MUMLAND



Mum and her children together with their spouses




Mum went for her medical check-up



My Mum, My World

Attending a wedding function

My son fooling around with his grandma

Mum and her elder sister








Mum using an i-Pad to keep her mind alert

My reliable maid who takes care of mum

The most beautiful woman in my heart

A HOLIDAY WITH A DIFFERENCE

Friends have been asking me, "Madam, where did you go for your holiday this time round?” I did not step foot on any faraway continents except to Mumland where I would find unconditional love, inner peace and warmth throughout the year.

I tried to spend as much time as possible with my 82-year old mum this year-end holiday. Mornings would find me oiling, combing Mum’s hair and applying moisturiser to her legs. Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner would find us sitting together enjoying the food and casual conversations.

We would also have hours in front of the goggle box watching soap operas and dramas with mum taking intermittent naps in between. Then there are the medical appointments and reviews to keep and accompany mum to. Social occasions like weddings, birthday parties and prayer sessions also filled our calendar for the November and December months. I could feel mum’s uneasiness whenever I tell her I have errands to run or meetings to attend. She would then be asking Tini endlessly (my superb and reliable domestic helper) when I would return during my absence.

My Mumland experience has kept me busy and allowed me to serve and be closer to my mum, which, I would not be able to do so on normal school days. As I hold and look at Mum’s gnarled hands, I am reminded of the many years she has sacrificed for the family. Yet never a second has her love for us wavered or wane. What I am doing now is beyond comparison to what Mum had committed her whole life to for us.

My mum is the truest friend I have. When trials heavy and sudden fall upon me; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert me; when trouble thickens around me, still Mum will cling to me, and endeavour by her kind percepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness and cause peace to return to my heart.

My mother is the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical education I received from her. And I find solace in her for the best place to cry is on my mother's arms.

So dear friends, I seek your apology if I am not able to present you with any souvenir items this year. Instead, I present my wish for a fruitful and enriching year ahead for you with your mum. Love your mum for you could be her world.

SISTERLY LOVE

Happy Birthday Mazlifa

For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather: To cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.

A sister is little bit of childhood that can never be lost. We are entwined in an intimate mesh of heart, soul and the mystical cords of memory. You sister, is a gift to the heart,  a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

Wishing my Sis Maz a very happy birthday today.  May Allah bless you with lots of good health, happiness, love and taqwah in your life. We all love you and are counting the seconds to your arrival.

Lots of love from the Rahim-Sabiah clan.



The sisters with our lovely mum



 

The whole family together





Maz and Me before our Kota Tinggi off road trip





The six siblings of the Rahim-Sabiah clan



We love you Sis Maz



Nephews and nieces together

 

Our other halves



FRIENDSHIP TO TREASURE

FOR YOU MADAM




The pinkish roses that melted my heart




Smiling happily with the surprised gift




Roses are my favourite flowers 

 Thank you Katie







































Totally surprised when colleague Katie surprised me with a pot of pinkish red roses. We have been working on several projects and programmes this year and that had strengthened our ties. Both of us have been heavily involved in mentoring our beginning teachers and we have held conversations with them on ways to improve their classroom management as well working towards making them as more effective teachers.

We had an exchange of conversation after my shock died down.

Me: Thank you Katie for this lovely surprise. You have made my day. ♥♥

Katie: Madam, you have made my year!

A terrific closure to 2012

ALMA MATER

 

Abby and Marina with their children

 

Rahman fillilng in a form

Rahman's brothers were also my ex-students 

 Their alma mater as the top choice  

SECOND GENERATION YISHUNITES

Heartening to see ex-Yishunites Marina and Abby sending their children to YSS for today's Secondary 1 registration. The life-line continues and I am glad to be part of this chain of continuity.
In fact I met three other ex-Yishunites who would like to see their children being part of their former history with the school.   I was on duty for the registration, making sure the teachers have enough assistance to tackle the flow of parents and the new students and helping to clear and clarify the parents' enquiries.  

