Banjir

Hujan... Hujan... Hujan... Bukan, bukan hujan yang band tu. Tapi hujan, Air. Ayak. Water. Bond yang terhasil antara dua atom hidrogen dan satu atom oksigen. H2O. Dah seminggu hujan lebat turun setiap hari. Berhenti sekejap, datang lagi.

Dah lebih kurang lima tahun pula kawasan perumahan aku nie tak kena banjir. First kena banjir tahun 2004 time aku darjah satu. Masa tu aku dengan abang aku masih kongsi bilik, tidur katil double-decker. Dia di atas, aku di bawah. Lepas tu bila aku bangun pagi dan nampak air naik, aku kejutkan abang aku and I was like :D

Happy lah masa tu sebab dapat main air.

Some Random Poem

If I could just embrace you ever so tightly

So you know that everything's okay

That the end is far from where you're standing

That the truth is, the end is never there

But I couldn't

Because you would just push me away

Gently so I won't get hurt

And tell me you're fine

When you're not

I know a lie when I see one

In reality,

The damage you've done is through your deception

How can I say this to you

When you won't even listen

Ears opaque of the incoming voices around you

To assure you

To brighten you up

But you just won't listen

It's tough, undeniably

But still I understand not

The predicament in which you are in

I can only blame myself

For I am not good a company

Many times I have left you

Many times, I wasn't there

O great warrior

Hold your weapon in pride

You might find yourself alone

And not a single human to help you

To bring you up when you're down

But how can they,

When you have shielded yourself

From their very protection?

My apologies, my dear friend

It was never your fault

I should've acted when I had the chance

But I let it go

I let you slip from my fingers

Like a child letting go of her kite

So there you flew

Out into the open sky

Never to return

Never to come back

Nuraini, 2013

There you go. Randomness. If you could, find the theme, moral values, settings etc. haha okay goodnight :)

Math Quote

I was getting my brain abused by all these college application essays that I decided to get some help from someone. There happens to be a college that asks me to indicate my "intellectual interests" and what it is about them that makes them so special. So I decided to ask my mum this: How do you define Mathematics?

She took a deep breath and replied:

"Mathematics is all about logic and never magic. Everything that you come up with has reason behind it. Although mathematics seem solely about numbers and what not, those "numbers" don't just appear out of nowhere. The units even. You can't simply poof up RM20 from 20."     -Mum

Deep. Those weren't her words exactly though, but close enough. And I nodded in agreement. Well, she is my Math guru. Logic. Mathematics is about logic. I began tap-tap-tapping on the keyboard again. I sighed.

Through these college essays (which are mostly due by early next year), I actually learnt to dig deep into myself. These essays aren't your typical English language exams. They're more of trying to get you to know yourself, and really I was able to reflect on numerous things in my past.

Think of it this way. Literature. In English class,

Tiramisu Recipe

This would be my first ever post on recipes. Coz I love food. Especially desserts. But ever since I entered a boarding school in the capital (not Capitol), I rarely had the chance to make desserts any more. Haha. Used to make cheese cakes, puddings, jellies and more cheese cakes a few years back. (I'm mad about cheese)

Tiramisu. Very simple really. So penguins, buckle up for a mouth-watering tour :D

Ingredients

All here :)

• 200g whipped cream
• 250g cream cheese
• 30ml fresh milk
• 80g icing sugar (less sweet)
• 20pcs spongefinger (no, these are not Spongebob's)
• 1tbs coffee + 200ml warm H2O
• cocoa powder

Beaten cream cheese. Ouch!

1. Beat the whipping cream until it becomes... creamy.. Be careful not to over beat. Some signs of over beating include cream getting watery and rough
2. Beat the cream cheese until soft. Add milk and sugar. Beat some more until bater gets light
3. Add the two creams together. Set aside.
4. Mix the coffee solution. Dip the spongefinger in the solution on one side and place it in a container. Repeat until the bottom of the container is fully covered.
5. Spread a portion of the cream on top and sieve the cocoa powder on top.



Line 'em up cover 'em

6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until your resources have finished. I made up to three stacks. Refrigerate

Voila! :)

Remembering Death

Allah Almighty says, "Every self will taste death. You will be paid your wages in full on the Day of Rising. Anyone who is distanced from the Fire and admitted to the Garden, has triumphed. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of delusion," (3:185) 

The Almighty says, "When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward," (16:61)

The most intelligent person is the one who often remembers death. Why? Because by reminding ourselves that we will one day leave this life that we currently live in, we will strive to make sure that the life afterwards (the afterlife) would be a pleasant one. 

Death does not mean that everything has ended. NO. It's just the fact that our soul has been separated from our "worldly" body, out of dunya and into another phase of life called Barzakh. A constant reminder of death convinces us that life has a meaning. That in whatever we do, it is not without reason.

