I was reading BLEACH manga at onemanga.com, and I saw THIS:
This is;
HOLLOW ICHIGO...
Does anyone know what connection does the Arrancars & the Vaizards have?
Are they enemies or something?
BTW, today is my first day having PM.
I wasn't so bad, actually, unlike what the "others" had claimed...
Today's subject is Bahasa Indonesia...
I got my very first quiz, which I scored pretty well...
Anyway, I got some serious problems here...
I need to actually finish this blog's design quickly, yet I don't have much time left...
It is really annoying when you have to rush something...
My judo practice today is quite fun.
I joined the Judo Cempaka Putih Club's practice and had 5 randoris.
Some of them are easy, and one of them is especially hard AND heavy.
Request: GIVE ME SOME COMMENTS PLZ!
Selasa, 13 Januari 2009
PM - Day 1...
Senin, 12 Januari 2009
PM - Countdown Zero
OMG! Tomorrow is PM!
I can't believe how fast time runs.
Today I have my first music class.
This class my friends and I decided to choose to learn the guitar.
That is why every single person in my class is going to bring a guitar next week.
I am very excited and also nervous. >.<
Today I got caught doing something bad...
I played at the Net Cafe even though I am not allowed to do so.
I feel bad and I will try to not repeat it again.
Today I found a really nice article about homework.
Here it goes:
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Overall, homework does appear to result in higher levels of achievement for older students (at the secondary level).
For these students, more time spent on homework is associated with higher levels of achievement, although there is probably a level beyond which more is counterproductive (perhaps at three hours a day).
For students aged 11-13, homework appears to be of benefit, but not to the same degree as for older students.
For these students, spending more than an hour or two on homework does not result in greater benefit.
There is little evidence of benefit for students younger than 11, although it can be plausibly argued that small amounts of homework can have an indirect benefit for promoting good study habits and attitudes to learning.
The Suggested Benefits of Homework
The most obvious presumed benefit of homework is, of course, that it will improve students' understanding and retention of the material covered. However, partly because this (most measurable) benefit has not been consistently demonstrated, it has also been assumed that homework has less direct benefits:
- improving study skills, especially time management
- teaching students that learning can take place outside the classroom
- involving parents
- promoting responsibility and self-discipline
The Possible Negative Effects of Homework
Probably the most obvious negative effect is the stress homework can produce in both student and parent. Homework can be a major battleground between parent and child, and in such cases, it's hard to argue that it's worth it. There are other potential problems with homework:
- homework demands can limit the time available to spend on other beneficial activities, such as sport and community involvement
- too much homework can lead to students losing interest in the subject, or even in learning
- parents can confuse students by using teaching methods different from those of their teachers
- homework can widen social inequalities
- homework may encourage cheating
What Research Tells Us
Because homework has been a difficult variable to study directly, uncontaminated by other variables, research has produced mixed and inconclusive results. However, it does seem that the weight of the evidence is in favor of homework. According to Cooper's much-cited review of homework studies, there have been 20 studies since 1962 that compared the achievement of students who receive homework with students given no homework. Of these, 14 showed a benefit from doing homework, and six didn't.
The clearest point is the striking influence of age. There seems, from these studies, to be a clear and significant benefit to doing homework for high school students. Students 11 to 13 years of age also showed a clear benefit, but it was much smaller. Students below this age showed no benefit.
In 50 studies, time students reported spending on homework was correlated with their achievement. 43 of the 50 studies showed that students who did more homework achieved more; only 7 studies showed the opposite. The effect was greatest for the high school students and, again, didn't really exist for the elementary school students.For the students in the middle age range (11-13 years), more time spent on homework was associated with higher levels of achievement only up to one to two hours; more than this didn't lead to any more improvement.
TIMSS, however, found little correlation between amount of homework and levels of achievement in mathematics. While they did find that, on average, students who reported spending less than an hour a day on homework had lower average science achievement than classmates who reported more out-of-school study time, spending a lot of time studying was not necessarily associated with higher achievement. Students who reported spending between one and three hours a day on out-of-school study had average achievement that was as high as or higher than that of students who reported doing more than three hours a day.
Two British studies found that while homework in secondary schools produced better exam results, the influence was relatively small. Students who spent seven hours a week or more on a subject achieved about a third of an A level grade better than students of the same gender and ability who spent less than two hours a week.
How much homework is 'right'?
A survey conducted by the United States Bureau of the Census (1984) found that public elementary school students reported spending an average of 4.9 hours and private school elementary students 5.5 hours a week on homework. Public high school students reported doing 6.5 hours and private school students 14.2 hours. Recent research studies by the Brown Center on Education Policy concluded that the majority of U.S. students (83% of nine-year-olds; 66% of thirteen-year-olds; 65% of seventeen-year-olds) spend less than an hour a day on homework, and this has held true for most of the past 50 years. In the last 20 years, homework has increased only in the lower grade levels, where it least matters (and indeed, may be counterproductive).
