Jalan-jalan di Mctyiere International Hall

Sebab malam ni gua dah abes kena gulai kawah ngan exam Vibration, homework pon dah takde (buat2 takde actually), and bak kata sophomores yang seronok pangkah gua takde life, gua decide nak tulis entry pasal Mctyiere plak.

Utk orang2 Malaysia, Mctyiere tu bukanlah satu spesis biawak yg rare or sejenis kuda yg bisa main snuker, tapi dia ni sebuah dorm. Dorm Mctyiere ni was built especially utk orang yang nak belajar bahasa2 asing, ie: 2nd language ke, 3rd language ke, lantak korang lah. As for me, since sophomore, aku start kenal Mctyiere sbb minat ngan Jepun, and berminat nk belajar Japanese. Nak belajar masa skolah menengah tak logik la, sbb aku skolah harian, pengetua punya English pon terketar2, Japanese mmg tak nampak wajah la. Since then, somehow, gua rasa Mctyiere ni dorm paling awesome utk stay, sbb boleh kuar dari comfortable zone, bley blaja berdikari, bley belajar bahasa baru, blaja culture2 satu dunia yang berbeza beza and paling awesome, bley dapat kawan baru. Orang kata, kawan biar seribu, musuh biar takde. Especially plak, kalau kawan2 kita tu budak bukan dari rumpun yang sama, dari thousand miles away. Bond tu yang kita nak carik, sbb nanti bila2 travel mana2, ada je geng yg kenal, tak ke mesra alam camtu? Ye tak? (gaya nabil*, tangan kat bahu, mata pandang atas, geleng sket kepala)

So, dlm Mctyiere ni ada 7 hall alltogether.

1. Japanese
2. French
3. Russian
4. German
5. Italian
6. Chinese
7. International

Each Hall ada allocation of space sendiri. Ie: ada meja makan sendiri, ada location sendiri, and ada aktiviti2 sendiri. Senpai aku dulu ckp, kalau nak masuk Mctyiere kena ada Commitment... Alhamdullilah, skrang dah paham ape maksud dia. Every Monday-Thursday ada dinner from 6pm-7pm. Responsibility of a Mctyierite is to speak in the specified language for the whole hour masa dinner. In my case, gua kena cakap Japanese la. English is not allowed unless user nak tanya maksud yg dia tak tau sebut dlm Japanese. Well, that's besides the point kan... Sape2 yang ingkar rule ni, ie: tak cakap the language, cukup bulan akan ditendang keluar utk bagi spot kat orang yg betol2 nk belajar bahasa sbb space kat tempat ni agak limited. 78 orang je total if I'm not mistaken. Kat Japanese Hall ni ade satu reminder yang dibuat khusus utk orang2 degil ni.

Yang ni nama dia Batsu (punishment)

Yang ni pulak nama dia Maru (Correct)

Kalau orang tu cakap guna ayat bombastic lagi power, then kita just ambil benda alah ni kat tgh2 meja tu, and tunjuk Maru kat dia, sambil sebut "Tensai" (genius), "Beri gud" (japanese for very good), or "sugoi" (hebat/marvellous).

Kalau guna english/mexican atau lain2 bahasa yg terlarang. Korang just perlu terbalikkan maru tu kasik nampak Batsu, then ketuk kepala dia slowly or tayang depan muka dia camni

Tayang depan muke die, kasik padan muke sket!

Nak dipendekkan crite, dah almost 3 years gua kat sini. Dah macam2 benda dah lalui. Tapi biasa la kan, ni la asam garam kehidupan. Kalau byk sangat garam nnt kentut masin, kalau sikit sgt nnt cepat cramp kaki, so kena balance2 jek. Ok, lame... Balik pada crite, Japanese Hall ni, to me, ada sentimental value dia sendiri, bukan nk cakap aku sentimental, layan lagu jiwang2 tu mmg jauh skali, tapi to me, Hall ni agak seronok. Ahli2 dia pon byk yg gila2, awesome and tak malu nk buat apa2. Byk benda jugak la yg kitaorang as a hall buat, sampai tak bley recall kadang2. Antara benda paling awesome yg kitaorang buat are prank bilik hall lain dgn salotape door knob diorang ngan bilik opposite, tgk movie sama2 sampai 3-4 pagi, minum jem strawberry pastu tadah mulut kat luar masa snowing (mcm makan air batu campur la), masak sama2, lepak sama2, kuar mana2 bersama (tolong jgn samakan ngan outing MRSM, standed tu lain2). Pendek kata, benda2 pelik tapi awesome la.

