Sleeping Positions and Their Meanings

Sleeping Positions and Their Meanings




1. Back Sleeper With Arms Crossed To Support The Head.

You’re highly intelligent and enthusiastic to learn. Yet some time you are filled with cranky ideas which people find to follow. You take good care of your family but the problem is you hardly love any body. A little bit choosy, huh?

2. Home Alone Back Sleeper With Legs Crossed.

Anyone who sleeps cross-lagged is said to be self-obsessed and find difficulty in accepting changes. Solitude is your priority. Yet your redeeming quality is your threshold for tolerance.

3. Unknown Covering from Head to Toe.

You may appear real macho in public, but deep down inside you are shy and weak. You tend to keep loads of secrets. If you encounter any problem, you will rather keep it to your self and agonies over it than ask for help. No wonder you grimace in your sleep!

4. Unknown Cuddled Up:

You feel lonely and depressed because are obsessed with your past failures and set backs. You are hesitant and indecisive, giving others an impression that love has been missing in your life.

5. Side Sleeper Curling Up:

Selfish, jealous and vindictive are words that describe you. People around you got to be careful; not to step on your toes as you are easily irritated!

6. Side Sleeper with One Knee Bended:

You have inclined to be funny, always whining and complaining. Nervousness is probably your second name. You tense up easily and get overly excited over small matters. Life isn’t such a big deal. Learn to relax.

7. Side Sleeper Lying On One Arm:

Contrary to the previous one (curling up), you are gentle, polite, sincere, and loving. Well, nothing is perfect. Build up yourself confidence and learn to accept mistake or imperfection. Happiness will than come your way!

8. Side Sleeper Lying On One Side:

This picture indicates that you are the confident person. You will see success in whatever you undertake, owing to your unrelentess Endeavour. People who sleep

on their right side with their right arm stretching over their head and laying on the right side are said to be blessed with power and fortune.

9. Back Sleeper With Arms And Legs Spread Out:

What a liberty Loving-soul! Well, this picture reveals your true identity. Comfort-lover and beauty-worshipper, you are also a real spendthrift 0but lucky you eat just as much). Your other undesirable trait is that you are a bit nosy and seem to enjoy gossiping. Well, who did you mention in your tales lately?

Good Brain Food & Memory Foods For Students

Good Brain Food & Memory Foods For Students

It is often said that you are what you eat and this is very true. Students of any age must be on a good student diet and consumer an adequate amount of brain food in order to help them study better and perform better academically. Brain foods are not literally fed to your brain but they are consumed the same way as normal food but act as fodder for you brain and helps it function better. Some of them like memory foods, help to improve student memories while others help to improve attentivity, sharpness, alertness, focus etc. While a healthy student diet is encourage all year round, it is especially important to incorporate healthy brain food into the diet during examinations so students can study better with their enhanced brain functionality.

Good Brain Foods

Good brain food is not an unattainable type of expensive food only accessible to special people. It is in fact simple every day food that most of us are able to attain and consume on a daily basis. Good brain foods help to diffuse stress and charge your brain cells and encourage its functional capacity. In order to ensure your student diet incorporate the best brain food, you might want to consider some of the following:

• Fish

As much as people might want to deny it, eating fish is definitely one of the best things one can do to improve your brain’s ability to function well and properly. Fish is rich in Choline and Omege-3 fatty acids – the right kind of fat that the human body requires. In addition, fish oil such as cod liver oil is known for its good effects on the human body.

• Fruits & Vegetables

Not surprisingly, these healthy foods are on the list of good brain foods as they serve as the good carbohydrates that a body needs. Carbohydrates such as bread, pizzas and junk food are bad for a bad and don’t provide the right type of energy. Fruits and vegetables on the other hand provide good energy and help stimulate the brain cells into activity.

Foods That Improve Memory

The brain’s memory center, the hippocampus needs to be continually stimulated in order for it to keep functioning to its maximum capacity. The hippocampus, like other parts of the brain can be stimulated by certain types of food and these types of brain foods are specifically known as memory foods. Foods that improve memory are a better substitute for artificial memory pills sold in the market as they not only provide the body the nutrition it requires but help to improve the brain’s capacity to remember as well.
Fish, for example is an excellent memory food. It is rich and choline and B vitamin, both of which are excellent memory stimulants.

Caffeine – Good Brain Food?

Caffeine is the most common stimulant when the brain is feeling tired and most of us are known to swig a cup of coffee when we are tired. While caffeine definitely increases the brain’s alertness, it is not recommended for regular intake as it can be very addictive and is not suitable, especially for young student diets.
A student diet should incorporate a healthy amount of carbohydrates minus the unhealthy fats combined with a good dose of Omega-3 fatty acids. A healthy does of sugar is also essential. Keeping this in mind will ensure students consumer the good brain food and memory foods required to keep their brain active.

