Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Dark Cave

For my whole life, this would be the first time I had ever been to Malaysia’s famous Batu Caves. The huge Batu Caves are the best well known attraction near Kuala Lumpur. It is a MUST go tourist spot if you are visiting and staying in Kuala Lumpur for more than 2 days.

My family and I joined a group of members from Saujana Golf and Country Club to participate in the adventure trip to the Dark Cave in Batu Caves. The Dark Cave is just off the 204th step of the total 272 rock steps of Batu Caves.

My family and I were the earliest there, obviously because my younger brother was looking forward to this trip ever since we registered for it. He speaks of it night and day throughout the whole month. When we first stepped foot there, we saw this really big statue of Lord Murugan which was 42.7m tall. It was golden in colour. Just in front of the statue, there was an open area where thousands of pigeons were having their breakfast. We spent RM1 to get a packet of flower seeds to feed the pigeons as well. It was really fun while we run around throwing out the seeds and the pigeons just coming after us; charging to get their breakfast.

Not long after an early morning run, the other groups of members arrived. Without wasting any time, we started approaching the famous stairs of Batu Caves. It was harder than I had ever imagined. Each step was more difficult than the previous step. A couple of minutes later, we reached the Dark Cave.

The Dark Cave is one of the many limestone hills in Malaysia. The cave was really interesting. There were many species of bats, cockroaches, millipedes, and many more other types of insects that I had never seen before. Throughout the trip, we even crawled and creeped under small caves which is also well-known as the longest small cave in Asia, approximately 30m long.

It was a really fun day and it ended in a really dirty way too. We were all filthy with mud and slime from having to crawl and creep on the ground and our bodies started to itch after awhile. Overall, it was an amazing trip which I had enjoyed. If Inti-UC would organize a trip here, I would gladly visit the Dark Cave again.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Preparation For Grand Finale!!!!

Year in year out as a student I have to sit for examinations. It is that time of my life again where I need to study day and night to prepare for this semester's finals. Here are some advice that I have gotten so far to prepare for this task.

Well, firstly I have to decide how much time I need to study for each course. Sufficient time to study a subject is very important to schedule a proper timetable to prepare for the exam.

Secondly, draw up a study schedule that I can follow. Sleep must not be ignored, for tired mind is quite useless for any academic endeavour.

Thirdly, in my revision, I should read all my notes first and make a new set of notes. This is because we can retain more by actually writing it down.

For further preparation, talk to the lecturers and ask them questions to clarify any misunderstandings while reading the notes. Discussing with friends can be useful as well.

After spending many hours preparing for the examination and still feeling anxious, I got tips saying that I have to consider how I think of the examination. I try to compute my existing grade in the course and determine what grade I require in order to achieve my objective. Is it beyond my reach?

After sorting out for myself, I would realize by then that I am doing better than I thought I could. However, if my anxiety level is still too high, then I need reinforcement!

Examination anxiety usually comes from fear of poor performance. To overcome this fear I have to test myself adequately prior to an examination to know what I know. Armed with this knowledge that I know, I can reduce my anxiety. Some degree of anxiety may be good for it helps to sharpen my alertness and concentration. Hence, trying to keep up to the normal routines should get me on my way.

Friday, July 10, 2009

FInd it hard to sleep???

Try this out,

First, don’t take naps can help you to sleep better at night. This is good because you won’t be so alert and energetic when it is time for bed. If you really can’t get through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour, before 3 pm. By avoiding from sleeping too near the evening, you can find it easier to sleep during the night.

Secondly, develop sleep rituals like reading books or listening to soothing music allows you to fall asleep easier. It is important to give your body cues that it is time to slow down and sleep.

Thirdly, have a light snack before bed can let you sleep better when you are in bed. If your stomach is too empty, that can interfere with sleep. However, if you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, that can interfere as well. Take dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan, which acts as a natural sleep inducer. Tryptophan is probably why a warm glass of milk is sometimes recommended.

Next, take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime to raise your body temperature before sleeping. A hot bath will raise your body temperature, but it is the drop in body temperature that may leave you feeling sleepy.

With these few ways, you can knock your consciousness into dreamland in just a blink of the eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmgNLrvW-94


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

R.I.P Michael Jackson

Tribute to Michael Jackson, The King of Pop!



