There is no day in life without a story. Sometimes it is full of joy but sometimes it brings a distraction to your aims. But we always have a choice. Being distracted or focus straight. But I highly recommended that to be a successful person, we don't have to afraid of making mistakes and do admit it. Furthermore, don't put our attention too much on what other peoples say about us. Just do what we think is suitable and reasonable for us. We know ourselves more than others.
Two days that full of agendas and no relax for me on this weekend. But, insyaAllah, it will brings barakah and rahmah for my future life. ;-). This poem is really inspired me. I have wrote it once and I would like to write it again here. It just so calming.
Do it anyway by Mother Teresa
People are often unreasonable, illogical, And self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you
Of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
False friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank;
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysisit is between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
My qualitative research begins.
Mencabar. It is a word that I think enough to explain this task. I have to gain 300 respondents in kampung ( rural area) for my survey and it is not easy. In engineering research it is less likely to use questionnaire as a main tool and seems that not so important rather than using technological tools, experiments, software, simulation, etc. That is what I thought previously before I involving myself in this kind of methodology. I also thougt that - Ah! My thing is not a robust research. It is simple, no adventure.
But actually no. It is an adventure.
Qualitative data is usually used by researcher in education, social science or marketing. But don't forget that human engineering needs this! To educate people to use technology, infrastructures, and what so ever that engineer s/professionals have invented is started by understanding how they react, behave and accept those things. If we don’t have a clue on their perception, we can’t never know either our invention/work/policy/rules etc. are good for community or we just following the trend of development/research. We need a top-down communication to gain the trust from our society towards the development for this country. Thus we really need qualitative datas.
Mendekati masyarakat bukannya mudah. Masyarakat terdiri dari pelbagai lapisan dan mempunyai kepelbagaian pendapat. Tetapi jika kita tidak berani untuk turun padang, kita tidak dapat menyelami masalah sebenar yang mengekang kemajuan dalam penyelidikan kita. Cara untuk mendekati masyarakat sangatlah mencabar.Tetapi jika tidak dimulakan dengan cabaran, kita tidak akan belajar. Namanya pun belajar membuat research, kan?
Okay. I start my work today – distributing the questionnaires in Muar. I would like to focus on motorcyclists that use motorcycle lane in Jalan Abdul Rahman. I never have an experience and this is the first time. The hard thing is to explain to old respondents what actually my questionnaire wants from these pakcik and makcik. They hardly understand my questions. I asked about their perception while using motorcycle lane and while not using motorcycle lane and it is repeated for purpose. I want a different perspective for both conditions. But they said it is confusing while it is repeated. It is something that I fail to recognize while designing the questionnaire. I forgot about the pakcik and makcik and their ability to understand it. Well, I can’t handle a pilot study while I was in Japan and my respondents in Malaysia. It is really a risk to my analysis. Fuh!!
Their ability to examine and understand the question is very low and I have to read and explain to them what the questions really want. It takes time and patient. ( I am also studying the community then.) Another thing is, it is hard to get cooperation from non Malay. They don’t want to answer the questions and think that my work is rubbish. From 300, today I just gain 18.
A lot of things I have learned actually. My hypothesis that it is not easy to educate community is true. But it is not their false at all. It is just not our culture for being helpful. I realized that there are too much skeptical to the authorities or even individual. Believe me. It is easier to work with computer and tools rather than to work with people. But in travel BEHAVIOR analysis laboratory we have to study about human and understand how engineering today effects and improve their life. Are they understand enough, are they have moral obligation, thankful and realized that we need a strong union to develop as a successful country.
Maybe my research is a tiny little thing, but I hope it is a good start for me to help my nation. I just inspired from my sensei. ;)
Can we have the society like they have in developed country one day ? When we will fully developed, or we just love to be as the unmatured country?
But actually no. It is an adventure.
Qualitative data is usually used by researcher in education, social science or marketing. But don't forget that human engineering needs this! To educate people to use technology, infrastructures, and what so ever that engineer s/professionals have invented is started by understanding how they react, behave and accept those things. If we don’t have a clue on their perception, we can’t never know either our invention/work/policy/rules etc. are good for community or we just following the trend of development/research. We need a top-down communication to gain the trust from our society towards the development for this country. Thus we really need qualitative datas.