In America, NEA and the National PTA recommendations are in line with those suggested by Harris Cooper: 10 to 20 minutes per night in the first grade, and an additional 10 minutes per grade level thereafter (giving 2 hours for 12th grade).
In Britain, the Government has laid down guidelines, recommending that children as young as five should do up to an hour a week of homework on reading, spelling and numbers, rising to 1.5 hours per week for 8-9 year olds, and 30 minutes a day for 10-11 year olds. The primary motivation for the Government policy on this seems to be a hope that this will reduce the time children spend watching TV, and, presumably, instill good study habits.
TIMSS found that students on average across all the TIMSS 1999 countries spent one hour per day doing science homework, and 2.8 hours a day on all homework (the United States was below this level). On average across all countries, 36% of students reported spending one hour or more per day doing science homework.
There is some evidence that the relationship between time on homework and academic achievement may be curvilinear: pupils doing either very little or a great deal of homework tend to perform less well at school than those doing 'moderate' amounts. Presumably the association between lots of homework and poorer performance occurs because hard work is not the only factor to consider in performance -- ability and strategic skills count for a great deal, and it is likely that many very hard-working students work so long because they lack the skills to work more effectively.
What makes homework effective?
By which I mean, what factors distinguish "good", i.e. useful, homework, from less productive (and even counterproductive) homework. This is the $64,000 question, and, unfortunately, research can tell us very little about it.
Cooper did conclude that there is considerable evidence that homework results in better achievement if material is distributed across several assignments rather than concentrated only on material covered in class that day.
There is no evidence that parental involvement helps, although it may well be that parental involvement can help, if done appropriately. Unfortunately, parental involvement can often be inappropriate.
Can students really watch TV or listen to music while doing homework?
A burning question for many parents!
A British study found that watching TV while doing homework was associated with poorer quality of work and more time spent. However, simply listening to the soundtrack did not affect the quality of the work or time spent. It's assumed that it's the constant task-switching caused by looking back and forth between the screen and the work that causes the negative effect. From this, it would also seem that listening to the radio should not be a problem. It's worth noting that we become less able to multi-task as we age, and that parents' objections to their children's study environment probably reflect their awareness that they themselves would find it difficult to concentrate in such circumstances.
Resources
You can read the TIMSS report at:
http://timss.bc.edu/timss1999b/sciencebench_report/t99bscience_chap_4_2.html
http://timss.bc.edu/timss1999b/mathbench_report/t99bmath_chap_6_6.html
You can read an article on the motivational benefits of homework at:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_43/ai_n6361599
And there are more articles about homework, with more details of Cooper's review at:
http://education.umn.edu/CAREI/Reports/Rpractice/Summer94/homework.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980304073520.htm
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-921/homework.htm
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=656
And a British review of homework research is discussed at:
http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research-areas/pims-data/summaries/hwk-review-of-studies-on-homework.cfm
Requesting comments... ^^
Sabtu, 10 Januari 2009
Cleaning Routine
SATURDAY... SATURDAY...
Today is the day I do the so-called "Cleaning Routine".
Usually, every Saturday I vacuum-clean the living room at my house.
This Saturday is no exception.
It took me quite long to clean up the room, as I am not a very efficient cleaner.
I'm going to explain the DETAILS of my cleaning routine.
- First, I clean up the part in the corner of the living room. I clean it up together with the windows, the refrigerators, and my very own desk.
- Then I move on to clean the furniture. I usually start with the sewing machine, then the tables, the computer, the TV, my brother's desk, and finally the bed-couch.
- Finally, I clean the floor & the AC.
You might not know this, but since I have to clean the AC, I have to turn it off, making the room very, very hot. I also had to move a heavy sewing machine. I makes me sweat a lot. SWT...
After my brother cleaned our room, and my dad cleaned the "master bedroom", I ate the lunch my mother made. After that we went swimming at TA until it was very late. Then, we ate dinner at Ajisen Ramen.
Here's an article about the benefits of having a cleaning schedule.
This article is taken from http://www.cleancorpnsw.com.au/blog/2008/12/05/the-advantage-of-having-a-regular-cleaning-schedule/
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The Advantage Of Having A Regular Cleaning Schedule
How often are your work premises cleaned? Do they get done every now and then, or are they cleaned every single weekday – or even every day that you are there?
While it’s true that many businesses have different needs when it comes to cleaning, it is definitely an advantage to do it regularly. If you try and get away with the minimum that is required, you will soon start to notice the difference it makes.
If your business often welcomes clients and customers into its midst, you will also find that regular cleaning can have an effect on the impression people have of your business. No one likes to see overflowing rubbish bins or generally untidy and dusty premises. While you may not think it’s your job to handle those things, it is certainly your responsibility to make sure they are seen to by your office cleaning service. Trying to cut down on costs by cutting back on cleaning is definitely not advisable at all.
