An End To A Chapter

Seems barren my blog these days, and I apologize for that. I haven't time to update stories during my studies especially close to my finals. Let's put that all behind and let the memories sink in. I'm done with the first part of Masscomm.

Even though it's only been a month since I've ended my first semester, I feel that it is necessary to rewind and reminisce the good times I've been through with my classmates. I would love to type and tell you the story of the first chapter in detail though I would definitely lose you guys the first paragraph. I am infamous for talking/sharing stories for what seems to be eons for listeners.

So, let the picture tell the tales. Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words. So these are already around a hundred thousand words already. That means I technically already I wrote a novel, with pics only! Meh, Who am I kidding? You get the point. Please ignore my lame jokes.

One of the earlier days of class. Didn't only lose weight but also lose my sense
of shyness getting to know a lot of new faces.

This bloke right here is Akmal from our class. Yes he is a tough guy and the eldest in our class. He's 20 if you're wondering. Look at his hair.

The guy with the stache is Silmi popping on the right of the picture. Your's Truly isn't in the picture since this was a hijacked shot. Often described as a brother from another mother. We're both are usually seen together. And there's Mukhsin, bottom left, the cool kid on the block.

We both do look a bit oriental

Yeah, this is part of my class. We're an awesome concoction of noisy, sporty, a bit of crazy, and a huge chunk of brainy all over.

All my classmates are all good-looking. Take the guy in red chequers, that's Dann, with two N's. Not sure why but he did highlighted the need for the double N in his name.

Don't tell me I didn't warn you. We are what they say 'havoc'. Remember what the interviewer said during the interview?(just CTRL+F and type in IV#2, and press enter a few times)

Judging by the pictures, it seems the I have caught the rather contagious selfie bug, but that might be the side effect of being in the social circle of my friends. I might have a liking for this selfie trend, if I'm honest.

All the learning and constant havoc has gotten the best of me

A dream yet to be fulfilled, as the journey unwinds thus facing new challenges ahead. Into Part 2 we go in a few more weeks.

'Till then

For more pictures and updates, do visit my Instagram(needs approval) page and do drop by here often.

And I Thought I Was Good

It's been quite a while since the last post down there. Basically I haven't updated this place since my registration in UiTM Lendu, and that made me worried, because staying in this infamous place, with new people and new environment would inevitably bring awesome stories and I'm missing the opportunity to share them with you guys and girls here. I haven't had a chance, until now.

This evening, I've had my hand at an essay writing workshop. It isn't a typical workshop because it's the Creative Writing Workshop + Competition held in conjunction with our Language Week. Well, frankly speaking, I never liked workshops but this one was a great one. I had a good time. And honestly speaking, I absolutely despise the pressure of a competition although this competition saw the rare side of my writing abilities.

If you've read a few of my articles, you would recognize that my writing style is very serious, linear, and definitely not creative thus this is a new experience for me in an area that I thought I was doing good at, which is writing. So, I have managed to sneakily snap my competing entry and gosh I am quite embarrassed by the way I wrote because I felt awkward.

The chosen topic was 'What do you see yourself as in 10 years to come?' Keep in mind that linear, serious writing wouldn't get me anywhere so, here goes my attempt at creative writing.

   It's no surprise that many of us would ask ourselves the same question. What do we see ourselves as in 10 years to come. Frankly speaking, I always ponder upon what may lie in my future. I might be living my dream life in my dream home, driving my dream car. But that's pretty much how Neanderthals would think 10 years into the future, if they were still here.

   The notion that my waistline would drop a few inches is quite plausible in the future, but I can't quite shake off the mental image of me being plump. Maybe it's because I've been very curvy for so long the image is somewhat engraved in my mind. Perhaps if I maintain this special diet of mine, I might just lose a few more inches, and pants since I have to buy new ones. I wouldn't worry about that since I'll  have a good job.

   Speaking of which, I am very adamant in becoming an editor for an automotive magazine, namely Top Gear. Some say that editing is an arduous profession. Who could argue with that because editors spend all day in front of a screen full of words. Sir, I beg to differ. In a decade or so, people would be driving their dream cars to work, and the roads jam packed with all these vehicles, and that doesn't matter to me. Why? Because I'll be donning a helmet, with a jetpack strapped to my back, and I'll be gliding around gracefully to work while the people on the roads are cursing to themselves, regretful of buying an Audi R8 and not a jetpack

   It is not yet a perfect life, especially without friends. It's quite inevitable to see friends  moving out of the country to continue life in a different country. I have always had this miniature parliamentary-style debate going on somewhere in my head about whether moving out of this country with my friends is a good choice or not. I would definitely miss the 'keropok lekor' and 'teh tarik' if I move away with my friends but it is a small compromise. Friends or food? I think I choose the former. My friends at least bring a sense of belonging, even more than my bed, and I am in a serious relationship with my bed.

   I think I might be living a beautiful life in a decade or so. It's  a nice feeling to finally live out your dream life, especially when you have been longing for it. Unless you wake up, and everything was just a dream.

