In conjunction with our country’s National Day 2008 celebration, quachee.blogspot.com is hosting a competition in which 100 bloggers will stand a chance to win a copy of the 50+1 Malaysia (See cover above) book worth RM51.00. All you have to do is to write about what you love about Malaysia. For details, you can log in to
www.themalaysiapage.com.
Well, I think it was in 2006 when I wrote this poem for my students to recite during the school-level National Day celebration, so here I would like to post it as my entry for the aforementioned contest…
A PIECE OF PAPER
I took a piece of paper
It was white…..
White – reflecting the purity
Deep within our hearts,
The heart of each and every Malaysian
In one corner, I drew a rectangle
And then, I coloured it blue
‘Cause blue symbolises dignity
And it was with dignity that Malaysia broke away
From the clutches of colonialism
Next, in the rectangle, I included a new moon
A crescent representing the National religion, Islam
And also to signify light and hope
Light for all Malaysians, whatever colour or creed
Hope that peace and harmony may forever prevail.
Beside the crescent is a star
A star with fourteen points
Representing the different states, their people
Converging in the middle
Reflecting the bond, the unity in our nation
The crescent and the star are coloured yellow
Yellow – the colour of royalty
Pledging my unfailing loyalty to King and country
The symbol of the sovereignty
of this my homeland, the land that I live in and love
Finally, I added the horizontal stripes
Again, fourteen – for the fourteen states
I painted seven of them red
And left the other seven white
Different, divergent but united we stand,
side by side.
Red is the colour of love
The love I have for my country
The love I have for my fellowmen
Together let us stand hand in hand
United and strong, as one people, one nation,
one Malaysia.
So there you have it-my own original poem! Come on, everybody! Post your comments to wish me lots and lots of luck!!! Thanks and muuuuaaaaahh!!!!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Must make myself heard here… Great poem and well written.. GOOD LUCK to your entry…
Thanks. Sorry, ur comment has been edited. Mine may be a rojak blog but I do not wish to touch on sensitive matters pertaining to politics, race, religion, sex (discrimination, that is)…and hope to make this a fun blog and occasionally inspiring to whatever small extent.
..btw..is this the same one you got a prize for on the radio ???? Why don’t you try again
Nope. That was entitled “ketupat”. May post it someday. So far they haven’t had the contest again. Was worth it – one night’s stay in special room at melia KL with breakfast…and dinner for two!!! All that for just one poem!
1st of all, I would like to wish STP all the best and may your grand entry win 1 of the prizes so that I can borrow it and scan a copy for my school. 😛
Thanks for ur support. I’ve amended the comment…to maintain peace and order. Please lah! Go and buy a copy! I’m sure ur school can afford one or more copies! It’s only RM51.00 and you can get 10-20% discount (commission) from the bookstore! Wink! Wink!
Beautiful poem… the very best of luck to you STP… and I like Coral’s way of thinking… can borrow and scan a copy for the school.. haha supporting pliagrism eh Coral? 😛
Thanks, melbie! Haiz! I’m used to that liao! These teachers will photocopy my books wholesale for use in their lessons or school exams…and I do not get a cent in royalty. That’s why I’m so poor!!! And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve stopped writing! Can be very frustrating at times! LOL!!!
nowadays ah, when talk about Malaysia…
Sorry, the rest of your comment has been deleted. This post is not about the government or the leaders. Please be relevant…and you can post your poem in ur own blog! Terima kasih atas kerjasama tuan2 dan puan2 sekalian!!!
wow thats a really nice poem…
are you an english teacher??
Thank you. I’m retired now. I taught English and English Literature in school.
Hebat sekali! STP! Very patriotic indeed. United we stand indeed, in unity as bloggers for STP! I sincerely hope u will win this competition!The book that you can win looks very informative, so if u win, don’t forget to photo-copy for me too ok!
Thanks. Wah! Angkat so high, now I will have to buy a copy for u liao!!! No need to photocopy, so kesian! I always buy books like that for my brother and his family in NZ, so they will not forget their roots. And btw, I’ve deleted the rest of your comment to maintain peace and order…! LOL!!!
Kpenyu is from the land of illegal immigrants la…. hehehe. Thats why not very patriotic.
OK! OK!…No more bickering! U wanna go for his 50th birthday or not? Later he won’t invite u…and we all go and makan puas2! Hey! That’s a brilliant idea! No Kpg Nangka Boy would mean a lot more for the rest to eat! Hahahahaha!
All the best STP! If you win, I’ll give you the value of the book – RM51! The least I could do since you did the same with me when I won the speech contest(which funded my first mobile!).
