...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...