environmentally friendly travel

A visitor can leave as much an impression to a country as a country does to its visitors. Not only does the destination leave you with happy (or sad in some cases) memories, it also leaves you with a better understanding of its culture, its people and its natural surroundings. So why not do what you can to ensure that other visitors are given the same privilege. Here are some of the things you can do to preserve your destination’s environment for both the locals and the future visitors.

o      Do not leave souvenirs behind: Littering is never encouraged in any culture or society. Nobody likes a litterbug and most of the time, they get away with it. But by littering, you are only harming and ruining the environment. People assume that there’s always someone to pick up after them but what happens when you’re in a natural environment? Who takes care of the forests and the beaches?  Remember that you can play a role in maintaining the beauty and cleanliness of nature.

o      Be an informed traveler: It is always good to learn more about your destination before embarking on your journey. It doesn’t spoil the surprise, it will only prepare you for the unexpected. Look out for information that will help you understand the culture and practices of the locals. It would be useful if you have information on the regulations and restrictions as well. For example, many countries have restricted smoking to certain areas and it would be good to know where you can smoke without getting those nasty looks from people.

o      Protect the species: Many countries offer products made out of endangered species such as turtles, ivory, feathers, animal fur and other products made out of wood. By purchasing these items, you are only encouraging these illegal traders. Like a certain community service announcement in Malaysia always says, “when the buying stops, the killing stops too”.

o      Be nature friendly: When participating in nature activities such as hiking or rock climbing, always make sure you don’t spoil the natural habitat of the flora and fauna. Follow the trails that have been set in place instead of trampling on the greens and keep your distance from the animals. Never provoke them if you want to keep your mental and physical health in tact. Do not litter especially in parks and forests because chances are there won’t be anyone to pick up after you.

o      Support the locals: The best way to learn about the culture of your destination is to put yourself in it. Support the local industry by trying their food and using locally made products. Hire local guides as they will be the best source of information. If you’re purchasing souvenirs, try to purchase those that are produced locally. Nobody wants a souvenir fromMalaysia that says “made in Taiwan”.

o      Spread the word: Encourage your fellow friends and tourists to conduct themselves in a respectable manner. Although one person can make a small difference, it would be nice to have many people doing the same.

o      Report abuse: Do your part and make a report when you notice someone being uncouth. If you witness the abuse of animals in the zoo or any nature park, do report it so that others won’t be witness to such cruel behaviour. If you come across touting taxi drivers or con men trying to rip you off because you are a tourist, make a report at the state tourism office. You might not be able to rid the world of these kind of behaviour but you might be able to help someone else from falling prey to it.

You can make a difference even if it is just a short trip. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be an environmentally savvy traveler.

how to overcome barriers of tourism in malaysia

How to Overcome Barriers of Tourism in Malaysia

Malaysia is ranked as the 9th most visited place in the world.[ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]. In an effort to diversify the economy and make Malaysia’s economy less dependent on exports the government has pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. As a result tourism has become Malaysia’s third largest source of income from foreign exchange. The tourism industry has indeed to grown by leaps and bound and in the process, it has overcomed many obstacles and barriers .

One major barrier is language. The national language is of course Bahasa Melayu but English is widely used amongst the educated locals as well as those working in the service industry. Other languages spoken include Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Hokkien and many more. Signboards and directions in the main cities and at major tourists points, are in Malay and English. Malaysians have recognized that the English language is an important tool for both business and tourism.

 The sun is strong throughout the year in Malaysia. Tourists must be adviced to take proper care against sunburn constantly . Dehydration and loss of salt through perspiration are two other common problems for the unprepared traveler. They must drink plenty of fluids and pack clothings suitable for a humid and hot weather.

Malaysia unfortunately has a reputation for its dishonest cabbies especially with tourists. Some of them are smartly dressed and even go as far as to make badges that indicate that they are a part of a licensed agent sanctioned by a local tourism association. The authorities have tried to solve this problem by having stiff fines on tout taxis, encouraging tourists to use the Airport Limo service or  KLIA Express to get to or from the airport, and advising tourists of their rights via notices clearly placed in taxis.

