post Mortem

What should I have done to make it better? Am I pushing people too much or too little? Was it the best choice or should I chose something better? Have I use my time wisely?

We Muslim should always muhasabah or do post mortem on ourselves. Every night. I know for sure that I have not use my time wisely. Poor time management. especially when I'm in front of the tube/TV and give myself the excuse that I needed some time to rest and ending up spending too much time on it. Sure, I learn a lot especially from documentary programs like Nat Geo but plus all the advertisement and everything I end up spending too much time on it and having inadequate time for more important things. I should improve that this year, 2011.

A teacher is one of the best person to make a new year resolution since every year we are given new set of students and jobs. The challenges we face every year are different. Even the way I teach the same topic every year are different simply because I have different set of students that need different ways of learning the same thing.

Once, when I was asked by a class to teach the topic of locus. It was not one of my maths classes but since I'm a maths teacher they want me to give light on the topic that they find so elusive. I purposely asked them how do they want me to teach the topic - the traditional way where they are taught to read the clues and react accordingly or the 3D right brain method. I guess I was just trying to provoke their mind to think. Of course they choose the second method. I use myself as an example of a locus, a moving point. And I asked them where should I move so that I'm constantly equal distance from the two boys that I chose as the model. That was a great start for them to think in 3D and to use their right brain. So I taught the topic in 2 periods instead of a week. One boy in that class said thanks to me after he got A for his maths in PMR examination for teaching him on that day.

If I say I will do my best to improve on the areas where I'm weak, that's not going to work well. Simply because my resolution is not strong enough. I have to make a check list of the things I must do to improve and always check whether I follow the list. All talk but no action is not going to change anything.

I feel better after writing this article. Now I know how to make sure to keep myself on the right track. I have to go back to the time when every morning I wake up I have a list in my head of what I must do and achieve on that day. I need to spring into actions. Not just making resolutions. I hope this article will help you out there too.

May Allah bless us all.

How to keep your heart healthy

I have long learned not to be bothered too much by the things that I can't do anything about it. Like if your boss is moody and you see him/her to discuss something without being aware of his/her temperament at that point of time. You end up not having a good discussion or even having a bad experience. You just have to learn to read the cues when the time is right. We learn from experience. The point is, don't get too upset over something that you have no control over it. Such experience is bound to happen once in a while.

How does that keep your hearth healthy? By not making your hearth overworked by pumping too much blood in such short time. If you are upset, that what will happen. It can cause high blood pressure without you realizing it.

For muslim, we are always or try to be in the state salimah or peace. We attribute all the bad experience to the test that Allah has given us in order to make us learn something, gain new knowledge or skill, or simply to make us stronger. Never get upset too easily. That's not an attribute of a true muslim. Like the case of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (p.b.u.h). A non muslim female neighbour always throw rubbish at his front door every morning. He never scolded her. And when he noticed that there was no rubbish for a day or two, he wondered what happen to the lady. He gave her a visit and found out that she was sick. He did every thing he can to relieve her of her burden as a good neighbour as though she had never done anything wrong to her. She eventually convert to Islam.

Following Prophet Muhammad's (p.b.u.h) foot steps I did the same thing too. I was scolded once by my junior as though I'm the junior. I was just posted back to my old school after finishing my study leave for two years. She wasn't in that school when I left but I guess now she's more 'senior' than me since I'm just reentering. I accepted some of the points even though I think she misunderstood me but I question her method of conveying her message. Like scolding a school girl, not someone older than you yourself. It was tough meeting her at the corridor after the first few days but I still nodded to her to acknowledge her existence. She was all smiling when she had to come to me for help. I willingly helped her.

I can choose to make foe with her but that's not good for the working environment and for my hearth. I don't want to feel so tighten inside every time I see her. The well being of my hearth is more important than her. I just hope that everyone reading this article will understand this too.

