It's a Leap day - 29th February 2008

Today is a special day. If you're born on 29th February, you'll be able to celebrate your birthday once in every four years. And you're called a "leapling" - hmm, isn't that interesting that the world has coigned a special name for you? For others, guess there's no reason for envy, simply because this compensates the three years void of proper birthday celebration.

It's a leap year, and it's a very special year indeed. You may or may not realize the whole legal significance of the leap year phenomenon. Consider this - when will be the exact date for leapling teenagers to : obtain driving license? become registered voters? legally purchase and consume alcohol? watch 18SG/SX- rated movies? It's interesting to note that in Taiwan, a leapling's birthday falls on the 28th February every common year. In different parts of the world, the legal age in a non-leap year can fall either on 28th February or 1st March.

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia for us to share on this special day :

"There are many instances in children's literature where a person's claim to be only a quarter of their actual age turns out to be based on counting their leap-year birthdays. A similar device is used in the plot of Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance: As a child, Frederic was apprenticed to a band of pirates until the age of 21. Now, having passed his 21st year, he leaves the pirate band and falls in love. However, it turns out that the pirate indenture says that his apprenticeship does not end until his 21st birthday, and since he was born on February 29, that day will not arrive until he is in his eighties, and so he must leave his fiancée and return to the pirates. Of course, it all turns out happily in the end."

So, what's special on your calendar today? I should consider myself lucky because I can record very interesting events today - on this special leap day.

1. In my public speaking class, my students did a very good job in their public speaking practice. Tasha, Mun and Zahra showed the class what public speaking is all about. What about Fareez? Yes, he's in class today:) and he gave a very entertaining speech. The crowd likes him so much. Vee, Qila, Ifna and Afiq also did a good job. I should thank Wani for her fantastic idea of crowning all the speakers as Miss Congeniality, Miss Cherry Blossom, Mr Transformee!?! , and lots more.

2. I received an email from Asaihl Conference organizer in Thailand announcing that my abstract has been accepted for conference paper presentation. I shall talk about the "blogosphere". Guess this is the in thing nowadays and a miraculous way to catch up with teen-tech. Let's pray that the university approves my application to present this paper.

3. At five, we had our group decision making recording for my phd research. This time around, my ex-students from last semester's ITCB debated on an ethical dilemma. Pushpa mentioned about the leap day, and leap year, and I guess that kind of reminded me about this special day.

4. We are celebrating "Karnival Kelompok" at UNITEN this weekend. It's a good gathering of dynamic and enthusiastic undergraduates. Projects like this are empowering and educating in every way. I met Azwan, Zul and friends selling burger, and of course, Fareez - again - at the karaoke canopy. He sang "Bernafas Dalam Lumpur". Well, I saw many other students there, particularly some who didn't turn up for my class this morning and looking very healthy and active tonite - gotcha...Meon? Was it you? Ab - break a leg and win the hamper, yah!

5. My beloved husband reminded me about the leap day and that I should seize this opportunity to record everything nice and wonderful on my blog. This will at least trigger my readers to reflect on this special day. Perhaps you would like to share with us what special things happened today in history ;)

Guess that's about all. Happy leap birthday to all leaplings, and see you all tomorrow. It will be March 1st and we shall meet in a new monthly archive.

Take care everybody.

Competitions

Have you ever compared prices at different shops, shopping malls, and outlets? If you haven't acquired that habit, try scrutinizing the decor, service and ambience in your favourite restaurant, and compare it with one of your friend's choice, or worse, another which does not even exist in your list. Let's admit that as consumers, we enjoy the benefit of competition among service providers and business ventures. Imagine if we are doomed with only one shop around the corner, and one miserable restaurant at another, what will happen to our lives?

The situation above shows how much we appreciate competitive spirit in business. Now, let's bring this matter closer to us as in the academic setting - competitions in getting good grades and ending up in the Dean's list. Wow! For those who have been there, what does it feel to win the challenge? Even within the classroom, we can see students compete for attention, participation, and marks. Is this healthy?

