It is the end. It is the beginning of the end.
Kurogane is right: 6 year olds running around with sharp objects are not funny
Monday, January 28, 2008
School Days sold openly in Kuching
It is the end. It is the beginning of the end.
Kurogane is right: 6 year olds running around with sharp objects are not funny
Friday, January 25, 2008
Call me Sir! I'm a teacher!
Oh yes, I'm a teacher. To a Primary 6 student.
Being Primary 6, I can pretty much teach anything, but I usually teach Maths and Science. Complete with long division for math and "big" words like "hypothesis" in science. Yes, this is the reality of a Primary 6 student, facing the fear of UPSR.
I'm teaching a student from my Alma Mater, so despite the switch from Malay/Chinese to English for Science and Math subjects, 四小 refuses to let go of teaching Science and Math in Chinese. So the half the time (almost literary), the poor students have to learn the said subjects in English, the other half of the time they do their Math in Chinese and grapple with words like 观测 in science. No wonder they're completely confused.
"THE" Internet!
When the first few English language textbooks for Science and Math came out, many people (including yours truly) were a bit miffed with the English used. Or rather, the lack of proper English used. 5 years down the road, things have improved somewhat, through I do spot the occasional grammatical error in their math books.
I dunno. "The currency is in US dollar" sounds wrong, but I can't think of a better sentence.
The books are much nicer these days. There is a lot of emphasis on technology, such as assignments needing you to use Word and Excel. There are more weblinks than on this site, and apparently Wikipedia is a source of quotable information! It all bright and nice and cheerful. Wish I had such nice books when I was in primary school.
But I think having the school teaching math in 2 languages just makes things worst. Just look at me. To this day, I do my math in 3 languages. The basic fundamentals like multiplication are still done in Mandarin, the intermediate stuff like algebra and Graphs are still sketched out in BM, and integration, stats and trigonometry all cracked in English. Sometimes I'm amazed all this works.
But this stint as a teacher has me believing in Karma. I was a horrible student. And I think it has come back to haunt me.
Being Primary 6, I can pretty much teach anything, but I usually teach Maths and Science. Complete with long division for math and "big" words like "hypothesis" in science. Yes, this is the reality of a Primary 6 student, facing the fear of UPSR.
I'm teaching a student from my Alma Mater, so despite the switch from Malay/Chinese to English for Science and Math subjects, 四小 refuses to let go of teaching Science and Math in Chinese. So the half the time (almost literary), the poor students have to learn the said subjects in English, the other half of the time they do their Math in Chinese and grapple with words like 观测 in science. No wonder they're completely confused.
"THE" Internet!
When the first few English language textbooks for Science and Math came out, many people (including yours truly) were a bit miffed with the English used. Or rather, the lack of proper English used. 5 years down the road, things have improved somewhat, through I do spot the occasional grammatical error in their math books.
I dunno. "The currency is in US dollar" sounds wrong, but I can't think of a better sentence.
The books are much nicer these days. There is a lot of emphasis on technology, such as assignments needing you to use Word and Excel. There are more weblinks than on this site, and apparently Wikipedia is a source of quotable information! It all bright and nice and cheerful. Wish I had such nice books when I was in primary school.
But I think having the school teaching math in 2 languages just makes things worst. Just look at me. To this day, I do my math in 3 languages. The basic fundamentals like multiplication are still done in Mandarin, the intermediate stuff like algebra and Graphs are still sketched out in BM, and integration, stats and trigonometry all cracked in English. Sometimes I'm amazed all this works.
But this stint as a teacher has me believing in Karma. I was a horrible student. And I think it has come back to haunt me.
Pets confrence
Came home one night, only to see this:
Yes, my dog, my cat (the scary looking one) and the neighborhood cat having a meeting! Meow!
Yes, my dog, my cat (the scary looking one) and the neighborhood cat having a meeting! Meow!
Table
Was refilling the HP ink cartridges a few afternoons back, when I ended up like this.
It kinda reminds me of my 毛笔 writing days, black ink and all. Those were the times.
How far does one tank of petrol get you?
