Eight Things To Learn

One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?

He said I learned eight things:

First, I looked to the creation. Everyone has a loved one. When he goes to the grave, he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds; that way, they will be with me in the grave.

Second, I looked to the verse, 'But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust,' and, therefore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah.

Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse, 'That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains,' therefore, everything worth something with me I devoted to Him so it would be with Him for me.

Fourth, I saw the people seeking wealth, honor and positions and it was not worth anything to me. Then I thought about Allah's words, 'Lo, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most aware of Allah,' so I did my best to become aware of Allah in order to nobility in his sight.

Fifth, I saw the people being jealous towards each other and I looked at the verse, 'We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world,' so I left jealousy.

Sixth, I saw the people having enmity and I thought about the verse, 'Lo, the devil is an enemy for you, so take him as an enemy,' so I left enmity and I took the Satan as my only enemy.

Seventh, I saw them debasing themselves in search of sustenance and I thought about the verse, 'And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof depends on Allah,' so I kept myself busy with my responsibilities toward Him and I left my property with Him.

Eighth, I found them relying on their business, buildings and health and I thought about the verse, 'And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him,' therefore, I put my trust only on Allah.

Tag from ayu...

I received this tag from my 'biras' weeks ago. Unfortunately, I have to leave it undone due to some reasons. So, it's time for me to answer this task.

The rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog7 facts about me ;)

Now, the real me is being revealed...

1. Retail therapy is the best way for me to de-stress myself. I also love window shopping so much. I can just wandering about and enter every single shop in a shopping mall, without buying anything.

2. I am quite a 'kepoh' neighbour. However, not as much as the desperate housewives. Hehe. Ironically, I don't mingle much with my neighbours. However, I love observing their routines of going to and return from work.

3. I have to admit that I don't like doing house chores, especially 'lipat baju'. Satu penyeksaan!

4. I don't easily 'merajuk' if someone teases or hurts my feeling. I can hide my true feeling and emotion in front of my enemies.....

5. There's only 2 persons that I had ever really fought with and 'berpatah arang'. Tak boleh nak berbaik lagi, whatever happens. One is my former landlord when I was studying abroad, and the other is my ex-roomate during Masters. She is a muallaf, who constantly condemns Islam and criticizes the tenets of Islam. Other than the two, I can easily forgive and forget.

6. I'm not the goal-getter type. Many a times, I sacrifice my own goals for others' sake.

7. Love music. If I weren't be doing what I am doing now, most probably I would be an orchestra conductor.

That's all. The 'inside' me....

Week 15

Your baby can hear your voice, move, kick, and swallow.

Your Baby

The skeletal system is getting harder as your baby takes in nutrients from Mom, namely calcium. If you did a x-ray or even looked through the baby's very thin skin, you would see the outline of a skeleton. Fine hairs called lanugo also cover the body.

You

Oh my aching...gums? Yes, your hormones are even affecting your dental health. You may notice swollen or bleeding gums, particularly in your second trimester. Make sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day (and after each bout of morning sickness) using a soft brush and floss at least once a day. You should also have at least one oral checkup/cleaning during your pregnancy and discuss any problems with your dentist.

You may also be experiencing some constipation as your pesky hormones cause your bowel muscles to relax and work less efficiently and your uterus presses on your intestines. Increasing the fiber in your diet can help. For the same reasons, you also may be experiencing heartburn. Try eating smaller meals more often throughout the day and don't lie down right after you eat. Ordinary antacids can also help.

If you are planning on having an amniocentesis or other second trimester prenatal tests, consult with your doctor and make the appointments now.

THE EXAM IS OVER!!! HURRAY!!!



Mama mia pulak yg lega sangat rasa..

as if Mama mia yg ambil exam..

Updates on Mama Mia and the kids...

It's been ages since I last wrote about the family and the kids. Actually, since Mama Mia been hit by this never-ending mood swing and dizzy spells, the life has tremendously changed. The so-called homeschool activities had also been so slow and unorganized. Mama Mia is also experiencing the fluctuated graph of mood, motivation and interest in doing all the things that Mama enjoyed doing them before., including blogging and surfing the internet.

Wafitos @ Chichi Watanabe is having his mid-year exam for the rest of the week. This time around, he seems not so worried of the exam. It's not that he's over-confident, but I think it's merely because he knows what to expect in the exam. That's why, Chichi is so lazy, and I have to constantly remind him and drag him to do his revision. Especially the Arabic Language and Pendidikan Agama Islam, the two subjects that he really needs a lot of revision sessions from Mama Mia.

