Sunday Star, Education, August 20, 2006

School continues to impress

BY ANDREW LOH

THE performance at the recent HELP University College's National English Debate Competition 2006 was an intense battle of words and wit with SMK Damansara Jaya (SMKDJ) edging St Michael's Institution, Ipoh for the title. 

The battle saw SMKDJ fourth formers Choy Sher Rin, Kalkena Sivanesam, Adeline Michelle Mathew and Ethan Tay Chen Ern convince the adjudicators that HIV screenings should be a prerequisite for marriage to clinch the championship. 

"We spent almost 50 hours brainstorming, researching and writing speeches for every motion. It was at times tedious and stressful.  

"Some would think we were nuts for putting ourselves through such mental torture.  

SMK Damansara Jaya's debating champions (from left) Ethan, Adeline, Sher Rin and Kalkena with their medals.

Kalkena said the debate also made them realise the importance of commitment.  

"We had to organise discussion sessions in spite of our busy personal schedules. This meant sacrificing tuition and music classes, missing lessons, and even coming back to school during holidays and weekends.  

"In a way, this was a good thing because it made sure that the time we spent together was productive," she added. 

The team walked away with the challenge trophy, RM5,000, a computer set, a rostrum and a camera for their school.  

They also won individual prizes including gold medals, certificates, mobile phones, partial HELP scholarships and subscriptions to educational magazines.  

SMKDJ's victory was even sweeter when the best speaker award went to Adeline. She received a trophy, RM500, a printer, a mobile phone and a full HELP scholarship.  

"I attribute the award to the entire team. I couldn't have done it without them.  

"Debate is a team activity and everyone gave their personal best. We stood by each other. 

"I believe the bonds of our friendship have been reinforced through this unforgettable experience," said Adeline. 

Ethan said they learnt many lessons in life through the debate.  

"We've become more open to different viewpoints and more perceptive towards history and current events. I hope more students will start debating to reap these benefits," she said. 

This year has been a particularly fruitful one for SMKDJ, as the school also bagged the Taylor's College Inter-School Debate Championship 2006 through its fifth formers Lee Su Lyn, Ow Xin Dee, Joel Wong Kae Wei and Lee Liang Hoong.  

The students won individual trophies, a full scholarship to any Taylor's College pre-university course and a 30% tuition fee waiver to any Taylor's College tertiary programme.  

The school received the challenge trophy and a cash prize of RM10,000.  

"I think I speak for both teams when I thank our teacher adviser Koh Bee Lian, and our coaches, Andrew Loh Zhu An and Anton Atli Marc Jitab, for leading us to both titles. Their guidance has been invaluable and their coaching nothing less than inspiring," said Xin Dee. 

Andrew Loh and Marc Jitab are former champion debaters who represented SMKDJ in 2003 and 2004. 

"You don't get many teacher advisers and ex-students who are willing to sacrifice so much time to work with us," commented Su Lyn.  

"They motivated us to grow, both as debaters and individuals.  

"We wanted to repay their effort by giving them nothing less than our best," she added. 

Joel added: "Not forgetting the help we've received from fellow students who came to help us in our discussions even though they were not in the team.  

"Their spirit and assistance have indeed been commendable." 

Adviser Koh said a successful debating team needed more than just good speakers. 

"This year, we've been fortunate to have the whole works going for SMKDJ.  

"We have dedicated students who don't shy away from hard work; ex-debaters and teachers enthusiastically spurring the team on; and more importantly, recognition and appreciation from our principal Lee Mei Leng," Koh said. 

With all the right ingredients, it is no wonder SMKDJ is a giant in the Malaysian debating circuit.  

SMKDJ has won eight debating titles in the last seven years, namely the national Tan Sri Datuk Wira Abdul Rahman Arshad Cup (2001, 2003), Taylor's College Annual Inter-School Debate Cup (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006) and HELP University College's Tan Sri Paduka Dr Saleha Debate Cup (2004, 2006). 

Principal Lee is proud that the debating culture that the school has been cultivating has paid off.  

"I congratulate both teams for their achievements.  

