My last day was last Thursday. The farewell was brief and almost non-existent. Best thing about it is, I don't really care. Sigh, that's how low it has sunk, and how bad it stunk. But anyhow, I can now spend more time with my daughter, with my already dying blog, with my husband, my family (my sis) and going back to school. I have missed the closing date for this January's intake but it's not a huge loss, because now I have no qualms of applying for the June intake. And while we're on this topic, the websites for local universities really really suck. Even though they aren't directly paid to maintain the websites, but they will do better if their universities are ranked better, and how can you get local universities to be ranked better if you can't get more foreign students to apply to study in your university?
It's frustrating that you lose out on an application due to a technicality, and for god's sakes, this is the Internet age, all the latest updates should be on the website! How can you ask a student from penang to drive all the way to your doorstep to get info, just because you want them to be independent, proactive and have initiative? You don't have any of those things to begin with.
*breathe, breathe*... enough with the ranting. What if people find out that you are b*tching about them before you apply for the course? gasp, I have half a mind to delete this post now... but I won't until I apply for the January intake, and get it, and graduate from it. Besides, what I just wrote is true what.
I hope I won't miss January's intake. Sigh...
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Nov 6, 2010
Aug 7, 2010
水果冰淇淋 (Fruity Pie)
I am never a favourite of the language they call Mandarin, particularly when it comes to recognizing the characters. To learn the language requires a LOT of rote learning; even at the very basics, you have to memorize the characters in order to read in the language.
When I watch Chinese dramas, it's usually in Cantonese, sometimes Mandarin, I attempted some Taiwan Hokkien dramas as well but all in all, I always fall heavily back on the subtitles to actually understand what the heck the actors are trying to convey.
After spending some time trying to introduce Playhouse Disney, Sesame Street and Barney series to my daughter, I found out the babysitter has been showing 水果冰淇淋 to my daughter when she is at the sitter's place.
No wonder lahs aside, I came to eventually enjoy the 水果冰淇淋 from Taiwan's PTS franchise as they are made with the same formulas like Sesame street. The puppets were cute, they teach good values, they have a lot of awesome inserts in between the shows and so the variety was quite an interesting introductory series for kids. Here's a sample video you can find on youtube which was released by the username pts (the network's name is also PTS, coinkidink?)
Characters of 水果冰淇淋
The show is made up of five main characters: Fruity nai nai the nanny, Qi Qi and Ling Ling (a bro and a sis who is under the care of the nanny), Wang Lu and Sha La who always come over to play with the siblings.
Each half hour show will showcase an issue that will leave the audience at the end of the show with a moral to learn, usually depicted by the nanny. In between there will be sub-segments: 'a story to tell', 'a song' introduced by the little (and I mean little) mermaid, 'a challenge' featuring real-life kid in a game-show obstacle race and in more recent seasons, a last short story introduced by a bear who lives in a cuckoo clock.
Suggestion of reasons why kids like to watch this show:
>The puppets are so much fun! They are kids who say, act, feel and think like kids do, hence real kids in the audience can really connect with them. The characters throw tantrums, apologize unwillingly, drink juices and water when they are told to, and are sad whenever their friends do something they dislike... just like real kids.
>The songs and segments are catchy, the kind you can sway your head to. The melodies are fun and easy to remember as well.
>The nanny has a magnetic personality. For adults like me (who can see that it was actually a guy dressed as an old woman), the nanny comes across as a really reliable person, who cares for the kids and would do all she can to make them happy without spoiling them. She's a miracle worker, much like Mary Poppins, only she's the Taiwan kind. For kids, she is just so fun to watch: she acts out the closing scenes and actually sings it!
Why would adults like the show?
This show can make my daughter, little Eva sit on the couch quietly for a full half an hour. Yes, the show is a miracle worker.
Give it a shot.
Nov 24, 2009
WHAT GRADUATES DO WRONG IN THEIR FIRST RESUMES
I was asked by my husband’s cousin to help fix his resume so that he can send them to apply for practical training opportunities.
His resume was horrendous, copied from a one-size-fits-all, untruthful and rigid resume that has no personal feel to it. I asked him to let me have a go at his resume. He politely declined at first, only to agree to it after my husband (his cousin) took a look at the resume and insisted taht he let me have a look.
A resume is important in the sense that it gets you to the interview table. It’s not the credentials, it’s not the referee, it’s not the staggeringly low expected salary (hmm.. sometimes it is, but anyways…) that gets the HR personnel reaching for the phone and dialing your number. It is how your resume stands out.
If your resume stands out, you stand out and you reap the reward of going into the first battle: the first interview.
First things first…
Below are the things graduates do wrong (that I have noticed from the resumes I've helped edited in the past 4 years) when preparing for their first resume. Try to avoid doing them and you might just get through to the long list.
1. Being too cocky for your own good.
Some people call it embellishment, I call it being too cocky. A resume is the first glimpse an employer has of you. Hence, it is best to be as truthful as possible in your resume to avoid giving people the wrong impression.
If people expect too much from you and you cannot deliver or prove yourself during the interview, you chances of negotiating better terms for yourself are as good as gone.
Remember: with good first impressions, comes great expectations.
A cover letter is always a good thing to attach to your resume. However, be sure to make the cover letter personal. I mean, don’t submit the same cover letter you used to apply for the position of a dancer when you’re trying to apply for the position of a chef. *Hey I know people who can dance and can cook*.
In your cover letter, use a tone that is humble and appealing. Do not make it out as if the person owes it to you to give you a job or an internship in their company. Use proper salutations, be polite, be engaging and be sensitive – for example, it is safer to us Ms instead of Miss or Mrs if you are not sure about the marital status of the Human Resource personnel you are writing.
For me to hire you, I have to first like you.
2. Labelling yourself as a faceless drone in a sea of wanna-‘bees’.
The usual suspects: eager to learn, independent yet a team player, responsible, punctual, highly motivated, cheerful, etc. What exactly were you aiming for when you put those adjectives under your personal strengths?
If I am the person reading your resume, I would like to see characteristics in your personal strengths that tell me that ‘you are the one I am looking for’. Being punctual is useless for a writer, being able to complete a project within the deadline is more of a bulls-eye. Both are related to time management (which is another common suspect) but both deliver different relevance to different things.
Learn to differentiate between the characteristics that will get you in and those that will leave you out.
3. Overlooking and undermining the importance of good spelling and grammar.
There are people who use bombastic words to show you that they are well learned. Then, they show their sloppiness by failing to discern between ‘two’ and ‘to’, ‘form’ and ‘from’, and ‘an’ with ‘and’. You may not think highly of prepositions and conjunctions but if detail-oriented was listed under your personal strengths, this may rub the HR people the wrong way.
No.2, never mix languages. AJK’s are committee members and PNGK is CGPA for you university wizards.
Be precise. Be accurate. Be flawless. Or get yourself a good editor.
4. Putting too much information
No one cares if you were a cub scout back in 1982 or you got 10 A’s in your primary level public examination. I also need not know if you attended swimming lessons or ballet classes. Go straight to the point and don’t waste people’s time. They have a lot of resumes to go through so stop giving their information that serves no function apart from allowing them to write a biography about you.
You’re putting your yourself, your credibility, your achievements, all in one page. Get to the point fast.
5. No structure
A resume is not like cooking. You cannot just throw a dash of salt here and a pinch of pepper there then serve. Plus, when it comes to information, it is a whole lot better to have it laid out in a structured presentable form, than to prepare it like a draft for ‘Where’s Wally?’.
There are many other candidates competing for that one job that you like. You have to be able to stand out, even at the resume level. Having a good-looking resume that is also neat, clean and complete will give the reader a good impression of you.
Learn to categorize. It will show your future employer that you have structure in your life or at least in the things you do.
6. Forgetting your place.
Imagine writing in your resume that you are there to ‘propel the organization into stardom’ and ‘take the company to greater heights’, and having that resume read by someone who has been in the said organisation for 10 years and has yet to achieve either of the career goals you stated. Either he would look like a fool or you would. Most of the time, the candidate would be at the losing end. Look here, look here, that means you.
You have to understand that you are coming out from the pinnacle of the academic world into the grassroots of the working world. You basically score a zero in the Experience section and being in that position in a society that thrives on experience, telling people that you are capable of turning their organization around is a flat-out lie or a delusional view of what the working world is really like. Both do not help you to fair well with first impressions. So don’t do it.
It’s your first job. If you are there to learn, act like it.
His resume was horrendous, copied from a one-size-fits-all, untruthful and rigid resume that has no personal feel to it. I asked him to let me have a go at his resume. He politely declined at first, only to agree to it after my husband (his cousin) took a look at the resume and insisted taht he let me have a look.
A resume is important in the sense that it gets you to the interview table. It’s not the credentials, it’s not the referee, it’s not the staggeringly low expected salary (hmm.. sometimes it is, but anyways…) that gets the HR personnel reaching for the phone and dialing your number. It is how your resume stands out.
If your resume stands out, you stand out and you reap the reward of going into the first battle: the first interview.
First things first…
Below are the things graduates do wrong (that I have noticed from the resumes I've helped edited in the past 4 years) when preparing for their first resume. Try to avoid doing them and you might just get through to the long list.
