Arau Open Debate 2009, Perlis, Malaysia

This was my first time stepping my feet on Malaysia, here Mona, Novi, Hotma and I were still in Polonia International Airport, Medan, we were about to join Arau Debate Open, and we were tense about it, cos we basically had no preparations, and we are novice debaters. :)

U see many people from different universities were joining, mostly were definitely from Malaysia, and the foreign ones were Pakistan, Taiwan, and of course Indonesia.

As for the debates, these were the motions in the preliminary one to six:

Prelim 1

1. This house would allow family members to sell the dead body of their kins

2. This house believes that suicide is a right for all individuals

3. This house would allow those who reached puberty to get married

and...we debated on the third motion with UiTM Melaka 2

Prelim 2

1. This house would impose mandatory lashing as a punishment for snatch theft

2. This house believes that vernacular schools is key to racial integration

3. This house believes that interfaith marriage should be permissible in Malaysia

and, motion number two was the one we had contention with UiTM Tganu 1

Prelim 3

1. This house would teach magic in schools

2. This house would promote transexual beauty pageant

3. This house would not deprive our children from lessons of failure

we debated on motion number two against UMP1

Prelim 4

1. This house would eliminate player agents in football

2. This house believes that host countries should not automatically qualify for the world cup

3. This house believes that female athletes should be allowed to compete against men

we had motion number one against KBM2

Prelim 5

1. This house would make surrogacy a legal profession

2. This house would impose a quota for women in upper management

3. This house believes that the pope should get married

we debated on motion 2, hehe affirmative action thingy against BMI 1

Prelim 6

1. This house believes that the Don't ask Don't tell policy is crucial to national security

2. This house believes that those who committed torture under instructions should escape prosecution

3. This house believes that acquiring information through pain is justified

then, we debated against UiTM Tganu 1 again on the first motion, hehe, and we won two times against them, hehe, but they are surely nice people and tough debaters.

So, we eventually became the top 16 out of 49 teams, and I am the 10th best speaker out of 138 people, based on scores. Very happy...

We also had our trip to Gua Kelam...

My best friends, Novi and Mona, were playing in the water, wasn't it nice? :)

Now, in the closing ceremony, time to say goodbye, hiks...

With Osama, the Pakistani adjudicator

Above, you can see Sabrina, the deputy convener who was such a patient girl, thanks, Sabs, and she was with Monalisa, the president of our debating society.

Then....Try our best to fly to Medan on Saturday, cos Perlis to Penang was around three hours, but we missed our flights, hiks... but it was ok, cos then Hafiedz came as a hero helping us, he offered us to stay in her house in Penang for one night, so, we were saved, at least we didnt have to sleep at the airport... And luckily, we could reschedule our tickets to Sunday, hehehe... the art of persuasion, hohoho ^o^

Hotma was sad....TT

And at night time, we were then brought by Hafiedz to eat at Indian's restaurant...

and this was the drink I love, called "Teh Tarik"... so luscious...

Yummy, yummy.... Will I come back to Malaysia again? Hopefully, you never know...never know...