Review 2011 - I. M. Foong's / 冯总 Quotes Collection

Here comes the final day of the year as well as my final blog post for the year 2011.

Throughout the year, I have posted lots of status in my Facebook profiles and majority of them are my quotes, translating the experience and lessons gained, the conclusion drawn and sometimes emotion into short words that tell the whole story. From there you can actually see some of the philosophy and principles that I'm holding firmly.

Below are the selected quotes which I like the most :

1. ‎" The most stupid thing you could do is to change yourself just to please the other people. Don't ever do that ! " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

2. ‎" I would prefer to lose like a man rather than win by begging others. I don't beg anyone for success. And I more thing, don't expect me to beg for your respect. I earn yours. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

3. " Never believe in rumours. Prove it or forget it. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

4. ‎" Being rational and having a mind to think and judge the true and wrong statements or claims is an important skill. A smart person does not easily let his emotion fuelled by false accusation or rumours. He sees, analyses and makes his own conclusion. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

5. ‎" People can fail you but you must never fail yourself ! " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

6. "我痛恨原地踏步因为那意味着没有进步" 冯总

7. "人生中会有许多的东西，值得留恋，有的时候你应该学会去放弃。" 冯总

8. ‎"You can't get everything. Nothing is perfect." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

‎9. " Be rational. Be fair. Everyone deserves a chance. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

10. ‎" The power of power is the root of all evils. "

11. “不是每一个胜利都代表幸福，不是每一个失败都意味着痛苦。” 冯总

‎12. "History is yesterday's and tomorrow is our to make." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

13. " To prove something for the sake of proving something to others is a silly act. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

14. ‎"在可以选择分享的情况下，我不该盲目于竞争。When I can afford to share, I shouldn't choose to compete." 冯总 / I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

15. ‎ "It's all about the courage to take the first step." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

16. "Must retain the spirit and inspiration! Youths' power is unlimited and beyond measure !" I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

17. " Learning to doubt and question is an ability. Do not just accept and absorb without thinking further. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

‎18. "The best thing about TITAS is we can learn a lot from the history especially in term of mistakes, lessons and wisdom. Today I am studying the history of the previous generations and the fact is me too will be the history of tomorrow. I must be a good leader and not repeating the same mistakes others had done. I must be at the right side of the history!" I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

‎19. " A good working environment is which you can contribute values to the organisation and the same time you reap the added values for yourself. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG, the FIG concept in my mind.

‎20. "The ability to analyse with wider perspective, look at the situation in depth and see things in various angles could help one to achieve peak performance." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

21. ‎" 学会凶，做人更容易。" 冯总

22. "在不断往上走的同时，勿迷失了自我。" 冯总

23. "Seeing people's lives, Reading people's lives, Learning from their lives." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG, it's more interesting than most of the books you find from the bookstores.

24. "A life with no regret is a life well spent." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

25. "有了苦，才有甜！不吃苦，何得甜？" 冯总

26. "Quit, if you are happy to become an average." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

27. "The concept and formula are always the same. The magic is how you work it out." I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

28. ‎" We fall before we are able to run. We fail before we succeed. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

29. ‎" My bosses are the students in my campus. Whatever work my team and I do are for the students. Whatever decisions we made are in the best interests of the students here. Let it be IEM (SS) USM or the Welfare Team. Students are our priority! " Foong H. Y. the employee :-)

Fierce Quote Of The Year

" You will soon pay the price for playing bloody smart. Let's see it. " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

" Let me tell you this, whatever I have lost in the test today, I will earn it back in the coming Final !! " I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

Coolest Quote Of The Year

"爱你，不需要理由！" 冯总

Bonus : Great Quotes From Elsewhere ..

1. “一个人不管从事任何职业，只要他一生为人民做好事，人民就会永远纪念他。一个人的职务再高，如果不为人民办事，他终究会被人民唾弃。我的信念就是不离开我的人民，为国家的强大和人民的幸福而献身。” 温家宝（中国总理）

2. “为创造财富而制作出来的面包不比为创造健康的面包受欢迎”（摘自面包王金卓求）

3. 'Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups ! '

4. ' You must be the change you wish to see in the world. '

5. "人生在世，真正受人尊敬的不是财富，而是品格."

6. "Don't ask what the country can do for you, ask what you can contribute to the country." J.F. Kennedy

That's all from me this time.

