We Will Not Go Down

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009


A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

X X X

Taken from: www.michaelheart.com

Kejohanan Olahraga

My school held its Kejohanan Olahraga today. The event was held at the Stadium Majlis Perbandaran Selayang. Around 10 buses ferried the students (athletes and perbarisan people) to the venue. I had to look after the students in one of the buses so I had to be at the school by 6.30am!

Thank God the road was deserted during that hour (it's Sunday after all). So, though I left home at 6.30am after the Subuh prayer, I reached school not long after.

The school was already buzzing with the students' excitement. Students were (chaotically) boarded into the buses and off we go.

The journey took around half an hour. We reached there at about 7.25am. The teachers had to "sign in" and after making sure the students are settled down, a few of us "sneaked out" for breakfast at a restaurant nearby. We were like rebellious/naughty schoolchildren playing truant. Honestly, some of these teachers have a bad influence on me :-p I had my favourite breakfast: roti canai and teh tarik.

After having our fill, we went back to the stadium and reported for our respective duties. I had to be Hakim Lorong(!). Had not the slightest idea of what I have to do. There were 8 Hakim Lorong so we delegated the tasks. Unfortunately, I had to be in charge of the longer events: 800m, 4x100m, 1500m and 4x400m. I'm definitely several shades darker by the end of the day.

Rumah Merah was the overall champion. My house: Purple/Perwira was second last... huhu

A few pictures from the event:

The opening ceremony

I get to walk on the field while the sprinklers are on - something that I've always wanted to do :-)

The closing ceremony

why oh why is there an image of a fencer in the programme book when it's an athletic event???

Sesi Petang & Camping

My honeymoon period is over.

I've been transferred to the afternoon session effective Feb 2, 09. So, instead of working from 7.20am to 1.30pm, I now work from 12.40pm to 6.50pm. The afternoon session has one Kelas Peralihan, thirteen Form 1 classes and thirteen Form 2 classes. The total number of students is 1035 while the total number of teachers is 53.

Further, instead of teaching only three Form 3 classes, I now have to teach 5 classes. They are: 1 Kreatif, 1 Nekad, 1 Tekun, 2 Qudus and 2 Intelek. Good news is: I still get to teach English. Bad news is: I have to memorise over 200 names.

I'm also the form teacher of 1 Kreatif, Perwira/Purple House teacher and the Girl Guide advisor.

I'm finding it hard to adapt to my new roles and new working hours.

Penat tau sesi petang ni. In the space of 6 hours, I to cram in around 2.5 hours of teaching, Zohor prayer, Asar prayer and lunch. Most of the time, I don't get to eat lunch since by 4.30pm, the canteen has already closed.

Kalau dulu, sempat la tanda buku in between classes. Now, I have a HUGE pile of unmarked exercise books on my table. I feel extremely disorganised. And I ran to and fro my different classes like a headless chicken. Seriously. Not exaggerating.

This week was so overwhelming. Much of the stress is due to me being a form teacher. Who knew that the job is so time-consuming? So many things to do: take the attendance on a daily basis, fill in the students' maklumat pelajar in the register, distribute the PIBG annual-meeting notifications and collect the replies, make sure all the students have got their free textbooks, etc. So many administration tasks that TEACHING & LEARNING has unfortunately taken a back seat.

There are so many things I don't know that I'm supposed to do. There wasn't a transition period whatsoever. No briefing, no orientation.

I neither blame the school nor the previous form teacher. I completely understand their constraints. We, teachers, are very very busy people. But I did wish that someone had taken the trouble to explain/mentor me on these stuff. It's too much to ask, I know... but I would have really appreciated it.

But enough whining.

Haha. Just needed to get that out of my chest.

So, tutup that cerita. Bukak cerita lain pulak. ;-)

I just got back from camping. The unwritten rule of most schools is: Guru2 bujang equals camping chaperons (!).

