HAPPY NEW YEARS BUDDIES !

Together with my two assistants, Siti and Mazlina

• Last week I had a heart-to-heart session with 30 Federal Government Officers at a renown hotel in Sibu. My slot is part of a course namely “PENGURUSAN KENDIRI DAN MEMBINA BUDAYA KERJA CEMERLANG DALAM ORGANISASI ”.

• Instead of a conventional 3 hours ceramah, I designed my slot into multi-diciplinary sessions which incorporated brain storming, reflections, team work, sharings, games , dynamic groups discussion, confession dan singing etc. The purpose is stress free but hands on and experiential learnings aim to upgrade oneself in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude corrections.

• The session started with an animated powerpoint showing the US Bombers dropping atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki which reduced them into mere rubble. Then after 30 years, the two cities developed to be the two most modern cities in Japan. We admire and salute the the Japanese of their sheer hard work and determination.

• Then back home in Malaysia in the 80s. Tun Dr. Mahathir was not happy with the rakyat performance. Being contradict to our Japanese counterparts whose loyalty to their orgainsation is so dominant that it stimulated the then Prime Minister to launch the “Look East Policy “ in 1982. Then came the campaign “Bersih, cekap dan Amanah”, “Kepimpinan Melalui Tauladan”, “Wawasan 2020”. Pak Lah arrived with “Plan Integriti Nasional” in 2004. Now and then thouands of courses were conducted on Etika Kerja ; Penerapan Nilai Islam ; Budaya Kerja Cemerlang ; Persyarikatan Malaysia ;Tonggak 12 ;
Program Nilai Murni ; Pusingan Tempat Kerja ; Pejabat
Perkhidmatan Pelanggan dan lain-lain.

• High expectations were raised when Bersih, Cekap and Amanah was introduced in 1982. But almost three decades later, the civil service is still stuck in a quagmire of inefficiency and corruption.

• Why ? Why ? Why ? The participants put their heads together digging for the answers. What caused the integrity deterioration among the Malaysians ? We discussed and checked on individuals, leaders, systems and procedures. We focused on results. Results are everything.

• A general conclusion suggested that disgusting attitude “ Kepentingan diri didahulukan, Wang Ringgit diutamakan !” seemed to be the main culprit.

• The participants agreed that if one keeps on doing what he is doing, he will keep getting what he is getting. So he needs to change his behaviour. Focus on performance and look for corresponding results.

• The all fun-laughters-high ESQ slot ended with an Integrity Pledge that read:

If you make a commitment – Honor it
If you make a promise – Keep it
If you set a goal – Achieve it

If my sharing of this sounds sensitive to any one of you, I BEG FOR YOUR PARDON. In order to get a better life, we need to design one. Unfortunately many of us spend more time and energy on our grocery list then we do planning our future. Sorry buddies.

BYE-BYE BUDDIES. BYE-BYE 2009
READY FOR 2010 RESOLUTIONS CHALLENGE ?

The Purpose of Life is a Life of Purpose

Time flies. Santa Claus is dancing again to entertain the crowd at shopping lots. Christmas is just around the corner.

December means holiday to many. But as Ketua Unit Kaunseling IPG Kampus Rajang Sarawak, commitment, joys and responsiblities are the three things that gonna rock me towards the end of 2009. Yet to find some days for holidays.

I boarded the institute bus for a 340 km 7 hours south west bound trip to the Cat City on the 4th of December.

Without a doubt, the 3 days 2 nights Team Building Course for 36 IPG Kampus Rajang supporting staff at Merdeka Palace Kuching was a thrill to all the participants. Many PERASA tools were being borrowed, modified and deployed to maximise the achievement of team work.

The course was completely simulated activities based, incorporated with lot of philosophies of life especially in the context of team work among co-workers in an organisation.




Laughters echoed in the air through the hall way. Salam semut, Tabik monyet, Gerai Runcit Merdeka, Group Battle-Cries, Mission Impossible, Si Adikku Yang Manis, The number Games, Penghargaan Epal, Manitoku Sayang, Jom SMS, Itik Pulang Petang, Pembentangan Kumpulan, nyanyian, tarian, Putera-Puteri Merdeka are some of the activities that had captivated the hearts and souls of many. Some even cried knowing very well that a co-worker who had not been readily accepted by others for certain reasons all these years but proved to be someone who is more alert than themselves during the course.

