Ulu Yam Story- third world mentality

ANAK TAK TAHAN –Ulu Yam Story of third world mentality

It was Sunday , and it was a beautiful morning at Ulu Yam Waterfall. My siblings and our family members were gathered for no real reasons, simply to be together and have fun over a simple BBQ lunch.

Ulu Yam is one of great waterfalls bestowed by Allah S.W.T to the Selangorians, in particular. In my younger days My husband I used to frequent this place, and I vividly recalled the serenity and tranquility here. The stream was clear, crystal clear, the water was cool and clean. We could wash hands in the stream before having meals without any second thoughts. The current was gentle and we could simply float in the caved-in ripple for hours feeling cool and fresh, albeit any significant infra - development.

My two lovely daughters and sweet niece fixing the tent which was a free gift from Petronas, he..he..

Years passed and my recent visit was a gap of 15 years and it took me for a pleasant surprise, my first impression was wow! Fantastic development in terms of basic infra and amenities.

The place was cool! The basic infra/amenities included among others, concrete walk-way pavement, that run parallel with the stream, stylish huts for picnickers complete with in-built benches, toilets for those who needed them and ample clean spaces for BBQ.

For these remarkable upgrading, they charged us only RM1 per person. I reckon, it was very reasonable, and in fact they could easily raise the fee, not so much for the collection more so to instill the ‘ourness’ of the place. And not to forget there were garbage bins placed at all strategic locations

Well marinated BBQ. My sister –in-law did this wonderful job!

After our sumptuous BBQ lunch, and as what we used to do, of course the ‘berendam’ session, after all, we were well all set with ‘berendam’ outfits, something not to be missed, at any waterfall that is.

Somehow this time around my excitement for Ulu Yam distorted and stifled by the water quality, the color was far from clear, next to murky, there were empty water bottles being thrown, broken polystyrene containers drifted along with the current, thus disturbed my mood drastically.

How on earth was one able to enjoy the ripple, when it was visibly clear that one was surrounded by left-overs strewn in the stream?

I lost my appetite. However, since the top of the day passed 36 degree Celsius, it was good to be in the water for a while.

The water was far from clear, it was murky, hm.. not anything what it used to be..


The trio 'berendaming'...

There was not much of ‘berendaming’ that day, more of sitting around on the rocks and and getting cooled down by 'water splashing' on each other like what kids used to do- when forcing their mates to get wet. Not bad, at least we got drenched through splashing.

About 15 mins in the water, suddenly a family of 4 came down to the river bank, the very spot where we were having modest fun. We were happy to see more people are now able to use this place for a week-end recreation. This family is young and their two sons ranged from 2 - 4years old. As soon as they reached the river bank, the father stripped the 2 boys naked and showed them to the edge of the stream. My daughters and nieces alike, in a synchronized rhythm giggled for a ‘free-show’.Hm.. not prepared for the trip, perhaps..

The photo was cropped for confidentiality. The father was about to strip the son naked, ha ha,,about to see ‘the free show..

While glancing at them occasionally, I noticed that the younger boy was pinching his buttock vigorously and jumping up and down gently, signally to his father for a call of nature. Then the father had a quick discussion with the wife who was sitting on a small bench like rock behind a tree by the bank. Within seconds,( I presumed) they concluded that the boy could ‘poo’ near the rock where the mother was resting. Knowing very well the contour of the river bank could easily sweep down the poo into the river.

Almost instantaneously, hurriedly we paddled the water and fled like a lightening strike, at that moment all of us easily qualified for a water polo championship. Usually, it would take ages to get everyone out of the water.

Oh my, what a society, what happened to the good moral values that has been drummed into our brains? Why are the parents so oblivious of these basic values?...sigh…

Later in the day , as 'that' family was leaving, my eldest daughter intercepted their path and asked them why they allowed their son to ‘poo’ there, knowing very well that there were people bathing? The father was stunned and after seconds of recollection, he said ‘anak saya dah tak tahan’

To me, was there really an issue of ‘ anak tak tahan’ or the parents were simply lazy and could not be bothered. I tend to believe the latter. There were toilets put up for the picnickers, why couldn’t they teach their children the right values and manners?

I hope the authorities would take notice of this type of behavior and impose heavy penalty on such irresponsible people.

And also there should be some kind of surveillance being carried out to deter people from spoiling this beautiful place and polluting the stream with human poo.

