Poket Depan Baju Kurung

by Nani-Syed Osman on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 12:09pm

All my years as a youngster, my baju kurung had a gentleman's pocket, sewn - top left. I had not own one with a side-pocket, common to others. Money was always tight and I usually had only a pair made each year. And, as my palm grew wider, so did my pocket. In 1981, F5, I asked my late mother to do one without, but she insisted that it was best.


Freshly ironed, I adorned my baju kurung, excited that the F1 Orientation Week would take place soon. As one of the receiving committee members, I was ready to assist the newbies to their rooms and help concerned parents pacified them.  Questions were thrown at me in regards to locations and things to expect.... and being my bubbly me, I was just too happy to lend a helping hand.


One after another, bags were being hauled up the 4 flights of stairs into the girl's dormitory. Since they were still petite compared to the lugged bags, I automatically took control over them. Despite their respective parents' disapproval, I continued offering my assisting hands, smiling, "Takpe pakcik, makcik.  Memang tugas saya."


I made sure that the freshies' belongings were locked into their respective lockers before pulling out their bedsheets. Demonstrating to them how to make their beds, I said, "Meh sini akak tunjuk cara nak bagi tegang cadar ni. Nanti bila kena kemas katil, buat macam ni ye?", a common reminder to the little ones.


As the 5th parents descended the staircase, I walked them to their parked car. Offering my hands to salam, I lowered my head as I placed, softly,  the tip of my nose on the back of each parent's right hand and managed a brief curtsy (which was common back then to illustrate respect). When, I brought my body to a standing position, a quick gesture approached my pocket. Taken aback, I saw that it was a rolled 1 Ringgit Malaysia, stuffed into it. I shook my head to show that it would be inappropriate for me to accept. "Ambek la...buat beli aiskerim", was the common respond.


At the end of the day, I had collected 12RM: a combination on 1RM and 2RM per parents, which was a lot for me. I had never had that much amount in my hands.


I related the incident and my fortune to my late mom when she came for a visit that first weekend. She smiled and winked at me and said, "See. Emak knows best".


The moral of the story: Never question your mother...Happy Mother's Day, Mak. May you rest in peace, if Allah permits.
- 31 Dec 1937 to 18 Dec 2008.


Asmah Mohd Noor

A sudden pang of old memories appearing and flooding my cluttered head. I've realised i've missed u....pls be reminded dat u were never absent in my memory...regardless...

The Philosophical Syed Amir

 


Syed Amir's : i believe "human" best suit dat phrase instead

 
 
of woman". oh and "them" instead of "her" 




I just couldn't stop being amaze as how my son has 



grown....intellectually...

Do role models have an impact on one’s life?

Before you begin, you need to think of these 3 things to list and mind-mapped your TOS's

You need to  think in various styles when coming up with the 3 crucial points:

1. Short term, Mid term and Long term (smoking: S=bad breath, M=wasting money, L=health problems like lung cancer)

2. Individual, Society and Govt (recycling: I=3Rs, S= community collection/fund raising, G=recycling campaigns)

3. Social, Economic & Political/Spiritual

 Please be aware that only point 1 is discussed here.

          Role models whether they are figures of high authority, parents, siblings or even peers can have either positive or negative impact on one’s life. There is some point in life when every child desires to live up to the standards set upon by their role models. In the conquest to be more like one’s role model, we strive to outline our better qualities, we acknowledge our flaws and try to conceal them or we may even lose parts of ourselves in the course of trying to be someone we are not. Role models have an impact on one’s life as it can motivate one to be a better individual, cause one to lose one’s identity and it can have a negative influence on one’s character.

