Miracles of A-Quran ( Pt 2 ) – Dr Rashad Khalifa.

 Code Nineteen

Almost five months ago I posted my first thought on a new series to be named The Miracles of Al Quran (click)

Then one new issue came after another, giving the impression that I have put aside what I started with. On the contrary, the subject is one of Pakcik’s favourites. I have to apologise to my visitors like Aziela who expressed interest in this subject. 

Way back to mid 1970’s, an Egyptian living in America, made an astounding discovery which amazed the Islamic and non-Islamic alike. The man, Rashad Khalifa, born in Egypt in 1935,migrated to America at the age of 24 after obtaining his first degree. He then earned a Master’s degree in biochemistry in Arizona and, later, a PhD in California. It was in 1974 when Rashad Khalifa, using computer, made a sensational discovery of number 19, later known as the Code Nineteen of the Quran. An article on this subject found its way into the famed Scientific American magazine. One should appreciate that the earliest laptop computers only came into the market by mid 1980’s, but Rashad had used a computer ten years earlier to analyse AlQuran.  

 Dr Rashad Khalifa's tafsir

Code nineteen by Dr Rashad Khalifa

I came to hear of Rashad’s discovery towards the middle of 1980’s. Like many Muslims and non-Muslims world over, I was very fascinated by Rashad’s discovery. It did nothing but to strengthen my belief in the endless miracles of Al Quran.  I will not attempt to describe in any detail of the discovery related to number nineteen, which most of us already know, I am sure. To me this is a miracle and I would like it to be the first example in this series.

Here are just a few of the many aspects of the so-called code nineteen of AlQuran.

     1)  The total number of Chapters of Quran is 114 ; that is   19 x 6 = 114

2)     The opening statement of Quran – Bismillah… consists of 19 letters.

             

 19 letters of Bismillah

3)     The first Quranic revelation – Al Alaq … consisted of 19 words. The total number of words in this Chapter is  285; that is 19 x 15 = 285

         

 285 ( 19 x 15 = 285 ) of Al Alaq

4)     Surah Al Baqarah begins with three letters Alif, Lam and Mim. The total occurrence of these three letters in this Surah is 9,899; that is 19 x 521 = 9899. This phenomena

occurs for all other Chapters (Surah) starting with letters , the likes of Sad;  Alif Lam Ra; Ya Sin etc.

      The number nineteen itself ( in Arabic: tis‘ata asyara ) is found in Surah AlMuddaththir (74)    

  

Al Muddaththir (74)

Rashad became a popular hero, commanding full-house audiences as he lectured at universities, mosques, organizations and even royal and presidential palaces.  Rashad was inspired It was most unfortunate that, at the height of his popularity he began to have ideas that he was a divine messenger, not a prophet. This overshadowed the seriousness of his previous achievement, and undermined all the good that he had done.

Rashyad became a threat to Islam. A fatwa issued on Feb 19, 1989, by the Islamic Legal Council of Saudi Arabia and 38 scholars decreed Rashad Khalifa a heretic. On January 31, 1990, he was stabbed to death at Masjid Tucson.

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Code Nineteen of AlQuran has become a controversial issue. Pakcik will not make a stand on this. Believing in numbers is against our basic faith in Allah.  To me it is not 19, as a number. But the Quran, apart from showing all the scientific marvels, shows that AlQuran is structured beyond the ability of any one but the God himself. The whole Book is bound by an uncanny structure and arrangement which, if a word is being altered, the change would show. It is like a kind of seal that one uses on an envelop to show that the document inside has not been tempered with. Likewise, Al Quran has been carefully sealed in a ‘nineteen ‘ manner to prove that after about 1400 years we now discover that the contents of the Book has never been tempered with, not even a letter, true to His assurance that He alone preserves it.

So I take code nineteen as a seal to assure ourselves of the sanctity of that Book, a miracle. It is not 19 as number to believe in. I regret that I am unable to post details of a number of very uncanny incidences in Mecca and Medinah during my Haj in mid 1980’s, involving the surah containing ( tis’ata asyara ). 

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan.

With a Sigh ( Pt 20 ) – Katak dibawah tempurung

Now we will mass-produce Ph D's for a song

 Good news - how to save billions!