That afternoon we left for home feeling hotter than ever, disgusted and more importantly feeling sorry for the Malaysians who were still ingrained with the third world mentality.

Budget 2010

 The Prime Minister has unveiled 2010 budget of RM191.5 billion, consisting of RM138.3 billion or 72.2 per cent (operating expenditure) and RM53.2 billion or 27.8 per cent (development expenditure).

 

It is a deficit budget against RM148 billion forecasted revenue. All areas are vital however, in my view, the following areas are critical:

 

1. Subsidies, incentives and assistance amounting to almost RM2 billion to safeguard the interest of farmers and fishermen.

ü     Expenses must be transparent and not diverted elsewhere.

 

2. An additional allocation of RM20 million for small-scale Malaysian-Indian entrepreneurs under the Tabung Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun), on top of the existing RM15-million allocation.

ü     Good effort towards 1Malaysia unity.

 

3. Establishing a RM200-million Creative Industry Fund to finance activities, such as film and drama productions, music, animation, advertisements and local content development. Establishing "Tabung Kebajikan Penggiat Seni" to ensure the welfare of artistes.

 

The ministry must be discreet and impartial in monitoring these areas, as initiatives are usually lukewarm towards the mid-way. More technical frameworks must be in place especially in respect of content development, which is seen as future revenue generator.

Perhaps serious revival of eVillage Studio?

 

ü     Encourage and establish vibrant research and development activities by local companies leading to innovative ICT/multimedia products that possess significant commercial potential.             

 

§       Increase the creation of Intellectual Property (IP) that enables companies to compete globally.            

 

§       Strengthen the R&D capabilities of Malaysian knowledge workers, in respect of content develoment.

 

eVillage is more than just for filming movies and dramas as what is happening today, it was intended  for a comprehensive state-of-the-art content platform, the ‘e-brain’ so to speak, such as world class post production services, Cad/CAM productions and support and so forth.

If this is not addressed and monitored closely, Malaysia will be left in a limbo compared to Singapore ,Thailand and India.

 

In this respect , the government should make it mandatory that all local-produced contents be post-produced locally. A penalty should be imposed for any foreign-based post-production content.

 

In connection to this platform, high speed broad band must be made available and fast to the widest possible areas, not just confined along the corridors, as to enable  content companies take full advantage from their places of operation.

 

To my mind, WIMAX is a waste of time and money, as it is indeed a platform with huge capital investment. It has been proven time and again that microcell-technologies are indeed time consuming and capital intensive, a lot of money that is, unless it is meant for specific localized areas like FELDA, Orang Asli settlement and alike. To use this technology for ubiquitous coverage would be suicidal.

 

4. An allocation of RM100 million for the PERMATA Programme to implement various programmes, which emphasize early childcare and education in an integrated and organised manner.

ü     This program too should be made transparent.

 

5. About 50,000 hardcore poor households registered with eKasih and 4,000 Orang Asli households will be given assistance to achieve the target of zero hardcore poverty in 2010. An allocation of RM41 million will be provided to improve the income and quality of life of the Orang Asli community.

ü     This program too should be made public and transparent.

 

6. An allocation of RM48 million to implement urban poverty eradication programmes, including welfare assistance and house rental payments. The Ministry of Federal Territories shall now be known as the Ministry of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing.

ü     This is another public-interest domain that should be made transparent via a dedicated website.

 

7. An allocation of RM224 million to the disabled for the implementation of the Rehabilitation In The Community Programme and an allocation of RM174 million for senior citizens, including assistance as well as the construction and upgrading of two Rumah Seri Kenangan.

ü     I hope the community program addresses the youth population as well.

 

 

 

Sources

: BERNAMA

 

            : NEW STRAITS TIMES

 

 

 

Candat Sotong in Pulau Kapas..Hilarious

 Candat Sotong Trip - Pulau Kapas…. Hilarious.

 

I love an open sea; the border less nature of the ocean is a vivid reminder of my yesteryear's childhood journey. Life then was simple, unadulterated with technologies and cyber influence.

Going to school was fun, tuition was unheard of. The only ‘tuition’ that I knew was the ‘Kelas Quran’. I don’t quite recall how smart/slow I was in learning Quran, there was no yard stick imposed, no tests, but when I reached my 10th birthday, I completed reading the whole holy book, without understanding the content, poor me.  In this respect, I was not alone, every one in my kampong followed similar ‘blueprint’.  Understanding the content was not seen critical, completing the holy book was mandatory. Completing Quran was not without ordeal though; one would be embarrassed to the core, if one does not complete it by end of primary 6. We completed ours within the stipulated time frame.

