tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41398454751279987492024-03-05T12:22:03.555+08:00Little BookwormLittle Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-52750624965395462372009-12-01T13:09:00.020+08:002009-12-03T02:06:16.175+08:00Child Psychology<div style="text-align: left;">Okay, so before you guys think that History & Philosophy of Psyc is the only subject I took last sem, I also took Child Psychology. It's one of my favourite subjects because we studied an individual's physical, emotional, cognitive and social development from pre-birth to adolescence, and the problems and disorders which can occur at the various stages of development. Plus, my lecturer is a practicing psychologist from Canada, so he made it interesting by giving real-life examples instead of the same stuff which is already in the textbook.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>So anyway, here are some of the stuff we learnt:</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvIGh1dcYGULEW6JHr0oMzUUDr6pW7VUj0NZUVLCn2XUL3LfVN_LkB5L0OlEDLnsJsxw_r0QPWsSpAGYnDdDsTxi9kTv5LG7h1nAB5Q4wGC-nrgrLzPRP5lHx8UkLafv_BGJ9oRbrE5A/s1600-h/baby.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvIGh1dcYGULEW6JHr0oMzUUDr6pW7VUj0NZUVLCn2XUL3LfVN_LkB5L0OlEDLnsJsxw_r0QPWsSpAGYnDdDsTxi9kTv5LG7h1nAB5Q4wGC-nrgrLzPRP5lHx8UkLafv_BGJ9oRbrE5A/s320/baby.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410555880521069138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>We learnt so many things about newborns and pregnant mothers and labour that I don't even know where to begin. Newborns are usually assessed using the Apgar Scale, which assesses the newborn's physical condition by measuring the pulse, breathing, muscle tone, general reflex response, colour of skin, etc.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVruMj7eiOgiQyYKG3npzYO2AXZh99m9xVXxa5c8yBYUx3AmnZZwXDM4gGa5AYODt3CH037K025ZgqwouD3MM2b7s9zvS2M2F0LqAZrZlRidsqzynWJsC_7y6EduZAYmlPn3EKFnb97Og/s320/emotions.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410134233386027426" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Among an infant's primary emotions are smiling, laughing and crying.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbHOl1oednLZ23Y1EhXUQWJT2zBD4XB-yFeF7sQBymFnJCvkds4s00wwYLgtt1q_1zHdYGAwN16iq452_Vy3JjalJtch8tY0fxHXDrV38bzJlHImuZDJkGhY32hBxiY9-Lq4cCzXIRCA/s320/righty.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410134239044536706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 320px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>A child's handedness (whether the child is a righty or lefty) can be determined at an early age. You can see in the picture that this girl is a righty.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdU0PQbHEq5fBh39t6Dr7eLSXndTbYhNftG9CXPsEzVxBHmE-eXObxGe2zPLKChClw127sxlNkxzBacVzrWDdSaxjWlY7IqnSX5M6vnByQg_xpgofBomJ2KJikpbkIa7Aw3bpAAShw-pU/s1600-h/eat+n+edu_Page_1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdU0PQbHEq5fBh39t6Dr7eLSXndTbYhNftG9CXPsEzVxBHmE-eXObxGe2zPLKChClw127sxlNkxzBacVzrWDdSaxjWlY7IqnSX5M6vnByQg_xpgofBomJ2KJikpbkIa7Aw3bpAAShw-pU/s320/eat+n+edu_Page_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410509578691898050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Educational toys can help children to develop and improve their skills at an early age. Check out her motor skills too, among which is her ability to grip/hold objects.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszJl5HB9CmxrS8MAdLdLwlcCyEEBtY4jNPZkrigvkilbj5Wvtz9qLcG6hyphenhyphenYG8wAeRYkr8OiEbXGwdhg9vHuc9qMMDcO77fQAF8AQ_3ze2WyXd-wLrtJO_uvqso8s-K0URArG_IGhaquM/s1600/kids_Page_4.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszJl5HB9CmxrS8MAdLdLwlcCyEEBtY4jNPZkrigvkilbj5Wvtz9qLcG6hyphenhyphenYG8wAeRYkr8OiEbXGwdhg9vHuc9qMMDcO77fQAF8AQ_3ze2WyXd-wLrtJO_uvqso8s-K0URArG_IGhaquM/s320/kids_Page_4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410343252584557570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><div style="text-align: center;">When talking with babies, adults tend to use "baby language" to elicit a cooing response from the baby.</div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Heu00ipLZAAPxIBtvZGeRVCr_8tkFPAFUrwmPlpYjTpRC0jeQ1rrzuDW56GakH-SZ9Ay4LTjT466LYbLIqQ3Hz2ublUq-zaHPTqmdNlQq1sS5CYg3V7d4uVqr_71yP-afk7o418Uo0/s1600/kids_Page_1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Heu00ipLZAAPxIBtvZGeRVCr_8tkFPAFUrwmPlpYjTpRC0jeQ1rrzuDW56GakH-SZ9Ay4LTjT466LYbLIqQ3Hz2ublUq-zaHPTqmdNlQq1sS5CYg3V7d4uVqr_71yP-afk7o418Uo0/s320/kids_Page_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410343223173035762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Language functions as a tool for children to convey their needs. Sometimes children also use it as a form of escapism, such as talking on their own, or while playing with their toys.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW1v_81QP4PwPXnbe_oP-ShLlzpJnSO43X-K6CiSuhSn-F11KH1Wtmj9-iFD8_V59fzapG2MTIch3TK_hbHWM-x19ahNoRzzghqbVBiwRAGNyHo7cnmWckw2_ad88b6u4NiLIVoQ1tj4/s1600-h/eat+n+edu_Page_2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW1v_81QP4PwPXnbe_oP-ShLlzpJnSO43X-K6CiSuhSn-F11KH1Wtmj9-iFD8_V59fzapG2MTIch3TK_hbHWM-x19ahNoRzzghqbVBiwRAGNyHo7cnmWckw2_ad88b6u4NiLIVoQ1tj4/s320/eat+n+edu_Page_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410509586262887314" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Eating disorders: Some children have problems eating - whatever attempt the parents make at forcing them to eat does not work. However, there are also children who overeat, thereby becoming obese/overweight.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3cwdCdMi7sCIEzgPebDvRQkjqIQzdVjLeGE6w05oLQGUXJQa2bDMz-jjmm1Fxpe69PNLGVpj3EL8lgVQmsM0x03zDjq4Gjhc-UCNaljQxvx6_mTb8h2Ff6VXC4c_Kve679OLYH5D-d4/s1600/kids_Page_2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3cwdCdMi7sCIEzgPebDvRQkjqIQzdVjLeGE6w05oLQGUXJQa2bDMz-jjmm1Fxpe69PNLGVpj3EL8lgVQmsM0x03zDjq4Gjhc-UCNaljQxvx6_mTb8h2Ff6VXC4c_Kve679OLYH5D-d4/s320/kids_Page_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410343233869385186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Try observing a baby when he is left alone. One second he's looking at something in front of him, the next he's looking on the floor, the next he's looking upwards.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSTLtGGwqCsnNpiF0olqO8e2mdWO4iyMxBpz0XHpa5htlVPov-mtmvPBBRuKIVyySRcawB-WryR7qcNL7aaoShLlVW0fQK-ezB7an6vwgxSYmBYkEcOJa2B_dvLkJtIwSjiKwDegBwiQ/s1600/daania+motor.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSTLtGGwqCsnNpiF0olqO8e2mdWO4iyMxBpz0XHpa5htlVPov-mtmvPBBRuKIVyySRcawB-WryR7qcNL7aaoShLlVW0fQK-ezB7an6vwgxSYmBYkEcOJa2B_dvLkJtIwSjiKwDegBwiQ/s320/daania+motor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410343213170929234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This 1-year-old is in </i><a href="http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Piaget/stages.htm#sensory%20motor"><i>Piaget's sensory motor stage of development</i></a><i>. She is exploring the object (it's just a bench) and has discovered that she can climb onto it.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcfKPTPy_30ns6A5tMOCV-zHYcwAni7GYB7vwW1QeJGYt4SHoD41cWqFuyCa97EBt7Vl0BgZrorQQoba3G6UXyi5VOqXqfdXxi0USVXetntYMtfSGDHTW_Cn9LTHa09hpoyJzoy0FSWg/s1600-h/older+sibling.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcfKPTPy_30ns6A5tMOCV-zHYcwAni7GYB7vwW1QeJGYt4SHoD41cWqFuyCa97EBt7Vl0BgZrorQQoba3G6UXyi5VOqXqfdXxi0USVXetntYMtfSGDHTW_Cn9LTHa09hpoyJzoy0FSWg/s320/older+sibling.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410621963993192850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px; " /></a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>An older sibling can also help in teaching his little brother stuff such as constructing sentences, or opening the water bottle.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Credits to the mini models: Cousins Fawwaz, Zain, Fida and Hanif; "niece" Daania; brothers Zulfadhli and Basyir; and siblings Nusaibah, Rumaisa', Basyir and Hassan.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Credits to the XL model: my father. :-)</span></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-57845768013006239832009-11-08T16:59:00.004+08:002009-11-08T17:41:40.735+08:00Sophie's World<div style="text-align: left;">Hey people...once again, sorry for not updating my blog. Yes, it's the usual excuse...so I'm not gonna bother typing it again here. :p</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Anyway, one of my assignments for my History & Philosophy of Psychology subject actually required me to read a book, do a book review plus a 3-minute recording of me reading my favourite part. Of course, I could hardly expect stuff like the Twilight Saga or Harry Potter to be in the reading list. Instead, among the titles we got were Confucius's <i>The Analects</i>, Sigmund Freud's <i>Civilization and its Discontent</i>, Ibn Khaldun's <i>Al-Muqaddimah</i>, Hamka's <i>Tasauf Moden</i>, and - oh, joy!! - <i><a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/sophie/">Sophie's World</a></i> by <a href="http://www.sophiesworld.org/">Jostein Gaarder</a>. It seemed like the most fun book to read, and luckily it did turn out to be fun. Well, it was mostly about Philosophy, but the way the author presented it made Philosophy actually seem quite interesting. He used lots of simple metaphors to describe what a certain philosopher meant and the way that philosopher thought. Plus, the book covers almost all the philosophers to ever exist. The story is set in the 1990s in Norway. So I'm just going to literally copy-and-paste my assignment here...but just the synopsis. Let me know if any of you wants a copy of this book or if you suddenly decide to like philosophy. :D</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33YSwu8rmx7-qTvcK_SShgddCqGouM1wBWUrwSd8Q2Xm0Ju9JTEyaA8nK8CyjrevtEDKnGaq_1NS3A85g4cah__z4LkTwj8E1DG5NZHHO_qu-cJr4clVhH8vyUFnVaJKOn2KgeihTPKg/s320/SophiesWorld.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 189px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401663796760788738" /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%"><i><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sophie’s World</span></span></span></i><span style=" line-height:150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is about 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen who receives a mysterious letter in the mailbox when she returns home from school one day. The envelope is addressed to her, and in it is contained just one question: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Who are you?</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> The next day, Sophie receives a strange postcard addressed to a “Hilde Moller Knag” From then onwards, Sophie’s life changed forever. Everyday, Sophie would receive an envelope containing “lectures” on philosophy by a mysterious philosopher. In the beginning, the lectures explained the meaning and concept of philosophy using simple terms and metaphors but still managed to make Sophie look at the world around her with a newer and broader perspective. In one of the letters and a “video trip” to </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Athens</span></span></st1:city></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, the mysterious philosopher introduces himself as Alberto Knox to Sophie. He teaches her many things about past philosophers, their philosophy project and their method of philosophizing. For example, Socrates was more concerned with man and his place in society compared to the forces of nature. His method of “discussing” philosophical matters with everyone he meets by asking questions and exposing their weaknesses, whether the highest-ranking man in the society or a servant doing odd jobs, aroused the irritation of those being questioned by him. Therefore, the people of </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Athens</span></span></st1:city></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Other philosophers whom Sophie learned about with Albert Knox are Kierkegaard who suggested that it is more important to find the kind of truths which can make an individual’s life more meaningful, Freud and his psychoanalytic theories, and other philosophers like Marx, Darwin and even the natural philosophers of the pre-Socratic era such as Democritus and Empedocles.