The Funny Boy

早上5A的体育节，一场晨雨过后，周围还是有点湿......

LKL：老师，学校为什么不要建一座有盖的体育馆？那么下雨时我们还可以上体育节啊，也不会被雨淋到。

我：那你筹到多少钱了？（学校最近在进行筹款。）

LKL：我筹到了十六块钱。

我：那，够建一座体育馆吗？

LKL：......

LKL：买一打厕纸还够......那天我跟妈妈去超级市场......


后记：没有一份工作比当教师还要愉快（God knows），尤其当你处在一所"有教无类"的学府时。沙一什么都有。这里有很多特别（或特殊）的可爱学生，常让人哭笑不得，却也感触良多。上帝所造的生命每一个都真的很独特。

LKL应该不知道，我很爱和难以定义的他谈天说地，胡说八道却又头头是道。

感谢上帝，他的恩赐难以形容。-哥林多后书9:15

R.I.P. to Yoshito Usui and Crayon Shin-chan クレヨンしんちゃん

It's been another sad news for me. Reading the news that Usui San went missing during hiking was like a history-is-repeated-again when the paper reported Yasmin's in the coma.

Although I make no meaning to both of these great artists and entertainers, but they do mean quite a lot to me. Yoshito's comic was a great source of laughters and gateway to the Japanese culture and humor.

Expecting and buying his new volume has already been a part of my comic collecting ritual. And it'll stop at 49.

September 11, 2009. The Tragic Day. As it was.

15 Malaysia

Malaysia is changing. Again. I would say. When things hit the the ground, they bounce. That's how it goes with the scenarios we have here in this beautiful land.

Our forefathers were once young and united when this country first gained its independence. Life was tough but the spirit was high. Then we had our growth, in terms of material, but our leaders overlooked the importance of unity, and underestimated the people of Malaysia. It was hitting the ground, so it bounced back, tsunami-style, 308.

Since then, voices are allowed, and heard. Again.

Now, nothing is hotter than the voices of New Malaysia - 15 Malaysia, the uniqueness only the true Malaysians can comprehend (to laugh about and ponder).

Link yourself and be a fan.

R.I.P. to Yasmin Ahmad

Michael Jackson's death to me was like a lost on the entertainment side, I'll certainly miss his moon-walk, dances and those songs written for humanity and the environment. But that's all.

I prayed for Yasmin. God has His reason but I did hope that the stroke won't take Yasmin away. We all know that there's a time for everything, but what a grieve it is for us Malaysians to witness an icon, if not an extraordinary person represented the weaker-influence groups of Malaysians (i.e. a female-open-minded-muslim) to leave us so suddenly. She is the future-Malaysian I hope my students grow up to be; she is the present one-Malaysian that Dato' Seri Najib can relate to.

We should credit her for her true-Malaysian lifestyle and exceptional art-pieces and films she had produced. Indeed we're suffering a great loss.

R.I.P. Yasmin Ahmad, 25th July 2009.

P.S.

Filmography:
Rabun (My Failing Eyesight) (2003)

Sepet (Chinese Eye) (2004)

Gubra (Anxiety) (2006)

Mukhsin (2007)

Muallaf (The Convert) (2008)

Talentime (2009)

Message From Young Students

昨夜教会活力少年团的一位团员传来一封转发简讯，如下：

“为什么会有人疯掉？为什么会有人自杀？这些种种原因都是因为一个“书”字!!历史对将来有用吗？去见工时老板会问你历史咩？会问你秦始王到底烧了几本书哦？你去问大老板他都未必能回答..=.= 英文马来文的novel和karangan学校每年都在重复教，还要什么鬼format?难道我们聊天时要说到novel里的情节吗？还有karangan是要我们写信哦？现在什么年代了就不能打电话，sms吗？=3= 华语名句精华还有词类那些背来爽吗？难道结婚时牧师还会问你什么词哦？只要你会说我愿意就可以了咯..名句精华就更加废咯..用来骂人哦？还是要学孔子吗？不要copy cat啦..难道你没看电视人家都用'吊'吗？不要误解..周董也说过..厉害=超吊嘛..数学会加减乘除就可以了啊-还要学那一堆废的来干嘛..难道会数学你的工钱就能要求很高哦？我不如去买计算机..这都是我自己的看法而以..赞成的话就发给你朋友吧..谢谢咯”

我的即时回复：

“请反回复问问你那朋友学校该教什么呢？以上他所提的科目或学习项目皆以建立人文或思考基础为出发点。一个只需学习工作技巧的人和机器又有什么分别呢？”

相信时间不够用的你我都很少回应转发信息是吗？但少年人是国家未来的栋梁也，就算冒着睡虫缠身的危险也要立即以过来人（二十多年的正式学生，非正式终身学习）及未来人（培养学生的教师身份）的经历抚平他们的情绪，厘清学习的目的，分享教育的真谛。Paiseh(=.=)!!

但说真的，我国的一些教育政策的确是让为人师表者也脸红不敢为之辩护。随手沾来就有历史课的大量主观的回教史却放弃了更为重要的世界史内容。语文课（特别是华英）也成了语法解剖课，教师从桃李满天下变成妙手人心第N集。And etc(plural).

无可否认，教育里的某些小零件是出了问题，但这是把整部学习机器丢掉的借口吗？一个人，行走了一条必经且崎岖的道路就会想法子贡献自己的力量把道路修正，让后来者不必受同样的苦。我不是乐观过头或洒热血，只是认同sikit-sikit nanti jadi bukit，人人都愿意付出的话，有一天歪的将被扶正。所以，少年人啊！再忍耐加油吧！未来就在你的手里。

6I Reunion 2009

It was the first for you guys and hopefully it won't be the last. May the friendships flow through the stream of time. God be the witness.

