Heaven and earth may perish…….

Right now, it’s a difficult to write like my usual old quirky self. Right now, I am a man. A man who knows what it feels like when your world and earth crumble down.

Dad was buried yesterday, and I would like to personally convey my most sincere thanks to all who came to support me and my family. We know that we must go on and continue to be strong. Things are more complicated than it seems but by God’s grace, things will be alright.

I am not too sure about my education plans. I am divided between going after my dreams and the dreams of my family. Should I leave my mum and 9-year-old brother and go for my dreams? Or should I stay and help to piece our lives together again?

Mum and I are planning to shift away from our current home because there are too many memories behind. My dad passed away in my bedroom; that same episode will be etched in my mind for a very very long time. I cant imagine walking up the same staircase that I walked on that night where I saw my father lied on the floor with his face, pale.

I think another massive blow is my personal health. I went for a check up today and I am suspected of having hypertension and high blood pressure, at age 19. The doc said I might suffered from a stroke or heart attack at any moment if I exert myself too hard. God, are you still here?

Yes, God is still here because He assured me in His words that He will preserve me till His will is done.

Yes, I am leaning towards more on the spiritual side, but when things like these happen, who won’t? I love the people around me more than I have ever loved before THAT Christmas. I have seen things in an entirely new way.

Dear readers, never ever take the people around you for granted. Indeed, this is such a cliched statement, but do you really really understand that statement in its fullest sense? I do. What about you?

Dad’s Passing on Christmas Day 2008

Disclaimer: This is not a joke.
My dad passed away yesterday at 8pm at home on Christmas Night. Thanks for the support and concern of families and friends. I am truly blessed by the magnitude of kindness that all of you have shown.
Dad’s memorial service shall be held in FGA KL on Sunday 28 Dec 2008 and Monday 29 Dec 2008. The burial will be done on 30 Dec 2008.
Dad was 52 and is survived by a wife and two children.

Please contact 016-6977993 for information.

Occupied with US Applications

Dear friends,
I would like to sincerely apologize for not updating as often as I should have. I’ve currently occupied by university essays and forms.
I will be back on Jan 2. Jan 1 is the deadline for most of all US universities. For more resources, please check out www.recom.org  .
For advice on US essays, please check out quaintly.net .
I’ve been using both to guide me in my application and essays. All the best to all applicants! Can’t wait to get it done with….

We speak Malaysian…

This afternoon, I read an interesting and funny article in The Star online portal. Yes, I do read both Malaysiakini (alternative news) and The Star (mainstream news). This article reminds me how unique we are, and how easily we can forget this fact in the midst of keris-swinging, bocor-ing, and racist-bloody-racist-calling in the political scene. Sometimes we just forget the very things that make us Malaysian.

This post is for the benefit of those who do not read The Star.. =)

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From The Star Online, Friday, December 19 2008.

SAY OUR WAY

by Dr Lim Chin Lam

WE MALAYSIANS speak and/use English to varying degrees of competence.

At one end of the spectrum is standard English. At the other end is a jumble of English, Malay, Chinese, and Indian words, expressions, syntax, etc. which, seemingly, is fed into a mangle to yield a heady rojak which is Manglish [mangled + English].

Somewhere between the two extremes is Malaysian English, which in the main is proper English but with an unmistakable Malaysian accent which we may refer to as AP (Accepted Pronunciation), not RP (Received Pronunciation).

Manglish is our much-beloved patois which we use among close friends and among acquaintances to show that we belong. Malaysian English we use for official, academic and commercial purposes.

However, we must be aware, where foreigners are concerned, that certain words may be puzzling, such as those which have assumed a new grammatical function, those which have a local slant, those which are back-formations, and those that are pure inventions.

Let us have a look at some such Malaysianisms.

Words with new grammatical function

Two motoring terms come to mind. One is gostan, derived from the phrase “go astern”, where two words have blended into one, with a small change in pronunciation. Thus, a Malaysian guiding a motorist backing his car would say, “Gostan a bit more to the left.”

The other word is horn (specifically a car horn). The noun has evolved into a verb, as when a car arrives at a house and the passenger saying to the driver, “Come on. Let’s horn Muthu to hurry up” as if the car horn was invented to substitute for ringing the door-bell or knocking at the door!

Words with a local slant

There are many words which have acquired a local slant. To send a child to school has come to mean driving him to school, with the sender going along as well.