Parents filled the school auditorium eager to meet with their child's form teachers. They were also given the book list to purchase stationery for the year to come. The school uniform and shoes vendors were present for the convenience of the parents.  It was like one-stop-for-all shopping as we understand that parents might not be free to come back again to make their purchases.

Marina and Abby were my former students and they had joined the Malay Dance group which I was in charge of. I enjoyed being their teacher-in-charge as the girls were disciplined, passionate and were as graceful as swans. Both ladies had decided to send their chilldren to their alma mater becasue they have a strong sense of belonging for the school, love its culture and .

I  also met Rahman, another Yishunite who had registered his son to the school. Rahman's three brothers, cousin and wife were ex-Yishunites too. I know them all very well. Rahman met his wife and got married later. The couple has decided that their son should also be a Yishunite. It seems they want the tradition to continue for their next generation.  

Thank you for your faith and confidence in YSS. Together we seek, we strive and soar.

RESUSCITATED!

A sharp needle to stitch



Tying a knot to secure the last stitch

It's all done and given a new lease of life



The clinic where the surgical operation took place



Me and my Diesel which refused to give up



My Doctor Shoes


















DIESEL Does Not DIE

Chapter 2

Got my Diesel track shoes fixed at Johor Bahru a few days ago and they look as good as new. I was all smiles when the cobbler announced that he could stitch up the sole back to the shoes. He did for both sides of the shoes manually using a long needle and a piece of special string, charging a mere RM15.

I am confident that my Diesel would last me for another couple of good years. I was glad I did not throw the shoes on impulse the moment the sole gave way. My 12-year old Diesel could still serve and protect my feet. DIESEL does not die!

VALUE OTHERS

My 12-year old Diesel pair




Divorced - sole and body


















DIESEL Does Not DIE
Chapter 1


If not for a trip to New Zealand, I would'nt have ended up with this Diesel pair of $100/- sports shoes bought in 2000. The itinerary included a lot of places to walk and I was warned of the freezing temperature that awaited me. It was too way expensive for me and I contemplated on the purchase for a long time before paying the cashier and hugging the grey and pink desinged shoes close to my heart.

I am proud to acclaim it was my first ever branded pair. Since then it has been my sole mate to all the places I went. I walked around Lake Rotura wearing it.  Climbed the Great Wall of China with it. Explored Da Guo Caves at Ha Long Bay with it. Viewed Port Sunda Klapa with it. They were on my feet when I was awe-strucked by Angkor Wat. It became my feet partner at Mount Kintamani. It went shopping with me at Hatyai.

Bravely, Diesel took all of the weather conditions it was exposed to while protecting my size 6 feet against any arsenal of danger. However, it decided to part ways with me this year while I was in Jakarta, forcing me to walk soleless. Still it was comfortable to wear, in good condition and I refused to throw it away but kept it in my luggage for the trip home.

I am going to give it a new lease of life by visiting a cobbler. I hope Diesel will serve me for many more good years. Old things die hard especially those which have served you faithfully and well.


Moral of the sharing: Remember those who have sacrificed and put their life for you above theirs. Don't be too eager to discard them the moment you see them useless in your eyes.

LIGHT PLAY



Cheap and clean entertainment


















PAPER BALLS

The paper balls were my cheap entertainment and used to be my primary school days recess game.  They filled many hours of playing - anywhere, anytime and anybody. Made from rice paper and colourfully painted, they became one of my well-loved cheap thrill games. I have kept them for nostalgic reasons. Costing only 5 cents each back then, they gave my siblings, cousins and schoolmates long hours of challenging fun.  

What we had to do was to keep the China-made light paper ball stay in the air for the longest period of time. We had to anticipate how hard to hit the ball up into the air and prempt where it would land and hit it back before it landed on the floor. Your turn to hit would stop once the ball lands on the floor because of your poor estimation at hitting the ball back to the air. 

Dexterity of the fingers and hand together with good eye and hand co-ordination are two vital things you require for playing this ball game.  The techniques and motor coordination are similar to playing the playstation. Dexterity and co-ordination must be fast. The PSP,  i-Pad and Smartphone were unheard of. No tech savvy devices to occupy our time. But we gained in other areas playing such less sophisticated mechanism. 

