SPM Biology Form 4 Notes – Terminology and Concepts: Movement of Substances Across the Plasma Membrane (Part I)

June 15, 2010

Berry Berry Easy is back with SPM Form 4 Biology notes for “Movement of substances across the plasma membrane“. The plasma membrane is a membrane of biological nature which forms the barrier between the interior of a cell against external environment. However, do not just think of it as a layer which do not have any function. Typically, movement of substances to and from cells to outer environment is controlled (due to its permeability) by the plasma membrane. The key concept here for this topic is to understand the selective-permeability nature of a plasma membrane. The rest of the topic are rather easy and intuitive. Do note that plasma membrane is also known as cell membrane and plasmalemma.

SPM Biology Form 4 – Terminology and Concepts: Movement of Substances Across the Plasma Membrane (Part 1)

1. Uniqueness of Plasma Membrane (also known as cell membrane):

• it is a semi-permeable cell membrane
• it allows water and certain substances to move in and out of the cell.

2. Importance of Plasma Membrane:

• - cells obtain nutrients and gases
• cells excrete metabolic wastes
• cells can maintain pH for enzyme activity
• cells can maintain ionic concentration of the cells for enzyme activity
• control the types and the amount of substances
• allow useful substance (hormones/enzymes) to secrete from cells
• protect cells
• a boundary between the inside and outside of cell.

3. Structure of the basic unit of plasma membrane

• Phospholipid molecule:
  ‘Head’ – hydrophilic: a polar phosphate molecule (philic~loves water / attracted to water)
  ‘Tail’ – hydrophobic: two non-polar fatty acids (phobic~hates water / repelled to water)
• Formation:
  Hydrophilic heads pointing outwards
  Hydrophobic tails pointing inwards
  (Bilayer phospolipid)

Fluid Mosaic Model (Protein embedded in the bilayer)

Carrier protein

• carrier for some molecules (glucose, amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids)
• controls the movement of ions and particles (Na⁺, Ca²⁺ and K⁺)
• Glycoprotein

Glycolipid

• combination of lipids and polysaccharides

4. Permeability

Permeable (allow to pass through)

• small non-polar molecules (vitamins A, D, E, K, fatty acids, glycerol and steroids)

Impermeable (not allow to pass through but with help of carrier protein and cellular energy, it is allow to pass through)

• large polar molecules (glucose, amino acids, mucleic acids and polysaccharides)
• charged ions (H⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^- and Ca²⁺)

Substances that are allowed to move in the cell:

• CO₂
• O₂
• excess H₂O
• waste: nitrogenous

Substances that are allowed to move out of the cell:

• CO₂
• O₂
• amino acids
• ionic salts
• glucose

This is the end of Part 1 of this topic. Do check out Part 2 which covers passive and active transport.

Posted in: Berry Reference (Notes) | No Comments »

Self-accreditation Status for Universities in Malaysia

June 12, 2010

In a recent development in the issue of accreditation of university programmes (May 2010), it was announced by the Higher Education Ministry that eight institutes of higher learning do not require to go through the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) to accredit their courses. This meant that the eight universities has the autonomy to accredit their current and future courses. Berry Berry Easy would like to highlight this to our readers so they are aware of this development. This will be useful for those who are doubtful on the accreditation status of newer courses from certain universities.

Self-accreditation Status for Universities in Malaysia – Those that achieved the status

Public Universities

1. Universiti Malaya (UM)
2. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
3. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
4. Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

* Note that the four mentioned universities are the top 4 as rated by Berry Berry Easy in an earlier post.

Private Universities

1. University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
2. Monash University Sunway Campus
3. Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak
4. Curtin University of Technology Sarawak

So what does this means?

• MQA conducted an audit on these universities (September 2009-March 2010) based on the Code of Practice in Institutional Audit to ensure quality at the universities based on fixed requirements and guidelines.
• Only universities which met the criteria are awarded this status.
• Four aspects in the accreditation system are:

1. Temporary accreditation process
2. Full accreditation process
3. Accreditation review
4. Having a senate or highest academic committee to finalise the accreditation

• So the aforementioned universities would have to develop their own internal system which mimic at least the four aspects.
• However, for courses that involved professional bodies, it must still go through accreditation and recognition by their respective professional bodies.
• MQA however will still monitor the accreditation process from time to time.

