HAHVAHD Unofficial Tour

On Tuesday June 12th, my children and I with Mega and her mother, took the unofficial tour of Harvard; which was organised by Unofficial Tours - a recently Harvard approved, Student-Run, Student-Owned company. Go to their website at http://www.harv.unofficialtours.com/ and take a look at how the company was started; the beautiful pictures in their on-line brochure and the graphical image map of Harvard Square will give some idea of the route taken during the one and half hour experience. The tour time sounds long - especially on foot! - but the Dual Tour Guide System managed to satisfactorily highlight Harvard hot-spots through their in-depth knowledge, exciting history, side-splitting jokes, and exclusive accounts of student life; making the unforgettable journey oblivious to passing time. Without even using hailers our Tour Guides captured all of their 'followers' attention with fluid flowing 'scripts' on Harvard's (pronounced as HAHVAHD) lingo & terminology, Harvard's buildings & architecture, Harvard's known rivalry with the City of Cambridge and last but not least Harvard's Student Admission and their life in the historic campus. To get enrolled in Harvard is of course not easy; one must be either a top A student, or obtained incredibly high SAT scores, or musically inclined, or.. having very rich parents with none of the above! (The picture on top right with the Memorial Hall behind us was taken by Tom - the bigger size Guide, from a secret vantage point buried deep in Harvard Yard!). The tour starts immediately outside of main Harvard MBTA station, by the Cambridge Info Kiosk in the middle of Harvard Square, and ends in front of the gate along Massachusetts Avenue. As a note: the Tour Guides do not have regular income from the company - I guess because it's 'Unofficial' - so, they get paid through the visitors sincere contributions ( an amount mentioned as an equivalent to a movie show with popcorn ) at the end of the tour. So, if ever you're in Boston, don't miss strolling through Harvard Square & experience the Unofficial Tour of Harvard - which is said to be by far better than the officially run tours!

Salam Pantun - Tunggu Padi Jemoq

I am very honored to have received an autographed copy of Siri Pantun Nusantara, TUNGGU PADI JEMOQ - Serangkaian Pantun Kedah from the Editor of the book himself; none other than Professor Muhammad Haji Salleh - Sasterawan Negara Malaysia. He is currently here, being invited by Harvard to work on a project. I am glad we got to know Prof & family and it seems like we've known them for ages. Juita, Kasthuri & Mega's well mannered ways just captured my heart, despite briefly meeting them, when they were here visiting their parents. If you want to know, there is a whole website dedicated to Prof Muhammad at http://www.geocities.com/ayahanda_m/ . There we can find a wide ranging field of his involvements, his literary contributions and achievements. I am amazed at the number of awards & prizes he had obtained over the years. Well, I KNow he's one of our Sasterawan Negara ( National Laureate ), but reading through them increased my respect for him even more. Such an unassuming, softspoken person and a loving father as well.
Would like to share beberapa rangkap pantun from the above mentioned book Tunggu Padi Jemoq - Serangkaian Pantun Kedah which was compiled by En Ramli M.I ..........

Sekalung Budi

1. Anak didek di ataih papan,
Padi tumpah di bawah tangga;
Anak adik abang dok pesan,
Buat baek oghang pun suka.

2. Anak itek terlentek-lentek,
Anak angsa terenang-renang;
Buat baek tak boleh baek,
Saja bangsa tak mengenang.

3. Ayam hutan terbang ke hutan,
Mati tersangkut kerana duri;
Adik bukan abang pun bukan,
Mati tersangkut kerana budi.

4. Dalam guni ada padi,
Nama padi, padi pulot;
Baek hati baek budi,
Dia mati oghang sebut.

5. Pokok mengkudu di kaki bukit,
Banyak rumpot darilah dia;
Hidup besatu budi yang baek,
Sama-sama menimbang rasa.

6. Tenang-tenang ayaq di laot,
Sampan kolek mudek ke Tanjong;
Hati terkenang mulot tersebut,
Budi yang baek rasa nak junjong.

Malaysia's PM & New First Lady

At last, after 2 years of being a very eligible 'bachelor', Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi fondly known as Pak Lah re-married recently to Jeanne Abdullah. His first wife, Datin Seri Endon passed away due to breast cancer and is rumored that she entrusted Jeanne Abdullah, her ex-sister-in-law to look into his well-being. See how happy he looks!

All other hopefuls out there..eat your heart out!




Thought of sharing his family portrait..

