The Cuckoo's Calling

Published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, The Cuckoo's Calling is J.K.Rowling's first crime novel. I thought it would be an interesting book as its sales was overwhelming and its reception resounding. However, when I read it, I find it....hard to read. I am a Malaysian, and English is my second language. The book is written in strict British English and the sentence structures were too complicated for me, and the vocabulary was too wide for me too. It was definitely the most challenging book I have ever come across. However, the story plot was alright and ordinary, nothing unusual or extraordinary. There are also too many characters and it confounds me a lot. Anyway, I'll just bear in mind to shun British novels like this. Sorry it just doesn't suit me as my English isn't good enough.

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MH17

Four months after disappearance of MH370, a tragedy has struck again on our national carrier - Malaysia Airlines.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was allegedly shot down by a missile while traversing the Ukraine airspace.

No one has claimed responsibility of the tragedy, instead both countries in crisis began blaming each other.

MH17 carried 173 Dutch, 43 Malaysians, and passengers of other nationalities.

It is the darkest moment in Malaysia's history, and even darker for Malaysia Airlines. I believe there's no airline that has been hit with two major disasters within four months.

I was flabbergasted and sad. Malaysia Airlines did nothing wrong. The plane simply got caught in the crossfire of two conflicting countries.

I hope the perpetrators could be identified, and I hope a thorough and proper investigation could be carried out to ensure the culprits are put behind bars for the hideous acts on innocent people.

I hope Malaysia Airlines remains strong, and the people of Malaysia united in this very difficult time for the whole Malaysia.

Be Considerate

I have a friend who is now in a dilemma. On a specific day, he has plans with his family, but then he received a call from his friends from other states asking to go to his house on that particular day. My friend wanted to reject them as he prioritises his family outing, but his friends told him they have bought the bus ticket. He is now in a dilemma, he needs to go out with his family, but then his friends are coming up and he has no choice but to entertain.

This actually angers me. Sometimes I just wish people could be a little considerate.

I understand friends are supposed to entertain each other, and that friends should care for each other. Brothers are a kind of friendship built as fort - it is to be defended and it resists attacks, and it suffers and enjoys together.

Yet there's one thing we need to remember: we have grown up. While we agree that friends are important, we have to remember something too: with increasing freedom, we have increasing responsibilities.

Everyone now has their own lives. Now, we have families we have to stay with. We have errands and jobs to do that hugely affect your future. We have lots of things that are important to tend to. We are no longer like a schoolchildren - free for most of the time, duty and responsibility free, and has nothing to worry about except transport and money.

We have grown up. We sometimes need to ditch the childish thought that says 'you must be available when I call'.

You need to be considerate and responsible. Don't put people in that kind of dilemma. You can't take for granted your friends could accompany you 24/7 just because they used to when you were in school.

Call if you want to drop by and visit if you are coming for far. Give someone an advanced notice.

If my friend so happened is sick, outstation, or is nursing a sick patient in his house, and his friends go to his house without giving advanced notice, or, if they do, give notice making an irreversible decision, what would happen to him? How would my friend feel if his friends say they have bought the bus ticket and they could no place to go, but then he has a sick grandparent at home that needs peace? What happens if my friend has a wedding ceremony to attend to, and his friends insist on coming anyway?

To people out there: please be considerate, don't put people into that kind of unnecessary dilemma. Soon, when some have got married and have children, they would have their wives/husbands and children to take care of. You can't instruct them to tend to you just because you are a friend.

You need to realise that you can't take friendship for granted.

You can ask for help if you are in deep trouble. For example, if you are coming up from Kajang but then your car broke down somewhere close to a friend's house at midnight, then disturbing him and asking for a favour is okay. You need help, it's necessary, and you should be helped.

If you got robbed and in a deep trouble and hope a friend nearby could help, and you go look for him unannounced is also okay. You need help.

But in the event like my friend's, you don't need help. Don't make this kind of irresponsible and inconsiderate moves.

