Organising Yourself for Effective Study

To help you get into the habit of studying, it is vital to work out routines and strategies that make
studying the norm. One of the most important first steps is to set up a regular place to study, where
you have everything “to hand” so that settling down to study is easier. No-one else should touch it,
move your stuff or interfere in any way.

Study room/ Workspace: Find a workspace/room that you can always associate with study and
coursework. Do it right now. Keep the room airy but warm, and have good light to avoid eyestrain.
Avoid using a family space (like the kitchen table) where you have to set up and clear away when
others need it, as this will affect your ability and motivation to study.
Shelves & Storage: Have shelves to keep your books in order and clearly visible, where you can
easily get them if needed.

Clutter-free Desk: Keep your desk/workspace free of clutter, or you will spend your time tidying up
and searching for things instead of actually studying.


Year Planner: Put your year planner up on the wall in front of you so that you can see it at all times.
It is a reminder of what you have done, and what still has to be done.

Timetable: Keep your weekly timetable on the wall of your study space also, as well as placing
another one in your study notebook or diary to keep you on track and focused.

Study notebook or diary. Keep a written diary of events and deadlines. This keeps you organised
and you know what you have to do. Use it to monitor and check on your progress.


Divide your study periods into manageable blocks or units (1 unit = half hour). Start small,
especially if you have difficulty concentrating. You can always build up the time you spend studying
once you have established the habit, and as your stamina increases.
11Study for 25 -30 minutes, then take a break, even for a few minutes, and then continue.
This gives the brain a chance to rest and to make sense of or consolidate the learning.

Write in exactly which topic or subject you intend to cover in each time slot, rather than just
writing in a vague intention to “study”. After a lecture or tutorial, go over your notes as soon as
possible, so that you will remember everything important that was said. Remember the 80/20 rules:
you can lose up to 80% of your learning if you don’t review it within 24 hours.


There is really no “best time” to study it depends entirely on the individual. You might be a
morning person, or you might come alive later on at night. Work round what you like, and what is
practical. Get up an hour earlier in the morning if it works best for you.

If you opt for evening study (or have to study in the evening because it is the only time available) the
best approach is to study early in the evening rather than late, because the brain gets sluggish and
tired as the night progresses. Tiredness makes learning more difficult, and you retain less information
for your time and energy - you are not getting “value for money”. If this is not possible, have a power
nap and work later at night - you have to work within your parameters.

How many hours of study depends on your background and current level knowledge and
understanding. Never compare yourself to others in this regard. Find what is right for you

Resources: Enhance Your Learning

You should take stock of all the resources you have available to help you achieve your goals, and then
use them carefully for full effect. Here are some of the more obvious, and maybe not so obvious:

1. Your brain:

This is the best resource you have. Develop it: train it well, work it well, treat it well (rest and
good food) and you will soon have a brain that is more efficient than you imagined. The more
you use it and exercise it, the more powerful it will get, and the better it will work


2. Lecture Notes:
These may be specially prepared for you by lecturers and course tutors to aid your learning.
They are particularly useful as pointers for examination revision as well as for writing essays. If
you make your own notes from lectures then ensure you attend the lectures, not borrow
someone else’s (second-hand thinking) notes.

3. Books /Internet/ CD-ROMs/audiotapes/newspapers:
These are all sources of information. Use them to increase your knowledge and understanding.

4. Sample assignments:
These are very useful. They give you an idea of the level of quality to aim for in your own
work. If you are lucky enough to be given one, use it and learn from it.

5. Past examination papers:
These are crucial. They highlight the kinds of topics and questions that are usually asked in
exam questions. The past papers will be very similar to the types of questions you will be set
in the exam proper. Be careful if the syllabus changes however, so use them in conjunction
with lecturer/ tutor hints and advice, but don’t take too many chances or learn too little - you
can get caught out like this!


