Oh, my laptop is broken!!

First of All, Alhamdulillah because i just finished my spanish test today and I think it was quite easy for me. However, this does not mean that I will get 100 points for the test. I hope that my mark would be more than 91 points in order to obtain an A for spanish course. Actually, I am having a problem that perhaps other people would think that it is a trivia. My laptop, acer, is broken and I just found out about this last two days when suddenly I could not turn on my laptop. Once I pressed the 'on' button, the computer immediately turned off itself.

Oh, What a weird thing!! Then, the next day, I tried to switch it on again. This time, I managed to have it turned on. The laptop could run as normal as it did before. Nonetheless, as I feared that it would turn off without giving any warning, so I decided to have it switched off, hoping that my laptop would be alright. It is like I was giving some time to my laptop to get a rest...huhuhu... So, I borrowed my friend's netbook (wani) to get my spanish homework done.

Unfortunately, it turned out that my laptop could not be turned on though I had pressed the 'on' button hardly.. and I did this many times. Moon, one of my chinese friends, told me the place at school that I should to get help for fixing my computer. I didn't know that MLK building exists at University of Arizona before. What a shame! Alhamdulillah, at least I already know about it right now. So, after I finished my spanish class, I went back to Sahara to take my laptop and bring it to MLk Building.

There, there was a man who checked my laptop. He said that there were two possibilities: First, my computer had a problem with the ram and the second its motherboard is damaged. At the moment, I was praying that everything would be Ok so that I could just get back home and use my computer as usual. As I already expected, its motherboard was damaged. The man, who wore an earring on his left ear, advised me to go to Acer center or factory or whatever related to Acer to get a replacement for the motherboard. I was like.. huh?? Where can I find the factory?? Do I still have the warranty?? The International warranty??!!! ..Oh, just forget it.. It seems that I have to get a new laptop right now.

The problem is that I don't have enough money to buy a new one. Tomorrow, which is friday, we (my friends and I) are going to Grand Canyon for a three-day trip. This means that I will be using money that probably costs about 200 dollars!!! I just did a survey with Arif's help. He gave me a link , tigerdirect.com, where cheap prices are offered for electronic stuff. Maybe for this time, I can only afford to buy a netbook and not a laptop (due to budget restriction). Let me see first, anyway. See how much money left in my account after coming back from the trip. Ya Allah, please help me to find a wise solution. Amin.

Belajar bahasa asing memang sangat baik tapi cintailah bahasa kita!

Mari kawan2, mari dengar cerita tentang pengalaman yang kurasakan perlu diceritakan kepada semua sebagai satu nasihat dan pengajaran. Kenapa tiba2 aku menulis dalam bahasa ibundaku?? haha.. tak pelik kan?

Ya, bahasa asing amat penting untuk kita kuasai. Namun begitu, bahasa ibunda jangan kita lupakan walau di mana pun kita berada. Melalui bahasa ibundalah kita mengenal erti hidup,belajar tentang agama,menilai erti cinta, serta menjalinkan persahabatan sesama manusia. Aku sedar bahawa bahasa inggeris dan bahasa sepanyol (spanish) penting di negeri Arizona, USA. Lagipun, alhamdulillah, banyak teman rapatku terdiri daripada orang Hispanic yang aku akui tampan dan cantik belaka sebagaimana yang pernah aku lihat dalam episod telenovela yang satu ketika dahulu menjadi satu rancangan TV bersiri yang popular di Malaysia seperti Rosalinda dan La usurpadora.

Dalam keghairahanku mempelajari bahasa sepanyol yang sememangnya aku minati setelah menonton telenovela la usurpadora, satu kejadian telah berlaku dalam hidupku yang langsung mengubah persepsiku terhadap Bahasa Melayu atau Bahasa Malaysia. Seperti biasa, setiap hari setelah habis kelas kalkulus 1, aku akan berjalan pulang dengan kawanku dari Mexico, yang aku kira agak rapat denganku. Maklumlah, inilah peluang yang harus aku gunakan untuk aku mempertajam kemahiranku berbahasa Sepanyol. Alhamdulillah, kini aku lebih berani bertutur dalam bahasa ini walaupun kadang kala kesalahan tatabahasa aku lakukan- sekurang-kurangnya aku mencuba untuk mempertingkatkan keupayaanku berbahasa sepanyol.