That came out last Sunday in the Star. A high-powered government spokesman said that “research universities which produced PhD had saved almost RM2 bil so far.” So why should we spend money sending our candidates to universities overseas?  When referred to the absence of Malaysian public universities in the prestigious Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 2014, the answer was, “Rankings do not mean everything ……”. Of course all such spokesmen talk about our universities as nothing less than ‘taraf antara bangsa’ ! But, sad to say, industries in Malaysia find our graduates badly lacking, resulting in increasing number of jobless graduates. Now our politicians are mass-producing Ph D holders to sell kacang puteh.

Living in Terengganu and seeing the marvel of this kotaraya dipersisiran pantai, I wonder why we started and still continue with the great ‘Monsoon Cup’ event every year. What does the annual expenditure of that few days’ event mean to our local fishermen when the weather is often too rough to go to sea to earn the few ringgits for their families?  I also question why we spent billions on building miniature mosques of the world – but none, I understand, qualifies to have Friday prayers? How I wish those beautiful islands in the picturesque large estuary of Terengganu River were to be the home of some medical specialists, with five-start medical centres and accommodations to become a unique centre for medical tourism; the way our small neighbour down south ( lacking spokesmen!) has been flourishing over the years without songs and gongs (or should I say song and dance?). 

So we are now starting to produce locally Malaysian PhD ‘tab - taraf antara bangsa’ and save money. (But do we really need money? I understand 1Malaysia has plenty to hand out cash. ) I am not surprised a holder of our locally produced PhD, named Abu, will have the pride of writing on his business card :  Dr Abu bin Adam, PhD-tab.

Not having a PhD myself, I read what those clever spokesmen say, and I sit back heaving a long sigh, and tell myself I am not qualified to comment and am behind time. Only ‘katak dibawah tempurung’ does not need to see the outside world and get thrilled to hear whatever is sung is lauded without question.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

End of the tunnel (Pt 24) - Serving the community

My 'little' girl no more

Five months ago I posted my Part 23 of this series, my favourite series where I sketch out briefly the passage travelled by a selected number of those who studied at Almanar. Their ability to free themselves from the life of hardship, through education, has been the source of my inspiration to move on against some very frustrating moments.  Writing about these children, how once they were, gives me a chance to reminisce with satisfaction, and convince my aged self that money does not buy what love and caring can. 

A week ago the ‘little’ girl showed up. Sweet ‘little’ girl she still is as she was when she joined Almanar tuition class nearly 20 years ago. She belongs to that very first group of twelve Form One children. “Little’ she may still be but Nadirah has a man and two children of her own.

My 'little' girl no more

Nadirah’s family house is about six kilometers from us. I remember those days when together with half a dozen friends living around the same area cycled, rain or shine, all the way to Almanar after school, and during holidays. Those were the days when Almanar helped to provide bicycles to children in need. It is mystifying why, today, children are reluctant to come even with free school bus service provided. But I sympathise with them. The new 2013 Malaysian Education Development Plan (or is it the Blueprint?) has succeeded in holding them back at school, attending extra classes, co-curricular activities; some reaching home at three, exhausted. In those years we were able to start afternoon classes as early as 2.30. 

Pak Ghani, Nadirah’s father, was a vegetable seller at a market Makcik and Pakcik regularly frequented. He practically had a small area reserved, where he laid a sheet of canvas to display what he had to sell. As he insisted on giving us things for free or at below-cost price in return for helping his daughter, I had to make a special effort to skirt away from his post. I remember an occasion when he caught sight of me walking in a distance. Knowing that I would not visit his site, he rushed to pack in a large plastic beg a items he expected us to need, and ran after me. I had to accept it. It was his pleasure. That was Pak Ghani. About ten years ago he fell ill and had to stop selling vegetables. Whenever he was well he would follow his friends going out fishing. It was a sad day when the good Pak Ghani passed away (yarhamuhullah). On the day of the funeral I looked at the old wooden house and wished that his big family would go through life with success. On this point I am happy to note that nine of his ELEVEN children, (two of whom died young) are doing well. There is a university lecturer in the family. Out of curiosity the two of us drove to the old Pak Ghani’s house a week ago. The moment Nadirah’s mother opened the door and saw me she carved a broad smile of instant recognition, exclaiming, Oh,Pakcik, lama tak jumpa! Mana Makcik?( Pakcik, I’ve not seen you so long! Where’s Makcik). She rushed down the wooden steps to meet Makcik in our car.