6. Marking schemes or marking criteria:
It is useful to have an outline of the methods and strategies (criteria) used when your work is
being assessed. This way, you know what is expected of you. There are no hidden obstacles or
hoops to jump through, and this takes a lot of the anxiety and worry away. Usually your
college lecturers and tutors give you a very clear indication of what they expect. Listen.

mudah.my is selling your phone no

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Love this Sarong

Don't u just love going around in Sarong .. I still do it , especially after solat Jumaat.  I've been to groceries , market , government office and etc in sarong. But I never get someone to tie me the sarong. I guess the lady above is just lucky to have someone helping her with the Sarong ... I just love the Sarong !!!

A Better Way to Read: Techniques for Easier, More Efficient Reading

There are different strategies you can use when reading. Depending on the context, find and use the
one that best suits the specific task in hand. This section briefly explains the techniques involved. It is
based on the SQ3R system. Basically these are the steps involved:

1. Skim read to get an overview of the information and to alert your brain.
2. Have questions prepared, so that you know what information you seek.
3. Re-read with increased focus and attention, and make notes.
4. Recall what you have learned, using summarising techniques.
5. Review the learned information as soon as you can, but within 24 hours for increased  efficiency


Skimming (sometimes called “speed reading”)
This is where you “surface” read very quickly to get the “gist” of a topic or an overview of the
chapter/story/instructions/experiment/other. It is usually a preliminary read, and if you find the
information you require, you follow up with close reading for detailed information, where you will most
likely make notes.

Scanning
Where you are looking for specific answers to information, use the technique of scanning. Because
you know exactly what questions you want answered, you speed-read and your eyes scan over the
words/pages very quickly until they find what they are looking for. Then, rather like in a radar signal,
the brain is alerted and focuses in on the details you require.


Close Reading
This is when you have pinpointed what you need. Now you read with increased focus and attention,
and it is at this stage that you will most likely make notes. If you are given questions at the end of
the passage to guide you through the passage, then use these to find out the answers, otherwise
have 2-3 questions prepared for which you need to find answers. Your purpose for reading may be to
introduce you to, or increase your knowledge on a given subject or topic.


The SQ3R method in more detail:

1. Preview/ Survey/ Overview 
• This is rather like a trailer for a film or video, but you are the one “scouting” for
information. It gives you an overall sense of what lies ahead, whether you are looking at
a book or a section of a book. Skim or speed-read to get a preview of what you will be
studying, and how it is organised.
• Pay particular attention to the introductions or conclusions, and look at any headings,
diagrams or pictures that accompany the text. Examine the text layout, and note where
points are emphasised or “signposted” for you, for example with phrases like, “to
summarise” or “of central /prime importance”. It will give you a general idea “the gist” of
the main concerns of the chapter or book and prepare your brain for the task ahead.

2. Question
• Always have questions ready before you start. This preparedness is the key to
active learning. Use the questions given at the end of a chapter or section. Or you
can make them up yourself if you need to, and they can be as simple as:
What do I know about the subject already? What is the chapter or section about?
What are the main points or ideas? (usually 3 -5)
What evidence is there to support (or oppose) these views?
Are these facts or opinions? Are they justified? Up to date?




3. Read ‘n’ Write
• Re-read the chapter. Try to pinpoint a “topic sentence” which summarises the most
important point in a paragraph or chapter. Even better, make one up yourself. This is
the sentence that tells you what the main point of the section is.
• Slow down if you come to a difficult passage. Skip backwards and forwards to see if
the point becomes clearer, or to check if it is explained in more detail later on.
• Re-read the material until you are sure you understand it.
• Write down any information that seems to provide answers to your study questions
in your own words; that is, summarise it.
• Note any difficult words or technical terms: look them up later if you can follow
what is being said, or if you can’t, look them up now.

4. Recall
• Check your understanding of what you have read throughout. Can you recall what
you have learned?
• Go through the main ideas you have read so far. Do they make sense to you?
• Check your notes or summary sheets and make sure you have included all relevant
information. If not, do so at this stage.
• Summarise again, in your own words, the main points of all you have learned in this
session. These will double your retention and learning recall power.



