Jottings

The amazing thing about life is that it is full of surprises!

When I reached home yesterday, my childhood best friend Yoyo was waiting for me at the gate. We have known each other since we were 8 years old but the last time I met him was in 2000 (also known as Y2K!). Back in 1994, we both lived in Indonesia and we were in the same class at Medan International School. We were definitely the best of friends. We’ve been in touch via Facebook and Yahoo! Messenger for quite some time so I could immediately recall his face. Unlike my mum who thought he was some random stranger!

In this pic: Yoyo, Nana, Dilah, Acai, Farid, my brother Kush and Myself

Knowing me, we decided to hangout at, where else?…KLCC! It was an opportunity to rekindle the old friendship. Over a plate of Chicken Nasi Lemak at Little Penang Cafe (my fave!!), we managed to recall back the wonderful memories.

Before I grow old and forgetful, here are 10 Things That I Absolutely Remember And Can’t Forget From Grade 4, 5 & 6:

1. Mrs Kean was our teacher and she was Scary, capital S-C-A-R-Y! Make mistakes and she’ll yell at you! (It was a traumatic experience, but I forgive her! Made me who I am today. LOL!)
2. Talking about Mrs Kean, who taught us in Grade 4 and 5, we did so many projects and every week, we must put it in our Portfolio folder. Everything must be in the right order. You mess up the order, you “die”.
3. In Grade 4, we had to create a picture book. Since I wasn’t good at drawing, I took photos to accompany the text in my book. Yoyo was my talent. He was Mr George, the main character in my book.
4. Music Camp was a yearly event. It was something like Camp Rock (from Disney Channel). We had to overnight in school and slept in the classroom under the tables and chairs (kidding!). We were taught various traditional Indonesian instruments. Regional international schools also came so that made it more fun. At the end of the camp, we organized a concert for our parents to watch (and take us back home!!!)
5. In Grade 6, Yoyo was elected the Student Council’s Kindergarten Representative. His task was to meet the kids, and asked them what they want from Student Council (you see, it was a small school, so even Kindergarten students are represented in the Student Council). I wanted to be the Snack Bar Chairperson but lost the election. When the elected Secretary left the school a month later, I was elected to the position and guess who the President was: My BROTHER!!! I was his Secretary!!
6. As mentioned earlier, it was a small school of around 100 students (from Kindergarten to Grade 8/9). We practically know each other. It was a small but warm community.
7. Every year we had a swimming competition with the people from the Lhokseumawe School, which is an area in Aceh. During that time, the expatriate community had a special gated area and private beach just for them. So we all flew to Lhokseumawe from Medan with a private jet for the swimming competition. My mum volunteered to chaperone the kids so we had our own bungalow and shared it with Yoyo, Haffiez, Kokit and his mum Mrs Portugalisa. We had a butler who would cook us breakfast and all. VERY FAB! The refrigerator was equipped with soft drinks and snacks!!! We were kids, so you could imagine how we managed to rip apart the bungalow! (Let’s not even talk about the bath tub incident!!)
8. Yoyo and I took Baking Classes as part of our co-curiccular activity. I didn’t wear an apron during our first class so the principal told me, “If you don’t wear an apron next time, you are out of this class.” I immediately asked Kak Ana to buy me an apron but she created a custom-made apron for me. It was Blue! I remember we baked brownies, but I couldn’t recall what else we did because our Guru kept on cancelling the classes. Apart from Baking classes, we also took Tennis, Swimming, Piano lessons, gymnastic, roller-blade… gosh, there were many fun activities back then.
9. Yoyo and I used to bully this kid Udin. OMG! We were so mean. Of course, we already apologised to Udin via Facebook for all the things we did to him.
10. Lastly, to reflect back to the period of 1994 – 1997, it was such a joyful period. To be part of the amazing Malaysian community in Indonesia and to study at Medan International School, it is definitely an unforgettable experience. I heard that we were supposed to have a reunion soon and to open the Time Capsule. I can’t remember what I put in the capsule. Probably some drawing.

Glad to have met Yoyo last night. Hope to see the rest soon. I know we are on Facebook but it’s different when we meet face to face.

I love my old blog CURIOUSSYAF so much, I have decided to publish old entries at least once a week. Below is an entry written on August 2, 2006. Yes, close to four years ago!! Enjoy the entry below, unedited. I even spelled my friend Zeck’s name as “Zech”. What a good friend I am. Here goes:

P.S.: I copy + paste the HTML code from the old blog…so yes, the pictures, text color, and text remain the same as the CURIOUSSYAF blog. It’s a pretty long entry, too! Had a lot of time to blog back then, eh?