An analogous word is follow. In standard English, Mary’s little lamb followed her to school, meaning that the lamb walked behind Mary to catch up her. In Malaysia, A follows B when in fact A is accompanying B.

A and B could be walking together holding hands or travelling together in the same vehicle.

Another Malaysianism is the word stay in connection with a residence, e.g. “He stays at 3 Minden Road.”, instead of “He lives at 3 Minden Road.”

There does not seem to be an awareness that “lives” connotes a sense of permanence whereas “stays” connotes a temporary arrangement, e.g. “He stayed in a budget hotel while on holiday.”

Shopping and marketing are rather similar words. Malaysians use the word “shopping” in the usual way, to mean “going to a shop or shops to buy goods”; and analogously, they use the word “marketing” to mean “going to a market to buy provisions and things”.

But the second word is very different in concept. Ask the marketing people in an organisation. They do not go to the market to get their stuff. On the contrary, they make their goods or services available to buyers or customers or clients, “especially in a planned way which encourages people to buy more” (Cambridge International Dictionary of English).

Schooling is another word loosely used as an intransitive verb, to mean “still attending school”.

In fact, school is a transitive verb to mean “to educate in a school; to train in a particular discipline, skill, or activity”, e.g. “It takes a lot of patience to school a dog.”/ “He was schooled in a top university.”

The word “schooling” may be used as a gerund in the usual way, e.g. “Schooling a dog takes patience.”

The non-gerund ‘–ing’ form is also used to mean “education or training”, e.g. “The boss had very little formal schooling.”

Back-formations

Malaysians have come up with some words which are the products of some ingenuity. Consider the Malaysianism stinge, obviously a back-formation from “stingy”. To stinge is to act in a stingy way. How apt!

The word, coincidentally, has some affinity to “stint”, which has almost the same connotation.

Invented words

Here again are some words that are the products of Malaysian ingenuity. Consider the word actsy. I can only speculate on its origin. We talk of a swaggering or boastful person as someone who acts big. Add the suffix ‘–y’ to the word “acts”, and voilà! we get “actsy”. [I note that many of our politicians are very actsy.]

Another interesting invention is the word itchified. Its etymology is obvious, but does its formation follow the usual principles of derivation? Why not?

Consider the word “speech” and its derivative “speechify”. Hence, “itchify” has a precedent, and the word is used predicatively in the past participial form, “itchified”. [My friends tell me that some politicians are itchified.]

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I love my country despite how itchified our politicans are…..

Exposed: Why Malaysian taxi drivers do not use meters?

In a chance conversation with a taxi driver on my way home from Subang Jaya, I managed to discover the reason why taxi drivers do not use meters. Partly selfish, I was also trying to dig why on earth is he charging me RM15 for a trip that would only cost RM5.

(We spoke in Manglish, mainly in Malay with bits of Chinese and English. Translated dialogue included. Foul words are censored for genuine reasons.)

The conversation goes:

Driver: Lu Cina ke?

(Are you Chinese?)

Winson: Yes.

Driver: Lu sekarang kerja mana?

(Where are you working now?)

Winson: I student.

(I am a student.)

Driver: Lu study kat mana?

(Where are you studying?)

Winson: Dekat Damansara sana.

(Near Damansara.)

*** Awkward silence. I am adamant in knowing why he charged me so highly.**

Winson: Hi uncle…. I nak tanya

(Hi uncle, I want to ask..)

Driver: I nampak macam uncle ke?

(Do I look like an uncle?)

Winson: Ok sorry, abang…

(I am sorry, brother..)

Continuing…….

Winson: Eh brother, I realise ah taxi driver sekarang tak pakai meter. Setengah pakai setengah tak pakai. Mengapa ah? Tak cukup makan ke ini TAXI DRIVER YAND TAK GUNA meter?

(Hi brother, I realised taxi drivers nowadays do not use the meter. Some of them do, some of them don’t. Why? To those useless drivers drivers who find the meter useless, aren’t they making enough?)

Driver: You kena faham. Setiap hari ini teksi kita sewa RM50. You jalan tak jalan they don’t care. Janji, setiap hari kena bayar. You kira la, satu bulan 30 hari, sekali one month berapa? Ah, ada satu hari off, jadi 29 times RM50, berapa?