Pada suatu petang, dia ingin berjumpa abangnya di bangunan engineering. Dalam masa yang sama, aku ingin menunjukkan gambar yang kawan aku ambil semasa malam perasmian Homecoming. Jadi, aku pun ikutlah kawanku ini untuk mencari abangnya di bangunan tersebut. Dia sibuk mencari abangnya dan aku pula sibuk menunjukkan gambar-gambar kepadanya. Akhirnya, kami sesat dalam bangunan tersebut.. Hai.. nak dijadikan cerita dia temui juga bilik di mana abangnya sedang membuat kerja. Aku seolah2 bingung tak tahu nak kata apa apabila bertemu abangnya. Nak kata hai, takut tidak dilayan sebab dia kelihatan sibuk dengan komputer ribanya. Setelah difikirkan berulang kali, aku terus mengajak kawanku untuk melihat video yang aku rakam semasa Upacara perasmian Homecoming 2009 di University of Arizona.

Malangnya, video berkenaan tidak mempunyai suara. Aduhai, kenapalah dengan kamera aku ini? Kawanku mengatakan bahawa mungkin aku hanya merakam gambar tapi tidak sekali dengan suara. Ya, logik apa yang dia katakan. Dengan rasa malu dan sedih, aku meminta maaf kerana tidak dapat menunjukkan upacara gilang-gemilang di universiti ini. Beberapa minit kemudian, abangnya keluar dari bilik tersebut dan tiba-tiba datang seorang gadis berkulit sawo matang dan berambut hitam manis menyapanya. Sementelahan itu, kawan aku, abangnya dan gadis itu berbual-bual dalam bahasa sepanyol yang aku kurang pasti butirnya. Walaupun aku tahu berbahasa Sepanyol, aku masih 'merangkak-rangkak' dalam memahami apa yang dikatakan oleh mereka kerana sudah pasti mereka bukanlah menggunakan bahasa sepanyol standard tetapi dialek mereka.

Tidak tahu apa yang perlu dilakukan, aku berpura-pura membelek-belek kameraku untuk mencari butang yang boleh meninggikan suara rakaman video. Agak lama juga mereka berbicara. Ingin sahaja aku mencelah 'no les entiendo' ( aku tak faham korang), tapi kupujuk hatiku supaya bersabar. Aku rasa hanya satu perkataan yang bisa aku faham yakni ' depende' ( depend atau bergantung). hahaha.. sekurang-sekurangnya ada juga perkataan yang biasa didengari. Setelah habis mereka berbual dan mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada gadis hispanic itu, kawan aku pun memperkenalkan diriku kepada abangnya. Pabila ditanya namaku, aku menjawab "Aliff". Kemudian, mereka adik beradik bercakap sesuatu mengenai namaku.. oh rupanya si abang kurang pasti namaku.. Si abang berbual denganku dalam bahasa inggeris. Si adik mencelah, " El puede hablar espanol".. (dia boleh cakap bahasa sepanyol). Aku agak gembira kerana kawan aku ini begitu bersemangat 'mempromosikan' kepada abangnya yang aku ini boleh bertutur bahasa mereka. Dia berulang kali memberitahu bahawa aku bisa berbahasa sepanyol. Akhirnya si abang seolah-olah akur dengan adiknya- dia memulakan perckapannya dalam bahasa Sepanyol. Alhamdulillah, aku masih dapat memahami apa yang ditanya oleh si abang tentang diriku dalam bahasa sepanyol. Mahu tidak mahu, aku pun membalasnya dengan bahasa ibunda mereka.

