關於 uk school year age ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

⛔ LUYỆN READING NÀO ⛔

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN'S PLAY

Brick by brick, six-year-old Alice is building a magical kingdom. Imagining fairy-tale turrets and fire-breathing dragons, wicked witches and gallant heroes, she's creating an enchanting world. Although she isn't aware of it, this fantasy is helping her take her first steps towards her capacity for creativity and so it will have important repercussions in her adult life.
Minutes later, Alice has abandoned the kingdom in favour of playing schools with her younger brother. When she bosses him around as his 'teacher', she's practising how to regulate her emotions through pretence. Later on, when they tire of this and settle down with a board game, she's learning about the need to follow rules and take turns with a partner.

'Play in all its rich variety is one of the highest achievements of the human species,' says Dr David Whitebread from the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, UK. 'It underpins how we develop as intellectual, problem-solving adults and is crucial to our success as a highly adaptable species.'
Recognising the importance of play is not new: over two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Plato extolled its virtues as a means of developing skills for adult life, and ideas about play-based learning have been developing since the 19th century.

But we live in changing times, and Whitebread is mindful of a worldwide decline in play, pointing out that over half the people in the world now live in cities. 'The opportunities for free play, which I experienced almost every day of my childhood, are becoming increasingly scarce,' he says. Outdoor play is curtailed by perceptions of risk to do with traffic, as well as parents' increased wish to protect their children from being the victims of crime, and by the emphasis on 'earlier is better' which is leading to greater competition in academic learning and schools.

International bodies like the United Nations and the European Union have begun to develop policies concerned with children's right to play, and to consider implications for leisure facilities and educational programmes. But what they often lack is the evidence to base policies on.

'The type of play we are interested in is child-initiated, spontaneous and unpredictable- but, as soon as you ask a five-year-old "to play", then you as the researcher have intervened,' explains Dr Sara Baker. 'And we want to know what the long-term impact of play is. It's a real challenge.'

Dr Jenny Gibson agrees, pointing out that although some of the steps in the puzzle of how and why play is important have been looked at, there is very little data on the impact it has on the child's later life.

Now, thanks to the university's new Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL), Whitebread, Baker, Gibson and a team of researchers hope to provide evidence on the role played by play in how a child develops.

'A strong possibility is that play supports the early development of children's self-control,' explains Baker. 'This is our ability to develop awareness of our own thinking processes - it influences how effectively we go about undertaking challenging activities.'

In a study carried out by Baker with toddlers and young pre-schoolers, she found that children with greater self-control solved problems more quickly when exploring an unfamiliar set-up requiring scientific reasoning. 'This sort of evidence makes us think that giving children the chance to play will make them more successful problem-solvers in the long run.'

If playful experiences do facilitate this aspect of development, say the researchers, it could be extremely significant for educational practices, because the ability to self-regulate has been shown to be a key predictor of academic performance.

Gibson adds: 'Playful behaviour is also an important indicator of healthy social and emotional development. In my previous research, I investigated how observing children at play can�give us important clues about their well-being and can even be useful in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.'

Whitebread's recent research has involved developing a play-based approach to supporting children's writing. 'Many primary school children find writing difficult, but we showed in a previous study that a playful stimulus was far more effective than an instructional one.' Children wrote longer and better-structured stories when they first played with dolls representing characters in the story. In the latest study, children first created their story with Lego*, with similar results. 'Many teachers commented that they had always previously had children saying they didn't know what to write about. With the Lego building, however, not a single child said this through the whole year of the project.'

Whitebread, who directs PEDAL, trained as a primary school teacher in the early 1970s, when, as he describes, 'the teaching of young children was largely a quiet backwater, untroubled by any serious intellectual debate or controversy.' Now, the landscape is very different, with hotly debated topics such as school starting age.

'Somehow the importance of play has been lost in recent decades. It's regarded as something trivial, or even as something negative that contrasts with "work". Let's not lose sight of its benefits, and the fundamental contributions it makes to human achievements in the arts, sciences and technology. Let's make sure children have a rich diet of play experiences.'

⛔ CÂU HỎI:

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Children with good self-control are known to be likely to do well at school later on.
2. The way a child plays may provide information about possible medical problems.
3. Playing with dolls was found to benefit girls’ writing more than boys’ writing.
4. Children had problems thinking up ideas when they first created the story with Lego.
5. People nowadays regard children’s play as less significant than they did in the past.

(Trích Cam 14)

⛔ HIGHLIGHT TỪ VỰNG

Possibility (n): Khả năng
Self-control (n): Tự kiểm soát
Toddler (n): Trẻ mới biết đi
Pre-schooler (n): Trẻ nhỏ tuổi
Unfamiliar (adj): Không quen thuộc
Facilitate (v): Tạo điều kiện cho
Diagnosis (n): Chẩn đoán
Autism (n): Tự kỷ
Approach (n): Phương pháp
Stimulus (n): Sự kích thích
Serious (adj): Nghiêm túc
Debate (v): Tranh luận
Trivial (adj): Tầm thường
Fundamental (adj): Cơ bản
Contribution (n): Sự đóng góp

Các bạn làm đề nhé, cô chia sẻ đáp án dưới cmt nha!

