Thoughts in my words... Life through my eyes

In need of some rescuing

2008-11-25T18:30:00.002+08:00

Multiplay theme: Save me
Corrine May - Save Me
Nickelback - Savin' Me
Remy Zero - Save Me
Simple Plan - Save You

Here's the inspiring video from Simple Plan which is dedicated to all cancer patients. There's always hope in every adversity...

I do feel like I need some rescuing. Falling sick and guess what, I have 2 papers in the next two days. My nightmare: Organic Chem tomorrow... Help! Went to see the doc at UHWC, got antibiotics... Here comes the "antibiotics VS self-recovery is better" debate. Feel so drained... Then when I think about it... There's always hope in every adversity...

Dalam kesabaran, semoga Allah mengampuni dosa-dosaku. Amin.
That's as much as I can do: Be calm and patient, try my best to resolve the situation, leave the rest to Him. God, save me...

I hope everyone takes care of their health during this crucial time. All the best to everyone. After Thursday, I can relax for a bit... keywords: a bit. Can't wait for 1st December. Think I'll FINALLY take up driving lessons. Anyone wanna join me?

Interesting quote for the day:
"Never look down on someone unless you are helping him up" - Seen on a "Compassion" poster

Of Endings and Triangles

2008-11-09T20:56:00.008+08:00

Lemme introduce a new thing I hope to make a feature on my blog: Multiplay! Songs that have common themes, similar titles or just something in common.
Multiplay Theme: Love Triangles
Frente! - Bizarre Love Triangle
Taylor Swift - Teardrops on my guitar
98 Degress - Invisible Man

Got the idea for the theme after hearing the acoustic version for Teardrops on My Guitar on Perfect10. All nice songs no doubt...

Yesterday, it was the last training before the break for exams and we had our first sparring session this semester. It was fun! Haha. I feel I have improved but I'm still not good enough... There's one thing for sure though... The team has great potential especially for the new members. Hehe, from the start, I saw Ronnie as someone with great potential and my lightweight 'rival'. Not a surprise that I was paired with him yesterday. He's really good... Made a successful jatuhan on me... which I balas with a sapuan. I could've been better though... Another person I consider as another 'rival' is Taufik... but he's out due to injury... Next time!

It was the first and last sparring session for Isaac Rigler: our Californian exchange student. We will miss you! Gave him a big card with our faces and messages. Kudos to Syikin and Izarina for the superb card. You guys are truly a family away from home.

Went to eat out with some of my cousins after training. Went to Bugis. Something you don't see everyday:

No, from my knowledge, engines don't catch fire like that... or I may be wrong. Scary though. Heard popping sounds... Hope no one was hurt.

Exams coming in two weeks time. I have two papers on two consecutive Saturdays! But at least my exams are somewhat spread out. Finishing on 1st December! Most worried for Organic Chemistry... After last semester disaster. Hope to pull my CAP back up. This semester's aim: 3.9. Hopefully, I'll achieve it. Amin. But sometimes, the view from here seem to only go downhill... *side-kick pessimism* I can do it! Like Nadia(Fadhli) said "When I die, malaikat won't ask how high my CAP score is". Can't wait for exams to end!

Interesting quote for the day:
"The best way to remember your girlfriend's birthday is to forget it once" - Shan & Rozz on Perfect10. Haha, it's a funny one.

A new beginning

2008-10-30T12:39:00.003+08:00

Yeah, I know I've not updated my blog for long... But this is too important to not be engraved into the blog...

I'm an uncle now! Haha. Congrats to my bro and his wife.

Arman Muzaffar - Born on 28/10/2008 at 2323hrs

In the arms of his mother

Now with my bro.

Now with the uncle.... Hehe

My mom said that he will call me 'Pak Ngah'. Haha.
Holding Arman in my arms makes me feel kinda old... I was thinking...
He will grow up and have cousins just like me now... The cousins will be from me and my other siblings... It's like a whole new generation.

And yes, it IS a new generation... and it begins with this little guy here... Looking at how my bro was taking care of my sis-in-law in the ward, I'm certain they will make good parents. Amin. Kinda scary... cos it will be my turn eventually, and it's like I'm not ready for it yet.

Interesting quote for the day:
"Everything you need is already inside. Just do it"
- Nike Ad for Olympic 2008

Inspiring Quote for the Day

2008-08-15T15:58:00.003+08:00

My interesting quote for the day is a whole entry. It is a speech given by Mr Adrian Tan (author of The Teenage Textbook) to the graduating class of 2008 at a NTU convocation ceremony. It is very funny but I really find it very inspiring. I hope to be able to inspire people the same way.
------------------------------

Life and How to Survive It
by Adrian Tan (author of The Teenage Textbook)

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It's a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable. Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you've already won her heart, you don't need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You're done learning. You've probably been told the big lie that "Learning is a lifelong process" and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters' degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don't you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.The good news is that they're wrong.

The bad news is that you don't need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You're in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I'm here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.
You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you'll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they're 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn't meet their life expectancy. I'm here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy. After all, it's calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average. Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.
If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate. Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows. What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.
Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free. The most important is this: do not work. Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable. Work kills. The Japanese have a term "Karoshi", which means death from overwork. That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust. There's a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are "making a living". No, they're not. They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful. People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense. Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway. Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself. I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn't do that, I would've been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction - probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don't imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I'll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher. Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don't, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I'm not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence. In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror. I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth.

I now say this to you: be hated. It's not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross. One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say "be loved". That requires too much compromise. If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone. Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work - the only kind of work that I find palatable. Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul. Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm. You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart. You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you. Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone. You're going to have a busy life. Thank goodness there's no life expectancy.

Beginning of School

2008-08-14T00:05:00.002+08:00

And so begins another semester of school. Haha, but to me, it feels like school started last week. Didn't have much of a holiday but nvm.

Lemme start with the longest day in my timetable:
- 7-hour lab sessions every Tuesday, 10am to 5pm
- 6pm to 8pm lecture every Tuesday and Friday
- Silat training 6:30pm to 9pm

Haha, a dilemma. I don't wanna miss out on training. What's worse, if the Team Manager doesn't come down for training kan macam rabak... Just looks bad. Farah is facing the same problem. So I think we take turns sitting in for the lecture while the other goes for training. So macam kalau Farah ada, Na'im tak ada. Na'im ada, Farah tak ada.

Workload looks grim. Taking PS2249: Govt and Politics of Singapore. The lecturer is very funny. I hope to enjoy the mod... but it looks tough. Politics hasn't never been my cup of tea. So I'm hoping this module will open my eyes. My spuspu taking also so, I'll be asking him alot. Haha.
Don't get me started on my core mods. But I think I will do better this time around. Since I won't be involved in so many activities. Only Silat =)

Speaking of which, we had our welcome tea last night. Many new faces turned up and I'm glad. I hope they will stay and join the Silat family. I hope we did a good job in inspiring them to stay.

Here's the video of what NUS Silat is all about:

And with school, I get to meet my friends again. Will miss the ones that have graduated. Will make new friends. Looking forward to meeting at forum then going to eat at wherever. I will focus more this time, so hanging out will be reduced. At least I hope so.

It's a new beginning. Thus far, it has been tiring. I'm working on campus for two weeks. Hehe. And right now, I'm enjoying it. Must not let the slow-paced illusion trap me again. Things will pick up fast as time goes by, just like any other semester. ALL THE BEST to all!

Interesting quote for the day:
"Only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable you are" - Bill Gates

Finally...

2008-07-29T00:02:00.004+08:00

*Blows the dust off my tagboard*
*Clears the cobwebs from my window*
*Sweep away the dirt under my archive*

Fuyoh, it's been more than a month since I updated this thing. Like 40 days... It was just one event after the other. Didn't had much time to update and when I do, didn't have the energy to. And I know it'll be kinda useless to write on 'benda yang dah basi'. Nonetheless, here goes. A very outdated entry on the FOC!

7-10 July: Refuge Zero Aid
I have alot to talk about this camp. Haha, you can either reminisce or roll your eyes as I try to put my memories into words.

It started with me being dead-set on becoming a faci. I've had my fair share of organising activities (6 to be precise) before this and I just thought for once, I wanna be part of something great without having to stress out organising it.
Many of my friends were already in the comm. Haha, I end up helping them. And turns out, I can appreciate the plot and explain things well. And so, they wanted me to be host. At that point, I told myself, "Say No, Na'im. Don't fall again. Don't be obliged. Say No."

I was able to resist for a while. But then, they really needed someone outside of the comm who knows the plot. I figured if I were to be a host, I couldn't recruit people much into silat. Being faci, you get to know the freshies better on a personal basis. A host would be abit detached from the group. But in the end, I decided on being a 'facilitating host'. Haha, a host that still goes to the ground.

One thing led to another and I was under the Programmes team with Hasanul and Khairiana. Let's just say it's a series of fortunate events that led me to eventually have a great time as the Host for Refuge Zero Aid. Alhamdulillah. Didn't think I could do it. Cos I lose my words easily when talking to a crowd. And cos my jokes are really crappy. But Alhamdulillah, I think I have proved to myself that I could do it.

Belum bual pasal the camp and it's already like 3 paragraphs long. Haha, many apologies.

The freshies were great! They were one obedient bunch of people. They were almost not Malay, haha cos there wasn't 'janji Melayu'. They kept to the time that we set for them, even coming down early to solat jemaah for Subuh. There were many funny and enthusiastic freshies around. Everyone was friendly. Can even see some leaders among them. And from their smiles and laughter, I think they really enjoyed themselves. Aizat buat Superman with his "Chiku-Cha, Chiku-Cha, Chiku-Cha-ChaCha" and they followed with glee. They played their games enthusiastically. Blow Wind Blow pun boleh jadi macam wrestling: tergolek sana sini. And I was most happy that they were into the plot. They were discussing suspects and the clues with intent. I was really happy that they really wanted to find who the dictator is, to the point of scrutinising every detail from clues like the newspaper articles. I planned the clues and the final profiles, and I was afraid that the participants wouldn't care about this whole "find clues, suspects and dictator" thing. So thanks alot you guys!

Made many new friends. Really thankful that everyone were welcoming. Made a photo montage to show how grateful me and the comm were to have you all for Refuge Zero Aid. Editing and captions by brother NorHafiz.

All in all, the camp was a great success. And of course, it wouldn't be a great success if it wasn't for the organising comm.
Aizat and Fahmi: The 2 PDs and Camp Commandants. Without the guidance, supervision, quick-thinking and leadership, we wouldn't go anywhere. Great job in keeping the comm and the camp together despite the many setbacks. Gua caya sama lu. Respect brader.
Hakim, Logistics Team and Helpers: I really salute each and everyone of you. The strong men and women behind the scenes. The people who sacrificed alot for the camp. They couldn't join the fun much but still gave their all to make the camp a success. Everything was carried out smoothly. Really appreciate all your hard work. *Gives a 21-gun salute, a standing ovation and fireworks*
Khairiana and Hasanul: Superb job on the Programmes. The freshies really appreciated the Campus Tour, talks and not-to-forget: the Southern Ridges Trail. Some parts of the initial plan had to be changed but everything went on smoothly. *Throws confetti* Congratulations for a smashing success!
Zuraimi, Izyana, Syafiqah, Fatimah, Ily, Khairunisa, Fairus: The publicity and marketing team. You guys rock! Without you, tak akan ada orang untuk camp pun. And we wouldn't have much to spend either. Despite the demanding tasks, you guys pulled off a fantastic job. *Gives points to everyone. Points may be used for CORS*
Zakiah and Tetiey: The two spirited rah-rah gals. Without you, I think the camp will be dead. I can only emulate what you guys have shown. I really admire how you guys can engage the freshies and lift their spirits. Kudos on the night games and Vivohunt. *Gives 3 Macho Claps and Power Clap*
The facis: Take my hat off for every single one of you. Thanks alot for keeping the spirits of the freshies up. Thanks alot for engaging the freshies in each activity. Thanks for taking care of their well-being. Thanks for taking initiative and all the help. Can't even begin on how grateful we are for all of you. *Salute and buys drink for everyone* (on Facebook)

Many thanks once again. Many apologies for any shortcomings on my part. Sorry if anything I said, did or didn't do were to hurt you all in any way. For the comm, I really enjoyed myself working with all of you. You guys are the best! For the freshies, I really enjoyed myself being your host and getting to know all of you. Hope to see everyone again.

