The Adventure
Humans have a tendency to take advantage of anything that is available to them. I know this sounds like I'm going to talk about the environment but trust me, you couldn't be more wrong. I was given the opportunity to assist my dad with his care-taking of Yusuf Islam's stay in Malaysia and man, did I take advantage of that or what?
I was told that I would be Yusuf Islam's helper for 5 days while he stayed in Malaysia and I was to take care of anything he asked for. But before I could help him, I had my driver's theory test. I failed. Twice. And the saddest part is? I needed 42 out of 50 questions right to pass the test. I got 41/50. Twice. Anyways, after that failure, I went to the hotel where he would be staying in and consequently where I would be staying as well. And I'm not talking about any normal hotel room: we got the full VIP treatment! Top floor suites with perfect views of Kuala Lumpur (aside from the fact we couldn't see KLCC because it was blocked by the neighboring building -.-') and an exquisite restaurant where we got to dine in for breakfast, lunch and dinner if we so choose to and yeah, we chose to.
I had to wear a suit and to those who know me well enough: I HAD TO WEAR A SUIT! No complaints though: I looked good =P.
Sheikh Yusuf Islam and my family had met before on a previous occasion where he went to Dubai. My brothers and I were not quite knowledgeable back then and I do not think I could fully appreciate what I was blessed enough with to witness: he is an honorable man and a great Muslim, tow things of which we don't see enough nowadays. He is a soft-spoken, courageous preacher who speaks on behalf of his religion, Islam, and has changed the lives of many, and at his stay here we got to witness such an event.
He knew my dad from before when my dad worked with Dubai Media City and I think they took a liking to each other. That's the reason, I think, my dad was informed of his visit to Malaysia and was asked to manage his stay here. When he finally got here, I was asleep. So I didn't get to meet him until the night after. Owh wait. I may have not met him yet, but during the afternoon, while I was watching TV, he called via the hotel phone. My dad was out and I didn't think there was anyone else in the suite so... I picked up.
It was weird. Honestly speaking, I did not expect to hear Sheikh Yusuf Islam's voice over the phone and the way I imagined what our first encounter with each other will be was nothing like this. Meeting him in the hallway was still in the range of what I had imagined. The phone though? Not even close.
I said hello and I think I heard him chuckle after he replied hi. Obviously, he hadn't expected to hear a teenager's voice when he called.
He had just woken up and he wanted breakfast. It was in the afternoon but hey, he's the VIP. So I asked him what he would like. His order was an English breakfast, carrot juice, some weird thing he saw on the menu which I can't remember and one other thing that's completely lost on me right now. The carrot juice stuck with me because i honestly didn't think anyone liked carrot juice...
The first actual face to face meeting with him, however, was a semi-formal affair; wear something neat that had a collar, basically. It was for dinner, supplied by the hotel's finest chefs and in the VIP dining room. There was talk earlier about his first dinner in Malaysia would be all Malaysian style food so we knew what to expect. But the main event was of course, Sheikh Yusuf Islam himself walking into the room. He was wearing a dark purple long sleeve no neck shirt with a black vest jacket. His white beard was short but full, his white hair short and neat. He was thin and quite tall and his voice was deep and somehow or rather, he gives out a feeling of being very humble. The other thing that was noticed by my brother was that he looked exactly the same as when we saw him before, no change at all. After a brief introduction, we dined.
The course was all Malaysian; Malaysian starter, Malaysian soup, Malaysian main course, Malaysian appetizer, Malaysian sweets and Malaysian fruits.Surprise,surprise, it was really good. Hey, if u have a great gourmet chef's cooking team cooking food for you, it's bound to be good. And the Teh Tarik was, Ya Allah, so so so so so delicious! I had 4 refills or something. I would have gotten more but it felt odd every time I asked the waitress for more, like sort of rude? Anyways, all in all, it was a stomach-filling dinner and a great honor as well since the company consisted of such famed people. Alhamdulilah. It was time for thank yous and goodbyes, handshakes and smiles, and finally it was time for bed.
Next day: formal. Suit and Tie. Not a scene you would normally catch me in. We were going to the VIPs of the whole country's houses: The Agung's (King) and the Prime Minister's. So yeah, wearing a singlet or t-shirt was not even a thought! So, after getting dressed up, we headed downstairs to the cars. Sheikh was going to ride in a different car than I was, which was probably for the best seeing as how the car I was in had 6 people already in it. Oddly enough, there were policemen standing next to our cars and I thought at first it was because we had parked in the parking slot that had the disabled person sign on it...Great, dad, get an awesome car and the first thing you do is get a ticket.
But no one else seemed to mind that the police were there and the police weren't writing a ticket so I came to the conclusion that they were there to see the new Proton Inspira but not until we were all ready to go did the real answer come: I heard one of the uncles telling the policemen to go ahead of us; they were escorting us! We had two secret services officers riding motorbikes and shooing people out of our way! My dad basically had a passport to drive at 140+km/h on a busy Kuala Lumpur road in the middle of traffic.Funny thing was: everyone who had to pull over to the side because of us looked into our car and saw 4 people cramped tightly together in the back seat; it was the most cramped VIP car they had ever seen. And to those who looked into our car, we smiled and we waved.
The Agung's place wasn't very far away. It only took us around 5 minutes to get there. It was big. Not much else you can say about it really. Especially since I wasn't actually allowed to go in. VIPs only. Not their assistants. So in the car I waited. Sad, huh? After a while though, a man in green suit decorated with medals came up to the car. Calmly, I freaked out. Inside me: holy crap, a general's coming this way! What am I supposed to do?! Outside: opened door, said hi sir, how can I help you? Luckily, he had only come over to see the car. His exact comment translated into English would be: Hi, I just wanted to see the car; it's not out on the streets yet. It's good, right?
If you ask my best friend, Amir, what I knew about cars, he would probably tell you "Nothing". He's not wrong. The only thing I could do was tell the general what I had heard from other people about the car; it was good but too bad it's only an imitation of Mitsubishi Lancer. No actual comments about the handling or performance was made though; I couldn't drive yet so I didn't have a clue about it.
After the meeting with the Agung, we headed back to the hotel. We were to change into something more appropriate for prayer, Friday Prayer at that too. Most of us just took of our suits *Alhamdulillah!* and went with our white shirts. Sheikh Yusuf went up to change, so did his wife, Sheikha Fauzia, who I think had bonded a very strong friendship with the Dato's wife. So, after everyone had prepared, we went to UIA, University Islam Antarabangsa (Islamic international School) There, Sheikh Yusuf was asked to give a Tazkirah(practically means Reminder, so something along the lines of a speech that reminds people of God).
After his speech, he was swarmed by nearly everyone in the Masjid, each and everyone of them wanted to shake his hand. He practically needed to be escorted out of the mass. He looked a bit pale when he got out.
Saif and I were also able to meet up with a very, very old friend, Kamal, after 5 years; another serendipitous thing we have to say Alhamdulilah for. We had lunch there, lasagna made by the University cooks. It was quite good.
That night, Sheikh Yusuf was interviewed by TV3 and the interview was aired early the next morning.There was this one part that made everyone in the room laugh; the cameraman asked Sheikh Yusuf to talk while the camera was focused on him and while the interviewer "pretended to listen" to him talk.
Sheikh had a very interesting comment on it: the sound was bad, all we could hear was the AC in the room. The morning it was aired, Saif and I had an American-style breakfast but we were dressed up formally because what was coming up right after the breakfast was a really, really big deal.
Next up was undoubtedly the biggest thing yet: the Prime Minister's house. One word: PERRGGGHHHHHH!!! In English, this would translate to: WOOAAAHHHHH!!!
It was huge. First of all, it was located on the side of a mountain, so they had all the space to design the house in and they did not mess up. Let me tell you the story first, then I'll describe the place.
When we got through the main gate, we followed the policemen towards a really big building where we were dropped off. However, there was no one there to greet Sheikh Yusuf into the building, so we had to wait outside. Suddenly, a woman comes out of the house and asks us what we were doing here. Odd, right? Sheikh Yusuf was invited over but no one seemed to be expecting him. After a brief talk with Uncle Zul, the woman goes back inside and a few minutes later comes out and tells us that we were at the wrong building. Shockingly, there was another building that we were supposed to go to that was even more private than this one. A place more private than the PM's house. Apparently it was the PM's family house, where he invited family and close friends over. Yeah, he wanted to give off the impression that he considers Sheikh Yusuf family; really nice of him. Next time, though, please give us a heads up on the location of the building. The policemen had no idea where it was and somehow, we ended up taking a bit of a tour around the place; we even got to a parking zone for buses!
When we got to the building, it was once again only the VIPs allowed in. That was a bummer, but it didn't actually bum me; I honestly didn't know what to do inside the house of a Prime Minister so being outside it was just fine. The last time I met a Ministry Official, I was scolded because I was standing in the wrong position to talk to him: I had my hands on my hips. I'm guessing if I was even in the same vicinity of the Prime Minister, I'd have to stand like a soldier; straight, strong, quiet.
Now, the description of what I saw outside the building:
Right outside the really private house there was a roundabout which had an amazing view over the whole area and far away in the horizon you could see the busy life of KL, but in closer view you had the true greenery of Malaysia and the contrast between the two made both their beauty more obvious. The roundabout really had only two exits, one to the building and the other to go out of the building. I guess they thought it would look nicer with a roundabout rather than a straight road. Once away from the roundabout, there was a field with green, short grass and in the field there were brighter green round patches of grass. Saif said it was a golf course, and I don't doubt him. It was vast.
Ahead of the field was a beautiful still lake that reflected the sky exactly like a mirror. It stretched out towards the left and right and seemingly had no end, almost like a river. The lake was, in estimate, nearly a football field and a half worth of distance wide and on the other side was a forest, thick and dark, filled with a variety of trees and maybe even animals. It certainly was big enough to house a whole bunch of animals anyways. Beyond that was God knows what. I couldn't see the other side of it.
To the right of the golf course, there was a small rocky walkway under a wooden roof. If you walk on it, it will lead you down a stairway to the lake and also, if you take a right, to a small area meant for picnicking. You had to skip across wooden platforms that was above the lake water to get there and once you do, there's a wooden bench in an open area with small trees growing around it. Man, I would have loved to have picnicked there.
After touring the place for a bit - and also coming across a really fat cat that reminded one of the infamous Garfield - it was time to go back to the hotel. Sheikh Yusuf had been interviewed by the Prime Minister and the press and everything was done for the day. That night, however, there was one more order of business: Dinner. At another hotel.
This hotel was themed Chinese and as such, so was the dinner. It was Chinese Sea food. There was a variety of different sea food there: lobster, fried fish, other stuff I couldn't identify but there was also (and I loved it to no ends) sweet chicken. They served all the food onto two of those spinning topped tables. One table was for the VIPs, 8 in total, and the other one was for Saif, Uncle Rusdi and me. The servings were equal on both table. You do the maths. In that maths of yours, which of the tables was happier? =P
After that, there was nothing much else to talk about. I had a few conversations with Sheikh Yusuf Islam, most of which consisted of him asking about Malaysia and his plans to move here but the exciting events were over and soon enough, it was time for him to go to Australia.
We still had the car though.
Like I said: humans have a habit of taking advantage of things that are available to them. My dad took my grandma, my cousin, my two nieces and me on a 5 hour drive to Perlis to visit our family there in the Inspira and my dad did not need police escort to make people make way for him! He practically scared people into giving way! I don't know exactly how fast he drove, but it was fast enough to cut a normally 8 hour drive into a 5 hour drive.
In Perlis, I had a small adventure in the form of my uncle driving the Inspira. He took it on a road test; potholes, narrow roads, sudden brakes etc. I bet if he could have tried to make the car do a backflip, he would have. We were actually driving to go buy crabs and I was gifted by the shop owner with the "special" crab because I was playing with it. It was separated from the rest because it was too dangerous. The shop owner tied the crab's claws shut with a plastic rope and handed it to me. It was like having a crab on a leash! So much fun. It also freaked out my nieces to the point where the youngest one cried her eyes out. Again; so much fun. We also went shopping *yawn* but that was mostly for my cousin who said it would be a waste to go to Perlis and not visit the shopping central.
