LTMEs London Adventure Short Story

Life through my eyes 3: from teaching to leading Book Launch - 22 June 2019

Life through my eyes 3: from teaching to leading was successfully launched at MPH Mid Valley yesterday, 22 June 2019. It was a very special event and date for me.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my family members, friends and colleagues who came to celebrate at the book launch with me. I am so happy to feel your support and love throughout the journey of the three books. You guys are so thoughtful to give up your time to be with me for that special moment 🥰 Thanks to those people who drove or flew all the way from Johor, Perak, Terengganu, Kedah...too amazing. It was so special to have people from UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa supporting LTME too there.

Thanks to En. Izanee Ilias for officiating the launch and to Dr Kit Thomas for his wonderful and incredible speech about LTME1-3!

Thanks to everyone who sent good luck and congrats wishes! I wish you guys had attended the event so that I could hug you all 😆 I’m not sure when the next book launch will be as it’s not a yearly celebration 😆

Special thanks to MPH for the full support and commitment throughout the editing, designing and publishing process.

Thanks again everyone and I hope you will enjoy Life through my eyes 1: a teacher’s little steps towards perfection; Life through my eyes 2: from Kampung Kenang to Kasoa and the latest, Life through my eyes 3: from teaching to leading! Love you all 😘

The field work in Sarawak

Kuala Lumpur - Kuching - Sibu - Miri - Mulu - Miri - Kuala Lumpur

That was the sum up of all the places I visited for field work in just a week. It was an amazing and interesting experience for me to get this opportunity. Being back in Sarawak after the 3 months training in 2017, was something that I never expected to happened this soon. 

This time around the visit was not only in Kuching but also we travelled to Miri, Sibu and Mulu! Anyway, here are some updated of what learnt during the week:

1. Managing and organising events in three different places 

We were lucky to get the help from Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sarawak to help us organise the events. The events were promoted through the websites and were open to the service providers to come and listen to the speech. We organise with JPN Sarawak through phone calls and emails, for example the booking of the venue, the materials to use and so on. We worked collaboratively and the events were held properly through delegating the work effectively with good communication 

2. Monitoring and observing the ground work of services in school

I think being able to monitor and observe the services in the schools was really interesting and exciting. Especially when my job nowadays is mainly focused on preparing the framework, paperwork and so on. Being able to go and check what happens on the ground wad such an opportunity. Here in Sarawak, we were able to witness and understand for ourselves the situation in the remote schools.

3. Reminds me of my time in SK Kampung Kenang

Being in a remote area school brought back memories of SK Kampung Kenang. Teachers eating together in the canteen, students staying in the hostel, the clear river, the quietness and everything - such a wonderful moment.

Extra: 

Visiting and experiencing local attractions in Mulu

• Lang Cave and Deer Cave

The entrance of the National Park just 10 minutes from SK Batu Bungan. We went to the cave to see it for ourselves - the amazing and stunning geography that is world famous. The visit was quite short but both caves have their own identity. I would like to go back some day to explore further. We were lucky to view the bats flying out from the cave before the darkness of night came.

• Clear water cave system

The headmistress - Puan Molly and her team brought us to the Clear Water cave system also located nearby the school by boat. The journey took us 30 to 40 minutes and because it was dry season, the river was a bit shallow. The teachers managed to impress us with their skills handling the boat in a shallow river. When we arrived, I was amazed with the place because of the stunning and beautiful view; the water was cold and we fed the fish there and we could see them clearly.

• Penan cultural/village market

On the way back from the Clear Water Cave, we stopped by Penan village to visit the market and also to view the surroundings of the village. I loved it!

Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to do this again.

PS: Thank you to En. Aedy, En. Val and Aina for sharing the experience with me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019! I hope it's not too late for me to wish a happy new year. I think as long as it is January, it is acceptable right? As per usual, when it's new year, the time seems to fly so fast in the blink of an eye even just last week was still 2018.

While I was enjoying my 2018 with some small changes in life, 2019 will come with more exciting things. Some of the highlights of 2018: I did Umrah with my mom, dad and younger sister (amazing spiritual experience and hope to go there again); I moved work from Perlis to Putrajaya (learning so much more about procurement now) and I ended 2018 with a visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia with Dr. Kit and family (learning about Angkor Wat, the buildings and its history). 