The First Masjid in Boston...

Last Saturday June 9th, we went to the first ever 'big' Masjid to be built in Boston! It is located on Malcolm X Avenue, Roxbury - tempat yang mostly inhabited by ramai African-Americans di Boston! I heard (if it's true..), Governor Deval Patrick wants improvement to that area & he believes it can also be done through Islam. Of course the building of the masjid is not without problems, issues, hindrances & slanders from the enemies of Islam - I believe it took 7 years to get this masjid approved and be erected, and even now it's not completely built yet! Construction is halted due to insufficient funds - the contractor needs an additional of US500k just to continue on with the development. It seems that the committee had to resort to internal/private contributions ( which is kind of slow ) as funds from outside is stopped and cannot be channeled in. Too many negative speculations! Anyway, everyone was there for the placement of the minaret and for the first athan to be heard. Can you imagine the athan 'berkumandang' di udara mat salleh!? You have to be here to experience the feeling.. perasaan macam kat Mekah pulak! Syahduuuu... We were told that the minaret could not have been built, if not for an old lady who 'sedeqah' all of her inheritance & belongings - may Allah shower her with all of his blessings. There were quite a few 'sobs' and 'sniffles' I heard coming from those around me (including yours truly!), amidst the 'ameens' during the do'a done by the Imam. Well, it was in English and everyone understood the message. Actually, there were also talks of 'trouble' likely to happen, instigated by people who tak suka tengok orang Islam hidup senang! We were a bit apprehensive at first of going, especially my husband, who doesn't want us to be caught up in any conflicts - but, upon seeing throngs of Muslims coming from all walks of life, berbagai bentuk dan rupa..the young and the old, with children & babies...walking like one mile away towards the masjid...we were pulled along! Tak ku sangka macam Hari Raya pulak! Fortunately nothing major occured..except for the incident when the tow truck wanting to pull our car away for having the boot a few inches beyond the 'yellow line'!. Alhamdulillah, if not for a few 'brothers' who not knowing the owner of the targeted car, quickly donated US5 each to make up for the 50 dollars requested by the tow-ers, our car would have been compounded. Now that would be another story to tell! They turned down my husband's request to re-pay them and gladly, I witnessed one of the teachings of Islam being practiced here. We are gratified by their sincerity and willingness to help - semoga Allah kurnia lebih banyak rezeki kepada mereka!

Don't Ever.......Stop Being You!

A new blogger friend of mine, Lindaj , sent me this message today..Of course hers was more interesting and eye catching - full of animation & background music. Anyway, thought the words are worth sharing..

DON'T EVER...
Don't ever be reluctant to show your feelings when you're happy, give in to it.
When you're not, live with it.
Don't ever be afraid to try to make things better, you might be surprised at the results.
Don't ever take the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Don't ever feel threatened by the future, take life one day at a time.
Don't ever feel guilty about the past, what's done is done.
Don't stop learning from any mistakes you might have made.
Don't ever feel that you're alone, there is always somebody there for you to reach out.
Don't ever forget that you can achieve so many of the things you can imagine..
Its not as hard as it seems.
Don't ever stop loving, don't ever stop believing, don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.
....... STOP BEING YOU!

'Aqiqah' for little Hazeem...

Last weekend we were invited to attend a small Aqiqah feast for 3 months old Hazeem (hope the spelling's right) in Dracut, MA. The invitation came through a Muslim sister who knows Hazeem's Grandma & family very well. Not knowing Hazeem's family, we were a bit apprehensive at first to accept the invitation, but I guess 'ora ng Melayu memang kaya dengan budi bahasa' so we felt at home in no time at all. Hazeem's father is El Salvadore-American and Hazeem got best features from both his mom and dad. So cute! Comel sangat! The nasi minyak & roasted lamb cooked by Hazeem's mom, Yohanna was delicious. After Maghrib we did some form of Marhabban & it was kind of funny to hear the different international versions..The Malaysian version, the Moroccan version, the Indian & Pakistani versions. Even the do'a was done in 3 languages - Malay, Arabic & English. Whatever it is, what matters most was the meaning - for Hazeem to be a good person, good to his parents & good to his creator; to have all the blessings from Allah. We had a nice time & didn't realise that it was almost midnight when we left - much to Atiqah's dismay who had a test the next day!

