THE SOUND MACHINE - CHARACTERS

Character

The main character in the short story is Klausner. The other characters (minor) are:
- Scott (Klausner’s doctor and friend)
- Mrs. Saunders (Klausner’s neighbour)
What we can tell about the characters

Klausner
- authoritative, assertive
- emotional/sensitive
- impractical
- loves nature
- responsible, harmless
- irrational /obsessed/confused/nervous/undecided/crazy/mad
- insistent/ persistent/demanding
- determined/focused
- selfish, self-centred
- inquisitive /imaginative / intelligent/intuitive /curious/observant
-funny, acts childish in a way
-gets very excited, hysterical

Scott
- realistic /practical /rational
- responsible
- fearful /uncertain/worried
- tactful
- assertive ( needs proof or evidence to accept something)
- not easily convinced (does not accept anything easily)
- determined
- feels insecure, helpless (Klausner is holding an axe in the hand)
- sensitive
- cooperative
- compassionate

Mrs. Saunders
- cooperative
- focused
- sporting
- carefree
- calm
- not easily convinced

Class photo 2009

The exuberant 4B students.

The Sound Machine-Who is the character that stands out ?

Based on the short story of The Sound Machine by Roald Dahl,the character that stands out is Mr.Klausner.Mr.Klausner is a very knowledgable and innovative man.He discovering a sound machine that could record the presence of sound vibration in the air and convert them to a scale of audible tones.Next,he is obsessed to invent the sound machine.He also test is and prove it is able to detect sound that has no limit.Mr.Klausner took his sound machine box and headed for the park.He went to large beach tree and put on his earphones.Taking up his axe,he swing it hard and cut deep into the tree trunk.Immediately,he heard a long,harsh,growling scream.Lastly,Mr.Klausner invents a sound machine based own his own creativity.he has a very imaginative mind and is also very observant.Creativity does not come out of thin air,but through hard work as Klausner proves,through his experiments and observation.Mr.Klausner is able to be very creative because of his obsession too.

The smart way to catch Burglars

It was late and Charlie was about to climb into bed when his wife informed him that there was a light on in their garden shed. Charlie started to go outside to turn off the light but noticed some people in the shed who were busy stealing his things.

He ran back inside right away and called the cops, who asked him "Are there any intruders in your house?" to which Charlie replied no and explained his circumstances. The cops told Charlie that all patrol cars were otherwise occupied, and that he should just lock his door and a uniformed cop would be at his house when one was free.

Charlie answered, "Alright," hung up, waited 30 seconds, and then called the cops again.

"Hello, I just called a short while ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. I want to let you know that they're not a problem anymore because I've just shot every one of them."

Charlie then hung up the phone. In five short minutes, three patrol cars, a SWAT team, and an ambulance arrived, and Of course, the cops caught the burglars in the act.

One of the cops snapped at Charlie: "I thought you said that you shot every one of them!"

"I thought you said there were no patrol cars free!" Charlie answered.

Eid ul-Fitr

Eid ul-Fitr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

عيد الفطر
Eid-al-Fitr(Festival of the Breaking of the Fast).Also called Eid, "Ramadan Eid", "Smaller Eid"; Idul Fitri, Hari Lebaran (Indonesia); Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Lebaran, Aidilfitri (Malaysia); Riyoyo, Riyayan, Ngaidul Fitri (Javanese); Boboran Siyam (Sundanese); Rojar Eid (Bangladesh); Ramazan Bayramı (Turkic); Korite (Senegal); Sallah (Hausa); Kochnay Akhtar (کوچنی اختر) (Pashto); Eid-e Sa'eed-e Fitr (The Mirthful Festival of Fitr, Persian);Choti Eid (Urdu);Cheriya Perunnal(Malayalam);Ramazanski Bajram, Eid (Bosnian); Cejna Remezanê (Kurdish)
Observed by Muslims around the world, as well as non-Muslims in Muslim majority areas.

Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr‎), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "to break fast"; and so the holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated after the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, on the first day of Shawwal.

Eid ul-Fitr lasts for three days of celebration and is sometimes also known as the "Smaller Eid" (Arabic: العيد الصغير al-‘īdu ṣ-ṣaghīr‎) as compared to the Eid ul-Adha that lasts four days and is called the "Greater Eid" (Arabic: العيد الكبير al-‘īdu l-kabīr‎).

Muslims are commanded by the Quran to complete their fast on the last day of Ramadan and then recite the Takbir all throughout the period of Eid[Qur'an 2:185 (Translated by Shakir)].

reminiscing

This picture was taken in 1996, which was like.....12 years ago. In this picture: Fizar, Kak tini, Ena, Intan Hamimah,Mega,Is,Ted and Elly(now married with 2 kids), and ME!

THE PEARL. Which character shows determination in the novel? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

The character that shows determination in the novel, The Pearl is Kino. He is a poor pearl diver.
One day, he finds a great pearl. After finding the precious pearl, he places all hopes on it. He is determined to sell the Pearl of The World off instead of throwing it away. When he meets with the pearl buyer, they only offer him a very low price to buy the pearl. However, Kino refuses to bow down to the pearl buyers who try to cheat him, Therefore, he decides to sell the pearl to the cities in order to get a higher price.
Besides that, Kino also shows his determination in protecting the pearl.
The pearl has brought many problems to Kino and his family. Juana, his wife suggests that they destroy the pearl but Kino refuses and says that he will fight anyone who wants to take the pearl away from him. So, Juana decides to steal away the pearl but Kino had found it. He beats Juana due to the incident.
In the other hands, Kino also shows determination to protect his family.
When he finds the pearl, many men shows interests to the pearl including the trackers. They try to attack him by burning down his brush house and destroying his boats. So, Kino and his family escape from the trackers and hide themselves in the jungle but the trackers continue to follow them into the jungle. In order to protect his family, Kino killed one of the trackers in self-defence.
In conclusion, Kino shows his determination to sell the Pearl of The World besides determined to protect the pearl and protect his family from being attacked by the trackers.

