New Job Means No Time

My new job has taken up all my time... no time left for my assignments. Hope I could settle down fast and find some time to do them quickly.

Moving On

Moving on soon.... want to follow me?

My Assignments for TESOL

Just started to do my assignments for the "Specialist Diploma in TESOL" course this morning. There are 4 module assignments to complete, and I have scheduled myself to finished them by 5 Dec 04. After that I would have to concentrate on my new work project that will begin on 6 Dec 04.

Wish me all the best, pleaseee!

LiveJournal in EFL Classes

I have enrolled for the Specialist Diploma in TESOL some time ago and have paid in full but have been sitting on the assignments as there is no dateline for my submission. That's bad! :( I think I better start doing the assignments now and try to complete all by end of this year.

Just found a website on "Using LiveJournal for Authentic Communication in EFL Classes" and find the article interesting... something I would recommend my students to do too as I have found blogging improving my language skills and also thinking processes very much. It's also a way to vent my feelings and keep me healthy mentally and emotionally.

Tired But Accomplished!

Had been very busy this whole week with my study... feeling very tired but accomplished! I normally work best under pressure and tight dateline. If not for the study school this whole week I might still be sitting on my assignments. At least I managed to submit one assignment ('final') and another 'draft' on Tuesday....Yeah! Just got back my 'draft' today and will have to work on it to make it my 'final' (hopefully before end of this month).

I have another new idea to keep myself on track -- I must be able to state at least one accomplishment per day... one thing I am proud of achieving each day. :)


My Accomplishment this week:
Submitted 1 assignment ('final') + 1 assignment 'draft' :D

Going To Do My Assignment Soon

I should be able to complete all my students' assignments marking by this coming Tuesday and start to look at my own assignments from then onward. ;)

Study School Lectures

The next Study School will commence the semester lectures from 30 Oct 04 to 5 Nov 04. I really need to rush... :(

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY!

Today is Children's Day. Forgotten all about it.

Someone (adult) greeted me, "Happy Children's Day!" this morning... hehe. But I said, "I am not teaching children now." He replied, "But I feel like a child." Hmmn, there's some truth in it... there is a 'child' in us regardless of our age.

I have finally completed my teaching assignments last night but I still need to mark 3 lots of students' assignments before I can start doing my own. Hopefully I can start in a weeks' time. Wish me well please. ;)

To all the children and the 'children at heart':

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY!

Assignments - Students' And Mine

Had been very busy with my work for the last few months, and on top of that I have been trying to help a friend during whatever space time I have. I have 3 lots of my students' assignments to mark. Hope to finish marking within one week, if possible.

Feeling so quilty about not attending to my own study assignments which are almost overdue. Hope I can complete them by end of Oct 04.

Dissertation and Perfectionism

=============
Words of Wisdom
=============

"I wish I knew how not to get bogged down in self pity and procrastination. I should have just kept working a little bit every day until it was done. It only took me [four years], but if I was better focused I could have finished sooner."

(Dr. Elizabeth Wells on working through perfectionism so the dissertation doesn't run you)

===============
Inspirational Quote
===============

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing."

~ Harriet Braiker

From Academic Sprinter to Marathon Winner

"The secret of success is constancy of purpose."
- Benjamin Disraeli

Received the following article through email. Dr. Jeanette Kreiser offers words of wisdom on completing your dissertation by staying the course no matter at what speed you choose to move. They are very good reminders, which we thought we know but often forget along the way.

Unfortunately, her advice on "Involve others" seems a more difficult task than doing the dissertation itself. Why? You see, I have tried every effort to form the study support group or even a simple 2-person buddy system, yet all my fellow course mates are too busy with their works and personal commitment to do it. ~sigh~ Look like I have to partner myself then. :(

From Academic Sprinter to Marathon Winner
(By Dr. Jeanette Kreiser, ABD Survival Guide)

Five years ago, I completed the Marine Corps Marathon. It took me more than 6 hours!
But, in the process, I learned an important lesson: You can meet most life challenges by simply staying the course and continuing to move, however slowly, toward the goal you have chosen.
That is how I recently lost 50 pounds as well. A consistent, determined mindset and a realistic plan got me to a healthy weight. (Now, let's hope that that same mentality will keep me at my goal!)

