The Value Of Knowledge

Good day. I have been away for quite a long time. I really fell apart yesterday upon seeing my result. Wasn't expecting it to be that bad but I've learnt to accept the fact. I suck at Arabic. Well, enough about it, I wanted to talk about something else. This morning I heard that the government is planning to increase the number of male teachers. How is that to be done? Increase incentives, yada yada yada. I used to wonder how these people get to know these information. I mean, the ones that involves petty stuff like this.

But then, I figured it out. The ministers don't have time to check each and every information given to him by his staff or how you call it? Subordinates? Ah yes whatever. So, he, or she, will listen to the important ones. Where does these subordinates get their infos? From the District Education Office. This flows to the school. The school's administration level would gather the data and send it to them. Sometimes, the PTA will set up a meeting and members will 'discuss' the problems and achievements that of the school.

Well for certain problems, that system is very effective. But I had to say one thing. What you're missing are the students themselves! Why in the name of God do you put aside the most important part in the education system? If you ask the administration level, yes they will say, 'Oh this teacher is good, come in class early and this and that,' The reality is way off the track that these Ministry people are going through.

The thing that inflict the problem is that many look at the profession of teaching itself is regarded as the last resort by many. It's that when you need job security, or when your grades are not that great during SPM, you go to teaching. I'm not saying that every teacher undergo the same scenario, only that majority is like that. Don't go and tell me that I'm ignorant and all. I know what's going on. I have friends and teachers, loads of them, who tell me the same old story.

When this happen, these 'teachers' would do their job without passion. Being a teacher today is not the same as it is in 1973. It's tiring. So to see that a teacher actually has ample time, is hilariously preposterous. You have a class at 10.25, and yet and 10.32 you're still at the teacher's lounge. Papers that should be marked, unmarked, and even if you get into class, the class would be a meaningless one. I wonder, how do these teachers sleep at night. And how do they withdraw their salary every month, the one that they don't deserve.

Being a teacher, simply means that you need to teach. Yes, and there are task that you need to do for the school. But it pictures basically, teaching, and educating. How simple the words looked, but they brought a very great responsibility. You're responsible to transfer knowledge from the source to the students. It is a noble profession, as you hold the trust of hundreds of parents, and the future of the community, the country. No matter what colour your skin is, if you bear the name 'Teacher', I beg you, have conscience. Know that God is always watching.

Humblest gratitude to all my teachers, as they did a very good job.

Di Balik Cahaya

I like the name Iman. I think it's a unique name. You hear Siti or Anne or Amira a lot, but not Iman. I fancy that name.

He's Just A Kid

That night was a very heart-wrenching one. How can someone do this to him? He's just a kid. No more than that. But the people around him, that matters the most to him, is now turning their backs against the poor boy. 

It was supposed to be a normal holiday trip. That morning he went swimming. He seldom did, when you think about it. He's relatively larger than other kids, so being only in swimming trunk and topless seems a bit embarrasing. Then his parents and he went for a drive around the city. H'es just a kid, so that was about it. A normal trip.

That night, everything went wrong. His mum went mad, throwing stuffs at his dad. World War II looked a bit cleaner. Luckily his sister was asleep. If not, things might get worse for both of them. Curses upon curses flew from both, blaming each other for not being who they ought to be. He thought, who's the adult and who's the kid at this point?

He remained at the balcony. Being in that room felt like hell to him. How can this happened? What went wrong? He's just a kid. Nothing can make him understand more than what he should. Suddenly, everything went quite. His dad opened the sliding door that seperates the room and the balcony.

'I have to go. After we go home, I'm not going to live there anymore,'

'But why? Why can't you stay with us?'

'Your mum doesn't want me to. I just can't. Look, I'll visit you once in a while,'

'How often? When? Will you come inside?'

'I can't come inside,'

'Well how are you going to teach me stuffs on the computer?? Please come inside the house when you visit,'

'Okay2 I will, but I can't stay with you guys,'

Imagine how sad he was at that time. The people that he loved the most, are now on the brink of seperation. If only he can do something, anything. But that's it, he's just a kid. Trying to be normal but failing at each attempt. He can't imagine his life ahead. It must felt alone, he thought. But life must go on, for nothing should stop him from living. He was so tired that he fell asleep in the middle of the ongoing shouts.

