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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Students, Manage Your Stress! 4 Practical Ways to Deal with Stress in College/University

Kate Looi Sook Jing
Editor's Note: Many thanks to our reader, Khim, who wrote in and suggested correction of many grammatical errors in the original version of the essay below. Now, are you kind enough like Khim to help us to improve this article? Thanks in advance!

Written by Kate Looi, who is a 22-year-old postgraduate student and is currently working as a Junior Accounts Executive. Join us and apply to be a contributor now!

Many students have been going through a stressful period, when they are facing assignment deadlines, examination schedule or personal problems. It is especially burdensome when you feel all of the problems knocking your door together.

Once I was a college student just like you, I had to prepare for internal exam and also sit for ACCA professional paper sitting. Sometimes, few assignments are being rushed in the same week. Luckily, I could handle them well. Only when I truly felt the stress blockage is when I had to take three ACCA papers at the same time, which was a continuous three-day exam.

It also signifies the transformation from secondary to tertiary school times. The higher education level you are in, the higher possibility you feel stress. There is no way for you and me to escape it. You have to learn how to manage it to a balanced level. It is a must because it will increase much more when you begin your working life sooner or later.

I will share some of the methods when I was in that terrible situation. It could be useful for me but not for you. Everyone has their ways of dealing with their nerve-racking periods.
  1. People – You do have family, close friends or someone who can listen to your problems and give you an advice. In my case, I seldom talk to my family to prevent them from over-worrying. Thus, friends became my listener or companion. Yet, I would choose whom to tell to because you would not tend to talk to someone who is in dilemma too. Sometimes, I will not wish to trouble whoever is facing the same examination or other problems as me. I know they might not feel that it is a trouble though. Anyway, talking out to the right person will ease your emotion.

  2. Time – When the stress is coming to attack you, it means you are doing somewhere wrong to allow this unwelcomed visitor. Mostly, it is because of the time management. Students are used to procrastinate their progress, even the best students. I admit that I was too. However, we should not leave them to the last minute. Divide the lengthy assignment question or examination timetable to a few smaller pieces. As such, they will not be overwhelming and push you to the dead corner. Furthermore, set your priorities accordingly. To ensure meeting the deadlines, you must kick away all intrusions. Please leave your television shows, text-messaging, laptops and snacks aside. Study comes before recreation.

  3. Responsibility – Learning how to assign one coursework among your team members is important. Although you are a team leader, you should not solely take care of the whole assignment. Otherwise, you will not be a successful leader as well. Putting all responsibilities on top of one shoulder is very onerous. Trust your team members. If you feel that you cannot trust them or their work are not up to the necessary standard, talk to them or else tell your lecturer when they do not change their attitudes afterwards.

  4. Relax – Nerves are like rubber band. If you pull it overly, it will be broken. Things are always consequences of other things. You start late, feel guilty and do not let yourself to have a break in order to finish it on time. But, you might make it worse because you do not expect the stress that is disturbing your progress. I will try to write down my schedule which is inclusive of going to cinema, hanging out with friends, friends’ birthday celebration and so on. Put your work down, walk out from the hostel and breathe the fresh air. You will feel more refreshed when later coming back to work them out. Do not make it as your excuse and hang out more often than you need. It is kind of procrastination instead of relaxation.
That’s all in my list. A bit of stress is motivation. My lecturer has told us that hanging out before exam will make you guilty and study harder. Is this true? When you feel guilty, you will do more to compensate. The best student in your class might hang out with you but still study at night or early next morning when you are sleeping. Therefore, he or she seems to be relaxed and fully prepared.

Handle your stress well and enjoy your student life!


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Sunday, May 20, 2012

A Reflection on 4 Years University Life at International Medical University (IMU)

Sze Wei Thing
Written by Sze Wei Thing - You may share your fun and meaningful university life with us too!

I'm Sze Wei Thing, 24 years old, just recently graduated from International Medical University (IMU) with a degree in pharmacy. Love to express myself through words. Love travelling and being a little adventurous sometimes.