Interesting quote for the day:
" No one is rich enough to be without friends. Make new friends but keep the old. New are silver, old are gold" - Author unknown

Aftermath of the war

2008-06-18T01:06:00.004+08:00

Well, here's my post-IVP post. pun unintended. Before I tell you about my match... I shall tell you about the team!

Hoirul: Silver for Male Class B
Hanan: Bronze for Male Class C
Wafi: Silver for Male Class E
Zul: Gold for Male Class E
Raiyan: Silver for Male Class F

Nadhirah: Gold for Female Class A
Nuraini (Nini): Bronze for Female Class F
Izzati: Gold for Female Class O

Faizal (Zola): Bronze for Male Tunggal
Farah and Faatihah: Bronze for Female Ganda
Zola and Hoirul: Bronze for Male Ganda

Alhamdulillah. Congratulations to all! Everyone, regardless you have medals or not, have made me proud to be part of the team. I believe we were the most happening team out there especially when we were cheering. C-kin, Petom, Doughnut, Joooke joke joke, Tumbuk jangan tak tumbuk, ...Rai...Yan... Rai... Raiyan, T-rex and much more. Another school even copied our Syukur cheer... Alhamdulillah. Hehe.
Training, fighting, playing, praying together... I'm really thankful to have you all in my team. Alhamdulillah.

Alrite, time for my match review. I came into the ring with some goals in mind:
- Do my best
- Don't disappoint the coaches
- Don't lose my stamina aka pancit
- Win

Alhamdulillah, I fulfilled the first 3 goals. And I achieved another... I had fun! I lost but I had no regrets. I was proud that I gave my all. I was proud that I did better than at NTU friendly. I was relieved that the coaches said I did a good job. Of course, there were alot that needs improving. So let's get to that:
- Speed
- Speed
- Speed
- Technique
- Aggression

I guess if I am going for speed, I have to further improve my stamina. I was thinking of training with weights to my ankles and wrists. For technique, I'll just keep polishing while asking seniors and coaches. For aggression... I seriously have no idea...

Anyone have any tips to improve myself? Especially for speed.

I believe I will come out stronger and better next time. I can say I did a good job for my first real match. It could be better but dwelling on the past goes nowhere. Look straight ahead to the future! Should I join silat outside of school?

Interesting quote for the day:
"The future depends on what we do in the present." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Wow, you can fit 4 in there!" - What you can say about a truck but not your girlfriend: Whose Line Is It Anyway. Scenes from a hat.

A Lover's Alibi

2008-06-12T15:30:00.006+08:00

My music player ain't working on this blog...So I removed it. Just wanted to share a tune in my head.

OneRepublic - All We Are

I'm a "lyrics" person so here are the lyrics:

I tried to paint you a picture
The colours were all wrong
Black and white didn't fit you and all along you were shaded with patience
You're strokes of everything that I need just to make it and I believe that

Time can tear you apart
But it won't break anything that you are, you are

We won't say our goodbyes
You know it's better that way
We won't break
We won't die
It's just a moment of change
All we are
All we are is everything that's right
All we need
All we need
A lover's alibi
Oh oh

I walked a minute in your shoes
They never would've fit
I figured there's nothing to lose
I need to get some perspective on these words before I write them down
You're an island and my ship is running ground

Time can tear you apart
But it won't break anything that we are, we are

We won't say our goodbyes
You know it's better that way
We won't break
We won't die
It's just a moment of change
All we are
All we are is everything that's right
All we need
All we need
A lover's alibi
Oh
Oh
Oh

Every single day that I can breathe you change my philosophy
I'm never gonna let you pass me by

So don't say your goodbyes
You know its better that way
We won't break
We won't die
It's just a moment of change, yeah
Ooh
Ooh
Oh

So don't say your goodbyes
You know its better that way
We won't break
We won't die
It's just a moment of change
All we are
All we are is everything that's right
All we need
All we need
A lover's alibi
Yeah

Ooh
Ooh

So don't say our goodbyes
I know it's better
We won't break
We won't die
Ooh

Gonna find their album and buy it!

After the First War

2008-06-11T00:30:00.002+08:00

Hmm... my music thingy like not working... nvm.

After one weekend of intense battles, we managed to clinch some victories. There were some loss but it was not without a fight! Alhamdulillah, everyone did great. I shall put in my best for my fight too! InsyaAllah I'll win till the end. Amin.

Seni
Tunggal
Zola - 3rd place
Nuraini - 4th place in Pool A

Ganda
Zola and Hoirul - 3rd place
Faatihah and Farah Natasya - 3rd place

Regu
Naufal, Hoirul and Zuraimi - 5th place
Izarina, Amirah, Izyana - 5th place

Tanding
Male
Class A: Na'im in Quarters (by-pass)
Class B: Hoirul in Semis
Class C: Hanan in Semis
Class E: Zul and Wafi both in Semis
Class F: Raiyan in Quarters

Female
Class A: Nadhirah in Semis
Class C: Syikin in Quarters
Class F: Nini in Semis
Class O: Izzati in Semis

Silat has 2 bronze... so for those who are in Semis effectively have a medal already! Congrats! 1 win and I get a medal. Pray for me. =)

I will update the timings as soon as I receive them. Come down and support us! We gladly welcome anyone!

Interesting quote for the day:
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney
Give me strength and courage. Amin.

Silat IVP Matches!

2008-06-06T00:53:00.004+08:00

Here are the fixtures for this weekend! Do come down and support us! The timing is uncertain but I try to arrange them in order to my estimation. And there seems to be some error... nvm.

6th June 2008 (Friday) starts at 6pm
Seni
- Ganda Female: Fatihah and Farah
- Ganda Male: Faizal (Zola) and Hoirul

7th June 2008 (Saturday) starts in the morning
Seni
- Tunggal Male: Faizal (Zola)
- Tunggal Female: Nuraini Bte Supaat
- Regu Female: Amirah, Izarina and Izyana
- Regu Male: Syed Naufal, Zuraimi and Hoirul
Tanding
- Class F: Fahmi VS Uzair (SP)
- Class C: Aidil VS Farhi (ITE)
- Class C: Hanan VS Fairzul (TP)
- Class D: Zola VS Khairul Anwar (TP)
- Class D: Yusri VS Khairul Ariffin (NYP)
- Class E: Wafi VS Syaheed (NYP)

8th June 2008 (Sunday) starts at 2pm
Tanding
- Class E: Zul VS Faizal (NP)
- Class A: Liyanna VS Muslimah (TP)
- Class A: Nadhirah VS Faradina (TP)
- Class B: Nurhanim VS Nur Aisyah (ITE)
- Class B: Farah VS Nur Aisyah (TP)
- Class C: Nur'Asyikin VS Nikmahtuszurah (ITE)
- Class F: Raiyan VS TBC
- Class B: Hoirul VS TBC

That's it from teamNUS this weekend.
What? Where's my name and other missing team members?
Our matches are next week! Will upload the fixtures when I get them.
Please come down and support us!

Interesting quote for the day:
"To be the ultimate team, you must use your body and your mind. Draw up on the resources of your teammates. Choose your steps wisely and you will win. Remember, only teams succeed" - Jose Mourinho

Awakening

2008-06-05T13:10:00.004+08:00

The day is near...

Time to gear up and get myself prepared to fight... Here are the images that come to mind:

I shall channel my Rage

I shall gather The Dark Force within

I shall awaken my Hitokiri

I shall call forth my Bankai

I shall call upon my Hollow

I shall release my Curse Seal

I shall summon the Bijuu within

I shall realise my Avatar

I shall release my Devil Trigger

I shall unleash the Rage of the Titans

Haha, I think most people wouldn't get what the heck I'm saying here. But nvm. Pray for me... Finding strength in The Almighty.

Interesting quotes for the day:
"Fall seven times, Stand up eight!" - Japanese Proverb

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog" - Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Some men succeed because they are destined to, but most men succeed because they are determined to" - Greame Clegg

Bond of Brotherhood

2008-06-01T23:41:00.003+08:00

5 days to IVP. It's "Inter-Varsity-Polytechnics" as corrected by Fadhli.

Had a secret training with Ramli today. Hehe. We trained at NUS MPSH2. It was open on a Sunday... Didn't think it will but Alhamdulillah. Didn't have the key so we couldn't train with the training pads or protective vests. Initially, we wanted it to be an intensive training session but due to the restraints, it couldn't be as intensive as we wanted. In the end, we went through what we would do in the fight, shared some techniques and practised some combos. I learnt a new technique and I hope to be able to execute it during the competition.

Then, we had a pseudo-match. 3 rounds of 3-4 minutes. Couldn't be in full force as we weren't adequately protected and even if we were protected, we don't want any injuries. Ramli was very encouraging and pointed out my mistakes and how to correct them. Alhamdulillah, he said I made a tremendous improvement since NTU friendly. Haha, the improvement was that I could SEE since I now have contacts. I was worried that it wouldn't make a difference but his words and our training showed that there was. Alhamdulillah. And I hope that I will perform just as well if not better during the competition.

We talked alot. From our memories to our hopes. From Naruto to NS. I'm hoping to do ganda next sem and I was just joking that if me and him do ganda, it will make a good team. It can be like NUS-NTU combined gitu. Haha, of course it can't be done. Sadly, as he says, "We will always be rivals". And yet, there we were, training together and having fun.

It makes me realise how thankful I am to have met him. He is the best friend I can ever have. Alhamdulillah. I'm thankful for the first day in my secondary school when I turned around to him sitting two seats behind me. We were best friends ever since. But it always feels like I have another brother in my life. Although we were separated in NS and university and I don't get to see him often, there is this strong connection that we have that I really hope won't perish. Last time, we would be playing wrestling in the school hall. Now, we are sparring together to improve ourselves. So thank you so much, Ramli. For being there, again and always. Relighting my hope. And sorry for the bruises. Hehe.

Interesting quote for the day:
The whole song of "Shoulder to Cry On" by Tommy Page.
It's our song.

As the day draws near

2008-05-31T00:54:00.003+08:00

A week to IVP! I think IVP means Inter-Varsity Playoffs.

Silat IVP will be held at Republic Polytechnic on 6,7,8,14,15 June. I'm not sure if outside people can come down to support. Hehe, if people come and I don't do well, it'll be abit embarassing. But I don't mind the support!

Or... make a trip to Taman Warisan and witness a battle of a different kind. A battle of wit, creativity and words... Pesta Pantun! The competition begins on the 7th and 8th June.

So, how do you feel when IVP is so near?
Well, I am confident I'll do better than NTU friendly. Yet, I think the fear may overcome me in the ring. Come on, Na'im! Be confident and half the battle is won! I just hope and pray that I won't lose in the first round. I'm aiming for a medal!

Any problems you foresee?
The people in my weight class are fast and agile.... REALLY fast and agile. I hope to have the speed also. All the techniques I learnt, I will try my best to apply them. And I pray my stamina lasts the whole match.

