Addendum: Higher Education Awareness + US College Applications

And we're done with the posts for the ten days! Marvelous.

I thought I'd take a little time to get on my soapbox about two things I've been involved in for the past two years: greater awareness of higher education options, and US college application help for Malaysian applicants. They are certainly very youth-related, pertain to a least a few of us writers, and very much my thoughts for the past year or so, which justifies this post for me.

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Higher Education Awareness

We're familiar with the usual bluster about scholarships each year in the media when the results for the Big One, that Supreme Scholarship, is released: JPA. For many, rejection from this seems like the end of the road (and you can see this at Recom.org right now), but it shouldn't have to be, and it isn't.

There are so many post-SPM options that students should be aware about, though for some reason the majority remain fixated on one or two mainstream scholarships and paths and neglect to look for others until it is too late. Or feel that the path they've chosen is inadequate compared to others, when really, if they knew what they were capable of, could do much better than privileged students with mainstream scholarships.

So there's that. For this very reason, there is a book coming out shortly which I was involved in producing - a book of stories of people and what they did post-SPM. Unsurprisingly, it's called 'Project What's After SPM'.

In it, you have the usual tertiary education options, with a few surprises, and then you have people who chose to take very different paths, and are none the worse for it. There are stories about busking, about bodybuilders, about people with honors from world-class universities who turned round into a career in political research, about people who decided to cycle around the world for charity. There are people who are frank about their failures, and those who are frank about what their successes mean to them.

My hope, at least, for this book, once it gets finalized at the publishers' and distributed to schools via donations (none of the team is getting paid for this), is that it will open the eyes of some students to their ability to chart their lives in ways beyond getting a scholarship and going to university.

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US College Applications

Also, because there isn't much exposure to and resources about American colleges and the application process (which spans months and is one of the most tedious but most rewarding processes I know) in Malaysia, current students and alumni of US colleges have been organizing college fairs and workshops for the past years on a volunteer basis. Many of us believe in the power of a liberal arts education, and many of us believe that Malaysian students have the capacity to get accepted by top colleges if only they had adequate preparation.

This year, those of us who are back home in Malaysia are organizing five such sessions, four of which are free and open to all, one of which is an intensive two-day workshop with a low fee.

I wish myself that someone had told me about all these things while I was in secondary school, and I can attest to the merit of the workshop facilitators, having been one myself last year - these are people who've spent years and months helping others with the process, who are incredibly accomplished and down-to-earth, and who genuinely want to see more Malaysians in their colleges.



I might remark again that all of us in both projects are involved on a pro bono basis, which means we charge and expect no fee at all. Professional education counselors and college counselors charge by the hour.

Also, if you think you might be interested in a US college education, please contact me, and I would be more than happy to tell you more, link you to people in colleges you might be interested in, and help with the apps. The easiest way to do that would be first introducing yourself via Facebook; there's always the possibility of spam with e-mail addresses out in the open.

Now, I don't expect you to support the projects I'm involved in; all I ask is that if you are still in secondary school, that you begin considering all manner of post-SPM options early so that you can gather as much information as needed and make decisions that you're less likely to regret later.

If you're already past secondary school, I hope that you'll render such information to your juniors and friends. It might just make a huge difference in their lives.



Thanks for the great experience! I'm honored to be a part of this project and certainly learnt a lot from it.



Jump to:

• Day 10: The Hornet's Next
• Day 9: They Jump, You Jump, We All Jump
• Day 8: The Post of Lists
• Day 7: Walls of Text, Walls of Pictures [Books]
• Day 7: Avian Genius, Swashbuckling Storytelling [Music]
• Day 6: Maintaining Connections
• Day 5: The Interwebs!
• Day 4: Off to Work We Go.
• Day 3: Here, You Can Have The Cake. I'll Take The Icing.
• Day 2: The F Word
• Day 1: Of Youth and Life

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Charis Loke is a rising sophomore at Brown, concentrating in Biochemistry. Her interests include art and illustration, Tolkien, and procrastination.

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Day 10 1Malaysia by Marion

I support 1Malaysia! :D
I seriously don't understand why every race/people/blah has to split up..I mean,we are sharing a country! I hope everyone understands that. I for one don't understand why people are split up and competing against each other when we are supposed to be one.
Just see it in a simple minded person's view. People are people no matter what race they are, I have feelings..you have feelings too right?

What do you think about the various races in this country? Do you think about your race or country first? Why? Do you think there is a tension between the various races in this country or not?

Country? Somehow I imagine a bold underline for that exact word in that paragraph. In where I live, Sabah,no matter what race, we are friends with everyone. I'm friends with everyone! I'm Kadazan, my best friends are Chinese and we go along pretty well with the Malays. Where I used to work I have an Indian friend and we spend time between shifts to have fun!
So,I don't feel any tension at all,why would anyone?


I've heard stories about how people know where Singapore is but have no idea where Malaysia is and I went all wtf?! hahaha
But I think people think we have strange accents but thats just because we can speak so many languages till there's rojak! :P
I want people to view Malaysia as the country where everyone can live in peace no matter how many races there are..after all,that's what makes us unique.


Visit my blog! http://mimirello.blogspot.com

Bersatu!

1Malaysia adalah satu kempen atau pun satu misi yang sangat baik bagi saya.Ianya juga salah satu misi dalam hidup saya untuk menyatukan kembali umat manusia, setelah bermacam peperangan yang telah berlaku antara manusia sendiri. Tidak kisah apa jua kerja belakang tadbir 1Malaysia yang selalu diura-urakan atau pun ini hanyalah propaganda kerajaan untuk mengaburkan mata rakyat, apabila sesuatu kempen itu baik untuk kaum manusia sendiri saya sendiri akan menyokong dan terus memperjuangkannya. Untuk 5 tahun lagi, saya tidak dapat membayangkan apa yang akan terjadi dengan pegangan kerajaan yang makin kuat sikap perkauman mereka. apa yang saya nampak mereka masih seperti dulu, hanya sebenarnya memperjuangkan hak sendiri sahaja. Kerana takutkan hilang kuasa kerana tiada usaha ataupun kegigihan yang lebih, mereka takutkan kuasa jatuh pada tangan bukan melayu. Kita harus sedar bahawa usaha tangga kejayaan. Malahan kita sesama melayu juga sendiri berbunuhan dan bergadoh, bagaimana melayu sendiri nak maju? saya masih tidak dapat jangkakan apa akan berlaku 5 tahun akan datang.
Sejak dari saya lahir lagi sehinggalag sekarang, Saya rasa saya tidak punya masalah dengan kaum lain. Saya berkawan sudah berkawan dengan hampir seluruh etnik di malaysia ini termasuklah orang kadazan dan asli sabah. Saya mempunyai ramai kawan berbangsa cina,india dan ada juga berbangsa pan-asian, saya tidak mempunyai masalah berkawan dengan  mereka. Sehinggakan sekarang ini kami semua adalah rakan karib. Salah satunya sebab sehingga kami semua rapat adalah kerana kami saling memahami dan saling hormat menghormati. Sikap ego kami buang jauh supaya sikap setia kawan kami setiasa ada. Bagi saya, saya lebih mengutamakan bumi saya dan juga isinya. Kerana bumi la menyatukan kita semua. apakah negara kita mampu menyatukan manusia? walaupun kerajaan kita tidak mampu untuk bersatu dengan pembangkangapalagi umat manusia seluruh dunia. Bagi saya, apabila sesuatu yang berkaitan dengan bumi seperti kempen kesedaran peningkatan suhu bumi, seluruh dunia menyambutnya.Saya rasa, saya tidak perasan akan wujudnya ketegangan antara kaum kerana saya tidak wujud di kalangan mereka yang selalu suka bergadoh sesama sendiri dan musuh memusuhi dengan kaum lain.
Bagi pendapat saya, walau bagaimana tinggi pon menara yang ada di malaysia, kita tetap jauh di mata dunia. Kerana  semua perkara yang ada di luar sana pasti kite mengingin kan disini. Tiada yang unik lagi pada saya di malaysia sekarang ini. Kerana Kita terlalu membangun sehinggakan adat dan tradisi kita sudah hilang di mata kita sendiri. Bagaimana kita mahu menjadi tumpuan di mata dunia? Kembali la kepada asal kita yang berkonsepkan kampung. Tidak salah bukan memajukan kampung menjadi sebuah tempat yang begitu maju dan moden? dengan negara kita yang berkhatulistiwa ini rumah kampung atau pun rumah papan amatla sesuai bagi kita, kerana rumah batu bata terlalulah panas dan sangat bahang! apakah tidak kita perasan kan itu? kenapa kita terlalu ke arah kapitalis? apakah negara islam ini lebih kepada ideologi kapitalis? bukan kah islam mengajar kita hidup bersederhana, tapi mana semua prinsip itu? ya saya tahu kita punya bermacam bangsa dan orang luar juga, tapi tempat kita tidak sesuai dengan konsep rumah batu dan kita sudah kehilangan keunikan konsep kampung itu. Jika kita dapat lihat pelancong lebih sukakan sesuatu yang lain dari negara mereka bukan? jadi kalau mereka bertandang ke tempat kita, mereka dapat lihat keadaan yang sama seperti negara mereka, apakaha perlu mereka datang ke negara kita? pikirkan lah.

