Talking cats

Acceptance

For a friend:

Hidup ini seperti roda.

Kadang-kadang kita di atas, dan ada kalanya, 

dibawah,

Tapi roda tak akan bergerak kehadapan jika 

kita tidak mahu menerima kenyataan bahawa

kita perlu berputar ke bawah

 untuk bergerak ke hadapan...

It's okay to be down :)




Being happy doesn't mean you can't be sad.
after all, you're just human.

Play by ear

I love to sing... but i had to shout for 18 hours a week.. eventually my vocal cord was damaged.

But like Napoleon Hill said, "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit."

 And true enough, now i understood why some people failed at Akademi Fantasia/ Malaysian Idol's auditions. Some were rejected ...not because they didn't know how to sing, but they couldn't. It's similar to break-dancing without muscles.

And best of all, I found great delight in piano.

I am like
a crippled man
who just
discovered wings.




Imagine yourself playing Pirates Of The Caribbean,




or creating your own composition..





The fun part? The fun part is learning to play by ear... step by step. :) enjoy this tutorial hehe.

May be i should post this in front of me, in the mentors' room...as a reminded to myself:

49:11 O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.


49:12 O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

Loved.

Loved -
when i'm in need,
and had no one to turn to.

Loved,
when I asked not for more,
but more is given nonetheless.

Loved,
when I decide to really see,
and not take things for granted.

Cared,
even when I'm blind
and deaf,
and ungrateful.



It is He Who has created hearing, sight and minds for you. What little thanks you show! (Qur'an, 23:78)

Gratitude

"If i would be able to turn back time, i would like to be the youngest child. Then i'll have everything... she has everything...." 

That familiar, dusty, bitter emotion came back.

But I refused to let it stay, so i dug further into my memory box... finding anything worthy to slide into the folder known as "Why am i lucky to  be the eldest child." 

And unexpectedly that memory came tagging with Gladness.

The memory of my dad tossing the Quran across on the floor, to an ustaz... as if the gesture was saying, "Read it!" 

---------------

All this while i had been thinking of the weaknesses i inherited from my mum...those that made it harder for me to climb the career ladder, but today, I found a trait from her that i love best : a (playful) sense of humor -- it's what has been helping me to bond and have fun with the young souls. TYG.   

------------

Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response. -- Mildred Barthel. 

Telling the truth cleans the heart

39:32 (Y. Ali) Who, then, doth more wrong than one who utters a lie concerning Allah, and rejects the Truth when it comes to him; is there not in Hell an abode for blasphemers?

39:33 (Y. Ali) And he who brings the Truth and he who confirms (and supports) it - such are the men who do right.

39:34 (Y. Ali) They shall have all that they wish for, in the presence of their Lord: such is the reward of those who do good:

39:35 (Y. Ali) So that Allah will remove from them the worst in their deeds and give them their reward according to the best of what they have done.

Right under our noses

Years ago, i was looking for a picture of a beautiful shaped tree... i searched the internet for hours and still i couldn't find one... until my dad drove past the big field near our house, and there, in the early morning, amid the crowd of elderly and youths, stood a beautiful tree, just the way i imagined one to be.

--------

I need a Teacher's Day!

Growth comes from strength -- the strength to overcome weaknesses.

But when we are constantly reminded of what we are lacking,
we began to forget our strengths...

Twitter-blog

Motivation: Fun first, study second. =.=

Kuhen is a boy who used to just walk out of the class without permission.
To Kuhen, the naughty kid, i said,
"I'll give you your ang pau (red packet) at the end of this month"
(credit goes to Fz for the game plan)

"No, auntie~~ Today."
"hmm.. If you behave well, you'll get it this Thursday"
"Today, auntie.."


At the end of the class :
"Auntie, where's my ang pau?"
"This Thursday."
"Noo, today, auntie.. you promised."
"Huh, Thursday. When did i say it's today?"
"You said it just now.."
"No, I didn't. Let's go, it's time to go home"
"No no no auntie, where's my ang pau...~!"

