When there is excessive competition among schools.

When it comes to education, politicians have often put in their hands to create results among school-children, sometimes with undesirable results.

In Malaysia, for instance, the demand for even better grades in examinations have caused much unnecessary worry among school authorities, parents and school-children.

At one time, there was a kind of grading of schools to indicate the type of results schools can achieve.
So schools coud be considered exemplary, promising and, should we say 'need further improvement'. Of course, no school would want to carry the stigma of being considered to be in a state of 'requiring more effort to raise the standard of the school. So, there was much competition among the headmasters/headmistress or principals of the schools. I know it for a fact that such competition did lead to immoral acts and behaviour of some school authorities.

During my schooldays and during the first fifteen years of life as a teacher, there was no such unhealthy competition among schools although the heads od schools did their level best to motivate the students to give of their best.

I remember that, as a student, I had to strive to perform well to be eligible for a school which is known to be the best. Very few students had to go for tuition and life in school could be said to be happy and what we looked forward to. Life in Hutchings School, Penang, was a joy I looked forward to each day. It was a primary school where I turned up each morning; or afternoon, if that particular year required me to attend afternoon classes; eager fr a day with my friends, games and learning. Certainly, there were days when school was not a rose garden. On such days, learning can be more difficult, understanding not as simple and mistakes happen too frequent to be allowed to go not reprimanded by a teacher. However, most of us accept evening fairly severe punishments without complaint as if we tried hard enough, we were often rewarded with encouraging words and approval.

Though it could not be claimed to be blood and sweat most of the time, I managed to be chosen to enter the then prestigious Penang Free School after my standard six examination.

So, any present day student reading this would certainly envy my school life. There was no need for any rush after or before school for one subject tuition or another. No burning the midnight oil. There was sufficient time for fun in the sun and a laze on the beach or grass. There was lots of physical joy and fun.

And once a school has been considered the best, somehow the teachers and the students managed to keep the standard high while less favoured schools remained so with not much pressure for the already mostly hard-working teachers and students. (Of course, at any time in history, there will always be the good, the bad and the ugly, be they teachers or students.) This is not to say that there were no better individual performances or results than those of prestigious schools but they were usually less than the number of outstanding achievers in the prestigious school where the pressure to uphold the name of the school was ever present.

When schools were graded according to the the yearly performance of the schools and there was a demand for better examination grades by the ministry of education, school authorities and the parents; students, academically capable or not, had to depend upon tuition to assist in obtaining those grades. In such a situation, the students are always the victims, at the mercy of their parents, the school and the system.. They are expected to perform. They had to produce excellent grades.

And the expectations are some parents are really ridiculous. I one was talking to a music teacher at a music center when a little nine-year old girl hurried towards the door. Upon seeing the girl, the music teacher reminded her to practice more at home. When received the advice to work on her piano, she sobbingly told the teacher, "My mother says I have to study more to improve my English as ninety-five marks out of a hundred was not good enough and I was given a stroke of the cane on my palm."
When I heard that I could not help but ask to see her mother. I very much would like to ask her mother whether she ever got ninety-five percent of her work in school right. And even if she did, how often was that possible. Imagine that! No approval for such good marks. So, to please their parents, some children may have to forgo the joy of childhood.

Then, the school authorities and the teachers play a part to create a grade A school. And i hear of a headmistress who would hunt for excellent students from other schools so that she could get them to attend her school. Of course, that was difficult but she did try and that was how other teachers got to know about it.

Another way to achieve exemplary schools is to weed out weaker students and discourage them from taking examinations. I heard that this did happen. Knowledge of this came about when one such exemplary school's action to prevent a few students from sitting for the examination  was revealed though complaints. In fact, other schools in the area were encouraged to go to the exemplary school to learn how the school achieve results. I went together with my wife whose school decided to visit such a school. We were taken round to the library and the toilet as well as some classes. When it comes to classes, it is quite normal to have lots of cards with knowledge and information displayed. What struck me  was the library and the toilet.

In the library, the books were stacked very neatly in their shelves with many displayed on the tables. I saw not a library but a book exhibition. It gives an unwritten  'Do not touch!' warning to anyone seeing the arrangement.

And the toilet was spotlessly clean. Along the walls were strings stretched from one corner to the next and attached were cards with multiple tables and other information. The aim must be to have the children learn even as they pee.

