2006/08/25

街头卖艺者 The sun-warmed buskers in Norwich





想拍他们很久了,过了整个星期的雨天,下午拿起相机到大街上四处闲荡,晒晒太阳,两个多小时内就遇上了七个街头卖艺的青年。

I have hoped to take their pictures long time ago. This beautiful sunny afternoon was a good chance. Within three hours, I ran into seven buskers, who were playing with their musical instruments.

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写完了! I have finished my dissertation



论文的初稿在8月16日完成,比预料的时间表迟一天,修修改改一个星期后,终于可以拿去装订了。

真的不敢相信,我来英国就快一年了... ...
一年前,S叫我“有多远,走多远,再也不要回来这个鬼地方。”
一年后,我禁不住问,蓝天底下,真的有天堂吗?

即将要启程,回去那个“鬼地方”了。

Finally, I have completed my 11,000 words dissertation. I shall submit it after binding.

Time files, my "adventure" in the UK has come to the end.
Last Sept, before boarding, S told me, "go as far as you can, never come back again..."
At this moment, I am wondering : Can we really find a paradise in the world?

Time to set off. I shall be going back to that place like a "hell" soon.

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2006/08/15

Rising crime rate, degrading public security

We have created another “boleh”(capability) in Malaysia now.

Crime “boleh”! The crime rate of our country has been rising dramatically, unofficially in the past few years, according to the intuition and experience of the public.

In 1997, two weeks before I went to further my studies in China, my handbag has been snatched away near my house. I lost my newly bought Sony digital tape recorder.

In April 2004, before national election, my car window of front passenger seat has been smashed after I came back from an assignment, luckily, I did not put valuable things in the car. It costed me RM240++ to fix the window.

In July 2004, my mum’s handbag was snatched away by a robber who shown his knife while she was waiting for my father at a bus stop. She was injured because the robber pushed her to the floor after he got her handbag.

Most of my friends in Journalism have scary experience being robbed. My ex-colleague in NanyangSiangPau even lost her life……

Recently, my friend sent me an email telling me how worse the public security in Malaysia is. Another friend who just graduated from Hong Kong has been robbed on the second day after she arrived in Kuala Lumpur.

I will be back soon. I don’t want to be one of the victims, though I was; I don’t want to lose my laptop, my personal belongings and important documents.

I feel shame if I ask my foreign friends to come over to travel in Malaysia now, because I do not know how to protect them from all these things. Perhaps the Minister of Tourism will be very angry if he saw this article. We have lovely forests, beaches and delicious food, but I don’t want my friends who come from abroad to be the victim of robbery or rape.

Everybody is blaming on the inefficiency of the police force, but I am so disappointed as our government does not have a strong political will to reform our police force according to the recommendation of Police Royal Commission, including the formation of Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). At the same time I will plead for our police force: Please increase their salaries and welfare.

In theory, underpay should not be an excuse for them to be demoralized, however even factory workers are fighting for a basic salary as much as RM900, how can we expect those policemen to work hard with a basic salary which is only RM800 ?!! In reality, if they have no enough money to survive and raise their family, we can only continue to see how they arrest prostitutes who are harmless instead of cold-blooded armed-robbers.

More or less, we have to believe that those robbers will not become a robber or drug-addicted if they have a proper job or have been given a chance to stand up by themselves in the society. What’s wrong with our development policy? Some people just simply get too much, but some get nothing.

2006/08/09

小Dugong之死, the death of "Mermaid"

2006 7月中旬,一只身长1.5公尺的小儒艮(有人叫它美人鱼)被发现死在柔佛州西南部的海域。小Dugong被当地一名渔夫发现时已经死亡,它生命里的最后时刻是在被遗弃的渔网中挣扎。在这片拥有全马来半岛最大面积海草床的蒲莱河流域,时常有Dugong的出没,然而,至今,它们的数量仍旧是一个谜。

Dugong之成为稀有动物的其中一个原因是:一只Dugong妈妈需要3年至5年的时间,才能生出小Dugong。而小Dugong出生在这片充满贪婪欲望的地球,似乎已经注定了它早逝的风华。


Sadly, on the 21 July 2006, a 1.5-m long dugong carcass was found at Pendas. The dugong was entangled in discarded nets and was already dead when discovered by a local fisherman. In fact during the last decade, there have been a number of reports of incidental captures of dugongs in the Pulai River Estuary. But until now, the number of dugongs living here remains a mystery.

2006/08/07

论文 Dissertation

八月份,同学之间最流行的问候语:“你的论文写得怎样?”
毕业论文的字数是8000-12000字,这几个星期除了下午打工,早上、晚上我都在拼字数。
写论文的过程需要字字斟酌,虽然获益不浅,但每天重复地做着同样的事,其实很无聊。

一位同学突发其想说:为什么毕业只有一种模式?为什么我们不能以舞台剧来表达我们的想法?

