Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sabahan Pride (:

As 916 (September the 16th) – the day where the change of Federal Government is rumoured could happen. I suddenly have the urge to say a few words for my beloved hometown and state – Sabah, the Land below the Wind.
I am not very good in writing, but I will try my best, to let our voices be heard throughout the world.
Many people assume that we Sabahans are a proud bunch of people, hence the name 'Proud Sabahans'; I do admit, Sabahans generally do have a biased perceptions towards West Malaysians, me myself included. Although Sabah is the poorest state amongst all the 13 states in Malaysia, it's not the fault of the peninsular people. (It's the fault of the Federal Government), but the lack of understanding of West Malaysians towards us – East Malaysians, makes me feel ashamed of myself.
Because they - West Malaysians, they never really encountered what we as East Malaysians faced, nor do they understand the distresses we are in.
This is the story of one country, two different encounters, as fate would have it.
When I first arrived in West Malaysia, west Malaysians they asked me 'Do you Sabahans really live on trees?', while my sister was mistaken for a bumiputra although she is a Malaysian Chinese.
We are not rude; nor we still hunt; nor we still have tiger meat for food; neither do we sleep together with Orang Utans.
West Malaysians do not really quite know where do I come from, is it Sarawak? Is it Sabah? Hence they always refer us as originating from Sabah Sarawak, explanations after explanations, they still do not get it, and hence still, they assume, we are from Sabah Sarawak. But I do not refer those West Malaysians as coming from states like Kedah Kelantan; neither melakasembilan nor penangperlis.
I tried my best to introduce Sabah to my West Malaysian friends; over in Sabah we do have housing estates, markets, discos, jetties, and even Giant hypermarkets.
But in contradiction, although I live in a house with 4 walls and a roof, but we always have to face frequent blackouts, not to mention frequent water disruptions and rationing also, we do not even have a properly tarred road, compared to West Malaysia.
Talking about power supply in my hometown, on average in a month, we will be in total darkness for at least 72 hours; the highest record was no power supply for 8 hours a day for 1 whole week!! If there is no power disruption in Sabah, then it's not Sabah, even the electricity company of Sabah, SESB confirms to this, where SESB stands for SABAH EVERYDAY SURE BLACKOUT. If there were no power supply for half an hour in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, tomorrow it will be the top news in the media, but for us Sabahans on the other side of Malaysia, being drenched in total darkness for few hours, causing traffics to go haywire, no one even bothered about us.
I still remember the first time I took my friends to visit my hometown, on the first night there was no power supply, so we sat in front of the house, gazing at the stars and the moon on the sky. If I were to say, standing outside my house, lifting up your finger and you may be able to touch the moon, where the moon is so bright that you can see your shadow, and you can even differentiate each and every sign of the zodiac, you have to believe me, because the air in my hometown is still unpolluted, pristine and fresh.
Anyway, with regards to the frequent disruption of water and electricity supply in Sabah, we have become acquainted with it, for more that 20 years that I have been living here, its still the same, things never changed for the better, we have learn not to resist and accept it as fate would have it.
This is us, Sabahans, always the simple, pure and innocent lot; we just grin and bear with it.
Hence the reasons why the Federal Government always likes to bully us Sabahans, they took away all our vast natural resources to develop Kuala Lumpur, sold away all our valuable timber logs, in exchange for high rise buildings in West Malaysia, sucked up Sabah's petroleum, in order to built north-south expressways in West Malaysia.
Not to mention using Sabah's orang utan in exchange with China's panda, and have it keep in Zoo Negara in West Malaysia.
The Federal Government is so generous in donating monies to Sichuan, but aren't capable of building better roads for Sabahans, it's still the same after 45 years.
Sabah's first flyover was recently completed, after being built for 8 years more, this make us Sabahans so happy and jumping with joy. That's us, easily contented.
Sabah is a poor neglected state; she would weep if she were able to do so, each and every time, the government promised to solve the illegal immigrants issue plaguing the state, but the matter is still unsolved up until today, like the saying, to settle a matter by leaving it unsettled.
The illegal immigrants in Sabah has overwhelmed the local population at 1.7 million versus 1.5 million, and is increasing day by day, most of these illegal immigrants are from The Philippines and Indonesia, when last year it was briefly mentioned that The Philippines is interested in claming back Sabah, if a referendum were to be held, with the help of Filipinos residing in Sabah, we will be dead for sure, Philippines will be able to take Sabah back as theirs.
