BREAKING NEWS: Mumbai attacks

The terrorist attack on Mumbai is an audacious challenge to India's Nation State. - While maintaining calm and unity, India must all resolve to break the back of India's enemies.

I am shocked to hear the events in Mumbai since last night. Clearly, the terrorists have declared a full-scale war on India and sought to sever the country's economic nerve with their meticulously planned carnage across the metropolis. The magnitude of their sinister design and determination is evident from the fact that they are yet to be fully overpowered. They are still holding people hostage in some leading hotels and private houses more than 12 hours after starting the onslaught on innocent people in various parts of the city.

Right now, the need of the hour is for the people of Mumbai, Maharashtra and the entire country to stay united and calm. Maintenance of peace, tranquility, communal harmony and patriotic unity must be highest priority.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. I'm writing this because I feel we need to honour their memory. As a Muslim, I am shocked at what has been done in the name of my faith and as a human being, I join with the entire world in condemning this horrific violence.

With respect, sadness and hope...

My Sweet Memories in India...
during the CYP Workshop on Promotion of Respect and Understanding
Chandigarh, India
August 2008

inspector saab... merra nam hain?

Hindi: Basic Phrases:

Namaste = Hello
Aapka naam kya hain? = What is your name?
Answer = Mera naam ____ hain

Aap kaun hain? = Who are you?
Answer = Mein ______(name/designation) hoon.

Aap kahan sey aaye hain? = Where have you come from?
Answer = Mein ______(provenence) sey aaya hoon.

Aap kahan sey aa rahey hain? = Where are you comming from?
Answer = Mein ______ (provenence) sey aa raha hoon.

Aap kahan jaogey ? = Where will you go? (in future)
Answer = Mein _______(destination) jaunga.

Aap kahan ja rahey ho? = Where are you going? (in Present)
Answer = Mein ________(destination) ja raha hoon.

Aap Jao. = You go (Imperative)
Aap Aao = You come (Imperative)
Aap Aiye = You come (formal) ; Aap jayiey = You go (formal)

RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING....

According to "Civil paths to Peace", a report of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding; the term 'respect' is used in a number of ways. Sometimes it refers to the esteem or honour given to senior people in acknowledgement of their greater age or experience.....

In the context of the Commonwealth it makes sense to define respect with reference to rights and equal treatment but to broaden it beyond the issue of race so that it refers to a way of treating others, whatever their age, race, gender or other aspects of their identity, with fairness and with dignity.

- human rights, liberties, democracy, gender equality, the rule of law and a political culture that promotes transparency, accountablity and economic development.

Understanding implies an ability to grasp what someone else is saying in order to get to the heart of what they are trying to communicate... (wow!!! nice definition though). Understanding involves the acknowledgement that one's own culture and experience are not the only models for thinking or acting. Understanding does not necessarily involve agreement with the views or belief others hold....

source: CIVIL PATHS TO PEACE pg. 16-17. Commonwealth Secretariat.

The automatic systems in the mind

Appendix 1 on Module 6 (page 3) of Learning Processes by Dr. G. Gunawardena of Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Secretariat stated that the automatic systens in the mind seem to be evident in the very rapid learning that infants do when they learn to crawl and talk.

Learning to crawl

• at an infant you can see a strong element of trail and error
• it seems programmed to do so
• certain amount of experience of crawling has taken place
• seems that an automatic system in the brain is switched on
• all the movements from then on are absorbed into the system and crawling becomes competent and unconscious
• from the moment that the automatic system is switched on, all the additional crawling knowledge (skill) is acquired at lightning fast speed.

Learning to talk

• the children don't actually learn what their parent tell them to say, but what their parents, grandparents or careers say and do seem to cause children to start experimenting with language.
• the things they hear from their parents seem to trigger off underlying patterns of grammar which are different from the speech of the parents.
• like crawling, infant the newly talking infant seems to develop through a series of experimental activities which have been triggered by a perception of what's going on around her.
• process seems to be lifelong, the grammar seems to develop very rapidly, as long as the child is listening to language and engaged in conversations.

In Unit 1 of Module 6 on "What is Learning" all about. This unit sets out a basic model of what is understood about how we learn. We learn definition of learning, examine the evolution of theories of learning and we also discussed on adult learning which is particularly relevant to youth in development work.

Learning takes place throughout life, in different ways and in different contexts, beginning when the child is in the womb, where evidence stems to show that at least the beginning of language acquisition is taking place.

The interesting topics in this unit we discussed in our class was on information processing which includes three levels / types of memory or storage:

• sensory memory
• short-term memory, and
• long-term memory.

Sensory Memory contains information received immediately from a person's senses into the human brain.

Examples:

• We lose concentration in class during a lecture. Suddenly we hear a significant word and return our focus to the lecture. We should be able to remember what was said just before the key word since it is in our sensory register.
• Our ability to see motion can be attributed to sensory memory. An image previously seen must be stored long enough to compare to the new image. Visual processing in the brain works like watching a cartoon -- we see one frame at a time.
• If someone is reading to us, we must be able to remember the words at the beginning of a sentence in order to understand the sentence as a whole. These words are held in a relatively unprocessed sensory memory.