 

My father held a small kenduri as a mark of celebration and more so for his self esteem, ‘informing’ the kampong folks that we were the obedient lot, thus deserved the  ‘khatam’ ceremony.

The busiest person putting the house and ceremony to order was my late aunt, fondly known as Ma Lang Yam, my dad’s elder sister, my favorite aunt, (may her soul rests in peace. Amin)

Usually after such ‘achievement’, we would also be rewarded with ‘an outing”. In this case to Mak Lang Yam’s home in Teluk Kumbar, a classic fishing village, located to the south west of Penang Island, Now the place is famous for it’s incredible Mee Udang. Some people vouch that nowadays, if you go to Penang, your visit is a waste if you don’t savor this special Mee Udang. 

Mak Lang Yam’s husband, fondly addressed as Pak Lang Lek, (may his soul rests in peace, Amin) was a fisherman, however I seldom met him, every time we went to their home, he was either out in the sea fishing or somewhere with his fisherman friends, mending the net. However, what I recalled most about him, was his astounding coming home, he would always bring home bountiful catch from the sea.

As for me, I simply loved the smell of the fresh fishes, crabs, prawns, etcetera, etcetera. Mak Lang would creatively cook the catch, and the spread was opulent.  The fish would be turned into delicious Penang curry, the very recipe that I treasure until today. The prawns would end up as deep fried in turmeric seasonings, and the blue flower crab would settle nicely in a steamer, complimented with mouth watering air asam cili padi, I must confess, Mak Lang’s dishes were always hailed as world best, of course by my standard!

When my brothers were in their mid teens, Pak Lang would sometimes take them out in his fishing boat, just to excite them with the cheap thrill of been inside the boat. They would then came home laden with enchanting stories, at times tainted with tell tales anecdote on how incredible the boat was, detailed enough to turn me green with envy.

Pak Lang’s effort was not wasted, as later part in my brothers’ lives; they took up fishing as their hobbies. As for me, growing up against similar background, I too love fishing, but again, a bystander with no significance.

After 50 years of waiting, in May 2009, my two brothers suddenly turned out as good Samaritans and were ‘kind’ enough to arrange for a fishing trip that my family and I could join in yes something that I have wished for.

Yezza…quote from the current popular TV host,  we were going for candat sotong (squid fishing) in Pulau Kapas, the legendry island off coast of Terrenganu.

Orchestrated by the ‘experienced’ duo, the preparation was fervent, the fishing equipments must be complete and tip top, medicines for the sea sickness must on the top of the list, gloves for holding the fishing rod was also top priority, the hat, sunglasses, not to mention the swimming attires for the snorkeling, wo…wooo interesting. Last but not least the ‘Coleman Ice Bucket” for the sotong. That was crucial, the bucket would ensure the freshness of the catch, and must be large enough to accommodate an anticipated hefty and bountiful catch.

The journey to Pulau Kapas would en route Marang jetty using a speedboat. 

  The insignificant enthusiastic group arriving at Marang Jetty.

Last minute check for the Coleman Ice bucket. 

  First timer.

                                   

   Picturesque Pulau Kapas seen from the sea..

                                   

    Some were enjoying the speedboat ride, some were engrossed in prayers.

                               

   Arriving in Pulau Kapas.

                               

  Regaining the souls after the rough speedy ride... 

                                    

   Some were well prepared with highest level of confidence.

                                   

   Gearing up for the candat sotong trip, at 5pm.

                                  

    Intensive practical/hands-on session on fishing rod handling.  

                                 

   At last after 50years of waiting, seafarers in the making. All were medically                                    supported with sea sickness tablets, and equipped with fishing rods and                                            baits.

                                   

   The enthusiast versus the worried generation.

                                  

   Typical wave that accompanied our ride to the squid schools

                      

    Sunset at 7.15pm the marvel of Allah’s gift to mankind.                                  

                                  The place where we anchored the boat, this is where the story of candat                                            sotong began…

   The last photo taken just before the majestic wave rocked the boat                                                   mercilessly that sent 80% of the newly born seafarers temporary ‘paralyzed’                                   from head to toe.

