First Day Back in College

I'm back in KY! After six blissful weeks of holiday. It's a new semester, one of the most important one, AS semester. I foresee a very busy, stressful 6 months ahead of me. Ughh.

Having said that, I had a good first day back in college! Today was what I would describe as my 'ideal KY day'. Lemme just walk you through it.

Woke up at 7.20am, bathed in the ridiculously cold shower and had a simple breakfast cereal in my chalet. And then headed over for the 8.15am classes, saying Hello to friends that I've not met in 6 weeks along the way. The classes were relatively relaxing today as we were just warming up to the new semester. But Mr Brookes decided to surprise us with a pop quiz on World War 1 based on the readings we were supposed to do during the holidays. Ohh yeaahhh, what a surprise! Mehh.

Classes ended at 4.10pm and I took the leisure to catch up with other friends and approached the new batch of students who just arrived today (Batch 13.5). They're a nice, friendly lot. Welcome to the family, by the way! Kicking back while chit-chatting with the chaletmates back in our chalet after classes felt good since we rarely got to do it together. Then we decided to go for a swim and oohhh, I just looooveee the feeling of being in the water. It's like dissolving my exhaustion and weariness together with the water after a long day. If only the KY pool water was cleaner.

Dinner with the buddies at the Dining Hall and then we headed over to the RC (our library) to do some homework or revision. This was also one of the best parts of the day. You get to do your work and socialize with your peeps at the same time. And if I ever got stuck with a question, there were always smartie pants lying around the RC that I could run to for help. Hehe awesome kan?

Usually after RC, we would go for a quick drink at the cafe and the chit-chats will continue there with louder laughters and even more lame, nonsensical jokes. We'll head back to our chalets, either wrap up the day and say goodnight or continue with some work till we have no ounce of energy left in us. I chose to finish up some of my Maths questions tonight and then here I am, writing my day to you on here. Thank God, they have upgraded the Wifi connection too. So much faster now.

I said today was my 'ideal KY day' because I had a little bit of everything today. The serious stuffs, the fun, the working-out part. It was packed but it was relaxing in a way. If only everyday would be like today. Such bliss, I tell yaa.

I love KY, I do. I never understood some people who loathed KY so much that they can't wait to get the hell out of here. I mean, I wouldn't want to stay here longer than expected but I would like to enjoy every moment I'm having here without wishing the time would pass faster than it already has. I think I tend to appreciate KY personally because of the environment it offers and also because my route here wasn't an easy one.

It wasn't handed to me directly. I had to go through roadblocks, traffic jams and a fateful detour before I could arrive here. And when I finally did, I think it's only fair of me to appreciate the place and make the best out of my opportunity here.

And so, here's to a new semester! May we get through this one and the ones to come more alive than ever. Amin.

JELITA: The Price of Beauty

Before I go on, watch the trailer above first so you'll know what I'm talking about.

Dah?

So I went back to IIUM on Tuesday night and it was for a purpose. To watch the Mock Trial 2011 specially produced by the Law students of IIUM who happened to be my old friends and coursemates. I was supposed to be in charge of the program under MeLEX (Law Students' Society) but then I left so the work was passed on to somebody else. I never knew what happened to it other than a few glimpses of the story few weeks back on Facebook and from other close IIUM friends.

But fast-forwarded 6 months after I left, a Mock Trial under the name JELITA: The Price of Beauty was made and I walked back into IIUM, eager to catch the show and also, to meet up with friends whom I have not met in 6 months. I was in such awe with the show. It was a story of a young girl, Tasmina who was obsessed with beauty and would do anything to get what she wanted even as far as murdering. Cerita ala Mona Fandey.

The show just hit the right notes. From the acting to the lighting to the dramatic music being played. It's hard to believe that this show was the work of 18 and 19 year olds and not professionals from Istana Budaya! Credits had to be given to the director, Putra Haziq and his team for such an excellent performance. I had to pay RM7 for admission but for the amount of entertainment and satisfaction I got out of it, it was well worth it.

It was so pleasant seeing my former coursemates too. So much gossips and stories to catch up on but it's good to know that most of them are still the same nice people I used to know. I do miss and think of them from time to time but ahh well, IIUM is my past and it'll stay that way.