A bit on Aqiqah which I picked out from the net.
The Laws of Aqiqah
The performance of aqiqah is sunnah muakkkadah ( highly encouraged ).It is to be performed by the parents or the guardians of the child.
Prophet Muhammad and his companions used to perform aqiqah when they were bestowed with a new born.

To offer the aqiqah or sacrifice for a newborn child is the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). An aqiqah involves the sacrifice of two animals for a boy and one for a girl, with a portion of the meat to be distributed to the poor and needy. An aqiqah can be offered at any point after a child's birth, but it is recommended to perform it within the first week (and ideally on the seventh day). In addition, it is the recommended Sunnah for parents to give sadaqah of equal value to the weight in silver of their baby's hair (when it is shaved on the seventh day after birth).

The purpose of Aqiqah
There are many benefits in the performance of aqiqah and some of them are :
1. Announcing the blessing of Allah with the birth of a baby.
Being bestowed a baby is a great blessing from God.It is only with God's grace that a couple could enjoy the joy of receiving a baby. Thus to show gratitude and joy to God for this gift,blessing and great occasion, an animal is slaughtered and the meat shared amongst friends and relatives.
2. Making known the baby's genealogy and his family.
Aqiqah is also an occasion to pronounce the birth that has taken place in a family.This is to inform friends and relatives about the new member in the family and to avoid misunderstanding or gossips that could arise from that birth.It is also to confirm the baby's rights to the family's wealth and name.
3. Promoting acts of benevolent and promoting kinship and friendship by giving meat to family, friends and neighbours.

Gathering families and friends on this joyous occasion would promote better relation, understandings and love.Even the poor is not left out from this festivities as they are also entitled to the food and meat served on this occasion.

Trees & Flowers

I love trees..

The bigger, the shadier, the better..

But, the ones in winter...

Make one really wonder..

How time and the cruelty of mother nature...

Makes them stand sturdier as ever..

Like the trees we have to be..

Absorbing whatever good there may be..

With roots silently probing & venturing..

Unwavering & undetered by the surroundings..

Its amazing to see..

Lining the streets, gardens & cities..

The multi colours of trees..

Flowers on the other hand..

Have always been praised by men..

Memorial Day & The MBTA

Monday 28th May is Memorial Day. We took the opportunity of the holiday & the fine weather to go venturing the 'T' in Boston. If you're familiar with the Komuter, The Star & The Putra in KL then you'll get along fine with the trains here. In fact, you'll survive in any train, Underground, Metro or Subway system in the world! First of all, go to the nearest train station and get yourself a map of the train routes; plan where you're going, then get a ticket.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)'s website is also a good way to start. It contains wealth of information. Every ride cost $2, so round trip is $4 - we bought our tickets from the touch screen machines at the station, but I noticed passengers can also buy them from the slot machine on the train, near the driver. Macam naik bas kat Malaysia! I also find crossing the railway tracks at the station as something odd, when its a No! No! back home. The station at Newton Center is above ground...I can say Newton nie macam Shah Alam laa. For an 'old' train system, I think the trains here are very fast & on time. Don't mind the physical conditions though - my son said " ..kalau kat M'sia, dah kena buang dah nie.." We took the Green line, Route D & our destination was Gov't Center in Downtown Boston - 14 stops altogether. From there we walked over to Quincy Market, Fanueil Hall, Haymarket & the New England Aquarium. With summer-like weather which the 'mat sallehs' crave for, the centers were buzzing with people & happenings.




I can say we were not the only visitors in town! :-) Quincy Market offers rows of food stalls which during lunch time will be packed with office workers surrounding the area. Boston souveniers are available at Fanueil Hall - an 'old' post office is also located within to cater for immediate deliveries and postal service. There's also a 'Cheers' bar lookalike nearby where we see quite a number of snapshots taken. Besides being a 'hot spot' for visitors, this area is also a historical site and its part of the Freedom Trail that the Trolley Tours offer. Notice the 'old' I previously mentioned in quotes; I believe we should also be preserving & showcasing them MORE than the 'new' which we are frequently hype-ing these days.. People want to see history & culture that's why they go to places; if not they would have stayed at home! Don't you think? Well, just a passing thought..:-)
The New England Aquarium, like any other, features animals from around the world - equipped with four-storey 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank, its home to everything from seaturtles to sharks to tropical fish. I have been to our Sea World in Langkawi but it was some time back so I can't make an immediate comparison to this aquarium. Maybe I should research it! ;-) But, what I notice about the NE Aquarium is that, it has a clinic & lab for injured sea animals within the facility & those that they find in MA surrounding waters. Which is quite comforting to know...Of course, research is in conjunction with the educational institutions which Boston is renowned for.
Besides going around the 'inexpensive way' like we did, the city also offers visitors many more ways to tour Boston; such as the different Trolley Tours, the Duck Tours - it goes over land & water!, and the Harbor Cruises. To see so many Architecture, Museums, Historic Sites, Tour Sites & Fun Sites - making Boston a charming and educational city to visit. :-)

