Stuff That We Don't Do Anymore

I think we don't do this anymore, produce such manuscripts.... This is an age of computer, where every conceivable kind of lettering can be done and produced in the shortest possible time. In time to come, we might not even be writing on paper....

There were 2 of these framed manuscripts and they hang at the entrance of our home church. Home church was the church of my youth. It was where we did our growing up, learned about God and also about responsibilities. It was where we were given opportunities to test and discover ourselves.

For years, everyone of us who goes back to our home church would be greeted by these framed words. They looked like they are printed but closer scrutiny will reveal that they are handwritten. I think I must have walked past these so many times and not quite see them. Strange huh? How we can sometimes not see things which are right in front of our eyes. Or even if we see them, they tend to disappear into the labyrinth of our minds... seeing but not quite seeing. Anyway, we met up with some old friends and as usual did some catching up after service. Sis was with me... she had come back to see our parents. And so she was catching up with her old friends, and we with ours. And that was when, we were reminded of her artistic labour more than 20 years ago.

Manuscript writing used to be taught in Art lessons during my time. I never liked Arts simply because I was terrible at it. And there were many like me. My school saw that and streamed us into Perdagangan instead of Art for SRP. So we did Homescience (or Industrial Arts for the boys) and Commerce. No Art. 8) The church entrance is a place where I must have walked so many times. Yet during this last visit, because sis was with me, she struck up conversation with a a senior of hers. I was hanging around too, talking to my old friends too. And I relearn a piece info I had almost forgotten.

Sis liked Art and her manuscript writing was very good. She didn't mind spending hours practising her manuscripts. I had no such patience. And so when the new church was completed, the late Rev Hwa Chien approached her and commissioned her to do these... Now they hang on these walls. I think they're already artifacts in a sense cos people don't do them any more these days. In time to come too, this will join the ranks of the lost art. The computer will substitute all these manual and time consuming labour, in the process robbing also a little bit of the old ways from us too.

Foos Steakhouse

Been a busy week. Went back home with sis. Helped son with his stuff (what wouldn't a mother do for her children) and the best thing is - I've just finished 2 hours of World History lecture on Coursera. And it was most fascinating, made even more so cos I could replay the parts I missed. Truly enjoyed it so much. World history has never been more interesting... 

Anyway, this is about our food outing at home...

This steakhouse is in Sitiawan. Of late, whenever we go home, we try to bring our parents for such little treats cos we realised that they actually enjoy such food. When I was growing up, my parents would tell us they didn't like a lot of stuff. Turns out, they denied themselves what they could not afford on us. Our parents belong to that thrifty generation where every sen is made to count. Theirs was a generation brought up on hard toiling. And money was always squirreled away for our education.

Mom-in-law mentioned that some of her friends had gone to this place. And I think she wanted to have another go at steaks since her last (which was her first) steak foray in KL. Her nephew had brought her to try.

Anyway, Foos Steakhouse is located right at the junction to TESCO, on the opposite side. You can't miss it if you are coming from the north. The place was quite empty when we walked in. But judging from the well-stocked bar, I think it's quite a popular drinking hole.

When the menu was given to us, I was surprised with the choice available in it. One will be spoilt for choice actually. And so we ordered....

This was the highlight of the day. Wagyu Kobe beef. At RM1.50 per gram (yup! per gram) this serving cost RM300! Mom-in-law's eyes must have nearly popped out, I imagine but she kept it well under the lid. For many of her generation, I think they'd think this is not worth it cos you can get an eight course Chinese dinner for 10 people - and very good food some more, for the same amount. But we thought it would be good experience for her. And so we ordered without much thought. After all, it's Other Half's tab to pick. He did flinch a bit though. LOL!

