A Day To Remember

30 Dec 2009. A day before new year eve, and a day that I could remember for year 2009.

I met up with a now former student from SMJK Kwang Hua, Pek Shian, and her another friend in Sunway Pyramid today. We bought the ticket for the same movie, Twilight: New Moon, and so naturally, we went for lunch together after the movie. We chatted a lot about school, Famine 30 etc. and I shared my funny experience too.

But what make the day so special is that I finally got back the feeling why I have dedicated myself to education all these years. It is a wonderful feeling when students call your name and remember you, and also listen to you. It is something that makes me happy which I believe money can't buy.

And funnily, after my lunch with them that took us 2 hours, I finished my shopping for tomorrow's new year eve gathering in my house, and realized I need to make way to Subang Parade to buy some nice thin sliced pork for BBQ. So I went there and bought the meat I needed and guess what: Zheng Hao from SMJK Chung Hwa called me. And he is working there as a promoter. Another student! My day is superb.

I love education and I love students!

Education in Malaysia

Having been working in the private education sector for 8 years and stepping into my 9th next year, I have to say I am quite concerned about the direction where Malaysia education system is heading to.

I read in the Star newspaper today, a letter from Dr Chris Anthony, which shocked me. He worte that a parent eventually left his kid in school after his kid scored 4A and 1B in UPSR. He was not satisfied with the result, but imagine the trauma inflicted on the kid who sat and wept in the school. 4A and 1B is a brilliant result, but why such inhuman respond from the boy's father?

I totally agree with Dr Chris Anthony that primary school is not only about studying and taking examinations, and this also applies to high schools. In primary school, kids are supposed to learn not only basic reading, writing and calculating knowledge, but also learn social skills, including respecting friends, eating habit, discipline and ethiquette. They should also learn thinking skills.

The target of primary school is to actually instil good values in these early learners so that they will grow up to be educated and civilized.

In secondary schools, students should then be developed towards achieving goals and knowledge and to be active in extra co curricular activities that teach them thinking, management and leadership skills. They should also be prepared to face challenges, be tolerant and understanding.

Instead, after over 50 years of independence, I have to conclude the harmony has grown further and further, especially in schools. I have been actively giving talks in high schools and this is something alarming that I can see. And I am trying my best to assist to educate our future generations in term of studying and understanding each other.

Our secondary education system is too robotic to generate robot students, whom a lot of them are good scorers but lack of thinking and critical thinking skills. They study everyday but when given a task, they wouldn't be able to achieve it. Ask a question outside of the book, they wouldn't be able to answer much.

It is time to revamp our education system if we are to generate more high profile and innovative bucnh of youngsters.

Scholarships by higher education institution should be done through thorough interviewing process (especially in private colleges) rather than simply giving them to any students with particular results. Such publicity of scholarships is also a contributory factor towards making our kids becoming too result-oriented. Emphasizing As and making it look so big will only create a generation of robots.

I have to applaud Sri Cempaka schools, whom I think has successfully produce a lot of quality students as I am the witness to the different teaching culture that targets on Mind Body and Soul.

Let us hope for a better education, and now is the time to do changes.

Malaysia Politic: A Total Mess-Up

I have been keeping quiet all this while, as I feel it is simply outrageous for me to write anything in particularly the current Malaysian politics. I feelt lazy to even want to finish reading all the news, but hey I think sometimes, you just feel enough is enough.

The Government and the opposition (who is not opposition in 4 states) are in total mess-up.

MCA is a total joke after 60 years. The party is simply divided, playing camps, backstabbing, firing remarks all over the media and Internet. And guess what! The Rakyat is watching. We have eyes and we have ears and most importantly we have brain to think. There are so many things left stranded (economy anyone?) and these people who have lost so many seats in the March 08 election are still fighting each other, and forgot they have people trying to destroy them (DAP?). In dire time like this, maybe a crisis is good for them, so that they can just be overturned in the next election. And I foresee this if they don't clean up their act ASAP.

MIC has totally stop seeing media much nowadays

UMNO is biting their fingers to try not to interfere in MCA and MIC but still have to step in.

