[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Little did they know that people who can do well in examinations may not have high IQ and that people with high IQ may not be able to do well in examinations.

To me, this seems to imply one thing, that the standard of the SPM examinations I sat for in 2005 was supposedly lower than that for this year. Therefore, because we are not well armed with the knowledge required before going to universities, we have to either sit for the A Levels examination (if you plan on going to private universities), the Matriculation, Foundation studies, AusMAT, Canadian Pre-U, or the infamous Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia.

However, looks like that wouldn't be necessary anymore for SPM students now. Starting November this year, students who have sat for the SPM examinations can now apply for university entry. Although they did not state specifically whether these students would be first taken into the university to do any foundation studies or just absorbed immediately as undergraduates, as far as I am concerned, there are no universities that are offering foundation studies yet. If there are, I wonder why didn't the ministry tell us so, instead of us having to do STPM examinations. Logical, isn't it? Correct me if I am wrong.

Most of us have already gone through the SPM process, and upon doing our Pre-University studies, we would have found how much lacking our knowledge is so much so that we know the reason why we were not allowed to directly apply into universities as undergraduates. The issue now is: Since we know that the SPM syllabus is simply insufficient for students to directly apply for undergraduate studies in public universities, based on what grounds does the ministry now permit SPM students this year to apply for public universities purely based on their SPM results?

Are they going to, once again, say that selection of students from the SPM level into universities will be based on the results they obtain, and that only the creme de la creme would be chosen. It certainly shortens time a lot for students, having to skip the two years in STPM, but this is like a repetition of the PTS case. Back in those days when PTS examinations were still around, we saw some of our friends skipping Standard 4 into Standard 5 because they supposedly have higher IQ compared to us, and therefore could cope even without having to go through Standard 4.

That's true to some extent. Little did they know that people who can do well in examinations may not have high IQ and that people with high IQ may not be able to do well in examinations. Perhaps they had not heard of savants back then. Hey, no offense to those who have succeeded in the PTS examination, but my point is just that a great number of those who skipped Standard 4 have also flopped in their examinations later on. Many who were regarded as potential genius in Standard 3 could not secure a straight A1 streak in their SPM examinations. Nevertheless, I must also add that getting straight A1's in the SPM examinations does not even necessarily reflect our intelligence nowadays.

So, now we have a similar situation where students who could score excellent results in the SPM examination would stand a chance to further their studies immediately in public universities. It saves money for parents to bring their children to pursue their tertiary education as public universities are far cheaper, and it saves time because they would not need to undergo STPM studies.

However, is that a good move? Many students who have gone through Matriculation and STPM studies eventually flop while pursuing tertiary education, too. Is it not too big a risk for SPM students to pursue undergraduate studies immediately? If they want to pursue any course in biology (medicine, genetics, biochemistry), what would they know about taxonomy (from kingdom to species), detailed anatomy and so on? If they want to pursue any course in physics (engineering, automotive), what would they know about statics, mechanics, kinematics, etc.? If they want to pursue any course in information technology (computer science, business), what do they know about programming, network analysis, problem solving, etc.? If they want to deal with language, what do they know about didactics, semantics, etc.? Virtually nothing.

Being Malaysians in a competitive era, we seem to favour short-cuts. We want to be over with studying. We want to venture into the working world as soon as possible. We want to start earning our first big bucks. STPM examinations seem to be for losers only. It is that kind of mentality that sometimes poison and eventually kill our minds, giving us the unnecessary distress that we could have avoided simply by being more patient.

Have I regretted doing my Foundation studies in UTP? Certainly not. I was offered the ASEAN Pre-U Scholarship too but I rejected it, knowing somehow that I would get the better offer from Petronas. But if Petronas had not offered me the sponsorship and I had rejected the ASEAN Scholarship offer from Singapore; and also assuming that I had applied for other scholarships but failed to secure one, would I go for STPM? Yes, and without any resentment. I wouldn't even consider doing A Level studies on my own. That's flat.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

We need to look back at why we need MPs for. Are they there in Parliament to discuss such irrelevant and sensitive issues? Have the MPs no sense for moderation of speech? While they are in need of wisdom, where has it gone?

If you answer yes to any of the questions above, then you do not belong to this country. Obviously, this country is not suitable for you, because you cannot even respect the traditions, culture and the theology of the various religions in the world. Also, you would believe that your own religion is the only correct religion in the world. People who think like this are the ones who will bring about social turmoil and unrest.

So, what has all this got to do with our Members of Parliament (MP)? Well, personally, I have nothing against them. It's just that sometimes it is indeed appalling to see how some of our representatives could not suppress their tongues from making foolish, baseless statements. It makes you think, "Have we chosen a wrong MP?"