In the blink of an eye, I have finally graduated from 4 years of pharmacy degree. Everything went by very fast from my last semester to my last degree exam. It took some time after my last exam to hit me with the realities that my university life is ending, I will be a working woman soon, and I have got new responsibilities to bear (both to my family and to the community). Am I truly ready for this? It is indeed a big milestone, for a carefree university student like me who live by the three Fs - fun, friends, and freedom.
Graduation
As much as I felt I am not ready yet, I will have to face it in a few months time soon. Therefore I do want to do some reflections on my university life. My university life as a pharmacy student in IMU is indeed a hectic one. However, I am not going to reflect about how busy I am as a pharmacy student, but what I have experienced in the midst of the hecticness.

Of adaptation

Adaptation is a cool journey. It is a process that transforms unfamiliarity to being familiar, from hatred to likes and eventually to love. To be honest, it took me like about two years to be fully adaptable to life in KL. Four years ago, I flew from a peaceful small town Kuching to KL, feeling all excited about living in a big city. Nevertheless, for a small town girl like me, I do felt that I am living at a place I did not belong to. I felt lost at times and did not have the initiative to explore the town. When holidays came I just could not wait to go back to my hometown as soon as possible. However as time passed I slowly adapted to the life and was able to appreciate what this city has to offer, and hence enjoyed my university life to a greater extend!
Big City Hectic Life

Of being immune to stress

Do not blame your university if it brings you lots of stress through school work and exams. It does train you to be a tougher and stronger person, without you realizing it in the middle of process. As a pharmacist student, I remember the agony I went through in the preparation for my first few finals, literally complaining 'oh God when can I get this over with' every other minutes while I crammed all the information into my tiny brain. However I discover that as I proceeded along my semesters, I did not feel as stressed up anymore. My mental tolerance towards stress has achieved greater heights! I have learnt to keep those stresses out of my focus. I am focusing on 'doing my best' rather than hanging onto the 'I am very stressed' thought. It certainly makes life sweeter in the midst of stress.
How to Manage Your Stress

Of being young

If you see rooms or apartments with lights on at 3am, it is probably a university student's hostel. He/she is either doing last minute revision for exams or watching football or catching on dramas. Who else can be as hyperactive at the time when most people have gone to sleep, other than university students? Not to mention about midnight suppers at mamak stalls, late night drinks at Starbucks, and late night movies at the malls after a day in college. This is how unhealthy we can get by not sleeping at the time we are supposed to. Nevertheless, this is how energetic we can be by being young.
Mamak
Starbucks

Of treasuring friendships that do not come easy

Coming out from a small town to a big city, finding true friends is certainly not an easy process. As university students, we meet people everyday in lecture halls, cafeterias, and during events. We interact with people and get friendly. Our Facebook friends list increase on daily basis. But deep inside our hearts, we desire friendships that are more than just saying Hi and making small talks. We need to connect to people on a more meaningful level.  There comes the time when some friends will stand out from the crowd, being there for us when we need them and share life's moments with us. From this we learn to treasure friends that stick with us through ups and downs. True friends help us to discover more about ourselves, pointing out mistakes that we are not aware of. They are like angels and guardians when our family is not around. I could not be more grateful for the friends that journeyed along with me in IMU till we reached the graduating finishing line together. The journey has ended but the friendships have not, they last a lifetime.
Friendship Forever

Of being inspired and inspiring people

University is like a potpourri of talents being gathered at one place, everyone is so differently gifted from each other. Some are outspoken, some are intelligent, and some are always behind the scene yet never cease to contribute so much. Everyone is just purely inspiring in certain ways. One can learn from even the quietest person, of his meticulous mind and thoughtfulness. And you will never realize that by just simply being yourself made you an inspiration to someone out there. The process of learning from each other for the better takes place in university, shaping characters constantly.

Of growing up

I know I was not exactly the same person like who I was four years ago from now. I might still have the same personalities, but I have definitely grown up a little, if not a lot. University is a path for a person to experience growth. Some grow up overnight, some experience it slow. You grow up when you face internal struggles; when you overcome the fear in you; when you learn to have faith in difficult times. You grow when you learn to be less judgmental towards others. You definitely grow when you stands up for what you believe in; when you decide to follow your dream; when you are brave to take the roads not taken. All of these experiences, some which are mine and some witnessed from others' life, happened within the short four years of university.