Asian Nite 2007 @ Newton South High School

Congratulations to the Asian Students Organisation for making the 3rd Asian Night fun & memorable for the students and parents of NSHS. The night started off with 5 perky students acting as host & hostesses welcoming the auditorium packed audience. To set the mood & spirit going, the first act was 'Beating of the Drums' by Chinese Folk Art Workshop. I could see many with camera or handphone in their hands clicking & recording the fanciful actions of the drum beaters amidst the loud, rhythmic sound of the BIG drums. The beat was of course, not UNfamiliar to a person who have been living in front of a Chinese Temple most of her young days in Selama, Perak. Next came Korean & Japanese songs which were the order of the night. The Modern Indian Dancers managed to captivate the audience's attention to their body swaying, bangles rattling, and head shaking routines - Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit & Karisma Kapoor would have been proud! Spring Showers - the chinese fan dance was refreshing and beautifully choreographed. I imagined Malaysian girls dancing 'joget', 'inang' & 'zapin' clad in tight 'kebayas' & batik sarongs. That would have woo-ed the audience even more! But, Atiqah is the only Malaysian girl in the school & I wondered whether TDC would be willing to send their dance troupes to a High School like Newton South. The night continued on with a Lion Dance - I suppose the 'Mat Sallehs' wouldn't think the Asian Nite as complete without a 'Lion' prancing on stage. Anyhow, kudos to the acrobats on their efforts! Although I loved to watch the Martial Arts performance by Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy, I daresay there would be more 'ooohs' & 'aaahs' if the 'silat' was also introduced to the audience that night. The Chinese Yo Yo by the boys from Chinese Folk Art Workshop was to me very unique & invigorating indeed. Especially when it was announced that the Yo Yo was founded in China! Although, I think they would be equally fascinated if they had seen our 'Gasing' act - Top Spinning. The 'Asian' fashion show went well - I commented to Atiqah & her friend Sidra, originally from Pakistan, that they should enter in next year's fashion show to make it complete. The response I got was just sniggles & glares from both of them. Of course, we wouldn't want the audience to think that Asia constitutes of only China, Korea & India, right? Asia has also got abundance of culture & art in the South East as well. The Raffle drawing was I guess the moment that everyone was waiting for - prices were a brand new iPod Shuffle, $50 Simon's Mall Gift Card and $25 Borders Gift Card. Guess who won second price...Atiqah!! The night was worth going to after all! :) I can't help hearing the illusionist from Thailand, Bus Khiaophan's comment: Glad we're all Asians!Congratulations again to all who have made the night successful. Awaiting for a more exciting & interesting 4th Annual Asian Night next year...

Physics Day at Canobie Lake Park

May 18th is Physics Day! Today, all Grade 9 students of Newton South High School, MA had the opportunity to learn & experience physics at Canobie Lake Park in Salem New Hampshire. It was around 50 mins bus ride from the school to the theme park. There were 10 buses altogether with maybe like 20 teachers and 4 parents (including yours truly) acting as chaperones for the students. Everyone looked excited in the sports hall, chattering & kidding around while the teachers took attendance. Mr Van Beever was the man of the day and I have to thank him for allowing me to tag along. Being a first time chaperone, thank goodness I had Ms Okun in my bus. Anyway, the children were very well behaved. We left at around 9am and came back quarter to 2. I know the children would love to be there until the park closes!. Atiqah was in another bus with another parent whom I came to know - Ms Maria de Lourdes Ramos-Heinrick, who is a lovely & friendly lady. Her son, to his dismay :-) is also in the same bus as de Lourdes. One of these days, I hope me and de Lourdes will be able to make it for the tenis games we talked about while we were at the teachers lounge ( besides the free ticket, we were also invited to the teachers lounge! ) and when we were up on the ferris wheel. I would love to start back on the game.. getting rusty on my backstrokes and forehand! Of course there were loads of other fun rides - I told de Lourdes, why torture ourselves! And, she agreed. The place is more like the theme park in Genting Highlands. Tapi, rasa2 nyer kat Genting lagiii best!! - in terms of the rides. But what I like about Canobie is, its charming setting amidst the forest and the scenic Canobie Lake. The place has been around since the early 1900's - changing hands a number of times. I love how they manage to preserve the trees, the foliage and maintain a crystal clear lake. It would be much better however, if the weather was in our favor but, the children didn't mind it at all. There were also other students and teachers from schools in New Hampshire and the surrounding areas. Like the NSHS students they were also taking notes & answering their worksheets before getting up on the rides. I think they were just simple questions though, - the main idea is ... physics = FUN !

