It's almost over...

Last night was the last class for this semester.. the last project has been submitted yesterday too. Now, my mind is tuning towards final exam. 11 days from today.

28 October - Applied Telecommunication
2 November - Knowledge Management
4 November - Managerial Economics
6 November - Power System Analysis

Then, I can concentrate on my dissertation.

Today I feel a lot relief than the past 3 weeks... feel like watching movie tonight.. hubby also wants to treat me dinner tonight.. to celebrate the end of 4 consecutive nights per week of classes.. and tomorrow, I'll start to lock myself in the study room everynight until the final exam is over. Dear Allah, please give me strength to go through this, to hold on and to never give up... I'm blessed for this opportunity.

Once I received a forward email from a friend:

Suatu hari Saidatina Fatimah mengadu kepada suaminya Saidina Ali bin Abu Talib tentang kesakitan pada tangannya kerana keletihan menggiling gandum untuk membuat roti. Saidina Ali berkata : "Bapa kamu telah datang membawa balik tawanan perang. Berjumpalah dia dan mintalah seorang khadam untuk membantu mu."

Saidatina Fatimah pergi bertemu bapanya dan menyatakan hasrat untuk mendapatkan seorang khadam bagi membantu tugas hariannya di rumah. Bagaimanapun Rasulullah s.a.w. tidak mampu memenuhi permintaan anak kesayangannya itu. Lalu Baginda s.a.w. pergi menemui puterinya serta menantu itu. Baginda s.a.w. berkata: "Apa kamu berdua mahu aku ajarkan perkara yang lebih baik daripada apa yang kamu minta daripadaku? Apabila kamu berdua berbaring untuk tidur, bertasbihlah (Subhanallah) 33 kali, bertahmid (Alhamdulillah) 33 kali dan bertakbir (Allahuakbar) 33 kali. Ia adalah lebih baik untuk kamu berdua daripada seorang khadam."

Inilah penawar ringkas yang Nabi s.a.w. ajarkan kepada anak dan menantunya bagi meringankan keletihan dan kesusahan hidup mereka berdua. Saidina Ali terus mengulang-ulang kalimah-kalimah Rasulullah.s. a.w. ini. Katanya "Demi Allah aku tidak pernah meninggalkannya semenjak ia diajarkan kepadaku."

From the day I received this email, I never missed an Isyak without citing these... Alhamdulillah it works. The reason I find behind it is, when we are tired, stressed, and feel like giving up, bertasbih will remind us that all the matters that made us feel what we felt are from Allah. When we bertahmid, we thank Allah for all the goods and worse that happen to us that day, and thank Allah for we still able to breath. And we bertakbir to remind us for all that matters (good or worse), we should ask Allah for help, for He is the al-Mighty. Try it, you'll feel the different and to have a better night sleep.

Malaysians Unite For Road Safety 090909

I pledge to not using HANDPHONE while driving and to ALWAYS wear seat-belt.

Let's make a pledge and make a different.
We can do it!

Alumni's Talk

Last night was the first time in my life talking on a stage, in front of 1100 people!
Luckily they are all kanak-kanak hingusan.. hehhehe...
But I think talking to 1000 people is better than talking to 20 people, because you can't really see them. Unlike the 20 people, you really can see their eyes staring at you...

There are 5 of us, me & hubby are the eldest... basically we talked about out experience in Uni and work. It was really an impromptu talks, a forum like.

As usual, after the event, then only all the good ideas come to my. Sigh! I should have given a better advice.

New Toy for New Hobby

this is sewing machine - Epal All-in-one. My mom bought this some several years ago, but never use it. In fact I wonder whether she knows how to use the sewing machine or not. Until she decided to give to my MIL. The machine is so good that you have to learn how to use it, and you need to add some accessories to make full use of it. But my MIL just use it as a normal machine - to make clothes. My bestfriend is addicted into making kid's clothes, that I am now influenced by her. Shame on me, I asked the sewing machine from my MIL...anyway, it is for good cause. She should be proud that finally her menantu yang ganas that rock ini finally is becoming a true mother. I think a complete mother should know how to cook and make clothes for their childrens.

Okay, now I'm going to teach myself how to sew....

1. learn the sewing stuffs' name and their function - needles, bobbins, thread, rulers etc

2. learn type of threading, what they are used for, how to make them on my sewing machine.

3. learn how to take measurement and transfer it onto papers - make design / draft / pola (what do you call that???)

4. learn how to cut cloth

5. learn how to attach the pieces of cloth together and become clothes

6. decorate the clothes! beading works, embroidery (my machine can do this!) etc...

