Philippines is yet another example of plenty more heartbreaking, life threatening, multi-million losses disasters resulting from mother nature’s bad behaviour.  There is no guarantee that mother nature will stop behaving badly anytime soon!

The Philippines’ aftermath leaves another devastating awakening. Not only for the immediate victims, but also to the rest of the earth’s population. It’s strickenly true that many lives have been taken away ruthlessly by this monstrosity, but let’s not forget the rescued living. These victims need urgent aid.

The Lingua Franca Foundation is sensitive towards human suffering and would like to help ease the pain even for a little while. However, without the support and compassion from others, the Foundation’s fundamentals are not strong enough to stand alone. Therefore, Lingua Franca Foundation (founded Kids4Kids Club) reaches out to those with a heart of gold to help them help those affected by the disaster.

Once again, the Foundation is proud to annouce that AirAsia Cargo is sponsoring this project to help ship the donation directly to the Philippino victims.

The Foundation is also proud to announce that  two local schools – De Drossaert and De Blinker – which are located in Geleen, the Netherlands have agreed to participate and collect all sorts of donation on behalf of the Foundation. The collection of the donation is station-based at both schools.

The Foundation welcomes all types of donation from cash to clothing, kitchen appliances to tables and chairs. As long as they’re still in good condition and usable, the Foundation is honoured to receive such generosity.

For those who prefer to donate money, please feel free to click here. Those who wish to donate things directly, please contact the Foundation via email. The donations should be brought directly to the Foundation which is stationed in Geleen.

Inspiration

`Who am I to be blind… pretending not to see their needs…´

`If you want to make the world a better place… take a look at yourself and then make a change.´

Bless his soul for having such a caring heart! Bless his heart for having such a sensitive spot! It’s not usually common to find a little person such as himself – carrying that sort of personality and charisma at that tender age. My son has something most adults are lacking of in this modern world. My son has empathy.

I have a strong admiration for such charisma and powerfully drawn to his compassion and kindness toward others. Looking through a child’s lense make me realise how they don’t differ much from us adults apart from our mindset. They might be smaller in size but their capability to feel and love are no different from any of us. It’s miraculously flabbergasting to see how a child thinks even beyond our limited boundaries – pass the wall of segregation and hate, pass the painted coloured skins, pass the diversity in languages. I am, in fact, infatuated by his sense of innocence – wanting to ‘fix’ things if he is given the opportunity – even by means of heavy duty work after a few brainstorming.

I want it done

His passion and dedication drive him to want to give and keep on giving. Knowing how the world is not as perfect as most people portray them to be, his mind has a plan of its own. For him, no is simply not the answer, nor maybe. ‘I want it, and I want it done’ is usually his motto whenever determination kicks in. Stubborn as he is impatient, he longs for speedy results – which his lack of sense of the true picture of reality – being the child as he is, tends to frustrates him sometimes. Having to reassure the little one that sometimes good things come to those who wait and hard work does pay off at the end, seems not to be penetrating much through his skull. He doesn’t want to understand that not everybody feels and thinks the way he does. Such petit personage full of perseverance, he urges and urges if I can lean a hand. Not wanting to disappoint the little fellow, I just follow his instinct instead.

Such powerful drive pushes him to start his first collection of donations to the orphans. I have been participating – by carrying all shipment back to Malaysia on my own – twice (once with my husband!) last year. Our partner Hotel Abadi, Melaka has kindly enough volunteered to distribute this handful of collections to the needy.

Keep on going

This year is a different story. Since this is an on-going project, the little one – with the help of his older sister – keeps piling more stuff.. more toys, more clothing, more enthusiasm..! He wants to send more.. and more to the orphans. “I want them to have what I have, mom…” It’s disgraceful to see how an innocent child is able to open his heart endlessly to share to other children whom he has never seen in his life across the globe, whilst grown ups such as ourselves refuse to even share a half piece of bread with a starving neighbour next door…

Accumulating more than 110kg in the garage and up in the attic, I feel I am rather stuck in the gut – how on earth will I ever bring them all to Malaysia? Having the same determination and enthusiasm as my son, I keep on looking for sponsorships. Somehow along the dotted line, my best friend Norashikin Afifuddin (also the owner of Hotel Abadi Melaka) connects me to a circle of people who, at the end, produce an enormous pleasing result!!