To the team:
We have trained hard. I know we could have trained harder but sometimes things just don't go as planned. So right now, let's just maximise what we have done. I believe we can achieve greatness. Just need the confidence. Whatever they say, ignore and turn it into something to drive you. Achieve and throw the words back at them. Haha, sometimes I just like to prove people wrong. Alrite! Let's do it for the team!
*huddle* PESILAT.... NUS!

And don't forget to do'a. It works. Cos, how can you expect something to be given to you if you don't ask for it? We can win! Amin!

Interesting quote for the day:
"Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong, to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong,
Headstrong, we're headstrong!"
- lyrics from "Headstrong" by Trapt
Hehe, the song kinda drives my fighting spirit.

Phoenix

2008-05-23T00:12:00.006+08:00

Guess why this post is titled as such

Yeap, it's been long since i posted an entry... let's just say my May schedule is packed. It is more packed than a pack of wolves playing with a pack of cards while smoking a pack of cigarettes each. Okay, kinda lame attempt but nvm.

So, once again, here is my life, bite-sized:

10 - 13 May: teamNUS Summit
Here's when I went to Malaysia for a leadership camp. Went to Gopeng... somewhere in Perak. Stood on the back of a small lorry with 30 people likening illegal immigrants. Did white-water rafting for the first time: Level 3 waters, so not so bad. Went caving at Gua Tempurung: Had to crawl in shallow water with stalactites just above your head - FUN! Rock-climbing at KL. Speed shopping at Malacca: we were only given 1.5 hours to shop... I had planned to buy some stuff but alas, unfounded. Made many new friends. Had alot of fun.

I call this pic: The Official Silat Exco Pic. taken at MyGopeng ResortMy group A4! Great bunch of people! Thank you all.

16 - 18 May: Silat Training Camp aka "Camp Make It 2008"
Barely had time to recover, and I was off to another camp. This time, I was one of the organisers, along with Yusri and Farah Natasya. Well, the program is mostly decided by the coach and we had a friendly with NTU on the Saturday so we needed to only prepare logistically mostly. Stayed at Raffles Hall. Yes, with the famous Hart Coort! Training was tough but fun cos you have friends around. I was trashed in my first ever match... I fought Yazid from NTU who was the Class B champion of IVP. Lost partly due to fear and mostly cos I was blind... wasn't allowed to wear specs and hadn't gotten my contact lenses. I was hitting air most of the time. Ah nvm. Shall do better! Fadzli (chong) broke his left arm again... Really feel sorry for him. Will no longer be active in silat in NUS... there goes a talent in our team... Get well soon! The game "Whose line can make it anyway" was superb. Everyone was sporting and very humourous... I have videos which can be used as blackmail... Muahahaha. The team had a run from school to Bukit Timah and back... My injured knee couldn't bear it any longer when I reached SIM. Was running like Terry Fox before that. So I got back along with some other injured people and we made Milo for everyone! The camp was a success. Though there were some hiccups... tapi yang penting happy! Many jokes and phrases such as "Hart Coort" and "Where is this from?"
Many thanks to everyone! The coaches, the seniors and especially Yusri and Farah Natasya!

Just some pics of the team. Let's achieve greatness this IVP! Amin.

21 May
This is when I wore contact lenses for the first time! Haha. Special ones for Astigmatism. The bi-weekly kind cos daily ones were too expensive to me. Took one hour to wear them! I find I can see clearer with my specs... So I shall only wear contacts for silat... And I've invested quite a lot in my specs. My mom say I look more 'handsome' wearing contacts while I think it's the opposite. For the record, I'm the only myopic one in the family.

23 - 28 May: GoStong-Royong
I won't be going to Mount Stong. But I will be the 'anchorman' here... any emergencies will be informed to me and I report to the respective parties as necessary. Enjoy the the trip, you guys! I pray you have a safe journey and come back home safely. Amin.

30 May
Exam results........... gonna have to brace myself...

Interesting quote for the day:
"You're alive. So live!" - seen on a t-shirt.

Just a post

2008-04-25T16:45:00.005+08:00

Checks the date... Oh wow, it's been two weeks since I last updated this thing. I am bored of studying...

This entry goes out to anyone who happens to be taking a break from revision or bored of studying and just happen to read my blog...

ALL THE BEST! GANBATTE! JIA YOU! YOU CAN DO IT!

Maybe you're feeling you can't finish studying on time. Maybe you're feeling you don't think you can achieve that CAP that you want. Well...

NO FEAR!

Follow these simple steps:
1) Do'a. It works. If you don't ask for it, then how can you expect it to be given to you. And, it corrects your niat in all that you pursue.
2) Usaha and Ikhtiar. Well, you can't just ask and hope for a miracle rite? You gotta work on it! Do what you can and do your best! Then, for those you can't manage to do? How? Which brings us to the next point...
3) Tawakkal. Have faith in Allah that the best will turn out. Of course, you can't just do this step and ignore the first two steps... it just wouldn't work. Have faith in what you have tried your best doing!

Haha, just sharing some thoughts. Actually, I'm more telling this to myself than anyone else... Once again, all the best, everyone! I pray that you all will achieve what you want in life. =)
After this small test in life, we can all enjoy!
And I look forward to spending quality and blissful times with you.
Interesting quote for the day:
"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending" - Maria Robinson

Having some sense knocked into me

2008-04-10T09:44:00.002+08:00

"Okay, one person will be in front. The other two will kick. Only one time; a quick one. The one in front will try to catch and buat bantingan or sapuan (throw or sweep). If you kick and don't pull back quick enough and get caught, try to resist. The one that catch but cannot banting, will then counter."

Everyone was stunned. Oh okay, that's something new. Well, I need to practise striking fast and pulling back my leg anyway. Then there was laughter, cos I was grouped with Raiyan and Jason. The two heavy-weights and me being relatively close-to-nothing weight... a difference of at least 5 classes. Could it get any worse than this?

Raiyan was in front first. My lightweight is apparent from being easily thrown. I could be made like a rag doll if he wanted to. At least I could get some kicks in.

Then, it was Jason. First few was okay. Then it happened. He caught my leg. And in a blur, he did a very high 'Nike' throw, almost likening the 'sandwich' throw Abang Azmi did on Fahmi. I think I flew... Then I landed... HARD... on the side of my head first on the edge of the mat... a few inches from the hard floor... A flash of white... A moment of numbness... Then, a throbbing pain. I was dizzy in pain. The impact on the left side of my body was overcome by the pain in my head. I opened my eyes and the room was spinning. The first words I heard, besides the "You okay?"s, were from Hanan:

"Ah kan... siapa nak buat mathematical equations dia sekarang..."

I wanted to laugh. But I couldn't. I sat up and held my face/head. It felt like it swelled up but of course, it didn't. Pain screws your perception. I stood up and my vision was veered to my right... Like there's a something blocking my left eye. They asked me to sit down and get a drink. In a trance-like state, I did. I was like, is there something wrong with my specs? Cos really, my vision was veered to my right... laid it down...macam okay. After some adjustments, it felt better. Came back and Raiyan now tells Jason to control his strength. Jason apologised. I forgave him. I don't think it's so much his fault. I'm so light that you can really throw me without much effort. He didn't throw me after that.

I was dazed for the whole night... even until I got home. I never thought my weight would be such a problem. Heck, I got thrown so much by Zul, durng King training, that it was embarassing. Well, I can learn to be less reckless in my attacks and pull back faster. Haha, but when you're tiny and try to resist the metaphorical giant, it's just plain demoralising.

And yes, I got some sense knocked into me. A slap back to reality. I always remember that any hardship one face is probably a test from Allah or a reminder cos you've been straying away from the true path. I've been slacking in my work... like seriously... wasted time alot... a sin I'm guilty of. I needed the push to focus. Coincidentally, I wanted to start from today. So the hardship and pain I got from that throw is like a reminder for me.
WAKE UP!

I still feel kinda dazed now. Hopefully my memory not affected. Haha. All the best to everyone! Selamat berjuang! Strive on!

Interesting quote for the day:
"Snap back to reality...Oh, there goes gravity"
-lyrics from 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem
Well, for me, gravity went off first, I 'flew' and then, I got that smack of reality.

Hit and Run

2008-04-07T00:08:00.002+08:00

*brushes off the cobwebs and dust on the blog*

Been long since I updated the blog. Many things have been going on, just that I don't have the time to blog. So I shall do a quick one. Bite-size.

Less than a month to exams

Many Birthdays this month, including but not limited to: Fahmi, Fadzli Chong, Zul. The gang has obviously planned something for each of them.

My abang bought a Honda Stream and my kakak bought a Mazda, all this week.

Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Ferrari doing good in Formula 1. Well, maybe not the best but I shall still support them. 1-2 finish at Bahrain. Will it be a 1-2 finish for the spuspus?

The zip for Adidas sling bag broke. Not even a year... Hopefully I'll get a shop to fix it. So I'll be carrying a backpack... feels abit different...

CM1131 mid-term test was pretty badly done in my opinion... I passed but it pales in comparison to the above 80 scorers. Help... Shall try my best.

When will lab reports end?
It's been a month, and I'm enjoying every moment of it. Thank you.
That's all I have to say... for now. May not be online as often, so don't miss me. *avoids the rotten tomatoes thrown*

Interesting quote for the day:
"I doubt therefore I might be" - seen on a card.

Do you remember...

2008-03-31T09:01:00.004+08:00

Before reading...
Tune in to: Semua Tentang Kita - Peter Pan
Click 'play' and skip to the track if necessary

Do you remember...
This date today
This once special day
This date, 5 years ago.

Do you remember...
The words we shared
The times we had
The faith that you will never go.

I shall take over
The tears you shed
The pain you held
The hurt I put you through.

I shall surrender
The tears I shed
The pain I held
And hope you'll forgive me too.

Let me discover...
The silver lining
A new beginning
The meaning why we end.

Let's start over...
Go our own way
To a brighter day
And be happier in the end.

Amin. I pray that happier end is with you. Amin.

Interesting quote for the day:
"So you take the smiles from all our years...
I'll take the tears..."
-lyrics from the song "I'll take the tears" by A1

Your Guardian Angel

2008-03-30T01:51:00.004+08:00

Tune in to: Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Click 'play' and skip to the track if necessary.

When I see your smile, tears roll down my face
I can't replace.
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul,
And I know I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one.

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all,
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

It's okay... It's okay... It's okay...

Seasons are changing and waves are crashing,
And stars are falling all for us.
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter,
I can show you I'll be the one.

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever.
I'll be there for you through it all,
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

Cause you're my...
You're my, my
My true love
My whole heart
Please don't throw that away.
Cause I'm here, for you
Please don't walk away and
Please tell me you'll stay...

Use me as you will,
Pull my strings just for a thrill.
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray.

I will never let you fall,
I'll stand up with you forever.
I'll be there for you through it all,
Even if saving you sends me to heaven....
I will never let you fall,
I'll stand up with you forever.
I'll be there for you through it all,
Even if saving you sends me to heaven....

I hope to be your guardian angel.

Looking for tutors

2008-03-24T15:48:00.002+08:00

I'm looking for someone to tutor my cousin. Here are the details:
Gender: Preferably female
Location: Yishun
Subjects: Physics and Chemistry
Level: My cousin is studying at NUS High School and her standard now is in between O level and A level.
Rates: Negotiable
Start on: As soon as possible. I know we have our exams, so maybe after that, when we have 3 months free.
Duration: For 1 year. 2 hours each week. Sunday afternoons preferably.

Help me ask around, please. Thank you!!!

Mega Carnival 08

2008-03-24T13:22:00.013+08:00

Yes, it is a very outdated entry. I've been very busy this week with reports, assignments and what-nots. So here it is...

Well, there were many problems that we had to face but Alhamdulillah we can manage them. The start was a bit diisappointing. It was a Friday after all and yes there were more people that came during the weekend. I'm one of the publicity officers for the event. On the actual day, I was tasked with manning the coupon booth and was somewhat the unofficial photographer for the event. I am considering investing in a SLR camera. All my pics are from Saturday and Sunday.

