"Cheated"

Last week, the timetable was a mess. Some lecturers demanded to change the time. Some lab sessions clashed with our lectures. Some didn't want this, some didn't want that... And on last Friday, a coursemate and I did not notice that our Inorganic Chemistry lecture had been shifted to early in the morning, so we inadvertently played truant.

On the following Monday, we went to meet the lecturer together to explained what had happened. Perhaps she was busy. She was so snobbish! And how I hated the way she talked! So I thought, well, c'est la vie and good luck to my entire semester meeting her.

This morning I went for her lecture. Hey, she was just like a big sister! She knew what is difficult for us and she more attention on those areas. In short, she taught with her heart and it really touched me. She made my day! And I felt like I've been cheated by my first impression on her.

Going to Logos Hope tomorrow!

Pride & Prejudice

I am proud. Very proud. I know I'm rather smart and I love to be in the limelight. I don't like show-offs. They are stupid, I thought. For this very reason, this personality of mine made me lose the chances to learn new things.

I knew that I was not good at tennis. But after the last lecture of the day, I invited my classmate to just play a little tennis. Not exactly to have a game. Both of us took tennis as our co-curricular activity and we were are still are novice. As we were playing, a young man came and started telling us how to play tennis. I supposed he's from the Sports and Coaching Faculty.

Hello dude! I know you are smart. You Sport Science kids are excellent in sports. But please... Can't you just get lost and play somewhere else? I don't need nobody to make me look like a fool!

But then, he wasn't arrogant or snobbish. I guess it was just me. My ego. My pride.

I love it!

Wednesdays are awesome. My first 5 hours in campus is to have organic chemistry lecture and experiment. Usually, I won't have the time for breakfast unless the library cafe is open before 8 a.m.

Next up will be Japanese language class. Learning languages have been my passion since long ago. So far, the foreign languages I learnt are French, Japanese and Tamil. I love the feeling to be admired and adored by g̶i̶r̶l̶s̶ people around when I'm multilingual. It feels like being at the top of the world.

Yea... awesome Wednesday. I guess I was just lying. Today's mudane and boring.

If only I have the stamina of ten men

If only I have the stamina of ten men,
I can pay full attention during lectures

despite of my lack of rest.

If only I have the stamina of ten men,

I would be having lots of fun

under the sun

Jogging, Running, Cyling...

Unlike now

Sitting in front of my laptop,
Worn-out...like an old man.

If only I have the stamina of ten men,

I can excel in every thing I do,

I won't be left behind

just because I was tired

and did not engage with the lessons.

If only I have the stamina of ten men,

I wouldn't have to take a short nap

during Biology

or else, I'll just dozed off if there wasn't a break.

If only I have the stamina of ten men,

I wouldn't look like a zombie

everywhere I go to

people asked why I looked exhausted.

If only I have the stamina of ten men,

I would be composing this blog post with full of vigour

and excitement.

In reality, I wished to skip today's post.

If only I have the stamina of ten men...

I could handle countless tasks.

What a joke

The weather has been unpredictable recently. This moment, it could be hot like a furnace. Before you know it, the sky will show signs that it is going to rain anytime.

This happened today. I had class from 8 to 10 am. After meeting with lecturers and dealing with some matters, I headed home to do my laundry, since it had been a hot morning. It was so hot that I felt like energy being drained out from my body.

When I reached home, a friend was using the bathroom. My detergent was in the bathroom, so I waited for him to come out. All I heard was him singing loudly. When my turn came, I quickly grabbed the detergent and did my laundry using the washing machine. Then, I took a nap because I was just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired. Dead tired. I needed a 'power nap' so much. Still, that same friend who 'delayed' my laundry time, came back with a packet of lunch. It wasn't a problem until the rustling of the plastic bags started.

Every single whisper is audible when I'm in the sleeping mode. I'll be very sensitive to sounds. That friend of mind didn't know, so every single sound made by the plastic bags, every time the spoon brushed against the polystyrene box, every time he slurped a mouthful of his lunch, those 'whispers' woke me up. Obviously I wasn't happy because I don't get enough rest as I wanted, so I slept longer.

