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| Bahasa Melayu? What the...?! |
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 |
"Keluarga Melayu Singapura yang berbahasa Inggeris di rumah menampakkan suatu peningkatan seganda - daripada 7.9 peratus (tahun 2000) kepada 13 peratus tahun lalu (tahun 2005)."
Mungkin ada yang merumuskan bahawa peningkatan ini menggambarkan sikap masyarakat Melayu yang semakin galak mengikut arus perubahan setempat dan sejagat yang terus menempatkan bahasa Inggeris pada aras yang tinggi. Jika dilihat dari sudut itu, memang sah peningkatan itu terasa seperti perubahan yang positif. Penekanan yang diberikan oleh pihak Kementerian Pendidikan terhadap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris yang baik memang tidak boleh dipandang remeh. Bahasa Inggeris sebagai wadah universal yang membolehkan kebanyakan urusan dijalankan dengan licin seakan memaksa setiap lapisan masyarakat, khasnya rakyat Singapura untuk menguasai bahasa itu. Lantas, tidak lagi janggal jika kita terdengar sayup-sayup bahasa Inggeris digunakan di majlis-majlis keramaian, kelas-kelas agama di masjid-masjid dan sebagainya. Namun, masyarakat tidak boleh memperkecil bahasa Melayu. Pandangan-pandangan negatif yang dilemparkan terhadap bahasa Melayu memang menjelekkan. Bayangkan seorang anak Melayu mengagung-agungkan bahasa asing dan menafikan keindahan bahasa sendiri. Bukankah ini suatu sikap yang memalukan, terutama sekali jika disaksikan mata-mata di sekeliling. Cuba bayangkan seorang yang dilahirkan dengan hidung yang pesek dan berkulit sawo matang, yang kemudiannya cuba menyembunyikan ciri-ciri itu di sebalik bedak yang tebal dan bertegas bahawa "Hidung pesek memalukan! Kulit sawo matang menjijikkan!" Hipokrit! Pendedahan yang meluas terhadap bahasa Inggeris telah mengakibatkan masyarakat membentuk suatu pemikiran yang myopik. Bahasa Inggeris dengan segera dikaitkan dengan kemodenan. Bahasa Inggeris disatukan dengan pembangunan. Bahasa Inggeris dilihat sebagai sesuatu yang mampu memerdekakan pemikiran. Memang benar perindustrian telah dibawa ke rantau ini dengan bahasa Inggeris. Namun, bahasa Inggeris digunakan semata-mata kerana bahasa itu ialah bahasa pertuturan seharian mereka. Itu sebahagian daripada ciri-ciri yang membentuk jati diri mereka. Apa pula nasib kita jika bahasa yang menjadi identiti diri kita itu hilang? Bolehkah kita terus dipanggil orang-orang Melayu? Adakah Melayu bakal menjadi label bagi mereka yang berkulit sawo matang dan berhidung pesek? Tidak! Masyarakat Melayu kini tidak lagi memikirkan persoalan sedemikian. Kebanyakan mereka sekarang bangga kerana mampu bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris. Mereka kini berbangga dengan gaya hidup moden yang sebenarnya diciplak dari aturan kehidupan masyarakat asing. Mereka kini mendendangkan lagu-lagu yang asalnya tidak menentu. Tatatertib orang-orang Melayu? What the shit! Bahasa Melayu? I'm sorry but I don't speak the language! Kiranya, bahasa Melayu kini bak telur di hujung tanduk. Sekali ketis, jatuh dan bersepailah isi telur. [Renungan AndarieL] Aku bukanlah ingin menunjuk-nunjuk emosiku tentang perkara ini. Namun aku kian jelek dengan masyarakat Melayu di sekelilingku; baik yang muda mahupun yang tua yang sewenang-wenangnya mengetepikan bahasa yang aku cintai dan berlagak menuturkan bahasa Inggeris. Kebanyakan seolah-olah malu untuk mengaitkan diri mereka dengan apa sahaja yang ada kaitan dengan Melayu; budaya Melayu, bahan bacaan Melayu, tatasusila orang-orang Melayu juga diabaikan. Yang lucunya, budaya Melayu menyambut Hari Raya Aidilfitri, meraikan pernikahan dengan majlis besar-besaran dan budaya-budaya Melayu yang lain masih pula dijunjung. Bukankah Melayu tu kolot? Kenapa budayanya masih ingin diamalkan? "Eh, mana boleh tak buat! Apa pulak people say nanti kan!" |
posted by andariel @ 11:15 AM  |
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| VinD |
| Saturday, December 23, 2006 |
Sweet taste of dejection. Wipes the bitterness of sweat drenched. May nothing delude the goals of years to come. The toughest will prevail through the thorns of time. And reap the cup of pride and glory.