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in;line-height:150%"><span style="line-height:150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the same time, Sophie has also been receiving mysterious letters addressed to Hilde Moller Knag sent by her father, Albert Knag. She has also been finding properties of Hilde, such as a red scarf belonging to Hilde under her bed. As Alberto Knox was teaching Sophie about the Renaissance, Descartes and Berkeley, Alberto told Sophie that they are both in the mind of Albert Knag and that they have to find a way to escape. It is at this point that the story changes to Hilde’s point of view. Hilde is given a copy of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sophie’s World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> in a ring binder by her father on her 15</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> birthday as a way of teaching her philosophy. When Hilde starts reading, she is caught up in the story and she is sure that Sophie is a real character who is out there somewhere. Meanwhile, Alberto Knox has a plan to escape from Albert Knag’s mind, and they must carry out the plan during Sophie’s philosophical garden party in honour of her birthday, for that is when Albert will return home from </span></span><st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lebanon</span></span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. As the party becomes more and more chaotic, the climax of the party being when someone rammed the Mercedes car into the apple tree, Alberto drags Sophie and together they “disappear into thin air”. They now live in the spirit world where they are invisible to everyone except for those who are like them, such as Snow White, Peter Pan and other fictional fairy tale characters. They drive to Hilde’s house where Sophie sits next to Hilde and tries to talk to her – but of course, to no avail. Sophie watches as Hilde’s father returns home and is lovingly embraced by Hilde and her mother. She feels envious of Hilde because Hilde is made of real flesh and blood and has a family, something which Sophie felt that she could never have. But Alberto tells her that since they have cut the “umbilical cord” connecting them to Albert, they can now do anything they wish, including returning to Sophie’s home. The story ends with Albert and Hilde discussing the big bang while Sophie tries various methods of attracting their attention, which she finally succeeds in doing when she manages to set the rowboat adrift.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-36378066856291724682009-07-23T16:21:00.005+08:002009-07-23T17:30:13.434+08:00U Life Resumes...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>A new semester - new faces (the naive, innocent juniors), old friends, newly-made friends, old luggage from previous semesters (basically the never-ending society stuff), and best of all...new subjects.<div><br /></div><div><b>History and Philosophy of Psychology</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Yawn. Zzz. Yeah, right. Not with the lecturer I got this sem, thankfully. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The philosophical part:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Lecturer shows a slide with a picture of a big, black circle.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjPz-AZS6VXOVcKuo_kOi-jjz0weywXil8ImeenR49idRTDElJY-oxLEgBFNcLDTJZ4XINZ_z188Cl80o_g9q8Vl_8K3JMtovkC10S9XCzl_xp5HBhvibDyzKQP0jTrxMmSZ5QFLN0Xs/s320/blackcircle.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 310px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361570737615905746" /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"So, can anyone tell me what colour this is?"</span></div><div><i>Black, duh.</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Very good. How do you know its black?"</span></div><div><i>Sheesh. Through experience, learning, bla bla bla...roll eyes at the lecturer.</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Hmm...but how is your definition of black different from your friend's definition of black?" (With a big, wide grin on her face)</span></div><div><i>Blank stares. WTH?!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Why on earth do philosophers find philosophy interesting??? Do enlighten me.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">The historical part:</span> </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Why do we study history?"</span></div><div><i>Easy. To know our roots, learn lessons from the past so that we won't repeat the same mistakes, bla bla bla...</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Yeah, but the past is past, right? What's the point of learning about all these dead people?"</span></div><div><i>Tell me about it. I'm sure every single student has asked themselves that question each time they flip open the cover page of their History textbook back in high school.</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"Think about it. I'll give you an analogy - when you want to marry someone, you have to know that person's history first, right? How many brothers/sisters he/she has, how many past relationships he/she has been involved in, and the cause of the break-up. And why do you do this? 'Coz you'll be investing your future with this guy/girl, so you have to dig up his/her history."</span></div><div><i>Hmm. When she put it that way, it does sound logical and pretty interesting.</i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"So how can we relate that with the history of psychology, or any other science for that matter? Because, although the people are dead, their ideas still live on."</span></div><div><i>Hence the reason we are all sitting in classrooms and slugging away over our textbooks and assignments - to study the "living" ideas of the dead.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-54758117386505696192009-06-26T15:48:00.004+08:002009-06-27T12:14:35.935+08:00Vampires and Werewolves<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jaMmpkiGmKoV5pZOoHNFA-DngIxtKIH5R3tY0peEm__8sax2UOtvjYIvfNSQi-HJVmiMec6Gvymh9d6SVwkgMOnf77sSqitubL4V7QyZVtbX1XUFUMhGhAdXe_jPdYIj3El9TxnRhcc/s1600-h/Image169+2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jaMmpkiGmKoV5pZOoHNFA-DngIxtKIH5R3tY0peEm__8sax2UOtvjYIvfNSQi-HJVmiMec6Gvymh9d6SVwkgMOnf77sSqitubL4V7QyZVtbX1XUFUMhGhAdXe_jPdYIj3El9TxnRhcc/s320/Image169+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351542562708232226" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ahhh...the main reason behind my silence. The Twilight Saga makes an excellent form of escapism - it still takes place in the real world, but the story provides an escape from reality. For me, anyway. I can read and re-read these books over and over and never get bored! Sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd better stop typing...this is not the review yet!</div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-21895595675677384942009-05-21T17:34:00.001+08:002009-05-21T17:37:12.168+08:00Back in the Blogsphere<div style="text-align: left;">OMG. I dunno how long its been since I last updated my blog! I'd like to apologize to everyone, especially for not dropping by your blogs at the very least. Last semester was just crazy with all the research, assignments and the society (Psychology Students' Association - PSYCSTA) work. Sigh. Anyway, its now the holidays. Time to take a deep breath and unwind.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyycQ7nOc_40lRuafPjW1-EM3TZ4wwk_cahWN0z25O59kqi1s_PHTskYD3GUkOVQek5Gw_qTuJbTRUIeQN-pi9V6ozELFec8YrVP5btcm4u93yWCkOYttLNxt488vD0xzi-I_JpclFjmw/s320/Damai+Laut.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338208726684239330" /></div><div><br /></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-68259889302237796092009-01-11T20:53:00.011+08:002009-01-21T13:59:43.648+08:00Gaza under FireI recently attended an event titled <i>Gaza under Fire</i> which was organized by the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.aqsaiium.com">Al-Aqsa Friends’ Society</a>. This is the first time I attended one of their events, and I have to say, it was a big success. The main auditorium was packed with local students and international students from many different countries. This is also the first event I’ve attended which had an equal amount of Malaysians and foreigners, and also the equal amount of males and females (usually the females outnumber the males). It was very inspiring to see so many Muslims coming to show their support for Gaza.<br /><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">There were two talks, several multimedia presentations and a drama show depicting the war scenario in Gaza. Even though a picture says a thousand words, I think video footages are better in this case. The audience was quiet as we watched women on the screen crying for their lost/dead/injured children with the remains of ruined buildings and smoke and dust in the background.</p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7ccPZTi9v01UM5XZR34VBvdyWAzn-bArl0cS-DFPMAVfgLcQ5fe_mBFYv9Ai35EydEWYwXpImYpGJU3Z2l6GPvOEI1ZSVWX0CgJar_DvfsmKqvNI03TvS6W76yT6vMu8LjSiSRB45cY/s1600-h/-+(382).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290027445518075138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 210px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7ccPZTi9v01UM5XZR34VBvdyWAzn-bArl0cS-DFPMAVfgLcQ5fe_mBFYv9Ai35EydEWYwXpImYpGJU3Z2l6GPvOEI1ZSVWX0CgJar_DvfsmKqvNI03TvS6W76yT6vMu8LjSiSRB45cY/s320/-+%28382%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFVjHPjIcaH8qpxB-TZZqwFCU6LhdwAhDxyqZHB6NN1aNcmAQL2axNYDe0wuje6WbVOKRQ0VML8bYOSvIeyVD1aYukukge26z1gl08GPESD0H90wuXrLdW1HPNLHrPOOuE6jcoNlp21I/s1600-h/-+(129).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290019704682146866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFVjHPjIcaH8qpxB-TZZqwFCU6LhdwAhDxyqZHB6NN1aNcmAQL2axNYDe0wuje6WbVOKRQ0VML8bYOSvIeyVD1aYukukge26z1gl08GPESD0H90wuXrLdW1HPNLHrPOOuE6jcoNlp21I/s320/-+%28129%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">As one of the speakers said that night, this cannot be called an attack anymore. This is <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">WAR</span>. Just imagine, Gaza is only a small piece of land. Yet the Israelis are attacking Gaza by sea, land and air using army tanks and the latest nuclear bombs, which is why the death toll and the number of injuries are really high in just one day.</p><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIaQdmpRG9QAu0TUo6le-hdJyGhmyEJusGtr8HuhtOEUOZ7WcP0q_ssH-qh6ObD5eO01KOKRJ9Tw-Aq-iaca5lueQefXPcXS-QWmjy5buPysqlTMQkgO9ukgWboogLI3iF6XRouixlKY/s1600-h/-+(305).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290029585002737010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 173px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIaQdmpRG9QAu0TUo6le-hdJyGhmyEJusGtr8HuhtOEUOZ7WcP0q_ssH-qh6ObD5eO01KOKRJ9Tw-Aq-iaca5lueQefXPcXS-QWmjy5buPysqlTMQkgO9ukgWboogLI3iF6XRouixlKY/s320/-+%28305%29.