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Saat Yang Genting

So I got home on Sunday from Kemaman, just in time to join my parents for dinner at Pak Li Kopitiam some time later. My parents insisted that he joined us too. So we had quite a conversation over dinner, but honestly, I was already thinking about the trip to Genting the following day.

The following morning, we took a bus from Hentian Putra to have fun at the peak. Wait, before I met Aidid, Afif, Acap and Zul at KL Sentral, I had an awkward moment with this South African guy. He came to me and told me his story, which I refused to share it here. Long story short, I wasn't sure whether I was mugged that morning, but in the end I did give him RM 3 to help his cause. Whatever his intentions were, I was glad nothing happened. And come to think of it, I certainly enjoyed the conversation. 2010 World Cup tickets anyone?

Overall, the trip to Genting was an awesome one. We went in at around noon and went back to the apartment at around 4am, after watching Terminator Salvation at the cinema. So you could only imagine how exasperated we were, but it was definitely worth the fun and experience. Aidid, Afif and I went back earlier the next morning because we had to prepare for the next event - the college prom. But more on that later.

Upon arrival.

Our room.

The spinner.

I think the girl on the right is Indonesian.

Pirates. Extremely underrated.

Go kart yang super slow.

Spaceshot. The best ride in the park. Definitely worth the wait.

Corkscrew. Well, the weather that afternoon totally screwed our chance to have a ride.

So toboggan pun toboggan la.

Dinasourland.

Bumper car.

Toured around Venice in a gondola.

Had supper at one of the restaurants to kill some time before watching Terminator Salvation at 1.15am. Yes, the food over there was pricey.

And then we went back to the apartment, cold, tired and sleepy.

Zul had written a detailed account of our trip to Genting in his blog. So you may want to head over there to read his entry.

6 Naqib Reunited

So yeah, last two weeks I went back to Kemaman to meet my ex-classmates, some I had not met for quite a number of years now. We (I mean, they) had planned a mini party by the beach for the reunion. At first, I didn't want to go due to several concerns (the awkwardness the situation might bring about and transportation, among other stuff), but Zharif insisted. He even picked me up from the college. So hooray. I even spent the weekend at his place, jalan-jalan around Kemaman.

Despite the lack of number of attendees, the reunion turned out good actually, in contrast to my earlier prediction that this was going to be lame and boring. After not keeping in touch for so long, I guess this was a great opportunity to get updated with their whereabouts and going-ons. Oh how things have changed. Alisa is going to Portsmouth this September while Syasya to Queen's Belfast. One of us even brought her baby daughter along. Yes, she's already married. Some things, on the other hand, do remain the same. Like Anwar, for instance. His antics are still well-preserved.

Haziq Muzir. Now studying in UTM.

Anwar Hakim. Uniten.

Liyana Nabilah. Almost everyone in her family is a doctor. She will be joining them too.

Awie. The organiser.

Syahidah.

Aeti Amira. She was there for a while, then she had to leave.

Jaja, or Wan Nur Nadzatul Aizat. I even remembered her full name:P

Alisa Hanis. She hasn't changed much, I guess.

Ain Amelia.

Zharif. Thanks for for the hospitality bro. Good luck in Wichita.

Amira Anuddin.

Erra Aziera.

Aina Nisha. Penolong ketua kelas. Also co-organiser.

The girls.

Almost half of the class.

Thank you so much Aina, Awie and the rest who made all the efforts to make this reunion possible. To those who couldn't make it, you guys better be around next time.

I'm Back. I Guess.

Last two Fridays, on the 12th of June 2009, I had three reasons to be happy. Firstly, I finished all my A-Level papers. Yeah baby. However, I would like to reserve my comment on the examination because it may spoil the fun and the good time I'm having now. I knew one thing for sure though - I was glad that they finally came to an end.

The second reason was the arrival of the much anticipated Yearbook a couple of days back. Honestly, I can tell you a lot of stories behind the scenes regarding the making of the Yearbook, but never mind. They're not really pretty anyway. Here, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your compliments. I, on behalf of the design team, really appreciate the positive comments and feedback. It, undoubtedly, could've been more awesome without the slight technical errors here and there. And for that reason, we would like to apologise to the people affected. Missing chalet pictures, wrong contact details and pictures, missing articles, and possible misspelt names. We're terribly sorry for the errors omitted.

