One of my article posted for UVSB

“Unless Someone Like You Cares...”

We are still young, yes we are. However, is that an excuse for us to opt-out from the political issues we are facing in our country? Is being young can be considered as a hindrance for anyone to give some attentions, or rather support to the voices of those who care about YOUR country? Is being a student can be considered as an “unfulfilled requirement” for anyone to engage in following the updates of political issues which concerns your own HOME?

Forget about politics for a while... Let us review on how much we actually care about the TRUE HISTORY of the formation of our nation. Ask yourselves, have we been studying the real truth behind the history we were being thought at school? Is it real that that the British North Borneo Chartered Company gave away this piece of land to another independent country, after taking it away from the Brunei and Sulu Sultanates? Is it true that James Brooke “annexed” Sarawak and the Brooke family was a dynasty of “Penjajah Kejam – Cruel Colonizer”? Is it true that Sabah and Sarawak gained independence on the 16^th of September 1963?

While many can argue about the motions stated, one thing for sure, we were cognizant of the full fact as we have not been thought about the hidden truth behind each “fact” we have learned. If you would care, even for a bit, to help yourself to garner enough information pertaining to the true history timeline of our countries, you should have been able to think or merely consider thinking about the future of Sabah and Sarawak in the federation.

Personally, I am not speaking on behalf of any political parties going against another political party, and we do not expect you to do so too. But what we (the “awaken” young generations of Sabah and Sarawak) want you to think are simply about the future of Sabah and Sarawak in our beloved Federation of Malaysia. Look around you and open your eyes. Is having a blue plastic water tank and a spontaneous “consolation money” given to you is enough for our future?? Are you happy and content enough to receive a small amount of money that you can sit back and relax, while we are rightfully entitled for a bigger amount?

This is not a question of being greedy nor is it about being ungrateful, but it is the question about OUR RIGHTS. How can you say we are demanding too much, while others are rapaciously taking away what is rightfully ours? The late Tun Fuad Stephens was crystal clear in his statement, “...my people feel that if North Borneo joins Malaya now as a state, it would in fact mean that North Borneo would become not a State but a colony of the Federation of Malaya. As I have said before, THESE FEARS ARE GENUINE……..the fear that by virtue of our status as a British Colony we would automatically become a second-class state or a colony of Malaya…”

How could anyone, any “Wakil Rakyat”, or even Minister (federal or State), could have the audacity of denying the relevancy of the pre-requisite requirements North Borneo (Sabah) stated prior to the birth of Malaysia? Who is the real Traitor to The People here? Are we going to simply sit around, clogging our ears between deafening music from our headphones, nailing our eyes onto video games or gooey-romantic movie drama? Should we simply leave this affairs to the veteran political leaders, whose days are counted? Are we going to be mindless sheep resting behind sweet-smiling wolves forever?

Have you ever feel of getting tired of being looked down upon? Have you ever feel pity or sympathetic to “SABAH BEING THE POOREST OIL-PRODUCING STATE” in the federation? Have you ever feel scared when the CHILDREN OF THE LAND, theBumiputras, are slowly becoming a MINORITY thanks to the influx of sponsored immigrants holding a blue identity card; joyously proclaim their citizenship of Sabah? Have we not seen enough?? It has been a long and agonizing 50 years…….. Are we going to wait for another 50?

Dear Sabahans and Sarawakians, Dr. Seuss was right, “UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU, CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER. IT'S NOT.” It begins with a simple attention, which will bring you to a simple awareness, to become conscious of the world around you, and drive you to be vocal in your opinion, and will be followed by action. Stand together with our people, to change the fate of our Nations, for we have grown weary being trampled down by cunning hypocrites. Let us engage in this movement, and ESTABLISH AN APOLITICAL COMRADESHIP TRANSCENDING RACE AND RELIGION, TO BRING BACK WHAT WAS ONCE OUR RIGHT.

*This article is also shared in UVSB Official blog site

HOW BIBLIOTHERAPHY MAY BENEFIT YOUNG LEARNERS (IN MALAYSIA)

HI THERE! IF YOU ARE AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AND LOOKING FOR MATERIALS FOR WRITINGS, THEN HERE'S SOME. THIS IS MY ORIGINAL WORK (which I got an A+ on it), BUT I'M WILLING TO SHARE TO ANYONE IN NEED... PLEASE BE NICE AND SAY "THANK YOU" ONCE YOU'VE GOT WHAT YOU NEED AND REMEMBER TO STATE YOUR REFERENCES. GOOD LUCK IN YOUR WORK AND HAVE A NICE DAY. 

-p.m-

       In the current global era, children’s life is significantly different from how it was many years back. Today’s children, especially those growing up in the developed countries, are facing physically agonizing, mentally traumatizing, and life changing experiences before they are even mature enough to have the ability of handling them. The inability to accept, understand and cope with their life’s problem is usually the reason why most of the children ended up being emotionally unstable, demotivated, lost their confidence, and at last being unsuccessful in later stage of their life.

      Being aware of this, many efforts has been put up in order to find the solution for this matter. One of the widely used methods of helping these kinds of children nowadays is Bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy by definition is a form of supportive psychotherapy in which carefully selected reading materials are used to assist a subject in solving personal problems or for other therapeutic purposes (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000). Therefore, in the therapeutic field we have today, bibliotherapy holds a huge importance in child development.

