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.