Attempt On Academic Writing. Pt I

And God, when you have a Blogger-type brain, this type of writing has done killing a couple hundreds of thousands of my brain cells today. And it was nobody's fault but mine. I have been blessed with TWO second chances. Hell who else besides me in the world is granted with more than one second chances. But I did. Somehow the lecturer, luckily has some soft spot for me. And WHO ELSE in the world is so messed up (but me) to take those second chances and almost blow it again out of proportion. Yes that's me. A semester's worth of writing compacted within a day. TODAY. To be exact. Sayang. Feel like I could have written so much more. But oh well, you get a day's worth of writing. Padan muka.

So here goes. And before it goes on killing spurrreeeee on your brain cells too, I advise you not to read the following 740-nothing words composition. A pathetic excuse for an academic writing if you ask me. (and of course, nobody's asking you).

Attempt On Academic Writing. Pt II

BENEFITS OF HAVING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS AT WORKPLACE TO ORGANIZATIONS

The idiom “work like a dog” used to be a term coined to those who work like there was no tomorrow. Contrastingly, unlike humans, dogs do not contract heart diseases or turn obese by simply working. Humans do. The working landscape has rapidly changed over the last couple of decades. Technological advancement has meant workers are faced with more and more intellectually demanding tasks every day. Naturally, sicknesses creep in and before we know it, employers are shoved with the daunting tasks of keeping their staffs’ morale up and coping with continuous absenteeism while prudentially spending on healthcare expenditures. Employers would do well to think of a more cost effective way to do this with one swoop; namely by promoting Physical Activity Programs in the workplace.

There is a link between employees’ motivation to better perform and a healthy lifestyle. As the saying goes, “you can take a horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink – it will only drink if it’s thirsty”. Motivation is attributed to why people act the way they do, what spur them on. It has little to do with external stimuli and is all about unfulfilled desires. It is well documented that gains in energy expenditure have positive effects on physical health and psychological well being (Lane and Lovejoy, 2001; Kahn et al., 2002). Energetic people are happy people and people in gay spirits have much less unfulfilled wishes. Physical activities such as stairs climbing for an instance, provides just that, the much needed energy build up. It is as simple as physical activities go, and is one activity that should be encouraged among workers. An easy activity and many a times incidental on employees’ part (Yu et al., 2003), stairs climbing offers a luxury of health benefits to the cardiovascular system. It is so easy that neither rigorous plans nor excessive execution are needed to execute stairs climbing. It is calorie blasting made easy. What could possibly be more motivating than feeling good about ourselves?

A survey carried out by the United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) indicated that the average level of sickness absence is 9.1 working days per working year. An estimated £ 588 per employee annually. Physical activity could not play a more integral part in promoting workplace health than this whereby it plays a significant role in the prevention and reduction of chronic diseases (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1996) and importantly, reducing the number of absenteeism among employees. Activities such as 10,000 steps per day is an ideal method of sustaining good health and prevention of potential risk factors for chronic malady (Chan et al.,2004; Tudor-Locke and Bassett, 2004). It is surprisingly easy to reach the 10,000 goal, just by adding another 30 minutes of brisk walk on top of our “routine” walks would amount to the ideal 10,000 steps. Walk on. Hopefully it will not lead us to clinics asking for sick leaves.

Staff turnover can be painful to employers, the idea of retraining staffs does not bode well with the fact that we are in the age where everything is required at the snap of our fingers. And shockingly, it could be deadly expensive as well. According to Maggie McPhillips-Jacka and Paul Quinn of Quinntessential, (Staff Turnover Cost. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from http://www.exitinterviews.com.au/staff-turnover.htm), staffs turnover could cost employers up to 150 percent of a person’s annual salary. Henceforth, the significance of having carefully crafted fitness programs in the workplace. A well designed fitness program increases the attractiveness of the organization as a prospect for would-be employees. Various aspects should be considered when planning for the programs though; the chief factor being the level of challenge employees would have to tackle. Gradually increasing the degree of challenge keeps the fun going. For so long as it is enjoyable to the participating workforce, a happy and a healthy environment is surely nurtured for the workplace. Employers then will not be left “tearing their hair out” trying to figure up ways to solve the staff turnover problems.

