Typical Malaysians' Issues of English Mastery

Apparently, 2014 was the last time I posted on my blog. It was incredibly 7 years ago, peeps! Well, the only excuse that I can think of right now is that I have been tied up at work. Nope, I am lying. I am such a lazy bum. Here are a number of controversial issues of the importance of English mastery brought up by typical Malaysians.

Issue 1: I am Malaysian who lives in Malaysia. What is the point of knowing English, then?

Education aims at preparing young Malaysians for a better tomorrow – not for the sake of exams! Pupils at school normally find their future unpredictable or else they will never have a hard time selecting elective subjects for upper secondary curriculum. Meanwhile, only if students at university ever knew what exactly they would do for a living in the next five years will they never grumble for taking the wrong course either.

Some jobs demand employees with a good command of the English language – no question! Thus, learning English at an early age is a must! Enrolling for an English course when they have grown up later is possible yet it is not always a good idea.

Issue 2: English is our colonial language!

Living in the twenty-first century, Malaysians should no longer have such a mentality. Think of English as a great opportunity to help boost the country's economic growth i.e. tourism. We play a 'small ambassador' role in our home country. Our small effort lending a helping hand whenever some holidaymaker asks for directions to some tourist destinations is considered such a big help to the country. Even better, we are able to share useful info regarding the cultural diversity, local cuisine as well as the preaching of Islam!

Issue 3: Most Malaysians speak Malay!

Do we really need a listener every time we speak? Think again. Actually, not necessarily. When having a bad day, we tend to whine, grumble or even curse and it need not have people around, correct? So why don't we do it in English instead? 

For instance, 'Ah, I'm knackered! Need a rest soon'. 

This might sound simple to you but when we keep it in practice, we shall definitely see the change after a while. What about saying several English phrases while conversing with somebody? For example;

Eg 1. 'Aku dah tolong ambil buku kau tadi.' 'Oh, thanks!'

Eg 2: 'Jom pergi shopping, nak?' 'Let's go!'

It is not a sin to do so, is it?

Issue 4: Some people can be so sarcastic sometimes when I speak in English to my children.

Honey, those children are yours. Screw them! Have faith! Your children will not have trouble learning English at school later – but please keep in mind that your children should speak Malay as well. Let them be bilingual, at least. Growing up in Malaysia, we shall not worry pretty much about their Malay mastery since the Malay-speaking environment certainly helps! So, take it easy.

Issue 5: A lot of Malaysians speak Manglish.

In my view, learning British or/and American English is best. The truth is Manglish is not the correct English, so why bother? For the record, British English is taught at Malaysian schools and that Malaysia was a British colony is the reason why. Even so, school seems to have already accepted both Englishes lately. Besides, who cares if we would rather speak American than British English anyway? Don't you think, in the end, to get the message across really counts?

Issue 6: Some Malaysians can be a brutal grammar nazi!

These things happen. Nevertheless, that does not mean we have to stop speaking in English. Grammar mastery helps us convey our message more precisely, be it spoken or written English. But we know it does not take 24 hours to master it. It can be months or even years. So, all we need to do is never ever give up our learning. 

These days, there are numerous learning resources to choose from. Examples are Youtube videos, educational websites, reference books – you name it. Everything is actually at our fingertips! Even better if you can afford an English course and I would say, 'go ahead!' Learning grammar does help us speak better English. Isn't that what we are after?

Issue 7: It is so hard to imitate British accents!

Oh well. Does it matter? For the most part, if Malay is your race, your accent most probably sounds Malayish while speaking. To me, the main focus should be on pronunciation. Learn to pronounce every word as accurately as possible. Use Google for help. Why is that? Because after all, our hope is to get the message across when we talk. Whilst mispronouncing too many words can only cause either misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

Hopefully, I have just left something for you to contemplate. Who knows? My views could be the answers that you have been searching for. Look on the bright side and stop being pessimistic! With that, all the best!

Love,

Mohd Khairul Anuar

B.Ed TESL (Hons), UIAM

A Lengthy Bus Ride But A More Economical Flight

Let’s say, you’re required to travel to some faraway state, say, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and at present you live in the East Coast whose distance is so obviously hundred miles away from, and are given the choice that follows: between flights and express buses (or a train, if available), which one do you prefer a lot more?

