ever listen to certain songs n be reminded of things that happened which can b related to them? like usually when a boy-band song comes on the radio, we'll b reminded ov the late 90s? ahah..
here r some songs that reminded me of certain happenings, be it a happy, sad, or just a memory:
"stay" by lisa loeb - one rainy nyte when i was in 3rd grade n my brothers n sisters all gathered
in my room, trying to transcribe the lyrics to that song (dont ask me why)
"what i've done" by linkin park - idan n me in the car, back from melaka n caught in a
fairly stupid traffic jam bcoz of jomheboh
"hysteria" by muse - my roommates in KMS...bcoz we swore to secrecy, i cannot write down
the events of this song...huhuhu
"how to save a life" by the fray - NAP 2007...the best month spent with u guys...(also "berdua
lebih baik" by acha)
"mungkin nanti" by peterpan - terminal 1. him. enuf said.
u noe wat? im not gud at this.
i'l continue when im feelin a bit better.
hehe.
~peace~
Tuesday, December 25
Thursday, November 22
from a fren called denot
bored?
"Hari Raya Machang"
"David Blaine (parody)" Pt 1
"David Blaine (parody)" Pt 2
thank u denot for these wonderful funny sengal videos~(that is his guitar btw...maybe he'd like 2 remain anonymous rite now...
any comments sile rujuk kpd dia..huhu)
Friday, November 9
Candid Camera
It's not really candid, we were setting up for it actually.
A few days before Raya, we went back to our kampung to make rendang and help out a bit. While we were having fun playing with fire, I realized the setting is perfect to go with the story I wrote. So, my sister and I located Grandma's mortar & pestle, pretended to pound something in it (it's empty! pandai x kitorang belakon), pulled a dulang of coconut shells into view (the shells are used to build the rendang's fire) and searched for the nicest angle for the picture. After setting the camera to black & white and made a few shots in sepia, I settled on this one for my story.
Worth the effort. I really like it.
^_^
^_^
Monday, October 8
Putting Shoes On. sdrawkcaB.
Different cultures make impacts everywhere.
I'm not talking about our own multi-racial nation which results in many cultural jokes/views/manners/etc everyday, I'm talking about transoceanic cultures.
My roommate is a Japanese girl. She came to USM for a month last February with a group of her Uni-mates for Program Intensif Bahasa dan Budaya Melayu, an annual program organized by Pusat Bahasa USM. We started being friends there, and now she came back here starting September to study intensive English. With a bit of effort here and there, we succeeded in becoming roommates. We overcame the language barrier easily, as she's a fast learner and have a fairly good command of the English language, and I learned Japanese language as my minor. And so, we lived happily ever after.
Until one day, I came back from class and found out something amiss at the front door. It took
me a while to realize all our shoes and slippers are arranged backwards, with the backs pointing towards the door. I grinned to myself as I suddenly remembered that Japanese culture requires
you to arrange your shoes that way, whenever you enter a room/house.
Since that day, I began paying attention to our different cultures and habits, such as Mari-chan likes to shower right before bedtime (which I now have followed) and the way she uses a knife (which always points the blade inwards, towards the user) and other seemingly trivial stuff but amuses me nonetheless.
Above all, we're still great friends, and this proves that you don't have to be the same to get along. We celebrate our differences, and that's what glues us together.
~iLiE-chan~
I'm not talking about our own multi-racial nation which results in many cultural jokes/views/manners/etc everyday, I'm talking about transoceanic cultures.
My roommate is a Japanese girl. She came to USM for a month last February with a group of her Uni-mates for Program Intensif Bahasa dan Budaya Melayu, an annual program organized by Pusat Bahasa USM. We started being friends there, and now she came back here starting September to study intensive English. With a bit of effort here and there, we succeeded in becoming roommates. We overcame the language barrier easily, as she's a fast learner and have a fairly good command of the English language, and I learned Japanese language as my minor. And so, we lived happily ever after.
Until one day, I came back from class and found out something amiss at the front door. It took
me a while to realize all our shoes and slippers are arranged backwards, with the backs pointing towards the door. I grinned to myself as I suddenly remembered that Japanese culture requires
you to arrange your shoes that way, whenever you enter a room/house.
Since that day, I began paying attention to our different cultures and habits, such as Mari-chan likes to shower right before bedtime (which I now have followed) and the way she uses a knife (which always points the blade inwards, towards the user) and other seemingly trivial stuff but amuses me nonetheless.
Above all, we're still great friends, and this proves that you don't have to be the same to get along. We celebrate our differences, and that's what glues us together.
~iLiE-chan~
bloopers!
You know, some people have been asking me what is the meaning of Sofia @ Piah's last line in
my story. Well. When readers don't get what you mean, that's one of the first signs of a
terrrrible writer. Hmm...forgive me, saye budak baru belajar~~
So here goes. The line "Opah, it seems like we can't have one without the other,"
refers back to Opah's dialogue when she said "I don't have to have another appliance when I
already have one."
Obviously, it also refers to the fact that you can't use the mortar without the pestle, and you
can't use the blender without electricity, hence the title of my story (I changed it banyak
kali..huhu...finally I used Alia's idea...u came up with a gud one, thanx so much bebeh~)
And, it also means that Sofia can't be what she is today (beautiful, sophisticated, etc) without her
grandmother, be it biologically or sebab Opah dia yang didik dia dari kecik...so that's the
meaning of "you can't have one without the other" according to what I wrote.