Snatch thieves and robbers roaming the streets in search of their next victim is another unfortunate barrier of tourism and unfortunately, there is not enough man power in the law enforcement to curb that. Even so, more patrols and police mobile booths can be seen at night spots and areas frequented by tourists in an attempt to provide a safe haven for their holiday.

To summarise, it is good to be prepared before embarking on a journey anywhere. Tourists to Malaysia face the same rule. In order to ensure our hospitable spirit is remembered rather than the embarrassing acts of a few, the Tourist Board of Malaysia has advertised widely and printed pamplets and booklets giving handy tips and advice to tourists to Malaysia. This move itself is a big step to admitting that barriers may exist, but Malaysia has taken a bold step forward to overcome the barriers.

ways to solve discipline problems

Ways to Solve Discipline Problems

Discipline is a learning process wherein parents teach children how to make good choices. In the form of positive parenting, children freely express themselves while learning how to behave appropriately, be considerate of others, and respect rules and regulations. Discipline can effectively improve the child’s behavior, but you need to understand the discipline issues in order to cope with them.

Hitting, swearing, and failing to follow important rules, are common examples of behaviors that parents need to take action to stop. Parents can ignore certain behaviors, but those that place the safety of the child, or others, at risk cannot be ignored. Three approaches that parents can rely on to help decrease negative behavior include:

Natural Consequences: The easiest way to decrease an undesirable behavior is to allow it to be followed by a natural consequence. Natural consequences can be used when the natural consequence is not harmful to the child, can be tolerated by the parent and is clearly related to the undesirable behavior.

Punishment: Punishment involves imposing a consequence for undesirable behavior, in order to decrease the chance that the behavior will be repeated. Parents commonly punish by removing privileges in response to an undesirable behavior, e.g., loss of T.V. or videogames for failing to do homework or chores.

Time Out: Removing the child from a situation is another way to decrease the chances that a negative behavior will be repeated, and is particularly effective in defusing conflict In some instances, parents can remove themselves from a situation, to give themselves and the child “a time out,” not as a punishment, but as a way to cool down and help avoid conflict.

It is important at all times that parents respect each other, and support each other's rules and authority. When parents disagree about discipline, especially when disagreement is expressed in front of children, each parent’s efforts will be compromised and discipline will be far less effective. Thus, regardless of the strategies used, parents need to work on working together. 

floods in kelantan

Floods in Kelantan

In December 2014, Kelantan was hit by the worst floods in the history of the State. Water levels of the recent floods superseded the floods of 1967. According to the National Security Council, the water level of Sungai Kelantan at Tambatan DiRaja, which has a danger level of 25 metres, reached 34.17 metres compared to 29.70 metres in 2004 and 33.61 metres in 1967. The levels at Tangga Krai, which has a danger level of 5 metres, reached 7.03 metres compared to 6.70 metres in 2004 and 6.22 metres in 1967.

The council identified two main reasons for the unprecedented magnitude of the floods in January. One is the changing climatic patterns and the adverse weather effects and second was  the result of uncontrolled land management and the swelling number of trees and exploitation of land resources.

 Kelantan was only accessible via the Kuala Terengganu-Kota Baru trunk road and by air.The other route to Kelantan through the East West Highway was closed to all traffic after part of the highway at the 65th kilometre near Puncak Titiwangsa collapsed. The Gua Musang-Kuala Krai road was also closed to all traffic while the route from Padang Besar through Haadyai was also impassable due to the floods.

The government was using helicopters and boats to send food supplies to places where flood victims were trapped as roads were submerged in water.

who can motivate a person to study

Who can Motivate a Person to Study

Learning requires motivation. Student learning will occur in proportion to the effort that a student puts into learning. Therefore, a key task for the teacher is to encourage and promote student effort. This can be a challenge, even if the teacher creates a supportive learning environment, because many of the factors that influence student learning are affected by the student’s overall attitude, likes and dislikes, feelings about a subject, activity or school in general, and personality.

