Fashion Lifestyle – “Baju Melayu”

Baju Melayu is a traditional Malay outfit for men. It literally translates as ‘Malay shirt’ and consists of two main parts. The first being the baju (long sleeved shirt) itself which has a raised stiff collar known as the cekak musang collar . The second part is the trousers. The two parts are made out of the same type of fabric which is usually silk, cotton, or a mixture of polyester and cotton. A skirt-type adornment is also commonly worn with the Baju Melayu, which is either the “kain samping”, made out of songket cloth or the kain sarung, made out of cotton or a polyester mix. Both are loops of fabric which are folded around the wearer’s waist. A jet-black or dark coloured headgear called the songkok can also worn to complete the attire.

In shirts made with the cekak musang collar, the placket of the baju will seem to form a third of the baju from the top when it is worn beneath the kain samping or kain sarung. However, the hem line of the baju actually runs to the middle of the lap. The placket typically has three to four buttonholes and is fastened together by dress studs called kancing which are not unlike those used in Western-style formal dress shirts. The studs usually have screw-in backs and can be made from a variety of materials including gold, silver and precious or semi-precious stones. The studs may also be connected with a light metal chain which will be concealed behind the shirt when the placket is fastened.

In the state of Johor, both the design and the wearing of Baju Melayu is somewhat different from that of other areas. Here, the kain samping or kain sarung is worn below the baju rather than above it. The baju itself does not have the cekak musang collar or any placket. Instead, the opening is hemmed with stiff stitching calledtulang belut (literally eel’s spine) and ends with a small loop at the top of one side to fit a singular kancing (similar to the collars of Baju Kurung worn by women). This style is known as the Teluk Belanga style and was believed to be designed by Sultan Abu Bakar‘s aides to commemorate the move of Johor’s administrative capital from Teluk Belanga in Singapore to Tanjung Puteri in 1866 (known as Johor Bahru from 1866).

A black Baju Melayu with a black kain samping embroidered with gold thread is considered a form of formal dress, and is the official attire required during official national events, especially highly formal ones like the official celebration of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong‘s birthday. Malaysian ambassadors presenting their credentials to foreign heads of state are also required to wear the black Baju Melayu. The white Baju Melayu is worn by Malaysian royalty when mourning the passing away of a member of the royal family.

The Baju Melayu is commonly worn in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore by Malay men, although its use in Singapore is usually restricted to Fridays at mosques, and the Eid ul-Fitr(Malay: Hari Raya) holiday. Bruneian and Malaysian men usually wear the shirt for general religious occasions, such as vis
iting the mosque or for a religious gathering. In Brunei, it is commonly worn at formal events, such as festivals and weddings. Some companies allow their male workers to wear Baju Melayu on Fridays, whereas others have it as a policy. On the whole Singaporeans frequently refer to it as a Baju Kurung, although this term in Malaysia usually refers only to the corresponding outfit for women.

In Indonesia, both the Baju Melayu in both collar styles (and other Malay clothes such as Baju Kurung) is popular in provinces with large Malay populations such as Riau, the Riau Islands, West Kalimantan and a few other provinces. Recently, the Baju Melayu has become more popular and is not only worn at traditional events, but also in formal occasions. Government officers wear them proudly during official events (even national events). It is also worn as a uniform in Silat, a traditional Malay martial arts

 

Parenting – Communicating with Young Children

Parenting is all about communicating with your child. Positive two-way communication is essential to building your child’s self-esteem. While children thrive with words of encouragement and praise, listening to your child boosts their self-esteem and enables them to feel worthy and loved.

It is worth remembering that children can understand language long before they can master speech. You can keep up with your child’s evolving language development by paying daily attention to them.

If you set up clear and open communication patterns with your child in their early years, you are setting up good practices for the future.

Positive communication with young children

A child’s ability to manage stress, feel confident and motivate themselves in later life has a lot to do with their early childhood experiences. A person’s ‘self-concept’ is their sense of who they are and how they feel about their place in their family and community. This begins to develop between the ages of two and six years.

Positive relationships between parents and children are an important part of building a child’s positive self-concept. A child who feels constantly blamed, judged and criticised may grow up to become an adult with a negative self-concept.

 

Listen to your children

If you want your child to be a good listener, make sure you’re a good role model. Take the time to listen to them. Busy, distracted parents tend to tune out a chattering child, which is understandable from time to time. If you constantly ignore your child, however, you send the message that listening isn’t important and that what your child has to say isn’t important to you.

