The Finale Cometh

The time has come. The quieter-than-usual library stirs up chatter and whispers of frantic prayer with study guides laid in front on individuals, as clean as mountain spring water ready to be mud with lashes of ink. Time spent staying up all night hanging out and internet surfing is now channeled to slaving to pages and pages of information.

Finals is just around the corner. Next week, to be precise. 

Coming from country where people are stereotyped to be "smart" and extremely hardworking because of our Asian descent. it's ironic that I am not. People assume that we are always prepared by the time finals come around we have to spend less time preparing. 

Wrong!

The truth is, we are just as unprepared as the rest of us. Students, the majority are alike. Procrastination is intrinsic. 

In fact, the reason why I came to America to study is because of the way the education system functions. In the American system, finals are often not accumulative and course work and attendance and participation is integrated in the final grade. For the British system, 90% of your final grade often leans on ONE day. If you mess up, you're done for. No extra credit. No way of making up the grade. 

I feel smart for not putting all my eggs in one basket. But that also means that I cannot afford to slack all semester as I used to do in school. this system keeps me consistent and going all semester, which I prefer. 

For now, I can roughly figure out my grades and I am happy. But finals can always turn the tables on the grades. Therefore, I am going to study now, maybe. 

Things I never knew about Malaysia

Recently I had to do research on a country for my International Media class. I picked an obvious country, Malaysia because I thought that it would probably be an easy task. I was wrong. I realized how little I knew about my country. I made up a list of things I realized I didn't know.

1) The population - 28,859,154
2) The land mass - 329,874 sq km (127,350 sq mi)
3)Racial breakdown

Malay - 50.4%
Chinese - 23.7%
Indian - 7.1%
Indigenous - 11.0%

I never realized how small the Indian community was in Malaysia.

4) Religion breakdown

Islam - 64.4%
Buddhism - 17.8%
Christianity - 9.2%
Hinduism - 6.3%

Another fact that surprised me was the number of foreign radio frequencies in Malaysia. I never even knew that Malaysian broadcasted foreign radio stations.

There are stations from Thailand, Vietnam, and even Britain.

To be honest, I am also reminded that I have forgotten a good chunk of Malaysian history. I have always pride myself in knowing that I knew a lot about Malaysia. Well, as the saying goes, "pride comes before a fall". I think that this research has humbled me and have taught me so many things. I am very honored to be from a country that has such rich history and I hope to learn more about it and share.

Malaysia Boleh!

The International Festival blasted itself at the NUC last Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.Being from Malaysia (I am not bias at all) think that the Malaysians did the best and I am very proud of them. Overall, we won second.

Malaysia Boleh! (Famous Malaysian slogan for "Malaysia can") -- Now that I think of it, maybe Obama stole it from us (Yes we can?) Hmm... I would have to get back on that.

Anyway, I thought that the festival went very well. Kudos to the International Student Council for pulling off a memorable event. The array of colors and east-meets-west diversity was stunning. The food was really good too, probably the highlight of the event.

Performances were good, some countries obviously better than others. *coughmalaysiacough*. All was good until the infamous-played-as-many-times-as-the-number-of-women-tiger-woods-cheated-on-his-wife-with-times-a-thousand Gangnam style was performed by the Korean Student Association.

I think that Psy needs other inspiration. The world needs a rest from Gangnam. Maybe we should all give our full attention to Justin Bieberthe bombing in Gaza.

Kim Do Yeon, a senior in Advertising was part of the horse-riding party.

"Yes, I think that the Gangnam style is overplayed but who cares? It's fun and while it's hot let's just get op op op op oppa Gangnam style!"

I know I should have probably gotten a better quote, but life happens. :)

All in all, it was a great day. It was honestly fun sharing the culture with others. I was actually surprised at the amount of knowledge I know about my country. It's been years since I have studied Malaysian history. I guess you just don't know how much you know until you are asked. Foreign people just bring it out! The International Festival was a great effort and should be done every year!

Petra holding a "kompang", a traditional Malay slap drum. I am wearing a fisherman's hat and a "baju batik" (silk shirt). The Baju Batik is an outfit usually worn at Malay and government functions and events. It is really light and comfortable.

The folks from Malaysia performing a traditional Malaysian dance called the "dikir barat". This dance is believed to be able to ward off evil spirits.



I can't wait til the next one!

