Monday, December 05, 2005

My 'Not So Happening' Weekend ......


........As Compared To Nurelhuda's

Went to Lembah Beringin last Saturday to fetch my son, Muhammad (wrote about him here) at KYUEM college, who has just started his 6 weeks hols. It was Parents' Day and we had quite a time meeting his teachers. To begin with, it was unlike the normal Parents' day we usually attended before . This is a college where almost a third of its educators are British including the headmaster himself, Mr Richard Small. Thus, many of the college's rules and regulations, style and emphasis are so English in nature but perhaps entwined with bits of Malaysian hues, here and there.

To start with, the report book was very impressive, the layout, that is. The results, I'll deal with later, :). Each particular subject was given a full page, where the subject teacher would give their sincere remarks with regards to the student's performance throughout the semester, their attitude and enthusiasm. All the teachers were stationed in the hall behind their desks with their names exhibited to ease the parents finding them.

Firstly , we saw his Maths teacher, a young Malay lady, whom I immediately, took a liking to. She was frank and seemed sincere to help Muhammad gain good results in his coming exams. She spoke with a graceful lilt and there was a slight hint of British accent too.

Next, we met his Chemistry teacher who is probably a Pakistani Brit (forgot to ask Muhammad). A youngish gentleman who was so polite and very pleasing in demeanor. He gave positive remarks and apparently believed that Muhammad has no problem to prove his best in the coming exams, insyallah.

His Biology teacher is helluva guy! A down-to-earth Malay man who stressed on being transparent. Since Muhammad did well in Biology, this teacher focused more on Muhammad's attitude and it's negativity. He was concerned on a certain aspect and we dealt with it seriously in front of Muhammad! And for that, I thanked him.

Lastly we sat with the English teacher who suggested that he started writing daily, making his own journal, to improve his writing. We had encouraged him to start his own blog but apparently this teacher is against it. She said that most of these blogs were written in a 'merapu' sort of manner and prefered that he sticks to the conventional method. To me, it doesn't matter what mode he choses to write. As long as he writes proper English, the outcome would be the same, insyallah.

The college is always generous in providing food for its visitors. We were served buffet-styled. No. There were no macaroons, bagles, or buns . None of those English treats. We had the usual Malaysian spread of Mee Hoon, rendang ayam, kuih lapis and biscuits. The HM and some of the teachers were seen mingling amongst parents, making small talks. Some of the British teachers were bulging in the waists, I see. Hope they don't blame it on the local food! Another Biology teacher ( A Dutch, I was told) had donned dark-shades throughout. Apparently his trademark. (only to be scorned by his students: macam orang buta je!) But he looked so much like Keannu Reeves in the Matrix to me, :).

One more thing that I need to mention is the hostel. The hostel here is quite unique. The students live in chalets which consist of 4 small rooms , a small common room and an attached bath. And guess what? All these chalets are air-conned in the common room! These are difinitely luxury to me!

After spending overnight at my parents' in Ampang (had a nice time chatting with mak), we headed for the PC Fair the next morning. I decided not to bore myself and instead ambled along with mak and bapak at KLCC, :). Since it was the last day of the fair, it was a mad rush and 'shoving' was the act of the day! And apparently the price of everything was sinfully cheap, leaving ikelah drooling badly! My sister, TK, got herself a branded wireless optic mouse for her laptop which according to iKelah was a steal, at RM 130. My dad was flabbergasted when he found out the price. "Mouse apa nih sampai 130 ringgit? Bapak boleh dapat seringgit jek!" Ye lah, bapak! heheh

At the PC Fair. Some booths were displayed ala McD! Fancy!

So that was my weekend. Btw, since my last entry on food drew quite a number of comments, I have decided to make food-entries a norm. But time and energy is so precious to me nowadays, thus I can't promise much...but Has' kitchen is so beautiful that I am tempted to just make my next cooking-entry straight from her kitchen! Big, fat hope huh?

p.s. Nurelhuda was away for a week but look what agendas she has occupied herself with! Masyallah! Queen of the House is going crockery shopping this December.Hiyoshi has a new entry on his debate thingy. Pang5 just came back from a Singapore trip. Kenakelayan extended her holidays and is now back in Dungun. iFos has decided to tell everyone that she's alive by reproducing 'this' entry. Bergen is off somewhere after sending off his Aunt Su. Crimsonskye and Ayumi has made a sub-fellow-blogger meet without us! boo hoo! Halela is getting ready for Hajj. Finally, iKelah has a fairly recent entry on snatch-thief and its severe repercussions.

Till later, take care, wassalam!

28 comments:

Em said...

Alloo

Ya Im fine now alhamdullilah.. I like dis post enjoyable and teringat dulu wen I was at Uni...when the family came to visit.Of cos my mum would use the opportunity to make her bags beranak.. Shoppin sakan. hhehe

Take care doctor n if u need help on the recipe corner.. I boleh tolon

dith said...

Em-- thanks for the offer..insyallah...Em Uni kat mana dulu?

Anonymous said...

i guess if the english teacher read my blog, hah...memang sah dia akan cakap blog i merapu punya! but then a blog is a place to express oneself. never mind about the merapu manner, as long as you can express yourself.simpan simpan dalam hati tak elok tau...macam api dalam sekam!

