Category: Random rambling

Confusion

It is quite normal to feel confused at times due to various reasons.  But some time, we can avoid being confused if we have enough information about something and this could lessen or decrease our anxiety as well.  Unfortunately, there might be cases whereby certain information is not well-circulated and thus create confusion (unnecessarily).  This is what happened to me and some of my colleagues.  

Last July, my colleague and I had to handle a session involving remote supervision students.   Even though there is no appointment letter from the Graduate School (until now aka the time of writing), I just proceed with the session together with my friend (she got an appointment letter though).  So, the students have to take several classes and whatsnot and they have to present their mini proposal.   Sound familiar, right?   The way remote supervision is conducted is similar with the normal programme for full research students who have to attend MPPU100, MPPU1070 and MPPU1080.  The only difference is the code they use.  For the remote version of MPPU1060, the code  is UHPP0010.  There you go.

Apparently, there are two groups or batches of students undergoing this remote supervision.  However, many of us who are the facilitators do not have sufficient information about this programme i.e. remote supervision.  So, when some of my senior colleagues asked me why I was not present at certain sessions (as if I am purposely absent from those sessions), I was perplexed because I wasn’t informed about those sessions.  

Well, the thing is, I believe that if I am needed, I will get the appointment letter or whatever.  Just informing me through WhatsApp messages is unofficial.  I am not being demanding or anything, but I think that we should do things properly.  It is unfair to perceive me as indifferent whereas I do not have any clue or idea about the programme organised by the school or faculty which is meant only for selected people.  I realise that I cannot expect that I will be involved in every single programme organised by the school or faculty.  After all, I have my own little projects with the school (consider this as after-Latihan-Ikhtisas-service to the school) 😀

UTM code of ethics

I was asked my one of my senior colleagues to fill in a questionnaire in relation to teaching, supervision, research and publication.  There are 10 questions asked.  The questions are

  1. Do you know that UTM has code of professional ethics?  (you to answer either YES or NO)
  2. Have you read the UTM code of ethics?  (you to answer either YES or NO)
  3. Do you know what are the UTM code of ethics?  (you to answer either YES or NO)
  4. Do you think that you are an ethical staff by UTM standard or by your own standard?  (you to answer either YES or NO)
  5. Are you able to define what is “being professional” in your job? (you to answer either YES or NO)
  6. Please give 3 examples to prove that you bring ethics into your work
  7. Another 3 examples that you think you are not ethical in your work
  8. State a few example of your colleagues’ behaviour which you think is ethical and professional
  9. Please describe incidents or events of your colleagues which you think are not ethical and/or not professional in their work

What are my answers?   I already gave to the committee.  I don’t know the findings of this survey though.

There are news articles about Prof Wahid Omar’s thoughts about issues relating to academic integrity in reference to Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s claim about Malaysian academicians’ integrity which causes uproar among concerned Malaysian citizens and alike.  You can read one of the news articles HERE.

In addition, HERE is the UTM code of ethics [Just in case, some of you are searching for it]

Spring clean_Part 1

One of my least favorite things to do during long semester break is to “dispose” old assignments and whatsnot.  Sometimes, I do not know how long I should keep it.  But based on my rule of thumb: If the students have already graduated, I can dispose their assignments.  I found some assignments dated back in 2014/2015.  I notice that majority of the students had already graduated.  But there are some in their final year (for the UG) so I still need to keep theirs though.

I also found old timetables that Prof Bahar had signed.  Looking at these timetables makes me sad.  Al-fatihah to Prof Bahar.


Break a leg

Wishing all the best to individuals who have to perform in something might improve their performance.  This has been proven in research such as “Keep your fingers crossed” which has shown “activating good-luck-related superstitions via a common saying or action such as break a leg, or a lucky charm improves subsequent performance in golfing, motor dexterity, memory and anagram games”

But this does not mean the performers should prepare less for any competition or task though.  Relying on luck with lackluster efforts won’t result in high performance.  There is nothing wrong in dreaming, hoping or wishing but we have to take reality into consideration.  We have to face life’s challenges head-on, not to put our heads on sand like ostriches thinking the challenges, harm or whatever will go away or pass by without us doing nothing about it.

Prisoner’s dilemma

Social scientists like psychologists, sociologists and alike study the issue of trust using a game known as Prisoner’s Dilemma.  In this game, a scenario in which you and your friend are caught by the police and are interrogated.  But the results for both of you to be punished by the law would be varied depending on the confession by both of you (you and your friend).  So, which is which?

The scenario is like the following

Let’s say you and your friend rob a bank and you are not very good at robbing a bank so you get caught.  The police arrest both of you and put you in separate rooms to interrogate you.  You have no way to communicate with your friend.  The cops offer you a deal: if you testify that your friend was the mastermind and he does not testify against you, you go free and he gets five years in prison.  If you don’t testify against your friend but he testifies against you, you get five years and he goes free.  If you both testify against each other, you both get three years.  If you both refuse to testify, you both get one year.

