Hello World!

Whoaaah... it has been 4 days since I last updated this blog! Sorry people... I've been away... away from civilized world internet connection..

Well...actually... I had such a rejuvenating weekend.... (apart from not having to get connected to the internet)

I was stuck in Port Dickson since Thursday last week, and the last post was an auto published entry...



Ancasa... where the workshop for this semester moderation (final exam) was held.. my second visit to this place actually, which I only realized upon reaching the hotel... I've totally forgotten I've been to this Ancasa hotel before.... huhu...




Ancasa Hotels & Resorts a.k.a Ancasa Resort Allsuites, Port Dickson.



we managed to swim few laps.. hehe....

Ancasa Spa

Spa facilities and full body massage - RM140 for an hour



Banana boat..huhuuu.... yessss... we did try this one out...


and this too!!

that's us! we were then plunged off the boat! an exhilarating experience... !!

A Canadian guy with his bag pipe, serenading us walking by the beach

so... that was my weekend.... very tiring but exciting...huhu...

owhh.. by the way... don't be fooled by the photos... I only showed you the best part of the weekend..... we were miserable most of the time doing our works... hahaa...

*plunged - thrown suddenly

Stay Up

Blurb

Someone asked me what is blurb....

Here is the definition...


A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually referring to the words on the back of the book but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals and news websites.


An example of a blurb... Click to enlarge

I Want To Discuss About Something

Do you say, I want to discuss about something?

Actually, you should say...

I want to discuss about something...

Disturbing Photo

I felt very much disturbed after reading that the photographer did nothing to help the child...

This photo taught me how lucky we are...

Learn English

Fun and easy way to learn English
Chandra Devi

LEARNING English should be fun and the New Straits Times Sdn Bhd’s Newspaper in Education Unit (NIE) has just the right solution for it. The unit has introduced NiEXUS, http://niexus.emedia.com.my, an English e-learning site for primary and secondary school students which incorporates a contemporary and fun-filled way to learn the language.

LEARNING English should be fun and the New Straits Times Sdn Bhd’s Newspaper in Education Unit (NIE) has just the right solution for it. The unit has introduced NiEXUS, http://niexus.emedia.com.my, an English e-learning site for primary and secondary school students which incorporates a contemporary and fun-filled way to learn the language.

The self-access learning site has content that teaches English in a fun way with animated games and new-based exercises. In addition, it provides Web space for students to share views and creative expression.

According to Mary Chandapillai, manager, NIE Unit, New Straits Times Sdn Bhd, the site is built in a manner that students can easily surf and access the various activities which are designed to complement the English language syllabus in schools.

“Anyone from the ages of seven to 17 will be inspired as the Web page is filled with a myriad of features to help understand and improve their English skills in a practical and fun-filled way,” says Chandapillai.

Core to this e-learning site, she points out, is News Flash. Each week, based on reports in the newspaper, this section will highlight four major events from around the world. In addition to reading the news articles which will be simplified for easy understanding, students using this link will learn a bit more about the countries involved, test their word power, grammar and comprehension through the exercises.

“The stories are presented in a simplified format with a glossary for difficult words. And for more advanced students, they can also access the published article via a Portable Document Format link,” says Chandapillai, adding that a pronunciation guide will be made available from next month.

Besides this, the e-learning site also incorporates animated games to teach grammar, vocabulary and writing in the Language Games segment.

“These Web pages are designed in a way that students at any proficiency level can access the site. Students using this site will at least pick up 10 new words a day and by the time they complete the activities, they would have improved their language skills to a certain degree,” she stresses.

The NiEXUS site also provides a platform for students to write and express their thoughts via My Say, The Continuing Tale, Writing Prompts and Creative Twists segments. The objective is to challenge students’ creative and critical thinking abilities and expand their creative potential online.

Furthermore, Chandapillai says parents and teachers can leverage on this platform not only to create interest in the language but also as a means to develop computer and journalism skills among children.

NiEXUS, she explains, hosts two links – My School Rocks and A Day in Your Life – which gives students the experience of newspaper publishing. Students can design their own front page using the tools given.

“These two links are one of the first journalism-based activities made available online for Malaysian students. The My School Rocks section, for instance, will help students plan and design a news bulletin for their school. It encourages creative writing and creative design. As for A Day in Your Life, it encourages students to write about themselves and maintain a journal online. Easy, step-by-step instructions are provided for students to pick up these skills,” she elaborates.