Okay, so other bloopers. Why didn't anyone realize I made this mistake? I said Opah was
"rushing to the window" and Sofia followed her, so after that, at the end of the story, I said
"Opah led me inside"...hello?? they ARE inside! hahaa! I know I can make a lot of mistakes but
nobody realizes that, huh? (Except maybe for my Creative Writing lecturer...he can spot a
misspelled word from miles away...let alone a huge mistake like this).
Okay, so I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I promise I'll have many more and I hope I'll
improve my creative writing skills by doing so.
Thanx for all the support!
Thursday, October 4
1st draft, full! Finally!
Blender, Mortar, and Pestle
by Suhaili bt Khalidi
“And her family has all these modern kitchen appliances, you know,” I said loudly, hoping my grandmother would hear. “She never even has to do much in the kitchen, except pouring herself a glass of water.” My younger cousins sat there gawking at me, transfixed by my story about life in the city. “I bet she never even touched a kitchen knife before.” I finished, while slicing onions from a great distance to avoid making my eyes water.
“What are you prattling on about, Piah…have you finished slicing those onions? Hmm…slice them thinner, will you?” My grandmother said, bustling around with big pots and pans that clanged noisily against each other.
“It’s not Piah, it’s Sofia. She still hasn’t got that right,” I muttered, looking down at what I thought was finely sliced onions. To make them thinner, I would need a paper shredder rather than this blunt, wooden-handled knife. I sighed in frustration.
“Opah, don’t you have machines to do all these?” I asked, standing up and stretching. It felt like hours sitting on the cold, hard, cement floor of my grandmother’s old house.
“What machines? This is how I cook since I was your age,” Opah said, her head still buried in the cupboard, searching for something. Finally, she extracted a funny-looking wooden contraption with a star-shaped blade pointing out on one end. She began taking half a coconut and started grating it on the blade.
I looked closely at Opah and imagined what she looked like when she was my age. I tried picturing a younger version of her in one of my outfits. Somehow, the baby-Ts and capri pants refused to take shape and kept being replaced by faded, flower-print baju kurung Kedah and sarong, which suits her better. I focused on her gray, brittle hair pulled tightly into a messy bun. A few tendrils have escaped and framed her wrinkled face. A long time ago, her hair must have been black and sleek, decorated with ribbons and flowers. I touched my own shoulder-length straight hair, adorned with shiny butterfly clips that never failed to attract attention.
The sharp scent of onions is getting to me, so I moved further away from them and sat next to my grandmother.
“Opah, what are you doing?” I asked, as I have never seen anything like it before.
“Grating coconuts. To make santan,” she answered matter-of-factly.
Puzzled, I blurted out, “But…isn’t santan in liquid form?”
Pausing mid-grate, she mumbled something that sounded like “ignorant city-folks” and explained in a condescending tone, “You get santan by adding water to these grated coconuts and squeezing the juice out of them,” she punctuated her words with a final grate and then wipes her hands on her sarong.
Reaching for a mortar, she begins to put in a few chunks of the onions I abandoned and crushes them repeatedly with a pestle. Her face was frowned in determination as she works on getting the pieces crushed just right. I am perplexed by this act of hard work when it could have been effortless. My eyes fell on a blender sitting on top of a wooden cabinet.
“Opah, why don’t you use the blender? It will make things easier,” I offered.
“It won’t come out right,” she replied without looking up.
I scoffed quietly. It doesn’t make any difference to me, I thought. So I took the blender and after washing it, placed a handful of onions inside. Plugging it in, I turned the blender on full blast and it made a loud clanking noise. Oops. I forgot to put in some water. I filled some water from the big kettle on the stove and switched it on again. When I’m done, I got something which resembles a runny tomato puree, so I dumped the whole thing into the sink and repeated the processes again. This time, when I switched it on the blender gives a funny whirring sound, a splutter, and stopped mid-blend. I switched on the power again but nothing happened. Above us, the ceiling fan spun slowly to a stop.
“Oh, the power is out again. Erfan, will you go turn the main switch on?” my grandmother shouted in the direction of the living room. Continuing her onion-crushing, the clanging contacts of the pestle with the mortar seem to mock me with every sound.
She gives me a fleeting look and tries to hide a growing grin on her face. Sometimes I think she is even more childish than I am. She continues to bang away on her ‘traditional blender’ and begins her usual Opah-nagging mode:
“You see, that’s what happens when you belittle your elderly. I don’t need blenders; I’m doing fine just with my trusty old mortar and pestle. I don’t have to have another appliance when I already have one. People nowadays are very lazy and easily dissatisfied,”
Before she can go on and on, I wandered silently out of the kitchen into the spacious living room. The wooden floorboards creaked with every step I take. Outside the old-fashioned window half obscured by hand-tailored curtains, I can see my younger cousins who have escaped outdoors climbing trees and throwing pebbles into a pond. Their laughter rang out among the cricket chirps of the afternoon.
The 19” television set sitting in the corner of my grandmother’s scarcely furnished living room seems so out of place, almost as if it’s unhappy living in a house that lacks technology. Pak Ngah Amid bought the television for Opah two months ago, and judging by the thick film of dust gathering on top of it, I’m sure it has never been used. I was searching for the remote control when I heard Opah yelling at the younger kids not to take her pestle. Pestle? Why would anyone want to take that heavy stone?
Opah rushed past me to the window and I joined her, just in time to see my mischievous cousins climbing the highest tree and throwing an oblong shaped stone with a round end into the pond. Opah’s pestle made the biggest splash, much to their amusement.