_____________________________

 

Nadirah did very well at school and was selected for a one-year programme in preparation for medical course overseas. It was most unfortunate for her that the downturn in the economy of the country resulted in disbanding of the special scheme for the talented. I remember it too well how bitter I felt for her and her friends. Her dream to be a doctor was shattered; but life had to go on. She turned her interest to the field of education. Four years later I had every reason to marvel at my special little girl. She earned herself the rare distinction of a first-class honours degree from the University of Canterbury in primary science education.

Since the start of her teaching career she has been posted to work right in the middle of Pahang jungle. One hears of the well known Lake Bera (Tasek Bera) and, not far from there, she is a teacher at a school of about 200 Semelai (orang asli) children of mixed religions. She is proud to be teaching Bahasa Melayu, English and Science. She is looking forwards to be teaching Mathematics as well, making her a rare teacher doing all the core subjects. I could sense her eagerness to be doing something for the poor children of the aborigines. Every week she spends time teaching English to some parents of her pupils, hoping these parents would help to motivate their children.

Nadirah and family have gone through the tunnel. It is sad to realise the one person who worked his life, as vegetable seller-cum-fisherman to support them all, is not here to enjoy the fruit of his labour.   (AlFatihah for him)

I have promised Nadirah that the two of us will be visiting her one day. I wonder if Tasek Bera has its own ‘Loch Ness’ monster of the Scottish Highlands. Perhaps that mysterious lake is shaded by magic weeping willow trees under which we could take a shower to rejuvenate ourselves! Then, we may even think of an off-campus Almanar by Tasek Bera!

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

Wedding we would never want to miss

Last Saturday was a good day for a pleasant drive to KL even for the sole reason of attending a wedding reception of a couple whose marriage ceremony had taken place earlier in London, where they work. Pakcik and Makcik could not possibly deny ourselves the pleasure of seeing the handsome groom, Hafiz. We have known him from his young school days, learning Arabic with Arab students in London. His parents are none other than the famed journalists/bloggers, Awang Goneng ( Wan Hulaimi) and Kak Teh (Zaharah).    

                   

Hafiz and the proud mother (Kah Teh) with the beautiful bride (Nora) in between

                     

And the proud Awang Goneng (Wan Hulaimi) with us

We pray for a marriage that will be blessed with lasting happiness, qualifying the couple the status of parenthood, and their parents the status of ‘datukship’. Ameen.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan  untuk kemanusiaan

What Pakcik received  (Pt 6) – Would it ever come around?

Acknowledgement: 

Thank you Nik

___________________________

Want it back. It Does work His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while tryiI ng to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. 'I want to repay you,' said the nobleman.  'You saved my son's life.' 'No, I can't accept payment for what I did, ' the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. 'Is that your son?' the nobleman asked. 'Yes,' the farmer replied proudly. 'I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.' And that he did. Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill .  His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill. Someone once said: What goes around comes around. Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan  untuk kemanusiaan

With a Sigh ( No 19 ) – No turning back for PBS

PBS forever

In my No 18 of this series I questioned whether I was being unjustly critical on the subject of PBS and, in general, on the education ‘blueprint’. When I was about to drop the issue from my mind two things prompted me to sit back to write this. First was the news splash on the endless PBS issue. There is no going back. It will be bulldozed through with a huge concession; teachers’ workload will be reduced by 80%.Isn’t that fantastic? Had no one ever thought through the implementation of a major project, or was there no one with his/her brain working outside the guitar box?  How could such a huge impact on workload was never thought of; pure nincompoop. Now do I hear, “Hurray!!” from teachers on hearing the recent discovery of reduction on their workload ?    

The second announcement made was the planned disappearance of the current PMR examination, making way for the emergence of yet another examination called PT3 – whatever that is, of world class, no doubt. I am surprised if we will not be told that before long the SPM will be called differently, like SP1M.

A Perfect solution !