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipO2_utvi0n1LVkd4kr9agkH9hHD4H12LzwR4LSUXX8hUE0qIe8PNm9BOQoMznDp7rOldP-Ui3_1Or-MepG3M2xgX6-_UERnLHJHqgf3mufLXH6bcp1BXN5rPcPR2ib5a39jvs-MLLL_w/s1600-h/-+(113).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290020857895771106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 159px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipO2_utvi0n1LVkd4kr9agkH9hHD4H12LzwR4LSUXX8hUE0qIe8PNm9BOQoMznDp7rOldP-Ui3_1Or-MepG3M2xgX6-_UERnLHJHqgf3mufLXH6bcp1BXN5rPcPR2ib5a39jvs-MLLL_w/s320/-+%28113%29.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">The people of Gaza have to be creative in order to survive. They make their own bombs and plan strategies such a releasing rockets across the borders and into Israel.<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42965000/jpg/_42965595_rocket_ap.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 248px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 178px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42965000/jpg/_42965595_rocket_ap.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">The Israelis are bombing schools, universities and homes.<br /></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LkLLwAlZH9zsr9iE_jRZcyh1LrvqGLZOTk4sixAbW2qFC8VZVnRJTKCb9AsHDqlDBMggycMjaQ4PL5myDqnSygGCKtCz_t89Ifh2iOQCxS9Z6Udh2QIaF_Bnz0iVnjc5B6v9pKfGUGY/s1600-h/IUG+(6).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290030105864751986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 183px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LkLLwAlZH9zsr9iE_jRZcyh1LrvqGLZOTk4sixAbW2qFC8VZVnRJTKCb9AsHDqlDBMggycMjaQ4PL5myDqnSygGCKtCz_t89Ifh2iOQCxS9Z6Udh2QIaF_Bnz0iVnjc5B6v9pKfGUGY/s320/IUG+%286%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">They do not care whether they bomb children or adults, and for no absolute reason (although they claim that they “have their own reasons” for doing it).</p><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TGCAr9BqELhEzxw3zj6IRMYK9ygqfRO5CaEJG2RVWQLZSZJubkUdGI_g8DzTGI013BglQF-ctrYi4Wk9orJo3OQ7jE-RH_Xgw0H_84s7qNaQVyq5lvThZ1OYdyzI7t5l3Kl9ahwG0Cw/s1600-h/-+(163).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290019708272468802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 222px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TGCAr9BqELhEzxw3zj6IRMYK9ygqfRO5CaEJG2RVWQLZSZJubkUdGI_g8DzTGI013BglQF-ctrYi4Wk9orJo3OQ7jE-RH_Xgw0H_84s7qNaQVyq5lvThZ1OYdyzI7t5l3Kl9ahwG0Cw/s320/-+%28163%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVfH-dc-wclwrxFrf3salI-Yu94kejh9t3wuTwXrWj5mtCxROKavITF2eTixPzPy7RPdwu0EvYX43dP4yG5wYGYqgH1xYcNiNXLz6L_y3ztdawkLFMAetG6PmpDjz73p8djdq6_O0i_w/s1600-h/-+(160).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290019709355225442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 199px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVfH-dc-wclwrxFrf3salI-Yu94kejh9t3wuTwXrWj5mtCxROKavITF2eTixPzPy7RPdwu0EvYX43dP4yG5wYGYqgH1xYcNiNXLz6L_y3ztdawkLFMAetG6PmpDjz73p8djdq6_O0i_w/s320/-+%28160%29.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVYBUIyqHgRDpupCEUFqdE5ZFISwLptS22DYr8Z5SH3HK6r_Boagc6SWAXCtbfMea67H1bLG1O4w42_jtEUhi9btI6FaZXCKeSLYYDSbzDAoANmI57mYSR1jeNv5U5eBaEoIRV2l9RWA/s1600-h/-+(364).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290025442293576418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 145px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVYBUIyqHgRDpupCEUFqdE5ZFISwLptS22DYr8Z5SH3HK6r_Boagc6SWAXCtbfMea67H1bLG1O4w42_jtEUhi9btI6FaZXCKeSLYYDSbzDAoANmI57mYSR1jeNv5U5eBaEoIRV2l9RWA/s320/-+%28364%29.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />They are so cowardly to attack Palestine in full force using all kinds of military inventions while knowing that the Palestinians have practically nothing. However, they are killing only the bodies of Gaza. They cannot kill the soul, determination and the mind of Gaza. The people of Gaza cry for their lost ones, but they do not regret what they have done. They have been doing this (fighting for their freedom and survival) in the past, and they will continue to do this to the end. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293622198928941250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kYm3BrVVrPT5rQFvYzQsdfPI16ZOfVnT9hDqNwlNA11RC365PPxKfE83ixlLV4xiIsEOuRw3V5w8AVoV7ZVqKFnILOVFsQr1qkp-Ukc-fjOmF_mHek-yNWguKg31wNVXwNHe6lGEGDM/s320/palestine_boy_tank.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Some of them even thank Allah for the loss of their beloved ones (eg, I lost my mother, <i>Alhamulillah</i>).</p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gz4DqLQtWuSz7Idrf9OtxjNy2oYGmdNtj3nX9zZAPrJQwZBj0I4XpGn55iXuHVtx1AvBMQLg1UBe6r4xYYb8qAC1MG2wwYiC7ssXtkmNclDeKgQoR3irqAU7tWj7L13tgMJFvEyeZe8/s1600-h/-+(362).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290025437044913378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 246px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 184px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gz4DqLQtWuSz7Idrf9OtxjNy2oYGmdNtj3nX9zZAPrJQwZBj0I4XpGn55iXuHVtx1AvBMQLg1UBe6r4xYYb8qAC1MG2wwYiC7ssXtkmNclDeKgQoR3irqAU7tWj7L13tgMJFvEyeZe8/s320/-+%28362%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">There are deaths and injuries every single day.</p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6bt19Itbtt0D9tgqYNifeQXWnMwMK4gCfOT4099PsoME2wQsFh1Dbq7-IoQuWaYJPhBt1Sy3I9dpbgRnbpuT_oGDy4c_tge_YMMsp44N5tqUZkmWrXxdVtw06JTHBvhAWtHZdwxO3IA/s1600-h/-+(391).jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290027453224719682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6bt19Itbtt0D9tgqYNifeQXWnMwMK4gCfOT4099PsoME2wQsFh1Dbq7-IoQuWaYJPhBt1Sy3I9dpbgRnbpuT_oGDy4c_tge_YMMsp44N5tqUZkmWrXxdVtw06JTHBvhAWtHZdwxO3IA/s320/-+%28391%29.jpeg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">There's neither fuel nor electricity. There is also insufficient medicine to treat the injured.</p><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1GGzkBPdUBgNvgiC1665OVB0pjrpP3YL25hGtx33eLzjb6EoO3ObfQg1Aj8LyMJouzD67Yx4LCPl1XP7kTCqkT7gQdHcaVVSHGNQZ_Y-zDjOPp3lCDED0PIjrk-1GGpWBAoF0_0m6O4/s1600-h/-+(400).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290027453458675794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1GGzkBPdUBgNvgiC1665OVB0pjrpP3YL25hGtx33eLzjb6EoO3ObfQg1Aj8LyMJouzD67Yx4LCPl1XP7kTCqkT7gQdHcaVVSHGNQZ_Y-zDjOPp3lCDED0PIjrk-1GGpWBAoF0_0m6O4/s320/-+%28400%29.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">My dear fellow Muslims, this not a Palestinian issue. This is a Muslim issue. The issue of the whole Muslim <i>ummah</i>, for it concerns <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">all </span>of us as Muslims. Spread the word, increase the awareness.<br /></p>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-14582910005688833772009-01-11T20:16:00.006+08:002009-01-11T20:48:22.079+08:00Prayer for PalestineIn light of the recent Israeli attacks on Palestine, I would like to invite my fellow Muslims to pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters over there. As we go about our daily lives, it’s hard to imagine that in other parts of the world, our brothers and sisters are fighting - fighting for their life, and most importantly, for their religion. <i>Our</i> religion – ISLAM.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrvqk6FkohTYzG-p_nVv_bkg7Zh7LNfIIRB0JElxvLkD86FXOxPUXwoAHupTUhyphenhyphenuWcE7D2BuYf6c4Rizz-LFmZMheM3FTNS7L3EnfOiO_r-I4QFp-BPNFfWjh5_q5Px2ekEvq4hMTPM0/s1600-h/-+%28306%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrvqk6FkohTYzG-p_nVv_bkg7Zh7LNfIIRB0JElxvLkD86FXOxPUXwoAHupTUhyphenhyphenuWcE7D2BuYf6c4Rizz-LFmZMheM3FTNS7L3EnfOiO_r-I4QFp-BPNFfWjh5_q5Px2ekEvq4hMTPM0/s320/-+%28306%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290012895138049826" border="0" /></a><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What are our problems compared to theirs? How sad is it breaking up with your boyfriend compared to losing your beloved family members? Or worse, how heart-breaking is it for a little boy to see his father, mother and baby sister blown up right in front of his eyes? Imagine not sleeping because you’re dreading a presentation in front of your lecturer and classmates compared to not sleeping the whole night for fear of not being able to wake up tomorrow.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWwgijcyMTBkGlhy0E-tnS-PJvouTYRvcrZKMep_EdiRfYkWAvTJbvCbEkMRGtgPOiz7IuC8EVuiNDztkpnAWRt36qL5SZU4lLbdxUEdIQR7PCoDvMitoUlaG072I84heeztNhojwRZ0/s1600-h/-+%288%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWwgijcyMTBkGlhy0E-tnS-PJvouTYRvcrZKMep_EdiRfYkWAvTJbvCbEkMRGtgPOiz7IuC8EVuiNDztkpnAWRt36qL5SZU4lLbdxUEdIQR7PCoDvMitoUlaG072I84heeztNhojwRZ0/s320/-+%288%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290016412748342658" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mZCQAMTFQqnUzEsUHxc2CkE6GopCV_iiHKQpmxXhXfhwucL5Oaaf-ptoE5qiVL04Y1EtADmQ6jgWyAeYK67c-V-BTVLx5uyCHP7z1ZQJL2jKPf7fNwqPfx6zoFilUg8sxCcsuRDdMJs/s1600-h/-+%28213%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mZCQAMTFQqnUzEsUHxc2CkE6GopCV_iiHKQpmxXhXfhwucL5Oaaf-ptoE5qiVL04Y1EtADmQ6jgWyAeYK67c-V-BTVLx5uyCHP7z1ZQJL2jKPf7fNwqPfx6zoFilUg8sxCcsuRDdMJs/s320/-+%28213%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290013563763007890" border="0" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While we throw away our leftover food, our fellow Muslims are starving or dying of hunger. Everyday, there are hundreds of Muslims killed or injured by the Israelis, be it in Palestine, Bosnia or any other part of the world. But what are we, their Muslim brothers and sisters doing to help them? Are we even aware that all this is happening? Or do we just turn a blind eye and continue about our daily lives, oblivious to the sufferings and the killings of our brothers and sisters?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGSx-LmWZH0EItZEIzt09DTkLtg21aa9cCK6VB3efFCZR0n2-jBzRwPYDzhoZWIpzA-VD8Z4BCVvasBU2hY3lgTwgVSbByFOYz1En17lIn-w-zQAG0frvVxwBk2C1YWVBe8GUyZr_LMY/s1600-h/-+%2885%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGSx-LmWZH0EItZEIzt09DTkLtg21aa9cCK6VB3efFCZR0n2-jBzRwPYDzhoZWIpzA-VD8Z4BCVvasBU2hY3lgTwgVSbByFOYz1En17lIn-w-zQAG0frvVxwBk2C1YWVBe8GUyZr_LMY/s320/-+%2885%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290014543511493090" border="0" /></a><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Most Muslims aren’t even aware about all this. They are blinded by the worldly affairs and entertainment which, unsurprisingly, are created by the Jews and the Western people themselves in order to distract us from what is happening to our fellow Muslims. In fact, we don’t even realize how blessed we are to be able to open our eyes every morning, breathe in the fresh air and go on with our day. Since we are unable or incapable of helping them physically, the best way for us to help them is by praying to Allah. At the end of each prayer, please include a du’a for our brothers and sisters in Palestine.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j90/nasbertoty/free_palestine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 294px;" src="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j90/nasbertoty/free_palestine.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-2773582932021248512008-12-30T10:40:00.007+08:002009-01-02T22:00:22.800+08:00For My UncleWhile going through some personal stuff, I found a very familiar-looking Hunchback of Notre Dame notebook which contained several short stories I wrote as a child when I was in England and many other childhood scribbles. But I wanted to post this short story because this was how I got the notebook in the first place. This is dedicated to my uncle, <a href="http://azharshafie.blogspot.com/">Pak Ndak</a>.