For memories' sake

So I was talking to a friend about old memories and about how some of us have a hard time letting go of the past. Some are beautiful, some are just painful to bear and others are bittersweet. There are people who go on basking in the glory of their achievements or indulging in all those happy memories back in their high schools way even after they have left it.

Well, personally I don't have a problem with that. But when you do it too often and too excessively, what you did back then becomes less poignant. It seems as if you have nothing else to hold on to that you just had to keep on grasping to those old memories. Let go. Otherwise you won't have room for anything more.

Having said that, I couldn't help but to walk down the memory lane just to remind myself what it was like last time. Not that I would want to do anything differently or otherwise. Just that, sometimes it's nice to be reminded of the people, of the laughters, of the places and of the things you did. Who stayed, which laughter hasn't died down, where those places still stand with our memories and the things that still have our names emblazoned on it.

So, for memories' sake....

The smiles of 5 Angsana peeps.

The uber-debaters of SMKDJ.

These beautiful people whom I miss greatly =(

Animal rides in dresses. Talk about being nutters.

Bootylicious. Back when we were just a bunch of innocent 15 year olds.

See, even our teachers are as classy and cool as us. Puan Joyce and Puan Chia =)

And together, we shall fly. 5 Angsana magazine photoshoot.

'The Nostalgia' team who brought memories to you in a tangible form ( the school magazine laa)

When we were in Vegas. Senior prom '09 at Ritz Carlton.

These radiant smiles of us never actually faded away kan? :) Raya Open House '09

Chit-chatters. Raya Open House '09

Some things remained, some things...don't. Raya Open House '09

Big Love! Raya Open House '09

Raya '09. Our last Raya with Tok Ayah. I hope he's doing alright wherever he is. We miss you dearly, Tok Ayah. Al-Fatihah.

It's here again

Ahh, it's here again.

You know, it's one of those moments where your mind goes blank and you've nothing to write and say. Or it's one of those moments where your life is so busy and you barely have time for anything else.

For me, it's a little bit of both. Ever since A-level started I find myself being pulled away from all the things that I used to love to do. Can't even indulge in a good book right now.

French Revolution notes, Econs' Production Possibility Curve, Maths brain-cracking questions and Mrs B psychology teachings beckon me.

I'll see you later then.

Till The End

It's been a month since I've entered KY and so many things have already happened. My days are jam-packed with classes, evening activities and sports as well as homework and at times, there will be performances to put up that would probably suck up more of our time. Wheww!

Our latest being the Cultural Performance specially produced by Batch 13 for the entire KY community, parents and sponsors. We only had 2 weeks to prepare with only one solid week for practices so imagine the havoc and chaos we went through before the performance night! Few precious days before the night itself, tensions flared up, emotions ran high and whispers of angers went about the circle.

But surprise, surprise the event went on smoother than we thought and everyone was thoroughly entertained by it. Basically our Cultural Performance was a play called 'Till The End' where it was about these 3 good friends muddling through the Japanese Occupation era while fighting for Malaya. I played a pregnant mother who gave birth to one of the main characters, Anas. The play ended with Anas and Ah Siew (the other main character) being killed by the Japanese army so all the emo stuffs came out towards the end.

Despite the behind-the-scenes havoc and what not, I think we had fun all around. There's this certain satisfaction we felt when the curtain finally closed for the last time that night. It was the feeling that Batch 13 will still stick by each other through thick and thin for the next 2 years to come or till the end, maybe :')

Photos from the night.

That's me being preggo. Though the bump looked like I've been carrying it around for 12 months

Aminah and Salleh in their characters

*Arrghh, it's coming out!*

Aaannndd it's out. It's a baby boy, Anas :)

With some of our Malay, Indian and Chinese dancers

With Eleena. Love the bright coloured lenga on her

With the emcee of the night, Megat

Arvind looks good in his batik shirt!

How Things Roll in KYUEM

Uber sorry for the lack of updates but I was away, trying to settle down in a new place. They call this place 'college of verdant uplands' or 'kolej dalam hutan' and some other odd names but otherwise, it's officially known as Kolej Yayasan UEM (KYUEM).

I'd always wanted to come here and when I was finally here, it took me awhile to absorb where I was and my surroundings. This place is a lot better than I imagined. They have top-class facilities, great environment to study in and there's a nice blend of lecturers here; 60% local and 40% expats. The people can be pretty intimidating as well. Around 40% to 50% of us are scholars from Bank Negara, Khazanah, UEM, Petronas, JPA etc. who are mostly aiming for Oxbridge universities, LSE and the likes. You can already imagine how tough the competition will be.

Our schedules here can be very packed with classes starting from 8.15am till 4.10pm with only 1 hour break for lunch/prayers. After that you're expected to be involved and participate in whatever sports or clubs that they have. I registered myself for Music Club, Debate Club as well as Tennis, for the sake of trying something new. Sometimes we have events or performances to prepare for so practices run at night 'till say, 11pm. Homework and revisions should be done before you put yourself to bed. Though, sometimes that's clearly not the case.

I find that KY students must not only have good time management skills but one has to be physically fit and mentally healthy to be able to keep up with its demanding lifestyle. A-level is tough as it is and coupled with stiff competition from the batchmates and an active co-curricular life, one has to really play one's cards well to survive here.

But despite all that, I do love being here. We had an induction week for about a week just to familiarize ourselves with the system and atmosphere. We were constantly reminded on how we should strive like a real fighter when we're here because the road ahead won't be easy. Along the way, we have to keep a strong bond with our mates because when we're away in the middle of nowhere like here, all that we have are ourselves and our friends.

Life here will be very busy but it's for the best. I'm joining the rat race of getting a spot into Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick etc. and let's see where it'll get me.

Ohh, and with all those sports facilities and activities that they have, I can already see a fitter and slimmer me at the end of my 2 years here.

Just you watch out for it. Hehehe ;)

KYUEM's green field. When I first walked along the hallway on the way to my chalet, I just had to stop for awhile and take a gander at the spacious green landscape in front of me. It was just breathtaking.

My room in the chalet. There are 4 people per chalet and everyone gets their own room. More privacy that way. Yay!

Aliaaaa. My best friend outside of KY and my bestest friend inside of KY. Funny how we both ended up here at the last minute but I think we're just fortunate to have one another in this new place.

Some of the girls from Batch 13 with Arvind at the back.

Batch Anniversary. Newly arrived juniors were supposed to put up this gig as a gesture of appreciation and entertainment for our seniors. We partied all night long with dances, sketch and band-playing put on the table. Well, more like partied till umm 10pm? =p Classes tomorrow morning laaa.

Alia and I with some of the senior guys.

Eleena!

Ohh bukan, ini lakonan semata-mata. Hehe.

Zikri, Vice-President of Student Council.