Make the Time

In the name of Allah. The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

Assalamu'alaikum, everybody!

"There's no such thing as 'too busy'. If you don't have the time for friends and/or family, MAKE IT."

~ Anonymous ~

I'm gonna have to do this more often. I doubt I'll be writing more posts in the future but considering the equipment for my research will take some time to get to Malaysia, might as well keep writing.

I'll be honest, I DID plan on writing something here a few hours ago but I didn't have a clue to what I wanted to write about. You see, that's my dilemma most of the time: I either have NOTHING to write or I have too MUCH things to write that I ended up not choosing and not writing. But lo and behold, a friend of mine online wrote something.

She asked where she can get words of comfort. Now, most of the time we turn to family, no? I mean, come on. I do that myself sometimes but there are things that your family will NOT understand no matter how many times they say so. Naturally, you seek out your friends. You'll definitely find you're go-to guy/girl. God knows I have that one friend. We've been friends for almost 15 years now and I like to think we're doing alright. When you have that one person that knows what makes you tick and how twisted your sense of humor is but STILL hangs out with you, hold on to 'em! He/she might be the only human helping you keep your sanity.

Shout out to my brotha from anotha motha! You know who you are, bruh

Now back to my friend online earlier, I told her to maybe try and reach out to someone. She said that she did but it sorta fell on deaf ears. This irks the hell out of me. Is it THAT hard to be nice?

Being busy is understandable. We all have our crap-load of work to do but there is no such thing as being "too busy". Just don't...

Unless you're in a family matter, your boyfriend/girlfriend can wait, your game can wait, your goldfish can wait. You have a friend in need, you help 'em out even if all you have to do is say a few words of encouragement or listen to your buddy vent or rant. It's not friggin' rocket science.

I'm not sure if I'm the only one but have you noticed the sudden increase of suicides over the years? Most of the time we read it on the internet. It's really heartbreaking. I can't help but think that some of them are people who don't know who to turn to. Worse yet, they reached out to someone but they just shrugged them off. That mentally and emotionally mess you up, man. Imagine being forced to go through something you don't wanna do. In this, trust me, you wouldn't want that. I should know.

So anyway, my friend said she'll deal with it in her own way. Hey, when I'm upset, I eat. Haha!! People have their own way to deal things. For some, it's sleeping. Others, it's food. Communication, man. It's important.

I have this one post I desperately wanna write about but it has to wait. More or less a year. Till then, I'm gonna enjoy what life's gonna throw at me.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: Hope you got those comforting words you wanted no matter where it came from

I Could Fall or I Could Fly

In the name of Allah. The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, y'all!

"Carpe, carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

~ John Keating (Dead Poets Society) ~

I posted this on my Instastory not long ago...............

I got an offer to pursue my masters about a month ago. A lecturer who was my secondary supervisor (SV) during my degree texted me. Mind you, at the time I was asleep and my head was like extremely heavy. Don't judge me. I mean, yeah it was like 7 in the morning. I was still tired from playing MASUM and I was still in vacay mode sebab baru je habis degree. At least dah Solat. Haha!

Anyway, she texted saying that she has an opening for a full-research masters program. The project was confirmed but there weren't any students to take on the project. I'm telling you, man. I jumped out of my bed and just stared at text. Just so you know, my final CGPA is less than flattering. Not that I slacked off (not all the time la) but hey, I'm a guy who's interested in the world of fantasy, wizardry, myths and arts that lived the engineering student-life, where everything was just logic. For 6 years. 6 friggin' years! That said, I think I did alright. My point is....

Why me?

I told her that I wanna discuss with my family first. She was cool with that, so I did. Sorta. Sure enough, my whole family told me to take the deal. One saying, "Kerja, sangat x best.". I'm gonna be really honest................

I was leaning towards the other way.

People who know me are aware of how much I miss my 2-month vacation in the UK 5 years ago. After that experience, I set my sights on pursuing my degree there. I got the opportunity but after it crashed and burn, I put ONE condition for me going for my masters:

OVERSEAS

Other than that, no. I opted to work and THEN do my masters. This is just a rhetorical question so bare with me. Do you have any idea how draining it feels to see your friends having a career and earning their own money? Don't get me wrong. Mana2 kerja pun, it won't be a walk in the park. It's WORK. What do YOU think?! You think studying would be easier? What's life without challenges, eh? 6 years doing engineering. You have any idea who much blood, sweat and tears were drawn out? Yes, in some assignments I bled. Berpeluh tu x yah cakap la kan. The tears. Let's just say I could flood your basement with the amount of tears over the whole duration.

