Newlyweds

This afternoon, our department held a small gathering in our beloved meeting room to celebrate three of our colleagues who got married recently. They are:

Ustazah Munirah Azrae (5 December 2009)

Puan Ida (12 December 2009)

Mr. Lim Yoon Chong (13 December 2009)

I didn't know that Mr. Lim was single all this while. I thought he's already married. He said that most people have the same thoughts like me. Anyway, I think that it was cute that he used the word 'nikah' to tell me about his wedding :D

We had nasi kerabu (yummy!), lemonade and cream puff during the occasion. There goes my diet!

This small gathering is also to show our appreciation to Cik Rafiaah Abu who had served two years (2007-2009) as the Language Coordinator. The new Language Coordinator is Puan Haniza Hassan. Congratulations!

P/S: The meeting room had a new doorknob and I'm in charge to duplicate the keys for language lecturers who might need them.

Exam Results

Tomorrow is a much anticipated day because UiTM exam results will be out. And I know every student will have the same thoughts on their mind: "Will I pass?" or "Will I fail? or "Will I get Dean's List?" and the list goes on...

For those of you who got good results, congratulations! And for those who don't, you can always work harder next semester.

Or you can blame yourself for being addicted to Facebook when you should be studying.

Cikgu Cool

I took this quiz in Facebook: CIKGU JENIS APAKAH ANDA?? (FOR TEACHERS ONLY)

Izuan took the CIKGU JENIS APAKAH ANDA?? (FOR TEACHERS ONLY) quiz and the result is CIKGU COOL

"Anda boleh relax dan cool walaupun pelajar menari shuffle dibelakang kelas semasa anda mengajar. Anda suka bergaul dengan pelajar tetapi anda kurang bergaul dengan guru2. Anda marah sekali sekala sahaja...selebihnya..lantaklah apa nak jadi pada pelajar itu! Mungkin juga kerana anda sudah fed-up dengan sikap pelajar menyebabkan anda malas nak endahkan mereka. Dari segi kerja, anda suka bertangguh dan buat last minit. Tapi awas, bersikap terlalu cool akan membawa masalah kepada anda. Pelajar2 sukakan anda... tapi jangan sampai mereka pijak kepala anda ok?" <----this is why I look so strict all the time (class management strategy!)

Well, only the sentences highlighted in red are definitely true for me, but only my students can give the verdict whether I am a cool teacher or not. So what say you, students?

Marking Is Over

I had spent the whole week marking and today I had finished marking the answer scripts for all three classes that I had taught for this semester. You have no idea how taxing it is to mark each and every answer script (only teachers and lecturers do!) and I'm just glad that it's finally over. For the time being, I'll gladly make use of the weekends tomorrow. I will key-in the marks by next Monday.

To D3D1 and D3D2, I just want to say that I am so proud of all of you for being able to write the term paper and cite the two references beautifully just as I had taught you. Only several of you have problems regarding the use of the first and the last name of the author. You should mention the last name of the author when you use in-text citation and place the last name followed by the initial of the first name when you write the end-of-text citation.

Example:

in-text citation: Smith (2007) had stated that....

end-of-text citation: Smith, J. (2007)

The reading comprehension questions for BEL311 was very easy and all of you did well on the term paper. Now, aren't you glad that I gave you so many exercises and assignments to do?

Insaflah

This morning, I found a lot of test papers scattered nearby my office. They are not mine, but they belong to one of my office neighbours. One of them caught my attention:

Here's a close up:

This girl is obviously in trouble. Ish ish ish.

Final Thoughts

Recently, I clicked on Feedjit Live Traffic (it's installed on my blog) and I was surprised to discover that people actually ended up on my blog after typing several phrases. They are:

questions for final paper bel311

paper bel260

BEL260 final exam question oct 2009

how to score BEL311

how to answer final exam bel311

bel311 quote

Obviously, these 'people' are Part 2 and Part 3 diploma students from UiTM branch campuses. My guess is that they are doing last minute work and they chose the easy way: The Internet. Too bad my blog doesn't offer anything that they wanted because this blog is just for communicating with my students outside of class. I already gave tips for BEL311 final exam to D3D1 and D3D2 during the last day of lecture.

