15th: A Malaysian celebration

I just realize that I am 1 short of the required 15 blog posts.

So I'll sum one up with my work on "Naw Ruz", a Malaysian celebration.

Now, I know that I'll be drawing some stares, but "Naw Ruz" is an integral part of the Baha'i Holy days.

It is basically the new year for the Baha'i community all around the world.


To learn more about the Baha'is, visit www.bahai.org

But this isn't a blog to promote the Baha'is. It is a written statement to record my weekly activities.

I started out to work on a 2 page long introductory note about "Naw Ruz". Originally, Naw Ruz is a unique celebration (it is a new year celebration for the Persians and Iranians) for certain people in the Middle East.

What I made is an article compressed for "I don't know what Naw Ruz is all about" fit enough for a Standard 5-6 student to read and gain a substantial understanding on the nature of the celebration.

I feel honored as I am one to write such on a celebration. I hope I have done Naw Ruz and the Baha'i community some intellectual justice.

So what I wrote? Simple stuffs. I need to keep it informative, yet not to omit relevant information. I need to pass this assignment off as a "two sheet of paper that you can read and know kit" sort of thing. It is a mind bogling challenge. But I've passed it. Dr. Edwin now holds a copy of it.

And I am just one happy soul who is more than happy to write about a special occasion.

I wonder what are the thoughts of cultural historians when they record cultural phenomenons and festivals? I'm sure they struggle alot to keep a neutral ground, while trying to make their articles as exciteable and readable. Now I can begin to see in an another perspective.

Nice!

Final week

It is already the final week. So many things have passed, some are good, some are bad.

I must admit that towards the last few weeks, the tempo has increased alot that I find myself needing to squeeze time to watch comedies just to allow myself to unwind. The act of unwinding itself is not an issue, but the workload is.

Still, there is one more required blog post, and I do not know what to make of it. Isn't there something memorable that I could write of?

I don't know. But to take this to an intellectual plane, I feel that I've somewhat missed the boat. There were so many things, so many questions that I wanted to learn but I've didn't. I wanted to ask Dr. Edwin so many things, but other students are equally wanting of his attention. I wish to satisfy my intellectual thirst for certain knowledge.

But it is alright.

What I've learnt is good enough. In time I'll be able to learn what I've missed, or what I might have overlooked. After all, in life learning achievements are all about measuring the intellectual progress that we have made as a student.

That is something worth as a thought for developing a teacher persona, and a scholar persona. Even if they're just of a low quality for now. They will, and they can, develop.

But this course is definitely one course that people can enjoy. And it should be enjoyable. I enjoyed every session in class. I hope my classmates feel the same.

Interestingly, a classmate of mine, Chan Kuo Wei, was able to sum it up nicely in his blog

http://kuowei85.blogspot.com with this.

What I have learned in this course:
1. various literary texts can be exploited for teaching purposes in the literature classroom. For example, a simple poem about teenage pregnancy can serve as a introduction into a text deals with similar issues
2. different genres of text provide insights into the author, cultural and societal background, creative usage of language and different styles of writing.
3. not all texts are written to be read by the eyes of the general public, which goes to show that literature may not be deliberate.
4. text interpretation is in the eyes of the reader, not the writer.
5. any form of literary argument can stand provided there is textual evidence to support it.
6. literature is meant to be enjoyed and experienced; and you cannot enjoy literature learning if you are late to class.
7. a teacher has to read, widely and extensively, to provide a wider perspective on literature and life. The reading habit has to cultivated among teachers before it can be among students.

Class life in EDU3234 with Dr. Edwin is good.

13th of Luck: Letter writing.

I write letters. Everyone write letters. Or, at least, maybe, most used to write letters.

But the art of writing letters is a dying art. People don't really write letters now. Do they? Many people now use E-mail. Although lawsuits and other forms of formal invoices will still take form in letters, rarely people will write.

I still do write. To my godson at least. I still remember that I used to love this one fine girl, who was from some parts of the interior of Sabah. The postal service back in 1998 was so bad then, that it literally took weeks for letters to arrive to her part of the world. And it isn't very often that a postman actually trudges caves, valleys and forests to reach her. I use to remember, it would be pages and pages long, consolidating one another.

Although we're history, but the significance of the letter is still there. Today, it is still the means of reaching certain people in certain places on this face of earth. Not that technology isn't good enough, sometimes it is just that technology hasn't reached certain parts of the world yet.

One very nostalgic thing about letters for me is that most of it were written with some sort of passion. Maybe that is why e-mails today are quite dull in my opinon. Straight to the cut, emotionless, lack of substance and flair.

But when I thought of it, I don't write emails the way I used to write my snail mails. Why?

Perhaps, once and for all, I should reflect on my position of writing e-mails. The original art form of writing letters may be dead, but I can still revive a certain practical art of it in every day to day e-mails that I send and receive.

Maybe. Let's see how it goes. I think I should. Not for the sake of art. I think there is much to gain.

literature research paper.

The clock is ticking, and there isn't much time left. I need to hurry. There are 9 supporting details so far, and I'm still sticking to the theme of "journey" and the same 4 novel. Tough act to pick, tougher act to follow.

But I will prevail. I must persevere to the end.

There are nine supporting details to do, four synopsis, two biographies, 1 full analysis, 1 full implication writing. All rolled up into one scroll of paper to be submitted.

No wonder why thesis writing are always done at the END of the semester, and they're usually the semester with the least subjects.