                                  

The situation was sad indeed, despite the well-prescribed sea sickness medicine, they did nothing. 

The ‘fishing’ was left to the 20% of the population when the rest virtually fell flat to the floor. The excitement of catching and hailing out sotong from the majestic ocean was reduced to a mere silence, with occasional noise of throwing ups, emptying stomach contents uncontrollably.

The next day we were told that they caught 20 sotongs that filled up one tenth of the Coleman space! At least the Coleman did serve its basic purpose.

During the postmortem the following were discovered:

1. Hot coffee that was brought to the boat was untouched
2. Dinner packs were not eaten either
3. Several packs of hand gloves were still in plastic wraps
4. Seasickness tables must be sent back to the Ministry of Health for further examination, they did not work!!!!
5. Strong underlying reason why women could never be good seafarers
6. A smaller Coleman ice bucket was highly recommended for our next trip

 

On reaching home, the fresh sotong were turned into our favorite dish i.e. kerabu sotong. This is my family favorite. It is my pleasure to share this recipe with all my readers

 

Kerabu Sotong

Ingredients:

2 pieces of 1-foot long sotong, clean and slice into 0.5 cm rings

2 pieces serai – slice into small pieces

2 pieces bunga kantan-slice into small pieces

1 cm ginger – slice then cut thinly

1 piece big onion- slice thinly

8 - 10 pieces cili padi - slice thinly

A small bunch of coriander leaves- just the leaves-cut coarsely

 

Seasoning

1 lime – make into 1 table spoon juice

1-tablespoon fish sauce

   Salt to taste (optional)

 1-tablespoon gula melaka or brown sugar (to individual taste)

 1-tablespoon olive oil

 

Method

1. Boil 3 cups of water, put in the ringed sotong, about 30 sec to 1 minute, sotongs will turn color and expand. Quickly scoop out, drain and set aside. (Over cooking will harden the flesh)
2. Mix sotong with all sliced ingredients
3. Pour in the seasoning and mix well.
4. Its best to prepare and refrigerate 1 hour before eating time.

 

Enjoy…

 

Our next trip is to Pulau Perhentian insyaAllah.

Eat, Puasa and Work out well

 

Date: 1 August 2009 – About one month before Ramadan 1430

 

“Oh well your BMI is 26.7, you need to be careful with your food. Your cholesterol level has jumped to 5.2 and is not good, considering that you are on medication”.  Dr.Vimala concluded my regular  ‘medical report’ analysis.

 

Her remark did not surprise me at all; I sort of knew this even before I went to see her. Not because I have a better medical sense than the qualified doctor, but of late I discovered that, even size 16 outfits were still under sized!! And to be precise I am very conscious of my poor eating habits that has ingrained in my system since the yesteryears! And to my horror, when my maid was miraculously obsessive in  ‘consuming’ the cooking oil in my daily menus, like an old car gulping down the petrol.

 

Using my left palm, I slowly induced a natural vertical rubbing motion of my right triceps –convincing my inner self that there is no extra fats hiding there, trying to brush off the ‘health markers’ that Dr.Vimala had just elaborated. I always like my visits to this wonderful lady doctor; she always created a conducive environment, as though I am her only patience in this world, she is always relaxed (not like some doctors I knew who is always in a hurry, as if my complaints and pains were fabricated and adulterated!).

 

I guess if the fats around the triceps were not obvious, then its must be the omentum that is getting thicker! That’s where the additional fat is. Brazenly I swayed my left palm to my tummy ‘ Doc, its here I know!” as fast as the lightening strike came Dr.Vimala’s reply ‘Yes my dear, you can’t be wrong with the omentum! You need to reduce there”.

 

Not trying to be too obvious, obesity jolted my thought and suddenly with out realizing I responded “ OK Doc I must act now” and I left Doc Vimala and went to the counter, settled the clinical charges and headed home.

I believed Doctor Vimala must be amused by my ‘rudeness’ but I guess being a doctor they must be trained to handle such behavior, and I presumed mine is quite mild as compared to ‘some chronic mental patients!’.

 

At home, I surfed the internet and gained a clearer picture on the following:

 

Omentum (tips from My daughter Shiqa, the easiest way to remember this word is Momentum without the M)

Omentum is a thin gauge-like layer that nets the abdomen. In a normal condition it measures only 0.5mm in thickness, however in abnormal condition it can expand miraculously thick. This is the place where excess fats loves to land and lounge, as the results the waistline disappears.