THE PEARL. What are the valuable lessons you have learnt fro the novel? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

In the novel ,The Pearl, I have learnt two valuable lessons from the character Juana.
I learnt that being a loving. Protective and responsible parent is important. In the novel She really takes care of baby Coyotito lovingly. When Coyotito is bitten by a scorpion, She quickly sucks the poison from the puncture. She insists that Coyotito must be brought to the doctor to be treated even though every one doubts the doctor will treat the baby because they are too poor to pay him.
Juana also teaches me to be sensible and rational. Unlike her husband and others, She is not over helmed by the pearl. All She wants from the pearl is to get money to seek treatment for Coyotito who is stung by a scorpion. When the pearl changes her husband from a mild. Loving father to a violent and desperate man, Juana decides to throw the pearl back into the sea, even though She knows Kino will be angry.

Group 2 (5C 2009)

THE NECKLACE. Choose one male character that you like from one of the short stories that you have read

Based on the short story ‘ The Necklace ’ written by Guy de Maupassant , the male character that I like is Monsieur Loiser.

I like Monsieur Loiser because he is a resourceful man. When his wife asks for a piece of exclusive jewellery , he thinks of a solution to replace the dear jewellery with natural flowers. He is a quick-thinker in handling the problem.

Apart from that, Monsieur Loiser is also willing to sacrifice for the sake of his wife. He is willing to give up his own pleasure to satisfy his wife. He tolerates with his wife’s whims and wants. He gives the money which he had saved to buy himself a gun to his wife so that she could buy herself a gown for the ball.

Furthermore, the patient characteristic of Monsieur Loiser makes me admire him the most. He treats his wife patiently thought sometimes Mathilde asks for things that he could not afford. Besides, when Mathide is dancing gracefully and enjoying in the ball, Monsieur Loisel waits for his wife patiently in the anteroom with three other gentlemen.

In a nutshell, Monsieur Loisel is a resourceful, willing to sacrifice and patient person. His good characteristics attract my interest to read the short story til the end.

4C Low Zhi Liang/Chee Xin Ying/Evon Chin/Nur Liyana/Chong Xin jie

THE DROVER’S WIFE.Love is important in a family. How is this shown in the story you have read?

Love is important in a family.This is shown in the short story I have read which is "The Drover's Wife".Tommy,the eldest son tries to hit the snake with a club bigger than himself.The snake darts into the woodshed and creeps under the house.

As the mother loves her son,she rushes out from the kitchen and stops Tommy.She makes the chidren stand together near the dog-house while she looks out for the snake.

At sunset and with the thunderstorm coming,she took the children into the kitchen instead of the house.She was afraid that the snake might come out through the cracks in the slab floor in the night.This shows how a mother's love for her children requires her to protect them.

She gives the chidren supper and tooks the pillow and bedcloths from the house.Then she makes a bed for them on the kitchen table.This is for her children's safety.The children are fast asleep while she sits in a chair by the bed with a club by her side,sewing and reading.She brings the dog into the kitchen.This shows that the mother is caring and being protective for her children.

When Tommy sees the tears in his mother's eyes,he hugs and promises her that he will never go droving as his father,the drover and leaves her behind.This shows that Tommy is a loving and sensitive son.

In this story,the mother's love and care is seen in how she deal with the snake.She is willing to face all kinds of difficulties and challenges in order to protect her children and family.This is because she loves her children and family very much.

THE NECKLACE From the short story you have read, describe the changes that a character faces.Use evidence from the text to support your answer

