The End

Hello hello HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sorry I have not been updating this blog recently. Busy with exams. There are actually a few stuff that happened in December that I would like to post but did not have the time. Some other day I guess.

So last night we bid 2009 goodbye and say hello to 2010!

Man, isn't it scary how time flies so fast?

It is a new year, out with the old and in with the new!

But let us review 2009 shall we? It has been an awesome year. Hectic, but fun. Not to mention stressful as well. Stretched? More like dumped into the washing machine and spinning without the water on. Ouch...

Nevertheless, 2009 has been a rather good year, full of memories and amazing journeys. Last year I did the Big 8s of 2008, I now present to you the 9 big events (arranged in chronological order) that made 2009 a great year for me. Most of the things have been mentioned before in previous post, but I shall walk you all down memory lane together with me :)

1. I WON!!!!
Never in a million years did I expect to win the college book review competition (student category). I have never written a review before, so when Ms Hema forced encouraged us to join the competition, I thought, Hey why not. Just give it a shot.

I wrote a review on the book A Thousand Splendid Suns. Click to read!

The prize, RM500 and an Ipod Nano!



College banyak duit mah. Haha

But I am very grateful to the Lord for letting me win. There were two other people that can share the joy with me. Ms Hema won the review for the lecturer's category, and Yvonne came in second place in the student category.

Ms Sathya was so proud of us that she baked a cake for us!



For those who are fortunate enough to have the pleasure of trying one of her cakes, you and I both know that it is very VERY delicious!

2. Best Musical Ever
When Alep told me about the Puteri Gunung Ledang musical that he watched a few years ago, he really got me excited about it. All the more since they were performing in Istana Budaya again, making it their third season of doing that show.



I was even more excited when 7 of us bought tickets to watch the show! Half of us skipped class especially to watch the show, and the other half paid double taxi fare just to get to that place. But it was all worth it. Every single penny.

Our tickets were expensive. Rm80+, after student discount. For good seats what. Of course expensive. You get what you pay for.

The view was spectacular, and the show was superb. Even if it cost RM200, I tell you, it is worth it!

The main cast was amazing, and even the extras were brilliant. They really brought the show to live.





This is one show that I would not mind watching again.

I have watched a few other plays and musicals, but none can compare with PGL. Being able to watch PGL is a really big deal to me. No regrets whatsoever!



3. I am not a DIVA. I am just an actress/dancer
This is my second stint in acting. And also the first musical that I am in.

Love=tan90 came after a request from Ms Sathya that we do another play since we did really well in our small class play in September 2008. She was impressed with what we did and demanded that we do another play, big scale, in the auditorium and invite hundreds of people to come.



And so we worked on tan90 for months. Practised into the late nights, especially during fasting month.





There were a few conflicts among as, but it was something that we always managed to work out. It was a very stressful time for us. I even sprained my ankle, which added to the stress.

Nevertheless, everything turned out to be alright, and Love=tan90 was a hit. So much so that the other departments requested for an encore performance from us!

Acting and dancing were not the only things I did. I worked mostly behind the scenes and helped make everyone else look good. Haha I edited the music for the first sub-plot, became the behind the scenes paparazzi, and did the booklet for the play as well. I was rather surprised when Ms Hema passed me off as her co-director to her father.

We really had fun during practises, and even on stage. Just look at the crazy things that we do. Like little kids only.. Even the lecturers were shocked to see the way we behave. Ms Hema had a hard time explaining to them that we are always like that in class and by nature. She is immune to our insanity already. I suppose nothing can surprise her anymore. Haha





One of the most important thing about tan90 was not the fact that we put on a great show, or that our tickets sold out until the audience had to stand for two hours just to watch the play because there were not enough seats. It was the fact that it brought us all together as a family.

We started to bond during the first play in September, but tan90 really superglued the bond. It also did wonders for a few people's personality. From introverts to all time jokers. It really brought out the best in us.







4. Evil AS Exam
Suprise surprise.

Yes, the Cambridge exam was a very big deal to me. It did not really make the year amazing, but it definitely meant that I am halfway done with A-Levels. And yes I canNOT wait to finish!