Gerai Runcit Satu Malaysia menjual barang-barang yang telah ditetapkan oleh Datuk Bandar. Participants were entrusted to collect those items while making an excursion to Sirikin, a village next to the Indonesia which offer a variety range of product at bargaining price, Antaranya adalah seluar dalam lelaki, bra, rambut palsu dll....

Please look for the trophy, score sheet and the mangkuk on the wall. All team members worked together to chip in marks for their respective teams.

Among the many songs sung during the course was the Theme Song Let's Work Together. The powerpoints portrayed all the participants' faces with radiant smiles. Other songs with lyrics were all supported by self directed animated powerpoints were Kasih Sayang, Words, I can see clearly now, You raised me up, Top of the World, Teman Sejati, Uma Paloma Blanca and others.

An one week affair 7th-13th December 2009 marked the 2009 Sarikei Pineapple Festival. Among the many activities held was the roadshows by academic and professional institutions in the country. IPG Kampus Rajang putted up a super stall. As Ketua Unit Kaunseling, my job was to coordinate with the Ketua Jabatan Sains Sosial to design the booth and prepared all the exhibits.




The lady sat next to me was a Datin who wanted so much to be part of the team. You see how I work ! Quality that's.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

I joined IPGM Kampus Rajang in April 2007 and found that she had an extremely low publicity rate among the peoples in Sarawak when compared to the other 3 teachers institutes in Kuching and Miri.

As such, being the head of the Counselling Unit, i vowed to promote IPR especially to the students who are interested in teaching. A humble beginning with an one-page publication in Utusan Borneo which high lighted the campus Visual Art Exhibition two and half years ago brought joys and motivation to the trainees and staff alike. With the help of my worthy press friends, I started to contribute articles for press release. More news coverage which featured events held in the campus were published from time to time.

Entrusted by the campus director, I was appointed to head the campus Publicity Committee in January 2008. Now i have 116 newspaper cuttings to my credit.

Last Wednesday 21 October, once again I was invited to witness the annual visual art exhibition. During the opening ceremony, the Director mentioned a point which brought back my memory, the same point that he touched on two and half years ago that gone unnoticed..........

There goes the news to the local press.....

DELIGHTFUL EXPRESSIONS
Annual Visual Art Exhibition by PISMP Students
IPGM Kampus Rajang, Bintangor
Wednesday, 21 October, 2009

BINTANGOR: The Director of Teacher Education Institute Rajang Campus, En. Nicholas Ugul challenged the lecturers and trainees here to be more adventurous and prepared themselves for joint exhibitions with the local artists in the state outside the campus in the near future.

He was addressing to a crowd of 50 staff and students who gathered at the campus visual art premises witnessing the opening ceremony of Delightful Expressions, an annual Visual Art event which features creative artifacts produced by the trainees. 70 pieces of distinguish art work in different media were displayed during the fair. The exhibits consisted of paintings, printings, weaving, scupltures, mobiles, stabiles, traditional crafts, carvings and folios.

“ It gives me great pleasure to be invited to open this exhibition of the work of young and very talented artists. We see once again that art has no borders and brings people of different races and social background together. Art not only helps people of different background to learn and appreciate one other, it also gives people a chance to express themselves without words”.

Nicholas futher emphasized that visual art activites provide our students with a broad-based educational experience by nurturing their creativity and imagination. It allows them to see things from a different perspective and viewpoint, and encourages critical thinking. It promotes aesthetic inspiration, enhances self-expression and contributes to the development of social skills, such as building confidence.

About 40 students from nearby secondary schools turned up to witness the exhibition.

