First News in Months...

Prologue: ...and in fact first post of August! This?! What a "FANTASTIC" way to start the month, isn't it?

...and this pops into my mailbox earlier today as a response from my query a few days ago.

Stories in nutshell: It's about a month since the previous deadline for JPA Postgraduate Scholarship so I decided to query about the status of my application. I DIDN'T GET IT. Click to embiggen.

Initial reaction:

...okay because it has already been stipulated in the requirement that as a postgraduate in the field of Arts and SocSc, I have to obtain First Class Honour or CGPA 3.67 in undergraduate degree to be qualified. Well, at least I tried with my 3.55...right?

On second thought (and rants start):

IT'S NOT OKAY.

This is an INJUSTICE perpetrated by CAPITALISTIC MARKET FORCES against people in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in order to push us to the fringe of knowledge. FUCK SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY & PROFESSIONAL COURSES (Yes, you accountants and lawyers.) for being "marketable" thus being treated more favourably by any scholarship bodies with lower requirement (JPA for example: 3.5 for Sci & Tech & Professional) compared to Arts, Humanities and SocSc. Our knowledge are equally valid in the advancement of human's greater good so what's with this bias against us Arts, Humanities and SocSc? Is it because our contribution is intangible hence harder to be measured unlike MONEY? And another thing (with specific reference to the field of Translation Studies), this is what happened when translators were not given professional, legally codified recognition. Everyone treat us like flakes, personal secretary which can be summoned and dismissed at will to handle that poorly written documents. IS THIS OK?

THIS IS NOT OK.

*rants end*

Anyway, I did ask is there anyway I can appeal for reconsideration so am still waiting for response from the JPA officer who replied me. I do feel thankful for their (relatively) quick response (three working days) to my query and I do pray that they actually accept appeal letters. As for other financial support options, my application to MyBrain15 is still in process as what the portal told when I tried to login and I am still not very keen of applying for Fellowship/Graduate Assistant scheme because of the 6 hours per week working with faculty members requirement (which means any menial job).

Looks like austerity measures might last longer that I thought.

Epilogue: Back to my oyster and hides away from reality. Need more reading. I will cut down the negative thought in future post, kay?