Looking at the corporate motto of Yayasan Mendaki, which is 'Towards a Community of Excellence', brought to mind a question that I raised to one of my Malay colleagues that is teaching Malay. The question is of whether the lack of, or the dearth of, Malay talents in the sciences are due to the fact that our language is not, for lack of a better term, 'scientifically rich' . I mean, I am still looking for the day whereby scientists in this parts of the world, can actually discover some scientific nuggets from days of yesteryears, that was actually propounded or discovered by a Malay scientist, and I am talking about history here!
I mean, the Chinese have their gunpowder, paper, and many more inventions that are scientific or technologically-advanced in nature, to the point that even the Prophet (pbuh) actually mentioned about encouraging his ummah to even go to China to seek knowledge! The Indians have their own flourishing civilisation and architectural wonders to be proud of, plus their excellent logistics and world-reknowned traditional healing methods! Plus many more ancient technological wonders that other cultures can be proud of. Which brings me to the title of my posting, on the differences of a 'Culture of Talents and Cultural Talents'. During the recent Teachers' Day performances by the students, one thing that I realise was the overly proportionate representation by the Malay students in ALL performances...hmmm which makes me wonder, do we as a community, are we culturally rich and perhaps maybe, just maybe, will always be so, i.e. in having a significantly larger pool of our community, whether young or old, to be involved in the cultural aspects, as opposed to nurturing a culture of talented individuals that need not be scientific or technological in nature, but certainly, to be non-culture at the very least! But hei in all this cynicism, I do feel proud, at the very least, that we do have a culture to be proud of, though I can't say that in years to come, what with the natural tendency for the young to be yearning to be more western in nature, and the old to be more 'religiously critical' But hei, this cultural dilemma, and the clash of cultural talents and a culture of talents might just be one precursor to even something bigger, though I don't think I would want to go into that tonight! But maybe, just maybe, I might just like to think about this a little deeper, and perhaps, give my two cents worth.
Monday, November 6, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
...and life goes on
My school had our graduation assembly for the graduating students yesterday afternoon. It was a short yet poignant moment for almost all of us. The short clips of messages by most of the teachers teaching the graduating classes, the video clip showing their antics when they were much, MUCH youger (some say even CUTER!...rolls eyes), plus the sing along session, I must say not as deeply memorable as previous years, as we had it at night and together with the 'gown-wearing session', but I must say, it was just as good, if not better!
I must say it has been one hell of an experience teaching my students this year. What with their individual antics, Basil with his errr....blurry state of mind, Bessie with her coninuous quest for prettiness (I'm talking about her folio), the quiet Teng Ray's sense of meticulousness in her work (I swear she reminded me of my auditor friend a while back!), Jie Kai with his jumbled-up state of mind...doesn't seem to know what he want to do until the end, Daryl...with his so-cool nature...but hmmmm...let me just leave it at that and Wei Arng...a pleasant surprise indeed, coming out with one of the best folios ever done by a Unity student in my 3+years there...and many more gems that I should treasure and remember for the rest of my teaching career. It feels sad that I have to let them go, but rest assured, I think, or I think that I think, that I have given them a glimpse of what project work is all about, neverminding that half of them were below my expectations in terms of the quality of their work output! My only hope is that they'll learn their lessons of handling a project work...the troubles, shortcomings and other unexpected Murphys-law-type of incidences, and be better able to handle them in their next stage of their educational journey.
To those of you who does read my blog, but chose not to admit it, :), do remember my 4 advice,
1) Never do anything purely for money...trust me, it will never EVER be enough
2) Never succumb to the herd mentality..if you need to, be an individual and create a path, instead of treading along a path that others have already set forth for you
3) Do anything that you think you would like to do, with PRIDE and PASSION, people CAN tell the difference
4) ...and lastly, that piece paper that you are going to get, or planning to get in years to come, will only determine how wide the doors are opened for you, what matters more is how well you fare and perform once you are beyond the door.
Here's wishing you all the very best in not only your O levels, but also in your future endeavours, whatever those may be. Maybe you will still see me at Unity in 2009/2010, or maybe you wouldn't, but whatever it is, the memories of teaching the class of LV45 2006 will forever be etched in my memories.
