Saturday, June 3, 2017

save the mangroves

i have so many things to talk about my children that end up not telling any..
i hope i manage to talk about them today, so that we could cherished it when time passes by.
again and again, i'm so thankful that Allah eases our way and being in a school that is actively thinking how to make learning fun, i can never stop thanking Allah for leading our way to get the boys into Khalifah Model School. And of course, I owe the school, the principal, the teachers and ustadz for never stop making learning the khalifah way. 

Nope, am not promoting the school.. some might find the school won't fit their children, but it fit us well, alhamdullillah.

last month, the school was organizing the fund raising to save the mangroves. frankly, i was not so fascinated with the idea.. and i doubt that the boys would feel so excited as well. mangroves? we live in the city, we don't care about the mangroves and we didn't even know how what and why mangroves. 

how wrong has i been! the boys were so into this fund raising, especially aimar. 

aidan, being a typical pre-teen (mama still couldn't bear the idea that he's being a teenager.. he's only 12), was not interested on everything, nowadays. he said his classmates were selling stuff for the fund raising, but he don't feel like selling anything...

and the more i asked, the more i got it figured out.. he wanted to sell ice cream with his buddies, but some of them had it all planned out, not including him. and knowing him, as much as he would say he was ok, being the eldest in the family, i always knew it was not okay for him. and so, i talked him out. i asked him if he's going to contribute anything for the fund raising or he would just don't bother. 

"i have some cash from ayah long and duit raya. i can give some of it. mangroves has extinct. the schoold need money so we could buy some pokok and tanam. at least, the small things we can do". 

i was touched listening to his statement. and so, i started my mom's role
"you should sell something for the fund raise. let's do something cheap and sell it. i can help you and you can ask adik2 to help as well". 

and that was it. he started planning, asked me to get stuff and i could never be so proud of him when the day before the fund raising, he was all out in planning, budgeting and even trying to be as efficient he could be by planning the manpower and so on.

I was so proud of him.

The day before the sale, he was all out preparing, and he even managed to convince his siblings to help him.



The cost was only rm20 and I was proud to know that he made rm60. he took rm20, and the balance rm40 went to the charity.

he was ok.

and the week after, aimar was planning for his fund raising. at first, i thought he was just being competitive. being the middle child, his competitiveness level has always been higher as compared to his abang or his adik.

but, as usual, i was supporting him all the way.

on the other hand, his teacher did gave him an assignment to draw a poster of mangroves. aimar, being not as creative crafty as compared to aidan, was worried that he couldn't make a nice poster. aidan volunteered to help. so, they started getting the info from the internet, and aidan started to draw while aimar painted it.

o my, it was such a soothing view to see them work hand in hand, without fighting. there's something about mangroves that brought them together. aimar was very proud when his teacher picked his poster to be display on the school's main notice board.

wham bam!!! more plus point for this mangroves project!!!


...

and the story didn't stop there. aimar was soooo motivated with raising the fund for the mangroves. he was ecstatic. he wanted to sell bookmarks and went to the bookstore with me to buy nice colour papers for the bookmarks.... i was so impressed to see the outcome. and aimar wanted to sell for less than rm1.. he said his friend won't have much cash to buy expensive bookmarks. he said he could make a lot of bookmarks, sell it for rm0.50 and still raise the fund. he has always been so thoughtful!


and he also got the help from his abang and his adik... wasn't that lovely? the siblinghood bonding!ooooo
of all, i have always been so skeptical with aimar. i always think it was all about winning and competing when it comes to his motive. and that night, i was wrong. i saw his passions. 

and his science teacher was telling me how great aimar was with the bookmarks.his teacher did a demo to the class, and it took him a while where he looked, studied the folded bookmarks, and voila, there he was!!

i posted it in the FB and we had such an overwhelmed kind hearted friends of mine that was willingly donated money for his fundraising. that day alone, he collected rm300 and donated all to the charity. 

yup! he did that!
....

and on the day they went to the sire, i got two teachers texting me, sending pictures of how excited and how focused he was with the information he gained. it was not aimar at all. he never could focus on things so deep like he did. 

alhamdullillah... 
besarNya kuasa Allah... Dialah Zat yang membolak-balikkan hati sesiapapun.. 

I can always think aimar is never serious in anything.. he just couldn't as he get all fidgety..  sekejap je Allah tunjuk.. 

for whatever, doa yang baik2 untuk anak2. 

and aimar dear, mama always do pray for the best in you. ameen. 







they called them 'children' not 'student'

bismillah
and i meant well
...
it's teachers' day today. (the day i wrote the post, not the day i posted this)
i have so many things to say and so many blessing to counts, that i decided to write it out, one by one.
...
to all the teachers of my children

i had an experience to guide 11 year 6 students (of 12 years old boys and girls) for a performance they are going to present it this sunday.
i thought it's gonna be easy.
these kids are big enough as much as independent.
these kids are big enough to grab on things what they need and should do.
these kids are the most seniors and easy to guide!!
these kids are students of khalifah model school.
and how wrong have i been!
nope, they are not bad kids.
but then again, when they show no interest, sign of protest, buat idea sendiri takmo dengar auntie ain cakap and so on.... i was wondering, how did all their teachers survived all these while?
istiqomah, sabar, tekun...
ya allah, it's undescribable.
i could hardly make aidan listen to me the first time i asked him to.
and he is my own son, the most obedient anak of all!
and how could i expect the other 10 can listen??????