So for those applying to universities, especially private universities, you might want to check out the accreditation status of your courses.

Posted in: Berry Announcement | 9 Comments »

World Cup 2010 Contest – Guess the Winner – From Berry Berry Easy

June 11, 2010

Berry Berry Easy would like to give out some presents in conjunction with the Biggest Event in the World for 2010, which is the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. So we’ll have a fun-filled and light-hearted contest to predict the winner of this edition of the World Cup.

So if you think you :

• Are an expert in football related matters (everybody think they are an expert, so prove it)
• Have great predictive powers (to boost your ego and bragging rights if you got it rite)
• Want to support your “team” by giving them a moral vote (nothing better than declare your love)
• Love to join competitions for the fun of it (who doesn’t love to win competitions)
• Desire to win some mini prizes (exclusive prize)

Look no further than Berry Berry Easy’s “Guess The World Cup Winner Contest“.

Method to Enter:

1. Just pick a team (one only) that you think will win the World Cup 2010 and write them down in the comment page of this post.
2. You may send two entries for the entire duration of the competition. Both entries can have the same team to increase your chances of winning. The first entry must be sent between 11 June 2010 to 25 June 2010 (Group Phases). The second entry must be sent between 26 June 2010 to 30 June 2010 (Second Round). So you’ll have another chance at it in case your team got knocked out in the First Round. (How thoughtful of us)
3. Nothing else, it is that simple. Just a comment will do.

Rules and Regulations:

1. To be eligible, you must have a valid address in Malaysia or Singapore. (So we can post the prize to you)
2. You must also register yourself under “Google Friend Connect” on this site (Located at the right side-bar of this side.) This is to ensure that the entries are authentic so we can contact winners more easily. (So please include your Google Friend Connect ID/Name in your comment too for easy identification)
3. Do include your real email address/blog address in the comment so we can contact you if you win.
4. We have the rights to change the prize into cash money or equivalent priced item shall we not be able to fulfill our part of the deal.
5. We cannot guarantee that your prize will arrive by post if you select to collect your winning by post. But we will use registered mail as a proof of sending.
6. We have the rights to disqualify entries that do not comply with the rules and regulations.
7. Winners will be selected from entries which correctly select the winner which would be known at the end of the World Cup 2010. Selection of winner will be made via a randomise method from random.org
8. In event that winners do not response within 1 week, the backup winners will be selected.
9. We reserve the rights to alter the rules and regulations, but all changes will be for the benefit of the contestants and will be published on Berry Berry Easy.

Prizes:

1) An authentic embroidered souvenir from Budapest, Hungary which you cannot get in Malaysia/Singapore. Its exquisite designs is truly derived from Hungarian folk art. You can keep it as a souvenir for yourself, or give it to your mummy. If you are a guy, you can even give it to your other half if you are not into delicate artwork like this. (To be honest, guys will join this contest mainly for bragging rights or supporting purposes. You’ll be happy to be proven correct even if you have nothing to gain out of it. Admit it! Lol)   If you are a girl, there is no doubt that you will like this yourself.

2) Three postcards from Budapest, Hungary. (Will post the photo of the postcards later)

3) If the response to this contest is great, we intend to add in more prizes.

=======================================================

So what are you waiting for? Send in your entries for the contest in the comments section below. There is nothing for you to lose. To aid you in your selection, the following list is painstakingly collected from Castrol World Cup Predictors on who would most likely be the World Cup winners.

Castrol World Cup Predictors – On who would win the World Cup

1. Brazil – 23.4%
2. Spain – 17.0%
3. England – 10.3%
4. Netherlands – 9.8%
5. Argentina – 7.5%
6. Germany – 5.7%
7. Italy – 3.7%
8. France – 3.1%
9. Uruguay – 2.7%
10. USA – 2.0%
11. Paraguay – 1.6%
12. Portugal – 1.6%
13. Ivory Coast – 1.5%
14. Denmark – 1.4%
15. Australia – 1.3%
16. Mexico – 1.2%
17. Serbia – 1.1%
18. Nigeria – 1.0%
19. Greece – 0.8%
20. Japan – 0.7%
21. Chile – 0.6%
22. Cameroon – 0.4%
23. Switzerland – 0.4%
24. Ghana – 0.3%
25. Honduras – 0.3%
26. South Africa – 0.2%
27. South Korea – 0.2%
28. Slovakia – 0.1%
29. Slovenia – 0.1%
30. Algeria – 0.0%
31. New Zealand – 0.0%
32. North Korea – 0.0%

So for those who do not have any allegiance to any countries or are clueless on who might be the winner, you can pick from the fancied countries such as Brazil, Spain, England, Netherlands (Holland), Argentina and Germany. They all have more than 5% chance to win.