1. Being too cocky for your own good.
Some people call it embellishment, I call it being too cocky. A resume is the first glimpse an employer has of you. Hence, it is best to be as truthful as possible in your resume to avoid giving people the wrong impression.
If people expect too much from you and you cannot deliver or prove yourself during the interview, you chances of negotiating better terms for yourself are as good as gone.
Remember: with good first impressions, comes great expectations.
A cover letter is always a good thing to attach to your resume. However, be sure to make the cover letter personal. I mean, don’t submit the same cover letter you used to apply for the position of a dancer when you’re trying to apply for the position of a chef. *Hey I know people who can dance and can cook*.
In your cover letter, use a tone that is humble and appealing. Do not make it out as if the person owes it to you to give you a job or an internship in their company. Use proper salutations, be polite, be engaging and be sensitive – for example, it is safer to us Ms instead of Miss or Mrs if you are not sure about the marital status of the Human Resource personnel you are writing.
For me to hire you, I have to first like you.
2. Labelling yourself as a faceless drone in a sea of wanna-‘bees’.
The usual suspects: eager to learn, independent yet a team player, responsible, punctual, highly motivated, cheerful, etc. What exactly were you aiming for when you put those adjectives under your personal strengths?
If I am the person reading your resume, I would like to see characteristics in your personal strengths that tell me that ‘you are the one I am looking for’. Being punctual is useless for a writer, being able to complete a project within the deadline is more of a bulls-eye. Both are related to time management (which is another common suspect) but both deliver different relevance to different things.
Learn to differentiate between the characteristics that will get you in and those that will leave you out.
3. Overlooking and undermining the importance of good spelling and grammar.
There are people who use bombastic words to show you that they are well learned. Then, they show their sloppiness by failing to discern between ‘two’ and ‘to’, ‘form’ and ‘from’, and ‘an’ with ‘and’. You may not think highly of prepositions and conjunctions but if detail-oriented was listed under your personal strengths, this may rub the HR people the wrong way.
No.2, never mix languages. AJK’s are committee members and PNGK is CGPA for you university wizards.
Be precise. Be accurate. Be flawless. Or get yourself a good editor.
4. Putting too much information
No one cares if you were a cub scout back in 1982 or you got 10 A’s in your primary level public examination. I also need not know if you attended swimming lessons or ballet classes. Go straight to the point and don’t waste people’s time. They have a lot of resumes to go through so stop giving their information that serves no function apart from allowing them to write a biography about you.
You’re putting your yourself, your credibility, your achievements, all in one page. Get to the point fast.
5. No structure
A resume is not like cooking. You cannot just throw a dash of salt here and a pinch of pepper there then serve. Plus, when it comes to information, it is a whole lot better to have it laid out in a structured presentable form, than to prepare it like a draft for ‘Where’s Wally?’.
There are many other candidates competing for that one job that you like. You have to be able to stand out, even at the resume level. Having a good-looking resume that is also neat, clean and complete will give the reader a good impression of you.
Learn to categorize. It will show your future employer that you have structure in your life or at least in the things you do.
6. Forgetting your place.
Imagine writing in your resume that you are there to ‘propel the organization into stardom’ and ‘take the company to greater heights’, and having that resume read by someone who has been in the said organisation for 10 years and has yet to achieve either of the career goals you stated. Either he would look like a fool or you would. Most of the time, the candidate would be at the losing end. Look here, look here, that means you.
You have to understand that you are coming out from the pinnacle of the academic world into the grassroots of the working world. You basically score a zero in the Experience section and being in that position in a society that thrives on experience, telling people that you are capable of turning their organization around is a flat-out lie or a delusional view of what the working world is really like. Both do not help you to fair well with first impressions. So don’t do it.
It’s your first job. If you are there to learn, act like it.
Oct 15, 2009
THE IMPORTANCE OF RANKINGS...?
Was minding my own business, reading the paper when I chanced upon: Sunday October 11, 2009
I agree with him on most accounts but I did not like the way he ended his letter. Apparently, a lecturer from USM also shared my lack of enthusiasm with his conclusion.
Monday October 12, 2009
On the same day, this also came in.
Wednesday October 14, 2009
With drama like this, who needs TV?
On a more serious note, read what another lecturer has to say. Plus, a little note from the Vice-Chancellor of USM, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak regarding this issue.
Now back to my coffee.
HARD WORK PAYS DIVIDEND FOR UM
UNIVERSITI Malaya (UM), once a top university in Asia and recognised as a premier educational institution in this part of the world, has successfully made it to the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education magazine – QS World University Ranking 2009.
Moving from 230 last year to 180 means that hard work was the order of the day and all those who were associated with instituting those needful changes deserve commendation for their unwavering input in wanting to bring back UM’s glorious past when it was once ranked 89 in 2004.
While there is reason for celebration, I hope UM would continue to strive to be among the top 100 universities in the world. UM’s best 2004 achievement was no flash in the pan and should serve as a motivation to bring it to another level of excellence.
This calls for undivided attention, commitment and selfless devotion among its staff, administrators, academics, and the senate, among others, who must collectively ensure no stone is unturned to propel UM further in terms of excellence, eminence, and distinction in providing quality education at both graduate and post-graduate level.
I am glad UM has placed great importance in wanting quality research and development done in its premises and that more facilities are being built or provided for these purposes.
On another note, I call upon UM to set the pace, momentum, and velocity for education quality and excellence as its distinguished and illustrious past indicate it has the means and capacities to propel itself to greater heights.
Many of our past and present leaders are alumni of the university and UM can stand tall that it has contributed significantly by providing leaders to serve the nation unreservedly.
Malaysia is blessed with many natural resources, and technology and other sciences, which are cornerstones of future growth and prosperity that are highly emphasised by the Government. It would be a real failure to the country if UM, together with other universities, do not spearhead both research and development of new things.
Be reminded that educational excellence can only be achieved through hard work. This is paramount if we want our institutions of higher learning to be noted as excellent places of learning and for research and development.
Sadly, four of our premier public universities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Utara Malaysia did not fare well in the ranking.
In this respect, USM, which was awarded Apex university status, is a real disappointment and certainly did not live up to its status.
DR TAN ENG BEE,
Kajang, Selangor.
I agree with him on most accounts but I did not like the way he ended his letter. Apparently, a lecturer from USM also shared my lack of enthusiasm with his conclusion.
Monday October 12, 2009
OUR VARSITIES GOOD, NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS SAY
I READ with disbelief “Hard work pays dividend for UM” (The Star, Oct 11), where the writer says that “USM … is a real disappointment and certainly did not live up to its (Apex) status.”
I am a lecturer at USM’s School of Education and I guess the time has come for us to follow USM’s motto - “We Lead” - and start educating the Malaysian public about The Times Higher Education Ranking, or any other ranking for that matter, and help people to realise what an absurd ranking it is.
I quote Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin at the International Exposition of Research and Invention of Institutions of Higher Learning 2009 awards ceremony at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre: “We should not relate Apex too much with the THE-QS rankings. Apex isn’t meant solely for ranking purposes and we expect it to show results after 2010.”
Mohamed Khaled added that although the ministry was pleased that Universiti Malaya (UM) had improved 50 spots from last year to finish at 180, it was too soon to have another Apex university.
A quote by Times: “We do not pretend to be able to capture all of the intangible nuances of what it is that makes a university so special, and we accept that there are some criticisms of our methodology.
“These rankings are meant to be the starting point for discussions about institutions’ places in the rapidly globalising world – and how that is measured and benchmarked – not the end point. We encourage that discussion.”
At the same time, we should perhaps start getting the public involved in the various objectives of the Higher Education Ministry’s targets for our institutions of higher education.
We, at USM, decided some time ago that it is irrelevant for us to be caught up in the mythology, that is, the THESR (or any other rankings for that matter), and to instead focus on how we might serve the people of Malaysia and the world in a way that will not just stimulate the intellectual and moral growth of our people, but to also serve the less fortunate and less able.
Whether we are number 1 or number 1,000 on the superfluous and biased rankings of the THESR, we do not care.
Google, “Meaning of the THESR” or “Pros and Cons of the THESR” and you will find that 95% of the world have similar comments about the THESR, and no defence by the top 50 universities.
One would assume that most people of the world will not believe or should laugh at a survey that has a response rate of about 1%, from the 190,000 survey forms and emails issued.
UM, and USM, and all the other Malaysian universities that did or did not “go down in rankings”, are great in their own right and do not need rankings to reinforce this.
Dr THEVANANTHAN NITHYANANTHAM,
Penang.
---
Well said. Two days later, this happened.
Wednesday October 14, 2009
RANKINGS PROCESS IS PART OF FEEDBACK
I REFER to “Our varsities good, no matter what others say” (The Star, Oct 12). The powers-that-be at local public universities should not get tetchy and be embroiled emotionally following the new release of THE -QS rankings. The public can air their comments based on the rankings.
Of course, rankings won’t explain the true quality of any university. But at the end of the day, people around the globe, or employers especially, would look highly at candidates from Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, MIT, Oxford, Stanford, Chicago or Imperial College of London.
