Category: Personal

3Rs – Reduce, recycle and reuse

Factual composition is one of the trickiest essays that I have to teach during Latihan Ikhtisas.  Why?  It is based on facts and thus, we cannot add hypothetical information or assumption.  But how to know more about facts around us?  It is through reading.  If you don’t read, there will be little chance for you to encounter the latest facts or findings.  Like the smallest planet is not Pluto.  When I learned about solar system and planets, Pluto was considered as the farthest planet from the sun (the 9th planet in fact).  But, this fact is changed.  Now, Pluto is no longer considered as one of the planets even, but rather known as Dwarf planet (a planetary mass-object that is neither a true planet nor a natural satellite).  So, teaching factual composition demands me to give the students lots of reading materials about nature and whatsnot.  The most common places to find such things are from magazines like National Geographic or Discovery.  I asked around from my colleagues in UTM.  Some of them wanted to “dispose” it from their offices so I use this opportunity to ask for donation (give me the magazines FOC).  Armed with that magazines, I asked the students to read one or two articles before giving them homework on factual composition.

FACTUAL COMPOSITION

Tips and techniques

  1. You have to inform and present facts and ideas in factual compositions. You may have to explain something to the reader.
  2. You cannot get the facts wrong in factual compositions.
  3. Each paragraph must have a distinct topic and all other sentences must factually relate directly to it.  The link words or phrases are important as they help the reader follow the flow of ideas

What can you do to save the environment?  Write your composition not less than 350 words.  

     The world around us is in danger.  The earth faces problems of global warming and massive pollution.  Our rainforests are disappearing. Animals in the rainforests and seas are in danger of extinction.  So are our natural resources.  How can one person save the environment?

    There are many things that we as individuals can do to stop the destruction of the environment.  We should take green steps, that is, change our habits and lifestyles to stop polluting and harming the world around us.  After some contemplation, I know what I can do to contribute towards saving our environment.  I will practice the 3Rs – reduce, recycle and reuse – and the 3Rs will be my dictum in life.  I will not be part of the use-and-throw society.

    First, I can reduce consumption of paper by using handkerchiefs.  This will definitely save many trees.  Every kilogram of paper I do not use can save 2.5 kg of greenhouse gases.  I will also say ‘No’ to plastic bags.  Plastic is not biodegradable.  How many times have we read from the newspapers of fish and turtles being choked to death because of plastic bags?  I will instead carry a cloth bag with me to carry all my shopping.

    As a result, there will be less littering and pollution.  Moreover, I will add to my ‘No’ list of disposables, especially styrofoam and polystyrene.  For takeaways, I will bring my own Tiffin or containers.  This will definitely reduce the amount of rubbish I throw away.  Of course, it can be quite inconvenient but ‘little drops of water make the mighty ocean’.

   Another example of what I can do is to reuse.  I will use paper on both sides, reuse any paper and cards.  I will creatively reuse wrapping paper, ribbons, birthday cards or empty boxes.  Every ton of paper I reuse will save seventeen trees.  I can also do a compost from my kitchen and garden.  Any leftover food and garden trimmings can form insulation and enrich the soil.   Old toothbrushes can be used for cleaning shoes or walls.  To do this alone is difficult, so I will get help of my siblings and the rest of the family.

   Instead of individual effort, it becomes a family or class effort.  It is more effective this way.  For example, if I can convince my fellow friends to separate paper, plastic, metal and glass for recycling, it will really help to reduce the emission of methane.  Still another example is computer recycling.  As we change our computers and other related electronic products quite quickly, we should send them to recycling companies that specialize in such work.  Just throwing them away will cause a major problem of disposal. 

    There seems a lot to be done.  However, if we can do it together, we can make a lot of differences in saving our environment.   [472 words]

What did I do while undergoing my Latihan Ikhtisas (LI)?_Part 3

When I did my Latihan Ikhtias, I taught form 4 students Directed and Continuous Writing [English class].  For Directed Writing, there are three types of essays: Letter, Article (Report) and Speech.  For letter, there will be divided into formal and informal letters and for article, there will be divided into formal and informal articles.   Formal articles are articles that one writes to give feedback or complain which will be addressed to certain individual.  For informal articles, the articles are for wide range of audiences which one find in magazines or newspaper.  A good example is an article that you can find in school magazine.

For Continuous writing, there are five types of essays: Narrative, Argumentative, Factual, Descriptive and Reflective compositions.

Narrative composition is a story-telling kind of composition.  It has 5 plots: Exposition, Rising action, Climax, Falling action and Resolution.