I have learnt great and useful knowledge from university, but I realize that at the end of the day, what I am going to reminisce the most is not the knowledge, but the experiences, memories and the people I have met. So for you guys out there who are about to start uni life or still in your uni years, enjoy and appreciate what university life has to offer you! For those like me who has finished university, take along your own unique learning experiences with you to the world out there and continue to make dreams happen.
Have a little faith
To be honest I am sad to bid my sweet university years goodbye, and perhaps, bidding farewell to freedom too. Hello to a world of responsibilities that come forward. Though there is a whole world of uncertainties lying in front of me, I know it is going to be another great journey. I am going to apply the same principle as I did in uni: have faith :)


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Friday, May 18, 2012

Life in Matriculation (Matrikulasi Malaysia)

Amier Qadri
Editor's Note: Please bear with the grammar used and respect the author's sincere efforts in sharing his matriculation experience. You may share your pre-university and tertiary education life with us too!

Written by Amier Qadri

Hi, still new in this site actually just like you. I am someone who believes that can fulfill my dream in order to have wonderful life besides improving myself as 19 years old and being mature. Life can be lovely depending on how you imagine and what you dream about. That’s it. I personally like to write, reading and discover something new.

"You will miss this kind of life," this word still fresh in my mind as one of my lecturer had told me confidently when the final exam was getting to its line.

"Its horrible life had ever I feels." I shouldn't have flinched at the thought. This first time thought crossed my mind after a week having life as matriculation student. I'm not denying that, becoming a student of matriculation is kind of tiring life beside completing the assignment, tutorial and revision. But, it could be easier when you can manage your time wisely. When you come to be a matrix student, first thing you must do is get ready with physical and mental because schedule in matrix is totally different with secondary school and it is packed. I’m not denying that, it’s very tiring, 8 hours rushing to tutorial and lectures. Break is just only one hour for lunch then continuing back at 2 o’clock.  Hey it’s not a bad thing because when you’ll work, the duration is almost same, 8 hours a day. At first, maybe you feel so damn tired but finally u will be adapted by the rushing of time. But, during evening let the burden out from your mind by doing activities, such as cycling, jogging or either sleeping. For me, at the evening I prefer to sleep because I like to stay up at night, doing revision and completing the assignment. It then turn very interesting day during weekend. No books and assignment will be touch because I spent my weekend by watching movies at night. Some students prefer to play games like Dotta or other strategies games. Like hostel in secondary school, you may go for outing from 8am and back to college before 7pm and wear any attire you like.

Being a matriculation student, you have to be quick every time. You need to rush in your studies, although it just only 4 main subjects will be taken. Maybe it sound like so hard to cope, but don't worry, you will be guided with kind and helpful lecturer and yet you definitely not believe how kind they were. Once you want it, then you get it. Just stick on what you have targeted for. You should be grateful if you get the chance to be matrix student. Yes, matrix is easier than STPM. Matriculation syllabus is just the summary of what form 6 learn at school. In matrix, we still can use STPM syllabus for revision. But the content of the book is quite a lot compare to matrix. In my point of view, taking Form 6 is almost same by choosing Two Year Program (PDT) in matriculation. Now, STPM had begin the accumulation pointer by semester just same like matriculation. But, seriously I’m saying that, you will get a lot of advantage when you take PDT in matriculation since the lecturers intend to help you more. Compare and contrast PDT with Form 6, become PDT you may have a lot of time to get understand each topic you learn. In a semester, about ¼ chapters of a subject will be cover. Just imagine! You also have a lot of guided class held by the lecturers. And yet, you may have a lot of time to meet the lecturers to consult you if you not understand. Do you get it from the teachers at school?

Since there many quizzes and test will be done, you'll need to be prepare every time. A month, you'll be face approximately 2 to 3 quizzes and test. It is good for you as it can help you to know what level you are in that subject. Hey, don't worry with that. It just only covers the topic you learn recently and a lot of lecturers held consultation hour for the students to improve their understanding. The marks from the quizzes and test are required for the teacher to give their marks. For your information, matriculation had standardized the marks; 10% from UPS (Mid-Semester Test), 20% from PB (Continues Assessments) and 70% from the PSPM (Final Semester Exam).

