** Bats a 'likely source' of Sars **
A new study finds a virus very like Sars in Chinese bats, indicating they were the likely source of the 2002 outbreak.
BBC
Comment from a friend: "notice that Xinhua, pretty much the unofficial "official" mouthpiece of the Chinese government, hasn't "picked up" the story on SARS...or at least I couldn't find it on the main page, the Health page, or SciTech page. Interesting...since they usually pick up on other stories pretty fast...perhaps we'll have to wait for an official Chinese response...or we may never see it appear on the page."
Let us wait...
Xin Hua
Friday, September 30, 2005
# City of London
Dragon statue at Temple Bar Monument, source (Wikipedia)
Was told by Ray that at the boundaries of the City of London, these dragon statues guard the City. In each road leading towards the City of London, there will be these dragons, commonly believed to be griffins, guarding the entrance, protecting the City in a mystical way.
Only after being informed by him, I started noticing the little dragons standing by the street. All the while I have not be mindful enough to notice the significance of these statues; there have been so many statues and monuments scattered near the streets that people sometimes took for granted. Near LSE, by the Thames River, there were so many monuments, including the obelisks from Egypt, standing quietly without too many people noticing their stories. I felt embarassed by myself, for not taking just a little bit more time to read the carvings on the monuments, just to understand more about the history.
With such remorse, I decided to look into the City of London in more detail by finding information from the web.
Information from Wikipedia: The boundaries of City of London (such a long one!!!)
"The City of London borders the City of Westminster to the west - the border cutting through Victoria Embankment, passing to the west of Middle Temple, going east along Strand and Fleet Street, north up Chancery Lane, where it becomes instead the border with the London Borough of Camden. It continues north to Holborn, turns east, continues, then goes northeast to Charterhouse Lane. As it crosses Farringdon Road it becomes the border with the London Borough of Islington. It continues to Aldersgate, goes north, and turns into some back streets soon after it becomes Goswell Road. It ends up on Ropemakers Lane, which as it continues east past Moorgate becomes South Place. It goes north, becomes the border with the London Borough of Hackney, then east, north, east on backstreets, meeting Norton Folgate at the border with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It continues south into Bishopsgate, and takes some backstreets to Middlesex Street where it continues south-east then south. It makes a divergence to the west at the end of Middlesex Street to allow the Tower of London to be in Tower Hamlets, and then reaches the river."
Of course, a picture says a thousand words...
From there, also realized that the Great Fire of London did not only occur once in 1666. In fact, there was another in 1212, and BOTH of the fires are referred as THE Great Fire.
With demolishment of houses to make way for commercial buildings, the City's population fell from 19th to 20th century. Recently, however, residential use of buildings is encouraged, extra accommodation is being provided. Yet the population is not expected to grow beyond 10k people.
I think I have starting to sound boring to some people. But a point I must make here. There are many little things that stand right in front of our eyes, wanting to tell us the fascinating stories behind them. Each has its own stories and origins, yet with busy life of human, we tend to forget to care about the little things. Sometimes, we really need to slow down a bit, to appreciate the little things, to understand how things come about. As we look back to the history, we will be able to look at the future in another perspective.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
# Voluntary Organization Development
Walked past Finsbury Park and saw a huge crowd of women in pink, celebrating the Weekend to Break Through Breast Cancer. With blasting music from loudspeakers and people clapping and singing to welcome the participants, I can feel the elevated spirits of the event. It is nice to see such sounding response from the public for the public event of promoting awareness.
With UK strong voluntary organization and network, various activities are able to be carried out effectively, and with good support from the public. The awareness of the need of voluntary sectors' help in the society started as early as World War period; and the involvement of voluntary organization in providing planning, regulatory and management of social welfare activities heightened during Thatcher's government. There has been a long history of development of the voluntary movements and NGO's in UK, and this paved the way to the establishment of a mature social welfare system.
Getting the assistance from the NGO's in terms of social services in many aspects really alleviates the burden on the government. With the self-autonomous activities of planning, management and execution of various projects, the NGOs work hand in hand with the government and ensure a more effective management of the welfare of the community. Self-initiated programs with a noble cause, aiming to care and to give, has a great force of propelling the development of the society in a positive way. Starting from individual's initiative to care, the spirit of giving extends to larger community, and to national level. Hence if we all just give a little bit more to care about others, we can really make a difference in life.