Changes, either for the better or for the worse, sure are inevitable in our lives. We all certainly have experienced them, and sometimes we glory at them, whilst other times we remain unfazed or devastated upon seeing the results. Now, based on the short story ‘The Necklace’ by Guy de Maupassant, I would like to describe the tormenting but teachable changes experienced by the character Mathide Loisel.
In the beginning of the story, Mathide was a very charming and young married woman, who insisted that with her attractive attributes, she could have been wedded to a man who had higher status and her husband, Loisel. She was a perfect victim of vanity and was never contented with her life, often thinking that she deserved fine gowns and delicacies of the lavish lifestyle. Nevertheless, Loisel, the all-too-caring husband tolerated her grumbles and did all his best to provide his wife the best of possibles. One day, Loisel came home after work, with an invitation to the ball held in the Ministry of Public Instruction. The guest invited were all strictly selected and Loisel, a mere clerk in the ministry had gone through loads of troubles in order to acquire the invitation. He showed the invitation to Mathide, thinking that she would be thrilled and delighted. Instead, Mathide started to cry and lamented that she did not have a nice-enough gown to be presentable and told Loisel to give the invitation card to somebody’s wife who was ‘better equipped’ than her. Knowing his own priority, Loisel gave four-hundred francs to his wife and thus allowing her to get herself a gown that she fancied. The money was actually saved up to buy a gun for a hunting trip.
After getting the gown that she desired, Mathilde was caught in happiness, but the delight did not last for even half a day. Mathilde began to complain that she did not have a nice necklace to go with her pretty gown. Now that Loisel’s money was quite used up, he came up with an idea- Mathide would wear natural flowers as a necklace, to fill her vain desire. Then Mathide began to lament again. She told Loisel that with the flower-necklace, with a look at her, people would know that she was poor. Amidst endless lamentations provided by his wife, Loisel came up with another idea- Mathilde would go to her former classmate, Madame Forestier who was filthy rich and had her house filled with jewelleries, so that Mathilde could borrow a necklace from her, which of course she did.
Mathilde’s first change in her life was when she became a great success at the ball. Being born in a poor community and married to a little clerk, that was probably the very first time she ever indulged in luxurious delicacies. She was sought to be introduced and invited to dance every dance whilst Loisel waited and fell asleep in another room along with another couple of gentlemen. That was the proudest and happiest moment of her life and she was described to be ‘intoxicated with pleasure’. Then at dawn, Mathilde finally went to the room where Loisel had fallen asleep and they prepare to leave the Ministry of Public Instructions. Loisel threw some wraps over his wife’s shoulder for fear that she would be too fragile to catch a cold, but instead of showing appropriate gratitude, Mathilde shook free of the wraps and ran down the stairs as fast as she could, being afraid that others might see this and then gossip. They took a cab at a place quite a distance from the ministry to get home, and when they got home, it was then Mathilde realized something bad had happened- she had lost the necklace. That was also when she experienced her second change, which arrived after her night of glory, or rather known as the classic ‘fall after pride’.
Having literally no choices left, Loisel had to retrace the path they took while returning home while Mathilde did nothing but cried amid maddening fear. Loisel did everything he could think of doing, including publishing an advertisement in the newspapers, mentioning the lost of the valuable necklace and offered a reward for whoever capable of bringing it back. Heeding Loisel’s advice, Mathilde told Madame Forestier that the clasp of the necklace was broken and she needed time to have it mended in order to stall the return of the jewellery she had borrowed. After time had passed, Loisel knew that they had to return the necklace immediately, he borrowed some money and used up the assets his father had left him in order to purchase another necklace, very similar to the one Mathilde had borrowed from Madame Forestier. This left the Loisel couple heavy debts to be cleared for the rest of their lives, which was the third and most torturing change in Mathilde’s life, which resulted in her sudden turn into a more-mature woman.
Loisel took up three jobs in order to clear the debts and the couple had sold their house and shifted into a garret. Mathilde was no longer curled up in her castles in the air, thinking that she would become rich and pretty one day. Instead, she had bore her responsibilities with ‘sudden heroism’. She worked and became old-looking and haggard and talked loud whilst doing her chores. One day, while taking a walk in the beautiful park which was also a tourist spot, Champs Elysees, Mathilde ran into her old friend, Madame Forestier. She greeted Madame Forestier almost gloomily, and the rich woman was taken aback upon being acknowledged in a way which sounded so friendly. When she learnt that the haggard-looking woman was actually Mathilde and the Loisel’s sufferings for a decade, she exclaimed in shock and we learnt that the necklace was actually paste. It was clad in thick irony and of course, this struck Mathilde like a bolt of lightning like it would have hit anyone.
The three major changes which resulted in the joys and tears of Mathilde was amongst the factors that added to the reason on why this story is rather interesting. Like the message which seemed to have been delivered by the topic, changes are inevitable, and so as we grow older and older, we should learn to accept them with open hearts and deal with the problems faced afterwards.

"THE NECKLACE""Honesty is the best policy". Which story teaches you this value? Explain by using evidence from text to support your answer.

The story that I have read is "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. Honesty is the best policy. In this short story, I have learnt about the importance of honesty.

The main character, Mathilde was very materialistic and yearned for luxuries. In order to show her wealth, she had borrowed a superb diamond necklace from her former classmate, Madame Forestier to attend a ball. After the ball, Mathilde discovered that she had lost the diamond necklace. Her husband, Loisel went on foot to retrace the entire route to search for it. Unfortunately, he returned home without finding anything. In this condition, Mathilde did not inform Madame Forestier that she had lost the necklace. However, she lied to her friend explaining that she needed time to mend the clasp of the necklace. This really showed that Mathilde did not potray any honesty.

In the short story, Loisel was another character who displaced dishonesty. When he knew that Mathilde had lost the necklace, he did not even want to tell the truth to Madame Forestier. He asked her wife, Mathilde to write to Madame Forestier and tell her that Mathilde needed some time to mend the clasp of the necklace.

Futhermore, though Madame Forestier did not literally lie, she displaced dishonesty by trying to cover up the fact that the necklace was paste. She did not tell Mathilde that the diamond necklace was paste and it was only worth five hundred Francs. If Madame Forestier had told Mathilde the truth earlier, Mathilde and Loisel would not suffer such hardship to earn money for returning the "paste" diamond necklace.

In conclusion, the characters in this story, Mathilde, Loisel and Madame Forestier had delivered the message containing the importance of honesty through their dishonesty. The lesson to be learnt is always be honest, because lies are capable of leading to another and eventually - endless disasters.


By: 4D 2009 May Ling, Jiun Kai, Ser Min, Amirul, Lydia.

'THE NECKLACE'What are the themes of the story you have read? Support your answer by giving evidence from the text.

