Debat Kemerdekaan & Johor Level Bowling Competition.

On the 13th of August, I left home for school.


And guess what, I didn't make it to school as we planned to.
Cause dad's tire caught fire. Literally.
Seriously, what a way to start the morning.
More like, what a way to send me off to KL for the national debate, lol.
We managed to put the fire out before we exploded to pieces.

So, Rajwinder and I took a bus to school instead.
Chun Lei was such a darling to fetch me from the bus stop to school.
Just in time to catch our bus. Thank you! :)

Well, I must say...
I never expected to have such a great company to KL.
I was the eldest girl there, well I mean, not including the teachers.
Just among us students, yeah.

Our supporters consisted of the SDJ's lower six students and some young boys from the afternoon session. Not forgetting the supporters and participants from SSI as well. Yeap, we shared one bus together. It was great cause we got to know each other better. New friendships formed, closer friendships bonded.

So, times in KL were much more fun!
Had the time to spend in Mid Valley Megamall to get stuff we wanted - shop about.
Kesian, I was feeling pretty thrifty lar that time, lol. We stayed at the International Youth Centre in Cheras.



EIGHT girls, ONE room, ONE bathroom.
Imagine that.
LAWL.


My parents were like, "Ohh, my goodness!".
While smacking their forehead, lol.


But we were really organized with things so no one got upset :)
And we stayed up pretty late - chatting the minutes away.
One by one, the girls knocked themselves out till there were 3 of us left.
The remaining 2 requested me to withdraw for they knew I could stay up forever, lol. And so I gave in and tucked in at 2am.


The next day.

We girls really screamed and cheered for the badminton team when they were against Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah. The SAS students told us their spirits were so down by our cheering for our school till SMK Dato' Jaafar claimed every prize there was to compete for - we won everything.
LOL - GO SDJ!

Later on towards the evening, we got ready to leave for RTM Angkasapuri to support SSI for the Malay Debate. But as I was about to board the bus, the teachers commented that there was some wardrobe error with my attire. I was informed to wear a blazer and a white outfit inside, a skirt is prefered and wearing a tie is optional. AND SO, I wore a blazer and a white decent dress inside. Like what they told me to.

UNTIL, they told me that I was supposed to wear a blazer and my school uniform inside, with a tie. I was damn pissed cause of this wrong delivery of information, cause our room that was on the third floor had no freaking lift. I had to rush all the way back 100meters into the centre and climb SIX flights of staircases to reach my freaking room - in my high heels, dress and blazer. OOOH, I was so pissed off, UGGH.

Diana Joyce who had a school uniform of my size was obliged to lend hers to me for the night, I felt so bad. Make her strip her uniform and give it to me. Just borrowed her shirt and tie, wore my own slacks, blazer and heels. She kept telling me that she didn't mind at all and she was honoured but I still felt bad. Worse in fact.

AND THEN, I had to rush all the way down 3 floors and 100meters out again... I was trying not to sweat like crap, sighs. I hate wrong information. Just because I was silent in the bus, so was everyone else. I was just trying to pull myself together again and complete my make up, that's all. Didn't mean to pull everyone else down with me :/



* * * * * *
And yes the Malay Debate, SSI won, as you've read from the post below. After that, it was our turn, the English Debate. Before that, my teacher brought me to the RTM crew to inform them of the performance SDJ prepared - which was me playing the guitar, singing "Setia".


Apparently Yayasan Pendidikan Cheras [YPC], the one who organized this entire thing, did not specify to RTM that SDJ prepared a guitar performance but they only mentioned a guitar performance from SAS. Okay great, I brought the guitar all the way from JB, carried it on my back and now you're telling me this? Sighs, whatever it was, I accepted it and decided to focus more on my debate. There was just too many unnecessary unfortunate events that were occuring to me at the same time, I was getting pretty disintegrated and my spirits were pretty low.


