WHEN EID IS AROUND THE CORNER.... [PART ONE]

I miss the time when life was not yet complicated. The arrival of Eid would be something that I had not to worry about. However, that was all history. These days, when Eid is around the corner, I get more and more nervous as there will be tonnes of things that are yet to be done. It is not easy to juggle housework and school work but someone still has to do the dirty job. :)

My house, fortunately or unfortunately, is a "kampung" house (read: not a terrace house) so there are many sections and parts that have to be cleaned, inside and outside. Lucky enough, I am only put in-charge of the labour work and someone else will have to do the finishing touch. I am glad I have started early but there are still other chores to be done and the list seems to be endless. *sigh*

SECTION A

SECTION B

I took the photos during the breaks. I posted this entry to EITHER motivate you people out there to start doing your spring cleaning OR to remind you that you have ONLY about 5 more days before Eid. :)

SANTA CLAUS CAME EARLIER THIS YEAR

Sunday, 20th July ~ I thought when Ng Ching Kai had finished form 5 and Ng Jing Hann had gone away to a private school, I would not receive a Raya goodie bag from their family anymore. However, Ching Kai came to school in the evening to hand over my goodie bag, and the tradition still continues it seems.

Thanks a lot to Ng Ching Kai and family for the warm and kind thought.  There will be time, as a teacher, I will feel tired and unappreciated and start to count the days to retirement, but on that day, they had made me feel special, and I appreciate them for doing that. 

similar activity but in 2013

"A tree is known by its fruit: 

a man by his deeds.

A good deed is never lost;

he who sows courtesy reaps friendship,

and he who plants kindness gathers love."

~ St. Basil ~

VIDEO - THE BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY AT TAMA ZOO, TOKYO

Observing the butterflies at the butterfly sanctuary, a section in the Insectarium building at Tama Zoo, Tokyo. I could spend hours there chasing after butterflies.

"Happiness is like a butterfly,
which when pursued,
is always just beyond your grasp,
but which, if you sit down quietly,
may alight upon you."

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~

SPOT THE ERROR - TOKYO 3

The one I found in my hotel room, the very last one. After five days of stay in Tokyo, I only found three materials for my "SPOT THE ERROR" entry. Lucky enough.

In this case, the article "AN" is not required. The correct version should read" "There is enough space for you big luggage under the bed".

The room in the hotel is not spacious and things might get worse if you have a lot of things, like big bags, with you. To solve the problem, the bed is designed in a way that the occupants can push and store (READ: hide) everything under the bed. Brilliant!

VISITING THE GIRLS AT SEKOLAH TUN FATIMAH

I was invited to conduct a 2-hour workshop session for English Language in Sekolah Tun Fatimah (STF), one of the well-known all-girls boarding schools in the country. I was quite reluctant at first. Knowing the good reputation of the school, teachers and students might expect a lot from me. I had been invited a few times before by STF for similar workshop but had to reject for certain reasons, like it did not fit into my schedule at that particular moment. So this time, I had to give it a try and see whether the girls like me or not.

I guess everything was alright. All's well that ends well. :)

BREAKING FAST AND TARAWIKH PRAYER IN SCHOOL

THURSDAY, 17th JULY 2014 ~ In conjunctions with the month of Ramadhan, the breaking fast ("iftar") and "tarawikh" prayer session were held in school today. Students and teachers from Special Religious Classes (KAA) took part in this annual activity. As usual, we had our breaking fast meal, followed by the "Maghrib" prayer. Before "isya'", there was a short tazkirah (short talk which contains advice and reminders) and finally the "tarawikh" and "witir" prayers.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who had taken part and organized this event. May we meet again in the coming Ramadhan next year.

NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - HI AND GOODBYE

One of the airports to get into or out of Tokyo is Narita International, and the other one is Haneda. After some time, all the airports would look just the same. I was already greeted with warmth and friendliness when I first arrived here. When I was asking for direction to the bus terminal, a non-English speaking lady called another staff at one of the airline counters to help me get to the place I had to go. 

the bus terminal
all the luggage was systematically tagged

traditional Japanese art exhibittion

one of the masterpieces on display

a souvenir kiosk:
something very helpful for last minute shopper

live (and free) entertainment

you can shop till you drop

tourism promotion kiosk

My 5-day journey to Japan ended here. Glad I had made it there and hopefully I could return one day.