Friday 30 May 2008

Democratic Choice?

Democracy- where people have a choice through a free and fair voting system.
Sure, Malaysia is no liberal nation, but I sure as hell thought we were democratic.

My friend *Kari* has just been called up for NS, and for many reasons, am not entirely sure if I am too happy about it.

First up: National Service [NS] is a programme whereby a group of people [preferably young people obviuosly] train together for a few months, in the method of warfare, after which they are sent back home, and will be mobilised for the event that a war comes to the nation.
In Israel, every man is called up at 18, and the NS programme is repeated for all male over 18 every two years.
In Singapore, NS is held for every 18 year old male for two years, after which they are free to do as they please [law abidingly]
And in Malaysia, females and males alike are called up at 18 years in a random selection.
In each case, skiving is punishable.

And you know, these people don't actually get a choice. It's compulsory for the chosen ones. In Israel, where war is always up and running on the borders, NS is an important part of survival and life. Of course, if the rest of Islamic Middle East and Israel just stopped warring, they might not have to, but that's besides the point.
The point is that the people who are selected have no choice. In Singapore, no matter where you are in the world, every 18 year old male has to go back and complete his assigned time. In Malaysia, it's slightly better. Malaysians who are overseas, like me, merely have to send proof of my residence in another country should I get chosen, and they will accept it. But what about the others in the country who don't want to go? What about the ones who do? Those people have no excuse- their only escape is to leave the country before they turn 18. Is that really fair?
More importantly, what about the bananas like me? I can't speak malay very well, I'd get bullied and pushed over the minute I stepped into the bus for being 'culturally white'. Well, more Caucasian than most Malaysians anyway.
Then there's the danger factor. Since this programme started up in Malaysia in 2004, I have heard of nothing but rapes. I honestly believe that these instructors can be dangerous people.

All in all, some people may have had good experiences concerning NS, I am not saying that it is totally bad. But honestly? It sounds a bit like harrasment to me.

Mishy <3

Thursday 29 May 2008

University [eek!]

Well, for once, I think I actually have some good news regarding this whole affair. It's ridiculous just how complicated the process actually is here, but I guess it's all in the name of being 'fair'. [Drat this TEE thing, but I shall attempt to go into further detail on another post]

I have just gotten the prospectuses for the universities in Perth, WA [UWA, Curtin, ECU and Murdoch], and I am absolutely estatic!
Yes, for once, regarding this thing. I've taken a look at my first preference university: University of Western Australia, and they actually have the course that I want, as well as the major of my choice included!

Initially (as a wee kid with not that much of a brain) I wanted to do an archaeology degree. And in fact, I still do. Progressing along, I found that I also wanted to do something a little less strange and different than archaeology, just in case I dug up all there was to dig up and was left with nothing to do but dig graveyards instead. XD
So I decided I also wanted to do teaching [Primary School level- I will NEVER subject myself to the horrors of a high school in any country], journalism, editing, creative writing and even psychology. In addition to this, I felt I had to take a career path that would allow me to travel rather than to just sit back and watch the same desk for the next 10 years. [much as my career paths look very mundane, I refuse to allow my lifestyle to be so]

So I opened the prospectus, looked under the 'Arts' section, and voila! Bachelor of Arts (Communications) was there, with the major of Archaeology as an option! Of course, I am also looking at Anthropology, and History as other options, but generally, I am really over the moon right now.

UWA's location is in such an amzing spot as well: smack in the middle of the city and overlooking Margaret River. Imagine waking up to that everyday! Plus it's close by to Subiaco and the Perth CBD, which means I'll probably be getting a lot more excitement than I am at the moment.

The cons? Well, there is a TER of 81...which considering the way the marks are calculated here, should I work well and hard enough, I should be able to gain a TER score of about 85-90. And of course, I'm not so sure I want to travel so far away from home. It take close to half and hour just to get from the CBD to Morley, to have to take the drive all the way to UWA which is even further is...worrying. =/ But I guess I'll have to learn how to take the extra long drive at some stage in time...

Now, I've just gotta work at the exams to get into UWA...

Mishy <3

Tuesday 27 May 2008

Britney Spears Has Taken Over Malaysian Government Schools?

I was reading "The Star" one morning at school, having gotten there way to early, and with nothing to do, and pounced upon this news article:


School uniform sexy, says group

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian group condemned the uniform worn by girls at government schools, saying it encouraged rape and pre-marital sex.