While we were studying for the exams, I believe that most of us, including myself, went nuts. I mean, just look at these two...





Haha anything to kill boredom right?

But yea during that period we hogged the library and made a hell lot of noise. Haha very stressful, but it was fun.

One important thing that came out of the exam was that I got an A for Chemistry, something that was deemed impossible by Mr George. Haha I felt so glad to prove him and everyone else wrong! But, I have to say, all glory goes to God in the highest :)

5. We Graduated as Eagles!
Ever been to camp before?

I have been to a few, but I must say, Soaring The Eagle was by far the best camp ever.

STE was not just another fun play camp that Petronas put together for all the scholars. It was an amazing journey of self-discovery, and a lot of values were placed into our hearts. Not to mention the fact that we became close friends with the other scholars from Sunway, Taylors, Nottingham and UTP.

The program was also a close and personal way that we can get to know one another, see a different side of each other. And most importantly, learn to forgive. We also learn to speak our minds and stand up for what we believe in, and I did a whole lot of that even though I am actually a very shy person in nature.

No, really. I am shy! haha

The facilitators were really sweet and encouraging. They were very understanding and always willing to lend an ear. And the Indonesian workers working at Agrotek were very friendly as well. They made our stay a whole lot comfortable.

The classes that were conducted was serious business, but that does not mean that we can't have fun! The people there are insane! Which makes it all the more fun.







My group, PRIMAX



And we totally rocked! We emerged as the winner group in Group 2.

During STE, we learnt to step up to the plate and take on challenges despite our fear.

Mine, singing in front of everyone else.

When I first sang, it was HORRIJIBLE!!! I was so terrified! Haha and our three STE idol judges were not the least bit merciful when it came to the comments, except for Sarah acting as Paula Abdul.

Despite all that, I was chosen to represent Group 2 to compete again for the STE Idol during the final night. I lost out to Suzie dear. But I would never forget that moment.



I loved that experience not because I was chosen to sing, but because of the love and support my friends and groupmates showed me that night. It was just awesome.

I am very grateful to Petronas for organising this program for all of us. I wish I can turn back time and re-visit this moment.





I LOVE YOU. I FORGIVE YOU!

6. Proud to be a Sheep
I did a lot of stupid things in 2009, and I did a few smart things as well. Having said that, I have to say that one of the smartest things that I did was to join an SIB KL college zone cell.

Since Joshua was in Sheep United, I thought that I would just tag along. And so I did.

And I do not regret a single moment of it, even if it meant that I had to give up my Friday nights. Let me tell you about the cell.

Sheep United is whacked man!

Not only do we fellowship and meet every Friday, we do lots of other stuff together.

We celebrate each other



We watch musicals together



Have supper together



And play weird and funny ice-breaking games during cell!



Cell was also an opportunity for us to do things that we never thought that we would be doing. The Sheep played paintball and are climbing Mount KK in June this year.

Through cell, I had the opportunity to participate in the crazy Couzmazing Race and won second place together with Joshua, Andrew and Beatrice.



Lets not forget the most important part of cell. To grow and learn more about God :)

The people in cell are really wonderful and are like family to me. We can relate to one another and understand each other.

Allow me to introduce the crazy car gang.



We are crazy in the car.

Crazy in the cell.

Crazy in the arcade.

Crazy in Italianniese.

Crazy everywhere.

With extremely loud laughter from each of us.

We go to cell in one car every Friday night. Well used to. Now that Ronald is back in Kuching, Zoe and Woan Na have no means of transportation to cell anymore.

The cell is multiplying next month, but until then, I am going to enjoy every single moment together with the other sheep.



7. This is Our Night
Malam Kebudayaan Melayu has always been part and parcel of a scholar's life here in KDU.

But this year, the simple and small event turned into a big scale college event. It just spun right out of our hands.

I did not have my hand in organising it, but I was occupied with conducting the MKM choir. May I point out the fact that I have never been in a proper choir before, and that would be my first time conducting the choir!



