Cat-chan "The little dragon took an experimental bite out of the table, chewed it for a few seconds, spat it out, curled up and went to sleep" pg 158, Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, Harper Torch edition. My friend says that sound like me. Only thing is, I don't bite tables, since I know they taste woody. I just sleep. ^^
There are many things on my wall. An Optus calendar, at the month of August, with a mother polar bear and her cub as the picture of the month, with birthdays written down (and there are many this month). The number for an
international calling card. Postcards of scenery from home (A glorious
day over Taiaroa Head, a sunrise or sunset at Key Summit, a bright
winter's day at Lake Pukaki, with Mt Cook overlooking it). A card from
a friend. Notes. A newspaper cutting (I'm in one of the photos, just
peripherally, but vanity dictates that it should be up on my wall,
because I am there). One of those Chinese texts you get over Chinese
New Year, saying "Improvement in Studies". A bus timetable. Some
Chinese poems to look at. A tag from a chocolate with a lovely blue
ribbon.
However, of all that, there's only 2 photos.
There
are 6 people in the photo on the right. It was taken around the end of
2006, maybe? It was a Christmas greeting of sorts, because there's
"Season's Greetings" on it. It's a photoshop-ed photo, as the people
are in neat little boxes of their own. They're all friends from high
school. We've all come so far since then. 2 are doing medicine, 1 is
doing graphics. 2 are doing engineering, and the last is doing
economics. 1 is in the UK, 4 of them have remained in the land of their
birth. One will join me in the land down under in about a week. I
remember them well, but as they were. Who are they now? For the most
part, we have kept in touch over the internet: emails, msn, LJ,
Facebook. And yet, over the years, I seem to have drifted from some of
them. These are people who I used to hang out with at break time in
high school. We'd sit together in class, some of us attended the same
extra-curricular activities, we might get to sit together during
assembly on Monday mornings. We wore uniforms, we'd sat in rows, we'd
lined up outside our classrooms before and after class, we'd lived a
life strictly regulated by rules together. We were all in the same
school, and at some stages we'd shared classes. In that, we had a lot
in common. We'd only been really good friends towards the last 2 years
of high school but these are the friends I was closest to in high
school. 7 of us, including me, but I am not in the photo. I wasn't
there when the photo was taken; I got it in the post, a highly
anticipated parcel. It is the one thing on my wall that is a memento of
high school. I miss them, and sometimes I wonder if we will meet again.
There
are 6 people in the photo on the left. It is a small photo, in a little
Christmas themed frame of cardboard. It was taken at the end of 2007,
after all of us had finished our Health Science First Year (HSFY)
Exams. We are standing in front of St. Davids, where the monument is.
It is a sunny day, and we are all smiles. I'd met a friend walking
past, and he had happily obliged us by taking a group photo of us,
using most of our cameras. That day was the last day all 6 of us would
meet in person as a group. It's a mixed group, but all of us are in the
health sciences. 4 boys, 2 girls. 2 of us left the university, to study
in other places and follow our dreams. 2 of the groups are doing
medicine, 2 are doing physiotherapy, 1 is doing pharmacy, and 1 is
doing dentistry. 2 of us are in Australia, the rest are in New Zealand.
Not all of us will graduate at the same time. The Pharmacist and the
Physiotherapists will, with the usual amount of luck, graduate next
year. The Dentist will graduate the year after that, and the Doctors,
in 3 years. Not all of us were accepted into the courses we'd wanted,
and not all of us are studying at our first choice university. Yet, I
like to think we're happy with the way things have turned out. Although
we've gone our separate ways, it hasn't meant the end of our
friendships (and yet, there has been an end to other things). We didn't
meet until the second semester of HSFY, and even then, it was a slow
accumulation of friends. A chance meeting in front of the Science
Library. An overheard comment, and a reaction. Being in the same Lab.
