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:)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
In Pursuit of Scholarly Writing for ENNF 103
Hi 2 all,
Great to know that you're checking the blogosphere for updates. Yupp:) The reading-response essay is around the corner, and I'm sure each and every one of you inspiring and budding writers is busy reading, debating and writing, something, somewhere, somehow.
The miracle about reading is the indispensable wisdom and values we collate over the years. Better still, some of us can memorize some wonderful lines and phrases, some shocking statistics,picking up some expressions enhancing the effectiveness of of our writing initiative...Hmmm...
Points to ponder:
1. If you want to make your paragraph interesting and attractive to the readers, a masterpiece they can relate to almost immediately - try inserting one famous quotation or two. Hopefully it's not a cliche. Try quoting big contemporary names, renowned events, or so.
2. If you want to elevate your writing and make it more scholarly, you'll need some extent of research. Here, you will have to use in-text citations in your paragraph to mention the ideas taken from your literature review or reading articles. In other words, you have to convince your readers that you are not only immersed and engrossed in your own world with your high-flying ideas, but you also read other researchers' works and acknowledge their kind contribution to the said field.
p.s. check the pages on in-text citation in Chapter 3 to know what I mean.
To start the ball rolling in this blogosphere, perhaps somebody can start sharing thoughts, criticisms, or observation, on this fantastic topic : ROBOTS ***remember to include in-text citations!
So, till we meet next week for the assessment, please read and digest chapter 3 for reference to "in-text citation and reference page." Practice - quoting internet articles, newspaper articles,.....
Great to know that you're checking the blogosphere for updates. Yupp:) The reading-response essay is around the corner, and I'm sure each and every one of you inspiring and budding writers is busy reading, debating and writing, something, somewhere, somehow.
The miracle about reading is the indispensable wisdom and values we collate over the years. Better still, some of us can memorize some wonderful lines and phrases, some shocking statistics,picking up some expressions enhancing the effectiveness of of our writing initiative...Hmmm...
Points to ponder:
1. If you want to make your paragraph interesting and attractive to the readers, a masterpiece they can relate to almost immediately - try inserting one famous quotation or two. Hopefully it's not a cliche. Try quoting big contemporary names, renowned events, or so.
2. If you want to elevate your writing and make it more scholarly, you'll need some extent of research. Here, you will have to use in-text citations in your paragraph to mention the ideas taken from your literature review or reading articles. In other words, you have to convince your readers that you are not only immersed and engrossed in your own world with your high-flying ideas, but you also read other researchers' works and acknowledge their kind contribution to the said field.
p.s. check the pages on in-text citation in Chapter 3 to know what I mean.
To start the ball rolling in this blogosphere, perhaps somebody can start sharing thoughts, criticisms, or observation, on this fantastic topic : ROBOTS ***remember to include in-text citations!
So, till we meet next week for the assessment, please read and digest chapter 3 for reference to "in-text citation and reference page." Practice - quoting internet articles, newspaper articles,.....
Thursday, August 28, 2008
In the Spirit of MERDEKA
To all Friends and Beloved Students who are reading this blog, Happy Merdeka Day:) I shall first and foremost perform my social obligation to the university by promoting our event tomorrow - D'Ambang Merdeka. The celebration will be launched by the Vice Chancellor Y Bhg Prof Ir Dato' Dr Mashkuri bin Yaakob. You are all cordially invited to : event : D'Ambang Merdeka date : 29th August 2008 ( Friday) venue : Library concourse & lobby time : 8.00 a.m. - 10.00 a.m. What to expect? 1. Aerobics Exercise with Puan Mastura 2. Merdeka Poetry Recital 3. Merdeka exhibition 4. etc. So, let's get together and show our support for our university event in conjunction with Merdeka. I promise to capture some snapshots of the ENNF 103 community, as I see them , tomorrow and cramp them in this blog....hmmmm. with love, Pn Zueand here's PART 2: Surprise:) The ENNF 103 Merdeka Day Brigade made a mark with their red shirts and stunning march pass. Wow! They should really get A's for Kor UNITEN elective paper...yah...Guess I was d only photographer who came so near to the batalion...to get papparazzi snapshots, of course..and GOTCHA:) Shazwan and Hasliza posed for the camera...as for Bernard and Fitri ...hmmm...that's pretty cool. As promised, here are some of the best photos I wish to share with all of you.
in their Merdeka spirit:)Actually, we had "aerobicton" in the morning with three instructors - kak Mas, Mardian, and Ali...oh my God! but I'm used to the regime, so I really enjoyed it. SOme of my colleagues had to just watch some rigorous and energetic steps..like the "skipping" and "kickboxing". Otherwise, I guess the aerobics which went on for one hour is a fantastic idea to start our day and reminisce good old memories with those evergreen Merdeka songs..ha..ha.. What else did we have...yupp:) We also had Wani (MURNI President) and Fana (Final Year MURNIan) on stage. They really did all MURNIans proud with their SAJAK Merdeka. They had loads of compliments from Prof Yem, Dr Nash, Pn Mas, Mr Mardian, and almost everybody. Good job gurlz. Hmm...keep practising with those drama and vocal effects. We'll have MURNI Merdeka Nite Celebration '08 next week. p.s. Nadia and Farah will recite "pantun Merdeka"..he..he..Here are pictures of Wani, Fana, Iza (MURNI-Resident Fellow, Lilie-my friend), and Wani, Fana and Dr Nash. My photo??? he..he..I was d photographer, remember...
