Astro

I decide to take a break from my chores, sit back on the sofa, put my feet up to rest and catch some interesting programs on TV. I understand our satellite TV Astro has hundreds of channels. But there seems to be only one ‘program’ on all the channels every afternoon – SERVICES CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE! It is a very boring show – a blank screen with only one silent and still character -a yellow dot. I don’t have the patience to leave the TV on to time how long this ‘show’ goes on everyday but I’m disappointed that I’m paying for it!

Shouldn’t we consumers be demanding compensation from Astro for such bad service? We should be getting a rebate on our monthly payment for all the NO-SHOW hours. I thought that satellite TV was a very advanced medium of communication and a result of our progress in Science and Technology (form 2 Geography!). Thank goodness I have only subscribed to the basic package in Astro and thank God for RTM – Reliable enTertainment for Malaysia. Nothing to shout about but it doesn’t let you down every time it rains.

Promotion for 6th form teachers.

Note : 1) To my children – you need read no further. This is going to be very BORING!
Btw, my posts are not meant for your entertainment.
2) To my students – you may learn a little about school politics so please feel free
to comment.
3) To my bosses (hopefully to the highest level) – please take note of the contents.

Two weeks ago a letter was sent out to parents asking them to provide a stamped self-addressed envelop to their child’s class teacher so that the child’s final exams results can be posted to them. To date I have received ONE envelop! Since it will be the holidays, I threatened to deliver the results personally to their homes if they do not hand me the envelopes this week. I’m waiting to see how many fell for this threat. Anyway, I expected this response from my 2 Seroja kids and that is why I have already got my envelopes and stamps ready. I also heard some of the students intend to give wrong addresses! What has this got to do with the title? This is just one of the many challenges a 6th form teacher won’t face.

Last year a decision was made to treat 6th form classes as a separate department in schools and several new posts were to be created (read promotion) for teachers. Apparently some teachers were called up in December 2007 to apply for these posts. Early this year when school reopened, there was a scramble among teachers wanting to teach 6th form (I suppose to qualify for this promotion exercise) and the teaching time-tables were rearranged several times. However there were numerous complaints by teachers, especially from those whose schools do not have 6th form. I thought there was a case to put this decision on hold.

Several days ago the principal announced that the 2nd promotion exercise was underway and told teachers qualified to apply. I paid little attention to this as I don’t teach 6th form and I was also in a hurry to get back home to finish some chores in preparation for Deepavali. However as I was leaving the office, the principal asked me if I had collected the forms to apply. I felt very honoured by that question but I told her I don’t teach 6th form. I interpreted her question as she recognizes me as one who deserves to apply. That alone was like a promotion for me. Thank you Puan Nurul.

The following day saw many teachers in serious discussion about who had been successful in the 1st promotion exercise. No official announcement has been made and I am in no position to question these awards. I just want to highlight my work load in comparison with the 6th form teachers.

The subjects I teach are only given 3 periods a week, so 24 periods a week sees me going into 8 classes every week. Class size ranges from 22 – 37 students ( P.Moral classes) and 32 – 35 students in my Geography classes. In total I face 254 students every week and that also translates into that number of books to mark, coursework to check, exam papers to mark, etc. I am also not privileged to teach non-examination subjects, so my 24 periods is solid covering of syllabi to prepare for exams. While flipping through the school magazine, I couldn’t help noticing the size of the 6th form classes. Some as small as 11 students! And how about the number of students taking certain subjects? Sorry, I don’t have the statistics. But as for me, my 4th form Moral classes were considered too small so they were later combined so that I have 36 students in my form 4 A/B class and 37 students in my form 4 E/F class.

Another salient point to note, NO STUDENT goes for P. Moral TUITION. So even if the pass rate of my P.Moral class is just 50%, I can claim total credit for it. Not only is there no tuition for this subject, there is also no demand for tuition because it is considered unimportant by the students. Very few students also go for Geography tuition. In fact I always advice my students to invest their 1st month tuition fees in buying several Geography revision workbooks , then be disciplined in answering the questions. This way they save tuition fees and time traveling to and from tuition classes.

