Tribute to Cikgu Azlin

This is her own work, his Form 2 English teacher, whom he was quite fond of. One of the best teachers he has ever had. It was meant for their participation in that choral speaking competition that never happened. Hit the nail right on its head nevertheless.


TODAY’S TEENAGERS AND BRAND CONSCIOUSNESS

Many teenagers today

High flying teenagers who carry cell phones

Are so fortunate (so we think)

Apart from the usual hang-ups over

Pimples, boy friends, exams and

Other oh….So mundane problems

They are so fortunate!

Dad’s a company director

Mum’s a corporate figure

A large amount of pocket money is so sweet

It’s not unusual to come across children with

Their own direct line, credit cards and even own wheels!

Thus, don’t be surprised to see them

All tagged up in designer gear

So hip! So Chic!

A hair band from Evita Peroni

RM 500 on Armani sunglasses to shade one’s delicate eyes

What? Wear a coolie hat? No thanks.

You must be joking.

We are no fools. Sunglasses are cooler.

A wallet must be Crocodile

To the extreme, some even come with RM800 Nicole bags

But……that’s a salary of a Government servant!

No big deal. That’s just my mum’s housing allowance!

Wrist watches, they’ve got to be of Swatch brand

Shoes had better be a pair of Nike

And clothes are from Guess and DKNY

Dad just waves his magic wand

And doesn’t his little darling look so grand?

Was there anything of this magnitude

In the 60’s and 70’s?

No, hardly any of this brand consciousness at all.

Perhaps yes perhaps

Brands had not arrived yet

Nor was there the Internet.

Clothes, they were relatively cheap

Mum made them and we were angels in smocking

Shopping wasn’t at KLCC, even Subang Parade

Those days, shoes were from Bata or Fun Keong

Bata and who?

FUN KEONG!

Ah, probably too old fashioned for us to know

It’s fine to enjoy the beautiful things in life

But it becomes ugly and distasteful

To flaunt and to show off

Too bad. So sad.

This is a tale we’d like to spin

About a teenager who’s whining and grumbling

Sarah told her mother not to fetch her from school

“Mum, it would make my day, if you don’t come today”

“Why honey?”

“I’d rather be dead than to be seen in your old Proton Saga”

“Mum, please don bother unless you can bring another

Other than that old Proton Saga”

“Would Daddy’s Mercedes be fine?”

“Wow! That would make your little girl rise shine”

This brand consciousness

Is synonymous with the annual bonus

It’s a fairly recent phenomenon

It replaces the PKNS flats with condominiums

Its cool, it’s hip

And indeed so chic!

Id like you to pause a while and ponder

Over the kampong children yonder

Of paddy fields and old huts

Of boiled tapioca

And a swig of coffee

Some, whose fingers never knew a pen at school,

Never read a book,

No sooner born, they opened their eyes,

To know the school of paddy fields

No Michael Jackson, no Moonwalk

Cyberspace? What’s that?

They only know the space beyond

Since small they only learn the animal’s talk

Spare a thought for these poor kids

Remember those that were burnt at Abang Moli?

The oil lamps and kerosene stoves?

The well water and the pit latrine

Would such a life appear so grim?

Their needs simple

Their wants very few.

So,

The most valuable gift

A parent can give

Is a feeling of self-worth and self-esteem

Not dependant on things one wears

And brands one owns

Therefore, this brand consciousness

Originating in the affluent 80’s

Gathering momentum in the booming 90’s

Is a fairly recent phenomenon

LET’S BURY IT IN THE NEW MILLENIUM!