Why Teenagers Commit Crime

 

I remembered during my school year, there were few of my friends loved breaking the rules. They involved in crime; some a small, some became more serious. Sometimes it makes me wonder why they involve themselves in crime.

Well, I have 6 reasons why they commit crime.

First and foremost, peer pressure. Teenagers mostly spend their time mingle with their friends of the same age. Some want to be part of the gang so they pressure them to follow what they do if they want to be part of the gang.

Second is lack of parental supervision. Teenagers nowadays always stuck their nose to gadgets. Some parents bought gadgets since they were primary school and just let them do with their gadgets as long as they don't cause any trouble. You see, this is the biggest mistake ever because without parents' supervision, teenagers have the "freedom" to do whatever they want and this lead to committing crime by watching any videos that teach them to do that.

Moreover, depression is one of the reason why teenagers commit crime. They think that by committing crime, they can let go whatever they want to express because depression is one of the dangerous mental issues that can lead to unexpected behaviour such as killing people.

Plus, poverty also lead to teenagers in committing crime. As I mentioned earlier, teenagers want to be part of gang. Not all of them are born in silver spoon. When they know their friends can buy whatever they want, they want to be like that too. And when their parents could not afford things that they want, they may involve in stealing or robbery. 

Furthermore, these teenagers are lack of positive role model. TikTok and YouTube are the biggest contributions in influencing teenagers' lifestyle. Sadly to say, teenagers prefer bad role model because it looks cool to them. They will surely follow their idol in whatever they do, even it is committing crime because for them, it is not wrong. And of course, they would also love to show what they do goes viral on the Internet.

Last but not least, physical abuse. This is what I call silent crime. When they are being abuse physically, they tend to have this kind of anger to let it go so that they will feel satisfied and this lead to bully which is part of a crime, especially in boarding school. They will also not involve in physical bullying but mental bullying too because these are the only way for them to let everything out.

So, we as parents should be aware of what our teenagers have gone through. Not all of them have a happy life. Talk to them, mingle with them and don't judge them.

My Dream Job

 

Since I was standard 1 (7 years old), I really wanted to become a doctor. It's not because of the salary. I didn't even know about jobs' salary back then. It's because I loved hospital. I love the smell, I loved seeing the nurses and doctors passed by. I even loved staying in a ward, once.

I really wanted to know the feeling entering the operation theatre!

When I have become a teenager, I still wanted to become a doctor. I loved Medik TV programme back then on TV3. Seeing how the doctors performed the operation made me feel ecstatic and and grow more on to be a successful doctor one day.

I studied Biology and that subject has become my favourite subject, until now. I really enjoyed doing the experiments and I was hoping I could get A in Biology. Unfortunately, I got B3 in my SPM. I was kind of frustrated and my parents told me that I should become a teacher instead.

I think that teenagers should not be selective when choosing a job in the future because it's not easy to get jobs these days. You have to compete with everyone and you have to have a strong determination in doing your job. They should not look at the salary much but the passion that they have.

Favourite Team Sport

 

I used to watch sports when I was a teenager and my favourite team sport is The Red Warriors. They are one of the Malaysia football teams and they used to be the champion back then. I can't remember the year but I think they won the championship 3 years in a row (if I am not mistaken). 

They are my favourite because I am a Kelantanese so I should support my team from my state. Their famous tagline is "Gomo Kelate Gomo" which means fight well in Kelantanese dialect. 

I am not into team sport much; I prefer individual sport. But I love watching football match with my Dad back then. We used to hang out until midnight to watch World Cup in 1998!

Some people choose sports as their career but for me, I play sport to stay fit, not to make money. I have my stable job as a teacher and playing sport is where you kill your time in the evening. 

Traditional Food

 

My favourite traditional food is nasi lemak. I usually eat nasi lemak almost everyday. There are a lot of stalls or restaurant that sell nasi lemak in my place and it is easier to get it.

There are a lot of condiments that you can choose which are fried anchovies, crispy fried chicken, fried egg (or sunny-side-up), shrimp, cuttlefish and also clams. My favourite is ikan tongkol because I grew up in Dungun, Terengganu and they usually serve nasi lemak ikan tongkol (we call it ikan aya).

You can't call nasi lemak without its sambal. Some people prepare nasi lemak with sambal bilis, boiled egg (cut in half or a quarter, depends on the makcik who prepares it), slices of cucumbers and fried beans. The most delicious is when it's served in banana leaves where you can smell nice aroma of nasi lemak.

