WHAT HAPPENED THROUGH 2012 TO 2016????

Here are the happenings through 2012 until 2016 :

 July 2012 -   on 1st July 2012, presented with nausea and head heaviness, profuse sweating, no chest pain, no palpitation. One episode of fainting on Monday afternoon 2nd July 2012 after got up from lying position with profuse sweating, chest pain and discomfort but did not visit the clinic or hospital.

                 -  went for the normal six monthly medical check up  on 6th July 2012, presented with nausea and head heaviness and was under health observation and subsequently admitted at the Raja Perempuan Bainun Hospital, Ipoh. ECG showed T inversion at chest lead. Uncontrolled DM.

                 -  Discharged on 8th July 2012 with no chest pain, lung clear and was comfortable however keen for COROS

September 2012  -   On 3rd September 2012, I was appointed as a Senior Lecturer (Contract), at the Faculty of  Plantation and Agrotechnology, University Technology MARA, Arau, Perlis, Malaysia.

November 2012  -   on 28th November 2012 admitted at  Cardio Department, Serdang  Hospital with COROS showing tight RCA stenosis with moderate plaques in LAd and LCx. Coronary  angiogram was performed on 29th November 2012 and discharged on 30th November 2012.

November 2013  -  Admitted again at the Raja Perempuan Bainun Hospital, Ipoh, on 27th. November 2013, with final diagnosis for Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), with right lower zone pleural effussion. Discharged on 9th December 2013.

August 2015   -  contract as the Senior Lecturer at UiTM, Arau, Perlis expired and discontinued.

September 2016   -  just over a year with no official work.

There are only the two of us, my wife and I, at home. All my three children are away working and studying at one of the local universities. Life is constantly changing!!

ITS GOOD TO BE IN THE BLOG AGAIN

The last post in my blog BUGISRAWA, was on May 30th 2012. That was more than 4 years ago. I was then 53 years young, now September 2016, I am 57 years younger. My, my, my and why, why, why? No explanation, all said will be nothing else but excuses. Welcome back Bakli!!!

P.I.E. continues........PARTICIPATIVE

As promised I will explain the success of P.I.E learning scheme from my perspective. P.I.E is the short words for PARTICIPATIVE, INCENTIVIZE AND EXPERIENTIAL.

As all my students are male, between the ages of 10-17 years, they are full of energy, enthusiastic, curiosity, and rebellious. They are interested to know things beyond what they learnt at school. They have many questions and needed the answers and explanations on things taking place around them. Physical and emotional changes that happened within themselves. Many of them do not know how and where to expressed their feelings. From here I can deduce that there are thousands of these youth out there are facing the same dilemma. So I urge to all male and female adults out there, try to understand them. Of course parents are there, but they don't feel free and open to talk to their parents on personal matters. Ha ha, you know what I mean! Other than their peer groups there is non others that they can discuss and express themselves with. And we know that their peer group is also in the dark and equally good like them. 

             Outing at KFC: (L-R): Syafiz, Epowl, Yours truly, Kamal, Syamil & Amir

Here is where my role comes to play, I feel is very important to them. Instead of getting the wrong information, at least with me, they are free and open to express, discuss and relay their understandings, misconceptions, myths and truths of the real world surrounding them. Of course, I must admit that there were times when I myself do not have the answers to their questions. I am not Mr Know All.

Ahhh I have derailed myself from our discussion. Lets get back to P.I.E. We start with "PARTICIPATIVE" first.

I noticed that my students easily get bored if I am monotonous in delivering my subjects. Further more to them, most of the subjects they learnt were dry. The most they can stand me was 20-30 minutes. After which they will show signs of boredom such as yawning, start disturbing and talking to their friends, in and out of the gents etc. To break these boredom and monotony normally I will break for 5 minutes after every 20-30 minutes of lesson. I have to create activities that will bring them back to the class. Normally when this scenario occurs I will start having open discussion, question and answers session. They can ask anything at all, be it intelligent or stupid questions on the subject matters. This is where I need their participation to make the class lively and interesting, and I must know how to probe and provoke them to speak up.