The next morning, things started to cool down. His eyes are wet from the tears he shed. His dad was sitting at the corner of the bed. 

'What happen, mum?'

'I don't know. We're going back. Pack your stuff,'

'Is dad going away after this?'

'I don't know. He said he's going to change,'

'Means he's not going?'

'I don't know,'

They went back that morning after. It's not an easy journey for all of them. But they certainly are trying. It happened a long time ago, but that boy hasn't forgot even a single second of that night. It haunted him many years afterwards. But he has learn to forgive. He doesn't blame anyone for what has happened. He just wanted someone to understand what he's gone through.

This story is inspired by an episode from Oprah Winfrey Show. It's written based on a true story, told by a friend of a friend of mine.

Obama's Speech To The Muslim World

Good day. I’ve been reading this Berita Minggu newspaper and I saw one article that says about President Barrack Obama needed to review the policy of alliance with Israel. This is a follow-up from the historical speech made by the President of the Free World to the Muslim community throughout the globe. I watched that speech live through CNN. It was roughly 55 minutes. What I hoped from that speech does not come out actually.

I still remember when I know that the first black American was about to run for Presidential candidate. It was an interesting one as many ‘firsts’ were in that race. First woman, first Hispanic, oldest, and first African-American. No, I’m not being racist. That’s what they have reported, I’m just typing it back. So, it caught my eye. Clinton was never a tough fight for Obama actually. She focuses on women’s rights, and other policy that’s not so convincing if we put it side by side with Obama’s.

What Obama put in that Presidency race was hope. Hope to change the world. While McCain was busy fishing for vote by using a female running mate. Turn out, that lady has an internal problem with her family. While shouting for family policy, saying that family ties are important, her daughter is having fun at home, pregnant. Even though this looks like Obama was the clear winner, that’s not the reality.

There are some policies introduced by Obama even before he’s the President-elect that’s bothering the people. Taxes policies for instance, bring relief for the poor community and fear for the riches. We have to accept the fact that in some part of America, the land of opportunity, there are still a community which does not want to have an African American to be their president, therefore, it is a problem which Barrack has to face.

The day Obama won, my dad texted me the result. I was jumping like hell when he did. Why? I don’t even know. But maybe it’s because I was hearing one of the many histories that the world is carving. Well, that’s just the same with his speech on the 4^th of June in Cairo. I do believe that it will be a start of something, be it anything.

Obama’s speech that day was just like a normal speech. The difference between that and the other is, that day he was speaking in front of an audience which Muslims are the majority. Next, the target was the large Muslim society of the world. Then, he was speaking at a foreign world, which he actually has the risks of being shot or blown off in a matter of seconds.

The content of his speech, like I said, sounds familiar like the others. But, he should be praised for having the effort to do it. To at least have the initiative to fool us if he does not have the intention to realise his promises. A speech is just a speech to me. What’s important is the implementation afterwards. Like any others, this guy should be given the chance.

 

‘If we choose to be bound by the past, we will not move forward’

Barrack Hussein Obama

I Must Say I Do

Hello. I am at my kampong when I wrote this post. It really is a good experience, being in a place where I can’t access any connection with the World Wide Web. Well, as usual, I would sit with my family, hearing stories and sometimes interrupt. But today, I have something interesting to share. At least, the gist of our conversation.

How do we define marriage? Some cultures would say that marriage is just a form of formality to officiate that two souls are now together. Some says that marriage is a ceremony, to legalise sex between two people. Some sees it as a process which says that you are ready to commit to your better half. No matter how you define marriage, it should not be taken lightly.

In an Indian family, marriage is so sacred that a couple should have the blessing of both sides. No matter how much in love they are, a nod must be given by the family in order to further their relationship. For some, an arranged marriage will be done. This way, the child would have no choice but to marry the man/woman that the parents had chosen.