Before I get into the college, there are so many people criticize matriculation programme. They said that 'taking matriculation program going to kill you. It’s hard to get cope with the study, with the life, everything need to be independet'. Honestly, they totally wrong. Once you become the students you will know that matriculation is the best. Seriously. Listen here boys and girls, for your information, matriculation giving you a lot of chance to get place in IPTA with >3 pointer and easy to get scholarship when you get >3.50. From my experience, there are also 2.0 students get place in USM, do you believe it! If you get sucked in your mind to what you want for course in university, the counselors in matriculation will help you. Everything going to be okay if you intend to help yourself.

Just be chill and try to get the rhythms when you become matriculation students. Different people might have different style to how they cope with the life and study. But for me, as ex-matriculation students, it's kind of enjoyable life in matrix since I’d become Student Representative Council (JPP). Bahagian Matrikulasi, KPM intend to send the students to explore the real life. A year, not really, maybe it just 10 month, I'd get to know the life in other matrix and their people. There are so many activities held a year. One of the big events of Matriculation is KAKOM (Karnival Kokorikulum Matrikulasi). KAKOM enable you to get involve with a lot of activities in national level. It also give you advantage to get 10% marks of cocuricullum. I just got 8 because I’m not taking part in it. =)

One thing that I would not forget is about my classmate and JPP. I got very friendly classmate. Know what, it just only 4 boys and 19 girls. Well, during our batch, the number of female students is larger than male students.  What a funny moment when trying to get a group. This 4 people always be together but somehow, we need to be separate. Well, it’s not a bad thing.  It teaches us how to cope and be in a group with different gender. In fact, different opinions produce good quality of work. It is approved when, my classmate taking part in a drama fest during Science Carnival. They did it well even they didn’t get place. The cooperation given, finally produce interesting story. That’s it.

Finally, to sum up all this word, just be positive. Confident with your skill and talent that you have. If homesick is going to let you down, busy yourself with a lot of activities and be friendly. Let the people know you and avoid being alone. You won’t feel bored if you are always busy.  Don’t let the people set up of your life because you will face all of it, not them. Try to ask yourself how much benefit it will get you in return. Hope this will be interesting for you to read. Stay tuned!


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Monday, May 14, 2012

Get Your Final Year Fulfilling With Student Exchange - AIESEC Development Traineeship Program in Beijing

Written by Jason - Share your student exchange programme experience with us too!

I’m Jason, originating from Batu Pahat, Johor - a lovely state with primitive nature beauty. Being the eldest in my family, I’m so fortunate to have loving parents and two sensible younger brothers. Having passed all my major exams with flying colours, I never take this for granted and I still adhere to my basic principle- be humble all the time (How true it is!) While pursuing my Bachelor Degree in Biochemistry, I found my calling- I have a knack for writing, without being realised for my first twenty years of education. For the sake of the satisfaction in my future undertakings, I choose to follow my calling. Contradicting and a little S-T-U-P-I-D my choice may look, but isn’t it the real look of life? Somehow, we need to be TRUE to who we really are, don’t we?

Ten years down the road, how will you feel about your education life? Is there anything that you can’t wait to share? How pathetic it is if we bear this regret “How I wish I could try this if time can reverse”!

Bored of living in the same environment for 23 years, first time of my life I raised a challenge to myself- travel overseas to see the world on myself- and I did it! Wanting very much to put a meaningful ending to my 23 years of studying life, I approached AIESEC in my university to join the Developmental Traineeship Program (DT) under Student Exchange Program in Beijing for six weeks.

Guess what, this short stint in Beijing gave me more than what I expected!

I worked as volunteer in Beijing Haidian District Autism Training Centre. I couldn’t remember how many first time attempts I had there. For the first time I represented Malaysia to stand in front of China people, waving our national flag, humming “Rasa Sayang” in shiver; without any prior experience, I had to approach Beijing local authorities and enterprises for sponsorship in conducting awareness program; never did I have any teaching experience, yet I challenged myself to help the trainers to teach autistic children.