One can never be so sure that he or she would still be alive in the next few minutes, or the next few hours, or the next few weeks, or the next few months, or even the next couple of years. It's unknown to everybody. Death is not to be feared, but rather to be prepared for.

Here's an amazing video I found on YouTube. 

Penang Again

Photo from internet

Ini bukan kali pertama aku menjejakkan kaki di Pulau Pinang. Kali kedua. First time aku ke Penang ialah tahun 2008. Masa tu aku baru nak masuk tahun 5 dan abang aku tingkatan 2. Cepatnya masa berlalu. Kini aku kembali (cehh) dengan tujuan menduduki SAT subject test. Sebelum kita pergi lebih lanjut, aku memang berniat nak buat kat Inti College kat KL tu. Lebih senang dan dekat dan murah. TAPI... masa aku daftar tu dah penuh.. *sob-sob* Kali nie kami bertiga ja, sebab abang aku dah masuk kolej.

Hari Jumaat sebelum bertolak, kami breakfast mee kolok. Dah halfway aku makan baru aku teringat nak ambik gambar. Maklumlah, dah lapar sangat. Hehe. Tapi jangan risau. Pak cik google sentiasa sedia membantu. Mi kolok nie sangat femes di Sarawak ya. Menu wajib kalau datang melawat. (Aku tengah promote nie)

Photo: Credits to this blog

Pergi KL naik Malindo Air. Katanya low cost, tapi aku tak sangka pulak ada screen kecik macam dalam MAS tu. Tambah lagi dia ada sediakan sedikit kuih dan air free. Best dan cool jugak la for a low-cost airline.

Comel...

Flight tu cincai ja. The real challenge comes with road travelling. Sekali lagi nie bukan first time aku travel by car dari satu negeri ke satu negeri kat semenanjung. Kali pertama masa aku pergi Johor tahun 2011. Tahun nie pergi utara. Dalam perjalanan tu pulak aku menahan lapar yang teramat, so singgah la sebuah R&R yang aku lupa nama tapi aku ingat yang R&R tu ada restoran jejantas. Di situ lah aku "melantak" nasi campur. Haha. Guna hiperbola sikit.

Teruskan perjalanan. Sampai di R&R Tapah, aku makan lagi roti kahwin benggali cicah nescafe. Nyum2.

Cair dalam mulut

Aku menyesal sebab tak sediakan fizikal dan mental yang utuh untuk melalui perjalanan ini. Aku sangka sekejap ja perjalanan nie.. Tapi malam barulah kereta yang aku naik tu menjejakkan tayarnya di bumi Pulau Pinang. Otw tu pulak aku terjumpa bangunan nie. Kalau tengok dekat-dekat, ada tertulis "Biotech Centre"

Aku tau aku noob =='

Stuck dalam traffic jam. Sampai Seberang Perai, bukak la Mr Map untuk mengelakkan kesesatan. Crucial investing needs to be settled soon, if you know what I mean. On the way pergi hotel tu, lalu la test centre SAT iaitu Dalat International School. After going through some windy roads, we finally reached Batu Feringgi where we would stay for the next couple of days.

Akhirnya bertemu jua dengan Hotel Budget Zahaar. Dari kejauhan dah nampak bling2 signboard dia. Pergh. Memamng stylo la hotel nie. Reception dia kat luar, macam kaunter yang ada kat kedai lobi. Pastu ada tempat lepak pula kat depan reception. Ala2 lobby open gitu. Hotel bajet la katakan. Aku tabik arh pemilik hotel nie. Ada wifi pulak tu. Mantappp (again with the promoting). Keluar rumah tadi pukul 7 pagi gitu, sampai hotel dah nak pukul 10 malam. Hardcore...

The not-so-very-big big day. Red letter day, I suppose? SAT. Sampai kat Dalat agak awal. Tengok most, if not all, of the test takers are >18 college students. Pastu nampak Maneesha, Vivian and Lim. Yeay! And I guess I'm the only one who came all the way from Sarawak. They should give me credit for that XD. Tiga minggu nak study SAT subject. Tak sempat nak cover semua. Aku tak beli buku, so aku cari resources dari internet selain menggunakan buku SPM. Minutes prior to exam, tawakkal ja :)

Music in Islam + Acapella

Before I proceed, I'd like to remind fellow readers that I'm not in any way influencing you. Rather, this is just to share what I have recently found through readings and videos on the internet. It all started way back in school, when a few of us were discussing about music, and that someone has discovered a video by Mufti Menk regarding the origin of music.

The Believing Heart

Dan kepada Allah jualah tertentunya urusan memberi panduan yang menerangkan jalan yang lurus; dan di antara jalan-jalan yang dituju ada yang terpesong dari kebenaran; dan jika Ia kehendaki, tentulah Ia memberi petunjuk kepada kamu semua (yang menyampaikan ke jalan yang lurus itu).