The dedicated and hardworking people manning the second coupon booth.
Faqeehah and Faiz (Fairuz's bro)

The best friend in the comm, Nadia, the other publicity officerThe rah-rah girls that were tasked with 'courting' people into the eventThe people manning the front coupon booth

It was Irah's birthday on the Saturday and we got Didicazli to sing for her

Atrika Dance company

Our very own, Ilsa Tari

Camhoring while we were bored. Notice the 1-2-3 fingers

My favourite funny pic: Attack of the Cross-eyed Ninjas

Some pictures on Sunday:

J.Da. The one on the extreme left is Ashri, my old schoolmate. Here, the PD and APD: Adriyanni and Nadirah present a token of appreciation to them

Sleeq, the hip-hop duo that young girls adore

The band, Merah!

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi graced the occasion and launched Akudeta, the online newsletterMe and Mr Zubir Abdullah. A very kind, polite and talented man.

Me and the Akudeta peopleZuraimi made an impromptu performance!Omar and Amalina,
the two emcees that lighten up the atmosphere of our event

For more pictures:
http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb159/shadow6_photos/Mega%20Carnival%2008/

Well, I really had fun in the event. Everyone is a joy to work with. Each of us has our own unique character that adds up to become the Committee for Mega Carnival. My character of course, is the lame crappy guy that cracks jokes most of the time. I really learnt alot from this experience and there are some things I wish I could improve on. Alas, let's just look ahead and work from there. You and me did well in my opinion. No creation of the invisible bubble. Alhamdulillah.
Interesting quote for the day:
"Life is a drawing without an eraser" - quoted from a vandalism.
I've always said that the best thing about life is that there is no 'rewind' button. Whatever we have done, we cannot undo it. There maybe errors or ugly patches on our drawing but we just have to deal with it. The best that we can do is to cover it up or just continue on drawing. Who knows, the once-ugly part can be a beautiful, defining part of our life... Hopefully, our drawings will be beautiful enough to be presented to the Almighty when we are done with them. Amin. And I hope that my drawing has you engraved in it. Amin.

When anger leaks out

2008-03-17T13:48:00.003+08:00

On another note, I met someone intersting yesterday at the Mega Carnival. I was sitting at the coupon booth when I saw a bunch of guys and girls coming in. One of the guys looked familiar... Where have I seen him before... Think...

Oh... No... Could it be?

Hudy approached the girls. Apparently they are her friends. Then I asked Hudy if they were from NTU. Yes they were. Could it be? Just need to know his name...

And coincidentally the guy was returning unsold coupons that we gave NTU for pre-sale. Zah called me to handle them cos she was unsure. The perfect opportunity...

Me: Oh, so where are you guys from?
Him: NTU
Me: Thank you for your support. You are?

Upon hearing his name... that settled it. It was him. At that moment, I was so tempted to say:

"Hi, I'm the guy you stole my girlfriend from."

But of course, I didn't. Instead, I asked for the name of the friend beside him. And I asked them to enjoy themselves and thank them for supporting us again.

Awakened inside was anger. It wasn't a strong one. Just a bitter one. It's not that I have not gotten over it. It's just that seeing him in person for the first time. I guess it's natural. I know that I will somehow get angry if I see him. But since I've gotten over it, I guess the anger has been watered down. So to prevent myself from potentially blowing up, I went to solat. Alhamdulillah.

I wonder how it would turn out if I did say that line...

Interesting quote for the day:
"The strength of a man is measured by how he can control his anger." - adapted meaning from a Hadith.
Am I strong enough? I still have to work on it.

When I thought it was over

2008-03-17T09:18:00.003+08:00

Alhamdulillah. The Mega Carnival is over. I would put an exclamation mark after each of the previous sentences. But it goes to show I'm tired.
Thank you everyone for your support! Thank you to the organising committee for this opportunity! Sorry for any shortcomings or anything I did or didn't do/say that upsets anyone. I know my lame and crappy jokes are untimely at times. Redundant, I know. I've made many friends with all of you. Even made friends with the boyfriends of some of you. We will still be working together in the near future... So yeah, I look forward to seeing you guys again. Not so much looking forward to the work though. Hehe.

I can't find my memory card reader. So I shall post pictures next time. But I shall give a holler to all the local bands and talents out there. You guys rock! Thank you for spending your time to perform. I can say I've become a fan of the local music scene. Hehe. And Zubir Abdullah is a very nice guy.

This morning, suddenly reality comes crashing in. The work I've put off or sacrificed greeted me when I woke up. I can no longer use Mega Carnival as an excuse. It should have never been used as one.
Tired as I was, I contemplated once again to go to school or not. 6:30... lesson at 8:00. Definitely late. How am I to finish all the work. I dunno how, but I have to. Just when I thought I could ease myself back into my normal life... My life comes crashing in like water from a broken dam or a pyroclastic flow from a volcano. Help...

Breathe in... Breathe out... Astarghfirullah... Bismillah... La Haula Wala Kuwata Illah Billah.
Segala pujian bagi Allah Tuhan sekalian alam. Selawat dan Salam atas Nabi Muhammad.
Ya Allah, Ya Ghaffaar, Ya Ghafuur, ampunkan dosa-dosaku...
Ya Allah, Ya Haadi, Ya Fattaah, berikan petunjuk dan pertolongan kepada ku. Sesungguhnya Kamu Ya 'Aziiz, Ya Jabbar.
Ya Allah, Ya Salaam, Ya Mu'min, tenangkan hatiku dan hidupku. Ku rasa tidak sanggup untuk mengatasi ujian ini... Ku mohon pertolongan dariMu... Selawat dan Salam atas Nabi Muhammad. Segala pujian bagi Allah Tuhan sekalian alam. Amin.

Interesting quote for the day:
"He that is down needs fear no fall." - John Bunyan
I shall pick myself up again. And again. And again if I have to.

Crash and Burn

2008-03-15T00:38:00.003+08:00

Tune in to: Crash and Burn - Savage Garden
Click Play and skip to the track if necessary
Dedicated to you, the one who lights up my day
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door
And you feel like you can't take anymore

Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone

When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away
And you feel like you can't face the day

Let me be the one you call
If you jump i'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone

'Cause there has always been heartache and pain
And when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again

When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart

Let me be the one you call
If you jump i'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone

Can't wait for it all to be over...

2008-03-11T11:06:00.007+08:00

Tune in to: Numb - Linkin Park
Click Play and skip to the track if necessary

(lyrics)
I'm tired of being what you want me to be,
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface...
Everything is stressing me out right now. So much to do with so little time. Lab reports, mid-term tests, projects and my various activities. I really feel suffocated. What did I get myself into... Kudos to everyone who has worse schedules and yet still be able to pull it off. And maybe even get good grades. Right now, I wish I can be one of them. At least I know now when to say 'no' when I have to.

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I've become so tired, so much more aware...
Been sleeping irregularly now. Even so, I still feel I've not done enough. Maybe cos there's so much stuff to do and what I've done pales in comparison.

I always tell myself not to regret in whatever that I do. But I can't help feeling that right now. Cos I go home late. And when I do, I'll do my work and become distant from my family. And the work seems never-ending. I don't talk with my parents much anymore and I don't play with my bro much anymore. Home almost become a place for free lodging and free food.
And sadly, it's not much of my academic work that I'm doing. I really feel that I'm lagging behind. I'm just barely able to understand what is going on. I'm no longer confident of what I've learnt... or try to learn... I really need to catch up. I can't afford to waste anymore time.
And every second I waste is more than I can take.

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I've become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do,
Is be more like me and be less like you.

No use feeling sorry for myself. I shall be strong. Take it all one step at a time. I will do my best and have faith. I will overcome this test in life. InsyaAllah. Amin.

Testing out

2008-03-06T20:56:00.003+08:00

Peace to all.
I'm testing out this music hosting thing on my blog. Press the play button on the player below...
Tell me if you hear a song. Tell me if you don't also. Haha.

Interesting quote for the day:
"Without music, life would be a mistake" - seen on a wall in the music shop: Gramaphone

Just to fill in space

2008-03-05T15:20:00.003+08:00

My knees are hurting. The Spu-spus (me and Yusri) ran from SRC to West Coast Park. We stopped at the playground area where we had the Vault'07 night activities there. We ran back but this time, we turned in towards Central Library. The uphill slope from the junction all the way to near YIH is a nightmare. And running uphil puts pressure on my lower legs. My kness are still hurting. At least the downhil slope at YIH and SRC was nice.

Yesterday was the public debut of my Adidas shoe bag! And also my debut after a haircut. People including my family have been asking me to cut my hair. So yeah, I did. It's kinda short now. But i think after a week, it'll be nice. Most people don't see the difference... so nvm....

After the run, I went to paste posters for Mega Carnival around Arts and SDE. Yusri followed me around. Thanks, bro. It's trying walking around pasting and pinning up stuff after the run. And we tried Coca Cola Zero. The new "no sugar" version of Coca Cola. The can colour is nice. Can match my bag. Anyway, it tastes the same as the original Coca Cola. Which is kinda amazing considerin "no sugar". It's abit more bubbly.
TASTE IT TO BELIEVE IT.

Oh yes, the CM1131 test was okay. I thought I wouldn't be able to do half the paper. But it seems I can at least do three-quarters. The final 2 questions were 25 marks each... the whole paper is 100 marks. So I was abit stunned when I saw the questions. Didn't have time to finish the last one though... Hopefully it won't be so bad. Amin.

Today, I went to school late cos I slept at 3am. Haha. I didn't understand the tutorial so, I was hoping to just be a sponge just now. I did participate in the discussion for my group. Made new friends too.
Just a note so that I don't forget their names: my group consisted of Me, Grace, Sihao, Wei Tian, Liyun, Shin Yi, Wei Li and Jackie.

After the class ended, we went to eat. After which, I becan my publicity poster pasting at YIH and Science. Hopefully people see them and come for it. I really hope so.

Here I am at forum and while blogging this entry, a lady approached me to do a survey. I recognised her as the one from SDU and I already did the survery yesterday. It was interesting. One Part was:
Are you dating someone and is in an exclusive relationship?
Are you dating someone but not in an exclusive relationsjip?
Are you interested in someone but not dating?
None of the above.

I told her that I've done the survey. Afterwhich, another guy approached me. Apparently he's looking for people that are willing to paste stickers on their laptop. Advertising. You get $30 for doing that. And they will paste for you and remove for you after 3 months. It seemed interesting. But if the sticker ges against what I stand for, I can reject it. He couldn't disclose the design and company sadly. So I decided to just give it a shot. $30 for doing almost nothing. And he said that there maybe 4 advertisements so I can get $120 in a year. Not bad.

Well I gotta finish up on my assignment now. Please come for Mega Carnival! It's at Taman Warisan (Malay Heritage Centre @Bugis). 14-16 March 2008. You can order your coupons through me. Only $5. It's for a good cause anyway. =)

Alhamdulillah

2008-03-02T23:01:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, the silat team had a performance at Hougang Park 6, somewhere around Hougang St 61. It was the 19th Anniversary of Perguruan Sendeng Pukulan and they decided to hold a mass silat display. It showcased the kids, youth and instructors of Sendeng Pukulan putting up a very nice display of this martial art. Other perguruans were also invited and 2 schools were invited: NUS and NYP. By the way, our coaches are from sendeng Pukulan. Hehe.

In my opinion, it was the best performance yet. Syikin, who watched it, second my opinion. I really salute Fadzli (Chong) for the choreography and coordination of our performance. We would be nowhere without him. I really hope you will still stay in silat next year. Thank you, Chong! And thanks to Abang Azmi and Taufik for guiding us.

