Au revoir, Anis Sofia!

Dear Anis Sofia,

You're probably still on your plane while I'm writing this but I'm gonna jot down whatever I can now. So it happens you're one of the first among us who are leaving and going on your own way. Even if it's just for 6 months, it's still something. And it's all the way in Paris. That's even more of something.

And after 5 years of friendship, Anis, I couldn't say I wouldn't miss you. Oh yes, I would miss you terribly. Remember those funny moments we had when we were a tad younger say 13 or 14? When you *ahem* at the back of the bus, when we crashed at Hanna's house regularly before school and laughed like maniacs at your silly jokes. Ohh remember when we were crying at Hanna's dining table with Nunu and Alia because....okay I can't remember the reason but we did cry like babies.

I knew love existed but I never knew 'crazy love' existed until I saw you and Zharif. How you talked fondly of him non-stop even though he's like 100000 miles away from you, how you imagined your marriage to him although baru habis SPM, how you always included him in everything you did even if he wasn't physically there and the way you guys managed to talk on Skype for like 5 straight hours at 3am and not get bored, that just blew me away. It's crazy but it's probably real love for the both of you. Aaawww!

Admittedly, we're not as close now as we were when we first knew each other. Probably because of our tight schedules, SPM and everything else in between. But the thing I felt about us was that, everytime we got together again after a long hiatus, the bond was always felt and we would get back to our regular selves as if we were never apart. That's one thing I loved about us.

So Anis, take good care of yourself when you're in Paris. Mu jangan galok sangat kat sana weyh. Learn the French language and the culture but don't turn yourself into one. You're awesome as you are.

I'll see you in Italy in April and we'll go skiing with Zharif ok? Hehe *inside joke* ;)

Au revoir!

Sincerely,
Zaffy

This was when we were 14, maybe? Zaman muda-muda. Haha.

The guy that spins her world round and round, Zharif

One of the last few days of school

Nanisia + Zaffy

Post-prom. Rasta!

Our last dinner before you were leaving

In heels and pumps

MERCYful Day

I mentioned on a previous post that I planned to be a volunteer with an NGO, preferably MERCY Malaysia. And so, I made my way to MERCY's headquarters today in KL with Nunu and we started the day as nervous volunteers who were as blank as the paper, not knowing what to expect.

As newbies, there wasn't much for us to do so our task for the day was to help the Finance Department calculate the donation money they received from the public. And the money came from all over the world; US, Thailand, China, Peru, Australia, Ecuador, you name it, they had it. So, we had to separate the money according to currencies and calculate the total value before passing them to the big boss of the department.

Mind you, it wasn't such a simple task. The coins in particular were very confusing. Some looked very alike, others had very small numbers on them that it was hard to see the value of the coins. I found some of the notes to be no better than used baby wipes. Let's not talk about the smell. My hands felt literally itchy after handling those notes. Had to use hand sanitizer to clean my hands.

But I would say it was a rather interesting experience. Nunu and I felt like grown ups today. Walking along the busy streets of KL all on our own, sitting in an office full of adults, getting our lunch while surrounded with men and women in their working attires, took our own LRT home.

We caught a glimpse of the adult world and well, though it can be exciting, what with having to live your own life and all, I know it's not all sugar and spice. When we were sitting in the restaurant, I could hear snippets of their conversations, on how they wanted to stimulate the market growth, or how this chemical engineer was trying to convince this other man to get into a business deal with him.

And there was me and Nunu too, sitting and grumbling on how smelly the Indian Rupee money was. Oh yes, we were just a small, small fish in a big, big pond.

But I'm looking forward to explore what's inside the big, big pond soon.

Photos from today. Grabbed from Nunu.

Blowing bubbles away before we started our work

Welcome to MERCY Malaysia

The smelly Rupee notes. Oh yes. The lady warned me to wash my hands after handling those notes.

Nunu got excited looking at those money. Mata duitan tu. Haha.

And I'm 10 Hong Kong Dollars richer ;)

We stopped by Central Market after work. I couldn't help taking photos like a tourist.

We even tried the fish foot spa. Damn, it was so ticklish and we were laughing like maniacs. Of course, that also came with perplexed stares from the Mat Salleh tourists.

What Happens In Vegas

We all had a night in Vegas last night.

