Bringing Phones Legally to School: Good or Bad?

So, they decided to allow kids to bring hi-tech gadgets to school now, huh? I bet most of Malaysia knew this by now; I found out a few days earlier, when my eyes fell on the surprising article on the third page of the Star newspaper. I could not believe my eyes. Was this really happening? I could’ve sworn I heard high-pitched voices screaming with joy as they threw their cell phones in the air. Then there are the low grumbles and rants of the seniors, who would not be able to taste the sweet freedom of holding their iPads in class, if the law was to be implemented in 2013. I realised that I was also unconsciously complaining about the decision being far too late for us Form Fivers (Even though I had my phone safely tucked away in a place where no phone-snatching wardens would ever think to look.) This was the second time I had felt dissatisfied; the first being the time I found out that school students didn’t have to pay for their train tickets. Think of all the money I could’ve saved if I had known a year earlier!

The Pros

 Well, now that the cat is out of the bag, many students (excluding myself) are excited for the next school year. The presence of hi-tech phones and gadgets on one’s self could greatly benefit you. For instance, say some tech savvy kid (e.g. you) was kidnapped by an evil adult. With a phone in his/her grasp, two things could be done. One, call or text your parents your whereabouts without being noticed by the kidnapper. Two, pray that someone has the common sense to find your phone/gadget via GPS (And hope that your battery will be able to last long enough.)

 Children also claim that with technology, class can be more effective, not to mention fun. Nowadays, there are sites on the Internet that either encourage kids to learn more, or help them revise their subjects. Though I must say, wasn’t there a cheaper way of influencing kids to study? Oh yeah, now I remember. It was whipping the child with the rattan.

It’s Not a Flawless Plan

 Nothing’s perfect in life. That includes this whimsical law. Not every teen on the country supports the idea of bringing devices to school. Some even strongly opposes it. And with good reason too; it’s too much a distraction for a learning tool. Most people find it hard to study at home, what with all the disturbances around them. Even I have to admit, had I not gone to boarding school, I’d have been glued to the TV and laptop alternately 24/7. By approving the law, we’re just giving them more distractions, and at a place where they should be focused.

 I can bet you that students would put more effort on updating their Facebook or Twitter every few minutes with boring, insignificant nonsense (‘My History teacher is currently writing things on the whiteboard.’ ‘LOL I’m tweeting in the toilet’) There would also be an increase of students taking pictures of their food at the canteen and uploading it online just for the sake of informing the public what they’re eating.

 Pftt. As if the public cares.

 I’m not opposing the implementation, but I’m not on the bandwagon too. I don’t really care about it anyways. Perhaps you'll be seeing me grumbling to my friends about how people make decisions a tad too late to benefit me.

Why Our Classroom Teacher Threw Out Our Nilam Out the Window

 Nilam, a book record has been considerably infamous in the eyes of students nationwide for its lack of significance. Most teens, in the right state of mind, would think of Nilam as a pain in the arse, and would rather opt to do something more beneficial, for instance sleeping. Although the school rules emphasizes the fact that filling in our book records are compulsory, both pupils and teachers have agreed to just randomly fill in numbers of books they supposedly read at the end of the year. It's a normal yearly routine, and it has been so for the past few years.

 Then I realised that it doesn't apply to my school.

 My whole class was shocked when my class teacher, Mrs N. (A newlywed.), arrived with a gigantic load of photocopied Nilam pages. She said something by the lines of 'You have to complete 80 pages to get a certificate that will be essential for your future'. So yeah, we went into panic mode. She gave us 3 pieces of paper each time she came to class (That's 12 entries.), and she'd expect us to send it the next day. You could see everyone's jaws on the floor. And so, fast forward a couple of weeks, with our wily ways, we managed to send it on time.

 Unfortunately, earlier this week, Mrs N. blew into a fit of rage (After a hour of teaching us Physics.) and practically threw half the class's time-consuming (?) book records out the window. Yep, you read it right. Now why did she do so?

WHAT WE DID TO COMPLETE OUR NILAM:
1) We wrote in non-novel material
Well, since the library is off-limits at night, some people wrote down text books and reference books, articles from magazines like Newsweek and newspapers, plus Reader's Digest etc.. And then to create the impression of the so-called books being thicker than one measly page, they decided to put in a 3-digit number in the 'Pages' section. Very smart.