Once back in Kuala Lumpur, I had to take my driver's test again. I failed again. I took it one last time and finally, I got the 42/50 needed to pass the test. It was such an amazing relief and such an annoying result that I was laughing all the way back: I had gotten 41, 41, 41, 42. Just one mark more. You have no idea exactly how frustrating that was. Or how annoying.
The Tragedy
The day I got my L license was also the day I was able to watch"Natrah: the Tragedy" the Musical. And, Alhamdulillah, I got to watch it in a VIP seat too!
The story is about a young girl, Natrah/Maria, who was born a Dutch and was baptized as Maria, a Christian. During WW2, her mother, Adeline Hertogh, could not support her family and her husband was Missing In Action, so she turned to her best friend at the time; Aminah, a Malaysian Muslim woman. Aminah could not have children of her own so Adeline gave Maria to Aminah at the age of 5, asking her to take care of Maria like she would care her own daughter. 8 years later, Adeline's husband had returned and they searched for the now-named Natrah.
The main conflict was her religious upbringing: she was brought up Muslim but if she goes back to her parents she would be converted to Christianity. The problem was that Aminah had no documentation of Natrah's adoption. Natrah was, at first, told by the High Court to go back to her biological parents but after a second appeal, she was allowed to stay with Aminah, her adopted mother. Natrah soon after got married to a 22-year old teacher in training, whilst she was still 14. This could be seen as a maneuver by Aminah to stop further attempts to take away Natrah as the law states that she now lawfully belongs to her husband, a Muslim Malaysian man. I did some research and I found out that this event escalated into a global scale: there were reports that Muslim countries such as Pakistan claimed that any attempts to separate the couple would be an open challenge to the Muslim world. There were also support given from Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
The marriage caused even more friction, however. Singapore (where the marriage took place) was under English rule at that time. In English law, marriage was not allowed for people under 16 years of age. So the marriage of Natrah was void. The law also states that the biological father has the right of claim over the religion of his children, whilst they were still minors. Natrah's father testified that he would never allow her to become Muslim. So, the Court ruled in favor of the Hertoghs. Soon after, a picture of Natrah kneeling in front of the Virgin Mary was published and the Muslim community rioted. The end result was 18 deaths, 173 injured and Natrah moved to Netherlands. The battle for Natrah had been lost and the battle for Maria had been won. The year was 1950.
The theater version of the Natrah Tragedy conveyed the story well, but failed to evoke a powerful emotion inside me or my dad or the uncles who had joined us to watch it. It was a tragedy, and as such it should have brought tears into our eyes. However, the comedy of the Englishmen speaking Malay was such that it sort of canceled the tragedy. If they had just spoken in English...
One of the uncles had a problem with the scene where they showed Natrah kneeling towards a huge statue of the Virgin Mary. He said that showing the picture that caused the riot would have been enough and that they went a bit overboard with it. It was true. I have a lot of Christian friends and I feel that they would have been quite insulted by how their religion was conveyed. I'm a Muslim and I know for a fact that it is Haram to insult other people's religions. Nabi Muhammad never insulted the Quraysh who threw stones at him. Of course, I do not claim that the scene was actually meant to insult; it could just have been an attempt to convey the seriousness of the matter.
The other thing was that they seemed to put a lot of emphasis to the love story part of the tragedy. It was... Unnecessary. Yeah, everybody loves a good love story, but going into so much detail for the love story of this amazing tragedy was a, I think, waste of money, time and focus. I mean.. There was even a Bollywood dance for it! Why, oh why, did they do that? It attracted a lot of attention, but for this tragedy, the attraction was for all the wrong reasons.
The only part that evoked a powerful reaction in me was the first time Natrah was taken away from Aminah, the adopted mother. There was nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with Malaysia being biased against by the law, nothing at all except for raw, heart-breaking cries of mother and daughter being separated by brute force. The actress who played Aminah was brilliant, simple brilliant, at that scene. I don't know how she faked the emotions behind her screams but it felt real. It felt like she was having her heart ripped out of her, like she was desperately fighting to stay breathing. It was brilliant.
There are a lot of controversies surrounding the Tragedy amongst which is that some people seem to think that it is a sin to allow Natrah to marry at the age of 14. It's actually not. Anyone that's hit puberty is allowed to marry. Natrah never had adult relations with her husband while married to him. The problem here is that people seem to think that marriage and adultery are synonymous. You can be married and not do anything. Marriages were used to represent a bond between tribes and families, showing the respect and honor a man and a woman is given by their respective tribes and families as they were trusted to represent them. Natrah actually lived with her mother after the marriage, so I don't actually see what some people are talking about.
The theater showed us things mostly from the Malaysian point of view. If we looked at it from the biological parents' point of view, we see that the mother was in a financial crisis during the WW2 when her husband was Missing In Action. The father knew nothing of Maria's adoption and so was angry at the fact that his daughter was given away. All he wanted was his daughter back. Back then, there was no one to legally document the adoption, so Aminah had no proof of the adoption and he had every right to claim his daughter. So, who would you feel sympathetic towards: the Dutch parents who was forced to give away their daughter due to hardships of war or the Malaysian woman who had cared for Natrah as her own daughter for 8 years and was physically forced to separate from her?
But that's all in the past. Nothing we say can change what had happened to poor Maria/Natrah who became mentally deranged in her later years (who can blame her? Her childhood was a global-scale hysteria). There was news that Maria had planned to murder her husband because she was afraid to file for a divorce in case she lost the custody of her children. The plan failed because news got out that she was planning it. In light of her past, however, she was excused. She died of leukemia in 2009.. They say that she was constantly unhappy with her life and wanted to go back to Malaysian land but couldn't because of finance.
In conclusion: It was one of the most exciting, the most gleeful, the most eventful week of my life. And I have my dad to thank for it. Thank you, Abah. I really, really appreciate it. Sorry I couldn't go to Terengganu with you. Oh, you can read his blog if you want more on Yusuf Islam: 1426.blogspot.com
Really long blog post huh?
About Me
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
GOAL!
They were AWESOME!
Lemme explain:
These past two weeks have been really good, really fun, and really AWESOME.There was Talent Night, visiting Aida, and tonight: Video Game Competition.
Let's start with Talent Night. I had fun watching the talents from Sheffield Private School, my old high school, but this was above and beyond that! For one thing, there was AWESOME dances including a Michael Jackson mimic(almost an exact copy, except Iranian), a super AWESOME hot dance by an amazing dancer and even Shakira's waka waka! Then there were singing which made you want to wave your hand in the air and say aiii-o and cheer them on. Owh and even a Magic trick! The MCs were funny, and sometimes unintentionally so - when one of them tries to be funny... then... fails. I even got up on stage! Of course for a small amount of time only, but it was enough to make people remember me. I practically shook my butt on stage. It was AWESOME fun.
The acts there were just amazing. Bravo to all of them. Now I wish I had talents like theirs.. AWESOME.
Visiting Aida. Well, it wasn't planned or anything. I didn't get to visit her the day before so I decided to go. I had quite an adventure trying to get there while spending the least amount of money possible. No taxis, one LRT ride, one other LRT ride, and quite a long walk. It was worth it though. I got to tease her about her boyfriend =p. Owh, and now I have his number on my phone.. Huhuhuhuhu. Awesomness.. =p
And finally.. Tonight. Game Night. RM10 for 2 hours of AWESOME fun. It was for FIFA 10 on the big touchscreen board. I got to the semis but lost. Pfftt. But watching the other matches were just so much fun, especially since they are so LOUD! They were practically cheering as if it was a real live football match! "SHOOT LA"! "PASS PASS!" "WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT?!" "GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm deaf in one ear now thanks to them. I think the person next to me was deaf in his one of his ears thanks to me. After my Semis, I played PATBALL (after sooo long since I played it! Man.. brings back so many memories) with Sammy, big dude who's real good at it. It was AWESOME! Huhuhu Final score: 11:10 to me. =D Still got it! Then we played TEKKEN. Haven't played that in so long either! Hwoarang was my choice, of course, and he did not disappoint! Only a single loss! Woot! AWESOME, I know.
So, all of these events so far:
They were AWESOME!
Lemme explain:
These past two weeks have been really good, really fun, and really AWESOME.There was Talent Night, visiting Aida, and tonight: Video Game Competition.
Let's start with Talent Night. I had fun watching the talents from Sheffield Private School, my old high school, but this was above and beyond that! For one thing, there was AWESOME dances including a Michael Jackson mimic(almost an exact copy, except Iranian), a super AWESOME hot dance by an amazing dancer and even Shakira's waka waka! Then there were singing which made you want to wave your hand in the air and say aiii-o and cheer them on. Owh and even a Magic trick! The MCs were funny, and sometimes unintentionally so - when one of them tries to be funny... then... fails. I even got up on stage! Of course for a small amount of time only, but it was enough to make people remember me. I practically shook my butt on stage. It was AWESOME fun.
The acts there were just amazing. Bravo to all of them. Now I wish I had talents like theirs.. AWESOME.
Visiting Aida. Well, it wasn't planned or anything. I didn't get to visit her the day before so I decided to go. I had quite an adventure trying to get there while spending the least amount of money possible. No taxis, one LRT ride, one other LRT ride, and quite a long walk. It was worth it though. I got to tease her about her boyfriend =p. Owh, and now I have his number on my phone.. Huhuhuhuhu. Awesomness.. =p
And finally.. Tonight. Game Night. RM10 for 2 hours of AWESOME fun. It was for FIFA 10 on the big touchscreen board. I got to the semis but lost. Pfftt. But watching the other matches were just so much fun, especially since they are so LOUD! They were practically cheering as if it was a real live football match! "SHOOT LA"! "PASS PASS!" "WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT?!" "GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm deaf in one ear now thanks to them. I think the person next to me was deaf in his one of his ears thanks to me. After my Semis, I played PATBALL (after sooo long since I played it! Man.. brings back so many memories) with Sammy, big dude who's real good at it. It was AWESOME! Huhuhu Final score: 11:10 to me. =D Still got it! Then we played TEKKEN. Haven't played that in so long either! Hwoarang was my choice, of course, and he did not disappoint! Only a single loss! Woot! AWESOME, I know.
So, all of these events so far:
They were AWESOME!
Monday, 13 September 2010
One Chapter Ends, the Next Begins.
Two days ago, this house was filled with all the family members on my mum's side, even the cousin who's supposed to be at boarding school. There was a feast on the table, good shows on the T.V., lots of fireworks to be lit and laughter throughout the day. That was Raya. That was the last time I lived with my parents. That was the end of a chapter.
The day after, my parents and Muhaimin had to pack up and prepare everything for the flight back to Dubai. It was mostly, it seems, clothes since they had planned to move back to Malaysia permanently before OR move back to Dubai but live in a different house. The old house was given to an old family friend and his family. It was mainly my mum who did most of the packing with my dad pitching in here and there with Muhaimin. The final count was 3/4 bags, one box and one comforter. Yeah... I think my mum realized that they needed something to keep them warm in Dubai. They're going to have to do a LOT of shopping there. Luckily, Dubai's a major shopping stop in the world.
That night, my uncle drove us to the airport in his big, red car to KLIA, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. As we headed to the airport, a bizarre sight reminded us that it was Raya: on one of the main roads, crossing it in a herd, were cows. I think what my mum said at that time was quite fitting: Even they want to go back to Kampung(village)! It did seem like they were heading to KLIA, maybe they had a flight booked...
The parting wasn't extremely emotional. In short: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said goodbye. In long: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said our goodbyes, with hugs and kisses. They had a safe flight. When they got to Dubai, they called me at 8am... apparently they thought I would be awake then. I was. Thanks to them.
It wasn't until I had a bit of time to myself that I realized two very important facts: I had to take care more of myself; this includes cleaning the house, cooking, making sure stuff were paid, waking up on time for college, making sure there's transport to college, making sure the fridge isn't empty... This all meant one huge thing: I would have a lot less time on the laptop from now on! Of course, I still have a bunch of people to help me out, especially in the starting, but I would have to learn not to depend on them too much.