I hesitated.
"How about, i'll give you two this Thursday?"
"No~~ You promised. One ang pau today~"

He turned with his back facing me and a gloomy cloud surrounded us. :P
I hesitated again. "Let's go now, you need to go home"
"My ang pau, auntie..."
There was a short period of silence.
"Let's go into the class, i'll give...."

Quickly he turned back and said with a sweet voice,
"It's okay, Auntie," he smiled, "this Thursday, auntie."


=.=*

------------

Kuhen said, "Auntie, the other boys disturb me, I want to beat them, Auntie"
"MinJie! JiangMyn!"
"They keep saying about me, Auntie"
"Just ignore them, be patient. They have nothing better to do."
"How long i have to be patient? I want to beat them"
"Don't! Just tell me, i'll take away their pokemon balls, ok?"
"Okay."

This went on for several days. Clearly the other boys dislike Kuhen for some reason.

"Kuhen, come here," i called him while updating the R2D2 form in the class.
"What, auntie?"
"Did you watch Spiderman, batman,.. superman movies?"
"Yes,"
"What do the superheroes do when the bad guys behave badly?"
Soon that sentence came out, i regretted. Sheez! Superheroes...setting bad examples for kids! I thought. In the past, kids tended to give up doing their written work and i would remind them that superheroes never give up. But this, time, superheroes were not an examplary for Kuhen.

"What do the superheroes do when the bad guys behave badly?"
"They fight back," he said.
"Ehm, ya, but only if the bad guys kill people, then you can beat them up.." i half mumbled to him and then continued, "but if they didn't, you'll just call the cops, and put them in jail, ok?"

"ok." ..that sweet smile, again.


--------

My morning class has 10 playful boys and 4 girls.
To keep their focus in class, i drew a pokemon on the whiteboard (credit goes to one of the mentor for the brilliant idea).
"Let's see who will catch this Pikachu!" I said after writing their initials underneath the drawing.


It worked. Several boys' hands started to move around catching imaginary pokemons. lol.

"I haven't tell you how to catch the pikachu. If you write neatly, copied the sentences properly and write quietly, you'll get poke-balls for catching this big pikachu. Auntie will walk around to check on your work."

"Like this, only boys can play," MinJie said.
"Why?"
"Because it's a boy game! Girls cannot play..."
"Who said? Auntie watched pokemon cartoon, too. Auntie liked pokemon."

He was surprised.
"Really? You really watched Pokemon?"
"Yes, I did."
"ah, auntie you got watch... superman?"
lol. "yes"

We were on the island. It was night. All we heard were waves crashing on the sandy beach and the crush crush crush sound as we walked towards a jetty. From the small clouds above us, the shadows hung down onto the jetty's planks. As they hug the planks and peeped through the gaps, the sea whispered to them  tales of the dark creatures below. There was nothing on the pier except a wooden bench.  Nothing but a wooden bench, engineered by a clumsy carpenter. Other than that, darkness greeted our gazes.

There we sat with the breeze caressing our cheeks.
"Look at the stars," he said.
We looked up, silently capturing the sight.
Millions of them. Twinkled and shined.

"All those were created by God," his mum replied.
 And the souls praised and the praises were soothing.



That moment would not had happened if the pier was as bright as day -- well-lit on all sides, and it had a solid built roof  and the whispers of our hearts were erased by the blaring music from the blasting stereos from resorts.

“When it is darkest, men see the stars.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of Snakes and Men

Ada satu cerita yangg aku beritahu murid-murid aku...
Ceritanya begini...


Suatu hari di suatu pulau, tinggal seseorang.

"Orang ini lelaki atau perempuan?"
"lelaki."
"Mungkinkah stickman ini perempuan?"
"boleh"


Dia kesunyian.
"Nak bagi dia kawan tak?"



"Nak."
"Kawan yang macam mana?"
"...."

"Bagi seekor ular untuk dijadikan kawan dier, ok?"
"ok"



 Maka, sekarang dia dah ada kawan. :)








Jauh dari pulau itu, ada satu kampung.

"Berapa orang di kampung itu? Satu atau ramai?"
"Ramai."