A student might also be motivated by having one good friend who is also learning, and will often be motivated to do well in areas that involve that other student, or where the friend is doing well. This is healthy competition, where each one motivates and helps the other to study and do well.

The most important source of motivation is finally the parents. They would have sowed the seeds for success in the child’s mind. Home is the haven where the child is most of the time. In order to foster a positive environment to study, parents have a crucial role in motivating their child to study.

 Students themselves can sometimes set their own standards and rate of working. By doing this they are issuing a challenge to themselves and thus providing the incentive to study. They may also measure their success by comparing their achievements or progress to others.

A motivated student will find it easier to go the extra mile and do all the necessary tasks that need to be done to assure success. The right motivation will allow students to study a lot more, be focused and with more concentration. 

appropriate form of punishment for road bullies

Appropriate form of Punishment for Road Bullies

Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other road vehicle. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Road rage can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions that result in injuries and even deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive driving and from here the term road bullies arises.

The act of a road bully may be seen as an endangerment of public safety. You see it every day on our roads: people speeding past; changing lanes with no signal; weaving dangerously across three and four lanes; passing too closely on either side of your car; speeding up to block you out; not allowing you to change lanes or merge on or off the highway and many others.  Whatever the reason, the road bully has no total rights over use of the roads and definitely has no right causing harm to others. Their actions have to be punished by law in order to ensure the safety of other users .

A road bully must be punished by a jail term or fine or both. Although this punishment sounds harsh, it will act as a deterrent to other road bullies on the road. The length of the jail term will be determined by the level of aggressiveness shown by the road bully.

Compulsory counseling for the road bully should also be enforced. Where the actions of the road bully do not harm any individual and appear mild, counseling can help and prevent road rage from escalating into a deeper problem.

Their driving licences should be confiscated and the road bully be forced to attend driving lessons all over again in order to obtain a new licence. The actions of a road bully endangers the other users. He has to learn that aggressiveness has no place on the roads.

In a nutshell, a road bully should be removed from the roads to prevent accidents and harm to other road users. Drivers have a legal duty to take reasonable care to avoid endangerment of human life when operating a vehicle. If drivers divert from this duty, then the law must come into play to protect the other road users.

things to prepare for a job interview

Things to Prepare for a Job Interview

Even if you have less than a day before your job interview, you can outshine the competition with a little interview preparation. Preparation ensures that you can hold your head high and walk into the interview room with confidence.

Your first step is to conduct some basic research on the company you are going to. Find out as much as you can beforehand. Call the person who scheduled your interview and ask simple questions such as : Who will you be talking to? Will you meet the manager you'd work for, or will you just talk to HR? What are the interviewer's expectations? If you don't have a detailed job description, ask for one. Most human resource divisions will have this available.

What's the dress code? It’s best to wear a professional suit in neutral colours. Get your suit ironed and ready for use in advance. Check the directions to the office. Plan to leave early and keep a phone number to call if you get stuck on the bus or in traffic. If you arrive late and stressed, the interview will not go well.

Remember a lot of information can be obtained online. Hence, learn about the company and search for information relating to annual sales, number of employees, its products or services, any recent developments, etc.

Always, be ready to answer typical interview questions with a story about yourself. Talk about your achievement at work or school. These stories demonstrate all those hard-to-measure qualities like judgment, initiative, teamwork or leadership. Nonwork achievement stories are good too; if you volunteer for the local food pantry, write down a time you overcame a big challenge or a crisis there.

Finally, go to bed early the night before. You will want to be up early, feeling fresh and optimistic about attending that interview.

major cause of stress to teens

Major Cause of Stress to Teens

Stress is the uncomfortable feeling you get when you’re worried, scared, angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed. It is caused by emotions, but it also affects your mood and body. The Simple English Wikipedia describes  teenager, or teen, as a young person whose age falls within the range from 13–19. They are called teenagers because their age number ends with "teen". Someone aged 18 or 19 is also considered a young adult.

