Prologue + Youth Today

Bonjour à tous ! ^_^



Before I proceed with this entire blogging thing, I shall speak a little about myself.

Name’s Annette, I’m 19 and an undergrad – I’m reading law and about to enter into my second year.

 I once blogged for YouthMalaysia a while ago, under a site which is now inactive – YouthEcho.com – and it was after the establishment of YouthSays that the project was scrapped. Otherwise, I blog about anything and everything, in English or in French, as I normally would… and I wouldn’t hesitate to talk about current issues in a subtle manner, if I have to.

 I’m passionate about the arts in general – specific fields include visual arts (sketching, photo-manipulation and anything else that spells ZOMG EYE CANDY !!! and ZOMG SCENERY PORN !!!), music and languages. I sing, I play the piano and the drums (I’m passionate about the latter), and I sketch a lot. I REALLY MEAN A LOT. *checks sketch box* I just realized that during the course of these six months I’ve drawn on at least 50 sheets of paper. O____O Freaky, huh ?



I’m a gaming freak. I’ve been interested in gaming since my primary school years (where I was stuck with a Nintendo Entertainment System when everyone else had a PS1 – ironically, I was the first in my neighbourhood to have a PS2). There are still some evergreen games which I play and adore, notably Kirby’s Adventure, Super Mario Bros and Sonic 3D Blast (don’t laugh, now). As for newer consoles, my favourite game series EVER has to be Kingdom Hearts, followed by Final Fantasy (though I last played Final Fantasy X-2, and never continued after that). Other favourites include Suikoden IV, the Jak & Daxter series and the Shadow Hearts series.



On to the subject of my username – you’d wonder why I made it so difficult to pronounce (Troisdfosadnfnngfngnagjvh). Well, “trois” means three, and that number is significant in many ways (I don’t think I’ll have to give a lowdown of that). Nyx is the name of the goddess of night in Greek mythology, and is taken here to mean “darkness” – the darkness of life hasn’t passed yet, and will only pass at the appointed time.



Okay, so it turns out that a little has become a lot :P So I believe you’ve all learned one thing about me : I tend to speak at length, and when it’s about something I truly like, it risks getting longer. You’ve been warned.



I’ve been asked a few questions for Real Voices 2, and I’ll answer them in interview form (as though there actually is an interview in progress). Sounds fun, eh ?
 

What’s the best thing about being youth today ? Do you think the future is bright for your generation, or do you think the future is something to worry about ?


The best thing about being youth is that everything and everyone is within our reach. Praise the Lord for the Internet Age ! Many of us youths aspire to become someone great – in our own ways, of course – and if people of previous generations did have to worry about making themselves known, we have a burden taken off our shoulders. No, seriously. It only takes a few steps to get started, for people to recognise the punch in today’s youth. Let’s not even talk about the field. Let’s just think of the fact that YouTube + Facebook + Twitter + a blog + a place to show one’s works = serendipity.



As for the future, I can’t really say. It all depends on the person. Economic booms and slumps are bound to happen at certain points in time, and that’s just part and parcel of life, we can’t do anything about them. I believe that whether or not the future is bright depends on what we do today. Are we willing to create a bright future for ourselves ?

Do you think youth (people like you) are rebellious in nature ? Do you think youth today rebel like they used to before ? Have you rebelled against anything or anyone in the past ?


Youth has been and will always be rebellious. It’s in our blood. Yet, the means of rebellion has changed. Earlier we used to rebel through verbal disputes, and it would almost always end in tears, with the parents not giving the children blessings and yadda yadda yadda. Right now, some people still rebel with verbal disputes or a show of disobedience when the need arises. But from what I’ve seen around me, people who have aspirations and who rebel against naysayers don’t speak out verbally. Even I’m like that too. I love singing, I love music, I love the visual arts and I aspire to do something great with these things one day.