[Andariel] (disappointment) I've always hoped for my phone to mysteriously misplace itself. Quite resiliently, it has shown its extraordinary staying power. Damn. |
| posted by andariel @ 11:52 PM |
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| 2in30 |
| Friday, December 22, 2006 |
Downpour has ceased. The sun is still in hiding somewhere. But the wind is up. By knots I gather. That is reason enough for me to be...to be... Wednesday, I witnessed how makciks [who claimed they are suffering from athritis and rheumatism, asthma and shortness of breath and everything else that falls between] jostle one another in their eagerness to grab the best deals at Anglia! And in their excitement, managed to knock me off my axis of balance several times! Anglia's great sale was great! It was unfortunate that the space constaint brought me great pain. But not before I gained 5 tops! My card had a good time! Wednesday did not end there. Orchard was my next target. Well, I was only following orders. These voices in my head. Orchard was madness. All I could make out were heads. And SMRT chose a great time to shut the entrance to Wisma from Orchard station. Us bozzos had to go up, walk, go down, and go down again to reach the entrance to Wisma! I blocked faces, smell and noise. Too overwhelming! By the time I made my way to Far East, my legs were giving way. But the voices were too loud I was left with no choice. Everything was enticing but my well-developed sense of control won the battle. But not before putting on a tough fight. Well, a belt and 2 tubes that landed in my bag were essentials! When my butt made its emergency landing in one of the plush sofa at Gelare, I was almost thankful that it there that my legs falter! Anywhere else would be... I downed my iced mocha, and took notice of the snaking queue behind me. Taiwan Street Snacks and British Take-Aways! The smell though heavenly, was filtered out of my system with great reluctance! I landed up in a Mercedes cab and my goD I almost didn't want to leave when the uncle drove up to my place. Thursday came all set with lightning and thunder. I pulled my blankets closer around me and then realized that I had a rendevous. VivoCity. Blunder Alert: I was already 45 minutes late and I had to miss my stop at Dhoby Ghaut. How foolish! I had a deja-vu attack as soon as we stepped into the place. People were thronging the place, laden with bags of goodies. And those prams!! Someone should outlaw prams in public places!! They are more of a menace than the informercials on public alert. And I don't even want to get started on the bawling babies. The queue at the cineplex went past pageOne. Naturally, we had to abandon plan to douse ourselves in a little humor Ben-Stiller style. And all the while my pink heels were silently murdering my feet. Entry into pageOne after a lot of senseless walking did knock sense into us. Well at least we were looking at things that were...sensible?? I want to live in a loft! With a walk-in wardrobe. French windows! Lots of wood. And cement floors! Lots of drapes in purple tones! Sigh! Nokia 7290 was sold out! Everywhere. And Vivo is pathetic when it comes to mobilephone shops! Go work on that! But pathetic as it was, I got myself Lancome's Hypnose. Smell was hypnotic. I was hypnotised so obviously the salesgirl took advantage of me. Orchard beckoned to us and before we knew it we walking out into Orchard MRT. Up and down and down again we went into the open arms of Wisma. Kino turned out to be a disappointment for me. Elizabeth Bear's novel wasn't available and I didn't want to go through the hassle of ordering it through them. So I had to leave empty handed. And just as it was on Wednesday, I landed up in a cab again.