I guess I just had to look at the bigger picture. I met with the lecturer to get all the details. Let's just say that there were some pros and cons. She told me that over the course of being my SV last time around, she thinks that I have potential. Potential untuk apa, ntah la. Aku pun x tau. Nyahaha! She likes students to be proactive and show their progress. Personally, I just think it's because I can speak English well. Or maybe she was just buttering me up so I'll take the offer. On the plus side, it's a full-research program for 3-8 semesters. In those 3 semesters (if I finish on time), I'll only be taking 2 classes and the rest will be research. But she gave me an early warning: It won't be easy. Proves my point, innit? Study or work, neither is easy.

I'll continue my rant some time soon but for now, my answer is..............

7 and a half years (In Sya-Allah) at the same place. What awaits, I got no clue. I'm just praying that I won't regret this and REALLY hope that Allah S.W.T will help me along the way as He has all this time.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: A few weeks ago, I haven't even registered, already talks about me going for a PhD. Aku dah agak dah. Siapa yang sambung belajar sebenarnya ni? Haha!

Cherish Each and Every Moment

In the name of Allah. The Most Gracious. The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, everyone!!

"Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed."

~Piper McLean (Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena)~

Alhamdulillah. Still alive and well (physically, maybe. Mentally, doubtful XD) on God's earth. The past year has been crazy. College so far is a whirlwind but I managed to get through it. I'm sort of dreading my last semester. Partly because, it's THE FINAL semester. Mostly it's because I'm gonna have to get a job. Oh such fun.

:-|

Anyway, it occurred to me that this is my first post of 2017. I was waiting for a good idea for a post. I didn't get a good idea for a post. Instead, I got the PERFECT post............

Introducing Dayang Deno!

After 6 years. 6 YEARS! We finally got to meet each other. Usually it's just online. Through blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. You know, the usual. I've followed her progress (and in case you guys are getting any ideas, I didn't mean that in a creepy way) for years. I guess I have to explain what that means.

She has SLE or more commonly known as lupus. The way she explains it, imagine your immune system are soldiers and you're the commanding officer. Instead of attacking the baddies in your system like you told them to, they attack the healthy tissues and organs in the body, going rogue. Picture yourself in her shoes. You go for all these treatments and get all these drugs pumped into you. I'm squirming just typing it write now. OK, imagine having to go through it for 18 years. And for all those years till now, knowing that there is NO CURE.

:'-(

Honestly speaking, I HAVE heard of lupus even before I ran into her blog but I never knew what it's about. But after reading her posts, one after another, and also seeing her updates on other social media, I basically got the idea. After knowing not even half of what she's been through, all I could think was "I gotta meet her". Alhamdulillah, I did!

I had something going on at college. And no, I'm not that rajin to go to UTM masa tengah cuti. Not yet anyway. It was not really academic-related. So anywho, I went to meet up with Deno soon after. I didn't know what I was expecting to be honest. I was sitting at one of the bookstores at the "undisclosed location" where we met, reading, and I saw this person creeping up on me like I was gonna attack. The second she said "Syauqi?", I was like "Hiiiiiii!!!!!!". Haha!!

We had lunch and got to know each other better. We talked about almost everything. Friends, family, life. Most importantly, she educated me on what she has. She told me stories about how it affected her life, how she dealt with it. I guess one of them was seeking refuge in the art of doodling.

Haha! I got this 5 years ago when I went on that 2-month Euro trip. I may have short hair now but that was basically me back then. I'm telling you guys, her doodles are AMAZING. She sometimes get requests from people to doodle and to me, she's a big deal in Malaysia's doodling scene. The detail of them, so intricate. The significance of most of her doodles is also something. I have 2 left hands (sort of the equivalent of 2 left feet). I don't actually know how to draw. She showed me her work after we were finished eating and just chatting. Like the artist herself, they were beautiful. Check 'em out on her page by clicking her name earlier in the post.

I gotta be honest, hearing her tell her stories of coping with lupus, going for 'umrah with that condition, dealing with haters from all sides and STILL having that smile on her face and just giving out positive vibes wherever she goes, I nearly choked up (Sebak, wei. Sikit je lagi nak leleh air mata). I don't know. I just can't imagine going through all of it. Very rarely you get to meet people who can inspire you. I look up to our Prophet P.B.U.H and Roger Federer but meeting them is sort of out of the question (the former because he's no longer with us and the latter. Well, c'mon. It's Roger). Meeting this pretty little lady was eye-opening and inspiring to say the least. I had so much fun yesterday. It was a privilege and honor and hopefully we'll meet again, In Sya-Allah. 

We could've gone on and on and would still find other things to talk about but I guess I had to beat the traffic. That failed miserably by the way. A sneak peek to what the working life will be I reckon. The traffic was crazy! But you know what? It was worth it. Here are some shots we took...........

Little Miss Deno, I hope only the best for you and may Allah S.W.T Bless you and protect you always. Aamiin. In Sya-Allah. And don't lose that smile! Haha!