From the discussion with HF, it is fascinating to learn how voluntary organization came about. I decided to borrow some books from her soon to read more in depth about the advancement and development of UK social system. It might be taken as a model to be emulated by our own country. We still have a long way to go to progress this far in voluntary actions and organizations.
With UK strong voluntary organization and network, various activities are able to be carried out effectively, and with good support from the public. The awareness of the need of voluntary sectors' help in the society started as early as World War period; and the involvement of voluntary organization in providing planning, regulatory and management of social welfare activities heightened during Thatcher's government. There has been a long history of development of the voluntary movements and NGO's in UK, and this paved the way to the establishment of a mature social welfare system.
Getting the assistance from the NGO's in terms of social services in many aspects really alleviates the burden on the government. With the self-autonomous activities of planning, management and execution of various projects, the NGOs work hand in hand with the government and ensure a more effective management of the welfare of the community. Self-initiated programs with a noble cause, aiming to care and to give, has a great force of propelling the development of the society in a positive way. Starting from individual's initiative to care, the spirit of giving extends to larger community, and to national level. Hence if we all just give a little bit more to care about others, we can really make a difference in life.
From the discussion with HF, it is fascinating to learn how voluntary organization came about. I decided to borrow some books from her soon to read more in depth about the advancement and development of UK social system. It might be taken as a model to be emulated by our own country. We still have a long way to go to progress this far in voluntary actions and organizations.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
# Happy Birthday Phang Jie!
Today is ah phang jie's birthday!
Cooked a vegetarian meal for her, plus a bonus of a small cupcake with a cute candle. Hope she likes it...
Last night we had a birthday celebration at Thai restaurant, followed by a trip to pub. We made phang jie drink lager. hehehe...
Best wishes for phang jie! May she be happy and healthy always!
phang jie's birthday lunch
phang jie's corner
Cooked a vegetarian meal for her, plus a bonus of a small cupcake with a cute candle. Hope she likes it...
Last night we had a birthday celebration at Thai restaurant, followed by a trip to pub. We made phang jie drink lager. hehehe...
Best wishes for phang jie! May she be happy and healthy always!
phang jie's birthday lunch
phang jie's corner
# Student Mentoring Scheme
Student Mentoring Scheme is back! Finally I received the allocation of my new mentees for the new academic year. I got only seven this year, compared to an astounding twelve students last year.
Checklist:
1) Introduce myself
2) Explain my role of refering them to relevant departments and finding information.
3) Arrange for a meet-up session for a friendly chat.
4) Always be there to help throughout the whole academic year.
Add-ons by self:
A few reminders of things to do during first few days in LSE:
1) Where can you find information?
a) New Arrivals webpage and information pack.
b) New Arrivals Helpdesk.
2) Remember to go for
a) Registration,
b) School Induction,
c) Departmental Induction,
d) Student support service induction,
e) Freshers Fair,
f) etc etc etc.
3) Checklist: Have you settled these things?
a) Accommodation
b) Activate your LSE Computer Account
c) Open your Bank account
d) Register with an NHS doctor
e) Meet your tutor
f) Apply for NUS card, Student TFL Discount card and ULU card
g) Pay your fees
h) Register with local police (for certain overseas student)
i) etc etc etc.
4) Important things you will find useful
a) Your student ID card and number
b) Your Certificate of Registration or letter of offer
Checklist:
1) Introduce myself
2) Explain my role of refering them to relevant departments and finding information.
3) Arrange for a meet-up session for a friendly chat.
4) Always be there to help throughout the whole academic year.
Add-ons by self:
A few reminders of things to do during first few days in LSE:
1) Where can you find information?
a) New Arrivals webpage and information pack.
b) New Arrivals Helpdesk.
2) Remember to go for
a) Registration,
b) School Induction,
c) Departmental Induction,
d) Student support service induction,
e) Freshers Fair,
f) etc etc etc.
3) Checklist: Have you settled these things?
a) Accommodation
b) Activate your LSE Computer Account
c) Open your Bank account
d) Register with an NHS doctor
e) Meet your tutor
f) Apply for NUS card, Student TFL Discount card and ULU card
g) Pay your fees
h) Register with local police (for certain overseas student)
i) etc etc etc.