The other thing I realized was: I would be living with my older brother most of the time now. That seems pretty normal enough and it is. But we've always had a bit of a communication problem: we don't. I guess that's another thing we both have to get used to, depending on each other rather than anyone else. He's going to leave to Canada in two months time, anyways, which means I have to get the most out of the two months I have left with him. He's a real nice guy, and I still am a bit blur on the reason why some people are scared of him.
So, the start of my latest chapter in life has been going great. The first night without parents... Weeellll.... I kinda slept REALLY late. Sorry. But the second night, I slept really early. At least early for me. So it kinda cancels the lateness out. Hey, gimme a chance to learn. ;D What we've been eating is mostly... Pizza. Yep. Good, delicious, fattening pizza.
I hope Muhaimin's schooling issues get resolved soon. He's enrolling in Al Ansar School in Sharjah with one of our oldest friends, which might mean that the whole family will move to Sharjah instead of Dubai. That's still fine. Some really good friends live in Sharjah.
Now that Ramadhan's over, the ban on my participation in clubs is lifted! Which means that I can enjoy the roughness of American Football once more. Awesome. I'm still unsure if they'd allow me back in after such a long hiatus but lets hope for the best.
Speaking of hiatus, One Piece's hiatus is nearly over!
Aida's blog is looking great. Go read it, People!
http://willbeoverit.blogspot.com
The day after, my parents and Muhaimin had to pack up and prepare everything for the flight back to Dubai. It was mostly, it seems, clothes since they had planned to move back to Malaysia permanently before OR move back to Dubai but live in a different house. The old house was given to an old family friend and his family. It was mainly my mum who did most of the packing with my dad pitching in here and there with Muhaimin. The final count was 3/4 bags, one box and one comforter. Yeah... I think my mum realized that they needed something to keep them warm in Dubai. They're going to have to do a LOT of shopping there. Luckily, Dubai's a major shopping stop in the world.
That night, my uncle drove us to the airport in his big, red car to KLIA, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. As we headed to the airport, a bizarre sight reminded us that it was Raya: on one of the main roads, crossing it in a herd, were cows. I think what my mum said at that time was quite fitting: Even they want to go back to Kampung(village)! It did seem like they were heading to KLIA, maybe they had a flight booked...
The parting wasn't extremely emotional. In short: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said goodbye. In long: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said our goodbyes, with hugs and kisses. They had a safe flight. When they got to Dubai, they called me at 8am... apparently they thought I would be awake then. I was. Thanks to them.
It wasn't until I had a bit of time to myself that I realized two very important facts: I had to take care more of myself; this includes cleaning the house, cooking, making sure stuff were paid, waking up on time for college, making sure there's transport to college, making sure the fridge isn't empty... This all meant one huge thing: I would have a lot less time on the laptop from now on! Of course, I still have a bunch of people to help me out, especially in the starting, but I would have to learn not to depend on them too much.
The other thing I realized was: I would be living with my older brother most of the time now. That seems pretty normal enough and it is. But we've always had a bit of a communication problem: we don't. I guess that's another thing we both have to get used to, depending on each other rather than anyone else. He's going to leave to Canada in two months time, anyways, which means I have to get the most out of the two months I have left with him. He's a real nice guy, and I still am a bit blur on the reason why some people are scared of him.
So, the start of my latest chapter in life has been going great. The first night without parents... Weeellll.... I kinda slept REALLY late. Sorry. But the second night, I slept really early. At least early for me. So it kinda cancels the lateness out. Hey, gimme a chance to learn. ;D What we've been eating is mostly... Pizza. Yep. Good, delicious, fattening pizza.
I hope Muhaimin's schooling issues get resolved soon. He's enrolling in Al Ansar School in Sharjah with one of our oldest friends, which might mean that the whole family will move to Sharjah instead of Dubai. That's still fine. Some really good friends live in Sharjah.
Now that Ramadhan's over, the ban on my participation in clubs is lifted! Which means that I can enjoy the roughness of American Football once more. Awesome. I'm still unsure if they'd allow me back in after such a long hiatus but lets hope for the best.
Speaking of hiatus, One Piece's hiatus is nearly over!
Aida's blog is looking great. Go read it, People!
http://willbeoverit.blogspot.com
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Eid-ul-Fitri
Selamat Hari Raya to All!
It's Eid! Raya in Bahasa Melayu and this Eid is quite special; it's one of my only raya ever in Malaysia. And the one thing that's different here is that people take Eid really, really seriously.
In Dubai, we do go to Eid prayer, do Takbir, go to friend's houses, and wish everyone well wishes... But that's it. I don't feel that Eid is any special a day than the other 364 days that we have to go through until the next Eid. But that was all in Dubai.
In Malaysia, huge numbers of family members go to a single house and there they enjoy the company of each other. This is in the NIGHT before Eid. Then, after Isha' prayer, the people who just prayed would go to people's houses and then Takbir and eat, and again, enjoy the company of the others. What's amazing about this is that they willingly welcome people into their houses and prepare food and drinks for their late night guests, which can easily number over 30 people. Even though I did take part in this at first, I left for home after a few houses, but I had heard that they would go on until ALL the houses would have been visited, sometimes going on until 1 or 2 am!
That is the spirit of the Malaysian Muslims. They would go so far to make sure that all the houses would be blessed by Allah, making His name resound in their halls, across the streets, throughout the entire neighborhood. I just wished that this spirit would have been passed down to the next generations, who seem to have lost their way. I include myself as one who has lost his way. I hope I can find my way back and soon.
Another aspect of the Malaysian Raya that I find intriguing and inspiring is the phrase: Maaf Zahir dan Batin. If translated, it loosely means Forgive me, physically and spiritually. I say it is inspiring because it is not easy to seek forgiveness. To do so, you have to humble yourself and admit to your mistakes. You have to realize that you have wronged others and trust in them to forgive you. That is truly inspiring as it takes A LOT to do all of these things.The people nowadays, especially politicians, refuse to admit they're wrong, no matter how much evidence is piled up against them. It's in their nature. And then in the eyes of others: the ones who forgive are only the most divine of people. That is not so. Everyone can find in themselves the strength needed to forgive others.
And in that very same spirit, I seek from all of you the same forgiveness. I may have written something that has offended someone, somewhere, and if I did: Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
Selamat Hari Raya Eid-ul-Fitri.
It's Eid! Raya in Bahasa Melayu and this Eid is quite special; it's one of my only raya ever in Malaysia. And the one thing that's different here is that people take Eid really, really seriously.
In Dubai, we do go to Eid prayer, do Takbir, go to friend's houses, and wish everyone well wishes... But that's it. I don't feel that Eid is any special a day than the other 364 days that we have to go through until the next Eid. But that was all in Dubai.
In Malaysia, huge numbers of family members go to a single house and there they enjoy the company of each other. This is in the NIGHT before Eid. Then, after Isha' prayer, the people who just prayed would go to people's houses and then Takbir and eat, and again, enjoy the company of the others. What's amazing about this is that they willingly welcome people into their houses and prepare food and drinks for their late night guests, which can easily number over 30 people. Even though I did take part in this at first, I left for home after a few houses, but I had heard that they would go on until ALL the houses would have been visited, sometimes going on until 1 or 2 am!
That is the spirit of the Malaysian Muslims. They would go so far to make sure that all the houses would be blessed by Allah, making His name resound in their halls, across the streets, throughout the entire neighborhood. I just wished that this spirit would have been passed down to the next generations, who seem to have lost their way. I include myself as one who has lost his way. I hope I can find my way back and soon.
Another aspect of the Malaysian Raya that I find intriguing and inspiring is the phrase: Maaf Zahir dan Batin. If translated, it loosely means Forgive me, physically and spiritually. I say it is inspiring because it is not easy to seek forgiveness. To do so, you have to humble yourself and admit to your mistakes. You have to realize that you have wronged others and trust in them to forgive you. That is truly inspiring as it takes A LOT to do all of these things.The people nowadays, especially politicians, refuse to admit they're wrong, no matter how much evidence is piled up against them. It's in their nature. And then in the eyes of others: the ones who forgive are only the most divine of people. That is not so. Everyone can find in themselves the strength needed to forgive others.
And in that very same spirit, I seek from all of you the same forgiveness. I may have written something that has offended someone, somewhere, and if I did: Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
Selamat Hari Raya Eid-ul-Fitri.
Monday, 12 July 2010
Clubs.
During the orientation week, I was asked to join any club/s that I wanted to join and they accept anybody. The only reason why people don't join all the clubs is because the timings didn't suit them or the clubs' activities aren't to their liking.
But I like all sorts of things and the college offered ALL sorts of things! This ranged from sports e.g. football (soccer) to indoor activities like... choir. Yeah. Choir. Do Re Mi Fa So La Choir. And yeah... I joined it.
It was more like I got swayed into joining it... it was really a 'in the moment' kind of thing... Sounds like I'm just making excuses up, right? Then yeah, I'm just making it up. Truth is, I like drama classes like that. Acting, singing, NOT dancing unless it's break dancing or hip hop. It's just another creative outlet really.
I did also join alot of other clubs: swimming, basketball, soccer and flag football (whatever that is) That's my whole week. So thinking about it, I'm pretty balanced. xp The only thing I thought of joining but didn't join was the school council; it seemed like too much work and not enough play.
Impulse was the main reason I chose all those clubs... It just seemed like it was gonna be so much fun and it would give me something to do. Most of the clubs start at 4+pm and my lessons end at 1.30pm. That means I have enough time to do all my homework, research and all other school-y stuff and THEN start having fun. Afterwards, I still have the time at home to finish off anything that wasn't completed.
Again: It's pretty balanced.
But this week was a bit more... eventful. I saw Eclipse (Kind of sucked but still enjoyable) and went to Aida's school's carnival. I DIDN'T GET TO SHOOT A PAINTBALL GUN! Or get to freak a ghost out in the haunted house but still... NOT GETTING TO SHOOT A PAINTBALL GUN is such a shamee..
There was also this karaoke competition sort of thing. Nana rocked the house xp. Aida wasn't bad at singing either(not saying you're good - at least not until you're 'friends' are able to play the guitar infront of me) but I didn't sing. I don't wnaNana had so much fun, didn't you? =p She got to sing with a professional singer lagi tu! Baby TOPpy was there as well... But I'm not even gonna bother explaining what that is. -.-'
Right now, I'm just waiting for a confirmation of two bears' names. Apparently, one of them has a big chance of being called Waka Waka (Waka for short) and the other one has no name choices at all right now - kind of sad but I'm hoping this means that the final name is awesome.
Life has been a good experience this past few weeks, Alhamdulilah, and, Insha'Allah, this fun experience won't stop just yet. The clubs are all gonna start this week. I am so looking forward to it.
OWH OWH. ESPANA WON! HAHA! THE TEAM I WAS VOTING FOR SINCE THE START OF THE WORLD CUP 2010 HAS BEATEN NETHERLANDS AND WON THE BIGGEST FOOTBALLING EVENT! I'm better than the octopus. xp
But I like all sorts of things and the college offered ALL sorts of things! This ranged from sports e.g. football (soccer) to indoor activities like... choir. Yeah. Choir. Do Re Mi Fa So La Choir. And yeah... I joined it.
It was more like I got swayed into joining it... it was really a 'in the moment' kind of thing... Sounds like I'm just making excuses up, right? Then yeah, I'm just making it up. Truth is, I like drama classes like that. Acting, singing, NOT dancing unless it's break dancing or hip hop. It's just another creative outlet really.
I did also join alot of other clubs: swimming, basketball, soccer and flag football (whatever that is) That's my whole week. So thinking about it, I'm pretty balanced. xp The only thing I thought of joining but didn't join was the school council; it seemed like too much work and not enough play.
Impulse was the main reason I chose all those clubs... It just seemed like it was gonna be so much fun and it would give me something to do. Most of the clubs start at 4+pm and my lessons end at 1.30pm. That means I have enough time to do all my homework, research and all other school-y stuff and THEN start having fun. Afterwards, I still have the time at home to finish off anything that wasn't completed.
Again: It's pretty balanced.