Kenya believe she's Indian?

This will be the last story on my fun-more-unique-than-the-other-international-students-here-at-UCO-(sorry-guys) series! I wish I could get them all but I only have so much time. Anyway, this international hails all the way from Kenya. However, she is from an Indian descent. Here is her story.

“My best friend is African American, I have a white boyfriend, and the people here I associate as my family are Indians.”

Satnam Aildasani, an 18-year-old actuarial science freshman, hails from Kenya, Africa where she grew up. Ethnically, she is Indian but her nationality is African. According to her family history, Aildasani is a third generation Kenyan on her father’s side and fourth on her mother’s side.

English is one of the six languages that she speaks. Aildasani also speaks Swahili, an African language, and Hindi, Zindhi, Gujrati and Punjabi, Indian languages.

“One side of my grandparents speak Hindi and Zhindhi, and the other side speak Gujrati and Punjabi. That is the reason why I grew up learning multiple languages at once.”

 Aildasani admits to loving being so diverse. She feels that she has learned to interact with different kinds of people without much difficulty.

“I would say that I have it all. I feel I can be social with every ethnicity and relate with many on a personal level.”

Aildasani also explains that she speaks in a British-Kenyan accent. She grew up with the British education system in Kenya. In addition, her brother is attending school in London and she has been there many times.

Aildasani is Senator for the African Student Association and is taking part in the coming Miss Black UCO pageant. She says that she considers herself Kenyan but also appreciates her Indian roots. In fact, she wanted to join the Miss Asian UCO pageant but missed the deadline.

“I don’t have a preference. I do not mind being Black and Indian. That is just who I am. There is no sense in tearing apart these two because this is what I am made up of. I even have an Indian family here”.

Aildasani recalls the story of how she was first acquainted with the people she now calls her family.

“My father came here with me for orientation. He met an Indian family whose son is also taking actuarial science. The son invited me for Indian food at his home and there was where I met his family and other Indian families.”

Although she has strong ties with the Indian community here in the U.S., Kenya will always be her home.

“Kenya’s weather is perfect – not too hot and not too cold. It is so beautiful and most of my family is there. My childhood is there and I cannot leave it behind”.

She also speaks of the misconception of Americans toward her beloved country.

“Kenya is very developed. It is not as Americans quote, ‘Jungle Book.’ We have houses and Internet. We have cell phones and we know how to use them. We don’t ride elephants to school and we don’t have tigers as pets. Yes, we speak English. Kenya has the best of both worlds. There is the developed side and the undeveloped side. I get the privilege to experience both.”

Aildasani says that she has no trouble juggling between cultures to adapt.

“I find no difference. Everyone’s the same. I don’t have to change because bottom line is, we are all human. It does not really matter to me. I am just thankful to be a part of different cultures all at the same time”.

Malaysian Feet, American Soil

Here's another story of an international student from a country that I am very proud to call home!

“Yes, I am a Malaysian. But I’ve been here for so long, I guess I can’t really call myself a Malaysian. I have been Americanized”.

Rajiv Arumai Thurai has been in the states for the past decade and will graduate with a degree in Nutrition from UCO this coming May.

At age 13, his aunt adopted him from his parents and brought him here when she got a job as a nurse.

Growing up, Thurai refers himself as a sentimental person. During his teenage years, he would write and use poetry as a means to express himself to girls. However, after having sudden interest in soccer, his poetic hobby faded away.

“When you play soccer, you have friends, teamwork, and family. Everyone was like my brothers and sisters and we’re all like one big family. So I guess that’s why I play soccer. Its not a single sports it’s a teamwork.”

        
                         Rajiv, posing with his favorite soccer team's banner.

Thurai is of mixed parentage. After his parents’ divorce, he lived with relatives on his father’s side, which influenced his traditional and cultural views. He speaks four out of five languages fluently. They are English, Malay, the national language of Malaysia,   , a Chinese dialect, Hindi, an Indian dialect, and he took four years of Spanish in high school in the U.S.

“My real mum is Chinese and my dad is Indian. So I’m what Malaysians would call, a Chindian. But religion wise, I’ve been with my dad’s side until today. So Hinduism is what I followed.”

Being in the U.S. for so long, Thurai claims to have caught on some of the American values but has also preserved some of his Asian values.

