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The Blonde Boyband and Yours Truly
Ahh the days when little girls and teeny boppy gals use to worship these blonde, cute & smiley faces. All these guys had to do was smile and we’d all go crazy, doesn’t matter if they could sing or not, hahahaha! GONE are those days now, thank God!
But seriously, back then, in the year 2002, I had an oppportunityof a lifetime to meet Westlife face-to-face. I was the only fan there that night when they were playing football in Bukit Jalil, no words could form at my lips, especially towards Mark Feehily…I was inlurvv with him…hahaha…,Why did the young me fall for gay men? Oh by the way, since their glorified hands touched my less than worthy top, I basically enshrined my blouse for an entire year! Additionally, I did not bathe for one day, cause I wanted to keep them kisses on my cheek! hahahas..seriously, you might think they’d be stuck up and egotistical….quite the opposite..those Irish blokes are one of the most down-to-earth guys I’ve ever met and although I am no longer a tenny boppy fanatic, I will always cherish that memory.
I was diagnosed with severe Kyphosis in 2002, and I had to skip a whole year of school because of it. Meeting Westlife was like Heaven after all the hell I went through that year. Oh yeah, and I got my 5 minutes of fame too. Front page in the The Star, Malay Mail, Galaxy and local TV stations. Yep, every girl was jealous of me…hehehe.
Kudos to The Star for doing something worthwhile for once in their miserable existence! Where the hell was the Sun? Not enough money I take!!
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/10/30/nation/keisha&sec=nation
SO Apt for Malaysian Drivers!!
By Paul McCann
Careless cars cutting corners create confusion .
Crossing centrelines.
Countless collisions cost coffins.
Collect conscious change.
Copy?
Continue cautiously.
Comply?
Cool.
“It is unfortunate that mankind lusts not for the power of love but the love of power.” …
by yours truly
about labeling, stereotyping and racism…
Read this: http://jhameia.blogspot.com/2009/05/colourblind.html
1) What do you think defines a chinese or any other race? If one was American-Chinese but disconnected from Chinese culture, does that make the person more chinese, less chinese or not chinese at all? How does such a person identify himself?
Therein lies the crux of the problem. Labeling, stereotyping and then racism.
We need to start appreciating the differences at the individual level not by accepting human constructs of what is “chinese”.
I like the notion of enlightenment. I prefer to be colorblind instead of being labeled and then being stereotyped. I am of Indian origin but I’ll be the first to admit I know jack s*** about my culture, neither do I engage in activities that define Indian culture, for example…I do not know a single word in Tamil. WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME THEN?
I have a big Psychology project to do and part of it involves thinking critically about certain questions and answering them effectively. One particular question caught my attention today. It asked:
Can creativity be taught effectively? Are people who are trained to be creative just as creative as those who do it “naturally”? If so, why isn’t creative thinking taught in schools? What is it about the present education system that discourages creative thinking? Might too much creativity be detrimental?
I answered as follows:
First of all, the concept of creativity is difficult to define. For the purpose of answering the questions posed, let us define creativity as the ability to solve problems or express ideas in new or original ways that advance a branch of human endeavor.
Studies have demonstrated that the correlation between identical twins raised apart in creativity scores is lower than that between their I.Q. scores. This suggests that perhaps environmental influences play a role in the development of creativity. Hence, I believe that to some degree, creativity can be effectively taught.
I believe that creativity for the most part, is learned. For example, in order for an artist to paint a portrait, that artist needs to learn different techniques and know how to apply different kinds of colors and hues to create a portrait. Although some people appear to be more gifted in the area of creativity, the gift has to be nurtured in order for it to bloom. Thus, to some extent, I believe that people who are trained to be creative can be just as creative as those who do it “naturally”.
Contrary to the question posed, I believe that the very foundation of a liberal arts education in America is the learning or acquisition of creativity. Although the word “creativity” is rarely mention as an educational goal, universities and even corporations thrive on the use of creativity in the classroom and workplace respectively. Ranging from the disciplines of theater to psychology, creativity is used to expand the ideas and theories previously held. Isn’t that the whole point of critical thinking?
