At last..today is our trip to Germany, to be precise Cologne. Since last night, me and my cousin were busy preparing and packing things to bring. A minimal change of clothes for the next 2 days, some cookies and bread and other stuffs. Then only I noticed, all my t-shirts are either in white or black in colour. Arghhh....I need more colourful t-shirts!! But I guess its a bit too late to buy new ones...no way I'm going to spend money on these t-shirts.
We came out of the house at about 9.30am. We walked to town to save the 2.40pnds bus fare.(who knows we could use that money to buy some souvenirs in Germany!) Had time to actually do some window shopping and "eye-washing". hahahah..... The weather is excellent.....sunny but with cool breeze. Veryh refreshing. At about 11am we took the Skylink bus to the East Midlands Airport. The journey took about 50mts. I was very sleepy coz we slept quite late last nite.
Arriving at the airport, we were quite hungry. Thank god for the sandwiches that we brought. After both of us done, we went straight to the counter to check-in. And suddenly this lady said, " Oh! I'm sorry. The flight to Cologne today has been cancelled. You can only fly tomorrow". What?? Argh...we just spent 7pnds each for the return bus fare and we can't fly today! Well, I asked the lady to issue us a new ticket for tomorrow and lied to her that we've booked and paid a hotel in Cologne for 2 nights. She agreed to pospone the return date too. Phew!! Thank god no charges!
I met my school mate in NCN. He's returning to Barcelona for good. Good for him.Hope he does get a job.
Off we went....on the bus back to Nottingham. I guess, tomorrow, I'll ask my brother to send us to the airport. I hope tomorrow is THE day. I hope tomorrow everything will be find.And I hope tomorrow, by now, we will already be in Cologne.
Tuesday, June 28
Party and work
On Sunday, there was a farewell party at one of my classmate's house. Actually, it's not even his house. Somebody wanted to throw him a party because on Monday he was leaving the UK for good. He's from Catalonia. His plan? Heard that he is going back to do PHD in Mathematics......scary huh?
I didn't go to the party. Its not that I didn't want to. Maybe I thought, by working I can earn something while going to the party means nothing. Yeah, I was thinking of going later, after work at about 10.30pm. But then, they will be drunk by then, its not important for me to go anymore because they won't notice me at all. And maybe I assume I won't be comfortable to be around drunk people - they might be violent.So, then I decided not to go. I called Michal right after work and he thought I was on the way there and got lost. Heard he was shouting happily that I was on my way there and I also heard Tamara shouted my name on the background. I told him that I couldn't go due to something came up last minute. Suddenly the background changed. There was quietness (I guess he went into a room) and he sounded serious wanting me to go. He said that Rueben and himself are leaving the next morning at 5.40am and they won't be seeing me again. Oh....I assumed wrongly. He was ok. He was not drunk. He really wanted to see me. And deep inside me, I wanted to see all my classmates before they leave or vice versa.
Well, I had t o decide. And I decided not to go. I hope to meet them again...one day. Maybe in Malaysia. Or maybe in Europe. We'll be in touch - don't worry. What's the use of technology, then?
I didn't go to the party. Its not that I didn't want to. Maybe I thought, by working I can earn something while going to the party means nothing. Yeah, I was thinking of going later, after work at about 10.30pm. But then, they will be drunk by then, its not important for me to go anymore because they won't notice me at all. And maybe I assume I won't be comfortable to be around drunk people - they might be violent.So, then I decided not to go. I called Michal right after work and he thought I was on the way there and got lost. Heard he was shouting happily that I was on my way there and I also heard Tamara shouted my name on the background. I told him that I couldn't go due to something came up last minute. Suddenly the background changed. There was quietness (I guess he went into a room) and he sounded serious wanting me to go. He said that Rueben and himself are leaving the next morning at 5.40am and they won't be seeing me again. Oh....I assumed wrongly. He was ok. He was not drunk. He really wanted to see me. And deep inside me, I wanted to see all my classmates before they leave or vice versa.
Well, I had t o decide. And I decided not to go. I hope to meet them again...one day. Maybe in Malaysia. Or maybe in Europe. We'll be in touch - don't worry. What's the use of technology, then?
Monday, June 27
Last day of school
Well....Friday was my last day of school in New College Nottingham or we called it as NCN. Overall experience? It was great. Something different from what I have gone through before this. I learnt a lot of new vocab, things such as phrasal verb, adverbials of time, place etc, conditional and bla..bla..bla.. I guess we have been using all these but never knew the names of it..hehehe...
The teachers? Since my class was the "Advance" class, we had a few "excellent" teachers who taught us. We had Carol - she is from Scotland. Very nice, motherly lady and cares about the students like her own children. She warned us about Nottingham and its night life.She even recommended us to shop from the "factory outlets" shop in Nottingham area. Oh yes, she did lent us a book which has all the information. Hehehe.....