Instead of just staring at the screen and straining our eyes while severing our links to the outside world, we developed our individuality more. We had plenty of time honing on the social and inter-personal skills which resulted in loads of laughter, a wholesome nature  and appreciation for the simplicity in life.

LIGHT AND PORTABLE

Newspapers and the scenery to keep you company

 

Passenger-friendly version becasue of its size

The different sections of Malaysia's New Straits Times



Stopovers after a long reading



Compare the size of the two papers which 
almost has the same name



This is Singapore's The Straits Times and
its various sections



Final destination and my reading is done

FROM WORD TO WORD

FROM PAGE TO PAGE

I will never fail grabbing and reading Malaysia's The New Straits Times on my wheel haunts across the causeway. In fact it will be my first purchase at the pump station besides The Stars. Several reasons for my love of it.

The tabloid version means I don't ruffle the pages while turning them over. I also don't tire my hands holding it up for a better angle reading through my progressive lens. Segmented compilation means I can pull out what I fancy reading straight away. Special reading for 'School Times' means I can apply and adopt some tips and materials for teaching resources.

There are other reasons too. The local agricultural news will add to my students' knowledge on food production. Plenty of coloured pages means not all news are bleak. A balance of news and write-ups on a host of topics means I am fully satiated from the highly adrenaline-pumped news to the simple lepak less demanding grey cells reading.

The paper costs RM1.20 for a whole load of news and articles and that means I can leaf from page to page for hours, alternating with time outs and soaking in the natural landscape that unfurls in front and along side me.

When will ours go tabloid?

LEARNING FEST

The Professinal Learning Teams from different departments

Match strategies to your students' learning
profile

Karl is from Ireland and a music teacher

Receiving my certificate from the superintendent

I created the ambiance for the Learning Fest

The iceberg is used to connect to our
teaching of students

We are the Number 1

Hands-on lessons are a way to win students

Our school staff coordinator, Victor

Our young staff whom I work with



Curricullum planning to gauge students' progress



We work and play together

3F:  Food, Fun and Friends

The mamas and the daughters they mentor



Anu, another young teacher who is close to me




Kelly, my daughter in school



Karl hates prawn



Eat your food boy



Carmaderie amongst us is observable

My mentee who is doing Geography and English

The clover leaf is associated with Ireland

Saying good bye to Karl

One more for the road, guys

SHARING OF GOOD PRACTICES

It is an annual affair for the school to organise the Learning Fest. I was part of the team putting the session in place. We had it last week and it was a day of sharing on Jon Saphier's Skillful Teacher area of performances amongst the staff. The whole school had prescribed to the book and also identified some moves that we would carry out as a whole school approach.
Saphier's book entitled 'The Skillful Teacher' has become a staple book of reference in many colleges and schools for studying generic pedagogy. I find the book like a treasure trove, filled to the brim with research-based strategies for improving learning and teaching. The book crackles with the author's passion and the belief that teachers have the power to help all students learn and perform at high levels.
The moves of the teaching pedagogy mentioned in the book are useful for a new teacher and the experienced; catering to the novice and the expert educator. The book which is packed with powerful tools would help the young educators to have a positive impact on their teaching.

The learning teams shared the projects which they had undertaken on a move of the Skillful Teacher. The book is a powerful resource they can turn to when members have taught a unit the very best way they know how, yet students continue to struggle. They carried out the moves with their students, did some form of action research, deepen their understanding by reading literature on it and analysed data to study the situation further.
However, I think what is more powerful is the peer observation did by the team to give effective feedback on the move which they had chosen to try out. The Learning Fest showed the teams focussing their efforts and commitment on curriculum planning, assessment, models of teaching, clarity, expectations, attention moves, learning experiences and principles of learning.

As usual I found the morning enriching where the staff picked up new ideas, made suggestions to the teams and also seized opportunities how the practices could be collaborated among departments. Everyone gave a thumb-up to the non-formal atmosphere and the abundant sharing done by the staff and for the staff. Our common goal was to improve our students' achievement.
The teachers' day effort ended with a farewell barbeque lunch for some staff who would be leaving the school.