Superhappyoptimisticjoyfulandprodigious!

12-14 May 2008

From 1 door to another – MICELT 2008, Royale Bintang, Seremban.

Alhamdulillah Naz’s frens invited us 2 stay at their place in Mambau the nite b4 we need 2 register at the hotel. Naz was recuperating fr fever. If things turn 4 d worst, it wud b a nervewreckin driving experience 4 me if we had 2 depart on the morning of d registration itself fr Msjd Tnh…?! Registration starts at 7.30 am, mind you!

Once we arrived (the frens gave perfect direction--- we weren’t perfect direction-followers :p) Naz introduced me 2 her frens; Shida, K.C & Mai. Apparently they all taught in the same place once when Naz were in Johor. They were a jovial & harmonious bunch. As usual, I find it hard 2 communicate once after the introductn—Naz wudnt let me call her ‘kak’ since I work in KMM, but I cant juz call her frens there n then by their names?? Esp. since they r more or less 5 yrs older than me & the way things r btwn us, I kud sense their look saying “who’s dis "green"-looking lass?”. Totally awkward…!

But things started 2 warm up dat nite when out 4 dinner, while “queing” at Johnny’s, we chatted. I started by calling them ‘kak’ of course & found it a total relief towards the end. They seemed more com4table too, calling me ‘Adik’ d whole time..hehe..they never been able 2 pronounce my name even after Naz had told em. I hope Naz wudnt mind me addressing her frens wit ‘kak’.

Anyway, during MICELT, we went 2 different presentations most of d time. We’ve agreed dat it’s best if we kud cover as many topics/presentations as we can rather than goin 2 d same room d whole time. Naz has her frens 2 accompany her anyway. While I don’t mind & was more keen on goin 2 rooms dat has ‘group work’ / ‘cooperative learning’ theme in their titles. Because—I need 2 present my paper again in 2 more weeks, need 2 add sumthing 2 suffice d 40 min slot they r giving me.

There were a couple of sessions that we went 2gether esp. on topics dat were really, really interesting; An evening of Stories & Poems with Andrew Wright & Alan Maley, Feel Good Songs by Tim Murphey as well as Group Sensitive Teaching by T. Murphey and of course, all the Key Notes addresses.

I met a couple of familiar faces at d conference; Sis Yati fr Kolj MARA K. Nerang, d twin sister of my roommate during KPLI (I mistook her as Sis Yana at 1st?!) & another was my supervisor while I was doing ROS in SMK Asma, A. Star 3 yrs ago. But I hadn’t d chance 2 talk 2 d lady. I noticed on d list there were a lot of participants/presenters from IIUM also tho’ not of any1 I know.

I was merely a listener in most of the presentations dat I went to except 1 on wic the paper was abt Inculcation of Spiritual Intelligence in ESL . The presenters were fr UPM & wat made me really want 2 speak 2 em was because they talkd abt the education syllabus in UK. They talk abt the Religious Education that they have there that allow children to learn abt other religions openly in a more academic manner.

That brought me down memory lane when I was 10 & we had a priest coming 2 our class talking abt how Christianity started & the difference n similarity we have btwn Islam n Christianity (majority of those in the class were muslims). The priest came complete in his robe n color coded scrolls etc. I thought that was a really good exposure. If it didn’t make me remember much of wat was told, it surely embalmed a msg in my mind, dat it was done in a proper manner & every1 was open n willing 2 learn & 2 understand the culture & way of life of the others & wat made us common/similar. It was abt Finding the Good in others.

p/s: i'l always remember Naz's + kak Shida, KC & Mai's waffle-craving at d A&W! :p