How does all these happen to the three OLDEST political parties in Malaysia?

Leadership and focus.

If everyone in the Government now focuses on their job, and focuses on getting economic problems solved while trying to increase our FDI, and work together, they will not end up in this brew.

And the Opposition don't even dare to dream on either.

Keadilan is having problems maintaining discipline in their own party.

PAS is having their own internal crisis.

And DAP still trying to push blame to whoever they can and not rather try to find the solution. Come on, we can blame other people for the problem, but hey, the problem will still be there to be solved. But DAP failed to do this. Push once push twice push thrice, things still need to see a solution.

And best still, I saw a nice article over the Star Newspaper today, with a photo of Lim Guan Eng trying not to step on the three ex-DAP who turned to BN, which the trio photos being laid on the floor. ANd know what did our dear Lim Guan Eng tried to joke about "They are too dirty even for me to step on". A JOKE?

I am very worried about the future of Malaysia new generation. How can I ever dream of a future of these kids when the politicians act like a uncivilized people?

Who in the world deserved to be step on like what DAP did?

Come on, this is what I said about DAP. They still linger about trying to destroy the Government, by putting up all these monkey acts, and reveal so many things but at the end, they forgot they have a state to govern, and people to protect.

Rakyat will be bored with all the gimmicks. It is already near 2 years since the last election, but both Government and Opposition failed.

But I see hope in our current new Government policies but the implementation as usual is weak to the bones.

1Malaysia but politicians are putting down Chinese Education to push forward a one school ruling?

Datuk Seri Najib, please do look into this if you want to make 1Malaysia a success. I respect your idea, but to make this works, you cannot allow anybody to put down any race. You are supposed to unite everyone, not to create break ups.

People, it is time to think whether we should let Independent candidates win next election!

The End

I never thought that in my life, I am going to witness the ending of the dramatic office politic at my workplace. And it is as funny and interesting as our dear Malaysia political scene.

And today may mark the final episode and put down the red curtain to end this remarkable drama. And seriously, you will be surprised how some of them should really win an Oscar for their breakthrough performance in acting.

They come and smile and the next thing you know, a dagger on your back and guess who stab you.

English For Science and Maths

Years ago, while I was still in high school and college, i kept on reading about how Malaysians' English has gone downhill, and parents and teachers calling out to the government to do something to save us from such situation.

Thus, now, Science and Maths are taught in English, apart from the English subject itself.

And there are complaints, and now calls to abolish such act.

Eventually, when we look into this matter, it is the implementation problem instead of the idea behind it. We should have started from Standard One instead of both Standard One and Form One. But looking back into it, students in Form One had learn English since kindergarten, so there should not be any excuse not to be able to cope with English for Science and Mathematics. Students should be able to know what add, subtract, multiply and divide mean by the age of 13.

So if they can't differentiate these words at the age of 13, whose fault is it?

Government? Parents? Teachers?

Let us all be mature enough to think about the root of the problem instead of going on street to demonstrate and blah blah blah.

I always believe, when a problem arise, rectify it. Not create more problem on top of it.

Remarkable Malaysia - Mollywood

We have Hollywood in US and Bollywood in India. N hey, Malaysia should have our own Mollywood.

Come on. If you guyz think that US Presidential Election is great, our Malaysia political scene is of Hollywood Best Motion Picture standard. It is crazily dramatic.

Who would expect within a week, an UMNO rep would quit and then rejoin UMNO? And who would expect that BN has regain Perak state with one rep majority over PR?

It is so highly dramatic that I couldn't believe it.

We are certainly there if we are to set up Mollywood to cater our politicians. It is just like Lord of The Rings.

Truly Malaysia

I have lost the discipline of updating my blog often. It took miles of effort to just write a few lines in here.

I am looking forward as how PR going to solve the Hudud issue.

I am thinking of ways to stop making myself a fool to sit in meetings that nothing is eventually solved.

Happy 2009, Happy CNY, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Happy Thaipusam etc etc etc....