"The dedication of both debaters and coaches has been exemplary. We need more students and teachers like them.  

"They have my full support – the administration is always open to suggestions to help maximise the potential of SMKDJ's debaters," she added. 

Acknowledging that talent has to be trained, SMKDJ has implemented inter-class competitions, even for afternoon session students to expose them to debate.  

It aims to instil in potential debaters self-confidence and mastery of public-speaking techniques. 

The school is starting a much-needed debate room, complete with a computer, printer, rostrum, and debate furniture for the convenience of future teams.  

It is also planning to build an "Excellence Tower" to commemorate its impressive debate resume. 

"The Excellence Tower is to ensure that the next generation of students do not forget the school's glorious legacy and to instil school pride," added Lee.  

We, the sound and the Rakyat of Malaysia, are fustrated by the broadband service offered by Telekom Malaysia's TMnet Streamyx. TMnet monopolize the market by owning most of the 'last mile' in Malaysia and failed to provide a decent coverage to the Rakyat.
Besides that,

1. TMnet capped some of the users at a lower speed than subscribed.

2. Some of TMnet's staff and technician are inexperienced, rude and 'malas'.

3. The fees charged by streamyx is expensive because we need to pay the rental of the fixed line beside the dsl fees.

4. Frequent disconnection.

Jaring's and Time's wireless might be an alternative to some of us but remember the coverage of both service is limited.

We the Rakyat agree that TMnet Streamyx provide bad broadband service at unreasonable price.

Therefore we hope the goverment will do something about this dilemma such as unbundling the local loop and bringing in foreign player.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Oooo and I have a SCHOLARSHIP named after me. The Andrew Loh Scholarship for Analytical Chemistry awarded here. ROFLMAO! =)

MPH Essay: The Test (I know, very uncreative title, but what to do)

Andrew Loh Zhu An

Prompt: How is it that a few seconds can seem like an eternity yet years can fly past without our realising it?

He counted fifteen items on his spacious mahogany work desk, and frowned.

The clock chimed eight.

Mr. Tan was late, but he didn’t rush.

8.06 am

“Mr. Cheong.” He had barely entered the class when he headed purposefully towards a specific occupant of the far side of the room, who had chosen that particular seat so he could be as close as possible, to both the windows overlooking the school field, and Jennifer.

“Yes, sir?”

“Your project, please.”

“I, um, don’t have it with me right now.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not done yet. No time, sir.”

“Every single student in your class had time except you,” Mr. Tan said, sternly and deliberately for the words to sink in. “What makes you so special?”

For starters, I went out with Jennifer last night, Kyle thought, and all the boys are jealous.

“Do you have anything to say in your defence, Kyle?”

“Uh, you were late too, sir.”

“Excuse me?”

“You were late to class by six minutes, sir. So, proportionately, a one day extension for a three week project should be, uh, justified.”

The class stifled their snickering somewhat unsuccessfully.

“Nice try, son, but it doesn’t work that way.”

Some sense of justice you have, thought Kyle.

“The truth is, sir, I, uh, didn’t bring my project because it’s a joke I’m playing on you. April Fools!”

His attempt at exploiting the date fell flat with most, but fortunately for Kyle, some classmates guffawed anyway. He should’ve known better than to joke with a Physics teacher who couldn’t find humour in ‘mho’ as the SI unit for conductance.

“I am not amused.”

“Aw, come on, sir, can’t you take a little joke? I mean, what’s the difference between handing my project up today and tomorrow?”

“Your grade, Kyle, that’s what.”

Mr. Tan turned away from Kyle to the whiteboard to begin his lesson, satisfied with the enormity of his threat. Kyle sighed and closed his eyes, as if deep in contemplation.

Kyle didn’t want to flunk Physics. He did all right in all his other subjects, and even excelled in History, but the mother of all science was his Achilles’ heel. The enigmatic equations and complex calculations in his textbook could be mumbo-jumbo and hocus-pocus for all he cared. Stupid subject, he thought.