Mendekati masyarakat bukannya mudah. Masyarakat terdiri dari pelbagai lapisan dan mempunyai kepelbagaian pendapat. Tetapi jika kita tidak berani untuk turun padang, kita tidak dapat menyelami masalah sebenar yang mengekang kemajuan dalam penyelidikan kita. Cara untuk mendekati masyarakat sangatlah mencabar.Tetapi jika tidak dimulakan dengan cabaran, kita tidak akan belajar. Namanya pun belajar membuat research, kan?
Okay. I start my work today – distributing the questionnaires in Muar. I would like to focus on motorcyclists that use motorcycle lane in Jalan Abdul Rahman. I never have an experience and this is the first time. The hard thing is to explain to old respondents what actually my questionnaire wants from these pakcik and makcik. They hardly understand my questions. I asked about their perception while using motorcycle lane and while not using motorcycle lane and it is repeated for purpose. I want a different perspective for both conditions. But they said it is confusing while it is repeated. It is something that I fail to recognize while designing the questionnaire. I forgot about the pakcik and makcik and their ability to understand it. Well, I can’t handle a pilot study while I was in Japan and my respondents in Malaysia. It is really a risk to my analysis. Fuh!!
Their ability to examine and understand the question is very low and I have to read and explain to them what the questions really want. It takes time and patient. ( I am also studying the community then.) Another thing is, it is hard to get cooperation from non Malay. They don’t want to answer the questions and think that my work is rubbish. From 300, today I just gain 18.
A lot of things I have learned actually. My hypothesis that it is not easy to educate community is true. But it is not their false at all. It is just not our culture for being helpful. I realized that there are too much skeptical to the authorities or even individual. Believe me. It is easier to work with computer and tools rather than to work with people. But in travel BEHAVIOR analysis laboratory we have to study about human and understand how engineering today effects and improve their life. Are they understand enough, are they have moral obligation, thankful and realized that we need a strong union to develop as a successful country.
Maybe my research is a tiny little thing, but I hope it is a good start for me to help my nation. I just inspired from my sensei. ;)
Can we have the society like they have in developed country one day ? When we will fully developed, or we just love to be as the unmatured country?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Moral obligation and SD
Ok. Perak is in chaos. It makes history - a state that has two MB. I am not going to comment on this situation. This is not my expert thou.... It is just I need to construct a visual of a reality. (?). How am I suppose to say this ... It is hard to write than throw it in verbal.
Let me make it clear. My SV inspired me when he talked about moral obligation and his responsibility for the young generation in Japan. He write a book entitled Social Dilemma and he has a class for this subject. It is in Japanese Language so I cannot attend the class. Two phases "moral obligation" and "social dilemma" hit my mind and patriotism. Or it is a moral obligation feeling!
It is hard for me to describe moral obligation and social dilemma stuff here. I am lack of words. But if anybody interest about it, just hit the Google and read about it. Yup, it is a kind of social psychology thing but what it has to do with transportation anyway? If you have the opportunity to live in this Japanese community, you must be surely understand what it is all about. It is not just about the area or field of knowledge but it is about the fundamental of a society's mind set.
When I first came to Japan, I asked myself...why is this community has such as this kind of manner - respect others'. It is just like what everybody else thing about. Then, me and my friend got the opportunity to understand the meaning of 'I have rights for my own thing, don't dare to disturb. Please respect!' - Japanese are really strict for their own things - like car park, private stuff, even tranquility. However, they are also very respect to public/sharing stuffs...if you have a dog, so you have the responsibility for the dog's "excrement"... Please pick it up!
What is this all about? It is a fundamental of moral obligation and social dilemma. They fix the social dilemma by educating the nations with moral obligation. Sounds easy but how did they make it? Back to Malaysia's situation with political error (?), mat rempits, accidents, bribery, crimes, etc.... we actually lack of this fundamental of moral obligation. It is because we cannot understand what is our social dilemma all about and we never make a pure, focus and vigorous step to make a research on it. So, we failed to educate our nations what is the meaning of tolerate and success. ( Read more on Prisoner's Dilemma.)
The interesting fact here is these kind of social psychology things play with probabilities, statistics and mathematics which the Japanese are really strong. It is about the Game Theory that has something to do with transportation modelling and travel behavior analysis. It is also play rules in economic and urban planning. Is it means that because of we are lacking this math things we failed to understand the dilemmas?? Is it means because we don't know how to build up a prediction model, so we failed to fix the social problems??
