Leaving on a jet plane

=(

Am leaving for Malaysia in less than 24 hours, but apparently having mixed feelings about it.

Am excited to see my family whom Ive left for about ten months.

Am sad having to part ways with my frens who've been here with me throughout the year (and the two previous years). May we see one another again next year, no matter where,
when or how. =)

Am frustrated coz too scared to finish an unfinished business. But I suppose, it's better to just let it stay unfinished...

Have a nice holiday, everyone! I love you all! =D

Neng
12/11/06

UGLY MALAYS

Excerpt of the article "The 'Ugly Malays' becoming the norm" by M.Bakri Musa:

"This Zakaria mess (and many more yet to be revealed) is far more destructive and corrosive to the fabric of our society than the current wildly publicized tiff between Abdullah and Mahathir.......

.......For Malays however, the damage is considerable. We are sending precisely the wrong message to our people. That is, in order to succeed or afford a mansion and other trappings of the “good life,” we do not have to study diligently or work hard but merely ingratiate ourselves to the powerful in order to hog our own little spot at the public trough.

The message we send to non-Malays is equally destructive. That is, we Malays are a race of rogues. We tolerate such nonsense because we harbour our own secret ambition to be like them. This more than anything is what makes me mad and angry with these scoundrels.

By Aristotle’s Nichomechean ethics, it is not enough to be angry. That is the easy part. We have to be angry at the right people, at the right time, for the right purpose, and express that anger in the right way. Slimy characters like Zakaria and his superior Khir Toyo make it easy. We cannot be angry enough at their types. We must totally abhor them. They bring dishonour to our race and nation.

Let me assure non-Malays that the Zakaria Mat Deroses and Khir Toyos are not representative of my race, at least not yet. These “ugly Malays,” to borrow Syed Hussein’s phrase, are fast becoming and will be the norm if we do nothing, by in effect tolerating them. We do have our share of the hard working, the honest, and the frugal. Yes, we are fast shrinking, that we sadly agree."

Very aptly and precisely put, Sir! I couldnt agree more.

Excerpt is courtesy of the writer, M.Bakri Musa. For more of his writings, check out www.bakrimusa.com

How time flies fast when youre having fun.....

.....except that this year cant be described as only fun. It's a concoction of various emotions; sad, depressed, excited, tensed, nostalgic, alone, joyful, happy, grateful, hopeful, envious, and yea....sad again. And because of that, I am a changed individual and hopefully a better one too.

Well, second pro proved to be a real challenge. Tho not as hectic as my first pro year, the subjects were a lot messier. Imagine having to discuss about welding for one whole term! Man, i didnt know welding was such a big deal. Malas lak nak ckp byk psl study. All in all, the more i learn, the more i have come to comprehend and see the power of mechanical engineering. Also, procastination and last minute work must be avoided at all coast! Heh, i should know better. Look how "impressive" my last semester result was... =/

In my first year of uni, my batch consisted of ten unique individuals: me, aida, wawa, eina, filah, Pudin, krol, Safa, Pijoi & Fatih. We used to go everywhere and do anything together since we were the only JPA undergraduates in Chch at that time. Mmg bess giler time tuh. Yer ar kan, first time di negara org. U felt like u want to do anything and go everywhere. Our bond was T.I.G.H.T. Dulu2 selalu lepak umah boys, mkn same2 tengok sky same2, bungee-jumping same2. However, this year two of my dearest frens couldnt be here due to personal matters. I have to admit, it is different without em, mcm tak lengkap lak geng kiteorg. The point that we're all in our third year didnt help. Third year demanded a lot of our time and effort, thus everyone of us got very bz. No more was the frequent get-together with the boys like we used to hv in the previous two yrs. Kdg2, dlm sehari tuh, jumpe eina time breakfast jer walhal dok satu flat. Besides, as we get older, our priorities change. We value people and things differently, and so we prioritize accordingly.

U lost some, u gained some. This year, i gained some new cool, close frens. Namely Aufa, Tengkuk, Raja & Alip. Thank you guys for the great times. They are the ones whom i turn to when i have issues or when i needed someone to listen to my crappy problems or just when i wanted to have some plain old fun! Aufa telah mendedahkan saya kepada budaya korea (dangyunhaji!) & budaya ckp high-pitch & budaya gelak sorg2 di tgh2 mlm, & budaya masak guna microwave sepenuhnya; among many other things laaa. Tengkuk mengajar saya "chill sudeyh", Raja pula memperkenalkan saya kepada Datuk Zack & Khairy Jamaluddin (hahahahahha) dan Alip telah memperkenalkan saya kepada "double melon tea" & "shark fin dumplings". Hehehe, terim kasih suma. I appreciate everything! =D I couldnt find the words to describe how grateful I am to have been acquainted to you guys this year!

Of paramount importance, this year has taught me a lot about relationships and feelings. If i could turn back time and undo some choices which i've made, then I would. Coz getting through emotional conflicts demanded soo much. It cripples u. It makes you weak. The amount of pain, hatred and sadness it brings is just unbearable. But u just have to keep on trying to move on. Coz that's what we do when we're in the shit...We get along with life. No one can tell you how long you should mourn over your misfortune, or ask why ure still stuck at gear one, or why forgiveness if impossible. Coz the heart, Ive learnt, has got a mind of its own. It often overpowers rationality and logic. So there's no way of accelerating the healing of the heart. With God's willing and the determination to heal, however, I'm sure one day soon my heart will be cured completely.

It is scary to think of the future, of where it might lead us to and what it has in store for us. Although we have our plans, they are still subject to Allah's plans for us. Boleh ke tak aku survive third pro? Kalau dah grad, kat mane pulak aku akan kerja nnt? Mungkinkah aku akan hidup senang? Mungkinkah, dalam masa lima tahun lagi, kaum saya akan lebih rajin, berwibawa and lebih utuh drpd keadaan skrg? Sapa tahu. Namun, kita ada satu kuasa. Dan kuasa itu ialah kuasa untuk mencuba. Cuba untuk jd terbaik, cuba untuk mengubah diri dan keadaan kepada satu thp yg lebih baik. Definitely, trying is within our ability.

Jadi apa2pun yg masa hadapan akan tawarkan atau cabarkan kpd saya, I'll try to brace it all as i make my way through. I hope so will YOU! =D

PS: Owh yer, tahun ni saya juga telah mencuba satu yg baru: BLOGGING! =D