Volume of Interactions

Volume of Interactions tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2008-03-18:/voi//1 2009-09-17T01:31:28Z Movable Type Open Source 4.1 Plagiarism among Malaysian students tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1414 2009-09-17T00:48:07Z 2009-09-17T01:31:28Z

Aizuddin Danian pla⋅gia⋅rism

[pley-juh-riz-uh

m, -jee-uh-riz-] -noun

1.	the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

2.	something used and represented in this manner.

The whole hoolabaloo over plagiarism currently in the Malaysian news is really nothing new, except for the fact that the ones caught plagiarizing now are the teachers not the students. Well, these teachers were once students themselves; if they plagiarised as students, and got away with it, why wouldn't they do it again as teachers?

Back in 2003, a bunch of Malaysian students were caught plagiarizing while studying for an Australian university. Way back in 1996-2000 when i was in university, it was no different. Without getting too specific, i would pin the rate of plagiarism in my graduating class at about 60%; 6 out of every 10 students would cheat on their assignments, lifting whole chapters, paragraphs and ideas out of textbooks or other sources and try to pass them off as their own. Back then, when the Internet was still relatively young, a favourite method was to sift through the stacks of local nearby universities and dig for old theses and copy those; the idea was that lecturers in your university couldn't possibly know what students in other universities had written. It was a disgusting practice.

But, you know what, i find it hard to fault them for what they did. Because, if they didn't do it, they would have failed.

The root cause of the problem is not that students were cheating, that's just a symptom. The reason for the cheating was because very few had a mastery of the English language to think and write well enough to pass without cheating.

It was so obvious. I had a chance to read a classmate's assignment on Chaucer one day. It was excellently written, superb analysis, "original" ideas, and in perfect Queen's English. Impeccable even. The flow of the writing, the seamless movement from one idea to another, the grammar, the diction - outstanding. She was given an "A" for her efforts. I knew there was no way she wrote this herself.

How do i know? Because in her daily conversation, she could hardly string two English sentences together (the same reason why she NEVER volunteered to speak in class); during group sessions, when i would force her to speak by asking her questions directly, her grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation were poor; if you asked her to repeat some of the ideas she wrote by speaking it out loud (this i did, during group sessions), her expression of the same ideas she wrote so eloquently would be garbled and strung together in a bastard child of English and Bahasa Malaysia. Outside of class, she spoke Bahasa Malaysia with the thickest East Coast accent you can imagine, never a word of English. It's impossible she wrote that paper, and most likely any other English paper for which she graded well. During graduation, she was one of the top students from my class.

She had to cheat, because her English wasn't good enough to pass otherwise. Why was her English so poor? Because our secondary school system does very little to make sure that students like her are prepared to face a university system where, to do well, you not only need to be able to speak English passably well, you really do need to be able to think in English too.

Have things changed much today? Yes, they have but for the worse. Back in the day, UIA was one of the few local institutions that used English as the medium of education. Today, nearly all the local universities do. But have the students changed? No, they probably haven't.

My nieces and nephews can hardly put together 3 words in English without fumbling. They hardly watch English cartoons, preferring the Malay-dubbed Japanese shows. They don't read English books (which is the fault of their parents, not the education system). In fact, they don't really read much at all.

In 10 years time, these same kids are expected to go to university, AND be able to write 500 page theses in English. If it wasn't so tragic, it would be hilarious. OF COURSE THEY HAVE TO CHEAT. It's either that, or flunk out.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education both need to shoulder some of the blame of plagiarists in the system. The root of the problem lies with them. If you don't want people to cheat, you're going to have to equip them with the skills that will allow them to succeed without cheating.
]]> PhDs going to poor scholars nowadays? tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1413 2009-09-15T01:42:32Z 2009-09-15T02:00:53Z

Aizuddin Danian

The recent case of UPM lecturers being caught plagiarising articles they found on the Internet for their book on effective resume writing.

This is one of those cases where i was hoping that the act of stealing was intentional for the purpose of self-reward. But it seems that the excuse given shows that they didn't even know it was theft.

"The junior author, who recently completed her PhD, said that since the source was from the Internet, she thought the information was in the public domain and as such did not cite the article," he said (Prof Dr Nik Mustapha).

This is the sort of scholarly rules that they teach 1st year matriculation students, and is continuously drummed into university students throughout their career as students. Most universities even have courses dedicated to the method and style of academic writing.