If Allah so willed, He could make you all one people: But He leaves straying whom He pleases, and He guides whom He pleases: but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your actions

Dan jika Allah menghendaki, tentulah Dia menjadikan kamu satu umat (yang bersatu dalam ugama Allah yang satu) akan tetapi Allah menyesatkan sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut undang-undang peraturanNya) dan memberi pertunjuk kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut undang-undang peraturanNya) dan sesungguhnya kamu akan ditanya kelak tentang apa yang kamu telah kerjakan. 

So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.

Dan janganlah kamu merasa lemah (dalam perjuangan mempertahan dan menegakkan Islam), dan janganlah kamu berdukacita (terhadap apa yang akan menimpa kamu), padahal kamulah orang-orang yang tertinggi (mengatasi musuh dengan mencapai kemenangan) jika kamu orang-orang yang (sungguh-sungguh) beriman 

Packing. Outing. Leaving.

Post nie aku dah lama nak buat, kira-kira dalam seminggu yang lepas. Tapi nampaknya masa yang suntuk menjadi penghalang (serta sedikit rasa malas). Dan pada hari ini, memandangkan blog pun dah lama tak update dan tak ada ilham untuk menulis, maka tercapailah impian si penulis ini untuk buat post pasal packing, outing, leaving.

Gambar nie tiada kaitan, tapi nampak sangat comel dan cool.

So, seperti yang kita ketahui, sekolah telah tamat pada Jumaat, 15 November 2013. Maka, semua pelajar harus mengosongkan bilik masing-masing secepat mungkin. Aku memang tidak bercadang untuk mula mengemas pada hari Jumaat itu, namun selepas gather jamuan sofbol, hati aku tergerak untuk mula. Ok lah, malas nak huraikan panjang-panjang. Hayatilah gambar-gambar berikut. :)

Stupid Infatuation

The title doesn't serve as a mockery. Nor does show any sign of going against infatuations. Rather, it's what I'm feeling at this very moment. There has been articles stating the differences between love, infatuation and lust, but I'm not gonna get there. The chief point, however, is to pinpoint the nature of a teenager which is to love and be loved. Yup. This is a teenager speaking. Teenager to teenager time.

Secrets. 4K1.

The silence of the night just crept in, only to be broken by the sound of the air conditioner and the fan. We were sitting in one group, all faces eager to listen to the next person. Two days, and we're going to be separated; some of us at least. That night was the only night that we could gather as a whole, as one huge family of 4K1, for in a matter of hours, some are going to be home for good, never to come back till the start of the following year insyaAllah.

We're having something quite out of the ordinary tonight; a moment of silence and appreciation for shared feelings, of how each and every one of us felt throughout this year. Indeed, being in PERMATApintar provided a whole new experience for its students, each with their own different back stories. I was glad that all of us were able to disclose this part of their lives and more.
I may not be the best when it comes to describing someone, but I'll try my best nevertheless. And I'll do it in alphabetical order.

Over

A whole year of studies. A whole year of ups and down, highs and lows. It's the last two days of the exams, the last two days of school. Starting Saturday (or even Friday evening), we're home free. All those chains that have been on our wrists can now be pulled off. I just can't wait for the moment where I'll be able to scream from the top of my lungs and run around PERMATApintar like a maniac, but then people would be staring at me and I'm a very shy person.

I sat for SAT on Sat

Don't get your mind blown by the title there. I had just taken the SAT test today (which apparently happens to be a Saturday), hence the title. I sat for SAT on Sat(urday). Nice pun huh? LOL. Wait, why was I here again? Oh yeah. The exams have just started (actually it has been a week, but you get my point) and there are two weeks left to go. What kinda caused a huge mess in my head is the fact that 3 exams clash. SAT, SPM and finals.

Admission ticket. Identity kept secret

End

Sometimes, I do feel like I'm the luckiest person to have met you. If only you knew how thankful I am for all those things you have done, though I'm not the one to express such deep feelings to anyone. Yeah, if only you knew how happy I am every time I see you, though I do feel sinned that such a feeling was inside of me. It shouldn't be there.

Explorace-ish

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to create a protective layer for the chicken egg so that when it is dropped from waist-high, it shall remain undamaged. We had to accept it of course. No choice. We were given straws, papers and rubber bands, and if the stuff supplied were not enough, we could always "buy" more. My team went with slow and steady, not wanting to risk bankruptcy (which would certainly befall those who failed to protect the chicken egg).

Of M&Ms and A Cute Teacher

Last Tuesday, some of the 4K1 students had to attend a group counselling. We gathered at around 3 p.m. and initiated with a bit of an introduction. Group counselling turned out to be fun, as it somehow strengthens the bond that we never knew we had. I loved sharing my personal experience with them, as I'm not really the type who goes around to some stranger and talk about my feelings. I'm reserved, I must say. Since we are subjected to secrecy, nothing more can be said about this counselling session.

