Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa

(Edisi Terhad)

Sudah 5 hari peperiksaan akhir Bahasa Inggeris untuk pelajar2 semester 1 berakhir. Dan sudah 5 hari jugalah aku sibuk memeriksa kertas peperiksaan Bahasa Inggeris pelajar2ku. Semester ini, bilangan pelajar dalam satu kelas agak ramai iaitu sebanyak 40 orang satu kelas. Disebabkan aku mengajar 2 kelas yang budaknya 40 orang, dan satu kelas 17 orang.. terpaksalah aku menanda dalam 97 skrip jawapan. Dan dalam 97 skrip jawapan yang ditanda, dalam separuh skrip yang eseinya aku conteng dgn pen merah besar-besar gara2 pelajar yang tidak mengikuti cara penulisan esei yang betul. Tidak termasuk lagi yang keluar tajuk dan menulis benda yang merapu2 dan mengarut2...Ha3. Alhamdulillah, segalanya berjalan lancar dan berakhir sudah tugas pengajaranku semester ini. Cuma perlu memasukkan markah dan gred secara online dan mengemaskini port-folio pengajaran.

Mungkin ada antara pembaca blog yang tertanya2 mengapa aku menulis dalam Bahasa Melayu dalam entri kali ini. Sebenarnya, sudah lama aku berhasrat menulis menggunakan bahasa ibunda sendiri tetapi tidak berkesempatan. Maklumlah, jadual harianku sejak bekerja memerlukan aku berkomunikasi dan menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris, jadi pengaruh utk menulis dalam bahasa penjajah ini lebih tinggi daripada menggunakan bahasa pertuturan sendiri. Semasa mengajar di dalam kelas, rasanya amat jarang aku bertutur dlm bahasa Melayu. Kalau tidak silap, memang aku tidak bercakap dlm bahasa Melayu langsung ketika berada di dalam kelas. Sekiranya telefon bimbit berbunyi ketika mengajar, aku tetap berbual dengan si pemanggil dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Kebanyakan yang menelefon pula adalah rakan-rakan dari jabatanku, jadi tidak hairan lah jika aku tidak menggunakan Bahasa Melayu. Ada sekali ibuku dari Perak menelefonku di dalam kelas dan apabila aku mula berbual dlm Bahasa Melayu, pelajar2ku tersenyum2 memasang telinga memberi perhatian. Mungkin ia sesuatu yang pelik untuk mereka agaknya. Dan ada antaranya yang memberi komen seperti, "Miss, this is our first time to listen to you speaking in Malay." dan juga "Miss, you sound like a Mat Salleh speaking Malay. It sounds so different." Dan yang paling buat aku ketawa besar, ada juga yang menyangka aku berdarah campuran (Tidak mengapalah..tetapi yang pasti, aku mmg ada keturunan Arab dan Bugis).

Secara jujur, aku memang bangga bertutur dan menulis dalam bahasa ibundaku. Semasa di sekolah, aku sering mendapat markah paling tinggi dalam subjek BM kerana minatku yang mendalam dalam menulis dan membaca novel dan majalah BM. Ibu bapaku juga guru Bahasa Melayu. Di sekolah, mereka sering melanggan dan membawa pulang majalah Dewan Pelajar, Dewan Siswa dan Dewan Masyarakat untuk bacaan di rumah. Kami juga melanggan Utusan Malaysia (dan sekarang kami bertukar ke Berita Harian) dan juga majalah popular Mastika. Dari kecil, aku mengasah perbendaharaan kata melalui pembacaan akhbar, majalah, buku akademik dan novel. Namun, tiada siapa pula yang melanggan Readers Digest, The Sun, The New Straits Times dan novel Bahasa Inggeris ketika aku kecil. Tiada siapa juga di rumah yang betul2 bertutur Bahasa Inggeris denganku sewaktu aku di sekolah rendah. Aku masih ingat, aku gemar meminjam buku Bahasa Inggeris dari perpustakaan sekolah sejak darjah 5 kerana cikgu memilihku untuk menyertai Projek Nilam. Waktu zaman persekolahanku, terdapat pelbagai projek yang menginginkan pelajar sekolah rendah mengambil bahagian dan aku adalah antara yang suka menyertainya =)

Semasa darjah 5, cikgu ada bertanyakanku apakah cita-citaku. Aku memberitahunya, "Saya nak jadi cikgu. Sebab nak berbakti kepada masyarakat." kataku tanpa berfikir panjang. "Kamu nak jadi cikgu apa?"Cikgu bertanya lagi. Aku menjawab, "Saya nak jadi cikgu kat universiti. Nak mengajar Bahasa Inggeris. " kataku lagi. Cikgu aku menggangguk dan berkata, "Oh, kalau begitu, kamu nak jadi pensyarah Bahasa Inggeris la." "Ye, cikgu." Aku menjawab.