Yeah, poor Mel :(

With the motion, "the history of a nation is shaped more by events rather than individuals", we were the opposition and we were striving for a landslide victory against SAS. We believed that the history of a nation is shaped more by individuals, rather than events.

The debate proceeded, and just let me be very honest.
On the Government's side, the first speaker was their teacher and he was alright. The second speaker a malay boy that was running like a bullet train and everyone had a hard time trying to understand what he was trying to deliver, including the judges. The third speaker, was a malay boy who was one of those sissy types [people said so]. So, he spoke with a lot of sarcasm, a "broken-wrist syndorme" and a lot of "whatever"s. No offense, but like a typical bimbo, lol.


If only they really debated on true facts and solid stands, then I wouldn't say anything. They were merely criticizing, even cursing my second speaker to "die by losing his head in an accident" [from the 3rd speaker] and they were definitely not debating, seriously. They were really floating in the clouds because this was the scene that night:


80% of the auditorium were SAS supporters who were dressed in yellow.
10% were supporters from other schools.
10% were our school, SDJ and SSI.


Imagine.



The SAS speakers would speak irrelevant points but their school would scream and clap like mad till we debaters who had the microphones couldn't overcome them. They don't understand what they're school's saying but they'll scream and clap like mad still. That was our scenario. And when we came up with solid stands backed up with facts, they couldn't applaud cause they had to support their own school. Our JB people who were the 10% in the auditorium clapped and shouted like mad, but in that huge auditorium, they sounded so small... lol. It's okay guys, I love you still :)

As the debate drawed closer to its end, we summed up our case efficiently and strongly. This is not just my opinion but other schools and teachers as well, maybe except SAS - that we were definitely going to win the debate this time. CAUSE it was so FREAKING OBVIOUS. Even some of the SAS members didn't clap or shout as much anymore cause it was such a clear cut, such a clear victory.

But to everyone's shock... in the end of the day, this was the result:
Sekolah Menengah Sains Alam Shah won the debate. Bringing back RM500 each and the title of Champions of the debate. We came in Second, bringing back RM250 each. The Pengarah Pendidikan shook my hand and told me that I was a fantastic speaker as he gave me my awards.
In my head, I was like, "Yeah thanks... but it was so biased" :(


And after we received our prize, we had to stay on the stage as they announced the Best Speaker of the National Debate 2008. Everyone was cheering for Mr. Ang, the teacher who got me into this. Hahaa, he won last year's best speaker. So, I cheered along with them, I didn't mind him getting it cause I bet he's already feeling so upset that we didn't win this unfair debate.




"... And the Best Speaker of this year's English National Debate is.... Miss Melissa Yap!"



OMG??




I shook the Pengarah Pendidikan's hand again to receive another trophy with RM300 alongside. And he said, "See, I told you.. you're really good!" and he smiled. I couldn't help but smile back. It was unexpected. Hahaa, but Mr. Ang and I were rather equivalent, so I did feel that I deserve it at the same time, lol. Mr. Ang was happy for me, he said he didn't mind. But he said he'll cause havoc if any of the SAS speakers won that title, lol.

And so we made our entrance out.
Mr. Ang didn't even want to stay for the photo session cause he felt that it was so unjust. So we accompanied him out, but on the way, a lot of the yellow shirt SAS guys requested for pictures with me, lol. My mates were like, "Yeah lar Mel.... famous already lar... got fans lar now... all guys somemore.... LOL". I didn't call them to me okay... lol!


This constantly happened along the way to our bus. Guys were waving everywhere unanimously and telling me "I love you"s. My girlfriends who were walking with me cannot tahan lar I think, LOL. They said I was looking like a very pretty lawyer, so everyone's attracted... xD


In the bus, we analyzed the judging scheme.
Cause Mr. Ang's been teaching English for more than 20 years and he's definitely been a debate judge. So, look. If I won Best Speaker, that means my marks are higher than the Government's first speaker. My marks would be pretty high and the Government side requires their next 2 speakers to earn very high marks, to win my other 2 fantastic speakers who had excellent english command and great persuasion. One was a bullet train, and another was a bapok [people said so], both with not very good command of english. We were really like, WTH..?

