Category: Other

NALI UTM: Sharing session with SKAFREE on 27 November 2019 (Wednesday)

I had a queasy feeling every time I was invited by the group to have a sharing session with them.  I feel like an impostor.  But, I just took my chance to give my best.

So, there were about 20+ academic staff attended this session.  I could see familiar faces.  I have high regards towards these people.   I salute them for having unwavering passion in teaching especially to those who are “otai” with so many years of teaching experience under their belt.  I am supposed to learn from them, not the other way around.

Nevertheless, I shared my experience in using Round Robin in my class.  Apparently, some of them have already used it but they don’t know it is Round Robin.  Indeed.  I learn more from them.

Some of them already left when we took this picture

A little effort goes a long way. Indeed

It was a brain-child by one of my colleagues, Assoc Prof Dr Fatin Aliah Phang few years back.  At that time, I didn’t involve too much in the activity.  Then it all started when we had an idea plus extra budget to give special meal due to Chinese New Year in 2018.  So, she asked me to make some preparation i.e. get enough Ang Pau packets (which I still have some left-overs) and buy oranges (which I change into Ferrero Rocher instead because there were on sales).

Image may contain: 3 people, including Hadijah Jaffri, people smiling
See the wide smiles on their faces! It really made our day.

Fast forward.  It is 2019.   Late 2019.   Some of the coupons are worn out.  But, I replace that with new ones.  While doing that, I found out that some of the students wrote some notes of Thank You.

Some of the things they wrote “Thanks for providing to someone in need.” “May Allah bless all always.” “Good job guys” “Thank you”, “Semoga Tuhan merahmati kalian” “Thank you. Next!” “Terima kasih”
Image may contain: 3 people, people smiling, people sitting
100 pax seems not enough. But, alhamdulillah, it seems enough for all.  We also have free market (free stationery booth)

Published 30 articles per year?

Someone told me that it is quite possible to publish more than 5 articles per year.   Well, there is nothing wrong with that.  But to publish 30 articles per year?  It means that on average, this person can produce on average 2 articles.  Wow, this person must be super excellent.  Yeah right.  But look what has happened to him now?  For more details, go to HERE.  

Just imagine, what would happen to those students who are or were supervised by him?  Would they be affected by this?  If they are affected by this, won’t it be unfair for them to be dragged into this mess? It is all started with a person aiming to be recognized as a prolific academician.  There is nothing wrong having such aim but the end cannot justify the means.   Well, the way I see it, such trend is happening now somewhere too and at the moment, nobody cares the adverse effect in the near future.  Well, just wait and see.  Let’s see how it goes.  

Image result for publish or perish cartoon

Why are you not friendly?

One of the students asked me why I would seem to rush or always in a hurry when they approach me.  Well, for one thing, off lately I have things in my mind that seem to bug me.  It is not about the classes or the students, it is something that I have thought about for a while and I do not have any answer or solution to that yet and thus, it keeps bugging me until now.  For those who know me quite well, I can appear to be funny, bubbly but I can also turn into a person who appears to be snobbish/surly/unapproachable in a split second. 

Well, it is me alright.  I do not have multiple personality disorders or am not Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll.  Well, the only suggestion that I can give to my students is go and read Brian Little’s book “Me, myself and us”.   Yup.  I am an introvert alright.  I confirm it when I took a personality test when I was in Durham (just for the sake of exploring myself, I volunteered to be a guinea pig when the graduate school organised a workshop)


.