What a game! 4-3 win for Malaysia in world cup wualifier

What a game! That's what FIFA mentioned in their post about Malaysia's thrilling 4-3 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the World Cup qualifiers. It was an epic and intense match, especially in the final 20 minutes of the second half.

Malaysia initially led 1-0 but soon began to struggle, allowing Kyrgyzstan to score 3 goals, giving them a 2-goal lead. However, through grit and determination, Malaysia turned the tables in their favor, scoring 2 goals to level the playing field. In the last 10 minutes, Faisal Halim scored the fourth goal, with an excellent setup from Arif Aiman. Despite some nerve-wracking moments in the final minutes, Malaysia managed to hold their ground, with a few close calls from the visiting team. Fortunately, those chances were missed, and when the referee blew the final whistle, the crowd erupted in joy!

The national team has shown significant improvement since Kim Pan Gon took over in early 2022. Malaysia, once considered underdogs in Asian football, has climbed from a lowly 170th position in 2019 to the current 137th position. With this win, they have a chance to break into the top 130. Kyrgyzstan, ranked in the 90s, is now ahead of Malaysia.

I recently came across a post that revealed Kyrgyzstan's rise from the 160s to their current ranking in the 90s. This transformation didn't happen by chance; someone or something played a significant role in their improvement.

The last time I celebrated Malaysian football triumph was during our Suzuki Cup victory in 2009. I was in Kelantan at the time, and everyone eagerly awaited Harimau Malaya's matches against tougher opponents like Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This victory against Kyrgyzstan had a similar comeback feel, reminiscent of our match against Indonesia where we initially lost but bounced back to triumph in Jakarta's Bung Karno Stadium.

Let's hope that this winning momentum continues in the upcoming matches against Taiwan and Oman.

Exam question

When designing an exam question, several key considerations should guide the question designer's efforts. The question must strike a balance in terms of fairness, avoiding extremes of being either too easy or too challenging, and it should effectively evaluate the knowledge that students have acquired during their studies.

At any educational level, including the doctoral level, there's merit in assessing foundational knowledge. It's crucial to base exam question designs on real-world scenarios, even if they may initially appear straightforward. Often, it's teachers or colleagues of the examiner who may incorrectly perceive such questions as easy.

Students who can answer foundational real-world questions are assumed to possess a strong grasp of the subject's fundamentals, and this is of paramount importance. A solid foundation provides a stable platform for tackling more complex problems. It's akin to having a firm climbing hold before deciding on the next move.

In a recent doctoral-level examination, I contributed a question designed to assess candidates' knowledge of ecological study design. This question underwent rigorous vetting session and modifications by a committee comprising experienced public health experts and medical educationists. Ultimately, the question was accepted and included in the final exam paper.

However, upon grading the answer scripts, it was disheartening to note that all 12 candidates scored less than half of the marks allocated for the question. While not knowing the specific name of the study design can be forgiven, lacking an understanding of the underlying concept is not acceptable.

The question presented candidates with an X and Y graph featuring scatter plots representing various states in the US. The X and Y axes displayed aggregated data, including percentages of screening uptake and the prevalence of cancer.

In a study program culminating in an exit examination, crafting questions that align with the principles of public health students may encounter in the field can be challenging. Consequently, the design of exam questions tends to lean towards empirical testing—evaluating what students should and are expected to know from their field experiences. Conversely, students might have encountered a broader range of real-world public health issues in the field, surpassing the theoretical teachings found in books or shared by experts who have already navigated these challenges.

I remained committed to ensuring a fair assessment. Regrettably, all students fell short of achieving a passing mark for my question, while they succeeded in the other three questions within the same section.

As expected, the students' failure to pass my questions triggered discussions and debates. My questions came under scrutiny. The external examiner expressed dissatisfaction with the question's type and quality, even suggesting that the marks for my question be disregarded to level the playing field for the students.

I am uncertain whether this approach truly served justice. While the students may have felt relieved, they might remain unaware of gaps and deficiencies in their knowledge. We could mistakenly assume that the students performed well in the exam, which could have negative repercussions in the long run. Reports are already circulating in the field that our alumni are not meeting expectations, prompting calls for a review of our programs.

I recall a piece of advice from Dr. Eesmoonee, emphasizing the importance of fairness in assessing students. While we should maintain objectivity in our assessments, we should not shy away from fairly addressing the performance of students who do not meet our prescribed standards. Over the years, there has been a degree of compromise in student assessments, with some passing and joining the Ministry of Health (MoH). However, their performance has not been stellar and has faced scrutiny from their supervisors. Some have even applied to become academics at Yuneemas.

