Cheers

Was an amazing day today. I was happy. Went to my younger brother's prize giving ceremony for his 5 A's he obtained for UPSR. Then rushed to a wedding, which served above par food (nasi minyak, yummeh!). Later, went for a family dinner, celebrating dad's 50th. We did Friday's and everyone was extremely full to even ask for desserts. Back at home, my dad received his birthday pressie, a brand new Crocs loafers from my sister and brother-in-law which are pretty good looking if you ask me. Then I received a 2 day early birthday pressie too! A Crocs flip-flop I had wanted since err, forever. OK, gonna have to study now. Am actually in the midst of finals week and yet I am doing all this nonsense. Damn you cyber world. OK, next update will be after my finals. Bye people, BYE CYBER WORLD. I will miss you, NOT.

Mood: Hyper.

Half a Century

Yes, my dad turns 50 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA! It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating your 49th. Anyway, like people say, age is just a number. Live young, stay young forever pa. Happy birthday! Love you forever.

Mood: fulfilled

23

23. Why? Well, its the 23rd post of my blog. Honestly this is a milestone for me. I never would have though this blog would see the light of day. Although just 23 posts thus far, I am sure there is going to be more. Another reason why I stressed so much on the number 23? Well, it is my favorite number. Why you may ask? It was on a beautiful afternoon at approximately 4.00pm on the 23rd of November almost 19 years ago where a boy, named Muhammad Faiz by his loving parents, was born. Yes people, in exactly 1 week from now I turn 19! Another milestone for me. Am I happy? Yes. I also am very grateful God has given me these beautiful 19 years (and hopefully more) to live. :)

Also, today was a very eventful and productive day. The physics project that was over-procrastinated was finally completed today and I can't be more happier. Thank you Ikhsan and Dre. And Ikhsan, I am honestly very sorry for bitching too much on the poster. Seriously, I hope you accept this apology. I didn't mean to. I guess it was just me being tired. Dre, thank you for doing so much. I can't thank you enough for all that you have done. If we (Ikhsan, Rex and me) were cars, you are our fuel. Without you (and Ikhsan), I think our poster would still be a blank sheet of paper as for now. Oh I also met with Zahir today, Ikhsan's friend from TUCPJ. He's quite cool I suppose. Heh. Later, I went to McD with Azrina and Kayrone and chatted the evening away. Good times, good times. Now, I am going to get my arse off here and do my physics homework, which, too is over-procrastinated. Oh the joy.

Mood: Happy

The End is Near

I had a splendid time today with the guys at Subway. Who suggested the place? Me, as always. I figured I might as well do a suggestion cause I was craving for a sub. Anyway, today I played 'truth for truth' for the first time. I know I'm lame cause only today have I actually played it. Was planning to revise for physics when we ended up playing that (thank you so much Mr. Ikhsan -___-). I suggested we do a 15 minute game as my purpose for staying back was actually revising physics. As usual, the 15 minutes turned into 30 and then 45 and eventually, we sat down playing for an hour and a half. Crazy, I know but oh well. In the middle of our game, Mr. Andre came and joined us. He too got caught up in the game. Oops. We finally started to do physics when Mr. Dre came along. Things got serious for approximately 15 minutes when I just couldn't take it anymore. I was dead tired by then. So I packed my stuff. 5 minutes later, Ikhsan and Dre decided it was time to pack. Somewhere in between this, Andre left for home. So I guess my effort on studying with friends failed miserably. Friday is the test and I feel that the end is near. To add on to the misery, I also have a calculus quiz. People, the end IS imminent.

Speaking of ends, this semester is also coming to an end. Wake me up when November ends please. Thank you.

On a random note, anyone know where we can get awesome 'putu piring' or 'cakoi'? I am craving for these 'endangered' traditional delicacies. See, even these kuih-muih are becoming extinct by the day. Is the end near for them too? NO! I would be downright miserable not to be able to taste these two again. I hope they survive this 'tragedy'.

putu piring

cakoi

Want to know what else is nearing the end? This blog post. In fact, I'm done. Bye people.

Mood: Dead

Hakuna Matata

"It means no worries, for the rest of your days..."

Thank you Ikhsan.



At times when you feel down, this is perhaps the most uplifting and motivating song EVER (well, at least to me). Again, thank you Ikhsan for smacking (not literally) some sense into me. Justine, thanks again for being great ears. You guys are superb. I don't know how I can make it through college without you guys. This is just a phase. It will wear off soon, hopefully, like usual. I think it has been a rough couple of weeks lately and it ain't getting any simpler or better. I must toughen up, suck it up, and go through this. If you guys can, why can't I? So yes, just bear with me if I am a bit whack or disoriented OK. I shall pull through this. Guide me if I need some guidance. Thanks.

"Hakuna matata...these two words will solve all your problems." - Pumba

Mood: Empty

Pickles

Gosh I have no idea how people can like such a thing. Every time I ask for a Black Pepper Whopper™ from Burger King® I always forget to request for NO PICKLES! Now that that is out, I can rest in peace, NOT! Anyway in other random stuff, as a friend just HAD to upload a whack photo of me in his blog, I think it is only polite for me to return the favor.


Happy now dude? Grr.

So, back to reality. Finals are in two weeks. Have I cared to even start revising? Not a chance. Pathetic no? Now I have only myself to blame if I screw up the finals. To add on to this craziness, I have 9843928734209.23 things to complete by 2 weeks' time. How am I going to accomplish this seemingly impossible feat? Only God knows. However "Nothing is Impossible" right? So I shall work my arse off (and ask for miracles) to complete everything in time.

