Tun Mahathir Leads

After winning the Jogathon last February, Tun Mahathir (TM) continued the domination of the school athletics. They led the field with several wins in the 100 metres and also the relay events. However, next week's results are vital in order to stay at the top of the pack. Hopefully TM's athletes will be up for it.

On the other hand, TM lost in both the marching and the tent event. Nevertheless, TM is expected to win the cheer leading event which will be announced this Sunday (26th June 2011).

There were also events for the male teachers. The 4 x 50 metres relay and the push rope events were held in a very 'sporting' manner. Cikgu X and his team won the relay by hiding the extra baton in his pants.

Here I will upload the pics and the vids.

Stressful Weeks Ahead

These two weeks will be very stressful, at least to me. There will be a sports week, a farewell dinner, a retirement programme, and also a futsal final, where I will play an important role in each of them. There is also the SMM data collection, apart from completing the school's blog, to add to the task of teaching my pupils. No wonder I got involved in a small disagreement with one of my co-workers yesterday.

Hopefully I will find the solutions to all of them, even though I think I should neglect one or two of the tasks for now.

May ALLAH give me strength!

Esok (12 Jun 2011) Kelate CUTI!!!!

Praise be to Allah, for He Who bestow upon us a very understanding MB in YB Tuan Guru Haji Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat. And to further endorse his profile, he has made a very resounding announcement by giving a day off for tomorrow, Sunday 12 June 2011. This is, in his own word, "to make sure that the Red Warriors supporters can drive safely home".

So, will this be repeated every year? I SURELY HOPE SO!

Thanks, MB.

Source here : http://www.facebook.com/nikaziz

An Enjoyable Trip

"Come on everybody! Wake up! I want to see all of you in the car at 8.30 sharp, or else..." I commanded.

That day, we planned to visit the famous Crystal Mosque at Terengganu, and on our way home, stop at La Hot Springs. Everybody was ready, including my 3-year-old son, 'Ammar. He was anxious as to where I would take him.

"Where are we going, abi (father)?" he asked.

"We are going to Terengganu. You've never been to Terengganu, haven't you?" I explained, and whether he understood my explanation or not was not that important.

"Yeay!" he exclaimed, happily.

As promised, the five of us departed at 8.30 a.m. We stopped for our breakfast at Machang, near the traffic light. As the driver, I had a heavy breakfast, eating Nasi Dagang with grilled drumstick, while others only had roti canai.

Half an hour later, we continued our journey. The signboard showed that Kuala Terengganu was 144 kilometres away, and it took us approximately 2 hours from where we had our breakfast that morning, to reach our destination.

The journey was very enjoyable. We travelled through Pasir Putih, and when we entered Terengganu border, we could see remarkably-designed mosques throughout. We all gasped in awe, because the mosques looked very clean and beautiful. They were very different from the mosques in Kelantan, where the designs and the beauty were not that apparent.

Arriving in Kuala Terengganu, I had no problem in finding the whereabouts of the Crystal Mosque because we could clearly see it from the bridge. It was situated near the riverbank, and was surrounded by many structures, especially the Convention Centre and the replicas of the mosques from around the world in the Monument Park.

First, we took some pictures at the Crystal Mosque compound. There were many people there; some of them were taking pictures also, while others were having a programme inside the mosque. 'Ammar was very excited, posing and asking me to take his pictures in front of the mosque.

Then, we entered the Monument Park. It was captivating just to see the smaller scale replicas of the most beautiful of mosques and monuments from around the world, among which were al-Haram and al-Nabawi Mosques (both were situated in Saudi Arabia,) al-Hambra Mosque (Spain), and the Taj Mahal (India).

While in the park, 'Ammar saw pupils getting on the tram unceremoniously from afar. He said, "Abi, I want to ride the tram". "We can't, my dear son. We don't have the tickets," I replied.

I was taking my camera out and starting to take the pupils' pictures when I heard them calling, "Sir, come with us!. Sir, come with us!".

It was then I realized that they were actually pupils from my school, who were travelling with the teachers in a three-days-two-nights tour of Terengganu. And luckily for 'Ammar, he had the chance to enjoy a free tram ride after all, courtesy of the group tour.

