Wannabe Uni Academic

A lot of time, you end up doing your own graphics for your own needs, especially for your lectures and posters. Graphic artists can do a great job. But trust me, you are the better person and know what you want. You cannot leave it to the graphic artist all the time and just take what they give you. Sometimes it is better to say what you have in mind and see if your graphic artists are agreeable to your terms and specifications, rather than be mute. Yes, it is a known truth that graphic artists are good at what they do but a lecturer has a mouth and a need to teach. Fulfilling a teaching need is the lecturer's duty. Trying to teach with the worst graphics is about the worst thing a lecturer can deliver to students. Of course the feedback from students will be "terrible" but that is to be expected if we don't pay attention to graphical needs in teaching at university level.

Here's about Graphics Software:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshop/ss/basicaction.htm

I have tried watermark but the problem is it is too cumbersome to do watermark for everything. Watermark is discussed in LinkedIn under Adobe Photoshop. There are many suggestions how to do it. Here's a YouTube video that was suggested by the group:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JssogKr-Vhk

Have or haven't you heard of that term? It simply means innovate whatever technology there is today that's around you. What shall I techno innovate now? I was browsing LinkedIn and looking at all the creative design research and they were talking about something you wouldn't even imagine. They were talking about re-inventing panties! Not for nothing but for a purpose and it worked. The product is a hi-tech panty for tackling menstrual flow, in the young and old. Very interesting. Here is the link to the hi-tech panties tradenamed Dear Kate featured at Fastco.design: http://www.fastcodesign.com/solving-a-daunting-problem-ladies-undies-for-that-time-of-the-month

Research title: Biochemical analysis and apolipoprotein E epilepson 4 in hemorrhagic stroke 

Ask anyone who is nearing retirement and you will find that almost everyone who is already employed in the government work force, is really terribly worried about retirement and all issues pertaining to retirement.

Retire at 40-40+
When you reach 40, it is time to look back and look forward at issues of retirement. You have 10 years to think and adjust before you hit the next stage in your life. Life is not young anymore. You are not young anymore. The future comes too soon and you will be swept into the future even before you know it.

Retire at 50-50+
When you reach 50, it is time to not look back but to look forward to retirement and be prepared to study issues about retirement. You must find out and see what the issues are and be quite prepared anytime between age 50 and 59. We hear a lot about retirement age being mentioned at various times but nobody is certain why the retirement age keeps floating towards what I call old age.

Retire at 60
I'm not 60 yet so I can't comment. Remember that the previous retirement age for women went from 45 to 50 to 55 to 56 to 58 to 60. We now must retire at 60, ie when we are old ladies. We may look weird at age 60 and to be standing in front of class for lecture. By that time we are not Miss Universe but just an old witch.

What is the biggest issue about retirement?
People have kept their savings to buy reading materials when they are old and retired. Amount of pension that will be received is everybody's guess, worry and nightmare. If you think it is funny, think again. Would you be happy if you didn't know how much pension will be accrued when you retire? Numbers cause pensioners-to-be crazy. Pensioners cannot demand how much pension they will get. There is no safety about receiving pension.

Are pensioners happy with the pensions they get?
No and never. Is there such a thing as a happy pensioner? I've not heard nor seen one so far. Most pensioners seem happy even though they get very little at pension age (now 60 years old). I generally feel that they are happy but in their own way and away from friends.

Are we becoming a nation and statehood that relies heavily on foreign funds?
Yes = how many of you think this?
No = how many of you think this?

http://webopac.pnm.gov.my/search/query;jsessionid=5637E7A66489CEA885960BC97CB57ADA?match_1=PHRASE&field_1=a&term_1=Faridah+Abdul+Rashid++

http://webopac.pnm.gov.my/lib/item;jsessionid=5637E7A66489CEA885960BC97CB57ADA?id=chamo:573504

http://www.pathguy.com/goodlect.htm

Singapore Med J. 2010 Jan;51(1):50-5.
Relationship between apoptotic markers (Bax and Bcl-2) and biochemical markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Date: Friday, 28 September 2012

http://www.promptproofing.com/

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1999-04238-001

I find that after the Form 5 SPM exam, students are really confused as to how to proceed with their studies. There was help at the school level after the SPM exam and students applied for likely places they wish to go. But the brunt of the problem is, they cannot decide where to go without the SPM results. Without the SPM results, they can only wish where they want to go after Form 5.