And, still, the mistake was made, apparently with the belief that it wasn't wrong? And the university awarded this person a doctorate? If she thought that this was ok, imagine all the papers she has written so far as part of her studies -- who is to say she did not apply the same ignorance there. Shameful.]]> The validity of T Sivanesan's testimony tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1412 2009-09-10T02:20:37Z 2009-09-10T02:36:40Z

Aizuddin Danian

Malaysia was shocked with the testimony of T Sivanesan yesterday. He alleged that MACC officers tortured him during interrogation in 2008. He further claims that senior MACC officials are aware of this practice.

If true, the MACC loses all credibility, and its back to the drawing board for us Malaysian in search of an organization that will stamp out corruption in our country.

The relevance of his testimony was challenged yesterday by the lawyer representing the MACC, stating that what may have happened to T Sivanesan has nothing to do with the investigation of the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

What a silly man. By trying get the testimony expunged, it just makes the MACC look all the more guilty in the eyes of the common man (e.g. me).

Of course the testimony is relevant. If true, it indicates a pattern of behaviour stretching back at least a year; the MACC tortured Sivanesan, the same may have happened to Teoh Beng Hock possibly leading to his death. The testimony, if true, proves that the MACC officers who have given their testimony to date have committed perjury by claiming that witnesses are never tortured or put under duress.

Its become clear now, regardless of what happens, what is decided by the inquest to be the truth or not in the days to come, the credibility of the MACC is finished. The stain of the alleged improprieties will never be washed away. What a disgusting end to a noble idea.

]]> Domain name transfer in process tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1411 2009-09-09T10:02:43Z 2009-09-09T10:04:32Z

In the process of transferring the registrar for my domain name from Tucows to Namecheap, then upgrading my servers to something bigger and better. Expect some downtime in the next few days....

Aizuddin Danian Tucows to Namecheap, then upgrading my servers to something bigger and better. Expect some downtime in the next few days. ]]> There is so much to complain about tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1408 2009-09-08T07:18:42Z 2009-09-08T07:49:54Z

Unfortunate, but true. Muslims are like this. We complain about everything. From Hindu temples, to the secular government, to cartoons, to MLTR and Black Eyed Peas concerts. Everything....

Aizuddin Danian

Unfortunate, but true. Muslims are like this. We complain about everything. From Hindu temples, to the secular government, to cartoons, to MLTR and Black Eyed Peas concerts. Everything.
]]> A Muslim's Education of Comparative Religion tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1407 2009-09-08T06:20:53Z 2009-09-08T11:57:13Z

Aizuddin Danian

Reading what our PM Najib had to say on the issue of Muslims to learn to be more tolerant of other religions, made me have several flashbacks on my own early education on the appreciation of religions besides Islam.

As a boy, just like many others around my age, living around my neighbourhood, my parents sent me to the nearby mosque to attend afternoon classes on fardhu ain and fardhu kifayah; basically, teachings compulsory on all Muslims (e.g. prayers) and teachings that were an obligation to learn and be aware of (e.g. how to prepare the recently deceased for funeral).

Young, impressionable minds, about 6-10 years of age. 20-30 of us in the class.

There was one particular lesson that i'm reminded of, the day we were thought about the haram and halal of food.

During question and answer time, i asked:

"I'm half-Chinese, what happens when i go to my grandmother's house for dinner?"

Ustaz answered, "Unless you bring your own pots and pans and food to cook, you can't eat there. Even if you did, there is always the feeling of was-was (caution), so i advise you not to eat anything served there, or in any other non-Muslim home."

In theory, this means, never having a meal at any non-Muslim home.

Chinese friend: "Hey, why don't you come over for dinner at my place sometime? We can discuss multi-cultural issues, and embraces each other's cultural diversity?"

Me: "Do you have "halal" pots and pans to cook with?"

Him: "No."

Me: "Sorry, can't come."

It's always interested me that while Islam professes religious tolerance and multi-culturalism, it does put up some pretty steep walls between "us" and "them".

It teaches us that if you're not a Muslim, you'll burn in Hell for Eternity. It's really painful down there, too bad if you're not a Muslim.
It teaches us that you can't "safely" have a meal in a friend's house if they aren't Muslims too. Why not go out to eat, you may ask. That's besides the point: the fact that the "halal" barrier exists, creates a wall between cultures.
It teaches us that certain people can't be trusted, no matter what. They-Are-The-Enemy. Hello, Mr Jew.