Next we had Adrian. His full name is Adrian Tennant. Try to look up his name in Google. He is one of the author for Macmillan English Dictionary. He does quite a number of interesting things. I guess, he's one of the "craziest" teacher I've ever come across. Some students dislike him because they said he always talk about other things except the subject that he's supposed to teach us. But I saw it in a different way. He's a teachers' trainer....and he definitely knows how to tackle students' attention. Oh yeah...especially when we have a class full of crazy people. Maybe its because he does not only deal with us but he often travels to other country such as Uzbekistan, Hungary and a few other countries to teach English. And I can see that his teaching method is a bit different. He used the topics that we would like to talk about to learn English. And..if you look on the net, you would be able to find some interesting articles and write up by him about teaching/training. I guess I'm lucky to have him because I could definitely use that in my future jobs.
Then we had Lara. Lara is still young - maybe about 26 or 27 years old. Anybody can actually mistook her as a student there. She is from Scotland too and getting married this September. She's all excited about it. Don't talk about the headaches that she had due to the preparation. Oh yeah, I just found out on the last day of school she could actually play the violin!
Once in awhile, we had Guy. Hmm....interesting. He looks a bit like Richard Gere...yes....the good looking actor! White hair, sharp features. He's the "Boss" of all the English teachers there. Once, he shouted to a few people in our class coz they can't stop talking! And he claimed he's the most patient teacher there. What a laugh.......
Well...that's the end of my 11 weeks English course. Met new friends, and now its time to make our own way.
p/s: did I tell you that we also learnt how to to swear in other languages?..hahaha.....
The teachers? Since my class was the "Advance" class, we had a few "excellent" teachers who taught us. We had Carol - she is from Scotland. Very nice, motherly lady and cares about the students like her own children. She warned us about Nottingham and its night life.She even recommended us to shop from the "factory outlets" shop in Nottingham area. Oh yes, she did lent us a book which has all the information. Hehehe.....
Next we had Adrian. His full name is Adrian Tennant. Try to look up his name in Google. He is one of the author for Macmillan English Dictionary. He does quite a number of interesting things. I guess, he's one of the "craziest" teacher I've ever come across. Some students dislike him because they said he always talk about other things except the subject that he's supposed to teach us. But I saw it in a different way. He's a teachers' trainer....and he definitely knows how to tackle students' attention. Oh yeah...especially when we have a class full of crazy people. Maybe its because he does not only deal with us but he often travels to other country such as Uzbekistan, Hungary and a few other countries to teach English. And I can see that his teaching method is a bit different. He used the topics that we would like to talk about to learn English. And..if you look on the net, you would be able to find some interesting articles and write up by him about teaching/training. I guess I'm lucky to have him because I could definitely use that in my future jobs.
Then we had Lara. Lara is still young - maybe about 26 or 27 years old. Anybody can actually mistook her as a student there. She is from Scotland too and getting married this September. She's all excited about it. Don't talk about the headaches that she had due to the preparation. Oh yeah, I just found out on the last day of school she could actually play the violin!
Once in awhile, we had Guy. Hmm....interesting. He looks a bit like Richard Gere...yes....the good looking actor! White hair, sharp features. He's the "Boss" of all the English teachers there. Once, he shouted to a few people in our class coz they can't stop talking! And he claimed he's the most patient teacher there. What a laugh.......
Well...that's the end of my 11 weeks English course. Met new friends, and now its time to make our own way.
p/s: did I tell you that we also learnt how to to swear in other languages?..hahaha.....
Monday, June 20
Coming to an end....soon
Today is my off day from work. yeah..every Monday. And today is also a very nice, sunny day since morning. Arghh...I got to plan something for the afternoon. Maybe bring Ammar to town.
After our break, the teacher decided to bring us all to the nearest pub, to sit outside and have a drink while chit chatting. It was a nice day - talking about our individual plans after the class ends this Friday. I got to know Rueben is going back to Catalonia on Monday - for good. He's going to do PHD is Mathematics...phew.....sounds tough huh? Michal is going back to Slovakia for a 2 weeks holiday. Magda is going back to Poland - also for holidays and will be coming back here only in September. The rest? hmm...I didn't get the chance to ask them. I got to do it soon, this week. Most probably, I won't be meeting these nice people again - unless if they want to come to Malaysia, one day. Yeah...the end of the 3 months course is coming near.
At the end of the session, only I found out that today will be the last day of class with Carol, our nice, motherly teacher. She's kind of our favourite. She treated us like her own children...well, from our behaviour I guess we do behave like children. Even worse at times!
Oh yeah, I also took some photos. Will download it once I have more.
I hate good byes. And this is like baby steps towards saying one.........
After our break, the teacher decided to bring us all to the nearest pub, to sit outside and have a drink while chit chatting. It was a nice day - talking about our individual plans after the class ends this Friday. I got to know Rueben is going back to Catalonia on Monday - for good. He's going to do PHD is Mathematics...phew.....sounds tough huh? Michal is going back to Slovakia for a 2 weeks holiday. Magda is going back to Poland - also for holidays and will be coming back here only in September. The rest? hmm...I didn't get the chance to ask them. I got to do it soon, this week. Most probably, I won't be meeting these nice people again - unless if they want to come to Malaysia, one day. Yeah...the end of the 3 months course is coming near.
