This game was scheduled last minute. They announced the details of this 2nd match in the papers on Sunday, the day after the 1st game. This game was to replace the one which they canceled in Jakarta due to the terrorist bombings the week before.
Tickets were only 2 tiers, RM58 and Rm308. Except for Rm308, every seat in the stadium was for the RM58 tickets. After I woke up late on the Sunday morning, well, almost Sunday afternoon, i headed straight to Bukit Jalil Stadium to get my tickets. It seemed that it was the only place to buy tickets for the match. Oh, did i mention that the game was on Monday? Yes, it was indeed a vey very short notice.
By the time I got to the stadium, the queue to buy the tickets was quite long. And there were only 2 counters open. Took me about 40 minutes of lining up in the afternoon sun to get my tickets. For RM58, i think its really worth it :-)
The next day, I got to the stadium at about 5.30pm, more than 3 hours before the match was scheduled to begin. This time, I drove myself to the stadium and parked near the National Squash Centre, nearer to the exit ;-p
My sister was already there earlier, so she queued up outside the gate since 4-ish pm. We both lined up and waited till about 6.10pm, that was when they opened the gates. Every1 rushed to get a good seat including me. I amanged to get a seat right at the first row. But then i realised that being in the 1st row, i'm a bit too low to see the action on the other side of the pitch. So i decided to go a couple of rows back and parked myself right in the middle of the field. I was higher, which gave me a better view of the entire pitch :-)
We killed time by reading some mags which i bought and taking pictures while waiting for my colleague VY and his sister CY to arrive. Once they arrived, me and my sis went off to wander around the stadium to take pictures.
By about 8pm, players from both teams came out for a short warm up. We eagerly anticipated for the game to begin. And at about 8.50pm, the matched kicked off!! The stadium wasn't full, thats for sure, but for such a last minute organised game, there were about 30,000 people that night.
Sure the game was a bit boring as Manchester United scored 2 early goals and killed the game off. Goals from Owen and Macheda did the job as Malaysia lost steam. I guess they didnt recover from Saturday's game. Man Utd fielded a toally different line-up from the 1 that started Saturday's game. Hence the player were much fresher and were able to control the game with ther better fitness. The Malaysian players looked tired throughout the whole game and never really troubled Ben Foster and Tomas Kuszack.
Although the mtch was a bit disappointing, the atmosphere in the stadium that night was not. Inf act, i felt that the match atmosphere was better than that of Saturdays, despite having less people attending this game. I thoroughly enjoyed both games tremendously. Its not often I get to see my favourtie team play in front of me for less than what it would cost me to buy an airticket to Manchester alone. Too see my idol, Ryan Giggs, and to chant and cheer for the players, its a feeling that I will cherish. We left after all the players lef tthe pitch and went home feeling very very satisfied.
Till, the next time I do a mexican wave,
Boodyboy, out!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Manchester United Asian Tour 2009: 1st leg, Malaysia XI vs Manchester United
Hi all, Sorry for the late post on this. Its about a week since the big day for any Red Devil fan in Malaysia.
The 1st game took place in Bukit Jalil Stadium last Saturday. For those who bought their tickets early, they got free training passes on Friday evening to watch both teams train.
I took half the day off on Friday so I could get to the stadium early. The training starts at 5.30pm but i arrived at about 3 something. Since there are no seating restrictions for the training session, i went to the supposed RM308 seats. The seat location wasnt bad, I was seated facing the centre circle. I was expecting a long wait for them to appear but time passed faster as the Malaysian team came out to train at 4,30pm. They did some kickabouts and applauded the crowd, Then at 5.30pm, Man Utd players entered the pitch and we started to get excited. First Paul Scholes came out, then Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. THen followed the rest of the team; to a standing ovation.
It was obvious who the fans favourites were on Friday itself. Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and surprisingly, Michael Owen had the bigest cheers that day. I bet most of us left the training session eagerly anticipating for the real game to begin the next day.
******************
Woke up on Saturday to send my mothers car for servicing before coming back to do some laundry. Then headed out to Midvalley to celebrate a friend's Birthday in the afternoon. If you are reading this SL, happy belated birthday to you!!
Then at 3pm, headed towards Bkt Jalil Stadium for the big game. Unfortunately the roads leading to the stadium was badly congested. And every car contained some1 whow as wearing red, hahaha!! So i decided to turn back and drive back towards the Tasik Selatan LRT to park and ride the train there.
