Friends

My second semester in UKM is coming to an end really, really soon. I can't believe how fast this semester has gone by. Lots of highlights through out this semester. Met some people who were true friends to me. The ones that take care of you when you are sick. Those who buy you food almost all the time and those when you look at your friend and he / she knows exactly what you are saying without words being uttered out. That has got to be the most amazing feeling ever! You guys are a blessing! Words are not enough to appreciate you guys. All I can say is that without all of you I don't know how would I have gone through this semester. I hope we all stay friends till the end of time and stay true to each other.

Sesal

Hidup di muka bumi yang cukup indah ini haruslah bebas daripada penyesalan. Hargailah setiap hari, setiap minit, setiap detik bersama yang tersayang tanpa rase ragu - ragu. Setiap apa yag kita lalui mempunyai maksud yang tersurat dan tersirat. Mungkin kita tidak faham kepentingannya sekarang tetapi percayailah, suatu hari nanti semuanya akan jelas terbukti bahawa apa yang telah berlaku mempunyai maksud yang amat penting bagi kehidupan kita. Menyesal selepas melakukan sesuatu tidak akan memanfaatkan sesiapa pun. Walhal ia akan menyukarkan situasi kerana individu yang sesal akan asyik memikirkan tentang perkara yang telah dilakukan oleh nya. Bukan yang keruh ambil yang jernih. Lihatlah situasi tersebut dengan pandangan yang positif.

Nadia Nasim 

It's Dark

It’s almost 4 a.m. I’m still not asleep. I’ve got class at 8 in the morning. My head is on my pillow, my phone is charging at the other end of the room and my roommate has been asleep since 12. My eyes just won’t close. No matter how much I try. Even if my eyes close it’s just for a few minutes cause I start imagining things and it freaks me out. I don’t want to but what can I do? That thought just comes to mind. Then I think of sugar, spice and everything nice. I dare not set foot on the cold tiles beneath my bed. I toss and turn all over the bed. I check my clock at it’s already 6 a.m. I give up and decide to go and get ready for class. It’s too late to sleep now.

Peluang

Sesuatu yang bukan milik semua orang. 

Sesuatu yang ada dan tiada. 

Hadirnya peluang mungkin kerana takdir, nasib ataupun usaha seseorang.

Gunalah peluang yang ada dengan sebaik yang mungkin kerana peluang kedua mungkin tidak akan datang lagi. 

Manusia seringkali menghiraukan peluang yang ada dan lebih gemar mengejar peluang yang tiada lagi

Natijahnya, mereka menyesali perbuatan tersebut tetapi  ia sudah terlambat kerana nasi sudah menjadi bubur.

Sentiasa hargailah masa yang kita dapat luangkan bersama yang tersayang kerana kita tidak tahu bila masa terakhir kita bermasa mereka.

Juga hargailah persahabatan kerana peluang untuk menjadi sahabat handai seseorang adalah amat tipis.

Akhirnya, peluang adalah emas. Hargainya dan janganlah membazirnya.

  

Putus

Putus kata kamu adalah yang terakhir. Tiada sesiapa yang berani bersuara selepas itu. Bukan kerana takut. Tetapi kerana hormat. Kami tahu keputusan kamu adalah yang terbaik dan menjamin keselamatan dan kesejahteraan semua. Itulah sebab kami memberi kepercayaan sepenuhnya kepada kamu. Kamu tidak putus - putus menjaga kami. Sehingga kamu sanggup mengorbankan masa hadapan kamu hanya untuk kami. Kami menghargai kamu. Terima kasih. Terima kasih kerana menjadi orang yang sanggup menerima kami selepas ketiadaan orang tua. Kamu memastikan pertalian darah di antara adik beradik kandung tidak terputus hanya sebab harta. Kamu menjadi sebab kami semua bersatu. Tanpa kamu kami tiada hala tuju dan menjadi buntu. Disebabkan semua itu kami semua ingin berterima kasih kepada kamu.

Ribuan Terima Kasih Kepada Kamu 

My 20th Birthday Wish

Can you somehow send me a basket of 24 red roses with a teddy bear like you did on my 16^th birthday? On my 20^th that’s the only gift I would like to receive from you. The best sweet 16^th surprise was from you. The person I least expected. I was taking a nap after school and you sent the roses through a courier. My eldest sister was shouting Nadi! Nadi! You got a courier. It’s for you! I came rushing down the stairs and when I saw the roses I was in awe. At first I thought it was my dad but he denied anything of a such when he came home after work that night. I kept wondering who had sent me 24 red roses. A week went by and when I meet you before going for a road trip you asked if I liked your surprise. I said it was you Taya? I didn’t know. I loved it! Thank you so much.