[Chia sẻ]
‘PERSONAL STATEMENT’ 🤗
– LÁ THƯ TỰ GIỚI THIỆU CỦA BẠN TIN NHÁI

Tin Nhái nhà mình đang theo học năm hai, hệ thống IB (International Baccalaureate – Tú tài Quốc tế) tại Anh. Hệ thống này, theo mình biết được áp dụng khá phổ biến tại nhiều trường quốc tế, và học sinh tốt nghiệp phổ thông trung học theo hệ thống này sẽ được dựa trên kết quả học tập để đăng ký vào nhiều trường đại học trên thế giới chứ không chỉ tại Anh. Với quy định là mỗi học sinh sẽ được nhà trường cấp cho một kết quả học tập dự kiến với điểm số tổng của các môn các bạn chọn tùy theo ngành học (theo hệ thống IB, mỗi học sinh sẽ tự chọn 6 môn học, với hai mức: cơ bản và nâng cao). Tổng điểm dự kiến này được trường đưa ra dựa trên thực lực của mỗi bạn.

Sau đó, mỗi học sinh sẽ phải tự soạn một ‘Personal Statement’ – một dạng thư tự giới thiệu, để diễn đạt vì sao mình mong muốn vào trường đại học này. Một học sinh tại Anh thông thường được chọn năm trường đại học, tương tự kiểu ‘Nguyện vọng 1, Nguyện vọng 2… của bên mình). Sau khi các trường đại học ấy nhận được các Personal Statement này, trong vòng vài tuần tiếp theo, các trường hợp nào được các trường quan tâm, các trường sẽ gửi thư lại. Có trường hợp thì thông báo nhận luôn (dĩ nhiên là với điều kiện cuối năm kết quả thực tế phải đạt hòm hòm với kết quả dự kiến); có trường yêu cầu thực hiện phỏng vấn.

Với trường hợp cụ thể của Tin, trong năm trường đã gửi Personal Statement đi, Tin được thông báo nhận thẳng vào một trường. Trường thứ hai, sau khi qua phỏng vấn, cũng được thông báo là nhận luôn. Duy có trường hợp làm Tin căng thẳng nhất, là cụm đại học Oxford, trường hẹn lên lưu lại trường trong vòng ba ngày để dự hai cuộc phỏng vấn và thi đàn cho đầu vào hai trường đại học thành viên trong cụm trường này. (À, để mình giải thích thêm về khái niệm Đại học Oxford. Oxford không phải là một trường đại học duy nhất, mà là một quần thể, gồm 39 trường đại học thành viên (tính cho tới năm nay), quây quần cùng nhau trên địa bàn trung tâm thành phố Oxford, tạo nên một thương hiệu Oxford University nhiều năm qua đào tạo ra nhiều nguyên thủ quốc gia của nhiều nước trên thế giới đó. Các đại học thành viên được gọi là các College, chứ ở Anh, College không mang nghĩa là trường Cao đẳng như ở Mỹ).

Tin Nhái nhà mình không nằm trong nhóm học sinh xuất sắc nhất của trường. Tuy vậy, việc nhờ một Personal Statement mà được nhiều trường tiếp nhận một cách nhiệt tình như vậy, nhìn theo một cách nào đó, vẫn chứng minh rằng cái Personal Statement này tương đối hiệu quả. Mình nằn nì mãi, cậu chàng mới chuyển cái Personal Statement của cậu sang cho mình xem. Mà còn mắc cỡ, nói con gửi đi hết rồi con mới gửi mẹ coi, coi như tham khảo thôi đó, chứ không phải xin ý kiến hay nhờ mẹ ‘chỉ điểm’ gì đâu, nha… 🙂

….

… Choy oy, ta nói, mình coi xong…, rụng nước mắt hết mấy chỗ, haha. Hèn chi mà ảnh hỏng ‘lụm tim’ mấy thành viên ban tuyển chọn hà!

Sáng nay Tin báo, con cũng đã qua xong nốt hai cuộc phỏng vấn tại đây rồi. Mình nói, những gì tốt đẹp nhất con đã cố gắng hết sức, và đã thể hiện được. Còn lại, mình để tùy duyên đi con.

Mình đợi con xong phần phỏng vấn rồi mới nói với Tin, cho phép mẹ chia sẻ với bạn đọc trang mẹ, về những kinh nghiệm của con khi viết Personal Statement để có được ấn tượng tốt đẹp nơi các trường, nha. Và mẹ sẽ muốn chia sẻ ngay giai đoạn này, khi hai cuộc phỏng vấn vào Oxford còn chưa có kết quả, để ý nghĩa của sự chia sẻ này nằm đúng vào tính hiệu quả của Personal Statement mà thôi. Sẽ có không ít các bạn cũng đang học IB hoặc tương tự muốn tham khảo dạng thông tin này, các bạn sẽ đỡ lúng túng hơn. Tin đồng ý.

