What Is Sandwich Course

SANDWICHES are a lunchtime favourite in the United Kingdom. However, the term "sandwich" also features on a university degree menu, where you have the option of choosing a sandwich course.

This programme basically includes an additional year of work experience that is sandwiched between two and three years of concentrated study.During the extra year, you can work with an employer, organisation or department that is related to your field of study.This kind of course allows you to put theoretical knowledge to the test before you graduate.Generally, the time taken away from university, if spent working hard and learning the ropes well, will make you attractive to employers.You can find out from the University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS -- www.ucas.ac.uk) of the UK about universities with sandwich degree courses.

Don't Text and Drive

A reminder to all of my readers and of course to me too

Don’t text and drive

By RASHVINJEET SINGH BEDI - thestar.com.my

Studies show that the collision risk for drivers who text messages while driving goes up 23 times over those who do not do so as text messaging takes the eyes off the road for too many seconds.

Alice Chong was driving home from work and approaching a toll plaza when her phone rang. Without thinking twice, she reached for her phone which was in her handbag on the seat next to her.

In the blink of an eye, her brand new car had plowed into the back of a van.

The price of that phone call? She was without a car for two months and her vehicle suffered extensive damage to the radiator, body work and engine.

“I only took my eye off the road for a few seconds but that proved to be a very expensive lesson for me,” says Alice (not her real name), who swears never to touch the mobile phone again while driving.

As the experts say, it only takes a second for an accident to happen. There is more concern now that more people seem to be texting while driving, a task labelled as “very distracting” for drivers.

Out of the 73 billion messages Malay­sians sent last year, one can only wonder how many were sent out while behind the wheel of a vehicle.

This subject has come under close scrutiny of late in the United States, where many states have been introducing laws to ban texting while driving. This follows several major accidents linked to texting in the past few months.

Data from the American Transportation Department revealed that 11% of drivers in fatal crashes had been distracted at the time of the accident in 2008, compared with 8% in 2004.

The spike in text messaging and use of mobile phones in recent years is believed to have aggravated the problem although it was unclear how many accidents were due to texting specifically.

Driving hazard: Texting while driving can cause you to lose your concentration and may result in an accident.

There are no statistics available in Malay­sia on the phenomenon but Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah says that distracted driving contributes to out-of-control driving.

This, in turn, is one of the biggest contributors to accidents.

For collisions in 2007, out-of-control driving contributed to 23% (1,318 out of 5,672 cases) of fatal accidents and 14% of overall accidents (3,674 out of 27,035 cases).

Dr Ahmad believes that mobile phones are one of the biggest distractions.

“Phones are a major culprit even though we have laws prohibiting their use (while driving),” he says.

He believes that road safety has a lot to do with prevailing culture and while the mobile phone has given us a sense of urgency, it has become a distraction.

“When the phone rings, there is a compulsion that we have to pick it up. The mobile phone provides promptness but this is dangerous (when driving),” says Dr Ahmad.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh believes texting causes a significant number of accidents.

“I don’t think we are any different from other countries.

“It is probably higher here compared to Western countries as more Malaysians use their phones and text when driving,” he says.

Federal traffic police chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusof says the police don’t tolerate the use of mobile phones.

“There are people who do that but we don’t compromise on this. Texting is worse than talking. There are cases where even motorcyclists are texting. This is very dangerous because their concentration level is minimal.”

He adds that there is no compilation of statistics on accidents due to mobile phone usage.

“It will be very difficult to prove but we are sure there are cases,” says Abdul Aziz.

Road Transport Department (JPJ) enforcement officer Syed Abdullah Syed Hussein says that it will be difficult to prove that a driver was texting.

It is easier to spot a driver who is holding his mobile phone to his ear and slap him with a summons of RM300 than one who is texting.

Hands-free also distract

Dr Ahmad says studies have shown that using a hands-free device causes as much a distraction as talking on the phone.

“When talking (without hands-free kit), we don’t have full control of the steering wheel and our concentration is divided between the conversation and the road.

Suret: ‘All it takes are two seconds’ loss of concentration to cause life-long suffering.’

“When using the hands-free device, only our concentration is divided.

“But studies overseas have shown that both scenarios impair our judgement similarly,” he says.

