Do not turn on A/C immediately as soon as you enter the car!

Please open the windows after you enter your car and do not turn ON the
air-conditioning immediately. According to a research done, the car dashboard,
sofa, air freshener emits Benzene, a Cancer causing toxin (carcinogen- take note
of the heated plastic smell in your car). In addition to causing cancer, it poisons
your bones, causes anemia, and reduces white blood cells. Prolonged exposure
will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer may also cause miscarriage.


Acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft. A car parked indoors with
the windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene. If parked outdoors
under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up
to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level... & the people inside the car will
inevitably inhale an excess amount of the toxins.



It is recommended that you open the windows and door to give time for
the interior to air out before you enter. Benzene is a toxin that affects your
kidney and liver, and is very difficult for your body to expel this toxic stuff.


Source: Forwarded Email

Buat Kerja ikut mark-up

Kita biasa dengar banyak engineer atau designer bising pasal drafman buat atau update drawing ikut mark-up secara sembrono.Ikut saja apa yang 'red line' tulis, akibatnya jadi macam dibawah



Kek Hari jadi...

Seorang lelaki telah pergi ke sebuah kedai kek untuk memesan sebiji kek sempena hari jadi isterinya. 'Apa yang hendak ditulis pada kek ulang tahun ini,encik?' tanya si gadis manis yang bertugas di kaunter kepada lelaki itu.

'Mmmm, tulis saja 'Sayang tidak bertambah tua' di bahagian atas,
kemudian sambung dengan 'Sayang cuma bertambah cantik' di bahagian bawah,'kata lelaki itu. Esoknya, lelaki itu datang mengambil kek yang ditempahnya itu dan terus membawa pulang ke rumah untuk dipersembahkan kepada isterinya yang tersayang di hadapan tetamu-tetamu yang lain. Dan ketika kek itu dibuka di depan isteri dan tetamu undangan yang lain, lelaki itu setengah pengsan ketika membaca tulisan yang tertera di kek itu:

'SAYANG TIDAK BERTAMBAH TUA DI BAHAGIAN ATAS. SAYANG CUMA BERTAMBAH CANTIK DI BAHAGIAN BAWAH.'

Seven mistakes to avoid

Di musim ekonomi tak menentu baik lah berhati-hati supaya kita tidak menjadi orang pertama ditawarkan untuk berehat.
Berikut antara langkah yang boleh dipertimbangkan selain dari berdoa,dipetik dari The Star.
Sememangnya pekerja yang mempunyai masalah sikap boleh meningkatkan markah menyampah boss kepada pekerjanya.

Seven mistakes to avoid

Adopting a professional attitude at work will earn you the respect of your boss and your peers

WHEN you step into your office, you are supposed to leave everything else behind and put on a professional face.
Here are seven things that you need to avoid at the workplace. These will not only help you make a good impression, but will also assist you in advancing your career.

1-Extended breaks
One of the most annoying things for other employees or for managers and supervisors is employees taking extended breaks.
So what if you have a smoking habit and you need to take a break to indulge in it? What about those who do not smoke? They will not appreciate it if you take long breaks to smoke.
Also avoid taking extended lunch breaks. More often than not, people use their lunch hour to do personal work; but if you cannot finish a task within this hour, do it on your own time. Never extend your breaks.

2-Tardiness
Being late to work once in a while may be excused. But what is not tolerated is coming in late every day and leaving early. This is unfair to those people who come on time and leave on time. Do not misuse work hours, unless you have a genuine reason for doing so and one that can be excused.

3-Loud behaviour
People around you are trying to work. They do not need disturbances like loud talking or completely irrelevant discussions.
You are not only affecting their ability to work, you are not showing them respect.

4- Being untidy
You need to keep your worksta¬tion clean and also the other areas such as the cafeteria and conference rooms.
Would you tike it if someone left used tissue or scraps of food on the table in the cafeteria you usually sit at? Extend the same cour¬tesy to other people and clean up after yourself.