At the end of the session, only I found out that today will be the last day of class with Carol, our nice, motherly teacher. She's kind of our favourite. She treated us like her own children...well, from our behaviour I guess we do behave like children. Even worse at times!
Oh yeah, I also took some photos. Will download it once I have more.
I hate good byes. And this is like baby steps towards saying one.........
Sunday, June 19
Car boot and teh tarik
This morning, we went to the Car Boot sale in Calverton. (This activity has stopped for a while due to it gave us a bad habit of buying things that we don't need). I purposely brought only 5pnds to prevent myself from spending on "unnecessary" things. So, off we went at 9am. It was a bright, sunny morning - as predicted by the weather forecast. The roads were clear from traffic - hmm....maybe they were all still in bed. But its too hot to stay indoors. Its different from backhome where I have ceiling fan in the hall and if it gets really hot, I have aircond in the bedroom. hehehe......
Wow! I guess everybody woke up early to go to the car boot sale. There were plenty of cars parked there when we arrived. And there were a lot of people selling their stuffs too. We carried the baby in the baby-carrier (its easy to move around with it compare to the stroller) . The weather was really hot and dusty. After 2 1/2 hours of wandering around, we managed to get some things with minimal spending. Hmm...let's see.....5 nice brooches at 50p each, a guitar at 6pnds (there was a flute selling at 50pnds!), 2 soft toys at 5p each, and a plastic table cloth at 50p. Well, what do you think?
We arrived home at 12.30pm - exhausted from the "heat". After a short nap, I felt like having a drink. Let's see.........aha! We have condensed milk! Oh yeah...time for the famous "teh tarik" drink. Phew......and now I'm sitting here, enjoying my teh tarik while writing my blog. I don't really fancy teh tarik back home because its too sweet, but after a while not having it, it tastes really good. Trust me...
Wow! I guess everybody woke up early to go to the car boot sale. There were plenty of cars parked there when we arrived. And there were a lot of people selling their stuffs too. We carried the baby in the baby-carrier (its easy to move around with it compare to the stroller) . The weather was really hot and dusty. After 2 1/2 hours of wandering around, we managed to get some things with minimal spending. Hmm...let's see.....5 nice brooches at 50p each, a guitar at 6pnds (there was a flute selling at 50pnds!), 2 soft toys at 5p each, and a plastic table cloth at 50p. Well, what do you think?
We arrived home at 12.30pm - exhausted from the "heat". After a short nap, I felt like having a drink. Let's see.........aha! We have condensed milk! Oh yeah...time for the famous "teh tarik" drink. Phew......and now I'm sitting here, enjoying my teh tarik while writing my blog. I don't really fancy teh tarik back home because its too sweet, but after a while not having it, it tastes really good. Trust me...
Saturday, June 18
Life is hectic now
Phew!! At last, only tonight, or maybe this morning, now, at 1.30am on June 18th, I've got sometime to write my blog which has been pending for the last few days. Its not that I'm getting lazy to write, but now my schedule is a bit tight. My daily schedule looks like this:
0615hrs - time to wake up and get ready
0640hrs - logged on to the internet to check emails and sometime chat with my friends
0730hrs - breakfast and prepare packed lunch / break.
0830hrs - catch the bus to town
0900hrs - class starts
1245hrs - class finishes and got to hurry to catch the bus
1315hrs - at home taking care of the baby as the nanny goes for her classes
1630hrs - nanny comes back
1730hrs - go to work
0015hrs - reaches home from work
Hmm.....can you see it now? This is on a weekday. On the weekends, my brother wants to use the PC and I worked longer hours too.But, at last, I have the PC to myself now. And I am quite sleepy aready.
0615hrs - time to wake up and get ready
0640hrs - logged on to the internet to check emails and sometime chat with my friends
0730hrs - breakfast and prepare packed lunch / break.
0830hrs - catch the bus to town
0900hrs - class starts
1245hrs - class finishes and got to hurry to catch the bus
1315hrs - at home taking care of the baby as the nanny goes for her classes
1630hrs - nanny comes back
1730hrs - go to work
0015hrs - reaches home from work
Hmm.....can you see it now? This is on a weekday. On the weekends, my brother wants to use the PC and I worked longer hours too.But, at last, I have the PC to myself now. And I am quite sleepy aready.
Sunday, June 12
A week full of surprises..
hmmm........well, this week, a number of things happened, coupled by good news. First, I was offered a job at a place where I didn't expect to get.Alhamdulillah. 2nd, I got my first salary after working only for 4 days - not bad. I know, I know, I have to save the money to bring it back to pay some bills. Can't do any shopping here anymore. 3rd, a chat friend of mine just came back after 3 weeks of MIA. Has been sending me offline messages and supposed to meet him online today. I have waited for nearly 20mts , and now I'm not sure whether he's coming online or not.Promises.... Oh yeah, my sister in-law (my hubby's sist) just gave birth to a baby boy yesterday! Her first baby! Wow...4 boys in a row for the past year in the family! Not bad.