**********

Episode 2: Of Professionals and Amateurs

Just got back from futsal. I suck. Big time! Enjoy the pic. End of post. (More stories below!)

Thank god you have not closed your Explorer yet because I have a lot to say about our futsal get together. Both Arie and I have been busy getting our teams together in just two days. He told me about it on Monday and I immediately contacted my close friends to join. It was just a friendly match. A get together. A social thing.

I warned Zech when we were both in the car on the way to pick up my brother that I suck (big time!) at futsal and soccer. He told me he suck, too, but of course he can play much better than me.

Most of us arrived at the Sunway Sports Planet by 6.30. We were only scheduled to play for one hour so we had limited time to choose the teams. Alia, Aron, Arie, Cindy and myself were in one team. Feeza, Kush, Lia, Linda, and Zech made up the other team. Confusion arises when Cindy did not know that she and Alia was under one team.

I am much worse, okay? I thought that Ayu and Linda is two different people. If you have read the unedited version, you would know the mistake. So Ayu and Linda is one person. Lia or Ziah is a different girl. Both are my opponents! Thanks to Linda for pointing out the mistake from her comment.

Just imagine a bunch of amateurs playing together with the professionals and soccer enthusiasts. The amateurs kicked the ball all over the place while the professionals showed off their skills, especially when they were attacking.

By the way, my team lack in defense and Arie was calling for defense! Each of my teammates were at the end of the court and by the time Arie called us, we were too tired to get the ball.

I seriously did not know the score but I guess it was equal. Just kidding. I think Kush’s team won. It’s okay…It was a friendly match, right? What to do.

By 7.30 each one of us was very sweaty and just imagine the smell. Nah, kidding. We all smell alright. Had a group photo taken by a nice lady. Should have not used the flash since the picture was very dark.

Of course the night did not just end there. After our game, we talked to each other. Crap about one another. Talked about people in campus. Of course, Kush was talking a lot, even though he was the only one not from Monash.

I do not know about the others, but I had a really great time with the accompaniment of great friends. It was a time to know one another well. It was my first time seeing Aron in person, after he has been regularly featured in Joanne’s blog. I told him that he is a public figure thanks to our editor’s blog.

It was also a time for me to know Cindy, Lia, and Linda. Usually, it’s just “hi” and “bye” but I guess this futsal session allows me to know them at a personal level.

NOTES TO THE PLAYERS…

To Feeza and Alia, it was only the three of us from the KK Korner. Weird, huh? We had so much fun, didn’t we? I’m sure the rest cannot come even if we ask them to. Haha

To Alia (again!), mengadu eh? Nanti kau…

Aron, I’ll read about you in Joanne’s blog, as always.

To Zech, I hope you had a great time since most of us were amateurs.

To Linda, Cindy, and Lia, next time we play again okay? Belanja the boys.

Kush, stop showing off.

To Arie, I know that this sounds lame but the futsal culture is finally part of me. Give me time and I will play with the other Commies. Maybe next year. Hahaha…:D

Stay tuned for the next episode of Gol Dan Handphone!

As you all may (or may not) know, I like to post Quotes on my Twitter and Facebook account. However, by the time I post some random stuff, these quotes will be forgotten so I needed a space to store these quotes. Alas, I’m gonna make it a habit to save these weekly quotes into a post each week. Feel free to follow me on Twitter via www.twitter.com/syafique if you have not done so!

Below are quotes posted on week July 19 – 25:

• “Ultimately, you have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.” – Katharine Hepburn
• “No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.” – Euripides
• “One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” – Chinese Proverb
• Syaf: Smile, even if you do not feel like smiling
• Syaf: Yep, the easiest thing to do is to give up! So give up if you want to! BUT it takes strength and determination to keep things together!
• “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” – Reggie Leach

When I met @alyaap the other day at Suria KLCC (my fave!), I realized that Delifrance has been replaced by The Coffee & Spice Company. I told @alyaap that one day I would try their nasi lemak. Last Friday (July 23), I tried their nasi lemak ayam rendang (RM 9+).

When it came, I told myself “I can swallow the peanuts in one spoonful!!” The rice portion was so little!! At least give me something value for money! Otherwise I can just buy a plate of nasi lemak for RM 3 down the road! Quite frankly, I actually finished the rice first before finishing the chicken meat. The sambal wasn’t so great but I love the chicken rendang though. Very authentic!

