Life On Campus

Life on campus isn't difficult. After the first few weeks of adjustments, daily life becomes a sort of a routine for me. The most difficult thing about campus life? The people. Yes, the people. You start to meet a lot of people there. People who like you, people who hate you, or people who just didn't give a damn. As John Lennon once said, wisely (I think it was John Lennon, correct me if I'm wrong anyone):

"There are four types of people in this world;
People who like you for the wrong reasons,
People who like you for the right reasons,
People who hate you for the wrong reasons,
People who hate you for the right reasons.
The only people who matter to you are the last group of people."

Let me tell you something. After being on campus for almost a year, I've met plenty from each of the four types. Some of them I call friends, some I do not. It doesn't matter what I call them, it matters more how I interact with them. I experienced a lot of things that I never experienced before, the complete freedom to make my my own mistakes, create my own personal triumphs, forge new (hopefully long - lasting) friendships. Life isn't always easy on campus, but it can always get better. If you ask me, any best friends yet? I'll say no, but good friends, a few. I won't mention any names,of course. I've developed a habit of not being too trusting of one person, so forgive me if I seem disloyal to anyone. If I were to completely trust one person, I know who, but again, no names. To the last group of the four mentioned above, I'm sure you can describe my suckitude in an entire novel, but hey, just so you know, life is a work in progress. We grow, we learn, we change. I'm sorry if I didn't change to exactly who you want me to be, or as fast as you would want me to change. I have but one thing to say to you, I don't need to prove anything to anyone, I just need to prove to myself that I am a better man today than I was yesterday. Let the journey begin.

New Post, New Thoughts, New Person

Well, I guess it's official now. I've started writing again. I don't know how, or why, but somehow I have this overwhelming need to write everything again. For starters, I didn't get to be a doctor, just like I've always wanted all this while. Instead, I got Chemical Engineering. To be honest, for the first few months when I first started, I couldn't see myself becoming a chemical engineer. I mean, to me, out of the four main subdivisions of engineering, chemical engineering seems to be the most foreign. Maybe it's just me, but when you ask someone what do they want to be, you'll hear the 'standard' answers of 'civil engineer', 'mechanical engineer', or 'electrical engineer'.

After almost a year of studying, I'm starting to believe that God put me on the right path after all. I'm starting to love it (gradually, of course), and to be honest, I don't think much of what I'll be in the future, at least not as much as I used to. I'll just let things go as He had planned it for me. Yes, I do have plans in the future, but I'm more focused on living in the present.

Happiness Doesn't Come Often

I'm very happy now. I don't know why, but everything seems very nice. Pardon me for sounding smug. Just wanted to share my happiness with my 'devoted' readers. A lot happened during these past few weeks. The first day of Ramadhan starts today (Yippie!!!)

I'm going to Limbang in a few weeks time, with my 'family'. During these past few weeks, I made new relationships, and strengthened old ones. With new, happier memories made, I feel contented. Thank God Almighty for giving me the chance to experience these wonderful things.

Though I do hope for one thing, though. Happiness in itself can't come without a few setbacks. So I hope that He will grant me enough strength to overcome these odds whenever they may come. I'm certain about one thing though: If you spend more time around happy, optimistic people, some of the happiness might just rub onto you.

Oh well. looks like I have to prepare for my Chemistry practical now. Until the next post then.

P.S. Listening to 'Everytime You Lie' by Demi Lovato. Niceeeee....

Quote of the Day:
Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ain't Too Happy, Ain't Too Sad

Guess where I am now? At school, with my friends for choir practice. I thought we were gonna do some more singing today but instead we downloaded and listened to songs for the whole day, basically.

J.C. isn't here. I'm not too happy because of one reason: I still can't convince my parents to let me go swimming with my friends this Friday. They still believe that H1N1 is on the loose. Sheesh... Not to blame them, but I try to be optimistic. God- willing, nothing will happen to us. I hope I can convince them, since Saturday we'll start puasa already.

