HCFoo's Blogyard

Since I'll be away for New Year celebration, I'm going to take this opportunity to wish all bloggers a "Happy New Year". Hope 2006 will be a better year for all of us.

On Monday there was this programme on CNBC called The Ebay Effect (if I'm not wrong). The show was not bad. The interviewer did not just talk about the positive things about ebay but also criticize them particularly on the way they handle fraud cases.

After that show, I started to beria-ia to sell again (I did sell and buy once). I tried to search around and see if there's anything that I can sell. Not many. Perhaps what I should do is to go out more and see if there's any potential products at flea markets or during warehouse sales.

It's no big deal when Jaclyn won Malaysian Idol last year.

However, I am more impressed when she won the golden prize in the recent 8th Asian New Talent in Shanghai. I did not know she won until I watched 8tv last week. She gave a flawless performance with her song, Gemilang (the other song was When I Fall in Love and it was rather boring). I believe this song plays an important part in her winning.

Now, I wonder when there will be another World Idol. I think it will be a waste for our country if she doesn't have a chance to showcase her talent in the international level. I really believe she will be able to create an impact (especially with the song, Gemilang).

If you speak Cantonese or Mandarin, you will definitely find a comment on Sunday Star's Education pullout rather hilarious. A reader commented on the accuracy of a History book on Let's Hear It: Books should give accurate facts

"The book seems to assume that people with the surname Ma were all Muslims and that the surname Ma derived from Muslim names such as Muhammad."

If you are a Chinese you know what it means. If we do not want Malays know that we are talking about them, we refer them as "sing Ma" (which the word sing means surname) instead of calling them "Malay yan" (Malay people). Those with surname Ma might not be necessarily Muslims in China but in Malaysia, "sing Ma" are definitely Muslims.

If you still do not understand, please don't misunderstand. This is not a joke on the Malays or their religion.

In the recent PMR results, we are already witnessing the decreased of passes in Bahasa Melayu. Compared to 2004, the percentage of passing rate dropped 0.9% to 92.3% in 2005. As for English subject, the percentage increased by 3.7% to 73.8% this year.

However, the statistics is not convincing enough to prove the declining standard of Bahasa Malaysia or improvement in English language. This is because 73% of students still answered Mathematics exam questions in Bahasa Malaysia while 67% did so for Science. It is not a surprise because this batch of students has strong foundation in Bahasa Malaysia.

On the other hand, I foresee that the quality of Bahasa Malaysia among the primary students, especially non-native speakers, will continue to decline in the near future. This batch of students has no exposure to Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia in both primary and secondary levels. Hence, this is a disadvantage to them especially when it comes to understanding and writing science-related topics.

Like any other languages, students need continuous exposure and practices to improve their skills in Bahasa Malaysia, too. Therefore, parents need to encourage their children to read more, constantly monitor their progresses and seek help if their children are weak in the subject.

Related post: non-Malay students must take bahasa Melayu seriously

and a Happy New Year!

A Dilbert X'mas riddle:
What do you call a FAT GUY who works only ONE DAY of the YEAR?








Answer: The BOSS

I did not clear my postbox for one day
this was the implication, sad to say.

Perhaps my postbox is rather small
should get a big one to fit them all.

My postbox is not the dumping site
stuffed with junk mails, no it ain't right!

I have three copies of Science Year 4 revision books to be given away.

The title of the book is called New Vision Science Year 4 (published by SNP Panpac or better known as Eastview) and it is based on the latest syllabus.

The book comes with a free CD-ROM. I wrote the book but the CD-ROM is not my idea. In this book, there are easy to understand notes and the questions are pretty much UPSR-oriented.

I only have three copies to be given away. You don't have to pay a single sen (shipping is free as well). Just send me your name and address to my e-mail address.

I was wondering what are the criteria for a person to be chosen as TIME magazine 'Person of the Year'.

Personally, I think Angelina Jolie should be the one instead of Mr. Bill Gates & wife and Bono U2. Yes, they have done a lot to help the unfortunates but so did Jolie. Jolie did a good job as the goodwill ambassador for UN. She has contributed a lot in terms of financial support and relief effort. She visited quake victims and refugee camps. And she is a good mother of two kids, Maddox and Zahara.

A lot of celebrities or influential people contribute back to the society too. I think Oprah and Bob Geldof did a pretty good job as well in year 2005. But Angelina Jolie grabbed more headlines than anyone else throughout the year. With her humanitarian effort, the attention she gets in movies, her role as a mother and relationship with Brad Pitt, she is the 'Person of the Year'. Unless the TIME magazine is on the Aniston camp.

