I have one question to ask, that is,

"Is it important for teachers to be liked by students?"

So that's it. My entry.
*writer's block*

USING NEWSPAPER IN THE CLASSROOM

I love to use newspaper in the classroom. So, I want to share these ideas on what we can do with the newspapers. If I have time, I'll share what I've done with the newspaper in a proper entry. These are taken from a website.

TEN GREAT ACTIVITIES FOR USING THE NEWSPAPER
Read and write for meaning. Remove the headlines from a number of news stories. Display the headline-less stories on a classroom bulletin board. Provide students with the headlines, and ask them to match each to one of the stories. As students replace the missing headlines, ask them to point out the words in the headlines that helped them find the correct story. Then distribute headlines from less prominent stories and ask students to choose one and write a news story to go with it. When the stories have been completed, provide each student with the story that originally accompanied the headline. Ask: How close was your story to the original? How effectively did the headline convey the meaning of the story? You might follow up this activity by asking students to write a headline for their favorite fairy tale.
Read a map. Arrange students into groups, and assign each group one international story in the news. Have students explore Maps of the World and choose a map related to their assigned story. Ask students to use the map to answer some or all of these questions:

1. In what city did the story take place?
2. What country is that city in?
3. What is the capital of that country?
4. What language is spoken there?
5. What continent is the country part of?
6. What countries or bodies of water border the country on the north, south, east, and west?
7. What physical characteristics of the country might have contributed to the events in the story?
8. What effect might the event or series of events have on the physical characteristics of the country?

Understand the media. Distribute advertisements cut from newspapers, and ask students to list the products in order, according to the appeal of the ads. Create a chart showing how students rated each product. Then distribute a list of the following propaganda techniques:

• Bandwagon -- the implication that "everybody else is doing it."
• Plain folks -- the implication that "users of this product are just like you."
• Card stacking -- distorting or omitting facts.
• Name-calling -- stereotyping people or ideas.
• Glittering generalities -- using "good" labels, such as patriotic, beautiful, exciting, that are unsupported by facts.
• Testimonial -- an endorsement by a famous person.
• Snob appeal -- the implication that only the richest, smartest, or most important people are doing it.
• Transference -- the association of a respected person with a product or idea.

Discuss each ad, and determine the propaganda technique(s) used. Ask: Which techniques were most effective? Which were least effective? What factors, such as gender, geographic location, or age, might have influenced the effectiveness of each technique? As a follow-up to the activity, you might ask students to design their own ads using one of the propaganda techniques studied.
Arrange in sequence. Cut up some popular comic strips, provide each student with one complete strip, and ask students to put the comics back in the correct order. Or arrange students into groups, provide each group with several cut-up strips from the same comic, and ask them to separate the panels into strips and arrange the strips in the correct order. Then introduce older students to a series of stories about an ongoing news event, and ask them to arrange the stories in the order in which they appeared. Encourage them to use the stories to create a news time line.
Expand your vocabulary. Assign each student a letter of the alphabet. Ask students to browse through the newspaper, find five unfamiliar words beginning with the assigned letter, and look up the definition of each. Then have each student create and illustrate a dictionary page containing the five words and their meanings. Combine the pages into a classroom dictionary. In a variation of this activity, you might ask students to look in the newspaper for any of the following:

• words with a particular suffix or prefix
• words containing a particular vowel sound or consonant blend
• compound words
• words in the past, present, and future tenses
• possessives
• plurals

Older students might look for examples of similes, metaphors, irony, hyperbole, and satire.
Explore geography. Ask each student to search the newspaper for stories that illustrate each of the five themes of geography -- location, place, human interaction and the environment, movement and communication, and regions. Display the stories on a classroom bulletin board labeled with the five geography themes.
Hunt for classified math. Ask students to use classified pages of the newspaper to do the following:

• calculate the average price of a 1985 Cadillac
• find what fraction of the newspaper is composed of classified ads
• figure out the cost of running a 30-word ad for one week
• estimate the total number of classified ads (based on ads per column and columns per page)
• compare bank interest rates and determine the most and least interest $100 would earn in one year in your area
• find what percentage of job openings start with T. As a follow-up to this activity, ask each student to create a classified ad and exchange it with a classmate. Ask: Was all the necessary information included? If not, what was missing?

