It is ready

  The stage is ready for a good cause.

The school is growing in both size and popularity.

Space is precious and congestion is sure happening in particular ; the canteen.

So, the most natural thing to do is to create more space for comfort during recess.

 See, there is a need to think of a solution ; how do we help them?

Initially created for a 600 populace, the figure is no more relevant now and space must be created.

You set your mind to look for space.

 The children are fortunate. Close to the canteen is an empty space as though it is left aside for expansion. So, the space comes in handy now. We can do something positive for the children! Expand.

 So, the plans are on the ground already. We will do some extension. But the money issue is sure here to be solved. Who will provide the funds? Parents?Teachers? Children? The public?

The answer?

Everyone.

Including this dear ex-student. Currently the F & B manager of a well-known resort, Victor is here to play his role too. He spoke and motivated the students to behave and give. It was kind of him to extend his help and his charisma sure touched many hearts. His willingness to come in during his off day has impressed many teachers and they are proud of this old boy. It is rewarding to see your ward coming back to assist his Alma Mater in small and big ways. This is a success story for the school.

The teachers have tried hard to win and lure the hearts of the students. Attractive prizes have been set to create competition and hopefully the funds will be raised sufficiently for the cause.Will my children rise up to the occasion? Will they hear the cries of our hearts and come forward to help? We teach them humility and the art of asking. Many fight shy of this; too proud to ask. We tell them it is a privilege to ask for a noble cause. Will they follow us ?

The stage is indeed set for the race.

Run, my children run.

Help your school.

Dear haze. Please go away and let us have a meaningful run this weekend.

The Day

The Red Letter Day

I am sure you can already read the handwriting on the wall. Yes, another rally around a fund-raising event for the school. We need to rake in donations to fill up the PTA coffers; rain or shine.
The teachers and children will have to roll up their sleeves to rise up to the occasion. 
Let's hope everyone is ready, willing and able to make this day work well.
The appointed date is surely fast approaching and the race against time is on. Will my children and teachers reach their strides to chip in as much as they can? Very often brains are raked to attract best collections. The committee is working hard to allow candidates to rise to the bait by providing really commendable gifts. The more you collect, the more you will be appreciated.

It's not everyday you are given a lucky dip for the above prize. Our lucky star has struck.Someone has generously given us a chance to offer the bike for a mere collection of a hundred. The offer is here and is as regular as clockwork; no false hopes. Suzuki for you and me; everyday.

Many have helped and are working hard to eke out the best for us to extend the school canteen to cater for the ever increasing number of children.It is a good cause that needs a good response. Hopefully the parents too will put in some effort to pull the school through the event.

More news to come as the days go by; meanwhile we will have to wait and see the response.

The Run.

Swarmed

 Things have changed.

But it never changes when it's going back to the hometown. The weekend was a perfect getaway from the city to the town I grew up in. It's also time to see the parents again.

Muar is known to be idyllic; the pace is slow and dinner is over by 5 pm in most homes especially among the shopkeepers of the town. The supper stalls come into full business in the evenings for an early dinner will almost always be followed by late suppers. That's how I have been brought as a school girl. My father when he is up to something fishy like late mahjong sessions will end up buying full-fledged suppers to pacify my mother.

 This is also typical of a back yard in the town center. I grew up playing hop-scotch and all other fun games which definitely did not include anything with the media. This is considered clean and good enough for us kids. Sometimes such back alleys could be mounted with heaps of garbage and swarmed with flies. But we were tough children; not pampered and never knowing the better things in life.

 The pigeons and swallows will also swarm the seaside town and it's not surprising that Muar is home to bird nests. So, a lazy afternoon would also mean some neighbours setting up the mahjong table and the game goes on.

As I sat with my parents, I watched with interest the changing scenario of the town.

Maybe it was a public holiday.

But the town was like a mini Kuala Lumpur like along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

I rarely saw the town swarmed; this time not with pigeons but people.

 I can vouch that the flow of human traffic was constant. Not a moment of quiet. Hundreds drowned the town. They were foreign workers in particular Nepalese and Bangladeshis. That of course brought me to ask : where are they working? It has been recent but the number is definitely increasing. Apparently the furniture and manufacturing factories mushrooming in the suburban areas have caused this phenomenon. This is not familiar to me. I am not sure if I like it as Muar is not so Muar anymore.To avoid the hassle, some shopkeepers call it a day at an early hour. Shops which did not cater to their needs found no reason to have their doors open.

 The people and heavy traffic clogged the town and believe it or not; Muar is busy !

The foreign  workers are here to earn for a living; sometimes I feel sorry for them. They travel thousands of miles across seas and oceans to make ends meet. I notice how some found pals among themselves and the friendship keep them strong and onward looking. I see it when I observe how they hug one another and using their mother tongue to communicate surely make them feel at home.