As for the Malaysian education system, I believe that creativity is not fostered because the word “creativity” connotes a negative message. That is, the capacity to question facts is tantamount to being disobedient and hence, unacceptable to Asian culture.
I am also of the opinion that too much creativity is not detrimental. For example, it took creativity to get a man on the moon. Logic of the past, a century or so ago, would have deemed it impossible. Hence, creativity not only expands logic but has the ability to advance technology, science, mathematics, theater and many other areas of a liberal arts education.
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Is it any wonder why Malaysia is not seen as an innovative country? I think it is largely due to the fact that we are sorely lacking in the teaching of creativity. And yes! It can be taught to those who are “creatively-absent” and it can be nurtured for those who are “creatively-gifted”.
For example, a pychology lecturer shares her experience in teaching creativity to American students:
“I think it’s a mistake to think that you can give students fact, fact, fact and have them learn what others have said and then, only later, ask them to be creative and critical. By the time they’re supposedly ready to be creative, they’re not. They need to see how these strands are connected in other people’s work, and they need to engage in those aspects of the work themselves right from the beginning. When I assign essays, I’m not interested in whether students can repeat facts from a book; I know they can. In my Pscyhology of Education course, I have them read theories of child development early in the course and then do observations of a real child. For their mid-term, they have to look at that child through the eyes of two of the theorists, a task that encourages them to think both critically and creatively; they may have to account for some behavior they didn’t read about in the theory. The culminating assignment in the class is to design a school. It’s very creative, but they must support it with evidence from all the research they’ve read.” – Susan Engel, Psychology at Williams University.
For more on whether creativity can be taught, visit William’s University Website
Albert Einstein seems to agree that creativity leaves an indelible mark upon our education, what do you think?
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
“Hell’s Island” coined by TVsmith, so rightly describes the morbid mess in the neighboring island of Pulau Ketam. Although lots of us are not there, our ability to empathize knows no bounds. It breaks my heart to see all these pictures that he has taken.
You know I am more and more convinced everyday that the human species, contrary to popular belief, are far less superior to animals…My own two dogs show me that everyday…their ability to forgive, their ability to trust, their intelligence, their infinite capacity to love…No matter what we do to them, they are still loyal to us.. THAT, my friend, is evident enough to their superiority. How many of us carry the brunt of a grudge and in doing so, destroy our spirits entirely?
While I was reading TVsmith’s blog, I came across a quote by a renowned blogger, Antares: “The true measure of civilization is the way a community deals with social outcasts like immigrants (legal or otherwise), stray dogs, and the transgendered.” By this measure, “we remain classified an an Uncivilized Feudal State of Well-Dressed Primates.”
HA. How true indeed. I would say that 90% of Malaysians are apathetic morons who don’t give a (excuse my french) damn about the minorities of Malaysian society which include these poor, stray dogs.
As apathy is an attitude and a choice, I do not wish to remain the 90%. I would jump at the opportunity to go to Hell’s Island but it is very unfortunate that my physical condition does not permit me to do so. So I decided to try and help in other ways, by buying kibble and shampoo, and donating them to Furry Friend’s Farm, a shelter for underprivileged stray dogs. TYL & I plan on going there this weekend 
(If only I could adopt a survivor but my two munchkins at home are driving my mommy crazy already!)
I would like to urge the Malaysian public to join forces and help these furry friends. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, young or old, disabled or not. Our collective actions, little or big, can drastically change the perilous situation those poor souls are in.
Lastly, I would like to close this entry with a prayer:
“Dear Lord, please forgive us for our transgressions. We do not deserve Your forgiveness but we are asking for it anyway. Please open our hearts to compassion and love so that we may change the dire situation of these beautiful creatures. Teach us Lord, that it is through generosity and kindness that we make this world a better place, Amen.”
Luke 6:38 (ESV) Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV) The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Matthew 6:21 (New International Version)
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Challenges magazine is the only magazine in Malaysia that devotes itself to the struggles and triumphs faced by PWDS (people with disabilties).
