Sui Generis!

Hi There. It's Been a While.

2011-08-02T19:23:00.001+04:00

And ironically, it's the season of goodbyes.

Universities are a-calling, people are a-leaving, and the rain's a-coming. It's August and its the time of year people are leaving on airplanes to oversea destinations to strive for their futures. - I was going to write future dreams but... you don't really know what you're going to be dreaming about in the future are you? - That means celebratory dinners and farewell lunches as well as possibly I'll hate you for this desserts.

This post is especially dedicated to the following people: Angeline Low, Pak Wei-Han, Mark Donkor, and Matthew Corban. There are probably more who are leaving, but I don't know them and/or I don't know that they're leaving. A special mention of Wan Rezal and Yow Chi Leng since they're going to Nottingham University in Malaysia which is almost an equivalent of moving to a different country altogether. It's in the middle of nowhere. The others are leaving to Europe, other parts of Asia, Australasia, North America... Good luck. All of you. Oh and thank you.

The mentioned are people who made life quite interesting in Sunway College and, thanks to Facebook and other websites, I'm probably going to have a hard time forgetting them. Oh and before I actually DO forget: another special shout out to Candice Novia. Hope to be hearing your soon-to-get Australian accent in the future. Notice that I did not write your last name. Remember that you can complain all you want to my Facebook wall. Or inbox. Depends on whether discretion is needed. Have fun.

Now... back to me. (How selfless am I? I spent 10 minutes writing about other people before I got to the main event). I'm going to be studying Human Psychology for the next few years and guess what? I'll be studying it in Sunway University College! Sarcastic YAY!

Okay, it's not bad and the sarcasm is perhaps unnecessary since I actually really like the place and the people there. It's close to home which means home cooked meals, I know the layout very well, and it's... familiar. That last one.. Familiar... I don't know if it's a good thing or not. Being put in an unfamiliar territory sounds more.. thrilling. Traveling and seeing new places, getting to know more people and perchance picking up a language or two. That's fun. That's how you learn the stuff you can't learn in classes or lectures. That's experience.

The course Psychology was (as most people who know me knows) not my first choice. I thought of doing Medicine somewhere like Canada or UK. But I flunked and my grades failed me. It wasn't horrible, it was just not good at all. I'd like to blame it on my lecturers but... yeah... You get the idea. Medicine sounded great: good job prospects, great pay and you really help people. But after I found out that I wouldn't be doing it, disappointment only seeped in a tiny little bit. I don't know whether it's because I handle disappointments well, which most people would not agree with (but others might), or was it because I wasn't too excited about becoming a medical officer of any sorts in the first place. Even right now, it's unclear.

Psychology does sound intriguing. I frequently played with human mindsets in high school (there are a few people who can testify), trying to understand why people do the things they do. Now, this course offers me professional insight into the psych of humans and, presumably, I'll get paid to do it. This makes it sound easy but my guts, my brains, and my very soul itself is screaming at me "DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE IT!" I only wonder whether or not I'll listen. Who knows.. maybe by the end of course, I'll finally understand why I won't eat vegetables.

Assalamualaikum and Ramadhan Kareem.

Melaka/Malacca.

2011-02-20T01:16:00.000+04:00

Ngeh. Right. Blogging time. I haven't blogged in a while because I didn't have any inspirations or drive to post anything. But I was reading a few blogs written by friends (which included one very interesting post about a poem) and the blogging bug started biting again. Lets start off with college.
I'm a senior! Yay! I drive to college now! Yay! I'm in both badminton and choir(dropped American Football)! Yay! I'm in really boring classes! Sarcastic Yay!
Now we'll go backwards: Boring classes first. Interdisciplinary Studies, Physics and Chemistry. 3 consecutive hours 45 minutes of battling with my eyelids, willing them to stay open. A class where the lecturer seems hell-bent on getting her points across to you to the point of being repetitive; a class where the lecturer seems to be talking to himself, entertaining himself with problems; a class where we sit and do nothing but listen and watches as the lecturer attempts to use Google Images to teach a lesson. I won't say that I'm the model student, but I really cannot bring myself to get psyched up for any of these classes. These classes are necessary for my future but, at times, I find myself thinking about half dragon half monkeys.
After class activities are so much fun nowadays! Badminton especially! I didn't know it was that popular... All of a sudden, there was a surge of people wanting to join the club and it's only been the third week of the club's opening. We might actually have to decline people soon as we are running out of space for players! The amount of talent Sunway University College has is really astounding. It makes being captain well worth it. Just watching them play makes your racket hand itch to play too. The best part is that everyone is there just to have a good time and have fun so it's easy to enjoy what you're doing, even if you have no idea what the hell it is you're doing in the first place.
Choir (Nothing like Glee). Another club which had a sudden surge of new members. I didn't go there for two weeks but when I was able to go, the room was pretty much filled up! Granted, it is not a very BIG room, but it's hard to remember when the room was last as full as it is now. The members there are so much fun that we get through the work needed to be done quite quickly and happily. And of course, some credit has to go to the overseeing lecturer, Miss Chia, who happens to be my favorite teacher. She's just funny. Everyone in choir club seems to get along with one another and with Miss Chia, and even singing the National Anthem can become fun. Weird, but fun.
I drive. It still freaks me out to drive sometimes... It doesn't feel like I belong in the driving seat. I'd much rather sit in the backseat where you can calmly observe everything. Having to drive every morning and worry about what other drivers are about to do is not an ideal cup of tea. Plus, the car is a Proton Kancil. A car that looks like a cat can push over, a car that shakes when it reaches 110km/h, a car that cannot be seen by buses and trucks. I like the car. Honest. The height, control, speed and everything to do with the car is to my liking. Getting my way around town is still a bit... confusing. As a passenger, I didn't really take in the roads, so now when I'm in the driver's seat, I wish I did.
And finally, being a senior. Not much to say really. The juniors are fun and they're actually my age, so we get along fine. But the only problem is that the other seniors seem to disperse into their own studying groups and not hang out as much as we used to. I guess work really takes a toll on people. I won't complain though, things are interesting enough as they are. A lot of things for me to observe.
I just realized that I posted this under the title "Melaka/Malacca" and yet I don't know what to write about it. So, I'll just give you the overview:
Went to Melaka on a class trip. Watched a dance/performance. Swung on an old-style kampung swing. Rode a really boring horse. Hung out with Guzelle and Rezal. Shared lame jokes to everyone in the bus (the lamest of them being "where do you take a dying man?" - if you want the answer, ask). Ate cendol Melaka which was really, really yummy. Took a Beca ride tour of Melaka.
That's about it.
Oh, and I'm also taking Bahasa Kebangsaan class which is a class where you learn Malay. The latest class was funny... We were learning about how to say the right intonation for the words and it just so happened that the example used was "Kos" like cost. The lecturer kept saying "you shouldn't pronounce it 'Kus'" and that just made all 3 of the Arabic-understanding students laugh (me included). Then he made a few students repeat and we laughed even harder. For all those who do not understand, please ask me in person because I do not want to write the reason down in my blog.

The Adventure and The Tragedy.

2010-12-08T02:02:00.000+04:00

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?

GOAL!

2010-10-05T16:20:00.000+04:00

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!

One Chapter Ends, the Next Begins.

2010-09-13T09:45:00.001+04:00

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

Eid-ul-Fitri

2010-09-09T20:06:00.000+04:00

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.

Clubs.

2010-07-12T10:33:00.000+04:00

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

College Boy.

2010-07-05T16:37:00.000+04:00

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.

College.

2010-07-02T22:22:00.000+04:00

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.

Prom.

2010-06-19T20:05:00.000+04:00

I didn't actually WANT to go. Honest! But I went anyways.
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.

All Piled Up.

2010-03-04T23:08:00.000+04:00

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.

Really Old Stories.

2010-01-30T12:07:00.000+04:00

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."

Again With The Names!

2010-01-24T20:33:00.000+04:00

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

Marks =(

2010-01-24T16:25:00.000+04:00

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*. ;)

Poems

2010-01-23T15:41:00.000+04:00

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.

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…

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…

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!

Review

2010-01-18T19:25:00.000+04:00

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.

Finally! A break!

2010-01-15T18:42:00.001+04:00

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.

Year's End Post

2009-12-31T16:56:00.000+04:00

It's the start of the last year of the first decade of the 21st century. There was a Lunar Eclipse as well. I'm not sure how many people knew that though. Even though it's only partial, it was still something else.

I have quite a few things to do next year. Not things I want to do, but things I HAVE to do. First off:
EXAMS! I'm going to have to do them, no matter what. IGCSEs too! How lucky am I? There's so much preparation to do before them as well; Mocks, studying, homework, revising, more revising, relaxing, more relaxing, eating... (yeah, I'm not too worried)

Next there is the important task of thinking of resolutions. Hmm... I want this year to be amazing. It's TWENTY TEN! THE LAST YEAR OF THE 1ST DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY! It'd be awesome-r if it was 2100 but most people aren't even convinced we'd see 2012 -.-'. To make this year amazing, I have no idea what needs to be done. So, I have decided to just go with whatever flow takes me.

3rd, I want to have my brain work logically while working with my gut feelings. That means trying out extreme sports! Or maybe just going on super awesome rides in some fair. The ones that make everyone's stomach do back and front flips. Both of these makes me think: somethings going to go wrong, I shouldn't be doing this! (Gut feeling) Then my brain has to calm me down somehow. It'll work when the time comes. Right now.. not so well.
I plan on making some people go on them with me. There's actually a list of people in my head but I don't wanna list them since they're going to plan against me if I do.

There's also the fact that each of these posts take me more than an hour to write... I need to be quicker. And more precise as well. Most of my posts are all over the place! Abstract thinking.. go figure.

I wonder how much is going to change in this year. Going to have to wait and see for myself.

Happy new year, everyone. Let's enjoy it together.

Routine

2009-12-26T15:02:00.000+04:00

Anum said she wanted to get a 4 pack but it's too hard to do without any help. So, I surfed the net and I came across this:

Start with performing 3 full body weight training workouts every 48-hours.

Multiply your body weight (in pounds) by 15 and use this number as an indicator of how many calories you should consume per day.

Drink carbohydrates and protein in a 2:1 ratio after your workouts.

Write a workout journal to track your daily progress. This is a good motivator and also helps you better understand the way your body functions

Drink at least 4 liters of water per day (and more is always better!).

Change your repetition and set schemes frequently. This will force your body out of every plateau.

Do not build more than 5 pounds of lean muscle mass per month (anything more will be not muscle but fat gain!).

Focus on compound movements for 80% of your workouts.

Only change an exercise if you are stuck on a plateau on two workouts in a row.

Eat a lot of high quality protein (whole eggs, chicken, lean beef, fish) through the day

Find a training partner for motivation and an extra push (it really helps).

Never train hungry if you want to build muscle fast.

This is from http://www.squidoo.com/taylor-lautner-abs?utm_campaign=lensmaster-discovery&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_source=rmoore#module54516872

A website where they asked TAYLOR LAUTNER how he gained all that muscles in such a short amount of time! Hope this helps you Anum!

Congratulations.

2009-12-24T18:10:00.000+04:00

Today, the PMR results came out for the Malaysian students.

I woke up and was lying in bed, trying to remember something I was supposed to do (aside from, of course, bathing and having breakfast). After a while, my grandma came into the room, sat down next to me and told me: Hai'i dapat 8 A (My cousin got straight As!). I was like: wow... His brother told me that he was smart and all, learning the guitar and solving the rubix cube, both of which he learned online, so I wasn't really surprised.
Then, I went to facebook and I saw that I had a new post on my page: Aida wrote (quote):

Faidhiii! I tried to call you but x dapat laaaaaaaaa! huh! >:P(this is her happily frustrated face)
anyways, i got my results!
and I got straight A's! haha, YAY (:(:

At this point, I was 50% sure that I was still asleep. Aida had gotten 8 As too! Not to say that she's not smart or anything, but she never came across as a super intelligent person in my views. She even forgot to pay for the books which almost led to her not getting her results! -.-' I'm sure she's over the moon happy right now. I wonder what her parents will get her as a present.

Congratulations to the both of them. I'm sure that they both worked really hard for it.
Ma sha' Allah.

To anyone that reads this post, please wish them a good future and give them a congratulations shout-out.

Rain Dance

2009-12-12T15:37:00.000+04:00

There's a saying that old people used to say in Malaysia whenever it rained, which became a bit of a joke between the new generations: Ni mesti *put name here* tengah nyanyi ni! It practically means: *put name here* must be singing right now!

The reason they say this is because they are comparing that person's voice to a frog's croaking and since frogs croak before there's rain, they're saying that the reason it rained is because *person* sang!