2)We borrowed Form 1's Nilam books (Better yet, the Form 1 students themselves)
We simply jotted down what the Form 1's wrote. There was one person though, who took it to the next level and asked the Form 1 student to help him with his Nilam. A cruel and heartless way of getting things done, but effective nonetheless.

3)We simply created our own books
We were inspired by another class's way of doing things. They simply glanced at their surroundings and made them into storybook titles. There are many believable homemade book titles that could fool teachers, but there were some that was too stupid. One such example that still burns into my mind was this:

My Classroom's Air-conditioner

PAGES: 600++

 Pftt, like seriously, what kinda teacher wouldn't fall for that one? 

 A smart one, duh.

Some also took song titles, as if they thought it wasn't obviously fake (E.g: 'Just the Way You Are by Bruno Earth). Others just used names as authors, such as our superprincipal's name. She was particularly mad about a spelling mistake, though. 'Reald Dohl.' I wonder who could that be? I found out that it stemmed from my own silly handwriting, which led to a string of people incorrectly writing it. It's their fault though, for not recognizing such a famous author.

 After Mrs.N's burst, we finally did things the right way. By the right way, I meant most of them copied my Nilam (Since all of the books on my list were real.) I'm glad we got through this obstacle already. I do wish to see someone wirte a book about air-conditioners, though.

How Come You Go To Tuition?

"How come you go to tuition?"

 That's the one of the few questions headed my way when I stepped into the air-conditioned classroom. In fact, it's the FIRST question asked. All the time. Followed by a bewildered 'Youweren'tsupposedtobealive' stare. Cue my reply: "Why, I cannot come to tuition anymore meh?" It was fun to see people react this way the first couple of times, but after a while, it's kinda irritating.

 Yes, I'm a fully residential school student. I stay in the school grounds 24/7. I practically breathe the boarding school. That does not mean I'm prohibited from joining tuition classes. Yeah, they're probably worried about me, spending time at the last place students would dare enter during a time where students could finally taste freedom (Yeah right, they will. I'd be a famous celebrity before the day arrives.)

 Yet, there's a tiny part of me that urges me to strive hard and makes use of the time to revise during the hols. And if that part isn't enough to make me work, there's always dearest mummy. Besides, I'm sure all of us have screamed out "I'm gonna make use of my time well during the holidays!" at least once before. I know I did, every single time a holiday's nearing. I also know that those times were lavishly spent on watching TV, computers and sleeping (Hey, you can't blame a kid for having needs, especially one that has been deprived of all basic entertainments.)

 But not this time. This year is very important for me, and all Malaysians my age. We're facing a major turning point of our lives, the SPM examinations. These exam results would determine our lives; whether we could soar into a bright future, or stay firmly on the ground, thinking of what would have happened had you studied. Of course, university life also plays a key part in determining your future, and so does working experience. Luck's also a large factor, but who cares? We needa hurtle through an obstacle at a time.

 So yeah, I do need to go for tuition, even though I study day and night every single day at school for the past month and a half. And if anyone asks me why, I'll just say "How 'bout you?"

A Whole Week of Fun and New Friends in Malacca~! Day 3 to 6

Due to midyear examinations, lagging school internet connections, and the lack of memory power, I forgot to post the continuation. XD Sorry for that. Here it is~ (The first part is here.)

Day 3: Wednesday

 We got to see the former Prime Minister in person today! Tun Dr. Mahathir gave a very nice and humorous speech about global unity. After that, while waiting for the bus to arrive, my friends and I chatted a bit with the Indian exchange students, and made friends with the SMS Sembrong people, whom, as I would find out later, will be with me throughout the rest of the week. (The two girls were taking part as presenter and copresentor. The other two, boys obviously, were useless people who got picked just to watch, like me.)

During the ice-breaking session with the international, I coincidentally met with a Portuguese who stayed at my school the day before, because of the number 8. (LOL, so lucky.) Fortunately, she said her stay there was very nice, and the tour guides very courteous. Phew.

