Why U No Like Comics ? !

Why......

This afternoon before I had lunch with my friends, we went to the bookstore as we just accepted BB1M a few days ago. As I go through the racks of books, I overheard a loud Malay Mom in jogging suit who kept telling her son not to buy comics, in English.

“No comics. It’s not good for you. You can’t learn anything from comics!”.

She kept repeating those dialogues over and over again – which made me a little bit upset about her being so paranoid about graphic novels. It is sad to know there are still parents out there with that kind of attitude. She looks like the educated type of people but when she did the stereotyping, I swear I could sense the flame’s bursting in my heart.

I’m not saying all comics are beneficial, on the other hand keep in mind; not all of them are good-for-nothings. The lady’s son once took a comic from PTS publication which is still in “good comic” category but again, she said no, a big bold NO. For your information, PTS which owns Komik-M has publishes a lot of good quality comics, full with moral values and correct uses of Malay language, include motivations and study tips. In Malaysia we also got Ana Muslim – their comics are really educational for every little child out there. Gempakstarz is way more popular but it doesn't really brings good influences but there are still comics which tell about science and stuffs. There are various kinds of comics, just take a look for a while! When the mom scolded her son, she even held an Ana Muslim’s comic in her hand, and she didn’t realize it.

When I told Mom on this matter, Mom said maybe the comics during the days of the boy’s mother were awful in terms of educating the kids. And maybe she really didn’t notice the development of Malaysian comic industry. Nevertheless I find it hard to believe, well, to begin with; didn’t Dato’ Lat created the well-known and legendary Kampung Boy years before I was even born? But then again I’m not really sure, I don’t live in her childhood, so, maybe Mom’s right.

I am a proud comic reader; I am truly a big fan. From local to other countries’ comics – I read them all. I started to read one when I was still in elementary school which is exactly the same with her son. I got good grades. Hobbies and interests didn’t stop me from studying. In fact, comics helped me to study better. Mom had never prohibited me from reading comics, she read them with me.

You see, sometimes you just need to look from a different perspective. Don’t simply build walls onto something unnecessary; something that’s actually not as bad as you think it is.

TV Trends

During the previous semester break, my big sister came home and kept chit chatting about this funny reality TV show and a singing award or something like that which me and Mom don’t quite understand – we didn’t watch them! Well, Mom did have seen one of the shows but not entirely (she let the cat watched it and she continued her daily home-cleaning job).

In Malaysia, TV obsession is almost as huge as smart phones addiction. Most families here love to have more choices of channels on their television screen – that’s why ASTRO is well-recognized by everyone. However my family is not into television so much, so Mom has never installed ASTRO in our home. Since I was a kid, we as a family only watch TV shows during certain times and on certain channels. Mom only watches TV when she has nothing to do which is really rare, and when there’s a good TV show on air, while Daddy simply watches football matches and some other sports. My sis…she’s unpredictable. She can watch just about anything. I love to watch anime – that has been dubbed into Malay and Chinese (when I was younger), English shows and superheroes cartoons, and sometimes channels that aired Japanese TV series.

Most of my schoolmates didn’t believe me when I told them we have no ASTRO set at home; even the teachers thought I was making jokes. Until now, it’s still weird for my friends to know I’m not an ASTRO customer. Mom taught us to read more; I think it’s normal when you have an excellent educator as your mother. We are not prohibited from watching TV but there’s a limit. 

As we grow up we know how to choose what we want to watch wisely. When my friends talk about a Malay drama series inspired from some POP genre novels, I just go “what?” because obviously I don’t watch that kind of TV show. I don’t need to watch to know the ending. Most Malay movies and TV series aren’t watch-worthy, no offense. I’m not saying all of them but MOST of them. 

I am indeed picky on what I should read and watch as the saying goes; the things you love (hobbies and interests) define the way you think. 

P/s: Actually I just happened to watch Futurama animation and one of the episodes suddenly lighten up my thinking bulb to write about this story. I really like some of the words the characters are saying and I quoted these for you (and again, no offense): 

“But that’s not why people watch TV ! Clever things make people feel stupid, & unexpected things make them feel scared. 

See? TV audience don’t want anything original. They wanna see the same thing they’ve seen thousands times before. “

 – Fry (Futurama Season 1) –

Hahaa, well said. See you in the next post!

The Ugly Truth of Today's Youth

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un

Just a few weeks ago Malaysian citizens were being shocked by the news regarding to the decease of Allahyarham Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Mom was the first one to tell me on that very night, as her friends called her in tears. It was devastating for us – we adore him too much. We never have the chance to see him and now he’s gone, back to where he belongs, to the Creator. Mom recited yaasin on that night and later after Subuh prayer I decided to recite one too; for our great leader who has ended his journey and jihad in this temporary world. It is a sad sad day for almost all Malaysians except for some of my friends who I might say quiet ignorant when it comes to serious issues. It’s not that I want to reveal their weaknesses but this is the ugly truth of nowadays youth.