So logically, this would mean texting presents more danger than talking, as our eyes are off the road for more seconds, says Dr Ahmad.

Last month, a study by the Virginia Tech Trans­portation Institute (VTTI) in the US found that drivers sending or receiving text messages take their eyes off the road much longer than they do when talking or listening on their mobile phones.

The study found that the collision risk for drivers who sent text messages went up 23 times over those drivers who did not use texting devices.

It also showed that text messaging had the longest duration of eyes off road time (4.6 seconds over a 6-second interval).

The study compared this to a driver travelling the length of a football field (about 110m) at 88kph without looking at the road.

“Talking/listening to a cell phone allowed drivers to maintain eyes on the road and were not associated with an increased safety risk to nearly the same degree,” states the report.

Accidents happen in a snap

It must be reminded that accidents happen in a split second – a vital second in which one needs to make a decision and react, says Dr Ahmad.

“When we are driving, we make a lot of decisions and this includes split-second decisions. We have to factor in the risk behaviour of others.

“If you are distracted, you might not be able to react in time or you might make a wrong decision,” says Dr Ahmad.

He gives an example of a motorcycle weaving in and out of traffic.

“If the motorcycle comes in front of you suddenly and if you are distracted, you might not be able to stop your car in time,” says Dr Ahmad.

He gives another example where one’s judgment might be compromised because of distractions.

“If you come to a T-junction and are turning right, you have two decisions to make – judging traffic on the near side and the far side. This is called the acceptance gap.

“If you are distracted, you might underestimate the gap, especially if it’s dark or if you are being obstructed,” he says.

There are even those who claim that driving and texting is more dangerous than driving under influence (DUI), but Dr Ahmad does not want to commit to this theory.

»When we are driving, we make a lot of decisions and this includes split-second decisions« Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah

”I can’t say it’s true, but a lot people claim that is the case. When you are drunk, you are totally out of control.

“But that split second whether you are affected by drunkenness or distracted by texting is the same; you will meet with an accident,” says Dr Ahmad.

He believes that driving under influence of alcohol or drugs is the most dangerous distraction because the driver may not be in the right frame of mind.

He also lists lethargy as another major distraction.

Other forms of distractions include smoking, eating and fiddling around with electronic devices such as the radio or GPS.

Distractions outside the vehicle would include billboards, improper road signs and even accidents.

He says that even fellow passengers could be a form of distraction.

“You could have children making noise behind. This could increase the stress and anxiety levels. Drivers could react by speeding and driving recklessly,” says Dr Ahmad.

As for the distraction caused by mobile phones, what can be done to stop drivers from using these devices other than the issuance of summons?

Suret reckons most people drive under a false sense of security that nothing will happen to them.

The invincible feeling

“People have probably used their mobile phones before but nothing bad happened. But using the phone is a strict no-no. You should put it on silent while driving. We have survived thousands of years without mobile phones,” he says.

Dr Ahmad agrees, saying many questions were asked on why there were many accidents in the recently ended Ops Sikap.

(There were 17,338 accidents and 265 fatalities in the operation from Sept 13 to Sept 27.)

“A lot of people blame the enforcement. True, it’s not enough, but we cannot be relying on external enforcement all the time. There are limits to the numbers we can supply. Enforcement from family (or passengers) can help,” he says.

“All it takes are two seconds’ loss of concentration to cause life-long suffering. No amount of money can reverse that. Is it worth the risk?” asks Suret.

How To Write a Dissertation

Looking for a guide on how to write your dissertation?

I have found just the perfect link for you..

here it is..

http://www.studystudent.com/tag/dissertation/

happy writing!

Article, Noun, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction and Interjection.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN A NUTSHELL

All the words in the English language are divided into nine great classes. These classes are called the Parts of Speech. They are Article, Noun, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction and Interjection.

Of these, the Noun is the most important, as all the others are more or less dependent upon it. A Noun signifies the name of any person, place or thing, in fact, anything of which we can have either thought or idea.

There are two kinds of Nouns, Proper and Common. Common Nouns are names which belong in common to a race or class, as man, city. Proper Nouns distinguish individual members of a race or class as John, Philadelphia. In the former case man is a name which belongs in common to the whole race of mankind, and city is also a name which is common to all large centres of population, but John signifies a particular individual of the race, while Philadelphia denotes a particular one from among the cities of the world.