I craned my neck to steal a look into the kitchen, where I saw the mortar located among half-chopped onions Рwithout the pestle. Lumps of ingredients are still in it, waiting to be crushed before being saut̩ed in the frying pan.
Hah! I thought, the perfect timing to take revenge!
I looked up at my grandmother to hit her with my best shot, only to find a frail-looking old woman with an expression similar to a child having her toy taken away.
The sarcastic remark died in my throat. Suddenly, I feel so guilty at not understanding what it is like for her, about not being able to bridge the gap between two very different generations. To make things better, I grinned and hugged my grandmother.
“Opah, it seems like we can’t have one without the other.”
She smiled back at me at the depth of my words and led me inside, presumably to let me show her how to use the blender.
(1179 words)
Wednesday, October 3
Consecutive Interpreting---Final Exam
10 minutes of torture: the most suitable description for it.
I had my final test for consecutive interpreting yesterday. Other students who don't take translation & interpreting don't know what it's like for us. I don't even know what it's like, when I first heard about this course. I used to think it's going to be easy, and I'll breeze through it. I mean, is it so hard to translate? Everyone can do it, right? WRONG. I can only say that right now, I know better.
People don't really understand why I'm so nervous about the test. Some even say it's easy. "What? 10 minutes only meh? Easy loh...Better that kind of test than writing2 one."
What they don't know is, in written tests, you are allowed to think. You are allowed to form thoughts in your head for more than 2 seconds. You are allowed to skip a question and come back to it later. You can even study for it!
For interpreting tests, my lecturer just gave mere keywords as clues: Bush, Blair, Ahmadinejad, Palestinian and Iraqi issues. There. We don't have textbooks. We never did. Try studying those, among the millions of information from the Net and newspapers and magazines. Entering the recording booth or exam room (torture chamber, we call it) we are immediately graded on professionalism (appearance [from head to toe], attire, manners [the way we sit]...body odours and bad breath are OUT, and we can't even cough or sneeze! Sometimes I felt like I cease breathing altogether). While interpreting, we are also graded on fluency (voice clarity, no "um.." and "uh..." fillers, no long pauses or hesitations, grammar) which means we have to listen to what they say, immediately after they finished about 2 or 3 sentences, convey the same message in the other language. And, we are graded on the content (whether we managed to get all the information given).
So...is it still an easy 10 minutes? You tell me.
I had my final test for consecutive interpreting yesterday. Other students who don't take translation & interpreting don't know what it's like for us. I don't even know what it's like, when I first heard about this course. I used to think it's going to be easy, and I'll breeze through it. I mean, is it so hard to translate? Everyone can do it, right? WRONG. I can only say that right now, I know better.
People don't really understand why I'm so nervous about the test. Some even say it's easy. "What? 10 minutes only meh? Easy loh...Better that kind of test than writing2 one."
What they don't know is, in written tests, you are allowed to think. You are allowed to form thoughts in your head for more than 2 seconds. You are allowed to skip a question and come back to it later. You can even study for it!
For interpreting tests, my lecturer just gave mere keywords as clues: Bush, Blair, Ahmadinejad, Palestinian and Iraqi issues. There. We don't have textbooks. We never did. Try studying those, among the millions of information from the Net and newspapers and magazines. Entering the recording booth or exam room (torture chamber, we call it) we are immediately graded on professionalism (appearance [from head to toe], attire, manners [the way we sit]...body odours and bad breath are OUT, and we can't even cough or sneeze! Sometimes I felt like I cease breathing altogether). While interpreting, we are also graded on fluency (voice clarity, no "um.." and "uh..." fillers, no long pauses or hesitations, grammar) which means we have to listen to what they say, immediately after they finished about 2 or 3 sentences, convey the same message in the other language. And, we are graded on the content (whether we managed to get all the information given).
So...is it still an easy 10 minutes? You tell me.
Saturday, September 29
je ne sais quoi, mon amis
Making friends.
Sounds easy, as if you can conjure your own friends out of thin air and mould them the way you want them to be. But of course it's not like that.
Throughout life, I made friends everywhere: at school, at home,summer camps... Sometimes it's easy, sometimes I am too shy or too choosy, but at the end of the day, I have this wonderful group of friends that I wouldn't trade for the world.
I have always wondered how friends are made. Not with sugar, spice, and everything nice, obviously. Maybe there's a certain je ne sais quoi about the person which made you click with them instantly, or gradually, depending on the situation.
I used to have this wonderful friend, whom I've known for a long time and we understand each other better than anyone else in this world. We were always together, which sometimes prevented me from hanging out with others for fear of my friend feeling neglected. We stayed together until the time comes for us to go our own separate ways. Never before have I felt sooo miserable at losing a friend, but nothing could be done. So for the past few months I learnt to accept it.
Tears of loss were replaced by joyous laughter when other friends, whom I've ignored all this while for the sake of my Numero Uno Amigo, came into my life and decided to stay. Wonderful times lie ahead with this new circle of friends, and I am grateful for this.
I've learnt that sometimes rubies are lost to make way for diamonds.
Tuesday, September 25
Peach Blossom Luck
Peach blossom luck is a story, which has "karma" written all over it.