The third reason was the neverending chain of interesting and fun activities I have been having since that day until now. The chronology so far:

6 Naqib class of 2001 reunion party in Kemaman on the 13th of June.
The trip to Genting with the gang on the 15th of June.
My dateless college prom the next day.
Garnet House farewell party on the 17th of June.
KYUEM Inter house Football - the final match between Garnet and Topaz on the 18th.
Our friendly rugby match between the juniors and the departing seniors the following day.
The end of semester dinner held at the dining hall the same evening.
The Awards Day, and a series of slightly unfortunate events which took place after that.
A supposed orchestra performance which turned into watching Night at the Museum 2 with my bestie last Sunday.

Things I'm looking forward to later this week and the following weeks:

The roadtrip to Redang with Ihsan, Faridq, Afi, Tiger and Safu tomorrow! Can't wait:)
Biro Tata Negara. Hm, I'm not sure if this fits in the list, but whatever.
The trip to Langkawi with the KYS homies! Another island, another round of good times.
Muslim Overseas Camp.
And finally, the A Level results.

I should really start disciplining myself to update this blog more often.

Bola Sepak

Garnet won 3-0 against Sapphire last week.
Next week, we're taking on Diamond.

Ooh we're on fire!

7th of May 2009

Happy birthday, Nabila Majid!
Bestie yang super awesome:)

"Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear...
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend."

-Martial-

Have a good one yeah:)

Yearbook Oh Yearbook

My fellow comrades - Vellu, Afif and Jo.

Despite whatever mess we've gotten ourselves into,
we will get the job done.

We will kick ass. Our yearbook will be awesome
(design-wise, at least).

Kan?

Erk. Tapi banyak lagi dowh tak siap. Haih.

The treasurer.

While waiting for Miss Aida and the others to arrrive.

Miss Aida, the advisor.

A thrilled Aizat.

Aainaa, before the blonde jokes.

Teriyaki chicken yo.

Making our way out.

Shahir looked silly here.

It was pretty much a guilty pleasure for some of us, knowing that we had a good time dining out at the expense of some unfortunate juniors. But honestly, it was worth it:P

The Less I Speak

I was not in the mood last Friday morning during Math class, partly due to what we did the night before. Zaim, Meri, Tiger and I got bored, so we decided to compose our own acoustic songs. The acoustic session was all spontaneous, with the awesome playlist of songs ranging from "A Song For Aimi" (which is Tiger's favourite), "Roggy and Jalani" and not forgetting "The Ex-Girlfriend" by Zaim, dedicated especially to his, ahem, ex-girlfriend. Then when we concluded, it was already 2.30am. And I had not done anything productive at all that night.

Back to math class. Both Tiger and Zaim didn't come to class that morning, but I somehow managed to make it in time. But I was so deprived of my sleep that it spoilt my mood. While Mr Mahadzir was explaining the solutions to the class, I stayed quiet, eyes on the white board, my mind wandering off to God knows where. Even Abu's jokes and occasional funny gestures seemed lame that moment. There was very little interaction between me and the rest of the class. However, it felt good, this splendid isolation. For once I listened more than I talked.

Then it got people worried. Or so I presumed.

"Is he okay?"

Later that afternoon, me and my bestie had a conversation about relationships. Sure, what a topic to talk about over a 5 minute break from Econs revision at the RC. It actually dragged on a little, but in the end she did make me realise something which I failed to notice all this while.

I always thought that silence is easy. No things that may be said accidentally that should be apologized for, no stupid explanations. Just silence. And time that will eventually heal all wounds. Because the more I speak, the more vulnerable I get. But little did I know that while it may have prevented me from saying all the wrong things, it actually puts me in a situation where I'm often misunderstood. Well, based on my life experiences, she's probably right. Silence is not always that easy.

Maybe I shouldn't be standing on a silent platfrom that often.

This Beautiful Imbroglio I'm Caught In

Time flies, seasons change. From the point in time where I last checked this blog until now, many things, significant and insignificant, had happened. Kiko Macheda, the unknown reserve team regular, suddenly became the talk of the town after scoring two crucial goals for Man United (unfortunately during the FA Cup, "third time's the charm" didn't really happen). Obama is still busy doing his thing, fixing the limping US economy and reaching out to the Muslim world, among other stuffs. Meanwhile, somewhere closer to home, Najib became the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, amidst the unsettled dispute in Perak and the heavy cloud of controversies engulfing him.

While all these took place, I was busy being myself.

Garnet House went to Pangkor last week. It was an awesome trip, I should say, despite the heavy price I had to pay for a fun weekend at the beach - I got sunburnt. With this overtanned complexion I am currently donning, Juek feels that I've lost my charms. Unperturbed by her comment, I suggested her to just embrace the Hawaiian spirit in me.

Damn. Now I miss my fairer side. Nevertheless, there's something about the beach that makes it so welcoming though, don't you agree? Faridq, Safu and I had a discussion about our post A Level trip to Redang already. And the exam has not even started yet.