And to my friends out there: there comes a time you need to learn to reject. Our lives have got much busier as we now have larger responsibilities, and so we could not cater to all friends' needs even if we wish to. We have to sometimes reject a friend's request if it is not important. You need to learn to reject something you could not help or if you feel offended or taken advantage of.

Growing up sucks, you can say. But that's life. Deal with the unpleasant.

Dragon

You know,

if you want a child who is well-behaved,

a child who grows up the normal he should,

a child that would be obedient, polite, and not at all rude,

don't give birth in the dragon year.

All I can see now is that dragon year babies are badly spoilt

by parents who are superstitious

who thinks that they bring good fortune or luck to the family

and who thought they would be active instead of passive.

Owing to that many people have chosen to give birth in dragon year,

and due to that we have too many students in a school for that year's intake,

and due to that one class would contain too many students,

and due to that discipline is extremely hard to control.

Exacerbated by the fact that they are overly protected,

it makes them very hard to control in the school,

and very hard to have discipline and manners instilled.

Don't give birth in dragon year,

if you love your children.

Gift

So I left the office and found the fairly naughty boy roaming around. He saw me and immediately he turned around and called for his buddy, and he began to appear nervous, as if something huge was coming. My instincts told me something was wrong - nobody reacted that way when they bumped into a teacher. Why would they?

So he caught up with his friend on our way up, and upon turning a corner I caught a glimpse of the class. Several people were out the class, apparently peeking at where I was. Upon catching sight of me, they nervously turned back into the class.

So the two "guides" guided me to the front of the class. The classroom door was closed tight, and so was the back door. I knew when I pushed open the door, something was bound to transpire. Something perhaps unpleasant but it definitely was going to be unexpected as I wasn't prepared for anything unforeseen.

I moved a bit further to attempt to see what was happening behind the door. I saw nothing, but a class of students sitting silently in the class as if something sudden was going to abruptly materialise anytime soon. The back door was shut tight. I was forced to enter through the front door. I pushed open the door without stepping in, and I saw the students sitting on their chairs without moving or talking, and a guy standing right behind the door. I actually thought they were going to pour me a bucket of water, or to throw thrashes at me. But turned out I was merely too imaginative. The moment I stepped inside, I was hit with something, and the class broke into screams. I got momentarily flabbergasted and turned to see what had hit me - and there it was, the Stitch, lying on the floor in a bag with a collection of signature.

                           

I had to admit, I was stunned for a moment and didn't know what had actually happened and how to react. Perhaps my momentary lack or devoid of response and unintentionally offended several students as my response was, at the moment, inappropriate and incongruous. I am deeply sorry for that. It took me a while to catch up with what had happened, and a feeling of elation began to brew, and burst, though I had smartly suppressed it.

I was touched. To be given a duty to d something you have not much confidence in, but to be somehow rewarded for your effort of trying is indeed a feeling that is beyond describable. The best feeling in this world is to be felt appreciated, especially after you have tried your best very to accomplish something you never thought you could have done, and you thought you have failed.

Thank you, 2A2! I will never forget all of you, for your warmth, for your sincerity, and for your surprise. The biggest surprise in my life! =)

UM: Ujian Kelayakan (Engineering)

I wasn't sure whether 94s were the first batch to sit for a qualification test before interviews, but it certainly seemed so. Anyone who applied for engineering course in UM needed to sit for an ujian kelayakan. It was announced only one week before the test, and it provided no information whatsoever pertaining to what we would face, what we would be tested, and what format would be adopted.

I asked around, and nobody knew. They said we were the first batch.

Not that I cared, but expecting a proper reaction to something so sudden is a little aggressive.

So I didn't care. Together with my friends, we went to Alor Setar. After getting a hotel and settling down, we slept, and the next day we woke up and went to Regency Hotel.