Posted in: Berry Contest | 22 Comments »

STPM Chemistry Form 6 Notes – Terminology and Concepts: Liquid and Solid States (Part 2)

June 8, 2010

Berry Berry Easy will continue on with the notes about “Liquid and Solid State” with Part 2 in the series. In Part 1, we touched on the changes of state of matter, kinetics theory of liquid and the structure of liquid. This part will be all about crystal lattice. It is another easy portion of the topic as with the previous part. But whenever possible, do try to visualise the crystal lattices and learn to differentiate the characteristics graphically. It is the easiest way to understand this topic. It will also be useful to know more examples of each type of crystal systems than the one being quoted in the notes below. So pick up your pencil and some paper, and let the sketching of crystal lattices begins. (Do refer to books or references online too while you sketch).

STPM Chemistry Form 6 – Terminology and Concepts: Liquid and Solid States (Part 2)

Crystal lattice – regular arrangement of atoms, molecules or ions in a crystalline solid.

Unit cell – a small repeating unit that contains a group of particles (atoms, ions or molecules) in a crystal.

There are 7 crystal systems (primitive unit cells – all the lattice points are placed at the corners of the cell only):

There are 7 multi-primitive lattices (lattice points are located not only at the corners, but also at the faces or centres of the cells).

There are 14 types of crystal lattices.

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STPM Chemistry Form 6 Notes – Terminology and Concepts: Liquid and Solid States (Part 1)

June 3, 2010

Continuing from the previous post about Gas, Berry Berry Easy will be releasing a series of notes about “Liquid and Solid State“. This topic will be longer but should be slightly easier than gas. Most of this topic would seemed as very common and just reinforces what you have already known from daily life. This could be due to the fact that you can ‘feel’ liquid and solid state matter with your fingers and see it more easily than gases. So let us begin the journey to this relatively easy topic. (Note however that, some students still make silly mistakes which meant that they concede easy marks away)

STPM Form 6 – Terminology and Concepts: Liquid and Solid States (Part 1)

Changes in the States of Matter

1. Freezing / Solidification – liquid –> solid
2. Melting – solid –> liquid
3. Evaporation – liquid –> gas / vapour
4. Condensation – gas / vapour –> liquid
5. Sublimation – gas / vapour –> solid
6. Sublimation – solid –> gas / vapour

(Sublimation – iodine, ammonium chloride and solid carbon dioxide)

Kinetics Theory of Liquid

The kinetics energy content of the particles in a liquid is closer to the kinetic energy content of the particles in a solid than to that of a gas.

Important points:

i) Liquid is made up of tiny particles.
ii) Particles in liquid are continually moving in a zigzag.
iii) The motion for particles in liquid are vibration, rotation and translation.
iv) Particles in liquid are not in an orderly arrangement. There are loose clusters of particles which are packed closely.
v) Particles in liquid have strong forces of attraction between the particles.
vi) Particles in liquid have more kinetic energy than the particles in solid but less kinetic energy than particles in gases.

Enthalpy of Fusion – The amount of heat required to change one mole of a pure solid into a liquid.

Enthalpy of Vaporisation – The amount of heat required to change one mole of pure liquid into a gas.

The Structure of a Liquid

i) Melting process:

• Particles move faster when solid is heated.
• The vibrations of the particles increase when temperature of the hot solid increases.
• The particles in the solid acquired sufficient kinetic energy to overcome the attraction forces between particles.
• The particles break away from one another.
• Solid has become liquid.

ii) Freezing process:

• The motion of particles in liquid slows down when liquid is cooled.
• The particles have low kinetic energy.
• The particles in liquid have strong attraction forces between particles to overcome the motion of the particles.
• Particles held in fixed positions in the lattice structure.
• Liquid has become solid.

iii) Vaporisation process (open container that exposed to the atmosphere):

• The particles escape from the surface of the liquid and become gas.
• The rate of vaporisation increases with a rise in temperature, a decrease in external pressure and an increase in the surface area of the liquid.
• A rise in temperature

- room temperature: small percentage of particles have high kinetics and sufficient to overcome the attraction forces between particles and then escape from the surface of the liquid.


