Oxymoron In The Tropics

The other day, someone accused me of being 'naive' and he made it seem as if 'naive' is such a terrible thing to be.  As if I allow every conman on the street to trick me out of my savings and as if I buy into all the frauds and scams that fly into town.  The issue we were disagreeing over was the simple matter of trust.  I chose to trust someone else who was as yet an unknown quantity to me, giving that other person the benefit of the doubt. I didn't give that third person the keys to my house... or the PIN to my bank accounts.... or the care of my son.... or the secrets of my life.  I merely chose to give that person my friendship.  However, this really upset my other friend who felt I should keep a distance and observe this other person first.  Watch and wait for him to do something.  Although I do not know what it is that I am supposed to watch for... By 'coincidence', this other friend is also the type to cultivate a coolly sarcastic facade.  No mat...

Today was the last day of the seminar (refer to previous post).  More gems of wisdom :) I learned about using mnemonic devices to enhance teaching & learning of literature.  Jane Deslorena Jaikol shared her experiences in teaching students of average proficiency and helping them to remember details of the story Robinson Crusoe.  I know how frustrating it can be when after all your backbreaking efforts, you have a young student who writes in his exam paper that in the Pearl, Coyote was shot in the head by Mokgobja who wanted rain for his lotus which he needed to eat. Dr Norherani Moning talked about wikispaces and how they helped scaffold the teaching of academic writing.  Eric C talked about using efficiency (E-factors) and appropriacy (A-factors) to help in the selection of reading materials for students.  I didn't ask HIM any questions as I was one of his interviewees :) During the pleno session, the panel brought up points such as : - the excellent quality of the papers ...

I am now at the second day of a research seminar in Hotel Beverly, Kota Kinabalu. It has a title that looks dry.. Seminar Penyelidikan Dan Inovasi Pendidikan Kebitaraan Bahasa Peringkat Kebangsaan 2009 ... but the 'kebitaraan' made me look for a dictionary and the papers presented so far has made me view the seminar title in multicolour instead of drab black and white :) I always look forward to attending such seminars.... and this particular seminar is turning out to be one of the more memorable ones. For me, anyway. I met old friends from so many different phases of my life. I got to make new friends! From schools, teaching institutes, universities... I learned new strategies to use in class, such as dialogue journals (action research by Izyan Shazwani). This is a variation on journals and an excellent alternative to e-journals for schools and communities with limited access to the Internet. I found Jacinta Juin's presentation on learner autonomy using drama-based acti...

There are times when you need a boost of energy.... and one of my favourite ways is to listen to Kitaro play 'Matsuri'... oh yeah!

Here's a list of scholarship links, shared by a friend.  I haven't verified them (too many!). Please inform me if you find any broken or invalid link. MARA Scholarship Programs http://www.mara.gov.my/dasar_tajaan Yayasan Proton Scholarship http://www.malaysia-scholarship.com/yproton.html PTPTN Education Loan http://ptptn.gov.my/ The Star Education Fund http://thestar.com.my/edufund Astro Scholarship Award http://www.astro.com.my/astrolife/scholarship/default.asp Shell Scholarships http://www.shell.com/home/content/my-en click on 'Jobs and Careers' PETRONAS Education Scholarship Programs http://esu-spmtrial.petronas.com.my/ MNRB Scholarship Fund http://www.mnrb.com.my/career_sch/scholarships.asp HSBC Scholarship Awards http://www.hsbc.com.my/1/2/miscellaneous/hsbc-scholarship-awards# OCBC Bank Scholarship http://www.ocbc.com.my/global/aboutOCBC/Gco_Abt_Community.shtm Bank Negara Scholarship http://www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=103&pg=6...

It's official... the host of the 31st Summer Olympics is Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Tried to tweet that info but for the first time ever, I got the page "Twitter Is Over Capacity". I have a feeling a few million people stormed Twitter about the Olympics.

A few months ago, a friend recommended a Indonesian band to me and sent me a Youtube link . The melodies were soulful and the vocals were of the unforgettable sort. Their themes seem to center on love and its many permutations. Any place you go, if you hear Ungu over the PA system or on the radio, you just KNOW it's Ungu. Then just now, I saw the band sing on an Astro channel.... sweet... Lyrics : Ungu feat. Rossa – Tercipta Untukku menatap indahnya senyuman diwajahmu membuat ku terdiam dan terpaku mengerti akan hadirnya cinta terindah saat kau peluk mesra tubuhku banyak kata yang tak mampu ku ungkapkan kepada dirimu reff: aku ingin engkau s'lalu hadir dan temani aku di setiap langkah yang meyakiniku kau tercipta untukku sepanjang hidupku aku ingin engkau s'lalu hadir dan temani aku di setiap langkah yang meyakiniku kau tercipta untukku meski waktu akan mampu memanggil seluruh ragaku ku ingin kau tau kuslalu milikmu yang mencintaimu sepanjang hidupku aku ingin engkau slal...