LUNCH @ KOTA TINGGI

SHOP AND LUNCH

My intention of driving up to Kota Tinggi was to catch hold of my tailor, Su. My previous trip did not bear any fruits as my tailor was away for a business commitment . This time round, I made an appointment to ensure that I would not end up in the same fate as my previous trip - futile. Fruitless? No! I came back armed with load of plastic bags with purchases. Traffic along the Kota Tinggi Road can be heavy with big lorries at noon. We did not want to be caught in the traffic snarl so had left early on that cool Saturday morning for a leisurely drive.

Standing in front of Su's shop, I scanned the small space of the crammed shop to spot her. Piles and piles of materials - lace, songket, organza, Thai silk, batik and satin had arrived. The shop was overfilling with tailor-made bajus and those new stock for the Hari Raya, most of which would find their way at Geylang Bazaar. It was not difficult to detect Su, as she would always be busy with her customers, recommending lovely materials and taking measurement of them. Looking a the riots of colours and the abundant stock of bajus and materials, I bet I could get lost in the shop. I could hardly find any standing place and had to manoeuvre my way between the heaps of materials and newly arrival stock for Hari Raya.

I chose several pieces of materials for Hari Raya suits and worked the design and pattern with my tailor. I love the evergreen baju kurung. It has its elegance and sophistication if you know how to carry it well. I never fail to make a few pieces of it for formal and office wear. To add more glamour, just string some pearls or long chains round your neck. Hey Presto! You have transformed yourself into a 'Datin Wannabe' instantaneously. Having done my selection, we left in search for a cafe to have lunch.

Kota Tinggi is a reminiscence of Arab Street in the 70s. Rows and rows of shops with little ventilation lined the roads selling materials, scarves, telekung (prayers garb), batik sarungs and ladies wear. The whirring of standing fans try their best to keep you cool but the heat can be unbearable on most days. The shops are mainly owned by the Cambodian Muslims (Kampucheans). The ladies are very fair and some have a peachy complexion. They converse in their own language amongst themselves.

We were directed to a new cafe by a pleasant looking salesgirl. It was quite inviting and its deco was simple. More importantly, it was clean and offered local dishes and western meal. My stomach was growling for meat. I had rib eye steak while mum ordered Mee Goreng Mamak. Hubby had white rice with sour fish and Tini had rice with sotong. Feeling satisfied with the meal and the friendly service, we tipped the waiter generously.

My next stopped was to get some of my blouses altered. I stumbled upon a shop which offered alteration services. The ladies did a fantastic job into giving my tops and blouses a much better fit. I left Kota Tinggi with more baju kurung suits. The price was irresistible - at RM 50 each. Who would not grab at that rock bottom price?

NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS AT YSS

I am so proud of my ex-student Nor Hakim who was awarded a law scholarship to study in a UK university. Great Hakim!

Felicia with me

I attended Felicia's graduation ceremony before she gave birth in March

A picture of diversity in a multi-racial Singapore

Aunty Gwen, Ms Lathika and Nor Hakim

August babies birthday celebration on the stage

Getting a slice of the rich chocolate cake

Ms Lathika is an August Baby

Sharukh received a movie pass as an August baby

Zhiyu too got a movie pass to unwind after the prelims

Surrounded by my students when they saw me in the hall

Former students whom I taught in previous years

A surprise visit from a former colleague

Sheera - a very lovely and sweet girl

You better give me good grades in CH boys!

The parent support group sold Nasi Briyani

The prefects sold cupcakes. Delicious!

Mr Raju's class sold second hand books

With friends whom I miss because of the attachment

Cheese girls and chill out as all had ended well

Great show girls for the 'Don't Forget The Lyrics'

SEA OF RED AND WHITE

I am now at Teachers Network for my ST attachment. It is for a term and I'm truly enjoying my stint there. It has been an enriching journey and I look forward to my days at TN daily. There are always new things to learn; be it from the school visits, the workshops and symposiums we attend or simply from the sharing we have with the officers and the six senior teachers who are with me. I will hopefully write on my experience on this attachment in another blog entry.

Since MOE headquarters had to scale down the National Day Celebrations and the number of participants, we were given permission to join our respective school for the celebrations. I dressed in my red and white attire and reported to school by 7.20am. Met my students and colleagues and joined in the fun for the day - the celebrations as well as the Enterprise Day programme where students became entrepreneurs for the day and sold stuff to help schoolmates. Part of the profits from the sale would go into the needy students' kitty fund. There was also the students vs the staff 'Don't Forget The Lyrics Competition'. Quite innovative and refreshing than the usual concert weused to have year after year. The organsing committee also had a birthday cake for the August babies. Old friends dropped by for a visit too! That was so heartwarming.

It was a sea of red and white everywhere in the school on that morning. Glad to be part of this red letter day!

RHD AT TN

747 STS ON RHD

THE SUNSHINE GIRLS

ATTACHMENT

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'

WHEN THE HUMANS RETREAT

A MEETING WITH A DIFFERENCE


The Humanities Department Teachers tried something different for their Mid Year June meeting. Instead of having it in school as we usually do, we headed towards Singapore Botanical Gardens on the morning of 26 June and had our reflective retreat there. I had not been to the gardens for a long time.

My last visit there was when Taman Serasi was still the hot spot for office workers to have their lunch and the evening crowd thronging there with families and fighting for places with the Glenagles Hospital visitors who dropped by after a visit at the hospital next to it. I remember having the best yong tau hu in town and snacking the roti john for tea. The satay was a real killer too and the mamak stall was a hit with the 'angmohs'. The father and son fresh juice stall was synonymous with Taman Serasi. Everyone would bound to order from them. Why do good things have to end? Now I could never find the same yong tau hu sold back then at Taman Serasi.

We started of with some internal reflections on how we could improve and strategise the department's plans and strategic thrusts. We played some games too to bring out teamwork spirit and finally strolled around the gardens, looking for designated locations to complete the reflective amazing race.

I happened to meet some colleagues who had retired from my former school that morning. That was truly unexpecting. The morning air was refreshing and the revisit to the gardens brought fond memories to me. I used to bring my two sons there when they were young. They would feed the swans and roll on the open green spaces.

After the debriefing and sharing of the learning points for the day, we thronged to Straits Kitchen @ Hyatt where we had booked ourselves for a well-deserved lunch.

We were spoilt for choices and dizzy by the well-spread of Northern Indian, Malay, Chinese and Peranakan dishes and not too mentioned the dessert to top your main meals. Since it is a Straits Kitchen, the dessert served are those you could mainly find in the olden days like love letters, banana fritters with gula melaka, kueh bangkit, pineapple tarts and chendol.

I gorged myself too much and my earlier plans to paint the town red and do some retail theraphy were thrown to the wind. I simply needed to go home and find my own retreat on my soft bed and lulled by the soft June breeze peeking thorugh my organza curtains.

A FISHY VIDEO

THE FISH PHILOSOPHY

Get the fun out from watching the video

THE ACTUAL ORGANISATION (FOR PREVIEW ONLY)