 

The omentum is probably not a word most are familiar with, until 2007 when Oprah Winfrey invited Dr. Mehmet Oz to discuss the nature of excess body fat.  I had a chance to watch this program on TV. For her television viewers, Dr. Oz introduced the concept of the omentum, even showing both a healthy and an overly fat omentum to people to showcase the biological importance of this organ. The program was very informative and a Godsend.

 

The Oprah segment took a somewhat simplified yet medically correct approach to explaining the omentum. Actually, the omentum is split into two segments called the greater and lesser omentum. The greater omentum is a mass that sits in front of the stomach, and the lesser omentum covers the liver. Both become easy repositories for fat storage. When the greater omentum is especially large, the abdomen may appear stiff and distended bringing to mind the term beer belly.

 

The omentum easily stores fat, since it is readily accessible to the body. When people lose weight, the omentum shrinks, helping to reduce risks for a number of conditions. Dr. Oz contends that the great concern with a fatty omentum is that it starts inflammatory processes, which can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. Essentially the bigger the omentum, the more you are at risk for a variety of difficult illnesses.

 

The omentum also receives and stores hormones like cortisol, called a stress hormone. High stress can stimulate its growth. People who are under a great deal of stress may find that reducing the size of this organ is very difficult, and they are often advised not simply to diet, but also to reduce stress through a variety of therapies, relaxation techniques, and lifestyle changes. Stress and tummy fat are inexorably connected.

 

The healthy omentum may still not be a pretty sight, unless viewing human anatomy thrills you. It is slightly yellow, somewhat similar in appearance to an uneven omelet. It should be nearly transparent, and have a lacy look.

 

A large and unhealthy omentum can be three to four times or even more, the size of the healthy organ. Fat cells extend the organ to make it appear like a weighty, globular mass. Even a person who is not significantly overweight can have a significantly large omentum as Dr. Oz demonstrated on Oprah’s show. A memorable screen shot is that of Oprah holding up the healthy omentum while Dr. Oz holds up an omentum from a deceased man who was only about 30 pounds (13.61 kg) overweight. The contrast is striking.

 

Dr. Oz further gives measurements for what a healthy omentum size should be. The easiest way to measure is to measure from completely around the body, crossing over the belly button in the front. For women, this measurement should not exceed 32 inches (.82 m), and mine oops… A healthy measurement for men is 35 inches (.89 m), and for this I must congratulate my husband, fantastic measurement. If the omentum measures larger than these figures, weight loss can help reduce risk of disease and promote overall better health and longevity.

 

Next is Body Mass Index (BMI), another health marker, and the classification of the BMI is:

 

·      <>

 

·      18.5 - 24.9 Desirable weight

 

·      25 - 30 Overweight

 

·      30 or more Obese

 

Apparently being overweight or underweight both are not without risk of health problems. Oops..that is tough. I know that overweight is a health hazard, now WHO is saying that underweight is equally dangerous.

 

Research shows that excess weight is a serious health problem for many people, increasing their risk of developing a number of serious illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure.

 

The good news is that getting and maintaining weight within the desirable weight range through healthy eating and regular physical activity can help prevent these illnesses.

 

As for me, I needed to focus on my BMI, over weight that is, not be saddled by some chronic medical terms that I could hardly comprehend, and the good news was, Ramadan was approaching, I thought I could kill many birds with one stone.

 

How can I lose weight and by how much, well these were the crucial issues, losing weight alone is a phenomenon, how much to lose is a tsunami!

 

Therefore my check list:

    * Buy a weighing scale.

    * Set a realistic target, to reduce 6 kilograms by 1 Syawal 1430

    * Weigh once a week, preferably before breaking fast

    * Modify the menu/diet, from frying based to grill and steamed based

    * Introduce fruit salad before proper meal for the entire fasting month

    * No ‘dessert’ after Terawikh

    * Reduce or cut out foods high in sugar, and fat such as butter, cream, fatty meat, salad dressing, rich cake and pastries.

    * Avoid eating and drinking while watching television or reading.

    * Refrain from visiting ‘Pasar Ramadan’ – this is where it all began..

    * Swim 4 times a week (Swimming does not nullify fasting, as long as the water does not get into the ears)

    * Gym work out 3 times a week (halted during Ramadan)

 

I must confess that I was steadfast with my set principles; I abide by them religiously, of course aided by the undivided support from my dear husband.