Beijing Haidian District Jintian Autism Training Centre
Beijing Haidian District Jintian Autism Training Centre, surrounded by lush greeneries, is absolutely a good growing environment for the autistic children

Mentally-prepared for the worst, I anticipated for the “serious culture shock”; however, things turned out to be smooth to me ever since the first day I came to Beijing. First, Directors of autism centre, Miss Tian and Mr. Dou treated me with great hospitability and warmth, providing me free food and lodging. Second, all the local people speaks the same mother tongue language as me (except their strong local accent), and this lubricated our communication a lot. Third, Beijing AIESEC Local Committee played a good host to show me, including other foreign interns around. Taking my own sweet time to dive into the local culture- the historical sites, ancient buildings, traditional cultural shows, local food- I discovered that Beijing truly lived up its name as “Capital of History”. There, I hardly find myself lonely or homesick, as there were just too many wow’s keeping me busy!

Another noteworthy point, I found myself constantly bombarded with some of these questions by the locals:  “Are you Malaysian Chinese?”, “How come your spoken Mandarin is so fluent?”, “Is it true you can speak more than three languages?” Well, these may seem to be redundant to us, but when we pondered about it in deep, being able to speak so many languages is our uniqueness and strength, yet we have been taking it for granted all this along. Since then I always pride myself as Malaysian Chinese for being brought up in this multi-cultural environment.

AIESEC Student Exchange Programme Experience
My fellow AIESEC friends from Malaysia and me (the guy in the left hand side) conquered the Great Wall of China!

Apart from that, I gained a lot of insights, especially about special education, during my internship in the autism training centre. Undoubtedly, “simplicity is a blessing” is the most important lesson I had. Fortunate enough to be part of the autism trainers, I was able to understand who the autistic children really are. To them, making simple requests like “Can I have my lunch?” can really be the “Mission Impossible”. Only after receiving proper intervention therapy, in conjunction with consistent sensory integration therapy (SIT), most of the children are barely able to convey their message using non-verbal language. Still vivid in my memory, in my first class, Jue Xiao, one of the autistic children, “welcomed” me with a harsh slap on my face, leaving me totally dumbfounded. Miss Wang, whom I worked closely with, patted gently on my shoulder with a pleasant smile, “Just get used to it! All of us had gone through this as newcomers. They don’t mean it; they are just too excited yet don’t know how to express themselves properly.” At that instant, I deeply felt sorry for these children. They have to live on with this imperfection, risking themselves to be mistaken as misbehaved kids, or even “freaks”, if we don’t understand who they really are.

In spite of the hard time we had when these children threw their temper, I truly enjoyed being with these children, for who they really are. Sometimes they can be very cute. They never hide their true emotions-sadness, anger, frustration- and they usually vent their feelings by shouting, breaking things or even running away with all their might. They know who are good to them and will reciprocate with thoughtful acts. Alberto, a hyperactive boy with autism, had been taken care of by Teacher Xu for more than a year. They were almost inseparable from each other most of the time, as though they are father and son. Sometimes after Teacher Xu bathed Alberto, Alberto would immediately get Teacher Xu’s towels, helping him to dry up his hair. “Taking care of Alberto is really by no means easy, but his thoughtfulness sometimes makes him so much adorable as well. I know he may have to live with his imperfection for the rest of his life; however, seeing him slowly making improvements, indeed gives me energy to continue growing with him.” said Teacher Xu.

Chinese babies in autism centre
My favourite babies in autism centre - Wang Yue (leftmost), Alberto (middle) and Jue Xiao (rightmost).

This experience opens another door to me. Having realised that it’s time to awaken the public about the real purpose of education, I’m now more goal-oriented by carving my writing career in advocating wholesome development of individuals as ultimate objective of education- a combination of passion and commitment.

If there is anything, possible, that can make our life fulfilling, my advice would be: “Set your foot out of the class, engage with the real world”. AIESEC Students Exchange Program is one of the best choices for you to expand your horizon. Do grab hold of the opportunity!


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Tuesday, May 08, 2012

How to Improve Your Presentation Skills Effectively - 10 Tips to Give a Good & Successful Presentation

Shahridzuan bin Azali
Written by Shahridzuan bin Azali - Join us and apply to be a contributor now!