A decrease in external pressure (increase in internal pressure)
- particles that have enough kinetics energy to vaporise.
- vapour pressure of liquid increases.
- the particles in liquid collided with one another.
- particles have enough kinetics energy to vaporise.
- a distribution of kinetic energy has formed.


An increase in the surface area of the liquid
- the particles in liquid are collided with one another.
- liquid exposed to the air will evaporate (on top of the liquid).
- particles with higher kinetics energies than the average kinetic energy will escape as gas particles first.

iv) Boiling process:

• Particles move faster when liquid is heated.
• The vibrations of the particles increase when temperature of the hot liquid increases.
• The particles in the solid acquired sufficient kinetic energy to overcome the attraction forces between particles.
• The particles break away from one another.
• Solid has become liquid.

Velocity of the particle ­ increase when

• Temperature ­increase
• Kinetic energy ­increase

Posted in: Berry Reference (Notes) | 4 Comments »

School Holidays (Term Holidays) in Malaysia 2010

June 1, 2010

Now that the mid-year holidays are approaching, Berry Berry Easy has been receiving a couple of questions regarding the holidays dates. As different areas in Malaysia have different holiday dates, we thought it will be useful if we publish out the dates for our Berry Readers as reference. However, before you get all hype out about your holidays, do navigate past your exams first and try to score flying colours on all your papers. Do check out the notes at this website to complement your study material.

School Holidays (Term Holidays) in Malaysia 2010

Group A (Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu)

Mid-Term Holidays : 11 March 2010 – 20 March 2010 – 9 days
Mid-Year Holidays : 04 June 2010 – 19 June 2010 – 16 days
Mid-Term Holidays : 03 September 2010 – 11 September 2010 – 9 days
Year End Holidays : 19 November 2010 – 1 January 2011 – 44 days
Total Term Holiday Days : 78 days

Group B (Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Penang, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak and the three Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan)

Mid-Term Holidays : 13 March 2010 – 21 March 2010 – 9 days
Mid-Year Holidays : 05 June 2010 – 20 June 2010 – 16 days
Mid-Term Holidays : 04 September 2010 – 12 September 2010 – 9 days
Year End Holidays : 20 November 2010 – 2 January 2011 – 44 days
Total Term Holiday Days : 78 days

As a reminder, do spend your holidays in a more meaningful way. Go out and enjoy outdoor activities rather than just playing computer games at home. Do volunteer jobs if you are inclined to do so. In short, spend your holidays wisely. Studying is optional as some students require recharging of their “study batteries”. So plan your time and finish up your homework (if any) then enjoy the rest of your holidays. Don’t do last minute work.

Posted in: Berry Announcement | 1 Comment »

STPM Chemistry Form 6 Notes – Terminology and Concepts: Gas

May 26, 2010

Gas, solid and liquid. (Or some are more familiar with the Malay equivalent of gas, pepejal dan cecair) These are the three classical states of matter. Among the three, liquids and gases can be grouped together to be fluids. So some students get confused when they try to read out of the syllabus. Concentrating back on gases, students typically underestimate the difficulty of “gas” when they study chemistry. Admittedly, it is rather easy to understand gases. One word of caution though from Berry Berry Easy because it is rather hard to master gas, especially gas related calculations. (So pay more attention to it).

At the minimum, students must try to master the concept Ideal Gas Law as soon as possible before they proceed to the calculations. Ideal Gas Law is simple but yet for some unknown reasons, students find it hard to make sense out of it. You will use the Ideal Gas Law in most of the calculations even up to university level for most engineering courses. So for the sake of your STPM and future studies, try and master this simple yet surprisingly difficult (oxymoron) topic of Gas. We’ll kick off with some revision of the states of matter.

STPM Chemistry Form 6 – Terminology and Concepts: Gas

Kinetics Theory of Matter

• describe the behaviour of particles in solids, liquid and gas.