The past week has been interesting.

Tuesday was the day we (my friends and I) headed to a new place to eat to celebrate a friend's birthday and found out it had FANTASTIC Hawaiian Chicken pizza bits. Tuesday was also the day I saw the friend overjoyed upon receiving a RM100 Esprit voucher from us. Her reaction was totally genuine and we all were happy for her. Just when you thought the day couldn't get any better, TWO (2) BRAND-SPANKIN'-NEW random quotes such as "I never knew there were lights in here," and "I never knew you wore a shirt," from the same person who brought us the "is that a cheetah or a leopard" quote was uttered. Never stop cheering us up with totally mock-able quotes dear friend. It is much needed in stressful times. ;)

Fast forward to Thursday, another dear friend presented me with a tee her mother bought for me. I wasn't shocked as I was told earlier about this very random but extremely thoughtful gift. I cannot thank her mom (and her) enough for the gift. Trust me, I LIKE it! Thank you mama Justine! Later on in the day, another friend made an impulse decision to go for a movie. I was like "Hey ho, lets go! Hey, ho lets go!" We went with another friend who was extremely overjoyed about the whole movie shebang. Over at the mall, before the movie started, I dragged my friends to some really cool stores. I showed them this awesome store called Star ThreeSixty, one of the Stores in Malaysia licensed to sell the one one of a kind Asics's Onitsuka Tiger shoes which are uber AWESOME! I also showed them around some other shops and purposely went to PUMA to reenact the scene where the "is that a cheetah or a leopard" quote originated. Good times, good times. I also bought myself a tee (OOPSIE!) from my FAVOURITE STORE EVER, TOPMAN. I had to drag my friends twice to the store as I was undecided on what to purchase. But in the end, I THINK I made a good purchase?

I guess only these two days were blog-worthy ones. Sayonara peeps!

Mood: Accomplished

Thankful

I feel very EXTREMELY thankful I am blessed with phenomenal friends who accept me the way I am, true to themselves and happen to be the COOLEST people EVER! So thank you EVERYONE. You guys know who you are.

:)

Mood: Energetic

I Need to...

• be more patient.
• be careful with the things I say.
• be more confident.
• be more prudent in utilizing time.
• be able to make decisions on what and what not to do.
• be knowledgeable in the general knowledge area.
• stop wasting my time 'online window shopping'.
• save more money.
• learn to let go at times.
• be more mature.
• be more compassionate towards others.
• learn to play the guitar.
• learn to play the piano.
• go to the gym.
• swim.
• update this blog more frequently.
• be thankful for the life I have.

Well, there are more but I reckon you wouldn't want to know. I have my flaws, I'm sure you do too. Anyway, till my next update.

Mood: Content

Random Bursts of the Mind

Since Facebook is taking centuries to upload my pictures, I might as well make a new post. This is going to be random, so brace yourself.

1. I have concluded that hardly anyone answers personal messages on MSN. So Just don't ask any questions on it. You'll end up answer-less. That's what happened to me. Yeah, lame.

2. Having a glass of milk with ice cubes is yucky. I mean, seriously. It is best served chilled as in refrigerator chilled. Ice cream, however is a totally different story. Yum!

3. Kiki, one of my cats takes a day nap everyday on my bed. The picture is of how she actually sleeps.


4. Since we're talking cats, take a look at my other dear cat, Kenya. Here, she's trying to be the Little Red Riding Hood. Cute no?


5. Paper cuts are the worst to get. It just happens unnoticed. Then you start bleeding a little, but the pain on the other hand, is a lot. Ouch.

6. I still want to be a pilot, despite majoring in aerospace engineering at the moment.

7. I thought I lost my thumb drive, but it was in my dad's bag all along. I was frantically searching for it high and low, and just out of the blue (and a few weeks later), he (my dad) comes in my room and says, "is this yours?" Sigh.

8. A friend of mine bedazzled his bottle cap with bunny stickers. It's quite cool I must say. Oh and the bottle was for an AIDS charity. I bought one too.


9. This MSN emoticon always cracks me up. It's hilarious!


10. The other day, there was a caterpillar in my room. Like, come on, out of all the animals (creepy crawlers to be specific), in the world, a caterpillar?! I was totally freaked out. My younger brother took care of it thankfully. Don't worry though, no caterpillars were harmed on that day.

11. Last week, a stupid car MPV crashed into my car. I was shaken up a little. I though it was going to bad. The car that hit me was a Toyota Innova, which weighs more than a tonne! I thought I was in deep sh*t. To my surprise, my car was unharmed. That's why I'm naming it 'The FiTT Machine' - yes with 2 capital T's - from now on.

12. I need to get a new phone stylus.

13. Halloween is just around the corner. And a Halloween party calls for a costume/outfit to be purchased. Shopping? Yes please.

You would think the photos I uploaded on Facebook finished uploading ages ago, but sadly you're wrong. For the past 2 and a half hours online, I have only successfully uploaded 6 photos. How pathetic and sad. Oh well, I will continue later in the day. For now, I am going to bed. Goodnight people.

Mood: Sleepy

Positive Outlook

I have been through quite a lot in the past I must say. There were good times and there were bad times. Yes, we are talking about life people. Though I try my best to be happy and cheerful, I do get sad and 'depressed' at times. However, I am quite fed up with all this getting-hit-hard-and-getting-sad/depressed part of my life. I mean, sometimes I stress myself up too much. I try my best to treat people nicely but sometimes I get hurt in the end. Also at times when I work my arse off on something and it doesn't work out, it too, hurts me A LOT. After a few weeks of recieving perhaps the worst ever test results in my life, I decided, life has to go on.