FOODS FOR THOUGHT: FOODS THAT BUILD AND FOODS THAT DRAIN THE BRAIN

Some foods help the brain work better, some foods drag down brain performance. Be smart and feed ourselves foods that will make us smart ;)

BRAIN BUILDERS	BRAIN DRAINERS
·  Avocados ·  Bananas ·  Beef, lean ·  Brewer's yeast ·  Broccoli ·  Brown rice ·  Brussel sprouts ·  Cantaloupe ·  Cheese ·  Chicken ·  Collard greens ·  Eggs ·  Flaxseed oil ·  Legumes ·  Milk ·  Oatmeal ·  Oranges ·  Peanut butter ·  Peas ·  Potatoes ·  Romaine lettuce ·  Salmon ·  Soybeans ·  Spinach ·  Tuna ·  Turkey ·  Wheat germ ·  Yogurt	·  Alcohol ·  Artificial food colorings ·  Artificial sweeteners ·  Colas ·  Corn syrup ·  Frostings ·  High-sugar "drinks" ·  Hydrogenated fats ·  Junk sugars ·  Nicotine ·  Overeating ·  White bread

source:http://edu-center.org/, http://www.askdrsears.com/

ACU article; How to fight laziness and boredom when trying to study.

As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you),

THE SEVEN WAYS TO FIGHT LAZINESS, BOREDOM & WEAKNESS WHEN TRYING TO STUDY
 By: Sheikh Ahmed Najmi

The Questioner says:

"I'm weak in my reading the books of benefit and when I begin to read some of the books of `Ilm (knowledge) I feel weakness and boredom; so what is your advice for me, and what is the correct path in reading the books which contain beneficial knowledge; benefit us (those seeking reward)?"

Firstly:
It is a must for the one who seeks knowledge to purify his intention for Allah the Lord of the worlds, and make his seeking the `Ilm (knowledge) being only for the purpose and goal of obtaining the pleasure of Allah; and in order to know the truth, to act by it, and to know falsehood so as to refrain from it.

Secondly:
To act by that, which he has learned from knowledge within in himself, and to try and teach what he has learned from knowledge to others.

Thirdly:
To safeguard what he has learned by memorizing it, and reviewing the `Ilm (knowledge) so it does not escape him.

Fourthly:
To be steadfast in learning what he does not know, so to add knowledge on top of knowledge.

Fifthly:
To ask Allah constantly to bestow & grant him with beneficial knowledge and provisions that are vast, and actions that are accepted; and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say if he prayed the Fajr prayer after he would make Taslim (Salam to the right then the left) this Du'a:

"O Allah, I ask you for knowledge which is beneficial and sustenance which is good, and deeds which are acceptable." (To be said after making salaam for the Fajr prayer)

Sixthly:
If he was to feel tired and weak when he is in front of knowledge and ready to study, then he should ask Allah to make for him will power and a desire to gain knowledge and dedicate himself to it.

Seventhly:
Its obligatory on the student of knowledge to refrain from disobedience, for indeed disobedience kills the heart and weakens the understanding and its narrated about Imam Shafi'i he said: "I complained to my teacher Wa'ki about my weak memory so he directed me to leave of sin and then he said, `know!!!! That knowledge is light; and the light of Allah He does not give it to a disobedient person." And I say the proof for that is found in the Book of Allah when He Glorified be He Says,

"O you who believe! If you obey and Fear Allah, He will grant you Furqan a criterion, and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you, and Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty." [Noble Quran 8:29]

"O you who believe Fear Allah, and believe too in His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and he will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight), and he will forgive you. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. So what is important is that the student of knowledge needs consistent striving, striving against himself and against ones passions and lower desires and its greed, and to tire himself out in acquiring knowledge, and to hope that Allah will enable him to achieve that, and the success (Tawfiq) is from Allah." [Noble Quran 57:28]

Khadejah Jones
Share Islam Team
ShareIslam.com

Rubber Ducking

Rubber Ducking

If explaining a problem is usually enough to solve it by itself, why would you need someone listening to you?

You don’t. Next time you’re stuck with a problem, why don’t you try explaining your problem to an inanimate object, such as, say, a rubber duck?

I know, your parents have warned you about people who talk to objects — but the fact is that it works. Telling your problem to a rubber duck is as effective as telling your problem to a human (if not more). Flesh, feather or plastic, it doesn’t matter of what material your listener is made of: the principles that make this technique effective always work.

If it serves to reduce your resistance and feeling of weirdness towards the idea of explaining problems to objects, be aware that the concept is rather popular in the software development industry. There’s even a term coined for it: ‘rubber ducking’ (popularized by the book The Pragmatic Programmer, a must-read for software developers).

“Are you saying I should replace real people and start talking to rubber ducks?”

Well, not replacing — but what about developing the habit of always consulting your rubber duck first? I don’t mean to slight us humans, but rubber ducks do in fact have some advantages:

Rubber ducks never interrupt your flow of thinking.

You don’t need to be worried if you are bothering the rubber duck with your problems.

Rubber ducks don’t gossip about your private problems with other rubber ducks.

Your trusted rubber duck is never busy and is always waiting for your inquiries.

Give rubber ducking a try. Once you get past the initial odd sensation of talking to a thing, you’ll certainly enjoy the feeling of convenience and independence it brings; not to mention you’ll also save a lot of your time as well as other people’s.