Last night, my Dad asked me to watch a programme on CCTV channel called Up Close because he thought I might be interested (not because I'm addicted to the Internet but because I'm interested in education-related topics).

The guest of the show was Prof Tao Hongkai, a guest professor in Huazhong Normal University. His effort in helping youths who are addicted to the Internet particularly online gaming had made him a household name in China.

In one case, in her last resort, a mother had to contact the media and asked for help. Her daughter, who was once a top student in her class, started skipping school to get to her daily fix of online gaming. Prof Tao who read the paper contacted the family. Several days later, after a nine-hour consultation, the 17-year agreed to skip the Internet cafe instead of classes. She kept her promise and today she is a top student again.

Under the China government support, Prof Tao gives talks and consultations for free. So far he helped over 300 teenagers. According to him, his skills of persuasion is not enough to help these Internet-hooked youths. Parents also need to change in order to help their children. In fact, the most crucial part in changing a teenager's addiction to the Internet is to build/enhance the relationship between parents and the child.

It seems that I finally know what is wrong with my pc now. The amount of money which I spent is not worth it at all because the problem is not with the power supply or the hardisk.

I came across a website which provide me with the solution.

pci.sys and ntfs.sys error messages when booting

"Recently I ran into an issue with a WinXP box booting up. I kept getting "pci.sys" errors…and if, after cold booting a few times, I was lucky enough to get past that error, I would get the "ntfs.sys" error. Turns out I had a bad memory card. Dropping in a new card resolved ALL issues."

So I'm going to get a new memory card and see if it works. Now, how much is the memory card...

Lesson learnt: In some cases, it is better to learn to solve the problem yourself rather than depending on people who make you pay extra for nothing.

Recently my home PC broke down after I've installed Sims 2 game. When I restarted the computer, an error message came out as something like this: system32/drivers/pci.exe missing or corrupt file. It says that I have to restart the computer with the original Window Setup CD (which I don't have the original) and press 'r' to repair. I tried with the pirated ones but it just couldn't work.

So I called up an IT guy, Kee, whom I came to know about through an advertisement in The Star newspaper. As I need the PC urgently to do my work and I don't have time to do research and fix it on my own, I leave it to his expertise. He convinced me that something is wrong with my hardisk and I agreed to change a new one. He brought back the PC to his office to fix it. When my PC came back, he told me he changed the power supply as well (which he haven't even ask my permission or explain to me about the faulty yet). End up I have to forked out RM320.

I thought the PC was ok until today. About two weeks after the repair, it seems that my problem is back to square one. I'm facing the same problem again. I think I've been duped. I called the IT guy just now and told him the problem. I was patient (after a few classes of meditation) enough and in fact I was surprised I did not curse at him. I just told him that I'll look for somebody else to fix it instead of paying him another RM90 (could be more!) to come over and doing nothing.

I wonder if most IT guys are unethical and look for fast money...

The winning family has been predicted correctly. The Linz family won the eighth season. No surprise at all because the result leaked several months ago.

The Amazing Race 8 is a Family Edition. However, very sad to say, I don't see any good American family values in this show. Gone are the Brady Bunch or Growing Pains days. What I saw was a bunch of young people (and even parents) who doesn't know how to respect their family members and other people. In fact, parents never try to do anything to educate the young ones to show respect to one another.

While we Asians can still be proud of our family values, the American are living the nightmares of sarcastic families like the Paolos and Godlewskies.

If you have been catching up with AR8, you know what I mean. The Linzes have been continuously calling Linda Weaver names which I think is totally rude. Yesterday, we saw the Linzes and Bransens completely alienated the Weaver family during lunch (this is not the first time). I was surprised because Dad Bransen did nothing to advise his daughters and the young Linzes. If I'm not wrong, one of his daughter was calling Linda Weaver wacky. Instead of advising her to be more polite, Dad Bransen joined the crowd to sabotage the Weaver family.

I must give credit to Linda Weaver for keeping her family together and race until the finishing line. Despite being sidelined by other teams she was strong, protective and did her best to encourage her kids. She is definitely the Mom of the Year. I have a lot for respect for her.

Can't wait for the next AR in February. I need a good dosage of AR9 to make up for this season which is a complete disaster.

Orchestra's enthusiasts can look forward for a free performance in University of Malaya tomorrow night. I don't have the name of the orchestra performing tomorrow night. All I know is they are going to perform some of the famous numbers such as the Phantom of the Opera and Hijau.

Venue: Dewan Tunku Chanselor, University of Malaya
Date: December 10, 2005
Time: 8.30 p.m.

There's a lot of free performances and movies going on in UM this weekend. Don't waste these opportunities. You don't always get free entertainment in KL nowadays.

