The tournament hall

Tumpat District Selection

After two grueling days, 24 players selected for the district chess team. Congratulations to the winners. The names are:

u-18 Male Category

1. Muhd Nuramin (SMA Falahiah)

2. Abdul Haiyi (SM Mahmud Muhyiddin)
3. Badrul Munir (SMA Falahiah)
4. Arif (SMA Falahiah)
5. Muhd Alif (SMK Wakaf Bharu)
6. Wan Muhd Zikri (SMK Tumpat)

u-18 Female Category

1. Wan Nurhazirah (SM Mahmud Muhyiddin)

2. Marlida (SM Mahmud Muhyiddin)
3. Fatin Amira Syakiera (SMK Geting)
4. Nur Faizzeen (SMK Wakaf Bharu)
5. Tg. Haryani Norlaini (SMK Chabang Empat)
6. Siti Sarah (SMK Tumpat)

u-12 Male Category

1. Amir Syariefudden (SK Chabang Empat)

2. Wan Muhd Syazwi (SK Kutan)
3. Muhd Alham Zuhri (SK Chabang Empat)
4. Muhd Zaiful Zulhizman (SK Chabang Empat)
5. Muhd Ikram (SK Palekbang)
6. Nasrul Ubaidillah (SK Kampung Laut)

u-12 Female Category

1. Wan Nur Fatin Athirah (SK Kampung Laut)

2. Siti Zubaidah (SK Kampung Laut)
3. Anis Nadhirah (SK Kampung Laut)
4. Nur Nadzirah (SK Kampung Laut)
5. Nur Amani Balqis (SK Kutan)
6. Wan Nur Nadira (SK Palekbang)

Praise be to Allah, the tournament was a success in the finding the representatives for the Tumpat district to compete in the upcoming state selection on 8-10 April at Pasir Puteh. Overall, the level of play was good, and can be upgraded through the central training which will be held at the end of this month. However, the turnout was not very good; only several primary and secondary schools sent their players. Maybe because of the students are having their March test right now, so the teachers did not bother to send their team. If we are to find the best talent there is, all schools must send their best, so that the selected players are from the best we can find, not from a bunch of players. Nevertheless, most of the selected were in the team to last year's game in Jeli, so that's why I said earlier that the tournament was a success. Hopefully the central training will do them good, and in turn the players will be state players in the near future.

Tg Haryani Norlaini (SMKCE)

As for my school, there is only one representative from the girls u-18, Tg Haryani. Ahmad Zul Khairi could not maintain his momentum from the first day and succumbed to 2 defeats today, thus missed out on a ticket to the states.

Pictures from the event:

SMK Chabang Empat

SMK Wakaf Bharu

SK Kutan

Happy 2nd Birthday, My Beloved Son!

Last night, we celebrated my son's second birthday. It was a simple occasion, with a big cake (with a toy car on top) and several guests only - Ayah Su, Su 'A and their 4 sons. 'Ammar cut the cake after a long wait for his Mama To' to come back from Budiman and divided it to all the guests. Then, he played the balloons. He looked happy, despite the scar on his cheek because of the incident in the kitchen.

Sorry Ummi, they wrongly spelled 'Ammar's name.

Shatranj

I wrote this today. It has been a long time since my last piece of art. The rustiness is everywhere. Shatranj means 'chess' in Arabic Language.

Beware of POWER ROOT Scam!

I received a SMS today from +60145612949 with this exact extract:

"TAHNIAH"No. Simp-card anda B'jaya menangi ('RM10.000,00') dr:'POWER ROOT' No.Seri_f2e547c Sila CALL.Office: 013 863 5351 MOH.ISKANDAR BIN ISMAIL. Terimakasih.

I browsed the Internet, and I found an interesting comment by OCL here. Make sure you do not succumb to this kind of scam. Always be careful. Nothing is FREE in this materialistic world. The best thing to do is whether to ignore and delete it, or report it to the police.

A Week in Sports

SMKCE organized a week in sports, starting with the Sukantara on Sunday (21/2/2010) and Monday (22/2/2010), the rehearsal on Tuesday (23/2/2010) and the Olahraga (athletics) on Wednesday (24/2/2010). It was an eventful week pitting the Putrans (wearing red), Satrians (yellow), Wajans (green) and the Wirans (blue) against each other on the track for 100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m, 800m, 1500m and 3000m. They also competed on the field for the high jump, long jump, discus throw and the shot put. Apart from that, the last day of the Sports Week also included the tug of war, the marching, the cheerleading, and the tent competitions. The overall winners were (in order of the most accumulated points) Putra, Satria, Waja and Wira.