Our performance showcased our foreign talents: David and Jason. They were in the same event as me i.e. Bela Diri. Everyone did a fantastic job! Congrats to everyone! I really enjoyed myself.

Here are links to some pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29922&l=56d7b&id=583720078
and
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29926&l=898d0&id=583720078

Alhamdulillah, our silat performance was great.

Today...
It's been long since I was this calm and grateful. Alhamdulillah. I believe this path I'm taking is the right one for me. Alhamdulillah. I hope to stay on this path. InsyaAllah. And I know you will be there to help me.

Interesting quotes for the day:
"Segala nikmat yang ada pada kamu, maka adalah daripada Allah, kemudian apabila kamu ditimpa kesusahan maka kepadaNya kamu meminta pertolongan" - An-Nahl: 53

"Dan terhadap nikmat Tuhanmu maka hendaklah kamu menyebut-nyebutnya (dengan bersyukur kepadaNya)" - Adh-Dhuha:11

Find happiness, near

2008-03-01T01:05:00.006+08:00

In two days, I accomplished 4 out of the 8 things "to buy and do" (ref. Feb 25, 2008).

Yesterday, I watched "L: change the world" with Farah! Okay, before you start rumouring, she is currently very happy with her boyfriend. And no, I'm not planning to ruin the relationship. No other guy friend I have is into this Japanese manga/anime kind of story. Wait, maybe no other friend is into this kind of manga/anime story. So yeah, it was like a spontaneous thing we decided after silat on Wednesday.

It was a great movie! The title for this entry is quoted from the movie. Another quote I like:
"No matter how gifted you are, you alone cannot change the world".
It may sound condescending but actually it meant to say that you need others to change the world together. The hero of the story, 'L', is like one of the coolest people ever! He is like a selekeh character but super-smart. You will just laugh at his antics. Like how he prepared a stick of sweets and pastries and hid it behind his back to surprise a crying girl. Or how he walks, sits, hold an object, types on a computer... haha, everything is funny but cool. I just find it sad that he has to die in the end. Darn it! Okay, I realise most people couldn't care less what the heck I'm talking about so moving on... Thanks Farah for the company. If not, I would've been alone watching and not understanding some parts. You rock!

Studied in school, forum, with Nadia yesterday after the movie. We discussed Mega Karnival publicity stuff and afterwhich we studied. Get to know her better... like how her favourite movie is my favourite movie. Guess what it is. Hehe. And then, Fahmi, Izarina and Zuraimi joined us. Diorang datang terus kecoh seh... Haha, funny. I realised that asal ada 2 BPians, mesti kecoh punya. I'm sorry Nadia if we were very distracting. But I can see that we brought some laughter to you! Haha. Izarina asked a very direct question that caught me off-guard. Likening a sapuan belakang while you are trying to sabit.

Bought a 2GB thumbdrive from the Forum Bookstore for $32.90. Dunno if it was worth it or not. But I need it.

Just now after solat Jumaat, had South East Asia module project meeting. Shall not divulge what we intend to do... takut orang copy our idea. After which, I went to Queensway with Yusri! Haha, yet another spontaneous thing. Padahal we kinda cancelled the idea of going there today. Okay, the time is past midnight. Let's pretend today is still Friday.

Got my clima-cool shirt and shoe bag! Bangga seh. It's been long since I bought stuff that I really wanted for myself.

Alrite, in case you didn't notice, the 4 things I did/buy didn't include studying. And here I am still able to blog. Just needed to write something out. Stressed about the upcoming 1131 test. Atiqah is stressed too! And she's like the mathematically-inclined girl. I shall do what I can. All the best to everyone! Hopefully your break was more fruitful than mine.

Should I even try?

Interesting quote for the day:
"Find happiness, near" - L

I would like to write more...

2008-02-27T01:14:00.003+08:00

I would like to write more... but I have so much to do... and so little time...

And yet... I've not started studying... Screwed... sigh...

Interesting quote for the day:
"Time and tide waits for no man"
If only time will wait...

Things to buy and do

2008-02-25T01:04:00.003+08:00

Things to buy:
- shoe bag. Adidas, no doubt
- thumb drive
- earphones
- dri-fit / climacool shirt... maybe not
- slippers, suitable for daily school usage

Things to do:
- publicity for Mega Karnival, it's 14-16 March everyone!
- study for CM1131
- watch movie: Leap years? L Change the World?

Anyone wanna join me?

Interesting quote for the day:
"I'm not perfect, but some parts of me are pretty awesome"
-Seen on a t-shirt worn by a girl. I was laughing. Haha.

Dude, where's my wallet?

2008-02-22T21:47:00.004+08:00

An alternative title for this entry: "24"

Okay, yesterday I lost my wallet. I realised it when I was making my way to shower at YIH from gym training. Was walking with Syed while carrying my laptop and clothes then I realised, why is it a bit light?

I checked the pockets of my jeans and I realised my wallet was missing. But I was calm. I put down my stuff and checked my bag. Not there. Asked Syed to look after my stuff for a while. My first thought was: My jeans pocket is abit shallow, so the wallet can easily drop out. Where can it drop out? Went back to the gym and searched the place. Not there. Traced my steps to the toilet where I changed... Not there. My wallet dropped out while I was changing before. I did not panic Alhamdulillah. I think all the mental training of "The first step to a problem is not to worry about it" did turn out well. Went back and forth 3 times and Syed even helped me. Matric card... Ez-link card... $80... family picture... okay that's all that's important inside my wallet.

So we tried to find a security office near the area. Didn't know where. I called the Campus Security line and the person directed me to the Lost and Found line. But no one picked up. It was past 5:30... So the office maybe closed. I was like thinking... how do I go home? Oh yes, I have coins what. Oh wait, the coins are in my wallet. Haha. Stupid moment. I had my ATM card with me. Alhamdulillah. I separated my ATM card from my wallet in case I lose my wallet. True enough, it kinda became a self-fulfilling prophecy. And no, I don't carry my IC around.

Tawakal. Maybe this is balasan for my previous dosa-dosa. Hopefully I'll be forgiven. So we went to YIH where I found out from Aizat that the Lost And Found Centre is at the Student Services Centre. Went there but it was closed. Never mind. Kalau tak dapat, takper. Then I began looking at the bright side of things:
- I could have lost more expensive things: my laptop, my PSP, my camera, the watch my mom gave me. So yeah, the wallet is small compared to any of that.
- I could have lost my dignity, or my memory, or myself. Okay, not funny.
- Hey, I can finally use the new wallet I got for my birthday 2 years ago.
- Learn that separating my ATM card and wallet is indeed a good idea. Alhamdulillah.

Had Mega Karnival meeting. After which, I went back home with Khairi and her two friends from NP, Taufik and Bilal. Khairi lent me her spare Ez-link card. Thanks, owe you one.

The next morning, which is this morning, I wanted to call the office again. But since I had lab from 9-12, I couldn't. I called after I finished my experiments. They said since my matric card was inside, if they find it, they would email me. So I just have to wait for the email. No email.

After SEA lecture, I went to Central Library to print my lab report. Borrowed Amirah's card to get in. After printing the notes, I was about to go out of the library when I thought: Why not I check with them here... Talked to the reception lady who asked me to go to counter 4 inside. But I told her I couldn't cos I don't have my card. Hehe, she let me in and I proceeded there. Apparently there was a Lost And Found display and there I saw it... my wallet, with a note tied to it "Reference Section, Level 5. 21/02/2008"
I went to study there before I went to gym yesterday. ALHAMDULILLAH.
The librarian that return it to me asked, "Why so careless?". With an embarassed smile, I replied, "At least I get a second chance". Haha, was so happy. Alhamdulillah. I really thought I had my wallet all the way when I went for gym.

To the person who returned my wallet to the appropriate people, THANK YOU! Owe you one, whoever you are. Karma does go around so hopefully it'll reach you!

There you have it. about 24 hours without my wallet. So morals of the story:
1) Never assume the scenario until all the possiblities have been considered. Like me, I only narrowed my mind to the possibility of dropping my wallet while I was changing.
2) Usaha dulu, baru tawakal. Next time, in any situation I shall try my best to solve the problem from all angles before tawakal.

Interesting quote for the day:
"You don't know how much something means to you until you lose it."
This is a cliche line with variations so I dunno who actually said/wrote it. Of course, this quote applies beyond physical and material losses... Treasure your family and friends before you lose them or you leave them...

Happy Birthday to Zikri!

2008-02-20T23:36:00.003+08:00

Today is the 8th Birthday of my youngest brother, Zikri! May he grow up to be a good Muslim and a good son. Oh yah, and a good brother too. Amin.

Well he got what he wished for which are Transformers figures. 5 of them!You know, the toy robots that can transform to vehicles which Universal then based their movie upon. Actually they are something that I would like for myself too. Haha, I just like forming and manipulating stuff. Explains why I love origami, Lego, Power Ranger Zords, mechanic work and basically any other thing that involves fixing and making form. But no, that does not include Bob the Builder cartoon series. Yes we can!

So yeah, I have an excuse to play with them. I had silat so I reached home late. Going back by 963 is not a bad idea. Got to know that Taufik and Din lived in Woodlands too. So the gift-giving was already done and the excited Zikri wanted to transform all of them. Hehe, my father and elder bro couldn't transform Optimus Prime fully but I could. Alhamdulillah. Hehe, they were actually waiting for me to come back cos they kinda knew I would be able to do it. Nice to feel reliable. Yes, even if it is just about transforming a toy robot.

I feel like skipping classes tomorrow. Tired. Haha, I shall write a backdated entry about meeting my JC tutors, Mdm Ong and Mr Akshir.

CM1131 is killing me.

Interesting quote for the day:
"It's more than meets the eye... with you"
- Sam Witwicky, played by Shia LaBeouf in the Transformers movie.
A cheesy line he said to court the girl that obviously is in the script cos it makes use of one of the Transformers slogan.

What will my story be?

2008-02-18T01:16:00.005+08:00

Just a short entry.

My family just received the DVD which contains a short video of my abang nikah and sanding. There was even an interview of my bro and Kak Artina. The interview was held a few weeks before the nikah.

It was sweet and interesting. The questions were like:
- What most attracts you to him/her?
- How did you two meet?
- How did you fall in love?
- How many children?

Looking at their smiles and answers to the questions, I can see they really are made for each other. Takdir, Alhamdulillah. I find it especially sweet when they answered how they met and fell in love. Hehe. Sure to be a nice thing to tell the children. Maximum 3, you say? Haha!

Then it got me thinking... What will my story be? Wouldn't it be nice to have a nice story of how you met your soulmate to tell your children. Haha, I'm a romantic at heart. A sucker for love stories and sad songs. And I hope my love story will be a touching one. A story which makes people go "aww... sweet..."
*snap back to reality*
Well, for now I can only dream... Haha, I don't even have the cover page of my love story and already I'm thinking of the story to be a sweet one.
To my future love story, whoever Allah takdirkan for me, I'm not perfect and I hope you'll accept me. I'll be the sunshine to brighten your day. And I'll be the moonlight to guide you through your darkest times. Oops... terjiwang sekejap.

Interesting quote for the day:
"I don't know who you are but I'm with you"
- lyrics from the song "I'm with you" by Avril Lavigne.

That 'special' day

2008-02-17T00:59:00.003+08:00

Seumur hidup aku... ini yang pertama... (All my life... this is the first time...)
...
...
...
that I receive gifts on Valentine's day. No no, they were not from admirers. It's from friends who give gifts to all their friends, treating the day like Friendship Day. Really, it's my first time getting gifts on this supposed day of love. Guys don't give gifts to other guys... it's just wrong. Yet another social construct. I got Rocher from Michelle, muffin from Sarah, chocolate from Khairi and my all-time-favourite: brownie from Nani. Thanks to everyone!