Quality is one thing but perception is another. It is about the yardstick and survey. No party in the world can claim that its survey is 100% accurate. But the yardstick or survey of anything gives some clues and direction.
It is similar to what the police are doing in their investigation, which is based on clues, evidence, signs, etc. They give them direction which, hopefully, lead them to prosecute.
If local universities feel they don’t need the rankings and the rankings are biased, then they should not respond to THE-QS survey. They should also ask for the Education Ministry to exclude them from the APEX rankings.
Rankings should not make us bitter and hurt. The rankings process is part of feedback. It is about self-examination.
Even now, government agencies undergo star rating process to rate which agencies have what it takes to be the best. Given the choice, one would prefer to put up at the five-star hotel to the lesser one.
Life is all about ratings and rankings. We cannot say we do not care about the rankings. We must care for the rankings and we must care for the quality of our service.
Even at university, you have lecturers of various rankings: lecturers, senior lecturers, associate professors, professors, vice-chancellors, etc.
So if you really care for the rankings in your career, why can’t be you care for the rankings of the university that you work for? We must take serious care of the quality of our degree courses. We must take care of the standard and quality of our research, even the quality of lecturers.
Nowadays, it is all about the best, top rated quality, second to none. If we don’t care about the quality and the mechanisms to measure quality, then our products and services are dead and have no market value.
Universities cannot claim to be great in their own right because they need to respond to the industries and customers, not to mention the academic world. Universities cannot work in solo.
Let’s face the world. If any university doesn’t care about rankings, I wonder how they select students to do degree courses at their university.
MAT,
Kuala Lumpur.
---On the same day, this also came in.
Wednesday October 14, 2009
I HAVE been reading opinions related to the ranking of universities in The Times Higher Education Ranking. Comparisons were made by Dr Tan Eng Bee of Kajang and Dr Thevananthan of Penang between the ranked UM and the other non-ranking universities, particularly USM, an apex university which was mentioned in a not-so-good light by one of the writers.
In my humble opinion, universities are there as a higher learning institution where intellectuals meet, discuss and cooperate to develop new technologies and uncover new knowledge.Universities are not there to merely be ranked.
Besides, in any form of ranking, people are usually interested in the top 10, not the top 200.
And might I add that the ranking of 89 for UM in 2004 was made in error as Chinese and Indian students were mistaken as “foreign” students rather than local students.
The mistake was rectified in 2005 when the ranking for UM fell to 169 which, if I may so boldly point out, is still higher than the current placement of 180th.
So, rather than focus on how high or low our universities rank in the world, we should focus more on bettering our institutions of tertiary education for the good of all.
Let’s produce graduates who can communicate well in the working world; responsible graduates who are innovative, has initiative and with problem-solving skills. If they can throw in better people skill, it would be a bonus.
In short, let’s create graduates who can do their universities proud, no matter which university they came from.
BIG PICTURE,
Cheras.
---With drama like this, who needs TV?
On a more serious note, read what another lecturer has to say. Plus, a little note from the Vice-Chancellor of USM, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak regarding this issue.
Now back to my coffee.
Aug 25, 2009
Halal
Malaysia is a Muslim country but non-Muslims are given allowances to practise their own cultures. This is why you find plenty of dishes here cooked with pork as a main or side ingredient.
And whilst many neutral establishments would say that they serve no pork, what they serve may not be halal: a requirement or condition of the type of food that Muslims are allowed to consume.
Many of us, including Malaysians misunderstand the meaning of the world Halal. We tend to synonymize the word with Pork, a notion which is far from the truth. See the following video, Halal, another project from 15Malaysia for a slapstick form of explanation to what it really means.
I'd like to add a side explanation about why many people would mistake pork- and lard-free for being halal foods. In order for food to be halal, it has to be slaughtered in the most humane way possible. Yes, I know... how can 'slaughter' and 'humane' be used in the same sentence and still make sense?
The kill
Well, it is quite impossible to eat meat without first killing the source first, and whilst many slaughterhouses use electricity or other methods that liken to murder to achieve that goal, animals/meat that are prepared in halal form .. die fast, and relatively painlessly. They use a method of slaughter which is so quick that (I've heard) the animals can still blink after the cut has been delivered. This I learned from hearsay.
Compare that to the way my mother in law kills the geese that she rears and you will agree that it is a more humane way. I heard from my husband that she slits their throats, then lets them run around, the head dangling from the neck by thin strips, until they bleed out and die. You can imagine the mess they make.
Now before you go calling for petitions to against my mother in law, she has stopped rearing geese because they are so damn loud and fierce and I have no proof of this having happened... though it does make for a good conversation piece. And it does drive my point home.
Why no Pork?
Well, it seems that pigs are the only animals that have cloven hooves and no necks. It has been stated in the holy book that this animal cannot be consumed because of those two characteristics. Pigs having no necks cannot be killed in the halal form and thus cannot be killed humanely (as required by the religion) and thus cannot be consumed because it cannot ever be 'halal'. This I learn from wikipedia.
Benefits of halal (and kosher)
Animals that were killed in the halal and kosher (will get to that later) way do not 'suffer' and thus do not hyperventilate or wriggle violently like a fish out of water (at the brink of death). This allows the meat to be more tender and palatable due to the lack of lactic acid build up in the body. This I learn from my course in university.
Kosher
Kosher food is the equivalent of halal foods. Kosher is practised by Jews. Halal is practised by Muslims. Again, if you look closely, there are many ways that peoples are alike.
Why then do we still like to focus on the differences that separate us?
And whilst many neutral establishments would say that they serve no pork, what they serve may not be halal: a requirement or condition of the type of food that Muslims are allowed to consume.
Many of us, including Malaysians misunderstand the meaning of the world Halal. We tend to synonymize the word with Pork, a notion which is far from the truth. See the following video, Halal, another project from 15Malaysia for a slapstick form of explanation to what it really means.
I'd like to add a side explanation about why many people would mistake pork- and lard-free for being halal foods. In order for food to be halal, it has to be slaughtered in the most humane way possible. Yes, I know... how can 'slaughter' and 'humane' be used in the same sentence and still make sense?
The kill
Well, it is quite impossible to eat meat without first killing the source first, and whilst many slaughterhouses use electricity or other methods that liken to murder to achieve that goal, animals/meat that are prepared in halal form .. die fast, and relatively painlessly. They use a method of slaughter which is so quick that (I've heard) the animals can still blink after the cut has been delivered. This I learned from hearsay.
Compare that to the way my mother in law kills the geese that she rears and you will agree that it is a more humane way. I heard from my husband that she slits their throats, then lets them run around, the head dangling from the neck by thin strips, until they bleed out and die. You can imagine the mess they make.
Now before you go calling for petitions to against my mother in law, she has stopped rearing geese because they are so damn loud and fierce and I have no proof of this having happened... though it does make for a good conversation piece. And it does drive my point home.
Why no Pork?
Well, it seems that pigs are the only animals that have cloven hooves and no necks. It has been stated in the holy book that this animal cannot be consumed because of those two characteristics. Pigs having no necks cannot be killed in the halal form and thus cannot be killed humanely (as required by the religion) and thus cannot be consumed because it cannot ever be 'halal'. This I learn from wikipedia.
Benefits of halal (and kosher)
Animals that were killed in the halal and kosher (will get to that later) way do not 'suffer' and thus do not hyperventilate or wriggle violently like a fish out of water (at the brink of death). This allows the meat to be more tender and palatable due to the lack of lactic acid build up in the body. This I learn from my course in university.
Kosher
Kosher food is the equivalent of halal foods. Kosher is practised by Jews. Halal is practised by Muslims. Again, if you look closely, there are many ways that peoples are alike.
Why then do we still like to focus on the differences that separate us?
Jul 22, 2009
Homo teacherus - sub-species of humans
You would expect me to write about teachers who help me master Grammar or Vocabulary, taught me spelling and how to enunciate words. Well, sometimes we don’t get what we expect.
Most of us grew up with teachers who are amazing, the type of people we look up to. At least in our imaginations. I grew up meeting a few teachers who were really cool and a few teachers who really make me want to smack my head since I couldn’t smack theirs.
I remember once going for a new place, a home tuition (it was still legal back then) for English. During the first lesson, the teacher corrected me when I called the 3rd day of the week as Tuesday. Let’s consider Sunday as the 1st day. That would have made me right. The teacher said that it was Thursday, not Tuesday. I asked him what was the 5th day then? He told me Tuesday. So in his book, it would go like Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The moment I got on my mom’s car on the way back home, I told mom everything and that I don’t want to continue taking tuition here. Mom agreed.
Then, there was this other teacher who loved pronouncing Then as Ten, and Ten as Then. She would sound like, “I brushed my teeth at then. Ten, I went to sleep.” I couldn’t get out of my class since it was school. She overdoes the pronunciation thing with her tongue. Seeing that pink, wriggly, muscle-y thing between her teeth as the words come out… th..EN…. I had to grit my teeth through the whole year.