This is the essay, unadulterated and unedited in any way. It's clear that I've lost my edge in writing, but spare a thought because this is something out of my alley since I've never thought creative writing is something interesting. But do tell me how my writing did, any comments would be welcomed.

Oh yeah, I might edit a few more stories for upcoming posts, but my midterms are next week so yeah.

Till then

Flight of Fantasy

... Or rather 'Drive of Fantasy'. The last few posts have been quite serious and formal, so I've decided to break the tense and deliver something more eye-pleasing.

Welcome everyone, to the first Gran Turismo 6 photo entry. Gran Turismo 6 (GT6) is a PS3 racing simulator, so it isn't in the same league as the other car games. Notice how I said simulator? It's because this game simulates the laws of Physics virtually, and all the details aren't misplaced. In this game, when you approach a bend/corner, you need to brake adequately - like in real life - then downshift a few gears, execute the turn, then gently apply the throttle. Basically you apply what you do to a real life car in this game. I was quite surprised when I took an in-game photo inside the cabin of the BMW M4 and it turned out very, very familiar to the one in real life. I felt frankly at home with that shot.

These are some random shots I've done and snapped around. Some of them are drifts and slides. Now keep in mind, drifting in this game isn't like those of Need For Speed or Burnout anyhow. Well since this game is a simulator, all the inputs are close to real life. To execute a beautiful drift like this, you don't tap the brake then stomp the accelerator. In this case, you need to switch off the traction control - that's a system that avoids wheelspin, which is what you want in drifting but not in daily driving - then search for your power band, it's usually the low gears, the BMWs do well in the 2nd to 3rd gear. Next approach the turn, and press on the throttle. Throttle control is important here. Then apply some counter steer. That's the basics, easier said than done.

Without further ado, here's the photoshoot, cars driven by, and pictures taken by Your's Truly.

(Click for a bigger pic, rollover for captions)

And a real BMW M4 for comparison

I know my friend Qays is a fan of Beemers and I'm certain that somewhere in his wish list is owning an M5. I can imagine the following situation as his calm evening escape around The City Of Arts and Science in Valencia. Perhaps with his significant other, who knows?

The following scene would portray Peeq and Faiq on their business trip around Ronda, Spain.

The sight of an R8 even a mile away would cause the little child in us to experience an explosive squirm, so I've had a go with this one.

This is Ayep's dream ride, I could imagine him picking up Nick from a fancy walk around Piazza Duomo, Syracruse.

And there I am in the Nissan GT-R, affectionately known by many enthusiasts as Godzilla, picking up my future date.

I've never liked the R8 before, too over-rated, too conventional, but after I took it around Bathurst in New South Wales, Aussie. I kinda like it's quattro handling. I might give it a chance.

 And I took a McLaren 12C down the long highway, acah-acah balik kampung. 

That's about it for now. I might do another photoshoot in the future. We'll see. Hope you enjoyed the gallery.

'Till then.

An Ode to Camaraderie

1st of June marks my registration in UiTM Melaka, thus begins then a new chapter of the story we call Life. It has been a long, winding journey since the days of MCKK and surely many memorable events has come and passed. Even then, there are an abundance of memoirs and people left engraved in my heart. Most of them are from the alma mater, but I've met a lot of interesting personalities along the way.

The past few months spanning from the arduous days of Asasi till this very second I'm breathing has been an emotional and spiritual rollercoaster ride. Only held onto the ride by my faith to Him, and a helping hand from my comrades, I was able to survive and thrive to this moment. Well at least I can finally say, I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Stepping into the new chapter, the anticipation of new challenges are unavoidable. Three years plus another four for degree and a few more for Masters, but that's another chapter waiting to be unfold in the future. Even then the path ahead lies with a cornucopia of ups and downs. There is no speck of doubt that an impetus is paramount in plowing through this obstacle.

I was blessed enough to have good company in this course of life, and I cherish those who I've met along the and are always close, and they have become my impulse to succeed in this future studies.

From left: Nurzam, Yours Truly, Rifqi, Nasir, Faiq, Azim, Aiman, Safuan, Izzat

These are the people who ignited the spark. The drive. The energy. This is the Editorial Board of '12 (minus Izzat on the right). These are fantastic people to be with. For instance, Nurzam, our graphics designer, one of the best there is, always a good friend and classmate. Affectionately known as Hamster by our colleagues. Then there's Rifqi the coffee enthusiastic lead photographer, also SIC. Very good musician. Drove me once to Chief's because I had no transport after the MUET test. Some say his body burns coffee like a combustion engine and that he thought that Star Wars was a documentary. All we know is he's Rifqi Ghazali. The next man on the list is Megat, or better known as Chief, simply because he's the chief. More on him later. Faiq is the imported character in this story. The one photographer from Thailand. His head is literally harder than diamond, after so many ordeals with the goalposts and the 'longkangs'. The next bloke in the lineup is Azim or Qays as most of them know him, the most successful financier since the inception of this A-team. He raised 50k from scratch in half a year. Highest collection of all time. Also worth mentioning he's a BMW fan as well. Aiman is the person that never lets you down. He's the always-dependable person. The wacky one in the group, he never fails to entertain the company when all is going tight. Then comes Safuan aka Sapu aka Benny aka Jimmy Hopkins aka Vega aka Sapudor. Yep, all those nicknames are valid. Toughest cameraman on the block. He auditioned for Hulk recently but got turned down because the female crew kept hitting on him. And there's Izzat Zalis, or Jack. Those in the debating circle would already recognize him. He was featured in the school's magazine in '12. He's always there for me since his enrollment  in '11. Technically legally a hotstuff. Girls, I have his number feel free to ask for it  :P

