I haven't been up here, renewing this blog for quite some time. Things come up, travelling, working, moving house and the start of a whole new semester is making me a bit dizzy... Today, at this time I decided to just talk about something that every Chinese SPM student in Malaysia are talking about and the dilemma they are facing right at this moment. I can type in Chinese and it is really better for me to do so but I want the nation to know (even for those who does not know Chinese, parents in particular) the importance of Chinese language.
I came across this online newspaper title on FB and I acknowledged the dilemma and hardship that SPM Chinese students are going through , especially those who are planning to take Chinese as one of the subjects. I gone through that, that is why I totally understand how one feels when it comes to this issue.
Malaysia, just like a lot of places in the world are having a merit based education system. Everyone is always asking, "How many A's you got for PMR/SPM?" ; "Which school are you graduated from?" ; "How is your result in school?" and so on. This education system is putting pressure on students in this nation to get a certificate and a result slip which shows "straight A's". It is encouraging in a way as student would work very hard to score for a better result, but at the same time it is discouraging as students, though scoring "straight A's" would be incompetent besides studying.
As for Chinese, it is undeniably one of the hardest subject in SPM. In fact, it is THE killing subject for those who want to score straight A's or to pass all subjects. Paper are getting tougher and tougher each and every year and many Chinese students dump Chinese because it would affect the overall result. What makes things worse is the attitude of parents who look so much into results and encourage their kids to dump this subject just for the sake of getting straight A's.
I was a 2010 SPM leaver and I was contented with my result. Before I start, let me just bring you on a tour of Chinese in my life. I was born in a family whereby my dad is a so-called "banana" and he doesn't speak a word of Chinese. My mom, though a Chinese educated person used to talk to my brother and I in English. 4 years later, I was admitted into a kindergarten where I started to learn Chinese. As a matter of fact, I did not do well for my Chinese and neither did my brother. When I was 6, my dad decided got me registered into a quite prestigious SK(at least it was in my hometown). My mom, she re-registered my name in a SJK(C) after knowing it and insisted us studying Chinese till SPM.
Seriously, I did really bad for my Chinese even up till UPSR. I was so lucky to get a pretty grades for my UPSR and went into the one and only Chinese government high school (SMJK) in my hometown. I started picking up the hobby of reading and writing novels when I was in high school to improve my Chinese. It was a big leap when we need to start learning old Chinese languages and it was a bigger struggle when I went to Form 4 where we need to translate old Chinese into modern Chinese language. My brother was facing the same problem and the idea of dumping Chinese always crossed our mind as we know that we need to get a good result to "survive". At that time, my mom insisted us on taking Chinese and my dad who doesn't read and write(though learned to speak after years of listening to our conversation) encouraged us to not give up on Chinese. In the end, I took up tuition, handed in articles, wrote novels, blogging, read more Chinese novels and finally I made it.
I got 9As out of 10 subject in my SPM and the only B+ is not Chinese. In fact, I got an A- for my Chinese.
Students and parents nowadays never find a way out, everyone just wants to get the easy way out and dump Chinese for SPM. Yes, one might say that it doesn't affect much by dumping Chinese but it doesn't affect much either picking up Chinese as one of the subject. Malays, Indians, Europeans, Americans and so many other races in the world now are learning Chinese. I have friends who are 100% English- educated begging us(those who know Chinese) to teach them how to speak, read and write.
From the global economy point of view, China is developing rapidly and it might one day monopolize the whole economy. Though English is THE language in communicating, don't you think having one more language in hand is in a more advantage position?
Sorry to say but I was never proud to say that I scored for my English in SPM because I think English is the very basic and we are bound to do well for it. As for Chinese, I am proud up till today that I have one more language in hand. It may had affect my overall grades for SPM but I never regretted for taking up Chinese. I'm glad that both my parents insisted me in learning Chinese.
Chinese, just as other language is not a formula or something dead. It represents a culture and a developing mindset of the people. The history of Chinese is dated back almost 4000 years, and it had evolve in such a way to be more reader-friendly. If you look into the language and get your passion out of it, you will see find a whole new universe in it. Chinese is not about memorizing all the points and vomit it out in exam to score an A, it is about the understanding, the appreciation, the application to go around the whole language and to make it look pretty. Just because our education system is as such where people looks at your result, by scoring a B for Chinese does not ruin the certificate. It may not be essential for college or universities application, one who take Chinese would definitely stands a better chance of getting a job in the future.