Pop star sensation Michael Jackson just died a few days ago; yet, the fire of pop that he left for us still burns! No doubt, Michael Jackson is one of the legends in pop music. He started singing at the age of 5 along with his 4 brothers. His biggest accomplishment since the day he started singing is the Guinness world record for the biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

It is not surprising that he was such a good singer. His 1st public performance to show his capability was at the age of 5! He sang for his elementary school’s pageant. He performed “Climb Every Mountain” with so much emotion that even his teacher and his mother broke into tears. During that age, he must have known what he wanted to be when he grew up because when he had trouble with his arithmetic, he told the teacher that he didn’t need to learn math anyway because his manager would handle all of his money!

Whatever the reason of his death is, a part of him still remains in this world. The sad we shall not remember; but the good of him, we shall cherish!

WE LOVE YOU MJ!!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Passion 4 Golf =3

To set the fact right, golf is not only an old men’s game! Golf is a game which requires one to be fit physically and mentally. So, you can’t categorize golf as an old men’s game because there are more and more strong youngsters picking up this game; and they are as good as the older men, both physically and mentally.

Golf needs the players to be fit because the players are going to be walking the golf course for more than 4 hours! Players would need to endure the walk to maintain their playing performance. That’s why youngsters who have more stamina than older men have an advantage to the youngsters. The flexibility of the younger players also is an advantage over the older men. With a flexible body, the player is able to do a more dynamic swing compared to a stiff body. Of course, youngsters have a more flexible body which give them the upper hand.

Although older men might have more experience and are capable of making wiser choices, but young players have higher imagination power. Young players are able to visualize shots easier than older men because older men think logically which blocks their imagination. A coach once told me, “Just hit, and don’t think.” I find that statement very true because with a clearer mind, a player can play his/her shot with higher confidence.

Let me show you the capability of the only golf player who everyone knows:


A Recipe for Success

Ever wondered how Donald Trump became this successful? Has it ever crossed your mind how Kobe Bryant from the LA Lakers successfully led his team to a victory in the playoffs? Ever questioned what made these people succeed in what they do? They depend on a simple recipe for success – one part knowledge, one part of self motivation, a pinch of success advice, and ten parts emulation of success!

No doubt knowledge is one of the important elements in life. To succeed in our goal, we need to grasp as much knowledge as we can to outshine the norms. There is no shortcut to obtain this part of the success recipe. For instance, we can't study stocks for a few days and know enough to consistently beat the market. We also can't pick up a pen for the first time and write a best-selling novel. You got to work day in day out to improve your skills and knowledge. With this attitude in mind, it won’t take long for us to start showing the world what we are capable of.

Besides that, a little self motivation would spice up this success dish. We are all different; we need to adapt what we’ve learnt throughout our life to our own personality. A little motivation can pump us up to chase our goal. Different people will motivate themselves by using different methods; it differs from person to person. For example, a successful man who is motivated by the desire to escape poverty and have security is not operating the same way as one who gets rich chasing after dreams of boats and expensive homes.

To bring out the taste of this success dish, a pinch of success advice is needed. Successful people might have a whole lot of advice to tell us; however, it is our job to pick out the ones that can keep us moving towards our goal. For example, a 100-year-old man might tell you a whole lot on what he did throughout his life; but the real fact we must catch is that the nutrition he takes and environment he stays in is the main reason for his long life. Therefore, many people can give us many good advices, but not all advices are right for us; it is up to ourselves to pick out the right ones.

Most importantly, imitating the successful people can lead us closer to our goal. Rather than doing what successful people say, do what they do. This is how we can really learn success. Naturally we have to look closely and apply a little brainpower to see what they are really doing that is causing their success. When we get any advice from any successful people, we must listen closely; read in between the lines. Listen for insightsinto how the person thinks and how she approaches her challenges. For instance, an advice of a successful basketball player may be just to practice more, but suppose he casually mentions "I saw that going in," after a great shot. Perhaps it's time to start visualizing our shots going in.

Mix our knowledge and self motivation into our emulation of the thoughts and behaviors of the successful. Sprinkle lightly with advice from those who have succeeded before us. Heat this mix and cook it for several months or decades, until done, and then repeat the process.