A Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on opposite ends of a pole, which he bore across his neck. One of the pots had a small crack in it. The other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water from the stream to the master’s house. The cracked pot always arrived half full. This went on for many years, with the water bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. The poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection. One day, it spoke to the water bearer while he was collecting water by the stream.

“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the water bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“Because of my crack, water leaks out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaw, you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot replied.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot. In his compassion, he said. “ As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot saw beautiful wild flowers dancing merrily in the sun.

The water bearer then said to the cracked pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known of your flaw , and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the master’s table. Without you just the way you are, he would not have beauty to grace his house.”


Beautiful story, eh?
Actually, all of us are cracked pots, each with our own flaws. But that does not mean we should be ashamed of them. We acknowledge our flaws, our imperfections. We tell ourselves that despite our imperfections, God has a plan for us. All of us have our roles in making the world a beautiful place to live in.

Cheers!

QUR'AN AND CRICKET - Travels Throught the Madrasahs of Asia and Other Stories

THE NOMAD’S PRAYER

Dear God,

I thank you for these feet, these eyes, these hands;

I pray that wherever I go I will be able to see you in the

world around me,

and to always see honestly; let no sight be too terrible to bear;

let nothing and no one be ugly;

I pray that whatever I touch will remind me of your eternal

presence in all things;

Let nothing be repugnant to me;

And I pray that every step I take I will be getting closer

to you;

God, take me home. And let my home be everywhere.

Farish A Noor

I was attracted to the book because of the above prayer, found in Chapter One. I said to myself, “Hey, when Muslims pray in English, they sound like me when I pray.” And I just had to read it! The book became my constant companion during the first three days of Chinese New Year.

I have always enjoyed reading Farish Noor’s travelogues. My admiration for him grew as I followed his journeys through the madrasahs of Asia where he lived, prayed and interviewed people – locals,students, ustazs, professors, etc. He even managed to interview Ustaz Abu Bakar Ba’ashir, the man described by the Western press as the ‘monster’ behind the Bali bombing.

There are other stories, travelogues to be exact, in Qur’an and Cricket. For example, he wrote about his experience in Kashmir , where he helped with post-earthquake relief efforts. Forgotten Nation (Kashmir 2006). Why, Farish even wrote a chapter on our March 2008 election. Another Country, Another Election (Kelantan and Terengganu, March 2008).

Qur’an and Cricket is the second non-fiction book I have read about madrasahs of Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson was the first. This book is about the author, a mountaineer, who got lost in the Himalayas and ended up dedicating himself to build schools in the most dangerous, remote and anti-American parts of Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

By the way, have you read the two novels written by Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini? The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are must-read books!

Bad Memories

Sometimes you just don't know what hit you. It is so unexpected, and after that, you are left reeling...

I was asked by Tuan PPD to do the 2009 performance appraisal for the staff of SMK Munshi Sulaiman because I was the principal there until August 2009.

For the ten years I was principal, I never once did any appraisal alone - I always called for a meeting with my Senior Assistants and Heads of Departments. We would discuss the performance of every staff and only then will I grade them.

For example, teacher X :

• How is his work as a form teacher ? (For GPK HEM and GPK Petang to comment)
• Does he mark his students' books regularly ?
• What about his students' kerja kursus ? (For Heads of Departments to comment)
• How's the performance of the club under his guidance ? (For GPK Kokurikulum to comment)
• etc....

Then, and only then, will I grade the teacher X.

And also, during that meeting, all of us will come to an agreement on who's to get the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang...

I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM. I AM NO LONGER PRINCIPAL. HOW DO I GET FEEDBACK FROM THE ADMINISTRATORS???

So I requested to meet up with them - to get some feedback from them. I also told Tuan PPD that without feedback from the school administrators, I can't and won't do the 2009 appraisal.

I was wondering why it took so long for the school's administrators to call me. I requested to meet with them before the long holiday started.