The beef was not bad. Tender to taste, minus the usual beefy smell. These cows are supposed to be fed on beer and sake. But these aren't imported from Japan cos I read somewhere they ones reared there  almost never make it out of the Japanese market. Anyway, I thought it was a good experience. Come to think of it, a treat like this on our kids would probably not get the same level of happiness. But it's different when it's for our parents. It's a different sort of happiness for them.... and I think that's money well spent.

This was another order that we made. Their bento set. The presentation looked good. I particularly liked their food arrangement and portions were generous.

Their chicken chop. Can't go very wrong with chicken chop. This was daughter's order.

Sandwiches. And they're not bad. Decent amount of everything. To go wrong with sandwich would be very bad for any restaurant, I should think.

And this... the disappointment of the day. I had not taken fresh oysters for some time. So when I saw it on their menu, I was elated. However, the joy was short lived when the oysters came. I knew immediately by their look that they would not taste good as soon as I saw them. They were scrawny oysters. And I was proven right cos it was an almost tasteless experience. The RM7 per piece really added salt to the would. A definitely no-no for repeat orders if I ever to do there again.

Sitiawan has come a long way where food is concerned. I don't know if I can get Wagyu beef here. But our favourite food remains the food we grew up on - kampuan, loo-mien, ko-ru, ko-rau-wu, chap chai... the kind that one gets only in Sitiawan.... But these days we try to do both too.

Boys! The Lost Gender??

Tackling the 'lost boys' in education system... The recent preliminary report contained in the National Education Blueprint stated that 'girls consistently outperform boys at every level; the gap in performance already evident at UPSR level and increases over a student's lifetime up to university level, where female comprise approximately 70% of the cohort." And this seems to be a worldwide phenomenon.... girls have overtaken boys. Boys are languishing...

It used to be that boys were deemed to better in logical subjects (Maths, Science) and girls were better in languages and mugging subjects. Boys were thought to be smarter... The tables are turned now. And I think we shouldn't be surprised.

School as we know it today are not meant for boys. Too much sitting down, too much memorising... there seems to be something in their genetic make-up that seems to clash with current systems. Emphasis of grades have caused education to swing completely to achieving A(s). And we're doing it the way we think should be... spending more time doing the exercises, doing so much that one can just go on auto and spew out answers.

And boys generally aren't good at that. Boys learn differently from girls, I've observed. They need to be engaged. Not that girls don't need to be but their gentler nature means that they are more likely to accept things unquestioningly, sometimes even foolishly I feel. And so in a system where the ability to learn by rote is prized more than anything, the boys become the lost gender. And I think it's going to get worse if we don't do something about it.

Bored boys retaliate... bored girls follow instructions. As a result the latter will still do better. When one retaliates and the result is often detrimental to the grade's well-being. And so the boys get left behind. The curve has gotten rather steep these days and catching up becomes a problem.

During my time, the boys somehow would always catch up by the time we got to Form 4. It was easier then. A little realisation, a dash of hard work... everyone more or less got back on the same footing. It's impossible these days. Everyone is just way too ahead. Tuition has ensured that! The way we drill our kids leave the boys not much chance of catching up... and it's downright boring too.

Imagine learning History, and all the kids do is just memorise bunch of facts about some event which has no meaning to them. Many would just rebel and chuck the subject away. But try giving this same group of boys Temple Run or Dota or any of the popular computer games, they come alive, show great dexterity in and concentration in trying to conquer the game, in besting their personal scores and the result is instant. Yet when you sit down with most of them and ask them which is more important, nearly all will give the right answer that studying to pass History is important. However, many will still chuck it away. That's what boys would do. It's an inbuilt mechanism. Personally, I think Science and Maths appeal to boys because they can see the results of their efforts quite immediately. Boys have no patience for endeavours which bring them rambling down a long winding path most of the time. They are after all the descendants of the hunter gatherer... one can't be chasing his hunt whole day! They need to see quick results if the family is not to go hungry. Hence, engaging them to love learning is important to overcome this problem later on... But some boys adapt to such rote learning too, though there are fewer of them.

