ELC Gazette

Taming of the Tiger!

Celebrations, don’t you just enjoy them? Whether or not you’re celebrating the occasion, being in Malaysia gives you the added advantage of experiencing them all and become accustomed to the richness of a wide variety of culture. More than a week ago was the Chinese New Year.

What do you look forward to most during this New Year? Shopping for red clothes? Eating scrumptious meals? House visiting one day after another? The lion dance performances? Mandarin oranges (also known as ‘kam’)? Or simply just the holidays? I believe that everyone has their own way of celebrating the new year, and for me, the celebration of the new year means to keep alive and continue the uniqueness of my culture.

My new year celebration had been a wonderful experience. It’s the time I get to meet my cousins and chat for hours about our lives: what we’re doing, what we’re about to do. It’s not easy to find a suitable time for all of us to just sit and talk, and talk. This implies amongst my friends too. After schooling life, we parted into different directions and it is through such celebration do I actually be able to catch-up with them. Cliche as it sounds, keeping in touch is essential.

Oh the food, don’t mention about it! I guess I need to allocate more time to exercise- i can feel the weight of my body on the rise. No joke, food is haven in Malaysia, and with the Chinese New Year, it becomes paradise in haven.

I’m not going to call myself a conventional type of person, but i believe in tradition, and it saddens me to somehow find some traditions slipping away from the modern society. Lion dance troupes having shortage of new members, clothes are bending toward black- the colour of style, despite the belief that black symbolises bad luck during this auspicious occasion. Nevertheless, I always look forward to my Reunion Dinner, ang paos, Chinese cookies, house visits, lion dances, and a game or two on the Black Jack table.

I can go on and on about my Chinese New Year, but i realize that it’s much better if i stop here instead of typing further. In essence, i enjoyed my Chinese New Year tremendously. To my Chinese mates, i hereby wish you a Happy Chinese New Year. To others, happy holidays and i’m sure you had fun time during the Chinese New Year celebration as well. Let’s usher in the Year of the Tiger with abundance of joy, happiness, wealth, health, success…

Roar,

WC Kan,
Chief Editor.

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More Languages…

‘Language’. When I came across the word, only three languages came to my mind, English, Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia. I grew up being told that English is the “Lingua Franca” of the world and I learned that Mandarin will be important in the future as China grows as a major economic force. Despite that, I failed to learn one thing: The fact that the world is blessed with countless languages and the fact that English and Mandarin alone gets you nowhere. I learned it through hard and interesting way though.

When I first arrived in Germany, it’s almost lunchtime after I got into my flat. I was left alone and I was hungry. I walked to a nearby Doner Kebab shop and I tried hard to pronounce the food I wanted. It sounded simple but later when the shopkeeper asked me whether to takeaway or dine-in in German language, I couldn’t understand him or reply him. I ended up pointing to the ground, indicating dine-in.

Another incident, when I was traveling in Wurzburg, I wasn’t sure of how to get to a castle. While looking at the map, a German man offered to help me. I could understand him but not thoroughly. While showing me the way, he kept talking about various things, of which I felt ashamed of myself as I can only nod without really understanding him.

One of the biggest language challenges for me happened while I was backpacking in Eastern Germany. For most of my time in Germany, I was able to speak English if the other person is able to do so. That saves me the hassle of trying to find the words to express myself. Not in Eastern Germany. The area is less developed and most of the people there can’t speak English so for most of the time, I find myself taking in a deep breath before trying my best to express myself. For example, asking for directions, food or help. At the end of my trip, my German language must have improved a lot!

The point is, it never came across my mind how wonderful languages are. As a tourist guide in Neudorf said, “When you can’t speak, hand and legs are good enough to express yourself”. Even if two people can’t understand each other, sign and body language will be more than enough. So for those of you reading this, go and pick up other language. It’ll be a wonderful experience.

Author is a final year student who has undergone his industrial internship abroad for 6 months, Chen Tien Zyee.

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RAVING RAYA!

No more classes, no more lectures. What’s coming is the Hari Raya Holidays! I’m sure everyone has been waiting excitedly for this little break because the weeks before had been jam-packed with tests and quizzes. Finally, it’s over! What’s next? The Hari Raya, of course!

When we talk about Hari Raya, the most significant thing that would pop in my mind is the delicious ketupat and rendang. This can be considered as the butter and bread during Hari Raya, just inseparable! There are two types of ketupat, which are ketupat nasi and ketupat pulut. Both are perfectly scrumptious and when it is combined with rendang ayam (chicken rendang) and rendang daging (beef rendang), it creates the ultimate ‘combo’.