Sort and classify. Label each of seven shoe boxes with one of the following newspaper categories: News, Editorials, Features, Humor, Advertising, Sports, and Entertainment. Ask students to cut out the newspaper stories they read each day and put each one in the appropriately labeled shoe box. At the end of the week, have students skim as many of the stories as possible and write an adjective describing each on index cards attached to each box. You might suggest adjectives such as factual, sad, inspiring, opinionated, misleading, silly, serious, and biased. Discuss and compare the adjectives. What conclusions can students reach about each category based on those words?
Play a current events game. Make a list of five categories that might be created using the newspaper, such as Countries, Weather Events, Mathematical Symbols, Movies, and Technology Terms. Ask students to search the newspaper for information related to each category and to write a question based on the information they find. (Remind students to make a note of the answers to their questions.) Arrange students into teams, and use the question-and-answer combinations to play a Jeopardy type of current events game.
Make papier-mâché. Finally, when you've done everything else you can think of with your newspaper, don't throw it away. Make papier- mâché! Here's how:

• Make a paste by mixing together 1/2 cup of flour and 2 cups of cold water. Add the paste to 2 cups of boiling water and return to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let the mixture cool and thicken. You can also make a quick no-cook paste by simply adding water to flour until it forms a soupy mix. (Since flour-based pastes get moldy over time, you might want to use powdered wallpaper paste mixed with water for a longer-lasting creation.)
• Tear newspaper into narrow strips, and dip the strips into the paste, coating them completely. Squeeze out excess paste and drape the strips over a mold, such as a balloon or shaped chicken wire, overlapping the edges.
• Apply as many layers as necessary, allowing each layer to dry before putting on another layer.
• Decorate as desired.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
KidBibs Learning Tip #40: Newspaper Activities Support Children's Learning in Many Ways
Joyce Melton Pagés, Ed.D, president of KidBibs, provides many activities that demonstrate how newspapers support language and literacy development, stimulate an interest in current events, support learning across the curriculum, promote higher level thinking skills, stimulate independent reading and writing, support character development, and more.
- See more at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson139.shtml#sthash.olxcsWBz.dpuf

SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T I

Dear students,

Hah! today is not Sept eleventh, the date when World Trade Centre in New York crumbled into ashes. But today is Sept first. What is so significant with the date that without me realizing forces me to crack my palm-sized brain to pour some words so that they may be worthy for our thoughts for further thought.

Yesterday we Malaysians celebrated our most auspicious day though it might bring very little or no significance at all to some or many of us for struggling for freedom is not in most of the lexicon of today's x & y generations. I am 40 years old and though a bit rude or unpatriotic do admit that i don't feel like celebrating as nothing special that can associate me with the most auspicious date. I am above all muslim, the rest comes second or does not come at all. If i may put i am also a beetle lover as it in some ways teach me a few recipes of life which have some bearings  more than from what i have got from years of formal settings at universities or schools. I learn not to risk my dear life negotiating sharp corners after my beetle lost its clutch on the road and turned turtle  which left its all four tires and flat stomach for display to other motorists passing the lane heading to Pengkalawan Gawi Kenyir. I learned to be a good driver then at least to be careful at corners.

Thinking that by the end of this year i may no longer be at smas which of course bring lots of bitter sweet memories, i feel that it is a must to be to preserve some records of the last final laps i will have taken hoping it will become things worthy to share for the sake of you my dear students as well as teachers who might copy paste things deem good to apply for students. I do this as i do feel I did very little contribution to school compared to what I have squeezed from students or the school environment itself  to my benefits. So, now it is timely that i need to do something despite many claim that this is of little or small importance. Never mind I should straighten things up so that the road to exit is clear and no one is standing in my way to bid good bye to smas.