On the Tuesday before Valentine's Day, NUS MS had the Intelligentsia Discussion on "Gender Relations". Aptly titled and timed, in my opinion. Had some interesting points that were raised. Learnt about Nikah Gantung which is a Malay adaptation to Nikah Mithiar (unsure of spelling). There were many questions raised but not many answers were given. So, I came out abit disappointed from the discussion.

The question that most interest me was:
Is nikah gantung a good alternative to address the issue of dating?
So here's my take on it. Somehow I get a feeling I may be flamed for this. Nikah gantung works like this: The man and woman undergo nikah or the solemnisation of marriage while both families agree that the man need not give nafkah to the wife and that he can be away from his wife. Both of these actions can result in talak so this agreement prevents that. So this makes the man and woman officially husband and wife but they live in separate homes. Dating will be halal cos they already nikah. And when the time comes when the man can support himself and his wife, the agreement can be changed and he will be a 'true' husband: fulfilling all his roles.

Sounds nice and dandy isn't it? The reason why we are even considering nikah gantung is because we want to be able to choose our life partner. We want to get to know the person better before making the decision to marry him/her. This usually involves dating; which is strongly debated to be haram cos it may lead to zina. Yes, we cannot generalise that all relationships lead to that but take it as a safety precaution. Like the facilitator pointed out, we all want to be the best Muslim that we can be. We want to act within our religion to the best of our ability and not get kemungkaran Allah. That's why we are having this discussion in the first place. To be a better Muslim. So isn't it good that a couple nikah gantung so that they can date without worrying?

But... what if things don't work out? Are they gonna divorce? Yes sadly, that can be the result. Let's face it, we've seen relationships break up after 4 years or 2 years or even 6 months. Moreover, even married couples can divorce in those same time scales. So what, a couple that nikah gantung and finds that the person isn't the one is just gonna divorce? Sesungguhnya antara benda yang halal tetapi Allah tidak suka ialah talak. So are we gonna let people nikah gantung, divorce, nikah gantung again with another person, divorce and nikah gantung again until they find the right one? I may be exaggerating but this can be a reality. There are people with many ex-girlfriends or ex-boyfriends. Divorce will then be taken lightly or worse, the nikah is taken lightly. If it is just so that the couple can go out on dates and hold hands, then it's not worth it in my opnion.

Ultimately, the couple that wants to nikah, be it gantung or not, has to be ready to be committed to each other. I quote from somewhere, "In a relationship, commitment means to stay true to the person even though a better person might come along." So is the couple ready to make this kind of commitment? If so, by all means. As much as we want to avoid zina, we must avoid talak and divorce too. And there can be other ways to get to know a person without dating. So far, I can only think of MSN. You can get to know a person through online conversations, really. Of course, you won't know how the person behaves outside and how he/she treats others if you don't see the person, but hey, it's a start. And I heard it's possible to have a relationship without dating: talk online or phone, share thoughts and problems, send gifts via snail-mail. Or, you can date with that person and you bring someone along, like your siblings or parents. That'll be cool.

In sum, nikah gantung is only a good choice if the couple is mature and ready to commit to each other. In all that you do, let your conscience guide you. Cos the ability to tell right from wrong is inherent. And you get dosa only if you know that's it's wrong, but you still do it. That's why those who do things unknowingly are pardoned. So if you are 'was-was' or unsettled as to whether it is right or wrong, leave it. Better to be on the safe side.

Well these are just my thoughts. Not preaching and not criticising, just writing my thoughts. I apologise for any mistakes. I am only human and Allah is Most Knowing. Wallah Wa'alam.

The Start of Something New

2008-02-04T23:06:00.005+08:00

Assalamu'alaikum to all. Peace be upon you.

Here's the entry about my bro's wedding. Cos I don't think the previous entry does justice to such an important, significant event in my life. Sorry for the rather delayed entry... Right now, it still kinda feels unreal that I do have a new sister-in-law. It's like a fairytale... love in JC, stayed strong for 9 years and finally tied the knot. 9 years, fuyoh. Alhamdulillah. Congrats once again to my abang Firdaus and his lovely wife, Artina.

2/2/08, Saturday

So it begins. The day of the nikah. The date is significant cos my parents nikah on the 2nd of Feb. And... Kak Artina's parents nikah on the 2nd of Feb too. So it's uber-cool that they are also going to nikah on the 2nd of Feb! Preparations already began in the morning. Everything is being set up downstairs. Not at my block 237 but at 235 cos there's not much space at my void deck due to the Resident's Corner. Helped out in the setting of the tables and chairs. Jiwa Logistics. Changed to baju kurung around Zuhur cos my abang is gonna go for akad nikah!

That's me and the king for the day

Look at all the barang hantaran

Akad Nikah. One time good one.

Isn't that sweet?

I think the line that we have to say for akad nikah is the second hardest line we have to say in our life... The hardest being 'La illaha Ilallah' before we die. After the akad nikah, I went back and changed out. It's time to wash plates! Guests are already arriving. There were so many of them! We (me and my cousins) worked until 11:30pm! The first time that I see the majlis last so long on a Saturday. Was getting stressed but for my abang, I shall not complain and keep working. Slept around 12:30am. Tomorrow is the even bigger day. Rather... today cos it is past midnight..

3/2/2008, Sunday

In the morning, went to wash plates again. It's fun when you wash plates with your closest cousins. Kecoh.

The unsung heroes

After I barely started, it was already noon. The Kompang Guys were already there. Nice to see faces of old friends. My abang is leaving to fetch the bride at 12:30pm. Which means I have to get dressed nicely so that when he comes back to sanding, I won't be in my wet trousers and shirt when taking pictures. Entertained the guests, meeting old acquaintances. Fairus brought an American girl, Tasha to the wedding cos she's taking Malay Studies and wanted to learn about our culture. My bro and wife were supposed to arrive at 2:30 but they came after 3, kesian that some of his Chinese friends and other old frens waited long for him. Well, can't be helped.

The kompang guys(posing nyanyi)

The main attraction

My family. Notice that my parents on the pelamin.
It's like their 28th Anniversary

Well, I did silat pengantin for my bro. Nervous gila... It was kinda weird to do it while going up the steps and onto the narrow runway. But everyone said it's nice. Alhamdulillah. Zuraimi's one is superb! After phototaking, back to washing plates and it basically went smoothly from then on. My bro went for his honeymoon during the Chinese New Year holidays to Bintan. I rarely see him nowadays cos he's staying over at the in-laws. All the best to him. Amin.

Interesting quote for the day:
"You complete me" - Tom Cruise in the movie, Jerry Maguire

Congrats to my bro and wife

2008-02-03T22:09:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, my abang just got married. Yesterday nikah. one time good one. And today sanding. All went well. Not perfect but well. Alhamdulillah. It's tiring for me but it was worth it. Screwed up abit in my silat pengantin debut but nvm... I'll learn.

I would want to write more but I'm just too tired. Gonna sleep now... what would I give for a backrub and massage...

Interesting quote for the day:
"All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing"
- adapted from the National Treasure movie. I can't remember the exact quote.

Breaking the hiatus

2008-01-30T09:24:00.000+08:00

Last night, the Cen Com had late dinner/early supper (so what does that make? 'dipper'?) together. Will upload the photos soon! It was a get-together to 'relive old times'. But, it was just a week ago, why so early, you may ask? Cos any later, everyone will be busy with assignments, tutorials, essays, lab reports etc. So I guess that is the last time I get to slack and enjoy my time with friends. I gotta focus myself now. Juggling around 6 things with 2 hands. Ganbatte! I can do it! InsyaAllah. Amin.

Oh yes, before the 'dipper', I ran with Yusri to boost our fitness. We ran at quite a fast pace. From MPSH to Fong Seng and back via Central Library. The slopes are a killer... Pancit (wear out) myself on the way back. Just goes to show I need to really improve my fitness. It's been long since I perspired so much from running alone. NS time maybe? InsyaAllah, we'll be running every Tuesday.

Stayed over at Kent Ridge Hall. Yeah, not joking. I'll be staying alot more this semester. Since I think I can really cut down the travel time. Thus, more time for studies... hopefully. But does that mean less time for family? Argh... the dilemma.

Interesting quote for the day:
"If all good things last forever, would we appreciate how precious they are?" - taken from Ily's nick.
I find it so true...

One week till I have a sister-in-law

2008-01-27T23:09:00.000+08:00

One more week. So fast... Alhamdulillah, everything is prepared. Just left with minor details like making the bunga mangga. And I have learnt Silat Pengantin! Many thanks to Fadzli (Chong) for teaching me. He's really a nice guy. I'm really learn alot from him. Shall call him my shifu or sensei.
Prepare for my public debut! Actually not a debut cos I've performed in public before during the PPIS performance last month. Hehe.
Here's some pics of the silat team at Mr. Prata. So fun eating with all of them:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26974&l=291cc&id=583720078

Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open! I'm so happy! The match was superb! Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was good also. Unseeded and crowd favourite to win. I agree with the speech at the end, "Tonight, we have a champion and a champion-in-waiting." Tsonga will have to wait this time cos Djokovic came out top. Haha, 20-year-old and already a multi-millionaire doing something he loves. But here I am, a 21-year-old stressing over my life in uni. InsyaAllah I'll be successful too. Amin.

Actually I'm kinda stressed out by all the things that I've committed myself to. Feel I can't commit to the many committees. Feel like I've committed a crime to myself. Okay, I shan't pun 'commit' and 'suicide'. This will really teach me to say 'no' when I can. I will learn not to feel obliged to help everyone that comes to ask for aid. I shall learn to be more selfish. Ironic, I know. For now, I hope everyone will bear with me in my struggle to perform the best I can for everything. May Allah give me strength and patience. Amin.

Interesting quote for the day:
"It's an uphill slope
But I won't lose hope
Till I go the distance
And my journey is complete"
lyrics from "Go the Distance" by Michael Bolton (in Disney's Hercules)

Just an interesting day

2008-01-25T22:09:00.000+08:00

Had my first lab of the semester. CM1131: Basic Physical Chemistry. Was abit late... caught the 7:45 bus thinking that I will reach in a hour's time but due to the traffic jams at various parts, I reach school at 9 which is when the lab is starting. Rushed to the lab. Note to self: the traffic conditions at 7:45 is a lot worse than the conditions at 7:00.
When I reached the lab, they were doing experiment 4... I printed the manual for experiment 1 and 2 only cos my printer ran out of ink so I felt really screwed. Dah lah lambat... So I made my first new friend for the semester, by... "Hey, my printer ran out of ink so I only printed until experiment 2. May I borrow yours to read? Oh by the way, what's your name? I'm Na'im."
It's not the first time I forgot to introduce myself first before making a conversation. Haha. The experiment was pretty easy, just that it is time-consuming. We had 5 minutes interval between readings, so I made friends with everyone at my table. They say I don't look like the teaching kind. My merepekness and crappiness obviously made them doubt. At least I make them smile/laugh. Hehe.

Had lunch at Megabites after lab... when I wanted to order... the 2 workers that saw me immediately said "Chicken Cream?". Haha! I was pleasantly surprised. Okay, in case you didn't know, I always order the same thing cos I like it so much. I replied with a smile after the surprised look "Ah, how you know?" "Yah, I remember you."
That was the first time that they actually say out my order for me. Haha, so I guess from now on, I can just say "The usual". Chey, macam banyak punya besar gitu. Feels nice to be remembered. Yeah, even from 2 chefs in a restaurant.