At night, we were invited to go for dinner at the Malacca’s Chief Minister’s residence. It was BIG. MASSIVE. GIGANTUOUS. And it comes with its own separate gym. O.O Unfortunately, we weren’t able to enter and take a look around. But we were able to take pictures around the residence. :D I got to be in many people’s pics (I didn’t bring a camera, y’see. Had to be photobombing!) That also made up for the fixed seatings. Had loads of fun with the Italians, Giulia and whatshisname, and the STF girls. :)

Day 4: Thursday

 Today was the start of the two-day presentation of the international participants and fifteen local gold medalists. (Obviously my schoolmate and my old friend were included.) I felt very sorry for some of the international delegates, whose presentations were overshadowed by the locals’ experienced demonstration. After the three hour session, we had a workshop, in order to write our resolutions based on Tun’s keynote address. The captain was a Sabahan girl named Sahara (Who preferred to be called Sara) and a Lao girl, Susen was secretary. I became vice-captain reluctantly, due to my wrong timing to stand up and adjust my trousers while they were contemplating on their victim. In the end, I had to conduct everything (The leader used her veto power to force the whole leader work on me. XD) It was during this session that I realized people thought I was 16! (Technically, I still was, but coming to 17.) It was a very shocking compliment, to be called one year younger, but it was a compliment nonetheless. I think it was due to my cute boyish looks. (Though they pointed out that it was because of my immaturity. XD)

And finally, the most anticipated event of the day (And the whole week)… Sightseeing and shopping ‘round Malacca!!! It was the first time I  went sightseeing with a bunch of friends (And one with most, excluding me and another Form Fiver, being a year younger.) and teachers. We stopped at the Taming Sari Tower (The first gyrotower in Malaysia.) and went up 80m into the air, discovering a breathtaking 360-degree bird’s eye view of Malacca drenched in the evening sunlight.

Afterwards, we went off the beaten track (After listening to Madame Chin, a jolly Chinese teacher, and her lengthy explanation time constraints and the time-consuming schedule) and rode on the river cruise a half hour earlier than the others; that way we’d gain more shopping time. Alas, it was not meant to be; we ordered food at Chicken Rice Shop 15-20 minutes before departure, and the bus was far away. It was pretty ironic, because we had Madame Chin with us, who didn’t like people being late. Nevertheless, we had lotsa fun, and had plenty of laughs while eating.

Day 5: Friday

 Today was pretty uneventful compared to yesterday; it was like yesterday, sans the sightseeing. Once again, I had to commandeer the workshop, much to my leader’s glee. We learnt new games, one from Indonesia, and one from Malaysia (Yeah, I didn’t know. Awkward.) So many interesting things occurred (One of them being the international student’s fluency to say the word Buaya/Crocodile and Biawak/Lizard) And then came the gift exchange! I spent most the time yesterday night shopping for souvenirs (Only RM9) Then I saw some bringing in gifts from their schools. All of us went blur- headed, thinking whether what each other brought was wrong!

At night, we had the closing ceremony. Everyone used this time to talk with everyone else, since it was the last day, and the international delegates had to go back. You could see everyone bringing and exchanging books, jotting down contact infos, ensuring future contact with each other, even though they are states and countries apart. Stayed up late to mingle with people, learning new and interesting things ‘bout different languages and cultures. It was pretty sad though, as my 16 year-old mates had to leave that night too. But I shrugged it off, and had a fitful slumber.

Day 6: Saturday

 The morning started with a light drizzle, voicing the sadness and reluctance to let go of this moment. But nothing lasts forever, right? I just hope I could see them again, in the near future, if God wills it.

 So that’s it from me ‘bout this seemingly awesome weeklong adventure. J Will be uploading pics (If I have the time. And if I find some. I need to scour at friend’s FB accounts.)

It Was My BDay... And Nobody Remembered...

The Reading Room

I was in the reading room on the ground floor of my dormitory block, when I received a call from my mother. It struck me as weird, as I had only sent her a text asking her to check whether the deadline of the KFC Star Create competition falls on the 15^th, and she, being the typical cheapskate when it comes to words, would reply one word; ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I picked up the call, and surprise, surprise, my sister’s voice rang into one ear and out the other, screaming ‘Happy 17^th birthday, Abang!’ Utterly surprised, I was, and glancing at my watch, I realised that indeed, the long hand struck 12. Now, now, before you say it’s impossible to forget one’s birthday, I did know it’d be my birthday, but as I’d been complete absorbed in checking my essay during the whole hour prior that, I’d completely forgotten. After chatting with my family underneath the coffee table (The school rules states in black and white that phones are forbidden.), I took out my parents’ gift given to me a few days earlier, on a Wednesday, since they couldn’t be with me on my special day (A solid reason why I shouldn’t be able to forget my birthday.) – a brand new, glossy red camera!  