On the other hand, I'm not too sad either. I'm optimistic, I know.

Can't Wait...

Right now I'm listening to 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' by The Script. If I'm not mistaken they're a band from Ireland. Cool song. Seriously. Only two more days till the grand L6B 2009 picnic. Oh yeah. Can't wait for it. Can't wait to have fun. Can't wait to see GG again. Tomorrow, the guys are going to buy the necessities for the barbecue. Too bad I can't go with them, Friday prayer. Well, duty to God comes first.
Can't go to sleepover at Caesar's house tomorrow either. My parents will literally get cardiac arrest if I go. Oh well, God willing, there's some other day... Aaargh!! I feel so agitated. Can't wait...

Quote of the Day:
Patience is a virtue. (How ironic...)

Another Farewell, An Awesome Lunch

I know what you might be thinking right now. What does another farewell had to do with an awesome lunch? Stay tuned to find out.

Today's post is dedicated to two of my friends. One of them is a guy who I've known for five years, since Form 1. He is, quite frankly, one of the funniest and craziest guys I've ever known. He will be leaving for Taylor's College in KL (at least, this is where I think he's going) this Friday at 4.00 pm. After spending a few years there, he will be leaving for the United States of America to study Hospitality and Hotel Management under the JPA scholarship. Have a safe flight and I wish you great success in whatever you do. So long, George.

The other farewell today is dedicated to another friend of mine. I've known her for a short time, relatively speaking of course, about one month plus. That's okay. A friend is a friend nevertheless, no matter how long or short a time you've known them. She will be leaving for Taylor's, too, taking the ICPU program there, under the JPA scholarship. FYI, ICPU stands for International Canadian Pre- University program. I think you might have guessed already, she will be leaving for Canada after that, studying Psychology.

I haven't received the photos from our photo- taking session this afternoon, although I expect that she will post it up on her own blog.Bye- bye Cordelia. About the lunch, my friends and I went to McD. That's not the awesome part of course. That part comes during the meal itself. When eating lunch with Keith, I'll have to remind myself about chowing my food down before he opens his mouth. My stomach literally convulsed from laughter. The ride back to school is a different story. We had a race to school. Me, Felix and Caesar in one car and Angie, Wendy, Keith and Kelvin in another. Get this, it's not about speed. rather, it's a knowledge about shortcuts and timing. Of course, we won.

Quotes of The Day: (I'm feeling particularly generous today)
"Friendship is a contract which you sign with laughter, and break with tears."
Anonymous.

"If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them. I'll be at the bottom to catch them."
Anonymous.


"Friendship is a wonderful thing. It improves happiness, abates misery, doubles our joy and divides our grief."
Joseph Addison.

Finally... A New Template

Finally, after all this while using that old- fashioned template, I finally decided for a better, newer, fresher look. Oh well, it's about time anyway. Sis just got back from K.L. Looking at the amount of bags she brought home, I'm surprised that the boutiques there hasn't filed for bankruptcy yet (lol!)

Starting probationary prefect duty tomorrow. Gulp... Pretty new at this thing. Let's just wait and see. A certain violinist friend of mine still hasn't posted anything till now. Well, let's just wait and see... again. I'm gonna do a lot of waiting and seeing from now on, I guess.

Biology presentation week coming up. Haven't started anything. Just browsing for info. Chordata... Not something you can procrastinate about. Starting tomorrow I guess. Compiled a lot of info on them. Let's just hope it's enough.

A lot to catch up on Physics. Circular motion... Best friend leaving for Sepang soon. Thought I could watch Transformers 2 after school last Saturday but G.G. and Wendy had to cancel last minute. Oh well... MUET presentation tomorrow. Gotta go!

P.S. A huge thanks to Rhema for telling me how to change the template of my blog. Couldn't have done it without her.

Quote of The Day:
"If you haven't found something interesting today, then it hasn't been much of a day."

