Clueless...

...that's what parents are. Bumped into ex-neighbour recently. And when neighbours bump into each other, of course we'd talk about each other's kids since we watch them grow up, and sometimes even play with them.

So, as the conversation went in and out of that topic... I enthusiastically said, "Eh! Your gal has a bf ade?" Mother stared at me blankly. Father was just as clueless.

They asked me how I knew... I said, don't they read the blogs??? Oooops! Forgot! Could've kicked myself. I'm in the habit of following blogs.... most of those in my and the older generation don't. So I asked the sister who was also there but she made some excuses about not knowing and it being not accessible and all that... Aiya! I keep forgetting, parents today don't read about the happenings in their kids' lives digitally.

Kids also don't tell their parents what's happening most of the time. That hasn't change much. But in the old days, the siblings would serve as informants plus also the parents' friends. These days, siblings don't play much of an informant's role. Secret keeper more like it. And parents are too busy. Their friends are also too busy to notice!

Parents... if you are interested to know about what's happening in your kids' lives, spend some time following them digitally also.... Clueless is how I'll describe most parents now. Their kids announce events in their life to the whole world... the whole world knows but their parents remain ignorant in their own little coccoons. Aiyo!

Then over lunch yesterday. Bumped into friends. We had such a good laugh when Mom said she is often clueless about the relationship status of her son. But at least Dad keeps tab of his FB. So Dad tells Mom... Mom calls Son to enquire... at least one parent in the know. But this type of parents, at least where I am are still the minority.

Lunch @ Tao Cuisine, Autocity

4 'aunties' (read that as middle aged), one young adult and 2 kids. We've been making plans to go for a makan trip for some time but somehow it never quite got off. So, at the very first break in my boy's SPM timetable during the first week, we gave it a go. Left my boy at home to do his revisions. Took my girl.

And Tao Cuisine at Autocity was our choice. We also threw in a short shopping trip at Sunway Carnival as well.... Started early from Alor Setar as we wanted maximum time to enjoy the food. Lunch is from 11.30 to 2.30 p.m. We got there a little early and had to wait for it to open.

But it was good as we had the opportunity to wander around a bit. Tao at Autocity is a nice place. Good ambience and decor. I've been to the one in E-Gate on Penang Island but this one is really nice.

We were the first customers for lunch.... our hunger pangs quite pronounced as most of us didn't take our breakfast. Being there early was good cos it meant a quick appearance of the first orders.

Dining is ala carte buffet. This is scallop with cheese. I think we did 3 or 4 rounds of that! With 7 people, it was quite easy to sample most of the nicer stuff on the menu. You can order in as much as you want but make sure you clear all the food. Can see that the place is very popular cos there was a steady stream of patrons. It's best to make reservations if you want to dine there. And oh! Lunch is definitely value for money.... Eat all you want for RM36++ per person, minus the sashimi (RM46++).

We enjoyed the cheese fried in crabmeat, scallops with cheese, steamed abalones, grilled lamb shoulder, a whole range of tempura, salmon teriyaki, chicken, mantis prawns, shisamo (almost everyone of them is filled with roe), steamed octopuses, sushi, fruit salads... we were stuffed to the brim!

Then to allow the food to settle a bit... we went over to Sunway Carnival to do a little window shopping. I wanted to go to East India since sales are everywhere now. In the end, Shin Hui bought the most... LOL! The bargain was too good to resist plus she had the 3 of us to 'convince' her. Not forgetting also the kind of body of our yesteryears. Managed to get one really classy looking laced black dress.

So a makan outing which I think all of us enjoyed very much. Just the gals.... one one boy. But when we asked him whether he would like to join us again the next trip, he enthusiastically said yes... 8)

Games With The Wall...

I actually enjoy the wall games. What are wall games? Basically you can hit a ball to the wall and it bounces back to you... LOL! And these are my 'wall games'. And they have been a source of blessings and release for me!

Volleyball was my first 'wall game' (my version anyway) that I played in earnest. This was a couple of years ago. I used to do my digging with the wall in the afternoons to improve my skills. Plus because I was terrible at it, 15 minutes would work out a good sweat. It laid the foundation to a better game control for me! Recently I lost that ball I used to dig against the wall during our tournament. I was touched when my team mate bought me a ball as a replacement lately... My wall game has also given me the opportunity to see the thoughtfulness and generosity of a friend.... 8)

And then squash! Another wall game. You can play it alone or with a partner. But lately, we've been playing quite a bit of it... just hitting the tiny black rubber ball into the wall and keeping it in play for as long as possible. Quite, quite fun too. And the best part is, it takes around 30 minutes per session. Son is now getting the upper hand over his dad! The advantage of youth! But dad is fighting back... he's putting in more effort into honing the basic skills! LOL! Am trying to get my gal to play... my mission for this hols! She's progressing.... from just picking balls to finally hitting the wall. She can do a volley of more than 10 now, after about 2 weeks!