Sitting in the same place for lunch. Finding out we had things in
common (badminton, music, books, the course). We've kept in touch too,
text messages when we're in the same country, msn, email, gtalk,
skype. This photo I received in the mail, just a little while after I
arrived, as a memento of days past, and friends not forgotten. I miss
them, and hope that we will meet again.
12 people, 2
photographs, 2 separate times. Photos that mean a lot to me. Things
that have been, things that may be and things that may never be. These
are the photos that make me smile, when all seems dark and gloomy in my
small little rural town, where sometimes the world seems too small.
Happy ANZAC Day people! ANZAC = Australian and New Zealand Army
Corps, for those who aren't familiar with the term. Anzac day it a day
of commemoration of the sacrifices of the Australian and New Zealand
armed forces in all the wars. I call today Christmas Tree Day because
of the uniform I have to wear: Red Jacket, Green Plaid, Green kilt. I
also have shiny silver buttons. All I need to actually look like a
Christmas Tree are fairy lights. I'm sure there's photos somewhere...
I'll track them down someday.
You can't really have a moment of silence on the internet, so here's the Recessional for ANZAC Day. Lest we forget.
The Recessional Rudyard Kipling
God of our fathers, known of old-- Lord of our far-flung battle line-- Beneath whose awful hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine-- Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget--lest we forget!
The tumult and the shouting dies-- The Captains and the Kings depart-- Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget--lest we forget!
Far-called our navies melt away-- On dune and headland sinks the fire-- Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget--lest we forget!
If, drunk with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe-- Such boastings as the Gentiles use, Or lesser breeds without the Law-- Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget--lest we forget!
For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard-- All valiant dust that builds on dust, And guarding calls not Thee to guard. For frantic boast and foolish word, Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord! Amen.
I didn't work out that "periferi" meant "peripheral" until I was 2 years out of high school. After that? I understood a whole lot more about the nervous system.
Am empty classroom: what's outside? (photo by Max Kilngensmith)
Project What's After SPM: A Hundred Different Journeys
One book. One hundred stories. For you. For hundreds of thousands of Malaysian youths.
(Yes you heard that right - hundreds of thousands of readers!)
For most of us, the end of secondary school education (or the lack of it) marked a turning point in our lives where we moved from studying together under an umbrella education system (SPM) to embarking upon vastly different pathways.
The transition process for the more fortunate among us would no doubt have been aided by the various resources made available to us: school counselors, advice from worried parents and knowledgeable seniors, counsel from helpful relatives, visits to campus open day sessions, mountainous stacks of college brochures, education sections in local newspapers, education resource websites etc.
The same, however, cannot be said of hundreds of thousands of kids all over Malaysia who have no regular access to the internet, are not blessed with well-informed family and friends, and who complete secondary school with little or almost no awareness of the opportunities that abound for them, as well as kids who are simply ignorant of the opportunities that surround them or just do not possess the faith and self-confidence to pursue their passions.
Therefore, we have decided to spearhead this project in hopes of reaching those kids and sending them this message: "Look, kids, now that you have completed secondary school, there are a million opportunities out there for you, a million pathways that you can undertake, a million places to visit, and you should explore those choices as much as you can. You can do anything you set your mind to. All it takes is keyakinan, a little bit of strategi, a little bit of tuah, and lots and lots of semangat dan usaha."
We are now looking for a plethoric collection of stories of young Malaysians who have pursued different pathways after SPM. The stories will be published in a book to be distributed to as many students and secondary schools as possible (tentative target: to distribute at least 2 books to each of the 5000 secondary schools in Malaysia). And we would like to invite you to participate in this project by submitting your story, or persuading your friends to submit their stories.
It does not matter whether you are a scholar with stellar results and a 3-inch thick resume, a typical student who went to a local university after finishing Form 6, or a youth who has to work in the pasar malam at night to foot your technical college fees in the day. It does not matter whether you have chosen the oft-beaten path or the road less travelled. We believe that there every education background offers its own boons and banes. And we believe that there are merits in telling any story.
Topics
Participants may touch on all or concentrate on a few of the following topics:
(a) What socioeconomic/education background did you come from and how did it contribute towards making you the person that you are today?