“I have to say I never changed my Malaysian values. Or maybe I don’t really follow any value at all. I’m still staying with my ‘mum’ until now because she’s single. So you can say I have a mixture of both American and Malaysian value. Yes, she’s [aunt that adopted him] not my real mum but she has been taking care of me for 24 years.”

Since his sophomore year at UCO, he has been spending more time with Malaysians, which he feels has been bringing him back to his Malaysian roots.

“When I first came to UCO, I did not hang out with Malaysians a lot. I hung out more with the Americans and Europeans. But then I went to the International Festival in my sophomore year. That was when I first met Malaysians and that’s when I started to hang out with them more. They accepted me too. When they accepted you, you tend to hang out with them more.”

Thurai believes that interaction is inevitable in the world today and people should learn to be more accepting of all.

“It’s not good if you just interact with one race. The reason for that is because life takes you to a big open road. It takes a bunch of things to pile them up and see how your life was. I like to see my life to be a mixture of friends from different parts of world. It’s not about being friends with your own race. That is why I’m friends with everyone here in UCO.”

Same feet, different paths

Recently, I have had the privilege of interviewing a few interesting people. These individuals have one thing in common - They are are all very well travelled and have interesting diverse backgrounds. It just amazes me how small and integrated the world has become.

The first person I interviewed was Thomas Coudron. This is his story.

“I am French with an English mom, so that’s where my British accent comes from.” 

Thomas Coudron finds himself having to explain himself often, at disbelief of his French nationality.

After just turning 22 in October, Coudron is pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). Coudron earned a degree from France called Bachelor’s International, a general business degree. He was at UCO two years ago as an exchange student as part of his degree requirement to study abroad and is now back at UCO.

Coudron had different reasons for returning to UCO, but the main concern was for someone special. 

“I got a girlfriend when I was here, so I decided to come back. It’s hard to find a job from abroad in the U.S. because of paperwork and visa issues. So I discussed with my dad, and concluded that the second option was to continue my studies in MBA.”

Growing up in France, where English is not spoken as much, Coudron finds himself most fortunate to have an English mother. 

“It’s pretty cool growing up with a British mom, and a French dad is pretty cool.  It has given me a tremendous advantage as English is one of the languages spoken the most. I have never studied for an English test or anything.  It lets me concentrate on other stuff. I thank my parents every day for that.”

However, Coudron expressed the downside at the expectations of growing up half-British.

“People think you’re a dictionary, and you can translate anything, whenever. It’s kind of irritating because they ask for one word, and depending on the setting, the sentence, it’s not going to be the same. So they say, ‘Oh, you’re not British because you didn’t give me the right word, you didn’t give me the right setting.’ It’s quite frustrating because I didn’t really have to learn all that stuff, it just came naturally to me. People don’t understand that. If you don’t experience, you don’t know and people don’t get that.”  

       
                                                                                                          Thomas (left), holding a British flag

Although Coudron speaks the Queen’s English, he still identifies himself as French, especially where sports are concerned. He does not see it as a problem being adaptable. He even sometimes gives people what they want.

“I consider myself French. I’ve been French. I define myself French first, especially in sports, supporting a team. I’ll be French in that case. It’s strange because I also go the way people see and perceive me. When people see me here, they don’t think me as French, they think me as British because of my accent. It’s just the way it is. I don’t think too much of it. I just go with it. They seem happy too, to think I’m British. I consider myself more British when I’m outside of France. If I’m in France, it comes back naturally.”

Coudron finds adaptability very important, especially with the world getting more diverse and travel being so easy. Having spent three and a half months in Madrid, Spain, five and a half months in the south side of England, and a year in the states, Coudron feels that the world is different but at the same time, not that different. 

“There is no universal wrong or right. You just have to understand what is going on around you. I think I’m open minded and I can joke about pretty much anything, but when I’m in the U.S., I can’t make too many religious jokes because people won’t necessarily understand it as that way. Stuff I do here, I don’t do there and vice versa. Knowing your environment and being able to analyze and recognizing the person in front of you is key.”

As for the future, Coudron is still not decided on where he is going to end up. He thinks that family would be a huge factor in settling down. 

“I don’t fix my mind on a particular geography. I’m glad I was raised the way I was, because I have learned so much culturally. I consider myself very lucky.  It’s amazing to be able to have two great languages to solve life with. It’s a great advantage.”