:-D

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: Do me a favour and check out her page, guys! She's awesome!

She's Tiny But Beautiful. Nothing Like the Stamps

In the name of Allah. The Most Gracious. The Most Merciful.

Assalamu'alaikum, everybody!

"It's a lie to think that you're not good enough. It's a lie to think that you're not worth anything. You know, it's scary to know how many girls have eating disorders. It's scary to know how many people actually feel like they're worth nothing. Every single girl right here, right now. I want you to know that YOU. ARE. BEAUTIFUL. And you boys. You da man."

~Nick Vujicic (Motivational Speaker)~

I'm actually surprised that I'm updating right NOW instead of a few days ago considering I'm at the end of my mid semester break. Anyway, I'm off to KL tomorrow and will be in a crap-load of work.

Something occurred to me today. A very close friend of mine asked me a question a few months ago. It was a question that pretty much caught me off guard. We, 2 friends and I, just finished dinner. After sending one of our friends home, we were on our way to send my other friend home. My friend of 12 years asked me a question that I never thought she'd ask.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

We were lucky that I didn't swerve off the road. Really caught me off guard. Anyway, I answered......(I'm paraphrasing here)

Beauty is quite a subjective term. Ever heard of "beauty is just skin-deep"? Some people just think beauty as just a pretty face. The physical properties of a person. But what's the point if a person's outer shell is a sight for sore eyes but the inner shell gives an eyesore? Nak senang kata muka lawa tapi perangai macam longkang. Call me old-fashioned and kolot but it's my opinion.

To me, being beautiful is being your true self. Not trying to impress anybody just for the sake of wanting to be accepted.

So anyway, naturally, I told her that of course she's beautiful. It could've been me being biased 'cause we've known each other for a long time but I was telling the truth. People have their own interpretations of beauty, their own way of making themselves the personification of beauty. All I'm saying is stay true to yourself and you know what? To hell with those haters.

;-)

Gotta go and get some work done. Final year, baby!

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: I'm sort of trying to stay awake by doing this post

A Little Bit of Resolve

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, everyone!

The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they're too heavy to be broken

~Warren Buffett~

First of all, Salam Ma'al Hijrah to all my brothers and sisters in Islam. May 1438H be better than 1437H and worse than 1439H (can I say that?).

Building on that, 1437H was quite a rough year. It was sort of a train-wreck from top to bottom, start to finish. Very few occasions to be celebrated. Lots of stress, both necessary AND unnecessary. Even more betrayals and empty promises from people near and dear to me (I may or may NOT be referring to you. So kalo nak terasa, suka hati kau la). I dealt with just about everything causing blood to gush from many orifice, constant sweat on my brow and a waterfall's worth of tears. I failed in many aspects. Professionally, socially and the list goes on. And don't even get me started on educationally. Sooooooooo.. Like I said...

1438H, I will try to do things differently. Things have been going good so far, I guess. Got a bit of a head start thanks to an old friend. So will see how things go. 

I'm just posting this for the sake of doing a new post. In a weird way, I'm a bit half-glad and half-intrigued with the things that happened. It's gonna be interesting this year.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: This week was a setback. In a few weeks maybe?

Appreciate Every Mix Tape Your Friends Make

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

Assalamu'alaikum, y'all!

"I absolutely love meeting people. Fascinating ones, of course, but always remain their modesty. They never fail you with words and actions. Their eloquence is breathtaking and they leave you undone but with happiness. Absolutely no regrets. Their intelligence is beyond words. Their sincerity kills evil and it's inspiring. To be surrounded by these kind of people is really motivating me to stay positive and move about, doing amazing things."

~Syahira Naimi~

It's been a while since I last updated. I think about a month a half-ish. Been really lacking in ideas. And also...This!!!

Finished my internship at SIRIM. While others in UTM are back in class, my batch in KL have the week off! But I ain't stopping. Have some more stuff to do. Anyway, I've been quite dry of ideas. Hence, the lack of posts.

HOWEVER

Literally a few hours ago, I found this tweet on my Twitter feed.

Tbh, I think of that almost everyday. Especially when I feel like I've been wronged, like someone did something bad to me. And you know what? I'm not having it. A person should know that he/she has left a mark on at least SOMEONE.

By the way, I have to black out her name for privacy reasons. So let's just call her Hanali.

And so the story starts.......

I just got back from work. This was during my internship. I was just scrolling down my Instagram TL then I saw Hanali's post. She checked in and I noticed that her uni is near my house. One thing led to another, we had a deal meet up for dinner since I'm occupied at work in the daytime.

