I hate the application procedure in Malaysia. Be it for the purpose of further study, or for sponsorship program, or even job application, I simply hate it. Not to name any organisation, but I think you know what I mean.
1) Birth certificate
In order to classify my application as 'COMPLETE', I have to present a copy of my identification card (ok), and my birth certificate (hm - fine), and my parent's identification card (hhhhmmmm) and my parent's birth certificate (what the ---??).
For those who can't understand what the fuss all about, let me enlighten you with a question -- for those with parents that were born in the early years of independance day, HAVE YOU SEEN HOW YOUR PARENT'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE LOOKS LIKE...??? It's just a piece of paper, written with your parents name, details, their parent's detail and stuff -- that in the year 2009, you simply classify their document as ANCIENT history that could not be touched and sometimes - could not be read - because it is too fragile, that even touching it may turn the paper into dust. With the yellowish colour and torn appeareances, you simply wonder why they still want to use that as an official document.
The bottom line is - what's the purpose of our identity card being equipped with all the SIM-canggih-canggih kind of chips when you still use the nomad way of processing?
And - I'm the one applying for the sponsorship, why do they still need the details of my parents? It's not like they're going to sit next to me throughout my studies.
When I asked the person in charge regarding this - hoping that I may be exempted from presenting my parent's birth certificate, she answered, "Ini adalah untuk memastikan kewarganegaraan awak." Which I replied as, "IC saja tak boleh?", and she replied "Maklumat tu tak ada dalam IC." -- you can imagine me giving the stoned-you-think-i'm-stupid-heh-face at that point.
Abolish the identity card, then!
2) IELTS
Now - now - taking IELTS when you are going to study in a foreign country is OK. It is to measure your competence level to survive in an english speaking country.
But taking IELTS when you will be enrolling in a local university is a waste of government's money. Making that as a requirement to apply for study leave is even stupid.
Now that I need to present my IELTS result as soon as possible, I have no choice but to pick the nearest date of the examination and just be it. (note : nearest date = no classes or preparatory training). When people heard about my action, they go "Kau ingat IELTS tu senang...???" or "Tak ambil kelas dia ke?" and giving the the oh-my-God-that's a deadly-decision kind of face.
Yer, aku sangat takut - and no matter how hard they tried to counter the initial expression by saying "Takpe, budak UM, mesti senang punya" or "Takpe, terror English", that still won't make it any easier.
And --- what does graduating from UM makes it any easier to sit for the IELTS? Blogging in english, is totally different than speaking in English, and even different than writing factual and analytical essays in English. It's serious stuff, we're talking about, people! Not the "I am emotional that I can torment you and lock you down under the basement" kind of thing.
3) 2-3-4 ORIGINAL COPIES
Bila lah mereka mahu sedar bahawa menandatangani begitu banyak dokumen adalah sesuatu yang memenatkan, dan suatu pembaziran kertas yang sangat sia-sia.
And because of that, I can't submit my application because it is INCOMPLETE - and so, I hate it. It delayed me.