Now and Then (Kiddo)

On Learning

When I was 6 years and 11 months old, I went to school for the first time. Being raised from a poor family, I never had the chance to go to the pre-school. So, during the first week in primary school, I was crying and running after my mom. No lesson learnt at all.

Only on the second week, I had settled down and started learning. Being a dyslexic (I think), it was very difficult for me to learn even for the simple ABC. By the third day of the second week, most of my classmates, who had attended the pre-school, were learning the vowels and how to make sound out of it, but I was still struggling to learn ABC. By the last day of the second week, I looked at a alphabets "S.I.K.A.T." (comb in English) suddenly I could visualize an image of a comb. That was my first word that I could read. Starting from that word, I can read anything. I just looked at the combination of alphabets and then can visualize them. Very strange method and unconventional. There was no "A" aah "Y.A.M." yam.. ayam for me.

I was happy that I can read. After school, I rushed home and looked for my brothers. I told them that I can read. They were perplexed and belittled me. Of course, how can I read only in two weeks at school? By the way, it was only one week okay, remember the crying thing in the first week? So I proved it to them. I took the "Utusan Malaysia" newspaper and start reading.... I still can remember their mouths opened wide :o

Last year, my daughter Fira went to pre-school for the first time. She was 4 years and 8 months old then. After her first day at the pre-school, she told me that she can recite Surah Al-Fatihah. Aahh?! Are you sure? Ok, recite for me...

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيم
الْحَمْدُ للّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين * الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيم * مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّين * إِيَّاك نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِين * اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ * صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنعَمتَ عَلَيهِمْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَلَيهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّين

Amiinn.. Wow! I thought. Although not perfect but some basic tajweed and makhraj are okay. Ye lah, may be she learned it from her brothers before.

The next day, when she came back, she recited Surah An-Nas. After that Surah Al-Falaq, Surah Al-Ikhlas and so on... ooh, sure she learned and memorized them from the pre-school, one surah a day, not from her brothers. Now look whose mouth opened wide :o

On Computer

When I was 12 years and 4 months old, I went to a boarding school in Malacca. The school was relatively new at that time, 2½ years old actually. Provided by the Malaysian Army, the facility was quite advance for that era, computer lab included.

On the first day, during the academic block tour, I had asked my newly found friend "Apa tu komputer eh?" (what is a computer?). He answered "Ala, ko boleh tanya dia apa-apa, dia boleh jawab semua. Macam robot la..." (You can ask the computer anything. It can answer everything. Like a robot..). Ooh..??! I said.

Hahaha actually he also did not know.

Now, my 5½ years old Fira, on her own, log into YouTube, watch 'barbie' clips, play online games, etc. All by herself. Wait a minute. My 4½ years old Jimi is watching GTA clips on the YouTube by himself? Yeah..Grand Theft Auto!!