Monday, December 21, 2009

Failure - Introduction

----------Failure. The word itself is so profound but different people see failure in a completely different perspective. Very often, failure is associated with defeat, the inability to rise from a deep fall and the complete humiliation that comes from it. This group of people perceive failure negatively in such a way that failure is the doomsday. The encounter with failure ends with total destruction of lives and even their future. To them, failure is not just an obstacle. It is more than a just a stumbling block, it is more than just a hindrance, it is the boundary between life and death. Furthermore, their obsession with failure has led them nowhere and they are forever trapped inside their world where failure rules over their mind. For some people, failure is nothing but just a life's norm. This group sees failure in a different manner. To them, failure is a part of their lives but they tend to be ignorant and treat it lightly because they fail to grab the real meaning of failure. Hence, their lives are monotonous and dull. On the other hand, only some minorities in the society define failure to be the beginning of every life's event. To them, failure is common in life. Everytime they stumble upon failure, they have to comprehend the meaning behind its existence in that particular event, the causes and effects that it brings. Failing to comprehend every aspect of failure will eventually lead to ignorance. Nonetheless, the definition of failure is not limited and it varies from one individual to another. Where people go, success and failure clash but only one will emerge victorious.

Gender Inequality - Academic Writing

In this era of gender inequality, women have transcended their passive self and have asserted their rights to enter all male dominant field including the army and navy. Take a position on this issue and argue whether woman should be involved in the army.

----------Looking seductive and elegant parading the streets and rocking the road with their high heels, they walk as equal amongst the male community. In today's society, women are no longer treated as a weaker species but they are given much more opportunities for education and employment than ever before. Women are no longer caged in the house performing dull house-chores and babysitting. Instead, they obtain their rightful freedom and venture out to the male dominated society competing against men only to be acknowledged as their counterparts. Their courage and actions are applaudable but their struggle to alter the society's mindset that men are always a status higher than women often meet a stumbling block. This essay argues on whether women should be involved in the military sector.

---------- Very often, women are perceived as being physically unfit and not built for military sector because the term military is always associated with physical endurance and strength. Back in history, the army and navy profession are strictly a male's job due to strict and tough training programme. For instance, jungle trekking, mountain climbing and sea rescue requires much more endurance than any women can handle. Although some people may disagree with this theory but the society has long stereotyped the military sector to be a male field. As a results, it continued to be until today. Imagine a women spending most of her time in the sea adapting to the rough sea condition and unpredictable weather, she who possessed female characteristics are much more vulnerable to dangers, physically and mentally compared to men. Thus, there is no doubt that women are less suitable to enrol themselves in the military sector because they are not as capable as men.

----------Other than that, women are also being labeled emotionally unfit because of their inability to control and suppress their emotions, which made them weaker and vulnerable. On the battlefield, death are unavoidable. There will always be the wounded, the blind, the paralyzed and the ones incapable of even performing simply task of eating and drinking. Too frequent exposure to this environment will undoubtedly leave a scar in their mind as the situation is psychologically disturbing. Without doubt, it greatly affects one's emotions whether man or woman. Nevertheless, men are capable of suppressing their feelings and this is what earned their positions in the military and at the front line of the battlefield. Although many claims that women have better self-control but it is always the case where women shed tears for failing to control their emotions. It can be concluded that men are slightly better than women in concealing their emotions during hardships and that women are emotionally unfit to be in the military. Hence, being physically and emotionally fit, men are always one step ahead of women in these fields though to some extent, women sometimes lead the path of glory.

----------Unlike men who always emphasized of strength and physical endurance, women are more delicate and committed to their jobs. From a research, it is known that women have greater finger agility than men. By blending women into the military sector, the can opt for medical positions such a doctors, medics and nurses. Instead of carrying the role as fighter, they tend the wounded, playing the healing role. Furthermore, it is believed that the presence of opposite gender in the battlefield indirectly increases the army's morale. Until today, the reasons have yet to be discovered. Therefore, women should be given a chance to participate in the military sector and should be cleared from the discrimination of not being able to contribute to the country and people. Though physically and emotionally unfit, women are much more delicate and committed in their profession.

