Saturday, July 30, 2016

Qualities of a Good Leader




In anywhere of any constitution, to have a good leader is important to ensure productivity and satisfaction in the working world.

So, what does it takes to be a good leader?

1. Able to build relationships with co-workers
2. Clear communication with everyone
3. Inspiring others
4. Trusting co-worker's ability
5. Giving recognition 
6. Integrity
7. Giving support and encouragement
8. Focus on team - not self-glorifying
9. A good listener
10. Visionary - having a plan and a goal to achieve; and daring to make the change.


There are so many a good leader should be. I was lucky to be able to work with one of the good leader. She was my ex-principal in the previous school. She has now retired and enjoying her quality life with her beloved family.

Madam Khoo Ai Hiang on her retirement day

She builds good relationship with all teachers in the school. Everyone respects her as the leader of the school. She's also a practical person who doesn't waste much time on unnecessary things. High in integrity and a good listener, she doesn't go against the right principles and always make sure to listen to all parties before making a decision. 
     As a young teacher that time, she guided me slowly and did not look down on my weakness. She gave me the encouragement to do what is best for the students. 
    One of the best thing that she did for me was to encourage me to change my workplace. At first, I felt like....oh....am I not good enough? But she told me the reason to not stay stagnant. She believed in my capabilities and thus told me to venture out there and expose myself more to other environment with promising opportunities
    As of this moment, I have achieved quite a lot in areas she meant. I am truly grateful to have a great leader like her. Even after her retirement, she still gives her support in a very simple way, which is through the social media like Facebook. Small gestures, but big impact. Thank you, Madam Khoo!






Friday, July 29, 2016

Once Upon a Time : Of Birthday and Essay


Years had passed but I can still remember the times where I spent my time in the kampung with the students. We don't have many things, unlike in towns, but we have one thing maybe the town lacks; relationship. Sometimes, I really reminiscence the fun times I had with my students there.
     One of the thing which I really remembered was throwing a surprise birthday party for my student (2012). I was preparing them for SPM. Giving them the chance to feel and experience was one of the thing in my bucket list for lessons.
     Coincidentally, one of my student's birthday fell on that week itself. So, I decided to throw a surprise birthday for him. I bought the cake, planned it with the parent whose house they opened for me to teach that group of students weekly, and of course planned with some of the students (except the birthday boy).

Of birthday boy and essay~ Haha~


   
Objective:
 To write an essay entitled "An Unforgettable Experience ".

Logic:
To 'see' the flow of the essay. Students tend to write plots as they like - not chronological which will throw the whole story off.
I intend to let them write their experience on this.

Steps:
1. Planning of execution (1 week ahead)
2. Starts the lesson normally (on the day itself)
3. 30 minutes before class ends, tell them lesson's done and they can  rest. This is the time to carry out the plan.
4. Birthday Surprise!!! - Switch off lights, bringing in the cake, sing songs, etc.
5. Party!~~~
6. Calm them down - ask how do they feel? etc...
7. Now, tell them the objective >> ESSAY! HAHA!
8. Guide them by recalling the process of that surprise party.
9. Students bring the essay home to do.

It was a great night to end the day, that time~


Eating cherries after songs and wishes


His way of saying thanks~ 
P/s: Please ignore the paper plate that was blown to me ^^'''



   

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Awaken from Death | True story by Tony Low

Shalom!

It was a great oppurtunity for us to meet and listen to testimonial by Tony Low, a man labeled as "Wireless Man".

His testimonial was so powerful and inspiring. Giving all praises to God, he now lives as a new person born again in Christ.


This is his testimonial:
Born as a non-believer, he lived a normal life with his wife till one day, he was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer. All the top Oncologist in Singapore told him that treating the cancer is futile because they have never seen a man with so much cancer in his body. He was basically a walking tumour. They told him to take 3 months of holiday to visit all the places he wants and when he's back from holiday 3 months later, he will be gone. Time to prepare his own coffin by then. It was devastating to hear that not only from 1 doctor, but many! Each doctor said the same thing.

But, there was one doctor who asked him if he wanted to try chemo, a new type of drug under testing phase (20 years back, chemo was not as modern as now) even though the risk was that he might be killed by the chemo drug instead of the cancer . At wits end, he said yes. After 4 months, the doctor was surprised to see his body reacting positively towards his drug and said "Someone up there really loves you!". Tony, at that time, a non-believer did not understand that. The doctor, a Christian, smiled because the tumours decreased by a huge amount. Tony went deeper into Buddhism, travelling to India, Sri Lanka, meditating in the forest and even under the Bodhi Tree. He did everything to understand life.

