One may argue that, today's world is perfect, any able-thinking human being would be able to see, plain as daylight that our so called 'perfect' world is not, in fact without flaw. One of the most obvious social issue that is present in every society is, discrimination. No matter how much we would like to deny it, acts of discrimination are being performed unknowingly despite the belief that we are superior, without flaws and able to think above our Neanderthal ancestors. In spite of this, we are still unable to overlook our differences, this results in petty problems that benefits neither party. Discrimination has many forms, for example, discrimination can be done based on racial differences, skin colour, appearance, religion, sexual orientation, social status, economic background the list goes on.
Case in point, one of the most obvious forms of discriminations is the act of discriminating against other races. This form of discrimination is described as being prejudiced against others solely based on their race this can also be a form of discrimination based on skin colour. People are more prone to discriminate based on skin colour because, it is a daily occurrence in our lives, namely, since we were young, perhaps our parents told us to stay away from other races due to their overprotective nature. Even as we grow with age and our mind matures, we will still have that inkling at the back of our minds to stay away or avoid people of certain race or skin tone.
Next, we have religious discrimination. This seems to be one of the biggest controversies in our country where every individual has the right to practice his or her own faith and beliefs, as it says in our Constitution. However, with all this freedom there are certain consequences, namely differences in religious beliefs have caused a sort of divide between the people of this nation.
A rising problem of discrimination in today's modern world is the act of discriminating another individual based on their sexual orientation, namely the gays and lesbians. These individuals are constantly under the media's eyes and are usually persecuted by others. These people are judged to be unclean especially in the eyes of most religions. They are denied most human rights, such as the right to adopt a child, not because they are unfit to care for a child, others believe that just because a child grows up with two mother or two fathers instead of the usual white picket fence family with one father and a mother, they will grow up "wrong" in their society.
The next form of discrimination is the type that one may see in big corporations where an individual has to climb up the ladder to succeed. In most white collar jobs, the discrimination against women is somewhat prominent. This is because most employers believe that a woman is too troublesome to hire, because a woman has the ability to get pregnant, this causes productivity to suffer when said pregnant women take their maternity leave. People are also under the impression that a woman is unable to do most of the things that men can do, namely physical labour. This creates a glass barrier for women, as the most they can do is reach this barrier and stay under it because they are unfit to exceed it.
Therefore, our world is hardly perfect. We as human beings, thought to be the peak of evolution are unable to look past petty differences, instead we pick at those differences until it becomes an issue and cause difficulties for other, in short, we seem to enjoy making a mountain out of a molehill. We should instead be ready to embrace the fact that we are all unique, and not everybody can be like us, we must be prepared to love our fellow man for as William Gladstone once said, "We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know peace"
Monday, 16 July 2012
Monday, 11 June 2012
journal entry 13
Entry for English Class - June - week 19
Well, my cyber pals, I am back from Penang!! And I have to say, all those people who talk about Penang being one of the best destinations for food lovers (i.e me) SPEAK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!!!! Although I wasn't able to try out the famous Char Kuey Teow from what I could smell, the aroma was nothing short of exquisite. The view in Penang was beautiful too, sunny beaches, various tourists, array of shops as far as the eye could see, a true paradise.
While my three day stay there was magnificent, I'm afraid I have nothing much to say, as my days were filled with mindless frolicking on the beach and deep sessions that touched my heart, so I'll end it here, Alla prossima volta (until next time) my wonderful friends
Well, my cyber pals, I am back from Penang!! And I have to say, all those people who talk about Penang being one of the best destinations for food lovers (i.e me) SPEAK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH!!!! Although I wasn't able to try out the famous Char Kuey Teow from what I could smell, the aroma was nothing short of exquisite. The view in Penang was beautiful too, sunny beaches, various tourists, array of shops as far as the eye could see, a true paradise.
