The many brightly lit sites in KL
Where there is good food at the right time , we would go to eat even if it is raining , late at night or even in Kuala Lumpur . These are the happy times of retirement when we just go to where the heart desires ! The choice of good and tasty beef balls/slice noodles of Soong Kee , near Jalan Silang was so apt for a light dinner especially when I have had tea/snack with my good Pengetua friends in SS2. I really enjoy my fun chat with my friends and then the togetherness with my husband.
We were going round and round to park our car near the coffeeshop restaurant because the earlier crowd had not finished their dinner there.When they left, there was ample space in front of the shop. I would claim that it is quite safe to park there because we have never been booked for illegal parking so far! In KL, one has to know certain designated places which are safe to park and yet get scotch -free from the traffic police! This is the point up for the 'locals' or the
' regulars' of KL.
After the sumptous dinner, I started to admire the beauty of KL at night on our way back. More lights and lighting decors are noticeable now as the country celebrates her 51years of independence. I spotted the beautifully lighted- up KL tower with blue and yellow lights which glitter at certain random intervals. The white coloured lightings look like diamonds glittering in the dark skies!
As we moved on to pass by the Dataran Merdeka, which is usually beautifully decorated with its galore lightings , I saw the big screen of all designs, hues and colours spread over the height of the Dewan Bandaraya building . The entire Raja Laut Road is always brightly lighted up but being Merdeka , additional lights have been added . I would say that KL is already well-lighted up with colourful decorative lightings before the Merdeka Day but now we can see even more lights and more sites beautifully decorated with colourful lightings at night.
Some other beautiful sites are the Lake Gardens and the iconic Parliament Building with its road leading to the building donned with poles fixed with big lighted up artificial Bunga Raya flowers .
Horizontal lines of red, yellow and blue lights flash across the facade of the Parliament Building and this effect gives the festive mood to the entire surroundings.
So much lightings everywhere and so there goes our expenditure on electricity! We must start looking for cheaper and suitable renewable energies to sustain this continuous consumption of energy. Besides the additional lighting added on to celebrate Merdeka, the colourful lightings in KL are permanently beautifying KL every night ! I hope there are timers to switch off all these lights when daylight sets in.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A PJ-KL on route bus waiting for passengers !
I have not been going on our bus for quite sometime. Today, I decided to try this means of transport to go to the vicinity of University of Malaya .To my surprise, our Malaysian means of transport using the bus is still never changed ! We still cannot depend on the bus when we need it!
Previously, the bus broke down and we were stranded in Section 14 for almost an hour before we could get into another bus to continue our ride to KL. This delay caused further delay to Putrajaya because the E2 bus to Putrajaya had just left when I arrived at the Klang bus station . To continue my journey to Putrajaya, I had to wait for another half hour before the next bus came in. When I arrived at the Sentral Station Putrajaya, I too had to wait for another half hour before the local bus came along. So, in total, I had wasted two hours for my trip to Putrajaya by bus !
Today, the bus just stopped at the Section 17 flats' bus stop for about 7 minutes to wait for more passengers.The bus engine just stopped and there I saw the driver trying to catnap. Has this practice been observed since the recent oil price hike? So, if one has an important appointment , never rely on our buses! It is still safer and reliable to drive your own car. Are our transport services continuously affected by petrol price hikes? When is Malaysia going to have more reliable transport services ?
I have not been going on our bus for quite sometime. Today, I decided to try this means of transport to go to the vicinity of University of Malaya .To my surprise, our Malaysian means of transport using the bus is still never changed ! We still cannot depend on the bus when we need it!
Previously, the bus broke down and we were stranded in Section 14 for almost an hour before we could get into another bus to continue our ride to KL. This delay caused further delay to Putrajaya because the E2 bus to Putrajaya had just left when I arrived at the Klang bus station . To continue my journey to Putrajaya, I had to wait for another half hour before the next bus came in. When I arrived at the Sentral Station Putrajaya, I too had to wait for another half hour before the local bus came along. So, in total, I had wasted two hours for my trip to Putrajaya by bus !
Today, the bus just stopped at the Section 17 flats' bus stop for about 7 minutes to wait for more passengers.The bus engine just stopped and there I saw the driver trying to catnap. Has this practice been observed since the recent oil price hike? So, if one has an important appointment , never rely on our buses! It is still safer and reliable to drive your own car. Are our transport services continuously affected by petrol price hikes? When is Malaysia going to have more reliable transport services ?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Is it our Ringgit or the scarcity ?
Price hike of a number of food items goes on everyday. I used to buy seven Kiwifruits for RM10 and just last week, the vendor told me that I have to buy them at RM2 each. Looking at a glance, almost everything is pricey nowadays !