But this week was a bit more... eventful. I saw Eclipse (Kind of sucked but still enjoyable) and went to Aida's school's carnival. I DIDN'T GET TO SHOOT A PAINTBALL GUN! Or get to freak a ghost out in the haunted house but still... NOT GETTING TO SHOOT A PAINTBALL GUN is such a shamee..
There was also this karaoke competition sort of thing. Nana rocked the house xp. Aida wasn't bad at singing either(not saying you're good - at least not until you're 'friends' are able to play the guitar infront of me) but I didn't sing. I don't wnaNana had so much fun, didn't you? =p She got to sing with a professional singer lagi tu! Baby TOPpy was there as well... But I'm not even gonna bother explaining what that is. -.-'
Right now, I'm just waiting for a confirmation of two bears' names. Apparently, one of them has a big chance of being called Waka Waka (Waka for short) and the other one has no name choices at all right now - kind of sad but I'm hoping this means that the final name is awesome.
Life has been a good experience this past few weeks, Alhamdulilah, and, Insha'Allah, this fun experience won't stop just yet. The clubs are all gonna start this week. I am so looking forward to it.
OWH OWH. ESPANA WON! HAHA! THE TEAM I WAS VOTING FOR SINCE THE START OF THE WORLD CUP 2010 HAS BEATEN NETHERLANDS AND WON THE BIGGEST FOOTBALLING EVENT! I'm better than the octopus. xp
Monday, 5 July 2010
College Boy.
Hi, I'm Faidhi Fudzail. I go to Sunway University College.
First day of orientation.
Being dropped off at the main entrance, I saw a horde of people walking and.. communicating with each other in countless languages. There were Chinese, Iranians, Chinese, Indian, Malaysians, Indonesians, Sudanese, Chinese, Pakistani, Mongolians, Iranians, Chinese, Kazakhstan, and whole lot of Chinese. No offense to them but there are WAAY too many of them there. Nothing wrong with it. Just making a statement.
The first thing I had to do was get a file with the information that I needed. So I headed over to the CIMP(Canadian International Matriculation Program) table and looked for my name on the board behind it. They grouped the students by the first letter of their name. So I'm in the M Group (Muhammad Faidhi bin Muhammad Fudzail) Of course, there was this astoundingly long line at that table. Apparently, CIMP is really popular. It's like comparable to when Taylor Swift opens up a stall to sign autographs.
I had to go to room NW-1-5, located on the North West building. The only people that were there before me were 3 guys and a girl. The teacher entered at around 20 minutes afterwards, when most of the students had already entered. Then he read off the register: there were 3 Michael's and 14 Muhammads. In total, there were 21 students or at least with my count there were.
Then the teacher started briefing us on how the week was going to commence, with the subjects picking on the next day and the boring speeches today. Halfway through his talk, this girl walks in and I nearly, VERY nearly, laughed out loud; she reminded me SO much of a girl I knew in Sheffield! Same height! Munia! I'm talking about you!
Then we had the ice-breaking session where the teachers put us into 4 different groups (1,2,3,4) and told us to introduce ourselves to our team members. Our group consisted of an Iranian with a name that sounded like Muhammad Ali but was something more on the line of Mahadmali or something; a Mongolian girl named Hali who's a bit of a veteran about the college grounds; 2 Malaysians named Ary and Amin/Ameen.
The Munia Half Malaysian, Half Yemeni look alike is named Maram (Maryam without the y). She somehow TALKS like Munia as well... It's kinda freaky. The only difference is that Maram can understand Malay which makes her at least 50% cooler than Munia xp.
After the Ice Breaking session, we had to go to the MPH (Multi Purpose Hall and not *as we were constantly reminded* the bookstore) for the Orientation speeches from Heads of Departments in Sun-U. I slept twice in it.
After the Orientation Speech, we headed down to the canteen for Break, and on the way, we met Magnus in the elevator. We soon became friends. Then he introduced us to some of HIS friends, including the Kazakh. I'm going to have to go and meet them again, and try to memorize all of their names. NOT easy.
Anyways, during the break, I am pretty sure we had the most international group of people on one table! Then I met someone with the same interest as me: Anime! Hahahahahaha
Then we had to go back up to the class to do an English Placement Test which turned out to be a bit harder than expected: I haven't practiced English Literature in so long that I got really rusty in it. But right now, I'm sure I did alright.
Tomorrow, I have a Maths Placement Test. THAT'S going to be hard.
So, for those who are going to attend Sun-U soon, the advise today: be open minded and you'll meet a whole variety of people.
First day of orientation.
Being dropped off at the main entrance, I saw a horde of people walking and.. communicating with each other in countless languages. There were Chinese, Iranians, Chinese, Indian, Malaysians, Indonesians, Sudanese, Chinese, Pakistani, Mongolians, Iranians, Chinese, Kazakhstan, and whole lot of Chinese. No offense to them but there are WAAY too many of them there. Nothing wrong with it. Just making a statement.
The first thing I had to do was get a file with the information that I needed. So I headed over to the CIMP(Canadian International Matriculation Program) table and looked for my name on the board behind it. They grouped the students by the first letter of their name. So I'm in the M Group (Muhammad Faidhi bin Muhammad Fudzail) Of course, there was this astoundingly long line at that table. Apparently, CIMP is really popular. It's like comparable to when Taylor Swift opens up a stall to sign autographs.
I had to go to room NW-1-5, located on the North West building. The only people that were there before me were 3 guys and a girl. The teacher entered at around 20 minutes afterwards, when most of the students had already entered. Then he read off the register: there were 3 Michael's and 14 Muhammads. In total, there were 21 students or at least with my count there were.
Then the teacher started briefing us on how the week was going to commence, with the subjects picking on the next day and the boring speeches today. Halfway through his talk, this girl walks in and I nearly, VERY nearly, laughed out loud; she reminded me SO much of a girl I knew in Sheffield! Same height! Munia! I'm talking about you!
Then we had the ice-breaking session where the teachers put us into 4 different groups (1,2,3,4) and told us to introduce ourselves to our team members. Our group consisted of an Iranian with a name that sounded like Muhammad Ali but was something more on the line of Mahadmali or something; a Mongolian girl named Hali who's a bit of a veteran about the college grounds; 2 Malaysians named Ary and Amin/Ameen.
The Munia Half Malaysian, Half Yemeni look alike is named Maram (Maryam without the y). She somehow TALKS like Munia as well... It's kinda freaky. The only difference is that Maram can understand Malay which makes her at least 50% cooler than Munia xp.
After the Ice Breaking session, we had to go to the MPH (Multi Purpose Hall and not *as we were constantly reminded* the bookstore) for the Orientation speeches from Heads of Departments in Sun-U. I slept twice in it.
After the Orientation Speech, we headed down to the canteen for Break, and on the way, we met Magnus in the elevator. We soon became friends. Then he introduced us to some of HIS friends, including the Kazakh. I'm going to have to go and meet them again, and try to memorize all of their names. NOT easy.
Anyways, during the break, I am pretty sure we had the most international group of people on one table! Then I met someone with the same interest as me: Anime! Hahahahahaha
Then we had to go back up to the class to do an English Placement Test which turned out to be a bit harder than expected: I haven't practiced English Literature in so long that I got really rusty in it. But right now, I'm sure I did alright.
Tomorrow, I have a Maths Placement Test. THAT'S going to be hard.
So, for those who are going to attend Sun-U soon, the advise today: be open minded and you'll meet a whole variety of people.
Friday, 2 July 2010
College.
I got lost there.
My mum and I went to Sunway University College (where I enrolled and got accepted under a conditional offer) to pay the registration and term fees. I... had a weird tummy thing going on, so I went to the toilet. I didn't get lost GOING there, but I got lost FROM there. I ended up going around the first floor of the campus once, and saw some of the lectures. I also took the opportunity to see what sort of people were there... Lots and lots of Chinese. They dominated the whole school! It's like everywhere you look, you see them. And I sneaked a peek at some of their works around the first floor... They're suh-mart! I'm gonna have to up my game!
Preparing for college life has a strange feel towards it. Not intimidation, but rather anticipation. You get the feeling that it's still so far away, but it's really just around the corner. 5th July: 2 more days. Stationary shopping: first thing on my to-do list.
Some of my friends said that they couldn't imagine me going to college yet. Apparently, I'm not the type. Ahh well, they are half right; I'm not the studious type. But that doesn't mean I don't belong in a college. Yes, I have my childish moments*every few minutes or so* but hopefully, college life will suit me just fine.
This isn't even university life yet. Or even a life without the comfort of living with family! It's just another form of school. But it feels SO different! You even have to carry around a Student Card! -.-' But those come in handy. I got my picture taken for that yesterday.
But I guess a lot of people have to go through this phase. You know.. the transfer between school and college. I didn't yet receive any advice for it. Just warnings such as: you think you're smart in school, but when you go to college, everyone's smart. Real confidence booster right? Even my Going-to-transfer-to-Canada Brother had this to say: I gave up trying to compete with the other students a long time ago -.-'.
But that didn't get me down. That actually got me excited. If I'm able to beat them, then that means I'm better than him. Of course, that won't be my main aim. Just a motivator. Of course, I'm not overly optimistic on this point, but just saying... =p
Wanna know the scary part? It's still a conditional offer! Which means I have to get good grades in my IGCSE or else! (I don't want to even THINK about what would happen afterwards) But I'm actually scary... My guts tell me I flunked my IGCSEs. Just a gnawing feeling at the back of my head... There's nothing to do but pray and hope for the best. So please: Pray for me... August... please don't come too soon.
Owh owh! There's an even scarier part! I have to take a Malay Language test!!! I've NEVER done Malay Lang EVER. Since I didn't do any of the Malaysian standard tests (UPSR/PMR), the school has no idea what level my Malay Lang is at so they have to make me take it. Scary right? xp
I'll try to post as much as I can about college so that those after me can prepare better than I have. I really wish those who are starting with me this year the greatest of luck and I hope we'll be good friends.
My mum and I went to Sunway University College (where I enrolled and got accepted under a conditional offer) to pay the registration and term fees. I... had a weird tummy thing going on, so I went to the toilet. I didn't get lost GOING there, but I got lost FROM there. I ended up going around the first floor of the campus once, and saw some of the lectures. I also took the opportunity to see what sort of people were there... Lots and lots of Chinese. They dominated the whole school! It's like everywhere you look, you see them. And I sneaked a peek at some of their works around the first floor... They're suh-mart! I'm gonna have to up my game!
Preparing for college life has a strange feel towards it. Not intimidation, but rather anticipation. You get the feeling that it's still so far away, but it's really just around the corner. 5th July: 2 more days. Stationary shopping: first thing on my to-do list.
Some of my friends said that they couldn't imagine me going to college yet. Apparently, I'm not the type. Ahh well, they are half right; I'm not the studious type. But that doesn't mean I don't belong in a college. Yes, I have my childish moments*every few minutes or so* but hopefully, college life will suit me just fine.
This isn't even university life yet. Or even a life without the comfort of living with family! It's just another form of school. But it feels SO different! You even have to carry around a Student Card! -.-' But those come in handy. I got my picture taken for that yesterday.
But I guess a lot of people have to go through this phase. You know.. the transfer between school and college. I didn't yet receive any advice for it. Just warnings such as: you think you're smart in school, but when you go to college, everyone's smart. Real confidence booster right? Even my Going-to-transfer-to-Canada Brother had this to say: I gave up trying to compete with the other students a long time ago -.-'.
But that didn't get me down. That actually got me excited. If I'm able to beat them, then that means I'm better than him. Of course, that won't be my main aim. Just a motivator. Of course, I'm not overly optimistic on this point, but just saying... =p
Wanna know the scary part? It's still a conditional offer! Which means I have to get good grades in my IGCSE or else! (I don't want to even THINK about what would happen afterwards) But I'm actually scary... My guts tell me I flunked my IGCSEs. Just a gnawing feeling at the back of my head... There's nothing to do but pray and hope for the best. So please: Pray for me... August... please don't come too soon.
