...red light

...i was driving home alone after a late night meeting last week...reflecting what were discussed during the meeting and thinking of what's next...came to a junction and stopped my car...the traffic light was red...hmm should i wait for the green light or should i proceed?...i guess it should be ok to proceed as there were no cars (and 'there's no policemen too' added the devil, hahaha)...then i remember my days in the US...i was still very young then...my best friend and i were driving in the early hours...enjoying ourselves after the final exams...we came to a junction...then stopped...as there was red light...but there were no cars so we just proceed without waiting for the light to turn green...then suddenly out of nowhere came the patrol car...ooohh what we gotta do, what we gotta do, we asked ourselves...we both imagined USD100 flying away from our pocket...the policeman came and asked why we didn't wait for the green light...luckily i wasn't driving so my friend who was in the driver's seat has to answer...so he calmly said, 'sir, i didn't see any car so i thought it was ok to proceed'...the policeman replied, 'yes, there were no cars but you must make it a habit to stop and respect the rules...it may look simple but once you break a rule then you will break other rules too...its kinda habit bla bla bla...he lectured us for 15 minutes and then let us go without issuing a 'ticket'...he said, we're students and he has taught us a lesson today...but i'll put you all in the lock up if i find you do it again...thank you mr policeman you have taught us a really good lesson...gotta go bro, it's green light now...

...switch off part II

...my wife commented about my 'switch off' posting...she said i have to prove what i wrote in my blog..."stop working at night and spend more time with the family", she said...yeah i did sleep late few days after i wrote the posting...i was reading my PhD student's thesis...i have kept the thesis for almost 2 months now and promised the student to give him back 'very soon'...i've told him many times already about the 'very soon' thingy...but its really hard to find time during office hour to read it...so i spent few hours a day for a week reading the thesis at home, normally after isya' prayer...and sometimes it goes on until midnight...it is the final draft thesis, so i really have to read it very carefully...now i have finished reading it...what a release...but then comes another thesis...i have 4 other students at various stages...one of them submitted his draft thesis last thursday...hmm how i am gonna keep my promise to my dearest wife (but don't worry i used to break my promises few times, wanna know why? she's not only beautiful but also very kind and understanding)...i am a very lucky man but shhh don't tell her that yeah...ok i am not gonna take new PhD students for the next 2 years...the good thing is we, the whole family, watch a movie today and then have dinner together...time to sleep bro...gud nite

...late night meeting

...had an important meeting last monday evening...the meeting started around 8.30pm and lasted around 12.30am...arrived home quarter past one in the morning...kids and my lovely wife  were all sleeping and enjoying their sweet dreams...one of my colleagues jokingly said that the meeting has violated his human right...but the management has it own argument that the only time everyone is available (free) is after the office hour...and it happens only once in a while...i can only smile as i used to work with an audit firm nearly 20 years ago...and working until late night during the peak period was/is considered normal...some of our colleagues even slept in the office...i remember that our management never asked us to stay back late...they only gave us 'crazy' deadline...the report has to be completed by friday or worst tomorrow bla bla bla...so we have no choice but to stay back late anyway in order to meet the deadline hahaha...that's life...if you don't like it don't be in the game...

...tough day

...tough day today...attended four meetings...first the accreditation meeting (but thank God some good decisions are made), then rushed to the journal editorial board meeting...arrived almost an hour late but at least i did attend the meeting...really need to show up today as i've already missed few previous meetings haha...then chaired the executive education meeting...(glad the committee has made some good progresses)...have a quick lunch break and zohor prayer before chairing another meeting, the postgraduate meeting which lasted around 5pm...already set my mind to switch off and go back home when i suddenly remember of another important task...ahhhh...our MBA programme was selected to be in the Top 30 Rising MBA Stars 2011 (that's a great achievement, thanks to all my staff who did a superb job and also continuous comments and inputs from our students and alumni members) and i need to submit the write up which is due today...lucky that i already did a simple draft few days ago so it just took me about an hour to do the final touch up and finally switch off the day around 6.30pm...phewww

...switch off

...have a good chat with my senior colleague today, he's in the late 50's but seems to be very healthy and physically fit...we discuss about work and our priority in life...he thinks that i worked too hard and offer me an advice...'take a good care of yourself first and makes that a priority', he said...one needs to learn how to switch off...come to work and give your best and that's it...switch it off when you reach home...have a good exercise, good rest and spend quality time with your family...he said that age between 40 - 50 is a critical stage when many diseases would come and knock on the door...if we are not careful and take a good care of our health then we won't have a good life after 50s (if we still survive then of course)...that's a piece of really good advice from a senior and i appreciate it very much...time to switch off guys...cheers

...an apology

...can't sleep again tonite...try to read few articles to discuss in class tomorrow but it just doesn't work...then grab my student's PhD thesis which is on a table next to my bed (it's there untouch for the past 2 weeks) but my brain just can't accept any heavy stuffs after a hard and long day at work...so start browsing the internet looking for something...found this poem, loves it and like to share with you all...it is about an apology...do like reading poems tho i'm not good at writing one...hopefully we can learn something from it...cheers

If it's a weakness to apologize

if it's the wrong thing to say 'I'm sorry!'

if we can't let bygones be bygones

could it be the end of the road? End of our story?

Silence speaks a thousand words

and sometimes words cut deeper than knife

words hurt more than sticks and stones

words also have power to soothe to heal.

If apology makes one look weak

then I don't want to be strong

If saying 'sorry' is immature

let me not grow up let me stay young.

Isn't the upper hand better than the lower?

The worst apology tendered when death stares one in the face?

isn't he blessed one who receives admonition from others?

Isn't one who forgives others forgiven by Allah for his sins?

Isn't he who suppresses anger abundantly Allah rewards?

Isn't he compensated greatly who faces misfortune with perseverance?

Isn't he given double reward who shows patience and forbearance?

I seek Allah's Mercy, I seek His Forgiveness.

Written by Ummu Muhammad

27/11/2011

...a sad day

...it is sad to hear that my colleague brother Rosli passed away yesterday while on his flight home from Jeddah after performing Hajj. Then around 6am today I received another text message that Adam a PhD student also passed away. I know him personally…we are about the same age...and he is a very good student and is waiting for his viva scheduled in about a week time but God loves them more… we can only plan…as human we all belong to Him and to Him we shall all return...please recite surah Al Fatihah to both Haji Rosli and bro Adam…may Allah bless their soul and reward them with Jannatul Firdaus...receive this poem from a friend today…when I die...

When I die
when my coffin
is being taken out
you must never think
i am missing this world

don't shed any tears
don't lament or
feel sorry
i'm not falling
into a monster's abyss

when you see
my corpse is being carried
don't cry for my leaving
i'm not leaving
i'm arriving at eternal love

when you leave me
in the grave
don't say goodbye
remember a grave is
only a curtain
for the paradise behind

you'll only see me
descending into a grave
now watch me rise
how can there be an end
when the sun sets or
the moon goes down

it looks like the end
it seems like a sunset
but in reality it is a dawn
when the grave locks you up
that is when your soul is freed

have you ever seen
a seed fallen to earth
not rise with a new life
why should you doubt the rise
of a seed named human

have you ever seen
a bucket lowered into a well
coming back empty
why lament for a soul
when it can come back
like Joseph from the well

when for the last time
you close your mouth
your words and soul
will belong to the world of
no place no time

~RUMI, ghazal number 911,
translated May 18, 1992,
by Nader Khalili.

...lecturing

...as a dean, i am not required to teach...so i didn't teach for 2 semesters but decided to teach one postgraduate class this semester...my favorite subject seminar in accounting information systems...as an academician you just miss the lecture...lecturer and lecture cannot be separated haha...but as a dean i am too busy with my administrative works...so most of the times i do not have sufficient time to prepare for the lecture...when that happens i start questioning my decision to teach this semester...but again as a lecturer giving 3 hours lecture without a full preparation is not much a problem...we can talk for an hour just using one slide haha...but the problem is today i have to give another 2 hours talk immediately after my 3 hours class...again without proper preparation haha...only last nite i remember that i have to give the talk today...but God is Great...always there to help you...i was actually asked by my colleague from a state owned university college to share my experience in writing and publishing articles in academic journals...so i am just trying to help...of course there's a small token haha...alhamdulillah successfully delivered the talk and good to hear (with a big relief) participants say they enjoy the talk...