Nouns are varied by Person, Number, Gender, and Case. Person is that relation existing between the speaker, those addressed and the subject under consideration, whether by discourse or correspondence. The Persons are First, Second and Third and they represent respectively the speaker, the person addressed and the person or thing mentioned or under consideration.

Number is the distinction of one from more than one. There are two numbers, singular and plural; the singular denotes one, the plural two or more. The plural is generally formed from the singular by the addition of s or es.

Gender has the same relation to nouns that sex has to individuals, but while there are only two sexes, there are four genders, viz., masculine, feminine, neuter and common. The masculine gender denotes all those of the male kind, the feminine gender all those of the female kind, the neuter gender denotes inanimate things or whatever is without life, and common gender is applied to animate beings, the sex of which for the time being is indeterminable, such as fish, mouse, bird, etc. Sometimes things which are without life as we conceive it and which, properly speaking, belong to the neuter gender, are, by a figure of speech called Personification, changed into either the masculine or feminine gender, as, for instance, we say of the sun, He is rising; of the moon, She is setting.

Case is the relation one noun bears to another or to a verb or to a preposition. There are three cases, the Nominative, the Possessive and the Objective. The nominative is the subject of which we are speaking or the agent which directs the action of the verb; the possessive case denotes possession, while the objective indicates the person or thing which is affected by the action of the verb.

An Article is a word placed before a noun to show whether the latter is used in a particular or general sense. There are but two articles, a or an and the.

An Adjective is a word which qualifies a noun, that is, which shows some distinguishing mark or characteristic belonging to the noun.

DEFINITIONS

A Pronoun is a word used for or instead of a noun to keep us from repeating the same noun too often. Pronouns, like nouns, have case, number, gender and person. There are three kinds of pronouns, personal, relative and adjective.

A verb is a word which signifies action or the doing of something. A verb is inflected by tense and mood and by number and person, though the latter two belong strictly to the subject of the verb.

An adverb is a word which modifies a verb, an adjective and sometimes another adverb.

A preposition serves to connect words and to show the relation between the objects which the words express.

A conjunction is a word which joins words, phrases, clauses and sentences together.

An interjection is a word which expresses surprise or some sudden emotion of the mind.

source:

http://www.lousywriter.com/introduction_english_grammar.php

Saute - Sauteing

I came across a recipe that says... saute the vegetables... so I asked wisegeek.com what is saute

Sautéing is a cooking process which involves cooking food very quickly on high heat with a small amount of fat. It is suitable for a wide range of foods, including vegetables, meat, and seafood, and results in a flavorful dish which can be dressed with a wide range of sauces. Most cooks use a sauté pan for sautéing, since this type of pan is specifically designed to meet the needs of this cooking technique. Any type of wide, shallow sided pan will work well for sautéing, if you do not have a sauté pan ready to hand.

When a food is sautéed properly, it will develop a crisp, flavorful crust as well as cooking all the way through. This differentiates the process from searing, which simply creates a brown crust on the food without cooking the interior. The flavors of sautéed food tend to be enhanced through a browning reaction created in the pan. This is why a low, hot pan is important, so that the meat does not steam or cook in its own juices. In addition, the food needs to be dry when it is cooked, as liquids will cause the meat to start stewing instead of sautéing, and this is not desired. Food should also not be crowded into a pan, or it will not brown well.

The word comes from the French sauter, “to jump,” a reference to the fact that the food appears to jump in the pan from the heat, and to the tossing required for a successful sauté. To sauté food, start by preheating a pan on a moderate heat setting before adding oil or fat and turning the heat up to medium high. As a general rule, you want a fat with a high smoking point, so that the fat will not burn. If you want the rich flavor of butter, for example, combine it with olive oil to sauté. When the fat is hot, slide the food being sautéed into the pan.

If you are sautéing a large cut of meat, it is best to leave the meat alone, turning it periodically as it browns. If you are cooking an assortment of objects, such as shrimp or chopped vegetables, use a spatula to toss these items, ensuring that all sides are exposed to the heat of the pan. Some cooks actually physically manipulate the pan to toss foods while sautéing, and while this looks showy, it takes skill and can cause temperature fluctuations which may impact the flavor of the food.

ok now.. I can proceed with my cookings..

