I'm so so so so so sorry for abandoning the blog. Again.
Haih.
I haven't found a job yet, but the RA work in Monash has been keeping me pretty occupied.
And the stupid internet connection in my house is so bloody annoying that I get so fed-up everytime I try to blog.
I swear that once UniFi is available in my area I will go and get it for the house and pay for it myself rather than continue using this stupid WiMax with its continuous PMSes.
Oh yes WiMax modem. I'm talking to you. I'll baling you down into the swimming pool once we get a better internet connection.
Oh, last weekend, my lecturers, my fellow RAs and I (there were 8 of us) went to gather data on our research on the usage of mobile phones, computers and internet in the rural-urban area.
We went to this area called Kampung Medan near Old Klang Road, which was just like 5 minutes away from the university.
But it was definitely a different world from the comfortable and safe environment that we have been exposed to in Sunway (and at home).
This area was the scene of the 2001 Kampung Medan clash between the Malays and Indians, and an area where gang fights can happen at anytime simply because they don't have anything better to do.
And it's only 20 minutes away from KL.
When we were in the lift of one of the apartment buildings heading towards our "Survey Centre" (which was basically just the corridor near the lifts on one of the floors of the flats), I almost vomited (having a strong gag reflex is definitely a disadvantage in this situation) because the stench of garbage lingers in the lift. The 2-minute ride up to the 5th floor felt like forever because of the overbearing stench. And to think, these people have no choice but to bear with the smell every single day. It made me so sad.
Once we got up to our survey centre, it was just as bad. The corridor was not well-lit and a bit dingy, that even on a bright Saturday morning (we were there by 9 AM), the place looked like it was 6 PM on a gloomy day. It was definitely a bit depressing for me cause I love sunlight and bright places.
We got these people to participate in the survey by giving out electric kettles to them as a gift for completing the surveys. And in the 4+ hours we were there, we managed to get 80 participants for the survey and we were definitely satisfied.
It's amazing that these people willingly sat through all 80 questions of the survey just to get a free electric kettle. I don't think I would have. But then, what I take for granted might be a necessity to these people.
Like there was this lady who I did the survey with, and she only earns RM600 a month and her husband earns RM1,000 a month and they have three kids at home, 2 of which are in primary school. It's crazy that they only have that amount of money per month to survive in KL, especially with the rising food prices.
From what we gather, a majority of these people are aware of the importance of computers and internet, but it's unfortunate for them that these things are too expensive for them to afford, and so they're losing out on the benefits of having/owning a computer and an internet connection.
It was definitely an eye-opener for all of us. Like my lecturer was telling us over lunch after the survey, "You can look at the cold data from the questionnaires and make conclusions based on the data, but unless you're down on the field, seeing what they see everyday, you can't really see what's happening." And we were quite lucky this time around because there were people who helped us organise the survey by giving us chairs and tables from their mamak stalls to set up at our centre so that everything can run smoothly and comfortably.
I actually feel a bit apprehensive to go to these sort of places again, but we still have more data to collect and I know that this experience will make me better appreciate the luxuries in life that I have taken for granted. I guess this is sort of my Peace Corps experience la. Lol.
Anyways, the boyfriend picked me up from Monash cause he wanted to study for his upcoming ACCA exams at the Monash library, so basically it was a win-win situation la for us. He got to study without any distraction, I got a ride home. Lol.
Anyways, on the ride home, we sort of had this discussion about scholarships. I personally think that some people should not get a scholarship just because they have good grades because I know some people with scholarships can actually afford to pay the university fees.
And it also pisses me off that some people see scholarships only as a ticket to go overseas (case in point: My boyfriend. I think it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't get to go overseas on his old scholarship. Lol.) and that once they earn the scholarship, they slack off and play hard. So instead of maintaining good grades and hence justifying why they received the scholarships in the first place, these people get sucky results and splurge most of their scholarship money (and the money from their parents too) on having fun.
Don't get me wrong. Some of the scholars definitely deserve their scholarships cause they work really hard for it and hence should be awarded, but these rotten few who take scholarships for granted really annoy me.
I mean, it's the taxpayers money. Some of the taxpayers are hard-working, poor people who can't afford to buy some of the stuff that these scholars own, so it's a bit ironic isn't it that these poor people are paying for the rich people's education?
Granted, I might be a bit bitter because my results were never good enough during my schooling years (not for lack of studying) to earn a scholarship, but I have worked so hard during my degree to make my parents know that their hard-earned money did not go to waste. I still had fun, but not for one second did I take my education money for granted.
The boyfriend and I both agree that the priority for scholarships should be given to those from rural areas. And that scholarships should not be awarded solely based on academic results.