By the way, this was my 2nd visit. During my first, I tried their chicken satay. Not bad!

It’s a nice place to hangout for a cup of coffee and some Malaysian food. Oh, you might also wonder why there is a mat salleh waiter around?

Someone forwarded this email to me. Might as well share it here:

4 years ago, an accident took my beloved away and very often I wonder, how does my wife, who is now in the heavenly realm, feel right now? She must be feeling extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to taking care of the house and the kid. ‘cos that is the exact feeling that I have, as I feel that I have failed to provide for the physical and emotional needs of my child, and failed to be the dad and mum for my child.

There was one particular day, when I had an emergency at work. Hence, I had to leave home whilst my child was still sleeping. So thinking that there was still rice leftovers, I hastily cooked an egg and left after informing my sleepy child.

With the double r oles, I am often exhausted at work as well as when I am home. So after a long day, I came home, totally drained of all energy. So with just a brief hug and kiss for my child, I went straight into the room, skipping dinner. However, when I jumped into my bed with intention of just having a well-deserved sleep, all i heard and felt was broken porcelain and warm liquid! I flipped open my blanket, and there lies the source of the ‘problem’… a broken bowl with instant noodles and a mess on the bedsheet and blanket!

Boy, was I mad! I was so furious that I took a clothes hanger, charged straight at my child who was happily playing with his toy, and give him a good spanking! He merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short explanation:

“Dad, I was hungry and there wasn’t anymore leftover rice. But you were not back yet, hence I wanted to cook some instant noodles. But I remembered you reminding me not to touch or use the gas stove without any adults around, hence I turned on the shower and used the hot water from the bathroom to cook the noodles. One is for you and the other is for me. However, I was afraid that the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under the blanket to keep it warm till you return. But I forgot to remind you ‘cos I was playing with my toys…I am sorry Dad…”

At that moment, tears were starting to run down my cheeks…but I didn’t want my son to see his dad crying so I dashed into the bathroom and cried with the shower head on to mask my cries. After that episode, I went towards my son to give him a tight hug and applied medication on him, while coaxing him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on the bed. When everything was done and well past midnight, I passed my son’s room, and saw that he was still crying, not from the pain on his little buttock, but from looking at the photograph of his beloved mummy.

A year has passed since the episode, I have tried, in this period, to focus on giving him both the love of his dad and mum, and to attend to most of his needs. And soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating from kindergarten. Fortunately, the incident did not leave a lasting impression on his childhood memories and he is still happily growing up.

However, not so long ago, I hit my boy again, with much regret. This time, his kindergarten teacher called, informing me of my son’s absence from school. I took off early from work and went home, expecting him to explain. But he wasn’t to be found, so I went around our house, calling out his name and eventually found him outside a stationery shop, happily playing computer games. I was fuming, brought him home and whack the hell out of him. He did not retaliate, except to say, ‘I am sorry, Dad’. But after much probing, I realized that it was a ‘Talent Show’ organized by his school and the invite is for every student’s mummy. And that was the reason for his absence as he has no mummy…..

Few days after the caning, my son came home to tell me, the kindergarten has recently taught him how to read and write. Since then, he has kept to himself and stayed in his room to practise his writing, which I am sure, would make my wife proud, if she was still around. ‘cos he makes me proud too!

Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has passed. It’s winter, and its Christmas time. Everywhere the christmas spirit is in every passer-by…Christmas carols and frantic shoppers….but alas, my son got into another trouble. When I was about to knock off from the day’s work, the post office called. Due to the peak season, the post master was also on an edgy mood. He called to tell me that my son has attempted to post several letters with no addressee. Although I did make a promise never to hit my son again, I couldn’t help but to hit him as I feel that this child of mine is really beyond control. Once again, as before, he apologized, ‘ I’m sorry, Dad’ and no additional reason to explain. I pushed him towards a corner, went to the post office to collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and angrily questioned my son on his prank, during this time of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : The letters were for Mummy.

My eyes grew teary, but I tried to control my emotions and continued to ask him: ” But why did u post so many letters, at one time?” My son’s reply was: ” I have been writing to mummy for a long time, but each time I reach out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence I was not able to post the letters. But recently, when I went back to the postbox, I could reach it and I sent it all at once…”

After hearing this, I was lost. Lost at not knowing what to do, what to say….

