Idioms

Idioms or could be define as a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. Idioms are vastly used in essays and articles if the writer wishes to describe the scenario in a much flowery and detailed way. It gives a better explanation about something when we use idioms in our writings. It is no doubt difficult to understand if you do not study about it. There are thousand and one idioms existing and herewith we want to share with everyone.

A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush: 
Having something that is certain is much better than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose everything.

A Blessing In Disguise: 
Something good that isn't recognized at first.

A Chip On Your Shoulder: 
Being upset for something that happened in the past.

A Dime A Dozen: 
Anything that is common and easy to get.

A Doubting Thomas: 
A skeptic who needs physical or personal evidence in order to believe something.

A Drop in the Bucket: 
A very small part of something big or whole.

There are also many other idioms you can find suitable to picture your thought or the scenario. Moreover, English is not the only language which have idioms but also various other languages such as Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil and many more.

But always remember when you're writing, do not include too many idioms in it because it might confuse the reader and it would make it difficult for the reader to absorb. " Less is more and more is less "

If you want to know meanings of idioms you are not aware of, you may browse through google. The are definitely sites helping you define the idioms you are not sure of the meaning.

PR WRITING 1ST ASSIGNMENT

WORLDS LEADING CHEF IN THE MAKING

“A chef is born”, simply explains about this person who we are talking about here. Amirul Naim Bin Iskandar or preferred to be called Naem, 20 years old is a student at KLMU College under the faculty of Culinary & Arts. He is a potential chef in the making. Having the passion to cook enabled him to work towards his ambition to be a reputable chef in the industry. Naem actually realized his penchant for cooking when his Mother taught him his first dish, Nasi Lemak. He was fascinated with cooking and prefers French cuisine particularly in pastries such as croissant and other French patisseries.

“I am a good cook, but nothing beats my mother’s cooking”, says Naem being modest and appreciative towards his mother, who is a single mother with four children. Naem being the eldest son amongst his siblings feels responsible to bring comfort and betterment to his family. He pulls up his socks each time he thinks of the hardship his mother has gone through raising up his brothers and sisters. “Cooking is like a science experiment” quote’s Naem. He explains that cooking is not only based on recipes. In fact, at KLMU they train their students to think outside the box. He so far has invented one of his own recipe which taste scrumptiously good as told by one of his lecturers. So far he has not named his recipe yet but soon he will. As for now, he is also tightly scheduled with a part-time job as a waiter in a restaurant. He looks forward to college everyday because he gets to cook in a well-equipped kitchen and thirst for knowledge.

Naem is planning on opening his own restaurant in the future which specializes in French Cuisine and plans to call it “Mère la recette” which means “Mum’s recipe” and he wants to dedicate this restaurant to his mother. However, before that he also wants to work with many other prestigious hotels to gain experience and popularity before he begins his entrepreneurship. Naem always stands to this saying “A smooth sea will not make a skillful sailor”, thus he is willing to face any kind of obstacles in life to achieve his dreams and nothing will break his determination because he says that he have experienced worst imaginable phases in life. He also mentioned that during his high school life that he had participated in a cooking competition which was called “Rasa-rasa Malaysia” which was competed between classes in his school and he managed to win the grand prize for his class. He said he enthralled the judges by his expertise in making his mothers delicious Nasi Lemak which was served with Rendang Chicken on the side. Points given were for the great taste and also for the amazingly creative food presentation.

“I am still fresh in the industry but like a flower, I will bloom. I also idolize famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Martha Stewart”, says Naem. He says that such TV program’s he watched also influenced him to pursue in this field of work and also learn recipes from them. He may be just an under-dog in the industry but with great determination, desires in life he will strive to achieve at his level-best.

Written by:
Macalister Z.

THE GIRL WHO SILENCED THE WORLD FOR 5 MINUTES

When I was younger, the world was not this bad as it is today. The ambiance was just peaceful and filled with serenity. As I grew older, the world was growing and great changes were made. I am not blaming or regretting any of this upgrades in our life we have experienced. It is just that, certain issues just disappoints mother nature. Our ozone is almost gone and punctured massively and the air we breathe contains chemicals which is hazardous. The waters in fact, is very polluted and unhealthy. Animals and  plants are dying day by day. Nothing left for my children and grandchildren to see. It is a sad, sad situation. But what can we do ? These actions are irreversible and the damage is done. What we hopes best that the government take the initiative to put a full-stop to these activities which is harming our environment and hoping that the world will not get any worst. There are many young children who are crying out loud to the adults as you can see from the video below. Listen to her speech.

20 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism

Something we would like to share. Enjoy.