The answer can be straight forward.  If you knew you could trust each other, you both keep your mouths shut and get one year.  But that might not be the case, right?  That’s what prompt researcher like Robert Axelrod to further study what makes us decide on whom to trust and not.  The answer might shock you.  Tit for tat.  Yup.

Old notes

1) Great leaders lead people to reach the higher level of morality.
2) Do not be leaders who have “personality chameleon” syndrome.
3) To achieve justice, you need to have courage, wisdom and temperance in a state of balance directed by god-conscious
4) Do not let the technology to take control of your life. You control the technology, not the other way around
5) To change the environment, you need to be a balanced individual (Wisdom, Temperance, Courage, Justice guided with God-conscious).
6) Stick to your principle, have courage to change and redefine/retheorize things around you. Don’t simply accept things without critically examine it in terms of your context.
7) Always self-examined (muhasabah) if you are not in a balanced state (W, T, C, J and G-C). Having self-examination on regular basis will maintain your spiritual Qalb. Do not lead it get polluted to the extent that you are losing integrity and become incompetent, greedy and frivolity

Note: Great leaders are willing to stand out and defend their principles at whatever cost. Some even lost their lives. Like what Kelly Clarkson once said “What doesn’t kill you make you stronger”.

My dad’s younger sister

She was in coma for nearly three weeks.  I visited her with my eldest sister two weeks ago.  I took a leave on a weekday and off we went to visit her.  She was immobile.  Unmoved.  As I hold her hand, she did not make any reaction.  At that time, it reminds me of my late dad.  He was in similar situation.  The only difference was he was at the hospital and my aunt is at her home.  Both suffered brain hemorrhage due to a fall.  With such an advanced age (my dad was 75 years old and my aunt was 85 years old), they were physically fragile.  A mere bump and fall could lead to catastrophic consequences.

As caregivers, it is not easy to provide the best care especially if we are not medically trained.  One of my cousins, my aunt’s daughter is a retired nurse.  She is trained medically to provide medical care to people yet when it comes to caring her own parents, she finds it difficult to care for them.  It is not due to lack of training, but due to emotional burden that she feels every time seeing her mom or dad whimpering when they were in pain.  Indeed.  It is never easy to care for our ailing parents.

On 30 July 2019 at around 10pm, my aunt passed away.  May Allah bless her soul.

 

How to overcome impostor syndrome?

These are ten strategies that I excerpt from Impostor Syndrome website.  

  1. Break the silence. Shame keeps a lot of people from “fessing up” about their fraudulent feelings. Knowing there’s a name for these feelings and that you are not alone can be tremendously freeing. 
  2. Separate feelings from fact. There are times you’ll feel stupid. It happens to everyone from time to time. Realize that just because you may feel stupid, doesn’t mean you are.
  3. Recognize when you should feel fraudulent. If you’re one of the first or the few women or a minority in your field or work place, it’s only natural you’d sometimes feel like you don’t totally fit in. Instead of taking your self-doubt as a sign of your ineptness, recognize that it might be a normal response to being an outsider. 
  4. Accentuate the positive. Perfectionism can indicate a healthy drive to excel. The trick is to not obsess over everything being just so. Do a great job when it matters most, without persevering over routine tasks. Forgive yourself when the inevitable mistake happens. 
  5. Develop a new response to failure and mistake making. Henry Ford once said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Instead of beating yourself up for being human and blowing the big project, do what professional athletes do and glean the learning value from the mistake and move on. 
  6. Right the rules. If you’ve been operating under misguided rules like, “I should always know the answer,” or “Never ask for help” start asserting your rights. Recognize that you have just as much right as the next person to be wrong, have an off-day, or ask for assistance. 
  7. Develop a new script. Your script is that automatic mental tapes that starts playing in situations that trigger your Impostor feelings. When you start a new job or project instead of thinking for example, “Wait till they find out I have no idea what I’m doing,” try thinking, “Everyone who starts something new feels off-base in the beginning. I may not know all the answers but I’m smart enough to find them out.” 
  8. Visualize success. Do what professional athletes do. Spend time beforehand picturing yourself making a successful presentation or calmly posing your question in class. It sure beats picturing impending disaster and will help with performance-related stress. 
  9. Reward yourself. Break the cycle of continually seeking °© and then dismissing °© validation outside of yourself by learning to pat yourself on the back.
  10. Fake it ‘til you make it. Now and then we all have to fly by the seat of our pants. Instead of considering “winging it” as proof of your ineptness, learn to do what many high achievers do and view it as a skill. The point of the worn out phrase, fake it til you make it, still stands: Don’t wait until you feel confident to start putting yourself out there. Courage comes from taking risks. Change your behavior first and allow your confidence to build.