Multi-Language Malaysians

“Merdeka!” This is the word that I was waiting through out the year when I was in primary school. The word does not sound special nor have any meaning to me that time. The only meaning for me was Merdeka means holiday.

During secondary school, most of my SK’s school friends went to boarding school and left me, a Chinese in the normal secondary school. It was a tough time for me during my Form One period because many Chinese educated students was transferred to my school. I found it difficult to communicate with them and they like to make fun on me. For them it is a shame for a Chinese who could not understand Chinese (Mandarin). So, I learned how to speak Mandarin accurately through Chinese radio station. I enjoyed it so much. I even gained interest in reading and writing. So, during the Chinese learning period (where SK’s students like me will have to do self study), I asked the Chinese tutor’s permission to let me join the class. Still remember clearly what she said to me.

“SK’s students can’t join the Chinese classes. You all will disturb the class because you all can’t understand Chinese,” she said using unpleasant tone.

I felt bad, really bad. I was thinking, is it wrong for us to get closer to our mother tongue? Make me a bit angry actually. Those Chinese educated people keep blaming us do not understand Chinese, but have they given us enough opportunity to learn? Hence, in order to say that it is a shame for a Chinese who do not understand Chinese, I now changed my perception.

Many of the Chinese educated people too adore their mother tongue until they do not want to get themselves better in our national language. Why I said this? Well, I was a Bahasa Malaysia tutor before during my college time and many of my students studying in Chinese school. The always asked, why they need to learn Bahasa Malaysia. I asked them back, why they need to study Chinese?

Learning Chinese is important for Chinese people because it is our mother tongue. Same thing, learning Bahasa Malaysia is important because we are Malaysians. Now, I can speak very fluent Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia, how about you, Chinese educated friends?

So, Malaysia makes me feel I’m a Malaysian Chinese and I feel lucky in this country because I can speak many different languages. People might always said, Malaysia is not good, this and that. But gals and guys, human beings are greedy creature. No matter how lucky they are, how wealthy they are, but still they want more. So, why not just appreciate what you have now and be grateful. After all, I believed all Malaysians will work harder to be the best among the best. Go go Malaysia!!

*SK = Sekolah Kebangsaan

A Pair of Aeroplane

Ever wonder why God created a pair of eyes, a pair of hand, a pair of leg, a pair of ear and etc? Well, I always think about it. Maybe God don’t want alone, because being alone was a sad feeling. Or maybe God just wanted to tell us that in this world we are not alone. Therefore, sometimes we just can’t do things by our own. We need help sometimes, we need courage and support from others. That’s why things always came in pair.

I always believed in destiny. Yeah, I do. For me, destiny is something that can’t be explained using scientific methodology. It is just something that we could not explain and something that God had prepared them for us. This is what I always believed. However, sometime there are too much of things I thought there were “destiny”, but ended up I doubt about the things that I called “destiny”. Some friends in church or those who are faithful in Christ I met do tell me that I was doubt because I not really pray enough. Or maybe I was not faithful enough. Well, I admitted. Perhaps, I’m greedy. Besides human beings’ understanding, I want God understanding more that I suppose to get. That’s not good.

Back to the aeroplane I mentioned. Well, “A Pair of Aeroplane” appeared yesterday night when I saw two aeroplanes less than 15 minutes. Before begin, just wonder how many people out there will look up to the sky? Or perhaps should ask, how frequent people will look up to the sky to appreciate the creations of God? Well, when I was still very young (of course I was not really old now) I like to looked up to sky at night to see how wonderful the sky with million of stars shinning. After the beauty of sky disappeared with the little boy I admired, seem that I forgot the creation from God.

Well, last year a week before Christmas, if I not mistaken, the little boy came to my house. While waiting for him at the LRT station, suddenly I had call from the sky. Standing in the middle of the overhead bridge, I looked up the sky. I saw an aeroplane. Then, another one in less then 20 minutes. I thought I must be very lucky that night. Things that I called “destiny” happened that night. The little boy who waited for me in the wrong place saw the two aeroplanes as well. Exactly the same things I saw in the sky. I thought that time, that’s must be the guy God prepared for me, but actually he is not. So, who can explain this kind of situation to me?

Whenever, I thought “that’s must be God’s will”, mostly will turned to the opposite as what I had thought. Just wonder why. I prayed for my studies, wanted to pursuit my study in UK, turned up someone offered his help to take me there. This happened when I got my dream job as a journalist. I thought it must be a chances God gave to me, by sending this person to bring me to UK. So, I made a tough decision, planned to resign. When I really in the mood to go UK and after I let go all the worries in local and things I might faced in UK, thing started to changed. The person who promised me to be guardian if I go UK turned up to be disappeared. Just wonder why this happened to me. Again, I started lost. I hate this kind of feeling.

All these incidents make me feel I do not want to trust people, do not want to depend on people and do not feel to communicate with people. I started to feel that I was a weird person. Started to think, why things always came in pair. Started to agree that human being was a weak creature. I am weak. I just wanted a place that would accept me, a place that I feel being appreciated.