One Malaysia

i was reading this article in New Sunday Times by Paddy Bowie. it was heart warming actually how she described that she has 2 indian grandchildren and recently her daughter (the adopted mother of the two kids) had a baby. and now the colorful family is grateful for their blessings and as she puts it, "they symbolically represent a 1Malaysia family". Congrats to them.

there were really good pointers in her article; such as our 'rumah terbuka' concept during festivals and the national unity between the races. then she also pointed out how all that might be lost if we keep up with the mind set of callin our selves "Indians" , "Chinese" or "anak __insert state name__" rather than just Malaysians. and how the politicians shud just stop all the verbal lashing and staking out at each other and start doing what they are supposed to do for the country-which i totally agree. its getting quite old.

one down side to this afticle that i din agree wid is with that. she stated that " the malays single handedly fought the malay battle against colonialism", "The malays granted citizenship to chinese and indians who are migrants when the Brits din want to do so"

here's my question, when i studied sejarah back in school (which is not long ago), i was taught that in order for the Brits to give independence to us, we had to prove that we could live together harmoniously.i.e; only if all three major races co-operated were we to b granted independence. Hence leading to the formation of Barisan Nasional by combining UMNO, MIC & MCA. so in my young 15 year old mind i'm thinkin, wow, all the races came together and we gt independence, i have a sense of ownership in this country, a sense of pride in the contribution of my elders and a sense of being Malaysian. and now i'm thinkin if wt i read today is right, what about what i learned years ago? is History really changing wit every new year? if so, why bother studying it at all? and did i get an A in history for facts that i thought was rite but were actually not?

and also i think chinese and indians shud not be called migrants anymore coz technically we are not, our great-great grandfathers prolly were, but we are 3rd/ 4th generation Indians and chinese who have been born and raised in malaysia and very much feel that we are malaysians in every way and have the RIGHT to be recognized as such. not only the Bumiputeras' look for their roots here, i look for my roots in Malaysia too, not in India. to me its (India) a foreign land boasting its own strengths but its not home. malaysia is home and will always be.

i strongly think that in the future ppl have to be wary about the choice of words and the meaning they implyin media because though we have achived a acceptable level of racial integration, it takes a few careless words to ruin what we have worked hard to built over the years. esp after May 13. therefore it is verrry important for every race (no matter how small the stats are) to feel truly part of this country and feel a sense of ownership to it. and to keep this racial harmony and peace that we often boast about in travel brochures, it takes every Malaysian to constantly remember the true essense of what makes us a unique nation; *the unity in spite of our diversity*, definitely our biggest asset.


**The R.A.I.N.B.O.W called Malaysia**

Here's to a better tomorrow and a nation called 1Malaysia =)

~freshmen luncheon~

date: 17th May 2008
time: 12-4pm
venue: KPD E,Level 4, Exhibition area.