Probably you have heard and read about the film showcase, themed "War and Flight: The Need for Humanitarian Action" which will feature three movies and documentaries beginning from today to Sunday.

It is organised by UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). The movies and documentaries will be screened at the Asia Europe Institute, University of Malaya (click for map). Admission is free.

Friday (Dec 9, 2005)
8.30 p.m. Hotel Rwanda (Refreshment and performances after the movie)

Saturday (Dec 10, 2005)
11.00 a.m. Women Facing War: Palestine
11.10 a.m. To Be a Refugee
11.20 a.m. Children of Ibdaa
2.00 p.m. The Killing Fields
5.00 p.m. Moderated discussion with ICRC
8.30 p.m. Women Facing War: Yugoslavia
8.35 p.m. Refugee Women: Don't Look Back
8.40 p.m. Molly and Mobarak



Sunday (Dec 11, 2005)
11.00 a.m. Women Facing War: Afghanistan
11.05 p.m. The Boy Who Played on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
2.00 p.m. A Safe Place
2.15 p.m. The Lost Boys of Sudan
3.45 p.m. Moderated discussion with UNHCR
8.30 p.m. War and Dignity
8.35 p.m. Marooned in Iraq

If you are a parent and your kids are among the batches of students studying Math and Science in English, I suggest you take my advice seriously.

Most students particularly non-Malays who spend limited hours learning in Bahasa Melayu, are seeing their standard dropping drastically compared to students before the implementation. My observations are based on the writing skills of urban kids in areas such as Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya. The standard of Bahasa Melayu for primary level is in fact more critical than the secondary level (because students in secondary level gained more exposure when they were in primary level).

Many parents and students might not take this seriously and think that Bahasa Melayu is not an important subject. But let's not forget that Bahasa Melayu is a compulsory subject in the SPM level. It is useless if you get As in other compulsory subjects and elective papers but do not pass in Bahasa Melayu.

I urge students especially the non-Malays to start looking for tutors to improve their writing and reading skills in Bahasa Melayu. Or at least start reading Utusan or Berita Harian to enhance their language ability.

After two months, I finally had the opportunity to rejoin the usual meditation class in Manjushri Kadampa Buddhist Centre, Damansara Jaya. The drop in class starts at 8 to 10p.m. and it is free of charge.

Yesterday's topic was about How to Live a Less Ordinary Life. The topic alone is already very catchy. Before the dhamma talk, we usually meditate first. I must admit that I'm a beginner when it comes to meditation although I've been practising Buddhism all my life. The teacher who is known as geshe shared with us that in order to achieve an extraordinary life, we have to practice six disciplines:

1. perfection of giving
2. perfection of moral disciplines
3. perfection of effort
4. perfection of patience
5. perfection of mental stability
6. perfection of wisdom

Next Monday will be the last drop in class for the year before the centre is closed for break. The topic for next week is The Ultimate Truth.

For more info, click: http://www.meditateinkl.org/index.htm

I've never supported Daniel in Malaysian Idol 2 nor I like the songs from his latest album which is frequently broadcasted over the airwaves.

However there is one thing that I will support him, anti-piracy. I was at the pasar malam in SS2 last night and saw his pirated album in every CD stalls. Poor Daniel. Just like Mawi, he should steps up and make a public call to discourage his fans or 'curious Malaysians' (who wants to listen to his album) from buying pirated Cds.

I've never had interest for animals documentary. But The Emperor's Journey is no ordinary ducumentary. In fact, I think it is more like a love story. Such an extraordinary and touching story by the French director Luc Jacquet.

I've just watched the Mandarin version and I really enjoy every minute of it. Go watch it with your loved ones!

Highly recommended.

During the first and second episodes of Amazing Race 8, I thought this family edition will not be as exciting as the previous seasons. I thought it is not wise to sell American history and watching the families spending most of their time racing within their homeland.

But I was wrong. AR8 is different from its predecessors but just as exciting and watchable. I must say that they have an amazing combination of families. Personally I support the Weaver family since the first episode. I particularly love the part when the Weaver family was in the last place in Utah, (they took the wrong route and later yielded (again!) this time by the evil Linz family) enjoying their ice-creams to ease their frustrations thinking that they would be eliminated. I admire Linda for her courage and perseverance in protecting her kids and keeping her family together.

On the other hand, the Linz family is a bunch of pathetic and rude people. They simply don't have respect for others particularly Linda Weaver by calling her names. I don't understand why they hate the Weaver family so much. Rumour says that the Linz family won AR8. That's going to be a very sad ending because bad guys never win the Amazing Race before. Colin, Jonathan and Rob are very good examples.