Eat Spaghetti Much?

Today was my sister's first attempt at cooking spaghetti. Yep, you heard me. First time ever. All this while my mom was the cook of the house. It wasn't bad, in fact it's quite nice for a first- timer. On top is a picture of it.
You might have noticed that this is the first picture I've added on my blog, ever (yay!) Well, have to go now. Gotta do my homework. Sigh... Another thing, most of my aforementioned friends must be in K.L. by this time. Oh well, welcome to the world.

A Tribute To A Friend

This afternoon, just after I finished my piano class, I received an SMS from a friend saying that she will come to school for the last time this Monday, since she just got accepted at UiTM Samarahan. Let me say something, it's not that I didn't expect her to go, but not this soon, you know. She could have at least given me a week's notice. Oh well, who could blame her. God is mysterious after all...
Today's post is a tribute to this friend. I first met her in Form 1, being introduced to her by courtesy of another friend, Stefan Lim. She is one of the most cheerful person I've ever met and it's been great to get to know her all these years. I wish her success in her future undertakings, and I'm sure she can still visit us in Kuching since UiTM Samarahan is still quite near to St. Joe. (Duh!) Last but not least, I'm sure she would remember a certain joke about Noddy's theme song (lol !). So long, Adeline.

P.S. After saying farewell to so many friends in these past few days, I'm beginning to see that the times that we spent with them, especially friends from secondary school, is definitely priceless. The reason that they're priceless is because they are who we grow up with, and thus they help make us who we are today,regardless of whether we like it or not. Also, they will be very different from all the friends that we will make at any point in our lives, whether when we are in college or working as an adult. I'm not sure how to explain this myself...

Quote of the Day:

"Parting is such sweet sorrow"
William Shakespeare in 'Romeo and Juliet'

Old Farewells... and New Beginnings

Ah, it's been a while since I last updated this thing, a long while... Oh well. I hung out with a lot of my friends tonight, in fact all of us came from the class of 5A 2008. Most of them are leaving for their respective Pre- U programs this Sunday. I'm surely gonna miss them, since we've been friends for a very long time. Aaron George, Aizat and Azzeem are going to Kolej Mara Banting. Gavin and Jonas are going to Kolej Teknologi Timur in Sepang. Wan is going to UniKL. Safwan is going to Kedah. Ezzan to K.L.( I think this is what he said, though I can't quite remember) and George Francis will be going to Taylor's (not so sure about this one either). A good thing is, though, most of them will be back for Hari Raya, so I can expect a lot of guests here this year. Well, I sure have a lot of memories with these guys. I'm not gonna be all sad or anything but I wish them all the best, thanks for all those happy memories throughout all those years in school and God willing, we'll meet again at some other place and time. Last but not least, I would like to wish an advanced farewell to a new friend, Cordelia who will be leaving for KL on the 4th of July (future psychologist, lol!) Since I met you through a blog, it would only be fair for me to say farewell through a blog (lol!)

However, this is also the perfect time for me to have a new beginning. Actually, by writing this post, I am acknowledging another new start to the chapter in my life. Actually, after spending over a month in Form 6, it's not that bad. I know the workload can sometimes be overwhelming, but with our teacher's guidance and support from friends, we'll make it. Some old friends stayed behind (Caesar, Felix, Kelvin) and some friends are re- introduced (Adeline, Angela, Wendy). To Angela, Happy 18th Birthday!! Looks like I'm gonna have to call you 'big sis' from now until my birthday (lol!).

I also attended the LaSallian Convention for the first time this year. It's very cool. In fact, it's one of the coolest camp I've been to so far. There, I met new people, and enjoyed myself a lot. I've kind of forgotten how to be serious for a while when I was there (though I literally lost my voice during the latter half of the camp). I met some of Gabrielle's friends up close there for the first time too (Rhema, Julie, Cheryl, with the exception of Siw Hua). All these things , I hope would signify the start of a great year for me. Well, until next time!

