On the Verge of Independence (and Holidays!)

'Twas the 30th of August, 1957. The Union Jack descended from the flagpole as the British sang God Save our Queen, dignified in defeat. They knew the Empire was expiring after the Second World War, and so they agreed to disassemble their realm. In the first hour of the 31st of August, 1957, an infant flag, later to be called the Stripes of Glory, was raised; thus raising the aspirations of the fair people of Malaya. Later that day, the newly-built Stadium of Independence was jammed packed to the brims as the British conceded power to the Chief Minister of Malaya, the beloved Tunku. With that, he declared, with utmost pride and elation, the all-too-familiar, seven-lettered, Sanskrit-rooted word that is Merdeka!

It is solemnly enshrined in the five central Pillars of Islam, that a believer must fast for a month, the period allotted in the lunar month of Ramadan. Within this period, one would reflect upon the excesses of worldly life, and desire to be liberated from it in the hereafter. This could be seen in the manifestation of Eid-ul-Fitr, celebrated in reflection of the life eternal.

In case you are wondering about all these ramblings, it is just because the holidays are getting to me (thank you, Malaysia, for all those holidays! :) With this, I would like to wish all a Happy Merdeka Raya! (however did that cliché-structured term come about?)

Farewell, Pn. Choo!

Today, life takes a new path as a beloved teacher of ours, Pn. Choo, has left our alma mater as she walks further into her life. As sudden is her leaving to us, her farewell has been simple yet meaningful, two things that would sum up Pn. Choo perfectly. Speeches were done in her honour, and it seemed for that moment that even the cloud above would shed a few tears on her leaving! As I looked on from my place, I recalled the times she had taught me Geography in Form I, simply yet meaningfully, as her words were etched in our memory in attempt to recall them for the examinations. There is never a teacher who taught exactly like her, and there would never be anyone who would be exactly like her. Years of dedication had sculpted her gracefully in age, and she would be truly missed by the entire school.
 

From here, I , on behalf of the Librarians of SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (3), would like to wish her a joyful retirement and a long, happy life.

Merdeka!

500 years ago; this your history teacher has often pointed out; the Portuguese set foot on the glory that is Malacca, for the Gold, Gospel and Glory that is theirs. Down the centuries, this tiny piece of land encompassed the entire nation and had switched hands for over 40 decades, each new master forcing their identity on the populace in turn. Finally, on that fateful day in 1957, Tunku declared us free from the yoke of our master. Merdeka! he had declared.

Even so, after 54 years of nation, have we truly embraced the true spirit of this call? Surely, globalisation has made us (including both us administrators, but especially the other one) the bearers of an alien identity that could tear the fabric that is our beloved nation, Malaysia, into utter disunity. Therefore, it is necessary for us to kindle the embers of patriotism within us. This spirit would encompass all lenses of society, indiscriminate of race, status and creed.

However, this should never give in to the blind patriotism that would lead ourselves into oblivion in all aspects of life. We, as the caretakers of the Earth, should unite to champion the rights of all of humanity. This is where globalisation should play its allotted part in bettering humanity and their planet. Balance, therefore, is essential in preserving this state of matters.

So, after hearing me rambling on about the overall world view and thrashing individualism into tatters and you give me that I-don't-care-about-your-dialectic look the next time you see me after reading this post, I would like to cherish the motto of the School Resource Centre, 'Towards Success, We Work Together' With this in mind, we would truly be a citizen of the world.

With this, I wish all a Happy 54th Merdeka and that many more will come.

It's official, people

It's just in. During the meeting on Thursday, Pn.Tan said that she is going to make the newsletter into a reality. Currently, the newsletter team consists of the other administrator of this blog and I. I am in charge of the designs and the other person is in charge of the articles. Sadly, most people don't agree with him being the journalist as his English is a little too good. If he wrote the articles, I don't think half the school population would understand what he is saying, including the teachers. So yeah, it is in the works, and hopefully, it'll be released soon

Extra! Extra!

Okay, maybe not. You all might already know about this but it is said that although the fifth-formers have already 'retired', they are still going to pop up during afternoon duty; so better watch out guys. Don't mess around just because the seniors are gone, or you'll face the consequences. For those on duty on Friday, I am in charge now, so better do you duties well, or I'll work you to pieces. (maybe not to pieces, but the point is, just do your work and don't laze around). This is the end of my extremely short post. Bye?