While my three day stay there was magnificent, I'm afraid I have nothing much to say, as my days were filled with mindless frolicking on the beach and deep sessions that touched my heart, so I'll end it here, Alla prossima volta (until next time) my wonderful friends
Journal entry 12
Entry for English class - June - week 18 & 19
Well, it's been so long since I've even visited this blog, with my exams for two weeks and my holidays, I am finally taking the initiative to write this post during the holidays...(holiday happiness is starting to get to my head, I'm almost becoming diligent...well, "almost")
Since this is an impromptu post, I really have nothing much to talk about besides my most recent trip to Malacca from the 1st of June till the 4th of June.
I joined this trip because it was held by my Church Youth Commitee, KAYM. It was a four day long trip with the theme 'Placing God First' and boy, was it an amazing trip.
It started in the afternoon, we were to gather at the church (well, more of a chapel actually) by 2:30 p.m. And took a 3 hour long bus ride to a well established Christian sanctuary appropriately named, 'El Sanctuary'.
The area was nothing short of breath-taking, nature all around, plenty of open space and many friendly dogs just waiting for a pat on the head and some playful marshmallow chasing, a true sanctuary. The sanctuary was managed by a kind family who have made it their lives to run the place. The sessions we attended were very informative and group sharing really made me think and look into my heart for the answers. The food, as was expected, was magnificent, being to many camps, most of my most dreaded experiences tend to happen because of the food, imagine my surprise when the most tantalizing of aromas wafted in to the hall when the facilitators opened the doors to inform us the food was ready.
I spent many nights in the air conditioned hall just sitting and talking to my friends about our lives and comparing jokes (some of which were a little...racist) haha, but nobody got offended.
It was an amazing trip filled with fun, merry-making, information, and many new friends well, my diligence has run out, hopefully the next time I update will be after my trip to penang for another camp, so till then, 'Arrivederci alla prossima volta' (goodbye, until next time (Italian (because it is one of my favorite languages)))
p.s. just a note, i actually wrote this entry beforehand but did not get a chance to post it xD
p.s. just a note, i actually wrote this entry beforehand but did not get a chance to post it xD
Sunday, 6 May 2012
journal entry 11
Entry for English Class - May - week 14 & 15
Exams are almost here!! As I type out this entry, I realise that this is my last stress free weekend for the next THREE weeks as I will be facing one of all teenagers' fiercest adversaries...MIDTERMS. Oh, just the thought of that word and the three weeks of torture that are sure to come with it makes my skin crawl. The shiver that runs up my spine is, discomforting to say the least...
Moreover, the moment I go home, I'm going to have to rush through my add math and moral projects. Now, we were given at least a month for this Add Math project (well, I think its more like a couple of weeks, but I'll round off the number to make my life easier) and more than a couple of months for the Moral project. Now, to any sensible homo sapien, this seems like plenty of time to finish these projects. However, keep in mind, I am still a teenager, meaning, I have mastered the skill of 'procrastinating' (I'm not saying all teenagers are like me, but you have to admit...most of us are like this...) so I have to rush through another project...again (One would think I would have learned my lesson after so many times, oh well...)
Well, seeing as I do not want to prolong this entry any longer, as I want to occupy the remaining time I have procrastinating till I have to stay up till very early in the morning finishing up my projects... Cheerio, my good people. Till next time.
Exams are almost here!! As I type out this entry, I realise that this is my last stress free weekend for the next THREE weeks as I will be facing one of all teenagers' fiercest adversaries...MIDTERMS. Oh, just the thought of that word and the three weeks of torture that are sure to come with it makes my skin crawl. The shiver that runs up my spine is, discomforting to say the least...
Moreover, the moment I go home, I'm going to have to rush through my add math and moral projects. Now, we were given at least a month for this Add Math project (well, I think its more like a couple of weeks, but I'll round off the number to make my life easier) and more than a couple of months for the Moral project. Now, to any sensible homo sapien, this seems like plenty of time to finish these projects. However, keep in mind, I am still a teenager, meaning, I have mastered the skill of 'procrastinating' (I'm not saying all teenagers are like me, but you have to admit...most of us are like this...) so I have to rush through another project...again (One would think I would have learned my lesson after so many times, oh well...)