And there she floats aslumber,
Snuggled in the waves of coziness,
Safe in a sea of comfort,
Like a buoy bobbing serenely, resting on the open waters,
Her head sinking into blissful oblivion,
Mind drifting into ethereal consciousness,
Peaceful breaths calmly against the pool of blankets,
Like the quiet breeze against the white sails of a boat,
Her gentle snores like a gurgling stream

Mervyn C.

Changed man

Scanning oneself in the mirror,
Scanning from head to toe,
For blemishes and asymmetry,
For scars and imperfect shapes,
Dissatisfied with what he sees on the other side,
Dissatisfied with what they see on his side,
Always wishing, always hoping,
Always asking, always wondering
Why God could not have delivered better,
Why God could not had been kinder,
With everything He has made beautiful,
With everything prettier than everything else.


Growing up, I have always had image issues. People always told me I was never going to be good enough. Comparison was a game I played every minute of every day.

Looking back, it's encouraging to see how much I have grown. I was cleaning my room the other day and came across this poem I had written for my Creative Writing class three years ago. Now I have a new motto.


There my reflection I still see,
But no longer just pity old me,
True, I am not perfect, I still have my flaws,
But I now live not under others' inconsistent laws.
How I am today really might not be that different,
But God told me, "In your weakness, I AM sufficient."
Not because of what I have done, or have ever tried to be,
But because of the fact that Jesus died for me.
I sometimes still look at the blemishes and asymmetry,
But He reminds, "my son, you are made fearfully and wonderfully"
How can I not praise and sing and praise again,
But of the majestic and how great His Name,
For who else can save me from my sin?
But in Jesus Name, I choose to surrender in.

An Englishman comes to UCO

Alan Smith is many things. He is an Englishman, he is a husband and a father. He is a teacher at South Western University in England. However, Alan is also a storyteller. He is a journalist. 

Alan started his journalism career late in life. It all began when someone else had written a feature article about him. He saw his name printed in the paper and said, “I can do this.” He realized that he too wanted to be writing others’ stories.

A unique part of this man is the fact that he spends time at the prison cells in England listening to the inmates and writing their stories. Initially, pitched the idea to a newspaper but got very little for his prison stories. Alan then landed with the Guardian newspaper who promised four times the pay than the previous newspaper. Alan is now a freelance writer at the Guardian with over seventy prison stories.

Alan says that the prison is full of interesting stories, with rapists, murderers, bank robbers, and criminals. However, Alan takes a different approach as people might think.

“The country is lining up to bad mouth prisoners. They don’t need my help.  My job is to show how intelligent and witty and how they were good men at one time”, Smith said.

Alan relates a prisoner who shares his first name, where the prisoner had done horrendous misdeeds but is still very sensitive and charming and human. Alan also talks about another who played the violin beautifully. For his story, Alan chose to focus on the violin and the music in the prisoner, instead of what brought him in.

“Don’t write for nothing. If you don’t write for anything, aim to write to be published. If they don’t pay you to write, they don’t value you. Any fool can say you write wonderfully”.

This quote really struck me.  Everything has a price. And that includes writing. I never minded not getting paid for writing before, just because the thrill of seeing my name printed far outweighs the money I might be getting. However, what Alan says does make sense. Any fool can say you write wonderfully.

Also, Alan stressed the importance of having good grammar.

“If you’re too stupid to use an apostrophe, you’re too stupid to earn a degree from this university”.

Alan says that bad grammar ruins an article. If we cannot put a correct sentence together, it does not really matter how good the content is. People will be turned off.

I will say that this has been a long pet peeve of mine, and I am very happy to have “professional support”.  

A Lesson on Manglish (Malaysian English or Mangled English)

Despite being traditionally based on British English , Manglish (Malaysian English) has been strongly influenced by American English. I have come to realize that Malaysians are unaware of the differences between British and American English (I just use spell check on EVERYTHING!). 

For example, centre (British) is typically spelled center (American), although colour and color are used interchangeably. In schools and in the print media, Malaysians default to spelling the British way, i.e. "vapour" instead of "vapor" and"organise" instead of "organize"

It can often be confusing, as Malaysians tend to omit articles and anything they deem unnecessary to a sentence. In other words, keep it short and sweet!

Here are a few examples:

Malaysian                                                              American

Why you so like that one?                                       Why are you behaving in that way?