(You have to understand. We rent these taxis for RM50 a day. Whether you drive or not, they don’t care. You still have to pay the rent. You can count for yourself, how much the rent would come up to in a 30-day month? Fine, there is one day break. So, how much is 29 times Rm50 ?)

Winson: RM1450???

Driver: Lagi kena bayar bil, air, elektrik , rumah, makan…. I cakap ah itu bujang tak boleh survive walau pun RM1000. I ada bini dan 2 anak.

(There’re still bills to pay i.e water, electricity, mortgage payments, food. Even the singles cannot survive with RM1000 a month. I have a wife and two children.)

Winson: Itu Persatuan Teksi tak ada tolong ke? Tak ada influence ke?

(Aren’t the Taxi Drivers Association doing anything? Aren’t they influential to change things?)

Driver: Mana ada… sekarang semua mahal… makan mahal… dulu saya makan wantan mee.. I ingat baru RM3.30. Sekarang RM3.80. You fikir la… itu makan mana akan turun… Lagi, kalau you tak suka, itu bos boleh cakap ‘tak payah makan lah, saya ada lagi banyak customer’. *Chinese foul word* Itu government ah… tak boleh la… aih…

(No. Everything is expensive now. Food is expensive. Last time, when I ate wantan noodles, it was only RM3.30. Now, it’s RM3.80. Think for yourself, will the price of food ever come down? Plus, if you don’t like it, the boss can always say ‘Then, don’t eat, I have other customers who are willing to pay.’ *Chinese foul word* Our government is hopeless….)

Winson: Betul. Tak ada jalan ke untuk selesai kan ini?

(It’s true that food prices will never come down. Isn’t there a way to solve this?)

Driver: Tak ada lah. *then he continued* Itu government mesti ada standard. Mesti strict. Kalau cakap pakai meter, mesti semua pakai meter. Kita punya government aih….. sini boleh pusing sana boleh pusing…

(No, there isn’t any way……. The government must have a standard. They must be strict. If there is a ruling for usage of meter, it must be enforced for all. Our government is malleable.)

Winson: Betul.

(Correct.)

Driver: Ini.. kalau government nak bikin, mesti boleh punya….

(If our government is strong-willed, any problem can be solved.)

Itu orang kaya mana faham kita middle class punya susah… lower class susah…

(The rich will never understand the difficulties of the middle and low class workers.)

Susah la….. lagi itu world economy… US dollar jatuh lagi… saya dengar 2009 dan 2010 akan lebih susah la… ah…. susah…

(It’s difficult. Plus, with the world economy crisis. The US dollar is dropping. I heard in 2009 and 2010 it would be worse. …. It’s difficult.)

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The conversation ended when I arrived at my stop. Some SEDITIOUS and SENSITIVE content have been omitted due to insuitability of content for publish.

In short: Why Malaysian drivers do not use meters?

1) The income is insufficient due to high expense. Thus, we need to overcharge.

2) The government is not doing anything. Thus, we need to overcharge.

3) Man is never satisfied. Thus, we overcharge.

I agree with some of the points raised i.e low wages, high expenditure.. but I disagree that taxi drivers have the right to overcharge. Hopefully, you would see things from the lens of Malaysian txi drivers. Indeed, if they make enough, they would aspire to be the best taxi driver ever, if the government would only intercede and strengthen enforcement.

*To supplement his income, Driver is a lorry driver at day, and taxi driver at night. Driver thought that being a taxi driver would bring more income but he was wrong. Driver still cannot make enough even with his income from driving lorries and taxi.

EXPOSED!

The Kiasu-Land Diaries Part 1

It feels good to be back in my desktop, sitting and writing my post. Thank God for a safe journey to and from Singapore. Surprisingly, I love Malaysia more after I visited Singapore.

It is also a personal financial achievement because I managed to stretch SGD 120 in 5 days (or average of 24 dollars a day). I don’t think I can write a full chronological account about the entire trip, but I did write some details about my money spent, and hopefully, that account will reignite some memories about what happened. It is unfortunate that I didn’t own a camera, so I guess I will have to use words to recreate the entire journey. =)

11 Dec 2008, Thursday

Summary of Financial Transaction

248.00 Total money brought (rate: SGD 1= MYR 2.40)

8.00       SingTel prepaid card with SGD 10 airtime

5.69        A Burger King meal set

6.00       Singapore Public Transport Map

3.00      Supper (Yee Mee)

1.40      MRT Fare from Novena Station to Ang Mo Kio Station

18.73    Anne Frank’s Diary

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213.18 Balance at end of Day 1

*all currency are quoted in Sing. Dollar (SGD) unless stated.