Day 10: Youths Unite, For 1Malaysia! :D

What do you think of 1Malaysia? Please explain your answer (likes, dislikes, emotions etc) in details. What is your vision of Malaysia in the next 5 years?

Well, I think 1Malaysia is a pretty relevant concept if every single one of us Malaysians work towards that direction and give it all we have to make it a success. Honestly speaking, there's absolutely nothing to dislike about 1Malaysia. If it's done in a proper manner and benefits us Malaysians as a nation and brings people of different race, culture, creed and religion together, then I'd say 1Malaysia is a success! As a civic-minded citizen of Malaysia, I'd just like to say I am absolutely proud to be a Malaysian, hear me scream it out loud throughout the Internet!!! I mean, if you think about it, what's not to like? With the diverse culture, community and the friendly disposition of the citizens in Malaysia I can safely say Malaysia's one of the best places to be in! With the likes of assorted Malay, Chinese and Indian food, Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures all in one (I liken it to the Milo Fuze 3-in-1) :P. Tell me again, do I have a crazy imagination, or what? ;D From traditional clothes to food and even to languages, we as Malaysians share everything and we are no longer individual races fighting against one another. However, we are now UNITED AS ONE, WE ARE MALAYSIANS with one mission and one cause, to become the best nation the world has ever seen!

What do you think about the various races in this country? Do you think about your race or country first? Why? Do you think there is a tension between the various races in this country or not?

I have plenty of Indian and Malay friends in school and believe me I have absolutely no problems with them. By having various races in a school, we are actually indirectly strengthening the bond between these students and ensuring every one of us DO NOT discriminate among one another. And of course I think about my country first. Malaysia should be placed as the number 1 priority in the hearts of every citizen. Why you ask? What would your race be today, if it wasn't for the country that helped you bring up your race? How would have your race developed and modernized over the years if it wasn't for Malaysia? Let me answer that for you. You'd be absolutely nowhere! :) And no, I don't think there's a tension between races in our country. We see Chinese people hugging Indians. Indians hugging Malays and Malays hugging Chinese all the time! :)

How do you think people from all over the world see Malaysia? Do you think there is a typical “Malaysian” stereotype? How would you want people to view “Malaysians” in the future?

Nope there is no stereotype Malaysian look! We Malaysians are really diverse people and every individual has a unique look. You could be a Chindian, You could be a Mindian or even a Mamak! :D Well, people around the world generally view Malaysians as very hospitable people, however, they often have this initial mindset that we are horrible at speaking English. It just hurts me to see that other countries look so poorly upon our language capabilities :( If I had a choice I'd hope that people will look at Malaysians with a sense of respect and give us due credit for our achievements. We may be a small country but we are big at heart! :) And as far as 1Malaysia is concerned, I am confident, if we put in alittle effort and really do our bid to make the nation a better place, I'm sure it'll happen. It's just the question of how much do we really want it. :) To end my last blog post I'd like to attach a photo really meaningful to myself and I'd probably keep this photo till the day I part with Earth :) Goodbye, YouthSays! It's really been a blast blogging for this journal :D



The true meaning of 1Malaysia! I love you guys :)

TIll next time YouthSays! :) (P/S: Posted exactly at 11.59am, 31st May 2010 :D)

Blog: http://kaelanong.blogspot.com/
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Come on drop by and give me a holler ;)

Waking The Fallen!!

1Malaysia? Chaitt!! First time aku dengar menatang nie pown dah nak termuntah! Bukannya apa, aku rasa slogan nie dicipta hanyalah untuk mengembalikan semula sokongan rakyat terhadap kerajaan yang kalah teruk pada pilihanraya umum 2008. Aku nie cakap bukanlah kerana aku nie sokong pihak pembangkang, tetapi atas modal aku nie sebagai seorang remaja. Tolonglah, jangan nak kaburi mata rakyat macam kita nie dengan benda2 nieh. MAAF ya, bukannya niat aku untuk memburukkan sesiapa atau mengahasut mana2 pihak.

Aku nie baru 17tahun. Baik aku menumpukan perhatian aku kepada pelajaran daripada melayan mainan politik negara nie. Namun, isi hati harus diluahkan. Harap youthsay tak banned post nie ek.. Tapi korang pikir la balik. 'rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan'. Boleh pakai ke slogan nie? Nie dekat kampung aku masih bersepah lagi rakyat yang miskin dan memerlukan bantuan. Sedangkan 'orang besar' masih bersenang-lenang dengan kesenangan hasil daripada duit rakyat sendiri.

Kenapa nak hebohkan sangat pasal 1malaysia nieh? Kalau itulah matlamat mereka,juz laksanakan je la. Xpayah nak heboh melalui media massa tentang benda karut nieh. Konon nak beritahu yang merekalah yang memperjuangkan nasib rakyat negara nie.  Hipokrit betul lah..! Yang kuat menindas yang lemah, kaya menindas miskin. Inikah 1Malaysia?

Namun,aku cuba memandangnya dari sudut positif. Bagi aku ada eloknya jugak konsep 1Malaysia nieh. Itupun kalau kerajaan betul2 dapat melaksanakannya. Bukanlah mudah untuk menyatupadukan semua bangsa yang ada dalam negara dan membuang sifat racist masing2. Kalau itu boleh dilakukan memang respect lah!! Salute Dato' Najib..!! Beri sedikit masa kepada mereka untuk membuktikan konsep 1Malaysia dan slogan 'rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan' tu benar2 serius. Sebab aku tengok dalam tahun pertama nie hanya 'pencapaian diutamakan' jer yang jalan. Tu pown bila time pilihanraya jer. Dah la. Malas nak cakap banyak2. Setel!! Inilah pendapat aku sebagai remaja!!

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Race or country first?