Let's welcome 2012 ! Happy New Year :-)

Review 2011 - My Lecturers' Quotes

Whatever lecturers teach can never be absorbed 100% by my mind in lecture hall, but I do remember well what they said especially their funny or good quotes. Below are some of the quotes by my lecturers :

"The problem here is they want the cheapest but asking for the best. Some local company claims that their pipe (RM 0.80 per metre) can drain the water four times faster than the imported one (RM5 per metre)."
Prof. NAZ
Well, this is the case in the construction field.

‎"Normally students only realised that they had made mistakes one minute after they left the examination hall."
Prof. NAZ
This happened to me again and again ... T.T

"Rasuah tu memang ada. Cuma you nak ke tak nak."
Dr. NAB
The reality and fact in the industry.

''To score A in final, you must first have good Attitude. Both A's are related to each other.''
Dr. FD
Super agree !! In engineering term, they are directly proportional. ;-p

"My brain is tiny, and here we have hundred brains. Therefore I can learn from you, we are learning from each other." Dr. JJ

Humble words from a smart lecturer. While Mourinho my top idol teaches me to be an ego and arrogance (a little bit) styled charismatic boss, Dr. JJ teaches me to be a humble man in life.

"Construction is all about time, achievement and money. Punctuality is important. When the work starts at eight, all must already working at eight." Prof. A

I regard punctuality is an important part of the professionalism that every professional or successful person share. I do not respect people who always not being punctual and are creative in giving various excuses. We have no right to waste others' time and our precious time shouldn't be wasted.

"Engineers find ways to solve problems." Dr. LTL

Yea, when I face problems and recall back what this lecturer told me, I will feel motivated to deal with the task even though it is hard and surprisingly sometimes ideas are sparked.

"Exam or test is never the right way or the only way to measure a student." Dr. JJ

I expressed my view by an immediate reply which I shouted loud, 'Yes !!'

"The boss hires people who can think not robot. If you are a robot, the boss will ask you, can you see the door there?" Prof. NAZ

Engineers who act like robot, follow instructions blindly without thinking are difficult to survive.

Another couple of good quotes or advices from Prof. NAZ (he is my idol lecturer) shared with me during a chat :
"Learn to believe in others."
"I don't worry what they might do to me, I have my own money and business running. In life, you are safe when you always have other alternatives to back up you."

That's true !!

Their words are really awesome ~ !

My final part of Review 2011 will be published on the last day of this year. Hope you won't miss it ^^

Review 2011 - Stupid Quotes Of The Year

Review 2011 - Stupid Quotes Of The Year
by Foong Han Yang (original one ...!)

My commitment to Facebook is undoubted. Status are written almost everyday.
Today, I would like to share with you some stupid quotes I made this year. Enjoy :-p

1. '有双下巴的男生才帅 !'

2. ‎'The Plastic Analysis topic will be removed from the Structure Analysis syllabus effectively from next academic session. USM will be the first University to do so which will soon be followed by other universities in Malaysia. You know, nowadays USM is talking and stressing on SUSTAINABILITY. Say NO to PLASTIC ! '

3. 'Recently eating has become my solution to stress. May be pressure consumes too much energy, making me hungry all the time.'My friend, Siao Phin responded by saying, ’finally some one experienced same thing with me ’
4.
'60 marks in secondary school exam = it's poor and hard to accept T.T

60 marks in University finals = yea~~ I'm smart man ^^ God bless me !

90 marks in secondary school exam = proud and rarely achievable ;-)
90 marks in University finals = is the sun rising from the west today? @@'

5. [Transformers Jokes]

Who is Transformer's sister? (Transistor)

Who are Transformer's mum and dad? (Transparent)

What is Transformer's gender? (Transexual)

Which Transformer wears tights? (Transvestite)

How does Transformer do for Gardening? (Transplant)

What does Transformer's do as their Favorite Pastime? (Transporting)

What does Transformer do when they are in the Bank? (Transaction)

and...

I said, 'Transformer's IPTA?' (usm TRANSkerian)

6. Interviewer : 'How do you cope with stress at work?'
Foong : 'No worry, I have good tensile and compressive strength.'
The answer from a typical engineering student.

7. 'Important decisions are never easy to be made. ; Pretty girls are never easy to be tackled?'