TREATMENT OF GID

ASSESSMENT & TREATMENT OF GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER
( Part 2 )

SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND COMPICATIONS

GIRLS

1. Display intense negative reactions to parental expectations.
2. Attempts not to wear dresses or other feminine attire.
3. Prefer boy's clothing and short hair.
4. Often misidentified by strangers as boys.
5. May ask to be called a boy's name.
6. Their fantasy heroes are most often powerful male figures.
7. Prefer boys as playmates.
8. Like sports,rough-and-tumble play and traditional boyhood games.
9.Show little interest in dolls or any form of feminine dress up or role-play activity.
10.May occasionally refuse to urinate in a sitting position.
11.May claim that she has or will grow a penis.
12.May claim not want to grow breasts or menstruate.
13.May assert that she will grow up to be a man.

ADULTS

1. Preoccupied with their wish to live as a member of the other sex.
2. Possess an intense desire to adopt the social role of the other sex.
3.Manifested to acquire the physical appearance of the other sex through hormonal or surgical manipulation.
4.Adopt the behavior,dress, and mannerisms of the other sex.
5. Spend much time cross-dressed and working on the appearance of being
the other sex.
6.Many attempt to pass in public as the other sex.
7. Desire to live as a person of the opposite sex
8. Believe that he or she was born the wrong sex
9. Wish to be rid of their own genitals
10. Dress like the opposite sex
11. Be heterosexual or homosexual
12. Feel isolated
13. Be depressed
14. Be withdrawn
15. Have low self-esteem
Wow ! So cute !
TREATMENT

When an individual begins to question and feel persistent dissatisfaction with his or her gender identity, no matter at what age, therapy ( psychological, endocrine or surgical ) should begin.
*Untreated gender identity disorders may manifest in associated disorders and emotional distress that can interfere with the individual's ability to function socially at school and work or in relationships.
*Treatment helps a patient achieve and maintain a healthy and stable life

1. SENTENCE PROJECTION TEST ( Cognitive Behavioural Therapy )

How do you hurt your family by being transsexual ?
How is your sexuality hurt your spouse ?
What are the risks being one ?
Doing treatment – Pro and Cons
Not doing treatment p- Pro and Cons

2. FAMILY AND INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING

Social and physical intervension
Self-esteem building
Treatment of associated complications
Behavioural counseling
Behavioral rehearsal with in vivo training sessions
Teaching about the difference between men and women.

3. CLINICAL TREATMENT

Girlish man – Inject more male hormone.
Surgical operation – sex change
Hi . Hi...... I like it !
4. DECISION METRICS -

To be transsexual – Benefit and cost incurred for sex change
Not to be transsexual – Benefits and cost of treatment

5. FATHER – SON INTERACTION PROGRAMME

Athletic skill training.
Male role models if fathers are not available to young boys,
Received appropriate sex education in either the home or in counseling sessions



WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THE CONDITION?

There is no known prevention for gender identity disorder.

WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE CONDITION?

• A person with gender identity disorder is usually isolated.
• Isolation and ostracism adds to the low esteem.
• More prone to suicide atempts
• Increase risk of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, depression and anxiety disorder.


That's all for the time being.
PowerPoints available but too big the file to be sent using email.

ASSESSMENT OF GID

3 hari 2 malam KUK IPGM berkampung di Concorde Inn, Sepang, Selangor.
Berkursus bagaimana menilai dan merawati mereka yang kecelaruan identiti gender.
Dikendalikan oleh psychologist yang bertauliah Dato' Dr. Mohd Saat Baki.
Banyak bergurau tentang seks tetapi tidak menyakitkan minda dan hati.
Istilah-istilah perubatan yang digunakan sangat sangat mengelirukan.
Mengapa pula pelbagai ragam jenis manusia yang bermasalah tuhan ciptakan ?

1. UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE

3 components that make up gender identity:

* Sexual orientation,
* Behavior and mannerism preferences, and
* Core gender identity (that gut feeling we have about the gender we identify with).

2. THE ISSUE

Boys will be boys. Girls will be girls.

• What happens when boys want to be girls ?
• Or girls want to be boys?

3. IN REALITY….

* Some people feel that their body does not match who they are on the inside.
* Some choose to present themselves as the gender they identify with through clothing and

cosmetics.
* Others change their physical appearance through hormones and surgery.

This is called Gender Idenitity Disorder (GID ) or otherwise known as

• gender identity confusion,
• gender dysphoria,
• transgenderism and
• transsexualism.