5-Personal issues
Everyone has family and com¬mitments, but when you come to work, you need to leave those behind.
There are going to be times when an emergency arises, but those can be dealt with. If you have children or friends who need to contact you at work, try to keep this to a mini¬mum.
Don't keep taking personal calls at work - it will look like you are not paying enough attention to your job.

6-Speaking your mind
You have heard the saying" think before you speak". You will have to bear the consequences of
the things you say. So think before you speak at all times.

7-Do not be emotional
Do not express anger too vividly This is true for younger employees who may have an ego Issue. Do not let your emotions affect career moves.

Source: ST/Ann
The Star 5/1/2009
Article by Tony Jacowski quality analyst for The MBA Journal.

2009 Masa untuk relaxxx

Nampaknya tahun 2009, boleh relax sikit pasal Oil and Gas industri dijangka tak sesibuk tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Ini dapat memberi peluang kepada designer dan drafman menilai diri.

Adakah cukup ilmu sebagai designer atau drafman? Atau menjadi designer atau drafman sekadar memenuhi kehendak industri. Ada ot belasah cukup-cukup, dapat offer tinggi lompat, kerja macam nak rak janji dapat lebih.

Adakah sama taraf kita berbanding dengan pare-pare dari segi technical knowledge.

Adakah knowledge yang ada setaraf dengan designer muktabar?Sekiranya kita merasakan kita designer yang terbaik.
Adakah pemikiran kita pada tahap pemikiran designer,menilai sesuatu mengikut penilaian designer,andainya kita designer.

Jika kita drafman, adakah kita telah megutip knowledge yang ada untuk bekalan jika menjadi designer esok hari? Atau hanya berserah pada takdir, lama-lama akan promote jadi designer juga.

Sepatutnya kita mendapat menafaat dari kesibukkan yang lalu untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan pengalaman. Tapi apa yang berlaku ialah kebanyakannya menggunakan suasana ini untuk meningkatkan pendapatan. Menggunakan peluang akibat dari kekurangan manpower dengan melompat dari satu syarikat ke syarikat lain yang dapat menawarkan gaji yang tinggi.

Pada tahun 2009 jika keadaan ekonomi berlarutan, syarikat akan mengekalkan pekerja yang mempunyai kemahiran dan akal didalam organisasinya. Minta maaf kata pekerja yang gaji tinggi akan dinilai semula mengikut keperluan. Syarikat akan optimise manpower sebaik mungkin.

Walau apapun banyak-banyak lah berdoa dan beribadat sesungguhnya rezeki itu Allah yang bagi bukan syarikat tapi ilmu kita kena cari..

GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

GIVING feedback is one of the most important interpersonal skills for any manager.

The purpose of constructive feedback is to provide information that will contribute to improvements and create better results.

For feedback to be useful, it has to be actionable, otherwise it's likely that the situation or behaviour will recur.

Whenever you are giving feedback, keep in mind that you'll probably have an ongoing relationship with this person, so use your feedback to reinforce good relations.

Let's say that you're giving constructive feedback to a member of your staff. Here are five steps to help you give good feedback:

1-TIME IT RIGHT

Make sure the time is right. The sooner the better, but if you're upset about the situation - or your employee is - take a "time­out”. This is preferable than giving or receiving feedback when one of you is already in a bad mood.

2-CHOOSE YOUR WORDS

The way you say something can have a great impact on the listener. Depending on your choice of words, you can establish an amicable feedback environment or a hostile one.

Saying, "You need to do..." or "You're not doing this properly," can put the receiver on the defensive from the get-go. Using the pronoun "you" makes the comments personal and can be interpreted as condescending or highly critical. Instead, say "I noticed that..." or "I understand that..." Beginning feedback phrases this way discusses the action or behaviour that needs to be changed, not the person.

3-BE POSITIVE

Positive feedback acknowledges good contributions and work well done. Give specific examples of what the person did well.