What does this have to do with the doctoral dissertation?

Most successful students, up to the point of the doctoral dissertation, have been academic sprinters. Many of us (I know that this was true in my case) were whizzes at hunkering down to prepare for that final exam or at disciplining ourselves for an all-nighter to complete a term paper. Your movement through school has been through a series of clearly delineated semester-long sprints.

So, while you have prepared through most of your academic career to be an academic sprinter, for the dissertation, you now have to develop the skills and mindset to be an academic marathoner.
Here are some of the principles I discovered in marathon running that can be applied to the dissertation marathon.

* Be determined!
By sticking to your goal, even in the face of frustration and discouragement, you are demonstrating that you have that quality. However, you may find that you have some outspoken "gremlins" within you that weaken your motivation. Don't try to just ignore them, because they can still move underground and undermine your efforts. Identify them and root them out!

* Set clear and realistic goals.
In running a marathon for the first time as an out-of-shape 55 year old, I did not expect to be among the first to complete the race.

The doctoral dissertation represents your first attempt at extensive, serious scholarly research. If you continue in academic circles, you will probably spend considerable time revising it or reworking parts of it for publication as a journal article or book.

Whoever said that the "best dissertation is a completed dissertation" was correct! After you complete your degree, you can rework your dissertation, having learned from your earlier problems and having received feedback from faculty, advisers, and mentors. Overly ambitious goals and complex topics can result in self-criticism, discouragement, and, ultimately, failure to complete the task.

* Vary your pace and the length of daily workouts.
You can't run at top speed for extended periods of time over long distances every day of the week.

The same principle applies to writing your dissertation. Set a reasonable and varied dissertation pace for yourself. Identify achievable goals and create a clear and sensible plan. Develop a writing schedule that allows time for rest and rejuvenation.

* Make the process as enjoyable as possible.
Nothing beats running on a beautiful day and through scenic surroundings!
Likewise, find a pleasant and comfortable environment in which to write your dissertation. Think about the positives aspects of the writing process. Note what you are learning and discovering and share your new knowledge with interested others.

* Involve others.
To prepare for the marathon, I joined a program that provided a coach and a ready-made support group. My group and I, runners of similar abilities and goals, planned to run the race together. We counted on encouragement from one another when motivation flagged or when facing physical obstacles. We also provided healthy competition for one another and realistic standards to measure ourselves against.

I completed my doctoral dissertation because I found a dissertation partner in a friend who started the doctoral program with me, MaryAnna. She and I envisioned the joint party that we were going to give when we graduated This clear goal and our semi-formal partnership keep me going in the final, intense phase of dissertation writing. And, perhaps best of all, in partnering with MaryAnna, I made a close, lifetime friend as well.

Find one or more people at a similar dissertation stage as you are and arrange for regular communications about your successes and difficulties.

* Develop a conducive social environment.
Marathon runners found the encouragement of family, friends, and even strangers, who cheered us along the route invaluable in keeping us going to the finish line.

Let family and friends encourage you as you move along the dissertation path. Tell them of your plans and goals and of how they can help you achieve them. Share your successes and turn to this support when you are having difficulties.

* Be sure to take potty breaks! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
I put these two "rules of the road" together, because for the marathon writer the implication is clear: Be sure to take care of your basic needs for good nutrition and good health, mental and physical. Take care of yourself when you hurt, but then get back to running/training/writing as soon as possible.


REMEMBER! If you consistently put one foot in front of the other for 26.6 miles you will eventually complete the race!

The same is true for your dissertation. As long as you continue to move forward, even at a very slow pace, you will be successful in the end.

Study Put on Hold

My study has to be put on hold while I settle my new work assignments first. Probably I can only think about my study from August onward...

Confusion at the Uni

There were some confusions at the university as to which specialist strand I was enrolled for and who are my course tutors and supervisor. The new local representative didn't help much either.

