• NH and friends NoktahHitam is my alter ego. I am a nocturnal Web Developer at Laman7. Part time innovator, full time procrastinator.

  • “Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.”- Abraham Lincoln

English Is Just A Language, Wrong!

Watch the following video, supposedly UiTM’s chief student body.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kvTrpVwzX4]

For transcript, scroll down.

I’m not going to be an ass and correct his grammar, mine isn’t THAT polished to begin with. But rather question his choice of words, seemed too limited for someone of his caliber.

If I were Khalid, I’d tell him, “Hang balik, belajaQ Englis dulu.. esok mai balik na?”

Mim for Malay? Too shallow. It could mean Malaysia, but the closes would be Mara, since UiTM belongs to them.

Back to the main agenda, is English just a language? No. It clearly reflects on how one reads and interact with others. In his case, lack of both, depth of knowledge and good PR skills. It’s crying shame to have him lead the student body what more to reflect whom he leads.

In some cases, I fail to understand, why do people write gibberish Bahasa Melayu on their blog? You claim to be a Malay, but you write like trash. Haven’t you heard of the saying,”Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa“? So respect your language, it’s your origin.

I’ve been asked before, why use English when “NoktahHitam” is Malay? Simple, to improve my English. It’s in my best interest to minimize grammatical errors. Yes, I am uptight, but I don’t wear my pants above my belly.

ps: I’ve always been proud of my Javanese origin.

pss: No spelling error on this post. If it’s misspelled, it’s intentional.

As you can see behind me is the big black a metal which is symbol character of the Arabic language, Mim. If in the English vocabulary we can say it is an M. In which in English we can stands for Malays and which I can say that this university is 100% for bumiputeras and which most of them consist of the malay and this universities are not for the non Malays.

What happened last year I did the street demonstration prostressting against the Minister of Selangor itself, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for his suggestion to open up UiTM to 10% for the non malays. In which it was a incorrect suggestion to be made at the incorrect time. The Malay should have the special right because basically the Malay the son of the soil of this country. And basically we are given this type of right because we have given up the citizenship to the non Malays, the Chinese and the Indians. And for that in exchange we the privileged of such as education, scholars, loan from the bank and some land for the Malay reserve.

 

There are 72 Comments for “English Is Just A Language, Wrong!”

Ahahahaha beautifully transcribed. Maybe I should have transcribed the video myself but I am such an English freak, I could never have done that without correcting his “grammar” (or should I say, the lack of it!)

- MENJ

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Without you cropping out the topic, I wouldn’t have spotted this guy.

He seemed so proud that he led the demo. Isn’t he scared of being unemployed? No employer wants their staff’s foot up their nose.

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menj replied #1

I found the video by serendipity and I was incredulously suprised at how this fella could even qualify for an interview with BBC Channel 4. Tak tahu di mana hendak letak “water face” bila sudah selesai melihatnya.Thank God I have always called myself a Javanese, never a Malay.

Judging by the quality of his “powderful Engleesh”, I think I should be a student leader at UiTM :mrgreen:

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affuan replied #1

i am kelantanese. hehe.


menj wrote on January 17, 2009 #1

errkk..i’m speechless..although i keep saying to my students..you have to brush up your english and practice makes perfect..

but, to know this speech is coming from a student leader..and given the fact that UITM teach all their students in English unlike UKM..i’m surprised!! :roll:

son of the soil? prostressting?? OMG..go back and read, watch and learn more in order to get yourself respected by others

come on..don’t embarass yourself like this..

OMG..eddie..sorry for the long comment..i know my english is not that good but at least my scientific writing is far better than my fiction writing (blog)

:vangry:

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inah wrote on January 17, 2009 #2

Hey I think you have good English. :grin: :evil: :cool:

I tend to agree that language is about identity and lots of ppl who have lost that part of identity usually rationalises that language is just a tool of communication ‘cos they have not really owned their language.

It’s always soothing to hear Canto or even Malay in a foreign country. :smile: :???:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

I’ve always loved Canto! But no one to practise with since Bong also prefer talking in Malay :smile:

Mind you, I rarely use curse language, but would understand if someone talks about me, especially at lowyat. Aiyo.. :cry:

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bongkersz replied #1

Here Bong is coming to ‘Canto’ you.. :lol: Noted bro, when we meet the next time, remember to say “Hey.. heng dai!”