I had the idea in hand, but I was still lost. But thank God there were a few people that gave me good advice and helped out alot.

Especially this guy.



Brandon is responsible for making the whole choir look good on stage. And they do.

The choir turned out really well. And I am so very proud of them all. This is one experience that I will never forget. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and further proves that you can do anything as long as you have the passion for it and if you set your mind to it.

The other performances went really well too. All in all, MKM was a huge success. All that time and money spent, was all worth it. We spent the whole day in college. Classes from 8, practises at 5 until 9-10.

Yes it was a very stressful moment as well. But again, it brought us all together. Including the juniors.







I think everyone can look back at MKM and be as proud of it as I am.

8. So I Ran
Never in a million years would I expect myself to participate in a marathon. I guess there is always a first time for everything.



I took part in Run For the Nation in October. We ran 5km and prayed along the way for Malaysia. I teamed up with Melody and Shin Yi, together with our manager, Joshua.



Not only did RunNat got me jogging before and after the run, it made alot of us realise how important it was to pray for the nation.

The typical mindset that most Malaysians have is that the country is going downhill due to unwise decisions made by the leaders, corruption, economic crisis and a long list of never-ending problems.

We are doomed. So they say. We so easily give up on this matter without remembering the fact that we have a chance to turn it all around. We can surrender all our issues into the hands of the Lord and miracles will happen.

A very powerful reminder.

RunNat is definitely something that I am proud to be a part of. They are running again in May, and there is a big chance that I am not going to miss the run. It is actually during my exams, but I hope that I can still participate it together with global day prayer.

9. Snuck Up On Me
I expected a lot of things to happen to me in 2009, but I never thought that something like this would happen to me.



I am happy.

Very happy.

I feel special now.

I want to make you feel special too because you are :)

******************

Ok folks. There you have it. The 9 biggest thing to hit me in 2009. Wait till the end of 2010, and I will give you the big 10.

Until then, smile people. Its a brand new year. Forget all your hurts and forgive those who offended you. You do not want to start the new year with a hating heart now do you?

God bless people :)

The People from STE

Yvonne was right. STE was magical.

We all went there with a lot of issues with each other, and being somewhat slightly closed minded about the scholars from other colleges. There was a lot of judgement about the other groups especially on the first and second day. But as fate would have it, it did not allow such things to persist.

Time healed the wounds, first judgements were taken back, barriers were broken, new friendships were made, people were brought closer together and the idiotic sense of patriotism towards our own college was demolished as we come to realise that we are ONE PETRONAS.

I have to admit, when I discovered who my group mates were on the first day, I wished I could have changed the names and people in the list. But now, I would never ever change the order of the list in any single way.

I suppose all of our first impressions were not very good as most of us judged and assumed stuff about each other, only to be completely wrong about it towards the end. We learned a great deal about each other, and revealed things unknown to the rest of the world about ourselves. We shared in each other’s happiness and sadness, and even laughed and cried with and for one another.

We LOVE you. We FORGIVE you!

That line was first introduced to us after the XY Game that was full of betrayal and distrust. Haha we fell for the facilitator’s trap, but from there we learned that during hard and stressful times, we should stick to our moral values and promises. To ensure that we learn to love and forgive each other, and also to neutralise the almost heated debate we got into because of the game, our facilitators made us say that line to each other. From that day on, it has become the unofficial tag line of STE for our batch.

I really regretted all the judgement I had about my newfound friends from Taylors. I made unfair assumptions about them for certain reasons, but as the days went by, I started to take them all back and looked at my friends from a different perspective. Right Hadi? hehe

Before I went there, Ah Siang from Kuching (Sg Maong) was the only enemy friend I had from Taylors. Due to something stupid he said in Recom, I vowed my revenge and have been agitating him ever since. Yes, I am having a blast disturbing him on Recom, Facebook and MSN. I gave him no peace whatsoever.

We can be seen bickering throughout STE. He is not that bad. He is just one of the many people that I like to agitate. We are still friends, despite all the silly and naughty things we say about each other.