Yesterday, I went out with a 9 other Malaysians (putting their name down would take too long and it's unnecessary for this post) to Mamzar Park because one of them whined that she's going to miss us and wanted to do something special. After a 24 hours worth of planning, arguing and messing about, they landed on the idea to have a barbecue in Mamzar Park. To those who've actually lived in Dubai, you may think this sounds a bit lame compared to the other things we could have done but... you have no idea how wrong you are. You don't need to do anything extreme to live life - something to a friend of mine in school.

That morning, we all woke up to the sound of light rain drops on our windows. It was so.. random! The day we had a plan was the day it began to rain! Completely out of our calculations. Almost simulatneously, I got one phone call and 2 text messages asking if we're going to continue. Well, it wasn't my plan to start with, but what the heck, rain or no rain, we're going to have a barbecue!

Some people need to revise on how to give directions... The people who got there first told us that the beach was on their left hand side and that they were at the very end of the barbecue line. The rest of us spent so much time looking for them while carrying heavy luggage that our joints began to creak! -.-'

A lot of stuff happened between this and the next part of the story - We tried to start a fire, found out that one of us is a Pyromaniac, finally started a nice flame, played cards, cheated while playing cards, went to walk on the beach, girls screaming after guys shouting "CRAB!" and some other stuff.

After all of those stuff, we had something to eat. Our chef, a new friend of mine who's going to New Zealand soon, started cooking chicken for us and since we kind of misplaced our utensils, we had to use his pocket knife to do everything. The end result was A- material (so said by the chef himself) and greatly satisfying (said everyone else).

Now, this is when the beginning of this post comes in. After we ate, we played 'Truth Or Dare' but we only got dares and no truths. However, the dares were amazingly, awesomely stupid. One dare was to jump like a frog to our neighbor-barbecue-ers, one was to ask for a massage from them, and one was to scream out loud that they liked someone. However, the two dares that are connected to the beginning paragraph are:
1.to sing 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift. Performed by a guy.
2. to dance and go OO HAA OO HAA OO HAA HE! around a circle of rocks 5 times. He only managed twice before we told him to stop with tears in our eyes from laughing.
You can most probably guess where I'm going with this...

Soon after we played the game, around Maghrib time, it started to rain. Not light, no slight drizzle but a total downpour. We were camped underneath a good patch of trees that stopped nearly all the rain but still some got pass and our stuff got all... wet. (Couldn't think of a better synonym).

Then, still raining, one of us suggested we take a walk down the beach. This was most probably the best memory of the night. Imagine walking in the rain alongside the beach peacefully... and then some jerk(me) goes into the water and splashes everyone! Anyone heard of the chain effect? One person does something then two people follow, then four and so on...

Soon, everyone started splashing each other and they began to take some really questionable pictures like guys acting girly and girls acting guyish. Mind you, it was still raining even after nearly an hour on the beach. And to all those who don't know: this is the first day Dubai rained this year. I can safely say that all of us were drenched at this point. One person had sand all over their head.

Time to head home. The park closes at 11 and it was 8 something and we still needed to pack up all of our stuff. This... took quite a bit of time. Okay, I'm lying... this took a crap load of time! For some reason or another, most of us stopped in the middle of nowhere and made the others wait. This ate up so much time... But it was worth it in the end: we reached a grassy area and a genius threw a football there.

It was so much fun! There's just something about watching people falling about and chasing after a ball in the hazy view of a rainy condition. Especially since most of the ones that fell over were girls who, no offense meant, sucks at playing football. I have to say: they were so cute! It was tremendous exhilaration! Everyone was shouting, cheering, and laughing... An event worth remembering.
Exhausted, we packed up again and moved on. Only to stop after a few meters to watch one of us jump on a trampoline and then hurriedly escaping from the keeper of the trampoline. Then, I hitched a ride with another friend and safely got home.

Owh, throughout this whole event, there was only a few moments that someone didn't burst into song! From a military march to the UAE national anthem to the Numa Numa song, we sang it all!

Not-Being-Able-To-Sleep Post

2009-12-08T22:37:00.000+04:00

Arrggghhh! It's the third night in a row that I haven't been able to sleep properly and NO, it has nothing to do with anything from the previous post.

It's just that whenever I do get to sleep, I feel like its only been a couple of seconds then I wake up again... to find that it really has been only a couple of seconds. Every couple of hours, this happens. I don't know the cause of at all. Psychological reasons may be there, but I have no clue what they are. Physical reasons aren't there. My body is in good shape, aside from the slight flu from the weather change. (Oh, that reminds me: people kept asking me if I cut my hair, I'm just like blank: I haven't cut it in so long... My hair changes with the seasons or something).

I've read Bismillah 20 times, read the Do'a, read a couple of Surahs from the top of my head(not in the literal sense), tried exhausting myself to sleep and so far, it's been the same result. I can't even doze off in class! Not because of the insomnia, but because students actually need to study when they're in the 11th grade.

I've tried pinpointing the possible causes... maybe I'm starting to miss Saif and now that he's coming back, I'm excited? Or is it since all the Bodoness are back? It could possibly be the fact that a lot of my family members are coming here.

Then, I tried to logically reason why these aren't the causes: I do miss Saif, but even if he was here, we don't actually interact much with one another. Usually, when we do, it's to bully Muhaimin, or a family fun gathering. The only thing we do all the time together is watch T.V. together. I like watching T.V. with him... He's one of the only family members I have that doesn't have the urge to comment on every single bit of every single second of each and every single show! Yeah, I have T.V. complexes.

The Bodoness might be all here in Dubai... but it's just not the same. And plus, I'm wrong when I say all of them are here... Najwa isn't. Everyone's so busy. Well, maybe not but it just feels like we're not as close as we used to be. Maybe that's a side-effect of growing up or meeting new people, but I really hate whatever it is. I like all of them - Anum, Najwa, Aida, and Haziq - but things got simply complicated. And no - this is not the cause as it was complicated even before I had insomnia.

The last point could be the main reason. In Dubai, we've never really had that big of a family gathering before. Some anticipation of what's going to happen may be disturbing my mind; what are we going to do together, where should we go, how would they feel after their visit... Well, if these weren't in my head before, they are now.

But yet again, I found a solution to my problem as I'm typing this post. I like blogging... it clears my head. Giving advice to other people is so easy, it's just like giving out candy but it's so hard when you need to take your own advice. My brain just told me to roll with the punches and enjoy every last minute of it. We're a family, everything works out somehow. Where can we go? WE'RE IN DUBAI! One of the biggest tourist vacation spots in the world! Pfft.. waste of time worrying.

Hmm.. I just tried to sleep since I've already reasoned out the possibilities, but nope.. still not happening. (Real-time posting) I'll be possibly awake if anyone can come up with a suggestion.

Wow.. The posts are a lot more messed up when I don't get sleep.

Do you Believe In Balance?

2009-12-07T19:06:00.000+04:00

Ying and Yang. Karma. Nature's Balance. Whatever it is, it's there.
I know of 5 things that will come before it's equal. These can be considered rules of living:
1. Life Before Death.
2. Young Before Old.
3. Rich Before Poor.
4. Healthy Before Sick.
5. Leisure Before Busy.
These things apply to life on Earth as we know it and has been the rules since time began. Of course, none of these rules apply in the Life After Death.

Each and every one of these rules are certain truth. Number 1 is of course really obvious. So, you know what you have to do: make sure to do the right things as long as you are alive because none of us are going to live forever.

As a Muslim, the main reason I do good things is because I love Allah and I fear punishment from Allah: a punishment that's unimaginably horrifying. Jahanam (Hell): the worst case scenario possible. Nabi Muhammad (salalah hu a'lahi wasalam) paved the way to pleasing Allah, all we have to do is walk it. And it's really easy to do so too. The only hard part is becoming completely oblivious to the distractions and temptations of the Devil. You'll fail sometimes, but what you have to do is to make it up simply by apologizing sincerely for failing or giving out charity to pay for your sins. Allah is the most Forgiving. But you have to be completely sincere, with all your heart.

Even if I was looking at it from a non-religious point of view, you have a lot of reasons to do good things in Life. One of the biggest reasons I can think of is: Legacy. Everybody wants to be remembered. Even if it's just a person who you gave your seat to in a bus he will remember you as a good person, someone they'll tell about nicely. Isn't that a good enough reward for doing something good?

An even faster reward is the knowledge that you made someone's life easier for them even if it's
just for a few minutes. Don't you think you'll sleep better knowing that no one had to suffer because of you own selfishness? Hmm... this one applies really closely to my own life. I guess I need to work on being selfless.

The second rule is a bit more complicated. Old people will look at their younger days and say: man, I wish we could go back to that time. Young people, however, may not be respected and as such, they feel that they need to grow up quicker, and they think once they are older, they'd be able to do anything they like. Truth is, young people have a lot more advantages. Young people are just that: Young. They have a bigger capacity to learn, more time to spend doing things - even if it doesn't look like it - and certainly they have more Health. The first man in the world, Adam, was prostrated to by the Angels not because they were worshiping him but because it was a sign of respect: he was newly created and he already knew of the names of everything. That was the first gift: the ability to Learn. Use it well, young people. Don't say you can't learn something like Physics or Geography. Say something more honest like: I don't want to learn Physics or Geography. (this is just an example. No offense meant to Geography and Physics) Because you CAN learn it! That is if you have the Health to do so.

Which brings us to the 4th rule (Yes, 4th, not 3rd and yes I can count). Healthy Before Sick. Everyone gets sick. No exceptions. Some people may get sick less often than others, but they still get sick. It's horrible being sick. You can't do everything you want to do. Your body is in disarray, your mind isn't at 100% working speed, and worst off: you have to sit there and make other people worry. I really hate that part. Plus, you are restricted to only a number of things you can eat! That's a major downer. Do everything you can to not become sick, but do not become paranoid either: that's just a waste of time. You will get sick somehow or rather, even if you spray everything with sanitizer. Honestly, I think people who use sanitizers are more prone to becoming sick. Their immune system will not be able to adapt to diseases, which makes it really weak and unable to fight a common flu as effectively as someone who's more open to the environments.

And we'll go back to the 3rd rule now: Rich Before Poor. Yes, Bill Gates is counted in this. Scientifically speaking, products like Microsoft has a life cycle and it will end eventually. It is possible to prolong it's life but it wont last forever. Money is fluctuating really, really quickly. Some people get bankrupt all of a sudden, most probably because they used up their money on something completely useless in one swoop. Other people lose money slowly. Maybe their expenses just crept up with time, I don't know, but I do know it happens.

This is not to say that you can't get rich when you are poor. The rule simply states that wealth is not forever. So be careful.

And lastly, Leisure before Busy. Holidays always end. But the important thing is what did you do whilst you had the leisure? Maybe you wasted time going on the computer, playing games while you could have gone out and played with your friends. Even better, go out there and do something good for the community! Everyone has either had the time to do it, or they still do. If you waste your precious free time, you won't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get it back.

And that's final. The clock ain't ticking backwards (unless you count Mr. Gutteridge's old one). For people who are in school, don't call it a waste of time. The only way your time can be wasted is if you are ignorant enough to waste it yourself. Use every bit of education they throw at you. I know this sounds absurdly crazy but why don't you try listening to the teacher? If you already do, then well done! None of your time in class has been useless. If you wait patiently, then you'll eventually see how those petty little bits of information you learned in class will be so helpful for you.

For those who are working, I know I am not in any position to give you advice but well, I just want to say: I really believe that if you diligently work really hard at whatever you do, you will be rewarded. I mean, if you do something really well even if you hate doing it, you are bound to be noticed.

And as usual, I'll end with a useless note: I don't really know why I posted this... I just had those five rules stuck in my head for such a long time. Hope they get stuck in yours too!
Longest post in a long time huh? Getting the mood back.