Afafita, on the other hand, has become so obsessed with his ladybird series, the "Peter and Jane". She could read the books again and again in a day, just to spend her time and kill her kebosanan yg terlampau at home after school, since Mama Mia is not able to entertain her as before. Kesian betul afafita. She also loves to write cards for Mama Mia, almost everyday she will write a card for me.

The kids anticipated the Mothers' Day so much. The had been making cards for their beloved mother several days before the day. I'm so touched with their thoughts and love. I think it's the most fulfilling feeling a mother's could experience.

Here's the special card from Wafitos.

His spelling and handwriting are undoubtedly very bad...:((

Thanking Allah for the kids...the apples of my eye!!

Remember DM...

Tips To Help Your Child Do Better in School

Tips To Help Your Child Do Better in School


Talking about school and exam, some children will do well
and they learn quickly. Some don't do so well. They have
trouble paying attention. Their grades are poor. Yet they
may be as smart-or smarter-than their successful
classmates.

Why the difference in performance?

The difference in performance may not be a question of
I.Q. but of behavior and attitude. Research has shown
that these qualities affect children's performance in school.

Successful students behave in certain ways. They have
the "right" attitude. They're motivated, they pay attention,
they're relaxed and they ignore distractions that might
interfere with learning. And, when they need help with
schoolwork, they know how to get it.

None of those things are inborn, but they can be learned.
And as parents, we can help our children learn them.

There are four steps that children can take to become
better students. There steps are for children of all grades.
They may sound simple, but they can make a world of
difference to your children.

You can teach your children strategies for the four steps:

- Paying attention in class
- Keeping interested in schoolwork
- Learning and remembering
- Studying

Paying Attention in Class

Children can learn to pay attention during lesson. Never
threaten or order them to "pay attention" in school
because it won't work!

Here are some simple techniques.

Using self-talk and positive images. Children can use
words or phrases to help control attention.

For example, they can tell themselves to keep their eyes
on the white board while the teacher is writing on it to
explain a problem. You can help them practice positive
self-talk at home in various situations: when playing a
game, doing their home work or working at their hobby.

Help them stop negative self-talk and to be positive
about themselves. One good affirmation statement is "I
can do it." Parents can help children to learn to see
themselves doing well in school and in their everyday life.
For example, we tell her to picture herself answering
questions correctly in class and feeling good about
knowing the answers. And whenever she has a show-
and-tell or piano performance, my wife and I will always
tell her to picture herself doing well on stage and tell to
feel good about herself.

Asking questions. This helps children focus their
attention while studying. When reading a science chapter on
plants, students might ask themselves "What are the
various category of plants?" "What are the various ways
that plants can reproduce themselves?"

You can suggest general questions to a child, such as:
"What is this paragraph about? Who did what and why? Is
the main point true or false?" Asking questions can grab
wandering attention.

Setting specific study goals. Your children can set goals
that will help improve attention. Ask them to study a
lesson until they can tell you the main point of the
paragraph, solve a specific math problem, or know specific
names, dates, and places mentioned in the text. Discuss
each goal with your child.

Keeping Interested

Learning is a joint effort. Everyone must help if students
are to learn. Teachers are responsible for teaching and
parents for parenting, however students must realize that
no one else can do their learning for them.

Children must believe that the hours they spend studying
and the effort they put into it make the difference
between success and failure. Some youngsters believe
other things control their success or failure - e.g. teachers,
basic intelligence, or luck. They ignore their own
responsibility.

You can help your children accept the fact that their efforts
do make a difference. The next time they bring home test
results, written comments, or report cards, discuss the
reasons why they did well or poorly. Help them relate their
efforts to the result.

Do reward a child for improvement. Your praise is music to
your child's ears. You might consider treats or trips or
privileges for special achievements. Do stress the benefits
of doing well in school. Some benefits are immediate, such
as having more free time, and some are long-term, such
as getting a scholarship or an interesting job.

Remembering Key Facts and Information

A child's success in school is determined not just by
intelligence but by the strategies he or she uses to master
many facts and concepts.

Understanding a subject doesn't just happen. It takes
work. It requires taking an interest in the subject, and
relating new information to familiar information.