Anyway, yesterday I received a call from school to attend a meeting at 12.30 pm today. So I happily went to school this afternoon.

Only then did I realize that I was not welcome!!!!

I waited a long time for the meeting to start. Where was the GPK 1? She should be chairing the meeting. Someone mentioned that she has to attend a meeting outside school this afternoon. So, why ask me to come today ?

Then I was told that two Heads of Departments refused to attend the meeting, and that they cannot be contacted. They had switched off their mobile phones.

I cornered one of them. She then told me that she cannot understand why I still wanted to do the performance appraisal. After all, I have retired. She also questioned what right I have to chair the meeting since I am no longer principal !

I WANT TO CLARIFY:

• I DID NOT ASK TO DO THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. I WAS ASKED TO DO IT.
• THIS AFTERNOON, THE NEW PRINCIPAL OF SMK MUNSHI SULAIMAN CONFIRMED THAT HE WILL BE DOING THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FOR HIS PREVIOUS SCHOOL.
• THERE WAS NO INTENTION ON MY PART TO CHAIR THE MEETING THIS AFTERNOON. I WAS WAITING FOR THE GPK1 TO DO IT.

After a small confrontation inside the principal's office, the GPK 1 said that there was a "miscommunication". My question to the GPK 1 is "Did you try to communicate with me? How come there was no attempt to contact me, to ask me why I wanted to meet up with you all?"

To the two Heads of Departments, I thought we worked so well together. What happened? What made you think that I pandai-pandai want to do the penilaian prestasi? Whoever gave you the idea that I wanted to chair the meeting?

It is very unbecoming for a newly-retired principal to be treated in this manner, especially by fellow administrators. One thing for sure, I won't be going back to SMK Munshi Sulaiman.

10th Year Priesthood of Reverand Father Peter Ng

On Sunday, 3 January 2010, my church celebrated the 10th Year Priesthood Anniversary of Rev Fr Peter Ng. It was a very special occasion for us, parishioners of the Church of St Henry (located opposite Sekolah Tinggi Batu Pahat), because Fr Peter grew up in Batu Pahat and was ordained a priest in Batu Pahat.

It was a special occasion for me, too. I taught Fr Peter when he was in Form 4 and 5, Sekolah Menengah Dato Bentara Luar. I was his Chemistry teacher.

I watched this fine young man finish his Form 5, went for further studies, started working and then.......gave up everything and studied to become a priest.



It is God who chooses certain young men to serve Him by becoming priests. He..he.. God certainly didn't choose my son, Matthew. When he was very young, I remember him telling Peter "I don't want to be a priest. I want to have lots and lots of girlfriends." :)

Though a vocation (or divine call) is something personal between that young man and God, it must be allowed to grow. And vocations can only grow out of happy homes where children are taught a true sense of values, holy homes where children learn reverence for religion.

I am told that there is a special place in heaven for parents who have given a child to God in religion. Even so, would I have protested if Matthew expressed interest in becoming a priest? ;p

Fr Peter is presently studying for his Masters in Theology. I pray for his success and wish him well in all his future undertakings.

Two More Days to January 2010

Wow.... time flies when one is having fun and I haven't written a single word this whole month.

What have I been doing the whole of December?

Well, I was in China the first two weeks. This year I toured Guilin and its surrounding areas (Nanning, Yang Shuo and Xing An). Beautiful scenery, lots of things to do and lots of things to buy. I just loved the cold weather but a number of toilets I was forced to visit were nightmares!! Here are some of the photographs that I took while in China (Remind me to take some photographs of those horrendous toilets next time I go to China again, hehe...):

GUILIN PHOTOS (CLICK HERE)

Come to think of it, I was in Xiamen exactly one year ago. Some photos that I took way back in December 2008:

XIAMEN PHOTOS (CLICK HERE)

Upon reaching home, it was time to get ready for Christmas. And lots of wedding luncheons and dinners to attend. And the Winter Solstice Festival. Busy time indeed! New clothes to be bought, new hairdo (but I always come out looking the same!!), the much-needed facial at the beauty salon, the fruit cakes and gingerbread cookies to be baked, etc....