it was a brief encounter...
and the more i think of it, the more i knew i owe all the teachers that in my life, all the teachers of my children and all the teachers in this world who has made us the way we are..

masyaallah...

i wished i could buy them a Ferragamo bags or an Aigner watches.. just a sign of gratitude.. to all of them... but i guess, for now, cikgu2, kita berangan dulu ye.
...
when aidan was 4 years old, his was in a small kindi in kemaman.tadika seri budi. i remembered one day, aidan came back and told me "mama, sorry, tadi cikgu ros pukul hand aidan sebab aidan was talking when she was teaching".. he was only 4 and i was so defensive. but, i didn't see any wrong that cikgu ros has done. in fact, she was educating.. and that was his first lesson, respect your teachers!

aimar pulak, was lucky enough to get to know teacher noni during his kindi. anak nombor 2 saya ni, hero sikit. when i heard no complaint about aidan, aimar always made me closer to teachers... "kak, aimar pecah kan cermin mata kawan dia" and they were only four... sampai umur sepuluh tahun cikgu dok message mama "kak, nanti saya nak jumpe akak ye." and my usual suspect was aimar :)

bukanlah makna kata aidan tu tak pernah ada isu. o. he has his issue alright...

aivey, taring die belum tumbuh lagi. she has always be the quite one when in class.. just a total opposite than she is at home. belum dapat gu lagi kot.
...
i have been posting so many nice things about the teachers of khalifah.. the boys' teachers.
fact is, they are all nice.

pernah masa amik result aimar, teacher cakap "aimar ni kasar sangat, ada cikgu cakap dia kurang ajar"
aidan pun ada turn kene 'sound' ngan cikgu sampai kena ban from joining the qalam jamaei'
and me, being a defensive mother (and tell me, mak mana yang tak defensive?)... kekadang macam nak marah gak, dan kekadang macam sedih gak...

but then again, bila dengar balik cerita anak2 sendiri, i tried putting myself on the teachers' shoes..not my own shoes.. i might know and accepted my sons weaknesses and flaws... but these teachers... jenuh lah kalau semua nak tau and nak accept perangai 'special' anak2 kita satu-persatu... though, trust me when i say, almost all the teachers in KMS knew their students' acts and antics.... it's just the school. the method their using is so workable and o my, they are not just teaching my children, but me and my hubby too...

i remembered being interviewed by teacher lin before aidan and aimar got to be enrolled to the school... mak aii.. boleh cikgu tanye "how do you penalised your kids at home? do you know that in khalifah we don't encourage harshness".. i was like... ishhh.. sekolah pulak nak ajar camne kami nak besarkan anak kami... and me, being defensive (again), terus tanye teacher "why must you asked?" and her answered was not so convincing. she told me "we don't practice beating or hitting or anything harsh. khalifah method is a method that we guide our students to have a good inner speech, out of their own willingness to be good so that they know what is good and what is not. we teach with kindness. and this can only work out if the same applies at home too".
i was like, huh? no harsh punishment? no marah tengking? only kindness???? boleh ke itu macam?
trust me, i was like "does it work?" and she told me "insyaallah".

i was skeptical. but trust me, how wrong have i been... orang kata, bumi mana tak ditimpa hujan. its not all gold and shines, but it's the best they could give to my boys.

alhamdullillah, praise to allah for the blessings.

one of the right thing we did was to have them in a school like kms.
...
panjang pulak meleretnya...
nak cerita pasal cikgu2, pusing2 bukak citer sekolah.

but then again, if only i could describe the bond the students have with the teachers, the trust the students put on their teachers, the love they had for each others....if only i could....
it is undescribable, indeed...
...

i was working on the teachers' day event this weekend. one of the task is to do some editing work... the students were interviewing their teachers... i noticed one thing in common.. all of them would describe their students as children.. i love working with the children, i wish the best for the children and so on.... and some how, i was touched.
...
dear teachers, you've done so much for my kids, and we were strangers...the best gift i could gift (though Ferragamos or aigner sound great) is our prayers.. ya allah,hanya engkau yang mampu membalas jasa2 mereka yang baik budi... moga ilmu2 yang bermanfaat menjadi bekal buat kalian hingga ke jannah..ameen...





yes, it's personal

salam sir,
it has been 72 hrs, and i thought i could put everything in peace, and i failed.
i couldn't.
therefore, i'm writing this note to you.
...
for whatever we've done to you, please forgive us.
yes, as much as we tried to understand what major sins has been committed to the extent he was dismissed, we still couldn't compute on the decision made.
yes, he did wrong. he was late, always.
yes, he missed the submission.he failed submitting the respond in due time.
yes, the decision was not made by you alone. you do not have the authority to decide all by yourself.