After spending a couple of hours in the park, and taking pictures at all the monuments and mosques, we decided that it was time to go. But, we cashed in the vouchers given to us at the park's cafe and its souvenir shop.

It was already 5 p.m. when we got out from the place. After some discussion, we came to the conclusion that there was not enough time to continue our plan with the La Hot Springs. Thus, we found a place to stay in for the night, and would carry our plan forward the next day.

This picture is for illustration only

Red Warrior Stadium

Non-Kelantanese, stay away from this post. Kelantan's football has been on the rise nowadays. The 'Red Warriors' are the heroes, the heart and soul, of most Kelantanese, if not all of them. Whenever they play, wherever they play, the stadium will be full. Even more so if they were playing at the Sultan Muhammad IV stadium, a host for approximately 30,000 fans, we could see a sea of red flooded it. Built in 1967, this stadium could no longer bear the burden of having to cater for the maximum capacity, thus a call for a new stadium with a larger space has been made. Accordingly, the Menteri Besar of Kelantan has announced that a new stadium with the maximum capacity of 40,000 will be built in Pasir Putih.

Now, it will be further away from the capital, but if you are a true fan, a little travel would not bother, wouldn't it?

It was not as I had expected....

I was marking PKBS 2, and I came across this essay from one of my pupils. Even though there were still plenty of grammatical mistake, the plot of the story really interest me.

It was not as I had expected when my parents told me that they will have their candlelight dinner at a grand hotel in the town.

"What!" I protested.

"Oh, Darvin. Just stay at home as tomorrow you'll have your English's paper, right?" mom asked politely.

"Ah, that's right," I mumbled.

Then, they ( ) gone. I was lonely again in this enormous mansion or I should called it as ( ) 'castle'. I was the only son of one loaded couple that was my mom and dad. I was thankful as I was born ( ) ( ) silver spoon in my mouth.

Then, one idea knocked my mind. My plan was to ask Daren and Darvichi ( ) came to my house and hang out with me. So, I speeded to upstairs and gave a call for those kids. They were my best buddies ever since I was six. Coincidently, (their both) parents were not at home tonight. So, we had our deal!

So, I cleaned up my bedroom that was when you saw into it, it was ( ) a great disaster ( ) happened. Five minutes ( ) past ...

KNOCK.KNOCK.

Then, I stood up. I took a look at the clock. How fast they were? Is that they were coming with Superman? I headed to downstairs and unlock the door. I opened up the black marmar door and ( ) shocked. It was not them. In front of me, there was a tall women standing with her lovely straight hair facing my face.

Then, I asked the women.

"Erm, miss. Who are you?" I said in low vox.

Out of the blue, she turned around. I ( ) stunned for a while. She ( ) just like a princess from the heaven. Her pale face, rounded blue eyes and reddish lips freezed me. Then ...

CLANG.

The teapots and chip pan was clittering in the kitchen. Then, I turned around to see what was going on. I turned back for ( ) unknown sabi women before. I was extremely shocked. She was gone! Where was she? It was impossible that a women would ran away through my alarmed-gate without any sounds.

Then... CLANG.

It happened again. I slowly lock the door and creeped to my kitchen.

"Hello. Who is that? Can you hear me ( ) ". I asked.

SILENT.

It made my hair stood up. It just freak me out. Out of the blue, DARVIN! Darvici and Daren shrieked from behind. I close my eyes tightly and my body was extremely shivered. The tears was filled up in my eyes. In my whole life time, I had never been so frightened.

Then, I stood up and stared to them. Ah, it was all because of them. They were laughing out loud on the floor. They cannot stopped laughing. They told me that it was all their works. They just want to make some jokes with me.

"Hahaha. You are just the funny one!" Daren said while laughing.

"Stop it. Don't make that stupid joke next time. You are totally make me dying." I shrieked.

They started to laugh again.

"So, just spill the beans now! Where did you get the beauty?" I asked.

"What beuty?" They ( ) confused.

I ( ) puzzled. If she was not one of their plan. who was that?

English Weeks

Last week, the English Panel had conducted a preliminary for some English programs in order for the pupils to effectively use the English language. The programs were divided according the levels:

• Choral speaking for lower secondary (Forms 1, 2 and 3)
• Poem recitation for both levels
• Drama for form 4
• Public speaking for form 5

I was involved in helping my pupils in at least 3 of these programs (minus Choral speaking because I only teach upper secondary):

• Poem recitation for 5E
• Drama for 4B
• Public speaking for 5A

All managed to go to the finals this Wednesday.