There were a couple of teachers with idiosyncrasies that made them who they are. We used to use chalks and blackboards back then and the flying powdery chalk was and is still quite hazardous to the respiratory system. I had a moustachey teacher who uses the chalk very rarely, and when he did he would scrap the board as if he feared the board would cry out in pain. He would 'grip' the chalk with just his forefinger and his thumb. And most of the time, what he wrote, we could do without. Maybe he just likes picturing himself torturing the blackboard.
When I was in Year 5, our Maths teacher had the thickest rotan you've ever seen. Lucky for us and for all other students in that school, the rotan was for show and not for use. She used it very effectively, scaring us into thinking she wouldn't hesitate to use it, if necessary. She never did.
We, however, did have to recite our multiplication tables... in BM, which is a bulky kind of language considering nine which are 'jiu' in Chinese, "gao" in Cantonese and Hokkien, 'kiu' in hakka, 'nueve' in Spanish, 'kyu' in Japanese and so on and so forth, but 'sem-bi-lan' in Malay Language or as we call it, BM.
It can be quite tiring.
We had to recite it from 2 until 12, till she arrives in class. So, here's what we did. We left someone guarding at the door. We did our thing. When the teacher leaves the staffroom, a distance away, the lookout would inform us and we would start from the 4th or 5th multiplication tables, just to make it believable. There was only once when she was very late, (come to think of it, she was always late) and we finished the 12th tables and was left not knowing what to do.
There weren't any teachers in particular that I would have loved to hate. They're all just doing their jobs. But I do hate teachers who were really lazy, who couldn't be bothered and who just came to be a waste of space in the staffroom. Yes, we did have those even though I believe the teachers all over Malaysia during my schooling era were among the best. I can't remember any of them now. Perhaps I shouldn't try. They'd still be a waste of space.. in my memory bank.
I had this music teacher, Teacher Linda, who I love to bits. I got nothing to complain about her. She, on the other hand, might complain about how un-hardworking I was with my organ practices. I wonder where she is now.
My best teacher was Auntie Christine. I was told to call her that. She had a hard time teaching me during tuition about the difference between You and I because I kept referring to her as Aunty Christine.
No, say This is for me, that is for you.
This is for me, that is for .. Auntie Christine.
No, That is for you.
For you…
Say it again.
This is for me, that is for… Auntie Christine.
O_o|||
I know, I was cute like that when I was five. Bet she lost more than a few strands of hair when that happened. But she was lovely. And she came to my wedding, looking lovely still.
I was a smartass when I was a toddler, and was still one by the time I hit primary school. I love quizzes and exams. Perhaps too much. A teacher passed us our marked English quiz papers when I was in Year 1, or was it Year 2. I almost scored the paper but got 98 because of a mistake. My teacher made sure the whole class knew.
The picture showed a bird, but there’s this ‘clever’ girl who wrote parrot instead. So I cut her marks!
It was a cruel, cruel thing to do to an eager 7-year-old, but it taught me the importance of reading the instructions and following them. The teacher drew a parrot alright, but perhaps it was not in the syllabus, and the fact that the word ‘bird’ was in the box of choices whereas ‘parrot’ was not, didn’t help. My father found it funny and stroked my head. My mother did the responsible thing. “That will teach you to follow orders. Now stop crying and do better next time.”
That’s how I was, an earlier version of Hermione Granger, if you will. I didn’t study Potions or fight Death Eaters though. I just grew up in the midst of this sub-species of humans called teachers.
Most of us grew up with teachers who are amazing, the type of people we look up to. At least in our imaginations. I grew up meeting a few teachers who were really cool and a few teachers who really make me want to smack my head since I couldn’t smack theirs.
I remember once going for a new place, a home tuition (it was still legal back then) for English. During the first lesson, the teacher corrected me when I called the 3rd day of the week as Tuesday. Let’s consider Sunday as the 1st day. That would have made me right. The teacher said that it was Thursday, not Tuesday. I asked him what was the 5th day then? He told me Tuesday. So in his book, it would go like Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. The moment I got on my mom’s car on the way back home, I told mom everything and that I don’t want to continue taking tuition here. Mom agreed.
Then, there was this other teacher who loved pronouncing Then as Ten, and Ten as Then. She would sound like, “I brushed my teeth at then. Ten, I went to sleep.” I couldn’t get out of my class since it was school. She overdoes the pronunciation thing with her tongue. Seeing that pink, wriggly, muscle-y thing between her teeth as the words come out… th..EN…. I had to grit my teeth through the whole year.
There were a couple of teachers with idiosyncrasies that made them who they are. We used to use chalks and blackboards back then and the flying powdery chalk was and is still quite hazardous to the respiratory system. I had a moustachey teacher who uses the chalk very rarely, and when he did he would scrap the board as if he feared the board would cry out in pain. He would 'grip' the chalk with just his forefinger and his thumb. And most of the time, what he wrote, we could do without. Maybe he just likes picturing himself torturing the blackboard.
When I was in Year 5, our Maths teacher had the thickest rotan you've ever seen. Lucky for us and for all other students in that school, the rotan was for show and not for use. She used it very effectively, scaring us into thinking she wouldn't hesitate to use it, if necessary. She never did.
We, however, did have to recite our multiplication tables... in BM, which is a bulky kind of language considering nine which are 'jiu' in Chinese, "gao" in Cantonese and Hokkien, 'kiu' in hakka, 'nueve' in Spanish, 'kyu' in Japanese and so on and so forth, but 'sem-bi-lan' in Malay Language or as we call it, BM.
It can be quite tiring.
We had to recite it from 2 until 12, till she arrives in class. So, here's what we did. We left someone guarding at the door. We did our thing. When the teacher leaves the staffroom, a distance away, the lookout would inform us and we would start from the 4th or 5th multiplication tables, just to make it believable. There was only once when she was very late, (come to think of it, she was always late) and we finished the 12th tables and was left not knowing what to do.
There weren't any teachers in particular that I would have loved to hate. They're all just doing their jobs. But I do hate teachers who were really lazy, who couldn't be bothered and who just came to be a waste of space in the staffroom. Yes, we did have those even though I believe the teachers all over Malaysia during my schooling era were among the best. I can't remember any of them now. Perhaps I shouldn't try. They'd still be a waste of space.. in my memory bank.
I had this music teacher, Teacher Linda, who I love to bits. I got nothing to complain about her. She, on the other hand, might complain about how un-hardworking I was with my organ practices. I wonder where she is now.
My best teacher was Auntie Christine. I was told to call her that. She had a hard time teaching me during tuition about the difference between You and I because I kept referring to her as Aunty Christine.
No, say This is for me, that is for you.
This is for me, that is for .. Auntie Christine.
No, That is for you.
For you…
Say it again.
This is for me, that is for… Auntie Christine.
O_o|||
I know, I was cute like that when I was five. Bet she lost more than a few strands of hair when that happened. But she was lovely. And she came to my wedding, looking lovely still.
I was a smartass when I was a toddler, and was still one by the time I hit primary school. I love quizzes and exams. Perhaps too much. A teacher passed us our marked English quiz papers when I was in Year 1, or was it Year 2. I almost scored the paper but got 98 because of a mistake. My teacher made sure the whole class knew.
The picture showed a bird, but there’s this ‘clever’ girl who wrote parrot instead. So I cut her marks!
It was a cruel, cruel thing to do to an eager 7-year-old, but it taught me the importance of reading the instructions and following them. The teacher drew a parrot alright, but perhaps it was not in the syllabus, and the fact that the word ‘bird’ was in the box of choices whereas ‘parrot’ was not, didn’t help. My father found it funny and stroked my head. My mother did the responsible thing. “That will teach you to follow orders. Now stop crying and do better next time.”
That’s how I was, an earlier version of Hermione Granger, if you will. I didn’t study Potions or fight Death Eaters though. I just grew up in the midst of this sub-species of humans called teachers.
Jul 18, 2009
PepeSmee.
A few days ago I wrote to a local paper regarding the Teaching Sci and Maths in English medium issue, also known as PPSMI (the full term is in Bahasa Malaysia). All the hype is being toned down by all main papers, probably because the Education Ministry is sticking to their latest change in policy and will not be swayed by the opinions of the 'minority' voting public.
Democracy sucks when it comes to this.
The contents of my letter mirrors parts of this article below. A rough translation accompanies each paragraph for those less fluent in my national language, BM.
Berita Harian, 18 Julai 2009
Parents and teachers in the rural areas here are confident that the 'cancelation' of PPSMI in 2012 will increase the number of students who will achieve good results in the two subjects in public examinations.
Ini kerana PPSMI menyebabkan kebanyakan pelajar sama ada di sekolah rendah atau menengah di pedalaman gagal mencapai kejayaan cemerlang dalam peperiksaan utama berikutan tidak memahami bahasa Inggeris.
This is because most students in primary or secondary schools in rural areas fail to achieve good results in public exams due to their inability to understand English.
Dengan mengikuti pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Malaysia, mereka yakin lebih mudah memahaminya, sekali gus mencapai kejayaan dalam Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) dan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
By following the teaching of Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia (national language), we are confident [sic] that they will be able to understand the subjects better, and thus achieve good results in UPSR, PMR and SPM (main examinations in primary and secondary schools in Malaysia).