Solat Jumaat, lecture at Arts, followed by lecture at Science. Fridays are gonna be a drag for me. After school, I went to town to find my present for Zikri. His 8th birthday is coming up on 20th Feb. He's been wanting Transformers figures so I shall grant him his wish. Went to Wheelock Place with Nurul'Ain. Thanks for the company =), appreciate it! The really nice big transformable figurines of Optimus Prime and Megatron were like almost a hundred each. I wanted to buy those two cos takkan robot nak lawan seorang diri. Haha, so I was in a dilemma: being a super-nice brother and burning a hole in my pocket OR being a nice brother and buy something less nice. I went with the latter and bought smaller versions of the 2 robots that cost slightly above a hundred for BOTH of them. Must think for myself sometimes, cannot be too nice. After that, I decided to send 'Ain off at the bus stop so we walked all the way to Somerset. Nice to catch up on stuff and talk about anything. Shared some funny stories. Hehe. Oh yah, stopped by Mrs Fields at Cineleisure to buy brownies for her friend. Now I know where to get nice cookies and brownies!!! Haha.

Talking about life with 'Ain plus her notecard makes me grateful to have a loving family and many friends who care for me. Not everyday someone calls you a 'hero'. Touched. So, my sub-nick for tonight is "grateful. Alhamdulillah" which goes out to my family and friends. My life wouldn't rhyme without all of you. Thanks for being there! You all are treasures that Allah has blessed me with. Alhamdulillah.

Interesting quote for the day:
"I only hope that I'll one day deserve what You've given me.
But all I can do is try, everyday of my life."
lyrics from "Breathless" by Shayne Ward
It is a romantic song, but I just take this line and interpret it as such: The 'You' is Allah. Alhamdulillah for all His blessings. Sometimes we forget to count all the blessings that have been given to us. And I sometimes feel I don't derserve all that Allah has given me. So, I shall try everyday to be a good Muslim and be grateful. That is the least I can do. Syukur, Alhamdulillah.

This entry goes out to my Cen Com

2008-01-24T12:41:00.000+08:00

The post mortem meeting made me realise that the Cen Com is a very close bunch of people. Everyone is practically friends with everyone else. We weren't chosen by an EXCO... We just roped in our friends who roped in more friends.

It's funny when I think about it. It all started at MS iftar where we were handed out this list of events for the upcoming year. We were to indicate which events we want to participate in and if we want to organise them.
Yusri: "Eh, aku macam nak organise Night Cycling ah. Seems interesting."
Me: "Boleh ah, kau nak jadi apa?"
Yusri: "PD"
Me: "Set ah. Kalau kau PD, aku jadi APD"
Then Zuraimi got to know and he also wrote his name for APD.
Zuraimi: "Boleh ke ada 2 APD?"
Me: "Boleh punya. There's a first time for everything"
And there you have it, the 3 of us engaging on something serious for the first time despite having known each other for more than 5 years.

After a month passed, we got to know that no one else wanted to take charge of the event, so Yusri became the offical PD. And so began the hand-picking of members for our comm. Gadisti and Aizat were the first 2 to join after I mentioned to them during Breat-fast Kit giveaway period. I volunteered to be in-charge of Logistics. Roped in Haekal who can't cycle, thus be a perfect candidate for Logs team. Yusri got hold of Izarina and Izyana. I asked Khairi to join the team when in fact Izy was supposed to ask her. They kinda made a pact that if either of them joins an MS event, she will rope the other in as well. Izarina recruited Ily who in turn roped in Rasheilla and Nurul. Yusri roped in Fahmi. Omar volunteered. And at the spur of the moment, Nadia was called to be Treasurer. Syamim was recruited by Yusri but she wanted a part-time role whcih explains her late entrance. The point of it all is that everyone are like friends with everyone else. Mostly are either from Silat or PoW.

Our meetings were full of jokes and nonsense cos let's face it, when we have a few PoW members together, guaranteed to be kecoh. Everyone did a marvellous job. So let me give a holler to each of you out there!
Marketing Team, Ily, Rasheilla and Nurul: Kudos to you for getting sponsors and not giving up when pressure sets in nearing the event. We had too much food and drinks but that showed how ganas our marketing team was! Thanks for helping with the transport of the food, collecting them and distributing them. Two thumbs way way up!
Publicity Team, Izarina and Khairiana: Izarina did a wonderful blog. You guys publicise so well that there were many people outside of NUS. Khairi could keep her head cool while handling all the registration, forms and payment. Orang nak back out lah, orang nak bawak lagi ramai kawan lah... You gals are up there ah. Salute!
Secretary, Izyana: Thanks for helping me liase with the masjid. Sending many emails to confirm the stuff and all. Couldn't do it without you. Cos really, my language will seem rude compared to your grace in the emails. Arigato!
The Chiefs Safety, Aizat and Syamim: Hi5 to Aizat for being a true leader, able to handle tough decisions and making the right calls. And also to stand up for everyone in the com. Syamim showing her great concern for cyclists that she exchanged bikes with one of them cos it was faulty which inadvertently made her lag behind and risking getting lost. And also, thank you Syamim for getting Afghanistan to sponsor the superb Nasi Lemak. Take my hat off for the both of you!
Chief Faci, Fahmi: Cute nampak! Congrats on the good job of getting all the facis despite many obstacles along the way. You double up as a sweeper and helped with the loading and unloading of bikes. Many thanks!
Treasurer, Nadia: Grateful to you for volunteering to become faci when we needed them. Thanks for getting sponsor for the bread. Also calculating the budget and all. Thanks sis!
Route Manager, Omar: Thanks for helping with the loading and unloading also. You also double up as safety by giving briefing and refresher course to the Medics. Also a sweeper to ensure everyone is safe. Respect.
Transport IC, Gadisti: Very grateful to you for securing the vehicles for us. Yeah they are run-down vehicles but still, we needed them. Of course, you also roped in the drivers for the vehicles and cars. Also for getting transport for the many items from the sponsors. You rock!
Refreshements IC, Haekal: Sanggup bawak the coolers walaupun tidak digunakan akhirnya. Great job in coordinating what food and drink to give at what time. You also helped alot in the loading and unloading of the bikes. Pro-arranger of the bikes. You took over me for the replacement of bikes in the end so, I'm really grateful to you. Having to brave the dark at some point even. Members sejati.
APD, Zuraimi: Wonderful programme. Everyone enjoyed it and some even wanted more. Thank you for distributing the food also. Thanks for being there when things were tough for me. You are like the glue in the com, entertaining everyone and keeping everyone together. Syukran.
PD, Yusri: Job well done. No one knows the map better than you and I second that. There were friction here and there but you proved that cool heads prevail. You oversee everything and ensured everyone did their tasks. I cannot imagine anyone who fits your post better. No regrets and thanks for your kind understanding to my shortcomings. Standing Ovation for you!
Special mention, Ahmad and Hakim: The two drivers that handled the rabak vehicles... Braving sleepiness and exhaustion, I thank both of you from the bottom of my heart. Sorry if I pushed you too far. We are grateful for your service. Fairus and Nani: Your help in logistics is deeply appreciated. All outriders: You guys were willing to render your time and effort for the safety of everyone. Really appreciate it. I give a pat on the back to each of you.

I will miss working like this. Joking every time and feeling a strong bond between everyone. Like Yusri said, we had the right people at the right places. And I find that Logistics is somewhat my niche, since JC. I'm really sorry for any shortcomings on my part or if I made any of you upset. You guys are the most fun comm that I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to work with. Hope to work with you all again, though I doubt we'll ever get the same bunch ever again. Thank you once again to everyone.

Interesting quote for the day:
"Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success" - taken from a "TEAMWORK" poster.

2008-01-22T00:51:00.000+08:00

I think this is the reason why I cannot blog... I write too much details down...

In the confusion and the aftermath...

2008-01-20T23:34:00.000+08:00

Will-2-Wheel NUS MS Night Cycling 2008 is over. Alhamdulillah it was okay. Thank you Cen Com (Central Committee) and all other helpers (i.e. Fairus, Hakim, Ahmad, Fadzli, Ramli, Hamid, Zai, Haikal, Walid and so many more). Without your help and support, I wouldn't be able to execute my role well. Thank you to all the participants and facis. You guys are the reason why we're here. Sounds like a band's appreciation for their fans. I hope everyone had fun. I apologise from the bottom of my heart if there were any flaws and shortcomings on my part or I hurt anyone's feelings in my stressed state. I'm sorry!

Well, the day started off with me going to NTUC to buy some logs stuff, followed by going to Haekal's home to collect the water dispensers. We didn't use them in the end but nvm... Reached school around noon. We were gonna load all the necessary stores from school to the van and lorry. The trolley was heavily damaged so it was quite a hassle bringing down the stuff and transferring them to the vehicles. Hakim (MS Vice-Pres) was driving the lorry and Ahmad (German) was driving the van. Both vehicles were in the state fit only for the junkyard but I guess for $50 per day, we couldn't complain much. The headlight was smashed and the speedometer wasn't working for goodness sake!

Reached Masjid Kampong Siglap around 2:45pm. Called Pak Basir the noja to open the rooms and Audi. They were so kind to lend us such a huge room and the equipment such as groundsheet and loudhailer. Thanks to Masjid Kampong Siglap for your help, especially Ustaz Mahyudin and Pak Basir. Couldn't do it without you! After solat, me, Aizat, Haekal and Hakim headed to East Coast to the Kit Runners Bike Shop. Oh yah, Omar joined the lorry as soon as he reached MKS.

I was at the bike shop for around 4 hours from 3:15pm onwards... Loading bicycles into a small lorry is tough! 155 bikes... we could only load up 15 bikes at a time... so we have to make 11 trips. It was taking too long. We were supposed to finish loading at 5pm. Stress! So I requested for the van to come aid us after they have finished collecting the food. Haekal is a pro-arranger. Haha. Towards the end, we couldn't care less how the bicycles were arranged, we put them vertically, pile 3 of them and other questionable methods. 155 helmets had to be checked. Solat at the bike shop itself when they brought as a canvas to solat on.

Went back around 7:15pm to take my dinner. Reached MKS to find a faulty van waiting for me. It couldn't start. Using my acquired automotive technical skills (macam real) I diagnosed the fault as a weak battery. The engine couldn’t even crank. So there I was trying to figure out how to solve the problem without a jumper cable. Wanted to push start the vehicle but that could destroy some parts in the engine. Called Haekal to confirm if it’s okay... it wasn’t, but no choice. Haha, so there we were, 4 guys pushing the van while Ahmad was in the van. When the car almost reversed into the curb, Fadzli and Fairus pulled the windscreen wipers in an attempt to stop the van. Haha, worth remembering. Alhamdulillah, it worked. But the engine cannot be switched off lest we have to push it again. The van was needed to fetch some of the guys and some bikes from the shop. I was still hungry. And when I went up to the room, there wasn’t food left for me. The van has yet another task to do: get food.

There were many participants there already. It was a bit daunting as I imagined all of them cycling... Safety must be of utmost importance. There were many more non-NUS participants in this supposedly NUS event, so there were many unfamiliar faces. I was STILL hungry. Had a bit of chicken rice from Sarah and Maryam gave me an apple pie. Hehe, one of the small joys in my life is an apple pie. Thanks, people. After solat Isya’, I went to check on the bikes and tagging. I also set aside some bikes to be used as replacement bikes for any faulty ones during the event. Loaded up some of them onto the lorry with the help of Izyana. Went back up to the room and they were asking me to finish eating Khairiana’s chicken rice. Alhamdulillah, finally something filling. Thank you again people. Saw Khairi’s scar, kesian dia. While eating, we had a short Cen Com meeting. We discussed on what food and drinks to issue when, the small change in the route and the tasks to be done at hand. All this was done while Hasanul gave a tazkirah. I forgot to bring extra batteries for the walkie-talkie, so only 3 out of 4 could be used. Sorry... The meeting was concluded and Yusri gave his short intro to the event. Yusri’s wit and sarcasm can be seen in that short intro especially in the introduction of the Cen Com members. The emphasis on my lack of weight was a bit overdone but it’s okay. Haha, even Omar said that the cables of the Singapore Flyer was as thick as me. My self-defence mechanism cannot work here. After all the briefings were done, the participants had icebreakers. The participants were asked to collect the bikes in two groups at a time. I gave a briefing to each batch about helmets taillights and tags. Yusri took over which allowed me to help with the issuing of bikes.