Definitelylah country first. Bagi aku kita perlu buang sifat untuk memajukan bangsa sendiri sahaja untuk berjaya. Ini adalah Malaysia. Negara yang dimiliki oleh orang Melayu,Cina,India,Iban dan sebagainya lagi. Ini adalah negara kita. Kita xboleh lah untuk membengunkan bangsa sendiri jer. Kalau bangsa kita maju sekalipown sedangkan bangsa lain masih terkial-kial, bagaimana Malaysia nie nak maju? Masih ada lagi masyarakat atau bangsa yang mundur.

Pasal tension pula, aku rasa memang wujud arh. Tetapi bukan antara races, tapi antara peninsular dan Sabah Sarawak. Aku rasa masyarakat Sabah dan Sarawak sebilangannya masih xdapat menerima masyarakat semenanjung. Mereka masih keliru dan mengganggap rakyat semenanjung nie sebagai perompak. MAAF skali lagi. Ini bukan crita rekaan aku. Aku terbaca pasal nie di sebuah forum. Memang saling kutuk2 antara satu sama lain. Bahkan ada diantara mereka yang mengatakan agar mereka dapat keluar dari Malaysia. Ini memang di luar jangkaan. Jadi? Kerajaan 1Malaysia, tolong cari jalan penyelesaian..!

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Negara besar seperti Amerika mungkin masih menganggap Malaysia nie hanya sebagai negara kecil yang masih lagi bergantung kepada kuasa2 besar untuk membangunkan Malaysia ini. Itu pendapat aku dalam bidang ekonomi dan teknologi. Dalam segi lain pulak, masyarakat luar yang pernah melawat Malaysia semestinya akan melabel Malaysia sebagai negara yang aman. Rakyat sering beri senyuman dan layanan baik kepada mereka. Namun itu hanya kepada pelancong asing. Korang sendiri pown mungkin pernah berselisih dengan RAKYAT negara kita sendiri di jalan kan? Ada penah kita atau diorang memberi senyuman? Kalau ada pown rasanya susah nak jumpak la de.

So, aku harap rakyat Malaysia nie xkira bangsalah masing2 berusaha untuk mengharumkan nama Malaysia di mata dunia pada masa akan datang. Tak kiralah dari sudut ekonomi,politik,sukan dan sebagainya. Ini aku cakap bukan untuk orang laen jer, tapi sebagai pembakar semangat untuk diri aku sendiri. Biarlah negara2 celaka macam Israel tu pown akan respek Malaysia satu hari nanti. Itu respek dari sudut ketenteraan lah kowt. Hak2.

Terbaru, rakyat Malaysia mungkin antara korban dalam serangan rejim zionis ke atas kapal bantuan ke Gaza! Yeah..Rakyat Malaysia dah jadi korban zionis laknatullah sekarang! Takkan nak biar je bai??

Sedih nak tinggal blog nie. Kalo nak make fren add la aku.
http://www.facebook.com/CaonStyloMylo 
http://last.fm/user/rebellion92
http://twitter.com/PetrIkhwan

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away

Firstly, I'd like you to know that no national topic has concerned me, or conflicted me as much as 1Malaysia has. But it must be said. 1Malaysia will not materialise. Shame, because it is such a valiant effort by Najib, and it has, is, and will guzzle more taxpayers money. It is also a shame that his own Deputy put his efforts two (or more) steps back by saying "I am Malay first, but being Malay doesn't mean I am not Malaysian," in retaliation to DAP leader Lim Kit Siang's challenge for him to state whether he is a Malay or a Malaysian first.

If someone that high up does not believe in the Malaysian concept, how can any implementation possibly see results? For that reason, among others, including existing inter-racial tensions, 1Malaysia will not work.

"Will running down your own country make others respect us more?", said Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim. Quoted from today's The Star, page 9. Dear Minister, my answer is YES, if it means promoting change and action for the betterment of my homeland, then so be it!

I grew up thinking I was a Chinese Malaysian. But I can change. Hear me roar, I am Malaysian! Though I do it with a little timidness, and a little reluctance, because my country is not up to par with my expectations. 

And how can you stereotype Malaysians? Sure, perhaps our accents may be a little weird to other citizens of the world, but it is such a no-brainer, since Malaysian's are such a diverse bunch of people. 

And still I hope. Hope beyond hope, that someday we will be at peace with one another.

1Malaysia

I think 1Malaysia gave people many opportunity to learn and share each others cultures as they're unique. I like it because it gives a bond with each other. I also love the fact that Malaysia have lots of different cultures and I can learn about them without worrying anyone will be mad. I'm happy I get to live here. My vision for Malaysia in the next 5 years is that Malaysia will be known as a peace-loving country that has many races, religions and cultures.

I think the various races in this country makes this country very unique. As a Malay, I do think of my race but I usually think of what I can do to this country so that everyone is treated equally. I do think there is some tension between various races in this country and I do think its kind of sad. We should live in peace as this is our country. We wouldn't want anyone to invade it right? We should learn more of each other and learn to respect others.

I think people from all of the world respect Malaysia as we can live harmony even with various races. I would want people to view Malaysia as a harmony country with various races and religion and is ahead of other country economically, and have high technology. :)

PS : It's the end of my post. Thank you for reading and thank you YouthSays for inviting :). Let's all pray for Malaysians abroad and for Palestins. Hope they're safe. Amin.

#10 and the end of it, 1 Malaysia

I think 1 Malaysia is a great idea, implementing togetherness in us. I support it, yes, but I'm not a whole fanatic about it and I don't intend to have a really strong say in this ..... wait, I really don't have a strong perception about it. haha

In the next 5 years, Malaysia will grow bigger than it is now. But it will grow ever bigger if the government patches up and do touch-ups here and there. Wait, LOADS of touch-ups, especially on the politics issues. *sigh*

The various races we have here in Malaysia is so awesome I can't put it in words. It's even more awesome the fact that we don't really fight about it. Saying we completely don't is a complete lie. Racism still occurs and I personally hate it and I feel really offended by it even when a Chinese dislikes an Indian or a Malay dislikes a Chinese. I mean, to the hell with you! !*#@$@^%&^%#@

I might say I think of my religion first. But putting that aside, I'd stand up for my country first before my race. It's just who we are, our colour, it's just that and through Allah's eyes, we are all the same to Him, no matter what.

As what I said earlier, I wouldn't lie to say that there isn't any tension between these various races. There is. And it's still happening right now.

Yes, there is a typical Malaysian stereotype but it doesn't happen so strongly in every place in the world. But yes, certain people from certain parts of the world dislike Malaysians.

I would love for people to look up to Malaysia and Malaysians one day. For them to respect us and love our culture and our ways. And if them would stop thinking of us Malaysians as mundur and criticize us Malaysians as only Muslims and that we are too, terrorists. *sigh sigh sigh sigh*

But in order for other people to do that, we ourselves must repair the damage and be better.

The last post from me :)

Have a good day, everyone!

1Malaysia - The Government's Denial

What do you think of 1Malaysia? Please explain your answer (likes, dislikes, emotions etc) in details. What is your vision of Malaysia in the next 5 years?

We can lie and negate our true thoughts to avoid possible prosecutions, but the truth is the only thing that can really help the country and it will be always brutal - whether the government likes it or not:

1MALAYSIA DOESN'T WORK

After half a century of political parties playing the racial card, making a certain race feel special just to gain votes and creating this long-term community psychological effect, does the government really expect everything to change because they designed a number using the Malaysian flag?

It's like chopping down all the trees on earth and putting up a "GO GREEN" sign, expecting the trees to magically reappear. Any Tom, Dick and Harry would know that this isn't how it works.