Eat, eat, eat.                                                          Go on and have your meal.

Eh, faster lah.                                                        Can you please pick up the pace?

You can or not?                                                      Can you do it or not?

Vocabulary also varies tremendously.

Word / Phrase	American / British meaning	Malaysian meaning
@	short for 'at'	an indicator that the name following is a nickname or alias, usually used by Chinese, e.g. for Tan Siew Khoon @ Jimmy, his nickname/alias is Jimmy. However, with the increased use of e-mail in recent years, especially in urban and demographically younger areas, the primary meaning of the symbol is now the same as in British/American English.
driver	anybody who drives / is driving	a personal chauffeur. The wealthy and the elite often employ a "driver" who is essentially a butler that also doubles up as a chauffeur.
last time	on the previous occurrence	previously (often used instead of "used to", for example: "Last time I was a manager" when the meaning is "I used to be a manager")
a parking lot	a parking garage (from US English)	a parking space, e.g. "That new shopping mall has five hundred parking lots."
photostat	a historical copying machine using a camera and photographic paper, which was superseded by the photocopier.	a photocopier; also used as a verb meaning "to photocopy"
slang	informal spoken language, often unique to a particular country or social group	accent, e.g. "I cannot understand your slang", when the real meaning is "I cannot understand your accent"
an alphabet	a set of letters used in a language	a letter of the alphabet, e.g. "The word 'table' has five alphabets."
bungalow	A small house or cottage usually having a single storey and sometimes an additional attic story that is free standing, i.e. not conjoined with another unit.	A mansion for the rich and/or famous; or a fully detached house, regardless of the number of floors it has. Lately, some housing developers have taken to using terms such as "semi-detached bungalow".
to follow	to go directly after e.g. "John is driving; follow him", means go in your own car, behind John's car	to go with, accompany e.g. to go with John in his car.

  (Wikipedia, you hit the nail right on the head with these examples!)

Just doing research on all these has brought back so many memories. I suddenly feel i've been put on familiar ground again. Nothing can express how grateful I am to be Malaysian! 

The Adorable Lah - Authentically Malaysian

If you are walking the streets of London or sipping coffee at a sidewalk cafe somewhere in Paris, and you hear in plain English, 

"So expensive-lah" or "So hot-lah", just turn around in the direction of the voice and I guarantee you that ten out of ten, the person who just dotted his or her sentence with a lah is Malaysian. 

If you are feeling homesick in a foreign land and suddenly you overhear a conversation full of Yes-lahs and No-lahs, your homesickness can be assuaged for it sounds just like home and the speakers can only be Malaysians (or Singaporians, which is close enough when you're homesick!). 

Just where did this lah come from and how did it creep into the English spoken by Malaysians? It is inevitable that Malaysians, living in a multi-lingual, multi-cultural setting will inter-borrow phrases and expressions from one language to another. Thus the very unique lah, used only in this part of the world (Malaysia and Singapore), could have originated from Malay, or any of the local dialects or languages.

Only a Malaysian born and bred in this country will know how to use the lah. A Malaysian who has been away for a while can slip back into using it quite comfortably but a Malaysian who has been away for a long time, say, seven to ten years, with little contact with fellow Malaysians, may find great difficulty as to exactly when to pepper his speech with lah. Just going lah, lah, lah every first or third word doesn't quite qualify. Malaysians will be able to sniff you out in a second and tell that somehow, sorry-lah, you just don't make the grade. 
For example, try saying the following sentence aloud:

"I-lah tell you-lah how-lah many times-lah but-lah you never-lah listen."
Any true blue-blooded Malaysian would cringe and tell straight-away that any person who speaks like that is an impostor.

Foreigners newly arrived in this country will find it quite baffling at first. Sure, these Malaysians are speaking English but what on earth is that strange musical note that they place at the end of their sentences every so often?? It does take some getting used to. An article in the Malaysian Trade Quarterly (Jan-March 1995) states that many foreigners have the mistaken notion that adding a lah to the end of every sentence lets them get away with a fairly good impression of a Malaysian accent.

This is hardly the case. The use of lah is, in fact, quite an art for those who were not born into the language. Here are a few sophisticated variations of its use:

"No fun-lah, you!" (You're really no fun at all!)
"You see-lah, like that also you cannot do!" (Can't you even do such a simple thing?)
What are the functions of the lah? What are the rules regarding its usage? How would you teach your orang puteh friend or spouse how to use the lah if he demands desperately for some help along the way ? Well, I'm afraid one can't learn it formally. Like sambal belacan or cincalok, it's an acquired taste. You've got to be around for sometime, and gradually you'll acquire a taste for it.