Doing so is more meaningful than a general "Good job!" comment that can be said to anyone, any time, and doesn't even have to be sincere.

Let the receiver know the positive impact his contributions had on the department or organisation so he understand the results - this also lets him know that you see it and appreciate it. In addition, reinforcing the positive encourages more of the same.

4-BE DESCRIPTIVE

When giving constructive feedback, discuss what happened, not how you feel about what happened. Focus on the situation, describe it, and stay objective.

Give a reason why it's an issue and state the impact it had on the rest of the staff, the organisation or the customer.

When you stick with the facts, you can discuss them more easily. Being specific and clear assists the listener in understanding the issue and what requires changes.

5-COLLABORATE

It's not up to you to come up with all the solutions by yourself, although you can offer suggestions that you think would be helpful.

Make a point of involving the recipient in this crucial part of the feedback process.

This way, the recipient has some ownership and involvement in decision-making, which will result in a greater commitment to see that it's implemented.

Working together finds better ways of improving the situation and will likely create a solution that is acceptable to both of you.

Offering constructive feedback can seem like a daunting task. If it is approached with the intention of making improvements and creating better situations, rather than criticising and judging, it is positive input that gets beneficial results.

- The Star 20-12-2008

-Source: ST/ANN

Article by Laurie Wilhielm, the author of Express Yourself to Success.

Develop A Winning Attitude

Your qualifications may get you a job, but good performance is what makes a successful career
THE job market has traditionally rewarded those who have made the extra effort in school with higher compensation and better opportunities for advancement.

But there are signs that this attitude may be changing. As the expression goes, “one’s qualifications (ability) get one hired, yet one’s performance (attitude) results in one being fired”.

It is crucial to understand that possessing good qualifications is a prerequisite for any career to soar.

But it is your attitude towards your job, colleagues, clients and superiors that is a far more important and accurate determinant-of performance and advancement.

The lack of professionalism at work is not easily raised and discussed as it involves the emotional intelligence of the person.

Superiors generally gloss over these issues and simply do not promote the individual.

REALITY CHECK
To take your career sky-high, your first challenge is to do a reality check. Ask yourself:
• How much am I doing to keep abreast of developments in my field?
• How much am I investing in my own development?
• How competent am I when engaging with others?
• What is my overall attitude to those whom I serve, work with and report to?

BENEFITS OF WORK
The workplace offers intrinsic benefits like career development, in terms of skills learned, social interactions, financial discipline plus other core skills such as computer literacy. It also offers opportunities for personal development. Ask potential employers about their attitudes and practices toward training, promotions, exposure to travel and new situations, job rotation and performance appraisals. These aspects of employment will develop your skills and nurture your chaiacter. Together, these will ultimately help you carve a career that “knows no limits”.
Seek out companies with a great working environment as it cultivates in you a sense of respect and dignity, irrespective of your rank.

CAREER OR JOB?
What differentiates a career from a job? A career is viewed from a long-term perspective. It involves making an investment that over time is expected to yield rewards. On the other hand, a job is more transient and refers to the role you currently occupy. It is driven by the attitude of “what’s in it for me?” Great careers create a sense of passion and pride in people. When you make the-size of - the wage p?cket a priority, you usually sacrifice other important and beneficial aspects of the job that are crucial for your ‘development and progress.

TAKING RISKS
If you are looking for a career that has no limits, you must be willing to take some risks. Careers that are fulfilling and exciting involve challenges, taking responsibility, being empowered, being accountable and, where necessary, taking appropriate risks.
Many people look for positions that are secure and pay a reasonable wage, and are then content to go with the flow. The trouble with most streams is that they flow downwards.
Instead, Look for employment that forces you to swim against the tide, make you think, and allows you the opportunity to engage with others who are different and even difficult.

WHAT’S YOUR VISION?

Write down a three-year plan of how you want to develop.