There’s probably a hundred ways for me to introduce myself so I figured short and sweet would do the trick. I’m Shahridzuan bin Azali and when I write on my blog, I go by the initials SHZ. My philosophy in life probably sums up who I am. I have many thoughts, perhaps many more ways of looking at things but I don’t always say them out loud. Writing affords me the luxury to voice what’s bottled inside me. I have always, and will always, love writing. The big dream is to have my novel published. I have a Mass Communication background and I’m currently working as an Information Analyst - a writing-based job. See, it’s all about words. Words are oxygen to the writer’s mind.

How to Improve Presentation Skills

It doesn’t matter what course you enroll in at university or college, you’re bound to make presentations, at least once, in front of your mates. Speaking from experience, many students find it an awful task to talk in front of the class. I’m a Mass Communication graduate so it’s pretty ironic to say that right? I mean, communication students are meant to be able to talk. Perhaps. The problem is… presentations are not merely talking. They are delivering facts and explanation in a professional manner that helps the audience understand. I believe many students fail at maximizing the benefits of presentations because they fail to capture the effective method in making good presentations. Here are some tips which I would like to share. They’ve worked for me and I reckon they would for you as well. Good luck!

How to Present Effectively - Things to do

1. Understand the topic before making the big dive
There’s no way your presentation will work if you do not understand the topic. So, take some time (not the entire decade) to comprehend the topic you’ve been assigned to. Read once for familiarity and twice for understanding. Repeat as needed. As you do, jot down short notes. You can do this at the side of the material you’re reading or you can use a notepad (or iPad). Whatever suits you. These notes may come in handy later on.

2. Dig the skeleton out…ooooooo….
Once you’ve comprehend the topic, make a mind map. This will serve as the core of your presentation. Trust me, with a mind map you will be clear on what you need to present, the points you to emphasize and the explanations and examples needed. Now, there are many types of mind map. Again, choose the ones that work best for you.

In a mood for groovy and funky..?
Mind Mapping Maps
(Photo Credits to TT Group)

Love simplicity…?
Mind Mapping
(Photo Credits to Nait)

In need of order…?
Types of Diabetes Mind Map
(Photo Credits to SmartDraw)

3. Prepare the Power Point slides
Halfway done. Of course, you will need presentation slides as visual aids. The slides should be brief and clear. The fonts need not be too small or too big. Pick fonts that are simple and professional-looking. Ensure that they can be read from the back of the class (you wouldn’t want your class mates peering over other people’s hates, it would distract YOU). As for the background, pick one that brings out the color of your text. Think contrast.

4. Practice
This is one of the best time to adopt the cliché, practice makes perfect. You don’t have to stay up night and nights just to get it right, though. Presentations are best rehearsed, not memorized. So, have a few run-throughs, familiarize yourself with the slides as you speak. The rehearsals are meant to help you coordinate what you speak with what you display on the screen. You’ll notice that as you practice, you will soon remember what slides come next. It makes you appear credible when you don’t hesitate in speaking and clicking for the next slide.

5. Be a presenter
Presentations are only presentations when you present. As you speak, maintain eye contact with your mates. They are there to listen to you, not to sit down as props. Show that you want them to understand because that indicates that you know your stuff. It’s fine to occasionally look at the slides but don’t glue your eyes on them and just read.

How to Give a Good Presentation - Things NOT to do

1. Do not read. Do not read. Do not read
This is the most common mistake many students do. They go in front of the class, project the slides and read. One slide after next. That is not presenting, that’s reading. If you do that, chances are no one will be interested. They might as well read the slides by themselves. Refer point 5 above.

2. Do not copy and paste
Ahah! Another big NO-NO! Students just love lifting and pasting, don’t they? Notice how Power Point slides have limited space? Well, that’s because they’re meant to be filled with essential points, not the entire text you’re presenting. Say you’re explaining the process of communication. Don’t squeeze everything on the slide. Maybe just exhibit the process in a chart form. Explanation for each step should be done through spoken words. Let the audience take notes as you talk. That keeps them engaged.

3. Avoid verbal clutter
We may not notice this but saying “ummm…”, “aaaah…” and “like” too often will drive the audience nuts. It is totally understandable that you are nervous during a presentation. We all are, especially if it’s the first time. That’s fine but do not succumb to verbal clutter. When you can’t seem to find the next word to say, don’t say anything. Shut your lips, take a deep breath and slowly continue your presentation. Control your nerves, don’t let them control you.