So, after more than one hundred words, it is now clear to me that I need to or I should do this so called 'unpaid efforts' so that i may leave this school feeling that i have done my part to help bring at least a small betterment to this school. So what i have done today? oh almost all is not worthy to record. I have for the first time on the second day in seven years finished checking two exam scripts for English paper two. the papers belong to Amar and Aziz from five taqwa respectively. i prior to marking their papers attempted all the objective questions the part which i myself hardly got all answers correct. This time, i managed to get all the answers correct. That means the questions for this year's trial is not tough like before or i am already a seasoned teacher whose experiences helped me guess the answers better.It sounds boastful but it is in fact nothing to feel proud of as hundreds of  students could easily get all 15 objective questions correct. I guessed the former is true but i need to check the answers from my A students first. You guys may guess whose my A students are?. Just wait.. time will tell as this year English panel headed by Madam Saliza unanimously agreed to churn out at least 10 students getting A for English. To top them all is none other than Siti Nor Ehsan. I could see her niche when i first read her short essay four years ago. I could see her gradual improvement over years as year in year out as i am the one who happens to teach her English. However, I strongly believe that her passion for English language  is what makes her better user of the language.

To end this musing , let us ponder this quote from a renowned figure Winston Churchill. He said '  Personally  I am always ready to learn although i do not always like being taught'.

Sir Yusri

WHAT A LONG HIATUS

Has teaching lost its appeal? At least to me? 

Hence, I feel the need to start writing, to start reflecting here so that the answers are found at least within yourself through muhasabah.

And it's nice to have people reading what's going on in your mind at times and I am even more motivated to write after learning that there are students reading this blog. 

Since my mind is a bit rusty from years of not writing, excuse me for this very short writing. Hope to write more soon, insha Allah.

👋✌️

MY SEVENTH YEAR AT SMAS

Dear students,

Not knowing whether they will take a glimpse or not at this blog is of no importance. What matters me is the act of writing itself continues unabated. The last entry was over a year when i wrote to share my gratefulness for having a good samaritan helping my students out during the exam of English paper. It turned out quite a number of my students got A for English. I should have written this long before not after another result of PMR was released. Like they say, better late than not to start all over again at all. 

This is my seventh year here at SMAS. I should have enough experience considering the length of time spent here. However, I think I am still my old self. I love doing things with minimal supervision from others regardless of their rank or position. Others' constant supervision stifles one's creativity. SMAS is like a pier the place where big and small ships docked. When they finished their business they might in no time start sailing to other islands or destinations. But until now, i have not been flocking like others as i rather sail solo as i don't want to cause others a headache due to my internal problems. 

So tired i am now that i need to pen off my pen as too many a task lie ahead waiting to be done. 

Sir 

THANK YOU ALLAH

Dearest students,

So thankful to Him as though the exam paper today was not a piece of cake at least the task was not an uphill battle for some of my in charge. The theme that i had asked them to commit to memory bore fruits and what a relief to see some of them grinning from ears to ears after exiting from the hall. I must be thankful to the invigilator who happened to be an English teacher. He was a great help to some students who were stuck with difficult words especially for guided writing as some of the vocabulary are not in students' lexicon for their lack of reading. i could not thank him more for his help as who else to give a hand at that time of moment - but was the act morally wrong or enough if i regard such an act as a helping hand only.

So thankful i am to Madam Farah for her tips a couple of days prior to the exam. She amongst others  mentioned about constructing compact essay that includes in it a variety of sentences and tenses aside from some powerful language expression be it idioms, passive voice and so forth. The sentences must be perfectly elaborated.