Just be patient. If we are on the right side Allah is always there for us. So why bother about things that you can't control? It'll not change anything anyway. Just concentrate on things that you CAN control like improving your weaknesses, learning from previous mistakes and the such. Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said a good muslim is someone who is better today than yesterday and better tomorrow than today. Meaning we have to keep on improving ourselves. So don't just brush aside critics cause there could be so truth in it. We can only improve if realize out weaknesses. Weaknesses that others will see better than us ourselves.

Lead a good life. May Allah bless us all.

Maher Zain - Palestine Tomorrow Will Be Free

Every day we tell each other
That this day will be the last
And tomorrow we all can go home free
And all this will finally end
Palestine tomorrow will be free
Palestine tomorrow will be free

No mother no father to wipe away my tears
That’s why I won’t cry
I feel scared but I won’t show my fears
I keep my head high

Deep in my heart I never have any doubt
That Palestine tomorrow will be free
Palestine tomorrow will be free

I saw those rockets and bombs shining in the sky

Like drops of rain in the sun’s light
Taking away everyone dear to my heart
Destroying my dreams in a blink of an eye

What happened to our human rights?
What happened to the sanctity of life?

And all those other lies?
I know that I’m only a child
But is your conscience still alive

I will caress with my bare hands
Every precious grain of sand
Every stone and every tree
‘Cause no matter what they do
They can never hurt you
Coz your soul will always be free

Palestine tomorrow will be free
Palestine tomorrow will be free

Lyrics by Maher Zain

MAHER ZAIN - THE CHOOSEN ONE

Watching this video, I felt that we muslim has gone far from the teaching of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (p.b.u.h). The video is the modern manifestation of how Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) had lived his life. He was most kind to his non muslim neighbour even though she always throw rubbish to his house. Noticing no rubbish one day, Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) gave her a visit just to see if there's something wrong with his neighbour. True enough she was sick. His kind attention and care for her had eventually led her to embrace Islam.

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was recorded to race with Aishah, his wife. She won when she was young because she was agile and slim. Later on when she gain weight, Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) won the race. Such attention to his wife. He even sew his own clothes and shoes when they were torn, relieving his wife from as much burden as he could. All husbands should follow his steps - the love and care he devoted for his spouses.

Giving drink to dog in a shoe, letting a small boy riding your back even when you are praying, respecting the elders, loving the young ones, taking care of the environment by throwing your rubbish into the dust bin are all parts of Prophet Muhammad's (p.b.u.h) teachings. I feel shame thinking of how much I strayed from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Yes I followed a lot of Prophet Muhammad's (p.b.u.h) teachings but there's a lot more to be desired. I'm I good enough to my Indian neighbour? I always give food to them especially malay cuisine whenever I cook more but do I know when they are sick? Am I kind enough to stray dogs? I leave some food at my back alley for the stray dogs to eat at night and feed the alley cats as well. Watching the video I knew there's a lot more that I haven't done. Thanks Maher Zain for the inspirations.

May Allah bless us all.

MAHER ZAIN - OPEN YOUR EYES

If a ship is sunken by a great storm and an atheist is clinging to a piece of plank for his dear life, he will ask help from the very god that he used to deny the existence. Every soul knows that there is one and only god. Only the stubborn mind try to deny it.

I have watched a YouTube when a man describes his soulful journey. He was an atheist all right. His new born baby had a terrible heart condition that the doctor said he had a few days to live. Then the man silently prayed to god. "Oh God. If you exist please show your existence by making my baby ok. I desperately want this baby. Please answer my prayer and I promised I will find you and devote myself to you".

The baby miraculously was ok after that to the surprised of all the doctors. The man understood that god has reached out to him. He began his long, long journey in search of the true almighty god. He went to all the major church and met all the major priest but nobody can give satisfactory answers to his questions. Questions that stem out of his study of the bible and the old testament. That journey took him eight years. Then he turn his quest for the truth by studying Islam. Here, he found no contradiction that he so often found in christianity. Today, he is a muslim scholar.