As expected, we saw tons of people literally squeezing into the hotel. We saw several familiar faces, expectedly, and without much delays and with a tad anxiety, we walked to where we should go. After we sat down in the hall, we were instructed to leave the hall until the doors were opened for us.

So out we went. And as expected, since punctuality was one Malaysians lack of, everything got delayed.

And finally we were told to get in. We sat down, and we were tentatively instructed to fill the objective papers.

Then we were allowed to see the question papers. Oh yes - UM were testing us on STPM Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

The questions were extremely easy. The only reason we complained hard is because we had no touched anything STPM related stuffs for half a year, and expecting us to ace the exam when we were given last minute information to prepare was quite impossible.

Maths was okay. Rather simple if you can remember the formula. Chemistry was okay, only balancing equations and finding moles. Physics was ok though I couldn't be sure. PA was downright weird.

And then, we ended our ujian kelayakan. Quite flabbergasted, but relieved.

Alor Setar: Hotel and Relax

It was suddenly announced that on a Friday, the result of our online university application will be released. I checked the website every minute and yet there was nothing, until several hours later it was announced that the result will only be made available at 3pm on the same day.

So I waited patiently and I got my result: I got an offer to interview for Civil Engineering course in UM on next Saturday. The first thing it came to my mind was: are you crazy? You released the result today, and you expected me to go to Alor Setar by next Friday without providing accommodation, advanced notice (I don't consider a week early as 'advanced'), and transport?

I say, okay. Maybe it's the way it's supposed to be. I would bear with it. 

And there was an 'ujian kelayakan' (qualification test). What would be tested and what should we expect were never told. 

I began to find friends who were going as well, and got many response. Eventually, I followed two friends - Wei En and Eric - there to Alor Setar on Thursday evening.

Before we departed to Alor Setar, we stopped by at Sunway Carnival to buy the necessary attire. It took a moment for my friends to lay eyes on those they desired, and it took some time later when we arrived Alor Setar.

You see, Alor Setar is a city where Malay's the majority. Hence, there bound to be cultural difference as there in Penang. In a deeply Islamic city, dress code tended to be strict, and nightlife were therefore somehow limited.

We went to search for Regency Hotel first, as there was where we would have our interviews and exam, and later, through the poor attempt by GPS, we began to search for hotels nearby that would be conveniently close and financially affordable. 

Of course we found one, it's Hotel Koperasi. It looked neat, grand, and at least well managed, but alas there was nobody at the reception and therefore we forwent the hotel. Then there was one very close to the hotel - Hotel Sri Gemilang - and it looked rather dilapidated and dirty. I said we shouldn't judge the hotel by its looks and told Eric to give it a try.

So we ascended the stairs and entered the lobby, and we were rather greeted with a cold, a little intimidating and indifferent receptionist. We requested to have a look at the hotel first before we booked, and there he offered. He opened the door, and the first sight I caught was a flying cockroach in front of a rather dirty, perhaps musty, toilet with yellow stains.

We fled.

My friends then use GPS and found Fuller Hotel, one that appeared to have received appreciably positive comments. So I called in desperation, fearing the hotel would be fully booked as I expected lots of people swarming into Alor Setar looking for accommodation. To my surprise, there were still rooms available, at RM108/night.

Again, we fled, only this time rather happily.

So we arrived at Fuller Hotel, after a momentary wait, we managed to get a hotel room. The hotel room was rather clean, though the floor was sticky. The bed was extremely comfortable, the toilet resplendent, and the decoration was beautiful. It was the right call to stay here.

It was around 9.30pm and therefore we went out in search for dinner. There were a number of cafeterias and pubs below but the cafeterias catered for the rich and the pubs for serious drinkers, so we strolled further and after bending a corner, we were greeted with a street of hawker centres. 

Oh yes, there was indeed a great location! 

However, food at Alor Setar, despite we tried to be positive, were rather bland and unsatisfactory. Perhaps we were to use to eating Penang food, but food in Alor Setar tasted rather stale.