Argumentative composition is a composition where you state your stance either agree or disagree about something.  A good writer can include the agreement and disagreement in one composition and able to balance both arguments well.  But for novice writers, it is better if one sticks to one side of an argument i.e. either agree or disagree.

Factual composition is based on facts and hard-core reality.  In this case, students must know facts and reality and cannot state hypothetical information or evidences.

If they want to state hypothetical assumption or views, it is when they write reflective composition.   So, the differences between factual and reflective compositions are not much.  One is based on facts and another is based on hypothetical assumptions (as long as it is logical).

Lastly, for descriptive composition, students write either to describe an event, a place or a person.  It is kind of straight forward yet many students struggle in this task.

But I gave them some tips and techniques to differentiate the different compositions and examples of compositions for each type.  Some of the compositions are based on my own experience so, they cannot find it from elsewhere.  It makes my class a bit special because I wrote the examples myself.  No duplication even though I learn the characteristics of each composition by referring to the various books.  Just to make sure my essays are in compliance with the characteristics 😀

 

Teaching Excellence System (TES) in UTM

What is TES?  It refers to Teaching Excellence System.  Yup.  This is one of the things that I need to keep myself updated on regular basis like elearning [well, not that frequent as elearning though 😀 ]

I am still struggling with this.  But, I will try my very best to comply to whatever requirement to fulfill my roles and goals as an academician.  Indeed.  One thing at a time.  

First, I need to write 4 things that I will upload later on my personal TES:

1) Goals of student learning,

2) Philosophy,

3) Beliefs and practices of assessment and

4) Self-reflection of teaching development over time.

I remember Norah said that I can link all of the four things to my personal TES if I write about it somewhere like in this post.  I would do that later In sha Allah.  

Read this prayer when we are afflicted with calamity [Doa ditimpa musibah]

It has been 5 days since my cat (Batman) went missing on Sunday 9 June 2019.  I try very hard not to cry because I am having on-off fever.  Feeling feverish at certain time but feeling better after taking medication.   So, even though I search for him around the house (up to the neighbours’ houses), I still could not find him.  Robyn (Batman’s sister) seems to know that he is missing.  She does not want to eat her biscuit when I feed her every morning.  She will linger around and lie down instead.  Only after I leave her alone, she will eat. 

I try to search any prayer to find my missing cat.  Well, there is no specific prayer but I found this instead.  A prayer that Rasullullah SAW taught Ummu Salamah’s husband and he later taught her this prayer.   She lost her husband in the battle of Uhud.  She later married Rasullullah SAW and became one of the important people to narrate his hadith.  

Batman went missing is a tragedy for me.  Why?  I am so used of having him to bug me when I am doing my work or chores around the house.  He would always linger around me, nearby.  I really hope I will find him soon and he would be back to bug me again.  

 

 

I am a cat lover

This cat was not mine.  I came back from school one day and there she was sitting in front of the door of my house (60 Steavenson Street, Durham).   I asked my housemate to take my picture with this cat.  I didn’t own any cat when I was in Durham.   I couldn’t afford to take care of a cat because the food and whatsnot are not cheap in UK.  A small packet of wet food could cost a pound (I could buy a packet of biscuit with the same amount).  

These two cats stay in my school’s compound.  Mother and daughter.  I just parked my car and haven’t get out yet from my car and both were already waiting for me.   When this thing happens, it always makes my day!

I met this tyke few years ago at Pagoh’s RnR.  I was on my way back from Putrajaya.  It was one long exhaustive week for me and I had no appetite to have dinner.  While waiting for the rest of my busmates, I stood nearby the parking area and suddenly, this little tyke started to rub on my leg.  What a big boy!  I just patted the head.   Not giving him the whole body massage (I was afraid of him to bite me, actually.  So, better takes extra precaution on this).  I still remember my feeling after patting him.   What a good (and cheap) stress reliever!

 

I had this cat for about five years.  He was called as “Merah” (Red).  He did not like any sort of physical affection unless he initiated it.  But normally, he would only allow me to pat on his head ONLY.   When the picture was taken, he and Hadif (my three years old nephew) were eating durian together.  As you can see from the picture, they had a little argument.  Who should get the last piece of durian!  How time flies!  Merah was no longer with us.  He died in late 2009 (not long after this picture was taken).   That boy?  He is 13 years old this year (2019) but he no longer likes durian.  He could not even stand the smell.  Welcome to non-eating durian club, Hadif!  (I also don’t eat and cannot stand the smell of durian even though there are around 10 durian trees around my house that my late dad grew more than 30 years ago).