Good thing that the confusions are settled now after I wrote a number of email to a number of people at the university....phew! Now I have to start thinking about how I am going to write my 3 new essays... :(

June Study School Ended

Arghhhh.....I think my brain cells are 2/3 gone by now... really very exhausted after all the mind boggling sessions. Yet I can't go and relax though the study school has officially ended. I still need to prepare my teaching lessons plans. =(

June Study School - Session 3 to 9

Finally, I have completed the first 4 sessions of study on how students learn. That means another assignment will be waiting for me to do and I am feeling so exhausted now. I was actually yawning at the start of the lesson last night. Good thing we were taught in smaller group for this module and had lot of funs and interactions. That kept me awake and I got to know my course mates much better. I was the only gal in this group though... hehe.

That's not all, it's going to be a tiring and long day of study for me today as my class will start from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Session 5 & 6). The class will start in the morning and ends at 5 p.m. tomorrow (Session 8 & 9)... so there goes my weekend! =(

June Study School - Session 1

Attended my first session at the Study School last night. The session was a little different from the earlier sessions I attended during the last Semester. This time round we were in smaller groups, based on the modules we had selected, and my Tutor used a more personal teaching method with lots of activities and discussions. Interesting!

There was confusion though. The university admin, the various Tutors and the local coordinating office gave me different instructions as to how I should submit my assignments. So even though I had completed one of my assignments last month, I only submitted it last night. Yet I am not even sure if that is the correct person I should submit it to. *sigh* Hope I could sort this out tonight.

What Is Success?

"I have learned that success is to be measured
not so much by the position that one has reached in life
as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."

- Booker T. Washington

Hmmn... based on the above definition, I must be a pretty successful gal then. :P

Home Sweet Home

Hi All,

I am home at last. This week starts my full week of study school with lots of works awaiting me to prepare them. It's going to be a busy week. Hope I could cope.

GPRS Updating

Wow! It really took a long time and many attempts to finally get my GPRS connection at my laptop, in my hotel room at Genting Highland. So this is a very precious entry then.... phew!

Come in here just to say "Hello Everyone. I am fine." I will tell you more later. C U ! :)

Taking a Break

Dear friends and visitors,

Thank you for visiting my blogs so frequently. I'll be taking a break for a week starting from 7 Jun 04, so I might not update this blog till I come back. Till then, see you again.

Bye! :P

Assignment Completion

Managed to complete my 1st assignment at last. Feeling good! But I have one more that is due in Sept.

So now I am ready to pack for my coming retreat in Malaysia next week, from 7 to 13 June 04. Will try using GPRS with my laptop when I am there. If it works well I may update my blog during my trip. If not, I will only update it when I get back home.

Doing the Impossible

"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible,
and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

- Francis of Assisi

I have started to say "No".... hehe. But people are quite nice so far and accepted my "No" quite well.

Next, it seems quite an impossible task for me with ton of books to read. :( But perhaps the above advice is good. I better learn to do what's necessary and possible first.

Cheer me on, pleaseeeee.... :(

Words of Wisdom

=====================================
Words of Wisdom
====================================

One tip that I would like to pass on is to start off by working in very short spurts. The whole process is so overwhelming, that starting off small makes a lot of sense. Also, it is okay to take breaks to deal with family issues. Everyone has a life outside the dissertation, and it is very important to live it and to share yourself with your loved ones. Finally, don't get stuck working in one place too long. I found that I worked well in my school's library for a while, then it got stale, so I worked at home. When there were too many distractions, I went back to the library.

Saying "Yes" to "No"

Received the article, Saying "Yes" to "No", today and find that I am really quite a "no"-impaired person as described. Example, I have problem ending a telephone conversation or any conversation, even at times when I wish the other person would just stop right there. Maybe it's because I am really quite a good listener. I also feel very 'pai seh' (bad, shy) to cut people off just like that.... so I have to 'suffer' in silence huh? That also will affect my study time too.

Err, maybe I should take on the suggestions of Dr. Gina J. Hiatt below:

1) Try to say "no" at least once this week, in a situation where you normally would have said yes.

2) How do you say "no?" e.g. "No, I can't talk right now, but I was going to take a break for coffee in two hours can you meet me then?"