Big mistake. Ended up paying RM5 for parking (i think the operators were taking advantage of the huge surge in MU fans) which i think is overpriced, since Bkt Jalil only charges RM2. THen the station was also overcrowded with supporters of the Red Devils. When the 1st train arrived, it was so packed, i dont know how some people could continue to squeeze themselves into the crowd. Totally so packe dthat when the door closed, some of the people were squashed, LOL! So i waited for the next train, and the next train was slightly less full, but damn full for any rush hour day of the week. But this time, i'm determined to squeeze myself inside as i didnt want to be late. It was so packed i didnt have to hold on to any thing in the train. We were just standing.there wasno room to even lift my arm to hold on to something, if there was anything left to hold on to anyway.
Reached Bkt Jalil and went straight into the stadium. My RM98 ticket was free seating so I had to go in early to get a good seat. My location this time wasnt too bad. I was seated right at the middle of the pitch on the 2nd tier, facing the same spot i sat in the day before for training. The ticket mentioned that the match would begin at 5.30pm. I arrived at 4pm. I was expecting a long wait as I dodnt believe that they will get Man Utd to play so early in the day, when the sun is still up. I expected the match to begin at maybe 7pm, when it would be a bit cooler.
But luckily for me, I was wrong. The player came out for a quick warm up session at about 5pm. And the match began at about 5.45pm. The Man Utd players look a bit rusty if you ask me. Strayed passes and some sloppy ball control allowed the Malaysian players to capitalise on those mistakes.
The final score was 3-2 to the Red Devils. It was an exciting match as the Malaysian players did their overwhelming best to give the Man Utd players a good workout. I think Man Utd were glad to come out with a victory after a blunder by Ben Foster allowed Malaysia to equalise but Owen late winner save Man Utd the blushes.
After the game, I stayed back to watch the prize giving ceremony as well as the to see Giggs, Scholes and Neville do their cooldown session. I left the stadium at about 8 something. And i thought the nightmare of commuting was over. It wasnt.
They shut all the entrances into the LRT station and only allowed several people in at once to avoid flooding the station.THe problem was, the area outside the station was overcrowded! It was such a hot and humid mass of humans that a lot of people lost their temper. Can you imagine, if a quarter of the people in the stadium had to take the train back, that would mean 20,00 would be stuck there for some time to come.
I was one of those many many frustrated commuters that day. ANd i swear i will never take the train to Bkt Jalil anymore despite recommendations from the newspapers and traffic police. I managed to get into the sardine packed train (sardine isnt the rightr choice of word, more like luncheon meat, no place even for the sardine sauce). And when i got into my car at the parking lot, I had to contend with the jam to get out of the parking lot. That alone took me half an hour. Sigh...
THe match was a good one, but the commuting really sucked big time. i'm sorry if i dont have any pics uploaded yet, i took about more than 800+ pics combined for the 2 matches and training session. Will upload it soon, and will also blog about the 2nd match later on.
Till then
Boodyboy, out!!
The 1st game took place in Bukit Jalil Stadium last Saturday. For those who bought their tickets early, they got free training passes on Friday evening to watch both teams train.
I took half the day off on Friday so I could get to the stadium early. The training starts at 5.30pm but i arrived at about 3 something. Since there are no seating restrictions for the training session, i went to the supposed RM308 seats. The seat location wasnt bad, I was seated facing the centre circle. I was expecting a long wait for them to appear but time passed faster as the Malaysian team came out to train at 4,30pm. They did some kickabouts and applauded the crowd, Then at 5.30pm, Man Utd players entered the pitch and we started to get excited. First Paul Scholes came out, then Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville. THen followed the rest of the team; to a standing ovation.
It was obvious who the fans favourites were on Friday itself. Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and surprisingly, Michael Owen had the bigest cheers that day. I bet most of us left the training session eagerly anticipating for the real game to begin the next day.
******************
Woke up on Saturday to send my mothers car for servicing before coming back to do some laundry. Then headed out to Midvalley to celebrate a friend's Birthday in the afternoon. If you are reading this SL, happy belated birthday to you!!
Then at 3pm, headed towards Bkt Jalil Stadium for the big game. Unfortunately the roads leading to the stadium was badly congested. And every car contained some1 whow as wearing red, hahaha!! So i decided to turn back and drive back towards the Tasik Selatan LRT to park and ride the train there.