20 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism

By Redbook | Vitality – Tue, Feb 21, 2012 6:33 PM EST

By Heather Bauer, RD,CDN, REDBOOK

Whether you're trying to shed some lbs or just stay fit, these tricks to increase your metabolism from nutritionist Heather Bauer, RD,CDN, will help you reach the finish line even faster.
1. Keep Hydrated I'm sure the general population thinks dieticians sound like a broken record when it comes to the whole water thing, but it really is important. Drinking the recommended eight cups of water a day will help your body function at peak performance levels.

2. Keep Calcium Levels Up Current obesity research shows that a dip in calcium levels can trigger the same hormone that causes the body to hold onto fat to be released. Choose low-fat dairy, cheese, yogurt, salmon, tofu, and oatmeal.

3. Ditch the Drinks Happy hours and late night cocktails can do a number on your metabolism the next day. Research shows that the day after a night of drinking, there is a significant dip in your metabolic rate. Combine this with hangover cravings, and you've got a double disaster.

4. Eat Constantly Snacking does not have to be a bad thing. If your stomach is growling, it means that you need more fuel. Not providing your body with food is a surefire way to slow down its basic functions. Choose high-fiber, high-protein snacks like low-fat cheese, fiber crackers, fruits, veggies, or Greek yogurt. Starving your body will sabotage all of your dieting efforts.

5. Destress Yourself Stress raises the amount of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone that tells the body to hold onto fat in case of a stressful situation (think more natural disaster-level stress, not a bad day at work-level). Experiment with yoga or meditation as ways to lower stress levels and clear your mind.

6. Decrease Diet Soda Although it's low in calories and seems like an easy swap for high calorie beverages, diet soda may actually have adverse effects on your metabolism. Water and seltzer are better options, but if you must drink diet soda, limit your consumption to two cans (not Big Gulps!) per week.

7. Don't Forget Your ZZZ's Getting a least seven to eight hours of sleep every night is crucial to a healthy metabolism. Anything less can adversely affect your body's ability to burn calories. Surprisingly, excess sleep may do the same thing. It's best to keep a consistent bedtime and wake up close to the same time every morning

8. Soak Up the Sun Research shows that when a person spends long periods of time in a darkened, dull environment, it stimulates the same physiological functions in the body as gaining weight and sleep. The best daylight hours are between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., so make it a point to get up from your desk and take a brisk walk outside. Aside from soaking up rays, you'll rev up your heart rate and benefit from the fresh air.

9. Work Out in the Cold Doing any type of cardio exercise in the cold can increase the ability of brown fat in the body to work at maximum capacity. Newly published research indicates that brown fat helps efficiently burn the white fat in your body, which is the considered that "bad fat."

10. Drink Kombucha Tea This tea, which is made from the Kombucha black mushroom, has racked up accolades in almost every health area-claims range from easing arthritis to detoxifying the liver. The detoxifying nature of this beverage may help your body function at an optimal level, which means a healthy metabolism.

11. Increase Weight-Bearing Exercises One pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories, while one pound of fat burns a measly 5 to 10 calories. Increasing your muscle mass can increase your body's basal metabolic rate (BMR) by up to 40%. There's no need to hit the weights hard, either, simply using light weights at high repetition has been proven to tone muscle and burn fat.

12. Up Your Vitamin C Vitamin C and calcium are partners in crime when it comes to your metabolic rate. Calcium speeds up metabolism, while vitamin C helps the body absorb this mineral, creating an overall win-win situation.

13. Vitamin B is Key Getting in all over your vitamin B, which you can do by incorporating small amounts of nuts, seeds, lean chicken, beef, and fish into your diet, helps maintain a healthy metabolism. Legumes are also a great source of B vitamins; plus they're chock-full of fiber.

14. Drink Green Tea The polyphenols, specifically EGCG, in green tea have properties that rev up your metabolic rate. However, green tea takes dedication. You have to drink about 4 to 5 cups a day to see results.

15. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup It's one of the most controversial issues in nutrition: Studies show that HFCS can make the body insulin-resistant. Also, when given the choice, the body stores fructose as fat before it does glucose.

16. Try Interval Training Aside from curing workout boredom, interval training allows you to burn more calories in less time. This is a great way for busy people with less time to get in a maximum workout.


17. Drink Oolong Tea Swap your second latte of the day with a fresh cup of oolong tea. Chinese medicine and celebrities alike tout the calorie boosting properties of this electrifying elixir.

18. Spicy Peppers Take your pick: Jalapenos, chili, cayenne, habanero, etc.. These fiery little guys contain capsaicin, which is why you get a burning sensation in your mouth when you eat them. This same effect is created internally, causing a calorie burn for about 30 minutes afterward.