Unfortunately, the cancer relapsed and this time it was in his brain, as big as an orange. The pressure was so great that Tony couldn't control his body and went into fits. The doctor arranged for immediate brain surgery or he will be gone by night. Doctors cut his skull and part of his brain. Covered it up again but he was still shaking terribly. So, they have to open up his skull again and throw away more of his brain. 1/4 of his brain was cut away. They have to leave open the skull as they didn't want pressure on that part. He was in coma when he was wheeled out of the OT. They had all the tubes stuck into his body to monitor his vital organs, even one into his open-wound brain as there was no skull to cover it to monitor brain activity.

After 4 days, the specialists declared him dead as there was no brain activity and vital organs shut down. His wife, Ashley Low,  has to sign the paper to declare her husband dead. But she refused to do so. She was certain her God will heal her husband. The doctors thought she went cuckoo but they couldn't do anything without her signature. Surprisingly, Ashley accepted Christ 3 months before he was diagnosed with brain tumour! And so, they transfered him to the ICU to wait for her signature before transfering him into the mortuary.

Praise be to the Almighty God, after a full 7 days ordeal, Tony was awaken from death! A miracle just happened! The specialists used a few machines to convince themselves that he is alive! And yes, he is alive!


Now, let's hear what Tony Low experienced during that 3 days of death:
     "I stood up. I saw my own body on the sick bed. I was thinking "What is happening???". I got   terrified. Looking down on your own body is not a good sign. Am I dead? Oh.....what do I do now?As I was getting puzzled and frightened, I heard a voice saying "LOOK UP". Well, better to look up than to look down on your dead body, right? So , I looked up and saw a bright light, the sides opening up like curtains and bright light shining down, .... the picture here is what I can let you see how it roughly feels like that time. I definitely can't show you the exact thing I saw ,but this is some how like that. Just to let you have a feel of it....

Bright light coming from the sides that pulled up like curtains
      I thought to myself, "Is that Heaven?" And the next thing I saw was something like a man with white robes, with both arms wide open....

A man so bright with both arms wide open. Our God is light ( 1 John 1: 5)
  ....and said in a loud, thunderous voice (Job 37:4-5)
                     "TONY,
                       DO NOT BE AFRAID. (written in the bible for 365 times)
                       I WILL WALK IN FRONT OF YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE". (Isaiah 45:2, Deuteronomy 31:8)

Each word was loud and echoed like thunder. He was too bright for me too see, I'm scared I will go blind. He was always on my right hand side.


When Tony woke up, it was past 3 days since he was dead. But now, resurrected and born a new person. The doctors could not explain this miracle. But, the doctors said, without his brain, he will be a complete "vegetable" because there are no veins or "connectors"to control the limbs. And yes, he went back not being able to move from chin down.

He went to ask the pastors about this wonderful and almighty God that he met when he was dead. The pastors told him that all the answer can be found in the Bible. He needs to read the bible to know about Him. The Bible is God's mind, His words.

In 30 days, Tony finished reading the Bible. How did he do that? Who turned the pages for him? God is full of humour. He allowed Tony's little pinky to MOVE and that was how he used it to flip the pages! If Tony can walk and move freely after death, maybe he will just be enjoying himself and have no time for the Bible. So, you see, God is stern yet merciful!

And after flipping the last page and the back cover of the bible (30 days) , as the cover drops, Tony felt as if his legs were on fire. He panicked and jumped away from his wheelchair. Then, he got another shock. He's standing! Wow!! Praise the Lord! After a few hours of baby-like walking, he was walking, and after a few more hours he was running and the next day, he was ballroom dancing with his wife!

6 months passed and it's time to get another check-up. The doctor got another shock of his life and told him to walk while he observed till his jaw dropped to the ground. There was no need for check up that day anymore and was told to go home. That doctor became a believer of Christ after that incident! Hallelujah!

God is using each and everyone of us to spread His love, to be a good testimonial and to raise His Kingdom just like how He used Tony to do His will on earth.

O Father in Heaven, continue to use us to do your will on Earth. Let everyone, of all races, of all skin colour, of all languages, come to you, talk to you for the only language You listen to is PRAYER. Let us pray fervently, continue praising You for the wonder of your works, your grace, your mercy and unfailing love. Thank you, Lord for the every moment in our life. Guide us the way to lead a fulfilling life as You desire of us and to be more like You till we meet again in Heaven. In Jesus precious name, Amen!



Monday, September 21, 2015

KOMTEP Day 11 - Jangseok Presbytarian Church

One of our English teacher, Mr Kim Dong-Il brought us to church for service. It is the Jangseok Presbytarian Church at Wolgye-dong, Nowon-gu.


This is a very big church. The architecture is wonderful, using the style of traditional Korean building.


This is definitely a new and different experience for me attending such a big congregation in a foreign country. Looking at how they serve the Lord in the different ministries there really awed me. 
How wonderful and peaceful it is to see His people serving Him together in a big family. And I love the feeling of being His presence. It really is so peaceful, calm, warm, secure and loving. No one else can give you that feeling but only Him. Praise the Lord for His utmost love for us! Amen!



