ME AND MY STUDENTS

WHAT A MEETING

Have been meeting my ex-students unexpectedly for the past few days. Just met my 1988 class at Chong Pang. Selina and Hanizam had flown from Seattle and Phnom Penh to meet Kamilah, Lydia and Botak Biadap. It was good to see all of them again and that they still keep in touch with one another.

DOWN MEMORY LANE

As a form teacher in Yishun Sec School - late 80s

With Bendemeer Sec School students - 1982?

Teachers Day celebration at BSS. Fauzi and Fatimah (centre) got married while teaching in BSS.

At YSS when I was in charge of Malay Dance - 'Timang Burung'. We won the Gold Award for SYF.

THANKS FOR THE NOSTALGIC TRIP

Ever since I got into Face book, I received an avalanche of requests from my ex-students to accept them as friends. I am still an idiot at face booking and hadn't done much on my Face book yet. Even my photo had not been uploaded, yet former students had been jamming my e-mail with their requests to accept them. I truly appreciate the tagging they had done for old photos too! Wow! That's the power of technology....you can still be tracked easily in cyberspace though your face is not plastered on the wall.

What am I suppose to do with the hundreds and hundreds of requests? If I do not accept, am I being rude and if I accept, what happens next? I am still at an infancy stage with face book, though I can shamelessly boast have reached the exert level for blogging.

I am taking my own time in learning about face booking. It's very interactive but I need a slower pace to internalise my feelings into the writing. For the time being, blogging would be the way I pen my thoughts.

Keep those photos coming folks!

CLASS OF 85-87

The flyer which was sent to me. I immediately said yes!

A BSS staff photo. Thanks Fendy for this!

From each His Best is the school motto.

The reunion t-shirt. I love it. With Affandi, the main organiser

Fendy as the chef of the day or the great eater of the day?

Linda and Sakinah

They came with their family members too!

BBQ chicken and prawn to whet your appetite

See...they have built their family after 25 years

Havng fun in one of the games played. Suria is behind

A trio of girls who have grown into matured women

Watching in the background at the thick of event

Both gentlemen must have realised the goodness of organsing such event

For good old time sake....

Any barrier? No I'm just like one of them

It was hugs and kisses when we met

Catching up with old times

It was great to be with you again, people!

Young boys who have grown to men and fathers

All wearing the reunion T-shirt

Getting together for the reunion

My body guards???? No...just my former students

Photaking was never ending....coz we love it girls!

The t-shirt which Fandi designed himself

Fendy and Linda met in BSS and got married after school

One more for the album and memory

Getting ready for the reunion

BENDEMEERIANS REUNITED

One of the schools I taught at was Bendemeer Secondary School from 1979-1985. I left the school after my marriage when I moved to Yishun to set up my matrimonial home.

I received another invitation for a reunion this June. My third one for such gathering; the second for BSS while there was one for Yishun Sec School two years ago. I obviously gave my attendance of presence to the organising committee with a big YES!.

These were my students of twenty over years ago. I must be there to see how they have grown and carved their life all this while. I reached Goldskist Beach Resort with a lot of anticipation and wondering whether I could match the names to the faces of my former students. Oh Boy! It was tough as many of them had truly changed and there was no way I could get a perfect score for this match-up game.

I was known as Ms Rahim back then at BSS. There were groups of ex-students around the chalet. Would I be recognised by them the minute I said Hello? All hell broke loose when they saw me approaching. It's just so strange that the students could recognise you ten miles away but it would take a teacher ( I am talking about myself here) a while to read and recognise those faces. Well, obviously I would not miss those who have coloured my life ten miles away though!

There were the compulsory greetings and questions; "Hi Miss Rahim", " You have not changed a bit", "How have you been?" and " Are you still teaching?". The questions came like an avalanche and almost choked me. I scanned for familiar faces. Could manage to guess a few faces right but I failed in identifying many of them. Not that I had forgotten them but they had changed so much that I was scared of guessing the wrong names. The timid, Innocent and naive teenaged faces I used to stare at were no longer there. I am now staring at confident, articulated and successful adults who told me proudly of what they were doing.

