched pouch.

I found a fabric which belongs to my sis.  From her orientation week baju kurung from UUM.  It is more than 20 years old.  Classic!  I turned it into a pouch.

Hand-stitched face mask, anyone? Not for sale.

I was without internet connection (literally) for few days because the TM cable was stolen. This is the second time since MCO.
So, as I was left with few assignments that I had reviewed (but cannot return to students), examples of case study activities and a half-written article (I feel stressful of doing this because I would think about the materials that I left in my office at UTM) which can be done without internet connection, I started to experience “certain symptoms” that indicate that I am stress. Not a good thing. I need to take a break.
So, in line with Labour Day holiday, I took a chance to re-purpose some materials. Yes. Another left-over fabrics material.  A cloth face mask. It is so hype and trendy nowadays to have one with the lack of supply of face mask on the market. I left a gap so that I can put non-woven material in between. To make it 3-layers face mask.
There is a gap in between two cloth so I can insert a non-woven material in between

Running out of left-over fabrics: What are the alternatives?

My left over fabrics are running out.  I left with many irregular, out of shape fabrics.  Too small for a pouch.  So, I made scrunchies.  I look at the eldest grandniece who uses whatever scrunchy that she could find around the house.  I will put the picture here later on.  For now, I need to divert myself to relieve stress.  Things can be stressful at times.  Indeed.

 

 

 

 

I was feeling a bit tired from reading 100+ pages of a proposal yesterday. I need to take a break. As I put aside my notes, I noticed some of the left-over fabrics lying around nearby my laptop (I was too lazy to put it inside a container again after my little face mask project last week). I looked closely on the fabrics. It is too small to make a pouch but it is a bit long and I can make a belt. But who is wearing belt made out of cloth this day? So, while stroking my head to get some ideas, I got a light bulb moment. Aha… a scrunchy. The eldest grandniece likes to tie her hair but due to MCO, she does not have much choice rather than to use whatever hairband, scrunchies that she can find around the house.

Technically, my class has ended?

It took me more than a week to prepare my audio notes.  It is not easy.  I woke up early to record (before the kids wake up) and continued to record when they are semi-active.  But once a while, I still went on recording regardless of the background noise.  So, some of my recorded notes the sound of bird chirping, kids screaming/crying/singing and my cat meowing.  Work from home?  Indeed

On top of that, I also explore Quizziz and all as an alternative method to give my students quizzes.  So Quizziz has new features and I am so excited to try it out.  So, what is the best way to explore it?  Yup.  By creating quizzes using the new features.  But some students messaged me privately and said that they don’t like the features.  Well, it is ungraded quiz (for goodness sake!).  So, I just take note of that.  At least I know their perception about the new features.

Webex went ok (wrong?)

I joined a Webex session last Tuesday (14 April 2020) about writing article for mass media.  It was a sharing session with Assoc Prof Kassim Thukiman.   A humble guy with vast experience on writing article for mass media.   He has a flair of Malay language.  Indeed.  A class of its own.  Things went well for this Webex session.  So, I thought Webex is ok.  Not that bad.  But, how wrong I was.

I had another Webex session last Thursday (16 April 2020).  This session was a meeting to discuss a special grant post-covid19.  Only 10 proposals will be selected.  Tough competition.  Indeed.

The first 10 minutes was ok.  I can see the host, Assoc Prof Fauzi from ATI talked.  Then followed by Prof Zaidatun.  Then out of sudden, I could no longer see her face, the slides and hear her voice.  I tried to check the source of my technical problems.  Well, apparently, the internet is really low and thus, I experienced that.

Having to experience this first hand, I start to think about the students who have classes using Webex.  If they have similar internet connection limitations, they might experience the same thing.  Of course, I can always look back the recorded session.  Yet, the feeling that I had when such thing happened is indescribable.  I felt confused, sad, mad (at the internet connection) and such feelings bugged me for the whole day because even though I know that I could not control it, yet I wish that things are different.  I hate the fact that I am missing out some things that might be important.  I want to be “present”.  Watching the recorded session does not make me feel “at present”.  Feeling left out is psychologically painful.   It has something to do with our basic needs as proposed by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs.  Feeling of belonging, inclusion and such.

Having a first hand experience on this matter makes me more emphatic of my students’ predicament.  So, I will try my very best to make sure that I can reach out to them regardless of the limitations especially internet connection that we might have at the moment.