On the 29th of October 2007, the Dewan Rakyat had its usual parliamentary meeting which started around 10.00 or 11.00 a.m. and ended at about half past eight at night. I managed to get a copy of the hansard which can be downloaded from www.parlimen.gov.my. I read most of the content (it was 147 pages long) and this one particular page got me interested. The following picture is a facsimile of one of the pages of the hansard:

Referring to the extract of the hansard above, you will see that there is this MP for Parit Sulong making an interesting statement. For those who do not know Malay, I shall tell you the gist of the extract. The MP for Parit Sulong made the following claims or allegations:

1. Missionary schools such as Convent, La Salle and Methodist schools have Board of Governors that are partially administered by the Vatican City.
2. The permission of the Board of Governors, in which part of it is controlled by the church, must be obtained first before a surau is permitted to be built within the premise of the school.
3. Muslim parents who send their children to missionary schools complain because school sessions begin with the singing of church hymns (or church songs).
4. Religious symbols are seen within the compound of the school and the MP for Parit Sulong feels disappointed to see the statue of the Virgin Mary right in front of the school should he be visiting, say, a Convent school.

The MP for Parit Sulong was then interrupted by the MP for Sri Gading, who stood up and said that a father informed the former that such missionary schools did not close during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. He then sat down, in which the MP for Parit Sulong continued to make the following statements:

1. Not only are statues seen within the premise of the school, but crosses are often found as well. What the MP for Parit Sulong could not comprehend was whether the Education Ministry officials failed to see them or is it that allowing such statues or crosses displayed is within the base of the Constitution.
2. Seeing it as his responsibility to himself, his religion, his race as well as his country, he proposed that the statues be demolished, the crosses destroyed and the church influence be stopped.

So much for his "factual" speech. Let me now correct all the above statements that the MP for Parit Sulong made and state them as facts:

1. The missionary schools do have a Board of Governors, but they are NEVER governed by the Vatican City. Why would the Vatican City be interested with schools that are built here in Malaysia? Would it bring any economic growth to the Vatican City? For all you know, it will be a headache to them. So why, would they bother?
2. No missionary school is unequipped with the surau. Permission to build a surau need not be obtained from the Board of Governors. It is just that perhaps relocating the surau from one section of the school to another section may not be approved so easily due to the lack of floor space available in the school. Face the fact, not all schools have plenty of space to waste. No school in Malaysia has a prayer room for non-Muslims AND non-Christians. So if you have one within the school premise, be contented about it and shut up (unless there are other reasons that would expedite immediate relocating of the prayer room). If you don't, then request for one.
3. Never in my eleven years of study life in St. Michael's Institution (a La Sallian school) had I sung any church hymns or church songs. Complaints stating that church hymns are sung are simply a complete farce. If the singing of hymns did take place, why is it that the mass media never covered such stories, and that the Education Ministry never reported such cases? Also, why is it that other missionary schools never receive any directives regarding that matter? We would have been informed about it, would we not? By the way, while having our weekly prayers during assembly, we have a Muslim prayer followed by a non-Muslim prayer. See for yourselves how such schools actually respect and care for every religion and culture. The least you could do is show some respect to these schools and not just blurt out any baseless arguments in the Parliament.
4. Not all symbols or statues are religious ones. The Paterfamilias statue standing at the foyer of St. Michael's Institution is not for a religious purpose. It represents a teacher imparting knowledge to a student. It also represents the commitment and the dedication that academicians in SMI would portray. Even if some of the structures, such as the cross, are religious symbols, does it kill you to look at them even if you are not a Christian? Also, why is it that you cannot enjoy and appreciate the diversity of culture and tradition that we have in architecture? Such structures are rare and some of them have even been sanctioned by the state governments as valuable historical sites. What the MP for Parit Sulong proposed was to eliminate such history! This is atrocity at its worst!
5. The Education Ministry has nothing against the cross and the statues displayed in the compound of missionary schools. They have the wisdom in knowing that such tradition and display is rare and bear a meaningful beginning or legacy of the school. Thus, they should be left alone. If the Education Ministry does not even have anything against those structures, why should the MP for Parit Sulong even bother in the first place?
6. His proposing to have the statues demolished and crosses destroyed is outrageous. Assume that a school is built with all the Islamic features available in a non-Islamic country. Now, here is then an MP who proposes that the dome be removed and replaced by a flat roof and the crescent moon be replaced by the symbol of a lion. I wonder how will the MP for Parit Sulong feel? If he is angered, what about the Christians who have now heard of his proposal to have the crosses and statues removed?

Ladies and gentlemen, did you know that many of our politicians, royalty and great personalities hailed from such missionary schools? I will name some: YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia), His Highness Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah (the Raja Muda of Perak), YAB Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik (Minister for Energy, Water and Communications), YAB Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (former MP), Mr. Koo Kien Keat (Badminton champion), Mr. Ralph Marshall (CEO of Astro), Ahmad Farid Ridzuan (CEO of TV3) and many more! Why is it that the MP for Parit Sulong never bothered to inquire from the people available in the politicians sphere in which many came from missionary schools as well?

We need to look back at why we need MPs for. Are they there in Parliament to discuss such irrelevant and sensitive issues? Have the MPs no sense for moderation of speech? While they are in need of wisdom, where has it gone?