A Brilliant Idea??? Notttt...!

Woman sets car on fire while trying to warm engine

A woman in Tianjin municipality made a fire under her car, thinking it would warm up the vehicle's engine recently. The car went up in flames.

The woman, who thought of the strange idea after her car failed to start, placed wood and newspapers under the vehicle and lit a fire.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the blaze, which completely destroyed the car. - China Daily/ Asia News Network

Published Nov 8, 2009 -dailychili.com

owhhh my God! What was she thinking???

Football vs Soccer

arrghhh... my team lost....

well.. better luck next time boys..

Tonight Is The Night

All the best for my team!

Malaysia Cup final between flamboyant Kelantan, quiet Negri

By ERIC SAMUE and LOGANATH VELLOO

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Cup final between Kelantan and Negri Sembilan at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil (kick off 8.45pm) Saturday night will be a clash of two different personalities.

Flamboyant Kelantan have been making the headlines for the right and wrong reasons throughout the season, while the low-profile Negri have snuck up quietly into the final.

On the pitch, Kelantan employ a robust, direct attacking style of play while Negri rely on stealth and speed on the flanks to catch opposing defences offguard.

The two finalists also have plenty of similarities.

Both teams are led by former national coaches – the outspoken B. Sathianathan for Kelantan and the reserved Wan Jamak Wan Hassan for Negri Sembilan.

And both teams will also have on display star players who are capable of producing match-winning performances on their own – namely Indra Putra Mahayuddin (Kelantan) and Mohd Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak (Negri Sembilan).

But the similarity ends when it comes to the strength of fans’ support for the final.

Kelantan will win hands down for the battle in the stands at Bukit Jalil as an estimated two thirds of the 85,000 spectators expected at the stadium will be decked in the east coast team’s red colours.

After the disappointment of losing on penalties to Selangor in this year’s FA Cup final, Kelantan will not want to waste a second chance at landing their first major silverware in Malaysian football.

Kelantan’s two previous appearances in the Malaysia Cup finals ended in defeats to Singapore (1-3) in 1955 and Perak (0-2) in 1970.

A win tonight will be a fitting end to a dramatic roller-coaster season for the Red Warriors and their fanatical fans.

This year alone, they have endured the heartbreak of losing in a Cup final, a freefall in the second half of the season in the league, a ban from playing at home (later rescinded) due to rioting fans and their former coach (Peter Butler) leaving them in a lurch just days before the start of the Malaysia Cup competition.

Despite the setbacks, the Red Warriors have shown true heart to bounce back stronger from each problem and are now just one match away from creating history.

“I don’t believe in all the talk that Kelantan are the favourites for the final.

“The record shows that we have lost three out of the four encounters against Negri this season. So, I do not see how we can be installed as the favourites,” said Sathianathan yesterday.

“Both Kelantan and Negri are equally good to be in the final. It’s not a matter of who want to win it more, but rather who are able to perform better in the final.”

Negri, under Wan Jamak, are happy to be seen as the underdogs. After finishing a lowly eighth in the Super League, the Deer have picked up steam by winning all 10 matches in the Malaysia Cup campaign.

They are looking to end a 61-year wait for the Malaysia Cup title after coming up short at the final hurdles in 2000 and 2006.

“I did not push my players harder in training in the build-up to the final as I do not want them to feel the added pressure. Since extra pressure will lead to extra mistakes, I am not perturbed that Negri Sembilan are tagged as the underdogs,” said Wan Jamak.

Negri skipper Rezal Zambery Yahya, who is a former Kelantan player, said that the strong crowd support for Kelantan would not unnerve his team.

“The Negri players are used to playing in hostile environment and will not allow the vocal support from the Kelantan fans to influence our performance on the pitch.

“Negri hold the best defensive record in the competition after conceding just two goals in 10 matches. I believe the focus of the contest will not just be on the attackers but the defence as well,” said the defender.

A

MUET is OVER.. yey!

I got home about 4pm after proctoring MUET - Reading, Writing and Listening Papers...fuuuhh.. I feel so relieved now! Hopefully my name will not be selected for next year MUET, at least not as the Cheif Proctor!

Now, I can enjoy my weekend... yeayyyy! I'm waiting for 'Asar' then I going to be off to the lalala land.... zZzzzzzZZ... (I woke up at 5am today, mind u!)