4. WHAT IS GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER (GID) ?

GID is one in which a person wants to be the opposite sex.

GID may manifest in children, adolescents or adults, and appears more frequently in males than in females.

5. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES ?

Some theories suggest the disorder may be caused by:

• chromosomal abnormality
• imbalances in hormones
• problems with early parent-child bonding
• harmful child-rearing practices

Hi ! I am actually a boy.

6. ASSOCIATED DESCRIPTIVE FEATURES AND MENTAL DISORDERS

• Many individuals with GID become socially isolated.
• Isolation and ostracism contribute to low self esteem and may lead to school aversion or

dropping out of school.
• Peer ostracism and teasing are especially common sequelae for boys with the disorder.
• Boys with GID often show marked feminine mannerisms and speech patterns.
• Children with GID may develop symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety and separation

anxiety disorder.
• Adolescents may be at risk for depression, suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.
• In adults, anxiety and depressive symptoms may be present. Some adult males have a history

of Transvestic Fetishism as well as other paraphilias.

7. SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND RISK

BOYS

1.Marked preoccupation with traditionally feminine activities.
2.A preference for dressing in girls' or womens' clothes.
3.A strong attraction for the stereotypical games and pastimes of girls.
4.Enjoy playing house,drawing pictures of beautiful girls and princess.
5.Barbie dolls, are often their favorite toys,
6.Girls are their preferred playmates.
7.When playing house, these boys role-play female figures ( mothers )
8.Preoccupied with female fantasy figures.
9.Watching television or videos of their favorite female stars.
10.Avoid rough-and-tumble play and competitive sports.
11.Have little interest in cars and trucks or other no-aggressive boy's toys.
12.Express a wish to be a girl.
13.Assert that they will grow up to be a woman.
14. May insist on sitting to urinate.
15. Pretend not to have a penis by pushing it in between their legs.
16. May state that they find their penis or testes disgusting,that they want to
remove them.
17. Wish to have a vagina.

TO BE CONTINUED.............

• LELAKI LEMBUT – SATU PENGENALAN
  
  Isu Lelaki Lembut telah dibangkitkan dalam Mesyuarat Kaunselor Organisasi dan Kaunselor HEP Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia pada 20-22 April 2009 di Hotel Royale Bintang, Seremban. Didapati bahawa ada wujudnya personaliti seumpama itu bukan sahaja di IPGM bahkan juga di banyak institusi lain termasuk sekolah-sekolah di seluruh negara. Ekoran daripada itu KPM pula mengambil tindakan untuk mendapatkan data bagi jenis kes yang berkenaan dan seterusnya mengenalpasti strategi untuk menolong mereka agar isu kecelaruan identiti gender ini tidak akan menjadikan satu lagi masalah sosial di negara kita.
  
  Kebetulan juga pada pertengahan Julai yang lalu, Pn. Normazwin bte Yahya daripada Bahagian Psikologi dan Kaunseling, Putrajaya telah pun menyampaikan maklumat tentang Lelaki Lembut kepada para kaunselor organisasi IPGM di Bayu Beach Resort,Port Dickson, NS. Atas permintaan ramai rakan guru bimbingan dan kaunseling di Sarawak, saya dengan sukacitanya upload maklumat tersebut untuk pengetahuan semua.
  
  DEFINISI
  


• Kecelaruan identiti gender (gender identity disorder – GID) didefinisikan sebagai konflik individu terhadap fizikal sebenar dirinya dengan identifikasi terhadap dirinya sendiri.


• Contohnya seseorang itu dari segi fizikalnya atau dilahirkan sebagai seorang lelaki tetapi mempunyai perasaan dan bertingkahlaku seperti seorang perempuan

Kecelaruan identiti gender tidak boleh disamakan dengan homoseksual.