Ketua Kampung Sumabi, Mantoi Paling, 59, berkata murid di kampung itu sukar memahami Sains dan Matematik yang diajar dalam bahasa Inggeris kerana tidak menguasai bahasa berkenaan.
Sumabi Village Chief, Mantoi Paling, 59, says that students in the village find it hard to understand Science and Mathematics that are taught in English because they are not fluent in the language.
"Kami gembira kerana anak kami lebih memahami Sains dan Matematik yang diajar dalam bahasa Malaysia. Dalam peperiksaan UPSR, PMR dan SPM sejak beberapa tahun lalu, tidak ramai murid di kampung ini mendapat keputusan cemerlang kerana tidak memahami bahasa Inggeris," katanya kepada Berita Harian, di sini semalam.
"We are happy because our kid [sic] can better understand Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia. In UPSR, PMR and SPM in the past few years, not many students in the village can achieve good results because they do not understand English," he said to Berita Harian, here yesterday.
Seorang penduduk, John Edward Limposon, 58, berkata PPSMI hanya akan berkesan jika sekolah di pedalaman dilengkapi kemudahan asas, terutama bekalan tenaga elektrik, jalan raya dan makmal komputer.
A villager, John Edward Limposon, 58, says that PPSMI is only effective if rural schools are equipped with basic necessities, especially electrical supply, roads and computer labs.
Katanya, PPSMI tidak berkesan kerana komputer yang dibekalkan di sekolah pedalaman tidak mampu digunakan sepenuhnya kerana ketiadaan bekalan tenaga elektrik.
He says, PPSMI is not effective because the computers provided to the rural schools are not used fully due to the lack of electrical supply.
"Untuk mendapatkan sumber tenaga, sekolah terpaksa bergantung kepada generator. Inilah masalah dihadapi pelajar di pedalaman seperti kampung ini," katanya.
"To get an energy source, the school has depend on generators. This is the problem faced by rural students in areas such like this village," he says.
Pensiangan adalah satu daripada kawasan luar bandar di Sabah. Dengan jarak kira-kira 80 kilometer dari Keningau, daerah ini jauh ketinggalan dari aspek kemudahan asas seperti jalan raya, tenaga dan air.
Pensiangan is one of the rural areas in Sabah. Located nearly 80 kilometres from Keningau, this province is far behind in many aspects such as basic facilities like roads, energy and water.
Murid Tahun 5 Sekolah Kebangsaan Pensiangan, Willie Mantoi, berkata beliau dan murid lain sukar memahami PPSMI kerana tidak menguasai bahasa berkenaan.
Primary 5 student of Pensiangan National School, Willie Mantoi, says that he and other students find it hard to understand PPSMI because they are not fluent in the language.
"Memang bagus dapat belajar Sains dan Matematik dengan menggunakan komputer tetapi kami tidak faham kerana ia diajar dalam bahasa Inggeris," katanya.
"It is good to learn Science and Mathematics with computers but we do not understand because the subjects were taught in English," he says.
Seorang guru di SK Sibangali yang enggan dikenali, berkata PPSMI tidak berkesan kerana komputer dalam makmal komputer sering rosak akibat terpaksa bergantung kepada generator.
A teacher in Sibangali National school who refused to be identified, says that PPSMI is not effective because computers in the computer lab break down a lot due to its dependence on generators.
"Kemudahan komputer untuk PPSMI di pedalaman tidak dapat digunakan seperti di bandar kerana sumber tenaga bergantung kepada generator," katanya.
"Computer facilities for PPSMI in rural areas cannot be used as they are used in urban areas because their power source depends on generators," it says.
----
1. I find the news article redundant and repetitive (i'm being redundant here as a point) at so many levels. They need better editors.
2. Notice that the quoted villagers have English names: John Edward, Willie... IF the majority of the people there cannot speak English, why do they have English names?
3. Energy sources = generators. Can somebody send people over to Sabah to check out the situation, rather than just sit in their offices reading graphs and statistics off a sheet of paper, information written by people who also have not left their offices and flown over to check out the real reason behind this lack of competition by rural area students vs urban area students?
4. You can't expect kids to know a subject taught in a language they are not fluent in. True? True.
You can't expect kids to know a language without teaching them first. Correct? Correct.
You can't expect teachers to teach a language if they are not fluent in that language. Understand? Understood.
So.. rather than send teachers who can teach the language and the subjects, they revert everything back to BM, because it is easier for everyone. Betul? Lazy, irresponsible, selfish, ridiculous... but ya, Betul.
5. Beliau in the article should only be used for people of importance, not for a Year 5 student. Again, they need better editors.
6. I grew up in Sabah. Tawau. They want to turn it into a city in the next decade but when I was growing up there, it can be considered a rural area. Okay I exaggerate, yes, we have electricity and indoor plumbing.
But we were still quite dependent on generators because our TNB had lousy dynamos / electricity generators. Even now, citizens of Tawau experience blackouts occasionally. We are used to it. If it were to happen in Peninsular Malaysia, it would be headline news.
But anyways, my sisters and I grew up in Tawau, Sabah. We can speak Mandarin, English and BM and people can understand us in all three languages. We can also speak Hokkien. I am learning Hakka and Cantonese. My sister, married to a hokchiew, is learning that dialect. My other sister is learning Kadazandusun in university and can speak fluent Korean and even write it because of her love of Korean boy bands and Korean music overall. The last one knows sms shorthand and Internet language. I can barely understand her sometimes. But that is not the point.
Despite the many other forms of communication we can use or languages we can speak, we are all agreeable to having Science and Mathematics taught in English. Not because we can understand the language, or that we can score in the subject during public examination, but because we know and acknowledge the importance of learning the two subjects in a language that will prepare students for future advancement during higher education.
You can't always live in the moment. You have to be prepared for tomorrow today. And even if you do not want to or were unable to reap the benefits of this policy, you should at least give your kids that opportunity.
Otherwise, you're being selfish, or a politician fishing for votes while denying it.
Democracy sucks when it comes to this.
The contents of my letter mirrors parts of this article below. A rough translation accompanies each paragraph for those less fluent in my national language, BM.
Berita Harian, 18 Julai 2009
Sabah&Sarawak: Mansuh PPSMI dapat tingkat pencapaian pelajar pedalaman
PENSIANGAN (Sabah): Ibu bapa dan murid di kawasan pedalaman di sini yakin pemansuhan Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) pada 2012 bakal meningkatkan murid cemerlang kedua-dua subjek itu dalam peperiksaan utama.Parents and teachers in the rural areas here are confident that the 'cancelation' of PPSMI in 2012 will increase the number of students who will achieve good results in the two subjects in public examinations.
Ini kerana PPSMI menyebabkan kebanyakan pelajar sama ada di sekolah rendah atau menengah di pedalaman gagal mencapai kejayaan cemerlang dalam peperiksaan utama berikutan tidak memahami bahasa Inggeris.
This is because most students in primary or secondary schools in rural areas fail to achieve good results in public exams due to their inability to understand English.
Dengan mengikuti pengajaran dan pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Malaysia, mereka yakin lebih mudah memahaminya, sekali gus mencapai kejayaan dalam Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) dan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
By following the teaching of Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia (national language), we are confident [sic] that they will be able to understand the subjects better, and thus achieve good results in UPSR, PMR and SPM (main examinations in primary and secondary schools in Malaysia).
Ketua Kampung Sumabi, Mantoi Paling, 59, berkata murid di kampung itu sukar memahami Sains dan Matematik yang diajar dalam bahasa Inggeris kerana tidak menguasai bahasa berkenaan.
Sumabi Village Chief, Mantoi Paling, 59, says that students in the village find it hard to understand Science and Mathematics that are taught in English because they are not fluent in the language.
"Kami gembira kerana anak kami lebih memahami Sains dan Matematik yang diajar dalam bahasa Malaysia. Dalam peperiksaan UPSR, PMR dan SPM sejak beberapa tahun lalu, tidak ramai murid di kampung ini mendapat keputusan cemerlang kerana tidak memahami bahasa Inggeris," katanya kepada Berita Harian, di sini semalam.
"We are happy because our kid [sic] can better understand Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia. In UPSR, PMR and SPM in the past few years, not many students in the village can achieve good results because they do not understand English," he said to Berita Harian, here yesterday.
Seorang penduduk, John Edward Limposon, 58, berkata PPSMI hanya akan berkesan jika sekolah di pedalaman dilengkapi kemudahan asas, terutama bekalan tenaga elektrik, jalan raya dan makmal komputer.
A villager, John Edward Limposon, 58, says that PPSMI is only effective if rural schools are equipped with basic necessities, especially electrical supply, roads and computer labs.
Katanya, PPSMI tidak berkesan kerana komputer yang dibekalkan di sekolah pedalaman tidak mampu digunakan sepenuhnya kerana ketiadaan bekalan tenaga elektrik.
He says, PPSMI is not effective because the computers provided to the rural schools are not used fully due to the lack of electrical supply.
"Untuk mendapatkan sumber tenaga, sekolah terpaksa bergantung kepada generator. Inilah masalah dihadapi pelajar di pedalaman seperti kampung ini," katanya.