They are here to make the factories function in full force; business will be at a standstill if they are not here to help?

 Interestingly, the business scenario aslo changed to cater to the needs of the foreigners.

A few years ago, I used to notice one particular shop opposite my father's shop selling good that Nepalese love. Bags, accessories, clothes and so forth; including the MAS air stewardess attire ! They also love to buy blankets and luggage each time they go home to their motherland. So, quite cleverly the foreigners themselves start business along this need. The locals do not sell these items. So when the town is busy on weekends and public holidays, it is these proprietors that make the buck. Talk about business sense; they have it.

Of course, the next best business is the money exchange chains ! Perpetually full of people, this outlook sends money home for the workers. These hard workers send almost every cent home and hardly would spend anything lavish on themselves. All work and no play. Some have it harder in life.

 Food business is something worth mentioning. The workers jammed these outlets for home cooked food; home away from home. Apparently the Nepalese would visit the Nepalese ones while the Bangladeshis would visit food stalls of their motherland. I was busy visiting the back lanes and I came across these pretty maids cleaning and washing vegetables. They were fair and pretty and I thought they were Nepalese until the Bangladeshi boss told me otherwise. They are from Vietnam ! Now the Vietnamese are here too. So the employment pattern is also changing. It's a domino effect. I wonder at the changing pattern of my dear old town. Will it ever be the same again ?

 While the world of Muar seems to be changing; something commendable is also taking place to the neighbour next to my father's shop. Notice that lady? Humble, hardworking and persevering, she has a daughter who did the local pre u program (STPM) and today is continuing her studies in PHD in Universiti Malaya. Her daughter hopes to be a researcher in Chemistry. I saw the girl grow up from a baby till her university years. Nothing beats the values one pick up from observing their hardworking parents and are lessons they hold to do the right moves in life. This perhaps is success story; the story of how hardworking people will also find the chance in life. Every dog surely has its day.

Muar may be changing, my father has not. Shrewd, careful and wise, he says this all the time; a penny earned is a penny saved. I see him still wanting to save that one penny. It makes my spending habit shameful. Not that he lacks anything, he is just used to his habits. Old habits die hard, don't they? When in Rome, do what the Romans do; so I need to be less spendthrift in front of him. The two are great company for each other. May they continue to argue and get their points across and so evoke their mental alertness. Muar is where they belong and though the world around them seems to be changing; their love for the town remains steadfast.

God bless my father and mother.

The National Champion

 Union is strength.

Such is the strength of this choir.

I see it grow from strength to strength way back a decade ago.

From a small gathering of enthusiasts it grew in leaps and bounds; a group that lured like minds - the great minds. Great minds surely think alike and ultimately the good attracts the good.

They concur that Rome was not built in a day; the choir never did. It took years of toil and labour before the fruit of success was reaped. They were into musical productions; Grease, Mama Mia, Footloose and the training did them wonders.

More haste less speed; they heeded that and so their slow and steady game won the race.

They poured  in sacrifices, time, money and were determined to make things work for surely when the going get tough, the tough get going. The team was unique and good factors paved the way for sweet success. Good things definitely come to those who wait patiently and who strive relentlessly. 

Perhaps worth mentioning are the parents. They are supportive, sporting and steady in allowing them to practice irregardless of time and day chauffeuring them like nobody's business. Such is also a factor of victory; for they understood that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and their children cannot afford to be that link. 

 Congratulations boys and girls.

The Seafield League.

They are fighters right from young; Praveena. Haziq, Vanessa and Shakir. They never do things by halves as they poured in their souls for the cup. Good job. They say little boys should be seen but not heard; but such is not true of Shakir. He is the vocal one and is also the one who informs me of the well-being of the choir. When they were announced the Champion, he had to be heard ! Messages came in and I am grateful and delighted to hear from him. He is a good boy. I know he will grow up to be a fine young man and do his mother proud. 

The Seafield Choir is one to be envied and their success story is a well-deserved one. They have done their school proud in tandem with it being the niche area of the Cluster School Status.

Kudos ever.

12th Anniversary

Today is another day to remember by.

It's the 12th death anniversary of grandpa Lau; the girls' paternal grand dad.

 My husband asked me how much I knew him.

To me grandpa Lau is funny, jovial, easy-going and generous.

The girls love him as he spoke English and the communication line was always open. They enjoyed many light moments with him for he sure was good story teller; stories from the Good Book was always on his lips. Grandpa Lau would gather them on his knees and then begin...

He was a good cook and was the chef behind family gatherings and festive seasons. Armed with street wisdom and experiences, he somehow would be able to solve challenges easily. He was the strength of the home and grandma Lau must have missed him tremendously when he left her.

I remember him with great fondness for he was a peace maker and his bigheartedness caused many to love him dearly. But perhaps the greatest heritage he left behind was his godly teachings and my husband says he will one day compile all his sermon notes. This is a good legacy to leave behind.