I could now feel the so called a void after the students finished both first and second paper for English. So, i must buck up and do something to better improve my own language acquisition. SPM candidates under my tutelage will sit the exam in no time. Preparation breeds success, the more small success we acquired the

OO ALLAH HELP THEM PLEASE

Dear students,

It is a known fact that miracles happen everyday. They know yet select day when the Almighty said so, things will be going as ordained. We tend to forget Him if things go our away, instead we invariably brag ourselves by taking full credits while basking in success that we forgot both success and failure are God's test to see whether or not we are in fear of Him. We usually prefer to be in solitude for self-reflection if things went wrong aside from blaming others but ourselves. This is not actually the attitude i we should put in practice as what should matter most is the efforts we have put in. The result, let the Almighty God decide as He knows best who deserve the most.

Sometimes, in the eyes of us mortals, certain students deserve but to Allah they are still not fit enough to be accorded a success for their bad deeds or for any reason only God knows like the laws of karma as some religious adherents hold onto strongly. He is of course All-knower. His knowledge is beyond our imagination. He gave us knowledge but very little.

Sadly to admit that despite being able to anticipate the outcome of last year's batch.The pain and shame rendered us reeling in shock and guilty for failure to convert even a student from lower grades to ace. This alone has since taught me some invaluable lessons that i hardly found elsewhere. So true when a once renowned US singer, Alanis in his song's lyrics read  , i  lose i learn i cry i learn and so forth. Learning is continuous act and it stops once we answer His call or we ourselves prefer to call it a quit though our mental and physical strength said no.

I hardly close my eyes as the time is counting and nothing much could i do now except keeping fingers across that the Almighty Allah we award us accordingly in proportion with the efforts that we put it. I know i could have done better should i have a comprehensive master plan, but this type of thinking dissipates our energy more than any other things.Why? because we put much attention to things in the past that no one can make amend. If the accident victim succumbed to injuries or impact, students as well teachers might paralysed mentally due to failure.

Oo Allah help us please as this will enable us to chart a new life especially students so that they would be able to give greater contribution to the Ummah of Muhammad. Let us chant salawats at all times without fail.

Sir

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Dear students,

What is so equally hard and interesting as it pumps our adrenaline hard is the nature of exam which forces us to keep guessing. Then at times the uhhs and ahhs will follow thereafter i mean after or while the exam. As a teacher whose knowledge of both pedagogical and subject per se is far from being at par with those the old timers of dons, a pang of guilty is of course unavoidable as i know what i lack despite i keep telling myself to rather focus on self-claimed strengths. But , the whisper invariably is too hard that is overheard by others though they care not at all. Thus, this so called uninvited feelings will result in a paradox which hardly abates.

If i have to recall for what i have done this year. I did very little considering the amenities that the school offer in helping out students from the abyss of ignorance. If  i were to compare with some teachers whose hometown are as far as up to 90 kilometres from school, my service might not be that bad. It is disservice to make a comparison as we know what our students need to know at certain rungs. I as far as i am concerned have paid too much concern on preparing them to sit for the exam that i overlook the core business of my teaching   which is to educate and train them to experience a gradual  improvement.

Unlike previous years, this year i have the same batch of students since form 1. i know each and everyone of them. Most of them are the same since form 1. If their English is still bad though it harsh to make such a blanket statement, i think the onus is on me as i did not really teach them English. If i have truly taught them, things will go the other way round. And the blame is on me and this feeling is like an urge to keep me going moments i was about to vent anger of students' indifference towards learning.

The day after tomorrow, there will be English paper. I have done my parts though never enough. At least some students have felt nauseated for having to attend classes at almost all times. They sadly could not find ample time for themselves to relax their mind and refresh their energies. I do pray they will be confident enough to give their all. It is perfection that matters, it is when you have put heart into something that really matters.

E is to me the language genius while S follows suit, only the latter is a bit careless to be at par with the former in writing.