3) Notice how other people say "no."

Ok, ok, I will try. Oh please don't feel bad should I say "no" to any of you people out there. Not because I don't like you, but because I need to get on with my study, ok?

Saying "Yes" to "No" - By Dr. Gina J. Hiatt

By the time a graduate student has accomplished all the requirements of a degree, they are experts at saying "yes". "Yes" to hard work, "yes" to putting their needs aside while they study for qualifying exams and "yes" to working as teaching or research assistants. With classes, assignments, practicum, and other prerequisites assigned to them, they don't have much choice! If there is something they have to turn down,
such as a ski trip right before a major exam, the decision is almost made for them. It is obvious to all concerned that the answer is "no."

Much of this changes once it is time to work on the thesis. Long periods of time stretch out with no hard deadlines. This is when it becomes most apparent that some people are "no"-impaired.

In working with ABD clients, I have found that one of the most difficult words to utter is "no". Often these people are the most well-liked people on campus! They have lots of friends, are always willing to lend a hand, teach a class, be on a committee, and help wine and dine the latest visiting professor.

Granted, each one of these activities is in itself positive. Being liked by professors, advisors and colleagues is certainly important, both from a quality-of-life standpoint and from a future networking standpoint. I do believe that in life you get back what you give.

But let's look at some of the advantages of saying "no." By letting people know that your time is important, you can gain their respect. One of my clients was able to put that into effect by setting mini-deadlines throughout the day. When friends stopped by to chat, she could truthfully say, "I can't talk right now; I have a deadline for finishing
this." She found that her friends actually respected these boundaries, and were willing to take a rain check.

This example illustrates another point about saying "no." Sometimes you are just saying "no, not right now" and not "no, never." When you have a conversation with a friend that is not an interruption of an important thought process you were writing out, you enjoy the conversation more. You are free from the sense of guilt and the self recriminations that lurk under the surface, saying "you let yourself get side-tracked again."

"No" is actually a word that gives you power. It means that you feel you have the right to determine what works for you, and when. It means that your time is important, and that your priorities matter.

"No" does not have to be all-or-none. Perhaps you can't go out to dinner with the visiting professor, after picking her up at the airport and showing her around your department. But you might be able to introduce her to some people, or just attend the dinner.

Here are some suggestions to get started, if you are a "no"-impaired person:

1) Set yourself a goal. Try to say "no" at least once this week, in a situation where you normally would have said yes. Notice how you feel while you say it, and notice how you feel later.

2) How do you say "no?" This might sound like a silly question, but many people get stuck on this. Here are some examples:

"No, I won't be able to do that"
"No, I can't substitute teach that class, but I will make a couple of
calls to help you find someone"
"No, I can't talk right now, but I was going to take a break for coffee
in two hours can you meet me then?"

3) Notice how other people say "no." How do you feel about them?

I'm sure that if you start saying "no" more often, you will start to feel a sense of self respect and power that you hadn't felt before. Furthermore, you will have taken an important step towards freeing up time to work on your dissertation!

Books and Me

Wow! So many books and materials are waiting for me to read and digest. I stared at them and they grinned back at me.... *sigh* I wished I could scan them all into my brain.

Someone just suggested that I should go and have some kopi then come back and plunge myself at the books again... good idea! What I need is concentration... mustn't be distracted.

June Study School

The June Study School will begin in mid of June, just after my oversea retreat during the second week of June. I hope to finish whatever I need to do by end of this month and get ready for the new semester.

Blog Update

Ah, didn't update this blog as regular as I would like to. Had been updating my the other educator blog quite regularly though. The preparation of my new teaching assignments and other personal stuff had taken the better part of my time...*sigh* My study assignments have been halted for a while. Hope I can continue with my study assignment again tomorrow.

Cheer me on, pleaaaaaase. ;(

Reasons why English is so hard to learn

Found the following article at BBN very interesting...

Reasons why English is so hard to learn

Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is neither egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger! Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?

Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Park in driveway, and drive on a parkway?

Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

People, not computers, invented English, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

Back Again

Getting back my focus again... :)

I am surprised that a course mate of mine who has submitted his first assignment recently is thinking of withdrawing from the program... so sad :( In fact, he is more hardworking than the rest I know. I am trying to pursuade him to stay and not be discouraged. I hope he can make it.

Focus

Ah, losing focus for the last 2 days again. No good excuse for that, except there had been too many things in my mind. I must make sure I finish my assignment draft by tonight before I leave tomorrow morning for my trip.

Anyway, just created a poll for my blog today.

Need a Break

Ouch!! My head aches! Couldn't sleep well last night... or I think I didn't sleep at all. Waking up with heavy head. Took 2 Panodol tablets to relieve my headache. :(

I guess, reading too many online articles and journals has something to do with this too. I need a break.

Theories Creation

Spent my time reading online articles and journals the whole of yesterday.

Read the NUD.IST4 Classic Guide to learn more about the use of NUDIST for qualitative research analysis, as recommended by my course mate. The funny thing was that my first Yahoo! search for 'NUDIST' produced a long list of real nudist websites, rather than what I was really looking for... hehe

Also read about theories creation, a very interesting article that gave me insight as to how I can create a good theory based on the principles stated.

Easter Monday

Today is Easter Monday.... the third day after the death of Christ, the day He rose again, the day He had victory over death.

To me, Easter also marks my rising determination to concentrate on my study and not to be distracted by any other things. I need to have victory over my undesirable habit of procrastination and the tendency to be easily distracted.

Wish me all the best :)

Survey Research

I am currently 'tackling' my assignment on 'Survey Research' and at the same time pondering seriously about my own research question. Hopefully I can complete my first draft in the next few days.

I was browsing through some past Abstracts of Research Thesis done by the NUS PhD students/ex-students yesterday. Some are dated as long as 1981 to the current ones in 2004. I noticed that majority of them were researching into an existing phenomenon/issue so as to confirm they existed rather than looking for a solution to them. I wonder why it's so. Could it be due to a limitation of time or for any other practical reason? Maybe I am being too ambitious... haha.

I was thinking of confirming the problems in the education system here as well as providing a solution to these problems. Let me check out if I am being too ambitious to do this. :)

Free Research Software

Just downloaded a 45-days free-trial software, the Journal. It seems useful but I will try it out to see if it could serve my writing purpose.

Also found a website with a long list of free statistical software. They might be useful for me at a later stage. I will test them out soon.

In addition, an online article also caught my attention, why web journals suck. I like the author's description on Types of Journals as her description on the kinds of journal/blog are quite true from my own observations so far. I like her parting words:

"I care because I think the Web is the best venue for revealing the self ever devised. Everyone says they want to be a writer -- well, here's your chance! And few people seem to know what to do with this opportunity." - Diane

I hope those of you who are reading this will be the 'few people' who 'know what to do with this opportunity' that is free. :D

Books Reading

As I began to start reading for my assignments, suddenly there seems to be endless reading materials waiting for me to read them. A little lost as to which one to start reading first though they all look interesting enough for me to want to know what are written inside.

Reading can be a real strain on my eyes and I feel sleepy faster than when I am just surfing the Internet. It helps that during my preparation for my recent teaching assignments I had already read quite a lot of materials that are linked to my research interest -- ECE. But there are many more books I need to read up.

Just heard from a classmate that his research Tutor has changed his assignment question totally when he submitted his first draft. I hope this doesn't happen to me.

Ok, going back to be a bookworm again....

OVERCOMING PARKINSON'S LAW

"Work expands to fill the time available."

"This short statement of Parkinson's Law has application in many facets of life", says BEN J. DEAN (Educational coach). Dean shared his secret on how he got himself an educational coach (a very 'organized person') that enabled him to overcome Parkinson's Law and completed his PhD. He showed the benefits of hiring an educational coach, citing his own experience below (in yellow font):

How does Parkinson's Law apply to doing a dissertation?

1) The dissertation often seems like an enormous task with no real deadlines.
2) It's all too easy to leave no time for the dissertation, letting your other work fill all the available time.
3) The longer you delay, the more embarrassing it is and the higher quality product you feel you have to
produce.
4) The amount of work that needs to be done seems HUGE.