But I don't mind. I had a great time. The camping was organised by the prefect council. It involved 112 student prefects with 9 accompanying teachers. The 2 day, 1 night camp was held in Kem Belia Bukit Lagong in Selayang.

These are what the students did:
-heard a lecture from Mr. Amin Idris
-went jungle-trekking from 12.20am to 3.30am
-wall-climbing
-flying fox
-went through a tough+challenging+muddy obstacle course

We, the teachers, joined in their activities but forwent the "messier" final task. It was fun watching the students "rough it out".

I also got the opportunity to know the other teachers more intimately. They are a cool bunch of people.

Oh, I forgot to mention the instructors. We had 5 instructors that carried out all the physical activities with the students. They are real pros. A special mention to the chief instructor: Mr. ---, who's really funny. He had us in stitches throughout the programme.

All in all, it has been an eventful week. Looking forward to have a good rest this weekend to recover from all the excitement and prepare for more-of-the-same to come :-)

The campsite

Wall-climbing

Flying Fox

Obstacle Course I

Obstacle course II

Karangan yang comel

I asked my students to write about a person they admire the most (in 100 words or more). Here's one composition yang sangat comel:

"A girl name called as --- who is a PRS (Perosak Rakan Sebaya). She is a very-very cute and pretty girl. She lives in ---. She alway smile when she saw me. She is the best of all in my life. Every day I meet her after school at the ... (privet). She alway eat a lot and her hobby is watching television. Her favorite food is chocolate. Well I guess this is all I need to say. Even though over here got not enough 100 words: But I am sorry for it."

The earlier part made me go *Aaw* and the ending made me laugh out loud.

This prompted the teacher who's sitting next to me in the staff room to ask, "Hah Syada, buat apa gelak sorang2 tu?"

There's never a dull moment in teaching I tell you :-)

1st week of work

I am really enjoying my working life thus far.

My school, SMK ---, is only 10-15 minute drive away from my house. So, I'm still staying with my parents. I usually leave home by 6.55am to arrive at the school a few minutes earlier than the 7.20am clock-in time. My driving routine also involves tuning in to IKIM.fm to listen to Doa Pagi. I like hearing my name in the song :-)

The school has plenty of parking spaces. This may seem somewhat irrelevant but coming from my practicum school where parking spaces are scarce, this is a huge blessing. No longer are lessons interrupted by "Kepada pemilik kenderaan WXY 1234, sila alihkan kenderaan anda sekarang juga" announcements. They were my pet peeves - I can still recall the announcement wording verbatim!

I am given 3 classes to teach: 3B, 3E and 3H. That means I'm only teaching 15 periods a week (excluding reliefs). It's a temporary arrangement. Teachers usually get around 25 periods per week. The school administrators are in the midst of reshuffling the timetable. So after Chinese New Year, I will probably be transfered to the afternoon session and be given a more gruelling schedule.

Further, I still haven't been assigned to any extra-curricular activities. So, I'm pretty much coasting right now :-)

Oh, and the school is short of English teachers. Therefore, I get to teach English and only English. I wouldn't know what to do if I were asked to teach BM/History/Civic/Math instead.

My current students are a mixed bunch. I have trouble controlling class 3H; the boys are extremely boisterous that my classroom management skills are tested to the limits. Class 3B is a handful too. But my biggest challenge is not keeping the class in order - it's getting the students motivated to the learn the language. They seem to have very low motivation levels. Yesterday, they were supposed to present their group work, but not one group bring their mahjung paper. I tried to implement Plan B, but none bring their textbook as well! Habis tu, double period nak buat apa?? haish...

Fortunately, my 3-month practicum had somewhat prepared me for situations such as these. When the students said, "Kelas kitaorang memang macam ni Cikgu". I just replied, "It's okay. I've handled worse" [For the record 2 Cekal, I said this in the most affectionate manner :-)]

But hati terubat with Class 3E. It's not fair to play favourites - I know. But Class 3E is just a joy to teach - the epitome of model pupils. Give them any task: groupwork, role-play, discussion... and they are up for it. Today, we role-played Chapter 1 of the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was one of those great teaching moments.