Sir

10 DAYS TO GO

Dear students,

Those taking PMR within 10 days' time have already started butterflies fluttering for freedom inside their stomach. The same might happen to teachers in-charge.It seems fated. We can't help but to care the outcomes out of our last minute actions. As for yesterday i happened to read article by a renowned writer whom i got to know last a few years back and we were in contact for few months before coming to a halt for    no reason. But, to date, i still follow his writing. He said that one of the best way to motivate us to do things or even to be motivated is write. He substantiated his points by saying that writing helps us define our problems clearly. Thus, upon knowing our problems, it would be a great help to tackle them . I am now in the dark on how to prepare my students within critical stages. All of a sudden , it occurred to me that why not put all things popping up in mind into words. Then the poured words would be sieved for further action or even non-action which what really happened at most times before. Another thing, what to write? just write things lingering in mind is not enough as we need to give thoughts to things that really matter. 

Azan is being pronounced from some nearby mosques. To answer the call is one thing. But to truly observe the calling by heading for the mosque for congregational prayers is another thing which is if not equal or of paramount importance. Got to stop now! to be continued..

Sir

IS IT TO ME TEACHING A TRUE CALLING

Dear students,

Still the same way i start addressing whenever i am about to make an entry to this very blog. I mean dear students though they are nowhere to be found. We were so close once that almost after weekly night classes we had with a few of them a cup of nescaffe o  at a stall known as kedai Ayu, named after an attractive young woman who happened to be a daughter of the owner of the restaurant. That restaurant is in fact not far from school, provided we make our way there on foot. There, some hot topics popped up ranging from students' problems, cheap gossips among students as well as rumors among teachers about unfavorable students.At times, we kept talking about good old days of PMR batch 2009 while searching for ideas on how to revive the lost fighting spirit . Of course, those with me at that time as volunteers namely Aidil, Bob and Mat Yie were from 2009 batch. We had a great fun teaching them as we did enjoy the process instead of focusing on the result. It proved that the result would take care of itself if we had enjoyed the process. The key here is we in order to get a great result must enjoy things at hand not spending to much time thinking for perfection but doing very little or nothing.

But, do i enjoy doing things i repeatedly do it on daily basis or not? i might answer without a second thought yes! yes in the sense that i have no choice left considering unsettled loans from banks. Or yes because it might be a true calling for me. I have searched some blogs on teaching. I do agree with many who argue that teaching affects generations or its effect is eternal. How if we give them a bad impact for lessons not well executed or for ill-planned teaching exercises which did not augur well in the long run. We indirectly deny them their right to access the best educational experience where knowledge gained and skilled acquired. Aside from that we are also to play a prominent role which is to develop students' characters explicitly or implicitly. The question is if we just let the evil triumph over good things for fear of being labelled as too much meddling on students' affairs or other teachers' portfolios, are we still regarded as a man who makes a difference or the other way around - the one who makes things worse.Edmund Burke nicely strung a line of words for thought, he was quoted as saying all that is necessary of letting loose the devils  is good men do nothing.To take corrective method is a crucial step not to let evils reign. It is true, teaching is not one-fit-all method, we need to constantly learning, relearning and unlearning before unleashing our true hidden potential.

A true calling I might be willing to call it is of last Tuesday when  i happened to stumble upon my ex student of smaasza at KLIA's departure hall holding my hand for a handshake while asking me whether or not I remember his name .Sadly, my memory worked a bit slow at that crucial moment of time as i could hardly recall his name.But i managed to save to face as i could vividly recall his trademarks like his neat handwriting, only i forgot to talk about his footballing prowess. He was as for yesterday a handsome man, no longer a pocket man with dimples on both cheeks when i taught him in form one, 2007.i after all used to call him and his colleagues of 1a2 a bunch of genius, the brightest students i have had ever taught so far. I gave him a warm send-off seconds before he departed for Jordan to do medicine.

Do i have to wait for such a moment to call it a calling. I might do no justice to countless other students under my in-charge as they are still deserving respect and care , let alone well-thought lessons as much as Hadi and his bright patriots deserved. This alone leads me to look deep down inside to find the answer for my so called true calling. Or i simply call it a calling out of nothing.

Sir

A GOOD AUTHOR A GOOD BOOK - ROALD DAHL

“We have tears in our eyes
As we wave our goodbyes,
We so loved being with you, we three.
So do please now and then
Come and see us again,

The Giraffe and the Pelly and me.

