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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Saturday night post

April has four important dates in my calendar: Ain's birthday on the 6th, my parents' anniversary on the 10th, and my beloved's birthday on the 14th. On this 25th, Ain will be called to the Bar, and she will officially be proclaimed as a lawyer. Congrats sis =) I'm so proud of you.

So far, I missed the earlier two, and I will miss this 14th too. So I am foreseeing a birthday card or a gift to be given away on a belated basis. I'm sorry sayang. Ain, I promise I will make it!

This month is a busy month for my family, and for myself definitely. Only in KL on weekends, and wherever-I-may-be on weekdays. Mak and Abah are going to do some traveling also. Abah with his regular outstation, and Mak will be interviewing students in some states too. Pity Ozal he has to stay at home. But it's good also for him to be around for a while, before he continues his tertiary education.

Okay. Enough of the minor updates there. Lately, I am quite disturbed with this annoying issue that my mom faces these few days. Since the university my mom works in is opening interview sessions for selected students, many of her acquaintances + relatives + friends + colleagues are asking her help to recommend their child/ nephew/niece to get a place in the varsity.

I won't take it as an issue if the candidates score fairly in SPM. But I don't think it is right if they were to be accepted based on some 'back-door' deals just because their parents/ uncles/ aunts have good contacts that can get them through. In fact, nobody with a clear mind will say it's valid to do so. Yeah, I understand that every parent wants their children to be educated, i.e. to attend university. But, with scores of mere 6Cs, 7Ds and 8Es, it will just give universities a bad name of taking bad students in. Quality should be the priority here.

Therefore, I wonder, how many of us actually did qualify for our tertiary education? Was it because of our own merits, or was it because our parents or acquaintances had the influence? If one has merits and influence, that is a double-bonus I suppose. But if it was based solely on the influence, then pardon me, we should be doubling our efforts because it was just a tick of luck for us to be given the opportunity. The reputation of getting a chance based on influence is definitely questionable.

Therefore, please, stop asking academicians that you know for the back-door ticket. It's too loathing, personally for me. It's not nice being granted an instant VIP pass. Every candidate should go through the same procedure of screening. You will know if you do well or otherwise..

8 comments:

Aman said...

Hi Ira,
I don't know why I have to post a comment. ;)

It is a matter of time, until someone we know start asking favors about something in our jurisdiction.

I think, the answer is quite simple. For the past years had they being nice to me? or even lending their arms when I was in a deep shit or something similar. If they were, I'm willing to help them even if it is beyond my limits.

But if they were not, then piss off my friend. Hahaha.

dueng said...

owh lucky. my parent is only Felda settler so no connection what so ever. though, my mom used to urge me to ask for my distance cousin for some help to get employment in THE COMPANY. but i refuse it like plague. 2 reasons: 1) i don't want to terhutang budi or such to anybody 2) i'm fully qualified hence i don't need it.

people with well connected parent see that it's nothing wrong with asking for help, well, i don't really object to it. it's pretty much given. but as much as you love to be feeding all your life, there are times a man should take it stand on his own term. enough with parent shadow.

i'm proud to say that what i had been achieved nowadays (though not magnificent in grand scale of think), it's something i achieve because i work for it. given opportunity lies in front of me, i need to be ultra stupid to refuse it.

so kids, if you think you're rebellious enough, stop asking your parent to feed everything to you.

ladyrora said...

Well done for you Dueng :)

Hm, I dunno En. Dayat.. maybe because of this, our universities can hardly secure any place in the best 200 universities. UiTM especially..

(nak komen lg, tp xlarat.. penat..)

Aman said...

If I can substitute Ira's Mom Puan Zabedah in the interview of the wannabe students of mass comm.
These are my Standard Selection Procedure. SSP.
1. photogenic face, can talk, general knowledge = masuk kursus VJ or pembaca berita
2. not so photogenic face, can talk, general knowledge = kursus DJ radio
3. pretty face, can talk, iq boleh tahan = kursus pelakon

It's okay that UiTM is not the best in Malaysia.
I remember that Dynaz and Fara Fauzana is your mom's ex-student kan? :)

Aman said...

Sometimes I wonder why is it difficult to score A in exam.
Is the world lack of intelligent people? or what?

I think the teaching SOP is more likely to benefits the one who have high IQ who are very patient. That is why they are only few people who get first class degree . And for my batch of Electronics Eng UTM 2002 graduates... there are none.
I believe there are a lot of potential people out there who did not score in exam.

Anyone think that add maths they thought in secondary school really make sense the first time they learn it? Please raise your hands.
Up until now I still don't know where to use dy/dx. Stupid me.
People who can score A1 must be really genius Will Hunting or... people who can persevere long hours practicing something that they only can understand after doing the exercise for 20 times. (If they are lucky)
Some of the people with high potential IQ out there may not have that patient.

I think the first thing teachers should tell us is
"Why we learn this?"
Can we use the formula to build laser guided missiles, or predict the casualty of a nuclear explosion, or calculate the speed produced by the NOS in Paul Walker's new Blue Nissan Skyline GTS. (Whoaaa!)
Challenge the student to solve a real time problem. Make them excited. I think more people will really get the chance to learn.

BUT, I bet most of our form 4 teacher up until today still don't know where to use dy/dx in their life.

ladyrora said...

Okay, the fourth comment of this post by En. Dayat - ira reply eh.

Okay, it's okay for anyone to tell my mom that their son/ daughter/ niece/ nephew nak go for an interview to get the entrance ticket to the varsity. Meaning: just to inform my mom that there is a relative going for the interview. That's it. My mom will take note, definitely not yet deciding to give a free entrance.

Bila interview, all the craps come from their mouth.

Anak duta: Entah, I'm not sure really how my dad works, only that I know we have holidays every year. (how dumb an ambassador's son to say that, u know, no analytical skills, no observation done on the dad's work)

Anak pilot: Well, i'm not sure why I'm going for this interview actually. I'm just scouting. I just wanna be popular (ala2 dumb blonde la ni..)

Anak sedara pensyarah: Saya tahu saya akan lulus interview ni, kan auntie saya, Puan **** beritahu puan that I'm her niece? So u should acknowledge that. (and u know how she ended...)

Dynaz.. well, I think she was fortunate. Having a pretty face and talent. Farah, she was okay during her varsity years (that's what my mom told me)

But I'm not just talking about Masscomm. I'm talking about other courses as well.. and I saw the consequences of parents' influence to get their kids into the varsity, in which a friend of mine never cared to graduate cuz her parents have money.

Sian mak ayah.. penat cari duit, anak tukang habiskan.. kena rotan ni!

Aman said...

HUH! Surprisingly that bad eh?

Aman said...

Hi Ira, :)

But I can't blame them all. Kurang pendedahan kot. Ahak ahak. Salah mak bapak agaknya.

I think, they learned their FIRST LIFE lesson from the interview. If you don't know the answer, please don't make fun of yourself by answering with stupid answer. Hahaha.
Maybe their parents never taught them that. :D

This is my favourite interview lines from Pursuit of Happyness
"I'm the type of person if you ask me a question, and I don't know the answer. I'm gonna tell you that I don't know.
But I bet you what. I know how to find the answer, and I will find the answer.
Is that fair enough?"