Solid State

• particles are held rigidly in fixed positions by strong attractive forces in an orderly arrangement;
• particles cannot move freely;
• particles can only vibrate or rotate about their mean position;
• particles have less energy (compared to liquids and gases);
• solids cannot be compressed;
• solids have fixed shapes;
• solids have fixed volume

Liquid State

• particles are packed closely together in cluster;
• particles are not in an orderly arrangement;
• particles can vibrate, rotate and move freely;
• particles have more energy (compared to solids) but have less energy (compared to gases);
• liquids are not easily compressed;
• liquids have no fixed shape (take the shape of the container);
• liquids have fixed volume.

Gaseous State

• particles are separated from each other by distance far greater than their own size;
• particles have no forces between the particles.
• particles are not in an orderly arrangement;
• particles can vibrate, rotate and move freely within the container;
• particles have more energy (compared to liquids and solids);
• particles are in constant random motion, moving in straight lines;
• particles collide (elastic) with the walls of the container, they exert a pressure on the container and there is no loss of kinetics energy during the collision;
• gases are easily compressed;
• gases have no fixed shape (take the shape of the container);
• gases have no fixed volume.

Kinetics Theory of Gases

• describe the behaviour of ideal gas.
• the average kinetics energy of gases particles is directly proportional to the absolute temperature of the gas (Kelvin).
• four assumptions associated with this theory:

i.) particles are small compared to the distances between particles that their volumes are negligible.
ii.) particles move in straight lines. The direction of a particle’s motion is changed only by its collision with either another molecule or the walls of the container. All the collisions are to be elastic (no loss of energy).
iii.) particles are in constant random motion. Gas pressure is only caused by collisions of the particles against the walls of the container.
iv.) Gas molecules exhibit no intermolecular forces. The particles neither attract nor repel one another.

Gas Laws

• three common gas laws to know: Avogadro’s Law, Boyle’s Law and Charles’ Law – A, B and C laws of gases.

(If you find yourself about to get confused, here is a simple story about how the scientist, Avogadro might have made his discovery: Avogadro was into counting big numbers, so his law focuses on the number of molecules. Therefore, Avogadro’s law deals with the relationship between moles of gas and volume. Big Boy Boyle sat on his lunch and smashed it (decreased the volume of his sandwich), by increasing the pressure on it. Therefore, Boyle’s law deals with the relationship between pressure and volume. Good ol’ Chuck overheated his popcorn and it scattered all over (increased its volume). Therefore, Charles’s law deals with the relationship between temperature and volume.) taken from General Chemistry Part II Sections VI-X pg 13. (2001) Berkeley Review.

1. Avogadro’s Law

• Amedeo Avogadro (1811)
• equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules.

V / n = k (a constant)
V₁ / n₁ = V₂ / n₂
Where n = number of moles of gas

* Molar volume of a gas (volume occupied by 1 mol of any gas) at standard temperature and pressure (s.t.p.) is 22.4 dm³ (Condition: 0˚C / 273 K and 101.3 kNm^-1 / 1 atm.).

2. Boyle’s Law

• Robert Boyle (1662)
• the volume occupied by fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its pressure at constant temperature.
• applies under isothermal conditions in a closed container.

pV = k (a constant)
p₁V₁ = p₂V₂

* Real gases obey Boyle’s law only at low pressures and high temperatures (ideal gas or perfect gas).
* Real gases do not obey Boyle’s law at high pressures and low temperatures (non-ideal behaviour).

3. Charles’ Law

• Jacques Charles (1780)
• the volume occupied by fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature at constant pressure.

V / T = k (a constant)
V₁ / T₁ = V₂ / T₂

* Temperature is the absolute temperature (-273˚C / 0 K)
* Absolute temperature scale (Kelvin scale) as the temperature -273˚C was adopted as the ‘zero’.

Ideal Gas Equation

Combining Avogrado’s law, Boyle’s law and Charles’ law

• Ideal gas equation:

pV = nRT
where R is a constant and its value of 8.31 J mol^-1 K^-1
pressure: Pa or Nm^-2 (1 atm = 101 kPa)
volume: m³ (1 cm³ = 1 x 10^-6 m³; 1 dm³ = 1 x 10^-3 m³)
temperature: K

n = m / M_r
where m = mass of gas and M_r = relative molecular mass of gas

m / V = ρ
where ρ = density of a gas

4. Dalton’s Law

• the total pressure of a mixture of gases do not react is the sum of the partial pressures of the constituent gases on the mixture.