Big mistake. Ended up paying RM5 for parking (i think the operators were taking advantage of the huge surge in MU fans) which i think is overpriced, since Bkt Jalil only charges RM2. THen the station was also overcrowded with supporters of the Red Devils. When the 1st train arrived, it was so packed, i dont know how some people could continue to squeeze themselves into the crowd. Totally so packe dthat when the door closed, some of the people were squashed, LOL! So i waited for the next train, and the next train was slightly less full, but damn full for any rush hour day of the week. But this time, i'm determined to squeeze myself inside as i didnt want to be late. It was so packed i didnt have to hold on to any thing in the train. We were just standing.there wasno room to even lift my arm to hold on to something, if there was anything left to hold on to anyway.
Reached Bkt Jalil and went straight into the stadium. My RM98 ticket was free seating so I had to go in early to get a good seat. My location this time wasnt too bad. I was seated right at the middle of the pitch on the 2nd tier, facing the same spot i sat in the day before for training. The ticket mentioned that the match would begin at 5.30pm. I arrived at 4pm. I was expecting a long wait as I dodnt believe that they will get Man Utd to play so early in the day, when the sun is still up. I expected the match to begin at maybe 7pm, when it would be a bit cooler.
But luckily for me, I was wrong. The player came out for a quick warm up session at about 5pm. And the match began at about 5.45pm. The Man Utd players look a bit rusty if you ask me. Strayed passes and some sloppy ball control allowed the Malaysian players to capitalise on those mistakes.
The final score was 3-2 to the Red Devils. It was an exciting match as the Malaysian players did their overwhelming best to give the Man Utd players a good workout. I think Man Utd were glad to come out with a victory after a blunder by Ben Foster allowed Malaysia to equalise but Owen late winner save Man Utd the blushes.
After the game, I stayed back to watch the prize giving ceremony as well as the to see Giggs, Scholes and Neville do their cooldown session. I left the stadium at about 8 something. And i thought the nightmare of commuting was over. It wasnt.
They shut all the entrances into the LRT station and only allowed several people in at once to avoid flooding the station.THe problem was, the area outside the station was overcrowded! It was such a hot and humid mass of humans that a lot of people lost their temper. Can you imagine, if a quarter of the people in the stadium had to take the train back, that would mean 20,00 would be stuck there for some time to come.
I was one of those many many frustrated commuters that day. ANd i swear i will never take the train to Bkt Jalil anymore despite recommendations from the newspapers and traffic police. I managed to get into the sardine packed train (sardine isnt the rightr choice of word, more like luncheon meat, no place even for the sardine sauce). And when i got into my car at the parking lot, I had to contend with the jam to get out of the parking lot. That alone took me half an hour. Sigh...
THe match was a good one, but the commuting really sucked big time. i'm sorry if i dont have any pics uploaded yet, i took about more than 800+ pics combined for the 2 matches and training session. Will upload it soon, and will also blog about the 2nd match later on.
Till then
Boodyboy, out!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Days like these...
Makes a person wonder a lot.
Got into an accident the other day, well it was Tuesday. Since then I was so busy, that I didnt even have time to sent my poor Myvi for repairs. Thank goodness the damage is only the exterior, so i can still safely drive it around. Was so busy that sometimes I didn't have time to catch a breath. And what's even worse is that sometimes people around you just don't know how busy you've been and they think you are just plain lazy.
I finally have sometime to breathe today. I'll send my car for repairs tomorrow morning. And looks like I'll be without a car for a few weeks then.
Random thoughts that came to my mind when i was driving back today.
- Why did MACC investigate the misappropriation of funds (which is like thousands of ringgit only) among Selangor Exco members but did not investigate the Balkis Fund or even the case where a senior politician was quoted to have owned a house worth RM24 million when his salary wouldn't have allowed him to own such an extravagant property?
- During the Man Utd match, well both of them, I dont understand how some of the suppoerters can heckle Malaysian players everytime they made a mistake, then the next minute, when Malaysian team executes a good move, the very same people will chant and sings Malaysia praises. 1 minute is " Oi! Balik Kampung lah! Tukar pemain!!", the next moment, "Malaysia Boleh!!" WTF??!!? If you got nothing better to say then don't say it lah. Its already hard enough for them to play in front of such a huge crowd against a big team. The least they need is the home supporters turning against them.