And the event? The must have of every new semester, the Freshmen Luncheon. Loads of robe clad bodies,formal dress-codes, rows of tables decorated with flower petals, soft music, the tantalizing aroma of buffet lunch, pretty decorations and the icing on the cake? inspiring speeches from our fellow peers and lecturers. Apart from all these, the luncheon is symbolic in the lives of HELP University College freshmen as it marks the beginning of a new journey- the journey as the seeker of knowledge,the journey as a scholar, the journey of a psychology undergraduate.
This event is exclusively, as the name suggest, for freshmen of the May 2008 semester and was attended by the newbies along with their parents. The event was also graced by the lecturers of the Department of Psychology, among others Dr. Goh Chee Leong, Dr. Anasuya Jegathesan, Dr. Ng Wai Sheng, Mr. Franklin Morais, Dr. Graham Fulton, Ms. Yeo Pei Li, Pn. Fathimah, Ms. Vanitha Chandrasegaram and Ms. Serena Sinniah. Graduate tutors and staff of B.Psych, Ms. Farah Gulamoydeen, Ms. Joy Ooi, Ms. Josephine Gan, Ms. Sheryl Chong, Pn. Haslinda Islakhuddin and Ms. Serena In were also present at the event. Together with them, the B.Psych Student Council 08/09, tutors and volunteers were all there to help out where needed and join in the occasion.
Shortly after 11am, the guests started arriving at Block E and their first stop? Level 2 the robing area. Freshmen, faculty members and senior students were all given graduation robes (minus the hat) before they headed to Level 4 where the event was being held. Just for today, the guest who parked in KPD E were given a flat rate of RM3 for parking as long as their parking tickets were stamped. The tickets stamping booth was also in Level 2.
At level 4, the atmosphere and the arrangement of the seating was almost similar to the Opening Feast in Hogwarts, what with four long rows of tables and eager students and lecturers and all. The only difference was that we did not have floating candles, our food did not miraculously appear and our Dumbledore (Dr.Goh Chee Leong) does not have an overflowing beard and moustache :p what they (Dumbledore and Dr.Goh) do have in common, however is that Dr. Goh's presence as the emcee in the front of all the guest just demanded everyone's attention and who better to start off the event then the Head of Department himself. He's speech on his hopes of B.Psych students being scholars in their own right was a demonstration of the high standards he has set for us and one that all of us-juniors and seniors alike will strive to fulfill. Then, the president of B.Psych Student Council 08/09 Mr. Choo Kok Wui welcomed the freshmen to the psychology fraternity and gave a brief overview of the opportunities in HELP as well as an introduction to Careersense-which would have put all the parents' worries about job prospects for their children at ease. Next we had a senior student, Mr.John Kiat speak about his journey as a psychology undergraduate and what it takes to be an ace student- not books, not pens, not papers- but a dream and a will to achieve it. Finally, Dr.Ng Wai Sheng shared with us her own experience as a student and how she followed her heart and overcame all obstacles to pursue the study of psychology. She also gave an inspiring example of how obstacles can sometimes be blessings in disguise. After a series of speeches, the feast began!
The food was arranged by Banana Cafe and most people thought that it was pretty good with a lot of varieties and options. After eating, the guest headed back to Level 2 to hand back the robes and were able to leave. The disrobing marked the end of the event. A special thanks to Ms. Sheryl Chong and Ms. Serena In for organizing the event and for everyone who graced it with their presence. and to the newbies, Welcome to the B.Psych and All the Best! :)

improving life at HELP

HELP University College. a name synonym, if not to everybody, to me at least with self discovery, friends and the religion that unites us all- PSYCHOLOGY! its funny how that as psychology students, we are thought that a well balanced and stress-free life is of utmost importance to an individual. in abnormal psych among other areas in psych, its drilled into our minds that stress could be an important cause of mental disorders. however when the second half of the semester dawns on us, when the due dates are approaching, when the workload seems unbearable -among other problems- we loose our cool, we succumb to the stress which not only jeopardize our work quality but also has the potential to cause us to lash out at loved ones. all these due to the self consuming devil = S.T.R.E.S.S
what do we do about it, you ask?? well that's for you to decide. what can you do about it? you don't need psychology knowledge to know what to do, you just have to know your self well- what works, what doesn't.the most important thing that will need to change in order to have an improved life as an undergrad is the "tidak apa" (couldn't-care-less) mind set so pervasive among students. we go on and on about how stressed we are, how terrible the lecturers are for giving us loads to do, how inefficient the tutors are, but deep down u and i know that we are the cause of our on problems.our lack of planning and effort causes us trouble at the end of the day. then again this might not be true of everyone, but if I'm not wrong this is how most of us- students are.
having said that, there might be many ways to improve student life in HELP, through activities, clubs and what not, but no matter to what lenghts the student council, the club committees, the lecturers and anyone else tries to improve student life, it all boils down to the student at the end of the day if he/she is willing to take the responsibility for him/herself and improve his/her own life as a student in general and a psychology undergraduate specifically. if we open our eyes and ears wide enough, at present there are so many things that can improve student life all around us- sports,internship opportunities,events etc . I'm not saying that it cant get better, but it will need you, you, YOU and ME to bring about that change for the benefit of everyone.its time we stopped sitting around waiting, and entrusting someone else to improve our lives for us. u want a de-stress party? then plan one!see a prob in the way things are run? make your self heard! don't know how? ASK! could'nt care less? well, thats your choice. :)