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285517582381461458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFr8Cys51mKAOZ3kcp6NszrLFz4BQEllF8qJwueAh41fTPq95lmp57Usio9xJmS-ruW6u9_pVGGv3M9lzSmhiJ4KTs70V1u4NBCncdpHm2xfWnS9rx-yHxs_6h4H0yrzHFKEwOK0IRU4/s320/Image097.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285517586716296498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 327px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzmpgRvl1oPHUu_JQBK-Y_DvUYyHpQE26uYWgfsJ0JKNhW_NIakA3ex0EIhWdGXr4dbVs22VJOoBCmYwrGN7MjnEih23aiugvHiom4KnGlYK21DeNSbz3c-t7itb9bZRPnoVs3PwoVdo/s320/Image098.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">************************</div><br /><div><u>Thursday 24th October.</u></div><br /><div align="center"><u>A wonderful evening</u></div><br /><br /><div align="left">When we came home from school, Aishah found that she had a new Postman Pat Lunchbox. And then, Ayah gave us each a halloween sweet on stick. After that, Ummi said, "And this is the best of all." And she took out a packet that had 3 'renda hair bobble'. They were very nice. After we've prayed and eaten, we said 'thank you' and ate our halloween sweets. They were ever so delicious! And then Ummi and Ayah went out for parents' evening. We played tunnels with Pak Ndak and then he said, "I've got a surprise for you." He went to the corridor and came back with three Hunchback of Notre Dame stationary set. There was a ruler, rubber, pencil sharpener, pencil case and book in each of the pack. We said, "Thank you." When Ummi and Ayah came home, we showed them what Pak Ndak gave us.<br /></div><br /><div align="center">****************************</div><br /><div align="left">Unfortunately, I didn't write the year I wrote this, but it was the time my uncle came to visit us in England. He was studying in Medina at that time. I remember we had great fun playing with him and showing him our favourite places. Do you still remember this Pak Ndak? ;)</div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-28870222422821244802008-12-30T10:25:00.007+08:002008-12-30T17:11:17.455+08:00Toys GaloreWhile packing up the stuff to bring to our new house, my sisters and I discovered a whole cabinet devoted to our toys back in England. Well! My <a href="http://azharshafie.blogspot.com/">uncle</a> predicted that I wouldn't finish packing my books because I'll simply pick up a book and start reading halfway through packing...his prediction didn't come true since I asked my Ummi to pack the books for me. But it sort of came true while I was packing the toys...we just <em>had</em> to play with them before packing them into boxes. Here are some pictures of the Barbie furniture I previously described in my Barbie post:<br /><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285500111475434994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbluXhk0cKTtVN5_Y9B8C27AX_LD7c95AX0OQtmZSBZuZV9mKE3rLLAxiaSovpGsyBQ2EZ8KMmIfF7Pbqbpq76ag3NsKY0Vh4znxgRh9Q7mKxHeOecNa_PsjRC0H3rtO3of7XqZfqmEA/s320/Image068.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Barbie's armchair, writing table, closet, dresser<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285500112412580978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg39MwFTkfTUM46CTBnqXOLHAqV_YGvTElo1CqxO_HblrIk9rSLNg3UbnE3rxSNcKSteFf4-ffFZj9DYU994ZnIlVIfrv0IeGM18Rcv8R9dA8qGBlLDeiOtG1r7cqUA_sypW37JVPwCvw/s320/Image088.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Barbie in the bathoom<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285502655340702690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5Fsp5lZbsL3PTPybSKYhJMKAn9EVP2TFrRHx9c7VMuLQ-NwrViDD89l85u_cPF36bSi4XEOLkIyGvVtOtCGdRqRXq-EXyOoU6bZh_lggJfenMa6jD5J2q65KqNTEICWx4nRaZdvHegE/s320/Image084.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Barbie in the gym<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285502660780868354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVhSCsa5FUU-lZPyVQW0XnKZkJZh23bE4aCOE-jbR5seS5I_MdhGgovlxuRY7-Q3GbMHjB860GxYRb6bZiWbgbQm1HXDawLFC_lGmGGRpkIkbM7SOaEfBeAsBNLbweL0oNE-tXnFUgGM/s320/Image091.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Barbie and her twin babies<br /><br /></p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285500107367885586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJNpAqFOrmW2hs4EAjUp0joV4dXnlZVw9WwHhC0-YyZhswE9907pJ38kDEBAx-q_3RjxSljv34V39jgz8FI5BefVP0HpkljTtryk-pHdXWLgkmCWI7sSY0EhGy5sudNwnIGiKLxeVov0/s320/Image072.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Other doll houses belonging to my youngest sister Sumayyah. Only the boot (on the leftmost) came from England.</p><div align="center"> </div><div align="left">The Lego set was also something we played a lot of back then. It really brought out the imaginative side in us as we built two storey houses, designed bedrooms, living rooms and various other things. The picture below is a sample of a living room:</div><div align="center"><br /></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285502657792347730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 344px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 245px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrz5e7g0ZKZ4rxhpNF0Z0EAuR8cscgLOm4H3Vp6Ky_UV36BjfNTydUpbnH0gPAZD_x3RpHNE9kq5MkCibL3g9G04S7-ptYd_j7Qu_c43JKk71Azt3x6cdWYPLoIxTSKdDT4qZETNyLwA/s320/Image083.jpg" border="0" />See the two Lego people? They're sitting on armchairs/single sofa. The thing in the middle is a fireplace with a clock on the mantel. There's also a fire burning away (the black lego is the firewood, the yellow lego on top of it is the fire) and two lights on each side of the clock. The thing in the middle of the room is the coffee table, complete with a flower in the middle. The yellow legos on the door and windows are the lights, and of course, there's a garden outside the living room. Pretty creative for a 9 year old and a 7 year old.</p><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">It brought back some really happy childhood memories. Who knew that playing with your old stuff can leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside? ;)</div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-71261513971300151042008-11-25T00:54:00.004+08:002008-11-25T02:06:06.181+08:00L.A.Z.I.N.E.S.S.I am feeling incredibly LAZY at the moment. I've been reading <em>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</em> for two days, and I've almost read three quarters of it already. I've almost completed the review for the first four books, but I was too lazy to finish it. I'm walking around feeling as if I'm in the magical world...minus the wand and the ability to perform any magic, of course. <a href="http://fazot.blogspot.com/">Kak Ilah</a> has lent me five of her novels which I can't wait to start - but I have to finish Harry Potter first...I haven't read HP for one semester, which is quite long for me. So, I guess it's back to the sofa with a HP book and some snacks to munch on. Hope I won't be like this boy in the cartoon. LOL. See ya later folks!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272284236939218194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 281px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7dd-CM0nvY4TFA-Sfe18XIrD6py8MzQGkc-gtTUdMhf2U7dwtatr-vXkO9YWa_kMrNeNp70fla6o3ON7bfH9_YqNgRojJY_03ZJcTAX_v_dkvBacAYUlUx2F87u_kLz4dP77wX1trcI/s320/rjo0936l.jpg" border="0" />Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-52698204743948137172008-11-22T12:29:00.015+08:002008-12-17T15:46:35.623+08:00Harry PotterI haven't done any book review for the last few days because I was busy helping my mother pack our stuff to move to our new house. Among the books I've finished reading are the Harry Potter series by <a href="http://www.jkrowling.com/">J.K. Rowling</a> (plus various other books which I'll review later)<em>.</em> When I was in England, my friend Khadija had already told me about Harry Potter, but it wasn't until <em>after</em> I'd watched the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/">first HP movie</a> did I feel attracted to Harry Potter. I begged my parents to buy me the books (at that time, there were only the first four HP books published), which they did and gave me as a present for getting good results for my PMR. As soon as I read the first page of <em>HP and the Philosopher's Stone</em>, I immediately fell in love with the story (love at first sight!) and knew that the books were going to be way, way beter than the movies.<br /><br /><br /><div><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncCCOp86ovpElZ3MTRDSaMrS6Oej_ceyXzrWemGjy4Np5XYrdy1ZstYMbeDKUcLXpGcvoKHSgnzYnIvKq2360eiFJgeM1wIyHKZzLfyiTQwIMhsVnNuOAImw2EeWzoMClQy4tNnmTH4k/s1600-h/PB151196.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271355402740985426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncCCOp86ovpElZ3MTRDSaMrS6Oej_ceyXzrWemGjy4Np5XYrdy1ZstYMbeDKUcLXpGcvoKHSgnzYnIvKq2360eiFJgeM1wIyHKZzLfyiTQwIMhsVnNuOAImw2EeWzoMClQy4tNnmTH4k/s320/PB151196.JPG" border="0" /></a>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</em></strong> tells of a boy named Harry Potter who had to live with his relatives, the Dursleys, after his parents were killed in a car crash. Later, when he receives an offer letter from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he finds out that he is actually a wizard and that his parents were killed by a very powerful Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort. In this book, Harry faces Lord Voldemort for the first time (second, actually, if you count the time Voldemort tried to kill when he was still a baby) when Lord Voldemort tries to seek the Philosopher's Stone which can give him immortality.<br /></div><br /><div>Since I've read HP 1 to HP 7, I can see the difference in Harry's personality in each of the books. In this book, JK Rowling did a good job of portraying Harry as a young, naive and innocent 11-year-old wizard who (sometimes) makes immature decisions, afraid to confide in adults (such as his Headmaster Albus Dumbledore) while trying to get used to his identity as a wizard.</div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJOqg3S1wGUW_V77j2qGjT7mGg97_CJNUaUMMRCjz-Rpu5uvopDzc4L0p1UPmjTLuzs22r6uPpD207VUQlavhGDxN9_67lOyN0nP9jbzTaKF-xnsHPwLtm4dsRL6rU0auHtUa1VN1_dY/s1600-h/PB151195.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271393055952252194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJOqg3S1wGUW_V77j2qGjT7mGg97_CJNUaUMMRCjz-Rpu5uvopDzc4L0p1UPmjTLuzs22r6uPpD207VUQlavhGDxN9_67lOyN0nP9jbzTaKF-xnsHPwLtm4dsRL6rU0auHtUa1VN1_dY/s320/PB151195.JPG" border="0" /></a>Harry enters his second year at Hogwarts in <strong><em>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</em></strong>. In this book, Harry faces the heir of Slytherin who has opened the Chamber of Secrets. I don't like this book much because there was a part where everybody avoided talking to Harry because they suspected he was the heir of Slytherin. Only when Harry's best friend Hermione is attacked do they change their minds. Another reason I don't like this book much is the way Harry and his other best friend, Ron Weasley arrived at Hogwarts (by flying Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia) because they started the new term with a whole lot of trouble due to their bad decision-making. But never mind...they're still immature here. But I loved the part where Harry fought the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets...considering the fact that he's only 12 years old.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQIfS8dFZIuYiARbxdjo5x4lOj5X5CENvDI02_ajs37ataL9epBU7mNq4ZweWLttVWXAtUDDntU-uWnKvk1RJaTgG42aduKrynJntNB91FH8iCWahveAsDyEzpR8thSZ9EyRqWvxjJ0A/s1600-h/PB151197.