• Your career -what are your personal aspirations and hopes regarding promotions and increased authority?

• Academic skills - what courses and types of training will further enhance your hard skills?

•Social skills and network how will you expand your circle of friends and contacts as well building skills?

• Your finances - what are your objectives and how will you achieve them?

LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
Finally, to turn your hopes and dreams into reality you need to reflect on where you want to see yourself in the next three years. Your plan provides a road map of the way forward you have to do the driving.

Not everything will work according to plan, but at least you have a blueprint that tells you when you are going off course. This gives you a head start over others who do not have a clue where they are going.
Source: ST/ANN

• Article by Steve Murphy, associate director; Training Edge international.
• For more on jobs, please refer to category 515 in Metro Classifleds and StarJobs in / StarTwo.

Category 5 cable

Category 5 cable
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cat5 patch cable

Category 5 cable, commonly known as Cat 5 or "Cable and Telephone", is a twisted pair cable type designed for high signal integrity. Many such cables are unshielded but some are shielded. Category 5 has been superseded by the Category 5e specification. This type of cable is often used in structured cabling for computer networks such as Ethernet, and is also used to carry many other signals such as basic voice services, token ring, and ATM (at up to 155 Mbit/s, over short distances).

Usage and wiring methods

Category 5

The specification for category 5 cable was defined in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A, with clarification in TSB-95. These documents specified performance characteristics and test requirements for frequencies of up to 100 MHz.
Category 5 cable includes four twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. This use of balanced lines helps preserve a high signal-to-noise ratio despite interference from both external sources and other pairs (this latter form of interference is called crosstalk). It is most commonly used for 100 Mbit/s networks, such as 100BASE-TX Ethernet, although IEEE 802.3ab defines standards for 1000BASE-T - Gigabit Ethernet over category 5 cable. Cat 5 cable typically has three twists per inch of each twisted pair of 24 gauge copper wires within the cable.

Category 5e

Cat 5 e cable is an enhanced version of Cat 5 that adds specifications for far end crosstalk. It was formally defined in 2001 as the TIA/EIA-568-B standard, which no longer recognizes the original Cat 5 specification. Although 1000BASE-T was designed for use with Cat 5 cable, the tighter specifications associated with Cat 5e cable and connectors make it an excellent choice for use with 1000BASE-T. Despite the stricter performance specifications, Cat 5e cable does not enable longer cable distances for Ethernet networks: cables are still limited to a maximum of 100 m (328 ft) in length (normal practice is to limit fixed ("horizontal") cables to 90 m to allow for up to 5 m of patch cable at each end). Cat 5e cable performance characteristics and test methods are defined in TIA/EIA-568-B.2-2001.

Connectors and other information

The cable exists in both stranded and solid conductor forms. The stranded form is more flexible and withstands more bending without breaking and is suited for reliable connections with modular connectors, but makes unreliable connections in insulation-displacement connectors. The solid form is less expensive and makes reliable connections into insulation displacement connectors, but makes unreliable connections in modular connectors. Taking these things into account, building wiring (for example, the wiring inside the wall that connects a wall socket to a central patch panel) is solid core, while patch cables (for example, the movable cable that plugs into the wall socket on one end and a computer on the other) are stranded. Outer insulation is typically PVC or LSOH.
Cable types, connector types and cabling topologies are defined by TIA/EIA-568-B. Nearly always, 8P8C modular connectors, often incorrectly referred to as "RJ-45", are used for connecting category 5 cable. The specific category of cable in use can be identified by the printing on the side of the cable.
The cable is terminated in either the T568A scheme or the T568B scheme. It doesn't make any difference which is used as they are both straight through (pin 1 to 1, pin 2 to 2, etc); however mixed cable types should not be connected in series as the impedance per pair differs slightly and could cause signal degradation. The article Ethernet over twisted pair describes how the cable is used for Ethernet, including special "cross over" cables.

Electrical characteristics for Cat.5e UTP