Here's a challenge of sorts: how far does one full tank of petrol get you?
How to do it? Simple. Just reset the odometer just after you've pumped petrol, and see how far you can go before the next fill.
Ignore the fuel meter. I had just pumped, so it was actually rising.
My Avanza gets me up to 467.2km in one tank, through to be honest, it was terrifying driving the last few 10KM or so, with the needle below E (empty).
How far can you go in your car with a full tank?
How to do it? Simple. Just reset the odometer just after you've pumped petrol, and see how far you can go before the next fill.
Ignore the fuel meter. I had just pumped, so it was actually rising.
My Avanza gets me up to 467.2km in one tank, through to be honest, it was terrifying driving the last few 10KM or so, with the needle below E (empty).
How far can you go in your car with a full tank?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Marketing 101
Pita Ten, volume 8
Okay, this is a seriously overdue post, so this will be primarily a picture post. A word of warning through: there are massive spoilers on how Pita Ten ends in this post, so you have been warned.
Not that anyone here reads Pita Ten. Really.
The front cover.
Volume 8 concludes the whole Pita Ten series. It continues from (duh) Volume 7, picking off when Kotarou finally realised his past, his (supposed) reincarnation, why Misha keeps sticking to him like glue, and why is Shia there, and yes, she really is a demon. Just ask Nya.
Side view.
Back cover.
I've noticed what Tokyopop has changed their format of the manga classification. Now they are also classed by Genere (Romance, Action, Sci-fi etc), alongside with the "rating" system. And their "chop" has changed from 品资第一公式商品 to 漫画革命。Oh yes, the times are a changing.
This pretty much sums up my life most of the time.
Chapter 42 in Volume 7 ended with a cliffhanger which almost brought me down. Uematsu was asking what Kotarou thought about her. The thing is through, Kotarou nice and kind here..........
While down the road, he looks looks a bit evil in this picture. Click to see the full thing; you'll see what I mean.
I love the little Omake strips on at the end of every "Lesson" (chapter). It shows Koge-Donbo's past as a Doujinshi artist. And in any case, they are funny.
I deny the statement that Misha is in goth. Its black, but Shia is also in white. Yes, an angel in Black, a demon in white. Look beyond the cute surface of Pita Ten; there is a real deep meaning to the whole story. Koge-Donbo is a true genius.
Bishonen fangirls unite!
"If an angels job is to help those who have just begun their journey, them a demons job, is to accept those who have stopped".
Pita Ten is the first manga that made me cry reading it. Kotarou realising is Misha passes her angel exams, she will have to leave him. And if Misha fails, she will disappear. Either way, he loses.
Its less morbid than it sounds.
Somehow, I like this picture,
So thats how it ends. Kotarou realising that he needs to move on. Uematsu has changed for the better, in more ways than one. Ten-chan realises that what ever happens, nothing will be the same again.
Personally, I'm glad it ended. Koge-Donbo (yes, spelled with the dash when writing in English) would have been hard pressed to stretch it beyond Primary School. The story was great, but she also wrapped it up nicely. And with only 8 great volumes to collect, its also a lot easier on my wallet too.
I have mixed feelings on Pita Ten, it started off well, dipped a bit in Volume 5 (yes, the one with Sasha on the cover), but the Shia revelation made me ＿|￣|O , and I kinda felt sorry for Uematsu at the end, through she lost some of my sympathy when she got rid of her cats ears.
Overall, Pita Ten is a worthy addititon to my collection. I'd recommend it to most people who aren't fanboys/fangirls. Despite this, Kurogane has watched it also.
Not that anyone here reads Pita Ten. Really.
The front cover.
Volume 8 concludes the whole Pita Ten series. It continues from (duh) Volume 7, picking off when Kotarou finally realised his past, his (supposed) reincarnation, why Misha keeps sticking to him like glue, and why is Shia there, and yes, she really is a demon. Just ask Nya.
Side view.
Back cover.
I've noticed what Tokyopop has changed their format of the manga classification. Now they are also classed by Genere (Romance, Action, Sci-fi etc), alongside with the "rating" system. And their "chop" has changed from 品资第一公式商品 to 漫画革命。Oh yes, the times are a changing.