With deep sadness, and a little reflective...the cynical-idealist
I must say it has been one hell of an experience teaching my students this year. What with their individual antics, Basil with his errr....blurry state of mind, Bessie with her coninuous quest for prettiness (I'm talking about her folio), the quiet Teng Ray's sense of meticulousness in her work (I swear she reminded me of my auditor friend a while back!), Jie Kai with his jumbled-up state of mind...doesn't seem to know what he want to do until the end, Daryl...with his so-cool nature...but hmmmm...let me just leave it at that and Wei Arng...a pleasant surprise indeed, coming out with one of the best folios ever done by a Unity student in my 3+years there...and many more gems that I should treasure and remember for the rest of my teaching career. It feels sad that I have to let them go, but rest assured, I think, or I think that I think, that I have given them a glimpse of what project work is all about, neverminding that half of them were below my expectations in terms of the quality of their work output! My only hope is that they'll learn their lessons of handling a project work...the troubles, shortcomings and other unexpected Murphys-law-type of incidences, and be better able to handle them in their next stage of their educational journey.
To those of you who does read my blog, but chose not to admit it, :), do remember my 4 advice,
1) Never do anything purely for money...trust me, it will never EVER be enough
2) Never succumb to the herd mentality..if you need to, be an individual and create a path, instead of treading along a path that others have already set forth for you
3) Do anything that you think you would like to do, with PRIDE and PASSION, people CAN tell the difference
4) ...and lastly, that piece paper that you are going to get, or planning to get in years to come, will only determine how wide the doors are opened for you, what matters more is how well you fare and perform once you are beyond the door.
Here's wishing you all the very best in not only your O levels, but also in your future endeavours, whatever those may be. Maybe you will still see me at Unity in 2009/2010, or maybe you wouldn't, but whatever it is, the memories of teaching the class of LV45 2006 will forever be etched in my memories.
With deep sadness, and a little reflective...the cynical-idealist
Friday, October 6, 2006
It's been a while...and i'm not a racist!
It has been a while since the last time i last blogged. Things are moving at a lighting pace now, what with the end of the year highlights and other 'highs' drawing nearer, or to a close. Seems like everybody is rushing things and trying to get everybody off their backs, metaphorically speaking, of course!
And what have we here. A somewhat confused individual who is still trying to grasp some sense in all these chaos. Chaotic...ahh how i love the word sometimes. Seems so oxymoronic that there is such a thing called chaos engineering.
What's with the racist slant in my title you might think? I am sure i am NOT a racist, and i don't think i condone such acts, but it is just that recent incidences do bring up some issues that, maybe, just maybe, will enable me to put these 'racist' thoughts, off my chest and brain.
One thing that happens recently was when my wifey got herself in some sort of a 'i-don't-think-a-lady-in-tudung-can-teach-my-kid-properly' sort of moment. She is currently doing her Dip. in Early Childhood, and as part of her coursework, she needs to go for an attachment once a week. Her place of 'work' is one of the premier (not main!) provider of childcare and early childhood services, and in one of those awkward moments early on during her attachment, when the parents came down to pick up their kids, one of them actually walk up to my wife's mentor and told her that she wants to take her kid out from this particular class, and into another class. No prizes for guessing which class my wife was attached to (the kid's original class)...and this is after she notices a certain look in the parent...you know the look that you get when someone sort of like questions your judgements and/or abilities (hmmm...i seem to be getting a lot of that at times, but errr, that is another topic altogether!). But I guess that is just an aspect that most of us will have to live by...something that i just consider a 'job hazard'. That's the attitude that I have been adopting so far, and look at where it has gotten me into.