4) Important things you will find useful
a) Your student ID card and number
b) Your Certificate of Registration or letter of offer
Thursday, September 22, 2005
# LSE New Arrivals Helpdesk
Starting to work at the New Arrivals Helpdesk during registration week. It's a fun experience, and it felt great to be able to put our skills of being student mentors, a.k.a human signposts, into good use. It is no wonder Sarah advertise this job mainly to student mentors, because we are more familiar with the whereabouts in the school.
Top Questions:
1) Where is the Accommodation Office?
- East building, second floor, E294
2) Where do I register?
- Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House building. From Old building, get out to the main street, turn left, walk along the street, Clement House is just next to the Post office.
3) How to I open a Bank Account?
- The leaflet says everything about it. For the Certificate of Registration, print out from LSEForYou, get it stamped at the SSC. There are other documents that the Bank might require.
4) How do I get to Student Service Counter?
How do I get to the Library?
How do I get to the IT Helpdesk?
etc etc etc...
- directions, directions, directions...
5) What else to do after registration, and before other inductions?
- NUS card, student discount card, bank account, medical centre, lots to do!
- Refer to the New Arrivals Website, pleaseeee...
Interesting questions:
1) Which mobile network should I get?
- Stores like the Link, Carphonewarehouse, phones4u, etc etc will provide more professional advice than we do. :-P
2) Where can I get bedlinen?
- Unexpected question, but a very crucial one.
3) Where is the toilet? (with grimace on face)
- (poor chap...)
Scenarios:
1) A guy asked the same question, "What is the time that the Graduate Admission Office is open?", for at least 8 times, 4 times to Sarah, 1 time to Michelle and 3 times to me. I can already memorize the answer, 11am - 1pm, dear.
2) There was such a hype over the registration of Lewinsky as a student in LSE. Press Office came to instruct us to contact them immediately but discreetly if we encounter any media groups, or notice any 'unusual' new arrivals. Gosh... what's with the world today? She is just like any other student, man...
3) A girl accompanied by a whole group of her family came to ask loads of questions. The interesting thing is that it is not the girl who asked, but her dad, mom and bro who did the asking, and seemed much more anxious that she did. Princess of the family I suppose.
4) A guy who kept announcing to the whole world that he has got thousands of cash in his pocket and really needs to open a bank account, although we repeatedly advice him to go to the Bank instead of telling us about how much money he has got. Posing a risk to himself.
While working at the Helpdesk, realized that the arrangements of the registration process and other inductions are not well planned.
- Students found themselves at loss of what to do, and what is next.
- Students were advised to arrive early, but they could not do anything at all until they have registered. No point to come early and be told that they are not allowed to do this and that until their regstration.
- Students face bottlenecks in most process because of lack of the tactic of 'break-and-conquer' to serve the crowds.
- Students could not get hold of computers, while all the crucial information can only be found online.
I decided to write a feedback/suggstion letter to the Student Service Centre, to suggest things and provide some constructive feedbacks. Examples are like:
- Produce a 'very-concise-checklist' of what to do
- Produce a 'step-by-step-timeline' of the important dates and events
- Produce a more user-friendly handbook to give more personal touch, instead of putting everything online, where many people do not get internet access that easily.
- Arrange the registration process such that returning students can go through the process faster and earlier, instead of insisting that everyone register on the very same day, causing bottlenecks and traffic jam. After all, I thought that we have gone all computerized and online?
Written a long feedback and suggestion letter to the SSC, hopefully they will look into the matter and take actions to improve our service to the students.
To serve is our duty, to provide top service is our initiative.
Top Questions:
1) Where is the Accommodation Office?
- East building, second floor, E294
2) Where do I register?
- Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House building. From Old building, get out to the main street, turn left, walk along the street, Clement House is just next to the Post office.
3) How to I open a Bank Account?
- The leaflet says everything about it. For the Certificate of Registration, print out from LSEForYou, get it stamped at the SSC. There are other documents that the Bank might require.
4) How do I get to Student Service Counter?
How do I get to the Library?
How do I get to the IT Helpdesk?
etc etc etc...
- directions, directions, directions...
5) What else to do after registration, and before other inductions?
- NUS card, student discount card, bank account, medical centre, lots to do!
- Refer to the New Arrivals Website, pleaseeee...
Interesting questions:
1) Which mobile network should I get?
- Stores like the Link, Carphonewarehouse, phones4u, etc etc will provide more professional advice than we do. :-P
2) Where can I get bedlinen?
- Unexpected question, but a very crucial one.