__________________________________ 

As a rule, children join Almanar tuition class at Form 1, allowing sufficient time for us to give these children sound understanding of the basic knowledge in English language and Mathematics by the time they sit for their PMR examination three years later. This has proved successful. It is never our requirement that children are accepted on the basis of their good primary school records. Preference is given to those with poor family as long as the children are prepared to move at the pace we, taking cognition of the level of their knowledge, set for them,

Unfortunately there are instances when we get request for help from children at higher Forms. A typical example is the case of three girls of Form 4 who, ten days ago, approached Pakcik for help in English and Mathematics. They performed well enough in their PMR examination end of last year, gaining as many as 6 ‘A’ grades in subjects except English and Mathematics. Two of them managed to obtain ‘C’ grade and the third just ‘D’ grade in English. No one in that school obtained all ‘A’ grades in the examination. These three children are conscious of the need to get help but are not prepared to pay for evening tuition classes mushrooming around the area.

To have a very rough indication of the level of their English, I made them translate into English the following two Malay sentences:

“ Adam seorang budak bernama Ali. Dia mempunyai dua orang abang.”

Girl No 1’s answer : “Have a boy name Ali. He has two brothers.”

Girl No 2’s answer  : "Have boy is name Ali. He have two elder brother.”

Girl No 3’s answer  : “There are boy name Ali. He have two brothers.”

Wouldn't I heave a long sigh when I am faced with this situation? Will the ‘blueprint’, PBS and so on, solve it all in future ?

_______________

Special request to my visitors:

I know a number of visitors to this blog are teachers with experience in general and English Language in particular. Bearing in mind that many do not wish to give open comments for other visitors to read, I sincerely seek their comments, (via  email to   almanar@pd.com.my ), on my thoughts related to education in Malaysia. I must admit that, entrenched in the system I was so familiar with half a century ago, I could have reflected a totally out-dated thoughts. I would not be embarrassed or offended to adverse comments which I am grateful for.

 

  _________________________

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk keemanusiaan

Pakcik Reminisces ( Pt 35 ) - The Road I Took (No 1)

Education

                                                                                           :

           

Allah yarham Idris

That is my late elder brother, (Allah yarham) Idris who passed away last year at the age of eighty two (82). This picture of him, dressed like an Arab prince, was taken soon after his return from his Islamic studies in the Middle East, hence his attire.

I was then about to finish my secondary religious school, and, if all went as planned, I would be shipped (literally so, before the era of air travel) on the same course to the Middle East. Of this plan my brother had a suggestion which sounded logical. In his opinion younger sibling should first be allowed to learn some English. He saw that as an advantage; he himself planning to join a private school for some knowledge in English language before applying for a job. His words carried weight. After all I was relatively young, having performed two years ahead in completing the religious school. Yes, I was ready for that.

Today, I realise what happened then, was a landmark in my life. I was being led to a junction where Robert Frost’s famous poem said:

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

  And sorry I could not travel both

  And be one traveler, long I stood

  And looked down on one as far as I could

  To where it bent in the undergrowth

           ……………..

           ………………”

__________________________

It was not easy by any means for this boy to join the only Government English school in the state. I lacked sufficient knowledge in English (other than whatever I had managed to pick up from afternoon classes) and mathematics. But my family was adamant that I must join the government school, by hook or by crook. It was indeed by ‘hook or by crook’ ( of which I hope to write one day ) I found myself starting my proper education in English. I had to begin at Standard Seven, the equivalence of today’s Form Three.

Three years followed and I performed well in the Senior Cambridge School Certificate examination (SC), the equivalence (or not quite!) of today’s SPM. The choice of a new path began to emerge in the thick undergrowth, and I took it.

To end Robert Frost’s poem:

“ I shall be telling this with a sigh

   Somewhere ages and ages hence:

  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

  I took the one less travelled by,

  And that has made all the difference.”

The SC results were good beyond expectation, giving me an alternative route, equally attractive. And I took the road.

Indeed, ‘ages and ages’ thence, 62 years later, I reminisce and tell myself ‘with a sigh …. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled. And that has made all the difference."

What, otherwise, I would I be today had I taken the other road?

My contemporaries of that time became ‘mufties, kadhis’ and educators in Arabic and Islamic subjects. One of them has the satisfaction of having, among his tutelage, a champion in the Malaysian International Quran competition. One of them, Allah Yarham Abdul Malik, a graduate from Al-Azhar, passed away two years ago while serving as a respected Imam of a mosque in Sydney where he decided to settle down with his successful family.

Year-1951
School librarians of Sultan Zainal Abidin Religious Ascool.