P_T = P_A + P_B + P_C + …
where  P_T = total pressure of the mixture and

P_A, P_B, P_C = partial pressure of gases A, B and C.
Mole fraction of A (X_A) in a mixture of A and B
= (number of moles of A) / (total number of moles of A + B)
= n_A / (n_A + n_B)

P_A = P_T x X_A
where P_T = total pressure, P_A = partial pressure of gas A, X_A = mole fraction of gas A

5. Deviation from Ideal Behaviour

Factors:

1. pressure
2. temperature
3. molecular size
4. intermolecular forces

Positive deviation (volume of gas molecules):

1. low pressures (molecules are very far apart – volume of the gas molecules by comparison is extremely small and can be ignored)
2. high pressures (molecules are closer together – volume of the gas molecules cannot be ignored)

Negative deviation (intermolecular forces of attraction):

1. low temperature (intermolecular forces of attraction between the molecules will reduce the force exerted by the impact of the molecules collide the wall of container. Pressure exerted by the gas is reduced).
2. high temperature (kinetics energy of the molecules is so high that the intermolecular forces between gas molecules can be ignored).

Negative deviation (polar bonds)

1. Least deviation – hydrogen gas (small molecular size and non-polar. It possesses very weak intermolecular forces of attraction).
2. Marked deviation from ideal behaviour – carbon monoxide gas (polar bonds. It possesses stronger intermolecular forces)

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Berry Role Model No.3 – Bowling Champion/Future EE Engineer – Low Wooi Kit

May 20, 2010

Welcome to Part 3 of the Berry Role Model Series. Our Role Model this issue is Mr Low Wooi Kit, a bowling champion. Not any champion, but a national-level champion to say the least. While being a national-level champion is outstanding, but what is more outstanding is that he debunk the myth about sportsperson not doing well academically. Not only Wooi Kit is able to excel in tempin bowling, he is also pursuing a degree in the highly competitive EE Engineering course at Inti Penang.

I’m sure our Berry Readers would like to know the secret to his success in juggling a sporting career with academic excellence. However, before we start our interview segment, Berry Berry Easy would like to point out that the singlemost trait we admire in Wooi Kit is not his sporting prowess (although we do admire it greatly), but one cannot help but applaud his sportmanship and grace in defeat. It is this trait in him that makes us think that he has the hallmark of a true champion, someone whom we believe qualify as a Berry Role Model. His statement of “Never mind. You have win it fair and square. We do not hate each other in the game.” sealed our high opinions on him. Drop by SonnyKazu: The Untold Story <http://wklow.blogspot.com> by Wooi Kit for gems like this.

Enough of babbling, and let the interview begins.

Role Model #3 – Bowling Champion/Future EE Engineer – Low Wooi Kit

1) Who are you?

> Hello readers! My name is Low Wooi Kit. I came from a small town (now city) of Alor Setar, which is the capital for the paddy land state of Kedah. I am currently studying Electrical and Electronics (EE) Engineering at INTI International College Penang.

2) So what do you do daily as an EE Engineering student?

> First of all, as usual I wake up and prepare myself to college every weekdays, or sometimes even weekends for extra, replacement classes or even paper test. My timetable schedule is not really packed for long semester, but for short semesters, my schedule will be packed. But there will be assignments given by the lecturer so I use that to finish up after class time. Whenever I have free time, I go for outside activities such as badminton, discussions with friends, and not to forget, surfing the internet and updating my own blog, which is also a hobby too.

3) What do you aspire to be in the future?

> Hmm… Honestly speaking, I never really thought about it since my mind was full of career choices. Let it be hotel management, F&B, finance, engineering, IT and so much more. I was really freaked out on choosing the best subject as there are a lot of things that interests me, but I was given a chance of a lifetime to choose a suitable career job for myself. This is not easy though, I had to do a lot of thinking before entering college. After I finally made a tough decision, I landed myself for engineering course. Since then, I had not turned back and tried to make myself comfortable with this engineering study. The lecturers are friendly and have willingness to guide me for my studies. And so are my friends and classmates who are giving their full support for me. Up to now, I am satisfied for what I am now, and I could become an engineer one day. Besides being a future engineer, I might be working in business field as well.

4) Tell us about your bowling career and how it started? Who/What inspired you to take up bowling?