Home/House Work

2009-12-01T23:26:00.000+04:00

To be straight up honest, I like doing homework. I like all the writing, editing, pasting, cutting, cropping etcetera, etcetera... I have this obsessive side of me that comes out every time a challenge surfaces. It's like a self-defense mechanism that my mind created so that I'm not asleep all the time. Too bad it doesn't apply for exams though... The defense switches off during exams...
The bad thing is, once I stop doing the thing I was obsessed with halfway, it just feels weird to continue. It's hard to get into the same mood you were when you started the project. A good example of this is blogging.
Loads of my friends started blogging around the same time I did, some even before I did, but now, they just gave up on it. All because they stopped blogging for a while but couldn't find the same attitude they had towards it when they started. I was like that - stopped blogging and didn't want to continue - but some inspirations came up - mainly movies - and I slowly regained the flow of blogging.
Anyways, that was a huge-off-topic topic. Homework! The best type is the ones where they let you use computers to do it in. Google PhD has yet to fail me. Each and every one of my questions can be answered just by typing the question down on a little white box. How awesome is that? Praise goes to Sergey M. Brin and Lawrence E. Page. To whoever that do not know them, go Google them!
Even though I prefer teachers to not give homework at all in the first place, homework DOES help. I know! It surprised me too! Who knew that what teachers have been saying to us were not a bunch of turd after all! The thing about homework is, when you do it, you're using your own style of learning, making it more comprehensible to yourself. This means that your brain absorbs this and imprints it in your mind as a memory. Thus, you have revised! Simple, right?
Once you get into the exam and you see the questions laid down in front of you, your brain will automatically search for anything inside itself that is related to the question, and since you've got the memory of the homework in your head, it'll be as easy as eating marshmallows. (Maan... haven't eaten those in a looooonnngg time!)
Housework is nearly the same. Chores are challenges. If you do them, you win, if you don't, well, you don't win.
In learning Martial Arts, the student is asked to do some apparently-mundane chores like washing dishes or throwing out the trash repeatedly. In truth, these are muscle-memory exercises. It's the easiest and simplest way to have a healthy life. See? Even Bruce Lee had to do chores!
So, do your chores people! It'll help out a lot.
*sweating* (Just finished stuffing a mattress into a really tiny covering.)

Celebrate What?

2009-11-28T22:30:00.000+04:00

2009. November 27/Dhul Hijjah 10th. Eid ul Adha.

It's so weird living in this time of the Earth's life. A few hundred years ago,you have people celebrating some guy being electrocuted while flying a kite. Go back another few hundred years,you have people being blamed of being witches and people celebrated when they were burnt alive. Dotted between these two are people celebrating their victories in wars. They all had something to celebrate and they all knew the reason they celebrated - finding electricity, destroying evil and triumph over their enemies. You can hardly say the same for this era.
People celebrate things because they see other people celebrate it. They don't have an inkling of why those people were celebrating it in the first place. Some people skip all the ritual doodahs and only appear when they see something in it for themselves. This is exactly what's happening in Eid.
I've always thought that Eid was a time of happiness. At first, it was just a thought, but then my parents told me the real reason we're celebrating Eid ul Adha and I was actually happy. The reason was that Nabi Ibrahim (aalaihisalam) saw a dream that he was going to sacrifice his son, Nabi Ismail (aalaihisalam)-a vision from Allah- and both Prophets agreed to it. The moment Nabi Ibrahim's knife went up into the air, preparing to sacrifice his own son, Allah stopped him saying: O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream(Ch 37:99-111 Quran). He stopped him and instead sent a great ram down to be sacrificed instead and eaten by the Prophets as a reward for having complete faith in Allah and following his orders without question.
The reason Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu aalaihi was salam) asked us to celebrate the 10th of every Dhul Hijjah was to remember Nabi Ibrahim's unwavering obedience to Allah.
Now, I'm not saying people do not know the history of Eid ul Adha, rather, they tend to celebrate it without the real reason in mind. They celebrate it because there's loads of food, people gather in huge numbers and the tea is exceptional. I just find it really sad that Nabi Ibrahim's obedience is no longer a cause of celebration. I really want to see how the people of Old celebrated it and compare it to this time. I'm sure there will be noticeable differences.
The Takbir is just words if you don't mean any of it. And I don't think that saying it beautifully is the reason we actually recite it. Umi said that the reason that the people of Old recited the Takbir was to show the strength of the Muslims and not their beauty. This means that we're meant to say it loudly and proudly and with power that scares the Kafiruns.
The cause, the mindset and the methods were changed over time unwillingly, maybe not hugely but still significantly.
This was one of my only posts that I had put thought into. I hope anyone that read this finds it helpful for next year.

Good. This is very Good.

2009-11-18T16:44:00.000+04:00

Once upon a time, not so long ago, 4 boys named Ala', Faidhi, Nasa and Muaz had gone to watch a movie and play bowling. Rather, they played bowling first and then they watched a movie.
During the bowling match, it was needless to say that Faidhi won, with Ala' closely following behind on points. Muaz and Nasa were left far, far, far behind. We all wish them a better luck next time.
Off to the movie, Faidhi stayed behind to get a quick bite at Hardee's - some nuggets dipped in cheese - while the others went to claim their movie ticket seats. Having finished his meal, Faidhi quickly rushed off to the cinema, not wanting to miss out on any important bits of the movie.
He hurriedly passed through the security points and was very relieved when he saw that the cinema was still showing some advertisement. The only one he could remember afterward was a preview of a Jackie Chan movie. Apparently, he didn't remember it because it looked like it would be fun to watch but because the commentator had said some of the lamest cliches in the history of movie-making; "He tried his best to protect life, but was repaid.... with DEATH!" (cue sad music)
When he got to his seat, his friends gleefully told him that they had managed to sneak in some drinks from outside the cinema by stuffing it down their bags. They were very clever friends of his. A few more commercials after the Jackie Chan one, the movie started...
Now, Faidhi does not want to spoil the movie for any one who hasn't seen it yet, so he has chosen to skip the movie synopsis and go straight to the lesson learned from the movie.
When I say ''learned'', I meant more of what came across his mind when he saw the movie. He thought: well, if the world was going to end, might as well head to Makkah and pray, asking for forgiveness and do the Hajj. But what he saw from the movie was people still caring about each other and trying to save each other. He wondered:if the world was really ending, people would be really selfish, trying to save themselves and not caring about who lived or who died. This seemed more logical as once you know the world is going to end, even if you save someone, you won't be there to see them again. There is just no way all those people were that unselfish. Those were his thoughts about the movie's plot.
His thoughts on the movie itself, however, was slightly different: he thought they portrayed the plot really well and that it hooked the audience by using so many different nationalities at it's core. They used a fat wealthy man from Russia to accumulate comedy into the story as well. It was all very well done. Although, he would have preferred it if there were subtitles included during the movie; he had to translate the Arabic subtitles to understand the Mandarin spoken which really messed up his head.
Then, satisfied with the movie and each with their own say about the movie and the scores of the bowling match, they headed back to their respective homes.

The Not So Black Limousine.

2009-10-03T11:52:00.001+04:00

Yesterday, I had to wake up early in the morning since I had to prepare to go to a Dikir Barat practice, in which we practiced how to clap with style and for some reason or another, an Auntie just told me to join the kid’s dikir puteri as a Putera! Believe it, or not.

After practice, Ala’, Nasa and I went with uncle Nik to pick up Haziq. Some event occured in the car which I hope will remain with the people in the car. However, the reason for us picking Haziq up was: so that he can join us in an hour long, fun-filled, ear-deafening, exotic limousine ride all the way to Dubai Mall. (Why Dubai Mall, don't ask me).

The limo was to pick us up at my house, where Anum, Amjad, Nabil and Amanie were waiting with Umi, Auntie Sharifah, Auntie Faridah and Uncle Mustafa. Of course, the aunts and uncle were not to be joining us. Then, the limo came.

The first comment about the limo that I heard was: I thought we ordered the black one! -.-‘ As long as it’s a limo, Anum, I don’t think anyone minded… :p

Once we got into the limo, the first thing we attacked was the radio/dvd player which was currently playing some Arabic song… Yeah, we’re gonna have soo much fun with that aren’t we? -.-‘

With the music fixed, we switched it on to loud, and the ride started!

It felt like a short ride. What with the excitement of being in a limo, the sugar rush from the colas, and the fun of just us being together, I don’t wonder why. The pictures in Facebook tells a much better story than I can.

One thing I can tell you is that inside the limo, we were sweating buckets! At one point, we accidentally switched off the AC and had to get the driver to pull over and help us out! He also warned us not to stick our heads out the window… I wonder who’d do that…

Owh and Haziq left his glasses inside the limo and had to ask the limo driver to drop it off for him… Weird thing was: he was just reunited with his glasses before getting on the limo.

At Dubai Mall, we finally understood the major flaw in our plans: we didn’t have one.

So, for the next few hours, we decided to go watch a movie, which didn’t happen, then went to go bowling but that didn’t happen either since it was a Virtual Bowling alley -.-‘ However, since we already bought the card for the games area, the others decided to spend it all since we were already there.

Game after game after game, they finally finished the credit up by going Karaokeing… Ala’ and Haziq enjoyed karaokeing… but I can’t say that people enjoyed their Karaokeing… Anum and Amjad did a bit of a duet in which Anum was waaay more dominant, seeing as how she actually knew the song…

Then, we went to eat. I wanted to get a Mrs. Vanellis’ Spaghetti Bolognese with extra cheese, which is my usual. Buuuut! When I asked the dude can I have Spaghetti Bolognese this is his reply: what is Spaghetti? We only have pasta. -.-‘ I gave up right after that and went to get a McDonald’s Ice Cream Sundae. The others had Subway, Squid Pasta, Shrimp Pasta, and McDonald’s.

After that, we pretty much walked around aimlessly. No wait… we at first wanted to go ice skating buut… after a brief discussion, we decided not to. On the other hand, Nasa and Amjad decided to ditch us, and go ice skating together. We left them so that they could enjoy their date.

Then we saw Ala’ win in table tennis against some other guy and Haziq losing in table tennis against an extremely skilled girl.

Time to go home.

Umi, Muhaimin and I then dropped off Amjad, but not before making a stop at McDonald’s to eat.

A Review.

2009-10-01T19:32:00.000+04:00

Basically, this post is about what I've been doing while putting blogging off.

1. Learned how to do Dikir Barat.
This. Is. Fun.
Those 3 words can sum up everything about Dikir Barat! For those who don't know what it is; Dikir Barat is a form of singing sang with the Kelantanese Dialect and Local Drums. It is usually sang in groups. Trust me: its not as easy as it sounds. Learning how to speak in that dialect was like trying to learn a different language all together! And then understanding it was a whole other topic. But as soon as you get the hang of it, everything just... flows. A simple demonstration of Dikir Barat can be heard from here.

2. Rode the Metro.
Okay, in Malaysia, we have the LRT, which anyone can ride in. In Dubai, we now have the Metro; a more complex version of the LRT. The setting is a lot more colorful, is a good, simple way to describe it.
Ala, Nasa, Muaz, Muhaimin and I had a trip on it to go to MOE which was one of the last stops for the train. Anum cancelled -.-'.
The first thing I noticed was that they had a song that was supposedly played to not keep the passengers bored. Well... It wasn't that great a song-classic orchestra type thingy- nor did it do anything to heighten excitement level..
For some absurd reason, the train didn't move for about 5-8 minutes at one stop, and we saw the people who worked there come in and checked the engine or something. I guess it was just our luck to witness the breaking down of a train. Fortunately, the train was fixed, and we zoomed on. Slowly. Wild guess: since the Metro is still young, the RTA is being really careful with it.
Coming back to the Rashidiah Station was a bit more eventful. We decided to take a video of the trip... minutes later, we noticed other people doing the same thing. Like they say: it takes only one person to start a trend -.-'.

3. Played around with a Mercedes Benz.
An uncle left this Mercedes Benz with us for a while and we needed to heat up the engine for a while. However, with just one look at the key, my mom was confused at how exactly is she going to start the car?! You know how keys have the teeth and the body right? The body being the usually black part at the back. Well, this ''key'' only had a back part.
I think my mom asked another uncle to come and help out because there was another uncle that came along and started the engine for us. Apparently, we start it like any other car: just stick the ''key'' in the ignition and twist. So why did they have to take out the teeth part for?
The fun starts now: since we're so used to other cars that weren't so... technical with all the buttons, I wanted to, no wait... I HAD to try all of them. They had a wiper for the head lights! I don't know if that's normal or not but I just find that really weird! I got squirted by it -.-'. Then the real wipers for the windows were on the same side as the signal lights but instead of twisting the handle, you press on it. Umi tried grabbing the right-side handle but since there was no handle... Owh and before we even drove the car around, my mom couldn't reach the pedals so we searched for the lever that is usually found in other cars to pull the seat forward... Turns out... it's also a button! Man, those people at Mercedes Benz really wanted to make life easy, didn't they?

4. School as normal.
Even though I say it's normal, can you name me one school that's normal? There's just no such thing! So I guess all schools are normally abnormal.
I am going to be helping around with the badminton club though, so that's kinda cool.
Homework is piling up. I guess being in the 11th grade has it's downsides too huh?
Muhaimin and I also got really lucky: We got on this taxi one day, and after a trip of chatting with the driver and joking around with him, he gave me his work number and told me to call him anytime I need a taxi! How cool is that?
What else about school.. Hmm...
Aside from the fact that a certain someone was supposed to come but didn't come, nothing much really.
Oh. I got nominated and am currently running for the position of Head Boy. I didn't want to do it at first because I thought of it as a popularity contest rather than a real election but since they changed the rules around so that the school's Senior Teachers are going to be choosing the Head Boy/Girl for their abilities instead of how many people know us, I agreed to the nominations.