Today, I had another encounter and this incident really made me wonder why. I always yearn for minced meat mixed with some fried salt fish meat or chicken steamed with salt fish meat for a home cooked meal. I saw a stall selling cut salt fish slices in the market and this attracted me to go nearer to have a look. This look led me to buy a piece after the vendor had confirmed that it is the Kuantan salt fish. To my surprise, this tiny slice is costing me RM14 !
I ponder whether our Ringgit buying power has shrunk? Or has the catch become so scarce due to water pollution ? The once poor man's food is only available to the rich of today ! Of course, the not- so- rich can make do with smaller portions to enhance the taste of food and yet feeling health conscious ! Anyway, it has always been said that we must always eat moderate portion of any food and even the safest food will have its harmful effect if consumed too excessive !
Price hike of a number of food items goes on everyday. I used to buy seven Kiwifruits for RM10 and just last week, the vendor told me that I have to buy them at RM2 each. Looking at a glance, almost everything is pricey nowadays !
Today, I had another encounter and this incident really made me wonder why. I always yearn for minced meat mixed with some fried salt fish meat or chicken steamed with salt fish meat for a home cooked meal. I saw a stall selling cut salt fish slices in the market and this attracted me to go nearer to have a look. This look led me to buy a piece after the vendor had confirmed that it is the Kuantan salt fish. To my surprise, this tiny slice is costing me RM14 !
I ponder whether our Ringgit buying power has shrunk? Or has the catch become so scarce due to water pollution ? The once poor man's food is only available to the rich of today ! Of course, the not- so- rich can make do with smaller portions to enhance the taste of food and yet feeling health conscious ! Anyway, it has always been said that we must always eat moderate portion of any food and even the safest food will have its harmful effect if consumed too excessive !
Monday, August 25, 2008
24 August saw another spectacular ceremony
After 17 Olympian days in Beijing, China finally put up another spectacular ceremony on the night of 24 August. " China is really great ! " said by many foreigners. They love the people, culture, food , cities and would surely visit China again to tour the beautiful and fascinating cities! With this hosting of the 29th Olympic games, China has indeed expedited her new infrastructure implementation and other developments besides creating billions of jobs for her people. She has already spent as much as 70 billion USdollars to build the necessary infrastructure and to spruce up the city to be ready to host the games .Less than a quarter of the bill has been used to build the venue such as the Bird 's Nest stadium.Bloomberg reported today that London is planning to spend only 9 billion pounds to make preparations to host the games in the year 2012!
Again, we too gathered at our friend's house to view the ceremony together . We had our dinner in front of the big screen and it was really fun ! We had two types of roasted ducks, satays , Hokkien noodles of several types and a variety of fruits and chocolates. Somehow, I have not acquired the taste to drink red or white wine. There is no inkling to taste it !
It was indeed an extravagant farewell to the Olympics yesterday. A huge party had wrapped up the greatest sporting show on earth.Fireworks of all shapes and colours exploded over the stadium.I looked with awe two huge drums hoisted into the sky with two pairs of suspended drummers thumping out a hypnotic beat in mid-air. This was followed by thousands of dancers who took the centre stage to form all kinds of motives which fell in beautifully from above.Then there were the high tech entertainers who rode on special circular cycles to glide past the entire stadium.
Britain's eight-minute chance to tell the world what the London Games would offer to the world in 2012 started with the moving in of a red double- decker bus into the Bird's Nest.There was an Indian girl with a football who alighted the bus to be led by a lolipop lady to cross the road using the zebra crossing.She then went up the bus to pass the ball to David Beckham on top of the bus. A grinning Beckham then kicked the ball off the top of the bus into the hands of a delighted Games volunteer.This started the countdown to London 2012 ! The red bus then unfolded into a hedgeclipped silhouette of London and the 91,000 fans were entertained by the chart-topping singer Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page.
All of a sudden ,the tower of memory appeared and thousands of people performed all kinds of quick movement and a number of high flyers with lighted up costumes like that of " Ultraman "
dotted the skies above. The athletes then poured in from all four corners of the stadium blowing kisses and waving flags. Some countries only had the flagbearers around.
In between before the Tower of Memory came up, the Olympic flag was lowered and then passed over from the Mayor of Beijing to the OIC Chairman and then to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.Each of them waved the flag before passing it on to the next. The circular screen around the stadium was lighted up with happenings which went on during the past 17days and when the screen lighting reached the Olympic cauldron, the Olympic flame was extinguished. Everyone will be meeting again for the 30th Olympic Games in London in 2012 !