Byk added value yang gua belajar kat sini. Antaranya, how to respect people, how to balance discipline, responsibility and emotion, how to be part of an organization and bla bla bla... Satu benda yang bley jumpa kat Mctyiere yg maybe takde kat Hall lain, is togetherness. Maybe dah macam jadi tradition kat sini, buat apa2 kat sini dah macam a big FAMILY :p . Orang2 Mctyiere pandai nak buat each other rasa belong kat sini. Antaranya, time birthday korang, korang akan diminta berdiri atas kerusi depan SEMUA ORANG kat Mctyiere masa dinner tadi. Then, diorang akan nyanyikan lagu Happy Birthday tu ramai2 sambil tepuk tangan. Takde la dapat hadiah, tapi the thought counts way better than gift no? Simple things macam ni yang make you feel appreciated and most importantly belong to something. Setakat duit tu aku pandang sebelah mata je kalau dpt layanan mcm ni hari2 kot. Tapi kalau nk bg 1 million USD tu, kita nego blakang2 okeh?

Ada banyak aktiviti kat Mctyiere ni actually, one of them is Study break. Study break atau nama popularnya Belajar Rehat ni ada sejam seminggu yang wajib. Yang sunat lak, kadang2 ada kadang2 takde, depending on commitee/Mctyiere budget punya decision. Yg wajib sejam seminggu tu ikut specific hall, in other words, Hall tu sendiri bertanggungjawab buat study break tu and semua orang is given the responsibility to do so. For instance, study break first gua yg buat, then next week, neighbour gua punya turn, then so on and so on. Macam2 la yang kitaorang buat utk study break ni. Masa gua punya turn aritu, gua host Batsu game (ばつガム) atau dlm BI, punishment game. Game yg gua buat dulu tu camni, ada 10 jus kat atas meja and 2 team, setiap team akan hantar wakil bergilir2, utk testing, while the other team akan pilih 1 jus. Blindfolded, the tester tu kena minum jus tadi and ingat rasa dia. Bila bukak blindfold tu, nnt dia kena carik balik jus yg dia minum tadi via minum jus2 atas meja one by one. Kalau orang tu dapat teka betul, or "ter"nasib baik terambil jus yg diminum tu awal2 skali, that person akan dapat puding as the present. TAPIIII, kalau kalah, orang tu kena makan seaweed kat bawah ni....

Mesti dalam kepala otak korang pikir, eleh, setakat seaweed ni, takde challenge pon kan? WRONGGG, sbb orang tu kena makan seaweed ni dengan

Mayo + Mustard + Tabasco  + Seaweed = ??

Bayangkan mayonnaise, mustard sauce, and tabasco sauce diletak skali kat seaweed tu. Agak2 korang, ape rasa dia? Toksah cakap byk, gua dah rasa, gua tibai 3 kali sbb salah teka 3 kali. Mmg malam tu berguling2 la, hak3. Ape2 pon, game ni aku rasa agak seronok and thrilling. So, kitaorang layan jek. Stock perut kereta kebal sorang2. Haih.....

Ni aku bawak jalan2 sket kat hall2 Mcytiere ni.

Chinese Hall overlooking the end of the hall

Chinese Hall random whiteboard scribble

Japanese Hall dinner table. Tempat kitaorang makan sambil practice Japanese!

French Hall who loves to "Frenchise" everything, kesian encik panda tersebut (~~")

Japanese Hall + Italian Hall

Encik monyet yang kena dera ngan French Hall

Tak lupa juga Cik Popo the French Leopard

Apparently, skill decorative org Russian Hall is just tambah mata 2 bijik kat peta, HEH!

Worm Factory! Apparently ada mat salleh sorang ni yg too enviromental friendly sampai nak bawak balik pet cacing dia masuk dorm (0_0").