I never thought it would end that way, although if i did think thoroughly,it does seem inevitable. "Dou fa wan", in Cantonese, means peach blossom luck. In other words, it's the playboy luck. In this story, Connie and her friend went to meet a fortune-teller to help her with a problem. Her husband cheated on her and wants to marry a younger woman. Distressed, Connie went to this fortune-teller who told her about her husband being born with the peach blossom luck. He also stated that her husband will have women coming and going in his life, but he will encounter serious relationship for three times. A desperate Connie wants this luck to change, implying that it's unfair for her husband to want to divorce her and remarry. The wise fortune-teller then delivered his line which made the perfect ending for this story: "Didn't your husband divorce his first wife to marry you?"
:) Although it is unfair for Connie, she was once in the same situation as the new woman is now. What goes around, comes around.
However, I have my own view of this situation. It IS unfair for the guy to be born with the dou fa wan, as he never experienced being heartbroken.
Well, maybe the tables will turn on him this time. Who knows? Karma has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it~~~
Well, maybe the tables will turn on him this time. Who knows? Karma has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it~~~
Wednesday, September 19
it's been a year!
What??
It's been approx. a year since I last posted anything here...
If it weren't for this Creative Writing class, maybe this blog will gather dust and be full of cobwebs...
(haha..tipulah tu)
So, It's time to type again. I promise I'll do a good job this time.
(to my friends-->blog ni mmg kne tulis ngan proper English, sbb utk klas English kan..huhu..bear with it, ok? jgn ngamuk lak~~)
So here we go...the re-launching of my blog site! Yeay
urs truly,
~~Suhaili~~
It's been approx. a year since I last posted anything here...
If it weren't for this Creative Writing class, maybe this blog will gather dust and be full of cobwebs...
(haha..tipulah tu)
So, It's time to type again. I promise I'll do a good job this time.
(to my friends-->blog ni mmg kne tulis ngan proper English, sbb utk klas English kan..huhu..bear with it, ok? jgn ngamuk lak~~)
So here we go...the re-launching of my blog site! Yeay
urs truly,
~~Suhaili~~
Monday, October 30
HAPPY LOVE SONG !
Happy Love Song
I will never forget how we met that day
And I will always cherish it
The moment that we spent together was too short
And I wish the time can be stopped
Even in the falling rain or blazing sun
I will always be with you
The moment that we spent together was too short
And I wish the time can be stopped
Your angel face can make my gray sky blue
And I can’t deny that your smile makes my world
I can’t take my eyes and heart away from you
And it’s true
This is the song our group created during the early morning in class when everyone’s still sleepy.
(my group members: Tirawud, Swee Leong, Kok Loon, u guys r de greatest! evn tho im de only gurl stuck with the guys, all of u hv been very great teammates. Thanx sooo much!)
The title basically explains everything about the song, so just sing it according to the tunes of “Rhythm of the Falling Rain” with a slight modification.
(Rhythm of the Falling Rain tu lagu iklan chewing gum, igt x? cute je lagu tuh)
Enjoy!
I will never forget how we met that day
And I will always cherish it
The moment that we spent together was too short
And I wish the time can be stopped
Even in the falling rain or blazing sun
I will always be with you
The moment that we spent together was too short
And I wish the time can be stopped
Your angel face can make my gray sky blue
And I can’t deny that your smile makes my world
I can’t take my eyes and heart away from you
And it’s true
This is the song our group created during the early morning in class when everyone’s still sleepy.
(my group members: Tirawud, Swee Leong, Kok Loon, u guys r de greatest! evn tho im de only gurl stuck with the guys, all of u hv been very great teammates. Thanx sooo much!)
The title basically explains everything about the song, so just sing it according to the tunes of “Rhythm of the Falling Rain” with a slight modification.
(Rhythm of the Falling Rain tu lagu iklan chewing gum, igt x? cute je lagu tuh)
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 29
That's a wrap!
This final blog for our LHP 459 class is meant to wrap up what we have learned throughout our four-month ordeal of studying. Having much to say, I don’t know where to begin. What I can say is I have been putting off this blog assignment until the last possible minute due to a common disease called laziness.
I remember my first day being in this class. It was 8am and I’m still not fully awake at that time. I didn’t know we were required to speak out a lot in this class so I made a point of saying that my strength lies in writing, not speaking. My statement goes unheard and we still did a lot of talking anyway. Gradually, I learnt that for me public speaking is best done when you are neither very well-prepared nor unprepared. Speaking spontaneously when you have the points in your head and elaborating it as you go along, I found that not so much different from writing. Of course, in writing you can always correct your mistakes but in speaking its like writing with a felt-tip pen and you have to be careful not to misspell anything because you can’t erase it. Okay, bad analogy but that’s how it is and what makes it more interesting. So we learned to speak spontaneously in this class to give our own views and opinions and do many successful group discussions in an orderly way.
Furthermore, by encouraging students to make our voices heard and make our presence felt, we now have more courage to do so and it will not be a problem to us in the long run. I’ve known some of my classmates who are really shy and never spoken in other classes before, but being in this class brings out the best in them. Participation in class, agreeing, disagreeing, and sometimes arguing over a topic makes us feel more confident to express our views because nothing we say seems to be wrong.
In the end, I can say this class has a lot to offer, what with interpreting any kinds of situations and learning to accept many different opinions and views. It is important for those who want to learn and understand more about everyday happenings, and I suggest they join this class to obtain what we have experienced.
