The Typical Parents, Destroyer Of Nation Building

20th - 26th April 2009

I read an article about Amber Chia in the Star newspaper recently. Actually I really admire her qualities as a person apart from being a Christian as well. How often can you find a model nowadays who is down to earth & humble? If you ask me, I think she has the potential to be one of the world's top supermodel in the future if given the chance. The article described what is her earlier childhood days were like when she was younger. Most of us might think a prominent figure like Amber would come from a well to do family, but the fact is she actually originated from a poor family background. There's one time her family was so poor she had to steal food from a grocery store & for that she got caned by her dad real bad. Even though they are poor, they still maintained their dignity & principles by not making a living through committing crimes. After going through some hardships & struggles, Amber managed to become an accountant & was working in Kuala Lumpur. During that time her talents & looks got discovered & that is where her modeling career began. Today you can see her face almost anywhere in the advertising media from international to local brands. Truly a good example of what a Malaysian should be, to able to engage culture creatively and be a world shaker in the marketplace.

However my main reason to highlight Amber's story is not to promote her, but to educate some of us here who has the "This is M'sia mah!" mentality especially among parents. I've seen the same scenario every year, again & again. After the SPM results are released, I would ask many of my younger friends what do they want to do in the future;

Friend A
Then: After high school straight away I want to become a musician.
Now: Play music cannot cari makan la in M'sia so I'll just study Graphic Designing lor.

Friend B
Then: I want to be the next Chef Wan!
Now: My parents say no status la become chef so I terpaksa study Business Admin.

Friend C
Then: I love fen tau music so I think I'll be a deejay in the future!
Now: Parents say no future la being a deejay in M'sia so now I study Hospitality Management.

Friend D
Then: Although I love salsa dancing but I don't want to take risk so I'll just follow the crowd lah since most of them are taking business courses.
Now: Haihz I graduated already but still cannot find job. How to cari makan wei like that???

Friend E
Then: You see lah one day I'll become pro playing basketball.
Now: Ooh now I'm studying Mass Communications. (Ooh I see)

Friend F (This one really saddens me)
Then: I also thinking about doing sports especially football after SPM.
Now: My parents say no future for sports lah here in M'sia.

Back then they have their own dreams & aspirations, but what happen now? Why the change of mind? Most of them are taking courses which does not appeal to them nor suit their interests & strengths. Along the way some of them quit their courses, complaining "This is not what I really wanted to do!" Instead they enrolled to different courses, which again does not match their interests hoping this time they made the right choice. I even had a friend who is 22 years old now but still pursuing a Diploma in Hospitality Management when his real passion is being a guitarist. I'm really disappointed with Friend F's statement though. I know he has a great potential to build a name for himself in the local football scene, but he decided to study Mass Comm which the course appeared totally alien to him because he doesn't know what else to do besides sports. I have pleaded many times with my friends over the years. Do something which is compatible with your passion & interests. Doing something else you do not like at all is like walking towards a giant pit blindfolded. Once you fell inside the hole it's going to be very difficult to get out of the hole. In other words once you realize that you're miserable & unhappy doing a stupid course, it's going to be difficult to withdraw because a large amount of time & money is involved & it will all go down to the drain if you want to quit halfway just like that.

I really do not understand what the bloody feather is wrong with parents nowadays. The future of most youngsters are destroyed mainly because of parental pressure. I'm sure all of our parents had said this before to us, "Your future is in your hands, no one else can decide it for you". If that is the case, then let the children take their own initiatives & decide for themselves what they want to become in the future without interfering them by dictating the choices they made. However this is not the case. Generally parents will force their kids to enroll in popular courses such as medicine, business, engineering, accounting, hotel management, etc. They think that such courses will promise their children lucrative salaries & no risk is involved. Look at Friend D's statement. Although he studied in a popular course such as Business Management, he still has a problem in securing a job & this is his third month already into unemployment. If you think that sports, performing arts & music involves a lot of risks, what makes you think that it is a different situation for other professions? Lets say I decided to study business. After graduation I have to go for interview. At the same time many graduates are like me going place to place for interviews. This will make my competition to secure a job to be even more intense. Not to mention the world is suffering from recession at the moment which make job vacancies to be a scarce. So tell me, what does not involves risk? If Amber Chia can achieve success in the modeling industry despite her disadvantages, then why not me? If Daniel Lee can achieve success in the music industry despite being a nobody from the beginning, then why not me? If Nicol David can be world number one in squash despite being a Malaysian, then why not us?