I learnt a lot about life, about friendship, about hardship and about struggle. I learnt that sometimes when we just focus on what matters around us, we might forget that people around us have their own matters to sort out as well. I learnt that it is really important to be sensitive to that matter and always be careful on what we say, act and do. Some people struggle with some unimaginable problems. 

2019 - A year that I hope will bring everyone a great start for a great journey. I hope that everyone can focus on their happiness, achievement and positivity. 

Remember, happiness is not just for you, but for people around you as well.

PS: 2019 - Let's get started!

3 days 2 nights of Team Building

I have just returned from a refreshing 3 days and 2 nights team building activity. It was an amazing experience and I was so lucky to be able to attend the pogramme. I was not sure I could attend the programme at first, because there were another programme at the same time. Then when it was cancelled, I had the opportunity!

 

The programme was organised by the department I am working at now - Procurement and Asset Management Department of the Ministry of Education. There were about 28 participants which was quite small, I think. But small is good sometimes, small means personal and I enjoy personal. The programme was held in Hulu Langat - Pusat Kokurikulum Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Selangor.

 

Just a review some of the activities:

 

1. wall climbing - this was my first experience to try this activity. I always look forward to trying new things like this. I think less about nervous but more about excited. Climbing the wall needs precision and body strength. It looks easy from standing on the ground but difficult when you start to climb. I really enjoyed it when I started to be able to move up step by step, up and up I go. The feeling of accomplishment started from the start of the climb! Love it!

 

2. kayaking - never say never to kayaking! just to know there will be a kayaking activity makes me happy to join the programme. Even though the pond that we used to paddle the kayak was quite small due to the fact that the centre is mainly for school students. But I had my time! Just enjoying the moment!

 

3. jungle trekking - the night before we went for jungle trekking, it rained heavily. So you can already expect the structure of the hills. The journey started at about 9 am after an intense aerobic activity. I think this activity is the most tiring of all but the most achieving to teach people to be patient. We walked and climbed one by one patiently supporting one another. I think it was also the activity that got people screaming a lot because of the leeches.

 

4. survival (cooking) - right after we came down from jungle trekking, we stated to divide into groups and were instructed to cook chicken and fish in bamboo for survival. The recipe is quite simple where you just cook chicken and fish with some herbs and salt. 

 

5. archery game - this was the most memorable and enjoying experience for everyone I think. In the late afternoon, we were thought about bow and arrow. We were given a chance to practise using the bow and arrow beacuse we will play a game the next day.

 

Come the next day, in a group of three, the game was played in a league. The game was really interesting because you need to score points by shooting the board and also shooting the other players from the different groups in 2 minutes. As per usual, I am not so good at shooting but I enjoyed the game very much. I think it was also enjoyable because everyone was playing for fun and less for competition.

 

Overall, the programme was successful to get people to know and learn about one another in the department. I also think that this kind of programme needs to be done to get people together outside of the office environment! Less work, less stress, more focus, more output.

 

PS: feeling like Hunger Games while playing the archery game!
 

Life in a New Place

It has been more than 2 months now since I started to work in Putrajaya and stay in my own apartment. The working environment is totally different in Putrajaya. I am a junior officer here, in charge in a smaller role from a leadership perspective. When in Perlis, I led the unit; this time I am more of a supporter to my immediate boss. Anyway, it is a new experience to explore and understand. Actually, there are opportunities for me to apply what I have learned and experienced in Perlis as well.


Since starting to work in Putrajaya, the opportunity to learn and experience is quite amusing - slow - but a pace that I am enjoying. Las week I had an experience of going to a school in Taiping. The main objective was to revisit the work scope on a maintenance being carried out in a heritage school building. I was quite nervous to go alone to the meeting a I felt like my knowledge and experience in this new job scope is too little. However, a part of me was also excited to check out what out there to be seen and observed as well as it will be interesting to visit a school.

In the meeting, the Deepartment of Works started to explain the detail of the project and what are their plans for maintaining the heritage building in the primary school. In terms of standard operting procedure in applying for budget, I tried to help as much but as for the technical part, I mainly listened and every now and then asked questions when it was hard to grasp.