Then there is also tennis... started some weeks back but stopped for a while due to the volleyball season. But found that I can enjoy hitting the ball at the wall too... ha! ha! Not good at this game yet but hope I'll get somewhere with it....

So, wall games... just me and the wall... and walls don't make poor line calls, dump you at its whims, basically like a friend who lends a listening ear sometimes and passes no comments. However, walls can also be very unexciting but sometimes that's what might be needed.

Still.. wall games. I've discovered that at some points it can provide calming and settling effects.

A Page From the Past Revisited

My page from the past was revisited recently; thanks to technology. I still marvel at how I've been able to track down old friends (and be tracked down also).

We were on different continents. Yet we were able to talk for hours! What I find amazing is the familiarity and ease of flow in the conversation made me feel as though we had just picked up from we left off. Feelings like this is good for the soul. Fond memories and stuff only an old friend can remember. Funny how over the years we still hang on to some memories.

So yup! This is something worth noting down. We've all changed - grown older. 8) And also in some other ways. But we remained the same still in so many ways. She said my voice has grown 'deeper'. That must be one of my occupational hazards... from shouting on top of my voices to be heard over the din of a class! And I've had almost 2 decades of practice. LOL!

Anyway, it was a good 'catching-up' session. My sensible friend is still very sensible.... her feet were very firmly planted in the ground back then... still are today. But she has mellowed somewhat too... time does that to most of us, if we allow it.

So yup! I'm glad for this blast from my past.... somehow as we grow older, being able to get reconnected with our friends from that age of innocence and idealism is one of life's bonuses. Through them, we get a glimpse of how the years have changed us (or not). They're like mirrors with the capability of a time machine.

Good friends are important. They are like the lighthouses that dot our paths, pointing us in the way to go and helping us keep our feet firmly on the ground. And this is one of them! And for that I am thankful! 8)

I Got Myself A New Set of Wheels...

.. and driving feels smooth again. Been thinking about getting my wheels checked. And since I'm planning a trip with my friends, I thought I might as well have it checked. Didn't want to have the tires skidding because the grip is no longer good. Neither did I cherish the thought have having them burst - one of the tyres had what seemed like a gash on it.

Anyway, I took it to my friend's place. Told him to do the necessary. In the end all the 4 wheels had to go.

Driving back and the pocket lighter, I could feel the difference. Four new wheels, none more worn out than the others and all properly aligned. The ride was silent and smooth. Felt good!

But, I know in a couple of months... maybe a year down the road... when the tires start to wear out again, the jagged sounds will come back. There might even be some unevenness again. And the grip might somewhat loosen up also. Our bodies - it's kinda like that too. At birth, supple skin, fantastic complexion.... then we get worn out as we age. The wear and tear of the journey called life... it's inevitable! So, do we get a set of new wheels as we move on? A renewable set of wheels beyond this divide? .... And not those nip and tuck types.

Science Centre, Northern Region

This place was opened early Nov; soft opening. We took Daughter there last Saturday. Son is now house bound. The Science Centre is located behind the Muzium Padi and beside the Aquatic Centre, which now seems to be lying idly. Nearby you can also see a huge sign - Gua Gunung Keriang... looks like there is a cave complex opening up soon too!

Entry to the Centre is still free for now but I expect they'd be charging soon. It was drizzling when we arrived. A few cars were already there. The complex is huge. Lots of empty space on the ground floor. The gallery is upstairs. The first exhibit which greeted us was a Proton car.

When we got in, we were disappointed that it was only one floor. There weren't very many exhibits. But a few weren't too bad, especially the 'Disaster' displays. Found the earth shaking house quite fun.

There were workers still putting up some more exhibits but work seem to be progressing rather slowly.

However, already we could see signs of vandalism. And rubbish strewn in one of the exhibits.. this huge man made tree (on the left of the photo) which you can climb up into the Playland. Kinda like Th Magic Faraway Tree.. 8) Children would find this fun!

