How will I be remembered?

My uncle passed away last Friday 21st January 2011. He was 81 years old and left behind a wife and a grown-up unmarried son. Amidst tears, my aunt recalled how he lived his last days, how he was in a good mood...Although it was very apparent that he was his pain due to the post-operation injury and the complications that propped up after that, he spoke calmly to his wife and son and asked them to take care of each other, as if he knows his days are numbered....At the end of each night he would still recite his prayers even though he was not able to commit to the practical part of the prayer. He has been on his back ever since the operation on his heart, on last November.



What I remembered of him was all the positive stuff -his generousity and his undying faith to Allah and the words of wisdom that he gives to everyone when he was still alive. I remembered, as a young girl getting a $5 bill everytime our family visited him, even though it wasn't Hari Raya or even when we know that he doesn't earn much as a....hmm...I don't really know what he worked as. All I remembered was he has a passion for fishing. When he knows that we are coming for a visit, he would be ready to catch fish at Changi or East Coast the night before. He was a pious man and was also a religious leader to a few dedicated students who want to learn more about Islam and its beauty. I heard that many of our male relatives wanted to be the ones who are responsible in putting him in the burial ground, 7 feet below ground level. Another pious man gone....yes, pious men pass away on Fridays....



Death....it can come suddenly. How will I be remembered? Am I going to be remembered as a mere Math teacher of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School? Or a colleague who shares the ups and downs of her workmates? Or as a good daughter who tries her best to be as filial to her aged parents? Or as an ordinary human being, liked by others, and trying not to get into trouble with anyone..? Or a couch potato who loves to watch tv at home to relax...? By the way my favourite channels on Starhub are 102, 104, 427, 433, 501 and 601...hehe

I think I want to be remembered as all of the above. I will just be my best and try to have a positive impact on anybody that comes my way just like my uncle ... be as helpful as I can be to my family, friends, colleagues, my Math teachers, students...I guess when we make someone happy, we do feel happy ourselves and it should make... at least for that point in time, the world a better place to live in....

2011...Here I come...

A new year, a new beginnning...but most of my beliefs are the same ...such as my belief in leadership....as stated below and in my work review form.

"...A leader must be exemplary in attitudes and mannerism. He/ She must be able to do the job that he/she demands of the others and show moral and physical support if that is not his/her area of expertise. He/ She must be an enabler and be able to help and develop the people he /she is working with. A leader must lead up, across and down..."

It compliments my own personal mission statement which is ...

"...To live life as a good Muslim, rational, caring and responsible, and be the best that I can be in any situations and affect others positively where ever I am. "

As I have read in a lot of other people's emails or blogs, etc, I agree with Einstein when he says...
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results..."

Therefore this year I have a new mantra to add to my personal mission...."Excellence and Adventure".

To achieve excellence I must have a clear vision of what I would like the Mathematics Department to achieve this year...that is to achieve a value-addedness of +0.5 to most, if not all of the tests and exams...As in AfL, we must know where we are heading towards, where we are currently at and what we should do to fill the gaps....I will work together with Hwee Hwee to ensure that we meet the targets for this year :)

The adventure comes in the way we carry out our programmes. Since the targets were only half met in 2010, new programmes and new methods should be concocted. Yes, new things will create uneasiness and unhappiness but it should also evoke excitement if we know what to focus on and we know where we are heading towards... the feeling of satisfaction and pride when we see our students' beaming because of good results at the end of each year...(yes!!!!!!)

So there's no turning back now....2011 ...here I come!!!