BUNGA MANGGAR MAKING COMPETITION

A group photo to round up the event

The beauty of bunga manggar evokes a celebratory mood

Our principal presenting prizes to the winners

With our vice principal and the teachers involved in the competition

The creative arrangements the students came up with

Dancing to the beat of the kompang

With a group of happy and well-deserving winners

Our principal, the sweetest lady of Kg Bunga Manggar

Rohini looked totally shock when I presented her with a bunch of flowers

Arranging the bunga manggar at the end of a pole

Students hving a go at making bunga manggar

Hidayat engrossed in his bunga manggar

A demonstration at the beginning of the competition

The Bunga Manggar board explains its significance

We prepared our bunga manggar on the eve of the competition

BUNGA MANGGAR AND ULIT MAYANG

Organised an inter class Bunga Manggar Competition for the Sec 4 & 5 students. Each class had to send a team of four, comprising different races and gender. The students came dressed in batik sarung and pelikat. They had to bring their own equipment to earn bonus points while the teachers supplied the basic materials for making the bunga manggar.

We also had a board to explain the significance of bunga manggar to Malay weddings and why they are displayed at the groom's or bride's house.

After a short demonstration on how to make the bunga manggar, the students had to complete their task within 90 minutes. Their finished product had to be decorated and judges assessed their work for creativity, visual impact and the use of unique ornaments for the final touches.

The competition became hilarious when the team had to hunt for their form teacher for a group photo so as to earn more marks.

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An article in The New Straits Time of Malaysia talks about the origins of bunga manggar.

In the old days, the Malays tied bunches of coconut palm blossoms (mayang kelapa) to one end of bamboo poles. Bunches of tiny blossoms on a tall coconut tree are not visible from the ground. Some of the blossoms, when mature, will become coconuts. The blossoms are exquisite in off-white colours and the texture is smooth and medium hard.

It is no wonder that the beauty of the blossom earns it a place at the head of processions especially for weddings and other traditional events. Usually, there will be two bunga manggar bearers leading the procession, followed by a kompang (traditional tambourine) group and others.

In Terengganu, the original bunga manggar is used in the famous traditional dance called ulit mayang (ulit means crooning). Watch the clip below to know more about this song.

Today, perhaps due to the difficulty in getting the original bunga manggar, the Malays have settled for the artificial ones. Though these are less exotic, they still evoke the celebratory mood.

Enjoy this short clip on 'Ulek Mayang'

POTRAIT OF VIETNAM

FACES OF HO CHI MINH



People colour the scene. People run a country. People pulsate the world. Life is a journey where adventures beckon at every turn. And when that happens, one wants to immortalilse these moments. When I was in Vietnam recently, I thus focussed my lens on the common faces I met throughout the journey.

The children of Mui Nee caught my attention. They were as free as skylark playing along the beach, thier innocence untouched by the development and modernaisation that are taking place in HCM, but who pounced on you the minute they spotted the not very often busloads of tourists descending the steps to the beach. They leeched you all the way till you part with their wares and your Dong. Yet, they are so lovable and endearing. Only their eyes mirror the pain and the sufferings their ancestors had gone through...

LIFE IS A JOURNEY

VIETNAM TRIP REFLECTIONS

Our paper and pen planning were put to test and we were delighted to observe it coming alive with the student leaders as the main cast of the performers. The team of teachers had set the level of expectations for the students to reach right from the beginning and we were very glad that the six-day trip had pushed them to reach that elevated status we bench marked for them.

Jeremy, Idham, Yati and I worked very well because we possessed a common shared belief - to project YSS student leaders as good ambassadors with a global mind set and for them to have the initiative, commitment and responsibility in discharging their roles as exemplary role models.

The teachers had a host of multiple roles to support the students in achieving the objectives of the trip - as a director, disciplinarian, philosopher and an emotional surrogate personnel . We played different roles so that the leaders would know exactly what to give us back as their deliverables after each day of the trip.

Safely, we can say that the students had benefited tremendously from the trip. We received sms from them thanking us for giving them the opportunities to have faith in themselves and to uncover their blind spots. Their parents had expressed their gratitude too (thru sms to the teachers) for providing the guidance, encouragement and support shown and rendered to their child.