Some suggestions include:

• Pay attention to what your child is saying whenever you can.
• Make sure to allocate some time every day to simply sit and listen to your child if you have a busy schedule.
• Encourage your child’s ideas and opinions. Positive communication is a two-way street in which both parties take turns listening and talking.
• Resist the urge to correct their grammatical errors or finish their sentences – concentrate instead on what they are trying to say.
• Allow important or difficult issues to be discussed without the fear of over-reaction, criticism or blame.

 

Communicating with your baby

A baby’s brain is ‘hard-wired’ to pay attention to the sound of a human voice. Their mastery of language depends on listening to you speak. Long before your baby can form understandable words, they will respond to you with noises, facial expressions and body language.

You can actively listen to your baby and encourage their language development in many ways, including:

• Accept that crying is your baby’s primary method of communication.
• Attend to their needs as soon as you can once they start crying, to let them know they have been acknowledged and understood.
• Spend some time actively listening to your baby’s cooing and noise-making by looking them in the eye and encouraging them with smiles and talk.
• Talk to your baby frequently about anything and everything. You can also read to them from books and the daily paper.

 

Communicating with your toddler

A toddler may have a vocabulary of two hundred or so words and can start stringing words together to make simple sentences. Mastering grammar and sentence construction is difficult and your toddler will make plenty of mistakes.

You can encourage your toddler’s language development in many ways, such as:

• It is more important to listen attentively to your child than to correct their grammatical errors.
• Allow your toddler sufficient time to finish what they are trying to say.
• Don’t show impatient body language, such as sighing or foot-tapping.
• Answer any questions using simple language.
• Spend some time each day doing nothing else but talking exclusively with your toddler.
• A child that constantly interrupts adult conversations may be feeling starved of attention.

 

Communicating with an older child

By the time your child is in their later years of primary school, their language and ability to convey ideas has improved a lot. They even alter their speech to suit the circumstances. They may speak more formally in front of a teacher than they do with family and friends.

You can show that you are actively listening to your older child in many ways, including:

• Make time every day to listen exclusively to your child without distractions.
• If your child tends to give ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers, try asking open-ended questions such as ‘What was the best thing about school today?’
• Allow your child to have differences of opinion and respect their point of view.
• Try not to interrupt, lecture or criticise.

 

Build up positive self-esteem in young children

Positive, encouraging words help children to feel confident and happy. Suggestions include:

• Notice when they are being good. Praise them for tidying up their rooms or taking turns. Praise reinforces good behaviour.
• Thank them for helping you around the house or at the supermarket.
• Let them know you have faith in their abilities. A child who is constantly told to be careful or that they will hurt themselves will eventually lose confidence in their abilities.
• Allow them plenty of opportunities to do things they enjoy and do well. Feeling competent builds self-esteem.
• Praise their efforts, not just their results. A child needs to know that it is okay to fail.
• Try to avoid always correcting your child’s mistakes. Trial and error are part of every child’s life. Your child may feel discouraged and hopeless if all their efforts are marked or criticised.
• Separate the child from their behaviour. Disapprove of the activity, not the child. For a child’s positive sense of self, it is better to say ‘drawing on the walls was a naughty thing to do’ rather than ‘you’re a naughty child’. Your child needs to know that your love is unconditional.
• Don’t assume that they know how much you love them – tell them often.
• Tell the child what you do want them to do rather than what you don’t. In most cases, it’s simple to turn a negative sentence into a positive one. For example, instead of saying ‘Don’t walk so close to the road’, say ‘Come and walk next to me’.

 

Body language communication with young children

Actions speak louder than words. Remember that the way you say something is important. Suggestions include:

• Squat down to the same level as the child instead of towering over them.
• Maintain eye contact with young children. Remember, though, that older children and adolescents often don’t like this, so chatting while you’re walking along or driving in the car can be more effective.
• Smile. A child will respond better to a smile than a frown.
• Avoid talking to them when your back is turned or when you are walking away from them.
• Use a gentle tone of voice, especially if tempers are starting to fray. Yelling only encourages more anger.
• Cuddle children often (no matter how old they are).
• Avoid impatient body language like eye rolling, foot tapping or sighing. This can discourage a child from talking.

 

Positive phrases for young children

Children thrive with words of encouragement and praise. You could say things like:

• Good job
• You did that really well
• I’m very proud of you
• I like playing with you
• That’s a beautiful painting
• That was a great try
• You’re so thoughtful
• Thanks for helping
• You’ve got a great memory
• That’s amazing
• Great idea!
• You did it!
• Let’s play!