5. Review
• Go over your notes within 24 hours, and perhaps a week later, and again regularly
during the course of the term/year. This might seem excessive, but if you do not review
newly learned material within a certain time you can forget up to 80% of what you
learned in the first place.
• Remind yourself of the questions you wanted answered. This will gear you up for
finding answers.
• Do your notes give you the answers?
• Check them to see if you have answered everything, and if your notes are accurate.
Rechecking information will fill in any gaps or blanks in your notes or in your memory.
• Make up a topic sentence (or sentences) to summarise your summary. This is a sort
of “super shorthand”, (or super text message). You reduce all you’ve learned to the
smallest possible sentences without distorting the meaning. These “text” sentences
become a “prompt” or external memory of your learning. They are useful both for
assignments and for examination preparation: (brain fodder).


6. Highlighting or Underlining: A Colourful Habit
• It can be very useful to highlight or underline important points in your textbooks, but it
is not an alternative to note taking. Also, if you re-read the text, other “new” points
stand out, so you underline them, and end up with a section totally underlined, but still
no notes! So, if you underline, use it only as a reminder of where you want to make
notes. However, remember not to underline or highlight library books or any borrowed
material.

Get Ready: Exam Preparation

Strategic Planning: Approach your revision in an organised systematic way. You will cover more
ground, and you will feel you are making progress. You will feel more in control, especially if you are
able to tick off topics that you have covered as you work through them. This in turn increases your
confidence and encourages you to keep working, and so helps you keep your motivation and effort
high.

Timetable: As examinations approach and the syllabus is covered, set up a revision timetable, a
countdown of sorts to help you stay focused and to keep your motivation and enthusiasm high. You
will very likely be given some time to prepare for exams, but often this is already used up for
essentials like catching up on coursework, feeding the emaciated cat and so on. Towards the end of
any course, effort can slip due to sheer tiredness and lack of energy, or burn out. Yet this is a time
when you need to gather your energies and resources, and prepare for the final victory.

Noise & other distractions: You may feel background music helps you focus, and maybe it does.
There are opposing schools of thought here. Many researchers cite the power of association: if you
build up the habit of listening to music or other background noise to concentrate, come exam time
you might not do as well without this “prompt”. More recently, Study Skills gurus are saying if music
be the muse of learning aids, play on! This is open territory: do what best suits you but treat with
caution.

Syllabus: Take care to check that you have covered everything on the syllabus before you launch off
into revising certain areas and topics.
Course or Topic Summaries: Write out a summary for each course or topic (Keep it to A4 size if
you can). This is time and effort very well spent, as it will show you the main areas you know, and
more importantly, those you need to know, and which you need to work on.

Past Exam Papers: Excellent preparation because they give you a template (a working example) of
what you can expect. Use them to see the kinds of questions that are likely, how to approach
structuring your answers, and how to time yourself when answering questions.

Course Notes: Use your course notes to go over main points. Skim texts, always looking to draw
information out rather than “stuff it” into your brain. Exams are about retrieving information quickly
and efficiently - train yourself in this.

The “Bare Bones” of examination answers: Prepare basic or “skeleton” answers. By condensing
learning you will be able to access it more easily in a real situation; single words or short phrases can
act as prompts and triggers. By practising writing under exam type conditions, even if you only write
out the outline of what you would cover, you will get used to writing under pressure


Practise the exam format: Make sure you know, and that you are comfortable with, the layout of
the papers. Each subject will have different sections, choices of questions, compulsory questions, and
questions that attract different marks. Use these as a guide for the exam structure and outline.

• How to get there: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE. You remember 
• best by doing, not by watching, listening or reading, so do all you can

Iskandar Malaysia (JB) : Most livable city ranking

Every year a new list is published, but it seems there is little change at the top. 2012 ranking saw Melbourne move to the top spot with the remaining cities in the list stay in the whereabouts they were before in 2011.