Needless to say, Sabah is not only without its frequent disruption of water and electricity supply, even job opportunities are hard to come by, causing all the youngsters to seek jobs in West Malaysia and other places.
Do you know that a bottle of yogurt that costs RM3.70 in West Malaysia cost Rm5.70 in Sabah, and all the magazines and newspapers in Sabah are more expensive if compared with West Malaysia? This is because all the goods have to be flown over from West Malaysia, where the courier charges will be included in the goods prices, therefore marking it up higher, the money that we earn are taxed by the Federal Government, these taxes that we pay are taken to develop Kuala Lumpur,
In Sabah there are still people that earn a meager RM200 per month, even worse off than those toilet cleaners in West Malaysia.
Everytime I am back in Sabah, wherever I looked went and looked around; I can only manage to find mostly schooling youngsters. There is nothing much these youngsters can do for those that prefer not to leave Sabah. Last year, a few of my friends decided that after graduation, they will stay in Sabah, no matter what happens, at that time I thought that they are very naïve, West Malaysia especially Kuala Lumpur is such a nice place, what's the reason to stay back in Sabah? They replied in jest, 'If nobody is willing to stay in Sabah, how do we expect Sabah to stand up', what they said make me realized my mistakes, but what to do, none of the jobs in Sabah are suitable for me; I have no choice but to continue working in West Malaysia.
Last month, my cousin quit his job and went back to Sabah, out of curiosity, I asked him the reason for doing so, since the wages in Sabah is so low, it's not worth it, I told him. He retorted back, saying 'West Malaysia is not my home, sooner or later I will be going back to Sabah, the place where I belong, and I surely believe there are companies willing to employ me.' I felt ashamed, as previously I planned to reside and have a family in West Malaysia, but what my cousin say woke me up, although I am now residing in West Malaysia, I should have given words of encouragement for my beloved state – Sabah.
If the land of Sabah was and is properly developed, surely it will be amongst the top states in Malaysia, but everything was trampled on, ruined and went the other way!!
Hence the reasons why those who stepped on the soil of Sabah will be given an immigration slip by the Customs department, only allowing non Sabahans to stay in Sabah for not more than 90 days.
If Sabah were not to protect herself, I dare not dread to think of the consequences that may befall us, it will be too ghastly to look at.
Up till today, for West Malaysians, Sabah is shrouded in secrecy and far away from their sight. No one is willing to come to Sabah, as if it's a different world comprising of humans of uncivilized nature, for those youngsters who are going to be send to Sabah to undergo their National Service, they wept like there are no tomorrow, its like they are about to enter hell.
Is Sabah heaven or hell? Come and have a look for yourself, until today, only tourists from Western and other countries are willing to come to Sabah, a state once deemed to be more prosperous than Kuala Lumpur, in search of its glorious pasts.
In West Malaysians, there are only 3 major races; in Sabah, there are 32 ethnic tribes, most West Malaysians do not know of these facts.
East Malaysia is the place where all the different races and tribes, of different faiths and religions, live harmoniously; this, probably West Malaysians do not know either.
In Sabah, it's a norm for Muslims to eat in non-Muslims eateries, to dine in Chinese seafood restaurants, without fear and prejudice of being served with non halal foods; this is the kind of respect and trusts we have for each other. I don't think this can be seen in West Malaysia, besides Kelantan, I would say.
Recently Giant hypermarkets make their presence known in Sabah; they are trying to control the Sabah supermarket segment, indirectly trying to control Sabah's economy, but were rejected by Sabahans.
We in Sabah have our own newspapers; our own supermarkets, we do not need others to come in and reap our fruits of labour, all to be channeled back to West Malaysia!!
The country neglected East Malaysia - Sabah and Sarawak so much so that even 16th September 1963 was not recognized as the day Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia. And out of nothing Malaysia boasted that Mount Kinabalu is the pride of all Malaysians.
Mount Kinabalu is the pride of Sabahans; the biggest flower in the world – Rafflesia is the pride of Sabahans, orang utans are also the pride of Sabahans; but we are not proud to be Malaysians.
Last but no least, as a Sabahan, I sincerely hope and pray that after 916, Sabah can gain back what she has lost all this while, for a better tomorrow for all Sabahans.
Hopefully the coming 16th September can be declared as the day, we East Malaysia – Sabah, Sarawak tohether with Malaya formed Malaysia! Dear Federal Government, please be fair to us!!
All the best Sabah!! I wish to see you grow; in the future, in the time to come!!
A TRUE SABAHAN






