It was a matter of habit for Kyle to stare at the whiteboard with every ounce of concentration and still see little sense. Today he amused himself by observing how Mr. Tan’s thin, unsmiling lips puckered tensely after each sentence. Kyle also noticed that he swallowed his saliva once at least every thirty seconds, then wrinkled his nose, adjusted his glasses, and brushed off dandruff flakes from his shoulders. Predictable, boring, routine, ugly Mr. Tan. No wonder he’s a Physics teacher, he thought, the teacher reflects the subject.

A refreshing breeze blew his boredom away, albeit temporarily. Almost instinctively Kyle turned and looked out the window onto the school field, where some class was having P.E.. I belong there, Kyle muttered, not in Physics class. It was agonising to be restrained in this de facto prison. Every hour seemed like a decade, perhaps even longer when he saw other people having fun.

But then there was Jennifer.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

RING, BELL, RING!!! Kyle’s restless soul had enough of Mr. Tan’s facial dynamics and the goalless football match. He wanted to scream and break free of such misery, but social constraints dictated otherwise. Therefore he contented himself with fantasising about his date with Jennifer after school. Ignoring the incomprehensible verbiage from Mr. Tan’s moving lips, his eyes gradually made their way to Jennifer.

She looks ravishing as usual, thought Kyle, but rather dejected today. He worshipped every inch of her; her piercing eyes, her teasing smile, her fragrant hair. Her mere presence made Physics almost bearable! If only Jennifer was teaching me, Kyle wished, instead of the old fogey. If only. Then I wouldn’t mind spending years in a classroom, even if it was Physics.

Kyle had never failed Physics per se, but the low Ds he scraped through with were a perennial source of disharmony between him and his parents. He was under intense pressure to get his grades up, or at the very least sustain them, or he would be banned from seeing Jennifer. Jennifer – the love of his life! Kyle was infatuated with her. He could skip meals and computer games and television shows whenever she telephoned, and not even notice! Although his parents liked her personally, they thought her too much of a distraction for Kyle and his lacklustre results.

But mom, he’d complain, I don’t spend enough time with her anyway. Besides, she’s really good in Physics for some odd reason, and concentrates so hard in class that she ignores me.

Jennifer paid no attention to her admirer’s longing gazes. Kyle had no choice but to entertain himself with either Mr. Tan’s antics or the monotonous game. What a humongous waste of my time, he grumbled.

Let it end, please, I beg of you, prayed Kyle. Let my suffering end.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Mr. Tan knew how to control a class. His exact, precise manner instilled Machiavellian fear into his students. They all listened attentively when he lectured, or at least they seemed to. Everyone except Kyle. Only his eyes dare wander when I speak, he discerned, as Kyle winced at yet another wasted football goal opportunity.

Mr. Tan also loved Physics. Since twelve, he relished the thought of enlightening young and malleable minds about the wonderful world of science. O, how he remembered his schooldays, always sitting in front, always getting the right answers, always being praised, always teacher’s pet. How he would passionately devote five unflinching, intensive hours a day studying Physics in the library because the curriculum wasn’t challenging enough. The good old days…

He snapped out of it and was transported forty years into the present, from Tan Chong-Ming the prodigy to Mr. Tan the teacher.

How fast time flew.

Especially during my Physics lessons, he thought. There’s never enough time for my lessons. Every time I get the students energised enough to learn productively, every time I’m having fun cruising along the syllabus, the dastardly bell rings. What’s wrong about schools today is that they schedule too little time for science and too much for useless subjects like Moral Knowledge.

Don’t ring, bell, hoped Mr. Tan. Please, I beg of you, don’t ring.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Riiiiiing!!!

Thank you, God, smiled Kyle.

Blast it, cussed Mr. Tan. I wanted to finish the chapter.

The students poured out of the class as fast as they could. As Kyle was about to catch up with Jennifer, he heard: “Hold on, Kyle. I’ll have a word with you.”

Kyle cursed his luck. Mr. Tan remembered his missing project! “What’s up, sir?”

“I’ll be working on your final grades today. Since you did not bring your project, you shall stay back and complete a test for your marks. You understand?”

“Bu—but I’ve a date after school!”