Besides teaching the strategies for paying attention, you
can help you child use various strategies to remember and
recalling the information. You can decide how best to
adapt a particular strategy.

Here are the strategies:

Building bridges. It helps children to build a bridge
between the new and the old - between new information
and things they already know. They should look for
similarities between the new and the familiar. For
example, a child studying a geography chapter on a
particular country could relate the lifestyle of its population
to what he learnt from his recent education field trip,
about the physical environment of that country.

Making inferences. Encourage your children to try to
draw conclusions from the material they are studying. When
they are reading about an invention- e.g. the airplane,
they could consider what people would do without the
airplane.

Categorizing information. Many school activities involve
learning and remembering large amounts of information.
Sometimes there are long lists of names and dates. When
there are many items of information to learn, students
should group them in categories. Students in beginning
music classes don't try to remember the names and
characteristics of every musical instrument, but group
them: percussion, woodwinds, strings, and brass. Your
children should try this technique in subjects ranging from
geography to English to math.

Finding the key ideas. As students listen or read, they
must frequently ask themselves, "What's the point being
made here?" By constantly looking for the key idea, they
concentrate on learning the important material. This also
helps to keep them actively engaged in studying.

Studying

Your children need a place to study. Whether you live in a
one-bedroom apartment or a house, you can set aside a
study area. It can be a desk in a bedroom or kitchen table.
But it must be fairly quiet with good lighting.

Children also need a time for studying. Help your children
create schedules and time table. If they set aside time for
chores, work, fun, and study, they can make better use of
their time. These schedules should be flexible enough to
allow trade-offs whenever necessary.

Previewing material. Encourage children to begin an
assignment by previewing the material-for example, by
reading the introduction to a chapter, the headings, and
summary. This is like looking at a road map. Here they
create a mental "map" of what is ahead. They complete
the map's details when they read the chapter.

Reading and thinking. When reading the chapter, they
should try to fit details into their mental "map." This is the
time to use the attention-grabbing strategies - self-talk,
positive images, and questions. It helps if they pause
before each new section to test their own understanding.
Using the strategies for learning and remembering, they
can ask: "What conclusions can I draw from this? How
should I categorize the information? Do I see analogies?
What are the main ideas?"

Making notes. Children can't remember everything they
read. It will help them, though, to take notes of the main
points. These notes serve as a summary of the most
important points. The act of taking them and reviewing
them will help the student to categorize the material,
understand, and remember it. And the notes will help in
preparing for tests.

Self-Testing. Children should test themselves to see what
they know and don't know. They can then apply their
study time more efficiently to the sections on which they
are weakest. You can help by making up test questions,
for example, "What are the chief food products of the
country being studied? Why? Do we use these in our
home?"

Preparing for Tests and Exams. Encourage your children
to prepare for tests and exams by spacing studying over
days or weeks. They should make sure they understand
the material and relate it to what they already know. They
should review it more than once. "Cramming" the night
before is not a good idea, and it is important to get a good
night's sleep.


by Alvin Poh

A tribute to a great teacher...

SEORANG GURU

Seorang guru yang kukenal

Benar-benar guru

Sangat ramah dan merendah

Semakin tinggi ilmunya

semakin tinggi budi pekertinya

Bijaksana orangnya

Kutemukan arti sebenar kesarjanaan

Pada sosok peribadinya

Berani bercakap benar

menentang kezaliman

Sanggup menanggung risiko

Pantang berpura-pura

dan alergi dengan kemunafikan

Jiwanya besar

Godaan dunia tidak menggoyahkannya

bila kebaikan yang diberi

balasan bukan harapannya

Guruku

Tidak hanya ingin aku beradab kepadanya

tetapi menjaga adab terhadap muridnya

Dia tidak hanya bercakap tentang adab

tetapi menjelmakan adab pada dirinya

Selain ilmu

Guruku mengajarkan kebijaksanaan

Tentang bagaimana melakukan

sesuatu yang tepat pada masa dan tempatnya

emosi, keegoan dan kepentingan diri

diketepikan untuk sesuatu yang jauh lebih mulia

Seorang guru yang sejati

adalah seorang jauhari

yang tahu menilai manikam

Kebenaran, kebaikan dan keadilan

adalah matlamat hidupnya

hidupnya bukan untuk dirinya

Permasalahan dan nasib umat

selalu berada dihati sanubarinya

Khalif Muammar

8 Mei 2008