Allah Yarham AbdulMalik sitting (left in picture) and Pakcik standing left and there friends (Yarhamuhumullah)    

I could be, today, enjoying my old age as one of them had I taken the other road in the wood. But this had not to be. That elder brother of mine, (Yarhamuhullah) was the agent of change chosen to steer my path to my presence, as happy as it could be. Indeed we are all entitled to have a dream of a perfect plan, but He is the Ultimate Planner.

That is one part of Ayat 34 from Surah Loqman, which according to Muhammad Asad : “  …whereas no one knows what he will reap tomorrow …”

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Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

With a Sigh ( No 18) – Being too critical?

 Why, why and more why ?

Four days ago while the PBS issue was very much on my mind, I sat down to see what bloggers had to comment on that issue. Just then I found my streamyx line dead. It was the work of our ‘world-class’ copper cable thieves who have caused so much heart-ache and frustration to me in particular. The regular phone interruptions in this area are the work of these culprits

                                                                                                                   

So, the next three days saw me driving some eight kilometers to where I could get a ‘free’ line. The current situation took TNB longer than usual to be put right as the thieves had removed the underground cables in three separate localities in my vicinity.

At the end of my fourth visit out for free wi-fi I stopped to buy Sinar Harian.  ( I have practically stopped wasting my precious ringgits on other better known papers which  seem bent on straightening my crooked way of thinking!.) Sinar seems to provide some colouful local news.

When I reached home I was pleasantly surprised to find my phone and streamyx back to normal. What a sigh of relief!

Now, I thought I could start a new posting after scanning what Sinar had for the day. I could hardly believe my eyes to see seven pages on the subject of mosques in Terenganu. I like this paper for that kind of reporting.

Sinar - 1st March, 2014 

Terengganu can boast of a state having the greatest number of mosques in the country. A figure of 495 mosques under two main categories was mentioned, but I could not find the number of smaller places of worships that we call ‘surau’ – as a conservative guess, the figure would not be less than  three times that number of mosques,.

I was particularly pleased to see the following statement : ….. kerajaan negeri bagaimanapun enggan dilihat sebagai juara masjid terbanyak tetapi kosong dengan jumaah …..( ….. the state government, however, does not intend to be recognised as the champion in the number of mosques but empty of worshipers …..)  

There was also mention of expensive mosques built more for show than out of need. Bravo!

Within the radius of three kilometers from my house I have three mosques (where gatherings for Friday prayers are permitted) and not less than twelve suraus; a few are, sadly, politically ‘coloured’. I must also point out that, my home being on a straight coastline, the radius can draw only half of a circle, the eastern half being tye South China Sea, except for the few islands. 

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Now I see better

 A gift of sight

Now she finally owns a pair of glasses ( See  the earlier posting - click here )

                

  ______________

It is history - best forgotten

I could smile but I could not see that well

 

And now I can see you and smile as well - Thank you

________________________

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

With a Sigh ( No 18) – PBS, Oh PBS

PBS , Oh PBS

No, that is not a new political party. It is the innovative scheme to improve school education which will ensure our pride in the “world class” position.   

But last week saw our dailies highlighting vocal resistance from teachers. So, now there is a need to review PBS – just a review? In the same week there was a press statement made by a person in authority. It was headlined as “Tiada pelajar tercicir menjelang 2020” (No pupils will be left behind by 2020. I congratulate our world-class thinkers and planners. What a brave declaration that was.

What matters to Pakcik, however, is how my humble Almanar centre fares when the situation seems less than satisfactory. Over the period of 20 years we, the invisible hands of Almanar, have done something tangible; starting with just an open space with roof over for a class-room, followed with a proper room within four walls, and followed with more rooms, termed as ‘syndicate’ rooms for children to sit in discussion or to have quiet forty winks, etc. We have computers, reference books,toilets and we have kitchenette to make a cup of tea or cook Maggie mee. Occasionally, we have children spending the night on the pretext of doing group study. Sadly, despite what appears progress in our facility, the decreasing number of children joining Almanar tuition class is most depressing to Pakcik. This,indeed,matters to me, PBS does not.

This year’s intake into Form 1 tuition class has greatly slumped from as many as over 40 children in the earlier years. Today, the number of new 2014 Form 1 tuition class, stands at less than 20. That includes the last group of 8 children, all girls, who turned up one day last week. The sight of them was an unexpected joy to Pakcik, a gift from heaven. I felt the urge to record their faces. Here is the outcome.