Dan kini, apabila matapelajaran Sains dan Matematik diajar dlm Bahasa Inggeris, ramai yang tidak setuju dengan cadangan ini dan ramai juga yang menyokong. Bagiku, aku lebih suka belajar Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa ibundaku walaupun aku mengajar bahasa Inggeris kerana aku percaya ramai pelajar Melayu yang berpotensi untuk berjaya walaupun menggunakan Bahasa Melayu sendiri. Ibuku yang berkerja di sekolah cina selalu mengatakan bahawa, pencapaian pelajar cina tinggi kerana mereka mengikuti tuisyen sains dan matematik menggunakan bahasa ibunda mereka sndiri iaitu bahasa cina.

Walau apa pun pendapat orang ramai, aku percaya semuanya bermula dari usaha kita sendiri. Tidak perlu memberikan apa2 alasan jika kita ingin berjaya. bagiku, setiap orang punyai potensi sendiri untuk berjaya dan jika kita lemah dalam sesuatu bidang, perlulah kita berusaha dengan pelbagai alternatif untuk berjaya.

Aku sayangkan Bahasa Melayu. Tiada siapa yang boleh menaikkan martabat bahasa kita jika bukan kita sendiri =)

Sekian.

Puteri Salju xxx.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Happy Teacher's Day!

"Engineers deal with machines. But teachers deal with human beings with 1001 attitudes everyday"

Anyone who becomes a teacher would deeply comprehend this statement. Those who are now working in a primary school would know the hassle of handling bunch of small children with their own intractable, immovable manners.. (Not to mention kids who pee in class/leave the shits in the toilet bowls or pulling each others' hair) And no matter how cute a child is, he/she might be a monster to others. Thus, this could be the reason why i avoided teaching in a primary school. LOL. And those who are teaching in a secondary school on the other hand would encounter more disciplinary problems that covers the issues of drugs, smoking, bullying and etc. And among those people are absolutely my parents who have been spending more than 30years as secondary school teachers. Dear Mom and Dad, now i know why you were so strict to us during our school years.

Now, it seems that i'm following my parents' path but i'm not teaching in a school. Despite the difference, the burden is the same because i believe lectures/teachers are both educators that not only teach but deliver virtous message, which help students to adapt moral values. But to tell you the truth, my secondary school years were not a really pleasant one. And of course if you asked me whether i miss school or not, i would say.. yes, but i mean the friends and the fun, not the teachers.LOL. *bad student (i hope my ex-teachers in secondary school are not reading my blog.haha) But of course there are some teachers that i enjoyed having classes with, such as my Bahasa Melayu, Sejarah and Pendidikan Islam teachers. I admitted that my low performance in Pure science subjects while in Form 4 and 5 was because of the feeling of hatred and annoyed to some teachers who loved to preach, rather than teaching. And there were some who favoured brilliant students and neglect the weaker ones who needed more attention. I wish i could talk more about it but there are cases which i think is not so appropriate to be discussed here due to saving the face of certain people, so i leave to my readers to ponder themselves about it. And starting from that day, i told myself to try my best to give equal attention to every student, help the weaker ones with whatever i can and practice what i preach to ensure my students becoming comprehensive individuals.

Actually, i wanna share a part of poem written by Usman Awang entitled Guru Oh Guru (1979) given by my Dad which inspires me most in this teaching field.


GURU OH GURU

Berburu ke Padang Datar

dapat rusa belang kaki

berguru kepalang ajar

ibarat bunga kembang tak jadi

Jika hari ini

Seorang perdana menteri berkuasa

Jika hari ini

Seorang raja menaiki takhta

Jika hari ini

Seorang Ulama' yang mulia

Jika hari ini

Seorang peguam menang bicara

Jika hari ini

Seorang penulis terkemuka

Jika hari ini

Siapa sahaja menjadi dewasa

Sejarahnya dimulakan oleh seorang guru biasa

dengan lembut sabarnya

mengajar tulis baca .