But first of all, I went to Epal center in Puchong, that is the nearest center to my place. I need to send my machine for a good service since it has been tersadai for years... and I need to get some accessories for my new toy.

But my hubby don't trust me at all.. he thinks I'm just hangat2 taik ayam.. but I think sewing is a skill like driving a car, or riding a bicycle... you'll never ever forget it. You can recall the skill when you need to use it. And I need to convince hubby on that because I need to spend another RM650 to make full use of the machine and instill that skill in me. And the machine's cost is more than RM2k which I got for free!

Update Homeschool : Playgroup at Home

Last week was a hectic week for me.. I was being cursed by Wong's family - well, should find another topic to talk about this. It was a nightmare, in fact the cases are not settled yet and I'm still nervous until today, whenever I think about it. And I think about every 5 minutes, even in my sleep!


Nevertheless, last wekeend, at home, I tried not to think about the stress at work and just have fun with my kids. In the middle of my business at work, I still found time to search for free material on the internet for homeschool weekend's activity. Thanks to teachchildrenesl.com for great FREE printed material. I printed a lot of extras too so that they can do again and again.. kids just can't get enough with only one.


That morning, after coming back from our senamrobic routine at Taman Tasik Cempaka (this is a must for mom!), while relaxing at the porch, one of my kids' friend come over - she was playing outside too while her father was doing something on his car. So, I thought about the FREE material that I printed from teachchildrenesl.com, so, I had a brilliant idea - bring out the table and chairs and let the kids have fun with the material! At first, they were 4 of them, later 3 more joint in because it was fun!

One thing that I learn is, kids love to made something and then play with it. Above is the concentration game using pictures of fruit and word. I once bought an expensive memory card but they are not interested to play with it, until every single card is lost from my sight now. But with this rugged material, they love it! an added advantage is that we don't have to worry if they lost them, because we can always print them out again and again - for FREE. And if they lost them, the kids are not at risk to be scolded because the material has no money value, except they are fun to play with!

At this age, the kids love the cutting activity - so I just let them cut the pictures - it doesn't matter if it doesn't look neat or whatsoever - because it is their activity, not us.

I also let the kids to take home the activity that they did at my home. I hope their parents will notice it and let the kids to come to my house every other weekend for more activities. Why did I do this? Because I always wanted to bring my kids to the playgroup organized by a center near my house but they are quite expensive and requires time commitment. But being able to make a playgroup at my home? Hmm... that is so interesting.

So, there goes our home school turn playgroup activity. It doesn't take long, it finished in 1 1/2 hour, then I continue to cook for our family lunch.

Homeschool

My hubby really really against 'homeschool' - the real homeschool,which the kids never go to school but just stay at home. I think most of the parents in M'sia are also, not to say against, but are not confidence enough to homeschool their child because it is not in our culture.

Why did I suddenly talk about this topic?

Ok, I just attended a homeschool chatter at SusuIbu.Com yesterday. It was conducted by Mamafiza from Malaysia Homeschoo Unite . She is young lady with 4 kids (same as me!!) She is work-at-home-mom (WAHM) and she homeschools all her kid.

I might not be able to do the real homeschool - due to lack of confidence and I need my job to survive economically - but the determination shown by Mamafiza has open up my mind. I believe that learning can take place anytime and anywhere. In other word, world is the school - not just home or formal school. As per the homeschool schedule by Mamafiza - visit to outside places - that proves that world is the school. EDUCATION is such a big word - it is suppose to educate a human into somebody that have knowledge, understand & practice the knowledge, able to take care of himself (survice in the real world), and also able to educate himself for the rest of his life - not just learn and know how to answer the exam question but fail in his real life - which in turn will make him a failure throughout his life. Maybe this is what our national school fail to look into. and, this is where home education is required. Sorry, I'd like to use home education because I think homeschool is just misleading, in my context.

I will still send my kids to sekolah kebangsaan (but not sekolah agama rakyat - which I think is too much for a kid to bear a calssroom lesson from dawn till dusk) for them to learn math, language, science, history etc in a structure manner. But home education is a must - untuk membina sahsiah diri, peribadi, attitude, surviving skill, motivation - these are not teach at school nowadays.

The eldest daughter also take music lesson, my son is learning silat (my hubby is jurulatih silat). Both of them are also into sport & game - taught by my hubby. The 2 y'o - I'm still figuring what she likes because she seems to not have her own personality just yet, but just follow her big sis & bro. She doesn't even know which toy she likes except those owned by her big sis & bro! (Is it a problem??)