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271409492294678082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQIfS8dFZIuYiARbxdjo5x4lOj5X5CENvDI02_ajs37ataL9epBU7mNq4ZweWLttVWXAtUDDntU-uWnKvk1RJaTgG42aduKrynJntNB91FH8iCWahveAsDyEzpR8thSZ9EyRqWvxjJ0A/s320/PB151197.JPG" border="0" /></a>In <strong><em>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</em></strong>, everyone in the wizarding world and the muggle (people who don't have magic) world are on the alert for a high-profile murderer, Sirius Black, who has managed to escape from Azkaban, the wizard prison. Extra precautions are taken to protect Harry since Black is believed to be trying to capture Harry and bring him to Lord Voldemort. Halfway through the story, however, Harry and his friends learn that Black is Harry's deceased parents' best friend...not only was he the best man at his parents' wedding, but they also appointed Black to be Harry's godfather and guardian should anything happen to them. Harry and his friends also learn that Sirius Black was framed by another old friend, Peter Pettigrew, so they have to save Black from the Dementors (the Azkaban guards). The method used by Harry and Hermione to save Sirius Black in here is really ingenious. Although its kinda disappointing that they weren't able to clear Sirius' name and prove his innocence, there's a reason for it all in one of the later books.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3EZKJtoaWeqfsf9a80oKYDwK6mScAfsqh534SKpGAfweoOYHg55IMq71alki1BoUvMzl8z6SshFsKwwpr6PMTIiUR8Dn_aVx9oaC9tJPl9pr3yleAMX0D2dtDZ4aD0-5X9KgBrFgSb0/s1600-h/PB151199.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271502979208678962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3EZKJtoaWeqfsf9a80oKYDwK6mScAfsqh534SKpGAfweoOYHg55IMq71alki1BoUvMzl8z6SshFsKwwpr6PMTIiUR8Dn_aVx9oaC9tJPl9pr3yleAMX0D2dtDZ4aD0-5X9KgBrFgSb0/s320/PB151199.JPG" border="0" /></a>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</em></strong> is my favourite book of the first four books. There's a lot more magic in this book, not to mention a number of useful spells which I wish were real (eg, <em>Accio!</em> No need to keep getting up to fetch that something you've left somewhere). In this book, Harry is chosen as one of the school champions in the Triwizard Tournament...but the mystery is, Harry does not even fulfill the age limit required to enter the tournament! So who submitted his name as a participant?? After successfully performing all three tasks, Harry and Cedric Diggory, another Hogwarts champion, tie for the first place and grabbed hold of the Triwizard Cup at the same time. To their surprise, the Cup is a Portkey (which is an object that can transport you to the designated place when touched) and it transported them both to an empty graveyard, the place where Lord Voldemort has chosen to resurrect himself. My favourite part in this book is the Priori Incantatem chapter, the part where Harry duels with Voldemort. The first death in the HP series also occurred in this book with the death of Cedric Diggory. When Harry returns to Hogwarts, he told Dumbledore that Lord Voldemort has returned. Unfortunately, the Minister of Magic at that time, Cornelius Fudge, did not believe in Harry's story.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hpsorcery.co.uk/gallery/albums/books/ootp/1uk5c.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://www.hpsorcery.co.uk/gallery/albums/books/ootp/1uk5c.jpg" border="0" /></a>In <strong><em>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</em></strong>, the Ministry of Magic is trying very hard to deny rumours that Lord Voldemort is back by using the <em>Daily Prophet</em> to portray Harry and Dumbledore as crazy, etc. The Order of the Phoenix is an Order established during the time Lord Voldemort was still in power (Harry's parents were among the members of the Order before they were murdered). The Order was re-established to start planning various strategies to overcome Voldemort. One of their tasks in this book is to guard "something" in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry from Voldemort. Towards the end of the book, Harry sees his godfather Sirius Black being tortured by Lord Voldemort via his scar, which somehow connects him to Lord Voldemort. So he rallies his friends and they all fly on Thestrals to the Ministry to try and save Sirius. However, it turned out that the vision was merely a trick to attract Harry to the Ministry, because Lord Voldemort wanted Harry to take a prophecy regarding Harry and him. A battle ensued between Harry & his friends and the Death Eaters. The other members of the Order turned up just in time to help them fight the Death Eaters. Unfortunately though, Sirius was killed in the fight. Sirius' death was a big blow to Harry, because he had now lost the man he looked upon as his parent. One good thing that came out of the fight at the Ministry is that the Minister and several other wizards turned up just in time to see Lord Voldemort before he disappeared, so now they have to accept the fact that Lord Voldemort is really back.<br /><br /><a href="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/PhotozOnline/Album%20Two/HarryPotterHalfBloodPrinceCover.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 131px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 201px" alt="" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/PhotozOnline/Album%20Two/HarryPotterHalfBloodPrinceCover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em>Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince</em></strong> starts by describing the deaths and terror faced by the people as Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters start killing Muggles and Muggle-borns. In this book, Harry takes private lessons with Professor Dumbledore - together, they go back into the memories of certain people to learn about Voldemort's childhood as they attempt to understand him. Along the way, they learn that Voldemort had created seven Horcruxes which are hidden in different hiding places to prevent him from dying. Harry follows Dumbledore to a certain cave by the sea to destroy one of the Horcruxes, but when they return to Hogwarts, they discover that it had been attacked by a group of Death Eaters. Dumbledore dies in this book, leaving Harry with the basic knowledge of what he has to do in the future to overcome Lord Voldemort. I can still cry each time I read the part describing Dumbledore's funeral, because Harry is now all alone - his parents, his godfather and now his headmaster have left him in their efforts to protect him from Voldemort.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200703/29/images/xinsrc_152030429125684327911.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 119px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="http://english.people.com.cn/200703/29/images/xinsrc_152030429125684327911.jpg" border="0" /></a> I almost didn't want to read <strong><em>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</em></strong>, because this is the last book in the series and that there will be no more Harry after this. But of course, I had to start reading the minute I bought the book. In this book, Harry sets out with his friends to find and destroy the seven Horcruxes created by Voldemort. The ultimate battle then takes place between Harry's side and Voldemort's side. I loved reading the battle part - it seems so much cooler and riskier to battle using magic instead of firing canons of dropping nuclear bombs on the enemy. Thankfully, JK Rowling created a "19 years later" chapter which lets her readers know what happened 19 years later. I don't think I'd be fully-satisfied otherwise.<br /><br /><br />JK Rowling has an exceptional style of writing regardless when she is describing sceneries or when she's playing with her characters' emotions. She is also quite witty and manages to keep her readers laughing (or crying) at all the appropriate moments besides keeping her readers hooked and wanting to keep turning the page to find out what happens next. Each time I re-read a HP book, especially the last one, I really appreciate the little details written in the earlier books which then play their own role in the end. And to be honest, I don't watch the HP movies anymore because the movie plots are too different from the actual books, so I don't see how they're going to portray the Horcruxes part and stuff. There are too many important details left out...but then again, movie-makers only have a couple of hours to cram in around 600 - 700 pages.<br /><br /><br />I have repeated all HP books countless of times...and if a new HP book was coming out, I'd read all the previous HP books and surf the HP websites in anticipation of the new book. Oh, the thrill of it! Too bad there are no more HP books coming out though. However, there are other HP-related books such as the newly-published <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard">The Tales of Beedle the Bard</a></em>, which is a fairy tale book mentioned in <em>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</em>. Even though HP is now over, all I have to do is open the cover of the first HP book to make him alive again. <span style="font-size:85%;">(Sorry if that sounded cheesy.)</span>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-60248513962302106022008-11-18T14:46:00.009+08:002008-11-18T17:04:09.311+08:00Barbie<a href="http://z.about.com/d/toys/1/0/C/R/BarbieDiamondCastleDVD.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 236px" alt="" src="http://z.about.com/d/toys/1/0/C/R/BarbieDiamondCastleDVD.jpg" border="0" /></a> Last Sunday, I watched <em><a href="http://barbie.everythinggirl.com/diamond-castle/">Barbie & the Diamond Castle</a></em> on <a href="http://www.tv3.com.my/">TV3</a> with my youngest sister. Needless to say, it was a great movie (especially if you're a Barbie lover) with the theme of friendship. Its mainly about two best friends, Liana (the pronounciation is like Rihanna) and Alexa who share a love of singing. Of course, somewhere along the way the strength of their friendship is tested. You can read the full review <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_and_the_Diamond_Castle">here</a>.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269913318756452162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZi3QcGRQtkPexHmDp9LU7sWWmlHpXVKvAzaccYcEU8xR1Mq97_0CoWHpvDzkMcZyE2CBZP4JRCbGHf2z2SJjE36_S6xhWVw5yTO79gV_-O7LuHdohfeOLBzotbw9o33KocCTx-L6ciY/s320/Barbie+n+Teresa.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269913326635345474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3qwKIvZlL9-Cpby-iUwFZE0FttZ6UpTM6-VWqX3VpeD-ZvDoW5KpWO6rQRsNP1wdcYu3-WNYEK57tT-2ZnooGiS3i90-M4Fk0es5oOPIL1wjyIJ5ZdIB-W_QjxSyNxPQFqXhuvVcvsI/s320/liana+%26+alexa.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>I don't know what it is about Barbie that makes me still attracted to watch her movies...perhaps its the excellent graphic used in the movies, or the prettiness of Barbie and her friends (not to mention their outfits and the sceneries!). Or maybe its because I played with Barbie dolls when I was a little girl, so she reminds me of my happy and carefree childhood.