Ah..what bliss this thing called hibernation! It's been six months or rather more..since my last promo. My six months of probation is over and just heard the boss has affirmed that me and me other counterpart are probably getting confirmed sometime soon. What an affirmation. I have been in classroom teaching over that period and I must confess it was so much less stressful. Dare I look forward to another rung up the ladder? I will honestly reply a definite No! to that. What with all the new criteria that includes doing research and cooking out INNOVATIVE ways of teaching students who are so entrenched in their "spoonfedness" state!! Is there such a term?

I've self-actualized a couple of years ago and won't go chasing after another round of promotion..which is what is happening with my much, much younger colleagues in the Poly. I think they've all been taken for a ride, but a few will benefit as is the custom.

16 hours of teaching per week is criminal! But who is complaining? I don't have many tugas sampingan anymore cos I suppose they want to retire me. I don't have to do reports (maybe a rare 1 or 2) and hope it stays that way too!

My friends say I'm more cheerful nowadays, less wrinkles on my face (literally) and less "uban". What a feeling! What a blessing!

Thank You Lord! See you next post..

Time at last to wake up from a long stuporous hibernation...

Hibernation is one of nature's survival kits. And I survived, thank God.

The interview for the promotion went ok if I remember right. But in a game you win some and lose some. I was column-rised to DH48 but in the process also lost my post as head of dept. all the fringe benefits that came with the position - a reserved covered parking lot, an office to myself, a personal laptop and printer, no teaching hours, the authority to get people to run errands for you - well the list could go on and on and on...

But then again all my black hair turned white in a jiffy, the stress meter turned black and I was pressed to do so many reports ever so often ( I hated doing this cos the reports inadvertently ended up in some god-forsaken files which would rarely or never ever see daylight again).

Now my no. 1 boss envies the fact that my hair is slowly but surely turning a darker shade again!
I am now reunited with my first love i.e. classroom teaching and I actually can say I like it - again. I kinda missed the interaction with the students. I now take orders instead of dishing them out and it takes a while to get used to this fact. They gave us a 'senior lecturer' title and how is one supposed to take that! I have 16 contact hours which is quite a luxury compared to my other half's workload in her school. Mercy me, God has been good all the time!

Enuff said for now. Hope I don't go into this habit of hibernating after each new post. Needs motivation or rather aggravation depending on the day to post something new!

Or Is It?

2 months. 60, maybe more days to wait! Latest I heard they asked for a copy of my PTK results even tho' they were submitted during the interview and even way back b4 the interview. How could they be so inefficient? Or should we just sit back and accept it as the norm when u deal with these inept officials up there?

They asked for a clear copy! The original PTK result slip was blur and was barely legible, so how could one get them a clearer copy. All these little officials up there had to do was connect with the Ministry of Education and they would have had all the PTK results they wanted in the world.

Just another one of the grouses of the silent majority......

Phew! at last it's done.

Thank God, at last the DH48 interview is done with. The run-up to the interview was nerve racking to say the least. There were so many 'recommendations' to try to follow-up on, like studying up on quick facts on the 7 core components of strategic planning and the PIN and whatever you could think of. At our age it's almost impossible to memorize facts and figures but tried we did.

The actual encounter wasn't as bad as all of us thought it would be. Our panel of interviewers did take a lot longer than the other panels. Many of us in our group spent something like an eternity in there - a whole 30-35 minutes each! Whereas our other colleagues were done with in 10 minutes.
What is the significance of the difference I ask you.

Well, first of all, our panelists were rather friendly and amenable. Or so I hope. The rest is already history and I'm leaving that in God's steady hands.

DH here we go

The much awaited, or rather dreaded day for the DH48 promotion interview is fast approaching. Tomorrow to be exact, beginning with the candidate names in alphabetical order, we'll have to go through a grilling. Wonder if that's just a formality as they say it is. Cv's and folders of proof of our past achievements and contributions will have to be readied for scrutiny.

Really at 54, I have not much to go for as I am fast approaching my twilight years in POLIMAS, but God has been good to me. Having always surrendered my fate to God, which is not surrendering to fate itself, I am blessed cos this is another blessed opportunity for a little advancement in my career. Personally I believe I have contributed my fair share to the Polytechnic and Community College system and if any, a little reward is always welcome though the Datuk has always asked what we have done to deserve what we are asking for.

Hope is the assurance of something not seen but it's there. So I'll just pack some of the things I need for the interview and leave the rest to Him. Meanwhile just read up something on the JPPKK's strategic plan and the National Education Blueprint.

My Little Girl is 17 and Sitting for Her SPM Tomorrow

My Prayer For The Little Girl

Lord, grant Sarah a quiet heart,
before the exams start.
Lead her to use her leisure hours,
to invigorate her powers.
Her mind from daydreams liberate,
give her the will to concentrate.
From all distractions set her free;
that in her studies she may be
a student with a sole fulfilment,
to make her work a sacrament.

From her faint heart in love expel,
all failures fears that therein dwell.
And from her pillow drive away,
all dark foreboding of the day.
Help her in faith to rest so deep,
that she may have untroubled sleep.
While notes and jottings she prepares,
may she not lose her zest for prayers.

And may she not forget to look,
for guidance in Thy Book.
And may she ever grateful be,
to all who for her pray daily
While for herself she intercedes,
for other students too she pleads;
so may exams find
each one alert in heart and mind.

Thus inward joy and peace possessing,
May exams prove a source of blessing.
Amen.

God bless you baby

New Boss

It's official, well almost, POLIMAS will have a new Director, the 6th in 4 years! Come the 16th this month, we'll be dancing to a new tune in the new regime. The current Director will be swopping places with the Director from Politeknik Arau, Perlis. New Director is Tn. Hj. Md Nor bin Yusof.

Question is - when will we ever get someone who will stay long enough to see thru some long term programmes for POLIMAS for its good. But as the saying goes over here, we will survive albeit a little headless in direction. It will be good to see where we will be heading towards with the new boss. My sincere hope is we will see some good coming from this new management - oops! new boss only! The rest of the team will remain the seasoned and hardened veterans of yesteryears.

Ranking wise we have dropped from one of the top three to rock bottom of around 30 politechnics in the country. We can only improve from here! It's sad, so sad as the song goes. My prayer is we will see some if not a lot of good from the change of heads this time.

Enough said.