I cannot be sad about one thing that has passed. After a lot of support from friends, particularly Justine and Andre (thank you so much!), I am so over the test results and the fire in me to work harder smarter next time has ignited. I have learned that life doesn't revolve around the one test I did badly. So, I cannot fret over it, but instead, I must move on with life. OK, I might have been very depressed at the time but seriously, why was I that way? Reflecting back on that day, I remember being uber-depressed and that I shut everyone out. I was furious at everyone and I got mad for the tiniest of things. Why did I flow my anger to others? If fact, why did I get depressed in the first place? That wasn't the end of the line for me. That was just one test and what is that going to prove? Nothing, really. So, I decided that I need to change.

Hence, I am trying to have this positive outlook on life from now on. To me, I think it is OK to fret about things, but don't drag it to days and days until it affects me badly. Like my span of getting mad/angry or whatever you wanna call it is 10 minutes tops. You see, we have to learn to let go at times, in other terms, GROW UP! As we know life isn't always fair, we can't have it all. So try it out. Too hard? Take 3 deep breaths to calm down. Then perhaps drink a cup of tea/coffee (depends on what your preference is; mine would definitely be raspberry tea!) or whatever you like. Reflect on what might you have done wrong/what triggered your anger over your beverage. After this, if you think it isn't worth your precious time (yes time is limited people!) to dwell over, just let it go and move on life. Trust me, you will learn to be more mature and positive this way. Try it. It's working for me so far.



Mood: Extremely happy

Congratulations, sis

I have to be really sorry to my readers (if any) out there for not updating my blog for centuries long. You see, it is not that I didn't want to, I just couldn't find the time. I was so busy juggling college, friends, studying and a very big family event that I shall tell of soon. Lets get started now shall we? Basically, in the past weeks from my previous post to present...


1. I saved a friend from committing social suicide. You see, this friend of mine had a mission. The mission? Buy a new folder/file/document manager thingy. And so, we headed off to this mall with another friend of mine who is also her cousin to catch The Ugly Truth, and later search for the folder thingy. The movie was great, but I don't really know how my friend handled all the dirty jokes though. Moving on, after the movie, the folder thingy search was on. So we headed to MPH and headed to the stationary isle. She spotted the folders and ta-daa, the first thing that caught her eye was this very un-stylish 'Stylish' folder. Me and her cousin burst out laughing. I can remember trying to gasp for air. A folder with a handle? This style is so 10 years ago. I might be acceptable if one was in primary school, but college? Aiyayayaya. After a few minutes of mocking her (sorry!), we helped search for a perfect folder, and she settled for a more age-appropriate pink folder (nice!).


2. I had my dose of Starbucks. This comes after the month of Ramadhan. Since I couldn't have joined my friends for a Frappuccino, I just had to. So, when Eid arrived, I straight away suggested we (my friends and I) go to Starbucks and perhaps catch a movie. Of course the movie just fell through and we ended up spending the whole evening in Starbucks. It was great though to hang out with good friends and have some laughs.


3. I screamed because I saw a Hummer. OK, OK, don't get me wrong here, I know it is just a Hummer. But this was in front of my house. Although I may seem like the weirdo, Hummers in Malaysia are seriously rare. Just like the red Maserati GT I saw while picking my sister up from school, or the orange Lamborghini that is parked in the driveway of a resident of my neighbourhood. Exotic cars, especially Maserati's just takes my breath away. Explains my e-mail you know. If you didn't, so now you do. But again, they are just cars. I must get over my obsession.


4. My sister got married. This was the big family event I was talking about. Yes, I know, I have a brother-in-law now, but its cool. He's quite a cool and nice guy and we do get along quite well. So I have to congratulate my sister and 'brother'. I hope you two have a long and successful marriage. The picture above is the 'mini pelamin' set up inside my house during the night of the 'nikah' (when the wedding vows were taken). It was a simple one but beautiful I must say. The one at the hall where the reception was held was more elaborate but I have no pictures of that yet as the 4 cameramen are still editing the photos. The wedding was such a big thing for my family and thank God that it was fun and guests were aplenty. My parents couldn't have been more happier for the turn out. There were 1500 people on the guest list but I reckon many more came. Also, a couple of friends of mine who were to show up for the wedding ran late. But, eventually they still came, and that's what mattered the most. On behalf of my family, thanks for all who made it to the wedding. We really appreciate it.

The one and only photo I have with me now. Some will be uploaded soon. Notice the friend in the 'Negaraku' stance.

I think this is all I will update you guys for now. My brain has jammed and I am super tired. Until the next update! Bye!

Mood: Exhausted

Se7en

Finally I have time to update this blog. Don't worry it's not dead yet! The past couple of weeks have been filled with ups and downs but all in all they were great. So here it goes.

1. I found out that what we have been doing thus far for calculus has been all about integrating and differentiating. I live differentiating but integrating is quite a pain. Take for example chapter 8. That totally crushed my spirit for calculus. I'm sure my friends noticed but I couldn't help it. It was totally 'traumatizing' to not know how to do oh-so-many questions in one shot! But I got through that. And I have to give a VERY BIG THANK YOU to the 'Guru' and the 'Mahaguru' for all their help. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am with calculus right now. So shall I get back to calculus exercises now? I'd rather blog now thank you.