But look at the third phrase. Does this person really expect that the questions for BEL260 final exam (October 2009) can actually be found via the Internet before today? That's totally ridiculous! He/she must be really desperate indeed!

* * * * * * * * * *

The final exam for BEL260 were already conducted this morning, so I collected D2D1's bundle at 2.30 p.m. Even though they are now in front of me, I haven't started marking them. Instead, I spent the whole day preparing on-going marks for D3D1 & D3D2. This is because I haven't finished marking the remaining final drafts for D3D1 & D3D2. Marking the final draft is a very strenuous task! As for D2D1's on-going marks, they are already completed during the last class. That's a relief.

D3D1 & D3D2, I managed to check all of your blogs today because there are marks for them. Some of you didn't have all eleven entries that I had assigned, so please don't blame me if you received low marks for your on-going assessment. After all, it's your choice of not doing it. If you decided to do it after this entry is posted, then it is too late.

At 6 p.m. the on-going marks for D2D1, D3D1 and D3D2 were finally ready, so I went to print them at the lecturer's common room and later put them outside my office. So D2D1, D3D1 and D3D2, you may view your on-going marks. Don't forget to collect your final drafts. I put all of them outside my office.

Tomorrow is BEL311's final exam. To my D3D1 and D3D2 students, good luck. And don't forget to bring your dictionary!!

Looks like I'm going to spend the whole week marking papers starting tomorrow.

Good Luck

It's the end of another semester (again!) and final examination is finally here! Therefore, I would like to wish good luck to all of my students this semester. D2D1 will be sitting for their BEL260 final exam this October 29th while both D3D1 & D3D2 will sit for their BEL311 final exam this October 30th. I know that BEL260/BEL311 is your first paper this semester and I felt honoured <---okay sebenarnya nak cepat habis tanda paper supaya boleh bercuti awal. Do your best, okay?

As I am positive that all of you are busy studying for the final exam, why don't you take a break from your books by watching this interesting video that I found on the Youtube. Enjoy.

Paraphrase It

Dear D3D1 & D3D2,

One obvious mistake that all of you have in common (in the first draft) is that all of you tend to abuse use a lot of direct quotations in one paragraph. For your information, direct quotations are only used when 1) the original words from the author best expresses the idea and 2) the intended meaning might change if you paraphrase it. For example:

Cranwell-Ward (1990) defined stress as "the physiological and psychological reaction which occurs when people perceive an imbalance between the level of demand placed upon them and their capability to meet those demands."

In this example, it is all right to use direct quotation because the author's original words are good enough to define "stress". Don't forget to use quotation marks whenever you use direct quotations.

But having too much of direct quotations in one paragraph can really mar the effects when it is read. Direct quotations are like speed bumps on the road: the more you have them, the less you will enjoy driving. The same thing applies to academic writing. When I read your term paper, the reading momentum is lost when I encounter too many direct quotations. Therefore, try to use paraphrasing whenever possible and don't forget to quote the last name of the original author at the end. Since the idea is paraphrased, there is no need to use quotation marks.

Example of of Surriyah's work:

The other strategy to overcome stress is by having some exercise. Physical exercise will help to release tension, increase the flow of oxygen to the brain and consequently it will make you feel better. However, you need to avoid the exercise that requires a lot of stamina that can affetcs your health. As Cranwell-Ward (2007) stated, "Exercise regularly, at least three times a week, avoid violent exercise when you are unfit." There are several type of exercise that you can practice to overcome stress. It is the view of Newcombe (2002), "Aerobic activities such as walking or cycling will help your heart and lungs, vigorous exercise such as kickboxing could really help you to release anger or holistic practices such as yoga and tai chi can help calm both the body and mind."