TRAVEL SAFETY TIPS

Unwary tourists can make easy targets for thieves because they stand out in a crowd, are unused to their surroundings, and are generally carrying money, credit cards and valuables like cameras. You can reduce your risk of being mugged or robbed by taking a few simple precautions. It is a good idea to research the safety of your intended destination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This government department keeps an updated bulletin on travel destinations, covering factors such as political unrest or criminal activities that target tourists. You could also consult with your travel agent, or talk to friends who have already visited your intended destination.

Travel safety

Suggestions include:

• Keep your travel plans, including accommodation details, to yourself.
• Don’t hitch hike.
• Try not to travel at night.
• Avoid ‘seedier’ areas of the cities you visit, especially at night.
• Ask your hotel manager for advice on ‘safe’ versus ‘unsafe’ local areas.
• As a general rule, city streets that include children and women suggest the area is safe for families.
• Carry with you at all times the contact details of the Australian embassy. If your city doesn’t have an Australian embassy, find out which other country’s embassy is available to help you, such as the British embassy.
• Keep a photocopy of your passport and all other important documents in a safe place.
• Use ATMs during the day, when there are people around.
• Try to rely more on credit cards and travellers cheques than cash.
• If you are mugged, don’t fight back. It is better to lose a few dollars and a wristwatch than get injured.
• Avoid incidents such as fights, riots or civil disturbances at all times.

Transport safety

Suggestions include:

• At the airport, watch for your suitcase as it appears on the carousel. Don’t hang back and wait for the crowds to disperse – you might find that someone else has already taken your bag in the meantime.
• Avoid changing money at airports, as thieves could be watching you.
• Consult with your hotel manager or tourist information centre about the public transport in your area. Make sure you know what official taxi cabs look like. A thief may pose as a taxi driver to lure you into their car.
• Don’t share taxis with strangers.
• Carjacking is a problem in some cities. When driving, keep all doors locked and windows up. Make sure your boot is locked too.

Hotel safety

Suggestions include:

• If possible, choose accommodation that has unmarked ‘swipe cards’ rather than numbered keys for each room. If you lose your swipe card or if it is stolen, the thief won’t know which room to rob.
• Take note of emergency exits, stairwells, fire escapes and emergency plans, just in case.
• Always lock your hotel door when retiring for the night. If there is achain included, use it.
• When arranging to meet people you’ve never met before (such as business associates), wait for them in the lobby. Don’t ask them to come up to your room.

Don’t stand out in a crowd when travelling

Suggestions include:

• Even if you’re not sure where you’re going, walk like you’ve got a purpose.
• Match your dress style to that of the locals. Don’t wear an obvious ‘tourist’ outfit like a loud shirt with a camera slung around your neck.
• Be discreet when map reading.
• Notice the people around you. Be wary if someone seems to be taking more than a passing interest.

Don’t make yourself an attractive target when travelling

Suggestions include:

• Don’t wear expensive jewellery on obvious display.
• Wear valuables (such as traveller’s cheques and credit cards) on a belt worn under the clothes and next to the skin.
• If feeling particularly vulnerable, wear your money belt somewhere other than around your waist. Thieves know all about money belts too.
• Consider carrying a ‘dummy’ wallet holding a small amount of cash. If you are directly confronted by a mugger, you can hand over the dummy wallet and avoid further distress.

Beware of scams when travelling

Thieves devise inventive ways to rob you. Some of these may include:

• Posing as a police officer and asking to check your money for counterfeit bills.
• Posing as a tour guide and offering to show you the sights of the city.
• Slipping sedative drugs into your food or drink.
• Thieves in different cities tend to favour different scams. Ask your hotel manager or local tourist information officer for more information.

Things to remember

• Research the safety of your intended destination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• Carry with you at all times the contact details of the Australian embassy.
• For up-to-date information on ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ areas of the city, consult with your hotel manager or local tourist information officer.
• Try to blend in with the locals and avoid looking or acting like a tourist.
• If you are mugged, don’t fight back. It is better to lose a few dollars and a wristwatch than get injured.“KNOW SAFETY TIPS FIRST BEFORE START TRAVELLING”

The Hunger Games Novel

The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The ‘tributes’ are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Plot Overview About This Novel

Katniss Everdeen wakes up on the day of the reaping, when the tributes are chosen who will take part in the Hunger Games. Her mother and little sister, Prim, sleep nearby. Her father died in a mine explosion years earlier. She goes hunting in the woods outside her district, District 12, with Gale, her best friend. That night, at the reaping ceremony, the mayor gives a speech describing how the governments of North America collapsed and the country of Panem rose up in their place. A war ensued between the Capitol and the districts. The Capitol won, and as a reminder of their defeat, the Capitol holds the Hunger Games every year. The mayor then introduces Haymitch Abernathy, District 12’s only living Hunger-Games winner, and he’s so drunk he ends up falling in his own vomit.