PENYEBAB

Kemungkinan disebabkan hormon dalam tubuh seseorang, gen dan faktor persekitaran umpamanya didikan keluarga mungkin jadi salah satu penyumbang kepada permasalahan ini

SIMPTOM

KANAK-KANAK

• jijik alat sulit mereka sendiri


• tidak diterima oleh rakan sebaya yang sama gender


• percaya bahawa apabila besar nanti, akan jadi gender yang berlainan


• mengalami tekanan atau anxiety


• menyatakan mereka mahu menjadi gender yang berlainan

DEWASA

• berpakaian seperti berlainan jantina


• merasa kesepian


• mengalami kemurungan atau anxiety


• mahu menjadi seperti individu yang berlainan gender


• mengharap agar alat sulitnya dapat dibuang
  

SAMADA KANAK-KANAK DAN DEWASA :

• memperlihatkan kebiasaan yang dilakukan oleh


• gender yang berlawanan


• menarik diri dari interaksi sosial
  

TANDA-TANDA

• merasakan bahawa mereka berada di dalam badan gender yang “salah”


• Perasaan yang dirasakan ini mestilah dalam tempoh dua tahun untuk di diagnos.


• Sejarah diri dan penilaian psikatrik boleh mengesahkan kehendak kekal untuk menjadi gender yang berlawanan
  

KOMPLIKASI :

• Kemurungan atau anxiety


• Distress emosi


• Merasa keseorangan


• Konsep kendiri yang rendah
  

SENARIO

• Terdapat di mana-mana dalam persekitaran kita


• Di rumah : disukai oleh ahli keluarga terutamanya si ibu kerana banyak membantu dalam melaksanakan kerja-kerja rumah tangga seperti memasak, mengemas, menghias rumah dan menjahit.


• Di sekolah, pelajar dalam kategori lelaki lembut ini di sukai oleh guru-guru kerana ringan tangan membantu guru dalam apa juga keadaan


• Pelajar-pelajar perempuan selesa bergaul bersama pelajar lelaki lembut kerana sangat memahami dan menyukai aktiviti yang dilakukan oleh pelajar perempuan


• Institut pengajian tinggi : pelajar lelaki lembut ini mula mencari dan memasuki kumpulan yang sama “spesis”. Aktiviti yang dilakukan lebih ekstrem


• Mereka lebih berani menonjolkan identiti yang mereka mahukan. Contohnya menyimpan kuku panjang, mencabut bulu kening, memakai “lip gloss” untuk bibir, mewarnakan rambut, menyimpan rambut yang panjang mencecah bahu dan memakai aksesori wanita seperti gelang serta rantai.


• Alam pekerjaan :
  Mereka berpakaian seperti lelaki biasa tetapi masih mahu kelihatan feminin
  dengan memakai celak mata, cabut bulu kening dan berkuku panjang
  

ISU / CABARAN

• Perbincangan ini berfokuskan kepada lelaki lembut yang dilantik menjadi guru
  1) Adakah guru (lelaki lembut) ini akan mempengaruhi anak-anak murid dari segi penampilan dan perawakannya?
  2) Adakah guru ini boleh mengancam pelajar-pelajarnya?
  3) Ruang guru ini untuk mengambil kesempatan?
  4) Organisasi tempat guru tersebut bertugas. Adakah guru ini akan
  memberi imej yang tidak baik dan memberi kesan secara
  langsung dan tidak langsung terhadap reputasi sekolah.
  
  RAWATAN:
  


• Melalui sesi kaunseling


• Melalui spiritual


• Kumpulan sokongan yang mantap.
  
  KESIMPULAN
  


• Sungguhpun lelaki lembut ini anugerah tuhan, sesungguhnya anugerah itu perlu digunakan sebaik mungkin dan ke arah yang positif .


• Andainya kontra yang menjadi ikutan, tentunya impikasi guru lelaki lembut ini membawa persepsi yang negatif, idola / ikutan murid lembut dan boleh ke tahap mengancam organisasi
  
  Rujukan :


• Medilines Plus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medilineplus/print/ency/article/001527.htmzzz)


• Psychnet-UK


• http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/gender%20_identity_disorder.htm


• www.genderpsychology.org/mental_illness_model.html


• http://webhome.idirect.com/~beech1/GENDERID.HTM
  
  Ribuan terima kasih saya ucapkan kepada Pn. Normazwin atas kesudian untuk berkongsi maklumat tersebut dengan kami semua. Bless u.