It is better if the ideas are paraphrased instead of using direct quotations. Like this:

Another strategy to overcome stress is by exercising. It is a fact that physical exercise helps to relieve stress, increase oxygen supply to the brain and benefits the whole body in general. By exercising at least three times a week (Cranwell-Ward, 2007), it should be more than enough for your well-being. Newcombe (2007) had recommended several exercises that can help to relieve tension such as aerobic activities (such as walking and cycling), vigorous exercises (like kickboxing) and holistic practices (like yoga and tai chi). However, it is important to note that violent exercises should be avoided when you are not feeling well (Cranwell-Ward, 2007).

Please do your best for your final draft. Do a lot of proofreading. After all, it is worth 15% of the total assessment. The final draft, as I always said, has to be perfect.

Unwell

Last weekend, I felt a mild fever coming but I didn't pay much attention to it, hoping it would go away by itself on Monday morning. However, yesterday it got worse and I also developed a very painful sore throat, along with the fever and a head-splitting headache. The sore throat (or so I thought) was so horrible. It was very painful whenever I tried to swallow food.

So this morning, I gave some work for D2D1 to do and I went to Penawar for a health checkup. The doctor said that the 'sore throat' was actually a swollen tonsillitis, and it is usually accompanied by fever. That explains the headache. So to cut the long story short, I was given an MC for two days and proper medication.

That also means no class for today and tomorrow, so I informed the class representatives of D3D1 and D3D2. (D2D1 will see me next Wednesday, so there is no need to inform them). The message that I sent to Lana remained pending [read: irritated], so I sent another to Kashfi.

An alarmed Kashfi immediately replied; asking me about my sickness so I explained to him. He had an eye infection last week (and I suppose he will feel extremely guilty if I caught the eye infection from him) so I reassured him that no, I didn't catch his eye infection and that it was not his fault. Thanks for your concern, Akmal and Kashfi.

For the time being, you can bet that I'm going to get proper rest, drink lots of water and take the prescribed medication.

So D2D1, D3D1 and D3D2, I guess I'll see all of you on Wednesday.

Birthday Card

This morning, I received a very huuuuuuugeee birthday card from D2D1 right after class had ended. They offered to sing me Happy Birthday, to which I politely declined. (Getting older is not something to be celebrated when you are my age!)

Here's what the card looked like:

please click to enlarge

This is the second custom-made card that I ever received from my students. The first one was from D2B5 (now they are in Part 5 and the card is safely stored in my office) and like D2D1's, it is also huge.

This card might be made from low cost materials, but to me it's the thought and effort of putting it together with love for the receiver that makes it truly priceless.. something that even money won't be able to buy.

Thank you D2D1. I will always treasure it.

A Celebration

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~ Chili Davis

It is an interesting quotation, isn't it?

I am a year older today. And what better way to celebrate it than with my students in this Hari Raya mood? So I told them to bring their kuih raya cookies and in return, I provided them with food and drinks. But of course they had no idea that it is my birthday. They thought that it was just a common Raya get-together ;)

D2D1 and D2D2 were first because they have class with me on Wednesday morning.

Both D2D1 and D2D2 students were so noisy that they disrupted Mr. Rajen's class (he's conducting speaking exam next door). So I told both D2D1 and D2D2 to go downstairs and bring the food with them. Sorry, Mr. Rajen T_T

In the afternoon, D3D2 students were the first to arrive since they usually have class with me at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays.

This picture was taken by Amirah Syafiqah, who happened to sit at the far end of the table. That's why she is not in the picture. Thank you Amirah :)

Zaki's cookies were the most expensive of the lot. They're butter cookies, after all!

Afiq, Kashfi & Zaki

I learned from Kashfi that Afiq's birthday is today. I had always thought that Afiq looked a bit like Vince Chong (Afiq is from Malay-Chinese parentage), and it's a pleasant surprise that besides looking similar to Vince, he also shared the same birthday with the well-known singer (and me, of course).

And it's really fascinating to watch him turn bright red right before your eyes when he was being teased by his classmates :)

D2D1 dropped by shortly after D3D2 had left.

