Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Memory Lane

Hey, I'm Tan, retired teacher. Like to email. Like to listen to music & Karaoke. Like to read. Hate people who smoke and litter. Concern for the enviroment.

6 comments:

jmtan2007.blogspot.com said...

My Story
Now happily retired, do what I like to do like reading, watching TV and cooking.
I started off as a temporary teacher after finishing my Cambridge School Certificate (OSC) in Clifford Secondary School. Teaching English in a Chinese primary school.The young students enjoyed my lessons because I taught them to sing English songs. Very unlike the older teacher who only wanted the students to memorise words. I became a trained teacher in 1967 and taught English and Geography from Remove Class to Form 3 in a Lower Secondary School in Budu. I was attached to the English medium section of the school. Passed my HSC in 1969 through self study and enrolled as an external student of London University. Transfered to Raub and taught in SM Dato Shanbandar in 1070. Transferred back to Lipis in 1977 and taught English and Geography in SM Clifford,my alma mater.After 2 years I was transferred to SM Chung Hwa as Senior Assistant. After 2 years in Chung Hwa, I was transfered to the newly established District Education Office as Penyelia Sekolah Menengah under the 1st PPD Yusof Jaafar who was incidentally, my former boss in SM Clifford.Again after 2 years, I was transfered to Kemayan, then under Temerloh district as the Headmaster of the Secondary School there. Kemayan is a Chinese New Village about 16 km from Triang. I had never been to this part of Pahang and I had to look at the map of Pahang to locate the place. So I packed a bag and drove alone to Triang on a Monday morning. When I came to the Triang bridge, it was dismantled. I was wondering how to go to Kemayan when I could not cross the bridge. Then I asked around and I found out that there was a new road to Kemayan. So I turned back and went searching for the road outside the town. As I was entering the Kemayan cowboy town, I saw something like a school building in the distance. When I went nearer to it, I found that it was a Chinese primary school. I asked around for the secondary school. A young man on a motorbike asked to follow him and he took me to dusty lane outside the town. After negotiating a windy and dusty lane, I finally reached my destination. It was a new school, only 3 years old. The former HM, Mr Ooi was transferred to Kg Raja in Cameron Highlands. I reported to the then Senior Assistant, En. Something( Sorry, forgotten his name).He was surprised to see me. He thought I was not coming because the previous two persons appointed rejected the appointment. I was given no choice to reject bc my boss in PPD Lipis did not tell me beforehand. I think he gave me the promotion to transfer me out. The school had electricity but no water. We had to make do with sky juice and the toilets were often smelly. We had about 25 teachers, a clerk, an office girl and a general worker, but no jaga. There were about 500 over students - 80% Chinese. I managed to survive 4 years there,going back every weekend to Lipis, a 3hr 15 min. drive non stop.Managed to get transfer back to Lipis in 1988 after making 3 trips to see the then deputy director, En. Abdul Razak Abu, a big fierce looking man resembling Kublai Khan. I was a bit scare at first and I nearly got cold feet after waiting outside his office for some time. I managed to talk to him and found that he was a reasonable man. He asked to serve for a few years and he promised me a place in Lipis if there is a vacancy. True to his words, I was transferred to SM Benta,Lipis in 1988. My father passed away in 1987. In 1996, I opted for early retirement at the age of 50 after completing 25 years in the education service, entitling me to full pension. I became a tution teacher teaching English at the local IKIP tution center. One of the students was Siti Nurhaliza (now Datuk). Then I took up Rockwills Franchise and trained as a Professional Will Writer. I had an office the Lipis Centrepoint Complex which I bought in 1995. After 2 years I got an offer and became a Lecturer in GMI (German-Malaysian Institute)KL. I was to start the Malaysian Studies and Moral Studies at the Institute. GMI offers hands-on industrial voccation courses and bc of govenment regulations, it has to offer these 2 compulsory subjects. So I was the pioneer lecturer in these two subjects at the institute with no reference at all from anyone. All lecturers, except for English and Islamic studies, there were technically qualified people and the books in the library were almost all technical subjects. So I had to look for materials on my own in order to teach. Many of my works came from books and daily newspapers. I made a lot of transparancies for my lectures. Luckily, GMI gave every lecturer a laptop and access to Internet the whole day. So I had no problems.