Well okay, not exactly. DJ had its Senior Prom at Ritz Carlton, KL and the theme was 'A Night In Vegas'. Though truth be told, there wasn't anything Vegas-y 'bout the night.

Overall, prom wasn't all that bad. I mean, it wasn't the best one but it wasn't a total failure either. I think it doesn't matter where the prom is, what do you wear and all that jazz as long as you are in company of great friends and some cool music.

So, I guess this is just it. SPM's over. So is prom. That was probably our last time meeting up with most of the peeps from school before we venture into our own roads. It's hard not to find all this a little bittersweet.

But we did end the night and the journey in style and with such glitz. Some photos from the night.

Plenty more on Facebook, of course.

Kaki Dilemma performing

All dressed up for the night

The guys working it out on the dance floor

Ladies in black, Anis and Hanna with the purple one, me

With Mimi, Nunu and the boyfie, Harith Hisyam

Our Prom Queen! With her ever so sweet boyfie, Harith Hazran

My prom date for the night, Syamir. Thanks for the corsage! :)

With Jo-Yi and Ying Yan. Pretty pretty girls

Oooh! I love Hanna's Guess clutch. Suits my purple dress. Bisa tu. Haha =p

With Rauf and Rohaizi. Most of the guys looked really handsome and neat in their suits.

Saiful. Nice suit there!

Shiqin! I'm gonna miss our gossip sessions and inside jokes

The Other Me

People have asked me what is my private blog all about and can they get invited to read it. And to those who haven't noticed, on the left side of this blog, under the 'Links' section, notice the blog name 'The Other Me'? Well, that's the place where I rant, curse, laugh, cry and ponder, away from the outside world.

And today, I decided to give you a little sneak peek of 'The Other Me'. Hehe. Above, is the list of topics that I normally blog about on there. The 'Happy' section is where I get all jumpy and excited about things or people I encounter. If you just made my day bad, I'd lash out on you under the 'Anger' section. Oh yes, a whole lotta cursings on there. None of them are censored ;)

The second most blogged about topic on my blog is someone from my life. As you can see, I've blackened out that part because he/she doesn't know that I've been writing about him/her on there. Sometimes I speak fondly of him/her. Other days, I just cursed the hell out of him/her. 37 posts on a single person. That's quite a lot, no? Haha.

Currently, there are only 10 people on the readers' list. And they are those whom I can trust. Because what I write on there is so controversial and offensive at times that I might be hurting a lot of people's feelings. But that's exactly the reason why I put it on private. Because each of us needs an outlet to vent out our anger and emotions. This is mine.

And no, I won't be adding any more people to the readers' list. Not now. Unless of course, one day I become someone famous, have a contest for my fans and the winner gets an 'all-access' pass to my blog. Haha yea.

A little preview on the writings. This one came under the 'Letting Go' section.

"He said it might sound like some shit excuse but it is what it is. And I think I understand that now and get why he did what he did these past few weeks. Because like everyone else, he has some shit to deal with and it's not easy. After what happened too, I realized it really helps if people understand your situation. Doesn't mean you have to constantly be beside that someone but at least try not to give you more shit in return.

So I said I'm okay now because I'm letting go and understanding what has happened recently. Things are rough these days and the more we hold on to them, the harder they'll get. So, yes whatever. Let go and it'll be okay :) "

On a heavier note, this one came under the 'Anger' section. Some of the words here are not pleasant. You've been warned.

"I'm sick of you already. Yes, YOU. Somebody has to learn that the world doesn't centre around that somebody. That other people have other issues to deal with. That you're not the only one with stories.

Here we go again. I'll fuck off now if that will make you feel better.

Because the fucking world centres around you and that everything has to do with you kan?"

Uh huh, so now you know why the blog is on private mode.

Remembering Nostalgia

Most of the Form 5s or shall I say ex-Form 5s have gotten their copy of Nostalgia '09 on the last day of exams. And there were mixed reviews of it, like every school magazine would have. Some thought the magazine is so much better than last year's, the designs and photos are even more snazzy and the content is more mature.

Though there are, of course, some disgruntled voices too. The magazine cover is not classy enough and has no 'real feelings'. It's too thin. And this must be the best comment I heard so far, "Nostalgia's name should be changed to the `Nostalgia Board and Friends Exclusive Magazine` cause...its just them..and their friends." Haha.