But I have to thank Malaysia Homeschool United for the inspiration - Now I can say that I am more open with my kids, spending time at home is no more rigid - I try to be more creative, more patience and get them involved with lots of things around the house, try to not miss a daily reading session. And also make a plan ahead for the weekend. I think I am on the right track. :)

BREATHING THERAPY FOR HEADACHE & TIREDNESS

A friend sent me a forwarded email about this breathing therapy. Apparently, my hubby has also taught me to do this in his 'senaman tua' method. But he himself doesn't know why. SO, I think this is a good explanation for the exercise.

Our noses have left and right nostrils. (Who doesn't?)
Are these nostrils having the same function for inhaling/"breathe- in" and exhaling/"breathe- out"? Okay, let's get serious. Actually it's not the same and we can feel the difference. Accordingly, the right side represents the sun/"heat" and the left side represents the moon/"cold".

When having headache, try to close your right nostril and use your left nostril to do breathing for about 5 min. The headache should be gone.
If you feel too tired, do it the opposite way. Close your left nostril and breathe through your right nostril. After a while, you should feel refresh again.
Because the right side belongs to heat, so it gets hot easily. The left side gets cold easily.

Women breath mainly with their left nostril, so they get calm down easily. Men breath mostly with their right nostril, so they get angry easily. (Hmm.. not so sure about this..)

When we wake up, do we notice which nostril breathes faster? Is it the left side or the right side ? If the left nostril breathes faster, you will feel very tired. Close your left nostril and use your right nostril for breathing and you will get refresh quickly. (must try!)

Things Malaysian should know today..

1. Petrol price increased from RM1.92 to RM2.70 (increment of RM0.78) per litre. The market price for petrol in RM3 per litre, which means the Government is still subsidizing RM0.30 per liter. Also means that I experience the incrementof RM80 per month. And the diesel is increased from RM1.58 to RM2.58 (increment of RM1)
2. Government will pay the car's owner (less than 2000cc and truck less than 2500cc) RM625 per year (or RM52 per month) Which also means my nett increment in petrol expenses is about RM28 per month.
3. The Government also pays motorcycle's owner (less than 250cc) RM150 per year
5. The car more than 2000cc will benefit RM200 reduction in road tax and motorcycle more than 250cc will benefit RM50 reduction in road tax.
6. The diesel for subsidized group (fisherman, transporation - vessel & bus) is increased from RM1 - RM1.20 to RM1.43. Plus RM200 per month for vessel and RM0.10 per liter for passenger's boat, also RM0.10 per kg of catchs for fisherman.
7. IPP and POP will be levied over excess profit, as part of their contribution to the nation.
8. The 5% service charge at the restaurant will only applied for restaurant making more than RM3 million per year. Currently the threshold is at RM500,000 (that explains why a normal mamak's restaurant also charge 5% service charge).
9. The electricity tariff will also be increased, effective on 1 July 2008. However, the minimum tariff (less than 200kwh/month) is still maintained at 21.8 sen/kWh. My average electricity consumption is not more than 400kWh/month. Which means I will experience not more than RM11.20 increment per month.

Happy Earth Day!

My resolution for today...

1. No plastic bag - I must bring my own bag when going to groceries'
2. No polystrene (means no "tapau" but dine-in) --err.. should I bring my own container for tapau?
3. I will try to separate my garbage (I must try!) and educate my bibik to do so...heheheh.. I know I have thinking about this since the last few weeks but I have done nothing...:(
4. I want to plant more edible plants.. chilli, vegetables, herbs..etc, which not only helps to provide my oxygen needs but also my stomach needs.

Burning Baghdad

I found an old blog written in 2003 - 2007 by a young Iraqi's lady who survived the war. A book, titled Burning Baghdad, was written based on this blog. I don't know about the book, but I the blog is really interesting that I cannot stop reading.

Stomach Flu

Last Friday, out of no where, I suddenly felt cramp around my stomach, followed by uncomfortable feeling about my body - nausea + loss of appetite + chills + fatigue + gassy filling all over my body. Then, I vomitted after a mild dinner. Then, I started develop a diarrhea. The next day, I felt so tired, so fatigue and I thought I was going to get a fever. I went to see the doctor, she told me I got a very mild fever and prescribed me with a paracetamol and medicine to prevent nausea/vomit and also Vit C.

I felt better today but I still have problem with my 'routine'. The food gets through very quickly and I loss lots of water. I mean, I still have diarrhea. Then, I thought of Stomach Flu.. so, I searched in the web, and I guess I am right. I think I have been infected by one of these virus : rotaviruses, adenoviruses, or Norwalk virus.

