Answers: Crossword Puzzle Week 1

Assalamu'alaikum wbt,

Here are the answers for the first crossword puzzle of Block 3, for anyone interested to know:

























Many people got all the answers correct, so we drew lots to pick only 5 winners. The winners for this round will be revealed very soon.

There won't be any crossword puzzle next week because we'll only have 3 lecture days, so we'll try to continue after the CNY holidays.

Thank you very very much to everyone who answered and submitted! Have a great weekend.

I just couldn't resist

I found this word while reading the Atherosclerosis notes from Dr.Aung Gyi. I looked up what it meant, and to make sure that it sticks in my brain as long term memory, I made another poster! =P

More vocab posters

You'll find these terms in the psycho notes (That is...if you will actually read the psychology notes XD)

Psychology Vocab

I made these two vocabulary posters, but I think they're not interesting enough to be displayed in the lecture hall. (There's too much writing on them! They look too cluttered) Rather than letting them simply go to waste, I thought I'd post them here. They're related to certain concepts we've learned in our psychology lectures.

Click on the images to view a larger version. Alright, 'til next time.

LoL

If your father is a poor man,
it is your fate but,
if your father-in-law is a poor man,
it's your stupidity.

Practice makes perfect.....
But nobody's perfect..... .
so why practice?

If it's true that we are here to help others,
then what exactly are the others here for?

Since light travels faster than sound,
people appear bright until you hear them speak.

One should love animals.
They are so tasty.

Behind every successful man, there is a woman
And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.

The wise never marry.
and when they marry they become otherwise.

"Your future depends on your dreams"
So go to sleep.

There should be a better way to start a day
Than waking up every morning.

The more you learn, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you forget
The more you forget, the less you know
So.. why learn.

A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station....
what more can I say........

Public Speaking

Assalamualaikum

First of all, congratulations to everyone who passed the end block exams for the 1st block. For those who didn't pass, don't worry. Well all be re-studying what we've learned in the first block anyway (for the Pro Exam in year 2), so don't be depressed and just remember to work a little harder next time. Who knows, it could be a blessing in disguise from Allah.

Anyway, I just wanted to address a few things about a program that the English peers are doing this block: Public Speaking.

I'll write in a numbered list format, because that's what we Medic students seem to like.

1. Keep it short & sweet. Try to limit what you have to say within the range of 4-6 minutes. You don't have to talk long. In fact, a lot of people would prefer it if you didn't talk for very long.

2. Your words, your responsibility. Please be aware that you will be held accountable for whatever you say in front. Therefore, avoid insulting others or provoking anyone. I don't care if it's from 'anonymous', if it hurts someone's feelings, you will have to bear the responsibility.

3. Yeah, Justin Bieber! Lutfi already told everyone about this, and we really meant it. You can talk about whatever you want. Whether it be your favourite TV show, or what you did last year, or about a song you like to listen to, pick a topic that defines you and be creative!

4. Moral of the Story. Including 'Islamic Input' is a piece of cake! Because anything that is beneficial & good (and at the same time, is not against any teachings of our religion) can be considered Islamic. Even a lesson you got from watching Anime, or even a line from a song that has some advice in it can be used as your Islamic Input.

5. Respect, Please. This is for the rest of us who are NOT talking in front. Public speaking can be a very frightful experience for some (as Prof Pakeer mentioned before), so please make the speaker feel comfortable by listening and paying attention to what he or she has to say. "Wish for my brother what I wish for myself", so if you want people to respect you when it is your turn to speak, then you should respect others when it is theirs.

Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the things you guys have chosen to talk about. And so far, you guys have proven that you are very good speakers. Keep up the good work, and thanks for supporting our program.

P.S: I loved hearing the Sisters gasp when we took out the "Lucky Draw" container for the first time. That was a priceless moment. XD. I know, I'm evil.

Luqman Al-Bashir
(Self Appointed) English Peers Captain

English is the weirdest language!!!

ONLY THE ENGLISH COULD HAVE INVENTED THIS LANGUAGE 

 We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
 But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
 One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
 Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
 You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
 Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

 If the plural of man is always called men,
 Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
 If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
 And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
 If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
 Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

 Then one may be that, and three would be those,
 Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
 And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
 We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
 But though we say mother, we never say methren.
 Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
 But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

 Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
 There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
 neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
 English muffins weren't invented in England .
 We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
 we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
 and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

 And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
 grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
 Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
 If you have a bunch of odds and ends
 and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

 If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
 If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
 Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
 should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

 In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
 We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
 We have noses that run and feet that smell.
 We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
 And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
 while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

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

 And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

 AND IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES THEN PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND
 SHOULD BE HOLES AND THE GERMANS, GERMS.

 And lets not forget the Americans, who changed s to z, but that's another story............