Ultimately, mental and physical health should not be viewed in financial terms. There would never be a price tag for healthiness, as there will never going to be a substitution for a healthy and happy life. Hence, irrespective of employers’ involvements, total fitness should be viewed as a priority for each and everyone of us, moreover when you are in a work force – and ageing.

My Short-Lived F-788dx Love Story

I just bought a Scientific calculator that I couldn't use. And its just the start of the sem. No, this is not bad omen. Is what am telling to myself. But seriously, being the Imperfect Perfectionist that I am, am I seriously sighing my ass off.

I was so eager to review the chapters so that I may feel at least comfortable once the speedy explanations start to hit. Mind you, us part timers don't have the luxury to take it slow since the lecturers have only about 5 physical meetings to finish all the chapters that take around 130 days for normal students to finish up.

So you could imagine the speed of their lips hitting each other to cover around 2-4 topics per class. And I advise you to stop short at imagining that, because if you were to visualize the rapidness of the wrinkles that form on top of our heads - you'd die dehydrated.

How in the darkest alley of twisted logic that you'd get the following:

14 x 6 = 114.

And I have actually began to think that was the answer till the note book decided to lend me a few slaps of reality. Lucky me it was an exercise where the answers were given.

And to makes matters Meredith-Grey lovely, I'm almost sure that the receipt is already on its way to oblivion. Knowing dear Mater, crumpling pieces of anonymous paper would always find their way through the unforgiving garbage cans.

Hence I can proudly proclaim that I've just stepped into charity mode by donating my hard-earned RM 40 ++ to the smarmy smirking faces of No-This-Isn't-Capitalist Tesco.

What a bitch. Canon bodoh. F-788dx babi.

Decisions Under Risk.

Just got back from a study group lah sangat session with the dudes in class. Among the highlights were Effectiveness and Efficiency of a manager. Kaoru Ishikawa's Quality Circles. Maruiah, the Islamic concept of Management where everything is to be done within the legal boundaries of the Syariah Laws.

Its more of a mentoring session rather than study group orientation, the way I need to anchor the discussions and construct logical arguments of whys and hows of certain alien concepts or so. Its not that I don't prefer such orientation but with the 'big day's footsteps fast approaching. The inevitable knocks are virtually a mere distraction away from haunting my ass off.

But I love those guys and from the bottom of my heart I do hope they make it, as much as I hope to. I guess it doesn't hurt helping them out where I can at least think I am good at and lets hope everything goes well.

I'm making decision with a risk in mind. Another one of the too many Management lexicons whereby the decisions are made with minimal information and forecast about the outcome. There are four known conditions to be making decisions under by the way. They are Certainty, Risk, Uncertainty and Ambiguity.

Oh well, risks are proof enough for you to feel alive. So lets feel good about it. Haven't felt this good for a long time now.So let us relish this moment and oh, time for a bowl of - The Toilet. No, not midnite snacks you junkie freaks.

Part & Parcel..

My so called perfectionist attitude has caused my studies quite dearly. I want everything to be answered or submitted in a manner that meets up my so called ‘standard’. If not, I will not submit it at all.

To make matters worse, I procrastinate the submission because I want it to be ‘proper’ and since ‘proper’ submission will definitely take time- the submission is hence delayed- or worse, not submitted at all. Thing is, even if I submit half halfheartedly too; the marks will at least be satisfactory- NOT zero. When things are zeros, things that were seemingly within my grasp get harder to become realistic. Hence A’s are getting more distant by the days.

Now I don’t even know whether 3.5 CG will be realistic or not. Management course that is supposedly a sure A is not within ‘certain’ distance anymore. Agama seems to be a better bet. English, Insyallah will be fine. By God’s grace.

I need to learn that part of being a student and an employed at the same time is the fact that I have to deal with mediocrity. And loads of it. Part and parcel of being both is the fact that it is rather a game of perseverance than beauty. Its how long can you stay instead of how beautiful can you play.

Its like a game of football with a team of ingenious capabilities- but with less a man.

Part and parcel of being a part-time student is accepting mediocrity as a usual companion. And I have partially accepted the fact when I enrolled for the studies in the first place.

Please God, let me reMember this. Dear God, please don't let me fail this.