If you think the lah is baffling enough as it is, Malaysians have more tail words up their sleeves or in this case, off their tongues. A great favorite is the 'aaa', which has an entire repertoire of meanings, depending on how it is used. A simple 'thank you' to a Malaysian may sound too curt and most Malaysians, in informal settings, would prefer to say 'thank you-aaa' as it sounds softer and friendlier. A 'Yes lah' and a 'Yes-aaa' response are also subtly different in meanings.

If someone were to ask you a question such as, "Are you coming along?", a 'Yes-aaa' response would be inappropriate whereas a 'Yes-lah' response would be acceptable.

If your friend informed you that he's bought a brand new car, then a "Yes-aaa" response would be fine, meaning "Oh really?" The "yes-aaa" could cover a whole gamut of responses ranging from being a question to a reply dripping in sarcasm depending on the intonation.

Another popular tail word is one, as in,
"I don't know what to say-lah. This kind of things very hard to say one." or
"I'm so fed-up one, you know. I explain how many times in simple English, still cannot get through one."

Sometimes if you use one once too often, it can backfire. Your listener may find it hard to resist and may pun on your one. For example:

Lady: "I don't want one, but he wants so what can I do?"
Friend: "You don't want one aaa, but you want two, yes or not?"

Yet another tail word is man, as in "I say, man. Long time no see" or "I donno, man." This is an interesting adaptation from American culture rather than an influence of the mother tongues. Malaysians can add man to any sentence arbitrarily and even to exclamations such as "Wah man! Solid!"

To confuse things further, sometimes, Malaysians don't use single but double tail words at the end of a sentence, for example, "He's so bodoh (stupid) one lah!" or "Why your dressing so Ah Beng one-aaa?"

And sometimes tail words do not appear at the end of sentences but somewhere in the middle, such as in sentences where the subject is delayed, for example: "So action one man he!" or "Terror one lah she!"

Malaysians generally speak two types of English -- proper English particularly in business and professional settings, and Malaysian English with its charming and unique expressions. 

Just as the French have their oo-la-la, the Italians their Mama-mia, and the English, endearing expressions like "By Jove" or "Well, jolly good", may our Malaysian lah live a long and healthy life! Say yes-lah to that! 

A Matter of Time

Time -  Plan, schedule or arrange (when) something should happen or be done. 

It's funny how different cultures view time differently. Some cultures see it as rude to be too early. Others see it rude to be late. Some expect you to be late.

In America, events generally start on time. People are expected to be on time at events. In Malaysia, everyone is expected to be late. 

Never trust a Malaysian when he or she says, "I'm on my way". BE SURE to clarify their definition of "on the way" because more often than not, they probably have not even left for the destination.

Even at formal meetings and events, Malaysians generally take the "grace period" of 20 minutes. 

For example, if a wedding dinner is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. and you are there anywhere before 8 p.m., be prepared to be full on peanuts  or tea by the time the first meal is ever served.

Malaysians are generally a laid back society. We do not plan every second of the minute of the day. We tend to go with the flow. To be honest, it sometimes scares me how laid back we are.

Hanging out with Malaysians here have proven that over and over again. When Malaysians meet, they gather in a circle and talk. Most likely nothing substantial. But we talk and talk and talk, almost always for hours. It's what we call "lepak time" (hanging out time). 

It's nice some of the time, and wasteful most of the time. But hey, maybe it's why we know each other so well. It builds bonds and gives you a sense of belonging. So maybe if you're wasting time, you might as well do it with Malaysians.

Mr. Dave Rhea

Mr. Dave Rhea.

I had the privelege of hearing Mr. Dave Rhea speak at my blogging for journalist class yeaterday. Mr. Rhea has made me realized the importance of being flexible. Mr. Rhea talked about his advantage being so internet savvy that causes him to have more job security because he is more "portable".

