National Day

Today is our Merdeka day. Happy Birthday Malaysia ! You're 51 today and I wish you all the best. Things seem rather quiet - I watched the parade on tv and just sat there thinking of all the things that has happened in the last year. I wonder if things will be the same next year? And the next? If there are changes, as I'm sure there will be what kind of change will it be? I wish to see a change in the politics - more equitable for all and more help for those who really need it. I'd like to see forms without the word race there to be filled. I think its time we do without that and just put Malaysian. Because if qwe want to put race - what race am I? What race is Repin and Rizal and Sophia my granddaughter? She's half chinese because her mother is Chinese, but then her father his 1/4 Pakistani, 1/4 Chinese, a bit of Bugis, 1/8 Afghan and a number of others. So what race are we all really? There's no category to put us in... and is it fair to put my grand daughter under the category others as well? So Malaysia - wake up and let's just be Malaysians!!
I'd really like to see a more transparent govt too - we all want to know what really happened in the Altantuya case and also the Anwar sodomy case.
And lastly I wish for a more efficient police force, less corruption and more intelligent ministers. Am I asking for the moon?

Yesterday was my talk in Seremban. Went there early - about 6.30am. Malliha was waiting for me at the toll as promised and I followed her car to the school, which was lucky because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find it, I'm sure. The talk went well even if I say it myself. Roughly 70 teachers attended. Most of them may not have attended any workshops on testing I think. So it was really useful for them. However there wasn't enough time to actually do everything so I only touched on the important parts - namely fundamentals of testing, building multiple choice items and Bloom's taxonomy. Had a short workshop after that and we ended by 12.00 pm. It being a long weekend the teachers were quite in a hurry to get back - they all probably had other plans for the weekend.
Went back to KL on Sunday - Rizal was coming to visit and I'm waiting to see my grand daughter. Have not seen her for a month and I do miss her!

You can see her making her funny face here.