Frankly speaking, I dunno should there still be a bunch of people out there guessing that it costs them very much costlier to get on an aircraft. Air Asia, in particular. (Malaysian Airlines isn’t that expensive every so often, do visit Malindo Air online-booking website as well)

Available Online-booking Flight Websites in Malaysia:

http://booking.airasia.com/Search.aspx  (Leading you to Air Asia)

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en.html (Malaysia Airlines)

http://www.malindoair.com/ (Malindo Air)

http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ (Firefly – for Peninsula only)

http://www.maswings.com.my/en (MASwings - for Borneo only)

Brainwash your mindset right away! Because it’s certainly false.

Well…lemme get this crystal clear, okay? Stop misinterpreting that this is another ‘Jom Naik Pesawat’ campaign, nor is this organized by any flight agencies because it’s definitely not!

All the ‘fuss’ I’m gonna make is all about my mere two cents pertaining to my personal preference of choosing a flight, rather than an express bus ride. Why is that?

I, for the record, would love to proclaim that I fly in the air, statistically, no less than 16 times annually. Sixteen times! But then, this year seems much more. Just like some anonymous VIP’s hectic schedules but, um, never mind.

I’m all for brief-but-meaningful Air Asia’s tagline i.e. ‘Now, everyone can fly.’ Cos it’s unquestionably the truth. Generally, there’s practically billions of people getting on planes daily. And things seem convincingly endless.

Constantly survey promotional flight tickets online! Quite theoretically, the earlier you book, the more inexpensive the tickets are offered. With a bit of luck, alhamdulillah, I myself used to procure the lowest fare (I anticipate) for a one-way Sibu-KL ticket (a two-hour flight, to be honest) for only RM46 and I’m not pulling your leg, really! J

The lowest fare Air Asia usually offers, to my knowledge, for a forty-minute domestic flight (e.g. Kuala Terengganu bound for KL) can be as low as RM42 per passenger, including the airport tax! How economical!!!  

Comparing to an ordinary express bus fare, say, a KL-Kuala Terengganu trip, how much does it cost you currently? As far as I’m concerned, it’s RM42 something, right? Or could be more? Oh my. But, hold on a sec. Please think more thoroughly. RM40++ just for a fucking seven-hour trip? Oh come on. What a freaking wasteful amount of time!

Should you come from KL, there’s a little possibility that you might need to catch an LRT or, even worse, a costly-paying cab to get to the bus station. Once again, extra cash to be spent for this stupid thing. And what about food and beverages you’d tend to consume throughout your lengthy bus trip? Keep in mind that it’s a seven-hour trip, is it not? And don’t you dare to tell me you won’t ever get the least bit thirsty or starving at all? Think of the extra expenses you HAVE TO spend. Wouldn’t it cost you more than a flight? Uh-oh. L

Since Malaysians read books less (According to a credible study conducted that later was published on everyday papers) so I reckon these days, that many ‘celik IT’ bus passengers would rather text than read books, wouldn’t they? More miserably, I’ve never even spotted any Muslims reciting the holy Qur’an on a bus ride either. At least, not a single one all five years long I commuted. Have you ever seen any? Some passengers on board fancy listening to music (Surely not even Islamic ones) that is allegedly believed that that ‘pastime’ is able to make them less bored. Lazying over a long-hour bus ride, personally, is such a massive waste of time!

Will you kindly help me, if possible, name which idiots that don’t want to reach their expected destination most instantly? Unless they do intend to enjoy the indescribable glory of the Titiwangsa range scenery all the way to the East Coast or back to the Capital City. Then, it’s alright.

Speaking of comfort, yeah, I firmly couldn’t agree more that you’ll surely feel much more comfy by aircraft. Unless you’ve got this 'jet lag' illness. That one I can’t even give you a helping hand – however, there’s one practical tip I most frequently do and axiomatically it works! Eat some sweet candies on a flight. Mainly prior to departure. My precaution: Don’t eat too many candies in that they’re fatally unhealthy for your teeth.

Additionally, an aircraft is very well equipped with, at least, four free-of-charge toilets available for all passengers on board. But conversely on a bus ride, what action can you take once you feel like peeing or defecating? Gotta wait impatiently until the bus driver has the bus stopped first somewhere (after you’ve informed the bus driver already), maybe at a petrol station nearby or a food court by the highway, etc. What if these mentioned locations are still ten miles away? What a pity!