posted by; Grace Chan (B0800335)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

15 Reasons Why Drinking Age Should Be 18

Well, personally, i dont really fancy drinking but somehow, let's think of it this way:










1

An 18 year old in US has the right to vote, and serve in the military. If an 18 year old can make up their mind as to who the potential leader of the country should be and take a bullet for their country, they should have every right to purchase and drink alcohol.

2

It is usually said that an 18 year old has less tolerance as compared to a 21 year old. Although this might be true, in most cases you don’t really know how much you can handle as long as you try it out. Tolerance doesn’t come with age, tolerance come with realization of responsibility and there are people that are more responsible at 15 than some are at 50.

3

Anyone under 21 sees alcohol as a “forbidden fruit.” The curiosity leads to more people under the age of 21 drinking anyway. If drinking is made legal for the 18 and older, it will serve much better as the curiosity isn’t as high and the fruit isn’t forbidden anymore.

4

When in college most students under the age of 21 can get hold of drink through their seniors. They are not allowed to drink at events where others might be able to drink. This once again makes them want to be a rebel and try out what it is they are being kept away from. They will give it a shot. The fact that they don’t know when they will be able to drink again is the reason most college students tend to get overly drunk when they get a chance. As a result there are problems as serious as deaths.

5

Countries such as Italy, China, Greece are some of the countries where the legal drinking age is lower and they seem to have fewer alcohol related problems. Current law in terms of legal drinking age has caused more alcohol related deaths than there has ever been.

6

When drinking is made legal for anyone under the age of 21 and over 18, drinking takes place in public. It can then be supervised by police, security guards and health workers as well.

7

Colleges and Universities often argue that the legal drinking age should be 18 because outlawing alcohol consumption in colleges for those under 21 is making the problem worse. These colleges and universities say that allowing alcohol consumption legally might help cut down alcohol related deaths in colleges.

8

People under the age of 21 tend to drink more when they get hold of alcohol because of the uncertainty as to when they might be able to drink again.

9

Whether the legal drinking age is 21 or 18, there are going to be problems related to alcohol. And making 21 the legal age to drink doesn’t solve that problem. As a matter of fact, this is one of the reason why we see so many alcohol related deaths among teens. They get their hands on alcohol and get overly intoxicated as they are never sure if they will have access to this forbidden fruit ever again until they are 21.

10

An 18 year old is considered an adult and can be tried in court if he makes false judgement and commits a crime. So an 18 year old is capable of making every other decision as an adult but is incapable of making a decision whether or not they should drink? The 21 year old age limit for alcohol consumption sounds somewhat hypocritical.

11

If you are legal to get married at the age of 18 and end up getting married, you are not allowed to drink in your own wedding? That doesn’t sound right

12

According to a study, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over 21 years of age are heavy drinkers. Among drinkers only, 32% of under age compared to 24% of legal ager are heavy drinkers.

13

If the legal drinking age were to be 18, colleges would be able to regulate alcohol use so students don’t get overly intoxicated. They can be monitored whereas when they are hiding and drinking you can’t really go sniffing their cups or making false accusations.

14

Drinking under the age of 21 is seen by most 18 years and older as a sign of adulthood. They are allowed to do everything else and call themselves an adult and they don’t want to be stopped from being an adult when it comes to drinking.

15

We have tried prohibition legislation twice for controlling irresponsible drinking problems in the past. Once in 1850s and again in the 1920s. These laws were repealed because they could not be enforced and the backlash caused other societal problems. The law didn’t work then and as we all know isn’t working now. It’s time for a change.

Let’s take a look at 4 scenarios. There are 3 people in a family. Dad, mom and son John Doe. Here is a conversation between them :

Scenario 1

Mom : John now that you are out of high school, what do you plan on doing? College?

John : Actually I am thinking of joining the military.

(John is old enough to make a decision and enlist in the army)

Scenario 2

Dad : Hey John, you are 19 years old. Don’t you think its time you get an apartment or something?

John Doe : Yeah, I am looking.

(John is an adult and families have a conceived notion that once kids are over 18, they should move on with their own lives and get on their foot)

Scenario 3

John : Hey mom, dad. I have been seeing this girl for 4 years and I think I want to marry her.

Mom : You can’t marry now. You are only 19!

John Doe : I would hate to go against your wish but I am an adult and I have the right to marry if I want. Besides she is pregnant.

(John is an adult and yes he does have the right to marry and make that decision)

Scenario 4

Mom : John, I don’t appreciate you drinking before you are 21.

(Drunk) John Doe : Whatever mom. I am an adult and I am going to do whatever I want.

(John is a rebel and feels his adulthood is in stake by not having the opportunity to make his own decision on whether or not he should drink. Result : family tension, underground drinking, drinking problems. This leads to one problem after another and in worst case alcohol related death)

Well, that’s a great law! He is an adult enough to move out, marry against his parents will and yes enlist in the army. But he isn’t old enough to drink? hmmm

You decide.







@posted by, Grace Chan (B0800335)

The 10 Types of Videos That Make Up 90% of YouTube

So we learnt about the nature of groups last week in chapter 8, went throught the notes today and came across one of the types of groups which is SOCIAL GROUPS.

I just couldnt help myself but to think of facebook, youtube and all the online socials networks everytime the word SOCIAL GROUPS pop out from my mind.

Googled up a bit on the typical most-viewed videos in youtube and found this ridiculously true.