"All you do is to look
At a page in this book
Because that’s where we always will be.
No book ever ends
When it’s full of your friends
The Giraffe and the Pelly and me.”
― Roald Dahl

IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN

Dear readers,

Nothing remains the same but the change itself.Change at times is hard, harder still if we resist to change. They say if we are poised to accept change the chance is we are destined to change for better.The hardest part is when we are already become entangled with a plethora of old thoughts that resist to embrace novelty.We sometimes are victims of our own success. Success that sheds us light of proven track to achieving it invariably mitigates our further progress as we are over reliant on past methods. Thus, we tend to brush off the fact that our subjects are of different breeds that demand different approach.At last, it failed us miserably.

To stay motivated for a period of time when others gave in is actually an art. The art of tenacity.We apparently tend to be influenced more by our surroundings or external factors that derail us further and further from our track. Unless and until we are truly motivated or inspired enough to take on any challenges we have set to achieve or are bound to achieve due to outside pressure from the so called stake holders.

If what Sigmund Freud claimed that everyone wants to be important is always true, almost all things would be like a piece of cake.Why? of course, give them what they have craving for for a ransom . The reality is not everyone is after fame but almost everyone is in search of happiness. This what forces us to ponder.Some gain happiness while in process, in struggling or on their way to the destination,whilst others claim to reach happiness once the reach their destination. Furthermore the level of happiness is ever fluctuating that renders us mortals restless to find the one that gives us a lasting happiness.So, does happiness truly exist or we are shrouded by the mist of happiness which is so fragile that may eclipse in the blink of an eye.

 Sir

I ALWAYS HAVE MYSELF TO BLAME

Dear students,

This years marks my fifth year teaching here and fifth formers now as as old as i am dwelling at and in this very school.So many bitter sweet memories went unrecorded.Yet,some of them remain intact as they at times encourage me to go on and on. I happened to audio-record a few events that mark our once achievement being here at this very school.I should take it as nothing but a mere coincidence.The maxim that two heads is always better holds true considering the dismay result of PMR candidates of 2011. Her departure was too costly that none aced for English.

Should i take her departure as a timing bomb and swiftly figure out means to overcome it,this year result would not be so cataclysmic like what we have now.I thought i realized it, but it was too late the leakage was possibly beyond repair given the low motivation the teachers as well as their in-charges had had at that time of moment. Thus,Only we are strongly advised to remain positive with whatever befalls us, aside from abiding by the principle that God did not create something for nothing. There must be reasons which we mortals should dig out to take lessons for further improvement of ourselves. I admit i myself ever remind student to memorize some inspiring lines 'it is so easy to cry and die, but to fight when hope is out of sight'..It is now high time for me look deep down inside to keep on track so that not to have derailed me from the right paths.

Though countless reasons bundled to me ranging from students' weak grasps of the language and school activities which are too overloaded, the fact remains and forever remains is no of them aced last year. And i have to be frank that i have always myself to blame.And i should say sorry for that,for jobs unwell-done.

Sir

CONGRATULATIONS!

Yesterday was the day for Sir Yus to tie the knot with his someone special. Barakalluhulakuma. May your marriage will be blessed forever.

:)

TOMORROW, TOMORROW AND TOMORROW

Dear students,

Imagine how dull this world is should tomorrow won't come. Nevertheless, tomorrow as depicted by arguably one of the greatest Englishmen, Shakespeare is a dull one for its repetitious, monotonous and colorless . Both are correct as it largely depends on our own ready-made or self-made philosophy of life and the way we view or ponder of something .To me, i sometimes am really looking forward for tomorrow if it involves things that we have long awaited for. Thus, so late it came we felt then. But, if it involves exams or anything related to deadlines and etc ..we usually feel it as fast as lightning. That is the fact we hardly ignore .

