Monday, May 31, 2010

UNOFFICIAL AFTERNOON SESSION TEACHERS GROUP PHOTO

AFTERNOON SESSION TEACHERS
SMK TAMAN UNIVERSITI
2010

The regular photo-taking session took place this morning. It is not that easy to get that many people together at the same time. The quality of the photograph is not that good but once I get the one produced by a more professional photographer and more expensive camera, I will repost it.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

TWO WEDDINGS OF EX-STUDENTS MARRYING THEIR SCHOOLMATES

Attending two wedding invitations in one afternoon. The weather was good and my tummy was too full to be elaborative in my writing. Hope that is a valid excuse.

WEDDING 1: BOKHAIRY & NORAFILAH

The first wedding invitation is for Mr. Bokhairy and Norafilah, both were ex-students of SMKTUN. Mr. Bokhairy is now one of the school non-academic staff. I cannot remember from which SPM batch he is from, just too many people over a long period of time.

WEDDING 2: HAZRAN & RUSINAH

with Hanis Zafirah, Hazran's sister

Interestingly, the second couple were both also the ex-students of SMKTUN. Actually, I just managed to get in touch with Mr. Hazran's sister through Facebook (thanks FB) and then only the wedding invitation card could be sent. We have not net each other for quite some time and I guess this was a meaningful moment to be able to see Hazran again.

That's all for now. You can expect more posting of the ex-students' weddings in the future.

MOVIE REVIEW 16 - SHREK FOREVER AFTER

I tried to get a few people to come and enjoy this movie with me but not successful. Nevertheless, being a die-hard Shrek fan, I had to go. It was now or never. And I definitely had made the right decision - it was a movie worth going for.
This time, Shrek had fallen victim to the antagonist - Rumpelstiltskin. I didn't know that Rumpel could be that evil. Shrek got tired of the life he had, he wanted the days as an ogre, where he was having a lot of fun and feared by others. So he signed an agreement to get back to the life he had lost, and too bad, in the process, he lost everything: his wife, his three beautiful children and the friends who adored him. Having realized his mistake, now he had to get he love and trust back from Fiona so that he would be free from the curse. And in the end, they lived happily forever after.

The moral of the story: appreciate what you have before they are gone. Go and watch Shrek, after you exam is over. Shrek is the only movie that I have watched the complete sequels and understood everything from the very beginning right until the end, unlike Star Wars, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. One thing about Shrek movies, you can always get a lot of fairy tales characters under one roof and they are all really really funny. It's quite sad this is the last Shrek movie, hopefully they will have the TV series after this. I am now waiting for the VCD to come out so now I can have the complete Shrek original VCD collection.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

ATTENDING JUNAIDAH'S WEDDING

Today was Junaidah's wedding, another ex-student, at Taman Sri Pulai. After teaching the other two siblings, so I already get to know their parents too.

with Hajar, a lawyer, magistrate or judge to be?

As usual, there were many familiar faces that I recognized. I wanted to take more photographs with the ex-students but there were just too many people and too little space and time.

with Amin, the bride's brother
with Arbai'yah, the bride's sister, with the husband and kids

Junaidah and the bridegroom


Wishing Junaidah all the happiness in the life to come. And there are two more similar events to attend tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

YOU'VE GOT MAIL







A small yellow package arrived in school today and it was not that difficult to guess its content by the packaging. It was from an ex-student and I guessed that was supposed to a belated Teachers' Day present.

So now I have another book on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I've never read Murakami's work before even though I have seen his books before.

Thanks a lot to Ms. Sofia Nor Adelynn Musa, SPM 2008 candidate, for your kind thought and for all the trouble taken to get the book delivered to the school's doorstep. It is people like you make me never regret of choosing teaching as a career. Hope to see you in the coming Angklung group reunion.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

CELEBRATING AVINASH'S 21ST BIRTHDAY

Today was Avinash's birthday party held at his house in Taman Universiti. Other than to wish Avinash "happy birthday", this was the chance to eat good food and to see familiar faces.








with Avinash, the birthday boy
So thanks Avinash for inviting. I wish you a "Happy 21st Birthday" and many happy returns.

POTLUCK FOR IPTI TRAINEES

Today's potluck was held to bid farewell to two trainees who taught English from IPTI (Temenggong Ibrahim Teacher Training Institute). Although potluck is held quite frequently, all the teachers were excited just the same, and most probably because we are quite tired with the food at the canteen prepared for the afternoon session.

theme: noodles

So we had different types of noodles: mee kari, mee bandung, mee bakso, mee siam and mee tomyam. With the ingredients were prepared separately, so it was a matter of mix and match. Mix the noodles with the gravy your heart desired.

a few of the few male colleagues, birds of a feather.