It is interesting to see how Johor Bahru ( being the major city in Iskandar Malaysia ) fared against other top cities in the list.

I personally think in order to promote Iskandar Malaysia as the chosen destination for international investors, it needs to be in the list. It does not matter if JB is almost at the bottom of the list on the 1st year, the most important is to have JB climbing up the list from year to year.

It is also important to be able to distinguish JB from other major cities in Malaysia such as KL and Penang.  As someone who has lived and worked in KL , Penang and JB, I personally found JB has it's own characters that are not widely publicized. JB is definitely a calmer city, with lots of space and people are more relaxed compared to other cities in Malaysia. You might disagree with me if you look at causeway crossing area where people are just rushing to be on the other side of the border.  I mean , we have to look at Iskandar Malaysia as the whole region.

All these good traits could be the strength of Iskandar Malaysia and it is sad if these traits disappeared with the development of Iskandar Malaysia.

Hopefully 1 day Iskadar Malaysia ( specifically JB) will find it's way into the "Most livable City Ranking" !!!

Iskandar Malaysia : Bus Iskandar missing opportunity

It is not that I am not grateful to the free service provided by Bus Iskandar.  I just think Bus Iskandar is a missing opportunity for it to be anything but normal commuter service. Looking at the 17 routes by Bus Iskandar, I think it is a pretty a decent route planning, still is missing the vital link between Iskandar and Singapore.  May be that is the reason it is called "17 social routes" ...

As I have said on other posting, the Bus Iskandar is good for locals but I do not think it provide significant advantage to Iskandar Malaysia to become the investors choice

From Iskandar Malaysia web Site

17 SOCIAL ROUTES IN ISKANDAR MALAYSIA

ROUTE NO.	ROUTE	VIEW ROUTE MAP
IM-01	Terminal Larkin – Larkin Perdana – Giant Majidee – Kg. Bendahara
IM-02	Giant Tampoi – BBU – Kg. Pasir – Giant Tampoi
IM-03	Terminal Larkin – Tmn Sinaran Kempas
IM-04	Jusco Tebrau City – Flat Desa Cemerlang
IM-05	Terminal Gelang Patah – PTP – Kg. Pendas
IM-06	Jusco Bukit Indah – 5 kedai – Terminal Gelang Patah – Terminal Kota Iskandar
IM-07	Terminal Gelang Patah – Tmn Nusantara – Terminal Kota Iskandar
IM-08	Today's Market – UniKL – Tmn Flora Heights
IM-09	Today's Market – Taman Rinting – Today's Market
IM-10	Tmn Sri Skudai – Tmn Sri Putri – TUTA – Tmn Nesa – Tmn Sri Orkid
IM-11	Tmn Senai Utama – Tmn Impian Jaya – Felda Ulu Tebrau – Ulu Tiram – Jusco Tebrau City
IM-12	Terminal Masai – Terminal Pasir Gudang – Tmn Desa Rakyat
IM-13	Terminal Masai – Terminal Pasir Gudang – Kg.Pasir Putih
IM-14	Teminal Masai – Taman Mawar – Terminal Pasir Gudang – Nusa Damai
IM-15	Terminal Pasir Gudang – Tmn Pasir Putih – Terminal Kota Masai
IM-16	Tmn Impian Skudai/Giant Skudai – Flat Tmn Impian Emas – Skudai Parade – Kg. Maju Jaya – Tmn Impian Jaya
IM-17	Holiday Plaza – KSL City – Lebuhraya Tebrau – Bandaraya JB

Garis Panduan Untuk Pengurusan Masa Yang Cekap

Siri pengurusan masa untuk peperiksaan.