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Jed Yoong wrote on January 17, 2009 #3

stupid fella. My engrish is bad but i tries to be better. I rather dont want to comment in his language but rather his principle of UiTM. (My english sucks)

my first queation for him is why would our bapa kemerdekaan went to sabah and sarawak before kemerdekaan…….TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BUMIPUTRA.

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yaya replied #1

emm, yes ur english is bad!

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Hahaha, you really like poking people :eek:

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yaya replied #1

haha, can’t resist. Coz he proved his engrish is bad, right after ‘My engrish is bad’.. Sorry Taukey, no hard feelings okay.


Taukey replied #1

dont worry. no hard feeling. ha ha ha . :up: I guess i did type the wrong letter at the wrong time or is it the right time? wahahahahaha


Taukey wrote on January 18, 2009 #4

10 percent to the non-malays? hoi bumiputra takut ka dengan 10 percent sahaja….why afraid of competition when we wanted to go global………be brave……..be useful…..globalisation can be useful to us all

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Taukey wrote on January 18, 2009 #5

Even though my English is also atrocious, i don’t like him. At all. Because he is so ultra-Mim(yeah), and did not respect the existence of Chinese and Indian in this country. All Malaysian struggle to be free, not just Malay in which we can foresee the future for this country. We cannot escape from fact that Putera-AMCJA(unsung hero) that consists multi-racial line gave another big impact for Malaysia. This rep guy totally buta sejarah.

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NoktahHitam replied #1

I’ll tell you what, he’s a mamak. Therefor not a Malay.

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Fariz Bakar wrote on January 18, 2009 #6

gibberish BM? i guess you should led an example by trying to write in BM(please do not feel awkward). Most welcome.

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NoktahHitam replied #1

I do have a blog, written in English-Malay. But it’s kinda secret :oops:

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Fariz Bakar wrote on January 18, 2009 #7

Err..I tules bahase kedah dlm my blog and I ajar kawan2 mat salleh i gibberish malay words..

but i deeply respect our language tho..huhu takpe kan?

:!:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Speaking is totally different. Most of us, if we want to learn new language, it’s always easier to start with cursing or vulgar language. It’s easier to remember :razz:

And if you want to improvise slang, or accent, you’re most definitely welcome. As long as not gibberish Malay.

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lyana wrote on January 18, 2009 #8

Hahahahaha Eddie! I soooooooooooooooo know this guy from my UiTM days! Urghhhh.

And yes, he’s every bit as cocky as he seems. I know for a fact that he became the Student Body YDP (Yang Di Pertua) because of politics. Naturally!

Once, I stood up against the UiTM MPP in a meeting because they were starting to get very biased with decisions. And then they proceeded with blacklisting my name for the rest of my time in UiTM. Like that would ever stop me. Heh. I guess that was my “incorrect suggestion at the incorrect time”.

Well I still graduated with three stars to my name, a pink sash, and a First Class Honours Degree..and you’re still struggling to speak English. So BOOYAH MPP UiTM. (Sorry emo sikit ye Encik Eddie.)

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Zaza wrote on January 18, 2009 #9

“As you can see behind me is the big black a metal which is symbol character of the Arabic language, Mim. If in the English vocabulary we can say it is an M.”

vocabulary or alphabet ? :lol:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

No bro, confirm English Vocabulary not Latin Alphabet.

So, my English Vocabulary is NH. Hahhaa :eek:

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|1f34|-|1r3 wrote on January 18, 2009 #10

I always think that speaking English is easier than writing it down. Weird, no? I used to be minah menceceh atas pentas in both Malay and English debates. And that’s why I am better at using it orally than literally. But still, my English is no better than you.

Tapi apapun saya tetap lebih selesa menggunakan Bahasa Melayu. Tapi (banyaknya tapi), budak ni tidak mencapai standard langsung. Macam mana dia menjadi pemimpin, mengelolakan bermacam-macam perkara dan yang paling utama, kalau yang diperjuangkan waktu demo tu adalah untuk memastikan semangat bersaing sesama Bumiputera tu terus dikekalkan sesama mereka saja tanpa membawa sebarang peningkatan kualiti, tiada makna nak memperjuangkan generasi globalisasi keluaran UiTM. Lagi bercampur, lagilah terbuka luas skop berfikir.