Owh owh! There's an even scarier part! I have to take a Malay Language test!!! I've NEVER done Malay Lang EVER. Since I didn't do any of the Malaysian standard tests (UPSR/PMR), the school has no idea what level my Malay Lang is at so they have to make me take it. Scary right? xp
I'll try to post as much as I can about college so that those after me can prepare better than I have. I really wish those who are starting with me this year the greatest of luck and I hope we'll be good friends.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Prom.
I didn't actually WANT to go. Honest! But I went anyways.
And it was worth it.
And it was worth it.
Let's start with the graduation ceremony first, though. Since that's incomparably more important.
My parents dropped me off at school by 8 with Muhaimin. That... was the start of my final day... in The Sheffield Private School. It's impossibly difficult to imagine that we've been here for FOUR years and met outstanding people along the way to this point. Not only my friends (even though they are the main) but teachers as well.
There were people who had left the previous years so I couldn't thank them for their help and their friendship. Some of them are: Mahad Farooqi, Jad, Rashid, Luke Patton, Rani Salam, Umer Rehman, Saskia, Zainab Tawawala, Yash Joshi, Rachel Labis, Deah Tuazon... then the teachers who actually shaped me to be who I am: Miss Karen Thompson, Miss Rachel Fulcher, Mr Justin Verco, Miss Mara (sorry, STILL can't spell your name) and even Nurse... Thank you so, so much. Miss Thompson, I really want to give a special shout-out for you. You're the one that PUSHED me to be a lot better than what I was. Even when I reaallllyyy didn't want to. Thanks. I mean it.
The Class of 2009/2010 was a class filled with friends, drama, laughter and learning. It was a class where people changed and grew, where new bonds were made and old bonds made stronger. These are the friends who have shared fond memories while we were together in Sheffield who I want to thank personally.
Amir, thanks for being my best friend and sticking by me after ALL these years. You were the man I leaned on the most and I am so, so grateful to have you call me your best friend.You haven't seen the last of me yet, man. =p I might ask you to be my best man eh? Drive me to the wedding in your future car! xp 'Bullet'.
Agnelo, AG, I am proud to be able to call you a friend and I am equally proud to be one of the first people to give you your nickname. Remember how you got it? =p Jumeir Angelo. hahaha You were the BEST competition I've ever had. You had your blonde moments, but you made up for it by the best you could be. Congratulations ahead of time for your future achievements, man xp. Soon enough, I'll be expecting to see you on TV. I really can't wait to see what the future has in store for you.
Kinza... Where the hell can I begin? hahahahaha You were the girl that made me change the most. You were the one person that was able to relate to me and I'm elated for you and Ham and I'm SURE that you have an amazingly awesome future infront of you. Just don't make me wear heels ever again. Or drag me by my tie everywhere. Or get me in trouble. C=
Michael, dude, you were the MAN to go to in times needing of laughter! We've had so many sick moments together that it'd just be weird to stop so suddenly. I'm looking forward to the next time we meet. Hey, if we do, can we do the scene in Scrubs where Turk and JD ran to each other? =D By the way... never sneeze with French Fries in your mouth ever again.
Neel. Indraneeeeel! hahahahaha You used to compete with me in sports as much as Luke did. Badminton, Running, High Jump.. hahahahaha Dude, if we meet again, I'm so going to kick your butt in badminton.
Elena. Hao! *Hand to face*. Being the first person I met in the school, during the entry exams, with the guy with the giant growth on his neck, you were the sister I never wanted. =p You are an incredibly understanding person, can handle any amount of pressure, and can organize spectacular outings. And your taste in music... *Thumbs up* One of the few people I don't have to worry about, you are going to wow everyone you meet.
Adam Can we start a business together? Cuz I've got a gut feeling you're going to get rich someday. hahahahaha. You still owe me, man! XP I want to thank you for being the obstacle in sporting events I had to overcome. You were strong, fast, and skilled. I won't lose to you.
Anvesha. I know we've only been friends for a shorter amount of time than any of the others but I really think you're one of the most amazing girls I know. Not really, I was just being 'nice' there. =p But you know what I mean right? I loved torturing you. It was incredibly fun. Sorry for making you cry in Graduation and Prom. I know that we're still gonna have those... interesting? conversations online... even if I don't want to. xp
Mummin! And yes, I had to put an exclamation mark next to your name. You were by FAR the most interesting person I've EVEEEEEEEER met. You were the Ali G of our school, the Top Dog. I know we've had loads of disagreements, but I'll miss you, man. You're a great guy, can you just turn down the 'bad boy' attitude a couple of notches?
Andreas Owh god.. Do I NEED to thank you?! hahahahaha kidding man. You changed the most out of us. You never used to care about lessons and everything, but you changed... now you're top 3 in Maths! Just keep being interested in your lessons and you'll go places.
Munia I think, and I'm pretty sure this is accurate, that you are the person I've annoyed the MOST in the school. Our entire friendship was based on us trying to annoy each other as much as possible. It was so much fun. Heck, our friendship started because Mr. Farquharson made me your guide... I should thank him. Remember the fight you had with Gutteridge? About the metro and the Ferrari. hahahahahahaha! Epic... It was entertaining tutoring you in school. Thanks for being a good student =p
Rana we're always going to have the little bird. hahaha you were one of the best people I had to talk to. Nice, Hard-headed, incredibly passionate about whatever it is you're fighting for and I'll miss trying to make you change your mind about things. Even though I failed like.. 95% of the time.
Reem Probably the most chilled out person I know. HAHAHA xp you were always brooding about SOMETHING in that head of yours. I know that you're going to keep trying your hardest about everything you do and someday, you're going to get everything you ever wanted.
Ariaan! You were the friend who was able to keep up with me when I went into philosophical, hyper-drive mode and kept me grounded with theories, speculations and proof of the weirdest things. The 'end of space'... You are by FAR the most intelligent peer I've had. Thanks for always helping me out man. I really hope the university you get into is worth your while.
It's nice if I could give a shout out to everyone, but please note that these are the friends I've had for a long time. Amir is my best friend for over 6 years! We should get an award or something. But to those who weren't thanked:
I thank you here. All of you. Renda, Hamim, Jessie, Leban, Yousif, Rida, Sarah, Liaan, Katrina, Sahil, Seher, Shabreesh, Yihan, Dan, Uzair, Ammar, Lauren, Ana, Ghazal, Ronaz...
We did IT! We've GRADUATED!!!!
I was also awarded the Certificate of Achievement in both Physics and Islamic Studies, but I've never been much of a certificate collector or any form of prizes for that matter. They're mundane to me. But not to say that they're useless.. Anyone who was awarded a certificate should be grateful and I congratulate each and every one of you. Plus, we got the Certificate of Graduation! How cool is that?!
AG, Elena and Anvy had a performance during the graduation ceremony and they were fantastic. Not to mention AG's and Liaan's speeches. It was a wonderful graduation. Even the part where we looked sort of like clowns. I loved that part actually. Made us more unique!
Now, in all honesty, I'm not sad that I'm leaving. But I'm going to explain why after I describe the awesomeness that is our PROM.
The prom wasn't that much of a hassle to prepare for. *At least for the guys, I'm sure the girls attacked every store they found looking for a dress*.
For me, it was sort of a hassle. Had to find a tuxedo, failed, so bought a dinner suit and dinner vest instead. It was all good. Me and Amir headed over to his house after the graduation, where we prepared for prom *consisting of ps3, laptop and a shower*.
Then, when the time to go was upon us *scary music here*, we headed out in Amir's dad's car with three teachers: his mum and her friends, all of us looking quite posh and fancy. Amir was a crossover between a Mafia boss and James Bond. He looked awesome. Until he started playing with his phone, pretending to be Bond. -.-'
Some people wanted to arrive in a limo, but the limo company was booked for the whole month... ahh well.. what can we do right?
When we got to Raffles, the uniformed man standing outside the door *poor him.. it's super hot and he's wearing 2 tops.. lucky he gets paid loads* opened our door for us *Sooooo cool* and said "Welcome, SIR" HAHAHAHAHA.
The inside of Raffles was very interesting. There, we saw around 4 businessmen gathered near the stairs talking to each other. When we got closer, they spotted us and waved. They were AG, Mike, Lotfi, Yousif and Andrew -.-' HOLLYYY CRAP. They were all dressed up! It's prom for sure.
The actual place for the prom was upstairs on the second floor, a place called "Fire and Ice Lobby" or something... It was outstanding. Owh wait.. We didn't actually get to see the outstanding part yet.
We actually went to a sort of Bar, first. Like a mix between a bar and a dinner room. It was good, but not outstanding. All of us met there first. The girls were wow. Like... WOOW! They went ALL out! I feel sorry for their dads. =p Mr. Campbell brought a Tuxedo imported from England. So unfair. -.-'
Then after a couple of pictures and some juice and cola, we headed out to the proper prom hall... THIS is the OUTSTANDING part. It was MAGNIFICENT! The first thing I noticed was the desert table... Hey, I didn't get to eat much that day. But even just that was breath-taking. The hall had beautiful decorations all over it and it smelled delicious*probably the dinner being cooked*.
The prom started off with Dinner. There was chicken cooked in two different sauces, rice, meat, and loads, LOADS more. I started with dessert, worked my way up to the appetizers, and then had more desserts.
Kinza and Elena were giving out gifts and titles to people... There was Daddy of the Year, Workaholic of the year, Teddy Bear of the Year, Mommy of the Year, Nose of the year, Cutest Couple of the Year, Twins of the Year and LOTS more. I'm not even bothered to say all of them. My job then was to give chocolate to each winner. It was fun. hahahahaha. Owh! there were longest Legs of the Year too!
Then they voted for the Best Dressed Male/Female Teacher/Students. Short Process. Congratulations to the winners. xp
Then. THE DANCING STARTED! Owh god... There were some seriously funny moments there. The DJ rocked! We even got the teachers to bust out some moves too! We were, however, cautious so that they didn't bust a hip either.
The whole night went amazing. Dancing, singing, eating, and then there were special moments like when Hamim entered the building and gave Kinza a beautiful red Rose. She won't admit it, but she was screaming inside. Well done, Hamim! =p And again, they won't admit it, but the other girls were pretty jealous. Specially since ONE of my friends was DUMB enough not to have prepared a flower! haiya...
Anyways, by the time the night ended, there were tears, laughter, hugs and high 5s... I even broke my rule about not hugging girls, twice -.-'
I wasn't sad that I was leaving. I was excited about moving forward too much that I wasn't able to see how much I would miss them. But now that the adrenaline is gone... Nothing's changed. I'm still looking forward to moving on. I'm sure they'll not miss me as much as they think they will. I'm not being mean, or saying that they are. I'm saying that their lives are going to be too hectic to miss a single person. It's going to be like a bald man wearing a wig riding a roller coaster.. He'd be too busy holding on to the railings that he wouldn't notice the wig fly out. I'm the wig.
But I will miss being young with them. Going nuts trying to be the first in line in front of the cafeteria, Paint fights, water fights, dog piling, sliding down the stair's railings, shouting in the hall, lying in the middle of nowhere just for fun, and many, many more.
Sheffield Private School is where I grew up and where I witnessed the growth of incredible people. It's where lives changed. It's a meeting place for different people with different backgrounds and different ideals to share their knowledge and help their friends grow from it.
Sheffield Private School... Is my school. And I'm proud to be a part of it.
Good Luck, Class of 2009/2010 and keep smiling.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
All Piled Up.
A lot of things has been happening this couple of weeks. The first and foremost of them: I got completely and utterly confused. I really, really don't like talking about myself but I have to say: I don't get confused very often. And being this confused... really sucks.
Okay here's what happened:
First off: I had to finish off 3 really long, really hard, really seemingly pointless(to me) courseworks which were all due on the same day. I don't mind finishing them, but if the following events did not happen right after them... I might not be this confused. Owh and I also got a warning that year 11s won't be having a study leave... well, we will but for one day -.-'. The events that followed:
I had a big fight with my mum... I know I shouldn't have snapped, but I guess it happens when you hold things in for so long. Umi criticized one of my coursework: the one I worked hardest on, the Business Studies one. I don't know if it was intentional of what but it felt like she couldn't see how much I worked on it and focused mainly on the fact that I added my own twist on it to grab the examiner's attention. But if I'm in the wrong, I'm really sorry. I really, really am.