By the time I woke up, which was about 10 minutes later, the sky started to turn dark. I had no choice but to hang my clothes under the cloudy weather. In no time, rain poured heavily. There's no way my clothes are going to dry. Wearing half-dried clothes feels yucky and clammy.

Whom shall I blame? I don't know. I wish I could put the blame on someone. When my friends hang their clothes, the weather seems to be on their side, but seldom mine. Frustrated to the max!

What a huge joke today. Well... C'est la vie!

Did I just ate lotus?

It's Sunday and for Christians like me, it's church day. My room mates and I attend different churches in Tanjung Malim. They had to leave earlier. After they had left, I had some time to laze on bed.

I didn't feel like going to church actually. I don't know why, I felt very troubled at heart. Anyway,I dragged myself there. Even during service, I texted another former classmate to talk to him about my problems. Should not have done that. And I felt miserable throughout the service.

The whole evening was kind of wasted too. Initially I planned to visit the library to do some reference. I chose to nap instead. And how I wished I do not have to wake up.

Am I tired? Physically? Emotionally and mentally? I just don't know. Perhaps I'm being haunted by my past. The foolish things that I'd done and the consequences that are still felt today. Too tired to even think of them.

Today's happening reminds me of the short story I learnt back in Fourth Form -- The Lotus Eater. A lotus eater means to live an idle life. Am I living today like that?

As a brigadier

Today, it's the second time I attend the Fire Brigade meeting.

I was a little flabbergasted when the instructors who came in the class were not the ones I met last week. These two new guys were actually from the Perak Fire Brigade headquarters in Ipoh. They must have left Ipoh in the wee hours of the morning to Tanjung Malim because they had to reach here at 8 a.m.

After some briefing, we went out for drill. Basically, the moves were easy. I was in the Boys' Brigade prior to this and I had been familiar with this kind of drill. Even though we were under the bright morning Sun, it was not a difficult task for me. Good that I didn't register for the 11 a.m. slot. That would be crazy. Imagine doing drill under the afternoon Sun.

The drill, however, made me miss my days when I was in the Boys' Brigade. I love the fellowship. I love the friendship. But I didn't like the band. I was and still am a person with minimal musical talents.

For that reason, today I also emailed a lecturer from the Music Faculty to seek for her advice as I may not be able to learn to play flute with her this semester. My timetable is packed.

Hopefully she'll give me the best suggestion. I would still love to learn to play flute. Just maybe, not now.

Tired like...

It's a tiring day today. Weather was good. It was sunny all day long. Probably that was the reason I got so tired. The hot weather could have drained my energy out. As if the Sun sucked out the last bit of my energy.

Anyway, this was my day. I never liked, in fact, never did, to play truant. Perhaps I was blur after a tiresome week. I just had too many things at hand. I had Japanese and Tamil classes, labs to go for, uncertain lab times to be determined, money matters etc. According to the subject schedule that was published some time ago, my Inorganic Chemistry class was supposed to be today evening at 5pm. After running my errands, I went to the classroom at about 4.30pm.

To my surprise, a senior was there and I was wondering whether she got into the wrong classroom. She was sure that she didn't mistakenly enter the wrong room. So I went to the computer in front of the classroom to check my timetable.

MY INORGANIC CHEMISTRY CLASS HAS BEEN SHIFTED TO 8AM THIS MORNING!!!

Therefore, without knowing, I had become a naughty boy who skipped class. Later, another course mate who happened to register for the same subject called me. She, too, missed the class and we agreed to meet the lecturer on Monday morning.

Oh yea by the way, my scholarship is in today. Time to pay for my course fees and other expenses.

En peyar Andrew. Unggal peyar enne?

This morning I started sneezing again. As fast as I could, I popped in a pill, the flu suppressor prescribed by the Health Centre. You probably wouldn't believe how fast it worked. IT WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY MY SNEEZING STOPPED!