We are so absorb with our heavy schedule and problems that we failed to take notice of all the wonders around and inside us. The signs are everywhere. Signs of Allah. Maher Zain is a prolific song writer. He wrote all his lyrics. There were all so powerful because they were written from the heart - a heart that recognize, love, and submit to Allah. All his lyrics moved me to tears. And a whole lot of many other people too. The lyrics OPEN YOUR EYES has caused a few people to convert to Islam. Simply because the lyrics had answered all yearning and quest for the truth that had been buried inside the heart. All the questions that had been silenced all these while but the lyrics had managed to unlock it.

Let's not deny what's in front of us. May Allah bless us all.

A great success

About 120 students turn out. Ice breaking as the first program really got the kids mixed among themselves. Each group was purposely set up to consist students from every level so that they got to know each other. In their quest to make their group the champion in every activity, they really work together. A lot of barriers are broken down in the process.

What touched me the most is the kids feedback in the 'Coffee Mate' activity. A clever student (the Coffee) was paired with a weak student (the Mate). A Coffee was suppose to be a counselor and interview his/her partner of the problems that he/she is facing to study. Is it personal, financial, or any other type of problem. Then he/she is suppose to give advice. The Mate, on the other hand, was supposed to interview his/her Coffee how he/she study and how does he/she overcome any problems faced. After a period of 20 minutes of doing that, I randomly choose any student, particularly the silent ones. One Coffee said that her Mate has financial problem to begin with. She did not have adequate reference books. Another problem was she didn't have anybody to teach her. So I asked the Coffee what is she going to do about it. She said she is willing to share her reference books and offer her Mate to study with her. To me to achieve this kind of collaboration and team work from a half day program is simply incredible and touching.

One Mate said after her discussion with her Coffee she now realized that she had not been a good daughter all this while since she is always quarreling with her mom. She also realized that there's a lot more that she needed to do to succeed well in her SPM examination. The realization that kids will listen more to their peer friends was the drive behind this particular activity. We teachers had been telling kids all these a thousand times. But when they hear it from their peer friend it was as if it was the first time such thing strike their mind and soul.

One Coffee said his Mate has the problems of spending too much time riding bikes, chatting, playing football and the such. When I asked the Mate to response to that he said he sincerely admitted that he had those problems and he would try his best to improve. A very good self reflection.

One would said that such program should be held at the beginning of the year. I would say it is better to do it last minute than not to do at all. We teachers are learning too on how to handle programs to motivate students. There were four major activities and each one of them produced unexpected results. A lot of confessions, self reflections, realizations, and great presentations.

We embraced each other at the end of the program. Many girls hugged me for a very long time. Some cried on my shoulder. I kissed every girl, a manifestation of my genuine love for all of them. Bond formed and bond sealed.

Good luck to all my girls and boys. Good luck in your SPM examination. May Allah bless us all.

Unexpected response

From the analysis of the program that I do at school, I found out that the form five students were exhausted. To some it is as if their struggle ended after the SPM trial. Some skip classes or didn't bother to come to school at all. As if they are not going to have a major examination (SPM) in about less than two weeks time. So I come out with an idea.

I asked the form five kids that I'm going to do a program to help motivate them in their preparation for SPM and I wanted only around 35 students. The program will have some multimedia show as an added attraction. It's going to be on voluntary basis, so whoever needed to be motivated can give their names to me. The list goes on and on. In the end, about 130 students gave their names. This is totally a surprise for me. It's also an indication that the kids needed some fresh air.

I immediately went into action. After a few discussions with the school counsellor and some teachers, I came out with a tentative program. The program is scheduled next week, just a day before the Hajj holiday. So I don't know just how many will turn out. I guess the lesser the better for quality sake but I just didn't have the heart to reject any name.

I just had a meeting with some of the teachers that will be the facilitators, briefing them of their role and duties. We are suppose to be the facilitators, not speakers. So our job is to initiate students to come out with the right solutions and mental setting after each activity. Everything will have to come out from the students, not the teachers. The teachers understood that. Now it's my job to come out with some of the materials needed in the program. Some downloading to do. Some programs using keynote software in my MacBook.

May Allah help me in my job. Pray for me. May Allah bless us all.