> Great! This will be the longest story-cum-interview ever made. Ok! I was a young boy who really wants to know and explore more (Too proud of myself actually). Since I was 8 years old, my dad was the operations manager of the bowling center in my hometown. He normally works every Thursday night until the end of the center’s operation hours. He also works for a construction company in the morning where the bowling center is owned by that company. I remember every week, he would often bring me to the center to accompany him. So I watched the people play bowling there. One day, my dad asked me to play bowling and have fun on the lanes. So I was happy to get to try out the bowling ball. At first, the house ball was really heavy to carry. My size was small, I could not even carry a heavy ball. So my dad brought me a light 6-pound ball to bowl on the lanes. I landed the bowling ball to the gutter. (And yeah I was happy, since this is just my first ball, I bowled just like the beginners do).

From there onwards, I started to get addicted to bowling. My dad hired a coach to teach me the basics and techniques on bowling. Every week, I improved more and more on my foundations of bowling. This is the most important basics that every bowler has to know. After the basics, I had switched to another coach named T.A. (I more prefer to call him Uncle TA). He is my all-time favourite coach from the start. His coaching skills are amazing. He is quite a friendly coach who was willing to guide me on bowling techniques. And sometimes he might be strict for the moment. Thanks to him, I had made myself successful in local district competition. I later continued my journey to the state level competition where I made myself a potential challenger to other competitors from different districts. I never thought that I could be the one who carries the pride of my state for national competitions.

When I was in Standard 6, I had an unforgettable sweet memory in my life. I was chosen to represent the state bowling team for the annual MSSM Bowling competition. I was excited since this was my first time being able to compete in such a grand event as the other young bowlers in the nation are quite tough to beat, especially those from KL and Selangor. I have contained my pressure during competition and I have lots of support from my team. Eventually, I nailed a gold and a silver medal. And I came a bit close to win another gold medal but lose out to my former teammate by merely few pins. Oh well, my tears were fallen as I was disappointed but I have actually done my best. My parents were very proud of me for what I have achieved.

5) What are the traits that you have that has brought you success on the bowling lane?

> In the sport of bowling, you have to be very passionate about it. To become a champion in bowling is not easy though, sometimes you might be lucky if you get high scores. Every time in training, all I have to do is focus on my basics and techniques which the coaches had guided me. Patience and confidence are also required in order to bowl well. I must say that you must be both physically and mentally tough in this sport.

6) So, share with us your other secret of how you achieved national success in tenpin bowling and yet still able to enter into the highly competitive EE Engineering course? How would you advise our Berry Readers on time management?

> Secrets are meant to be hidden from others. However for this case, I just keep working hard and play hard. Even when I missed some classes, I can still play catch up on studies when I have no scheduled competition ahead. Time management is important for us, from studying to gaming, everything has to be followed as scheduled. As most of you guys know, time does not wait for us. So please try to use your time more efficiently by doing something that is useful, and do not waste your time doing nothing.

7) Before we part, can you share with us some “words of wisdom” which have brought you success over the years.

> Be yourself! Do not give up on your first try. Success is not easily achieveable without hard work. Dare to fail, and learn from your mistakes then you will become successful.

8 ) Oh, before we really end this interview you, would you ever make a fairytale return to the bowling scene?

Sigh…! Probably yes probably no. Why? Because I have an unpredictable future. Haha! In short, I’m not so sure about it yet.

-End-

The following are some of his achievements in the bowling circuit:

• MSSM 2003 – Singles (Silver), Team of 4 (Gold)
• Piala Remaja Milo Ranking Masters 2004 GP Finals – Champion
• Piala Remaja Milo Ranking Masters 2005 GP Finals – Champion
• Piala Sukan Teras 2006 – Under 15 – First Runner-up
• Represented Kedah for MSSM 2006 and 2008
• MSSD Kota Setar 2003 Under 12 – Champion
• MSS Kedah 2003 – Singles (silver)
• Kedah Bowl Open Under 15 – Champion

(We at BerryBerryEasy thinks that those are impressive credentials )

Check out the photos of Wooi Kit the Bowling Champ in the gallery below.

So there you go, Mr Low Wooi Kit, a sportsperson who also excels in his studies. So if anybody thinks that you cannot excel in academics and sports, think again. Think of how Wooi Kit have done it and apply the method he has shared to your own situation.

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