KJ Generation Resources Newsletter

 Using Music to Learn English

It was an exciting moment and the whole place was filled with such joy and celebration.

Most of the participants, age between eight to fifty years old, who was timid and shy to speak in English started singing, dancing and even took part in sketch presentations.

About 35 people who attended a special programme called ‘Using Music to Learn English’ benefited much from the programme and was seen exited throughout the session.   

The three days programme which was organized by KJ Generation Resources at its premises in Gua Musang, Kelantan recently was attended by participants of all races including Malay, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli and a Pakistani.

This programme was conducted by eight trainers from Serdang, Selangor to help participants fall in love with English. They comprise of a teacher, IT engineer, graduates and students from various colleges and universities.

Team leader, Jacqueline Hoe said, the programme was designed in such a way to give the participants the understanding that this language is easy to learn if  unique methods and attractive approaches are used to teach.

“We use musical instruments such as acoustic guitar and bongo to teach modern Western and folk songs besides introducing ‘dikir barat’ style song plus 'Rasa Sayang' in English.

“Our team also taught the participants some dancing steps for an English pop song ‘Hoe Down’ to get them exited as well as to promote the easy way to learn spoken English,” she added.   

The trainers comprise of Malaysians from different cultures and a Botswanian also took part in group performance by acting together with the participants in three different sketches in English.  

“It is truly a great experience and a memorable English class I have ever attended. I desire to learn to speak this language quickly,” said a 50 year old participant who just wants to be known as Madam Loo.

Another participant, a Pakistani, Musa Basheer, 17, said that the special programme has helped him to get rid of the fear to learn this language and gave him the confidence to pursue his communication skills in English.

Ends. 

 

Dance, sing and learn English: The participants enjoy learning some simple dance steps as they sing along the pop song in English.

Music is a language: The trainers are using an acoustic guitar and bongo to teach English via Western and folk songs.

Acting makes it perfect: A group of participants together with the trainers are presenting a sketch in English. 

  

By: B.Kumarathevan

Gua Musang, Kelantan, Malaysia.

016-4734313 or 016-4687414

Street Lights from Gua Musang to Cameron Highlands

Gua Musang (GM), Kelantan to Cameron Highlands (CH) in Pahang is only about 1 ½ hours drive. The journey which is about 100 kilometers on that moderate road is truly enjoying if we are traveling in day time.

 Eventhough there are few landslides along the way, the cool breeze and greeneries plus the Orang Asli settlement on both sides of the road gives you a pleasant feeling and an experience of what local eco-tourism is all about.

 Nowadays, more local and foreign tourists are using this road to travel to and fro GM and CH for this is the shortest way and it’s also easy to get to the North South Highway through Simpang Pulai road.

 Unfortunately, traveling on the same road at night is totally a different story. For travelers, night driving along that stretch could be dangerous and probably a nightmare. Around 8pm, the whole road becomes so dark and traveling on that way can be quite risky.

 Few days ago my family and I were traveling back to GM from CH on that road. It was about 7.30pm. After about 40 minutes drive suddenly right in front of us we saw an oncoming motorbike skidded and fell on the middle of the road.

 I quickly got down from the car and managed to pull aside an elderly motorist who was badly injured. He lamented in pain that he hit a stone that was on the road and fell. I tried to stop two other cars that pass by to come to his aid but they didn’t do so.

 It was pitch dark and by the time I could pull aside the man’s motorcycle, a speeding truck ran over it and sped off in the darkness. Thank God, nothing happen to us. A little while latter, two motorists stop to help and took care of the injured man.

 Though it was very dangerous to stop our car in that dark road, we couldn’t leave the helpless man on the road unattended. Moreover, I couldn’t take him into my car either as it was full.

 You can imagine, what could have happened to the elderly injured motorist if he was unnoticed in the middle of the road in that dark night. This is not the first time we encounter such incidents. There were many accidents occurred in that road.

 I strongly urge the government to take immediate action to solve this problem by installing street lights along GM and CH road and also the road leading to Kuala Lipis, Pahang which is equally dark, for the safety of road users.

 The respective authorities should create emergency lanes and also install SOS telephone booths for the benefit of the public.

 I believe this will be the best time for the people of GM to demand for government’s quick action since it is Galas state by election on the 4^th November.

Henceforth, I hope the government will build good roads with public safety in mind to avoid more road accidents or any unwanted incidents.

Ends.

Pix: 

Pictures of accidents and land slide that occurred along Gua Musang and Cameron Highland roads.