Hand-sewn face mask

I still have the normal face mask.  But I am feeling a bit stress out off lately.  There are many things contribute to that.  Alhamdulillah I can still recognise some symptoms and thus, I know that I need to slow down a bit.  So, I divert myself from my work for few hours to do this little project.  I googled and found some tips and instructions that I can follow.

Here are some of the materials: – Left over fabric – Scissor – Ruler – Needle – Stretchable thing (I don’t know what it is called)
In the making
Finally, it finished. The final product

When Telekom cable was stolen

When the cable was stolen the first time since MCO from 3 April (Friday), I was left with no internet connection for 6 days.  I was feeling hopeless because I could not do much since I could not go out to buy the mobile modem.  I can always use online.  But, how can I search and shop for the mobile modem when I could not use the internet?  The feeling is indescribable.  But I have to stay focused.

So, since I have lots of “uninterrupted” time, I focused on finishing my final exam questions, updating my class notes (converting some into audio notes) and others.  Once I finished doing all that, I asked my sister if she could bring me to her office so that I can upload my notes, reply emails and such.  I was desperate.  Indeed.

Off I went to my sister’s office on 3 April (1st time) to settle my work.  But I could not upload some of my notes on eLearning.   What should I do now?

But little that I imagine that the cable would be stolen again.  Yup.

Work from my sister’s office (6 May 2020, Wednesday) when the cable was stolen on the 3rd time
Work from my sister’s office (29 April 2020) when the cable was stolen on the 2nd time

When Telekom cable was stolen_First incident

Staying at a sub-urban area is a blessing. When one of my colleagues lamented that I should have mobile wifi with unlimited dataplan and not using any excuse of unstable and limited internet connection of not conducting synchronous online class, I just bite my tongue to suppress myself from saying anything that I should not say.
I conduct my class using asynchronous online classroom method. Yup. No webex, zoom (uhuk uhuk controversial) and bigbluebutton. Here is the testament that I have provided materials/activities on my eLearning that students can use to assist their learning. On the day when we suppose to have class, I use Whatsapp to have “live” discussion.
Alhamdulillah, the internet is back now but still slow (low bandwith internet connection). Having this experience makes me emphatise with my students who are having the same predicament as me. So, synchronous online class is not a viable option for us.
In sha Allah if everything goes well as planned, the discussion of all topics will end on week 12.  So, my students can start their revision a bit early.

Be creative

Be creative.  One of my colleagues lamented that some course require face to face interaction.  Then this person later said “It is ok if you just teach theoretical stuff.”  Who says I only teach theoretical stuff?  For my Fundamental Pedagogy, I use Tarsia and all.  Hands-on stuff.

But still when times like this, I don’t want to jeopardise my life and my students lives.  We need to take action.  So, I told my students “I know that some of you might need to go home and your home might not have internet connection.  It is ok.  But if you have no other means to go back home and need to stay inside the campus, you can go to the Elearning.   I leave some materials that you can use to revise on your own and keep yourself occupied.  I also create a forum so if you have anything to ask, you can ask me or others.  So you will not miss out anything”

So, I have been busied finding materials and linking it on my elearning plus creating forums and whatsnot.  I hope that the students would learn on their own (self-learning) with the support that I give (scaffolding).

It is a pandemic, for goodness sake!

Majority of us are struggling to learn a new thing.  It is a fact.  But, the question is “How willing are we to experience “disequilibrium”?”   Most of the time, we are not willing to learn new things, to do something new because it disrupts our mental equilibrium.

But, what a heck!  Just do it!  With Wifi connection like Chipsmore in my room, I lugged my laptop and stuff to search for other possible places with strong internet connection.  Yesterday, I found the perfect place which happened to be empty (no class at that time).  So, I knocked on the door of the technician in charge and asked his permission to use the room.  I had a blast!  The internet connection is so fast but my excitement did not last long.  Yeah.  Congestion = Traffic problem with the server when everybody wants to use BigBlueButton.  Panicky messages kept on coming in (I also sent a message to add to the panicky mode)

But the thing is, we are in this moment together.  We do our best and don’t give up.

When I heard that one of my colleagues who is under the category of PUI (Person Under Investigation) still conducted the class using face to face means, I feel shocked, angry, bewildered, confused, numb (the list can go on).

How can a person be so _______________ (fill in the blank)?  What was this person thinking?  Have you gone ______________ (fill in the blank)?

Astaghfirullah.  I rest my case.