8. My friend asked, " Is this the largest roundabout in Ipoh? " I answered, " No. If you're driving along the largest roundabout in Ipoh, you won't realise that you
are actually driving along it. "

9. 'This one (Shield Diagram )sure won't come out one. Got diagrams some more. It will waste a lot of time. No need study..', I convinced my friend, Ti Amo Kent. Thing ended up sour as I was wrong and the Shield diagram did appear in the lab test, EAA 204. My record in predicting test questions is as good as Pele's football result prediction T.T

Stay tuned for more quotes as we edge closer to the New Year yea !

My 2011 In Review

My Reward - Reaping 2011 In Review (Read 5 Free 2)

I have selected 5 BIG events to share with you all in my review of year 2011.

1. Elected as the President of IEM – USM Student Section

I would describe this as the proudest moment in my USM life thus far. This is the Christmas gift that the God had delivered to me on 28 Sept 2011. To me it was a surprise at first since IEM was not the core in my activity blueprint. However I quickly learn that it is a great opportunity handed to me to sharpen my skills and gain more experience. Since then, IEM (SS) USM becomes my greatest love and one of my top priorities in the campus.

Being the president, I explore and experiment on different approaches that aims to strengthen the organisation, build a culture that focuses on professionalism, recruit and develop talents to run the organisation. I regard these elements are significant in positioning IEM (SS) USM as ‘The BEST Student Organisation In Engineering Campus USM’ which is the challenge that the current committee takes and strive to achieve. Besides arranging industrial visits and talks, the team is also working on the E-magazine, Junior Interns and etc, among the new implementation by IEM (SS) USM.

Furthermore, my previous tenure as the Director of PPKA Family Day 2011 and some mistakes that I had made provide me the chance to do better and the lessons learnt allow me to plan wiser and act smarter. I always remember what my predecessor, Keng Swee told me – the importance of SYSTEM and HUMAN CAPITAL in ensuring an organisation to function well.

I have high confidence to lead the team and have faith in my members. I believe together we will fly high and meantime IEM (SS) USM will play its role in facilitating and linking the students closer to the industrial world.

Yea~~ !!

2. Selected as the Ahli Dewan Perundingan Pelajar (DPP USM)

Still remember the time dated back to a year ago when the Student Parliament of USM was formed and the first session of DPP was held. I was so disappointed for not able to join the DPP session that time and it is the experience and exposure that I am not supposed to miss. Thanks God, a year later my turn has finally come and it does not come easily. Here is the story …

Eleven Ahli Dewan will be representing Engineeing Campus – 7 MPP’s and 4 YDP’s. all the clubs and organisations in the campus are categorised into four groups which are Persatuan, Pusat Pengajian, Desasiswa and Sekretariat. IEM (SS) USM is categorised under Persatuan and only one YDP from each category will be selected as Ahli Dewan. Since I am the incumbent Head of Welfare Secretariat (Ketua Sekretariat Kebajikan MPP) in my campus, DPP is definitely a great platform for me to fight for students’ welfare should I be selected. Therefore I volunteer myself without a second of hesitation. For the Persatuan category, I competed with another two candidates and one of them is my senior whom I respect a lot. After a short speech given, the three of us were requested to wait outside the meeting room while the rest of the attendee voted inside it. It was a tough PK and I didn’t see myself having strong advantage over the other two candidates. Finally after we took our seat, I was congratulated for being elected. That night, I realised how sweet a win – win would be as win – lose could hurt. How I wish my senior and I can both qualify as the Ahli Dewan, I think he is definitely more competent and suitable than some of the Ahli Dewan selected that day.

On 19 Sept the big day, I stepped into the Dewan Persidangan and it was like a dream came true to me. It leaves me with no regret already in term of activity or co-curricular achievement in mu university life. Also during the DPP session, I proposed the fourth ‘usul’ of the day – ‘Transparensi Pemarkahan Kerja Kursus’. After stating the justification of the proposed usul, I then stated three tuntutan usul. It ended up with the following declaration by the Speaker Dewan, ‘Dengan ini usul keempat, Transparensi Pemarkahan Kerja Kursus bersma ketiga – tiga tuntutan usulnya DITERIMA Dewan !’ Recently I am being informed that the usul I proposed had been brought to the attention of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academics USM. Discussion will be held and hopefully the outcome will be favourable to all sides especially the students.

We Want Transparency !!

