Preconceived

We do this a lot in our life. We accept that this is for that, and that is for this quite naturally. This is mainly because we are driven by the so-called 'norm' which sometimes is misleading. Try this example: 

Which of these two cars do you think has this plate number?

This?

Or this?

So, which car bears the above plate number?

On this note, when we do something over and over again because our fathers do it over and over again because their fathers do it over and over again, we accept it as a norm, or 'adat'. It will be hard for us to change it, even when we found out that it is actually wrong. For the above illustration, the MyVI in the bottom picture actually bears the plate number, contrary to the norm that only expensive cars like the above Vios have this kind of plate numbers.

Recent development in education tries to minimize the number of public examinations our students have to endure, taking into account the success of some other nations' educational system which has O or A Level examinations only compared to our UPSR, PMR, SPM, STPM examinations. I personally agree with this because I don't think a public examination is good for twelve year olds as they can barely think on their own. What we can examine on them is only their memorization, not their knowledge, and this is quite absurd. Coupled with the false preconceived notion that a student who has more As is better than those who has lesser, our educational system might not achieve its objectives. Worst still, unqualified person in the system misuse their position which lead to destruction, like the leakage of examination papers' answers, just for a bragging right that their school has more straight As students than others.

However, because of the accepted norm that we must have all the above public examinations, it is very hard to change the way our educational system is heading now. Everybody must think alike, starting from the top of the system down to the very bottom, to make the so called PPPM a success. We have the time until 2025 to see the results, but the false norm should be corrected now, or we will never see the fruition of the plan.

Conclusively, I think it is high time for our education to start educating, and the teachers starts to be called the EDUCATORS. 

... Just Around The Corner

We are entering the examination phase of the schooling. Students are busy preparing themselves for PMR, SPM and STPM. This is the time for them to burn the midnight oil in order to pass their examination with flying colours. 

I want to share with the readers two of my best students' writing. 

Siti Nur Fatihah binti Abdul Latif (5Arif)

       It was a difficult decision but I had made my choice. I am going to enter that creepy house and stay there overnight. My friends and I had been lost in the forest and the day was already dark. We really did not have any other choices.

      Slowly I approached the door. Predictably, it was not locked. The door and the floor that I stepped on did make sounds. Meanwhile, my friends just stood still timidly behind me. They were staring anxiously at me. Their eyes spoke to me that they did not want to enter the house.

       “Oh, come on. The night is getting late and it’s going to rain soon. Do you want to stay out there and wet yourself? Do not be such a coward, there is nothing in here. It is just an old house.”

       I persuaded them to come and join me. I gathered my courage and stepped in first. It was gloomy and I could not see anything. I took my torchlight and switched it on. There were a few broken furniture and the stuffs were all in mess.

       “Okay girls, it is clear. There is nothing to be afraid of and we are going to sleep here this night. Tomorrow morning, we will find our way out. I promise.”

       We set up a fire and sat down in a circle. We took out our foods and drinks then we dug in hungrily. Why not? We had been wandering the forest for about six hours looking for a way out.

       My friends were not scared anymore. We were having fun until we heard a knocking sound on the door. We became silent for a while and stared at each other. Slowly, my friends adjusted their sit and came nearer to me.

       “It is alright. It is just a sound. Maybe we should go to sleep right now.”

       I calmed myself as my heart was beating too fast due to that sound. My friends and I set up the place for sleep and shut our eyes. I tried to ignore the sound but it became louder than earlier. My friends were snoring already as they were too tired and sleepy.

       I decided to wake up to figure out what made the sound. I opened the door and luckily there was nothing. I guessed that the sound came from the door that was not shut properly and the wind blowing in and out made the creepy sounds. It was still raining cats and dogs outside.

       Out of the blue, a tree fell down in front of the door. I was startled by it but fortunately, the tree did not cause any damage to this old house that we stayed in. I promptly closed the door and went to get some sleep. The knocking sounds were still there but I just ignored it. At long last, I managed to close my eyes and slept soundly.

       I was snoring when one of my friends woke me up. She said she heard sounds of somebody’s steps outside the house. She told me to go out and investigate. Reluctantly, I dragged my feet towards the door yawning and indolently looked outside. There was nobody.

       “Aha, the trees must be walking just now. Look! There is nobody outside. Now, go back to your sleep.” I joked, angrily.

       It was a hard night for me as my friends woke me up every time they heard sounds. The next day, my eyes looked as black as panda bear’s eyes as a result of sleep disturbance. We managed to find our way out with the help of the people that we met. They were hiking in the forest and were willing to help us. Maybe in the next time, I will not be going to enter forests again but my experiences in that eerie house will not easily be forgotten.

Nur Atikah binti Ramli (5 Arif)

       It was a difficult decision but I had made my choice. I could not hold it anymore. Her behaviour and everything she did really made me sick with her. I could not forgive her mistakes and I could not take it easy.

       Last month, I finally knew everything she did. She was just like a snake in the grass. It all started when I told her about my beloved necklace that was missing.

       “I lost my precious necklace. It was a birthday gift from my mother. What can I do?” I asked her.