1Malaysia is nothing but a meaningless statement. Something like Malaysia Boleh. If screaming 'Malaysia Boleh' brings our country to great heights, why are we now at the verge of bankruptcy? Why is 'The Dot' beneath Malaysia 20 years more advanced when it doesn't even have water, oil, rubber trees and palm trees? The same goes for 1Malaysia. Using the phrase in speeches, news reports and articles isn't going to change anything. There are hardly any significant initiatives we can see that upholds what the phrase stands for.

Sure, we know 1Malaysia is all about racial togetherness. But how do you expect a nation to change when the people have been literally brainwashed for the past half a century?

The question is: what is the difference between now and then that will cause racial unity? If nothing has changed, how do you expect that mere phrase to cause a nationwide psychological revolution?

As far as I am concerned, I'm still required to disclose my race when I'm filling in forms, I still need to tell the government what religion I belong to and I'm still being denied equal citizen rights because my ancestors were from another country. What is this, original sin?

I shall not go to my visions for the country because honestly, I don't have one and I'm not going to think one up for the sake of this post because then it wouldn't be sincere. Let's face it - Malaysia is in a mess. The executive is controlling everything, the parliament fails to represent the people, the judiciary is not transparent, the monarchy has lost its powers and the written constitution has been violated with no consequences. As a notable blogger said, "We must first cure the cause, not the symptoms". This subconcious racial segregation arises due to a problematic country management, fix that problem and it shall be solved. 1Malaysia is completely unnecessary. I hope that the government will refrain from further wasting more of our diminishing money reserves (as if we have any) to market this pointless slogan.


What do you think about the various races in this country? Do you think about your race or country first? Why? Do you think there is a tension between the various races in this country or not?

What do I think of the various races? You see, this is what my rant is about. Everything has to be broken down into Malay, Chinese, Indian and others. I'm not blaming the person who set this question; as I have said above, it is a psychological thing which has been carved in stone in the minds of the people. I'm not saying that it is a permanent effect, but the stone is not going to change its shape within a short amount of time.

That being said, the answer to the second question will be: I think of my race first. I'm sure any Malaysian who is asked this question will give the same answer, provided that the answer is truthful. However, many people, like the Prime Minister or even the Opposition Leader, wouldn't be caught dead giving the answer I just gave.

The tension? The tension is but an issue concerning inequal treatment. Some may say that those without special rights are jealous people, but I beg to differ. I'm one of these 'unloved' citizens but I don't see a reason to be jealous. I live a good life and my family can afford the occasional luxury. Plus, it's not like special treatment is going to give me enough money to build a palace. But the question is: why divide us? Does the government not see that these segregations totally contradicts 1Malaysia? How is 1Malaysia going to succeed when Malaysia doesn't love her children equally?

Then again, I'm sure I'm not the first person who said this. But no one is listening, not even the Parliament.

How do you think people from all over the world see Malaysia? Do you think there is a typical “Malaysian” stereotype? How would you want people to view “Malaysians” in the future?

I am about to sound somewhat unpatriotic here, but I think that Malaysia is too insignificant a country to exist in someone's perspective. I mean, Singapore a.k.a. The Dot is a developed country and we are not. Many a time, I have chatted with people online and I when I tell them I'm from Malaysia, they'll ask me, "Where is that?" And when I say it's above Singapore, they'll go, "Ohhh, now I know where it is."

Conclusion: People all over the world see Malaysia as a humungous, resource-filled flab of land embarassingly situated above a highly developed, resourceless dot.

I also think that the citizens do not live in harmony enough to form a stereotype, unlike Singaporeans who are generally kiasu and Americans who are generally fat.

And for the last question, I don't care how people view Malaysians in the future. I believe every person succeeds as an individual. Countries, on the other hand, succeed because of a group of successful individuals, also known as its citizens. As long as we live a long, happy and prosperous life, who cares how the world look at us? Low self esteem ah? :)

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And this concludes my last post for the Real Voices 2 Youth Blogging Project. I want to thank the organisers for providing a platform for us youths to collectively voice our thoughts so that we stand a better chance of being heard.

Thank you for reading and take care everyone!


~ Angelina

This post will not have any p\hotos since blogger was such a bitch with my photos in my previous post

I got hair extensions.!
And it's like so cheap in Singapore la.
I did 8 strands of lala pink and 4 strands of lala green, all for only $12!
It's located at some mall at Orchard road, it's called northwest, or southeast or eastwest or something like that.

Singapore sale seems to be a really expensive sale at the moment. I spent my day on Bugis Streets instead. There's one lane there called the $10 dollar street. EVERYTHING is 10 bucks. Damn nice. Floral dresses, high waist pants and all.

This is my last post here (mutters:thank God).
Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to find a wifi spot in Singapore? (something to think about when you're looking who to give the extra cash from the 5 drop outs to)
I mean honestly there's the news about how the whole singapore is wifi-ed and all but what they DON'T tell you is that you have to PAY FOR IT.
Yes, i'm a cheapskate and would rather spend my cash on Cotton On and Hair extensions so yes, i'd rather go around asking every shop if they proive FREE wifi.

So today I'll be blogging on... ho ho ho...

1 Malaysia

If I ter-type and like cause some national drama ah, I refuse to go to jail because I was ASKED to blog about my Opinions on 1 Malaysia. so yeah, put the Youtsays ppl in jail (tsk.)

Okay here goes, I think 1 Malaysia is what the government is using to put on a show to the other countries that we're progressing and being a democratic nation (though i beg to differ)


NOW WAIT.... STOOOPP.. don't criticize me now, or YET. Hear me out.
I'm not criticizing the 1 Malaysia concept, I'm criticizing the way the government is running it.

1 Malaysia, by itself, is genius. It brings the sense of togetherness and bond between the citizens.It's a step ahead for the country to create tighter relationships between it's people which leads to greater accomplishments for the country.
But in my opinion, the 1 Malaysia concept can only be applied in Malaysia when the whole "special privileges to Muslims" thing is stopped.

I mean the fact that the government is still giving special privileges to a specific group of people in the country is already contradicting the 1Malaysia concept.
No I'm not dissing the muslims here (so no throwing eggs and shoes at me). If you're going to be giving special privileges to Muslims,fine with me, then give the other citizens special privileges too (and I'm not talking about McD vouchers here).

The whole thing about how we "owe" it to the Muslims since their fore fathers allowed the Chinese and Indians to reside in Malaysia is a grandfather story la.
Yes, I will respect and thank you're fore fathers for being so gracious but IT'S ALL OF US (MALAYS, INDIANS AND CHINESE) WHO BROUGHT UP THIS COUNTRY.

If the government is going to bring up the story of our Muslim fore fathers every time the Muslim's Special Privileges is questioned,then by all means,please stay in wooden houses because that's where your fore fathers stayed, please watch black and white tv, please use telegrams to communicate and please don't sleep with air con.

Sounds absert doesn't it?
Why is it that today we stay in brick houses? Why do we use the internet and mobile phones to communicate? Why do we have satellite tv?

BECAUSE WE HAVE PROGRESSED

and in the same way,our government policies should progress.

I will not categorize the different races in the country and state what I think of them because they are all similar to me, they are Malaysians. I don't think any race is superior to the other. One race might be getting better treatment, but when we're all stripped down and naked, we're all the same.

Yes, there's definitely tension between the races in the country. That's what you get when you give special privileges to one race and not the others. It's the same when you have kids, you don't give only 1 child special attention.
So duh, there's tension in the country and THE GOVERNMENT ASKED FOR IT.

