By Yeoh Li Ying

Come the long holidays, all 2nd year Communication student shall be interning in company’s around Malaysia, be it a well-known or ‘unknown’, everybody will just want to have time to learnt something from the organisation. I, for once also am anticipating to be an intern in a production house located near Petaling Jaya. I am also excited but at the same time wondering what the company will prepare for us. You know that you are scared and bracing on what the company will be expecting from you after 4 semesters in higher institution. Have you learned things and got the “IT” factor to be a successful intern in the said company? What will they expect from us? Have “the know how” factor to operate a video camera, to do post-editing and planning for a production? Or what about paper work? Preparing the company news release, creating an advertisement, doing a work plan? Or covering event? Writing a scene of what has happened? Writing an article to-be-published in the newspaper?

There are so many things. Yet have we really learned enough? Have the 4 semesters taught us well enough and push us to the right direction heading towards working life? Are we well familiar with functions lets say, Photoshop or etc.? We certainly don’t, but if we have the right attitude and mentality and show willingness to learned new things, I am sure we will be heading into a right direction in the company. My point is, as much as we might have learned in these four semesters, it is just not enough to make it to the working life just yet. Even with 3 years studying, it will not be enough for us. We ourselves, have to go out and work to know if we are capable in our career. That is why the opportunity for doing an internship is a good opportunity for us to brace the working world and learn from it.

Oh, and of course every organisation have their own style and way of doing things, thus bringing us forward, the *newbies* to learn their work ethics. And so we shall be learning their ideology and way of working, just like what we are studying. And after 2 months interning, we will be “hegemonised” by their working style. So, it’s up to us to want that style or dislike it. After all, we can take this 2 months to see what kind of organisation and style suits us. When we graduate next time, we could have other options to consider.

What we learn might not be enough and sometimes working life is cruel. Reality bites, but if we do have the perseverance to learn, I am sure things will turn out just fine. Let’s wait till 5th May 2008 and we shall know how we are going to face the working life. Happy Interning my dear friends! =)

**Wishing everyone a great time doing their internship and other reader a happy holiday. Let’s just share the experience after that. Have a wonderful time around! **

By Yeoh Li Ying

Enough is enough. The Rakyat has voted for who they think is able to lead them. So why all the fuss of having all those waste of time demonstrations, like what happened in Penang last Friday by the UMNOs. Wait, a minute, I thought that the UMNO leaders once said that Demonstrations is not our culture when BERSIH and HINDRAF had their rallies, then why are they doing the other way now. Irony?

Why are all the fuss of the new Penang government abolishing the New Economic Policy (NEP) aka Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) and have an open tender on Projects? Is that wrong? Government is supposed to be accountable, transparent in their work. And one step to be transparent is to have open tender on getting a project. I thought it was a good move. You see, even with the NEP, how many poor people have benefited from it? And there is still so many poor people. And NEP is supposed to be achieved in 30 years time (1971-2001). Sadly, it’s been 7 years and the objective has not been reached. This is already a failure.

So why not look at the bright side of open tender. First, if you know you will not get the project by your crony or other cable, you ought to have to work hard and proof your ability to get the project. With this, aren’t people becoming more productive.

Secondly, regardless of any race, we are Malaysians and everyone stand an equal chance and opportunity to get what we want. Isn’t this fair?

And lastly, let’s give the newly elected representative a chance. They have not even started working on the core problems and you people holding this demonstration are creating problems already. Afterall, they have 5 years to prove it. If not we elect for other representative next time and this is how democracy work.

By Yeoh Li Ying

Narrow-less Band

Broadband Internet in Malaysia should really be named “Narrow Band” because the service provided by our beloved TMnet is so slow it is only less painful compared to Malaysian Dial-up Internet. It is painful nevertheless when we look at the excerpt from TM Net’s website …

“With Streamyx, you get broadband access service, which stays perpetually connected to the Internet with speed bandwidths of 384kbps up to 4.0Mbps.”

“So, now when you download your favourite songs, movies, music videos and even accessing your favourite websites, you won’t have to wait for ever and ever, leaving you with more time to enjoy the Internet as you like. “

“Broadband your life today and experience the World Wide Web like never before. “

Oh really? Wont have to wait long? Enjoy internet as I like? Blergh.. I beg to differ. Watching for example video on you tube take minutes before we can watch, unless you would want to watch the video tersekat-sekat. Even opening up webpages is a painful experience. Plus was the speed up to mark? While you subsribe to the RM 66 package per month with unlimited hours of access, and be promised download speed of 512kpbs and upload speed of 256kbps you would expect a better service than a dial-up. But how often do we enjoy the best of 512/256. Often we have to depend on the number of users in the area and thus when more people online at the same time, our internet speed is much slower. And for RM 66 I would say it’s really expensive compare to some other countries where we could get access for a cheaper and better connection. But still we continue to fork out this amount every month to stay connect with World Wide Web.