3) Where is the toilet? (with grimace on face)
- (poor chap...)
Scenarios:
1) A guy asked the same question, "What is the time that the Graduate Admission Office is open?", for at least 8 times, 4 times to Sarah, 1 time to Michelle and 3 times to me. I can already memorize the answer, 11am - 1pm, dear.
2) There was such a hype over the registration of Lewinsky as a student in LSE. Press Office came to instruct us to contact them immediately but discreetly if we encounter any media groups, or notice any 'unusual' new arrivals. Gosh... what's with the world today? She is just like any other student, man...
3) A girl accompanied by a whole group of her family came to ask loads of questions. The interesting thing is that it is not the girl who asked, but her dad, mom and bro who did the asking, and seemed much more anxious that she did. Princess of the family I suppose.
4) A guy who kept announcing to the whole world that he has got thousands of cash in his pocket and really needs to open a bank account, although we repeatedly advice him to go to the Bank instead of telling us about how much money he has got. Posing a risk to himself.
While working at the Helpdesk, realized that the arrangements of the registration process and other inductions are not well planned.
- Students found themselves at loss of what to do, and what is next.
- Students were advised to arrive early, but they could not do anything at all until they have registered. No point to come early and be told that they are not allowed to do this and that until their regstration.
- Students face bottlenecks in most process because of lack of the tactic of 'break-and-conquer' to serve the crowds.
- Students could not get hold of computers, while all the crucial information can only be found online.
I decided to write a feedback/suggstion letter to the Student Service Centre, to suggest things and provide some constructive feedbacks. Examples are like:
- Produce a 'very-concise-checklist' of what to do
- Produce a 'step-by-step-timeline' of the important dates and events
- Produce a more user-friendly handbook to give more personal touch, instead of putting everything online, where many people do not get internet access that easily.
- Arrange the registration process such that returning students can go through the process faster and earlier, instead of insisting that everyone register on the very same day, causing bottlenecks and traffic jam. After all, I thought that we have gone all computerized and online?
Written a long feedback and suggestion letter to the SSC, hopefully they will look into the matter and take actions to improve our service to the students.
To serve is our duty, to provide top service is our initiative.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
# Broadband Fiasco
Being appointed the IT Service Manager of the house, I found myself at loss of how to deal with technical support in the beginning. :-P
We subscribed for broadband, only to realize that the modem and our wireless router are not compatible. We have a USB modem and an ethernet router - communication breakdown between these two fellas.
After evaluating different options (from getting an ethernet modem, to getting a USB router, and to networking via a main server, etc etc) we decided to get a router with built-in modem.
Happily bought a D-link router-cum-modem, but miserably failed at setting it up. Even by consulting D-link technical guy, we still could not figure out how to set it up. In the end, I went back to PC World to exchange for a Linksys, and with the clearer instructions and explanation on the user guide, I learned some new jargons or networking, as well as gained some basic skills of so-called 'technical support'. hehehe, i m on my way to become the tech-guy in the house.
Putting up security measures is another fun challenge. I found myself constantly get blocked accidentally by the security defense that I set up myself. Talk about being locked outside of own house... With trial and error, I finally manage to set up some basic defense wall for our network. Will consult my tech-guru in Nottingham to learn more advanced skills to build a proper fotress soon.
On my way to becoming the NTGOTB. :-)
We subscribed for broadband, only to realize that the modem and our wireless router are not compatible. We have a USB modem and an ethernet router - communication breakdown between these two fellas.
After evaluating different options (from getting an ethernet modem, to getting a USB router, and to networking via a main server, etc etc) we decided to get a router with built-in modem.
Happily bought a D-link router-cum-modem, but miserably failed at setting it up. Even by consulting D-link technical guy, we still could not figure out how to set it up. In the end, I went back to PC World to exchange for a Linksys, and with the clearer instructions and explanation on the user guide, I learned some new jargons or networking, as well as gained some basic skills of so-called 'technical support'. hehehe, i m on my way to become the tech-guy in the house.
Putting up security measures is another fun challenge. I found myself constantly get blocked accidentally by the security defense that I set up myself. Talk about being locked outside of own house... With trial and error, I finally manage to set up some basic defense wall for our network. Will consult my tech-guru in Nottingham to learn more advanced skills to build a proper fotress soon.
On my way to becoming the NTGOTB. :-)
Monday, September 19, 2005
# Plymouth Trip
A trip to Plymouth during the weekend is so rewarding. An escape from the hustle and bustle of London city is always welcomed.
