Nanyang Girls' High School visits MGSS Melaka

Tues 27 May 2008 - This morning, MGSS Melaka played host to 39 students and 3 teachers from Nanyang Girls' High School, Singapore, who were on a 3-day 2-night visit to Melaka. The morning programme began with a speech by Mdm. Zaharah Tahir (Senior Assistant I of MGSS), followed by a PowerPoint slide show and icebreaking (picture 1). The chicken dance taught by the school counsellors Mdm. Ng Gaik Lam and Mdm. Ungku Safiah was absolutely hilarious and for about 5 minutes or so, the Lee Kuo Chuan Hall was turned into a chicken farm!

After a short tour of the school, it was time to savour some local delicacies - onde onde and kuih cara (picture 2). Up next was the playing of traditional games which consisted of congkak, hantu galah (picture 3), batu seremban (aka five stones), cap teh (feathercock kicking) and teng teng (hopscotch). The present generation of children are only familiar with computer games but do not know anything about the joys and pleasures of these simple and fun (and sometimes silly) traditional games which can be played absolutely free. Besides, playing these traditional games foster closer ties among children and families in the neighbourhood, something which is sadly lacking due to our so-called "progress".

I think our Singapore guests enjoyed those games so much that they continued playing in spite of the fact that the time was up. The morning ended with an exchange of gifts and a group photo (picture 4).

When our big city guests had left, we browsed through the Nanyang Girls' High School 90th anniversary magazine that had been presented to MGSS and our jaws almost dropped out when we saw how modern, affluent and high tech their school is. While in MGSS, the students run bare foot (I always call them jaguh kampung i.e. village champs) in the green field dotted with sprawling rain trees which are as old or even older than our grandparents, in Nanyang they run on bitumen track. And their hall is an auditorium while their library is of at least two-storey high. And, their school magazine was hard-bound, all glossy colour photos, with no advertisements at all... what a world of difference!

Ah, well... in spite of our shortcomings, I am thankful that I am a part of MGSS Melaka, where we are surrounded by lots of greenery and where life is simpler and not so harried. It is a place with a heart and a soul and "where everybody knows your name" (tagline of the sitcom Cheers).

Of MELTA, PPCM and deaths

Mon 19 Tues 2008 - On Sat 17 May, MELTA (Malaysian Eng. Lang. Teachers' Association) Melaka Chapter held a successful half-day workshop on "Creative Methodology for Primary and Secondary Schools" at the Dewan Bestari, Education Dept., Bukit Baru. The workshop, conducted by Azlam Khan, saw 49 teachers from as far as Batu Pahat and Besut attending. High School Melaka alone sent 7 teachers! Congrats to the Melaka Chapter especially the chapter leader, Rodney Tan (Chai Whatt) on a job well done! I would love to show you some photos of the workshop but my dear husband says that he can't find the cable to download the pics from my camera-phone.

The afternoon saw the line dancing ladies gather at the Persatuan Peranakan Cina Melaka (PPCM) for a jamming session from 3 to 6 p.m. Organized by the PPCM honorary secretary, Chin Siok Hoon, the jamming was a huge success and the pot luck was simply delicious! Thanks to her for organizing the afternoon of fun and fitness! (Pictures above)

Today I head the unfortunate news of the passing away of Dr. Annisa Nor Jettey's sister and father. I am proud to count Dr. Annisa as my friend and learning about her loss dampens my spirit. Although I had never met her dad, I remember that he was a primary school headmaster and everytime I rang to speak to Dr. Annisa, he would answer in his impeccable English and very rich baritone voice. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

MGSS celebrates Teachers' Day 2008

Mon 19 May 2008 - Today is Vesak Day. Happy Vesak Day to all practising Buddhists!