Well, seeing as I do not want to prolong this entry any longer, as I want to occupy the remaining time I have procrastinating till I have to stay up till very early in the morning finishing up my projects... Cheerio, my good people. Till next time.
Dear Editor
Dear editor,
In this multicultural country that we live in, one will most definitely encounter many facets of our colourful society. Be that as it may, I am not addressing this letter to you so as to rave about our cultural differences. Instead, I wish to highlight on a few 'unique' Malaysian behaviors that have been practically indoctrinated here. While many advertise our beloved country as the perfect tropical getaway, by highlighting mostly on the good aspects of Malaysians, we must acknowledge that there are still many social problems that have yet to be established as well as a few unacceptable behaviours that are portrayed by some Malaysians.
One of the daily problems that I have encountered is the inability to obey the law when it comes to parking. Now, some may have to resort to illegal parking when they have no other choice, now although it is illegal, it can be acceptable if the driver parks his/her car in a fashion that does not disrupt traffic or causes any inconvenience to other road users. However, many cases of illegal parking i.e. especially double or triple parking, are mostly caused by the driver's inconsideration to others. For example, the roads outside most schools tend to get very congested when it is time for the students to be picked up. Normally, it is understandable if many parents come at once, however, the situation nowadays is that parents have become selfish, they are unwilling to drive a few inches in front so that they do not block the traffic, instead they want to be in front of the gate, going to the extent of double or triple parking just to be in front of the gate. This act of selfishness will be inculcated by their children, making this an endless cycle of selfish drivers who park where they want, when they want without considering others.
Next, many Malaysians have no problem with littering even if the next dustbin is only a few steps away. This paints a very unsightly picture for the eyes of visitors. While a few locals do not mind the overwhelming stench of garbage as they are used to it, visitors from other countries, especially Europe where hygiene is of the utmost priority, will be appalled by the amount of rubbish littered on sidewalks and other public places, where uncleared produces a foul odour. Many Malaysians also have no issue with spitting. Perhaps it is acceptable to spit on dirt roads or the like, but I have personally seen, a bunch of youngsters spitting on the floor of a cafe in an established shopping mall. This crude behaviour is to a point, disgusting and should not be done in public places as it is also quite a self-centered behaviour.
Furthermore, many youths today are quite self-centered. Just the other day, it was quite busy in the subway as I waited for my train. Many people were lining up to get onto the subway train when the person in front of me suddenly stopped to talk to her 'friend' causing the whole line to stop. When I tried to politely ask her and her friend to give way, they had the audacity to turn up their noses at me and continue talking in the middle of the road. As I was desperate to not miss the last train, I had to resort to 'inconspicuously' shove them aside, causing them to give me a dirty look, which I cared not about.
These issues that I have highlighted are only the tip of the iceberg of rude behaviour in our country. As a fellow human, I am aware that it is imposibble for anyone to be perfect, this does not mean we have an excuse to be inconsiderate to others. I do not ask others so force themselves to be perfect, I merely request that we display a basic level of courtesy in our daily lives.
In this multicultural country that we live in, one will most definitely encounter many facets of our colourful society. Be that as it may, I am not addressing this letter to you so as to rave about our cultural differences. Instead, I wish to highlight on a few 'unique' Malaysian behaviors that have been practically indoctrinated here. While many advertise our beloved country as the perfect tropical getaway, by highlighting mostly on the good aspects of Malaysians, we must acknowledge that there are still many social problems that have yet to be established as well as a few unacceptable behaviours that are portrayed by some Malaysians.
One of the daily problems that I have encountered is the inability to obey the law when it comes to parking. Now, some may have to resort to illegal parking when they have no other choice, now although it is illegal, it can be acceptable if the driver parks his/her car in a fashion that does not disrupt traffic or causes any inconvenience to other road users. However, many cases of illegal parking i.e. especially double or triple parking, are mostly caused by the driver's inconsideration to others. For example, the roads outside most schools tend to get very congested when it is time for the students to be picked up. Normally, it is understandable if many parents come at once, however, the situation nowadays is that parents have become selfish, they are unwilling to drive a few inches in front so that they do not block the traffic, instead they want to be in front of the gate, going to the extent of double or triple parking just to be in front of the gate. This act of selfishness will be inculcated by their children, making this an endless cycle of selfish drivers who park where they want, when they want without considering others.