And lucky for me, I got to be a contributor for the magazine and my first article has been printed in the latest issue….go to MPH and buy it pleaseeee! Or any other major bookstore!!
I am thinking about a writing proposal to the editor….i thought this topic may be interesting to the readers of Challenges…. that is, Life as a Disabled College Student: Overcoming those challenges..hmm… or maybe I can write about how SEGi has treated its disabled students? hmm..I’ll think about it..
As some of you may be aware, I have an illness called Neurofibromatosis Type 2 — a garble of a word, I know. The hallmark of this disease is the presence of bilateral acoustic neuromas, or benign tumors growing on or near the hearing nerves. Most people with this disease end up becoming totally deaf as a result of these tumors being excised during surgery. Sometimes though, hearing preservation is possible…albeit extremely rare. In most cases, the next best possible solution would be the Auditory Brainstem Implant, an implant which is placed on the brainstem…this device transmits sounds through the brainstem as opposed to the conventional route… since… well…the auditory nerve(s) were compromised during surgery. On one hand, this may seem like a blessing, however, recipients of such implants cannot decipher human speech effectively…sounds transmitted through this device are almost unnatural. The good thing about this implant, however, is that it enables the patient to live with a certain degree of independence. For example, one can safely walk across a street without having to fear incoming traffic..because one can hear the sound of cars honking and etc.
Moving on, am I afraid of becoming deaf? Absolutely. I often wonder what it would be like to live in a silent world but then again, come to think of it, I already am. You see, for the past year or so, my hearing had taken a turn for the worse. No doubt I can hear, but I find it extremely difficult to decipher human speech against background noise. I also find it difficult to understand people when they talk too fast or too soft. It gets so frustrating sometimes that I become short-tempered with people who don’t seem to get it… I regret that frustration though, because I now know they simply do not understand.
As a result of this recent decline, many areas of my life have been affected including my college experience. My communication with my college mates is very limited, not because they are unfriendly, but because my hearing disability impedes my ability to communicate with them. As such, I sub-consciously hide myself in my own little silent world, often accompanying my loneliness with a good novel to read.
Dr. Steven Baptist (the head of the ADP department at my college), informed my stepfather at the beginning of the year that SEGi College not only prioritizes itself on educating our youth but also being socially responsible for people like myself….My lecturers in SEGi so far have been accommodating but despite Dr. Steven’s statement and my lecturers’ noblest intentions, they are simply not equipped to deal with special students such as myself. For example, we often have to view video clips and then answer a bunch of questions…how can I do that when I can’t decipher human speech effectively? Who could blame them anyway, they are just not trained to meet the needs of deaf or hard of hearing students.
Which brings me to wonder whether it would be best that I pursue Gallaudet University…it is a University located in Washington which specifically caters to students who are deaf and hard of hearing. If I choose to pursue this route, I would need to find a scholarship to study there as the financial cost of studying in the States is exorbitant..*sigh*
The hardest thing in this whole dilemma is being left stranded in the middle…. On one hand, there is the hearing world….and the other…the deaf world…and I am in the middle…which world do I belong to? That is the toughest part.
– end
*Pondering* Thinking of ways to cope. This is the part where I seriously wish I was living in the States where they have hearing rehabilitation programs to help a hard-of-hearing person cope…Over there, your disability is not seen as an impedement but a source of potential…to drive you to succeed…which is probably why they can produce individuals such as Stephen Hawkings and Brooke Ellison and even Helen Keller.
I wish I had that support here in Malaysia.
Mark my words though, I will keep on chasing the Dream. I am after all, in the truest sense, a Dreamer. 
Henry David Thoreau – “Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one.”
I watched the Great Debaters AGAIN last week…that movie never fails to strike a cord in me… they are an inspiring lot and one scene in the movie really got me thinking about Malaysia and slavery in the old America.