Some people from the rural areas might not have gotten straight A1's because their environment is not conducive for studying. They might have to be the caretaker to their smaller siblings when their parents are working, hence affecting their study time and overall performance. But the government should give them chances, even when they only have 7 or 8 A's, instead of awarding a city kid who scored 10 A1's because they went for extra tuition and was in a boarding school with a conducive studying environment.
Oh, one more thing that pisses me off with some scholars who are overseas is their "Stick-to-their-kind" attitude. To me, one of the beauty of studying overseas is learning the local culture, lingo and basking in the new experiences that being in a new environment might give.
But it's quite sad that some people, once they are overseas, seem happier to stick their kind. In fact, these people sometimes look down on those people who dare to step out of their comfort zones and take risks and try new things and meet new people who aren't Malaysians.
What is the freaking point when you proudly say you have gone to study in UK/US/Australia for God-knows how many years and yet you can't even string one perfect sentence when speaking in English?
I'm not saying that these people have to come back with accents, but dear God, is it so difficult to polish up on your speaking English while you are living in an English-speaking nation?
It makes me, who has never had the chance to (and looking at it now, probably never will) study overseas be a bit confounded. I mean, have they never heard of the term SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY?
Haih.
I haven't found a job yet, but the RA work in Monash has been keeping me pretty occupied.
And the stupid internet connection in my house is so bloody annoying that I get so fed-up everytime I try to blog.
I swear that once UniFi is available in my area I will go and get it for the house and pay for it myself rather than continue using this stupid WiMax with its continuous PMSes.
Oh yes WiMax modem. I'm talking to you. I'll baling you down into the swimming pool once we get a better internet connection.
Oh, last weekend, my lecturers, my fellow RAs and I (there were 8 of us) went to gather data on our research on the usage of mobile phones, computers and internet in the rural-urban area.
We went to this area called Kampung Medan near Old Klang Road, which was just like 5 minutes away from the university.
But it was definitely a different world from the comfortable and safe environment that we have been exposed to in Sunway (and at home).
This area was the scene of the 2001 Kampung Medan clash between the Malays and Indians, and an area where gang fights can happen at anytime simply because they don't have anything better to do.
And it's only 20 minutes away from KL.
When we were in the lift of one of the apartment buildings heading towards our "Survey Centre" (which was basically just the corridor near the lifts on one of the floors of the flats), I almost vomited (having a strong gag reflex is definitely a disadvantage in this situation) because the stench of garbage lingers in the lift. The 2-minute ride up to the 5th floor felt like forever because of the overbearing stench. And to think, these people have no choice but to bear with the smell every single day. It made me so sad.
Once we got up to our survey centre, it was just as bad. The corridor was not well-lit and a bit dingy, that even on a bright Saturday morning (we were there by 9 AM), the place looked like it was 6 PM on a gloomy day. It was definitely a bit depressing for me cause I love sunlight and bright places.
We got these people to participate in the survey by giving out electric kettles to them as a gift for completing the surveys. And in the 4+ hours we were there, we managed to get 80 participants for the survey and we were definitely satisfied.
It's amazing that these people willingly sat through all 80 questions of the survey just to get a free electric kettle. I don't think I would have. But then, what I take for granted might be a necessity to these people.
Like there was this lady who I did the survey with, and she only earns RM600 a month and her husband earns RM1,000 a month and they have three kids at home, 2 of which are in primary school. It's crazy that they only have that amount of money per month to survive in KL, especially with the rising food prices.
From what we gather, a majority of these people are aware of the importance of computers and internet, but it's unfortunate for them that these things are too expensive for them to afford, and so they're losing out on the benefits of having/owning a computer and an internet connection.
It was definitely an eye-opener for all of us. Like my lecturer was telling us over lunch after the survey, "You can look at the cold data from the questionnaires and make conclusions based on the data, but unless you're down on the field, seeing what they see everyday, you can't really see what's happening." And we were quite lucky this time around because there were people who helped us organise the survey by giving us chairs and tables from their mamak stalls to set up at our centre so that everything can run smoothly and comfortably.
I actually feel a bit apprehensive to go to these sort of places again, but we still have more data to collect and I know that this experience will make me better appreciate the luxuries in life that I have taken for granted. I guess this is sort of my Peace Corps experience la. Lol.
Anyways, the boyfriend picked me up from Monash cause he wanted to study for his upcoming ACCA exams at the Monash library, so basically it was a win-win situation la for us. He got to study without any distraction, I got a ride home. Lol.
