Brushing Away the Oblivion of the Means of Bully

Many are oblivious to the various means of bully. Contrary to popular beliefs, bullying is not just about being bashed up by a group of big and mean boys. The act of bully branches out more than just the physical means.

In general, there are four types of bully that a person could face. The first and foremost is of course bully through the physical means. Bullying through the physical form is regarded as any act of brutality which involves physical contact. This form of bully is the most obvious type of bully. Usually when a case of bully is reported in school, it is the physical form of bully.

The second form of bully is bullying orally. People who commit the crime of bully under this category usually did it without realising it. Bully through the oral means goes about unnoticed in school life, but yet it is always present. The reason for this camouflage might be because people are ignorant of the acts of bully that fall under this category. Insulting your peers and blackmailing the teachers- these are the acts of bully through oral means. It might not be an anomaly for most people BUT do note that insulting others is a form of bully.

There is also bully from the social aspect. Bullying from the social aspect is the casting off or isolation of certain people from a social circle (friends). When someone is isolated from a social circle, more critical stuff might follow suit- stuff like suicide or depression (these are the many signs of the victim of bully by the way). Bullying in the social aspect could prove fatal to certain people. It is understood that some people will lose their sanity if they are disconnected from any social activities. This is no laughing matter…so please consider twice (more than that actually) before you cast off your friends just because she or he stole your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Last but not least, is bullying psychologically. Bullying psychologically is to spread false rumours about others. And this kind of crime had been opposed by teen star, Lindsay Lohan in her song, “Rumors”. Is spreading rumours about others wrong? Yes, of course it is wrong! It is a bigger crime if the rumour is untrue. The harmless little rumours could metamorphose into a lethal weapon in its own right. It could cause psychological glitch in a person. In other words, spreading a false rumour is an act of bully. So, please stop it before those silly rumours of yours disrupt someone’s peace of mind.

I’m sure that I can conclude something over here…most of us are oblivious of the many forms of bully. And in the end, there are many victims and also bully who have fallen in this “black hole” because of their oblivion. I do hope that this little piece of article could bring to light the facet of the means of bullying.

Breathing the Air of June: An Introspection

Months don’t measure up the distance between events when the months have turn to June. It seems that days are what that matters when the year have reach the middle. When the month of June comes, one has to make choices-for the best or for the worst.

In between memories of half the year that had passed me by and the idea that I have only less than six months for my year to come full circle, I can’t help but to feel that I am caught in between. I think it is under these circumstances that explain why I was feeling so depressed at school today. The other reason might also be that I had just returned from Penang. But I think it is the worst of both worlds that is bothering me. There is also the possibility that I am worried of what the near future might reveal to me.

The holidays only stretched for as long as two weeks. But I can’t help but to feel that those two weeks had seemed like a month. An illusion that wields and clouds ones sense of being. Those two weeks were the time that I will hold dear. For there is nothing more that I would love than to be as far as possible from all my peers and the pressure and dejection ones feel at school. Those two weeks also serve as a time for me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. But I wouldn’t count much on it. Those days that were contained in the holiday might also have served as a time for me to mirror myself. Though I had been oblivious of it until a few days ago.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder; at least that’s what they say. There were times when I feel like I missed my times at school. And often with these thoughts, I will be left questioning my sanity. It paints a big irony that I would miss school when all I got there is peer pressure and more peer pressure. I had desperately wanted to get out from school during the last few weeks of the first school term. It seems to me that I had fallen more and more behind. While the rest of my peers are moving forward with their knowledge of Physics and Chemistry, I had got left behind in the race. But then again, who am I to complain? When my friends understood all the formulas of mathematics and remembered the facts of a historical event, I had been unable to comprehend anything. But then again, who do I put the blame on?

Me.

Looks can be deceiving. That is one of the things that I had learned during the first half of the school term. Fresh faces had come into my school life during the first half of this year. And with their presence, they had brought about a competition in the unforgiving world of high school. I had tried my best to ward off their presence, but it seems to cast a shadow over me. The harder I tried the worst my envy grew. The bigger my envy grew, the more that I am stuck in a parallel universe of my own.

Friends lost, friends found. I’m not bothered. Never was I someone who needs company to keep me sane. Infact, I think I am much suited to travel alone down a road then to walk it with a few of my peers whom I don’t think know me at all. I put the blame all on myself. I never let them in anyway.

The school re-opened yesterday. It is a start of a new beginning. Which probably explains why I styled a different hairstyle. I don’t think I did it to impress anyone. It was more of me assuring myself that I can d it. It is also a window to two worlds that have been so close to me. One that at any time soon or maybe with a blink of an eye might suck me in. But let’s just hope that I am caught up in one where I am blessed instead of cursed.