Work ends at 1.30pm (if there's no meeting to attend to) and I am always very tired when I reach home. My brother teased, "Apa ni Adik? Kerja baru seminggu dah pengsan".

My sisters chipped in, "Ntah. Dah la pukul 2 dah balik".

I just replied, "Ada tak kerja korang kena layan 40 lebih orang SEKALIGUS??"

Hah! I rest my case.

They (are going to) call me Cikgu

In one week's time, I am going to melapor diri to my designated Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan. I have yet to know which SMK I'll be going to... but it'll be somewhere in the state of Selangor.

Since mid-December, I've been trying the online Semakan Penempatan. But each attempt was met with:

HARAP MAAF.

Nombor Kad Pengenalan yang anda masukkan tiada dalam senarai penempatan ini.

Finally, on Jan 2, it stated:

Penempatan Anda di SELANGOR

So, it looks like I'm going to stay put at Selangor. Not heading to Sabah after all. heh.

I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I am glad that my parents are glad (ecstatic is more like it) that I got Selangor. Undoubtedly, it is a CONVENIENT location. And for someone who is not yet ready to become a full-fledged adult, knowing that my support system is nearby, is hugely comforting. Besides, one does not have to deal with the many problems/challenges affiliated with teaching in the remote areas. These problems/challenges are described so "graphically" in an email by our lecturer - stuff certainly not for the faint-hearted.

YET. oh yes, there's a yet. Yet, I couldn't help but envy those going to these remote areas. They are capable of initiating so much positive change! Sounds heroic + romantic eh? Beginning teachers are supposed to exudes that sort of enthusiasm and spirit.

I had dinner with Fa and Nada last night. Fa, is flying to Sabah in 3 days' time. And she's handling the situation VERY well. She has finished packing her 20kg luggage - complete with hand puppets and flash cards in tow (for teaching aids). She has looked at websites of the schools she might be posted to (in the district of Kota Marudu); And she's bursting with ideas that could be implemented there.

Well Fa, all the best to you. Nada and I will definitely Cuti-Cuti Malaysia at Sabah this school holiday.

As for those who are posted to their respective hometowns, to quote a saying in Sang Murabbi the movie:

"Ladang dakwah terhampar luas
Kewajiban kita untuk menyirami tanah-tanah tandus
Menyemai benih-benih unggul
Agar tumbuh pohon-pohon kejayaan Islam
Dakwah ini akan terus mengalir menuju Ridho Allah
Jangan bersedih
Di mana kita berada di situlah dakwah kita sebarkan"

Al-Kulliyyah

"Barangsiapa yang tidak mengambil berat urusan umat Islam, maka dia bukanlah dari kalangan mereka"

The World Uncovered: Daylight Robbery

'Daylight Robbery' is one of the six documentaries voted as the best documentaries of 2008 by BBC viewers.

Synopsis from BBC:

Jane Corbin investigates the whistleblower cases which threaten to reveal the scandals behind billions of dollars worth of waste and corruption during the past five years of war in the Middle East.

When the US and its allies went to war, they gave corporate America contracts for caterers, security guards and interrogators. Now, as the alleged corruption involved in these contracts comes to the surface, Jane Corbin speaks to those involved and asks what happened to the missing $23 billion?

*Click here to read more.