Academic work aside, administrative and disciplinary work is also more challenging in the lower forms. I have sent out more than 50 ‘surat amaran’ for absenteeism to the parents of my 2 Seroja children. Imagine how difficult it would have been for me to collect fees from these children if I can’t even get them to give me stamped self-addressed envelopes! I could go on and on and on…..

Anyone reading this and thinking why don’t you try teaching 6th form? For your info I have taught 6th form from 1985 to 1990, until I went on a transfer to a school with no 6th form. I am up to the challenge (read privilege)! I understand it is easier to teach 6th form now because many go for tuition! Boss, don’t you think I can handle MUET? Would love to give it a try!

Little thrills

At my age there’s hardly any chance of having thrilling experiences. I might try the roller coaster in Gentings because can’t afford bungee jumping in New Zealand. I could save up for a ship cruise because that will definitely excite me to the core. But then again, a cruise will be a big thrill!
Thanks to the school magazine editorial board, I was thrilled to see my pictures in several articles reported. I have not been so privileged before. Better yet was the article on blogging which had a special mention of my blog.
Now I feel pressured to post more regularly. It is not that I don’t have issues to discuss but I must practice self-censorship so that my blog won’t be controversial, contentious, litigious or touchy. But with the school holidays around the corner, I hope to find more time to practice my literary skills.

Datuk Shah Rukh Khan!

What a surprise when I saw the front page news on Saturday ~ Shah Rukh Khan was being awarded a Datukship by the Malacca governor. Yes, what exactly has he done to deserve this? Apparently 6 of his movies' song sequences had been shot in Malacca and this, claims the governor, has brought more tourists to the state!

If that is the case, about 50% of the South Indian movie heroes should be given datukship because they have shot more than song sequences; they have made movies in Malaysia which has made our country a household name in India. Why do you think there are thousands of Indians coming to work in Malaysia? These movies shot in Malaysia have given them glimpses of the beauty, the wealth, the lifestyle, the multi culture and so on. Only when they arrive here do they realise movies are for entertainment. They are not life and movies can fool you.

Back to SRK, wonder if he knows how to pronounce the name Malacca? knows where it is? what is this datukship award all about? Aren't there any more deserving Malaysians? My son has been contributing to the Malacca economy these past 4 years!

Anyway, can't wait to see SRK's next movie, with the credits running - Starring Datuk Shah Rukh Khan!!!

Exams and academic year end.

Much discussion has been going on in the media about when school final exams should be held. There have been many requests that exams should be avoided during the festive season. Such issues have not been raised in the past. Now parents demand that their children should be allowed to enjoy the festivities and not be bogged down with exams. Festivals take priority over their children’s education. Festive celebrations come and go every year but their children’s school years are only for a short period of time, especially the public exams. Why all this fuss? Is it because parents are occupied with their own work and social life throughout the year and only reserve time to be spent with the family during festivals?
Schools have received directives to hold final exams right at the end of the school academic year. This was a result of numerous complaints from parents that when final exams are held earlier, their children do not go to school after that. So teachers are very free in school but these parents probably have a difficult time managing their children (or only child!) at home. Parents may be ignorant of a teacher’s duties and responsibilities, but I’m surprised that officials in the Ministry of Education actually entertained these complaints.
As a parent, I would want to know how my child fares in the final exams so that I could plan for him/her to utilize the school holidays to revise and be better prepared for the following year. Presently, exams are being held just before the school holidays start so that teachers can mark the exam scripts and process the marks during the holidays. I suppose students will only know their grades next year. Students won’t have a chance to check their answers until 2 months later. By this time exam scripts may be lost or misplaced during the break. They may not even be marked / marked properly if there is a possibility that the papers won’t be checked!
Teachers are not exactly free after the school final exams. Apart from grading exam papers, year end reports have to be prepared and filed. A large percentage of teachers have to invigilate public exams, such as SPM and STPM that goes on until early December. It is teachers too who grade the public exam scripts, which is done through December. Certain teachers who have special duties like preparing the time-table for the following year; organizing distribution of text books; collecting, processing and distributing PMR results, and so on have to come back during the holidays to perform their respective duties.
Why do students stay away from school after the finals? Is it because school is uninteresting or home is more entertaining? Children have all sorts of gadgets to entertain themselves at home like Play Station, computer games, internet (unsupervised!), Astro, VCD / DVD players (viewing also unsupervised!) and enough money to be splurged at entertainment centers. I wonder who is responsible for this??? Yes of course, teachers!
Many students said they actually looked forward to school after the final exams. This was the fun part of school where they played games, had enjoyable activities and could put their books away for a couple of weeks.
Now, no more class parties…lost tradition. No more last minute advice on how students should spend the holidays or even giving students holiday homework, especially for those who fared badly in the finals. When the bell rings after the last exam paper, it is bye, bye. Indeed a HAPPY HOLIDAY. Have fun!