Night Walking

She started to count. 82, 81, 80... She didn't know how long it has been, or how much longer it's going to take. 59, 58, 57... She wanted to calm herself down, tell herself that it's not going to be long. She was number 83 by the way, the 27th person to be left solo. Looking at the watch on her wrist might cause her more anxiety, so she decided that it was best for her to not know what time it was. There she sat, alone like everybody else.

Once Upon A Time

He looked at her stoically. The aura of indifference seemed like a ray of light shining from his emotionless face. Typical, she thought. She remembered a few months back, when they had just met. She never paid much attention to him in class. Didn't know who he was, wasn't aware that he even existed. Probably the crowded classroom was to blame, or maybe the relatively large distance that separated them both.

Out Again!

Went for an outing with my family today. Sure, I do have my work pile on the desk just waiting to be settled, but I decided it was time for a tune down. Don't wanna say much. Just pictures to tell the whole story.

Bought this drink at KLCC which costed a bit more than RM11. A blend of watermelon, strawberry and apple and I was like, so expensive arh? I couls use that amount of money to produce twice this cup.

 Had dinner at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa. I remembered the time when I dined at one of the branches of this eatery and not only did it not match my expectation, it was also burnt a hole in my pocket (or my dad's pocket for that matter)

 And there I was, at the original Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa. It was the exact opposite of that phony outlet and I loved it.

Coconut+lemon=cocomon? coconade? cocolemonade? lemonut?

The very next day

Low Yat Plaza.
Up and down the escalator we went, in search of an iPad mini case *cough*. 2 hours wasted just because I was so picky. Alhamdulillah, found one that matched my preference: pink :)
And so ends another outing in KL

Forgot to add...

I'm not good in selfies. Just blurred this pic. There goes my reputation.. :/

Cation Hisses

I have always wanted to have cats but they were forbidden in my house due to my allergies. So I guess one of the advantages of me coming here is that I could finally "own" a cat, even though it's not entirely mine. I had a best friend once, whose passion was cats and she knows as much about cats as the next cat-lover. She always told me stories on how the male cat hit on the female and how they chased each other and bla bla bla.

Random cat photo on the internet

I had witnessed the incident once in my lifetime, during the 2011 PPCS when our college was in Keris Mas. One cat was doing something towards the other (I need not elaborate on this) and my immediate reaction was, *gasp* "whoa" *gasp again*. And now, almost two years later, I once again have the opportunity to get a glimpse at this thought-provoking anecdote. This time, I watched how it all began...

Izza, Anis and I were on our way to the dining hall. Cation walked next to us and that was when I saw Ninja up ahead. I smelled trouble like it was a very strong durian. Hisssssss said Cation as she laid eyes on Ninja. Ninja just gave a warm purr and posed while Cation has that look of hatred upon her face. I felt guilty to be interrupting their supposedly private moment, but curiosity kills doesn't it?

3, 2, 1.. fight!

The series of walking and stopping and hissing and posing continued for about 15 minutes before Ninja decided it was time to make a greater move. That's when the chase gets more intense. Lol. Cation is just playing hard to get. Really hard to get.

Cat face

You know you want me... XD

At last, cation hid herself inside the shoe rack behind the surau. Not giving up, that's what Ninja says.

I am not amused

Thus, the chase has come to an end. I guess QuadP students should be expecting some kittens next year. Wasted probably half an hour of my morning, but it was worth it. Look out for our new bride and groom :3

Kuih with a Hole in the Middle

Being a both a Malaysian and a facebooker, you guys must've heard of the riddle "Banyak-banyak kuih, kuih apakah yang orang makan tepinya sahaja? Tengahnya tidak dimakan.". The answer is donut right? Well think again. This riddle had lived its days remarkably as one of those teka-tekis that gives people a facepalm. Not any more.

Unfortunately for that dear donut, companies such as Big Apple and Dunkin' Donuts start to rise, bringing a new generation of that so-called "Kuih with a Hole in the Middle". With fillings, creams, nuts and fruits at the centre of the donut, the riddle at the beginning of this post is proven to be invalid. (Awwwwwwwww) You may be wondering, up to this point, as to why I am discussing on this worldly issue. Have a look at the photo below

Gorgeous

A certain someone bought it for me when he went for an outing. And they're pink! With a slice of strawberry and tiny strips of white chocolate on top. Hooray for that. I didn't expect that he'd actually buy me something, but thanks nevertheless. By the way, I didn't have to place it in a burner. Nanti tak sedap la =='

Now I'd like you to imagine that you eat only the edges of the doughnut shown above, thus leaving its midsection. That would be such a waste wouldn't it. Boohoo. But I don't blame these companies. I am actually a fan of doughnuts (again, thanks for those doughnuts .. really appreciate it.. or them..). Doughnuts are often related to police officers, as seen in movies or American dramas. I still don't get why. They stop for some doughnuts before going for a pursuit.

