#371 and they were actually serious about this..

enlarge to enjoy =)

#370 interesting..

#369 yesterday, and today...

Last year, while I was studying in secondary school, my class monitor walked in and announced to the class that matriculation application forms are available for those who want to try to apply. I said, “It’s pointless applying for it. Matriculation’s only for the bumis. We non-bumis don’t stand a single chance.”

A Sabahan girl protested in anger. She shouted at me, saying her cousin, a half-bumi also got into matriculation, and asked me to shut up. Unfortunately, she failed to see the point, because in Sabah, a half-bumi is the same as a bumi. Well, I forgave her. But I think that led to the following few events. A few days later, I was called to the PKHEM’s office, and given a lecture about racism. Yes. Me, the racist. My PKHEM gave me an hour’s long lecture, asking me about whether I was racist, whether my parents were racist, teaching me about “unity” and whatever else rubbish. Although I’ve pretty much forgotten everything she said, because it was irrelevant to me, I still remember these events clearly.

Fast forward to this year, 3 bright students that are half-bumis are denied places in university matriculation programmes. The Star Newspaper reported that “Awang Salleh said his son’s application for the matriculation programme was rejected four months ago, and that the Public Complaints Bureau of the Prime Minister’s Department had given the reason that Awang Adrian did not have a bumiputra status.” I just have one question to my former classmate now – Was I wrong?

It is sad to see that despite all that 1Malaysia talk about unity and all that jazz, the government is doing NOTHING to lead us by example. Everything is still based on race. They say we are all Malaysians, but how can we live like a Malaysian when everything is still based on race? This has quotas, that has race-based allotments, I just want to ask the government, how is all this promoting unity? Are they blind and deaf to the cries of the people regarding all these, or are they, deep down inside, still holding on to racism?

Natalie Shobana Ambrose brought up a very thought-provoking point in her article. In response to the recent news report about the 20,000 Malaysians staying illegally in UK, she felt it was worrying that the authorities had to present the data in a breakdown of race that it was 98% of the Chinese students that stayed on, and this was probably a (and I quote) “shame-on-you-finger-wagging-reprimand that only proved that the concept of being one and equal does not exist under the Malaysian sun...”

Equality is the only way to promote unity. Okay, maybe not the only way, but for now, it is one of the most vital things to curb dissatisfaction. As much as the government tries to promote unity, it will not work unless things start to change from the top, as the leader leads and the others follow. The sheep does not follow the wolf, it follows the shepherd.

Will it be real change, or will Najib's 1Malaysia end up as just another empty-politician-sweet-talk ploy...?

#368 melody and harmony...

All the politicians are pointing fingers at the schools, claiming that multi streaming schools is the reason for racial polarization and the cause of all this disunity. Many plans are being put into place, like the multi racial hostel, single streaming schools, unity camps... The infamous camp that resulted in deaths due to the collapse of a suspension bridge was also carried out in the name of unity.

I am a product of a Chinese vernacular school. Yet, mixing around with people from other races was never a problem. Malays, Indians, Chinese bananas (those that did not speak Mandarin), mixed bloods etc, we all become one close-knitted family. Therefore, I believe that the problem with unity does not lie in schools.
Yes, it does contribute a miniscule amount to the disharmony, but it is not the main problem. The politicians are going by the belief that “melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya” and this is gravely wrong, because this is not a case of bending bamboo, as the kids can and will grow up not indulging in racism.

So where is the cause of this whole issue? You know, the whole government should start becoming Michael Jackson fans and go, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways...” That is how we can rid ourselves of all these racial problems.