Being young does not prevent the teenager from experiencing stress. They may feel anxious about body changes, friendships, grades, tests, family issues, homework, work, lack of sleep, health, extra-curricular activities or even love life. Stress is a normal part of life and the teenager together with parents, teachers and loved ones around can learn how to reduce stress and to cope with it.

What are some of the triggers, or stressors as they are called, that make us feel stressed? There is a myriad of situations but a few common ones include:

Worries over school and homework         

Family demands.

Romantic relationships

Health concerns

Puberty

Physical danger

For the majority of teens, stress starts at school where a large part of their daily life is spent.  There is a range of academic pressure derived from a need for perfection, worry over grades, parental pressure, competition, sports, or a tough class load. The nervous breakdowns, panic attacks, burnouts, and depression are also apparent in many younger students. The same situation is not always stressful for all people.

 Friends can be the best people to relieve stress and provide a strong support network to fall back on when times get tough at school. However, the wrong group of friends will only add to troubles. Choose the friends that will be positive and supportive when the going gets tough. Having a good group of friends will help maintain a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.

At the home front, parents expectations of grades and ambition can stress the teenager. Further, demands from siblings, house/room chores, tv,etc all add to the list of “to do” things. Here, time management becomes important. Decide what is most important and prioritize what needs to be done early in the week, and what can be done later. If focusing on a few projects a night rather than worrying about all of them every night a better job will be done on each assignment.

On attaining puberty, body changes, hormones and emotions can cause uncertainty and stress. Every teenager goes through it. This is the time for romantic relationships as well. The love followed by the attention, long chats, alertness to personal looks, even jealousy and anger, all contribute to tension and stress.

The teen should never feel alone with their problem – chances are good that other people feel the same way, too. They should  talk with parents, siblings, a friend, or a counselor. Positive relationships are the building blocks of mental health. The teen should also learn to manage and reduce stress. Physical activity and exercise helps relax muscles and reduce stress. Get enough sleep as one of the biggest causes of stress in teenagers is not getting enough sleep. Eat good food and aim for a family diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegies, lean meat, dairy foods and wholegrains. Relax and unwind: this might be going for a walk, reading a book, having a relaxing bath or listening to some music.

Finally, much stress can be avoided with relaxation and and good time management. To summarise, one of the most important factors in teen stress is expectations of themselves. Therefore, set reasonable goals that you can reach within the time that you have to complete certain activities. Parents and teachers can help set goals and prioritize activities.

opinions on single session schools

In single session schools, school starts as usual in the morning, that is either 7.30am or 7.45am. Formal classes will end usually by 2.30pm.  Students then attend co-curricular activities, sports and extra classes until about 4pm. Single-session systems are already popular in cluster and private schools in the country.

Schools that have converted to a single-session structure have found it a better environment to teach and develop students. Afternoon are just a bad time to study as the weather is too hot.  Some have extended the teaching period to 45minutes instead of 30 minutes. Hence, more time and attention can be given to the specific topic or chapter being taught. There is more quality teacher-student interactions and the use of more engaging pedagogies such as group work and presentations exercises. In some schools, the break between lessons has also been lengthened, a move valued by both students and teachers.

Where more curriculum time is needed for both formal and informal programs, single session gives the school the flexibility to lengthen their school day slightly, or have extended school days once or twice a week to have additional co-curriculum activities. Hence, there is more common time for professional development and sharing among teachers and students. With all students in school at the same time, it is also easier to organise sports and team building activities

From the parents point of view, especially families with more than one child, parents find it easier to send and pick them at the same time. Furthermore, students can go home earlier, relax and enjoy more family time together.

On the other side of the coin, single session schools should guard against becoming full day schools with a heavier workload for students. The core aim of single session is to allow for more time and space to develop the child more fully. However, the school too has to be able to cater for a larger intake of students – students from two sessions now come together under a single session. The school also needs more facilities for effective programs under their co-curriculum activities. A single-session system may also cause greater traffic congestion in the mornings and late afternoons, especially in urban areas.

In conclusion, there is great merit in a single session school. To make it a success, all parties involved, from the school to home , must work together to ensure the student reaps the benefits of being in a single session school.