Unlike other subjects, Chinese is THE subject where most Chinese students fear of. Same goes to parents when they dreamed of their genius scoring brilliant results for SPM but with a flawed B in Chinese. Think of the good side, scoring a B gives you a better chance of getting a job in the future; getting an A tells people how strong your kids are in facing the toughest subject and still breakthrough.
So for those SPM candidates who are still in a dilemma, my advice is GO FOR IT! Do not be afraid of not scoring well, learn to love the subject and do not neglect it just because it is assumed to be not as important as other core subjects. Do not leave it aside just because it is hard and "people say it's hard to score". Try you best and face it. DON'T BE A CHICKEN!! You'll not regret it.
Disclaimer: The above blog post is only of personal point of view, it has nothing to do with anyone besides my self. Totally based on self-opinions and experience as a SPM leaver who did well(I do not know if A- is considered well for you) in Chinese language.
Good evening, peeps~! Once again, it's me on Ivy @ Feelings FM... I'm your DJ (duh~!) and my name is Ivy~~~~
OK, I don't know when this blog became a food review thing since it doesn't fit my blog name... In fact, I should be talking about feelings instead of FOOD~~
But since everyone likes food right? and I love them too... So I decided along the way I'll share my feelings and expedition I'm going through in KL and of course here and there I'm gonna introduce you guys to some FOOD in KL which I've been to. Although they might not be the best but there would be someone out there who would love it, right?
Let's start. On Saturday, I was sitting in the library studying(Exam is soooo near~!!!) with a few others and suddenly this guy, Ka Vui on the right said this, "I'm craving for Rainbow Cupcakes..."
My head shot up when I heard cupcakes... OK, I'm a big fans for sweet stuffs especially cakes~!! So I was like, "What is rainbow cupcake?"
He thought for a while before answering but basically he said, "The cake is in rainbow colour and tasted like Mat Kool rainbow flavor ice-cream."
I'm like... WOAH~! "Colourings?"
"I asked the guy there, they say its not colouring."
"Awesome. I feel like getting a bite on it... Tomorrow is a Sunday, why not we go then?"
So on Sunday, we met up in the library at 10.00... I was late though... XD
Anyway, we met up at the library and Jewen was there so after cracking our heads on how to get to that place, Jewen volunteered to drive. So we departed, 4 of us... We reached the place called WonderMilk and I think it's quite a famous place because it was quite full even at 11am...
So here we are:
WonderMilk... I was overwhelmed with how they set up their shop as the furnitures they used are very unique. Even from the outside, there are tables and chairs which are made of crates... I was stupified when I stepped into the store itself.
The furnitures are very special and it brings out a very warm feeling. This is not acutally a pure cupcake shop but rather I would term it as a cafe. And it is one which I always wanted in my life. I dreamed of owning such a cafe. With the warm lightings and the nice smell of cupcakes and coffee with the mixture of milk. People having their meals happily, smiling and chatting away... Well, we checked on the price board and decided to get the 12 box set and everyone would have 4 since Shin Li didn't want it. So we picked and picked and picked...
When we first saw the cupcake, we were like... So small a?! Well, we're shocked because when Ka Vui describe to us and did the hand gesture it was quite big... And Ee Teng thought it was slices of cakes and I thought it would be something like a muffin... Anyway, we just got the cupcakes and settled down while I looked around the shop and took photos of the environment here.
These are the cupcake we chose...
First row from left: Oreo, Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow
Second Row: Blueberry, Cheesy Cheese, Choc Mint, Oreo
Third Row: Choc Mint, Oreo, (Not sure), rainbow
Well, the cupcakes are OK... It would be fine for sweet lovers but trust me, they are very sweet...
In fact, Ka Vui and Jewen ordered coffee and milk... I heard the milk is really good. I'll give it a try the next time round.
So basically the cupcakes cost RM4.50 each and for a box of 12, it costs RM50.
They sell in one then a set of four, eight, twelve and sixteen I guess...
OK, so this picture above includes four photos. The first one is some weird animal body thing... The second one is a clock, with WM on it, not sure it meant West Malaysia or World Map... But the pictures on the other side of the board are some drinks in their shop.
The third picture is some cabinets where they put some greens... And the last one is basically the decorations beside the cabinet... See the BAKE word and also the world map...