One thing for sure bound to happen tomorrow that invites anxiety as well as excitement is English paper for SPM. The subject that has never failed to haunt majority of students with the exception of the select few.It as past years put us teacher like a cat on hot bricks so nervous that we end up doing nothing but hoping for divine intervention considering the state of unreadiness of our in-charges. This is what i am feeling now. Only i feel more guilty than worried as i manage to have helped them so little though knowing fully well that they deserve to have better equipped with right weapons should this very teacher put much dedication and creativity in his teaching and learning process. One such irresponsible deed is the fact that only lately which is last a couple of days i managed to go through the whole four poems from which i think i benefited much more than the students from the beauty and gist of the poem. The one i like most is about the searching of Albino buffalo by a grandfather from whom the story was brilliantly relayed in a very thoughtful message that no matter how bad you experience, never let it put you down as what matters most to us is to live life gratefully. Everyone has his or her own sets of problems. The difference is the way we see the problems and deal with them for our self betterment and others' as well. The good news is it shed light about things that i should have never done to next year's batch. I don't think students would forgive me for my out-form performance if they come to acknowledge that. I do hope by jotting this down, it at least helps alleviate my burden of guilt that i have all-this-while been carrying everywhere to and fro.

For me, tomorrow's tomorrow is for real. It help beat my heart faster like never before.It comes in a beautiful package that serves me well to better comprehend what life is actually all about. Past is past and it is no longer in existence. Out of many, the most practical yet rewarding way to appreciate the past is to learn from it and most importantly to put in practice straight away upon graduating from any simple life's lessons.

Sir

A CLASS ACT FORM AN OLD MAN

Dear students,

Though i am not a die-hard fan of the turtle team, i have so far never missed watching the finals when it involved the turtles, the least via tube at home.Only lately after the qualifying rounds my mind could register the like of Marzuki, Shaari and Manaf who were instrumental in helping Terengganu reaching the most anticipated finale. The turtle in the just concluded game had skills, speed, airy advantages and everything except mental strength and experience like what Nogri possessed with its Shukor Adam ,Misbah, Aidil and not to forget Hairuddin Omar whose brilliant shot put us in a state of disbelief for a few seconds. Don't blame the Setiu guy as the most- sought-after goal was his best revenge to Che Mat Jusoh and his comrades who once rejected Hai O's offer to don black-and-white jersey last a couple of years.No better revenge than success.He proved Che Mat's arrogant side wrong.

Tonite, not only Che Mat but the whole Penyu fanatics had to taste a bitter part of fate that Kelantanese fans tasted a few months back when the Turtles dragged the game to extra time with five seconds to spare before humbling the red warriors with a stunning goal. And seemingly Terengganu paid a hefty price for not learning from others' mistakes. A goal difference is nothing in football lest the final whistle was blown up.They say 'It ain't over till it's over'

I was speechless seeing the goal from Hai O, he deserved admiration or even man of the match for such a superb first timer. The shot if you wish can rival Zidane's best goal ever in history in the champion league final 2002. How wonderful?just ask Pak Cik google.No wonder, according to some friends, Zidane is Hai O's idol.His goal is decisive yet classy,it could not be better. All it took for such an amazing goal is timing and coolness. He has always had both. Hats off to Hai O, don't cry Sarbini. You should have learned the most tonight hopefully. To me, what matters most tonight is Hernandez hit the net again,apart from the Blues being humbled by the Gunners.

Got to 'pen off' as tomorrow is schooling day as usual.Hit the books now or you will have to taste far bitter yet lasting defeat than that of tonight.

Sir

LET US NOT STIFLE OUR STUDENTS' GREATEST GIFT - MIND

Dear students,

Elsewhere may be you are now.And of course to have a short visit at this blog is far from being your must-to-do thing possibly for its incomprehensible yet out of the world contents. It after all starts from our belief system. Too small the thing is no matter how gigantic it is if we train our mind to regard it otherwise. What makes me feel like writing now is due to the fact that writing itself is skill. Should we stop it though for a little while we will invariably be at a loss for words let alone ideas. This alone is enough to coerce me to hit the ever stuck keyboards to string words comprehensible and related to readers in some other ways.