...capricon

arrived home from auckland sunday midnight...started working the next day though yet to recover from the jetlag...worst have to fly to kuala lumpur for a meeting on thursday...took wednesday night flight to kl...after a short nap i grabbed a newspaper and somehow noticed the zodiac star signs...never interested in this horoscope prediction thingy but ok lets try figure out what it says...i am a capricon...it read "if you have not had much time to yourself of late (hmm that's true), today is a fabulous day to retreat from the world in order to spend quality time with yourself (hahah i am alone and on a trip to kl cool). make an effort to read a few pages in that book that keeps popping up (yes i brought a book with me)"...hmmm interesting right...but when i arrived the hotel it was already midnight felt too tired to have some fun so go to sleep early for tomorrow's meeting...it was a full day meeting 8am-5pm...feeling exhausted before taking the flight back to alor setar...only to wake up when the plane landed at the alor setar airport, even missed the sandwiches and my regular teh tarik...no time to relax and no time to read the book i brought...haha so it wasn't a retreat like what was predicted...but did have a fun day in penang with my family on saturday...looking at the kids smiling and laughing while swimming at the pool and then playing at the beach was the real retreat...

...entrepreneur

one of the topics discussed during the conference was...transformational change across the university when faced with an economic imperative to build national wealth...3 speakers were invited to share their experience...Vinny Lohan CEO of OneBeep and Fady Mishriki CEO of PowerbyProxi...both were the product of University of Auckland SPARK program...and of course an entrepreneurship professor from UOA...SPARK is a very interesting entrepreneurship program created by UOA that encourages students to be innovative...and has so far produced a number of successful entrepreneurs...but what really interest me is the answer given by one of the speakers...to a question "what is the success rate of the program in nurturing entrepreneurs?"...while the entrepreneurship professor was a bit hesitatant to answer the question but the real entrepreneur (the speaker) confidently said 100%...(what? i said to myself silently) as an entrepeneur he said that he does not look failure as a failure but more of a learning process...entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes, so they keep on learning and become more innovative...hence he said the program is actually a 100% success...really like the answer...google OneBeep or PowerbyProxi to learn how innovative these guys really are...remember reading "the boy who harnessed the wind"...the story is so inspiring...the boy never gave up...when asked how he made the windmill, he simply answered "i try and i made it"...

...auckland

attended Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools annual meeting and conference in Auckland last week. My first time in New Zealand, the 2011 champion of Rugby World Cup. Arrived Auckland about 12.30am, took another hour to pass through the immigration and custom checkpoints and finally check in the Quadrant hotel around 2am. The hotel is located near the University of Auckland just about 5 minutes walk where the meeting and conference were held. Time difference is about 5 hours so feeling a bit of a jet lag. Fell asleep probably around 6am. Took the chance to wander around the town the next day to finally settled at a turkish kebab restaurant and fill my hungry stomach. Just window shopping as everyhting seems to be expensive. Auckland is a nice moderate town and the weather is a bit chilly and windy. The road is also a bit hilly. Though it seems normal to the local people but if you are not used to it then you'll need quite a good stamina to walk up and down the hilly roads. The pace is a bit slow compared to other big cities i have visitied. People here take things easy. Shops closed at 5pm and an hour late around 6pm during weekend.

...a boy or a girl

went for a late supper yesterday and chatted with my good friend, haven't met him for quite sometimes...as usual whenever we met our topics of discussions would cover everything from a small to kinda like world issues but only one that's really interesting which i would like to share...my friend told me that he met someone in Mecca when he performed the Hajj few years ago...he told me that the guy has 10 children, 5 handsome boys and 5 beautiful girls...nice but not really unusual...my friend has 3 boys at that time and he and his wife desperately need a baby girl...so he told the guy of his intention to have a baby girl...what's interesting about that guy was that his 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls were born alternately starting with a boy then a girl then a boy again followed by a girl, a boy and end with a girl...that's really amazing right...so my friend asked curiously how did he do that...there's a secret...that guy told him the secret is if you wanna a boy then read the Holy Quran surah Yusof during the early stage of pregnancy but if you wanna a girl then read surah Maryam...then you will get what you wish insyaAllah...

...reward for good work is...

had a meeting with Prof Gary from Keuka College today...Keuka is a small private college in New York but famous for its focused, practical and integrated approach in teaching and learning...we discussed about the potential collaboration between Keuka and UUM...it was a very good meeting, we agreed to look into the possibility of having joint degree for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes...which means more works...we need to do a market survey, get an approval from the senate, ministry etc etc...during lunch time Gary jokingly apologized for giving us more work and  shared what his mentor told him a long time ago...'the reward for good work is always more work'...yes i definitely agree with him...so be careful bro don't work too hard...no wonder why some people choose to stay quiet and avoid giving opinions in a meeting...they wanna avoid getting the 'reward' hahaha...good nite

...think like a champion part II

4. pacing skills...ability to know, via experience, when to cruise and when to turn it on
5. control factor awareness...know what one can control, what one can only influence and what is out of control (ability to prioritize and focus only on things within one's control/influence and importantly to let go of the rest)
6. self-awareness...ability to know oneself well...hence the ability to listen and thus judge one's bodies, minds and emotions
7. ability to learn (quickly)...willingness to seek feedback from others and to consider all sides to infuse new techniques and methods
8. coachability...appreciate the art and science of coaching (ability to form collaborative partnerships with those who can help)
9. strong work ethic...hard work leads to confidence...it is not just about practice makes perfect but importantly 'practice that is perfect makes perfect'
10. commitment...always dream BIG and makes a commitment to reach the goals, no matter what...

...think like a champion

sometimes i wonder what made great atheletes like roger federer, rafael nadal, tiger woods so good...i just admire their laser focus, high energy and great determination lead to such high performance...i guess they all share common characters...their commitment to excellence, their dedication, their robust work ethic and their strong resistance to difficulties...read an interesting article by Bill Cole, about the attributes and qualities of great atheletes in a local newspaper The Star recently, below is the summary:
1. composure, poise and presence...ability to focus, stay relaxed and continue to walk the walk...never panic but stay positive and act confidently.
2. self-confidence...ability to maintain the sense of self confidence even under great pressure or when things are not going well (great people keep on reminding themselves that they have succeeded in tougher times)
3. eternal hope...never give up attitude and fight to the end...and a belief that there is always a way to win/succeed...what we need to do is just have to discover it...

...to be continued

...ranking

one of the hot topics discussed at eduniversal world convention in Shanghai was the ranking system... be it eduniversal, financial times or other ranking systems... many deans actually feel uncomfortable with the ranking except those few 'top' business schools or universities... those schools do not even bother to be ranked but people still ranked them highly... remember what a professor from London Business School (LBS was ranked world No. 1 for Global MBA for 3 consecutive years) told me earlier this year... "we at LBS don't really bother about ranking... we know/clear with what we wanna be... and do what we think is right...the ranking is a bonus and of course good for the school's image"... which implies that top b-schools like LBS do not start with ranking in their minds, rather their belief on the right way to run b-schools (LBS in comparison to London School of Economic focuses more on industry/practical knowledge than academic)... similarly those top business schools do not bother to be accredited, yet the accreditation comes to them...even if they do apply, i am sure any accreditation body would be happy to award them...it is kinda like a business...now the burden is on the average b-schools... do we have a choice? the answer is, of course, no... lets accept the fact that we cannot avoid the ranking whether you like it or not...the question is how we gonna deal with it... the pressure is there... ministry/minister, VC, DVC hence the Dean bla bla... sitting on the hot seat is never easy...and to get good ranking one needs to get the international accreditations... the so-called triple crowns AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA (hmm another head cracking tasks)... then good faculty members will come and then good students...moral of the story... we have no choice but what is important is... if we wanna play it, we have to play it well/wisely... understand the detail methodology (criteria) and choose the right strategy... the fact is we cannot excel in everything, so we need to focus and match our strength with the most important criteria... eduniversal ranking itself, for example, is 'debatable' as business schools are ranked based on recommendations from other business schools deans'... in this regard, uum or more specifically othman yeop abdullah graduate school of business is a new player in the b-school's games... regionally and internationally... here networking, other than branding, is of paramount important for us... ranking is like a game anyway... that's what Manchester Business School Dean said.. .wish us luck in future ranking... cheers

...a day without a mobile phone part II

...promised you to share how it feels not to have a mobile phone for a day...to be honest life goes on as usual...yeah did miss few somewhat important (but not urgent) phone calls and messages from friends and bosses...overall its ok...kinda like you miss few but you gain more ha3...managed to settle few important things that day without much interference...just knew that one of my colleagues doesn't have a mobile phone since he lost one almost a year ago...no wonder he seems happier than before...and i guess he is now one of the most productive faculty members in terms of quality researches and publications in to ranked journals...also remember meeting a dean from one of the good b-schools in the US last year...surprisingly he told me that he never use a mobile phone...kinda like privacy reason...if they wanna talk to me call my office number or email me...and no call after office hour please...he told me...anyway, i believe it is up to the individual...the reality is we need mobile phone...in fact other than the internet, it is one of the best things ever invented by human being...