And now the results, to cut the story short, by 1 Syawal 1430, I managed to reduce my weight by 5 kilograms, and my omentum looks flatter than before. I could now resurface with size 14!!. However I love to think the improvement in pound, mathematically it gives me a greater achievement in numbers, woo..11 lbs!!!

 

Indeed I am so proud with this achievement, sometimes I figured my self - pictured on billboards, overhead bridges and LRT advertising panels, telling the world how I did it, of course, by comparison, too minute from what the ‘biggest losers’ program is all about, at least I did it my way.

 

Note:

To those of you, who are entangled in the similar situation, don’t procrastinate, set your goals now and abide by it. And Doa continuously, insyaAllah, you shall see light in the tunnel.

 

References

WHO. Obesity : Preventing and managing the global epidemic.

 Report on a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3-5 June 1997.

 

The American Dietetics Association, 1999. Proper weight measurement

 

Wikipedia/omemtum

 

How to teach English to your Children

My story on how I ‘engineered’ my children to be good in English language.

 

I followed the discussion on English language in Malaysian school curriculum staunchly and wish to share my 2cents worth. This thought should have been published much earlier, however due to my busy schedule, it has been left in my pc for no apparent reason. However when I was listening to the Prime Minister’s speech at the UMNO assembly this morning, I remember that I had penned down something on this subject, anyway, its batter late than never.

 

Back in 1980’s when all my children were very young, I had this excruciating worry on how they would fare in English language, knowing very well that the medium of instruction in primary and secondary schools was Malay language. Of course if one were rich enough to send their children to private schools, the worry would just be a hiccups.  For parents like my hubby and me, though we knew the consequences ahead, nothing much could be done.

 

English language is the business language. It is the language that one is expected to be good at if not proficient. At the end of journey, when one enters the job market, whether one likes it or not one has to face the ‘language challenge’. This message settled well in my mind, especially when I encountered with many young graduates who joined my department way back in the 80’s were poor in their command of the language. At that point, I was terrified, visualizing my own children mirrored in similar situation. At that point I was adamant that I needed a framework to work on and it had to be neat and effective

 

My objective then was to ensure that all my children were good in their written and spoken English, which I believed would be a plus point to their overall academic achievements and well-being.

After a short discussion with my hubby we came to a conclusion that we could help them learning English in a fun way, not through serious learning, rather channeling and building their interest towards reading English books. We envisaged that the grammar part would be ‘inbuilt with the reading’.

 

Thus this is what we implemented:

 

We engaged an English tutor who came to the house three times a week f or a 2hour per session, to read English storybooks with the children.

I usually selected appropriate books for their reading, initially we borrowed books from the British Council, simply because the library had good book selection and later from other sources.

 

The ‘game’ was simple, grammar was not the main focus, building the interest in reading was our main idea. We made it clear to the kids that this was not another tuition class rather a story telling time. Of course they gave their usual skeptical look! And for me, being the veto holder, ignored them charmingly.

 

As expected their interests in reading developed well, so much so that the output was quite amazing, at the end of second year they were already writing their own scripts for their first English play. It was part of the ‘curriculum’ that they had to up at the end of each year. I must confess this was the best part of my life – seeing all my children in a mini theater.

 

The ‘game’ worked well, all of them grew up and weaved into the language very well. Not just their command of English is good; most of them are able to sustain their strong interest in ‘theater’. In fact in 2004, Shiqa excelled in few acting competitions in school, which later gave her enough confidence to participate in an international school competition in a solo acting category, and brought home a medal!

 

Faiz too brought home few medals in acting, and in one of the school plays, he was voted the best actor. The latest, he played a lead role as Parameswara in his college play ‘Melaka-The beginning’. Amongst the audience was one of the Malaysian renowned writer Dato’ Johan Jaffar who later quipped to me after the play, quote ‘ Faiz has a role in any of my TV stations’ unquote. As a mother I grinned from ear to ear.

 

To all young parents, please pay special attention to your children with regards to English Language. Implement the right framework for all your children. As for me the framework that I used had proven to be successful with all my 5 children. Until now the rule that my hubby and me implemented way back in 1989 still holds and it has woven well into our family fabric.

In addition to the ‘Reading session’ the following rules were also implemented as to complement the whole learning process.