I was a bit agitated by many things that happened to my daughter who took the Form 5 SPM exam and waited for things to come her way. While waiting for her results, it really bothered me as to how she controlled her life having completed Form 5 SPM. Here are some of the things which I think something should be done about:

1. SPM results come out very late and in the following year. That's about 6 months grace.
2. I'm very surprised to find out that the school leaver today doesn't have clear ideas (vague) and is rather undecided as to what to do with her life.
3. I find that my daughter listens to her friends who have short-term clear-cut ideas and target where they were going and what jobs they wanted to take on. Most only wanted to become an operator or a sales rep in the shops in the town where we live. I could not believe it that school leavers today would have such short-term happiness (get a job). Don't they even think of going further beyond 5th form? I didn't agree with my daughter just wanting to become a sales rep in a shop in front of the place where I work. I had to advise her. It was really necessary.
4. How do I motivate my own daughter to go beyond just a simple work at the shops? How do I tell her to go beyond what her classmates have agreed to do? Will she listen to me or to her 'lifetime' friends?

2008
eprints.usm.my

EXPRESSION OF APOPTOSIS MARKERS IN THE SKIN
MICROVASCULATURE OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE
2 AT HOSPITAL UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
by
TENGKU AHMAD DAMITRI AL-ASTANI BIN TENGKU DIN

Master of Science (Pathology)

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
September 2008

-------------------------------------------

Book publication:

Monograph, November 2009
Title: Expression of Apoptosis Markers in Type 2 Diabetes at HUSM

Contents:
This book contains the methodology for studying the expression of apoptosis markers in the skin microvasculature of hospital patients with diabetes type 2.

Publisher: Lambert. Germany

iadis (international association for development of the information society)

e-Society 2004 Program
http://www.iadis.org/es2004/program_es2004_prel.pdf

e-Society 2004 Proceedings
http://www.iadisportal.org/e-society-2004-proceedings

Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference on e-Society
Ávila, Spain 16-19 July 2004

Edited by Pedro Isaías, Maggie McPherson, Piet Kommers

ISBN (Book): 972-98947-5-2
ISBN (CD-ROM):

AN ENHANCED ELECTRONIC HEALTH COMMUNITY WITH KNOWLEDGE-BASED E-MAIL AND AGENT-BASED KNOWLEDGE SEARCH AND SHARING
Yu-n Cheah , Faridah Abdul Rashid

ingentaconnect
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/apl/tbin/2011/00000025/00000006/art00006

APOE genotype and neuropsychological outcome in mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury: A pilot study

Authors: Shadli, Rahida Mohd; Pieter, Maria Socorro; Yaacob, Mohd Jamil; Rashid, Faridah Abdul

Source: Brain Injury, Volume 25, Number 6, June 2011 , pp. 596-603(8)

Publisher: Informa Healthcare

MACB 10th Annual Scientific Meeting 2000 Symposia/Plenary
http://www.macb.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/10th-ASM-2000-Abstract.pdf

P16. Performances of the Bioscanner 2000TM Test System. Mohd Rafi Mustapha and Faridah Abdul Rashid, last page

----

Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2000 (16-21)
ABSENCE OF APO B R3500Q MUTATION AMONG KELANTANESE MALAYS WITH HYPERLIPIDAEMIA
Win Mar Kyi, Mohd. Nizam Isa, Faridah Abdul Rashid, Jama’ayah Meor Osman and Mazidah Ahmad Mansur
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3406212/pdf/mjms-7-1-016.pdf

Bioline International
http://www.bioline.org.br/abstract?mj06021

Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 2, 2006, pp. 37-44

INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND SECRETORY STATUS OF A HEALTHY MALAY POPULATION
Al-Mahmood, Abu Kholdun; Ismail, Aziz Al-Safi; Rashid, Faridah Abdul & Wan Bebakar, Wan Mohamad

1994
The 4th Combined Malaysia-Singapore Pathology Conference, School of Medical Sciences, USM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, 11-12 September 1993.

Malaysian J Pathol, June 1994, pages 108, 114

Posters

1. P23. Application of apolipoprotein E phenotyping in hyperlipidemia, page 108, Faridah Abdul Rashid
2. P24. Particle size analysis, page 108, Faridah Abdul Rashid
3. P38. Laboratory computerisation: options using clinical laboratory data & information management systems (CLDIMS), page 114, Faridah Abdul Rashid

This course is offered in India at:


School of Cultural Texts and Records, Jadavpur University
PG Certificate Course in Editing and Publishing 2012


http://editpub.blogspot.com/

In today's busy world and high expectation at the workplace, with demands from research and academic deans, university lecturers are in a dilemma. They are now torn between which track to follow and excel, to become a 'professor of teaching'.