</div><div> </div><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 328px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.technology.niagarac.on.ca/people/mcsele/images/DollHouse.jpg" border="0" /></div><div> </div><div>Back in England, my parents bought me and my sisters several Barbie dolls, a great big doll house which was even taller than us, plus some furniture to decorate the doll house with. The doll house had four levels - the ground floor consisted of a kitchen (which had a kitchen cabinet) and a bathroom (which had a toilet, a sink+mirror and a bathtub with a shower curtain). The first floor was the sitting room (which had a chair that could recline complete with footrest, a writing table table+chair and a side table), the second floor was the bedroom (2 single beds, 2 closets, 1 dresser. We even had the accessories such as shoes and clothes, pillows and covers and little hairbrushes and handmirrors). The topmost floor was a rooftop balcony for the dolls to hang out in the evenings. My sisters and I had a blast arranging and re-arranging the furnitures, changing the dolls' outfits and acting them out in various scenes. It's pretty funny recalling it all, but I wouldn't mind admitting that right now, the child in me is crying out for me to grab my youngest sister's doll and start playing with it. Just going to Toys R Us to ogle at the latest Barbie collection is enough, seeing as its not really worth spending my money on it. But of course, the more matured Me is saying...Grow Up!</div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-22502362226524098952008-11-15T01:45:00.005+08:002008-11-17T21:38:26.083+08:00High School BluesMy sister Yusraa is now in her second week of SPM. Looking at her studying, doing her homework, rushing off to tuitions and extra classes prior to the exams, I wonder how I managed to get through it all back when I was in high school. Waking up at 5.45am to catch the school bus...which was hard to do considering the fact that I stayed up late to finish my homework. Coming home at around 4pm (due to the extremely long route taken by the school bus) and catching a few winks before rushing off to tuition. Extra classes and tuitions during the holidays. Trying to cram in two years' worth of knowledge in the form of 11 subjects (luckily it was only 11 in my time) in the last few months before the actual exam. <em>Shudder.</em><br /><br />But there are some happy moments though...gossiping on the school bus with friends, taking the rare opportunity of hanging out at KOMTAR or Prangin Mall on the way home from extra classes, and of course, meeting friends from other schools at tuition...some of whom I am still in touch with. I even finished high school successfully. So what's so bad about high school then?? Nothing much...but given the chance, I don't think I want to go through it again. University life is way happier. So far anyway.Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-4274203019293793522008-11-14T19:30:00.004+08:002008-11-17T22:34:18.449+08:00Oh. My. God.Okay, so I was watching some videoclips at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">Youtube</a> with my youngest sister when I decided to check my gmail. I saw that someone by the name of Phillipa had dropped a comment, and my heart started to beat a little faster. <em>Could it be...?? No, why would she??</em> I opened the email, screamed, and refreshed my blog. Screamed again. <em>Yes!! It's her!!</em><br /><br />"Her" would be <a href="http://phillipa-ashley.com/">Phillipa Ashley</a>, the author of <em>Wish You Were Here</em> which <a href="http://lilbookworm.blogspot.com/2008/11/wish-you-were-here.html">I have just reviewed</a>. Oh my god, I am still (pleasantly) shocked, stunned and definitely thrilled that she dropped me a comment, let alone the fact that she noticed that someone did a review of her book. I would like to extend my gratitude and a million thank-yous to Ms. Phillipa Ashley for making a reader happy. I know I probably sound like a demented and desperate fan, but I don't care. Nothing can spoil my day today! :-D<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5472146/1/istockphoto_5472146-jump-with-joy-girl.jpg" border="0" /></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>Updated Later</strong></span>:</p><p>A million thanks to Ms. Phillipa Ashley for putting the <a href="http://phillipa-ashley.com/blog/2008/11/14/809/">link to my blog review in her blog</a>. Need I mention again how thrilled I am?? ;-)</p>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-59019831544260867072008-11-14T14:55:00.004+08:002008-11-14T17:06:49.417+08:00Burn your Calories while doing HouseworkI've read about this years ago in one issue of <a href="http://www.rd.com/">Reader's Digest</a>, but I've only just remembered it while doing the housework today. Believe it or not, you can actually burn your calories while doing the housework! The following calorie calculations are based on a person weighing 160 pounds (72.6 kg) who participates in any of the following activities for 30 minutes:<br /><a href="http://theweightinggame.ivillage.com/dietfitness/woman-cooking.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 122px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" alt="" src="http://theweightinggame.ivillage.com/dietfitness/woman-cooking.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><ul><li>Cooking dinner : 60 calories</li><br /><li>Making a bed : 94 calories</li><br /><li>Dusting : 120 calories</li><br /><li>Watering outdoor plants : 120 calories</li><br /><li>Washing the dishes: 144 calories<a href="http://morewhat.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/WashingDishes.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 147px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px" alt="" src="http://morewhat.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/WashingDishes.jpg" border="0" /></a></li><br /><li>Washing the windows : 144 calories</li><br /><li>Grocery shopping : 190 calories</li><a href="http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/misc/images/vacuuming.jpg"></a><br /><li>Ironing clothes : 190 calories</li><br /><li>Playing with the kids : 192 calories</li><br /><li>Vacuuming : 196 calories<br /></li></ul><p> </p><p>I only listed the activities which we're more likely to do everyday, but if you'd like to find out more, just click <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Burn-Carbs-Doing-Housework-and-Chores&id=175576">here</a> and <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2317628_do-housework-burn-calories.html">here</a>. Okay, now let's work out how much calories you've burnt in terms of food:<img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 121px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f126/mynameismud18/b883385e.jpg" border="0" /></p><ul><li>1 Starbucks cappuccino = 150 calories = 50 minutes cycling</li><br /><li>1 jam doughnut = 250 calories = 30 minutes swimming<br /></li><li>1 medium sized portion of chips = 270 calories = 40 minutes salsa dancing<a href="http://saraleefoodservice.com/Images/Products/Romance/08406.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 92px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 94px" alt="" src="http://saraleefoodservice.com/Images/Products/Romance/08406.jpg" border="0" /></a></li><br /><li>1 croissant = 275 calories = 75 minutes housework</li></ul><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /> </div><div>Hmm...I do hope I haven't put anyone off eating by this post...and there's no need to be calorie-obssessed if your <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/index.htm">body mass index</a> is just fine. But I highly recommend this method to anyone who's been trying to lose weight unsuccessfully either by starving themselves, trying out different kinds of diets or exercising like crazy, because not only do you get a cleaner and tidier house, but you can also stay fit at the same time. So, people...start cleaning your house now! </div><div><br /> </div><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 429px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2007/08/24/hfys105-LivingRoomAfter-ss_w609.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-10591510308481906152008-11-13T16:14:00.005+08:002008-11-17T22:34:41.994+08:00Wish You Were HereI <em>wish</em> I had someone to say that to, but no, I don't. Not yet anyway. *wink wink*. That's the title of the book which I started at 8.35 am this morning, and finished in the afternoon. Mind you, I vacuumed the whole house in between that too, so I didn't just spend the whole morning lolling about on the couch with the book and some snacks.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n46/n231645.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div><em>Wish You Were Here</em> is a contemporary romance novel written by <a href="http://phillipa-ashley.com/">Phillipa Ashley</a>. I don't know why I'm in the mood for this category lately...perhaps they're easy to read and don't involve too much emotion, except the usual sigh of happiness+romance at the end of it. This book is about Elizabeth Allen, who was proposed to by Jack Thornfield at Corsica, after which he walked out on her for eight years without any explanation (which is a very cold-hearted thing to do, in my opinion). So eight years later, Beth applies for a post as the Product Manager at a travel company, the Big Outdoors, without knowing that Jack is the CEO of the company. Naturally, it wasn't easy for either of them to work together but they managed to get along professionally eventually. After working together for a few months, Beth soon finds out the reason Jack left her. And she also discovers the important fact that they both still have feelings for each other. But the question is, does she/can she still accept him??? Jeng jeng jeng...</div><br /><div>It says on the front cover that this book is "the perfect holiday read: sun, sea and star-crossed lovers", to which I absolutely agree. Since I read this book on the couch in the living room, I could only content myself with imagining the scenic waterfalls, the lush nature trails and whatever holiday destination is described in here. However, I love this book because not only does it have a happy ending, but the guy in it is soooo perfect!! And actually, that's one of the major cons of reading this kind of books...when you read about the heroine and her handsome, macho, sexy, rich CEO boyfriend, your mind can't help going into fantasy mode and wishing that one of these days you'll find yourself a guy like that too. Haha...and I'm already getting carried away here. I know, I know...<em>iman</em> (faith) should come first. But it doesn't hurt to dream, right? *wink wink*</div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-77663471379441128262008-11-12T22:51:00.005+08:002008-11-13T15:41:37.804+08:00Thanks for the MemoriesI haven't read any good story books lately due to assignments and exams. Well, I actually managed to finish two library novels during the exam period, but the first book I read after the exams was <em>Thanks for the Memories</em>, a best seller book by <a href="http://www.ceceliaahern.ie/">Cecelia Ahern</a>. For those of you who don't already know, she's one of New York Times' bestselling authors for her previous novel, <em>PS, I Love You</em>, which has also been adapted into a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0431308/">movie</a> (and whose review I have yet to post).<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www3.waterstones.com/wat/images/special/3d/s/9780007233687.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>The story is about Justin Hitchcock, a professor of Arts and Architecture, who decided to overcome his fear of needles and donate his blood (it was also because he wanted a date with the pretty doctor) in Ireland. In another part of Ireland, Joyce Conway had a traumatic accident and had to have a blood transfusion. Since her accident, she finds that not only has her eating habits changed (from being a vegetarian to a non-vegetarian), but she can also speak Italian and Latin besides knowing a lot about old heritage buildings. She also has dreams of people and places which she doesn't know, although they all seem familiar to her in a way. At first, she thought she was going crazy because of the stress she's feeling, but after several incidents, she discovers that the changes are due to the blood transfusion - her blood donor was Justin Hitchcock, and that somehow, his eating habits, knowledge, interests and even memories have been passed to her.