This comes down all the way to showbiz again.
It would look really bad on tv if they lost cause they filled up 80% of the entire auditorium. When they won, they did some cheer thingy with some stranger simply running up to the front of the stage to conduct the cheer. Yeah, that looked really good on tv, cause it was already planned. So obvious.

And just before I left, the host that announced the results caught hold of me just before I left. He said, "Melissa, I dunno... but maybe you'd like to keep this result slip... but hey, I really think you did really well... just take a look at this okay.... congrats!".

Just when we reached the International Youth Centre to sleep off our tiredness and disappointment, we were informed that we were leaving on that night itself. Geez man! What's wrong with Yayasan Pendidikan Cheras? Organization skills were really no good man. They told us that our bus validity ends tonight and so we must leave tonight. What nonsense man... travelling after midnight is dangerous.


They printed it on black and white that we were leaving the next morning. But we had no choice. Most of us couldn't even bathe, we just packed and rushed up the bus. Urrrrgghh, dammit betul lar. I slept like a log on the bus. Only woke up after 4 stops when I reached Simpang Renggam, lol. My body was aching all over cause I couldn't lower my seat when someone's legs behind me didn't allow it. I was just so glad to be home lar. Phew.



When I got back to JB, I remembered the result slip the host passed to me and this was what I realized....



Do you notice what's printed on the envelope?

Oh hey, it's their school.
How surprising.
They've owned this debate from the start.
Everything was planned - we were meant to lose.

People, the official envelopes of this entire event is this envelope.
With Yayasan Pendidikan Cheras printed on it.
Look carefully.


I could only sigh looking at this.
And inside the result envelope, this was what the 3 malay judges circled on...

It was just a matter of circling the winning school.
What a sad case.

They better telecast this English Debate on air.
Let the entire nation judge for themselves and see how unfair this debate was.
You guys tell me what you think about it after seeing it on air.


Guys, I'm not sure of the dates yet.
But I am very sure that it will be aired this month is conjunction with this patriotic month. It'll be on RTM1 or RTM2, look out for it.



For me, this debate was utterly disappointing.
But it was a bittersweet experience.


* * * * * *

Mum was complaining why I kept bringing back so many trophies.
Cause she dunno where to put them anymore, lol.
A few trophies in a week.

This was the Bowling MSSD that got me 2nd.
And brought me to the Johor Level.

So, I woke up really early on Saturday morning.
Dad sent me to Kluang Parade and we reached at 8.45am.
But everything only started at 9.30am.
Typical Malaysian time.
Never punctual and always half an hour late.

The SAB team & teacher, and Su Chien from SMK Tasek Utara.
We represent the Johor Bahru district.

The ladies of the team :)
Nazwa, Mel and Su Chien.

Dad was giving us great support.
He felt really excited throughout the game cause he was calculating the scores and updating us so that we'd push harder, lol.
Thanks dad :)

In the first game, we were at the 2nd place.
Second game, we fell all the way down to the 4th place.

Goodness! :/
At this point, me and Nazwa couldn't take it,
so we pushed ourselves like mad.

By the last game, the 3rd one,
we seriously pushed all the way and we won our
GOLD MEDALS!

The Johor Bahru district won as CHAMPS at the Johor Level!
Mwahahaaa :)

The boys got 4th.
Takpe lar, it's okay.


As for the individual scores, I ranked as the 7th best player in the entire Johor.
I knew I didn't play as well as I usually did.
I was just too tired, travelling from KL and next day to Kluang.
Crazy, I know... :/


But ahh well, 7th's fine for me.
I'm glad I don't have to keep representing to the next level.
I've gotta study man.

All these competitions made me lose more weight, lol.
So, that's all for my review.

If you've read it all till this point, I've gotta salute you.
Tag and tell me if you did, lol.
God bless, ciao!

P.S: I'll get pictures of our KL trip after school's reopened.