i've finally finished my very own version of THE CROW. it consists of 30 odd pages. this is primarily the first draft and is set to undergo much re-editing and sprucing up but as is - this is pretty much the mould from which it will develop from.
since finishing my 1st 'novella' almost 5 years ago, i have not been able to finish any of my other 'novellas' and this is only my 2nd finished project. i've got random short stories here and there but nothing to shout about methinks.
i still have a 'fantasy - dragons - LOTR' type project which is going on 50+ pages now but am not happy with it at all. so, that might be axed.
also, there's my 'Dream Realm' story of which Neil Gaiman has something that is similar in his SANDMAN series.
oh well, if you're interested in checking out any of my stories. lemme know. leave a comment. talk to me. *grin.
ok i'm out.
p/s: i'll post an exerp soon.
13 comments:
Congrats! *cheering*
It is such a pity for this Malaysia country. I don't know why politicians have to extend their hands to influence the acceptance/appeal of university admission. That means if you find the right politicians, you will have a better chance of getting accepted.
I strongly believed that politicians should let the education ministry do its own job. The politicians should go ahead to set the criteria in accepting students so that there will be no more complaints.
How can improvements be made if the main ideas were to imitate without substance and to deceive with pride, prejudice and without merits!
We go through the same cycle every year. Ours is the only country in the world where taxes paid by the minorities are used almost exclusively to financially support the majority.
It is shameful and criminal. Undeserving people are given priority over more deserving ones. Even people under communist governments are treated better.
How long are we going to tolerate this situation? Until there is nothing left in the kitty? It is so despairing and we cannot even see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel yet. I cry for our country.
The whole system is rotten. Just plain rotten to the core. Always in need of repairs. That is about it. Don't make the university admission exercise an annual tombola.
An engineering graduate of UTM recently went for a job interview in Singapore. He was told that the company does not recognize Malaysia degrees but would accept his degree as an equivalent to a diploma!
Are our children fighting to get worthless local degrees? We have problems in all levels of government, in all ministries and universities, because malays decide on the interests of non-malays. Surely there is a tendency to lean towards its own kind.
When non-malay interests are decided by malays, they tend to be antagonistic towards us. Let us look at the whole system which is the cause of this discrimination. Helping some students get scholarships does not make any difference to improve anything.
I don't think the government care about brain drain. They are comfortable and happy with cheap and uneducated illegal/legal immigrants to work in construction, factory and plantation, jobs locals do not want to do.
Even in toilet cleaning, we Malaysia lose out to others, let alone higher education. In order to upgrade the cleaners in the service industry, the Singapore government invited the top cleaning professionals from the Japan Toilet Cleaning Institute to coach the 50 Singapore cleaners how to clean toilets.
These professionals used advanced cleaning gadgets, techniques to demonstrate how to clean toilets and keep them clean. The Japanese people are very particular about the cleanliness of their public toilets. A Japanese toilet cleaner gets four times the pay of their Singapore counterparts.
Let us calling a spade a spade, and not fooling ourselves by a 'Semuanya ok' attitude. Just have a look at most of our Malaysia ministers behaviors in our parliament, and you know that they could not equate to the toilets cleaners in terms of the ability in their own field as in Singapore.
Folks, please tell me how do you best manage a country, whereby - the majority community who rule, can't competitive on equal footing with other countrymen, and fear to end up as working for very competitive - the other minority.
(Australia/Singapore/USA etc, don't have these scenario, as the community who call the shot is also the majority community.)
Our government complains of brain drain, but do we actually do something to lure all these professionals back?
It is sad to see that we have the greatest minds around the world. One would be proud to see that we have great Malaysian minds in almost every field, for example in dentistry, medicine, physics etc, and yet where did they end up?
They ended up in the developed world, helping the developed countries to become better day by day.
It would be more logical to try to attract these great minds back from other countries than to continue employing health professionals from foreign countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, that would not be dedicated in their work in the end, because of the poor system here.
But building a world-class university in a third world nation is unheard of, with the exception of large nations of China/India. Simply, a third world Malaysia software does not nurture a first class world-class university.
Will this country ever change? Unfortunately, I doubt it.
We have a daughter who is currently studying oversea. My wife and I have been trying to tell her to stay there and get a PR and not come back.
Even though the white man's land is not wholly a bed of roses, we know we will be treated more fairly and the system is much more transparent than what we have here.
It is a heavy heart that we have to make this decision for our daughter but deep down inside, we know it is better for her and her next generation. We are already near the final lap of our careers and life, and the political situation here has little impact on us.
Our children have a whole new horizon ahead of them. It is their future……….do they have one here?