Next, many Malaysians have no problem with littering even if the next dustbin is only a few steps away. This paints a very unsightly picture for the eyes of visitors. While a few locals do not mind the overwhelming stench of garbage as they are used to it, visitors from other countries, especially Europe where hygiene is of the utmost priority, will be appalled by the amount of rubbish littered on sidewalks and other public places, where uncleared produces a foul odour. Many Malaysians also have no issue with spitting. Perhaps it is acceptable to spit on dirt roads or the like, but I have personally seen, a bunch of youngsters spitting on the floor of a cafe in an established shopping mall. This crude behaviour is to a point, disgusting and should not be done in public places as it is also quite a self-centered behaviour.
Furthermore, many youths today are quite self-centered. Just the other day, it was quite busy in the subway as I waited for my train. Many people were lining up to get onto the subway train when the person in front of me suddenly stopped to talk to her 'friend' causing the whole line to stop. When I tried to politely ask her and her friend to give way, they had the audacity to turn up their noses at me and continue talking in the middle of the road. As I was desperate to not miss the last train, I had to resort to 'inconspicuously' shove them aside, causing them to give me a dirty look, which I cared not about.
These issues that I have highlighted are only the tip of the iceberg of rude behaviour in our country. As a fellow human, I am aware that it is imposibble for anyone to be perfect, this does not mean we have an excuse to be inconsiderate to others. I do not ask others so force themselves to be perfect, I merely request that we display a basic level of courtesy in our daily lives.
Sunday, 22 April 2012
journal entry 10
Entry for English Class - April - week 12 & 13
Hello my dear readers!!! (no matter how few you may be) another joint entry from me for last week and this week.
Last week pretty uneventful for me as nothing important happened...well I don't think anything happened...oh well.
Now *cracking fingers* allow me to type all about this slightly-more-eventful-week of my life. First things first, last Tuesday, i.e. 17th of April was my Dad's birthday, the special day was celebrated much like every other birthday in my family, i.e. spent the day together and had cake at night with all the other customers, this year, my dad had to blow out the candles of FIVE different cakes, four of which were brought in by some of our regulars.
On Wednesday, I spent my time making beaded turtles...boring, however, I couldn't allow this boring day to get me down as I realised that this Saturday, my friends from the Science and Maths club and I were going to spend half a day in FRIM (for those of you who may not be aware, this stands for Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) Let me cut the week short by retelling the events of the trip to you...well, the parts I can remember at least.
To cut the story short, I fell asleep on the bus ; breathed in a lungful of fresh air when I got out of the bus ; listened to our guide, Dino talk about wild boars and how cute they were...or something like that.
Saw giant fish, appropriately dubbed, Arapaima Gigas, with scales the colour of the midnight sky that were bordered by deep gold lines on a streamline body ; scared my friend by telling her if I pushed her in it would swallow her in one gulp, the usual.
During the jungle trek, I was busy scribbling notes to be written into an essay (because Pn Lim S.K. said so...) on a sorry excuse of paper, crumpled from being stuffed into my pocket so that I could whip out my camera (which I "borrowed") from my parents' shop...
Next came the canopy walk...I almost died on the path to the path towards the canopy walk...I thought the first part was Hell, till I reached the second part, a practically straight up path, 500 meters above ground, I wanted to give up halfway, but through sheer willpower (actually, I just wasn't able to go back down as it was a one way road) I made it to the top, and my, was it worth it, the fresh air blowing into my face and the wonderful view below me. It was funny really, I hate climbing but I love being high above ground. Getting down was a lot easier but it started to drizzle on our way down. We had lunch and I was a bit upset that we were not able to make it for a tour of FRIM's, Wood Museum. oh well, when we got back, I managed to do some of my school projects with a few friends. Then I went back to the shop, where I literally passed out on the couch.