2. This week has been a little stressful for me. An as usual when I get tense I get all crazy and hyper. Faiz + hyper = NO GOOD.

3. Yesterday while writing a little something something for a friend, I got the shock of my life. A cockroach came charging at me with all its might. I jumped out of the chair. While this was happening, Justine picked up a tissue and killed the disgusting thing. I have now become the laughing stock of my friends. Sigh.

4. "Hey Faiz, you remind me of Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl in a way," were the words uttered from a friend a few days ago. I was quite shocked. Not too long ago another friend told me a similar thing. And I have also gotten it from a couple other friends. What on earth? How can this be? I am taking this as a, err... compliment?

Source: Boys Like Girls

5. I discovered today while surfing the net that cool looking tees like above are only $5. I was like, WHAT?! $5?! That is crazy cheap. I am definitely going to get a lot of band tees when I get to the US. Can't wait!

6. I sent out my sister's wedding invitation to my friends today. Just before you could say anything, they were discussing about what to wear. I was like, "as long as you don't go nude!" Heh.

7. I recently reconnected with a friend this week. It was such a relief he remembered me. Gosh, I miss those days in New Berlin. Speaking of New Berlin, it is NOT in Germany. Instead, it is in the Dairy State of the USA Wisconsin. Now that I just had to bring that up, I miss Wisconsin cheese.

Life has been amazing so far. Blessed with amazing parents, wonderful siblings, and awesome friends, what could go wrong? Well, not that I'm complaining anyway.

Mood: Sleepy

Cuddles

That's what I am gonna name the dog in the video below. Watch it, the pup is adorable! Twas a video I found on YouTube. Gosh that site is addictive yes?

Anyway, this week has been great. I had not procrastinated on calculus homework like I used to and it's a great feeling I suppose. So, I can think of more important things like revising, and ehem ehem, television. I have no idea why but I am slowly becoming a TV addict. I limit myself to at least an hour a night though (I know, what a loser). Well, I have not much to say anymore. Enjoy the video!



Mood: Exhausted

Boys Like Girls

Oh, I'm quite a fan of them, even before they hit mainstream. Their music is simply fantastic and seeing them live at MTVWS last 15th August was a dream come true. So, after all the wait, MTVWS is finally airing tonight on MTV Asia at approximately 9 PM Malaysian time. I can't wait! I would love to watch it again, this time on TV. And while browsing through YouTube, guess what I found? Watch the video. It's HILARIOUS! But I gotta say kudos to Martin and Paul for trying. They aren't too bad at it either!



Mood: Happy

Time After Time

That song is timeless. Random thought there. Well, as I sit here in this computer chair, I wonder, why on earth did I spend almost the whole day online? That question remains to be answered. Time sure does fly when you go 'window shopping' or blog surfing. There is this one car blog I like in particular. I can spend hours just reading about what I love, cars (among other things, of course). Today, I did just that.

After quite an unstable week, today proved to be much better. However, my spirit in doing calculus or the physics homework given depleted as soon as I arrived home. After not being able to go online for as far as I can remember (excluding last night's post), I just had to go online. The computer was literally 'calling' for me. And that was when a few minutes turned into hours which later, turned into most of the day today. I feel like I wasted a lot of precious time today. When others are struggling by using their brains attempting the homework and assignments, I just sat here all day doing nothing that would benefit my life whatsoever. And so I have reached a conclusion, I must stay away from the computer during weekdays. I will try this out for the rest of the week and hopefully I will succeed. I need to set my priorities straight here, and going online is perhaps not even on the list.

I have yet again procrastinated on doing any work and so I will be burdened with the absurd amount of calculus work tomorrow plus the other homework I received today. I can't say I am too happy but I realize the only person to blame is myself. But oh well, time cannot go backwards and plus there is no use in regretting the past or thinking too much about it. I also have to think about tomorrow and how I shall spend my 4 hours of break (my psychology class is cancelled for the week) before physics lab. Perhaps I shall do my homework? I don't know. Only time would tell. Oh, and sorry for such a random post.

Mood: Content

Pathetic

Something has been bugging me lately. I can't tell what it is honestly. I can't tell if its calculus or if it's the drama that revolves around my everyday life. Hopefully it is just the calculus. So much has happened this week that I can't seem to grasp it yet. I may be all smiles in public but deep down, not even I can tell how on earth I feel. This whole week has been bland so far. Although feeling 100% better than I did last week (physically), I feel even worse now (mentally). I guess my brain is just shutting down. It does not want to accept anymore drama, or perhaps effing hard calculus questions. The departure of a great friend to the States' makes me that much more sad, although I am utmost happy for him. If you want to tell me "I know how you feel," to make me feel better, save it. Because truth be told YOU HAVE NO IDEA. So save your energy by not typing out all your sympathy comments or how I call it pathetic comments and do make this world a better place to live in. I don't need em'. Makes me feel more pathetic that I already feel.
Thank you.

Mood: Not good.

Calculus Madness

This week has been a week where I had been fed with math work, after math work, after math work. I might as well become a math geek now. Although I am struggling in it a little, I kind of enjoy it. Oh well, the weekend is here. I wonder what I will be doing. Calculus, anyone?

Oh, and tomorrow's Ramadhan! Time to slim down these cheeks (and cheeks only!). Woohoo! Workout till we drop (well, not literally) people! That's the motto of the month. In other normal months it will and always will be shop till we drop people! Haha, just kidding, really.