To all teachers in the world, you are one of the kind. May you gain inspiration each day while teaching your students. My deepest thank you to my kindergarten teachers who had been so much help in educating a young stubborn child like me and others who shower me love and comforts while learning in schools. Thank you very2X much! xxx

Friday, April 23, 2010

Updates for my Loyal Readers!

After about one month and 2weeks of a great hibernation, i feel it is a "NEED" for me to update this blog due to some requests from my regular customers/visitors. Haha. I never knew i had a bunch of fans, thank you very much for supporting my blog, particularly my writing though sometimes it is a bit crappy and dragging out of topics. In my last post, i bragged about the activity i had with my culinary students when everyone was asked to compare the American and British vocabulary, discuss the British culture and brainstorm the ideas about "Life in Britain" before they send me the email about their personal opinions. However, i noticed the response and comments from the readers are very low and i conclude that others are more interested to read about my personal life, rather than my teaching activity. Ha3.. Dear loyal audience, do verify my statement.

Last two days, i posted something that sounds controversy on my facebook which is- People are more impressed when someone says "Hi everyone! I play music, write poetry and speak three languages" than "Hi, I play video games and learn Maths and physics." My aim to post this on my wall is to emphasize the importance of learning art to instill creativity since it relates to special abilities and skills. Howver, it makes my sis Syamimi feels not-so-comfortable on her seat when she responded by claiming that Literature people are prone to bipolar disorder! <--how intimidating this statement is. Then, we ended up a virtual war till each other is tired of fighting for further arguments. For those who are not aware, bipolar disorder is known as manic depression causes serious mood changes and hypertension that leads to suicide. Thus, i assume this explains why some writers like Virginia Woolf and others who i cant remember the names (blame me for my short-term memory) died in a very interesting way - tying a huge rock on the hips to go deep into the river, jumping down from the high building etc. ALthough it is recorded that musicians, poets, writers and artists contributed to this symptoms a lot, i believe these people are those who diverted from the path of God, the ones who did not know how to handle stress and choose to end their lives by committing suicide. My objective is for a scientist to take Ibn Sina as an idol, a medical doctor whose name is famous in the Islamic civilization but writes a lot of literary work that contributes to the Prophetic sirah. And of course Islam encourages the believers to promote wasatiah/balanced life, to practice science but art together because this blends a comprehensive individual. And trust me, this is how the Jews work, and no wonder why they conquer the science and technology, control the global finance, dominate the world news and monopolize the art and films.

Well, enough story about that.Actually, i wanna share about the gathering i had with my part 6 students last night at Anjung Cafe.I cant believe that they are going to graduate this sem (They were my 1st batch in my teaching career, so u can imagine how old i feel!) And this is my main reason why i update this blog today.hehe. But since i babbled a lot about the Facebook war, it would be better to make this simple and sweet. So, I wanna say a huge "thank you's" to my beloved Electrical engineering students (40 boys+3 girls) for organizing such an unforgettable gathering. It was really honoured to be one of the VIPs, the food was irresistable and the karaoke session was really2x fun! Howver, I know that every beginning must have an end. I enjoyed every single moment to be your part 1 BEL lecturer in dungun (but same as me, we transfered to Penang in the following sem) and thank you for inviting me, my dear students for your so-called graduation night since this is your last semester. I know you guys remain in my heart forever, and thank you for considering me as part of the CLUB! Photos to be uploaded are on the way soon :)


It's lunch hour now, i gotta go to cook. I misssss.......my own fried mee. Drop me a call if u wanna order.haha.

At last, i was able to upload my own fried mee photo. Believe me, it tasted great despite the dull presentation due to the lack of colourful veggies and drops of soy sauce. Guess it's a sign for me to go shopping for groceries this weekend!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Life in Britain

English tea and biscuits

Most of my students are really interested in the British life though many spend most of their time watching movies directed by the Americans. However, i was surprised that there are those who find British life as fascinating and some indulge themselves in the literary works too such as Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twists and others. In our English class at the language lab 2 this morning (though only half came due to the exam fever), we discussed about the history of English language and the comparison of British and American vocabulary as an initiative to understand the British culture. As a follow-up activity, I requested them to send me an email responding to this question:

"Which information of the British life In England,Scotland, wales and northen island attracts you most (music, movie, food etc)? Comment."