For additional reading, NiEXUS provides a link to Planet Earth which covers topics such as global warming and water issues.

NiEXUS, Chandapillai informs, is only available to schools that register with the NIE Unit. Schools will need to pay a registration fee of RM150 per school year to access the e-learning site and there is no limit to the number of users. However, access is free for schools under the NST’s School Sponsorship Programme.

Parents can also subscribe to the service, says Mary, for a fee of RM100 per year for five users. For teachers, the site offers ready-to-use content to further enhance their teaching of the language. In addition, they can also monitor the progress of each registered student via a progress chart which is automatically created.

The NIE Unit will provide training for teachers on how to integrate the online content with print copies and the English Language syllabus. A manual will also be provided to the teachers.


copy&paste from here

Time Flies

Last week the second JKTAP meeting was held. The meeting is for students who have low percentage of attendance for their classes.

Most of them have the same problem (excuse? reason?), that is waking up early in the morning for their 8am class.

The root of their problem is simply time management...

So... this post is dedicated especially for them...

photo credits: http://emilayusof.com/ click photo to enlarge

Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours.They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge.If you had all the money in the world, you couldn’t buy an extra hour.What will you do with this priceless treasure?”~ Author Unknown

“I recommend you to take care of the minutes,for the hours will take care of themselves.”

~ Lord Chesterfield

“If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference,to embark on something worth doing, IT IS NOW.”~ Author Unknown

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”~ H. Jackson Brown

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”Marcus Aurelius

“If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.”~ Lee Iacocca

iluvislam.com

Happy Saturday

“The only good is knowledge; the only evil is ignorance.”- Socrates

Enjoy your weekend people...

as for me... I will for sure... coz next weekend I'll be working during the weekend... arrghhhh...

photos from my archive...

Frangipani (Plumeria) flowers in front of academic office, KPTM Kuantan..lovely ahhh..?

Friday The 13th !!!

Blog n You

So...which one is you? hehehe... None... I hope...

Life Instructions

Very simple?

But, why are we making it so damn hard??

What's For Breakfast?

Have you had your breakfast?

As for me...

I'm contemplating....

Should I have this....

or....

this.....

uuuuhh...uhhhh... wait!!...

there is this old saying....

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.
Adelle Davis(1904 - 1974)

So... I chose this instead....

yummm...yummm... (again...not u yerr Kak Yam)

1pm

It's almost 1pm and why are you still here..?? It's lunch time people!!!
Get out of the office and enjoy your lunch!!



yummmm... yummmmm... (Kak Yam..I'm not calling your name ok.. ahakss)

whattt??? you are on diet? ohhh...come on... you can start dieting tomorrow... hahaha....

I've Been Busy...

erkk... let me rephrase... I've been (kind of) busy lately.... hehe


busy taking care of these...

want to order? do visit the co-op ok...

earlier today, I've picked up another 13 hampers... to be delivered to the respective customers later this week...


and this would be my next project...

feel kindda lost n clueless? do visit this blog http://kptmkuantan.blogspot.com

Between of To

Sometimes it can be very confusing when to use 'between or 'to'



Here is a simple explanation.



'Between' must be followed by 'and'.



'From' must be followed by 'to'.



For example:



There were between 200 and 300 people at the concert.



The seminar will be conducted from 8 a.m to 10 a.m

Effective Presentation Skills: Starting a Presentation

In modern English, Presentations tend to be much less formal than they were even twenty years ago. Most audience these days prefer a relatively informal approach. However, there is a certain structure to the opening of a Presentation that you should observe.

Get people's attention
Welcome them
Introduce yourself
State the purpose of your presentation
State how you want to deal with questions


Get people's attention

If I could have everybody's attention.
If we can start.
Perhaps we should begin?
Let's get started.


Welcome them

Welcome to Microsoft.
Thank you for coming today.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of Intel, I'd like to welcome you.

Introduce yourself

My name's Jane Shaw. I'm responsible for travel arrangements.
For those of you who don't know me, my name's Tom Stotter.
As you know, I'm in charge of public relations.
I'm the new Marketing Manager.