Theo đó, Tin nói, Việt Nam mình tuy giáo trình dạy Văn nhiều chỗ cũng còn bất cập, tuy vậy, tinh thần chung: thể hiện được cảm xúc của mình vào các bài viết - là một điều con cho rằng rất hay nha mẹ. Các bạn con từ các nước tiên tiến hơn mình tới, các bạn viết Personal Statement đều rất tốt, rất chuẩn, nhưng nhiều bạn viết đọc ra trong đó thấy hơi khô khan, không ‘nhìn’ ra được đam mê của các bạn, cũng ít nhìn ra được ‘nét riêng’. Vậy, mình đoán, chính cái ‘nét riêng’ này sẽ thu hút sự chú ý của những nhà tuyển chọn, vốn phải đọc hàng trăm thư tự giới thiệu gửi về.

Tiếp theo, cần phải xác định: cảm xúc chỉ là chất dẫn, còn trong phần nội dung chính, ta vẫn phải có sự phân tích đủ sâu vấn đề mà mình quan tâm, được thể hiện theo quan điểm riêng của mình, dưới góc nhìn riêng của bản thân.

Cái kết cũng là phần không kém quan trọng, khi chốt lại vấn đề, mà vẫn thổi vào đó một chút cảm xúc. Ở đây, Tin cũng đã dùng một loại thủ pháp mẹ Tin cũng rất thích dùng… Đó là câu kết lặp lại chính cái ý mình dùng để mở đầu bài. Như vậy sẽ tạo được một dạng ‘điểm nhấn’ nhẹ nhàng, xóa mờ đi cảm giác ‘quá học thuật’ mà phần nội dung đã bắt buộc phải chuyển tải.

Để mọi người dễ tham khảo, mình xin trích đăng nguyên văn phần Personal Statement của Tin dưới đây bằng tiếng Anh nhé. Mình chuyển ngữ phần đầu và hai phần cuối, được gắn luôn vào dưới mỗi đoạn gốc. Riêng đoạn giữa quá tập trung vào chuyên môn phân tích âm nhạc cổ điển, xin phép không cần dịch phần này.

Hy vọng rằng Personal Statement này cung cấp được vài khái niệm về ‘nét riêng’ trong thể hiện, để giúp thêm cho nhiều bạn trẻ khác, trong bước đường tiếp tục con đường học tập của mình, nhé!
(12.12.2019 – QH)
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[Personal Statement – Toai Nguyen]
[Thư tự giới thiệu vào trường đại học - Ứng viên Toai Nguyen]

At the age of 4, I vaguely remember the first time touching an enormous object that my mum called a Pi-a-no. Since then, music has become inextricably linked to my life. In the first week staying in the UK, without access to my school's piano, homesickness would have been extremely difficult to manage. Hence, the first reason why I am particularly interested in this course: Music helps me to release all of the psychological pressures and apprehensions that I have got.

(Năm lên bốn tuổi, tôi mơ hồ nhớ cảm giác được chạm tay lần đầu tiên vào một vật thể to đùng mà mẹ tôi gọi là “đàn Pi-a-no”. Kể từ ngày ấy, âm nhạc đã gắn liền với tôi như hai người bạn tri kỷ. Trong tuần lễ đầu tiên xa nhà đi học tại nước Anh, nếu không có cây piano tại trường, có lẽ nỗi nhớ nhà đã trở nên khó mà chịu nổi. Và đó cũng chính là lý do đầu tiên vì sao tôi đặc biệt quan tâm tới chuyên ngành này: Âm nhạc giúp tôi giải tỏa toàn bộ những căng thẳng và lo lắng tích tụ trong tôi).

In times of pressure, I found Chopin's Waltz op. 64 no.2 my perpetual favourite. Generally, I am interested in the piece's tempo indication: tempo giusto, which is fully contradicting; although the musicians may choose the tempo they prefer, following it strictly is a must. I wish to move towards strong analytical understandings of the piece (e.g. comparing features of the chromatic phrases on bar 13-16 and 45-48 respectively). Firstly, the second ascending chromatic phrase is faster than the first descending one, marked pìu mosso. Secondly, although both phrases diminuendo, their roles are quite distinct; the one on the first phrase combined with the cadential chords G#m6/4-D#7 emphasise the return of tempo I surprisingly when G#7 appears on bar 16 as a dominant of D#7, whereas the similar indication on the second one tends to push the piece, poco un poco rit, towards a peaceful ending, instead of preparing for another surprising event. Most importantly, the structures of these two phrases are relatively different; although the first one is properly chromatic, Chopin decided to duplicate all the notes (G#-G#-Fx-Fx-F#-F#...) in order to fulfill his progress of prolongation, whilst the second one is a non-continuous long phrase, where 2 shorter phrases (F#-G-G#-A and D#-E-E#-F#-Fx-G# respectively) are separately involved to resolve the piece at the high C#.