Ahhh, YouTube. One of the three most popular websites in the world, and probably the most dangerous, since the only thing you can do on YouTube is waste time by watching videos, and although some people like to waster other people's times by uploading said videos. Sure, YouTube is a great place to watch old commercials, illegal anime, videogame tricks, illegal TV shows, trailers and stuff like that but those good things are actually just a very small portion of YouTube's library of content.
Actually, 90% of YouTube's several million videos can easily be put into 10 distinct categories, and shockingly, none of the above are included.

10) The Internet Craze Du Jour


It appears to be if you do something in public that people would consider completely insane, but instead put it on YouTube, you become this Internet sensation. (-_-)
For example, you see some blonde crying man on the street screaming to "Leave Britney Alone!" Then you would probably cross the street immediately to get away from them. Yet, on You Tube, this man is an Internet star. If you see a kid on the street flailing around with a light saber, you would think he might be having a seizure. Yet, on You Tube, this kid is a sensation. See a man cover himself with chocolate syrup and sing...yea, you get the idea, right?
Sadly, this is what our technology has delivered. Not flying cars, but the democratization of video broadcasting, and the people have spoken with a retarded clapping, long may we be punished for it.


9) Rednecks Blowing Up Shit

Most people would not think it is a good idea to put several pounds of TNT into an old car and set it off while being within range of jagged metal shards. Yet, for people living where even Google maps doesn't go, this is not just a good idea, but quality entertainment and must be shown to the world. ust a casual search through YouTube, one can see such quality programming as "Shooting a Full Propane Tank with a Shotgun" and "Blowing Up a Hornet Nest with An M-80." While these videos may be entertaining for the many very predictable mishaps that occur, one should realize with sorrow that in watching these videos you are probably watching the true face of America.


8) Insane 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
Never mind the thousands of eyewitness accounts of the attacks, or the thousands of people dead or injured, or the scientific analysis of the attacks done by experts! There are people on You Tube and abroud stills of video footage that clearly show that the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were done by CIA agents who planted explosives in the twin towers while news agencies faked video footage and thousands of actors pretended to have relatives who died while space aliens worked with big oil to start a war in Iraq to capture the power of ancient ley lines that unleash the power of the Yeti! Clearly the Bush administration is not full of incompetent morons who can barely drink their way out of tough situations, but in reality full of evil super geniuses who can pull of the greatest conspiracy of the history of mankind and laugh about it from their lair atop Mount Skull! I think if a YouTube video did reveal the truth about a huge conspiracy, then the fabric of reality will break down, cats will chase apes

7) Fake Snuff Films


It's one thing to want to search YouTube for snuff films. It is another thing entirely to come across something that is the lamest excuse for a snuff film that you can possibly imagine. If I can put a pair of pants next to a pair of shoes sticking out of a couch and say "Oh no! The couch just ate someone!" I will reflexively punch myself for being so stupid. If I further film this effort and put it on YouTube with the title of "MAN EATEN BY COUCH!II" Part of my brain will attempt to shut down in an effort to kill me. Other people apparently don't have that higher brain function. These people post footage of a shirt with ground beef in it with the title "MANS HEAD EXPLODE!!!" They also post videos in which a generic explosion generated from a pirated copy of After Effects is so cool they have to make their friends blow up over and over again. Somewhere a time machine is being built to stop the invention of filmmaking.

6) Video Blogs of People Who Should Not Be Allowed to Make Video Blogs

Everyone wants to talk about him or herself, everyone wants to be liked, but very very very very few people have lives that are interesting enough for other people to want to sit through and want to listen to them talk about. Yet, YouTube is filled with videos, video blogs, "vlogs" or "eeeccchhh" where people with uninteresting lives talk about them as if someone is watching, intently, with interest, possibly taking notes to record these moments down in human history. Search through the darkness YouTube and you will see these stories of human tragedy played out over and over again as lonely individuals stare into their webcams, blather into them, and provide solid evidence for the validity of assisted suicide.

5) Star Wars Re-Edited With Star Trek Footage



Man, what is better than reading fanfic? Perhaps it's seeing someone's wet dream of the U.S.S. Enterprise fighting a Star Destroyer come to life by badly editing together footage from Return of the Jedi and "A Balance of Terror!" Never mind that almost nobody (other than TR readers) gives a damn, this person took the time and effort to put mismatched footage together in ways that crap on all the laws of aesthetics. Lasers and photon torpedoes are firing haphazardly as ships are flying at opposing angles in clearly different places in their respective universe. Awkward dialogue between actors transpires that if it were between two actual people, you would think that someone had suffered a stroke, and that someone was you.