Malaysia will always be here. It is a nice place to holiday - you want to live a compromised life you can return to work. But you want to be yourself then go wherever you please. We all wish you well.
Believe me, the government too wishes that you don't come back to quell the Chinese professional numbers. So they remain obliged to make your life miserable. All this talk about brain drain……….come on, you doesn't really buy the government's feigned attempt to show concern, do you!
So, be wise, stay outside. Come back to get yourself rejuvenated with Malaysian food, and culture, as often as you can and stick your fingers up to the government too.
But just remember if you are not prepared to compromise principles……….just stay out!
Just be practical. One anesthetist told me, your perception will change when you have kids and a wife to worry about.
I tell you, every June of the year will be the happiest time for us in the Singapore government. Why not? There are plenty of free "capital" flows from Malaysia to Singapore here.
What I mean is the free human capital as in those brainy students who failed to gain entry into Malaysian universities. We in Singapore welcome all these students to study here, as long as they are good. We will provide scholarship, or some soft loan which they only pay after they have graduated.
This is really good business! We always go all out to attract these students. Why not? Let me tell you the mathematic. See, the stupid Malaysia government spent so much of money every year on their education.
I tell you, every year public spending on education tops the Malaysian fiscal budget. After 12 years of primary and secondary education, they rejected those good students but admitted some mediocre ones into their public universities.
Why? Don't ask me. I also cannot understand. Apparently some kind of social contract signed 40-50 years ago. Malaysia government is like this, always half cooked one. Everything they do will stop or being cancelled half way through. Look at the Johor bridge!
They are good in primary and secondary schools, in fact their standards are almost Singapore standards. But when it comes to tertiary education, they are trashed. No way near us Singapore. Half cooked, about hen!
We in Singapore government only give some scholarships and sometime subsidize some loan interest to attract those intelligent students. These students will study here, do research here, and later graduate and work here as well. We only want those top knowledge workers. Human resources are all we have. Where Singapore got oil like Malaysian!
We really hope the stupid Malaysia will forever keep the current policy of supplying us everything we need, free. It is lucky to have a half cooked neighbour like Malaysia.
Don't tell them this, let them keep the not-so-good ones, and we get all the good ones. If they know how to calculate this mathematic, then we Singapore will be in trouble in future. Ok?
It is not about too many graduates but too many unqualified graduates. While it is true that many would be better off doing vocational training, the same problem will occur even if vocational training is provided.
We have a national skill crisis that is not addressed by our education system but it is not just our education system, it is also our economic and administrative system and other factors as well.
Fantastic social manipulation! People, wake up, play the smart games! Don't expect accountability, transparency etc, stuff from our Malaysia government.
The truth is our government has no idea what it takes to really develop the right skills. The truth is for the last few decades that burden has fallen on shoulders of MNCs exploiting cheap labours.
Skills relevancy in Malaysia has been an accident of foreign direct investment (FDI) which is in no way benign or on purpose. With no new FDI, upgrading of skills is just not going to happen.
The complication started when there are more than one way to enter the universities. Adding entries through matriculation and to compare it with STPM is like comparing apple to orange.
The government should realise there is no black cat or white cat approach of Deng Xiou Ping - be fair to all. Don't try to maladjusted the education system until it become ludicrous!
I agree with that no amount of National Service can instill love for this Malaysia nation if our government still practises racial discrimination in its other policies. That is why I am never a true believer that National Service is working.
My siblings all did well and went overseas on scholarship offered by foreign governments and agencies to do their postgraduate studies. All you can do is to encourage one to do well in university and that - there is hope over that rainbow.
I symphatise with the situation your children is in. I myself was a product of that wonderful education system. I have seen my poorer result friends entering university while I was rejected. Many of us were left out even though we had much better results.
I am lucky that I made a decision to journey down south to our neighbouring country who has given me a good education and working life. The government has failed to see that the policy has caused much brain drain within the country.
Many top level executives and government officials in this little country down south were from Malaysia and some are still Malaysians. Ask them to go back to serve the country, but many will think twice.
Why? Mainly because we know that we will be there just as puppets while some handicap will be paid a big fat salary to take credit of all the decisions made.
I regret to say that due to the "special treatment" given to these handicapped (really), we are seeing the fallout in our country. I cringe at the level of English spoken back home and the fact that the handicaps, even with "special treatment" are not moving ahead in life without the constant support of the government.
It seems that they are just looking for more and more handouts. It is a sad but true fact, unfortunately the government policy still stands.
God will be and is faithful and he will provide. This is all I can help you encourage your children. Best wishes.
