Relief

First of all, I must give thanks to my blog.
Yes, my own amazing blog. [normally I don't say that, but for once, it must be said]
For reminding me that...

The NS List had finally been released on the website.

Yes, I actually forgot that the list had been released on Thursday. Actually, it may have been the possibility that I'd forgotten that Thursday was the 27th of November anyway. [I blame work for this]
But, nonetheless, I remembered when I checked my blog this morning, and realised that today was the 28th of November, and that I should probably check that list now.

For those who have yet to check, the website is http://www.khidmatnegara.gov.my/
To check for your name, you should enter your IC number and press the 'cari' button, sit tight and hope for the best [whatever you hope the result to be].

Checking that website was the most daunting task EVER.
Forget having to move from country to country approximately every 3 years.
Forget having to hike through acres of bush in the Karoo during Saints Trek.
Forget having to sit through six never ending TEE exams.

I had to interpret this white, red and blue flashing website which was all in malay into english.
For those who don't know me, languages are not my strong point. My malay is at best, incredibly weak.
I spent at least half an hour fumbling about the website in search of the word 'nama', after which I gave up and googled 'national service malaysia list 2009'
Thankfully, it led me to this website: www.malaysia-students.com/2006/07/malaysian-national-service-khidmat.html which very helpfully told me what I was meant to do in english. Ideally I would've liked a complete translation of the Khidmat Negara website into english or even step by step instructions of what to do, but it was enough to get me started.
I saw this sentence: Semakan Status Penempatan dan Kumpulan Siri 6/2009 Melalui Kad Pengenalan... and I understood the phrase 'kad pengenalan'.
I entered in my IC number, and was greeted with the sweetest words I'd ever seen this year:

"No KP anda tidak terdapat dalam senarai yang terpilih."

Yeah, as you may have guessed by now, I still didn't completely understand that phrase.
But I did understand the word 'tidak' and guessed that I wasn't down on the list. :P:P
Thanks to Chris Ng, who happened to be on Facebook at that time, he explained to me that it meant: "You have not been chosen for the programme."

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I did NOT want to be chosen for National Service. All the crap about adding 10 points of co-curricular activities to my resume seriously does not apply to me. I have been to enough camps to use and draw from, should my 10 points ever need to be filled. Not that I will need it since I am not going to educate myself in Malaysia anymore.
And I am so happy. I now do not have to resort to devious ends to avoid getting in.
I was seriously considering getting a Singaporean citizenship if I was inducted into the programme, meaning I would never be able to settle in Malaysia until I completed my 3 months. So I'd basically be out of the country until I was like...45.

I CAN'T LEAVE MY OWN COUNTRY FOR 28 YEARS!!

Not to mention, my complete and utter failure to translate what was on that website proves my serious disability to cope with NS. I mean, everything is going to be in malay. And I will be the lone foreigner who will most likely be eaten by tigers or sacrificed to cannibalistic orang utans by my group, if we get lost in the jungle.
Although I at least understand the words 'harimau' and 'awas'.

Life is good.
Now if only the 6th of December would come faster and I could get into the University of Melbourne.

Mishy <3

Horror Came to Me

"Horror came to me in the form of glow in the dark soup."
As the bowl moved closer, I began to wonder what this monstrous creation was. Though the substance was almost invisible to me, covered by its own source, its presence was known by the faint glow that it admitted. I stared in horror at the one who moved it closer to my face. Perhaps this was what Revelations was talking about. The end of the world.

It certainly would be if anyone attempted to ingest it.

I took the bowl, and tipped it over in the sink, watching the glowing mess trickle down into a whirlwind formation down the sink. A pair of interested eyes looked over my shoulder. The sun had set a long time ago, and the black out which had begun in the afternoon had thrown the city into darkness. Dogs growled at each other in the street below, and cats yowled their night time lullaby to the world, in tune with the bashing trees and wind across the window.

If I had to blame anyone for Mother Nature's tantrum outside, I would blame it on that radiating, glowing bowl of soup.

"Darling...how many times has mummy told you not to play with your paints in the kitchen?"


I got bored, so I took one of Ami's American University essay questions and did it for fun. Been meaning to do it for a while, and finally I have the time.
And after reading what I wrote, and considering how long it took me to write it...I think I need a lot more practice again.

Mishy <3

Worth It?