Ahh!!! What good students I’ve produced!!! The fruits of my labour! Thanks, Mac!…Gee! That was a looooong time ago, wasn’t it? I will always cherish all those pleasant moments in my teaching career!
Good luck. I still have your Ketupat if you have lost yours
It’s in my yahoo sent mail somewhere. I think I’ll have to go and retrieve it! These days, keep getting Error 999, can’t access my account for a few days! Really celaka! My hotmail, ok! Thank God!!!
Good Luck Stp!!! LoL
Humph!!!…That’s why I always post on food! Then, everybody happy!!!
ha ha ha ha ha …edit so many people comments today…ha ha ha…aiya if cikgu stp delete delete delete…all children become correct correct correct la… enough said la” …he he he next time if Stella invite for BBQ in her house.. hati hati ..cos she is in the neighbourhood of possums..and she doesn’t hide her feelings for them…
Yalor! Look at Mac! So many of my students turn out so good! Must delete…delete…delete!!!…Ooooo!!!! Tupai panggang! So nice! Used to have lots in my old house! And we used to keep the tails!!! Hahahahahaha!!!! The NGOs will be hot on our tails now!!!
My previous comments aside, this poem is rather well-written. Actually it would be perfect accompaniment to a fantastically written melody with a patriotic feel….one that would have all kids and adults alike singing in perfect harmony. Gee….is it already 31st August? 16 September? 50 yrs? 45 yrs?
Already deleted!!! Half a day liao…and I haven’t heard from the host!!! Humph!!! I think all of those comments blew my chances liao!!! Chesh!!! 31 kah! 16 kah! 50 kah! 45 kah!!!…Namind! Whatever! I wanna win!!! Bwahuhuhuhuhu!!!! And don’t anybody say they’ll buy the book for me. It’s just not the same!!! I can buy my own if I want!!!! Grrrrrrrr!!!!!
A
L
L
.
T
H
E
.
B
E
S
T
.
😀
Thank u so much! Humph!!! At least, SOME people are very NICE!!! LOL!!!
alamak….i thought in blogsphere, ada “freedom of speech”!
NOT IN MY BLOG! I DELETE COMMENTS I DON”T LIKE!!! GO START YOUR OWN BLOG AND SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!
You wrote this poem JUST for your students to recite during the school-level National Day celebration ? You’re really really.. i don’t know how to describe you… so diligent !?
I did…for free!!! But I still remember when you and Bernard recited it so well…and the whole hall (of boys!!!) was completely silent…so engrossed in it!!! That definitely was one of those moments worth more than money!!!!
…any musician out there…put melody to the poem and hehpresto..sure number one Hit lo and make some money
Sometimes in life, it’s not all about money!
Oooopss!!!!!
Better just go tak ka chia!!
Good!!!
I follow to go …tak ka chia liau…
STP Boleh!
You??? How you wanna go tak kha chia??? Pancit! Pancit! Pancit!!!…..
Waseh… so controversial today. And its 22nd July, 45 years of self governing in Sarawak. I guess everyone has the right to have an opinion of their own.
Haha… go tak ka chia, dont forget to bring a flag while u’re at it.
When is Kpenyu’s birthday? I’m not on the guest list? cheh…. would have bought him a bicycle.
Haiz!!! And all I wanted to do was to join a competition!!! Yes, even the apek in the kopitiam is a political analyst in his own right!…I’m not in the least interested and I think I have better and more beneficial things to do with my time, so just go and find ur own Hyde Park elsewhere!!!!…And why would u want to buy him a bicycle??? Pancit! Pancit! Pancit!!!! LOL!!!!!
Hey there. Well written – feels so patriotic. malaysia needs ppl like u 🙂 Btw, ive done a ping back to your poem – on this site with all the other entries.
http://themalaysiapage.com/501-malaysia/bloggers-entries-i-love-malaysia/
Ah! Finally! Been waiting all day for you! LOL!!! Thanks for the compliments!!! Hope it’s good enough to win me a prize! OK…tnx for whatever that is! I’m such a dinosaur, yunno! Hahahahahaha!!!!
I think Badaq will be able to put some rhythm to that poem. It’s a good one. Good luck! I won’t say anymore cos it’s going to get deleted anyways.. 😀
Thank you!…Good boy! I will not hesitate to do that! After all, I have explicitly stated I will not discuss or allow any discussion of specific topics, so be it!!!
Aiya! must sing for my supper mah! All those prawns! Like they say it ain’t over till the fat lady sings! in this case STP sings!LOL!!!