And, in case the rubber duck doesn’t solve your problem, just go ahead and explain it again to a friend. By then, you’ll have the problem much more well-defined and articulated, dramatically increasing the chances that that friend will be able to help you.

Silent Rubber Ducking

You should always practice rubber ducking out loud — but there are situations when you can’t make noises or simply can’t afford the social awkwardness of it (“excuse me while I talk to my duck…”). Fear not: do your rubber ducking in writing instead — sure, you won’t have the benefits of verbalization, but the technique still works fine.

One way to do it that works particularly well is to write an e-mail message explaining your problem. Pretend you’re going to send it to the smartest (and busiest) person in the world. Describe the problem in detail, the solutions you tried so far and why they didn’t work. List your assumptions and make sure you include all relevant information. Be both thorough and objective.

When you are done writing the message, you’ll probably have had many ideas to try out. If not, find a specialized forum and just send it as it is: with your perfectly-crafted message, I’m sure the Internet gods will help you.

Get Your Own Rubber Duck

Ready to start rubber ducking? As you imagined, there’s not much to it, except getting yourself a rubber duck. Well, it doesn’t need to be an actual rubber duck – any inanimate object will do. But it pays off choosing one that you really like: this will be a long-term relationship, after all.

source: litemind.com

article sharing by ACU

Kejayaan bukanlah suatu misteri yang tidak terungkap. Malah sekiranya seseorang itu telah melakukan sesuatu perkara maka orang lain pasti mampu melakukannya juga.

Tetapi janganlah pula sekadar selesa dengan pencapaian yang biasa hingga tiada apa yang boleh dibanggakan oleh kita atau yang boleh diceritakan kepada anak cucu kita nanti. Sekurang-kurangnya, kalau kita sebagai pekerja maka berusahalah untuk menjadi pekerja yang cemerlang hingga menerima anugerah dari majikan. Kalau kita seorang usahawan binalah empayar perniagaan kita yang mampu diwarisi oleh anak cucu. Kalau kita sebagai seorang pelajar belajarlah dan berusahalah hingga sampai ke peringkat yang tertinggi.

Kejayaan bolehlah ditakrifkan sebagai pencapaian seseorang menepati matlamat atau sasaran yang telah ditetapkan olehnya. Oleh itu kejayaan adalah suatu bentuk yang subjektif dan relatif dengan individu itu sendiri. Apabila kita tiba ke matlamat yang telah ditetapkan kita mula rasa selesa. Setelah beberapa ketika kita rasa tiada apa lagi yang mencabar di tahap tersebut. Kalau kita terus berada dalam zon selesa itu maka lambat laun kita akan gagal kerana orang lain sudah semakin maju. Oleh itu perlu bagi kita setelah mencapai satu sasaran, kemudiannya mencabar diri untuk maju ketahap yang seterusnya pula. Berikut adalah beberapa langkah yang boleh diambil untuk cabar diri bagi terus maju dalam kehidupan.

1. Letakkan Sasaran Yang Tinggi

Apabila satu matlamat dicapai maka teruslah menetapkan matlamat baru yang lebih tinggi lagi. Misalnya, dulunya sebagai seorang pelajar kita sering dapat nombor yang tercorot dalam kelas maka letaklah matlamat untuk meletakkan nama kita dalam 10 pelajar terbaik. Cabar diri untuk berusaha bersungguh-sungguh mencapai sasaran itu. Kalau satu hari kita berjaya merealisasikannya, maka mula letakkan sasaran baru untuk jadi pelajar nombor 1 pula. Kalau kita seorang usahawan maka letakkan sasaran untuk mengembangkan perniagaan kita ke seluruh pelusuk negeri bukan sekadar berniaga setempat sahaja. Kalau sasaran itu dicapai, cabar diri dengan sasaran baru untuk mengembangkan perniagaan ke seluruh negara dan tidak mustahil selepas itu sampai ke peringkat antarabangsa pula. Sasaran yang tinggi ini sentiasa membuatkan kita memandang ke depan. Hasilnya, tanpa kita sedari kita semakin hari semakin maju dalam bidang yang kita ceburi tersebut.

2. Cemburu Dengan Kejayaan Orang Lain

Lihat mereka yang lebih berjaya dari kita. Kalau orang lain boleh kita juga boleh. Untuk maju kita mesti cemburu dengan kejayaan orang lain dan cabar diri kita untuk berusaha lebih dari orang lain. Kalau kita tidak tahu bagaimana mahu melakukannya maka belajarlah dari mereka yang telah berjaya. Buka mulut dan bertanya. Jangan sekadar berdiam diri kerana tiada apa yang berlaku kalau kita tidak bertindak. Baca kisah-kisah kejayaan orang lain, hayati bagaimana mereka menghadapi cabaran dan menyusuri liku-liku kepayahan sebelum nama mereka tersohor. Sikap cemburu dengan kejayaan orang lain ini mestilah ditanam untuk membentuk suatu persaingan yang sihat bukannya cemburu yang membawa kepada sifat dengki dan irihati yang membuatkan kita mengambil langkah-langkah buruk menjatuhkan saingan kita.

