The Turns and Diversions

Showing the ego or being childish?

2010-11-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you in regards to an incident which happened in one of the secondary schools in East Malaysia and this incident has brought much trauma to the students involved in it. Therefore, I would like to bring your attention to this matter in lieu of restoring the students’ psychological confidence and to be fair to all parties involved.

On the 3rd of November 2010, my brother who is a 5th form student in S.M. St. Anne, Labuan approached me about an incident which happened at school that day. According to him, an environmental talk was held in the school. As the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination is just around the corner, the students were feeling anxious with the final preparations for the examination. Hence they have decided to bring along their book to the talk to fit in some revision during the course of the talk. Their books were then confiscated by one of the teachers in the school, and were not returned to them at the end of the day. When questioned by the principal the next day, they admitted that they did intend to study while the talk was on but my brother specifically eventually did not read during the talk. Instead, he only studied whilst waiting for the talk to begin.

The students were indeed wrong to begin with, and they have admitted their wrong-doings. Most of them returned home that day without their revision books but my brother and a friend of his decided to take their book back from the staff room that day as they needed the books for their revision that night. On the next day, several students approached the teacher to apologise and claim their books back but were brushed off without any consideration. The teacher then entered their class and started shouting at the students. When questioned, my brother and his friend admitted that they had taken the books back without permission the day before as they needed the books for revision. Some arguments sparked off, the teacher said to them in a very threatening manner, “if it’s not because of the school rules, I would have slapped you”.

Putting aside all the issues mentioned above, I was most devastated with her curse towards the students. Specifically referring to my brother, she cursed him to fail his English. In my opinion, regardless of whether the students have made a mistake or not, a teacher SHOULD NOT curse her student, especially in such a manner. Few students continued to stand strong and continue with their journey but many, especially the girls broke down into tears.
We all know that SPM is a very important examination for secondary school students in Malaysia. Being an educator and a role model to the rest of her students, she should have been able to manage this issue more effectively. For instance, solving the issue of bringing books to the talk right after the talk has ended and not keeping mum, then leaving for home after the school session has ended.

On the 5th of November 2010, a Prizes Presentation Ceremony rehearsal was organised by the school. During the course of the rehearsal, the 5th form students who were involved in the issue above were once more verbally harassed* when making their way up to the stage. My brother also mentioned that the teacher was giving him stares throughout the day.
Being just two weeks away from the national examination, such treatment from a teacher is totally unacceptable. It is known that teenagers are psychologically vulnerable. Such words uttered from the mouth of a teacher would definitely affect their concentration and confidence in their studies as well as the upcoming examination.

Although the school management has urged the students to apologise to the teacher, I have advised them to withhold the apologies as the teacher is not even open to accepting apologies. I would classify it as a very childish act coming from a matured teacher. I am confident that should the teacher be open to accepting apologies, the students would be more than willing to say sorry. But from my own past experience, she would just brush off apologies with sarcasm. Years ago, I was once chased out from her English class as I was absent for her class to attend sports training in preparation for the MSSM tournaments. I was then told that I need not attend any of her class anymore in the future. Similarly, I approached her the next day to apologise but received a response, “Whatever, do whatever you like”. It is really unacceptable having that coming from a teacher.

I am extremely appreciative of the actions taken by the school management (including the Parents & Teachers Association) thus far. Regardless of the outcome of their discussions, I am determined to make this issue known to the public as 10 years of mistreating the students, is far more than enough. The teacher needs to realise that her acts and behaviour are both unacceptable in the society that we are living in today. This letter is not intended to ruin the image of the school but to bring everyone’s attention to the existence of such educator in the education system.
Lastly, I must stress that S.M. St Anne is a brilliant school and I am very proud to have graduated from this very school. The big flaw however, needs to be fixed before the image of the school continues to be ruined by this teacher’s act. Her receipt of the “Guru Cemerlang” award is also questionable to a very measurable extent.