---------- In a nutshell, the participation of women into the military sector depends on the discretion of the society whether to abolish the traditional mindset of keeping women as housewives or by granting them freedom to choose their future. From my point of view, I believe that the battlefield is no place for women, and thus only men should be granted access to battlefield.

Your Cheating Heart

Have you ever been tempted to cheat on your partners or even your best friends? Have you ever think badly about them and feel that they are just mere tools that you could manipulate till the end? Have you ever lied intentionally to these people?

Although love constitutes a relationship, it never builds them. In fact, a relationship is build on trust. With love but without trust, a relationship fails to manifest. Very often, the urge and temptation to cheat and lie on your partners or best friends stem from your very own heart. Your self-control. Your inner desire. Whether to cheat or to be loyal, whether to manipulate them or to stand by their side, to be a honest person or a 'bad ass' is entirely your choice because you are in control of yourself. Remember that choices are always available in life.

Paraphrasing - Academic Writing

1. Of the more than 1000 cycling deaths each year, three fourth are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head."Bike Helmet: Unused Lifesavers"
Consumer Reports (May1990): 348.

According to Consumer Report (1990), deaths from cycling are accumulated to more than 1000 victims annually with 75 percent due to head injuries and 50 percent of those deceased are adolescent. The risk of injury to head can be lowered to almost 90 percent using head gear based on a research. The head gear is capable of cushioning the head and reduces the shock from a crash.
Bike Helmet: Unused Lifesavers. (1990). Consumer Report, 348.

2. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quests for the world's tallest building. The question is; just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

Ron Bachman (1990) argued that architects and scientists are always on the mission to build a building even taller than Sears Tower which is considered the finest architecture. But the limitations of the height of buildings remain unknown. A skyscraper almost one-half mile high and double the height of Sears tower has been modelled by William LeMessurier and Robert Sobel proposed that a 500-story building could be engineered with the current brainpower and machine.
Bachman, R. (1990). Reaching for the Sky. Dial, 15.

3. A key factor in explaining the sad state of American education can be found in over bureaucratization, which is seen in the compulsion to consolidate our public schools into massive factories and to increase to mammoth size our universities even in under populated states. The problem with bureaucracies is that they have to work hard and long to keep from substituting self-serving survival and growth for their original primary objective. Few succeed. Bureaucracies have no soul, no memory, no conscience. If there is a single stumbling block on the road to the future, it is the bureaucracy as we know it. Edward T. Hall, Beyond Culture, Anchor Publishing, 1977, p.219.

Edward T. Hall (1977) discussed that bureaucratization is the main factor of the degrading status of American education which combines the public institutions into enormous industrial units and to greatly expand the size of the tertiary institutions in less populated area. In bureaucratization, its primary objective is to work fruitlessly in order to survive. However, many failed because bureaucracies are cold and heartless. Bureaucracy is the only hindrance for future undertakings.
Hall, E.T. (1977). Beyond Culture. Anchor Publishing, p. 219.

How is smoking harmful?

----------Every puff of smoke a smoker inhales into his lungs, the higher the chances of getting lung cancer and many other related diseases, such as liver and kidney disorder and even the potential of developing benign tumour in the body cells. The smoke contains toxins and chemical substances, mainly carcinogens. Carcinogens are dangerous chemical because once inhaled into the body's immune system, it replenishes the cells giving it more energy and thus, increases one's metabolism rate. Beneficial at first, carcinogens do more good than harm. In long term, carcinogens pose dangerous risk of mutating normal cells into cancer cells, which will eventually destroy other healthy cells in the body. Thus, smoking should always be the last option because the effects are tremendously disastrous not only to smokers but people around them as well. The effects of smoking range from burning away money and killing other innocent non-smokers. However, smokers have different perception on smoking because they believe that the benefits of smoking far outweigh the harm it does, by providing a sense of relaxation and releasing stress.