Since I want to penetrate the sports & fitness industry one day, then allow me to use the example of Lim Teong Kim. Many of us have never heard of this guy's name before, but do you know he is one of the few famous M'sian footballers that has proven us that being a M'sian does not mean you cannot make it big in sports? Lim is an ex-international player for M'sia & he used to play in Europe for clubs such as Hertha Berlin in the German Division Two League. Today he is an assistant coach for the youth team of Bayern Munich, one of the most fearsome football clubs in Europe. When you say that you can't do it just because of your nationality particularly being a M'sian, then you are just admitting that you are lousy & nothing you do will ever change the outcome. Friends the most ironic thing that can happen to a person is not because when one fails in life, but when one gives up without even trying.

Last but not least to parents out there as well as future parents, do not discourage your children from what they do best because by doing so you are saying that they are not good enough & this effects their self-esteem believing that they are worthless. Great people are not born but they are trained just as a baby learning how to crawl before it can learn to walk. If you want your kids to excel in studies then they simply have to study in order to improve their knowledge. How can you say such things to your children that they will not score good grades before they have even tried sitting for their examinations? Then what is the point studying all this time & taking extra tuitions? It's better for them to commit suicide because you have already admitted that your kids are lousy & nothing they will do can change anything. In contrast, if you want your kids to excel in various disciplines such as sports, performing arts or music then they simply have to train in order to improve their skills. How can you say such things to your children that they will not make it in the sports, dancing, acting, or music industry before they have even tried their hands in their respective professions? Then what is the point practising all this time & taking extra training sessions? It's better for them to commit suicide because you have already admitted that your kids are lousy & nothing they will do can change anything.

C'mon guys I'm sick of hearing the same excuse "...because this is M'sia mah" over & over again. God created us to do great things in His image & not just do mediocre things. The question is not whether Malaysia boleh (can) or not. It's whether M'sia mahu (want) or not. Does M'sia want to be a great country or does it want to be an unknown country, ask yourselves this. The first thing we must change is our attitude & self-belief. I am a M'sian, but this should not stop me from obtaining greatness. One day I will achieve something great in the sports & fitness industry. I will be the salt & the light in the marketplace. I believe I can do it not because of my own strength, but through the spirit of God. Wo de ming zi shi Wu Wen Hao, I am the Knowledgeable Warrior & that is how I shall live out my life just like my name, a conqueror!

Please Cakap To Me Dalam Engwish

13th - 19th April 2009

My Malay schoolmates keep urging me to communicate with them in English because they want to improve their English proficiency for the upcoming MUET exam although I always tend to speak with them using the Malay language instead. It's just that my Malay is weak so that's why I want to improve myself better by speaking more in Malay. When I was in Form 3, I used to hang out a lot with my Malay friends because I thought back then having Mat Rempits, bohsia & gangsters as your friends is a cool thing. Anyway I would not elaborate further regarding these group of people. The point is you can master a certain language depending on what kind of people you spend time with. My Malay proficiency was used to be excellent during Form 3 & I can produce very good karangan (compositions) in the Malay language during those days simply because I mix around with my Malay friends. After PMR, I didn't spend time with my Malay friends anymore & instead I would hang out mostly with English speaking friends up to this very day. Now as you can see my Malay has berkarat (rusted) a lot & sometimes I would find some difficulties to pronounce certain Malay words when I communicate with my fellow Malay schoolmates. I do have Chinese speaking friends & I would spend some time with them too but so far I managed to learn only a few Chinese words & basic sentences consisting of both Mandarin & Cantonese. However some might ask how am I able to mix around despite facing language barriers. It's simple really. We may not speak the same language but we definitely have some interests in common. For example, I love football & I enjoy watching football matches once in a while. My Malay friends love watching football too & we would discuss future match fixtures & results of our respective favourite teams. On the other hand my Chinese speaking friends love badminton so therefore I would try to learn how to play badminton even though my number one passion is football. I find it funny though that many M'sians would shift the blame towards the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for the cause of racial polarization to worsen. I want to reiterate that if we want improve racial & ethnic relationships, then it must start from ourselves by opening up ourselves to others. Do not use the religion, skin differences or language barriers as an excuse for not mingling around with other races. If I can still socialize with people from various backgrounds despite our differences, why not you?

