Backtracked...

After years of leaving the school, I found myself once again reminiscing on the days past.I left the school with fond memories forever etched in my limited memory space and needless to say, bad memories reek forever in the same place. (Fact: 70% of the small, anti-upgrade memory space of mine are occupied by these saccharine sweet recollections).  Fret not as this recollection is self- indulgent and I’m more keen to share all the mischievous deeds I did then, serious some of them were and some were more of adolescent imprudence. These are a few facts that make me smile even today thinking how lucky I was not to be expelled from the school (haha.Wishful thinking!):

#1: The fact that I goofed up on the stage when giving a speech at the assembly and unintentionally mixed up the father’s name of the Principal with the name of the school Senior Administrator. Funnily enough, I pretended to be oblivious to this and went on with my speech without offering an apology to them. Till this day, I have yet clarified myself to them.

#2: The fact that I spent less than 10 hours throughout the year in my class during Prep hours. I have this inclination to spend time at other classes and never like the place allocated for me. I spent the first 10 minutes in the class before squirming restlessly in my seat and stealing glances at the watch waiting for the time to leave the class. Since I was a nomad and spent most of my time outside of the class, I hardly got along with my classmates.

#3: The fact that I brought my mobile phone to school and the wardens passed by my locker during weekly inspection and spot checks as if it didn’t contain anything illegal. The said item was safely stashed in a biscuit tin and even the warden notorious of busting people out, Ustaz Khai didn’t do as much as to ask about the content of the tin. One of the seniors in my dorm had his locker ransacked by the same warden in which the ‘hot’ item was later found.   

#4: The fact that I abused the privilege of using the magazine room to study and lepak-ing. This was my true escapade and the only place that I could meet friends from other classes. The place that I spent more than 80% of my school life. The place used to skip assemblies and classes. The place that certain camaraderie was sworn not to be broken by trials and tribulations (which I begin to doubt now...Anyways!). The place to gossip, to debate and to use the damn realplayer and Winamp. The place to catch a nap and everything in between during Prep hours. I often consider this as my biggest crime for the rules clearly stated that students should not use any special room other than to do work related to the sanctioning of the room in the first place. And no assembly skipping. And to be at places other than classrooms during Prep is a serious offence.Aah, how I miss the room!

#5: The fact that I told a blatant lie to dear Mr Shafrin, our GPK HEM. Some trend developed after the final exam, which was to skip school. It happened when we were allowed to go home on that weekend to celebrate the coming of Ramadhan and I returned to school three days late. Surprisingly enough, it was not only I who did the same thing. About 100 students returned to school later than we were asked to and the teachers were enraged. Since the students had the audacity to break the rules on an unprecedented scale, the school was more than glad to punish those who had no proper reasons to justify their late return. I was cunning enough to produce an MC letter, a side story on how I got this dire stomach ailment and I got by without any action taken on me.

#6: The fact that I went out almost everyday without permission from the authority. My partners-in-crime were none other than Akmal and Zul and occasionally, Kelly and Nizam. The master of this all was none other than the formidable and forever sweet Puan Rohaiza. It was just a matter of starting the car engine (Kompressor) and we were all over the place (KLCC, Jusco Maluri, Leisure Mall among others). When everyone else was cooped up in the heat soaked classroom, we were busy feasting ourselves with some great gastronomic deals. If eating out was not favoured at that time, we would order Pizza Hut and McDonald’s via phone and ate lunch in her room. OMG, I just love these moments!

#7. The fact that I violated the strict rule of outing. One incident was when Pn. Wan held some jamuan at her house (I suspect it was for my friends and I). Since we were notorious in lepak-ing, we easily surpassed the time limit. Worried not we were as Pn. Wan called the warden to inform that we’d be late. Strangely enough, the warden didn't seem to care. On another occasion, Zul and I went out with her even though it was not an outing weekend. Or went to Jusco with Cikgu Rose when everyone else was hvg this seminar.

#8: The fact that my friends and I went to town without the presence of a teacher during school hours. What if we got caught? Expulsion seemed inevitable. And I thank God even till now that even though we bumped into our moody counselor on the LRT, he din seem to notice us. What luck! If he spotted us, we would be sent straight to hell.