Without noticing , its already the 2nd week of June. My classes will be ending in 2 more weeks. Well, I just got a job and I guess if I could work here a bit more longer, I think it should be able , insya Allah to help out with the financial situation back home. But I don't know how long can I stay here.And whether the restaurant needs me anymore in July. Moreover, I can't wait to see my hubby. I miss him terribly.
Without noticing , its already the 2nd week of June. My classes will be ending in 2 more weeks. Well, I just got a job and I guess if I could work here a bit more longer, I think it should be able , insya Allah to help out with the financial situation back home. But I don't know how long can I stay here.And whether the restaurant needs me anymore in July. Moreover, I can't wait to see my hubby. I miss him terribly.
Friday, June 10
Peace? Terrorism?
Interesting topic. What is the definition of terrorism? What is peace? Why does war still exits nowadays? Does peace exist in the real world nowadays? We discussed this topic yesterday. Hmm....some people or maybe a lot of people doesn't know there is a song about this. (that includes me!) Its a very famous song - read the lyrics. I guess it happening everywhere in the world!
What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)
It just ain't the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars' going on but the reasons' undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth
Then you never know love
Where's the love y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the truth y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the love y'all?
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father father father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the lovex2)
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading anomosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling down
It's no wonder why sometimes I'm feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(fade)
Where is the love??????
What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma
Overseas yeah we tryin to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin
In the USA the big CIA the Bloodz and the Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And if you hatin you're bound to get irate
Yeah madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
You gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love y'all
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)
It just ain't the same all ways have changed
New days are strange is the world the insane?
If love and peace so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations dropping bombs
Chemical gases filling lungs of little ones
With ongoing suffering
As the youth die young
So ask yourself is the loving really strong?
So I can ask myself really what is going wrong
With this world that we living in
People keep on giving in
Makin wrong decisions
Only visions of them livin and
Not respecting each other
Deny thy brother
The wars' going on but the reasons' undercover
The truth is kept secret
Swept under the rug
If you never know truth
Then you never know love
Where's the love y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the truth y'all?(I don't know)
Where's the love y'all?
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father father father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the lovex2)
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema
Whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness and equality
Instead of spreading love, we're spreading anomosity
Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feeling down
It's no wonder why sometimes I'm feeling under
I gotta keep my faith alive, until love is found
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(fade)
Where is the love??????
Tuesday, June 7
Birthdays
yesterday was my cousin's birthday. I guess this is the first time she celebrated it away from her family, somewhere far. I guess she took it well. She's a strong girl. She just turned 18. What a very young age, compared to us in the house (minus the baby!). We didn't do much for her except K.Noli cooked "nasi minyak" for the special occasion, Nurrun "baked" a cake in the microwave oven I brought her for a walk with 2 other friends. (I couldn't believe I ate 3 slices of the chocolate cake!)
what did we get for her? hmm...interesting.... She "currently" admires Beckham soooo much. Yes, BECKHAM. hehehe.....youngsters. So, my bro and his wife bought her a "Beckham" jersey and also a very nice magnetic chess set. Since she has always wanted a bag, K.Noli bought her a bag and I could only afford to get her 2 books - Last Breath (stories about hardship and tough times) and of course Beckham's Autobiography! Oh yeah! She was definitely happy. After that, we went out for a walk with my 2 other friends and we went for bowling. I guess it was her first bowling game ever!
We tried, but I guess , deep down in her heart it was not the same if she was to celebrate it with her family.
Well, my birthday is coming soon too. I hope to celebrate it with my beloved husband. Who knows, it might be here!
what did we get for her? hmm...interesting.... She "currently" admires Beckham soooo much. Yes, BECKHAM. hehehe.....youngsters. So, my bro and his wife bought her a "Beckham" jersey and also a very nice magnetic chess set. Since she has always wanted a bag, K.Noli bought her a bag and I could only afford to get her 2 books - Last Breath (stories about hardship and tough times) and of course Beckham's Autobiography! Oh yeah! She was definitely happy. After that, we went out for a walk with my 2 other friends and we went for bowling. I guess it was her first bowling game ever!
We tried, but I guess , deep down in her heart it was not the same if she was to celebrate it with her family.
Well, my birthday is coming soon too. I hope to celebrate it with my beloved husband. Who knows, it might be here!
Sunday, June 5
Service to my country ...part 2
The day has arrived. In the morning, I was scared and nervous. Couldn't imagine what it would be like to be in front of 300+ teenagers. They were around the age of 17 to 19 years old.
During breakfast, both of us were still discussing on our plans and a few minutes later the other 2 trainers to join us. We were lucky as the other 2 trainer agreed to our plans. And the best part is.....the other trainer is a lecturer himself - from one of the famous University. I felt a bit more confident.Frankly speaking - I think all of us were nervous.