Source: Pinterest

Enjoy the video here!










Sunday, September 20, 2015

KOMTEP Day 10 - Weekend Travel


And that's one week gone in Korea. So fast!

This weekend, we gathered up to go travelling around Seoul using the subway.
The subway system here is quite easy to use and punctual. We installed the Korea Subway app before hand. (You can get it from Google Play Store)

I was really fascinated by the efficiency and the cleanliness of the subway. The subway system also has the city connected underground so we can avoid walking by the roadside for our safety.

Enjoy the short video here!






Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Day 7,8,9 - Yonghwa Girls High School, Seoul (용화여자고등학교)

Hi again! These 3 days Adelyn and me took tour round the school.
The Grade 3 (Form 6) block and the field. Fields in Korean school are usually sand for easier maintenance as grass can't grow during cold weather.  

The entrance gate

The Grade 1's and 2's (Form 4 and 5) block


The school really awed us! The design of the building is much different from what we have for our local school. Partly because to suit the weather too. They have 4 seasons therefore they will need closed up area to protect themselves from the cold. During hot weather, they will have the air conditioner switched on. Ahhhh~ So comfy~
The foyer (every level has it)

Mdm. Kim, our Department Chief showed us the offices in the school


Students have to take off their shoes before coming in the school building and put on their clean slippers just for indoors. Even teachers do that too. But it is not mandatory for the teachers as long as their shoes are clean before stepping in. Still, I noticed that most teachers do change when coming in. They said that wearing slippers or flats are more comfortable than heels. :)

We've got our teaching schedule but will not start that soon as they're actually having self-study time for 2 weeks before their test.
My lessons schedule

So, enough said here. I've done some videos and you can watch them to see what I've seen there. Really just like in the dramas! Enjoy~~~
Day 7


Day 8


Day 9


Monday, September 14, 2015

Deployment to the Host School

Today was the last day of local adjustment training in APCEIU.

We had another performance for the ceremony. Each country performed a dance. After all, this is about cultural exchange. Dance is one of the best element to showcase one's culture.

All the host school's principal and mentor teacher came to take us to their place.

I and my partner , Adelyn got posted to Yonghwa Girls High School in Nowon-gu, somewhere northern part of Seoul.

Our mentor teacher is pretty! Her name is Jun Hee-Eun (Susanna). And she can speak good English! ^^


With our mentor teacher, Hee-eun



Our Zapin dance for the ceremony

After the ceremony and lunch, we seperated ways each to respective designated school. Some even started crying already. We're gonna miss each other very much. Even though we just met and worked together for a short period of time, we already felt a strong bond between each team members.

Me & Adel : Yonghwa Girls High School, Nowon-gu, Seoul.
Zu & Razak : Yanghwa Elementary School, Seoul.
Hailmi & Hanne : Daegu Girls Commercial School, Daegu (the furthest from all of us)
Rish & Kak Lela: Howon Elementary School, Gyeonggi-do
Syira & Albee : Bongilcheon High School, Paju.


On the way to Nowon-gu, I saw the Youido Church, one of the biggest church in Seoul. I have never seen such a big church before! Was awed by it!


It took us about two hours from the city of Seoul to Nowon-gu, where we will be staying for the next 3 months (80 days). I think I did started feeling nervous and excited at the same time. What will I be facing next? What to do next? How to settle down in this foreign place? How do I do my best given this chance and not wanting to waste it? What God wants me to learn here because I believe He has given me this opportunity, He arranged it, and surely, I am to learn something here. =)

Oh, we've reached our apartment (Opiang Apartment. They called apartment "a-pa-to" in Korean). Was really praying hard to have a decent place to stay ... unlike what seniors told us about the super small room! Gaaaaa......

The key to the door quite canggih-fied. Unlike us using keys in Malaysia, they used code numbers and digital keys. 
Adel's unit looked something like this. Electronic door lock. Open the cover and key in the correct password. 
Pic courtesy: Wikipedia

Mine more canggih. It's digital door lock. The display will be black till you touch it. Then the numbers will lit up. Then you can key in the correct password. Or alternatively, you can use the digital key like in the one in the picture.
Pic courtesy: tradekorea.com


Open sesame!!!! Let's look inside our unit!

Door to kitchen and toilet on each side

Main area of the studio apartment unit. Oh, that table on the right hand side is retractable~

Sleeping on the heated floor~~~ Kinda cozy~~~~

Thank God for the cozy place! Kyaaa~~~
After putting our luggages in the apartment, we headed out to the nearest shopping mall to get some groceries, detergents, and whatever utensils we need for our 3 months stay here. Things were expensive!!!  너무 비싸요.....T_T

Praying that everything will be all right till our last day here~ ^^


P/s: I need to get used to sleeping on the hard floor.....the mattress was really thin....