Nama pet ni is "Bait" by the way. Aku yg kasik nama, ngeh3

Ok, now aku nk bawak korang tgk bilik2 diorang plak. Mcm yg kita biasa dgr, lain orang lain ragam, lain perangai. Orang putih lak cakap "People come from all walk of life". Jom kite ushar

Mamat ni nama dia Alex, boleh cakap English, German ngan Japanese. Jiran gua la senang crite, major Chem and jenis tak byk bergaul ngan orang, tapi time dinner datang sure on time. Very disciplined fellow :p

Minah ni plak nama dia Kai-Chan. Jenis senyap2 sket, tak cakap byk, tapi very nice person. Kalau nak makan omelette best pg la Rand Brunch Sunday sbb dia keje kat situ.

Kadang2 kita bley gak jumpa orang yg tak percaya kat tuhan, mcm minah ni. Nama glamor dia is "Atheist". Kadang2 rasa nk je sekeh sket kepala dia ni, tapi Nabi pesan dakwah biar bijaksana. Ahaks, byk bersabar yek!

Mamat ni plak, nama dia Sohei Tateno. Very awesome guy. Major in Mathematics. Setakat rubric (toy orang nerd tu) dia bley setel dlm seminit je. Blindfolded lak tu. Exam 100 memanjang, mmg power!

So, wrapping up, staying kat Mctyiere ni, mmg byk benda gua belajar, pasal kawan, budaya, ilmu, bahasa and macam2 lagi la, just name it. Bukan tu je, gua pon dah pandai bawak diri ngan orang lebih tua yg dtg dari bangsa2 yg berbeza. Experience is the one that differentiate a better adult than the rest. Personally, aku rasa benda ni susah nk dapat kalau kita asyik stay dalam bubble aje. So, fikir2kanlah yek

Owh, ni gua include kan gambar2 yg nnt gua agak2 bila dah tua nk tgk balik, insyaalah kalau umur panjang. Gambar2 yang byk bawak meaning kat diri ni. Orang kata masa tu la nak cerita kat anak cucu kan....Ye tak? Heee :p

Tekan lagu ni sambil2 tgk gambar2 kat bawah, baru best~~

Thanks guys for the AWESOME MEMORY! ;p

New blog, new resolution

Finally, dah update BLOG!!! selama ni blog cam sampah je, so wajarlah kot diberi nafas baru, harap2 pasni rajin update okeh? Encik ayah ngan cik mak kat rumah pon boleh la tumpang2 baca kalau bosan2 kan. Peace!

PS: Credit to cik Dillott sbb consult blog design :p

Kisah lama

Dulu-dulu masa aku kecik2, dlm 12 tahun kot, (kecik la sangat), ada la kawan ni crite sorang. Crite yg aku rasa agak epic la sbb situation tu agak takleh blah and tak boleh nk agak. Mr. A (bukan nama sebenar) tgh kuar jalan2 kat luar. Kalau tak silap aku, masa tu tahun baru, so ramai la kuar shopping, tak gitu? Unless, mcm perkara biasa budak2 remaja sekarang, tgh pokai sbb asyik belanja awek makan kat Pizza Hut.


So, nak dijadikan crite, Mr. A ni stuck kat traffic light kat simpang 4 ni. *rujuk ilustrasi di bawah. Tgh syok2 layan lagu rock kapak kat radio kat simpang 4 tu, tetibe je cuaca mendung.




Owh, lupe nk cakap, sbb aku asal terengganu, ada satu company bas nama dia "Thong Aik", kalau ikut kat tempat aku, company ni legend la sbb dah established since 1980s lagi. Masa tu aku pon belom lahir lagi, kih3. So, imagine la bas diorang yang dah ada in service since 1980s tu, tingkap tepi tu kalau nasib baik je ade, kalau takde tu perkara biasa dah. Asap plak stock berkepul2 penyumbang kanser paru paru ngan Green House Effect. Part best, driver dia ni apek cina sorang. Pakai cermin mata style kamen rider dulu2, singlet putih agak2 labuh sket dari pinggang, and of course complete ngan suar pendek ala2 nk pg mancing. Kalau suar tu zip tu kira nasib baik la, kalau ari tak baik tu, dia tarik singlet dia labuh2 sket kasik tutup Angry Bird dia. But that's besides the point.