The scale of the event can be seen when the participants were lining up along the road. This is gonna be huge! Some of my friends participating asked if I was gonna cycle. I told them “Sorry, no. I’m doing logs (logistics). The work where a lot is done but is rarely seen or appreciated”. Haha, it was like a scripted answer to recognise the efforts of the Unsung Heroes Contingent. “No it’s okay, I cycled alot during the recce for the event. You guys have fun!” It was nice to see all the smiling and excited faces of everyone. We gave Nani a decorated bicycle which comes with balloons and even a P-plate. She just learnt cycling and her birthday just passed, so Khairi decided to make this special for her.

11:30pm, they flag off! 30 minutes pass planned timing but that’s expected. Barely 10 minutes into the event, there was a request to replace a bike. The lorry couldn’t be mobilised yet cos we were still loading up stores into the vehicles. The faulty bicycle wasn’t so far away and so, there I was riding a bicycle to the rescue scene. Replaced Syamim’s bike. There was something wrong with the derailer but it was good enough for me to cycle back to the masjid. Back at the masjid, we were loading up stores and storing the extra bikes. The extra helmets and some stores were stored in the room. The stores can be picked up later in the morning. The van died again... needed a push-start. Then, I had a call from Aizat. He requested to pick up 2 girls from the underpass cos they were struggling. Hanisah was with them, so that makes 3 people needing rescue. That means we need the lorry to pick up the bikes and a car to pick up the people. Then, Omar called me requesting a bike replacement at Fort Road. There was a slight confusion over whether to bring the Milo packets or not. We decided not to bring them due to space constraints but the room was already locked. Time check, 12:30am: so the cyclists should be going out of East Coast to Fort Road. No time! Everything was so stressful that I almost broke under pressure. Alhamdulillah, Pak Basir was there so I requested him to open the store room at the ground floor so we can store the Milo packets. Called Hanisah who passed the phone to Aizat and it seems that all of them are going to Fort Road after all. Alhamdulillah, that centralised the rescue locations. The van was also up and running again. So this was the plan, the lorry and car (driven by Cassim to be a manpower vehicle) goes to Fort Road while the van goes to Kallang Riverside park to set up the rest point. Unfortunately, Ahmad doesn’t know the route. So in the end, all 3 vehicles went to Fort Road. Alhamdulillah the first group just reached Fort Road, so we still had time to set up the rest point. I replaced the one bike Omar requested. The 3 girls were still far behind. So, I gave the responsibility of replacing the bikes to Haekal and Fairus while I go with the van to set up the rest point. Informed Gadisti in Cassim’s car before making my way to Kallang Riverside Park.

Along the way, Ahmad informed me of a problem. The van was running low on fuel. The problem was that we have to cut the engine in order to refuel. That would mean having to push-start the van again. And there isn’t much space to push a van at a petrol station. We decided to set up the rest point first. Rauf’s car also arrived. He was assigned to drop off Zuraimi and Izarina who are road-marshalls at Fort Road. So, his arrival meant that the last group has left Fort Road which means they are arriving at the rest point soon. I discussed with Rauf and Ahmad about the fuel problem. We decided to just go to the petrol station and if we get stranded, we will request help from the lorry guys to push the van. As we moved off, the first group just arrived. Alhamdulillah, at the petrol station, the uncle allowed the engine to run while refuelling after I explained the problem. How many times have you refuelled while the engine was running? I even asked if I could get crocodile clips in case the van dies again. It wasn’t worth it, he says, if we are just using the van for this night. Bought batteries for the walkie-talkie. Went back to the rest point and everyone was there. Haekal and Fairus were replacing bikes. Syafie helped to repair some of the bikes. The Progs Team were giving out the food and drinks. We decided to do away with water dispensers cos we had too much drinks sponsored. There was a briefing for the facis which was followed by a briefing for the Cen Com by Haikal. Apparently, there were some safety issues. It kinda killed the mood. I wasn’t there to see so I couldn’t judge for myself. Alhamdulillah no one was hurt, that was of utmost importance. Luck was not on our side, Allah is. Alhamdulillah our do’a terkabul. The hardest part was over. So, if we keep up the safety, InsyaAllah everything will be fine. Haekal was abit annoyed cos the facis were chatty and didn’t settle down for the briefing. He had to shout to silence them. Don’t take offence people, cos really, it was a serious thing and Haikal was like waiting there for people to keep quiet. So, Haekal decided to take action. Don’t get confused with ‘Haekal’ and ‘Haikal’. He knows when to get serious, trust me. So the Cen Com took it positively and we moved on.

Around 1am, everyone moved off to Esplanade. The midpoint is War Memorial, somewhere there where there is an open area for games to be conducted. The Unsung Heroes Contingent packed up and made our way there. On my way there, I realised I didn’t have my camera with me. Oh darn, I was stressed for a moment and then I pasrah. Hopefully it was in the room back in the masjid. Everyone was concerned and I told them not to worry and stress about me cos I wasn’t worried and stressed. My own carelessness... worrying and stressing won’t change anything. Explains my lack of pictures for this event... Reached Connaught Drive, the nearest place to park the vehicles. We had to change our midpoint cos of the Chingay contraptions at Esplanade Park. It was a blessing in disguise cos apparently, there was a crime scene there... so, Alhamdulillah. Khairi called me and it became apparent that the gang in Cassim’s car went back to Kallang Riverside Park to look for my camera. I was sincerely touched. But I told them not to worry cos I’m fine. Their action turned out to be a blessing in disguise too cos there were 2 bicycles there that we forgot to pick up. They were the faulty ones that needed replacing.
Everyone arrived and we had games. Due to the lack of time, we had to cut short the games. We planned for 3 games but we ended up doing 1.5 games. The Cheering was meant to be part of a Mascot Game. They played Text Twist also. It seemed everyone was enjoying themselves, which is important. They had very interesting cheers :
1) Captain Planet Group: “Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart. Go Planet!” (someone jumps from inside the circle)
2) Transformers: Ehwah Bulan Cheer. “Te-rans-form” it’s a 3-syllable word, mind you.
3) Tom & Jerry Group: The MGM lion... Haha, that was cute. And Hanan and Irah chase like cat and mouse
4) Popeye group: “Assalamu’alaikum, Kum apa? Combat! Bat apa? Batman! Man apa? Mentel! Tel apa? Telephone! Phone apa? Pondan! Dan apa? Dancing! Cing apa? Singapore! Pore apa? Popeye!” that was classic! Haha I wanted this group to win.
5) Looney Tunes: They hummed the famous tune... and “Beep beep” Azhar. They had to re-do their cheer cos abit confused but funny nonetheless.
6) Scooby Doo team: “Dooby do, Dooby do” Melodious... except when Hazirah said “Nyanyi ah!” Haha. Fadli was supposed to sing solo.
7) Casper team: “Ooo.... Ah... Ooo La La...” Transition from ghost to cheer... nice.
8) Animaniacs: There was this fit guy leading the cheer. He can be a great faci. It was fine except they forgot the tagline: “Helloooo Nurse!”
9) Flinstones Team: Short and Sweet. Really short... not so sure about the sweet part actually. Haha, good effort nonetheless.
10) Smurfs: The unforgettable gelek by this guy named “shy”. Winning Team.

It was fun. Making noise at 2am in the morning. Our loudhailer was quite loud. Could hear them from Connaught Drive. After the activities, they set off for the end point. The Unsung Heroes Contingent separated. The van went back to MKS to collect the Milo and our stuff from the room. While the lorry and car followed the cycling body. I was in the van and with the help from Ustaz and Pak Basir, we managed to transfer stuff without much hassle. We went back to East Coast and by that time, the fatigue can be seen as people nod off in the van. There was a sulphur dioxide build-up in the van due to the faulty battery... recoginsed the smell from my mech days. Had problem finding a suitable place for the end point cos the bike area had 2 bars which will not be conducive for solat Subuh. We went around for quite a while and finally jsut decided on a grass patch near the carpark after the bike shop. Carpark C-4 if I can recall. Sorry to everyone for setting up late. Everyone reached and they they separated into 2 groups to take turns to solat. The marketing gals along with Syamim went to collect the breakfast from Afghanistan (the one at Tampines, not Middle East). Ahmad was really tired. I salute him for his perserverance.

The nasi lemak with chicken was great. Alhamdulillah. After breakfast, everyone send their bikes back to the shop. I went back to MKS with Hakim, Haekal and Fairus to load up the bicycles from the masjid. Me and Hakim stayed behind cos the lorry had to make 2 trips. Apa lagi, tido ah. It was coming to 9am. Nampak sah lambat for madrasah. Khairi called and I said I’ll be going to pergas in the state that I am. Without books and baju kurung but with laptop and greasy jeans. I told her we would be late but she didn’t want to go alone. Sharing a cab is better anyway. After loading up the final bikes, we reached the shop around 9:30am. Without much thinking, I handed over the money and receipts to Aizat, salam every guy and said goodbye to everyone. There were some missing and defective items. Can’t be helped. Went to Pergas with Khairi and reached around 10am. The fare was only $8.80. We were late for the first lesson but my principle is, 30 minutes of learning is still learning. I dozed off alot during class and could barely understand or remember what I was writing. I even slept with my head on the wall and woke up when I heard someone said “night cycling”. The ustaz was looking at me... Haha, rabz ah. So that concludes the experience... Alhamdulillah everything turned out fine and the weather was good. Generally everyone was happy from the event. Alhamdulillah.

P.S. I’m ugly when I sleep in the bus when I’m super tired.

Interesting quote for the day:
"Verily in all difficulty, there is relief" (Al-Insyirah:5)

First 3 days of School... or is that 4?

2008-01-17T01:53:00.000+08:00

First 3 days of school and I'm already stressed. Wait a minute, it's already the fourth day of school. Here I am printing stuff at 1:30am for my Night Cycling event this Saturday.

Complaining?
No I'm not complaining. Just that I need to rest.
I need to breathe... Oh no, what's this? I can't swim to the surface! There are so many things holding me down... I'm gonna drown! Why did I tie anchors to my own feet?
Even when this weekend is gone, I will still be suffocating... but hopefully, not drown. Well, I guess I can learn from my mistakes and stand up for myself more. Unfortunately, "the rice has become porridge". So I shall just be strong and go through this challenge. As someone told me, if I can get through this sem sucessfully, it's a great achievement.
Just maybe, I will be strong enough to swim to be surface with anchors to my feet.

Allah is always there to help anyone in need. My family and friends are there for me too. Alhamdulillah. But me being me, I will not burden anyone else. Or try not to... cos it looks like I will need help this time... even if I like it or not.

I just realised my entry is random blabber that hardly makes sense. Performance varies when battery is low. Well, I gotta update this blog anyway. Gonna ask my friends if I can link them.

Interesting quote for the day:
"Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through"
lyrics from 'Move Along' by The All-American Rejects

Question?

2008-01-14T18:28:00.000+08:00

What's the difference between me and most of my friends?
a) I'm thinner than thin air
b) I'm thinner than thinner
c) I started a blog in 2008
d) All of the above

Hopefully your answer is not (d). Though it may be true, the intended answer is (c). Please do remember cos it may be tested in your exams.

My first post and what a way to start it off...