3. Dean list

My academics achievement is quite a remarkable story to tell at least up to this point. It is not how high my CGPA is and honestly my CGPA is just nothing compared to most of my fellow coursemates, mine is merely 3.30. Rather, the attractive part of the story is how I stand up from the heaviest defeat, rebuild and recover, work hard and determined to achieve the target (hit above 3.50) instead of opting for an easier way – give up and be a quitter. Sacrifices had been made, tough challenges had been taken for I just refuse to be a loser. I might look soft physically but the spirits of a warrior to never say die is in the blood that circulates in my body.

Let’s wind back to December of 2009.. the night my pointer (Year 1 Sem 1) came out. Usually in secondary school and Matric, I prayed hard to score full A’s but things weren’t the same that time. I prayed for PASS for all subjects and I knew I did badly for my first Final, a consequence of too much sleep, excessive playing time and minimal study. Padan muka really. The result finally came out and I was not wrong, my CGPA was 2.77. What a sheer disaster and horrible stumble. During that lowest ebb, the thought of changing course did strike my mind and I had given it a serious thought. Some people including my dad suggested that the culprit was that I had spent too much time in activities. I refused to take that excuse. My bad attitude and laziness should be blamed not the activities.

Then I decided not to surrender but to fight ! I choose to stay not to quit half way. I reviewed everything again, analysed the failure causing factors and implemented some positive changes. One of the heaviest price I need to pay for in order to bounce back is to reduce the gaming time significantly. If you can’t imagine how hard it is, try imagine a smoker giving up cigarettes. It took lots of discipline and determination.

As a result, the CGPA of subsequent semesters had shown gradual increase. Finally my efforts paid off in the previous semester Final (Year 2 Sem 2) as I qualified for dean list (GPA > 3.50). The best is, I have a lot more friends who are like me, getting dean list for the first time. It’s always great to achieve great things together and share the joy.

14 December 2011 I received the Dean List certificate from the dean, Prof. Hamidi, I feel superbly proud of myself and happy for the little success I earn. Looking on my first dean list cert', it is clearly written there my name, FOONG HAN YANG but I attribute this little success of mine to my friends (especially Ti Amo Kent & Cheah Yen Xiang) who have helped me a lot in my studies as well my determination and efforts. Below was the post I wrote to my friends and juniors, hopefully my story here can inspire and motivate them:

“ Tahniah kepada semua penerima Sijil Dekan. Syabas !
Kpd rakan2 yg belum menerima anugerah ini, jgn berputus asa dan berikan lah usaha lebih gigih ! Saya bermula dari CGPA 2.77 (sem pertama), terima surat amaran dari pihak penaja lagi.. dan hari ini, setelah empat kali percubaan, barulah saya dapat sijil ini.All the best, hopefully our name will be in Dean List next time ya ^^
'Everything is possible the moment you believe in it and take action.' FOONG H. Y. “

The seemingly impossible had been made possible with the right strategy and action. I sincerely wish the story I share with you all here could leave a positive impact on you and as for myself I’ll take the lesson from this story as I fight along and stride towards my dream.

4. Civil Cameron + Ipoh Trip

This was the most awesome trip of the year ! Having lots of fun, joy and excitement with coursemates in Cameron Highland + Ipoh 3D2N trip. I begin to love the atmosphere, lifestyle and scenery in Cameron Highland. Strawberry, fresh vegetables, fruits, roses, fresh air… you name it! I have made a promise to myself to buy a villa there, a potential residence after I retired and it’s really a nice place to enjoy my time there with my wife and family. Apart from that, what I’m going to tell you next might be a bit unbelievable. Though I have been raised near Ipoh, I never drank the famous Old Town White Coffee before, not until that trip. Thanks to my friends for bringing noises and life to my otherwise quiet and boring house where I often ‘home-alone’ there during the semester break.

5. YNS 2011

A fantastic four day programme held in UM this year, assembling some of the most energetic and awesome youths of the country. Meeting new exciting people, gaining inputs and being exposed to some ideas. It was really a great experience, as great as EYLN 2010 I attended a year before. The only regret of my time there was my failure to fight for the chance to have a direct conversation with Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Dato Sri’ Najib Razak. The good side of this was that it stimulated me to enhance or strengthen some of the parts that I must improve on. Anyway, I’m sure I will have the similar opportunity again and who knows the situation may reverse one day whereby I am being sought after instead of I seeking for. I know, that day will come…

Would like to share with you all, the two quotes that I loved the most from speakers, Roshan Thiran and Dr. Goh :

‘Even the introverts (yea~~ I’m one of them) can lead and they can do well. Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong achieved great success in Genting, but when was the last time Uncle Lim gave a talk? ’

‘Leadership is practiced, not learnt from books.’