OK, that's all for now, until next time! Have a great weekend guys!

Splendid Weekend

I have to say, this might have been one of the most epic weekends EVER. It all began on Saturday. MTV World Stage was to be on this day and thanks to Justine, I received my *free* pass. I was over the moon, literally. And so, I left home feeling all hyped (although not feeling really well), and just as I expected I missed the first train to my destination. Great. This is when Touch & Go comes dandy, really. I had to wait for and extra 45 minutes for the train to arrive again (sigh) and when I got there Justine was already waiting (sorry mama and papa Justine!). Although I had to go through all this, it all paid off. As Justine was to go get the extra pass for another friend from her friend (confusing, much?), the band Raygun was seated 5 feet away from us having a before-the-show meeting I suppose. After that, they were kind enough to take photos with fans and I was just frozen there that I didn't even come to me to get a picture with them! I am quite mad at myself for not doing so, but it's OK, there is always a next time. I at least got to meet them. And because of this, I am officially a fan of them. Come to Malaysia again Raygun!

Back to the story. This part is even more awesome. So, incredibly awesome that words cannot explain. As we were leaving the resort, guess who comes walking in. Tyson Ritter of All American Rejects! I was like, 'I must get a picture with him'. Justine was handling the camera and I just told her to snap away. Just as I expected though a whole crowd (might I say community?) of girls mobbed Tyson! Chris (the drummer of AAR) was kind enough to take the photos for the fans, but just as I was going to get the money shot, the pesky security shooed us away (noooooo!). Just my luck right? But it's OK, I got within 1 foot of him. Wish I had a photo though, but life goes on, right? And so, me and Justine were headed to the mall (I needed lunch!) and while walking towards it, look who passes us (pesky security included), Nick, the guitarist of AAR. Completely starstruck, I had one mission left. Meet Boys Like Girls in flesh.

The day continued with the fans crowding the pool area and waiting under the rain for the show to begin. And when it did, a local act officiated the show. Estranged (the name of the band) sang 4 head-banging songs one after another. There was even a time where I was pushed and shoved because the fans had gone wild! The next act was special. Boys Like Girls came on stage! I was overjoyed. I have no idea though what happened to Martin's voice, though. Despite that, I thought it was spectacular. After the countless times spamming their MySpace page for them to come to Malaysia, they finally made it to our shores. How thankful I am to actually see them here before I fly off to the US. Martin even added they may come here again somewhere in October. So, mark your calenders people! The show went on with Pixie Lott, Raygun and Hoobastank. They all performed remarkably. Perhaps most hilarious part of the night was when Doug (front man of Hoobastank) made us sing along to the Ghost Busters theme song. However, I think the prime of the primes of performances was by All American Rejects and Kasabian. Wow did they put on quite a show I tell you. Tyson really can sing live. The whole crowd sang along to their catchy tunes. They performed 7 songs in total and was a mix between slow soothing songs to energy-pumping-jump-around-singalongs. It was remarkable I tell you. Kasabian on the other hand, although I have only heard a handful of their songs, Tom Meighan definitely knows how to put on a show! Wow, I wouldn't think twice about catching them live again. They're awesome! I am officially a fan of them too now! Haha!

When I realised the show was finally over, I felt the agonizing pain my legs were giving me. I had been standing for more than 6 hours from beginning to the end of the show. I also still needed to eat and definitely was in dire-need of a shower. The walk out of the park was truly painful. I even pleaded to Justine to pull me uphill (didn't work though, sigh). When I finally got home, I ate my food. What I had was a KFC Zinger Burger, Cheesy Wedges, 6 pieces of nuggets and a regular Tropicana Twister. I ate like I hadn't eaten in days, no months, perhaps even years.

Moving on to today (Sunday). I was to headed to Sunway Pyramid (yet again) for a friend's farewell party, since next week we will welcome the holy month of Ramadhan, it had to be done today. As I got dressed, I texted a friend and she told me that another friend was going to pick us up around 1pm. As usual, we Malaysians have a tendency of being tardy, so my friend eventually came to pick me up around 2pm. Great. So 5 people were headed to the mall to grab a bite, and do whatever that sounded good. So we got seated in Manhattan's Fish Market, debated on which is the better deal to order for a bit and finalised our order in approximately 15 minutes. While waiting for our order to arrive, we chatted a little, laughed a lot, and also took quite an amount of photos, mainly candid ones though. Ackk!

The day went on with us 'lying' to the said friend (who is leaving next week! Bye!) so 2 other friends and I could sneak around and find a decent pair of jeans, as a present for him. We found the jeans (4 stores later), bought it and sat at a coffee shop. I am pretty sure the waiters were a tad furious. All we ordered was 3 bottles of water. Oh well, that still contributes to the profit they get right? Anyway, after a debate between bowling, ice skating and archery, we settled for archery. My focus was definitely off because a friend could not stop laughing as she was pretty much aim-less (sorry!). I got 4 bulls eyes out of all the drama happening at the archery range (is that what we call it?). Also, I almost got penetrated by one arrow which flew a few centimeters in front of me. This is the result of an arrow a friend launched to the target that decided to come back and haunt me. Thank goodness no one was injured. Today was another epic day. On the way home, 7 people squeezed in a 4 seat car, a friend was given a well-deserved farewell, I had fun, but most importantly my friends had fun.