The symptoms are:
>>nausea
>>vomiting
>>stomach cramps
>>diarrhea
>>mild fever
>>fatigue
>>chills
>>loss of appetite
>>muscle aches.
The illness may develop over a period of hours, or it may suddenly start with stomach cramps, vomiting, or diarrhea. (I think I have all of these!)

Gastroenteritis is caused by swallowing one of these viruses. The body fluids of infected people contain the virus, sometimes even before their symptoms begin. The virus can be spread by direct contact with an infected person (for example, kissing or shaking hands) or by sharing food, drink, or eating utensils. (I don't know where I picked-up this virus!)

The most important thing to do is to rest the stomach and intestines. You can do this by first eating nothing solid and drinking only clear liquids. A little later you can eat soft bland foods that are easy to digest. If you have been vomiting a lot, it is best to have only small, frequent sips of liquids. If water is the only liquid you can drink without vomiting, that is okay. However, if you have been vomiting often for a long time, you must replace the minerals, sodium and potassium, that are lost when you vomit. Other clear liquids you can drink are weak tea and apple juice. You may also drink soft drinks without caffeine (such as 7-UP) after letting them go flat (lose their carbonation). Chilling the liquids may help you keep them down. Avoid liquids that are acidic (such as orange juice) or caffeinated (such as coffee) or have a lot of carbonation. Do not drink milk until you no longer have diarrhea. You may start eating soft bland foods when you have not vomited for several hours and are able to drink clear liquids without further upset. Soda crackers, toast, plain noodles, gelatin, eggs, applesauce, and bananas are good first choices. Avoid foods that are acidic, spicy, fatty, or fibrous (such as meats, coarse grains, vegetables). Also avoid dairy products. You may start eating these foods again in 3 days or so, when all signs of illness have passed. (So, the main idea is to control the vomitting and diarrhea, so that they couldn't get any worse)

Source: University of Michigan Health System

Tress For Life

1. 1 matured trees can produce 1 pound of oxigen per year, which is enough to provide oxygen for 2 persons. So, start plant your own oxygen's factory at your very own house.

2. 1 tree can absorb 1 tonne of carbon dioxide per year. So, start adopt your own orchard of 10 trees to compensate your car's emission, your electricity consumption and the air you breath-out.

3. Planting trees around the building compound can reduce the surrounding temperature by 6 degree Celcius! (Is it??)

I need an Environmental-Friendly house too!

The starting of our journey today is a bit funny..
An English couple, deciding to retire in Malaysia, built an enviro-friendly house in Malacca, and invites our Prime Minister to visit his house! It's funny because even Malaysian has not even thought about inviting the PM to see their house.

Okay.. so we went there together with some other ministries: Ministry of Energy, Housing Ministry, Natural Resources & Environment Ministry, Malaysian Energy Center, Tenaga Nasional... it was a big group, indeed (just because PM asked one of the ministry to pre-visit the house!)

The first impression.. was not that good.. his house is so simple, white color unlike Malaysian way. Stepping inside, I changed my mind. Things that I like in his house:

1. Underground ventilation system (I'm glad I've learnt this in India)
2. The PU-insulated wall, PU-insulated roof, PU-insulated floor
3. The argon gas filled double glazed glass window (WOW!)
4. The garage's door (I wish I can post the picture, but my O2 and my PC is not sycn!)
5. The 4.8 kW Solar PV
6. The bathroom without door (Soooo sexy..)
The building alone cost him RM380k and the monthly electricity bill cost RM180.
You can visit his house here http://www.ien.dk/cooltek

So, now I'm dreaming of my own environ-friendly house. I want one! I want one! I need one!
Actually I'm a kind of environmentalist myself. As much as I can, I try to use EE stuffs, consume less plastic bag, but I need to do more with my little double-storey terrace house. Right now I'm thinking of separating the garbage right from its source - my kitchen. So, you see, you don't have to be Maya Karin to start being environmentalist!

Boycott solar PV module?!

For every tonned of polysilicon produce (from sand), at least 4 tonnes of silicon tetracloride liquid waste is produced. This substance is highly toxic - if it is dumped, the land will be infertile. No tree or grass will grow. and human being should never touch it. When exposed to humid air, it will transform into hydrogen chloride gas, which make people dizzy and their chest contract.

The Suntech, the largest solar PV manufacturer in China, owned by the top list of China's richest man - Shi Zhengrong, also gets its supplied from a polysilicon's manufacturer Luoyang Zhonggui, located in Henan Province. Like many other factory, due to high market demand and competition to reduce price, safety and environmental issue is secondary.