Normally supermarket and shops are having Christmas promotion – Buy 3 Free 1, 20 % Off …… etc .. Huh ! On this Christmas Day, I have no gift for you but would you love a 5 + 2 offer? You just can’t get it from anywhere else today XD

Above, I have shared 5 major events I went through in this year.

Below, I would like share a few compliments or words of motivation given to me that will surely give me some boost in the coming year as I progress :

‘If I'm still alive, I'll attend your talk and ask you how is the life as a professional engineer.’

Dr. Lau T. L. / my USM lecturer

‘Hope you will be a great entrepreneur one day.’

Mdm Lee B. S. / my SM Menglembu teacher

‘I know you will definitely be somebody one day.’

A friend of mine

'我的USM老大'(http://astrohock.blogspot.com/2011/05/usm.html)

Lim L. H. / my friend, coursemate

Last but not least, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year yea ^^

FOONG HAN YANG

21@2011

最好的安排

今日乃是每百年一遇的 111111。

在那么特别的今天，我要和大家分享一个我认为非常有意思的短片。

‘当我们身处在逆境时，所面临的遭遇或许这是上天替我们做的最好安排。’

与其悲观的折磨自己，何不以乐观的角度来看待？

I believe in blessing in disguise ^^

My Sharings After The PEMANJU Camp

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the organising committee for this successful inaugural PEMANJU camp. I think a camp should be rate not based on how many days it is held but rather how much inputs its participants can grab from it. With that, I had given a ‘6’ out of 5 in the evaluation form. When you can stay in a good room with TV, play exciting games plus the energetic and friendly facilitators, what else could you ask for? Haha !

Ok, back to the main business. I would like to share with you all what I have learnt from the experience and observation throughout this short yet memorable camp.

1. Leadership Part 1 – Motivating & Creating Teamwork Spirit

When people ask me, “what is leadership?” It is a really subjective thing and I believe everyone has his or her very own definition for it. Well, the latest element I have added into my definition for ‘Leadership’ is the ability to motivate the team members and creating a strong teamwork spirits that bond the members together in achieving a common goal. As a leader, I reckon this as an important acumen every top leader should possess. Thus, I volunteer myself as the team leader of Sailormoon Group. I took it as a challenge and learning experience to experiment how can I build a motivated team. I am not sure whether had I done a good job to inspire my team, at least I have tried my best and will keep learning and improving. Leading the ‘Sailormoons’ is a great opportunity for me to prepare myself for leading new teams or organisations in my campus when the new semester starts.

As a reminder to myself as well as my humble piece of advice for my friends who will be team leader in whatever organisation you involved, whenever you find that your team members are not working hard enough, procrastinating or fail to deliver what you expect, just before you are frustrated, please ask yourself the following questions :

“ Have I done well enough to motivate my members?” and

“Have I taken initiatives to create a strong team spirit?”

Do not simply blame or complain your members. As a leader, it is our responsibility.

2. Leadership Part 2 – Solo King vs Delegation

When I looked back, there are a few serious mistakes I have made as a team leader. There were a few occasions of which I contributed 70% of the overall task as leader. That time I thought I was too capable, like a Superman because I could did a lot and did it well. I could single handedly finished the whole paperworks, did the plannings and so on. May be I was a perfectionist and did not give enough trust to my members, I always felt that they just could not perform the task well and failed to meet my expectation. The lousy phrase that often played in mind was, “Aiya, they were hopeless. They just fail to meet what I expect from that. Fine, I do it my own!”

Hooo….. how silly I was. That was the most critical mistake I ever made as a leader.

When a leader becomes a Solo King despite having many members under him, it is a failure to the leader himself. An excellent leader knows how to delegate jobs to his members, discuss with them when problems arise, and have faith in them. Also delegation is not just about dividing the task equally among the members. More importantly, how you put a person in a position that can allow him to perform to the maximum level. In addition, a leader should not hesitate to brainstorm or communicate more with his assistants because two brains are always better than one.

3. Goal Setting

The greatest surprise to me during the camp was the “智益游戏” session. The game was challenging and the lesson behind the game is a good teacher to me. The game taught us to set a goal for our task and as we crave for more and more, never being carried away or distracted from our plan and goal. Sometimes things could be simple but we have complicated it with our knowledge. I think it was one of the best games I have ever played because the lessons it offer are important to our lives. I will always remember that. Thanks to the committee for introducing this game.