Other varieties of doughnuts from the internet

The highlight for today is actually the International Mathematics Olympiad selection test (sorry for the divergence guys). I was the only odd-one-out. I mean, I wasn't even in the Math Olympiad class and then there I was, sitting for this very huge exam. Not that I was unhappy (Alhamdulillah I was selected to participate in this selection test), but it was the fact that I knew way less than all of the others.

However, I have learnt not to put down my weapons before I enter the battle. As I looked upon the question, the first one was pretty easy. The second one was okay if it weren't for the fact that I didn't understand the term "tangent internally" and "tangent externally". So answered what I thought would be the answer. Alhamdulillah, I could answer the third with confidence. But not the same can be said for questions number 4 and 5. I, having no other solution in mind, start thinking of matrices that we learnt in LA and tried to implement it. Didn't work.

A random photo from the internet

The time allocated for the test was 3.5 hours, but one by one stood up before me and got out of the examination hall. By over 2 o'clock, after only an hour and 45 minutes after the exam started, I, too, followed them. Seriously, I flipped the papers over and over, but still nothing popped up in my brain. Not actually hoping to be selected, but if I were to be chosen, then all praise goes to Allah.

Partner for Life

An agreement with a fellow classmate had made it possible for this post to be written (I hope you're reading this NUR AMALIN :P). It'll be a lie if I said that the thought of having a life partner, or as people simply say it, a husband, had never crossed my mind. It has, mind you, and I won't be gasping in astonishment if a data were to suggest that every teenager had at least considered this topic once in their lifetime.

Aaaaaaand....Cut

Played badminton during PE class. Had been quite some time since I actually played badminton. Used to play with my dad and bro when we were kids, my brother and I, I mean.

The highlight for today is actually acting out Cempaka Berdarah. We planned to start by 5.45p.m., but due to extra classes, the time was postponed. We were relieved when we met up near the tangki air but one problem surfaces: Rasyid was going to take a shower. OH NO! Anything but that. Then Aiman told us a really hilarious tale about how long Rasyid spent in the showers which I thought was both humorous and absurd.

Here are some of the shots from the shooting (okay that doesn't sound right)

And so this photo was secretly taken

Now that just looks so cute :3

Aiman just gave her a weed! XD

Aiman Nordin as Zaman
Nurain Nasuha as Mak Jah

Nur Amalin as Cempaka

Abdul Rasyid as Prof Penyapu

Ahmad Haikal as Malik XD

Annual Camp 2013 Part I

Sungai Congkak. Our location for this year's annual camp. Never heard of that place before, but was equally excited as anybody else. Bought minimal clothes: Four t-shirts and one pants. Sleeping bag, torchlight, and other equipments one must have in order to have that camping spirit. I went camping with one main objective: to go there without any gadgets, which meant my phones, camera, earphones and laptop were left safely in my room.

We arrived the campsite late in the afternoon, and after setting up camp, we were told that we had to take wudhu at the river. Well, there are these rumours that this particular river had been reported of kencing tikus. However, we had no other options at that time. We were also given assurance that plenty of people living there had been using the river without any news of kencing tikus. I felt privileged that I can once again feel the serenity of the river since

The queue for the toilet was long, if you're late. Lucky for the guys, they had no proper toilet. Instead, they made the river as their toilet, bathtub, and playground. Poor river.

Dinner was particularly nice (or maybe it was the fact that I was so hungry?) On the first night, BSMM and Kadet Police were separated, leaving both to do their own activities. BSMM had class for balutan and CPR. Not to brag but, since I had been a member of the Malaysian Red Crescent for almost 7 years, all of these classes was nothing new and I took it as a revision (seriously, there were some that slipped from my memory). And because of my countless experiences, I had long been in love with BSMM.

The very next day, I woke up shivering, my teeth rattling. I didn't see that coming because the previous night had some kind of heat wave. I guess I should've known that temperature drops quite drastically in the woods. At eight, we had a stroll outside the campsite. The sergeant intended to make it a kawad but initially, that didn't work out. "Yang laki2 cakap kiri, yang wanita cakap kanan" he said. And off we went. It didn't take as much as one minute that the kiri kanan kiri went too fast. Due to that, we had to stop every few metres. However, we seem to improve by every step that we take, and finally, we were synchronised. A rhythm of "kiri kanan kiri" "hek keh hek" "left right left" and other sounds that I am not sure of filled the air. "The boys sound like frogs," one girl said XD

This is not how our tent looked like

When we were only a few metres to the destination, the Sungai Congkak waterfall, the sergeant commanded us to stop and sprint, row by row. It was to show us that we should speed up upon reaching our goal. I, and I guess the others too, were enthusiastic to go in. Frankly, I felt cheated when the sergeant told us that that wasn't part of the plan. Boohoo. :(

More class for BSMM members. Operasi menyelamat. Now this is something that I've been waiting for because I've never experienced a real simulation of a disaster. So we were divided into four. Five if you count the "mangsa" and "pengacau". Wait, is that six? Who cares. First, we were in four groups and the units needed were Unit Peninjau, Unit Penyelamat, Unit Perubatan Kecemasan, and Unit Kebajikan. By default, my team would be made unit kebajikan but Tuan Shah said only three were needed. So, I backed off because I wanted to play penyelamat so badly.

