On the news again

It’s been around 10 days since I wrote this. I got to have a quick lunch at a mamak with him in Melawati before solat Jumaat, last week. The problem of being with a ‘celebrity’, it’s not only you don’t get to meet them often now, your short time having lunch with them is more often being interrupted with passer-by wanting to have photo with them.

Guess he won’t really pursue with his satay idea haha, he got other things in mind and pretty much the focus is on the GE.

Things may be even rough for Rough now, since he’s going against the big guns. But you very well know that you not only our support with you, you have the entire nation’s.

Good luck!

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The title to this post could be a bit misleading or quite an understatement to how things have been. It is not that this is the first few times Rough have been making the news in our mainstream and alternative media but ever since he got back into politics by joining the office he is now resigning from, he has somewhat been the apple of the reporters eye where ever he goes.

My brother gave me a surprised call this afternoon. Haha he seldom calls – most of the time he texts - unless if it is something really important. And he straight away jumped to, “eh Rough dah resign ke?”

Rough been calling to meet up for lunch 3 times this pass 1 week. And heck the timing is just so bad that whenever he calls, its either I have exams on that particular day or I’m outside Shah Alam (where his office is). It rather seems that I have been busier than his hectic schedule as fast-rising politician.

So yes, Rough tendered his resignation yesterday from the office he joined 2 years ago which got so much attention from the media and indirectly brought him back into politics.

Having the privilege to work in his small office in Shah Alam, one can’t help but to wonder how could someone go through such a busy schedule continuously for the past many years and remain optimistic in everything he gets himself involved in.

Being in his office means more like being his assistant; following him for meetings, doing some little research for him and once in a while also being his driver. And if having to travel from home to Shah Alam back forth everyday could be quiet taxing, one has to be impressed how this determined fellow never gets tired. Not enough with work, having to go for ceramah, pusing satu negara!

Knowing Rough, it’s unimaginable that he’ll quit from PKR. When my brother called and told me that he quit, I very well know it’s from the office in Selangor and not the party, though my brother said otherwise.

So unlike many today who read the news, though I haven’t got the chance to talk to him about it, but genuinely as someone who quite understand what he had been through, I can be more than happy that this news is finally out today.

I guess this is a much needed break for him and as someone who has just started a family, and presumably never had much time spending time with the new family, as friend this is all happy news.

Rough once shared that he would love to start a satay business. Haha you’ll never know, this could just be the time to go with your ambition. But when Election is near, it’s probably not just wise to concentrate on satay, is it not?

The media could manipulate things, well that’s what they do. But I know Rough, we all know him. Some sensational news will not bring any harm to him, it only makes him stronger.

Have a nice break big guy, though most of us know that things wouldn’t change much still with ceramah almost every night ha ha. 

See you around.

You reap what you sow

I still remember the registration day in koleq in 2006. We were in F3 that year and it's very well understood that we were placed at the Pavilion. Dorms were divided according to houses and being budak Idris, I would either be in dorm 2 or dorm 3B.

But I was also aware that I was appointed prefect that year, and Hairy was also a prefect from Idris too. So definitely we couldn't be placed at the same dorm. On the list, Hairy got the clean and best dorm (almost every year) 3B so I thought automatically I will be at dorm 2. Unfortunately not.

I was quite upset at first not being placed with friends I've lived together in the same dorm (you tend to accept their hygiene and tolerate their craziness) for the last 2 years till later I turned to be devastated that I was told that Zul along with myself will be placed at Prep School - which was worse, not being with the entire batchmates!

Prep School was dead that time. No one was around. The form 1 would register rather late than usual that year because of Raya Haji which from that first day for of re-registration, it would be take another 2-3 weeks.

I was alone at the deserted Prep School that day with my father, feeling miserable in a year that which was supposed to mean a lot to me - PMR and wanting so much to be in debating team and enjoy life with batchmates since you are not really a junior nor a senior.

My father and I wandered around the corridors (well Prep School wasn't that scary during the day haha) wondering what would happen next and quietly in my head, planning how am I going to get myself out of this - talking to Spark (prefect master) that I want a transfer.

There was no sign of Zul then only until a few hours later, Ayie (Class of 2007) who would end up being my colleague at Prep School showed up. We chatted a bit and then he disappeared.

I decided to put my bags at Dorm F. That's the best place to settle down  I guess since that 'castle' will be under occupied till a few weeks later and Dorm F is the smallest dorm, so probably less beds and smaller area to be afraid of at night (haha if you know what I mean).

My father dismissed my idea of wanting a transfer to Pavilion when I mentioned to him earlier. He said that this was test and I should live up to it. It might be a difficult year but that would be a challenge for me to manage it and insya Allah something great will come out from it. It was quite shocking coming from my father. He is always known for being someone who fights for what's best for his kids and since he did not give in to my idea for a transfer, clearly (wasn't clear to me back then haha) that was what he thought best for me.

I slowly started to accept, at some part forcing myself to but slowly as the entire custodian team gathered, it slowly sink into your head of the thought that you are given a different sort of challenge that you never anticipated and hopefully you'll learn something from it.

Just now at Friday prayers, I bumped into one of the kids I looked after at Prep School - haha I still refer to them as kids. Though I was the youngest amongst the prefects but perhaps I was the most dominant given that the Form 5 prefects were form 4 baru and given the type of person I am, I just take charge, hence being a bit more attached to the juniors.

It's nice that even after all those years there's still some kind of attachment that binds the once form 1 and myself (now prefect pencen).