First Snap

Second Snap

Third Snap

Last Snap

Raub Trip 2009: Dedicated to the 5Js

At first I was regretting that I shouldn't promise Madam Lim to lead this trip, because I would rather spend time with my wife as she's pregnant; now I find it worthwhile and enjoyable, with memories framed on the bus, in parks, factories and even outside the toilet^^

One Malaysia

如果你是一位大马华人子弟，从小就开始阅读星洲日报；如果你是一位马来同胞，从小就开始阅读Utusan Melayu，那么你要小心染上种族主义症候群。若不想感染的话，就要以第三只眼看待发生在马来西亚（我们所热爱的祖国）的种种故事，也就是说，要客观。

一向来我都不大想发表跟bangsa有关的课题，也非常希望在表格中的bangsa一栏能被去掉。因为事实上，宪法上，法律上，你我他都是属于Bangsa Malaysia。也因为在基督教信仰里神是爱世人的（约翰福音3：16），他也要求我们爱身边的每一个人如同爱自己一样（马太福音12：31），所以我不喜也不应以肤色来做论断。因此，这一篇是为了回应我的同事兼勤劳的Blogging friend伦敦铭心的分享-安然无恙的在马来西亚立足都不行吗？，以及一些年纪小小就有严重种族歧视的孩子所写的。

鄭丁賢以前在夜雨晨风这专栏里有提过Tun Mahathir推崇Machiavellianism,也就是说他是一位馬基維利主義者。Niccolò Machiavelli是欧洲复兴时期的一位政治哲学家。他生平最重要的一部著作叫做“君主論”（The Art of War，和孙子兵法英文同名）。在这本书里他提倡了分而治之(Divide and rule)的政治科学。此后，这书便成了每一个统治者的必读之书。

在这个提倡之下，手握大权者为了巩固与延长自身的地位，而不惜在他管辖的领土里制造分裂以便于通过等分的力量互相制衡，最后自己坐收渔人之利。印尼的前总统Suharto和中华民国台湾的前总统陈水扁就是以此作为他们的权力武器。前者透过全体人民推动民主平等而渐渐从排华的历史中复苏，但后者的蓝绿阵营却还是水火不容。

马来西亚呢？其实，五十年多前的马来西亚就像Petronas一年一度的国庆日广告那样，为着成立一个马来西亚不分种族的努力，和谐的共存，这是我爸爸（他今年已六十九岁了）和一些旅行时闲聊的各种族老伯伯曾经告诉我的。五一三事件一开始只是单纯的政治冲突，却被有心人（争权者）借机转变为种族冲突。

在那样的局面下，当时的首相Tun Abdul Razak要解决经济上的贫富鸿沟所以推行了Dasar Ekonomi Baru，在教育上要团结人民所以Laporan Razak也跟着出炉，从此马来语取代了英语，国小开始被政府重视。在那时的情形之下，这两个政策不可谓不合时，不然以当时马华公会的政治话语权，他们怎不反对到底？

但是来到15年后Tun Mahathir上位的八十年代，为何这些政策没有被检讨呢？因为这一位治国有方（经济上）的馬基維利主義掌权者知道这些政策将是可以被有效利用的分而治之的工具。馬來主权（Ketuanan Melayu）一说也于1986年出现在巫统政治人物Abdullah Ahmad在新加坡的演说內容內，这个字眼是在90年代才纳入历史课程，90年代之前并沒有这個字眼。（盧誠國，星洲日報‧2009.04.06）

如果你是今天的政客，看到Tun二十年来捞这一招捞到风生水起，不论你是巫的、华的或印的，就算是死胡同（看看台湾，看看自己），你才不理呢，对不对？

很多不明就理的人常常会觉得很气愤，很不公平，结果从此以一竹竿打翻整艘船的歧视整个族群，可知这是extreme racist？本是受害的却变成和加害的一样了。其实平凡如你我，看见不善不公之事，只要想着，上帝必会审判那不公不义之徒，不是不报，只是时候未到。

放轻松。

Let us be color blind, let us be Malaysian.

Langkawi Permata 2008

久违的同学们，别来无恙吗？这些照片勾起了我去年和你们共同渡过的许多回忆，以及毕业旅行的欢愉。十年后的你们会是怎样的呢？Will Alice still be in her own Wonderland?

愿平安与希望常与你们同在(^_^)



Click on the image to enlarge or download.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I'm not the type of guy who celebrates the Valentine's Day. I think it's too commercialized and not necessarily meaningful for my wife and me as we have our anniversaries to embrace.

Anyhow, I did a little planning this year because I received some signals from my the other half that I ought to be more romantic and less against the world. I thought she is right. So I did. The flower, the card, the dinner and surprises. But it didn't go on as well as I thought. We had a little argument over a little thing after the dinner on this so-called the loving night. Well, the Bible had said it,"In his heart a man plan his course, but the Lord determines his steps."-Proverbs 16:9. I must be a bad Valentine's Day planner I guess.

So we were on the verge of giving up the midnight movie which I've bought the tickets earlier, the first time I did that. But thank God, we were still managed to show up at the theater on time. The film is inspired by the 1921 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald (also the author of The Great Gatsby), it is about a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences. In simple words, all human being will grow old, but what if there is one of us who grows young?

There it goes an inspiring black humor movie, reminding us to live life to its fullest, because in either way, still, those from dust will go back to dust.

At the end, my wife and I walked out of the cinema holding each other's hands - As Benjamin said,"You never know what's coming for you."