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've been busy with anything full stop. I wish I could take up dancing or choir again, but I guess I'm going to have to wait for uni to start before I even think of taking up anything that may tie me down! [Oh gosh, please anythng that will take me away from here- MELBOURNE!!]

But okay, so the slightly extra time does mean I have more time for reflection.

Yes. Reflection.

It is quite a scary topic to think about, I know.

I decided to make up for all my non-existant-ness during exams by talking to the people I'd really missed out on and everything. And, who'm I kidding, there's a lot of people I haven't talked to in ages! I could actually make a career out of it, completely. And it's not like I meet new people every other week. More like every other year. Facebook is just that convenient for things like these, really.

But, as it turns out...some people don't really seem to be worth keeping in touch with. =/
It's odd. The people I talked to everyday and whom I couldn't live without back when we saw each other everyday...don't reply back as much as I'd like.
It's odd, that the people I barely ever talked to before have suddenly become more important to me in so many ways I could never have imagined.
Plus, it's hard. When I talk, others don't. At such a great distance, I agree it's not easy, but at least I do try. I wonder, really, if it's worth all the trouble I put into keeping in touch with people, when these other people don't put in the same effort that I do.

Don't get me wrong. They have their lives to lead...and I have mine. But people seem to be so absorbed in the lives that they lead. And people have some strange misconceptions about what I do. When I first started working, most of my international school friends thought I was working to feed my family. -_-" NO, I am working to finance myself, not my family. Just because I've started work does not mean that I have suddenly stooped so low that I partake in child labour. It just means that I'm preparing myself.

But some people have been great. Been there for me almost every step of the way, and just encouraging me to get there, slowly, but surely. Put up with my fights, my strange ideas of the world [yes, it's strange - to you.] and my wild imagination. Stuck by me through my presence, and my absence. Given me as much news as they can of the world that I left. Allowed me to travel, at least in spirit, through the journey that I would have gone on with them. That's the effort I can appreciate. That's the effort I put in for everyone who's ever had an impact on my life, and sometimes others as well.
It would be nice if people could return the favour. I don't ask people to act as though I am still around. I don't expect people to give me the same attention that I once had when I was present all the time. But it would be nice if, just a few times a month or even a year...I got some news that they were still alive, and that I have not been forgotten. That the friendship we once had did not fade completely, and that I actually once lived in the same culture and time as my friend did.

I'm not specifically pointing anyone out, nor do I actually have a particular person in mind. But it might give an idea of how many people it is that just seem to gradually fade away.

So really...is it worth me putting in so much effort for the people who don't even try?
I'll keep trying...but only to find the people who will put in the same effort as I do.

Mishy <3

In another note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!! Hope the 18th year turns out to be spectacular for you bro. And may whatever you set out to achieve, hopefully come true. And yes, we will go to Starbucks lah. Because Coffee Bean is gay. :P

National Service Details Out Soon

NS camp details out next week

KUALA LUMPUR: Those selected to join the National Service next year will be able to check their assigned camps and batches from Nov 27.
They can check online at www.khidmatnegara.gov.my or call the National Service Department’s hotline at 03-26813446.
Major newspapers will also publish the full list on Dec 6.
The next batch of 140,000 trainees will be the largest yet, an increase of 30,000 from this year.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

panic Panic PANIC

*breathes*

So this is what I'm coming back to. This is what's greeting me the minute I step off that plane. This is going to pretty much determine all my travel plans for the next 25 years.
Worse yet, the batch has increased. My chances have increased. I know there's a lot of Malaysian teenagers, but there can't be so many that I won't get chosen.
Will there?

Seeing as I can't understand malay very well, I guess I'll have to get my parents to check for me. Or worse yet...*gulp* go home to bad news.
No, no, think positive. Good news. I only want good news from now on.

Hmmmm, good news... is not getting chosen for National Service. And marks! Good marks...and getting to the University of Melbourne would be great too.
I could think of a whole bunch of other things that would be great, but, so far, that's the main goal. That's the plan.

Dear God,
It's Michelle here.
I'm begging you now, please.
Please don't let my name be on that list.
Please.

Mishy <3

Just Like In Year 9...

I am FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

I used to do this on emails to my friends. They usually read my blog, so they'll know exactly what I'm talking about. XD
Smiley wars and never ending "I'm Free" emails. We had a lot of time back then.
Sadly, I may have that time again now, but I've got other things to fill up that time.
Like learning how to cook and drive. Gah.

