2002 ~ 2006 |
THE PIONEERS
Two things I have become as a result of
Monash’s SASS:
1. A Better Malaysian
22
▲ Goofing around with my student card (2002)
worked. Although I got into a bit of trouble with my
International Relations lecturer for disagreeing with him
on almost everything, the content of the course was
still intriguing and important, even after fifteen years.
I also enjoyed Dr Sharon Bong’s class on Malaysian
Politics, which also helped me go deeper into Kwame
Jomo’s work, and see Malaysia’s deeper cultural and
social aspects with lenses that go beyond stereotypes
and generalizations.
5. Creative Writing FTW
It was while at Monash that I became a published
author! Although I had written for magazines here
and there, Joanna Kujawa’s writing class was where
I decided to push myself a bit further and to submit a
short story to Silverfish’s New Writing series as part of
our assignment requirement. With much research,
the piece, “The Communist” was even selected as
the Best 25 Stories out of the New Writing Series
(it was nearly made into a short film by a Singaporean
production company!) It was incredible that a mere
university assignment could lead to such incredible
avenues. I must confess that I have not written much
serious fiction since then, but I have not stopped
reading and learning. I believe the time will soon come
when I might take up the pen again to spin yarns and
create worlds.
Because of the above skills learnt at MUM, I
have been able to deploy them in my day-to-day
interactions and in my teaching as well to good
returns. These abilities have allowed me to analyze
various situations and events in the news I read,
to see beyond the surface. My one semester studying
Malaysian history and politics was so instructive in the
way I see how the nation was formed and constructed
that I still use this method. Reading academic articles
and journals by renowned experts in Malaysian
Studies birthed a lifelong passion to dive deeper into
the cultural and social histories of the country, and is
a learning activity that I continue to pursue. I am also
conveying this passion to the students I teach
in college.
2. A More Thoughtful Reader
Through the various disciplines and subjects that
I took almost 15 years ago, I have developed and
grown in most of these disciplines. Whether theology,
history, politics, philosophy or even some scientific
discoveries, I have not stopped learning or wanting to
learn. My hunger and curiosity have not abated; I have
persisted in nurturing the seeds that were planted
while I was in Monash. So for that I am more than
grateful, and have not stopped advocating MUM to
many of my students. Now when I read Ishiguoro or
Neruda or Rushdie, I look beyond the text, to read
more than mere words or feelings, seeking to discern
bigger threads woven into the fabric of the plot, and
deriving more exciting or interesting conclusions than
what is conventionally discovered. I can take whatever
that I have learnt and use it in everyday conversations
and articles. These tools and thinking skills are indeed
a precious gift.
Thank you Monash!
Yoshua graduated with a Bachelor of Communication
in 2003. He currently works as a Manager of the
Student Services Office, Methodist College in
Kuala Lumpur.