Outside the classroom, there are events and activities for us to make our lives more colourful. There are charity projects, educational programmes, sports events, and there are also - competitions. Without them, life can be monotonous and mundane. There are competitive events like sports tournament, public speaking competitions, innovation and research competitions, debates, etc. What kind of experience do we get from our participation in the respective competitions? How do we feel about it? Does winning and losing matter so much more than the true spirit of competition? Do we have to instill this competitive spirit in our younger generation, or will it soon come around naturally?

As an adult, I have gone through this cycle of learning and experiencing the ups and downs of competitions through and through. Competitions keep you on your toes all the time...they really boost your morale particularly when you win, but teach you to muster enough courage to confront the obstacles when you lose and fall. As a lecturer, I always try to motivate my students to join competitions, and create opportunities for them to channel the competitive nature.

As a parent, I also encourage my children to participate in competitions, no matter what entail. Recently, they joined the events at Taman Warisan Putrajaya in conjunction with the Agro Bazaar. Farah was 2 X champion, for colouring contest, and fruit puzzle competition. Nadia also won third place for fruit puzzle competition. I think the children had a good taste of success gained through patience, determination and zest. Not many children would be willing to sacrifice their weekends at home just to participate in competitions. Thumbs up girls:)

I believe many of you share the same passion for competitions. Without this adrenalin-pumping activity, life will never be another mark in history! As long as we observe the ethics and values, our participation in competitions will be worthy, indeed.

Do we Need Final Exams?

In those days, there were only final exams. Teachers covered the syllabus within the timeframe of a year (equivalent to 10 months) and we sat for the exams to test our understanding + memory. hmmm..at the end of the year. Then, we had concert and prize-giving day at school. I really enjoyed being a child...the only talk about exams was the 100% final exam in October - hey, I was born in October, so this deserves some attention also:)

There were two types of perception among us then. First, studying was like a long distance event in sports. You would have to study consistently to maintain stamina, and grasp the subject matter as they come along. Nevertheless, there were also students who relaxed throughout the beginning of the year, and only studied intensively one or two months before the exam. Still, the results were more or less or even better than the first group of students who diligently studied throughout the year. Well - perhaps it's the strategy being employed - tuition classes, past year exam papers, etc!

Back then we had "Penilaian Darjah Lima" which is equivalent to UPSR now for Primary 6. Same thing prevailed. And what happened in Primary six without standardized exam? That was a year of fun and fortune...but children nowadays have to continue the battle till the last day of Primary six.. the same goes with SPM...in school, teachers had to remind us that Form Four is not a "honeymoon year" - start studying seriously, or you'd be left behind...

For undergraduates, the scenario is so different with regard to the nature of assessment and evaluation in the university setting. The final exam still comes around, but without the predominant 100%. Perhaps it's 40%, 50% or in some courses, 60%. The rest of the portion is distributed to the cumulative assessments. In other words, every effort students make in their attempt to fully grasp and understand the course throughout the semester counts. Now, students who wait till the end of semester to open their books and work on assignments will bear the consequences - some may stumble and fail.

Isn't this good, that we have such a system in place to reward diligence and constant pursuit of success? As a lecturer, I find it rewarding to be able to acknowledge my sudents' continuous effort for success. For more difficult subjects, trying out your understanding of the concepts and applications little by little via the tests can be a steady preparation for the final exam paper at the end of the semester.

But I can be wrong here in several ways. May be, students don't like to be tested every other week or month. Or, may be they are only ready to be tested at the end of the semester when the loop is complete, and when all doubts have been answered. Or - can it be the last-minute syndrome that undoubtedly brings about its own implications?

Nevertheless, let's return to our discussion topic - when we can have effective cumulative assessment in place to check students' continuous understanding as well as improvement, do we still require a final exam that kinda summarizes the whole semester's pursuit? Without it, will students have the tendency to forget or abandon the earlier topics? As much as this is the concern, do remember that the course as a whole is a triangulation of inter-related topics. If topic 1 supports topic 2, and topic 3 consolidates topic 1 and 2, how can students afford to forget the earlier topics - right?

Guess, this is a point to ponder.

Discipline

D - decades of education and training testify, that
I - it remains essential to us all.
S - success and downfall of groups and individuals,
C - creation of breakthroughs,
I - innovative inventions,
P - persistence, courage and determination,
L - lies within one's perception and internalization of discipline.
I - introduction of systems, enforcement of laws,
N - no nonsense, no lame excuses, no procrastination,
E - enhance our maturity and jurisdiction.