Fa4idhi Out! - The 4 is silent.

And Here Comes Raya/Eid.

2009-09-19T17:31:00.000+04:00

Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar	الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر
laa ilaaha illAllaah	لا إله إلا الله
Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar	الله أكبر الله أكبر
wa li-illaahil-hamd	ولله الحمد

Selamat Hari Raya Abah, Umi!

Tomorrow morning, Muslim around the world gather and, together, we're all going to Takbir as a signal for the end of the month of Ramadhan and the start of the month of Shawwal, to thank Allah for giving us the Blessed Month and all of its benefits.

To celebrate even further, everyone is going to pick out their best clothes, be it a Baju Melayu-customary for Malaysians- or an Abaya and don it on for the day and visit friends and family to enjoy their company AND the marvelous arrays of foods that are available at each house. To go one step further, we can also receive Eidiah or Duit Raya (note the 'we' and the 'receive').

Spending a lot of Eids in Dubai, I can only vaguely remember what it feels like to Raya in Malaysia. (thinks for a second) Really vaguely. And I just want to say sincerely to Jadah, Opah, Abah Ri, Mak, Mama, Bapak, Kholati, Ami Khairi, Ayah, Ibu, Ayah Cik, Cik Lin, Abang Yong, Muhaimin, Kak Durra, Abang Azmi, Kak Nun, Abang Mizi, Kak Teh, Abang Cik, Kak Uya, Kak Ada, Abang Che, Abang Rid, Kak Ida, Kak Ita, Kak Ruiyya, Wajdi, Abang Yun, Ubai, Khaliq, Haiy, Hafi, Saadullah, Hannah, Hamdah, Kak Yong, Danial, Iffah, Ishraf, Shamil, Auni, Rayan, Adam, Izni, Aimee, Batrisya, Ayisha, Alya dan Amsyar: Selamat Hari Raya Eidulfittri Dan Maaf Zahir Dan Batin. Eid Mubarak likul kum. (Selamat Hari Raya Semua)

You know, the Eids I've had with Jalil, Najwa, Ali and all.. seems so distant. Like right at the back of my head where its clearly there but I just can't get a proper grip on it. I just really want those memories back... Times were, to say the least, simpler. Even now, I'm still in a bit of shock that a lot of close friends moved away and that even more are moving away! I will miss all of you. Stay in touch.

Owh and I don't have a Baju Raya planned out yet...

Selamat Hari Raya. Saya mintak maaf zahir dan batin daripada semua.

Oh anyone noticed that tomorrow is 20/09/2009???!! That's 20092009!! heh thanks Anum =P

Here It Comes!

2009-08-31T20:55:00.000+04:00

Yep, school's about to begin! Heaps of changes this year starting with: My older brother, Saif, is now no longer living with us in Dubai, which would lead to the next major change: me being the eldest child in the house(more responsibilities).
Actually, I don't think Saif and I have ever lived separately for more than a couple of weeks, tops. And you know, the stuff that makes it all more... noticeable, are the smallest of things. For example: the Internets faster, I get to sit at the front seat without someone fuming at the back, and there's more food than usual. Of course, this is me speculating, not yet living far away from Saif for more than a few hours. But I know for a definite fact that I am going to miss him. Maybe more than I expect to.
Another twist this year: I'm going to be a senior in my school! FINALLY is the word here. Honestly though, I can't imagine myself being a senior. Our predecessors at least LOOKED the part of seniorhood. With the beards, mustaches, super heights... I mean, they appeared as adults.
I don't know why, but none of my classmates seems to have that quality, maybe because I grew up with them for the last few years, I don't know. But it's just weird thinking we're going to be the oldest students in the school! And yeah, Kinza, if you're reading this, can you please comment on whether this is true for you as well?
This also brings up the question of life after high school... Which I don't want to think about yet. So I bid you adieu.

Amazingly, Life Can Be Boring.

2009-07-29T20:18:00.000+04:00

No School.

No transport.

No place to go.

The holidays huh?

Lotsa free, unused time.

Brothers in the other house.

Parents have gone back to Dubai.

Umi will come back soon though.

Holidays are nearing an end.

Cousins have school.

Boredom strikes.

As you can see.

Laptop left.

Byebye.

Imh.

Sorry... ranting. In a stylish manner.

Do the Dino Dance

2009-07-20T20:13:00.000+04:00

The makers of Ice Age really did outdo themselves with the last of the trilogy: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
The plot of the movie is simple: Save Sid, who stole 3 dino-eggs and hatched them, thinking that he is now the 3 dino-babies mommy. Of course, the real dino-mom doesn't like that.
The story has a new character who's whackiness is unparalleled: Buck, short for Buckminster and long for Ba. Just with this one new addition to the cast, the story becomes unimaginably hilarious. He leads the team through the underground world of the dinosaurs and has tons of adventure which ranges from almost being eaten by a dinosaur to inhaling laughing gas.
But of course, the greatest applauses go to the acorn-loving squirrel, who has his own adventure throughout the trilogy, all to do with his beloved acorn. In the last movie he has a nemesis: another squirrel. A she-squirrel. This new nemesis tries to steal his acorn from him and together, they have unbelievable fights which did make me choke on my popcorn.
To top it all off, the movie was in 3D, making the whole experience just that much more enjoyable.
Seriously, watch it.

'Half Blood' Magic

2009-07-17T14:10:00.000+04:00

Yes, I haven't posted in a month. I noticed, thank you.
For the past month, this is what happened: I came back to Malaysia. I met Amsyar and Aimee, my two newest and youngest members of my family. I saw Transformers 3 which was awesome and Ice Age 3 which made me laugh until I choked on popcorn. I saw Harry Potter 6, and that movie is going to be the main topic today.

The movie differs in many ways to the book. The main difference is of course that the movie has moving pictures and the book doesn't. But the movie has it's own unique captivating 'magic' which enthralled even my limited-English-Vocabulary younger brother, Muhaimin.
'Half Blood Prince' is the 6th movie in the Harry Potter series and the fact that the series has such a high recommendation rate after all these years surely points to the powerful charm that the talented J. K. Rowling has conjured with her spellbinding words and her virtuoso writing skills. The marvellous cast, espescially the main trio - Danial Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - has the applause of the whole cinema.
The most interesting performance for me, however, was by Tom Felton a.k.a. Draco Malfoy. He brilliantly showed a mix of remorse, anger and fear, though hiding it under a mask of certainty. The scenes with him and Danial Radcliffe was unequivalently epic acting on his part. Now that the Harry Potter series is about to end, I can't help but wonder what this talented young actor is up to next.
Just like any number of movies, Harry Potter 6 has been greeted with all kinds of replies: the good, the bad, and the exceptional. An example of the exceptional: ''Dumbledore looks like he's wearing Olay!'' Yes, this is a real comment from a real person that I really know. You know who you are. ;P
As for me, this movie has both my thumbs up.
I'll soon post on what the Ice Age finale experience is like.

Experience Week

2009-06-16T19:14:00.000+04:00

Ooops! Sorry, completely forgot to update on how the week went!

Well, from Saturday to Wednesday, the days went by very, very, VERY slowly, major emphasis on the VERY. Everyday I had to sit there, waiting for someone to get hurt. No, wait... it was more of HOPING someone would get hurt.
When someone did get hurt, it was more or less all of "I fell down" or "My stomach is 'paining me' ". The "I fell down" patients had cuts or bruises that we put ice on or bandaged it. Or, we had the more frequent "I fell down" and yet has no cuts or bruises but still want's the ice pack. I think they're falling down on purpose to escape the scorching Dubai heat. I don't really blame them. Actually, I thanked them for faking; at least I'd have someone to "heal".
The last day(Thursday) I asked to be placed as a teacher instead. Most of my friends had chosen(or were chosen) to be teachers and they often bragged and complained about their classes to me. From all the complaints and brags, I gathered that KG students were the best to teach since the classes are the most eventful classes in the Primary section. So I headed to the KGs where I met Jake, Karen A and Karen K-seriously hilarious kids! Karen A(or was it K) has a ''thing'' for Michael Spriggs, another student-teacher who was my predecessor. She actually told him: I will marry you! I don't know how Michael reacted buut.. I'm going to guess he was quite happy.
They told me I had come at a good day: it was one of their birthdays! I GOT CAKE! It was a Power Rangers Cake too!! Man, am I lucky or what?!
Afterwards, they allowed me to come and watch a show that they made. It was about animals in the jungle, all of them with the ability to dance-Lions did Tango, Hippos did rock and roll, Monkeys did Salsa- except the Giraffes. It was their first rehearsal ad it went quite well! The hippos LOVED their part. Maybe a little bit too much.
So, the things I learnt from this week was: how to do medical check-ups, basics of First-Aid, how to paint and draw a monkey, and that Lions can dance reaalllyy well!

Work, work, work, Snooze....

2009-06-07T21:11:00.000+04:00

As most other schools, the students in my school have a tendency to injure themselves by completely random casualties. That fact helped me decide what I wanted to do for my work experience week: I applied for a job as an trainee in our school's medical department. Basically: a murse(man-nurse).

The first day on the job. All I had to do was learn the basics of a medical check-up when a patient comes in. The first thing I should do when a patient comes in: ask them their name. The injury can wait, the name comes first! Then allow the patient to complain. If its a stomach injury, always ask: would like to go to the toilet first? After they have done their business, check their temperature. This is one of the main symptoms of a disease: change in temperature.

Then I studied basic first-aid. You know: CPR, what to do wit a fracture, not to attempt to suck snake poison out of a victim. The usual. They handed me a handbook on this too! However, I left that in the office.

The Patients! The first patient I had was a little girl who had ringing in her ear. When asked how did it happen she replies: my team-mates shouted at me for letting a goal in. And the girl who had shouted was the one who accompanied her to the clinic!

The most memorable patient award, however, would go to a 4/5th grader boy who had grazed his ankle while playing indoor-hockey. He came in all calm, smiling and everything, but as soon as I told him we have to clean the wound his face went: O.O! He suddenly said he was fine, no problems, stood up, fell back down -.-'. We managed to clean the wound in the end, and bandaged the small graze.

The main timings when patients came in was right before break and lunch time. Other times.. its so quite I was able to catch some shut eye until the end of the day!

Tomorrow, the doctor's coming in. This should be interesting...

Tango!

2009-06-05T13:25:00.000+04:00

Ayisha and Aliya doing a Award Winning Dance. My Nieces! >_<

Passing The Time

2009-05-31T20:28:00.000+04:00

You know how irritating it gets when you finish the exam too quickly? Well, WikiHow tells me these are the best ways to pass time:

1.Daydream every once in awhile. Think about meeting your favorite celebrity or being in a movie. It can wake you up by making you think about something you actually want to do.
2.Think of a song you like and picture you and your friends doing impossible dance or gymnastics moves. It can seem pretty cool. Be careful not to sway to the music or you'll look weird. Also, you could imagine rocking out to a song with your friends.
3.Think of a funny joke or something your favorite comedian said. Be careful not to laugh loudly or you will look weird again. You may also get kicked out of the room for distracting others.
4.Be prepared ahead of time, whether this means bringing a book or paper to doodle on.
5.If you still have your test, but are done with it and you notice that there is still time left, then check your answers again. If you have already checked your answers then try to write extra or include facts and opinions. It will help pass by time and who knows, maybe even get you some bonus points.
6.Ask the teacher if you can listen to your MP3/I-Pod/Etc. That is really time consuming. If you aren't allowed to, just think of a few songs to sing in your head.
7.Take out a piece of notebook paper after you have turned your test in and draw or doodle on it for the remaining time. This is entertaining, and can make time move a little quicker

Do You Dare?