Lousy Ah Siang.... Nah nah, your smile also quite natural here! :p

The other guys from Taylors are just as swell. The following are the Taylorians from my group.

This is Raymond.

He does not look Chinese right? That is because he is Kadazan from KK! We paired up during the introduction session, and though our presentation was a complete mess slightly messy, he managed to shock the entire class and myself by telling them that I am Bidayuh Chinese without me saying anything to him in the beginning! Haha he turned out to be a Recomer that has been spying on my every word there :p

Raymond is a really nice guy. He was in my Primax team, and it was a pleasure being on the same team as him. And he looks super adorable in sarong! Hehe

This is Syafiq @ Yun.

Syafiq!! His hair is shorter and nicer now :)

There is a lot to him than meets the eye. I only started talking to him during the very last days of STE because we never really got the chance to mix around with each other. Syafiq is so sweet! And very thoughtful as well. He came over to study during the weekend, and I really wish him all the best in his A2 this November :)

During one of the classes, we played this game Why Do You Like Me. So, I "proposed" to Yun, only to have him betray me on stage with Nurul and Mariam. Hmph... Hehe

Another one of the Taylors' boys in my group is Romantic Razi!!

I look super cool in Razi's sunglasses. hehe

Razi is really sweet and super friendly. One of the few that we hung out with during first few days of STE.

He looks like some act-macho guy that does not have a sensitive side. But he made a really good first impression on all of us, and has proven to be a really caring guy.

Sorry Razi I broke our promise. Nice to meet me right? But you do not know why. Hmm... hehe

This next guy is cool as ice. Its none other than Khoo!!

Looking good with Mariam's handbag!

Khoo is a tennis player, but mostly a sailor.

The first time I saw him, I was slightly scared of him. But he turned out to be a really funny guy and yes, approachable. Khoo was one of the people that really encouraged me and gave me confidence to sing. His words were really assuring and I feel glad to have a friend like him. And I am lucky to have him as part of the Primax team :)

The next guy I shall tell you all about is a person that is very poyo, vain, noisy, naughty and hamsap.

Yes, its none other that Hadi!!

Hadi is a nice guy with a lot of opinions about things. For some reason, all the girls like to tease him and pick a fight with him. But in the end, we LOVE and FORGIVE each other. For some odd reason he likes to call me teddy bear, but Yvonne insists that I am gummy bear. Hmm... Those two belong together... Lolz

Apart from Taylors, we also had scholars from Sunway as well. We had two of them in our group.
This is Jonathan, Jon for short.

Jon is really active in class. I think he had more energy than half of us put together. He was the brains behind the whole shoelace thing during our outdoor activity, which shows that he is really creative and is willing to take risks.

He is fun to be with, and I really enjoyed being in the same team with him :)

The other guy from Sunway is Irfan.

Jatuh cinta lagi....

He looks like an insane person right? You are absolutely correct. He is insane.

He comes up, say, and does stuff that were beyond what any of us expected, and he spends RM134 per month on ... Haha despite all that, Irfan is a really nice guy. He kept apologising to me after the whole STE Idol thing because he felt so bad about what he said to me. But all is forgiven :)

Irfan, don't go speeding anymore yea! I don't like...

We also had people from Nottingham that joined us. This sweetie here is Nurul.

She looks so sweet right? Well that is because she is a sweet girl. She was one of the very few people that made me realise that I can make an impact wherever I go.

I feel bad for abusing her during our skit. Hehe omg she is so cute. Haha she and Yun came over during the weekend, and we headed to Casa to visit the others. By the way, we are scandalising the two of them together. Hehehe so cute...

Another sweetie from Nottingham is Mariam.

Mariam looks like the most fragile thing on earth. She is so skinny! But she has a great sense of fashion. Like me, she uses Ipanema! The most comfortable and affordable sandals/flip-flops on earth! Haha

She looks like a very shy person, but do not be fooled. I loved it when she was presenting. There was something very sweet in her tone of voice and of course, the way she carried herself.