I drove to pick her up. Her campus is huge. Ok? Ginormous. If you rarely go in, like me (I've been in there just twice for the past 10 years), you will get lost. So naturally, I asked her to send me her location through whatsapp. Sure enough, I went to the place. Bagai nk rak aku cari budak ni. Haha! Then she said her hostel is farther away. After LOL-ing for a few minutes, I decided to find a landmark which was the health center.

We were so excited to see each other when she finally found my car. Mind you, the last time we saw each other was early 2009. After that, it was all online. That was over 7 years ago, ok? Boleh tahan la lama dia tu. Anyway, at the time I honestly didn't know any place near her place that's not crowded with college students. Haha! So we had to go a bit far to a place where I know they make good char kuey tiow.

The place was quiet even though it was still early and it was like we have the whole place to ourselves. We talked about a lot of things. Of course la, over 7 years tak jumpa kan. Among the things we talked about was our education. I told her basically everything about my infamous failed plan on continuing my degree overseas. As it turned out, our place of interest was the same. Whattaya know? We talked about friends (bukan mengumpat! I mean the old days) and family. Of life and love. How we're growing up too damn fast. It was fun catching up with an old friend, slowing down the fast-paced life we're living in now.

As Hanali and I were chatting, I noticed the staff sweeping and mopping. It was our cue to go.

A fact about me: If I go out with a girl, regardless of who it is, I'll open the car door for her. If there are more than one, I'll try but it'll be hard.

Sure enough, I opened the car door for Hanali and she sort of squeaked and got excited. Haha!

Before you guys get any ideas, just read the next picture CAREFULLY....

Chivalry isn't dead

And this is exactly what I told Hanali. Ladies, there are guys out there who are good. They might not have the looks, the cash, the height (and yes I'm in that 1%) but these are the people who you should give chances too. Prove me wrong. But hey, if you still wanna go out with massive tools and friendzone the guy who would actually treat you right and still ask "why isn't there a good guy any more?" or "all guys are the same", be my guest.

Anywho, I dropped Hanali at her hostel and went home.

There you go. A full memoir of what happened on that night from the eyes of someone who would always cherish a friend and remember the people he knows.

(I didn't know him that well even though we did our diploma in KL and I will regret that but at least I'll remember you for how you recited His Verses)

I always thought about how me being gone will affect people. Some might just shed one single tear. Some might just shrug it off. Bila kawan kita dh tak de, jgn baru nak menyesal tak itu tak ini. He/she won't be there to listen to you.

On a much lighter note, I saw Suicide Squad today. Yay me! Review coming up hopefully. Busy week.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: So you have wished it, so shall it be XD

Search and Destroy

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

Assalamu’alaikum, everybody!

Hope it’s not too late to say Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Maaf Zahir dan Batin to all you beautiful people. At least what few that STILL read this anyway. A lot’s been happening, guys. A lot. Some of them are slightly confidential so that’s a no go on that. One thing’s for sure though: I’m SOOOOOO glad the semester’s over! I know it’s been over a month since I finished the semester but still…The relief is like holding it in for hours till you find a bathroom.

Stress nk mampos tau x?!!

Mana x stressnya? Killer subjects ada 3, all 3 subjects ada kena buat project. And there’s this one subject, they made it like a competition. Build a robot to climb a bunch of stairs. Japanese and English classes AND assignments AND projects lagi. That’s not even the best part. Almost all of the projects have to be submitted the week before our finals. Mind you, we don’t have a study week. I’ll get to that later. By the time we submitted our last assignment, I’m telling you, it was like having a boulder lifted off of our shoulders. Sort of… Exam habis baru rasa lega.

I’m currently doing my industrial training/practical. So goodbye, semester break. Which is why we didn’t have a study week. The only upside from this is that the place is really near my house.

I hope all of this is worth it. Don’t get me wrong, a good education IS important. I just think the things students do ALONG the way to get that friggin’ scroll is more often than not ridiculous. I guess it’s inevitable eh?

Already 1 days of Raya. Time goes by really quick, innit? Pejam celik, puasa. Pejam celik, raya. Makes you think though..At least it makes ME think. What plans do I have next? Kalau nak ikutkan I have my plans already. Nak execute tu je can be a real pain in the arse. I say that because we’re gonna have to sacrifice a lot of stuff. I prayed and asked for something once..And it was a long time ago…

True story…

At the time, I was in a rough place, a particularly hard time in my short almost-23-years. A position where some of them were self-inflicted but most of them were results of people inflicting them ON me. So the “true story” part is that I prayed and asked to be away from my enemies. To let my enemies steer clear away from me as far as possible. Then you know what happened?

I lost some friends. I don’t mean lost macam ada yang mati. I mean we just drifted. And some of them did things. Things that you never thought could happen to you. Things you never thought THEY would do to you.

