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

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

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