What were we looking at?

Where were we? Ah, yes the man himself. The brain of the team. He's Megat Nasir. The man is two-parts-Tony Stark-to-one-part-Nathan Drake. Nothing could describe him better than The Prodigy. A person with relentless pursuit towards knowledge, he's the one calling the shots during the development of our magazine. A distant brother and a great friend. We have always said our minds were linked with Bluetooth. He's always there when I was at my lowest. No matter what the conditions were, he never failed to lend me a hand when I slipped and fell. Especially when I failed my Chemistry paper, and was dismissed. I will always remember his support throughout this journey.

Looking young

This almost-nose-picking bloke is Khan Hamidy. We call him Khansdos. He's the first person I knew back in MCKK as he registered the same moment as me, so we got to know each other in the office before making our way to the dorms. Very funny guy. Plays rugby thus the very bulky physique. He's just completed his Engineering foundation at PALAM.

From left: Adib, Aidil, Khan

One of our memorable moments is when we registered at the same day, then five years later after so many exams and tests, we said our farewell to the alma mater on the same day and headed off back home at the same moment, because I hitched a ride in his dad's car. It was as if we were destined to come and go at the exact same time.

There's the shades

Never without his shades is Mag Malik, the wise one. He's the inspiration towards going through Masscom. The one with the advice. He's the matured one among us. Probably because he's slightly aged than me but that doesn't matter, he's still young inside, full of energy.

I often turn to him and Mr. Dad to ask for some of their invaluable opinions on certain choices in life. Still undergoing degree in TESL. he has very high knowledge in the language background, namely linguistics.

He's not a hitman

To me, he's like a brother whose always there with his never ending support. An eccentric writer himself and a massive fan of Youtuber TheRadBrad, he aims to put Malaysia on the map where Let's Plays are concerned. I'd like to join and become co-presenter as well, but that fantasy would take a lot of years to become true.

And there's the sage of life skills, Redzuan. Pardon me for the dated picture but he still looks good. A master in FIFA, he's the brother with the tips whether it be in FIFA or in life. Once called me a hobo for picking me up in the middle of nowhere. I promise you, it was literally in the middle of no where! Blame RapidKL for not following its prescribed route.



My time in Asasi wasn't time wasted.

A1 up to A5 in its entirety

This is the whole lecture hall with our Physics lecturer Prof Hj Ahmad, who reminds me of Dad. It's been a while since I've met these people. Heck, the last time I've met them was the final time I met them when I said my good byes and signed my resignation forms. It was a forlorn moment as I knew meeting these people again would be next to impossible. Even if we had our misunderstandings, we got back together closer than before. These wonderful people have already received their results last week. I pray that the future is bright for them, and I'm certain it is paved with success, especially for the likes of the front row usual, Mas, TJ, the boys and all the other students in this picture. Even though I didn't had the chance to get to know all these people long, I knew these people are close together, like a huge family with a colorful background. I had the opportunity to be deskmates (?) with Johan, awesome genius that bloke. There's also Suraya whom I knew because she's always at the front end of the hall, where Johan and I sat especially during Chemistry. Not forgetting the Class Reps, we have Izzat from A1, then former Class Rep of A2, umm, me, then there's A3 whom I haven't recognized. From what I've heard A3 doesn't have any singular Rep, as they have each for every subject. Might be the case, if not plausible. Then there's the most approachable leader in the hall, representing A4 is Najib Khaidir. His remarkable leadership skill is most likely because he shares the name with the Prime Minister, or because he's a natural leader. Most likely the latter. A5 is represented by Dan, which I usually chat on our PSN accounts.

From left: Front row: Zahid, Din, Ikhwan, TJ, Fydo, Acap, Paeh

Second row: Mekjah, Lia, Jaja, Miss Sabrina, Liyana, Tina, Sandy, Tykah, Sh Husna

Third row: Mizz Nina, Alynn, Damia,  Sab, Mas, Ainaa, Atim, Zue, Azuin, Hajar O, Ecah, Diyana, Idayu

A few weeks left before I head off to UiTM Lendu, I would just like to thank all of the people who was there by my side. Hope we will meet each other again in the future.

'Till then.

Pictures credit in order to Rifqi Ghazali, Khans, Mag and Farah Asyiqin.