“The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction,” National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari said in a statement.

“It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it,” she said, calling for a review of uniform policy so that it did not violate Islamic ideals.
In multicultural Malaysia, home to majority-Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, female students at government schools have a choice of wearing a white blouse with a knee-length skirt or pinafore.
They may also wear a “baju kurung” and a headscarf is optional for Malay students.
Munirah said that “covering up” according to Islamic precepts was important to fend off social ills, including “rape, sexual harassment and even premarital sex.”

“This leads to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution,” she said.

“Decent clothes which are not revealing can prevent and protect women from any untoward situations,” she said, suggesting that girls wear a blouse of a different colour or with an undergarment.
However, the girls themselves also came in for criticism, with the association saying that some used the white blouse to lure men.

“This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them,” Munirah said.

“This could see them getting molested, having premarital sex and all sorts of things.”
– AFP




After taking a look at this, if I did not believe that the Malaysian education system was a little far-fetched before this, I am almost certain that it has ultimately gone bonkers now. School uniforms are sexy because the shirt is white?
In Malaysia, it is near impossible to wear something else. A different colour would absorb heat from the sun's rays, and as many Malaysians know, I am sure none of us wants to absorb more heat than is necessary.
In addition to this, wearing something else underneath would be the death of us all. Literally. This school uniform at present is made from a material that seems to trap heat, as I know, having worn a shirt of a similar material as part of my Winter Uniform. Wearing something more under that would just cause more incidents of fainting. I have no actual proof of this, but this is my silly, albeit far-fetched theory. =)

What is more ridiculous yet is how this association believes that girls will use the colour of the uniform in order to sexually attract boys.
In all my 17 years of travelling, every school I have ever been to uses a white shirt as a uniform, and I have NEVER heard of any girl using the white shirt as an excuse to get herself laid, nor have I ever heard of any boys looking at all of us females in our white shirts and going 'damn, that white shirt looks hot on her'.
(In fact, I doubt whether males even notice the colour of the uniform at all, given the way many do not even notice when girls actually DO decide to get all dolled up for them. XD)

For those who have no idea what the uniform looks like, this will give you an idea:




Now look at those uniforms and tell me that they represent sex and lust to you.
After that, take a look at this:



Malaysian uniforms too sexy for you still?

Mishy <3

Monday 26 May 2008

Technology-Wise?

Yesterday, I, ever being the rebel, decided that I would try to give my blog a new skin to give it that fresh, up lifted look from this old, but I guess not quite tired one. I do like this skin, I just thought it was time for an update.
And I found one. Surprisingly enough, in about 20 minutes, which is pretty short, seeing as I am one of the most nit-picky people to ever have roamed on this earth. And I copied the html code and everything, but then I got back to my blog page and tried to edit my template when I realised: Where the hell do I put it?

So after spending about half an hour on it, I gave up, purely because I was pretty lazy last night. As you can tell, seeing as I should've been doing something productive like studying anyway, instead of blogging. But basically, the gist of it is: I am sooo not as technology-wise as I usually believe I am.
Yes, I can go onto MSN.
And yes, I do know how to operate the printer.
Internet Explorer is my baby.
And Microsoft Word is my adopted child. (well, sorta)

Html, codes and all this other stuff are martians, aliens, foreigners, whatever you choose to call them to me. And it's amazing, seeing as the computer is an absolutely vital component to the operation of my life. And I still don't know the basics of such things like html.

But then again, is it really that important? Html? Codes? Do I really need to know the basics of these?
What would happen without it? No colour on the internet at all? No graphics? And (worst of all) no internet?

My response: I say YES.
Indded, it makes me wish I was back in GIS where ICT was compulsory, and I would have been forced to learn how to create a webpage. Or was that what we were meant to do back in Year 9 anyway? =/

So if anyone wants to tell me exactly what I'm meant to do with my html code, please tell me. Because I did find the part where I am meant to change my blogskin, but unfortunately, I don't know what to delete and what not to delete, because I am trying desperately to avoid having to re-edit all the colours of my wording and borders.