State the purpose of your presentation

This morning I'd like to present our new processor.
Today I'd like to discuss our failures in the Japanese market and suggest a new approach.
This afternoon, I'd like to report on my study into the German market.
What I want to do this morning is to talk to you about our new mobile telephone system.
What I want to do is to tell you about our successes and failures in introducing new working patterns.
What I want to do is to show you how we've made our first successful steps in the potentially huge Chinese market.

State how you want to deal with questions.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them as we go along.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Perhaps we can leave any questions you have until the end?
There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.


source: http://effective-presentation-skills.com/

Thesis Statement

What is Thesis Statement?

A simple definition for Thesis Statement would be this;
The thesis statement is a sentence in your essay that contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about.

For example:

Expository Essay Thesis Statement

Topic/Title: Explain why a healthy diet is important.

Weak Thesis Examples:
Too broad: A healthy diet is important.
Too narrow: People should include eight servings of fruits and vegetables in their diet everyday.
Off topic: Bananas are one of the most nutritious foods on earth.

Strong thesis: A healthy diet is important because it increases energy, prevents illness and promotes well-being in all people.

Persuasive Thesis Statement

Topic/Title: Convince your reader whether school uniforms should be mandatory in public schools.

Weak Thesis Examples:
Too broad: It is outrageous for students to be forced to wear school uniforms.
Too narrow: Students who are forced to wear school uniforms have their creativity stifled.
Off topic: When kids grow up, they will have bad memories of school.

Strong thesis: School uniforms should not be mandatory in public schools because it would stifle students’ creativity, take away students’ rights, and cause students to lose interest in school

I Hate Public Speaking

"According to Most Studies, People's Number One Fear is Public Speaking.

Number Two Fear is Death. Death is Number Two!!!"

Do you agree?

cute....

Effective Presentation Skills: Don't Panic

photo from my personal archive (noticed the date??hehe)


How to Beat Panic When You Present

taken from: http://effective-presentation-skills.com/


If you panic at the thought of making a presentation, you are not alone. Several studies have shown that public speaking is the thing that people fear most – more than snakes, flying or even death. That means that, at a funeral, most people would rather be in the coffin than making the eulogy!


How can you get over this fear? Here are some tips:
Get there early. Make sure you get familiar with the room. Stand where you are going to give your presentation until you begin to feel relaxed standing there. Try out the audiovisual equipment you will be using.


Introduce yourself to as many members of the audience as you can before you start. This helps turn the audience into a group of friendly faces rather than a wall of strangers.
Whilst you are doing this, pick out a couple of ‘friendly faces’. During the presentation, maintain regular eye-contact with your ‘new friends’.


Keep a photo of a child, a spouse (a boyfriend or girlfriend maybe) or a pet near you. Look at it from time to time for reassurance.Breathe deeply and rhythmically. This will bring oxygen into your system, relax your throat and help you breath more slowly.


Act confidently even if you are not feeling confident. You will find yourself becoming confident.
Wear a rubber band around your wrist. Snap it if you are feeling negative thoughts.
Remember that it will soon be over. Twenty minutes is not very long in your lifetime!

Okfind88 This One Is For You

Well... I'm not really 'a tag person' actually...
but...since I am a very kind teacher...who would do anything to please my students, especially this student .... so...here goes the tag...

1. Name one person who make you laugh last night?
My housemate - Miss Nerry

2.What were you doing at 0800?
Today? - still in bed, refuse to wake up though I was not sleepy anymore.. hehe

3.What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Assisting a colleague at a motivational workshop

4.What happened to you in 2006?
Work wise; adjusting to a new work environment

5.What was the last thing you said out loud? Arrrghhh!! (After listening (over the phone) to a sweet female voice informing the streamyx line in some parts of East coast is still having problem)

6.How many beverages did you have today?
Uno - Iced Tea

7.What color is your hairbrush?
Black

8.What was the last thing you paid for?
My breakfast

9. Where were you last night? Are you my father?? huh?? .. I was at home watching Taxi

10. What color is your front door? Shocking Pink... eh wait.. a boring dark brown actually..

11.Where do you keep your change?
In my piggy bank

12.What's the weather like today?
it's snowing heavily!!! haha... a nice weather for a lazy saturday actually

13.What's the best ice-cream flavor?
chocolate.

14.What excites you?
Watching n listening to my nephew saying .. No...No.. Nooooo... Mommy no000!!

15.Do you want to cut your hair?
Don't know

16. Are you over the age of 25?
Ouch! Yes!

17.Do you talk a lot?
Well...duuhh... I am a sensei...