Short book review?!

Thank you for telling me in your own polite ways that people don’t like to read book reviews in blogs. I thought I will do my share of promoting the reading habit since research showed that Malaysians only read 2 books per year. However I am not surprised at your feedback because a colleague who teaches English commented "you still read story books at your age" when I brought out my book to read while waiting for the meeting I was attending to start. Ironic that it should come from a teacher, and an English teacher at that! Didn’t know there was an age limit for reading story books. Every time we visit a bookshop or I read a book review in the newspapers, I point out to my children the book I would like to read. That saves them the headache of deciding what gift to get me for birthdays, anniversaries, etc while I can be certain that I will like my gift! I also read between 2 – 4 newspapers everyday, depending on how much time I have. It is very important to me because it helps me relate moral values which I teach to current issues and situations to enable students understand what they are studying better.

On another issue, I am not one who frequents the temple. We only go to temple on auspicious days like Deepavali or Thaipusam and sometimes on family members’ birthdays. But I admit I feel good and revitalized after each visit to the temple. After reading an e-mail forwarded to me, I feel guilty thinking it is a hassle visiting the temple on a regular basis. I like to share the story with you:
A 'devotee' wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to the Ashram or Temple. 'I've gone for 30 years now, he wrote, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 mantras. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the Gurus are wasting theirs by giving services at all. This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to the Temple for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!
When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

By the way, if you are one who likes to read suspense-filled legal thrillers, you shouldn’t miss Steve Martini’s ‘Critical Mass’. It is about the theft of two nuclear devices from the former Soviet Union and smuggled into the US. It is a gut-wrenching, superb thriller… so realistic it scares you. Happy reading.

Book Review : The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

This is a must-read, especially for families which have ‘special’ children. I am very impressed with her language; beautiful, very descriptive and easy to follow. It is a book of intense and complex emotions which make you want to reread and further understand the feelings of some of the characters.

Dr. David Henry delivers his wife’s twins. While his son is healthy, his daughter has Down’s syndrome. He tells his wife their daughter died, but secretly asks his nurse to take the baby to a welfare home. But Caroline, the unmarried nurse couldn’t bring herself to leave the baby in a welfare home and decides to raise the child herself.

Dr. David may appear to be an evil person, but actually he is not. His action was a result of his own family circumstances when he was young. He felt he was saving his wife (whom he loved deeply) all the grief and heartache which he and his parents went through when his sister died at a very young age. To him it was an act of love! However Norah, Dr. David’s wife finds it difficult to come to terms with this and is silently haunted by the ‘loss’ of her daughter.

Caroline, on the other hand struggles to raise the little girl in a community which still does not understand children with Down syndrome. She also sacrifices her love life to a certain extend to be able to give the child her full attention.

Kim Edward’s record of the child (Phoebe) growing up is also very moving. Her slow progress, not being admitted in a school for normal children and when she finally falls in love and wants to get married, but Caroline is not too sure about that and feels Phoebe is not ready.

Phoebe’s twin and her mother eventually discover her existence. How do they react? The book is so well written that you can actually feel the pain of the emotional struggles all the characters go through…

No wonder the book was a bestseller in the US and also in MPH.

Book Review ~ BRICKFIELDS : A Place, A Time, A Memory by Balan Moses.

Thank you Balan Moses for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Much of what you have described in your book brought back fond memories of yesteryears. The places, the people and especially some of the childish games you described, I have quite forgotten until I read your book.