I found out there's a lot of April babies. However, I will only upload photos in two occasions I've attended;

My bro (middle) & his mates

Honestly the food was below average

Happy B'day Richard =)

You're 24 now

My cousin Justin

The tomboy on the left seriously look like a guy

That was Saturday. The next day I have to go for another round of party at Fibiee's place;

Her dog Truffles is so tame & gentle

The hot surrounding temperature dampened our mood a little

We consumed more drinks than food. Again it was so warm even during night time

Actually the dog was shivering when Alfred carried it. Cinta itu tidak boleh dipaksa

I love playing this game. The Q & A

Happy B'day Fibiee =)

You're now 17

I hope she wished for the weather to be cold again

This night belongs to you girl

I didn't know Vi June was quiet tall

My Reason To Live

6th - 12th April 2009


The month of April is my 4th anniversary as a Christian. I wish it could be my 19th anniversary as a Christian instead because I regretted not knowing Jesus earlier in my life. However, being a Christian later on in life is a lot better then being lost forever. I thank the Lord for taking me into His Arms. Despite coming from a family with a mixture of Taoism & Buddhism background, He broke the family tradition & prepared a new path for me to join a whole new family of Christ. Despite me being critical of Christianity in the past, He forgives me & loves me unconditionally. Despite my disadvantages, He gave me the confidence to overcome my obstacles & be a testimony to others. He is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow. I thank you Jesus for being my Saviour & Lord.

City Harvest Church had an Easter production recently. Although I was serving as an usher, I did not get to watch the entire drama because I was busy serving others. This is a brief summary of the drama based on my own understanding;

• An inventor aspires of creating a device that one can revisit his own past. His fiancee though, doubted him & belittled his abilities. The couple got into a fight & separated temporarily.
• Eventually the inventor succeeded & sold his invention to a company to market his product. From there he started to build up his fame & fortunes.
• Realizing her mistake, the inventor's fiancee came to apologize but was rejected. The couple went into an argument. Frustrated, the inventor decided to use his own device hoping to revisit the sweet memories he had with his fiancee in the past. Surprisingly, his device brought him back estimated 2000 years ago in Jerusalem instead, the days of Jesus Christ.
• The inventor was amazed of the miracles performed by Jesus during the earlier days of His ministry. However, in an incident the inventor dropped his device into a river. With his device now lost, the inventor is stuck in this time dimension & has to figure out a way back to his present time. He was invisible to everyone around him as they did not seem to notice his presence.
  
• Meanwhile, the inventor's company has modified his invention & as a result they were able to revisit each of everyone's past. They were complaints lodged because of this.
• On the other hand, the inventor came to realize that Jesus was later persecuted. Knowing He was innocent, the inventor attempted to tamper surrounding objects hoping to help Him escape while being cautious of changes that can potentially alter history forever.
• Despite his efforts though, he failed & Jesus was to be crucified.
• In the 3rd day after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead & appeared in front of his disciples & followers. Before he ascended back to Heaven, He called out the inventor who was watching Him from a distance.
• The inventor was shocked that Jesus actually acknowledges his presence. Jesus knew what the inventor was going through in his personal life. He told him to forgive his fiancee of her shortcomings, just as how Jesus forgives others of their sins.
• Miraculously, the inventor was sent back into his present time. The company he was working for was found guilty of privacy invasion & was black-listed.
• The inventor went on to become a self-entrepreneur & marketed his newly series of invention himself. He bounced back into success & reconciled with his fiancee. In the end the two got back together & live a happy life together.