MUET Reading, Writing and Listening

Tomorrow is the day for MUET Reading, Writing and Listening papers.

For this end of year MUET, once again I am going to be involved as the Chief Proctor for this exam. Just like the candidates, I also feel nervous! Well... actually.. ANXIOUS is the best word to describe how I feel at the moment.

Tomorrow's MUET will start with Reading paper at 8:00am , the duration of the first paper is 90 minutes. It will be followed by Writing paper (90 minutes) and Listening paper (30 minutes). There will be 30 minutes gap/break between each paper



Anyway, all the best to all candidates!

Don't Lose Sight Of Objectives

When I went back to school, it occurred to me that the situation we find ourselves in when we are surrounded by the familiar is almost akin to that of sedation.

We come to the same school every day, deal with almost the same issues, walk the same corridors and live with our senses completely adjusted to all that is common to that school.

Over time, we become almost “sedated” in our environment.

We cease to see ourselves for what we truly are, we may not be able to diagnose the reasons behind our weaknesses, and we fail to realise that we are in the comfort zone.

Our complacency so rules the day that we do not even realise that we are going about our duties in an almost sedated state.

Don’t believe me? Try calling a stranger to the school. I am sure that this person will objectively note all that which we have become inured to.

This individual will probably be able to point out to us all the things that do not ring right to him, and perhaps, even suggest changes for the betterment of the school.

He is able to do so because he “sees” objectively what we have lost sight of, because of our familiarity with the subject.

Thinking along these lines, it is therefore a good thing for teachers to leave the school every now and then; to go for refresher courses, or visit a different school, socialise with teachers from other schools, or, even venture on a genuine benchmarking exercise.

We can best discover the weaknesses in our backyard if we first take a look at what other schools are doing and the areas they excel in.

If you think this is unnecessary, let me remind you of the downside of sedation – it makes us lose sight of the inherent cracks that exist in our comfort zones.

On a trip taken to another school or establishment, in treading the new and unfamiliar territory, the “waking up” effect takes place — there is an impinging on our consciousness that things could be better - that work, space and other matters, could be organised in a more efficient way.

Go, see how other schools run their discipline committees, organise their laboratories, manage their resources, command the attention of their students, train their staff, inspire learning, work as a team, handle problems, maintain their standards, raise teacher morale and chart progress.

Without knowing what works and what doesn’t, without comparing notes and without seeing how others live and cope, how can we jump-start an action plan to attain the best for our own school?

Until we see it being done, we will not know how complacent we have become with our own situation.

Living like a frog under a coconut shell is like living under the effects of sedation. If we are sedated for a short time, that is fine. But if we do not know what’s happening to us, doesn’t that render us comatose? Go figure.

Teacher Talk - The Star
By NITHYA SIDHHU

No Dating!?

Hahaaa... found this while browsing the net... well.. maybe we should impose this law too at our college? What say you?


THE International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has become the first “no dating place” in the country.

A banner has been put up at its Gombak campus to warn the students from dating in the university compound.

The banner reads: “IIUM is an Islamic territory. No dating. Allah is watching us.”

It is placed at a square near some shops and a bank.

A visitor to the campus came across the banner and took a photograph of it.

According to a IIUM undergraduate, the banner was not an initiative by the university authorities.

“It was put up by Maaruf Club in conjunction with the Campus Dakwah Project during Ramadhan,” he said.

The club’s aims, among others, are to encourage students to perform the good, avoid the bad and to monitor the students’ moral conduct.

Plants+Flowers+Photography=Theraphy

Yeah.. I know.. it's Monday....

let's have a little theraphy before we start our day...

















my pride n joy...

all photos were taken yesterday (Sunday afternoon),

ok..
now no more excuses..

shooossshhh... it's time do your work...

Circle Around The Moon

Last night (around 11pm - 31/oct/2009) I was surprised to see the moon looking like this...



there was a big circle around the moon! Thanx to my student, Amirul Bakhri for the above photos.

Well... after asking mr. google... here is what I've found from my little research on the net...

It's a phenomenon called a corona (or a halo). Light reflecting through the moisture of thin clouds produces the ring(s) around the moon.

from mr. wiki..