This photo on the left is some other pictures I took regarding the furnitures. The upper left one is a small corner underneath the cabinet. I wanted to take that place when I saw it... I really love the small wooden table and small chairs. It makes the small corner there looks very cosy... The upper right is another set of table outside the shop. The chair are crates basically.
The lower left one is what I think most unique of all in the whole shop. Can you guys see the picture? Guess what it is make from? The tops of the table and chairs are of course make of planks and woods but the rack itself is made of unused pipes. Creative I would say... And the last pic on the bottom right is a small shelf beside the cashier selling postcards. The design of the postcards are nice and worth RM1 each.
This picture above was 2 pictures I really love... The wall and WM below the clock... Nothing special but I love them for no reason.
On your left is the menu and numbering they used in the shop. Everything is handwritten and the message on the numbering is interesting. They included their Wifi password there itself and trust me, the password is as cute as the shop.
So basically I did not have breakfast that day and my tummy started growling. After checking the menu, I decided to try out one of the sandwiches---- Mushroom Melt.
I never expected anything much since it's mushrooms and it's normal. I paid and waited and soon the sandwich was served...
And yeap, this bread on my right is the sandwich I ordered. There are mushrooms fillings (DUH~) and of course the secret recipe out of everything... THe all time favorite----- CHEESE~!!!
I took a bite and WOAH~! Never expected to taste THAT awesome and I meant it. It's even better than the cupcakes. If there is a rating, I would give 5/5 for this sandwich over here. Best taste for sandwich ever tasted.
Those who like mushroom, this is a must try. Trust me, you would not regret. Well, but for a sandwich this is a bit expensive... It costs RM10.90 for this. The sandwich will come with some raw veges and also potato salad. So it's quite filling for lunch or breakfast or even for brunch.
So these are the people I went to WonderMilk with... My course mates and ex-course mate
From left: Shin Li (so proud to have a Bruneian friend who is a NERD~ XD); Jewen (The guy who brought me to pasar malam and give me a lift back every night); and the suggestor, Ka Vui...
So this pretty girl who is holding the cup cake is Ee Teng. (Pretty right?) and the crazy girl sitting sideway would be the one and only ME, your DJ tonight and many more nights--- Ivy~
So, before we depart from the shop... We took a photo of everyone with my Samsung Galaxy S3 2.0 megapixels front camera... So from left: Shin Li, Jewen, Ka Vui, Ee Teng and finally, me~!
Have a nice trip there for those who are interested. They have 3 outlets actually... The one went to is +WonderMilk Damansara Uptown. Yes, we went all the way to Damansara from Brickfields for cupcakes.
There are two more outlets situated at Citta Mall and Publika Shopping Gallery...
For more info, feel free to check out their webpage:
Hello everybody. A very good evening to all of you once again. Thank you for tuning into Feelings FM and I'm your Blogspot DJ this evening... I bet you guys know me already, I'm Ivy.
The general rule is that in every blog post I'll prepare a Song of the Day for you guys and tonight there's no exception. The Song of the Day, let me see... Oh, It's "Losing Your Memory" by Ryan Star. Just in case you do not know, it's actually the Soundtrack from Vampire Diaries.
Before we go into the main issue, which I know everyone loves it-------FOOD~~~~ Hold your horses because there is someone whom I want to introduce you guys to. He is the main character today so you can't miss it.
OK, see this guy over here? Hello, look here~~~ Ah, yes... Now I got your attention. He's is the guy I was talking about. The reason why I say he's the main character today is because without him, I won't be able to go for the Food Hunt. Oh, this guy over here... He's my course mate, a new pal named Jewen. Nice guy, quiet and always sitting alone near the wall...
So basically, everything starts like this. This morning is a usual morning... waking up, shower, brush my teeth... Go to class. So at 1 o clock after class is over we went over to the library to study. Of course, having lunch first then to the library.
Time flies and when we noticed it, it was already 6pm... So instead of finding food near my college which apparently no significance of good food, he suggested that we just head over to my area since it's Thursday and there is a night market there.
The initial plan was to stay up till 10pm in the library(it was a deal) but besides mental strain, we're wondering where to find food... So we packed at 7.30 and set off to the night market nearby my area--- Sri Rampai Night Market.
OK, for those who are overseas who doesn't understand my title... Jom is the malay word for "let's go" and in Malaysia, we term night markets as "Pasar Malam". Well, everyone knows the fact that if you want food... Best place to get? You just gonna get them from pasar malam.