- Sometimes when something happens to some1 or they need help, you show concern or help them or just stand by them because you are close to them. But when the something happens to you, do not automatically assume people will treat you the same way you treat them. If you do, then you are seriously going to disappoint yourself. And not only that, that may get you into trouble with your friends or family because you did not manage your own expectations. Not all people react or behave the same way as we do. Every1 has their own way of helping or showing concern (or the lack of it! esp. when u have inrealistic assumptions) towards others. If you don't like it, what can you do? Tell the person off ah? How many people here are actually appreciate or like it when you try to tell them what to do? Humans are defensive in nature, so just let it be.
- Thinking of what i really should do with my life at this point in time. It seems like i've been living it aimlessly once again. What should I do with my money? Buy property, shares or learn to invest in other things? Move out? My friends? Too many or too little? Or not enough quality friends? My job, am I happy where I am at the moment?
Sigh... just very tiring to think of so many things.
Boodyboy, out!!
P.S. Just FYI, after collecting my police report in Shah Alam, i decided to drive past th very same spot where i got into an accident that day. Wrong move. That place was very jammed. Then when i slowly jammed to the same traffic light, I noticed that an accident had occured there. It seemed that a car had ran over a motorcyclist at that very same traffic light. The car hit the road divider and was badly damaged. I could see blood all over the road. Not a pretty sight. Its just weird that the accident happened around the same time mine occured, at the same spot. Should I count myself lucky that mine was just a minor fender bender? On the positive side, yes.
Drive safely guys and girls!
Got into an accident the other day, well it was Tuesday. Since then I was so busy, that I didnt even have time to sent my poor Myvi for repairs. Thank goodness the damage is only the exterior, so i can still safely drive it around. Was so busy that sometimes I didn't have time to catch a breath. And what's even worse is that sometimes people around you just don't know how busy you've been and they think you are just plain lazy.
I finally have sometime to breathe today. I'll send my car for repairs tomorrow morning. And looks like I'll be without a car for a few weeks then.
Random thoughts that came to my mind when i was driving back today.
- Why did MACC investigate the misappropriation of funds (which is like thousands of ringgit only) among Selangor Exco members but did not investigate the Balkis Fund or even the case where a senior politician was quoted to have owned a house worth RM24 million when his salary wouldn't have allowed him to own such an extravagant property?
- During the Man Utd match, well both of them, I dont understand how some of the suppoerters can heckle Malaysian players everytime they made a mistake, then the next minute, when Malaysian team executes a good move, the very same people will chant and sings Malaysia praises. 1 minute is " Oi! Balik Kampung lah! Tukar pemain!!", the next moment, "Malaysia Boleh!!" WTF??!!? If you got nothing better to say then don't say it lah. Its already hard enough for them to play in front of such a huge crowd against a big team. The least they need is the home supporters turning against them.
- Sometimes when something happens to some1 or they need help, you show concern or help them or just stand by them because you are close to them. But when the something happens to you, do not automatically assume people will treat you the same way you treat them. If you do, then you are seriously going to disappoint yourself. And not only that, that may get you into trouble with your friends or family because you did not manage your own expectations. Not all people react or behave the same way as we do. Every1 has their own way of helping or showing concern (or the lack of it! esp. when u have inrealistic assumptions) towards others. If you don't like it, what can you do? Tell the person off ah? How many people here are actually appreciate or like it when you try to tell them what to do? Humans are defensive in nature, so just let it be.
- Thinking of what i really should do with my life at this point in time. It seems like i've been living it aimlessly once again. What should I do with my money? Buy property, shares or learn to invest in other things? Move out? My friends? Too many or too little? Or not enough quality friends? My job, am I happy where I am at the moment?
Sigh... just very tiring to think of so many things.
Boodyboy, out!!
P.S. Just FYI, after collecting my police report in Shah Alam, i decided to drive past th very same spot where i got into an accident that day. Wrong move. That place was very jammed. Then when i slowly jammed to the same traffic light, I noticed that an accident had occured there. It seemed that a car had ran over a motorcyclist at that very same traffic light. The car hit the road divider and was badly damaged. I could see blood all over the road. Not a pretty sight. Its just weird that the accident happened around the same time mine occured, at the same spot. Should I count myself lucky that mine was just a minor fender bender? On the positive side, yes.
Drive safely guys and girls!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
First time I'm in the wrong
In an accident,that is.
Yes, finally i've been in an accident in which I'm at fault. At least in the eyes of the law.