I did not live in Brickfields. My father worked with the Malayan Railways and so my family and I lived in the railway quarters along Jalan Bangsar. However Brickfields was a part of our daily life because my sisters and I studied in M.G.S., along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad and we had to pass through Brickfields as we walked to and from school. There were several routes we could take – walk along Jalan Tun Sambathan and straight onto Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, or walk along Lorong CA Thong, Jalan CA Thong or Jalan Rozario. I suppose our route depended on what we wanted to see, or if we wanted to linger along the shops to see or buy something. I still remember the end shop (opposite the Brickfields KFC now) which used to sell pets. I loved to stop to see the birds in that shop! Thus most of the places you have mentioned are very familiar. Good for you that the quarters you lived in still exists in Jalan Rozario. Our railway quarters is no more, it used to be where the present Bangsar LRT station stands.

The Lido theatre was an important landmark in our life – it was the focal point of our annual treat. We made a trip there on Deepavali day to watch either the Sivaji or MGR movie that was on. Visiting the Buddhist temple was also a must every Wesak Day, to get the orange thread tied to the wrist. Almost every non-muslim child wore this thread for several weeks after Wesak.

My mother bought mutton only from Naina’s mutton shop and you couldn’t have described him in any other way but the friendly giant! He was actually a good-looker with an ever ready broad smile. Yes, I remember the crowd waiting patiently outside his shop to get their order on Sunday mornings. Anthonian bookstore was another significant shop – to get our books and stationary especially before the new school year started.

Your naration of the mobile hawkers made me realize how environment friendly we were back then. There was no Styrofoam container and we used to bring out our own plates and bowls to buy the food. How could I forget bringing out our enamel or stainless steel cups to get the hot soup from the yong tau foo seller. How wonderful and convenient if we still had these mobile rojak, yong tau foo, pau and kueh sellers.

Did you keep a diary or just happen to have excellent memory? I remembered many of the games you mentioned such as kaunda kaundi, “catching”, tai chi and kicking the frangipani balls. But I had quite forgotten the “high five” card game and also throwing rubber bands to cross over the opponent’s rubber bands.

What you have written is indeed a beautiful historical record of our ordinary life 30 – 40 years ago. Reading it now made me realize how rich our simple life was. I actually feel sad for my children who are glued to their computers now. I can’t seem to share my excitement about your book with them, but I hope one day they would want to read it to know what they have missed.

Abuse of my chatbox!

Yes, there goes my chatbox! Thank you guys for your advice, I’ve heeded your advice and removed my chatbox. Now, I’m being informed that others are using my name and leaving indecent messages in other chatboxes. It does not bother me in the least.
Firstly, everyone who knows me will attest that I never utter indecent or vulgar words in any language that I speak. Have any of you heard any form of vulgarity from me? No way. Thus any bad language in your chatbox is definitely not from me!
Secondly, some people are plain spoilers! It appears their aim in life is to make other peoples’ lives miserable. Perhaps they have nothing better to do. Perhaps they enjoy this cheap thrill of upsetting other people. Perhaps that is how they have been brought up – to use fowl language and be born losers! Whatever their reason, I’m thankful for them. God can’t possibly accommodate all of us in Heaven. I suppose these people make God’s job a little easier. These people insist on booking their place in Hell! Let them. Hindus and Buddhist believe in karma. I strongly believe such people contribute towards my good karma. Heh! Thank you You!
I have finished marking my exam scripts and in fact have been catching up on my reading. I intend to review these books on my blog soon. Actually I got this idea from Pei Hau’s blog. He wrote quite a bit on restaurants and food, so I want to share my experience reading books.