Discipline, in its many forms and functions, plays a very significant role in ensuring good results at the end of the day. Starting from school, we have been exposed to discipline as a concept, philosophy and behavioural guide. It's the foundation to successful teamwork, as well as individual endeavours.

I'm sure you can think of specific examples when lack of discipline only leads to problems and damaging consequences. Likewise, self-discipline may have enhanced accomplishment and achievement in our everyday pursuits.

Acrobatic Lion Dance Spectacular

We drove to Mid Valley Megamall yesterday morning to witness a spectacular lion dance performance scheduled at 12. Most Malaysians (particularly my children) look forward to lion dance performance every Chinese New Year. One day, may be we'll join the crowd at the Genting World Lion Dance Championship at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands.

The lion dance commemorates a lagendary lion which frightened away a mythological beast that attacked the people on new year eve in ancient China. Besides,the dance is believed to usher good fortune, as well as ward off evil spirits. I have heard of shop and restaurant owners rewarding a large sum of money in red ang pows to the dancers.

The lion dance is performed in countries like China, Singapore, Malaysia and even the USA. It marks important events like festivals, weddings, or launching of business, etc. Renowned actors like Jet Li and Wong Fei Hong have also starred in lion dance movies - hmmm...Very interesting.

For those who haven't seen a live performance of the lion dance, check out the schedules at Mid Valley and other nearby places. The lions are very cute and adorable. The choreography makes you forget that there are talented boys underneath the lion costume! One thing for sure - the lions are definitely our country's latest team of acrobats, indeed - displaying such elegance and accuracy in every move.

This is one special performance we'll never miss every year. Do you have anything like it in your family calendar? Perhaps you can share with us here in this blog. Here are two of the many video clips I took yesterday, from 1st floor centre court, Mid Valley Megamall. Enjoy...

Learning is a Journey

"Learning is a journey" is a conceptual metaphor (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). It is used to show how we perceive the learning activity,i.e. commitment and responsibility. Learning is in fact a very abstract concept. We won't be able to understand our perception and understanding about it if we were to define it superficially. Nevertheless, we can learn to use metaphors, and the grey areas will soon diminish:)

Check this out!
We start to grasp the world of knowledge in our mothers' wombs. At least, that's what science claims and mothers discover. The moment we open our eyes and make sense of things around us, we observe and analyze, follow what adults teach us and abandon nasty habits that result from our natural curiosity and carelessness.

When we grow older and believe that we're matured enough to assume responsibilities, we want to make our own decisions and break away from confining rules and norms. Sometimes, this does not take us anywhere, really, but a taste of independence only proves that forbidden fruit tastes better, and sometimes bitter!

Look around, and we see evidence of success. How we envy those triumphs and victories. We set our mind on a career goal, and we pursue higher education. Along the way, we stumble and fall, and we rise to the challenges in order to realize our expectations:) We are at crossroads, yet we know - there's no turning back. We learn that success is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. So, we set out to prove that we are capable to compete in this race.

We learn new things everyday, we learn through mistakes and constructive comments. We learn from friends and foes, and we learn passionately every moment we think, feel, see, hear and taste. Learning is such a rich experience, and learning is our lifelong pursuit.

Learning is a very noble endeavour, in every way. We can never stop learning. Take me as an example - as I'm teaching my students in class, I'm also learning new things from them, and like them, I also go through the ups and downs, the bittersweet challenge of learning frontiers, as a Phd student. As they all dream for their scrolls, I also pray that I can finally reach my finishing line.

Well - all the words in italics above give rise to the metaphor - learning is a journey. A journey, begins and a journey has a destination. The in-betweens may be bumpy, spinning, foundering, or smooth-sailing. Whatever it entails, complete the loop, reach the dreams and destinations - ALL the BEST! We can all do it!

Now, would you like to share your interpretations of the magic word - LEARNING?

Protect the Environment

The world we live in today may not be the sight we will still witness in the near future. Nevertheless, accepting the truth of this claim is not enough. It is our responsibility to find a good way to preserve the special characteristics of the planet we live in, and act immediately.