After that, I started noticing how someone I like began to respond less and less to me; less talk time (Even though this is partly my fault as I don't know how to have a conversation), less hang outs, and most of all: less and less happiness. I get happy whenever I even talk to or even see this person but I don't know if they do too: initial source of confusion. I can't ask. I can't go any further than this. I can't give up either. I don't want to.
This person's best friend tried to help; they said that it was pointless in not giving up. THAT made my day -.-'. But if the BEST friend thinks that way... I really don't know what else I can do. - second source of confusion.
Afterwards, I just laid back on the bed and started thinking. Everything just rushed at me: that person doesn't like me. They have all these other people in their life who is so much better for them. I'm just going to be a source of annoyance... And I want them to be happy...
Then, I did what I should have done from the very beginning: I turned to Allah. I asked him to point me in the right direction... To show me what I should do. 5 minutes later, I got a very strange phone call of which the content won't be revealed but I can tell you this: It was the 3rd source of my utter confusion and one of the major ones.
Then things in school got boring... I didn't try to look for that person anymore so that I didn't bother them. I stayed away from my friends to relax my mind but that had the opposite effect... It just made me think more. I had a talk with my best mate about it... He was of some help and comfort but he mostly made a joke of it. I love him, but I'll kill him one day. He became as confused as I was. -.-' And then I asked him to tell me about his problems... he told me... - 4th source of confusion. I want to help him... but in my current state, I'd just make it worst.
Now, I haven't even been online yet. I can't risk it.
I don't know if I should have posted this or not... But I needed to get it out. It was suffocating.
It just feels like everything piled up all at once...
Owh... I'm sick too.
Okay here's what happened:
First off: I had to finish off 3 really long, really hard, really seemingly pointless(to me) courseworks which were all due on the same day. I don't mind finishing them, but if the following events did not happen right after them... I might not be this confused. Owh and I also got a warning that year 11s won't be having a study leave... well, we will but for one day -.-'. The events that followed:
I had a big fight with my mum... I know I shouldn't have snapped, but I guess it happens when you hold things in for so long. Umi criticized one of my coursework: the one I worked hardest on, the Business Studies one. I don't know if it was intentional of what but it felt like she couldn't see how much I worked on it and focused mainly on the fact that I added my own twist on it to grab the examiner's attention. But if I'm in the wrong, I'm really sorry. I really, really am.
After that, I started noticing how someone I like began to respond less and less to me; less talk time (Even though this is partly my fault as I don't know how to have a conversation), less hang outs, and most of all: less and less happiness. I get happy whenever I even talk to or even see this person but I don't know if they do too: initial source of confusion. I can't ask. I can't go any further than this. I can't give up either. I don't want to.
This person's best friend tried to help; they said that it was pointless in not giving up. THAT made my day -.-'. But if the BEST friend thinks that way... I really don't know what else I can do. - second source of confusion.
Afterwards, I just laid back on the bed and started thinking. Everything just rushed at me: that person doesn't like me. They have all these other people in their life who is so much better for them. I'm just going to be a source of annoyance... And I want them to be happy...
Then, I did what I should have done from the very beginning: I turned to Allah. I asked him to point me in the right direction... To show me what I should do. 5 minutes later, I got a very strange phone call of which the content won't be revealed but I can tell you this: It was the 3rd source of my utter confusion and one of the major ones.
Then things in school got boring... I didn't try to look for that person anymore so that I didn't bother them. I stayed away from my friends to relax my mind but that had the opposite effect... It just made me think more. I had a talk with my best mate about it... He was of some help and comfort but he mostly made a joke of it. I love him, but I'll kill him one day. He became as confused as I was. -.-' And then I asked him to tell me about his problems... he told me... - 4th source of confusion. I want to help him... but in my current state, I'd just make it worst.
Now, I haven't even been online yet. I can't risk it.
I don't know if I should have posted this or not... But I needed to get it out. It was suffocating.
It just feels like everything piled up all at once...
Owh... I'm sick too.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Really Old Stories.
Two years ago, we had an English assignment: Write a story which includes Flashbacks. Sounds simple enough. But honestly, I can't believe that I wrote this emotionally weird story back then -.-'. It gets more ... dramatic/emotional/weird as the story goes on. I'm proud of this work, but it still feels weird whenever I read it.
"Flying By"
I can't believe how many useless junks piles up without anyone noticing! I know I promised to clean the garage but now, I was having second thoughts; the whole room is covered with dusty boxes and torn envelops from long ago just waiting to be thrown out.
I started with the ones closest to the door. There was junk after junk after junk. Out the door it all went. Twenty minutes later, I picked up a box with the words "Tommy's Memoirs" scrawled across the front side in messy handwriting. That caught my eyes instantly, which then triggered my nagging curiosity. So, what else? I ripped open the tape which sealed the top and the first thing I saw was a Super Ball; the really bouncy balls that they never make anymore. I took it out of the box and examined it. It had a green mark on the black covering.
Curious, I bounced the ball on the floor. It flew straight up and hit the roof…
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Thanks, Dad!" I screamed, hugging him, "It's so cool!" I couldn't say how cool it was and what it meant to me that he spent $10 on this Super Ball. I've wanted it for ages! We were in the garden, and he was holding up the Super Ball. I looked up from his belly.
Dad's cheeks were pulled back in wide beam, his white teeth visible under his open mouth. His eyes smiled even brighter than his mouth could. "Hey, no problem! Just don't lose it, okay, kid? It wasn't easy finding one of these! I just thought it would be a good present for your big one-O birthday," He said, still smiling from ear to ear. "I heard that a kid in California bounced it and a kid in New York lost an eye!"
"Ok, ok, so can I test it now?" I asked, bouncing on my heels. There was no better present that he could have bought than the legendary Super Ball! My mind whirled with ideas on how to use it: Cover it with paint and throw it at someone was top of my list. Maybe chucking it at Amber wouldn't be such a bad idea. She did give me a wedgie yesterday.
"Alright, fine but make sure you don't hurt anyone with this," he handed me the ball.
Excited, I threw the ball on the floor. It rocketed straight up. Up, up, up. I couldn't see it anymore! It was already gone! Three seconds holding it and I already lost it! I was scared stiff. Dad had JUST bought that! Suddenly, a loud laughter filled the air.
"Best 10 bucks I ever spent!" he looked at me, "you want to wait till it comes back down? Or would you rather go eat hot, steamy burgers until you're too fat to stand up again with me?"
I love him! We actually did eat until we couldn't stand that night. Mom had a fit; the ball had gone straight into the neighbor's greenhouse and destroyed her precious plants. They found it next to the neighbor's unconscious dog which had a big red mark on his head.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The ball bounced off my head and fell right into the box. I choked slightly. I still miss that smile. It was stuck in my memory. I stuff the Ball in my back pocket, pushing away that thought for now. I turned my attention back into the box's contents.
There was a small blue book with a red ribbon neatly tied around it. Untying the ribbon, I flipped open the pages. It was damp, with a slight orange tint spreading from the center.
The first page had pictures of me and my family when I was 17, near a waterfall. Flipping through the page, I saw pictures of friends, family and faces I haven't seen in any of my albums. I stopped at one picture. I touched the face next to mine in that photo.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Are you ready yet?!" Mom shouted from downstairs. Seriously, she rushes way too much. I usually don't take much time to dress up but…
I heard a car skidding to a halt outside. "Yo, Tommy! Come on, man! You're going to be late!" barked a familiar voice. I opened the window and saw Jonny, my best mate. He was wearing a bright pink tuxedo and amazingly, he had his hair combed neatly. I guess even the wildest of beasts could be tamed. He was standing on top of a Jeep. "Come on in, man! I'm gonna get some snacks first!" I shouted back. He gave me a thumb up and jumped off the Jeep.
I rushed around the room, flinging clothes roughly. I had to find it! There is no way I'm leaving without it. I closed my eyes and tried to remember. My mind became a recording, looking back at what I was doing that day. Flashes of the previous 18 hours played clearly behind my eyelids.
After a minute like that, a knock knocked the door. "Dude," came Jonny's voice, "your mom told me to drag you out of there, naked or not. Hurry and dress up man, you naked is not on my must see list!"
I had to grin at that. That scum outside my door would actually break down the door if I didn’t come out soon! I quickly got up and unlocked the door. "Come in, man, I'm looking for something, dressed."
"And that would be…?" he drawled, peeping through the door slightly. He came in after he made sure I wasn't naked. He had a yellow stain on his pink tux, on his right collar. Looks like he didn't wait for me to stuff our face together: typical Jonny.
"It's that thing we need; I can't remember its name, man. It's like Coh-something. All I know is if I go without it, she'll be upset! Just look around over there," I pointed to a spot where I haven’t messed up yet, "and look for something out of place."
He huffed slightly and started digging around. After nearly 5 minutes of hard searching, we found it. More like Jonny nearly sat on it. I held the small item high. "Thank god," I sighed.
Jonny seized me under my arm and practically threw me outside the room. "COME ON! You made both of us late!"
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
A loud honk filled the dead silence. I jolted back awake. Shaking my head, I look back at the picture and sighed. It has been more than 12 years since that day. There is no way I would forget that day. Then, I notice a small scrawling right underneath the picture. It read: Life Changing.
I smile slightly when I read that. I guess 12 years ago, I was pretty corny. But I can't say I was wrong; that day truly changed my life. I smile even more as I recall where the orange tint came from. That's what happens when you share a room with Jonny Cash and he just had too much to drink.
Putting my old scrap book aside, I carefully began to look for that small item. I was sure it was in there somewhere. I went past broken toys, bent certificates, old school yearbooks. And there it was.
It was hidden nearly all the way at the bottom of the box, underneath my old college hat. It still looked so beautiful. I held the thing lightly in my hand and stared at it. I can’t believe it that long ago since that event.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
I was knocking on the door of Number 18, Jangon Street. My heart beat wildly. This was a very important day. A day I cannot, will not forget. My hands sweated heavily. The small item slipped slightly from my hand. The door opened. And there she was.
Amber had let her flowing golden hair fall behind and around her face. She wore blue eye-shadow and a lighter blue eye-liner. Her startling lips were colored slightly red with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled blue as she looked at me. That night, her face was carved from angels themselves.
She wore a simple, ocean-blue, elegantly cut dress with one sleeve, covering her small frame perfectly. Her feet wore slippers that would have made Cinderella jealous. On her arm was the silver bracelet I had bought her on her birthday. On her neck was a silver necklace with the letter T hanging from it.
"Wow," was all I could get out. My heart had stopped completely for a few seconds.
"Wow yourself, Tommy," her sweet voice danced in the air, "I can't believe you actually dressed up this nice for me!"
Blushing, I gave her the small item. "Oh my god!" she shrieked, "A corsage! This is so sweet! I thought you said it was too romantic."
"Shut up. I still think it's too romantic but since you wanted one since we were kids…" I trailed off, not able to continue. Gathering my thoughts, I quickly said, "I just want you to know what you mean to me."
I knew then that I had said too much. My heart was going wild, trying to jump out my throat. Then she leaned in. I could smell her breath. I could make out every bit of detail on her nose. We were an inch apart.
"TOMMY! AMBER! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" came an enraged shout.
I sighed. That man really does have perfect timing. "Well, Amber, I guess it's time to go. You ready?" I said, my ears burning.
"Before you go," said Mrs. Quentin, suddenly popping up, her face flushed with excitement, "I want a picture of my daughter and her date!" she wiggled a camera. "Come on," she began dragging us towards the porch, "stand next to each other on the porch."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
It began to rain outside. I had just finished clearing up the store room and was playing with the Super Ball on the floor when a friendly "I'm home" rang through my late dad's house.
"I'm upstairs!"
Footsteps echoed up the stairs and Amber came into view. She beamed and sat down next to me. "Hey, handsome," she said, pecking me softly on the cheek, "did it take you long to clear up the store room?"
Relaxing, I gazed at her and smiled.
"Na, time just flew by."