Response 1

"lady puteri" ladyputeri48@gmail.com

hai there mis,its me,liza,i've got somethin 2 u...RELIGION IN BRITISH..isnt it sound intresting 2?
4 ur info,religion are:
Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
it attract me coz their beleif make me wanna hve a big laugh...they know the truth relly is...bit still they wanna pretend...but i wonder 4 wat..dats all from me..bye mis,thbx 4 all ur knowlgde that u hve teach me...its so useful...a im wanna apologive if im making a mistake.bye mis,wish me luck 4 da exam ..pray 4 me..thnx a lot..



Doughnuts

Response 2
From: kamil azizi" car_mail91@yahoo.com
Which information about the British life in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland attracts you most?
Absolutely I can say football will attract me most. It is because I very like to play and watching football. Especially England football team. It is because the player for England football team is so good. Like an example is David Beckham, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Wayne Rooney and many more. This players is so professional and intelligence. I wonder that maybe I could see, shake hand, and played with all the England football players. Second is, I attract with England country. I wonder to go to England and spent very interesting time there with my special girlfriend (if I have one lah).haha..
I wonder to life in a British life, play with the snow with future girlfriend, go to the clubbing with my crazy friend (haha), watch the football game with my nerd friend, life happily with all my family, and many more..
That is from Muhammad kamil azizi bin jamali.
Thank you for reading or checking this crazy letter.haha

Response 3

"Areef Mahamood" areef222@ymail.com

For my opinion, the most attraction about British life is their movie. Of course my hobby is watching movie so I can see a lot of difference between English and American movie. When I watch British movie I like to pronounce one of the word when the actor or actress talking or say some word that sometimes quite funny when they pronounce that word and sometimes I making fun of it, for example like ‘slimy’, ’bloody’ and something else.
I think American slang corrupt the natural of English and that’s why I like British English more. some British terms are now used in the USA. This is probably due to travel and the wide exchange of TV programmes etc.
That's all for me, thank you.(",)

Areef Mahamood
2009961809
DCA1B1


Snow in England


Response 4

"norawatif mohd yusob"nmy_sakura89@yahoo.com nmy_sakura89@yahoo.com

I like to travel because from the travel i know about cultural and races in other countries.For example,I like sabahan cultures.This is because it have many bumiputra races such as bajau,kadazan dusun, rungus and malay.I like very much sabah. There,I like the food such as chicken wing roast.kuih cincin and kuih amplang. The picture is about simpang mengayau.
I miss it so much.


Response 5

liysa_nicegurl91@yahoo.com.my
Which information about the british life in England,Scotland,wales and northen island attracts you most?
the most thing attract me about British life in England is the weather.This is because,here in Malaysia i cant get this weather.With a low temperature 4 C,and 17 C as the higher temperature there.
England is a country that get four season like autumn,spring,winter and summer.it will be a good thing i be there with this weather.i can play with the snow,looking the fallen leaves,and the grow of beautiful flower.
If i get chance i will go there to feel the experience.
NUR LISA

Spring in Hyde Park

Response 6

From: Wan
I choose England because it attract me the most. Its food attracts me although Britain doesn't have the best of reputations for its food, the people of Britain do in fact enjoy an enormously varied diet. And, although, its cuisine might not be world-renowned it would be a mistake to completely ignore its delights. The british people taking their breakfast which called "Full English Breakfast' such as toasted bread,bacon,eggs and milk.Their breakfast is different from Malaysia people.

English breakfast


Response 7
For me England attracts me most because there have a beautiful countries and very unique. Iam very exciting if I have invite to go there.I also like their foods very much. In addition I have learned about how to cook their food. When I have enough money I will spend all my holiday in this countries with my beloved family immediately. I hope so.Thats all for from farah khalidah bt fesol. TQ and i love you very much..