I was glad I came and met up with all of you. It was such a good feeling to be remembered by in this manner by your students. For one, it made me feel young again to be surrounded by the boundless energy you each exuded on that day.

So what's our next plan Bendemeerians? A car rally convoy to Malaysia? A Hari Raya gathering? You know how to contact me, right?

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I sent out a mail thanking my Bendemeer students.

Dear Bendemeerians

Thanks for that nostalgic trip down memory lane yesterday. Kudos to the organising commitee members and the backbone organiser Affandi who tracked me and dropped me the first mail last month regarding this reunion. The minute I read it, I wasted no time in endorsing my attendance with a big YES! Though it might seem difficult at times to organise such large scale gathering, but from each best comes the saying when there's a way, there's a will. Syabas again!

Had a wonderful time in meeting up with all of you, though had a difficult time trying to piece together the names and the faces together. My oh my.... all of you have changed (so have I - wrinkles, crinkles and all). The last time I remember about all of the guys was when you had your light blue shorts over those hairless pair of legs. Now I daren't see those legs cos I might not notice those spindly legs anymore. And the ladies....you all used to look so 'kuai-kuai' with very neat starched plastered hairstyle. Now all of you have blossomed from a bud to a bloom that enhances your surrounding. I could see that each of you stood proud of where you are now and I am glad to know that all of you have charted your own career so well and had grown into very confident and articulate ladies and gentlemen.

Nothing would make me more elated than to know that all of you have carved out your own niche in your life, career and family and have come out unscratched despite the many tumultuous moments you might have faced in your journey towards where you are now. The journey may not have ended, but from what I had observed yesterday, I have the confident and faith that more good things would come your way. You are still young - be self-driven to chase the moon, the stars and the sun. They are always there up in the sky. You need to make things happen to grab their attention! If you fall, the clouds are there to break the fall.

Thanks again for that lovely opportunity and meeting-up. All the huggings and kisses (with reference to the ladies only) have reminded me that there is actually no age-gap between us. That's what I love about teaching - the teacher 'zaps' the youth of their students to be at par with their current interests and way of thinking. I need to stay relevant. It's what that keeps me going...still going strongly and passionately despite being a teacher for the past thirty years. I hope you too would have the passion and the clear navigation to orientate the real directions to steer yourself to what you want to achieve and BE for the rest of your life!

Include me in your mailing list ok folks? Would gladly join all of you for any future line up of other Bendemeerian programmes you have in the pipeline. Insyallah.

BTW...can someone tell this dinosaur how to view the photos at your facebook. I am still at blogspotcom stage.....Very ulu and malu!!!!! Also miss the Indian rojak at our canteen. Used to look forward to eating it for recess.

Love
Mdm Azizah Bte Abdul Rahim aka Miss Rahim

EX-STUDENTS' VISIT

The final pose before they took leave


Shafiq showing off his talent


Maimunah and I


Hairuddin singing his heart out for me!


My life size Barney Shalif. A real joker!


Sabree - another nice young man


Singapore got talent!

Fun and gila time together

Enjoyed the bunch coming over my place

Yes, Peace Maimunah!

Drop by again.I love your company

Cream brownie for dessert

Little Red Riding Hood??

How much have they grown in wisdom and maturity!

Like a mum and a daughter photoshoot

Fooling around before tea

Thanks for the food, Madam!

Dishes influenced by Vietnames cooking

The high tea menu served to my students

Thanks for the visit and the memories folks!

My ex-students, Shafiq, Sabree, Shalif, Hairuddin and Maimunah paid me a visit today. They are a lovely bunch of young adults. I could see their growth in maturity since I had taught them since they were 12 and now 18. They never fail to lighten up my face when I was their social studies teachers three years ago. They are courteous, mild-mannered and hunger to paint a better future for themselves. I count myself lucky to have them in my class. Our ties are still strong even though they have left secondary school and are pursuing their tertiary education.

I prepared them high tea for their visit. Spaghetti, Basil Leaf Chicken, Pickled Cashew Nut Fish Ball and Cream Brownie were lovingly spread on the the dining table. They were bowled over by the choice and kept asking for second and third helping. It was a fantastic feeling to see them polish their plates and hearing them throwing praises at my cooking. That was a morning in the kitchen well-spent.