Then, we went to visit the school. The building looks classic and beautiful but needs a lot of work to maintain. The roof, the floor on the first floor, the cracks in the wall were some of the work that needs to be done soon. This is not just about maintaining the building but mainly to ensure the safety of the children in the school. Again, at this point, I was very intrigued by the view that I am seeing nowadays. If I were still a teacher, I think this would not be so much of my concern - the maintenance of a building.

I guess that is what you need sometimes - a change in the regular things that you do or think. Sometimes, if you stay in one place, you only see what is in front of you. But when you start to make a move, then you realise that there is so much more than what you have experienced before.

PS: Keep on experiencing!

Bye Perlis, Hello Putrajaya!

Yesterday was my last day in Perlis. It was a sad day saying goodbye. Time felt frozen and the day felt longer than usual. My staff planned a goodbye ceremony. It was hard for me to say good bye to be honest.

 Even though I was there for only a year, it felt like forever. The connection that we built was so strong that I felt like a family. We shared not only work related information but every now and then shared about our personal lives.

I do not know what will be coming up into my life; but I definitely know that the hole they left will be hard for me to fill. Thank you so much for being awesome, understanding and working together.

I think my first year as a PTD was a very significant learning experience. I learnt a lot about leadership and management but most importantly I learnt a lot about myself; about what makes me happy and what makes me stressed; what makes me laugh and what makes me cry; what makes me dance and what makes me scream!

Yesterday was also the last day I am able to travle back home to Alor Setar in one hour. After a few years working in  Perak and KL before, I was posted one hour away from my hometown. It was a great time for me to be able to go home more than I could before. Now, once again, I will be far from home. Definitely something sad but I believe sometimes sacrifice is needed.

Nevertheless, tomorrow will come and a new day will start again - new and fresh. Hopefully my steps are bright and shining.

PS: searching for a new tie as a new start 😀

Almost a year in Perlis

Oh no! I thought I would be able to update regularly my blog but it seems that it is quite hard to keep up.

Sometimes it is not really about time I think. Giving an excuse that I do not have time to update is quite questionable. I think I always have some free time but I think most of the time I prefer to do other things that can take away my mind from thinking too much. Something like watching TV series on the internet, doing jigsaw puzzles or going out with friends for fun; at least for that time.

Now it is almost a year since I started to work in Perlis Education Department. I think my skills and knowledge of procurement and asset management are getting better. I feel confident in making decisions and managing the work load. Even to represent the state of Perlis for a meeting in Putrajaya seems to be easier and less nerve racking.

Every now and then I feel the pressure and stress of being in the unit, the work load is quite challenging. Especially when there are only 8 of us managing the procurement and asset management for all the schools in Perlis. I try to be as strong as I can in motivating myuself. I am very lucky to be surrounded with energetic and motivated staff. I am not sure how I would work here if they were difficult. Thank you so much!
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Anyway, the difference to be back working in the government sector is still there. I feel lucky that I am able to have had the experience of working both in private sector and public sector. Maybe at some other time I will talk deeply about this but to be honest, I am glad to be back in this sector and to serve the country as best as I can (haha...sounds quite cliched).

PS: jom makan!

Malacca for a week

I do not really have time to think about writing at the minute as there is so much work to be done in the office now - end of year. However, because I am travelling at the moment, I can only do work on the phone and through emails when necessary.

Last week I went to a big event in Malacca. My task was to observe the liaison officer and the event itself as Perlis will be the host for the same event next year. I was in Malacca for almost a week and managed to observe from the day before the participants of the event registered.

It was quite amazing to be able to learn afar throughout this complicated event which involved many small activities such as sports event, youth event, talks and seminars and gala dinner. We asked some of the officers in charge for information and knowledge about how they do it but we tries to avoid disturbing their time too much. We took their contact details instead for future reference.

It was well organised as we can learn a lot from them especially on the registration day. They organised the registration smoothly like the welcoming, transportation, accommodation and others. I was able to witness how the liaison officers did their job from the beginning to the end. I managed to interview some of them to gain better understanding.

I think that the opportunity to learn was very interesting but also quite challenging physically as I think I was standing up and walking here and there the whole time and trying to be ahead of them to witness the event from the beginning. The experience was positive for my own learning and hopefully will be useful in the future.

PS: I am tired!

Dealing with the contracts

One scope of my job now is o monitor the contracts in the schools such as the cleaning services, safety services and food services. The contracts involve all the schools in Perlis and monitoring the service from the perspective of JPN is different from the view of a school.