Angry bird, versi sopan

Illustrasi artist terhadap encik apek

So, nak dijadikan crite, kat simpang 4 tu, Mr. A tu nampak bas Thong Aik ni sampai kat arah kanan. Biasa la kan, sbb traffic light merah, kena la tunggu sekijap. Tgh chill2 tu, hujan dah start la turun rintik2. Tiba2, Mr A nampak apek cina driver tadi turun bas tgh2 hujan tu. Takde tanda2 langsung beliau nak kuarkan payung ke, tukar poncho ke. "Aneh..." getus hati kecil Mr. A. Terkedek2, Mr A nampak si apek ni dok selongkar something kat tepi bas tu. Rupe-rupenya, dia kuarkan 2 objek hitam mcm dlm illustrasi seterusnya.



Bayangkan la, tgh2 hujan camtu, apek cina tersebut bawak 2 objek panjang hitam dlm 3-4 kaki panjang. Cuak la kan, ntah2 nak belasah org kes tensen gado ngan bini ke, pet anjing kesayangan dia mati kes cirit birit ke hape kan.

Dgn muka penuh semangat, encik apek berpaling kat depan bas, and tanpa segan silu , start gosok2 cermin bas ngan objek hitam tadi. Rupe rupenyer, wiper bas tu dah rosak.. Apek tadi tak nampak la nk driving sbb hujan, so sementara tunggu traffic light ni merah, dia transform jadi wiper manual.

Ilustrasi seterusnya cukup utk explain all the details. PEACE !

Sorry lukisan tak lawa, highest aku dpt masa subject pendidikan seni time skolah menengah dulu C+ aje, so paham2 sendiri la yek!

PS: TQ pak cik apek sbb tambah crite best dalam hidup gua, jasamu takkan gua lupakan, Ahaks!

Some thoughts, 166 days before graduation

It's been a while since I last wrote. These few weeks have been a tremendous relief, a relief to my life as senior. Many things have came around these days. From cabin break over Gatlinburg and to how I got "Syaf sophomore" as my new nick name. Haha. Well, placing those things aside, life is good, and I can't simply express how grateful I am. Senior year is not as hectic as before, many interesting things took place, as well those unprecedented stuffs in store. Owh well....

Overall, I would say the gatlinburg trip was decent. I remember the old days when I was a sophomore and junior, getting the chance spend every single fall and spring break together with the seniors and the super seniors. This time around, I'm the only senior and the rest are sophomores. Don't ask why, let's just consider it paying my gratitude to them seniors. Too bad, this was probably my last trip. I'm not sure myself if I could simply make it next time for snowboarding due to some unforeseen planning. I might make it again, but I might not. Hopefully yes though.

6 months left in the both Vandy and the States. I've been spending my days walking around the place, mostly midnight and early in the morning. Too bad, these couple of days are turning freezing cold. Well, a remedy to that is a walk with some hot choco in hand, too bad it'll just cool down just as quickly. Ok, let's switch to malay. Kadang2 terfikir jugak, whether nk sambung belajar, but then, tak rasa nk dah. Tired, tired and tired. I'm not sure if I am ready enough for the working environment. But that's when the excitement comes in mind, to meet new people, to travel around, to make things right, to make life more interesting.... Somehow, rasa macam malas nak balik.. Reason? I don't know... Maybe umur masih muda, I kinda wanted to meet more new people, to see the world myself, and to go around the world. Except of course, the same reason shared with everybody else. Encik Duit takde... Share market not as strong recently, US economy seems to be deteriorating, bad... and as if that's not bad enough, things are harder to calculate. Hopefully ada enough dough to face this final 6 months.

I remembered what Adeeb and Wira used to tell me. Every single story they shared. Sometimes, working world is not a sweet as you thought it may be. Life is not easy, and it'll never be. Only those who are strong willed will be able to survive. It's a man eat man and dog eat dog world out there. I guess that'w why Grad school exists. Exists solely for the purpose of providing those who's tired in the working environment a place to rebound for a couple more years. Honestly, I don't really wanna be an engineer... Why? Say you're an engineer for BMW, what is it likely that you'll be able to afford the car that you've invented, or designed... Sedangkan, some people out there who doesn't even know what sin pi is equal to, or know how to simplify some simple theorem, somehow managed to drive all those beemers that they could ever wanted. Life is hard, but to them, somehow, life is simple.