Back home though was a different story. As my mom brought the house keys and went out, I couldn't enter my house. I had to wait 35 minutes until the door finally opened (my brother was inside doing who-knows-what). I was a tad bit furious but the fun and excitement I had today just canceled that off. And so I am left with sweet memories this weekend. I had perhaps the most wonderful time ever. I am so glad I changed my mind at the last minute to go to MTVWS. If not, this weekend would perhaps be another snooze-fest.

Moments That Mattered

"Eh, mahalnya!" Wow, that made my day last Monday. It is not a usual thing any Malaysian would say to a 'mamak' waiter and this coming out from a German, I couldn't help but laugh. The whole restaurant was shocked as he said this. I am guessing they have never met a Malay-speaking Caucasian before. But hey, this friend of mine studied Malay and he's a pro now. Clear evidence is that I (a Malay from Malaysia) speaks English to this German and he replies to me in what else? Malay. Heh. No good. Meeting him after 2 years was truly memorable. He's still the joker I may say. Still has the jokes up his sleeve. Ahh, it's nice to have friends who can just make you smile and laugh all the time. Life has clearly changed a little. During this chapter of his road trip, he brought along his girlfriend. Both of em' make a good couple I must say. I brought along one of my best friend ever and she clearly did not regret accompanying me. Well, back to the story. After taking 30 minutes or so figuring out what to pick from the menu (there are 50 types of roti literally) we sat and chatted till the sun came down. During the meet, we met ex-school teacher. We asked him to join. He did. Chatted for a few, and he had to rush home. Then we all were done and so I dropped him home and couldn't do anything else after. Was dead tired. I must say the meet was superb. Oh yeah, another interesting thing that happened on Monday was the start of a new semester. 'Awesome'.

Moving on to Tuesday. I got lost in calculus (literally). I had no idea how to integrate no more (but now I do though, thank goodness!). Also had Psychology. Was interesting enough to hear what the course was about. Am planning to also major in Psychology some day. Not now though. That will have to wait. But honestly, Psychology fascinates me.

Wednesday was movie day. Was going to be quite a day really. After only recently changing my mind from no to yes on MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia from a no to yes, I was desperate to find a pass! Oh yes I was. I so texted everyone I knew, thinking they would have an extra. No luck there. Well, I contained myself for the day. We were to watch G.I Joe in the afternoon. That was the only thing I was looking forward to. This was because I wasn't allowed to go out for the late movie Justine invited me to at The Curve later on in the day. Also happening was the Boys Like Girls meet at where else, The Curve. I was begging and pleading to my parents to allow me to go. I wanted to see Boys Like Girls, get an autograph, poster, their new CD, and a photograph with them (how cool!) and not to forget, watch the movie. They gave me an ultimatum. NO. Sigh. Now back to G.I Joe, It was a great movie. Can't really complain about anything. It just was a good movie I tell you. So, when Justine and others (Andre and Ikhsan) were bound for The Curve, I sort of had wanted to jump into the car anyway and go. But unfortunately I didn't. I went home feeling sad, sad, and more sad. All hope was not lost though. I received a call. Perhaps one of the most important ones this year. It was Justine. Great news she said. I have the pass for you to MTV's event. Boy did I scream in the phone (sorry Justine!). I told her thanks and goodbye and screamed, jumped and ran around the house for 5 full minutes. Was feeling like a lunatic but oh well. I was on cloud nine and I had to enjoy the moment. Still jealous of her though as she saw Boys Like Girls up close! Its OK, as long as I'm going now, I don't even care about Wednesday anymore. When night came, I realised I had tons to do. Calculus work. 10 questions. Only managed 3 at first. When David Archuleta's 'Touch My Hand' song was playing on my play list, I got inspiration for another questions. 4/10 questions answered. HELP!

Today, I found out I did not get in the section I wanted for my microeconomics class. Was frustrated for 5 minutes (perhaps 3) as it was technically not my fault. Apparently the schedules they gave out during the start of the new semester differed from the ones in their records. I was baffled. How could it be different. That was the timetable I took on the front desk last Monday and now the office lady is like "oh, you have to make sure you have the updated one". Updated my ass. I took the class timetables last Monday and sent in my add/drop on the day itself to ensure higher probability of me getting into the class. But apparently it changed on Tuesday and so I was, of course assigned a different schedule. Awesome. Well, now that's off my chest, I took a while to think and rethink of different courses I could sign up for but eventually, I decided to take only 3 courses this semester. Realising how tough this semester will be, I felt I was making the right decision.

I am really looking forward for Saturday. It would definitely be a blast. Can't wait!

Reflection

It has been a little over a year since I returned. The sweet memories of my stay are still fresh in my mind. Come on, how can I forget. It was perhaps the best time of my life. Indeed I had a lot of fun there. New friends and a host family who were by my side every step of the way, what more can I ask? Boy, do I miss them alright. The 6 months stay in the ‘land of the stars’ has broadened my perspective of life. Before, I used to want things done a certain way, my way and my way only (a perfectionist I may be). It did get me far academic-wise, but I wasn’t ‘living’ life. Now, I have loosened up a little, and perhaps I am enjoying life more than I ever had. Don’t worry though; I am still me, but perhaps a little better.

The most incredible thing I ‘discovered’ about myself was that I could do more than I could ever imagine. All it takes is a little self-belief. Believe me people, with this, you could work wonders! Come on, I survived 6 months away from my beloved family and friends. It was as if I had to start new, a new chapter of my life. It was quite difficult at first I must say, but I got through it. I made wonderful new friends who until now I keep in touch with and also an awesome second family that I can rely on. So if I can do this, couldn’t you?