Another incident that i experiencd personally was when i was just about to end my NS and was looking for some part time tuition assignments near my house. I got hold of this tuition agency's no. and went down to meet with the owner for an interview. I'm assuming he is the owner because he got this 'i-am-the-boss-of-this-place-and-i-will-decide-whether-i-will-hire-
you-or-not' kind of look. After passing my result slips and other details for the interview, amongst the first few words that came out from his mouth was, "I didn't know that Malays can be soooo good in mathematics"(emphasis is not mine, he actually say it in that way!). And this was after he noted that I scored distinctions in ALL my mathematics-based subjects at O and A-level exams!. I was like errrr, dumbfounded, confused...but i don't know why, i didn't feel angry at all! I think I should have, but something inside me just sort of like was telling me to switch off my anger mode and just try to craft out a little smile (i can't remember whether i smiled or not!). Maybe to save me from getting into prison for assault or worse, manslaughter, somehow or rather, my anger mode just did not work on that day. surprisingly i didn't pummel him to pieces there and then, but rather just walk away! And of course i didn't hear from him ever again. Thinking back, yeah i was desperate for some assignemnts, but NOT that desperate to work for him! Good riddance! And just to be a little mean, i do hope that his agency is still surviving! ;)
These two major incidences in my life...there is more, but perhaps i should save them for another day and entry, do affect the way i see things later in my life! Perhaps that is the reason why i wanted to get my post-degree by 30, and why i wanted to be in the education line, among others. Perhaps while reinforcing that academic abilities should not be the domain of any one race, neither should it be a birth right of any one race for it to be equated to, i will try as far as possible to give my perspectives and educate my students on the importance of being 'colour-blind'. My mind shudders that a person in the academia (i'm assuming that the owner of the agency is one!) can have such an assumption ingrained in his mind!
I hope my flight towards the above ideals will be fruitful, as pilots can't afford to be 'COLOUR BLIND' :)
And what have we here. A somewhat confused individual who is still trying to grasp some sense in all these chaos. Chaotic...ahh how i love the word sometimes. Seems so oxymoronic that there is such a thing called chaos engineering.
What's with the racist slant in my title you might think? I am sure i am NOT a racist, and i don't think i condone such acts, but it is just that recent incidences do bring up some issues that, maybe, just maybe, will enable me to put these 'racist' thoughts, off my chest and brain.
One thing that happens recently was when my wifey got herself in some sort of a 'i-don't-think-a-lady-in-tudung-can-teach-my-kid-properly' sort of moment. She is currently doing her Dip. in Early Childhood, and as part of her coursework, she needs to go for an attachment once a week. Her place of 'work' is one of the premier (not main!) provider of childcare and early childhood services, and in one of those awkward moments early on during her attachment, when the parents came down to pick up their kids, one of them actually walk up to my wife's mentor and told her that she wants to take her kid out from this particular class, and into another class. No prizes for guessing which class my wife was attached to (the kid's original class)...and this is after she notices a certain look in the parent...you know the look that you get when someone sort of like questions your judgements and/or abilities (hmmm...i seem to be getting a lot of that at times, but errr, that is another topic altogether!). But I guess that is just an aspect that most of us will have to live by...something that i just consider a 'job hazard'. That's the attitude that I have been adopting so far, and look at where it has gotten me into.
Another incident that i experiencd personally was when i was just about to end my NS and was looking for some part time tuition assignments near my house. I got hold of this tuition agency's no. and went down to meet with the owner for an interview. I'm assuming he is the owner because he got this 'i-am-the-boss-of-this-place-and-i-will-decide-whether-i-will-hire-
you-or-not' kind of look. After passing my result slips and other details for the interview, amongst the first few words that came out from his mouth was, "I didn't know that Malays can be soooo good in mathematics"(emphasis is not mine, he actually say it in that way!). And this was after he noted that I scored distinctions in ALL my mathematics-based subjects at O and A-level exams!. I was like errrr, dumbfounded, confused...but i don't know why, i didn't feel angry at all! I think I should have, but something inside me just sort of like was telling me to switch off my anger mode and just try to craft out a little smile (i can't remember whether i smiled or not!). Maybe to save me from getting into prison for assault or worse, manslaughter, somehow or rather, my anger mode just did not work on that day. surprisingly i didn't pummel him to pieces there and then, but rather just walk away! And of course i didn't hear from him ever again. Thinking back, yeah i was desperate for some assignemnts, but NOT that desperate to work for him! Good riddance! And just to be a little mean, i do hope that his agency is still surviving! ;)
These two major incidences in my life...there is more, but perhaps i should save them for another day and entry, do affect the way i see things later in my life! Perhaps that is the reason why i wanted to get my post-degree by 30, and why i wanted to be in the education line, among others. Perhaps while reinforcing that academic abilities should not be the domain of any one race, neither should it be a birth right of any one race for it to be equated to, i will try as far as possible to give my perspectives and educate my students on the importance of being 'colour-blind'. My mind shudders that a person in the academia (i'm assuming that the owner of the agency is one!) can have such an assumption ingrained in his mind!