19. Go Ginger The latest craze is to add ginger shots to juice, but if you're not into juicing, it also pairs nicely with veggies in a stir-fry. In addition to aiding digestion, it can speed up the body's digestion process by as much as twenty percent.

20. Eat Oily Fish Fish such as tuna and salmon contain oil that increases leptin, which is a hormone responsible for controlling appetite.

Lets work it out
regards with love:
Ainur(Agrat), Mac ,Amy,Hatta.

Its the best

Some turn to Yoga or Tai chi.Some swear by red wine.Some will embrace the greenery scenery just to clear up minds and finds and hunting for tranquility.But mum was right.The best is to have a hug and cuddle with your loved ones.You will feel a lot better after a cuddle.

What is hugs and cuddlings?. Hugs can be a sign of joy and happiness.A hug is a form of physical intimacy that usually involves closing or holding the arms around the neck,back,or the waist of another person.Hugs is forms of non-verbal communication. A hug can be significant to indicate familiarity,love,affection, or friendship.

One person may hug another as an indication of support,comfort and consolation.Ahug can be demonstration of affection and emotional warmth,sometimes arising out of joy of happiness at meeting someone.Sometimes hugs are romantic exchange.

While cuddling is a way for people to express affection physically.Kids cuddle up to their parents , Couple cudle amorously, and friends cuddle too.Hugging is also one of the action came when cuddling.
As mentioned above, cuddling and hugging is a form of non-verbal communication.It is also practiced in Animal kingdom.Cudding can promote a good health especially reducing heart disease and promote longevity.

It is also a good way to express your self. What meant here is,if someone that you are familiar with are in depress, and you have no good words for her or him, Hugs and cuddling will be the best and it seriously help.
But remember, a BIG NO-NO to hug a stranger.Its good to spread the love and warmth but ensure that the person is comfortable with cuddling.

Cuddling may come naturally to some, it's very foreign and uncomfortable to others,especially for those who grew up in very "Hands Off" environments. For those of you who wants to cuddle but are not sure how, Here is a little crash course for you. You can try with your family and it is for good cause. Have a happy cuddling :)

Regards with love:
Ainur(Agrat),Mac,Amy,Hatta.

I love women.

credits to CLEOMAG and BCWA.We would like to share as sharing is caring.
This is dedicated to everyone especially women :)

I LOVE WOMEN by Cleo and BCWA

I love them young and ripe.Or old and lined
I love the softness of their breasts.
Their firm rosy nipples.

I love being with them at work,at home,in bed,in the shower.
I love being closer enough to feel the flesh of lovers.
who dont know i am there.

Love to feel the breath of the children who dont know,
what i am doing to their mothers.

I love their sweet ignorance,
their naive consent as i push against their tender skin.

I love pluging inside them,
and slowly taking control of their pliable bodies,

Love the terror on their faces
when they found out what i really am.

I love the tears and trashing when they try,too late,to fight me.

In the past year alone,I have taken more than a million women.
Tomorrow i'll take first of a million more.

And as for you?
well,we have a 1-in-20 chance of meeting.
PERHAPS,WE ALREADY HAVE.

When it comes to your breast health, There are no silly questions.
You should know this,but you don't.

Women, love yourself.

So many women die suffering because of Breast cancer.And who knows the next person is you,or your best friend,your mother ,your loved ones. Help stop breast cancer.

regards with love;

Ainur(agrat) , Mac , Amy, Hatta.

Mabuhay Filipinas !

This post is dedicated to all Filipino's which we are enticed to in regards of the accent. Not mocking and no hard feelings if you feel offended. It is just that we find it very unique and interesting when we hear a Filipino speak English. Below you will watch a video by Mikey Bustos who explains more detailed about our topic. I hope you enjoy the video !

English is colour-blind

English Language- it is recorded that it Origins is from West Germanic Language that arose in Anglo-saxon kingdom of England.English as everyone concern, it has been on the earth,spoken,written and practiced by the human more than a century.Now English has become the dominant language of the world.For a person to master English is compulsary especially in the era of Global village,where communication is beyond borders,english  indeed plays a vital role in communication process.

For Malaysia, most of the urban people are literate and articulate when it comes to English. But for the country itself where English is not the main language, it is hardly practice.English is colour-Blind. This is what all the citizen of Malaysia should bear in mind.English is just a language.It does represent the people, but doesnt mean when you used English as your communication language you are becoming English man or woman.For instance, In Malaysia where Bahasa Malaysia is the main language and it is compulsary for every citizen to know it, it doesnt change the chinese to Malay or indian to Malay just because you are using the Bahasa Melayu language.The same goes to English.