Not many people know what happened behind the scenes of the magazine-making. How much effort and time the editorial board spent on getting the magazine together. This year, we handled everything on our own. From the photoshoots to the photo printing and distributing to the page arrangements, down to the last detail.

Those of you who are (or who were) close to me would know how rough the whole Nostalgia thing was. Oh yes, it wasn't smooth-sailing at all. But the fact remains that a magazine is a teamwork product and I can confidently say to you, the team have worked their asses off in making sure we present to you the best Nostalgia magazine we can.

As for the content, I believe it reflects our maturity as members of the school. A school that is already 26 years old. The photos and designs, well, you would be blind if you think they aren't pretty and classy. The Art and Photography Dept used professional magazines like Reader's Digest, Nat Geo etc as their references so you can imagine how cool Nostalgia looks like.

I don't know, maybe my opinions on Nostalgia are biased and one-sided. But don't blame me as I have worn the shoes for far too long. Even if you ask me to step out of it and look at the magazine on a different view, I can still feel the soles of the shoes on my feet. And I feel no matter what people say about Nostalgia, good or bad, I'd be okay.

Because I'm like the mother who loves her retarded, abnormal child :))

A section of the 'revolutionised' Nostalgia. Grabbed from our Art Director, Yung Tyng

SPM...The End.

Eh, SPM's over? Oh yes! Well, I just finished mine today. Tasawwur Islam. Two days later than most Pure Science students. And heck, what a journey it was.

So, how was SPM? I thought it was pretty alright. Haha yea, I can't give you a more cliched reply. But perhaps, we underestimated the standard of SPM in some parts of the exams. I'm just praying and crossing my fingers for a full string of As. Whether it's the +ve, -ve or just an A, well that has yet to be determined.

Anyhow, it's time to move on with life now! I've not planned anything solid, long-term wise. But a good break is really what I need now. And so, I have a list of things that I need to do in the next few days and weeks to come.

1. EXERCISE! I gained around 3kgs the last 2 months. Those long hours of studying made me one heck of a hungry girl.

2. Prom shopping and prom itself. 16th of December at Ritz Carlton. Oh la la.

3. A good spa treatment and body massage (ibu dearest, I hope you're reading this. Hehe)

4. Catch up with buddies and patch things up with a few of them. These last 4 weeks somehow, strained some of our relationships.

5. Do a major clean up and make-over of my bedroom. It's such a mess. Books and papers everywhere. I'll get rid of them....soon. I hope.

6. Do some charity work or join an NGO. Yes, I'm planning to be a good girl and spend some of my free time giving back to the community. Thinking of MERCY Malaysia or some youth group.

7. Get my driving license.

8. Work on a 'Top Secret Project'. I've been thinking of this for awhile. What is it? Hehe, I'll let you know IF and when the thing works out :)

Enjoy your post-SPM life! This is just the beginning.

Farewell to you, DJ

Friday the 13th.

We bid our farewells to friends and teachers, said sorry and thank you for all the things that have been done or have not been done for the past 5 years.

So this is it. The curtain is closing down. The end is near. It's time to open up a new chapter. Though there are tears here and there (psstt Hanna hehe), I think most of us are pretty ecstatic to get SPM over and done with and leave DJ to embark on our own journeys.

I love DJ but after 5 years of my life spent there, it's definitely time to chase after something bigger and better outside. So nope, I'm not weeping or feeling despair with this farewell so I'll be leaving DJ with a heavyheart but with a high tone of excitement and elation of what lays ahead of me. Oohh you can already feel the buzz! =)

Most of the photos from Friday have not been uploaded yet. 'Cameramen' sibuk belajar, no time to upload photos. Heh.

But here are some photos from school taken a few months back and from Friday (thanks Nadia!). Any further blogging shall resume after SPM and I'll see you all after the 10th of December.

Good luck and goodbye! :)

Pretty ladies on the staircase

5 Angsana peeps. I heart you all <3

With Rach. Taken after our Nostalgia photoshoot. I'll miss you girl!

Oh we crazy people :)

Letting Go

It's 30th of October today. And by today I should have made my decision on whether or not to accept the HELP SASA Scholarship.

And I decided to let it go.

It wasn't an easy decision to make. Partly because of the uncertainty of the future and also the doubts of what will come my way. At least if I held on to this, my A-levels education is pretty much secured, half-way.

