Wannabe Uni Academic

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.

"You can't be a university academic with a single degree." - Prof Abdul Aziz Baba, Dean, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. 6 Dec 2009.

I found this fascinating quote today:

• Scholarly communications must be open


• Scholarly communications must be standards-compliant


• Scholarly communications must be syndicated


• Scholarly communications must be Integrated Into the Cyberinfrastructure


• Scholarly communications must be analytics-enabled


• Scholarly communications must be mobile, and


• Scholarly communications must be scalable

academicevolution.com, Academic Evolution, Aug 2009

Before the Interview

1. Make a list of questions you plan to ask. What would you like to learn about? Let's say your subject is the assassination of President Kennedy. You could ask the person you are interviewing where they were when they heard the news. Who were they with? How did they feel? What concerns did they have for the country?
2. Call the person to set up a time and place for the interview. If you don't know the person yet, bring a parent along or do the interview over the phone.
3. Get together everything you will need to do the interview. Items might include a tape recorder, paper, and pens or pencils.

During the Interview

1. If the person gives you permission, tape record the interview. If you tape record it, label the tape with the date and the name of the person. Even if you tape the interview, you should take notes so that you'll remember important points.
2. At the beginning of the interview, ask when and where the person was born. This will save you from having to backtrack and figure out dates later.
3. Don't interrupt or correct the person you are talking to. People sometimes remember things wrong. That's okay-you can check dates and facts later. The important thing is to hear about the person's impressions and feelings.
4. Listen carefully. Something the person says may inspire you to ask a question you hadn't planned. For example, let's say that the person you are talking to mentions that she will never forget seeing television footage of the Kennedy children at the president's funeral. You might ask why it was so unforgettable. What did the children do? How old were they
5. Let the person have plenty of time to talk. But if they start to ramble, try to get them back on the subject by asking one of the questions you brought along.

After the Interview

1. Thank your subject at the end of your meeting. Afterward, write a thank-you note.
2. If you recorded the interview, listen to the tape. Write down important points and interesting quotations.
3. Look back over the questions your prepared before the interview. Did the interview help to answer them? If you are going to do an oral report, think about how you will present your information. You might talk about what you had hoped to get out of the interview, and what you learned from it that was unexpected. You could also talk about the difference between reading a book and getting a personal view.

What ethical issues have arisen from use of new technologies in medicine, such as email contact with patients?

There have been many issues, although it’s not something I’ve focused on personally. The issues concern privacy—something as simple as knowing whether the person you’re corresponding with electronically is who he or she purports to be. In pediatrics, that’s a big issue, because someone might pretend to be their 14-year-old son or daughter who we’ve promised confidentiality to. And the parent is trying to get around that promise by getting information out of us electronically without our being able to confirm who he or she is. Most of the issues we’ve faced electronically have to do with, in one form or another, privacy confidentiality. On a day-to-day basis, the bigger issues have to do with adequacy of informed consent, end-of-life decision making, limits on medical intervention, and issues around the appropriateness of including patients as subjects in research trials.

Source: http://www.hcplive.com/mdnglive/articles/Onc_Medical_Ethicist

How to evaluate a MSc research report for converting to PhD research project

1. >2/3 of research has been completed; only 1/3 left to be done
2. Published articles in ISI journals with high journal impact factor. Some require 2 published articles in international journal. Submission to journals is acceptable
   
3. Quality of research - well-planned and detailed, used standard research equipment, methods were optimised, and appropriate controls were used
4. Research results - correspond with methodology, real and original, untempered and not plagiarised
5. Uniqueness of research - not duplicating work of others or work which has been done before
   
6. Research potential - research findings can be used to guide healthy living in humans
7. Research title - based on work done dan further work to be done
8. Research objectives - achievable within stipulated time (<2 years)