...Shanghai

I was in Shanghai last week attending Eduniversal World Convention, my first time in China...the conventiuon was held at Tongji University, School of Economic and Management, as stated in the brochure...we arrived the university around 8.45am...taxi can't go into the campus, so we have to walk to the convention venue...there was one big red banner about the convention written in chinese characters except the word eduniversal...there was also small signages to the venue but we missed the second one...so we lost...which end up kinda a campus tour early in the morning ha2...luckily the weather was nice about 20 degree celcius...bad news i had to pull a heavy bag full with promotional materials around the campus...worst it's difficult to ask for direction becos very few speak english...we asked students and even professors but everyone seem not to know the event or pointing to different directions...after about an hour touring the campus, we finally found the school...what a relief...after taking a five-minute break we were told that the convention wasn't there, it was held at another building...gosh another 15 minutes walk...i finally lost my patience...we arrived the convention building at 10.30am, about one and half hour late...i have to take out my coat...was sweating from head to toe...then setting up our booth was another story...luckily the convention was great...met many b-school deans from all over the world...very good networking opportunity and learn how other b-schools run their programs...

...being thankful and smile

Got this from a friend of mine...there was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.' One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.' This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations. Life is a Gift...Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak. Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat. Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion. Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven. Before you complain about your children - Think of someone who desires children but they're barren. Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep - Think of the people who are living in the streets. Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet. And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. But before you think of pointing the finger or condeming another - Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER and when depressing thots seem to get u down - put a smile on your face...he knew i'm a bit stressful these few days and wanted to put a smile on my face...thanks bro khaeruddin...may Allah bless us all...

...history

...my son did ok in most subjects except history and geography... he failed history and barely passed geography in the mid-year exam...not that he doesn't like reading...he actually loves gadgets/technology and science books...expecially adventure and science fiction books (not the science subject tho)...he has a complete collection of enid blyton, harry porter, septimus heap, narnia etc...i asked him to try reading history...you may find it interesting, i said...but he told me reading history is boring...he even asked me why is it so important to learn about the past?...hmm i don't really know how to convince him that learning history is important...ok i told him...history kinda tells of a story of why things are they way they are now and how things came to be...and by learning history people won't repeat the same mistake bla bla bla...i think that make sense right?...the final exam is about 3 weeks away...so i ask him to try to read the history book again...but he confidently said...do you know abah? (abah means dad), one scientist said...'we should not look at the past but think of the future...because we simply cannot change the past'...hmm what can i say...his ambition is to become kinda like a mad scientist or one that can invent a super robot like the transformer...yeah whatever he is just a 13 year old kid...

...a day without a mobile phone

...half way to work today, i feel a bit weird...don't feel the normal vibrations in my pocket...alerting me of the new emails, messages or phone calls...then realised that i've left my mobile phone (blackberry) at home...hmmm to go back or not to go back...wisely i decided to forget about the phone and continue driving to my office...i can check my emails later at office...and when i want to ha2...many people said they can't live without their mobile phone(s) even for a day...they would somehow feel disconnected with the world...you'll never know when your big boss or your mama or dearest wife or maybe a girlfriend(s) would call you...that's what they said...so let it be...i wanna know how it feels not to have a mobile phone for a day...I remember the 1980s and 90s, when we had the line telephone to stay connected or wrote letters to stay in touch...no problem with that right...but this technology or gadget has reduced us to freaks, robots and zombies whether we want to believe it or not...that's my reasoning for today...will share with you how it actually feels tomorrow...cheers

...change of profession

...last Friday, i called a friend to my house, he's a plumber...we had some problems with our water pump and the piping system...i haven't met him for quite sometimes, probably 2 years since he last came to fix the same problems...as promised he arrived after Friday prayer...but i was a bit surprised to see him...unlike a normal plumber he came wearing a nice white shirt and a black trouser, carrying a sling bag...and he brought with him few friends…all wearing nice dresses…wow this must be a modern plumber i guess...what i didn't know is that he has changed his profession...he's no more a plumber but a successful salesperson...selling direct selling products...so my wife and i have to put our ears for about 2 hours listening this old friend...telling and trying to convince us about his products...we never like salesperson but he's our good friend...so we didn't say anything...just looking at each other smiling...and not to disappoint him, we bought one of his products, the cheapest one anyway...he promised to come back and fix the piping problem another day...which he did come and fix all the problems...the good thing was he gave us a ‘membership’ price for his service ha ha ha…wish him all the best with his new profession…i know he can be a successful one...

...evil tongue

...felt a little 'downer' these few days...everything seems not to be right and heading towards a wrong direction...things also look difficult and almost impossible...so much has been happening lately...yeah life always has its ups and downs...so tried to be as positive as possible...but it doesn't work...probably years of hard work has finally taken its toll...feeling up in down times is never easy...then comes frustration and 'anger'...and unwise decisions...but while taking a break browsing the internet, i found this beautiful phrase "barangsiapa menjaga lidahnya, maka tenanglah batinnya" (please go to the google translation  if you don't understand Malay language)...what a great lesson and reminder for us all...anger as our greatest enemy and tongue as our greatest evil...which often make our life miserable...masyaAllah...so if we can take care of both...then we can lead a more peaceful life...insyaAllah..it'a always good to sit back and ponder of what's happening ain't it?

...AIM

...like what the managing director of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia said in her speech yesterday...she said "...while we cannot change the world but we definitely can help change one person"...and i guess these individuals, as a group, can achieve wonders and help change the world...congrats to AIM which has successfully helped more than 90% of its nearly 300,000 members out of the poverty line via its innovative micro credit system and entrepreneurship training programs...

...patience

...my wife had an appointment with a specialist at the respiratory institute in KL last week...she has to consult the specialist every four months...and it was her third appointment scheduled at 2pm...we arrived the institute around 1.30pm...after the registration we wait to be called by the nurse...after one and half hour waiting, the nurse finally came to tell us that the specialist my wife had the appointment with had cancelled the appointment...sounds funny but she told us she was very busy preparing her slides presentation for tomorrow's meeting...we politely asked the nurse to call the specialist to ask for her mercy to free herself at least for half an hour...but negative...how about other specialists? we then asked...there are four specialists at the institute...but the nurse told us 2 were on leave and another was in a meeting...then how about our appointment?...why didn't you inform us earlier...we drove 500km from Sintok for the consultation...we were told to come today at 2pm...and today Tuesday 2pm-5pm was the time for consultation with patient...how come nobody was here...her second appointment with another specialist was also cancelled without prior notice but my wife was very lucky that time because there was another specialist for her to consult...my wife was not feeling well and frustrated but we had to drive back another 500km home...without seeing the irresponsible specialist...

...form

...had another meeting on my second day in KL...about smart partnerships between UUM and Angkasa...UUM to provide postgraduate education and executive training to the staff of Angkasa...and at the same time help its officers conduct field works on selected cooperatives under its umbrella as case studies...then had an informal discussion with the CEO...we discussed about the proposed programs and then about cooperative movement in Malaysia and its way forward...also differences between Malaysia and Singapore...compared to Malaysia, Singapore has only one body that manages its cooperatives...Malaysia has Angkasa, SKM and MKM... and more interestingly it has a very small number of staff compared to ours…taking that into account, Malaysia should perform better than its neighbour...

quick wins

...had a meeting at the Ministry of Higher Education last week...the meeting discussed about the progress and strategy for the implementation of human capital building framework...bravo to the government for coming up with such a good initiative...however, while the framework presented (as a form) was very interesting in helping the government achieve the high income target...i am a bit worry about the substance (inputs and processes) and what not the quick wins phenomena which has now becoming a popular term/trend...they are important to meet the short-term targets but the issue here is whether they are sustainable....remember reading start-up nation: the Israel’s economic miracle book.

intelligence excusitis

...one of my favorite book the magic of thinking big discusses about 4 excusitis diseases: intelligence, health, age, and luck excusitis. intelligence excusitis is about underestimating one's own brain power and overestimating other fellow's brain power. i'm sure we have heard phrases like "but you've got to have brains to succeed" or "i'm not that intelligent like him/her" right?...this kind of excuse creates or associates with inferior feeling and often translates into a big hurdle for one's success...we often forget how hard the so called brainy or intelligent persons work...david schwartz said "the thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you may have". what matters is one's interest and enthusiasm which stimulates oneself to observe and think more in order to find ways to overcome whatever obstacles one face...while i believe IQ does play a small role, i also believe that a person with a lower IQ but having a positive, optimistic, cooperative attitude would achieve more than individuals with higher IQ but having a negative, pessimistic, and uncooperative attitude...a good hypothesis i guess ha ha ha...