The benefits of a regular cleaning schedule can be seen in the results you get. If you know your premises are looking their best it will have an effect on the way you work as well. You won’t be worrying about how they look, or what a visitor might think when they arrive.
Some people don’t make the connection between having tidy premises and working to the best of their ability. But it’s true – you’ll find that your work performance gets better if you are working in surroundings that look their best. It helps to calm your mind because you won’t be fretting about how untidy things might be looking – or what other people might be thinking about them.
Of course, a regular cleaning schedule doesn’t mean the same as an adequate cleaning schedule. For example, you may have started off having office cleaners coming in twice a week to ensure things are kept neat, clean and tidy.
But supposing you then employ another couple of people because your work load has increased? The office will be busier and therefore your original cleaning schedule may no longer be enough to accommodate it. As a rule of thumb, make sure you review your cleaning schedule on a regular basis. This will help you to scale it up when necessary, rather than waiting for problems to occur on days when your service doesn’t come in.
It’s obvious that forward thinking has a lot to do with a regular schedule in this sense. If you can identify what your needs are likely to be in the future, that nice bright and clean office environment you are used to will always be in effect. That’s because you can make sure you always have the people you need to keep it looking that way.
A regular cleaning schedule for one business might mean twice a week. Another business might require them every single day. But no matter what your own needs are, so long as you are aware of them, that’s all that matters.
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Comment PLZ...
Jumat, 09 Januari 2009
Plz Look And Reply - Guide To My Fav. Food
Here is an article I took which contains general information about soba.
This article is taken from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2341.html
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Soba Noodles
Basic information
Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour (soba-ko) and wheat flour (komugi-ko). They are roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. The most basic soba dish is zaru soba in which boiled, cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu).
Like pasta, soba noodles are available in dried form in supermarkets, but they taste best if freshly made by hand from flour and water. Soba making has also become a popular tourist attraction for domestic and international travelers. The activity is offered by many community centers and travel tour companies. Below you will find an illustrated description of the soba making process.
1st step: Mixing the flour
The first step, mixing the flour with water into a dough, is considered the most important and difficult part of making soba noodles. The correct amount of water is added step by step to the flower and mixed for several minutes until the flour becomes moist enough to be formed into a dough. The dough is then pressed until it becomes very smooth and contains no more air.
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2nd step: Rolling the dough
The dough is then rolled into a thin square by repeatedly rolling it around a wooden rolling stick.
3rd step: Cutting the dough
At last, the dough is folded and cut into the noodles.
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For zaru soba, the noodles are then boiled and cooled down with cold water, before served with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu), wasabi, nori seaweed and negi (Japanese leek). The water used to boil the noodles (soba-yu) is often added to the remaining tsuyu and drunken at the end of the meal.
Other popular soba dishes are noodle soups with various toppings, such as Kitsune Soba, Tanuki Soba and Tsukimi Soba. Despite the name, the popular dish Yakisoba is not made with soba noodles, but rather with Chinese style noodles (chukamen).
Kamis, 01 Januari 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year.
Today is the start of a brand new year.
Let us begin with joy and praise, that the rest of the year may follow.
Yesterday (technically, 1 minute ago is yesterday is this is past midnight), I had a wonderful feast.
I ate some Japanese food, which is surprisingly refreshing.
- First I start with some mouth-watering zaru soba (cold noodles).
- Then I continue with some salmon sashimi.
- Finally I finish with a piece of salmon steak.
Now I am going to play with some fireworks, and I really better get going since I don't want to miss it.
Ciao for now... Comment plz.
Kamis, 25 Desember 2008
Santa Claus is Coming to Town...
Merry Christmas everybody!
I can't believe how fast time goes when you're having a ball of time.
This year, I celebrate Christmas at home (unlike the previous years).
Today I ate some really delicious food.
First I ate some WILD MUSHROOM CREAM SOUP, which tastes just awesome.
Then I ate ROASTED TURKEY, the 5.8 kg main course.
When I first saw the turkey, it was like really HUGERRIFIC!
How can you resist a 5.8 kg turkey when it's right in front of your plate and looks really good?
After that I tried the ice wine (wine made from special grapes that is harvested in the winter).
I am really curious about the presents I am about to receive.
What could it be? Could it be ... an XBox 360 ;P
Oh, I wish it could be true...
Rabu, 26 November 2008
PointBreak...
- Bye-bye by Mariah Carey
- Nagereboshi ~Shooting Star~ by HOME MADE KAZOKU
- Kanashimi wo Yasashisa Ni by Little By Little
- Take A Bow by Rihana
- Chain by BACK ON
Hero list:
Mogul Khan, the Axe /// Kael, the Invoker /// Traxex, the Drow Ranger /// Yurnero, the Juggernaut