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| posted by andariel @ 11:48 PM |
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| Wednesday, December 20, 2006 |
Blogdup
What the shit is happening? |
| posted by andariel @ 12:13 AM |
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| Rain, pain |
| Tuesday, December 19, 2006 |
Its still pouring out there! Dark, heavy clouds are hovering close above, pregnant with condensed air. Sigh...I've to put off my plan to go out yet again. Take heart. It will soon be over. Will it not? |
| posted by andariel @ 3:20 PM |
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| Pitter, patter VS click, click |
| Monday, December 18, 2006 |
[AndarieL] It has been pouring since dawn, even as I'm typing the rain is showing no signs of letting off. The icy breeze (ok, ok I am exaggerating just a little bit but it was freezing) was a nice change from the humid air that is synonomous with our tropical island. But, the pattering of rain did nothing to dampen my mood for shopping. Aha, I spent the entire day (almost!) checking out so many things ONLINE! Thank god for the genius who brought us the Internet. [Screen:Yahoo Auctions] NWT AUTHENTIC COACH SIGNATURE BLACK SWING PACK HANDBAG NWT, Authentic Coach Sig Mini Skinny (Brown) * Free Postage Authentic COACH Vintage Signature Wristlet ... ... ...
[AndarieL] I must have spent my entire bonus in just one afternoon!! At home!! Arrgghh!! |
| posted by andariel @ 7:57 PM |
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| It's 'Hari Raya and block party' but everything is done in Chinese |
| Sunday, December 17, 2006 |
That complaint sits very comfortably within the context of our multi-racial society. Don't get me wrong. I am not proud of it, nor am I going to point fingers at anyone in particular. Most of us, sink back into our comfort zone of racial enclaves when we go about our daily routine. No doubt, we acknowledge English as the official language of communication. Unfortunately, mindset is a complex matter. Familiarity tend to overpower the need to be sensitive to others. Being part of the minority group in Singapore, I have found myself in such a situation more than I like to be. I find myself lost when they communicate eagerly in their native language. And I have voiced out my concern to them. They apologise profusely and promise not to repeat that mistake. But the next minute they go back to doing the same thing. I have since given up on my attempts to correct them. I just slink back, keep my mouth shut and wait until they come to their own realisation. I have always shunned block parties and gatherings for fear of being trapped in that very situation. And it is not only in social gatherings that they step over the line of racial tolerance. Official meetings and important discussions between colleagues are sometimes also conducted partly in that language. And that insensitivity really gets to me. In quiet retaliation, I put on a mask, one that is passive, cold, almost resentful towards them. My meek attempt to hide any helplessness inside. [Based on an article found in the Straits Times Online Forum] |
| posted by andariel @ 10:48 AM |
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| Beautiful Bali |
| Friday, December 15, 2006 |
Bali was picturesque. Idyllic. Magical. From majestic cliffs. To mountainous locations. Sandy white beaches. Down to the clear blue ocean. Big waves. Amazing sunset views. Patches after patches of paddy fields. Untouched nature at its best.
Day 1 We arrived on the 5th December 2006, greeted by the humble view of Ngurah Rai Airport. I was quite unnerved when we exited from the airport as we were welcomed by hordes of guides; awaiting to pick guests to the island. It didn't help that my guide was holding up a placard with my father's name written in bold. Day 2 Made our way to Taman Werdi Arts Centre in the morning. It is amazing how things in Bali look totally ancient when some of the buildings have only been around for less than a quarter of a century! Back to Kuta Square, the hub of surfing paradise for lunch. In the evening, we travelled to Uluwatu to witness the temple by the cliff. The view was amazing! The only thing that marred the experience; I developed a HUGE phobia for monkeys! I shall say no more. Jimbaran Bay was our last stop for the day where we had our dinner. Lovely sunset view while we sat by the beach, awaiting dinner to be served. My only gruise was, did they serve turtle meat to us that night? I swore it tasted lovely!!