...self reminder IV

another self reminder...Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (R) relates that the Holy Prophet (P) said: "a Muslim never taunts or curses or abuses nor resorts to vulgar talking." (Tirmidhi)...i think the best lesson here is to listen...being more of a listener than a talker is always a better choice...good listeners often have better observations of the surrounding environment than active talkers, hence are more careful when they talk...i have to admit that it's really hard to resist the temptation to talk and give opinions...i sometimes face the same problem but i believe one should always try harder to change to become a better human being insyaAllah...i always admire people who talk wisely using carefully chosen words...remember the old days when i kept a small notebook to note down those interesting words and phrases...

...i can

...found a book which i bought few years ago when tiding up my room yesterday...the magic of thinking big...it is a very interesting book which discusses about 'excusities diseases'...it is about us people who always have good excuses for not doing what they should be doing...having read the book i believe this quote is true: "I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ"...observation, self-belief, persistent and hard work plus honesty matter more than one's intelligence...that's what my little experience taught me...

...self reminder III

...i always have this little but significant problem...to control my hot temper...it's always the hardest few seconds to deal with...Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R) relates that the Holy Prophet (P) said: "The strong one is not he who knocks out his adversary; the strong one is he who keeps control over his temper." (Bukhari and Muslim)...may Allah gives us more patience so we can observe and learn more insyaAllah...

...self reminder II

...in life there are rules, regulations or at least norms for us to respect and follow...that often create a conflict between the regulator who regulates the rules and the follower who has to obey the rules...the conflict between to be right or to be kind...i always believe there is no hard and fast rule in making the best decision...it always depends...here is another hadith for us to ponder...Hazrat Anas Bin Malik (R) relates that the Holy Prophet (P) said: "Make things easy and convenient and don't make them harsh and difficult. Give cheers and glad tidings and do not create hatred." (Muslim)...the hadith hopefully can guide us in making tough decisions...

...self reminder I

"Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will do wrong; but accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil." [Tirmidhi 5129]...a good reminder for us all insyaAllah...

...life is interesting

here comes september...and syawal...the holy month of ramadhan will come again in about a year time...it is a month of reflection...the month where one test one's patience and regain one's belief and strength...life is interesting and full  of challenges...one needs to pull back the strength after feeling down...regain the passion after losing it...getting back the belief after a hopeless event...and it is normal to fall down after a success (for one to take it as a reminder)...and to regain the success after a big fall...and life goes on...

...having fun

...just like a little kid, i played in the rain last nite...it was still raining (quite heavily) when i finished my tarawih prayer at the mosque...but instead of waiting for the rain to stop i went thru the heavy rain with my motorbike (scooterbike actually)...the mosque was about 1.5km away from my house...so i was all wet when i reached home but i think i was having fun...then relaxing at home (after a quick shower) with a hot milo and a cigarette updating my blog...its cool (or maybe cold ha3)...kinda release the day tension...

...momentum

...somehow i've lost my momentum over the past few weeks...i'm just feeling empty and blank...i know i'm a fighter, just like my mum, and always ready to work things out but this time i felt like i've somehow lost my passion and believe...this battle is not even worth a fight...i’ve tried hard, in fact very hard but i’ve lost the enjoyment of doing what i love to do...it's gonna be difficult but i believe i really need a break to regain my strength...to get back my passion and peace for me to enjoy my life and my academic work again...i believe it’s not worth the sacrifice anymore but looking back I’ve learned a lot during the whole journey as a Dean…i believe i now have better understanding about people, about management, and more importantly about life...may Allah bless us all

...forthrightness and truthfulness

...prof lord eatwell said we are too polite...i think i can agree with him...in fact (in most cases) that was our main weakness...which slow us down from moving forward and fast...we are so afraid to hurt other people's feeling even tho we know that is the right thing to do...i guess we need to change that...forthrightness and truthfulness are two important elements if we really want to move ahead...tho i also believe that sometimes, in a special occasion, it is better to be kind than to be right...at the end of the day one needs to look at the bigger picture to make a wise decision...then insyaAllah we can, together, realize our dreams...

...compromises

...had one of the toughest meeting on thursday...the issue of separation between college of business and graduate school of business...how both parties can complement each other (rather than competing) to help achieve the vision and mission of the university...it requires big compromises between the two parties...a bit of a sensitive issue...as both want to move forward...it is also hard to make people understand the fact that the criteria for TBS and RU is contradicted...hence requires a different business model...alhamdulillah tho the meeting was a bit tense sometimes...as we all agreed to say whatever we wanna say to solve the issue...it ended in a good faith...the next and bigger challenge is to convince the big boss...remember what Leo Moggie said "politic is about the management of compromises"...so i believe management is about the politic of compromises...so much to learn ha3

...GIGO

...last sunday, i attended the longest senate meeting ever which lasted about 8 hours...among the issues discussed was the quality of our students...quite a lengthy and head cracking discussion...lack of support, lack of monitoring system, lack of this and lack of that...funny because the answer is very simple...the main problem is the input...we take in garbage so we produce garbage...GIGO...after 27 years we need to change our model from quantity model to quality model...done

...time, trust and support

...to succeed, other than self-belief and a good team, one needs time, trust and support from the top, if you don't get that, don't waste your time...it is time to go and find a new challenge

...patience, passion and believe

...work is about patience, passion and believe...once we lose them it is about time for us to let go and change...and find a new challenge

...good friend

...its nearly 11pm...stopped by at mamak restaurant for teh tarik after tarawih prayer...not ready to sleep yet...so i read my student's PhD thesis...he's also my good friend...been in his 3rd year now but is still struggling with his proposal...it's never easy supervising your good friend...wish i could help him more...but PhD is about independent work...he's a brilliant guy with great ideas but having problem to put his great ideas in writing...but at least i read his proposal with a smile now...good work...have produced 3 PhDs so far...the fourth one is nearly completing his thesis...hope my good friend will be the lucky no. 5...

...my little girl

...today is the first day of fasting month...my little one is also fasting...she's 8 years old...she told me few times that she wanna break her fast...first during lunch time about 1pm...but her good friend (7 years old) is still fasting and going strong...so she continues with her fast...second when its nearly 7pm...she looks very tired but then its nearly time to break fast...so she continues...sleeping helplessly on my lap...finally i can see her smiling again...7.38pm its time to break fast...good girl aneesa...i know you can do it...

...Ya Allah Ya Rahman Ya Rahim

..."In (or with) the name of Allah, who is Beneficent and Merciful"...let us all find peace in the holy month of Ramadhan...may Allah shower His blessing on us all...insyaAllah

...peace

...sometimes one can find peace in a simpler life...went back to kelantan late thursday afternoon...with just one mission...to meet my mum...and enjoy 'nasi kerabu', 'nasi dagang' and 'nasi berlauk' together...plus 'budu', 'petai' and 'ikan tawar'...2 meaningful days at 'kampung'...nothing better than meeting and chatting with my aging mum...nothing but peace...really worth the 6 hours drive...

...presentation without a title

...last sunday i was invited by a friend to deliver a lecture...he is the rector of a private college in Banten Indonesia...i was actually very tired...attending event in Singapore on friday, followed by another 3 events in Jakarta on saturday...morning till midnight...weeks before i travelled to 3 continents north america, europe and the middle east...so i don't have time to prepare for the lecture...i have postponed the lecture several times...so not to dissapoint him again, i said ok let's do it...he wanted me to discuss about the issue of ACFTA (ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement) and its impact on SMEs...hmmm economy is not really my area but i did read few articles/books about ACFTA and SMEs...so i gave my lecture without presentation slides and a fully prepared mind..."A Presentation Without A Title"...that's the title of my presentation ha3...i talked about anything that came across my mind ACFTA, SMEs, Innovation etc...the lecture started from ASEAN to china, middle east, korea/japan and israel...bla bla bla...in front of about 200 participants...anyway, there's no hard and fast rules in life...it was a bit disorganized but the lecture lasted for about 45 minutes followed by another 45 minutes of Q&A session...and finally an interview with the local newspaper and TV station ha3...what a day...never in my life i gave a lecture with almost zero preparation...but again life is an experience...