Wrentham..oh..Wrentham..

Strangely enough, bringing others to shop is as satisfying as you doing the shopping yourself.. :-). The factory outlets in MA as well as up in Maine saw a 'tsunami' of Malaysians and internationals these last few weeks. Not only the outlets were 'raided' - Newman Marcus, Copley Square & Newbury Street saw quite a number of VIPs & BioTechies taking a break from the BIO Convention. Really..., spending US500+ on a handbag is way beyond my purse! I don't think I have the courage to swipe my card for it no matter how cheap my friend say it is. But seeing her buying it, is like me owning it myself..Now where would I have the use for a 500 dollar bag!
My mother would love me more if she found out I have inherited her prudent ways..With more than 170 designer outlets all located in one attractive outdoor center in Wrentham, what more can you ask for in a factory outlet!

Children's Muzeum in Boston..& Queen Noor of Jordan

I had the opportunity on May 7th 2007 to accompany the DPM wife's entourage to the Children's Muzeum in Boston. It was an interesting & knowledgeable experience on my part. Simple ideas but made easy & practical by the staff & administrators of the unique facility. It doesn't take a big, expensive building to achieve their objectives.! I suppose its the contents that matters most. The children's program there is an outlet for mothers, fathers and even caretakers to bring their infants / toddlers to play & learn from the facility. Such things as sand, water, bubbles, lights... are just a few of the elements creatively designed to entice the physical as well as provoke the imagination of the smaller children - which is the main focus of the DPM wife's initiative back home. She mentioned the increasing social ills among youngsters these days - ahaaa..glad SOMEBODY noticed! - and would like to implement a similar program for 5 year olds and below.
Like the activities done in any nursery or 'tadika' in Malaysia, the bigger children also get to do coloring, painting, cutting...& singing. What I like most however, are the life skills that are playfully taught and learnt by them. Simple examples are the do's & don'ts whenever they are in a kitchen, or what they have to do when they are up on an aeroplane or the buying and selling that happens in an ordinary sundry shop. All these activities take place in the model kitchen, a pretend aircraft cabin and also in the little model shop that is equipped even with a cash register!.

I remember the 'pondok2' we used to play during our childhood days... :-) No one taught us the 'how to's' then .. I suppose it WAS a process of learning life skills - by imitating adults & doing whatever comes naturally. We did not have dolls back then either - barbie , cabbage patch or whatever ...we used the smaller kids as babies & sometimes makeshift puppets out of paper with cutout paper clothes. Those were the days....



Look who's waiting patiently for the bus! :-)






On May 8th, we had the opportunity listening to Queen Noor of Jordan on the topic of BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON GLOBAL HEALTH during one of the luncheon talks at BIO2007. She talked about the actual needs and the commercial demands of Biotechnology : Blue BioTech - safety of water & Green BioTech - food grown without much water, building peace through King Hussein Environmental International Organisation, being a patron to World Conservation Union, support agriculture for future harvests.... Security , water, food & healthcare will contribute in the times to come... So glad I made it for her speech. Of course, I would be exhilarated even more if we also made it for the luncheon talk by Michael J.Fox - Founder, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research the day before... ;-)