"Flying By"
I can't believe how many useless junks piles up without anyone noticing! I know I promised to clean the garage but now, I was having second thoughts; the whole room is covered with dusty boxes and torn envelops from long ago just waiting to be thrown out.
I started with the ones closest to the door. There was junk after junk after junk. Out the door it all went. Twenty minutes later, I picked up a box with the words "Tommy's Memoirs" scrawled across the front side in messy handwriting. That caught my eyes instantly, which then triggered my nagging curiosity. So, what else? I ripped open the tape which sealed the top and the first thing I saw was a Super Ball; the really bouncy balls that they never make anymore. I took it out of the box and examined it. It had a green mark on the black covering.
Curious, I bounced the ball on the floor. It flew straight up and hit the roof…
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Thanks, Dad!" I screamed, hugging him, "It's so cool!" I couldn't say how cool it was and what it meant to me that he spent $10 on this Super Ball. I've wanted it for ages! We were in the garden, and he was holding up the Super Ball. I looked up from his belly.
Dad's cheeks were pulled back in wide beam, his white teeth visible under his open mouth. His eyes smiled even brighter than his mouth could. "Hey, no problem! Just don't lose it, okay, kid? It wasn't easy finding one of these! I just thought it would be a good present for your big one-O birthday," He said, still smiling from ear to ear. "I heard that a kid in California bounced it and a kid in New York lost an eye!"
"Ok, ok, so can I test it now?" I asked, bouncing on my heels. There was no better present that he could have bought than the legendary Super Ball! My mind whirled with ideas on how to use it: Cover it with paint and throw it at someone was top of my list. Maybe chucking it at Amber wouldn't be such a bad idea. She did give me a wedgie yesterday.
"Alright, fine but make sure you don't hurt anyone with this," he handed me the ball.
Excited, I threw the ball on the floor. It rocketed straight up. Up, up, up. I couldn't see it anymore! It was already gone! Three seconds holding it and I already lost it! I was scared stiff. Dad had JUST bought that! Suddenly, a loud laughter filled the air.
"Best 10 bucks I ever spent!" he looked at me, "you want to wait till it comes back down? Or would you rather go eat hot, steamy burgers until you're too fat to stand up again with me?"
I love him! We actually did eat until we couldn't stand that night. Mom had a fit; the ball had gone straight into the neighbor's greenhouse and destroyed her precious plants. They found it next to the neighbor's unconscious dog which had a big red mark on his head.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The ball bounced off my head and fell right into the box. I choked slightly. I still miss that smile. It was stuck in my memory. I stuff the Ball in my back pocket, pushing away that thought for now. I turned my attention back into the box's contents.
There was a small blue book with a red ribbon neatly tied around it. Untying the ribbon, I flipped open the pages. It was damp, with a slight orange tint spreading from the center.
The first page had pictures of me and my family when I was 17, near a waterfall. Flipping through the page, I saw pictures of friends, family and faces I haven't seen in any of my albums. I stopped at one picture. I touched the face next to mine in that photo.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Are you ready yet?!" Mom shouted from downstairs. Seriously, she rushes way too much. I usually don't take much time to dress up but…
I heard a car skidding to a halt outside. "Yo, Tommy! Come on, man! You're going to be late!" barked a familiar voice. I opened the window and saw Jonny, my best mate. He was wearing a bright pink tuxedo and amazingly, he had his hair combed neatly. I guess even the wildest of beasts could be tamed. He was standing on top of a Jeep. "Come on in, man! I'm gonna get some snacks first!" I shouted back. He gave me a thumb up and jumped off the Jeep.
I rushed around the room, flinging clothes roughly. I had to find it! There is no way I'm leaving without it. I closed my eyes and tried to remember. My mind became a recording, looking back at what I was doing that day. Flashes of the previous 18 hours played clearly behind my eyelids.
After a minute like that, a knock knocked the door. "Dude," came Jonny's voice, "your mom told me to drag you out of there, naked or not. Hurry and dress up man, you naked is not on my must see list!"
I had to grin at that. That scum outside my door would actually break down the door if I didn’t come out soon! I quickly got up and unlocked the door. "Come in, man, I'm looking for something, dressed."
"And that would be…?" he drawled, peeping through the door slightly. He came in after he made sure I wasn't naked. He had a yellow stain on his pink tux, on his right collar. Looks like he didn't wait for me to stuff our face together: typical Jonny.
"It's that thing we need; I can't remember its name, man. It's like Coh-something. All I know is if I go without it, she'll be upset! Just look around over there," I pointed to a spot where I haven’t messed up yet, "and look for something out of place."
He huffed slightly and started digging around. After nearly 5 minutes of hard searching, we found it. More like Jonny nearly sat on it. I held the small item high. "Thank god," I sighed.
Jonny seized me under my arm and practically threw me outside the room. "COME ON! You made both of us late!"
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
A loud honk filled the dead silence. I jolted back awake. Shaking my head, I look back at the picture and sighed. It has been more than 12 years since that day. There is no way I would forget that day. Then, I notice a small scrawling right underneath the picture. It read: Life Changing.
I smile slightly when I read that. I guess 12 years ago, I was pretty corny. But I can't say I was wrong; that day truly changed my life. I smile even more as I recall where the orange tint came from. That's what happens when you share a room with Jonny Cash and he just had too much to drink.
Putting my old scrap book aside, I carefully began to look for that small item. I was sure it was in there somewhere. I went past broken toys, bent certificates, old school yearbooks. And there it was.
It was hidden nearly all the way at the bottom of the box, underneath my old college hat. It still looked so beautiful. I held the thing lightly in my hand and stared at it. I can’t believe it that long ago since that event.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
I was knocking on the door of Number 18, Jangon Street. My heart beat wildly. This was a very important day. A day I cannot, will not forget. My hands sweated heavily. The small item slipped slightly from my hand. The door opened. And there she was.
Amber had let her flowing golden hair fall behind and around her face. She wore blue eye-shadow and a lighter blue eye-liner. Her startling lips were colored slightly red with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled blue as she looked at me. That night, her face was carved from angels themselves.
She wore a simple, ocean-blue, elegantly cut dress with one sleeve, covering her small frame perfectly. Her feet wore slippers that would have made Cinderella jealous. On her arm was the silver bracelet I had bought her on her birthday. On her neck was a silver necklace with the letter T hanging from it.
"Wow," was all I could get out. My heart had stopped completely for a few seconds.
"Wow yourself, Tommy," her sweet voice danced in the air, "I can't believe you actually dressed up this nice for me!"
Blushing, I gave her the small item. "Oh my god!" she shrieked, "A corsage! This is so sweet! I thought you said it was too romantic."
"Shut up. I still think it's too romantic but since you wanted one since we were kids…" I trailed off, not able to continue. Gathering my thoughts, I quickly said, "I just want you to know what you mean to me."
I knew then that I had said too much. My heart was going wild, trying to jump out my throat. Then she leaned in. I could smell her breath. I could make out every bit of detail on her nose. We were an inch apart.
"TOMMY! AMBER! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" came an enraged shout.
I sighed. That man really does have perfect timing. "Well, Amber, I guess it's time to go. You ready?" I said, my ears burning.
"Before you go," said Mrs. Quentin, suddenly popping up, her face flushed with excitement, "I want a picture of my daughter and her date!" she wiggled a camera. "Come on," she began dragging us towards the porch, "stand next to each other on the porch."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
It began to rain outside. I had just finished clearing up the store room and was playing with the Super Ball on the floor when a friendly "I'm home" rang through my late dad's house.
"I'm upstairs!"
Footsteps echoed up the stairs and Amber came into view. She beamed and sat down next to me. "Hey, handsome," she said, pecking me softly on the cheek, "did it take you long to clear up the store room?"
Relaxing, I gazed at her and smiled.
"Na, time just flew by."
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Again With The Names!
Yeah.. I once posted before about meanings of names and how I couldn't find mine since it's really strange. (Faidhi Fudzail) Neither my first or last names' meanings can be found!
At least not when spelled like that. That's when I realized that maybe I had to tweak my name a bit... Just a tiny bit.
For example, when I took out the silent 'H' and the first 'I', I get Fadi.
The result I got from http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com is this:
Gender: Boy
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Sacrificer; Saviour.
There's also Faidh, without the final 'I' which means:
Gender: Male
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Superabundance; Favour.
Since I know a bit of Arabic, I can tell you that if you add the 'i' sound to any word in the Arabic language, it becomes 'My "something"'. So, Faidhi would mean My Favour.
Okay. So I'm getting somewhere at least. So if you want to find out about your name's meaning, and still can't find it, try seeing any other names that SOUND like your name. There might be a clue to the puzzle that is your name.
Here are some of my friends' names meanings:
Anum: Fifth Born Child. Or if spelled like Anaum: The Blessing of Allah.
Najwa: Romantic Intimate Conversation.
Alaudeen: Servant of Allah
Nasruddin: Protector of Faith. (Sorry guys, your names were harder to find, so I had to tweak it a lot)
Muaz: (Tweaked) Brave man
Haziq: Skillful, Intelligent
Amjad: Worthy of worship
Nabila: Born to nobility
Nabil: Noble
Aizad: Sweetness
Ali: Sublime
Farhan: Merry
Amir: Prince
Agnelo: Pure
Indraneel: Sapphire
Michael: Like the Lord
Elena: Light
Reem: Beautiful Gazelle
Rana: Royal
Kinza: Hidden Treasure
Hamim: Friend
Mumin: One who believes.
Farida: Turquoise/Unique
Jessie: Rich
Chad: Protector
Websites used:
http://www.special-dictionary.com
http://www.meaning-of-names.com
http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com
http://www.google.com
At least not when spelled like that. That's when I realized that maybe I had to tweak my name a bit... Just a tiny bit.
For example, when I took out the silent 'H' and the first 'I', I get Fadi.
The result I got from http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com is this:
Gender: Boy
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Sacrificer; Saviour.
There's also Faidh, without the final 'I' which means:
Gender: Male
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: Superabundance; Favour.
Since I know a bit of Arabic, I can tell you that if you add the 'i' sound to any word in the Arabic language, it becomes 'My "something"'. So, Faidhi would mean My Favour.
Okay. So I'm getting somewhere at least. So if you want to find out about your name's meaning, and still can't find it, try seeing any other names that SOUND like your name. There might be a clue to the puzzle that is your name.
Here are some of my friends' names meanings:
Anum: Fifth Born Child. Or if spelled like Anaum: The Blessing of Allah.
Najwa: Romantic Intimate Conversation.
Alaudeen: Servant of Allah
Nasruddin: Protector of Faith. (Sorry guys, your names were harder to find, so I had to tweak it a lot)
Muaz: (Tweaked) Brave man
Haziq: Skillful, Intelligent
Amjad: Worthy of worship
Nabila: Born to nobility
Nabil: Noble
Aizad: Sweetness
Ali: Sublime
Farhan: Merry
Amir: Prince
Agnelo: Pure
Indraneel: Sapphire
Michael: Like the Lord
Elena: Light
Reem: Beautiful Gazelle
Rana: Royal
Kinza: Hidden Treasure
Hamim: Friend
Mumin: One who believes.
Farida: Turquoise/Unique
Jessie: Rich
Chad: Protector
Websites used:
http://www.special-dictionary.com
http://www.meaning-of-names.com
http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com
http://www.google.com
Marks =(
Exaaammmmm Maaarrkkkkssss!!!!
Okay, so I woke up early somehow or rather this morning. Got ready, prayed, printed out the poem homeworks, then relaxed. I had no idea that we were getting our marks back today. -.-' Seriously speaking, the teachers need to warn us WAY beforehand.
I got to school late, thanks to Muhaimin waking up later than usual, and when I got to my first lesson (English) the whole class was buzzing with excitement. I asked someone what was up and they told me: We're getting our results back today! I asked when, and the reply I got from everyone was: I have no idea! Uselessness Maxed.
Anyways, I found out that we were getting them at the end of the day. So the school day passed by normally. And I won again against Anum :p:P! She's terrible at hiding. I'm thinking... to make it more interesting, why don't I hide this time... You try to find me, Anum?