We, researchers have a lot of works to do. Called by my SV's determination towards his young Japanese - I feel a moral obligation towards mine too...How about you?
p/s: our politic is just suits the prisoner's dilemma case!
Let me make it clear. My SV inspired me when he talked about moral obligation and his responsibility for the young generation in Japan. He write a book entitled Social Dilemma and he has a class for this subject. It is in Japanese Language so I cannot attend the class. Two phases "moral obligation" and "social dilemma" hit my mind and patriotism. Or it is a moral obligation feeling!
It is hard for me to describe moral obligation and social dilemma stuff here. I am lack of words. But if anybody interest about it, just hit the Google and read about it. Yup, it is a kind of social psychology thing but what it has to do with transportation anyway? If you have the opportunity to live in this Japanese community, you must be surely understand what it is all about. It is not just about the area or field of knowledge but it is about the fundamental of a society's mind set.
When I first came to Japan, I asked myself...why is this community has such as this kind of manner - respect others'. It is just like what everybody else thing about. Then, me and my friend got the opportunity to understand the meaning of 'I have rights for my own thing, don't dare to disturb. Please respect!' - Japanese are really strict for their own things - like car park, private stuff, even tranquility. However, they are also very respect to public/sharing stuffs...if you have a dog, so you have the responsibility for the dog's "excrement"... Please pick it up!
What is this all about? It is a fundamental of moral obligation and social dilemma. They fix the social dilemma by educating the nations with moral obligation. Sounds easy but how did they make it? Back to Malaysia's situation with political error (?), mat rempits, accidents, bribery, crimes, etc.... we actually lack of this fundamental of moral obligation. It is because we cannot understand what is our social dilemma all about and we never make a pure, focus and vigorous step to make a research on it. So, we failed to educate our nations what is the meaning of tolerate and success. ( Read more on Prisoner's Dilemma.)
The interesting fact here is these kind of social psychology things play with probabilities, statistics and mathematics which the Japanese are really strong. It is about the Game Theory that has something to do with transportation modelling and travel behavior analysis. It is also play rules in economic and urban planning. Is it means that because of we are lacking this math things we failed to understand the dilemmas?? Is it means because we don't know how to build up a prediction model, so we failed to fix the social problems??
We, researchers have a lot of works to do. Called by my SV's determination towards his young Japanese - I feel a moral obligation towards mine too...How about you?
p/s: our politic is just suits the prisoner's dilemma case!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
AMOS the analysis of moment structure
Weather is getting hot here. I am fasting today and quite sleepy. Maybe coz yesterday I cycled quite far - from my home Katsura to Arashiyama. It was very nice and unforgetable journey even just about for two hours... :)))
I just want to put some information about my modeling progress. I believe modeling is easier than programing. I try to memorize back the AMOS that I had play with a year ago. Yikes..I forgot it... not totally but I wonder how can I play with it with out user guide. So I try to relocate the memory. After about 3 hours I gained it back. My mistake is just because not go through the document carefully. Theee heee heee..... So greedy to learn but not in smart way I think. I learn that make notes is sometime make your life easier - management thing!!!
This SEM tool actually opens the door for nonstatistician to solve estimation and hyphotheses testing problems that we would have required the services of the specialist. But by this tool, we can test the hyphotheses by ourselves. It is just about how to learn it and many people like to learn by doing. That's why the user guide is important.
Talking about the AMOS, it provides methods for estimating these structural equations
Maximum Likehood, Unweighted Least Squares, Generalized Least Squares, Browne's asymptotically..., Scale Free Least Square.
I wonder why I don't know these thing and what had happened in my statistic class in my old days! Just one thought - MALAYSIAN we need Math & Sc to survive!
I just want to put some information about my modeling progress. I believe modeling is easier than programing. I try to memorize back the AMOS that I had play with a year ago. Yikes..I forgot it... not totally but I wonder how can I play with it with out user guide. So I try to relocate the memory. After about 3 hours I gained it back. My mistake is just because not go through the document carefully. Theee heee heee..... So greedy to learn but not in smart way I think. I learn that make notes is sometime make your life easier - management thing!!!
This SEM tool actually opens the door for nonstatistician to solve estimation and hyphotheses testing problems that we would have required the services of the specialist. But by this tool, we can test the hyphotheses by ourselves. It is just about how to learn it and many people like to learn by doing. That's why the user guide is important.
Talking about the AMOS, it provides methods for estimating these structural equations
Maximum Likehood, Unweighted Least Squares, Generalized Least Squares, Browne's asymptotically..., Scale Free Least Square.