Got into a fender bender today on the bridge after Batu Tiga toll off the Federal Highway. What happened? I was driving when the car in front of me braked suddenly at the traffic light. He didn't notice the lights had turned red and so did I. He braked, I braked. But the accident cannot be avoided. Was I speeding? I was going at less than 60kmph as i was moving from 1 traffic light to another. Was I too close to the car in front of me? I was about 3 cars length away from him when i braked. But thanks to the slippery road condition, I could see my self slowly sliding all the way to give the front guy a bump.
Car couldn't stop. Knocked into the back of another car. Whose fault? Mine. Simple as that.
Went to make a police report abou the accident. Drove to the nearest pondok polis to report but was told that only the bigger stations accept accident reports. Was told to go to the police station in USJ to make police report. We (the banger and the bang-ee) had to find our around USJ to find the police station. Then we were told that we could not report the accident there as that bridge where the accident occurred is not in their jurisdiction.
We were then told to go to the police station in Shah Alam to make the report. Sigh, it was more driving and finding our way. Managed to find our way and arrived at about 5.45pm. Luckily the servicde in this station was prompt as well as friendly. No doubt it was my fault, but this people made the ordeal much better after we were being led on a wild goose chase earlier.
Everything was settled. I was slapped with a summons (i'm already very broke...) and then both of us; banger and bang-ee; went our seperate ways back home. It was a long day indeed.
Looking on the bright side, i'm lucky i was onl involved in a minor accident. At the police station, i saw some pretty bad car wrecks whcih made me lose my appetite. I think those people were involved in that accident was definitely having a worse day than me.
Sigh, can't complain. But isn't that what I'm doing here? Whining and grumbling.
Thats all I can do. But at least I'm safe.
To all of you readers, have a safe trip where ever you may heading in bad weather,
Boodyboy, out!!
Yes, finally i've been in an accident in which I'm at fault. At least in the eyes of the law.
Got into a fender bender today on the bridge after Batu Tiga toll off the Federal Highway. What happened? I was driving when the car in front of me braked suddenly at the traffic light. He didn't notice the lights had turned red and so did I. He braked, I braked. But the accident cannot be avoided. Was I speeding? I was going at less than 60kmph as i was moving from 1 traffic light to another. Was I too close to the car in front of me? I was about 3 cars length away from him when i braked. But thanks to the slippery road condition, I could see my self slowly sliding all the way to give the front guy a bump.
Car couldn't stop. Knocked into the back of another car. Whose fault? Mine. Simple as that.
Went to make a police report abou the accident. Drove to the nearest pondok polis to report but was told that only the bigger stations accept accident reports. Was told to go to the police station in USJ to make police report. We (the banger and the bang-ee) had to find our around USJ to find the police station. Then we were told that we could not report the accident there as that bridge where the accident occurred is not in their jurisdiction.
We were then told to go to the police station in Shah Alam to make the report. Sigh, it was more driving and finding our way. Managed to find our way and arrived at about 5.45pm. Luckily the servicde in this station was prompt as well as friendly. No doubt it was my fault, but this people made the ordeal much better after we were being led on a wild goose chase earlier.
Everything was settled. I was slapped with a summons (i'm already very broke...) and then both of us; banger and bang-ee; went our seperate ways back home. It was a long day indeed.
Looking on the bright side, i'm lucky i was onl involved in a minor accident. At the police station, i saw some pretty bad car wrecks whcih made me lose my appetite. I think those people were involved in that accident was definitely having a worse day than me.
Sigh, can't complain. But isn't that what I'm doing here? Whining and grumbling.
Thats all I can do. But at least I'm safe.
To all of you readers, have a safe trip where ever you may heading in bad weather,
Boodyboy, out!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Boodyboy, the Waterfall Hunter - Lata Kijang, Hunted!
Well, thats just a fantasy. Me being the Indiana Jones type, running into jungles and discovering lost treasure or hidden gems of nature.
This Lata Kijang was just something crazy I decided to do. THinking about it now, it was a pretty risky and dumb thing to do. Driving a Perodua Myvi deep into Banjaran Titiwangsa (Main Range) to find a waterfall. THe trail is so bad that I recommend you use a 4WD to get to this fall the next time.
Some parts of the road were tarred, some cement, but more than half the way, the roads are all broken and some just a trail of pebbles and rocks. I pity my poor Myvi whow as forced to go along this ride. Her suspension must have hurt.