BIO2007 Boston

Bio International Convention - the Global Event for Biotechnology, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) started on Sunday 6th May and ended on Wednesday 9th May 2007. It was estimated around 20,000 people gathered whether to attend the paid sessions or exhibit their stuffs in the pavillions that were set up by more than I believe, 30 countries including Malaysia. By the way, passes to the sessions cost nearly US2000 and visitors had to pay US150 just to get in. Of course, security was tight amidst the threat of animal rights protesters! Well, it was a gathering of the 'biotechies' and who's who in the technology 'glamorized' industry. During the one week period Boston became a hub for biotechnology - like a magnet attracting hundreds of people to the city. The Governor, Deval Patrick announced a US1.3B budget for the biotech industry - life sciences, in MA.
Wow ! Can u beat that? Newspapers stated that it was not just the main show that mattered - spinoff conferences, meetings & dealings were more likely to boost the biotech industry. And it is hoped Malaysia also profited from this event - sending more than 350 delegates made her the 3rd largest participation just after US (the host) and Canada (the neighbour), definitely some GOOD is more than expected! But how come no mention of Malaysia's participation in the local papers?. I believe I read something on our southern neighbor's initiatives in biotechnology. After all the huge amount of money that was spent! I think a smaaall space in The Boston Globe or MHT doesn't account much compared to what was spent on the pavillion or the accomodations or even the Lobsters during previous night dinner!. I must say the location of the Malaysian Pavillion was very strategic indeed! Just beside the escallator used for entering into the exhibition hall ..but some sense should have been knocked into the designers' head! A lookalike structure of a Malay house' s roof as the centerpiece was undoubtedly Malaysian, but putting it sideways! No wonder the Malaysian booths inside were 'lengang', not busy at all...they were blocked by the many partitions ever! People just couldn't find MALAYSIA's entrance and walked straight on to MARYLAND! .

I managed to take a shot on top of the escallator before being apprehended by the security guards.. ! :o ..What you're looking at is the side( should be the front ) and the back view of the pavillion. The partitions in front of the man should not be there - making way for a bigger entrance and bigger view of the Malaysian pavillion as visitors descent from the escallator into the exhibition area. Hopefully the organisers learn from this year's BIO for a successful and more fruitful BIO2008 in San Diego!.
Just an honest opinion from an observer....
p/s : MHT stated BIO2007 had more than 500,000 visitors and Boston profited from it....

Spring is in the airrr....

My hands automatically waved back to Anna as I watched her walking briskly pass my window. ' C'mon ' she mouthed and swinging her forearms at her sides gesturing me to follow her. I smiled back at her while shaking my head. 'Okay..' she mouthed back and off she goes for her morning walk. For a 65 year old lady she amazes me! It has been raining since Thursday last week & this morning looks like a fine spring day after all...
Tomorrow we're going to DC again. Anis has got to go for an interview at MARA office there. Thank goodness, the interview has been shifted to DC and not back home...or else, we'ld be scratching our heads by now! I am always told i worry too much. But, that's me! :)

Newton South High School, MA

Newton South High School 140, Brandeis Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459.
My youngest daughter goes to the Newton South High School, here in Newton. Everybody says it's a good school. As I've come to know the Grade 9 teachers who are forever doing their best for the students, I agree with them. The likes of Ms Carol McNally, Mr Van Beever, Mr Peabody, Mr Mendez, Ms Jason, Ms Gilicina and many more are irreplaceable. Being an English Language Learner (ELL), meaning English is her second language, I do hope my daughter will improve & flourish as a student as well as a person under their guidance.
From my readings, Newton is served by fifteen elementary schools, four middle schools, and two large high schools, one of which is Newton South High School. According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, the schools in Newton spent a lot more for their students compared to schools in other districts in the state. Student population at NSHS increased quite a bit these few years. The student body has also seen demographic change. At Newton South, 13.6 % of the students are Asian, 5.0 % are black or Hispanic, 77.8 % are Caucasian and 3.5 % identify themselves as “other.” The largest group of immigrants at NSHS comes from countries in the former Soviet Union. For approximately one-third of the students, English is a second language. Somehow, I am glad my daughter is not alone when it comes to learning the English language. She has friends from practically around the globe in her ELL class - friends from Korea, China, Japan, South America, Israel...Everyday, she comes back with plenty of delightful stories to tell..
Newton South has always taken pride in the way its students exceeded both national and statewide College Board scores and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores. While the statewide mean on the SAT verbal score was 511 and the statewide math score was 519, NSHS's mean SAT verbal was 600 and mean SAT math score was 629, as reported in the 2004 College Board test results. On the new SAT, South’s mean critical reading score was 605 and the mean math score was 630. To note : Standardised Acceptance Test (SAT) is a test that students have to take in order to get accepted into Colleges or Universities here in the US. My eldest son has taken the test somewhere in March this year. The SAT is known to be difficult especially the English part. But, I think most Malaysian students have no problems in the Math. My son did just fairly in both. We are still waiting for the results on his University application as a Transfer Student this Fall Admission. I pray for the best!! As the name says, MCAS exam is only applicable for Massachusettes schools and it became a graduation requirement a few years back. All NSHS students except for three have passed in time to graduate with their classes, and overall scores have stayed relatively the same over recent years with 98 passing and 88 scoring Advanced or Proficient in 2005. My daughter will go for Maths & English tuition held in Newton North this summer. I worry for her and I really hope she will progress & does well for her MCAS exams.
On the subject of teachers in NSHS, in addition to the required bachelors' degree, 49 teachers have a master’s degree, 29 have a masters' degree plus thirty or forty-five credits, and 8 of teachers have their doctorates. Meaning teachers in High School, or in Malaysia called Secondary Schools are with PHDs. I would love to see the day when PHDs are plentiful in Secondary Schools of Malaysia. Undoubtedly, with their knowledge, guidance and/or management would actually lift our education standard to a whole new level!.