After a 5-hour journey from Bangsar LRT, I arrived at my destination in Singapore – Novena Square. My bus, First Coach, dropped us off at the entrance of Velocity @ Novena Square. Novena Square is relatively a small shopping mall compared with KLCC and MidValley Shopping Mall in Kuala Lumpur. But, I guess when you’re short of land, everything goes. =)

I was really blur and disoriented when I arrived in Novena Square. In fact, earlier, when I reached the Custom and Immigration Complex in Tuas, I was so amazed when I stepped into a foreign for the first time. (This is my first time leaving Malaysia in my entire life, remember?)

In Singapore, the penalty for drugs is death. During transit into the country, I was slightly paranoid of drugs. I was hallucinating for a while… what if there are drugs in my bag and the penalty in Singapore is death… that is the end of my life…. it was silly, but it was very real then….

As I travelled from the Tuas Checkpoint (the bus used the Second Link to cross into Singapore; if the bus had used the Causeway, it would had taken hours) to Novena Square, I was amazed at the roads and buildings in Singapore.

The roads are so well-maintained, unlike in some country that I know of. The buildings are painted and designed beautifully. The pedestrian walkways are mapped out nicely. There are no rubbish in Singapore. There are no Proton Sagas, or Kancils in Singapore. (Proton Sagas and Kancils are Malaysian-made cars, although the authenticity of their designs are disputed. There are lots of them on Malaysian roads.) In Singapore, there are only Mercs, BMWs, Toyota Camrys, or the very least, Honda Vios(es).

The buses are allocated special lanes on the far left of the roads. The two major bus companies in Singapore are SMRT and SBS Transit; both also operate the MRT trains. No wonder all their buses arrive on time. =) Very unlike Malaysia’s Rapid KL buses.

Wow, what a great diversion. Anyhow, I arrived in Novena Square and walked around the mall. Basically, I covered the entire mall in 2 hours. In MPH, I bought a map of Singapore with its public transportation system mapped out. The map provides information for travellers to take which bus, at which bus stop, at which road. It was a great investment, and all for only 6 SGD.

I was supposed to meet my friend in Ang Mo Kio MRT Station at 10.30 pm because he had tennis session with his buddies. Technically, that means I had to spend five hours loitering in the mall. Since I conquered the mall in 2 hours, it was a real bore sitting and waiting. Thus, I headed to MPH and bought Anne Frank’s diary for SGD 18.73. What a great book to fill my time!

For dinner, I ate at Burger King. I sat at Burger King for quite a while because I had no where to go. I was still new and very foreign to this country.

Telecommunication-wise, I panicked! My Malaysian SIM card didn’t work! Dad was right to have a Plan B. I went over to a SingTel retailer and got myself a SingTel SIM card. For 8 dollars, I get 10 dollars airtime. In Singapore, whenever you get a new number, you are required to produce your passport. I did. A scanner scanned my passport, and 10 seconds later, I am checked into the system.

I managed to surf for free in Novena Square. In KL, there is no such thing as free surfing in any of our malls. Read my inbox, checked out some news on Malaysiakini. Again, prior to surfing, I needed to produce my passport for identification. I can’t believe how important my passport was. Imagine losing it…. hmm, unimaginable… deported back to Malaysia? swim?

Right, so at 10pm, I took the MRT to Ang Mo Kio.

But Winson, where you took the MRT from?

Under Novena Square. That’s right, under Novena Shopping Mall, there is an underground MRT station. It cost me SGD 1.40 for a single trip. At the counter, I was a total squid because I don’t know how to use the ticketing machine. Singaporeans are quite nice; I think someone taught me how to use the ticketing machine. Anyhow, it was a new experience.

The MRT train was huge, and punctual. Ang Mo Kio was 4 stations away from Novena. It took me about 10 minutes to get to Ang Mo Kio MRT station. I waited for a while, and at 10.40pm, I met Kiat Siong, the one who was going to host me for five days in Singapore.