But the way government has set for us, it is as crazy as ever. We're some super teachers, yes they think we are.

But I must focus, I must persevere. I'm hoping for the best response from my supervisor. I am getting very anxious.

Heard the news that Dr. Edwin wants it on the Friday, 4th April 2008. That's not exactly a relief. But here goes!

11th-7: The freedom writers: We write to end an unspoken war.

I've finally watched "Freedom Writers". It is a much anticipated movie taken from the very same "Freedom Writers" that operates now in the United States of America.

I've read about the real Erin Gruwell. But let us put everything aside, and look at one thing: In real life, Ms. Erin Gruwell lost her husband (to a divorce), but she has her "kids", and she has a foundation ( a non corporate NGO foundation) to work with. She is no longer a teacher, but she has inspired many others to do similar feats in their lives as teachers.

Chup

Okay. So Malaysia have different issues of a different magnitude. The little part of the world that I used to live in, and will be living in; they have different issues where I will have to be observant, and tackle it, if my abilities and boundaries concur. The catch of this idea is simple; I start getting to these kids, I might end up having "no life". In every equation, there is always a price to pay. Some are higher, some are lower. The question is; how much do I have to pay for my work? At what costs? It is always a matter of equal payment. Some pay with time, some pay with effort, some are by miracles, some are by matter of consequence.

Let us look at this:
This, inevitably brings me to a reflection of Dr. Edwin's work. The details are blurry, fuzzy in my consciousness. But I've begun to see in a new perspective on what he wants us (as teachers to be) to be, and how we can go about it.

I've seen, read and heard alot; on this, on that, even on good Dr. Edwin himself. To put it simply, it is a miracle to be in his class. It is an intellectual solace. It is a sanctuary for English and teachers-to-be scholars in the making. Note there are two nouns. I intended that.

Back to Ms. Erin, and back to here;

I remember my first day in my foundation years back in the good old Maktab Perguruan Gaya (now known as Gaya Teachers Training Institute). I have received a short poem, from my Head of Language Department back then; Madam Evelyn Lee Fung Choy. It read as following:

A teacher teaches;
A good teacher explains
A great teacher demonstrates
A wonderful teacher inspires.

That, to a comparison to Ms. Erin, I hope in the near future I can develop a teacher persona like her too.

A silent toast to Ms. ERin for her inspirational work in this one crazy world. For a moment I have a call.

Change all the ifs to whens in this post.

That sounds more inspiring.

10-0. Diaries & Letters, Van Goghm John Keats, Kafka. Revealed!

So we read some diaries and letters.

Seriously, I have never even thought of peering into the minds of these literature geniuses. But now that we are expected to read letters, diaries which were penned by them, I have the chance, even though I may have not wanted to have it at first. But let us stop right at this moment here. There is something worth for us to look into.

Dr. Edwin spoke of "do we speak language, or does the language speaks of us?"

So there are many revealing things about these literature geniuses from the way they write and communicate. It reveals their thought processes, how they write, how they think, and what are their inner thoughts. Reading into these letters and diaries; their outpourings allows us as readers for once to step in their shoes, in their catacombs of their minds.

But to be like them is totally out of the question. To even the least emulate them, that is by far a matter of ignorance and to a certain extent, 'blasphemous'. (though it is the wrong word to be used)

But it shows a wealth of knowledge. To everyone to be shared with.

9th Run: On Nelson Mandela, Autobiography and Uniformity

We read about Nelson Mandela, just an excerpt from his diary.

By the way, his diary can be found online. Full version.

The spesific extract was The Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, Part Eight: Robben Island: The Dark Years.

There is something worth pursuing in South Africa; breaking up the White hegemony, the Arpatheid. There is something powerful about this narrative. Yes indeed, it is seen through only from one perspective; Nelson Mandela's. But there is something unique to see from his perspective. It isn't because he's automatically deemed to be a honest, trustworthy narrator (as how readers will do question whether a character is trustworthy or not) or not but the power in describing the details and other people. That made him a unique narrator of his autobiography.

You see, compared to other autobiographies, Nelson Mandela's autobiography has a special flavour which one will rarely see in other autobiographies. It is the quality of perception, having perceiving eyes (and mind).

In autobiographies, people and personas have the natural tendency to put themselves automatically in the position of the protagonist. Others are automatically vilified, or having tendency to be villified.

Nelson Mandela doesn't put himself that way. He acknowledges that before he fought for an anti-apatheid system, he was challenging the system by seeking a replacement through another racial system. He acknowledged that he has changed, and this change brought forward his conviction that South Africa must be freed from any form of racist government (be it segregative or discriminative in nature), and that makes his autobiography a good insight about his mind and thought processes.

But in this chapter, one very interesting theme was about the dressing and uniform. To sum up, Nelson Mandela demanded that every prisoners should have a pair of long trousers. When he was finally offered one, he turned it down when he learnt that others have not been given the same treatment. That was because the uniform that he had will make him different. To be different would mean he'll be 'special'. And being 'special' doesn't always necessarily mean a good thing.

In this part of the world, often leaders wear, eat, and live differently from other common folks. But Nelson Mandela insisted that he should be treated equally. Note, he wasn't entirely all out angsty about every white warden. He was sympathethic to some few who where equavalently sympathethic to him.

He does not easily vilify others, or allow others to break his spirit. That alone is good enough to indicate why he is a good leader. And from his narrative, he manages to have me reading from that perspective; irregardless that how others are, we must strive to give the benefit of neutrality.