MGSS Melaka celebrated Teachers' Day on Fri 16 May. Pics from the top:
1. Teachers singing the Teachers' Day theme song. Judges' verdict: Great singing from great teachers! (That's me in brown on extreme right)
2. Cutting of Teachers' Day cake.
3. It's a tradition that on Teachers' Day, we give out Good Conduct Awards to students. That's Zaition smiling sweetly, receiving her award from Mr. Kua Chong Beng, the Chairman of the School Board of Governors.
4. Teachers' Day would not be complete without presentations from students.
5. Here are the aspiring "MGSS Teacher Idol" contestants! The teachers presented two songs - you can see from the photo that the line up of singers consisted of young faces. We "bullied" the young trainees and temporary teachers to sing on our behalf.
6. Teachers' Day is a great opportunity for students and especially teachers to put on weight! This is Form 5K2 ('k" for Kelas - i.e. class) during their class party surrounded by food galore, posing for the camera. Remember everybody, 'Eat in haste, repent at leisure...'
7. The best gift I received for Teachers' Day was a simple homemade card as the message from the student said it all. Often times, I regret joining the teaching profession but the card reminded me of my chosen vocation and calling.

I'd like to share with you some of the many SMS messages I received on Teachers' Day.
The first one went like this: "A teacher is like PEPSI: ASK FOR MORE. A teacher is like NIKE: JUST DO IT. A teacher is like NOKIA: CONNECTING PEOPLE. A teacher is like McD: I'M LOVING IT!"

A serious one was: "A teacher is someone who is wise, who cares about students and wears no disguise but is honest and open, and shares from the heart, not just lessons from books but from life."

The most light-hearted one was this: "Don't kiss a lawyer; he will say, 'I object!' Don't kiss a doctor; he will say 'Next one, please.' But kiss a teacher and he will say, 'Do it ten times!' "

Happy belated Teachers' Day to all teachers!

Footnote: Several of the photos above are courtesy of Elynn Suah, MGSS Head Prefect 2008. Thanks, Elynn!

The MICELT 2008 (12 - 14 May 2008)

The topmost pic is me on right presenting my paper in the Ampangan I Room on 13 May. I was worried that I would not have much to say but once I started, there was no full stop!

The 2nd pic was taken on the 2nd night (13 May). Seated from left: Rahanim from PPD Petaling Utama, me, Noorainun Anuar, Lila Kassim, Mageswari and Kasturi. Standing from left: Rodney Tan (another teacher presenter), Zaily, Rizal and Hau. Except for Rahanim, all of the others are from Melaka.

The 3rd pic shows the Melakans with Datuk Hajah Noor Rezan Bapoo (Deputy Director-General of Education). She is standing in the centre. She oozes class in speech and bearing - always has been that way.)










Thurs 15 May 2008 - Once again, it was time for the MICELT (Malaysian International Conference on English Language Teaching) - the 7th one, and this time it was held at the Royal Adelphi Hotel, Seremban. I had the good fortune of being sponsored by the Melaka State Education Department, thanks to my good friend, Noorainun Anuar (Head of English Language Unit, Melaka Education Department). The Melakans had a good time at the Conference and among the many memorable moments that I had were:
1) The very slow registration of guests at the hotel's reception counter on the night we arrived on 11 May which was also Mother's Day. It was a drag...
2) The very long and hungry wait at the D'Mamak Corner for our food on the first night but we all agreed that the naan (Indian bread) and tandoori chicken were simply divine and worth the wait.
3) My paper presentation on 'Writing Is My Friend: Getting Form 5 Students To Write' on Tues 13 May was well-received by conference participants. I was encouraged by their warmth and response.
4) It was good to see old friends and to know that they are well - among others Rahanim from PPD Petaling Utama, Datuk Noor Rezan Bapoo who is now the Deputy Director-General of Education, Rahmah Sayuti from Kluang Canossian Convent, and a host of others...

However, there was something disheartening about the 7th MICELT - out of the 176 paper presenters and speakers, none came from the primary schools. Only 5 paper presenters were from schools and this constituted a mere 2.8% of the total number. Many school teachers have this notion of inferiority and are awed by the word "international" in the MICELT. How I wish that these school teachers would stop viewing themselves as "small" and instead, start taking up the challenge of presenting papers at national or international conferences. Yes, it is never easy, it is never stress-free but one can savour the satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the day. I am proud to say that my previous paper presented at the 6th MICELT held at Melaka is among the 160 papers selected for compilation and publication. (The paper documented my efforts in running the WISE (Wisdom In Sharing English) programme for my school's Maths and Science teachers.) I thank the Almighty God for the many opportunities that have come my way in the course of my career and I look forward to more to come!

