The ones that matters

Through out our education from Primary 1 to Secondary 5 and for some Secondary 6, College and University and/or even further,we would have came across hundreds of teachers trying to educate and guide us. Many would have forgotten these personnel, bar some. Today I'm going to dedicate this article to those who made the marks in my life as a teacher and beyond, and whom I regard as the path-breaker or turning-point initiators of my life.

All through my life, I think I have been only an above average stude. Not excellent.My primary school started in SRK Jalan Kelab Sukan, Slim River, Perak. I studied up to standard 3 there.Never really bothered to make any mark or what-so-ever as I have no benchmarks to be compared with to judge my performance.I was the only one in my family to be enrolled into a malay medium while the rest were from tamil medium schools. But in case you think they speak malay like how it is potrayed in some of the stupid malay/tamil dramas in local TV, then you are terribly wrong my fren.As they speak better malay than I do, mine being fairly good that's all.

Anyway, from Pri 1 to Pri 6 there are only 2 teachers I regard as the best things to happen in my life.

1) Mrs. Susan - English - Pri 5, 6 - Sek. Keb. Rantau Panjang
She is so fond of me, she even fetches me to school and back. We are from the same neighbourhood anyway.She makes sure I get everything right. 90 - 95 marks is not good for her. She will hunt me down everytime I fail to do well.

2) Mr. Nordin - mathematics - pri 4, 5 and 6 - Sek. Keb. Rantau Panjang
This is the one teacher everyone will piss in their pants at his seight. He is so damn strict that I think if he were to maintain his style now, he would end up in jail for student abuse. He wacks, kicks, pinches, canes, humiliates, call us names, slap us and god knows wat other sort of punishment he can come up with. I have personnaly met his famous Flying-Duster punishment so many time. The worst thing, our parents of those days simply supports him! But I really think it works, just too well. If not for his slapping, I would have never memorised my Sifir (whats that in English? Pu1Pu3..help!). And he even goes over board in calling us names like "Keling", tease our fathers name and stuff. For one reason or the other reason he is fond of me. Because of my association with him, I always get extra rice for nasi lemak from my canteen caretaker. She always says "Ni cikgu Nordin punye assistant ni. Bagi nasi lebih ok!" ("This is Mr Nordin's assistant, give him more rice ok").And by that I would have earned more wrath from my friends.

Then I was into my secondary school Sek. Men. Rantau Panjang, I'm not seeing Cikgu Nordin anymore, and so I slacked off a lot! Came Sec 2 year, and came in Mr.Chandra. He is one of the best Maths teachers in the district. And the one that you better watch your language and behaviour. My maths was always compared to my elder brother Sasi (who is a Syafiq Aiman now) who is an expert. Once i couldn't get my Teorem Pithagoras right and I had to crawl over the drain around my school block. Everyone saw me doing it! And guess what, I was in my PREFECTS UNIFORM! What an embarassment. But for his "I HECK CARE WHO THE HELL ARE YOU" attitude towards me, I started to pick up my Maths again!

Then I met Cikgu Fahrul, who don't even teach me anything in class but my personal coach in school. Believe or not if not for him, I would have been the typical indian guy. He is the one who basically banned me from using Tamil in school, even with my indian friends. And so, there you go I earned their wrath again.They always say I am just being "KAKI BODEK" (loosely translated as an act of BUTTERING someone). But who cares, my Malay improved tremendously.

Cikgu Nassir is the other teacher who don't even teach me anything but cared for me like no other.He is the one teacher I would share anything and everything.

Mr.Mariappan, the other indian teacher in my life to make a different. For one or the other reasons I always end up with the fiercest teachers around. Mr.Mariappan is our Dicipline teacher, and he has a style too. If he calls you towards him, and IF he pockets his wrist watch, then you better make sure you can stand his slappings! Coz, calling you and pocketing his wrist watch means SLAPPING IN PROGRESS!. He also never tought me anything specifically in school. He just like the way I asked for his permission to meet one of the students in his class and got attached to me. I just knocked on his door (he was teaching English for Sec 5 students then) and said "Good Morning Sir. Sir, can I please meet XXXX for a few minutes Sir". He looked at me and said, repeat that please and louder, and so I did. And thats how he got attached to me. I really dunno why? Even till today.

Mrs. Kholijah - biology - Sek Men Keb Raja Muda Musa(SMKRMM)
She is such a nice person and always complaint to my dad for whatever I did (breaking the huge glass of the skeleton showcase) and didn't (my homeworks most of the time.

Mrs. Revathy - English, Physics - SMKRMM
It's almost the same as Mrs. Kholijah I really think they had a startegy against me.

Mrs. Azman - Addtional Maths - SMKRMM
My class teacher, and another one in alliance of Mrs.Kholijah, and Mrs.Revathy!

But if not for these individuals (where I have missed quite a few of them here, not forgotten but spared for greater review in future!) I wouldn't have been where I am now. Not extremely successful yet, but I am getting there! With God's grace and blessings of those around me.

Thank You Ustad Abdul Shukor, Cikgu Murni, Cikgu Anwar, Mr.Teh, Cikgu Zul, Bonda (our Pricipal who likes to be address this way, until I have forgotten her name!), Cikgu Azman, Cikgu Mahali, Cikgu Hamzah, Cikgu Rosli, Cikgu Devi, Cikgu Saraswathy, Cikgu Badariah (sorry for all the nonsense in Chemistry lab), Cikgu Arbaiyah, Cikgu Maimunnah (for that great trip to Police Station! Her husband is the Police Inspector there), Mrs Chandra(got nothing to do with Mr. Chandra) and not forgetting Cikgu Halimi.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.