Register as a voter now!

Earlier today, I just realised something. All of us (with a few exceptions) are now 21 years old.

Do you know what does this mean? It means in the eyes of the laws, we are allowed to participate in the upcoming national election! It is a big step for all of us I must say because with one vote, combined with others in aggregate, can determine the direction of this country.

As of now, I am not a registered voter yet but I would definitely go to the counter and get myself registered because the upcoming election will be my first time participating in the nation’s democracy and I do not want to miss it.

Hence, I am urging to those who have not registered to go to the nearest voting registration counter and register. I have seen their counters in shopping malls. So whenever you guys are at the malls, do drop by at the counter and fill in the form.

This actually reminds me of Kesatuan Pelajar Kolej Melayu (KPKM). Most of us were exposed to elections and democracy when we were in Koleq through KPKM and I remember how our batch dominated the students’ council in our final year.

(Taken from MCKK Magazine)

Sorry for the bad quality. I could not find a better quality photo of the KPKM. Anyway, 19 of us were in the students' union. Being led by the President, Rashad Tajuddin alongside with his Deputy Presidents, Edzadzul and Iss; Vice President, Abe; Secretaries, Tapah & Jae; Treasurers, Daos & Yuhaikal, the union had successfully managed several events as you can see above.

I am actually quite impressed that we had amazing executive departments like Public Relations (Mokri & Ammar), Student Welfare (Amirul Hayat & Ihsan), Diplomatic (Zaneq & Aiman Haziq), Academic (Zulikhwan & Nor Faizul), Staging & Performance (Javad & Kubb) and Sports (Cro & Padil). I am sure they had done so many things for us back then. =D

What I am trying to say here, voting for the national general election is just like voting for the Malay College Students’ Union. You elect the person who can be our representative at the national and state front.

Some of the things to consider when choosing which candidate to represent us in the national and state parliaments. As most of us are still studying while some are working, we should look into the candidate’s proposals on issues related to students' study loans, rising cost of living; and raising wage rates for fresh graduates. That is on a micro-level.

If we were to look at a macro-level, we should pose questions say, whether or not the country is heading to bankruptcy considering the nation's public debt is approaching its limit (if I am not mistaken, the national public debt to GDP ratio is 53.2% and the public debt limit is 55% - Source), whether or not the tax rates would be raised to finance the deficits, whether or not we would be the unfortunate ones to carry the burden of paying the tax in the next few years, whether or not we would be able to have a decent quality of life with better education quality, more efficient public transport, more affordable cost of living, more attractive job opportunities and many more.

The above may be subjective and dependent of individuals but it is with this kind of information, we will be able to make an informed decision on which one of the candidates can be our representative.

All in all, keep in mind of 2 things! Firstly, register as a voter at any voter registration centres and secondly, stay abreast of the national news and developments. When the election comes by, exercise your democratic right! Cheers!

Of Nostalgia, PMR & 'Ilahi'

I am not entirely sure whether most of you have seen this but I think it is worth-watching. I did not exactly recall being among the audience in this event but I am guessing there were some of our batchmates in the orchestra team to accompany the vocals with melodious tunes. For those who feel a bit melancholic, here is a remedy to cure your nostalgia.

Of all 8 videos in the Youtube profile, I chose this one because today is the day when PMR 2012 results were announced. It is very timely for us to reflect ourselves on how much we have progressed since high school and to remind of those who have helped us along the way. The singer in this video is definitely one of those whom we should keep in mind. She is our Form 3 teacher, Ms Rohana. She taught us Mathematics. If I recall correctly, she was also a class teacher of 3 Bijaksana. A very dedicated educator who is very persistent in teaching and ensuring us to get the methods right.

On a side note, based on Facebook posts and Twitter, Koleq's PMR batch this year managed to emerge as the first in Perak with 98 students getting straight As in all 9 subjects out of 117. That is quite impressive! Good job Class of 2014! I actually forgot our overall results. Does anyone remember? Congratulations to your brothers or sisters who did very well in their PMR. To those who didn't, don't despair as PMR is not that important actually. Plus, I've been informed that the government is scrapping it out. So, don't worry that much.