I recalled that for most of the time, whenever my prefects from the earlier generation bumped into us, they'll do so much to avoid meeting us face to face and run away from us. Towards a certain extent, many of us would want to avoid meeting them too. But being a prefect at Prep School at my time, being happy to meet the juniors I once looked after and they come smiling on their faces to give a hand shake, speaks volume of my stay back then, wishfully thinking.

That batch also, 0610 turns out to be the few groups of budak koleq that I kind of relentless count on if I need help in things I'm involved in nowadays. I see them as second to my batchmates and I would love to think that they feel the same of me.

My father was right, something great will come out from the challenge you willingly embrace with your heart. It wasn't an easy year back in 2006, a lot of great stories you may not be part of with your batchmates, but at least something to always be reminded of the special friendship you made with an extra 120 bunch of budak koleq.

0610 paid to attend my function to fill in some empty tables haha

catching up after arwah Engku's funeral in Kajang

sending Fendy back for Raya

meet up at INTEC

Blogging: No more a trend

I still remember the day we left koleq in 2008. It was more like being chased out of koleq by the wardens on the last day. We were given strict orders that we needed to leave koleq grounds by certain timing and with loads of luggage to be packed, with parents tired travelling from different states, it was quite a rush packing in between hugging friends and savouring your finals moments in koleq and friends which God knows when you’ll get to meet them next.

I am quite sure that it wasn’t just for me that the trip back home was a great withdrawal syndrome, missing the days in koleq.

With all so much to talk about and not getting that opportunity after our final SPM paper – EST, we immediately got ourselves on the batch mailing list, created a few days after leaving koleq. By that time, Facebook wasn’t a buzz like how it is today. People were still using Friendster and Myspace and slowly moving to the new talk of social network – FB.

As Facebook may not be that famous still, it was also a new thing back then that to blog. So there goes the batchmates getting on blogspot, blogging the world especially every single memory they have left of koleq.

With the mailing list in place and the blog to retell the stories, that was how me managed to have our first gathering at Kemensah Villa, keep track with scholarships updates which in turn became one of the few batches with the most scholarship recipients and also planned a few more other activities like futsal and the trip to PICC for WOC Finale.

I recalled many of them forcing me to start blogging too but if every single person blogs about the same thing and gathering we go to, what’s really the point of blogging  then.

These last few days, I’ve been doing some housekeeping to the blog since it’s the uni semester break and I just realised how dysfunctional the blog is.

It was a mixed feeling between sad and surprised, I guess, to find most of the batchmates blogs have been deleted hence revising the list of batchmates blogroll.

Lutfi had among the most celebrated blog among the batchmates back then unfortunately, I don’t know why (haven’t checked with him) that he joins the list of Banie, Ayis, Fido and a few others of deleting the blog.

I did some extra checking myself to see whether is it just amongst ourselves that we just don’t continue blogging or it is a trend. And it turns out to be that quite some of the blogs of other batches and circles of budak koleq have been deleted and some that remains turn idle.

Not in any way being proud that this blog is still updated, well this blog is far from being alive but this somehow reminds me more of the need that this blog needs to be updated no matter how irregular the updating is.

pics from the batch gathering at Kemensah Villa

The friendship and stories we share in the 5 years we had in koleq shouldn't end just on the day the wardens chased us out of koleq or not just after a few reunions after that. It should be relived and continue to develop over time.

And if there need be a place to share and immortalize those stories then there is where the blog comes  in.

I know that many of us have been preoccupied with university life – with sports and tournaments, exams, travelling, girlfriends, activism what not but probably as the need to update the blog comes to place, probably then some of us will find the urge to update this pitiful site.

To greater and more exciting days to come, welcome back to MCKK Class of 2008

pics from trip to PICC for Finale WOC

Catching up

We finally had a meet up yesterday, doing the usual thing at the usual place - futsal @ Samba.

I more than obliged to respond warmly to Iss' offer since he just got back from UK for his summer break and so much also because I find futsal as a good excuse to burn some fats. I guess after years of leaving koleq, one can't help but to seriously be concern with weight as time goes by.

Definitely yesterday wasn't the first reunion we had this year. Well, we did recall on the number of reunions we have had since, God knows when, and surprise surprise, we did have a hard time recalling those moments.

To some of us, we regard the 'official' batch gatherings (no matter how big or small it is) to be gatherings that are within Klang Valley. Ha ha don't ask why but because it is the center point and perhaps it is where most of us are (that's what we choose to think) hence why it is always seen that way.

There have been quite a number of batch gathering though at different zones of the country. I know for sure that the Johor chapter do meet every once in a while, sometimes there are gatherings in Penang and sometimes there's also in KL, just small personal ones. But to meet up to do our usual stuff - playing futsal - the last time was way back in December 2011.

Thank God, Iss is finally back, at least there's a reason to catch up again.

Are we slowing losing the camaraderie that was built in koleq?

It's hard to answer and my nudge feeling is saying 'no' but more often than not, we get too preoccupied with stuff - classes and exams, we always push get-togethers to some other time.

After months of silence, yesterday's gathering was kinda different, to say the least. I mean  not that Ammar has gone any thinner ha ha and one thing that constantly remain the same is Lutfi never fails to get injured (Lutfi has a ligament problem it seems) but a lot of us have mellowed down.

Is it a sign of age or worries we have for exams or awkwardness after the long silence; still no one knows and maybe only time can tell.

Nevertheless it's always nice catching up with the batchmates, the group of people that no matter how different our path are turning to be but still and will always share the common jokes and stories that we can always relate to.

Good luck to Ed, Bond and Am for their final exams today.

We'll wait for Ihsan to get back. Next stop - sahur di Kuale!