The Net is our weapon of choice. It’s a pretty silent but subtle form of rebellion, and when we gain supporters, it’s enough to show how we’ve “succeeded” in our course, so to speak. I admit that I have rebelled against people many times before, though it’s probably my willingness to debate that starts it all.



There are a few things which I still rebel against today :


1) the judiciary of Malaysia. The judiciary is meant to provide justice and fairness, and this is where judicial review comes in – here, if the conduct of the executive is unconstitutional, it has to be reviewed by judges. But what happens when the judiciary is merely a rubber stamp of what the executive has to give ? I’ve seen the worst decisions in courts, and don’t get me started on a 500-page rant about them. One court case, which has affected not only me, but my classmates too, is still in progress, and I shudder to think of what will happen.



2) the music industry. WHERE IS THE ORIGINALITY FOR PETE’S SAKE ? Newer acts like Bunkface (with their hit single “Through My Window”) still don’t seem to hit the mark. They either sound lacklustre, or if they do manage to pull off a proper song, they sound almost exactly like the person or group who inspired them. Which reminds me… I have an aspiration to remedy this problem, but I know I can’t do it alone.
 

Do you think youth today have a harder or easier life than our parents’ generation ?


Harshness of life is totally subjective. Yes, we understand full well that we’re from Generation Y, and we did not go through the harshness of post-war life and curfew like our Generation X parents. Yet, I believe that we’re living an equally tough life, and they don’t have the right to go and give the stock answer that “they’ve had it harder than we have”.



Imbeciles ! Don’t they even realise that there are new evils like Facebook (with its ultra-relaxed privacy policies), the media giving distasteful subliminal messages through ads and shows, race-based politics that seem to undermine our efforts to promote respect among Malaysians (believe me, for that, they’ve had it MUCH easier than we have – back in the 60s and 70s, people were a lot more open ; today, even National Service doesn’t work !) ? If they had to go through physical and economical hardship, then our lives are not much different from theirs – we have to go through economical, mental, and for some, spiritual hardship. And I don’t see this problem going away in the not-so-near future. Every person has to face challenges, and it doesn’t matter if they can afford the things they once couldn’t afford. We’re bound to feel like that too.



What is your biggest fear in the world, other than death ?


I’m afraid of not realising my dreams in my younger years, and during my lifetime.


There are lots of things which I want to achieve, but people close to home are standing in the way.




What makes you happy ?


Well, since you asked “happy” and not “joyous”, here are the things that make me happy :


*Caramelldansen. :P Especially the Japanese version, even if it's plain butchered Japanese.


*Being able to spread the love to others, being able to share my passion for music with others (though this brings happiness of a greater degree than most other things).


*Singing.


*Speaking with friends and working on short projects with them.


*Kingdom Hearts.

 

What has been the most difficult hurdle you have overcome so far in your life ? What did this experience teach you ?


Well, make that two most difficult hurdles :


*My mother’s death in 2007.


*A crisis of faith I recently went through.


I’ve learnt that death comes at its own time, and that it’s merely a change of address – albeit a permanent one, although the things associated with it make us sad.



As for the crisis of faith – I have to stand up for what I believe in, and I’m not going to cower in fear over what people say, even if they’re close to home. Enemies are everywhere, they can be close to me, they can be not very far… or they can even be out of the picture altogether, and I have to stay vigilant. If there’s all this talk about respecting people’s rights, then if people have a right to disclose their beliefs (or lack thereof), then I have a right to disclose mine – because my rights can only be exercised if my neighbour’s rights are taken care of.



Which has more importance today in your life – family or friends ? In your experience, did you ever have to make a choice between friends and family ?


Both. I haven’t come to that stage where I had to make a choice between them, but the problems and worries they face are similar to mine. Not all parents understand their children. People who are in the same position can understand each other. Well, there’s a subliminal implication there, but I still love my family and friends with all my heart, just as I love myself.


There. That’s more than what you actually need to know about me in one whole day. Don’t wheedle and probe now ; stay tuned for more rants from me.


À la prochaine !


troisnyxétienne