Well, this entry is a bit rushed and somewhat vague, but since I'm going to type out my essay soon, I don't want to make myself redundant...to myself, oh well, till next time, ciao.
Hello my dear readers!!! (no matter how few you may be) another joint entry from me for last week and this week.
Last week pretty uneventful for me as nothing important happened...well I don't think anything happened...oh well.
Now *cracking fingers* allow me to type all about this slightly-more-eventful-week of my life. First things first, last Tuesday, i.e. 17th of April was my Dad's birthday, the special day was celebrated much like every other birthday in my family, i.e. spent the day together and had cake at night with all the other customers, this year, my dad had to blow out the candles of FIVE different cakes, four of which were brought in by some of our regulars.
On Wednesday, I spent my time making beaded turtles...boring, however, I couldn't allow this boring day to get me down as I realised that this Saturday, my friends from the Science and Maths club and I were going to spend half a day in FRIM (for those of you who may not be aware, this stands for Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) Let me cut the week short by retelling the events of the trip to you...well, the parts I can remember at least.
To cut the story short, I fell asleep on the bus ; breathed in a lungful of fresh air when I got out of the bus ; listened to our guide, Dino talk about wild boars and how cute they were...or something like that.
Saw giant fish, appropriately dubbed, Arapaima Gigas, with scales the colour of the midnight sky that were bordered by deep gold lines on a streamline body ; scared my friend by telling her if I pushed her in it would swallow her in one gulp, the usual.
During the jungle trek, I was busy scribbling notes to be written into an essay (because Pn Lim S.K. said so...) on a sorry excuse of paper, crumpled from being stuffed into my pocket so that I could whip out my camera (which I "borrowed") from my parents' shop...
Next came the canopy walk...I almost died on the path to the path towards the canopy walk...I thought the first part was Hell, till I reached the second part, a practically straight up path, 500 meters above ground, I wanted to give up halfway, but through sheer willpower (actually, I just wasn't able to go back down as it was a one way road) I made it to the top, and my, was it worth it, the fresh air blowing into my face and the wonderful view below me. It was funny really, I hate climbing but I love being high above ground. Getting down was a lot easier but it started to drizzle on our way down. We had lunch and I was a bit upset that we were not able to make it for a tour of FRIM's, Wood Museum. oh well, when we got back, I managed to do some of my school projects with a few friends. Then I went back to the shop, where I literally passed out on the couch.
Well, this entry is a bit rushed and somewhat vague, but since I'm going to type out my essay soon, I don't want to make myself redundant...to myself, oh well, till next time, ciao.
Friday, 6 April 2012
journal entry 09
Entry for English Class - March & April - week 9, 10, 11
Well, seeing as I am once again, LATE for another three entries, why don't I lump everything together for a post...I don't see the problem with it as all three will probably say the same things, i.e nothing eventful, my life is quite boring, and all that nonsense that will in the end lead up to another sorry excuse for a half-past-six blog post.
This week, I was faced with a huge problem, one that I really wish I could avoid, alas, my duty to my classmates has proven to be more important than my fear of 'hard-work'. Anyway, to elaborate on the statement as most reading this post are probably unaware of my plight, I have been assigned the "wondrous" duty of mass producing 3D bead animals to be sold. Before you get ahead of yourself and wonder if this is some sort of dreamy student's way of getting rich, well, it's not...I am bearing the weight of this responsibility as my way of contributing to the class, as all the proceeds will be used to pay for our class' spread in this year's NOSTALGIA (school magazine/yearbook thing...) issue.
Now, why would a student have to go to such great pains to earn money for a magazine? you ask, after all, one or two pages in the magazine couldn't possibly cost that much, right? Well, no...you must understand that my class is full of ambitious people, said people seem to think money grows on trees and requested, not one, not two or three but FOUR, FOUR pages in the magazine, not only that, but they want four COLOURED pages!!