            Rule #1 Converse with parents in English, no alternative allowed

            Rule # 2 Storybooks must be read by all children (I implemented Library             system, they must tick against their names once they finished reading the book.

Rule # 3 once they have ticked, they had to share the gist of the story, this usually happened at dinnertime.           

 

I would like to quote one incident in relation to the choice of book with the tutor.

This happened in 1995:

Emi, my eldest was 14, Dila was 11, Shiqa was 8, Syaza was 7 and Faiz my youngest was 4. In order to assist Emi in her SPM, the tutor decided to do “Mid Summer Night Dream”. I eagerly gave her the green light.

 

They were furious, they complained that the book was dry and too tough for them, but at the end of the day, when they finished the book they were smart enough to use it for their end of Year Theater.

 

Another interesting incident happened in 1997:

The tutor suggested the famous book ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird”. As expected everyone complained and brought this matter to the attention of their good-natured and gentle Papa. Their main complain was, they were being put under a lot of stress and duress, reading something way above their usual reading standard. Of course I hold the veto power, and again they finished the book with flying colors.

 

Unexpectedly 9 years later, in 2006, Faiz who was in form 4 then, had to do the same book for his English class in school, and he was so thankful that he could follow the class with ease. It also shows in his SPM results with an A1 for English.

 

Beginning of 1998, in my holiday planning, (by the way I usually do my family budget planning at the same time with my company business plan) we planned for a year-end Holiday to Beijing. Therefore with that in mind, naturally the book for the year was ‘Yuyi - The Last Emperor’!

 

As expected, they almost brought the whole house down again! But I assured them that they the story was very interesting and this would help them understand the country better when we visit Beijing. All went well, and when we were in Beijing, my bribe worked well. They were so into the stories that they often challenged the tour guide openly on some critical facts, came to a point that I told them to stop intercepting the guide!!

           

Back to the issue at hand, I strongly believe it’s not wise for the government to revert the teaching of Maths and Science to Malay, its not going to help. My thoughts are, continue giving the right training packages to the Maths and Science teachers at the same time re-draft the teaching methodology for English.

 

I suggest the government should create additional reading class for the students especially in rural schools. The teachers? They don’t need teachers, volunteers will do. Insufficient volunteers? We can import them from cheap English speaking countries.

 

To add color to the whole scenario, the government must create nationwide campaign for all Primary and Secondary schools to participate, and the campaign must run for 3 years at the least for the nation to see the effect.

 

To the Minister, you can make the difference; I had enough worries for my children then, and now you are repeating it for my grand children.            

Mat Rempit

Hari Raya open house is always something special for my family and me. It is there that we usually gather and meet up with relatives and friends, though we meet them quite often else where, raya open house is different because this is the only time when we can eat to our hearts content, when food is usually plentiful and also the spread is luxurious.

My cousin Ami is stationed is Mozambique and comes home when ever duty calls, therefore open house to him is mandatory as he longs to meet up with everyone, is his open house that we attended last week. For traveling convenience, we pooled a car with my brother and his wife. My brother who is a former professor at one of the Malaysian top universities still maintains his lecturing skill when in conversation with us. Any topic that is being introduced to him will be articulately deliberated by him!

On my way home, we spoke a lot about the food, the penang laksa was superb, of course with my brother on board, he even gave us the secret ingredient to the tasty kuah laksa, which is an open secret to the world.. blend the fish bones. In my mind, even the newly born knows about this ‘secret’. Also it is a known fact that Ami’s wife Lia is a fantastic cook, at least by my standard! Though of late my cooking standard have moved up the scale but my siblings still refused to endorse it, perhaps not until it’s certified true by my bapak who usually is the ultimate stamping endorser.

On our way home, while enjoying the topic of discussion, food of course, out of the blue we were jolted by a sudden stream of kapcai raiders, weaving in and out of the lanes, one even single wheeling with the front wheel tilted up high, probably an act to inform the road users that he is the king of the road.
Our topic of discussion took a natural suave too-the mat rempits naturally.

While my hubby and my brother found them well engaged in the topic, my mind began to wonder- what exactly do these people or youngsters are after? Simply thrills or short cut to death?
I simply jumped to my own conclusion, perhaps they are too idle and need some form of activities?
It scares me to death, looking at how these youngsters ‘dancing’ with their wheels, granted even if they really end their lives on the road, they have got nothing to loose, but what if they are crippled for life, blind and helpless or remain a vegetable on a hospital bed?