I told my son, ” Son, mummy is in the heavenly kingdom, so in future, if you have anything to tell her, just burn the letter and it will reach mummy. My son, on hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon after, he was sleeping soundly. On promising that I will burn the letters on his behalf, I brought the letters outside, but couldnt help opening the letter before they turn to ash.

And one of the letters broke my heart….

Dear Mummy,

I miss you so much! Today, there was a ‘Talent Show’ in school, and the school invited all mothers for the show. But you are not around, so I did not want to participate as well. I did not tell Dad about it as I was afraid that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again. Dad went around looking for me, but in order to hide my sadness, I sat in front of the computer and started playing games at one of the shops. Dad was furious, and he couldnt help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not tell him the real reason. Mummy, everyday I see Dad missing you and whenever he think of you, he is so sad and often hide and cry in his room. I think we both miss you very very much. Too much for our own good I think. But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you please appear in my dreams so that I can see your face and remember you? I heard that if you fall asleep with the photograph of the person whom you miss, you will see the person in your dreams. But mummy, why havent you appear?

After reading the letter, I cant stop sobbing. ‘cos I can never replace the irreplaceable gap left behind by my wife….

For the females with children:

Don’t do so much overtime. If you cannot finish the work, it must be some kind of problems within the company, and it is not your sole problem. Feedback to your boss. Endless overtime may not necessary be the answer to the problem. Take care of your health so that you can treasure and take care of yo ur little precious.

For the married men:

Drink less, smoke less, cos nothing can replace your good health, not even business nor clients.

Try thinking this way, are you able to work till your clients are totally dependent on you? or your boss is totally dependent on you? In this society, no one is indispensable.

Take care of your health, so that you can take care of your little precious and your loved ones.

For those singles out there:

Beauty lies in loving yourself first.

With confidence and loving yourself, you will see the beauty in other things around you. You will be able to work better and happier. Don’t let your health be affected by your work or your boss, so nothing matters more than your well being.

As a former student, I have a lot to say about this wonderful man, but I guess The Annexe Gallery has written a more precise statement. Read on.

From The Annexe Gallery:

The Annexe Gallery is very sad today over the sudden passing of Benjamin McKay, writer, critic, academic and lecturer at Monash University. As we write this, the cause of his death is still unconfirmed; it is believed he passed away due to an accident in his apartment sometime during the night of Sunday 18 July, and his body was found by his friends. Born in Australia, Ben traced a colourful life and career that spanned the globe, starting out in the performing arts and eventually finding his niche in the world of academia and writing. Since 2005, he has lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur and embraced it as his home. Here, his film criticisms and columns in publications such as Kakiseni.com, Criticine and Off The Edge were as loved by his readers and arts practitioners as were his lectures by his many students.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to meet @Alyaap (yes, I just call people by their tweet name from now on!). She is from Brunei and has been a long-time reader of my old blog, Curious Syaf. 

Just in case you only know me as SYAFIQUE SHUIB from syafiqueshuib.com, Curious Syaf followed my life as a “struggling” 2nd-year university student and it started in 2006. It was a collection of daily (yes, DAILY) random rants and full of juicy stories and dramas. I also talk a lot about my dreams and the things that I want to achieve once I graduate. Although the blog wasn’t as famous as other established blogs, I am so proud of it because it managed to create it own niche and has a small but loyal following.

@Alyaap was one of my loyal reader and yes, she knows a lot about me. But then again, social media is a funny tool. One knows a lot about someone else, without having to meet face-to-face. So after years of online conversations, we finally met at my favourite mall, KLCC during her short visit to Kuala Lumpur. Along with her two friends (make it three, because one of her friend has an imaginary friend and she was hoping that I am related to some guy named Yaakob. LOL!), here are 10 Things I Learned About Brunei From @Alyaap and Her Friends:

1. They have one shopping outlet, appropriately named THE MALL. Oh, it’s nothing like KLCC!
2. Brunei has a population of 400,000, which is the same population of my neighborhood (kidding!)
3. They have a GIANT now!
4. Coffee Bean is relatively new and I think it’s the “IN” thing right now
5. Public transporation does not exist in Brunei (except for tourist taxis). It’s like an extinct mode of transportation. So go up to a Bruneian and ask them about public transport and they will be like, “Apa itu?”
6. Ok, I am exaggerating!! Well, let’s just say each household has more than two cars, why would they need public transportation? But I was told that they are planning to have an LRT system soon.
7. Bruneians have to go through Malaysia to get to the other side of their country. How cool is that?
8. Buildings cannot be taller than the mosque’s dome so don’t expect any high condos in Brunei.
9. Elementary school students are expected to know key members of the royal family. They need to know the full name, their royal titles and honorifics. It’s General Knowledge?
10. Newspapers are only sold-out if there are stories on the royal family (for example, the recent divorce), otherwise what can you report on? Crime?