I remember my first day being in this class. It was 8am and I’m still not fully awake at that time. I didn’t know we were required to speak out a lot in this class so I made a point of saying that my strength lies in writing, not speaking. My statement goes unheard and we still did a lot of talking anyway. Gradually, I learnt that for me public speaking is best done when you are neither very well-prepared nor unprepared. Speaking spontaneously when you have the points in your head and elaborating it as you go along, I found that not so much different from writing. Of course, in writing you can always correct your mistakes but in speaking its like writing with a felt-tip pen and you have to be careful not to misspell anything because you can’t erase it. Okay, bad analogy but that’s how it is and what makes it more interesting. So we learned to speak spontaneously in this class to give our own views and opinions and do many successful group discussions in an orderly way.
Furthermore, by encouraging students to make our voices heard and make our presence felt, we now have more courage to do so and it will not be a problem to us in the long run. I’ve known some of my classmates who are really shy and never spoken in other classes before, but being in this class brings out the best in them. Participation in class, agreeing, disagreeing, and sometimes arguing over a topic makes us feel more confident to express our views because nothing we say seems to be wrong.
In the end, I can say this class has a lot to offer, what with interpreting any kinds of situations and learning to accept many different opinions and views. It is important for those who want to learn and understand more about everyday happenings, and I suggest they join this class to obtain what we have experienced.
Tears in Heaven
Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
would you know my name
If i saw you in heaven
Would you feel the same
If i saw you in heaven
I must be strong and carry on
'cause i know i don't belong here in heaven...
Would you hold my hand
If i saw you in heaven
Would you help me stand
If i saw you in heaven
I'll find my way through night and day
'cause i know i just can't stay here in heaven...
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please...begging please
Beyond the door there's peace i'm sure
And i know there'll be no more tears in heaven...
Would you know my name
If i saw you in heaven
Would you feel the same
If i saw you in heaven
I must be strong and carry on
'cause i know i don't belong here in heaven...
* * *
Our group chose this song because to us, it is meaningful and Eric Clapton’s guitar chords never cease to fascinate his audience. We understand he wrote this song after the death of his son, so it has a sentimental meaning for him and everyone who has lost someone they love.
The first stanza expresses his fear of not being recognized by the person he lost and that he has to continue living his life because they don’t belong in the same place anymore.
The second stanza is similar in meaning to the first stanza but it is conveyed in a slightly different way. The next stanza explains that while continuing to live, you can feel sadness and sorrow until it became uncontrollable, and makes you want to beg for the sadness to stop. After that he assures himself by saying that the one he lost is now in a safe and beautiful place and he will never be sad there.
Overall, this is a nice song to listen to, and it makes us appreciate what we have while we still can and accept fate as it is.
would you know my name
If i saw you in heaven
Would you feel the same
If i saw you in heaven
I must be strong and carry on
'cause i know i don't belong here in heaven...
Would you hold my hand
If i saw you in heaven
Would you help me stand
If i saw you in heaven
I'll find my way through night and day
'cause i know i just can't stay here in heaven...
Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please...begging please
Beyond the door there's peace i'm sure
And i know there'll be no more tears in heaven...
Would you know my name
If i saw you in heaven
Would you feel the same
If i saw you in heaven
I must be strong and carry on
'cause i know i don't belong here in heaven...
* * *
Our group chose this song because to us, it is meaningful and Eric Clapton’s guitar chords never cease to fascinate his audience. We understand he wrote this song after the death of his son, so it has a sentimental meaning for him and everyone who has lost someone they love.
The first stanza expresses his fear of not being recognized by the person he lost and that he has to continue living his life because they don’t belong in the same place anymore.
The second stanza is similar in meaning to the first stanza but it is conveyed in a slightly different way. The next stanza explains that while continuing to live, you can feel sadness and sorrow until it became uncontrollable, and makes you want to beg for the sadness to stop. After that he assures himself by saying that the one he lost is now in a safe and beautiful place and he will never be sad there.
Overall, this is a nice song to listen to, and it makes us appreciate what we have while we still can and accept fate as it is.
Soft Skills
I have to admit; when I flip through the newspaper I only select few articles that I would like to read. That’s why when our lecturer mentioned ‘soft skills’ in class, I gaped at him as if he was speaking in a different language. After asking around and actually reading the articles concerning this matter, I obtained better understanding of the topic.
Soft skills are actually the skills that are not taught in textbooks but are equally important in our post-student life, specifically during our pursuit of a career or our working life. It includes social skills, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, and lots more. When it is put that way, it is easier to understand.
After class discussions, we agreed that a number of students still lack these skills. When we try to analyze this problem, surely we have to find the cause of it but it will just be a long, endless list and I’m not interested in blaming anybody. So, we can just focus on how to improve the students’ soft skills.
I believe that knowledge still surpass all other skills so the first thing is to be knowledgeable, which is opposed to ignorant. Daily newspapers are to be read, and read the real news where you can benefit from it. Read a lot of books, for they will never fail to teach you something. Don’t hate your subjects in school. I used to hate history, but you’ll be amazed at how much it affects our life now. When talking about the constitution or historic events, I seem to miss out a lot on the matter. Even math, which just seems to be a bunch of numbers thrown together, are not just a bunch of numbers anymore when you’re actually working in the field that requires the skill. So that’s just a couple of examples about the importance of knowledge.
Communication skills can be acquired everywhere, excluding the time when you’re sleeping or in the bathroom (unless you want to bring your cell phone there). Speak, chat, talk with everybody and you will learn that with different people, different manners of speaking are required. This is actually a very good lesson so that you will know when to be formal or informal with the right people. If you are still stuck, go to seminars on public speaking or go purchase one of the many motivational books on communication skills. That should help.