In my batch, we had future economist, future accountants and future engineers. But there is this one very special scholar that stands out from the rest of us. Introducing, future doctor Seha!!

The future petroleum engineer and the future doctor!

Everyone's first impression of Seha was that she was a shy and conservative girl. But Seha proved herself wrong. She is not as shy as we all thought her to be. And the fact that she is the only person from Cyberjaya did not stop her from blending in with the rest of us.

We also had international students from UTP as well.

This is Felisberto. I call him Felis.

Felis is fun to talk to. Although he is shy, as he does not really socialise much, but he is a really great person to know. And I learn alot from him about how he copes as an international student in UTP. It was fun to have him in Primax as well.

Next is Obie.

He looks kinda scary in this picture because he does not really take pictures very often. Anyway, Obie is also one of the people in my group that has a lot of say about something. He has a lot of opinions and ideas that we all learnt from.

Apparently he has a lot of cool ideas related to his mechanical engineering field, but is afraid to reveal to anyone else because he fears that they might steal his idea. Lolz

Those people were my groupmates during STE. Rashad, Yvonne, Daniel and Siti Sarah were also in my group, and it was a pleasure to get to know them more.

I met my future classmate in STE!!!

Two future petroleum engineers!!

Thats Jeremy from Taylors. The first time I met him, I thought that he was arrogant, but he was anything but! He is a really nice and humble guy, which is one of the reasons why I really hope that we can study in the same university in the States, together with Kautsar and Thiban of course :)

This fellow is a real gentleman. When I was could hardly eat my dinner one night, he asked the staff to make porridge for supper. Isn't that sweet???

No Yvonne. You go kiss him.... Lolz

This is Juma Moses.

Moses is fun to talk to. I enjoyed talking to him about random stuff one evening. I think Yvonne can agree with me that only sweet words come out of his mouth. Hehe

There are alot of other people from STE that I am fond of. But sadly I do not think that I can fit everyone into this really long post. Quite recently, I have been mixing with the guys from Taylors two weekends in a row, thus expanding my network. Hehe

One reason STE was fun was because of the people we met there. Like I said, I woudd never ever change the list of names in that batch, not for all the money in the world.

Finally, here are random pictures of us doing silly stuff during STE:

Nordin and Raymond. Normally when people sing, they will receive flowers. But Nordin is special. He received leaves...

Hadi and Irfan : I love you.. Mariam : OMG!!!!!!!!!

Daniel, Hadi, Siti Sarah and Jon. What on earth is Jon doing? Poor Sarah...

Jump!!

Syafiq, me and Shafiq!! Confused? Haha we had 3 different Shafiqs that day

KDU performing Jatuh Cinta Lagi... malu nyer...

Thats Ozzy, my guitarist :)

One fine day, Mariam and I decided to stick tape all over Hadi. Yea I covered the butt area. Pose was Mariam's idea

Hadi handsome. I'm actually sitting on Ah Siang's legs which are hanging in midair in an unnatural position, and I'm having fun :p

No wonder it rained during STE... hehehe

Yvonne and I eating like Hadi

Nyahahah poor Yvonne

After the Mean Words game, Raymond just could not let Siti Sarah's bag go...

Si Yun Comel tgh tido. Si Mariam Pengganas. Si Hadi hamsap terkangkang

Nordin, Hadi and Jeremy

Ah Siang refuses to smile. Hadi's signature pose. Razi is too cool to comment

Razi is me! Sassy Sherene!! hehehe

OMHG poor Irfan!!!! Hadi is enjoying it though.. kekeke

King of Sabah and Queen of Sarawak unite to take down Selangor!! Smell my foot you low-life worms!!

Nap time! Ah Siang, Chad, me and Trigo from Sunway

ISN'T HE ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kept asking him to wear that everywhere he goes!

I honestly believe that whoever still thinks that STE is a waste of time is a fool.

Everything that we learn from STE was important. Right down from the therapy session to the silly XY games. But at the end of the day, its all about the people you love :)

Group 2 (Mach 5)

I LOVE you. I FORGIVE you!