At the Ang Mo Kio MRT, we went underground again. More malls and shops underground. More pedestrian walkways underground. I guess they are short of land. But, it’s amazing to see how the Singaporean government utilised their lands to the max. If you cannot build on the surface, go underground! Built-in with the MRT station are a bus interchange and a shopping mall. It was a really long walk to Kiat Siong’s apartment.

OK, in Singapore, people live in apartments called HDB flats, where HDB stands for Housing Development Board. All apartments are built by this government arm. In the HDB flat I lived in, it was a 900-square-feet unit with two rooms, one toilet and one kitchen. HDB flats can cost from SGD250k till 500k. Practically, that means if you can afford a SGD 250k HDB flat, you can own a big semi-D in Malaysia (which is what most Singaporeans do in Johor Bahru, southern Malaysia).

Also, on the first floor of most HDB blocks, there are shops and eateries. (first floor in Singapore means ground floor in Malaysia.) There are supermarkets, hair salons, restaurants, and slimming centres. In the block I lived in, they were mostly restaurants. Furthermore, every HDB block in Singapore is numbered. I lived in Block 130. The highest number I saw in the whole Singapore is 851.

After a shower in Kiat Siong’s apartment, we went down for supper at first floor. Yee Mee at 3 dollars was a great deal me thinks. Kiat Siong bought me a Milo Peng (Hokkien for iced Milo, a popular chocolate drink both in Malaysia and Singapore.)

That wraps up Day One. I spend 40 dollars on my first day. I thought I was going for broke.

P/S: I am too tired to edit. I shall publish my first draft. i will edit it if I have time in future.

Hi From Kiasu-Land

Hi guys,

I am really sorry that I cannot write a good post while I am in Singapore. I really have limited time online, and online time can be expensive. I have wrote many details in my notebook i.e budget, observation, fun experience, travel places.. and I will post them in full when I get back on Monday night 15th December 2008. Stay tune!

P/S: I am sorry to those of you who searched winsonleaps and found that no post is available. =)

US Application Essay Horror

Time of writing: 6.50 am

Woke up: 6 a.m

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

1) Complete  short essay for Common Application US about “one of your activities (extra-curricular, personal or work experience) in 150 words or less.

2) Complete a 250-word-or-more essay about one of these topics:

i) Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you,

ii) Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you,

iii) Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence,

iv) Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence,

v) A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you, OR

vi) Topic of your choice.

SECONDARY

1)Write an essay for Cornell University’s School of Engineering about:

Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest.

2) Write an essay for Harvard University:

Possible topics of interest

- Unusual circumstances in your life

- Travel or living experiences in other countries

- Books that have affected you the most

- An academic experience (course, project, paper, or research topic) that has meant the most to you

- A list of the books you have read during the past twelve months

3) Write 3 short essays for Stanford University (each about 250 words):

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. What would you want your freshman roommate to know about you? Tell us something about you that will help your roommate — and us — know you better.

Tell us what makes Stanford a good place for you. *Answer that I might write: Stanford Linear Accelerator. Only Stanford enthusiasts get this joke.

4) Write two essays for Princeton University:

The FIRST ONE – choose one of these options:

Option 1 – Tell us about a person who has influenced you in a significant way.

Option 2 – Using the statement below as a jumping off point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world:

”Princeton in the Nation’s Service” was the title of a speech given by Woodrow Wilson on the 150th anniversary of the University. It became the unofficial Princeton motto and was expanded for the University’s 250th anniversary to ”Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations.”

Woodrow Wilson, Princeton Class of 1879, served on the faculty and was Princeton’s president from 1902 to 1910.

Option 3 – Using the quotation below as a jumping off point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world:

”Some questions cannot be answered./ They become familiar weights in the hand,/ Round stones pulled from the pocket, unyielding and cool.”¹

- Jane Hirshfield, poet, Princeton Class of 1973

1. ‘Woman in Red Coat” from Of Gravity and Angels (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1988). ©1988 Jane Hirshfield. Reprinted by permission of Jane Hirshfield.

Option 4 – Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a jumping off point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation at the beginning of your essay.

The SECOND ONE for Princeton: (argh…) NO CHOOSING, JUST WRITE….

If you are interested in pursuing a B.S.E. (Bachelor of Science in Engineering) degree, please write an essay describing why you are interested in studying engineering, any experiences in or exposure to engineering you have had, and how you think the programs in engineering offered at Princeton suit your particular interests.