Most Malaysia’s domestic flights only take less than sixty minutes (If within Peninsula) or a couple of hours (If bound for Borneo Island). Which means, for sure, you haven’t gotta be seated on the flight for the longest time. A forty-minute flight, I’m pretty sure, hasn’t already made your butt too itchy, utterly ‘painful’, has it? HARHARHAR… Even if it really has, think again after you’ve just made a comparison between a flight and a bus trip. I’m so much convinced that you’d possibly choose to fly, regardless of the current flight fares.

And in the end, how come you still would rather choose a bus ride than a flight? Trust me, it’s worth every penny. Unless you find the current flight fares more than costly that you can’t even afford. Then, that’ll be just fine. Better choose an express bus, in that case.

PS: Will be flying real soon for the fiftieth time with a teenage lad named Adyson Miller.

Cara Kukuasai Bahasa Inggeris [Sebuah Kisah Benar]

Resepi Kejayaan:

                 1.            Menguasai tatabahasa Inggeris.

                 2.            Ulang baca.

                 3.            Tekun dan tidak segan bertanya guru.

                 4.            Berkorban masa.

                 5.            Hubungi guru Bahasa Inggeris.

                 6.            Tidak mudah berputus asa.

                 7.            Meminjam buku.

                 8.            Mencatat soalan pada kertas.

                 9.            Mencatat jawapan yang diperoleh.

            10.            Mencatat nota di dalam buku

            11.            Meningkatkan kosa kata Inggeris.

            12.            Memanfaatkan teknologi.

            13.            Menghafal frasa-frasa Inggeris.

            14.            Menonton filem dan drama Melayu dengan sari kata Inggeris.

            15.            Menonton filem Inggeris dengan sari kata Inggeris.

            16.            Membaca novel Inggeris.

            17.            Membaca akhbar Inggeris.

            18.            Praktik bertutur menggunakan bahasa Inggeris.

MENGUASAI TATABAHASA INGGERIS

Ternyata, cara ini sangat membantu! Pembinaan ayat yang betul dan membawa maksud yang tepat sebenarnya banyak bergantung pada tahap penguasaan tatabahasa Inggeris seseorang individu.

Aku sudah mula ‘berjinak’ dengan bahasa Inggeris (BI) sejak berada di tingkatan tiga lagi. Dengan taufik Yang Maha Kuasa, alhamdulillah, buku ‘Tatabahasa Inggeris’ berkulit hijau tua terbitan 1985 yang pernah kubaca berjaya mencetus semangatku untuk terus beristiqamah mendalami bahasa dunia ini.

Setiap topik dan sub-topik yang terkandung dalam isi kandungan buku kecil itu dijelaskan secara terperinci oleh penulisnya dalam bahasa Melayu. Hal ini memudahkan pembaca sepertiku untuk memperoleh fahaman yang lebih baik. Bermula dengan buku inilah, aku dapat memahami Tenses dan Modal Verbs.

Walau bagaimanapun, sekiranya ditanya mengenai buku rujukan tatabahasa Inggeris terbaik, aku cadangkan buku ‘Understanding and Using English Grammar’ tulisan Betty Schrampfer Azar dan 'Towards Better English Grammar' oleh Hyacinth Gaudart. Harganya barangkali agak mahal namun masih bawah RM100. Dek kualitinya yang begitu bagus, buku-buku tersebut amatlah berbaloi untuk dimiliki. Kata orang Inggeris, it’s worth every penny!

ULANG BACA

Topik yang kelihatan remeh berkemungkinan paling sukar untuk difahami. Percaya atau tidak, Definite Article-the ialah sub-topik yang mengambil masa beberapa tahun untuk kumemahaminya. Oleh sebab itulah sesetengah topik mesti diulang baca.

Pernah terjadi pada diriku suatu ketika dahulu. Bayangkan, aku hanya mula memahami suatu sub-topik setelah acapkali membacanya! Sebagai manusia biasa, kadang-kadang, kita mungkin terlepas pandang. 

TEKUN & TIDAK SEGAN BERTANYA GURU

Tidak cukup dengan buku-buku rujukan, aku rajinkan diri untuk bertanya pada guru-guru BIku di sekolah. Aku buang jauh-jauh perasaan segan dan malu kerana kutahu, ‘malu bertanya, sesat jalan’. Setuju?

