It's Raya season again, and we shall celebrate the good spirit of togetherness, love and good faith for one month. (If you want to talk about shopping, I'd say you should have done it before Raya sale...during Malaysia's mega sale freak-out!!! Fantastic discounts and ever-best prices:)
Other than celebrations, what does Raya season entail? Haunting memories of unprecendented death, loss of beloved family members and close friends, all due to road accidents? Al-Fatihah to all who have succumbed to this major tragedy. This writing may take you to a corner which is in fact gloomy and lamentable. Nevertheless, it should remind each and every driver of his and her responsibility to ensure the safety of all road users this year. Let's put an end to this agony -fatality and serious injuries due to road accidents.
With so much of the rakyat's money being pumped into road construction and perfection, road accidents still haunt each and every cautious driver on the road - like me. Problems like potholes and winding roads have long been rectified, competency and skills in driving is kinda out of the question with the mushrooming driving academies. So, eliminate all these professional and technical factors from the list, we're left with one absolute truth - man's arrogance, selfishness and reckless driving. Of course these culprits are minority, but it takes only one of them to mess with our precious lives!
It's not even the eve of Aidilfitri, yet I have already witnessed two major road accidents on my way back to my 'kampung'. What about you? What about the news in the daily newspapers reporting death statistics? Talk to the tow-truck drivers, and they will be able to paint a true picture of the scenario...If this is true, then common drivers like any of us, and road users should exercise more caution while driving. Let the traffic police do their job and contain the problem of selfish and reckless driving. These drivers should be given an ultimate penalty.
Most importantly, we shall not stoop to their level and join the bandwagon. Plan our journey so that we don't have to rush to our dream destinations. Any sight of these agonizing drivers - practice no other than DEFENSIVE DRIVING! It may save your life and those of your beloved if you react with more patience and avoid fatal retaliation. Let them speed if they must. Don't succumb to the alarming statistics of road accidents during Raya.
Readers, writers, and bloggers...Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Muslims, and happy holidays to our non-Muslim friends. Love your life. You may live to witness one more success, one more joy, and one more breakthrough in human history, if you only practise 'defensive driving'. Drive safely to your hometowns, and reach your destinations with smiles and happiness.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Young Inventors - Inspiring Nation
If you have watched Little Einsteins, you must have heard Quincy saying this line "imagination - transformation". And I am talking about Playhouse Disney at Channel 613.Hmmm... this has inspired many young scientists among us to put our dreams to challenge and make them come true. Even ludicrous and simple ideas can prove useful to mankind if they are materialized into inventions, creations and indispensable gadgets...right:)
Well, an excellent way to have more young inventors in the country is to provide research grants and viable platforms to showcase their talent and ability. This includes competitions at school and national level. Without these thrusts, our talented young scientists and inventors will not emerge at a rate that we would want to see in this ambitious decade. Without educational incentives like scholarships and sponsorships, many budding talents will remain in the background and disappear in no time. Hence, we should take rigorous steps to promote science, discovery and inventions in schools, universities as well as among the general public.
Recently, UNITEN organized a Robogamez competition where students and undergraduates compete to win the trophy. The young inventors displayed their master robots and accepted the challenge of the abominable maze. It was an interesting event and a very enriching experience indeed. I took my children to witness the invaluable display of intelligence, and I hope they will become like one of those participants one day.
Here, I'm proud to announce that my IEP students Nga and Tho, both from Vietnam, won first prize for the internal category and third prize for the national category. Their robot named "Lost" pulled through the crazy maze challenge, battling hurdles and obstacles, and made it to the finishing line with triumph and dignity:) "Lost" has made us all very proud indeed. The national champion was UPM and runner-up was MMU. UNITEN organized a Sumo Robot competition last year, and I wonder what exciting theme the engineering society will come up with next year...hmmm...pet robots, may be....
Last month, my nephew, a Form 2 student at Sek Men Telok Mas, won the state level championship for his solar-stove invention. The UNITEN team is currently preparing for a world solar car challenge. And at home-sweet-home, my precious boy, Emir, successfully transformed his 'pet' dragon into a domestic robot via the power of "imagination-transformation" - and this is an inspiring and brave start to borderless curiosity cum discovery.
What about you? Have you invented something small or significant? Have you ever thought of inventing some kind of gadget or device that has not made a debut in the current market? Or perhaps, have you been inspired by any of our renowned inventors in your everyday pursuit for success? Share with us here in this blogosphere and help to inspire many others to become young aspiring inventors of the decade:)
Well, an excellent way to have more young inventors in the country is to provide research grants and viable platforms to showcase their talent and ability. This includes competitions at school and national level. Without these thrusts, our talented young scientists and inventors will not emerge at a rate that we would want to see in this ambitious decade. Without educational incentives like scholarships and sponsorships, many budding talents will remain in the background and disappear in no time. Hence, we should take rigorous steps to promote science, discovery and inventions in schools, universities as well as among the general public.
Recently, UNITEN organized a Robogamez competition where students and undergraduates compete to win the trophy. The young inventors displayed their master robots and accepted the challenge of the abominable maze. It was an interesting event and a very enriching experience indeed. I took my children to witness the invaluable display of intelligence, and I hope they will become like one of those participants one day.
Here, I'm proud to announce that my IEP students Nga and Tho, both from Vietnam, won first prize for the internal category and third prize for the national category. Their robot named "Lost" pulled through the crazy maze challenge, battling hurdles and obstacles, and made it to the finishing line with triumph and dignity:) "Lost" has made us all very proud indeed. The national champion was UPM and runner-up was MMU. UNITEN organized a Sumo Robot competition last year, and I wonder what exciting theme the engineering society will come up with next year...hmmm...pet robots, may be....
Last month, my nephew, a Form 2 student at Sek Men Telok Mas, won the state level championship for his solar-stove invention. The UNITEN team is currently preparing for a world solar car challenge. And at home-sweet-home, my precious boy, Emir, successfully transformed his 'pet' dragon into a domestic robot via the power of "imagination-transformation" - and this is an inspiring and brave start to borderless curiosity cum discovery.
What about you? Have you invented something small or significant? Have you ever thought of inventing some kind of gadget or device that has not made a debut in the current market? Or perhaps, have you been inspired by any of our renowned inventors in your everyday pursuit for success? Share with us here in this blogosphere and help to inspire many others to become young aspiring inventors of the decade:)
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