I think about my race before my country. I can't help it.
The government is already giving special treatment to 30% of the nation. It's a duh factor that the rest of the 70% will start to look out for themselves and that includes putting their race before the country.
Why? Because the government caused that divide between the citizens in the 1st place.

If something is not done soon, I see Malaysia becoming smaller and smaller. I see citizens of all races leaving for other countries. I've spent 5 days in Singapore so far and have already met a bunch of Malaysians with Singaporean PR's (and these people are of different races)

and that's all for 1 Malaysia. I'm not going to answer the last question cause my answers won't be very polite.Now seriously.

We Malaysians have already risen up, we're waiting for the government to come along.

Signing off for the last time EVER
with love,
sabrina

(just so you know, in no way was the author influenced by her dad, or anyone else while writing this post. This all comes from the heart and I still do love you ,Malaysia. I just have issues with your government. Don't we all?)

All-in-One New Malaysia

~Opinion on 1Malaysia~

Well,after our country was taken by the sixth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, he immediately introduce new concept/philosophy namely as 1Malaysia to unite all citizens and folks from various ethnic,religion,races,and background.

Personally, I don't really think of it in optimistic manner, since we have been independent for more than half a century already, but we still need to implement new campaign to unite all Malaysians. It sounds ridiculous when we are not yet in one soul and one mind even after half a century. Well, it can't be helped since there are various reasons for this, and I don't think 1Malaysia is good enough to amend to this flaw.

My vision of Malaysia in the next 5 years would be nothing in particular, really... Well, of course there are some development in progress like Wilayah Iskandar, implementation for the usage of fibre optic to enhance internet speed, and also the most recent plan from the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to obligate every household to classify their waste deposit into organic and non-organic or something like that in 2013 if I'm not mistaken. Honestly, this is something that had been implemented and practised in Japan as far as I know, and Malaysia has only started to make initiative on it. Well,anyway,that would make an improvement in Malaysia for sure.

~Racism and Patriotism~

My thought on various races in Malaysia is it is a good thing since it feels like we're living in international environment with many different cultures,languages,foods and people surrounding us everyday as if it is natural~ Well, when it come about thinking of race or country first, I would not choose between them,instead, I'll choose my religion first. The two choices aren't really relevant and it only caused things to stir up. I got to say for those who choose race over nation, they are racism, and it's not something good to be practised in this multiracial country. Therefore, I would choose nation as my second choice after my religion. I know that for some people, they feel like choosing race first because of inequality right in Malaysia in a lot of ways, and I would like to highlight here about education. The existence of various racial school like Chinese school and Indian school will only separate the people from the beginning. It's not a wonder that they become racist when they are grown since they happened to grow in an environment that encourage racism. I also know that the existence of these school is for the sake of preserving cultures of each own race, but why such education can't be taught at national school instead? There's also another matter about 2 different pre-u programs in Malaysia, which are STPM and Matriculation. Both are obviously different in difficulty, yet they are treated equally in Malaysia, what an absurd thing. This is different in the eyes of world. STPM is more widely accepted by worldwide rather than Matriculation (although there are some that accept it) because of they acknowledge STPM as equal and at the same level as other famous pre-u programs like A-Level,HSC (STPM is indeed HSC but of Malaysia) and more. These are some of the reasons why tension exists between races in Malaysia. Although it is true that Matriculation is actually designed to allow more Malays and Bumiputra to be admitted in university since at past, there were hardly any of Malays and Bumiputras in university due to disqualification. I personally think that it is better to have only one system and improvise it to be well recognized by the whole world.

~World Perceptions~

Hmm,I don't really know how to answer this,but I guess people from all over the world still see Malaysia as a harmony multiracial Country. This is most probably because of during their tour in Malaysia, they had seen Malaysia as a country where there are a lot of cultures and different races of people, but still they can cooperate in a lot of ways. I'm not so sure if there's any typical 'Malaysian' stereotype since we are of different backgrounds, and so, maybe there's little common traits of us, but I believe there's that streotype like how Manglish (Malaysian English) was created~ It is only possible because we share the same nation and if we happen to have a lot of these common stereotype between various races in Malaysia, perhaps we can make people become closer than the way it is now~ ;-)

I would want people to view 'Malaysians' as the whole multiracial people and not only focusing on certain ethnic and race. When that time comes, that's the only time we really make it as 1Malaysians~

That's it for Real Voices 2 project, special thanks and appreciation to Youth Says for giving me chance to voice my thought in this blog~ See ya~

10.

One for all and all for one?
1 malaysia is a slogan taken right from 1 israel? I don’t know you tell me. I personally don’t believe in this 1 malaysia campaign. They say it’s political-based campaign. I don’t know about that. Salam 1 malaysia? Like what is that really? It’s not even a proper greeting. But well, since there is such campaign that’s trying to unite us all, there’s no harm in supporting it eh?

Prediction prediction. I see it. Yes, I see it.
Haha. Guess what? Now you don’t need to pay a clairvoyant or a bomoh to predict the future since you can do it yourself. Cool huh? Yeay! *clap* so, hmm Malaysia in another 5 years? Well here’s my forecast.

Malaysia’s politic stays the same, sucks big time. The rich get richer and fatter, the poor stays poor and skinny. More babies aborted, abandoned, buried alive. Dead environment, more animal extinction.

That, is what’s going to happen if we don’t make a change now.

See me see you.
I heard foreigners saying malaysia’s a beautiful and peaceful country and the citizens are very friendly and polite and all other nice things except the part when we are on the road. Malaysians tend to be scary when they’re on the road. Well that is something I’d like to agree with. How I’d like them to view us? well, of course all the good things lah.

Being Malaysians.
Imagine being a cat in a big city with everyone around. Look up, what can you see? Arse and more arse right? Well now, being a cat, you dont, you cant stereotype and be racist because all you can see is butt not the color of the people’s skin and all butts look pretty much the same from your view aye. So here i am saying is, let us consider that everyone is the same. By this i mean, take Malaysian as a race instead of nationality. Don’t get me the wrong way. My point is just look at everyone as Malaysians instead of filtering them by ethnicities. Maybe then we can all unite? God what am I saying, I pun tak tau. Anyway, I dont know that is just a suggestion, my 20cent worth of point of view.

Conclusion
Malaysia is a country with various ethnicities, diversity cultures. Well, you guys know that right. There’s Iban, Dayak, Malay, Indian, Chinese, Penan, and a lot more to mention. Im sure you guys know that too. Anyway, eventhou we all live different lifestyles, one thing I found common is that we all live in a place called Malaysia; we all stand on the same ground named as Malaysia. There is no need to fight one another, make peace, look out for each other and we can live harmoniously and prosperously.

Gosh, only God knows how glad I am this is over. zz

1MALAYSIA OH 1MALAYSIAKU

• Apa yang anda fikirkan tentang 1Malaysia? Sila terangkan jawapan anda (yang disukai, tidak disukai, emosi anda dan sebagainya) secara terperinci. Bagaimanakah gambaran anda tentang Malaysia dalam 5 tahun akan datang?

Pada fikiran saya 1Malaysia ialah kesinambungan daripada konsep Muhibbah yang diperkenalkan sebelum ini..... Pada mulanya satu Malaysia dilihat sebagai satu penyelamat setelah PRu ke 12 bagi menarik undi bagi pilihan raya seterusnya.....Tetapi setelah saya amati gagasan ini dilihat mampu menyatukan dan merapatkan kembali jurang yang semakin terbuka luas antara masyarakat negara ini yang dahulunya bersatu kemudian berpecah akibat hasutan pihak tidak Bertanggungjawab.