(Trong những lúc căng thẳng, bản Waltz op. 64 no.2 của nhà soạn nhạc Chopin là chọn lựa hàng đầu của tôi để nghe, để chơi, để giải tỏa).
(Tiếp theo là phần phân tích chuyên môn về tiết tấu, hòa âm, cấu trúc tác phẩm…)

I also love reading history and geography, and I sincerely believe that contextual knowledge (e.g. Polish Romanticism in Post-Duchy of Warsaw) and knowledge of the composer will facilitate my musical understanding. I have been asking some questions in terms of musical history, even though I do not formally study it at school. One of them, as someone raised in the non-Western world, was "Why are the most common musical indications in Italian, although German-speaking composers, such as W.A.Mozart and the 3Bs, are arguably more canonical?" In this case historical reading lead to the answer; the general influence of the Catholic church in the late Medieval and Renaissance periods is the starting point: For instance, thanks to Guido d'Arezzo, a Benedictine monk, the modern-day stave was created; early religious compositions like cantata, toccata and oratorio indubitably originated in Italy and spread throughout the West. The works of many important Italian instrumental makers in the Renaissance and Baroque periods acquired widespread fame, to say nothing of the material aspects such as the widespread adoption of Cristofori’s Fortepiano in the mid-18th century and the enduring reputation for quality of Italian instruments (such as the string instruments of Stradivari and Del Gesù). Hence, for a variety of reasons Italian musical culture came to be regarded as the standard, and Italian terminology was adopted widely. This is an elementary example of the questions about the relationships between the historical and cultural aspects of music, another reason why I chose to apply to the university's music degree.

(Tôi cũng thích đọc những tài liệu về lịch sử, địa lý và tin rằng những kiến thức về bối cảnh xã hội cũng như vị trí địa lý của một nền âm nhạc (chẳng hạn như “Âm nhạc Lãng mạn ở Ba Lan ở thời kỳ Hậu Công quốc Warszawa), thêm vào đó là sự hiểu biết về những nhà soạn nhạc nổi tiếng trên thế giới sẽ giúp việc học bộ môn Âm nhạc của tôi trở nên dễ dàng hơn rất nhiều. Mặc dù không được học bộ môn này một cách chính thức ở môi trường trung học, tôi đã từng đặt ra nhiều câu hỏi về lịch sử phát triển của Âm nhạc như một sở thích của bản thân; và một trong số đó, “Vì sao hầu hết những thuật ngữ Âm nhạc cổ điển được sử dụng rộng rãi nhất là tiếng Ý, trong khi những nhà soạn nhạc nói tiếng Đức (Ví dụ như Mozart và bộ 3B) thường được biết đến rộng rãi hơn?” Trong trường hợp này, tôi tin rằng việc đọc những tài liệu lịch sử và địa lý sẽ giúp tôi đưa ra câu trả lời chính xác nhất. Thứ nhất, chúng ta không thể phủ nhận rằng tầm ảnh hưởng của Giáo hội Công giáo La Mã trên toàn cõi châu Âu trong thời kỳ Trung đại và Hậu kỳ Trung đại (Phục hưng) chính là yếu tố hàng đầu: Nhờ Guido D’arezzo, một giáo sĩ dòng Biển Đức sống vào thế kỷ 11, khuông nhạc (hiện đại) đã ra đời và dĩ nhiên trở thành một phần không thể thiếu trong môn Âm nhạc; một số tác phẩm mang tính chất thế tục tôn giáo như oratario, cantata và toccata bắt nguồn từ đất nước hình chiếc ủng (tức Italia) và được phổ biến rộng rãi ở phương Tây. Thứ hai, yếu tố làm nên sự khác biệt của Italia với các quốc gia khác đến từ những người sáng chế nhạc cụ: Xuyên suốt thời kỳ Phục hưng và Baroque, chúng ta không thể không kể đến sự phổ biến của cây đàn fortepiano được sáng tạo đầu tiên bởi Bartholomeo Cristorri di Francesco ở Italia vào thế kỷ XVIII, và đồng thời là sự trường tồn theo thời gian của những kiệt tác nhạc cụ bộ dây kinh điển được tạo ra bởi những nghệ nhân Stradivari và del Gesù. Nhìn chung, vì rất nhiều lý do mà Âm nhạc hàn lâm Italia được xem như là chuẩn mực của Âm nhạc Cổ điển (Đặc biệt là thời kỳ đầu), nên các thuật ngữ Âm nhạc cũng trở nên phổ biến theo. Đây là một ví dụ đơn giản của những câu hỏi về sự tương quan giữa các khía cạnh lịch sử và văn hóa của Âm nhạc, thêm một lý do nữa khiến tôi muốn chọn ngành học này.

I have had to carefully manage my time to study outside school and practise adequately, because the subject is not available in my school. Before arriving in the UK, I was managing the Secondary school's Music club; since being here, I have had the opportunity to perform several times a year including a graduation ceremony at Oxford Town Hall, as well as playing in the Community's programmes back in my home country during the Summer holidays. Wherever I go, the enormous object that I vaguely remember my mum called a "Pi-a-no" at the age of 4 will never be separated from me.