4) Horrible Skateboarding Accidents

See as someone takes their skateboard to ride the handrail of a flight of stairs only to fall on their manhood, fall sideways, and crack their skull open. See then as someone asks the stupid question of "Dude, are you all right?" When clearly that question should have been asked before the skateboarder said "Watch this!" before he rode four feet above the hard concrete stairs on the board bought with the best money a minimum wage fast food job can buy, without a helmet, kneepads, or cup. See further footage of other people falling onto concrete played in slow motion so you can see the moment the compound fracture occurs and the orthopedic surgeon makes six figures. The most impressive part about these videos is that someone who is supposedly the friend of these injured people not only filmed their horrible accident, but put it up where anyone could see it. Now, that's a friend for sure.

3) Crappy Bands' Crappy Videos


What's that grainy, shaky footage? Is it hard-hitting investigative journalism of a Senator doing cocaine in Lincoln Bedroom? No, it's footage of a band that sounds exactly like every band you hear on the radio except the drummer has no rhythm, the guitarists fumble through chords like they spent too much time playing Guitar Hero, and the lead singer screeches like a rake dragged across a rusty piece of sheet metal. All picked up by a crappy microphone with a crappy image on a crappy phone/video camera from 1992. The text for the video will tell you how awesome the band is as they play Slipknot covers at a bar that looks like it should be closed down for fifteen fire code violations to an audience of five people with collective intelligence of one cat. The only enjoyable part of this cinema crapburger is trying to guess which band members will become bitter middle-aged furniture salesmen, bitter middle-aged sociology professors, or dead of a heroin overdose.

2) A Teenage Girl Who Only Gets So Many Views Because Perverts Masturbate To Her



Is there not enough porn on the Internet for some people? Horrifyingly, no! You will see a video of a cute teenage girl. The video itself contains almost nothing of relevance. The girl will talk about her day of going around and looking at trees, then maybe have a video of her running around a park in fairy wings. There's no great artistic expression, no deep narrative, nothing. There's a sad tragedy to this, with a girl just wanting to be liked, but being liked mostly by people that if she met them in real life, she would spend the rest of her life trying to erase the darkness that fell upon her like the Marquis De Sade at a nudist colony.

1) Air Show Disasters Edited to Metallica Songs
A Russian Jet Fighter slams into a crowd of people at an air show. There is screaming, there is carnage, there is chaos. A horrifying accident captured on video. I think we can all agree nothing accuratelys capture the human drama of this moment than the soundtrack of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls." Yes, on YouTube, plane crashes and Metallica go together like peanut butter and jelly. The fast moving crushing metal of a B-52 slamming nose-first into the tarmac along with the fast crushing metal of "One." Never mind that five people just died in a horrible accident; that's just part of the ROCKING. Expect also to see biplanes torn apart as they collide in mid-air to "Enter Sandman," and a passenger jet pin wheeling across the ocean to "Nothing Else Matters," in this artistic expression of akin to a teenager shouting "Hulk Smash" before throwing a glass bottle on the concrete outside a convenience store.

I guess sometimes people just love holding on to their informal dysfunctional role. These people are indeed a major pain in ass that they are this desperate for attention.









@posted by, Grace Chan (B0800335)

CHAPTER 9: SOLVING PROBLEMS IN GROUPS


Sometimes as much as we think we may be right about something, it's always best to get a second opinion just to make sure we've done that something in the most appropriate manner possible. This is when we can refer to solving problems in a group. One of the advantage of solving problems in a group is that we get various resources. Resources need not be in the form of ideas, input and knowledge only; sometimes, resources can be in the form of physical actions(manpower). Relating this to studying for midterms last minute, a group of friends and I decided to collectively study together each night before a paper to refresh our memory and to get the best out of each other, as in to ask the rest on a chapter that we're weak at for instance, or it could be a statistics question that we can't seem to get the proper method to solve the equation, there again; we ask for help. Personally, I feel studying in a group certainly helps me alot more than studying alone because I instantly can counter check with my peers if im unsure about something that im reading and by helping them with areas they are weak in, I not only feel good about it, I also am revising my work by helping someone else with theirs. Another advantage of group problem-solving would be the increased likelihood of catching errors or better known as accuracy.By revising with the rest, the margin of errors made can be easily reduced as you have your peers checking on you from time to time; vice versa. Besides that, groups also generate a higher commitment to carrying solutions out. By making solutions that we think is best for the whole group, we are determined to carry out those solutions made. This is co-related to the principle called participative decision making in which the people who live with a plan help make it. Everyone puts in their ideas and work toward a common goal. There are undoubtedly disadvantages as well to solving problems in a group, but the ratio is very minimal compared to the advantages of solving problems in a group. As for me, I do believe in individual progress, but i am more of a person who gets the best out of something better when working together in a group instead of doing things by myself.
posted by Haylena. xx

CHAPTER 8: THE NATURE OF GROUPS

What is the definition of a group? According to our text: A group consists of a small collection of people who interact with each other, usually face to face, over time in order to reach goals.