Overall it was a good story. Presented in a relevant & humorous way. Coincidentally my brother was visiting the church too during that time. I don't know whether he was touched by the drama or not but I definitely hope that it is a sign from God =)

Final Score: 2 - 6

30th March - 5th April 2009

Preparation for Holy Communion. Jesus' blood in Ribena flavour

Notice the black thingy (drive chain) below. If your bicycle chain ever comes off, just push this up to allow easier reattachment of your bicycle chain

My piano lessons was postponed to Thursday. I was quite frustrated with myself as I was practising profusely on several piano pieces but still I couldn't master the pieces before lesson starts. Obviously Ms. Lian was not happy about it. My progress is somewhat unpredictable because there are times where I can learn at a fast rate while there are also times where I can take such a long time mastering certain aspects of music which is very inconsistent. The only part I don't have much problem with is music theory. To me it is very easy to excel as music theory is similar to simple arithmetics. Therefore I have come to an unanimous decision that after going through the LCM practical & theory exam at Grade 1, I will just advance & upgrade my theory grades while ignoring the practical grades. Finished off today's lesson & cycled back to my home.

Along the journey back home, my bicycle chain came off the chain ring (crankset) from the front derailleur as I was trying to change front gear. As a result I couldn't pedal the bike & have walk it all the way back to my house in SS14 from SS19. The lavish SS19 neighbourhood is located on the hills & heights which can be very tiring if you're walking towards uphills. It was a long journey walking plus I have to come back to SS19 later in the night for cell group in my friend's house. As a guy, I'm very egoistic & I don't like to be dependant on others to fetch me around that's why I always insist on cycling on my own whether it's day or night time. Initially I messaged Alfred to inform Felicia that I might not able to come for cell group later because of my bike. After a long time walking I'm still stuck in SS19 & the weather looked like it's gonna rain that time. I needed to do something about it & I've decided to fix my bike on the roadside regardless of me lacking the knowledge of bicycle maintenance. I clearly don't know what I was doing at all. I was just playing around with the rear derailleurs & eventually I managed to reattached the bicyle chain back to the chain ring & presto, I was ready to cycle again! Despite fixing back my bike, I still have another problem which hindered me from coming to cell group. I'll be having my business studies exam on the next day therefore I needed to spend the whole night studying as there are just too much things to study about business. I cycled back home & was in a dilemma whether to attend cell group or study later. I really wanted to go for cell group because Thursday is the only day where I can spend quality time with my friends as well expanding my networks by meeting new faces but at the same time I do not want my grades to suffer because of this. Lo & behold, God gave me a miracle. Kelly Wong messaged me stating that the exam is postponed until further notice. Now I can attend cell group & worship the Lord without any distraction from exams whatsoever hallelujah! Friends if there are times when you're stuck in a crossroad just like me, always put God first as your main priority. I guarantee He would bless you abundantly of your obedience because you have chosen Him to be above all else in your life. Amen!

Vincent: Your chain bike came off from the front??? Then just switch the rear gear to the highest & pedal so that it can go back to its position.

Careen: But Marc said the chain came off completely from the front. How to change gear like that???

Marc: Maybe if I do what Vincent said the chain will go back automatic by itself x)

This week I expect to see new students joining my class. These new students are mostly from previous batches who wish to repeat their STPM examination or either Form 6 newbies who feel that they can cope with the pressure & enormous scope of syllabus in under a year. So far there are 5 students joining us this week. 3 of them consists of males while the other 2 are females. The two girls however, caught my attention. It's been quite a long time since a pretty girl join my class ^^. Before this a girl from a wealthy family in Cheras used to join my class but only for a short period of time. Eventually she went on to study professional qualification in accounting at a nearby college around Petaling Street, claiming it was her dream to pursue accounting while Form 6 is actually her parents wish for her. While I respect her decision, I don't think that is the only factor that made her quit Form 6. On the contrary I feel that it is the class itself that is one of the reasons that caused her to leave. My class has a group of Indian chaps that just loves to make noise all the time (ALL THE TIME). Whether before class starts, when the lecturer is teaching or even during trial exams! It's like almost 4 hours non-stop of noise pollution from 8.30am to 1pm. The worst part I hate the most is during trial exams. I would be brainstorming trying to solve questions & equations while these buggers are talking crap to one another with their tones in full blast! You might ask how come the lecturer is not monitoring the class during exams. They are actually, in fact they closed one eye in these incidents because chasing away these hooligans meaning less income for the institution. Now that is what I call good business, but without principles. Anyway back to the new students. On Thursday before class commences, I saw the two girls seating in front where normally the Indian students would sit. While waiting for class to start one of my Indian friend approached & spoke to them;

Indian chick: Excuse me, kamu berdua tak boleh duduk di sini.
Chinese chicks: Eh, mengapa ar???