BERKORBAN MASA

Pernah aku korbankan waktu rehatku selama 20 minit demi ilmu. Ada kalanya, aku terpaksa ‘mencuri’ masa untuk bertemu dengan guru BIku, terutamanya ketika waktu ketiadaan guru di dalam kelas atau waktu tamat persekolahan. Pernah juga aku bertanya ketika sesi pembelajaran BI, ketika membuat latihan yang disuruh.

HUBUNGI GURU BI

Bukan niat untuk mengganggu rumah tangga orang. Aku pernah beberapa kali menghubungi guru BIku pada sebelah malam untuk bertanya. Maklumlah, masa yang agak singkat ketika di sekolah kerap juga menghalang usaha murniku ini.

TIDAK MUDAH BERPUTUS ASA

Kata orang, guru BI kebanyakannya garang. Guru BIku, Puan Sabariah Abdul Mubin memang cukup garang orangnya. Oleh kerana impianku mahu berjaya, kena marah tu biasalah, kerana aku ini agak lembab sedikit orangnya. Sering juga aku pergi bertanya guru-guru BIku. Setiap kali bertanya, alhamdulillah, penjelasan diberi banyak membantuku menguasai BI dengan lebih cepat.

MEMINJAM BUKU

Di samping itu, aku juga pernah meminjam buku-buku tatabahasa Inggeris di perpustakaan sekolah. Boleh dikatakan hampir semua buku tatabahasa Inggeris yang disusun di atas rak di dalam pusat ilmu tersebut sudah aku baca pada masa itu.

Sejujurnya, aku pernah ‘mencuri’ sebuah buku rujukan tatabahasa Inggeris baru di situ tanpa kebenaran. Mana tidak nya, buku itu belum pun dilekatkan nombor kodnya. Belum pun disusun di atas rak. Disebabkan sikapku yang kurang penyabar orangnya, aku terus ‘kebas’ sehari untuk dibaca.

MENCATAT SOALAN PADA KERTAS

Saban hari, pelbagai soalan timbul di fikiranku. Dan setiap kali soalan tersebut timbul, aku akan catat pada sehelai kertas. Dan keesokan harinya, aku akan berjumpa dengan guru BIku untuk mendapatkan jawapan atau penjelasan terperinci. Itulah juga nasihat guru BIku, Puan Zabidah Tengah kepadaku suatu ketika dahulu kerana aku pernah terlupa soalan-soalan yang mahu ditanya ketika berjumpa dengannya.

MENCATAT JAWAPAN YANG DIPEROLEH

Setiap kali penjelasan diberi, aku akan segera mencatat pada kertas soalan yang kubawa tadi seringkas mungkin, asalkan kufaham ejaan dan isinya. Hal ini penting agar jawapan atau penjelasan yang diperoleh tidak mudah dilupa. Kata Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Melayu mudah lupa. 

Ketika berada di tingkatan 4, aku merupakan pelajar harian dan menaiki van untuk berulang alik ke sekolah. Ketika berada di dalam van dalam perjalanan pulang ke rumah, aku manfaatkan masa dengan melihat kembali nota ringkas yang dicatat tadi. Dek minat yang mendalam mungkin, Allah permudahkanku untuk mengingat apa jua yang kupelajari. Syukur alhamdulillah.

MENCATAT NOTA DI DALAM BUKU

Ketika di rumah pula, aku akan mengarang persis penulis novel. Lebih tepat lagi, mencatat kembali ‘ilmu-ilmu yang segar’ tadi di dalam sebuah buku log panjang yang kujadikan sebagai buku nota tatabahasa Inggerisku.

Di samping itu, aku pastikan nota ditulis dengan kemas dan mudah dibaca. Manakala perkataan-perkataan yang penting digariskan dengan pensel warna. Begitu juga dengan bullets yang dibuat. Dengan ini, notaku nampak lebih ceria dan tidaklah membosankan apabila ingin dibaca kembali kelak.

MENINGKATKAN KOSA KATA INGGERIS

Kamus kuanggap umpama seorang rakan karib. Kamus BI-BM pilihanku ialah Advanced English Dictionary (English-Bahasa Malaysia Edition) yang kulitnya berwarna merah. Aku guna kamus sampai hancur lebur! Hancur lebur disebabkan oleh sikapku yang seringkali membelek kamus tersebut untuk mencari definisi sepatah perkataan. Oh ya, sekiranya anda sedang mencari sebuah kamus BI-BI terbaik, cubalah Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

Mengapa perlukan kamus?