After the ceremony, we had a long session of chit chatting together before we left our friend's house well past midnight. It was a pleasant night together with good friends!
After 17 Olympian days in Beijing, China finally put up another spectacular ceremony on the night of 24 August. " China is really great ! " said by many foreigners. They love the people, culture, food , cities and would surely visit China again to tour the beautiful and fascinating cities! With this hosting of the 29th Olympic games, China has indeed expedited her new infrastructure implementation and other developments besides creating billions of jobs for her people. She has already spent as much as 70 billion USdollars to build the necessary infrastructure and to spruce up the city to be ready to host the games .Less than a quarter of the bill has been used to build the venue such as the Bird 's Nest stadium.Bloomberg reported today that London is planning to spend only 9 billion pounds to make preparations to host the games in the year 2012!
Again, we too gathered at our friend's house to view the ceremony together . We had our dinner in front of the big screen and it was really fun ! We had two types of roasted ducks, satays , Hokkien noodles of several types and a variety of fruits and chocolates. Somehow, I have not acquired the taste to drink red or white wine. There is no inkling to taste it !
It was indeed an extravagant farewell to the Olympics yesterday. A huge party had wrapped up the greatest sporting show on earth.Fireworks of all shapes and colours exploded over the stadium.I looked with awe two huge drums hoisted into the sky with two pairs of suspended drummers thumping out a hypnotic beat in mid-air. This was followed by thousands of dancers who took the centre stage to form all kinds of motives which fell in beautifully from above.Then there were the high tech entertainers who rode on special circular cycles to glide past the entire stadium.
Britain's eight-minute chance to tell the world what the London Games would offer to the world in 2012 started with the moving in of a red double- decker bus into the Bird's Nest.There was an Indian girl with a football who alighted the bus to be led by a lolipop lady to cross the road using the zebra crossing.She then went up the bus to pass the ball to David Beckham on top of the bus. A grinning Beckham then kicked the ball off the top of the bus into the hands of a delighted Games volunteer.This started the countdown to London 2012 ! The red bus then unfolded into a hedgeclipped silhouette of London and the 91,000 fans were entertained by the chart-topping singer Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page.
All of a sudden ,the tower of memory appeared and thousands of people performed all kinds of quick movement and a number of high flyers with lighted up costumes like that of " Ultraman "
dotted the skies above. The athletes then poured in from all four corners of the stadium blowing kisses and waving flags. Some countries only had the flagbearers around.
In between before the Tower of Memory came up, the Olympic flag was lowered and then passed over from the Mayor of Beijing to the OIC Chairman and then to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.Each of them waved the flag before passing it on to the next. The circular screen around the stadium was lighted up with happenings which went on during the past 17days and when the screen lighting reached the Olympic cauldron, the Olympic flame was extinguished. Everyone will be meeting again for the 30th Olympic Games in London in 2012 !
After the ceremony, we had a long session of chit chatting together before we left our friend's house well past midnight. It was a pleasant night together with good friends!
Knowing more about Lutein (pronounced as loo-teen)
Much emphasis has to be given to our eyes. Lutein has the ability to filter blue light that can produce lesions on the retina.Ultra-violet light and infrared light are generally absorbed by the corneas and lens.The lens in a child's eyes are relatively clear, thus allowing blue light to reach the retina.
Many studies have shown that only 20% of blue light reaches the back of the eye in 60-90-year-olds . In the newborns, the amount of light will increase to as much as 70% to 80%.
Lutein is from the Latin word ' lutea' which means yellow. It is one of the 600 naturally-occurring carotenoids and is found naturally in fruits such as Kiwifruits and vegetables.It is found in the retina of the eye as well as in the lens.
Our bodies cannot produce lutein on its own and we need a good diet of lutein-rich food.These includes
If taken in excessive amounts, for example like 10,000mcg a day, the skin would turn yellowish in a week's time.These days, children are not eating vegetables and this means they are not getting enough lutein! Then the alternative would be to have lutein-rich milk powder.
Much emphasis has to be given to our eyes. Lutein has the ability to filter blue light that can produce lesions on the retina.Ultra-violet light and infrared light are generally absorbed by the corneas and lens.The lens in a child's eyes are relatively clear, thus allowing blue light to reach the retina.
Many studies have shown that only 20% of blue light reaches the back of the eye in 60-90-year-olds . In the newborns, the amount of light will increase to as much as 70% to 80%.
Lutein is from the Latin word ' lutea' which means yellow. It is one of the 600 naturally-occurring carotenoids and is found naturally in fruits such as Kiwifruits and vegetables.It is found in the retina of the eye as well as in the lens.