Aiyor! Anybody comes to Sibu, sure I take out belanja makan2 one!!! No problem!!!…After all, how often do people come these days now that the old folks have gone?
Possums kampua anyone? Everyone out ‘tak-ka-chia” kah?LOL!!!
Nope! The fat one came back leh??? Must be too fat, tyre “pancit”!! ROTFLMAO!!! U can see his comment below! Hahahahahahaha!!!!!
..STP.. I never say Rojak Blog… Seriously I enjoy the non contro issues and all your postings..seriously. Round Round sure gives me fond memories..and hope to re live all the memories in your future posts..
Back to Round Round…Ha ha ha ha ha..this one really tickle my funny bone and rest assured ITS not the curse but all the yammy yammy foods you post ba…
I said rojak blog, but my rojak…I don’t like mangkuang, don’t like tauhu phok- a bit ok…love lots of pineapples, timun just so so…and the rojak liao, I like lots of lime and kacang!!! Oh!!! So now want to blame me for ur being fat!!!
STP, since you enjoy contests, there’s a contest on giving Crown Riverside and Holiday Inn Kch new names (need to explain significance of the new name). Dont ask me why they want to change the names. Havent announced the prizes yet. Let me know if you are interested. We split 50/50 if win..hahah.
I guess they finally realised that Holiday Inn is by the riverside…and Riverside is across the road!!! LOL!!! Why let u know? U’ve got connections, can pull strings? I’m very wary of these local contests…especially contests where u have to write the “most creative slogan” or essay contests where they announce the winners, and never publish to let people see how good they really are!!!
hope you win… maybe i should write one too… hmmm… but it will be tough to control my cynical side of me.
Tnx, zewt. You’re always so nice and pleasant, where got cynical leh? It seems they’d accept anything…so you may submit something tongue-in-cheek. Pssst!!! What I do know is there are 100 books to give away and right now, there are only two entries!!! Probably anything will merit a prize?…..Rite, quachee? LOL!!!!!
Nangka boy.. I want I want to join..Everready great nanes with classic historical and futuristic significance. RAJA BURUK INN & RAJA BURUK CROWN… sure win one
Groan…..
STP, this poem is wonderful. You deserve the hotel stay anyway 🙂
August is coming, suppose we have a lot of competition like this? Independence Day! 🙂
Thanks, Faisal. Well, hopefully, there’ll be some that I can join. You’re not joining this one?…And btw, tnx for coming to my blog and do drop by again. Will add u to my blogroll.
wow….great poem eh. Poetry is your cup of tea i suppose?
Thanks, Danny. Being old and long-winded, I like writing short stories more. Not restricted to just a few words. And a belated Happy Birthday to you!…Forgot that u and Gary are twins! Bet u had lots of fun!
I love it STP…the poem is more meaningful when U really mean every words you wrote…there’s no doubt that this is the BEST poem (in my opinion lah)! Peace to Malaysia (at least we R better than some other countries…proud to B Malaysian!) U sure WIN lah STP 😉
Thanks for the confidence, Man-D…and btw, go and ketuk the kepala of that fella!!! You-know-who lah!!! Hahahahahahaha!!!!
wah wah wah .. nice lah your poem … clap clap!
wish u all the best … mesti belanja tau .. ha a ha
Thank u! Thank u!…We meet in SP, I belanja u every meal…all the way!!! Coming or not? LOL!!!
Wah so many comments this one….got people sell beca kah? Or may be the tricycle the ‘kako’ used for cargo
Why u want beca? I don’t want! We sit inside, nobody can cycle liao!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!
good luck! 🙂
Thanks, JC! That’s nice of u!…You can write very well. Not going to join?
i love malaysia, see many of my posts on malaysia. muahahahahaha!
Yes…a groovy kind of love!!! Hahahahahaha!!!!
wah suituapui moderate his comments 😛 ehem.. good luck for the poem. i shall do one.. soon 😀
Have to lah! Otherwise, people gaduh2…hell breaks loose, so hard to control! Better talk about “safe” matters like food! Thanks…and good luck to u too!
good luck 😉
Thanks…and welcome! I’ve seen you at other blogs before. Do drop by again!
good luck!
Oops! Duplicate!…Good! 1 extra comment! LOL!!!
wowwwwww!!!!i like your poem.. freedom alwayzz….
Thanks. Gee! How did you get to this old post? Anyway, welcome…and do come again!
umm …. excuse me but this poem… I have to recite a poem for Merdeka Day in my school so can I use it?It’s a nice poem by the way ^_^
No problem. Help yourself… Thanks for the compliment, and good luck in your presentation. 🙂
excuse me but I have to recite a poem for Merdeka Day and I was wondering if I could use this one. Can I?Nice poem by the way ^_^
Oops…duplicate comment. 😉
sorry i posted it twice.