#9: The fact that I skipped classes just because the temptation of instant Nescafe provided at certain room was too overwhelming to pass. I skipped the entire PE classes and occasionally when me, Akmal and Zul got carried away, we even missed Sejarah, Pendidikan Islam and Fizik classes. I was a no-show in the class if there were no class at that time and the room had become my secluded hideaway. No, I’m not mentioning the magazine room.

#10: The fact that I had my mp3 on during exam. One of the invigilating teachers spotted me with the thing on but the sly me managed to tuck the earphones away from his view into my shirt. Believe me, it was bloody hard to pull the earphones into my shirt that I had to unbutton my shirt first.

Phew, what a reminiscence! When I come to think of it again, I just realize how wrong my actions were. So many rules were broken, so many hearts were hurt, so much damage had been done. Please forgive me. God, help me redeem myself.

P.S: I miss the school time when life was much simpler and the expectations were much less...

Photo Tag?Me?R u kidding?

It's occuring again; my desertion of the blog. This past week has been one of the busiest with a report to submit, a diabolical ePortfolio to complete and more-than-technical PBL sessions. Oh well, they're just mere excuses on why I haven't updated for so long. In all honesty, it stems from my insufferable apathy. 

I'd love to call the picture Malaysia. Unity is achievable if we value tolerance and respect for others. 

Go to your photos folder in your computer. 

Go to the 6th folder of photos. 

Go to the 6th picture in that folder.

Put the picture on your blog and description of it. 

Invite six friends to join the challenge. 

Link them in your blog and let them know they have been challenged.

I tag Afiq, Fiqry, Anwar, Hajar, Kelly, and Aliaaaa (based on the virtue that you heart this kind of tag so much).

Breathe (2 A.M.)

Here's another tag to commemorate my 100th post. A little recap. Went down to Newcastle to see West Side Story. I was virgin to the story so I didn't really know what to expect of it. All I knew about it was that the film version won 10 Oscars. So, it had to be really good. It turned out just OK. Maybe there's something wrong with the production. Maybe the tier that we were seated at was too high that our view of the stage was impeded at times (I couldn't see the actors but I could hear their voices in one scene.) Yet to see the movie. Hope that I can catch it next month when Film Society screens it. The hospitality conferred to us was just splendid! I've renewed my love towards NYC thanks to my incessant playing of GTA 4 and the musical. And Shahrin's fancy latte is to die for. Period.

RULES:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

4. Tag as many friends.

5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.

6. Have Fun!

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?

-> Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

-> Cinderella Under The Umbrella  - Rihanna feat. ex-bf (?) Chris Brown (really?!ROTFL!)

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GIRL?

-> U + Ur Hand - P!nk 

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

-> I Stay In Love  - Mariah Carey (hurmm...)

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

-> Love Lockdown - Kanye West

6. WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?

-> What About Now  - Daughtry (what about it?)

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

-> All the Things She Said  - t.A.t.U. (this is effing hilarious!)

8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

-> Never Had A Dream Come True - S Club 7 (I feel loved...)

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

-> Don't Waste Your Time - Kelly Clarkson (yet I'm doing it at the very moment...)

10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?

->  Menanti Pasti - Siti Nurhaliza (as long as it's not 80)

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

->  Cahaya Seribu Liku - Siti, again.  

12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

->  Thank You Allah - Raihan 

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

->  Dare You To Move - Switchfoot

14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

->  Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love - Coldplay (really?!I don't even like the country save for PS3 and sushi)

15. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

->  Sembah Sujudku - Ungu (this is remotely a dance number!)

16. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

->  You Could Be Happy - Snow Patrol (What is this??Does that mean that I'm not gonna lead a happy life before my demise?) 

17 WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST??

-> You Found Me - Kelly Clarkson (Hide and seek anyone?)

18. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

->  La Isla Bonita - Madonna (never thought that I dread the idea of an escapade on a pristine island...)

