I am so proud of you baby!

Baby's first article submission about our educational system was successfully published on today's Straits Times website. First attempt and you got a positive response - Well done dear! I am so proud of you. Keep up the excellent job!!

"Private tuition: Is this the face of primary education?"

WHAT does it say about the state of our education system when private tuition services blossom into a multimillion-dollar industry?

Is our educational curriculum so cumbersome that the lessons cannot be adequately taught within the six to eight hours of each school day?

Or are our teachers so incompetent that, at the end of each day, half the children leave their schools totally clueless about the lessons taught earlier in classes?

A friend was flabbergasted recently to discover a group of K2 students struggling over mathematical concepts that used to be taught in Primary 4.

Why should we rob our children of their childhood and burden them with a curriculum which is ridiculously beyond their age-appropriate mental capabilities? Are we unfairly setting them up for failure?
How then can we reasonably expect our children to develop a love for the subjects they learn?

I remember my own primary school days when I had time to play 'hide-and-seek' after school and spend hours doodling cartoons. Not a minute was spent on tuition. It did not stop me from topping my PSLE cohort, getting into a top secondary school, scoring straight As and winning a scholarship to study overseas.

The curriculum could be easily understood and thus adequately mastered within the allotted time. Sadly, this no longer seems to be the case, particularly at the level of primary education.

Two years ago, I was a volunteer manning a crisis hotline when I answered a distress call at 9.30pm. The caller was a nine-year-old girl. She was calling on behalf of her classmate who was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, having had to complete one worksheet after another. It was a classic case of kiasu parents who had unwittingly become victims of an overzealous education system. The number of workbooks they bought for their nine-year-old? Forty-two.

Is this then the face of Singapore's primary education? Is it any wonder that some families have migrated elsewhere while some others have resorted to home schooling?
How creative and resilient will be our workforce when they are bred on a diet of worksheets?

Children should be able to spend more time outside the classroom where life - itself a great teacher - can provide an even more enriching education.
If this calls for an overhaul of our primary education curriculum, so be it. After all, sticking our heads in the sand and pretending everything is fine has never been the Singaporean way.

Yusri Ithnin

Designer shoes, Designer queues

By Yusri B Ithnin

“Ooh..! I LOVE the shoes!!”

That’s the off-the-cuff reply I got recently when I asked my girlfriend what she thought of Sex and the City. Never mind the movie. Cary Bradshaw and her Manolo Blahniks probably have more impact than the storyline ever will. Call it in-your-face product endorsement if you will, but designer wear have caught the imagination of generations of shoppers and movie-goers. How else would you explain the line of schoolgirls and middle-aged aunties in the queue outside a certain designer boutique?

I’m an average guy who likes to look good as much as the next guy does. But I find it utterly ridiculous that people are willing to spend an hour in a queue for the chance to spend thousands of hard-earned dollars on a piece of leather. It borders on obsession. Why else would you join a queue that tells every onlooker that you are too much of a cheapskate to buy the designer item at regular retail price? As an acquaintance of mine used to say, albeit in a snobbish, diva-esque manner, “If you must queue up to buy it, then you certainly can’t afford it.”

So what makes these brands so sought-after? I used to think ‘exclusivity’ is the factor attracting these hordes to designer brands like bees to honey, to be one of the privileged few to lug around a $10,000 designer bag very much like a ‘look-at-me-I-have-arrived’ label. But when your neighborhood kopitiam ah soh is seen clutching a designer bag too, albeit a counterfeit from Petaling Street, it makes me wonder if ‘limited’ has gone ‘mass market’ and ‘exclusive’ has become ‘mainstream’.

Perhaps the queue represents another Hello Kitty phenomenon? Who among us can forget the crazy queues at McDonald outlets some years ago when obsessive bandwagon-jumpers were seen dumping burgers like discarded sweet wrappers as soon as they lay their hands on the Hello Kitty dolls, obliviously ecstatic in the mistaken belief those dolls will appreciate in value in the near future. Now I do not have firsthand knowledge as to what happened to those ‘investments’ but I do know the only one laughing his way to the bank looks suspiciously like Ronald McDonald.