Welcome to my blog

Wow! When Dhama put the chat box in my blogspot, I didn’t know it was another name for ‘complaint box’!! I think I should thank Philbert for making my blog popular overnight. Thank you Philbert! Hey Raja Petra, move over. You have competition here man!!
Before I continue, I also want to thank the others who have posted complaints in my chat box. You are most welcome to do so, but please don’t hide behind fictitious names. I don’t think it is the right thing to do – stealing someone else’s identity. Especially Pn. Marina Chin! She is not only the principal of a very important school, she is also a well-known personality in the country. I know it is not her style to say the things you have said, and her language is also much better then that! Improve your English or stop using her name. Be fair to her.
The complaints and issues mentioned are very reasonable. Is this what they mean by ‘barking up the wrong tree’? Why are you telling me all these? If there was a spelling error or content error in the certificates given out on Prize giving day, then tell me about it because that was my responsibility. But problems with invitation and selection of prize winners was out of my jurisdiction. If I had it my way, I will give away prizes to each student who successfully finished their school education, irrespective of the number of A’s.
As for the “Samad bashing” going on, I am just an ordinary teacher, teaching Moral studies and Geography. I feel honoured you feel you can tell me all these things but I’m powerless in the school. Please direct all your grievances to the school office. In no way am I involved in the school administration.
Actually I wouldn’t mind giving admin a shot but the ministry has not offered me any relevant posts. I wonder what the criterias are to be promoted into the school administration. I have been teaching for 24 years and never shirked my responsibilities at any time. Maybe my fault is I work hard and not work smart. Que Sara, Sara, what will be, will be!!
My technical assistant advices me to remove my chat box! Hey! Chat with me, I will love to hear from you. Don’t abuse it please. Thank you all for visiting my blog. Now I feel pressured to update my blog more regularly! I know I don’t have many posts, but whatever I have posted is important to me. I would appreciate feedback regarding my posts. I have exam papers, and folios to mark so don’t expect to hear from me in the near future.

POST ELECTIONS

OK. I know every Mary, Ann and Jane (as in Tom, Dick and Harry) have said their piece regarding Malaysia’s 12th general elections. There was much I wanted to say, especially during the campaign period, but was feeling apprehensive about what I had to say. In case I worded my post wrongly, I may be sued by the candidates!

Ever since I became aware of Malaysian politics, several things were very apparent. Most candidates come looking for us, the voters, only during the campaign period. After voting them in, it is we who have to make appointments to see them. They don’t seem to have much time for the people who put them in their Parliament seat or the state assembly seat. In Parliament, many seem to ‘wakil diri’ rather than ‘wakil rakyat’.

It is also during the campaign period when much is said about unity and harmony among the races. How the candidates are there to serve the public and not any one race. After the elections, it is all back to race-based political parties. It is during this time that much gets done in constituencies – roads are retarred, drains are cleaned, squatters get keys to new homes, abandoned projects and public’s complaints get attended to, etc.,etc.,etc. For this reason alone, I wish elections were held every year. Then, we, the rakyat will get our candidates attention more often.

In fact I have always felt the best thing that could happen to a constituency is the death of the elected representative! Don’t brand me cruel or nasty. Everyone can see how ALL ATTENTION is focused on the area that is having a by-election. The Ijok by-election last year was an excellent example. So much money was pumped in to improve the area and the people’s life just to win their votes. We read about how women who didn’t know how to sew were given sewing machines! Just imagine if such a tragedy were to occur once a month in the constituencies, one by one, a by-election every month will bring so much development to that area.

However my opinion has changed after the March 8th elections. It has been more then a month since the election, but our elected representatives are still so concerned for the electorate! They are stll actively trying to resolve issues important to us! Isn’t that wonderful? Will the people be the focus of our elected reps for the next 4 – 5 years? Wow! No wonder most developed countries have 2 parties system OR are the countries more developed BECAUSE they have the 2 party systems???

This is LOVE!

So how was Valentine’s Day? Did I receive a bouquet of roses? No. Heart shaped chocolates? No. A branded handbag? No. Perfume? No. Some other fancy gift? No. Am I upset or disappointed? No.

My husband does not believe in Valentine’s Day celebrations. He thinks it is too commercialized. Looking at the price of flowers and romantic dinners, I couldn’t agree more! But I was not saddened by it. We don’t need February 14 to DISPLAY affection and quarrel the next day.

I have been suffering from a bad backache after lifting a big pail of water when I mopped the floor last week. The household chores are shared between my husband and I mostly while the children chip in to help sometimes. My husband and my daughters knew about my suffering. However, when the weekend approached and it was time to mop the floor, it was my husband who insisted on doing the job so that I could rest my back which was still aching. Now, what do you call that, if not LOVE?!! My girls sympathized with me and offered backrubs to sooth the pain, but did not volunteer to do the painful task of mopping the floor.

What my husband did was a simple act, but it meant a lot to me. In actual fact, I don’t do the marketing; he does. I don’t pay any bills; he does. I don’t send my car for servicing, repairs and even filling up the petrol tank; he does. And he does a lot more for me.

God, how blessed I am! So if February 14 is the day to show your adoration for your loved ones, then most days are February 14 for me!!!