I hope my flight towards the above ideals will be fruitful, as pilots can't afford to be 'COLOUR BLIND' :)
Saturday, August 19, 2006
A real looooooong hiatus
Ahhhh, finally I can settle down a little to squeeze in some time to pen down (or is it keyboard in) some of my thoughts on this page of mine.
It has been a long while and I guess work has really consume me and my time. My graduating D&T classes have just finished and submitted their folios and artefacts, and my Under 14 Ruggers are just done with their season! Phew, I can finally spare some time to catch up on my work, not that I am neglecting any. I do feel that this site of mine could do with a little minor upgrading and the addition of some more of my resources and materials! Hmm I do like to share my stuffs, probably need some time to organise all those that I've collected over the past few months. I see what I can do to put up the relevant stuffs here once I am more settled in.
Personal thoughts?
Ahhhh, my Under 14 ruggers did me proud on Wednesday when they put up their best match ever, to make ACS Barker sweat for every single point that they score. Kudos to the entire team. Frankly, to me, every single one of them are winners. I could see their the entire team bond and mature right there in front of my eyes. What kind of job will give you that kind of satisfaction! :)
I could see Aidil developing from a playful 'toddler' to a more responsible and focused individual, Sufyan and Hanafy taking greater responsibility and being more vocal in their dealings with the other team members and even the referee; Ismail, who according to his form teacher is dissappointed at not being part of the first 15, but he still stuck by with the team, going with the others for every single match, day in day out, and people like Hidayat who was a little problematic last time, but who grew to use his body (literally), and brains, to put the team ahead and push the forwards, when they so needed that push; Hazim and Haiman, who like the Wonder Twins, stand guard faithfully at either sides of the field as wingers or as part of the back line, running, kicking, tackling and being tackled; Homaidi, for his sure footedness, or is it 'fingeredness', catching every single ball that comes his way in the finals, when it matters most, and to think that he was sooo nervous in the earlier matches...and wow...the list of things that I see and feel are so many! I do hope, and am confident, that the team will grow with every single day. But alas, all these things might just come to an end since I have already put forth an official request to be taken out of rugby due to my other duties as a Subject Head and covering HOD! But I do hope the team will grow, and mature, and allow the person taking over me to experience all these, and maybe more.
It has been a long while and I guess work has really consume me and my time. My graduating D&T classes have just finished and submitted their folios and artefacts, and my Under 14 Ruggers are just done with their season! Phew, I can finally spare some time to catch up on my work, not that I am neglecting any. I do feel that this site of mine could do with a little minor upgrading and the addition of some more of my resources and materials! Hmm I do like to share my stuffs, probably need some time to organise all those that I've collected over the past few months. I see what I can do to put up the relevant stuffs here once I am more settled in.
Personal thoughts?
Ahhhh, my Under 14 ruggers did me proud on Wednesday when they put up their best match ever, to make ACS Barker sweat for every single point that they score. Kudos to the entire team. Frankly, to me, every single one of them are winners. I could see their the entire team bond and mature right there in front of my eyes. What kind of job will give you that kind of satisfaction! :)
I could see Aidil developing from a playful 'toddler' to a more responsible and focused individual, Sufyan and Hanafy taking greater responsibility and being more vocal in their dealings with the other team members and even the referee; Ismail, who according to his form teacher is dissappointed at not being part of the first 15, but he still stuck by with the team, going with the others for every single match, day in day out, and people like Hidayat who was a little problematic last time, but who grew to use his body (literally), and brains, to put the team ahead and push the forwards, when they so needed that push; Hazim and Haiman, who like the Wonder Twins, stand guard faithfully at either sides of the field as wingers or as part of the back line, running, kicking, tackling and being tackled; Homaidi, for his sure footedness, or is it 'fingeredness', catching every single ball that comes his way in the finals, when it matters most, and to think that he was sooo nervous in the earlier matches...and wow...the list of things that I see and feel are so many! I do hope, and am confident, that the team will grow with every single day. But alas, all these things might just come to an end since I have already put forth an official request to be taken out of rugby due to my other duties as a Subject Head and covering HOD! But I do hope the team will grow, and mature, and allow the person taking over me to experience all these, and maybe more.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
A really long April...
It's been a long while since my last entry...it has been a busy April month for me. Doesn't help that it started with me getting promoted and celebrating my birthday. But hei, suddenly I realised that my zest is coming back up again, slowly and surely...in fact getting more momentum now.