Meanwhile, D3D1 waited outside the room and I told them to come in, but they were a bit reluctant. At first I was puzzled by their behaviour, until all of them came into the room with a birthday cake and sang 'Happy Birthday' together.

cutting the cake

It was weird. How did they know that today is my birthday? I never told any them! But after thinking for quite some time, I finally figured it out. Fara Wahida is Shahida's roommate. Both Shahida and her boyfriend Khalid were my students last semester and I had told Khalid that we both shared the same birthday. Khalid and Shida, thanks for the birthday wish that you sent via sms.

Fara Wahida had the nerve to ask me about my age. So I told her to guess and she said that I am twenty-six. Twenty-six?? Oh well, that means I look younger than my actual age. I'll take that as a compliment :)

photo courtesy of Akmal

And D3D1, thank you very much for the delicious cake.

P/S: Dear all, thanks for the numerous birthday wishes on my Facebook wall, Myspace and also via sms. All of you really made my day. ^_^

Salam Aidilfitri

I would like to wish "Selamat Hari Raya" to my blog readers, especially to my students this semester: D2D1, D2D2, D3D1 & D3D2, my ex-students and those who knew me. I apologize if I had hurt your feelings in anyway. I humbly ask to be forgiven and needless to say, I forgive all of you and I will always pray for your health and well-being. Let's forgive and forget, shall we?

D3D1 & D3D2, don't forget about the pot luck party after raya!

P/S: My duit raya is only for children aged 12 years old and below.

I'm The Chosen One

I am in CLL 1 right now, executing the BEL260 listening test to D2D1. As I read the question paper, I experienced a sense of deja vu. I seem to have read these questions before.. but when?

And then it slowly dawned upon me that I was the one who did them! I had created the audio scripts and the questions about a year ago and submitted them to the resource person. Because I was busy with my work afterwards, I had totally forgotten about them.

Therefore, I think you would understand why I grinned like an idiot all by myself in CLL 1, hearing all those familiar audio scripts that I had created while my D2D1 students were busy listening to them.

The questions and the audio scripts for the test were slightly modified from the original, but there was no mistaking it. It is my masterpiece! That means all Part 2 diploma students of UiTM from all over Malaysia (including Hanis Zalikha and Azfar) will listen to the same audio.

Even though it may mean nothing much to you, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. This is the very first time that my work is chosen for a huge standardized test. I chose subject matter that interests me, of course. Anyone who knew me really well will say, "Dah takde bende lain nak buat bahan ke weh?"

For those who are sitting for BEL260 this semester, I hope you will be able to score in the listening exam. As for my D2D1 students, they found Part C quite difficult.

Oh well, I hope I will be able to create better materials next time.

P/S: Aren't you going to congratulate me?

Heartless

I found these abandoned kittens in front of the gym this evening. The mother is not around, and there was plain water served in a plastic bottle. No food at all.

A security guard came to the gym (it was his daily routine) and told me that the kittens were already there since yesterday. That's odd, because I was at the gym yesterday and the kittens were not there. That means the person had left those kittens this morning (or afternoon).

The Guardian of the Gym arrived with his best friend (Jepun) and they immediately lost their hearts to the cute kittens. In fact, Jepun wanted to keep them. But in the end, I decided to take them home with me since Jepun couldn't possibly bring those kittens to his home in Kulai.

But why dump them at the gym? That person must be heartless to leave such adorable kittens here without any food at all. There's not a soul here except me and a few male students in the evenings. Unless that person knows my routine and hoped that I would take care of them. Okay enough with my overrated imagination!

The brown one is my favourite because it is so darn cute with its huge melting eyes. It reminded me of the handsome Dewatta Arjuna (yes Hanis, go ahead and laugh your head off!). I still couldn't figure out what to call him, though, but the two black ones were named Phobos and Deimos. I have always wanted black cats, so I got my wish.

I'll take very good care of them. I promise.