After the afternoon break, the mangsa team went off while the others remained in the hall for more practical on usungan. Without warning, Rasyid barged in, panicking and saying stuff like, "Tolong. Kampung diserang kepala air". At that moment, we knew it was time. Syahir and Dalila were in position as the Head and the Secretary of the bilik gerakan. Unit peninjau went off first. By ten minutes, they finally reported the situation and the details of injuries. Unit penyelamat were then sent.

I felt a rush of excitement as I ran for the "village", hoping to save at least one life. Upon arrival, I scanned the area and found a girl with a vertical cut on her palm. I took my posisi perawat and began aiding her hand. It would've went well if it weren't for those overly-emotional villagers. They were like, "Cik! Tengok anak saya nie cik! Dia dah sakit! Macam ini kah cik buat kerja?". I really felt like yelling at them to shut up, but I knew patience is vital in these situations. So I kept my voice calm and told them everything's gonna be alright.

In a matter of what seemed like 20 minutes, all the injured (or should I say all but one who sadly became a corpse) were bought back to the green zone. They were treated and simulation was over. I could feel sweat trickling down my cheeks. It felt good. The facilitators commented on our job, saying that all was great, except for the fact that we were not efficient enough. They gave us a 75. Outstanding, I must say. This simulation made me more determined, that one day I shall be involved in these kinds of stuff, saving people's lives and giving a helping hand during crucial moments. InsyaAllah.

Part II

Blog Day

Modern Math, Chemistry, History, and PAI. What do they have in common? No teachers. Yes. "To the lab com!" we yelled. Since the we had to do a blog for English class, 4K1 students started logging in to blogger and in a matter of minutes, blogging frenzy has initiated.

I started looking for ways to change the HTML. I wanted a pink-themed blog but most of the pink ones have not-so-cool designs. All I found was this blue-white blog template that looks really cool but still lack pink. So I strained my eyes on the edit HTML page, did some trial and error, and the result is as you can see now.

As for the photo on my homepage, I would be very eager to explain. The first one was taken on the evening of what was to be the best night of my PERMATA life, and that's the UKM Malaysia Day event. The second one is also taken on Malaysia Day. The reason I chose it is because it looks so epic (seriosly love that photo). Last but not least, the blogger boy. He's 4K1's class rep. That photo was actually taken by me, and he posed in such a way that it made him look like a pop star (or a model, maybe?).

LA class, in the midst of heat and stuffiness in 4K4, we were greeted with news that Pn. Nadia would no longer be teaching LA. A rhythm of gloomy "Awwwww" was heard. Well, look on the bright side. At least Pn. Nadia said that the new teacher is cute, probably like Kasdi. Several weeks prior to exam, the papers have finally been distributed. I wasn't that satisfied with my achievement, but still Alhamdulillah. Gotta do better next time.

Decided to go out for sports in the evening, because just getting cooped up in my room leads to boredom. Played some softball. Felt really good to be out and active. During the Maghrib-Isyak interval, the Makerohani had set up an activity for us. In our usrah group, we have to bring a lighted candle to 3 stations and get back to the dining hall by azan.

You see lots of these in Snape's dungeon

Sounds like a piece of cake right? It is if it weren't for those pengacau. They sprayed, splashed and poured water onto us in an attempt to blow the candle out and each usrah member should do their best to protect it. Should it blow out, one could, as they say, share a fire (wrong English, I know).

The game should be done in without any screaming, but seriously, do you expect a teenage girl who is being attacked while trying to defend a well-lighted candle to not scream? Yeah, lots of screaming was heard. And I contributed to the rule-breaking feat.

Packed for camp after prep. Listened to The Fox song while writing this post :)

What Does the Fox Say?

Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!
Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!
Jacha-chacha-chacha-chow!
Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!
A-hee-ahee ha-hee!
A-oo-oo-oo-ooo

These are some of the sounds that a fox might make, as assumed by Norwegian guy by the name of Ylvis through his song "The Fox". The first time I've heard of this song was when Karthigeyan played it on his laptop and sang it out lout. Seriously, before I knew the lyrics, I thought he was just using some bad language. Sorry about that. :P

They're just so adorable!