Dear this fella, as you sow, so shall you reap, man. I doubt what NH wrote about worrying your future is undeniably true. Hmm. Pride comes before a fall. Don’t let it wrap u up solely.

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Sarah, you definitely have better command of English than I do. I was never accepted as a debater :roll:

Kata mahukan globalisasi, tetapi persaingan dalam negeri pon tak boleh atasi. Tak apa, dunia dalam tempurung mungkin lagi indah. Boleh warnakan dinding sesuka hati.

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Syam replied #1

benarkan aku gunakan kata-kata ini ya wahai kawan. sbb sgt menarik

“dunia dalam tempurung mungkin lagi indah. Boleh warnakan dinding sesuka hati”

ps: HAHAHAHAHA

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Silekan bro ;)


bongkersz replied #1

Mesti ‘bagi pada kau’ (give it to you) untuk datang ke atas (come up) dengan analogi indah seumpama ini.

Hebat tak my Malay? :arrow:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Must give it to you to come up with witty analogies like this :smile:

Direct translation, ROFLSML~ :grin: :grin:


Sarah replied #1

Wah. Teruja membacanya! :grin: Tapi serius penuh sastera ayah Eddie tu. Bong, lepas ni awak pun boleh berbahasa sastera macam Eddie la kot :lol:


bongkersz replied #1

Mudah-mudahan…. =P


Sarah wrote on January 18, 2009 #11

“incorret suggestion to be made at incorrect time..”
mcm ni la jadi..

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Hanep wrote on January 18, 2009 #12

unless he/she is an English teacher (or equivalent), i always find it very rude/arrogant for someone to correct/comment on other people speaking skills…just my opinion..no need to “hentam” me eh?..hehe

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NoktahHitam replied #1

I get you. Let’s say you’re my boss. I submit to you an English-broken proposal for some multi-million project. Do you correct me or fire me?

1. As a good person, you feel oblige to educate me. What more not face lawyer fees for firing me.

2. I won’t learn anything, and you risk being sued of pay high compensation.

Not only English teacher can correct. Everyone who wants to see others grow teaches too.

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jipo wrote on January 18, 2009 #13

heu~heu~heu~..
banyaknye ‘which’ dalam satu ayat…
..
..
.. patut la english trainer ku suke marah2 bile speech aku terabur…

lame…lame

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lydiarayyan wrote on January 18, 2009 #14

betul la.. he needs to learn a lot in order to be respected. not only about his language, but also the content of his speech. work harder bro!

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Well said. I hope he reads your comment :!:

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koma putih wrote on January 18, 2009 #15

how those people categorised as student can say like that!? think before speak huh.

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megat wrote on January 18, 2009 #16

yeah. same with me. i use english to improve myself.

human is imperfect. we sometimes make mistakes :roll:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

But in this context, he make mistakes all the time :eek:

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alone wrote on January 18, 2009 #17

Aku punya masalah.. my english is much better in written, bila dah voice out… hancussss…

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NoktahHitam replied #1

When watching English drama, like Heroes, Prison Break or House, try mimicking their script. You’ll soften up that tongue of yours.

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Hanep replied #1

sama ler masalah kiter…
penulisan pun samer gak..
sbb tu aku bace blog NH, penuh sastera. hehe..

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t.a.t.a replied #1

Nazz welcome to the club.

saya memang buat apa yg NH cadang kan tu. bila tengok cerita english saya suka ulang balik cakap dialog mereka. seronok pulak rasanya. kadang tu bila sub-title dah kuar dulu, tapi dialog sebenar belum keluar, saya yang ucap dulu dialog tu.

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Nazz wrote on January 18, 2009 #18

as much as i wanted to laugh at him (not with him, mind you that) i felt a sense of sensitivity when i see this video for the first time.

1. because i myself is not such a good speaker. i do admit that i stammer and messed up my grammar, especially when i was put under the spotlight

2. english is not my 1st language. thus, making mistakes and error is common, especially among us malays who i assume do not speak that language as much as our own mother tongue

3. rehearsals and a helluva practise makes meticulous english usage. trust me. harharhar…

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shandye wrote on January 19, 2009 #19

I’m not being a snob but I have this thing against the massacre of English. He could have just spoke in BM and BBC would have provided a (oh so much better) translation.