 With a can of coke in his hands while watching World Cup; he left us suddenly in a painless death;

 indeed a happy man till the last moment. 

Happy 12th Anniversary, Ah Kong.

We love you.

Pearl of China

When I was  a school girl back in the 60s, I read the Good Earth as a literature text. I did not know the origins of the book except that it was written by Pearl S. Buck. I vaguely remembered that the author had some links with China but I did not fathom that the tie was so strong until I read the book above.
Pearl of China revealed to me the intricacies of the life of the famous Pearl S. Buck and her undying loyalty to the land where she was brought up in particular to the southern town of China in Chin-Kiang.

Her story is told through the detailed narration of Willow, a local Chinese girl who stood with her through thick and thin in the relationship. Even when men friends and husbands tore their lives, the two friends understood the meaning of loyalty and friendship. It was heartbreaking to see how they finally still could not meet each other in their twilight years but yet Willow would go against all odds to make the final attempt to visit the grave of Pearl S. Buck in America. Willow was amazed how Pearl constructed a 'mini China' in her homeland; connoting a never ending love for China and her desire to be back there.

This book also revealed the complexities and cruelty of politics in the Mao Era and how many suffered under the reign especially in camps. Willow had to go through much in defense of her Christian faith and her loyalty to her American comrade. Absalom, the American missionary and also father of Pearl, is instrumental in converting many including Willow's papa and how this small congregation struggled for their stand.

This is a simple book to read but sustains one's interest throughout. The episodes are absorbing and I stopped many many times to reflect on ideas, relationships and circumstances related. I must admit that it takes a lot of courage and strength for people then to hang on to principles, sufferings and convictions. But it is good to see how people stood for them.

After this book, I would like to read more books by Anchee Min because they are palatable to my taste buds. Read the book and it will enrich you too. I have been enriched.

Pearl of China is a good read.

A Happy Day

 The Annual Celebration

Teacher's Day must be celebrated . It is the day that teachers and students reaffirm their feelings and respect for one another and let the bond be confirmed.

So, today is one such occasion in school again.

 We praise God for such a lovely day. It was cool and not too hot; a good day to come together.

 The pretty young , energetic teachers were ushered in with claps.

It's good to feel the vibrancy of appreciation.

 Mr. Shah the PTA chief was here early to greet us and to encourage the children to respond to the teachers. He is a motivator and an encourager.

An ex-teacher himself, he reminisces the past with nostalgia.

 

 The usual oath-taking ceremony where we pledge our devotion to our profession.

 We tell the students that we will perform our best, lead them and give our best.

Will the children be with us?

 The cakes to officiate the occasion.

 We cut them with glee.

 They also gleefully did the school clap...clap 1,2,3,4,5...

 The teachers came together to show their creativity.

 Mirror, mirror on the wall...who's the best of them all? You judge.

 Ours the best...

 No, it's ours...

 What do you think children? None. We want to watch the show...

 This magician is none other than Tan Chee Keong. An ex-student, he is not only entertaining but skilful.

He got the audience in stitches with his jokes and magical acts. He connects well with the students and performs his tricks with taste. An F & B manager in Sunway Resort, the man has promised to come back and o more for his Alma Mater.

Next, the others performed.

 The teachers gave a medley of songs...

 Jean is powerful, and the other girl with the theme song from Frozen got the audience in tune with ......

Let it go, let it go... she need not sing as the audience sang louder.

 So many talents; everyone wants a part in songs...

 But this dance from 5ScIT was expressively done.
 Facial and body expressions reflected their maturity and skill and we were well-entertained by them.

 But the best attraction of the day was the lamb. Well-roasted, it was so palatable that many had second and third shares. It was a sumptuous lunch at the courtesy of the school canteen caterer.

 Today the teachers could eat in peace and quiet as the students had already left.

What peace. We ate slowly and savored in bit by bit.

Happy Teacher's Day.

Today I felt loved.

The students were spontaneous and showed much love to me.

I could still remember the first day when I stepped into the school and the immense depression I had to go through because I had no names to call. I did not know anyone and I teared silently as I could not connect with anyone...everyone was a stranger.

I had no names to call be it teachers or students.

But today I know many names.

There is connection again.

I am home again.

Faces are familiar and I have names to call.

Oh the joy of being able to connect and utter names.

 I received these cards and they made my day. I quickly found a spot in my room and hanged them up.

They are precious affirmations and I love them. This is the best gift of them all; they tell me things I like to hear...hahahahahahahaha.

We are people persons...we like to feel right.

This made me cry.

To all children who have so lavishly spoiled me for the day, I want to say thank you.

You have made this last Teacher's Day Celebration of my career a memorable one.
Your simple gestures and petition of love have surely given me reason to agree that I indeed am here to serve you.

Thank you teachers and children for this wonderful day.

Happy Teacher's Day.