Kumarathevan Balakrishnan

Gua Musang

PENDAPAT

Isnin Oktober 11, 2010

Pengalaman Menyaksikan Kemalangan di Jalan Cameron - Gua Musang

Oleh B. KUMARATHEVAN

GUA MUSANG: Jarak di antara Gua Musang (GM), Kelantan ke Cameron Highlands (CH) di Pahang adalah lebih kurang seratus kilometer sahaja. Perjalanan yang akan mengambil masa kira-kira 1 ½ jam di atas jalan itu adalah menyeronokkan terutamanya pada siang hari.

Walaupun terdapat beberapa kejadian tanah runtuh di sana sini, pemandangan di kedua-dua belah jalan berkenaan termasuk kehijauan alam semulajadi, hawa yang agak dingin dan juga penempatan Orang Asliadalah sesuatu yang amat menarik.

Ia juga memberi peluang kepada sesiapa sahaja merasai nilai pelancongan di kawasan pedalaman atau “eco-tourism”.

Pada masa kini, ramai pengguna jalan raya termasuk para pelancong dari dalam dan luar negara kerap menggunakan jalan berkenaan kerana ia adalah jalan singkat yang menghubung GM dan CH serta satu-satunya jalan terdekat untuk ke Lebuhraya Utara Selatan melalui Simpang Pulai.

Malangnya, perjalanan pada waktu malam agak berbahaya, malah ia juga mungkin menjadisatu pengalaman yang mengerikan kepada sesiapa sahaja khususnya kepada mereka yang tidak ada pengalaman menggunakan laluan ini.

Ini kerana sepanjang jalan tersebut agak gelap gelita dan memandu pada waktu malam adalah agak berisiko tinggi.

Beberapa hari yang lalu, kira-kira pukul 7.30 malam, saya dan keluarga saya sedang dalam perjalanan ke GM dari CH. Kira-kira 45 minit kemudian, kami terkejut melihat sebuah motosikal dari arah bertentangan tergelincir lalu terhumban di atas jalan tersebut.

Saya dengan segera bergegas untuk membantupenunggang motosikal tersebut. Lelaki yang berusia dalam lingkungan 40an itu mengeluh dalam kesakitan bahawa dia terlanggar batu di atas jalan itu dan gagal mengawal motosikalnya.

Saya cuba mendapatkan bantuan daripada duakenderaan lain yang lalu ketika itu malangnya mereka enggan berhenti. Kemudian saya dengan segera menarik lelaki berkenaan ke tepi jalan.

Sebelum saya dapat menarik motosikalnya yangberada di tengah jalan, sebuah trak yang laju merempuh motosikal berkenaan dan terus menghilangkan diri dalam kegelapan malam.

Nasib baiklah kami selamat dalan kejadian berkenaan. Beberapa minit kemudian, dua penunggang motosikal turut menghulurkan bantuan.

Walaupun jalan tersebut terlalu gelap untuk berhenti, tetapi kita rasa serba salah untuk membiarkan penunggang yangtercedera teruk itu di atas jalan raya walaupun pada masa itu kereta saya juga penuh dengan seisi keluarga.

Bayangkanlah apa yang mungkin terjadi sekiranya tidak ada orang yang melihat penunggang itu tersungkur dan berada di tengah-tengah jalan yang gelap gelita itu.

Ini bukanlah kali pertama, kami melihat kejadian sebegini di jalan berkenaan. Banyak kemalangan pernah berlaku di atas jalan tersebut selain kejadian tanah runtuh di beberapa tempat sepanjang jalan itu.

Saya menggesa pihak kerajaan untuk mengambil tindakan segera mengatasi masalah tersebut dengan memasang lampu jalan sepanjang GM ke CH serta jalan GM ke Kuala Lipis, Pahang yang turut gelap untuk keselamatan para pengguna jalan berkenaan.

Pihak berkuasa juga harus membina lorong kecemasan serta memasang pondok telefon SOS yang boleh digunakan pada waktu kecemasan di jalan berkenaan bagi kemudahan orang ramai meminta bantuan.

Saya juga rasa ini adalah waktu yang paling baik untuk menggesa kerajaan bertindak cepat lebih-lebih lagi ketika kawasan berkenaan berhadapan dengan pilihan raya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri Galas pada 4 November akan datang.

Sebagai pengguna jalan raya, saya berharap kerajaan akan mengambil kira akan keselamatan para pengguna dan memberi perhatian kepada kejadian-kejadian seumpama ini.