Based on the short story 'The Necklace' which is written by Guy de Maupassant, the main theme is pride before fall.

Mathilde Loisel, the main character in 'The Necklace' starts off by being a very proud person who thinks she is 'pretty and charming' and born 'by a slip of fate into a family of clerks'. Thus, she is distressed by her poverty, feeling herself born to enjoy 'all delicacies and all luxuries' in life.
Besides, she has pretensions about her position in life. She wants an expensive dress and jewelleries to go to the ball. She throws a tantrum and laments to her husband. When choosing jewellery from Madame Forestier's collections, she must have the best. Her heart throbs with 'an immoderate desire' when she sees the 'superb diamond necklace'.

Moreover, she is a great success at the ball. She is prettier than any other woman present and everyone wants to dance with her. She is so pretentious that she refuses to wait for a cab outside the Ministry for fear others may see the ' cheap looking wraps' which her husband has thrown over her shoulders.

Furthermore, her fall comes when she loses the necklace and has to work very hard for ten years to pay the debt. She changes from a proud person to a humble one. She no longer looks beautiful. She has learnt her lesson and no longer desires materialistic things nor finds fault with her husband. She accepts the 'horrible existence of the needy' and she willing to do all the hard work and learns to be thrifty, defending her miserable money, sou by sou.

Next, she falls really hard when her friend , Madame Forestier, informs her that her necklace is 'paste'. Imagine her horror and great despair at having slogged all those years for nothing. It is too high a price to pay for one night of success.

Prepared by:
4D 2009 Group 4
Chang Jia Ke/Nurul Aisyah Bt Shukor/Pavitira /Amalin Sabiha Binti Ismail

LIERATURE COMPONENT : THE DROVER'S WIFE

THE DROVER’S WIFE


Write about the female character that you like.


Based on the short story ‘The Drover’s Wife’written by Henry Lawson,the female character that we admired the most was the drover’s wife.
One of the characteristics that could be found in this story was being independent.This was proven when she was able to live in the harsh bush land,taking care of her four children while waiting for her husband to come home.
Besides that,she was very protective towards her children.For example,she didi not allow her eldest son to help her to kill children.She rather syayed up all night waiting for the snake to appear so that she could kill it.
Apart from that,she quickly ‘dashes from the kitchen,snatches her baby from the ground’when Tommy informed her that there was a snake.This emphasized that she was quick in action.
In a nutshell,we learnt that a mother should always protect her children from any unexpected danger.

From group 1 (4C): Cabita/ Nur Awatif Fatini/ Nur Amira Amiza/ Anasuha/ Ong Ching Yao

Mengejar Raudhah

Teringat kembali kisah mencari Raudhah. Subhanallah-walhamdulillah-waalaailahailallahu-Allahu akbar, Allah SWT beri kami kemudahan untuk ke Raudhah karena begitu banyak orang menceritakan tentang peluang untuk dapat masuk ke Raudhah yang tipis. Ada yang mengatakan tidak dapat ke Raudhah langsung, tetapi ada juga yang memberi panduan supaya terus menunggu sehingga pintu ke Raudhah dibuka.

Raudhah adalah ruang diantara mimbar Rasulullah SAW dan Kamar/Makam Rasulullah SAW. Keutamaan Raudhah sebagaimana tersebut dalam sebuah hadits yang di riwayatkan oleh Abu Hurairah RA, bahwa Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Diantara rumah dan mimbarku adalah taman dari taman-taman surga, dan mimbarku diatas telagaku”. Sehingga banyak orang yang rela berdesak-desakan untuk dapat masuk ke Raudhah terutama bagi wanita.

Raudhah ini terletak di tempat solat lelaki, manakala untuk wanita waktu ziarahnya sedikit terhad, biasanya untuk ke Raudhah waktu-waktu untuk wanita adalah setelah solat shubuh - sekitar pukul 08.00 pagi hingga pukul 11.00 dan setelah solat Zuhur iaitu pukul 13.00 hingga 14.00.

Antara perkara yang tidak diketahui tentang tips untuk menjadi istimewa di Raudhah ialah pakaian serba hitam. Istimewa di sini bermaksud mendapat peluang untuk solat di saf pertama di dalam Raudhah. Saf pertama ini istimewa kerana kedudukannya yang paling hampir dengan makam Rasulullah s.a.w, dan ia istimewa kerana kurang gangguan di segi pergerakan manusia yang pelbagai ragam. Jika di saf yang belakang, kemungkinan kepala dipijak ketika sujud mahupun ditolak ketika ruku'. Di saf pertama lebih tenang dan berfokus. "Berdoa ketika sujud", pesan Hajah Jamilah.

Pernah sekali saya ke Raudhah tanpa panduan sesiapa, sebagai ujian untuk diri sendiri.Mampukah aku berlumba dengan jemaah yang lain? Tekad hanya satu, Ya Allah, berilah peluang hambamu mendapat tempat paling istimewa di Raudhah Ya Allah. Setelah mempersiapkan diri yang berpakaian serba hitam, saya menunggu di salah satu daripada 3 pintu Raudhah. Pintu yang mana dibuka dahulu tidak dapat dipastikan, namun hati sentiasa berdoa, ".Ya Allah, berilah peluang hambamu beribadat di saf pertama Raudhah ini Ya Allah".

ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2009

TITLE:

DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN CONTINUOUS WRITING BY USING DESCRIPTIVE SONGS AMONGST FORM 5 STUDENTS (5C,6C,7D GRADE)

RESEARCHER:
Pn. Julia Bt. Abdul Muttalip

RESEARCH BACKGROUND:
As an English Teacher for Form 4 & 5 students, I have encountered difficulties in marking essay questions, especially the continuous writing section. This is due to students’ inability to generate ideas and appropriate vocabulary in context when building sentences. Hence, this will hinder them from getting higher grades for the 1119 English Language paper as 60% of the marks comes from Paper 1, which consists of Directed Writing and Continuous Writing section. Therefore, by using descriptive songs in my lessons, it is hoped that students will be able to write better essays.

Focus of Research:
1. Transcribing lyrics
2. Sentence structure and tenses used in the songs


RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

General Objective
This research is aimed at assisting students in writing better essays

Specific Objectives:
1. Students will be able to write a continuous essay of 350 words.
2. Students will be able to use appropriate vocabulary in their essays.
3. Students will be able to apply the sentence structures and use of tenses in context.

Target Students:

5A students who re weak in essay writing (based on their mock essay test)

Proposed Actions:
1. Selection of songs
2. Duplicating lyrics
3. Lesson

Research Schedule

JAN Identifying areas of research
FEB Identifying students involved in the research
MARCH Selection of appropriate narrative songs
APRIL Preparation of handouts for students
Carry out lessons using narrative songs
Essay 1
Carry out 2nd lesson using narrative songs
Essay 2
MAY Collection of data based on students’ essay marks
JUNE Reflections


Proposed Budget

Handouts:

10 sets (RM 0.50 per set) x 15 students=RM 75.00

""MENGUBAH SEMPADAN IMAN"Tajuk ini dipetik dari sebuah buku yang saya baca, tulisan Prof. Dr. Kamil Bin Ibrahim, yang banyak mengajar saya tentang peri pentingnya menjadi insan yang paling istimewa di sisi Allah. Setelah menamatkan bacaan pertama, saya berikan buku tersebut kepada suami untuk dibaca. Saya ingin kepastian tentang perasaan saya.Ternyata kami mempunyai gerak hati yang sama. Baru kami sedar, pejalanan kami mengerjakan umrah bukanlah satu perjalanan yang bertujuan untuk bertawaf dan sa'ie sahaja. Perjalanan itu harus bermula lama sebelum itu.

Dalam kesibukan tugas harian, kita selalu alpa dengan nikmat yang Allah berikan. Kita buat yang wajib-wajib, kadang-kadang ada diselitkan amalan sunat, kalau sempat. Kenapalah ketika sibuk membuat persiapan, 3 bulan sebelum tarikh keberangkatan baru saya bertemu dengan buku tersebut? Patutlah ibu mertua selalu bertanya, dah mula Qiyamullail? Jawapannya hanya satu senyuman yang dipinjam dari si kerang busuk....belum sempat, bu. Allah maha pengasih dan penyayang, Dia mahukan kunjungan saya ke Baitullah sesuatu yang sempurna perjalanannya dan ibadah-ibadahnya. Alhamdulillah...barulah dapat saya menyusun perkara-perkara lain selain barang keperluan fizikal yang perlu dibawa. Kelengkapan spiritual.

Setelah sekolah ditutup dan anak-anak dihantar ke kampung, barulah saya rasakan jiwa saya bagaikan disentuh. Entah kenapa setiap solat diiringi airmata tanpa disuruh.Solat Taubat terakhir sebelum meninggalkan rumah sangat bermakna.Perasaan berdebar, gembira, bersyukur bercampur-baur. Sepanjang perjalanan hati berdoa agar dijadikan tetamu Allah yang istimewa. Hanya itu.

UMRAH...mengubah sempadan imanku

Perjalanan dari Singapura menuju Jeddah memang meletihkan, tambahan dengan transit 2 jam di Mumbai. Disambung dengan 5 jam menuju Madinah. Ustaz Basit yang merupakan mutawwif kami membimbing kami membaca doa. Masih teringat ayat-ayatnya dalam telor Indonesia ; “Ibu2 Bapa2 , sama-sama kita bacakan Doa naik kenderaan, dan doa cepat sampai.” Kami pun mengikut setiap doa yang dibacakan. Dalam hati ada terdetik,"…Doa naik kenderaan ni memang selalu dengar masa anak2 baca sebelum perjalanan, tapi doa cepat sampai ni macamana pulak..tak pernah dengar pun." Ustaz pun menyambung dengan Doa cepat sampai, yang berbunyi:
"Bismika Allahumma Ahya Wa Amuut.". Laaaa....doa sebelum tidur rupanya.Kemudian katanya "Ya, kalau ibu-ibu dan bapa-bapa tidur, bila celik mata kita udah sampei.Jadi itulah doa cepat sampei." Berseloroh pula ustaz ni.Kami terlalu letih untuk ketawa, hanya sekadar tersenyum sambil melelapkan mata.

Keseluruhan perjalanan mengambil masa hampir 15 jam. Harapannya dapat solat Subuh di Masjid Nabawi, tapi tak berkesempatan kerana waktu Subuh di sana pada jam 4.07. Kami berhenti di R n R di lebuhraya, 40 km dari bandar Madinah.