You see, by labelling the races, sparks a lot of name-calling among races. Saying to the world that we are a multi-cultural yet united country is a mere facade, as there is so much strife among the races. Now, if the race-labelling is done away with, now everyone can truly be a Malaysian. The whole concept of being a Malaysian will never work as long as we do not feel the acceptance. Calling us Chinese, yet trying to make us believe that we are Malaysians will never work. Not when there are certain benefits to the bumiputeras, and cluster schools are race-biased. Now, I’m not trying to incite bumiputera hatred towards me or anything, but all the policies that are created are just outrageously biased. That is the reason why so many people are leaving the country in search of greener pastures. The thing is, all these NEP policies and what not were created in those days for the poor, but they were mainly the bumis as the British decided to split the races up in the economy (Chinese in the city, Indians in the rubber estates, and Malays in the farms) to discourage either united opposition, or war among the races. But today, many have misused that policy. Let’s face it, everyone can see the rich getting richer from these policies, and the poor still dying out in the streets. Today, the poor are not only the Malays, but the Chinese and the Indians too. Yet, only the bumis get their discounts in purchasing and a whole lot of other perks. Where is the justice in that? All the poor deserve the country’s welfare equally. Where is the Malaysian spirit amidst all that biasness? If there were no race labelling, then equality can be carried out. And so the poor benefit, without taking into account their skin colour, and the rich do not get a chance to abuse the system. Therefore, we should take out race-labelling. To the heck with demographic data. We are here for unity, to stand calling ourselves Malaysians with pride.

Race-based parties. A few days ago, someone wrote into The Star Newspaper, citing that we should ban race-based political parties. Well, banning is not the correct idea, cause there will always be some extremist dude who thinks his race is superior, just like Hitler. But when UMNO, MCA and MIC still run politics under the flag of individual races, how then are they setting an example for our next generation? Imagine a student, sitting in the lobby of the “multi-racial hostel”, reading the newspaper as he sips down his favourite cup of milo, reads about all the racist political games that MCA(for example) is deploying, or whoever it is for that matter. He’ll probably burn down the hostel. I don’t think I need to explain why.

to be continued...

#367 sigh

i loathe people who want to have dogs, yet cannot control their dogs. 

#366 start living in harmony.

with no losers, there'd be no winners in this world. 

here's to the losers, or those that think they're losers.

Cheers!

#365 united we stand...

For some reason, NST’s website couldn’t give me the article I wanted. Oh well...

Anyway, it’s absurd. A multi-racial hostel. I think the pressures have started to take its toll on the cabinet. Since the launch of 1Malaysia, all the ideas put forth was reasonable until they decided to mess with the education system. First the PPMSI being done away with issue, now a multi-racial hostel to foster racial unity. Although this is indirectly related to education, but it involves students, so I decide to make noise.

Racial unity. It sounds exceptionally good... except the fact that it is simply unattainable. Not with the mindset of the people today. How does unity happen? Unity can be defined as the quality or state of being made one/not being multiple. But we will never achieve this. Why? It’s simply because we still see ourselves as Malays, Chinese and Indians who so happen end up living on the same soil instead of seeing each other as “MALAYSIANS”. All these years, we have not achieved unity. We have achieved the state of “putting-up with each other”, and slowly transitioning into the state of “I’m fed-up of you, and I now officially don’t like you”.

When we fail to see ourselves as Malaysians and still harp about the many different races in political speeches, moral textbooks, exam application forms, survey forms etc., we will always be racist. Let’s say I’m driving, and this Indian dude decides to swerve into my lane and pisses me off. I would go, “STUPID INDIAN”. (This is just an example) But if that no longer exists, I would have to go, “STUPID MALAYSIAN.... Wait, I fall under that category too.” Okay, I admit. This is kind of a stupid example...

There are still talks about Malay supremacy, bumiputera rights, political parties that uphold the cause of a particular race and all. All these contribute to the demise of unity. Things like cluster schools, technical schools, matriculations and scholarships that are biased towards certain races just incite more racial disharmony. 

Many have said, “There’s no point trying, you won’t get it anyway.” 
More have gone, “I refused to believe in injustice, and I tried, but I was let down.” 
Even more have gone, “What am I still doing here?”
Finally there are those that say, “Thank God I left before things got worse.”

What then do we do?

to be continued...

#364 the things they teach in school nowadays...