In contrast with that, western civilisation sees marriage in a lighter mood. No, not that they took the matter lightly, but rather in a cheerful manner. Love is put first. It is the couple who’s about to control their fate, not the parents. So, family doesn’t play much role in choosing their soul mate. But, I believe that they too feel the importance of family blessing before taking their relationship a step ahead, relatively speaking, marriage life.

As for the Malays, we have put some of this and thats. Therefore, the pros would cover the cons of each side. I’d say, however it is, it is a humungous matter to handle. But many took it lightly. Why? Because it’s easy to get more. Love is just a game, to them. That is why people are having problems relating to marriage at any given country.

Ever heard of domestic violence? A guy would beat up the wife, rape her and force her to do many dreadful stuff. The lady would be considered as nothing, just a piece of meat. How can this happen? Any human has the same amount of dignity, pride and value as the others. But when love took over, whatever the man said, is a command to the wife. I condemn this act as when you take each other, both deserve the treatment of love, and compassion.

What about adultery? I’m so sorry to say this but British movies and stories depict a lot of this despicable act in their society. I’m talking from experience. A’s wife is having an affair with B’s husband; C is having an affair with D’s daughter, so on and so forth. What happen to being faithful? Has the word commitment gone missing from the Oxford’s Dictionary? Pity the guy/lady who’s faithful to the other. They looked so stupid for staying so long with a person that does not even value them enough.

What about multiple marriages? Ha, this one is popular among the Malay community. It is true that it is sunnah to marry for women at one time, but it must be done accordingly. You have the wage of a factory worker, but a lust of a horse, that does not permit you to marry more than one time. If you have the power, the capability to do it, then it is okay. The consent of the wife/wives is important too. The result of which multiple marriages is done quietly is that World War III arises earlier before it is expected.

However it is, treat it as a holy process. It combines two soul to become one, and say that you are ready to have your life spent with your other half fully. Love is not a game. That’s why people are stressed to look carefully, so to choose the best person for them. But I believe, everyone has their own soul mate. So, to worry about not having one is unnecessary. Till next time.

It's Time I Do This (2) Tagged By Syud

1. How old are you?
18. He3 perasan..

2. Are you single?
Yeah. 

3. At what age do you think you’ll get married?
28?

4. Do you think you’ll be marrying the person you are with now?
I'm not with anyone la..

5. If not, who do you want to marry?
Please let it be Scha. HA3

6. Who will be your bridesmaid or your bestman?
Tarmizi would be ok.

7. Do you want a garden/ beach or traditional wedding?
Garden. I'd like a few trees here and there with few birds.

8. Where do you plan to go for honeymoon?
Desaru. Tak boleh? Ok lah Paris..

9. How many guest do you think you’ll invite?
I'll invite the whole state.

10. Will that include your exes?
Of course.. Datang ar kalau nak. 

11. How many layers of cake do you want?
Cake? Ish Taknak lah. Can we have burgers instead? Wendy's.

12. When do you want to get married? Morning or evening?
Morning lor.. garden time evening creepy oke.

13. Name the song/tune you would like to play at your wedding?
Hm, suruh my wife pilih la eak?

14. Do you prefer fine dining or just normal spoon/fork/ knife?
fine dining.

15. Champagne of red wine?
Urm, no2. My guest are driving. Ha3

16. Honeymoon right after the wedding or days after the wedding?
Ha3 next!

17. Money or household items?
Macam la korang tak kenal aku kan.. 

18. How many kids would you like to have?
Next!

19. Will your record your honeymoon in DVD and CD?
Hm.. Blue Ray Disc ar.. mesti ade quality..

It's Time I Do This. =) By Khatty

Rules and regulation of the tag ; All 21 people must do unless you don't have a blog. Write the names of 21 friends you can think of in your head. And then answer the questions. Say you're guessing if you don't know, but at least guess on all of them. After doing this, tag your unlucky friends to do the same. 