Indian chick: Sebab tempat duduk ini sudah reserved untuk kawan saya. Kami biasanya duduk sini setiap hari.
Chinese chicks: Ooh ia memang selalu macam itu ke???

Indian chick: Ya betul. (Shakes her head)
Chinese chicks: Come lah lets sit somewhere else. (In Mandarin)
(I think I'll let you readers be the judge here on who is in the wrong in this situation)

The girls sat far behind me & they were bitching about my Indian friend in Chinese claiming how rude she was to them just now. That's when I feel I needed to do something about it. Later...

Me: Hi excuse me, both of you didn't attend for economics lesson yesterday right??? Here are the notes...
Chinese chicks: Ooh it's ok we have it already but thanks anyway.

Me: Ooh I see. Anyway I apologize on behalf of my friend about just now.
Chinese chicks: Ar yalor! If next time we want to sit in front then how???

Me: Actually the concept is very simple, first come first serve. No such thing as reserved seats.
Chinese chicks: Yalah but she halau us wor...

Me: Yeah it's a shame. All I can say is, typical M'sians.

Neither of us students owns the school, so apa HAK kita untuk book tempat sesuka hati? The same thing goes for normal members who came for weekend sermons in church. If you feel that booking a seat for your peer(s) is your RIGHT within the church, then how about those who came earlier & needed a seat for themselves? "Ooh too bad lah I book for my friend already so you can just sit on the floor!" As an usher serving in church, this is the scenario I always encountered regarding seat bookings. Imagine if those people sitting on the floor who are non-believers visiting the church, is this the kind of image we want to portray ourselves as Christians? Moreover is this the kind of image we Form 6 as well as students of Kasturi Tuition Centre want to portray ourselves as to the new students? The reason I've being friendly to these new students because I want them to know that they are welcomed here & I don't want them to have the impression that we PTK students are uncivilized fagots. I'm not saying that it is wrong to reserve a seat for your friends or family but to do so you have to ASK for permission & you have to APOLOGIZE to other people who you have caused INCONVENIENCES to, not the other way around. The people have always urged the government to embrace changes, but yet I see they themselves are not willing to change their own attitude. *Sigh* typical M'sians.

On Friday the two same girls sat right behind me... thank the Lord~
My Malay friends used to sit behind me but now they have to relocate their seats somewhere else. Not that we have a problem about it. It's just that these girls are... pretty. Pretty in a sense that their face look pleasant & innocent. So I can't concentrate what my business studies lecturer, Mr. Suresh is trying to say because I'm distracted by the girls... appearances. However, most of the time I was awake during class pretending to be attentive to Mr. Suresh. Normally I always tend to sleep in class but the girls presence made me determined to show a good example of a good student by staying awake & focused. I'm a guy, so you can't blame God for designing me to be like this. The moral of this weird story is, don't underestimate the power of beauty x)

On the 2oth of March I honoured my English lecturer Mr. Shiva with a gift for all his 'guidance' & 'knowledge' he imparted into me which resulted of me achieveing a Band 4 for MUET. Although he still conduct classes for weak students, I do not have to attend for the classes though. On Friday the second period was MUET. So before I left after the first period was over, I received a feedback from my friend Linda on what Mr. Shiva thinks of my gift when I'm not around for his classes;

Linda: Hey Marc tahu tak apa Encik Shiva kata pasal hadiah you bagi dia hari tu???
Marc: Tak tahulah, apa dia cakap ar???

Linda: Encik Shiva ingat you nak bagi hadiah untuk girlfriend tapi kena reject jadi you bagi kat dia pulak haha.

In my mind I was like "What the bloody feather!"
I decided to go ask Kelly Wong's version instead,

Marc: What Mr. Shiva said about my gift ar last week???
Kelly: Ar yalah he said he thought you wanted to give to some girl you like but since got rejected so you decided to give him instead.