Thank you to Miss Jahiza and Miss Izzatie for all the time spent in our school. Hope that you have had a great time here and wish you two the best of luck in your future career, as teachers hopefully.


And thanks a lot too for the parting gift as well. Definitely the right choice of present for me as I do not have anything else to read right now.

Friday, May 21, 2010

IT'S REALLY THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS

This is just to say "thank you" to people who showered me with presents, flowers, cards and cakes during the Teachers' Day celebration. Just imagine, out of the thousands of people in school (yes, there are about 2800 students and 184 teachers), you were the ones who had gone the extra miles just for all these.

Really, it is the thought that counts. I cannot thank you all enough and just to say that you are all appreciated.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A COLLAGE OF HAPPY FACES DURING TEACHERS' DAY

Too many pictures, too little space. And I had successfully created my biggest collage so far. People were really happy during the Teachers' Day celebration. See all the happy faces of my beloved students. Remind me of the song "You Are My Sunshine".

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

THE OPENING CEREMONY OF MSSM TRACK AND FIELD

The day finally came. At about 8:45 p.m., the guest of honour, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Deputy Prime Minister cum the Education Minister, arrived at the stadium. The march past started and everything ended as soon as it started.

Congratulations to the Kadet Bomba boys for the excellent performance and for sacrificing your time and energy, especially to the fifth formers as they were going to sit for their Maths exam the very next day. This is definitely something they would remember once they have left school. You must be a few of the lucky ones out of the thousands of school students to be selected in this nation. 


Come and enjoy the spectacular firework display during the ceremony.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

TEACHER'S DAY CELEBRATION 2010

The posting is done in note form, just too many things to tell.
PROGRAMMES

7:15 AM: The arrival of teachers
[Dress theme: red and black]

7:30 AM: Prayer recitation
Speeches and more speeches


The recitation of the teachers' oath


Singing "Guru Malaysia" song

(with the assistance of an amateur conductor)

8:30 AM: Students' performance

9:30 AM: recess


10:00 AM: Teachers' telematch

(the bigger the better, but it was who burst the balloon first won)
(a teacher mesmerizing the audience)
11:00 AM: Teachers' performance

(and received the best vocal performance award)

11:30 AM: Presentation of awards and presents


12:00 PM: Teacher's Day Lunch

1:15 PM: The end

FOOTNOTE:
Thank you to all the teachers and students for making this day a memorable one.
And more posting of the celebration coming soon...

Monday, May 17, 2010

CELEBRATING MY BLOG'S 1ST BIRTHDAY


One year ago, I started blogging and now I have turned into a hardcore blogger. Basically, I could share the happenings in my life as a teacher or as a normal person outside school with the others, people I know or strangers alike. I do not know whether people like or dislike my blog, whether people read, or just look at the photographs or videos in it. Nevertheless, for whatever reasons they have for visiting, I just hope I have made people's lives happier. Blogging is actually like writing a diary or a journal, where one records whatever things they want to write except that a these two materials are kept for personal reading. A diary, for example, is strictly for the owner's eyes only as one can write according to his/her own heart's desire. One of the major assignments that I had in second year of Matriculation for Creative Writing course under Cik Yazariah was to keep a journal. I found it fun to write just anything I liked. However, that was the first and the last time I had a journal.

a treasure from the past

pages of my old journal

So I guess I am continuing what I like doing. Perhaps I should venture more like how I could generate more money from it. So, happy 1st birthday to my blog. And thanks to the loyal visitors who have shown their support all this while.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

THANKS ALIF AND ARIF

Please focus on the presents

This posting is to thank the two brothers: Alif and Arif for their kind thoughts. They dropped by at school this evening (with the other family members) just to say "hi" and to deliver the presents which I guessed were for Teacher's Day. Even though they are no longer in school, but we still keep in touch, especially Arif. And at the same time, Arif will be going to UiTM Kuantan for his Law Matriculation course next week, so I guess this was also to say "goodbye". I wish Arif the very best of luck and the same goes to Alif who has still one more year to go for his Polytechnic's Diploma course.

Thanks again. I am really touched by your kind gestures.

By the way, you can read Arif's blog here http://life-versus-death.blogspot.com/

SCHOOL COOPERATIVE SHOP ANNUAL LUNCH

12:00 pm - the School Cooperative Shop held its annual lunch at Taman Merdeka. I was here a few months ago with my ex-students.

The teachers who are in-charge of the shop were there with our Principal being the guest of honour with the senior assistant and the heads of the departments. It was a buffet style lunch, but too bad I could not eat too much, I just don't. Anyway, if you are familiar with this restaurant, you will find that they serve the same dishes all the time. But I like the Arab style cooked lamb very much.

It was quite a short gathering, most probably because it was quite hot inside there. So, after the photo session, we all bade farewell and thank you for inviting me.