Process of Applying for Course Deferment

I faced some issues dealing with my application for course deferment. I actually submitted my documents back in August, but when school started in September and I checked with the office, they said they lost my documents and would require a new set. 

However, my earlier letters were not the standard version  that are required by the Admission and Records Department, so I went there with a new copy of the letters for them to proofread. After that I edited them and printed 2 backup copies of each letter. I had earlier prepared backup copies of the documents, so I handed in everything nicely clipped in sets and labelled according to each department to my faculty administration. And this time, I got them to acknowledge receipt of my documents by having them put a date stamp on my backup copy. (Very important!)

Thank God I was able to resubmit the whole set within a day. But now I'll have to wait for approval from the administrative, and it would take quite some time.  

UPDATE: My application took 2 weeks to be approved and settled altogether. BUT this is because I practically went to each of the departments everyday to urge them to process it faster for me, as I did not get KK and had no place to stay, so I squatted in Karen's room for 2 weeks, sleeping on the floor. 

Now I realize that the process for applying for deferment for exchange is so complicated, I think I should post the overall process on my blog for future reference. 

1. Talk to your Dean and get his oral approval

2. Prepare your letters and documents. 

• 1 letter to your Faculty asking for approval for leave
• 1 letter to SKET, sent via the Faculty, communicating your Faculty's approval for leave
• 1 letter to International Students' Center communicating your departure and host institution acceptance letter
• 1 letter to HEP applying for delay/suspension of JPA/PTPTN sponsorship.

3. Talk to SKET, making sure your letter is according to the format they prefer. 

4. Enclose supporting documents for each set of your letters in (2), i.e. I/C, Student Card etc.

5. Hand it in at least 2 weeks before you want your application to the approved. The best suggested time would be one month in prior to avoid unnecessary hassle. 

Nichii Warehouse Sale

After taking my Visa from the Embassy today, I decided to drop by the Nichii Warehouse Sale. It is located at No. 62, Jalan 8/91, Taman Shamelin Perkasa. Just type this into your Waze and it will bring you straight to this building located in a manufacturing industry area.

From the outside, the building looks huge. Once you walk in the white building, you will see on your right a display room for sample branded clothes going at RM50 each. The real warehouse clearance is on the second floor.

The shoes are arranged according to size, but sadly the designs are not that attractive, and the shoes look old/dusty/worn. I wouldn't buy this even if they were RM5.

Special sale for today, the purple/lilac lace dress going at RM15 each. The lace part looks a bit berbulu-bulu, only sizes M-XL available.

Belts RM3 each, necklaces RM10 each.

Bracelets RM5 each.

Skirts/Pants from RM10 each.

I didn't snap pictures of the tops, dresses and other stuff because the selection was pretty much horrible. Crappy, unrefined, crude designs. I couldn't find a real good piece in the whole room.

Make sure you pay attention to the cutting of the clothes, best to wear a singlet and mini-skirt so you can try everything on in front of the mirror (no changing rooms available). 

Look out for defects in the clothing as well. I saw one white biker jacket on sale at RM22, but upon inspection, it has huge ugly blue blotches on the fabric at the front part. When I asked the salesgirl why it was like that, she said dunno, and claimed that that's why prices are cheap. Meh. I ended up putting it back on the rack.

In the end I didn't manage to find a single piece that I truly like. So disappointing. But I did purchase a necklace just to make myself feel better - to prove that I had not just wasted 1½ hours of my life.

Conclusion: I will never come back again.

NSC 2015

National Security Bill 2015 was proposed on Dec 1, 2015 and passed on Dec 3, 2015 by the Dewan Rakyat, when the opposition failed to halt the Bill with 74 votes against UMNO's 107. A National Security Council is to be established, with PM Najib as the chairman. This council is bestowed the power to take any appropriate actions which it deems necessary for matters relating to national security. 

NSC acts as “the Government’s central authority for considering matters concerning national security” (Clause 3), which enables it to “control” and “issue directives” to any Federal or State government agency on operations or matters concerning national security (Clauses 2 and 5). Job scope also includes advising PM to declare any area in Malaysia as a “security area”. --- extracted from Malay Mail Online.

Clause 18(1) provides that the PM can decided where a 'security area' is, and per clauses 18(3) and (4), this declaration can last for 6 months but can be renewed indefinitely. 

As if not terrible enough, security forces can also take over any building deemed to pose a threat to national security (clause 30 & 31), conduct searches, seizures and arrest suspected persons without a warrant (clause 34), and the worst of all, be free from all legal responsibilities. 

Yes, you read that right - you can't sue them in court (clause 38). Hint: You lose all your legal rights and remedies, even if the government wrongfully take possession or destroy your properties, or that you were wrongfully arrested, or that your movable properties were illegally confiscated.

And, clause 37 says that all NSC affairs are to be protected with absolute secrecy. Hint: They can do whatever they want without any restraints and never get caught because the people will never know about it. Any whistle-blowers/defenders of justice within the organization will be prosecuted instead.

We certainly do not need such a law in Malaysia. We have been practicing parliamentary democracy for 58 years but we are now marching towards dictatorship under this bill. It is never a good idea to consolidate powers in the hands of the executive and exclude these powers from examination by the judiciary. Joseph Raz will rise from his grave if he knows about this. This screams of the high possibility of abuse of power, given our government's poor track records. Looks like Najib is seeking to disrupt the check-and-balance system by placing the executive at the top, with himself as the head, exempting himself from the judiciary's scrutiny. 

While Najib claims that NSC is necessary to prevent terrorism, it is believed by many that there may be a different agenda behind this hasty move. Najib's earlier political scandal which involves a missing RM2.6b national development fund which was later found in Najib's personal bank account is a hard hit towards his personal credibility and political standing. Hence, the NSC might just be his grip at power to solidify his political reign on UMNO and BN.