Oh my gosh! There is no such a thing as "retire" for a politician. Once a politician, forever a politician because politics is forever in him or her. It is funny to think of a group of politicians like a group of dancers. I suppose this is where strength and unity lies.
Mahathir administration and Pak Lah administration are both the same - they say same the ways. All the previous abuses are still in place.
Civil service inefficiency is still in place. Corruption is still in place. Election Commission misuse is still in place. Media blackout is still in place.
Mahathir wants to right Pak Lah's wrong and Pak Lah wants to right Mahathir's wrong. They all become millionaires. Ultimately the citizens will be the losers.
It does not augur well for this country when the government goes all out to suppress the comments of a former prime minister. If they can do this to Mahathir, they can do it to anyone and we would all be the poorer for it.
Pak Lah's promises sound so hollow now - and we can be sure that more election promises will be broken. Transparency, my foot!
Mahathir is upset because his cronies have been largely left out in the current dispensation. It looks like Mahathir has not make enough "hay while the sun was shinning" for his 22 years in office.
The article really is a message to the prime minister rather than to the public. It even suggests how to do it - goad the Mahathir into making mistakes by talking too much.
It is absolutely a failure of the prime minister to allow people who are unelected, unaccountable, for the people to influence him in major decisions. It is dangerous, it is a breakdown of our political and governmental processes no less.
Malaysians have a right to know who makes the decision in their government and whether it is accountable to them.
Mahathir knows little about economics. Just one example will suffice. Any economics course will tell you that you cannot have high economic growth and zero inflation at the same time over sustained period. Period.
So, don't give the old doctor credit he does not deserve. In fact, he is lucky in that some times, he did the right thing for the wrong reasons. We know why he imposed the peg - to help those cronies and in particular certain people running consortium……….
When Mahathir wins, it is his brilliance. When he loses, it is evil people like Soros, Singapore, Jews, anybody but him. So now see someone championing transparency, press freedom, democracy, etc, etc.
Mahathir has a particularly strong attachment with Singapore for obvious good reasons. He just cannot accept the fact that Singapore is not part of Malaysia. He is as "kiasu" as any old Singaporean and he cannot even see Malaysia being taken advantaged off, what more by Singapore. He is also jealous of Singapore's tremendous achievement. Therefore he exploded on the crooked bridge issue.
Talk about legacy, perhaps Proton is synonym with Mahathir. Of cause there is much more than just Proton. It is the proton vendors, contractors and partners who are at stake in the wake of liberalisation of the automotive market. Of cause, whose cronies are these? He exploded again. In short, it is all about being an old man. A selfish old man.
To be fair, if the mainstream newspaper were to give space to Mahathir, there would be no end to the matter. Mahathir will never be satisfied with any answers given and it is best to ignore him.
For every reply he has an answer; ask him questions and you will get silly answers and he expect you to be satisfied. He has always had a distorted sense of logic and morality.
How are you going to argue with him if he thinks negotiated tenders, giving huge projects with guaranteed to win clauses to favoured few, bailout of MAS at way above market prices are all good and noble things. He can't tell right from wrong! Nobody can talk sense with a guy like him.
While Pak Lah vowed to be a just leader of Malaysians (not just malays), 9th Malaysian plan has limited allocation for minority races, stakeholding continues to be pro-majority race, despite the plead and appeal of citizens; while Pak Lah said whatever he did was for the good of Malaysian, taxpayers money is being used to compensate the highway/infrastructure/toll companies continue (to make sure they are profitable), to subsidize the loss of government owned companies; And the list continues on.
So tell me, what have Pak Lah and his administration achieved? When Pak Lah took over as prime minister, everything has gone up, petrol, electricity, daily necessities……….And yes, another interesting thing, Pak Lah may be filling another 20K government servant vacancies to curb "unemployment" (bright idea, he is such a bright leader with first class mentality).
This is not a blackout of press. Just that those who voted the ruling have not achieved the standard of civilisation, maturity, openness, and competent to assimilate what Mahathir said. To cut it short, we are not ready for it. We have a new hope now with another dog to fight for Vision 2020.
We could perhaps engage in long debates about what Mahathir did right or wrong, or if his "successes" over the past 22 years were down to a large element of "luck". We could also debate about whether an Islamic studies graduate (Pak Lah) can adequately manage the finance portfolio.
Anyway, my point is that nothing has changed with Pak Lah. In fact, I suggest that things have gone backwards, and in a more hypocritical manner where promises were made and blatantly ignored when reality bites.
If the present administration can impose a blackout on a former prime minister, where does that leave us, the ordinary citizens? Freedom of speech comes with unbiased, independent reporting. Both must come together, as either one on its own is meaningless.