When I was a teacher before, I found that these matters were not really my concern and my focus were mainly on the teaching and learning. Now, I have started to learn deeper and betterr how things work in school and the department as a whole.

Today, I went for a visit to a school, focusing my visit on the cleaning service provide by a company that has won a tender. It is different for me to view the school as a whole and looking at the other side of it as I mentioned before. I did not go into the classrooms to view the teaching and learning but this time I went to every corner of the school to see the level of cleanliness and the work done by the service provider accordingly to the contract that they have agreed.

I learnt that in order for a school to move forward and develop, we need to consider all the aspects. Yes, the teaching and learning is important, but so is the physical environment of the school. The part people can sometimes ignore but actually its impact can be big, and detrimental if we decide to put it aside.

Can you imagine if your school is not well kept and the weeds wild grass grow up like a jungle and no one cares. How is that suitable for students to learn and absorb knowledge?

Having the experience of monitoring the contract, I think it taught me some new skills of dealing with the contractors, dealing with the leaders of the school as well as dealing with the workers of the service provider. I am not yet well equipped with all of the skills and knowledge, but U have started to learn a lot.

PS: Sometimes easy sometimes hard - keep going!

no expectation

When I first started to learn about the job scope of a PTD, I already put some boundaries to some of the scope for example managing procument, infrastructure or finance. I wanted to avoid doing the work in these areas as I learnt about the complication and busyness of the nature of the work during my study time at INTAN. For the first posting of course you hope to learn slowly and getting ample time to grow.

However, as per usual, things get out of control. You have no power to determine and choose; and I ended up at a place that was out of my expectations. Anyway, I am used to this experience alre

ady but I guess sometimes it feels new. Last time I checked I ended up running in the orang asli school and sweating in Africa! So, I guess this is just another challenge that will grow me physically - I mean my stomach and meantally - I mean my stress level (haha).

After about 5 months working in Perlis, I think I have experienced quite a challenging journey as a new PTD. Working in the state somehow you need to be the main person to manage the procument unit. This means that I need to lead and make sure I carry out what have been planned through out the year as well as organise and plan new activities coming up.

I have been so busy (hard to explain), not just in the office trying to learn new skills and knowledge. I have also been busy going here and there for meetings, workshops and visits. I have experienced busy before but never in this way. Sometimes it gets me excited because I can feel the adrenaline running through my veins but sometimes I am just a tired human being. Sitting there at the corner, I just want to be lazy and chill when I got time for myself.

Anyway, it is always better to be busy than to be lousy. Are you up for a new challenge in life?

write and write

I still write about my experience, but at the moment, I cannot update here due to internet connection and other matters. Anyway, here are some photos for an update:

PS: Ready for the army training!

OBS: A meaningful experience

It was an amazing experience! That is what I can say about my Outward Bound School experience. It was already about 2 weeks I arrived from Lumut now. It took me quite a while before I can finish this writing. We were in Lumut for 7 days and 6 nights and we did a lot of activities in group that required individuals to work together to achieve the same goal. I will describe the activities that we did there but not necessarily according to the sequence.

There are 64 of us from Group 6 and we were divided into 5 groups. I was in team Rabong. The other 4 groups are Jerai, Trusmadi, Korbu and Liang.

The activities were:

1 - Sailing on the whaler

I rank this as the most difficult and hard activity of all. It required you to work together with your teammates and you learn a lot about each other. First, we were given the whaling lesson for almost a day. We learnt how to up the sails - the main sail, jeep sail and mizzen sail. Then we learnt how to row together synchronously. 

The next day, we started the expedition to the first camping site. It was about 22km of sailing to go to the place. It was raining the first time we sailed, and the waves were a bit rough. I was glad to be in a group of 13 people who are ready work together to make sure that the boat moves as fast as it can. We were so focused to reach the destination as well as supporting each other in need.

In the middle of the journey, there was a storm and the whaler was so shaky. Some of my friends started to get seasick. I was feeling dizzy too but I tried my best to distract myself from letting the feeling take control. We stopped rowing after the mother boat came and told us that we cannot continue the journey. It was a bit disappointing for us because we were looking forward to finishing up the rowing and sailing to the destination. Anyway, safety is much more important.