At this point of time im pretty sure all of us who are taking human comm as an elective subject are busy with our culture and advert assignment which is due early next week. Reminiscing back on the first week of our human comm lecture, Mr. Murali divided us into groups of 5. Throughout the whole semester we are required to work together in completing assigned tasks, groupworks and so on. The other four group members of mine were all new friends to me as I have never met them in my previous two semesters. In class we learnt that without interaction, a collection of people isn't a group which is definitely true because if we are not able to communicate and talk amongst us, how are we going to get things done collectively as a group? We also learnt that in groups, members don't just interact, their members are interdependent. If someone in the group fails to do his/her part, it affects the whole group; this is called the "ripple effect" which can be in the form of positive and negative actions. Moving on, we learnt that a collection of people who interact for a short while doesn't qualify as a group, thus time is an important factor in handling proper group dicussions/meetings. Time management is really important because one thing that I've learned is that the longer we take our time in doing our assignments, the more we procrastinate in getting our work done, we would have to rush through doing it up at the 11th hour which will most likely result in bad performance in our grades. If only one plans earlier and discusses with their group members, I'm pretty sure things would go smooth towards the due date of the assignment. The size of the group also plays a vital role in managing groups, as for instance if the group is too big and some of us may not agree with the majority of the crowd on a certain issue, but nontheless because majority of the group agrees on that particular issue, we are pressured to conform to the group because majority wins anyway right? Research suggests that the optimal size for a group is the smallest number of people capable of performing the task at hand effectively. Last but not least, for a group to be successful, common individual goals along with common group goals to acheive the best and highest recognition amongst the rest would help boost confidence in each and every member of the group to succeed in carrying out their tasks.
posted by Haylena. xx

Monday, February 23, 2009

13 - YEAR - OLD - DAD??

Man, I thought i was pretty screwed up for slacking away all my times in this very-mid-term until i came across this a while ago: (mind me for being a little out-dated)

13-year-old DAD and 15-year-old MOM??

(this is pretty messed up)

I was shocked when I saw the news about this 13-year-old boy, that practically looks like he is still an 8-year-old kid, and his 15-year-old girlfriend that became parents to this baby girl Maisie earlier this year.

Alright, on top of the indictment on Britain’s hugely expensive sex education programme in schools, I guess things still doesnt work out that way for this young couple.


Quote
from Daily Telegraph:

He told The Sun: "Other stupid boys are lying, saying bad things, like they have slept with Chantelle too.

"But I am the only boyfriend she has had and we've been together for two years, so I must be the dad.

"When she found out she was having a baby, I asked her 'Am I the dad?' and she went 'Yeah' so I believe her.

"I didn't know about DNA tests before, but Mum explained it's when they do a swab in your mouth and it tells you if you're the dad.

"So, if I have that, they can all shut up. But I don't really care what people say. And I don't like them being bad about Chantelle."


errrrr? is that supposed to be.....sweet?
or......naive?


The couple,

Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, added: “When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried how people would react.

“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”


And.....I really wondered if things will worked out fine for them? afterall, they are still in their early teenage, enjoying their youth. Having a baby to play ps3 along with you, somehow, it's not really a good idea eh?

Still, i salute and respect the courage they have in not choosing abortion.
Let's all hope they will do just fine...
with the help of their families ofcourse

awwww, sweet?
no?









@posted by....Grace Chan (B0800335)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Beauty of Life

Just found out this simple yet wonderful video:



This is a short movie
written on a script based on the true story of Encik Shahrul's family, or more specifically, of his youngest child, Adlan.

Adlan was an extreme autistic who, for 7 years, behaved like he was trapped in a bubble, unable to communicate with the outside world, and vice versa.

What finally brought him out of that state is shown in the commercial you see here.

The dog is the most misunderstood animal in this country. Its haters, I'm sad to say, are largely Malays who often don't even know the difference between "haram" and "najis", let alone the finer points and different degrees of najis.

The message from this movie is actually to urge those who are against dogs to read more about the true Islamic rules concerning this beautiful creature of God, and to please refrain from being cruel to it.


Btw, this is a short film by Yasmin (:

My malay buddy just showed me this, and went on telling me all his thoughts.
Somehows i find this interesting and true.










@posted by, Grace Chan (B0800335)

CHAPTER 3: LANGUAGE

The definition of LANGUAGE according to our textbook says that LANGUAGE: A collection of symbols governed by rules and used to convey messages between individuals. Language is a verbal symbol system that allows us to take messages and utterances, in the form of words, and translate them into meaning.