Computer games engages. History does not. Mind you it's not that the latter can't engage. The inability to engage stems from the failure of the delivery system. But engage the boys in History, and you'll find that they'll do just as well too... when you give them meaning. That's why boys do well actually in the fields that are supposed to be traditionally women's domains too - hairdressing, cooking, and do just as well if not better. Boys are not dumber. The system is not balanced. Today's schools are more suited for girls.

By the MOE's own admission; in the same preliminary blueprint, "a 2011 research study found that only 50% of lessons are being delivered in an effective manner. This means that lessons did not sufficiently engage students, and followed a more passive, lecture format of content delivery. These lessons focussed on achieving surface-level content understanding, instead of higher-order thinking skills." And guess what, it's estimated 60% of current teachers will still be teaching in 2- years' time. It'll be difficult to change the system. The problem is no longer just a thorn in the flesh. It's gone into the bloodstream and by the looks of things, signs of septicaemia are beginning to show.

Too few men in the teaching profession. Too few role models for boys to see. Education these days is mostly women's domain. How can it appeal to the boys? There are far and few men for them to follow. Kids watch by observing. And what we've been providing are mainly females in the teaching profession. Education has become very unmanly; and made even more so when you have poor male role models. Lost boys.... there'll be more of them. Used to be just 60% a decade ago. It's now 70%. All of us should be worried about this imbalance.

Lolipot Shabu Shabu Steamboat

This is an all gal makan outing... My gal and I had some time to kill and we were famished. Other Half had to go under the drill of the dentist. So both of us walked around looking for our lunch. For some reasons, our gal seems to have a penchant for shabu shabu. I supposed this has something to do with all kids liking to be able to play masak-masak. And this is better than the masak-masak play cos you get to eat your own masakan. I used to pretend to eat the food that I pretended I had cooked when I was around her age. And when we were actually older, my bros and I actually lighted our makeshift stove (usually some twigs and dried leaves between two bricks) and 'cooked'. 

The place was practically empty when we walked in. I was actually quite hesitant as our last few forays into everything shabu shabu hadn't been exactly nice or worth the money paid. And I almost walked out again after being told that it was RM36 per head. Not worth it for my lil one. But in the end I relented cos I could see that she really would like to have our lunch there....

And so we did... and it turned out to be a pretty good experience. There were plenty of choices. And they tasted okay. There were beef, mutton, pork and chicken. Beef, mutton and port don't come by on the conveyor belt. You have to ask the waiter to bring them for you separately... but you can ask for as many plates as you want. It's buffet after all. I really enjoyed the beef and mutton.

Daughter chose a clear soup base while I opted for tom yam. The meats really tasted good in the tom yam. Don't go for the clear soup, though, unless you cannot tahan spiciness. They had chunks of fish too and they were sweet. Mushrooms, different kinds of vegetables, seafood (no prawns though but they had mantis prawns), fruits swung by on the conveyor belt all the time in threes or fours. Am wondering whether patrons who seat at the end of the line will get to eat the more popular stuff. This is the first time I found myself thinking that perhaps I might go back to the same place for shabu shabu. The meal was nice cos it was a rainy day. Hot soup went down well with the weather... 8)

Lolipot is located at Bay Avenue, next to Queensbay Mall.

When 24 Hours Seem So Little

The blog has been very slow. It's not that I totally don't have the time but the brain seems to be in a constant state of whirl these days. And it's not that I haven't been writing. I have. It's just that the writing of the past few weeks was of a different nature, one that required lots of discipline and concentration. It's also the end of the school year, usually more work awaits. And decisions too... having two hearts about one makes decisions very difficult.