During the trip we sought for opportunities so that the leaders who were lying low because they had not been given much chance to lead before, to stand tall. We were pleasantly surprised by some leaders who grew and glowed each day. We strived to push and prop the leaders who were under performing to scale more. We saw leaders who motivated their peers when the morale was low. We saw leaders who gave the emotional support when others buckled under pressure.

We noted leaders who acted as a 'big brother' or 'big sister' to one another when they needed an extra pair of hands around them or when homesickness crept in during their solace moments. We witnessed natural born leaders who soared to higher altitude and outshone others. We saw leaders who shouldered through and did not crumble under heavy responsibilities. We observed leaders who came up with their own initiatives and solutions when faced with problems.


We noticed leaders who came up forward to voice their suggestions for the betterment of the trip. We were touched when we saw many selfless leaders who chipped in to help others readily without any nudge of doing so. They were lugging and retrieving heavy baggages for one another during the transfer of the coach and checking in and out of the hotels. We saw leaders who were sensitive to the needs of others. For example we had three leaders whom after we compared the size of their seating space with the bus mechanic took the initiative the next day to give him a gift to show their appreciation of him. What more could you ask from the fourteen and fifteen year old students who were with us? Their actions spoke volume of their character.

Needless to say, we also 'tore apart' leaders with attitude and directed them the way on the correct behaviour. Altitude is determined by your attitude. Haven't they heard of that? We did not want their ego to be bigger than their head. Everyone should be treated equally. Were we harsh and hard on them? True, we counselled them for an hour or so in the hotel lobby and true we gave them extra pages of journals to write but WE beg to differ as after that we could see the transformation in them after the session. After all, we wanted them to bounce back and be resilient when they were in the doldrums after a bad push or a fall and this group of leaders heard and responded to our call. We wanted them to realise that the whole world doesn't owe them anything but they owe the whole world everything. We taught them what humility is all about and stressed that values and principles maketh a man.

We slowly witnessed the loose groups of the different races beginning to bond and gel as one within six days despite them coming from the different student leaders group background - prefects, class chairman, CCA leaders. We kept on insisting the importance of the processes they had to undergo to achieve their final product - be it the blogging, the student's interviews, the reflections and the way they presented themselves in the two schools we visited.

We received positive feedback from our Vietnamese tour guide, Singapore and Vietnamese organisers from Travel Dream who were with us through out the trip and those education officials who sat with us for lunches. They sang praises of our students. If only they knew how we had "grilled" them nightly during the debriefing at the hotel and in the coach. But the team of teachers believed strongly that the line must be towed if it has gone astray and if we wanted them to carry the school flag high.


Were simply too ecstatic to see the morph in the leaders and the pride they made us feel for them. We had reminded them that the journey for them to excel and project as strong leaders did not end once they leave Vietnam soil. Instead it should continue.......

What about us, teachers? Our journey too would not end here. We will keep on trying to make future trips more different than this one and will study the AAR for more improvements.

Just like the Mekong Delta we visited, we are silted with more ideas for future trips ahead knowing the fact that we would have a part to play in nurturing our youths to be better and gracious citizens. Goodbye Vietnam and your people. But just like what the students had noticed and voiced out, you will take the world by storm as your young people are hungry for knowledge and waiting for the right moment to sensationalize and seize the other parts of the region. You will be another dragon of the east to wake up after a long slumber and start snort fire to the rest of the world.

We left Vietnam with tears in our eyes, not because we were sad to leave you, but because deep down in our heart we knew our mission had been accomplished. We teared because of the pride that YSS flag had flown high and mighty, unwavered by the occasional heavy downpour we experienced and the strong gust of wind that blew.

Tham Biet (Goodbye!) Vietnam and till we meet again!

Kam Ern! (Thank You)

INDRA SHAHDAN CAME TO YSS

MORE PHOTOS ON INDRA'S VISIT

NUR ON THE MOVE ROADSHOW

Welcoming Indra at the school foyer

Close up with a soccer star; Indra Shahdan

Hanaffi, my ex-student is involved in theatre works

Hanaffi and Indra

The students went gaga over Indra

The Sec 4 boys did not want to be left behind too

The dramatists who ruled the stage

One for the road before they rush to another school

A promo shot for Ain Society

Engaging Indra on stage to share his experiences

Students clambering for Imdra's autograph

Thrilled at being photographed with Indra

The drama was a hit with the students

The grand dad voicing his concerns over his grandchildren's behaviour

FROM A VICIOUS CYCLE TO A VIRTUOS CYCLE

I organised an assembly programme for our students and invited the Ain Society to perform a drama for them. The drama was well-received and the students had a shock of thier life when Indra Shahdan, our national soccer captain was called on the stage to share his experiences on his teenage days and his perspectives on why education is important for our youth.