When I was small, my teachers used to make us look across the green field, to the row of trees at the end of the school compound, after stressful moments concentrating on the textbooks. Once or twice a year, school clubs and Brownies (I'm a Pixie) would have a picnic or camping trip by the seaside where we would bathe in clean and clear sea, and gaze at the blue horizon. At university, I joined the Nature Society for camping trips as well as mountain climbing and jungle trekking activities. As we visited marine parks like Mamutik island and Tioman island, and become enchanted by the mesmerizing beauty of underwater life, we also helped to clean the beaches that were sometimes littered and battered by mankind (or weather.)

What about today? There are still as many informative campaigns and talks to encourage and beg for us to save the environment. But, do we all take heed to the alarming environmental calls? The threatening effects of global warming? When the situation is only getting worse, most of us still succumb to old habits. Plactic shopping bags, waste of electricity, fast food cartons and aerosols, - ring a bell?

Let's start with the little things we can do - on our own, within the small family unit, campus and social community - to protect our environment from any further damage and destruction.

What have you accomplished thus far?

The next time you contribute to this noble act, jot it down in your environment diary.This legacy will stay for generations if we care to protect the environment, today.

Now that you're Home...

It is really not easy..being away from home. But some of us just don't have a choice. We either have to pursue our education in another state, or abroad...or there's just no job in the hometown.
For Malaysians, it's holiday time now. We'll be celebrating Chinese New Year (GONG XI FA CAI to our Chinese friends), schools will be closed for a while, and some universities are having their semester break. In other words, it's time to sit at home and enjoy every minute with our beloved family.

ooops...There are tests after the holidays. Well, what does this entail? Yuppp! Time management so that there's a more balanced planning between fun and studies.

Whatever happens, home is just the place we want to be right now...

Hmmm...what makes home so special?

Let's Make Reading a Habit

Nowadays, reading opportunities come in abundance. These opportunites are sometimes free of charge - like the free newspapers, free pamphlets, internet materials, leaflets - which we sometimes take for granted. University students can access latest journal articles as well as reports via on-campus database. We even read in the comfort of our bedrooms, home, not to mention nearby libraries as well as spacious book stores or when we're on the move, using communication gadgets.

When I take my children to Pizza Hut, or any family restaurants, one main attraction is the activity sheets laid out on the tables to keep customers occupied while waiting for meals to be served. The puzzles and mazes are simple yet engaging ideas which appeal not only to children but also parents.

Besides, major bookstores like MPH, Borders and Kinokuniya prepare reading corners as well as children's corner to encourage reading for pleasure. Like adults, children also scan through pages, skim for interesting content, not to mention pictures and activites. Other reading-related activities included are story-time and puppet shows which promote children's favourite cartoon characters.

I have only given two examples of reading materials as well as reading opportunities that come in an attractive package. I'm sure we have our own ways and means of encouraging our children, students and younger siblings to read. Some houses have a reading corner, small library, or even a study stacked up with all kinds of books. Some families subscribe educational and leisure magazines be it local or international publications.

Realizing how rich reading opportunity has become, we would expect more than half of our nation to proudly enlist reading as a hobby, or a habit. We would also expect the number of our reading population to increase, compared to the previous decades. Well, is this the scenario? May be, we can start by asking ourselves, first.

Recently, one of my students, Ira, wanted to write an academic paper on reading habits among Malaysians. I supported her interest and I encouraged her to find answers to her own curiosity - references include research papers, reports, newspaper articles, etc. **Ira will be invited to respond to this blog article soon, perhaps with latest statistics.

By now, I think reading facilities and promotions have been satisfactory. Most libraries in Malaysia have organized reading campaigns as well as activities. Most neighbourhoods would have a public library within the vicinity or a bookstore within travelling distance. Most homes have at least cultivated the habit of reading.

What we actually read becomes secondary - story books, comics, novels, magazines, academic articles, newspaper articles, or internet articles...

For reading to become a habit, it has to be like a culture - we learn about it, appreciate it, practice it, and pass it on to others around us. Reading can be very pleasurable indeed. If movies can help to create interest in reading, so pick a movie and then, read the novel. Many readers have done that - of course, some discover that they enjoy reading more than watching the screen for you are not confined to the movie director's imagination and creativity.

Let's hear it from you. What's your favourite reading material? How did you start your reading habit? Who encouraged/s you to read?