Uluwatu
Jimbaran Bay
Day 3
It turned out to be the busiest of days. We headed out early. Breakfast at the Samudera Restaurant, witnessing the early morning activities alongside Kuta, melodically attuned to the rise and fall of the waves of the ocean. We were quite content to gaze at the views that were rushing past us as we sit back in the rickity van to our very first Barong Dance. Oh, that was quite an eye-opener. The finale saw a group of men (who were invinicible) stab themselves with the keris without such much a flinch. We were driven up through a series of winding, not to mention extremely narrow roads to get to Kintamani where I viewed my very first, a living, not to mention active volcano (Last erupted 6 years ago!). Mount Batur that was surrounded by the biggest lake in Indonesia, Danau Batur. The cool breeze that blew right at us when we got down our van was welcoming. We had an early lunch at the Wira Jaya Restaurant, ideally located in front of Mount Batur. Never mind the swarming houseflies. The view and fresh mountain air was more than I could ever asked for. As we descended the mountain we made a few stops at the various cottage industries [Kerajinan batik, Kerajinan perak, Bali Coffee] before we made our final stop for the day at Kesiman for the Kecak Dance. We arrived a whooping 1 hour earlier than expected. Pak Aerya brought us to the nearby paddy field and it still hadn't sunk in that I was presented with the opportunity to spend that few moments in a paddy field, by the busy village road spersed only with the occassional sounds of the birds chirping and the local dog whimpering. We got back on the road and sat on the 'ambin' slurping our drinks eagerly (or at least I was!). The dance began shortly after 6:30 pm and as the sun set and the silhouette of the banana trees became highlighted on the darkening skies we were slowly tranced by the rhythmic voices of the performers. Day 4 I could hardly move my limbs and was somewhat bitter that I had to leave the comfort of my bed. We had to clear the room by 12 pm. The plan for the day? We were clueless. We headed out into the scorching heat of Bali in search of Warung Made. I was drowning in my own sweat when we finally found what we were hunting for. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant serves pork and as much as I was desperate to sink my teeth in something, pork burger did not sound too appealing! We resumed our little exploration of place beyond Kuta Square. A little luck brought us face to face with this kind driver who was more than eager to bring us on a short tour of Legian and Seminyak. We cruised around before deciding to settle into the comforts of Pizza Hut, situated along Jalan Pantai Kuta where we spend our last day in Bali pigging out. |
| posted by andariel @ 5:05 PM |
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| Does your momma know you blog? [BlogTV.sg] |
| Thursday, December 14, 2006 |
It really depends on the nature of the blog. I mean. Sift through the array of blogs swirling in cyberspace. You get a million and one things; trashy or precious posted each day. TEENAGERS vs PARENTS Mommy's and daddy's alike. They have a penchant for things that they strongly feel are signs of their kids turning astray. When their kids turn to locking themselves up in their room clicking away at the keyboard? "Aha! My kid's surfing porn! Chatting up potential sex partners! That has got to stop!" Even when their kids are not guilty of such charges, parents tend to develop paranoia. They assume things. They measure situations based on their own standards. This will definitely not sit well with kids. Especially teenagers. But no one (except their teenage children) have any good reason to blame them for being that way. Having to shoulder the consequences of any misgivings of the child means that they will be preemptive in their moves. This will immediately result in them being in opposite poles from their teenage children. Most teenagers are going through a tumultous journey in life. (Having been through that very seat once!) They want to explore. Venture into what they think is the unknown. Do what they deem exciting. Being under the constant surveillance by parents will stifle them. They will look for alternative channels for release. In the technologically advanced state we are in, they can pick out any means that suit their needs. Blogging seem to be one of the many tools that allow them to do just that. It is no surprise that most of them will want to keep it personal. At least out of the grasp of their parents. They tinker with the blog. They give it names that will make them stand out from the rest. They post pictures that sometimes make their parents flush in a crimson shade. They highlight daily doses that puts them on a high. AND they get positive reviews from their peers through the tag-boards. I mean what else can they ask for. It is the one place that they hold the trident to rule. It would be crazy to let their parents in on that haven! I feel that parents should allow them that space. It is their perogative. Sometimes, jugdements are passed too quickly that we tend to overlook things that may be the key to a good parent-child relationship. CHILDREN vs PARENTS I do value my privacy. Yes, I do not shut them up completely from my life but I keep certain things to myself. Not in spite. Neither am I scared of the consequences should they stumble upon these things. It is in these things that I learn to be myself. To be responsible over my actions. Away from the reach of my parents. Maybe blogging may sound trivial to some. But it can be a good platform from which one can take off in life. Go figure! |