Anyways, on the ride home, we sort of had this discussion about scholarships. I personally think that some people should not get a scholarship just because they have good grades because I know some people with scholarships can actually afford to pay the university fees.
And it also pisses me off that some people see scholarships only as a ticket to go overseas (case in point: My boyfriend. I think it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't get to go overseas on his old scholarship. Lol.) and that once they earn the scholarship, they slack off and play hard. So instead of maintaining good grades and hence justifying why they received the scholarships in the first place, these people get sucky results and splurge most of their scholarship money (and the money from their parents too) on having fun.
Don't get me wrong. Some of the scholars definitely deserve their scholarships cause they work really hard for it and hence should be awarded, but these rotten few who take scholarships for granted really annoy me.
I mean, it's the taxpayers money. Some of the taxpayers are hard-working, poor people who can't afford to buy some of the stuff that these scholars own, so it's a bit ironic isn't it that these poor people are paying for the rich people's education?
Granted, I might be a bit bitter because my results were never good enough during my schooling years (not for lack of studying) to earn a scholarship, but I have worked so hard during my degree to make my parents know that their hard-earned money did not go to waste. I still had fun, but not for one second did I take my education money for granted.
The boyfriend and I both agree that the priority for scholarships should be given to those from rural areas. And that scholarships should not be awarded solely based on academic results.
Some people from the rural areas might not have gotten straight A1's because their environment is not conducive for studying. They might have to be the caretaker to their smaller siblings when their parents are working, hence affecting their study time and overall performance. But the government should give them chances, even when they only have 7 or 8 A's, instead of awarding a city kid who scored 10 A1's because they went for extra tuition and was in a boarding school with a conducive studying environment.
Oh, one more thing that pisses me off with some scholars who are overseas is their "Stick-to-their-kind" attitude. To me, one of the beauty of studying overseas is learning the local culture, lingo and basking in the new experiences that being in a new environment might give.
But it's quite sad that some people, once they are overseas, seem happier to stick their kind. In fact, these people sometimes look down on those people who dare to step out of their comfort zones and take risks and try new things and meet new people who aren't Malaysians.
What is the freaking point when you proudly say you have gone to study in UK/US/Australia for God-knows how many years and yet you can't even string one perfect sentence when speaking in English?
I'm not saying that these people have to come back with accents, but dear God, is it so difficult to polish up on your speaking English while you are living in an English-speaking nation?
It makes me, who has never had the chance to (and looking at it now, probably never will) study overseas be a bit confounded. I mean, have they never heard of the term SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY?
Oh yes. I'm a bit pissed. I grew up here in Malaysia, got my degree in Malaysia and yet I speak better English than this people. What the hell.
But then I guess I can't fully blame them cause sometimes it boils down to the environment where you were brought up in.
I am so glad that my parents actually became friends with not just Malaysians during their time in the UK. In fact, during our trip, we stayed with my dad's Indian friends (Indians from India, not Malaysia) and went to visit one of my dad's close friend, an Irish man who got married to a Geordie. My parents were there and back when we were in the UK we went to their house every Christmas, and I can't see many scholars (Malays, especially) doing that nowadays.
Us, with Uncle Duncan and family, 2010.
Aunty Donna, Amy, myself and Anis, 1992.
I'm glad that my parents were open-minded enough to step out of their comfort zone and make friends with these people, and that they taught us that it was okay to step out of our comfort zones once in a while.
Anyhow, back to the scholarship issue, it sucks that the government are mainly giving out scholarships for the so-called "Professional" courses, i.e Medicine, Law, Engineering, Business.
They should actually look into giving out scholarships for other vocational courses because not everyone has the brain to become engineers and doctors. Plus, apparently even engineers now are finding it difficult to get jobs.
Some people are more practical-based rather than theory-based. Just because they aren't book-smart, it doesn't mean that they're stupid and don't deserve to get a scholarship. I think giving scholarships in courses like hospitality is a pretty good idea because it's an all-rounder course where you learn basic financial accounting, languages and whatnots and you actually apply everything that you learn. Which is more than I can say about some of the things that I had to learn during my degree (Accounting Theory, anyone?).
But it's so difficult for us to change the mentality of the people and basically if you don't have a scholarship for a professional course, it's either you're too stupid or you're a freaking rich kid.
Bottom line: No scholarship, no good.
Gah.
I hate our Education system and the people's third-world mentality. Thank God I'm done with my degree.
Okay, enough rants. I'm tiring my brain and tiring the people who might be reading this. Lol.
Love loads!
PS: I do feel guilty for the length of the post, but I'm not sorry. I needed to vent out. As usual. Where else can I make myself heard (other than in my boyfriend's car when we were discussing this, teehee)?
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