2009-05-31T20:04:00.000+04:00

Hmm... It's strange what people can come up with nowadays. A person came up with 50 things to do during an exam. The list goes:
1. Bring a pillow. Fall asleep (or pretend to) until the last 15 minutes. Wake up, say ``oh geez, better get cracking'' and do some gibberish work.
2. Get a copy of the exam, run out screaming ``Andre, Andre, I've got the secret documents!!''
3. If it is a math/science exam, answer in essay form. If it is long answer/essay form, answer with numbers and symbols. Be creative. Use the surface integral symbol.
4. Make paper airplanes out of the exam. Aim them at the instructor's left nostril.
5. Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, ``I'm SOOO sure you can hear me thinking.'' Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is.
6. Bring cheerleaders.
7. Walk in, get the exam, sit down. About five minutes into it, loudly say to the instructor, ``I don't understand ANY of this. I've been to every lecture all semester long! What's the deal? And who the hell are you? Where's the regular guy?''
8. Bring a Game Boy. Play with the volume at max level.
9. On the answer sheet find a new, interesting way to refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be creative.
10. Bring pets.
11. Run into the exam room looking about frantically. Breathe a sigh of relief. Go to the instructor, say ``They've found me, I have to leave the country'' and run off.
12. Fifteen minutes into the exam, stand up, rip up all the papers into very small pieces, throw them into the air and yell out ``Merry Christmas.'' If you're really daring, ask for another copy of the exam. Say you lost the first one. Repeat the process every fifteen minutes.
13. Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.
14. Come into the exam wearing slippers, a bathrobe, a towel on your head, and nothing else.
15. Come down with a BAD case of Turet's Syndrome during the exam. Be as vulgar as possible.
16. Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make one up. For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals.
17. Bring things to throw at the instructor when he's not looking. Blame it on the person nearest you.
18. As soon as the instructor hands you the exam, eat it.
19. Walk into the exam with an entourage. Claim you are going to be taping your next video during the exam. Try to get the instructor to let them stay, be persuasive. Tell the instructor to expect a percentage of the profits if they are allowed to stay.
20. Every five minutes, stand up, collect all your things, move to another seat, continue with the exam.
21. Turn in the exam approximately 30 minutes into it. As you walk out, start commenting on how easy it was.
22. Do the entire exam as if it was multiple choice and true/false. If it is a multiple choice exam, spell out interesting things (DCCAB, BABE, etc.)
23. Bring a black marker. Return the exam with all questions and answers completely blacked out.
24. Get the exam. Twenty minutes into it, throw your papers down violently, scream out ``**** this!'' and walk out triumphantly.
25. Arrange a protest before the exam starts (e.g. Threaten the instructor that whether or not everyone's done, they are all leaving after one hour to get drunk.)
26. Show up completely drunk. (Completely drunk means that at some point during the exam, you should start crying for mommy.)
27. Every now and then, clap twice rapidly. If the instructor asks why, tell him in a very derogatory tone, ``The light bulb that goes on above my head when I get an idea is hooked up to a clapper. DUH!''
28. Comment on how sexy the instructor is looking that day.
29. Come to the exam wearing a black cloak. After about 30 minutes, put on a white mask and start yelling ``I'm here, the phantom of the opera'' until they drag you away.
30. Go to an exam for a class you have no clue about, where you know the class is very small, and the instructor would recognize you if you belonged. Claim that you have been to every lecture. Fight for you right to take the exam.
31. Bring a water pistol with you. 'Nuff said.
32. Try to get people in the room to do the wave.
33. From the moment the exam begins, hum the theme to Jeopardy. Ignore the instructor's requests for you to stop. When they finally get you to leave one way or another, begin whistling the theme to the Bridge on the River Kwai.
34. Start a brawl in the middle of the exam.
35. If the exam is math/science related, make up the longest proofs you could possibly think of. Get pi and imaginary numbers into most equations. If it is a written exam, relate everything to your own life story.
36. Come in wearing a full knight's outfit, complete with sword and shield.
37. Bring a friend to give you a back massage the entire way through the exam. Insist this person is needed, because you have bad circulation.
38. Bring cheat sheets FOR ANOTHER CLASS (make sure this is obvious. . . like history notes for a calculus exam. . . otherwise your're not just failing, you're getting kicked out too) and staple them to the exam, with the comment ``Please use the attached notes for references as you see fit.''
39. When you walk in, complain about the heat. Strip.
40. After you get the exam, call the instructor over, point to any question, ask for the answer. Try to work it out of him.
41. One word: Wrestlemania.
42. Bring balloons, blow them up, start throwing them around like they do before concerts start.
43. Do the exam on your laptop. Make sure the simulated keyboard noises are on.
44. Play frisbee with a friend on the other side of the room.
45. Bring some large, cumbersome, ugly idol. Put it right next to you. Pray to it often. Consider a small sacrifice.
46. Get deliveries of candy, flowers, balloons, telegrams, etc. sent to you every few minutes throughout the exam.
47. During the exam, take apart everything around you. Start with your calculator, move on to your desk, your chair, anything you can reach.
48. Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90 degree angle.
49. Bring a musical instrument with you, play various tunes. If you are asked to stop, say ``it helps me think.'' Bring a copy of the Student Handbook with you, challenging the instructor to find the section on musical instruments during finals. Don't forget to use the phrase ``Told you so.''
50. Answer the exam with the ``Top Ten Reasons Why *insert teacher's name* Sucks.''

Try it. See what happens. ;P

Teacher-sitting.

2009-05-29T17:58:00.000+04:00

I've gone to a lot of gatherings before, but this one was absurdly unique..

So, our favourite teachers were getting dismissed by the end of the semester. 3 girls thought: hell, if they're going, might as well make it a big thing! A few weeks later, we ended up in a completely booked TGI Friday's. The financial parts of this planning wasn't perfect but it worked.
There was no particular planning for the night; it was more of: go there and plan on the spot. But it turned out to be an eventful evening. I arrived late to the place because of a series of unfortunate adventures which included a taxi and waiting ages for one. The TGI Friday's was located near DCC, opposite the Aviation College. Go there people! It's Fun.
Anyways, by the time I reached there, everyone had arrived: teachers and students alike. I was asked by a couple of friends to give out certificates for the teachers, saying that they had graduated from the school. It was exactly the same as our report cards but instead of subjects, we marked them on attributes e.g. fun, education, strictness. As soon as we had finished handing them out, we all realized we didn't know what to do next! Super luckily, the appetizers arrived! Then there were no longer teachers and students, just friends. We joked, we laughed and we bonded. Weird, maybe, but fun.
After we ate, my friends decided it was time for a dance -.-'. They plugged in an ipod to the store's sound system and started playing songs. We convinced all the teachers to dance and well, let's just say that we were entertained from various forms of dancing: Belly dancing, salsa, and a baby hopping about.
Oh yeah, the TGI Friday's manager went up to us and told us that they would like to put on a show for us! That was completely unexpected and wasn't part of any of our plans but it was perfect: it kept the teachers entertained and they even let some of the students joined in on the dance. Dinner and a show!
It was a gesture from all of us, created by three from our numbers, to show how much they meant to us. After three years with them, we can all honestly say: we'll miss you. Thank you.

Right Before It Begins

2009-05-14T22:16:00.000+04:00

Okay, so the exams are less than a day's time away. English IGCSE. Well, the night before the exam, what better way to chill then watch your little brother kick ninja butt on the PS2 right? Oh, and not to mention the awesome meal at Aden Restaurant! If this is what its like to have important exams, then I want an exam every week!
Anyways, I am actually looking forward to this exam; not only does it mean I'm almost there until the graduating finish line but it also means I've been doing quite well these last few years. Even better: my friends are graduating with me!
Of course, some amount of stress has been accumulating over the past few months as the exams seem to loom closer and closer, but now that it's just one day less away, all the stress just seem to be swept away. It's not like I can do anything to prepare now, is there? The only that could go wrong is if I overslept and missed the exams, or that I forget to bring the admission paper with my candidate number on it.
So, best of luck to my friends with their upcoming exams!

Exams: The Beginning

2009-04-28T15:40:00.000+04:00

Fuuuh... Exams huh? Not a pretty thing. Specially if it's as important as the IGCSEs... I've done IGCSEs past papers before but never really got full marks. Came close, but not quite there.
People are doing alot of stuff in preparation for the arrival of Exams: they're having tuitions; they're taking in more homework; they're actually paying attention in class and they are stressing over it. Of course, teachers emphasising everyday how close the exams are isn't going to take the stress off but it's helpful if you want a good, high mark in the exam.
Me? Well, I'm still blogging, I'm almost always online, and I still don't know when the exams are- You tell me if I'm stressed. I just simply made a schedule for my brain to keep up with the schoolwork. It's alot better than going with the human paranoia of exams. I still do have to study, yes: there's no one in this world who can get a super great mark in exams if they don't study, but I'm not going to accept tuition offers, I'm not going to stay up all night just to learn about how E-MC(2) is a great finding and I'm definitely not going to pay more attention in class then I already am. I sit in the front row of almost every class! How much more attentive can one get?! Not saying I concentrate in class much though...
Anyways, today I had a 3 hour exam or survey for the PISA thing. It's the survey of how good a country is by measuring and comparing 15 year olds marks in the country. I thought since they said it was going to take 3 hours long, it'd be a good way to skip school lessons but, as usual, I was wrong. It was so, so, so, so, so, so, sooooo boring! Except for one question about spiders being drugged. Hahahahaha! Spiders high on weed...
After the exam part was over, which took 2 hours long, the last hour we spent on doing a questionaire about our life in school. I have never yet responded on a questionaire properly. For example: they asked me at what age I graduated Kindergarden from. I answered: Between 1 and 15.
Moving away from Spiders high on weed and Kindergarden, I think my exams are quite close and there's one of them in particular that is really important to myself: my IGCSE english exam. Out of all the IGCSEs, I place English and Biology as the most important ones. They're important because if some old dude in England thinks that I have very good understanding of the english language and that I have an excellent understanding of the human body, I would be able to become a doctor in a foreign country. I don't know yet if that is certainly my aim as a career but for now, I want the Dr. in front of my name. It makes me sound a bit more... Sophisticated ;p
As my closing paragraph, I'm going to give out a warning: Don't put yourself under too much stress or expect too much, it'll just make things worse if you DO get a low mark. Aim reasonably and try harder than you thought was possible. If you get a high mark and you were expecting something less, wouldn't that make you even happier?

Memories

2009-03-27T19:44:00.000+04:00

Just a few moments ago, my brothers, my mum and myself were looking through old pictures of us in Dubai, and there was this feeling of strange memories coming back. For one thing: Muhaimin was SUPER thin! I just can't believe how much he changed. Plus, his large ears dissapeared, somehow or rather. I'm sure my mom missed them.
Then I saw Saif and myself and WOW! There was this picture from 2002... just shocking how much we grew up. 7 years ago; a very long time! I was SHORT! I was just about Saif's shoulders in height back then but just like Muhaimin, I had skinny arms with no meat or muscles.
I couldn't help but smile as pictures of my past friends came up: school friends and not school friends. A few pictures brought back so much memories that I have a headache right now. One of the pictures is the one with Ali and Najwa's family and Jalil's family when we went to the MBC stationplace. Najwa, Ali, you remember that? Stupid question, of course, you do! It was a major event: we went to a TV STATION and got a tour AND a souvenier t-shirt! Remember Muhaimin's tooth? *wink*
Right next to that picture was a picture of me dressing into the F1 costume! Man, that brought back soo many memories... That was, I think, my last time riding a Go-Kart. And it was also the time when my Kart blew up on my 3rd round! hahahaha! Then, Najwa crashed into the wall right infront of me! She said she was trying to see who's Kart blew up. A reminder to all: Keep your eyes on the road!
Flicking through the album, I saw pictures of us when we were even younger! It was the 2nd year here;2001. Saif was being the Imam for Ala', Nasa and myself. It was horrible how young we looked! There was that overall resemblance-I wa still dorky; Saif still with that hair; Ala' still a bit rounder than the rest of us; Nasa with his long arms and legs- but we all grew up into something much different from what we were then.
There was alot of family pictures as well. Most of my family also did change in appearance; Ayahcik looking like a teenager, Danial looking like Ishraf, Wajdi looking chubby and round, and loads more! I was just laughing at the pictures and felt weird at looking at my family in the past.
The point is, taking pictures is a great thing. Even pictures that seemed useless at that point of time. Heck, I saw a picture of Muhaimin on the pot! So, don't be shy of the camera as they keep your memories alive for a very, very long time.

The Calm After The Storm

2009-03-26T10:38:00.000+04:00

That was just plain old FREAKY! There was absolutely NO warning! Sure there were rain clouds, but I just figured it'd be like always and the rain clouds would clear themselves out. Big mistake!
Never, ever underestimate the weather in UAE! For the past month or so, there was all sun and heat and clearly no rain. Yesterday night, however, rained so hard that my house actually got flooded! Some parts also had HAIL! That is awesome Rare. There was obviously ligtning and thunder, and I heard SOME people were scared of it;P
Ok, how I knew my room got flooded.
I was actually watching T.V. when d rain started. First it was just a few pellet-like drops, then it came down harder and with more reinforcements! Before you know it, the T.V. is on maximum volume and I could still hear NO sound! It was SuperRain! Coming down on Earth with all its might! Flash! Lightning! BANG! Thunder!
So, I decided to make sure the window in my room was closed. I was intent on making sure it was closed so when I heard the water crashing down louder than it should, I thought the window was open. I rushed into the room, saw my window was closed and was completely dumbfounded when I finally noticed that my roof was leaking!
One event led to another and soon enough, there was no T.V., no internet, and Abah, Muhaimin, Saif and I were sitting down in a circle, playin Scrabble. At least some good came out of the storm.
Forecasts: storm will happen in the next 5 days. Basically, we're going to have to endure storms until Sunday! Insha'Allah nothing too bad will happen.
I'm going to try to update as soon as I can on the storm.