We had a briefing by the camp leader and 15 minutes later we were already infront of the trainees.It started off well, with us introducing ourselves to them. The we asked them to line up and put them into groups. After that, everything went on smoothly - not as bad as we thought of! At the end of the 1st day session, all 4 of us were quite happy with the outcome. What a relief! It went on well for the next 2 days. By the 2nd and 3rd day, we were quite comfortable with the trainees and there were regular faces that we had to deal with interms of being too playful. Actually, by the end of the last day, I was sad. I was very sad to leave the camp. I wish we were given more days to be with them.
Basically, we didn't use the method that was written in the manuals. We used our own method - maybe we thought that it would be more appropriate to handle the big group. We had to come up with our own activities that was more interesting and exciting. And overall, I think we did well. We managed to get the message across, we managed to make our session as an ice-breaking session for the trainees to get to know and to respect each other, their culture, their religion and the opposite sex.
Being there, in the camp, for only 3 days, made me realised that the National Service Camp is an excellent thing for our youngsters. Yes, there are a lot more to improve, but it is a good platform for our young generation to get to know the culture, religion, and values of each Malaysian. This will eventually lead them respecting each other. Which , in the future, hopefully will benefit our country and us.
Being there, also, made me realised that I love training. I love teaching. I love doing motivation courses especially to the youngsters. I wish I could share my experience with them. I wish I could be part of the National Service Camp trainers. Part of any team who needs it. Yeah...I know its not easy. But I guess that's my call. To contribute to the society, to contribute to the country. Maybe I should start small - to contribute to my school.
To the parents out there - don't worry. NS is good for your children. It teaches them everything about being a Malaysian. Teaches them to be independent. Teaches them to respect each other.
And did I tell you that the accomodation is great and the food is excellent?
During breakfast, both of us were still discussing on our plans and a few minutes later the other 2 trainers to join us. We were lucky as the other 2 trainer agreed to our plans. And the best part is.....the other trainer is a lecturer himself - from one of the famous University. I felt a bit more confident.Frankly speaking - I think all of us were nervous.
We had a briefing by the camp leader and 15 minutes later we were already infront of the trainees.It started off well, with us introducing ourselves to them. The we asked them to line up and put them into groups. After that, everything went on smoothly - not as bad as we thought of! At the end of the 1st day session, all 4 of us were quite happy with the outcome. What a relief! It went on well for the next 2 days. By the 2nd and 3rd day, we were quite comfortable with the trainees and there were regular faces that we had to deal with interms of being too playful. Actually, by the end of the last day, I was sad. I was very sad to leave the camp. I wish we were given more days to be with them.
Basically, we didn't use the method that was written in the manuals. We used our own method - maybe we thought that it would be more appropriate to handle the big group. We had to come up with our own activities that was more interesting and exciting. And overall, I think we did well. We managed to get the message across, we managed to make our session as an ice-breaking session for the trainees to get to know and to respect each other, their culture, their religion and the opposite sex.
Being there, in the camp, for only 3 days, made me realised that the National Service Camp is an excellent thing for our youngsters. Yes, there are a lot more to improve, but it is a good platform for our young generation to get to know the culture, religion, and values of each Malaysian. This will eventually lead them respecting each other. Which , in the future, hopefully will benefit our country and us.
Being there, also, made me realised that I love training. I love teaching. I love doing motivation courses especially to the youngsters. I wish I could share my experience with them. I wish I could be part of the National Service Camp trainers. Part of any team who needs it. Yeah...I know its not easy. But I guess that's my call. To contribute to the society, to contribute to the country. Maybe I should start small - to contribute to my school.
To the parents out there - don't worry. NS is good for your children. It teaches them everything about being a Malaysian. Teaches them to be independent. Teaches them to respect each other.
And did I tell you that the accomodation is great and the food is excellent?
Saturday, June 4
Service to my country ...part 1
About 3 weeks before I came here, I got a job with the National Service Camp or as we called it PLKN.These camps are for the teenagers who just left school - to guide them how to be a good citizen (something like that). I saw the ad in the internet when I was about to enter my "jobless" life and applied for it. I have always love doing motivation sessions for my ex-school, therefore I see this as something I would love to do and looked forward to it.