Members of Parliament have been chosen and elected by the people to represent them for various constituencies. They are there to see that our welfare and the economic needs are met. They are to report to the government whatever dissatisfaction that have occurred. The MPs are also responsible to help resolve certain dilemmas that are happening in their constituencies. We don't need MPs who can talk a lot of nonsense, we need MPs who can speak up for the people's rights and walk the talk!

The fact that they have been elected by the people as their representatives mean that the people put a certain amount of trust in them to lead them. However, from what we can see from the hansard, it's clearly a misuse of trust. We have elected MPs who go to the Parliament to invoke racial and religious sentiments and are so desensitised to the fact that people are hurt by such remarks. Do we need such people in the Dewan Rakyat? Clearly, ladies and gentlemen, we should vote them OFF from the Parliament. Why should we have such people wasting everybody's time with absurd, baseless, appalling remarks? It's time we get to see a show of maturity within the august House.

Our MPs really need to think first before they say anything in the august House. If they have nothing to say, it is far better that they just don't attempt to find a convenient (yet offensive) topic to speak about and just shut up. Nobody is going to penalise them for just keeping their tongue still. It is far better to keep quiet, rather than to let the tongue damage one's reputation. Better be led by wisdom rather than be led by the heart.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, my most important advice is THINK!

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Their standard of English is a shame in itself.

It is indeed discouraging to know that while we pride ourselves in being a multi-linguistic society, meaning that one is able to converse in at least two languages (Bahasa Melayu and English) or more, our mastery in languages is somewhat poorer than anticipated. We see that people, in general, are able to write well, but they are not able to speak just as well as they could write.

My main focus here is on English, and although we take English as Second Language in our country, still its emphasis as a medium of instruction in schools and universities is great enough for an enormous amount of attention.

It is simply appalling to see students, especially university students (including those in my campus) who are expected to have a good proficiency in English, to be making mistakes that are now considered unforgivable in terms of language. To make the most fundamental errors in grammar such as the subject-verb agreement "is" and "are", tenses and so on are simply an atrocity in itself. Our teachers have taught us English since kindergarten or primary school, and to see the fact that throughout their eleven years or so of education and yet their English is as if they have not even gone for the first lesson in English is simply unthinkable. Is English such a difficult language to learn? If people of other nationalities can master English, why can we not do that as well?

What discontented me very much is the fact that during presentations, people often stumble themselves groping for words in their vocabulary, and while doing so selecting words that are not suitable in terms of meaning and perhaps even grammar. Also, it is disheartening to see that students, especially university students, making the simplest of pronunciation errors and though they know that their pronunciation is wrong, they never made the slightest effort in correcting themselves. How would you pronounce "determine" and "lethal"? I tell you the truth, out of 10 students who are tested, I can say that at least six of them will get either one of the words wrongly pronounced, with the word "determine" being mispronounced the most.

Come on, people! A lot of us are university students now, and we are required to make a lot of presentations. One way to impress your audience is the proficiency of English that you possess. If initially we say that while presenting it does not even matter if your English is broken, that is because we believe that in the early stages of presentation, you might be nervous and this can cause some difficulty in structuring your sentences. However, by now, since our medium of instruction is only English, our proficiency should reflect those suited for at least a Band 5 or Band 6 standard of English, according to MUET grading, more so as we have had English lessons all this while for the past twelve or thirteen years of formal education!

As if the poor proficiency in English among students is not enough, even lecturers themselves have such a poor level of English, and I am not just referring to lecturers in public universities, but also private universities such as Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP). UTP has always prided itself in having the best amenities and facilities for students and staff; it is indeed undeniable, but the standard of English that a lot of students and lecturers possess here is simply a mockery of themselves. Quite a number of my lecturers make lots of grammatical and pronunciation errors. Some say, "How do I say you?" when he or she really meant "How do I put it for you?" or "How do I explain it to you?" As a lecturer, it is expected that they are able to converse in English almost flawlessly. Needless to say, quite a great number of our local lecturers themselves urgently need English proficiency classes. They may refuse to take it due to reputation reasons, but if I were the chancellor of my university, I do not care tuppence about their reputation! To have lecturers and administrators whose English is poor would ruin the general reputation of the university as a whole. It is far better to send these lecturers for English training courses, degrade their images for a moment and then send them back to work with a new and better impression formed.

A good proficiency in English is vital especially to academicians who need to impart knowledge to students. Lecturers with poor proficiency in English may be prone to giving wrong information unintentionally due to the wrong words used, or the misinterpretation that may be caused. As such, lecturers, who definitely have much more exposure in terms of linguistic development, should and must have a good level of English. They must be able to speak and present like a Band 6 or Band 7 MUET candidate. The requirement seems very high, but extremely necessary.

I am tired and fed-up of being appalled by the standard of English portrayed by so many students and lecturers in my campus. Even the authorities themselves make silly spelling and grammatical mistakes while issuing bulletins, notices or announcements.