Aqad Nikah

2009-03-20T12:21:00.000+04:00

My first ever experience of a Muslim style Wedding! First impression: Awesome! Of course that migh just be the fact that I hung out wit my greatest friends...It felt right! This was where I completely fit in.
Anyways, Aqad Nikah is translated from arabic to english to mean Marriage Contract or Bonding Agreement. And it's the vocal agreement of the bride's dad and the groom on the marriage that basically takes place. And this wedding took place at one of my best friend's house. The reason wh is still a mystery to him.
First, we wait for the Qadi(Judge) to come and pray Maghrib with us. Then, he gives a ceramah(speech) of the wedding and Islam. Then he asks the groom something like: Do you agree with all the terms and responsibility of this marriage? He has to reply: I (name) agree with all the terms and responsibility of this marriage. And of course since there is no paperwork, the Qadi and the audience becomes witnesses of the event.
Afterwards:FOOD! There was like awesome loads of food including CHICKEN and rice and CHICKEN and oh yeah cake obviously. Ayam masak merah...sedap!
After we were bored and full, we(me and my friends) decided to play some basketball, and just in case anyone's wondering; we are all horrendously terribly at it excluding the house owner. But of course my team never lost once! *grin*
We spent most of the night playing basketball, but once we started getting hurt and tired, we went inside, and inside is where I met two more friends, one of them a friend I missed a lot. The rest of the night was spent laughing and joking around, just like the good ol' days. *grin*
P.S. I'm bald now!

2009-02-18T19:33:00.000+04:00

Monday- First day of secondary sports
Today included: football, basketball, netball, wheelbarrow race, ball-and-spoon race, hula-hoop race and some sort of sports trivia.
As Topaz house captain, I was in-charge of nearly everything that had to do with Topaz as my vice-captain didn't even bother to show up. Everything was splited up into boys/girls and different years. So, basically, the year 8 girls played with year 8 girls, year 8 boys played with year 8 boys.
The football team wasn't too bad but we didn't win much and the same was for basketball. It was all a big mess for Topaz House and I accept the responsibility and blame. Netball, I'm not too sure about as I tend to distance myself from that sport. The other picnik activities were out of control as everyone was halfway-to-eternal-sleep and no one wanted to do any of the activities. Well, that was the year 10s at the very least. As for me...I had to stop at the wheelbarrow race: I burnt my hand going just a bit too fast. Now, I have a disturbing sight in the side of my palm. Hopefully I'll be able to heal by the end of the week.
Oh yeah, I also had a very interesting encounter: before the burnt hand, the principle came out. He was watching silently for a while then said out loud as soon as everyone was quiet: 1000 housepoints for Sapphire for being the first to quiet down! That just clicked something in me. I walked up to him, and told him: sir, isn't that against the rules?! You yourself said teachers are only allowed to give 20 housepoints maximum for one thing. He was calm towards all this but once I said: You can't do that, he said: go sit in my office.
First time in the principle's office. Kind of weird but not scary as I was confident that I had every right to stand up to him. Plus the other 5 kids that were in there who was in more serious trouble than I was boosted my spirits up a bit.
He made me wait in his office for almost 30 minutes, then called me out, then had a talk with me which went kind of like this: What was that thing you said to me? I can't do that right? Well, this badge of mine says I can. And I don't want you to tell me how to do my job. How should you have come up to me do you think?
Without even having to think hard, I answered: I guess I should have said: You shouldn't have done that sir. It's against the rules! He smiled at that. Guess I hit the answer spot on.
Then he said something like: well, if it wasn't for gatekeepers like yourself, I can get away with murder! The difference in those answers is that the Can't is harsh and more commanding while the Shouldn't is calmer and people would be more willing to listen to your argument. I CAN'T believe that he had thought me an ethical lesson on a sports day!
I don't know if I had earned his respect or he was just trying to take the mickey out of me, but he then said: another 1000 housepoints for sapphire for again being the silent house! Then he said: as a reward for such a great day, I'm giving Topaz, Emerald, and Ruby 2000 housepoints each!
For some weird reason, which I laughed at, people actually cheered. What they didn't notice was that he had just taken back his words of making Sapphire first! From now on, I have a lot of respect for that funny man in the black suit: Mr. Campbell.

Sporty Day...s.

2009-02-18T19:06:00.000+04:00

Sunday: KG1-Grade 2
On this day, I had to be a help to the other teachers who were organizing the Early Primary Sports Day. Came to school in a non-outstanding fashion, just the same as usual, always dreary of course. Then one of my best friends, who had also accepted the task to help out, reminded me about the volunteer jobs that we took.
At 9 something, the games was about to start. Parents flooded in all at once. KG1 was up first. Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, all came neatly out of their classes, each representing their own Houses. It annoyed me to no end that the children all seemed unmotivated at all. I had to take matters in my own hands. Kind of regret it now... lost my voice for a while: I readied a hard voice, steadied my vocal cords, and screamed: What team's gonna win?!!!
HUGE effect on the kids!! No wonder I love kids! Instantly their passion to not lose woke up, igniting flames inside of them, answering my taunt by screaming: RUBY! RUBY! SAPPHIRE! SAPPHIRE! EMERALD! EMERALD! TOPAZ! TOPAZ!!
There was another reason I became tired after all that: Laughing my head off at their desperate attempts to stay in first place. Especially the Obstacle Course! There was this one kid who stuck out more than the rest: A Topazian, chubby and always searching for his parents. The obstacle course included jumping over stuff, climbing others and balancing on another. This kid fell like 3 times on the first obstacle, chubby feet stomping slightly on the climb and couldn't balance what-so-ever! And he did all this still waving at his parents!
I was in charge of motivating the kids and keeping the overall scores. The results of KG1: Topaz first, Sapphire second, Ruby third, Emerald last and lots of sore throats.
KG2 was also similar but with double the cheering. There were lots of shouts and encouragements from the other volunteers like me and I guess the sight of much older kids trying to motivate them just, well, motivated them. The scores were somewhat similar as well.
Then came the slightly older Grade1s and 2s. OH... this was definitely one of the funniest and exciting events. The rules were slightly different but the atmosphere was the same: The obstacle course had an upgrade and they added a sack race as well. Now, the obstacle course included a crawl through a tunnel like thingy which me and the other volunteer had to keep in place. There are no words loud enough to describe the intense cheering coming from the different teams which almost never died down. It was a much better air than the one in the football match before! The results were complete opposite but with sorer throats and 2 pairs of dead arms.

Sudden Adrenaline! Weeee...

2009-01-31T00:32:00.000+04:00

For the last month, I've been complaining how suddenly the whole world started to get absurdly dull. Well, thanks to these past couple of days, I'm prepared to eat my words.

First off: sudden invitation. One day off from school and the school kicked into top gear! As soon as I came to school on Thursday, friends swamped me with questions on whether or not I was going to Dubai Festival City that evening. My answer: What? Apparently, after all that *cough* hard work *cough* in school, everyone needed a break, and what other place to celebrate than the place-to-be, DFC? So after much consideration which took a whole packet of crisps and 3 Oreos, I decided to tag along with them.

Party time! As per usual, I was first to arrive, and had to wait for everyone else. As not per usual, I met an old acquaintance! What is it with meeting people we used to know this year? Well, I actually saw the person from far so I wasn't one hundred percent sure it was that person so I waited a bit until i could see the person's face completely. Yep, it's a friend. When I decided to go say hi, precisely at that moment (what astoundingly perfect timing my friends have) 3 friends just happen to pop up! So we had this whole big reunion thing...nothing big, 10 minutes long maximum. The other 3 came over here riding a taxi: one from school, one from Sharjah, and one idiot from Ajman! For those who don't know their UAE Geography: That's a HELL of a long way to come! They were starving from sitting in a taxi, the ''idiot'' hadn't eaten for the whole day, so... I bought them all a Pepperoni Pizza! Of course there was a few slices which went into the buyer's stomach as well.

After they ate, came the girl with all the connections. She was the main host for this outing apparently. She had invited friends from school, outside of school and friends who don't know their friends yet. By the end of the day, there was like 13 of us. Quite a gathering. Well, the hostess had VIP coupons for the rides outside DFC. DING DING DING! Enter Main Event!

There were two main awesome rides: a corkscrew and a huge bouncy spinning bowl. Just from thinking about it now makes me noxious.

After much debating, we decided to get onto the Bowl first. Crap loads of fun! We were the 1st in the bowl so we were able to pick our places without any squeezing or pushing. Then...around and around and around it goes! I fell off my seat and remained on the spinning floor for the whole of the ride! Main reason for falling: Laughing.

After we had gained the ability to stand on two feet again, the Corkscrew was waiting to give us another ride of adrenaline. We should not have had that pepperoni pizza. At All.

The thing started slowly...rocking side to side...then...SWISH! 90 degrees off the floor and into the sky! Screaming our heads off, feeling like our stomachs had flipped upside down, falling like a dumbbell in water: just a few descriptions of what came with the ride. All this...while going round, and round, and round, and round and round... I distinctly remember some girl screaming: WE'RE DEAD! WE'RE DEEAADD!!

After a while, the school friends all had to leave except the hostess and I was fortunate enough to have Uncle Fendi who was in DFC that day until 10+. So, now there were 10 of us left. I barely knew any of them except the hostess and a friend who came AFTER all the rides. We just decided to go walk around DFC dor a while, hang out. I also kept with my new year's resolution and had 8 new friends after that day. Of course, few names have been forgotten...

Oh, and on that same day, while I was getting the adrenaline rush of a decade, my cousins and their super-energetic daughter had already arrived here from Malaysia. They were knocked out cold by the time I had arrived home so it was a few more hours until I could enjoy their company.

Morning: Woke up and saw my cousins' faces. I'm not a morning person so you'll have to understand why I didn't do a sing-and-dance routine when I saw them. Their daughter(my half-niece) was already awake. Oh God, she's so cute. The whole day was spent with the whole family visiting Dubai's sights and listening to my endlessly talking 6 years old niece.

Then, we went to the gathering at Auntie Yati's house. We prayed sincerely that her daughter is safe and that they'll be together again soon. I won't go into details.

I also saw two of MY outside school friends. It's amazing how much pressure can be put off just by looking at old friends. I haven't seen them for a really long time. I can honestly and sincerely say: I miss you people...a lot.

I ate my words. The world's not gone boring...There was just nothing to make it exciting.

Birthday Spook

2009-01-18T18:42:00.000+04:00

On Friday, I was invited to go to a friend's birthday party. He said that he plans to take us bowling and ice-skating at Al Nasr Leisureland, behind the old Nasr Cinema. However, my family and family friends had already made plans to go to the Dubai Cares Help for the Children of Gaza. Thankfully the party was postponed until 6pm that night.

At the Dubai Cares, we arrived to a city of boxes; the volunteers who had already arrived were making boxes for the necessities to go in, and they had piled the small, white boxes on top of each other by the road. Since we were new arrivals, we decided to go help make the boxes as well.

Logically, "making boxes" doesn't sound like much fun does it? Well, during our systematic production of boxes, I managed to have heaps of fun! There were hundreds and hundreds of boxes to be made! The making process was simple: take uncreated boxes, make it into a box, tape it and then pile it. I was in charge of taping it and making sure the tape was... well, basically neat. After we ran out of boxes, I went and searched inside the building for more unfinished boxes and buh-lieve me, it was like a whole other city in there! It was completely crowded! I made my way through the maze of people and stopped at a gallor of boxes! There were enough to fit more than enough rations of food to feed a whole country! (Obviously Dubai Cares had done their maths!)

After making uncountable boxes, it was finally time for the party!

I was dropped off at 5pm infront of the Leisureland. Of course there wasn't anyone there; my friends have a knack of coming to parties or anything of the sort late. Or maybe I was just dropped off too early. Either ways, I was fortunate: I was walking aimlessly through the building when I saw a sign saying: Ice rink and Bowling will be closed from 4th January.