Perasaan cemburu ini patut terbit lebih-lebih lagi apabila mereka yang lebih lemah, lebih muda, dan kurang upaya dari kita mampu mencapai satu pencapaian yang luar biasa.

Saudara Abdul Halim, seorang yang kudung kaki dan tangannya tetapi boleh belajar masuk universiti, keluar sebagai akauntan, buka syarikat sendiri dan pernah terima anugerah daripada PM Malaysia. Tak cemburukah kita?

3. Elakkan Dari Sikap Cepat Puashati

Sikap cepat berpuashati adalah penyakit yang menghalang diri kita untuk terus berjaya. Apabila kita sudah meraih pendapatan RM10,000 sebulan kita mula rasa selesa dan kita berkata, “Aku ni kira oklah, berapa kerat sangat orang yang meraih pendapatan lima angka sebulan. Sekurang-kurangnya dah ada rumah sendiri berapa ramai lagi orang yang tidak mampu beli rumah. Kira ok lah aku ni… ”. Sikap puashati beginilah yang membuatkan kita berhenti untuk berusaha dan mencipta kejayaan yang lebih besar lagi. Kenapa tidak kita ambil contoh orang yang lebih berjaya dari kita? Kenapa sering membandingkan diri dengan orang yang lemah dan kurang dari kita? Bandinglah dengan mereka yang lebih berjaya, yang memiliki bangunan sendiri, yang menjadi jutawan, yang berkereta mewah, yang memiliki rumah-rumah untuk disewakan dan sebagainya maka barulah tercabar bahawa kita belum lagi OK! Jadi, usah lagi berpuashati dengan pencapaian kita kerana setiap kali kita berjaya maka kita pasti boleh pergi lebih jauh lagi.


4. Soal Diri Dengan Soalan Positif

Untuk berjaya, soal diri dengan soalan-soalan yang positif. Misalnya, soalan-soalan seperti berikut hanya membawa diri kita untuk merasa lemah dan tidak berdaya:

Kenapalah aku gagal?
Mengapa nasib aku sentiasa malang?
Kenapalah orang semua tak suka aku?
Apalah nak jadi dengan aku ni?

Sebaliknya soalan-soalan berikut pula akan membuatkan kita berfikir, mencabar diri dan membolehkan kita mengumpul kekuatan untuk atasi setiap halangan.

Apa yang belum aku lakukan lagi?
Bagaimana aku nak tingkatkan 20% lagi pendapatan aku bulan depan?
Apakah kelebihan diri aku yang belum aku bongkar lagi?
Dimana aku nak dapatkan ilmu pengetahuan dan kemahiran untuk maju dalam bidang ini?
Siapa yang boleh bantu aku?

Jadi kita tidak berjaya kerana bertanyakan soalan yang salah kepada diri kita. Oleh itu berhati-hatilah dengan suara hati. Nilai betul-betul soalan yang kita tanyakan pada hati kita adakah ia akan mencabar kita untuk terus maju atau hanya melemahkan kita.

5. Tingkatkan ‘Standard’ Anda

Untuk berjaya kita kena cabar diri untuk tingkatkan ‘standard’ kita. Misalnya, kita berkata pada diri kita bahawa tidak ‘standard’lah untuk selama-lamanya jadi kerani, 5 tahun dari sekarang mesti nak jadi pengurus pula. Tidak ‘standard’ lah untuk selama-lamanya bekerja dengan orang, 10 tahun dari sekarang mesti jadi bos pula. Tidak ‘standard’ lah selama-lamanya dapat markah ‘C’, 3 bulan dari sekarang aku mesti dapat ‘A’ pula. Tidak ‘standard’ lah asyik bawa kereta Jepun aje, 5 tahun dari sekarang aku mesti nak bawa kereta Jerman pula. Tidak ‘standard’ lah untuk berumah teres sahaja, 10 tahun dari sekarang aku mesti nak ada rumah banglo pula.

Tujuannya bukan untuk menunjuk-nunjuk atau untuk takbur tetapi untuk membuatkan kita mahu berusaha lebih gigih lagi demi memenuhi tuntutan hidup kita yang mengikut ‘standard’ baru itu. Lagi pula kita tidak melafazkan kata-kata itu kepada orang lain tetapi kita tujukan kata-kata tersebut hanya kepada diri sendiri sebagai satu bentuk cabaran.

Perlu diingatkan bahawa kita hanya boleh hidup dalam ‘standard’ yang lebih tinggi hanya setelah kita berjaya merealisasikan pendapatan yang mampu menampung ‘standard’ tersebut. Jangan pula menjadi orang yang papa asal bergaya.

Malah Islam sendiri tidak menghalang umatnya untuk hidup selesa apabila punya kemampuan. Asal sahaja keselesaan itu tidak menghalang kita untuk terus menjadikan hidup ini sebagai suatu ibadah yang mengningkatkan lagi keimanan dan ketaqwaan kita. Oleh itu, teruslah cabar diri untuk berjaya dalam hidup kita.