(b) What obstacles did you face in pursuing tertiary education and how did you overcome those obstacles?
(c) What prompted/who inspired you to pursue the pathway that you have undertaken/are currently undertaking?
(d) How did you find out about the pathway that you have undertaken/ are currently undertaking?
(e) What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing the pathway that you have taken/are currently undertaking?
(f) If you have had had a unique education background, please elaborate on your unusual circumstances (Examples: kampung boy who ended up in Yale University/home-schooled girl who faced difficulty persuading university admissions officers to admit her/student who pursued cosmological astrophysics at Cambridge under the prestigious Gates Scholarship/teenager who dropped out of school and pursued full-time modelling/youth who took a gap year after SPM to participate in humanitarian missions in Tibet/boy who has worked as a professional computer hacker since age 14/youth who entered a seminary to pursue priesthood/student who designed a new degree course at Smith College).
(g) If you have succeeded in securing a rare/prestigious scholarship/ undergone a rigorous university application process (Examples: Kofi Annan International Scholarship), please elaborate on the application process.
(h) What advice would you give to someone who hopes to pursue the same pathway that you have undertaken/are currently undertaking?
(i) How was the experience at your previous/current place of study and how has it changed your life? If you have had a non-academic pursuit (s) (establishing your own restaurant/working full-time as a social worker etc), how has your pursuit impacted other people?
(j) Is there any other issue regarding post-SPM education that you wish to discuss? What other pertinent advice would you give to someone who is about to complete SPM/secondary school?
Reminder: Remember that the purpose of submitting your story is not to flaunt your achievements, but to share your unque experiences with your readers. As you write, try to retain the relevancy between your experiences and the reader's interest.
Malaysian children: dreams come in all packages (image from pro.corbis.com)
Participation rules
1. Participants must be Malaysian citizens.
2. Participants must be of age 30 or below as of 2009.
3. Each entry will consist of a photo (to be printed in black & white), an introduction blurb written in 3rd person perspective and a main article written in 1st person perspective.
4. The introduction blurb is to be between 30-50 words, and must mention the participant's age and place(s) of study/pursuit (see below for examples).
5. The main article is to be between 600-800 words.
6. All articles are to be written in English. Participants who struggle with English may write in Malay/Chinese and have their articles translated by the committee members.
7. Articles may be edited for clarity, brevity and/or intelligibility, though the committee will strive not to tamper them.
8. All participants must use their real names. Pseudonyms will not be allowed.
9. About 100 entries will be selected for publishing. The committee's decisions will be final.
10. Photos may be of any style as long as it shows the participant's face, though black & white photos will be preferred as the book will be published in black & white.
11. All participants will retain the copyright of their articles and photos.
We encourage young Malaysians from all walks of life to participate in this project. We strive for inclusivity and diversity in terms of:
(a) Socioeconomic, ethnic and geographical background of participants
(b) Secondary school background of participants (national schools, vernacular schools, international schools, private schools, religious schools, boarding schools, home-schooling, apprenticeship, dropouts etc)
(c) Pre-university education background of participants (STPM, matriculation, A Level, IB, SAM, ICPU, AUSMAT, ADP, foundation program, diploma, home-schooling etc)
(d) How did you find out about the pathway that you have undertaken/ are currently undertaking?
(e) What are the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing the pathway that you have taken/are currently undertaking?
(f) If you have had had a unique education background, please elaborate on your unusual circumstances (Examples: kampung boy who ended up in Yale University/home-schooled girl who faced difficulty persuading university admissions officers to admit her/student who pursued cosmological astrophysics at Cambridge under the prestigious Gates Scholarship/teenager who dropped out of school and pursued full-time modelling/youth who took a gap year after SPM to participate in humanitarian missions in Tibet/boy who has worked as a professional computer hacker since age 14/youth who entered a seminary to pursue priesthood/student who designed a new degree course at Smith College).
