The Decision

Directly from TheStarOnline;

Published: Monday June 14, 2010 MYT 7:07:00 PM

Nazri: Govt to cut down on scholarships to study overseas

BY TEH ENG HOCK

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will cut down on giving foreign scholarships and place more emphasis on postgraduate students, in a bid to reduce public expenditure.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said undergraduate students would be sent to local universities.

"We will continue giving scholarships to students who excel, based on merit," he said at the Parliament lobby Monday.

He said 1,200 of the 1,500 Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships currently offered to students would be gradually phased out.

The remaining 300 spots will be retained as it consisted of the quota for the Perdana scholarships.

"For example, last year, from the PSD, we gave out 2,000 scholarships, including the Perdana Scholarships. This year, we reduced the number to 1,500. Next year, we will continue (to reduce)," he said.

Nazri said more students would be placed in local universities, while only those applying for postgraduate studies or who obtained a place in an Ivy League institution in a critical field would be sent overseas.

"The intention is, firstly, to reduce expenditure in sending students overseas.

"Secondly, we must ensure that local universities have bright students. Why are we doubting the quality of local universities?" he said.

Do you know what this means?

It means my mind has been made up.

Thanks Zaaba, Sharir, Lot, Haizeer, Chedta, the whole gang :)

link; http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/14/nation/20100614191051&sec=nation

Realizing the EMAS Dream

The Proton EMAS (short for Eco Mobility Advance Solution) is perhaps the most successful concept car that Proton has ever presented to the automotive world. Working in collaboration with Italdesign Giugiaro (which is now owned by Volkswagen through Lamborghini), the EMAS is a logical proposal to a small family city car, with decent legroom and luggage space, ultra-compact size despite its usability, maximum green credibilities and efficiency with its Lotus Range Extender hybrid system, and not to mention its stunning and fresh design (for a Proton, at least...What more could you expect from ID?), surely to be well received by the Malaysian public, credit due to Proton Design and Italdesign.


The EMAS is a quantum leap waiting to be taken by Proton. This post was written in a bid to help us Malaysians keep the EMAS dream fresh in our minds; to hold in our hearts what is achievable, if we strive for the impossible, because we know deep down that, nothing is impossible. Call me patriotic, but actually, I'm just enthusiastic about Proton's future.

Concept cars are created as a marketing boost for the brand image, to showcase the latest advancements in the brand's engineering and technology, to preview future plans, designs, and directions, and most importantly, to keep the public dreaming and glued to their seats. The EMAS ticks all the boxes of these aspects, scores high in every aspect, and can be truly considered a great concept car.

EMAS links; http://azlano.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/proton-emas-in-geneva-motor-show-2010/

paultan.org/2010/03/02/proton-emas-concepts-over-50-live-images/

paultan.org/2010/03/03/how-does-the-proton-emas-hybrid-system-work/

paultan.org/2010/03/02/proton-emas-concept-video-presentation/

paultan.org/.../proton-showcases-the-emas-emas-country-and-emas3-trio-of-concepts-at-geneva-2010/

Boring? There's Always the Gym...

It was a Wenesday night, with nothin' to do.

Then, suddenly, the gym sprang into mind...

'What the heck', I thought...It really was a slow night.

And so we walked, and walked, and walked, until we reached a building that looks like a mesh between an office block and an industrial building; the co-curricular block.

We've got a pretty decent gym. It aint great, but I'm no gym junkie...Suits me just fine.

Sweated my pants off that night. I tell ya, 2 hours in the gym maketh a man. Ended up liking it. Good way of spending a goddamn boring weeknight.

Woke up next morning feeling like jelly, but ready for class, nonetheless.

Now how's that for street talking?

Learning Strengths and Weaknesses

1. Some educationists claim they are the best persons to educate. Yet others in general think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. You should write at least 250 words in 40 minutes.

Learning is a personal process. This is because learning relies heavily on a person’s thinking styles and abilities. It is no big surprise then that some people find it a main priority to learn through the words and wisdom of teachers and lecturers, while others are confident they are able to learn and grasp knowledge just as well, if not better, by themselves, without the aid of educationists. What is important in this matter is certainly the acquisition of valuable knowledge, and the realization that people think and learn differently.

The responsibility of the student is to learn. The knowledge that is gained throughout learning is not only to be used in the examination hall; it will serve the student throughout his or her life, in daily life, in important decision-making, and in the chosen career path. Since knowledge is such a big part of our lives, we should place emphasis not only on what type of knowledge that we gain, but how we gain that knowledge. It is often up to the student to recognize and identify his learning strengths and weaknesses. The means of acquiring knowledge seems endless, and students often have their own preferences, whether it’s reading, listening to talks, memorizing, doing demonstrations, and more. It is important that students find out the best ways in which they learn and use this information to their advantage.

Having discussed that, we have come to learn that some students are clearly able to learn better by themselves than with a teacher, but this doesn’t mean that they can totally shun the role of teachers in their lives. Everybody needs a teacher, as guidance in the process of learning. A teacher shines light where it is dark in the student’s heart. A student must always have the highest degree of respect towards their teachers, no matter what he thinks of his teachers. The bond between mentor and apprentice is a bond that is sacred, necessary in the gathering of new knowledge and understanding.

Educationists have their own responsibilities too towards their students. It is their duty to ensure that their students gain the intended knowledge well, and they must make this their top priority. Understanding that a person’s learning skills are unique is the first step towards better teaching. A good teacher is definitely knowledgeable in his or her own subject, but a great teacher is able to understand each of his student’s strengths and weaknesses. Educationists must identify each of their student’s learning abilities, in order to ensure that knowledge transfer towards each student is at the optimum level.

Students have their own learning preferences, and they must make the most out of their learning strengths and weaknesses in order to succeed academically and be at the top of their career field in the future. Educationists must acknowledge this fact and provide what each student needs; better understanding.

CALL LAB

What the hell is a Call Lab???
The 'Call' part is short for Computer-Aided Language Learning, and it's part of the coursework for English Foundation courses here in UTP.

The concept is pretty simple. You do seemingly easy English exercises in the computer. In fact, I am writing now from one of the computers in the Call Lab... This Call Lab chore literally robs you of your time, so we UTP foundation students find every means possible to save our time, such as synchronizing our tasks in order to complete 4 weeks of work in one day. Only UTP students can understand:)

Included also in our tasks is one essay task per week. So, that means you have 21 essays for the whole semester.

This week's writing task;

1. Some educationists claim they are the best persons to educate. Yet others in general think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. You should write at least 250 words in 40 minutes.

2. The two graphs show the main sources of energy in the Uganda in the 1980s and the 1990s.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the changes which occured.

write at least 150 words.





And they say English is fun...