Again in my mind I was like "What the bloody feather kuasa dua!"
Mr. Shiva is generally a lousy lecturer. He can't inspire his students to master the English language. He can't even help the weak students to overcome their difficulties to prepare for the next sitting of the MUET exam. His occasional jokes both contain elements of sexism & sarcasm. He also smokes which creates a bad example of self conduct & ethics because those in the teaching profession should set a good image to their students. There is not much knowledge a student can benefit under his tutelage. It's no surprise his class is always half empty every week on Friday as most of the students have no confidence in him & they are taking extra MUET class from another lecturer. I gave him a gift as a symbol of recognition & consolation with the impression "Look, you're not totally useless. At least I got a Band 4 from the highest 6 which is not so bad". However, Mr. Shiva thought I wasn't really sincere in honouring him thinking that I was opting to give it to a girl instead which I was eventually rejected by her whoever she is. Alright, lets get things straight here;

1. The gift was only worth around RM10. If I were to like a girl I would definitely give her only the best present that money can buy.

2. I know I'm a guy, but that does not mean I will only be generous to the opposite gender.

In addition, no comments!

Played football later in the evening. I was a little bit slower, easily disposed of when having the ball & made very little impact in the game. Despite me scoring a beautiful header & assisting a goal it wasn't good enough to win the game as my team succumbed to a 2 - 6 loss. This was due to my teammates not being serious enough, tend to chit chat a lot during the game & deeply lack of concentration in defense. Of course it was partially my fault too for not encouraging & instructing them on what to do most of the time. I was just too silent when something goes wrong & I've not been taking my fitness training seriously which resulted in me being bossed around physically by the younger generation of players. Why am I highlighting this? Simply because I just hate losing especially by a big margin. C'mon Marc train harder & control your diet!

Every year there is only an occasion where I will smoke involuntarily against my will. That day is none other than the Qingming Festival or also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. For the Chinese, it is a day to remember and honour one's ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before their ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and/or libation to the ancestors. As far as I'm concerned though, Qingming is probably the worst tradition anyone could ever celebrate. Why? I just can't tolerate smoke because I'm a person who takes my health seriously. Actually there was once a saying goes like this that once you're dead you can never bring your possesions here on earth along with you to the afterlife. I couldn't agree more. During Qingming me & my family went to this Hokkien cemetery somewhere in Jalan Bellamy nearby the Alice Smith Primary School. I think all of the Chinese people there are seriously retarded except for me. Scientists & environmentalists worldwide are madly brainstorming for solutions on how to curb pollution & global warming but yet these ignorant fools just have to contribute the problem by burning unecessarily huge amount of joss sticks, fake money & 'servant' dolls for their ancestors to 'enjoy'. You gotta understand that once you end up in hell then that's it you're entitled to immense pain & suffering FOREVER & there is no such thing as a 'recess' period from your ETERNAL torturing to see your living relatives. Imagine how many trees are cut down & the amount carbon monoxide generated in the ozone atmosphere just to satisfy these bastards. That is only M'sia. Don't make me start with other Chinese countries like China, Hong Kong & Taiwan. What's even bewildering is lavish food & beverages will be served to these 'hungry' souls. I even saw a family serve KFC & McD to their ancestors! How stupid can you really get? Even if you leave it there for a thousand years, you will still not see even a chunk of it being consumed by a spirit except by insects, animals or micro-organisms. A spirit is a spirit. A spirit cannot do certain things what humans can do by nature. You can't call a spade as a circle or a triangle as a square. If you can waste food just like that imagine how many people living in poverty right now that you can actually feed & bless them with the food you gave to your ancestors instead. Now don't you think my suggestion is a whole lot better & noble since you'll be doing a good deed before Judgment Day comes? I'm so pissed off with Chinese traditions like this! All I want is to inherit the planet in a good condition so that my children as well as the next generation can have a future because according to experts, the earth has only up to ten years more to live regarding how the pollution is increasing at a rapid rate. However you old generations expects us the younger generation to clean up the mess for you once you're gone because of your sick traditions. I don't know which is worse, racism or this?

When will M'sians ever have the capacity to think rationally? Hey wait that chicken rice on the altar looks tempting

I don't want to be remembered as a dead man who lives inside a pot

Taoism is not environmental friendly, period