Apabila menguruskan masa anda, mungkin beberapa tips berikut akan membantu anda.
Ingat, terdapat 7 hari (168 jam) dalam seminggu. Asas seperti tidur, kerja, senaman, masa lapang,
masa kualiti dengan orang lain, keluarga dan domestik komitmen, pelancongan, dan kerja-kerja rumah semua perlu diperuntukkan slot dalam kalendar anda. Anda tidak boleh meninggalkan dunia biasa dan menumpukan diri sepenuhnya untuk belajar.
Terdapat masa apabila anda mungkin perlu minigggalkan belajar , atas sebab-sebab yang sangat mudah bahawa ia mungkin kaunter-produktif untuk mencuba dan melakukan semua perkara pada setiap masa. Sebagai contoh, tidak pembelajaran jika anda bosan; bukannya mengupas spuds atau menggilap kereta.

Gunakan masa anda yang ada dengan sebaiknya , bukannya cuba mencipta masa

Gunakan apa sahaja masa yang ada sepenuhnya

Sebagai contoh, gembira untuk menyekat dalam slot kajian jam / setengah jam pada jadual anda, bukannya perasaan
bahawa anda sentiasa perlu untuk mengetepikan sekurang-kurangnya 2-3 jam pada satu masa untuk mendapatkan sebarang kajian dilakukan. The
Pendekatan yang dicadangkan di sini akan membantu anda untuk membangunkan tabiat tetap, kerap kajian sesi pendek,
dan mungkin lebih realistik dan lebih berkesan daripada masa menunggu selama-lamanya bagi yang sukar difahami "tiga
jam / hari keseluruhan "(yang tidak pernah berlaku).

Amalkan "pembungkusan materi" seperti dengan seperti

Buat semua panggilan telefon anda bersama-sama / membayar semua bil-bil dalam satu perjalanan / melakukan membeli-belah / menyeterika / memasak di
waktu tertentu. (Seorang pelajar sahaja dimasak dua kali seminggu: 3 hidangan setiap kali, yang dia beku, dan digunakan
dalam putaran. Dalam masa keluarganya berkembang seperti kekerapan sekurang-kurangnya mempunyai makan malam di atas meja, dan
terlupa kuasa membebel tentangnya menu terhad.)


Lulus pada kerja-kerja anda di sekitar rumah

Selain itu, memujuk anak-anak anda / rakan kongsi / tersayang untuk menjadi bebas, orang yang penyayang yang
mengambil giliran mereka dengan kerja-kerja. Sesiapa sahaja, lelaki atau perempuan, boleh menukar palam, mencuci pakaian, memasak makan,
berlari anak-anak ke kelas, atau melakukan membeli-belah mingguan. Ia tidak perlu untuk menjadi anda! Dalam erti kata lain, keputusan anda untuk
kajian melibatkan pelarasan sebenar untuk semua orang di dalam rumah, tidak hanya anda. Mereka anda hidup dengan perlu
menjadi bersedia untuk menyesuaikan diri dengan rutin baru dalam hidup anda, dan permintaan baru pada masa anda. Anda
mungkin dapat mencapai keadaan ini dengan berunding terlebih dahulu. Tetapi jika anda telah dalam tabiat
melakukan segala-galanya untuk semua orang, anda mungkin mendapati bahawa orang di sekeliling anda lambat untuk menyesuaikan diri, dan
anda perlu untuk "melatih mereka dalam" sedikit. Kejam mengenainya. Anda benar-benar perlu masa itu.
Sebagai contoh: Basuh pakaian pada washday, tidak atas permintaan. Lebih baik lagi, jangan membasuh mereka pada semua jika anda boleh
mengelakkan ia. Seorang pelajar hancur pakaian remaja beliau sekali terlalu kerap, dan telah diharamkan benar-benar dari
pernah lagi mencuci pakaian mereka. (Dengan amalan, ini juga akan bekerja dengan pakaian yang diseterika teruk juga)


Tulis ke jadual apa yang anda merancang untuk melakukan atau komited untuk melakukan pada masa yang berlainan.


Sebagai contoh seorang pelajar, kerja yang melibatkan banyak perjalanan, dibawa pita apa yang dia diperlukan untuk
belajar, dan bermain dengan mereka kerana dia memandu bersama-sama. Ini kerja-kerja yang besar untuk pembelajaran bahasa, dan anda boleh
pita kuliah terlalu. Terdapat dirakam versi buku-buku yang ada, atau anda boleh membuat anda sendiri.

