A Frightening School Open Day

Today must be a nervous and frightening moment for every student at my school - it was an open day for all parents to receive their children's report cards. Oh, no! Every student was shivering and biting their nails in fear, not knowing what their class teachers would tell their parents. They were also busy looking outside of their classes to see whether their parents had arrived or not. They badly wished their parents could reach the school earlier in order to make an end on the pain and distress they were having. Even I kept having such a feeling before my mum arrived.

God, why should we, the school students, suffer like this?

A Special and Unique Library

A library is where we study and make reference. In such a place, we use our eyes to read and use our brains to analyse and understand what we read. When we want to speak, we could only whisper in order not to distract others who are studying. Thus, a library always gives us an impression that we must be quiet there. In fact, we must be so.

Alas, there is an extremely unique public library at the town in my living place where it is totally different from a classic library. It has transformed into...a "playground"!

Well, this phenomenon does not commonly happen. I was told that it only occurred during the holidays. The problem has occurred for almost two weeks since the beginning of the semi-semester holiday, and it really pissed me off.

A lot of Malay wee kids were sent by their parents to the public library. Perchance, their parents wished their children could spend their vacation on beneficial activities, and by letting their children to be surrounded by books is the best way to prevent them from wasting time on hanging around. I compliment them for doing this.

The kids were overjoyed when they went to the library. The place was big and spacious, and there were multitudinous story books available. They curiously browsed every book and when they found their ideal story book, they would sit down and dive into a sea of attractive pictures.

The library might have a nice and homey atmosphere to some kids. They chased each other and yelled there! Oh, goodness, how could they! Surprisingly, the librarians shut their eyes to that chaos. I was completely distracted by those mischievous brats.

I really could not believe that there is such a special and unique library in Malaysia. Malaysia, boleh?

A Well First Attempt

I am glad to hear the current proposal to make English a "must pass" subject in order to qualify for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certicate. This proposal is indeed a great beginning stage to improve the command of English among Malaysian students. I laud the attempt of the Education Ministry.

It is always claimed that the standard of English today has gone to the dogs. Many young generations de-emphasize English and are unable to speak proper English. Little priority is given to English is probably due to a fail in English, so far, does not give any impact to the students to get their SPM certificates. This case would, in turn, make them treat English in-seriously.

This proposal will be a big advantage to the students in both the rural and the urban areas. Especially the rural-area students, they are in a place where English is an unusual language to many of them, so they may not be aware of the importance of the language. The launching of the blueprint will be a wake-up call to them and they will try their hardest to brush up on their English.

In fact, this proposal should have been spearheaded long time ago. If we must get a pass in our national language - Bahasa Malaysia, why must we not get a pass in English, the lingua franca? However, it is better late than never. I sincerely hope that the Education Ministry could make more attempts to raise the standard of English in our country to a greater height.

Mum, Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday night (5th of June, 2009), I asked my mum a question that sounded silly but for me, that was food for thought, actually.

"Mum, how am I going to celebrate Father's Day for you?" "Don't be silly!" she briefly replied. I rebut, "You are taking up the responsibility as a father as well, it's not wrong to celebrate Father's Day for you." "Not need, not need." was another brief reply from her. Then, I went off to my bedroom.

My mum took on the role as a single mother when I was three. Her love one died in an accident. As a little woman who just had the qualification that was equivalent to Form 3 today, she had to support the whole family on her own. There were my grandparents, a 1-year-old younger brother, and a youngest one in my mum's warm worm, in the family, then. That was an extremely tough task for the little woman.

Luckily, one of my uncles came to our help. My mum became a clerk in his company. That was indeed a great help for my mum, although her salary was not high. At least she had some money to support her family.

My mum used to be in a considerably rich family and to lead a luxurious life before she was married. Even after she married my dad, she could have led a good life as well, because I was told that my dad was diligent and managed to run a business of repairing motorcycles. His business was good. My mum could probably stay at home and take good care of her parents-in-law and children.

However, everything changed after my father had passed away.

Apart from taking care of the house, she still had to go to work outside by a motorcycle. Every time when it rained, it was so heart-breaking to see her soaked with rain water when she came back from work in the evening. What could she do? For her family, she had to endure that and get back to work as a housewife to cook for us.

Due to give her children a better life and a better education, she had to be thrifty. Most of the times, she only had a cup of MILO as her breakfast. Moreover, she was willing to work for her friend to sell vegetables under a hot sun simply to get some income. She got darker and her hands got rougher and rougher then. She has turned from a little woman to a tough one. She could bear whatever hardships for the sake of her children.

My mum has done a great job. Even though she has had a difficult time, she still can send us for private tuitions and also give us everthing a normal child can have. Every year, I still can go to Singapore for trip! It really does not seem like I come from a single-parent family. It is obvious that all her sacrifices have given us good life and pleasures.

Mum, you have done very well as a single mother. You act as a good mother as well as a good father. Whether you like it or not, allow me to wish you Happy Father's Day. You deserve it.

Reading Makes Men Charming

I read with interest about Abby Wong's column on "Read, man!" (starmag, 24th of May, 2009 on Sunday) and she has sent a huge doubt to me. She mentioned that a man who reads in public is attractive. Well, I rarely read in public so I do not know that such a man could give this kind of impression to a lady like Abby Wong.

In her column, she narrated that she happened to see a man sitting on a bench in a shopping arcade, legs crossed, one hand holding a book in his lap, the other propping up his chin. The man was reading quietly and intently, deeply engrossed. To Abby Wong, that man was painfully attractive. She could even walk back and forth in front of the man simply because she was unable to pull herself away from the beautiful sight of a man with a book in his hand!

After reading the article, I tried to imagine, a man who was reading in public... Well, she was right. The man might be delicious to watch.

One of the reasons that provoked Abby Wong's indulgence was this, and I am particularly fond of this part:

"I imagined what must be going on in his head. Each word and line he read would send a signal to his brain, making him think, connect, judge, react, and opine. As he turned the last page, all those lines would have added up, and he would have gained new knowledge, perspectives, ideas, inspiration, or even hope - none of which would have emerged had he gone for a drink or two instead of reading."

How accurate the perspective of Abby Wong was towards reading!

Reading is indeed a habit that is strongly recommended to be taken up by everyone. Reading make us learn, mature, and better ones. More importantly, reading makes us charming! None of these would we get by going for tea, hanging out, and playing online games.

Maybe it is hard to believe that women would find a man, who reads publicly, charming, but if Abby Wong does, there must be many other women who feel the same as her. Read, man!

I suggest all men should read Abby Wong's column on "Read, man!" Go to the web www.thestar.com.my to check it out.