(X sure kalau ada yang terasa sebab I doubt people read here anymore but if ada yang terasa, lantak la. I might not be talking about you pun).

And so my circle of friends turned into a semicircle. Then it morphed to a size of a slice of pie. Now it’s more like a small dot. And later it just dawned on me: Those enemies I asked to steer clear away from me earlier were my friends.

To quote Gabriel Iglesias, “I’m a decent guy. I’m not great, I’m not terrible. I’m decent”. I love meeting people. And I like listening to people’s stories. It helps me in many ways. Sometimes I’m not sure if I should be picky in the friends department. What I’m trying to say is, sometimes sacrificing certain things are unavoidable. In my case, I never thought I was gonna sacrifice ties with people. Nak buat mcm mana kan? Have to wait and find what’s in store then.

Could be something unexpected. Since the latest occurrence was MYSELF doing the unexpected – and it just blew up in my face – I’m gonna wait and just hope for the best.

I got one more year of studying. Haishhh. -____________-“

Anyway, I’m sort of halfway through my industrial training. Sikit je lagi. I’ve done half. I can do another half. Let’s do this!

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: There’s no reason we can’t civil

The Story So Far

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum

I'm gonna make this post quite short and straight forward since I still got some assignments to do and I wanna take a break for a bit.

At the end of my 3rd year of getting an engineering degree now. So starting from 10th June 2016, I'll have only one year to complete my degree. That is if I don't have any subjects I have to repeat or any other complications. Minta jauh la daripada benda-benda macam tu.

I've been in UTM KL for exactly 5 years now. My 3 years diploma here was alright I guess. But I'm telling you, last week was a whirlwind. It's like all the 5 years being crammed into ONE week and then some. No BS. I had like 2 presentations, 3 tests, a few projects and some assignments. And I had to find a supervisor for my final year project (Alhamdulillah, I found a supervisor). I almost had no sleep. Literally. I went almost 24 hours without sleep.

Some of my freinds/group members saw me smiling and laughing. But they just didn't know. At least they didn't think I was being serious when I said that I feel like going insane.

It was a mentally, physically and emotionally draining week for me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. I wanted to lash out. I wanted to bash someone's head into a wall. Anyone's head. That was how unstable I was.

I was on the brink of insanity. I was barely hanging on.

It was at these times that I prayed silently. HE knows.
It was at these times that I called my parents. Just hearing their voices sends a big relief to me.

Never thought that this process could be so hard. Growing up. It's like a nightmare. Although...

Growing up and growing old are 2 different things.

Last post of the semester. Probably the last one in a long time. Gonna have to start doing my work again.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: In the words of Viktor Novorski from "The Terminal".

I WAIT

Volume of Silence

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, y'all!

On my mid semester break right now and I'm telling you, this is probably the 1st time in 7 weeks that I'm actually resting. Things have been crazy, man. Granted, I didn't expecting my 3rd year of degree to be easy but I didn't expect it to be THIS hard either. Put it this way: Just when you finished an assignment tonight, 2 other assignments come at you tomorrow. Just when you finished writing a report, another one slumps on your desk, due the same week.

Although...I really can't say that I'm stoked on finishing college. I bet working is gonna be even more insane. At least in college, you'll get to hear "Today's class is canceled". Good luck getting that news when you start working. A lot of people know this especially those close to me but I ain't sure if I've wrote it here. The idea of doing my masters in Germany has always been appealing. That and backpacking across Europe after degree. Well, keep on dreaming, kid. That ain't gonna happen! Not yet anyway. For multiple reasons.

It just occurred to me lately that I overshare with some people. Yeah, I know it's ironic. Saying that at my own blog, where I sort of write my day-to-day things, and everybody can read it.

But...

Sometimes you just need to vent out all these things you got bottled up inside. Even if you tell you're bestest best friend, he/she might not feel the same way and not reciprocate. In your head, that thing might be important....Sort of 'life-or-death' important. You're friend on the other hand may not share the same sentiment. So sue me if I like venting out.

I have about 14-15 months left of college. A lot of sacrifices must be made......

Physically...Mentally...Emotionally

And quite possibly financially too.

I got 6 days left of my mid sem break. 5 full days. Gonna make the most of it by doing nothing. Haha!

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: Silence speaks volumes than any actions

Do Or Do Not. There Is No Try

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Asslamu'alaikum, everybody!

It's been a freaky 3 weeks into the new semester. A freaky-deaky 3 weeks. Can't say that everything's getting easier when you sorta get the hang of something. In my case, I'm doing engineering. It NEVER gets easy. Not undermining other courses but with me, a guy who loves language, music, the arts, stranded in a world full of numbers and logic, it's pretty tough. But hey, I got the idea of what I was getting myself into so I guess I can't be complaining, eh?