I am not going to dwindle on the emotional bit, I know parents will be heart broken if accidents take away lives of their loved ones, but the issues that bother me right now is ‘who and what is being done to address this road menace?

Many people detest Mat rempits because of their life styles and crimes associated with this group of bikers, and people are now furious, as they are getting bolder. But who are these Mat rempits and why are they behaving the way they are now?

A government institute conducted a research on Mat rempits and their life style. Forty-eight per cent of youngsters polled cited boredom when asked why they became Mat rempits who ride recklessly, often endangering other road users. So boredom has been cited as one of the main reasons why youths become Mat rempits
So my earlier/quick conclusion has similar bearing with the findings.

Youth Development and Research Institute has recently conducted similar research, and the study showed that 38% of the Mat rempits polled said they indulged in such activities to fill their spare time while 27% cited peer pressure. Again the 38% falls into the category of boredom.

And as to the demographic profile, the study shows that 87% of them are aged between 14 and 25 years.
Source STAR

As for me I feel sad, and appalled seeing good young Malay people turn into bad hats. And my thoughts are well supported by Uncyclopedia that describes mat rempits as follows

Quote “Mat rempits were formerly Malay retards and idiots. However they evolved into sub-intelligent primates somewhere in 1971 and joined the circus as clowns. In 1982 they stopped growing tails, and moved on to 70cc motorbikes because they no longer have tails that might get burnt accidentally by the exhaust pipe.

Although they were considered retards during that time, they somehow managed to perform Hollywood stunts in real life. Through their understanding of air resistance, they created a super-low-cost-and-fuel-efficient method of riding the motorbikes. The Mat rempits is Malaysia's super-low-cost-pastime for Malay retards to show-off their biking skills on the traffic-ridden streets of Kuala Lumpur.

These kids are so desperate, they must do zig zag like a monkey, look backwards at full speed (very important tactic) and suddenly stop at roadside smoking, phone calling, etc. The crazier they drive, the sexier they look, it seems.

' Unquote'
Source http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Mat_Rempit

I shed my tears in silence because, if what is written here is true, what a waste of human resources for the country
Indeed they are retarded in their thinking, so do we punish them or guide them? By the same comparison, if we have a retarded child, do we ignore him/her or do we guide him/her?
Now, the horizon is getting clearer, they are retarded in their thinking and at the same time are bored, because they have ‘so much spare time’

According to one school of thought, our Government has been too lenient towards these people and given them a lot of chances to turn over a new leaf. (“A chance for Mat rempits’’ -The Star, Sept 19).

This probably has some connection with the statement made by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak , who said that a rehabilitation programme for Mat rempits would be launched next January aimed at improving their leadership skills, social interaction, self-empowerment and such.

I believe the Prime Minister is on the right track, but the track must complete ‘the loop’, the program must be holistic and done with end in mind. Whilst NS is a good program as suggested by one reader, it is just one of the activities, more should be crafted for them.

As a comparison, let us look at life patterns of an average good students, immediately after his SPM, they take a rest for about 3 months or so, then continue with preparatory classes for professional courses. Perhaps similar study pattern could be established for these below average students. If smart students are given with scholarships and loans, they should also be given similar funds for them to acquire skills and specializations in vocational fields.

The point I am driving at is not to allow too much idle time for them. Let us do some brain rehearsal here, let us imagine that these mat and minah rempits are shown ways and become motivated to become successful people down the road, perhaps as modern farmers growing high quality mushroom that later lands commercially in Dubai, or successful professional house cleaners in place of our heavily dependent foreign maids, wedding planners, hair stylists, food caterers, beauticians, interior designers and the list is endless. Let us give them the fishing rods as what we do to our own children.

I strongly believe that the government has the required machineries and means but again the government alone will be too lonely to undertake this task, NGOs, religious associations, PTA associations, community groups, retired citizens, and so on and on, must step in to complement the programs, and they must be integrated well. However the government must prepare the space and trust for these groups to work in tandem.

I have 3 core areas that I wish to offer to the government:
• Develop a clear vocational path for mat rempits and school drop outs (this will cut off life lines to mat rempit population)
• Spend sufficient fund on them
• Monitor their progress and assist them to move on in lives.

This framework is probably quite similar to FELDA program at its initial stage, why don’t we repeat history?