I got selected without any interview. Maybe because of my nature of job - involves training and from my experience too. We had to attend a 1-day so called "Training of Trainer" session which was held on a Sunday (yeah! it was very tough to wake up early on that Sunday) Guess what? The training was not even 1 whole day. It was only less than 1/2 day. It was not a training actually - it was more like a briefing on what we should expect, what will happen, what needs to be done, how our manual looks like (which we are supposed to go back and read on our own), what is the dress code, what are the do's and don'ts when we are there and others. Sounds interesting huh? It seems that this is a new module for the camp and we are the pioneers to conduct it. The best part has yet to come. We were told only 4 to 5 of us will be assigned to each camp and each camp consists of 300 to 400 trainees! Just imagine that! Another issue that we have to bear in mind is our session will be on the 2nd day after the trainees' registration day. Oh my God!! These kids have no discipline yet! How on earth will we be able to control them and make them listen to us? And we were also told that we might have to find and carry our own beds and other items needed in the camp. By the end of the briefing session, I had so many questions in my head. I wanted to ask the trainer so many things. How could they allow us to train the trainees when they have not sort out the logistics? Forget about ours, but what about the kids? Will they be able to learn if they have no discipline at all and refuse to attend the sessions that we conduct? What if only 1/2 the trainees attended our sessions? These are some of the questions I had in my head. I love training. And if I conduct one, I do not want to be there just for the good money. I want to make sure that the trainees gained something from the training. Escpecially this one because it involves the country, it involves our teenagers' future.
4 of us (including myself) were assigned to a camp in one of the state near the beach. 2 ladies and 2 men. Well, the good news was, I met the other lady during the training session. But the other 2 gentlemen attended another day of training. So, didn't have the chance to meet them except on the real day itself. Since we had to go there on our own there, I drove my car and she followed from behind.We had to report duty a day before. It was about 2 hours journey from my house. Arriving at the camp, none of them were told that we were coming. We had to meet a few people including the leader there - Alhamdulillah everybody there was very friendly and helpful despite of the lack of information. We were told that they were not informed until the last minute - the moment we arrived there. But we were briefed about this during the training session, so it was ok for us.
To tell the truth, I was scared. I have the experience of handling trainings. I have the experience of conducting motivation sessions. But not to this HUGE group of trainees. 300+ trainees is not a small number. I felt the burden was on us , the trainers. 4 trainers to 300+ trainees? Phew.....it was going to be tough on us. To make sure everybody focus, everybody pay attention, everybody understands, attendance are full and all those related matters - it was not easy, definitely not easy.The ball now was in our hands. And the with us being "employed", the teenagers were our responsibilities......
I got selected without any interview. Maybe because of my nature of job - involves training and from my experience too. We had to attend a 1-day so called "Training of Trainer" session which was held on a Sunday (yeah! it was very tough to wake up early on that Sunday) Guess what? The training was not even 1 whole day. It was only less than 1/2 day. It was not a training actually - it was more like a briefing on what we should expect, what will happen, what needs to be done, how our manual looks like (which we are supposed to go back and read on our own), what is the dress code, what are the do's and don'ts when we are there and others. Sounds interesting huh? It seems that this is a new module for the camp and we are the pioneers to conduct it. The best part has yet to come. We were told only 4 to 5 of us will be assigned to each camp and each camp consists of 300 to 400 trainees! Just imagine that! Another issue that we have to bear in mind is our session will be on the 2nd day after the trainees' registration day. Oh my God!! These kids have no discipline yet! How on earth will we be able to control them and make them listen to us? And we were also told that we might have to find and carry our own beds and other items needed in the camp. By the end of the briefing session, I had so many questions in my head. I wanted to ask the trainer so many things. How could they allow us to train the trainees when they have not sort out the logistics? Forget about ours, but what about the kids? Will they be able to learn if they have no discipline at all and refuse to attend the sessions that we conduct? What if only 1/2 the trainees attended our sessions? These are some of the questions I had in my head. I love training. And if I conduct one, I do not want to be there just for the good money. I want to make sure that the trainees gained something from the training. Escpecially this one because it involves the country, it involves our teenagers' future.
4 of us (including myself) were assigned to a camp in one of the state near the beach. 2 ladies and 2 men. Well, the good news was, I met the other lady during the training session. But the other 2 gentlemen attended another day of training. So, didn't have the chance to meet them except on the real day itself. Since we had to go there on our own there, I drove my car and she followed from behind.We had to report duty a day before. It was about 2 hours journey from my house. Arriving at the camp, none of them were told that we were coming. We had to meet a few people including the leader there - Alhamdulillah everybody there was very friendly and helpful despite of the lack of information. We were told that they were not informed until the last minute - the moment we arrived there. But we were briefed about this during the training session, so it was ok for us.
To tell the truth, I was scared. I have the experience of handling trainings. I have the experience of conducting motivation sessions. But not to this HUGE group of trainees. 300+ trainees is not a small number. I felt the burden was on us , the trainers. 4 trainers to 300+ trainees? Phew.....it was going to be tough on us. To make sure everybody focus, everybody pay attention, everybody understands, attendance are full and all those related matters - it was not easy, definitely not easy.The ball now was in our hands. And the with us being "employed", the teenagers were our responsibilities......
Thursday, June 2
A walk down the memory lane....
Few days back, I did wrote about a basketball tournament which I wish I could go and support my school or more like ex-school team. Well, the result is, they lost in the semi-finals. The usual school; TKC and SSP went for finals with SSP emerged as the winner (as expected). One of the player updated me with the schedule and the results. But she did not update me with the 3rd and 4th placing results. I think I know why. From the egroup messages that I received, some of the seniors who went to support them, update us that the players sort of loss hope , although it wasn't even half the game yet! At half time, it seems that the players cried.