I am indeed sad to say that while the English teachers have put in their hearts and souls in the teaching of English to students, little do they realise how much they have failed miserably in ensuring that our standard of English is on par with many other countries around the world. The Ministry of Education on the other hand should raise the standard of English in terms of grading and marking for papers, as well as setting a stringent assessment scheme. It is definitely necessary to lower down the number of A's for English in PMR and SPM examinations. The A that they obtain in their public examinations simply does not reflect the standard of English that they possess. Their standard of English is a shame in itself.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

University life has never been this hectic this semester. Last semester while I felt like I was idling around too much and therefore must kill time with more activities this year, I find myself suddenly rained upon by assignment after assignment, and competitions after competitions (in which I am always in the committee). It is really ironic as this semester I have been really active in quite a number of activities. However, I feel much fulfilled as there isn't really a time when I would spend just idling around. Then, whenever the weekend arrives, I would really appreciate it to have a good weekend's worth of rest.

While last semester has been quite a struggle for me, this semester (or the next half of the year) has been indeed fruitful, though stressful.

Anyway, perhaps I shall tell you what I had just done not long ago. Jared and I had just completed our part of the Health, Safety and Environment project whereby we put up a public speaking presentation at the Amphitheatre of our university. The memorable part for me was that we had to speak in front of the audience without a microphone; it really felt as if I was speaking in the amphitheatre back in the ancient Greek. I actually hoped that there would not be a microphone. So, although I was quite delighted that my hope came true, I was quite certain that many were displeased.

Jared and I, as well as another three more teammates delivered on the topic of safety legislation to promote a safe and healthy workplace environment. Despite the fact that we prepared for exactly one week, it was quite a good result that we produced overall. We spoke on why and how did safety legislation come about, the roles and functions of the legislation, the benefits of having legislation, the effects of NOT having legislation, the responsibilities of parties involved in a workplace as well as the organisations that exist to promote a safe and healthy workplace environment.

Although it was not our first time making presentations to an audience, it was certainly a wonderful experience to be speaking at the amphitheatre where audience from wherever they were going seem to always take an interest in what was happening at the amphitheatre, and more often than not they would stay for a while to listen, sitting on the terraced sitting areas made of cement, stones and gravel.

Joe was there, too, but just merely taking photographs. Joe, I and another friend of mine who were part of the public speaking team actually had a class at 2.30 p.m. (but the presentation was also at 2.30 pm!). Joe was not involved in the public speaking but decided that he would stay to watch; he is actually involved in the Health, Safety and Environment Board Game project which he will present on the 24th of October. However, he stayed until 2.45 and when he realised the time he decided to forego the class himself. I had actually asked permission to go late for class. However, at about 3.00 p.m. another coursemate of mine appeared at the Amphitheatre and upon asking him why he was there, he said the class was cancelled after the students waited for twenty minutes, because the lecturer said that he suddenly had a function to attend to. At that moment, I simply shouted "YES! I NEEDN'T WORRY ABOUT MISSING SOLID MECHANICS!" Trust me, Principles of Solid Mechanics is a killer subject for Civil Engineering students.

Overall, things have happened in such a way it is unexpected. To some, it might just be co-incidental but to me I believe it must have been a blessing.

Sometimes, things happen but they are not at your favour. It is just that sometimes we have to hold on and see what happens next. When desperate time comes, you may not know that a miracle is just a step away from you.

Overall, the presentation has been smooth and wonderful. I really must thank those who have taken part in this presentation group.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Just recently, the newspapers have reported that in the recent UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah or Primary Schools Assessment Test) examinations, several, or more, questions especially from the Science and English papers have been leaked out to students even before the examinations began. In fact, it was even alleged that some teachers managed to get hold of some of the questions from the real examination papers that they managed to give their students some last minute exercises based on those leaked questions. Many parents were surprised that such a thing is happening and one even reported the matter to the police.

Do understand that as the public examination papers are PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL, as such, if anyone is found circulating the questions prior to the real date of the examinations (for open examination papers) and after the examinations (closed examination papers), the accused can be sentenced by law. I do not know what the true penalty is, but I doubt if it is light.

What has our Malaysian society become now? Here we emphasise the importance of education and how it will bring us a brighter future, yet, some corrupted parties perform certain illegitimate measures just to defeat the purpose of having education. It is true that our education system has become too exam-oriented, but as examinations are part of learning, why is it that we cannot respect the way assessments are being done?

Why is it that some parties go through all sorts of illegitimate measures to, somehow or rather, assist students who have not put in sufficient effort in their studies to score during examinations? Have they not thought about whether what they have done is fair to those who have put in genuine effort in their studies? Has nobody ever thought of the consequences if this was allowed to happen every year?

As far as I am concerned, there was so few a year when no question leaks were reported. The worst part of all is that questions that leaked out are not those of higher level ones such as the SPM or STPM, but UPSR examination questions! I am made to understand (as I have already gone through the UPSR stage) that UPSR is indeed a time when primary school students, though they are required to put in effort in their studies, should not be under such intense pressure.

Education is not just about getting A's for examinations. In the end, it is knowledge that counts, as well as its application. A student who has put in sufficient effort in his or her studies may not be able to score well during the UPSR examinations but they might be more knowledgeable in some other ways, and as such may help them score far better during their secondary school examinations.