Our bodies cannot produce lutein on its own and we need a good diet of lutein-rich food.These includes
- Cekur manis (sauropus androgynus) : 100g has 29.913mcg of lutein
- Mengkudu ( morinda citrifolia)
- Wolfberry leaves (lycium Chinese)
- Drumstick leaves ( moringa oleifera )
- Spinach ( red and green ) : 100g has 4,175mcg of lutein
- Curry leaves
- Chickpeas
- Green gram bean
- Chinese mustard leaves
- Green chillies.
If taken in excessive amounts, for example like 10,000mcg a day, the skin would turn yellowish in a week's time.These days, children are not eating vegetables and this means they are not getting enough lutein! Then the alternative would be to have lutein-rich milk powder.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Malaysian Chemistry Festival 2008
IKM has been actively promoting Chemistry and Chemistry Education in Malaysia again !On the first day of the August school holidays,18 August, about 100 students and 20 teachers from schools around KL and PJ and an additional of 14 teachers who were attending the National Science Challenge event were gathered in Petrosains Discovery Centre for discussions and activities about the latest developments in the energy sectors. ' Energy ' was chosen for discussion because the theme of the festival was ' Energy Matters '.
Prior to this,being a member of the organising committee, I had been attending most of the meetings held for this festival in Petrosains.Since I was asked to do something for one of the interactive stations during the earlier meetings, I started to recall all my experiences in my teaching of Chemistry and found that the most suitable thing to share during this session was to make use of my teaching aid called " Redox Analyser " to highlight the oxidation of ethanol, an example of biofuels and an example of application of a chemical reaction in our everyday life. I felt very happy to have involved myself in this role when many interested students crowded around my demonstration table to ask more questions. Luckily , I had my prototype model made out of recycled bottles brought along yesterday. Otherwise, my effort would go to waste because when I first saw my actual model which I parked in the Discovery centre a few weeks ago , one of the quick-fit stoppers was missing and the connecting rubber tubing was cut off from it! What a thing to happen in an office? So, in whatever we do, we have to think of all the possiblilities which can happen and we cannot expect it as it is when we depart with it.There should always be a plan B (alternative plan ) in whatever plan we execute! I must always remember this point!
In the morning, we listened to three informative talks on ' the origins of Petroleum:Biogenic or Abiogenic?',' Biofuel/biodiesel 'and 'Global warming and climate change '. From this segment, I learned that
The exitement of the students came to its height when En NorAzhar of Petrosains demonstrated a Chemistry show. He demonstrated how water poured from the first container disappeared in the second container using baby's diapers, the slimy liquids, colour change from kunyit and basic solution like sodium carbonate , turning white flowers pink , the effects of gas carbon dioxide to shot rockets up and the forceful fountain using coca -cola with another chemical. Everyone was happy and they went home excited with Chemistry after the awarding of certificate ceremony and afternoon tea.
IKM has been actively promoting Chemistry and Chemistry Education in Malaysia again !On the first day of the August school holidays,18 August, about 100 students and 20 teachers from schools around KL and PJ and an additional of 14 teachers who were attending the National Science Challenge event were gathered in Petrosains Discovery Centre for discussions and activities about the latest developments in the energy sectors. ' Energy ' was chosen for discussion because the theme of the festival was ' Energy Matters '.
Prior to this,being a member of the organising committee, I had been attending most of the meetings held for this festival in Petrosains.Since I was asked to do something for one of the interactive stations during the earlier meetings, I started to recall all my experiences in my teaching of Chemistry and found that the most suitable thing to share during this session was to make use of my teaching aid called " Redox Analyser " to highlight the oxidation of ethanol, an example of biofuels and an example of application of a chemical reaction in our everyday life. I felt very happy to have involved myself in this role when many interested students crowded around my demonstration table to ask more questions. Luckily , I had my prototype model made out of recycled bottles brought along yesterday. Otherwise, my effort would go to waste because when I first saw my actual model which I parked in the Discovery centre a few weeks ago , one of the quick-fit stoppers was missing and the connecting rubber tubing was cut off from it! What a thing to happen in an office? So, in whatever we do, we have to think of all the possiblilities which can happen and we cannot expect it as it is when we depart with it.There should always be a plan B (alternative plan ) in whatever plan we execute! I must always remember this point!