4. Toss the desire to be “fancy-mancy”
While being creative is a plus point, being too creative is annoying. How in the world is your audience going to remain engaged if you have slides with a yellow background, curvy fonts and red wordings? That’s like trying your best to blind them out of the living daylights. When choosing your slides’ appearances, consider visibility. Can it be read? Is it too striking? Being fancy is not likely to score your extra points.

5. No last minute work
This applies to life in general but keep this in mind for your presentation. You’ll end up in bits and pieces if you prepare the entire presentation the night before. You won’t have time to truly understand the topic, let alone delivering it. If you’re one to procrastinate, it’s time for some attitude adjustment.

Presentations can be fun if they are done right. Which would you prefer? A dull lecture or a chance to command the class and learn along with them? See, presentations aren’t that bad, are they?

Here are some sites that may help you:
Roger Darlington - How to Make a Good Presentation
Microsoft - 12 Tips for Creating Better PowerPoint Presentations
MakeUseOf - 10 Powerpoint Tips for Preparing a Professional Presentation


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Monday, May 07, 2012

Panduan Kerja Kursus Sejarah & Geografi PMR 2012

Editor's Note: Below are the lists of online resources for PMR Geography and History project work. Use them only as guidelines to improve your projects and do not copy paste! Leave a comment to share with us other useful websites for Kerja Kursus Geografi dan Sejarah PMR. If you find this post helpful, please share it with your friends by posting it at your Facebook and Twitter.

Panduan Kerja Kursus Geografi PMR 2012

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Panduan Kerja Kursus Sejarah PMR 2012



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Friday, May 04, 2012

SPM Additional Mathematics (Add Math) Project Work Answers (Jawapan Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan)

Enter your email address to the form below to join 50,000+ readers who get all the latest SPM Form 5 Additional Mathematics (Add Maths) Project Work 2016 Sample Answers via email. You cannot afford to miss them! Join our email subscription list now!

Sarawak Add Maths Folio | Add Math Project Work Perak | Add Maths Project 2014 (Selangor) | Complete 2014 Add Maths Project Work (Johor) Sample Answers | Contoh Jawapan Folio Matematik Tambahan Pulau Pinang (Penang) | Sample Add Maths Project Work (Sabah)

Update: Sample add math project work for Selangor included at the bottom of this post. Read another post for additional mathematics project work sample answers for Perak, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Sarawak, Pahang and Federal Territories (Wilayah Persekutuan).

Editor's Note: Some SPM candidates emailed us to request for help on their form 5 additional mathematics (add math) project work (kerja projek matematik tambahan), so we listed down as much online resources as available in this post. Feel free to discuss the solutions or answers (jawapan kerja kursus) by leaving your comments on this post.

SPM Add Math Project Work (Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan)

Please take note that the answers or suggested solutions for add math project work 2012 provided below are for reference only. You should put your own efforts in solving the problems in the questions before comparing your own answers with the suggested solutions below.

Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan 2012 Bahagian 1

Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan 2012 Bahagian 2

Suggested Solutions or Answers for Add Math Project Work 2012 by LOKE 地行者
Jawapan Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan 2012
Solutions or Answers for Add Math Project Work 2012
Complete Answers/Solutions for Add Maths Project Work 2012 - Download Answers: Part 1 and Part 2(b) (Microsoft Excel format)

Answer Schema Rubric For Additional Mathematics Project Work 2012 (Skema Pemarkahan Kerja Projek Matematik Tambahan)

Update: Further Exploration in Bahasa Melayu

Update 2: Additional Mathematics Project Work 2012 Sample 1 by Chee Yee Sian from SMK Convent Klang

Update 3: Additional Mathematics Project Work 2012 Sample 2 by Amirul Naqib Bin Razak from SMK Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi

Update 4: Sample Answer for Add Maths Project Work 1/2012 (English)

Update 5: Selangor Add Maths Project Work Sample Answer by Nurul Fatini from SMK Meru, Klang

Update 6: Kandungan Folio Addmath Selangor by Anas Syazwan

Update 7: Fully Completed Add Maths Project Work by Kavin

Read Guidelines for the Implementation of Additional Mathematics Project Work 2012 (Student’s Edition)


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Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Have Fun And Stop Worrying!