A halo (ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or Gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. Many are near the sun or moon but others are elsewhere and even in the opposite part of the sky. They can also form around artificial lights in very cold weather when ice crystals called diamond dust are floating in the nearby air.

There are many types of ice halos. They are produced by the ice crystals in cirrus clouds high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion. The crystals behave like prisms and mirrors, refracting and reflecting sunlight between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.

Atmospheric phenomena such as halos were used as part of weather lore as an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed.

Other common optical phenomena involving water droplets rather than ice crystals include the glory and the rainbow.

photos from the net...

MUET: Reading Comprehension Passage

To those taking MUET this November, this one is for you...

By KOH SOO LING

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

MUET MOMENTS - Lesson 5 TODAY we are going to look at the READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGE. How do we go about answering questions based on a passage? First things first.

* Read the passage to get the general idea
* Find out the meaning of words in context
* Find out what certain pronouns refer to
* Determine the main idea in each paragraph
* Determine the main idea in each passage
* Differentiate relevant points from irrelevant ones
* Identify the author's point of view/purpose/attitude and tone
* Read the questions and scan the passage for the answers
* When attempting to answer the questions, always refer to the text.

Future Engineers Please Read This

HIGHER EDUCATION: Social skills crucial to engineers

2009/10/24 - nst.com.my

M. K. MEGAN

INSTITUTIONS of higher learning offering Engineering studies should emphasise social and entrepreneurial skills to enable future engineers meet the requirements of a fast developing country such as Malaysia.

Professor Prasad Krishna of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal in India says engineers should have three sets of skills in order to contribute to the development of a country. The skills are technical, professional and, most importantly, social and entrepreneurial.

"Engineers cannot be alienated from society and should be directly useful to industry if they are to play a meaningful role in nation-building," says Prasad, who was in Kuala Lumpur recently as a member of the board of studies which is laying the academic foundation for the proposed Vinayaka Missions University (VMU) Engineering, Technical and Management branch campus in Malaysia.

Apart from Prasad, the board of studies is made up of leading academicians in the field of Engineering and Management from India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Among the academicians were from the highly acclaimed Indian Institute of Technology. The others were from Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Technology India, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, University of Malaya and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.

Prasad says the social impact of Engineering is equally, if not more, important than the technological impact because engineers should find solutions that will have a positive impact on society especially in developing countries.

Prasad Krishna (left) with the Board of Mechanical Sciences, Vinayaka Missions University

"Engineers should design and develop products that will benefit human kind and society and this emphasis should go into the curriculum of institutions of higher learning," he adds.

VMU pro-chanceller Datuk Dr S Sharavanan said the branch campus in Malaysia will give priority to the social and entrepreneurial skills of Engineering and Management students.

According to Sharavanan, two mandatory courses -- Engineer in Society and Entrepreneurship-- will be part of the proposed curriculum for the branch campus which is expected to be set up in Johor Baru with an investment of about RM100 million.

The proposed branch campus in Iskandar Malaysia will widen access to affordable education, extend VMU's global footprint and help meet the university's mission to spread education globally in the fields of Medicine, Dental, Paramedical, Homeopathy, Engineering, Management and Basic Science using existing resources and technology.

VMU, a leading education group in India which currently manages 21 colleges and universities in India, Canada, United States, Thailand and Malaysia, sees great opportunity of attracting students not only from Malaysia but also from the region to the branch campus.

Nearly 20,000 full-time students are presently studying in VMU's various colleges and universities and 150,000 are enrolled in distance education. Every year, about 5,000 students graduate from its campuses.

In The Soup = In Trouble

The whole enchilada

By CHRISTINE JALLEH

There is a wealth of food-related phrases that add flavour to the English language.

WITH ayam percik, roti jala, nasi kerabu, ikan bakar, lotus paste mooncakes with golden egg yolks, murukku, vadai, laddu, thosai with tomato chutney still fresh on my tastebuds (and thoughts), various food-related phrases come to my mind.

The English language has sprinkles and dashes of foodie phrases which may or may not be related to food at all. As a firm believer in a balanced diet, I would like to share with readers some morsels (or metaphors) for you to chew on.

Bread and butter

Bread is a staple food in the West while in in our region, rice is the grain of choice.