2 Accidents in 1 Night

I received an SMS from one of my ex-students last night, saying that he met with an accident very near UiTM Segamat (it happened opposite the Chinese cemetery, to be exact). He asked whether I knew any workshop around Segamat, so I called him back to let him know that I will be there.

The car wasn't even his. It was his roommate's. That means he's in deep trouble now. On the way to UiTM Segamat, I saw another accident in Tasik Alai. I saw a Waja and the flashing lights of a tow truck parked beside the road but I didn't stop.

When I arrived nearby the Chinese cemetery, I saw a Satria crashed into a lamp post. It was surrounded by the police and a few male students from the campus. Apparently, he had hit the lamp post. Since he was busy answering questions from the police, I approached his traumatic girlfriend (also my ex-student) and she sobbed as she poured out the details of the accident.

By the way, here's the picture of the beat-up Satria:

credits to Sagak for taking this pic for me

The tow truck that I saw just now happened to drive past, towing the Waja behind it. I was surprised as I saw the driver of that Waja. Incidentally, it was also one of my ex-student. (The victims were all Part 5 students). But nobody was hurt, thank goodness.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is just around the corner.. so for those who are driving back to your hometown, please drive carefully and please think of your loved ones. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Crocs, Anyone?

Shahira (who looks a bit like Eva Mendez) was one of my ex-students. She is currently in Part 5 (DBS) and she is very active in the English Debate Club.

Shahira, Hanis Zalikha, me and Yasmin

Shahira is currently selling original Crocs at half price. I have always wanted to buy one, so I ordered a pair from her. If you're also interested to buy them, you can go to her room at Z217D (Girls only! Guys, please contact her first!) and browse through the catalogs. This offer is only valid for students of UiTM Johor. If you're not, fret not. You can contact Shahira 017-2821694 and see if she can make arrangements with you.

WARNING TO GUYS: JANGAN CONTACT KALAU NAK MENGORAT FVHGHJKLPX

I'm Back!

Hello. I haven't updated this blog for almost a month. This is because my faithful modem was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm last month. The thing is, the computer and the modem were not even turned on!

All I heard during the thunderstorm was a small explosion coming from the CPU and when I wanted to use the Internet that night, the modem did not respond at all. That means no more Internet for me! *groans*

So I bought a new modem last weekend. Why not sooner, you ask? That's because I had to wait for my salary first T_T

Isn't it cute? And so classy too. Costs only RM135. It has 4 ports.

When I tried to install it, there was another problem: the modem cannot detect the network card! The LED of the network card did not flicker at all. So I concluded that it was also busted due to the thunderstorm. Since the shops are not open on Sundays, I had to wait until this morning to buy a new network card.

It's really cheap (RM35 after discount), but since I didn't know how to install it, I asked the technician to have it installed to my CPU. With service charge, the whole thing costs RM70! How exorbitant!

Note to self: I really have to learn the basics of computer hardware after this! Can anybody teach me?

So after replacing the network card, the new modem was finally installed. I had no idea how easy it was! And for the first time, I was able to go online after almost a month! I miss Streamyx so much!

Thus, I learned something important from this. The technician said that the modem is an easy victim of lightning. Therefore, during thunderstorms, please remove the telephone line (the main one leading to the splitter) and remove the modem's power outlet.

I already learned my lesson. The hard way. T_T

P/S: I had published my previous entries for you to read. I hope you enjoyed them.

Mood Good

I never look forward to teach combined class because there were like fifty of them (students) and one of me. So it's kinda hard to control them and I totally lost it this morning. I know, I know, we were supposed to keep our temper during the month of Ramadhan but somehow I really lost it when they (D2D1 and D2D2) did not stop talking among themselves when they were supposed to do some reading comprehension.

So I yelled, "If you don't keep quiet I will punish you. I'm not in a mood good today."

This is an example of Spoonerism. Read more about it here.

I hoped D2D1 and D2D2 didn't notice that.

Kinohimitsu Health Pad

I'm sure you have heard of this product. It's Kinohimitsu Health Pad.