Response 8
"nur hashikin Mohamad" nurhashikinmohamad@yahoo.com
england attracts me most because their beutiful country,good place n i want visit their country..their country also big n beutiful..i hope i will going in england..i want fell eat,shopping and anything else can i release tention..that all for me..nur hashikin bt mohamad..tq,miss syakirah


Response 9

from: nor faraheen bt abu hasan
group: dc1 b2
I love music and I would memorize the lyrics of the song.
I will also try to understand the lyrics of the song
England attracts me most because their music, buildings,interesting place that i really want to visit and also their foods. i like their creative buildings and its look very beautiful when i see at picture.besides that i want to feel every season at England for example autumn, winter and also snow. their foods i think also very delicious and looks luxurious because i has learn a bit more about their food preparation.

Tea-time

Response 10

"Fatin Norsyazwan" fatinnorsyazwani@yahoo.com
The most thing that attract me is their cinema. They have creative idea to make their story interesting to watch and their imagination in making the story, the technolology they have used make me impress about their job. I also like their winter season because i have never feel how the winter is.....


FATIN NORSYAZWANI BINTI MOHD ARIFFIN
2009343305
DK1B2


Response 11

"Abdul Adzim" abdul_adzim91@yahoo.com
I think I like cinema because like watch the james bond movie,sherlock holmes, bridget jones's and many more movie british that i like. I like to hear they speak it's like i to want to speak like they speak hehehe..
AL'


Response 12

beeha ." honey_beeha91@yahoo.com
dead_candles@yahoo.com
The things that attract me about british life is their holidays and specials occasion. It is because, they have very beutiful place and different in our country. They have alot of historical place that we can visit with family and know about the history. We also know about the country very well.
Tq. - hani nabihah-

London Bridge


Response 13
Nur Aqilah Abd Salam" sheffz03_qila@yahoo.com
About the British life in the UK, in my opinion the thing that attacts me the most is their education. The reason for this is, their government is constantly improving their education system to create a better education environment for students. Also, for me that have had experience studying in a school in England, they use advanced technology for teaching, the kind of technology that can be found in universities here in Malaysia.

from Aqilah


Response 14

"Muhammad Ainnudeen Mohammad Anuar" rdeen_rd2891@yahoo.com
In my opinion, i like the the action of the actors of british drama and movies such as Sherlock Holmes and James Bond 007. This two characters are very famous among the world. From the beginning movies of James Bond, the main actor, Sean Connery becomes an idol to the children since 1964. Then, in this new era of globalization, the new actor of James Bond, Daniel Craig had change the persfective of the character of James Bond.

Ainnudeen


Response 15
"mohd jamaluddin" kimen_024@yahoo.com
in my opinion i like british lifestyle especially in food and bevarage...i love to learn their recipe on bakery and cookies..its so delicious!..yumm3!.

from jamal bdk baik..dk1b2:)


Response 16

"Muhammad Azlan" labu_911031@yahoo.com

I like The Beatles because I hear and sing their song everyday. My favorite song from the band is Yesterday. For the British Comedy , I like Mr. Bean because his jokes is really tickling and makes me laugh. Thank you.

From Azlan(2009725047), DK1B1

Fish and chips

Response 17


"Lyana Lya" lyana115@yahoo.com
British music realy attracts me because their music is interesting and their type of music is the kind that i like and it didn't make me bored although i listen to it many times. i like british band for example like 'keane' , 'muse' and 'coldplay'.

From: Nur Liyana Bt Kamarul Ariffin
Uitm id :2009529293
Group: dk1b


Response 18
"Ameerah Mira" myralava@yahoo.com

England attracts me most because their music, buildings,interesting place that i really want to visit and also their foods. i like their creative buildings and its look very beautiful when i see at picture.besides that i want to feel every season at England for example autumn, winter and also snow. their foods i think also very delicious and looks luxurious because i has learn a bit more about their food preparation.



Traditional English Afternoon Tea


Thank you to all my students for all the responses. I hope you have gained some knowledge on our discussion about English culture today and may all your wishes and dreams come true ;) See you next week for the English drama performance.

Love,
Miss Syakira xxx

Friday, April 2, 2010

IIUM in memory


International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) is indeed a garden of knowledge and virtue.
We seek for the knowledge, preserve the virtue and graduate as a complete individual - morally, physically and spiritually. In IIUM, we strenghten our brotherhood through multicultural events, international conferences and sport tournaments.
The Holy Quran is always our primary source and light of guidance.
I miss UIA.
I really do.

Students' testimonies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeN0dqUvXoE