ACU article sharing quiz

Academic Article Sharing (22 April 2010)

The questions are :

Based on article number 1 :

1. Name the title of the first ACU’s article sharing.
2. In Europe, Ibn sina was known as ___________.

Based on article number 2 :

1. Name five out of ten principles of success that was shared on this article?
2. What was the first school in the history of Islam?

Based on article number 3 :

1.هات مثالين على متفائل من النص قد قرأت من قبل دكتوراه مايكل ميرسر؟
2.كيف نمارس رياضة المتفائل؟

Based on article number 4 :

1. Mengapakah mengingati mati menjadi salah satu petua mencuci hati?
2. Namakan LIMA petua mencuci hati yang telah di kongsi oleh Datok Dr. Haji Fadzilah Kamzah?

Once you have completed, please send your answers to our beloved uhktyy Liyana Bte Abdul Rahaim. All right? (:

Laughing no joke, scientists say

© The Canadian Press, 2010

So a scientist walks into a shopping mall to watch people laugh. There's no punchline. Laughter is a serious scientific subject, one that researchers are still trying to figure out.


Laughing is primal, our first way of communicating. Apes laugh. So do dogs and rats. Babies laugh long before they speak. No one teaches you how to laugh. You just do. And often you laugh involuntarily, in a specific rhythm and in certain spots in conversation.
You may laugh at a prank on April Fool's Day. But surprisingly, only 10 to 15 per cent of laughter is the result of someone making a joke, said Baltimore neuroscientist Robert Provine, who has studied laughter for decades. Laughter is mostly about social responses rather than reaction to a joke.


"Laughter above all else is a social thing," Provine said. "The requirement for laughter is another person."
Over the years, Provine, a professor with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, has boiled laughter down to its basics.


"All language groups laugh 'ha-ha-ha' basically the same way," he said. "Whether you speak Mandarin, French or English, everyone will understand laughter.… There's a pattern generator in our brain that produces this sound."
Each "ha" is about 1/15th of a second, repeated every fifth of a second, he said. Laugh faster or slower than that and it sounds more like panting or something else.


Deaf people laugh without hearing, and people on cellphones laugh without seeing, illustrating that laughter isn't dependent on a single sense but on social interactions, said Provine, author of the book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.


"It's joy, it's positive engagement with life," said Jaak Panksepp, a Bowling Green University psychology professor. "It's deeply social."

Animal crackers

And it's not just a people thing either. Chimps tickle each other and even laugh when another chimp pretends to tickle them.


"That's my candidate for the most ancient joke," Provine said. "It's a feigned tickle. That's primal humour."
Panksepp studies rats that laugh when he tickles them. Sound silly? It's on YouTube and in scientific journals, a funny pairing of proofs when you think about.
It turns out rats love to be tickled. They return again and again to the hands of researchers tickling them, Panksepp's video shows.


By studying rats, Panksepp and other scientists can figure out what's going on in the brain during laughter. And it holds promise for human ills.


Northwestern University biomedical engineering professor Jeffrey Burgdorf has found that laughter in rats produces an insulin-like growth factor chemical that acts as an antidepressant and anxiety-reducer. He thinks the same thing probably happens in humans, too. This would give doctors a new chemical target in the brain in their effort to develop drugs that fight depression and anxiety in people.


Even so, laughter itself hasn't been proven to be the best medicine, experts said.
Dr. Margaret Stuber, a psychiatry professor at University of California Los Angeles Medical School, studied whether laughter helped patients. She found that distraction and mood improvement helped, but she could not find a benefit for laughter alone.


"No study has shown that laughter produces a direct health benefit," Provine said, largely because it's hard to separate laughter from just good feelings. But he thinks it doesn't really matter: "Isn't the fact that laughter feels good when you do it, isn't that enough?"


While studying laughter is serious work to researchers, it apparently sounds like a silly topic when they're seeking research grants. For that reason, Northwestern's Burgdorf avoids the word "laughter." He calls it "positive emotional response."

Panksepp understands, saying: "There's no funding in fun research."

Fun Experiments To Do On Your Brain
by Steve Gillman
Ready for some fun experiments on your brain? Don't worry, you can try these at home. They are perfectly safe, and they will help you demonstrate brainpower

 Fun Experiments

1. Sing to access your right brain.

It is easier to rhyme when you're singing, because you are working from the part of your brain that recognizes patterns (usually the right hemisphere). Try a singing experiment. First try making a rhyming poem about something that happened today. Work on this for just a minute or two. Then try it again, but sing the poem as you make it up.

Most people find that they can easily find rhyming words when singing. You can also make a song up to remember things. Singing may help to activate your right-brain when you are working on a problem involving spatial reasoning. This last suggestion is speculative, but it can be a fun experiment to try, and no harm should come from singing.  

2. Consciously control autonomic body functions. 

Your pupils get bigger when it is darker, but they also get bigger when you see something you like. In fact, they get larger if you just vividly imagine something you like. Try this experiment right now. Go to the mirror and watch your eyes as you imagine someone you like, a favorite food, or anything you would like to see. 