Konsep gagasan 1malaysia diharap dapat menyatu padukan masyarakat.... Sudah sedia maklum bahawa ini negara kita bersama bukannya tempat untuk berperang bagi menyebarkan propaganda masing-masing..... Rakyat Malaysia yang terdiri daripada pelbagai hendaklah bersatu demi membentuk bangs Malaysia yang bersatu padu.....Sejarah telah menunjukkan akibat perpecahan didalam kerajaan Melayu Melaka telah membuaka ruang penjajah mengambil kesempatan menyerang negara ini.... Jadi penting untuk kita bersatu menyolong Gagasan ini yang merupakan kesinambungan daripada konsep muhibbah agar ekonomi negara ini terus meningkat.....

Gambaran saya BN mungkin akan hilang lebih banyak kerusi diparlimen sekiranya berterusan menjaga hati Minoriti dan mngenepikan Majoriti sepatutnya ianya perlu seimbang dan dikaji betul2..... Inflasi lebih tinggi dari sekarang , tidak ramai anak muda dapat melanjutkan pelajaran ke Universiti kerana yuran lebih mahal keadaan akan kembali kezaman orang semakin susah ..... Ramai yang tidak dapat kesekolah kerana harga buku yang mahal dan juga lebih ramai orang asing tinggal di Malaysia manakala rakyatnya terpaksa keluar mencari kerja di Negara luar semakin banyak penduduk hilang tempat tinggal atas dasar pembangunan.....

Jadi Harapan saya kepada kerajaan fikir dulu perasaan rakyat sementara anda masih berkuasa..... Jgn jadikan Bn seperti di Jepun iaitu parti pemerintah paling lama......
Saya sokong Gagasan 1Malaysia yang mana rakyat diahulukan pencapaian diutamakan
tetapi kenapa kelihatan moto 1 Malaysia makin hilang adakah kita takut muflis seperti Greece....
Ekonomi kita semakin stabil dan kita berada diluar kapsul eropah serta mempunyai ramai tokoh kewangan hebat untuk dirujuk bukannya terus melepaskan beban kepada rakyat.....

Isu penggunaan tenaga saya rasa lebih baik menggunakan tenaga solar berbanding nuklear.....
Ini kerana negara ini berada di garisan khatulistiwa yang sentiasa mendapat cahaya matahari.....
Isu penggunaan tenaga nuklear saya risau sekiranya berlaku letupan seprti di Chernobyl,Ukraine yang memberikan lebih banyak kerugian daripada kos pembaikan pulih dan juga kawasan tersebut tak boleh diduduki.....

INI Soalan Saya Kepada Kerajaan
Kenapa perlu mengurangkan subsidi terhadap rakyat negara ini tetapi menghapuskan cukai itu dan ini demi menarik warga asing datang melabur dan tinggal disini.....
Kenapa perkenalkan gst sedangkan cukai sekarang pun dah tinggi dan sekarang bukan semua barangan kena service charge....
Kenapa harga hartanah tinggi dan seperti cuma mampu dibeli oleh orang daripada negara lain yang menggunakan currency matawang mereka lebih besar... Adakah rakyat negara ini cuma akan tinggal di flat kos rendah dan sederhana????

Saya memohon maaf andai kata bahasa saya kasar ini kerana saya cuma mengeluarkan pendapat saya.....

• Apakah pendapat anda tentang masyarakat berbilang bangsa di negara ini? Adakah anda utamakan bangsa atau pun negara? Kenapa? Adakah anda rasa wujud perasaan tegang di antara pelbagai kaum di negara ini?

Saya rasa kesal dengan sikap sesetengah pihak membangkitkan isu-isu lapuk yang dah lama berlalu seperti 30% equti bumiputera isu perkauman dan juga isu-isu sensitif yang dah lama berlalu..... Saya rasa semua pihak perlu membangkitkan semangat cintakan negara ini dan bukan sikap perkauman atau menuding jari.....

Masyarakat Malaysia yang berbilang kaum membentuk bangsa Malaysia sememangnya hebat dan baik.... Tiada negara lain yang mempunyai rakyat yang bebas mempertahankan kepercayaan dan budaya seperti dinegara.... KIta boleh meraikan pelbagai hari perayaan di Malaysia dengan aman dan tenteram......Kita boleh makan bersama ,bincang bersama,bermain bersama dengan aman tanpa mengira warna kulit .....

bersama kita renungkan lyric 2lagu Sudirman ini

KULIT

One Thousand MIlion Smiles


• Bagaimanakah anda rasa rakyat dari seluruh dunia melihat tentang Malaysia? Adakah anda rasa terdapat stereotaip biasa tentang rakyat atau budaya Malaysia? Bagaimanakah anda mahukan setiap orang melihat rakyat Malaysia di masa hadapan?

Saya ada bercakap dengan seorang pelancong asing dari Canada dia menyatakan perasaan tenteram di Malaysia kerana baginya susah untuk meliaht semua orang makan sekali berbincang sekali tanpa ada rasa takut walau berbeza bangsa....
Katanya dia teringin agar suasana aman dan tenteram begini dapat dikekalkan...

Saya mahu orang melihat Malaysia sebagai sebuah ngara yang kukuh dan hebat dari semua bidang dan menjadi negara yang mengamalkan keamanan



BE YOURSELF RESPECT OTHERS

SATU MALAYSIA

RAKYAT DIDAHULUKAN, PENCAPAIAN DIUTAMAKAN.

Sejauh manakah keberkesanan 1 Malaysia... Rakyat didahulukan??? Sejauh manakah rakyat kita didahulukan? Adakah dengan mengurangkan pelbagai subsidi dapat mendahulukan rakyat?

Hujah mereka yang ingin mengurangkan subsidi:
> Negara kita antara negara yang paling banyak memberikan subsidi di dunia
> Subsidi turut diterima oleh para pelancong dan juga rakyat negara jiran
> Subsidi khas akan diberikan kepada keluarga yang berpendapatan kurang RM3,000
> Negara kemungkinan bankrap jika subsidi dikurangkan

Hujah rakyat bagi mengekalkan subsidi:
> Kadar segala cukai yang perlu dibayar pun tinggi, kemana pula pergi duit daripada cukai tersebut sehingga mahu menambahkan lagi beban rakyat dengan mengurangkan jumlah subsidi.
> Apakah gunanya kad pintar (MyKad) sekiranya tidak digunakan dengan sepenuhnya? –Hal ini dapat menyekat pembelian barangan bersubsidi oleh pengunjung daripada negara luar...
> Sekiranya kelonggaran diberikan kepada keluarga berpendapatan bawah RM3,000, bagaimanakah pula dengan keluarga yang berpendapatan atas daripada itu tetapi mempunyai anak yang ramai???

Mungkin ayat-ayat saya ini nampak terlalu membangkang... Tetapi, hayatilah dahulu maksud saya ini... Maaf jika terdapat kesalahan dalam memberikan fakta... Jika ayat diatas kurang menyenangkan mana-mana pihak, emel saya supaya saya dapat mengubah semula post saya ini...

Pada pandangan saya, Malaysia pada 5 tahun akan datang dapat menjadi negara yang lebih membangun daripada sekarang sekiranya isu politik dan rasuah dapat diatasi dengan bijak... Disamping itu, saya juga berharap agar pihak media lebih telus dan adil dalam menyampaikan berita... Amalan berat sebelah dapat membuatkan orang lebih mempercayai golongan yang dipinggirkan... Saya berharap media Malaysia mengambil tindakan terhadap sumber ini:

Rakyat berbilang kaum, agama dan warna kulit yang  hidup dengan aman dan damai merupakan sesuatu yang amat membanggakan nama Malaysia... Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, tidak semua negara yang mempunyai pelbagai kaum, agama dan warna kulit dapat hidup dengan tenteram.

