A Visit by the Angkasawan Negara

What a day it was. I am still "star-struck" at getting the opportunity to be up close and personal with the first Malaysian medical doctor to go to space. The one and only Dato' Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. My Principal (bless you Mrs Chee!!) actually put me in charge of organising the programme to receive the Dr. To be the anchor. It was a real priviledge to accept this unexpected task. I have organised more challenging functions before but none as glamorous as this.

Dr Sheikh is a Malaysian celebrity albeit a controversial one and every Malaysian knows him (unless that person has gone to space or hiding underneath the coconut shell). It was such a short notice. I knew about it on thursday and Dr Sheikh is coming on monday!! After receiving some guidelines from the Principal, I quickly roped in some help to get things rolling.My classes went on as usual, my test papers were 90% done. But I am not going to meet the monday dateline. But I am sure, the exam sec will understand.

Everything was prepared as well as could be. Banners, posters, all the logistics, floor plan for arrangement of seating, music,script for the MC and the itenary for the day. All went like clock work - well almost anyway. Minor glitches were taken care of immediately. Thank God.

Dr Sheikh himself, despite having gone to space, was so so so down-to-earth,friendly and charming. And of course, his talk was fluent (despite negative rumours about his communication skills)and his presentation was engaging, enlightening and inspiring.

He must have got used to being mobbed and crowded upon by everyone, young and old. He was also very patient with the primary kids, answering every single question asked. He is always smiling and ready to have his photograph taken and to sign autographs.He encouraged them, saying and I quote, "Don't be shy. Always ask for what you want". And that was my cue to stand right next to him to snap a close up photo with the very sexy and handsome doctor. I managed a very intimate self potrait with him. Don't believe me? See the picture. I took it myself!! His cologne lingered on my scarf, he was that close. Something I will treasure and remember for as long as I live. You can bet your stars on that.

The story of Brad Cohen

I saw this movie on Hallmark last year. Then, I came across this Youtube in saifulislam.com
With the start of a new academic year, this rediscovery is very timely. A motivating story of a boy growing up with an incurable disability eventually becoming the best teacher of the year! Watch it and cry!!

We are back in business, yeah!!

It took a long time coming but we got connected again today!! The TM man came at 10am as scheduled and within minutes, we are connected. Its the waiting that took so long. Isn't that typical of government services? Health care, transportation, education, registration, everything!!
You wait for hours in the queue and then once you are there, in five minutes sometimes less, its over. This time, we waited for 2 weeks to get the fixed line, fixed. Then another two weeks waiting, to get Internet connection. First world technology, third world mentality.
No more trips to kopitiams. No more free cigarette smoke, no more caffiene and no more midnite walks home in the dark. The security guards at the boom gate will miss me.

From TKS to TMS to TKC

Salam Ma'al Hijrah 1431 to all. Its Awal Muharram, the January of the Islamic calendar. There's no fireworks and Auld Lang Synes but the day is significant to Muslims none the less.
Sabrina, my youngest informed me, that Noriman (her special bf) used to only know of his Islamic day of birth - which falls on 1 Muharram. How about that? Happy Birthday Iman!!
Now, I digress. What's the title all about?
Well, I told you in my previous post, how an Internet junkie I've become of late, right? One of the things I do when online is to check my emails and forum. I belong to the TKC email group as well as a member of the Budak TMS Class of 63 - 73 forum. That's what I do every time I am online. Its a must. I check my email group and forum. TKS also has an email address, but its rather dead.
Let's go back, one step, ok?
So what is TKS, TMS, and TKC? Maybe you all know what TKC is. It is the acronymn for Tunku Kurshiah College. Its like the Eaton schoolfor girls. Malay girls. Creme-de-la-creme. Clever girls who excelled academically (so why they selected me??) in public schools all over Malaysia, hand selected, leave behind their family and friends to attend boarding school. It's a prestigious school with excellent academic records, giving birth to many public figures like, Datin Rosmah, Datuk Sharizat Jalil, Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir, to name a few,
I started schooling in '69. It was Sekolah B. Kuala Pilah. A 100% malay school, in terms of population and lingua-franca. In Standard 1, I was top of the class. But, I cried to be transfered to an English school. So in '70 I went to Tunku Kurshiah School (TKS), primary, then, to TKS (secondary) until my Form 3. Sekolah B, was a co-ed school but TKS (primary & secondary) were all girls school. I said was because, TKS primary is now co-ed although TKS secondary maintained to be the only all girls school.I did fairly well in both TKS but not top of the class. There were many pupils from Chinese family who were much cleverer than I. But at one time, in Std 3, I think, I was in the top 10. After that, I yo-yoed from top 10 to just off the scale, but never more than top 11. After LCE (PMR now), it was bottom 10 for me up to my MCE (SPM). In TKC, I couldn't compete with the brains of the country, Chinese or no Chinese. But one bright spark, in my entire school life, was when, a group of us TKS girls, we sent to study pure science in Tunku Muhamad School (TMS), a neighbouring school meant for boys!! We had a culture schock in the beginning, but built a platonic albeit healthy friendship that lasted a life time. I was in TMS for only 2 months but I made many new (boy) friends there. I was offered to study in TKC soon after. I stayed for two years but made no friends. What an irony!
I made life-long friends in TKS and TMS. We had re-unions and I even became a committe member of TKS old girls'association. Its TKC I have problem with.
On reflection, I think I made a mistake going to TKC. I missed my friends from TKS and TMS. On school breaks, I kept going back to my old alma mater to meet up with old friends. I had no friends in TKC. Its difficult, I tried but I just wasn't able to make friends. I see that happening in all the schools I have taught in and in SSS too. There are some misfits, and I emphatise.