"To get an energy source, the school has depend on generators. This is the problem faced by rural students in areas such like this village," he says.
Pensiangan adalah satu daripada kawasan luar bandar di Sabah. Dengan jarak kira-kira 80 kilometer dari Keningau, daerah ini jauh ketinggalan dari aspek kemudahan asas seperti jalan raya, tenaga dan air.
Pensiangan is one of the rural areas in Sabah. Located nearly 80 kilometres from Keningau, this province is far behind in many aspects such as basic facilities like roads, energy and water.
Murid Tahun 5 Sekolah Kebangsaan Pensiangan, Willie Mantoi, berkata beliau dan murid lain sukar memahami PPSMI kerana tidak menguasai bahasa berkenaan.
Primary 5 student of Pensiangan National School, Willie Mantoi, says that he and other students find it hard to understand PPSMI because they are not fluent in the language.
"Memang bagus dapat belajar Sains dan Matematik dengan menggunakan komputer tetapi kami tidak faham kerana ia diajar dalam bahasa Inggeris," katanya.
"It is good to learn Science and Mathematics with computers but we do not understand because the subjects were taught in English," he says.
Seorang guru di SK Sibangali yang enggan dikenali, berkata PPSMI tidak berkesan kerana komputer dalam makmal komputer sering rosak akibat terpaksa bergantung kepada generator.
A teacher in Sibangali National school who refused to be identified, says that PPSMI is not effective because computers in the computer lab break down a lot due to its dependence on generators.
"Kemudahan komputer untuk PPSMI di pedalaman tidak dapat digunakan seperti di bandar kerana sumber tenaga bergantung kepada generator," katanya.
"Computer facilities for PPSMI in rural areas cannot be used as they are used in urban areas because their power source depends on generators," it says.
----
1. I find the news article redundant and repetitive (i'm being redundant here as a point) at so many levels. They need better editors.
2. Notice that the quoted villagers have English names: John Edward, Willie... IF the majority of the people there cannot speak English, why do they have English names?
3. Energy sources = generators. Can somebody send people over to Sabah to check out the situation, rather than just sit in their offices reading graphs and statistics off a sheet of paper, information written by people who also have not left their offices and flown over to check out the real reason behind this lack of competition by rural area students vs urban area students?
4. You can't expect kids to know a subject taught in a language they are not fluent in. True? True.
You can't expect kids to know a language without teaching them first. Correct? Correct.
You can't expect teachers to teach a language if they are not fluent in that language. Understand? Understood.
So.. rather than send teachers who can teach the language and the subjects, they revert everything back to BM, because it is easier for everyone. Betul? Lazy, irresponsible, selfish, ridiculous... but ya, Betul.
5. Beliau in the article should only be used for people of importance, not for a Year 5 student. Again, they need better editors.
6. I grew up in Sabah. Tawau. They want to turn it into a city in the next decade but when I was growing up there, it can be considered a rural area. Okay I exaggerate, yes, we have electricity and indoor plumbing.
But we were still quite dependent on generators because our TNB had lousy dynamos / electricity generators. Even now, citizens of Tawau experience blackouts occasionally. We are used to it. If it were to happen in Peninsular Malaysia, it would be headline news.
But anyways, my sisters and I grew up in Tawau, Sabah. We can speak Mandarin, English and BM and people can understand us in all three languages. We can also speak Hokkien. I am learning Hakka and Cantonese. My sister, married to a hokchiew, is learning that dialect. My other sister is learning Kadazandusun in university and can speak fluent Korean and even write it because of her love of Korean boy bands and Korean music overall. The last one knows sms shorthand and Internet language. I can barely understand her sometimes. But that is not the point.
Despite the many other forms of communication we can use or languages we can speak, we are all agreeable to having Science and Mathematics taught in English. Not because we can understand the language, or that we can score in the subject during public examination, but because we know and acknowledge the importance of learning the two subjects in a language that will prepare students for future advancement during higher education.
You can't always live in the moment. You have to be prepared for tomorrow today. And even if you do not want to or were unable to reap the benefits of this policy, you should at least give your kids that opportunity.
Otherwise, you're being selfish, or a politician fishing for votes while denying it.
Jul 11, 2009
1 step forward, 3 steps back.
Summarized version: After less than a decade of trying to teach math and science in English in Malaysia, the government has decided to revert to the national language and mother tongues instead. Given reasons include: failure of students to achieve results that are as good as the time of BM, the increasing gap between the achievements of urban students and rural students and the lack of proficient teachers to achieve the goals.
One and C, I get. But the gap answer? Really makes the blood boil.
Needless to say, I was and am utterly disappointed with the current Ministry of Education. And I am not alone in this.
At the point of this writing, 86% have said No to Tun Mahathir's Poll question: Do you support the government's decision to teach Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia?
But apparently our Education Ministry is not in constant contact with the same 86%. It is being one with nature, going back to the people in rural areas, those who have no streamyx connection, cybercafes, or simply, a dependable electricity supply.
Apparently, the ministry is trying to play saviour to students who live in kampong areas, who couldn't keep up with the rest of the nation seemingly, solely, because sci and maths were taught in English.
Eh-yup, just because of that.
No, the lack of basic necessities like a steady supply of water and lights is not part of the cause.
It is also not the lack of a proper tarred road that leads to their school or a reliable mode of transport that will get them to school, and home before sundown.
It is also not the fact that most teachers are reluctant to go teach in rural areas.
It is also not the fact that kids in rural areas find no need for them to get themselves a proper education because unlike their urbanite peers, they need not be lawyers or doctors or engineers. They just need to be able to count, read, write, speak the national language, and they're set for life.
Nope, their results suck solely because science and maths were taught in English in the past 6 years. Wow, that really stopped them from really achieving great heights.
In Darwin's Survival of the Fittest paper, or maybe an anecdote attached to the concept, it was said that A herd is only as fast as its weakest link. Simply put, when you are in a group fighting against the elements, your achievements are bogged down by the weakest member in your group. In a herd of buffaloes, the weakest link is the young, or the old, or the sickly/injured, or the clueless. Fortunately, nature has its way to weed out these weak links.
They are called predators.
Humans and nature, well, they don't mix well.
I once heard that humans are the only animals that let misfits live among them. A horse with a broken leg will be shot in an instant. An unemployed man with a broken leg will get benefits from the government.
We.. nature... not to be mixed... nope. mm-mmm.
So when a policy is reversed with the given reason that the weakest bunch of students gets an average of fail in class, and not because of political reasons.. you know that we .. are... screwed.
Sigh, I need to earn more money to send Eva to an English medium school because our government has retracted the only advantage the damn system can give Malaysian kids to compete with the rest of the world.
We should make cabinet ministers send their kids to national schools. I'm quite sure they will revert back to English in 2013.
One and C, I get. But the gap answer? Really makes the blood boil.
Needless to say, I was and am utterly disappointed with the current Ministry of Education. And I am not alone in this.
At the point of this writing, 86% have said No to Tun Mahathir's Poll question: Do you support the government's decision to teach Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia?
But apparently our Education Ministry is not in constant contact with the same 86%. It is being one with nature, going back to the people in rural areas, those who have no streamyx connection, cybercafes, or simply, a dependable electricity supply.
Apparently, the ministry is trying to play saviour to students who live in kampong areas, who couldn't keep up with the rest of the nation seemingly, solely, because sci and maths were taught in English.
Eh-yup, just because of that.
No, the lack of basic necessities like a steady supply of water and lights is not part of the cause.
It is also not the lack of a proper tarred road that leads to their school or a reliable mode of transport that will get them to school, and home before sundown.
It is also not the fact that most teachers are reluctant to go teach in rural areas.
It is also not the fact that kids in rural areas find no need for them to get themselves a proper education because unlike their urbanite peers, they need not be lawyers or doctors or engineers. They just need to be able to count, read, write, speak the national language, and they're set for life.
Nope, their results suck solely because science and maths were taught in English in the past 6 years. Wow, that really stopped them from really achieving great heights.
In Darwin's Survival of the Fittest paper, or maybe an anecdote attached to the concept, it was said that A herd is only as fast as its weakest link. Simply put, when you are in a group fighting against the elements, your achievements are bogged down by the weakest member in your group. In a herd of buffaloes, the weakest link is the young, or the old, or the sickly/injured, or the clueless. Fortunately, nature has its way to weed out these weak links.
They are called predators.
Humans and nature, well, they don't mix well.
I once heard that humans are the only animals that let misfits live among them. A horse with a broken leg will be shot in an instant. An unemployed man with a broken leg will get benefits from the government.
We.. nature... not to be mixed... nope. mm-mmm.
So when a policy is reversed with the given reason that the weakest bunch of students gets an average of fail in class, and not because of political reasons.. you know that we .. are... screwed.
Sigh, I need to earn more money to send Eva to an English medium school because our government has retracted the only advantage the damn system can give Malaysian kids to compete with the rest of the world.
We should make cabinet ministers send their kids to national schools. I'm quite sure they will revert back to English in 2013.
Jun 13, 2009
What is Plagiarism?