----------Smoking is bad habit because it burns away the hard-earned money. Smokers tend to be addicted after having few smokes of cigarettes because of the presence of a chemical inside the ingredients of a cigarette. A study has shown that a normal person who smokes usually spend one fifth of his salary on cigarettes a month. In addition, many cases of broken families are also closely related to smoking issues. The amount spent on dozens of boxes of cigarettes to satisfy the addiction can actually be spend wisely on bringing up the family by supporting children to schools and colleges, provide proper food with proper nutrition, appropriate shelter and clothing. These basic needs should be fulfilled in a family before burning the hard-earned money by smoking which indirectly causes poverty and broken families in many societies. Thus, smoking is definitely a habit to be avoided because it burns away the hard-earned money.

----------On the other hand, smoking can be so dangerous that it is able to kill other non-smokers around them. Smokers inhale the smoke from the cigarettes and exhale another kind of smoke, called a second-hand smoke. When a smoker enters a particular vicinity and smokes, upon leaving the area, the smoker left behind a scent of smoke which is the second-hand smoke. Although second-hand smoke is not as dangerous as the original smoke inhaled by the smokers, it still poses similar dangers and effects to people who unintentionally exhale it. Lung cancer, kidney and liver disorder which initially are the diseases capable of infecting the smokers are now capable of infecting the non-smokers as well. Indirectly, non-smokers who come into contact with smokers pose greater risk of developing these deadly diseases. Moreover, the existence of third-hand smoke also increases the risk for non-smokers. Smoke attached to furniture, clothes, shirts and other fabric materials are known as third-hand smoke. Hence, the effect of smoking is too extreme because it is capable of taking the lives of even the non-smokers. Smoking brings more harms than benefits because of its disastrous nature but smokers have their stand against the harm that smoking causes and argued that it benefits them greatly.

----------Smokers have different views and ideas on smoking because they are the victims. To them, smoking provides a sense of relaxation and the means of releasing stress and tension. In the male dominated society, men tend to be the breadwinner of the family, carrying the burden of supporting every family member. Thus, they are constantly being exposed to stress and tension at workplace and even in their normal interactions in life. Without a proper means of releasing the build up negative energy, men resort to smoking as a means of getting rid of their problems. By smoking, they feel relaxed and at ease, living in their peaceful world free of problems. As time passed, smoking has turned into an addiction, a haven for men where they can have constant self control of themselves and also a tool to show their masculinity. In other words, smoking has sunk deep into their lives, becoming part of them. For smokers, a day without cigarettes to smoke is equivalent to living in hell because of the addiction. Hence, to smokers, smoking benefits them more than they could imagine by providing them a life free of stress and tension, filled with relaxation.

----------In a nutshell, smoking harms the smokers more than it could benefit them but smokers define smoking the other way round, it benefits them more than it harms them. The different perceptions come from the views of smoker and non-smokers. Smokers enjoy the feelings they obtained from smoking regardless of the consequences but non-smokers fear for their lives, fear of contracting the deadly diseases and fear of death. Therefore, it depends on the majority voice of the society and also the government on the degree of harmfulness of smoking. In my point of view, I believe smoking is harmful not only to humans but to the environment as well.

Can 1Malaysia concept take off in the society?

----------A unique country with diverse culture and races, Malaysia has strived to make its name known to the world. Having multiple of races under one roof such as Chinese, Indian, Muslim and other minority races prove Malaysia as a multicultural society whereby different ethnic groups can retain and practice their subcultures. It is therefore consistent with the environment of Malaysia that our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak introduced the concept of 1Malaysia. This concept brings together the society as a whole, forms them into a team regardless of their races and ethnicity to achieve one common objective. Though its implementation has yet to manifest, the concept of 1Malaysia is seen to bring about abundant benefits to the society, mainly foster national unity and enhances economic growth in the society. However, some minority groups have different perception on the concept and thus, refuse to acknowledge the benefits it brings. Instead they see the concept as empowering the influences of certain races.