I thank my TKS and TMS formative school years for making me who I am today. TKC, was a nightmare that, try as I might, but cannot seem to forget. The former two schools, were multi-racial. I developed "colour blindness" in these schools. Until now, the friendship we built, three and half decades ago, remain strong. If you want to see a sample of "1 Malaysia" just come to our reunions or teh tarik sessions.
TKC is an elite school, building elites who tend to remain elitist well after they leave school. Many become Datins after marrying Datu's or Datuks who were more often than not, were schooled in another elite Eaton - Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). You see, back in the '70s when the New Economic Policy was introduced, our generation, left the nest to study overseas under various scholarships. In the process, the two elite schools, set free their prodigies, only for them to meet, fall in love and get married. I myself, married one MCOBA boy. We now have 4 girls, none of whom wanted to go to boarding school, thankfully. I wouldn't have let them anyway. Yes, many TKCians and MCOBAians went out to be successful, contributing citizens, but when I return for TKC reunions, I feel a great regret for being a TKCian. So much for moulding the person. In my down moments, I can't help asking "what if" questions.

I enter the TMS forum and I feel the camarederie and warmth. I enter the TKC email group, I shiver from the cold.
Que sera sera.

Free WIFI and cigarette smoke

I became a passive smoker in the process of getting WIFI service


I wrote this missive first, before I could come up with a title. It's been countless weeks with no internet connection at home. I had to spend time and money at a nearby coffee shop (Kopitiam) to get online - to check my mails, to chat, create this blog, etc etc etc. Its ok to get out of the house for a while after dinner and sometimes on weekends, in mid-mornings, in order to go online. Its the crowd that's challenging. As the nite gets older, the crowd gets younger and louder. Must be the coffee. But it's a necessary evil for an Internet junky like me. Its become a routine, to go online. On school days, I stay back much longer to check my personal emails and to chat with friends. (I do use work time to check my emails though - naughty naughty!). But when Maxis proofed to be a bad provider, my family decided to change to TM and it just takes such a long time for my girls to get this done and meantime I had to find alternatives. So after dinner, you will find me at the kopitiam hacking away on the laptop with a cup of tea. It costs me RM2.95 every time I sit down to go online, which is good bargain for I do stay for at least 2 hours, on work days and longer on weekends. Its a win-win situation between us (maybe not).

Pink is my fav colour

A BIG smile from a suvivor



We were classmates back in .... from left: me, Arah, Connie, Abbey

Pink is my favourite colour

This, would you believe is the chorus of a song by a rock group!

It is my fav colour since I was a little girl. One Hari Raya, I was in pink from head to toe! Now, it is my girl, Nora's, fav colour too.

But the Pink Ribbon stands for something that every girl and woman fears. Breast cancer. A classmate of mine, Dr Zaharah (fondly known as Arah) is a survivor. Now she campaigns for anti-breast cancer by going round the nation on Harleys, rows from Port Klang to Penang on kayaks. The last time I met her, she was catwalking. She is a Chemistry lecturer mind you and counting her blessings for surviving the deadly disease which happened to take the life of my cousin's eldest daughter (she was only 32!). Her grandma died of cervical cancer many years before that. There's no stopping this pint-size lady. I showed my support by being at the "Outrageously Pink Nite" in Bangsar Village in pink. Perhaps one day I will invite her to give a talk on the subject (breast cancer not chemistry).

Mr Mahen got hitched!!

My girls at the VIP table (picture courtesy of Mr Sah)


Posing with the wedding cake and Sabrina


Posing with the beaming Mr & Mrs Mahendran


It had to happen sooner or later to any young and eligible bachelor. I knew he was 'taken' when we first knew each other early 2008. And he told me he was getting married in Dec 2009. I got invited and I went to celebrate the auspicious occasion with my two girls.
The bride and groom were all smiles. I enjoyed the food. It was a grand occasion. We had chocolate lollipops as parting gifts -with what resembles Mahen's and Kamini's face on it, made from sugar. At first I did not want to eat it because of the picture but it was good chocolate and I finished it in one sitting. Thanks for inviting us Mahen. Wishing both of you a very happy marriage life and lots of little Mahens and Kaminis.