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In all, there are 8 essays of varying lengths to be written thoughtfully, reflectively, and meaningfully in two weeks. And unfortunately, or fortunately, I am applying for engineering major in all of the universities above.

What a good horror story to make a movie about – the essay episode that is…

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*The author is heading to Singapore today at 2.30p.m by First Coach Bus, and will be updating after his Toe-full journey in Kiasu-land. Probably, if his impulses go haywire, he might update in Kiasu-land about the more superior broadband in Kiasu-land compared to the one offered by TMNet Streamyx – and no, this is not even an ad for TMNet Streamyx.

TMNet Streamyx…… bringing you backward

A Toe-full Journey in Kiasu-Land

If you think SAT Reasoning Test was my last test, think again. TOEFL is my next test. =(

But, the best part is, it’s in Singapore! Why a Malaysian like me must go all the way to Singapore to sit for TOEFL which he can take in his home country? Answer: Late registration.

Thanks to Jonathan Mah Koon-Chung (yes, that’s a hyphenated Koon-Chung according to his birth certificate, and yes, I am incriminating him) who said it was fine to register two weeks before the TOEFL, I have to pay the price. Well, he paid his price – he flew all the way to Miri to sit for his TOEFL. At least, Singapore is nearer, so I save more.

So, what about TOEFL?

TOEFL is America’s answer to UK’s IELTS and Malaysia’s MUET. TOEFL is recognised by almost every university in the world.. I am not too sure about Malaysian universities. TOEFL is a test of English proficiency for non-native speakers.

I speak English for most of my life, but then, I am still not a native speaker.. argh..

From my reading and research, TOEFL tests on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills (not in order.) From what I heard from Jonathan, since he had already finished with a score of 115/120 for Internet-based Test TOEFL, more than one component is tested at any time. For instance, you listen to a passage but you have to speak in response to the passage.

I am not sure what to expect from TOEFL, but I have a strong feeling that it will be so much easier than SAT.

Furthermore, I will be exploring Singapore on this trip. I am planning to hit on some tourist spots and visit some of the universities there. This is such a historic moment because this will be my first time exiting West Malaysia, and in general, Malaysia. This is the trip that gave me the reason to process my first ever passport for RM300 in Wangsa Maju Immigration.

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Some commercial: I seldom praise government agencies but Immigration is surprisingly efficient with their passport processing. It took me only an hour from submitting the application form to receiving the passport with my picture. I hate the picture in my passport because the picture does not present the actual facial feature of me. When I took the picture in the shop, I looked awesome. But, when they fitted it in the passport,  I looked really awful. Anyhow, this is a commercial ad:

Immigration… bringing you forward… (yes, it is the same as Jardine’s ad)

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It will a 5-day trip in Singapore. I will depart for Singapore on Thursday 11th December and be back on Monday 15th December. My TOEFL is on the 13th. I cannot get tickets on the 12th and 14th, so I guess I have to stay a little longer, which is good.

As I read about Singapore, I have this impression of a beautiful country with efficient public transport. However, I was surprised to read about attitude of Singaporeans. No offense to Singaporeans… I am just reporting what I read from a website about Singapore written by a Singaporean!

I hope my perception of Singaporeans will be different. Tell me that you all are not that arrogant after all. Prove that you all are nice people.

It will be a long walk around Singapore, taking MRT and public transport. Definitely a toe-full journey.

International Youth Leadership Conference 2009 Application Essays

Due to popular requests, I am posting my application essays for the International Youth Leadership Conference 2009. These essays are strictly mine and cannot be reproduced anywhere anyhow without permission. =)

1. In January 1999, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged world business leaders to embrace and enact the United Nations Global Compact. The Compact seeks support to ten principles of human rights, labour, environmental sustainability, and anti-corruption, as they apply to business practices and public policy. Since then, almost 4000 members from 100 different countries have joined the initiative. Some experts, however, argue that the Compact is ineffective due to its voluntary nature, as well as lack of monitoring and transparency in reporting progress. In your opinion, is the Global Compact an effective tool in setting higher standards of responsible leadership? Please illustrate your answer with a real-life example.