Life, is somehow easy, sort of like a breeze. It stroked me sometimes, whether am I really doing the right thing? Or because I'm following expectations? If so, whose expectations do they belong to? Am I following my own expectation? Are everybody else's expectations are far more important than my own? How do we even get caught in this dilemma in the first place? That's a question that I kept on reminding myself every single day. Life has no value, if you were to follow the expectations of others. Set your own goal, and trust yourself in making it a reality. (muhasabah diri sekejap)

A story worth reading, just a simple I LOVE YOU

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman
out to dinner and a movie. She said I love you but I know this other
woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three
children had made it impossible to visit her, only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of
woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a
sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you," I
responded. "Just the two of us."

She thought ! about it f or a moment, and then said, "I would like
that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed
to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.
She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to
celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was
as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they
were impressed, "she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to
hear about our meeting".

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and
cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat
down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print.
Half way through the entries , I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting
there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she
said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I
responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing
extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life.
We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you
again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home.

"Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened
so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure
that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plate s - one
for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that
night meant for me. I love you, son."

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in
time: "I LOVE YOU!" and to give our loved ones the time that they
deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family.
Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off
till "some other time

A competitive Malaysia

Some good advice from Dato' Bakri Musa

Chapter 17: Granting Malaysians Their Merdeka

Dismantling the Feudal Culture

One would expect that since the sultans are secure with their affluence through generous civil allowances and other privileges, they would be spared the obsession of acquiring further wealth. Far from it! They are the first to hog the public trough. The sultans still consider public land their personal fiefdom. These sultans have also become even more enterprising, shamelessly selling royal titles. Datukships can now be had for a mere RM200,000. They are prostituting the institution of royalty. The reason for this greed is that they are still stuck in the mindset of the material phase.

Contrast the behaviors of the Malay royalty class to its European counterpart. Even during medieval times the European royalty and aristocrats had a sense of philanthropy. They were patrons of the arts and regularly took under their wings talented musicians and artists. Mozart, Michelangelo and others had generous royal patrons.

Such philanthropy is notably absent among Malay sultans and nobility. This is surprising as the sultans are titular heads of Islam, and charity is one of the five pillars of the faith, ahead of fasting and the Hajj. One would expect the sultans to lead with their philanthropy. Not so! It is doubtful whether they even pay their mandatory zakat (tithe). There is no evidence of any waning of this greed as these sultans continue to squat on the apex of the special privileges heap. As they are role models, it is no surprise that such crass materialism and lack of altruism and public charity permeate the larger society.

Such philanthropy is also noticeably absent among the Chinese, whether Malaysian, Singapore, or the Red China variety.

Malays pay homage to their sultans like Hindus to their deities, with offerings of tributes, services, and valuables. In days of yore, it was quite common to see the entire family’s wealth from prized buffaloes to premium harvest rice offered to the sultans while the peasant’s family was left destitute. Today’s sultans are continuing this acquisitive avarice by grabbing the state’s modern offerings like public lands, contracts, and concessions. They feel affronted when the chief minister would not accede to their voracious greed.

The royalty is an expensive burden, what with their generous civil allowances extending to their vast extended families and assorted royal hangers on. Then there are their expensive state-supplied toys like palaces and fleets of Rolls Royces. The far greater burden, and more difficult to remove, is the attendant nonproductive mindset and culture. Among others, this breeds the “Sultan Syndrome,” of senior officials expecting to be treated regally, be adulated, and be served with offerings and tributes. Real work is for their subordinates.

Getting rid of the sultans as some republican-minded Malays are advocating would not solve the problem unless we also discard the accompanying feudal mindset of blind obedience and personal loyalty. Otherwise, what we would get instead are non-royal leaders assuming the role of sultans.

