Malaysia drops English language teaching

It's been a while since I've read any newspapers, be it UK and Malaysian papers. But one headlines from my iGoogle Newsfeed caught my eye today:

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Malaysia drops English language teaching

Government says education policy failing to create global speakers

From The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/10/malaysia-tefl

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It seems the Government's decision to revert to teaching Maths and Science in Malay again had gotten quite a huge media coverage.

I don't really understand what the fuss is all about. Frankly, I support the decision to revert if the teachers are not well-versed to teach in English. The objective of learning science and maths is that exactly - to learn to be able to do maths and understand the scientific concept. If you want the kids to learn English, then strengthen the English subject instead. Mathematics and Science are a language on its own, hence their concept do not change if you teach them using BM or English or Japanese or Arabic, etc. Look at Japan, the fastest developed nation in the world, did they obtained their technological advancement because they were taught maths and science in English? Heck no, in fact, they can barely speak any English. Yet they continue to dominate the technological world and even force other people to speak Japanese in order to deal and learn from them.

So, let's focus on the main objective - to teach the students Maths and Science. and get them to excel in them. Hence, teach them in the language that the teacher can be most effective in teaching them and in the language the student can grasp the knowledge well.

O Gentle One, be gentle with us

I am really in love with this song right now.
(It helps also that the singer is soo gorgeous...*sigghhh* :) )

Most importantly though, it has some good doas at the end, one of it is as per the title of this post: "Ya Latifu ultuf beena" (O Gentle One, be gentle with us)





Ohh...I'm back!! :)

Have a Kit Kat...

....will be on hiatus for a while.

The Ideal Muslimah

"The smart Muslim woman is one who strikes a balance between her external appearance and internal nature. She understands that she is composed of a body, a mind and a soul, and gives each the attention it deserves, without exaggerating in one aspect to the detriment of others. In seeking to strike the right balance, she is following the wise guidance of Islam which encourages her to do so."

- Taken from the book 'The Ideal Muslimah' by Muhammad Ali al-Hashimi.

A suicidal post :p

Kata ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar r.a:

“Rasulullah s.a.w memegang bahuku lalu bersabda: “Jadilah engkau di dunia ini bagaikan orang asing, atau seorang musafir”. (Riwayat al-Bukhari).

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Being in UK to some extent I felt how it is to be as above. Mungkin boleh dianggap sebagai kehidupan yang zuhud (cee, perasan, hehe). I buy only what is required. My pinggan mangkuk mula2 dulu consists of only one glass, satu pinggan untuk makan, satu mangkuk (for cereal) dan satu piring. And then ada orang sedekahkan mangkuk untuk makan maggi satu, (penting nih, heh). Only later I bought two more when I started having my friend over for lunch. I don't spend much on clothes as well esp. for winter clothes knowing that I will only be wearing it for a few months. I only splurge on stuffs that I know I can use it when I go back to Malaysia nanti.

While my action was just my practical way of thinking, when relating to the hadith above, it is quite a revelation for me. I did what I did because I know my stay here is temporary. But shouldn't I maintain the same way of thinking even when I go back to Malaysia? After all, isn't our lives here on earth is temporary as well?

While we are on the subject, have you ever thought about how you want to die? It is after all, a certainty that we have to face.
Too deep, no?
;)

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Ketahuilah bahawa (yang dikatakan) kehidupan dunia itu tidak lain hanyalah (bawaan hidup yang berupa semata-mata) permainan dan hiburan (yang melalaikan) serta perhiasan (yang mengurang), juga (bawaan hidup yang bertujuan) bermegah-megah di antara kamu (dengan kelebihan, kekuatan, dan bangsa keturunan) serta berlumba-lumba membanyakkan harta benda dan anak pinak; (semuanya itu terhad waktunya) samalah seperti hujan yang (menumbuhkan tanaman yang menghijau subur) menjadikan penanamnya suka dan tertarik hati kepada kesuburannya, kemudian tanaman itu bergerak segar (ke suatu masa yang tertentu), selepas itu engkau melihatnya berupa kuning; akhirnya ia menjadi hancur bersepai; dan (hendaklah diketahui lagi, bahawa) di akhirat ada azab yang berat (di sediakan bagi golongan yang hanya mengutamakan kehidupan dunia itu), dan (ada pula) keampunan besar serta keredaan dari Allah (disediakan bagi orang-orang yang mengutamakan akhirat). Dan (ingatlah, bahawa) kehidupan dunia ini tidak lain hanyalah kesenangan bagi orang-orang yang terpedaya.
(Surah Al-Hadid : 20)

Toxic Modern Beliefs

Taken from Sally Goerner's journal article - "Today's Copernican flip: how putting collaborative learning at the hub of human evolution improves our chances of survival."

It's getting hot in here

I am sweating.

I now feel pity for the people here (including me right now :p). You have to equip your house with heater AND air-conditioner here. And you can't even open the window due to the insects and pollens flying about.

My room being a university room only has the heater. I don't even have any fan. The only savior is the fact that the wall and the window glass are quite thick so at least the heat from outside doesn't get in that easily.

Even so, at 3am, I am sweating.
Who would have thought I would ever be in this condition here? Heh.