PENULIS merupakan bekas wartawan di sebuah akhbar nasional berbahasa Malaysia

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SPEAK UP! :: Letters Road to Gua Musang needs street lights THE 100km drive from Gua Musang in Kelantan to Cameron Highlands in Pahang takes about 1½hours. Many motorists also use it to get to the North South Highway via the Simpang Pulai road.But at night the pleasant drive becomes a hazard. It becomes pitch dark by 7.30pm. A few days ago my family and I were travelling to Gua Musang from Cameron Highlands at about 7.30pm. After about 40 minutes of driving we saw an oncoming motorcyclist fall. I got down from the car and managed to pull aside the elderly motorist who was badly injured. He lamented in pain that he had lost control of his motorcycle after running into a stone on the road. Two other cars went by without stopping though I was waving frantically. Before I could pull aside the man’s motorcycle, a speeding lorry ran over it and sped off in the darkness. Thank God, nothing happened to us. A little while later, two motorists stopped to help and take care of the injured man. Though it was dangerous to stop our car in that dark road, we couldn’t leave the helpless man. I couldn’t take him into my car because it was full. You can imagine, what could have happened to the injured motorist if he was lying unnoticed in the middle of the road. Many accidents have occurred on that stretch of the road. I appeal to the government to install street lamps along the road and the road leading to Kuala Lipis in Pahang for the safety of road users. The authorities should add emergency lanes and install emergency telephone booths for the benefit of the public. I believe this is the best time for the people of Gua Musang to demand for prompt action since there is a by-election for the Galas state seat on Nov 4. I hope the government will build good roads with public safety in mind to prevent more road accidents or any unwanted incidents. Kumarathevan Balakrishnan Gua Musang

KeranaMu hidup Malaysia

Titik-titik hujan bagai salju membasahi bunga raya 

menyerlahkan keseriannya

detik-detik yang berlalu membuktikan keunggulan

kejayaan negara kita

Terus bangunlah warga Malaysia

curahkan cintamu 

pada nusa dan bangsa

kejayaan milik kita

Syukur dan pujian

kuserahkan padaMu Tuhan Maha Kuasa

tiadaMu hancurlah segala impian

KeranaMu hidup Malaysia.

@kumar.b

Selamat Hari Kebangsaan 
Happy Independence Day!

Children are gift from God

  Children are gift from God. They are not to be considered an accident. They have the rights to live so stop treating them like junks.

  The crimes against these innocent lives are tremendously increasing. From cases of abortion, abuse, molest, rape, abduction and now baby dumping.

  What’s going on? Why are people becoming monsters that are predating on young vulnerable lives? Is there any protection for these kids? If there is, is it enough?

  I consider these monsters including those who are dumping the babies are cold-blooded evildoers and selfish. They are full of lust, greed and no fear of God.

  I can’t imagine how people including mothers daringly throw away their new born or some even fearlessly kill these infants before dumping them or try flushing them through toilet holes. It’s disgusting.

  The famous Ten Commandments’ first commandment is “Do not kill”. The word “kill” in this instance specifically refers to “murder” which is a premeditated and deliberate act of taking someone's life. Most religion and law are against murder. What do we call these unlawful acts against infants?

  As a former journalist, I have witnessed baby dumping cases in the 90’s. It has been a heart breaking moment to see helpless little dead babies with earthworms and insects all over their bodies at dumpsites. Some even lay dead with wound marks and others have become food for animals.

  I remember interviewing relevant government officers, police department, politicians and Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) to compile statistics for my article and ways to curb the problem.

  Most of them want stern action to be taken against the culprits and said that government should take drastic action to overcome the menace.

  For so long we have been voicing out against these inhuman behaviors but the problem goes on. Statistics shows that there are so many baby dumping cases yet the ‘black sheep’ escapes the law. Where is justice?

  Now is the time to act! Stop the blame game and let’s work together to curb these growing problem. Increase crime prevention efforts, bring to book those evildoers, table relevant laws to protect the children, conduct more awareness programmes and at the same time help unwed pregnant mothers by providing temporary shelter plus counseling.

  Promote abstinence from sex before marriage and sex education programmes in schools, colleges, universities and learning centres. Incorporate it into the syllabus and do it immediately to help overcome wedlock pregnancies that lead to abortion, baby dumping and single parenthood. 

  Above all, love one another because true love protects, it does not have any evil intensions and it does not harm. Whatever we do, let us do it in love.