I've been reading.... stuff which I normally don't read. And I've been doing lots of thinking too. Crossroads, not a major one but at one, nevertheless. The History course I signed up on Coursera, run by a Princeton professor has just started too. I do not know whether I'll complete it. The course itself feels daunting. World History from 1300 and a 750-word essay every fortnightly. I listened to the first video lecture two days back and I think I will enjoy it but am not sure whether I can find the time. Something usually must give for something one wants. But I shall just give it a shot. I learned quite a bit from my previous course, though I did not complete it. Had to give up towards the end when other pressing matters came into picture. I kinda miss my uni student days.

This was Daughter's school project. A house built with rolled up magazine papers. Many hours were spent rolling up those 'paper logs' but she enjoyed it immensely. Very enthusiastically, if I may add. Her bro was never this enthusiastic. My both kids are poles apart.

And that project jolted from the recesses of my grey matter, memories of paper toys. When Son (and neoghbour's kids) were small, I used to print these paper toys from the net. Those days it was called paper toys. We'd spend days (during the long break at the end of the school year) cutting, folding and gluing them together. Much of the work was tedious as the cutouts had to be precise. But we 'built' many stuff; the Eiffel Tower, the Mississipi River Boat, Big Ben and many more. Those models sat on our piano for years until the dust won the battle and I had to throw them away.

And that memory got me moving again. I discovered that there are so many choices these days and many of them are very beautifully designed. I picked one which I thought should be easy enough to 'build' for my girl, so as not to discourage her.

This is the result, after hours of cutting and gluing. St Kieran's Church in Glendalough, Ireland. It was built in the 19th century. We had fun doing it. It was fun just to read up a bit.. a church made of stones. In medieval Ireland, round towers served as landmarks. Monastic settlements were often the centre of activities. I am not very familiar with Celtic history. But this little project was good cos it made me read up a bit. So this was our project! 8)

And, the new National Education Blueprint was announced. Just like its predecessor, it looked real good. Am in the midst of reading through it... the report is around 270 pages. Gone through about a third of it. Old stuff, new way of repackaging. What I wonder most is whether the delivery will fail. We've got to correct our 'skew' before we can see real improvement. Double standards will always mean just that... unethical practices. So how can ethics come out of unethical practices?

Recently, I'm beginning to hear more of my friends saying how their schools are glossing up marks so that the school's overall report is better. It seems some school heads are telling their teachers (directly and indirectly) to add marks to students marks so that they'll pass. With SAPS (marks go online), passing percentage reflects a school's standing. See what I mean about ethics.... cos as the competition heats up, worse things will come out.

Just Before Another National Education Blueprint

Another new education blueprint. The last one was the PIPP, I think. Now it's time for another one. The UN's education Index ranks Malaysia at 98 out of almost 200 countries. Take a look at the list and it's obvious that whatever that we've been told about how successful our education is, we're in the lower 50% of the list.

These days education is about the the A(s), though I feel we're trading a lot for that. For those who can cope, they'll continue to cope. But for those who struggle with the academics, it's trickier. With so much emphasis on academic achievements, co-curricular activities have been put on the back burner. Sports are no longer avenues for those who are athletically inclined cos most schools can't wait to get their sports over and done with. Games run on a token basis. But everything looks good on paper.

Kids either perform academically to get noticed or none at all. Athletes are no longer looked upon as in the old days. One can't strut around because he is superior on the field. Those statistics don't count. It's the ones scored in exams that do.

Learning these days is mainly learning how to answer to score. We don't really bother whether students actually learn something. It's the statistics that we're chasing. Other Half went to see our gal's Headmaster recently regarding the one angle open ended essay. He was told that no doubt her essay was 'right' but within the UPSR mark scheme, it is wrong cos there can be only one perspective. And they want to make sure the kids all answer according to that prescribed perspective. Sad, cos our young minds are being regimented in a very dumb way. In Science, they are super particular about the terms used too, the way a question is answered....