Idiots of 2008

Here are some jokes that I want to share. Enjoy yeah! :D

Number One Idiot of 2008.
I am a medical student currently doing a rotation in toxicology at the
poison control centre..
Today, this woman called in very upset because she caught her little
daughter eating ants. I quickly reassured her that the ants are not
harmful and there would be no need to bring her daughter into the
hospital. She calmed down and at the end of the conversation happened to
mention that she gave her daughter some ant poison to eat in order to
kill the ants.. I told her that she better bring her daughter into the
emergency room right away..

Number Two Idiot of 2008.
Early this year, some Boeing employees on the airfield decided to steal
a life raft from one of the 747s. They were successful in getting it out
of the plane and home.
Shortly after they took it for a float on the river, they noticed a
Westpac Rescue Helicopter coming towards them..
It turned out that the chopper was homing in on the emergency locator
beacon that activated when the raft was inflated... They are no longer
employed at Boeing.

Number Three Idiot of 2008.
A man, wanting to rob a Bank of Queensland  , walked into the Branch and
wrote 'Put all your muny in this bag.'
While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began
to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the
police before he reached the teller's window.. So he left the Bank and
crossed the street to the NAB Bank.. After waiting a few minutes in
line, he handed his note to the teller She read it and, surmising from
his spelling errors that he wasn't the brightest light in the harbour,
told him that she could not accept his stickup note because it was
written on a Bank of Queensland  deposit slip and that he would either,
have to fill out a NAB deposit slip or go back to Bank of Queensland  ..
Looking somewhat defeated, the man said, 'OK' and left..
He was arrested a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at.
the Bank of Queensland  . Happened in Noosa!

Number Four Idiot of 2008.
A guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all
of the cash from the cash drawer..
After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of
Scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf.. He told the
cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said,
'Because I don't believe you are over 21.' The robber said he was, but
the clerk still refused to give it to him because she didn't believe
him.. At this point, the robber took his driver's licence out of his
wallet and gave it to the clerk..
The clerk looked it over and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and
she put the Scotch in the bag... The robber then ran from the store with
his loot..
The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of
the robber that she got off the licence.. They arrested the robber two
hours later..

Number Five Idiot of 2008
A pair of robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers.. The
first one shouted, 'Nobody move!' When his partner moved, the startled
first bandit shot him..

Number Six Idiot of 2008.
Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly.. He decided that he'd just
throw a brick through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run..
So he lifted the brick and heaved it over his head at the window.. The.
brick bounced back knocking him unconscious. It seems the liquor store
window was made of Flexi-Glass. .. The whole event was caught on
videotape..   Perth WA  .
 

Number Seven IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local McDonalds and ordered a burger..
She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said
he was sorry, but they only had iceberg..
Happened in Surfers Paradise  !!!

Number Eight IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee
asked, ''Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your
knowledge?? To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how
would I know??' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'
Happened in Melbourne  .

Number Nine JUST AN IDIOT :
When my husband and I arrived at a car dealers to pick up our car, we
were told the keys had been locked in it..
We went to the service department and found a mechanic working
feverishly to unlock the drivers side door..
As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door
handle and discovered that it was unlocked.
'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!'
His reply, 'I know - I already got that side.'
This was at the FORD dealership Dubbo.

Speaking English

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

This is Julia, finally writing after months of hibernation. Before I get to the gist of my post, a little preamble: I don’t like calling myself the ‘leader’ for the Peer Sisters (I made a face whenever I was referred to as such), but I guess that’s what I am.

So what’s my mission in this? In both my meetings with Prof Pakeer, he mentioned about the lecturers’ concern about the degrading quality of English among the students. Good usage of English is (among other things) what made IIUM famous, after all. He was particularly worried about Medical students who have reached their clinical years. Most of them do well in front of patients, but when they have to present the cases to the doctors, they falter. They fail to impress. Simply because their English isn’t good enough.

Or is it? We IIUM Medical students have classes, lectures and examinations in English, so to say you are ‘bad’ at English is a blatant lie! You already have the basic of the language in your hands. But when it comes to speaking, you need something more.

So what do you need to speak effectively, get your listeners’ attention and get your message across all at the same time? Not much. I only introduce two things. Two Cs: Confidence and Clarity.

Confidence is what people are going to look for as soon as you walk into a room, or when you walk onto a stage and towards the rostrum. It allows you to control your nerves and stand without your legs shaking, or your voice trembling. It makes your listeners believe you and the main thing that prevents those doctors, interviewers and the public from thinking you’re a joke. I’m sure you’ve seen speakers who mesmerize you with their confidence and charisma. Think of one such person, imagine yourself speaking like he or she does, and you’ve set your target.

There is no easy way to this –you’ll have to practise. If the prospect of giving an announcement in front of the lecture hall makes you nauseous, start small. Speak to your friends in small groups. Go visit your lecturers and discuss the subject with them in English. Chat with our foreign friends. Get yourself used to hearing the language come out of your own mouth. Soon you won’t feel so weird speaking it.

Clarity means the state of being clear. You have to speak clearly, so that people will understand what the heck you’re saying. This is where correct pronunciation and grammar play important parts. You also need confidence, because if you stammer and mumble because you’re nervous, it’ll take a mind-reader to know what you’re saying. We like it when lecturers enunciate clearly, pronounce the words correctly and make themselves and the topic clear. So that’s what we need to do too: make ourselves clear.