Lets take a look at the smaller picture and take our very own “Hotspot” as an example. Firstly, we get free access to internet if we are a student in the university. So we register our identity, configuring the computers and plus some hassle here and there, wah la, wireless fidelity (WiFi) connection is ready. So now you are connected to the imagery world and what would you do? Let’s see; check email, (yay) check friendster (yay), check facebook (yay), check blogs (kasikampus, yay =) ) check on radio’s website for streaming (hitz.fm, era.fm, my fm) (oops, sorry- but Flyfm still can- so yay a little), check on you tube (oops, sorry) and many more.

Arent we supposed to get connected with the imagery world without being denied the chance to access to all webpages? But why are we blocked from all the video streaming? Reason being : If most students goes on to video streaming, it will jammed the network and the connection will get screwed up. So why cant the university prepare a better network for all to access all websites without using the censorship to block streaming website?

It’s a real pity that we are not given the chance to fully have access to the Internet. Some say that if it’s for education purposes, we can ask to be allowed. But why the hassle to fill up forms and submit it to the administrator and they will review and finally give you the nod to access to streaming webpages when internet café is just minutes away from campus where you can go access as many webpages as you like. Wouldnt it be better to give it all to students and just, JUST prepared a decent connection to us?

Blocking on streaming webpages is not only the case, when we sometimes or rather most of the times have hard times connecting to the WiFi service. Sadly for me during my 1st year, I could not receive any connection from my hostel thus I resort to curi-curi use others connection from the outside (nearby housing area). If not, I will just go back home. I thought our campus was equipped with WiFi all around but sadly it was in certain places and some till now, could not access the net. I was lucky to move in to the newly upgraded hostel at Bakti and enjoying the WiFi service. But it has been up and down though. Guess the administrator said we couldn’t complaint much and be thankful for all the services that was given to us and not abuse them.

Oh, and firewall on the campus network very hard to trust cause we are always prone to get attack by viruses and anti-virus provided by administrator is just useless. We still get attacked all the time. I remembered following Aainaa to Pusat Komputer last week and that she asked the person to install the most powerful anti-virus. I laughed before the person say we only have this.. (Symantec, AVG) , so if you want powerful ones, you just need to buy the original.. Sadly, our plight as a student to enjoy hassle free internet has not been a smooth one but enduring the webpage to open, ticking minutes with minutes is an agony process.

When will our pleas be heard?

By Yeoh Li Ying

OK, let’s get serious and straight to the point.

Boy, I was so dead wrong. With all the happenings around campus I thought (really thought) that we are all united as one. What happened the other day, has yet again and again failed to convince me that we are all united as one. Forgive me if I am wrong but I have witnessed things that will not make us human race just yet. We are all still divided by our colours. Yes we are.

The events lately posted by my friends, syefa and aainaa was an eye opener. I thought we are all united or rather I was being darn naïve. Let’s say a student body has written a letter to the university administration asking for the university to make a clear, transparent and detailed information to make sure whether things are just rumours or real.

I was really pleased with the effort of this student body to take action and clear the air with all the fuss which has been going around. They were asking for signatures to show the students support with the on going rumours. (I would go with rumours for the fact that maybe there is no real prove yet? ) hah..

So, as a students having trouble with the “rumours” common sense tell us that we should show our support that we are united and should sign the petition to convince the administration that we really need a answer for this and NOT a denial. How are we safer with the administration shutting everything out and we are all living in fear? At least be truthful with us, we would rather need a true answer than a fake ones.

But what I witnessed was different. ONLY certain students sign and the rest are left with their “tidak apa” attitude. I was dumb for a nano second. I thought we ARE really UNITED, but yet again we are divided. I was pist, angry and stupid at the same time. I just wish for once we could be united as one to solve this problem. Some reasons given to those who “fear” to sign was.. because of the status of the student body and they are afraid that they might be given a boot for that. How can we still live on with this attitude when we know our nation is falling apart? I do not understand this attitude, at least try to convince me but I am sure I will not be convince more as I have witnessed how “united” we are.

Shout out to me for what I care. Even one of my lecturer in the tutorial have told us that we are here not to be a person who support the right or left. We are here as a student to study, be a scholar and think critically. I could not agree more. After all, I heard someone saying that I was a left because I helped out in the freedom film festival last year. WTF??? I do not get it. As if I do not have brain to think, I would not be writing this. Forgive me if it’s a bad writing but again it’s my thought.

Like me or hate me..You have your say..

p/s : Happy Chinese New Year to those celebrating.. and to the rest, happy holidays and let’s hope that when we are back, things are back to normal. =)

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Editor’s Note: Happy CNY to all! Kasikampus will be taking a break for one week, yahooo!