The district’s female tribute is chosen, and to Katniss’s horror, it’s Prim. Katniss volunteers immediately in Prim’s place. Then the male tribute is selected. It’s Peeta Mellark, and Katniss remembers how years earlier, while searching for food for her family in the garbage bins behind the town shops, Peeta gave her bread from his family’s bakery. Katniss credits him with saving her that day. Katniss and Peeta say goodbye to their friends and families and board a train for the Capitol. During the trip, she and Peeta convince Haymitch, their mentor in the Games and the person responsible for getting them gifts from sponsors, to take his duties seriously.

Once there, Katniss meets with her stylist, Cinna, who is designing her dress for the opening ceremony. At the ceremony, Katniss and Peeta wear simple black outfits lit with synthetic flames. The outfits are a huge hit with the audience and make Katniss and Peeta stand out among the tributes. The next day, Katniss and Peeta attend group training, and the tributes from rich districts who have trained for the Games their whole lives, called Career Tributes, show off their skills. Later, the tributes are interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, a television host. In his interview, Peeta reveals that he’s had a crush on Katniss for several years.

Finally the time comes. From a small underground room, Katniss is lifted into the arena and the Games officially begin. All the tributes are there, and in front of her is the Cornucopia, which houses an abundance of supplies. Rather than fight, she runs away as Haymitch advised. She hikes all day before making camp. After dark, someone starts a fire nearby, and it isn’t long before a pack of Career Tributes arrives and kills the person. To Katniss’s shock, Peeta is with them. The next day Katniss goes in search of water. She walks for hours and collapses from exhaustion, but ultimately she finds a stream. She’s woken in the night by a wall of fire moving in her direction, and as she runs away one of the numerous fireballs falling around her grazes her leg, injuring it.

That night, while she hides in a tree from the pack of Careers below, she notices a young girl named Rue from District 11 in a nearby tree. Rue points out a nest of tracker jackers, wasps engineered by the Capitol to be lethal, over Katniss’s head, and Katniss cuts the branch holding the nest, dropping it onto the Careers. Two of them die from the stings and the rest scatter. Katniss is stung a few times as well, but as she’s running away, she remembers one of the girls who died had a bow and arrows, the weapons she’s become proficient with from hunting. She runs back to retrieve them, and Peeta happens to arrive as she’s grabbing the bow. He yells at Katniss to run just as Cato, a very large and dangerous Career from District 2, shows up. Peeta stops him so Katniss can escape, and she passes out in a ditch shortly after.

Katniss encounters Rue again, and the two quickly form a bond. They are able to get food hunting and foraging, and Katniss realizes that the Careers would have difficulty surviving without the supplies at the Cornucopia, so she and Rue devise a plan. While Rue lights decoy fires, Katniss sneaks up to the Cornucopia. The supplies are in a pyramid away from the main camp, and after the Careers leave to investigate the fires, Katniss manages to blow up the supplies by cutting open a bag of apples with her arrows, which sets off the mines set to protect the pyramid. When Katniss doesn’t find Rue at their meeting spot, she goes looking for her and finds her just as another tribute stabs her with a spear. Katniss kills the other tribute, and when Rue dies, she covers her body in flowers.

Katniss is depressed all the next day, until an announcement is made that there has been a rule change: Now, two tributes from the same district can be declared winners. Katniss goes looking for Peeta, and it takes her a day but finally she finds him. He’s severely injured from his fight with Cato and can barely walk, but Katniss helps him to a cave where they’ll be hidden. Thinking Peeta may die, Katniss impulsively kisses him. A moment later she hears a noise outside and finds a pot of broth sent from Haymitch. She realizes that Haymitch will reward her for playing up the romance between her and Peeta. The next morning Katniss sees that Peeta’s leg is badly infected and he’ll die without treatment. Another announcement is made, this time saying each tribute will find an item they desperately need at the Cornucopia. Katniss knows that means medicine for Peeta’s leg, but Peeta thinks it’s too dangerous and doesn’t want Katniss to go. Using a sleep syrup sent from Haymitch, Katniss knocks him out.