(Tôi đã phải xoay sở thời gian khá vất vả để vẫn theo học Âm nhạc bên ngoài cũng như luyện tập Âm nhạc được đường hoàng, bên cạnh đảm bảo học tốt các môn chính thống tại trường (vì môn Âm nhạc không có trong danh mục các môn học thuộc hệ thống IB ở trường tôi). Trước khi đến Anh, tôi từng có thời gian làm quản lý Câu lạc bộ Âm nhạc ở trường cấp 2; và tôi đã có cơ hội biểu diễn nhiều hơn khi đặt chân đến Vương quốc Anh – chẳng hạn như tại Lễ tốt nghiệp của khóa các anh chị năm trước vào năm ngoái, và tôi cũng biểu diễn trong một số chương trình tại quê nhà Việt Nam của tôi trong những ngày nghỉ hè. Dù ở nơi nào đi chăng nữa, cái vật thể to đùng mẹ tôi từng gọi là “đàn Pi-a-no” trong trí nhớ mơ hồ của tôi ở cái tuổi lên bốn năm nào sẽ không bao giờ tách rời khỏi cuộc đời tôi).
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😊 Đi kiếm hình gắn vô bài viết này, ra mấy tấm hình cũ thấy thương quá... Hình đầu là những ngày đầu tiên ảnh mô tả "mơ hồ nhớ vật thể to đùng mà mẹ tôi gọi là 'Đàn Pi-a-no'" đó. Hình tiếp theo là đúng cái năm ảnh bắt đầu học nhạc, năm 4 tuổi. Hình 3... khỏi giải thích rồi. Bây giờ của ảnh và mẹ, toàn chụp màn hình lúc mẹ một đầu con một đầu thế giới không hà... 😊

反對黨中選定候選人楊美盈的一篇介紹自己的英文文章，從這篇文章可以看得出它的架構完全是依魅力故事學的角度來講。（也隱著Joseph Campbell英雄之旅的影子，連這個也講給你們聽，我已經夠慈悲了）。

細節不要問我，除非你是我的學生，就可以在秘密社團討論。

其餘的，若不是我的學生，可以報名 5 月 25 和· 26 日的 《江魔式毒辣NLP》

Entering into Politics - The Story Behind. By Yeo Bee Yin（杨美盈）
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"Why are you involved in politics?" I think this is the question my family members, friends, and many others will ask.

It's a long story. I am writing this story today to make sure that, if ever, I forget what am I in politics for, it will serve as a reminder.

Part I: The Beginning - Seed of Love

It all started in 2001 with my first Fast and Pray for Malaysia. Since then, I started to see Malaysia very differently and began to sow the seed of love for this nation. I remember I was only 18 years old then. Looking back now, I realized, I too, can be a part of the answered prayer. How marvellous.

Part II: Years on Distant Shores

No, I am not a super patriotic person that nothing else matters to me beside Malaysia. Being a 'kampung' girl, I dreamed of going overseas - to study, to work and to see the world.

Part II (a): Eyes Opened

My dream finally came true in my fourth year in UTP. I was offered a 6-month internship placement in BASF world biggest chemical site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. As a chemical engineering student, and being the first student in UTP to get the offer, it was indeed was a great blessing for me.

Internship in Germany was my first taste of international exposure as they take interns from all over the world to Germany. I spent countless of hours with some of these friends here discussing about just about anything under the sun.

In Germany, the church that I attended was Rhein River Baptist Church, which is a church of the American army who are based in Mannheim. I was one of the few non-military church members there. Through my interaction with the American armies, I began to understand what "Democracy", "Liberty" and "Patriotism" really mean.

During my stay in Germany, I also took the opportunity to travel to neighboring countries like France, Italy, Luxembourg and England. It was in these trips that changed my world view about culture, nation, development etc.

Before coming to Europe, as a top student, I thought I knew a lot. After I came here, I realized how little I knew about the world. I began to question why in Malaysia we did not learn a more complete world history, different political systems, different ideologies, arts and culture? Neither have we been taught to think critically and objectively. I began to realize that what we've been taught in the schools have been crafted in such a way that we can be easily manipulated if we are not careful. Our syllabus was (and still is) flawed and politically biased.

I have to admit that before coming to Germany, I was an ardent supporter of Dr Mahathir and his legacy. I read his book, watched his documentary, supported the blind protection of GLCs and race-based affirmative action, thinking that it's true 'patriotism'. (You can see how brain-washed I was then.)

Six months of internship in Germany has completely changed my world view , my eyes began to open, my previous perceptions shattered and I began to see things very differently. There is actually a much BETTER way for Malaysia.

I was 22 years old then.