I could feel a pang of guilty upon knowing how creative and innovative our students are if teachers applied novel approaches in teaching. Or the word teaching here is no longer applicable as she might have just activate students' cell brains so much so that they proved to work wonders. What actually had stimulated them to come up with such a lovely outputs. This according to an eminent columnist will be in oblivion once these indigenous students have to follow the so called exam oriented trends of education. Their creativity sparks shone at its best at such a tender age only after they become adult things have started swerving nowhere to cloud their mind and soul.

Sir

SUMMARIZING "RUMPELSTILTSKIN"

It is quite a happiness to have the sight of this on your desk after you’ve been away for almost a week for a course. What more can a teacher ask for after to see this passion, an evidence of the immense amount of hard work of googling, cutting, pasting, typing, writing, drawing etc. It’s like getting many self-made cards on your birthday or teacher’s day.

An A4 colored paper, a piece of paper containing all the important notes (synopsis, theme, moral values, characters etc) of the drama ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ and one week duration to produce a pamphlet of own preference (either publisherized or hand-made)are all what you need to allow them dwell in their own creativity of making literature notes for exam. Some complained on how there are too many words for them to ‘copy’ in the pamphlet, thus, what teacher could do is to remind them of how important is that their summarizing skills to be applied.

To appreciate what they’ve done, I’m planning to treat them with a very cute but cheap ‘Angry-Birds’ stuffs I’ve found in PSI. They’re going to love them, that’s a sure thing :D

ONE CAN WORTH MORE BECAUSE HE HAS FOUND HIS WAR

'Have you found your war?'

So asked the man, the author in his book. What an interesting quest to define one's worth through the kind of war he/she is in. War in itself to these generation is a negative connotation meant to be avoided. So many echoes 'War is not the answer'.but why is it that history proves it is always what people of the last centuries resorted to.

Since I'm not that capable enough to dwell on the many meanings of war, but undoubtedly this heart feel its hollowness without the feeling that both mind and body are fighting in a war. What war? it is really one's choice. Life will lose its exciting part if we choose to be in the comfort zone.

Despite the many obstacles, I really hope to be able to instill this mindset in my dear students that life is meant to be enjoyed through putting in a lot of effort to achieve something.. it's a war! and you have the autonomy to choose to be in whatever battle you want to be.

This PMR exam itself is a battle, not really in getting the best result, but the battle in putting in your best foot forward for the exam as only after hardship comes ease. I guess it can be paraphrased this way, "Ease comes with hardship or the other way round".

If you (PMR candidates of SMAS) happen to read this, I would like to wish you all the best in your exam! Think of all the many sacrifices made by your very Sir Yusri! and most importantly it is for no one but your own selff

IF

Dear students,

Today is Saturday, a week from now will be another Saturday. Three days later will the D day when everybody is trying to prove their worth.

If someone asks me who and how many will get A for English PMR this year. I could not give them the answer as until now i cannot name even one student who have got A for English paper. But as they say, but if those students treat each second worth like a hundred meter sprinter. Impossible is nothing, let alone A. I am pretty sure A will be within your grasp should you prepare to pay its price.

If these students Hanis , Zahira , Izzah , Alia , Nazihah , Omar , Ummi , Nabilla , Farah Ziana , Farahanni , Mariam , Jamilah , Azli G and the list goes on, are willing to sacrifice by cutting their sleeping hours short, attending all classes as scheduled regardless of their moods and paying much attention to details such as rudiments in grammar, getting A is without doubt not a tall order.

Aside from that, as many say practice makes perfect. From now on, they need to double their efforts especially in honing writing skills and getting familiar with both novel and literature texts .I may come up with a t0-do-list, but it is not me who will be out on the field battle. I may oversee from afar and offer prayers.

Do your best dear students as you will be in the know that impossible is nothing if with enthusiasm and passion we are willing to pay its cost.

Sir