Anonymous said...

My hubby's friend became very good in english just by reading comic books's.Another was fascinated with Mills and boons reading books.

Em said...

Allo

I went to an Australian Uni.. wer it does not snow..n had rivers...

Anonymous said...

This entry just reminds me of the times when I went to meet my children's teachers when they were studying overseas. It's exactly as you have described. They are very professional and put their heart and soul into their work.
Even when they have something not too positive to tell about our children, they still managed to give us the 'feel good and there's still hope' feeling.
Unlike the times when I have to meet the teachers here. My youngest (for example) is a very intelligent boy and full of life. He may be a little too active to the teachers liking (even to us too, at times) And guess what his teachers feedback to us was? "Anak encik ni tak boleh duduk diam lah. Dia ni pelik sikit, suka cakap sendiri. Kalau saya suruh dia diam, dia terus tidur...(among other things)
When I went to collect his report card just recently, the very same teacher said: "Saya 'salute' lah anak encik ni...walaupun dia tak 'pay attention' dan main-main serta tidur dalam kelas, tapi result dia bagus. Semua cikgu-cikgu kata begitu...(among others)
What say you drroza? Should I send the teacher a bouquet of roses and a thank you card?????

Anonymous said...

I dont know about the other bloggers, but to me, your weekend sounds "so happening." I am ALWAYS elated everytime I get to see my children....and that would be every weekend (two of them are in boarding schools).
Do you think I only spend boring weekends??

HCI said...

Dear Roza,

Happening or not is to one's perception. I must say that I myself have been too busy, he he busy waiting for planes, has been commuting daily to K.L over the last three days. Hemm...sama sibuk dengan politicians yang turun naik dok datang berkempen kat sini ler. Closeup si Nazri tu hansem and fit juga dia.

Whatever, I am missing you, yes the virtual you. Dok teringat kat Roza and Permaisuri.

End of year people are busy finishing their leaves, but mine have to carry to next year or accumulate for award gaji bila nak pencen nanti.

Bila nak pos resipe ori you?


Has

p/s: makchik tak dak skull belah atas tu is me, checking; eh aku masih ada otak lagi la, he he he.
Permaisuiri, kalau u baca ni my big HI to you too, tak kesempatan nak lawat you, ni nak gi for another round of duties.

Queen Of The House said...

DITH, I wish the teachers at our sekolah kebangsaan are a more dedicated lot. Frustlah dealing with the teachers. They want your child to fit their mould ... semua nanti keluar sekolah macam lemmings, jadi pak turut & tak tahu fikir sendiri. I am glad during my time we at least had the freedom to 'find' ourselves. Kalau tanya pasal education system, I have a lot to say. My eldest child is in special education - that in itself deserves an entry in my blog one of these days. My second child also has some learning issues. My third and fourth, the boys, alhamdulillah seem to be on the right track but like Pycno said, the teachers aren't too happy that they ask too many questions and refuse to sit quietly. How????

Has, you buat apa sibuk fly sana sini? Bila nak try buat tepung talam?

Anonymous said...

Seems everyone had a busy time eh? Despite being in KL we decided to give the PC fair a miss due to dislike of crowds, but the pic you posted seemed quite peaceful!

Pycno: a teacher made the exact same comment about me when I was in secondary school, except sebenarnya I tak tidur dalam kelas, just my eyes were perpetually half-open (in reality I was paying close attenion without seeming to, and I gues I annoyed her by asking too many questions and then got bored when she wasn't too interested in answering them, hence the starring around). The unfair thing was that the teacher made that comment to the whole class when I was absent rather than telling my parents or me directly about it. Sigh. If things are this bad, maybe I should homeschool my future kids? Hehehehehe.

Anonymous said...

hey hey hey....mana nama cL kaler merah takde???


p/s: last wkd cL dok rumah istirehat je pasal mao recover 100% dr keracunan makanan yg melanda cL pada minggu tersebut.

Suriya said...

Demam laa Roza. What to expect from such a hectic time! I m off to Sungai Petani tomorrow night. Hey that pendrive I have.the one in the photo!I have a house kat Lembah Beringin ..dead place lah but it is sooo peaceful , the house energy feels great!

dith said...

NB- hmmm....api dalam sekam sounds so sinister and membara..ouch!

Easylady- I am still wondering who you are...plz email me at drroza2004@yahoo.com

Pycno- the same happened to me when I had to explain to Luqman's teacher about him being dyslexic and might have problem with his studies esp maths...you know apa dia jawab? 'Itu saya tak tahu lah, saya ajar BM'...sedihnya rasa!

Bea- I dunno how you do it but I can't envisage myself having all my kids at boarding schools eventhough that could be the best for them! Do you go see them often? What if their schools are all over. Then it'll be too tiring. Masa iFos kat K. Pilah pon I rasa tak larat dah!

Has- heheh--sibuk no nampak! Tapi sempat lak ngintai Nazri ek? Tak letih ke? Ni mesti Gano penuh bag!