Out of curiosity, I looked it up on Youtube, plugged in my earphones and got in my most comfortable position to listen to good music.  Boy was I caught off guard when I the first verse goes

"Dog goes woof, cats go meow"

 At that moment, I knew I signed up to listen to some stupid, annoying, ridiculous, catchy tunes that would waste 3 minutes of my life and get stuck in my head for days. And I couldn't be more right. I mean, is it such a big deal to know what the fox says? What about a koala? Or a kangaroo? Or a seahorse, perhaps? WHY FOX?

Okay, so I did a bit of research and found out that the fox screams. Well, not so much of a yell scream. More of a cross between the howl of a werewolf and a yelp of a newborn kitten. Makes it sound as if a really tough guy is choking on a chicken bone and is trying to cough it out. Okay, so maybe I'm not that good in explaining these stuff. To not be left astray, why don't you guys watch this Youtube video and make your own conclusion.

Biology Debate

And so I was the leader of the opposing team, the first experience I've ever had. A bit nervous of course, because that's what people usually feel when trying out something new. I was glad, however, that I had the chance to do things I've never dreamed of doing. Like they say, getting out of the comfort gives you a whole new experience, preparing you for the outside world.

Oh, and the motion was "Cloning is Essential for the Survival of The Species"

It's Dolly and it's cute!

Personally, I am against human and animal cloning but am totally for plant and GM food. Human and animal cloning just seems so unnecessary and the drawbacks far outweigh the advantages.I mean, why would one waste time and money for such an uncertainty (not to mention uselessness). However, I strongly agree that plant cloning and GM is essential for the survival of the species. It goes the same for organ cloning, but never the whole human being.

Had no other classes for the rest of the day thanks to meetings that the teachers had to attend. Actually played NFS in class. Just one race okay. I got real bored then and had to do some gaming before continuing my studies.

No French class in the afternoon, so I studied for SAT. Frankly, if I think too much about it, I get really nervous and anxious, feeling as if I know nothing about SAT. I tried to take it easy so I won't mess up my head much, but I still gotta put my mind into it.

Broken Test Tube

I was on my way to class after returning from the library when he said hi to me. We have been having this awkwardness probably since a few months ago. Maybe he was aware of that too. Things change you know. People change. But I try acting natural nevertheless. They say forums are boring. I don't think so. Had another forum for PAI. That guy is so obnoxious being a moderator. Like seriously, if it weren't for the presence of a teacher, I would've given him a knuckle sandwich. (and I was used to punch a guy who constantly irritated me in my previous school)

Physics class went well, but t=not the same can be said about chemistry class. Had to go wash the test tubes after a rusting experiment. It was totally an accident. I was holding two test tubes in one hand, one vertically and another horizontally. As I shook the vertical one (to apply inertia so that the jelly would flow out), the horizontal one hit the side of the sink with such force that it broke. Not to tiny pieces (a huge relief for that) but into large fragments.

This was how the test tube looked like before it met its fate. Snape won't be happy.

Yeah, it's probably my fault because I didn't heed my friends' advice to be more careful. Maybe that's just how I am. The more you tell me not to do something, the more determined I am to keep on doing it. Really sorry about that guys. Should be more careful next time.

Today's hall of thoughts is quite different from what we usually have. More fun in a way, with the fact that the MO students were there to join us. Frankly, the topic I received wasn't that interesting, but I talked about it anyway. Oh, and someone talked about his crush in such a mature way that it made me think twice of who I really am.

Chemistry quiz was next; in the scorching hot classroom, I felt sweat all over. Seriously not an excellent condition to do a quiz.

Monday

During the assembly, Dr Melor gave an unusually long speech, about how hard her life was during her times in SSP. She told us that nothing is impossible. Yeah, I have heard lots of success stories that start with failure, but the way she talked about it touched my heart. Shed a bit of tears but managed to wipe it off before anyone even noticed.

Biology class went quite well, except for the fact that another class intervened to do a blood test. Their presence just added in the unnecessary noises that made my friends and I difficult to concentrate on the topic discussed.

Sang in class for BM. Wasn't what I expected, probably because of the stage fright. But I don't think I have much stage fright now, ever since I got used to speaking up front. Maybe it was the fact that I had to sing this time, something that I've never done before (in public at least)

Had chicken rice for lunch. Nice. Had the rest of the afternoon off since there was no class.

During dinner, Kasdi made some jokes that he usually makes (you know what I'm talking about). Can't stop laughing.

First week

Monday, 16/9

Hooray for Malaysia day! It's the 40^th year that Tanah Melayu, Sabah and Sarawak combined to form Malaysia that we know today. What's great about this is the holidays. That's the best part of course. Everyone loves holidays, including me. First we had a gotong-royong, which I had been anticipating because I wanted to have my room cleaned. Found lost of junk. Then we proceeded to the assigned locations, for 4K1 (girls), its 4^th floor, block A.