</p><p>I really like the story...there are many moments of sadness, but it also has its hilarious moments, not to mention many moral values. Cecelia Ahern is one the few authors who write using the present tense, which is probably why you feel as if you're really "in the moment" when reading. What's most intriguing, however, is the fact that there actually <em>are</em> cases of heart transplant patients who acquire their donor's skills, tastes, etc after the transplant. Although I'm not sure exactly if there are also similar cases involving blood transfusion. From the psychological perspective, more research could be done to find out if blood transfusions and heart transplants can influence the patient's behaviour and mental processes. Hmm...have to keep that in mind if I want to do a research someday.</p><p>So how does the story end?? Ooohh...the ending is just so, so sweet. Read it yourself!</p>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-18933560575280699492008-11-10T14:57:00.005+08:002008-11-10T15:28:57.534+08:00In the Dark of Night<div align="left">Recently, a friend and I couldn’t seem to sleep, so we just hung out in the corridor chatting about various stuff. I then glanced at the sky and commented on how dark the sky was tonight. My friend said that the moon isn’t showing herself tonight, which led us to remember the bits of science taught to us during primary school – the one about how the earth spins on its axis for 24 hrs (1 day), and how one complete orbit around the sun takes 365 days (1 year).<br /></div><div align="left"><br />Then I remembered a lesson I learnt in my Arabic class which discussed verses 3 – 10 of Surah Yunus in the Holy Qur’an. Verse 5 mentions that Allah created the sun and the moon to move in its own orbit so that we (as the slaves of Allah) will know how to count the months and the years. So my Ustaz told us that the Roman calendar (<em>tahun Masihi</em>) is based on the sun and consists of 365 days a year, while the Hijriyah calendar is based on the moon and has 354 days in a year. That means that if we follow the Hijriyah calendar, we’d actually be older than we are now since it has fewer days in a year compared to the Roman calendar. Slight shudder there.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">Another fascinating thing which my Ustaz pointed out to us in Verse 5 is the way Allah described the sun and the moon - Allah has created the sun to radiate and the moon to glow. However, I find that the Malay translation of that particular verse is more apt and easier to understand, believe it or not. <em>Dia-lah yang menjadikan matahari bersinar dan bulan bercahaya</em>. The significance of Allah’s usage of the word <em>dhiya’</em> (which means ‘to radiate’) in describing the sun is because the sun emits light – <em>bersinar</em>. On the other hand, the word <em>nuur</em> is used to describe the moon because <em>nuur</em> means <em>cahaya</em>. In this case, the word <em>cahaya</em> means ‘light’, but in the sense that when the moon catches the light from the sun, it shines because it is reflecting the light from the sun. Of course, you will recall from your primary school science that this is because the moon doesn’t emit or radiate its own light – rather, it reflects the light from the sun (and thus, <em>bulan bercahaya</em>).</div><div align="left"><br /> </div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 219px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/primer/primer_graphics/Sun.png" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">The shining sun</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span> </p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_full-moon.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">The glowing moon</span><br /><br /><br /></p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/image/s_full-moon.jpg"></a><br />It’s really beautiful and amazing actually the way Allah has paired and suited the perfect adjectives to describe His creations. Even I had to refer to a number of dictionaries and Qur’anic translations while writing this post. But then again, it shows that although we human beings are gifted with <em>‘aqal</em> (mind), our knowledge will never, ever surpass Allah’s knowledge, unless He wills it to happen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc9933;">**Please correct me if there are any mistakes...Thank you.</span>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-70880335244864049902008-11-10T14:14:00.002+08:002008-11-15T01:44:18.368+08:00It's Over!<div><div>Alhamdulillah, my exams are finally over and done with. Of course, now that its actually over, I can't help wishing that I spent more time studying instead of sleeping, eating and whatever it is students generally do when they should be studying. And once you've actually started studying, you start to realize that the subject is actually pretty interesting. Then you wonder why on earth didn't you start studying earlier?? You then vow to not study last minute anymore next semester, but you end up going through the same thing again. But never mind...the best thing - and the only thing to do now - is to make du'a to Allah that my results will turn out okay. Sigh.</div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 331px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 425px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.sangrea.net/free-cartoons/phil_joy-of-learning.jpg" border="0" /><a href="http://www.sangrea.net/free-cartoons/phil_joy-of-learning.jpg"></a></div></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-29315457749770497292008-11-06T18:54:00.003+08:002008-11-15T01:44:18.369+08:00I'm Still Here..!First of all, I'm so sorry for not updating my blog in like, 21 and a half years as kindly reminded by my old <a href="http://pulasan007.blogspot.com/">friend</a>. It's just that I was sick for a whole week during Raya, so I didn't even have the urge to go online, much less find the energy to update my blog. This Raya was quite an uneventful one for my family actually. Sigh...never mind, trials and tribulations are a part of life.<br /><br />It's now the middle of the final exam season at IIUM (another valid reason to not update my blog), and I've only got one paper left - Islam & Psychology, which pretty tough to score. After that, I'm going home to enjoy my almost-six-weeks-of-vacation!! During which I will update my blog, <em>insha Allah</em>. Exams do not deter me from reading novels!<br /><br />So anyway...please pray for my exams. Hope all of you have fun doing whatever it is you're doing.Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-45540619333938137692008-09-08T21:55:00.006+08:002008-09-23T13:31:00.912+08:00Ramadhan ChallengeRecently, I had the opportunity to join the Friday prayers at the IIUM mosque for the second time in my (almost) three years here. I don't know about other mosques in other universities (or anywhere else in Malaysia), but I love the fact that there are many females who join the Friday prayers here. Most of them are international students of course, but there are also a couple of Malay girls who go. And another thing that makes IIUM unique is the fact that the sermon (<em>khutbah</em>) is either in Arabic or English. It so happened that on that particular Friday, the sermon was in Arabic. I tried my utmost best to understand the sermon based on my rather pitiful Arabic vocabulary, and there were a couple of things which I understood.<br /><br />Fortunately, the <em>khatib</em> repeated the sermon in English, and it turned out that he was talking about how Ramadhan is a month of good deeds, good behaviour, etc. But the challenge is: <strong><span style="color:#660000;">Can maintain carrying out the good deeds and good behaviour even when Ramadhan is over??</span></strong> Since Ramadhan is a month of training, lets hope that we will apply and continue to practice all these good stuff even after Ramadhan.<br /><br />On another note, we are now entering the last ten days of Ramadhan. How time flies! I think it's a big challenge today to accomplish our daily tasks, yet still try to perform <em>tarawih</em> prayers and other types of <em>ibadah</em>. But we should be grateful that we have it easier than the Prophet and his Companions who fought in the Battle of Badr while fasting. Or to take a more modern example, at least we have sufficient food (regardless whether the food is tasty or not...heh heh) for <em>iftar </em>and <em>sahur</em> compared to our other unfortunate Muslim brothers and sisters in Iraq and so on.<br /><br />So lets try our best to increase our <em>ibadah</em> activities...and may Allah bless us all.Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-39726286832099414292008-09-02T21:20:00.007+08:002008-09-23T13:31:12.600+08:00Happy Ramadhan!I know it's kinda late to wish Happy Ramadhan to my fellow Muslims, but at least the first week of fasting isn't over yet. Alhamdulillah, I got the chance to fast at home with my family these first few days since IIUM "kindly" gave us 5 days of midsem break - which is over tomorrow. Sigh.<br /><br />It seems that we've just celebrated Hari Raya & Raya Haji, but all of a sudden it's Ramadhan again. I'm sure that most of us are already thinking about and planning for Hari Raya (myself included), such as what to wear, what <em>kuih raya</em> to order, etc. But to be able to celebrate Hari Raya happily, we have to first complete the fasting month. Because that's what Hari Raya is all about anyway...a day of victory for the Muslims who have successfully completed 30 days of fasting.<br /><br />To me, Ramadhan is also a month of <em>jihad</em> - <em>jihad</em> with our own self (<em>Nafs)</em>. Since all the <em>Syaitans</em> have been chained up by Allah, the only thing that can still whisper bad things to us is our own <em>nafs</em>. Like one lecturer always said, it all comes back to the soul factor. If your soul is good, it will motivate you to do good things, <em>insha Allah</em>. Check out this <em>hadeeth</em>:<br /><br />Al-Bukhaari & Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:<br /><div align="left"><em>“When Ramadaan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, </em><em>and </em><em>the devils are chained up.”</em><br /><br />As mentioned in the <em>hadeeth</em>, all the gates of Paradise are open to us in Ramadhan. If we do 1 good deed, Allah will reward us with 10 good deeds. But if we do 1 bad deed, Allah will only punish us with 1 sin. There...isn't Allah the Most Merciful?<br /><br />So let's all step up our efforts and increase our '<em>ibadah</em> this month...may this Ramadhan be better than the last for all of us, and may Allah accept all our deeds and <em>'ibadah, insha Allah</em>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#330000;">Happy fasting to everyone!</span><br /><br /></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://cikgunurionline.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/ramadhan-mubarak.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em><span style="color:#993300;">**If there are any incorrect facts, please let me know.</span></em>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-89772819686752677622008-08-11T12:31:00.005+08:002008-08-11T13:22:09.772+08:00Bz, bz, bzzz!