I have more to pen down, but I think this should be suffice to describe an event that had occurred in my lifetime. 

Important ingredient for a successful kopi tiam

Just how hard is it to open and maintain a coffee shop?

I think it should be easy as the first thing that opens in a new housing estate is a coffee shop. Great. It provides food for those who often opt to eat out rather than cook at home.

Many would prefer to eat at home, but due to several reasons, they do not have that luxury. Shortage of time, inability to cook, cooking is just troublesome (leave it to the experts), are some of the reasons.

It is true when you are still a student. And sometimes  being a bachelor. I cannot discount some families as well, though.

Courtesy: http://www.kopi-cafe.com/photos/Changi-Road-Kopitiam.jpg

But is the coffee shop the best that you have ever been to? Probably not. And you might just start to reminisce the good old neighbourhood shop in your home town. Yes, reflect to that. What actually made them to last and become a living historical proof as what you have imagined?

A kopitiam in my neighbourhood has undergone three major owner change. I have been there three times, each under different ownership.

Let me tell you my experiences in those three kopitiam under different ownership.

Initially it was a franchise from another famous kopitiam in Kuching. The menu seems interesting and varied. However, ordering has always been frustrating. Often, the menu that I ordered is not available. At one time, even the second choice menu is not available too.

The second owner opted for steam boat concept. It was quite cheap, charging only RM20 per sitting. Although it was cheap, the person preparing the raw food looks unkempt and hygienically questionable. So, it was a no no.

The third management took over and revert it to the usual kopi tiam concept. The usual Kuching menu like kolo mee, roti canai and sup tulang were added. Been there twice. And the food generally taste good. One sad thing was the person who prepares the drink is a smoker.  I caught him smoking in the shop, openly, disregarding the children within the vicinity.

There were foreign particles in our drink.

As of this piece, the kopitiam still holds.

Another friend went there another time, and was not satisfied with the Nescafe peng (chilled) that was ordered. There was a strong hint of tea. The guy replied back in dissatisfaction telling my friend that the drink was Nescafe. See, the thing is, how often do we want to make a fuss out of a simple drink in a kopitiam? We just want to quench our thirst and leave.  Rebuking does not help to lure back customers. He should be glad that there is a feedback mechanism that assesses his output.

In a mamak stall, the waiter would change the drinks and get you a new one, no questions asked. No wonder the mamak stalls are always full.

There is another kopitiam in the building opposite this.The kopitiam owner just focusses in making drinks. He rents out small stalls to tenants. Therefore, the variety of stalls contribute to many choices in the kopitiam, from a simple common kolo mee, bakso, nasi kuning (yellow rice) to roti canai. The man who makes the roti canai is a sulker. He cannot carve out a simple smile to his customers. He looks at you in the most unfriendly manner.

I thought it was only me who noticed this. Apparently a few more friends observed this too. One brave soul decided to advise him to start smiling and be friendly to customers. The good thing is the Roti Canai man can accept his friendly critic and started to change a little since.

Opening a food stall is not easy as it seems. Smiles, friendliness and willingness to act on feed backs are certainly the main ingredients to last longer in the business. Spiderman's tag line "your neighbourhood friendly Spiderman" is truly practical in this business. To survive, a food operator needs to be a neighbourhood friendly kopitiam. It’s the place where family goes to, and one of the many things people remember from their childhood.

Brunei - a note

Brunei is a land tucked away in the fringes of Borneo Island. A small country that, to most people, does not offer much treat to the eyes. It appears quiet and almost sleepy compared to many roaring Asian tigers. It is a tiger by itself, probably a quiet and tame type. Still, a visit will not be too much for the curious traveller.

Royal Brunei

We used a Malaysian Airlines code shared flight with Royal Brunei from Kota Kinabalu. The trip was very short. It took only 20 minutes, which was much shorter than the fight from Kuching to Sibu that may take 35 minutes. The service at Royal Brunei is a glimpse of hospitality about to be discovered by any traveller. It was good. It was friendly. The pestle upholstery in Royal Brunei Boeing 737 was warm and soothing. The air hostess was pleasant. They wore kebaya like uniform with the split in the sarong covered, allowing the hostess to remain mobile yet maintaining modesty.

It was odd to me that the planes seats in the economy class begins with 26. Seat number 26, in MAS and AirAsia, would be placed at the back of the craft.