Right after that, I opened my book and studied (though I was first distracted by the video game in my laptop which delayed my study). I felt glad because I could have the opportunity to do a private study, something of which I wouldn't be able to do during prep.

Took a light nap to compensate for the sleepless nights spent on homework. Felt “rejuvenated” :)

Later in the afternoon I had to attend the marching practice, to compete in UKM Malaysian day celebration this Wednesday.

That night, my exco members and I (Multimedia and Publicity) had a small meeting to discuss the current agenda and issue around us. It was very fruitful and each member participated actively. Later, my night was further dragged by an MPP meeting. Finally able to hit the sack at around 12.30 a.m.

Tuesday, 17/9

Had to hand in our BM posters today by 9 o'clock. Saw lots of cute posters which made mine look like something that came from the garbage bin. Physics class was really fun, although most of us exited the physics lab with confused looks on their faces. During minum pagi, there were suddenly buns on the salad bar which creates a chain reaction of students attacking the toaster with the butter-spreaded buns. Poor toaster.

Hall of thoughts today is sparked up with a bit of a debate with the topic “Does PERMATApintar provide a better education”. After that, there was an extended discussion on the topic, which was very engaging despite the feeling of dissatisfaction it evoked in some people. In my personal view, eventhough this school is way better than my previous school (which was sadly not a pretty good school), but in terms of “providing a better education”, I should say a no.

Had marching practice in the middle of the rain. Well, never underestimate the power of girls to withstand those cool water droplets from the sky. Prep for marching was done at night, where the props were made and performance was finalised. Although it made us stay night till past 1 o'clock (not to mention the fact that some of us have homeworks waiting), I enjoyed it. I was able to forget all those stuff that had been stressing me out. Maybe it's the fact that I'm actually passionate about this. I guess I rarely feel this way here in PERMATA, if I ever did

Wednesday, 18/9

The day we have all been waiting for: Sambutan Hari Malaysia UKM.

In my personal point of view, winning isn't everything. It's the pleasure and bonding that we experienced that matters the most. I feel very glad that I decided to join this marching team. I wouldn't deny that probably the other grown ups thought that our performance was a bit childish, but that's just who we are. We're children and we're young (at least younger than them). I felt something that I haven't felt much since I got here: the feeling of carefree. I guess most, if not all, of us felt that way. We totally forgot about school, about class, about homeworks, about assignments. We could rarely, if ever, get the chance to fool around and have the time of our lives because most of the time, we are haunted with tonnes of coursework. Although extremely exhausted due to this event (not to mention the unfinished assignments), I could get the sense that I am who I am. I'm just a kid

Thursday, 19/9

Woke up a bit late due to last night's partying. Had some body aches which ceased after an hour or so. Modern math was first and since Mr Fadzil is not around, we were quite free, until.. Someone told something about bringing the BM exam paper. Seriously, nobody told me about that and I wasquite annoyed because I had to return all the way back to the hostel to go fetch it.

At the dining hall, once again the tasty kuih has been finished off. Had a forum during PAI class. Received another History assignment to add in to the pile of assignments. Great. In the afternoon, we were to participate in the talk by Tan Seri Muhyiddin Yassin. It was a very last-minute thing (like any other events here in PERMATA) and we were rushing from class to the dining hall and back to our hostel.

During the talk, which was held at dectar, I took the opportunity to take a nap. Paid little attention to what the talk was about, except for things that concern me like medicine or education. When Tan Sri was leaving, the other students and I waved at him. It was kinda funny though.

That night, we had a mooncake festival. Really anticipated it. Wanted to eat mooncakes and walk around in the middle of the night with lanterns. The full moon was just so spectacular. After taking photos with the lanterns, we headed back to the hall. Was an awesome event.

Friday, 20/9

Hmm. I think I like someone but I don't wanna like anyone because I've just recently removed my feelings from someone. It was something I have been trying to do for months and finally I succeeded and I don't want to fall in any similar feelings in the near future. Makes me wanna puke. XD

Started the day with English class. Was quite different than it usually was. We wrote a topic on a piece of paper which was then exchanged with our friends for them to speak on it. Quite great, I guess. At least better than what we usually have. Wanted to have a more interesting topic, like the crush thing because I really wanted to share about that. But probably the odds were not in my favour. It was fine though.

Oh yeah, today Lydia told me a very great advice. “It doesn't matter if the topic's boring or not. It's the way you say it”. Nice one.

Had softball practice in the evening. It's been a while since there was training so I felt a bit awkward but nevertheless glad to spend my evening doing sports.

Saturday, 21/9

Another weekend. Nothing much. Was supposed to go to do volunteer work organised by 4K1 but figured that I've spent a whole lot of my time not studying (since I was involved in the marching competetion). So I decided not to go. Got my homework done.

Sunday. 22/9

Prep time: that guy was suddenly in a cheerful mood, something I rarely, if ever, witness. Wish he were that not annoying every day.