Visualise diri anda berjaya.


Bayangkan diri anda memakai Mortarboard dan gaun, apa sahaja. Atlet atas dan penghibur mengamalkan
teknik visualisasi yang berjaya untuk mengekalkan motivasi mereka. Meminjam idea-idea mereka. Percaya dalam
mereka. Terdapat akan menjadi masa yang sukar. Belajar untuk "gulung dengan tumbukan"!
Bezakan antara tugas segera dan penting.
Enggan hidup anda dalam "pengurusan krisis" mod. Jika anda hanya berurusan dengan tugas-tugas yang mendesak, kehidupan anda akan
menjadi satu kesusahan dari krisis krisis. Ini adalah hidup reaktif, dan meninggalkan anda dengan rasa sedikit kawalan.
Menggagalkan krisis. Mengelakkan mereka. Hindarkanlah mereka. Stok makanan / merawat / brownies mata dan lain-lain Kemudian, apabila
kali benar-benar mendapat buruk, anda akan dapat untuk memperuntukkan masa untuk krisis sebenar.
Jangan mengharapkan untuk ingat segala-galanya. Mengurus masa anda dengan lebih baik.
• Jangan buang masa. Menggunakannya.
• Apabila anda telah memutuskan apa yang anda akan lakukan, adakah ia.


Selesai apa yang anda bermula. Masa akan mengembang dan menguncup mengikut keperluan anda.

• Masa sendiri. Dapatkan tugas dilakukan dalam had set anda.
• Cuti tugas ke dalam bahagian, lebih kecil terkawal atau segmen, jika anda sedang berjuang.
• sehingga Tidy pada akhir setiap sesi pengajian. Jangan biarkan ruang kerja fizikal anda dalam "keadaan casis".
• Buat ringkasan apa yang anda telah dicapai, di mana anda berada sekarang, dan menggariskan di mana
anda seterusnya perlu pergi. Bergerak ke atas

Look to Today: Timetable

As well as your weekly planner, making a weekly/ daily timetable will help you organise your day-today tasks, which keeps you positive and focused on your studying, and which helps you achieve your
targets.

Use the sample timetable template provided in this section to make a practical weekly timetable. Pin
one copy on the wall of your study space and sellotape one inside the front cover of your
folders/notebooks.  To make a realistic but workable timetable, use the following tips:

1. Keep the layout simple. Make several blank copies so you can alter it weekly or as you need
to. Your first effort might be over-ambitious, but you learn from your attempts what actually
works. So every subsequent timetable should be more to the point, and help you achieve more.

2. Keep it realistic but flexible. There will be times when you will not be able to study as you
planned. Be able to fit in some extra study sessions if you have to.

3. Divide your time into: “Have to” and “want to”. You “have to” do certain things; when
they’re done, you are free to do the things you “want to.” Balance is the key.

4. Assess how you use your time. There are 7 days or 168 hours in a week. Average out the
time you spend doing different things. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself. You might find you
waste a lot of time (see sample diagram).

5. Assess how much time you need for sleep & rest. You do need to take care of your mind,
body and emotions. Different people have different sleep requirements, for example. Aim for 7-
10 hours sleep every night. Aim to be neither a sleeping beauty nor a raving insomniac.

6. Exercise regularly: This is essential! It is not a luxury! Make sure you have adequate exercise
without making it your sole purpose in life. The body and mind are inter-connected. Exercise
clears the “academic fog”, keeps you fit, helps you relax, and increases your ability to focus and
concentrate. Be warned, when times get tough, students often cut out their exercise time. This
is a mistake. You will begin to get fat and flabby, lose your self-image, and with it your
motivation.