Friends in DC...

It's good to have friends who make us feel welcome and are very sincere in their ways. Although freezing outside, one house on Talking Rock radiates the warmth of good ole hospitality that only a true Malay practices. I love the pounded 'sambal belacan' which I have not had since arriving in the US. Even the thought of 'masak lemak cili padi' prepared for dinner is still mouth watering to me. I hear the Koreans are 'big' in DC, meaning there are quite a number of them and thereby many Korean supermarkets. Their cili powder is excellent! I need to find one in Boston lest my 'cili kering' runs out!
I have been to DC before but that was the first time I have been to the Malaysian Embassy. It was not a good day as the boiler in the basement was faulty. So, every room had a stand alone heater which overloaded the power supply. Considering the building is still new I wondered what went wrong! But, the kids had a great time visiting the tourist sites. Thank you to our friends in DC...:-)

Trip down memory lane..

Today is Cikgu Zainal's birthday. He would be 74 this year. I couldn't help thinking of him as we drove down from Boston to New Haven this morning. It was more than 20 years ago when he, my mom & 2 younger sisters came down to pay us a visit in New Haven. Sometimes my parents amaze me - them being just small town 'cikgus'!
They somehow managed to perform few times of Haj & Umrahs as well as visiting a few countries like any other high income earner. My mom always stress on being 'berjimat cermat' & spending money wisely. She doesn't like to waste on anything & often shakes her head seeing my spending ways.

I can still remember the 6 of us comfortably seated in the big old Ford LTD. We don't see those kind around these days! My father in his sarong - 'kain pelikat' seated at the back, with his legs folded criss crossed (bersila). At times he nudged my mom who occasionally dozed off due to jet lag. " Bangun la..rugi mai jauh-jauh!" - Wake up, he said..it's a waste coming from so far! On the way south to Florida we stopped at NYC & DC.
My father treasured the photos we took at the World Trade Center, Lady of Liberty, White House...& my mom loved the tulips! We travelled up north - experiencing Niagara Falls - all the way to Quebec!. I have my husband to thank for driving singlehandedly throughout the trip & I believe he made his father-in-law very happy for a wonderful & satisfying holiday.

See the Halal sign... aaaah..only in New Haven! :)

Snow Storm & School's Out...

Kids will still be kids, no matter how old they get :-) In fact, we ALL have a bit of the kid in us! They have been visualising snow all the time ..asking me how it looks like & feels like. I'ld always tell them to go to the 'fridge' & scrape off the frost. Coming from all the year round sunshine country, to feel and see the real thing, I guess was too much for them. "Hah...macam nak gghaq punya seronok!" :-) ..
The day continued with a snow storm. The heavy,raging rain kept on pouring & the strong winds kept on beating the windows & glass doors until evening. Our landlord had to work overtime with his ice plough. Pushing the snow & scraping frozen ice at the sides of his tenants' houses & even on the main road. I know its stated in the lease, but shoveling snow is a backbreaking job.. especially for a man as old as him. He is 5 years older than Anna but still strong and healthy.
His secret is eat whatever that doesn't make your stomach or body suffer. But I told him.." ..it must be the olive oil" Yeah..Italians do take that a lot !...he said with a smile. Seing him makes me remember my father...( Allahyarham Hj Zainal Abidin..insya Allah dia di tempatkan bersama orang-orang yang beriman ), because just like our landlord, he is the kind of guy you can depend on whenever you need some kind of help.

Happy 21st ..in the land of opportunities!