...forget originality

...Denise Beeson and Scott Gerber gave 4 tips in his book 'Never Get a Real Job: How to Dump your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke'...here’s one of the tips…not all business work when you try to be ‘unique’...those that set out to revolutionise the wheel will be run over by it...stick to the basics and learn to be unoriginal in some ways to maximise profitability...hmmm another interesting business perspective...

...no mood

...feeling so tired and in no mood at all...but my day schedule is still busy as usual...moving office day 2 then entertaining different groups of people...my PhD students, faculty members, foreign visitors etc since morning with forced smile...signing letters, replying important emails and so many other things to do...

...Tony

..read Air Asia magazine on my flight from Penang to Singapore last friday...one that really caught my eyes was the success story of Air Asia Group CEO, Dato' Sri Tony Fernandez, the only Southeast Asian to make New York-based business magazine Fast Company's list of 2011's 100 Most Creative People in Business...speaking on the recognition, he said..."it speaks volume of the kind of organisation we're in where creativity, imagination, innovation and resourcefulness reign supreme...i am a dreamer and when you encourage other people to realise their dream too, you will find the creative spirit permeating and bursting in everyone"...dreaming and believing BIG...he's truly a great man...highly successful yet a very humble guy...

...the other side of the coin

...we often think we're right, which is good for our confident...but by being overly confident, we might miss the other side of the coin too...

...fun or crazy?

...fun or crazy...we organized a big event last Tuesday...we brought a prominent professor from London Business School to deliver a lecture in KL...we were expecting about 120 participants from GLCs, MNCs and government agencies...however, by Sunday morning only 60 had confirmed their attendance...goshhh...hence came the crisis meeting...and all the phone calls etc...very stressful...tho sometimes i felt a bit fun with all the pleading, persuading and forcing...my secretary definitely won't agree he3...she said that was crazy...remember my boss texted me make sure you get 120 and majoirty of them must be CEOs...by late Monday afternoon 5pm when we printed the final list the number had increased to 101 (what a nice nice number he3)...but to our surpise...another 20 turned up on the day...so altogether we had more than 120 participants...alhamdulillah our KPI reached...the speaker was happy, participants were happy, VIPs were also happy, basically everyone was pleased with the event...what a wonderful day...had a good teh tarik that night with my good old friends....trillion of thanks to all my colleagues who worked really hard over the past two weeks to make the event a success...especially to my secretary...she worked really hard...so much lessons to be learned from the event...thank you all...

...experience Part III

...remember when i was a young lecturer many2 years ago...i tend to disagree on many things...quite a bad habit if wanna call it bad...but the good side of it...i think...is that i would do my own research to prove that there are better ways of doing things...i would present and argue my proposal with the dean or head of department...it's ok if he or she doesn't want to buy the idea but at least i have done my part...which are not always right anyway he3...to me changing ideas is not like changing apples...if we change two different apples, everyone will still get one apple each...but if we exchange two different ideas, everyone will end up with two ideas each...that the beauty of intellectual argumentation...so when i become a dean myself i am hoping for someone to do the same...either senior professors or young lecturers...someone who would not only come forward to challenge my ideas but to come forward (and prepared) with alternative ideas...but after 2 years and 7 months...the hope still remains a hope...critics/comments/proposal hardly come by...tho i do heard of  'long distance' comments/critics...and that makes me feels sad a bit...probably it's my character...i'm not good at hiding my feeling...happy, sad, cool or angry...one of my former bosses used to tell me to smile a bit more he3...can you see i'm smiling now....smile...smile...smile...there you go...what a sweet nice smile ain't it?...cheers

...experience Part II

...having trouble sleeping again tonite...so here comes Part II...tomorrow vice chancellor, deputies and assistant vice chancellor are all out of campus, so i have to chair a meeting with delegates from Islamic Development Bank...then to catch an evening flight to KL for business and management discourse event on tuesday...an important event organized by our graduate school...a bit anxious as the number of participants have yet to reach the target...hoping for the last minute participation tomorrow to fill the remaining quota before printing the final list...big boss gonna get angry but my staff have done their best...so lets now pray and hope for the best...forget about that but talk about deanship instead...being a dean means loads of admin works...so has to forgo a bit of my academic works like research and publication...which are my passion before becoming a dean...sometimes i feel like a big mistake to renew my term...but at least i still have time to write a simple blog ha3...for own reading pleasure and reflection...or to release my tension ha3...now have to rely more on my PhD students and colleagues...really hate for not being able to full engage on my research works and publications as i used to...probably it is my turn to help others achieve their goals...

...experience Part I

...in my third year now as a Dean...experienced so many good and not so good things over the last two and a half years...sometimes you feel ok and enjoy your work while some other times you feel so bad and wanna quit...some people may like you while others may hate you...but that's life...just like a wheel...up-down, good-bad, happy-sad, love-hatred...we can't please everyone anyway...whether it is good or bad...it is still a valuable experience to be learned...just try our best...and leave the rest to the Al-Mighty...

...big boss oh big boss Part II

...having said what I had said about big boss...i also believe that big boss must have his/her own reasons for doing what he did...probably he/she wanted us to work harder or be more meticulous...everyone has his/her own way of doing things...let’s put ourselves in his/her own position...with so many things to take care...huge responsibility…especially in an organization with a big ambition...even a small mistake that break the chain can have a big impact to the whole process…so chill out…don't worry too much...that's only part of life...just get up stand up (Bob Marley song)...one must learn from mistakes to get better anyway...there you go i can see your big nice smile again...that's my boy he3...cheers

...change...again

...watched on TV tonite the announcement made by Minister of Education that he is going to revamp the Malaysian education system...again...hmmm...it means more money would be invested in this new project...but as an ordinary people i'm anxiously waiting for the changes...becos like many of my colleagues, i also believe that our current education system doesn't work really well...the way we teach and the way students learn need to be changed...let’s hope and pray that whatever the new system is gonna be, it will be for the better...and it will sustain longer than the teaching of Science and Maths in English which has sadly lasted only for a few years...to become an innovative nation, Malaysia needs to produce innovative students who can challenge the normal way of doing things...we need to develop a system that would inculcate the culture of debriefing...one's ability to debrief oneself and also to debrief others...a systems that not only teach about what is right and what is wrong (memorizing) but more on the lessons to learn from what is right and what is wrong and how to do things better (critical thinking)...and whatever system that we adopt, we should focus on the substance rather than the form...providing facilities (form) alone without proper substance (proper teacher training and attitude towards teaching (teacher) and learning (student)) won't help achieve the education agenda...i guess many remember the failure of our smart schools system...tho i'm not sure about the success of our cluster schools system...similarly, announcing Malaysian Top Business Schools also don't make them top B-Schools in a true sense...so let’s be honest and put our political agenda behind...we should work in concert for the benefit of our nation...

...big boss oh big boss

...i guess it must be nice to be a big boss...that's what many people said...no matter what the big boss is always right...so if you are not a big boss...be ready to take the blames...kinda like yes boss you are errr right...we shoud have done better...

...another lesson

...life is an experience...another lesson learned today...in work politics we have two choices...to work hard to help achieve our organization's goals...or to just play safe...kinda like only do things that would please your big boss...and be really nice to him...which is often the most preferred choice among us (tho many won't admit that)...just look around us...in a meeting/discussion...people are often very sensitive to comments/criticisms...so instead of having good and fruitful arguments we say almost nothing probably not to hurt other people's feeling (or we simply don't have ideas)...many won't dare to challenge their bosses...let alone being pro-active or trying to do things differently...why? the answer is simple....the more innovative you are the more vulnerable you are to make mistakes...which to me is good because people learn from new mistakes (as long as we don't repeat the same mistakes) to find new ways and move to the next higher level...but the problem with us human is that we tend to remember the bad more than the good deeds...the same goes to our bosses...while you'll be praised when you achieve something (people will easily forget that anyway)...but being innovative, creative, inventive can sometimes be a sin too...others who do nothing are safer...so make your choice...God bless us all

...go far, stay long, see deep Part II

...watched ustaz Kazim's video from YouTube...he is my wife's favourite ustaz...his speech (ceramah) is very interesting...funny but full of lessons to be learned...very interesting...in one of his videos, he talked about rumours...and how easy for us to believe what others said about something or someone...and how easy we made conclusion based on just hearsays...he said during prophet Muhamad's (pbuh) time there was a man named Abdullah Salam...a well respected Jewish at that time...when he heard rumours about prophet Muhamad (pbuh) (many especially Jewish refused to accept Muhamad as a prophet but claimed him to be a magician)...Abdullah went to meet him and asked Muhamad (pbuh) several questions to test/prove his prophecies...(it is said to be the Jewish tradition to be curious...and curiosity encourage them to do research and debate on many issues...before making conclusion/decision)...Abdullah later converted to Islam when he was satisfied with all the answers provided by Muhamad (pbuh)...the story is similar to the concept of 'go far, stay long, and see deep'...'listen, watch (see yourself), then ask before you believe'...