In class Mr.Murali stressed on the power of language. I believe it's so true that our language reflects our attitude. Bearing that in mind, it is really important for us to watch our language when speaking to another. This is because once something is said regardless if it's the truth or not, our very own language might seem appealing to us, but maybe not to others. We might just be hurting the other party by saying something that may seem appropriate to us but not to that person. Everyone is different, we all come from different backgrounds but one thing that brings us together is language and communication. The way we shape our language and communicate with people tells a lot about us.

The tone of our voice brings out the power in our language, our affiliation with the other; CONVERGENCE ( the way we approach society, the ability to speak in a common language) and DIVERGENCE ( the ego in us thinking we're better than the other and would like to speak in an opposite manner, thus often causes misunderstandings) aids in portraying our image to the other party. Therefore it is always best and important for us to think before we say something. We must be able to consider the feelings of the other person, if what we're about to say may hurt the person or not. A cut on our body would heal in time to come, but once hurt emotionally with words, that can sting for the rest of our lives. With that, we should always listen, heed what others have to say and speak in an appropriate language to avoid conflicts. :)

Haylena. xx
(p/s: I know I haven't been updating my posts and I understand that no marks will be given for this and the rest of the delayed ones but I just feel a need to complete my undone work. After midterms, I promise to post up the minimum requirement of 2 posts per week based on our class lectures on a regular basis. Sorry and thanks Mr. Murali!)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

It's okay Beckham, we understand...




I guess I should stop looking at conflicts only on it's negative sides. In fact, conflict has it good and bad side. On the positive side, conflict actually helps you to learn to gain a better understanding on each other and eventually, it'll form a better bond with each other.

Here's something i found lately, and i thought it's pretty interesting :D



Here, David Beckham was obviously caught looking at something he shouldn't. There we go, typical conflict between spouses :D catching your spouse in peeking some hot guys or chicks
And I thought Victoria was pretty smart to choose not to embarrass herself in the public. Instead of arguing in the public, she briliantly chose to ignore David by applying passive aggression of guiltmakers.
Bingo, ignoring him will do as it will make him feels guilty. As seen in the last picture, his expression totally shows how speechless he was :D Sometimes de-escalatory conflict spirals really does wonder just like what Victoria did.


And this why The BECKHAMS are still standing strong today (: brilliant conflict management they have there. *claps claps*




@posted by, Grace (B0800335)

You know you're an ASIAN when you....

Recently i've learnt about the cultural influences on conflict where Mr.Murali mentioned something that we asians are more to collectivist which means that asians prefer to have people around them rather than being an individualistic. I personally think we Asians, in fact are really more cultural rooted. It seems that we still treasure the practices by our ancestors. Well, at least some of them.

And all this suddenly reminded me of the listings of" what Asians mostly do" that my friends and I always talked about back then


I really find this interesting, even until today (:
somehow, i think these are really some typical Asians' do's and dont's



You know you're Asian (mostly chinese) when....

-You get a B+ and you are categorized as a failure

-You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can save and reuse the wrapping (and especially those bows) next year.

-When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.

-You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.

-You eat all meals in the kitchen.

-You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers.

-You use grocery bags to hold garbage.

-You can twirl your pen around your fingers.

-Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.

-You don't own any real Tupperware -- only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.

-You've eaten a red bean Popsicle.

-You bring oranges (or other produce) with you as a gift when you visit people's homes.

-You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

-You never order room service.

-Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.

-You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or law.

-When you go to a dance party, there are a wall of guys surrounding the dance floor trying to look cool.

-You live with your parents and you are 30 years old (and they prefer it that way). Or if you're married and 30 years old, you live in the apartment next door to your parents, or at least in the same neighborhood.

-You don't use measuring cups.

-You feel like you've gotten a good deal if you didn't pay tax.

-You beat eggs with chopsticks.

-You have a teacup with a cover on it.

-You reuse teabags.

-Your mom drives her Mercedes to the Price Club.

-You're a wok user. (wok = "kuali")

-You like Chinese films in their original undubbed versions.

-You have acquired a taste for bittermelon.

-You like congee with thousand year old eggs.

-You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached -- it means they're fresh.

-You never call your parents just to say hi.

-If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've eaten rice, even if it's midnight. ( this is true, so true )

-Your parents tell you to boil herbs and stay inside when you get sick. They also tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods because they produce hot air.

-You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table.

-You never discuss your love life with your parents.

-Your parents are never happy with your grades.

-You keep most of your money in a savings account.

-Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.

-You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.

-Someone in your family drives a Honda... with custom rims.

-You like to eat chicken feet.

-You suck on fish heads and fish fins.

-You leave the plastic on the lampshade for ten years or more.

-You can't bear to throw things away.

-Your unassisted vision is worse than 20/500.

-You've worn glasses at least since the fifth grade.

-You add twice the amount of water recommended when making orange juice from concentrate.

