The Dancing Girls

Irresistible.

Lovely.

The Dancing girls of the school!

All aches and pains disappear if you care to walk around the grounds of the school and as you draw strength and inspiration from the natural beauty of the dancing orchids!

Oh aren't they beautiful?

Just this morning as I was on my rounds, I could not stop myself from taking some shots and I would love to keep them in my memory for good. These blooms have been with us for the past 8 years and thanks to loving hands and helpful teachers they are still thriving healthily. I remember the history of these 'girls' and I would like to share for the benefit of those who have yet to know about the true story.



Some 8 -9 years ago, a former principal of the school ( Pn Che Manis) together with a couple of PTA members drove all the way to Kota Tinggi to visit an orchid farm. At the farm one could go crazy just witnessing the myriad of orchid species and I am not joking when I say you become 'full' just looking at them. No need for lunch and tea. ( It happened to be the Puasa Season then ! I remember one of them teasing me saying I also have to fast together with them for the day and I did cos the blooms made me so happy that I forgot about food.)

Very soon we had to make plans to transport the orchids to our school grounds at the courtesy of Mr. Hilmy Jaafar in a 5 ton lorry! We even had a mini jumble sale of orchids to top up the collection for the PTA general fund.

Next, we had to set up the stand for the plants with some donations from some parents (Dr. Lee) and the Taekwondo Club and then the show began...

Now you see what I mean? Lovely rows of dancing girls! I must admit there were moments of ups and downs. There were times when the plants lost their blooms as gardeners and fertilisers were hard to come by. It was easy to set up but it was another story to maintain. Good fortune prevail though when through the magic potion of Pn See's fertilisers and the grit and determination of Yusdin the gardener, the dancing girls become alive again. Like human beings, the orchids need whispers of love and care to stay well. What great pleasure one derives from this natural beauty!

Exquisite at any angle, from any angle...they are a sight to behold! Oh the lovely dancing girls. May you continue to thrive and live well here.

Stay lovely, forever.

QUIT !

That Stick.

If you are a son/daughter to your father and mother, quit it.
If you are a husband/wife to your spouse, quit it.
If you are a father/mother to your sons and daughters, quit it.
If you are a boy friend/girl friend to your friends, quit it.
If you are a friend to people on earth, quit it.

Why quit?

Because you love us.

Because we love you.

They say smokers suffer less than second hand smokers and because you love us, smokers quit.

This very familiar sign is plastered all over schools to remind school children the need to keep away from cigarettes and yet, alas...many a time it goes unheeded. This forbidden practice has turned the school into a circus when it gets the whole discipline board chasing after the culprits throughout the day. Oh you should see how toilets are checked, bags are ransacked, hands and fingers scrutinised and the amount of persuasion and advice poured in...and many a time to no avail.

Why quit?

Because it costs a bomb to smoke (perhaps a reason for kids to steal?)... Because it brings harm to people around you mostly friends, relatives and ones closest to your hearts ...
Because it may lead you to drugs and pain... Because it may finally ruin your health just as what the newspapers say and here's to frighten you...that is, if it can :

Grotesque. So just quit. Please.

A Mistake? Whose?

A Plight of the Modern Era

Much has been said. Much has been warned. Much has been scorned. But when a problem like an unwanted pregnancy and child crops up, how do we go about it?

A dad at 13? A baby for a dad? The West has always been synonymous with premarital sex, a more open attitude towards mistakes and a more forgiving spirit towards teenage fumbles. Sometimes you wonder whether it's better to be the strict disciplinarian or the tolerant and more accomodating adult. If a more condemning facade has been put up towards teenage promiscuity, will mistakes still happen?

The article above appeared in the Star, 18th February 2009 which stated that Singapore girls are engaged in teenage sex by the large numbers , a whopping increase of 45% when compared to last year's figures. This is the East.

Looks like whether it is the East or the West, globalisation and the tranference of attitudes, assimilation of culture and the acceptability of practices are fast becoming one.

Personally, I feel the school, the family and the religious bodies have in one way or another played their roles except in different degrees. Teenagers today, are more careless when compared to the days of old as many have to cope with peer pressure and 'normal' practices. The article also informed that girls who want emotional support might feel trapped and sex is the only way to keep the boy and are turning a blind eye to unwanted babies. A lot of the time, pregnancies occur cos they do not know how to shove the male away.

It's every mother's nightmare, a dad's too to discover an unwanted pregnancy among their children and by the way it happens both ways...the bird's and the bee's... the poor boy to be a father to a child? Agony too.

Incidentally, Juno was shown in HBO a couple of nights ago and I watched it in the company of No.1, No. 3 and dad. A particular scene brought a good awareness when the protagonist boldly told her dad that she was pregnant and how he very logically accepted the reality and took appropriate steps to see her through including the finding of foster parents for the unborn child. Is it becos it's only a movie or is it what should be done? Will Malaysian parents behave the way the dad behaved? Cool, composed, no condemnation but practical ? It's heartbreaking though to see the poor girl trudging up and down with the bulge...oh I know it's only a movie.

But I really like the way he handled his daughter's plight. Find a solution and help her move on in life. But of course, it is even better still if he had taken more concerted effort to look into her relationship with the boy and be more proactive in prevention than cure.Yes, that's the best. A solution and timely help. Some learn the hard way whereas the obedient lot benefits.

Ellen Page and Michael Cera of Juno

No.1 : Dad , if this were to happen to me , what will you do?

Dad : Look here, I will kick you out of the house!

Typically dad.

No.3 : Hey mum, you know I think about 60 -70% of my teenage friends are engaged in sex ah!

Dad : So? I hope it has nothing to do with you.

Reality? Help the poor parents oh you teenagers. Be careful.

When East Meets West

It's been quite a while. Quite frankly, I've yet to get used to the girls being home. After a couple of years of their absence, suddenly I need to accommodate and change accordingly. Well, things change, feelings differ, opinions clash and the volume of noise increases.

So also taste buds change.

No 1 : Mum, I wanna cook tonite.
Mum : No. The soup has already been prepared. Next time.
No 1 : Mum...it's always Chinese food. I wanna cook western.
Mum : Ok, tomorrow.

So, this is when east meets west.

How about mama's typical mamak maggie mee? It's 4 packets of curry flavoured maggie mee with some cabbage, prawns, 2 eggs and red chillies. I am not bragging when I say it does taste like the one you go to Melur for. Ask my girls. Typically local though.

Now, the western version.

No. 1's beef stroganoff ! It's beef (topside), large onion, sour cream, beef stock, mushrooms and pasta. Tastes really good. So when dinner is served...what does one go for first? The eastern one or the western one?

There's competition in the home now! They say new brooms sweep clean. Of course the dash is for the stroganoff. Now I really know I can come home late with a sumptuous meal on the table.

Mum : Now, the mamak mee costs...RM4.00...and the beef stroganoff?

No.1 : Hm...beef is RM17.00, sour cream is Rm6.50, mushroom is Rm7.00, the stock is RM5.00, onion, pasta.....about RM40.00 altogether.

Mum : Oh Ok...even if I choose to add some meat to the mamak mee...maybe it will come up to Rm8.00...all the same a meal too....

No.1, No.2, No.3 : Mum!!!!!!!! you are just...

Garrett : Hahaha...aunty your house is so noisy.

Mum : What about the boys in your house?

Garrett : We are quiet at home aunty...not so much noise.

Noise. It's ok. That's why they are girls...very expressive and loud. Now, I have to change for them or I will be very out- dated and not understood by them. That will be a pity. When they were young and docile, they listened to me. But now, I have got to learn to listen...to them.

That is life?