My task was to prepare Wira students for marching, and I thought we did an excellent job of portraying the 1 Malaysia theme through our 5 minutes customary play in front of the grandstand. However, we did not win the march, but won the tent and cheerleading competition instead. My other task was to be in charge of the emergency tent, which resulted in me getting into the ambulance to escort a student who passed out due to not having proper breakfast before immersing himself into 3 running events!

Nevertheless, amidst the enjoyment, sadly to say that the initial event was supposedly to be officiated by an outside official, but a circular was said to be adhered to saying that no sports event is to be held before the 1st of June! (I've yet to find this particular circular on the net) Thus, the event was officiated by our own principal, Pn. Nik Hasnah Nik Li.

Pictures:

Laughter, The Best Medicine

I always like a good joke. However, I like it better when it is a natural one, not created by the funny minds. It is always hilarious to see funny things happen naturally in a days work. Like this video shows, the defenders shared it at the end of receiving a funny goal.

Streamyx or Celcom Broadband?

Last week I installed Streamyx at my home. In the mean time, I'm still paying for two Celcom Broadband accounts; one for my use and one for my wife. Economically speaking, I'm not a very wealthy man, being only a government servant, thus terminating one of the Celcom account is a must. But, not after I calculated all the pros and cons, that I've decide upon installing Streamyx.

Streamyx:
Pros: Very fast, with 1.0 Mbps download speed.
Cons: Not portable. RM100/month.

Celcom Broadband:
Pros: Portable. RM68/month.
Cons: Only 384 Kbps (at area with 3G)

CHESS IS BACK!

I cannot help but smile broadly when the DPM announced that RM89 mil will be allocated for sports development in school, and for the 24 sports under MSSM to be held unhindered. This is in line with his vision for sports to be a policy in schools. He has lived up to his words to help sports in school when he was shocked by Tunku Tan Sri Imran's revelation about the scrapped sports from MSSM calendar. All the efforts taken by the bloggers to condemn the exclusion of chess from the MSSM calendar have been fruitful. All the teachers and coaches will be very grateful and enthusiastic hearing this news, and all the students will be very eager to continue their training. See you in MSSM! Speaking of which, where will it be held this year?

Donation Needed

Pondok Tahfiz Kampung Padang Bongor, Tanah Merah, Kelantan is in need of donation to finish their buildings. Those who would like to know more about the pondok can surf their blog / website or contact these numbers:

019-9244157
013-9714109
019-9634478

e-mails: nasharuddin_alazmi@yahoo.com / adkabe83@yahoo.com


All donations can be deposited in these bank accounts:

03054010020678 (Bank Islam)
553056007684 (Maybank)
171001080811073 (Al-Rajhi Bank)


Remember that the rewards for your donations and charity will not stop even after your death (al-hadith)

SELECTION FOR SMKCE CHESS PLAYERS

This Saturday (30th January 2010) there will be a selection for SMKCE students who want to represent their school in this year's competition. I don't know whether there will be a good turnout, but I will train only those who are willing to sacrifice their time. I am told that last year's representative already finished his study, so I have to find new talents. The format of the selection will be chosen according to the number of students.

Details:

Date: 30th January 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00 a.m.
Venue: To' Beta Hall, SMKCE

Did Micheal Jackson Sing 'Give Thanks to Allah'?

I was fooled all this while. But you will be too when you listen to the song. The voice is so similar that you will not think twice and believe that a certain Micheal Jackson (picture left) sings the song. However, it did perplexed me because the pronunciation of the Arabic words was so perfect along with the correct makhraj that it is nearly impossible that a convert can say it very well.

The real singer is Zain Bhikha (picture right) in an album 'Towards the Light'.

The lyrics:

Give thanks to Allah,
for the moon and the stars
praise Him all day for
what is and what was.
Take hold of your imaan
don't give in to shaitan
oh you who believe please give thanks to Allah.
Allahu Ghafur Allahu Rahim Allahu yuhibu al Mohsinin, huwa Khalikhuna huwa Razikhuna wa hua ala kulli shaiin qadir
Allah is Ghafur Allah is Rahim Allah is the one who loves the Muhsinin,
He is our Creator, He is our Sustainer and He is the one who has power over all.

Give thanks to Allah,
for the moon and the stars
praise Him all day for
what is and what was.
take hold of your imaan
don't give in to shaitan
oh you who believe please give thanks to Allah.
Allahu Ghafur Allahu Rahim Allahu yuhibu al Mohsinin, huwa Khalikhuna huwa Razikhuna wa hua ala kulli shaiin qadir

Allah is Ghafur Allah is Rahim Allah is the one who loves the Muhsinin,
He is our Creator, He is our Sustainer and He is the one who has power over all.

