Confidence

2 hours of straight lecture, of management module, early in the morning, was proven a real recipe for disaster for us engineers.

I did dozed off for most of the lecture, but still, managed to pick few words of wisdom from the lady lecturing in front.

She said;

Confidence is just an indicator. It shows that you have something that could be relied upon inside.

It reminds me about the times I had confidence in myself about many things, but with actually nothing to rely upon inside!

I guess smiling helped a lot. Even the fake one did. It makes people wonder what you are up to, and blows insecurity into their eyes.

p/s: On second thought, I have to admit that the lecture was not that disastrous after all.

Struck

As I browse through my inbox messages, I came across this particular email from a comrade that I received few months ago.

A part of the mail reads;

causes are not made victorious through the efforts of fame seekers, but through the efforts of those who were described in a hadith to be “rightous, pious and quiet.. those who if they are present are not known and if absent, not missed, and those whose hearts are like lamps of guidance” (al-hakim)

May this be of benefit to all of us. For me at least, surely.

p/s: I used the word comrade rather than friend or mate or anything else for a reason. It might not be important to know why, but it carries some significance to some people.

pp/s: Mind you, I am not a socialist though!

Selamat Hari Raya dari Sheffield

Salam Lebaran dari Sheffield. Maaf Zahir Batin!

Ngeteh

Melepak di warung dengan kawan sekolah, sampai awal pagi, memang mengasyikkan.

Kalau bukan Mulong yang beranikan diri ajak balik, aku rasa, punggung kami tumbuh akar melekat dekat kerusi kedai tu.

Trimas kepada Habel, Zaki, Luqman dan Mulong.

Belum lagi

3 September 2008, GMT +8.

10 hari lagi sebelum berangkat pulang ke UK. Tapi rasa macam 3 bulan di Malaysia, kosong.

Atau penuh sangat sampai aku keliru.

Soldadu

Salah satu cita-cita aku yang belum selesai ialah untuk berkhidmat dengan tentera.

Aku suka jadi tentera sebab tentera sentiasa dalam keadaan berdisiplin, sempurna dan tiada ruang untuk kesilapan.

Jika aku tentera bawahan, aku sentiasa perlu terima arahan tanpa banyak soal dan songeh. Bukankah hidup dalam masyarakat dan organisasi akan lebih mudah dan kurang konflik jika kita sentiasa patuh pada arahan orang atas?

Contoh tentera bawahan yang bagus ialah tentera Jepun. Disuruh mati, dia mati.

Jika aku pegawai tentera, aku boleh sesuka hati keluarkan arahan itu ini. Tapi awas, kuasa yang hebat datang bersama dengan tanggungjawab yang hebat (bak kata Spiderman). SIlap bagi arahan, hilang nyawa tentera bawahan, dan hilang tanah yang dipertahan.

Tentera Amerika bagus dalam memberi arahan dan memimpin. Semua askar Amerika berkebolehan memimpin, hatta seorang prebet pun.

Jadi tentera bagus, kerana aku tak perlu kisah banyak fasal emosi orang. DIa tak suka, dia boleh kemas beg dan balik kampung.

Sampai hari ini, melihat kelibat seorang tentera beruniform tak pernah gagal membugarkan kembali cita-cita aku yang belum selesai ini.

(Nota: Semalam, masa aku berjalan dekat bandar Sheffield, aku terserempak dengan trak ‘The Yorkshire Regiment‘ yang tengah buka pendaftaran untuk rekrut baru.)

A Tribute to SMSA 2007/08

How could a post in Kuburan serve as a meaningful tribute?

When I have not made any posting for ages and the first posting after that long silence is specially and wholeheartedly addressed to you (i.e SMSA 2007/08).

As aforementioned in the last meeting, I was surprisingly touched by the courage and spirit showed by all of us SMSA 2007/08, particularly when those who were nominated to once again run the committee, decided gracefully not to step back when you have all the chances.

It is not winning the most votes that matter. What matters most is the fact that we walk the talk, the agenda, the aspiration that we share together.

You guys definitely did the right thing to do.

This is not a farewell message, rather it is here as a pledge by myself that I will continue to uphold my idealism and dreams that I have for SMSA. Comrades, please share the same pledge.