Guh-reat! I had to call up the birthday boy and tell him the news and trust me, he was astounded. The dude hadn't checked if his plans were full proof or not! *Sigh* So after careful consideration which involved me doing nothing, we decided to go to Wafi, where there is roller blading, Virtual Roller-Coaster and best of all, The Tomb! Basically, the Tomb is an ancient-egyptian-based maze. I've never been in there ever before but Saif had and he said it scared the crap out of him and his friends. Enough reasons to go right? C;

So I waited for B-Day Boy and the others to show up and what-do-you-know? An old friend of ours just coincidentally shows up! It was a huge reuninion! At first it was only me, her and her friend for the better part of 40 minutes and when I left to pray Maghrib, another friend shows up. The best part was that this Friend and the Old Friend had a hilarious history together. They didn't forget. By the time the others came, I was crying from laughter.

When we finally got to Wafi, (I rode with my best friends and one of theirs' singing Mom and Dad) we played Pool first. I think there were only 2 people who were actually playing Pool! The others(including me) were playing around like samurais with the sticks!

After Pool, we went Roller Blading. My history of roller blading is just that: History. I haven't even touched a roller blade in half a decade! B-day Boy was worse: he's NEVER been in roller blades and even in shoes he falls over! We had splendid amounts of fun! I finished with a bruised buttock, a burnt ankle, and a headache from laughing.

Virtual Roller-Coaster! This is one of the best parts of the night. I don't think any of us got out of it with a non-sore throat! I went with the B-day boy and I attempted to make it more scary than it really was by screaming whenever the fun part comes around. He seemed happy so I'm satisfied.

Next: Food! Spaghetti Bolognaise. Just the sound of it..ahh... so delicious!

Afterwards: The Tomb!! No doubt the main event of the night, it didn't dissapoint! 5 people were allowed in at the same time, and we were fortunate in that manner as one of our numbers had to go as he had another party to attend to. So all of us were allowed in at the same time.

The people took our mobiles, watches and anything else that might provide light or sound or anything really. Then we knocked.

Bang! Something slammed itself on the door. I'm lucky I don't have very good reflexes because everyone else jumped back and fell over each other! Then this creepy hunchback opened the door. The guide.

No more details. If you want to enjoy it completely, you'll have to go in yourself. But I can gurantee you one thing: no matter how prepared you are, no matter how many times you go in there, you'll be coming out of there running.

Under Construction!

2009-01-06T23:34:00.000+04:00

As planned beforehand, we went with Ala' and Nasa, Haziq and Yahya, and Muaz to a place far away to watch AC Milan play against Hamsburg. I was in a car with Saif, Haziq, Nasa and Yahya with Uncle Afzar while the others rode with another Uncle. The traffic Jam was looong! But only on the main roads. Uncle Afzar decided to use a backroad, which got us there faster than the others did. Lucky break for us!

To tell you the truth, I wasn't interested in the football match. Rather, I was more interested in the yelling and screaming to the players more than what was goin on in the match. And unfortunately, it was really dissapointing: the match had a really slow tempo, which meant not that much yelling! We did get to shout at the referee a few times and we did get to scream the players' names as they played quite a dull game. We all expected Milan to dominate but it was the reverse: Hamsburg played a better game and they certainly didn't deserve to lose.

The score was 1-1 by 90 minutes and the game went into penalties. The penalties had the most yelling in it! There were boos and chantings of the shooters' and goalkeeper's name as they went into their respective places. It was 5-3 to Milan as Dida saved a penalty and another hit the crossbar. Then there were people dancing queerily, shiny things floating in the sky and my hoarse voice going along with the music and finally, the whole thing came to a stop. See? Boring match! But...that's my opinion. Me, the guy who doesn't even care abut football much. Ask the others for a more..."professional" opinion!

But the title says Under Construction...what does that have to do with football? The Stadium. The Stadium wasn't even complete! There weren't even WALLS! Or Chairs!! We had to sit on green floor! There were tunnels under these green things to let people walk through and these were lined with construction posts! A match which everyone was looking forward to in an uncomplete stadium. What a Rip-Off!!

Hahaha. I have to say this: Who cares? At the very least there WAS a football match and people were there with family and friends! That's what I thought being in a huge gathering like that was about: to have serious amounts of fun! It would have been a lot more fun if it was in a real stadium, true, but (the corniest saying) life gives you lemon, you make lemonade! We might not have made lemonade, but we were still satisfied.

P.S. this was all written in the middle of the night...when I just got home from the match...So it may not be the greatest post you'll read!

2k9's First Day

2009-01-02T13:53:00.000+04:00

It was one of the most exhausting day I've ever had, I'll tell you that! A series of events made me sleep late, even though I knew I had to wake up early. I know...stupid. Well, After I did wake up, we already misses most of the fun Family Day that was planned, so we went to eat breakfast at our second kitchen: Al Nasr Restaurant. Even the uncle who works day shifts and lamost never laughs, was in a really cheerful mood! Good omen for a good year. C=

Then we went to salvage whatever fun was left in the Family Day, and we hit gold. It was absurdly fun! By the time we reached there, they had already done the Wheelbarrow and were just starting to play Tug-O-War. I lost. No need to put details into that.

Afterwards, we played football and rugby/american football (I still don't know which!). I really did miss hanging out with all my friends like that, but as a start to my new year's resolution, I have made a new friend(awesome or not I'm not yet sure), Ash. Hopefully I'll learn her real name soon. C=

We went to have a BBQ night at Unc FND's house. It was Auntie Sue's birthday! On the 1st of January! How incredulously lucky! All of her birthdays are holidays which everyone's celebrating! Anyways...Nasa and I were in charge of the fire-starting. I am proud to admit I am terrible at it! After lots of fanning, we managed to get the fire to start. Not to mention I couldn't use my right arm for the whole night afterwards!

I can't tell you how amazing yesterday was because I am at lost for words to describe it. I saw Ala', Nasa, Haziq, Anum, Amanie, and a pack of kids, all of whom I really missed. We played UNO, then there was something like a pillow fight which then turned into a wrestling match between me and the kids. I came home at 10pm with more brusies than a boxer does after a match. All in all...It really was a gold mine.

Finally...My Resolutions!

2009-01-01T00:19:00.000+04:00

I've made my mind up. My New Year's Resolution will be:

1)To Make Some Awesome New Friends!

2)To Stay Friends With My Old Awesome Friends!

Finding Me...

2008-12-30T17:50:00.001+04:00

Hahahahaha! I was looking through my friends blogs and I noticed that two of them has started to try and find the meanings behind their names and birthrights. Aida is some sort of Ethiopian Princess and Haziq is an Original Type A Enigma! Woah...my friends really are weird! d=

So! I tried to find out the meaning of my name first on one of the largest names/meanings websites and this is what I got: We're sorry, there were no results for the information you entered.

Not very satisfying is it? Hahaha. But I never really thought my name had a real meaning: Everytime I ask, there's always a different answer! From being a flood to a natural winner(Fa'iz)! But I remembered that Haziq had given me a website to find The Hidden Meaning Behind My Name...Too bad, though, I never really believed any of it. It had something to do with me being Organised and Tightly Wounded. Hah! Like that's ever going to be true!

I gave up finding my name meaning so I focused on my birthdate. So I once again went onto the internet. This is what I ended up with:

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet.
Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings.
You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments.
You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action.

Your strength: Your vivid imagination

Your weakness: Fear of failure

Your power color: Coral

Your power symbol: Oval

Your power month: November

I seriously actually believed in what it said because I really do feel out of place in traditional environments. I was never in sync with any Malaysian traditions! But my weakness being a fear of failure is something I really doubt: I've failed so many times that China can't hold enough fingers to count it! So if anyone wants to agree or disagree on this thing...please feel free to comment c=

2 0 0 9

2008-12-29T18:04:00.000+04:00

Every year, someone always says: well, this year was just the same as last year: the same school, the same people, the same boring old routines. These people are oblivious to the fact that everything has changed from 365 days ago! The same faces have grown up, the same school has become better, and there are no such things as a routine! I myself can tell that a lot of things have changed. The most obvious change is the global crisis which the whole world is trying to solve. Money is and has always been a huge factor in the world, no matter what other people say.

Now, I'm 15. Next year I'll be 16. And soon I'll be taking a step towards the direction of adulthood, something I've been personally loathing and always tried to avoid. There are a fewf disadvantages of growing up. But since this is New Year's I always try to look on the brighter side. For example: I'll be going to a University soon! That's a MAJOR period of a dude's life!

My parents always said that our childhood always seems like its going on forever, never having to worry about anything, blissfully unaware of what the future has in store. Then, after we have gone through University, we look back...and notice all that we've done...all the memories...all in the past. Everything seems to have happened all in a quiet blur, sometimes leaping out in a roar of excitement, but always blurring out again. Even now, my trip to Egypt seems so close. I could still remember the Milky Tea that they served us for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

My friends have also changed. They all seem more grown up. Their minds are getting harder and harder to understand. In school and outside of school, I usually keep my lives apart. One way or the other...my lives are getting knitted together...2 worlds that usually ignore each other now are heading for collision. But I'm grateful that they are my friends even if they get super annoying sometimes! =P I love you people!

My family has also changed a lot. Muhaimin especially. Even though it might seem like he's still the big baby he always had been, he is undeniably growing up. Although he will always be the same annoying budak to me. Abang has also changed. Ever since the start of 2008, he seems to have gotten a lot more responsible and he has also started to become an easier person to talk to. Unlike before, when we just ignore each other the whole day. Now, we are friends.

I don't know if I have changed...people keep telling me that I have always been this way, never changing. I know for a fact that my physique has changed...I grew taller, sturdier even...but in attitude, it seems like I will never change. And I'd really like it to be that way. I like my life the way it is, going to school to study and learn things with all my friends, then occasionally hang out with my best friends, coming back home to my caring family. I know that things will change. I know that soon, I won't even meet most of my friends anymore. I know that I won't always have this house to call a home. I also know that I will make new friends, learn new stuff and have a new home. Looking into the future is scary business!

As for a New Year's Resolution...WWEELLLL...... I guess I can try harder in school, try harder to be a better son and try harder to be the best friend possible to everyone. Sounds hard...well at least I'll try! Happy New Year! 2009- the Year of Technology.

Selamat Hari Raya!

2008-12-08T17:42:00.000+04:00

Puuh...Eid in a Malaysian-Egyptian style is so cool. They bought like 50+ animals including camels,goats and cows to sembelih:D. We woke up really early for the Eid Prayer. The Malaysians prepared an outside mosque which was the whole footsal field and they even put up a sort of camp above. We were one of the 1st to Takbir. The Salat was nice and afterwards the Imam gave a few words about the Eid and why we sacrifice the animals. All this in super-cold weather.

There was a program set for us: first the sacrifice, then the cleaning and cooking of the sacrifices, then we eat! During the sacrificial part, I was in charge of taking the pictures, since my brother, who usually takes the pictures was afraid of blood and so's my dad. The 1st sacrifice was a cow, and ALOT of people were there to watch!

The cow's feet were tied up and then they tripped him so that his neck was showing. Then the man with the knife came. I had to stand on tiptoes just to see the cow above the heads of 20 people infront of me. Then people started to back away, because they were tryin to tip the cow over, to reveal its throat. They put a rope underneath the cow then one the count of three they dragged it back to make it fall...it wasn't enough; the cow was sturdy, it didn't want to fall at all, kinda reminds me of the pyramids abit. Eventually it fell, but it took more than ropes to do the job; all the surrounding people started to come forward and push it down sideways. Anyways, after that whole deal, people started reciting Allah hu Akbar. It was time. We could all see that the cow was scared, it was still trying to fight, but as most people know...its really hard for a cow to get back up after its tipped over. Then, a splash of blood, a blur of people's back, and i saw the cow's dieing moments...

The cow was a huge deal. Many people came to watch, which was contrasted by the goats; a lot less people came to watch and the people who were sacrificing them didn't take long. I think when I got at the scene, 2 were already sacrificed and after close to 5 mins another 4 or so was. All that was done was that the man took the goat by the legs, said Allah hu Akbar, and cut its throat. After that he went to fetch another...then another...then another. It was all really quick.

The goats and cows sacrificial moments were intriguing and a real slap in the face to wake you up, but the main event was camel. There were about 6 of them, all seemingly peaceful on their corner of their complex. Even before the cows were sacrificed, people had started to gather around the camel so i worried that i wouldn't make it in time. But it seemed that the people were just playing around with the camels, riding them, giving them food and taking pictures wit them. So I was relieved when i got the 1st class spot to watch the 1st of the camels to be sacrificed. It was utterly unprecedented(new). 1st, the camel's head was tied up to a pole that was stuck between 2 trees to expose its neck joint that was connected to its head. Then the owner of the camel was told to help out by keeping the camel in place. Finally, the man with the knife came, already covered in blood. By this time, not only was the small corner crowded, but nearly every space there was left on the complex that was available to see the camel! People even bothered to go back up their rooms and look out the window. Allah hu Akbar was recited, and the man placed the knife underneath the head, and started cutting. At first, it appeared to have no effect on the neck, then suddenly, a fountain of blood spurted out, an angry howl from the camel was heard and soon enough, the camel started a blind rage. Somehow or rather, I escaped with only my shoes getting specks of blood on them.Other people ran away as fast as they could when the nearly headless camel spurt blood in their direction. Not long after, the camel's body fell, and the sacrifice was complete.