Fortunately for our students, the authorities have done away with such competition among schools and turn to other methods to improve the education of the children although the stress in still on scoring more and more As.

However, among the teachers I talked to, we believe that it may be possible that marks have been lowered to enable more students to get an A. For example, it is noted that B students in the 1960s can write and speak English better than today's A students. 



         

How many truly believe in God?

Sad is the day when we become confused and believe that God needs us to defend His name. He needs no defender. He is almighty, all powerful and no human can be His equivalent. If He wants Ai Wei to return to him, then that's that! Never can prevent or stop His power to do so.

At this point, there may be some who wonder which God I am talking about. Well, God is god. If you hear 'God', and you are a Christian, certainly you think of your Christian god; if a Muslim, you will think of your Muslim god; the Taoist, taoist dieties; the Hindus, Hindu dieties and other religions, their gods or dieties. Of course, there are people who are atheist. Atheist may think of whichever god the speaker professes to. As for me, God is just God as I am a monotheist. Yes, I do believe in the existence of God but I do not belong to any religion. I only belong to God.

Some may be curious enough to enquire the reason for my not joining one of the religions. In my previous postings, I have written on this. It is all due to my search for truth. When i was young I was interested enough to visit and witness any religious function that I came to know of. I have been to church, temples, shrines and mosques. However, that does not mean that I have seen them all. I believe there is much that I have yet to see or know. However, even to this I continue to see and hear much of what turned me away from religions. The trouble with me is that I am too observant and notice the many human failings that happen in religions. It is humans who organise things, sometimes according to their wishes and need to control others, and it is unfortunate for me that I realise the power held by these humans veered them away from the path of God.

Of course, there are many good people too in religions. I was for some years happily following Brother Love (a most suitable name for him as he really shows that to everyone he meets) around in his church in Alor Star, Kedah, attending his sermons, taking part in the church activities. He was one pastor who showed me what the church could do for people. In Malaysia, there is the ex-Perlis Mufti who has often reveal to us the true teaching of the holy book, Koran. There was also my own uncle in Penang who agreed to have his body used by the Elephant God to help heal the sick, sacrificing his family, his own future and eventually his own strength in order that others be healed. In healing others, he was not allowed by the Elephant God to collect payment or ask for donations. From him, I was told Ganeshan, the Elephant God, told him that only a donation box can be placed on his table and that money will be available whenever there is a real need for it. His temple was left unattended by anyone as nobody was interested in looking after a temple which brings no economical benefits. Well, there are many who sees the truth and do their part in their own way.  

In my knowledge on religion, I understand that Muslim and Christians pray to the same god. I was told that Prophet Muhammad was the last of the prophets while Jesus was the first. Of course, in Christianity, Jesus was known as the son of God. Nevertheless, if it is true that Islam recognises the Jews and the Christians as People of the Book, then it should be accepted that the God they pray to is the same God. Yet, go through history and we find religious wars between them with hatred still fermenting among the Muslims and the Jews to this day. Is that what religion teaches us, to have hatred among us, His creations? Even in my own country, some of the Muslims are at loggerheads with the Christians over the use of the Arabic word "Allah', which is a word that originated from the Middle-Eastern countries meaning in English 'God' and in the Malaysian Language 'Tuhan'.  And it is because the word for god in the Malaysian Language is 'Tuhan' that we find the use of the word 'Tuhan' in our Malaysian National Anthem.

See, problems arise due to the people who wrongly manage the religions. Since, 'to err is human' do occur from time to time, I find it easier to just believe in Him. After all, He hears me wherever I may be. He sees me no matter where I go. He knows I know my Creator. And He understands that I am answerable to Him. No, I do not wish to be answerable to just any human who can 'err because he is human'.

Furthermore, when we see the wrongs being done, do we ever wonder if those religious followers who commit those wrongs ever believe that their wrongs are always seen, heard and known by Him? Do those wrong-doers who are followers of one religion or another ever think of God watching every move they make whenever they wanted to murder, steal or curse someone? Do they really believe in God or is religion merely a tool for their own advancement?