I also realised that whatever it is, just be yourself wherever in the world you are. I know quite a few people who has changed (for the worse) upon returning home. They have become people that are strangers to me, as if I had just met them. Come on people, who are you trying to impress? Why on earth do you have to be someone you are not, just to be accepted? There are over 6 billion people on earth. It is impossible that no one would like you for being who you are. It is fine if you absorb admirable qualities, but why do you want to be depicted as someone who is so-called a ‘bad-ass’ so you can impress? It is a wonder you know. I was in the states for the same period of time. I kept myself grounded and I thank God for that. Without His guidance I may not be the person who I am today. OK, I did let go a little here and there but you wouldn’t see me flat-out drunk, face flat on the ground in my own vomit (gross!). You see, alcohol is prohibited in the religion I am practicing. Whenever I am asked the “do you drink?” question, I always reply back by saying “for sure I do, just non-alcoholic ones though.” If they laugh, be it. I don’t care. But thankfully most people accepted me for who I am, and I am happy for that.

The journey of my life until now has been wonderful. Bittersweet I must say but hey, that is life. If all things were to go my way, it wouldn’t be called life, but a fairytale. And since life isn’t a fairytale, there must be ups and downs. Thank goodness I have extraordinary parents, and indescribable friends. Without these wonderful people in my life, I would not have been the person I am today.

Out With The Old, In With The New

College is going to start in a few days and I have yet started on my 'Summer To Do List'. I remember having written it down on a nice A4 sized sheet of paper and even signing it (yes, lame) to ensure I actually get to the tasks. However, the sheet now is just history as I can't seem to find it. Perhaps Mr. Recycling-man took it already. Who knows? Anyway, I decided to change a little in conjunction with this final week of summer. I decided to be a little more useful.

It all started last Monday when it hit me, I only have 1 week of summer left. It was quite shocking to me. I wondered for the longest time where the other 3 weeks of Summer went. I remember doing awesome things with awesome people, but 3 weeks past ALREADY? (Sigh). And so I scavenger hunted for my to-do-list but it was deemed fruitless (double sigh).

It was only until today though that I actually started to do anything (yes Monday and Tueday was spent being a couch potato, no good). I remembered the bookshelf my dad bought from IKEA err, 4 months ago still nicely (not really) wrapped in its box. Imagine 4 cats clawing through the box and 7 other people (perhaps 9) trampling and walking all over it. You could only imagine what the packaging has gone through to protect the contents inside. Don't worry though, the bookshelf was indeed safe (kudos to the IKEA packaging).

The first thing I did was search for the instruction manual and checked the contents. Note that this was bought 4 months ago and so if there was a shortage of contents, I was doomed. The exchange policy has ended and so we would probably have to live through the faulty (great). Thankfully, everything was accounted for. And so I got started. The first few steps were a breeze, honest. When I got to number 11 or so, I needed help. The entire bookshelf weighs almost 40kg and so I needed help when the need to turn it over came. Plus, sometimes it needed to be held in place while screwing into it. This was not a one man job. So, mom came to the rescue and we worked on the project together.

After a few hours working on the shelf, it was completed. It looked pretty nice I guess. It seemed to be a compact version of the previous one we had (which had run its course) and so that was good. I was dead tired after I finished the shelf that I literally dropped to the floor and took a really long nap (yes, on the floor). When I woke up a few hours later, I was surprised that the books were already in place. Mom has, yet again helped me complete my work. Really appreciate it. Thanks mom!

I remain clueless on the whereabouts of my to-do-list but I have already gotten over it. Perhaps I don't need a to do list. I just have to do tasks and go with the flow of nature (yeah right). Like a wise friend of mine once said "just do, don't plan," (ackk!). So, when the next semester break comes, I shall be ready. Would I be wasting as much time then? That question remains to be answered.

Barbecue Chicken, Anyone?

As I sit here on this not-so-comfortable chair, I can't help but wonder, 'why on earth am I up so early?'. After being awoken by the rude shock of my alarm clock, I just could not get settled back in for the extra minutes (or hours) of sleep. Therefore, this may be the earliest post I will ever do as I have nothing better to do this early in the day. 'Great'.

Yesterday was seemingly a lazy Sunday. I was still recovering from the shopping trip the day before. The muscles in my legs were sore due to all the walking done, but for a good cause of course. Heh. So, after lunch, I decided to make a collage, which you now see as my header. Those are 3 of my 4 (yes, FOUR!) adorable cats living in the comfort of my home. Their names are Lucky (Kiki), Comot (Momot), Kenya and Amber, Kenya being the only cat my dad bought (she's the black Persian). Ahh, I love them so much. Anyway, after making some finishing touches on my profile, I decided to call it a day from editing. I still have no idea for the title of this blog though, but I guess I'll get one soon.

Later on in the evening, I found out that my sister was having a barbecue with her fiancee. Yay! Another barbecue. The main course was barbecue chicken (if you hadn't found that out yet). They were perhaps the most juicy barbecue chicken pieces I have ever tasted. The marinade was pretty good resulting in me eating a bunch of em. In fact I ate so much that after the meal it was seemingly the toughest thing to do (at that time) to actually get up from the chair I was sitting on (sigh).

