Asia Pacific Red Cross Youth Gathering 2012

       Remember when I mentioned the camping trip to Thailand? well, here are the pictures that I took...Good times...

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
      

 

Me with one the best friends on camp

cultural performance for  Queen Sirikit's birthday

A really cute 13 year old from Chiang Mai

Friends from camp 8

Art-sy project

Closing ceremony

 p/s: There are lots more pictures on facebook but uploading all of them kinda takes a while...anyways, enjoy them :)

Red Letter Day...and college.

      I finally passed my driving test and will have my license by Monday/Tuesday! So happy right now considering the fact that I failed on last time. Fuuuh!!! I felt as if a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. One thing done, thousands more to go. Yup, lots of work ahead of me, especially regarding my college choice. Let us talk about that shall we?

      So, I think I've mentioned about my little dilemma in choosing between KTJ and KYUEM right? Well, despite being slightly more expensive(waayyyyyy more), KTJ does offer a scholarship which anyone can apply, ranging from 10-100% tuition fee waiver. That lights me up a bit considering the amount of money that shall be spent on my education. However, I'm still slightly hesitant. But there's no harm in trying right? If I get it, then I'll re-evaluate the situation and if I dont, then, KY will be there.

     There's not much I can say in this post. Slightly bland and empty kind of post. But I just need to let it all out. Till next time.

New Player in the Game

       New player? And what game? Those two words are the analogy for my journey into enrolling to a college. And by new player I meant a new factor has emerged in this whole web of complications involved in my decision making of where to go to college. I know that I told you that nothing could change my decision of going to KY but this "player" has serious potential to alter my decision and change the whole course of the "game". And that "new player" is Kolej Tunku Ja'afar (KTJ).

       So, I was checking out some stuff on Google and suddenly I googled the college just to make some comparison with KY. There's no harm in that right? WRONG! I stumble upon an article written by one of its students and discovered that among the Clubs that they have there is MUN, Model United Nations. I suddenly got excited since KTJ has the name, the prestige, the uniform (yes, I love them) and the club that I want to join. So it's perfect right? Hmmm, not quite the case.

       Since the article didn't mention how much the fees are, I decided to ask one of my friends (Suah Jing Lian), and the answer I got surprised me. RM 150K (my currency)!!! I was like, whoa. That's about more than 2 times the price of KY and my bursary (a pre-university scholarship for those who achieved 9A+ and above) won't cover that. Nevertheless, I calmed myself down and decided to send an email to the Ministry of Education to appeal on using my bursary on either KTJ or KYUEM. Long shot but you'll never know. Fingers crossed.

       Also, I gave a call to the KYUEM people, asking about my application and they said the offer letter will be sent to successful applicants after 21st of May. And on that same date of latter, I could give them another call asking about the status of my application. Fuhhh.

Decision

            For the first time in my 18 year-old life, I know what I want. I know where I want to be and what I want to be. The decision is all mine and nothing others said could alter that. I really know what kind of journey I wanted to embark on and the path that I wanted to go through in order to achieve my goals and dreams. There is no doubt, I want this.

            March 21^st, 2013, I received my SPM results(the equivalent of GCE O-Level), and got straight A’s, 10A+ and 1A-…an almost perfect record which made me feel grateful and regretful at the same time. Grateful because, obviously, that’s a very amazing achievement, being the top 4 in school. And regretful because only one subject is standing on my way from being called the best of the country, the top scholars. Anyhow, I thank Allah for blessing me with this amazing gift and to be able to make my parents proud.

            All seems well to me and to others until it was time to decide which university to go. Obviously, my parents and I want me to go overseas however there seem to be a slight contradiction regarding what should I take, the courses I mean, in university. My father at first insisted that I became a doctor regardless of how many times I made it clear that medicine is the last thing on the list. In fact, I am not even considering it. Then, few “battles” ensued between us and I stick to my choice, regardless of his approval. He then gave in but not without condition. This “war” is far from over.

            So, with good results, come good offers, and by offers I mean scholarships. I went for a few interviews for the scholarships and in my opinion I perform quite well. To me, they’re just mediums for me to gain experience and accustom myself with the process. I have no intention to accept them since my eyes are set on KYUEM, Kolej Yayasan UEM. I’ve checked it out and the programs and past achievements are really amazing and impressive. On top of that, I think that’s the only college in my country that has Model United Nations as a club activity. I am super excited. However, my father thinks that I should take the scholarship. Which lead me into a teary fury. I am pissed! I want to make my own decision. I am not taking blatant risk, I am taking a calculated one, having 3 backup plans and 1 backup plan for my backup plans.

            Fortunately, things have calmed down a bit and my mother assures me that he’ll accept it eventually. Right now, I am just hoping that KY will send me an offer letter. Gonna give them a call and ask about my application a bit and when will the offer letters will be sent to the successful applicants. Fingers crossed XD

p/s: regardless of the things that has happened, I know they just want the best for me. It’s just that I have my own way of doing things.