Well, Christmas is over and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I was in Kuala Lumpur with my children for the countdown to 2008. It was a bit too hectic for my liking. So I stayed in Batu Pahat to welcome in 2009. I will be in Batu Pahat to usher in 2010.

As usual, I shall attend the Year-End Thanksgiving Mass in Church, celebrated at night - to thank God for all the blessings He has given me this year. It will be followed by fellowship and light refreshment. I am sure there'll be the usual fireworks at midnight.

The New Year, 2010.
Still an unspoiled page in my book of time.
An opportunity for me to practise what I have learnt about life during the last 12 months.

I found this in a magazine. 5 simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

These are Dharma Master Cheng Yen's New Year's Resolutions (Dharma Master Cheng Yen is a Taiwanese Buddhist Nun and the founder of Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation):

1. I will not seek to have everything go as I want. I only wish for enough courage to face reality.
2. I will not pray for health. I only hope to have a spirit filled with wisdom and a love that will never fade.
3. I will not look for fewer responsibilities. I only ask for even greater strength to do all the things that must be done in this world.

Pretty awesome, huh ?

WISHING ALL OF YOU A HAPPY AND BLESSED 2010.

A Beautiful Story

I came across this short story while waiting for my turn at the dental clinic. (Sorry, but I forgot the name of the small booklet):

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

The father told his daughter,"Hold my hand so that you won't fall into the river." The little girl replied, "No, papa. You hold my hand."

"What's the difference?" asked the puzzled father. "There's a big difference," replied the little girl.

"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let go of your hand. But if you hold my hand, I am very sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go."

Beautiful, huh?

And so it is with God, we need to allow Him to hold on to our hand as we journey along this world. On reflection, I remember the many times I let go of His hand .....

• when my husband passed away and my heart was in anguish,
• when I was tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts,
• when I've tried everything and nothing seemed to work,
• when nothing made sense and I felt frustrated, etc.

Now that I have retired, I am trying my best to reach out and let God hold my hand. Through reading the Bible and prayer.

After being a Sunday Catholic for so many years (ie. praying in Church only on Sundays), setting aside some time - everyday - for reading and prayer requires a lot of effort and discipline...

Then I think of my Muslim friends who pray 5 times a day. They show such good examples.

And so I tell myself, "God willing, I can."

Cheers! :)

Stories From My Childhood Days

Aesop's Fables, Grimm's Fairy Tales and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales were all part of the stories of my childhood. In her desire to pass on her love of reading to my brothers and me, my mother read to us classic tales every night. It worked!! As time went by, my brothers and I graduated from being eager listeners to being avid readers.

Looking back, I realized that my mother's bedtime stories also helped to shape my character because a lot of her stories showed consequences of actions. I can still remember her story on "Selfishness". The story goes like this...

A bad old woman died. In her whole life she had not done one good deed. So Satan grabbed her and threw her into the sea of flames. But her guardian angel did not give up. "Can't I recall a single good thing that she had done?" he thought hard and long. Then he brightened up and said to God, "I distinctly remember one time that she dug a small potato out of her garden and gave it to a beggar."

"All right," said God. "Take that same small potato and hold it down to her in the sea of fire and try to lift her up with it. If you succeed, she will go to heaven."

So the angel began to pull her up very carefully. But when the others saw what was happening and she began to go up, they all began to hang onto her. The woman started kicking them off, shouting, "I'm the only one supposed to be rescued by this little potato. It belongs to me alone; it's not yours."

At that, the potato tore apart and she fell right back down into the sea of fire, where she still is. The angel wept.

When adults want to impart important things - like faith, belief, values - to children, it's often best related in the form of stories. Stories are more easily understood and enjoyed.

The character of your children tomorrow depends on what you put into their hearts today. So, tell them bedtime stories!! :)