The most interesting part in this unit is about "forgetting" which is common problem in my life. We learn the theories of forgetting maintain that information is forgotten due to

• it is unused
• distorted
• suppressed
• interfered with
• individual has a poor retrieval system

There are also suggestion that to minimise interference with accurate encoding and to maximise transfer, educators should emphasise:

• distinct and important aspects of situations
• similarities and differences

Note:

• we have learnt that learning is only partly synonymous with growth and development, can take place without teaching, is not synonymous with education and it is not limited to children.
• we also able to know the theories have evolved from a simple to complex understanding of how people learn.
• On our next unit, we look at philosophical and psychological perspectives of teaching and learning.

Module 6 Learning Processes: Module Overview

This module focuses on the role of youth in development workers as educators. It explores different theories of learning and how they have influenced different philosophies of education. It identifies the different ways in which people learn and the factors which inhibit or faciliate learning.

The module also looks at experiential learning, as the method most appropriate to youth in development workers, and appropriate strategies for face-to-face work with young people and training situations with adults.


Class daily assignments

To make our life easier, our lecturer, Dr. Leong posted the questions for the daily assignment in his blog at http://shbie.wordpress.com . So it really a convenient for us as part-time student as:
to :

• fosters interaction among us and our lecturer. Interaction stimulates understanding and the recall of information.
• Accommodates different learning styles and fosters learning through a variety of activities that apply to different learning styles.
• fosters self-paced learning whereby we can learn at the rate we prefer.
• Convenient for us to access any time, any place.
• Encourages us to browse information through hyperlinks to sites on the worldwide Web and there by find information relevant to our personal situations.
• Allows us to select learning materials, or to be directed to content that meets our level of knowledge, interest and what we need to know to perform more effectively in our particular activity.
• Develops knowledge of the Internet that will help us throughout our careers.
• Encouraging us to take responsibility for our learning and succeeding builds self-knowledge and self-confidence

“Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make e-mail look
like a rounding error.”
John Chambers, CEO, Cisco System

Learning Outcomes: Module Personality Development & Communication

Module on Personality Development and Communication with Mr. Chandra of SHBIE completed and now we proceed to the next module no. 6 on Learning Processes with Dr. Leong from SHBIE. From the last module with Mr. Chandra, we are able to understand with the problems associated with personality development and the importance of effective communication in personality development.

The influence of childhood experience in-shaping personality as well as the role of the family and socio-cultural environment in the development of personally were also analysed. The module lays greater emphasis on the concept of 'self' and the actualisation of 'self'.

The 4 panes of Johari-Window which analyses the relationship of 'self' with others and the methods to overcome personal liabilities also form the subject matter of this module. In the last chapter in the module emphasises the importance of the communication process in personality development.

Having successfully completed this module, we are able to:

• distinguish between different types of theories of personality
• list factors that play a role in the development of personality
• explain the concept of 'self'
• discuss some of the theories on the concept of 'self'
• measure 'self' with a view to improve one's personality
• describe the 'johari-window'
• explain methods to change quadrants of Johari-window
• explain the concept of self-actualization
• list the important ways of communication
  
• describe the way of improving one's own communication

By having this unit also, we were able to acquire the skills to:

• analyse how studies on personality development enable us to understand others better
• appreciate the importance of childhood experience in the development of personality
• orient ourselves to the concept of 'self'
• analyse ourselves using Johari-Window
• orient ourselves to the concept of self-actualisation
• try to enlarge our own personal or public 'self' pane
• enhance our communication skills

To Mr. Chandra:

After his classes, I waited to thank him for the great course he taught! I missed most of the papers he provided in class, but it was a worthwhile sacrifice. Always been a history buff but fell out of love with it at university (Whilst studying the stuff). This one lecturer made me realise why I had always enjoyed it so much previously.

It was a beautiful experience as well as an honor for me to attend the first class in SHBIE in UBD last week. Mr. Chandra and the other most respected lecturers were not only very helpful, but also very inspiring for all youth development workers.

Therefore , I would like to thank you for your kind assistance in all steps to enable me to attend such a fantastic course. I am looking forward to other level of the course, talk, seminar which I really hope I can attend. Thank you Sir...

7TH ASIA-PACIFIC SCOUT PHOTO CONTEST 2008 – ENTER NOW!

Theme: Scouts Reaching Out

Can you snap the perfect Scouting picture?

Think you can capture the excitement and thrills of Scouting with the click of a shutter? Then start clicking!

The 7th Asia-Pacific Region Photo Contest 2008 is open and we want your best shots to submit. Scouts Australia has a great record in this competition with Aussies taking out prizes over the last couple of years, including winning the prestigious Gold 1st Prize in 2004 & 2005.

Entries have to be received by the Scouts Australia National Office by Friday 1st February, 2009 who will then pass them onto the Asia-Pacific Regional Office.

The photos must convey "Scouts Reaching Out".