Kami tiba di AlFayroz Shatta, Madinah pada jam 7.45 pagi. Syukur kerana akhirnya kami sampai ke destinasi. Penerangan Ustaz tentang pintu-pintu masjid didengar dengan teliti.Yang pastinya, pintu masuk ke masjid untuk lelaki berbeza dengan pintu untuk kaum wanita.Lelaki masuk melalui Babussalam, laluan Rasulullah s.a.w ke masjid Nabi, dan juga laluan menuju ke makam Rasulullah s.a.w. "Ingat, pintu 25, bu", sekadar mengingatkan ibu tentang nombor pintu supaya tidak tercari-cari. Ibu dan ayah dah cukup biasa dengan Masjid Nabawi, jadi kami tidak begitu bimbang kerana sentiasa ada guru-guru yang mahir bersama kami setiap masa. Hajah Jamilah pun tak berhenti-henti memberi panduan kepada jemaah wanita.

Melihatkan masjid yang begitu hampir dengan hotel, hati rasa ingin terus menziarahi makam Rasulullah s.a.w, namun adab masuk ke Masjid harus dipatuhi. Ini Masjid Nabi, masjid yang sangat istimewa.Mesti mandi bersih-bersih, pakai wangi-wangian.Alamak! Minyak wangi tak bawak! Sambil menunggu Hajah Jamilah menguruskan bilik hotel, kami sempat meninjau-ninjau duri-duri kecil di sekeliling hotel, untuk mencari minyak wangi. Duri-duri yang selalu membuatkan kami tersangkut dan berhenti untuk membeli. Begitu banyak duri di sekitar hotel, kiri, kanan, depan, seberang kanan, seberang kiri, seberang hotel yang di seberang dengan pelbagai tarikan, jubah, tasbih, cincin, jam tangan...semua ada. Masih terlalu awal untuk membeli-belah. Duri adalah istilah Ustaz Basit merujuk kepada kedai mahupun jualan-jualan di tepi –tepi lorong. Teringat kata-kata Prof. Kamil yang dia berdoa minta ditutupkan hati untuk bershopping." Ya! Allah! Aku datang semata-mata untuk beribadah, maka tutuplah hatiku daripada keinginan untuk bershopping, melainkan untuk yang benar-benar perlu, Ya Allah".
Setelah mendapat kunci bilik, kami membersihkan diri dan berehat seketika. Waktu Zuhur bermula jam12.15. Jadi, kami bercadang untuk ke Masjid jam 11."Nanti dah ramai orang", kata ibu. Jam 11 kami pun melangkah meninggalkan hotel, menuju ke masjid Nabawi. "Ingat ….niat I'tikaf", kata ibu setelah berdoa sebelum melangkah masuk masjid. Polis di pintu 25 memeriksa beg dan badan kami sambil bertanya" Mobile? Mobile?"..."Ma fi",saya menjawab."ma fi mobile'. Tidak boleh membawa handphone ke dalam masjid, apatah lagi kamera. Pemeriksaan agak ketat. Setelah berjaya masuk ke ruang dalam masjid, kami meneguk air zamzam sekadar membasahkan tekak, bimbang perlu ke tandas yang agak jauh dari masjid. Lepas solat aku nak minum banyak-banyak. Sekali lagi kata-kata Prof. Kamil tentang niat ketika minum air zamzam. ..."Ya Allah! Jadikanlah air ini penawar segala sakitku, dan kurniakanlah kesihatan yang berpanjangan kepadaku Ya Allah”.

Ibu mendapat saf bersama-sama jemaah Hajah Jamilah yang lain. Saya meminta kebenaran untuk meninjau saf yang hadapan, mamandangkan banyak lagi waktu sebelum azan Zuhur. Hajah Jamilah pun selalu pesan ketika kami mengikuti kelas umrah di pejabatnya. Rebut saf yang pertama. Jangan solat di belakang. Ibu mengizinkan dan kami berjanji bertemu di pintu 25 selepas solat. Bermulalah adventure saya di Masjid Nabawi. Pertama, cari saf pertama. Jumpa. Mencari Raudhah. Tak jumpa. Pintu ke Raudhah dibuka pada waktu tertentu sahaja. Hendak bertanya, di kanan orang Arab, di kiri orang Pakistan…macam-macam orang pulak. Mana jemaah Malaysia ?Relax dulu. Balik nanti rujuk Hajah Jamilah. Walaupun terasa asing , hati tetap tenang. Ketenangan yang susah untuk diungkapkan dengan kata-kata. Istimewanya suasana di dalam Masjid Nabawi, mungkin kerana di sini bersemadinya Rasulullah s.a.w.

TIPS FOR 1119 PAPER 2

TECHNIQUES FOR ANSWERING THE SPM ENGLISH PAPER (PAPER 2)

1. DIRECTED WRITING

   In the first section of the SPM English Paper 2, students are expected to spend about thirty minutes, expanding on given notes. For this section, imagination and creativity do come into play because even though certain facts are given, they serve as a mere guide. You are required to do at least three major things:

   1. Use the right format for your writing
   2. Include all the facts given in the question
   3. Elaborate or provide your OWN but relevant details) on these given facts.

   From the total of 30 marks awarded here, 15 are for CONTENT and the other 15 is for LANGUAGE USE.

   As a student, you can easily get full marks for content provided you follow the ensuing good advice.

   CONTENT

   There are three important aspects to awarding of marks for content.

   a) Format

   Marks awarded are usually in the range of 2-3. Make sure you read the instructions carefully. You may be required to write an informal letter, a formal letter, a speech, an article or a report. In each case, you must thoroughly realize how important it is that you suit the right format to the questions.

   b) Inclusion of Given Facts

   Certain facts are given in the question itself. Usually 6-7 marks are awarded if you include ALL the given facts in your writing do not leave even a single one. Couch each fact in a complete sentence. If you just use phrases or if the sentence you make is meaningless, no marks will be given.

   c) Elaboration

   Finally about 6-7 marks are awarded if you add details of your own to make your writing more intresting. No details - no marks !

