Meritocracy

I have no problem with meritocracy..no problem at all if everything is on an equal playing field. Almost all students in the urban areas have excess to better facilities than those in the rural areas. I am not surprised if many students in the urban areas scored better grades than those from rural areas. They should ....with all the tuitions, internet connections, workbooks etc etc, they have no reason not to score.

The same goes to students from boarding and elite schools. They have better teachers and better facilities and they should score better. No excuse, period. But what about those students from the rural areas? There are no tuition centres to go to if they failed to understand those subjects taught in school.....no extra workbooks since they are too poor to buy them. Workbooks are luxuries to these students since food is the utmost important thing in their lives. No internet to connect them with the outer world... If they scored in their exams, it means they are much better than those from urban areas. If they got 4 to 5 A's, they are still much better than those who got the same grades from the urban areas. Just imagine what would they score if they are given the same facilities as those from the urban areas. I am pretty sure they can score much better.

So in this situation, meritocracy is just an unfair practice to them. They should be given opportunities to further their studies than those who scored the same grades from the urban areas. Those who championed meritocracy without taking any consideration for those who have limited access to better facilities are just being unfair. The government should seriously consider all factors before awarding any scholarships to students. In all fairness, these students deserve the scholarships to further their studies. Must we forget them and let their future generation be poor like them since all we care is meritocracy? If we think meritocracy is the only factor to award scholarships then we are only selfish and we failed miserably to be fair and just.

We are not the only ones entitled to free education. There are other people who deserved them more than us. What's wrong of paying our own education if we can afford it. Why not share free educations with others instead of taking everything that seems to be ours? Your right? Aren't they Malaysians and they have rights too? Can't we do the honorable thing to let others taste some success too? Can't we sometimes step aside and say there are other people who need the scholarships more than us? Can we?

Blackout 505

To me the blackout 505 had died a natural death. The numbers of participants had dwindled from the first blackout. With the haze, nobody wants to expose themselves for long hours, save for a few hardcores who have camped themselves at Padang Merbok. I guessed these people have no real jobs or have they gone back to work since today is Monday?

Why did I say the blackout had failed? Well ..there is no follow through...For the blackout to be successful, they have to do it day and night 24/7. Everyone of them with no exception. This was not done. The leaders only come to give their speeches for an hour or two and then they go home. The followers come and listen that's all. Unlike Egypt ...the PR supporters have to go to work...to make money etc ..whereas the egyptians have valid reasons to fight the government, the PR supporters only fight the SPR for alleged misconduct in GE13. There is a vast difference there. The Egyptians are poor and the PR supporters are not. The Egyptians have every reasons to topple their government and the PR supporters do not. The Egyptians camped out facing all the elements and the PR supporters brought tents and face masks since they can't even sleep outside without some comforts. The Egyptians have to face tear gases, water canons and some brutality but the PR supporters don't. So after a while the gathering loses steam....a lot of steam since Anwar Ibrahim said there's no more gathering for the time being.

With all the 89 representatives taking oath today...they endorsed the SPR!!! Any Tom Dick and Harry can see through them. They are just like Tin Kosong, noisy but nothing else.

Something for the police to ponder

My late father was a policeman. A very dedicated one. He was one of those who was so proud of the PDRM. But what I want to write today is not about my father. It is meant for the police to ponder, and make lawful some of the things I have in mind.

Most of us had bad experiences with the lawbreakers in more ways than one. I for example had my house burglarized into and had experienced more than one snatch robbery. Eventhough the thieves failed in both occasions to take my bags, my daughter had hers taken and she was pushed hard that she suffered a lot of bruises.

This is what I recommend for the police or the court for that matter to do. For the first offense, make it a minimum of five years imprisonment. For the second offense, make it a minimum of ten years imprisonment and for the third offense, make it twenty years imprisonment. So for the hardcore snatch thieves, we will not see them in the 'market' for at least twenty years. All Malaysians will be safe then.

This goes for other offenses that basically done by hardcore criminals. Be it robbery, rape, bribery and such. With heavier penalties, criminals will at least think twice before they do anything stupid. Some lawyers will say that we suppressed human rights..what about the rights of the victim?

Since to banish them is out of the question.....the other alternative is to imprison them for a long time. A really long long time. And if possible with hard work. Make them useful..cheap labor for building roads , planting rubber, oilpalms etc etc. make them work at the quarries. This will make them think hard that crimes do not pay.

Yogurt

I have been making my own yogurt for quite sometime now. I am one of those people who do not like to drink milk so yogurt is a very good alternative. My first encounter with yogurt started with the dadih from the pasar tani .  I don't like it since it was very sweet. However my children love them, and they can't have enough of them. So every week my fridge will have new stock for the kids.

Then I started buying the yogurt with fruits from the supermarkets. Again my children loved to eat them. As usual I do not like he sweet taste. I have to have them for my calcium supply since I don't like milk. That's when I discover plain yogurt. You can just add a small amount of honey to it to make it less sour. You can add muesli to it too. Fruits, nuts or anything that you like. I love to have hem for breakfast.

Making your own yogurt is super easy. You just need milk and store bought plain yogurt as a starter. You can also determine the level of sourness. The longer you left it out at room temperature, the more sour it becomes. I usually left it out for eight hours to set and it does not taste too sour. I use full cream milk for a more creamy yogurt. And I have become quite an expert of making yogurt.

For those who love yogurt, you should try those made from buffalo milk....the one from Kedah. It is very nice but it leaves an aftertaste that I don't quite like. And those yogurt from Vietnam.......how I wish I can make those. I have been looking around for those yogurt here .....anyone knows any supermarkets which sell Vietnamese yogurt??

Ohhhh The Toilets

I was in Hanoi for a short holidays and most of the toilets are super clean except the one in the market. Can I say the same about our Malaysian toilets? A big NO. Clean public toilets in Malaysia are almost non existence. It is a real pity that 2020 is just around the corner and we are far..really far from having clean public toilets.

We had a pit stop near Tham Coc famous river cruise, the restaurant was not a 5 star eating place, but the toilets really deserved a 6 stars. The tap was automatic...there's a tap in the loo area and the toilet was super dry and super clean. As a Muslim, I was really happy that I did not have to tip toes around the toilets less my pants got dirty. I wonder how they can keep dry the place when there was a tap inside. In Malaysia you can expect the floors to be wet. Anything when wet will invite a host of bacterias and make the place really dirty. This was not the only clean toilet that I visited in Vietnam. There were a lot more clean toilets that make me wonder...are all toilets in Vietnam this clean or only the ones in the touristy places? Whatever it is...the first impression is the most important , right?

Mesti ada hikmah disebaliknya

Congratulations to those students who were offered scholarships to study abroad. All of you must be over the moon, grinning from one ear to another ear. To those who did not qualify for the scholarships do not feel sad..the scholarships are limited . Not everyone who scored good grades can get them.

One of the those failed to get a scholarship to study abroad is Ridhwan, my son. He was quite disheartened. My eldest son, Nabil got the scholarship six years ago. Ridhwan wanted to follow his brother's step to study in USA, but he did not get the scholarship. Well...he did get straight A's in his SPM but Allah knows best what is good for him.

However, he got a scholarship from one of the GLCs to study at one of the local private universities. Both his father and I are happy whether he studies locally or abroad. Mesti ada hikmahnya yang dia tak dapat pergi overseas to continue with his studies.