Part II (b): A Disheartened Young Malaysian

After the internship, I came back to Malaysia to finish my study in UTP and graduated in 2006. Before I finished my study in UTP, I received offer from my dream university, Cambridge University, for a program called MPhil in `Advanced Chemical Engineering. I was so happy! So I started to apply for funding from various organizations. I didn't get any. Although disappointed, I wasn't blaming anybody as I understood that nobody was obliged to fund me. Despite financial difficulties in his business in 2006, my dad agreed to fund my study in Cambridge.

However, I still had one problem. I was bonded to Petronas for 10 years and was supposed to serve my bond after I finished my study in UTP. So I wrote to Petronas again to ask for deferment of service until after I finished my master degree in Cambridge. A few weeks later, I was called to come to the education unit. I really thought everything was gonna to be ok. There, I saw a nice guy, he told me that the program was great and he really wanted to help, but it was in the policy that they couldn't allow any deferment for the bond or I would have to pay up my bond in lump-sump. My dream crashed.

I did not blame Petronas for that, as they were just following the contract and it would be a havoc if every scholar would come and ask for deferment or for more funding. I understood that. However, it was a small incidence in the education unit that made me utterly disappointed with how things work in Malaysia. While waiting at the lounge, I met two returning scholars from Nottingham University, UK. I started to talk to them. After a while, an education unit guy came and met them, I accidentally saw their results - one of them get second class lower and the another one a third class. That blasted my mind. Here I was, with a CGPA of 3.95/4.00 begging only for 1 year of deferment, not even a scholarship, but was denied. Here they were, spent 4 years in the UK fully sponsored and yet graduated with mediocre results.

Am I not as much a Malaysian as them? Being a 23 years old, I was utterly disheartened and disappointed.

Part II (c): The Only Way out

It was just a few days after I came back from Petronas education unit that I received a call from an American oil and gas company informing me that I was recruited. How did I get the job? While searching for scholarships to Cambridge, I casually attended 5 stages of job interviews with this company as my mom advised me to go for job interview experience. The salary would allow me to pay up my Petronas bond in just a few months! Since the offer was great and there was no way that I could attend Cambridge anyway, I decided to take up the job.The company assigned me to Turkmenistan where I spent most of my next 2 years.

I was 24 years old when I left home for Turkmenistan and never thought I'll be back again. My plan was to climb up the corporate ladder and finally settle down in one of the developed countries.

Part II (c): When Money Rules

Being paid in a salary comparable to many general managers here in Malaysia, I managed to settle my bond with Petronas very quickly and saved some for myself. With the traveling allowances from the company, I traveled to many other countries too during the holidays. Life was great, I worked hard, played hard. Because of the good compensation scheme, I did not really think much about what I really want to do in life, my dream or my passion for the country. What I went after were money, bonus and performance. I became terribly self-centered.

I just didn't care anymore.

It was until 9th Mar 2008, when I opened The Star online and saw the news on the political tsunami that I realized how I still love and care about my country. They were just buried very deeply under my frustration and disappointment. How I wished I would be able to contribute to the change no matter how small the contribution was, instead of just seeing it as an outsider.

I began to question, why am I here? Is this really what I want to pursue? Do I do this because there's no more option? Do I do this just because of money? If I were born in the US with many other opportunities, would I still leave my home and do what I am doing now? How many more Malaysians out there left Malaysia because they went for better opportunities, just like myself and many other Malaysians abroad I've met throughout the years?

After more than half a year of consideration, I quit the job just months before my second promotion (when I still could resist the temptation). I wanted to be back to make a change to my nation, so that our next generation do not need to wander around the world for a better future, because the better future IS in Malaysia. I knew that I am a nobody and of me coming back would not help much, but I thought I should just do my part as a Malaysian, to serve our nation, regardless.

However, before I was back for good, I wanted to fulfill my childhood dream first, that was, to study in Cambridge University. I did not need to worry about my finance anymore now as I could afford to pay for everything. So I re-applied and got the admission offer within a month. A double blessing to me was that Cambridge Gates Scholarship, the most prestigious post-graduate scholarship in Cambridge University, also offered me a full scholarship! Everything was paid for including air tickets, living expenses and school fees! I was and always will be grateful for Bill and Merlinda Gates Foundation.

With that, I went to Cambridge University at the age of 27 years old, a long-delayed dream finally came true.

Part II (d): Living Cambridge Dream

My experience in Cambridge continued to make my burden for Malaysia even stronger. Throughout the year, I've met with many brilliant Malaysian students or working adults from top universities in the UK. I usually asked if they will one day be back to Malaysia. For those with JPA or Petronas bond, they said yes because no choice, whereas for those who are not bonded, almost 80% said No or they'll only be back to Malaysia if they can't find a job in UK, Europe or US. Malaysia has become the last resort. For the Gates scholars, it's even more dismal. Out of the 10 who have received the scholarships from 2001 to 2010 (unfortunately none received the scholarship in 2011 and 2012), I am the ONLY 1 who is back.

Where do many of the talented Malaysians go? There are all at the foreign land seeking for better opportunities and a better future. Can we blame them for not coming back? NO, absolutely NOT. Malaysia has just too little to offer them.