P.S. I think I've put up too many lols in this post : )

Preparing for N. S.

My apologies for my extreme tardiness in posting, but for those of you who have been waiting in eager anticipation, here it is. well, FYI, I will be leaving for the much dreaded N.S. on the 19th of March, which is not long now. Well, I hope I can hang on till then. Speaking of which, I was wondering when will our exam results be announced. Boredom has recently struck me like a brick. I think I've fallen into what some people called a rut.

Basically, all I've done is watching TV, play video games and doing stuff, but as we all know we're bound to get bored somehow. Oh, for those of you who are knowledgeable enough, which one is better to buy, XBox 360 or PlayStation 3? If anyone wants to suggest anything, you're welcome.

For Doron, if you're reading this, how is it there? Love to hear feedback from you. Stay safe.
As for N.S., I think its not as cracked up as people thought it would be, but I did find out a few days ago that a friend of mine got exempted after three weeks in the camp for having frequent bouts of fever.

As for my driends, can't wait to see you again, and I hope the next time we meet each other, it wouldn't be under bad circumstances. Wishing all my Chinese friends a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Too bad I didn't have a picture of an ox with me when I was posting this : )

I'm Tagged?

Looks like the tagging phenomenon has hit even the farthest regions of the globe. Yes, the polar caps in the Arctic (pun intended). Looks like I have no choice but to answer. Well, here goes:

10 things about the person that tagged me:

1. He's dangerously obsessed with some model from Peru. (lol)
2. He likes an actress whom I could not even say what the name was (from Thailand I think)
3. He's shorter than me.
4. He has an unusual phobia of butterflies
5. He shares a birthday with Jessica Alba (????)
6. He gave me a ride once to Riverside (during our class farewell party)
7. He listens to Thai songs
8.He's a good artist
9. He listens to O Sole Mio, a song by Enrico Caruso
10. He has a weird sense of humour (seriously).

10 things about myself

1. I am Mohd Iqmal and I own this blog.
2. I've been told that I can be extremely boring sometimes
3. I love Chicken Cordon Bleu from Secret Recipe
4. I play the piano
5. I want to play the cello
6. I love video games, especially Warriors Orochi 2
7. I have been trying to lose weight
8. For the record, I am straight
9. I love classical music
10. I have a lot of friends ( I think) :)

The 10 people that I've tagged
1. Perry
2. Doron
3. Bruce
4. Stefan
5. Jonas
6.Aizat
7. Chun Hoe
8. Victor Chin
9. Aizat
10. Sean Wong

There you have it. i apologise bforehand if I made any mistakes. Happy now, Gavin?

Creepy...

It's been a while since I last posted anything, and seriously I need a new template for my blog. Before we begin, please read my comment on my last post. You might be wondering why I call this post 'Creepy'. Well, to tell you the truth, I've been having creepy dreams lately. Now, now. Don't jump to any conclusions just yet. It's not one of those dreams (ehem...) , but rather dreams of school life.
I don't know why but I keep having dreams about my classmates lately. Don't worry, they will remain anonymous. If you're asking me about what the dream is about, I don't remember much but I remember seeing glimpses of their face. And another thing, there's these dreams about getting my results, but I can't see what I got (whew!). But seriously, they creep me out. I hope they're not precognitive or something, if not... that's another story.
The creepiest things about these dreams are, they're recurring. For those who's blur rught now, they keep happening, again and again. Well, I look forward to the new year. That's all for now.

Happy Holidays!!!