I remembered 3 years back, when the same annual competition was held in Dungun, Terengganu. I took 4 days leave from work just to be with them. Currently, the players who are form 5 this year , were in form 2 at that time. It was the same experience. We managed to get into the 3rd and 4th placing match. But we lost. The form five players cried after the match. I remembered exactly the moment which I told them, " There's no point of crying after losing if you don't try really hard to win." At one point, they knew they didn't try hard enough, and because of that, they didn't managed to get any medals for rememberance.
That reminds me when I was in school when we won the same tournament. This was about 14 to 17 years back. (Mind you I'm not that young anymore....hehehe)It wasn't easy for us too. 7 players from my batch : Dalie, Nita, Kachong, Lerque, Enche', Sherlis and myself started off when we were in form 1 and 2. I still remembered the matches in Foon Yew High School. We were the only all "non-chinese" team playing. Out of the blue, this young chinese guy came to us and proposed himself to be our coach.(At that time we were looking for one to replace the one who just left). I guess he could see our potentials. Days after days, years after years, from not winning anything , we won our "Plate" title in 1989. (Well, plate is opposite of cup. Its the winner among the losers group..hehehe) . Then in 1990, we lost 2 points = 1 ball to the defending champion in the finals. What a frustrating game. But we knew that we've tried our best and we are equally good, just that luck was not on our side. We made a promise to ourselves that we learned from our mistakes and made sure that we were prepared to take over the trophy. And all the hardwork and tears paid off in the next year's ,1991 tournament. We were in form 5 and we wanted to make sure that we had the trophy before we leave school. Joined by 5 more excellent juniors : Oleen , Jaja, Yusmurni, and 2 more (sorry guys I try to recall your names but can't seem to remember!) Alhamdulillah, we managed to grab hold of the trophy which we had been dreaming off for the past 4 years. I guess the school wanted it back badly too because the last time we won the trophy was about 10 years before that. All the hardwork was paid off. I still remembered the moments when we were leading ahead and the umpire blew the final whistle - the feeling was great. The whole team , including our debaters( Nik and the gang) and even some of the teachers cried. That was what we had been waiting for. That was what we had been dreaming off for the past 4 years. That was what we had been aiming for.
And I want the juniors to have the same experience, the same feeling. If I could share the experience, the moment with them, make them stronger, to be a fighter, than that will be part of my aim. To help them.To guide them. To make them stronger.How I wish .......
To STF 1991 basketball team and the whole PPM team- hope you don't mind I put up some of your names. It was a great memory. A great victory. A great experience. A great feeling.
I remembered 3 years back, when the same annual competition was held in Dungun, Terengganu. I took 4 days leave from work just to be with them. Currently, the players who are form 5 this year , were in form 2 at that time. It was the same experience. We managed to get into the 3rd and 4th placing match. But we lost. The form five players cried after the match. I remembered exactly the moment which I told them, " There's no point of crying after losing if you don't try really hard to win." At one point, they knew they didn't try hard enough, and because of that, they didn't managed to get any medals for rememberance.
That reminds me when I was in school when we won the same tournament. This was about 14 to 17 years back. (Mind you I'm not that young anymore....hehehe)It wasn't easy for us too. 7 players from my batch : Dalie, Nita, Kachong, Lerque, Enche', Sherlis and myself started off when we were in form 1 and 2. I still remembered the matches in Foon Yew High School. We were the only all "non-chinese" team playing. Out of the blue, this young chinese guy came to us and proposed himself to be our coach.(At that time we were looking for one to replace the one who just left). I guess he could see our potentials. Days after days, years after years, from not winning anything , we won our "Plate" title in 1989. (Well, plate is opposite of cup. Its the winner among the losers group..hehehe) . Then in 1990, we lost 2 points = 1 ball to the defending champion in the finals. What a frustrating game. But we knew that we've tried our best and we are equally good, just that luck was not on our side. We made a promise to ourselves that we learned from our mistakes and made sure that we were prepared to take over the trophy. And all the hardwork and tears paid off in the next year's ,1991 tournament. We were in form 5 and we wanted to make sure that we had the trophy before we leave school. Joined by 5 more excellent juniors : Oleen , Jaja, Yusmurni, and 2 more (sorry guys I try to recall your names but can't seem to remember!) Alhamdulillah, we managed to grab hold of the trophy which we had been dreaming off for the past 4 years. I guess the school wanted it back badly too because the last time we won the trophy was about 10 years before that. All the hardwork was paid off. I still remembered the moments when we were leading ahead and the umpire blew the final whistle - the feeling was great. The whole team , including our debaters( Nik and the gang) and even some of the teachers cried. That was what we had been waiting for. That was what we had been dreaming off for the past 4 years. That was what we had been aiming for.