You should see your pupils quickly grow in size. Imagine different scenes to see which work best. With practice, you can train yourself to consciously change your pupil size at will. Looking towards a light in the room will make your pupils smaller again, by the way. There are ways to use this eye-trick, but for our now, it is just a way to demonstrate how you can consciously control what is normally an unconscious body function. (There are also techniques for controling the heart rate as well.) 

3. Try fun experiments to motivate yourself. 

Ever feel like you just can't work, or your brain just won't wake up? Try a simple experiment on yourself. Simply talk about your plans, or anything you are passionate about. When I'm stuck staring at the keyboard, I might talk about the next mountain I am going to climb here in Colorado, and suddenly I have the mental energy to get back to writing. 

Try different topics, because what works for each of us will be different. You can even try this experiment on friends. When they are in a bad mood, have them explain something to you that they are passionate about. The process will change the chemicals in their brains, and so change their state of mind. Experiment to find the topics that work best - for them and yourself - and remember them for future use. 

Fun experiments or just useful ones? Either way, there is no harm in trying these and other simple experiments to learn how to better use your brain.

ACU, 4th article sharing.

روى البخاري ومسلم في صحيحيهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:  "ألا وإن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله ألا وهي القلب"

Petua Mencuci Hati oleh Datok Dr Haji Fadzilah Kamsah.

Segala aspek kehidupan ini bermula daripada hati. Oleh itu di bawah ini ada beberapa cara bagaimana hendak mencuci hati.Dialah oleh pakar motivasi Datuk Dr. Haji Fadzilah Kamsah.

1) Dirikan solat dan banyakkan berdo’a – Ini adalah salah satu kaedah yang sungguh berkesan. Semasa berdo’a turut katakan “Ya,Allah jadikan hatiku bersih”

2) Selawat keatas Nabi Muhammad s.a.w paling minima 100 X sebelum tidur – Ini merupakan satu pelaburan yang mudah dan murah.Disamping dosa-dosa diampunkan, otak tenang, murah rezeki, orang sayangkan kita dan mencetuskan semua perkara kebaikan.

3) Solat taubat – Selain daripada memohon keampunan, dapat mencuci hati dan menenangkan minda.

4) Membaca Al-Quran – Selain dapat mencuci hati juga menenangkan jiwa, penyembuh, penenang, terapi.Sekurang-kurangnya bacalah “Qulhu-allah” sebanyak 3X.

5) Berma’af-ma’afan sesama kawan setiap hari – Semasa meminta maaf perlu sebutkan kesalahan yang dilakukan.

6) Bisikan kepada diri perkara yang positif – Jangan sesekali mengkritik, kutuk diri sendiri, merendah-rendahkan kebolehan diri sendiri. katakanlah “Aku sebenarnya……(perkara yang elok-elok belaka)

7) Program minda/cuci minda – Paling baik pada waktu malam sebelum tidur, senyum, pejam mata, katakan di dalam hati “Ya,Allah cuci otak aku, cuci hatiku, esok aku nak jadi baik, berjaya, ceria, bersemangat, aktif, positif”. Menurut kajian saikologi, apa yang disebut sebelum tidur dapat dirakamkan sepanjang tidur sehingga keesokan harinya -CUBALAH!!)

8 ) Berpuasa – Sekiranya dalam berpuasa terhindar dari melakukan perkara-perkara kejahatan.

9) Cuba ingat tentang mati (Sekiranya hendak melakukan sesuatu kejahatan, tidak sampai hati kerana bimbang akan mati bila-bila masa)

10) Kekalkan wuduk

11) Bersedekah

12) Belanja orang makan.

13) Jaga makanan – jangan makan makanan yang subhat

14) Berkawan dengan ulama

15) Berkawan dengan orang miskin (menginsafi)

16) Pesan pada orang, jadi baik

17) Menjaga pacaindera (mata, telinga, mulut…dsb),jangan dengar orang mengumpat.”

ACU, 2nd article sharing.

Principles of Success---In the light of Seerah

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

It is a well-known fact that the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was the supremely successful man in the entire human history. But he was not just a hero, as Thomas Carlyle has called him. According to the Qur’an, he was a good example for all mankind. He has shown us the way of achieving supreme success in this world.
By studying the life of the Prophet we can derive those important principles which were followed by the Prophet. In short, the Prophet of Islam was a positive thinker in the full sense of the word. All his activities were result-oriented. He completely refrained from all such steps as may prove counter-productive.

First Principle: To begin from the possibleThis principle is well explained in a saying of Aishah. She said: "Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier choice." (Al-Bukhari)To choose the easiest option means to begin from the possible, and one who begins from the possible will surely reach his goal.
Second Principle: To see advantage in disadvantageIn the early days of Mecca, there were many problems and difficulties. At that time, a guiding verse in the Qur’an was revealed. It said: "With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease." (94:5-6).This means that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. And the way to success is to ignore the problems and avail the opportunities.
Third Principle: To change the place of actionThis principle is derived from the Hijrah. Hijrah was not just a migration from Mecca to Medina. It was to find a more suitable place for Islamic work, as history proved later on.
Fourth Principle: To make a friend out of an enemyThe prophet of Islam was repeatedly subjected to practices of antagonism by the unbelievers. At that time the Qur’an enjoined upon him the return of good for evil. And then, as the Qur’an added, "You will see your direst enemy has become your closest friend" (41:34).