A miracle….

With great honour, I am so pleased to announce that AirAsia Cargo has spread its wings and heart to sponsoring the shipment back to Malaysia this year!! However, their generosity goes beyond that. Not only they are sponsoring the shipment to be sent directly to Malaysia, they also arrange transportation for the donations to be picked up personally from our doorsteps to Schiphol airport for screening and re-packing. All this free of charge!

I am still overwhelmed by their prompt reply! Amazing how amaranthine determination can bring you a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

The shipment of donation will be in Malaysia in time for Eidul Fitr 2011

THANK YOU kind individuals who participated in this Project. Without you, this project will not be a success!!!

Jan 2010 : The Lingua Franca Foundation is proud to present a special club….

by the children for the children

Founder : Zacharia                             co-Founder: Maryam

“we want to make the world a better place for little people like us.” 

This one’s for the children

Maybe you noticed it already : we love XMind !

Why is that ?  Well, there are lots of reasons :

• easy to learn
• ergonomics : all functions are at your fingertips in a very handy dashboard that you discover in a glimpse
• countless graphic functions like : colours, branches shapes and thickness, images, etc.
• different formats : Mindmaps, Fishbones, Spreadsheets…
• easy integration of links, notes, icones, images…
• focus on one topic or a group of topics
• spell checker
• filters and legends
• etc.

All this for free !

If you don’t have it yet, you can download your XMind 3.2.1 from  the links in this article.  See below). (Click  on the mindmap to see it on XMind.net).

But do you know you could do much more ?

If you buy XMind Pro, you can also use :

• brainstorming and presentation modules
• encryption for the protection of your data
• private maps accessible only to you and collaborators you selected
• Gantt Charts for an optimal project management
• unlimited export to PDF, Word, PowerPoint
• mapshot : take a snapshot of a map or a part of it and export it as an image in another document
• merge : merge several maps from you or your collaborators
• gallery : easily integrate  professional quality  images
• tasks info : visualize in a glimpse who is responsible for a task, when it starts or is over, etc.
• design your own themes : you can use them as default colours, shapes, lines, etc.  for all your documents…

The Chistmas promotion is over (Guess why !)

but you can still buy Your Mindmapping software Here !

Click on the PayPal button here below :

As soon as we get your payment, we send you an activation code and you can instantly use your new software professional features.

Don’t you have your own XMind software, yet ?

Download it for free, here !  Choose your Operating System :

For Windows : click here !

For Mac OS : click here !

For Ubuntu or Debian : click here !

For Ubuntu or Debian 64 : click here !

For portable version (all OS on your USB key) : click here !

This tailored language course focuses more on the trainees’ Achille’s heel. As a trainer, I have constructed a special test to determine the trainees’ level of language comprehension. After the assessment, the trainees are then being drilled intensively according to their level of understanding and capacity to learn- taking into account their personal ability, character, background and culture. Each learning scheme is uniquely design to fit the dress of the wearer.

After two consecutive months of intensive training with two different trainees, I honestly discovered that all roads lead to Rome. It is not at the end of the road yet, nevertheless, so far as I can tell, it has been a very fruitful journey for both the trainees and the trainer. 

Today, we offer you a free and very handy downloadable tool !

This is the self-evaluation grid that experts designed for the European Common Frame of Reference for Languages.  It allows you to self-evaluate your skill levels in any language.

So, before you subscribe for a language course or move to any European country, you can read the different items related to the level of understanding, speaking and writing skills.

This tool can also help you to fill in your CV correctly!  Yes, more often than not, I read what’s written on very brilliant and interesting CV’s :

• English : mother language,
• Italian : school level,
• Spanish : good.

All this doesn’t mean anything for your future boss !  So, instead of these generalities, fill in your CV with clear statements like :

• Italian : I can understand the main points of a clear standard speech, I can write standard business letters, and I can take an active part in familar professional context.

Doesn’t it sound more professional ?

You can read, dowload, share, print and embed the following document.  For a more comfortable reading, click on fullscreen and then adjust the zoom by clicking on the magnifying glass below, on the left.

These are some of the questions  Katie Read, currently studying in Belgium, is offering you in this very interesting article on the Expatica Website.  She also considers how to open a bank account, how to get help from the European institutions or reductions on public transports, how to find the best place for fun and entertainment…  And some information about students working possibilities too.