However, they should put more guards on duty. Some components of the exhibits were already missing. Many of the exhibits did not have any instructions. Wonder what their Science Officer is doing. It can't be that difficult to put up all the instructions.

The rain got slightly heavier while we were there and it was very noisy from the inside. I dread to imagine how it'd roar when it pours. Roofing seems to lack dampening material.. either that of the roof sounded like zinc sheets!

Street Smart is there too... one of the reasons for this 'soft opening'.

They have activities for the kids, which is nice since it's school hols now. It's nice to have another tourist attraction up here. But the relevant authorities better step up on the maintenance as well as enforcement.

On our way out, saw this dying plant. So many workers around, so much rain falling onto the ground outside, yet this poor plan is dying cos no one remembered to water it.

Have A Little Faith...

by Mitch Albom... and that's the most recent book I've read. Haven't done a book for some time. My reading has turned quickies these days. Read it via the Ipod. It's got a screen that hardly taxes the eyes. A few pages here and a few minutes there, in a small and convenient gadget like the Ipod made completing it something quite possible cos it's like 'stealing' time to read. LOL!

It's always nice reading Mitch Albom's books. Have read The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Tuesdays With Morries and For One More Day. Enjoyed all of them and this latest one is no different. Always liked the way he puts life's experiences so succinctly in a simple narrative.

Preparing for death. The main character started preparing for his death 8 years before it came. And he got the writer to agree to do his eulogy. Thus a relationship was started... or rather continued as Albom had been with the Reb since he was a kid.

Have a little faith... yeah! Faith is the thing that gives us hope. Faith is all that will matter when we leave this world. I like the illustration from the sages that he wrote in his book. A baby comes into the world with his fist clenched; as if ready to take the world. A man dies with his fist unclenched, open; he knows he takes nothing with him. An open fist holds nothing. For all that we own or even achieve, we take none of those with us when we leave this world. I could draw parallel comparison from the words of the Philosopher in Ecclesiastes. But one of my friends says she believes that we live and die.... and that's all there is. If that is it, what is there to stop us from doing the things which go beyond the boundaries of good morals?

Have a little faith.... life is about taking those leaps of faith into what should matter. Relationships with God and man. We live in an age where we constantly seem short of time, short hellos, conversations via social networking sites; Facebook is just that... faces on a page on the digital screen. No face to face; the human touch....

I'd give this book a must read. Light reading but contains many gems of life.

Do Our Students Measure Up?

For the next 6 weeks, no school but this school related post was written earlier... 8)

Been teaching for almost 2 decades.. and I seriously feel that there is deterioration of standards from then till now. We are more technologically advanced, yet we don't seem any better from the generation of yester years. Maybe it's because I've been teaching in the mediocre day schools for the most part of my career but my observation also tells me that it's closer to the actual situation.

We get avalanche of A(s) but students with no better problem solving abilities. Sports is also dead in many schools. Actually I find most of our students disinterested in the matters beyond their small little cocoons.

Schools are generally equipped with computer labs, powered by wi-fi etc, etc... but we seem to be drifting no where. Softwares are available to aid with the teaching but we hardly seem able to arouse much curiosity or inquisitiveness. By the time students get to secondary school, they're are generally more inclined to go for rote learning - regurgitation being the mode of spewing out what is in their brain. Or worse still, no learning! And these while away their years (till F5) at school. They become our nightmares! You need a few in each class and they disrupt the whole learning process. Exactly like the old Malay proverb; kerana nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga. Whatever happened to the 'for the greater good' concept?

So, when you get news that a former top SPM student (Nur Amalina with 17As) flunked her 2nd year medical study in a UK university, you wonder why. Failing is not to be totally unexpected as there are always reasons beyond our control. But when many other JPA scholars also seem to struggle to pass in their respective courses in unis all over, then something is grossly wrong. Jaguh kampung... I'm reminded of that!

Today it is an accepted notion that many of our local grads simply do not measure up when it comes down to performance. Majority seem more like robots who need input, be told what to do than have that independence and drive that used to be the taken for granted before.

Decades of crutches, years of compromising quality for quantity and race - this is where we have gotten ourselves. On the surface we look good. But go beyond, the tell-tale signs of cracks are beginning to appear.

We seem successful on the outside. The recent release of the UPSR results - so many straight A(s). Successful kids aren't they all??? I wonder... Amalina was a very successful kid. Today I am reminded of this verse from Proverbs... "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Success as what we understand may come at the price of the way they should go....