Taya you were much more than just an uncle to me. You were my second father. I will never forget you. You gave me everything I wanted. You would give me your credit card at Starbucks and tell me go get anything you want just like that. You would take me for random ice cream rides to McDonald’s. The charm bracelet you gave me on my 14^th birthday is still with me. I try to wear as much as possible. The way you cared for me was so much more than just an uncle. You always said yes to me. The way you loved me and my siblings was like we were your own. This trait made all of us love you. The fact that you cared about us was more than enough. Even our parents didn't mind if we went anywhere with you, As long as you were there. They knew we would be taken care off. I cannot believe that you are no more. I'm sorry I wasn't by your side in your last few moments. I know this is absurd but I really just want to see you one last time. Please

1953 - 2015

Think again before

Think again before taking that last step.
Think again before drinking your last cup of tea,
Think again before leaving the doorstep of your house.
Think again before locking the door behind of your.
Think again before entering your car,
Think again before starting the ignition of your car.
Think again before starting your journey to work.
Think again before lighting the cigarette you have in your hand.
Think again before lighting the cigarette at the gas station.
Think again before the you put lives in danger by a small tiny act.
Think again before its too late for you to pick up the pieces,

Love Yourself And Those Who Surround You.
Stop Smoking.
Smoking Kills.

Carut

Perkara yang sudah menjadi kebiasaan bagi ramai manusia diserata dunia. Mereka tidak berfikir panjang sebelum melafazkan perkataan yang boleh menjadi isu bagi beberapa orang. Kebanyakkan remaja tidak kisah akan apa yang berlaku selepas mencarut. Kanak - kanak yang mendengar perkataan - perkataan sebegini secara berulangan akan mengikut teladan yang buruk ini walaupun tidak mengetahui maksud asalnya. Kanak – kanak akan terjebak secara tidak langsung dan menjadi mangsa mencarut.  Masyarakat akan pandang  serong terhadap kanak - kanak ini dan ibu bapanya juga.  Tabiat mencarut haruslah dielakkan sama sekali untuk membina generasi akan datang yang mempunyai perbendaharaan kata yang tinggi dan dipandang tinggi.

Hope

The light at the end of the tunnel. Looks so vague now. The finish line is almost there. I’m confused. Should I continue or should I just stop now? I look around and I see some in front. I see some behind of me. I see some next to me. I don’t know who to ask advice from. When everything is going blank there you come running towards me. You tell me to follow you. Just hold your hand and follow your footsteps. You assure me that we are almost there. You say don’t worry. You say give me all of you and I shall give you the world. You are the most amazing thing that happened to me. You showed me that there is a higher power above all. You always knew who was in trouble and who you needed you the most. You are the only reason that I managed to cross the finish line. Thank You Allah. Without you I would be lost. 

Polar Bear

Polar Bears are one of the largest species of mammals in the world.
Residing in the arctic circle with extreme climate all year round. They can stand
up to 10 feet tall and stay hungry for more than 6 to 8 months a year. They usually hunt during the winter and rely on their body fat for the rest of the year. 

Global warming has caused a lot of the remaining polar bears to die of starvation. They get distressed when under heat as their skin is made in such a way. Cubs are born during hibernation. They can have up to 3 cubs but not all survive unless their mother is a good hunter and food provider. Main food source is seals. They can attack small whales such as Minke whales. Male polar bears and starvation are the two main killers of polar bear

cubs.

One out of a few polar bears that managed to venture

out of the arctic circle is Inuka. Born on the 26th December 1990 to its

mother in the Singapore Zoo.

Then And Now

There was once a time when people used to look at each with sheer happiness. Even strangers were greeted with a smile. Times have changed. One merely looks at the other person for a purpose. A sentence to finish. An information or something that has the interest of the other person. We have become so preoccupied with our own lives that we forget a simple smile, how are you or how was your day can make or break someone else’s day. 

Some may say that it silly to say such things to a total stranger but why could our grandparents do it with much ease? It's a matter of self-awareness and a low ego. You don’t have to be related to someone just to say Hi. Nowadays, we can’t talk to our own siblings without looking at our phone every now and then. When we try to have a serious discussion one out of the pack has got to say “gimme a minute! Gotta update my twitter about this discussion”. We prioritize to talk to people over internet rather than those right in front of us. 

