nazriq - 「the vignettes」

2011-06-01T19:37:00.001+08:00

I want to start writing and blogging again, actively. Because I really want to, and I feel like I need to rev up my writing. Plus, a lot of recent events have really inspired me to write differently and to take things in a much better direction than before. However, before I can even do that...

So many books to read in so little time, yikes!

That said, I'm not complaining at all. As much as a part of me can't wait to finish my final year (the other part wants to study more!), I do enjoy what I'm studying. Enjoyable, and challenging. To design a hypothetical lesson plan to teach language with the incorporation of both technology and Islam without being downright cliche is both an interesting and challenging thing to do! That and reviews on Muslim authors pretty much sum up my current short semester.

- Nazriq

Why bother studying English (or anything that's not Science-Stream)?

2011-03-18T22:43:00.001+08:00

Before I took the leap of faith to pursue English and throughout my duration of study doing a degree in English Language and Literature, a number of questions have been often repeated to me, such as:

- "English? Ada masa depan ke ambil jurusan bahasa?" ("English? Are you going to have a future if you pursue a language program?")

- "Why did you give up on Architecture? You have a better future there and more money, too!"

- "Oh, nak jadi cikgu sekolah ya?" ("Oh, you want to become a school teacher?")

- "Astaghfirullahalazim, bahasa kafir kamu belajar tu!" ("Astaghfirullahalazim, that's an evil language you're learning!")

Those were among the questions heralded to me, and I'm pretty sure anybody taking anything 'arts' related or anybody who switched over would have been posed with similar questions.

It's not unusual (in our nation's context, at least) that the arts (or humanities, as they should rightfully be called) would be seen as the lesser one compared to the sciences. How could it not have turned out that way, when it's usually the Sciences (sans Law, which is part of the humanities) that are heralded as the ones that will "ensure a secure future" or "guarantee massive cash"? Add to that the fact that in most secondary schools (at least during my time, around '01-'05. Not so sure about now, but I feel things haven't changed) usually (keyword: USUALLY!) lump under-achievers into the arts-stream classes. For that, we can't blame society entirely for such perceptions.

But honestly, there is no such thing as a "better" stream. You could do Science and still not have a secure future. That said, there's no such thing as Science being better than Arts or vice-versa. Both in fact rely on each other in order to make life a better place. It's not about the perceived prestige of what you choose to do; it's about how you make use of the tools given to you in order to make your life a better place.

Now, regarding those questions above. First and foremost, there is an AMAZINGLY vast future - not just for English majors, but also other humanities majors (Sociology, Political Science, etc). Studying the language - be it the linguistic aspect or the literary aspect - or any other humanities sharpens the mind and turns you into an extremely critical thinker. You learn how to interpret situations at light-speed from various angles and come up with suggestions and solutions for them after having considered every other option - a skill that's practically a must in the real world out there. This is THE skill needed to be a manager or team-leader in the working world.

Secondly, learning language doesn't limit you to being a teacher. Literature (which initially I was scared of, but grew to really love) gives you the skill to be a powerful and creative analyst - business analyst, business strategist, creative director, you name it! Linguistics on the other hand, allows for so many possibilities, and man, I can actually pursue Speech Therapy with a background in Linguistics. Or you could also do Forensic Linguistics, handling court cases, detecting if the suspects are lying or not, stuff like that!

And about English being a supposedly 'evil' language... During the time of the Prophet, Muslims learned Hebrew and Latin so that they could carry out da'wah to the speakers of these languages at the time - the Jews and the Romans. It is through language that we understand how people perceive and understand things, and the best way to get the message across to someone is by understanding these two major aspects of communication. Plus, the field of Linguistics originated from the Muslims - a number of Muslim scholars have contributed greatly to Phonology and Morphology so that the Qur'an can be read by everyone throughout the world. Ever wondered how one could learn to read the characters the exact way it's supposed to sound without knowing what the words mean? Thus, it is our duty to continue contributing to the field, seeing that it is the Muslims who had done such a contribution.

Another important point is that Literature allows one to understand the issues faced by society in a particular setting or era, as it is through literature that we can understand how people think and express themselves. And the best way to carry out da'wah is by taking the effort to really understand the target and then tailoring the methods to best suit them so that they could fully comprehend the message of Islam. It's not just about romance novels or Shakespeare!

And of course, other humanities offer such vast possibilities as well. Sociology allows one to study society and understand the inner workings of it - how culture is formulated, how it is transmitted, how attitudes are formed. The other humanities similarly give an insight into how humans actually work and perceive things - albeit from different perspectives. Through language, we can learn how people express things. Through sociology, we learn how people work as a whole. Through political science, we learn the system that governs people. I could go on and on about this!

But my point is: there's no need to discriminate one's choice of field of study. Every field is equal. Without engineers, we wouldn't have so many things in life. Without doctors, nobody would be healthy at all! What's important is the passion, talent and commitment. That allows one to go anywhere. I chose English because it offers me the flexibility and possibility to go anywhere. I could pursue my old dream of being a speech therapist, I could be a writer, or a professor, or I could work in the media. Or I could do all at once (thanks to a lecturer of mine for pointing that out)!