     Generally, bibliotherapy aims to assist children in overcoming their problems by having them read stories about characters who have successfully resolved a problem just like theirs. Young children are mostly unable to understand their feelings and express themselves; therefore, stories may serve as a platform of open discussion and self-understanding to them. As reading is thought from the earliest stage of their life, children are very familiar to it. This in turn makes bibliotherapy to be the perfect method in helping them with life’s problem. Reading suitable literary pieces with their problem will enable them to identify and validate their feelings subconsciously. To be able to achieve this however, emotional involvement in literary characters and characterization is crucial, and this will lead to the drive for the children to speak, act out or draw pictures to describe their innermost thoughts (Davies, 1999).

Bibliotherapy, on top of that, is also an effective method to inform children about problem that may occur to them and their peers. Therefore, bibliotherapy is actually educating the children about the truth about life – the realities of life – in a more gentle and delicate way. This way, children would be aware of the world and its dark sides, and they will build a general cognitive scheme pertaining to this.

Undoubtedly, most young children who fell into dilemmas may have not reach a cognitive development level where they are able to identify their problems, let alone understanding the means of overcoming them. Thus, bibliotherapy may become a very useful tool for them to see that they are not alone in the situation – the sense of mutuality. The children’s mind may be open to other individual, when they are made aware that what they are experiencing is a known problem, there is a solution for that, and there are other people who may be able to help them. Having the sense that they might share mutual trauma with others would in turn assist them in coping with their problems.

Preceding that, bibliotherapy is able to stimulate discussion among the students with other individuals as they have acquired the sense of mutuality. Thus, bibliotherapy also helps in building the sense of empathy within children. Initially, human are not necessarily born with empathy (Swayer, 2004, p.246). Through books, children learn not only about their feelings, but of others as well. This in turn will encourage discussions with other individuals. Through discussions, children will learn how they can be verbal about their emotions in pursuit of finding resolution for their problems, on top of understanding more deeply about the meanings of humanity.

            Other than that, through bibliotherapy students are actually doing researches on possible options for the solution to their problems. Through books, children will be given the chance to ponder upon alternative means of problem solutions. Stimulation is another way to put it. Children’s mind may sometimes be unpredictable. Through bibliotherapy, children will have the stimulations from their reading materials in order to come up with their own version of problem solution. In short, bibliotherapy is giving children the options of action.

            On top of being an effective psychological cure for children, bibliotherapy is also a perfect tool for teachers to encourage reading activities among their students. Therefore, bibliotherapy is not only subjected to be applied on troubled children, but generally, to any child or teenager. For students who do not have any particular trauma in their lives, reading literary materials used for bibliotherapy may enable them to become more understanding towards their peers who does. Thus, it may be possible for the children who suffer dilemmas, may find comfort from their peers who understand their emotional state.

            Subconsciously, bibliotherapy will teach them many things that we do not teach directly via school curriculum. Through bibliotherapy, students are able to explore, question, improvise and relate social and psychological issues they have read from books, with their own personal life or the life of the people close to them. Teachers are most unlikely to teach these matters like they do in typical classes at school. As reading activity is a process where, most of the time, readers have to be dependable on themselves for interpretations, the lessons or knowledge they gain are more likely pose greater impact towards them and last longer than information put into their mind by others.

The penultimate abstract is; bibliotherapy helps troubled children to see that life is not all ugly. Of course there are times where life can be a grim, sordid, dark and cold. But that is not the sole picture of the world. Though it’s not perfect, but the world if filled with joyous, colourful and warm home. It is filled with life.  Bibliotherapy may become a tool to keep the children’s hearts beating, and pursuit the beauty of the world and make their life with living.

         ­­As a summation, bibliotherapy is a powerful remedy in assisting children who suffer traumatic experiences. On top of that, it is also useful in educating other applicants who may not necessarily be a psychiatric patient. In the field of education, bibliotherapy is also a great tool to encourage and provoke reading activities and interest, in line with the nation’s educational aspiration of having citizens who value reading as a daily routine of life.

            (1055 words)

Miss my Sabah... and the people of the land...

I really, really, really, am missing my home at Sabah... ugh... i can still remember how my house would look like in the evening sun, how would it sound like, how it would smell like... so peaceful and heartwarming... i can even still feel how the grasses in our yard would touch my senses on my feet.. how it sooth my physical and emotional state... Last night, i dream about my youngest brother... in his hyperactive laughter and jokes, he is my closest little brother...

My favorite brother, Matthew- Sandakan City at the background

Of course, he might be a little annoying at some point, but then.... I AM MISSING THAT! huhu... lucky i'm strong enough to avoid letting some tears out...

It's okay by the way, on 28th of January, this year, I'll be flying home!!! I want to spend all my days at home and laze all day...

Once, i've put a status on my Facebook, "Leave me home, with my laptop, and the internet, and some food... That will be the best holiday for me..."
Well, who knows i might make that dream come true!!! Sabah!! I'm Coming HOME!!!

KOTA KINABALU CITY!!!