“You do, indeed. With me. Remember, without this test you will fail your Physics.”

Defeated, Kyle gave in. Bummer, he thought, Jennifer won’t be happy.

1.45 pm

“The time starts now.”

It was an inverse juxtaposition of sorts. Now, Kyle lunged at his test questions at a furious pace, while Mr. Tan lounged in his comfortable recliner with a relaxing anthology of poems.

…explain the Theory of Relativity in layman’s terms, quoting Einstein…

To every thing there is a season,
And a time to every purpose under heaven.

…sitting next to a pretty girl for an hour feels like a minute; placing one’s hand on a hot stove for a minute feels like an hour…

Tick. Tock.

A time to search, and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away.

…the time needed for K to reach the ground when dropped from a height of…

Tick. Tock.

The only audible sounds were the rustling of pen against paper and the hypnotising tick-tock of the wall clock. Sweat dripped profusely from Kyle’s forehead as Mr. Tan’s eyelids gradually grew heavier. Kyle squirmed uncomfortably, jerkily, as he tried to hold it all in.

“May I use the bathroom, please?” Kyle pleaded, still scribbling feverishly, not even looking up.

“Huhh–ah,” muttered Mr. Tan, caught unaware. “You may, but there will be no extra time.”

Kyle swore under his breath for the second time today, admonishing himself for forgetting to take the trip before the test, as was his custom. He stopped himself, although he was thirsty, from adding to the already burgeoning burden in his bladder. He did not have enough time to accomplish both his mental and physiological tasks, and so after a quick value judgment he chose the more important one.

…the large specific heat capacity of water…

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Tick.

…friction will substantially decrease velocity…

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

Tock.

…differentiate Charles’ Law from Boyle’s…

To the last syllable of recorded time,

Tick.

…interference destroys waves…

Out, out, brief candle!

Tock.

…according to Newton’s Principia…

It is a tale

Tick.

…Bernoulli’s principle was…

Told by an idiot,

Tock.

…maximising amplitude…

Full of sound

Tick.

…increasing entropy…

And fury,

Tock.

…the nuclear advent…

Signifying

Tick.

…zero.

Nothing.

Tock.

“Time’s up.”

He hurt everywhere. It was not only his throbbing headache, sore fingers and bursting bladder, but also emotional agony, and a pulsing dread of the immediate future. He was crucified, and he made his slow, painful, encumbered walk down his via dolorosa to the bathroom.

It took quite a while to relieve himself of his most pressing urge. He splashed his face with water, took a hard look at his wretched self in the mirror, and decided that he had to face the cold, hard truth. It was time to be a man. He started the long journey back.

A sense of irony prevailed. For Kyle, an hour of Physics passed lethargically, excruciatingly; an hour of testing zipped by, hastily, like an arrow to its target. Paradoxically, Mr. Tan was always acutely aware of his lack of lesson time; while his leisurely, even sleep-inducing invigilation session dragged by without him realising it.

Einstein was right. Time is relative.

3.02 pm

Kyle found the room deserted, but his paper was still on the table. He crept up to it, taking long strides that lasted centuries. There he found it intact, but with newly added bold, red font:

APRIL FOOLS TO YOU TOO. I expect your Physics project to be on my desk by 8 am sharp tomorrow.

Mr. Tan

P/S: Jennifer won’t be seeing you this evening. I’ve grounded her for breaking her curfew last night.

            (1800 words)

* Usage of Moral Acronyms©  is only suggested. Use own inventions if possible. More personal = Easier to memorise.

Bab 1 – Diri

·       For the KKK in the middle, use Raj Loves Adil to remember which comes first.

Bab 2 – Keluarga (K)

KeHorMaTan

·       Be careful: terhadap is applicable for the first and last nilais, while kepada is the second.

·       Make sure you remember that the third has Kekeluargaan and not Keluarga.

Bab 3 – Alam Sekitar (AS)

Bab 4 – Patriotisme

CeTuS

·       Freaking tricky prepositions. Just remember, ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Or remember Andrew's Pink Underwear.