Part III: Hello Malaysian Politics


After pursuing my personal dream, as I've promised myself, I was finally back to Malaysia to pursue my dream for the country. Even with a strong burden for the country, it hadn't crossed my mind that I should be in politics, mainly because to me, being a politician was too far-fetch. I had no idea as in where to start, what to do, and which party to join. Also, I had been non-partisan all my life. What I thought I would do to make a change was probably community works and joining NGOs.

Until my company did a project with Democratic Action Party (DAP) in their general election social media campaign that I was exposed to politics first hand. I finally came to realization that if I want to make a good impact in this nation, with the limited things I have, it can only be done effectively through politics.

So joining politics? It was a tough decision, especially this year, only 1 year plus after I started my own business. I am not a person that go after fame and power, why bother to join politics? In addition, I am already 29 years old, isn't that better for me to find a husband and start a family? (God knows, when I was young I wanted to get married at 25!). Why waste time fighting for a job, of which I'll risk losing every 5 years and getting a pay that is not even half of what I used to get? Why bother to play the so called 'dirty politics'? As my mom has so rightly put it, "you can have a decent and comfortable life now, why choose such a hard life?".

However, what my mom did not know, is my love for this nation since I was 18 years old, and my desire to see a better Malaysia.

As I look back my life, by the grace of God, I was blessed with good and free education, MNC job training as well as so many different opportunities of international exposure. What I want to do now is really to be a faithful steward to the gifts of God and use them to bless my fellow Malaysians.

"For everyone to whom much given, of him shall much be required" Luke 12:48

So I've made up my mind to join politics.

Even after I've decided that I should join politics, I wasn't quite sure of which party to join. I was still a non-partisan by then. So I examined through the ideology, history and leadership of different parties, and had finally come to a conclusion that DAP is the best choice for me.

Ideologically, with years of European influences (though a The Economist reader), I have always been a social democrat, so it fits just well. Historically, DAP stood the test of time and never wavered in its principle. Finally, I think I can follow the leadership of DAP without worry because most of the time they make sense to me (unlike the other side) and most importantly, they uphold integrity and righteousness.

One setback of DAP to me was the party ethnicity-mix. It is still made-up of mostly Chinese and I am definitely not very into a race-based party. However, as I was involved in the Roketkini (DAP Malay news portal) Facebook page promotion, I could see the effort of DAP to reach out to Malay population and a genuine intention top down to make DAP a multiracial party. No party is perfect anyway. So I decided to join DAP and believe that through hard-work and time, we can build a true multiracial party together.

Part IV: Hope for the Future

So now, I am in politics and volunteering in DAP. What am I going to do for the next 20-30 years in politics?

Firstly, my heart is to use my gifts to serve the people regardless of income, race and religion. I believe politician is in fact public servant, we should always work towards maximizing the interest of the public.

For the long run, my hope for Malaysia is very simple. I hope that through the hard work of our generation, we'll make sure that Malaysia can be a land of opportunities and equality for our children. I hope that Malaysia can be a land where, no matter how big and what your dreams are, they can be fulfilled here; and no matter what your potential are, they can be reached here. I hope that our children, no matter where they are outside of Malaysia, they will so look forward to come back to Malaysia. I hope for a Malaysia that is free from corruption, united regardless or race and religion as well as competitive in the global economy.

And now, I shall work hard for it. May God bless the works of our hands.

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This is one of the articles summary of: www.yeobeeyin.com

Follow Yeo Bee Yin on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/yeobeeyin

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Po-Lin was born in 1994 Yilan, Taiwan and grew up in the small town of Su'ao. He is Atayal, one tribe of the Taiwanese aborigines.

From 2009-2013, Po-Lin studied dance performance at the Taipei National University of the Arts. In 2012, he toured across Taiwan and the United States as a member of Fang Yi Sheu and Artists for a year. In 2013, he worked with the Gelsey Kirkland Ballet in New York, followed by the Mexican company Tania Pérez-Salas Compañía de Danza in Mexico City and the United States from 2014-2015.

In 2015, Po-Lin worked as freelance dancer in New York City with Ballet Inc., Zest Collective Contemporary Performing Arts, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and Ballet Verite, whilst training with Zvi Gotheiner and Jon Ole Olstad.

In 2016, Po-Lin joined Company Wayne McGregor based in London, UK, he currently performs as a dance artist and traveling all over the world. since 2016 he performed many Wayne McGregor's work, ''Atomos'' ''Entity'' ''Far'' ''Outlier'' ', he performed Mr.McGregor's ''Tree of code'' with the Paris opera ballet and '+/- Human with the Royal ballet, and ''AutoBIOgraphy'' which he was one of the original dancer in collaboration with Mr.McGregor.