1. Artiah
2. Yanti
3. Ghazi
4. Tarmizi
5. Farhan
6. Amirah
7. Lee Hong
8. Syazninah
9. Ili Haya
10. Syud Lamry
11. Nigel Wong
12. Ramdhan Wardhian
13. Afiq Izhar
14. Shushi
15. Azrul
16. Suraya Halim
17. Sarah Halim
18. Arif
19. Sakinah Hafidz
20. Bulat

1. How do you meet 1? 
Form 4. Dread the day I met her. Ha3

2. What would you do if you and 15 had never met?
Nothing I guess. But Fas might say she's lonely. 

3. What would you do if 20 and 1 dated?
I'd laugh like hell. Lesbianism is not their thing.

4. Have you seen 17 cried?
Nope. Banyak ketawa ada lah. 

5. Would 4 and 16 make a good couple? 
He3 won't bet on it. I'd rather see them just as friends.

6. Do you think 11 is attractive?
11? Attaractive?? HA3 please don't let him read this!

7. What's 2 favourite colour?
Black.

8. When was the last time you talked to 9?

Just now. Haish

9. What language does 8 speak ? 
English, bahasa.

10. Who is 13 going out with?
Right now? Not sure. He's a partay guy!!! 

11. Would you ever date 17 ?
If her bf allowed her to, why not?? ;p

12. Where does 18 live?
Ampang, kot?

13. What is the best thing about 4?
He's my bestmate since I was 5. 

14. What would you like to tell 10 right now ?
All the best for your uni life! :)

15. What is the best thing about 20?
Selalu aku buli kau kan Bulat?? Kan kan?

16. Have you ever kiss 2?
Oh come on.. 

17. What is the best memory you have of 5?
Playing around during science in the lab. Syok giler..

18. When's the next time you're going to see 4?
Next week kot. Depends..

19. How is 7 different from 6?
6 needs my help right now while 7 always help me to smile. =)

20. Is 2 pretty?
I don't judge my bestfriend usually but, yeah she is.. dah xyah kembang weh.

21. What was your 1st impression of 15?
Sangat baik dan senyap. Very timid but smart.

22. How did you meet 3?
At school. Standard 1. Kemut sungguh.

23. Is 2 until 21 is your best friend?
Everyone is my good friend. Yeah I know x jawab soalan.

24. Do you love 1?
Of course. Sayang kau lah. 

25. Have you seen 18 in the last month?
Yes. Nak jumpa u lagi weh.  

26. When was the last time you saw 16?
Last thursday.  

27. Have you been to 5's house?
Pernah. Semalam. Ha3

28. When's the next time you'll see 10?
Dear God I don't know

29. Are you close to 11?
Yeah. Thanx to sorang hamba Allah tuh.

30. Have you been to the movies with 4?
Come to think of it, no. 

31. Have you gotten in trouble with 8?

Selalu. sory sayang. hu3

32. Would you give 19 a hug?
Hm.... ;p

33. When have you lied to 3?
Baru 3 ari lepas. he3 sory bro.

34. Is 11 good at socializing?
A big NNNNOOOOO for that.

35. What's the best thing about your friendship with 9?
ha3 banyak berjalan and exchanging diet tips! 

36. Has 1 met your parents?
My mum. She's her student. 

37. How did you meet 1?
In class. First day of school of form 4. dah tanye kan?

38. Did you ever accidentally physically hurt 3?
Entah eak. 

39. Do you live close to 14?
I have to cross two states to go to her house.

40. What is 16 favourite food?
Tak pasti.

41. What kind of car does 1 have?
Kereta yang Barbie naik tu. 

42. Have you traveled anywhere with 12?
Yup. To JB.

43. If you give 1 a RM100, What would she spend it on?
Food, food, food, and food. Did I mention food??

Now There's A Good Sport

Hello. Just now, I was listening to Kieran and Seelan Paul babbling about some football stuff. It's obvious that Kieran is with Man U and Seelan siding Liverpool. I don't really know anyone who would go for Aston Villa. Or maybe Sunderland, or even Hull City. Yeah. Because all of them suck. For the rest of the world, Barclay Premier League has only around five to six football clubs. The rest are just bozos playing balls to give this 'real' clubs some 'real' training.