Hi everyone! I' m back! Contrary to popular belief, my blog is not dead (lol to Gavin Wu). Its just that I'm so busy now that I don't have time to post anything. Busy with what you may ask? Having fun of course! Honestly, I haven't had this much fun since... well, I can't remember. I've been busy playing video games (Jason Wong might know about this one.. Hehe) , watching movies (yes, Rondo, I AM going to watch Twilight), reading a few books (non- study related, of course) and much more. I wonder how is everyone enjoying their holiday? Well, I hope you guys are having fun. After all, we deserve it. And to my friends out there, Merry Christmas and a have a Happy New Year. Well, since I'm posting I might as well do this. Here are my resolutions for this holiday. (FYI, they are not listed in order of importance):

1. Have lots and lots of fun

2. Lose weight

3. Play more music

4. Enjoy myself

5. Read books

6. Spend more time with my family

7. Relax

8. Watch anime and read manga

There you have it. Short and simple. Well guys, I' d like it if you guys would post on how your holiday has been. Before I forgot, good luck to Bruce and all my other friends going for the first batch of NS. Have a safe trip. Also, Rondo, good luck in the U.S.A. Just don't come back to Malaysia and get all cocky and forget about me. Keep in touch (yes, I know about the time difference).

Think My Blog Is Dead? Not A Chance!!

Muahhaha!!! I'm back to haunt your nightmares (Read this with a Victor Frankenstein kind of accent... its more effective :) Well, its been a long time. My blog is not dead, however. Its just 'hibernating' . However, I'm quite 'pleased' to announce that we have officially 23 more days till SPM starts.
My mock exam results came out a while ago. It's above my expectations, quite frankly speaking and I feel happy for that. However, a few things have been puzzling my head over these past few weeks. One: How come I'm never able to ace that History test? For those of you out there who thinks I score well in exams because I memorize, you're dead wrong. My History exam is proof of that.
Two: I'm never able to score for both my Physics and Biology simultaneously. If one is excellent, the other would be only fair, and vice versa. My Chemistry is fine, I guess.
Three: What happens if I don't get what I expect? I'm sure a lot of you is probably thinking the same question now. We can never be to sure, I guess. History has shown that sometimes things turn out quite the opposite of what we think it would.
Four: What will happen to all of us? I mean,we all would promise to keep in touch and everything, but would everything be the same as it would be now when we're in school? Now, we could see each other every single day in school but can everything still be the way it was?
Five: Can we really be prepared for the exam? I know that 23 days would provide us ample time to revise but can we really be truly prepared?

Well, that's all for now. To all my friends, good luck in your SPM. May all of you succeed not just in your exams, but in your life, too.

Exam Hiatus

Hi everyone. It's me here. I'm sorry to inform that this would be the last time I'm posting for a very long time. Don't fret. I'm still blogging, but not now. SPM mock is coming, and I know my priorities. Well, good luck to those who are going to face the SPM this year (me included). And happy Ramadhan. Well, I'm going to miss blogging, that's for sure. I probably won't add another post until after SPM. To Gabrielle, happy retirement. Its been nice reading your blog.
To all my blogger friends, some words of wisdom (from not such a wise guy):

We must bid each other goodbye, before we can say hello again

Therefore, adieu.

I'm In National Sevice!!!!

My second worst fear just came true!! I'm actually 'lucky' enough to be chosen for National service ( I'd rather not elaborate on what my worst fear is). The dreaded message reached me through the form of my sister. "Congratulations!!" The message still rings in my ears even until today.

Its not that I am afraid to join National Service. Its just that the feeling of fear is there because admittedly, I am facing one of those unknown moments in my life. Even a famous philosopher said that "One would always fear that which he did not know of". well, I'm going to try my best to make the most out of this thing. Well, it is a once in a lifetime opprtunity after all.

To my friends who did not receive the 'congratulatory' message, congratulations to you.

Lonely and Solitary

Last Thursday, during Lit. class, Rondo and I got into a 'solitary' kind of mood. It all started when I let him listen to my MP4, when he said:

"You know, all the songs in your playlist seem to reflect a solitary and lonely mood, its kinda depressing."

Without even waiting for an invitation, some girl which I would only call AI, replied:

"Well, maybe that's because he's a lonely person, that's why."