The ‘designer’ queue is no laughing matter. Not to the ones who are party to it. But onlookers may find it hard not to chuckle, even snicker. Some, like the few men in the queue, sport that “don’t-look-at-me, my-wife/girlfriend/mother-in-law -made-me-do-this” look. Others probably just want the bragging rights to making ‘the deal of the century’ and turn their mahjong kakis green with designer-hued envy. Frankly, I can’t tell the obsessive ones apart; they all seem nuts to me.

Many women think a typical guy like me do not understand the psyche behind designer wear shopping. They are right: I don’t. Otherwise, FJ Benjamin would have hired me. But I do see a male equivalent in the snaking queues at Funan Centre whenever techies and geeks converge for newly launched products or popular online games like World of Warcraft. These queues were however driven by the desire to adopt new technology rather than a need to satisfy some narcissistic vanity. I won’t discount the desire for bragging rights, though. Geeks can get obsessive over hardware specifications, even over intangible bytes and pixels. I should know. I used to be one of them.

Which graphics card will best match this motherboard? Which designer bag goes with this designer outfit? See the similarities, ladies? Men are not from Mars after all. But here’s where the similarity ends. Our $800 top-of-the-range graphics card sits proudly within the CPU casing, protected by a host of cooling devices and surge protectors. Your Manolo Blahniks costs as much if not more. But when nature calls, would you sashay your way to a public toilet in your Blahniks or would you rather hold your bladder till you can find a more agreeable, designer shoe-friendly environment? I don’t know about you but that is a decision I’d rather not have to agonize over. Not when I just had a couple of drinks.

pictures to share

Happy 27th birthday to me!

Monday
15th June 1981
920am

That was the date and time of my birth. The day i was named, Meliza. And the day my twin sister, Masyida Salim was born. She passed away 1year after her birth due to cardiovascular related disease. Till today, and many years to come, i will always remember her. It is as if she never left. My celebrating every birthday, every year, will be the day, i am reunited with my late sister.

And yesterday, was the first time, my mum threw a party for me. A double blessing she said. To celebrate my new found job and my new beginning. More than 50 people came to the party. Wide variety of food, from the sweets to the spicy one. Food was superb as usual, thanks to "ibu", the Indonesian grandma who is a close friend of my mum's. My special invites went to dearest friends like Jun and her fiance, Maya, Jean and of course, my baby. Not forgetting my beloved relatives, especially couz!

The get-together was a good way to bond and share. Lil chats, cheeky giggles and HOT gossips here and there! The cake from Secret Recipe was amazingly good too. The guests did not leave empty handed. They were blessed with food from the party, to fill up those empty stomachs later in the night. ;)

I had a memorable birthday, mum. Thank you.

The age is just a number, someone said. I feel so lucky to have such great friends, family and life companion. I thank you for all your listening ear, kind advice and words of encouragement. May we remain close, even closer, in the future to come. To all, may we be blessed with good health, fortune and happiness. For eternity.

To Jun: Have a blissful marriage!

To Maya: Also, have a blessed relationship with him. You deserve it!

To Jean: All the best and success in your work.

To my cousin: Stay positive and cheerful. Never give up in your search for that perfect job.

To my family: I love you for being who you are. My pillar of strength.

To Ayang: You can reach the sky if you put your mind to it. Focus and aim high.

" Working towards success will make you a Master. Working towards satisfaction will make you a Legend."

And to you sis, I love you. Forever in my thoughts.

2 more days to my birthday!

15th June here i come!! Turning 27... it's just a number.. what counts is one must always enjoy life.. and so far i am!

It's A Long Long Entry

Hmmm where do i start? So many things had happened the past weeks. I have not been updating my blog for way too long!! Well.. one thing at a time.. let's see;

24th May 2008
My first visit to the New Sentosa. Tried the express train. Quite an experience, though, the train doesn't look any much different than the old monorail. But the colour of it does remind me of the bullet train in Tokyo. That one was an experience to remember-> smooth ride yet, it was moving super fast! The three of us decided to get the combo package which included the Sky Tower, Butterfly park, Luge, Museum and 4D matrix. The go-cart lookalike at luge was crazy fun! But one problem was the steering-> you have to pull it back hard otherwise it will bring the vehicle to a complete stop. So can you imagine your posture and weight you have to put on your arms throughout the 15mins drive?!