I might understand why some corrupted people might want to get the questions leaked for examinations such as SPM or STPM, but UPSR as well? Deontologically speaking, no matter for what reasons, examination questions must be kept private and confidential and must not be leaked out no matter how much temptation there is. But sad to say, the scenario in our country has somehow got worse.

For heaven's sake, this is only a primary school assessment examination, not a university entry one. Having that one A less does not mean that the student is a failure. When is it that our society will learn and comprehend that for the sake of the future generations, we must preserve our integrity? If certain groups of people just will not stop doing what they have done, they are just going to bring this country down. In the end, it is their children's future that turns bleak.

What do I think about those people who tried to get hold of examination questions, you ask? Pathetic. Period.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Nothing annoys me more than some people being so inconsiderate during classes. I have got an important question here for all of you - how many of you deliberately refuse to turn your mobile phones to silent mode during lectures?

You see, during lectures, everybody wants to pay attention to the lesson. For those who are not interested in the lesson, they can always do something else, but please do not distract other people, or cause other people to lose their concentration! Just because one is not able to catch what the lecturer is saying does not mean that you are given the liberty to cause others to stumble as well.

There are some people in my university who are either plain dumb (as in stupid) or just deliberately going against university rules and regulations, or even universal ethics.

The rule, though unwritten, is simple: During lectures, please keep your phone to silent mode or switch them OFF. However, I find, much to my annoyance, that I constantly hear mobile phones ringing away with short text messages coming in, or beeps that indicate whether the phone receives any reception or otherwise. This happened during my Health, Safety and Environment lesson. Worst of all, they put their mobile phones on the table so it was so loud and clear to me when the phones ring. Yet after the phone rings, they still had the audacity to keep their phones at the General mode rather than the Silent mode.

Such people exist in university, much to my disappointment. If we were primary and secondary school students, it might have been still acceptable for teachers or parents to tell us off that we must keep our phones off or at silent mode at all times during lessons. But with that fact planted firmly in our minds, I still find some people totally ignorant to that. Just because they have not been reminded to turn their phones to silent mode does not give them the permission to just keep them on the General mode. When phones ring, they are an interruption. With about one hundred phones in the lecture hall, can you imagine what happens if just one quarter of them ring every now and then during class?

So much for our education system! Yet the Malaysian mentality is such that we practise such egotistical values without thinking about other people. We are already approaching the country's 50th Independence Day, and yet there are people who still possess Third World mentality and refuse to change their ways for the better of society as a whole.

Do not give me excuses or reasons as to why some students cannot keep their phones to silent mode OR even switch them off. If it is so important that you keep your phone on and allows it to ring during classes, then it must be something urgent or must be some form of emergency. If it is so, then why attend the class in the first place? Quickly deal with the emergency and then only come back. Do not undermine the priorities of other students who want to focus during the class. It is very unfair to undermine other people's welfare just to protect one's.

Therefore, let us not be part of such idiots. When you are attending classes or lectures, remember to TURN YOUR MOBILE PHONES TO SILENT MODE OR SWITCH THEM OFF!

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

I have not been so out of touch from blogging before than this! Honestly, with so much things going on in campus around these few weeks, staying in front of the computer for hours is like a dream in the past. I find myself barely able to sit down for just half an hour, doing nothing but blogging away.

Just recently, my university had a special guest coming to deliver an adjunct lecture on the topic of independence of our nation and how to fulfil the vision that has been set. The guest is none other than our Chancellor himself, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. It seems that it is an obligation for the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS to deliver a lecture every year, in conjunction with the convocation ceremony of the university. It is during such lectures that students get to meet the former Malaysian Prime Minister face to face. It is also at this moment that university students get to raise up certain issues to be addressed by the former politician himself.

This week marks the seventh convocation ceremony of UTP. As usual, the university has invited various companies to set up booths and stalls at the ConvoSquare (which is actually a carpark and a football field). It is at this ConvoSquare where there will be a ConvoFair. In the ConvoFair, you get to purchase items you may like such as cameras, computers, toys (I'm not joking) and many more. Staff, students and non-staff of UTP are welcomed to see for themselves what the ConvoFair is about.

During the ConvoFair there are lots of food and even stage performances, which encompass performances by the UTP Orchestra (Chinese Musical, Classical and Jazz, etc.) and even by students themselves.

As the convocation ceremony will see the presence of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the university has made numerous preparations, namely beautifying the landscape of the campus, completing the wall that would function as the main entrance of the university and even putting up a gigantic signboard to mark the entrance of the campus. All this is done in a hurry for the convocation ceremony itself. In fact, I have seen workers working from day till night non-stop. I believe they work under shifts.

I am very much involved in the convocation, although I am not one of the graduates (duh!). I have been chosen to perform during the ConvoFair and the ConvoLunch (two separate occasions on two separate days). During the ConvoFair, I shall be conducting the Chinese Orchestra and perform six pieces, while during the ConvoLunch, I shall be performing on the piano together with five other players; we meant to have a sextet (read: sextet) during the ConvoLunch. As the pieces in ConvoFair and ConvoLunch are all different, I have to practise extra hard to master all pieces. Tough, isn't it?