I’m not too rigid with pronunciation, because we all have different tongues and some English words have more than one way to pronounce (like ‘tomato’ and ‘route’). Remember that the focus here is clarity, getting people to understand you. Listen to English speeches by good speakers, watch English shows and listen to English songs (the good ones la...). Pay attention to how English speakers speak the language. It is perfectly fine to mess up the pronunciation sometimes (I do too). What’s important is to acknowledge that every mistake is a chance to improve. We learn from our mistakes.

Someone has asked me whether grammar is really important. I’d say yes, because you do need good grammar to deliver your speeches or messages effectively. But I’ve seen the grammar worksheets you do in English class at CFS, and even I got confused trying to answer them. The problem with teaching grammar is that the teachers have to teach the principles one by one, but after a while, that method doesn’t work. Why? Because the English language has SO MANY rules. It also has SO MANY exceptions, with SO MANY overlapping between the rules. So don’t think too much about learning grammar. Just get the basics right; the rest will come naturally when you get yourself used to listening and speaking English. Leave the complicated stuff to English teachers and scholars.

So those are the two Cs. Confidence is necessary so that people believe you, while Clarity allows people to understand you. Stop thinking that English is a difficult or a ‘bad’ language. A language is neutral. It really depends on how we use it. The most important thing is to enjoy speaking in English. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and to look for people who can help you correct them. All the best, my friends! :D

A little advertisement for Zen14 sisters: I have started a small project under Peers, called Peers Kopitiam. It is simply gathering a group of friends, sitting down together and chatting in English. We can talk about anything. (During my group’s first session, our topics ranged from PBL to Super Junior to DBSK to ERT to studying tips.) My group is full already, but if there are girls who’d like to join, I can make another group and elect another Peer Sister to be the facilitator. It’s not an usrah or halaqah where we have to prepare and memorise stuff. We just borak! XD You know how to contact me.

Thank you for your time. Wassalam.


(C) Julia, 2010. PnI.

Talking about English

Remember back when we were learning History for the PMR? Those long and boring textbooks would tell us that a long long time ago Malacca was a centre of trade and that the Malay language was the Lingua Franca of the region, used by thousands of different people from various parts of the world. It made me think that Malay wasn’t a language to look down upon.

That’s cool and all, but guess what...a few centuries have passed since then. Wars have been waged, technologies have advanced, and globalization has occured. And right now? Malay is not the lingua franca of the world. The international language of the world right now is English. What? Don’t blame me, okay? They won a lot of wars, that’s why English gets that honour. Unless you can start a revolution and kick the living snot out of their armies, English will still be the king of languages.

So basically, that means that you will need to learn English. Whether you like it or not, you will be using English throughout your whole career (unless you somehow fail the medicine course, and end up as a rubber tapper in Kelantan. But you don’t want that, right?). For one thing, being able to converse and express yourself well in the language will almost certainly give you a distinct advantage during the clinical years. (I’ve heard of Doctors complaining about students who cannot present patient histories very well, so make sure you don’t become one of those students!). Even after you graduate, if you want to further your career and specialize in a specific branch of medicine, you WILL have to write thesis & research papers in English.

Have I made my point yet? No? Okay, remember what Dr. Azarisman said in class the other day? How after more than a century, we still haven’t been able to attract the Chinese and Indian population in our country to Islam? Maybe we should rethink our strategies and start preaching to them in English. No matter how charismatic and articulate you are, it will be very difficult to impress or engage them using Malay (especially the more educated people).

So maybe I’ve made you think “Oh man, I need to further improve my English, pronto! But how can I do that? We no longer have any English classes!”. Aha, that’s where we English peers come in.

The English Peers of 14th Zenith are a small group of brothers and sisters who are willing to help. Quite honestly, we’re not really that awesome in English ourselves. But we were picked to share whatever “extra English knowledge” we have with the rest of you guys (and gals), and so here we are.

Unlike the other lujnahs in our batch, we have a lot of freedom in the type of programs we can do. That’s why we would really appreciate suggestions and ideas from every single one of you. We already have a few (hopefully) fun + awesome programs we plan to have in the future to help every single one of us improve our English. But getting more ideas from the rest of the batch wouldn’t hurt. If you have any idea at all about a program/event you’d like to see happen (no matter how “out-of-the-box” it might sound), then feel free to approach any of us and present your idea. Even if it’s a totally crazy idea, we will listen and if it’s any good, we’ll definitely consider it, InsyaAllah.

So that’s all from me right now. If you have the time, read this article on how to improve your vocabulary, written by yours truly. (Yes, I know I just shamelessly promoted myself and my blog. Shut up). Remember to study for the upcoming minitest, and do use your time during Ramadhan wisely, ok?

Adios.

Luqman Al-Bashir
(Self-appointed) Captain of Zen14 English Peers
and children’s role model.