Congrats again to the team for a brilliant performance! A solid proof that Law students are more than just bookworms and manipulators ;) And thank you for still giving me the credit on the basic storyline that I had in mind before I left, 'Superstition'. It warms my heart that you all still remember me too :)

With Mardhiyah and Nabilah, the besties from IIUM. Yes, my stories of them are 6 months out-of-date. Mehh.

Amalina, the main actress of the night. She brought so much life to her character as if she was Tasmina herself. Mar, Nabilah and I were holding on to our seats, a little terrified everytime 'Tasmina' gave her eerie laughters and stares. They were THAT real!

The man behind all these, Putra Haziq. May I say how much of a perfectionist he is? So much! Drilling his team for practices over the holidays, sometimes stretching them till 4 in the morning. Crazy, ain't it? But in a good way! Otherwise JELITA would have been a different story.

Some other photos from the night:

Hamzah Azhan, a dear friend and a policeman for the night. Just need to buff up a little there =p

The technical crew (if I'm not wrong) who took care of the dramatic effects of the night. They gave me chills and goosebumps. *Photo taken from Wirdah's Facebook*

Fullhouse! *Photo taken from Wirdah's Facebook*

Cheers to 2011!

Hello! Been awhile eh? Honest to goodness, I did want to write a post prior to New Year but the Internet modem went Ka-boom! when lightning struck the line. Managed to get some Internet connection now by tethering the Blackberry into a modem. Smart no? Hehehe.

Anyywaayy, it's not too late to wish everyone 'Happy New Year!' is it? Of course not, it has only been 6 days. I hope you had a glorious time ushering in the New Year. I know I did. More on that when I've a proper internet connection that doesn't crawl slower than a pregnant turtle.

In retrospective, 2010 had been a grand year for me and I would go as far as to say it had been one of my best years. The 5 months break post-SPM was a time where no other breaks could beat. It started off slow but it began to pick up pace towards the end. I got myself involved in various volunteering stints with MERCY Malaysia, Krash Pad and an orphanage home nearby. And I still do come back to Krash Pad once in awhile to see the kids and help around with their projects sometimes.

Then came March 2010, SPM results. And with that came along the daunting, tedious scholarship-hunting process. I devoted the next one month to researching on scholarships, filling up forms, scanning documents, writing personal essays etc. It was tiring and frustrating at the same time particularly when your hard work was met with a lot of rejections. But Alhamdulillah, I did hit a jackpot with Shell Overseas Scholarship and I couldn't be any more thankful :)

2010 was a year of saying Hello to new friends and Goodbye to old friends. Most of us had to part ways with our high school friends as we each went on our roads to pursue our higher education. They're scattered all over Malaysia now with one in Perlis, another in Perak, some still stayed within Selangor but further away etc.

But before the scholarship offer came, my fate took a detour and I first ended up in IIUM, the PJ campus doing Foundation in Laws. Only 2 months were spent there but they were well-spent. Saying goodbye was the hardest part when you had to leave the amazing friends you made along the way and the interesting classes you sat in everyday. Speaking of IIUM, I was just there last night to watch their mock trial. More on that later. When I've a proper Internet connection, duhh.

Then came the new world: KYUEM. It's a totally separate entity from IIUM and after a semester spent there, I grew to love the place and the people even more. Though I've to admit, I kinda dread the new coming semester which will start in approximately...5 days. But KY and the new semester deserves a separate post so yes, more on that. Later.

Other good news within the family: Papa finally got promoted to the post he had been working on for so long and Ibu has been awarded with her Professorship and I'm a proud daughter because of these two :)

Other heart-wrenching news: We were tested with God's challenges when He took away some of us. My beloved grandfather, arwah Tok Ayah passed away in May '10 after a long battle of numerous diseases. Then a dear collegemate and petbrother, arwah Syazwan Asyraf lost his battle after 2 weeks in coma. May Allah bless their souls.

Nevertheless, 2010, thank you, you had been a wonderful year and definitely a year that I'll remember for a long time to come. Thank you Allah for blessing my family and I with such wonders and rezeki. You did test us with a few bumps and hitches along the way but they only made us stronger and also, made us realize we always need to go back to You, no matter what happened.

Here's to another great year ahead of us! Cheers to 2011!

Stay tuned for more updates :)