About the game itself, my heart really beating fast whether or not to take risk. Play it safe and you will lose but at the same time, a droplet of spilt water from the cup means K.O. The risk at that moment is more risky than what I experience in stock market.

Bravo !!

4. The Two Sides of the Table

This was the first time I play the Parliament Simulation game. What an experience and fun! At my side of the table was the ruling party, opposite us was the opposition party and the third side sit the individual parliament members. From TV and Youtube, I saw how dumb the BN guys in answering the questions and how heroic the Pakatan guys in questioning the ministers. However, yesterday sitting as ‘Pagor’ (I was Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassan, Deputy PM), I experienced the difficulty and the pressure to defend the act we propose. In reality, nothing proposed is an absolute perfect. Hopefully both the ruling party and opposition party in our real Malaysia Parliament could debate professionally and discuss rationally to come out with the best solution or policy that could benefit all the Rakyat and the country. To pave way for the World Class Parliament, they must avoid behaving like in Pasar or Circus Parliament which is fueled by words like Bodoh, Monyet, Big Foot………

Critic and complain are easy, but SOLUTION to those problems is the most important !

With that, I end my sharing here. If you have any comments or feedback regarding my sharing, do feel free to leave it here yea.

Finally, a big THANK YOU from me to the organising units, all committee members and my new met friends in the camp. I believe PEMANJU 2012 would be even better !

青年迈进， 大马前进 ！

FOONG HAN YANG （冯瀚阳）

How I See Examination And The Lesson Behind It - Happiness

University life is not as easy as most people suggest. Apart from assignments, quiz, tutorial and tests, the Final Examination is the culprit to bring tension and stress to the students. As a Civil Engineering student, I deal a lot with various kind of stresses, tension (or even compression.. Lol.) in structure theory and analysis but stresses and pressure and real life are not as easy as simply putting supports. It really challenge a student's EQ and composure. Now talking about the Final Exam, let me share with you how different am I as compared to the one a year ago in seeing the examination and the way I treat it.

When I was first year, the only mission I had when I was in the hall is to make sure I can answer one or two questions + some 'anak soalan' for the other three questions (normally we need to answer five out of six questions) so that I can pass and no need to retake the subject. Everytime after the staff had collected my answer script, I would be busy calculating and estimating the marks I would get. I just need a pass or grade C to say goodbye to those subjects. Probably because I was seeking for a mere grade C as compared to some of my friends who were constantly aiming for A and Dean List, honestly I did not have much pressure and anxiety. Life was easier and happier.

Then here comes the second year of my USM journey. Before the first sem started, I had received a warning letter from JPA, my main income source for CGPA below 3.0 and it put me in an alarming state. During the MOV 10' in May, I made my mind very clear that since I had chosen Civil Engineering and scrapped the idea of transferring course, I must do well for it, score well for it no matter how hard it takes. Thus, during my second year, I have taken a few important measures to make sure my Academics Revival Plan going smooth. I notice that I am never the Foong Han Yang as I was, whose daily routine was : wake up-->go class/ponteng--> Play FIFA---> Nap ---> Play Football Manager ---> Sleep early. Now, I do the assignments by my own and I say NO to procrastination. I attend every class and PC Games are never my daily activity again (although Facebook is). Up to this point, I would like to say Congratulation to myself for these positive changes. My efforts were eventually paid off as my GPA and CGPA recorded an increase of around 5% and 4% respectively. I am close to the 3.5 level and I have seen the hope of scoring Dean List if I work harder. For the first time, I knew it was no longer an impossible mission. While men have left their footprints on the moon, me too can get above 3.5 and I that as a challenge for myself.

The date 18 April had finally arrived and the three week exam period kick started. Even though TITAS is relatively small Wigan to me but the subsequent papers are as tough as the likes of MU, Chelsea and Barca. supposed they are no big deal but my quest to score at least A- for these subjects had made me experiencing the pressure my friends had suffered. It intensifies everytime I begin to answer the question. The worst was during the Hydraulics paper which I took more than an hour to calm myself down and overcome the panic. I always feel proud of myself for I never buckle under pressure in life but I still have a lot to learn to beat this exam-panic syndrome. Hopefully, the increasing trend of both my GPA and CGPA continues.