Working alone is good, because you can get the job done the way you want it to. But what happens when you need to work with people? That’s where the leadership and teamwork skills come to use. Working in groups, team-building and that sort of activities requires skills so that everyone can benefit from it. For example, if you are a leader, you have to make sure everyone is involved and nobody is left out. Teamwork obliges you to be responsible for your duty and to help others in need. All of these skills are within us, it’s just up to us when and where to use it.
Those are some of the examples of how to improve soft skills among students. Learning is a life-long act, so we still have time to improve ourselves and learning something new everyday.
Soft skills are actually the skills that are not taught in textbooks but are equally important in our post-student life, specifically during our pursuit of a career or our working life. It includes social skills, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, and lots more. When it is put that way, it is easier to understand.
After class discussions, we agreed that a number of students still lack these skills. When we try to analyze this problem, surely we have to find the cause of it but it will just be a long, endless list and I’m not interested in blaming anybody. So, we can just focus on how to improve the students’ soft skills.
I believe that knowledge still surpass all other skills so the first thing is to be knowledgeable, which is opposed to ignorant. Daily newspapers are to be read, and read the real news where you can benefit from it. Read a lot of books, for they will never fail to teach you something. Don’t hate your subjects in school. I used to hate history, but you’ll be amazed at how much it affects our life now. When talking about the constitution or historic events, I seem to miss out a lot on the matter. Even math, which just seems to be a bunch of numbers thrown together, are not just a bunch of numbers anymore when you’re actually working in the field that requires the skill. So that’s just a couple of examples about the importance of knowledge.
Communication skills can be acquired everywhere, excluding the time when you’re sleeping or in the bathroom (unless you want to bring your cell phone there). Speak, chat, talk with everybody and you will learn that with different people, different manners of speaking are required. This is actually a very good lesson so that you will know when to be formal or informal with the right people. If you are still stuck, go to seminars on public speaking or go purchase one of the many motivational books on communication skills. That should help.
Working alone is good, because you can get the job done the way you want it to. But what happens when you need to work with people? That’s where the leadership and teamwork skills come to use. Working in groups, team-building and that sort of activities requires skills so that everyone can benefit from it. For example, if you are a leader, you have to make sure everyone is involved and nobody is left out. Teamwork obliges you to be responsible for your duty and to help others in need. All of these skills are within us, it’s just up to us when and where to use it.
Those are some of the examples of how to improve soft skills among students. Learning is a life-long act, so we still have time to improve ourselves and learning something new everyday.
Monday, September 11
More on astronauts...
Hey!! I was reading Utusan online and I came across this article on astronauts (I'm not giving up, hehe), and I took an excerpt to show MORE reasons why they are going into space. I never knew how Muslims perform solat in space, and the astronaut is going to find out. It also explains the reason why the cost is so expensive. This article is from Utusan Malaysia dated 6th September 2006, in the Rencana section. Enjoy.
Penghantaran angkasawan ini ke angkasa lepas nanti bukan sekadar membawa
nama negara tetapi juga budaya Malaysia.
Antaranya makanan kegemaran rakyat
negara ini seperti roti canai, sate, teh tarik dan durian turut akan dibawa ke
angkasa lepas.
Institut Penyelidikan dan Kemajuan Pertanian Malaysia (MARDI)
kini giat mencari kaedah untuk menyesuaikan keempat-empat makanan itu dengan
keadaan mikro graviti yang wujud di angkasa lepas.
Selain itu, penghantaran
angkasawan negara beragama Islam ke ISS juga diharap dapat meneroka cara tepat
untuk menunaikan solat di angkasa lepas.
Penghantaran angkasawan pertama
negara dengan kos RM95 juta merupakan sebahagian daripada program mengimbangi
pemerolehan 18 jet pejuang Sukhoi SU-30 MKM dari Rusia yang ditandatangani pada
5 Ogos 2003.
Di bawah program berkenaan, angkasawan Malaysia tidak akan
semata-mata berperanan sebagai ‘penumpang’ pada misi angkasa lepas tetapi turut
menjalankan eksperimen saintifik di ISS yang terletak 402.34 kilometer dari
permukaan bumi di antara enam hingga lapan hari.
Sebanyak RM18.5 juta (AS$5
juta) diinsuranskan untuk program ulung Malaysia ini bagi melindungi sebarang
tuntutan atau tindakan undang-undang yang mungkin dikenakan ke atas kerajaan
Rusia atau pihak-pihak lain yang terlibat.
Manakala RM3.7 juta (AS$1 juta)
merupakan insurans nyawa bagi angkasawan negara.
Thursday, September 7
Astronauts!!!
In yesterday’s class we were asked about our opinion on astronauts and the space service in Malaysia. Practically the whole class said it is useless and a waste of money, so my blog today is to prove otherwise.
Referring to articles ‘Doctor to be first astronaut’ and ‘Teh tarik in space’ (New Straits Times. September 5, 2006) and ‘HUKM doc says space experience comes before Masters studies’ and ‘Doctors make final cut in astronaut race’ (The Star, September 5, 2006), we can already see that not ordinary people get this once-in-a-lifetime chance, so the first question comes out here: Why do you think it is useless?
Out of 10,000 candidates, only four were left for the elimination round. They are S. Vanajah, a female senior quality engineer at Malaysia’s National Space Agency, Capt. Mohammed Faiz Kamaludin, Malaysia Airlines pilot, Capt. Dr Faiz Khaleed, an army dental surgeon, and the chosen one, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, an orthopaedic doctor in HUKM. Tell me, are they ordinary people? They have amazing careers, and they look presentable in the pictures, their choices of words when answering reporter’s questions reflect their high level of knowledge and wisdom. If you think it is useless, then why do so many people applied for this programme? Why do the short listed candidates are all from the professional fields? Why do the Space Agency director-general and even the Russian ambassador are willing to come to the ceremony?