Not many of us know or understand what plagiarism means but most of us (and a really high percentage of most of us) practise it every day. We were already practising it when we were in school, copying homework and assignments from the brightest kid in class, all the way to university level. Believe me, I've been there and I know about the junior borrowing content and answers from seniors scenario.
This practice is so bad that so many young writers succumbed to it and many high-earning authors from bestseller lists are accused of it. Plagiarism gets worse when you enter cyberspace since there are no police watching over what we are writing in our respective blogs.
But, it's just repeated content without distortion, right? So how bad could it be to just repeat what has been said by someone else, in another form, listed under your name?
For one thing, there is the matter of copyright infringement. When something is published by a particular person, affiliation or company, then the copyright of the material belongs to the inventor of the thing published. To reuse the content without written permission by the owner of the material constitutes to infringement and the person who infringes the copyright can be sue and taken to court for legal action. Most of the time this does not happen, because... the person who infringes the copyright has to be caught doing it first.
I have been an editor of academic books for more than 3 years. It is my job to catch people doing plagiarism and submitting work that they did not produce themselves. I've gone through countless applications by wannabe writers and have rejected just as many applications because they do not know that they are conducting plagiarism and had the audacity to try to receive credit where credit is not due.
But you can't put the full blame on these writers alone.
One of the easiest book contents to write is the model test paper. You know, the one that are written based on past year papers and mirrors the level of real examination papers... blah blah blah. This, to me, is the easiest to write because of the 'mirroring' of the level. Change it too much and teachers would not be able to tell if it 'mirrors' the real examination paper. Keep it too close to the original question and you might as well just copy the whole thing over. It's a thin line between keeping it consistent and keeping it exactly the same. I cross the line a lot each day.
If I am doing my job right, I'd accept writers who know what they are doing and write what they are good in. The problem is, many people do not know what they are doing, and yet, they comment and criticize my decision, saying I don't know what I am missing out on. Ya, the job sucks in this way.
Combatting plagiarism isn't easy. But it is for a good and very important cause.
Plagiarism will, on the long, cause a decrease in the level of creativity the general writing population has. We must by all means prevent this from happening. Everyone can write, but not everyone can give you what you want, and not everyone can write well. It is a simple and sad fact and if no one is taking this matter seriously, in the end we would have so many brilliant instrumentalists, but no composers to write new songs for them to play.
No field would be able to advance, no technology will be able to improve. We would all be living like mindless, cracker-loving parrots... which surprisingly is fine for some people, but I hope not for you.
This practice is so bad that so many young writers succumbed to it and many high-earning authors from bestseller lists are accused of it. Plagiarism gets worse when you enter cyberspace since there are no police watching over what we are writing in our respective blogs.
But, it's just repeated content without distortion, right? So how bad could it be to just repeat what has been said by someone else, in another form, listed under your name?
For one thing, there is the matter of copyright infringement. When something is published by a particular person, affiliation or company, then the copyright of the material belongs to the inventor of the thing published. To reuse the content without written permission by the owner of the material constitutes to infringement and the person who infringes the copyright can be sue and taken to court for legal action. Most of the time this does not happen, because... the person who infringes the copyright has to be caught doing it first.
I have been an editor of academic books for more than 3 years. It is my job to catch people doing plagiarism and submitting work that they did not produce themselves. I've gone through countless applications by wannabe writers and have rejected just as many applications because they do not know that they are conducting plagiarism and had the audacity to try to receive credit where credit is not due.
But you can't put the full blame on these writers alone.
One of the easiest book contents to write is the model test paper. You know, the one that are written based on past year papers and mirrors the level of real examination papers... blah blah blah. This, to me, is the easiest to write because of the 'mirroring' of the level. Change it too much and teachers would not be able to tell if it 'mirrors' the real examination paper. Keep it too close to the original question and you might as well just copy the whole thing over. It's a thin line between keeping it consistent and keeping it exactly the same. I cross the line a lot each day.
If I am doing my job right, I'd accept writers who know what they are doing and write what they are good in. The problem is, many people do not know what they are doing, and yet, they comment and criticize my decision, saying I don't know what I am missing out on. Ya, the job sucks in this way.
Combatting plagiarism isn't easy. But it is for a good and very important cause.
Plagiarism will, on the long, cause a decrease in the level of creativity the general writing population has. We must by all means prevent this from happening. Everyone can write, but not everyone can give you what you want, and not everyone can write well. It is a simple and sad fact and if no one is taking this matter seriously, in the end we would have so many brilliant instrumentalists, but no composers to write new songs for them to play.
No field would be able to advance, no technology will be able to improve. We would all be living like mindless, cracker-loving parrots... which surprisingly is fine for some people, but I hope not for you.
Jun 11, 2009
Sigh.. here we go again.
All it takes is for someone to pose a question and the media and the public are went into a frenzy. Latest topic to graze the news arena in Education is:
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The Star Online > Tuesday June 9, 2009
So what is the problem? I think it boils down to whether we want to do it or not. As heard from a TV show I watched the other day, it is like going to the moon, we have to want to do it. Otherwise, let's just close all discussion and condemn the future generations to certain doom... I mean, forget about it.
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The Star Online > Tuesday June 9, 2009
DPM: English not a ‘must pass’ for SPM?
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is surprised to learn that English is not a “must pass” subject for SPM and wants public feedback on the matter.
The Education Minister said it was a revelation to him as he had always thought that it was a prerequisite since students had to learn English in school.He was also shocked to learn that national schools no longer taught English grammar.
“I don’t know how you can learn English without knowing grammar,” he told newsmen after launching the Kirkby College alumni association.Muhyiddin said students were now merely learning communicative English.“This means they are picking up the language for communication purposes only,” he said, adding that almost 70% of students who take English pass the subject.
The minister said he would seek public view on the matter.“We may deliberate on it at the ministry level but as Education Minister, I want to give the public a chance to share their views,” he said. (A pass in English has never been compulsory for SPM. Since 2000, a pass in Bahasa Malaysia was sufficient to get the SPM certificate. Previously, a credit was a must.)
Muhyiddin said he wondered if rural students would be at the losing end if a pass in English was required in SPM.He also said he did not know if not having to pass English meant the standard of the language had gone down
A retired lecturer and teacher trainer said the teaching of grammar was integrated into four main language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing in English lessons for students.
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And so the debate on whether or not to make English a must pass subject in SPM commences.
And whilst even Dr M is on the side who is pro on the move, on June 10th, this report came around:
Many object to making English a ‘must pass’ SPM subject
PETALING JAYA: Most of the 500 views received by the Education Ministry as at the end of office hours yesterday are against any move to make English compulsory in order to obtain the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate.
A ministry official said those who contacted the ministry wanted the status quo to remain.
“We started receiving telephone calls from 10am until 5.30pm yesterday,” she said.
From today, she said people could telephone the ministry’s hunting line at 
03-7723-7070
with their views from 8am to 5.30pm. “There are 27 lines and we have enough people manning them,” she said.People can also e-mail their views to kpkpm@moe.gov.my or send a fax to 03-7710-8880.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said he was surprised to learn that English was not a “must pass” subject for SPM and wanted public feedback on the matter.
The Education Minister said it was a revelation to him as he had always thought that it was a prerequisite since students had to learn English in school.
A pass in English has never been compulsory for SPM. Since 2000, a pass in Bahasa Malaysia was sufficient to get the SPM certificate. Previously, a credit was a must.
---
When I read the report, immediately my 'siren' went off. One, the title is very misleading. 500 (callers) is not exactly a significant amount. We have hundreds of thousands of students taking SPM every year, all of them have parents. Yet, only 500 called the Education Ministry, most to object to the idea. Now, if you sit back and think about it... would you even call the Ministry if you want to support the idea? Well, I supported it and I didn't think to call the Ministry to say that I do. The conversation would be so weird...
Anyways, amongst all the reports in the news, I found the stupidest opinion presented in the following form....Do you support the notion?
..Yes.
...Then why are you calling?
O_o
“If a student obtained As in all subjects except English, this means he failed his SPM. He would become a victim of the English Language colonisation,” he said.Makes sense, and patriotic but ... how often does a student with all As in all subjects fail English? SPM English isn't exactly tough. I know a person who got a 3B in SPM English but the person can't even write a proper email to a client. Now, that's Sad. By the way, Person said has 8 As to its name and yes, her English sucks but it's still a 3B (a strong credit) by current standards. So this statement seemingly makes sense but it actually doesn't,
So what is the problem? I think it boils down to whether we want to do it or not. As heard from a TV show I watched the other day, it is like going to the moon, we have to want to do it. Otherwise, let's just close all discussion and condemn the future generations to certain doom... I mean, forget about it.
Apr 24, 2009
It's about time that this be taken seriously.
The Star Online> Friday April 24, 2009
KARPAL FALLS OUT OF WHEELCHAIR IN COURT COMPLEX
KUANTAN: Karpal Singh fell from his wheelchair when he was about to attend a High Court hearing involving Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and logging company Seruan Gemilang Makmur Sdn Bhd here Friday.