But you also wouldn't believe the side effects. It was about 10 minutes before Miss Fairus' class that I took the medication. As the class was going on, I started to feel a little drowsy. Oh no.. not now! I've been hearing stories of medications from UPSI's Health Centre will surely cause drowsiness and sleepiness, and it's happening to me right there, during the class. I could not pay attention and all I wanted was the class to end at that very moment.

Today, my dream had come true! I was hoping to learn Tamil the moment I stepped into this university. What a bummer! For the past to semesters, I only took French and Tamil classes were closed because of the lack of enrollment. But today, I was so thrilled that I actually get to learn one of the oldest language on earth!

I learnt to introduce myself. En peyar Andrew. My name is Andrew. Unggal peyar enna? What is your name? I also learnt to write a little Tamil characters. Not too difficult as it seems.

Later in the evening, I went to KHAR and KZ to promote the English Debate Club to the junior TESLians. Though I may not be one of them, but as a science student, I would love to sharpen the way I speak. That is why I joined this club last semester. I participated in the Malaysia Debate Open in Melaka and our own Vice Chancellor Cup in the Proton City campus and even won myself the title as one of the three Best Speaker.

Hopefully this visit will not be in vain. Good night. Bonne nuit!

Hajimashite

Today is the day that seemed to be a little nicer to me. I was recuperating from my sinus. I requested for medicine at the Health Centre in campus, which I was prescribed two types of medicines, namely chewable Vitamin C tablets and some kind of flu/sinus suppressor. Vitamin C is to prevent cold and to strengthen my immunity while the suppressor is supposed to be taken only when I sneeze like there's no tomorrow.

After two semesters of learning French, I had my first Japanese class today. The lecturer was such a kind lady. And she's so understanding. She knew very well that chances of us logging into the Myguru system is low, so she told us to add her as a friend on Facebook instead.

We introduced ourselves in Japanese. It's just so different. The feeling was good. However, I was still rather influenced by the French I learnt. Automatically, the answer that ran in my mind was in French. Funny, huh?

Still missing the moments when I learnt how to say bonjour, comment allez-vous, Merci beaucoup, tres bien and so on... Hopefully I get to complete my third level of French next semester.

Out of bleakness, something sweet

After a long wait, my salary from Sunway is now deposited into my account. At least I can have decent meals now and I don't have to worry about the expenses I have to make.

I fell ill. There were two possibilities. It could be yesterday's rain or I didn't sleep well due to my noisy roommates. I chose to believe the latter. No.. no that they were really noisy, but the slightest whisper could wake me up. I'm a light sleeper. The second reason I chose this believe was that throughout the day, I didn't feel a slight bit of cold. It was purely sinus and my nose became even more sensitive to dust and soot. So there goes my day, sneezing and perspiring profusely at every class and laboratory session.

After dinner, I had a meeting with my English Debate Club. We planned to meet up with the juniors to recruit them at their respective colleges. It was also a meet up with the seniors after four months not meeting with each other. Had a very bad day but that cheered me up and made my day.

Monday Blues?

Rain just came pouring down the moment I was about to leave the house to campus. I was supposed to deal with some matters before class starts at 4pm. I had to choose a lab session for Biology, meet some university staffs to settle my scholarship matters, check out some foreign language classes, before I could take my brunch. Huhhh.... endless tasks... And obviously the rain just made things worse. I had to put on my poncho but still got my pants wet. The poncho was just not long enough to cover my height.

In the afternoon, I carried some books to be returned to a lecturer. They were heavy. I went around the campus with them and the weight is like crushing my arms. Very soon, I returned them to the designated lecturer, but that wasn't the end. The effect was still felt by my tired arms. I can't type a text message without shaking my hands and they became restless when I had my class at 4pm. My hands we just not comfortable and they had to be moved about. Still not the end yet, I had to collect fees from my classmates. What could I do? It's the monitor's job and I am the one!

And now, when I'm typing this, the lights are actually off. The electricity isn't stable. The lights flickered and blackouts happened since evening. Guess we have to sleep early then. Good night. Bonne nuit!

Les Miserables

The moment I woke up today, I knew it will be a miserable day. Which was true enough...