Mother's Day celebration

Wed 14 May 2008 - Mother's Day (Sunday May 11) at the Wesley Methodist Church was a grand affair with sale of roses (all sold out), performances and distribution of gifts to mothers as well as Methodist Women. Church service was followed by a lunch at the Enliven Delight Restaurant. Cost per head at lunch was RM12. I thought that it was an increadibly good price in view of the present inflationary prices of goods and services. Pic below shows Jo (right) and me at our table. I must admit that I look fat and extremely fierce! Do I blame it on a lack of expertise on the part of the cameraman (the angle from which the photo was shot, the lighting, etc.) or do I blame it on the sharpness of the camera (it captures images as they are!)? I would prefer to think that it is the former, hmm!

Senior citizen - Who? Me?

Sun 11 May 2008 - When I was a young girl, I viewed anyone in his/her 30's onwards as "old". Sigh, at this point in my life, the world could easily consider me "old" or worse still, "ancient"and "irrelevant"! (I can't divulge my exact age for I believe that, as Oscar Wilde the playwright puts it, "One should never trust a woman who tells one her age. If she tells that, she'll tell anything.")

Still I have to admit that I am going on in years and I'd better prepare for the day when I would be inducted into the "golden girl" age. So the night of Thurs 8 May saw Henry and I trudging the stairs up to the Senior Citizens Association which is situated above Premier Cafe along Jalan Gajah Berang. We saw a number of faces we knew - one of them being Uncle Liew Chin Fong (pic above). Uncle Liew was belting out a Chinese number (he sure can sing!), accompanied by members (all senior citizens) of the resident band at the association. There was singing, singing, and more singing, followed by eating, eating and more eating, and then finally, dancing, dancing and more dancing to the music of the band! The senior citizens at the Association certainly made our first visit there an enjoyable one, and they gave me a glimpse of what it is like to age gracefully. They certainly proved that no matter what one's age or state of health is, one can still have an insatiable zest for living and life. Syabas (Congrats) and well done to all seniors!

Food aplenty at Kolej Yayasan Saad

Thurs 8 May 2008 - This is the team of teachers who will be helping out in the National Level Teachers' Day Debate that will be held on 15 May (at Kolej Yayasan Saad) and 16 May (at Taman Budaya), both in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. The person responsible for roping us in is Mdm. Hjh. Noor Lena, the very attractive lady seated 3rd on the left. The above picture was taken today at Kolej Yayasan Saad, a very elite college for secondary students, where we had our rehearsal. The college grounds were sprawling and nicely manicured (like a holiday resort) while the students speak good English. I had the privilege of talking to two of them (they graciously showed me to the car park) and they were oozing with self-confidence! Anyway, can you see all the food that was laid out for us? Sigh... when I set on my eyes on the food, my determination and resolution to cut down on food intake was immediately thrown out of the windows and doors, goaded on by Christine (seated nearest to camera on the right). Malaysia sure is a land of plenty... I am fortunate to be an "anak Malaysia" (anak means son/daughter).

Stars are born...

Tues 6 May 2008 - Today I had the privilege of being the emcee of the Actology - Petrosains National Science Theatre Competition, thanks to the recommenadation of Baba Koh Kian Choon from the State Education Department. It's hard work being the emcee - rehearsal, change of programme at the last minute, and mind you, the lights were so dim at the Auditorium, Taman Budaya that I could hardly see what was written in my script! This was a regional competition (southern-central zone) and it was good to see my alma mater Convent Muar (team in the pic above) representing Johor. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to say hello to the students and teachers of Convent. The drama presentations were so interesting, believe me and SMK Tinggi St. David of Melaka was declared the winner at this regional competition

The cute primary school girls of SK Bukit Beruang stole our hearts away with their dance performances during intermission - so graceful, and always smiling. The audience just adored them! It was as if they were recording a "Melaka, Truly Malaysia" segment. As I watched them, I recall my MGSS girls - often we had to coax them to smile when they perform, snd all we get is a 2-second show of teeth, after which they'd revert to their very hostile looks. Why is it that some people find it so difficult to smile?