...Part III Input vs Output Based Performance

...performances among OIC member countries are said to be measured mostly based on inputs rather than outputs...huge investments on infrastructure like buildings, motorways, telecommunications etc...and other quick wins like Dubai Internet City/Industrial City/Knowledge Village etc...not to forget partnerships with several renowned academic institutions...are all brilliant efforts...and reflect modernity...but the main problem is those initiatives are mostly dependent on foreign professionals/experts...in Malaysia we have Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)...a brilliant project initiated by Tun Mahathir in 1996 have attracted many top foreign companies...tho probably better than DIC in nurturing local experts but anecdotal evidence shows that many MSC companies are still struggling to get local experts into the high-tech job markets and have to rely on experts from India and China...without a systematic and comprehensive local intellectual development plus a proper transfer of knowledge...the growth is not going to sustain in the longer term...just a quick thot for us all...cheers

...Part II Oil & Innovation

...i'm not an economist but read the figures with interest...19 of 57 OIC countries are blessed with rich natural resources...however, income from oil & gas is argued to have little direct impact on the development of local economies...oil-rich Arab countries are said to be spending their big money on imports from the West, investment overseas and military arms...which did not contribute to the building of a high growth entrepreneurial/innovation economy...for comparison, OIC countries (57 in total) spent only 1.8% of the World Total Gross Domestic Expenditures on R&D compared to EU (23.5%), US (33.5%) and Japan (13.4%)...the no. of researchers/scientists in OIC countries is also lowest with 649 researchers per million people compared to the world average (2532), EU (6494), Russia (5634), Korea (8700) and Japan (9061)...except Jordan and Tunisia, others are below the world average...and Malaysia (<1000)...of the 1.85 million patents filed worldwide in 2008, less than 1% are filed in the OIC countries...alhamdulillah Malaysia comes second after Turkey...similarly, the 63,000 'combined' no. of published articles in the scientific journals by OIC members in 2009 is much lower than individual countries like US, China, Germany, Japan and England...and 70% of those are published/dominated by only 5 countries like Turkey (1), Iran (2), Egypt (3), Malaysia (4) and Pakistan (5)...how about others?...for high-tech exports OIC contribute only 4.3% of world total compared to US (13.1%), EU (33.3%), China (19.3%), Korea (6.3%) and Japan (7.0%)...alhamdulillah Malaysia again is the biggest high-tech exporter 86.5% of OIC total (but need to remember that we are still depending on foreign companies like Intel investing in Malaysia to achieve that)...the figures reflect the lack of innovation among the OIC members...

...OIC Part I

...read interesting facts & figures about OIC and world R&D...57 OIC countries account 1/6 of the world area and more than 1/5 of the world populations...members countries represent high levels of heterogeneity and divergence in terms of economic structure and performance...22 of world's 49 least developed countries are OIC members (mostly agricultural-based)...28 middle income and 7 high income countries...total output/income & trade of OIC members are heavily concentrated in a few countries...10 (mostly oil-rich) countries contributed 71% of the total GDP and 73.5% of the total merchandise exports of OIC member countries...19 fuel-exporting countries depend mainly on the production and export of oil & gas for their growth and development...which put a question the prospect growth and sustainability of the countries in the long run (considering the low investment on economic and human development R&D)...imagine 30 or 50 years ahead when oil/gas is no longer important commodities...

...go far, stay long, see deep

...flew to Jordan on Friday, July 8th...another long boring flight...about 10 hours including 45 minutes on-board transit at Bangkok...i slept half of the way and spent another half reading book 'The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle'...the 3rd chapter starts with a very interesting quote 'go far, stay long, see deep'...kinda like a secret to become innovative...if we go farther, stay longer and see deeper, we'll understand the true meaning of 'observation'...a pre-requisite to become innovative, creative and inventive...together with the right motive or purpose or objective or whatever you wanna call it...now back to the purpose of my trip to Jordan...leaving my family again wasn't easy...but i have very important jobs to do...to give a 30-minute presentation about the idea of World Association of Islamic Business Schools...then to chair a meeting with Business Schools' deans/representatives from several OIC countries...and to speak about the idea at the press conference...that's the plan...so despite the jet lag, i spent several hours the night before the conference preparing my speech and organizing my mind for the important meeting...unfortunately...in fact very unfortunately...the event was poorly organized...chaotic...useless...felt really sick with the organizer who sense no feeling of guilt at all...i believe the motive/intention (nawaitu) was wrong from the beginning...hence the irresponsible/leisure attitude...what a waste...

...early morning

...haven't had a day break since coming back from oversea's trip...my jetlag problem has yet to go...yet july is so tight with so many big events and activities...regional trips...moving to the new office etc...and not to forget reports for my US and UK trip and actions to be taken...so here i am in the middle of the night 2am writing a blog...and sending/replying emails...i just can't sleep when my brain is active...a bit worry with my BP...on medication now but still sometimes feel the pressure...hopefully can take a good rest with my family (physically and spiritually) during Ramadhan...God bless us all

...another good book to read

...received a copy of a book from a friend in India yesterday...Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle...quickly browsed through the table of contents...the book is divided into 4 parts but Part II Seeding a Culture of Innovation caught my first attention...already finished reading 2 of the 3 chapters in Part II...found the book very interesting...to learn how the Jewish community worldwide unite and work closely despite differences in their cultural, socioeconomic and religious (modern, orthodox, ultra) backgrounds...i believe everyone should read the book...cheers

...Heaven and Hell

...my friend shared a story about his boy...an interesting one...one day the boy complained about his ustaz who always talked about the scary death and hell...you know kinda like if you do this you'll go to hell...if you do that you'll go to hell...i believe the ustaz had all good reasons for doing that...like reminding his students the repercussion of being bad...however, some children might look at it from a different perspective...the boy said i'm only 8 and the ustaz already talking about death and hell...why can't he talk about live and heaven instead?...hmm i guess he's right too...why don't we parents and teachers teach our children and students all the good things to do...if you do this you'll go to heaven...if you do that you'll to heaven...kinda like motivating them to do good deeds rather than telling them to avoid all the bad things becos the hell fire is waiting for them...tho occasional reminders might do good as well...by doing that I believe our children will remember more good things than the bad ones...which i believe would create a more positive attitude among them...kids are always kids...like Denise the Menace...psychologically, the more we tell them not to do it...the more they will try to do it...it's fun to them...just a thot...cheers

...East and West

...remember chatting with my colleagues differences between teaching and learning approaches in the West and East. Western education emphasizes more on active learning that involves students’ active participation in class and group discussions...students are often given more freedom to express their creativity...they are not afraid to be different or make mistakes...most teachers look at students' mistakes positively as the way to learn...they also love to give compliments...given when students score well in their tests...even when they didn’t do so well in their studies, teachers still give their compliments...but as a way of encouragement...in contrast, Eastern education adopts a more passive learning approach...first students have tons of school rules to follow...then plenty of homework to do after school...students are often criticized whenever they fail to achieve the expected results...hmm two different philosophy…most teachers in the East believe criticizing serves as a motivator to the students to work hard...remember my daughter told me one day after school…she said her teacher threatened to throw her out of the class window when she disagreed about the subject discussed in class (her 3 years experience in the UK made her a bit vocal)…why the teacher was so angry? she asked me...i'm just trying to give my opinion...so what shud i do abah? i guess i'll just keep quiet next time...otherwise she'll throw me out of the window he3...don't get me wrong but like the Western approach, i also believe criticisms would lower down students’ motivation and discourage creativity...remember one of my professors in UKM used to tell us...A is for God, B is for me, so the best grade you'll get is C...but of course he's only kidding...cheers

...rest or work

...feeling very tired after more than 2 weeks travelled...really need a break...at least for one day...but there are two important events at work tomorrow which need my participation...so to relax or go to work...office or home...hmmm let me sleep first...and see what happen tomorrow...zzzz

...everyone is important

...finally, after 17 days, I safely landed at KLIA airport around 6pm and Alor Setar airport at 8.50pm...what a joy to see my wife and kids are all waiting at the airport with their big smile...it was a long flight from London, about 12 hours...spent half of the time sleeping and probably snoring and another half reading book which I bought earlier at the KLIA airport on our route to New York and finish it by the time I landed back at KLIA...would like to share one funny thing that happened while we're waiting for our flight at the Heathrow airport...the flight was a little bit delayed and we're all smiling when we heard the announcement...'ladies and gentlemen, our flight will be delayed for about half an hour due to the late arrival of our cleaners, we apologize for any inconvenience caused'...ha3...pilots, stewards and passengers were all ready but cannot board the plane becos the clearners haven't finish their cleaning job...why? simple...they arrived late...it shows that even the lowest level of staff like the cleaners are important to the whole business chains...everyone shares equal responsibility to the whole process...