Indonesia got rid of its many sultans; that did not help the country’s development. In fact, it made it worse, with Sukarno and his henchmen replacing the royal household. Sukarno declared himself “President for Life,” just like the sultans. When Mahathir tried to clip the powers of the sultans in the 1980s and 90s, he had considerable opposition. The general fear was that Malays would be substituting one sultan for another, and a non-royal one at that.

More important than merely getting rid of the sultans is to change the feudal mindset and culture associated with royalty. Were this to be done suddenly, it would be socially disruptive and destabilizing. When Mahathir attempted to clip the powers of the royalty, he precipitated an unnecessary constitutional crisis that paralyzed the nation and deeply divided Malays.

More effective and enduring would be to initiate incremental changes that would not be disruptive. First would be to impress upon leaders and followers alike that sultans are ordinary mortals and thus subject to all the human foibles and weaknesses. Once this concept is accepted, then the other ideas would follow easily. One would be that these sultans and leaders be answerable to the citizens and to the law. Being answerable means being subjected to scrutiny. Ascension to the throne or other leadership positions entails the assumption of certain responsibilities.

Recently the editor of Malaysia-Today posted an exposé of corruption in the Negri Sembilan royal family.2 The incensed Yang Di Pertuan Besar (Sultan) pressured the police to arrest its editor, Raja Petra Kamarudin, who happens to be a member of the neighboring (Selangor) royal family. The remarkable aspect to the whole episode was the fact that the series was even published in the first place. It marked a significant cultural transformation for Malays, the beginning (I hope) of our emancipation from feudalism. I would give Raja Petra as much credit as Mahathir in disabusing the Malay masses of their near-divine reverence for their sultans.

The Japanese used to think of their emperor as god, but General Mac Arthur successfully disabused them of their collective delusion during the American Occupation following World War II.3 He did it not by humiliating the emperor or stripping him of his dignity. Indeed, Mac Arthur was alone in opposing charging the emperor for war crimes, believing that he could use the emperor as an instrument to effect major cultural change on the Japanese. Mac Arthur was right, and he did it through subtle but symbolically powerful signals. For example, on their first meeting Mac Arthur made the emperor come to him at the American embassy, and not have the General go to the palace. At the embassy the emperor had to hand his top hat to an aide, just like any other visitor. In their subsequent official portrait together, there was Mac Arthur standing in his army khaki fatigues without a tie and with his hands clasped on his hips, towering beside the diminutive Hirohito. The not-so-subtle message conveyed by their body language was unmistakable.

To reinforce the message further, Mac Arthur made the emperor tour the country to disavow that he was the descendent of the Sun Goddess. Mac Arthur also made sure that the Emperor’s motorcade stopped at all red traffic lights. The message to the Japanese people was clear: even the mightiest emperor had to obey the lowly traffic laws of the country. It was through such small gestures and symbolisms that Mac Arthur was able to effect profound cultural changes upon Japanese society, illustrating my earlier point of the bilateral and mutually reinforcing interactions between culture and leader.

What a supreme irony that Mac Arthur, a gaijin (literally, foreign barbarian) who knew next to nothing about Japan was able to transform its society and culture, while Mahathir, locally born and bred, could not change his own people! If the Japanese and Irish (described earlier) could be changed culturally, so could the Malays. Indeed Malays had shown remarkable capacity to undertake momentous cultural changes in the past. Under Datuk Onn, we prevailed over the British on the Malayan Union issue. With the proper leadership, Malays could undergo yet another transformation, and do it not in the divisive and confrontational ways a la Mahathir but through the Mac Arthur manner, incrementally through the effective use of powerful symbols and gestures.

To nudge Malays out of our collective feudal mentality and excessive deference to the sultans, we could begin by treating them as mere mortals. Start with making sure that they obey traffic laws and strip them of their outriders, except on ceremonial occasions. If they run the red light or park in “No Parking” zones, ticket them. If the Prime Minister could be handed speeding tickets, so could the sultans. Do away with the elaborate ceremonies and get rid of the kompang drummers and petal throwers. If it is too hot and sunny, let the sultans and ministers carry their own umbrellas. Or wear hats!

One positive consequence to the political squabble between Abdullah Badawi and his immediate predecessor that reached its height by late 2006 is this. Mahathir had effectively broken down the entrenched cultural taboo against criticizing the leadership. It is ironic that Mahathir would make one of his greatest contributions only after he retired.