Singer: Zain Bhikha
www.zainbhikha.com

Sadness in My Heart

I am human after all. Tears rolled down my cheeks throughout my driving from my in-laws at Tanah Merah to my house at Kota Bharu. I've never been this sad all my life; I scarcely remember when I last felt this feeling. Listening to his cry when I was about to leave him made me want to burst out crying myself. I will surely miss our day together; playing football, pushing toy cars, and taking him for a drive in my Avanza. It is hard living life like this, but I must accept it for now. Hopefully we will be together in the future, my son, insha Allah.

New Literature Materials

This year, we will have new materials for literature. Form 4 students this year will study 2 poems:

In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin
He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

They also have to read 2 short stories:

QWERTYUIOP by Vivien Alcock
The Fruitcake Special by Frank Brennan

A drama with the title 'Gulp and Gasp' by John Townsend

A novel 'Catch Us if You Can' is meant for Form 5 students

They also have to study 2 poems:

Nature by H. D. Carberry
Are You Still Playing Your Flute by Zurinah Hassan

SMKCE Song

Indah berseri panorama
Sekolah kebanggaan kita
Berlajar bermain bersama
Sekata mencapai cita

Bersepadu semaikan budaya
Disiplin jati diri
Patuhi para pendidik
Berkat sepanjang masa

Hormatilah ibu bapa
Taat agama setia bangsa
Janji mestilah dikota
Menjadi pelajar terbilang

SMK Chabang Empat
Tonggak kecemerlangan kita
Menuju puncak dunia
Warisi gemilang Negara

Berilmu beramal berjasa
Amalan kita bersama
Pembentuk generasi perkasa
Teguh tekad kita jayakan
Teguh tekad kita jayakan

Song & lyrics: Mohd Azmi b Awang
Music: Khairi Kerbak

New Year, New School, New Resolutions

I will start the year at my new school, SMK Chabang Empat, Tumpat, being an exemplary English teacher for form 4 and 5 students.

I will upgrade my daily usage of English.

I will try to improve my chess knowledge in order to become a better coach.

I will shed some kilos (hopefully 1okgs) by the year end.

More important of all, I will better my devotions to the Almighty.

May Allah grants me the strength, Insha Allah.

An Unbelievable Ending!

Last night I played an incredible ending in a fabulous game of Scrabble with an online opponent, Dina. She was leading me all the way from the start and it became worse when I made 3 tile changes during the course of the game because of ugly tiles on my rack. We finally arrived at this position when I need at least 57 points to overtake her (diagram):


I shuffled my rack and found ENIGMAS, but there was no obvious place to put the bingo away. Coupled with damning computer freezing making it hard to validate words for possible hook, I was only focused on putting something on the Triple Letter square at the bottom right of the board. I tried many other words because ENIGMASER is not a valid word, but nothing was successful. Placing something other than a bingo would hand her the move and possibly the game. Suddenly, after restarting the Firefox thrice, I found a hook at the bottom left of the board, placing A to BUTS with ABUTS being a valid word. I slammed ENIGMAS for 81 points to win the game.



Here is the whole game for your pleasure:

Dina (D) vs Yours Truly (Y)

D: DIVE 16pts
Y: TI, WAIT, ID 16pts

D: AYE, WE 23pts
Y: YE, WEY 22pts

D: YES, QUIDS 33pts
Y: YOK, OYES 26pts

D: DIVER, RUG 14pts
Y: ZING 34pts

D: IF, ZO, ROOF 30pts
Y: exchange 3 tiles

D: SPIN, ZINGS 25pts
Y: SPINE, DEALING 77pts

D: HUED, SPINED, DE 36pts
Y: MAGS 24pts

D: WARM 18pts
Y: AH, JA 30pts

D: AVE, EQUIDS 27pts
Y: exchange 2 tiles

D: FAVE, FED 21pts
Y: ED, RERAN, NOYES, RE 17pts

D: REP, BAP 19pts
Y: TA, AW, ER, PRATE 23pts

D: ZOO, RE, OX, EXO 45pts
Y: exchange 3 tiles

D: TIC, TRUG 12pts
Y: ODE, LAH, LOON 18pts

D: BUTS, TICS 18pts
Y: REN, OXO, LINO 21pts

D: DIVERT, CHIT 27pts
Y: ABUTS, ENIGMAS 81pts

adjustment 7

From Gua Musang to Tumpat

Today I went to my would-be new school SMK Chabang Empat, Tumpat. It is a big school housing more than 2000 pupils with two sessions of schooling; morning session starts at 7.30 a.m. and evening session starts at 1.00 p.m. I reported myself to the headmistress, Mrs Nik Hasnah, who expressed her gratitude of receiving an English teacher. She hoped that the new environment will not deter me from working with integrity and sincerity.