Exam (or rather siesta) fever is on

Mon 5 May 2008 - The mid-year exam for Form 5 students
started today. Pictures show 5K5 students sitting for their Bahasa Malaysia I paper. They don't seem to have been hit by the exam bug and in fact, many regard the mid-year exam as a good time to catch up with lost sleep... Now, who says exams should be abolished when it does good rather than harm?

Bible Knowledge class... only for the goody goody ones?

The picture on the left, taken on Fri 2nd May 2008, shows my BK (Bible Knowledge) class students. Seated from left: Jonah See, Daniel Chia, Johannan Sim. Standing from left: Thai Wei (Matthew), Ming May, Ruth Ong.

MIA (Missing in Action) were Anna Teoh (busy mugging for her mid-year exam) and Kay Lyn.


Sat 3 May 2008 - I conduct BK classes in the MGSS Media Room every Friday from 2.30 to 4.00 p.m. There is a host of reasons why I should NOT be teaching BK - that's the best time to sleep (yawn), I'd rather be marking my exercise books (school inspectorate coming...), aiyo such a dull subject, and hey, I'm so so so unChristian so unfit to teach such a 'holy' subject! Sigh... I took up the challenge of teaching BK and so here I am!

I started with about a dozen students at the beginning of this year but one by one, they dropped out like flies with common excuses like "no time" and "too tired". Syabas (Congrats) to all those who are the "tahan lasak" type (hardy and tough) and are still with me! The students come very very punctually and entertain me with their jokes and antics for the next one hour and a half. The boys are the talkative ones, positively and effectively dispelling any myth that girls talk a lot more than boys! If I were to give the students awards...

1. The most "mulut murai" (talkative) - Daniel Chia from SFI (Jonah and Johanan tell me that actually, Daniel is from Infant Jesus Convent...)

2. The most "missing in action" award - Jonah See also from SFI. I had struck his name off my list when one day, he suddenly appeared at the Media Room doorstep. I asked him whether the whale in the biblical Jonah story had finally spewed him (Jonah See) out of its belly... (By the way, he and Daniel are both from SFI but during school hours, poor things, they have no chance to talk to each other so during my BK class, they make up for all the lost time...)

3. The most serious student award - Matthew Leong Thai Wei from Methodist High School. He is future pastor stuff (looks the part too) - a young man of few words.

4. The most helpful student award - Tan Ming May from MGSS. She'd faithfully open and close the Media Room every Friday. See what good exemplary students MGSS produces...

5. The "latest to arrive" award - consistently goes to Johannan Sim from St. David (in Bahasa Malaysia, the school name is roughly translated as "Lebai Daud") but I understand, he has to zig zag across town in order to reach MGSS.

6. The "Miss Demure" award - surely goes to Anna Teoh also of MGSS. Sweet, fair, angelic-looking...

7. The "newest student" award - Ruth Ong of MGSS who joined the class yesterday.

8. The "most considerate" award - Kay Lyn of Gajah Berang School. So sweet... when she can't attend BK, she calls to send her apologies.

It can be physically challenging teaching BK at the siesta hours of 2.30 - 4.00 p.m. but I have no regrets taking it up although it means extra work (and less beauty sleep) for me. BK students, if you are reading this, take note that we will meet for one final lesson on Luke Chapter 24 on 24 May, and BK test is on 13 June. Please don't give me nightmares and heart attack(s) by not being able to answer the test questions. I don't want to be saying to myself each time I mark an answer, "Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

P/S The Mr. "Mulut Murai" told me I was blur and I have to agree with him. At least I have an excuse - my age which is creeping close to half a century. My apologies to Eunice Teoh - I had inadvertently called her Anna Teoh (her elder sis), thanks to my daughter who ill-advised me on the sisters' names. Well, whether Eunice or Anna Teoh, a rose (Eunice) by any other name would smell just as sweet (Shakespeare).