First, let me confess that I know every trick in the book used by procrastinators -- mainly because I've used them all at one time or another. ....So, here's the big question... WHAT CHANGED (after he hired his coach)? On the surface, all that happened was that I talked to somebody for an hour on a regularly scheduled basis. Why would this get me moving?

Here's what was really going on....

1) She gave me confidence.
2) She kept me accountable.
3) She helped me do the work in bite-sized pieces.
4) She kept me focused on the tasks at hand.
5) It got me out of my isolation.
6) She provided objectivity.
7) She acted more like a peer than an authority figure.
8) She provided me with a regular routine.
9) She helped me prioritize.
10) She gave me a place to let off steam in a healthy way --
The key was getting outside support and setting up a structure within which to work. Having an external, uninvolved person in an affirming, positive, task-specific relationship -- and meeting with her on a regularly scheduled basis -- made all the difference in the world for me.

I believe all research students would testify from their own experiences that they too have encountered the same problem like Dean had. But not everyone would like the idea of hiring a coach like he did.

As for me, I prefer to form my own study support group that would act like educational coach for mutual encouragement, checking, discussing, and support. My experience shows that such a group is effective if all in the group are willing to do their parts. Unfortunately, I had been the only active member in my present group now. Yet I am not discouraged, for by being active I benefited the most even when other members do not respond. But I hope they would get involved soon and reap the benefits too.

Motivational Quotes

"Obstacles don't have to stop you.
If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.
Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
~~Michael Jordan

"A PhD is not a measure of intelligence, but one of perseverance and determination.
It was only by being single-minded and determined not to let this thing beat me that I stuck at it."

~~ a new PhD student

Setting Assignments Due Date

Attended a seminar conducted by my Professor this evening. He shared with us that he had just conducted an educational case study research at his home country. There were some pitfalls he encountered and he wanted us to avoid them. It was a very was interesting session. I also managed to catch up with fellow course mates - the new and the old ones.

I will start doing my assignments from Monday onward. My target is to submit one assignments by end of April and another one by end of May. If that happens, I will reward myself and those who have 'pushed' me to do it... hehe. Don't ask me what the reward is. I don't know yet... give me some suggestions... haha. :)

Ah... need to catch up with all my readings now.

Interesting Polls

Ok.... you will be seeing this blog being updated more regularly now since I have decided to be more disciplined in managing my study. But most of my non-study related thoughts and reflections will still be written at my Educator blog. I am subscribed to the SMH online news and I found an interesting poll today at http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/02/1080544668496.html There are more results at http://smh.com.au/polls/results.html

I am trying to learn how to create online polls too so it would come in handy later for my research project. Can anyone help me out?

Research Blog Site: PhDWeblogs.net

Happened to come across PhDWeblogs.net and found it an interesting site. Decided to join those lots of people there who are in the study marathon. Glad that I am not alone. Reading what those fellow 'runners' wrote helps. One good example is the blog of Carthik .

He said, "I like to play with my website when I can, and it has really become a hobby, something that gives pleasure, and something which I can do for hours on end without tiring. I love it when something finally works, and everything is beautiful and structured"

Same , same here...so interested and engrossed with web designing now...

He also said, "Now I have to get back to studying."

Yes, me too...my professor is coming next week n i am not even really... :(

Research

"By means of anatomy one can learn to recognize the infinite and incomprehensible wisdom of God."
(Fabry von Hilden)

"We have investigated machines created by the hand of God, in which nothing can be found that has not been made mathematically perfect."
(Albrecht von Haller)

These quotations were painted in extra-large font on the wall at the entrance to the exhibition hall of the Body Worlds Exhibition. Yes, research helps us understand many things that we will never understand without it. But the unfortunate thing about research is that the more we know the more we become confused. Scientists and Researchers would ended up fully believing in God and marvel at His creation or totally reject Him and think that they themselves could be 'God'.