The most terrifying of all was the Sky ride. I love thrilling rides and feel utmost safe in them cos of the safety belts fastened around my waist. But this particular one, despite its baby-slow speed, it has no safety belt!! Except for that metal bar pressed against my thighs! What if a strong gush of wind suddenly rock the cabin!!!! We could fall and die... arrgh... never am i ever taking that one again.. The rest of the "excursion" was fine. Butterfly park was a disappointment tho, not many of them seen flying around. The museum was fantastic if you are one who loves history. We caught a video narrating the lives of our ancestors and played our o'l childhood games like "hopscotch, 5 stones, magic sticks, capteh and congkak". The tourists gathered around us while we showed off some of our skills ;)

Finally the Sky Tower. Had an almost complete view of Sentosa. The scenery would look lovelier at night i guess. The 4D Magix was like any simulator ride. Equipped with the 4D glasses, and living the life of a pirate, effects like an on-off windshock on your neck and vibrating seats were some of the highlights of the ride. Other than that, nothing comes close to a surprise.

A great day spent. Wouldnt mind going there again.

25th May 2008
Happy 26th birthday cousin! Celebrated with the whole lot at Chai Chee Seafood. Also known as Ooh La La restaurant. Situated near Kembangan station. A case of bad branding. We ended up spending 30mins looking for this place. Was recommended by my aunt who called it Ooh La La. In actual fact, the name is Chai Chee seafood. The former was only found on its takeaway boxes. What a way to confuse your customers! Other than that, the food was average, not overly priced. The company of my family was priceless.

6th - 8th June 2008
Took a drive down to KL to attend my cousin's wedding. Held at Puspanita, Dewan Sri Endon. Lavishly done, the parents spent more than RM$100,000 for the whole sheebangs. The couple: both a House office at Queen Victoria hospital in UK. Freshly graduated. The wedding dinner started at around 8pm, with 800 guests ranging from layman like you and me to VVIP like Tan seri, Datuks and Datins. The whole wedding affair lasted for more than 4hrs with more than 5 acts of traditional malay dances, silat and singing. Next comes the grand opening before the food was served, followed by endless phototaking and well wishes from the guests. If you think about it, the amount of money we threw here (say S$40,000) could be better spent there! Look at the grandness of the place. It a wedding fit for a king and queen! Ni baru dikatakan, raja dan permaisuri sehari ;)

11th June 2008
Had my first TP. What can i say the weather was against me. Maybe i was not destined to pass on my first attempt. It was a bright sunny morning. Had my warm up session at 730am before the actual driving test at 825am. All was smooth; my parking especially. "You have a chance to pass today" was the exact words from my instructor on that day. But as i waited for my tester, at approximately 815am, the weather took a bad turn. The dark skies covered the sun, and strong winds everywhere. I knew this was a bad omen. And true enough, as i turned on the ignition, heavy downpour filled the city! The visibility lessened. I took a huge gulp and did my best anyway. I guess it was a mixture of anxiety, esteem and concentration that screwed my driving on that day. For the first time ever, i was not able to do my parallel parking! The car just refused to get into the lot!!! Even after generous leniency from my tester and 5times later, i still failed to do so! I just could not see my poles for godsake!!! arghh... in the end, i succumbed to fate. I requested for an IM. But the tester let me to proceed on. As if i was still doing the test. We did the other routine and went on to the road. All was smooth. But i still failed. He assured me that i would be able to pass on my 2nd attempt, provided my parking improved. Perhaps its the weather, he said. And with thatm i hurried on to book my next TP. 5th Aug; i pray that the sun will shine brightly on me that day! Stay positive...

And to celebrate my failure for the day, the girls brought me out for a movie. Nothing better than a girly show like Sex & the city. Not too bad i must say. Really shows the strength of friendship and how it changes with time. Love among friends and between soulmates. To my bestie and good friend, i love u both! May our friendship remain strong.

Dreaming of my david

Had the weirdest and funniest dream last nite. U know one of those u get, that made wonder yet put a smile to your face. Mine was really queer -> I was the so-called the girlfren of David Cook... Haha!!! Can't get any weirder than that! ;)

P.s: Don't cry David! Perhaps we can be tog in another life! Hehe