BECAUSE PICTURES SPEAK THOUSANDS WORDS

Congratulations to all participants of the Battle of the Brains! Whether you're a winner or not, it does not matter because the most important is the learning process that you have endured during the game. I am so proud that all of you despite everything still trying your level best to accomplish all of the tasks given. Your hard effort insya-Allah will be paid off. Below are the photos taken during BOTB. Enjoy them!

Iwan J

The Ayatollah

Syamil & his 'wives'

KHALIL GIBRAN'S LASTING LEGACY

Attached herewith are two quotes from great poet Khalil Gibran taken from English Section inside one of the SMAS tunnels

ON GRAMMAR & VOCAB

Dear students,

To be mastery in any languages under the sun, we must muster enough strength to master both grammar & vocabulary. I am in no position to say which one is of greater importance. I am pretty sure that both are important. Anyway let us ponder a quote from the expert..

'Without grammar very little can be conveyed; without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed' from D.A. Wilkins, Linguistics in Language Teaching

Sir..

AL KIMI AND THE GENG

dear friends,

It was a hot sunny day under the scorching sun when Kimi, a friend of Dauss, a renowned tok bilal hailed from a far remote area known to only select world explorers,and for your information Daus used to be a great bilal at Nelayan resort held at Bari. He was stuck in the middle while trying to pronounce 'assolaatu khairu..' .He was then replaced by Amir, hailed from the most popular island in the state, whose voice could sometimes put our heartbeat to a temporary stop.

Back to Kimi and the geng, he and his colleagues continued running joyfully and sometimes frantically upon realising the eyes from all corners be canteen or school blocks focusing on their antics at the school field. The remaining students were watching them with all smiles. Most probably because they managed to submit One Page One Day exercise book right before due date. The best sprinter today goes to the so called Along who despite his plump yet cute face still manages to finish the last lap with splendour.

Oh we have two the so called beauty pageants in a row, first featuring male candidates led by Kimi and second pageant starring newcomers in smas showbiz Ummi and Fatin, both looked reluctant despite the fact that they were honorably 'qualified' for not finishing the required task. What a shame to the girls ,as girls are worldly known for being diligent and hardworking, yet they could not finish the small task assigned. The so called guys, the like of Aiman, Izzuddin, Dauss, Pok Loh managed to finish theirs!!! what more do we expect from the rest if always sleepy-in-class Pok Loh could do that.

The Al Kimi and The Geng story is hoped will shed light for the enlightenment of the rest

geng -geng botok 3c - edited version

TREAT THOSE TWO IMPOSTORS JUST THE SAME

Dear students,

What a great relief to find that you managed to end the battle of the brain. I am pretty sure that game could not please everyone's feelings. By the way, never give up as winners and losers alike should treat both imposters just the same as what was once beautifully coined by the great man Rudyard Kipling.

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;

Rudyard Kipling

If you happened to watch Wimbeldon finals recently, written on the huge sign on the door leading to Centre Court was the above inspiring words. Being inspired at one time is one thing, but to be constantly inspired is another which is much harder..


Sir

CONGRATULATIONS! BATTLE OF THE BRAINS

Congratulations for the winners for the first ever battle of the brains held in SMAS yesterday. You all guys 3C,3D & 3E participating in the battle yesterday deserve respect and admiration! why did i say so? i knew some of you were in the dark upon staring at the various types of questions. Nevertheless , you still gave your best shot or your group will spell disaster! the least you did yesterday was being cooperative copying blindly the sampel essay assigned at check point 1.

For the losers, you have won in some other ways. You have learned ways that don't work! above all you are now wiser than before! The prophet once said ' Everday, Muslims must be better than yesterday and tomorrow will have to be better than today'. And the circle continues..

sir

ARE YOU GAME?

Be prepared for a more mind-boggling experience as the battle continues...

THE BATTLE OF THE BRAINS II

Participants: 3A & 3B

Date: 26 July 2009

Time: 3.15-5.30

Place: SMAS

TO MAT YIE.. TO ERR IS HUMAN TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE

Dear students,

It is so easy to cry in the face of difficulties like being humiliated right in front of our fellow students despite doing nothing wrong. Only those with a big heart, strong focus and determination will take it from positive side as that will help them grow stronger no matter what confront them. Thanks Allah our camping went smoothly as planned only tarnished by a few incidences which were beyond our control like waking up late for subuh prayers after burning ubi kayu the whole night .The teacher in charge Mr Ibrahim was so regretful that he punished those late performers of the subuh prayers. He deserves credits for his swift action before the illness becomes a plague. That's what we call it life as i never fail to mention in the class especially when things don't go our way.