(g) Fields of interest of participants (pure sciences, arts & humanities, social sciences, medicine, law, engineering, entertainment, culinary arts, business, entrepreneurship etc)
Samples of introductory blurbs
(a) Mohammad Ghazali, 18, is currently setting up his own football memorabilia business at Berjaya Times Square with his ex-classmates after completing SPM at SMK USJ14. He spends his free time coaching orphans in football for free. He also owns a personal collection of jerseys autographed by over 50 Manchester United players, and wants the Devils to reclaim the English Premier League
(b) Tee Le Yin, 26, a former national swimmer and philately enthusiast, studied A Level at Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship prior to pursuing War Studies in King's College, UK. The former national swimmer is currently pursuing her MBA at INSEAD, France under the Maxis scholarship.
Book specifications
1. The book will be printed in black & white to minimise production cost and market price. 2. The book will be between 200-300 pages thick. 3. The book will be published by end of 2009.
Royalty/payment
1. As this is a community service project, none of the participants, project committee members and project advisors will receive any form of royalty or payment.
2. A fund raising campaign will be held later to raise money for the project. However, all excess funds will go towards distributing the books to students and secondary schools for free.
Contribute
1. We would greatly appreciate anyone who wishes to contribute towards our publishing fees.
2. We also welcome anyone who wishes to help in translating the book into Chinese and Malay after the first edition of the book goes into print.
Enquiries/contact
The organising committee members, Chen Chow Yeoh, Chong Yong Wei Gabrielle, Goh Jing Pei, Kimberley Mei Kay, Tara Thean, and Charis Loke are not committed to any organisation. They were simply brought together for this project and are bound by their sincere enthusiasm for community service.
Participants, parents, interested sponsors and translators, as well as general inquirers may contact committee at whatsafterspm@gmail.com.
Their website is here.Go have a look! If there's anyone out there who still reads this mostly dead blog, please consider participating here. We've all got our own stories to tell. I'd participate if I could, but I can't, so oh well.
Go on. Tell your story to the other students of Malaysia. Let them know that there's more than one way to reach your dreams, and that the SPM isn't the be all and end all of life. If anything, it's just the start.
Life is full of challenges from
money issues to family relationships and all the other stresses in
between. Here are some great mantras to master in life. Stay happy,
stay well.
Mantra For Good Health: 1. Drink plenty of water. 2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. 5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. 6. Play more games. 7. Read more books than you did in 2008. 8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. 9. Sleep for 7 hours. 10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Mantra For A Great Personality: 11. Don’t compare your life to others’ lives. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits. 14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip. 16. Dream more while you are awake. 17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 18.
Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her
mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others. 20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. 21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 22.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are
simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra
class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 23. Smile and laugh more. 24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Social Mantra: 25. Call your family often. 26. Each day give something good to others. 27. Forgive everyone for everything. 28. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and those under the age of 6. 29. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 30. What other people think of you is none of your business. 31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Mantra For Life: 32. Do the right thing! 33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 34. GOD heals everything. 35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 37. The best is yet to come. 38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it. 39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Last but not the least: 40. Share these mantra to live by with everyone you care about. Long time no update. Just a brief one: Still alive, having survived medic year 1 (20% of a doctor now, hehe). Looks to be a busy year this year. I'm competing with my band over Easter, in the street march, band competition and solo drumming. Go me. Still playing badminton, although my racquet has finally died. Boo. Not sure about netball this year.
This song is beautiful, both the lyrics and the melody
.
These are the lyrics: I Go, by Pete Teo
So long, fare thee well The dancer and the dancing days have taken leave and fell So turn down this bed of stone Quench me with the deadly nightshade from the rose that you belong The long December rain is falling now Running down on streets to nowhere Music is my life - you're my sweetest nightingale But I can't hear it here no more And I go... Hush now, don't shake or break Words have fallen silent like soldiers to the grave No matter what they do or say Lay me on the sleepy meadows by the tracks upon your face"
[Words & Music by Pete Teo. All rights reserved 2007]