Wanted to comment on the content of what he said but thats probably another matter entirely

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NoktahHitam replied #1

He is brave enough to use English, that, you ought to give him some credits. Guts!

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IcedNyior wrote on January 19, 2009 #20

Aku takde komen sbb aku bangang English, tapi nasib baik aku kerja ngan mat salleh boleh gak belajar cakap.

ps:tp American mmg lain benor English nya.. :???:

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Takpe, janji ade niat nak blajar sudah bagus.

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haritz wrote on January 19, 2009 #21

I have nothing against his command of English (I am not a good speaker myself), but rather the things he said. We have this kind of shit qualified as a ‘student leader’? (and apparently quite snobbish and proud at it). I weep for the nation.

Do we need such divisive speech among us? I am sick of this attitude “we against them” “us vs the others”, it’s not helping at all.

Hendak majukan bangsa? Belajar dulu dik.

I doubt even if he’s to make a speech in Malay, he’s able to articulate his points coherently.

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NoktahHitam replied #1

I don’t mind grammatical errors, but his selection of words, English vocabulary? Black metal thing? son of soil? prostressting? Aiyoo..

I bet BBC was laughing their ass off while editing this.

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bongkersz wrote on January 19, 2009 #22

hehe…I’m one of the malay with broken english…

read my post..http://jejakalkindi.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/english-of-a-non-englishman/…

..luckily, I’m not a student leader..

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Fisol wrote on January 19, 2009 #23

i might not be good in english but.. for things as important as that.. shouldn’t he, prepare what he wants to talk about beforehand? i mean, write it out first then sort of memorize the key points; not by,know the key points, pandai2 la buat ayat at that spot

i got annoyed with the repetition of ‘in which’ when he can just use a full stop! lol

i’m one of the student rep in my course
and having limited vocab is totally a disadvantage since talking to students; of course can say it any way i want (black thing? lol) but when i’m telling the complaints in the meetings, obviously i cant say that

.. so what if you’re english is crappy?
if prepare for it, knowing what to say and what’s the correct term, that should be fine, right?

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NoktahHitam replied #1

But if someone were to ask question? Die loh~

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Adila replied #1

would anyone go to a pak cik jual ikan and ask about microprocessor?

that’s what i mean here
if it’s something you do, you know (or should know – big black metal; it has a name, right?)

you won’t be asked some soalan cepuk emas out of the blue, tak ke? :P

answering a question that people ask just because they want to know about something is different than justifying your act by words

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Eh! I meant to reply on other’s comment! Not yours! Alahai. Sorry :roll:


Adila wrote on January 20, 2009 #24

Argh… “confusing my mind”. keh keh keh. but for me…
in my blog… i always mixed the languages.

Yes bro.. like you’ve said above… “bahasa jiwa bangsa”
but when I’m wrote, I’m prefer to use informal language.

Like people said… “Bahase pasar” well… it was depends
on the story that I’ve try to cover off… I like this way…
Communication using informal languages make me close to my reader.

In this way they’ll not ashamed to gave any suggestion
or what ever comment on my place. But… some of the
reader also felt the same way like you does :D hahaha..

What I care is, when I’m try to write something that
forced readers to think or something that I want to talk
about globalization… of course… I’ll used the formal
language as much as I can. But sorry…. sorry for the
word “Aku” Hahaha… I felt to “skema” when I’m using
“saya” in my writing… LOL~

Woraite bro.. fuh… for the first time *I thought* this
is the longest comment I’ve made. Sorry for any
grammatical error. I was not on a good English
background.

P/S: You know what… I’ve to encourage myself writing
a comment in English on your blog. Hahahaha…
Sumpah aku memang tak pandai omputeh~

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Wow bro! Brave attempt. If I were to circle your errors, it would probably fill up the whole screen. Nontheless, I admire your courage. It’s not everyday I get to see something like this.

Well, some people like to talk about hobby, fine. Talk about technology, no problem. Talk about politic and serious matters, but in rubbish Malay? That I can’t live with.