Retribution, it is so hard to fathom but sometimes it holds water and reaches our logic. Many times we have committed mistakes or minor sins but we managed to escape ourselves from being caught red-handed like cheating in the exam, cheating to teachers for not finishing or submitting homeworks, loitering along the corridor, hanging out at a long wooden bench near the toilet or to a lesser degree , throwing sweet wrappers or plastic containers everywhere in a class or school area despite being told and nagged time and again by Mr Ibrahim and Ust Zakaria . You may have felt relieved at that time as God gave you a chance to survive the shame as no one took action against your behaviors. But remember, every single sin no matter how small it is will have to face retribution from Allah even as small as atom, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly which we ourselves are not aware of it at all as it sometimes was long overdue. But God never forget, who knows may be today's fateful day is pay day for our past mistakes. Hindu names it Hukum Karma, we muslim believe in Qoda' and Qodar.

So, from now on, keep telling our innerselves that we are in control of ourselves as we can react the way we please no matter what befalls us. Never resort to evil no matter what or how.Please exercise forgiveness as it takes extra courage to forgive and a courageous man is in fact a forgiving man.

God the Almighty is the most forgiving, so we as small as atom compared to countless other stars in the milky way, why is it so hard for us to forgive. To err is human and to forgive is divine. Forgiving is not a cowardice act as many believe. Instead, only the man with strong will power will offer forgiveness.

Forgive me if i am wrong as you are entitled to disagree.

Sir

HOPE DESPITE NOTHINGNESS

Dear students,

It has been weeks since i posted my last entry. It seems my duties to share a thing or two with you all so that we all can benefit from it. This time i want to bring you all to things happening in our beloved smas. Nothing is free in this secularly made world.

Why secular? Of course..its name is secular as we are in the rat race after mundane yet temporary world that we forget the ever lasting world that promises us everything imaginable and beyoond imagination, but we can hardly believe due to our shallow faith.

We are invariably tired to impress others be they our inferior what more to our superior. We end up putting a big question mark to our inner being. is that what i am after out of this life? We are so engrossed with worldly promises that we forget to entertain our soul. Thus we end up being a soul searching person day in day out. what a great loss! listen to advice but pay no heed.

How peaceful and harmonious life is should everyone listen and observe good things they have ever shared with. I am no exception as i am not a man of word when it comes to putting into practice things said. May Allah grant me strength to withstand burden heavier for me to bear.

Last Thursday, i was in the brink of giving up when suddenly i heard Aqil's hardly audible voice reaching my ears with his gramatically correct sentence. then , i told myself that they by all means are improving!what a relief! Sure, despite nothingness we should never give up hopes and dreams as man without dream is like an angry zombi, charging everywhere but nothingness.

Sir

PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT

AMIR'S REFLECTION
written by Amiru Fahimi
Today is Monday. Miss Farah taught me about how to do essay very well. It has influenced me to do good essay. I am sure I will pass with flying colours in English language. If I study hard and study smart, I can be a best student. I need teachings from my beloved teacher to be successful in my exam.

A GREEDY LITTLE BIRD
written by Siti Rahimah
One day, Mrs Nora, the mother of four little birds brings home some of blue berries. Her children await hungrily as she removes it from her mouth. It looks very good. One little bird licks his lips hungrily.
But the little bird is a greedy one. The little bird shed crocodile tears to attract attention from her mother. Her mother give her most of the blue berries. Her other three little birds bursts into tears because they did not get the blueberries.

A GREEDY STUDENT
written by Syarif Al-Azmi
Miss Farah is a teacher of 3B. Everyday she will give three words of vocabulary. Her students await hungrily to get the words every morning. But her student cannot get 'A' in exam.
But Amiru Fahimi is a greedy student. Every morning he will ask Miss Farah many words about English. From his action, Amiru Fahimi has passed English with flying colours.
If only all the other students are as greedy as Amiru Fahimi.

A GREEDY BOY
written by Burhanuddin Helmi
Mrs Siti has two children, Halim and Jamilah. One day Mrs Siti is baking one of her delicious cream cakes for dinner. Her children await hungrily as she removes it from the oven. It smells very good. Halim licks his lips hungrily.
But Halim is a greedy boy. He eats up most of the cake when Mrs Siti goes to her room. His sister, Jamilah feels very angry but she is chicken-hearted to fight with her brother. Out of anger, she shed crocodile tears. Halim was scolded by Mrs Siti because of his behaviour.