The journey started from the old road to Hulu Langat in Batu 9, Cheras. At the cross junction that goes to Ampang (to the left); Batu 18 Hulu Langat, Tekala, Gabai and Batangsi Falls (Straight); and to Semenyih (right), we turned right. Then drive straight and you will pass a winding road up the hills. YOu will also pass by some Orang Asli settlements along the way. After about 20 minutes, you will reach a T junction. To the right will be Semenyih town or Kajang, and the left is to Kuala Klawang and Batu 18 Hulu Langat. Turn left here. You will see los of monkey by the road side here and you will definitely not miss the Semenyih Dam on your right.
Semenyih DamAfter passing Semenyih dam, you will continue driving straight until you see a turning to the left, to Batu 18 Hulu Langat. Continue heading straight. More windign roads up and down the hill from here. I love driving these type of roads. Country road with little or no traffic.
Now all I need is an open top convertible (Peugeot 308 cabriolet, Audi TT insert your dream car here) and I'm set for the perfect weekend drive. Once you reach the top of the hill, theere will be a sign which serves as the border between Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
ITs about 10-15 minutes drive from the border. And you will see a signboard saying Gunung Hantu Besar / Lata Kijang. Turn left and drive straight. once you drive past a river, get ready to turn left. From that turning, it is only about 20km to the waterfall.
But here is where the 4WD adventure begins, the road is in pretty bad condition. If you have any car that is pretty low or has skirting, avoid driving on ths trail. Or else you will cry. Just drive straight for about 30-45 minutes before you reach a FELCRA settlement, then continue straight. You will pass a few more settlements before reaching the waterfall. Just befre you reach the waterfall, you will pass by a camping site which is quite big. ANd the road jsut before the waterfall is in good condition. How does LAta Kijang look like? Here it is!! I've also put up a picture of it from ahelicopter point of view. Its right in the middle of nowhere.
ANy1 wants to visit this place and in need of a guide? Heheheh...
Boodyboy, out!!!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Math and Science will be taught in BM again
Looks like the government has decided to switch the learning of Maths and Science subjects in school from English-medium to BM medium.
While the decision maybe appalling to a lot of parties, it is not surprising. Why? Because all these while, only about half of the teachers in school actually fully teach those subjects in English. 53 to 58% according to The Star newspaper report.
They key reason for the low percentage? Its the teachers themselves who are not equipped with the language skills to teach the subject in English. The teachers themselves are products of our very own archaic education system which had taught them in BM in the first place. So how can we expect them to teach in English when they themselves learnt it in BM? This will be a slow and long road if we were to get this English policy to be implemented successfully. The 1st generation of teachers who would be capable to teach the subjects in English are those who actually graduated in Science. And the reason for them not wanting to become teachers? The low wage.
The only other way for teachers to be naturally proficient in English would be if they continued this policy and the students who finished school learning these subjects in English would then be able to teach the students more effectively. But that would mean we would have to wait for at least 5-10 years before our teachers become naturally fluent in English.
But then again, all is not lost. If we look at other countries like France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and China; these countries have their Science and Math subjects taught in their own language. And these countries have not been handicapped at all. They are some of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet. So as you can see learning Science and Maths in BM or whatever the language isn't the problem.
I think the problem here lies more with the syllabus as well as the ability to adapt from 1 language to another i.e. English.
While the decision maybe appalling to a lot of parties, it is not surprising. Why? Because all these while, only about half of the teachers in school actually fully teach those subjects in English. 53 to 58% according to The Star newspaper report.
They key reason for the low percentage? Its the teachers themselves who are not equipped with the language skills to teach the subject in English. The teachers themselves are products of our very own archaic education system which had taught them in BM in the first place. So how can we expect them to teach in English when they themselves learnt it in BM? This will be a slow and long road if we were to get this English policy to be implemented successfully. The 1st generation of teachers who would be capable to teach the subjects in English are those who actually graduated in Science. And the reason for them not wanting to become teachers? The low wage.
The only other way for teachers to be naturally proficient in English would be if they continued this policy and the students who finished school learning these subjects in English would then be able to teach the students more effectively. But that would mean we would have to wait for at least 5-10 years before our teachers become naturally fluent in English.
But then again, all is not lost. If we look at other countries like France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and China; these countries have their Science and Math subjects taught in their own language. And these countries have not been handicapped at all. They are some of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet. So as you can see learning Science and Maths in BM or whatever the language isn't the problem.
I think the problem here lies more with the syllabus as well as the ability to adapt from 1 language to another i.e. English.
We don't want our English to be like the above, do we?