19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

->  Vindicated - Dashboard Confessional

20. WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?

->  When You Tell Me - Diana Ross (underscores my indecisiveness effectively)

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

->  Heard 'Em Say - Kanye West feat. Adam Levine

22. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

->  Breathe (2AM) - Anna Nalick

Quirks and Qualms

Consider this as cheating coz it's meant to be done on Facebook. Rather than deserting the blog with an utter lack of posted material, I'm doing it here. Besides, I love tags!

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you're supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 (!) people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I stalled for a few minutes thinking of what I should write about as the numero uno point. The diagnosis is I'm helplessly indecisive...

2. ...and an immense writer's block that I seem to be having every time I want to write about something. Somehow, the statement is a bit of an oxymoron.

3. I'm a medic who fails to fall in love with Strand 2. Strand 1 stuff ain't much better either...

4. I'll always feel great relief after doing laundry. It feels like something gargantuan has decided to leave its space, creating a huge void to be filled in. With what, I dunno.

5. I heart chips of the salt and vinegar variant. Yeah, it's a flavour that you can't get back home although I must not discount the possibility of it being made available now. If not, I don't know where and how I can get my supply of it for the four months of summer break.

6. I like travelling a lot. The irony is, I haven't properly canvassed the areas and attractions in my current whereabouts. 

7. I used to collect stamps. I'd make a beeline at a local post office to get special stamps (usually in commemoration of some events) and spent close to RM10 on each occasion. I even dragged my parents to the Stamp Week in KL a little while ago. The hobby sort of died out after my stamp collection got 'drowned' in a flash flood...

8. I liked to draw too. My staple subjects were buildings and scenes at a bus station...

9. ... which is why I used to aspire to become an architect. Other previous ambitions were to become an ustaz, a teacher, and an astronomer.

10. And I used to like express buses so much. A trip to KL was something I really treasured and I often begged to sit by the window so that I could see as many buses as I wish. I even jotted down their names despite the obvious redundancy. Then, once I was home, I'd draw them. 

11. My current indulgence is writing. But as mentioned before, the writing block is almost insurmountable. Hence my inability to continue writing my sequel.

12. My other worldly sin is shopping. I consider my style as drab. Coz I've never been too bothered about it. I chase the brands not the style. Hence my shabbiness.

13. My PBL mates love my shoes collection! I don't know whether they're really honest about it though... 

14. I flinch at the notion of watching certain movies. Some of them are obviously B-grade while others are just pretentious. I dislike most rom-coms too for their abject shallowness. Grading a movie is a very subjective field so I don't blame other people to watch them. And contrary to popular belief, I don't ONLY watch movies that are awards-approved. 

15. I like to travel in a city transit system. Which explains why I can be so adept in finding a station to get to a specific location. I like it too when it passes through an urban wasteland.

16. I hate reading journals. I'll normally skip to the discussion part without bothering the method and results of the study. I'll be most grateful if the paper includes an abstract. Makes life a hell lot easier.

17. I listen to mainstream music most of the time. But there's a nascent interest in indie movement which explains why I'm starting to listen to TV on the Radio, Kings of Leon, Yuna (go Malaysia!) and the likes. I still prefer radio friendly tunes though. I particularly love Norah, Sheryl, Alanis, and Kelly. And Siti despite her attempt to relegate herself to an unlovable position.

18. It's just 18?Gah! Oh, I didn't get my driving license at 18. I waited for two years before going to driving classes. Didn't particularly enjoy it though. Condescending instructors, early classes, and ridiculous lessons (who the hell uses the parking method taught at the school??). I have now forgotten how to drive after a few months of not getting behind the wheels.  

19. I find it extremely difficult to please myself. Which is why I wasn't too happy with the experience early this week.

20. I also suffer from a chronic self esteem problem. Everyone around me is always good at something they're doing but I'll never find a niche that I can proudly claim that it belongs to me. Ever.

21. I am so attached to my previous alma mater. It's indescribable but love is blind after all.

22. I'm a serious procrastinator. I've got a journal to read, an email to reply, and additional reading to be done but I'm not doing any of it yet. There goes another weekend...