End of part 1. Part 2 will come later. JM Tan 23.07.07

Kim Kim said...

Nice reading, Pa!

floflo said...

hi dad!!! ur naughtiest daughter is here ;P heehe guess what, i got all the elvis's songs in my lappy feeling excited now for my homecoming ? ngek ngek do remember to reserve some durians for me, i know durian season has begun. =D

jmtan2007.blogspot.com said...

Do you know the
favourite Songs of our leaders?
Here are some of my own suggestions:
( Meant No Offence to Anyone)
Actus Non Facit Ream Nisi Mens Sit Rea (Latin).

01. Pak Lah (PM): STAND BY ME / I'm Getting Married in the Morning.
02. Dato Sri Najib (DPM & Defence Minister): The LONGEST DAY.
03. Dato Seri Anwar (EX DPM) when he was still in prison: RELEASE ME.
04. Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik (Ex President MCA - still remember him?): AM I THAT EASY TO FORGET?
05. Tun Dr. Mahathir (EX PM): MY WAY.
06. Dato Seri Ong Ka Ting (President MCA & Minister, Local Govt): ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE.
07. Dato Seri Chan Kong Choy(Transport Minister):500 MILES.
08. Dato Nik Aziz (Pas Spiritual Leader & MB Kelantan): THE MOON REPRESENTS MY HEART (Popular Chinese song-YE LIANG TIE BIAO WO DE SIN - Teresa Teng).
09. Dato Seri Nazri Aziz (Minister, PM's Dept who likes to smoke):SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES.
10. Dato Seri Samy Vellu (Works Minister & MIC Boss): I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE.
11. Datuk Hishamuddin H.(Ed.Minister & UMNO Youth Leader): TO SIR WITH LOVE.
12. Dato Seri Lim Keng Yaik (Ex President GERAKAN ): YESTERDAY.
13. Datuk M.Kayveas (President PPP): A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS.
14. YB Fong Kam Poh (DAP MP who was recently the target of a bad joke by 2 BN MPs in Parliament): PLEASE DON'T TEASE.
15. Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon (CM,Penang): MY ISLAND IN THE SUN.
16. Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu (Ex President, MCA,GERAKAN & Ex CM Penang) AS TIME GOES BY.
17. Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen (Wanita MCA Leader who likes to dress young): PRETTY LITTLE BABY.
18. Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz (Wanita UMNO Leader & Minister MITI): WHATEVER WILL BE WILL BE.
19. Datuk Sharizat (Minister:Woman & Family Affairs): WOMAN WOMAN.
20. Tun Musa Hitam (Ex DPM): THOSE WERE THE DAYS.
21. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Agri Minister): COTTON FIELD / PLANTING RICE.
22. Datuk Azalina Othman (Sports Minister refering to FAM): DON'T LET ME DOWN.
23. YB Lim Kit Siang (Opposition Leader in Parliament): I CAN GET NO SATISFACTION ( popular song by The Rolling Stones)
24. Tengku Adnan (Tourism Minister):ISLE OF CAPRI.

KP LOH said...

I m glad that u had started ur blog and started telling ur own story and sharing ur jokes.Surely u r able to continue to write more to share good stuffs and memories with those who visit n read ur blog. Keep it up, old pal.

ysw said...

Dear Mr Tan,

Hope all is well at your end.

I remember you even though you have not taught me before. I think your sister taught me in SEK MEN BUDU in 1975. How is she ? Hope all is fine with her.

Please continue to write about Kuala Lipis as I love reading it. Hope to catch up with when I next return to Malaysia.

take care, cikgu