I had one of the most memorable train journey to Plymouth. Watching the vast green fields and hills swooshing past outside the windows is a satisfying experience. Yet the best part is during the journey approaching Plymouth, where the train passed by the edge of sea, giving a weird sensation as if we were gliding above the vast sea.
Met up with Ray's old friends from Plymouth, Wong and Hong. They acted as guides to bring me around Plymouth while Ray went for his work. A walk from the City Centre to Barbican showed me the Cathedral, Guildhall and Plymouth Gin.
Strolling at Barbican, where Drake and Raleigh once weighed anchor, ensures a great relaxation. There was a bustling community of stylish cafes, tea shops, craft workshops and galleries. In fact, many of their local artists, such as Beryl Cook and Lee Woods, have attained global reputations.
Standing at the Mayflower steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers first embarked on Plymouth, I surveyed the area. The National Marine Aquarium (largest Aquarium in Great Britain, deepest tank in Europe) stood by the pictureque harbour, where many boats rested on the gently lapping waters. I love the wamr mediterranean quayside atmosphere, I love the rich artistic heritage of shops and cafes, I love the warm sunshine and gentle breeze... I made it a point to take the Tamar Cruise in my next trip to have a good look at the Dockyard, Warships and of course, the sea.
Barbican
We then walked to the Hoe, where I was fascinated by the beautiful rocky cliff and slopes. Smeatons tower stood high on the cliff. This masterpeice of John Smeaton, built by 1493 blocks of stone and 1800 Oak Renails, formed a centrepiece of the Hoe and has become one of the most well known landmarks in Plymouth. It is a pity that we did not have a chance to climb to the lantern room on the top, where we can see a breathtaking view. However, we did not manage to get into the Plymouth Dome because it was way past the closing time. Next time, perhaps.
The Hoe
What striked me most though, is the friendly atmosphere and the relaxed attitude of the people here. Things moved much slower than in London, and people smiled and called out to one another more than we do in London. I realized I enjoyed small town atmosphere much more than the city hectic life, and this is such a great holiday break for me.
We went to a Chinese restaurant where Ray used to work. We were pleasantly surprised to find such a close-knitted community in Plymouth, where everyone practically knows everyone. The best chef in Plymouth, a good friend of Ray, paid for our meals, making us feel a bit paiseh with him. Such was the warm and close relationship of the small town people... I love it.
My greatest harvest in Plymouth is to get to know a few marvellous friends, Wong, Hong and Visya. We had fun together, and celebrated 2005 Mooncake Festival in the kitchen of Wong's house. The Ah Hong's style nasi goreng in the next morning and the Debenhams coffee break were enjoyable too.
Like I usually say, I will be back to this lovely place.
I had one of the most memorable train journey to Plymouth. Watching the vast green fields and hills swooshing past outside the windows is a satisfying experience. Yet the best part is during the journey approaching Plymouth, where the train passed by the edge of sea, giving a weird sensation as if we were gliding above the vast sea.
Met up with Ray's old friends from Plymouth, Wong and Hong. They acted as guides to bring me around Plymouth while Ray went for his work. A walk from the City Centre to Barbican showed me the Cathedral, Guildhall and Plymouth Gin.
Strolling at Barbican, where Drake and Raleigh once weighed anchor, ensures a great relaxation. There was a bustling community of stylish cafes, tea shops, craft workshops and galleries. In fact, many of their local artists, such as Beryl Cook and Lee Woods, have attained global reputations.
Standing at the Mayflower steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers first embarked on Plymouth, I surveyed the area. The National Marine Aquarium (largest Aquarium in Great Britain, deepest tank in Europe) stood by the pictureque harbour, where many boats rested on the gently lapping waters. I love the wamr mediterranean quayside atmosphere, I love the rich artistic heritage of shops and cafes, I love the warm sunshine and gentle breeze... I made it a point to take the Tamar Cruise in my next trip to have a good look at the Dockyard, Warships and of course, the sea.
Barbican
We then walked to the Hoe, where I was fascinated by the beautiful rocky cliff and slopes. Smeatons tower stood high on the cliff. This masterpeice of John Smeaton, built by 1493 blocks of stone and 1800 Oak Renails, formed a centrepiece of the Hoe and has become one of the most well known landmarks in Plymouth. It is a pity that we did not have a chance to climb to the lantern room on the top, where we can see a breathtaking view. However, we did not manage to get into the Plymouth Dome because it was way past the closing time. Next time, perhaps.