      “Keep your shirt on! I promise that I will help you to look for it or else I will look for the exactly same necklace at the marketplace and buy it for you,” Laura laughed with false merriment as she tried to pull my leg. I did not know then that she was not the genial and genuine Laura I used to know.

       I almost forgot about my necklace and went on with my life. One day, at the college, my classmates stared at me like I was a total stranger as soon as I walked into the lecture. I could feel something fishy. What had happened? Why were they looking at me like that? I asked Laura about this. She was just quiet and the look on her face had told me that something bad had happened.

       As we were good friends, I always told her about my problems. She would always be beside me and asked me to keep my hair on. My life was filled with stress and tension but Laura always made me smile and laugh. I guessed that she also felt stressed with what had happened.

       Laura told me that someone had pulled a prank on me. The person told everything that was false about me on social network. My word! What mistake had I done to make the person do such a foolish thing? I was really angry and eager to know who the person was. This situation really haunted my life to the point that it even disturbed my dreams.

       I went to college after skipping my class for a week. One of my classmates, Tina met me and sheepishly asked for an apology for ignoring me. I smiled genuinely and told her that I already forgot what had happened. It was not her fault. She thanked me and I asked her where was Laura. The class was finished and I did not see her yet.

       “Are you pretending to be ignorant or do you really don’t know?” Tina asked me, perplexed.

       “What is that supposed to mean? Is there something that I do not know? Where is Laura? I haven’t met her yet.” I asked her back.

       “Oh! My God! Are you serious? Everyone in this college knows about this and you are, of all the people, the only one who does not know. Believe me! You are really funny,” She chuckled and told me everything.

       I rushed to Laura’s house. I could not believe with what I heard just now. I needed to know the truth. I immediately called her as soon as I arrived at her house. She came out with a slumberous face.

       “You already know, right? There are no more words. I do not want to explain anything. Get out of my house!” She screamed at me.

       “Why did you do this to me? You are the person who pulled the prank on me. Good grief! You pretended to be kind to me,” I screamed at her back.

       “You steal my boyfriend Adam! Do you still want me to be kind with you?” She said with teary eyes.

       I could not believe her. Just because of a man, she did something foolish and betrayed our lifelong friendship. I would not forgive her. I had made a choice. From that moment on, she would not be my friend anymore. I did not want to have a friend like her. She was just another painful memory to me. What she did not know was that I did not steal her boyfriend. I was just friends with Adam and her jealousy made her do such stupid thing. Nonetheless, it was not useful to cry over spilt milk. The secret had hurt me but I just wanted to forget about it and went on with my life. Letting the cat out of the bag really hurt me.

 

Zinga Island or Manzu Highlands?

If I have the opportunity to go for a holiday, I will like to visit the Manzu Highlands which is just situated at the heart of Pahang.

After a constant mad rush (of) life in the city, I would definitely like to release my stress and frustration. Manzu Highlands is suitable for relaxation and a good holiday destination for those who want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Situated in the hills, Manzu Highlands is a spot full of fresh air and the temperature is just fine instead of the weather in the city where the sun is scorching and blaring (blistering) with intense heat. Although it is quite chilly, the weather allows us to sleep with peace without having the necessity to turn on the air-conditioner.

Other than that, Manzu Highlands is well-known for its quiet and peaceful environment. Its tranquility makes it a hot spot for tourists from all walks of life. It is free of any sound pollution and ear-deafening noise such as the honking of the vehicles unlike the life in the urbanisation. It is indisputable that Manzu Highlands is a perfect location when it involves the scene of serenity as the vivid and blue sky soothes and calms the heart of pressured city workers.

Moreover, there are countless of beautiful sceneries (scenery) that can be witnessed. The majestic-looking mountains and the greeneries (greenery) around Manzu Highlands are the main attraction there. The mist that is surrounding the mountains all the time stirred the curiosity of everyone who visits there. The scenery during the dawn and dusk are proclaimed to be the most beautiful scenery that you can see in the ( ) Malaysia and it just gets better when the glimmering of stars during night time can be clearly seen up above the sky!

Not only that, despite of the chilly weather in Manzu Highlands, there are tremendous amount of activities that can be done. Fishing can be done at various locations as Manzu Highlands has many rivers with suitable temperature that can promote the growth of aquatic organisms. As I am an enthusiast in fishing, it will be definitely (definitely be) a golden opportunity for me! Furthermore, rock-climbing and mountaineering is a divine intervention for those who is eager and enthusiastic to try out the extreme activities offered there. For those who prefer less strenuous activities, they can visit the popular landmarks such as strawberry farm and the bee apiary. They can purchase souvenirs as much as they like to!

On the contrary (Hence), Manzu Highlands is an ideal destination for holidays as it offers an (a) once -in-a-lifetime experience for those who visit there. I will definitely go to Manzu Highlands for a holiday as it fulfilled all my requirements and it is a better selection if compared to Zinga Island.