An Amazing Gift

An Amazing Gift from My Daughters On Fathers Day

Last Sunday, I accepted my daughters' offer to leave Auckland and north bound to Whangarei for 4 days. My two beloved elder daughters and the son-in-law are working there as pharmacists. Not a bad idea after all I had travelled from Bluffhead to Picton in the South Island and from Wellington to Auckland in the North . Driving further north is a gift to me on Fathers Day in NZ.

It was another exciting experience but to me the vegetation and landscapes could not really match the ones in the South except the beaches.

I visited the local counselling services centre the next day. The billboard says “ Counselling is about listening, acknowledgement, honesty ,change, empathy, values and beliefs. Counselling aims to increase your understanding of yourself and your relationships with other things. “

Since then my dear angels drove me to Kawakawa, Opua, Paihia, Waitangi and Matapuri.

Kawakawa is a railway town with a vintage railway station built since 1865.

The place I am standing now is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and the Maori in 1840

The intensive carvings and weaving inside the Whare Runanga, a meeting house for Maori not far away from Paihia .

Cool sea breeze, sunny day, blue waters, blue sky at Matapuri. A perfect day to go out.


Look at my ugly groovy jean. I only wear it in NZ. It is thick, beggy, and warm to put on. You don’t really need to wash it so often because you seldom sweat here.

Okay. So much from me in Whangarei. Tomorrow I am going back to Auckland. I missed Sarah. Thanks to my lovely daughters and son-in-law for a trip well planned and an amazing gift on Fathers day.

Strengthening Family

In God's will, I landed at Auckland International Airport on 29 August 2009 1130am. Hours later, I checked into my house ( a motel-like apartment unit ) at St. Johns, Auckland and united with my 3 beautiful princess ( Goldie, Sylvia and Sarah ) plus a cutie grand daughter ( Baby Tiffany ) for a two weeks vacation in NZ.


Here I am posing in front of my house and parking next to me is Mr. Toyota Camry which we bought in December 2003 when my girls are studying in Dunedin, Otago. We still own a 3 bed rooms house there ( pic below ) under the care of Edinbrugh Property Manangement. Rent $NZ300 per week. The house is vacant at the moment.








Now in the evening, I am at the junction of St. Johns Road / Felton Mathew Ave which is about 50 meters away from my house. Auckland City Centre with her distinctive Sky City is seen at the back ground, taking 15 minutes driving or 12 minutes by train to reach. The bus stop to the Auckland Harbour City is just next to my house.

Since then I attended many rounds of shopping therapy at the Botany Town Centre, Mt. Wellington, Sylvia Park and Pakuranga plus having lots of fun with my 8 months old Tiffany.

There goes the saying that to be a master, learn from the master. Experienced an one hour strengthening family meeting session together with my beloved youngest daughter Sarah. We were clients to an expert psychologist Rosemary and Yogie, a caring social care worker from Whirinaki Mental Health Care Centre at Botany. A touching moment, very emotional. We discussed about acceptance, self esteem, future plannings, unfinished business, expectations and past experiences. Guess I and my dear half feel so guilty to send our little Sarah oversea at an age so young and left her entirely on her own and occasionally under the care of her two elder pharmacist sisters living at different places. She missed tons of parental love. Anyway as parents, we are so blessed with our 3 lovely daughters and we vowed to look after them, take care of them and pray for them and family till the end of the world.

Dear friends. Life is so short. Please make yourself best out of today. Joy is found when giving joys to others. Love and you will be loved. There are so many organisations and good peoples out there who are willing to lend a helping hand. And Strengthening Families is just another one in NZ. I am proud to be a PR here. They are so organised and ready to accept you without conditions.

Strengthening Families is a family welfare support group which helps you sort thing out when life's challenges weigh you down. It brings together the agencies that can help your family dan deal with your concerns. You help decide which agencies will be at the meetings and you can bring family members (whanau in Maori ) and friends for support. By having everyone together at the same time, you only have to tell your story once.

At the first meeting, you talk about what is important to your family and what you want to see happen. The agencies invited to be there will talk about how they will assist you and your family. Together you and the agencies will develop a plan to help you achieve your goals. This plan identifies what everyone will be doing in the days and weeks ahead. Following-up meeting will be held to ensure the plan is working for you.