It's been a roller coaster ride from start to finish. IMO, I guess the decisions we make are sort of the things that change us, shape us and setup the things for us in the future. You know what I mean?

Massive congratulations to Leo Di Caprio for FINALLY getting an Oscar!

Look at it this way....

I wanted to to be a cardiologist, do medicine. I think the fact that I had a few arrhythmia attacks at 12 y/o may have been the reason. Luckily for me, someone brainwashed me to not delve into the medicine field. And tbh, one of the best piece of advice ever. Anyway, can you imagine if I DID do medicine? My college experience if I did would've been different if I decided to do it. Hence, the reason I say that the decisions we make setup the things for us in the future.

And I know that Allah S.W.T already had plans for each and everyone of us but just so you know, WE DON'T KNOW. Nobody knows. The plans we make and the choices we pick could either make or break us....

I guess what I'm trying to say is.......................................

Take the leap/plunge

It may not seem like it but I'm getting older, man. I know we're ALL getting older but certain things stick out, you know? You want proof?

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) from Friends more than 10 years ago

If someone asks do I feel old yet, I'd say "Hell, yeah".

I'd probably be the last person people come to for advice but here goes.....

If you always wanted to do something or get out of your chest, suck it up and do it. The outcome could be a lot of things but worry and deal with that later. First things first, do what you wanna do. Take that leap of faith and just hope for the best.

I've done it lately and let's just say I'm being optimistic. Not gonna push my luck but all I can say is....

Alhamdulillah

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: What kind of college put their students through classes after 4 p.m??!! It's insane!!

Spartans Never Retreat. Spartans Never Surrender

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, y'all!!

These past few days have been pretty crazy for my heart. When I say that, I mean it goes insane. The suspense of waiting for some things and the patience needed when dealing or communicating with someone. I'm telling you, man, being the youngest in a family is not what people think.

I hate that "the last child always get what they want" statement. Stupid kind of stereotype.

People, I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator. It's a bad thing to be and I'm not proud of it. I can't say that I work well under pressure but hey, it gets the job done. I AM trying to change though. I'm trying to do things earlier, estimate how long it takes to get something done. But as I'm doing that, I was told that I'm thinking too much.

You can never satisfy everyone, can you?

To the next order of business.....

It's been over a year. I've waited for 4 months, give or take. I bided my time even more after I had some work to do. Then I juts thought, "Enough is enough.".

I'm taking the leap.

But then something always seems to be in the way.

The only thing is, whether or not there is any truth behind it. Certain things can't be denied. They should be embraced. And just hope for the best.

I prefer to do it in that way I see is best but with the current situation, I guess the alternative will just have to do.

I'm not waiting 4 months.

Not again.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: Paramore said "Ignorance is your new best friend". But "ignoring" is a whole other story, no?

It Has Its Ups and Downs

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, everybody!

Been about 4 months since the last update. A lot's happened, people. A LOT. But the major ones were basically two.........

Exams were killer, man! Crazy!

After that last Microprocessor and Microcontroller paper, I was just like... "Well, I'm screwed. Meh." Seriously. That's engineering for you.

Anyway, the next order of business after that....SUKIPT 2016.

I lost in the 2nd round against the 3rd seed player who was probably a state/national player. No worries. The experience that counts. Anyway, 2 weeks under the hot sun and it got to me that I got darker. The ring finger tan line was proof enough. 2 weeks with this bunch. Loved it!

But to be honest though, I just feel like ranting. Only for the sake of updating this blog here. And somehow I suddenly have no idea what to write. Writing it sometimes doesn't do it justice. Venting off is best done with someone, where you can blast at him/her. And just keep on doing it till that person falls asleep.

It may not look like it but I got a lot of things on my mind. Some bigger than others and some more significant than most. So if I snap at someone, I apologize in advance.

Due to me being too active in tennis, I can just squeeze about 2 weeks of the semester break and I'm going back in about a week.

Time flies, eh?

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: The signs are there

Feeling Pretty Damn 22

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

Assalamu'alaikum, everyone!!

I've posted this on Instagram and on Facebook and it's been days since my 22nd birthday but I guess I just wanna have a reason to write here again.

Alhamdulillah. I'm now 22 years old and aside from some back pain and the on-and-off knee and ankle problem, I'm in perfect shape. My year as a 21 y/o was quite the ride. Ups and downs are natural. Although..I just wish that.........

I could've done more

But hey regrets are there, often times than most, to just haunt you.  So I sorta made a decision. Leave them behind me.

I've yet to find myself and I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do after I get my degree (if I get it on time la). Torn between some tough decisions. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Anyway...I've about a year and a half left to get my Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering. But I gotta be honest.....