As usual, at around 7am, I tried to wake my friend up because I thought he has to be early in church. He woke up, looked at me and continue sleeping. All I can think of was, "What the h*ll." Am I a nobody that can be ignored as you like? Perhaps I was a little too sensitive. Then I went to church. A different church from the one my friend attends.

Later after service, I noticed the sky was a little dark. I texted this friend and asked whether he needs an umbrella. He may be busy in his church for some time. He replied, saying that he is already back at home and was asking whether I was at the umbrella shop. Was he joking or what? I would appreciate a thank you for the thoughtfulness, but definitely not a dry humour like this. I felt bad.

A little later, the cloud of worries gloomed over me. I started to think again about my bank accounts that are about to 'dry up'. No way the money is coming today. Today's Sunday! How am I going to pay my fees? How am I going to pay the rental? What am I going to eat? I had not have a proper meal today and my wallet has less than MYR 10. Books to be paid? Provisions to be purchased? My life sucked. And I can't help but to feel bad whole day. Don't feel like doing anything.

What a miserable day!

Just a Saturday

With a facial mask on my face and Canon in D by Pachabel as background music, I'm blogging this post.

After reading the novel Fireproof about two years ago, I have been having that admiration for firemen. I thought they are heroes, saving the day. Therefore I signed up to join the Fire Bridage Cadet in UPSI and today is the first meeting, in a classroom.

A well-built man and four seniors came in and gave us some briefing. After some introduction regarding the Brigade, they measured our bodies to make our uniform. Meanwhile, the well-built man, who is our instructor, told some of us to go to the next classroom to take a look at the
Brigadiers who are in full uniform. I was one of them and we gave positive feedback to the class. I guess I've chosen the right uniform body to join and I know I'll be excited to learn new things.

It was brunch after that with a fellow coursemate. We ate in Tanjung Malim town. The food was alright, but what concerned me more was the same for the past week -- my thinning wallet. To date, there is no news about my salary and my scholarship is not coming any soon. Not today, at least. Today's Saturday and nobody's going to work.

If only the money comes in now...

Ok, time to take my mask off.

A holiday

Today is a recently gazetted holiday, Malaysia Day, the day to commemorate the union of Sabah and Sarawak with Peninsula Malaysia. I believe it's a day to rejoice as many people will be enjoying a long weekend.

To me, however, it is not a very happy day. People are not working today and that causes my salary and scholarship to delay.

Besides, some of my friends from church and I visited a brother who is down with dengue fever at the Slim River Hospital. It is very likely he contracted it back in his hometown, but just a moment ago, people from the Ministry of Health came to our area in Taman Nusa to do some fogging. As hilarious as it may be, it is better to prevent than to cure, as people say.

I may be facing a financial 'plight' now, but i thank God that Touch N Go credited MYR 30 into my bank account. I reported my TnG card that was lost weeks ago, and after investigations, the company returned my balance into my account. Well, at least I can survive this weekend, before I could meet up with the relevant people to settle my salary and scholarship payment.

Inaugural EC 2 Lecture

It's the first class today. I was almost late. The moment I enter the classroom, I was told by my classmate to write my details on a piece of paper. I saw another guy who wrote a "5" under the MUET column, thinking that there's another person whom I am on par with. However, later he revealed that he thought that column was for semester. So that makes me the only student with Band 5 for MUET.

The lecturer is Miss Fairus Daud. She asked us what did we do the last semester to improve our command in English. I wanted to say that I joined the English Debate Club and even went for an international debate tournament in Melaka, but I kept quiet, not wanting to make my peers think that I was showing off.

After the lecture, I went to check my bank accounts to see whether my former employer and the Public Service Department have banked in money into my accounts. I've been checking the accounts several times a day and it had been my 'ritual' for the past 2 weeks. Yet they are still no signs of money banked in. And money is running out soon. I have room rental to pay, course fee, book fees etc... and it's public holiday tomorrow, which means they and the banks are not going to work. Thanks a lot, Sunway and PSD! You guys just made me stronger in will.

Hopefully the money will come in soon. Very soon.