Also, for those who didn't know, Amir Shah's father Mohd Shah passed away due to lung infections on Sunday. Al-Fatihah - semoga rohnya diberkati dengan rahmat Allah dan ditempatkan bersama Muslimin and Mukminin yang lain. Semoga Amir dan keluarganya tabah dan cekal menghadapi liku-liku kehidupan ini. Amin. Buat ingatan bersama-sama, sesungguhnya yang hidup itu pasti akan mati.

(Taken from Izham Ismail's Twitter)

This is merely an update post because I actually don't like to see this blog being abandoned. So I will try to make time to provide updates on anything so that all of you can read during your leisure time. In the meantime, best of luck to those who are preparing for exams and assignments. Hope to see you guys around. Cheers!

Note to the author, next time please bring your camera whenever there is batch gathering (for instance batch futsal etc) so that you can write something in this blog.

Beyond comprehension

When I was informed of his medical condition through Facebook and BBM yesterday, I was not sure on how to react. I was quite speechless. Someone who is as young as me has been diagnosed with cancer and now is undergoing a surgery. It seems to be beyond my comprehension.

Batch Iftar 2009
Fendy, Izwan, Jae, Knu

Among us, Khairul Anuar is casually known as 'Knu'. He is from Sarawak and he is now studying in South Korea. If I am not mistaken, he is pursuing a bachelor degree in engineering. He is one of the good looking guys in the batch. He was in Mohd Shah house and a very good cricket player.

Last Day in Koleq
Bob, Kudin, Knu

I still remember back in Koleq, how every Raya I used to ask him to bring back Kek Lapis Sarawak. Without fail, he would bring them back and shared them with all of us. It was just amazing. Personality wise, he is a very nice and easy-going person. 

Cheering Squad
Knu, Kudin, Aizat

Dear Knu,

We pray and hope that the Almighty will grant you strength to undergo this challenge. 

We pray and hope that the Almighty will keep you in the best health possible.

Don't fret my friend as He knows what is best for you.

Ameen.

04Knu08

Sekitar Barbecue Batch di Port Dickson

It's been a while since the batch barbecue in PD. Ha ha I've been preoccupied with stuff, it's quite a challenge to get access to internet to upload videos and the blog. So here goes, a glimpse of the gathering.

1. Sintau came all the way from Penang, by public transport to attend his first batch  gathering. Sintau had never met any of our batchmate since 2008 (haha not sure if this is absolutely true).

2. Acapis made his first appearance too since 2007.

3. AJK batch dengan tak semena-menanya telah dibubarkan dengan veto Ammar.

4. Ekey tanpa segan silu me-volunteer-kan diri sebagai President Batch yang baru.

5. Barisan AJK tertinggi batch yang baru akan diberitahu di posting akan datang.

6. Afiq who just landed within 24 hours from France, managed to drop by and stayed right till the end.

7. Apparently no one remembers no. dobi D88. (haha no one in this context refers to Afiq, sbb dia sorang je hafal no dobi semua org still). And D88 belongs to Iman Haqique.

8. Thanks to Tiger and family for providing us the apartment, nasi lemak and whatever you chose not to disclose.

9. Thanks to Iss for organizing most of the part, pushing us to come, marinating the food and running the show.

Speedy recovery

It's 3am and I just got home from another long day meeting a few faces of budak koleq; some familiar faces, some unfamiliar that goes back to the batch of 60s.

MCOBA had their biennial election yesterday but heck I don't wish to comment on the results.

Gave Syahmi Hafifi a courtesy call just now and made some plans for the coming barbecue at Port Dickson. It turns out that Syahmi just had an operation for his torn ligament.

I suck at Bio and have never gone through any such of injury to know what is what but hearing from how Syahmi explained and the tone of his voice, the injury does sound bad and apparently he is on crutches which he will continue be needing it for the next few weeks.

I did also mention in a few post earlier that Lutfi had the same thing too - ligament injury. According to Syahmi also, the operation wasn't a small one. Haha I may joke that Lutfi never failed of not getting injured, like almost every year but I guess the misery one has to go through an operation and the period of recovery is never an easy one.

To Syahmi and Lutfi whom I may not understand the pain you are going through, I wish and pray that you both have a speedy recovery. And take care always.