For me, traditional recipes should be passed on to the next generation especially Malay kuehs because not all people in this generation can cook all these things. I admit that I am not a good cook but I really want to learn to cook traditional food from my mother since she's an excellent cook. We need to preserve our traditional food if we don't do it, who will?

Foreign Language

 

I love learning new languages. Japanese is the one that I really want to learn and master because I love watching anime and J-Drama so I could understand what they are saying without looking at the subtitles. Plus, I wish I can go to Japan one day so I need to master speaking Japanese first before going there.

I plan to learn Japanese through YouTube and TikTok because it is much easier than reading the books. Besides, there are a lot of Japanese teachers do their online teaching through these two platforms.

There are some challenges in learning new language. One of them is the pronunciation. Some languages need to be learned in face-to-face classes because we can practice the pronunciation with the teachers. For example, Mandarin. For me, Mandarin is quite challenging because of the pronunciation.

Another challenges is how we are going to practice in real life situation. Native speakers tend to talk fast and we need time to process what are they saying and it is hard for us to reply them back. Furthermore, there are dialects that the native speakers use and this is very hard of us to understand.

In my opinion, teenagers should be multilingual because it is good for their additional knowledge and learning foreign language is fun. Being a multilingual shows that you are genius and have good brain because not all people can be multilingual. 

Social Media Influencer

 

My favourite social media influencer is Azfar Heri. I knew about him when I was scrolling on Twitter where I caught a short video of him doing the 'wiping out' that was going viral at that time. So, since then, I followed him on the Instagram and YouTube.

I like the way he nags about his days in his IG Story and the way he talks is funny. He is very spontaneous and the most important is he cares about his family especially his handicapped brother, Afif. Even though some people said that he is very annoying but I like his style. I don't really care about the way he coloured his hair or whatever he bought (most are expensive stuff). I never been influenced on certain things that he did (shopping or going to any events).

You see, kids nowadays idolize influencers. Some give good influences for example, Khairul Aming; some give bad influences (I am not going to mention names!) They are easily influenced by the current trends such as fashion, the way they talk (slangs or whatsoever), hair style and money spending. Some want to have what these influencers have even though that thing is pricey, as long as they want to be in trends.

Parents should tell and advice their children not too obsessed with the influencers because not all of them are good people. Besides, not or influencers have tons of money in their pocket!

Staying Safe Online

 

Most people nowadays use Internet 90% in their life. Well, some depend on the Internet 24/7 because of work or just play games.

Internet can be good and can be harmful too. I love scrolling on my favourite social media but I always be aware not to give any information especially the details. Back then, I heard a lot of news about people scamming others; some did something bad to others like stalking and robbing their bank account. So, I always be aware and tell myself never reveal anything about me. I even put other name so that people don't know who I am in the real world (except for Instagram where most of my family, relatives, friends and my students know me there). I even put account into a private account.

We should stay safe online because anything can happen these days. With the advance technology, not all people use it in good ways. Plus, people are getting rude especially teenagers where they become keyboard warriors to give bad and rude comments to others. This is one of the causes of cyberbullying.

So, all of us need to be careful when you log in to any social media account and always remember, never reveal yourself to strangers!

Traditional Costume

 

I am not really fond in Baju Kurung when I was a teenager because I prefer wearing casual especially with pants, not kain.

I usually wear Baju Kurung during Hari Raya only, back then. But when I become older and have my own job, I have to wear Baju Kurung. But I am so fond with the Royal costume where it is only be worn on very special occasion.

Nowadays, many people in Malaysia spread awareness about our traditional costumes. There's Keretapi Sarong where people wear sarong-theme costumes. I never join Keretapi Sarong but I think it can be practised in school. I believe that school students love this kind of thing.

Some teenagers dislike wearing traditional costumes because they think that it can only be worn during special occasion such as Hari Raya celebration and wedding ceremonies. They think that traditional costumes are not trendy for they prefer to be in trend. Some of them are influenced by what they've seen in social media.

So, I think it is crucial to spread awareness of out own traditional costumes because that is part of our culture and heritage. 

Online Friend

 

I have a lot of friends, whether in reality or on the Internet. I have met a lot of people online, especially in X. My good online friend is Amal. I met her when she commented and reviewed Hilal Asyraf's book, Nirnama. I was attracted to the way she reviewed and I expressed my opinion in her timeline. After that, we become good friend. She also introduced me to BBB (Borak Borak Buku) and I met a lot of authors!