----------Undoubtedly, by bringing the society together, 1Malaysia concept can foster national unity among the different races in Malaysia. Although there are still riots and demonstration on issues regarding races, the introduction of 1Malaysia concept has slowly altered the mind of many who stereotype their own race into a neutral zone, whereby they start to accept other races into their lives. In school, seeds of patriotism are being planted in younger generations by teaching of history, civics and social studies in their formal curriculum. Besides that, the concept of 1Malaysia also encourages participation of different races into non-academic activities, especially sports and recreation. Sports are the perfect tool to bring together many races, to cooperate together within a team, to achieve a single goal. On special occasions such as festivals, open house brings together many races to celebrate a festival regardless of races. For example, during Hari Raya AidilFitri, non-Muslim such as Indian and Chinese can be seen flocking the open house festival together with the Muslims to celebrate the joyful occasion. Thus, the concept of 1Malaysia has successfully foster national unity among majority of Malaysians even though there are still minorities that simply enjoy to go against the norm in the society. 1Malaysia can definitely foster national unity among many races in Malaysia.

----------Moreover, 1Malaysia concept can enhance economic growth. The aim of 1Malaysia is to bring the nation together to achieve a common goal. A few decades ago just after independence, Malaysians are still glued to their own races. The Malays plant paddy in the outskirt and kampung, the Chinese involves themselves in mining activities and some small business while the Indians are grouped together in rubber estates. Today with the implementation of 1Malaysia concept, no races are subjected to this discrimination of occupations. Everyone is equal and has similar rights in getting employment in various fields. Therefore, many races working together under a single company can definitely boost the growth and profits of the company. Similarly, many races working together in a single nation can boost the economic growth as they form a single entity. Hence, the Malaysian economic system can definitely outgrow itself to a higher standard with cooperation of multiple races.

----------Although the concept of 1Malaysia has bring about abundant benefits to society in terms of social unity and economic growth, it is still far from perfect as it empowers the influences of a particular race. In political field, there has been a stereotype to one race that holds power and authority. Even though other races are given the opportunity to engage in the political field as well as assisting in the government associations, there are only a small percentage of them. The concept of 1Malaysia that upholds the value of unity and cooperation among different races fails to manifest in the political field. Many corruptions and money laundry are being associated with these people of authority and most of them have similar race. Yet, no stern actions are being taken by the government immediately. In addition, the concept of 1Malaysia urges other races to accept the special rights and privileges own by one particular race in Malaysia. In this situation, the concept of 1Malaysia fails because in bringing the races together, members are to accept each others differences and special rights without any doubts, even if the particular race stands above other races by taking all the benefits from the government. Hence, 1Malaysia is far from reaching its goal as it empowers the influences of a particular race.

----------In a nutshell, the pros of 1Malaysia concept outweigh the cons. Although the concept excels in the social and economic factors, it fails to take into consideration the political factor. The concept is definitely worth applauding because it helps to generate a feeling of unity among the various races and indirectly enhances the country's economic sector to a wider horizon. Despite the benefits, harms tag along and it depends on the society to reach a consensus whether to accept 1Malaysia or to alienate it. As for me, I am definitely supporting the concept because I believe chances are created. Therefore, 1Malaysia concept should be given more time to reveal its true potential because it is rather early to reach a consensus.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Why do humans read ?