To be frank, I never thought much about online journalism. In classes I have learned a lot about the benefits and how the generations are moving towards the internet even for news. However, I always saw myself working at a newspaper on more of the "traditional side" where my work appears on dead trees, as Dr. Clark class it, rather than it being posted on a void.                                                         

Mr. Rhea mentioned that he finds himself being underpaid as a journalist and is always finding ways to make money through journalism. This has also made me start thinking about my future and ways I can equip and hone my skills to be able to not just focus on one, but different aspects of journalism, which can include photography, editting, and more.

Mr. Rhea also talked about the importance of content. He said something that surprised me, which was the fact that spelling and grammar can be overlooked, provided the content is good. I have to say that I somewhat disagree with that. As much as a fully agree with the importance of content, I think that grammar, spelling and sentence structure differentiates a good writer from a bad one. Good sentence structure and grammar often goes hand in hand with content.

All in all, I enjoyed Mr. Rhea's talk in our class. I will certainly try to work on my content, as well as continue to proof read my work to ensure the best results both content-wise and language-wise.

Dr. Hochenauer of Okie Funk

Recently, on October 4th, Dr. Clark invited a guest speaker on my blogging class to give the students a little more insight on blogging. Dr. Hochenauer, is a professor at UCO who not only teaches a class on blogging, but also has a "liberal-based" blog called Okie Funk. He received anonymous threats from readers as well as co-workers who felt that his messages and opinions were too "out there" for the calm Oklahoma.

However, Dr. Hochenauer persevered and is getting more known within the community. Although it has not been said that he has stopped received threats, it might be reasonable to say that his readers are getting used to his radical ideas.

One thing I admire about Dr. Hochenauer is that his blog hasd a purpose. He does not choose to be liberal just for the sake of being a rebel. Dr. Hochenauer wishes to educate Oklahomans and hopes that the people today will take a stand and not hold on to the stand of the older generation just because they "were told so".

This is something that I have taken from Dr. Hochenauer. I believe that often times, I choose to be extremely careful with what I post. I was born in a conversative home and was taught certain values. I find myself censoring because I am afraid of my family back home telling me that I have "changed". The truth is, I have changed because change is inevitable.

Dr. Hochenauer has taught me not to just go witht he flow. I have to take a stand.

"This is really stupid but..."

As my previous post will tell you, my International Media class recently had guests speakers.  These international students spoke about the media in their country and compared it with the United States.

One phrase that struck me was when on multiple occasions these international students say, "This is really stupid but..." and then proceed to explain their culture and its "oddity".

I found it fascinating because it tells me that America has such a big influence on the world. People have a perception that what is not of America's normalities is deemed as odd.

Who made America the norm?

Seeing the World through a different set of lens.

MCOM-3990 International Media, a journalism elective class recently had eight international students speak about the state of their countries’ media. This interactive session was held in room 105 of the mass communication building from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

The eight international students were representatives of Ecuador, South Africa, Nepal, France, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Venezuela. Their UCO standing ranged from freshman to graduate student and had majors from computer science and sociology to MBA and elementary education.

Among some of the issues touched on were differences between the respective countries and the U.S. in media censorship, where people get their news and freedom of speech.

Serliara Rumbiak, from Indonesia, said that freedom of speech is not prevalent where she is from. She mentioned that she heard on the news about Obama being a homosexual before he became president.

“In Indonesia, the person would have been sent to jail for bad mouthing the president. We are not as outspoken as America. In Indonesia, we only report the facts, not opinion.”

Lana Koch of South Africa agrees with Serliara.

“The U.S. media fascinates me with how open they are.  They just say everything often without censoring. South Africa is outspoken as well, but not nearly as daring and outspoken. And you will get into trouble for spreading rumors. It will be huge, whereas here, it’s often overlooked as freedom of speech.”

The geography and landscape of a country influences how news is spread. Bibash Lama from Nepal explained that the mountainous structure of his country makes broadcasting news through television and radio difficult due to the lack of wiring poles. Also, the broad spectrum of dialects within the country makes it hard to broadcast in one language.

Saudi Arabian representative, Ahmad Ali Khiswi said that although citizens get news every day from different sources, they choose to only believe the religious leaders’ interpretation and comments.

“On our holy day, Friday, the people gather at our place of worship to listen to what the leaders have to say. We trust them because they are in charge of the country. They do not have selfish motives but serve the country by doing what is best for society.”

Dr. Terry Clark, director of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and professor of International Media was very supportive of this activity.

Walk in one's shoes before flinging yours at them!