I wish I could write more about the upcoming events in ConvoFair (perhaps you could even come down to UTP yourself?) which will begin from the 24th to the 27th of August 2007, but I have to go to the Multi-Purpose Hall now to collect my course confirmation slip!

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

My university prides in its efficiency in the form of technology. We have the facility to register our laboratory and tutorial sessions online (which, sadly, not many lecturers would utilise it, not even the IT lecturers, much to our chagrin!) and we also have the convenience of being able to register for our next semester subjects on the Internet, too. Therefore, you can say my university cares quite a lot about technology.

But imagine my frustration when I am forced to drop a subject that I have registered for this semester. Professional Communication Skills, or PCS, is a subject that is scheduled for me to take this semester, therefore I signed up for it in the course registration. My friends and I spent days trying to find out which lecture slot would fit our timetable and not long after setting up our timetable (in which I found my Moral Studies lecture clashing with Principles of Solid Mechanics), we read the announcement from the E-Learning that PCS is open to students who are due to go for industrial training next semester and those who have just came back from the training.

Therefore, the others have to drop the subject. No further negotiation. I sent an e-mail to my lecturer, but later on I was told he won't be back until Wednesday. So, I called up three other lecturers. All of them told me that they could accommodate 600 students for PCS but at the moment they received 1000 plus registrations, and out of that, 400 are students returning from industrial training. And to top that up, the second lecturer whom I called was condescending in tone, unfriendly and most of all, unhelpful.

It is so unfair to us students who are scheduled to take up that subject, only to be forced to have it delayed to a later semester. But how long are we to defer it? In addition to that, they are not suggesting us the other options to take in place of PCS! So now that they are having a problem of their own, they dump all the responsibilities on us innocent students, eh? And even if we do register for another subject, how sure are we that they will not clash with our current classes at all? Fine enough, we could check the module timetable, but for your information, I have a friend who currently cannot find any subject that will suit his timetable without clashing with anything. Go figure.

When asked about this matter at the Registration Unit, they seemed to be utterly blur about what is going on, and I was told that it was the unit that issued the directive to the PCS coordinator to have the first and second year students to drop PCS.

The main question is why does the university still require these students who are going for the industrial training and those returning from it to do PCS? This PCS course was made compulsory just last semester. Previously, it was offered as an elective course. Can they not exempt these group of third year students onwards from PCS?

Now, about 500 or 600 students in the first year must delay their PCS till much later. How late? And when these 500 to 600 students take PCS in their later semesters, wouldn't this cause the future first year students to have their PCS delayed as well? How long do they intend to delay, then? Conclusion: Inefficient!

And besides, what's the point of setting it in the course planner, only to find out we aren't going to follow it at all? Why must we as students be subjected to all this absurdity due to negligence of other parties? They should have known better, right?

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

DONG Jiao Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia) is unhappy with Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s remark over the medium to be used for Science and Mathematics in next year’s UPSR examinations.

Hishammuddin said recently that the ministry need not decide on the medium of instruction for the two subjects in next year’s UPSR examinations.

Sin Chew Daily reported that it was unfair to Chinese schools if the medium directly affected the teaching and studies of the pupils.

“Any policy must have a comprehensive plan that fulfils the people’s will and interest before it is implemented,” Dong Jiao Zong said.

Dong Jiao Zong also stressed that Chinese must be the medium for the Science and Mathematics examinations in next year’s UPSR.

“Either using English or both English and Chinese in the examinations is not acceptable,” it said.

Quoted from The Star Online

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the mentality towards improvement, huh? I seriously have no idea what Dong Jiao Zong is trying to prove here, but to reject even bilingual exam papers is too much. Why, is it wrong for the government to introduce the medium of English indirectly in examinations as an avenue to learning? Besides, the government isn't imposing the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English straightaway, but rather through phases.

What is so hard for students and teachers to adapt to the new medium of instruction? Given the amount of time needed for students to catch up, it is not a problem at all right? Even students who were taught Science and Mathematics in the Malay medium could get used to the switch. What would set those learning the same subjects in Chinese apart from those who learn in the Malay medium?

I think Dong Jiao Zong, in a way, is being quite narrow-minded. They look at short-term results, and always in the now. We must look ahead! So many university students now would testify how lessons are carried out in English, and how many would resent not being able to learn up their subjects in the English medium. Would that not have made their higher education learning much easier?

English, though not the most widely spoken language, is still the INTERNATIONAL LINGUA FRANCA. Face it, you still have to pick up your English well no matter how much you love your mother tongue. What is the harm learning up a new language properly? Does learning Science and Mathematics in English degrade the Chinese language as how many people have argued that it would degrade the integrity of Bahasa Malaysia? Nonsense! This is all absurd, asinine!