I remember the time when I really enjoyed watching golf. Guess which player I'm a fan of? Ha3 tak payah lah. Aku minat Tiger Woods lah. Ooo big surprise. But everyone seems to be swinging the club with one arm. I liked, no, loved the chip Woods made during the Masters Tournament in 2005. If there's a word to describe something more than fantasticly marvelous, I'll use it to describe that shot.

It's the same with tennis. Everyone was so madly in love with Agassi during his time. And even Navratilova during hers. Now it's Kutsnetsova. Or the Williams sisters. They don't like them because of the stupid (or maybe it helps?) groan during the game, but they rather like the style of the playing itself. Don't ask me about Sharapova, though. She's a different story. No2, she's good, don't get mad.

What about boxing? Yeah.. Someone told me, when he was young, Muhammad Ali was the king. Whenever there's a match and he's in it, it's as if the town had died. Everyone is glued to the TV set. School session stopped for a while, and even workplace would have breaks. Whether it is true or not, I don't know, but that's what I was told. People love him because of his achievements. Not because he's black. And definitely not because his boxing shorts are trendy.

For each sports, there will be a favourite, an icon which represents the game itself. For baseball, there's Yankees. For Malaysian badminton, Datuk Lee Chong Wei. For F1, it used to be Schumacher. Whatever it is, sports are leisure for some, life for the elite. For the others who're just spectators, it's just another game. Fans, would die to see their favourites win. Let's just hope nobody does, as to me, it's useless to bark on other dog's bone.

From One To The Other

Hello. I had plans tomorrow. I'm going out with a bunch of my friends to City Square. Yeah, actually I'm meeting Tiah over there, but I'm taking this opportunity to bring along my old friends so that I don't have to go out a few million times to actually meet all my friends. Turn out, tomorrow is the last day before Myvi's road tax expired. I've forgotten that May had already closed it's curtain. So, my dad was like,

 'Balik before 12 AM tomorrow or I'll call the police,'

Ha3 well I've only been home after 12 for a few times. It's just that, I don't find anything fun outside after that time. Yeah, living in Pasir Gudang is just like living in some boring neighbourhood of Napa. No offense, Napa folks. So I don't see the point of having a night out after midnight. Unless we're in JB, then it's another story. But as a few million people knew, JB is 30 minutes drive from Pasir Gudang, so what the **** right?

The other thing is, my parents had always been monitoring my movements since I was a baby. Where I go, what I do, what I say is all controlled. I'm not saying it in a bad way. But that's the fact. So I'm trained not to go out at night, not to do this nor that. My environment is a controlled one. Many would say something and I know what it is but, it's just the way it is. So I accepted it.

But when I entered my secondary education level, it kinda change bit by bit. By then, I know that there are teenagers who drinks, who smoke, and had sex. Yeah, I know, pathetic huh? Before that I thought the worst would be having a fist fight with a teacher. From there I get to know many people with loads of colours. Smokers, drinkers, and those who just wanna have fun.

I don't care about smoking. What worries me is that many of my acquaintance drinks. Call me a traditionalist but I just can't accept it. Few of my friends did, and still do but I can't change them, so be it. Who am I to tell them to stop. But I can say this. Drinking will lead to drunkenness. When you're drunk, you don't know what you're doing. 

I've a story. Yes, another one. It's from a TV show where you call the guy at the show to give feedback. One night, a girl called, sobbing. Here's what she said.

My dad is a businessman and my mum is never at home. So we (my brother and I) will organise a party every week. Friends would come and liquor are served. When midnight comes, we would get ourselves a partner and go to bed. Usually, we were drunk so we don't even know who our partner is. It's just for the fun of doing it. The fun ended when one day, I woke up and found out that my brother was the one who had sex with me. I can't even look at my brother after that.

See, I don't know about you, but that's just sad. Sick, and sad. How could you actually end up that way? Regret is all you can do. The road less taken might be boring, but the end would be not quite sad. You cant rewind time and undo stuff. What we can do is prevent. How? Stay away from all the factors. A long journey lays ahead. Why shorten it?

Now thats what I call Parenting.