See You Again Soon

B.Ed. TESL Cohort 2 IPSAH-UPSI

Goodbyes are always so sad, no? My mom once commented, "The problem with you and your classmates is that you've been together too long and you're too close." What to do? Although, is it that bad to get to know people and grow to love them so much? I know I don't think so :-)
Guys, thanks for a wonderful six years. We've had our ups-and-downs (yes, Kas, I know it's cheesy) and our round-and-rounds but hey - perfect is boring, right? I wouldn't have it any other way. I've learned so much from all 24 of you.
All the best, people! I love you!

Staffroom Stuff

Boys: Kitorang masa praktikum dulu cukup bosan kalau duduk dalam bilik guru. Cikgu lelaki semua asyik cakap pasal benda yang sama je: baja, tanah, memancing...

Girl: Tu takpe lagi. Kalau cikgu perempuan asyik dok mengata orang je. Kalau kita tak nak bergaul sama, dia kata kita ni sombong pulak.

Hence why it is probably a blessing to teach at least 24 periods a week.

(Names withheld to protect privacy)

Other Side Of The Lens

Behind the scenes

Photographer: Muhammad bin Masri
Location: Ferry en route to Pulau Redang

I have yet to see the results of this particular mini photo shoot... Faiz!

It's Another Blog!

Language nerds may enjoy my second blog This Is Not Your Average Blogging Scene at: http://thetinyabs.blogspot.com
There's a link on the side labeled Alter Ego.

Optimism

One of my juniors tried to "enlighten" me on something the other day... It was very nice of her, but what she didn't realize is that I was pretty much thinking along the same lines when I was her age. Wasn't the first time I've ever thought, "Oh you say that now but just you wait two more years..." Yes, we've all been through that phase when we think we know everything simply because we've gone a few years past 13. But trust me - if you haven't already, you will get to a later stage where you realize that you've still got more to learn and then you'll decide it's probably better to keep quiet till you're... say, 40. Life begins at 40, right?
Maybe that's why they say so :-)

Pantun and Baju

Some things are unquestionably sacred to me, and my family.

Here's a recent conversation between me and my mother...
More or less verbatim.

Me: Ma, Zehan (my cousin) passed us her engagement DVD...
Ma: You know what happened? The other side was reciting pantun and your Uncle (no, not Zehan's dad) couldn't reply. Ok, it's bad enough you couldn't reply but you know what he said? He kept saying, "Tengok tu, nak menunjuk lah tu! Orang sekarang mana ada berpantun." Once I heard that... Apa lagi - I said to him, "Eh Li! Bukannya orang sekarang tak berpantun lagi - kau tu yang malas!" I mean, you know that you're representing the family in a formal engagement, you prepare lah at least one!
Me: Call me old-fashioned but I expect to hear pantun at traditional ceremonies.
Ma: I remember my late grandmother dulu, she could come up with pantun on the spot! Her mind was so sharp, you imagine? Ni yang orang nak kata uneducated sebab tak pergi sekolah...

Somehow we went this way about 20 seconds later...

Me: My friends and I were talking about what you wear to weddings, and I told them the story about Uncle Yan wanting to wear jeans to Aunty Nina's wedding. They asked me, "Tak boleh ke?" I said, "Your own sister's wedding nak pakai jeans - cari pasal lah tu; pakai lah baju Melayu!"
Ma: Punya lah marah your Nenek. But nowadays, you see people have no respect for weddings. Datang dengan seluar jeans koyak dengan T-shirt... Tak ada collar pula tu! Aiye...
Me: I mean, it's one thing to do Western attire at a Malay wedding but at least keep it neat!

And then it got to this...

Me: I don't know - I like to see men in baju Melayu, they look so smart. Especially when you wear it properly with the sampin and the butang...
Ma: People nowadays don't know how to wear it properly. Sayang.

Which reminds me: Guys think it's a lot to ask when we request the baju Melayu. Why? Certain baju kurung and kebaya are not exactly the most comfortable things in the world to wear but when the occasion calls for it we put it on - no questions asked. It's our culture and we give it that much respect. Nothing makes me more sad to go to a wedding and spot some mismatched couple - the girl looking so sweet in her baju kurung and the guy looking so mat rempit in his scruffy T-shirt and jeans. And what makes it worse is that the same guys who insist on NOT wearing the baju Melayu are the same guys who ask "Why must we copy other cultures?" >_<

When another cousin got married about a year or so back, she chose to do so in a mosque. Read that again: a mosque. Imagine our horror to see her Malay photographer carrying out her duties in jeans and a jacket. In a mosque, photographing a Malay wedding. Hello? Were you raised by non-Malays? Susah sangat ke nak pakai baju kurung tu? Berapa jam je pun. Takkan sepasang pun tak ada! When my sisters got married, both of them chose Kid Chan as wedding photographer. He was under no obligation to dress like a Malay. And yet, on both occasions this Chinese gentleman had the decency to wear a baju Melayu complete with butang baju Melayu, a sampin and, if I remember correctly, a songkok. "Malu orang kita je," my mother said. I agree.

Conflicted Conservative

My mom bought me new bathing suits for our class trip to Redang. She's been meaning to do so ever since I wore my bikini (my one-piece bathing suits don't fit anymore) on the Sarawak trip. Not that she minded (she was the one who bought it) but she knows that I don't really feel so comfortable wearing it when I'm not with my family. It's different when your parents are with you somehow. She also knows that recently I've become a little more shy when it comes to showing certain parts of the body. I can hear some of you saying "bullsh*t" but you haven't seen how short Aina's (name changed to protect identity) skirts are. Even my tennis skirt wasn't that small. Don't get me wrong; I think it's great that she (with the better legs, by the way) has so much confidence - it's just that I don't have the guts for it myself. I've borrowed it before and I'm glad at the time I was with trusted guy friends i.e. Camel and Boy who always look out for me: Believe me, it's no fun once the mat rempits catch sight of you. Yeah, of course, certain clothes get you noticed - but it's never the kind of attention you want, especially if you're alone.

To be honest, I've actually got a weird notion of conservative but I guess it's still developing. I don't cover my hair but I freak out if I don't have a button for my baju kurung. I love the kebaya but never without a camisole. I like shorts but I think it's a crime to wear them in a shopping mall like you're at the beach. And I adore close-fitting tees but absolutely hate the kind of tops that your boobs spill out of. It's confusing, I know. Some people might think of me as an exhibitionist one minute, and an old-fashioned prude the next. Even I feel as though I can't really make up my mind which one I really am. You would think that I'd have myself all figured out by the age of 23. But you know, they say one never really stops growing.