“Jika ingin menguasai bahasa asing seperti bahasa Inggeris, tanpa kamus di sisi, umpama mengayuh sebuah basikal tanpa roda. Bagaimana mahu bergerak?”

MEMANFAATKAN TEKNOLOGI

Kamus Oxford atas talian boleh dicapai dan diguna secara percuma! Apa yang perlu, google saja! Itu salah satu kaedah yang biasa aku gunakan apabila melayari Internet.

Kini, segalanya hanya di hujung jari anda, bukan? Cuma klik pada link berikut: http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/ . Mudah bukan! Bukan sahaja kita dapat mencari definisi perkataan, bahkan turut dapat mendengar secara langsung sebutan betul perkataan yang dicari sama ada mengikut sebutan Bahasa Inggeris Britain ataupun Amerika.

MENGHAFAL FRASA-FRASA INGGERIS

Banyak frasa Inggeris yang kuhafal. Faktornya, tidak semua ayat bahasa Melayu boleh diterjemah ke dalam BI sewenang-wenangnya. Mengambil frasa ‘suka hati awaklah’ sebagai contoh, takkanlah nak diterjemah ‘like your heart’ pula kan? Sepatutnya, ‘suit yourself’.

BAGAIMANA INGIN MENCARI FRASA-FRASA INGGERIS?

(1)    MENONTON FILEM & DRAMA MELAYU DENGAN SARI KATA INGGERIS

Aku gemar menonton filem dan drama Melayu yang disediakan sari kata Inggeris. Dengan ini, aku dapat bandingkan ayat Melayu yang dituturkan oleh pelakon dengan terjemahannya. Masalahnya, tidak semua terjemahan yang diberi adalah tepat. L

(2)    MENONTON FILEM INGGERIS DENGAN SARI KATA INGGERIS

Bunyinya mungkin aneh. Akan tetapi, aku lebih gemar menonton filem Inggeris di mana sari kata Inggeris disediakan. Selain mendengar sebutan perkataan-perkataan Inggeris yang dituturkan, frasa-frasa Inggeris juga dapat dipelajari. Hal ini kerana, terdapat banyak frasa Inggeris yang dituturkan oleh para pelakon. Kenapa tidak kita manfaatkan peluang keemasan ini daripada hanya menonton filem tersebut di mana akhirnya hiburan sahaja yang diperoleh setelah sejam atau dua jam menonton? Fikirkan sejenak.

(3)    MEMBACA NOVEL INGGERIS

Ulat buku sepertiku lebih selesa membaca bahan bacaan dalam BM berbanding BI. Ironinya, beberapa tahun yang lepas, aku cabar diri membeli sebuah novel Inggeris. Novel ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ tulisan sepenuhnya Sophie Kinsella menjadi 'taruhan' pertama.

Setelah membaca satu, dua bab pertama, aku mula berasa agak bosan kerana sukar untuk memahami plot penceritaanya. Tetapi, aku tabah dan konsisten. Aku teruskan pembacaanku ke bab-bab seterusnya.

Alhamdulillah, Allah Taala permudahkan segalanya. Minatku bertambah kerana sedikit demi sedikit, aku mula memahami gaya penulisan Inggeris. Di dalam sebuah novel Inggeris yang tebal itu, aku dapati, mengandungi puluhan dan mungkin juga ratusan frasa-frasa Inggeris.

Untuk memahami makna frasa-frasa yang baru ditemui, aku menjadikan kamus sehebat Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary sebagai sumber rujukan utama selain Internet. Bak pepatah Melayu, 'sambil menyelam minum air'. Bukan sahaja frasa Inggeris yang kupelajari, malah kemahiran penulisan turut sama diasah dan digilap. Bukankah membaca itu satu kaedah untuk memperbaiki kemahiran menulis seseorang individu?

NOVEL APA YANG BAGUS?

Oh ya, sekiranya anda tercari-cari novel Inggeris yang bagus, aku cadangkan novel-novel tulisan Sophie Kinsella. Penulisannya lebih mudah untuk kufahami dan diselit bersama lawak jenaka yang kadang-kala di luar jangkaan pembaca.

Protagonis atau watak utama yang dihidupkan oleh penulis berbangsa Inggeris ini lazimnya memiliki karakter yang agak lucu. Penulisannya amat diminati oleh jutaan pencinta novel Inggeris hari ini, layaklah novel-novel beliau dilabel ‘best-selling’. Mana taknya, filem meletup ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ juga merupakan hasil adaptasi dari novel hebat beliau!