So genine Miss Amazing excitedly asked us...

"What do you call a monkey with bananas in its ears?"

So after much suspense, all the older fellas decided to give up. So the young little girl went, "You can call it anything you want, cause he can't hear you" with a cheeky little grin.

After much thought, I decided that was wrong. Imagine this scenario:
You are at the zoo, and you suddenly see a monkey with bananas in its ears. What do you do?

You go, "HEY CHECK OUT THAT MONKEY WITH BANANAS IN ITS EARS!!!!"

#363 this is interesting

So That Nobody Has To Go To School If They Don't Want To

by Roger Sipher 

A decline in standardized test scores is but the most recent indicator that American education is in trouble.
One reason for the crisis is that present mandatory-attendance laws force many to attend school that have no wish to be there. Such children have little desire to learn and are so antagonistic to school that neither they nor more highly motivated students receive the quality education that is the birthright of every American.
The solution to this problem is simple: Abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to attend.
This will not end public education. Contrary to conventional belief, legislators enacted compulsory-attendance laws to legalize what already existed. William Landes and Lewis Solomon, economists, found little evidence that mandatory-attendance laws increased the number of children in school. They found, too, that school systems have never effectively enforced such laws, usually because of the expense involved.
There is no contradiction between the assertion that compulsory attendance has had little effect on the number of children attending school and the argument that repeal would be a positive step toward improving education. Most parents want a high school education for their children. Unfortunately, compulsory attendance hampers the ability of public school officials to enforce legitimate educational and disciplinary policies and thereby make the education a good one.
Private schools have no such problem. They can fail or dismiss students, knowing such students can attend public school. Without compulsory attendance, public schools would be freer to oust students whose academic or personal behavior undermines the educational mission of the institution.
Has not the noble experiment of a formal education for everyone failed? While we pay homage to the homily, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," we have pretended it is not true in education.
Ask high school teachers if recalcitrant students learn anything of value. Ask teachers if these students do any homework. Quite the contrary, these students know they will be passed from grade to grade until they are old enough to quit or until, as is more likely, they receive a high school diploma. At the point when students could legally quit, most choose to remain since they know they are likely to be allowed to graduate whether they do acceptable work or not.
Abolition of archaic attendance laws would produce enormous dividends.
First, it would alert everyone that school is a serious place where one goes to learn. Schools are neither day-care centers nor indoor street corners. Young people who resist learning should stay away; indeed, an end to compulsory schooling would require them to stay away.
Second, students opposed to learning would not be able to pollute the educational atmosphere for those who want to learn. Teachers could stop policing recalcitrant students and start educating.
Third, grades would show what they are supposed to: how well a student is learning. Parents could again read report cards and know if their children were making progress.
Fourth, public esteem for schools would increase. People would stop regarding them as way stations for adolescents and start thinking of them as institutions for educating America's youth.
Fifth, elementary schools would change because students would find out early they had better learn something or risk flunking out later. Elementary teachers would no longer have to pass their failures on to junior high and high school.
Sixth, the cost of enforcing compulsory education would be eliminated. Despite enforcement efforts, nearly 15 percent of the school-age children in our largest cities are almost permanently absent from school.
Communities could use these savings to support institutions to deal with young people not in school. If, in the long run, these institutions prove more costly, at least we would not confuse their mission with that of schools.
Schools should be for education. At present, they are only tangentially so. They have attempted to serve an all-encompassing social function, trying to be all things to all people. In the process they have failed miserably at what they were originally formed to accomplish.

#362 classic!

#361 this is too flattering..

#360 it's interesting how it turns out...

Steps to making a fake story seem real.

1. Think of a believable, yet not out-of-this-world storyline.
2. Think of a random place which is popular enough to be known, yet unknown enough to fool people.
3. Do not name any of your characters, unless you have a good reason to.
4. Start or end the story with "Based on a true story"

Ta-da. You'll have people wow-ing at your stuff in no time.