I don't understand why religions, Islam included, have to put up these walls between us. There is an US and there is a THEM. And, by the way, US is better than THEM; they are dirty, pig-eating swine; this is not an exaggeration -- this is how an ustaz in our national education system once described the Chinese to the class. While he may have been the exception (i sincerely hope he was), this is the impression that really exists and is perpetuated by educators who have access to our children who will be influenced, and therefore be equally distanced from the religious tolerance the PM is asking for.

The schools are the Key, Mr PM. Schools, the national education syllabus and the informal religious schooling network. Education is the key to changing the behaviour of Muslims for the tomorrow; the Muslims of today are doomed already. Don't make it an offering of lip service. Take out the Hate, the Us vs Them, and the I'm-Better-Than-You -- then perhaps you'll have a chance to make things better. ]]> Insulting other religions is OK! tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1406 2009-09-07T09:18:18Z 2009-09-07T09:24:13Z

Aizuddin Danian

The news today is that the Shah Alam municipal council has agreed and found another location for the Hindu temple to be built.

So what you're telling the protesters who are probably not going to get more than a slap on the wrist for their actions, ok we give in to your demands, you win. Protesters who deliberately stoked religious sentiment by using a severed cow head, sacred to Hindus, in their demonstration?

That's just great. Just brilliant.

]]> Who am i to love? tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1405 2009-09-07T01:34:16Z 2009-09-07T01:38:44Z

Once you've written literally thousands of pages, its often surprising to go back and randomly pick one of those pages and read it again. Very often you find gems that you can't believe are your own words; its almost as...

Aizuddin Danian
I found i had this to say about "love", 5 years ago:

Of my evils, i have many and yet i find it amazing that those who love me accept me wholesale, and are always willing to burden themselves in my favour. Perhaps that is the most accurate description of love.

While i may never inspire another, i want to say that i inspire myself.
]]> Recipe: Really Basic Homemade Bread tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1404 2009-09-01T01:19:19Z 2009-09-02T02:27:17Z

Long weekends is all about having fun, and there are few things more fun than making a loaf of home-made bread! It allows me to relive my childhood, take out my frustrations and feed me all at the same time....

Aizuddin Danian

1 tbsp of active yeast (any good supermarket will have this)
1.5 tbsp of vegetable oil (or melted butter for a tad bit extra richness)
1/4 cup of milk (low fat will do as well)
1.5 tbsp of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
3-3.5 cups of flour (just regular milled flour will do, not the self-rising or ultrafine stuff)

the "cup" i used is roughly the size of an English teacup, about 160-200ml in size. No need to be too exact as far as the milk and sugar are concerned
]]>
The pour in 2 cups of flour and stir like crazy (or you can use your hands if you like - i did). Its all really sticky and gooey at first. As you stir, slowly mix in another cup of flour, pouring it in bit by bit. In just 3-4 minutes, the dough will be well formed and should lose some of its initial stickiness.

Ok, get a fistful of flour in your hands, then sprinkle a table top or other flat surface with it. Get some on your hands as well, the fun is about to begin! Grab the dough, and plonk it onto the floured surface, and go to work kneading it. Do whatever you like to it. Here i relive my childhood memories of all those hours playing playdough.

Smack it, flatten it, fold it (this part is really important - remember to fold the dough!). Then smack it, twist it, punch it, really put your fist and palms into it, then fold it some more. Fun times and a real stress reliever if there ever was one.

After about 10-15 minutes of this, shape it up into a round ball. It should be the size of a large orange. Then put it into a clean bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, then put it somewhere warm and just leave it. Magic is going to happen, the yeast is going to have a feast and work its powers on the dough.

Clean up the mess in the kitchen, but leave the table top floured, you're going to be using it once more.

After 1 hour give or take a few minutes, you'll find the dough has more than doubled in size. Take a look at the pic above, it was less than half the size when i first put it away.

Give it another good pounding for another 10-15 minutes. Remember to FOLD, FOLD, FOLD. This helps the texture of the bread and makes it all nice and fluffy.

Then, use your hands and flatten the bread out, somewhat into a square, with length dimensions roughly the same as the baking pan you intend to use. Once its flattened, just roll it, like a swiss roll, and drop it into the bread pan. Cover it up with a cloth, put it somewhere nice and cozy, and leave it for 60 minutes.

This is a good time to clean up the rest of the kitchen.

You'll find the dough ballooning in size once more, but this time, nicely fitting the shape and size of the bread pan. Nothing more needs to be done, just chuck it into the oven at 200 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

Once the bread is done, let it cool for 20 minutes or so before taking your first slice. Use a bread knife if you can (the one with a serrated edge) to make a clean cut through the crust.