So off we go and we had a really hard time finding a parking space. The parking lot was quite dark and quiet at night although it's just beside the pasar malam but anyway, we got a place and he looked at his car and looked at me... Finally he blurted, "I hope my doors will still be here when we come back." And I gave him a "I understand" look and answered, "I was hoping to see the wheels are still here."
He laughed and both of us head for the night market. Not sure about the night markets in overseas but for Malaysia, definitely it would be along a street and outdoor... Those who are bagpacking in Malaysia, you wouldn't want to miss a chance of visiting the pasar malam here. Anyway, back to the point... We walked and all I can see are FOOD~!! I know, I attracted your attention... Chill~~
OK, first I had two sticks of fishball... One curry flavor and one more Tom Yam Flavor. How does it taste? Spicy... Jewen got himself a curry flavor fish ball and a squid... Did not take photo for this one because I finished it in 2 minutes before I remembered that I need to take a photo of it... The price: RM1 for each fishball stick and RM2 for the squid stick. Anyway, the ratings:
Taste : ★★★☆☆
Appearance : ★★★☆☆
Creativity : ★★★☆☆
Overall : ★★★☆☆
Then, we moved to the next stall where I saw my favorite food--- Sweet potato! This is cute because they make it into balls and fry them... So I call them Sweet Potato Balls~~~ This is not a highlight, it's OK. Taste normal... Suitable for kids though because it's sweet... ^^ The price: RM 4 per packet with approx 10-15 balls.
Taste : ★★☆☆☆
Appearance : ★★★☆☆
Creativity : ★★★☆☆
Overall : ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
Next~! Let's see... OK, this~!!! Chang Chang~!!
I KNow this looks weird but it taste awesome~!! It's call Osaka Teppanyaki... Give it a try if you see it anywhere. There's cucumber and egg and some vege. The taste of mayonnaise completed the taste of the whole thing. It's something like a pancake and trust me, it's awesome~ I would get another one the next time I visit this pasar malam. By the way, there's 2 flavors: Chicken and Seafood. RM 5,90 for chicken and RM6,90 for Seafood.
Taste : ★★★★☆
Appearance : ★★★☆☆
Creativity : ★★★★☆
Overall : ★★★★☆
Next, what more? OK, let's get a drink first... I'm thirsty from doing all the talking...
This is recommended by Jewen. He brought me to this stall and tell me that this is a must try? So I listened since he's the expert... Well, I did not regret that. It's cooling and really, this is just nice for a hot day. THere are six ingredients in the drink I guess because the name is something like Six Gold Cooling Tea or something? So yeah~ Each of us got a packet and according to him, if we have it there...We would get a quill egg inside the drink... Well, it's over but I'm still trying to figure out what's the ingredients:
1. Barley
2. Longan Meat
3. Bak Hup
4. Lin Zi
5. Bak Go
I'm not sure how far I'm true but I guess these are in... Anyway, it's RM 3.30 per packet. You have the choice of having cold or hot.
Rating:
Taste : ★★★★★
Appearance : ★★★★☆
Creativity : ★★★☆☆
Overall : ★★★★☆
Next, we took continue the walk again. Let's see, what's next... Oh, this... I got attracted to this when I was walking along the stalls. It's something cute and special. They call it Cheese Potato.Well, I ordered the Hawaii Flavor and Jewen also got the Black Pepper chicken flavor... Each cost RM5. Mine basically contains of Broccoli, pineapple, ham and corns. For Cheese lovers, you must taste this... The cheese will be spread all over the fried potato and the other ingredients in it... All I can say is that it is heaven for Cheese Lovers. Here it is:
Ratings as below:
Taste : ★★★★★
Appearance : ★★★★★
Creativity : ★★★★★
Overall : ★★★★★
Last food of the day, which is sort of normal and can be seen almost everywhere. This we call it Chicken Nuggets or Popcorn Chicken. This cost RM6. Well, nothing much to explain bout this because it's just normal fried chicken with chili pepper powder on it... Ratings first then the pic.
Taste : ★★☆☆☆
Appearance : ★★☆☆☆
Creativity : ★★☆☆☆
Overall : ★★☆☆☆
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That ends the Food HUnt today. It was fun after the stress of studying 6 hours in the library. And Jewen who doesn't speak Mandarin tried his level best to communicate with the seller there... Good job, Jewen. And Thank you for the bringing me there.
PS: Can't really tell where the place is, but it is just one street beside the Jabatan Imigresen where you guys make passport and ICs.