Busy with work, even on my BDay...

 I spent the day unlike my previous birthdays before this; busy being undetected and low profile. There’s a good reason for this. There’s a tradition at my school regarding birthdays. The said tradition involves a large group of people (Preferably 15+) beating up the birthday boy, if possible in a dark classroom, at night, during preparation class. And I don’t want the same happen to me. So obviously, I made sure all sources that hint at my birthday, however miniscule it were, halts before the precious information gets into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, my dorm mate teased me, telling me he knew my birthday.

 And that was why I wiped off my birth date from my Facebook account temporarily. That, and another reason; to find out whether anyone would care enough to remember my birthdate. It was a regrettable action, seeing as none of my friends bothered to wish me a happy birthday. Well, one did, a close friend and a sensei of mine, but it was a tad late, but I don’t mind. All the wishes I received were from family members. Well, serves me right for being curious. But at least I knew how dependant people are for Facebook.

 At the end of the day, no one dangerous knew it was my birthday. Yeah, my close schoolmates knew my birthday, but they 

weren't the type to get all excited over an ambush. What was surprising was that my knowing dorm mate didn’t wish me. Turned out he forgot it. Then he tells me that a Korean star’s birthday falls on Wednesday. Guess I’m less important than his idols.

A Whole Week of Fun and New Friends in Malacca~! Day 1 and 2

 Two weeks ago, on a fine Sunday night, in the reading room, I was given a difficult choice; either to go to Muzaffar Shah School (MOZAC) for the Fully Residential School’s International Symposium (FRSIS) for a WHOLE WEEK… Or stay in school, due to drama practice. I initially declined, but after talking ‘bout it with a close friend, and much, much consideration, I changed my mind and packed my bags.

 It was the best decision of my entire life.

 To tell you guys my awesome and fun weeklong adventure, I shall tell the tale day by day (Mind you, it’s a tad long. This is personally for my own reference, and sharing it with you guys seems more exciting.):

Day 1: Monday

 After arriving at MOZAC at ‘round 11 and checked ourselves in, we did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (Other than eating and sleeping.) The reason for the lack of activity is to let all 63 residential schools’ representatives reach the destination.

 63!? I hear you scream in terror. Yup. That would make the number of participants, let’s see… 4 per school… Times 63… Ah, 252. Excluding the twenty-something Indian exchange students staying at the girl’s dormitories (The symposium is part of their two week stay in Malaysia.) How is it that they’re able to fit all the guests into the dorms, already packed full of MOZAC students? Simple: Give the MOZAC students a week’s holiday. Lucky them.

The boys' dormitory. The open shower's behind the stairs.

 During my exploration of the school grounds (Which usually occurs whenever I’m bored.), I find one of many shocking discoveries; their showers have NO DOORS! And there’s a roofless shower on the ground floor, for all to see~ How was I supposed to shower without people watching me?

This is MOZAC. Did I mention it was on a hill? :3

Day 2: Tuesday

 Today was the day of the competition. I left for the hall at ‘round 7.45… After taking a shower in the toilet (Hey, I ain’t weird. Half of the participants did the same thing.). It’s basically a public speaking kind, where all 63 presenters present their presentations (Duh), based on the theme ‘Global Culture Generates World Unity’, and what better place to have it but at MOZAC, one of few multi-racial boarding schools in Malaysia? Most were common, like how food can start unity of races, and only a few managed to catch my attention (Like the Kenyah tribe in Sarawak, and the miniscule, yet fascinating fact that Fijians love fat people.) I didn’t managed to see all of the presentations presented (What, you expect me to be able to be present at all ten sessions simultaneously?) and unfortunately, I didn’t get to see my friend’s one, as his session was held in a small classroom, and there were limited spaces.

This is Hazeem. :)

 The ice-breaking session, for me, was the best activity of the day. Not only did it give me a chance to mingle with other people, I also bumped into my old friend (Hazeem’s his name.)! Such a funny coincidence, to meet because of the colour red (We were grouped into four teams based on the piece of coloured paper behind our tags.) We were then grouped by the numbers on the coloured paper, and would stay in the same group during the ice-breaking session with the international students the next day.