23. I'll always check my email first thing when I wake up. 

24. I'm beginning to warm to Pidah's idea of friendship. I hate it but I can't help but to embrace it. 

25. There's nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than doing this tag. LOL!

Now comes the tricky part. I'm supposed to tag 25 people but my blog roll isn't that arrayed. So, I'm gonna cheat yet again. I'm tagging:

Afiq, Farah, Warwern, Jal, Wan, Fiqry, Lyla, Yatyat, Pidah, Anwar, Hajar, Ede, Jo Tan, Fizarani, Aliaa (good luck in writing on Tumblr), Faiz Ezwan Shah, Ateqs, Naqiu, and Oggy. And you and you too. 

There's always a black cloud out there...

February is just a few days old and I'm already at my wit's end. Granted, there's plenty of stuff to look forward to; West Side Story the musical in a week time and an excursion to London at the end of the month. But this proverbial month of love is already marred by some unwanted events. To make life easy for me, I'll make a list of things which have happened (or will happen?) that are not quite to my liking.

1) At the head of the month, I found out that I've fallen short of my expectations. Indeed I've grown to become an excessively ambitious moron over the period of one month or so. Suffice to say that it hurt really badly when I didn't quite make it...

2) I've been binging on piles of snacks (Walkers S&V, Sainsbury's Chocolate Cornflakes, Mars and Snickers, and Ben and Jerry's to name a few) and downing copious amount of 'unhealthy drinks' over these past couple of weeks that the deed now borders on becoming a sin. What makes it more frustrating is my indolence in partaking in physical activities. That can only mean that my gym membership utilisation is nowhere near its optimum level.

3) The meticulously planned Easter getaway is on the brink of falling through completely. Participation is the main issue here. We've been scrambling to find people who are interested to join us in a traipse across Europe. To entice people, an itinerary has been conceived replete with transportation and accommodation details. Rather unfortunately, this has been bypassed by them leaving only the two of us still eager to go through the journey in its entirety.  

4) I'm hoping that they'll bank in my stipend at the end of this month. The cash reserve has now almost reached its zenith. 

5) Preferential treatment has never been this conspicuous...

6) I'm overwhelmed by the workload. Tuesdays have degraded to become the most dreaded day-of -the-week and the Reason #1 cements the status of Strand 2 as being unlovable. And it baffles me how easily some people can read the ECG...

I need to take a breather. Maybe I won't be too poppyish in the coming few days so I sincerely apologise if my moroseness afflicts the people around me. 

I Hope You Hang Yourself With Your H&M Scarf

Truth be told, I've never been officially tagged by anyone to do this. But as always, today is Sunday and I haven't blogged for quite some time hence my intention to do this tag. In addition, it helps in inhibiting the jittery of getting the results tomorrow (oh well,it's still very much tentative). 

Rules

1. Put your music player on shuffle.

2. Write the first line of the first 20 songs....
3. ...and post the poem that results from your 'creativity'.
4. The first line of the 21st song is the title of your poem. 
5. To add the 'umpph' factor, get your friends to guess the title of the song of each line...and who is the artist.
6. Lastly...enjoy this madness!

I HOPE YOU HANG YOURSELF WITH YOUR H&M SCARF

One of these days, I wanna wake up

You're beautiful that's for sure

I want you to know

Well sometimes I go out by myself

Hatiku merayu rindu

To know know know him is to love love love him

So much I love you

Took my hand

Telah ku mungkiri janjiku lagi

I always need a time of my own

There she goes

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives

Dearest constellation

I've been roaming around

Lay a whisper on my pillow

This ain't the song for the broken hearted

And I heard 'em say

They told him don't you ever come around here

Do you feel ever like breaking down?

Seems like it was yesterday when I saw you face

I had so much fun doing this even though it's a blatant juvenile stuff! The first song on shuffle was a chamber orchestra number leaving me uncertain as to what to put down as its first line. The second song started with the singer humming for a good 15 seconds before singing the first line. There's a couple of Malay songs chucked in too. The end result? I must say it's a rather neat poem despite its eclectic arrangements.