I did not subscribe to Racism, but i do believe every human are born with conservative and preservative attitude.It is understandable that every culture want to conserve their native language.You are most welcomed to do so. But because of the Demand of political and economical, to hold on to your native language itself is not enough.Learning English is amazingly beneficial.Why? To master the English language save you from learning 212 more language in the world just to communicate with the people across the borders.

This is the wake up call for Malaysian. Bahasa Melayu ,according to history, it was once a Lingua franca.A language that was so greatly infleuntial.Mandarin , the most great kingdom languag,and Tamil, the language from the most early civilisation. But now ,you are reading this post ,form your higly technology gadget,even the instruction are all in english.Otherwise you changed the setting.We are in the Global village era.English has become the language of knowledge.It is the language that communicate each of us to one another.And english is the dominant language that is higly demand for the political and economic.Thus,these make English very important to be mastered.For a better future of our generation.Remember my beloved citizen of Malaysia.English is colour-blind.No matter what colour you are, as long your blood is red and you are human,you are not suppose to be afraid or shy to speak in English.You  are not supposed to scared or frigtened up due to the infleunce ,dominant and the superior that the language possess.Always bear in mind."It just a language and its colour-blind."

Hopefully this wake up call post have woke all the beloved Malaysian from the deep sleep.Hope you enjoy reading the post :)

regards with love:
Ainur(agrat),Mac,Amy and Hatta.

Thaipusam Celebration

Thaipusam, the celebration of penance, endurance and thanksgiving is celebrated around the globe and is also actually celebrated during the full-moon phase. However, since Malaysia is highly populated with Indians, this celebration is also a big agenda annually. It is in fact a holiday for certain states. Thousands and thousands of people come from all walks of life to gather and embark on the 272-steps of the majestic Batu Caves to celebrate this auspicious event. This celebration does not only portray an image of Hinduism devotion but also shows the colours of the great culture of our fellow Indians. The uniqueness of the event itself has caught the eyes of the world and not only participated by fellow Indians but also other races and nationalities.  

Recently this celebration was celebrated and an estimation of 20,000 people gathered here and made this event a success. There were many stalls opened by local Indians selling their famous delicacies and also ornaments with attractive prices. No doubt there is a huge crowd to withstand, but this celebration begins a week before the actual celebration day. Therefore, people are given the advantage to perform their rituals earlier if they wish to not do it on the actual day.

 “ A lifetime experience “ is how I would picture this event with its many kavadis carried by Hindu devotees is definitely a culture shock for non-hindus. With its vast customs and great colours, the celebration involves great penance of its fellow devotees. You may observe the exotic piercings which is performed by the Hindus and carrying the heavy kavadi on their backs. The celebration itself involves music and dance which is believed will arouse the spiritual sight of one to invite their Lord to take charge of their body which is commonly known as trance.

I was informed that these specific people have to undergo abstinence for 48-days which is, only a meal a day and no erotic motions in their thoughts and actions with their mind only focusing a hundred percent to God.  The event was a success and really looking forward to next year’s Thaipusam.

Written By : Macalister Luke Zarsadias

Herewith I attached photos for better visual purposes. Photos are taken from the website http://news.malaysia.msn.com/photoviewer.aspx?cp-documentid=4592023&page=7

The American President ( 1995 )

Movie Review

Title: The American President ( 1995 )

Starring: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox

Director: Rob Reiner

Writer: Aaron Sorkin

Synopsis

Andrew Shepherd is approaching the end of his first term as President of the United States. He's a widower with a young daughter and has proved to be popular with the public. His election seems assured. That is until he meets Sydney Ellen Wade, a paid political activist working for an environmental lobby group. He's immediately smitten with her and after several amusing attempts, they finally manage to go on a date (which happens to be a State dinner for the visiting President of France). His relationship with Wade opens the door for his prime political opponent, Senator Bob Rumson, to launch an attack on the President's character, something he could not do in the previous election as Shepherd's wife had only recently died.

My review:

I actually enjoyed this movie very much. It explained to me the life of the U.S President and I understand him better after watching the movie. It showed his affection side of him rather than just his professionalism running the country. Having the impression of a firm and stern person, the movie actually tells us that the U.S President  is a serious person and also a family man. He is just another human being and he has feelings which other human beings have. The nations judged him when he was interested with Ms. Sydney and threw harsh accusations towards their relationship. Fortunately they both had a strong will and manage to fight through the bitterness and achieved their dreams. I was certainly touched and impressed with the U.S President and it changed my impression towards him.