Dong Jiao Zong also stated that it rejects the use of English as the medium for Science and Mathematics because thorough planning must be made that fulfils the interest of the people before the teaching of the two subjects are to be done in English. Again, nonsense! Is the government so foolish as to implement something new which is not for the benefit of the people? Does Dong Jiao Zong not know how much money has been spent by the government to train teachers and on other expenditures for the implementation of English as the medium of instruction for Science and Mathematics? If it is not for the good of the people, why would the government have spent so much?

People might argue that education in Chinese will apparently make it be the international lingua franca of the future. It could be possible. But on what basis would Chinese be the international lingua franca? If it is based on the number of people speaking the language, then Chinese should have been the international language long ago. But no, English still is the language used in business, trading and even education. So, if Dong Jiao Zong wants to focus on the now, English is the now.

Personally, I find that I can accept English as the medium of instruction. If we, the people can accept it, why can't Dong Jiao Zong?

If anybody thinks on the line of Dong Jiao Zong, please, do speak forth your ideas! I want to be impressed.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Jim and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out.

When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news, she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged; since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of another patient, I have concluded that your act displays that you have a sound mind. The bad news is, Jim, the patient you saved, hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."

Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?"

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Apparently, the use of missiles which are able to pinpoint specific coordinates are able to take down only specific buildings, and in the case of Iraq War, it was the government buildings that they were targeting at. These missiles are guided by GPS and therefore possess great precision or accuracy in hitting the target.

So, advancement in technology has changed the style of modern warfare, huh? Does that mean war will only be between leaders of conflicting countries?

I still say NO! No matter how developed war technology is, to me war is never justified. In fact, there is no need for war in the first place. No matter how advanced the technology is, innocent lives are still killed. People are still living in horror. They lose everything in a glimpse. Their economy is shattered. Even if they are still alive, their ability to sustain themselves would be dead.

There is never been a need to wage war against any nation. Only bloodthirsty, greedy and merciless leaders would wage war against other nations. We already had Hitler in 1941. Do we want a Third World War?

Sadly, our leaders of the world sometimes could not be more selfish and inconsiderate. While things can be resolved diplomatically, some resort to war. And while there are people out there fighting for world peace, there are also people who "konon-kononnya" are fighting for world peace, too, but in the end cause war among themselves. So much for the fight for world peace.

What if all nations were to strip off their weaponry, and I mean, ALL OF THEIR WEAPONRY? No nuclear bombs, no missiles, no machine guns, nothing! Are we going to fight with sticks and stones then?

Albert Einstein once said, "I don't know with what weapons will World War 3 be fought with, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

Never before have I felt so disconnected from my friends whom I have not been contacting.

Thankfully, it has been a rather enjoyable trip to China. This trip to Hainan Island and Guangzhou has indeed opened up my family's eyes. Various lessons have been learnt, especially when dealing with the Chinese people. Yes, although this sounds rather racist, believe me, we Malaysian Chinese are somehow far better than the Chinese in terms of ethics, humanity and many more. I will tell you more later.

As I landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), memories begin to flood my mind. I began forming a list of names whom I would contact upon my arrival. And sure enough, I gave them either a "missed call" or a short message or even both the moment I stepped into the terminal. Never before have I felt so disconnected from my friends whom I have not been contacting. Before I went to China, I have been trying my best to keep in touch with all my friends, both from university and from my school, either via MSN Messenger or even Friendster. I felt a sudden need to contact them, and I felt the same upon my arriving at KLIA.

It is also for this reason, I suppose, that I am so eager to write this post. Although I have stated in the chatbox that I am back, it seemed so insufficient.

My travels in China were just a temporary leave from my worries and my dilemmas. Now that I'm back home, I feel the days drawing closer for me to address all my problems once and for all. Soon enough, there will be at least one heart that I have to break by pouring out the truth, and that one heart is actually so tender and so dear to me that I feel so reluctant to do so. Yet, I shudder in terror to think of how even more badly shattered that heart would be if I delay matters.

There have been people whom I have not stopped thinking about while I was in China: my parents, my friends back at home, my friends in university, my one friend in Suzhou (China) and... a crush of mine.

There is a mixture of various emotions running in me: relief, joy, anguish, concern and so on. As I sign off now at 0530 hours, there is this one thing I look forward to.

My day of breaking that one heart. Very heartless of me, I know, but it's for the happiness of the future.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

However, that is strictly not so. While Haikou is very much developed into a big city, Sanya is still lagging behind quite badly (except for a few streets with high-rise buildings). While the people in Haikou are more ethical and more well-behaved, you have to be more careful about your personal belongings if you are in Sanya (that is one of the reasons why I did not take many pictures in Sanya). While the 4-star hotels in Haikou are quite OK, 4-star hotels in Sanya are comparable to those of 2-star hotels. But one thing both have in common: the mentality of the people are still quite poor. I shall explain about it more detail when I return to Malaysia.

There isn't much to see in Sanya, and there is almost nothing special about Sanya. We joined a local tour and it was indeed a regrettable experience. In Haikou, the people are still very honest. In Sanya, in order for the people there to survive, they must resort to cunning tactics that are utterly deceitful, which is in a way a trademark of the Chinese people in China. I'll tell you about my experiences in Sanya later.