Most of my classmates from secondary school and Diploma are very open-minded on sharing thoughts about politics, current issues and religions. We read and do quite good research as we debated each other’s opinions. And I thought Bachelor degree should be more fun! Man, I was wrong. Almost everyone is unaware of anything. They only care about assignments, TV shows, internet, celebrities, gadgets and “please, no politics talk but we support government” kind of attitude. And they say the F words a lot. I once thought university is full of intelligent people!

Guys, we hold the handbook to guide the future generations. How come you know Maharaja Lawak’s winner but never heard of Ahmad Ammar? You talk about iPhone 6 but ignore MH17? I don’t want to live in this planet anymore. Seriously. When I told a friend about TGNA’s death, she just replied that she wanted to go out to watch movie to ease her boredom. She hates politics and I knew about it but this is not politic talks; we just lost one of a kind religious leader. Every typical Muslims would be terribly sad to know this news, even the non-Muslims.

Youths nowadays need to wake up from their awfully long sleep and open the window to understand the real world, witness every single thing that is currently happening. We are not little children anymore. The world is not as dirty as you expected; took off your glasses and clean the dirt on it. If needed, remove the lenses too and change them with a new one – which enables you to see from different angles.

Haha to Bentō

When I was younger; in about 7 to 17 years old, Mom used to prepare lunch box for me and sometimes for my sister. My sister didn't like the routine so much and I was left as the only one who still bringing home-made food to school. Some of my friends thought I was lucky and some said it was weird. I didn't really care much as I know how unhealthy the canteen’s foods are. And most of them can't even pleased my need for proper hygiene in foods.

Nowadays in my campus life I still love lunch box. Mom knew her daughter well so almost every time she gives me a visit she would bring along home-made meals for me. So does my sister. Well, when you’re far away from home you’ll sure miss mommy’s cooking. Even my sister couldn't deny it.

As I grew up, I just happened to love making lunch box for myself as well. It is still uncommon for Malaysian citizens to see anybody bringing their home-made lunch. Thus whenever I bring my lunch box to the café people stare at me like there is a lion escaped from the goddamn zoo.  I swear to God their glares are really scary. Oh, I have a story on the topic of staring! Mind if I share it with you?

"Once, there was a fellow student (my classmate said he is our senior) suddenly walked straight to me and stared at the food I was holding – very closely! Then he left. I’ll tell you, it was totally disturbing. I got traumatized for a while because of that particular incident. I only ate sandwiches during the staring moment, what’s so bizarre about the typical edible stuffs?! – The End –"

Preparing my own lunch box reminds me of Mom; how she loves to make sure we eat properly. Mom said she’s not a good cook unlike other mothers but the foods are good enough for me. Mom doesn't put MSG in her cooking. Plus, her vegetables dishes are always fresh and still crunchy. 

To me, Mom’s cooking is a symbol of her love and care for her daughters. It is the taste that I always miss when I’m away from home.

We Meet Again, Dear Bestie !

I once read a tweet sounded like this, “Psychology says if a friendship stays for more than 7 years it will lasts forever”. I don’t know if it’s true. I didn't manage to read any of the books related to it. However I have a friend who is very close to me and we have been friends since I was 8 years old. 

We met by chance when I was a new transfer student at her class. We also sat near to each other, making it easier for us to communicate although I was kind of a lone wolf back then. But she’s very talkative! She kept talking as if there is no final topic – in her accent. Yes, she has a truly strong Negeri Sembilan’s accent. I was raised among people with different accents so it is fine with me. Her family background is totally opposite with me. Our hobbies and interests are mostly poles apart but we do enjoy each other’s company by sharing them when we have the time.

Since we were kids, there are two kinds of places we love to go every time we are on holidays; library and book store. I know it sounds boring but it is fun for both of us. We could spend hours at those certain places. Another our-must-go-place is gifts shops. I don’t know why but we love exploring stuffs in random gift shops. I also love pet shop but it is not our day-out routine as when we were kids there are no pet shops near the library and book store we used to go.

When I come to realize it, we have been friends for almost 15 years (yeah, we are both 23 now). Even though we had our rough times, when we split up to different high schools, universities and maybe workplaces, we still spend our times together on one day off during holidays at least twice a year or more but not too often – as we have our own commitment for any other things.                  

        

We don’t own any new pictures of us together except for the one we took when we were in secondary school. We always have an awesome time and we chat all day long until we forgot to take any pictures. Well, we are not really the “selfie-craze” type of people anyway. We appreciate the moment instead of only capture the moment.

This is my story of a long-bonded friendship. How about yours? ;)