As I had to travel with an infant, the stroller had to be left at the craft's door before entering. Logically, the stroller had to be placed again at the door when disembarking. The staffs probably had over looked us, so it was not done. Another staff was concerned, so, she went out all her way just to fetch our stroller and hand it to us while we were at the immigration counter and just before we arrived at the luggage carousel. That is what I call excellent people sensitive service. Bravo Royal Brunei!

There are only 36 taxis in the whole of Brunei

Before departing for Brunei, I asked a friend who is working in Bandar Seri Begawan about public transportation. Taxis are rare items in Brunei. It is not cheap either. That left me worried. I expected that most of my cash would have to be used to pay for transportation if we need to travel a lot.

At the airport, nobody was manning the taxi counter. But not for long, a man came to attend to us and pointed us to the next taxi driver in queue. We told him our destination. He referred to fare guide before telling us on the exact fare. No meter was used. Our driver was a friendly 50 plus year old man. Donning the skull cap or haji cap, he told us that there were only about 36 taxis for the whole of Brunei. Most Bruneians own cars. Cheap petrol price was one of the factors for owning a car. The fare cost about BND 25.00 for a 20 kilometre trip.

You do not crawl on the roads in Brunei

There were no traffic jams in Brunei. No joke! Probably we arrived when it was not rush hour. Even so, the driving was such a breeze. The road was too quiet, even to Kuching standards.

We were given a car to drive by a relative. Since we had to go to University Brunei Darussalam in the morning, I anticipated a typical KL-like jam. But no. The traffic crawl looks more like a normal traffic in KL.

I was warned not to honk. Even if the driver ahead is slow to respond at green, or, the indicator is not turn on at the junction, be very patient. The consequence of honking - a road rage could ensue.

About the cars here, I was tempted to note that there were no modified cars around until the last day, when I saw a "sportified" Toyota Vios in Yayasan Mall. Sporty skirting, spoilers and stickers were added to exude the sporty feel of the car. It looked like of the cars in the move "Fast and Furious".

Another observation that I noticed was, there were very few motorcycles in Brunei. The only place that I saw motorcycles were those used by students in UBD. When I mention motorcycles, what I meant was the small 100 cc - akin to the Honda cubs, commonly found on the roads in Malaysia.

Clean Bandar Seri Begawan

BSB is really clean. I never saw any cleaners by the road side, picking up litters. Even the supermarkets were litter free. I was impressed. Who else could have maintain the city's cleanliness if not for His Majesty's own subjects. They uphold the real teaching of Islam - cleanliness is part of the pillars of faith. The toilets were equally clean.

BSB was well maintained. The decorative trees and shrubs were well trimmed.

Shopping in BSB

I am not too sure if things are much cheaper in Brunei. I would expect that the products here is cheaper as the people here are not taxed. There was no government service tax applied to the food that we ate. I can confirm that cars are much cheaper here. A new Kia Sportage cost about RM 60K ++ here. That is almost the same price as the Proton Preve. Chocolates are cheaper here. Friends recommended us to buy home some chocolates.

The dominant supermarkets in BSB is that run by Hua Ho, a company ran by three brothers. All of them had different business designs that caters differently to different consumers - from the high end or premium items to the lowly cheap items.  I had the chance to go to Manggis Mall, which was exquisite and high end. It was no too bad and not too luxurious either. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta or Kuching, for that matter offers better malls.

There are not many shopping complexes in BSB. Two of the famous ones are The Mall, located at Gadong and Yayasan Complex, located right smack in the middle of BSB. Both of them looks high end-ish. Between those two, I like Yayasan Mall better as there were more things sold in the supermarket. Further it was easier to drive to Yayasan Mall from our hotel.

The Tamu Kianggeh is a wet market located by the Kianggeh river in BSB centre. It is quite a usual sight as we are used to see jungle produce, traditional food and daily supplies in an open air wet market in Malaysia. Local Brunei cuisine, such as the Kuih Jala and Kuih Penyaram (mexican hat cakes) and Cakoi is not unfamiliar in Kuching. So, we decided not to stop by it.

Eating.

Before coming to Brunei, many blogs mentioned about the famous Nasi Katok in BSB. It was basically white rice with a piece of chicken meat and sambal (spicy sauce). Another reason for it being famous is the dirt cheap price, considering the number of items assembled in one packet. We did not work hard enough to look for this dish, nor did we think it was a must try one.

The thing peculiar to me was the abundance of restaurants selling Kolo Mee and dim sum. They are halal. You can easily find these two dishes in The Mall at Gadong and Yayasan Mall. The high end restaurants beside the Mall in Gadong do offer them too. In contrast, it is hard to find halal Dim Sum in Kuching. Renaissance  Hotel in Kota Bharu offers buffet dim sum on Fridays. I really miss that, besides the nasi berlauk.