He enjoyed living and working in many countries of the world and have embraced multicultural influences.
He inspired by the fusion of Asian notions of low slung fluid movement embodied in tai chi, combined with the classical lines of western ballet. In Mexico while working with Tania Perez-Salas and was profoundly influenced by her free flowing movement, sensuously organic but with an underlying rhythmic structure. He loves to channel these styles into his dance art and share them with pre-professional and professional dancers.

Teaching Experience
Studio Wayne McGregor 2016 - present. U.K. and worldwide
● Since joining Studio Wayne McGregor in March 2016 he has taught "Creative Learning" workshops in UK, USA, many European counties and with more planned worldwide as part of Company Wayne McGregor in the coming year.

New Jersey City University - Dept of Music, Dance and Theater 2015 @ New Jersey City, U.S.A.
● Teaching "Emotions and Movement" contemporary dance performing skills to a group of musical theatre students weekly at NJCU as the assistant of professor Nai-Ni Chen. Ms Chen gave him a chance to strengthen his teaching ability at a young age with the opportunity to teach within a university.

Fang-Yi Sheu and Artists Workshops 2012 - 2013 Toured in Taiwan
● While a member of this group, traveling to schools conducting dance workshops with Ms. Sheu.

Tzi-Chi Senior High School-Dance Department 2012 Summer dance program - Taiwan
● Ballet, contemporary dance, Chinese opera basic steps, Martha Graham technique.

First Teaching Experience 2011 Various studios - Taiwan
● Guest teacher for ballet, contemporary dance, and Chinese opera basic steps.

Education
Taipei National University of the Arts - Deptof Dance
2009-2013
2013
● Ballet, Martha Graham, Tai-Chi, Martial arts, Chinese opera basic steps, contemporary dance.
Gelsey Kirkland Academy of classical ballet ● Accepted as a full scholarship student.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/CyLeoHo

This is the video recorded 'Young Chromatic Talents' held in the World Harmonica Festival 2013.

Ho Cheuk Yin from Hong Kong was invited as the guest performer, together with 3 other groups of players from Japan, UK and Taiwan.

Leo Ho was the champion in the Test Piece Adult solo category in the World Harmonica Festival in 2013. The class has been known as the highest level of chromatic harmonica solo competition in the world.


Ho Cheuk-yin, Leo
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香港世界級年青口琴手
2013
World Harmonica Festival in Germany
Champion
1. Open Test Piece Chromatic Solo category
2. Open duet category
3. Open Orchestra Category
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Ho Cheuk-yin, Leo

Nineteen-year-old Leo Ho Cheuk-yin just began his study on occupational therapy at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2012. Leo started to learn harmonica at the age of 6 under Cheung Kin-ling and 1 year later, under the tuition of renowned harmonica educator Mr. Lee Sheung-ching. In 2003, his first exposure in competition at age of 9 earned him 3rd prize in the Junior Chromatic Harmonica Solo competition of the 1st Hong Kong Harmonica Festival. In 2006, he entered the King's College for secondary school study and soon became a core member of the long established King's College Harmonica Band. Since then, he had won many local and international awards, including three 1st prizes in Harmonica Solo of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, 3rd prize in Junior Chromatic Harmonica Solo of the 5th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival (APHF) 2004 in Hong Kong, as well as champion in Junior Harmonica Duo and 2nd prize in Junior Chromatic Harmonica Solo category of the 6th APHF 2006 in Taiwan.

At the 7th APHF 2008 in Hangzhou China, Leo swept the board by winning champions in all 5 categories he had entered, namely Chromatic Harmonica Solo, Duo, Trio and Ensemble of the Secondary School Class, as well as Open Class Harmonica Orchestra. In 2009, Leo made his debut at the World Harmonica Festival and Competition in Trossingen Germany and excelled among all contestants by seizing the champion in Youth Solo and Duo competitions, as well as 1st runner-up in Open Class Ensemble and Orchestra competitions. In 2010, Leo being the youngest contestant in the class and competed for the first time in the open category harmonica solo at the 8th APHF in Singapore, won the 1st runner up. Two years later in 2012, he shined again at the 9th APHF in Malaysia by winning 4 champion and a 2nd runners up titles in the open and adult classes, including the highest honour, champion at the Elite Solo Open Category. The winning piece "Invierno Porteno" was Leo's own arrangement. In 2013 Oct, Leo has obtained the highest honer of a chromatic harmonica player through winning the Test Piece category of Chromatic Harmonica solo competition in the World Harmonica Festival 2013. In the same event, he has also in total obtained three champions in the open duet category and the open orchestra category. His performances were frequently broadcasted in televisions and radios in Hong Kong.

Leo is also the leading chromatic player of the VELOZ harmonica quartet, which was formed in 2010 by four young accomplished harmonica players all brought up at the King's College. Within a short time, the celebrated group had been invited to perform at the prestigious 2010 Hong Kong Arts Festival, and internationally in Macau, Singapore, Prague, Munich, Ljublijana and Bratislava. Lately in 2012, Leo was invited to give solo and duo performance at the 25th Anniversary concert series of the Norwegian Harmonica Organization in Norway and received high acclaims.