Firsts of the Used

I wasn’t feeling so right when I woke up this morning. I had stayed up until the wee small hours of the morning last night writing a story. But it proves that I was writing on a writer’s block because the outcome had me writing about what I think about the life of a typical Malaysian teenager. Which eventually lead me to question myself if I could consider myself as a typical Malaysian teenager.

But the not-so-right feeling didn’t linger long as my dad agreed that we will all go to the warehouse sale that is being held by ‘Pay Less Books’ at somewhere in Subang Jaya. It was so much easier this time compared to when I had to literally beg him to take me to the MPH warehouse sale. So, after breakfast at SS2, we made our way to the warehouse sale location.

It was my very first time at purchasing used books. However, the term ‘used’ didn’t rub into my head and I was half expecting something that you would see at an MPH warehouse sale. Therefore, I was a tad disappointed when I arrived and found that most of the books are not in such pretty conditions. Nonetheless, it was still ‘heavenly’ for me. I am a helpless bookaholic (I prefer this term better than bookworm, thank you very much).

It was pretty hard browsing through all the books as it wasn’t arranged according to name of author or etc,etc (like what that you can see at Ikano’s Popular bookstore or OU’s MPH Megastore). So, you really have to do serious ferretting if you want to find books that are your cup of tea. But of course, everyone was very courteous and there was no pushing around or any stuff like that.

Spent at least three hours there. But it still wasn’t enough for me! Ah, the bliss of purchasing books. When my dad announced that we are about to go back, I went to the hardcover section and found some Alice Hoffman’s title. And I was cursing myself after that for not checking out that section earlier. Still, I’m pretty satisfied with my purchases.

Here are the list of books that I bought:

1. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
2. The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
3. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
4. The Art of Seeing by Cammie McGovern
5. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
6. Second Nature by Alice Hoffman
7. At Risk by Alice Hoffman
8. Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman
9. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

All of the books are hardcover except for the two Amy Tan’s books and the title by Isabel Allende. And guess what? The harcover ones only cost me RM5 a copy and the paperback RM3 a copy. Dirt cheap man! Can’t wait to read all of them.

Gotta hit the sheets now. Oh, and do some last minute packing for tomorrow’s trip to Penang. Happy holidays!

One for Penang (My Favourite Place on Earth)

Most of my childhood revolves in the beautiful island of Penang. If someone asked me of my favourite place on earth, the answer wouldn’t be a hard one. Straight up, I will say, “Penang!”

Along with my answer, there will sometimes be some cynical remarks from the person who asked me the question. “There is nothing much there except the food, right?” or maybe something like “That island is a very filthy place nowadays” will come up. And usually against my better judgement, I will try to rectify them.

One thing that is oh-so-not-true about Penang is that the island is a very filthy place. It is true that Gurney Drive was once littered with rubbish. But the government had taken the initiative to clean up the place. Gurney Drive is now one of the most stylish places in Penang with one of the island’s largest shopping mall, Gurney Plaza, and numerous luxurious condominiums in its boundaries. To say that Penang is a filthy place is plain crap. Just because it is not as clean as Singapore, that doesn’t mean that the place is dirty.

It is true that Penang is famous for its various mouth-watering delicacies. Hokkien mee, char kuey teow, Assam laksa and popiahs have all became synonym to Penang. But honestly, there is so much more to Penang than food. In fact, I don’t think it is fair that Penang is labelled as a food heaven. This food heaven label further confused everyone to think that the only thing that makes Penang famous is its food. Of course, this gimmick would definitely attract all the glutton tourists. But it is surely not doing this island any justice by being labelled as a food heaven.

One of the things that I like about Penang is its old world’s charm. If you were to cruised along Armenian Street, you will find that you are transverse into an all thoroughly different place. Buildings that were preserved from the past lined along the street. Penang is one of those rare places in Malaysia where you can still see buildings from the past. There are also buildings that exude British colonial charm, for instance, the buildings that lie up Beach Street near Fort Cornwallis. Another thing about Penang is its people. Penangites respect the many different cultures and ethnics in the island. I will usually encounter a scene at a nasi kandar store where the shop owner converse in Hokkien with another customer. There is also a tree outside one of the oldest temple in Malaysia, Kuan Yin Teng, where there are three trees that symbolises the tree main races which grow together. This is sort of like an omen that Penang will flourish beautifully with all the races in it.

Penang is a truly remarkable place. I do hope that people won’t just regard it as a food heaven. On the other hand, I will like people to know Penang for its inner beauty, old world’s charm, people and culture. I am really ecstatic right now to be able to go back to Penang soon. Maybe I will add what that I forgot about Penang the next time I log into my blog.

P.S. I would love to know what you guys really think about Penang. So do send me a comment.