Another food that may be unusual to non Borneans is the ambuyat - a starchy sago-based food. In Sarawak it is called linud. Linud is often associated with the Melanaus. Although ambuyat was mentioned in many travel articles and travel tv shows, it was not easy to find it at food courts. Probably, it can be found in village stalls. May be I did not look hard enough.

Fun

If you are searching for fun, Brunei is not the place. It lacks it. The nearest to fun in Brunei is the Jerudong Park. It was quite a hit in the early years - as it was free and has a multitude of games - before the park loses its charm due to the poor maintenance. The number of rides were reduced. But today, it has refurbished, revitalized and ready to charm again. This time, entrance fee is imposed to visitors.

The royal galleria in the city is an important place for historical buffs. A large part of the section is dedicated to the prizes, awards, and gifts from leaders all around the world to the sultan. Cameras are prohibited in a large section of the galleria.

Important historical documents relating to the gradual cessation of Sarawak beginning from Kuching to Rajah Brooke were displayed. Brunei was once a huge expanse of land mass, almost occupying one third of Borneo Island. Documents and videos of the Brunei independent day was also shown. The Royal Galleria is worth a visit.

We were brought by a distance family to The Empire, a luxurious 5-star resort that faces the South China Sea. I was interested to step into this hotel when it was shown in one travel documentary, which mentioned that the price in one of the higher premium suites could fetch up to USD 30,000 per night! I checked the website to look for the cheapest room rates. The cheapest was RM 600+. The Empire has housed important VVIP delegates on ambassadorial tasks. The US president and the Malaysian Prime Minister have stayed there before.

It was a good feeling being able to visit a neighbouring country - so much like paying a courtesy visit to the people who might share similar roots and genetic ties that run centuries old. I hope to visit Brunei again in the future.

AFF 2014: VN vs Malaysia

The lost was not an easy one. The flair and the amount of support in the Shah Alam Stadium was just tremendous. In the beginning, we won on emotion. The feeling was great. It looked like a party has already started even before the game begun. However, soon, it seems, a big turnout does not correlate with the outcome of the results in favour of the homesters. 

Winning requires a winning attitude. Winning attitude comes from the players themselves. Physically, the players had enough rest since the last game against Singapore. But mentally, who knows? The human mind is a very complex hardware. A misconnection anywhere leads to a change in behaviour - for the better or not. A tired footballers' mind leads to a tired and lackluster play.

They may have been overjoyed with the winning in Singapore. Or, they may be pressured to repeat the similar feat in their home ground. Worst, in front of the overzealous home supporters. Naturally, to the players, no mistake should be made. All these to please the home supporters.

These are all distractions. Thinking about it is tiring. It takes a toll on both the mind and body. The current situation may have been taxing on the mind and body of the players.

But, they are in a competition. When you are in a competition, more discipline routines need to be applied. Sleeping early, no junkies and no smoking. In the World Cup, some team managers even refrain footballers from sex. The pressure is heightened as you move up the ladder. The focus is to reach the top of the ladder, without having to worry about the tail winds and height. 

Being focus also means that the players cannot distract themselves with the anger within. Reactive response to anger will trigger off unnecessary actions on the field. The team does not need a red or yellow card. It is not all about self. Being yellow carded shows how desperate a team is to win unfairly. A red card is like throwing in the towel in expectation to defeat. It is unfair not only to the other 10 left fighting on the field, but also to the paying fans and the sponsors of the event. And there is nothing cool about it being seen by children.

The defends is all in disarray. Too much rooms were given to VN strikers to manoeuvre in the Malaysian half. The recovery from attack to defense is slow. Most of the time, half the team were still wandering in VN's half when the counter attack is launched.

Then the fans. The local newspapers reported the clash between the Malaysian and VN supporters. In an online portal, a VN supporter were shown bleeding in the face, possibly due to some hard objects thrown to him. Wonder what impression will it create to the rest of the footballing world? Hostile Malaysian supporters? 

We want to win. They too want to win. Nobody likes losing. The competition is intense. But supporters will need to know their scope - to support the team to go on. Not supporting violence. Responding to their provokes, if any reduces us to their level. Human being human, the tendency to revenge is always a possibility. Now, with the bloodied image of a VN supporter, wouldn't that be a cause for crusade from his countrymen to hit at ours?

Its important that Coach Dollah pick up the pieces, nurse any injury and rebound back in the returning match. As for supporters, let our chant of "ayuh Malaysia" be a spirit burner for the players.