Oh, during my meet-up with @Alyaap, I also met another fab tweeple, @WinBoy13, who came to chit-chat for a short while. Yes, it was like a blind date. We kinda know each other through our daily tweets, but meeting each other in person is a little different. But I know for sure I have great friends on Twitter/Facebook!

I hope to visit Brunei one day and meet @Alyaap and @JohnReyDangilan, another fab social media user based in Brunei.

I am at my best when:

• I am smiling
• I am positive and I can share the positive vibes with the people around me
• I can contribute something back to society
• I am clueless about doing something, yet unexpectedlyit  turns out to be a job well done
• I have a good and undisturbed sleep

I also asked my friends from Twitter and Facebook this same question and here are their answers:

Via Twitter [sic]:

@lotfiismail: when m not sleep deprived

@johnreydangilan: I am at my best when I am under pressure…

@FaraFauzi: Last minute work! When I’m under pressure and need to get things done ASAP, ill make sure its the BEST!

@niennessa: when I wake up in the morning after a real good uninterrupted sleep and / or a cool day.

@alibaizuri: Honestly, when i’m caught off guard

@FizaFalak: in the shower

@SheiAiman: One make decisions which creates one’s best moments.. With that, I don’t know if a single direct answer exist.

Via Facebook [sic]:

Kavita: wen im asleep

What about YOU… When are you at your best?

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yesterday, I posted several photos taken from my recent visit to the Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara Kuala Kubu Bharu. Below is the story:

***

Effie creates family history for being the first in our family to undergo the Khidmat Negara (National Service) training. My two cousins and I were not selected to undergo the National Service training for the 2004 (b. 1986) and 2005 (b. 1987) batch. At that point in my life, I considered myself very lucky to officially ‘escape’ National Service.

This is my nephew Effie

I’ve read so much regarding National Service, both the good, the bad, and the ugly. National Service was introduced in our country in 2004 and over this short span of time, of course it is far from perfect.

Another view of the camp area. Was told this is the most beautiful NS camp

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit my nephew Effie at the Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara Kuala Kubu Bharu. It was an opportunity for me to observe and experience what life is like for our Wira and Wirawati negara.

Both my cousin and my mum pointed at Effie, but I couldn’t recognize him from far. He was wearing the NS uniform and he looked different than his usual self (dyed hair, piercings here and there, etc. You know how teenagers are these days.) This time around, he looked smart and disciplined.

Visitors can 'lepak' at this area

Here are some things I learned from Effie:

• Trainees have to wake up at 5am and they sleep around 11.30pm.
• They do many activities all day long; was told there are even classes (but I guess it’s more motivational classes?)
• If there are no activities, the trainees can relax, without messing the bed. Everything must be tidy at all times. Discipline! Discipline!
• Trainees are well fed. When I met Effie, he just ate even though lunch was just around the corner
• Handphones are not allowed, except for weekends
• If one person from the dorm breaks the law, the whole people in that dorm would be punished (e.g. caught smoking, etc.)
• Outside friends are not allowed to visit unless accompanied by the trainee’s parents.
• Parents are allowed to meet on weekends (unless you do not want to be seen as a Momma’s Boy! But then again, what’s wrong with that, especially if you’re feeling a little homesick??)
• Christian trainees will be driven to the nearby Church for Sunday Mass. It just shows that each religion are practised and special arrangements would be made to go to a mosque, church, temple, etc.
• Hantu?? (Ok. NO GHOSTS IN KUALA KUBU BHARU!!)

It was definitely an eye-opener to visit a National Service camp. I can sense that my nephew Effie is a little homesick and I am definitely sure that if I was a trainee, I would feel homesick too! But then again, I do not have to worry much because I wasn’t selected. LOL!

A quick photo op with my nephew

To Effie: Be strong, don’t miss home so much and enjoy the time there. I’m sure by the 3rd month, you don’t even want to go home!! We will come back again to bring some food cooked by your grandmother!!  Hope to see a NEW YOU by the time you end your training!

I went to Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) Kuala Kubu Bahru this morning to visit my nephew Effie. Below are the photos taken from the camp. I will blog about my visit in my next entry! Enjoy!