Tambun (Again!)

This time I brought my in-laws to the water park. Initially, I was anxious of the ever-changing wheather, and was wildly wondering whether the weather is where the weather should be. Leaving the Tanah Merah house at 5 a.m., we travelled through Gerik and arrived to find the sunny weather at Tambun at noon. We checked in Sun Inns at 5 p.m. after playing our hearts out at the park and head for Cameron Highlands the next day. It was an enjoyable experience, hopefully to be repeated in the near future.

Time for pics:

My Student's Best Effort

This is my student's best effort for her English lesson. Try to understand the essay, it's enjoyable, really. Plus, it is really rare to find a student at the school who will write this long.

Last school holiday, I and family opportunity finish time altogether grandfather and grandmother at village. We village place at Kota Bharu Kelantan. Reason we related return village have for to visit grandfather and grandmother who rich far from we. Beside that also, we agong to visit sibling advance who complete old no encounter.

Arrive at there, grandfather and grandmother welcome return we related. With smile who sweet we shake hand with grandfather and grandmother. At there we earn looking scenery what intensely see and interesting. Foresee paddy-field who spread out broad at there shere amaze with scenery who see. We also earn looking will raillery who green encompass village we.

At cleave afternoon, grandfather bring we orchard fruit. Correct at break never this season fruit at village we. Diverse fruit who looking cook see fruit watermelon, fruit mango, fruit durian and fruit mangosteen. Free cite fruit we altogether return at house and rest.

At tomorrow morning, I, brother and sister go at river akin friend who dissimilar see zuki, aiman, siti and mira for angle fish. We also agong finish time akin they because we guess diaphanous encounter already old omit at Kuala Lumpur. For add anew happiness we, we catch finish with applied net and casting-net. Looking many fish who hung at net we see catfish.

At time afternoon again, grandfather bring we encompass village while looking area livestock animals see cow, goat, bird and rabbit. We earn looking see animal at there. Brother catch photo bird camel and bird peacock for at become memory when we return at Kuala Lumpur bide.

Already one week we leave at there, nowadays arrive time for we return at Kuala Lumpur for back to school. Feel happy convert become sorrow looking at to mak smooth or fine lineament grandfather and grandmother before we family omit. We so very happy when rich at village although happen assume it one memory who sweet and no earn we forget. - Anonymous

Timing Chain or Timing Belt?

I am driving a Toyota Avanza 1.3 Manual transmission with a mileage of 87+++ and I am concern about changing the timing belt. But after reading through several articles, I found that my Avanza does not use a timing belt, instead it uses a timing chain. The timing chain, however, does not need regular change (1) and has an almost infinite operating life (2). The only time to change the chain is when the mechanics found it to have been worn out (3). Luckily, the VVT-i technology lessen my worry. It varies the timing and applies oil automatically to the chain (4), resulting in extending its lifespan.

Learn From Nature

It is out of His Mercy that He has put for you night and day, that you may rest therein (i.e. during the night) and that you may seek of His Bounty (i.e. during the day), and in order that you may be grateful. - Al-Qasas : 73

Guess How Much is This Doughnut?

Last week I went to Pekan Kedai Lalat to accompany my mother buying some breakfast. It was the same as always - full of people, especially on Fridays - because the merchandise there are quite cheap, in my opinion. I was surprise when I asked for the price of the doughnuts, as big as my palm, which was sold at 4 pieces for RM1. That amounts to RM0.25 for each, and I bet you will not find doughnuts that big anywhere, which should cost RM0.50 each elsewhere.

Good Luck in Your Exams, PMRians!

Today the PMR exam starts. This is the time to test whether the knowledge you have for the past years still with you or lost when you were 'rempit'ing, or 'lepak'ing etc. There will be no turning back, answer the questions, and hope for the best. Adding some prayers to that will surely help you, no doubt about that.

Why Internet in Malaysia is So Slow?

This is because of our low broadband quality, according to a study by Oxford University. Malaysians always waste their time waiting for the clicked pages to appear before the screen. Imagine that if we wait for a page for 5 seconds, we will waste 1 minute of our precious time to click 60 pages. And if you are a hardcore Facebook user, for example, you will waste more valuable time, as you do not click less than that, for sure. I hope that the appropriate Ministry will rectify this situation, or we will be left behind in the upcoming global wave.