At the Cornucopia, Katniss tries to run and grab the item marked for District 12, but she gets into a fight with a female tribute. The tribute is about to kill her when Thresh, the male tribute from District 11 who came to the Games with Rue, kills the girl instead. He spares Katniss because of the way she treated Rue, and Katniss makes it back to the cave. She injects Peeta with the medicine just before passing out. They stay there for a few days while it rains nonstop outside, and in this time the romance between Katniss and Peeta progresses. When the rain lets up, Peeta and Katniss need to find food. Katniss leaves Peeta in charge of foraging while she goes to hunt. She comes back hours later and finds a small pile of poisonous berries Peeta collected thinking they were safe. They discover the body of a tribute who Katniss nicknamed Foxface, and Katniss realizes she died from eating the berries. By this point Cato, who killed Thresh, is the only tribute left, and Katniss decides to keep some berries in case they can trick Cato the same way. Eventually the streams and ponds dry up, and they know the only source of water left is the lake near the Cornucopia. Without any other choice, they start walking to the lake.

By the lake, Cato comes suddenly barreling toward them. Unexpectedly, however, he runs straight by them. Katniss realizes there are strange creatures chasing him, and they all run to the Cornucopia and climb up. The creatures are mutant wolves engineered by the Capitol, and Katniss realizes they are actually the dead tributes, who have been turned into these monsters. Taking advantage of the situation, Cato attacks Peeta, but Katniss and Peeta manage to push him over the edge. The creatures overpower him, but because of the body armor he’s wearing he remains alive for hours, until Katniss shoots him out of pity. Just as Katniss and Peeta think they’ve won, another announcement is made that there can only be one winner again. Neither Katniss nor Peeta will kill the other, so Katniss takes out the poisonous berries. Just as she and Peeta pop them in their mouths, the announcer shouts for them to stop and declares them both winners.

They go back to the Training Center and Katniss is kept alone for days while she recuperates. When she is let out, Haymitch warns her that she’s in danger. The Capitol took her stunt with the berries as an act of defiance, so she has to convince everyone that she was desperate at the thought of losing Peeta and not being rebellious, or even her family could be at risk. In their final interview, she’s reunited with Peeta, who lost his leg and now has a prosthetic. After, when Haymitch tells her she did great, Peeta wonders what he means, and Katniss explains everything, including the romance strategy during the Games. Peeta is angry and hurt, but as they arrive back in District 12, they hold hands one more time to greet the crowd and camera.

For The First Time You See This Book It Might Being Boring Novel But It Good Novel Though.READ IT!!!!!

Anthem Lights in Music Industry

Anthem Lights is an American group originating from Nashville, Tennessee.

 

HISTORY OF THE BAND

Anthem Lights began as a solo project for vocalist Chad Graham in the fall of 2007. Both he and singer-songwriter Alan Powell were living in Los Angeles, writing music for Graham’s solo project. As the final vocal work was being installed, Powell and Graham came to a realization that the songs being written would be more appropriate performed as a group.It was then that Powell and Graham decided to alert their contacts at Liberty University in an effort to recruit mem

bers for what was now a singing group.Powell and Graham’s contacts came to a consensus that Kyle Kupecky and Caleb Grimm would be the best candidates for the project. After receiving notifications by e-mail, Graham flew from Los Angeles to meet with Kupecky and Grimm, who gladly accepted membership. Powell joined the group at the last minute.

The original name of the group was Yellow Cavalier.The group recorded one self-titled EP under this name in 2009. The EP was released independently on May 26, 2009. The group changed their name to Anthem Lights before any other projects were released.he group’s name changed to Anthem Lights sometime after their independent release as Yellow Cavalier. Months later, the group signed to Reunion Records.Vocalist Kyle Kupecky comments about the meaning behind.

Self-titled releases & National Tours

On February 1, 2011, Anthem Lights released the Anthem Lights EP. Although it was the second EP by the group, it was the first on Reunion Records and the first under their current name.The EP received very positive reviews and chart success as “Can’t Shut Up,” the first track from the EP, peaked at No. 42 on Billboard‘s Songs chart and at No. 27 on the CHR radio charts.The three-track EP is being deemed a sampler as all of the tracks on it will be featured on their debut album, which is also self-titled.

The album was released May 10, 2011.The cover art is similar to the EP in that it is simply the official band photo under the official band logo. The only difference is the background color.

Anthem Lights performed on the Listen to the Sound Tour.The tour was headlined by Building 429, since the tour carried the same name as their latest album, and it featured Revive. Anthem Lights performed on the 2011 Rock& Worship Roadshow tour along with MercyMe, Jars of Clay, and The Afters.

Following the May 6, 2012 show in Williamsburg, VA, Kyle Kupecky announced his departure from the group. He is planning to pursue a career as a solo Christian artist.A week later, Joseph Stamper was announced as the new member of the group.The album You Have My Heart was released on February 4, 2014.A single, “Best Thing”, was released on March 27, 2013 but was put onto their first cover album instead of the album, and “Fight Forever” was released on July 16, 2013.