When it was time for the second camel, another one of the camels tried to run away. It's front feet were tied up so it would be more accurate to say crawling away. It ended up still tied to the tree and facing the camel in-wait to be sacrificed. A nearby man told me that it wanted to "sokong member dia".

This camel wasn't tied up. There were loads more peope by now, and the neck-cutting part was swift. It was the aftermath that took a dreadfully long time. The camel started to furiously kick out with it's tied up legs and swayed from position to position in a hysteric attempt to escape. This was all with it's head nearly chopped off. 5 men rushed forward and pushed it down to its side, not a simple task. It was, for me, a completely new and thrilling experience to see a camel being sacrificed for eid, rather than a cow or goat, and I greatly appreciate the fact i got the chance to see it in the 1st place. Of course, the experience was shared with hundreds of other people including the curious Egyptians who came to watch.

After all that, I went back to my room, to relax a bit. I thought that was enough sacrifices for me to watch happen for a day. So I slowly uploaded all the pictures, the videos, and took my time watching all of it. When my mom asked me to go out again, it was time for the cleaning of the carcasses.

The 1st carcass I noticed were the sheeps and goats, as they were hung onto a metal pole for the skinning. By now, all of them were headless. I watched as they cut through the muscles tissues, the skin, and bones of the bodies, then they pulled out all of the organs, and for the 1st time ever, I saw a goats insides: the round, large stomach; the long, thin intestines; the small, strange liver. All of it. After the cleaning of the goats, I went to watch the cleaning of the cows.

This was a lot more time consuming, as the cow had a larger body and so more fur, more muscles and more fat to get through. When I arrived, they had already took out the fun and were waiting for a big enough knife to slice through the skin. The knife came after 3 minutes of waiting and if the cow had seen the knife, he would have ran all the way to the pyramids. It was a titanic knife! The knife went through the body as easily as it would have done silk. Now, for the pulling out of the insides. The contrasts of goat's insides and cow's inside were very pronounced. These were huge. The stomach itself would have fit half of Muhaimin! The intestines were boundless! It seemed like if i stretched it (which hopefully one day i will) it would be able to reach across my whole room and out the door! But the insides were stuck to the body, so they had to shop off the link. However, due to the massive bones of the cow, and the position it was in, it was obvious they would be able to. So, they hacked the bones. Simple answer. Bone in the way, take it out. Afterwards, I saw the muscles of the cow still moving...

The camel's cleaning apparently took a lot of people and time. Just the skinning itself took 3 people per camel. I didn't stick around for the gutting... I just didn't feel like watching. However, I did notice a camel head lying around on the floor. I have a picture of it...I will upload the pictures at a later time.

After all that frenzy, my dad decided to call Malaysia, and the cheapest way to that apparently was the internet cafe! I don't know if that is true or not but the internet does cost ONE Jenih per hour! So we went there for the next 3 hours. Me playing a game and chatting to friends, Saif trying to figure out how to use the tele-pc, Muhaimin just playing a game and my parents were just surfing the net and looking for people to call. After the connection to Malaysia was made, we called my grandmas and wished them a happy eid. The annoying thing was that it delayed 5 seconds. If I said something in my end, the person on d other end will hear it 5 seconds late. So it was a rather confused conversation.

Selamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin kepada semua orang, kawan-kawan dan keluarga tercampur.

Ancient Wonders

2008-12-07T17:00:00.000+04:00

The internet here costs 1 Egyptian Pound per hour...I have all the time i need!
Pyramids are HUUUGGEEE!!! When I heard we were going to see the pyramids and mummies, I was ecstatic, but i didn't anticipate the wondrous sight that was the Great Pyramid of Giza.
After Luxor, we went on a 12-hour long train trip to Cairo. It was meant to be 9-hours but for some reason, the train stopped in the middle of no where for ages. Luckily, I was sleeping through all of it:D.
When we reached Cairo, we definately saw the difference between Cairo and Luxor: Cairo is as crowded as DCC on a weekend times 8000! It doesn't seem as crowded as Luxor however; the city's bulk is huge enough to fit the 8 million people occupying it. We rode a taxi driven by a man so huge he can put the pyramids to shame! When he drives, he apparently curses all the other drivers except himself, which is quite understandable as the driving here is AWESOME! There are no road lines, the traffic lights don't work, and there are roads as high as the buildings themselves! The roads, in the morning, is almost completely empty, but give it until night time and you'll hear horns everywhere!
We stayed in a Malaysian Complex for University Students in the Pahang sector. It's almots like living in Malaysia itself: the burger stands, speaking malay, the friendly atmosphere all reminds of home.
NOW to the important part!
The pyramids! I had this image of a yellow traingular thingy in my head the morning we were told we were going. But when we actually got there...its un-imaginably amazingly beautifully BIG! There is no way anyone could prepare themselves for it! And btw, I am the 1st Fudzail, 1st of my generation to step into the Great Pyramid:D such a huge honor *smiles proudly*. lol
They let us in the pyramids to see a tomb which was hidden in it, but the WAY to the tomb is so dangerous that Muhaimin wasn't able to go. The steps were steep, the ceilings were low, and the air in there is so hot that it makes you wish you hadn't stepped in in the 1st place. BUT i was too excited to care about any of these. All I cared about was going into the Great Wonder! The amazing thing is that the Ancient Egyptians didn't have any equipments to drag the HUGE rocks all the way there, and that the building still stands today in a near perfect from.
After the pyramids we went to see the Sphinx, the cat wit the pharoahs head. But after seeing the Pyramids, the Sphinx in comparison is NOTHING. Shoulda seen it first and then the Pyramids...
In the same day, we went to Cairo Museum, where the mummies sleeps...*scary music*
The museum is great in itself, the size of it and the mysteries inside is mind-boggling. But again, I didn't even care... I looked straight ahead for the mummies! But we had to pay 100 each to see it...costly, but worth it! The thousands of years old bodies were tiny, like they shrunk. The skins were as black as coal, the teeth were rotten, and some even still had hair! There was this King who died in a war, with a wound that pierced his skull on display...really cool! They say that you can tell whether a mummy was of royalty or not by looking at the positions of their hands: if by the sides, not royalty, if crossed over their chess, royalty.
Unfortunately, the Mummy I was hoping to see wasn't on display: Tut Ankh Amun, the younest of the Pharoahs. He died at the age of 18 of mysterious causes. Some say that his uncle killed him for the title of Pharoah. Even if HE himself wasn't there, his belongings were! They were all made of solid GOLD! They found his body inside a Golden Sarcophagus, inside a golden box which was inside a bigger golden box inside an even bigger golden box inside an even bigger golden box INSIDE ANOTHER ONE! Around the box were his golden belongings: a golden carriage, 2 golden beds, lots of golden jewellery and so much more. The thing that caught my eye was the golden knife which was buried next to him. The tilt and blade were made of gold and there was still that gleaming light that came out of it. There were also other weapons that were found in his chamber at the Valley of Kings, like the bows and arrows of his faithful army. These were made of wood but there were arrow heads which was made of gold as well. The thing that is really confusing is that all the other Pharoahs were buried inside a wooden sarcophagus with nothing else but hieroglyphs on the surrounding walls. They must have felt really guilty in letting such a young Pharoah die that they blessed him with tons of gold!
I will finish up here as I can't remember what else we've seen while on the roads, but i can tell you that we saw LOADS of things, like graveyards that are much more beautiful than the actual living places of the people, the most ancient of universities the Azhar University, and mosques whose minarets climbs up to the skies.

2008-12-03T12:58:00.000+04:00

huhuhu...in Egypt today;D too bad though...no mummies as of yet!
Egypt is really different from Dubai or Malaysia but I am only basing this on Luxor, where i am now, and not the whole of Egypt. The people here would do ANYTHING it takes to get money! In Dubai, people have to chase taxis to get a 30 minute ride. Here, taxis chase you for whatever lenght you want! Thing is : it costs like 100 Dirhams PER RIDE!!! Warning: Profesional con-men at work.
This place has a very interesting history and great sites to visit such as the Valley Of Kings, where the mummies were found; the Carnac Temple, where the Pharoahs lived; then theres Banana Island, NOT the best place in the world, but it shows us how different the lives of the people here are compared to ours.
The food here is...interesting. The McDonalds have a restaurant here-really small- but the food there is DOUBLE everything! Double BigMac, Double Filet o Fish, but they don't sell 20 pieces McNuggets. A major Bummer for me! The price? Double everything as well! The Apple pie costs 7.27 Egyptian Pound, so that's like 5-6 dirhams!
The McDonalds might be bad, but the food in the hotel is AMAAAZZZIIINNNGGG!!!!! Cheap price for double the size of an Uno's Steak! The mashed potato in the morning is enough to wake you up and get you going for the rest of the day! Oh, the hotel's name is Emilio Hotel btw.
But even if the food is amazing, the number one downside through all of this is (and I'm pretty sure most GUYS would agree on this) THERE ARE NO FOOTBALLS!!! They don't seem to play it much here. Most of the kids are busy conning people for money: their training for life. There was this girl who wouldn't leave us alone, even when we got into a sort-of mini train and rode off untill we gave her our only water bottle! The water costs 15 Egyptian Pounds! And it doesn't even taste too good; in Dubai, the Avian is 100% pure drinking water, here the water bottle says: Pure 100% NATURAL water...god knows where they get the water from...
Okay, my hour on the computer is almost up, so I'll just say: I MISS ALL OF MY FRIENDS!!! Although seeing the mummies soon will cure that :P

Dance With The Egyptians

2008-12-01T12:33:00.000+04:00

Today's I'm flying to Egypt! I'm hoping its gonna be hell loads of fun! I mean there's pyramids, threes dead Pharaohs and hopefully some not so dead mummys! =D I guess I'm just hoping for an adventure.

The trip will last 10 days. That's long enough for me to take on an enraged mummy and slay him! *evil laugh*. That's also a very long time for me to hang out with my family, something that really doesn't happen much often.

Now, i know it wont be all fun and mummy killing, there are real dangers there too; my friends from Egypt says that even if i walk around with only one Egyptian dollar on me, I WILL get mugged! That's why I'm taking one UAE dirham instead:D

Everything has a downside. The downside of this is that i wont be able to see my friends for 10 days. There's one friends who I will really miss, since shes not going to be in Dubai when I come back. The next time I'll see her is in 6 freaking months time! Aida, IMY!

Ill update as soon as I can. Laters!

Starting Off

2008-11-28T18:28:00.000+04:00

To start off i should probably introduce myself ryt? I am Faidhi (FyD) Fudzail. i am likely to be the laziest person most of you will ever meet or so people say. It was such a big step for me to even consider writing this blog! I'm Malaysian and proud! There ain't nothing better than being a lazy Malay!

I am living in Dubai, UAE which is quite the adventure; the people here are completely WEIRD! The locals get anything they want just by asking for it; the tourists act as if nothing they see here is new; the students dont study anything and all of my friends are seriously whack! Everything here is so high class that even getting into a movie cost more than 30 bucks, not counting the drinks and snacks! yeah, i miss Malaysia.

But I cant say that i would rather stay in Malaysia either. I love it here. There is always something going on and all of my friends are here! The only thing is that all of my family is all the way in Malaysia.

Im a year 10 student currently studying in Sheffield Private School, where I have been studying for 3-4 years now. I am the Topaz House Captain and the younger brother of the HeadBoy which can become quite the pain in the ***.

I belong to a dissapearing group called the Bodoness which is dissapearing because everyone is moving away...Najwa moved to saudi, Aida moved to Malaysia and so might Anum. I am going to graduate from high school soon and i will be moving away as well so its really sad now. BUT! That's all the more reason for the remaining time we have together should be soo much fun right?!

As you might have noticed, I have a problem shutting up and ending anything, that's why i have never started anything in the 1st place! That's why everyone seems to find me annoyingly lazy. But when it comes to doing fun stuff(yeah i know; it sounds wrong) i am always hyper for it! Theres a music competition coming up and im part of it so wish me luck! I will definately need it!

Woah that was long wasnt it? well its all over now and ill be updating the blog weekly or monthly or maybe yearly depending on my mood! okayh, see ya all hopefully soon!