I wonder why I don't know these thing and what had happened in my statistic class in my old days! Just one thought - MALAYSIAN we need Math & Sc to survive!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Spring time..
It is a tulip season in Japan Wow it seems thaat I take quite a long time to write again! A lot of things happened of course and it is hard for me to report everything. The winter season which I don’t really prefer had finished and the weather turns to very nice and warm suits with my feeling. Even almost every day it is raining but the colorful flowers seem blooming everywhere.
The Golden Week has passed by. A week before that, I had an academic camp with my lab mates with our new sensei in Biwako in Shiga prefecture. Well, I can say as a – mengeratkan silaturrahim purpose -. Our new leader, I mean our new sensei has a very different perspective than our last Kitamura sensei. He is younger, more energetic and somehow very sporting. I had a chance to chat with him. He told us that, when he was 25 or 26 years old he used to join a band as a vocalist. I heard that he is really good in singing. One interesting thing about him is when he talks; he will use very loud voice and become very enthusiastic. Each times, he will asks the student to live this life for God, not only for the sake of oneself.
He believes in God (but he doesn’t has religion) and he said that recently, young generations of Japan facing the social dilemmas. They become selfish and lost respect to old peoples and traditions. What he thought is something that really different and mostly of Japanese don’t really care about God. He wants to change the perspective. That’s why he always gives a kind of motivation for Japanese students. In Nihon – Go of course….
But what important for me is – he makes my work easier. I have finished designing the questionnaire and waiting time to collect the data. He likes it - that is the most important thing. I have two months to accomplish everything before I can analyze and write journals. I heard he has a lot of PhD students that can finish the PhD in 2 years. I am not hoping to come back before the time but hoping to gain the PhD on the time! I have a lot of plans after that…. Life is not easy, thou!!!
I need to discipline myself a little bit. Put effort on writing practice, working more on mathematical models, and be fast. Well...The season that I love the most has come!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Introducing the cute little fella
Last week we had visitors from Ampang. It was their first visit to Japan. Before - I always heard about this lil fella from his 'Pak Ngah.' His Pak Ngah told us that this little fella has a lots of talent. When I met him - Yes, he does! He can express his feelings in English very well even he is actually just 6 years old boy (he is studying in International School-lah, that's why..). He likes cartoons very much and almost for all the time he talked about the characters that he had saw. PSP was always in his hands. He is so sweet talker (in a positive way) and talented. Friendly, charming and easy going.
Me and the Pak Ngah entertained this lil fella with his beloved mom and dad to Kobe, Osaka, USJ and also Shogetsu (for yakisoba and okonomiyaki). This lil guy really had a great fun in USJ . Wonder how he did it but his figure and character naturally attracted the Japanese peoples. So he got Japanese friends on that day. Sometimes I had a lil chat with him and he really likes acting and making faces.
On last Tuesday, they went back to Malaysia. It is another experience for the ryugakusei like me -living far away from my family and entertaining the visitors that come and go really makes me miss my home- my parents-my siblings-my stuff in Malaysia.
But I do have a great time as a tourist guide!! These are the photos of lil Firdaus.
Me and the Pak Ngah entertained this lil fella with his beloved mom and dad to Kobe, Osaka, USJ and also Shogetsu (for yakisoba and okonomiyaki). This lil guy really had a great fun in USJ . Wonder how he did it but his figure and character naturally attracted the Japanese peoples. So he got Japanese friends on that day. Sometimes I had a lil chat with him and he really likes acting and making faces.
On last Tuesday, they went back to Malaysia. It is another experience for the ryugakusei like me -living far away from my family and entertaining the visitors that come and go really makes me miss my home- my parents-my siblings-my stuff in Malaysia.
But I do have a great time as a tourist guide!! These are the photos of lil Firdaus.
Firdaus made a scary face becoz we just finished the Jurassic Park's Ride. But he was the one who resisted to join.
Me and Lil Firdaus before entering the 4D Sesame Street
Owh....this is the Pak Ngah (?) before has the new cut.
This week we will busy for satsugyo-shiki for the undergraduates students. Yana, Farah, Kimi and the boys will go back for good. Nesh and Hannin will extend for Master study. Congrates to Ee and welcome to Kyoto University!! I wish I have a time to send them some appreciation on this 25th.
Kenkyuu...is still upside down like alwizz...^^
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