Sometimes my heart's just not in it. This is the honest to God truth. I wake up sometimes feeling so crappy and down and it just sucks the life out of me, man. That might just be me cranky from having to wake up to go to my 8 o'clock classes. Of course, sometimes I wake up on the right side of the bed but you know what I'm talking about. I sometimes don't see how my ambitions or goals connect to the course I'm doing right now. It IS somehow....Then I just thought that I need  the perfect motivation and push. After the thought, it just hit me................

Alright. Got it. Enough said.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: Anybody who buys me this..........

I will love that person FOREVER!!!

One Choice Can Transform You

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Assaalamu'alaikum, y'all!!

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Some of you might know this but I haven't posted it here though.  I've been having some phone problems.  My Galaxy Nexus got busted JUST before my convocation last November.  After going to a phone store, apparently my Nexus' motherboard got fried.  Sooooo...

I'm considering buying a new phone.  I do have a few picks but I'm not really sure.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Recently released late last year, the Note 4 gets compared to the Nexus 6 which was released more or less at the same time as the Note 4.  To those of you with big hands will find this "phablet" fit like a glove.  It's quite a big phone, 5.7 inches with a 1080p display.  And of course, it's not really the Note without the S-Pen.  There were issues on the Note 3 where the stylus was a bit hard to grip so the designers put some grooves on it to make it less slippery to the hand.

Unlike the Nexus 6, it's released using the Android 4.4 Kit Kat.  However, there is planned upgrade to the 5.0 Lollipop.  The Note 4 uses a 2.7 GHz quad core processor so most of the work done on the phone are quite smooth.  Swiping and app use like gaming and browsing on the internet are near-effortless.  A 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage fit the specs of the phone.  That and a feature of a micro SD up to 128 GB.

I'm not that much of a "camera whore" despite having an Instagram account but if I get this phone for a low price, I might just make an exception. The main camera is a 16 MP camera with really vibrant colours when taken and there also some extra filters and features on the phone.  Aside from the auto-focus, image stabilization and LED flash, selfies will turn our really crisp because the front camera is a 3.7 MP camera.  So yeah..I think I might make an exception to taking pictures.  The battery is a 3220 mAh Li-ion battery and can withstand about a day and a half w/o recharging with moderate to heavy use.

All in all, I think the Note 4 is awesome but since my hands aren't that big so handling it will be quite hard and I might have to use the phone with 2 hands most of the time.

So moving on to another option is the

OnePlus One

The OnePlus One was causing quite a ruccus last year.  People started using it and comparing it to the Apple 5S and the Nexus 5 and also the Galaxy S5.  Quite possibly because it's priced at half of those phones but with the same specs.

Using a 2.5 GHz quad core processor with a 3 GB RAM, it's more or less a smooth sailing process despite the processor is a tad bit lower than the Note 4. I t has 16 and 64 GB of internal memory but last I heard the 64 GB was for the sandstone black and the 16 GB was for the silk white version but that was  a few months ago.  Maybe they put some variety on it?

It's using a custom built OS, Cyanogen, but it's based on the Android Kit Kat 4.4.  A lot of expectations for this OS.  The display is a 5.5 inch screen with 1080p.  The colours especially in pictures look really saturated and vibrant.

Handling it is quite easy considering it's smaller and it's basically "wrapped" with metal.  So you're sort of touching metal.  The power and volume buttons are set quite low on the sides of the phone so the manufacturers/designers of the phone sort of thought of everything.  So this is quite an advantage for me.  Small hands, remember?

The camera has a very low profile as it's not really emphasized by the phone, just a small circle at the top of the phone at the back, right above the dual-LED flash.  The primary camera is a 13 MP version, 3 less than the Note 4 but the front camera is 5 MP, 3 more than the Note 4.  Compensation maybe? Haha!! When using the camera, you can just swipe up or down to change modes.  Night mode, black & white etc. Pretty cool.

It has a 3100 mAh battery which is not removable. The only hing you can remove is the back case where you can change it to another style.  Still wondering if I can make a custom-made version though.

There are other phones to be honest but I was sorta focusing on these 2.  I'm actually leaning on the OnePlus One.  The same specs as a 5S and a Galaxy S5 for just HALF the price??!! You kidding??!!!  Of course, gotta find some 'moolah' to buy it despite being not that expensive.  Still working on it.

For expert reviews on phones, tablets or even phablets, yo guys should look up 'Android Authority' and 'Marques Brownlee' on YouTube.  Their reviews are quite spot on.  Check them out.

;-)

Well, I got a dental appointment in the morning.  Hope I can put up more posts in the next coming days/weeks since I'm not going back for the next semester late next month.

See you guys on the flip side!!

P.S: I can only be contacted through SMS and calls by phone aside from the internet T____T"

Like Their Masters Were Behind Them (Part 2)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Assalamu'alaikum, y'all!!