Anyway, I was reading some blog post and it just reminded me of my old school days, how I used to complain about our education system and all. Indeed, most of us were never students, we were memorizers. 

"Hi, are you a student of this school?" "Nay, i am but a memorizer."

I don't fall under that category, cause those that know me know I don't touch my books and those that read my exam paper with great detail would know most of the stuff are made up on the spot instead of vomitting "textbook overflows" on to the paper. But I speak up for the others who actually value the exam slip results. They burn midnight oil to stuff everything in their head, collect eyebags that have enough capacity to go for a year long vacation, suffer stress and depression, all for the sake of a stupid paper.

I have come to realize, I actually like studying, but I despise exams. Why? I do not believe in the power of exams to grade a student. Formalized education system has nurtured as many talents as they have killed. One born to be a musician would give up his passion, for an extra few shillings to put food on the table. It's a horrible system that the world is having, where the rich warm their butts and the poor die by the millisecond. *now i'm too lazy to elaborate here*

Okay, let's move on to things I hate most about an exam paper in Malaysia. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. It's this one particular question.

Pada pandangan anda, apakah...?

In English, it simply means - "In your opinion, what...?" I don't exactly hate these type of questions, I just hate how it's marked. Technically, these questions are so-called "bonus marks" because logically, you can't get your own opinion wrong. This is a bad question. The way it's marked, the question should go, "In your opinion, what is the teacher/examiner's opinion of....?"

Yes, it's cliche to say that Malaysian students memorizers know nothing outside the textbook, and are ill-equipped to face situations that are foreign (out of the textbook). Thinking skills are no longer valued. If it's not in the textbook, it's not worthy to be valued. Thus, thinking caps have been thrown out the door to make way for the "memorizing caps". It's sad. People know about this problem, but somehow no one does anything about it. Or maybe the word hasn't reached the people in charge. 

Actually, I have not given this post much thought. Maybe when I'm in a more critical mood, I'll say something more. So for now, I'll just leave it hanging like this...

#359 oh, look how he's grown.

Dalvin fifteen years ago...

And him today...

#358 and there she goes....

another one gone. =/ jie, you better miss me!

#357 the root of it all

What they've failed to realize is that the root of the problem is not that students can’t pick up Science and Mathematics in English well enough, but it is the teacher’s incapability of teaching the subjects in English well enough. Yes, there are good teachers out there, hardworking teachers who have done their best to educate the students, improve themselves with the teaching techniques in English, but half of the teachers out there can barely speak English properly, and there are those that resort to teaching in Malay. How are students supposed to learn that way?

Statistics are extremely deceiving. I quote Syed Akbar Ali:

"The main reason quoted by Tan Sri Muhyuddin to favour the switch to Malay was that the rural Malay kids were doing poorly in Maths and Science (which are taught in English) compared to the urban kids. But what about exam scores for the rural kids in all other subjects which are taught in the Malay language? Dr Mahathir said no one showed him the statistics for that. Why? 

If you say that English is the reason why the rural kids are doing so poorly in Maths and Science, then by your logic the rural kids should be scoring the same as or better than the urban kids in other subjects that are taught in Malay? By your logic rural kids should be doing better than the urban kids in Sejarah, Geografi, Kemahiran Hidup, Bahasa Malaysia and other Malay language subjects. 

But we know that rural kids generally score lower than urban kids in most subjects (except maybe Agama). And language has got nothing to do with it. Rural kids are usually found in lower income households, their parents are usually less educated, they have less achievement goals and so forth. That is why you call them ‘children from rural areas’. They are poor people and they are underachievers. 

So this comparison with rural kids and urban kids is not fully accurate (Tun Dr Mahathir used another word which I need not repeat here). "

Changing Science and Mathematics back into Malay doesn’t help the rural students at all, but it puts the urban students on crutches.

Yes. Language is our identity. But sometimes, sacrifices need to be made, for the betterment of everyone. Those who refuse to adapt to the new era will fade away, lost in the pages of history.