I already knew about this product for a long time. Since I am interested in health-related products, I really wanted to give it a try. But if you bought it at normal price, it is very expensive.

A friend of mine had tried it and he said that he felt refreshed the next morning. He had recommended it to me, so I couldn't wait to experience it myself.

Guardian Segamat is having a sale this week and the price had dropped to RM25 for two pairs. That sounds affordable, so I bought it at once and tried it last night.

All you have to do is put the patches on the soles of your feet (or any part of the body) before you go to sleep. Like this:

The idea is that we spent our whole life upright, so the toxins are mostly submerged to the feet. That's why we are supposed to put the patches on the soles of our feet (I think).

Anyway, I woke up for sahur and removed the patch.

Here are the results:

That's definitely a lot of toxins. Eww.

Berbuka @ Taming Sari

Today I went for berbuka with my ex-students at Taming Sari.

Menu for berbuka:
Kurma, Ayam Golek, Nasi Goreng Cina, Bandung Soya, Dadih

Sedap. Licin. Alhamdulillah ;)

Happy Birthday Didee

Didee (known as Miss Didee) is one of my closest colleagues here in UiTM Segamat and today is her birthday. I already wished her happy birthday in advance on Facebook in case I forgot.

D3D1 and D3D2, I know that previously Miss Didee had taught some of you last semester (BEL260). So why don't you drop your birthday wishes here (in the comment section) so that she can read it. I'm sure she will appreciate it :)

Selamat Berpuasa

FADHILAT PUASA WAJIB DAN SUNAT SEPANJANG TAHUN

Ibadat puasa adalah ibadah yang dikerjakan dengan berlapar dan berdahaga sepanjang hari iaitu sejak terbitnya fajar siddiq (masuk waktu Subuh) hingga terbenamnya matahari (masuk waktu Maghrib).

Antara hikmah dan faedah ibadat puasa ialah menginsafkan diri bahawa kita pada hakikatnya adalah makhluk yang dhaif yang perlu sentiasa menghampirkan diri dan beribadat kepada Allah s.w.t. serta mengharapkan limpah kurnia-Nya.

Firmah Allah s.w.t. menjelaskan tentang hikmah puasa Ramadhan yang bermaksud:

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, diwajibkan berpuasa atas kamu sebagaimana diwajibkan atas umat-umat yang terdahulu sebelum kamu, semoga kamu bertakwa" (Surah al-Baqarah:183)

Dengan puasa juga, kita akan memperolehi kesihatan jasmani dan rohani. Sabda Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. yang bermaksud: "Berpuasalah kamu, tentu kamu akan sihat." Sabda Baginda Rasulullah s.a.w. lagi: "Perut besar itu adalah sarang penyakit dan banyak makan itu punca segala penyakit."

Selain daripada itu, puasa juga mempunyai hikmah dan faedah seperti:

• Tanda bersyukur kepada Allah s.w.t. atas limpah kurnia nikmat-Nya yang tidak terhingga

• Mendidik nafsu amarah (yang lebih banyak mengajak kepada keburukan) agar berubah menjadi nafsu lawwamah dan seterusnya meningkat kepada nafsu mutmainnah yakni nafsu yang tenang tenteram, bersedia menjunjung titah perintah Allah s.w.t.

• Melatih dan mendidik jiwa supaya mempunyai sifat belas kasihan terhadap orang-orang yang susah, menderita dan kurang bernasib baik kehidupan mereka

• Membersihkan diri daripada sifat-sifat mazmumah (keji) seperti tamak, sombong, hasad dengki dan lain-lain lagi

• Mendidik jiwa supaya bersifat sabar, tahan menanggung kesusahan dan pelbagai cabaran dalam menempuh perjuangan hidup

• Memperolehi kecerdasan akal dan fikiran sebagaimana disebut dalam satu riwayat maksudnya: "Orang yang lapar perutnya itu tajamlah fikirannya dan teranglah hatinya."