Lim Shu Xian
Written by Lim Shu Xian, 20 years old (Join us and apply to be a contributor now!)

Hi everyone, just like any of you, I came across this site when I was surfing the net the other day and I decided to share some information that might help some of you readers out there! Just so you know, I am a University student, currently doing a degree at Help University, 20 years old this year. To others I may seem like a quiet person, but the truth is I’m doing a lot of thinking inside, there are so much going on in my mind. I personally love reading inspirational quotes about life, love, health you name it!

Well, not long ago, my mum signed me up for a religious talk by a well-known religious representative. I thought it would be so boring that I could fall asleep during the talk. Unexpectedly it was much better than I thought, and honestly I have learned a lot from that less than 8 hours session. One of the topics that I personally find really interesting was what the speaker mentioned by ‘Having fun no matter what you are doing‘ we should just have fun doing the things we do! We can have fun while doing our exams, house chores or even interviews, anything and just stop worrying! You’ll get an outcome better than expected!

Ever wondered how to speak in front of an audience without running out of topics, or having panic attacks and your mind just go blank? Here I would like to share a story. I know this may be easier said than done, but the speaker mentioned himself that because he is widely known across his country and worldwide, he is used to getting interviews and live shows invitations. People often questions why wouldn’t he get nervous or bored or run out of topic whenever he speaks. The reason he does not get tired or tensed is because he has fun while doing whatever he does. During the interview, he would just say whatever his mind persists, he does not need to please the interviewer or the audiences, when he is just being himself, naturally he will make people laugh by telling all his jokes. I mean who doesn’t like humors right? Laughing is the medicine for the heart!

Also, this can be applied to all Malaysian students who will be sitting for an interview waiting to go for their desired universities or colleges. Stop memorizing all those facts and get so nervous at the end of the day, my advice would be just be yourself, let your humors shine their way, have fun doing the interview! Just think of it as if no one’s watching, like you’re catching up with an old friend of yours. This can also be applied if it happens that you become a representative of some clubs or organisers of an event, when you need to give a talk on stage, just relax, and give it a go, you can treat the audiences like your family members, or imagine you’re the boss of a big corporate company where everyone listens to you, do not hold back anything! Or just think of the audience as a bunch of your crazy friends that you love to hang out with, it will not hurt right? They will not laugh at your mistakes at the end of the day or eat you up!

One thing that he discussed during the talk which impressed me most was that you should find something that your heart truly desires, for example choosing a course, you can't choose it because your parents want you to do it, you can't choose it because it’ll earn you a fortune in the future, you should pursue something that really makes you happy! I’m sure no one would want to go to work feeling so grumpy everyday because they are doing it for the money, not for their interest. If you don’t like a job you’re doing, leave it! If you dislike the subjects you are studying, register for a new one, your parents will not be living your life for you, you are the one who will make your life decisions in the future!
Happiness
Similarly, I have also come across one of the famous Chicken Soup books, one of the article mentioned was regarding ‘Dancing in The Rain’. Dancing in the rain from this context means learn to have fun even at the hardest time! I’ve had many friends who cry whenever they could not cope with the stresses of their exams, but if you learn to have fun while studying for exams, those tears may not be necessary.

No matter how easy you school syllabus may be, try to study consistently everyday, try to get it in your brains, you can do it for an hour a day or few hours, it wont take up that much time, and remember between studies, take some breaks, do whatever you like! Eating your favorite ice cream, watching your favorite TV shows or sleeping, do your favorite sport or breathing some fresh air outside! It will help you to focus a lot more later. Staying indoors too much will make you crazy!! After studying, you can even reward yourself once again, by doing yourself a great job, such as playing your favorite online games, watching some movies, or anything that makes you happy. You see, who says computers and televisions cannot be allowed when you’re having exams or studies?? It makes the perfect excuse to have it all back if your parents ever confiscates them (hee, sorry for teaching you to be naughty!)

Finally, all this sums up to having a positive attitude, which means you must always look at the bright side. Before you’re sitting for an important exam, do not keep thinking about what happens if you fail that paper, instead ask yourself if you do it properly, how much benefits will it get you in return! Change your thoughts and you change your world (another quote which I got from the Chicken Soup Book)! I really hope all these will help some of you, stay tuned! ☺


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