Finished two books during the course of these month, both by John C. Maxwell...'The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership' and 'Developing the Leader Within You'...and now reading 'The 360 degrees Leader'. Wow I amaze myself on how I can find the time to read, when I have been trying to ask my staff to do likewise! I guess it is all a matter of wanting and being hungry for 'wanting to know'. I kind of like his books, his writings, the style and the way he presents his ideas on 'Leadership', totally no bull and right on the spot. Introduced his books to my wifey...hmm she seems to like it, but the same problem with her is 'time' too! But she's planning to quit her current job and a great hurrah to that...maybe she can dedicate a little time to reading too!
My students have been a godsend so far, almost, and I mean almost everyone of them knows what I want out of them, as in my targets for them, and hopefully they'll work hard towards it. It has been a real pleasure teaching and facilitating their design thinking and processes, and I amazed myself too at how much spare energy I can squeeze out of myself when I talk about their work and 'design' to them. Truly, I've been in this job, for what, almost 3 years now, and never have I lost the zest to carry on, unlike my previous jobs! Hmmm, I just hope that God will give me the strength to carry on further, especially in light of my promotion and my 'new' but official assignment in June/July later! ;)
Ideas have been flowing rather freely, just like the work has been coming in too. Went to Daiso @ IMM a couple of days back and guess what, I blew 36 bucks on buying items that I think has a 'designer-ly' feel to it, or have a certain teaching value in them. Wow I didn't realise that such things come cheaply too. Couldn't wait for the week to be over to show to all my staff these jewels that I just got. Hmmm...now I am planning to equip all of them with these 'jewels', hopefully it will make their teaching experiences more dynamic, creative and more 'TLLM-ly' :)
The Progress Package is already in as I am writing this, but guess what, I've already kinda spend half it in advance, but not shopping in the typical sense of the word, but more so to beef up my personal/professional collection of books on 'Design' and 'Leadership'. To me it is money well-spent, in fact I consider this as an investment. I don't think I am expecting any form of monetary rewards to come out of this 'investment', it is just so that I'll be able to enrich my teaching experiences and abilities, and eventually enhance my students learning experiences on what design and 'design & technology' is all about!
Finished two books during the course of these month, both by John C. Maxwell...'The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership' and 'Developing the Leader Within You'...and now reading 'The 360 degrees Leader'. Wow I amaze myself on how I can find the time to read, when I have been trying to ask my staff to do likewise! I guess it is all a matter of wanting and being hungry for 'wanting to know'. I kind of like his books, his writings, the style and the way he presents his ideas on 'Leadership', totally no bull and right on the spot. Introduced his books to my wifey...hmm she seems to like it, but the same problem with her is 'time' too! But she's planning to quit her current job and a great hurrah to that...maybe she can dedicate a little time to reading too!
My students have been a godsend so far, almost, and I mean almost everyone of them knows what I want out of them, as in my targets for them, and hopefully they'll work hard towards it. It has been a real pleasure teaching and facilitating their design thinking and processes, and I amazed myself too at how much spare energy I can squeeze out of myself when I talk about their work and 'design' to them. Truly, I've been in this job, for what, almost 3 years now, and never have I lost the zest to carry on, unlike my previous jobs! Hmmm, I just hope that God will give me the strength to carry on further, especially in light of my promotion and my 'new' but official assignment in June/July later! ;)
Ideas have been flowing rather freely, just like the work has been coming in too. Went to Daiso @ IMM a couple of days back and guess what, I blew 36 bucks on buying items that I think has a 'designer-ly' feel to it, or have a certain teaching value in them. Wow I didn't realise that such things come cheaply too. Couldn't wait for the week to be over to show to all my staff these jewels that I just got. Hmmm...now I am planning to equip all of them with these 'jewels', hopefully it will make their teaching experiences more dynamic, creative and more 'TLLM-ly' :)
The Progress Package is already in as I am writing this, but guess what, I've already kinda spend half it in advance, but not shopping in the typical sense of the word, but more so to beef up my personal/professional collection of books on 'Design' and 'Leadership'. To me it is money well-spent, in fact I consider this as an investment. I don't think I am expecting any form of monetary rewards to come out of this 'investment', it is just so that I'll be able to enrich my teaching experiences and abilities, and eventually enhance my students learning experiences on what design and 'design & technology' is all about!
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