The Bukit Gelugor member of Parliament who was also an attorney for Seruan Gemilang, was initially carried by several aides up the stairs at the court complex with him remaining in the wheelchair.
But they lost balance and Karpal was tipped onto the five-foot way.
"It's time for us to have a good system with facilities for the disabled.
“Fortunately nothing happened to me. If something had, there'd be another by-election," he told reporters after the court proceedings.
He said this was the first time that he had fallen from the wheelchair.
He said his back hurt and he found difficulty in moving his hands, initially, after the incident, he said. Karpal, 69, became wheelchair-bound after a road accident on the way home from the Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang on Jan 29, 2005.
Friday's court proceedings wa to hear the mentri besar's application for a stay of execution of a RM63 million judgement in favour of Seruan Gemilang following a suit for a breach of agreement allegedly committed by the Pahang government.
In court, Karpal and co-counsel Rajoo D. Moothy asked Justice Datuk V.T. Singham for more time to reply to an affidavit filed by Adnan who was represented by lawyer Datuk Shafie Abdullah and State Legal Adviser Datuk Mat Zara'Ai Alias on Wednesday.
Following this, the court postponed the hearing to next Thursday. - Bernama
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You can bullshit all you want about Malaysia being a country with first world infrastructure, her own National Car, having one of the toughest education systems in the world (STPM) or being able to send a man into space, but we are still far behind many countries in care-giving and having disabled-friendly transportation systems as well as friendlier access to commercial and government buildings.
For those who don't know him, Karpal Singh is a prominent lawyer who handles high-profile cases, is a member of Parliament and the Opposition party, very outspoken and wheelchair-bound. Plus, as seen on the newsclip on tv just now, after he settled all his matter at the court complex, they had to carry him down the same flights of steps.
It was during my pregnancy that I was made to realize how difficult it is to go up and down flights of staircases, especially when you are in your third trimester. I live on the third floor of an apartment/flat complex. There are no lifts in the building. You can imagine how out of breath I am when I reach the top or the bottom, how many stops I took in between each staircase... and I don't even want to think how I'm going to make it back to the house after I deliver next Tuesday. Sigh...
Apr 19, 2009
We should be worried about this. Part 2
On the 16th of April, I wrote a post about a lecturer being forced to resign because she passed only 4 out of 157 of her law students. Ya, Nor (not her real name). That one.
Apparently she has penned a letter to The Star newspaper which has yet to be published (sometimes they need a few days to sort through the letters) and so she used another outlet to 'highlight her plight'.
Follow the link and see Comment 17 for what she has to say about the issue.
Apparently she has penned a letter to The Star newspaper which has yet to be published (sometimes they need a few days to sort through the letters) and so she used another outlet to 'highlight her plight'.
Follow the link and see Comment 17 for what she has to say about the issue.
Apr 18, 2009
Start early
I went back to work last Friday despite being on MC to tie up all the loose ends. On my way out, after informing my two bosses that I'm taking leave starting Monday, I bumped into my Accounts manager who was asking about how I am and when I am expected to deliver.
I then brought up denephew and the fact that he is getting cuter and his vocabulary is improving.
"He would bump his little motorcar onto the side of my leg when I am putting the clothes out to dry, look up at a confused me, who would ask him "whatchu doing, brat?" only to receive two words - zou kai (move aside)."
It gave her a laugh first before she blinked twice at me and ask, "How old is he? Ei? He is about my daughter's age and he knows how to say zou kai? My daughter could barely manage papa and mommy." I neglected to tell her the full extent of his vocabulary.
But secretly, I'm glad we started out early, rather than when adults decide when kids actually start learning and when they should start teaching them words. I'm teaching Eva words the moment she can coo or make me feel guilty for letting her cry longer than 2 minutes for her milk. It's only fair. haha..
I then brought up denephew and the fact that he is getting cuter and his vocabulary is improving.
"He would bump his little motorcar onto the side of my leg when I am putting the clothes out to dry, look up at a confused me, who would ask him "whatchu doing, brat?" only to receive two words - zou kai (move aside)."
It gave her a laugh first before she blinked twice at me and ask, "How old is he? Ei? He is about my daughter's age and he knows how to say zou kai? My daughter could barely manage papa and mommy." I neglected to tell her the full extent of his vocabulary.
But secretly, I'm glad we started out early, rather than when adults decide when kids actually start learning and when they should start teaching them words. I'm teaching Eva words the moment she can coo or make me feel guilty for letting her cry longer than 2 minutes for her milk. It's only fair. haha..
Apr 17, 2009
There their...
It was not until I got my first job as an editor that I realize how much crap we've been taught while trying to indulge ourselves in what they call Malaysian English. No, I do not mean the lah, ma and apa dah...
Do you know that you should pronounce their not as 'di-ar' but as 'there'?
As in:
I know their address should sound like I know there address when it comes out of your mouth.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who was surprised with this. See here.
Do you know that flour should rhyme with flower and hour instead of blah?
As in:
I bought flour and sugar at the store should sound like I bought flower and sugar at the store.
And I stumbled into this quite heated debated between two people who really did their research but are at odds because they communicate through paper instead of through the phone. They're both right by the way; it's just a misunderstanding that cannot be cleared up through written communication.
And just to make it like a charm:
The letter 'H' is pronounced as aitch .. not as haitch. Well you can pronounce it as haitch, as long as the first h is silent.
And that concludes our lesson for today. Tank-Q u.
Do you know that you should pronounce their not as 'di-ar' but as 'there'?
As in:
I know their address should sound like I know there address when it comes out of your mouth.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who was surprised with this. See here.
Do you know that flour should rhyme with flower and hour instead of blah?
As in:
I bought flour and sugar at the store should sound like I bought flower and sugar at the store.
And I stumbled into this quite heated debated between two people who really did their research but are at odds because they communicate through paper instead of through the phone. They're both right by the way; it's just a misunderstanding that cannot be cleared up through written communication.
And just to make it like a charm:
The letter 'H' is pronounced as aitch .. not as haitch. Well you can pronounce it as haitch, as long as the first h is silent.
And that concludes our lesson for today. Tank-Q u.
Apr 16, 2009
We should be worried about this.
We get a lot of weird news in Malaysia.
The ones I am interested in are mostly in Politics (for an assessment of the mentality of individuals that we choose democratically to be leaders of the people), Crime (for obvious reasons, I like to scare myself into oblivion), Family upbringing (to pick up a bit or two about what I should or should not be doing to my kids) and in Education (for reasons like the following...)
-----
From The Star Online
Thursday April 16, 2009
The father of one student which attends the main character's medical lectures approached her with an offer she didn't quite outwardly refuse. He wanted her to pass the son, based on who he is related to rather than how he fares in her lectures and in the course. To be fair, she gives tough papers and she is really tough when marking papers. Anyhoo, she actually agreed to the request... provided that he agrees to a condition:
"That you agree to have him conduct his first major surgery on you before he is allowed to cut up another individual."
The response was a gulp, a hung head and a grin. The two former on the father, and guess who is left with the grin.
If all law students are allowed to pass, not because they deserve the pass but because the university is keen on maintaining their imaginary level of excellence on paper but not in essence, then our future law system is in ruins... now.
I for one am behind "Nor (not her real name)" because she knows what she is fighting for, something the students and university management are totally in the blur.
The ones I am interested in are mostly in Politics (for an assessment of the mentality of individuals that we choose democratically to be leaders of the people), Crime (for obvious reasons, I like to scare myself into oblivion), Family upbringing (to pick up a bit or two about what I should or should not be doing to my kids) and in Education (for reasons like the following...)
-----
From The Star Online
Thursday April 16, 2009
Out goes the lecturer
A UNIVERSITI Sains Islam Malaysia lecturer who passed only four out of 157 of her law students claims she was forced to resign so that the university could protect its reputation, Kosmo! reported.
Nor (not her real name) said the reason she left was because she could not stand the pressure from the university management on her to give “sympathy marks.”
“How am I to give extra marks if the marks they got is what they should be getting?” she said, adding that her downfall started when she received a show-cause letter on why so many students had failed.
She was then criticised by her superiors, who also wanted her to add marks based on attendance so as to reduce the number of failures.
“I stood my ground. How could I give them marks for that when it is their responsibility to show up for classes?” she added.
The university declined to comment. (Gee I wonder why.)
----
This brings to mind a comic strip that i absolutely adore, in which one particular strip one day, shared the same sentiment as depicted in the article.The father of one student which attends the main character's medical lectures approached her with an offer she didn't quite outwardly refuse. He wanted her to pass the son, based on who he is related to rather than how he fares in her lectures and in the course. To be fair, she gives tough papers and she is really tough when marking papers. Anyhoo, she actually agreed to the request... provided that he agrees to a condition:
"That you agree to have him conduct his first major surgery on you before he is allowed to cut up another individual."
The response was a gulp, a hung head and a grin. The two former on the father, and guess who is left with the grin.
If all law students are allowed to pass, not because they deserve the pass but because the university is keen on maintaining their imaginary level of excellence on paper but not in essence, then our future law system is in ruins... now.
I for one am behind "Nor (not her real name)" because she knows what she is fighting for, something the students and university management are totally in the blur.
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