To be sure, Mahahitr was only one, though the critical, factor. Abdullah’s own glaring ineptness contributed greatly; he practically invited the derisions and scathing criticisms. Then there was the growth of the Internet and alternative media, fueled by the rapidly declining credibility of the mainstream papers that are the establishment’s remaining supporters.

It is upon such small almost imperceptible measures are great changes effected. We need to initiate more of them if Malaysia were to catapult into the next phase of development.

The diverging roads

“Kenapa ko gila sangat jepun? Lupa diri!" (“why do you love japan so much?, ungrateful!") I've remembered those words a couple of while back when I was merely a high school students. Those vulgar, stinging like serpents venom-filled words came from a friend of mine, back in the days. Well, I have my own reason to believe in what I choose to believe, and there's no need for me to mention that here, as I could go for hours without stopping. Haha. I don't understand the logic in those words, and I didn’t reply either, because I wasn't able to decipher those meaning, until now. Maybe it is a blasphemy being born as a Malaysian and having interest in the Japan. Or maybe, it is wrong to have your own interest? Or maybe, because god made me the way I am, and my interest being the way it is, you're blaming god for it? I have no idea, really.



Personally, my high school time isn't as good as everybody else. I remembered one day I came back to class from lab, my backpack is hanging on the fan. And one day, I found somebody placed women tampons all over my textbook. Had to throw them away as they stick to the pages really firm and in the attempt of taking them away, I’d torn at least 7-8 pages of them. There’s even one time where I couldn’t find my books anywhere in the class, just to find that they are hidden behind the staircase of the ground floor. Well, I guess that school is suited to be a zoo, seems like more animals exist than students. Owh, bear in mind that my class is on the 3rd floor, I’d to search for it on every darn floor. I knew who did that but I still didn’t do anything just yet despite the fact that I know I could easily give him a sucker punch on the face (plus, I’m a lot bigger and that them). Why? Because I’ll be ruining my reputation as a student (Gosh, that was annoying, there's no place to go even when you’re right sometimes) So, now, please tell me the reason why I should go back to that cursed school. I have more bad moment in school than good time. These rascals…. But I was being patient. Well, in any case, I made my way through high school, and the keen interest in Japan never fades away, in fact, it drove me to work hard every day until SPM (An examination that decides whether you could further your studies overseas), and yes Alhamdullilah (praise to Allah) I aced it. Bye high school, hello university life! Well, I guess those experience made me stronger and better person now. (Matsumoto Hitoshi quoted: The person who doesn't across the river will not find the treasure on the other side of the bank). やった！！


Let's look ahead into the future

So, I began to apply for scholarships here and there. Well, to my surprise, I managed to secure Bank Negara, Mara, and JAD scholarship. Here are the differences:


Bank Negara (National Bank)- Preparation needed, best scholarship award, working contract 6 years as Financial Engineer

MARA - Vanderbilt University - No preparation needed, Payback 1-2% out of the total amount spent , no working contract

JAD - Japanese Associate Degree program, preparation for 3 years and 2 years in Japan (Waseda University), Mechanical Engineering program, No working contract

Now I ended up in Vanderbilt, becoming a Mechanical Engineer. This is my 3rd year here, but I whenever I look back, a shallow tide of regret would push me over turning down JAD. Somehow I felt that I betrayed myself, but what’s done is done I suppose. There’s no turning back in time. So, to make up for it, I’ve decided that I should still be here, in Mctyiere’s Japanese Hall, I turned down money (extra allowances) to be able to learn things that I like back in the days, and I'm content, contented that way. Unlike the Americans I knew here, most of them have at least travelled abroad to the country of their liking, and it is safe to say that I'm a bit jealous, haha. I know Sam from the German hall, have at least been to Germany, or Cole, and most of the people in Japanese Hall would speak of studying abroad, as if it's easy as buying milk from the Varsity Store. Why their parents are are so darn rich? Haha, I wish I could go to Japan some day. Some day soon. Hopefully. Next year, I'll have more family members in the Japanese Hall, more people, more 中ま(nakama-friends), hopefully, next year would be a good time, insyaalah (if god permits)....