According to the articles, the final cut was made after MONTHS of stringent training and medical tests. If you think it is useless, then why do they need to train so much? Why do they need so many skills? And yet Malaysians prefer to watch cheesy reality TV shows about singing talent, and put so much emphasize to it rather than appreciating real talent and skills.
Our Prime Minister said these people will make Malaysia proud and put Malaysia on the map, and they also earned a place in our country’s history. Yes, I think so too. In order to be remembered as one of our country’s pride, you have to do something that is significant and not something that anyone can do. Putting this in history is worth it, rather than having 15 minutes of fame by being famous for a while at a certain time and then people will forget about you.
When you say it is useless, do you know the objective of their going into space? Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he wants to absorb the knowledge and experience from this mission into his research. He also plans to conduct orthopaedic studies on the evolution of bone cells in space. He will also undergo a research and development programme, which is one of the emphasized aspects in our RMK 9, including research on cancer and Biotechnology. The science, Technology, and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said that this programme will help make children realize the importance of space science. Unlike my classmates who thought it is just useless and a waste of money...
The selected astronaut will undergo a 12-month training stint in the Yuri Gagarin Aerospace Training Centre, in Star City, Moscow. Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) is the first human in space and the first human to orbit the Earth. In 1961. if it was such a big deal then, why can’t it be a big deal now? When I was a Form 5 student at MRSM Taiping, I remembered our physics teacher showed a movie in lecture entitled October Sky (a 1999 movie), which is about 4 boys having the same dream, which is to build a spaceship and explore the outer space. I like the tagline, which is “Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky’. Jake Gyllenhaal starred in this movie as Homer Hickam, and it is based on a true story. There is a book too, and I think the title is Rocket Boys. The title of the movie is October Sky because the first Sputnik launch was on October 1957, which was what inspired the boys. What I obtained from the movie is, curiosity never leaves you unsatisfied.
Okay, what I’ve been meaning to say is, if we have no idea or no understanding of what other people is doing, then we have no right to judge them harshly. Try to put ourselves in their shoes, if people say what we are doing now is useless and a waste of money, how do you feel? You have been working very hard and suddenly someone came to you and say such things, you must be very angry. So, it is unfair to say that about them. Everyone deserves to do what they want to do. If the government has so much faith in them and willing to provide a large amount of money for them, instead of saying bad things about them, do something to gain people’s faith in what you do so that they will be willing to help you realize your dream.
Malaysians have the habit when somebody does something out of the norm, they will underestimate them. Just because other people are ignorant doesn’t mean that what you are doing is wrong or useless or unsuccessful. Don’t let what people say bring you down.
For those who still think that this space programme is useless and a waste of money, I only have two words for you: Think again.
Referring to articles ‘Doctor to be first astronaut’ and ‘Teh tarik in space’ (New Straits Times. September 5, 2006) and ‘HUKM doc says space experience comes before Masters studies’ and ‘Doctors make final cut in astronaut race’ (The Star, September 5, 2006), we can already see that not ordinary people get this once-in-a-lifetime chance, so the first question comes out here: Why do you think it is useless?
Out of 10,000 candidates, only four were left for the elimination round. They are S. Vanajah, a female senior quality engineer at Malaysia’s National Space Agency, Capt. Mohammed Faiz Kamaludin, Malaysia Airlines pilot, Capt. Dr Faiz Khaleed, an army dental surgeon, and the chosen one, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, an orthopaedic doctor in HUKM. Tell me, are they ordinary people? They have amazing careers, and they look presentable in the pictures, their choices of words when answering reporter’s questions reflect their high level of knowledge and wisdom. If you think it is useless, then why do so many people applied for this programme? Why do the short listed candidates are all from the professional fields? Why do the Space Agency director-general and even the Russian ambassador are willing to come to the ceremony?
According to the articles, the final cut was made after MONTHS of stringent training and medical tests. If you think it is useless, then why do they need to train so much? Why do they need so many skills? And yet Malaysians prefer to watch cheesy reality TV shows about singing talent, and put so much emphasize to it rather than appreciating real talent and skills.
Our Prime Minister said these people will make Malaysia proud and put Malaysia on the map, and they also earned a place in our country’s history. Yes, I think so too. In order to be remembered as one of our country’s pride, you have to do something that is significant and not something that anyone can do. Putting this in history is worth it, rather than having 15 minutes of fame by being famous for a while at a certain time and then people will forget about you.
When you say it is useless, do you know the objective of their going into space? Dr Sheikh Muszaphar said he wants to absorb the knowledge and experience from this mission into his research. He also plans to conduct orthopaedic studies on the evolution of bone cells in space. He will also undergo a research and development programme, which is one of the emphasized aspects in our RMK 9, including research on cancer and Biotechnology. The science, Technology, and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said that this programme will help make children realize the importance of space science. Unlike my classmates who thought it is just useless and a waste of money...