Oleh kerana sangat besar faedah dan manfaatnya ibadah puasa kepada kita, maka selain puasa yang wajib pada bulan Ramadhan, ada lagi puasa-puasa sunat yang elok dilakukan sepanjang tahun iaitu seperti yang akan disebutkan nanti.

Oleh itu saya terlebih dahulu memohon ampun dan maaf jika saya ada berbuat kesalahan, baik yang tidak di sengaja mahupun yang di sengajakan, semoga kita dapat menjalani ibadah puasa dengan khusyuk, diberkati dan dirahmati Allah S.W.T, insya Allah.

Halal, Haram & Slaughter In Islam

These comics that I received in my e-mail wonderfully illustrates the concept and halal, haram and slaughter in Islam. You might want to forward them to your non-Muslim friends so that they too will have a better understanding about these concepts.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

H1N1

I just received the news from a few students and later from the Director's blog. A student from our campus had passed away last Saturday because of H1N1. It was indeed sad news, so let's all recite al-Fatihah for Allahyarhamah Siti Aisyah (she was a B. Acc student here).

In the meantime, I would advise all of you to not panic and keep practicing prevention measures such as wearing face masks and washing your hands frequently. And let's not forget to recite prayers. You can get them here. Let's all pray that this horrible pandemic will be over, insya-Allah.

Changes in the July - November 2009 Academic Calendar

Dear students, since there are changes in the academic calendar because of the early semester break last week, I thought you might be interested to find out the details. Click here to find out.

BEL311 - Helpful Links and Samples

To my BMD3D1 and BMD3D2 students (and to all of UiTM's diploma level students registering for BEL311). You are required to write a term paper. It has to be be written according to the right format since it carries 30% of your on-going assessment.

Here are a few useful links that will help you to learn more about the documentation needed to write your term paper.

1) What is APA and MLA and how it is used. Click HERE and HERE.

2) Using APA Citation. Click HERE.

3) Basic Format for Books. Click HERE.

4) More about the writing process (e.g. paraphrasing). Click HERE.

5) This site guides you how to cite step-by-step. Click HERE.

To get an idea about what a term paper (and its outline) should look like, click on the following:

Sample of a term paper's outline. Click HERE.

Appendix A. Click HERE.

I hope these links will help you to write your term papers. Good luck!

D3D1 & D3D2 Pictures

Dear D3D1 & D3D2 students.. please use the following images for your fifth blog assignment. Download it and upload it to your entry. Your classmates' images are already numbered. Then write something about that person (in about three or four sentences each) according to their numbers. Due date: 8 August 2009.

D3D1 guys

Oooh.. gotta love Sabirin's belt!

D3D1 girls

D3D2 guys

D3D2 girls

Semester Break

Latest news: Dear students of UiTM Johor, your semester break will begin from 27 July 2009 until 2 August 2009. Have a safe trip home. D3D1 & D3D2, don't forget your weekly blog assignment!

Of Bitches and Witches

I have combined class (with D2D1 and D2D2) every Wednesday morning at Sri Laksamana. Majority of these Part 2 students haven't bought the prescribed textbooks for BEL260 so I decided not to waste the slot by asking them to perform a short drama on twisted fairy tales of their choice.

There were five groups who performed twisted fairy tale versions of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Beauty and The Beast.

I had fun watching them. They were certainly not shy at all and that's a good thing even though they made a lot of grammatical mistakes. But the most important thing is, they tried to speak in English and I could see the effort. Through drama, you can witness the proficiency level of your students.

In The Little Mermaid, the mermaid (played by a guy) wants to be a human just because he wants to audition for Malaysian Idol (or was it One in A Million? I can't remember).

In Snow White, the prince's name was Snow Black (because he loved wearing black clothes) and he used the magic mirror to find out who was the most beautiful princess because he wants to marry her. But the princess (her name was Princess Diana and she lived with the seven dwarfs) ended up marrying Snow Black's father. And Snow Black became crazy and the seven dwarfs took care of him after the princess got married. Ouch!