When I write, I always meant it for smart people. It’s really up to you what or how you write. But people like me, will only keep an eye and not focus on the main agenda.

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Kreuger @ Mr. Azman replied #1

LOL~ nko memang seorang pemerhati yang
bagus ar… RESPECTED!!!! :up:

*maybe after this, I’ll try my best to focus more on
this.:grin: thanks a lot.

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Kreuger @ Mr. Azman wrote on January 20, 2009 #25

adoi.. what the hell la mamat ni. hehe. i also make lots of grammar mistake in my blog. well, we have the same idea of blogging in english.

but i wonder, why UiTM take international students from overseas? i thought they only cater for Bumiputras ..

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myadlan wrote on January 25, 2009 #26

Then, should I blog – dalam Bahasa Melayu(konon) atau Bahasa Inggeris(Ya lah tu)?
:roll:

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saffa wrote on January 26, 2009 #27

kesian aku tgk Presiden MPP ni.
if BI pun berterabur camna nak majukan budak2 UiTM?
aduh! :mrgreen:

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aidilx wrote on January 26, 2009 #28

A whole bunch of people that I know have this perseverance to blog in English.

Just because there are thousands of grammar nazis hiding anonymously, the courage is swept away by the fear of looking stupid.

They are petrified of making mistakes, of getting bombarded by thousands of comments on how atrocious their English are. Inferiority complex, no?

But I applause those emotionally-detached persons who still blog no matter what comments they receive. People criticize because you can’t see the flaws you cultivate in yourself. So swallow that.

I haven’t watched that guy talking crap as yet. But one thing for sure, I won’t make myself look stupid if BBC is generous enough to broadcast me all over the world.

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Zubaidah Arshad wrote on January 27, 2009 #29

“you punye grammar tunggang langgang, ke laut! go back and practice!” – cakap malaysian idol judges

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pcuserz wrote on January 29, 2009 #30

huh.,. baru dapat layan vc ni.. no bad jugak… at least ada telo utk speak up..

opsss

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arep wrote on January 29, 2009 #31

Guys, at least he put courage to speak upfront. It is not good to underestimate other people. I am not trying to act well. You might wanna look at yourself before you put comment on others. He probably cant speak english well. Maybe he can recite the Quran better than you guys out there. You might wanna look into that.

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NoktahHitam replied #1

You might think I am underestimating people, well, if you put it that way, that makes all your dad’s “teguran” as underestimating. Besides, he’s inclined towards politics, either I tell him he’s not good enough or I let him be. Whichever way, someday, someone will eventually shoot him down. It’s now or never.

Recite Quran huh? How about 100m? Can he beat me at that? Point is, I am specifically discussing a topic, not everything.

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danielhaiqal replied #1

A “teguran” or so called advice from a father to his son is to show how much he concern about his son. My father did his work ethically and with honesty. He projects all the good qualities as a leader to the nation. My mentor was my father. If He was not that good enough, He won’t be at the top notch level. I don’t want to compare him with anyone around us. You just might want to judge at a small group first; family members for instance. People may envy as you go up the ladder and we call it obstacles. If you deliver your job right, InsyaAllah that God will lead us the way up the ladder. Define yourself in a big way. We all have self-definitions; give yourself a big definition. Your attitude is much more important than your IQ. As a conclusion, my father is someone important in my life and please do not offend his capability. Last and but not least, can you take your father as your mentor?

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NoktahHitam replied #1

Aik.. orang cakap lain, ko cerite lain.


danielhaiqal replied #1

dude, saje je bg spicy sket. hehe~ -fingers cross- :mrgreen:


danielhaiqal wrote on February 2, 2009 #32

oh god shouldnt he have prepared a text and have it memorized before doing something like this up the lens?! im a uitm alumna for god’s sakes and this is just incomprehensible!

he could have just asked me to do it for him. he’ll come up better sounding than martin luther king once im done with his pronunciations.

oh swell whatever. this is a nice post. i like it.

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Nani-chan wrote on February 3, 2009 #33

He is our future leader?
Pathetic … I hope he have guts to say what is right, rightfully!

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hydir wrote on February 7, 2009 #34

Leave a comment, I won't bite ;)

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