"Mereka ada kawan-kawan, kan?"
"Ya."

                              "Nak bagi mereka seekor ular, tak?"

"Nak."

"Alamak! Mereka makan ular itu!"

"Bbq!"

"Ya, mereka bbq ular itu, sebab mereka sudah ada kawan-kawan, mereka tak perlukan ular itu!"

She like / likes to eat rice.

He dance / dances like a monkey.

Zi Hao is / are a clever boy.

My mother sings / sing to me.

They kick / kicks the car.

"yang mana satu? 'Dance' atau 'dances'?"

"Dances"

"Ohh~! Ular itu 'S'! "

"Apa akan jadi kalau awak pilih 'they kicks' ?"


"Tak payah S"


"Kenapa?"


"Sebab mereka ramai"


"apa akan jadi kalau bagi S ... ular itu?


"Mereka bbq ular itu!"

"  Bagus. :-) "

She has / have a cat

"Yang mana satu? Has atau have?".

( This one is for you to solve. )

"Bagaimana pula dengan You dan I?"

I sings / sing like a bird.

You are / is a superhero.

You has / have a big car.

" I sings atau I sing?"

"hmm 'sing'."

"Kenapa?"

"...."

"Sebab, YOU AND I, WE ARE SPECIAL  tak perlukan ular."

Happy learning :)

The best way to understand something is to...

"What about anger, love and pain?
And all the things you're feeling,

can you touch them with your hands?
So are they really there?" 

- Maher Zain, "open your eyes"

....experience it.

Gift

Since it's February -- a commercialized month-- here's a website for your reading pleasure :)

And what inspired me to blog about this was the discovery of a man who puts God first in his life, a woman's beauty secondary to her personality and values. Amazing! His name is Terence, Deborah's hero. :)


To lelek and Angeline, put your "Faith" in God's will.


-----------

Dear D,

27/2/2019

Titiwangsa

   Conversing with Mun reminded me that even beauty and number of admirers won't able to over rule jodoh. Truely, love is given by its Creator.

yours.

The S word

Today we played "in my bag..." game.

In this game, a kid has to repeat countables/uncountables said by the kids who sat in front of him/her.

Example: if i say "In my bag, i have pencils," and pass the bag to the next person, that next person will have to repeat what i've just said and add in another countable/ uncountable thing. So the sentence would be "In my bag, i have pencils and erasers." Since fun is Motots' way to guide the kids in their learning, I told them that they cannot use common words such as "tables" or "rulers."

So, i started the game with "In my bag, I have chickens."
And then it was the Clown's turn, he said "In my bag, I have chickens and shits"
KHau repeated the sentence and added one more countable thing.
When it was YenQi's turn, she hesitated to say "shits."


"You don't have to say it, ..just say 'sheep'" .

She did.

Then it was ReiShen's turn.

He couldn't remember the countables and hence could not repeat them in order.


"Ah, you're out (of the game)!"  I said.

With both hands pushing the table for dramatic effect, and a realistic angry expression, he shouted,




"SHEEP !!!!"

Usually,  it's this type of children that brings headaches and joy. :)

Look, ma. No marker!

Who needs a pair of gloves....besides a dishwasher?

A mentor.



Why?


To strangle kids without leaving finger prints.




Just kidding.
A pair of gloves keep my hands clean and they can be used as an eraser for the whiteboard. 
AMAZING!

The clown in my class.

"Come and sit here." said the mentor while pointing towards a chair.

He hesitated in the corner of the room.
"They don't like me."

This came from the boy who brought laughter to the class room,
who dared to be different,
and who will be a great author someday.


The class clown. :-)

Lemonade

Sometimes when i heard what my friends have gone through, and compared my unpleasant (or the lack of it) experiences to theirs, i found myself to be hmm, what's the word....? "protected"?

Or did my optimistic point of view neutralize the bad parts of life?

Perhaps, it is really because ...

"No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear." - Quran

If i was in my friends' shoes, i probably would have collapsed under pressure and fail those life-tests without a doubt. So it is either i am too weak to be put through those experiences or it's just not my time to learn from those hardship and shall remain innocent and immature.