Namun demikian, terdapat juga jarak antara kaum dengan kaum yang lain... Tidak dinafikan, sikap  mementingkan kaum masih lagi kuat walaupun pelbagai usaha dijalankan... Objektif 1 Malaysia kemungkinan mengambil masa yang panjang untuk dicapai.

Pandangan orang luar terhadap negara pastinya berbeza-beza mengikut individu dan masyarakat... Sudah tentu, terdapat pandangan positif dan juga negatif. Harapan saya pada masa akan datang, pandangan serong orang luar dapat ditangkis walaupun negara kita ini cuma kecil sahaja... Biarlah negara kecil, asalkan pujian orang luar besar....

 MY BATCH > SPM 2009 OF SEKOLAH MENENGAH SAINS TELUK INTAN

(22ND BATCH OF SEMESTI)

________________________________________________________

HUH! Habis juga saya menyiapkan projek ini... Mohon maaf sekiranya ayat-ayat saya sukar difahami dan juga menimbulkan kemarahan mana-mana pihak... Sini saya sediakan backlink untuk catatan(post) saya yang terdahulu...

Day 1: REMAJA + MASAKINI = ???

Day 2: THE POWER OF 'F'...
Day 3: K.E.J.A.Y.A.A.N.
Day 4: IS MONEY VITAL???
Day 5: ☺DALAM TALIAN
Day 6: ADD AS FRIEND
Day 7: HEE-BOO-RUN
Day 8: FAVOURITES
Day 9: Brand does not represent quality
Day 10: SATU MALAYSIA

LAST

1 Malaysia. Sejujurnya, sy masih tak faham dgn konsep 1 Malaysia. Apa yg sy tahu, 1 Malaysia ialah tema yg menjunjung perpaduan. Tapi, itu sahajakah? Pertama kali sy dengar pasal 1 Malaysia ni, sy rasa agak pelik. Kenapa 1 Malaysia? Nak tiru 1-Israel kah? Entahlah...! Bg sy, konsep Malaysia Boleh yg Dr Mahathir buat dulu lebih elok dan mudah difahami. Kalau 1 Malaysia ni, mungkin pendekatannya berbeza. Dan penggagasnya perlu memberi penerangan yg jelas kpd rakyat supaya rakyat keliru. Atau 1 Malaysia memang utk mengelirukan rakyat??

Sy utamakan kedua-duanya. Bangsa dan negara. Sy nk tengok bangsa sy berjaya, dan negara sy maju. Tak bermaksud sy nk tengok bangsa lain gagal, atau negara lain tertindas. Setiap individu atau kelompok ada matlamat masing-masing. Berusahalah ke matlamat tersebut. Yang penting, matlamat dan usaha kita itu tidak memudaratkan orang lain. Takkan kita nk bahagia atas kesengsaraan orang lain. Apa yg ada dalam Perlembagaan Kemerdekaan atau Perlembagaan Malaysia sudah cukup. Itu hasil kejayaan para pejuang tanah air kita. Tak perlu nak pertikaikan lagi. Sy tak tahu apa pandangan seluruh dunia tentang Malaysia. Mungkin ada yg tidak tahu Malaysia itu apa..sy pasti. Memanglah Malaysia dah buat byk rekod dan pencapaian-pencapaian hebat. Sayangnya bg sy, itu semua masih belum cukup utk Malaysia. Bukan sy tak hargai semua itu, tapi sy rasa sebenarnya kita mampu lakukan lebih dari itu. Kita boleh pergi lebih jauh. Yang jadi masalah, apabila ada pihak yg tak bertanggungjawab, korupsi, khianat, fitnah, gaduh dan pecah-belah. Adoi...kalau kita tak cari jalan selesaikan benda ni, susah utk kita maju ke hadapan. Dari pemimpin hingga rakyat, semuanya bertanggungjawab terhadap negara tercinta ini. Maka, setiap dari kita perlu bertindak. Remaja-remaja seperti sy, pasti ramai yg sudah pasang azam utk mengubah keadaan tak elok di M’sia dan nak bawa Malaysia ke peringkat yg lebih tinggi. Bagus. Jangan takut utk berjuang. Terus mara ke hadapan. Write our future...and fulfill it!

1Malaysia? Not at the rate we are going

Recently I participated in the citrawarna 2010 with my school. Now the reason I'm starting of with this is because it was during this that I truly got to understand how oversatured the 1Malaysia campaign is. Everywhere you look it is 1Malaysia. For starters every morning there was a laungan 1Malaysia. I don't know who came up with the idea of shouting 1Malaysia as a form of motivation but apparantly that's what the Government departments do so that's what we do too. I humbly pardoned myself. The thing I couldn't stand is the fact that you could see the 1Malaysia logo plastered everywhere. It's bad enough that they defacated a national monument the Sultan Abdul Samad Building by plastering not one but two 1Malaysia logos on it. Then they changed the theme from 'Colours of Malaysia' to 'Colours of 1Malaysia'. Next thing you know they're going to change the name Malaysia to 1Malaysia.

During one of the finale dances, everyone is supposed to hold hands which is suppose to symbolise unity amongst races EXCEPTION is if the person next to you is of a different gender. And the thing is all the participants are in their teens and older so it's not like we're shy or anything. To me that means we are striving for racial integration but not gender equality. Hmmm?

So personally I feel that this campaign is the best idea our country has seen in decades and I am proud to be part of the generation that gets to move this forward. However if our politicians keep acting the way they do, saying they things they say, and doing the things they do there is no way we are going to move forward. How do you expect to create a Bangsa Malaysia when your Deputy Prime Minister says he is Malay first not Malaysian. And even then UMNO shunned the a Malaysian race concept not once but twice. When Lee Kuan Yew mooted the idea of a Malaysian Malaysia, one with an equal playing field and meritocracy. Meritocracy you say? Isn't that one of the principles in the 1Malaysia concept. Then there was the Malayan Union during post World War 2 colonial rule which suggested making all immigrants and their families Malaysian citizens and at the same time creating a republican style Government which would effectively isolate the individual monarchy of every state which would also remove the enshrinement of Malay special rights which came under the protection of the monarchy. This itself was what got UMNO going to fight the Malayan Union which they eventually succeeded and led to the Malays being given special places in Government scholarships, civil office and etc under Federal Constitution Act 153. And remember during Ops Lalang YB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, then UMNO Youth Leader unsheathed a keris and said so long as there is UMNO there is the NEP . He even went so far as to say that this keris will taste Chinese blood. And now he's the one who is calling for unity. Why the sudden change? Because the Malaysian people have grown up and now when we go to the polls there is another viable box to tick

Now I don't feel good comparing us with Singapore but of you want to see what Malaysia would've been all you need to do is to look South. A Singaporean will always associate themselves as Singaporean first. I honestly believe that there seriously needs to be a change in the mindset of the people who run this country. I can't name names cause I honestly don't know who is running the country. Hopefully the Government will realise that they need to chance before things are going to happen ASAP.