 Point 1: Role models entice a person to work towards his or her goals. The role models here have provided people with a glimpse of their vision and by doing so, people are able to recognize, comprehend and relate to their role figure. Seeing their role models successfully confronting hardships will motivate people to endure difficulties and crises. In fact, role models can embed the quote, “If I can do it, so can you” in one’s life. The life experiences of one’s role model will teach and educate us in the lessons of life which cannot be found anywhere else. Gandhi made a difference by liberating India. He believed in independence and the freedom of speech. His beliefs were not shattered despite being subjected to numerous obstacles like being thrown into jail. He now serves as an inspiration to the liberal minded who are not afraid to stand up for their rights.

           Role models can either benefit a person by serving as a source of inspiration or cause detrimental effects to a person. We can never adequately express the influence role models have on one’s life but what must be highlighted is that role models should always be positive ones. We need role models that remind us of what being a human means those who can prepare us to take the world by storm, in a positive way that is.      

Sample Student's Script on EC and its vast growing trend (2)

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail, Facebook and short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this growing trend? Discuss.

          With the upcoming Google Plus, which is frankly to say relatively the same to Facebook, signed-up accounts are being filled by the thousands daily.  Some people can send up to an average of a hundred SMS’s (Short Message System) a day as it costs cheap.  Forget about old school letters, e-mail or some would prefer Skype to be the new black. Is it good that old traditions are abandoned and are giving ways to new technological development? In most development yes, it does. Every progress is positive bringing; otherwise it would not be called progress.

          People from all layers of society, whether it be the poor, the rich or the moderate can connect with each other, not depending on the distance. Distance is just a mere problem, nowadays, if it is compared to the olden days. A long time ago, people would have to consider the distance or the safety of the package. Therefore, the world turning to electronic communications is not wrong but, actually, it is better.

         As the old saying goes, ‘time is valued as gold’. If one does not value time, it is like a fool throwing away gold! Everyone, nowadays, is hard pressed for time as time is of the essence. Late by a minute and things could seriously turn out wrong.  So, what does time have to do with the world moving onto electronic communications? Actually, it has everything to do with it. Information transfer is quickened. Important information about worldly events can spread in a flick of an eye. People get to know new events whether it be important or just mere pleasure.  Conclusion? One can definitely say people in the world today would no doubt turn to electronic communications.

         No one likes to be lonely. Everyone wants to make as many friends as possible in this whore lifetime. Being lonely would just mean meaningless time spent.  Everyone likes sharing a bit of their lives with others whether it be a girl or a boy.  The perfect way to enhance this process is by using electronic communications gadgets and mediums. Just by a click of a button, we make friends with others. In conclusion, making friends would be made easier with such electronic communications.

          Therefore, the world will turn to more electronic communications and there is no stopping this progress. As the technological development increases, the world will always turn to the positive.

Courtesy of Mr Benjamin Dass 

Sample Student's Script on EC and its vast growing trend (1)

Sample answer by my Pre-u student.

(As you read this, please compare this format with the template that I had created and see if it fits. 

The world today is turning more to electronic communications such as the e-mail, Facebook and short Message System (SMS). What is your opinion of this growing trend? Discuss. 

         The world is now on the verge of globalization. Development is taking place in every nook and cranny of the globe. It is undeniable that evolution of technology very much influences the process of development.  The awe-inspiring moderisation that can be seen on the surface of the earth today and the ones that can be predicted in years to come is solely contributed to technology. Technology, as it is, has brought fame to electronic communications. Generally speaking, electronic communications refer to non-verbal communication which is based on electronic gadgets and devices. Electronic communications, in this modern era is growing tremendously and people are constantly getting adept at it. E-mail, Facebook and Short Message System (SMS), to name a few, are examples of electronic communications which are creating a storm across the world. A flabbergasting result of a research shows that the world renowned social network – Facebook has approximately 700 million users. With electronic communications getting sophisticated each day, there is a rising concern of its effects on the people in the long term. In my opinion, electronic communications have both its advantages and disadvantages.