BEFORE I FORGET LET ME TELL U

Dear students,

Miss Farah and I just finished attending the course tailored for English teachers for lower secondary level this morning at SMK Lembah Bidong. We can't wait to share a few tips with you all. Nevertheless we are afraid of whether or not you will benefit from the said tips. By the way I need to share them via this blog first as this will remain intact and you can refer it time and again with just a mouse click away.

First and foremost, i need to say thank you to Puan Maryati from SMKTLS and Puan Roshidah from SMKTJ for their shared tips this morning. The wise old man once said, the faintest ink is better than memory as it lasts longer even ages after the writer died. So, the message is clear right? keep up writing as this humble act affects eternity.

First I want to start with Puan Roshidah's slot. She shared some tips on how to score for summary and literature part especially for the novel. She said, for summary, first make sure you write 50 words excluding the ten words given. Second, write in a paragraph. Third, use the ten words given. Fourth, change the pronouns as this will give an impression that you know how to use grammatical rules . Fifth, Use the same tense as in the original text. Sixth, don't change the meaning of the original text. Seventh, use a variety of sentence structures. Familiar ourselves with simple and compound sentences only and don't forget to write the actual number of words written. Write the summary in a table format as this will ease the examiner's burden to count each word written.

She said that it is so easy to get 7 ,8 or even 9 marks for summary as you will be easily given 5 marks for points which are usually found up to 6 or 7 points in each text. Use sentence connectors as this will give an impression to the examiner that you have put some attempts to use your own words. Despite the fact that you can easily get 5 marks, there are some setbacks which might trap weak students. Don't simply lift phrases with main ideas and use them for your summary without knowing subject and verb. Points will be given only for each complete sentence that includes subject and verb. In another word, we need to have a very clear idea of what constitutes a sentence that is subject and verb. In a nutshell, for better summary we need lots and lots more exercises on sentence patterns which are basically subject verb and object.

Another most important tip in summary writing is to undertand the question. You must truly comprehend the required task from each question such as benefits, steps, advantages, disadvantages, actions and so forth. Just to name a few. Last but not least mind mandatory words. What is mandatory words? Ask and you will be answered!

That's all my dear,

Sir

THE UNIQUE GUYS ALIF & DAYAT

Dear students

Out of the blue, it feels like a urge to jot down a few words about Alif & Dayat. Both are the man whose absence makes others grew fonder of him, let alone his favourite teacher Miss Farah. His antics always become hotly talked about topic among female teachers. They seem ceaselessly debating to devise most workable approaches to tame the like of Alif and his dear friend Hidayat to be serious in their study. They wonder why such look like lazy guys stay in second top class out of five. There must be something within their innerselves yet to unearth

For me, both have their own talents. Having clinical skills in football is not something one can acquire overnight. Both Alif and Dayat are at their best when they are the school field coached by Sir Kamal whose footballing prowess is unmatched among state religious schools' teachers, at least until now.

It is almost time for Friday prayers now. Got to go! all the best both of you dear students and the readers as well!

Sir

LIKE A FRIDAY SERMON

Dear students,

D days are approaching at a rate of a blinding speed that takes those with tough sinew and mind to mount lethal attacks and deflect the intagible invading enemies. Why did i put that much hype to the so called PMR examination! I don't want to string words of logic to make you all understand it! just ask your seniors who are now in form four.

Ask them how did they feel the moment they took their PMR's result? jubilant?over the moon? excited? or otherwise? or deflated? dissappointed?how many of them feel contented with their result? how many of them said that they have worked hard enough but it proved their efforts were in vain? ask them to what scale have they ruined their parents' heart full with expectation only to know their sons or daughters scored strings of Ds and Bs and one of two As which could not get them anywhere. Ask and you will be answered!

I am pretty sure most of them will say PMR is not that tough , all you have to do is study hard , the harder the better and there is no short cut. We still have almost 80 days to go, and never think of cheating during the exam as this will motivate you to become lazier than ever! and to be a man you have to be true to yourself! make your result yours not half or quarter of you. Your result will last a lifetime and remain intact in your personal file.

Cheaters may win many times before they lose, but they definitely end up a loser until or unless they repent of their past wrongdoings. You all with your existing knowledge and information in store feel less confident to make it in the exam. Come on, believe in yourself, no matter how insignificant or trivial your result is so long it is truly yours, in fact it matters you more than anything else on earth.

To end this musing, i would like to share what Socratos once said. 'To Yourself Be True!' and I am glad to put it this way 'Neither a cheater nor a cheater helper be as you might lose your life most important principle'. They name it HONESTY and it is arguably the best policy.