In the morning, we listened to three informative talks on ' the origins of Petroleum:Biogenic or Abiogenic?',' Biofuel/biodiesel 'and 'Global warming and climate change '. From this segment, I learned that
- one barrel of oil is equivalent to 160 litres
- our usual theory for the oil formation is the Biogenic theory which stresses on dead organic organisms to be the source of oil
- Ethanol is the biofuel which derives from fermentation of sugars from sugar canes or starchy materials like corn
- Biodiesel is methyl esters formed from transesterification
- Three main areas of the consequences of global warming are sea level rise(so a number of land areas submerge), climate change and ecosystem change
The exitement of the students came to its height when En NorAzhar of Petrosains demonstrated a Chemistry show. He demonstrated how water poured from the first container disappeared in the second container using baby's diapers, the slimy liquids, colour change from kunyit and basic solution like sodium carbonate , turning white flowers pink , the effects of gas carbon dioxide to shot rockets up and the forceful fountain using coca -cola with another chemical. Everyone was happy and they went home excited with Chemistry after the awarding of certificate ceremony and afternoon tea.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The wonders of Kiwifruits
More than a century ago, a teacher named Isabel Fraser returned from a trip to China with some special black seeds. Since then, Kiwifruits have become famous thanks to New Zealand though China is its country of origin . There are three types of Kiwifruits namely the green fleshed variety with hairy skin, the smooth-skinned yellow-fleshed variety and the organically grown ones.The yellow-fleshed ones are sweeter than the green-fleshed ones. I usually peel off the skin before I eat them.Recently, I learned that the correct way to eat them is to halve the fruit and then to eat by dishing out the flesh with a plastic spoon. No wonder, I was once given a yellow plastic spoon when I bought a pack of 6 from the supermarket.
These fruits are super riched in vitamins.One fruit has twice as much vitamin C as an orange and it's also a good source of vitamin E , an antioxidant that helps with heart health. The other added values are summarised below:-
Blood which clots too easily is a known risk factor for cardiovascular or heart disease , as it
contributes to arterial and blood vessel blocking.
Very often, we would also see the name ' Zespri ' on the fruit sticker label.Zespri is the biggest marketer of kiwifruit in the world, selling more than 80 million trays of fruits annually to 60 countries including Malaysia.
More than a century ago, a teacher named Isabel Fraser returned from a trip to China with some special black seeds. Since then, Kiwifruits have become famous thanks to New Zealand though China is its country of origin . There are three types of Kiwifruits namely the green fleshed variety with hairy skin, the smooth-skinned yellow-fleshed variety and the organically grown ones.The yellow-fleshed ones are sweeter than the green-fleshed ones. I usually peel off the skin before I eat them.Recently, I learned that the correct way to eat them is to halve the fruit and then to eat by dishing out the flesh with a plastic spoon. No wonder, I was once given a yellow plastic spoon when I bought a pack of 6 from the supermarket.
These fruits are super riched in vitamins.One fruit has twice as much vitamin C as an orange and it's also a good source of vitamin E , an antioxidant that helps with heart health. The other added values are summarised below:-
- It's a major source of carotenoid called lutein, which helps to keep eyes healthy
- A great source of folic acid, much needed by mums before and during pregnancy
- It's also high in potasium, almost the same level as bananas but only half the calories
- With kiwifruits,we get our daily intake of antioxidants to help fight the cell damage in our body caused by excess free radicals and oxidative stress
- It can help boost functioning of the immune system by warding off the effects of stress, inflammation and attacks from bateria and viruses
- It aids digestion, good "bowel-mover"( so great to eat if you are prone to stomach bloat and constipation )
- It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
Blood which clots too easily is a known risk factor for cardiovascular or heart disease , as it
contributes to arterial and blood vessel blocking.
Very often, we would also see the name ' Zespri ' on the fruit sticker label.Zespri is the biggest marketer of kiwifruit in the world, selling more than 80 million trays of fruits annually to 60 countries including Malaysia.
Fruit Sticker Labels
Fruits are either grown organically,conventionally with pesticides and herbicides or they are genetically engineered . We can get information about fruits by looking at the numbers on the sticker labels which are either numbers with four or five digits. The first digit carries the useful information .
Most conventional fruits labels start with a digit ' 4 '
Organic fruits labels have 5 digits starting with digit ' 9 '
Genetically modified fruits labels start with the digit ' 8 '
Recently, I came across an Australian Navel orange sticker label which carries a number ' 6470 '.
What would be the info from this label ?
I would deduce that it must be a conventionally grown fruit because it does not bear the first digit '8' or '9' . Do you agree?
Fruits are either grown organically,conventionally with pesticides and herbicides or they are genetically engineered . We can get information about fruits by looking at the numbers on the sticker labels which are either numbers with four or five digits. The first digit carries the useful information .
Most conventional fruits labels start with a digit ' 4 '
Organic fruits labels have 5 digits starting with digit ' 9 '
Genetically modified fruits labels start with the digit ' 8 '
Recently, I came across an Australian Navel orange sticker label which carries a number ' 6470 '.