However, we need to be careful to trust online friend. Make sure you don't be too friendly except you know them in reality. Some online friends have bad intentions when they want to seek their victims.

To be safe online, first and foremost is not to give any details information to anyone. This can prevent anyone to stalk you or harm you online or in the outside world. Secondly, do not share your pictures. Make them private so that no one can exploit your pictures in porno websites.

Having a lot of friends are great but when it comes to online friends, make sure you know how to stay safe.

My Favourite Day

 

Friday is my favourite day.

Because it's weekend!

Usually, I will do house chores after breakfast and after that, I will do things that I love doing such as reading novels, colouring therapy and crocheting, of course. 

At night, my son and I will watch movie from YouTube or binge our favourite cartoons.

Some people hate a certain day because they need to do a lot of work and some of them have to work in the weekends. I hate working in the weekends. Weekends means free time, not working time!

But people need to stay motivated throughout the week. They can go out with families, shopping and go to the park, relaxing. Or you can do something that you like indoors if you don't like to go outside.

When it's raining, I like to listen to music while crocheting or colouring. Sometimes my son and I play Scrabble or Game of Life to spend our we-time! 

Study Tips

 SPM is around the corner. Most of my students ask me about the effective study tips. Well, I am not good in giving tips but when I was still in school, I have my own timetable but I seldom follow it because I like to study in my flexible time.

Because of I am a morning person, I usuallu wakes up early and study or read books. Back then when I was 17, early morning is my perfect time to study. My mind is still fresh at that time rather than I stay up late until midnight.

I used to do short notes for History and Biology. In the weekend, I do the exercises for the topics that I have learned. 2 months before SPM, I did the past years papers. I think that is the most effective study tip because when you do the past years questions, you will know the pattern of the questions and you can do your own analysis.

Apparently, students like to study in the last minute. For me, it is not good because you'll feel panic and you don't have much time to revise on all the topics that you've learned. Some says they don't mind but as students, you should avoid that.

If you don't have time to do revision, you won't do well in exam. Students need to do well in any examination because they need to get good grades and make their parents feel proud of them. Not only that, they will also feel satisfied of themselves because their effort has been paid.

Sleeping Habit

 

I usually go to sleep at 10.30 or 11. I seldom stay up because I am not a night person. I am a morning person. I am trained to go to sleep early since I was a child. My dad wanted me to wake up early in the morning so that my body and mind stay fresh.

I will wake up at 5 so I sleep nearly 6 to 7 hours of sleep. For me, this is the best because it is enough to rest my body and mind.

If I have trouble in sleeping, I read novel or do crochet while listening to podcast or YouTube. I rarely have trouble sleeping except it is too noisy or in the light on. I need a very calm place to sleep and I turn off the light before going to sleep.

Teenagers recently don't have enough sleep because of the smart phone and social media. They love scrolling their phone, watching TikTok, for example so they tend to stay awake and don't realize the time. They need to limit their time in using the Internet, especially scrolling the social media. The blue light will affect their eyes and they will have trouble sleeping.

Pocket Money

Happy new year!

I promised myself that I will update my blog everysay with a topic. I think I need to polish my English writings so I will start with short blogs.

When it comes to new year, some relatives will give money to those who are still studying. I remember when I was in school, I recieved pocket money from my grandmas and my parents.

Usually my dad gave me RM5 per week as my pocket money. Back then, not all things were expensive. I only spent 50 cents everyday, buying nasi lemak at the canteen. But nowadays you can't get food for 50 cents. Even teh o beng is RM1! 

I bought nasi lemak for 50 cents, another 50 cents would be put in my piggy bank. Sometimes I saved 50 cents every day for a week to buy something that I want at the Koop. I loved the Pilot Gel Pen. It costed rm5 back then so I saved about 2 or three weeks to get the gel pen. Sometimes bought junk food for 10 cents.

My parents taught me to save money since I was little. They gave me the piggy bank (it's a house bank, not literally a pig) and told me to save money there. When the bank was full, they opened them (they had the key) and we counted the money and they will put it in my saving account.

I think parents should teach their children to save money at young age. Kids nowadays are influenced by the social media and the influencers. They spend their money more on what they want, not what they need. Sometimes they waste their money on unnecassery things because they want to follow the trend. 

Children should be taught on how to save money so that it will become their habit and they know how to manage their money wisely.