The barbecue yesterday brought back all the sweet memories of the barbecue I had with a bunch of friends not so long ago. Twas the first time that we were going to do a barbecue as a group and we all didn't know what to expect. In fact we all didn't even know the basics of barbecuing in the first place (great. BBQ101, anyone?). And so we decided to go with the flow. I remember being labeled the 'Ultimate Vlogger' (I think) as I was going around with Justine's video cam doing all the necessary recordings. I also remember the girls forgetting to wash the vegetables (ack!) the first time around, resulting in it being untouched. I also remember Ikhsan irritating Sam on being so lazy. However, the moment of the evening was when Dre's 'mugshot' was taken by (of course) me. The hilarious part of it was because he was caught with a chicken drumstick in his mouth with an unforgettable look on his face. The barbecue was a summer epic for me. We all had a blast, despite all the 'madness' going on. Most importantly, the food was scrumptious and we filled our tummy's pretty good that night! Good times I tell ya, good times.

Avid Shopper

Yes, that's me, an avid shopper alright. Lets not get me wrong here and label me as something I am not. Simply, I enjoy shopping. I do realise that I have to stop spending so much on clothes, but, what's the fun of saving money and not being able to taste the satisfaction that comes from buying things I just adore?

Since the Malaysia Mega Sale 2009 is going on, I decided to do a little (more) shopping yesterday. I brought along amazing people I have in my life, mom and younger siblings (dad had to run some other errands so he decided on not going), and were were bound for OneUtama, perhaps Malaysia largest mall. There were 10 million (well, not really) people there already when we arrived and I was keen on finding the best deal on clothes.

First stop was a store where mom was to find new jeans. That was the only item on her shopping list and so we decided to get that first. After almost an hour of searching for jeans, mom found the jeans. After trying it on, she was in love with it, as it was a perfect fit! Great. So now we can move on and start searching for my things. Yay!

So, off we were. Everywhere I turned to there was some sort of 'SALE' sign hanging in store fronts. No wonder people from all over the world come to Malaysia to get bargains on clothing, furniture, and electrical appliances, especially during the sales period. Anyway, I 'attacked' one of my favorite stores first as a gigantic banner with 'FINAL CLEARANCE' written on it was hanging from the front of the store. I literally 'dug' through clothing (honest) in my quest for the perfect shirt with my size. After spending almost an hour digging through (and even bending on my knees), I surrendered. There was no way I was going to find anything in this mountain of clothes. Just as I was about to leave the store, I saw it. There, hanging on the racks was a beautiful shirt. It was there, all lonely. As if it was calling my name, I walked across the room, and it was my size (yay!). So, I tried it on, was a perfect fit and the rest was history.

My tummy started grumbling after the first purchase and so we were off to grab a bite. We settled on sandwiches as it has been a while since we last had them. Then, we resumed the shopping experience. I 'charged' into other favorite stores of mine but the search for clothes I liked ended up fruitless. I felt a little down at first but I did not give up. I searched for clothes at different stores and came up with 2 more garments (which made me happy of course). I then decided to search for the perfect shoes. I went in 4 different stores until I found the most beautiful (well, to me) pair of kicks. I just had to have it. I tried it on and I looked good wearing it (me being self-indulgent). The shoes were lightweight and I always had wanted shoes from this particular brand. After asking (nicely) from mom, she approved and I purchased the shoes. I was on cloud nine by then, as if my life was complete.

At this point of time, we all were exhausted. So, mom called that it was time for ice-cream. I ordered my usual and enjoyed it. Mom was being generous today. Shoes and ice-cream? I love you mom! We sat down waiting for our feet to 'recharge' so we could actually walk again. After being all shopped-out (for the day), I got a haircut and after, we decided to just relax at a book store, where I went through this awesome dinosaur book with my younger sister. I felt like a kid for a bit though.

Dad came to pick us up for dinner after we decided to call it a day. We ended up going to this unpleasant looking place, but dad said they serve the 'best' Tandoori and Naan in town. Oh, well, when you're hungry, everything looks delicious, even eel (well, no, not really), regardless the place giving out bad vibes. Despite almost falling asleep in my food and spelling weird as 'weired' (due to brain shutting down OK!) while texting to Justine, it was definitely a great Saturday and spending it with mom made it memorable. However, next time I should consider going to sleep earlier the night before as limited sleep + an eventful day do not go hand in hand.

Woweee...

So, this blogging business is pretty interesting so far. I have spent pretty much my whole night trying to 'perfect' my blog, of course. So far I have added music, to add to the liveliness of this (lame) blog. Also edited some text and now working on my second post (already?!). I think I am hooked to this!

Besides that, me and Justine, a dear friend of mine I met this year (thank God!) have been spamming up my first post, like we always do on Facebook. She has also been so supportive of me throughout this blog-making-journey of mine. So, thank you so much Justine for putting up with my (endless-stream) of questions. I hope you did not feel burdened whatsoever. I did bombard you with 10 million questions.

Also, me and Justine (well, really it was just me) sorta kindda agreed that Kris Allen's rendition of 'To Make You Feel My Love' is an instant classic. It just gives out that awesome vibe.

I think though this is as far as I can go for tonight. I will have to continue my modification of this blog later. I still need my 'beauty sleep' you know (yeah right).

The Start

Hello.

First off, the name's Faiz and this is basically my first take on this blogging business. I have exactly no idea on what I have gotten myself into or whats to come. However, blogging seems interesting enough that 82.6% of my friends have one. Ok, perhaps not 82.6%, but close.

I'm not here to impress anyone, or anything for that matter. It's just a place for me to express whats currently jumbled up in my mind. So, whatever it is, don't judge.

Thanks.