Just for a change give the anxious girl at the bus stop a smile and assure her everything is going to be ok. Instead of texting your parents, call them up. Look at a loved one with a smile. Be kind and be treated with kindness. 

Ujian

Pelbagai jenis ujian telah aku hadapi sepanjang kehidupan aku di muka bumi. Ujian yang paling mencabar bagi aku merupakan ujian apabila aku ditimpa kesakitan. Al kisahnya macam ni. Pada umur 9 tahun, aku tiba- tiba sakit kepala yang sangat teramat. Selepas beberapa jam aku didiagnosis dengan Arteriovenous Malformation. 

Kesihatan aku semakin teruk dengan kadar yang laju. Aku terpaksa memasuki dewan bedah awal pagi hari keesokkannya. Penbedahan aku mengambil 6 jam, 52 pin stapler di kepala aku dan parut yang menjadi sebahagian daripada diri aku. Selepas berada di hospital selama 12 hari, aku dibenarkan pulang. Aku hanya mengambil cuti daripada sekolah selama 30 hari. Ye la, takut terlepas. 

Fasa ini bukan sahaja menjadi ujian bagi aku tetapi juga menjadi ujian bagi keluarga aku yang sangat sabar dengan aku. Selera aku hilang, berat badan aku semakin hari semakin berkurang. Tetapi Alhamdulilah dengan rahmat Allah S.W.T. proses pemulihan aku sangat cepat.

The Rock That Stood Tall And Strong

You were the rock that stood tall and strong behind all of us .

You knew exactly what to do.
Without you here even functioning normal is terribly hard.
Who knew it was going to be this hard.
All that was playing in my mind when I heard that you were no more was instant denial.
As I kept walking down the hill towards your office my mouth and brain were just saying no this can't be.
When I reached you I saw your lifeless body just lying on your bed with the blanket covering your face I demanded to see your face.
Your face so peaceful. Your smile. Something I kept repeating over and over again. Look he has a smile on his face.
It's as if you were happy it all ended. You were going to a better place.

Cuti

Cuti pertengahan semester bakal tiba pada 9 April. Aku menjadi tak sabar nak balik ke rumahku. Kuliah makroekonomi aku pada petang jumaat 8 April telah ditamatkan awal iaitu pada jam 5 petang. Makin tak sabar aku. Aku pun call kakak aku dan minta dia jemput aku dari uni. Dia cakap dia akan datang lepas pukul 6. Aku pun balik bilik dan tunggu dia datang. Tiba – tiba anak buahku Rizwan, call aku. Dia cakap dia jatuh. Tangan dia berdarah. Dia dekat hospital Pantai. Aku tak berapa nak faham dia cakap ape. Aku terus call mak aku. Tanya kenapa dengan Rizwan. Mak aku cakap takde ape. Dia ok. Lepas tu aku call abang aku. Aku tanya dia. Dia pass phone dekat abang ipar aku. Abang ipar aku explain apa yang berlaku dekat aku. Rupanya, sink bilik mandi dekat rumah kakak aku tiba – tiba jatuh mase anak buah aku tengah basuh tangan. Bahagian paling luar telinga dia terbelah dua. Ibu jari dia dan jari kelingking dia pun tercedera teruk. Semuanya memerlukan jahitan. Lepas menjalani pembedahan untuk menjahit semua kecederaan dia, maka dia pulang ke rumah sehari selepas hari kejadian. Begitulah permulaan cuti semester aku yang penuh dengan peristiwa. 

An Ideal World.

            Wouldn’t it be nice if we could dictate how the world should be? All of us have the perception of an ideal world in our minds. For every person this perfect world’s perception is different. Some may want prosperity while others may want to succeed in all of their pursuits. My ideal world is simple.

Firstly, I would like a world where there are no wars. Why do we fight? After all we are of the same species, humans beings! We have a mind to think, yet we still fight without thinking it through. No matter what the subject is, there is always a way to resolve it .War’s never help. They leave behind bad memories, scars that take a lifetime to heal, families that are left to grieve over deaths and the country’s economy goes downhill. Basically it has negative effects on everyone and everything.

                Besides that, I would like an honest world. Why do we lie? We lie to cover up something. Whether it is good or bad, honesty is always the best policy. If I’m not mistaken every religion preached in the world is against lies. If we can be honest, the world would be a better place. It may be a very childish thing to say but sometimes words that sound childish are the ones that bring out the best side in someone or something. A lie can hurt a person’s feelings deeply. But, when the person finds out the truth, feelings will still be hurt. So why lie? Honesty is always the best policy!

