Selamat Hari Raya or Eid-ul-Fitr Mubarak
to all family and friends
near and far
offline and online
physical and virtual
May we find happiness
in being able to forgive and forget
smoothing rough edges between us
May we live long enough
to be able to meet Ramadhan again
for a few more times in our lives
and seek for Allah's blessings and forgiveness
May we enjoy this Syawal
in peace, and not wars
in peace, and not arguments
in peace, and not with broken-hearts
in peace - and happiness.
Thursday, December 05, 2002
Wednesday, November 06, 2002
English Language and me
When I was a little girl, I used to dream of becoming a writer as I was so fascinated with words and what they could do to my imagination. An avid reader, by the age of twelve years old, I had finished all the novels my parents collected, which most of them were "Hikayat"s. My reading experience (which I felt more like adventures) fascinated me so much that I began feeling fascinated by words and languages myself.
However, schooling in a small town where English was a foreign language and not heard in daily conversations much, had its own disadvantages. Thus, when I finally entered an urban secondary school where 90% of the time English was the medium of communication, I became very scared of speaking the English Language. So scared that I might be making mistakes and be a laughing stock in a school where everybody else was speaking English so effortlessly, as if they were born speaking the language.
I became a shy and quiet girl in school. My self-esteem became lower as the years passed by. Even my class teacher gave me a 'C' for my communication skills because she seldom heard me talking or contributing in class, not knowing that I was actually a chirping bird outside the classroom when surrounded by my Malay-speaking friends.
The use of English in the classroom as a medium of teaching, or rather, as a medium of explaining to the students who found lessons confusing when they were taught in Bahasa, the actual medium of instruction across the curriculum - had two-sided effects on me. Bad, that it had made me an introvert more than I should. Good, that somehow it had polished my English Language skills in the written examinations.
With good result in the English Language, I went on studying English, majoring in TESL. Still, I lacked the confidence in speaking the language, and studying English in a national university with strong feelings about using the “conqueror’s language” in the campus did not help me much. It took the teaching practicum to really force me to speak the language, as I was supposed to teach the English Language using the English Language.
That did it! Finally my emotional barriers to speak the language I was fascinated with - was broken... and I felt free for the first time, finally being able to express myself in the language orally - and slowly I gained my self-confidence again. To this date, I often wonder whether it was necessary for my self-esteem to be sacrificed during those important growing years in order to get my English Language improved.
When I was a little girl, I used to dream of becoming a writer as I was so fascinated with words and what they could do to my imagination. An avid reader, by the age of twelve years old, I had finished all the novels my parents collected, which most of them were "Hikayat"s. My reading experience (which I felt more like adventures) fascinated me so much that I began feeling fascinated by words and languages myself.
However, schooling in a small town where English was a foreign language and not heard in daily conversations much, had its own disadvantages. Thus, when I finally entered an urban secondary school where 90% of the time English was the medium of communication, I became very scared of speaking the English Language. So scared that I might be making mistakes and be a laughing stock in a school where everybody else was speaking English so effortlessly, as if they were born speaking the language.
I became a shy and quiet girl in school. My self-esteem became lower as the years passed by. Even my class teacher gave me a 'C' for my communication skills because she seldom heard me talking or contributing in class, not knowing that I was actually a chirping bird outside the classroom when surrounded by my Malay-speaking friends.
The use of English in the classroom as a medium of teaching, or rather, as a medium of explaining to the students who found lessons confusing when they were taught in Bahasa, the actual medium of instruction across the curriculum - had two-sided effects on me. Bad, that it had made me an introvert more than I should. Good, that somehow it had polished my English Language skills in the written examinations.
With good result in the English Language, I went on studying English, majoring in TESL. Still, I lacked the confidence in speaking the language, and studying English in a national university with strong feelings about using the “conqueror’s language” in the campus did not help me much. It took the teaching practicum to really force me to speak the language, as I was supposed to teach the English Language using the English Language.
That did it! Finally my emotional barriers to speak the language I was fascinated with - was broken... and I felt free for the first time, finally being able to express myself in the language orally - and slowly I gained my self-confidence again. To this date, I often wonder whether it was necessary for my self-esteem to be sacrificed during those important growing years in order to get my English Language improved.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Kuching
Pertama kali kupijak bumimu
Seumpama merentasi masa
Kembali ke Kuala Lumpur 70-an
Pertama kali kurentasi sungaimu
Seakan berada di balik cermin
Kuantan - 'the cleaner version'
Pertama kali kujelajahi bandarmu
Bagaikan melepas rindu
Pulau Pinang - di mana "semuanya ada" di situ
Pertama kali kulihat kebersihanmu
Terasa seperti di luar negeri
Ah...inilah Malaysia impianku
Pertama kali kupijak bumimu
Seumpama merentasi masa
Kembali ke Kuala Lumpur 70-an
Pertama kali kurentasi sungaimu
Seakan berada di balik cermin
Kuantan - 'the cleaner version'
Pertama kali kujelajahi bandarmu
Bagaikan melepas rindu
Pulau Pinang - di mana "semuanya ada" di situ
Pertama kali kulihat kebersihanmu
Terasa seperti di luar negeri
Ah...inilah Malaysia impianku
Saturday, July 13, 2002
My wish for you
(dedicated to Irsyad)I wish you would grow up to be
healthy
happy
and free
honest
and dignified
with strong integrity
faithful to Allah
speaking kind words
spending time in doing good deeds
and helping fellow human beings
rich, yet generous
wealthy, yet not snobbish
powerful, yet righteous
a person who remembers where he is actually heading to
at the end of this journey in life
protected and blessed,
in the safe custody of Allah.
irsyad's kindy graduation concert 2003
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