but sir, i wonder, was it so severe that he had to be dismissed immediately, being humiliated to that extent, for all that he's done? did make the company loss so much business and profits? has he hurt anyone, especially you, to the extent you hate him so much?
...
he has his troubles.
i wish he could be more expressive and share it to everyone.
but, being that hard-headed man, i know he won't.

dear sir,
i wonder if you anyone closer to you, to be exact, anyone who is under your amanah, being diagnosed with cancer?
i'm not trying to buy any sympathy.. we don't need any.
in fact, as i'm writing this, i wish you highlight, this means no business, and yes, it's personal.
he didn't knew i'm writing this and please don't put more blame on him.
he was just a man who is 18 years younger than you, jobless, just because he did not submit few pages of his clarifications to defend himself when he had the chance. He definitely a good husband, he is now so distraught for having a sick wife who is not working and three little children who are still at school and need to be feed, take care of and love for. back to cancer, did you know that although he was the first Asian who was given the responsibility as the Supt in the 1st Deepwater FPSO in Asia, he didn't get much recognition on that achievement? I didn't understand how can the Company trust him so much that the Company could give him that post... On the other hand, did you know, when he got the job, he so much under stress. That was the year his wife was diagnosed of having cancer. That was the year he flunked his appraisal after decades in his careers. He has always been a nerdy in school and university and work. But, his wife had cancer, and we were only in our mid 30s.
Alhamdullillah, thanks to Petronas, the treatment was all paid for. Alhamdullillah, his wife recovered after 8x chemo and 33x radiotherapy. She lost 30kg and she was too skinny bone and too tired to work. We opted for her not to work during the remission. It's our 4th year of remission now. Did you know, when his wife no longer working with Petronas, she was no longer having her own medical insurance and depending on his? Did you know that she did not have any other insurance before that and too late to have a personal insurance now for cancer has always been a 'death penalty' to the patients? Did you know that remission doesn't mean you are going to be healthy all the time? Did you know that the chemo drug kills all the cell in her bodies and she is now recovering with such a horrifying side effect? Did you know that the head and neck radiotherapy kills her normal hearing, that she could hardly hear lots of things and need a lot of patience for people to deal with her? She also do not have enough saliva as her saliva gland was severely burnt due to the chemo, did you know?
Enough about cancer... it's just that it wasn't you that give us the cancer. But I just wish that you could understand, when his wife was not well, most of the time, he was the only adult in the house (and has to go to work), making sure everything is run normally and smoothly. That includes managing the kids schooling, the food and so forth. Did you know he was juggling in between time. Yes, you are right. it was none of your business. He should have been smart enough to manage to handle his personal life. He failed the company and it was him to be at fault (really?how thoughtful the company is). But, please agree with me, he is a good husband and a good father. And I bet, you are a good husband and a good father too... otherwise, at the age of 58, you won't be bothering to work and disciplining others, if you do not have children to feed on. Or maybe my assumption was wrong.
dear sir, if only you know how he tried writing up that summary and respond to your letter! If only you know. It was a mess sir! He didn't sleep..not at all.. He didn't sleep, not one or two nights in a row... he didn't sleep eight nights in a row.. at least, that's the longest I managed to keep track on. he was on his laptop, on that word files, editing and amending it over and over again. It was a horrible arguments we had when I asked him to just submit whatever.. and being an oddly perfectionist (which he denies my :)), he failed to submit anything. and yes, it was not your fault sir. but I just wish if you knew.
and on wednesday, when you were so proud on the decision you made, when you were so firm with the decision you held on, i wonder, did you know, that man who is 18 years younger than you is out of work while you are still working... i wonder, did you know he has mouth to feed.. and i bet, just like you, you are working to feed your wife and children.. but unlike you, he is not working..

dear sir, it is not your fault and i'm not pointing fingers on you.. he told me it was not your faults... ada hikmah Allah has arranged beautifully.

but sir, i just want to know? if that's how an HR head thinks the best to disciplining a person, does it really work? Does it give you the satisfaction sir? Does it give you such a great achievement that you can be proud of sir? Does it fair enough rather than other method like demotion and many other option? Does it fulfilled your satisfaction for having such penalty on a person who was clueless what DI was, how it should be conducted and failing to adhere or even requested for extension in a proper manner?

sir, have him and his family done so many wrongs to you that you hate us so much? forgive him and forgive us.
but please know, he hasn't been sleeping for months now. please pray that he's okay.

dear sir, forgive me for this writing, it supposed to be just a few lines of notes. i just want to know what sin has he made that the only option is to dismissed him immediately, as if he was born with no dignity. apparently, i wrote too much. but i wonder sir, did you ever think how it felt to be in this man shoe? the shoe you've done some damage on.

thank you sir. may allah bless you and your family.
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