----------Words are powerful tools that can penetrate deep into one's soul and emotions. It is so powerful that even the writers are afraid of them. It can solve disputes but at the same time, create chaos and destruction in the society. Thus, writers around the world have put together pages and pages of printed words in books to convey their messages, ideas and imagination. With the availability of bookstores just around the corner of every neighborhood, youth and adults have the opportunity to stop by anytime to grab or buy a book for reading. Until today, reading has been the most popular pastime activities for youth, adults and even the older generation. Reading books improves our vocabulary bank, increases our knowledge on moral values and facts about the world, improve the nation and our language (This essay will talk about effects of reading).
----------Reading improves our vocabulary bank and language. There are various genres of books with diverse topics ranging from romance, horror, crime, thriller and others. These different genres offers different writing styles, good grammar usage and structures. For instance, romance books are much more detailed and complicated in explaining a situation involving emotions and feelings while horror books prove to be better in describing the detailed settings of a haunted scene. Furthermore, reading variety of genres of books widens our vocabulary and language usage as we tend to pick up interesting sentences and look up for difficult words in the dictionary. As a result, we are able to enhance our vocabulary bank. Hence, reading definitely helps our vocabulary bank to evolve to a higher standard.
----------Another benefits of reading is, it increases our knowledge on moral values and facts about the world. Non-fiction books on environment and current global issues help us to comprehend the devastating state of our world that has been polluted by chemicals and toxins from human activities. Besides environmental issues, there are also books concerning governmental organizations, biography of prestigious leaders and the latest technology on the road. These books contain facts about our physical and social world. Unlike non-fiction books, fiction books carve a deep impression in the reader's heart with profound moral values. Readers can utilize these moral values and adapt the lessons they have learned into their real lives. Reading never fails to leave good impression the hearts of every reader. Therefore, reading should be made a child's career because it increases our knowledge on moral values and crucial facts about the world.
----------On the other hand, reading improves the nation itself. If reading habit is instilled in children at a younger age, they will develop affections towards reading for years to come. As a result, it will increase the literacy rate in the country as majority citizens able to read. Economically, there will be drastic increase in book sales and publishing house with the ever increasing demand for more books. As more books are becoming available throughout, the tax on the imported books will greatly contribute to the government's revenue. Moreover, frequent reading will increase the concept of critical thinking and decision making which are vital in the competing society today. With the abundant benefits obtained solely from reading, it is no doubt that reading improves the nation.
----------In a nutshell, reading influences our lives by shaping it towards a better future. William Faulkner once said, "Read, read, read." Reading is enjoyable. At the end of the day, those who are not able to read will be outcast from the society because the greatest gift in life it the passion for reading.

The Dark Side of Human Beings

We are born under the light of heaven, where evils cannot penetrate our innocent souls. However, as we walk the the Earth, we begin to pollute ourselves with sinful and vehement acts. We turn selfish; we develop greed and lust; we kill; we rape; we torture. We loss ourselves in the midst of acquiring power and money. It totally blinded our eyes and souls.
And we walk without visual assistance only to be guided by our own emotions; constantly unstable and vulnerable to evil temptations. Everyday, we seek more power and money. The next day, next week or next year, it goes the same.
Power.
Money.
We could never grow tired of looking for more, even if it requires sacrifices, we willingly offer them regardless of whatever the conditions would be.
It never suffice.
It never will.
The souls are tainted. The once white cloth, has turned into the ugliest color, that not even light can pierce through the small little fabric. It devours it completely leaving no trace of existence.
Black.
The color of damnation.
The color of death.
The color of despair.
Our souls are tainted but there could still be hope for humanity.
No man has ever escape the temptations of devil.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Do you know ?

There are times when you feel the world is on your shoulder. Having to carry the burden by yourself, you feel rage and anger; those deep and dark emotions start to flow out from your inner being. Your once modest and calm personalities turn into devil-like. Your once sweet smile turns a complete sour. However, I just stood there knowing that no matter how evil you are, I will always stand by your side with the knowledge that 'there is still some good left inside you.' No matter how hard it is, I will guide you to the light, to the hope so you will return to your true self.