My best wishes to you. You are doing the right thing despite some may term you as traitor.
After all, the real traitors are those who plunder the resources of the country that belongs to its citizens. The fact that you are treated as second-class citizen in Malaysia does not mean only non-malays face such discrimination.
Our corrupt government and those in power have very cleverly manipulating the issues of NEP, Ketuanan Melayu and Islam for their own selfish greed.
Look around, you will find those aligned with the ruling party (BN) are doing very well including non-malays.
Unfortunately, the malay mass cannot see the effect of evil deeds when religion and emotion are used to blind them of any rational thinking to support social justice. Enough have been said about the hijacking of affirmative actions to help the poor malays by Umno-malays.
Non-malays alone will not be able to change the current situation, but in time the malays will realise that to compete in the globalise market, they will need more than just natural resources and their own kind to succeed.
Meanwhile the prospect of children's future is definitely brighter outside Malaysia. I know, because I have gone through that process some 20 years ago.
My two kids are now foreign citizens and have equal opportunity with better healthcare, a higher standard of education and living.
In my opinion, there are more opportunities outside Malaysia for non-malays if you don't have the right connections at home Malaysia.
The pasture is definitely greener on the other side!
Show me when do the malays consult or ever extend their hands in friendship. Do the malays really treat non-malays with equity and fairness?
Seriously, I think all races in Malaysia treat each others at arms length. The malays expect other races to kowtow to them and never the way around. For example, Chinese and Indians were made to study and learn malay culture but the malays are not made to study or learn Chinese or Indian culture.
Why do the malays have to be in a superior position (oppressive one at that) all the time? What is wrong for Malaysia to have, say a Chinese chief justice or Indian chief of armed forces or even a prime minister!
How do we expect them to continue with their goodwill if we do not ever treat them fair and with equity? I think the malays are paranoid and are projecting their own insecurity onto others.
That is my point and it is time that we begin to envision the land of ours from an inclusively point of view instead of exclusivity point of view. We have to begin this starting point somehow, somewhere and the time is now.
As an adult, trying to make it in the real world, I have developed a clear understanding of what goes on around me.
And this what I believe is the real situation in Malaysia. As long as the malays get their way in how things are done in Malaysia - there will never be any serious development in Malaysia.
This is the fundamental. Please avoid giving example of successful malays, because economically, the numbers are too darn low to mean anything. Negligible they call it.
Malays must realise that as humans - they are I suppose equal. But as people, they have attitude that is exactly like the aborigines of Africa. Completely hopeless, no matter what you give them.
The malays can never win - for as long as they chose to do things the way it is done now. Eventually, the other races would consume them economically, and they would be second class citizens. This is a matter of time.
My opinion is - the only way for them to succeed, is to take away all special rights, and learns to get by on their own abilities. The weak and stupid malays would die - and only the bright ones would survive.
They are doing themselves a favour by taking away their special rights. Because look around you, the other races are getting stronger because our weak ones are dying.
We will continue to get stronger. And there will be a day, when we control all the financial means in the country. Then it is a matter of buying off each one of you puny malays……….and then take over the country.
You are wasting your time by presenting the facts. Fact means nothing to them and you should know that by now. The Malaysian Muslims are seriously stupid and severely retarded. I am simply having fun. I work with them everyday and I cannot describe to you their inability to formulate simple logic.
Open communication or not does not make sense anymore - and we have to live in this Bolehland unless we got a chance and money to emigrate.
This is how they want the country to be rule and rot. Malaysians have given many comments on all this crap, but all remain unheard.
Sometimes I just felt that we are wasting our time putting up comments for a better Malaysia where the government is not prepared for and yet still dwell in denial.
In this Bolehland of denial, any effort to improve the country is considered insult and unpatriotic. There is no way it can change and that is the fact.
We only can change our own destiny and not this country by emigrating.
No wonder there are so many government-sponsored students (malays and non-malays) choose to remain overseas to work and live - to stay away from this Bolehland……….
You need globalisation to teach them a lesson - it won't be long and soon you will see the effect - in fact the rot has already started.
What you and Malaysians want is just a transparent, fair and accountable government to equip the country to face the globalisation challenge, and yet the government take it as a plot to discredit the country.
Whatever good deeds you fight for, they label you as unpatriotic, traitor, party agenda, nonsense and communist.
Hearing all this really break my heart and many Malaysians hearts.
Those contributing from their hearts are true, proud and courageous Malaysians - they are very concerned for the future of their motherland and the welfare of its ordinary people.
True……….nods head and what being said some malays are brilliant? They were never brilliant - they are just playing stupid. Well, some maybe ok but never brilliant.