Thank you for giving such 'constructive' comment.
Note: Please- lah, Rondo. I DO NOT put those songs into my MP4 because I am lonely, solitary or depressed. Its just that I enjoy these songs because of their musical merit and their wonderful melody. Duh! And while I may be an unhappy person, I am NEVER lonely. Its not that I am mad or anything. I'm just trying to clarify things out... and to announce that I'm back in the blogging scene.

Happy Birthday Amal!!!!

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my very long absence from the blogging community. Well, I just finished my exams last Saturday (Yay!!!). Anyways, today is all about Amal, and her birthday. She is a friend of mine and she invited me to her party at Kuching Park hotel last Saturday. Its one of the best parties that I've ever been to ( in fact one of the only parties I've ever been to, how sad is that). Its, as the Brits would say, posh but fun nonetheless.
The party started of quite formally with speeches from my friend and her parents. Then... things got gradually crazier. I mean it. There were games like treasure hunt where we are supposed to find unexpected things. I mean think about it. Who would bring the following things to a birthday party:

1) A school badge

2) A picture of your dad/ mum ( I got this one)

3) A red pen

4) A lip gloss (I doubt any boy would bring this, though we did have girls at our table who brought it with them)

5) A handkerchief ( We got this one, thanks to Fakri)

Well, I can't remember everything. Next, we are supposed to find two yellow 'angpau' envelopes, precariously hidden somewhere. It almost came to an end when Hisham found one of the envelopes before the event started. Well, we searched every nook and cranny of the hall. I mean everywhere. Under chairs (ehem..), under tables. I almost lost a finger or two when I tried to look under the buffet set. Turns out it had lighted stoves underneath to keep the food warm. Thank God.
Next, we have a sort of follow- the - leader game where members of the same table are supposed to dance in a line and stops dancing when the music stops. Then we have to stay exactly as we are. Its the job of the birthday girl's family members to disturb us while we remain 'frozen'. Our team is the first to lose, though I don't know why.
Next, comes the cake- cutting and the highlight of the day:

Choosing the prince and princess charming of the day.

Yep, you heard me. Every teenager in the party must join it. GAWD, what am I supposed to do?
I was subjected to total humiliation when I had to do a male model catwalk across the floor ( along with the other guys but we have to do it individually). Well, I mustered every ounce of courage that I have and did it. (FYI, when the girls did the catwalk, the boys became the judges, so when the boys did it... use your brains) The moment I started my walk, strut or whatever the heck you'd call it, my head swarmed with thoughts that would've been considered gila in real life. I heaved a sigh of relief when its over and swore I'll never do it again on my own free will on purpose. ( A girl got a video of me while I was doing th e'walk' but you won't hear her name from me). Naim won the prince and Natalie won the princess title.
Well, it was fun and I'd hope to do it again (attend the birthday party, not the catwalk) someday. Bye!!!
And

Happy Birthday Amal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I heard I freaked a girl out that day. Sorry!!
Oh, yes. Claire Chang is one funky girl.

Exams! They're Here!

Aaaaargh!!! This week has been very unfair (I think most people would agree, especially Jonas). The examinations have been pushed forward, which means I don't have much time left to study (then why the heck am I still blogging?). Well, the most important thing is they're gonna be here, eventually. The second exams, I think will be the most highly anticipated by everyone, as they're the real indicators of how well you're going to score in the real thing ( this is due to the fact that it will follow the real thing in every way, except for less chapters to be revised).
Well, all I can say is, good luck to all the guys (and the girls) and do your best. I think now would be the perfect time to stop being so competitive (a.k.a kiasu), and start helping each other out, cos what matters in the end is not what position you get in class but the overall result. Besides, if you help others , they'll succeed as well, and success tastes best when you share (who you choose to help, however, is entirely to your own discretion).
Anyways, I've got a thousand things to study, and I've this senamrobik thing tomorrow. Ciao!