Still, on the plus side, it's off to the land of good food, humid heat and horrific traffic again in two weeks! :D
It sounds great already doesn't it?

I dropped my uncle off at the airport to go back to KL last week, and my mom decided to lead us in, good parents that she is, and walked straight into the Malaysian Airlines queue. Then she looked at us and tried to figure out why we weren't following when I finally had to gesticulate and say 'Mum, AIR ASIA, not MAS. Too poor. Out. Now. Embarrassing.' XD
Still, I can't wait. =)

And like I said, I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Mishy <3

When East Meets West

These are icons designed by Liu Yang, a Chinese born, but educated in her teen through adult life in Germany. Her work shows how East meets West. Her work fits so well with globalization of culture, people and places.
See whether you agree with her.
Blue means the West
Red means the East/ Asian/Chinese

The boss

Me

Child

Eldery in Day-to-day Life

Way of Life

Three Meals a Day

Moods and Weather

Things that are New

Opinion

Party

Perception of Each Other

Contacts

Handling of Problems

Punctuality

Queue in Waiting

In the Restaurant

Shower Timing

Transportation

Travelling

What's Trendy

Perhaps, it is quite a generalization but it is more or less the way of the West and the East. The two parts of the world are learning from each other while the division into two parts is too crude anyway. My favourite is 'perception of each other'. Here, the West is learning to dreass, drink and eat Asian way, but the East is fond of modern look, sausage and beer.
What is your favourite?
How do you interpret these graphics?
Liu Yang's exhibition
Liu Yang was born in 1979 in Beijing, China. She moved to Germany in 1990 and lives there since. She established Yang Liu Design institute in Berlin in 2004.
For more information, please visit her website http://www.yangliudesign.com/

My analysis? BRILLIANT!
I agree with most of the chinese stuff...especially the ones of Punctuality, Restaurant and Queue in Waiting. I swear the Chinese Nationals at KLIA were exactly like that when I tried to queue up for my flight, I couldn't even breathe when I was trying to squash through to the terminal.
It's great that Liu Yang managed to capture all my comparisons between the Chinese people and the Western people into a series of artwork...and in this instance, it's a lot more effective than any one of my gazillion essays on how they compare. I'm not so sure about the Travelling one...I'm certainly not one to be happy with looking at pictures and somehow living vicariously through them! But perhaps it's just me...=)

Mishy <3

Race-Based Politics

Malaysia not ready to abandon race-based politics: Mahathir

Malaysians are not yet ready to ditch their race-based political system in favour of parties which represent all ethnic groups, former premier Mahathir Mohamad said Wednesday.

Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential elections has triggered discussion about whether a minority leader could emerge in Malaysia, which has until now been ruled by a member of the dominant Muslim Malay community.

Mahathir said there is no constitutional barrier preventing an ethnic Chinese or Indian citizen from becoming prime minister.

But he said the country is a long way from abandoning the current system where the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which represents Malays, leads a coalition that includes parties representing other races.

"It doesn't work, every 'multiracial' party is dominated by one race," Mahathir said after a lecture on Malaysian identity.

"Even the PAP in Singapore is not multiracial, as is very clear when Hsien Loong says no non-Chinese can become PM," he said.

Singapore's premier Lee Hsien Loong said earlier this month that the multicultural city-state of over 3.5 million people is not ready for a non-ethnic Chinese premier in the near future.

"We are still not united if we can't even agree on having a school where all children study together regardless of race, so how can we push aside racial concerns?" Mahathir said.

"Unless people come together and try to have something in common... how can you have a party representing all the different races? You have to have a base first."

Mahathir's nemesis, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, has declared his Keadilan party the nation's first multiracial party as its members and supporters are drawn from all three racial groups.


You know what's sad, is that in a way, however slight it may be...I actually agree with Dr. Mahathir. Not that we are not ready to abandon race-based politics, but that even in schools we are all still allowing our children to continue with a system of education that invites segregation and disunity among the population from a very young age. I mean, already we are seeing that in Chinese and Indian schools, kids must take 7 subjects, whilst in Malay schools, kids only have to take 5. Inequality?
Let me tell you I would be disgustingly annoyed if a quarter of my classmates were told 'Hey, you only have to take 3 subjects' whilst I get told that I'm forced to take 6, and then to add insult to injury, I must excel in all my 6 subjects while Tom/Dick&Harry over there can simply revel in the glory of 3As and go into the same field of work that I want to get into.
In Australia, we have a choice as to what KIND of subjects we take, but really, in the end we all still have to take 6 subjects, no matter what we end up deciding to do.