What would be the info from this label ?
I would deduce that it must be a conventionally grown fruit because it does not bear the first digit '8' or '9' . Do you agree?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
'Homework' in its true meaning
On and off , the issue of ' homework ' is often debated . Lately, I was taken aback when it was reported in The Stars that a teacher punished students who did not do homework by asking them to do the work on the floor or standing outside the classroom to complete the undone work ! This is really uncalled for because this is not the way to administer homework. The students must be made to feel good to do homework!
Then there is this practicum teacher from Kedah who narrated how dedicated she is everyday when she plans for her lessons to maximise students' learning and she seemed quite agreeable to teachers punishing students for not doing their homework .She added that homework is unfinished work from her lesson and it is to evaluate her students' understanding. From my observations when I was teaching, I would say that " homework " is usually the section which is the least planned by trainee teachers ! Usually, this so-called homework is just taken from the textbook to give to students to show enough work is done and the exercise books look good.There is actually not much evaluation done by trainee teachers for the day's outcome for the lesson taught when they mark the homework!
I enjoyed my teaching days, interacting with my students and having my colleagues as friends. When there is a problem, especially involving so many students, I would analyse to find out the cause of such problem.I would first ask why students are not doing the homework and not to punish them upfront! On the contrary, I would point the problem to myself because there are so many students not doing my work. The following are the many reasons for students not doing their homework :-
If evaluation is done during the lessons for some days, homework is not necessarily given every week and poor students would he happier to concentrate on revision when the homework quota is much reduced for the week.
With all these factors considered, if the problem still persists, then the last resort would be to award incentives by giving a certain percentage weightage to the homework done for the final grade of the examination. So, there is really no need to punish students and to have teachers to be branded as "hooligans"!
On and off , the issue of ' homework ' is often debated . Lately, I was taken aback when it was reported in The Stars that a teacher punished students who did not do homework by asking them to do the work on the floor or standing outside the classroom to complete the undone work ! This is really uncalled for because this is not the way to administer homework. The students must be made to feel good to do homework!
Then there is this practicum teacher from Kedah who narrated how dedicated she is everyday when she plans for her lessons to maximise students' learning and she seemed quite agreeable to teachers punishing students for not doing their homework .She added that homework is unfinished work from her lesson and it is to evaluate her students' understanding. From my observations when I was teaching, I would say that " homework " is usually the section which is the least planned by trainee teachers ! Usually, this so-called homework is just taken from the textbook to give to students to show enough work is done and the exercise books look good.There is actually not much evaluation done by trainee teachers for the day's outcome for the lesson taught when they mark the homework!
I enjoyed my teaching days, interacting with my students and having my colleagues as friends. When there is a problem, especially involving so many students, I would analyse to find out the cause of such problem.I would first ask why students are not doing the homework and not to punish them upfront! On the contrary, I would point the problem to myself because there are so many students not doing my work. The following are the many reasons for students not doing their homework :-
- Volume of homework given may be too much for students to cope
- Homework given is too ordinary and not challenging
- The work given has no relation to the way concepts are tested in examination
- Teacher's inconsistent marking of the work done
- Students' own personal problems
- Lack of understanding of the teacher's teaching
If evaluation is done during the lessons for some days, homework is not necessarily given every week and poor students would he happier to concentrate on revision when the homework quota is much reduced for the week.
With all these factors considered, if the problem still persists, then the last resort would be to award incentives by giving a certain percentage weightage to the homework done for the final grade of the examination. So, there is really no need to punish students and to have teachers to be branded as "hooligans"!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The World Stood Still For At Least Half An Hour On The Night Of 8 August 2008
At about 7.30pm of 8 August 2008, I was rushing home to be caught in the jam when everyone was making their way home to witness the fantastic, admirable and spectacular opening of the Beijing Olympics at 8.08pm. The car parks in SS2 were for once left deserted!
I missed all the countdown performances but stayed glued to the big screen in a friend's place where we gathered together with our husbands to watch the greatest magical performance so far ! It was fun watching it with some old time friends as we caught up with some recalls of the good old days of our husbands. For almost half an hour, everyone was mesmerised when China put on a stunning display of pageantry and pyrotechnics to open the 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium called the "Bird's Nest" in Beijing.The world practically stood still just to watch this magnificent performance directed by the acclaimed Chinese Movie Director Zhang Yimou.
This dramatic opening ceremony featured a cast of thousands . The ceremony started with the entry of a young pigtailed girl , Lin Miaoke ,dressed in red serenading 91000 people as the national flag was carried into the stadium.I really admired her for her cute appearance , showmanship and confidence. The performances then took the audience through 2000 years of Chinese history! The four great Chinese's inventions of paper, printing, gunpowder and compass were highlighted .We were guessing whether it was the effect of laser or computer tricks until the thousands of performers removed their covers to wave to us at the end of the typesetting movement.