Kumarathevan Balakrishnan

a F A M I L Y poem (anonymous writer)   I ran into a stranger as he passed by,  "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.  He said, "Please excuse me too;  I wasn't watching for you."  We were very polite, this stranger and I.  We went on our way and we said goodbye.  But at home a different story is told,  How we treat our loved ones, young and old.  Later that day, cooking the evening meal,  My son stood beside me very still.  When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.  "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.  He walked away, his little heart broken.  I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.  While I lay awake in bed,  God's still small voice came to me and said,  "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor,  You'll find some flowers there by the door.  Those are the flowers he brought for you.  He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.  He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,  you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."  By this time, I felt very small,  And now my tears began to fall.  I quietly went and knelt by his bed;  "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.  "Are these the flowers you picked for me?"  He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.  I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.  I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."  I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;  I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."  He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.  I love you anyway."  I said, "Son, I love you too,  and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."  FAMILY  Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company  that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.  But the family we left behind will feel the loss  for the rest of their lives.  And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more  into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?  So what is behind the story?  Do you know what the word FAMILY means?                            (F)ATHER                     (A)ND                           (M)OTHER           (I)                     (L)OVE                  (Y)OU                                                                                                                                                                                                                            God Bless you and Have a Blessed Day ahead of you love and regards, Kumar-Josephine  & family

Sex education will benefit teens

Tuesday July 13, 2010

TEENAGE pregnancies are on the rise. As of April this year, the Welfare Department had already seen 111 such cases compared to 131 cases throughout last year and 107 cases in 2008.


The dramatic increase of such cases must not be taken lightly or with a lackadaisical attitude. Political parties, parents, teachers, religious bodies, non-governmental organisations and the public must act to curb this disturbing issue immediately.


This is the reason we need to implement the character-based curriculum which includes sex education in schools, colleges, universities and other learning institutions to help young people make right choices regarding high-risk behaviour such as having sex before marriage.


I am surprised at the mentality of some politicians, parents and teachers who think that sex education will only teach youngsters to get involved in premarital sex. Why the taboo about sex education?


There are already so many embarrassing cases, including students caught on camera performing sexual acts in schools which were uploaded on social networking websites such as YouTube and Facebook.


Are we going to wait for more explosions of immoral activities; unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortion cases or more babies being abandoned plus an increase in single-parent families, in addition to the rising statistics of sexually transmitted diseases? Think about it. We have to act fast.


As parents to three children aged between three and 10 years old, we have been educating them about self respect, moral values and self-protection which include sex education.


As facilitators for character-building programmes, especially the “No Apologies” — abstinence until marriage programme by Focus on the Family Malaysia, we also help to educate youngsters, including students, on the dangers of premarital sex and its consequences.


There are ways to help youngsters curb this problem.


They must inform their parents of their whereabouts and follow the time or guidelines set by their parents. They must avoid overstaying in friends’ houses or being involved in late night activities.


They must also know their boundaries when mingling with old or new friends of the opposite sex.


For counselling, they should talk to their parents or a trustworthy adult of the same sex like a teacher or professional counsellor.


They should read good books and articles or surf the Internet to get information on the dangers of premarital sex and its consequences.


They should also attend character-building, moral uplifting and sex education programmes.


Be knowledgeable so that you will not fall into any plot or trap.


To protect yourself from being a victim of abuse, attend self-defence classes.


Also join outdoor activities, uniform bodies or take up music classes to occupy your time and stay away from bad hats.


Finally, make an abstinence oath (not having sex before marriage) and attend spiritual or religious activities. Get involved in community work by joining NGOs such as the public service or welfare societies or clubs.

KUMARATHEVAN-JOSEPHINE

Perfect lesson:

United Animals Kingdom (UAK)

The cat excused herself while the dogs, chickens and goats had their peace talk recently.

What a privilege to see animals living in harmony.  

Unity can be learned from animals too.

Picture was taken at orang asli village in Gua Musang, Kelantan. - B.Kumarathevan 

Ultra protection

On guard

With his super-powers, Man Ultra zapped away the intruder and put it where it belongs...

by Josephine Kumar

Published in The Star Thumbnails on

6-May-2010

"This kindergarten in Penang doesn’t have to worry about their safety. Ultraman will protect them from any intruder".

Malaysian teamwork

Let’s give the car a 1Malaysia push.

by Kumarathevan Balakrishnan

Published in The Star Thumbnails.

*A group of onlookers gave a helping hand to push the overturned car back to its wheels. Fortunately, a lady driver and a passenger escaped unhurt in the mishap that took place in Gua Musang, Kelantan, recently.