PPSMI

I have no specific stand on PPSMI (Pengajaran dan pembelajaran sains dan matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris @ Teaching and learning of Science and Math in English). Both have its pros and cons.

Whether it’s the implementation or reversal of PPSMI, the biggest losers are still pupils and students in Malaysia. We have been the guinea pigs of the government all the time.

I pity the current form 1 students in Malaysian public schools. They have been learning math and science in English from standard one in preliminary school, and they shall continue learning in English until PMR. Suddenly, the government decided they should learn science and math in Bahasa Malaysia for SPM! Don’t you just want to give the finger and spit to the government’s face?

This is not about whether I agree or disagree with PPSMI. It’s about sudden implementation and sudden de-implementation.

Sarawak Preview (Part II)

Night out in Kuching with cats @ kucing-kucing @ pusak (in Bahasa Melayu Sarawak)

Sarawak preview (part 1)

I’m back from my 5-day travel in Sarawak. To be honest, this is just a preview of my trip to Sarawak, because I’ll be going to Sarawak again by the end of the month, for 2 weeks. My Sarawak trip is very VIP-like, since I know people who brought me around here and there off the beaten path (unlike someone whose road was already taken in Switzerland ngenge).

I will let the pictures do the talking. I love photos, but I’m not a professional photographer

On my way from Kuching to Serikin, Malaysia-Indonesia border about an hour from Kuching. The road to Serikin is so beautiful I had to take a picture of the police station

Rebound

I have seen a lot of couples breaking up and getting a rebound relationship, even in my med school. I won’t point out who they are, as I won’t meddle into their love lives.  Do you know what is rebound? Here’s something I got from world wide web. Links given.

Why should we learn English!

This is a true story from the Japanese Embassy in US!!!

Yoshiro Mori A few days ago, Prime Minister Mori was given some Basic English conversation training before he visits Washington and meets president Barack Obama…

The instructor told Mori Prime Minister, “When you shake hand with President Obama, please say ‘How are you?’. Then Mr. Obama should say, ‘I am fine, and you?’ Now, you should say ‘Me too’. Afterwards we, translators, will do the work for you.”

It looks quite simple, but the truth is…

When Mori met Obama , he mistakenly said ‘Who are you?’ (Instead of ‘How are you?’.)

Mr. Obama was a bit shocked but still managed to react with humor: ‘Well, I’m Michelle’s husband, ha-ha…’

Then Mori replied ‘Me too, ha-ha.. .’.

Then there was a long silence in the meeting room.

Post-arrival snippets

 

• Thanks for asking what’s new with me. It shows that you care.
• What’s new with me is Michael Jackson died.
• I am not sad because I don’t know him that well.
• Some say he died a Muslim, some say he was a pedophile. Whether they’re true or not I don’t know.
• But if he’s a pedophile and he’s a Muslim, is he going to heaven?

Pre-departure snippets

H1N1

• I have a naughty idea that H1N1 is created by the US government to keep off Mexicans from entering the United States but that plan backfired. The US is now the main hub of H1N1.
• Anyway, H1N1 is not really that dangerous, particularly in European and Asian regions. The death rate is really low.
• What I do not understand is why WHO and the governments reporting all cases they have accumulated so far since 2 months ago. For instance, if a country gets 100 cases of H1N1, does it mean the 100 cases since the first H1N1 outbreak started or are the 100 cases occurring at the same time?
• Of course since it is since the first time it started, which was 2 months ago.
• Malaysia, for example, has 68 cases currently. Are the 68 cases occurring at the same time? Of course it’s not! The 68 cases was since mid May 2009. And the course of flu is normally just one week.
• The number 68 is panicking people, while in reality it’s probably about 15 people currently getting treatment and the rest have been fully recovered and/or immunized.
• Why are they not reporting the numbers of people who have recovered? Is it all about pessimism nowadays?
• It’s not cool panicking people like that, making the Oseltamivir producers and distributors rich.
• It’s also not cool because I had to cancel my Spain trip and leave early for Malaysia today! Lucky I have summer plans with someone in the land above the sea under the flying hornbills.

Revision

Now that we are in exam month, we do revision. And so, let us do some revision about doctors in Malaysia. Among the recommended articles:

1. Malaysian doctors salary doubled

2. Doctor training in Malaysia

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Future MSA plans

I was thinking of running MSA as a professional association; with proper constitution, proper written policies, proper structural organization, proper distribution of responsibilities and excellent transparency. Unfortunately, circumstances didn’t allow me to do everything as I grandly envisioned. Instead, I had to run MSA like a small “kedai runcit” business due to lack of this and that blablabla.

Lacking teamwork and sense of responsibility are probably some of them.

Extremely sensitive issue

Isu gay dan lesbian sepatutnya diperhalusi dengan lebih mendalam kerana topik ini amat sensitif, bukan di Malaysia sahaja, malah di negara barat pun sensitif juga. Ramai orang menganggap golongan gay dan lesbian ini sebagai barah dalam masyarakat, maka timbullah stigma bahawa segala yang gay dan segala yang lesbian sepatutnya dihapuskan. Ini antara beberapa salah faham masyarakat kita terhadap golongan gay dan lesbian:

Shouldn’t we be more inclusive?

SIS dan Zulkifli Nordin

• Ahli parlimen Kulim YB Zulkifli Nordin kata mengharamkan SIS membawa kesan buruk kepada PAS dan autoriti Jabatan Agama Islam di Malaysia.
• Kenapa? Sebab bila sesuatu kumpulan atau organisasi diharamkan, orang akan kesian kepada organisasi itu dan mencaci-maki pihak yang mengaharamkan pertubuhan tersebut. Saya bersetuju dengan Zulkifli Nordin kali ini.
• Beliau mencadangkan debat. Bagi saya debat itu suatu yg bagus, kerana dapat membuktikan siapa yg betul dan salah, siapa yg lebih matang dalam pemikiran.
• Tapi ironik la pulak. Masa Majlis peguam nk buat perbincangan “Masuk Islam” ogos 2008, YB Zulkifli Nordin membantah habis-habisan.
• Mungkin YB rasa kalau pihak “beliau” menganjurkan debat dan harapan tinggi memenangi debat, beliau akan sokong. Kalau beliau bukan penganjur dan tidak dijemput, beliau akan bantah.
• Saya pun banyak je tak bersetuju dengan SIS, tapi kalau betul, saya setujulah. Macam saya setuju dengan YB Zulkifli Nordin kali ini dan tidak setuju dengan beliau 2008 haritu.

Housemanship one year?

Housemanship is one year in University Hospitals?

Doctor training in Malaysia

Here are some stuffs taken from Ministry of Health and Malaysian Medical Council websites about future training of doctors in Malaysia. Some are updated, some are not, but hopefully it gives some insight to our training. Happy studying and good luck with exams!