Contrast

Today, I attended a function at one of the public universities, UMK, to commemorate this year's mooncake festival.

I couldn't help but notice the gaping hole between the standard of the events that I've been to at private universities and foreign unis. Some people say money doesn't make a difference, I think it makes a difference,however big or small, as much as most people would hate to admit.When you compare students from a more affluent background against their peers who come from poorer families, the contrast is great. One of the things you'll immediately realise is the the appearance of the person, where richer students, dress better and take more care of their appearance, whereas a poorer one is unable to, to the same degree or has not been brought up with the need to make use of such things. After all, cosmetics and clothes aren't cheap, as any boyfriend or mother can attest to :). The most stark of these differences is in the mindset of the people. The way a person acts, and reacts in society, inevitably reflects ones upbringing. The people I met at UMK were a far cry from my more cultured peers in APFT or my other universities. They're more simple. Whether thats a good thing or bad, I leave to your judgement, but the disparity IS evident.

The UMK event, was, by my standards, pretty shabby. Granted, most of it was due to the fact that they did not have adequate funding, a lack of talent in the student body, and a lack of experience. The event was held in a hall, a public hall nonetheless WITHOUT air conditioning. The students weren't dressed up, sadly, its probably because a lot of them either cannot be bothered or cannot afford the proper attire, the food was what i joked to be "Standard issue APFT rations" as in "curry rice". The performances were lackluster, with badly improvised costumes and a huge lack of talent. There were some good ones, but mostly, it was pretty awful. Needless to say, i was pretty disappointed in it, although a lot of the organising committee were my friends and I know they poured a lot of effort into making this event a success. Try as they might, they're best wasn't up to par. I do however, commend them for their effort. The university's standard is a joke. I'm very thankful that I was blessed to be able to study a private tertiary education. I have my gripes, but compared to the public university system, its already a lot.

What bothers me is the disparity so evident in Malaysia. I am so used to my middle class lifestyle that I forget that even amongst the Chinese here ( who, mind you, are accused of beingfilthy rich) there are poor people. I have spent a lot of time seeing things from another side of life since I arrived here in Kota Bahru. My friend is temporarily renting a flat, with 2 small rooms and a decrepit toilet, in a dangerous neighborhood.....in what i would otherwise write off as a rotting husk of a building.

Stress ROTTING. The once white cement walls are now black with burns, the interior of the apartments are badly lit with single pendaflour tubes, with NO fire safety in sight, exposed wires, rotting animal corpses, fecal matter, you name it....its all there. The toilet is archaic, the water pressure DISMALLY low, and privacy is unheard of. On the few nights I've spent there, I've overheard many an argument between an estranged wife and her husband, a child and his parents and so on. There are frequent burglaries, with drug addicts patrolling the corridors in the dead of night and all manner of horrible things which I shall leave to your imagination.

Now honestly, this is the kind of place which ur mom would tell you, "oh thats where the Filipinos live, don't ever go near that sort of place son." As I rest in the comfort of my new queen sized bed in the warm, clean comfort of my home, I can't help but wonder about what I would have been like, if I had been raised in such a place. I wouldn't be the same person i am today. It must be torture, to live in such a small house. My house is beautiful and clean, these people live under conditions which I can say, are about as Spartan as they come. It is sobering. My own parents came from humble beginnings. They went about their youth not knowing where their next meal would come from. My mother and father never went to university. their siblings did, but not them. Mom gave way to her younger brothers to go, since they were men and dad was the youngest. By the time it was his turn to go, his family didn't have anything left. Still they made do. I always wondered what mom meant about living like that. Its appalling. If anything, I've learned to be more thankful for the simple things I have each day, but not to be complacent with only them. We should always aspire to greatness. We only live once :). Till next time.