<div>Oh my God, I have been extremely busy these past few weeks. Even though I'm only taking 15.5 credit hours, the workload is by far the heaviest compared to the previous semesters. Whoever said taking Human Sciences is "easy" can get lost. I mean, a simple article review for a level 1 subject is already a lot of work in itself - we have to find the correct and original article using the online database (which is not very easy since there are like, <em>millions</em> of articles and you're only given the author's name and half of the title), then review and relate the article to the various underlying psychological concepts. And being IIUM, we also have to relate it to Islam. Its interesting if you have plenty of time to do it, but when you have other articles waiting to be reviewed...sigh.</div><br /><div>The coolest assignment is probably for my Abnormal class. We watch movies related to psychology and answer the various questions given by the lecturer for individual assignments. Who'd have thought that there were so many psych movies out there? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212985/">Hannibal</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/">Silence of the Lambs</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106387/">Benny & Joon</a> (starring Johnny Depp) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/">Girl Interrupted</a> (starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie) are just a few. We even have to do a group presentation on a movie...of course, we have to diagnose the character's psychological disorder first and stuff. Here's a <a href="http://www.smccd.net/accounts/merrill/PSYCHOLOGY%20AND%20MOVIES.htm">list of psych movies</a> for those who are interested.</div><br /><div>Another pretty cool assignment is for my Public Relations class. We have to choose any organization as our client and prepare a comprehensive PR proposal for them, plus add some recommendations on how to solve the client's problems or improve its current state. And the client has to be a real, factual client, so we have to collect some background info on them. My lecturer suggested reading the newspapers to see which companies are currently facing any problems, but I can't seem to find the right company yet. Any suggestions, anyone? </div><br /><div>Of course, there are other assignments such as a major research proposal and test administering assignment. But I guess that's student life...better enjoy it while we can. And at least our daily activities vary from day to day. Have you ever thought about animals and what <em>they</em> do during the day? Let's take bees as an example. For those who have seen the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389790/">Bee movie</a>, I'm sure you can understand. They do the same thing every single day. Imagine doing the same thing every single day of your life until the day you die??? Shudder. So we should be grateful to Allah for creating us as human beings...and I should probably stop groaning and sighing and listing all my assignments and actually <em>start</em> doing them.</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233125778439856418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 316px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 352px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="320" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08XmzVbaBjGvjlsYYGCT9sXHa4GGzvartF6LoWHi5dx8EKrANM4A9fJf2CS7333ue1pSSBcPXEWnlx6tXSJwIz01jaBmYXZytQo3zB7qaw-5O4lYpouxAbCWco7XZXRhA_bsM4W3SweY/s320/abr1237l.jpg" width="265" border="0" />Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-20949096081397685902008-07-09T21:32:00.003+08:002008-07-09T22:13:04.615+08:00Abnormal!<div>So today I attended my first Abnormal Psychology class. A fellow classmate predicted that our lecturer would be short, fat and bald...but boy, he was totally the opposite of those! Dr. RK's tall, not-so-fat figure, greying hair and sense of humour gave me the impression of somebody's grandfather. Or the type of old-timers who like to spin yarns to the young tourists.</div><br /><div>He is the first lecturer who did not brief us on course contents, etc for the first class. Instead, he proceeded to tell us his entire life story, starting when he was born in Thailand up till the moment he stood in our class. And I'm not kidding either. But of course, he did not simply tell his story to entertain us...there <em>must</em> be some value or moral in it. Relating his advices to his story, he told us that that there is no point in being angry with people to the extent of doing something you don't like. For example, my lecturer didn't like Agriculture; but he majored in it just to prove to certain people that he had it in him to excel in that field. And he did succeed, but then he found that he wasn't happy with what he was doing. Hence the second piece of advice - when doing something, make sure you do it for yourself. And you have to decide what it is that you want to do, because if you really do it, then the chances of succeeding is higher. And need I mention that he kept us laughing during the entire time?</div><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 359px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="320" alt="" src="http://www.cartoonmotivators.com/MotivatorCartoons/images/Success.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>I was waiting for him to ask if anybody wanted to ask him anything. This is because in his introductory slide, he wrote "Assoc. Prof & Clinical Psychologist" beneath his name (you may recall that clinical psychology is among the many careers I am thinking of). So as soon as he asked the customary "Any questions?", I immediately raised my hand and asked if he was a practicing clinical psychologist (to which he said was a very good question). He said yes, he has a practice in IIUM (and somewhere else which I can't remember). He is also a consultant for the <a href="http://www.ijn.com.my/index.php">National Heart Institute</a> (Institut Jantung Negara, IJN) - they call him to do a psychological assessment on a patient before the patient is operated on. This really, really attracted me. I was so excited to get a practicing clinical psych to teach us, because he can share his experiences when teaching us in class. Plus, I can ask him anything should I want to pursue this career.</div><br /><div><em>Alhamdulillah</em>, I have been lucky to get great lecturers so far. However, there is one lecturer this semester who is, umm...rather slow in teaching. But never mind. Looks like we'll just have to adapt to her style. And try not to fall asleep at the same time.</div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 361px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="320" alt="" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn738l.jpg" border="0" /></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4139845475127998749.post-48070043735188822332008-07-08T20:19:00.004+08:002008-07-08T21:46:59.458+08:00New SemesterIt's that time of the year again for us university students - the beginning of the new semester. It might be a bit more exciting for the new students (new place, new friends, etc) or for the temporarily-separated lovers, but for most of us (old) students, its the same old, same old...the packing of bags and lugging them back to campus with heavy hearts, and wondering <em>what</em> exactly did I do during my holidays?? Other than the usual eating, sleeping, eating, surfing the Net, sleeping and eating of course. Although I admit I am one of the ones guilty for doing the mentioned activities, I did help my parents out with the house chores. <div><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 350px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 356px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="356" alt="" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/rmc0026l.jpg" border="0" />The first week of semester is a rush of adding/dropping subjects and making sure your class schedule is just perfect (seeing as you'll have to live with it for one whole sem) in between going to classes. And as is customary for the first week of the first semester, the first few classes are spent with the usual briefing of the course contents and course assessment by the lecturers.<br /><br /><div>This morning I attended my first Islam and Psychology class, taught by Dr. A who is more well-known for his strictness in marking. A friend had already warned me about him, saying that her CGPA dropped because of the low grade she achieved for that particular course. So I entered the class feeling a wee bit nervous and apprehensive of this really strict lecturer. But when he started briefing us, I found that he has a very good sense of humour (not to mention good English) and managed to turn a what should be boring task into something more interesting to listen to. </div><div><br /> </div><div></div><div>Of course, there were several values inserted amid his funny briefing. He was reminding us not to copy each other (in other words, DO NOT CHEAT!) during the mid-semester exam, and especially not to tell the other section the exam questions (since the other section will be sitting for their exam later than us) because life is all about tests. Even the Prophet Adam a.s. was tested by Allah, even though he is the first human being on this earth.</div><br /><div>And he encouraged us to think critically in class, which is something that Malay schools in general don't really make students do. But the best part was when he encouraged us to not be shy if we want to ask questions or share our opinion in class. He said that that is the negative aspect of the Malay culture, where we are expected to be <em>senyap</em> and <em>sopan</em> (quiet and polite). So if that hinders us in speaking up, "just forget that you are a Malay and act more like an international student who is never shy to speak up". I was quite impressed by that line, actually. Although I was a bit embarrassed on behalf of the Malays, especially since a foreigner friend was sitting beside me. Nevertheless, I am more determined than ever to score his subject and prove my friend wrong (Amin).</div><br /><div>My Research Methodology lecturer, Dr. S, advised us to come to class with an open mind and an open heart, because those are among the important factors which will help us learn and absorb new knowledge. It is also important to have a positive mindset (actually, this is also a psychological concept). I mean, if you come to class feeling that Oh God, this subject is so hard, I'm <em>so</em> gonna fail, it won't exactly help you pass that subject.</div><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 404px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 285px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="285" alt="" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/hsc0419l.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>She also stressed on the importance of punctuality. According to her, "punctuality is critical because it shows the kind of person you are, what kind of person you'll become, and what kind of person you'll raise when you become parents". Ooppss. That statement kinda hit me because I've been late to class a couple of times (but then, who hasn't been late at least once in their life...right?). And the part about raising someone when you become parents is kinda freaky too. Erm...I don't think I'm gonna go into parenting right now. </div><div><br /> </div><div>So, all things said, here's to a fruitful semester to me and every university student out there!</div></div>Little Bookwormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13071639665182711297noreply@blogger.com4