It took 2 years to build a polysilicon factory, but the Chinese made it possible in half time of that. In developed country, the residue is being recycle and put it back in the production process. But this incurred cost and time. The environmental freindly factory produce one tonne of polysilicon at USD84,000 but Chinese company produce it at USD21,000.

A village in Henan Province where the factory situated is suffering from infertility land. The land and its people is dying....
Is this what we call a GREEN ENERGY?

Commuter & LRT

Since a week ago, I have been travelling to office via Commuter & LRT.
Why? I got my City crashed by a Pajero... what a day.... and the City not yet 2 weeks old.. not yet 1000 km..

But since a week ago, I found commuter & LRT very interesting... especially KL sentral.
Though there were days that I have to walk in rain (because I didn't have an umbrella, well... I have it in my car!), there were days that I have to push myself in big crowd (with all the smells, of course) just to get into the already fulled train. There are also time when I was scolded because trying to selit-selit when all of other people is queing...(well, how do I know when this Malaysians suddenly became so civic? Then, I realize, it only happened at KL Sentral, and may be KLCC too) But one thing that I like to do, is looking at other people... the trend... fashion... their shoes.. their bag.. the way they dress-up.. and trying to guess, what kind of job they are doing... interesting, huh?! And most interesting is to see the same face everyday... hmm...that is cute.

The only thing that I don't like is the time... I have to wake early in the morning just to make sure that I catch the 7 o'clock train, or the next train will get me to office at 8.30 a.m. And I have to go back before 7.00 p.m, to reach home before Maghrib is over...

All in all, I'm considering of putting commuter & LRT as my main transportation to office... because it's interesting... don't you think so?

Thoughts to Ponder

Sometimes I think that I'm using other people... but sometimes I feel like I'm being used.
Or, does it works both ways?

From the Apperantices' show...
"You're smart, you're briliant,
But you are not tough enough to be in this industry..."

From the book of 'Stop worrying and start living'...
Now I realise that what makes me tired is not too much work but I am worried too much.
I guess I have to start learning how to relax and take things easy....

No regret

Last Sunday, I read an article about regret.
Though it's about financial decision, but I guess it applies to our life.

It has always been my principle not to regret for the things that I have done in my life, because I normally regret for the things I wish I had done. After reading the article, I guess everybody else experience the same...
Here is why...

There are two types of regret..First, regret of commission - the fear of doing something we'll later regret. Fearing that we'll regret a decision causes paralysis and procastination (in making decision). Plagued with the fear of regret, many people fail to make the important decision in their life. Regret is a double-edged sword. Our fear of regret cannot be quelled simply by choosing not to act. By avoiding the tough decision, we are only delaying the inevitable; sooner or later; we must still a second form of regret - the regret of omission - where we regret actions we failed to take, looking back ruefully on what might have been. The sad irony is that regret of omission only intensifies with time; when we look back on our lives, inevitably, it's the things that we have not done that cause the greatest regret.
We can always deal with the consequences of regrettable decisions by repairing our actions. We can do physically (apologising to people we've hurt) or psychologically (I learnt a lot from it). But the haunting regret of omission is ongoing. As time distances us from the circumstances and emotions surrounding lost opportunities, it's harder to understand why we didn't act.
To deal with regret, we have to understand the psychological mechanisms behind regret. We have to recognise that our conclusions about the wisdom of a decision will change, depending on when we assess it. We can improve our life decision when we know that later; we will likely to evaluate our decision differently.

Don't allow regret aversion to sabotage your decision in life...

A Blind Man & Politeness

9 Feb. Lunch time.
Driving back from lunch to office with my colleague.
A blind man was standing in the middle of medium traffic road.
I asked my friend to stop the car - trying to help this blind man.
"Encik nak pergi mana?"
"Saya mau pegi Old Town"
"Ok. tapi Encik kat tengah jalan ni..."
"Saya tau! Saya mau tahan kereta mau pegi Old Town!"
"Saya tahan teksi untuk Encik, ada teksi di belakang.."
"Saya takmau! Saya takdak duit! Awak bayar!"
A short and very quick scene... if he had been polite...

Moral of the story...
No matter whether you are incapable or very capable person....
Politeness is the key...

Budi bahasa.. amalan hidup kita...

Cos 45 = sin 45

Cos 45 = 0.707
sin 45 = 0.707
therefore, cos 45 = sin 45

Wondering what the formula is all about?
You are not competent enough until you remember those formula...

What d heck! terkena aku...