It means that a good deed in return of a bad deed has a conquering effect over your enemies. And the life of the Prophet is a historical proof of this principle.

Fifth Principle: To turn minus into plusAfter the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as the prisoners of war. They were educated people. The Prophet announced that if any one of them would teach ten Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all of the students were Muslims, and all of the teachers were from the enemy rank. Here I shall quote a British orientalist who remarked about the Prophet of Islam: He faced adversity with the determination to wring success out of failure.
Sixth Principle: The power of peace is stronger than the power of violenceWhen Mecca was conquered, all of the Prophet’s direst opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: "Go, you are free." The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. They immediately accepted Islam.
Seventh Principle: Not to be a dichotomous thinkerIn the famous Ghazwa of Muta, Khalid bin Walid decided to withdraw Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that the enemy was unproportionately outnumbered. When they reached Medina, some of the Muslims received them by the word "O Furrar" (O deserters!) The Prophet said "No. They are Kurrar" (men of advancement)."Those Medinan people were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The Prophet said no. There is also a third option, and that is to avoid war and find a time to strengthen yourself. Now history tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced again towards the Roman border and this time they won a resounding victory.

Eighth Principle: To bring the battle in one’s own favorable fieldThis principle is derived from the Ghazwa of Hudaibiyya. At that time, the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because obviously they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet, by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a ten-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non-Muslims had been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological debate. Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority.
Ninth Principle: Gradualism instead of radicalismThis principle is well-established by a hadith of Al-Bukhari. Aishah says that the first verses of the Qur’an were related mostly to heaven and hell. And then after a long time when the people’s hearts had softened, the specific commands to desist from adultery and drinking were revealed in the Qur’an.This is a clear proof that for social changes, Islam advocates the evolutionary method, rather than the revolutionary method.
Tenth Principle: To be pragmatic in controversial mattersDuring the writing of Hudaibiyyah treaty, the Prophet dictated these words: "This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God." The Qurayshi delegate raised objections over these words. The Prophet promptly changed the word and ordered to write simply Muhammad, son of Abdullah.These were the principles through which the Prophet of Islam gained that success which has been recognized by historians as the supreme success.
In the end, I would like to repeat those ten principles of success:
1. To begin from the possible
2. To see advantage in disadvantage
3. To change the place of action
4. To make a friend out of an enemy
5. To turn minus into plus
6. The power of peace is stronger than the power of violence
7. Not to be a dichotomous thinker
8. To bring the battle in one’s own favorable field
9. Gradualism instead of radicalism
10. To be pragmatic in controversial matters

ACU, First Article sharing.

A call to Prayers (Adhan): conversation between Teacher, Ibn Sina and Student, Bahman Yar

The greatness of our Prophet Muhammad (saw) can be understood still today, with the help of the following story, a conversation between student and teacher:

It was a wintry morning with much snow falling, coupled with the blowing of a strong cold wind. It was not easy to come out in the open air. Yet one could see people rushing to their work and students with books in their hands hastening to their schools.

In one of the Mosques in Hamadan - Iran, religious students were assembling in order to attend a morning class. It was an important school of Islamic Theology and the tutor was also a very great learned one. His discourses were indeed very thought provoking and so were his students quite intelligent. The tutor was none else but the world famous and a great Persian thinker and philosopher 'Ibn Sina', popularly known in Europe as Avicenna. His lectures and writings on various science subjects had become the standard text books for hundreds of years in the universities of Europe. Students admired his deep philosophical thinking. They felt honored to sit in his class and hear his inspiring lectures.

That cold morning, students had already assembled in the Mosque and were still anxiously awaiting the arrival of their learned tutor. They were wondering if the intense cold weather that day had delayed his coming. A few minutes had passed when suddenly the students witnessed the graceful arrival of 'Ibn Sina', their great learned tutor. They felt very happy and stood up as a mark of reverence and respect for him. He sat down at his usual place and exchanged greetings with his students. He commenced his discourse in his usual lucid manner that held his students spellbound. He also gave satisfactory answers to their questions.

Among the students was one very young and enthusiastic by name 'Bahman Yar'. He was much closer and attached to 'Ibn Sina' the learned tutor. He was also the foremost among the clever and advanced students of the class. Every time he listened to the lectures of his tutor, he became more and more fascinated with his deep philosophy and knowledge on every subject.

He would say to his class-mates: "I wonder why our tutor 'Ibn Sina' does not claim to be a prophet despite his supreme intelligence and magic personality".