The tiny nine years old boy from Szechuan who saved two others was given the honour to lead China's contingent together with the very tall Yao Ming who carried the nation's flag.
Another eye catching and fantastic feat was the lighting of the fuse which led to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron by Li Ning, a former Gold medallist for gymnastics. He was seen
'walking 'around the roof of the stadium.Some commented that he took too long to walk around before he lighted the fuse.But , I enjoyed seeing him walking with his "shadow " against the screen around the stadium.I later learned that he was not hesitating to light when he was in the proximity of the fuse but was instructed to give time to the broadcasting crews to be ready to capture the historic moment of lighting the cauldron . According to newspaper reports, our hero had to practise as many as 20 times late at nights to keep it a secret and even his wife was not told of the details of his involvement for the opening.
Congratulations to China! The whole world is so proud of you ! We are looking forward to more surprises for the closing ceremony on the 24th!
At about 7.30pm of 8 August 2008, I was rushing home to be caught in the jam when everyone was making their way home to witness the fantastic, admirable and spectacular opening of the Beijing Olympics at 8.08pm. The car parks in SS2 were for once left deserted!
I missed all the countdown performances but stayed glued to the big screen in a friend's place where we gathered together with our husbands to watch the greatest magical performance so far ! It was fun watching it with some old time friends as we caught up with some recalls of the good old days of our husbands. For almost half an hour, everyone was mesmerised when China put on a stunning display of pageantry and pyrotechnics to open the 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium called the "Bird's Nest" in Beijing.The world practically stood still just to watch this magnificent performance directed by the acclaimed Chinese Movie Director Zhang Yimou.
This dramatic opening ceremony featured a cast of thousands . The ceremony started with the entry of a young pigtailed girl , Lin Miaoke ,dressed in red serenading 91000 people as the national flag was carried into the stadium.I really admired her for her cute appearance , showmanship and confidence. The performances then took the audience through 2000 years of Chinese history! The four great Chinese's inventions of paper, printing, gunpowder and compass were highlighted .We were guessing whether it was the effect of laser or computer tricks until the thousands of performers removed their covers to wave to us at the end of the typesetting movement.
The tiny nine years old boy from Szechuan who saved two others was given the honour to lead China's contingent together with the very tall Yao Ming who carried the nation's flag.
Another eye catching and fantastic feat was the lighting of the fuse which led to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron by Li Ning, a former Gold medallist for gymnastics. He was seen
'walking 'around the roof of the stadium.Some commented that he took too long to walk around before he lighted the fuse.But , I enjoyed seeing him walking with his "shadow " against the screen around the stadium.I later learned that he was not hesitating to light when he was in the proximity of the fuse but was instructed to give time to the broadcasting crews to be ready to capture the historic moment of lighting the cauldron . According to newspaper reports, our hero had to practise as many as 20 times late at nights to keep it a secret and even his wife was not told of the details of his involvement for the opening.
Congratulations to China! The whole world is so proud of you ! We are looking forward to more surprises for the closing ceremony on the 24th!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Where are the Beijing Olympic Mascots During The Opening Ceremony?
These mascots are called Fuwa in Chinese and they were nowhere to be seen since the spectacular opening ceremony.Where are they, I wonder?
These mascots carry the messages of friendship , peace and good wishes from China to children all over the world. They embody the natural characters of four of China's most popular animals.They are as follows:-
Bei bei (fish) symbolises the sea(Blue Olympic Ring)
Jing jing (panda) symbolises the forest( Black O Ring)
Ying ying(Tibetan antelope)symbolises the earth(Yellow O Ring)
Ni ni (swallow)symbolises the sky ( Green O Ring )
Huan huan (Olympic flame ) symbolises the fire ( Red O Ring )
With the first syllable of the mascots' names , it can be read as " Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni " ,the Chinese way of saying "Welcome To Beijing " . These 5 syllables carry with them Prosperity, Happiness, Passion, Health and Good Luck.
These mascots are called Fuwa in Chinese and they were nowhere to be seen since the spectacular opening ceremony.Where are they, I wonder?