And no, English is NOT a kafir language!

- nazriq

While I Was Away...

2011-03-06T15:08:00.000+08:00

It has practically been ages since the last post (thankfully, there's no annoying dust to clean in the cyber-world!), but I've a valid reason for my absence. While I was away, I was organizing this:

For quite some time, I've noticed that practically all the departments in all faculties in my university have a mentoring system where every 50 students in each department are assigned a mentor. Many people assume that mentors are there only to help with problems. While they CAN do that, there are more benefits that can be reaped from the whole mentoring thing, such as career options, academic advice, scholarship opportunities, and much more. I've had friends from other departments and faculties telling me about how they get along with their mentors, and having attended a mentoring program by another department (The Sociology Department's Al-Falaah Program) and other magnificent talks, I felt that my department should have something similar. Besides, I feel very sad for the lecturers who are waiting for their mentees to approach them, and I feel sorry for mentees who have no idea what that whole list at the department is all about (some thought it was a dismissal list -_-). Plus, I felt that it was about time a more meaningful and beneficial event is held, something that people can make an impact, you know?

Believe me, it was nerve-wrecking organizing and handling this event! There were many challenges along the way: changes in the venue booking system, all new procedures introduced at the time we did all the paperwork, internal conflicts and drama, you name it. But alhamdulillah, amidst all the obstacles, the event was a success! To see 170++ students and most of the mentors gather in a single venue to share knowledge and insight was a very heart-warming experience. The number of people who came blew my mind, considering that: 1. the venue was ridiculously far (Engineering Main Auditorium E3, anyone?); 2. there was a RM5 fee (which of course included a delicious lunch set of Nasi Tomato and Sirap); and 3. it was held on a Friday morning (people usually go back home on Thursday nights!).

It was definitely an amazing event. The speakers were great: Kak TJ gave an amazing talk titled "The Art of Juggling", based on her experiences of juggling academics and married life while she was a student; Mr Mazlan gave a very funny and entertaining yet insightful talk, while selected top students of the department shared some interesting tips and tricks on how to score the finals and talked about why religion and 'ibadah matters. Overall, it was an exciting for me (and hopefully all my committee members!) to organize such an event, and I hope everyone who came had fun and benefited from everything in store! I haven't got a hold on the official pictures from the program, so I'll share them as soon as I get them!

- Nazriq

Songs

2011-02-04T18:32:00.000+08:00

I'm currently writing and recording quite a lot of new songs at the moment, some newly written, while some date back to 2004. Anyway, while I finish up the newer ones, I've uploaded a few old demos which I've recovered from my now-dead MacBook. You can find them at http://soundcloud.com/nazriq. The demos were recorded back in 2006. Hope you enjoy them :) Comments are welcome.

- nazriq

Because al-fulkulur sounds obscenely funny...

2011-01-15T23:23:00.003+08:00

For a long time, I've wondered why the word 'folklore' has an 'l' in 'folk'. I then came to realize that English is the most disastrous language, spelling-wise because the spelling never seems to reflect the way its pronounced. Take 'cough' and 'dough' for example. Only last year I found out that the reason the spelling is so haphazard is due to historical reasons - either as a 'reminder' of sorts of how the word used to be pronounced.

This week, I made a new discovery: the word 'folklore' isn't an original English word. It's borrowed from the Arabic word al-fulkulur, as funny as it sounds. But again, these days, 'original' words of many languages are dying out. The only original English words that remain today? 'He', 'She', and 'It', among others.

Now, let's look at the Malay language. We have a plethora of words for many things, but for some odd reason, people are Malaysian-izing English words. Why famili when there's the word keluarga? Why infrastruktur when there's the word prasarana. I'm baffled when some of the people who use this words keep on saying that we must perkasakan (I think that means 'strengthen', correct me if I'm wrong) the language by not polluting the language with 'outside' words. Supposedly we should only use purely original Malay words. But again, what are the original Malay words?

There are only four original Malay words left. They begin with 'b', besi being one of them. No points for guessing what the rest are.

Just how original are all the languages nowadays?

Courtesy, huh?

2011-01-10T20:57:00.003+08:00

Courtesy is something that's seemingly harder to find among today's generation. Oftentimes (if you use public transportation), you might stumble upon an elderly person carrying a lot of stuff, holding on to the poles in trains or buses with their not-so-strong limbs, while some chap would inhumanly occupy more than one seat without feeling any remorse. People using elevators meant for the disabled has also become a common sight. I sometimes feel bad for the elderly or those in need, and I do feel guilty if they actually offer a seat for me (I prefer standing up anyway). It is nice to see that there are a number of young people who actually have the courtesy to give up their seats who don't need it or actually make way for people in buses. Stuff like that. I think that's really good.

However, I'm utterly dumbfounded by what seems to be a new breed: The irrational, oh-I'm-so-much-better-than-thou types. Quite recently, I was boarding this bus, and naturally a big bus CAN accommodate a huge number of passengers. However, this one chap actually stood right in the middle and REFUSED to let anyone occupy the massive space behind him. To make matters worse, he actually made a pissed-off face with a condescending expression, as if his private space has been invaded, as if his rights has been threatened.