   Remember, one extra sentence or two is usually enough. You don’t have to write and write. Also, the details must be relevant, suitable and interesting too. You need to invest a little time and imagination here so that your writing won’t come across as "dry and dull".

   LANGUAGE

   Finally, the remainder 15 marks are allocated for language use. You must try and make sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are as error-free as possible. Do take a little trouble to check through your writing. Write shorter sentences if you are not too sure about grammar. Avoid words that you do not know how to spell. But do begin from now to revise the spelling of simple words like "sincerely", "faithfully", "fine", "thank you", and other such frequently used words.

2. SUMMARY WRITING

Section B of the SPM English Paper 2 presents a question on summary writing. You are advised to spend forty-five minutes on this section.

For this section, a total of 3 marks are allocated. Of these, 20 are awarded for content and another 10 for language accuracy and style. Read the instructions carefully. By doing this, you ought to know very clearly:

1. Which part of the passage is supposed to be summarized (you may to be required to summarize the WHOLE passage)
2. What aspect of the content of the passage is to be summarized. (For instance, you may be asked to summarize only the advantages or disadvantages, or certain reactions of people or even the causes/outcomes of certain incident.
3. The length of your summary – i.e the number of words that you are allowed in your final summary. If it is stated that your summary MUST not be longer than 160 words, please adhere to this word limit. If you write more than 160 words, all the extra facts contained there are NOT taken into account by the examiner.
4. Take note of any starting words or phrases given and use them as instructed to begin your summary. Don’t forget the number of words in the starting line are included in counting the total number of words in your summary.

Once you have understood the question clearly, only ten should you begin to read the passage. Try to understand what the passage is all about – what its message/theme is or what the story is about.

During the second reading, begin to underline the important ideas and relevant tails. Pick these out and list them down. Do ensure that the points you are picking out are meeting the requirements of the question given. Read the passage once more to ensure that you have not left out any pertinent points.

Now, begin summarizing. Ignore irrelevant explanations and superfluous examples. Focus on the main ideas and those that support the theme of the passage. Generalize and convert lengthy sentences into shorter ones. Use one, or shorter words that can substitute the meaning of a long phrase in the passage. For example, "my mother, my father, my brother, and sister" can be rephrased as my family.

Group similar points together - for example the feelings of a person or the advantages of a certain procedure/machine. Rather than use three or four sentences to convey all of it, you ca put it all in one or two sentences. Use commas – they help. You will need skill for this, and that is why you should practice writing a lot of summaries before the real examination.

Many students grapple with summary writing because they get caught up with the words used in the passage. They want to use all of them. The reason? They feel that the author’s words are best and that almost all that is contained within the original passage is important and necessary to be included in their summary. As such, most students tend to copy the author’s words as much as possible and try to include almost everything from the original passage into the summary.

The result is a chop cut-and-paste version of the original. It has little meaning and relevance. It is NOT even a summary and you get a few marks when you write a chopped summary like this.

Remember, you get more marks if you use your OWN WORDS. I know this is not easy, but you must try. Don’t be afraid to rearrange, reorganize and compound facts. The main issue here is whether you have understood the meaning of the passage and whether you can faithfully translate it into a passage that is made up mainly of your own words.

So, begin practicing writing a lot of summaries now. Every time you read a report in a newspaper or an article in a magazine, ask yourself – what is this repot/article all about? What is its message? Try to summarize it in your mind. Imagine that someone younger is asking you what is it that you are reading, and try to visualize the simplified answer/version that you are going to tell him/her. That is a summary.

Where marks are concerned, try to get as many as you can for CONTENT. Stick to the meaning of the passage as much as possible but do it using your own words. Do not be lazy. Secure as many points as you can by reading and scanning the passage carefully for relevant facts and details.

Jot all of these down diligently and try to incorporate them all in a simplified, summarized form. Try not to leave out important fact. Each fact left out means one less mark for you.

As for language, do take the trouble to read through your final draft and make sure that your grammar, punctuation and spelling are as accurate as you can possibly make them. Your error must be minimal and the language you use must not make it difficult for the examiner to understand what you are trying to say.

c) CONTINUOUS WRITING

Section C of the SPM English Paper 2 presents a question on Continuous Writing. Students are advised to spend about one hour on this section.

5 topics will be given and choose only ONE.

1. Recognise the type of essay you are going to attempt i.e. whether it’s a narrative, descriptive, expository, argumentative or reflective.
2. Understand the chosen topic so that you do not write out of point.
3. Plan what you are going to write about.
4. Include enough good and relevant points.
5. Organize your points well and present each new or main point in a separate paragraph.
6. Show coherence in paragraphs.
7. Use idiomatic expression and include the active voice for narrative essays.
8. Vary the length and structure of sentences
9. Introduce your essay impressively and conclude it in a meaningful or original way.
10. Check for spelling, punctuation, grammatical correctness, especially the usage of tenses and pronouns.
11. Factual topics should as far as possible be avoided. This is because the material you use must be based on facts and not "guess work".

Little Naqib n his antics

I OFFERED A PRAYER TO GOD

I asked for strength.
God gave me difficulties to make me
strong.