Benefits of Strengthening Families are family friendly, voluntary for families, respectful of cultural diversity and good at helping families connect with their community.

20 WAYS TO IMPRESS YOUR BOSS

Ketua JKK Pentas, Konvokesyen KPLI IPGM Zon Sarawak 2009

Each man is unique. Everyone has self-esteem. To gain recognition is a combination of strategy and character. How to impress our boss and go for a win-win session require one to be humble, sincere and loyal. We also need to be tactful, courageous, knowledgible and most of all as trustworthy feeling, moving and thinking beings.

I believe all of us has our personal assets and posses certain kind of skills that can be incorporated into our practising profession. Just be innovative if you are not creative and make sure that you love your job and enjoy your work. Try some of the following tips that I have been using all these years. Effective or not, you be the judge. At least it works on me as I was able to impress my superiors who awarded me Anugerah Perkidmatan Cemerlang ( APC ) after working with them for 8 months only.


20 WAYS TO IMPRESS YOUR BOSS

Penceramah Motivasi Bagi Seminar Kepimpinan Pendidikan Bahagian Mukah, Sarawak 2008

1. Know the mission
Align yourself with your superiors and institution's goals and values.
Make your organisation priorities your priorities.

2. Understand how you'll be evaluated.
Know precisely which skills, behaviors and accomplishments you will be judged on and rewarded. Focus on them like a laser.

3. Be dependable.
Do what you say you're going to do. Better yet, under-promise and over-deliver.
Walk your talk.

4. Project positive energy.
Don't be the one to whine or criticize the boss or orgnisation direction.
Be a motivator: the person everyone wants to be around.

5. Make your organisation look good.
Finish your work on time and with a high level of professionalism.
Bring your boss ideas that will help him and the department and offer to take charge and implement them.

6. Own up.
Take responsibility for your mistakes by focusing on what you've learned rather than what you've done wrong.

7. Have priority
Plan your next day before you leave work.
Rank your tasks by urgency and importance and make a point of doing at least the top two items on your list.
8. Be punctual.

Arriving for work or meetings on time (even early) shows you're enthusiastic, dependable and able to manage your life effectively.

9. Be resourceful.
Don't run to the boss with every question you have or setback you encounter.
Think things through first.
If you must report a problem to the boss, develop possible solutions to present.

10. Broaden your horizons.
Take advantage of organisation-sponsored training courses and volunteer for projects in areas outside your everyday expertise.

11. Stay informed.
Keep abreast of institue trends by reading teaching / education journals and attending professional association events.

12. Be trendy.
Stay with current technological, legal and knowledge advances in your area.
Upgrade your skills and learn new ones.

13. Be courteous.
Show respect and loyalty to your boss and speak well of him / her to others.
(At the very least don't bad mouth him / her to anyone.)

14. Be flexible.
Change is inevitable.
Institute / organisation need people who can adapt and go with the flow.

15. Take care of your health.
When you are run-down, productivity and ambition suffer - as does your image.

16. Leave your personal life at the door
Using your co-workers as therapists not only hurts productivity; it damages your credibility and can contaminate your work relationships (even if people seem sympathetic).

17. Go beyond the call of duty
Take on added challenges, put in extra hours, and
never use the phrase, "That's not in my job description."

18. Be a team player.
Show your boss and staff you have their best interests at heart by being empathetic and offering to help out when they need it.

19. Take a break now and then.
A clear head and balanced life can give you energy and perspective.

20. Look and act promotable
Don't let anyone think you work because you have to.

Good Luck everybody. Greetings from St. John, Auckland, NZ

The Intrinsic Nature of Counselling Persona

A moment of Truth - My eldest girl Goldie graduated from University of Otago with a Bacelor of Pharmacy in 2005.

Pic taken at The Octagon Dunedin NZ in front of a giant Christmas tree.

