AKULA WAS HERE : SAILING TO YVOIRE, FRANCE - PART I, THE SHIP NEPTUNE

THE THING ABOUT US: A DIALOGUE WITH A VIP - THE REPORT

Last few weeks, a VIP was in town and he took the opportunity to meet with Malaysians in Geneva.

After dinner, Mr VIP open the floor to ask us if there is anything that we would like to know about the current political situation in Malaysia. I took up the opportunity to address some of my concerns.

Akula:

I started my 5 minutes shot to glory sharing political stage with Mr VIP by saying that its my honest opinion the People Up There should do away with the old guards who are still up there leeching their time. My generation could not identify ourselves with them and their ancient way of thinking.

I continued by saying these new technologies and alternative medias should be embraced and capitalize by the People Up There, and not barred since one would never win if they compete with evolution.

I explained to Mr VIP that people, especially the younger generations are more inquisitive and more facts orientated, beside being more politically conscious and hungry for information. These younger generations is the target group that the people up there should be cultivating.

I sort of told him because of that fact, coercion and scare tactics would not easily work like before.

I then asked for his opinion on the matter.

Mr VIP:

Mr VIP replied that he acknowledged and shared my concerns, and assured me that efforts are being made and the People Up There are working hard to change the situation on the top. More fresh new faces are being considered so that they will close up the generation gaps to represent new breed of leaders so that the younger generations could identify themselves with.

Mr. VIP then asked what the People Up There should do to change.

Akula :

I took up his question by first explaining that I was a voter in the last election. As the man on the street, issues concerns that influenced my decision on who to vote are basically the ever increasing cost of living and security.

I told him that I found it very hard to bring up my children with the increasing cost of food and petrol. And these are the most basic thing I was taking into account. Ignored complains, lack of enforcement, empty promises and irresponsible and arrogant statements from the people up there made the other side of the political divide looked attractive.

I suggested to Mr VIP that perhaps the People Up There should looked back at the struggle of our earlier leaders after independence where the most important thing for them were to improve the living conditions of the masses.

I told Mr VIP, the responsible People Up There should have the willingness to shift their priorities and mindset and take care of the basic needs of the man on the street instead.

Finally I told Mr VIP, for me at least, bringing up my children in a secure environment, with no financial worries bugging me should be enough, for now.

Mr VIP :

Mr VIP promised that there are actually a lot of changes happening up there and plead for chance and time to prove it. He agreed with my view that priorities and policies should be on par to provide the people with comfortable living.

Mr VIP told the audiences, that believe or not, the People Up There are listening and they got the message.

Loud and clear, Mr. VIP added.

THE THING ABOUT US : LETTING GO

My eldest daughter will be going for a 5 day camping trip in St Cergue in June. This is the first time she will be away from home and I am a little bit apprehensive and reluctant to let her go. The school did give us a choice and she can skip the trip, but when I asked my daughter, she told me that she wants to go. If its up to me, I will say no. But she has made her choice, and I have to respect her decision.

Perhaps, I worry too much for such small things. But, seriously, I cant help it. My mind is running through all imaginable scenarios and all sort of possibilities, of what could be going on there in the camp. There are lot of things that I worry about. How would she eat, what if she got sick, will she be homesick, those kind of things that I or my love one usually takes care of and reminds her to do.

I am very protective of my daughters. They are not allowed to go anywhere on their own, without either me or my love one presence.


I am sure other parents in similar situation would share the same feelings.

A friend of mine, worry about letting her 19 old months daughter sleeping alone in her own room for the first time. All through the night, she kept on checking if her daughter was safe and sound. The daughter of course, survived the night with flying colours.

I guess, as parents, we cannot afford not to worry. But our children growing up process also means that we have to let them learn to do things on their own, since there will be a time where we wont be there for them. We have to let them be independent, make their own decisions, however hard that is for us.

Its worries me a lot, but I have no other option than to start embracing the fact that my daughters are really growing up. I have to learn to let go.

Tell you what.

Its really damn hard.

BIKING 101: GIRO IONOS

Received my long awaited Giro Ionos this morning.

In case you are wondering why I ordered 2, the other is for my love one. Sort of His and Hers item la. Anyway, its Mothers Day yesterday. Well, I am sure my love one would love something ladylike, perfumes or flowers for example, but I am sure she'll love a Giro Ionos cycling helmet instead as a Mothers Day present, for that matter.

Cool, right?

Can't wait for my next ride.

AKULA WAS HERE : MORGES, SWITZERLAND

Every year, the municipality of Morges, Switzerland holds Tulips Festival from April to May. Its about half and hour drives from Geneva. And after a few weeks of thinking about going, my family and I finally made the trip this morning.

The weather was cold and a bit gloomy after a night of spring showers. Definately not good for outdoor photo taking activity. But the pics turn out to be quite okay, some of the flowers had raindrops on them, which makes it more interesting.