...Home Sweet Home

...2 more days to go...just can't wait to go back to Malaysia...really missed my family now...have a good meeting with the Management School, University of York today...a small but very impressive school with brilliant modern architecture...University of York is one of the World's top 100 Universities...also the recipient of the UK University of the Year Award in 2010...unlike yesterday, the weather is a bit cold today, around 12 degree...the university management was very receptive to our visit which made our discussions lively and fruitful...stopped by at Junction 32 on the way back to Leeds, one of the famous factory outlets in the UK...just bought 2 NEXT shirts for my daughters which costs just 5 pounds each and a couple of fridge magnets...not much money left now which explains my low appetite for shopping  ha3...will leave Leeds tomorrow early morning for a 5+ hours’ drive to London before flying back to Malaysia on Friday...yehaa

...business model

...had the opportunity to meet and discuss with professors from several renowned institutions...those in the Top 25 World Top B-Schools...these schools adopt different business models and approaches...industry-led versus research led...comprehensive versus specialized...but they are all World Top B-Schools...Institute for Management Development, for example, is very specialized and industry-oriented, offering only MBA, EMBA and Executive Programs...London School of Economic, in contrast, is more comprehensive and very academic-oriented, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate programs...similar to IMD, London Business School offers only postgraduate programs but is more balanced in its orientation, mixing industry and academic...Harvard Business School is very guided in its teaching and learning approach while Judge Business School, Cambridge adopts a more independent approach...so which model is the best?...or have we ever think about those different models and approaches? hmmm...confuse?...one thing in common is they all have the best faculty members...producing high quality researches and case studies...thus high quality teaching...which attracts best students from all over the World...so form is not that important...what matters more is the substance...today's food for thought...cheers

...talking vs listening

...a bit stressful today after having 4 meetings/discussions with different groups from 9am to 5.30pm...it’s pretty cold outside but very warm inside...thus feeling a bit uncomfortable in my lounge suit...anyway learned a very good lesson today...observed from the meetings that there are people who just can't stop talking...instead of listen and talk only when they need to, they just can't resist the temptation to talk and talk and talk...worst they like to chip in when others are talking...that can be very irritating and seems rude to me...even when they stop talking, they don't actually listen to others but busy thinking of what they gonna say next...at the end of the meeting, they often had no idea of what were discussed...funny right?

...House of Lord

...drove to Leeds after finishing event at Manchester...about an hour drive north...arrived and checked in at Ibis hotel around 6pm...a small and cheap but nice hotel...its 9pm now and i'm feeling so sleepy...but can't sleep yet as Maghreb only comes at 9.30pm...so takes time to update my blog...tomorrow afternoon Prof Lord Eatwell invited me for tea at the House of Lord (somewhere in the building below)...he is a member of the House of Lord's Economic Affairs Committee...also the President of Queens College and Director of the Centre for Financial Analysis and Policy, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge...hmmm having tea with a Lord and Prominent Professor at the House of Lord...what a rare opportunity to miss but I have to accompany VC to a meeting with University of Leeds tomorrow morning and University of York day after tomorrow...huhu

...London Business School

...had a 2-hour meeting with Prof Rajesh Chandy at London Business School before heading to Manchester...LBS was ranked as World no. 1 for Top 100 B-Schools by Financial Times...since 2009 for EMBA and 2011 for Global MBA...beating Wharton (ranked 2^nd) and Harvard Business School (ranked 3^rd)...i was so delighted to meet and discuss b-school issues with a prominent (yet humble...but very confident) professor from a renowned institution like him…a chance not to be missed...we had a tour and a lunch at the campus…small but very impressive one…the layout and facilities are just superb…over 1000 MBA but only 15 PhD students...wonder why...LBS only takes the best students and it gives scholarships to the successful candidates...but it is very competitive, over 500 applicants competing for 15 places every year… when asked about MBA program, Prof Rajesh said...'we offer the same subjects like other b-schools but what makes LBS no. 1 is the quality of our faculty members...and our students’...and it comes at a high price…high salary and high fees…hmmm...probably OYA can start with no. 100 or 99 first...

...teh tarik and nasi lemak

...arrived London 24th morning after 1.5 hour flight Buffalo-Newark and another 6 hours Newark-London...everything looks different now...more traditional buildings, smaller roads and cars...and different English accent...gotta maintain my Kelantalish accent anyway...funny...same people (size and color) different taste...hmm but one (actually two) things similar...the crazy summer sale...and of course those sexy blonde babes...stay at the Malaysian Hall for easy food...unfortunately the hot shower is not working...yes it's the beginning of summer but the water is still freezing cold...go straight to the restaurant at the basement after a quick shower ...puhh finally teh tarik, roti canai and nasi lemak after almost 10 days......followed by a quick window shopping a few blocks behind...gotta go to Manchester tomorrow...need a good deep sleep...zzzz

...working holiday

working holiday hmm...WORKING yes but holiday...not really ...the schedule is a bit tight...first discussion with Vice President of Keuka College...then attended ASAIHL board meeting...followed by a formal meeting with Keuka President, VPs and Board of Trustees...yesterday another 2.5 hours meeting with University of Colorado Denver...and all those networking...and jet lag...pretty tough...missed dinner last night...glad meetings with Prof Eric Harvard Business School and Prof Christensen Kellog School of Management were cancelled...otherwise i've to fly to Boston/Illinois and back to Buffalo before flying to London tomorrow...puhhh another long flight...gonna meet VC at London before meeting with Prof Rajesh at London Business School 25th...MPA Conf at Manchester 27th...then York 28th...followed by Leeds 29th...finally meeting with Prof Eatwell at the House of Lord London 30th...before flying home July 1st...a bit worry about dearest wife back home, she's not feeling well...and really needs her hensem hubby to comfort her...and my kids too...just can't wait to be home...wish can find the american superhero superman to fly me home for a day...(with my eyes shut cos he's wearing underpants outside)...

...management of compromises

...represented VC to the ASAIHL board meeting yesterday...10 members from 8 ASEAN countries and the President of Keuka College NY attended the meeting...it was a short but quite a heated meeting which lasted about an hour...anyway i always like lively meeting...they're all either university rectors or vice chancellors or presidents...except me Dean of Graduate School...and the only one without grey hair...yet...ha3...one group would like to make changes to the association charter but another group opposed to the idea...bla bla bla hmm not an easy discussion as they're all leaders with own ego...then remember what Leo Moggie said "politic is about the management of compromises"...the most vocal member (despite struggling with his English) was the President of Vietnam National University...he later became a good friend of mine who called me chicken... but not a tame one tho ha3...he thought i'm in the mid 30's...