18.Do you watch the O.C?
Nope... I'm from the 'Friends' era.

19.Do you know anyone named steven?
Yes, but he's stephen actually

20.Do you make up your own words?
No.

21. Are you a jealous person?
A simple ...YES.

22.Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'A'.
Angah, Abu, ARI

23.Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'K'.
Kecik, Kak Neeza (coz I know she'll be reading this.. hehe)

24. Who's the first person on your received call list?
Home - my parents

25.What does the last text message you received say?
Misz, what is arrogant in Malay? huhh???? I am not your walking dictionary ok...! (Am I being arrogant here? hahaha)

26. Do you chew on you straw?
Nope

27.Do you have curly hair?
Classified. hehe... well.. that's 'aurat' maaaah...cannot answer...

28. Where's the next place you're going to?
Outside... watering my plants..

29.Who's the rudest person in your life?
A blogger (he's famous actually) who uses very rude words in all of his blog entries.

30.What was the last thing you ate?
Bubur Kacang

31.Will you get married in the future?
InsyaAllah... soon maybe?? haha...

32. What's the best movie you've seen in the past 2 weeks? It has been ages since I last watched a movie at a cinema... well.. last week I was hook on tv watching Transformers on HBO..

33.Is there anyone you like right now? Yes of course... I like all of my students...except those who sms-ed me at the wee hours of the morning and simply ask question without saying hi or introducing herself/himself first.

alot

So many people write a lot as one word instead of two.

If you do this, ask yourself if you would write a little as alittle.

Of course not. So please don't write alot!

The same goes for in spite of and in fact.




Taken from: Communication for Business by Shirley Taylor

Boring

I often hear people use boring instead of bored. One workshop participant was blatantly honest with me when she said 'My boss made me come here but I didn't want to attend because I think I'm going to be very boring'.

Hmmm... I think she meant she thought she was going to be very bored.

She could only be bored if I was boring!

An example:

The lecture is boring so I am bored.

- Shirley Taylor

Mommy... I'm bored...

Lazy Friday

uuuhhhh....aaaahhhh..yummmehhhh.....

Put the chocolate in a bowl and place over a pan of boiling water, stir occasionally as the chocolate melts. Wash the strawberries but leave the stalks on for decoration and something to hold. Wash clean then dry the strawberries with a paper towel.Dip the strawberries in the melted and still warm chocolate and then place on grease proof kitchen baking paper. Leave the chocolate dipped strawberries to set, if the weather is warm place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

It's so easy to make isn't it.... yummmyyyyy...

p/s: I know, you will hate me for posting these two photos... hahaa... sorryy... owh btw the title is sooo not related to the post.. haha...

Movie: Changeling

I'm thinking of watching this movie... is it any good?

Is it worth spending my time n money for the movie which is set in 1920s?

If you've watched it already... would you recommend this movie to me?


Christine Collin's (Angelina Jolie) prayers are met when her kidnapped son is returned - but amidst the frenzy of the photo-op reunion, she realises the child is not hers. Facing corrupt police and a sceptical public, she desperately hunts for answers, only to be confronted by the shocking truth that will change her forever. This movie is inspired by true events that took place in 1920s Los Angeles.

(Source: Cinema Online)

As per....

I came across this while reading through Communication for Business by Shirley Taylor;

The usage of "As per..." (Usually found in formal letter writing)

According to Shirley Taylor, it is old-fashioned and overworked. We should not use 'per' in our writing.

Instead of

As per your request.... say 'As you requested'

As per your agreement... say 'As we agreed'

As per your instructions... say 'As you instructed'



well... that's all... hope it's useful for you....

I'm Not Following You

Withered

It was once like this... living its little life with happiness n joy...

But..after a long CNY break....

it had withered....

If someone or something withers, they become very weak.

Synonyms for wither

shrink, decay, die, grow brown, dry up, dry out, fade, lose freshness, deteriorate, fall away

Letter vs Alphabet

So many people use the word alphabet wrongly.

It is wrong to say, "There are six alphabets in sensei".

"There are six letters in sensei"

There is only ONE alphabet in English Language - abcdefghijklmnopkrstuvwxyz - and there are 26 letters in the alphabet.

In The Same Boat

well... I'm not talking literally sitting in the same boat..

It's Not The End Of The World... yet