It was the scene where Harvard was debating Wiley College. The gist of the debate concerned the MORALITY of Civil Disobedience…Wiley, a black college, argued the affirmative and Harvard, an elitist white college, argued the negative. The debaters from Harvard argued that in a democracy no idea can be substantiated and realized without the support of the MAJORITY and therefore Civil Disobedience, according to the majority of America, was immoral and unacceptable. However, Wiley argued that it is not the MAJORITY who decides what’s right and wrong…it’s your CONSCIENCE…and therefore, one should NEVER EVER BOW DOWN to the Majority of TYRANNY. Wiley, specifically the prominent James Farmer Jr., whom I greatly admire and respect, also argued that if black people were tortured, brutalized and murdered in cold blood, it was most definitely his RIGHT if not his DUTY to resist a tyrannical government…and the MAJORITY of whites.
I was thinking about my American Civilization class and how often we examine the human side of history..especially where slavery is concerned… everytime I read about slavery..it brings sadness to my heart..how cruel the human race can be…it is no wonder rebellions took place…like the famous Nat TurnerRebellion…or the Underground Railroad…. sure it was illegal… but those poor people had the courage to stand up and fight back….it was most certainly moral and right… even though what they did eroded the rule of law.
Applying the same concept to Malaysia: Even though Ketuanan Melayu is supported by the MAJORITY…does it make it RIGHT, does it make it MORAL? Other races are losing out…Do you think it’s RIGHT that public universities in this country base their admissions on racial quota? Do you think it is MORAL that a certain MAJORITY should inherit discounts on housing estates? Do you think it is JUST that a MINORITY student who rightly deserved a scholarship lose out to the MAJORITY candidate who had lackluster results? Do you think it is FAIR that companies who wish their names to be listed on the stock market must have a certain MAJORITY sit on the Board of Directors? IT IS NEITHER MORAL NOR JUST…and yet…we Malaysians still sit on our arses and do nothing. Only a select few have the courage and conviction to fight for OUR Malaysia…what a pity indeed.
Without ranting further, Thoreau’s proverb rings the absolute truth, don’t you think?
Ok, so this is Yi Liang’s and my attempt at imagery…It is pretty much straight forward but it holds a deeper meaning…sort of metaphorical…One would surmise at the end of this poem that we are referring to the racial barrier that plagues this country….we weren’t trying to be condescending but rather, we just wanted to point out the salient truth — that if we transcend above our differences, we may realize that we have more in common than we succumb to think. Let’s bury ou superficial views of one another and stand united as MALAYSIANS.
ENJOY
Across the Great Divide
My dear friends, I implore you, hear me out!
There is a parable you must behold,
So please sit back, you won’t regret,
Listening to the truth unfold.
I strolled along a riverside,
When I heard angry voices in a fight.
Three men arguing, unable to decide,
How to return to their families that night.
They had known each other since their earliest day,
But all were brought by a different guide.
Individually taught unique ways to eat, to sing, to pray,
And now they were trapped, divided by pride.
Mister Ali insisted he had everything he needed,
Bricks, iron and bags of cement.
Unfortunately, a pressing problem interceded,
He had no assistance, a grave impediment.
And yet, there was a solution at hand,
Mister Lee with artisans at his disposal.
But when met with offers to hire his band,
He sent them packing with a crude refusal.
The engineer, Mister Raj, devised an ingenious plan,
to link the suspension safely to ground.
Problems arose, however, in building the span,
He had neither resources, nor workers to boss around.
As I saw the tempers flaring, I brought myself to ponder,
If only they could settle their differences all in stride,
The time they would save and not sheepishly squander,
To FINALLY bridge the gap across the Great Divide!
Summary note:
We wrote this poem as a metaphorical representation of the racial disunity that exists in this country which acts as a barrier for true progress, maturity and harmony. The main challenge in writing this poem was not to offend anyone, but also not to have the poem too vague that our message is lost. We also tried not to abuse clichés and stereotypes, but to use them selectively and carefully to maximize humor and the impact of our message.
© Keisha Petrus and Tan Yi Liang.
Enter Through Keisha's Mind & Soul. My writings are my life especially when I write for Life Poetry. Visit my blog to hopefully connect and discover a part of yourself as well. Life is tough and the way to get through it is through support and encouragement. My faith is what keeps me going and I often include my spirituality in my poetry as you will see. God is Good!