Vocabulary
--------------

mad rush - done without thought or control
hustle and bustle - busy and noisy activity of a lot of people in one place
scorching - very hot
blaring - make a loud unpleasant noise
blistering - extremely hot in a way that is uncomfortable
tranquility - quiet and peaceful
indisputable - that is true and cannot be denied
serenity - calm and peaceful
soothes - to make somebody feel calmer
majestic - impressive because of size or beauty
greenery - attractive green leaves and plants
stirred - awakened
proclaimed - to publicly and officially tell people about something important
glimmering - to shine with a faint unsteady light
tremendous - very great
aquatic - growing or living in, on or near water
enthusiast - a person who is very interested in something
divine intervention - help from God to change a situation
strenuous - needing great effort and energy
apiary - a place where bees are kept
on the contrary - used to introduce a statement that says the opposite of the last one
hence - for this reason

To All Students, Good Luck in Your Trial!

Today the trial for PMR students starts, while the trial for other exams will start on the 17th. It will be the benchmark for the students as to how they have already grasp the knowledge given by the teachers in each subjects. All the efforts attending the classes and extra classes will count for nothing if they cannot interpret them into correct answers. For teachers, they will surely use the trial results to ascertain whether the school target will be achieved. Even more so, the NKRA stipulates that target should not be lower than that of the previous year - they should be higher by 3% at the least.

Sweat it out, guys!

SMKCE's Best Achievers 2009

Here are the pictures of the school's best achievers in last year's public examinations.

Best PMRians

Best SPMians

Best STPMians

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.

First Teachers' Meeting and Registration of Form 1 Students

Today, Form 1 students from feeder schools registered their names. There are 9 classes opened for the new students namely 1 Khas, 1 Teguh, 1 Iltizam, 1 Proaktif, 1 Sejahtera, 1 Tekun, 1 Ikhlas, 1 Prestij and also 1 Sukma. After that, they went to the 4th floor to take the textbooks. This is to ensure that tomorrow's PNP will be smooth as silk. It is refreshing to look at those innocent faces, who are new to the surroundings, wearing their new school uniforms to the school.

After the registration, there was a meeting for all the teachers where the principal and all the senior assistants gave their speeches. It was told that 5 of our students got 8As in their PMR. This is a school record! My mentee only got 7As and a B for Sejarah. Nevertheless, those students already made our school proud. In this meeting also all the teachers got their teaching schedules and school tasks. I was assigned to teach English for Form 2, Form 4 and Form 5 students, together with a Form 2 Pendidikan Moral class. Tonight, I have to prepare my first lesson plan.

Congratulations, PMR Students!

Today, PMR students will know the fruit of their labour for nearly three years of studying, whether they pass or fail, whether to smile or to cry, whether to bloat in front of their friends or to cloak their face in shame. My brother obtained 5As much to my surprise as he is playing a lot and I don't recall a time when I see him studying. While my sister-in-law obtained 4As even though she studied a lot. Maybe some of you will say that this is unfair to the latter, but it is truly not the case. Even though we work effortlessly, it is not the only reason for our success. There are other causes which we have to take a look closely. For example, a lot of studying without understanding what you study is not good, comparing to studying a little but you understand it fully. Moreover, as Muslims, we must believe that there is also the case of fate, of rizq. You can work all you want, but if you are not entitled for success this time around, you must accept it. Maybe your fate will be better in SPM, who knows?

Me and my mentee, Nur Nasuha

Mentor - Mentee

I was assigned as a mentor for 5 KRK students (Forms 1, 2 and 3 Teguh) along with my colleague, Mr. Husaini. We both agreed that he took the form 1 students because he teaches them, and I took the rest. Basically, we just give advices and help them in their studies. I find it an interesting task, and I help them as best as I can. My mentee of form 3 students are Nur Nasuha and Izwan Shafiq, while the form 2 student is Nur Adlina. I lend my books for the PMR students, and I wish the best for them in their examinations. Speaking of PMR, I enclose the picture of our school target student, Siti Nur Karimah.

Post PMR Programmes

I just sent my sister-in-law to the train station. She was going to KL with her school contingent for a trip specially made for PMR students. It is good actually that the school prepared such programmes to fill in for the PMR students so that they will do something beneficial after their PMR examination. However, it should be carefully planned and not a lazy fill in just because the school was forced to do it.

My school conducted some programmes such as ICT courses (some of these form 3 students never had a chance to properly been introduced to computers because ICT classes started just this year at my school), games and video viewing. Some of them also filled in forms to go to the technique school (sekolah teknik) while others thinking of remaining at the school for next year. School targets are those in Form 3 Teguh because they are in the target class (Kelas Rancangan Khas or KRK) - 24 students in total. However, not all are expected to get all As, as school history showed only 2 students managed to get it in the past. They are Fatiha bt Mahmood (8As in 2004 - picture left) and Marhelia bt Alias (8As in 2005 - picture right). I wish you all the best of luck!

Good Luck, PMRians

Today, Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination starts throughout Malaysia. I wish all those involved good luck in your examination, including my brother Mohd. Harith (picture left) and my sister-in-law Noramni (picture right). Hope that all of you will pass with flying colours. Eventhough this examination is not the only key to your success in life, it is surely the first stop where you can build your life on. I was among the first batch of PMRians, at its inception way back in 1993.