The 1st problem, to me, is the biggest problem. I felt that my Science subjects were rather dull (I studied Pure Science in Form 4 and 5). Maybe it was my teacher, but I dont wish to blame her for that. I think the syllabus doesnt make the science experiments interesting enough. It doesnt make me want to discover or find out more. In fact, I actually lost my passion for Science during those 2 years. Maybe we shouldnt be too exam based. But I know that in the new SPM format, there is a pratical exam but I think the practical xam is just once off and it could be stressful for the students. Points for Lab sessions should be given based on the year's work, and should include some short research, maybe on the net or something, just to stimulate the student's interest.
The 2nd problem, adaptability to English is a serious problem for all students of our National schooling syllabus. The generation of our parents, although half of them didnt really complete school, were able to carry a decent conversation in English and BM. But today, even local university graduates can't speak proper English. Our proficiency of English has actually gone down the drain over the years. IF we actually have a good command of English, we can easily switch between English terms and BM terms, regardless of the subjects.
Now the million dollar question is how do we bring our English back to the levels of yesteryear?
My 1st suggestion would be to Make English a compulsory pass for SPM. This way, that would make English just as important as BM. IF you dont pass both, you fail SPM. Then, how do we get more people to pass English? Have at least extra 2 hours on English lessons a week. At primary and Secondary school level. How do you get extra 2 hours in a 2 session school? Scrap useless subjects like Moral and then we have our problem solved. Moral should be taught in primary school only. Our young mind can be shaped then, but not in secondary school anymore.
Maybe 1 more tactic that should work. Introduce Sex Education, maybe an hour a week maybe in Form 3 onwards. Not a subject for PMR and SPM. But how to improve English? Teach it in English lor... Simple right? Then definitely most of our students can speak better English, I can guarantee you! Hehehe...
Well, anyways those are my 2 cents after reading the headlines today.
Boodyboy, out!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Things that I wonder after watching Transformers 2
To those that has not watched the movie yet, this is a SPOILER ALERT!!!!
DO not read beyond this point if you don't wish to know what happened in the movie.
1. Where to Transformers, both good and evil, get their tyres from? This is weird because when they land on Earth, they are just robots that have not mimicked anything vehicle. But when they mimic a vehicle, for example, a huge truck, where the hell does the tyres come from, since it is made of rubber while the bots are all made of steel? You mean they can transform part of their metallic body into rubber to be used as tyres?
2. And if they have tyres, how come when the police / army shoot at them, their tyres wont burst?
3. When Optimus Prime was revived and merged himself with the Decepticon Blackbird (cant remember the character's name), he became a very good fighter and managed to kick some robot a$$. So why did he shake off the plane if he was fighting so well with it?
4. If he did not shake the plane off, what would he be if he transformed into a vehicle? A Huge truck towing a giant Blackbird (the mdel of the jet plane)?
Well, I know, I've got no imagination. I'm spoiling the fun, hahahah
It just got me wondering, thats all.
Boodyboy, out!!!
DO not read beyond this point if you don't wish to know what happened in the movie.
1. Where to Transformers, both good and evil, get their tyres from? This is weird because when they land on Earth, they are just robots that have not mimicked anything vehicle. But when they mimic a vehicle, for example, a huge truck, where the hell does the tyres come from, since it is made of rubber while the bots are all made of steel? You mean they can transform part of their metallic body into rubber to be used as tyres?
2. And if they have tyres, how come when the police / army shoot at them, their tyres wont burst?
3. When Optimus Prime was revived and merged himself with the Decepticon Blackbird (cant remember the character's name), he became a very good fighter and managed to kick some robot a$$. So why did he shake off the plane if he was fighting so well with it?
4. If he did not shake the plane off, what would he be if he transformed into a vehicle? A Huge truck towing a giant Blackbird (the mdel of the jet plane)?
Well, I know, I've got no imagination. I'm spoiling the fun, hahahah
It just got me wondering, thats all.
Boodyboy, out!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Look at what your Transformers Fans have done!!!
D@mn you guys!!! ;-p
Thats because I my self have not watched the film yet. Going to watch this weekend though, finally. You Transformer maniacs would have probably watched it for the 4th or 5th time already by then.
Boodyboy, out!!!
Thats because I my self have not watched the film yet. Going to watch this weekend though, finally. You Transformer maniacs would have probably watched it for the 4th or 5th time already by then.
Boodyboy, out!!!
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