Bab 5 – Hak (H)

·       Even the Moral inventors got bored, so they decided to alternate Melindungi with Menghormati.

·       Melindungi comes before Menghormati, remember, ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

·       Remember the Ber- in Berupaya.

Bab 6 – (Pseudo) Demokrasi

* Notice that the letters are the same as Bab 4, except this one has another S.

Bab 7 – Keamanan dan Keharmonian

HiSS (rhymes with Peace if you pronounce it as Piss)

I hope this helps, yeah, kids? Tell me how it goes.

A free trip to Ireland for two, a seven day stint at one of the most happening cities in Europe, and a chance to meet the winner of the world's most lucrative literary award – not too bad a reward for listening to my mother and staying up late to write an essay on the extended competition deadline itself!

Winning the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Young Malaysians 2006 came as an absolute surprise to me. I was already more than satisfied to be short listed. Before, I never really thought of myself as a writer; but now, I found confidence to explore a new, exciting field of study. Nevertheless, I was nothing less than thrilled when I won: my mom and I were going to the emerald green isle of Eire!

Dublin Seascape

Day 1

We arrived on Sunday, 11 June. The first thing I liked about Ireland was its weather; its cool, rejuvenating, I-can-hardly-break-a-sweat-even-if-I-run weather. Oh, how I relished the wonderful, perfect breeze bringing life back into my tired, jet-lagged frame. I instantly knew that I was going to like the place.

We were taken to the posh Morrison Hotel, where we were to reside for our entire trip. This centrally-located four-star hotel overlooks the River Liffey, which runs through the heart of Dublin City, or Atha Cliath in Irish.

Atha Cliath is a pleasant-sized city; not too big, not too small. Home to about 1.2 million residents, it is the capital of Ireland. A lot of its buildings still retain their original facades, and the city is a fusion of romantic cobblestone streets and Georgian and Edwardian architecture. I believe that there is a cap on a Dublin building's height at four or five storeys – there aren't any skyscrapers in Dublin! This policy preserves the city's cultural and historical atmosphere – ancient structures with their flying buttresses, soaring steeples and Romanesque columns seem more prominent this way.

Cobblestoned streets

(Look reeeally carefully and you'll see that the streets are strewn with cigarette butts. Dublin is as dirty as Malaysia, but it doesn't feel that way, because of the perfect weather and breeeeeeze.)

Tourism and immigration have given Dublin a very metropolitan, multicultural feel. Mom and I tried to guess of what ethnicity people we met on the streets were (Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, Polish!), with varying degrees of success.

One thing about Dublin: it is an extremely walkable city. Everyone walked everywhere! There were traffic lights and pedestrian crossings at almost every junction, and even the waiting periods at these intersections were soothingly short. The perfect weather definitely made it easy – I couldn't resist going out for a stroll in such conditions. (It never once rained when we were there – Mom claimed that we brought the sun over from Malaysia!) Truly, the best way to explore Dublin is on foot.

 Day 2

I met the other Young Writers – John Raithel and mom from Rhode Island, and Britta Bell and dad from Connecticut. John had won for a story he wrote entitled Perimeters, and Britta, a poem called Keeping My Father. We trotted over to Trinity College Dublin for a walking tour and an exhibition of the famous Book of Kells.

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin

The Book of Kells is an ornate, colourfully illustrated medieval manuscript produced by Celtic monks. Intricate artwork and stunningly complex decorations interweave with lavish calligraphy to create an awe-inspiring, breathtaking, almost sacred sight, even to the casual observer. Striking hues of green, red, purple, gold, pink and blue belie their true age. In the days when paints were painfully expensive and hard to obtain, surely the monks didn't spare any expense in its creation: pigments were acquired from all over Europe; the extraordinarily costly semi-precious blue lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan!

We then went over to the IMPAC Office to have an enjoyable, light, getting-to-know-you session with the illustrious Judging Panel for the International Literary Award. (They wouldn't tell us who won!)

Day 3

Did you know that no less than four Irishmen have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, namely William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney? Not forgetting giants Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, Ireland has contributed remarkably, disproportionately to world literature. And for this Irish literary heritage, the world's richest book prize – the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is held there.