I, Muhammad Ruzaini Shahrom, salute you!

Mohd Khairul Anwar Zahri aka Roy

Adibah Abu Kassim

Wan Iman Wan Mohd Nazi

Lea Natasha Ribin

Mohd Shahnom Ismail

Eliyana Saliha Elias

Mohd Johan Taufik

Azweed Mohamad

Siti Sofiah Mohd Radzi

Ahmad Firdaus Mad Sallih

Adibah Najihah Jasmi

P.S. For those who never heard of SMSA before, I truly pity you. Here’s an enlightenment.

The Wave

I am back

Silence is golden, they say. (Illustrative purpose only)

 

After weeks of silence, I am at last writing again.

I value time very much these days. I can hardly find time to read the news, so don’t even ask about blogs and books. This makes me feel like I am being left behind and got a lot to catch up. Especially with friends.

School is not going very well. I am struggling with math as always. Being a math-moron, an Italian lecturer with a very bad English won’t be of any help. Not to mention the grudge I still hold against the Italians for ’stealing’ 50euro from my pocket. (read earlier post about my trip to Italy last summer). If it’s not because of the rakyat are literally paying me to attend lectures, I would not even bother to attend (reluctantly) the math classes. I’ll end up sleeping in the class anyway, most of the time.

This weekend will be the 4th raya weekend, which will still see Sheffielders attending open houses, if not hosting one. I missed at least one open house last weekend, as I was in London. So, it’s payback time!

That’s all for now.

p/s: I would like to SPECIALLY thank those who without fail, have supported me (directly or indirectly) by leaving comments on my previous posts. Appreciate it guys.

Irfan

Dibah Abdullah

Azza Azmi

Miza

Shark

Habel

Dibah Kassim

DVD

Buying pirated DVDs would have never been easier for me. That is a sure advantage of having fair skin colour.

Holiday Plaza in JB is notorious for its pirated stuffs, ranging from movie and software DVDs, to cheap designer handbags and clothings. When things are doing well and I have nothing more important to worry and to think about, I’ll go to Holiday Plaza and get some pirated DVDs to watch. It’s illegal, I know. But when it is operating and the big guys are not doing anything about it, you will come to think that it is ok to get dirty with piracy.

But you will not get to buy movie DVDs as easy as buying other pirated goodies. Movie DVDs are rare, and to buy them is a privilege. And considering myself to be one of those who enjoy the privilege , I will generously share the trick and trade of getting yourself to the secret chambers, hidden behind walls of shops of Holiday Plaza.

1. Get yourself dressed up like most Chinese guys/girls do.

2. Go to Holiday Plaza and you’ll see shops selling items like CDs holder or toys for babies, with a Chinese guy normally equipped with a walkie. Walk through those shops and walk slowly without being suspicious.

3. Pretend like you are looking for something, but it is not there. Buat muka blur.

4. If your attempt to look like a Chinese succeed, that guy with walkie will ask you in Chinese, which you won’t understand a bit, accept for a magic word- ‘DVD’.

5. This is the most crucial part. DO NOT REPLY. Just give him a nod, and show him a ‘thumb-up’ signal. He’ll lead you to the door to secret chamber and call his fella inside using his walkie to open up the door for you. (The door is normally a high-tech one, that can only be opened from inside).

6. In case of the guy asks you an additional question (normally due to your bad acting thus invites suspicion), try to reply him in English, trying to sound as Singaporean as you can. A simple reply that you can give is “I’m sorry?”.

7. If step #6 fails, I strongly recommend you to give up on that shop and proceed to the next available potential target. Should you feel that your acting was a total failure, I recommend you to call it a day and try again tomorrow, as the news of a fake Chinese trying to get into the secret chamber are spreading through the walkies as you walk to the next target. The chance of success then would be 0%.

Happy trying =)

DISCLAIMER: I would not be responsible if any of you readers get caught buying pirated DVDs in Holday Plaza. Treat my writing here as a mere experience-sharing and view anything bad from a curing, preventing perspective of view. Lets stop piracy, together with Mr Police and KPDNHEP.