Despite the two main dishes, there are also lemang, kuah kacang (peanut sauce) and a variety of kuih. Trust me when I say that there are a variety of kuih raya you can choose from. Your eyes will be spoiled for choice.  Ask for anything; from the traditional ones like dodol and batang buruk to all the modern ones like Almond London and Honey Cornflakes. Especially after the whole month of fasting, I’m sure most of us cannot stop popping these kuih into our mouths, indulging in its rich taste.

The setting during Hari Raya eve is just perfect. Children and adults alike will be seen (and heard) playing firecrackers, and the adults will light up the lamps outside their houses. On the Hari Raya itself, the day starts with all Muslims from all walks of life gathering in the mosques to perform the Hari Raya prayers. After that, people will usually visit their ancestors’ graves and pay their respect. Then comes the most exciting part- it’s time to get duit raya! Usually, children will go from door to door and wish “Selamat Hari Raya!” around the neighborhood. Hari Raya is usually filled with happy moments when the entire long lost relatives gather in one place and spend quality time together. It is blissful and enjoyable to meet up with old cousins, nephews and nieces. This is just a typical situation during Hari Raya.

To cut the long story short, I just cannot wait for the holidays to start! Wishing Selamat Hari Raya, people!

Rosma 🙂

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Independence!

52 amazing years, and still counting on. Whenever it comes to the 31st of August every year, we will prepare to wave our Jalur Gemilang flags in pride and strut ourselves to the tunes of our patriotic songs. Remember the catchy tunes of ‘Tanggal 31’? Or ‘Keranamu Malaysia’? Or ‘Malaysiaku Gemilang”? This time around, it is ‘One Malaysia’ that we are talking about. Apart from the tunes, let us reflect on the glory of Malaysia over the trying years. Journalists WC, Steward, Amira, Rosma and Shikin write on their first word of Merdeka and their national heroes on the 52nd Malaysia Independence Day.

When Steward was asked what his first word was when he hears the word Medeka, the first word that comes to his mind is freedom. Free from all the burdens that cause miseries, hardships, suffering and the list goes on. He said, consequently, freedom leads to peace of mind and harmonious balance in every aspect of life.

For Amira, talking about Independence Week, the first thing that came across her mind as she hears the word “Merdeka”, is harmony. Living in a multiracial nation with a lot of ethnicity surely is fun and unique, but it was quite hard for the authorities to handle and keep the harmony all the time. So, every time she heard the word “Merdeka”, she would always imagine that our nation would stay in harmony and peace all the time and yeah, the mission and vision for “One Malaysia” as was pioneered by our respected and beloved former Prime Minister as well as our Chancellor, Tun Dr. Mahathir and now been continued by the current Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak surely is a superb idea. So she hopes it would happen and young generations of today, it’s our responsibility to turn this idea into a reality!

A big hooray to our beloved Malaysia! When we talk about “Merdeka”, the first thing that comes into my (Rosma) mind is the people itself. Through those thick books of history and stuff, we got to know that our ancestors fought really hard to defend our country against colonialists. They sacrificed their lives so that the future generations will have better lives. As one of the younger generations today, I think that we should really appreciate history because it is clearly proven and stated that those who cannot remember history tend to make the same mistakes again. At the moment, we do not have to fight in battles or wars. To show appreciation, all we have to do is to protect and defend our country. Make sure that we stay together through thick and thin. For me, the person who really reminds me of Merdeka is the famous Tun Dr Mahathir. He may not be the one who struggles to get the independence for Malaysia but he is the one who stands tall above us and keeps on trying to keep us all together. For me, he is the hero that I will never forget.

Steward’s choice of nation’s hero would be the belated Yasmin Ahmad. She may not be a politician but her work is more promising than anything else. Her masterpieces, be it films or advertisements provide more than just awareness to Malaysians if to compare with long-winded endless promises. Her works are really genuine in fostering the 1Malaysia spirit among us, which has been started years ago, even before the concept was being launched by our current Prime Minister. She is a truly a nation hero which is irreplaceable.

God bless her soul in heaven.

In a nutshell, we believe the Independence Day will remind us all that unity is the key factor to a harmonious future of the country. Without it, we will slowly but surely disintegrate. Hope, freedom, harmony and the people itself will then perish, leaving without a trace. I do not want that to happen and surely you too. Together, let’s cheer ‘Merdeka’!