以前接触儿童感觉统合培训时,我认识到一个人的说、听、读、写能力,是一个复杂的大脑感觉统合的过程,不是每个人的感觉统合都可以发展得很完善。

但我不太确定,具备了这些完善的能力又如何?为什么我会有不自由、被捆绑的感觉,教育如果没有将个人解放,它其实在为谁服务?

In August, the most popular way of greeting is "how's your dissertation?"
The word limit for dissertation is between 8000-12000 words, in the past few week, apart from working in the evening, I devoted all my time on my dissertation. The process is fruitful, but it is really boring when you put yourself in repeating the same thing all the time.

One of my coursemates suddenly asked me,"Why must we write a long dissertation to get the degree? Why can't we present our arguements or opinions by singing or dancing in the play?"

When I involved myself in Sensory Integration Training, I realized that being able to talk, to listen, to read and to write is a very complex process of sensory integration. Not every child can develop their ability thoroughly.

I am not entirely sure, so what if a person obtained all these abilities? Why do I still have the feeling of being held in bondage and unfree? If an individual has not been emancipated, who does education serve substantially ?
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2006/08/06

树莓. Raspberries

几个月前,第一次在英国吃到这种小小的、红红的、长毛的水果--人间极品... ..., 连名字都像是属于仙女的--树莓。

The first time I ate it, I cannot forget its sweet and juicy...the cute, little, hairy, red Raspberries.

2006/08/04

改变需要力量!! Join together to change!


最近, 我开始厌倦自己的生气和情绪化的“暴力倾向”,因为歧视无所不在。今天在医院,就连躺在病榻上的一个英国老奶奶,都有气没力地当着我的面,对我的英国同事说,因为我是外国人,所以她想往我吐一口痰。幸好,我的英国同事事后以对自己同胞的批判极力安慰我,或许她年老意识不清醒,我不跟她计较,不过,这也让我错愕了好一阵。

我在想,或许,马来西亚唯一和其它国家不同的地方是:我们的种族与宗教歧视政策是清清楚楚f地写在宪法中,发展政策中。全世界各国足以发生冲突的表面理由,在小小的马来西亚都找得到。

不要再要求政府给我们公平与正义。“政府”是谁?没有人民,政府什么都不是。那么人民是谁?人民是由社会不同的个人组成。我们必须承认总是有一小撮人在黑暗中与魔共舞,夜夜丰收,他们也势必尽一切努力保住现状,否则功亏一篑。

受委屈的各族大马人民啊,不要在找理由为他们辩护了!不要再继续忍耐这些所做所为了,每个曾经生气过,过后说:“没办法,是这样的啦!”的个人都要为今天的僵局负起部分责任,这是一种助纣为虐的默许。

参与非政府组织的活动吧!是的,他们的活动或许不够草根性,说着你听得不太懂的语言,那么自己和志同道合的朋友组织一个团体好了,利用自己订下的时间呱噪一番。网络资料是自制传单的好材料,就算只派给你家周围的50户邻居。如果你与任何MAMAK档或翻版VCD商相熟,拜托他们做个人情,帮你派传单。

噢,大选还没有来临?但我想民主的意义并不局限在那五年一次的公式化、受操纵的投票结果。接下来,写信给你想教训的政府部门,告诉他们你不满什么,将他们的信箱塞满,不要仅仅依赖政党,政党固然有它的影响力,但也不是灵丹药。朋友们,停止悲情吧, 想点什么付诸行动吧!


Recently, I am sick of being angry and emotional anymore, discrimination is everywhere. Even in the hospital, the old British lady who is laying on the bed today told my colleague in front of me that she want to spit on me, just because I am a foreign worker. Fortunately, my colleague has consoled me with his own critics to his own nation.

Perhaps, the only difference between Malaysia and other countries is: our racial and religious discrimination policy is clearly written in our constitution, in development policies, everywhere.

We should not beg our government to give us fair and justice. Who is the "government"? Without the people, it means nothing. Who are the people? People are consist of different type of individuals, we must admit that a small groups of people must have benefited from unjust and injustice, so they will try everything to maintain status quo. Then majority of people who are suffering from these unjust and injustice should not endure furthermore, everybody has the responsibility for the stalemate nowadays, because they are giving acquiescence to the devil at the same time.

Join the NGOs... yes I know, most of the NGOs are not grass roots-oriented, organize your own initiative group with your friends if you like, make some noise, use the materials online, design and print your own flyers, even just distribute to your 50 neighbours, if you are familiar with any mamak stall or pirate VCDs stall, ask the owner to give you a space for your flyers.

And yes, election is not coming yet, but we should not only wait for the National Election. Next, fill government department's mailbox with letter of complaints. Do not merely rely on certain political parties, they can have their influence sometimes but not all the time... ...Let us stop mourning, let us think of something to do together.

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