Don't expect the Belgian trainstations to be as cosy as that...

We also strongly recommend you to visit the European Commission Website “Welcome to study in Europe“ to get more formal information about the stay and the living standard in any EU Member State.

Some Job Ads this Morning ?

   Monster’s name is well chosen since this website is the world # 1 for jobboards – these websites specializing in job search and on which you can leave your CV.      

The Monster Virtual Job Fair allows you, from your armchair, to :    

• visit virtual stands
• find out detail information about the participating companies and the jobs they offer
• to chat with employers and professional recruiters
• to let your CV on the “stand” of an interesting company
• to apply online for an attracting new job

   All of this will be free, from the 27th to the 29th of September 2010 !     

   Click here and you’ll be able to not only visit the fair, but to subscribe as well to this event !     

Marco Bertolini proposes you a new workshop in the Hub Brussels : Mind Mapping Basics for Students.  This is all about how to improve your study skills by using the mind mapping techniques and an opensource mind mapping software : XMind.  Summarize books and documents, take better notes, give a better structure to your assessments, improve your memory, prepare oral and written examinations, and much more.

First, we’ll learn the basic principles of mind mapping :

- radiant and associative thinking

- hierarchy and structure

- keywords and pictures

- branches and space structure

MM workshop program

Then, you’ll design your first mind map on paper :

- about you and… No, we don’t want to tell to much now ! -We’ll explore together some ways to structure your documents, to take efficient notes, to analyze and organize your courses, to prepare your exams…    

We’ll use XMind

Which is a opensource mind mapping software that you can use during and after the workshop. Let’s discover how to organize things and events with the time and tasks features of this amazing sofware !

Bring along your laptop and we will give you the program for free !

Looking forward to learn together,

Marco Bertolini.

(Marco Bertolini has been working as a trainer and human resources consultant for more than 20 years.  Now,co-founder of the Lingua Franca Foundation, he dedicates his time and passion to innovative training methods such as mind mapping, visual thinking, framegames, etc.  He applies these awesome techniques to job search, business set up and learning efficiency.  He is also a member of the team which is currently translating the XMind software into French).

Practical information

On Saturday 25th September 2010 at from 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM

At the Hub Brussels – rue du Prince Royal 37

1050 Brussels – See Google Maps

Buy your Ticket here

More info on info@linguafrancaacademy.org

Discover also our conference on this subject !

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/our-new-workshop-mind-mapping-basics-for-students/feed/ 2 marcobertolini MM Workshop http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/improve-your-study-skills-with-mind-mapping/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/improve-your-study-skills-with-mind-mapping/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:10:57 +0000 Marco Bertolini http://linguafrancafoundation.org/?p=1594 Continue reading →]]> How can mind mapping help you to succeed with your studies ?  What advantage can visual thinking tools give you ?

These are the themes we will explore through a conference and a workshop at the Hub Brussels in September.

Firstly, let’s focus on the conference.

People usually say that we use 10 % of our brain capacities.  That is totally untrue.  The brain is an awesome organic machine that brings to work millions of neurones at the same time.  But we use it in different ways according to our genre, our age, our culture.

And we can use it in better ways !

Our brain is composed of two hemispheres but our education and our school training favors only one of them : the left brain.  Which is the rational, sequential and logical part of our brain.  But there is another part, the right one, which is more intuitive, associative and which grasps everything in one go.  The picture here below perfectly illustrates that partition of our brains.

Most of the time, men use their left brain, while women tend to use both hemispheres at the same time.  Mind mapping reconciles us with a more holistic use of our grey matter : with its very logical and hierarchical structure, its stimulates the left brain, while the use of keywords, pictures and colours tickles our right brain and enhances our creativity skills.

Mind mapping, with its radiant and associative thinking also helps you to memorize better, which for students is a real gift : with the support of mind mapping, visual and lateral thinking techniques, you will learn faster and remember for a longer time.  Isn’t that good news ?

During this conference, we will :

• discover together the principles of mind mapping
• find out why it works
• how students can best use it for :
  • taking efficient notes  
  • structuring documents,
  • memorizing courses
  • preparing exams

• see what you can get from mind mapping softwares
• And much more !

Practical informations

Buy your ticket here

More info on info@linguafrancaacademy.org

Discover our Workshop too !