I have my own ideas on how to improve the education system although I will not propose any reforms here. To be honest, I do not need the government coming to arrest me under the ISA because I 'criticised the education system' and in doing so, have somehow managed to 'insult Islam'.

But I think that Dr. Mahathir is very quick to shift the blame on education. A suggestion I might make? [I am still not criticising Dr. M...at this point, it might seem as though I'm just trying to save my ass, but if I've said something, I actually mean it] We need a base? Yes, let's make a base. Let's start with politics. Children will follow the actions and thoughts of the adults who guide them and teach them. So let's begin at with the people who can make the reform and set an example, so that we may eventually change things and create a more united Malaysia. It is never too late to start anything, and really, it should not matter where this starting point is.

At the same time...parties can be multicultural. They can be if we let them. Just because the head of the party at the moment may be of a certain race does not mean that the whole party will lean towards that race's point of view. Looking at the general picture, if we have a Chinese head one term, a Kadazan head on another term, maybe a Malay head after that...it will show. We need to be as democratic as possible, and to elect a leader among that individual party, no matter what race they are. They should be judged on their qualities. So perhaps a Malay might be the best man/woman for the job. But surely after 50 years, a good Chinese leader must have emerged at some stage. Or a good Indian leader must be popular and good with the people in the past 50 years.

And so what if Singapore is a totalitarian Chinese nation? Must we follow Singapore? Can we not begin our own path, and allow it to be one that leads to fairness and equality? One where the Chinese are not seen as 'immigrants', where the Indians are not shunned and marginalised, and one where society may finally acknowledge the true 'bumiputeras' if, there in fact, are any...The Orang Asli, the Orang Kadazan, the Orang Jakun... Somehow we seem to forget that they are a part of the Malaysian society and that they have been there for much longer than even the Malays have been.

But then, maybe we should remember that we were all immigrants at one stage in time. If you believe in the theory of evolution and migration, that is. So let's just get rid of all this 'bumiputera' nonsense. The Malays are no more bumiputera than the Chinese and Indians, the Orang Kadazan, the Orang Jakun, the Orang Asli and so on. It would certainly save on a lot of squabbling and create a better sense of equality in an already divided nation.

50 years since independence...since the day 'Merdeka' was uttered proudly and loudly in Merdeka Square. I wonder if it was all for nothing.

Mishy <3

Starry Starry Night

Been meaning to do this for a while, but I never quite had the time...too many things popping up, as often happens. XD
Vincent van Gogh has been my favourite artist for a while now, and I've never quite understood it. My favourite painting was, has and probably at this stage, will always be Starry Starry Night. It's a beautiful piece art. I drew it out, in Year 7, and I can easily say that the highlight of art class. In all three years, yes guys. =/



Forget the mayan masks, I pretty much screwed it up. I believe it may have blown up in the oven. XD

So my tribute to one of the artists I've ever fully appreciated. Here's to hoping he'll lead me on to other artworks to appreciate.



Mishy <3

Typical...

Cheaper nasi kandar, teh tarik and roti canai now
By LISA GOH

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers have reason to smile as the price of nasi kandar, teh tarik and roti canai should see some immediate reduction from its current selling price.
Nasi kandar will see a reduction of 20sen a plate, while roti canai (and other roti items such as roti telur, roti pisang etc) and teh tarik will see a reduction of 10sen each.
This is because the Muslim Restaurant Operators Association (Presma) and the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners’ Association (Primas) have decided to support the Government’s move on price reduction.
However, there was no fixed maximum price for these three food items as the price reduction is on a voluntary basis.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said that consumers could check the prices against the price list in restaurants.
“All such restaurants must have a price list. It’s an offence for them not to have one,” he told the press Monday after launching the Price Reduction Campaign here. Presma president Jamarulkhan Kadir said that the prices of the three items, however, would differ depending on the location of the restaurants.
“Of course the price of teh tarik in Bangsar and Balakong would be different,” he said.
Jamarulkhan said that the price range in the Klang Valley was between RM4 and RM5.50 for nasi kandar, RM0.90 and RM1.50 for teh tarik, and RM0.70 and RM1.20 for roti canai.
“We will start with our 200 members in the Klang Valley first, and soon we hope this move would be adopted by all our 4,500 members nationwide.
“As for restaurants which refuse to bring their prices down, consumers can choose to not eat there, and go to another restaurant which supports this campaign,” he said.
Asked if such a move would incur losses for the restaurant operators, he replied:
“No, it will only lower our profit margin.”
He was also asked if there were plans to include more items for price reduction, to which he said, “Slowly lah.”