I think that this activity was really tough and tested the group members the most. We learnt about each other better. In that period of time, we were supporting each other, helping and caring for one another. With the tiredness of the body and stressful mind, anything can happen. We were glad we arrived safely at the destination.

2. The camping episode 1: Pantai Syawal

When we arrived at Pantai Syawal, I think it was almost 5 p.m. We were wet and it had been raining before - so the place was wet. Luckily for us, last night, before we departed, we had already collected firewood to bring with us. Quickly, we set up the camp and started to cook as the night was approaching.

Pantai Syawal is very simple and remote. There were no proper toilet, no running water and no electricity - reminds me of living in orang asli school and in Kasoa somehow. Everything is back to basics. We managed to set up to set up the camp and cook before it was dark. That night, we did a sharing session with the trainer; talking about the experience that we had on the whaler. Almost everyone shared how meaningful the experience to them. The experience, I believe, affected us all differently. 

That night, my shift to guard the camp was from 3 to 4 a.m. I woke up and stayed up with a few more friends - looking after the camping compound and the whaler that we tied nearby. It was raining for a bit before the storm hit the camping site. The wind was so strong that it almost blew away the tents but because there were people inside the tents, it was okay. I ran here and there to make sure everyone was okay inside. Deep in my heart, I was just praying that the storm would go away as soon as possible. 

The morning came. We packed up the camp and started the whaler journey back to the mainland. The journey back was much better because everyone was fresh again. Yesterday, we learnt so much from one another and we arrived with much more knowledge about each other. We know deeper.

3. Kayaking in the ocean

I love kayaking! That's what I can say about kayaking...haha... We had a kayaking lesson in the afternoon after we arrived from the whaler expedition. We learnt about entering the kayak, going off, rowing the kayak and also the most important and scary lesson - how to survive capsizing the kayak.

We started our second expedition the next morning. The night before we travel, we prepared all the materials needed for another night's camping. I was enjoying my time doing the kayaking. Even though the waves were quite harsh and we kept being dragged to the right side, I still found the moment great and exhilarating. Especially to find an understanding kayaking partner, Fatini. She was good and easy to work with. We did not even need to count loudly to synchronize our paddling. We just found the same terms and understanding! The kayaking expedition for us, felt so ast and easy!

4. The camping episode 2: Teluk Sekadas

The second camping site was a bit better in term of the facilities. There were proper toilets, shower and lights at night. I think this camping site was similar to many of my experience of camping before. Unlike our first camping site, this one was not difficult to adapt. Because we arrived faster than we expected from the kayaking expedition, we had more time to chill and relax. We had ample time to cook, walk along the beach and practice our dikir barat performance for the last night.

5. The 'baby' jungle trekking

In the afternoon after we arrived from the kayaking expedition in Teluk Sekadas, we went for jungle trekking. I like this activity. I think sometimes I do underestimate myself. I thought I would not able to cope with outdoor activities. I guess maybe because of my personality that is gentle and soft.

Anyway, we were told that the jungle would be short and easy - only baby level of jungle trekking. It was not! I have been on a few jungle treks before that the participants were school students. That was the baby level of jungle trekking. This was definitely not! The hills were very slippery as it had been raining for a few days and the hike was steep.

We managed to arrive at the hilltop, look at the view and enjoy the time. Then we went down and had a good swim in the sea. What a nice time - to have a laugh and enjoy the moment with the team.

6. Rafting and the group flexibility

The last day, we were given a task to create our own raft using PVC poles, plastic barrels and rope. We were taught how to tie the materials together with the ropes and then we were given some time to prepare the raft. The competition begins. Our group was doing so well that we left everyone else behind. I have never felt so much pain in my arms doing the rowing. This was the most painful result of rowing.

What have I learnt the most?

The most important lesson that I learnt in this whole programme is to be tolerant and considerate. When we are working in a group, somehow we need to always be tolerant and open to others. We cannot be selfish and only want to fulfill our needs in whatever situation we are facing. Most importantly, when we are in the middle of a stressful environment, tired and exhausted, that is when this feeling needs to play its role - consider everyone in the team. If you are too good, you might want to give others a bit of way in for them to feel as part of the team; if you are weak, you need to try hard to reach the level as everyone else. 

I believe that the programme has changed a lot of my views and other people's views of our life and surroundings. It was definitely amazing!

PS: Finally, I finished writing this one... Such a long entry ever!