Broadcast Times:

BBC (Channel 512)

Jan 3, 09

15:10
23:10

Jan 4, 09

04:10
09:10
15:10
23:10

X X X

The other 5 documentaries are:

1. Around The World In 80 Treasures — Jordan To Ethiopia (January 3; January 4; January 5)
2. Child Slavery (January 3; January 4)
   
3. Chinese School (December 27; December 28)
4. The World Uncovered: Korea: Out Of The North (December 27; December 28)
5. China Reporting China — School on the Cliff (December 27; December 28)
   

Festival Jualan Buku DBP 2008

Tarikh: 12 Dis 08 - 11 Jan 09
Masa: 9.30 pagi-6.30 petang
Lokasi: Kompleks Dawama,
Lot 1037, Jalan AU3/1,
54200 Ampang/Hulu Kelang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Keterangan lanjut, hubungi: 03-4107 9037 atau layari http://www.dawama.com/

X X X

It has been a while since I've gone to DBP Book Fairs. I used to frequent it often as a kid. The fair is usually held at the above-stated Ampang Hulu Kelang complex, so the distance was convenient for my parents to drag 5 kids along (In hindsight, I am forever grateful to my parents for instilling the reading habit in me and my siblings since young).

I don't know what happened but I stopped coming to the fairs. Until today that is. Being under the white tents and checking out the familiar Malay-language books bring back fond memories (they are still selling old titles).

One of the obvious reasons I studied TESL was because I love the English language. I love reading Enid Blytons as a child, followed by Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley series, Fear Street, etc.

And since I am going to be an English language teacher, I devoted much of my time to improving my English, to the detriment of my Malay. Being a non-NEST (Non-Native English Speaking Teacher) makes you feel inadequate about your level of competency at times. Complaints in the newspapers about incompetent English teachers exacerbate my feelings of inadequacy.

Though my conversational Malay is all right (it is my first language after all), my written Malay has deteriorated. I feel more comfortable writing in English now, as is evident in my blog. This is not something that I'm proud of, as I would very much like to be highly-competent in both.

My current imbalance state reminds me of a theory in bilingualism (appropriately called The Balance Theory); where a bilingual person is pictured as having two language balloons in his/her head. These two balloons are half-filled/less-filled. And if one language is "pumped" higher, the other language, diminishes in size. In contrast, a monolingual has one well-filled balloon.

Other theories have since supplanted this theory. Our brain seems to have an unlimited amount of "room" for languages. So, being a balanced bilingual (or multilingual) is not an impossible aim. The renown Adibah Amin is an excellent example of one.

So, though I originally didn't plan to have new-year resolutions, I'll make one regarding this; I plan to read more Malay books in 2009.

X X X

*My long-deserted text-book: 'Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism' by Colin Baker came to the rescue when I was trying to recall and explain the Balance Theory.

Palestine

Image taken from: senikehidupan.com

[islamonline.net] On Saturday, December 27, 2008, a massive wave of Israeli air strikes against the sealed off Gaza Strip claimed the lives of at least 230 people and injured several hundred innocent Palestinians. The Israeli onslaught continues unabated over the already starving, tired and wounded people. Many commentators and reporters affirm that this is the worst massacre Gaza has been subjected to since Israel occupied it in 1967. Meanwhile, none of the formal parties whether they are international, Arab or Islamic have done anything yet to stop the continuing genocide.

X X X

Now, 3 days into the attacks, the death toll has reached 300 and the wounded 1000. These numbers are bound to increase as Israel promises further attacks.

Seeing the news on CNN/BBC makes me angry. Any Muslim would.

And the EXTREMELY BIASED reporting makes me even angrier.

I particularly loathe the Israeli Foreign Minister: Tzipi Livni for saying things like:

• "Hamas, not Israel, is the one who needs to be condemned by the international community."
• "Israel is a state that implements its right to defend itself and its citizens."
• "Hamas [is] responsible for breaking the cease-fire and for the renewal of violence in Gaza."
• the Jewish state had "no alternative" but to launch a series of attacks in Gaza
• they had tried everything in order to avoid this military operation, but that Israel would not live under attack by Hamas.
• "Israel is looking to give its citizens a decent life, the right to live in peace and quiet like any other citizens in the world."

Oh, the dripping hypocrisy!
Makes you want to throw your shoes at her, no??