Believe it!

I'm not supposed to blog in English, but I have to make an exception this time. I don't know what else to do, I can't understand why is it so hard for you to believe my words. All the time, you've been doubting my ability to speak or write in English, in fact, you're certain that I can't, just because of the fact that I went to the public secondary school, where Malay is the medium language of teaching.

I can see that you're totally disappointed with the national education system, as if there is no way it can produce students that knows a single English word at all, and how much you look up to the education system in Singapore that boosts the use of English. I have to admit that the average Malaysian students English standard may not be good enough. But clearly, you see me as an average student after all. And you couldn't understand how someone can acquire knowledge without a teacher, how a tourist can visit a foreign country without a tour guide. It's not that I'm belittling the contributions of teachers, I strongly believe that one should never rely solely on his teacher and textbook if he wish to excel in what he's learning.

I completely understand how important English is today, and how much we need it to survive the world. But I also understand how important it is for us to master our mother tongue, and not to be embarrassed of it. I certainly don't see a need to worship English language. I think one should be a proficient user of his native language before obsessing with learning another language. At some point, how much you worship English language led me believe that you actually think it's okay for somebody not knowing his mother tongue, as long as he's proficient in English. How sad. Sorry to disappoint you, but I could never agree with that.

Times and times you've been questioning me how is my English, and times after times I've told you I think my English is just fine. Yes, it may not be excellent, but it's certainly way better than what you think, and definitely better than you. I admit that there's still room for improvement, and the fact is I'm still learning the language in my everyday life, just as I'm still learning Chinese until today, it's a neverending process. But sadly, you're never convinced. And recently you came up with the suggestion that I should take a year or two to follow an English language course. No, I will not do that. I know you meant well and I appreciate that but it's just not necessary.

What a tedious entry, I apologize for any improper use of vocabulary or grammatical error. Like I said, there's still room for improvement. You're most welcome to correct me. After all, English is not my mother tongue. Too bad it's very unlikely that you'll read this article, I guess in that way you can never be convinced........ Believe it!