I asked for wisdom.
God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity.
God gave me brawn and brain to
work.

I asked for courage.
God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience.
God placed me in situations where I
was forced to wait.

I asked for love.
God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors.
God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.
I received everything I needed.

Catch a Rabbit

The LAPD, The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.

The CIA goes in.

They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they conclude that rabbits do not exist.

The FBI goes in.

After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.

The LAPD goes in.

They come out two hours later with a badly beaten bear. The bear is yelling: "Okay! Okay! I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"

d...e...p...r....e....s....s...e...d...

Sighhhhh.....it's my sister's birthday yesterday and i have completely forgotten about it. And today is my hubby's birthday. I can't afford time to celebrate his birthday. I feel so bad...being someone so special in his life and i could not spend time with him on his birthday due to my WORK!!!

Yesterday

Yesterday....all my troubles seemed so far away...now it looks as though they're here to stay oh I believe in yesterday.

I'M GOING BONKERS!! Allah..please give me strength and hope.

I guess I haven't been blogging for quite some time, and I finally admit that I can't afford TIME. Professionally speaking, teaching has become a minor part of a teacher's job. There are just endless lists of deadlines to meet. After the State Level Choir Competition on 23rd April, I have to prepare my choir team for the District Level Teacher's Day Celebration, which will be on 27th May 2009. While getting to that date........,
1. as the committee member of the Disciplinary Board, there are cases that require meetings after meetings in the afternoons. Yesterday we had a meeting until 5 something, pertaining to discipline matters.
2. Today, there'll be a meeting for the QLA (Quantum Leap Award), and ....
3. at 2.30 there'll be our weekly Buddy Support System agenda....until 3.30.

Aaaaaat the same time, I am way behind schedule to submit my Action Research report and my SKPM documents. Not to mention we had just finished our monthly test and it's the keying-in festival where teachers rush to key-in the students' marks. Once they have been keyed-in, I felt a great relief. One major task is done, and a few hundreds more are waiting.

A few other things that are bothering me....
1. NEXT WEEK....we'll be expecting:
i) visits by Jemaah Nazir Sekolah. So the admin had given us a schedule for the exercise books routine
ii) visits by the QLA officers
iii) visits bt the SKPM officers

2. NEXT WEEK......i've got to get my choir team to prepare for the Teacher's Day Celebration, and prepare my classes for their Mid-year exam.

..........i can't think anymore........

Competitions after Competitions

It has been a while since I last visited my blog. I think I better write in English, as I feel that it is more comfortable for me to express my views.

This is the first week after the short break (which I did not enjoy much). There are numerous activities waiting, competitions dateline approaching. Talking about competitions, it is something that bothers me the most because I can't stop thinking of what to do next, how to make it better n the final question that scares me most...."Are we going to win?". If we happen to win, then we will start practising for the next level....and to win for the State Level is another nightmare. What if we happen to win again? Then the pressure is greater. I have lost my focus in teaching temporarily as I have to train 2 sets of students for 2 different type of competitions. One is Parliamentary Debate, and the other one is Choir Competition. However, I'm fortunate enough to have friends who really contribute in training the students, as the saying goes, "many hands make light work".

Actually I'm stealing a few minutes from the training session as my debaters are busy rewriting their scripts into cards. Then, my mind went wandering..thinking of the most suitable candidates for my choir team, and the most suitable song to sing. Then, suddenly new points for debates came knocking....and then the choir songs came, in harmony with the debate points...and my brain is telling me to stop blogging

Koir oh Koir

Alhamdulillah....selesai juga akhirnya PTK yang dah jemu diduduki saban tahun. Sebelum sekolah dibuka semula, macam-macam perkara yang datang mengasak-asak memori.

Pertamanya, saya perlu ingatkan pasukan koir tentang persembahan untuk Majlis Pelancaran English Week. Di samping nyanyian rutin di setiap perhimpunan rasmi, pelajar juga perlu menyanyikan lagu Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Kedua, perlu update file ULBS tingkatan 5A & 5C kerana akan dipantau pada minggu hadapan.

Ketiga, latihan intensif Koir untuk pertandingan Peringkat Daerah yang akan diadakan setiap hari dari jam 3 hingga 5 petang. Harap-harap pelajar saya setia dalam setiap sesi latihan yang diadakan. Begitu juga dengan ibubapa. Semoga mereka dapat memberikan sokongan. Bandar Putra mesti mengekalkan kejuaraan yang telah digenggam selama 4 tahun berturut-turut. Saya akan tetap setia melatih.

Keempat, perlu sediakan bahan untuk menjalankan kajian tindakan. Pemilihan narrative songs yang sesuai dengan pelajar-pelajar yang agak lemah.

Kelima, saya perlu mendapatkan sponsor untuk pakaian rasmi Pasukan Koir.Ini yang penting. Oh Ya! Semalam saya bersama Fikri ke Jakel utk mencari selendang pelajar perempuan. Lunch di McDonald's....n petang saya tergerak untuk mencari tie bagi pelajar lelaki di Hot Market. Mujur ada diskaun 50%. Untuk persembahan sekolah bolehlah pakai. Surat mohon sumbangan telah saya sediakan....perlu berbincang dengan Tuan Pengetua.

Setakat ini....lima sahaja perkara yang perlu disediakan SEBELUM sekolah dibuka. Mudah-mudahan separuh lagi penggal pertama ini akan lebih bermakna.