Latest news with #studygroup
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Melbourne café diner rants about 'rude' act taking place in this photo - before being slammed as 'entitled'
A university student's complaint about a group of women with children sitting near her study group at a Melbourne café has sparked a fierce debate - with hundreds weighing in on whether she's being entitled or simply asking for common courtesy. The student explained that she and a few of her classmates were working quietly at their usual café spot - laptops open, headphones in - when a group of women with 'loud kids' deliberately chose to sit at the table near them. There were at least 15 other seating options available, including larger and more 'suitable' tables elsewhere. 'Are we overreacting or is this extremely entitled?' the student asked on Reddit. 'To me, that's just inconsiderate. If I'm going to talk or make noise, I sit where others are doing the same - or at least not near people clearly trying to work or read,' the poster wrote. The student clarified they weren't expecting complete silence, but questioned the group's choice to sit in the only pocket of relative quiet when plenty of other seating was free. 'We had headphones on and they were louder than that. It wasn't that they were talking, it's that they chose to sit right next to the only group of people clearly trying to focus.' The post divided commenters immediately, with many telling the student, in no uncertain terms, that if she wanted peace and quiet, she should head to a university library instead of a public café. 'Embarrassing for you that you'd even ask this online,' one user wrote bluntly. 'You're in the wrong here. There are places called universities or libraries designed for studying - cafes are for socialising.' Others echoed the sentiment. 'It's a café, not a library. People can talk, take their kids, and enjoy themselves. Deal with it,' another wrote. 'I can't imagine being the sort of person who expects everyone else to be quiet in a quasi-public space,' said a third. Some pointed out that cafes are commercial businesses, not designated study zones, and that laptop users shouldn't expect to control the space. 'You chose to study at a place designed for social gathering - that's on you.' Still, not everyone sided with the loud group. Several commenters said that while cafes aren't silent zones, there's still a basic level of spatial awareness and courtesy that should be followed, especially when obvious quieter areas are available. 'If you know your group is loud and the café has a lot of empty seating, maybe don't sit right next to people clearly reading or working,' one user said. 'It's not about being silent. It's about being thoughtful.' Another added: 'Let's not pretend the loud and rude don't exist. I've been beside tables of people yelling at the top of their voices. The only solution is to move - or leave.' The drama raises a broader question: who gets to dictate the vibe of a public café? In Melbourne, where cafes are often filled with students tapping away at laptops, job-seekers taking Zoom calls, and freelancers treating cafes as makeshift offices, the boundaries between study space and social venue have become increasingly blurred. 'I've worked in cafes for years,' said one barista online. 'We get groups of students setting up for hours. They don't spend much, but they expect everyone else to stay quiet.' Others pointed out that café culture is changing - but not everyone agrees on whether that's a good thing. 'There are definitely unspoken zones,' one explained. 'The back corner? Usually quiet laptop crowd. Big tables by the playground? Loud chats and babies. It's not law, but most people follow it.' At the heart of the debate is a simple clash of expectations: one person's peaceful café corner is another person's perfectly fine lunch table. Was the group of women technically doing anything wrong? No. But could they have made a more considerate choice? Possibly. And for the student and her study group? Maybe it's time to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones - or head to the library after all.
Free Malaysia Today
18-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
How 3 SPM students defied the odds and rewrote their stories
(From left) Aqlee Azlan, Aidil Abdullah and Haris Haikal joined study groups that met for four hours every day, reviewing lessons and sharing notes. PETALING JAYA : They were written off as underperformers with no future, but three secondary school students from poor families took fate in their own hands three months before their SPM exams. They banded together to form study groups after having met at an intensive tuition course. A pass at the SPM seemed like a far-fetched dream for Aqlee Azlan, and he had decided to become a food delivery rider. He said he was unmotivated, overwhelmed and disconnected from his studies. 'I was getting really low grades. I had no reason to study, no drive. I felt like I couldn't cope,' he told FMT. Aqlee Azlan. But everything changed when he decided to take charge of his future and turned to his friends for help. He held small study discussions and asked for guidance on Mathematics and Science, the subjects that he struggled with the most. 'No one, not even me, expected I would pass,' he said. 'If I didn't put in the effort, I would probably be unemployed, or maybe become a food rider. But more than that, I would have been stuck, depressed, without direction.' Aqlee eventually scored 5Bs in Malay, English, Maths, Science, and Islamic Studies. Today, he dreams of becoming a culinary entrepreneur, blending his love for food with automation to make cooking more accessible. 'I studied 12 hours a day for two months before the exams. It wasn't easy, but I learned that without risk, there's no reward.' Aqlee was a participant of a pilot project by Dutch Lady Milk Industries in collaboration with the education ministry, which offered 20 students from poor families a three-month intensive tuition programme before their SPM examinations. The company's public affairs head, Ahmad Hisham Shariff, said they picked students who were really weak in their studies. Some of them had failed in all their subjects. 'It would have been easier to invest in bright students but our aim was to give a second chance to the weak and those from the urban poor,' he told FMT, adding that their next project will be in Sarawak. Stateless with hope Aidil Abdullah. For 18-year-old Aidil Abdullah, the journey was not just about overcoming poor grades, it was about finding hope despite his legal status. A Malaysian by birth, Aidil remains stateless due to complications in his family's situation. His father is Malaysian, his mother Indonesian, but was not registered at birth. 'I have always been an average student with big dreams. Being stateless made everything feel more uncertain, more difficult,' he told FMT. But he pushed forward, earning 6As in subjects including History, Malay, English, Science and Food Processing. He plans to pursue a diploma in nursing; his true ambition is to become a doctor – but he is unable to register for medicine due to the high cost involved. As for Haris Haikal, he never imagined being able to pass in English, Maths, or Science. 'I never had confidence in myself. I always thought I wasn't smart enough. I usually failed my subjects,' said the teenager, who scored 3Bs, 4Cs, and a D in his SPM. The turning point Haris Haikal. But the final few months before the exam changed everything. Haris joined a study group that met for four hours each day reviewing lessons and sharing notes. 'The group helped boost my confidence. We supported each other, and for the first time, I started to believe I could do better,' he said. His eyes are now set on becoming an automotive engineer and eventually opening his own workshop. The SPM results, he said, are proof that even the seemingly impossible can happen with hard work and the right support. 'To anyone sitting for SPM, don't give up. Find your support group, share knowledge and don't suffer in silence,' he said.