Mishy <3

Sunday 25 May 2008

What is a TCK? [Part 1]- It's a Small, Small World

I swear this song must've been written by a TCK.
TCK- Third Culture Kid. A child who has travelled immensely, and although he/she has been everywhere and may feel connected to many cultures, he/she cannot claim completely ownership to anyone of them.
Symptoms include: many friends all over the world; ownership of, and constant appearances on MSN and Facebook; a strange accent when speaking english that cannot be classified as American, British or even local; the need to move every few years; and the amazing ability to fit into any society or culture rapidly [unless they of course, are of a different colour to everyone else, but culturally, they are IN =)]. Should other symptoms persist, they are NOT strange, merely more severe. It also means you are most definitely a hardcore traveller. =)


It's a world of laughter, a world of tears

It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fears
Theres so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
I was thinking about this verse out of the blue, and it just hit me like that, as to how much this song represented the TCK population as a whole.
Laughter- the times we shared with our friends, once we got to known them. After a LOT of inhibitions.
Tears- when we left, after becoming the best of friend. the ripping away is the hardest you know.
Hopes and fears- don't we all have those? Somehow with the TCK population, they just increase by a thousandfold. Somehow. Will I ever fit in? How will I see home as home again? Will this next place be home? Will this school syllabus be easy to handle? Do they have my kind of food here?
To non-TCKs: that boy doesn't like you? How will you get into the most popular clique? Think maths is hard? Yeah, they're nothing compared to the TCK. =)

CHORUS:
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small world after all
It's a small, small world
Yeah, after the chorus, now I'm absolutely certain a TCK wrote this. That, or a very well travelled peace activist.
It's a small world after all. Oh yes, my world is VERY small.

There is just one moon and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to everyone.
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It's a small small world
One moon and one golden sun- hey, at least that's constant! Always searching for stability is one symptom of the TCK mind. Stability, but also adventure.
Yes the oceans are wide and the mountains do divide...immensely.
But generally, yes, my world is still absolutely miniscule. =)

This is just a snippet of what being a TCK is like I guess, there's just so much more to us as a population. It's nuts, but...I find that everyone is becoming globalised. The TCK population is increasing, and a lot faster than I've ever seen it increasing before. All I can say is...good luck with that journey. It's a wild ride, and it's definitely not the life you'd choose at first. But the TCK syndrome is catching, and you usually don't have much of a choice. But take the chance- sometimes you'll hate it, but you won't ever truly regret it.



Mishy <3

PS. For more symptoms and information on TCKs, check out http://www.tckid.com/

Saturday 24 May 2008

Major Tests, Uber Major Quizzes [Or we can just call them EXAMS!] All Around!

First Semester Exams are but a week away for the poor souls that are Australian students.
In addition to this, I believe that the AS Level students are also going through this torture. And in Africa, Saints: they may be heading towards this abyss of doom in a few months, seeing as they've already written their First Term Exams.

And I (being one of many) am going NUTS!

I haven't been doing too much work. To be completely honest. Surprisingly, I am actually getting a 'study week'. The teachers have decided to not plague us during the next week with yet more topics (excepting History of course, but that's fine!) but are willing to allow us to study and practice for exams during lessons. Which is fine in English Lit (partially) seeing as I really do need the practice for all those essays, and in Political and Legal Studies, I reckon a good grounding of the concepts covered will probably do the class a world of good. Considering half the time, we're never really sure what Mr Lacy's on about, but we get through the topics okay enough. (Especially after distracting him a gazillion times with other topics. It is amazing how many topics subjects like History, Political and Legal Studies and English Lit can be related to. Bring one subject up, and we are able to immediately link it to the studied course at hand. I like these essay subjects though, because then it means I don't have to stare at numbers, or fix grammatical errors, or memorise dates the whole day and think that that's all the subject applies to.)

I have my exam timetable (well, it's a draft) and I am liking it immensely at the moment, because I have an exam on practically every day of the week in the morning, except for history which is being doubled up on some other exam in the afternoon, and is thus leaving the last day of exams [a Tuesday] freeeeee for me to sleep on. I did say I was liking it immensely.
Casey has the Monday and the Tuesday off on the 2nd week of exams, which gives her TWO days to sleep in and relax, but then it also means that she has two days where she has to double up on exams. So I guess, generally, I am uber happy with the way my timetable has been arranged. =)

But I digress. Back to the studies, and till after exams: adieu and wish me luuuuck!

Mishy <3

Sunday 18 May 2008

A Floaty Feeling...

Like an anchor has been cut, and I've been left to wander, freely. Touch the skies with my fingertips. Weightless. I guess this is what being a cherub must be like. To fly freely, with nothing to hold you down, and no worries to frustrate you...