The Hoe
What striked me most though, is the friendly atmosphere and the relaxed attitude of the people here. Things moved much slower than in London, and people smiled and called out to one another more than we do in London. I realized I enjoyed small town atmosphere much more than the city hectic life, and this is such a great holiday break for me.
We went to a Chinese restaurant where Ray used to work. We were pleasantly surprised to find such a close-knitted community in Plymouth, where everyone practically knows everyone. The best chef in Plymouth, a good friend of Ray, paid for our meals, making us feel a bit paiseh with him. Such was the warm and close relationship of the small town people... I love it.
My greatest harvest in Plymouth is to get to know a few marvellous friends, Wong, Hong and Visya. We had fun together, and celebrated 2005 Mooncake Festival in the kitchen of Wong's house. The Ah Hong's style nasi goreng in the next morning and the Debenhams coffee break were enjoyable too.
Like I usually say, I will be back to this lovely place.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
# Moving into New House
The moment I walked into my new room, I was aghasted to find that it looked more like refugee camp than a normal bedroom. Boxes were piled everywhere, and the air smelled musty n dusty.
It took some time to clear up a walking space that led to my bed. I was too exhausted during my first day of arrival so unpacking was not done at all. Somehow I managed to sleep in a dusty bed with a dusty pillow n a dusty duvet. Not too pleasant. hehe.
Cleaning up the house and unpacking is some new adventures, not only that there are too much clutters around the house, but also that we have to deal with housemates to work in team. There were some disagreement about things like space allocation, rental, contract, etc... but hopefully with mature discussion, we will sort them out one by one.
Main problem in living in harmony with housemates are the duties allocation and responsibility to take care of the house. Sometimes I realize that not many people would have initiative to clean up, unless they are 'allocated' with the responsibility. The 'tidak-apa' and 'couldnt-bother' attitude is an annoying character. More importantly is the way of communication among the housemates. Instead of open and direct discussion, there tends to be talk-behind-the-back and middle-man-passing-message type of communication. This is so wrong, and I feel uncomfortable using this mode of commnunication - it tends to break down - messages sent are unclear and people do not feel frank with one another. There is really a need to change the way things work in this house.
Personally, I feel students really can learn a lot by living out with friends during their study, whether during college or university. It really builds up their communication skills, and tolerance among friends. It is a good place to train responsibility, not only to oneself, but to others and the community. To keep a house running is not an easy task, and it will be an uphill task if people do not cooperate. Coming out from the cocoon of family's pamper, many students will find this a good way to learn to be independent.
I am glad that I have Huifang as a housemate last year. With her responsibility and initiative to maintain the upkeep of the house, I found it easy to get along with her and divide tasks among ourselves. We have mutual understanding of making our little house a homey place to be in. The way we maintain the housekeeping is by own initiative and willingness; and I found this is such an effective way! If we have love for our home, and have the initiative to take care of it, things will be easily settled.
Staying in a 5-people group this year is another adventure. Let's see how our new family will develop. Ganbate!
It took some time to clear up a walking space that led to my bed. I was too exhausted during my first day of arrival so unpacking was not done at all. Somehow I managed to sleep in a dusty bed with a dusty pillow n a dusty duvet. Not too pleasant. hehe.
Cleaning up the house and unpacking is some new adventures, not only that there are too much clutters around the house, but also that we have to deal with housemates to work in team. There were some disagreement about things like space allocation, rental, contract, etc... but hopefully with mature discussion, we will sort them out one by one.
Main problem in living in harmony with housemates are the duties allocation and responsibility to take care of the house. Sometimes I realize that not many people would have initiative to clean up, unless they are 'allocated' with the responsibility. The 'tidak-apa' and 'couldnt-bother' attitude is an annoying character. More importantly is the way of communication among the housemates. Instead of open and direct discussion, there tends to be talk-behind-the-back and middle-man-passing-message type of communication. This is so wrong, and I feel uncomfortable using this mode of commnunication - it tends to break down - messages sent are unclear and people do not feel frank with one another. There is really a need to change the way things work in this house.