NUR-on-the-Move
BRIEF DRAMA OUTLINE

The drama performance is driven by 3main characters; an old grandfather and his troubled teenage grandson and granddaughter. The teenagers are getting into a lot of trouble i.e. lost of interest in school, unwanted pregnancy, excessive drinking habit etc. This worries the concerned grandfather who desperately confides in his neighbours for advice.

Meanwhile, the grandchildren feel lost and frustrated and do not know what to do about their situation. They start to blame other people and refuse to acknowledge their mistakes. Fortunately, they have good friends who encourage them into looking for various modes of help and discouraging them against getting into further trouble. These suggestions are initially met with resistance, but both of them finally relented to it after much persuasion.

The grandfather’s witty character is hoped to act as a bridge for the youth audience to see the issue of troubled youths from an adult’s point of view. The short drama also captures the chaos in the teenagers’ family and how it has resulted to their misbehaving and involving in negative activities. Some of the youth audience may be able to relate to this particular scene which shows parents who are in conflict with each other and choose to resolve it through violence. It will add on to the understanding of the background of the main characters and the intensity of the frustration that they are facing.

In all, the drama performance hopes to convey to the youths that no matter how challenging their life is, they themselves have the ability to make it better and the situation is not entirely hopeless. This is the angle where the roadshow wants to promote the NUR teens helpline to inform the youths on an avenue of help should they have any problems to share.

For the interaction session, Ain Society invites renowned local icons such as singers, actors, footballers, celebrity DJs etc. to share their experience being a teenager and the challenges they face to achieve their current status. Both the emcee and the invited speaker engage the participation from the youth through quizzes or on stage spontaneous performances.

More about Ain Society:

Ain Society was founded in 2000 by 12 activists who resided in Woodlands, the northern part of Singapore, mainly to serve the residents in that area. As it grows, its target group has widened not only to the residents in the north, but also island wide. ‘Ain’ means ‘eyes’ in Arabic. It is chosen to symbolize as the ‘eyes’ of the community to foresee and address social problems in the community especially among the youths and disadvantaged families.

Their tag line is ‘Love, Care, Concern’ .

Check their hotline service which is part of the Integrated Programme for Troubled Teenagers which brings together several Malay/Muslim organizations in Singapore.

NURteensLINE: 9 7777 687 OR 9 777 NUR

WIRELESS NETWORKING

WE ARE WIRELESS

Make a Smilebox photobook

Arranged for Sec 3NA2 students for a workshop at NYP. They got to learn how to set up a simple wireless network for home and what they can do with this wireless network. They also also learnt about wireless network security.

They had a hands-on session which made the workshop more meaningful and learning-friendly.

GRACE ON GRASS

Make a Smilebox slideshow

SHOWTIME FOR STUDENTS

Divesh, Hariz, Keili and Athalie form a team

Vincent with the same team

We worked together for this project

Another team which we facilitated

With Vincent are Nami, Royhana, Diana & Dini

Great to work with students who posses the right attitude

Our lecturer, Dr Ivy Tan

An appreciating moment from Dr Ivy

Addressing a query from the floor

Explaining the mechanisms of the project

Sharing with the teachers

Students presenting their blog

Stating her viewpoint is Diana

A group photo of all participants

The speakers getting ready for thier turn

Calming my students' nerves before the presentation

A group photo before the presentation

All set for the showtime

We were pleased to have been given this opportunity to share

Our faithful photographer

Celebration after a job well -done

SHOWCASING OUR STUDENTS' ABILITY

Trained my students for a sharing session which they had to do for some teachers. They had gone through a cooperative learning tool strategy for the Social Studies subject. The lecturer whose course my colleague Vincent and I attended, invited us to showcase our students' achievement.

The student posted their findings on their group blog and had to do independent group investigation for the given topic. They also had to upload interviews which they carried out, videos, songs and responses regarding the given topic. Very minimal teaching was done by us. Rather, the students had to own the learning and design their own assessment product. Vincent and I were merely acting as the back seat passengers, while the students acted as the drivers for thier learning process.

We are so proud of our student's performance on that day. The audience were full of praises for their presentation.