But I decided not to take the scholarship because firstly, I'm not even sure if HELP College is where I want to spend my next 1 and 1/2 years at and the idea of having my future pre-determined while I'm still going through my present doesn't settle too comfortably with me. Also, I'm looking out for better options and chances post-SPM so I wouldn't want to tie myself too early to something like this if there is indeed, something better for me out there.

With the year coming to an end, with my high school life reaching its final chapter and with everything else that has happened in between, there's a lot of letting-gos to do. It's not easy but it has to be done.

And God-willing, this is the right thing to let go off.

Sometimes, she's a fighter

She walked into the battlefield, determined to fight this war until she saw the end of it. Not because she had to. But because she wanted to. They deserved what was supposed to be given to them. And to take that away from them for some lame excuse, it's unjust and unacceptable.

And so she fought. Not with physical strength or metal swords. But with words and rationality. On what was the best thing to do as opposed to what fit her alone. Because she stood true to her ground, that 'she is a fighter and she fights for what she wants.'

As a mutual agreement had been reached, she walked away, a certain feeling of satisfaction and amour-propre took over her.

The fighter got what she wanted, finally.

Wholesome Saturday

Oh today was a full day. And for the first time in a long time, it wasn't about books and studying!

Had breakfast with Kamel, my mum's friend who's here from the States for her Raya break. And her sister, a strong force behind Tree Theatre Group, a youth NGO focusing on environmental issues was there too. I've seen them in action before, performing self-written songs about the Earth in Bangsar somewhere around this year and I was highly impressed by this group of young, talented teens.

So of course I was deeply honoured when Kak Lin enthusiastically offered me to join the group after my SPM. They'll be having an Eco Arts Festival in Melaka at the end of the year so that's where I'll be heading to when I'm done with SPM. Uh-huh I can barely wait! :)

Next on the agenda was the award ceremony for School Achiever Scholarship Awards (SASA) recipients at HELP UC. The ceremony itself was alright and I'm still tossing the idea of whether to accept the scholarship or not. It's a generous offer but I can't help but wonder about better opportunities out there besides this. Come 30th October, I'll let you know on my decision ya?

Oh and today my dad turned 48 years old. Happy birthday, Papa! Went on a shopping spree in KLCC (birthday gift from mum) and then a simple dinner at Mandarin Oriental. He's a great dad and I love him loads for that =D

So, I ended my busy Saturday with an unfamiliar satisfied feeling. Satisfied that I already have something planned right after SPM. Satisfied that my future is pretty much secured for now if I do accept the scholarship. Satisfied that I'm blessed with such great parents though there are times when they do get at each other's throats. Ahh, married life. You know what's that like.

Above all, Alhamdullilah.

P/S I don't know why is it some of the sentences are underlined and some are not. Pardon =\

L to R: Luke, Calvin, Rachel and I at SASA award ceremony (photo courtesy of Luke)

Mum with Kamel's daughter. Aaww isn't she just adorable?

Lady Boss

Shopping with the birthday man

He can sometimes shop even longer than most women. Uh huh

Birthday song on saxophone

Happy 48th Birthday, Papa! =)

We love!

Photos!

*Editted

The photos are here! From my Eid open house. Well not all though. Plenty more on Facebook.

Thank you Faiz, Fadzil and Rachel for the photos. Here are some.

We look very '1Malaysia' here. Tee-hee!

Playing host

With Faiz and Rauf

My favourite ladies, Soph and Rach

They have been cam-whoring with the Panda all day long. Poor him

Makan-makan

Keefe and Calvin in their singing elements

Enam perempuan dara. I heart this photo of us!

Putting on the 'vogue pose'. Hehe

Maaf Zahir dan Batin, Shiqin

Hanging out

Women in the mirror, me and Mimi

Mum's Nigerian students, Ahmad and Ismail

Guitarman strumming

That's us chit-chatting

September babies! Fadzil, Rauf, Syamir and Alia

Together-gether memotong birthday cake

A belated birthday gesture for Fadzil

Aaww comel!

Shiqin with her 'purdah' and Wai Meng in baju melayu. Don't they look good together? Haha =P

Uh-oh, imagine Wai Meng practising polygamy and having 4 wives

Oh Nunu! I still can't get over your smile in this photo. Lol

Rahman! My new chum =)

Hanging out at the park nearby

With love!