In Cinderella, there wasn't much to tell, but the guy playing Cinderella was terribly funny. His facial expressions and gestures were definitely interesting to watch.

But it was in Beauty and The Beast that I found was the most memorable.

The whole group were introducing themselves to the class. And this girl confidently spoke:

"Hello everybody, my name is Azilla and I will play The Bitch."

The whole class roared with laughter and suddenly she realized her mistake.

"Eh.. eh.. I mean The Witch. Sorry."

More laughter from the class. As for me, I couldn't keep a straight face any longer and chuckled.

See? If you pronounced the consonants wrongly, there will be a difference in pronunciation and the meaning will change as well.

P/S: Nad, I miss your group's version of Hindustan Wedding and Desperate Housewives. We all love Aizat's part (Pokok), don't we all? *chuckles*

Cheeky Girls

Besides teaching BEL311 to both D3D1 and D3D2, I also teach BEL260 to D2D1 this semester. (Apparently, I am destined to teach Banking students this semester!)

So this morning's activity is to ask them to write any five sentences in English and then ask them to transcribe the sentences into English phonetics with the help of their dictionaries. (I always teach phonetics to Part 2 students as I feel that it is important for them to know how to pronounce phonetic symbols in the dictionary).

Anyway, I checked their work to make sure that they had used the symbols correctly. Most of them wrote plain sentences and some even put in part of a popular song lyrics. I don't mind at all, as long as they are all in English.

But this one particular group dared to put in this sentence:

Well, they are cheeky girls, aren't they? :P

P/S: Can you interpret the phonetic symbols? If you can, I'll buy you lunch. Nadheera, DON'T ANSWER! THIS IS TOO EASY FOR YOU!

Welcome D3D1 & D3D2

Dearest D3D1 and D3D2 students..

Welcome to a whole new semester. You are in Part 3 now, and you have to sign up for BEL311 (English For Academic Purposes) as one of the courses this semester.

BEL311 is all about writing and that is why I have taught you on how to create your very own blog on the very first day of class. The ultimate reason for this is to encourage all of you to write well in English. This skill won't be developed overnight, so it takes time and practice on your part. I hope you will publish those weekly blog assignments before they are due on every Sunday.

Here's how all of you will be assessed for BEL311:

First of all, you are required to write a term paper. Term paper is pairwork, so you can choose a friend to work with you. The topic is up to you. You can write about anything EXCEPT sensitive issues like religion, politics and racism. The total assessment for term paper is 30%, which is further broken into:

Outline: 5%
First Draft: 10%
Final Draft: 15%

In BEL311, you also have discussion which is worth 20%. Just like BEL260, you will be given a situation and you are required to discuss which is the best solution. The only thing missing this time are the four options. You are only given the situation and you have to think of four possible solutions on your own.

The last is of course attendance, participation in class and assignments; which carries 10% of your on-going assessment. 10% might be small, but it is significant (I'm quoting the Director himself) if you want to get an A for this course. So please come to class.

As for the final exam, you will expect Reading Comprehension (worth 20%) and you have to write a term paper (20%). Don't worry, I will teach you how to do it, since a term paper has its own format and conventions. Just come to class, learn and you'll be fine.

Obtaining an A for this paper is not that difficult. It will solely depend on your own patience and perseverance. Don't be afraid to ask if you do not understand anything.

I hope you will enjoy being my student and I hope you will have fun blogging at the same time.

First Entry

Hey there. This is my new blog and let me tell you in advance that it's going to be very boring. It is created solely for the purpose of communicating with my BEL311 students. At least they have this blog to link to their lecturer and it will be easier for me to check whether they had updated their blog assignments from their blog links.

The entries of this blog will not be as interesting as the previous one as I only wrote about general things. This is because I am reluctant to have my personal thoughts to be read by my students and fellow colleagues of UiTM Johor. Therefore, if you think what you read here is boring, just leave instead of leaving insolent remarks.

My first blog "In The Campus of Serenity" is now private because I changed my mind about sharing my personal thoughts, so please don't bother asking me for permission to read it.