| posted by andariel @ 9:05 PM |
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| Train Menace Alert! |
| Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |
[12th Dec 2006][12:01 pm][South-bound train] With public transport, what you get is everything on the platter. Except comfort. Somehow, such unpleasant experiences more often than not choose to present themselves whenever I'm around. So there I was minding my own business, armed with my Ipod when a bumbling figure of a male in a dopey checkered shirt suddenly rushed in with all madness to look for a seat. In all eagerness, he knocked over two kids, kicked my shoes and left a waft of unplesant air among the commuters. (or so I gathered) If he was old [by old I meant that age group who qualify for the subsidised transport fares], I would have perfectly understood his situation. To get a seat before his athritic muscles or rheumatic bones crumble beneath his weight. That would really have made a lot more sense. That bumbling menace managed to secure a seat when the train pulled into Khatib. Thank god for that cause I swear he was eyeing my seat! The train moved on smoothly again and whatever foul air that man brought with him dissipated. But it wasn't for long. AAaaaaaCHHOOOOOOOOOOOO! I was jolted back into the reality - the train was now sneaking smoothly underground. No surprise! It was that menace again. Displaying his vocal prowess although confined to only the syallbles Aaaa and Chhooo. That was the loudest, most terrfying sneeze I have ever heard in a public transport! I can still feel the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up in fear! As if that wasn't enough to convince all of us in that carriage that he deserves to win the Most Notorious Commuter award, he proceeded to produce the loudest burp ever before sinking into deep slumber! Oh my god! I cannot describe his atrocity enough. |
| posted by andariel @ 11:31 AM |
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| December Goodies |
| Monday, December 11, 2006 |
[Sms sent on the 10th December] AGD CPO/AGD: We will be crediting $xxxx.xx [salary for Dec] into your bank account on 12 Dec 2006. [AndarieL: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!] [10+ am on a weekday so far...] "Bangunlah, jom breakfast" (Get up, have your breakfast ya...) [AndarieL: Grunts and falls back into deep slumber. No snooze calls!!!] [Regular smses that almost always sounds like this] We meet up today ok!! Shopping? Coffee? Movie? :> [AndarieL: Whenever you are free!!!] [Official email] Your SchemeOfWork was due on 4th December 2006. [AndarieL: Deletes the email and feigns total ignorance.]
Unfortunately work is looming right over my head. My task list is quite ready to impose itself. Work's starting in about 2 weeks. What?? 2 weeks!!! |
| posted by andariel @ 12:50 PM |
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| The Taxi Driver And The Tale Of A Chinese Wedding |
| Sunday, December 03, 2006 |
I was dreading another annoying conversation with the taxi driver. Yesterday after attending a colleague's wedding, I took a cab home. He sparked off the conversation. "This karaoke bar ah, not cheap leh. $40, 000 a night! My friend kena!" My eyes grew big. Wide enough to scare the moon away. But, at least it was something I wanted to know more of. I ain't the least interested to spend that amount of course. It was the urge to know more that I decided to fuel the conversation to the next stage. "Wah! So much!?!" He went on with the story. "He businessman one. Open 12 bottles. One bottle about $480. Then, the girls also charge high. One girl ah, only sing sing; $38 one hour. They were there whole night!" I took kindly to his story. "Me? I go K-Box can ah. Ask my wife sing!" Hahaha. I made a mental note to ask for his number. I patronise K-Box too. And I can sing. Maybe I can wind up with something from this conversation. Hahaha. NOT! Silence. I stared out the window. To spend $400 is extravagant. Not to mention a painful parting. Some people have it good in this life. "He businessman. Can spend ah. We normal people. Cannot ah." "Dream also hard ah!" I added, with what sounded like a miserable tone. "You come back from wedding ah miss? Chinese wedding? Wah, expensive ah!" You can put that on repeat mode. No offence to anyone, but Chinese wedding more often than not burns a big black hole in my pocket. The monetary gift aside, I have to fork out transport fare. Taxi naturally. To and from the venue. I have to get clothes too. I mean, it is a glitzy affair. I do have a reputation to live up too!! "My marriage ah. I think 4 years ago. But lucky. My dinner at Penang. Malaysian ringgit. Cheap ah. Mother-in-law also kind. Never take all the money given. Or else also can die. I spend about RM40, 000. Not bad already. I have a friend ah. Wedding album alone he pay $9000!" I choked on my saliva. "Then, after 1 year, divorce!" I felt nauseous at that point. Love does make one foolish. Only on hindsight would the actions bear its ugly fangs. The taxi driver, all of 40 years old droned on. "Now, I got 2 kids. One 3 years old. Boy, 1 year old. Drink milk only I have to work extra hard! At night also cannot sleep. Baby cry mah." This man takes on his responsibility well. I am honored to be riding in his cab. Lucky wifey to get him. What he lacks in looks he more than made up for it in other areas. |
| posted by andariel @ 11:25 PM |
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