This is Bubu (Kelabu  or Grey).  He died in 2008 when I was in UK.  He liked to sit on top of my car.  He liked to be held like that.  My two nieces, Halimah and Adibah were holding him in that position.  It is a bit uncensored though.  Please pardon me of that.  I would not photoshop this picture.  I leave it au naturale.  

This is my current princess, Robyn.   I had a little scary moment when something went wrong when I spayed her in 2015.  I spent more than RM1k for her medical treatment.  I even brought her to the office because I needed to bring her to the doctor’s appointment at Global Pet (Taman Universiti branch).  How time flies!  She is such a darling and my little princess even though she could not stand to be held by me (I guess it is due to the traumatic experience of being held when she was sick when I needed to feed her with medication etc.).  She is one of the most polite cats that I ever have because she would give me a little meow whenever she needs something from me (not the loud ear-piercing meow).

I call him, Batman.  He is Robyn’s brother.  He likes to sleep inside a box-shaped place like this.  He has this piercing loud voice.  He doesn’t like to be held like Robyn but I can still cuddle him for a few second.  I make it as a routine before I give him his meal.  As he grows older, he does not like strangers.  Normally, he would stay away from strangers.  [Latest update: he went missing on 4th day of Eid.  The last time I saw him was on Saturday afternoon.  I gave him his last meal around 6pm.  He was not around on Sunday morning.  He is still missing until now]

It has been a while since the last time I watched a movie

Since 2011, I never watch any movie at cinema.   I only watch movies at home which means that whatever movie that I watch will be the “off season” movie.  I don’t feel like I miss out anything from not watching the latest movies.  Reading any movie review is good enough for me.

But, things are different for my nieces.  Apparently, one of them subscribes Netflix and thus, she is quite up-to-date with the latest movies and whatsnot.

Here I was, watching a scary movie called “The curse of La Llorona” on second Eid with the rest of the family.  With small kids as young as 2 years old who have started to know “the meaning” of ghosts and whatsnot, my home was loud with screaming and shrieking of all ages.  The oldest person who also watched the movie was my eldest sister.  After a while, she went to her room to have a quick rest.  After all, too much screaming and shrieking tired her out.  

I didn’t even finish watching the movie.  It is too much actions going on and I just feel too tired to be guarded at all times.  It is not worth to watch something to scare myself, don’t you think so? 😀

P.S: The kids who watched the movie ended up sleeping with their parents at night because they were too scared to sleep without their parents.  

Allah Knows best

Some of my colleagues and I had a chance to collaborate with several researchers from different universities.  This was my first opportunity to work with outsiders.  

Unfortunately, I received the news that our collaboration might not be materialised.  Our grant proposal was rejected.  Our leader was apologetic about it.   Well, there is nothing to apologise.  We had a chance to discuss and meet at UM last June (2 weeks before Ramadan).   This was a new thing for me.  

I am glad that I have such opportunity to meet with other researchers from different universities with different specialisation.  In sha Allah we will have a better chance to conduct research together.  After all, Allah Knows the best gladtidings for us and will always give the best things at the best time.  

Recycle baju kurung for raya? Normal

 

This was my last raya in Durham.  The year is 2010.   When I went to Durham, I only brought one baju kurung.   Since then, I never had any baju kurung for raya.  It is not that I don’t celebrate Eid.  It is just that I feel that it is ok to wear any baju kurung or jubah that I already have.  Sometimes I buy new baju kurung during “off season”, not during raya season.  My policy is, as long as I never take any raya picture with that baju kurung, I can wear it for any raya.  😀 

From left: Lutfi, Kam, Me, Amalina, Fiqah and Hafiz.

 

Eid: Diet went wrong and ……

Eid is one of the times when I find it difficult to maintain “healthy” diet.  Well, it is all about self-discipline, one might say.  But to stay away from overeating is challenging itself unless you don’t go visiting one another – which is the tradition of raya in Malaysia.   

This year around, I don’t know how it might be different from last year.  But one thing for sure, it will be less merrier than when I still have both of my parents.

Eid without my parents

My dad passed away in 2009.  It has been 10 years I celebrate Eid without him.  My mom passed away in 2017.  This year will be my second year celebrating Eid without her.  Since her passing, Eid is not the same.  I don’t have any baju kurung or things that I normally do since she passed away.  It is difficult to keep certain traditions when she was no longer around.  There are times when I feel that I don’t want to spring clean the house even though I know that there will be guests coming etc.  

I started my Eid break today whereas many of my colleagues have started their break since yesterday.   I don’t know why I feel different and I have this feeling since last year.  I know that it is not easy to deal with this alone.  So, I am grateful that I still have my siblings to celebrate the Eid together.