7. Food: Try to eat a balanced diet. Don’t try to save time by reaching for the “convenience food”.
A diet of pizzas, burgers, crisps, coke and chips will increase your chances of getting bilious and
developing a health problem. Try to vary your diet: good food will feed the brain; junk food
will trash it!

8. Keep track. Work out how many hours you need to spend on your study on a daily or weekly
basis. Tick off work as you complete it. Stay ahead of your deadlines. This will give you a real
sense of doing well.

Time management : Tips on Using Your Time Well

Guidelines for Organising Your Time Efficiently 
When organising your time, perhaps some of the following tips will help you.
Remember, there are 7 days (168 hours) in a week. Essentials like sleep, work, exercise, free time,
quality time with others, family and domestic commitments, travel, and household chores all have to
be allocated times slots in your calendar. You cannot leave the ordinary world and devote yourself
entirely to studying, however appealing this prospect might seem as yet more and more dust settles.
There are times when you should perhaps put studying on hold, for the very simple reason that it
might be counter-productive to try and do all things at all times. For example, do not study if you are
tired; instead peel the spuds or polish the car.

Work with your time constraints rather than against them.


Use whatever time is available

For example, be happy to block in hour/half-hour study slots on your timetable, rather than feeling
that you always have to set aside at least two -three hours at a time to get any study done. The
approach suggested here will help you to develop the habit of regular, frequent short study sessions,
and is probably more realistic and more time-effective than waiting forever for that elusive “three
hours/whole day” (which never happens).

Practise “clumping” like with like

Make all your phone calls together/pay all bills in the one journey/ do the shopping/ironing/cooking at
particular times. (One student only cooked twice weekly: 3 meals each time, which he froze, and used
in rotation. In time his family grew to like the regularity of at least having a dinner on the table, and
forgot to quibble about the limited menu.)


Pass on your chores around the house

Alternatively, persuade your offspring/partner/loved ones to become independent, caring people who
take their turn with chores. Anyone, male or female, can change a plug, wash clothes, cook a meal,
run kids to class, or do the weekly shopping. It does not have to be you! In a way, your decision to
study involves a real adjustment for everyone in the house, not just you. Those you live with will need
to be prepared to adjust to the new routines in your life, and the new demands on your time. You
may be able to achieve this state of affairs by negotiating upfront. But if you have been in the habit
of doing everything for everybody, you may find that the people around you are slow to adjust, and
you need to “train them in” a little. Be heartless about it. You really need that time.
For example: Wash clothes on washday, not on demand. Better still; don’t wash them at all if you can
avoid it. One student ruined her teenagers’ clothes once too often, and was banned absolutely from
ever again washing their clothes. (With practice, this will also work with badly ironed clothes too)


Write into your timetable exactly what you plan to do or are committed  to doing at different times.


For example a student, whose job involved a lot of travelling, carried tapes of what she needed to
learn, and played them as she drove along. This works great for learning a language, and you can
tape lectures too. There are taped versions of books available, or you can make your own.

Visualise yourself succeeding.


Imagine yourself wearing a mortarboard and gown, whatever. Top athletes and performers practise
visualisation techniques of being successful to sustain their motivation. Borrow their ideas. Believe in
them. There will be tough times. Learn to “roll with the punches”!
Distinguish between urgent and important tasks.
Refuse to live your life in “crisis management” mode. If you only deal with urgent tasks, your life will
be one lurch from crisis to crisis. This is reactive living, and leaves you with little sense of control.
Pre-empt crises. Avoid them. Avert them. Stock up on food/treats/brownie points etc. Then, when
times really get bad, you will be able to allocate time for a real crisis.
Do not expect to remember everything. Manage your time better.
• Do not waste time. Use it.
• Once you have decided what you will do, do it.

• Finish what you start. Time will expand and contract according to your needs. 