Poet, Dramatist, Wit: Oscar Wilde lived here

Dublin Coat of Arms. But check out the irony: Flaming castles and obendientia in Dublin.

John, Britta, Me

It was there, in Dublin City Hall, where we were among the selected few to learn, first-hand, that Colm Toibin had won the award and the 100,000 Euros for his tour-de-force, The Master. He is the first Irishman to win the award since its conception.

John, Britta, Colm Toibin, Me

Colm, Me

Actually I won lah.

Later, Mom and I went on a walking tour of the city, where we visited, among other Dublin landmarks, the all-imposing Dublin Castle, historic Temple Bar, refreshing St. Stephen's Green, and a few ornate, antique churches. We would also attend the celebration dinner for Colm Toibin, where we would eat our hearts out and receive complimentary autographed copies of the winning book!

Mom and I, Christchurch Cathedral Dublin



I like the pic mah.

Dublin Castle

Day 4

The Young Writers and their parents were escorted to the IMPAC Office to meet the newly crowned Colm Toibin. It was very nice to get to know him personally; Colm was very humble, very down-to-earth. We congratulated and chatted with him about what it meant to be a writer, and about his experiences as one. His advice: take note of anything that motivates, touches, enrages, discourages, inspires, frightens you. Anything at all – for it is from your personal experience that you draw from when you write.

Rubbish!!! Mala = Bag in Irish.

   

The Four Courts

Next, Judge Eugene Sullivan, the chair of the Judging Panel and former Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals, took us on a tour of the Irish Supreme Court – the Four Courts. There we witnessed a civil hearing, saw some dangerous criminals in handcuffs, talked to an Irish judge, and took in some legal trivia from our affable guide. Did you know that toilets in courtrooms have a form of ultraviolet lighting to make it next to impossible for people to locate their veins, thus deterring them from committing suicide in the heat of legal action? Now you do!

Day 5

Today was a free day. Mom and I went on a bus tour to the south of Dublin, where we saw dramatic changes in scenery from the flat, sandy beaches to the East and the alternating green hills and rocky mountains to the West.

We went to Powerscourt Gardens, which is this gigantic, hauntingly beautiful, aristocratic estate to the southwest of Dublin. Its main mansion is said to be based on Versailles, albeit on a much smaller scale. Here we could see endless miles of evergreen forest stretching into the misty horizon. There were also the vast seas of emerald plains for which Eire is so famous for, and that very site was where the movie Braveheart was filmed! C'est magnifique!

Powerscourt Gardens, like Versaille, no?

Powerscourt Gardens: Braveheart filmed here! (Like golf course only)

Sculpture by some Italian sculptor

Powerscourt Gardens Central Lake

Japanese Gardens at Powerscourt

Look REEEEAAAALLY CAREFULLY (Very funny one!)

Inspired by a pepper shaker.

Pretty.

Day 6

The entire delegation went to a couple of readings held for the Dublin Writer's Festival where we listened to several accomplished, internationally-acclaimed novelists and poets present an eclectic selection of their work.

The harp: a symbol of Ireland

That afternoon was also quite an experience, catching the World Cup live from a hotel room in Europe!

The nights I had were reserved for hanging out with John and Britta – chatting and joking, alternating between school, life, politics, other deep stuff, and nothing much in particular. I had my first pint of Guinness. It wasn't bad, but comparatively, it's staggeringly thicker than other beers. Surprisingly, even in Guinness' birthplace, beer was quite expensive: 4 Euro for a pint (500 ml)!

Statue of Guinness founder in St Stephen's Green!!!

We left the next day for London.

I wish to thank IMPAC for making this trip so enjoyable for me and my mom. Thank you so much for your flexibility and generosity. Also, another huge thank you to the IMPAC staff in Dublin: Linda and Tana for taking care of us so well, and Chris and Gorpin for taking us out so often to make sure that we'd get at least one good meal a day!

All in all, my trip to Ireland was immensely fulfilling. I definitely see myself going back again. Now, if only they'd change the age limit next year…

Pleasepleaseplease.