The selected astronaut will undergo a 12-month training stint in the Yuri Gagarin Aerospace Training Centre, in Star City, Moscow. Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) is the first human in space and the first human to orbit the Earth. In 1961. if it was such a big deal then, why can’t it be a big deal now? When I was a Form 5 student at MRSM Taiping, I remembered our physics teacher showed a movie in lecture entitled October Sky (a 1999 movie), which is about 4 boys having the same dream, which is to build a spaceship and explore the outer space. I like the tagline, which is “Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky’. Jake Gyllenhaal starred in this movie as Homer Hickam, and it is based on a true story. There is a book too, and I think the title is Rocket Boys. The title of the movie is October Sky because the first Sputnik launch was on October 1957, which was what inspired the boys. What I obtained from the movie is, curiosity never leaves you unsatisfied.
Okay, what I’ve been meaning to say is, if we have no idea or no understanding of what other people is doing, then we have no right to judge them harshly. Try to put ourselves in their shoes, if people say what we are doing now is useless and a waste of money, how do you feel? You have been working very hard and suddenly someone came to you and say such things, you must be very angry. So, it is unfair to say that about them. Everyone deserves to do what they want to do. If the government has so much faith in them and willing to provide a large amount of money for them, instead of saying bad things about them, do something to gain people’s faith in what you do so that they will be willing to help you realize your dream.
Malaysians have the habit when somebody does something out of the norm, they will underestimate them. Just because other people are ignorant doesn’t mean that what you are doing is wrong or useless or unsuccessful. Don’t let what people say bring you down.
For those who still think that this space programme is useless and a waste of money, I only have two words for you: Think again.
Tuesday, August 15
Les Choristes (The Chorus)
The title of this blog bears the same title of a movie we saw in class. Yes, it is a French movie which requires us to read the subtitles (as we normally do). A few classes back some of us stated that their problem with English is that they depend too much on the subtitles. Well, so now the subtitles are in English so we have no choice but to depend on them ;)
Basically this movie starts with a phone call about Pierre Morhange's mother's death, which brought him back to his hometown. Pierre is an orchestra conductor and we can see that he has a great passion for music.
After the funeral, an old friend of Pierre named Pepinot came to the house. They started reminiscing about their past, which was at a school for troubled children. According to the narrator, which in this case is Clement Mathieu who worked as a supervisor at the school, the school's name itself reflected the kind of situation he got himself into (Fond de L'Etang – Rock bottom).The director of the school, Monsieur Rachin, uses a harsh disciplinary system to cope with the students' naughty pranks. In my opinion, his 'action-reaction' system which punishes students inhumanely is not necessary and it just might be the reason for the students' never-ending ill behaviour. The hiring of Monsieur Mathieu as the new supervisor changed everything. Sure, the students are just as naughty as before, but he discovered a rare and hidden talent in them, and used it to their own good. Because of his love for music, he conducted a choir with the students as his singers. Many things happened during the period of his teaching, including the entry of a very troubled student, Pascal Mondain, and bad attitudes from the director, and also an unrequited love scene between Mathieu and Violette Morhange. The jokes and witty dialogues add a little more spice to this already cleverly-made movie. The story ends with Mathieu getting fired from the school, but his unselfish effort to help the students made him remembered forever.
At first, I’m not too keen to watch this movie because I don’t really like European movies. American style is different, but I’ve watched Creep (a British film) and Amelie (French) and both of them consist of scenes that might not be suitable for some. I am open-minded and all, but sometimes you just can’t take so much of it. But Amelie’s storyline is original, and I like it. After all, the main actress (Audrey Tautou) has recently been cast as Sophie Neveu in The Da Vinci Code, (my favourite book!) and the movie Amelie won an award, I think. What I noticed in those movies (including The Chorus) is that they are fast-paced and unpredictable, which is good because you need the element of surprise when watching a movie. Believe me, if anyone gave me the spoiler for any movie, I will never watch it. I’ve done this before. ;)
Anyway, back to The Chorus. Basically it is about a teacher who uses a different approach in teaching his students and catching their attention. Mathieu’s character is a good man who does things for others and not hoping for anything in return. I like the way he handles the students and the crazy things they do. His patience and ability to understand people is admirable. Pierre Morhange, even though he is one of the main characters in this story, the focus is not just on him. My favourite character is Pepinot, who first met Mathieu at the school gate, and ends by following him back home. He has waited a long time for a father figure and at last that is what he got. The antagonist in this story is Pascal Mondain, the troubled boy who was wrongly accused of stealing and had his revenge by burning down the school, and Rachin, the unnecessarily-strict director of the school. He even took credit for the choir which he doesn’t like at first, but only did so in front of the Countess. Even so, he has his cute moments when he made paper airplanes and joined the students when they’re playing soccer. I think Mathieu’s ways has softened him up a bit. This movie also shows the family values which is portrayed by Pierre and his mother, Violette. No matter what, blood is thicker than water. Violette only wants what’s good for her child, and even left a man she loves for the sake of Pierre’s education. The boy who can’t sing but has to be the music stand (I think his name is Le Querrec) and Pepinot who doesn’t know any songs but is appointed assistant conductor shows that nobody should be left out in any activities, and Mathieu is very smart in knowing that. What else should I say? It just shows that whatever behaviour the children have, it is just a phase in growing up and they need the right people to set them straight. In the end, Pierre who was one of the naughtiest students in school ends up being successful.
You can also feel every imaginable emotion when watching this movie. Anger, pity, funny, and most of all it is a very touching movie. Cleverly made, and as I said before witty dialogues! (I always have a thing for that). The translation is also very good because all the songs have been translated, at the same time retaining the aesthetic values of the lyrics.
All in all, the movie is very good for everyone, especially for the ones who want to teach, and be taught.
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