Books Borrowed

Ah, I need to catch up and catch up fast... the usual me who loves to do everything at the last minutes. Have borrowed a number of books but can't settle down to read them. No excuse, just plain err... you know what I mean?

Research Quesion Ideas

Our Professor is coming here next month and I think it might be good that I give deeper thoughts about my research question again so that I could discuss it with him later.

I was talking to a friend of mine and from our conversation a few possible research questions came to mind to further refine my earlier idea "Blogging helps one manages one's learning and teaching."

Thesis Suggestions:

1. "Learning and Teaching Management: internet as a learning and teaching resource for teachers."

2. "Learning and Teaching Management: blogging as a motivator for teachers' self learning and teaching."

3. "Learning and Teaching Management: blogging as a learning and teaching resource for early childhood education teachers."

4. "Learning and Teaching Management: blogging as a learning and teaching resource for educators."

Ah, any more suggestions?

Blogging Helps Me Learn

Recalling my blogging experience makes me marvel at the many things I have learnt so far. Never know what is blogging all about at the beginning till I saw someone's blog at a forum. Ever since I created my own blog 6 months ago and composed my first poem, there is no return for me.

A New Start

Finally, I have managed to do an overhaul of this abandoned blog of mine, though incomplete yet. I started out trying to recapture my childhood days' memories. I have collected some jokes related to children and education and placed them here. But due to the lack of time I have not been updating this site for a while and have been spending more time at my other blog.

Now my theme for this blog has changed from that of 'childhood days' to something more academic on 'education research' and it is also different from my other blog that is purely on thoughts and reflections as an Educator. I received quite a high readership for the other blog though I actually intended it to be more of a personal journal blog. I have about 500 hits per week for that blog now since I started blogging in late Oct 03.

I have learned recently that someone is doing a research into the effect of blogging and language development. I find this to be interesting since I personally have discovered that blogging is a very good way of improving my writing and thinking skill and also discover my creativity. But of course the reverse may be true, depending on the bloggers. Most bloggers in the Asian sites are using written languages that are beyond recognition to the Western English speakers with too many spoken dialects and mixed languages within the same blog. I am not against the use of 'la, lei, ma, lor, etc' to add punch, 'colours' or fun to the blog. But the overtly use of them in the sentences might make it unreadable to the western English speakers and even locals might find it tiring reading them. Well, one might say, "That's precisely the point -- to make it unreadable!" Then my reply would be, "Don't publish it, just save everything as Draft. " Do you see the logic?

I have yet to submit my own research topic and is wondering how I may 'kill two birds with one stone' by capitalizing on my newfound interest in blogging and the many things I have learned since. Perhaps I should make a thesis statement such as: "Blogging helps one manages one's learning and teaching."

Hmmn...Good food for thought, right? I need to further refine this statement later.

Thanks, 2003!

Time flies, and 2003 is ending soon. Before it ends, let me tell you why I am thankful to God for 2003:

Thanks, 2003, for I've learned many things I never knew
Thanks, 2003, for I've learned to use the Internet to write about you
Thanks, 2003, for the friends I have, both old and new
Thanks, 2003, for the people who hurt me and those who helped me renew
Thanks, 2003, for I travelled the most and see things from a new perspective
Thanks, 2003, for I discovered many things about myself and realize I am creative
Thanks, 2003, for I learned how at all times I could stay positive
Thanks, 2003, for the good and bad times I've ever live

Goodbye, 2003, I will remember you as I enter into my new 2004 with faith, hope and love soon.

My Profile

Name: Betty, which is the short form of Elizabeth

Occupation: Consultant for Education, HR and Business/ Lecturer/ Director

Universities: Aust and UK

Teaching Experience: 11.5 years

Area of Study: Educational Management, Early Childhood Education, and Business Administration

Activities I enjoy: playing musical instruments, listening to soothing music/songs, singing, travelling, humours, blogging, web designing, Internet surfing

My Blogs: started since 2003 and have the following blog themes...

• personal journal
• study journal
• poem blog
  
• group blog
• photo blog
• fun blog
• work blog
• professional blog
  
• devotion blog
• tech blog
• church blog
• ladies blog
• etc

last updated: Jul 07