Personally, I feel students really can learn a lot by living out with friends during their study, whether during college or university. It really builds up their communication skills, and tolerance among friends. It is a good place to train responsibility, not only to oneself, but to others and the community. To keep a house running is not an easy task, and it will be an uphill task if people do not cooperate. Coming out from the cocoon of family's pamper, many students will find this a good way to learn to be independent.
I am glad that I have Huifang as a housemate last year. With her responsibility and initiative to maintain the upkeep of the house, I found it easy to get along with her and divide tasks among ourselves. We have mutual understanding of making our little house a homey place to be in. The way we maintain the housekeeping is by own initiative and willingness; and I found this is such an effective way! If we have love for our home, and have the initiative to take care of it, things will be easily settled.
Staying in a 5-people group this year is another adventure. Let's see how our new family will develop. Ganbate!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
# Disaster!
It seems that this world is not heading to a better direction. Headlines that hit the newspaper each day are full of negative reports. Shocking, sad news dominate the media. Recounting the events, I suddenly noticed how our everyday-life is full of woes, threatening to endanger human's life.
26 December 2004, one of the most destructive tsunamis hit the Indian Ocean, causing great devastation to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar and Malaysia. Fatalities shot to more than 500,000. In July 2005, Typhoon Talim engulfed Taiwan, and recently the Gulf Coast of US is attacked by the Hurricane Katrina.
The natural disasters caused much misfortunes to human race, showing how fragile human can be. Yet with such fragility, human demand to control the world, and claim rights on natural resources and landscapes. How dare we! Long forgotten is the respect for nature, the love for Mother Earth, and the care for our environment. I remembered an old chinese belief that natural disasters shows the wrath of the God to mismanagement of the goverment in control. Now, with all the disasters, from El Nino to La Nina, why can't human take these as lessons to learn to respect and care for our earth?
Not only facing natural wraths, human face threats from within too. Reports on terrorism has intensified since the September 11 WTC terrorist attack. A more recent nightmare include the 7/7 London bombing followed by the 21/7 bombing. And all the while, wars have been going on around the globe. From the dispute about Gaza to the controversy of Japanese textbook rewriting, from the pre-emptive attack on Iraq to various jihad wars around the world... what has become to our world?
We are plagued with disasters, from the political ones to economical ones to social ones. Planes crashed everywhere in the world nowadays, due to negligence of budget airlines which tried to save cost and forgo safety. Economical disasters happened, causing world companies collapse, countries facing crisises, etc etc... Every disaster is connected to one common factor - human nature.
Our greed, our unsatiable wants, our arrogance, our prejudice, our hatred, our ignorance... Human are blessed with intelligence; we have the ability to reason and analyse, yet we misused our cleverness. We thought we can outsmart others, sometimes we thought we can even outsmart the nature; in the end the ones who suffer is ourselves.
We need to learn. Despite all the teachings of variuos religions and moral values, human values are being degraded more and more. In the pursuit of material wants, many forgo their moral values. It is time we look at ourselves, truthfully, and ask what has become of us, and what can we do?
It is time to reflect, remorse, and redo the right thing.
26 December 2004, one of the most destructive tsunamis hit the Indian Ocean, causing great devastation to India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar and Malaysia. Fatalities shot to more than 500,000. In July 2005, Typhoon Talim engulfed Taiwan, and recently the Gulf Coast of US is attacked by the Hurricane Katrina.
The natural disasters caused much misfortunes to human race, showing how fragile human can be. Yet with such fragility, human demand to control the world, and claim rights on natural resources and landscapes. How dare we! Long forgotten is the respect for nature, the love for Mother Earth, and the care for our environment. I remembered an old chinese belief that natural disasters shows the wrath of the God to mismanagement of the goverment in control. Now, with all the disasters, from El Nino to La Nina, why can't human take these as lessons to learn to respect and care for our earth?
Not only facing natural wraths, human face threats from within too. Reports on terrorism has intensified since the September 11 WTC terrorist attack. A more recent nightmare include the 7/7 London bombing followed by the 21/7 bombing. And all the while, wars have been going on around the globe. From the dispute about Gaza to the controversy of Japanese textbook rewriting, from the pre-emptive attack on Iraq to various jihad wars around the world... what has become to our world?
We are plagued with disasters, from the political ones to economical ones to social ones. Planes crashed everywhere in the world nowadays, due to negligence of budget airlines which tried to save cost and forgo safety. Economical disasters happened, causing world companies collapse, countries facing crisises, etc etc... Every disaster is connected to one common factor - human nature.