What happened during the my hiatus?

       Well, as the title indicates, this post is meant to explain all the things, well most of them, that happened during my 5 month long hiatus. To be honest a lot has happened but I'll summarize them and try to make them as short as possible.

December 2012
        I sat my last SPM (GCE O-Level equivalent) paper on 5th of December and later that night began my journey to Butterworth, Penang. I then joined the Malaysian delegates in a journey to an Asia Pacific Red Cross Youth Gathering held in Chonburi Camp. The journey by van took 20 hours which resulted in me catching a cold due to climate change (ok, that's an exaggeration) and poor ventilation in our vehicle. Met lots of people there and make lots of friends. I stayed in the same tent with this wonderful and gorgeous girl, Mary Therese Docoy from the Phillipines. Overall, an experience of a lifetime, you know, getting to represents ones country in a once-in-four-year event like this. Priceless.

The delegates. I am the one in the hejab.

The stuff given to us

Mary!!!

All the delegates

The also brought us to Wat Phra Keau

January 2013
         A new year has started and I am still in a state of "high school student", inhibiting myself from enjoying late nights and anime marathon, fearing that I would somehow affect something in school. Crazy? I know!! Also, I started volunteering for the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, Kota Bharu branch.

February 2013
         Pretty much the same as January. Nothing much to tell except that I've shed all the high school student personas.

March 2013

          The anticipation of getting my SPM results is almost killing me. But got good results anyways (refer to previous post). Failed my driving test. Hoorray (sarcasm mode)!

I'm Back!!!

      Yup, I am back from a long hiatus. It has been a while since I last wrote anything here due to my hectic schedule as a high school student. Last year has been a very busy year for me with exams, society activities, debate competition and assignments. But thank God, I managed to pull through and survive my SPM exam (the equivalent of GCE O-Level). And I am very grateful with my result. I got straight A's (yippy..*fireworks everywhere) scoring A+'s (used to be called A1) in 10 of the subjects and an A- in Additional Mathematics (Whyyyy!!??? *banging my head on the wall). Regardless of that, I am still happy and on my way to college in 2 months time. So, that's all for now. Can't  wait til the next post. XOXO

The King's Birthday

Just some information regarding the royal occasion and how it affects me. Enjoy it.

Exotic food!!! (sort of..)

This one is for you Austin Ray!!!!!

WE LOSE THE BATTLE BUT GAIN A WHOLE LOT MORE....

      Last week, on 25th of March 2012, I participated and represented my scholl in a debate competition. I was the 1st speaker so the job was a little bit harder than others since I have to recap the whole thing at the end of the competition. To make matters more complicated, we, my friends and I are in the opposing team regarding the motion that "Hard work is more important than talent". Well, that means that we have to put out points to prove that the motion is wrong, hence the points should be made to defend that talent triumphs over hard work. I know, hard right. But Alhamdulillah( a Muslim way of saying thank God). we won the debate and I was given the "Best Speaker" award. I am delighted but my happiness shall only last for a week.

      Today, on 4th of April 2012, we are the proposing team regarding the motion "Peer pressure does more harm than good". Last time, we were facing girls as our opponents, but today, we are against the boys, and being a student in an all-girl school doesn't make things easier. And I have a confession to make, I dont think I did my best and I truly regret that. I mean, guys/guy staring at me makes me nervous. I mean, was it necessary for you to stare at me during the whole period of the debate competition?? Never mind.

      Anyways, we did not win the debate but our 3rd speaker won the "Best Speaker" award, so, we didn't feel so disappointed. Overall, losing is not a bad thing. For sure you would feel disappointed but trust me, the feeling would go away in 10 seconds. We have a blast along our journey in this competition and the experience we have could not be replaced. So, I guess, we did win something huh?!!!

From right: Nadyaa(me), Puteri, Miss Nadia(our teacher). Sumaiyyah, Fatihah.

And to all, Thanks for reading <3









   

Shopping.....

    Hey guys, I am back!!! How I miss writing in this blog. Anyways, I have a very interesting topic to share today and it is.....(drum roll....)..SHOPPING!!!!
    Yes, we all love shopping and one thing we girls love more than shopping is saving when you're shopping. I am not going to blabber much about this, just gonna let the pictures do the talking.
     These pictures are taken at "Rantau Panjang", a very popular shopping spot for locals and tourist for duty-free shopping. This place is located near the Malaysian-Thailand border.

A colourful scene of the stalls selling varieties of clothes

People walking around in care-free manner, looking for things to buy

TOYS!!!

We also have time to help those in need....
Remember them in the midst of your spending spree

Cold drinks

a special mix of ice-creams, nuts and chocolate...
yummy