• Time yourself. Get the task done within your set limits.
• Break tasks into smaller, manageable parts or segments, if you are struggling.
• Tidy up at the end of every study session. Do not leave your physical workspace in a  “state of chassis”.
• Make a summary of what you have achieved, where you are now, and outline where
you next need to go. Move on

Police Report in English in Malaysia

As Malaysian's, we have to file any police report in Bahasa Malaysia. The logic for this might go back to early stage of independence where we wanted to ensure all Malaysian's use our national language for the sake of nation building , unity and etc etc

As the Malaysia progressed into 21th century , with the country becoming more international with entourage of expats and migrants, the simple process reporting any crime can become an uphill tasks to these group of people.

Fret not, with the advancement of technology particularly google translator, I think the problem can be resolved.

Current proposal is
1- let the public to type in the report in English into google translator
2- Google translator will produce the Bahasa Malaysia version of the report. Well, the technology is not perfect, but I think it will convey the message through.
Current process where the public has to explain the events to police officer in English and then let them write the report in Bahasa Malaysia is not perfect too.
3- print both the english and Bahasa Malaysia version ( from google translator) and file both as official report
4- The question right now is whether our Police system will be able to accept this procedure.

Example of google translation

At 7:00am this morning , we went out for a jog at the waterfront near Lido beach. Once we returned home at around 8:30am, we found the front door war ajar. We were sure that we locked the door properly before we left for the jog. We went inside and discovered that our plasma TV and laptop computer were missing
result from by google translator ( translate.google.com

Di 7:00 pagi ini, kami keluar untuk berjoging di tepi pantai berhampiran Lido.Apabila kita pulang pada sekitar 8:30, kita mendapati perang pintu renggang depan.Kami pasti bahawa kita dikunci pintu betul sebelum kami meninggalkan untuk berjoging.Kami masuk ke dalam dan mendapati bahawa TV plasma dan komputer riba telah hilang.

Not bad for machine translation


Btw .. I am thinking to start a Petition to allow police report in English in Malaysia , at least we need to get it for Iskandar Malaysia... anybody agrees with me?

Challenge for Iskandar Malaysia

I have been in Iskandar Malaysia for more than a year and i can see the govt & IRDA are really pushing hard for physical development in Iskandar Malaysia. There is the spanking new Johor Govt administrative complex. The grandaur architecture bore similarity to putrajaya and it is also a dead city expect for office hours. There is the legoland and medini business center. At the same time, i could not see any real effort in sociodevelopment within Iskandar Malaysia. Of cource, it has the Iskandar commuter bus service, but it seems to serve the locals more than the singapore commuters / expectiarate. Also, I did not notice any significant expatiarate community in JB, it is kind of strange considerang Singapore has sizeable expat community in the country. The conclusion that I can make is that Iskandar Malaysia has not been able to attract any signifact project that eventually attract expats. Here I an presenting some of the challenges for Iskandar Malaysia Development Authority (IRDA) to look at . The challenges presented below looks simple, but it may require significant change to government-government relationship and also their existing procedure. At the same time I believe these changes would be beneficial to Iskandar Malaysia in order to promote itself as the alternative ( or better ) thanSsingapore

1- A 30 minute ride commuter service between Singapore and Iskandar Malaysia. Max 40 min during rush hour. If someone wants to stay is Singapore and work in Iskandar Malaysia, I think it is important to have a commuter service with very precise timing. The question is, can the IRDA work with Singapore authority to provide a bus service that guarantees the ride between Singapore and Malaysia within 30 min. ( that is inclusive of passport and immigration clearance by both sides)

2- Police report in English: The police stations in Iskandar Malaysia to receive police report in English. We all know that is has been a pain-in the neck for foreigner to file a police report in Bahasa Malaysia. Current process where the foreigner will explain the issue to police office in English and let them to write the report in Bahasa is not enhancing the trust between the police force and public. The challenge is, can the police force change the procedure to accept the report in English? I have written in my previous post about using google translator as one of the solution for english native speaker .. ie, a) we write the report in English, b) use google translator to translate it to malay c) print both and file both version as official report


Well, there you have it ... I hope 1 day I'll be able to see some version of these proposal implemented in Iskandar Malaysia

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