I, for the life of me, am unable to comprehend why you even need or want to spend money on PAGES in a BOOK...nor can I understand the need for FOUR pages in said book!! Seeing as I am uncertain of who these 'ambitious' people are, I will refrain from pointing any fingers, but I do have my own thoughts about who they may be.
Now, after jobs were assigned to some people, I had to face yet another predicament, beads...Where was I going to get enough beads for the project ( I am not praising my creations, but I must admit, many people have already offered to buy the products of my blood and sweat, so I know they will be a hit) I was told that the beads were to be bought from Ipoh as one of the people in charge was going there on Saturday. I thought that everything was settled, all I had to do was organize meetings with the other helpers to make sure that the products could be ready on time. Life seemed to be having fun throwing stones on my path, that Saturday, I received a call from the person who was to buy the beads...They were expensive....well, I knew that beads were not easy to get and the price for them was quite high, which is why I told them that the cost of the beaded animals was quite high as well. With all the problems that emerged, today I am still deprived of the beads for the project. Not only that, these problems have screwed up my schedule for the Children's Labour Beading Camp ( the name some customers at my parent's shop have graciously bestowed on the meetings soon to be held there between my classmates and I to make the animals)
As I end this journal entry, I am quite glad to say that it is a whole lot longer than what I thought it was going to be. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed, let's hope I get the beads quickly so I can start filling out the orders before a riot breaks out with student screaming, "Where is my PENGUIN?!!"
Cheers
Well, seeing as I am once again, LATE for another three entries, why don't I lump everything together for a post...I don't see the problem with it as all three will probably say the same things, i.e nothing eventful, my life is quite boring, and all that nonsense that will in the end lead up to another sorry excuse for a half-past-six blog post.
This week, I was faced with a huge problem, one that I really wish I could avoid, alas, my duty to my classmates has proven to be more important than my fear of 'hard-work'. Anyway, to elaborate on the statement as most reading this post are probably unaware of my plight, I have been assigned the "wondrous" duty of mass producing 3D bead animals to be sold. Before you get ahead of yourself and wonder if this is some sort of dreamy student's way of getting rich, well, it's not...I am bearing the weight of this responsibility as my way of contributing to the class, as all the proceeds will be used to pay for our class' spread in this year's NOSTALGIA (school magazine/yearbook thing...) issue.
Now, why would a student have to go to such great pains to earn money for a magazine? you ask, after all, one or two pages in the magazine couldn't possibly cost that much, right? Well, no...you must understand that my class is full of ambitious people, said people seem to think money grows on trees and requested, not one, not two or three but FOUR, FOUR pages in the magazine, not only that, but they want four COLOURED pages!!
I, for the life of me, am unable to comprehend why you even need or want to spend money on PAGES in a BOOK...nor can I understand the need for FOUR pages in said book!! Seeing as I am uncertain of who these 'ambitious' people are, I will refrain from pointing any fingers, but I do have my own thoughts about who they may be.
Now, after jobs were assigned to some people, I had to face yet another predicament, beads...Where was I going to get enough beads for the project ( I am not praising my creations, but I must admit, many people have already offered to buy the products of my blood and sweat, so I know they will be a hit) I was told that the beads were to be bought from Ipoh as one of the people in charge was going there on Saturday. I thought that everything was settled, all I had to do was organize meetings with the other helpers to make sure that the products could be ready on time. Life seemed to be having fun throwing stones on my path, that Saturday, I received a call from the person who was to buy the beads...They were expensive....well, I knew that beads were not easy to get and the price for them was quite high, which is why I told them that the cost of the beaded animals was quite high as well. With all the problems that emerged, today I am still deprived of the beads for the project. Not only that, these problems have screwed up my schedule for the Children's Labour Beading Camp ( the name some customers at my parent's shop have graciously bestowed on the meetings soon to be held there between my classmates and I to make the animals)
As I end this journal entry, I am quite glad to say that it is a whole lot longer than what I thought it was going to be. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed, let's hope I get the beads quickly so I can start filling out the orders before a riot breaks out with student screaming, "Where is my PENGUIN?!!"
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