‘Effective’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary Press as ‘producing a desired or intended result’. Hence, doing away with jargons, the real question to be asked is, “Is the UN Global Compact producing its intended result?” In my opinion, the Compact by itself is a noble step towards achieving responsible leadership, but it is not bearing its desired fruits in most cases. Consequently, the Compact is only effective as much as voluntary commitment is concerned. Beyond voluntary commitment, the Compact is ineffective.

Voluntary commitment alone from businesses is insufficient to enact the great change that the UN desires. Voluntarily means a business chooses to commit itself to the Compact without any compulsion to do so. More often that not, it is this lack of compulsion to commit that hampers the desired effect to take place.

To illustrate, in the context of developing nations, discrimination against the disabled is rampant. Despite being equally qualified, in comparison with an able-bodied person, the disabled are often disadvantaged in getting a job.

A major public corporation like Malaysian oil company Petronas may choose to commit itself voluntarily to the UN Compact to enjoy the benefits of being perceived as a responsible business. As such, the company may hire without discrimination, achieving the effect of the Compact and rendering it effective.

However, to a small Malaysian company who prefers to employ able-bodied employees for (apparently) higher work productivity, the perception of being a responsible business is outweighed by the need to cut production cost. Without any compulsion for this company to commit, the UN Compact is practically meaningless. As such, the status quo is maintained, the disabled are still being discriminated and the Compact is ineffective.

Lack of monitoring and transparency in reporting progress are relatively minor factors compared to the voluntary nature of the Compact – the primary factor. Before progress can be monitored transparently, a business must first commit itself voluntarily to the Compact.

Without any voluntary commitment, the Compact is a mere proposal. Without any compulsion to commit, the desired effects of the Compact cannot be achieved. Without any desired effect achieved, the UN Compact is ineffective.

The Compact is only effective as much as voluntary commitment is concerned. Beyond voluntary commitment, the Compact is ineffective.

2. The Millinium Project of WFUNA identifies 15 Global Challenges facing humanity: Sustainable Development; Clean Water; Population and Resources; Democratization; Long-term perspectives; Global Convergence of IT; Rich – Poor Gap; Health Issues; Capacity to Decide; Peace and Conflict; Status of Women; Transnational Organized Crime; Energy; Scince and Technology; Global Ethics. Which of these 15 Challenges is the most pressing and relevant in your community? What has been done so far to combat or eliminate the negative effects of these Challenges? Are there ways of transforming these challenges into Opportunities for your community?

In the Malaysian community, the rich-poor gap is the most prominent and relevant Challenge, in the context of the 15 Global Challenges identified by WFUNA through The Millennium Project.

Malaysia is a 51-year-old nation who was once under the divide-and-rule policy by former British colonial masters. As a result of that policy, after national independence from the British, each race was identified by their economic functions – the Malays as farmers; the Chinese, miners; and the Indians, rubber tappers. Then, the lower income group comprised of primarily the Malays who reside in the rural settlements, followed by the Indians and the Chinese who reside in the rubber estates and urban areas respectively.

The New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced in 1971 by the Malaysian government, and still ongoing, intending to reduce the disparity of wealth between the rich and poor and to eradicate hard-core poverty. It was also meant to erase racial identification based on economic functions.

Since the majority of the poor are Malays, the NEP is somewhat deemed as an affirmative action policy for the Malays. Government-linked banks have been established specifically with the intent of helping to develop Malay entrepreneurs. Malays are also given public scholarships and preference in public universities apart from discounts in housing purchases. Yet, the rich-poor gap is still not being resolved entirely.

With the policy, both the rich and poor Malays are entitled to the same benefits. There exists an intra-race disparity of wealth, in addition to the inter-race disparity of wealth. The local indigenous people Orang Asli and ethnic minorities are sidelined from economic and education opportunities. There still lie Malays, Chinese, and Indians who are still caught in the web of poverty.

These challenges are opportunities for Malaysian youths to be influential in their community. Networking platform such US-based Kiva.org is a good model to channel money from the rich to the poor, online. Often, money for the poor is exchanged by too many hands in the government. Youths can go to ground and highlight real-life family hardships through blogs and forums. Donations from online users can be channelled into a fund for business start-ups for the poor. By cutting intermediaries, money can be channelled to the poor directly. Once the start-ups are sustainable, the money can be loaned to another family.

*These two essays took me a few days to compose. Yes, it was a huge relief that they have accepted me.* Now, how am I going to raise RM10k in a month? Please drop comments if you have brilliant ideas only.