But that's not the worst part yet. His club's t-shirt which he proudly wore was the worst. Something along the lines of 'discovering the beauty of good manners/virtue/religion/courtesy' clearly written on the front and back of the shirt.

EPIC FAIL OF MASSIVE PROPORTIONS. Courtesy, huh? If that's courtesy, then I have no idea what to say, and I have no idea what virtue he's trying to promote...

Sale: 50% off or 50% MORE?

2011-01-09T16:18:00.002+08:00

Usually, when there's a sale, a lot of people would flock to various outlets - boutiques, eyewear, handbags, you name it - to get the most heavily discounted goods, even if they don't even need the item at all. It's amazing how much a simple sign like this would easily attract customers:

The rationale behind rushing for discounted goods would usually sound something like "When else are they going to sell it cheaper than the usual price?" or "This thing is usually expensive?". In theory, it makes perfect sense. Say that something is worth RM500, after a 50% discount, it's only RM250. That's quite a sum of money that can be saved. Given this fact, discounts and sales are supposed to be good.

Unfortunately, there are some shops which take advantage of the consumers' adrenaline rush to purchase everything on sale. There are shops that actually jack up the prices of some goods, then they apply the discount, bringing it to a price that's more expensive than the original. For example, the normal price of Item A is RM400. In the first place, not many people actually bother to remember the usual price of any given product other than petrol, don't they? During a sale, the shop might rise the price all the way to RM900, then 'generously' offer a 50% discount, bringing the price 'down' to RM450, which is RM50 more expensive than the original price! These shops take advantage of the fact that some buyers go head over heels when they see a discount tag.

Of course, if this practice was to be applied to all the goods in a shop, customers would suspect something. So, a shop would make take it a step further by pricing goods inconsistently during sales, and also by offering normal price merchandise to show how 'cheap' the discounted goods. Here's how it works based on a recent shopping experience: You look at a rack of pants. Some are RM300, some are RM200, and some are RM400 (prices are before discount). They apply enough discount so that the price is either equal to or more than the original price. Only an odd few are actually cheaper than the original. At the 'normal price merchandise' rack, the pants are priced from RM300 onwards. Look close enough, and you notice, that all the pants are THE SAME. This actually happened to me: Not only were the pants of the same cutting, same line and same season, they were made of the same material and were even of the same size! Talk about manipulation. Fortunately for me, I found a few that have the REAL price stated by the manufacturer, which is only a meager RM150.

Wait, RM150 ONLY!? When everything else is above RM300? RM150 after a 50% discount is...

This has happened to me on many occasions. Often, the salesperson's face hinted at dissatisfaction, noticing that I saw through their ploy. Some even tried to talk me into buying other stuff or presented so-called 'cheaper' options which are actually more expensive.

Somebody should really regulate the prices and stop such shops from cheating customers. The next time there's a sale, don't be afraid to actually study the item closely and compare it with the same thing in the same shop; the prices may be wildly different despite being the same thing. If the salesperson starts to react weirdly, chances are that you're going to find something super cheap. Never has the phrase "Buyers Beware!" been more applicable.

The next time you go shopping, you might want to look closely at all the price tags rather than purchase something on impulse!

- nazriq

2011-01-02T00:35:00.001+08:00

It's 2011, the new year. Here, there and everywhere, it is easy to find a massive number of resolutions made by a number of the world's population who willingly share them on the net. Whether or not the resolutions of the previous year have been achieved or whether this year's resolutions are even feasible to begin with is another story altogether. Admit it, who wouldn't wish for at least one thing that is impossible (becoming a millionaire, marrying a princess or whatever that tickles your fancy)? Others may opt to follow the herd, depending on what the trend is (I don't exactly keep up with trends in the first place!). Anyway, I digress. This blog has been on indefinite hiatus for more than a year, so with the new year having just started, it's time to dust off this blog to signify a new beginning.

So hello there! I'm Nazriq, and I'm pretty sure you can find a description of this blog on the sidebar. Just what happened to the older posts? Over time, people begin to grow up and see things differently than the way they used to. Looking back carefully at my old posts, while I've certainly had my moments, I found some of the stuff I used to write annoying, and others offensive in a way I could never understand when I first posted. Looking at who I am now, I am utterly dumbfounded. I find myself disliking the way I used to write.

Having gone through a lot of experiences over the years - some amazingly mind-blowing, some harrowing - and having met some amazing people has changed me a lot, in a good way of course. The love for writing and blogging still persisted throughout, but I could never bring myself to write anything for this blog any longer at the time. It has been a while ever since, and with the negative energy gone and the desire to write still intact, I can finally move on. But not without removing everything I wrote here - they're just too personal, it's time to start anew.

Now I'm back and blogging again here at serow-kooke (I'll leave the story behind the name for another post, hopefully). And the new page now unfolds. Until next time!

- nazriq