 Later that night, I, my schoolmate and an acquaintance we got to know with this wicked British accent auditioned for Master of Ceremony. Unfortunately and surprisingly, all of us failed. And the weird thing is, the boys they chose were not that good compared to my friends. The girls were marvelous, though. And that made me a bit green with envy.

 I shall continue this tale on a later date, as it is too long. :) Ciao. :D

My Embarrassing Speech and What I Learned From It~!

I remember my first speech as if it was yesterday. Ah... Oh wait, it WAS yesterday. And it was disastrous, I can tell you that. I had it all planned in my head, what I was gonna do, what I was gonna say. And when I steeped on the stage and grasped the mike in my hands, it all went POOF. When I looked back, I realised I made too many mistakes, and gave the audience (The students.) too little info. And as soon as I stepped off the stage, I sank to the ground. Funny how my legs knew when to lose their strength at just the right moment.

 Simply put, it was a failure. I lost all my confidence back there. Being the emotional me, I finally broke down when I unexpectedly bumped into my English teacher, whom I avoided on purpose out of guilt for not doing better. It's okay now, though. I'll just have to... Find a dark corner... A-and weep my heart out quietly. *sniff*

 Still, I learned many things from the embarrassing incident:

•          i.            Never trust the timetable
    This was the main factor of the failure of my speech. Initially, as it was written on paper, my speech was due a week later. My teacher, however, had a sudden change of heart, and decided to bring it earlier as ‘there would be many future events , and there would be no time  during the coming weeks’.
  
  
         ii.            Never confide in your joker friend
   This is very much a must if you have doubts on your choice of topic. I had chosen my topic a week earlier (What was my topic, you ask. Wait for it. Read on.) had it all planned out. Then two days before my turn, I made the mistake of asking for my joker friend’s opinion. ‘Boring.’ Was his reply, which panicked me. As a result, I spent the final day trying  to think of other fascinating topics instead of focusing on my choice.
  
  
        iii.            Write your points down...
  ... Uness you’re sure your memory won’t fail, you however strong it might be, when you face the audience. Trust me, you do not want to hem and haw while you talk in front of them. If you think it’s annoying when other people do that, it’s annoying to them when YOU do that.
  
  
       iv.            Choose a suitable, tease-proof topic to talk about when you talk to a audience that's prone to teasing
   If you don’t mind being the centre of attention, don’t mind me, just carry on reading the next point. My topic was something you wouldn’t hear usually/ awkward at my school... It’s entitled... Ugh... ‘Puppy Love’. My audience was obviously the type who likes to tease their mates at every, and I mean EVERY chance they could get. Put the two together, and BAM! You get called Puppy for the rest of the day... And most probably the rest of the year.
  
  
   Heck, when I stepped into the library, the trainee teacher took one look at me and yelled, ‘It’s Puppy Love!’ Yes, even teachers called me that for the whole day.
  
  
         v.            Don't be too hard on yourself
   This is the most valuabe thing I learnt that day. All I thought after the speech was:
  
  
   OMG, IT WAS SO BAD. I’M DOOMED. IT WAS TERRIBLE, I COULD SEE IT IN THEIR EYES. THEY’RE DISAPPOINTED. I’M A FAILURE. I’M SO DUMB. WHAT A COWARD... ETC.
  
  
   Yeah, it’s true. I felt that negative the whole day. But, throughout the day, friends and teachers came up to me and said, ‘Hey, nice speech! It was funny! Even the headmaster lauged!’ (What, really? Achievement unlocked! :D), ‘You were very calm, despite the fact that you were panicking.’, ‘You had very nice points!’, ‘It’s okay, it was good enough. Your friends were like “Go, you can do it!” when you paused and cried.’(I didn’t realise they were cheering me on. I didn’t know I was CRYING ONSTAGE. My life is RUINED. D:) One even told me to stop being too hard on myself, and not to give up. It’s a relief knowing that they were feeling the opposite of what I thought. :)
  
  
  That’s all the lessons I could think of from that speech. It wasn’t all that bad in the end. At least it inspired me to write a short story. Have a nice day~! :D