Selain Sophie Kinsella, tulisan Jeff Kinney pula tidak kurang juga hebatnya. Penulis novel bersiri ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ ini berjaya menghidupkan watak utamanya, Gregory dengan cemerlang sekali. Tidak hairanlah, novel ini pernah diangkat menjadi beberapa buah filem terbitan United States dengan judul filem yang sama.

MEMBACA AKHBAR INGGERIS

Memandangkan akhbar Inggeris seperti The Star, Malay Mail dan New Straits Time boleh dibaca secara atas talian, mengapa tidak anda manfaatkannya? Membaca akhbar Inggeris banyak juga membantuku memperoleh istilah-istilah tertentu yang mungkin sukar untuk diperoleh menerusi sebuah kamus.

Misalnya, aku sendiri tidak tahu apa ‘Majlis Penyampaian Hadiah’ dalam BI sehinggalah aku temuinya di dalam sebuah akhbar Inggeris. Menakjubkan, bukan?

PRAKTIK BERTUTUR MENGGUNAKAN BI

Bercakap menggunakan BI secara spontan atau di dalam hati. Monolog pun okey. Inilah sebahagian daripada pendekatan yang kugunakan untuk memantapkan pertuturanku. Sekiranya ingin fasih berbahasa Inggeris, berkomunikasi dalam BI merupakan satu kewajipan!

Faktor masyarakat rata-rata berbangsa Melayu dan bertutur menggunakan bahasa Melayu sepenuhnya, maka peluangku untuk bertutur dalam bahasa antarabangsa ini saban hari amatlah nipis. Oleh sebab itu, aku lebih gemar berfikir dan kadang-kadang mengeluh dalam BI.

Bonus untuk diriku kerana apabila ketika mengajar ataupun berinteraksi dengan para pelajarku, BI lebih kerap digunakan, diiringi Bahasa Kebangsaan. Sekurang-kurangnya, dengan cara ini, aku mampu bertutur dalam BI dengan lebih fasih dan lancar. Tetapi, jangan pula sampai pinggirkan bahasa ibunda sendiri! 

Konklusinya, usaha tangga kejayaan. Kegigihan dan penat lelahku selama ini kini terbayar. Hari ini, aku mampu tersenyum bangga dengan kejayaan yang kukecapi. Anda pula bagaimana?

PS: Tiba-tiba, aku rasa ingin menulis sebuah buku pula. Komenku, “Tiada apa yang mustahil dengan izin-Nya!”

Going Book Shopping

Not long ago. Sometime in the afternoon, if I’m not mistaken. Riding my extremely ‘ancient’ Dad’s Honda Cub, I headed to the Water Front and Heritage City, Kuala Terengganu. I parked the motorbike as usual, at a parking lot somewhere truly beside some contemporary-looking building whose name I myself feel unsure of. Because I couldn't care less! 

Shortly afterwards, I cautiously walked across the one-way street, past some bank (Can't recall its real name I'm afraid.) before I stepped into a huge bookstore reading ‘Pustaka Seri Intan 2’. Its location’s just next to the Kenangan Hotel – a budget hotel I assume. Truth be told, this is my favourite bookstore where I most often go book shopping at.

Walking past the main entrance, I typically take a look on an enormous quantity of for-sale magazines, very neatly arranged on a sort of flat shelf. Of household-related titles to sports, careers, hobbies, worlds of celebrities and whatnot. Allow me to name a few i.e. ‘Midi’, ‘Harmoni’, ‘Glam’ and ‘Mingguan Wanita’.

Unexpectedly, both of my chocolate-coloured eyes caught on this ‘Mingguan Wanita’ mag, serial no. 1570, dated 20-26 Dec publication, all of a sudden. On top of that, a happily married couple of Malaysia’s popular public figures’ nice family photo decorated the cover page, I guess, as ‘bait’ for bookworms. Good trick, isn't it? 

Who knows?

‘Unfortunately’, I was the 'fish' who ate the ‘bait’! Not that I’m a so-called fan of Aidid Marcello's. It’s all due to one inspiring topic titled ‘Angan-angan ke London & Paris Jadi Kenyataan.’ It got me envious as I’ve long dreamt to get there. Very funny! I wish I could get there someday, insya-Allah. I did choose the mag, anyway. Huhu.

