Empurau Magazine 2009
Here is a picture of the 2009 Empurau Magazine of SMK Katibas!
Those of you who are close to me would have heard my squeaks & creaks on how hard I worked on this magazine to make it work... ALONE!
The person who was supposed to give me the biggest support simply refused to give me any help!
Although I did most of the work myself, there were several other individuals who came up to me & offered their help. For these people, I am thankful.
Without them, this magazine wouldn't be as good as it is today.
Without them, I'd already be a burnout psycho teacher murdering 'bad' teachers.
Now that I finally have the magazine in my arms, I dare say that I am proud of my baby.
He has come out looking like a great piece of art.
All the months of slaving overtime unpaid just to get the information right & painstaking making sure that every page is exactly how it is supposed to be has paid off.
The people who have read magazines from previous years also commented on the leap of improvements made this year.
This is the best part...
I love the way the children's eyes light up with anticipation while lining up for the magazine.
And how they instantly flip to their class photo to see how they look.
Oh, how sweet their smiles.
And how even the hardest coldest student would look at me happily & thankfully after that.
And how even the hardest coldest student would look at me happily & thankfully after that.
That was when I knew that my self-imposed slavery was all worth it.
To summarise my whole experience in the production of this magazine, here is what I wrote in the editorial part of the magazine.
It is my greatest pleasure & honour to present to you this year's edition of the Empurau Magazine. This is my first year in the teaching service & I am truly amazed to have been empowered with the freedom to mold & cast in stone, as I see fit, such an important document. A school magazine can portray the school as a shady incompetent institution or one that's worthy of awe. This magazine is the fruit of many sleepless nights, unrelenting frustration & compounding fatigue. Therefore, it is my sincere desire that you will find it both attractive, informative & worthy of a school on the rise.
Working with the magazine committee as well as the school staff to complete this magazine has not been a piece of cake. Of course, the staff of SMK Katibas are extremely talented & willing to share. Little did I know, all their good things came in a combo together with certain flaws. Any human resource manager will be able to relate that some flaws are easy to overlook while others are, well... a little more of a pain. Whatever it is, a compromise has to be made to achieve a quality end product. Therefore, dear reader, let me share an adage I have coined from my experience: 'You can pick your friends but you can't pick your colleagues. So live with it!'
Although there were obstacles, the fact that you are holding a handsome magazine in your hands right now is a testament that every speed bump or mountain in the way of the magazine committee was ironed out & put behind us. I would therefore like to end by thanking the bulldozers & excavators who were a big help in the production of this magazine.
Firstly, I would like to thank the Principal, Mr Clement Chieng Sui Ung, for spending his own time & energy to help with finding sponsors & for putting his faith in me. I would also like to thank Mr Chieng Hop Sing for staying up until late for several nights editing pictures & text. Furthermore, thank you to Mr Gomez Das for taking time off to design graphics including the tribal design incorporated at the bottom of every page. Big thanks to Mr Mohd Shahrir Mustapa, Mr Victor Anthony Anom, Mr Johari Abdullan & Mr Richard Atong for helping me with digging through a haystack of files seeking a needle of information. Another thank you to Mr Nigel Ling Ting Shiuh for getting things started & taking me sponsor hunting in Sibu. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who contributed but was not specifically mentioned as well as the sponsors who invested & believed in this project. Your prayers & contributions are greatly appreciated!
Now, what are you waiting for? Flip the page! Every page is eagerly awaiting your arrival!
