You-Want's Life

One of the things I truly appreciate about Kolej Tuanku Jaafar is the support of its community, especially teachers like Mr Thaw and Mr Hughes, in realising project ideas. We went from a mere thought of sharing poetry to organising poetry slams and starting a poetry blog; from realising a lack of mental health awareness in Malaysia to organising a workshop. I am sure others have many similar stories to share too. With support, ideas can be turned into projects to bring positive impacts to the greater community; awareness on important but little-known issues can spread like a ripple. If you are always full of ideas and hoping to make a social impact in Malaysia, I believe Charisma Movement's Inspire Initiative is a platform you shouldn't miss. Charisma Movement is a youth-led volunterism organisation which offers opportunities to volunteer in Malaysia, in several different fields including education and environment. Every year, our Inspire Initiative project looks to cond...

Life has been an adventure for me since coming to the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. I spent much time navigating through several societies, only hoping to unlock new experiences. One of those which I have invested a great amount of time in is the Warwick Malaysian Night, a 2-hour musical in which I play an owl named Owlbert (creative, right?). Warwick Malaysian Night (Minight) is an annual theatrical play presented by Warwick Malaysian Association. This year, it is themed 'RIMBA', which is the Malay word for forests. As we know, Malaysia has its own tropical rainforest ecosystem. Following the recent grievous news of extinction of the Sumatran rhino, our play was purposed to raise awareness on wildlife conservation, especially the Malayan tigers, which we had seen an exponential decrease in numbers over the past decade. The show is set to take place on 22 February 2020 (Saturday). It follows the journey of a group of animals in a Malaysian rainforest sett...

A recent statement from the Public Service Department (PSD) announcing the abolition of the Critical Service Incentive Payment (BIPK) involving 33 service schemes has stormed Malaysia. BIPK is an additional monetary allowance introduced in 1992 to attract recruitment to join the public service. PSD believes that said policy is no longer relevant in the view of ‘sufficient’ professionals in the country and its huge surplus of applicants compared to the available number of positions. The cut was initially set to commence its effect on 1 January 2020, affecting fresh graduates nationwide. What is the reason for an uproar from Malaysian youths, especially the doctors in the country, as they argued for the authorities to not proceed with the allowance cut? Are our number of existing positions in public healthcare actually ‘sufficient’ to fulfill the nation’s needs? What current situation and other persisting issues in the medical field may have contributed to the abolition of BIPK? Where ...

’Euan, we would like you to be a Naquiah Prefect.’ Those were the words that came through the phone, making my heart pump like a drummer fisting a drum non-stop. Naquiah Prefect is a body of senior students which supports the well-being of the Middle School (Form 1 to Form 3) at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar. Our duties include spending an hour per week at the juniors’ boarding house to coach them in heir studies. I also hold termly events and weekly activities that help them bond better, like sports sessions, parties and movie screenings. I was so concerned to take up the role initially. I was unsure how much commitments it requires throughout my term. I regarded the position as a waste of time that I do not need in my personal development, for I am aware and proud of the communication skills, work attitudes and other attributes that I possessed at that time. But no, Mr. Hughes told me that the role was not set for my personal development. It was for the younger students who board at sc...

Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar had a frequent involvement in charity and community outreach projects across the academic year 2018/2019. While these projects were mostly run by clubs and societies, they came in a wide range of forms where all the students were very much encouraged to participate and contribute to the goodwill of humankind. There was a total count of 7 food sales, 4 Mufti Days, 4 T-shirt sales and several other fundraisers to channel financial aid to organisations in need of help. With major effort and contribution from People-To-People-International, Interact Club and LEO Club, KTJ was estimated to have raised  more than RM25,000 throughout the schooling terms . KTJ recognises the importance of community outreach as an experience for all to learn values like gratitude, empathy and inclusiveness. The school supports the conduct of outreach projects, especially visits to local and even overseas homes. KTJ is currently raising funds for En Xin Soup Kitchen  in Mantin, a c...

Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar is known for its incredible support and exposure offered to shape its students' overall development. An unusual measure was the official TEDxYouth, led by Ms Jane Adams, which took place on the 21st of October 2018. Themed 'MY Culture, MY Future, MY Identity', the event was an opportunity to voice out the matters concerning today's youths, on an international platform. Over two months prior to the event, meetings ran by teachers were made compulsory for the speakers, aiming to aid them with idea development and practices for their delivery. It did not take me long to notice the diversity of the topics chosen by our students. We welcomed a range of subjects, from evaluating Malaysia's current and future healthcare standards to understanding and accepting youths' freedom in pursuing their own identities. This was an indication of the school's capacity in initiating dialogues on issues related to youths and the surrounding commun...

I just read the letter I wrote for my current self from December 2017. And I... genuinely feel sorry for that hopeful guy who once held beautiful visions of his 2018. It turned out a roller coaster. One driving through hectic stack of work; heavy depressing mess of emotions; mistrust and fear. I don't mean it was an entire year of pain and sorrow. It has, in fact, been a year of growth. I have pushed myself out there by doing a busking performance and giving a live talk on stage. Whose life has got no downfalls, disappointments and worries? No one. Only that I emphasised on mine too much that I dropped into this dark abyss that I couldn't crawl out of. I don't see myself as a depression patient. It wasn't it. It was period. It was too much fear drawn from comparisons with the past. And it took a lot of courage, and a change of environment to finally get better. I had a really hard time pushing myself through in the beginning of the year. I was in a puddle o...