The joy of sewing

Too bad my mom and I can't operate a sewing machine. Fortunately my 2 sister-in-laws are good at it. 

And now I am even happier my elder daughter has the interest in sewing. I bought her a Singer brand sewing machine a few months ago. After attending a free lesson to familiarise herself with the machine, she can now operate it easily.

Sewing her school badge. In the past, I had to pay a tailor to do it.

Young people learn fast. I am glad she has the patience and passion to learn and explore (thanks to the internet too).

 I hope one day she can make a dress for herself...and me.

A computerised sewing machine that comes with many interesting options. I really like the therapeutic sound of that machine.

My youngest daughter is influenced by her elder sister, but she is too young to operate a sewing machine.

She likes to put on her "thinking cap"...even when she is sewing!

Colourful felf before the transformation...

The recycled sushi box enhances the look and feel of the creation.

Want to take a bite?

A family of felt plushie created by my elder daughter (except the pink one that was done by her friend).
Some were hand-sewn. 

Sewing is really a terrific hobby!

Jump, Twist, Push Up etc

JUMP...

Trampoline is a good alternative to bed...for jumping. We bought one a few years ago and my youngest daughter still loves to jump on it. 

TWIST...

I once dreamed of having an hour glass figure that could fit into a beautiful cheongsum perfectly. So, I bought myself a waist twisting disc. But I hardly used it and nowadays my maid is using it instead. She puts it in the kitchen and guess she must be burning off some calories while waiting for water to boil.

LIFT...
Apart from the waist twisting disc, my maid is also using my son's dumbbell to tone her arms. The kitchen has become her mini gym. Doesn't she already mop, scrub and and sweep a lot everyday? 

PULL UP...
When my son was in secondary 1, we gave him a doorway pull up bar. Initially he could only pull up once but he as gets older, he can do it better.

LIFT, STRETCH  & PUSH UP

I am sure lots of teenage boys are concerned about their muscles. My son has requested for a heavier dumbbell last year (lighter ones are with his kakak now). His grandpa gave him an Ab Wheel (he is amazed with his grandpa who is still fit and able to do push up, no sweat!). And his uncle & aunty gave him a pair of PushUp Grisp on Christmas. 

Not sure how frequent he does the work out..hopefully one day he will have good muscle tone. More importantly, I wish it will somehow improve his posture too (I always remind him not to slouch).

A charismatic SMK headmaster

Recently my cousin sister sent me a newspaper clipping of a headmaster I respect a lot.

He was once the headmaster of my son's school. During his short stint in that school, he has improved the discipline tremendously (My son said he is STRICT but GOOD). Parents, teachers and students could see his sincere effort and passion in running the school. Apart from improving academic performance, he also encouraged students to take part in extra curriculum activities. During the school marathon, he ran with the students. He is the main reason why I put my son in that secondary school. Too bad he was only there for less than a year...

However, one school's loss is another school's gain. He is now in a secondary school in Sri Kembangan (He taught in that school for many years before being transfered to my son's school. And now he is back as the headmaster of that school). It used to be a notorious school with serious discipline problem. He has turned around that school and improved the ranking from 1930 (2010) to 561 (2011).  Students who once felt inferior are now immensely proud of their school.

The star online : Sir, you are my inspiration

(do scroll down the page until you see a man pointing at a wall of pictures...then scroll down further until you see the subhead "The Community Builder")

sin chew : 紀律問題1年減半獲表揚‧雪州史中排名千級跳

Extracted from Sin Chew:
Mr Tay is determined to help the underachievers. In view that many of his students speak dialect, he has specially arranged a full day Bahasa Malaysia lesson per week for those who stand a chance of passing BM.

A student said, "...I can see the big difference under the leadership of Mr Tay. He strives to improve our academic performance. If students are unable to attend the school tuition, he will try to arrange transport.

I'm a scout, and ever since Mr Tay joined the school, he gives us more freedom to explore, and as long as what we do is right, he will support us. Our school was looked down by others, but now it is so outstanding and we are very happy about it."

Another student said she could deeply feel how much her teachers and school care for her. Some teachers have helped her to instill interest in subjects she once disliked. The school offers many activities and she has transformed into an active student. She has a strong sense of belonging.

Mr Tay is a great headmaster who has inspired and motivated teachers and students to give their best. He is the type of headmaster parents want for their kids.

Do take a look at the school's Facebook. I can tell this school offers a Positive, Caring and Respectful learning environment.  I truly salute him.

SMK Sri Kembangan Facebook