In medical schools, clinicians have become clinical lecturers at the university. Clinical lecturers teach and some do clinic. A large portion teach a topic or two, a class or two, without attending any clinic. They have moved to non clinical department and found a comfort zone where they do not have to do clinic.

Clinical lecturers who have MBBS can now choose to enter a discipline and find themselves an easy life without having to do clinic and yet be highly regarded as the hardworking clinical lecturers who do 50% teaching, 50% research and 50% clinical. They work 150%, 50% more than the lousy lazy clnical lecturers.

The lazy clinical lecturers are a liability (habis beras saja). They are paid a critical allowance when in fact they don't do clinic at all. They also get a teaching allowance even when they try their best to escape from having to do any teaching, even clinical problem-based learning (PBL) sessions. So what is the point of having and breeding these lazy, useless, clinical lecturers?

Lecturers give a lot of excuses when it comes to assessing their worth. What do we assess them for? How should we assess lecturers at the university?

The Research University status accorded to local universities upset the entire balance and running when they are now exepected to churn out research publications. Teaching is ingnored and the university produced unqualified useless graduates who cannot do anything more than copy and paste. The graduates are victims of the university system.

So we have a sick deteriorating system at the local univerisities. Nobody can do anything much as nobody listens to lecturers. People expect them to perform without financial support. They now find it hard to obtain research funding and even if they do get funding, it is not sufficient to do any good research.

Everything that should go wrong at the university level has gone wrong. it will take time before everything spills out and parents and students become aware of the actual problems affecting tertiary education. The fact tha we have research and academic as antagonistic forces, we will not benefit and students only stand to lose from the fight.

We were given the SBPA forms late last year (2011). We had to sign Yes/No before 3 January 2012. I signed mine and turned the forms in before 31 Dec 2011. I also opted for age 60 for full retirement and VSS in case I did not perform or meet the expected KPI.

My husband said there is no such thing as kena buang kerja, and that it is not as simple as stop work pronto. He said the process of firing a Govt-hired person is long-winded and takes 3 months from the first notice. I felt reassured.

On 8 March 2012, PM Najib said SBPA dimansuhkan. I didn't listen to the news as I was not interested in any news that touched on gaji kakitangan kerajaan. Fine, no SBPA, only an improved SSM.

For a C-class newly appointed professor (Gred Khas C, VK7), she earns RM9,072 per month in salary before SPBA became an option.

With SBPA, a newly appointed professor would possibly earn RM14K per month. Without SBPA, she would expect RM10K per month, with an improved SSM. If no SBPA is implemented, she is missing RM3K per month in salary. Rugi ke tak rugi?

Apa ni? Sekejap cakap ada, sekejap cakap tak de!

Who feels being cheated? I do but my husband says it is better that gaji tak naik because even with just the mere mention of SBPA, lecturers became snobs (angkuh). If SBPA had gone ahead and was implemented, food prices would sky-rocket, and there is no value gained with SBPA without a price control on other things.

Betul pun. If we want to earn more, then the food prices must be controlled. The utility services must be controlled. The income tax must be controlled, so there is net gain or earnings for a Govt-hired worker.

Government servants are not allowed to work at 2 jobs, so the only way to control income and earnings is to control spending and prices of food and services. Even with this ruling, Govt servants are doing part-time jobs to make ends meet and to enjoy life somewhat.

We must not forget that humans will find every opportunity to make money and nobody can put a stop to that. Siapa kata Melayu malas?

Nowadays, even a porter or Pembantu Am Rendah (PAR) has a double-storey bungalow, a car, a family, a garden and 2 incomes. All his kids have tuition paid for by the father who works 2 jobs. Halal or not?

Nowadays, the rich lecturers have companies but not necessarily in their names but their sibs, spouses or relatives. Money comes and money is distributed. We see people becoming richer and having better homes and becoming globe-trotters. Did we stop to think where the money came from?

A govt-hired lecturer only has things for himself/herself without much extras - just a spouse, a family, 1-2 cars, a few cats, no maids, some monthly bills to pay, no monthly holidays overseas, maybe one Umrah every 2-5 years, etc. Nothing great being an ordinary lecturer with a single govt pay.

But if he/she does an extra siphoning job, then he/she can afford a luxury apartment in an exclusive neighbourhood and live a rich lifestyle. There is a big difference between the choices people make and what they become.

Hendak seribu daya, tok seh seribu daleh.