The main characters of Gulp & Gasp: Crouch, Lord Septic, Rose & Percy

Three of these SMKCE's beauties will represent the district this year.

The Three Princesses

The selection ended yesterday. 3 new faces emerged to represent SMKCE to the state selection early next month. Interestingly, one of them is a beginner, learning the moves just last week, while the two others have played before this, although with limited skills. Now, my task is to hone them to become formidable chess players within a month time. Hopefully, one of them will start playing with the best at the nationals by flying the state flag high.

1. Maznie Madri (1 Arif)

This girl also plays hockey, and was just coming back from a hockey tournament that evening to become third in her chess category. What a glorious day for her as the hockey team also managed to win their game. She has a very aggressive style; I saw her attacking with the Black pieces!

2. Nurul Asyikin Anuar (1 Arif)

A very quiet girl, but unpredictable at the board. She always asks me questions in training whenever she does not understand the position. With time on her side, she will get even better with this studious attitude.

3. Nik Shamiera Adnan (5 Arif)

A complete beginner and an unpolished gem. She has the tendency for quick learning, eventhough she always asks me to become patient for her slowness. However, time is her enemy, because she is already in Form 5. I regret overlooking her last year, but am happy to push her as far as she can go this year.

TUMPAT DISTRICT SELECTION

MSSM is around the corner. Every district in Kelantan now are having, or already had, their own tournament to select their best players. Tumpat will hold its own at SK Kampung Laut starting from tomorrow. So far, players from 6 primary schools and 8 secondary schools have confirmed their participation. The schools are:

Primary Schools:

1. SK Chabang Empat
2. SK Kampung Laut
3. SK Berangan (1)
4. SK Chenderong Batu
5. SK Kutan
6. SK Palekbang

Secondary Schools:

1. SMK Chabang Empat
2. SMK Tumpat
3. SMK Wakaf Bharu
4. SMK Dato Bijiwangsa
5. SMK Geting
6. SMK Mahmud Mahyidin
7. SMK Sungai Pinang
8. MRSM Tumpat

My school will send 13 players for 3 secondary school categories.

Boys U-18

1. Muhammad Badrul Hafiz bin Ibrahim
2. Mohamad Firdaus bin Razali
3. Wan Abu Bakar bin Samaun
4. Mohamad Faqih Hazim bin Mohd Yusoff
5. Mohammad Khaidir bin Mahmud Kamaruddin
6. Wan Mohamad Amim bin Mohd Nasir

Girls U-18

1. Nik Shamiera binti Adnan
2. Noor Sahida binti Anuar
3. Nur Diyana binti Mohd Azlan

Girls U-15

1. Nor Izzatul Elanie binti Mustafah
2. Nurul Asyikin binti Anuar
3. Maznie binti Madri
4. Noor Fadhillah binti Ismail

SUICIDE (Bunuh Diri) at KB Mall

I was shocked when I heard about the latest furor at KB Mall. I girl unsuccessfully attempted suicide which, in her opinion, will settle all her problems. I don't know how or why she ended up on the hedge, but her act got me thinking - is this what our youths have been reduced to?

In a nation, youths should be the one who we can rely upon. They should be the one who have the strong will, the courage and the hunger to make our nation stronger in the future. However, our youths have been hit with dangerous diseases. Drugs, immorality, indiscipline and many other weakening ailments have made our youths something of a weakness in our quest to become budding nation. Money, which should be used to build nation, is used to cure these illnesses instead. Think about what our nation should have been if we have not been troubled with these maladies? We should have conquered the world, as what a wise man once said:

Give me ten youths and I will conquer the world!

Are We Correct in Making British English Our English?

Pupils in Malaysia always get confused in spelling some of the English words such as neighbour (neighbor) and colour (color). Here, we should enlighten them on the two mainstream English spelling they often mistakenly used. However, I'm not going into details for all the differences, like in the wikipedia, or the spelling, like in this link, rather I will make it simple for the pupils to understand it according to my own opinion.