Click here for entry form, fill it out and submit to:

Nadine Finlay
National Marketing Communications Officer
Scouts Australia
Level 1
Scouts Australia House
8 help Street
CHATSWOOD NSW 2067

Entrants please note that photos may not be doctored in any way with the use of photo editing tools, as this may result in disqualification. Good Luck!

If you have any questions please call Nadine at: (02) 8440 5905 or email nat.marcomms@scouts.com.au

Apple IIe - my first deskop pc. (1986 -- not sure)

Apple IIe.. i bought 2nd hand from my friend Jasni of IDBB in 1987/8 ? i can't remember the exact year. That time, we were still in Kampung Setia Pahlawan in Kampung Ayer.. so i was the first venican who owned the computer.

OUR neighbours and relatives came to our house to experience .....and play with computer... games, wordprocessing and mostly they asked me to type the invitation cards for KAHWIN, MENGHANTAR BERIAN, MAJLIS MEMBACA DOA SELAMAT, MAJLIS TAHLIL and many more.... oooo!! famous yooo... can hear WOOOO!!! Steady eh!! every time the printer produced hard copy... toooot toooooooot tooooooooot..

The classic catalog that can be found on my APPLE IIe

LOGO (source: Apple II History)

To prepare for the display at the First West Coast Faire, it was decided to create a new corporate logo. The original one, used in sales of the Apple-1, was a picture of Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, with a phrase from Wordsworth: "Newton ... 'A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought ... Alone.'" Jobs had been concerned that the logo had part of the slow sales of the Apple-1, and the Regis McKenna Agency was hired to help in the design of a new one.

Rob Janov, a young art director, was assigned to the Apple account and set about designing a corporate logo. Armed with the idea that the computers would be sold to consumers and that their machine was one of the few to offer color, Janov set about drawing still lifes from a bowl of apples ... He gouged a rounded chunk from one side of the Apple, seeing this as a playful comment on the world of bits and bytes but also as a novel design. To Janov the missing portion "prevented the apple from looking like a cherry tomato." He ran six colorful stripes across the Apple, starting with a jaunty sprig of green, and the mixture had a slightly psychedelic tint. The overall result was enticing and warm. ..

[Steve] Jobs was meticulous about the style and appearance of the logo ... When Janov suggested that the six colors be separated by thin strips to make the reproduction easier, Jobs refused. Jobs was meticulous about the style and appearance of the logo ... When Janov suggested that the six colors be separated by thin strips to make the reproduction easier, Jobs refused.

An APPLE a day keeps WINDOWS away

Of course, Mac security software to keep it not be better than that. あんまりウイルスがいないからといって油断は禁物． I do not have a virus alert because a big no-no.

Macをターゲットにしたウイルスも巧妙になってきているという話が載っていました． Mac viruses are targeted to become a neat story that was missed.

ウイルス対策ソフトでは当初、このマルウェアはほとんど検出されなかったが、その後状況が改善され、現時点で10種類のウイルス対策ソフトで検出できるようになっている。 Initially the antivirus software, most of this malware is not detected, but then the situation is improving, and now in 10 different anti-virus software is able to detect.

しかし、SANSが入手したこのマルウェアの新しいサンプルは、インストールコードが難読化されていることが判明した。 However, SANS has obtained a new sample of the malware, the installation code is obfuscated found.

「このウイルス」っていうのが指してるのはOSX.RSPlug.Aのことで危険度は1なので大きな脅威ではありませんが，れっきとしたトロイの木馬． "This virus" I'm not pointing the OSX.RSPlug.A risk that the threat is not so large, full-fledged Trojan horse.

記事の最後に「ウイルス対策ソフトメーカー各社はMac対策を強化する必要がある」と書いてあるんですけど，思うにユーザだけでなくセキュリティソフトメーカーもまだまだ本気でヤバイと思ってなさそうなのがヤバイ気がする． At the end of the article "Anti-Virus for Mac software makers need to strengthen measures," but I have written, as well as the user's security software maker still really want to be good and the good-looking Comes to mind.

（via： ITmedia )

Menuju Puncak impian di hati

Don't compare yourself with any one in this world

If you compare, you are insulting yourself
No one will manufacture a lock without a key
Similarly God won't give problems without solutions
Life laughs at you when you are unhappy
Life smiles at you when you are happy
Life salutes you when you make others happy
Every successful person has a painful story
Every painful story has a successful ending
Accept the pain and get ready for success
Easy is to judge the mistakes of others
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes
It is easier to protect your feet with slippers than to cover the earth with carpet
No one can go back and change a bad beginning
But anyone can start now and create a successful ending
If a problem can be solved, no need to worry about it
If a problem cannot be solved what is the use of worrying?
If you miss an opportunity don't fill the eyes with tears
It will hide another better opportunity in front of you
"Changing the Face" can change nothing
But "Facing the Change" can change everything
Don't complain about others
Change yourself if you want peace
Mistakes are painful when they happen
But year's later collection of mistakes is called experience, which leads to success
Be bold when you loose and be calm when you win
Heated gold becomes ornament
Beaten copper becomes wires
Depleted stone becomes statue
So the more pain you get in life the more you become valuable

source: unknown