I can't believe that even the reporter is as kiasu as this! I didn't stop laughing for about 10 minutes...*sigh* Malaysia sweet Malaysia. This is really how I remember it.

Three weeks and counting...

Mishy <3

Signs of Equality

He's done it. He's actually done it.

But what does it mean for me? I was asked on tckid.com, and also via an email sent round by Brice.

A TCK made it to the top position in America. Not only that, he's an African American. I'm pretty certain that identifying with the marginalised class doesn't exactly make the walk to the top any easier.
In fact, he probably had to claw.

To me, it means that change and some form of equality and acceptance has finally come to the world we live in. 150 years ago, America was pro-slavery. Under Geroge Washington, the White House was completed by a group of black slaves. 150 short years later, there is a black man in that same White House.
Another idea that astonishes me...is the way he has fitted back into the USA, and the way he's been accepted. His appointment to the leadership of the country shows me that there is a way for TCKs to settle down, and to be accepted. For a tree to find its roots. For a fish to feel comfortable in its water. Whatever metaphor you wish to find, Barack Obama has defeated his demons, and proved that it can be done. [and due to all the good reviews that this book is getting, I really must go pick up a copy of Dreams From My Father]
Last but not least, to state the obvious, a Black man, an African American man has made it to the White House. The very name of the presidential residence says it all. Barack Obama has taken over what was formerly an anglocentric country.

So really...what does it say to me?
One day, I there will be a Chinese or an Indian Prime Minister in Malaysia.
One day, there will be an Aboriginal Prime Minister in Australia.
One day, I will fit back into the country that rejects me.
I just hope I'm arround to see it happen.
Barack Obama is currently placed next to Nelson Mandela on my list of idols. What is ironic is that I'm not even black, I'm chinese! But he serves as a representative of positive change and a united front. I'm just glad that the American people have voted for him, and in my view, they've made the right choice.

To give him credit, John McCain did make a very eloquent concession speech, and even attempted to quiet the booing, hissing audience. So kudos to him. =)

Looking forward to change.
MIshy <3

2008 American Presidential Elections

Okay, so I really really REALLY should be studying. But I can't help it. I'm so excited, I think I'll force my dad to go buy a paper the minute it hits the headlines.

2008 AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS!!

And this is the guy who should win.

What's to know about him? And more specifically, why do I want him to win?
1. He's a TCK. W00T!
2. He was an expatriate in Indonesia. Indonesia. Same here! Wheeee... He might understand my fanatical liking for rendang sapi? :D
3. Different. How many African American Presidents can you honestly say you know of? Okay, so he's coloured. But it's a step. A good step. Especially after the mistake America made with Bush.
4. "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America." It's about time somebody realised that America is not white!
5. As a foreigner who knows that whatever America does affects the rest of us so much, I think I really need to see someone who can reflect the rest of the world as much as he/she can reflect America itself, and to understand...finally that they must act for the world as well as the United States of America.
6. Pulling the troops out of the Middle East? Sounds like my candidate!

Why am I against McCain so much, one might ask?

1. It's McCain. Republican. BUSH WANNABE!
2. Bad-tempered: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c*nt." --to his wife, Cindy, after she playfully twirled his hair and said "You're getting a little thin up there."
3. Yes, you may have been a Vietnam war veteran, but surely that will only serve to make me more wary of you. Military minded, and more willing to sacrifice America and the rest of the world in the fight for more oil. Come on, we all know it's not about terrorism anymore.
4. "You know that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran? Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran." Need I say more?
5. Since when was Putin from Germany? And when did Iraq suddenly become moulded next to Pakistan? Please take a look at a world map, or check up on your world leaders BEFORE you open your mouth...can you imagine what would happen if he was the president when he said all that? http://www.tckid.com/group/lets-be-careful-we-dont-make-mistakes-like-this/

The comeback to all of the crap given to Obama by the Republicans? HAH! :P

Mishy <3