Of course, that does not mean that a God-believing individual can do no wrong. After all, we are humans. We do make mistakes. But knowing that God is watching, we make less wrongs, possibly when we forget ourselves and the presence of God while experiencing strong emotions. Still, it is not an excuse to commit sin. However, the belief in God will lead us away from temptations to veer away from the right path. Talking to God helps us to be strong in ways more than one. I believe it has helped me attain more than twenty years of freedom from illness. When I tell God I will be strong, I begin to think of ways to be so. A healthy life-style, healthy food, exercise and sufficient sleep can be easier to achieve to strive for excellent health. With health comes greater happiness.

So, no matter which religion we belong to, God is always with us. It is time that we use religion to be closer to God and not to be more powerful than others. Imagine how beautiful this world can be if everyone truly believes in Him and practices what all religions teach. There will be no immoral deeds, no stealing or killing, no quarrels amongst nations, no extremism, no terrorists and better understanding among humans.             

Evil comes from humans, not ghosts, devils or spirits.

Most people associate ghosts, devils and spirits with evil. Bring up a subject on them and the sudden chilling thought of fear and evil envelopes the body. Yet, are ghosts, devils and spirits really evil? Are what have usually been portrays in films true? Have we not been lead astray in our belief of such other worldly beings?

Of course, it is true that spiritual possessions do occur. In fact, it was due to this fact that I was once involved in the study of ways to remove such spirits from people possessed by spirits. A friend and I went to an Indian temple in Harvard Estate near the town of Gurun, Kedah. Initially, I went there to learn about meditation and the opening of the third eye and the seven chakras. The flow of qi in the human body has been a long time interest of mine since its flow ensures our health. (This is a Chinese practice which I started learning together with Shaolin Kungfu moves. I read that the West have accepted and known about qi.)   

Before I digress too far, let us return to the temple at Harvard estate where, the chief priest, a person known to us as 'Bapa', which means father, used to teach us the art of ridding a human body of undesirable spirits. In our first lesson, we are told that we should not harm the spirits if it complies and leave the body of its victim. As an explanation for that, he told us it is not the spirit which is up to no good. The evil arise from a human behind the spirit. There are humans who learn to control spirits and made use of them to harm other humans. Such humans make use of their powers over such spirits to cause mischief and sickness to the people possessed by his spirits. Such humans may be paid by people to perform such devilish deeds. To help those possessed, 'Bapa' would need to exorcise the spirit by demands and threats before capturing it in a container. 

One day, 'Bapa' told us to practice hard as we may be faced with an adversary strong enough to retaliate for interfering with his orders to have a person possessed.  You see, it is not the spirit which has evil intentions. It was merely obeying the instructions of its master. The evil act, the devilish deeds, are those of the master and the people who employ its master to act on the victim. Whether the victim is as bad as the spirit's master or his employers, is not for us to question as Bapa's aim is merely to help another human overcome his problems. So, no matter how we look at it, the spirit is just a tool in the hands of its master. The evil comes only from the humans.

From then on, I fear the darkness and the spiritual world even less. Truth was brought by Bapa with his explanation. However, that truth stopped me from continuing my lessons on the expelling of spirits from humans as it could lead me to a world where the battle among the forces of good and evil will often erupt. In such a conflict, as in all conflicts among humans, we do not really know the actual devil. So I left that to wiser men than I.   

When the authorities bullshit us.

Last Sunday, 5th of May, 2013 was election day. It was a day I looked forward to. You know why? I just had to know the truth.

You see, earlier voters from the army and police had found the so-called indelible ink not as claimed. According to someone, the ink came off easily when washed. Pictures were seen. Can they be believed? Then, the Election Commission admitted that it was true but explained that it was due to one of the officers on duty being too nervous and had forgotten to shake the bottle before using the ink. Okay, nothing wrong with the ink. Merely, inefficiency of a worker.

I was an art teacher who has used the Indian ink for years to teach my students manuscript writing. The ink is water-proof and it is the best for answering the SPM (the name of the examination at the end of secondary school learning) art paper. It is really indelible and world have your pretty finger looking ugly for at least a few days, So, my students are always very careful with them.