8th November 2010
*Harassment in this context refers to a form of behaviour that offends, humiliates or intimidates a person (as per www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au)

Shut it?

2010-04-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

Yes I won the "cheat" special prize, some outdated blackberry which requires me to sign contract with celcom PLUS a celcom broadband with ONE MONTH free usage nia~ So I didn't really "win"....celcom's the winner.

The initial purpose of opening this blog was solely to join the competition. Almost time to leave it dead~ Not like it's been alive anyway. Thanks for voting nevertheless. =)

The tiny peaceful island

2009-12-14T01:27:00.001-08:00

Click it!

Labuan’s the name. It’s a small island located off the Borneo coastline. I’ve been contemplating for months whether to create this post for the competition. The main issue that I’m facing is that I’m not physically present back in Labuan to be able to snap photos of things that I would like to share.

Given that I only have limited “supply” of photos to share with, I shall just focus on the two things that I miss most about Labuan when I’m abroad. If I had to describe Labuan in two words, I’d use “air” and “beach”.

In comparison to big cities like Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Johor Bahru, Labuan would appear insignificant as a holiday destination, especially in terms of shopping.

The air that I’m referring to simply means fresh air. If you’ve been to the bigger cities in Malaysia, there would be no need for me to elaborate on that. I’ve had many friends and relatives praising the cleanliness, peacefulness and the relaxing conditions in Labuan.

View Full Album

As an island, we’re surrounded by beaches. Though it’s impossible to put them on the same par as the beaches you would find in Maldives, you need not pay a fortune to stay in a resort to enjoy the beach. You can just pick a hotel downtown, and walk to the beach; or catch a cab to the other end of the island if sunset is what you’re after.Also, the beach in the area known as “layang-layangan” is a place where you can have the best satay in town whilst enjoying the refreshing sea breeze and waiting for the sunset. There may be awestatic satay through out Malaysia, but how many comes with a complimentary sunset?

This postcard-like photo isn’t exaggerated and was not photoshop-ed before hand. It was taken in the beach opposite University Malaysia Sabah at around noon time. This is by far my favourite photo!

Now diverting from the "air” and “beach”, the next best thing you could here would be, cheap and fresh seafood (particularly fish). The best time to buy your fish would be early in the morning or in the evening as this is when the fishermen return with their catch. Having grown up eating such fresh fish throughout my life, I find it hard to gulp down the fish that I can find here in Australia (sorry Aussies).

The traditional fishing boats just beside the fish market.

Baby shrimps (commonly known as ‘bubuk” by the locals) used to make cincaluk – a type of dipping sauce

Fresh catches

Being such a small island, you can get around the island in approximately a day. From my own experience, the drive from the bottom of the island to the tip of the island takes only about 20 minutes.

The island

The other significant feature of Labuan would have to be the Chap Goh Meh (the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year) celebration. It’s a similar celebration to those held in Penang and other cities. Very few places in Malaysia actually hosts such celebration. I’d like to share some photos and videos of the celebration. Basically it involves the God & Goddess possession with food offerings. At the end of the celebrations, the foods are shared between the people in the community (so don’t worry, there’s no wastage). Enjoy the pictures.

View Full Album

Shopping wise, if you’re looking at branded items like MNG or Gucci we don’t have any of those here. But what we have here that most people would love, is cheap chocolates, alcohol and smoking (well I’d like to just promote the cheap chocolate because alcohol and smoking aren’t good stuff, but well, they’re an item). If I get it right, there is about 50% difference in the price. Being on an island isn’t always bad although “bored” is the common word linked to Labuan? They should probably employ me as their tour guide *wink*

Well fair enough, a week stay in Labuan is probably too long, but I’d definitely recommend a three days stay in Labuan, as your next holiday destination, especially when you’re after an inexpensive getaway from the stressful work and busy cities.

Kindly cast your vote for my entry please =)