There were times when I will ask all of them to stand up on their tables, and start asking questions. Simple, simple questions, not to crack their head. Those who answered the questions correctly, they can go down one step and stand on their chairs, next correct answer they got the chance to sit on their chairs. However, if their answers were wrong, they have to go up one level from where they were. I found out that from this activity, the level of competitiveness and participation is high. Everybody wanted to answer the question, they just didn't care whether the answers were right or wrong. When one answered wrongly, their friends will laugh their head off, seeing him going up one step up on the chair or table. This is where the fun of learning arises. I always inculcate to them that learning is FUNNNNNN  and they must ENJOYYYYY.

Other times I will break my student into groups and hold quizzes between groups. Normally the losers will have to  perform something that they enjoy doing. This is another participatory activity that can push them to another level of  interest in studying.

                     My naughtiest (then) students: Luqman, Ali, Nazim and Yours truly.

Other then these activities, I found out that the students will respond and reflect well if I myself participate and reciprocate in their activities. Some times after their school exams, they will come to class not for lesson  but I will allowed them to play. For instance, because my class is quiet spacious, we prayed, played mini football, hit golf balls, darts, acrobatic exercises, cook, eat and drink together. Mind you I give my students food after one hour of class, sometimes one piece of burger each, other times we cook, simple and fast stuff like noodles, fried meehon or nuggets, sometimes my wife made home cook laksa and spaghetti, free flow of coffee (coffee machine) are also available.

                             At my house: (L-R): Adlan (Azlan twin brother), 

                             Syamil, Azlan, myself, Wan, Syafiq, Syakir and Fauzan. 

                                                  Squarting: Ali

Through all these participative activities, the students are not bored, in fact they enjoyed the class, and comments that I received from parents are that their children are eager, interested and on their own will without being forced are looking forward to attend my class. This is the first step to learning, they must be interested at their own will, first to attend class. The learning will follow, I believe. REWARDING or not?

I will continue with INCENTIVIZE and EXPERIENTIAL on Friday. As I will be away in Shah Alam on my consultancy job on Thursday. Adios. 

See you and listen to Maher Zain. Specially for my wife NORSURIATI HUSAIN, who is a die hard fan of Maher Zain.........INSYALLAH.

Wassalam.

P.I.E Learning Scheme continues......

My apology, I have written a long article on PIE, unfortunately it hanged, and I wrongly clicked the reload icon. The whole article was gone. Anyway I will rewrite it tomorrow.
Meanwhile follow this song from M.Nassir - Keroncong Untuk Ana.

Wassalam.

P.I.E LEARNING SCHEME

Not many of my students turned up for tonight's class because of the school holidays. Some have gone outstation or "balik kampung", while some form five students are attending a 4-days program specifically on Additional Mathematics held at Sekolah Menengah Sains, Teluk Intan from Monday 28 until Thursday 31 May.

All in all, currently I have a mix of 14 students from standard 4 up till form 5. To be exact, eight form   5 (SPM) students, three form 4, one form 1, one standard 6 (UPSR) and one standard 4. Teaching has never been in my head and not my vocabulary. I just do not have the patience and easily loose my head especially when the simplest thing I have explained not being understood by whoever I am teaching. I am not a teacher nor have I ever been teaching, neither have I gone for a teacher's training. 

However in 2007, my son at that time was in form three, and he will be sitting for his PMR examination, with three of his classmates, requested me to give them tuition for all the subjects they were taking. You can just imagine, the difficulty I had, because I have left school more than 31 year then. What I did then was I bought books on all the subjects that they are taking and started to do my homework. I just could not digest some of the subjects and topics especially mathematics because they were completely different from what I have learnt during my school days, more than 31 years ago. Meanwhile some of my son's classmates' parents enrolled their children into the class. Finally for that year, I had 11 students, and all were males, although there were females who wanted to join the class. I kept the class exclusively male and my son's classmates only. I did not charge any fees for the class although some parents insisted which, I accepted at a token amount.

Initially I had problem with this group of students, because they were from the same class, very playful and did not pay attention to my teaching, including my son. He was the most difficult person to handle, simply because being the father-teacher he simply did not listen. That is why some people say, which I found some truth in it, it is better to send your own children to other teachers. I tried all sorts of techniques to gain their attention and I found that the PIE learning scheme I formulated worked in many ways.