...good wishes

i can't really sleep last night...just hate sleeping alone...really need the magic comfy pillow next to me...few hours sleep makes me feel a little bit dozy this morning...first check my email...goshh hundreds of them...really hate deleting unwanted emails...then spotted one from my wife...she said go my blog...hahah farther's day wishes from my kids...along, afiq, tasya and adik...tenkiu guys tenkiu...nothing makes me feel better than good lovely wishes from my kids...luv ya

economic necessity vs economic luxury...

factory outlet is just about 4 miles from the hotel...hmm lets go spend few hours and see what it offers...the initial idea was just 'window shopping'...so we hopped in the taxi and paid $15 for the short trip...there're hundreds of branded shops there...you just name it and all offered pretty good discounts...50%, 60% even 70%...what more some shops offered up to additional 50% off...that’s just irresistible...my brain somehow lost its sense now...do you really need the stuff? the answer is no...but then comes another irresistible question...it's so cheap you know, about half the price in Malaysia...you gonna regret it if you don't buy...its ok just buy for the kids and dearest wife...lucky i don't have a girlfriend (shhh i said that in a whisper, don't tell my wife )...but that's not fair! how about me?...i need something too...hahah don’t worry you can use the plastic money  jeng3…yeah you’re right brilliant…pity the brain…confused and simply can't resist the attractive offer...so the idea of window shopping slowly disappeared he3...and i ended up few hundred dollars poorer…

...the falls

...we arrived Niagara Falls 2 days earlier than the conference...so enough time to ease the jet lag and wandering around...the falls is just about 10 minutes walks from the hotel…we cruise our first day on the falls tour boat…you can feel the roar as you approach the base of the falls and wonder at its power...amazing...a real breathtaking view...I was here 16 years ago but it was winter time…so can’t really appreciate the falls…there’s no boat as the water froze…we walked to the falls again at 9pm to watch the spectacular rainbow show…they shot colourful lamps (rainbow colours) to the falls and it turned out to be so beautiful…then comes fireworks at 10pm…the best fireworks I’ve ever seen…now it worth the 24 hours flight…it is just the beginning of summer time here…Maghreb comes at 8.57pm and Fajr at 3.49am (sunrise 5.36am)…salam

...News from Buffalo

...imagine if someone ask you to sit on a chair (…not a comfortable one) for 24 hours...and you are allowed to stretch your legs only a little bit...must be stressful…that’s what i felt today…departed KLIA at 2am...and arrived Buffalo not 24 but 32 hours after, including 4 hours transit in Dubai and another 3 hours in New York...what a long journey...very tiring...and I already miss my family…to my kids be good to each other and importantly be nice to your mum…luv ya all

...message

...someone sent me this message:

Menghibur hati ertinya…

Tidak membiarkan hati merana, berduka,
& bersedih dgn masalah2 Duniawi ,
yg takkan selesai hingga akhir hayat nanti...

others said:
...learn to let go
...let it be sometimes
...you're doing ok
...so don't worry be happy (love Bob Marley)

thank you all...

...after 16 years

...went to the clinic today to check my BP...alhamdulillah the pressure has gone down...it's a big relief as i'm flying to New York tonite...after 16 years here i am back to the US...will be there for a week before flying to London for another week...gonna miss my dearest wife and kids for 2 weeks...the schedule is a bit hectic but i guess it's a good opportunity for me to relax a bit and enjoy the trip after 2.5 years of hard work as a Dean...was reappointed yesterday for another year...which means another year of hard work...hmmm let me enjoy the trip first...plan to rent Ford Mustang GT for a few days to enjoy the adrenalin of a 5000 cc V8 muscle car with 402 bhp and 377 torque...or 6.2L V8 Chevrolet Corvettee with 430bhp would be just fine...cool

...speaking from my heart

...i've asked my staff to arrange a talk session with all PhD students yesterday...the announcement was made about 2 weeks ago and many students have confirmed their attendance...but i just came back from my medical leave and no time to prepare the slides for my presentation...so a bit of a dilemma whether to proceed or to cancel...i didn't want to dissapoint the students...so i ended speaking from my heart...it was a spontaneous presentation...said anything that came across my mind...yeah it was a bit disorganized but i guess speaking from our heart are sometimes more meaningful...hope so

is it worth the sacrifice?

...we've set the target to become not only the top b-school in Malaysia but one of the World top 100 by 2015...it's quite an ambitious dream...but I’m confident we can do it...so we all work very hard since beginning of the year...all the planning, execution and changes to the way we run our school really suck up my energy...i ignored the headache and back pain i felt over the last few weeks just to make sure everything runs as planned...suddenly i felt unusual headache last Thursday...and i just can't standing proper...went to the clinic to find out that my BP has shot up pretty high...took rest on Friday and Saturday to ease the BP...went to clinic again on Sunday to do full medical check-up...BP still didn't go down....worse ECG result showed weird pattern...gosh this is serious....consulted heart specialist...Alhamdulillah no blocking but the heart muscle is thicker than the normal size...was advised to take few days break...so i switched off the phone and went back to Kelantan....just relax...it is not worth the sacrifice...remember one of my colleagues told me few weeks ago...'be selfish sometimes...don't work too hard...you must learn to let go'...hmm i guess I have to follow his advice...

they love justin...

...my daughters, three of them, like many other girls, are crazy about Justin Bieber...especially my second daughter...everything is about Justin, he's cute, he's cool, he's smart bla bla bla...i guess that's normal...i have my own idol when i was a kid...she's a girl of course...wanna know who? nehh...i'm not gonna tell ya...that's my secret ha3..but i can tell she's very very beautiful...forget about it...one day my daughters asked me to buy them a book...book about Justin Bieber of course...i said no at first becos the book wasn't cheap...but they were just lucky...the shop offered 30% discount that day...so i bought one...lucky them...but my youngest daughter doesn't understand English...pity her...so she just admired the pictures...getting bored...one day she asked me to read and translate her the book...i was a bit surprised becos the book wasn't just about music or glamour...there are many good lessons too...about BIG dream...hard work...perseverance...friendship...team work...and many more but i really like this one...Justin wrote: "Grandpa told me...you can lose without feeling like a loser. If you take the experience and learn from it, you're still coming out ahead of where you were before..."...good one Justin...

feeling down...

...i always fight and work hard all my life......my mum is a fighter too...raising up her children (4 boys and a girl) alone was never easy...but we, as a family, did ok and continue to survive...thank you mum...(my dad was a great guy too but God loves him more, so He took him away from us when i was 13)...my school and university days were not easy too but i survived and did well...later as an academic, i used to lead four research projects and write seven articles at the same time...it was very hard but i still did it...my wife said i'm a workaholic...yes she's right...and i know she hates me too (i love her anyway) for working so hard day and night...but i never work for rewards, i just love what i do...i know i can do it no matter how hard it would be...i just need to fight myself......i took up many different challenges in my life and survived...but now i feel so down and hopeless...it is a feeling i've never felt in my whole life...i just fail to do what i wanna do...what i believe...but what makes me feels really sad is the fact that i know, together, we can actually do it...we just need to believe and work hard...personally i've tried my best but i just can't do it...i simply can't do it alone...i need people, together, to share the same belief...to sacrifice and to work as hard....like what my buddy said..."we should learn from our five fingers in one hand, they're different in sizes but together they can achieve a mutual mission of punching somebody!"...gedebushhh gotcha....sayonara...i need a break now...see ya again

when everything goes wrong...

...have you ever had a day when everything goes wrong?...i had a back pain and a big headache since early morning...even panadol couldn't reduce the pain this time...then the first thing i had to deal with when arrived my office was...a student waiting for me to help him solve his problem or problems to be exact...pity me...followed by a short meeting at 10am...then came another head cracking case which i need to solve before heading for lunch and a couple more panadols...office engine also didn't work well...my officers are on leave...leaving behind so many backlogs...goshh...i wish i could fire them all...headed for another meeting at 2pm...the first person to arrive...but the secretariat only arrived (slowly one by one he3) at 2.20pm to find out that the meeting room was still locked...finding key took another 10 minutes...then all the preparations for the meeting...the setting up of the wifi & presentation slides took another 15 minutes...arghhhh....just can take it anymore...as always, i left the meeting early...but of course after i've said what i wanna say he3...they must hated me for being so blunt (sorry i was just telling the truth)...but i can be kind too...so i guess that would make up my bluntness...stopped by at the petrol station on my way home...somehow the petrol card didn't work...had to go to the counter and que which was ok...then went to pay my bills...but this time i had to deal with a dumb cashier...i've mistakenly gave him RM200 for the RM78 bills...and he assumed i wanted to make extra/advance payment (without asking me)...so no balance back...it was my mistake not his...gerrr...really not my day...try to keep cool but i just can't...arghhh...thank God its night time now...night time is always reflection time...time to smile of the good things i did and of course to regret of the bad things i did/said...please forgive me if i hurt you guys...it was just one of my bad days...remember reading books written by sheldon kopp...the theme was about whatever your situation, good or bad, things are about to change. if things are so bad, then wait...pause...take a break to stop that momentum...it will get better. if things are so good and you think you have finally made it through the bad stuff, then wait too. things may fall apart once more...so it is just one of the days...like a wheel...ain't it...good night guys...