Our greed, our unsatiable wants, our arrogance, our prejudice, our hatred, our ignorance... Human are blessed with intelligence; we have the ability to reason and analyse, yet we misused our cleverness. We thought we can outsmart others, sometimes we thought we can even outsmart the nature; in the end the ones who suffer is ourselves.
We need to learn. Despite all the teachings of variuos religions and moral values, human values are being degraded more and more. In the pursuit of material wants, many forgo their moral values. It is time we look at ourselves, truthfully, and ask what has become of us, and what can we do?
It is time to reflect, remorse, and redo the right thing.
Monday, September 05, 2005
# Malaysian attitude
We, Malaysians, need to change our third world mentality, if we really want to achieve our target of reaching a "Developed Country" status.
Despite our skyscrappers and lots of world's number one, we lack of the fundamental values - social values, basic moral values and conscience, and sometimes, common sense. In many simple things, the mentality shown is far below the desirable.
Scenario 1: In supermarket, the cashier helped customers to steal goods by pretending to scan the price tag without actually inputting any data, or by miscounting the quantity of goods bought. This is VERY common, caused losses to supermarket, and yet people do it in the name of 'helping friends'.
Scenario 2: Despite numerous calls to curb open burning, people ignore the issue. Complaints to Jabatan Alam Sekitar went unheard, or sometimes, officers DO come to check, but always check during the time when the burning is NOT done. After office hour, the people happily start burning again.
Scenario 3: Fighting and pushing to get onto public transport. Vandalism, snatch thief, etc etc..
Scenario 4: Officers respond to complaints with "OK OK we will look into the matters", and no action being taken, or lots of bureaucracy lengthen the process until people lose patience of waiting and give up.
Scenario 5: Funny that the calling number and SMS contact plastered at the back of most transport vehicles (for complaints of street misconduct) never work.
Scenario 6: Quite interesting too that while other countries can allow self-service in many purchase, we still need a worker to weigh the fruits/ vegetables in the supermarket to prevent people from use wrong measurement. More interesting is that sometimes even a worker who 'helps friends' cannot be trusted.
Many more scenarios can be noticed in just our simple daily life. Yet we go on with them. Time to wake up, Malaysians! These kind of habits only ruin ourselves, only potray negative image on ourselves, and do not help our country progress in anyway! Education aims to eliminate the naiviety and ignorance, yet many educated persons follow the trend of the mass.
Learn, and grow. We have seen much growth and development in terms of physical and material progress. It's time we focus on our internal growth too - moral, values, outlook, perspective.
Despite our skyscrappers and lots of world's number one, we lack of the fundamental values - social values, basic moral values and conscience, and sometimes, common sense. In many simple things, the mentality shown is far below the desirable.
Scenario 1: In supermarket, the cashier helped customers to steal goods by pretending to scan the price tag without actually inputting any data, or by miscounting the quantity of goods bought. This is VERY common, caused losses to supermarket, and yet people do it in the name of 'helping friends'.
Scenario 2: Despite numerous calls to curb open burning, people ignore the issue. Complaints to Jabatan Alam Sekitar went unheard, or sometimes, officers DO come to check, but always check during the time when the burning is NOT done. After office hour, the people happily start burning again.
Scenario 3: Fighting and pushing to get onto public transport. Vandalism, snatch thief, etc etc..
Scenario 4: Officers respond to complaints with "OK OK we will look into the matters", and no action being taken, or lots of bureaucracy lengthen the process until people lose patience of waiting and give up.
Scenario 5: Funny that the calling number and SMS contact plastered at the back of most transport vehicles (for complaints of street misconduct) never work.
Scenario 6: Quite interesting too that while other countries can allow self-service in many purchase, we still need a worker to weigh the fruits/ vegetables in the supermarket to prevent people from use wrong measurement. More interesting is that sometimes even a worker who 'helps friends' cannot be trusted.
Many more scenarios can be noticed in just our simple daily life. Yet we go on with them. Time to wake up, Malaysians! These kind of habits only ruin ourselves, only potray negative image on ourselves, and do not help our country progress in anyway! Education aims to eliminate the naiviety and ignorance, yet many educated persons follow the trend of the mass.
Learn, and grow. We have seen much growth and development in terms of physical and material progress. It's time we focus on our internal growth too - moral, values, outlook, perspective.
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