                Besides that, everyone needs love and compassion. Why can’t we live in a world without hatred and jealousy? It’s as though as hatred and jealousy have taken over our minds and we just hate for no particular reason. To live in such a world, we need to be content with what we have and care for others without boundaries. In families, there’s trust, love and compassion and the need for each other. If you can care for your family, why not push yourself slightly further and love the world! I agree that there are some people so heartless that they should be left to rot in some corner of the world. However, we should not forget humanity. It takes a lot of courage to be the better person and recognize such people as friends.

                Lastly, tolerance. Living in a world of diverse cultures, we have got to have a high tolerance level. It is our race and religion which divides us and we tend to be closer with those of the same race and religion. However, let’s not forget that no religion teaches us to hate others. All religions urge us to be tolerant and treat the opinions and views of others with respect, regardless of their ethnicity and beliefs. We Malaysians have set an example for the people of the world to see and follow. In Malaysia we celebrate various festivals of various races. We get the best of both worlds as we can participate in all these amazing festivals and celebrations.

                This is my idea of an ideal world. Although having ideals only exist in certain philosophical thoughts and in the dreams of an idealist, I hope that one day it can be obtained.

Nadia Nasim 

Air

Air is water in Bahasa Malaysia. Yes it’s not the ordinary air that we breathe. Pronounced ai-yer. Water makes up a significant fraction of the human body. This in turn makes water a very valuable part of life. We can go up to days without food but if we do not consume water within one day we ll suffer from dehydration. 

That’s just about consumption. What about water to bathe and wash our hands, groceries, do the laundry or even food preparation? We use water for all of this. With the sudden water supply disruption in UKM Bangi, students can’t even go about the daily activities as per normal. Students have had to go to class without bathing. They just merely wash their faces and brush and have to rush to class. Well at the end of the day it’s all in the name of education. Hurdles and challenges of such will come in every student’s life. It’s just how you manage it.

Aleena Azlan

The baby of the family. Born on the 11^th Of July 2013, a Thursday. I still remember the day it was yesterday. I started the day by going to school as per usual. Left home even before the sun come up. As it was the holy month of Ramadhan, I was already up for several hours. I bought a box of cupcakes specially to celebrate the birth of this little princess. I got the girl to write WELCOME ALYAA’S LITTLE SISTER on the cupcakes which had a baby theme. At around 4 in the evening my parents, my brother and I left to visit this little girl in the hospital. She was so perfect. I was so mesmerised. She s going to turn 3 soon and is a perfect reflection of her parents. 

Raspberry

One out of the many types of berries. Generally, red in colour though it has variations such as black and purple. Has a very sour tang to it. Is largely produced in countries such as Russia, Poland, Serbia and The United States. Raspberries are usually consumed in the form of a dessert.

One of my personal favourite raspberry dessert would have to be a mini trifle kind of thing. Though I don’t know the exact but I m 100% certain it is one of the best things you can ever make. Made up of 3 parts which is berry, biscuit and yogurt. Here I shall list the method of preparing this luxurious berrylicious concoction.

Things You Need

*Raspberries

*Yogurt

* Oatmeal Biscuits

Prep

·        * Take frozen raspberries and put it in the blender with some icing sugar to eradicate some of the sour tang.

·      *   Blend it to thick mixture.

·        * Crush some oatmeal biscuits till u get something more than powder.

Putting It All Together

*Start by putting a generous layer of biscuits then add the yogurt lastly add the raspberries and repeat till you get the glass full.

Zara Umar

The black sheep of the family. This little girl will be turning 4 in November. She can literally get out of any situation and make you do what she wants by being incredibly persuasive. She wouldn’t let her mother leave her sight even for a moment till the age of 2. Zara loves to dress up and be all dolled up but at the same time can be the tomboy you’d never expect her to be. The one out of many things that I love about this little girl is that she is the easiest kid to handle out of gang. You just have to tell her to lay down on the bed and within minutes she’s already in a different land.

Pasrah

Setelah berbulan - bulan berusaha untuk menjayakan program Temasya Highlanders, akhirnya tiba hujung minggu Temasya Highlanders. Semua ajk sanggup menghabiskan masa cutinya untuk menyertai perkampungan pada awal sem ini  bagi menjayakan Temasya Highlanders’16.