My 3 Diamonds

Last night my 15 year old daughter, Dhamayenthy and I reversed our roles. She became my ‘mom’ when she suggested that I should blog instead of playing FreeCell, my addiction, especially when I’m watching TV. I had only managed to put 2 posts on my blog when I forgot my password and had technical problems after that. She took about 20 minutes to fix the problem and even designed it for me. I love what she has done. Thank you Dhama!

What would I do without my children?!! In fact my blogspot was first started for me by Dhivia; my elder girl (read first post). My son Karthi takes care of my anti-virus and whatever other programmes I need. They also download songs for me. I just have to give them my ‘favourite songs’ list.

My 3 children are the best thing that has happened to me. Sorry dear (hubby), you have to settle for second place now even though I owe our children’s presence to you! There has been much pain bringing them up, especially when disciplining them, but now they are my best friends and it is such a pleasure when I’m with them.

I wonder if Karthi and Dhivia remember how they compared me with Cinderella’s stepmom and the wicked witch in ‘Snow White’ when I used to cane them for being naughty when they were young! Believe me, it hurt me too. Now, I’m so proud of them. They are my 3 diamonds; the jewels that sparkle and brighten up my life (and I’m sure my husband feels the same way too). Am I a biased judge? Please be informed that as a teacher I’ve been meeting and handling a couple of hundred teenagers every year for the past 23 years. So I have enough ‘samples’ to make comparisons with my children. They are so undemanding, very accommodating, reliable, obedient, loving (though Dhivia has a problem displaying it!) often understanding, etc. etc…KARTHI, DHIVIA and DHAMA… I LOVE YOU!

Looking for lost friends!

I won’t boast of having lots of friends, but can definitely say I have some very good friends! I moved from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, then to Petaling Jaya. In the process I have met, worked with and interacted with many, many people. Most were passing acquaintances but some have been special enough to win a place in the corner of my heart. I keep in touch with most of them.

Who I really miss are my schoolmates. Most will agree that the best part of one’s life is when we were in school. I enjoyed my schooldays tremendously. Especially when I was in Form 4 and 5, I had some of the most wonderful people as my classmates. The lessons I learnt from them were more valuable then what some of my teachers taught!

I miss Annamma Kochumen. She came to my school and into my life in 1975. It must have been her quiet and calm nature that drew me (the noisy and talkative one!) to her. Besides being a good listener, she was very patient with me. She was also a very staunch Christian. Through her I learnt about God’s love, patience, understanding and much more. We kept in touch even when she went off to India to study Medicine, but lost contact after several years. I have been searching for her through the internet. Her name appeared in some organization in Canberra but there was no address or phone number to contact.

Then there is Geraldine Loo, such a cheerful and fun person to be with. We have done some interesting things together, especially going to some hotel (can’t remember which one) to meet Vince Hill, a singer who hosted the program “They Sold a Million” on TV those days. I still remember and cherish my first Christmas celebration (I am a Hindu) when I stayed over at her place and attended Christmas Mass with her family. I think I met up with her once after her marriage and that was the last I saw of her.

Zaleha Salleh, Shikin and another girl came from Johor, calling themselves “The 3 Musketeers”! They were also a bunch of exciting people to be with. I learnt much about Islam from them. They readily accepted my invitation for Deepavali lunch at my house and didn’t doubt if the food prepared was ‘halal’. Our class went on a trip to Port Dickson after our MCE. Here is where I discovered what a lovely voice Zaleha had. Her rendition of ‘The Last Waltz’ was so beautiful; it brought tears to my eyes knowing that we will be going our separate ways after that.

Zahidah Omar was the bubbly and very artistic class monitor. However I think she had problems controlling the loud, noisy and naughty me! So what did she do? She always called upon me to ‘help’ her keep the class quiet – smart eh!!! Roziyah Ismail is another friend I loved very much. We got to know each other well when we spent a lot of our time in the school library as librarians. She was brainy, hard working and always did well in the exams so I used to compete with her.

These are some of the people whom I really want to get in touch with, to see if they still remember me and feel for me the way I feel for them. Whenever I think back about some of the good times that I had (I realize I do this more as I grow older!), they are the ones in the picture. I intend to keep looking for them.