Variety and heterogeneity in the world is what give our world color. However, our differences hatch a number of sensitive topics. Politics is one. Religion is another. The term "freedom of speech" is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas.

 Somehow nations that have "freedom of speech" seem to be oblivious to the fact that people have feelings.

I believe that when the forefathers envisioned the concept of "freedom of speech", they meant it as a means to free oppression. But now, I feel that "freedom of speech" is doing just the opposite.

The New York Times reported that a newspaper in France published crude caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. There was even the intention to publish Muhammad "naked and  in pornographic poses".

I think that this portrays an extremely high form of oppression and disrespect. Just because you can, doesn't mean you must.

Growing up in a melting pot society, Malaysians are taught to be courteous and respectful to differences.

To be honest, I think that some form of censorship by the government might not be such a bad idea. It prevents problems that could break out to wars.

Maybe i'm just tired of hearing of one man disturbing peace of the entire country.

Adapting Feet

When my feet first stood on Oklahoma ground two years ago, I thought that adapting would be a breeze. Growing up in an english-speaking Christian family, I daresay I had enough "western mentality" to fit right in without having too much trouble. After all, I

a) I have a good grasp of the english language.

b) My religious beliefs probably matched a decent amount of the bible-belt region of the United States.

c) I had friends who studied at UCO ready to help me.

d) I spoke good english

e) I watched enough American television to give me a good (I thought) overview of the culture here

f)  I spoke English, fluently.

So, not long after my arrival, I was conversing with my RA (I lived on campus my first year) and found that I had to leave to another appointment. At the end of his sentence, I took my chance.

 I drew out my hand for a hand shake and said,

 "I'm going to make a move now".

He stepped back quickly, like the hand jerk reflex when touching a hot surface and looked stunned. There was a moments pause before he said, "You're going to make a move on me? Dude, I'm straight".

Yes, i'm straight too. In Malaysia, saying, "I'm going to make a move" was the polite way of excusing yourself, NOT hitting on someone.

This experience quickly taught me that my "fluent english" is tattered with British english, which will be explained shortly, earn you awkward situations and Manglish, which is Malaysian english, or some say, "mangled english".

Another interesting one is the word, "follow". In Malaysia when you ask somebody if you can "follow" them in a transportational situation, it means that they want to ride with you, NOT trail behind you. Please don't leave them behind assuming they have a mode of transportation.

And of course, being under the British reign for decades, Malaysians stuck with the British education system. Therefore,


When I say I need a trolley for shopping, I mean a cart.

When I request for a serviette or tissue, I am asking for a napkin or paper towel.

If I ask you for a rubber in the classroom, I need to erase a pencil marking. And no, I do not want to have sex with you.

My "rubbish bin" is the equivalent for "trash can" and colour and flavor  and realise are not spelt incorrectly. Dang you squiggly red lines auto-correct!

When I say, "Can I put my bag in your car boot", I mean your car trunk. I do not intend on stuffing my bag into the slit for your feet. And no, cars in Malaysia do not have feet wear.

British army

So yes, there you have it. Two sides, with the poor Malaysian in between.



American army



Blogblog Assignment

One aspect that is lacking on my posts are pictures. This makes my blog very wordy and unattractive. Humans are designed to like visual and color. Dave Rhea, a professional blogger has long posts too, but his pictures break up his posts, which eases the eyes and makes it more appealing.

Rhea's blog also has links, which is useful for readers if they need more information on the subject. These are some of the tips that could improve my blog. So, thank you, Dave Rhea!

The kick off!

Blogging is hard. Not because it literally is, but because of the commitment it entails. Let’s face it, a blog is not a blog without posts. How many times have we seen “blogs” left to rot?

But perhaps I have high expectations of bloggers. I expect a post everyday. Just because I don’t have a life doesn’t mean I should expect the same of others. So I have decided to try it, but with less pressure and dropping the bar way down low.

 I can be a hobbyist, only sending 2-3 posts a week, sacrificing 1-3 hours. That doesn’t seem so bad since I probably spend too much time on Facebook anyway. I would then join the backbone of the blogosphere, 60% of bloggers who “blog for fun”.

I will work on expressing my “personal musings”. If readers find it a-“musing”, then, great! If they don’t, they can just dismiss it as a personal joke, something I don’t expect them to understand. Either way, I win.

 So, let’s go. Let’s kick it!