I have derived some lesson from these two cases. In life there are people like my previous self - not craving for anything, as long as survival is guaranteed, life is happy. Another type of people is like my current self - have higher ambition or desire, always looking to achieve higher than the average. Happiness comes in different way and have different values to different individuals. Anyway, I am still proud with being the latter. During the process, I may need to sacrifice some happiness and give up something I really reluctant to but I do believe I will be rewarded with greater happiness and achievements which I think that's what life is all about. I. M. FOONG HAN YANG is never contented of just being normal and average. I will do something great to the society, nation and if possible, the world. Life is only once, I want a colourful and meaningful one. How about you ?

I. M. FOONG HAN YANG

'The higher you aim, the higher you achieve.'

愚鹄心声

友曰：人各有志，道不同，不相为谋，

何必强求必与己同。

麻雀无法了解鸿鹄的大志，

换过来，

鸿鹄又怎能体谅麻雀的小小需要呢?

吾曰：鹄雀虽有别于志 但亦得 互让互敬 以求 共存谋生。

鹄再威 若无雀 恐亡也。
雀再小 亦勿让 鸿鹄独撑天被 而 己当安乐公。
此鹄有己之高 绝不求 雀达之。
此鹄仅求雀 略 更上一层楼， 不求齐飞 却只望 共筑固巢 以 共享其利。
无奈 此 卑望 终难成。

鸿鹄再大 若无雀助 欲飞前一里 犹如 跨越万重山，非不能 却 无比艰难。
此鹄仅能望雀醒，期待更好的明日。

- 愚鹄 -

my SECOND year, SECOND sem, SECOND week

Being motivated by the challenges and the theme of the new year, I welcome the first Monday of 2011 with high spirits. It is a new day and another new week. After a relaxing and lazy first week and just before the engine begins to accelerate in the third week, so this week, the second week, I dedicate some precious time to write this sharing. There are some lessons, thoughts and outcomes I obtain from these five days but here I would like to highlight nothing but one incident that really reminds me to APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE and BE CONTENTED.

Yesterday (6th Jan), I went for a football game. After absent from football for more than a week, it is a torture to a football fanatic like me especially the FIFA and Football Manager are no longer in my laptop. You can’t imagine it unless you are a football crazy. As usual after the warm-up session, all the players were divided into two teams. It was an ‘El Clásico’ as one of my opponents was wearing the Real Madrid jersey while a teammate of mine was wearing the blue-and-red of Barcelona. The match eventually started.

It was drizzling but no one would care about it. Everyone was involved in the passing and eyeing for the opportunity to score. Unfortunately, my team was a goal down in the early stage. As a striker, the pressure and the urge to level the match began to intensify within my body. All of a sudden, I could feel the fighting spirits and the never-say-die attitude possessed by the likes of John Terry and Steven Gerrard fueled in my body. I made more runs and involved myself heavily in the attacking move of my team. Soon, we managed to stir a comeback by scoring twice. But I feel guilty to my teammates. I was disappointed with my poor skills as a player. I knew we would have scored a few more if I did not miss some chances upfront. The match continued and a few goal scoring machines in my team operated and more goals were soon followed. We kept terrorising the opposite defence and although I scored no goal, at least I did contribute a little to some of the goals scored.

‘WTF ! WTF ! WTF !’, one of my teammate shouted in annoyance probably because I had spoilt his goal scoring chance due to my wrong silly move. What an insult and humiliation it was ! However, the game still on and I couldn’t bother that much. In my mind, nothing came second to the team’s victory. Surprisingly, my efforts ware awarded when I finally bagged four goals at the latter stage of the game. In fact, I did consider that as a marvelous achievement for a lousy quality striker like me who missed more chances than scoring. Perhaps the WTF words had made me stronger. I could notice that all the goals I scored were produced from powerful strikes. As soon as I netted my fourth goal, I had no choice but to leave the pitch as I got a muscle cramp.

Albeit putting in a satisfying performance, however I was still angered with my poor playing skills and my failure to create more opportunities for my teammates. I questioned myself, “Why others can play so well but you can’t? Why?” Whenever I ask myself the very same question, I could not find myself an answer. What I do is improving my next game but most of the time, I fail which subsequently prompting me to ask myself this question again.