Well, yesterday was part 1 of the 2013 review.  Let's continue with part shall we?

July, I took my MUET that month.  I was s***ting bricks, man.  I was so nervous.  Granted, I'd like to say that my command in English is quite good.  I just didn't wanna jinx.  But the highlight from July wasn't that.  It was this....

Haha!! My friend, Q, bought me a copy of Lindsey Stirling's album.  I LOVE IT! It's suppose to be a birthday present but since she won't be around when my birthday came, she gave it in advance.  Love it!!

XDDD

Now, continuing to August.  Quite a few I guess.  Lindsey replied my tweet and also replied my comment on Instagram, final preparations for MASUM, my knee injury,Eid at a friend's house.  Here they are....

You guys can follow me on Instagram if you want, "syauqisnaps25"

A show in Malaysia??!! I'll the first in line to buy tickets!! Out of my way!!

After Instagram, it was this reply on Twitter!! ^_____^

We are the UTM Broncos.  Tame us if you dare! XDDD

I played in the singles for tennis and I played quite well in our 1st match against USIM but our 2nd match against USM, it was a bit different...

I fell down trying to return my opponent's shot and I knocked my knee..HARD.  I had to retire cos I couldn't go on.  Not embarrassed to say that I cried.  It was my biggest tournament and I blew my knee.  I was carrying an injury on that right knee for quite a while even before the tournament but I pushed too far I guess.  Few weeks later, the doctor said that I probably have a ligament problem.  Hearing that, I just thought, "That's it.  I'm hanging my racquets for good."

Last but no least for August....

Love these girls!! In a few hours, our friendship is officially a decade old.  Petey wasn't around though.

:-(

September was good too.  2 big highlights are..................

Yeah.  Surprised me too.

Lots of friends congratulated me and Qutub told me that so far I'm the only guy to get a Band 5.  Not only that, I'm the only one in my batch.  It felt good.  Really good.

And of course the birth of the twins, Hannah Rose and Harris Reza.  I now have a niece in the family.

Baby Haris Reza

Heeeeeere's Hannah!

Hannah Rose.  Rose cos of my mom's name, Rosnah.

^___^

Moving on to October.  Haaaa..My birthday, Lindsey's birthday wish and of course the formation of Lindsey Stirling Malaysia on Facebook!! I got quite a few stuff...

You gotta love moms ^__^ Thank you, Ibu!!

I couldn't stop smiling when THE LINDSEY STIRLING tweeted me a birthday wish XDDD

I literally just woke up one weekend and my brother threw this parcel at my face.  Turned out to be a birthday present from Sab.  Love that little sister of mine!! Thanks, sis!

Petey got this card for me.  I love it.  Awesome way to reach 20.

Here's my fav part of October.........

I purposely made this page on my birthday so that I can celebrate my birthday with the formation of the page.  Lindsey's assistant, Jennifer has been so awesome thus far.  Very efficient and cool.  Check it out, guys!  The link's up there! Just scroll up a bit.

;-)

November was a drag.  Nothing unusual to report.

December was good though.  A tennis friendly tournament against Titiwangsa Tennis Community and the sudden disappearance of Lindsey Stirling Malaysia.....

One Saturday morning, I wanted to update the official LS Malaysia page but wanted to get in, it said that the link was either broken or the page was deleted.

To be honest, I'm too big fan of a fan to delete it.  Plus, I needed to have consent with Lindsey and Jennifer since they're also the managers.  I quickly e-mailed Jennifer and even she was surprised.............

Turns out, some other pages were also gone...

With the awesome-ness of Jennifer and Lindsey's security team, all the pages are restored and now I can KSLL again!! XDDD

Cyda (pronounced 'She-Duh'), my mixed doubles partner.  We got chemistry! :-D

We won the our match but apparently Cyda's counterpart wasn't satisfied and she wanted a rematch.  We lost JUST by tie-break (5-7) and this also happened.......

Picture on the right: I scraped my left leg trying to return a shot.

When I got back to shower, I screamed my head off.  For 2 days I screamed when water touched my leg.

I got it checked and treated the next day.....

So much for "I'm hanging my racquets for good.", right?  I just can't stay away.  It's a passion.  Even now, I'm in a mini tournament among my team.  We're doing this to get ranks.  Since I got pass the group stage, I'm in the top 8.  Not getting my hopes up of course.  Just trying to do my best.

Well that's my 2013 in a nutshell.  2013 came and it went running like its masters were behind it.  Quite looking forward to 2014 to be honest.  I'm not expecting anything but I'm just curious on what will happen.  Hope all of you had an awesome 2013 and may 2014 be better than this year.  In Sya-Allah.

See you guys, on the flipside!!

P.S: I started the last day of 2013 quite well ;-)