And thats it! On the part of the cook, you only spend like 20 minutes total actually doing anything. The rest of the time, the yeast is doing all the work. How's that for an easy cooking job!

When the bread is still warm, it'll taste great with butter, jam, honey or peanut butter. It tastes wonderful even on its own, all fluffy on the inside, and thinly crusted on the outside. When you're comfortable with this basic recipe, you can slowly add things like nuts or raisins, or herbs like oregano and parsley to add more colour to the flavour of the bread. Try experimenting with different types of flour too do find out how this can change the texture and flavour of the bread.

Easy, cheap and healthy -- it doesn't get better than that.]]> Baked Pasta Part 2, Beef and Tomato Sauce tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1403 2009-08-28T15:35:51Z 2009-08-28T16:45:15Z

Baked Pasta Part 1 was pretty neat, chicken in a savoury cream sauce. Decided to change things up with beef this time, and added something missing from the chicken version: sourness in the form of a tomato sauce.These are the...

Aizuddin Danian

200g pasta (any form will do, i used macaroni)
200g beef (i cut mine up into thick cube chunks because i like my beef chewy, mince will do fine as well)
a couple cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of butter
2 carrots, chopped into chunks
a grab of grated cheese
tomato puree
herbs to taste (i used a lot of oregano and freshly ground pepper)
pinch of salt to draw out the flavour in the beef

Here's how to do it.

Finely chop the garlic, over small fire, fry lightly with the butter in a saucepan. Very important to use a minimal fire here, you just want to lightly brown the beef to seal in the juices; if the beef starts to "sweat", then you're overcooking it. Sprinkle some salt.

Meanwhile, bring water to boil in another saucepan, chuck in the pasta and carrots together, and boil together for 6-7 minutes. The carrots in this dish really adds a delightful sweetness.

Once the beef is done (about 2-3 min max), carefully pluck it out of the saucepan onto a plate, leaving behind all the garlic and browned butter. Bring the flame back on, then pour in the tomato puree. Continuously stir to reduce over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes, or until it bubbles mildly. Sprinkle in the herbs. Don't overcook it, it burns easily and will leave a bitter taste.

Generally speaking, the beef and the sauce will be ready before the pasta and carrots are done.

Drain out the pasta and carrots, and pour into a baking dish. You may choose to add in a layer of cheese now, but i didn't in order to save the calories. Cheese here will thicken the dish considerably and give it a nice cheesy texture; without the cheese, it'll be a tad bit more saucy instead.

Arrange the beef evenly over the pasta and carrots, then pour on the sauce. The tomato sauce, enriched with the garlic and butter will be superb. Then sprinkle on the cheese.

Chuck it into the oven at 220 degrees celcius for 18 minutes.

Allow to sit and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Minimum condiments are required, i used Tabasco to balance out the sourness.

]]> Reading James Clavell's, Tai-Pan - free tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1402 2009-08-27T05:29:26Z 2009-08-27T05:32:54Z

If you're looking for 6 really good books to read in eBook format, go here.http://www.movieshare.org/e-books/james-clavell-6-ebooks-converted-doc/290423/Always been a fan of James Clavell, and re-reading his books is a good way to pass the lunch hour during Ramadhan....

Aizuddin Danian
http://www.movieshare.org/e-books/james-clavell-6-ebooks-converted-doc/290423/

Always been a fan of James Clavell, and re-reading his books is a good way to pass the lunch hour during Ramadhan.
]]> Recipe: Baked Macaroni with cheese and chicken tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1401 2009-08-27T03:45:17Z 2009-08-27T03:57:50Z

I'm going to try my darnest not to go to a food bazaar during the month of ramadhan; i refuse to pay the prices for food there. Its just ridiculous.This has pushed me into cooking mode, and i've been experimenting...

Aizuddin Danian
This has pushed me into cooking mode, and i've been experimenting with several baked pasta dishes recently. The one i made last night was close to the best i've had. Here is the recipe.

This feeds 1-2 people, depending on appetite. Adjust accordingly if you're cooking for more.

200g of pasta (i used macaroni, but any type of pasta will do)
couple slices of chicken breast, perhaps 100g or so
1 can of campbell's mushroom soup (any other savoury soup or sauce should work too)
2 carrots, chopped chunkily
some shredded cheese of choice (i used cheddar and some parmesan)
herbs of choice (i used oregano, cayenne pepper and some parsley)

Boil the pasta and chopped up carrots together. It'll take about 6-7 minutes.