PIE learning scheme is not giving them pie. PIE is an abbreviation for PARTICIPATIVE, INCENTIVISED AND EXPERIENTIAL learning scheme. As it is 3.36 am now, I will continue explaining how PIE learning scheme had bear fruitful outcome tomorrow. Insyallah.

Meanwhile listen to this beautiful rendition of Awan Nano (Flute Instrumental)

Wassalam.

CHANGES ARE ONLY CONSTANT

First and foremost, I would like to welcome Hafiz and Eny for being the first two members to my blog. This is indeed a change. From no member to two members. I appreciate and very grateful to both of you for your support. This is in line with my post today, "CHANGES ARE ONLY CONSTANT".


Besides, last night I gave some face lifts to my blog, which is also a change. That includes the different fonts colors, shades, shapes, sizes and with a photo.I am experimenting and learning to add more features to my blog. Slowly but surely the presentation and features of my blog will improve with time. This definitely is a change.

Have a look at this photo and compare it with the photo above, with yours truly facing the ocean. Originally there were 12 Apolstles on the Great Ocean in Victoria between Melbourne and Adelaide. These are limestone rocks, standing strong, high and tall in the Great Ocean. What remained,  when I was there in November 2009, were only seven of these structures standing not so strong, neither high nor tall and were slowly eroding. 5 of the structures had collapsed.

What causes this? The strong wind, land and sea breezes, storm, high tidal waves and the weathering process (changes in temperature and rainfall) had caused the erosion and the collapsed of these structures. Thus changing not only the geographical landscape of the ocean but also the once beautiful scenery. I am very sure that the marine habitat around those structures and along the shore were changed, disturbed and destroyed completely.

What can be reflected here is that everything in this world have changed, is changing and will be changing in the future. Just a matter of time, be it sooner or later. The are many factors and causes of changes.Changes can be man made or natural changes.

Our lives, families, neighborhoods, environment, climates, surroundings, countries, leaders and many more have changed, are changing and will change in the future. Today we can be young,  vital and beautiful, strong, healthy, wealthy, powerful and safe, but tomorrow and years to come we will definitely grow old and weak, probably unhealthy, may be not wealthy and powerless.

What is important is that we should be ready to accept changes and we ourselves must be willing to change under whatever conditions and situations because CHANGES ARE THE ONLY CONSTANT.

Wassalam.

Why Have I Not Updated My Blog?

It has been a long years since I last posted in my blog. I don't really know why have I not updated my blog that long. Perhaps no incentive, not encouraged by my own self or may be no interesting issues to be shared or may be just lazy and or many other excuses.


The theme of my blog was "World Around Us". By right there should be many things to write about. There are a lot of happenings happened almost every seconds in this wide world to talk about, be it on myself, my family, my neighbors, my state, my country, my, my oh my my my,and yet I said nothing to write. What a shame? Shame on me.


Until two days ago, I watched a TV program, an interview with the winner of the 12 MSC Asia-Pacific ICT (APICTA), the Prime Minister 2011 Award Category.I was inspired by his dedication and made me remember about my long lost blog.Out of curiosity I googled his name in the net and came to his blog apistakkisah.blogspot.com. I read some of his earliest entries and felt very inspired and at times I was touched by his dedication and persistent conveying his encounters, teaching mathematics in a primary school in an interior kampung at Sungai Siput. Through his blog, I congratulated him for his success, and unexpected he replied to my e-mail.


To those who are interested to know his experience teaching mathematics through a simple yet innovative ways, you may go to his English blog entitle Life Through My Eyes: A Teacher's Little Steps Towards Perfection which is now being turned into a book.You may also watch this


Mohamad Hafiz said ," There was no blog before this that can be made as an educational reference used as a learning source especially in the rural areas where the students are not exposed to the outside world." Interestingly, his blog has attracted the attention of teachers in countries such as United Kingdom (UK), Taiwan, Thailand,Germany etc., who considered his methodology is simple and beneficial to the education system.


Mohamad Hafiz, you have inspired me to continue writing in my long lost newly found blog. I hope I am able to consistent and persistently write in my blog, Insyallah. Bye for now! Salam.