Football (British) vs Soccer (US)

You don't have to be a genius to see that the sport involved is played using foot, with the exception of the goalkeepers. The word 'football' clearly indicates this, while 'soccer' is nothing that we can comprehend.

Toilet (British) vs Restroom (US)

Toil means 'to work; to labour'. We use the word toilet here instead of restroom because we know that in this place we toil a lot, not resting! I can't imagine myself resting while taking a dump; it really needs hard work.

Lift (British) vs Elevator (US)

There is no difference in meaning for both words, as both means 'to carry something from lower to higher position'. However, it will be easier for our speaking when we say 'lift' (one syllable) instead of 'e.le.va.tor' (four syllables), don't you think?

And finally,

England vs America

We are learning English, not Amerish or whatsoever. Thus, we can see that English should be derived from England, and we know that England is part of British soil, not in the United States.

So, to conclude, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, we Malaysians are correct in making British English as our English.

My Student and Scoliosis. HELP!

I watched in pain when I visited her the day before her surgery. She looked so pale, anxious to know what will happen to her future. She was eager to take the exam; to write an essay for her favourite English subject, but I assured her that her health was more important and she could write plenty of essays for me after getting better. She was diagnosed with Scoliosis, an abnormality in the spine. This results in her uneven shoulders, and frequent back pains, thus her decision (or her family's, I don't actually know) for the surgery was justifiable. Or, is it?

Today, after the surgery and several days at the hospital, she is permitted to return home. However, she is not to bend her body for at least a year! I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to perceive that a teenager has to endure this pain. She even has to take SPM exam at the end of this year! This prompts me to rummage through the Internet about this Scoliosis, and what I found in one of the site I visited is very intriguing. It claims that there is actually no medical justification for surgery, rather it is a cosmetic one! However, I'm not going to be swayed by this one article, which is probably written by a person who failed her surgery, but it still makes me anxious whether her decision to have it before her SPM exam is a correct one. There are actually exercises and corrective braces to consider against surgery, but still the decision has to be made by her.

Hopefully, she will heal in time for her SPM. We; your friends and teachers; wish you a speedy recovery.

Here are some articles I read:

http://blogs.monografias.com/sistema-limbico-neurociencias/2010/06/08/what-is-scoliosis-what-causes-scoliosis/

http://spinalinc.com/scoliosis.php

http://www.osteopathy.com.sg/articles/scoliosis.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/155005-abdominal-scoliosis-exercises/

http://www.modesto-chiro.com/scoliosis.html

http://movementsafootblog.com/2008/12/07/uneven-shoulder-blades/

http://www.hsc.com.my/cheras/eng/what-is-scoliosis.php

You'll Never Walk Alone

Why do I bother to write about the LFC vs Man United game when everything has been written by the LFC fans all over the world? I surely not writing this out of conformity, rather I'm writing it to show how I feel. After all, that is what blogging is about, right? Surely football fans must ask this question first - why do we support a football team? Well, for me, it is all about togetherness; to feel a sense of belonging; to share the same passion with others. It is also the question of loyalty; that is to be with the same team regardless of its ups and downs. And LFC fans are known for their passion and loyalty towards their club, even after finishing 7th last season. Or even after a certain el Nino quits the team for 'glory' with other 'big' club. Or even after a dismal start to the current campaign under ex-manager Roy Hodgson. Now, seemingly, we are out of mediocrity, even if there is one, with the current rich of form where we are winning a lot more than we are losing under our 'new' hero Kenny Dalglish. Such passion which drives me to wear the LFC jersey when we were losing games, what more when we are winning games now. And of course, the win over bitter rivals Manchester United taste sweeter than 4 spoonfuls of sugar put into a small cup of tea. Today, I was smiling all day at my school, much to the disgust of several other teachers who support the Devils. They congratulated me reluctantly, but I accepted them nevertheless. They were perplexed as how confident I was yesterday when I predicted Carroll would get a hattrick with a 3 - 0 scoreline, only for the nearest of miss when it was Dirk Kuyt who came with the hattrick with a 3 - 1 scoreline. If only they had the guts to ask me that, I would have answered them with this:

"With fans like me, LFC will never walk alone"

To recap last night's game, here are some pictures taken from various sources:

82 kilograms