Minggu lepas merupakan minggu yang kami pasrah kerana kami telah mendedikasikan beberapa bulan hanya untuk melihat Temasya Highlanders’16 berjaya. Kami meletakkan harapan yang tinggi kerana pada tahun ini, kami mengadakannya di Dataran Panggung Seni selepas bertahun-tahun menganjurkanya di Kolej kediaman kami iaitu Kolej Ibrahim Yaakub. Alhamdulilah dengan rahmat Allah S.W.T. program kami telah berjaya dan penanda aras bagi Temasya Highlanders telah ditetapkan untuk dicontohi oleh ahli jawatankuasa yang mengambil alih pada tahun hadapan.

Alyaa Azlan

The second one in the series. My eldest niece. Alyaa Azlan. The princess.

Born on a very historical date, 1/11/11. This little girl has an attitude to die for. If she wants something she will make sure she gets it by hook or crook. Even if she needs to shed a tear or two. The first princess of her grandparents sure acts like one.

Behind all the princessy attitude, she is extremely sweet. Just the other day when she was over at her cousin’s house and she helped her younger cousin get dressed. When we visit the zoo she is first in line to touch the animals. She volunteered to feed the ducks but when the duck came close to her hand, she started screaming ITS BITING ME! ITS BITING ME! No matter what little girl, I will always love and care for you.

Lemau

You know the heart break you go through when you open your favourite biscuit tin and it’s all soggy and chewy? We Malaysians call it lemau. Yeah we keep it local. We’ve all been there. It takes some people days to overcome the pain of losing all of their favourite biscuits in one go.

Worry not guys! I m here to tell you one simple way you can avoid the heart break which is… Drum roll please… Just close the tin tightly. It’s extremely simple to do and almost anyone can do it! Even your 2 year old. So guys avoid heart break and follow this one easy step!  

Muhammad Rizwan Ahmad

Firstly, some may say I m an obsessed aunt but I really don’t care. Ok on with Muhammad Rizwan Ahmad. Riz or Rizzy for short.

 He was born on the 19^th of July 2011. My second sister and I were pacing up and down the corridor of the hospital when we heard a little cry. We just couldn’t wait to see his precious little face. We impatiently peeped through the translucent doors of the nursery. At one point the doors open and when we all rushed in to see him, he had such an angry look on his face which I will never ever forget. 

He will soon turn 5 but the way he talk is as though as he s a 10 year old. He can argue, persuade and even make u believe the unbelievable. That’s a little bit about my little nephew. 

Lesu

Tidak pernah aku berasa penat yang sebegini. Minggu ini merupakan minggu yang mencabar mental dan fizikal aku. Perasaan penat dan letih menyebabkan aku ingin tidur je tetapi dengan kerja yang berlambak dekat ifolio, perasaan itu perlulah ditanam disebuah sudut yang jauh di minda dan hati aku. Tambahan pula carnival kolej ku yang bakal berlangsung hujung bulan ini. Minda aku terpaksa berbahagi kepada entah berapa banyak bahagian sampaikan aku pun tidak dapat mengira Perasaan lesu itu memang ada tetapi demi UKM ku mampu! Eceh ayat cliché pulak. Tak pe tak pe. Minggu ini pun dah nak habis jadi tahan je la berapa hari je lagi. Minda aku terpaksa berbahagi kepada entah berapa banyak bahagian sampaikan aku pun tidak dapat mengira. Penat la!

The one who left

You left me like the wind leaves the atmosphere after a storm.One day you were with us and the next we were frantically looking for you. 

You took care of all of us. No matter what the situation, if we gave you a call, you’d be there in 5 minutes regardless of your location.You’ll drop everything on your plate and come to the rescue.Even for the pettiest things such as going out for ice cream. You just wouldn’t say no. 

And when we realised the fact that you might be gone forever, nothing in the world gave us peace of mind. You are in a better place now. I hope you like where you and may The Almighty give us strength to endure the pain of losing you.

Nadia Nasim 

Aku

Aku, me, saya, and I are words that we Malaysians use to refer to ourselves. Who knew choosing a word to describe yourself could have so many layers of decision making? The from "aku" to "saya" can be a rather difficult. For instances “aku” may sound very aggressive and “saya” on the other hand is a softer approach. Boys prefer to use “aku” while conversing more than girls cause they think it makes them look like the manly man they are I suppose and girls being the girly girls they are would prefer “saya”. “Me” and “I” are used by determining the sentence structure and picking the right word for the right sentence. At the end of day, one will choose the word they are most comfortable with. The choice varies among individuals and how they interpret these words. 

Nadia Nasim