Talented ladies from MURNI:)Lastly, let's pray that Merdeka celebration on campus and nationwide will not become a mere rhetoric. The intention is noble, the spirit is patriotic. Nevertheless, the most important message should be made apparent - that this year, we aim to live up to the Merdeka Day theme - Perpaduan Teras Kejayaan! We are all MALAYSIANS, and we stand by each other to strengthen the nation. Living in this rich diversity comprising multiple racial backgrounds, religous beliefs, cultural practices, inclinations and talents, we should move steps forward by acknowledging and respectind each other. Bersatu kita TEGUH, bercerai kita Roboh. Good Luck MALAYSIANS. May this country bring all the joy, blessings, rezeki, rahmat, peace, harmony and unity to us all. Amiiiiiiiin.
Selamat Menyambut Kemerdekaan Malaysia ke 51.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My Idol - My Hero
I took my children to see WALL-E last Thursday. I was convinced of the value of the movie after hearing comments from Rifdy in class, and Vivek. Well, we gave it a shot...and hey - not disappointing at all.
Particularly to my own students, you've grown up so successful. Some may have only entered university. Others are now already doing their degree, reached final year, and some have just graduated yesterday or today at Dewan Seri Sarjana, UNITEN. My ex-students at UKM Engineering and Medical School have now contributed so much to the country, and my own ex-UNITEN students are successful engineers and business graduates. Behind your successful stories, there could perhaps be a hero, or an idol, who helps to pave your pathway to success? If it's not too much to ask, perhaps we can share some of your own thoughts and reflection here, in my blog.
For a start, my daughter Farah was wondering if she could share with all my readers her hero - WALL-E. And here it is...her entry taken from the EMFANA journoblog. Farah, for your information, is a sweet 9 year-old young lady who loves nature, reading and music. I hope you enjoy reading her short essay. Thank you...
Hi there i'm Princess Farah, ok today I want to talk about WALL-E. WALL-E is great but it's not only great - it's fantastic or really really fantastic. WALL-E lives on earth and did i tell you that the earth is so dirty and has many rubbish.People do not live on the earth anymore because it has so many rubish and it's so filthy.
WALL-E always picks trash and put it in his tummy and it becomes a square.People throw things and toys that are useful,beautiful and still new. WALL-E has a pet cockroach, and i guess that there is a million of cockroach beacause it's so dirty. And did i tell you that the people live in a spaceship and the ship is so beautiful and the ship parks at outerspace.The ship stays in space for 700 years - wow! that's so long.In the ship there is a swimming pool,cafes,juice shop and so many more.The people in the ship are so so fat, obese exactly, because they always sit and eat and drink,eat and drink.And can you imagine that the babies are fat too that is so hard to imagine.
i think this movie shows us that human are so lazy, selfish and careless. They don't care about the earth. They make the earth dirty, and when there is too much rubbish, they run away. WALL-E is the hero. He saves the earth because he cleans the earth untill people can live on earth, again. The end. Brilliant movie, thank you mom and dad. I want to see another movie like Meet Dave?! High School Musical 3 ?!!!!!!!!:)
Particularly to my own students, you've grown up so successful. Some may have only entered university. Others are now already doing their degree, reached final year, and some have just graduated yesterday or today at Dewan Seri Sarjana, UNITEN. My ex-students at UKM Engineering and Medical School have now contributed so much to the country, and my own ex-UNITEN students are successful engineers and business graduates. Behind your successful stories, there could perhaps be a hero, or an idol, who helps to pave your pathway to success? If it's not too much to ask, perhaps we can share some of your own thoughts and reflection here, in my blog.
For a start, my daughter Farah was wondering if she could share with all my readers her hero - WALL-E. And here it is...her entry taken from the EMFANA journoblog. Farah, for your information, is a sweet 9 year-old young lady who loves nature, reading and music. I hope you enjoy reading her short essay. Thank you...
Hi there i'm Princess Farah, ok today I want to talk about WALL-E. WALL-E is great but it's not only great - it's fantastic or really really fantastic. WALL-E lives on earth and did i tell you that the earth is so dirty and has many rubbish.People do not live on the earth anymore because it has so many rubish and it's so filthy.
WALL-E always picks trash and put it in his tummy and it becomes a square.People throw things and toys that are useful,beautiful and still new. WALL-E has a pet cockroach, and i guess that there is a million of cockroach beacause it's so dirty. And did i tell you that the people live in a spaceship and the ship is so beautiful and the ship parks at outerspace.The ship stays in space for 700 years - wow! that's so long.In the ship there is a swimming pool,cafes,juice shop and so many more.The people in the ship are so so fat, obese exactly, because they always sit and eat and drink,eat and drink.And can you imagine that the babies are fat too that is so hard to imagine.
i think this movie shows us that human are so lazy, selfish and careless. They don't care about the earth. They make the earth dirty, and when there is too much rubbish, they run away. WALL-E is the hero. He saves the earth because he cleans the earth untill people can live on earth, again. The end. Brilliant movie, thank you mom and dad. I want to see another movie like Meet Dave?! High School Musical 3 ?!!!!!!!!:)
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