A mag had been selected now. Outstanding choice! I then hurried my step, walking forward to another division of the bookstore, heading to the middle. Approaching one of the book shelves, a big book shelf specifically allocated for hundreds of best-selling English novels. And, ones of them must be my favourite ones whose writer's name is Madeleine Wickham a.k.a Sophie Kinsella.  

It’s been such a long time that I yearned for her other must-read novels: ‘The Wedding Girl’ as well as ‘Swimming Pool Sunday’. Both the novels cost me RM30 something respectively. Quite costly, if you ask me. Not that I can’t afford, nevertheless. 

Up till now, I’ve been reading most of her fantastic novels up. Unquestionably, it’s worth every penny! She’s such a gifted novelist and I must say. Today, she’s already attracted, randomly, millions of novel lovers worldwide with her super imaginative plots. Good job, Mrs Sophie! (Looking forward to reading your next novel, even though have yet to finish reading both the mentioned novels.)

Plus, loaded with a whole lot of slightly unpredictable humours as well as suspense, each novel of hers can make us all LOL (laugh out loud) without feeling compelled to.  FYI, both these specialities have eventually made me fall in love with this very talented British novelist’s writing.

Both novels had been chosen now. So, what else? Of course, I gotta pay! I made the payment whereupon. To my knowledge, I’d spent a hundred or so for all the magazine and novels that afternoon. Soon after that, I walked out of the bookstore with contentment. "Yes, I did it!" I cried in silence. And the next destination, naturally, was ‘home sweet home’! "Can't wait to read them up," I whispered deep in my heart. 

PS: I’ve read nearly half of all the chapters in the novel ‘The Wedding Girl’ by now. I wish I could finish my reading ASAP.  

Goldfish's My New Pet

It all began out of the blue as my little brother keenly recommended that we drop by at a fish shop nearby, though for a sec. And we’re, as a matter of fact, on our ride home.

The fish shop’s located just next to a petrol station of Jalan Sultan Mahmud and just another 200m away is a roundabout exclusively decorated with a well-known Terengganu engraved stone replica, which’s in the middle of the roundabout and which then has axiomatically increased the magnificence of KT city centre.

Now that it’s, I supposed, such a brilliant idea so it’s good whether we both could stop by, only for a short time, anyway. I swear I had no intention at all to make any purchase in the first place.

In the small shop, there’re lots of multi-size aquariums, respectively occupied by a wide range of fish species as well as lobsters. Of my nonchalant observation, among the fishes available there included goldfish!

Well…I’ve been longing to own an aquarium of a school of goldfish, like, for ages. Yup, definitely! I’d no idea why, at the moment, the utmost beauty of goldfish was so truly drawing my attention. And the strong feeling of possessing such beautiful goldfish was bloody killing me, feeling like letting everybody know how much I wanted the fish.  

Thinking of an aquarium at home being occupied by the only lobster, it seemed a really waste of electricity – which is used every single day, all day long – to allocate only for one lobster! I was thinking of adding some fish in the aquarium. “Why not?” I heard myself saying thoughtlessly.  

Using some fishing tackle (Dunno what they name the equipment), my fresh chocolate-coloured eyes were, at present, choosing a few more beautiful goldfish as seen in the goldfish-occupied aquarium there. At least, a couple – my target.

Talking about the price, it only cost me RM4 each. Inexpensive enough! Hence, price, personally, should no longer be my excuse for not buying some. Once again, a dream come true. Other than that, I too bought a pack of plastic plants, looking like sea weeds as extra decoration.

Due to my deep interest towards goldfish, I dared buy four goldfish. Seemed I got a little too carried away just after making the payment. “Can’t wait to get home,” I whispered.

About eighteen minutes later, I guess, after having undergone some typical traffic jams during the peak hour, alhamdulillah, we eventually reached home safely. Hastily, I started moving all the four goldfish out of the transparent plastic filled with oxygen into an even more enormous aquarium. “All of ‘em are gonna live as freely as possible there,” I sort of hoped.

Seeing the apparent liveliness of each one of the energetic-looking swimming goldfish, honestly speaking, I felt so much overwhelmed with the feeling of delight and gratitude to Allah the Almighty for all that. This used to be my dream. My face spontaneously gave a smile showing the feeling of real satisfaction for getting to see a school of beautiful swimming goldfish.

 “Oh my, officially, I’ve now owned my pets. And they’re goldfish,” I knowingly said in disbelief.

PS: Do you like goldfish too?