While everyone else in the chalet was busy studying (or in Afif's case, tucking in bed earlier than normal), I picked up a new hobby which I'm getting attached to - Isa's semi acoustic guitar. To prove my seriousness in this business, I hired Zaim as my guitar tutor. Well, not really. But since he's a regular visitor to my chalet, I might as well ask him to shed some light on Backstreet Boys' As Long As You Love Me and Aizat's Hanya Kau Yang Mampu, among other great songs for rookies like me. I even bought a capo. Now the only thing missing is my own guitar.

By the way, have you heard Afif's rendition of Better Man? It's better than original, man:P
"Send someone to love me, I need an astronaut..." Haha.

I may be ignorant at times, but as I walked around the college the other day, I kinda noticed something. Is this the season for love? Because almost everyone now seems to walk and study in pairs. Now that the exam is drawing near, I remembered one of the usrah sessions I attended a couple of weeks ago (believe it or not, I do attend usrahs every once in a while), in which the ustaz raised the question, "Cinta atau Cita-cita?"

Well, if you ask me, I want both.

Some time last week, the seniors were presented with a list of new pet brothers and sisters (the 11.5 studens) to be welcomed into the existing pet families. Fatimah and I now officially welcome Amalina into the family. Clap clap. Haha, macam la happening sangat.

Amalina.

P/S: Sorry Abang Z, it's your loss:P

And the seniors' external dinner (which now has an official name - the KYUEM Prom), will be held some time after the A Level exam finishes. My heart says let's party, but based on the survey I conducted on 50 samples, I may have to reconsider my decision. The simple reason being - when the people you wish to spend the fun time with that night had decided not to go, I don't think it'll be that fun anymore. But we'll see.

I bought a new external hard drive at the PC Fair recently. The 320GB mother lode of entertainment has now become my source of joy during my free blocks.

Or productivity killer, depending on how you look at it.

I find it interesting when people, boys especially, take the extra time and effort to make their rooms feel more...inviting. I mean, you can actually know the person from the way he/she keeps his/her room. This one day, I got really bored. So I decided to raid random chalets and conduct a spot check, you know, like the old boarding school days. Well in the end I did make some interesting discoveries from some people who decorated their rooms with pictures and stuffs. Inspired, I decided to do the same.

A sneak preview of how it looks like.

There's a little quote I posted by the bed. It says, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end." I don't know who said it, but it makes me smile every time I read it. And there are a few more I posted randomly all over the room.

By the way, I've uploaded the pictures I took in Pangkor at Facebook. You can view them here.

Rizal

Rizal died that morning in his private room at the hospital. His parents, who were there since the first day he was warded, were awakened by the constant beep of the vital signs monitor. His heart was no longer beating.

That morning, Rizal, my 12 year old cousin, died of leukemia. Poor boy, he still got so much to live for. Al-Fatihah to him.

Dikir Barat

Garnet dikir barat performance that night was one of my proudest moments ever as a Garnetor. Like seriously. Haha lambat gile nk comment. Actually, I wanted to reserve my comments on our performers until I finally get the chance to really get this blog updated. However, now that the chance is here, there go my ideas - out through the windows. Most probably they're fed up with me leaving them in abandonment for so long. Honestly, I hated the fact that we did not get the results that we deserved. It is fathomable that we did not get the first prize, but not getting any prizes at all? Now that's debatable. However, we (I mean, you lot) did talk about this at the LT1 right after the competition ended, and honestly, I was so happy that the juniors took it positively. It's just a minor setback really, come to think of it. We all know now that we're heading towards the right direction. Just stay on track.

I can't help but anticipate what this bunch of enthusiastic people are gonna achieve next, because deep down I know that we're leaving the house in good hands:) Go Garnet go!

What Does One Trillion Dollars Look Like?

This is a random post I found on the net.

All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...

A billion dollars...

A hundred billion dollars...

Eight hundred billion dollars...

One TRILLION dollars...

What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so I thought I'd take Google Sketchup out for a test drive and try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.

We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slighty fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet...

And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere...

Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing about so much. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.

You ready for this?

It's pretty surprising.

Go ahead...

Scroll down...

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars...

(And notice those pallets are double stacked.)

So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase "trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about.

Watch This Space

Saat Yang Genting

6 Naqib Reunited

I'm Back. I Guess.

Bola Sepak

7th of May 2009

Yearbook Oh Yearbook

What Wilfred Peterson Said...

Today

Saisaki: A Guilty Pleasure?

The Less I Speak

This Beautiful Imbroglio I'm Caught In

Rizal

Dikir Barat

What Does One Trillion Dollars Look Like?

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