Now, what do you say to snorkelling? Yes, I have had the experience of snorkelling here in Hainan. It was indeed a wonderful experience diving underwater at the South China Sea to see all sorts of marine life, from corals to various types of fishes (clownfish, lion fish, etc.) and dangerous species such as the spiked pufferfish and sea anemone. Thankfully there was no jellyfish. Although I'd like to have a picture of me snorkelling to be taken underwater, each picture of it costs RMB35 (which is equivalent to RM17.50). That's expensive! I'd rather take pictures of me snorkelling in Australia or even Pulau Redang!

I've got so many funny stories that have good moral lessons behind them during my travel especially in Sanya and one in Haikou. As my schedule on the Internet is quite tight, I can't write them all here. With that, I shall sign out.

P/S: Brian! OK, I'll take pictures of the food in Guangzhou. Perhaps I'll even get something from Guangzhou as souvenirs for you!

P/S 2: Another eye candy from Blogger. I've changed the settings of my aunt's computer to Dutch, and this is how the Blogger Dashboard and New Post pages would look like in Dutch:

(Bragging "unintended") Did Henry ever mention that he understands some Dutch as well? Well, he can! =p

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

How has my trip been so far, you ask? Well, it's nothing short of enjoyable and breath-taking. Let me state this frankly. Haikou, or more specifically Hainan, went through rapid development for the past three years or so. Before 2004, much of Hainan is still rural. Now, skyscrapers fill the air-view. Highways wider than our Malaysian highways are everywhere. New houses are sprouting from every corner. In fact, there are more high-rise buildings in Haikou than Kuala Lumpur! Within a year or two, it can be more advanced than Kuala Lumpur! This is totally the opposite from what we initially expected.

Hainan is an island that is about 600 kilometres away from Guangzhou. Only three years ago the people here were still in poverty. But now, surprisingly very few beggars are seen on the streets. Cleanliness is comparable to that of Singapore although the people's mentality needs some changes (will talk about it next time). The people here are polite and the food is just as good as our Malaysian food! In fact, their taste is very similar to ours!

Communicating with the people here isn't a problem at all for me. I put up my apparently Beijing accent (that Joe and Melissa agreed on) and I did manage to fool some of the locals here. Some guessed I am from Beijing, some thought I am from Shanghai or Hunan. They were surprised when I told them we are from Malaysia. The people in Hainan speak Mandarin which is influenced by the Hainanese dialect accent. Nevertheless, their intonations are clear although the pronunciation may run a bit.

I wonder where Brian's (Gungrave1988) hometown is. He is a Hainanese and here I am, Brian, in Hainan! On the 21st of June, I'll be travelling from Haikou to Sanya (三亚) which is three hours away, so you can imagine how big Hainan Island is generally. On the 23rd, I shall be flying back to Guangzhou (广州) where I shall stay for another three days before flying back to KLIA on the evening of 26th. For those who don't know, Guangzhou is the FOOD HEAVEN of China. In fact, the best food can be found here in Guangzhou. The Malaysian Chinese food that you taste locally are heavily influenced by the Guangzhou taste because the great majority of Malaysian Chinese originate from the area of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton).

Well, I shall be updating you all soon about my overall trip. I shall be posting up pictures as well then. But here's an eye candy and some information for you. You see, in China, Blogger blogs are blocked from being viewed (so even though I can post this I can't view it!), but surprisingly I can log into Blogger to post this! And best of all, by default when I browse into Blogger, everything is in Mandarin! Here are some pictures of the screenshots that I took:

Fortunately I can understand all that is written in Mandarin (although I'm not Chinese educated!). Otherwise I'd have some troubles trying to post this in the first place.

That's all for now. Cheers! Remember, I can't check on how my post would turn out to be. I'd like to ask for assistance from the administrators if my post turns out wrong, as in looking strange or something like that.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]

As ungrateful as it may sound, he decided that he would want to go and his parents agreed to go together. Therefore, this began a series of troubles which Henry Yew would not want to discuss here. More can be seen elsewhere (mark that). Nevertheless, long story short, there were many shortcomings and in the end just three days ago Henry Yew and his family were in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur at Plaza OSK to have the Chinese Visas done. As everything was done in a hurry, a hefty sum of RM510 had to be paid for three visas instead of RM90.

Today itself, something happened that threatened to cancel one of the air-tickets. This drew Henry Yew into a mad fit of rage. His rage rectified the problem immediately and everything was in proper order again. Therefore, it has been set. Henry Yew will take off to Hainan on the 18th of June 2007 at 0820 hours to Guangzhou first, before transiting to Hainan at 1450 hours.

As he shall be away for nine days (in Hainan for five days, then Guangzhou for four), this is the second "take off". From the 18th of June onwards till the 26th, he shall be taking off from RANDTS temporarily. Upon his return, he promises that he shall post pictures (that will be taken using his Nokia N70 phone) of his visit in Hainan and Guangzhou.

[ Read more! ]

[ Hide post ]