This pretty much sums up my life most of the time.
Chapter 42 in Volume 7 ended with a cliffhanger which almost brought me down. Uematsu was asking what Kotarou thought about her. The thing is through, Kotarou nice and kind here..........
While down the road, he looks looks a bit evil in this picture. Click to see the full thing; you'll see what I mean.
I love the little Omake strips on at the end of every "Lesson" (chapter). It shows Koge-Donbo's past as a Doujinshi artist. And in any case, they are funny.
I deny the statement that Misha is in goth. Its black, but Shia is also in white. Yes, an angel in Black, a demon in white. Look beyond the cute surface of Pita Ten; there is a real deep meaning to the whole story. Koge-Donbo is a true genius.
"If an angels job is to help those who have just begun their journey, them a demons job, is to accept those who have stopped".
Pita Ten is the first manga that made me cry reading it. Kotarou realising is Misha passes her angel exams, she will have to leave him. And if Misha fails, she will disappear. Either way, he loses.
Its less morbid than it sounds.
Somehow, I like this picture,
So thats how it ends. Kotarou realising that he needs to move on. Uematsu has changed for the better, in more ways than one. Ten-chan realises that what ever happens, nothing will be the same again.
Personally, I'm glad it ended. Koge-Donbo (yes, spelled with the dash when writing in English) would have been hard pressed to stretch it beyond Primary School. The story was great, but she also wrapped it up nicely. And with only 8 great volumes to collect, its also a lot easier on my wallet too.
I have mixed feelings on Pita Ten, it started off well, dipped a bit in Volume 5 (yes, the one with Sasha on the cover), but the Shia revelation made me ＿|￣|O , and I kinda felt sorry for Uematsu at the end, through she lost some of my sympathy when she got rid of her cats ears.
Overall, Pita Ten is a worthy addititon to my collection. I'd recommend it to most people who aren't fanboys/fangirls. Despite this, Kurogane has watched it also.
Monday, January 21, 2008
The mamak song
First, came the Rempit Rempit song.
Then they were a slave for dough.
And now, Hitz.fm's Morning crew, activated by Hotlink™, 6-10am weekdays, presents:
Since I'm lazy, I got the lyrics fromthe non-exsitant Mamak stall in Sarawak here:
I don't know who comes up with the script for these things, but I'm gald someone does this.
Then they were a slave for dough.
And now, Hitz.fm's Morning crew, activated by Hotlink™, 6-10am weekdays, presents:
"I got it from my mamak"!
Inspired by Will.I.Am’s “I Got It From My Mama”
Since I'm lazy, I got the lyrics from
Hey JJ...Credits to the Hitz.fm morning crew, Rudy and JJ!
Laparla...
Yeala, where you wanna go ah?
Dunno, you got kereta?
No ah... jalan lah
HERE WE GO!
JJ, where'd you get your canai from?
Rudy, where'd you get your maggi from?
JJ, where'd you get your tosai from?
Rudy, where'd you get your curry from?
I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it got it got it...
JJ, where'd you get your kopi from?
Rudy, where'd you get your nasi from?
JJ, where'd you get your sambal from?
Eh, Rudy, where'd you get your tapau from?
I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it got it got it...
Mamak, looking good from his head to his toe,
Curry overload, body out of control,
Open 24, you can always go,
So happening, also got cendol,
Roti smelling good, they don't use ghee,
It's almost four, it's the place to eat, (apa khabar?)
You can tell curry's been there for a week, (wah sedap!)
Mamak made it hot, I can feel the heat!
So be jolly good and thank your mamak,
He makes food just like a sauna,
Panas, panas, here it comes now, panas, panas, here it comes now,
Oooo
I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it got it got it...
Aney, Aney, Tolong kira please boss!
(Some tamil convo here)
- What?
- Ten ringgit forty cent, buuuttt for you guys - Ten ringgit.
- THANK YOU MACHA!
Eh Rudy..
Ah..
Mmm, tak rasa la. Not enough spice la...
Don't worry, I know what to do man.
Really?
(Telephone dialling)
HEY JIN!
Ow Sh*t, it's the morning crew!
HAhahahahahaha
Ho, you ain't hungry?
Well - I - am,
Take you to a place where they don't eat ham,
Speak Malay or speak Chinese,
A little bit of rice and some black eyed peas,
Where else can you go and eat real late?
Straight from the club and it's food on your plate,
Love Mackie Diz, but not today,
Think I'm in the mood for some cool teh,
Tell JJ, I think I found a winner,
Me and Rudy, we both missed dinner,
So you know that we're ready to eat,
No durians, now please have a seat!
Come on...
I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it got it got it...
All these food right here, I got all these from my MAMAK.
All these food right here, I got all these from my MAMAK.
Ifa roti real fine, 9 times outta 10, its coming from my mamak,
If the kopi real sweet, 9 times outta 10, its sweeter at my mamak,
If the cat's really ugly, I bet you, it is not at my mamak,
If the girl's real fine, 9 times outta 10, she's hanging at my mamak,
If you're chilling in Subang, 9 times outta 10, you're chilling at my mamak,
If you're hanging in Ampang, 9 times outta 10, you're hanging at my mamak,
At my mamak!
JJ, where'd you get your canai from?
Rudy, where'd you get your maggi from?
JJ, where'd you get your tosai from?
Rudy, where'd you get your curry from?
I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it from my mamak! I got it got it got it...
Roti make some noise!
If you like kopi, make some noise!
If you like mamak, make some noise!
Make some noise, Make some noise, noise, noise...
(noi, noi, noi, anoy, anoy...)
Ok, ok enough of the noise, eh - macha, macha, Rudy - Stop with the tin cans la!
Are you serious?
Yeala please
Alrite
Eh, but how's your roti ah?
Ooo, dahsyat man
Eh, eh whatchu got eh watchu wat's that?
Eheh, chicken, lamb, everything inside!
Got telur?
GOOOOOTTTT
I don't know who comes up with the script for these things, but I'm gald someone does this.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Service and Efficiency
When Abdullah Badawi was (re-)elected in 2004, one of his points in his political manifesto was to improve the public service. Stupid ideas aside, it is only fair to say, to me at least, that there has been some improvement, at least in Kuching and based my experiences over the last 3 weeks.
Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
I admit, I'm not working yet (thankfully!), but I don't have good memories of the EPF building. As a child, I have memories of me, following my mum the the EPF building, sitting down, in a dark area, where half the lights weren't working, the Aircond freezing, and everything took forever. In 2004, the EPF building at Simpang Tiga it underwent such a big renovation, that we all joked that it came out of Iraq when we drove past it. It really looked like a bombed out shell.
Anyway, I had to help someone pay their EPF contributions. So I went there. And took a number. Expecting a wait, I sat down and read the paper that I had brought with me, in anticipation of the long wait ahead. Before I could read the article, my number was called. Pleasantly surprised, I went to the counter to pay. And in 10 minutes I was out of the place.
Sure, the cynical side of me does think all EPF wants is our money. But at least they make it easy and fast when it comes to collecting their dues, for better or worst. If you must take something from me, at least do it fast and make it easy!
Jabatan Perangkutan Jalan (JPJ)
The bad news: its now at 13th mile. So yes, it is a bit far out.
The good news: well, if you can't find parking at their HUGE new office, I have no idea what on earth is going on. Honestly through, PaybillsMalaysia (despite its name, its a a Sarawak idea, may I add) should seriously consider being able to pay your fines online.
I don't know who came up with the concept of drive-thru, but he/she/it should be given a Nobel peace prize. Interestingly, you now can drive thru JPJ to pay your fines, or renew your road tax, like me. All I did was drive up, kill me car's engine, give the documents to the guy in the office, he does his stuff, I pay up, and I'm on my way. All done in 10 mins (plus waiting time), plus I don't have to get out of my car and find a parking space.
When you think about it, its probably the most natural thing for the Road Transport Department to do. They should have done it years ago. I'd say this newfound speed and convenience more than makes up having to drive beyond 10th Mile (where the dual carriage road ends).
Kuching Water Board (KWB)
The pipe outside my house had been leaking before I even came back. Eventually, I got a bit fed up with the (perceived) low water pressure, and decided to call them (its 082-240069 for those who are interested). Besides, Level 6 water restrictions are still fresh in my mind.
First time I called, I was put through to someone, who never picked up the phone. After 15 minutes of listening to a boring old internal PABX dial tone, I gave up. The next day, I decided to give it another go, and surprise surprise, someone actually picked up the phone!
Yes, you know this is Malaysia when you get excited on someone picking up the phone.
The person was very soft spoken. While at least he was polite and helpful (not to mention reasonable English too), he was VERY VERY soft. I had to strain my ears to hear him. But at least he did send someone over to fix the leaking pipe the next working day. Kudos to the soft spoken person!
Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (MBKS)
So, after then pipe was fixed, there was a nice hole in the road. I just had to avoid it when turning into my place. Being a patient(!) soul, I waited for a week, before deciding to call MBKS, on who was in charge of dealing with the road.
Calling the hotline (Tel: 082-242311), I was quickly put to the person in charge. Again, the person who picked up the line was very soft spoken. What is it with public service and soft spoken people?
I related the problem, saying that the road had no been mended a week after KWB dug it up to mend the pipe. He was (rightly) shocked he heard that the road was still not mended after a week. However, he kept repeating to me that they had not received any work order from KWB.
A bit miffed, I asked him to send someone over once they got the work order. He was truly shocked that a week had passed and the hole (more like debris by the road actually) was still there. He said "I can't promise you anything, but I'll send someone over as soon as I can".
The road was patched up the next day. Along with the other pothole further up Stampin Road.
If this is what soft spoken people can do, namely be efficient, I'd say: employ more of them!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not saying that AAB has done his job, but it is a start.
Employees Provident Fund (EPF)
I admit, I'm not working yet (thankfully!), but I don't have good memories of the EPF building. As a child, I have memories of me, following my mum the the EPF building, sitting down, in a dark area, where half the lights weren't working, the Aircond freezing, and everything took forever. In 2004, the EPF building at Simpang Tiga it underwent such a big renovation, that we all joked that it came out of Iraq when we drove past it. It really looked like a bombed out shell.
Anyway, I had to help someone pay their EPF contributions. So I went there. And took a number. Expecting a wait, I sat down and read the paper that I had brought with me, in anticipation of the long wait ahead. Before I could read the article, my number was called. Pleasantly surprised, I went to the counter to pay. And in 10 minutes I was out of the place.
Sure, the cynical side of me does think all EPF wants is our money. But at least they make it easy and fast when it comes to collecting their dues, for better or worst. If you must take something from me, at least do it fast and make it easy!
Jabatan Perangkutan Jalan (JPJ)
The bad news: its now at 13th mile. So yes, it is a bit far out.
The good news: well, if you can't find parking at their HUGE new office, I have no idea what on earth is going on. Honestly through, PaybillsMalaysia (despite its name, its a a Sarawak idea, may I add) should seriously consider being able to pay your fines online.
I don't know who came up with the concept of drive-thru, but he/she/it should be given a Nobel peace prize. Interestingly, you now can drive thru JPJ to pay your fines, or renew your road tax, like me. All I did was drive up, kill me car's engine, give the documents to the guy in the office, he does his stuff, I pay up, and I'm on my way. All done in 10 mins (plus waiting time), plus I don't have to get out of my car and find a parking space.
When you think about it, its probably the most natural thing for the Road Transport Department to do. They should have done it years ago. I'd say this newfound speed and convenience more than makes up having to drive beyond 10th Mile (where the dual carriage road ends).
Kuching Water Board (KWB)
The pipe outside my house had been leaking before I even came back. Eventually, I got a bit fed up with the (perceived) low water pressure, and decided to call them (its 082-240069 for those who are interested). Besides, Level 6 water restrictions are still fresh in my mind.
First time I called, I was put through to someone, who never picked up the phone. After 15 minutes of listening to a boring old internal PABX dial tone, I gave up. The next day, I decided to give it another go, and surprise surprise, someone actually picked up the phone!
Yes, you know this is Malaysia when you get excited on someone picking up the phone.
The person was very soft spoken. While at least he was polite and helpful (not to mention reasonable English too), he was VERY VERY soft. I had to strain my ears to hear him. But at least he did send someone over to fix the leaking pipe the next working day. Kudos to the soft spoken person!
Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan (MBKS)
So, after then pipe was fixed, there was a nice hole in the road. I just had to avoid it when turning into my place. Being a patient(!) soul, I waited for a week, before deciding to call MBKS, on who was in charge of dealing with the road.
Calling the hotline (Tel: 082-242311), I was quickly put to the person in charge. Again, the person who picked up the line was very soft spoken. What is it with public service and soft spoken people?
I related the problem, saying that the road had no been mended a week after KWB dug it up to mend the pipe. He was (rightly) shocked he heard that the road was still not mended after a week. However, he kept repeating to me that they had not received any work order from KWB.
A bit miffed, I asked him to send someone over once they got the work order. He was truly shocked that a week had passed and the hole (more like debris by the road actually) was still there. He said "I can't promise you anything, but I'll send someone over as soon as I can".
The road was patched up the next day. Along with the other pothole further up Stampin Road.
If this is what soft spoken people can do, namely be efficient, I'd say: employ more of them!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not saying that AAB has done his job, but it is a start.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Churuya, part 2
Don't mind us. We're not sick of holidays yet. As a matter of fact, its not long enough.
For those who have been under a rock for the past 2 weeks or so, some context is avaliable here.
Names to not call your kid:
1)Ah Beng
2)Ah Lian
3)Ah Seng
4)Cloud
For those who have been under a rock for the past 2 weeks or so, some context is avaliable here.
Names to not call your kid:
1)Ah Beng
2)Ah Lian
3)Ah Seng
4)Cloud
Is there nothing sacred anymore?
First, came Lozen Maiden. And no, it is not a typo. I can spell.
Then, came the infamous Hahiru. Which spawned this (infamous) quote: "Whats worst than porn? hahiru porn".
And if you think that was bad, the same boffins came up with Kira Star.
But the last straw was this.
There is no hope left in this world. It is the end. It is the begining of the end.
Then, came the infamous Hahiru. Which spawned this (infamous) quote: "Whats worst than porn? hahiru porn".
And if you think that was bad, the same boffins came up with Kira Star.
But the last straw was this.
There is no hope left in this world. It is the end. It is the begining of the end.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Nyoron strips
If there is one good thing about THAT plague, is that they gave us nyoron strips.
I'm not sure where Nyoron strips came from, but I'm gald its here. Its formatted in a 4-koma panel format, so usually it starts of with Tsuruya calling Kyon, asking a question, Kyon replying, and Tsuruya going Nyoron. Personally I'll take Ayu with her "Ughuuuuuuuu~~", but anyway:
I'm not sure where Nyoron strips came from, but I'm gald its here. Its formatted in a 4-koma panel format, so usually it starts of with Tsuruya calling Kyon, asking a question, Kyon replying, and Tsuruya going Nyoron. Personally I'll take Ayu with her "Ughuuuuuuuu~~", but anyway:
In a moment of insanity boredom inspiration, me and my sister knocked up a few Nyoron strips. So I present to you, Nyoron strips, Malaysian style!
Yes, this was approved by me, through I wasn't a big fan of the "lah" suffix. At least I got a Nyoron strip!
I'll tolerate the strip, in the same way I tolerate incompetent people manning the checkout counters at the Boulevard Hypermart, but this doesn't mean my stand against the plague has changed.
I'll tolerate the strip, in the same way I tolerate incompetent people manning the checkout counters at the Boulevard Hypermart, but this doesn't mean my stand against the plague has changed.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Musings of a geek on real life
As anyone who knows me well will know, I'm a hopeless romantic. How else do you explain me watching Kanon over and over again, going around saying things like"Everyone loves Ayu"?
Some of my friends, particularly those who are stuck here, will probably kill me for saying this: I wish I didn't have to leave Kuching. But it's true. Going overseas is great, but it is not the answerto life, the universe and everything else to the problems we face as Malaysians.
The Malaysian media loves to spin people who have come back to work as "patriotic". Utter and complete nonsense propaganda. I know people who can't stand doing business in Malaysia after migrating to New Zealand. Very few people will come back to "serve the country". When they come back, they do so for the family, or for own self interest.
Its easy, being stuck in Kuching all your life, and looking at your friends go overseas, to think that it must be great to go overseas. It is. And live there. It isn't.
Maybe its because I'm old. Maybe its because I'm a 1st generation (potential) immigrant. But to be honest, even after 1 year in Brisbane, I don't think I can settle down in Australia. But I can no longer come back, after despairing at the narrow mindedness of Malaysians.
When I came back, I had people asking me if Australians are racist. I'm not sure how that came to. Maybe it's a hangover from the White Australia past. Faced with such questions, I usually answer with a question, "Which one do you prefer: legalised discrimination where you cant get into public universities, or having the odd drunk skinhead shouting profanities at you at night?"
I wouldn't say Australians are racist. But I can't shake this feeling that we as Asians are only tolerated, not welcomed, in Australia. Not to say I didn't have fun in my year in Australia, but a year later, I'm still not convinced that I want to settle down (emigrate) there for good. Yet, while being back in Kuching is amazing, I don't think I can stay in Kuching. The narrow mindedness would kill me if it could. Its a paradox: with all the oppurtinities, my mind has opened, and somehow closed at the same time.
Do I want to stay in Kuching for the rest of my days? No. Do I want to settle down in Australia? At this stage, no. Can I go back to New Zealand? No.
Frankly, I don't even know where I am. I no longer Malaysian enough, and I cant stand most Malaysians. But I don't think I can intergrate into Australian society, and there is no way I can go back to New Zealand.
Who am I? Where am I?
Some of my friends, particularly those who are stuck here, will probably kill me for saying this: I wish I didn't have to leave Kuching. But it's true. Going overseas is great, but it is not the answer
The Malaysian media loves to spin people who have come back to work as "patriotic". Utter and complete nonsense propaganda. I know people who can't stand doing business in Malaysia after migrating to New Zealand. Very few people will come back to "serve the country". When they come back, they do so for the family, or for own self interest.
Its easy, being stuck in Kuching all your life, and looking at your friends go overseas, to think that it must be great to go overseas. It is. And live there. It isn't.
Maybe its because I'm old. Maybe its because I'm a 1st generation (potential) immigrant. But to be honest, even after 1 year in Brisbane, I don't think I can settle down in Australia. But I can no longer come back, after despairing at the narrow mindedness of Malaysians.
When I came back, I had people asking me if Australians are racist. I'm not sure how that came to. Maybe it's a hangover from the White Australia past. Faced with such questions, I usually answer with a question, "Which one do you prefer: legalised discrimination where you cant get into public universities, or having the odd drunk skinhead shouting profanities at you at night?"
I wouldn't say Australians are racist. But I can't shake this feeling that we as Asians are only tolerated, not welcomed, in Australia. Not to say I didn't have fun in my year in Australia, but a year later, I'm still not convinced that I want to settle down (emigrate) there for good. Yet, while being back in Kuching is amazing, I don't think I can stay in Kuching. The narrow mindedness would kill me if it could. Its a paradox: with all the oppurtinities, my mind has opened, and somehow closed at the same time.
Do I want to stay in Kuching for the rest of my days? No. Do I want to settle down in Australia? At this stage, no. Can I go back to New Zealand? No.
Frankly, I don't even know where I am. I no longer Malaysian enough, and I cant stand most Malaysians. But I don't think I can intergrate into Australian society, and there is no way I can go back to New Zealand.
Who am I? Where am I?
Thursday, January 03, 2008
The Dango Song
Happy 2008!
Well, what a better way than to promote the Dango Song on a piano?
Done by my sister. All credits to her.
Well, what a better way than to promote the Dango Song on a piano?
Done by my sister. All credits to her.
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