It is said that one day by chance 'Ibn Sina' was standing at a baker and loaf seller shop. His attention was drawn to a very smart young boy who was displaying signs of much intelligence. The boy was saying to the baker: "My mother is requesting for a little fire." The baker responded: "Have you brought any pot to carry the fire?" "No! But I know how to carry it", replied the boy instantly. So saying he applied some ash over his palm and stretched his hand to the baker who placed a piece of burning firewood over his palm. Without any hesitation, the boy took it and went home.

'Ibn Sina' was rather amazed to see the intelligence and courage of this boy. He thought of having him for special training and education under his personal care. The proposal was communicated to the parents who agreed and entrusted the boy to his full care. Thus 'Bahman Yar' since then was staying at no other place except at the house of his tutor and caretaker, 'Ibn Sina'. They were all the time to be seen together. The boy being highly intelligent derived the best of the knowledge that his tutor could impart.

Years passed and 'Bahman Yar' grew up not only in age but also in knowledge and understanding under the patronage of his tutor. The learned tutor was also very proud of this most capable student. It was one of the coldest nights of the wintry season. Midnight had passed and the snow-falling was very heavy. Both 'Ibn Sina' and 'Bahman Yar' were sleeping in one room under warm thick blankets. The light in the room was already extinguished but the student was still asking intricate questions on some deep subjects. The tutor was replying in his usual impressive manner. Fascinated by the supreme knowledge and deep philosophy of his tutor, he again made the suggestion which he had made before: "Oh my learned tutor!" he pleaded, "with all this high status of knowledge that you enjoy and being master of all the sciences, why not declare yourself a prophet? Sir! Don't you think that you even excel some of the previous prophets in knowledge and your status today is unparalleled in the world! Should you decide to claim prophethood, no one would dare challenge you. Let me assure you that I shall be the first to offer my allegiance and would serve you with full faith."

Since 'Bahman Yar' was still young and immature, his above proposal to his tutor was rather emotional than logical. 'Ibn Sina' smiled but did not give any reply. That night the cold weather had become extreme and there was heavy snow falling. Both were already fast asleep. It was past midnight and suddenly 'Ibn Sina' woke up and raised his head out of the warm blanket. Incidentally he was very thirsty and the water mug in the room was empty. So he decided to wake up his student to go out and bring him some water.

"Oh 'Bahman Yar'! My son 'Bahman Yar'! Please wake up and bring me some drinking water from outside", he said repeatedly.

"Is there no water in the water mug near your good self, Sir?" asked 'Bahman Yar'.

"No!" replied 'Ibn Sina'.

'Bahman Yar' raised his head and saw heavy snowfall outside. The thrilling sound of the strong cold wind also made him nervous to go out. Again 'Ibn Sina' grumbled: "Oh 'Bahman Yar'! Why the delay? Bring me some water, I am too thirsty."

'Bahman Yar' dared not come out of the warm blankets to face the cold weather outside the room. He was, therefore, putting forward lame excuses to his tutor.

"Oh my respected tutor! It is harmful for you to drink water now that you have just come out of the warmth of thick blankets. It is better you go to sleep again till the early morning which is not far off", said 'Bahman Yar'.

"My son! Bring me water, I am too thirsty. I myself am a medical expert and know better what is harmful than you do. I am unable to sleep, please bring me some water from outside", again appealed 'Ibn Sina'.

In response 'Bahman Yar' again put forward excuses and argued that he would catch cold and fall sick if he were to go out in that extreme cold weather. So saying he went back to sleep. There was dead silence everywhere and no sound of anything was to be heard. Outside it was still pitch dark except the first light of Subhe Sadiq (true dawn) in the eastern horizon had commenced to appear. Suddenly the silence broke with a melodious voice of a Muezzin - caller to prayer from the top of a Minaret at the nearby Mosque. After reciting some verses of Noble Qur'an, the Muezzin in a loud voice said (Adhan), "Allaho Akbar" - Allah is the Greatest. "Ash-Hadu An La Ilaha Illallah" - I bear witness that there is no god except Allah.

Both the tutor and his student quietly listened to the melodious voice of the Muezzin. The call to prayers then followed to the words "Ash-Hadu Anna Muhammadan Rasulallah" - I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. On hearing this, 'Ibn Sina' thought of taking the opportunity of responding to the repeated proposal made to him by 'Bahman Yar'. He said: "Listen to me, oh my son 'Bahman Yar'. Now I wish to reply to your repeated suggestion". The student sat up to hear attentively of what his learned tutor abruptly wanted to say. 'Ibn Sina' then proceeded: "You have been suggesting to me several times to claim prophethood, that people would put full faith in me and that you would be the first one to do so. Now look, you have been my close student for several years and benefited from me a great deal, yet you did not think it prudent to obey me by coming out of your warm bed for a moment and bring me water that I badly needed to quench my thirst. Instead you chose to put forward lame excuses."

But think of this man who is now calling to prayers at the top of the Minaret after coming out in the coldest weather and making ablution with cold water in the early hour of this morning. It is for no other purpose but in obedience to and respect for the command of Almighty Allah (SWT) as conveyed by His apostle, Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw) some four hundred years ago. "What a great difference there is between me and that Prophet sent by Almighty Allah (SWT)!"