It’s ok. The more the merrier… LOL!!! 😀
thank you
Most welcome. Once again, good luck…🙂
Hi there,
I am Malaysian student currently studying in United States. We are going to perform ‘puisidra’ on Malaysian Night which will be held in November. As I was browsing the internet on independence poem I came across to your poem. It was well written with such a deep and meaningful line. So, if it possible we would like to use your poem as reference in writing our ‘puisidra’. You might as well provide us your name so that we can give credit to you. We would really appreciate if you can allow us to do so. Thank you.
Salam 1 Malaysia!
Of course! Help yourself… It is indeed an honour that my poem will be presented in the states, never mind about my real name and giving me due credit – it’s perfectly all right with me. Thank you for wanting to use it, good luck!
P.S. There is another poem that I wrote in 2005 entitled: “Ketupat” here:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/say-what-you-want/
You may be interested. 🙂
Thanks
Welcome.
Hye there Ms Suituapui! 🙂
As I was looking for a patriotic poem to be put into my creative portfolio, I was so lucky that I’ve found this super duper beautiful poem and frankly, I heart it so much! It cealrly portrays patriotic spirit and what makes it so special is, it is basically based on our Malaysian context. Clap Clap! So Ms, I would be very happy and honoured if you can give me your permission to copy this lovely poem and put it into my portfolio, for my Literature subject. 🙂 Thank you so much! 🙂
Ummmm…Mr, if you please!! ROTFL! Yes, yes…help yourself. I’m flattered that there are actually people who truly appreciate my poems, thank you.
P.S.
You may be interested in this one:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/say-what-you-want/
as well?
Yeay!!!! Thanks for the reply Mr Suituapui. Oh, m so so sorry for the wrong Ms. Hehehe. Oh yeah, sure, I will take your Ketupat as well! 🙂
Thank You so so much!!! Oh, do visit me blog too, k! 🙂
Have a nice day, and I love ur writings very much!
Welcome. No worries at all, many people also face this same problem initially especially those who understand Chinese as “sui” means beautiful in Hokkien and is usually used to describe the feminine gender. Will link you in my blogroll, do drop by often and post a comment or two – will visit your blog as well…
Hello, I’m one of the vlogger in youtube. I’ve been searching for independence day poem. and I want to make a video of it, so I need to ask your permission, may I use your poem for my independence day video? 🙂 I’ll make sure I’ll give credit to you ^_^
Sure, go ahead. No problem at all and good luck. 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂 Hope u visit my channel as soon as I finish my video. I really like this poem. Simple but meaningful. beautiful piece 😀
Welcome. Would love to – perhaps you could drop a note here and post a link so I will be able to click to go over and have a look.
here, all done 😀 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7WA6Ud34h8
sorry for the late reply.. I was busy with my degree life though. btw, hope u will also visit my u tube channel and watch my other videos 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/user/pinkmarbless?feature=mhee
Congrats, very nice, very well done. Do note, however, that “crescent” is spelt with a “c” – a common Malaysian student error. You’re in the uni, eh? Good luck in your undertakings, all the best. Will drop by the watch your other videos…
Wow amazing ! what a creativity brainy are u!!!!
Thanks. That’s a compliment, I hope. 😉
this is great! very simple, but meaningful
Thank you. Glad you like it…and thanks for dropping by and commenting. Appreciate it heaps! 🙂
Hi Suituapui
My name is Patric Seng, am the vice president of Auckland Malaysian Society. We’re celebrating Merdeka Day on Friday 31st August. I really like what you have written ‘A Piece of Paper’, will it be alright if I present the poem at our Merdeka event?
Go ahead! Help yourself – you will not be the first. They have even made a video clip of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7WA6Ud34h8
– quite a good effort but unfortunately, I would not say the same about the reciting of the poem.
Sir, you have written a very beautiful poem, I seek your permission to share the poem with my 10 years old, She wants to use them to recite in conjunction with Merdeka celebration at her school.
My pleasure. Go right ahead. Good luck to your girl in her presentation, all the best. Cheers!
I was looking for some merdeka themed poem, and this came up. I find it was wonderfully written. I plan to use it for some teaching material, not sure how exactly. I’m oblige to inform you as an acknowledgement to the author.
Go ahead, lots have used it before you, not a problem at all. Nice of you to let me know first, no credit necessary – it’s perfectly ok by me. Cheers!!!