learning methods (or the lack of)

i've noticed that when it comes to learning stuff, technical, softskill or lifeskills (is there such a thing?), most of us just rely on someone to give us everything. That's not how our brain is to work, does it.

In school, we (retro guys from the 80s) were taught under the shadow of the cane ("which size do you want ?", my discipline used ask me once or twice a week). The teachers will not accept any reasons for not finishing your homework. We were drilled in every class.

But those were the days of no Astro, cyber cafes, teen clubs and teen angst was kept to a minimum by the cane and lack of Western hooliganism.

Today, the teachers are more subdued, timid and well, plain scared too even think about picking up the cane. We have heard enough of students roughing up teachers, parents roughing up teachers, the school gardener roughing up teachers and the law roughing up teachers. A whole lot of roughing up, it seems.

I guess this is what happens when a country's population goes up, gets exposed to cultures which are not cultures at all and has a family dinner in front of Vanavil, Wah Lah Toi or Prima everyday.

I don't blame the times but I blame ourselves for forgetting who we are, where we're from and where we are going.

So what's the connection with all this and learning?

With the cane, came a fear and respect for knowledge. This respect gave birth to thirst. It came to a point where I won't be able to go to sleep without reading something. I used to doze off with anything that has a minimum of 400 words. Subconsciously, I trained my brain to absorb info and language skills while I slept. And I conversed, in 3 languages everyday. You see, my mother tongue was Tamil, but my family was more into English. I came from a kampung school and most (actually all) my friends were from kampungs in Kulim. I used to hang out with them most of the days after school (skipping tuitions and extra lesson in school).

My physics teacher was a gem of a guy. Strict, yet friendly to those who talked to him about quantum physics (no kidding, I actually like that). He gave me my first book by Stephen Hawkings, A Brief History Of Time. It fascinated me not just because of the Big Bang Theory also because the proses' he used throughout the book.

I started reading Lord Of The Rings when I was 12. It was given to me by my uncle, who bought it as a paper weight. My love for fantasy was born !

When I was 17, I read The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. Douglas Adams seemed like the most brilliant visionary (even though the book was mostly nonsense, in a good way).

I did most of my knowledge harvest through my own effort but not without my mentors, my physics, En. Shuhaimi (hope you're doing well....), my dad, my mom and my uncle (who incidentally introduced me to Led Zeppellin and Black Sabbath).

What am I trying to say? Well, nobody needs a full time teacher to teach time. They only need a good friend who is a good mentor and guide and an undying thirst to know everything there is to know.

So, I'll be glad to be a mentor to anyone who shares this thirst.

ps. I disagree that comics are of little value. Xmen taught me a lot in swear words ... he he he ...