            Sweet and innocent kids

When they all had gone home and I sat to analyse their personal data, my heart sank. Have a look at the summary of the UPSR examination results in five papers the new eight girls sat for at the end of last year.The two grades for the two papers for Malay Language are given as BI i / BI ii  ( representing essay writing /objective questions ).

  Girl No        English    Maths   Science    BI i / BI ii

 1                   E           E            E            E   /   E

 2                   D           C            D           C    /   A

     3                   C           E            C           C     /  B     

 4                   D           C            C           C     /  B

 5                   D           C            C           C     /  B

 6                   C           C            D           C     /  B

 7                   C           C            D           C     /  B

 8                   C           C            C           C     /  C

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         8 children and their UPSR results

How pathetic it is to see that there is only one A-grade among them and this girl has 2 C-grades and 2 D-grades. One girl obtained all E's!

Two days later I conducted my first English lesson for the Form 1 group. I had reasons to justify my early worry when one of the new girls gave me the meaning of the English word ‘man’. She was almost certain that it meant ‘ orang perempuan tua’ (an old woman)!  

Many years ago, I nearly refused accepting a boy with grade D in English and Mathematics in his UPSR examination. Fortunately it was quickly brought to my attention that the poor boy had just lost his father who was run down by a heavy vehicle while he was riding a motorcycle on his way home from work in a FELDA scheme. Orphans are our priority and each must be given a chance. Three years later this boy’s two D-grades in English and Mathematics at UPSR level turned to A-grades in his PMR examination; and today he is a married man, expecting his first baby. That was an early lesson I learnt. Accepting a challenge is not what we tell our children but what we must prove ourselves. After all, Almanar’s motto (Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemasyarakatan )  was not thought out for show;  for that matter, ‘Almanar’ for a name was not just a flash of fancy.       

Of the last eight new children one is an orphan and the rest have fathers who earn their living from fishing, do manual work in construction of kampong houses, drive a delivery vehicle; and one father is a specialist in climbing the tall village coconut palms to hand-pick the fruit - for a meagre daily earning to support his family.

_________________ 

On our first day last week, one girl in the front seat of the class, instead of copying from the white board, was seen copying notes from a friend sitting beside her. That was not an uncommon phenomenon. So, she has been promised a pair of glasses next week.

These are children who know they need help and have taken the first step to come to Almanar on the encouragement of a concerned teacher in English. Some local teachers do voice their support for Almanar but many of today's kampong children have no wish to waste their precious socialising time to attend free tuition classes. Many prefer to attend the mushrooming tuition classes in the vicinity - to socialise. It is widely known here that many parents believe what is handed out for free cannot be of much value! 

   __________________________ 

So when I read all about PBS and the great ‘blueprint’ in education, I sit back and smile at my Almanar 'children'. It is satisfying, in a devious way, to heave a long sigh that, by 2020, this is all but history! These eight girls will be among the first group to benefit from the improved 'blue-print' of our world-class education.   

Berkhidmat kerana Tuhan untuk kemanusiaan

Do you have snow?

I am dreaming of a white monsoon.

Two days ago, 4^th February, I received an email from an old English friend who had migrated with his family from England to one place he wrote as Pawtuxet Village in US– I would like to imagine that as the equivalent of  my Kampong Pengkalang Maras! But how equal are they?

Look at what he wrote:

______________________

“Winter in Pawtuxet village 

We usually get snow here, The weather is like UK, only colder minus 15 deg C and hotter, 37 deg C.

Hassan, do you get any snow in Malaysia?

Ian”

___________________________ 

He attached this picture:

Winter in Pawtuxet Village

How would I respond to that question?

So yesterday morning, I took my bedroom alarm clock and placed it in the shade outside my house, and this is what it read after half-an-hour.

                     18.2 C at 7.56 am

Our coldest ever Monsoon

And we are supposed to have an exceptionally cold weather ever experienced during Monsoon.

                       

Monsoon 'Snow' at Pengkalan Maras

__________________  

And now, like the great Bing Crosby I will be singing:

I'm dreaming of a white monsoon

Like the one I used to know

Where the coconut tops glisten

 ............................ 

I think that 'monsoon' goes better than 'christmas' with 'glisten'!

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