Chasing for the material - the A(s) don't come free though. Boys suffer the most I feel. Sitting in the class listening to teachers ramble on and on, and as soon as they're done with the topic, dish out questions after questions as a drilling exercise. We cram in as much exercise as we can, hoping that the rote learning will help them retain facts. The thing is, we forgot that not all kids can be pushed that way. So, we get lots of misbehaviour. It's not uncommon to see kids shouting on top of their voices as they walk the school corridor these days. Rules be damned. It's as though they have to let it out, show to everyone that there is this something in them which they need to show to everyone else. Culture has been sacrificed.

So Sept 11 is supposed to the day when another national blueprint is announced. Response from some groups that I've joined in conversation seems to indicate that the government hasn't been paying much attention to their suggestions even though there are active groups campaigning for issues like preschool education, English medium schools, PPSMI, etc, etc.

Whatever it is, I hope the new National Education Blueprint offers some hope. We desperately need that. Our education system has gone into the doldrums.... and increasingly there many who seek alternative education. Alternative seems to be an in thing these days.... but then again, perhaps we should embrace it. The tested has not been able to lift us higher. Perhaps the alternative would....

Homeschooling???

The thought of homeschooling crossed my mind many times in the course of my son's growing up years... thankfully he's out of the system and survived. And it has revisited itself again lately... In a way, I am thankful for the recent incident where I'm reminded again that I need to buck up. When things are more or less smooth, we are more inclined to remain immobile. Status quo is very appealing; one does not want rock one's boat and instead hope that whatever shortcomings will eventually right itself....

With Son, I kept an eye by getting directly involved with his schooling, coaching him in his school lessons. But it was rather tiring, working and trying to learn so many things at the same time, though being a teacher and having a gung-ho attitude helped. But it was super tiring. But am thankful that I found strength to do that. Tuition was at bare minimum and he survived up till Form 6!

What is the purpose of education really? Is it to ensure that our kids score strings of A(s) only? They are important but are there other things which lie beyond this goal? Obviously yes but they way we go around thing seems not to imply that. Kids attend so many tuitions these days that they have no time to read, explore on their own. Spoon feeding has become the norm and many prefer to just sit and wait for the teacher to move them.

In the past few years, I've realised how important reading is. I mean I've always known that but I've come to appreciate how reading trains the mind and attitude in making us better learners. Without good reading habits and ability, lifelong learning becomes more difficult. And generally kids read less these days. They have less time and more pressing needs.

This is an age of tremendous changes... the late Sir John Templeton in his Financial Chaos memo, written in 2005 envisioned that in as quickly as 50 years, as much as 90% of education will be done electronically. And I think we will need a great degree of individual independence to get maximum benefit. Our schools don't prepare our kids to learn independently, nor seems able to inculcate creative and critical thinking. In my school I am seeing more bored kids... perhaps it's only unique in my school. I don't know. Our views tend to be shaped by our environment. But perhaps my environment is not the norm and everywhere kids are thriving in our education system.

And if anything too, the latest open essay episode my gal went through seem to have highlighted to me how one track our Chinese vernacular schools are. And how there is a lack of questioning among the teachers for themselves. But perhaps it's uniformity they seek. And perhaps too, that reflects the Chinese mindset. Even in Science, the kids are expected to churn out answers in prescribed ways. We have always felt that Chinese school was a better option compared to national schools because of the discipline and diligence. Most national schools pale in comparison to Chinese schools in these areas. The rigours one goes through are undisputed.

But Chinese schools are without problems.

Could it be the language of instruction? We are often told, Bahasa Mencerminkan Budaya... Language is a reflection of one's culture. Chinese are authoritarian, Malays too if you look at the konsep daulat... the culture here does not encourage questioning. Perhaps it's too simplistic of way of looking at things but sometimes I wonder. Where do we see the most creative and meaningful outputs?

I have been reading up again on homeschooling in greater frequency these last few days. And I've also made a few friends online who have shared their experiences. Many of my friends are already homeschooling their kids. And some already have college going kids. Theirs is the road less taken. I wonder whether I'll be brave enough to walk it.