Bread and butter refers to the way one earns a living (similar to the phrase one’s rice bowl) and a breadwinner is the one who supports the family.

Bread and water means “the plainest and cheapest possible food”, which has its origins in the way Christians observe a fast in imitation of Jesus surviving in the desert. To know which side one’s bread is buttered is to know “what will be to one’s advantage”.

For example: “Leela’s family was living on bread and water when their father, the breadwinner, died in a car accident. Although selling fresh cow’s milk was his bread and butter, her mother has now started a small business offering tailoring services. While she appreciates friends and family dropping by for a chat, she knows which side her bread is buttered and attends to her customers promptly.”

Potato is a staple food in South America. A common phrase that incorporates this root vegetable is a hot potato – a “thing or situation that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with”.

For example: “The issue of whether to teach Mathematics and Science in English is such a hot potato, I wonder if we’ll ever hear the end of it.”

A couch potato is simply a lazy person whose life is confined to the couch.

Butter-fingers

While bread has positive meanings, butter is very much like its greasy and oily properties. If you have butter-fingers, you are likely to drop anything you hold. If you tend to be extremely pleasant to someone in order to get something from them, you’re buttering somebody up. Worst of all, if you look as if butter would not melt in your mouth, you’re acting innocent, kind and gentle when you may be the total opposite!

The whole enchilada

An enchilada is a popular Mexican dish, which is a tortilla (corn pancake) filled with a meat, chicken or tomato-based sauce (or salsa), rolled and topped with sour cream, guacamole (avocado sauce), grated cheese and peppers.

The whole enchilada, much like the dish, refers to something impressive or outstanding e.g. “Did you know that Becky is a celebrity now? She’s got a blog, an agent, a chauffeur, a personal assistant, a personal shopper, endorsements, VIP invitations, speaking engagements – the whole enchilada!”

In the soup

The ultimate comfort food, soups are associated with warmth and tender loving care. However, you would not want to be in the soup because it means “being in trouble” in informal British slang as defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

In hot soup seems to be the popular phrase now especially in newspaper headlines highlighting the misdeeds of politicians.

Letting someone stew in his or her own juice means you let someone suffer the unpleasant consequences of their own actions without helping them.

Clams up

Most people enjoy a beach holiday and digging into seafood. Interestingly, seafood-related phrases are not as pleasant. For instance, if your brother clams up, he’s not talking and if he’s crabby, he’s bad-tempered or miserable. He could be feeling like a fish out of water or he feels awkward because he is in strange surroundings. Hopefully, he’s not a cold fish also because that would mean he’s a hard-hearted, unfeeling person.

Or he has bigger fish to fry i.e. to have more interesting or important things to do. Perhaps, he smells something fishy i.e. he is doubtful or suspicious over what you’ve asked him!

Salad days

Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you but it’s not good if someone says that you’re still in your salad days as it means you’re young and inexperienced. Another favourite phrase, in a pickle, refers to “a difficult or unpleasant situation”, which reflects the fruits or vegetables preserved in salt or vinegar the phrase originates from.

Sour grapes refers to someone pretending that something they cannot have is not important to them e.g. “Alexa says she doesn’t care if her sister is prettier, more popular and getting married but her best friend says it’s just sour grapes.”

On the other hand, peachy refers to a situation where everything is fine e.g. When you ask Alexa how she’s feeling, her answer is always, “Just peachy.”

Dripping with honey

Always a hot spot, the dessert table serves a mix of metaphors e.g. if a man’s or woman’s words are dripping with honey, beware that they may be buttering you up. I’m rather suspicious when anyone tells me something is as easy as pie because in my experience, a pie is anything but easy to bake.

Don’t be flattered if someone dubs you a fruitcake for they may think you’re mentally unsound and unless you enjoy the pancreas of a young calf or lamb, do not order the sweetbread from the menu! Bon appétit!

Christine Jalleh is a communications specialist with a Master’s degree in English Language Studies. She blogs about English, culture and travel at christinejalleh.com.

source:

http://thestar.com.my/english/story.asp?file=/2009/10/28/lifefocus/4978618&sec=lifefocus

Sex & The City

hahaa... the title is just to lure you to come over... huhu...

Carrie Bradshaw: They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style

lure: 1. to persuade someone to do something
2. to attract customers, workers, money etc from another company or place