Rating : 4 STARS

The reason why I chose to blog about this movie is because I was assigned to watch this movie in one of my assignments. Therefore, I thought of sharing my review with everyone. Enjoy the trailer. :)

Regards,

Mac

Hospitality

Hospitality or could be explained as a treatment or service given by an organization towards its customers in purpose of making their visit a happy and memorable one. Usually in the hotel industry we could notice their hospitality towards their guest but however, in the modern era of convergence, even fast food chains and local restaurants practice hospitality in their service. In is a tactic used to attract customers in supporting their entrepreneurship and it is amazingly effective to their revenues !

Good hospitality means good service. We take an example of McDonald's. They too practice hospitality in their environment. For instance, they have a standard verbiage when a customer approaches an employee. 

" Good Morning ! Welcome to Mcdonald's ! " is usually uttered when a customer walks into the outlet. It simply brightens the ambiance within the restaurant for a customer and it gives a positive impact to their first impression. Even if you called the McDelivery services, they practice telephone etiquette while answering their calls and it actually puts a brand to their service and people recognizes and remembers it.  

For our assignment, we were assigned to observe the hospitality of a fast food chain restaurant and details of our observation is as per below :

When we arrived an employee noticed us and greeted us " Welcome to Mcdonald's ! " and we just nodded with a smile and walk towards the queue to make our order. As we approach the counter, the employee again welcome us and asked for order. We were in a dilemma and was not sure of what to order. He then gave us their latest promotion and recommended it to us. So we took his suggestion and went to our seat to enjoy our delicious meal. Throughout our time at McDonald's we were left alone and nobody entertained us. Well, we could not expect much from a fast food chain right ? Therefore, when we were done we left and an employee wished goodbye to us.

Thus, we can conclude from our observation that McDonald do have very minimal hospitality which is acceptable. We are not complaining. This is just an observation and we wish if McDonald's could implemet a more personalize hospitality towards their customer. Perhaps hire waiters to entertain/assist their customers during their time at the outlet. This would definitely make every customer who walk in with a smile on their faces when they walk out. 

Communication

Definition of Communication 

To our understanding, communication is about transmitting messages from the sender to a receiver. A message could be in forms of verbal and non-verbal. Non-verbal as in photos, actions, movements and sound waves. A sender could be a group of people conveying a message or even an individual. Same goes to the receiver.

The basic model of communication

( Sender -> Encoding -> Channel -> Decoding -> Receiver ) Noise
Based from the above statement, we can conclude that the Sender creates a message/thought/idea/information and encodes in into a visible form of writing/picture/action/movement/sound waves passing it over to the receiver through a Chanel. The channel such as voice/internet/television then transmit the message to the Receiver who encodes the message before they successfully receive and understand the message.

There are several types of communication such as Interpersonal Communication, Intrapersonal Communication, Group Communication, Organizational Communication, and Mass Communication.

Thus, we have concocted that communication is vastly used in our everyday lives and living in a world without communication would just make things harder for each one of us. However, error in communication tends to happen and at times the receiver does not receive the message successfully. This situation is caused by the Noise which revolves the entire process of communication. Noise is meant such as ink splattered on the print-out, loud noise during a speech, bad television reception and many more.

Perhaps ponder for awhile and imagine how the world would be if everyone did not communicate with one another. I bet the world will not be the world today we see. Therefore, ensure to communicate appropriately and you will make a difference in all situations you face daily. For a better understanding, watch the video below. Enjoy.

Regards,
Mac, Ainur, Amy and Hatta.

" Jot this down ", " Jot that down "

Introduction.

First and foremost, we would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. Khalil in giving us this opportunity to start our very own blog ! We are extremely excited and hoping to get the best out of us blogging with our fellow readers. We consist of four members in our blog and we are Mac, Ainur, Amy and Hatta.

We are new here in blogging and we hope that everyone around the globe will enjoy the materials we are about to share with you. JOTTED DOWN is what we have titled our blog and the reason being we have chosen the title is because we are students of Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University and being a student, we always experience our lecturers saying " Jot this down ", " Jot that down " and many more. Thus, this blog is a platform for us to brush up our writing skills and also a platform for us to include vital notes for our kind perusal and also yours.

Furthermore, just to give our readers heads-up that we are not a centered-blog whereas we are wide and open. We will discuss topics from A-Z. Regardless if it is formal or informal. However, we will definitely include certain post which associates to our course, Media. Therefore, we hope that our first introduction post would increase your desires in reading our blog in future.

Before that, here are our photos.

 

Mac

Ainur ( Agrat )

Hatta

Amy

Thank you and hoping to see you guys around ! Cheers.