To All Teachers

Hi, i was going through my email and found the following inspiring story from a friend :

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.' To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

''I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America. Finally, I make them understan> that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.' (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE . What do you make Mr. CEO?' His jaw dropped, he went silent.

THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY TEACHER YOU KNOW. Even all your personal teachers like mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, your spiritual teachers

My Weekend

Saturday morning (22nd Nov) : breakfast at a restaurant in Saujana Utama, Sg Buluh....

Sunday morning (23rd Nov) : catching a chicken for lunch

(Dinie, Daniel, Delailah, a cousin and an uncle)

An Afternoon Out with Jun

Last Friday (21st Nov), I had lunch with Jun. We headed to Sushi King in 1Borneo (the biggest shopping mall in Borneo). We ordered udon soup and fried udon (can't remember the exact name of the dishes). On top of that, we had a few dishes from the 'railway track'.

After the Japanese meal, we went back to UMS and headed to the School of Business and Economy to buy Turkish Yogurt. What is this? It is a project initiated by a Turkish student. It produces organic yogurt and cheese. It was just delicious. (it was too delicious till i forgot to take a photo of the food. I only have the leaflet - even that was taken sideways - so sorry)

Visit to Singkir, Kedah

Salam.
It has been a week since i wrote in my blog. Well a few things has been happening to me. Let's start with my visit to Singkir (my dad's kampung). Last weekend, i did not go back to KL. Instead, i flew from KK to Penang on Saturday (15 Nov) and met my kids and hubby there (they drove up). On Sunday morning, my kids, hubby, mum, dad and i drove up to Singkir, Kedah. WHY? Well, my dad is building a small hut there for his retirement (he will be 65 next yr and is getting ready if his contract is not renewed next yr).

He has own the land for many years (paddy land) and has been collecting income from the paddy. Early this year he decided to take a bit of the paddy land to build his hut. For me, hubby and kids, this is our second visit (1st time was in August 2008). Enjoy the pictures below.

Kenduri Bacaan

Last week Dinie was not well. He was down with bad fever and cough. So, on Saturday we went back to Tanjung Karang. My mother-in-law prepared a dish called Nasi Ambang for a kenduri called Bacaan. It is said done to help the child recover fast and not fall sick again (if i am not mistaken). Nasi Ambang is actually rice served in a big tray together with a few dishes (one of it is fried mee) and is eaten in a group (save on washing plates). The kids had their nasi ambang after maghrib.

Before that, for tea in the evening, i bought a cake from Secret Recipe - Chocolate Indulgence. Again the kids helped themselves to the cake. The leader was the 2nd eldest cousin who is 17 years old. The eldest cousin couldn't make it because she had exam (UITM). All in all there were 13 children and 1 baby. They sure had fun being the focus for the evening. Adults ate after them.

FACEBOOK

Salam, it has been a week since i last wrote in my blog. Been busy with getting to know FB.

Still figuring out the function of FB. So far, what i know is i can chat live and write on the wall. With all the modern technologies, communicating has been easy; to the extent that i can sit in front of the computer for hours pressing the keypads for trial and error, chatting with friends and going through people's writing... BUT not a good thing to do ( i think ), right? No face to face contact and social life.

One thing good is that i found a few lost friends and also got a few new tips and ideas to complete my proposal on the translation unit. I dont need to leave the comfort of my office.

A Reminder of the Works of ALLAH!

One of the two tigers caught by villagers after the Tsunami for eating the corpses.

Salam, i was going through my picture folder on the laptop and found some interesting photos of Aceh that my husband took when he was there end of 2007. Let the photos be a reminder to all of ALLAH's great power.

A big ship that landed in the middle of the town

A fishing boat that landed on a house

The only building standing up straight, when all others around it were destroyed - a mosque

A graveyard that was not drowned by water when all around it was destroyed. It belongs to 'orang alim2' of Acheh

Proud to be a Mother

Salam, yesterday was Deena and Dinie's Sport's Day cum Prize Giving Day for their KAFA school. It started at 8 with a simple but fun telematch. There were games for the parents as well. The father joined in the fun too.

Academically, both got 2nd places in their respective classes. Azhar and I were touched because they both did not study plus Dinie has a slight problem (dylexia and slow). On top of the second place, alhamdullillah, we also did not receive any complain from the ustaz or ustazahs. Despite my busy schedule up and down Sabah and Azhar with his thesis, the kids are ok.