Later when I was having my dinner, somebody appeared in my sight. His left leg is handicapped. He could not walk properly like an ordinary person. Slowly and painstakingly, he walked towards my direction before he sat on the chair near the table opposite to mine. All of a sudden, the clock seemed to have stopped ticking but lots of thoughts flashing through my mind. I felt like I have been lectured for a moment. At that time, I realised how lucky I am. At those seconds, I forgot things like winning, scoring and stopped blaming myself. It was like waking up from a stupid dream and learning a valuable lesson. I thank God and my parents for giving me a nice pair of legs. Without them, I can’t even touch the ball or run on the field chasing the ball. As a person who loves football more than anything else, it’s hard to imagine how terrible the life would be. What else can I ask for? Isn’t the God has given me everything? A proper body, a good looking face and no physical defection. They are among the greatest assets God give to us. Human are greedy animals, they ask for more, demand for more and crave for more to fulfill their incessant desire. They seldom appreciate with the things they have got. Those things are so basic and simple yet they are so fundamental and essential. I remember there is quote which read, “When you are complaining about your shoes, there are people who don’t even have leg.” It is so true.

At the time of writing this article, a day has passed but the impact remains strong in my mind. It strengthens my belief and principle that it’s my responsibility to help the unfortunates. That’s why when a friend recently asks me what is my dream, without hesitation I reply him, “… But I have one ultimate one, that is to establish a foundation (I call it IRD Project) and help the poors across the globe especially those poor region in Africa. I want to give them DREAM and HOPE and a CHANCE to change their destiny.” Yes, I am not joking. I am serious and I do mean it.

So friends and those whom I love, be appreciate and thankful to what we have now. We will definitely live a happier life if we learn to appreciate and be contented. The world is beautiful and our lives are colourful, don’t let the bad desires and greed to destroy it. Also, do appreciate and love the people around us !

Theme for 2011

...5..4..3..2..1..

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

1 Jan 2011 or 1-1-11, the whole world are joyous in welcoming the whole new 2011, the fresh start of another decade. What's the story about this upcoming ten years ? Surely Euro 2012 (Ukraine & Poland), FIFA World Cup 2014 & 2018 (in Brazil and Russia respectively) and last but not least, the Malaysia by year 2020 are among the few things that really excite me.

While people are busy making their new year resolution and hoping for the best to come this year, I just couldn't think of any resolution specifically for this 2011. However, I do have set a mission and a theme for this year instead of resolutions.

Theme 2011 - Start NOW, Act NOW, Connect NOW

NOW is the keyword here. I am a visionary man who have several plans or blueprints in my mind to pave way for myself in achieving the goals I have set. After the fruitful MOV10' and LLP 10', I am sure and it must be now, beginning from this semester, this year that I am going to give extra efforts in converting those plans into TANGIBLE achievements. Again I have to stress that this is the work I must start NOW not weeks later nor after the end of the current semester nor the next year.

This is a project which need a lot of investments and sacrifices especially in term of time. There is no ending for it. Nevertheless, it will be executed in phases and KPI or objectives will be set for each phase to analyse and conclude the progress of the project. In short, the project can be described as a huge long bridge joining this solid ground where my feet lay and the dreamland of FIG which I anticipate. Since the construction plan of this magnificent bridge is now available, it's now my duty to construct it bit by bit, block by block steadily and patiently. The journey kick-starts when I am a 21 year old lad and hopefully I could reach the other side by my 40's if not 30's. Everything seem so untouchable, unreachable and stupid according to some of my friends and family. Yet deep in my heart, I know they are wrong and I am extremely confident and passionate to make it nothing but huge immeasurable success.

This semester, I will start my second business and during the semester break, I will seek for a job not for the money or salary it offers but the experience and values I can get from it. That is the way how I start. The previous working experience at the Empire Garment was really great and I expect to obtain a similar 'input-ful' experience this term. Besides, I will attend seminars, conferences or courses which are beneficial to me.

In the context of law, an individual of age 21 year old is considered mature (or old enough =.=) to make his own decision and is no longer under the control of his parents. He is 'Merdeka'. Although there are still months to go before I am officially declared as 21, I have now chosen the life of my own. I am ready to take the responsibility to decide my future, choose my way and set the direction of my life.

I see the route ahead and I know where my destination is.

It is not easy and of course it is not smooth either.

As I walk, I will come across junctions, holes, stumbling rocks and etc.

Risks, failures and challenges are inevitable.

Rise and fall...

But even if the whole world are doubting me,

I have faith in myself.

I will definitely success !

I will be a superb entrepreneur !

2011, here I go, here I start !

Salute, I.M. FOONG !!

"When people are hoping, I don't. I create hope and make it a reality."

I.M. FOONG HAN YANG