Congrats to the team of Omani & British explorers who crossed the Empty Quarter - 2016

Posted by Poorna de Silva
Source: Tahaddi Arabia Official webpage, Times of Oman.

The “Crossing the Empty Quarter” expedition was aimed at popularising the concept of responsibility and self-reliance among Arab youth, and for them to bear hardships to achieve their goals. To underline the principles of determination and self-reliance, the team crossed 1,300km, walking and riding camels in only the second ever documented expedition across the Empty Quarter in modern history.

The expedition set off on foot from the wilayat of Salalah in the Dhofar Governorate last December to cross the Empty Quarter desert, traversing through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reach Doha in Qatar. The expedition was originally expected to take 60 days, however the rigorous desert crossing took just 49 days, due to the fast pace set by the expedition’s team members.

Praying for others 

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

 

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

 

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island. 

The first thing they prayed for was food.

 

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land and he was able to eat its fruit.

The other man's parcel of land remained barren!

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, there was a woman who swam to his side of the land.

On the other side of the island, again there was nothing! 

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him.

However, the second man still had nothing! 

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island.

In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.

 

The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. 

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

 

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings." 

"Tell me, O God," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?" 

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered." 

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us. 

"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself" 

 

Fire Safety Demonstration conducted at SLSM backyard

Mr Sebi Varghese of Carillion-Alawi LLC conducted a Fire safety demonstration at SLSM premises recently. 

It was an educative event that helped create Health and Safety awareness on incidents related to a Fire hazard within a domestic context. 

The audience had the opportunity to learn the Omani Fire classification and the use of an appropriate colour coded portable extinguisher to deal with an emergency. 

Colour coded extinguishers 

Everyone present had the chance to get a hands-on experience in using a pressurised extinguisher tank. 

Mr Sebi Varghese emphasised the dangers associated with using water to stop common stove-pan fires that occur frequently in kitchens. 

The use of fire blankets in such an eventuality was demonstrated as they are installed in every kitchen nowadays here in the Sultanate. 

Sebi Varghese (HSE-Manager) of Carillion Alawi in action

Global Citizenship Education - Showcasing Country profiles

It can be seen that the knowledge of students on various countries within and around the region had been cultivated through the subject of Citizenship education from the beginning of this academic term. 

The current display charts on the Citizenship Education pinboard are as follows. 

Parents in Oman advised to check time tables to limit books in children' school bags

By Times News Service - 19/9/2015

On its part, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has advised parents to check their children’s school time-table online so that they do not have to carry unnecessary books to school.

“This will help children to carry a fewer number of books,” said a teacher at a government school.

Rajagopal T. Naganathan, medical director, Atlas Hospital in Ruwi, who is also an orthopaedic surgeon, said that ideally the school bag should not weigh more than 10 to 15 per cent of the child’s body weight.

“Children can develop serious back pain because of the weight of bags they carry to school. So it is very important to carry less weight in school bags and sit in the right posture in the classroom,” he told the Times of Oman.

This advice comes after city-based doctors reported a rise in cases of spinal abnormalities in students, including disfiguring curvatures known as scoliosis.

The surprise of a lifetime - Inspiring work by Ozlem and Samsung

Posted by Poorna de Silva.
Video courtesy : Samsung duyan eller, Turkey

This video was a part of a term-end lesson at Sri Lankan School Muscat. Enjoy!

Beautiful Quotes

“I touch the future. I teach.” ~ Christa McAuliffe

“The greatest gift that you can give to another is knowledge, for knowledge is power—power to build and to dream. What you can envision in your mind, you can achieve.” ~ Jack Podojil

“Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.” ~ Charles Kuralt

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.” ~ Andy Rooney

“In teaching, you cannot see the fruit of a day’s work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.” ~ Jacques Barzun

“A child miseducated is a child lost.” ~ John F. Kennedy

“If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” ~Confucius

“Good teachers are costly. Bad teachers cost more.” ~ Bob Talbert

“I’m not a teacher, but an awakener.” ~ Robert Frost

“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” ~ Anatole France