Since 1977, I used to be a trained secondary school Visual Art Education teacher who later gradually became the Sarawak State Kakitangan Sumber for PSV KBSM in 1988, JU for the same subject in 1994 and an examiner for Malaysian Examination Syndicate after that. An awesome experience which enabled me to interact with fellow teachers through out the country for so many years. Vowed to become a multi-disciplined teacher to produce multi-talented generations for the future, I decided to take up Guidance and counselling with UPM in 1996. Bet I had made a right choice because it was fun all the way until this very day.

I undertand that many school managers in the country are not particularly happy with the performance of their guidance and counselling teachers. Among the many unfriendly remarks I heard and the most cruel of all is that " Counselling teachers need to be counselled first."

I admitted that just like teachers, not everyone can be a counsellor and we are still in the process of learning through practising. A good counsellor should be pragmatic, creative and sensitive to the surrounding world. Beside the essential knowledge and theories, he first must possess the intrinsic plus altruistic nature of counselling persona.

The persona grata of a refined counsellor should start with what I call CUT APPLE SARAH which simply means

C - Caring
U - Understanding
T - Trustworthy

A - Acceptance without condition
P - Patience
P - Positive thinking
L - Listen
E - Empathy

S - Sharing
A - Appreciate
R - Respect
A - Acknowledge
H - Help

Counsellors should have high IESQ. Unfortunately many counselling teachers tend to have high IQ, average EQ and low SQ. This make some of us become a little bit selfish, sometimes over emotional, self centered, refuse to cooperate with others and show no integrity in works. Any way, our thoughts, our words, our actions, our habits and our characters will become our destiny and reflect who the actual self we are as the days move on.

Apart from that, do not forget our professional career code which is spelt as SEA i.e. Social, Enterprising and Artistic.

Good luck. Happy counselling.

The Essence of Teaching Professional

Strolling along the esplanade of St. Clair Beach at South Dunedin, East Otago, NZ in summer 2008.

The quality of education depends on the quality of teachers. After teaching for the past 30 years, I have a point to make. So many peoples out there agree with me that we do not see many great teachers who teach to inspire their students nowadays. Out of the approximate 370 thousand teachers serving in the country, majority of them are medicore teachers who teach for salary and also a signficant big number of bad teachers who prefer to complain rather than to perform. The rest are the good, better and best teachers who try to explain, to demontrate and to motivate their students beside teaching. Base on obervation, interviews with school managers and research questionaries, personally i feel that 3070 is the yard stick. In other words, only 30% teachers are good to great while others claim even less than that.

No doubt that teachers, lecturers and professors in this country generally enjoy bigger pays when compared to public servants from other sectors. This is a recognition by the government that teaching profession is vital in nation building. The quality of the students today will determine the strength and status of the nation tomorrow. If the students are the soldiers, then the teachers are the generals.

Unfortunately, despite the various incentives and numerous promotion channels created for teaching profession, we have yet to see any concrete positive returns. As mentioned by the Institut Integriti Malaysia, integrity among public servants in the country need to be more strictly observed. As a matter of fact, teachers and their counter parts should be placed in the fore front. The reason is simple. Every rakyat, who ever they are, will go to school for knowledge and character buildings at one stage of their life. The teachers are there :
To teach so the students will learn to know;
To teach so the students will learn to do ;
To teach so the students will learn to be ;
To teach so the students will learn to live together.

Qualified teachers are trained to teach. They are trained by lecturers in IPGM or professors in the varsities. Hence the quality of teachers reflects the quality of lecturers and professors. Lecturers and professors are the role models of the teacher trainees. As such, let pray to all the lecturers and professors in the country, especially those serving in IPGM, bless them with good health and abundant wisdom, and always working on the right track “ leadership by examples ”.

10 Basic Working Principles For Great Lecturers and Teachers

1.Being meticulous in carrying out your work.
2.Be punctual.
3.Accurate with your facts. Adopt “ Do it right the first time attitude ”.
4.Continously strive for excellent.
5.Not to discriminate against slow learners. Treat all students equally.
6.Be mentally and physically tough, highly resilent, fair and wise.
7.Be multi-skilled for multi-talented generation.
8.Do not abuse the working hours. Studying at your leisure time, not working
hours.
9.Never be complacent. Complacency is our greatest enemy.
10.Think effectively, cooperate. Be united at times of adversities.