While the pasta and carrots are boiling, bring the soup to a boil in a separate saucepan. Stir vigorously, try to get the soup to reduce as much as possible. You want the soup thick.

Thinly slice the chicken breast, and season with salt and pepper.

Once everything is done, drain out the water from the pasta and carrots, lightly toss with some olive oil, then pour it all into a suitably sized baking dish.

Layer the chicken slices evenly on top of the pasta. Sprinkle some cheese. Then pour on the mushroom soup so that it smothers everything. Layer on more cheese, sprinkle the herbs on top.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 185 degrees celcius.

After baking, let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with condiments of choice, i used Tobasco sauce and some Nando's Garlic sauce. The contrast of sour, spicy against the savoury richness of the pasta is excellent.

Enjoy!]]> Let's politicize Kartina's whipping shall we tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1400 2009-08-25T07:26:09Z 2009-08-25T08:01:33Z

Caught this very interesting snippet from The Sun today."Kartika is a first-time offender, did not cause harm to others, and has conveyed remorse for her actions, said the Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI), calling for Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties to support...

Aizuddin Danian

Caught this very interesting snippet from The Sun today.

"Kartika is a first-time offender, did not cause harm to others, and has conveyed remorse for her actions, said the Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI), calling for Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties to support human rights by repealing such severe forms of punishment."

Will Pakatan Rakyat (PR) do anything about this? I'm betting it won't, Human Rights be damned.

Its easy to cherry pick the human rights violations you want to disagree with when you're in the Opposition. Right to assembly? Right to free speech? No problem, PR will stand up for those rights all day long. Organize massive street demonstrations, shout about them at the top of our lungs in Parliament.

But the right against torture and degrading treatment (Article 5 of the UNDHR), nah we'll skip that one. Not a word, a whisper, a peep. Shush everyone! Don't want to offend our Al-Quran thumping partners, the guaranteed-to-Heaven, PAS. We don't want to seem un-Islamic, now do we.

Come on, PR. Prove me wrong. I dare you. Where is your moral authority now?
]]> A difference in work ethics tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1399 2009-08-25T06:59:11Z 2009-08-25T07:07:12Z

In Malaysia, quality of work is often equated to the quantity of work. A person who does massive amounts of overtime is valued by the company as a hard worker, a person who leaves the office "on the dot" is...

Aizuddin Danian
Even in professional circles, non-operational areas of responsibility, i've seen the same thing happen.

"Wah, so hardworking, putting in overtime."
"Looking for a promotion, izzit? 9pm still not going back yet!"

At the other end of the stick.

"So free, meh? Go home at 5.30pm everyday. Got to ask boss to give you more work."
"Going home so early today?" (loudly so that everyone around can hear and look at you)

In Switzerland, punctuality is key. People work until 5pm and no longer. If you want to work beyond 5pm, you need to submit a written request to Management. If you work long hours, it reflects poorly on you because it means you're inefficient and unable to finish your work in regular office hours.

That's Switzerland. This is Malaysia. It's almost silly to compare the two. Isn't it?
]]> BA is losing its shine tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2009:/voi//1.1398 2009-08-24T01:25:09Z 2009-08-24T01:49:27Z

Aizuddin Danian

Over chats with several reasonably close friends, it seems that a lot has changed for them since the fateful GE of 2008. Back then, they were gloriously anti-Government, staunchly for the New Dawn promised by Barisan Alternatif. Pointing and believing in the hype of a truly multi-racial, multi-religious party that could truly represent the spirit of Malaysia, ushering us into a period of sustained good will and happiness.

And, yes, did they bask in the glow of the decidedly victorious BA, with the sacking of Kedah, Selangor and Perak from the grips of the Evil Ones.

Barely 18 months down the road, and they are singing a different tune now. PKR rep in Kedah, Radzhi Salleh quits the party, further fracturing an already distressed BA presence in that state. The travails of DAP vs PAS in Selangor are well documented. And, of course, Perak has already fallen from their grasp when more than a few BA leaders decided to turn their backs on their parties.

Its all coming undone, isn't it?

A marriage of convenience it was, back then in 2008. Such things make for really messy divorces. Shame its the Rakyat that have to suffer the fallout.

In politics, its always better the Devil you know than the one you don't. Hopefully, voters will remember that when the next GE comes along.
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