Nonetheless, being happy and peaceful is a satisfying choice when...

“ And if you would count the favors of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”  -Qur'an

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. 

Blind faith?

Marina Mahathir: "The excuse given for not allowing non-muslims to use the word Allah because it would confuse muslims.. and i think that is terribly demeaning to describe ourselves if we have faith in our own religion...  "

Knowledge + senses + logic + unbias experiment --> Faith

"There is no substitute to knowledge. You have to understand your own religion" - Khalid Samad

But most people based their beliefs on blind and baseless faith. Most claimed to be muslims or christians when they don't even know their holy books... and many chose a particular belief (including atheism) because its "cool" or because they have been exposed to only one side of the coin and decided only that side exists....but, of course,


One side of the coin doesn't dispel the other side of the coin.

The world as it is, does not comes in as only black and white. Vise versa, saying the world is colorful doesn't mean transparency/colorless/darkness is not optional.


Hence, let's be skeptical towards our sources of beliefs.. say, that include preachers AND book writers. ;)





(Q 17:36)  follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.




(Q 2:62)

That those who believed and those who repented/guided/Jews , and the Christians and the Sabians/converts , who believed with God and the Day the Last/Resurrection Day, and made/did correct/righteous deeds, so for them their reward (is) at their lord, and no fear/fright on them, and nor they be sad/grieving.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allahhath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks.

and Allah heareth and knoweth all things." - quran

Religion.

"How many times do you pray?"

"Twice a day."

"everyday?"

"i try to.. "

"how about you?"

"twice a year"

Another one admitted the last time she prayed was many years ago.Both of them had tried drugs and alcohol.
...well, at least we were open and did not give judgemental comments to each other.


Then there's another one who told me she was an atheist but during that group-lunch, she said she's a buddhist... hm, may be she's both atheist and a Buddhist.

As for me, i wish i could be assertive in correcting misconception about Islam when it arised during conversation.... Such as  what is haram and halal according to the quran... or said out openly how that i pray in Malay and English instead of Arabic... or to question so called "islamic" laws that were truly did not come from the Quran but so-called "sayings of the prophets."

---
Today was my aunt's wedding, and she invited her friends from PERKIM to the small kenduri. As i sat with my dad and casually asked if he wants to debate with them about Islam, he said no.
 
He said that there will be a time, guidance will come to each one of us.. through a way or someone sent by god...(then it's up to all of us whether to reject or accept that guidance) and this time he's not up for a debate.. although he was active in online and offline religion debates, but now he'll just rest and does his job as a father.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion" -  2;256 Quran

Truth stands out clear from Error:

whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah
hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks.

And Allah heareth and knoweth all things." -

Conflict.

Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!

 And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restrain-- none but persons of the greatest good fortune."

And if an incitement to discord is made to you by the evil one, seek refuge in Allah. He is the one Who hears and knows all things."

Quran 41:34 - 41:36

A sign.

The book flew all across to Australia from Singapore and at that night it rested on his lap. Staring at the reader, it gathered its breath and shouted "Dream Big!"


In the dorm room and half way through the book his eyes reached out to starry night beyond the window.

"Hmmmm, may be i shall be a successful singer! No no, a chef,"
His eyes sparkled as he thought to himself. A pen jumped from the table and dived into his palm. And lines of words began to march on a piece of white paper.

• Entertainment field
  
• Event management.
• Singer
• Chef
• Interior designer
  

It was bed time right after that and he bowed his head low and said softly,
"Lord, show me a sign of my career path."

That night he dreamed of incoherent images, but at the end of the dream a clear voice said,

"An Educator"


It was dawn and he lives on, feeling satisfied to haste and saunter on the hidden, winding path, set by his Creator. Each time he strayed from the path, his heart went ee-oowww eee-ooow eee-ooow, just like the red bulge on Ultraman's outdated costume ringing "oi, change tactic la!" .. But each time he's nearer to the right path, his heart's wings grow more feathers with each step he took. 

Quran 2:186 -- When my servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided.