Wednesday, December 3, 2008

YWS, birthdays, and some other assorted things.

Sick! So completely sick!

This holiday, on our trip to Penang, my brother got a fever. Not long afterward, my mom and dad were infected too. Then my turn. And whoopie! We have sore throats and blocked nasal passages as well.
I am.. marginally better than the rest. Gargling salt water and sipping lemon honey drinks have been good remedies.
And what else is sick? Well.. just look at the last lines above the postscript.

And guess what! I joined a site. It's called YWS.. Stands for Young Writers' Society (now, don't immediately stop reading because you just saw the word "writer".). It's pretty nice.. but that's my opinion.

And Chee Keen has just celebrated his birthday not long ago, and Sarran is about to have his. And after that.. mine! Whoohooo! And my mum's, and Hui Shen's, and Khesha's, and basically loads of people's. You BETTER get me a present (you know who you are) !

And last but not least, take a look at this pic. Please.
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/13/1673378.aspx
Try reading the comments too.

P.S.: I read this quote from a signpost in the Pulau Kukup National Park.

"Alone we can do little, but together, we can change the world."
and
"To change those around you, you must first change yourself."
Amen to that!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Johore International Jamboree 2008

I've been shamefully neglecting my blog. It seems so barren.. Sorry!

Nyways.. I'm back from camp.


The camp was bad in terms of organisation, good in terms of people, and had terrible plumbing. We used lake water for dishes and the toilet bowls were rarely empty (no flushing - absolutely nauseating). I met some very friendly people and some real arseholes that acted like they've never seen a girl before. And the organisers forgot to put lots of things in English to ensure the internationals could understand. There was a really tall menara at the entrance - well done.


Day 1 - Felt really lonely. I was the only girl from my school. The tent broke. I stayed with the girls from SMK Pendeta Za'ba. Nice people.

Day 2 - Better. I don't remember much from this day.

Day 3 - Went to Pulau Kukup. Met Pulau Pinang girls from Jit Sin.
In the afternoon we couldn't go out for activities. There was some luncheon where they invited people from all contingents. After that we had to clean up.

Day 4 - We tried to complete the activities today, but there was one last activity scheduled for tomorrow. So we weren't allowed to do it. The contingent people scolded us for not finishing.

Day 5 - We did canoeing today. It was fun! Wasn't as scary as I thought. Skipped paintball though - it took so bloody long to wait. I went for a walk around the camp site while my friends waited and when I came back like, an hour later they were STILL where I left them. They said it was fun and really painful. And I wasn't allowed nyway - for 14+ only.

Day 6 - Went back.

Short summary of what happened. Not very detailed. But whatever. I'm in Penang now. Dad has some meeting. Will be here till December 1st.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Message to sue faye - a long, partial comment on her blog

Sue Faye, I could not disagree with you more. I love my secondary school life more than I could ever love that old hellhole of a primary school, although I strongly respect and also recommend it, because that is the treatment the young need to get them in shape and disciplined. Secondary school has shown me how restricted the world I lived in before was. And for one of the few times in my life, I finally felt like I fit in. It isn't very likely I will be changed and influenced a lot by people for the worse (not drastically, anyway). I am an adolescent, and not a child anymore. I do hope, after all these years, I have acquired a little knowledge, just enough to discern the good friends from the bad. And friends will never ruin you intentionally, not unless you pick the wrong ones to trust in. Admittedly, I have seldom trusted my close friends with secrets - too often they are suddenly spread far and wide. But then again, I have not been betrayed (that's a strong word, though) this year so far. And just because Jane was a b*tchy, stuck up, snobbish, gossipy jerk, it doesn't mean everyone is.

Refer to http://1995feel.blogspot.com/ if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

This is what I wanted to say in the last post. It has no relation with the one above.:
Straightfoward. I think you are being pathetically childish (you know who you are). Does being the society queen bee, or being the friend of one, affect your life that much? Thank goodness I've gotten over the stage where I needed people to acknowledge that I had 'power'. 4 years ago. Social life with peers have meant a lot since, though. And you needn't act high and mighty because you are a queen bee, a Kate in the Lizzie McGuire world. Take my word for it (it's not likely you will be given anything else, not the way your acting at the moment), people really couldn't care less. I hope it's a passing phase, because I really would like to be friends.

Another three things.. and a postponed post

First off.. early birthday wishes to my sister! Its on November 17th. Sorry I can't get you a present though.
Secondly, I'll miss all of you Form 5 n 6 people.. good luck in your exams and blah-blah-blah.. the usual stuff. But I really will miss you guys, especially in scouts.
Thirdly, I won't be here from Saturday to Thursday. I'll be at some Scout Jamboree in Batu Pahat. See ya.

And I have a lot more to say. About society. About my peers and snobbish and utterly childish (yes, more so than me) some of them can be. Unfortunately, my father is making gestures at me that indicate that I should cut my speech short. So until the next post! (probly tomorrow)

Friday, November 7, 2008

Another Poem

Just for kicks.

Anhedonic emptiness
Spears the lonely hours
She spends them weeping in her tower
Trapped where she cannot escape.

Eclipsed completely, she is the moon
To her peers' bright suns
And lonely she is
For no light can find her
Instead they render her imperceptible to the eye
In vain she hopes that she will be the darkness no longer
That one will lead her out
That she will be the one to shine
That life will bring her into the world
Where she can live again.

But time pasts: she ebbs away
Dust she becomes.
Unknown. Nameless.
And none care.

Three things that are really bothering me at the moment.

Choir practice, choir practice and more choir practice.
Not that I don't like choir practice. It's just that I would prefer to spend my last 2008 schooling moments with my friends. Not stuck in the APD room or hall singing till my voice cracks. I wouldn't mind if it were in the holidays. However, my fellow choir members are not of the same opinion.


Swimming lessons.

I HATE SWIMMING.
I hate it so much. I wanted to quit, then my mom scolded me. So I didn't quit. I told my mom how much I hated it.
My mom scolded me for not quitting.
Now I hate Fridays.


And at school.. my friends are breaking up. New cliques, new groups, new gangs. To some teens, friends are life. I sincerely hope I'm not one of them. I hate (there's the word again!) seeing my friends talk so sweetly in front of each other and rip each other up right after. Makes me wonder what they say about me (if they do say anything).

Friday, October 31, 2008

One of those days

One of those days. I need an outlet.

By one of those days I mean one of those times you need to have a good cry because everything in life is wrong in an odd, inexplicable way. Those times when you want to throw in the towel, when you need to rant, to pour your woes and sorrows and yet know that nobody will listen, that nobody wants to listen, and even if they do they won't understand. They'll just pretend they understand and give all the wrong solutions to your problems. And you don't know how exactly how to say what you mean, as it seems that no words of any sort can convey what you feel.

Yes, one of those days.

I was angry at (almost) everyone at school. Especially myself. When I came home, my parents said I was pale. I told them I was sleepy. My dad said I must've received bad results and was avoiding them (he implicated it, anyway) and of course I got angry.

The bad part about being a 'girl' is the part where people expect you to be less aggressive. I have never felt more like punching someone, because I hate people not understanding me. I slept the rest of the day.

Had the first suicidal thought in months today.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Boredom and what it can do to me

People always say, how do you finish so fast? The answer is, I do a lot of guesswork based on intuition, which really doesn't require lots of time (this is why I finished Paper 2 at the last minute). So what do I do in that leftover time? I dream, I draw. And of course, I write. I write the memorised songs in my head. And I also write poems (and unfinished anecdotes - of course). This is one I wrote during the BM Paper 1 (which Sue Faye and Jeffery confessed to not understanding, as it really doesn't have much meaning. It's ok if you don't either. It doesn't rhyme.):


The boredom grips me.
I can taste the darkness of indifference.
For the excitement of reality
The sinking fear, adrenalin
has past. The time has come
for me to fall into the black pit that
has ensnared many before me.
Precious time slips away, weighed by grains of sand
Infinite to mankind, limited to man.
I dream of what I could do if
I were not trapped in this brief eternity

(At this point I got carried away: the papers were getting collected)
And then it comes -
The saviour, the hand,
the colour in the darkness that pulls me
from the hole.
I am freed, though
only from the cage.
The chains still bind me.
But yet their cold touch
gives me comfort that liberation
of them cannot.

The anchor holds me
Freedom of it, I fear
I depend upon these bonds that clutch me

Holding on tight to us all
The prisoners come and go
I bear them not forever.


Afterwards there was a sucessor:

Silence, empty, within and without.
The strangeness of yawning hope and
solitude, poisoned by suspicion.
The den of deathly open jaws
that consumes those society shuns
shuts but upon us. Torn apart, limb from limb
by the agony of lonesomeness.
Though it is self-inflicted (or is it?)
The blade thrusts as deep as
if it were of another.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

RuneScape

RuneScape! Just that day I decided to sign in again after long abandonment. It appears to have changed a lot. Lots of improvements for F2P. Also lots of limitations in general, though. Which brings me to why I quit in the first place.

Well, when I was still playing, they introduced something absolutely unforgivable: pure rune essence, express use of members. After that, prices plummeted. My main income disappeared. That wasn't so bad, though. I went fishing. Later on, I got muted. Ok, fine, I deserved it anyway. I continued.

But the last straw was the trading limit. The Grand Exchange was invented. I left the game.

Well now, there are some mini-games open to F2Pers, which are really fun. The graphics are cool too. However, the wildy is gone. I heard PKers had a demonstration. Lots of new stuff.

I guess I'll be quitting it soon again. The initial rush of excitement is pretty much over.

My mum will be happy.

Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English

Recently there’s been a lot of speculation on the subject. Well, you don’t have to be Einstein to know which camp I’m on. I think that English is definitely what we need.

In the NST, the Parents Action Group for Education sent an appeal for the teaching in English to be continued. They counter-argued upon 7 points (here I put 6, the italics are my own thoughts):

• The policy has not relegated the superiority of Bahasa Malaysia (currently not Melayu)
This is an unjust and ridiculous statement (that it has relegated the ‘superiority of BM’)! Come ON! BM is used in BM, Geografi, Sejarah, KH, Moral, PJK, Seni and Sivik. English is only used in English, Science and Mathematics. Do the math (no pun intended)!

• That English cannot be taught through Science and Mathematics is inaccurate
I don’t understand why it can’t be taught in English. There are enough reference materials.

• Science and Math can be taught in English instead of the student’s mother tongue
If you teach from a young age, you will find that it is very easy for them to learn. Children are not dumb. Given opportunity they can – they just need a good teacher (thank goodness my mum is one, and my dad)

• There are enough resources to teach in English
Mentioned above.

• That the statement that examination results declined upon implementation is unfair
Yea! I mean, you only asked the ones who just had English implemented. Try the UPSR/08 ones, they were the first batch of full-fledged English learners.

• We shouldn’t follow the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans in using the mother tongue
Not to be depreciating or anything… but we haven’t reached that level yet. We are still developing. English is good for industry – where are you going to use Malay besides this little country?

Don’t sacrifice the future generation for short-term ease! English is very important, whether in daily life or at work. Do what is right. There’s a saying in Chinese (roughly translated): The first plant the trees, the second sit in its shade. Be the tree planter, even if it takes a lot to tend to it.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Sacha Baron Cohen

Recently my brother has been crazing(is there such a word?) over this guy. Sacha Baron Cohen brought you Ali G, Bruno, and of course, Borat. He convinced me to watch some Youtube clips of him.

Needless to say I was very, very amused. Especially with Borat. They interview people and pretend to be real, making people say things they.. wouldn't say otherwise. Ali G is supposed to be this stereotype of a suburban male who revels in Jamaican and Black British culture, particularly hip hop and reggae music. Bruno is a homosexual fashion designer who claims to interview for "Austria's Gay TV". Borat is a Kazakh who interviews people, usually to "make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan".

It's very entertaining when Ali G makes funny (but probably annoying to the interviewee) comments and asks odd questions. Bruno shows people contradicting themselves. Borat exposes anti-Semitism and odd prejudices, when nobody knows he's actually a Jew himself. They are all hilarious. If you have nothing to do, go on Youtube, watch a few videos. The Golden Globe Awards speech he made was really funny too.

Wishes

Wishes. Everyone has them. Hopes and dreams. Some crushed, some barely alive, some triumphant
I'll list mine out, just in case I can achieve them. Just the unfulfilled ones. Not in order of importance.

Section A - Me
1. I wish I didn't cry in primary school
2. I wish I didn't get cowed by two girls just because they acted superior in kindergarten
3. I wish I was more friendly and outgoing
4. I wish I slapped [forgot his name]
5. I wish I never got moved to the middle of the class
6. I wish I had more perseverance than initiative
7. I wish I didn't lose my diary
8. I wish I didn't lose my KH textbook
9. I wish I didn't break the snowglobe
10. I wish I was cleaner
11. I wish I were more open
12. I wish I brought my phone to school
13. I wish I didn't have to care about idiots who smoke and ponteng
14. I wish I made more people like me
15. I wish I could've gone for the Jamboree in Jelebu
16. I wish I wasn't so damn shy
17. I wish I didn't have a fear of fair people
18. I wish I wasn't scared of the dark
19. I wish I never touched my sister's books
20. I wish I was neater and more organised
21. I wish I stuck to things
22. I wish I had an answer for things
23. I wish I was more active
24. I wish I was more focused
25. I wish I was closer to my relatives
26. I wish I was a faster person
27. I wish I was less emotional
28. I wish I were more careful
29. I wish I were more funny
30. I wish I were more passionate about what I do
31. I wish I took part in the Public Speaking Competition
32. I wish I won for chess
33. I wish I wasn't so forgetful
34. I wish I could just NOT CARE
35. I wish I didn't have bad habits
36. I wish I took better care of my plants
37. I wish I didn't try to follow my sister - because I am a different person
38. I wish I did better in my exams
39. I wish I didn't cause any viruses
40. I wish I liked swimming
41. I wish I drank more water
42. I wish I had better interests

Section B - Others
43. I wish people would stop mistaking forgetfulness for laziness
44. I wish the wars would stop
45. I wish the environment was saved
46. I wish people didn't litter
47. I wish the Sun didn't HAVE to explode
48. I wish women didn't have to endure childbirth and all that comes with it
49. I wish there was a way to use the unwanted heat dispersed into the air
50. I wish people were not so wicked to corrupt children
51. I wish people did not lie, kill, steal or anything of that sort
52. I wish there never was a need to.
53. I wish everyone could realise their own potential
54. I wish there was no poverty in the world
55. I wish there were time machines
56. I wish lights switched off automatically
57. I wish ... for a lot more things. Etcetera.


Why not? It's possible. Anything is possible. Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the hand of man can achieve.

It's just.. a matter of time.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

More stuff

Well I have recently discovered that I am going to the Johor International Jamboreeeeeeee!!!!!! And I have never been to an international anything before, so I might as well be excited. My bro and I will send our *last minute* forms to Pn. Siti Fatimah today. 5 days, 15-20 November. Joy!

So I'm practicing knots for fun now, since the exam in over. I wish I could just sleep.. but then at night I'll lie awake in bed and have nightmares. Right now I'm wrapping my mind around the idea of Chee Keen and Chee Hoe leaving PD.

In addition to the fact that two of my friends are leaving, another is depressed. She probably will never tell us her secrets. Really, I might have a fit soon if she doesn't. It's spreading now that the holidays are coming.

I spent most of today walking back and forth from my class to Blok Millenium, and the staffroom. Reading the Reader's Digest, of course. However, now that I'm a lot more skilled in walking and am not carrying a huge bag of books, I guess I'm safe. I didn't know so few people in my year knew about Reader's Digest - I always thought it was rather popular. Maybe just not in that area.

And no, not one single incident today was especially interesting to relate. But I'll have more on the next post.

Exams n whatnot

Exams are over and done with at last! Thank god. But I dunno whether to be happy or sad - the school year is coming to a close. I'm gonna miss everyone that's leaving!! Anyway, let me get on to the matter at heart, which is the exam. Or rather, how people have been treating it.

Frankly, I am FRUSTRATED at the contempt with which my classmates treat the END OF YEAR EXAM. Let me rephrase that. I HATE PEOPLE CHEATING.

In my mind, cheaters are scum. I am sick of watching you(you know who you are) unfairly cheat your way into good results, when the rest of the honest population (approximately 8 people) who have actually studied, or, if they haven't, at least decided not to degrade themselves to such a low level as you skunks, really DO the paper, instead of copy it. You KNOW we can't tell on you because if it leaks out, we will be shut out of society - or at least, the one that we are in. I have absolutely no respect for you and cannot believe the people I once held in high regard are able to lower themselves.

Look at yourselves! Go home, stare in the mirror. Look at your family. Is this disgraceful act what you were brought up for!? If you don't feel ashamed of yourself, if you have a clear conscience - well frankly, I'd like to say that all of you disgust me.

YOU F**KING PISS ME OFF!

There, now that I've vented my spleen, I'd like to continue to another topic.

Pairing.

It's amazing how you(again, you know who you are) are able to matchmake at such a young age. Congratulations on your skill! However, I believe that it needs a bit of polishing here and there. You could not be further from the mark with your blind man's darts. You see, talking to somebody with a smile does not qualify you to be his/her next girl/boyfriend. I mean yea, the teasing here and there is ok for me but if you're telling his/her sibling(s), you are going too far. But otherwise, go ahead, because it's seriously entertaining.

I just realised it's a Thursday. Crap, 'cause I'm going to school tomorrow. Before you ask why, for fun. So nite, see ya.