These mascots carry the messages of friendship , peace and good wishes from China to children all over the world. They embody the natural characters of four of China's most popular animals.They are as follows:-
Bei bei (fish) symbolises the sea(Blue Olympic Ring)
Jing jing (panda) symbolises the forest( Black O Ring)
Ying ying(Tibetan antelope)symbolises the earth(Yellow O Ring)
Ni ni (swallow)symbolises the sky ( Green O Ring )
Huan huan (Olympic flame ) symbolises the fire ( Red O Ring )
With the first syllable of the mascots' names , it can be read as " Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni " ,the Chinese way of saying "Welcome To Beijing " . These 5 syllables carry with them Prosperity, Happiness, Passion, Health and Good Luck.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Matryoshka dolls
Reading about an advertisement on Matryoshka chairs reminds me of the Russian Matryoshka dolls.These chairs go by the same name and are the stackable four-in-one series of papa, mama and two baby chairs.
I was in Sergiev Posad last year and this tiny village about an hour or more away from Moscow by coach is an area notable for Matryoshka dolls and famous for the monastery and nature. All visitors cannot resist buying these dolls and other wooden wares such as whistles, combs , cutleries etc at a price very reasonable and cheap compared to other places in the city.
" Matryoshka " is pronounced as ma-TRYOSH-ka where YO is pronounced as a hard "o".
"Matryoshka" is a derivative of the Russian female first name " matryona" which is traditionally associated with a fat, robust Russian woman.
This set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other can have as many as 100 nested figures ending up in a baby that does not open.These figures are cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom. These dolls have no hands and the painting on them can be extremely elaborate.The theme for the painting ranges from pleasant girls in traditional dresses to anything from fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders.Such souvenirs are symbolic of Russia. So what are our symbolic sourvenirs ? Are they the pewterwares or the batik
ones?
Reading about an advertisement on Matryoshka chairs reminds me of the Russian Matryoshka dolls.These chairs go by the same name and are the stackable four-in-one series of papa, mama and two baby chairs.
I was in Sergiev Posad last year and this tiny village about an hour or more away from Moscow by coach is an area notable for Matryoshka dolls and famous for the monastery and nature. All visitors cannot resist buying these dolls and other wooden wares such as whistles, combs , cutleries etc at a price very reasonable and cheap compared to other places in the city.
" Matryoshka " is pronounced as ma-TRYOSH-ka where YO is pronounced as a hard "o".
"Matryoshka" is a derivative of the Russian female first name " matryona" which is traditionally associated with a fat, robust Russian woman.
This set of dolls of decreasing sizes placed one inside the other can have as many as 100 nested figures ending up in a baby that does not open.These figures are cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom. These dolls have no hands and the painting on them can be extremely elaborate.The theme for the painting ranges from pleasant girls in traditional dresses to anything from fairy tale characters to Soviet leaders.Such souvenirs are symbolic of Russia. So what are our symbolic sourvenirs ? Are they the pewterwares or the batik
ones?
Friday, August 1, 2008
Science as a unifying factor !
So much emphasis is placed on the teaching of Mathematics and Sciences in English but many fail to realise that many activities can be more effectively carried out to encourage and further fostering the closeness and real integration of all students across board.The call for RIMUP (Rancangan Integrasi Murid Untuk Perpaduan) should blend in many Science activities to meet its objectives.
The recent international competitions such as the 39th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Moscow in July 2007 and the 40th IChO held in Budapest, Hungary this year are very good examples of the effectiveness of such activities. Students from all over the world who gathered from 68 countries could actively participate in a friendly and enjoyable manner to interact academically through 5 hours of Theoretical Chemistry and 5 hours of Practical Chemistry. Though there is a language difference, they could communicate through the common Science language when the problems were explained. The hosts could arbitrate over the scores of the individual students without having to know everyone’s language! So marvelous is the Science language and it is indeed a good unifying tool!
Besides this,there are so much happenings about Science in our beloved country who had newly celebrated her 50th Aniversary of her independence.More than 1500 participants from all over the world had gathered in PWTC Kuala Lumpur last year to participate in the 12th Asian Chemical Congress and this included a number of prominent scientists in the World. We were the host for the 27 Asian Chemical Societies who attended this biennial activity. Among them, we had a Nobel Laureate Professor F Sherwood Rowland from the
Furthermore, our students’ achievements in the international arena too are not highlighted . Nobody knows that they have gone that far and when they are back, their achievements are not made known. Malaysian students should know the benchmark for achievement before they go on achieving more excellence. How many would know that we had obtained three bronzes for each of the two successive years when we had participated in the International Chemistry Olympiads in Korea and Moscow.These attempts are our first and second attempts only.Nobody too knows the silent heroes who had trained these students and without their involvement how could our less than 20 years old students answer questions of Third Year University standards?
I sincerely hope that the various authorities concerned would seriously look into these areas to ensure that all the objectives of Wawasan 2020 are met with and the bottom line is Malaysia excel in the various international platforms.
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