I still remember when I had my 21st birthday..way back 'zillion' years ago! It feels like yesterday, though. :-) Celebrated it with friends in a small classroom where we studied. Felt like freedom was in my hands. I always had the urge to learn & experience things as much as I could...but back then, ( 'zillion' years ago..) there was not much to do & not much to see in an independent land, in its infancy. There were only movies to go to and the occasional 'flings' in discos around the city - grooving to the beat of Saturday Nite Fever & doing the Hustle! ;-) We were quite crazy in our own way but we did not go astray. I think it really boils down to the basics of morality & upbringing. I had a lot of that from Cikgu Bastiah & Cikgu Zainal back then!
My eldest turned 21 yesterday. It feels like only yesterday I was trudging down the snow from St Raphael's Hospital to our apartment, hugging his bundled up body close to me. He was barely 20" and weighing meerly 2.3 pounds! But look at him now, he has even outgrown his father!. But he will still be my bundle of joy :-) I pray & I hope the parenting & education that both of us have given him will make him into a well balanced man and guide him to the right path. Happy birthday, my son.. may you have all the blessings from Allah and be successful in your life..

Newtonians...

The City of Newton is located eleven miles west of Boston and bounded on three sides by the Charles River. Settled in 1630, it now has a population of 84,000 spread across thirteen villages. Often referred to as the "tree city," Newton in 2004 was named "America's Safest City" by the Morgan Quitno Press and was recently designated as one of five U.S. cities to receive the "U.S. Conference of Mayors Livability Award." Newton is particularly proud of its city museum that was a stop on the Underground Railroad, its award-winning public library, and its reputation for excellent schools. (See Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2004, and Boston Magazine, September, 2005.).
Although the city of Newton encompasses 18.22 square miles, commercial uses occupy only 4.1% of the land. In 2002, the largest employers were Boston College, the City of Newton, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Reed Publishing and Technical Aid Corporation, each with 1000-4999 employees. The unemployment rate in 2002 was only 1.3% in this city of largely academic and professional wage-earners. Over 94% of Newton's adult residents hold a high school or college diploma. Almost 40% hold a graduate or professional degree. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the median household income was $86,052 in 2004. However, amidst this stable affluence, 546 families or 4.3% of Newton's population have an annual income below the poverty line.
The people here are friendly, that is if we ever get to see them in this kind of weather!
The day we moved in, our landlords introduced us to our neighbours. House on the right are the Jewish couple who has a son named Michael. The Columbians live beside them. Our landlords live at the back of our houses & they have always been prompt when it comes to house repairs. Looks like having landlords nearby is going to work well!.On the left are the new house owners from Russia...Mother & daughter team. They paid quite a 'chunk' to get the property. They haven't moved in yet, though..maybe, later when the house is repaired & liveable.
Taking Langley, to the right of Beecher will lead us to Newton Center - around 30 minutes on foot (my pace). That is, if its not snowing, gauky & wet! Anna says when the weather's fine we can go brisk walking together. She's really something for a 65 year old lady..and a good cook too!.. I loVe her glazed roasted almonds..the lemony taste gives the zzziiing to the almonds!
I hear the Boston Marathon will pass through Newton this coming April- I can't wait for that & I hope the weather will be a bit warmer by then. I have heard a lot about the Boston Marathon, in fact I think there's a movie on it. I dare say, the runners are almost 20,000 strong & each of them have got their own stories to tell. Why they need to go through the ordeal of 26.2miles, on Massachusetts terrain is just beyond me!

Half way across the world...

We left KLIA in the wee morning of January 6th. Everybody was there except my mom & sister in Perak. My mom said that it was for the best. After all her Edah was not over yet & she didn't want anyone to fuss over her broken toe! I will always be teary eyed whenever I think of her, visualising how she looked now to how she looked years ago.....a far cry from the zesty teacher she once was! I suppose that's what my children will think of me in 20 - 25 years from now. But, she's getting better, I hear. With friends to keep her busy...marhaban, cukur jambul, yassin & tahlil..and of course she also has my sister & kids to keep her company.
We arrived at Newark Airport, New York on the same day. The flight was of course loonggg....transiting only an hour at Stockholm transit lounge. Remember, no liquids/gels/creams of that sort on board!. All will be thrown out. Best to keep them in the suitcases. Immigration was a breeze...
We took a domestic flight the next day to Logan Airport, Boston. Marriot Long Wharf was our home for 6 days, 5 nights.