And I want the juniors to have the same experience, the same feeling. If I could share the experience, the moment with them, make them stronger, to be a fighter, than that will be part of my aim. To help them.To guide them. To make them stronger.How I wish .......
To STF 1991 basketball team and the whole PPM team- hope you don't mind I put up some of your names. It was a great memory. A great victory. A great experience. A great feeling.
Wednesday, June 1
Summer experience
This year, for the first time in my life, alhamdulillah, I am lucky to be here. Personally experiencing what winter, spring and summer is like in the west. Autumn? hmm...I don't think I'll be here. But insya Allah, if god allows, one day I will.
What is it the Europeans have with summer?I personally don't know because back home everyday is summer...hehehe..... Every year, they look forward to summer. Summer, summer, summer. That is all what they have been talking. My classmates - have planned everything for the coming summer as it will be just nice as our class ends at the end of June. I think the summer here, is still not as hot as back home. If its hot, its a different kind of feeling. We don't sweat like we use to. The air feels different. At times, we still bring a spare jacket incase if it gets really windy and cold. Oh, did I tell you that a few days back, the wind was so strong until it blew our big dustbin away from its position!
Talking about summer too, there's a big time difference here. Fajr (Subuh) solah has to be done before 3.30am. The first light comes out at about 4am. At about 5.30am, it feels like 8am. And the best part - it gets dark very late, at about 10pm. What a long day! I feel funny actually. Just imagine if a person were to eat her dinner when it gets dark, or at night. In winter, she'll be eating dinner at about 5pm (coz it gets dark earlier). While in summer, she eats dinner at 11pm. Wow! in between? How many meals more? Hmm....no wonder......
Oh yeah.....another thing is ice-cream. Did I ever mention that the ice-cream here is excellent? With Thornton's and award winning ice-cream everywhere , I guess its pretty hard to resist. Like my sister in-law said, "How could we resist if its written that their ice-cream is an award winning ice-cream? We don't come here often!". And do believe me, I am trying my very best to make sure when I go back later, I will look the same. I am still doing crunches and push-ups daily. Well, ....I have gained 5kgs though but I promised to myself - that will be all. It shouldn't go up more than that. What can I do? I've stopped playing basketball regularly for the past 2 months.Forget about my fitness level. Last year, I was able to finish a 7.5km run, I don't think I can do it again this year. Its definitely down the drain now. Adding to that, forget about joining any basketball tournament when I go back later. Hmm...maybe I should start with the skipping ropes. Yes, I think I will. Starting from tomorrow.........I will, yes, that's my promise.
Below is a photo of the award-winning ice-cream's signboard. Oh..PLEASE IGNORE THE CROSS. I overlooked until I downloaded the photo.
I've also downloaded new photos in my fotopages . Check it out!
To STF basketball team - BEST OF LUCK!! for your semi-finals match tomorrow morning.
What is it the Europeans have with summer?I personally don't know because back home everyday is summer...hehehe..... Every year, they look forward to summer. Summer, summer, summer. That is all what they have been talking. My classmates - have planned everything for the coming summer as it will be just nice as our class ends at the end of June. I think the summer here, is still not as hot as back home. If its hot, its a different kind of feeling. We don't sweat like we use to. The air feels different. At times, we still bring a spare jacket incase if it gets really windy and cold. Oh, did I tell you that a few days back, the wind was so strong until it blew our big dustbin away from its position!
Talking about summer too, there's a big time difference here. Fajr (Subuh) solah has to be done before 3.30am. The first light comes out at about 4am. At about 5.30am, it feels like 8am. And the best part - it gets dark very late, at about 10pm. What a long day! I feel funny actually. Just imagine if a person were to eat her dinner when it gets dark, or at night. In winter, she'll be eating dinner at about 5pm (coz it gets dark earlier). While in summer, she eats dinner at 11pm. Wow! in between? How many meals more? Hmm....no wonder......
Oh yeah.....another thing is ice-cream. Did I ever mention that the ice-cream here is excellent? With Thornton's and award winning ice-cream everywhere , I guess its pretty hard to resist. Like my sister in-law said, "How could we resist if its written that their ice-cream is an award winning ice-cream? We don't come here often!". And do believe me, I am trying my very best to make sure when I go back later, I will look the same. I am still doing crunches and push-ups daily. Well, ....I have gained 5kgs though but I promised to myself - that will be all. It shouldn't go up more than that. What can I do? I've stopped playing basketball regularly for the past 2 months.Forget about my fitness level. Last year, I was able to finish a 7.5km run, I don't think I can do it again this year. Its definitely down the drain now. Adding to that, forget about joining any basketball tournament when I go back later. Hmm...maybe I should start with the skipping ropes. Yes, I think I will. Starting from tomorrow.........I will, yes, that's my promise.
Below is a photo of the award-winning ice-cream's signboard. Oh..PLEASE IGNORE THE CROSS. I overlooked until I downloaded the photo.
I've also downloaded new photos in my fotopages . Check it out!
To STF basketball team - BEST OF LUCK!! for your semi-finals match tomorrow morning.
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