Back to the results. I got them later than the end of the day. I got it 10 minutes after the end of the day. Thanks you so much of so reliable conductors -.-'.
The results are as follow, but before I begin, I have to remind you, I NEVER STUDIED for ANY of these subjects:
Arabic B
Biology A*
Business C
Chemistry B
English A
Physics A
ICT C
Maths C
So, it's not a completely bad result. Especially Arabic. I only started studying that for a month!
The one I seriously don't believe is the ICT one. A C IN ICT?! There's just no way. I'm going to make the teachers recheck! So wrong. As for Business and Maths.. well, I accepted a long time ago that I wouldn't get higher than a C in them. Unless of course, I tried harder. Which I intend to do for the real IGCSEs.
Hear me now! This is my oath: To get more than half of my paper filled with As! *I'm not promising ALL As because I might just get an A* by accident*. ;)
Okay, so I woke up early somehow or rather this morning. Got ready, prayed, printed out the poem homeworks, then relaxed. I had no idea that we were getting our marks back today. -.-' Seriously speaking, the teachers need to warn us WAY beforehand.
I got to school late, thanks to Muhaimin waking up later than usual, and when I got to my first lesson (English) the whole class was buzzing with excitement. I asked someone what was up and they told me: We're getting our results back today! I asked when, and the reply I got from everyone was: I have no idea! Uselessness Maxed.
Anyways, I found out that we were getting them at the end of the day. So the school day passed by normally. And I won again against Anum :p:P! She's terrible at hiding. I'm thinking... to make it more interesting, why don't I hide this time... You try to find me, Anum?
Back to the results. I got them later than the end of the day. I got it 10 minutes after the end of the day. Thanks you so much of so reliable conductors -.-'.
The results are as follow, but before I begin, I have to remind you, I NEVER STUDIED for ANY of these subjects:
Arabic B
Biology A*
Business C
Chemistry B
English A
Physics A
ICT C
Maths C
So, it's not a completely bad result. Especially Arabic. I only started studying that for a month!
The one I seriously don't believe is the ICT one. A C IN ICT?! There's just no way. I'm going to make the teachers recheck! So wrong. As for Business and Maths.. well, I accepted a long time ago that I wouldn't get higher than a C in them. Unless of course, I tried harder. Which I intend to do for the real IGCSEs.
Hear me now! This is my oath: To get more than half of my paper filled with As! *I'm not promising ALL As because I might just get an A* by accident*. ;)
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Poems
Yeah. Poems. I know this isn't like anything I've ever posted before, but since it was homework and I've already done it, added with the fact that I have nothing else to post about, why not post it here?
Before I post them, I have to say: these poems are not completely originals. They are not the best of poems nor will I ever try to make the best of poems. So do not expect me to post a lot of poetry on this blog.
They are also Love Poems. They are part of an assignment in which I had to copy the style of other poets.
This first one is called I Wanna Be Yours. It's made up of mostly metaphors.
I also feel like saying some of these lines out loud. They are kinda corny but still originals.
I'm not sure how far your imagination can stretch, but please bear with me. This poem is packed full of metaphors that need explanations.. Like a Chanel Purse. Well, I was thinking: what do girls really trust? The answer was a purse. They stuff EVERYTHING down there! And Chanel because most girls I asked what brand of purse makers they trust most answered Gucci. But one of them answered Chanel. It fits better with the poem.
The next one is even lamer. It's called "Love Is" and it's practically trying to explain what Love is. Or something along those lines.
The thing about the last lines is that it's describing itself. Losing focus, so the lines are getting smaller and shorter with less of a descriptive nature.
Poetry is an awesome way of expressing how you feel. That's the only reason I think people like poetry. Songs are made by the same techniques poems are made from but only with music in the background. However, I think that the absence of music in poetry emphasizes the beauty of the words itself a lot more. I'm not a big Poetry Fan myself but I understand why people like poetry.
It's an freestyle way of telling people how you feel... Now I'm thinking: If that's true... Shakespeare is a nut job!
Before I post them, I have to say: these poems are not completely originals. They are not the best of poems nor will I ever try to make the best of poems. So do not expect me to post a lot of poetry on this blog.
They are also Love Poems. They are part of an assignment in which I had to copy the style of other poets.
This first one is called I Wanna Be Yours. It's made up of mostly metaphors.
I also feel like saying some of these lines out loud. They are kinda corny but still originals.
Let me be your special napkin,
Absorbing all your tears.
Let me your container tin,
Shielding you from seers.
If you don’t ever want to feel down,
Meet me in a wedding gown,
I’ll never let you drown.
I wanna be yours.
Let me be your Chanel purse,
Trust me with everything.
Let me be your favorite verse,
The one you always sing.
Let me hold your hand,
Walking across the sand,
We’ll fly off the land.
I wanna be yours.
Let me be your warmest bath,
Helping you relax.
Let me be your surest path,
I promise, there will be no cracks.
If you wanna travel worldwide,
Let me be by your side,
It’ll be one heck of a joyride.
I don’t wanna be hers
I wanna be yours…
Absorbing all your tears.
Let me your container tin,
Shielding you from seers.
If you don’t ever want to feel down,
Meet me in a wedding gown,
I’ll never let you drown.
I wanna be yours.
Let me be your Chanel purse,
Trust me with everything.
Let me be your favorite verse,
The one you always sing.
Let me hold your hand,
Walking across the sand,
We’ll fly off the land.
I wanna be yours.
Let me be your warmest bath,
Helping you relax.
Let me be your surest path,
I promise, there will be no cracks.
If you wanna travel worldwide,
Let me be by your side,
It’ll be one heck of a joyride.
I don’t wanna be hers
I wanna be yours…
I'm not sure how far your imagination can stretch, but please bear with me. This poem is packed full of metaphors that need explanations.. Like a Chanel Purse. Well, I was thinking: what do girls really trust? The answer was a purse. They stuff EVERYTHING down there! And Chanel because most girls I asked what brand of purse makers they trust most answered Gucci. But one of them answered Chanel. It fits better with the poem.
The next one is even lamer. It's called "Love Is" and it's practically trying to explain what Love is. Or something along those lines.
Love is waiting for you patiently.
Love is fighting for you furiously.
Love is dreaming about you endlessly.
Love is.
Love is not wanting to fall asleep.
Love is a cliff that’s really steep.
Love is falling down oh so deep.
Love is.
Love is the heaviest burden.
Love is all my days brighten.
Love is the world’s luckiest omen.
Love is.
Love is the greatest of dreams.
Love is waiting with melted ice creams.
Love is filled with crazy schemes.
Love is.
Love is a cactus.
Love is losing focus.
Love is only us.
Love is…
Love is fighting for you furiously.
Love is dreaming about you endlessly.
Love is.
Love is not wanting to fall asleep.
Love is a cliff that’s really steep.
Love is falling down oh so deep.
Love is.
Love is the heaviest burden.
Love is all my days brighten.
Love is the world’s luckiest omen.
Love is.
Love is the greatest of dreams.
Love is waiting with melted ice creams.
Love is filled with crazy schemes.
Love is.
Love is a cactus.
Love is losing focus.
Love is only us.
Love is…
The thing about the last lines is that it's describing itself. Losing focus, so the lines are getting smaller and shorter with less of a descriptive nature.
Poetry is an awesome way of expressing how you feel. That's the only reason I think people like poetry. Songs are made by the same techniques poems are made from but only with music in the background. However, I think that the absence of music in poetry emphasizes the beauty of the words itself a lot more. I'm not a big Poetry Fan myself but I understand why people like poetry.
It's an freestyle way of telling people how you feel... Now I'm thinking: If that's true... Shakespeare is a nut job!
Monday, 18 January 2010
Review
Reviewing how the exams went:
Biology: Easy, but I forgot some of the Hormone's names-need to revise.
Physics: Practical paper is a piece of cake - just needs to bring in proper equipment. Theory paper needs more work done from my part.
Chemistry: Needs a lot more studying.
Maths: Revision needed twice over.
ICT: Too easy.
Arabic: Need more practice.
Business: Learn proper key terms and study more finance.
Overall: Studying is needed. Vital.
Biology: Easy, but I forgot some of the Hormone's names-need to revise.
Physics: Practical paper is a piece of cake - just needs to bring in proper equipment. Theory paper needs more work done from my part.
Chemistry: Needs a lot more studying.
Maths: Revision needed twice over.
ICT: Too easy.
Arabic: Need more practice.
Business: Learn proper key terms and study more finance.
Overall: Studying is needed. Vital.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Finally! A break!
It's been so long since I've posted! The last one was about New Year'. Unfortunately, I had exams soon after and had to concentrate on them rather than think of things to post.
And yes, I said that only to make myself look like I'm actually concentrating on them. I haven't actually studied for any of the exams thus far and as such, I would not be getting any As. Or at least I don't expect to get them. I mean, getting a C would be like a miracle!
The last one I'll be having is on Sunday... ICT practicals. People say it's easy and I'm very inclined to believe them, but for the sake of not failing, I've been using all the Microsoft Programs over and over again. Now, I'm all set.
Owh but I didn't want to talk about the exams. I just wanted to post about my school life. And how it's about to end.
4 years ago, I started schooling at Sheffield Private School. I saw some huge guys in year 11 and back then, it never crossed my mind that we would be like them. Now I am in their grade; a senior to the rest of the school. Some year 6 student might be looking at me and thinking: he's so old and (delusional self) so cool! He/she wouldn't have ever imagined themselves a senior in a few short years, going through fun and hard trials and meeting a whole variety of people along the way.
An old friend of mine was talking, yesterday, about precisely this. It was during a free period after the Geography students did their exams. He says that he will honestly miss this school not only because of the teacher, not only because of the students but because of the school itself. It's the place he grew up in... it's the place he grew attached to. And each and every one of us there agreed with him. It will be such a sad moment when we have to leave the school.
But then again... It's the new beginning. At that moment, when we graduate (yes, "when" not "if"), we won't feel that much sadness. It will be a sensation that is unexplainable by a singular word. Something close to a combination of joy and relief tainted by a few regrets and perhaps sadness. Joy because we'll know then that we have done it; we've GRADUATED! Relief since all our life so far was building up to that day and it actually came. Regretting that we may have not done our complete 100% to getting to this point. Sadness because there's a chance we may never see each other again.
We've done something for the end of semester every year since we started at Sheffield Private School. We're going to have to plan something huge for this year.
And yes, I said that only to make myself look like I'm actually concentrating on them. I haven't actually studied for any of the exams thus far and as such, I would not be getting any As. Or at least I don't expect to get them. I mean, getting a C would be like a miracle!
The last one I'll be having is on Sunday... ICT practicals. People say it's easy and I'm very inclined to believe them, but for the sake of not failing, I've been using all the Microsoft Programs over and over again. Now, I'm all set.
Owh but I didn't want to talk about the exams. I just wanted to post about my school life. And how it's about to end.
4 years ago, I started schooling at Sheffield Private School. I saw some huge guys in year 11 and back then, it never crossed my mind that we would be like them. Now I am in their grade; a senior to the rest of the school. Some year 6 student might be looking at me and thinking: he's so old and (delusional self) so cool! He/she wouldn't have ever imagined themselves a senior in a few short years, going through fun and hard trials and meeting a whole variety of people along the way.
An old friend of mine was talking, yesterday, about precisely this. It was during a free period after the Geography students did their exams. He says that he will honestly miss this school not only because of the teacher, not only because of the students but because of the school itself. It's the place he grew up in... it's the place he grew attached to. And each and every one of us there agreed with him. It will be such a sad moment when we have to leave the school.
But then again... It's the new beginning. At that moment, when we graduate (yes, "when" not "if"), we won't feel that much sadness. It will be a sensation that is unexplainable by a singular word. Something close to a combination of joy and relief tainted by a few regrets and perhaps sadness. Joy because we'll know then that we have done it; we've GRADUATED! Relief since all our life so far was building up to that day and it actually came. Regretting that we may have not done our complete 100% to getting to this point. Sadness because there's a chance we may never see each other again.
We've done something for the end of semester every year since we started at Sheffield Private School. We're going to have to plan something huge for this year.
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