I hope.

Qualites to look for in a presidential candidate/ leader of a country

1. Less corrupted- He/ she must not give in to the temptation of money/ personal benefit and risks the  wellbeing of the people 
2. Civil centered- He/she must put the wellbeing of the people and country first in all decision
3. Non hypocrit- He/she must of course practise what he/she preaches

Issues that concerns me

1.  Education system-should be more equality in it. Opportunities should be granted based on performance not priviledges. Also, be more decisive on issues,policies, 
2.  Racial issues
3.  Building/road construction
4.  Judicial system

quick note: I am not sure how is the situation here in the United States so I based my opinion on what I’ve experienced back home especially on the issues that concern me. But i believe the qualities that i mentioned is what we should seek in a leader pf a nation.

Education:Commercialized?

Education has become the basic necessity to all yet not fully attainable to many. While many people of the third world countries struggle to get their children to school, American schools are used as an arena for large corporations to market their products, to infiltrate the mind of schooling children with advertisements, to shape their lives before they have the chance to experience and decide for themselves. What has become of our world today? Education was once fought for by the leaders of this country. And yet schools in this country are exploited by large corporations for the profit of the already rich. Industrialization, capitalism, globalization; call it anything but whatever it is that is happening has undermined the importance of education, so much so that the true meaning and goal of education is now distorted.

And no, this does not happen only in the United States. Take Malaysia for example. Primary and secondary schooling is made mandatory for all children who are citizens of Malaysia. Schools are built in the most secluded mountains for the aborigine children whose community still led a primitive life in the rural area. The government makes an effort to offer an equal opportunity for all children of the country. Sounds good does it? Take this. School buildings with low student attendancy rate are being torn down quicker than the plummeting of the Kuala Lumpur Stocks Exchange (KLSE) index each year with the reason that these schools are unnecessary. In simpler terms, it is a waste of money. Most of these schools are located at more under developed areas of the country where the communities live far apart. Students, however few they are, now have to travel further and therefore waste more energy, time and money in order to continue their supposedly free education. And it does not end here. Getting into a public university for non-Malays or non-Bumiputras(non-aborigines) in Malaysia is more difficult than launching a rocket, due to a certain quota the constitution implies. Thanks to this policy, those who seek for an alternative is fully exploited by private colleges owned by large corporations and funded by the students themselves. It does not help when the three-year tuition fee for a public university is just a fraction of the tuition fee one pays to attend an accredited and equally well equipped private colleges for one year. One year! Instead of bragging about the car they drive or the clothes they wear, students now brag about the colleges they attend and compare who pays more to attend which college.

What happen to the days where education was solely the search for knowledge that we can apply to the making of the better world? What happened to the ability of mankind to generate the greatest idea, philosophy and theories of art, mathematic, science and life? When Socrates began his career as the father of philosophy, he passed down the idea of self enlightenment through knowledge of everything around us. And because of that, many great artists, mathematicians, scientists and philosophers back in those times contributed their discoveries and leave their mark in what we learn today in our textbooks. I believe it is only when education is free from the influences and interference of anything commercial and corporate can the true goal of it can be achieve. The yearning of knowledge is a sacred process and it should not be tarnished by the corruption of the world and most importantly money, the root of all evil.

 

Right?Left?

As I walked along the pathway in front of Weyandt Hall to library one day, I nearly bumped into a guy with a heavy backpack lugged on one side of his shoulder, headphone in his ears and a cup of coffee in his left hand.Again.

I just don’t get it!!Why do I keep getting into people’s way?

And then I realized people here tend to walk on the right side of the road, meaning they walk towards me on my left while i keep subconsciously walk on the left side of the road, ended up walking straight up to the oncoming human traffic.

I wonder why and finally found the answer to my problem.

Look at this photo of an American highway and take note of the directions of the car on the left lane and right lane.

Now look at this picture of a Malaysia highway and note the directions of the cars too.

The cars drive towards an opposite direction.Here in America,cars drive towards south on the left lane and in Malaysia,cars on the left lane drive towards north.Do you see?

So the next time I get in your way,do forgive me.I’m still trying to get used to the whole direction situation here;)

Quick note: Will be getting a driver license here.Hopefully I’ll get used to it soon or I’ll be bumping into cars instead of human next time.Fingers crossed!

Everyone’s doing it.Now me.

With all these craze and all never once have I thought that I would one day conform to the blogging scene. Well, not that i voluntarily join in. I just need to get a good grade for this class;) But i guess there are reasons why people just get hooked on it and I can’t wait to find out. You’ll see more of me here, at least for the next three months. Welcome to my reluctantly attempted blog.