Sir

3B, THE STORYTELLERS

THE HARDWORKING ALIF
by Syarif Al-Azmi

The Little Alif, White Borhan, Gigantic Afiq and Dark Fazil live in a room. But the Little Alif is different from them. He is not lazy.
Every afternoon, all in the room will sleep on the bed. Only Little Alif is awake. He will carry an Arabic Language book to study. He sleeps only when the sun sets.
If only all the other students are as hardworking as the Little Alif.

HARDWORKING ALIF
by Alif Asidi

Little Izaan, Faien and Alif live in a village. But Alif is different from them. He is a very hardworking boy.
Every Friday, all the workers will rest at their home. Only Alif is working. He will work at the office. He rests only when the sun sets.
If only all the workers are as very hardworking as Alif.

A VERY HARDWORKING BOY AND HIS LAZY BROTHERS
by Aidilfitri

Aidilfitri, Aidiladha and AidilZakwan live at a house in a beautiful country side. But from all of them, one isn't lazy as others. Aidilfitri is the one that is a very hardworking boy.
Every early in the morning, while all the boys are sleeping, Aidilfitri wake up early to get ready for work. Aidilfitri wake up early and take a bath after that he will pray for God for some blessings on that day. He prepared some food to them for breakfast before he went to work. All of his brothers only wake up during afternoon. Aidil takes care of them because he loves them.
If only all of his brothers are hardworking and responsible like him, it would be easy to them.

THE STARTING POINT

Dearest Students,

You are now experiencing the most crucial stage in life, the adolescent stage. You are in the process of growing up and surely along the way you are bound to learn as much as you can not only because you want to achieve a good result academically, it is also because this is the time you search for your identity. This is the stage where you must ask yourself, 'Who I want to be?' And as points out by many psychologists, you are indeed asking for the questions yourself without you even realising it. I'm not saying that you should stop thinking of who you want to be after you have reached adulthood, because adolescent is the starting point of your own self-discovery. This is the journey that will only end after your death. Remember, learning is a life-long journey. Develop a habit of seeking knowledge as much as you can because it is the the best companion to survive in this world which is full of mysterious things that are yet to be discovered and revealed.

Learning is to change. You are not learning anything if there is no change that takes place. I am pretty sure, you learn best through inspiration. And I know the best way to inspire you, the teenagers, the youth of the future, is through actions...rather than words. That is why the tendency of you to choose certain figures as your role model is great and high because you love to learn from other people's actions and behaviours. This applies to myself as well. As a young adult (ehem), I am easily inspired by those who are intelligent and those who possess a lot of knowledge. Along the journey of my own self-discovery back in years at University, I've met many that I was particularly fond of because of their knowledge. They were among those people that inspired me a lot because at such a young age (early 20s), they know a lot already and it is not only because of this that made me held them in awe, I love the fact that they share what they know with the other people and I assure you, not many can do that. And of course, apart from these young people, I've met the wise old ones. I'd like to wish my deepest gratitude to them for reminding me that I should be loyal with this journey of discovery.

At this age, I feel inspired by people with a beautiful heart. Like they say, it is not only your knowledge but your attitude that helps you wherever you are. It is like my philosophy in life now is not only, 'Seek as much knowledge as you can', but also 'Be good!'. But of course, words are easier said than done but I do hope that I am always governed by these principles because they are preached by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself.
"Are equal those who know and those who do not know (Koran, 39:9)."
"The best among you is the one who is best in character and morals (Hadith)."

And I wish the same too for my students. Anything that you do, think! because it is such a waste to spend your precious time as young people for NOTHING!

A REFLECTION : THE BATTLE NEVER ENDS

Dear students,

Fighting off your temptation is far tougher than winning an elocution contest. To win the contest all you need is lots and lots of practice and a few doses of confidence and faith. Surely, it won't take months for that, two weeks with full concentration will do to win the so called coveted prizes. However, to drive away bad habits from loitering all over our body and soul is far easier said than done. Furthermore, it takes years or even more for the quest. And many collapsed in the midst towards the glory like hundreds of sherpas went missing in their mission to help some bravehearts reach the highest apex on earth. Thanks Edmund for his pioneering feat.Other Sherpas keep mushrooming despite the fact that death is looming. Why ? is their belief strong enough that they put their lives at risk or they have other factors which are far dominating than the belief itself? I think they might feel their job is noble and dignified! and if they die, they die an honour man or martyr as what muslim warriors were once when they were out in battle fields. They craved for martyrdom and many ended up crying for being still alive despite countless scars all over their bodies like Khalid al Walid. The question is are we smas dwellers strong enough to join the battle if our temptations not reasons and wisdoms are still their best companions. So, they say the battle won't simply end as what most predicted.