-You've never seen your parents hug.

-Your grandmother lives with you and your family.

-You say "aiya!" and "wah!" frequently.

-Your mother is strangely obsessed with plants.

-You notice the main topic at family get-togethers is food.

-You have an lonely unmarried relative who frequently drops by during dinner time.

-You received little red envelopes containing money on special occasions.

-You know at least three people named Alan Wong. (or Peter Wong or David Wong :D)

-You sing Karaoke.

-You have about 12-20 uncles and aunts.

-You tip 15% or less.

-You don't mind squeezing 20 people into one motel room.

-You want your dollar back from the friend who borrowed it right away

-You always hear about how great so-and-so's son or daughter is.

-Your childhood is filled with painful memories of the long feather duster ("Guy Mo So" a.k.a "bulu ayam stick" )

-You spit bones and other food scraps on the table. (That's why you need the vinyl tablecloth).

-You have stuff in the freezer since the beginning of time.

-You wash your rice at least 2-3 times before cooking it.

-You only make long distance calls after 11pm.

-You know what moon cakes are.

-You fight over who pays the dinner bill.

-You know why 4 is a bad number, and 14's are even worse. ( 4 sounds like the word "die" in cantonese, and 1 4 means absoultely dying)

-You love the number 8. ( 8 stands for the word prosper)

-You're always late. ( kind of true for me ><, bad bad)

-You steam something on top of your rice while its cooking. (that's what my mom does :D)

-Your parents constantly complain you use too much toilet paper when you go to the bathroom or use too much shampoo when taking a shower.

-Your mother has a short-haired, curly perm. (typical asians women)

-You've had to eat parts of animals that they don't even put in hotdogs.

-You have piles of shoes and slippers blocking the entrances to your home.

-You call all your parents friends "auntie or uncle".

-You get nothing if you do well in school, but get in big trouble if you don't.

-Your parents buy you clothes and shoes many sizes too big so you can "grow" into them and wear them for years to come.

Funny but somehow, some of them are really true :D

I guess Asians are just different from the others in some terms. I believe they do handle their conflicts differently from us.







@posted by Grace, (B0800335)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Songs Mean More Than Words

Songs....yeah they're more than just melodic rhythms and beats. They actually have a meaning to them....if you would just take some time off and listen to a song while enjoying it's music and understanding it's lyrics, they actually are very meaning full.

Some songs even portray the real world around us......

I'd bet most people would agree with this statement
.
Music is also considered a form of communicate, as artists convey messages in their music. This can either be to express their feelings, give advise and many more. There also can be various messages in a song for example the song is sorrow but at the same time has a message that gives advise.

We all have our very own songs that connect and portray how we actually feel.

So......I'd like to share with everyone a song which i think has much meaning in it.

The title of the song
Blackbird by Alter Bridge........




This song sounds like it's talking about someone who has suffered and is finally finding freedom. Blackbird is this person and the words "fly away" symbolizes freedom from this world as the fact remains that the world can be cruel. It summarizes that the world and it's people aren't nice
.

The chorus "Let the wind carry you home, blackbird fly away, may you never be broke again" is the peace the blackbird will have when it fly's away.


By,
N.Arvind

Monday, February 9, 2009

Persuasive Speaking

i'm pretty sure the week before everyone was enjoying the presentations of products or service which was based on persuasive speaking by our friends.

Well, i found out that according to the psychologists, they have found that successful speakers and basically, salespeople use several persuasion techniques:

  • Yes-yes. Start with points with which the audience agrees to develop a pattern of "yes" answeres. Getting agreement to a basic premise often means that the receiver will agree to the logically developed conclusion.

  • Offer structure choice. Give choices that force the audience to choose between A and B. College officials may ask audiences, "Do you want to raise taxes or raise tuition?" Political candidates ask, "Do you want more free enterprise or government telling you what to do?"

  • Seek partial commitment. Get a commitment for some action on the part of the receiver. This leaves the door open for commitment to other parts of the proposal at a later date. "You don't need to decide on the new insurance plan now, but please attend the employee orientation program on Thursday."


  • Ask for more, settle for less. Submit a complete public relations program to management, but be prepared to compromise by dropping certain parts of the program. It has become almost a cliche' that a department asks for a larger budget than it expects to receive.

A persuasive speech can either be one-sided, or offer servceral sides of an issue, depending on the audience. A series of 1950s studies by Carl hovland and his associates at Yale determined the one-sided speeches were most effective with persons favorable to the message, whereas two-sided speeches were most effective with audiences that might be opposed to the message.

credit to: Public Relations (Stragegies and Tactics / 9th edition) by Dennis L.Wilcos & Glen T. Cameron

I personally think the facts above are straight foward, realistic and amazingly true.




@ posted by, grace (B0800335)