Smells Like Teen Spirit

Kalu mu nok pinjang, buleh! Kekgi aku
wat alik bulang nang!
(Figure this out, non-Trengganuites!)

On my desk, there is something I've been waiting to buy for a quite long time. Now, it is on my desk. It is my new girlfriend. Again. I know, they seem to come to me all the time. I've dumped Middlesex since it is such a huge commitment for me. Now, I'm changing to something someone that suits me. She knows things that I like. She knows how to entertain me. She give stories and inspirations. Yeah, she costs a lot too. I bought her for RM100.00. Oh, that is like one fifth of my monthly allowance! I've just realised that.

Well, the thing is that I've waited for so long and this is the time I can spend most of my time with her. Hehe. Her name is A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. No surprise, isn't it? I don't care what people say when I want to read something. It's not like I choose books to read, ops actually I do. Why? If I think it is interesting, then I read it. Oh, that's a simple maths! It's not like when Malaysian our own Its-Not-Me-In-The-Video publishes a memoir of himself, I won't read it. Oh come one, it's not like you actually have to stop me from reading it. That's not freedom. That is not a liberation. Walk the talk.

This Saturday, Niah Cave will be my destination. Yeah, I'm a Geology student so where do you expect I want to go during holidays? Ekk, actually there is nothing to do here and that is why Niah Cave sounds so nice. Here is some facts about Niah Cave: 

• Located on the Sungai (river) Niah, about 3 km from the small town of Batu Niah, a 110 km to the south-west of Miri in northern Sarawak. The park was first gazetted as a National Historic Monument in 1958, gazetted as National Park on 23 November 1974 and was published to the public on 1 January 1975.
• Forty thousand years ago, the Niah Great Cave sheltered human life. Here lies the oldest human remains in Southeast Asia, along with many other relics of prehistoric man.
•  Today the Cave is home only to bats, swiftlets and other specially adapted forms of life. However, a few locals still venture into the dark interior to collect guano (bird and bat droppings used as fertilizer) and bird's nest and some Curtin geology students who have their field trips regularly.
• The famous Painted Cave is another highlight of the visit to Niah Cave. Here, little human-like figures drawn in red haematite watch over a gravesite where the bodies of the dead were each laid in its own boat-shaped coffin. The Great Cave and Painted Cave have been declared as National Historical Monuments.

The facts are boring, isn't it? So, you guys wait for a narrative description from The Chukai Insider, okay? He will write write and write about it. Oh, morning sickness. Yes, I've been having it almost every morning as a result of prolong hungriness. 

Is He A Real Maverick?

For young generations in Malaysia, many considered him as a legend. For some, he is the most powerful man in Malaysia; an equivalent of Lee Kuan Yew to Singapore. In 2003, my friends and I did a research to complete our History assessment. It was indeed a very eye-opener event when we discovered that Dr. M was the first Prime Minister of Malaysia from the normal people (not from the Royal family) as the previous three. 

Despite many have said about him, most of them are uncomfortable about what he says. Reason? When they say things, they lay out their reasons and evidences to support their arguments, however when Dr. M rebuts their points, he seem more right. Maybe the cynical-effect works for him. Back in 2003, he introduced Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English (PPSMI as known in Malay acronym) which I think the most brilliant idea coming from Dr. M. For me, simple reason is to raise the bar of Science and Mathematics of our students. At the same time, terrific improvement in English can be vividly seen. For those who could not improve, that was their own problem in taking up challenges. There was no 'Malaysia Boleh!' spirit in their true Malaysian blood. I guess if they were to study Mathematics and English in Malay, they would still got Ds. Do not blame the system if your own fault is the fundamental aspect that will get you nowhere on this planet.

Trust me, if you keep blaming the system, you will continue blaming it even though the system will eventually become perfect. When they were to revert the teaching in Malay again, that was the dumbest decision made. 

The politicians came into education sector and scholars(both who supports or against) are put aside. When this happens, it was a total doom. I was lucky to be the first batch which completed the PPSMI from high school. Thank you, Dr. M. 

That was my relationship to Dr.M; as a student. Now, I really want the book but looking at the price,hmm. Is he a real maverick? Let me read the book first and justify it with how much Dr. M has affected my life.