Although Morges Tulips Festival is not as huge as the one held in Holland, there were still wide varieties of species displayed, and presented in neat rows of flower beds, they are still nevertheless, breathtaking.

Enjoy the pics.

REVISITING THE CEREBRUM : COLLEGE LIFE - MINGGU SUAIKENAL

Shah Alam, January 1988.

I remember the day where I joined those people before me who had the privilege to further their studies in higher learning institutions. I was accepted by Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), in January 1988. (Note: ITM has since changed its name to University Technology MARA (UiTM).

ITM practice semester system, and the academic year consists of two academic semesters. Semester I runs from July to December and Semester II from December to June. I was accepted to study there in Semester II, the January intake, 1988-1989. ITM is the only higher learning institutions which accepts new students in the middle of an academic year. I am not too sure, but I think ITM's January intake is to cater for those students who missed the boat in the July placement at higher learning institutions.

Registration was one week earlier for the new intake before all the other senior students returned to campus. The venue for me was at Dewan Sri Budiman (DSB), ITM main branch campus, Shah Alam. I went there alone, with no family members accompanying. With years of experiences doing everything myself at the boarding school, I guess its not a big deal for me.

There were long queues, nervous and confused faces all around me, obviously wondering what the hell to do, while the parents looked proud and excited. I went in the huge DSB hall and just followed the instruction given at the registration counter. After signing of what seems to be a lot of documents, we were ushered to pose for a picture for the student ITM ID card (Kad Matriks). I couldn't care less for my appearance, since I just wanted to get the registration over with. Of course its not a surprise when the photo turned out to be awful. The shit thing about that was, this is the photo that will be on my ID card for the rest of my life in ITM. Paid the college fee, bought the compulsory hodoh giler batik shirt, and was told to head out to Kolej Perindu, where all the male freshies will stay for the Orientation Week.

I heard a lot of stories about the dreaded reputation of Minggu Suaikenal for new students. I heard legendary bullying myth like that one student who's family jewel was tied to a rotating ceiling fan and how he had to keep running to ensure his valuable thing remained attached to its base. I heard stories where juniors was instructed to perform equally weird humiliating tasks and demoralizing stuff. Honestly, these stories did not bother me at all, considering I survived worse fate than that in my five years in an all boys boarding school. I remember thinking, the Orientation Week program should be nothing compared to what I experienced during my schooldays. This should be just like a walk in the park for me.

The Orientation Week was packed with motivational, induction program and religious lectures. Wearing songkok, the baju batik hodoh, with dark pants and shiny black shoes, we started at the crack of dawn and finished our day only around midnight. We were shown lecture halls, places and buildings that will become our hunting grounds for the next 3 years or so. It was really exhausting.

And then, theres the damn running. Pestered by the facilicators (OC) and at their constant urging, we ran to go to the library, ran to Menara, ran to the surau, ran to go everywhere. And if we were late, the OC did their very best to humiliate the unlucky students. Some of the girls could not control their tears and emotions cried openly after being yelled at in front of hundreds of other students.

"Oi budak, pekak ke apa,? Lari cepat! Lari cepat".
"Ni lambat ni pasal apa? Masuk ITM ni tak de nak malas-malas".
"Engko ingat ada driver nak hantar?".
"Manja cam ni tak yah masuk ITM la!".

After a week of non stop regimented activities and the repeated assault of college manifesto and policies, drummed into our brains, naturally we felt a little bit stressed out and tired. On the last day, after the usual running, I cursed the OC's under my short, gasping breath, "Sial betul, last day pun kena lari gak", giler ke apa?" One skinny, loudmouth OC overheard me cursing their species and proceeded to single me out giving me a long, almost one hour lecture in front of all others. I just stood there, blankly absorbing all the abusive words. When he's done, I looked him in the face and told him point blank, "Minggu Suaikenal ni power la, tengok power ke tak power lepas habis ni". At that time I really had enough of their abuses and was ready to pick up a fight, and couldnt care less about the would be consequences. Luckily (for me and for him) he understood my intention and mellowed down a bit after that, perhaps suddenly realizing that after the Orientation Week was over, he would be nothing more than another mere mortal student himself. (The OC did come to see me to offer his apology after Minggu Suaikenal, blaming the system to justify for his action, which prompted me to reject his explanation and appropriately told him to f**k off).

(Of the facilitators. Seriously, I really could not understand why some of them felt the need to yell and scream in our ears. We knew who was in charge. Why the need to exert and show off the authority? We were new and of course we did not have the slightest idea what to do and where to go, but we were definately not stupid or brain dead. We were not prisoners of war either and that was, definitely not a POW camp).

At the end of the Orientation Week, we were assigned to the dormitories where we would stay for the rest of the semesters. I got to be in Block B, Kolej Jati, in Seksyen 2, Shah Alam, outside the campus ground.

3 years of this. Peanuts. No problem.

Or so I thought.