Of course, I guess this is then a rather inaccurate representation of my situation seeing as I SHOULD actually be worried for this floaty sensation, that is the lack of an anchor on my wallet. =/ There is now a somewhat wide gaping hole where cash should have once been...

Good news (maybe?) and salutations, I'll be dropping in on my favourite country in December. =) After much trials and tribulations with the booking, the worrying, and the incomprehensible screeching of my mother about university offers, I have finally gotten my flight booking and will be ready to drop in on some of the best people in the world. :P

But you know, the strange thing is...I wasn't sure if I wanted to come back. Normally I am more than excited to head back to the one place that's home, and to this day still is. It's not that I've gotten used to Australia. Will I ever get used to Perth? Somehow, I doubt it. Every day will be a challenge to get through. To look forward to the day when I can once again stretch my wings and wake up- a new day in another place to feel homesick, strange, but happy as well. Of course, the thought of a 40 degree summer contributes as well. =P

But this once, the thought crossed my mind, and I began to doubt. I will come back. For the family that I miss, the friends that I love, and for the culture that's brought me up to be different from the rest of the world. But...it's time for a new place to travel to. To decrease the visits back home a little bit, and look forward to a time when I can look at that line on the map and say 'I wish I was home again'.

The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. - G.K. Chesterton

So...looking forward to seeing you all again in December. =)
Mishy <3

Friday 9 May 2008

English Lit Student? [Oh the irony!]

When I first got back to school in Perth after a delay, I found that despite entering in the common password that's issued to each year before we're allowed to choose our own passwords, I couldn't log in. Goodness knows why. I reported it to the librarian (of all the people in charge of faulty computer log ins, it's the LIBRARIAN) but nothing was done about it, despite me complaning twice.
But the point was that I couldn't get on for the first 3 weeks of school, before my English Lit teacher finally decided to email Martin the technician one morning about my faulty log in due to the fact that I actually did need the computer for work such as English Lit.
And the rapid-fire response was amazing.
After complaining twice to the library about it, and three weeks of waiting, Martin responded in the afternoon on the same day the complaint from my Lit teacher was sent.

And to add insult to injury, this is what he sent:



And he sent this to me, the English Lit student. And English Literature is the most highly respected of all the English subjects in the school.
It's not his fault, obviously he doesn't know what teacher he's sending it to or what classes I decided to do. But oh! the irony contained in this email is precious.

On a different topic, I just got back my test results from a gazillion tests. It seems the moment I decide to spend more time on subjects like maths or english, my chemistry goes down the drain.
I got 74% for my maths (a huge improvement from the last test!), my english essays are slowly progressing up the B ladder, and my recent history essay earned me 4 out of 5. My chemistry however sunk into the unknown depths of a C from the somewhat better B.
*sigh* There goes the neighbourhood.

Mishy <3

Sunday 4 May 2008

Year 12 Ball

I managed to be taller than JB for all of 5 minutes.
Cynthia let down her hair for the first time in front of me this year.
We got Salsano and Fortune to dance. [Whoopee!]
I think the dress fitted me better at the end of the dance than it did at the beginning. [LOL]
An amazing night, and definitely one to remember.

After months of preparation, and weeks of stress, I guess it was all finally worth it.
But you know...I guess while everyone was so excited about the prospect of a BALL. Wow, dresses, tuxes, limos, before and after parties...for me, I was...well, kind of bored.
It sounds horrible. Months of preparation, weeks of stress and almost A$250 later, and I'm bored? But, well to use a metaphor: once you've worn a piece of jewellry a few times, it kind of loses its shine.
And this is exactly what happened for me.
The first one- Year 9 Prom in GIS was obviously the most amazing one for me. So many things happened, the glamour of 'the first formal dance' was there, it was a night to remember.
Grade 11, Masquerade Ball was definitely different. It was in a school hall (yup, you can already see WHY it's different) plus we had masks with us, making it seem so surreal. =)
And finally, my last ever ball- the Year 12 Ball. For me, this will be one of the few social events I'll ever get to spend with my Aussie mates, having had to miss the Year 11 Dinner Dance and because (most probably) I will not be going for River Rock.

All in all, I'll say it was a good event. Everyone looked AMAZING, even the people who had to wear tudungs and such made themselves up really well.
And just for the people who don't have Facebook:





This is a snippet of the dance.
Enjoy! =)

Mishy <3