If intermarriage is allowed between races without having to be converted to Islam during independence in 1957, new Malaysians will emerge, dominating all sectors of Malaysia life.
For non-malays, we are approx 1/3 of the population of Malaysia. Of course birthrate continue to lower, since most of non-malays emphasis education because survival is the fittest in this environment.
For Chinese and Indians, my advice is simple, hey this planet has many many countries, Malaysia is not a significant country. Do you guys know that you can apply for job in US, then get a social security with approval then zoom, you are in US.
In Europe, Malaysians can have three months without visa to visit EU, plenty of time to search around, please do home work first. I recall in Taiwan, if you are Chinese, ok you can get third rate citizenship and can vote in their presidential election, oops sorry, I don't think Indian can qualify here.
Of course for those poor less educated relatives, suggestion - get one generation into university, whatever way - all you need is one person, he or she will do pull string in next 10 years down the road.
From the TV to the toilet bowls cleaners, everywhere the incompetence malays are there. Malays are becoming a huge question mark to everyone. Soon this Malaysia country will be an Indonesia or other poor and peaceless country.
It is frightening to find out about such things that are happening in our country. Maybe now we won't suffer, but our future generations will. All this discrimination does happen, slowly and silently, we are being blinded from the truth.
Last year I visit Singapore, I fall in love with Singapore. Why? The moment I step in custom immigrant office, I could see multi races working. The malay officer very good in English.
While crushing around in Singapore, all races given opportunity to do business. Church, mosque and temple also build. Singapore is truly race loving peoples. Keep up the good work Singapore.
As for Malaysia, I want see more multi races in banking, if not I will withdraw my money. I have recently withdrawn my money from one bank after seeing only one particular race. I like Public Bank because I could see Chinese, Indians and Malays……….so nice to see multi races like Singapore.
That is why Singapore broke ties with Malaysia. It is simply because malays are too incompetent and a pile of shit that lies north of Singapore, polluting the society.
I urge that we should get rid of the malay government by all costs and bring equality to all humans. Singapore has the power to rule Malaysia, that retarded country full of scumbags.
The so called "special treatment" students will one day have their place in other parts of the world like 4th world country where all the skills you need to have is just to dress up a wound.
I dread to think of Malaysia's future doctors if we keep on churning out lame students.
I share same pain. 4 As is excellent. I only got 2 As some 20 years ago. I have said before "criminalise discrimination, stop racism in Malaysia" first before preaching peace to others in the first world. But the spineless and condescending person disagrees. What a lot of hypocrites some of these people are.
This only goes to show that MCA and MIC have failed to protect the interests of the non-malay communities. In fact, MCA and MIC have been manipulated by Umno into political eunuchs.
Many events, old and recent, clearly point to that. They are no more effective in fighting for the causes of the people they are supposed to represent. It is just bewildering why people still vote for them. Every vote for MCA and MIC is effectively a vote for malay causes, and a vote against causes for non-malays.
It is nice to have a little pleasant philosophy, even religious ones. But be realistic. Don't be like the proverbial ostrich whose head remained buried in the sand even when the desert burns.
And as for childbirth - that is only a good illustration if you know your suffering will produce an offspring, your own genes. Not when your suffering for the nation is ignored and unrecognised; or where there is so much "sandiwara" of fairness, meritocracy and such pathetic travesties of decency, dignity, honour and morality.
Trust me, I know. Leave, I beseech you. Cronyism hiding behind the mask of racism is too entrenched in Malaysia.
You can shout yourself hoarse but there will never be any change. The government's policy in education and other areas are all slanted to favour one race. That is why in a roundabout way the malays cannot find jobs after graduation because private companies only want non-malays whose qualification are genuine whereas the malays degree are drop doctored.
I have always said that the biggest failure of Pak Lah administration is not economics or projects or even corruption. The biggest one is almost no movement on education despite all his rhetoric.
I have always claims that he does not understand the problem. In the last few years he has hardly done anything on education shuffling the portfolio among less than competent people.
For someone who urges his people to perform and excel, this prime minister don't even have a handle of the root of the crises.
So what good is it when you have non-malay parliamentary secretaries etc, then they do not ensure that there is fairness? Where is the sharing of power? Same goes for all the other ministries as well.
Everything seems to be in favour of one particular race. Where is the fairness? Where is justice? Where is the place in the sun for the non-malays? Loyalty and unity in this country is really really fragile.
Bible said blessed you will be blessed. Cursed you will be cursed. Let God handle the wickedest. I believe better idea rather cheating the non-malays past decades. What you commence and think! God bless you.
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