So, it was that at half past eight I was at the voting center to do my duty as a citizen to choose the best possible leaders for my country. I went into a classroom (A school has been chosen as the venue for voting.) and when they found my name, it was read out and one lady painted my finger with a thick ink. Since it is so thick, it must have been well shaken. It did look like it could stay on my finger for a long, long time. I was given a tissue to dry it so that the ink would not smudge my ballot papers and spoil my vote. My marked ballot papers went safely into the ballot boxes, one for state seats and the other for parliamentary seats.

With the ink dried on my finger, I waved to some friends whom I met before taking a slow walk home.
Upon reaching home, I waited for half an hour before I washed my hands with soap and ......fantastic as it may seem the ink came off! What soap was that? Was that a wonder soap? Where did it come from? Oh, no! It may be wonderful for removing ink stains which the election commissioner claims will stick for at least seven days but what can it do to my skin? But, no. It was just an ordinary soap.

Ah! My girlfriends will certainly be happy as it will not blacken their beautiful hands for seven lonely days. So, I phoned a few of them but they were not surprised. Some of them had beaten me to it. Their fingers were already clean even earlier. And that was the cheerful part of this episode.

However, from what I have read, the authorities concerned had spent millions of our country's money purchasing inferior ink.To make the citizens happy with the heavy expenditure, they claim it was ink good enough to stain my girlfriends' fingers for seven days. None of them are going to appear in front of me for seven lonely days. But, it was all bullshit.

To cover up their wrongs, they give other excuses. After all, they have a magnifying glass to look for even a little stain left behind. And it cannot be too indelible, otherwise it is not halal.

Folks, this is what my dictionary inform me:
  indelible    /In"del.I.bl=/ adjective
    1    describes a mark or substance that is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way.

When you get such bullshit from a high ranking officer, what would the law do? I wonder.

My lovely females.

The betta splendens seen in the video above are females of a cross between a striped multicoloured Indonesian double-tail male and and a Dumbo (super big-ears) female. The siblings have so many variety of colours. And they are so active!
I give them enough food to ensure that there is no nibbling of fins. They are certainly lovely and a delight to watch. So, I have uploaded them to share with anyone who would like to watch. Well, enjoy!

How some friends stopped smoking.

April 21st 2013 is a day when three classmates of mine came to Sungai Petani to visit me. We had lunch at Ma Brown's and then we looked up another Penang Free School classmate who told us to meet hin at SP Club. We had a long talk about those good old day as well as what each of us had been doing.

One of usfound out that he was the only one among us still smoking. I was the only one who had never taken up the habit. I had tried to see how it felt like but it never appealed to me and I never liked it. However, the others did allow it to become a habit. So, they were telling David who wants to give it up how it should be done.

Richard Quah who came all the way from Australia told us how he did it by just telling himself he would stop. That was it and he did stop. Of course, he went through some withdrawal symptoms but he managed to overcome the problem. Then after about two years, he met some old friends and was offered a cigarette. Thinking that he was safe from cigarettes, he took a puff and got stuck with it for the next one year. Then, he told himself that that was enough of smoking and he did stop immediately although the same nasty withdrawal symptoms did wreak his a week or so of his life. The point is that he did it and he has been free from cigarettes since then. Like me, he is sixty six years old.

After hearing Richard's story, Tai told us that was also exactly how he stopped from smoking. For him, it was a health reason. But stop it, he did with the same method as Richard's. However, he told us the urge can easily return whenever he comes across people smoking nearby or an advertisement with someone puffing on the screen. Still, he has not been on cigarettes for more than three years.

Well, hope their experience can be of help to soneone who happens to come here.

A beautiful dumbo betta.

Here is another beautiful fish I wish to share with all of you. It is more towards the purple colour with places more red than purple.

It is so lively as you can see from the video I have uploaded for everyone to enjoy. And those huge pectorals are so clearly obvious due to its size and whiteness. I really wish to have it in my blog as I myself would soon lose the opportunity to appreciate its beauty when I have to sell it.

It is slightly past three months old now and with the more than hundred fish I have, I have to let some go. Furthermore, the more I breed these lovely betta splendens the more I hope to achieve with them. And to be able to do that I have to continue breeding them even though space constraints and time limit do not allow me such a pleasure. Well, I will just have to go the distance and find out how far I can reach.

In the meantime it is my pride and pleasure to enjoy my beauties with all of you. Looking at them, I have no alternative but to realise what a wonderfully beautiful world ours is.