     The advantage of electronic communications is that it makes life on earth, by all means, easier.  In the ancient times, people were forced to rely on the post-offices and postmen to send letters to relatives and friends. Today, with the existence of e-mail and SMS, information can be sent with a simple, single click. The world is now at our finger-tips. Even better, information and important data can be sent and received almost instantaneously. In today’s rather busy world, people rarely stand a chance to meet with each other. This is due to the fact that the skyrocketing financial burden forces people to earn extra income in some other ways and hence, they can hardly allocate time for each other. However, with Facebook and other social networking sites making its way through the lives of many, staying in touch with family and friends is now an easy feat. As a matter of fact, Facebook can be browsed on almost every electrical gadgets ranging from computers to hand-phones as long as there is an internet connection. That is to say workaholics will be able to keep track with their friends’ activities on the go without having to allocate specific amount of time to do so. What’s more, with the existence of Skype, it enables one to see and hear each other instead of merely listening to, certainly is a cut above the rest.  In conclusion, electronic communications advantageous people as they make life on earth easy.  In conclusion, the above statements have proven that there is a growing trend.

     On the contrary, a disadvantage of electronic communications is that there are chances of accounts being invaded and hacked by unknown profiles and the spin-off of information falsity. Such cases are indeed alarming as it has victimized a huge number of people and many people are still facing such problems till this day. Computer buffs tend to resolve into such crimes for many purposes and this occasionally creates political problems in the country. Besides, such e-mails and messages may also create a stir among the public when issues regarding the different religions are concerned. During the dinosaur years, only the banking agencies and you have access to your transactions and banking system. Links, may it be internal or external, have to be handled on one-to-one basis. Security was tighter and the opportunity for identity theft was almost none. Personal and hands-on treatment is held to minimize any criminal activities from transpiring. Now, almost all transactions are done through the computer and no signature is required since it is a ‘computer printed copy’, which whatever it means. Demonstration and rebelliousness have become predominant through the speedy and quick ‘grapevines’ which are often spiraled from a posting in the Facebook and the country’s peace and tranquility would be at stake. Responses may trigger misunderstandings and miscommunications of information can construe the readers’ once sound mind. It is surprising how a small act can arouse the rise of even bigger problems but such events do and have occurred in at least one portion of the world. In summary, electronic communications disadvantageous people as there is a higher probability of being hacked by unknown profiles and the possibility of spreading false information.

         In a nutshell, electronic communications have their pros and cons. Although it makes life easier, it also instigates problems which may threaten a country’s peace.  

Courtesy of Miss Sivasanggari a/p Tamil Selvam

Template for MUET Extended Writing

Here is a template that suits the generic style of the academic writing appropriate for Extended Writing. Try to make sure that all sentences that you have built either support the Thesis Statement (TS) or the Topic Sentence (TOS). If they don't, then these sentences will derail you from the subject matter and will cause you to be off-tangent (not a good place to be). Most off-tangent scripts are awarded a lower mark.

Intro (of subject matter)
1. Thesis statement  (TS)
2. agree/disagree(stand must be apparent and must be consistent throughout your writing
3. General definition of the subject matter
4. Listing of the Topic Sentences (TOS’s) TOS 1 TOS 2 TOS 3
TOS 1:
1. supporting statement -
2. supporting detail 1 - (reason)
3. supporting detail 2 - (reason)
4. examples -
5. Wrapping up:
TOS 2:
1. supporting statement -
2. supporting detail 1 - (reason)
3. supporting detail 2 - (reason)
4. examples -
5. Wrapping up:
TOS 3:
1. supporting statement -
2. supporting detail 1 - (reason)
3. supporting detail 2 - (reason)
4. examples -
5. Wrapping up:
Conclusion
1. agree/disagree again
2. Restate Thesis Statement
3.  Restate the TOS’s

In wrapping up each paragraph, you can:
a) restate your TOS
b) restate your TS
c) link your TOS to your TS


*Gentle reminder - do not include in your concluding paragraph, suggestions or comments.