There definitely has and still is racial tension in this country. Now from my observation it wasn't always this way. When my parents tell me stories of living in the city as well as going back to their hometowns and playing with friends. Getting up to mischief in school with friends of different races. But somewhere in the last 40 years there was shift in the way we saw each other especially at a grassroots level. We started seeing each others races and not each other. I am however happy to say that the Internet has broken down some if these walls but I come from a middle class English speaking family. Most of my friends who come from different racial backgrounds still represent the same demographic. The problem as I see it lie in the lower income groups where children get involved in bad hats but generally stick to their own races. A lot of gangs are racial centered. But we don't go around instigating fear and dischord amongst races . We don't go around calling each other pendatang. All it takes is one guy throw the stone and it'll all begin. But throughout all this we must stay united. We must not give in we must stay united and our resilience will shine through.

But you must remember that Malaysians need to proud of our culture. Not ancestral culture but a Malaysian culture. The culture of 24 hour mamak stalls, blatant double parking, how everyone can curse and swear in all major languages here in Malaysia. These are the things the makes us all uniquely Malaysian. This unity, this underlying bond that we share this is what makes us truly. Foreigners come to Malaysian because we symbolise the very essence of Asia. I know it's corny but Malaysia Is Truly Asia. It's either here or Singapore and face it everyone chews gum.

I blog this final entry as a proud Malaysian youth. A Malaysian, not an Indian, not a Malay, not a Chinese, not a Punjabi, not an Orang Asli, not a Eurasian, not Sri Lankan but a MALAYSIAN!!!!

I hope you all have enjoyed reading my posts just as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I especially enjoyed rewriting this post after my initial post which took me 2 hours to write got wiped out. And just to prove how Malaysian I am, I'm typing this out on my iPhone just so I can watch tv and blog at the same since my dad is using the cursed laptop that wiped out my work.

- Posted using BlogPresss from my iPhone

1ForTheAges

What do you think of 1Malaysia? Please explain your answer (likes, dislikes, emotions etc) in details. What is your vision of Malaysia in the next 5 years?

1Malaysia is an awesome concept. It really went from a political scope to a more people-oriented phenomenon. I like a lot of the programs stemmed from this concept such as the 1Malaysia Clinic. The effort of national unity must be progressive and I think the birth of 1Malaysia does help in that. Only this time, more entities are involved. Large corporations, Non-governmental bodies, and the rakyat themselves all have been embracing this concept and making it work.

So what if we had so many other vision from the government like 1Malaysia. did they fail? are they really that bad?

What do you think about the various races in this country? Do you think about your race or country first? Why? Do you think there is a tension between the various races in this country or not?

I think the various races of the countries really adds colour to the dynamics of the country. We're sitting here on this boiling pot of culture and ideas, which is a good thing. What sometimes can be a hassle is to please everyone. Everyone wants to be pleased.

Honestly, when I think about Malaysia, I think of the races first. Why? simply because all the multiraces makes the country what it is.

As for tension... Maybe, perhaps? All that is different must have friction between them, just like two cloths of different material. But that doesn't mean we cannot have strong bond between all that is different. Good news is, I think the degree of tension is not big enough to cause trouble but I don't know, I live in Sabah, I'm too far away to make a general statement about Malaysia. But here we do have 32 ethnics here and I think whatever policy the government wants to implement that is race related, do come here. We're doing fine in that department.

How do you think people from all over the world see Malaysia? Do you think there is a typical “Malaysian” stereotype? How would you want people to view “Malaysians” in the future?

I think for people who really think and realise how this country was brought up, They'd label us the ultimate underdog. I know I would. Coz we play in the big leagues and yet we're so small... Nobody's rooting for us. Tht's why we gotta root for ourselves people! nobody else is gonna do it.

 For stereotypes.. Malaysians re polite when they're not on the road. That's all I can say ;)

I hope that one day people from around the world won't just push us around and tell us what to do and take advantge of us. I want the citizens of the world to view us as progressive and formidable. I'm glad Tun Dr. Mahathir  stepped up and entered the Malaysia political scene as he had made an impact on that.

And lastly if I could quote a good friend of mine...

"Weih support lah!!"

1MaLaYsiA

1 Malaysia , is a program launch by Najib lately..
Basically, it almost same like the program that launch by the previous Prime Minister..
Their main motives is to unite all the Malaysia that come up from different races & religion..
but what you all thinks about it??
For me, I think it is a good program in the "outer layer" for other to see and think it was good..
If we going to look deeper in our Malaysia  politics ..
There is always a very vivid problem that everybody knows..
which is the the powers that belong to different races are not equal..
The inequality of the power is the main problem that causes the failure of 1Malaysia.

Why would I say so?? Actually  I have been ask by some foreigner.. 

Foreigner: Wow, Malaysia have a lot of different races live together huh??
Me: haha, yea!!
Foreigner: hmm, the Prime Minister can be malay only??
Me: Yea, it always the malay be the Prime Minister only..
Foreigner: why??? I thought other races are sharing this countries too.. how come chinese or india cannot involve in the politics??
Me: * speechless*

Of course, the people all over the world see Malaysia
as very unique country ..
They always think that it was unbelievable and wondering how Malaysia can have so many races lives together..
Anyway, Malaysia always appear good for other countries = )


Conclusion for today is, I do like the concept of 1Malaysia but it seems there are many flaws in it..
Hope the gov will work out a better solutions for it..
or else, the tension between the races will not solve forever ~
Once this problem is solved..
For sure, we will be a more better or greater country than others hehe xD
In this, the people from other countries will also view Malaysians as "superb" !!wakaka xD

If we put ourselves before others!! We will see more and more different things!!

Till we meet again

Day 10: 1Malaysia

Q1 : What do you think of 1Malaysia? Please explain your answer (likes, dislikes, emotions etc) in details. What is your vision of Malaysia in the next 5 years?

I have neutral feelings towards it. It hasn't had any affects on me? I don't know
about you guys but I don't feel any extra patriotic feelings or such feelings ever
since it started? 5 years from now, this program might just be forgotten, it's not like
it's giving such a big impact now, I don't see it getting any better. Maybe it's the way
that they try to approach us that isn't working. To the youths especially. Come on,
you can't deny that most students these days just wanna get over high school and
leave this country right?

Q2 : What do you think about the various races in this country? Do you think about your race or country first? Why? Do you think there is a tension between the various races in this country or not?

Yeah I think there is a tension among the races but that's just some people.
The ones that are so close minded. Every race here plays a very important role in
this country without a doubt. No roti canai without Indians, no nasi lemak without
Malays and no char keow teow without the Chinese. Okay I didn't really know what to
put for the Chinese but you get the damn point. Race doesn't really matter to me, I
mix with everyone in school. Although we do give some harsh racist jokes but we all
just laugh to it together. So stop being morons and just live together.

Q3 : How do you think people from all over the world see Malaysia? Do you think there is a typical “Malaysian” stereotype? How would you want people to view “Malaysians” in the future?

I, have, no, idea. I mean I'm being really honest I have no idea. I guess they
see it as a destination spot. The beaches, highlands, forests and food. A typical Malaysian
would be the ones with mixed Bahasa and English, you know, like that wan lah.
I doubt we'll change must, although it isn't such a good thing, but that's what
makes us Malaysians. So I don't know what you outsiders are gonna be thinking
but we aren't changing!

Editor's note (haha :P)

This was an awesome experience for me, I'd definitely want more of this! I know I've been
complaining that it's a pain in the ass to blog so much and some posts weren't so well written.
It's just that I'm in the middle of my mid term exams. I have to rush the topics on weekends
because I have to study on the weekdays. Now I know in a way how it feels to be a full time
blogger, getting in the mood is so difficult and when you have a crowd with expectations it's also
difficult to satisfy them with constant posts. Well that's all, thanks for having me Youthsays and Ronn. Count me in for future projects!

Over & Out till we meet again.
http://ariffsuffianzainal.blogspot.com/