QOTH- you must be overwhelmed with bringing up your 2 eldest with learning problems. Alhmadulillah ALlah swt gave you patience

Kenakelayan- If only the teacher could see where you are now...homeschool? But I dont have the patience!! Tho I would love to! Cant wait to hug those future kids of yours!

cl- macam mana nak kaler merah sbb tak tahu latest update about you! For your food poisoning, ambil Eucarbon

Nurelhuda- Sian nya! I hope you are feeling better! I dengar you nye schedule pon I dah letih!! I nampak rumah kat LB..cantik but neglected...kosong ke? Take care dear! Dont overwork ok!

anggerik merah said...

When you described about teachers were in the hall waiting for parents, remind me of my son's school here. Typical british style. I am planning to send my son to International school UIA so that he can follow through the same system. He might not be able to follow Sek Kebg system as it is different from what he had been through. I am yet to find out parents who sent their kids there to share good and bad about the school, at least I know what to expect.

In my mind yr weekend is exciting!

Anonymous said...

gambar i kena 'curi', tanpa kebenaran dan tak mentionpun photographer. isk isk isk.

kenakelayan: hall 1 bz sebab orang baru masuk, hall 2 menggila because thats the first bargain site termasuk ala mcD, hall 3, 4, 5 quiet sikit sebab depa sibuk kat hall 2.

did not enjoy myself much, phone ringing every 10 minutes tanye bila nak balik. ;(

Anonymous said...

Hai,

You're curiosity answered.Read your e-mail.

dith said...

Anggerik- you mean the International Islamic School? From what I heard it's a good one. Furthermore, at least you know they incorporate Islamic values and syahsiah. You're coming back next year?

Photographer- sorry ambil gambar tanpa izin, :)) and sorry too that you felt so disturbed by the phone cals but you know why kan? hehe

Easylady- thanks for answering my curiosity. Will reply your mail ASAP.

Anonymous said...

drroza, tks for the eucarbon.i am ok now. alaa...sebenernyer tak ok pong. ptg smlm eksiden teruk kena kena *BANGGGGGG* oleh sebijik Prado yg dipandu cam pelesit. my car was badly damaged!!

btw, i hv no blog so takde chan ler nama cL dpt kaler merah...

ngehngehngehngeh.....

anedra said...

Your weekend sounds happening compared to mine! Mine was what? errr..eat, and then sleep and then eat and then sleep and then eat....
!!! Of course there were crosswords in between! ;p

Nusayba said...

i love reading long winding reports from teachers when i was at a primary school in england.

but typically, malaysian school teachers, would probably just write, "pelajar yang baik. memberi respon yang baik. baik secara keseluruhannya. teruskan usaha anda". boringnya.

anggerik merah said...

Yes you got it right. The international Islamic School. My son will be going back end of January & start school there and stay with his baba in KL. We only have one, the precious gift. Will give him the best that we could. I will be back Insyallah end of July, if everything goes well. Pray for me!

Leyla Shuri said...

Everytime, i go to a pc shop in Japan, i would hang my tougue and drip. I would stand in front of the "thing" and just stare for hours.
Manufacturers keep improving their product every 3 mths for the same price. CHEAP!
Wow, my name is there.

Jalilah said...

Wah... there was a pc fair??? sayangnya tak dapat pegi... Oh, well, there will always be another pc fair, huh? have been thinking of buying an optical mouse and epson printer cartridge for a long time :(

Anonymous said...

Now, what kind of boring weekend is that? You should've seen mine *wails*

I wanted to go to the PC Fair too, but was short on time. And money (which of course, goes without saying). Maybe next year lah.

Anonymous said...

As far as i can remember, though she had to miss most of of the parents' day during my school years, she did find other ways to get more involved with the school itself and eventually, me.

my meet with ayumi coincided with the pc fair, but i've no qualms to forgo the latter. besides, i can always get my friends to go through the 'hazards of the crowds' and buy the stuff for me hehe

dith said...

CL- sorry to hear of your mishap. Hope everything is ok now.

Anedra- macam mana ek kita boleh suka sgt buat c/w puzzles and others nak attempt pon malas?

23- true- Especially the HM remarks on Muhammad. Very long, nicely worded and positive. He has put it as though Muhamad is the best! :))

AM- insyallah I pray that you'll do well and come back to be with your loved ones- Just like KEnakelayan :)

Halela- best nya dengar.ikelah sure menggila kalau kat sana!

Jalilah- takper the next fair in 6 mths time :)

Hiyoshi- nest yr kita buat bloger'e meet kat PC fair...hehhe

Crimson- pandai ek but what are friends for kan? hehhe

HH said...

I hope you'd read this.

I have to agree with the English teacher on the need to engage in a conventional writing, instead of blogging for improvement. Writing a thesis and supporting it by giving proofs are definitely complex to grasp and blogging doesn't help to develope the academic ability in building key arguments.

Just something to ponder..

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum..
Hey.. since when do blogs become 'merapu'? If you're in the right blogging ring, you won't go astray ;) Blogging had improved my English, as well as my critical thinking skills, a lot.. especially when you have people who are great writers around you.

KYUEM students live luxuriously, I can't deny that! :P


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