Aku menceritakan tentang bgaimana aku mula belajar bahasa ini, untuk tujuan apa dan di mana aku belajar. Aku juga memberitahu si abang tentang agama Islamku dan ternyata dia mempunyai pengetahuan umum tentang Islam. Dia menyatakan kepadaku, " Orang Islam baca Al Quran, kan?" Aku menjawab "ya". Kemudian, dia berkata lagi, "Kamu semua 'pray 5 times kan?" Agak kagum dengan ilmu amnya, aku terus menjawab, "yeah, cinco veces (ya, 5 kali )". Di kesesakan laluan utama pelajar di bangunan Student Union, si adik yang dari tadi tekun mendengar perbualan kami tetiba mencelah dan memberitahu abangnya, " He is proud because u know about his religion". Sudah tentu aku bersyukur dan berasa sangat bangga dengan keislaman aku. Islamlah agama dan jalan hidup yang paling sempurna.

Kebisingan dan kesibukan laluan di bangunan Student union beransur kurang setelah kami keluar dari bangunan tersebut.Si Abang bertanya kepadaku dalam bahasa Sepanyol tentang sesuatu tetapi aku tidak mengerti kerana butir katanya terlalu laju untuk aku yang baru dua tahun mempelajari bahasa ini. Aku mencebikkan mukaku kepada si adik dengan mnggelengkan kepalaku tanda aku tidak memahami. Lantas si abang menjawab, " Oh u dont understand??!!". Kemudian, dia mengulangi pertanyaannya dalam bahasa Sepanyol satu persatu bagaikan mengajar budak yang baru mula membaca! Pada dasarnya, aku berasa malu dengan tindakannya itu. Namun aku hanya memendamkan perasaan tersebut dengan niat ingin belajar. Biasalah, adat orang ingin belajar, kalau tak tahu mesti bertanya, kalau tidak akan sesat. Hmm.. aku lupa apa yang aku bicarakan dengan si abang.. oh ya , dia bertanya,"Que' vas a hacer?" Aku menjawab," Quiero ir a la oficina de espanol para preguntar sobre la clase de espanol durante el invierno." Mereka berdua menganggukkan kepala, tanda mengerti.

Seterusnya, aku meneruskan perbualanku dengan mereka tentang pengalaman yang aku rasakan pahit, manis, lawak, sedih, geram bagiku ketika mempelajari bahasa mereka di Malaysia. Aku menceritakan tentang... hmm rasanya biarlah ia menjadi rahsia.. Sebelum berpisah, aku seperti biasa akan bersalaman ala amerika dengan rakanku. Aku juga berbuat demikian dengan si abang. Tiba-tiba, si abang bertanya kepadaku tentang sesuatu yang tidak pernah aku fikirkan sebelum ini. Pada mulanya, aku tidak berapa dengar apa yang dia ujarkan. Aku berkata "what?" Dia pun mengulangi pertanyaannya, " How to say mucho gusto/ nice to meet you in your language?" Aku terdiam. Masa umpama berhenti seketika. Aku berfikir.... Namun, jawapan tak kunjung tiba... Aku berfikir lagi... Hampa.. benakku kosong.. tak tahu untuk aku terjemahkannya ke dalam bahasa Melayu (Bahasa Malaysia).

Dengan rasa malu, aku menjungkit-jungkitkan bahuku, tanda tidak tahu. Dengan nada sinis, si abang berkata kepadaku," You learn spanish but you forget your language?!!" dan dia terus mentertawakan aku. Hinanya rasa diri ini... Malu apatah lagi... api kemarahan makin menyala-nyala dan menjulang tinggi. Sebelum sempat mereka berlalu pergi, aku menahan mereka dan berkata," Es el idioma and each language has their own characteristics." Mereka menganggukkan kepala. Entah faham entah tidak. Namun, peristiwa ini telah meninggalkan kesan yang mendalam terhadap diriku.

Setibanya aku di apartmentku, komputer riba terus aku buka. Bertubi-tubi soalan kuajukan kepada rakan-rakanku di YM. Segalanya aku ceritakan tentang kejadian ini. Daripada A sehingga Z. Malah, setiap butir perkataan yang dilafazkan, masih segar dalam ingatan. Bak kata kawanku hazamir," nah, ambik ko! Kecepek!!!". Aku tergelak apabila membayangkan seolah-olah sebiji kek dilemparkan tepat ke mukaku.. fuh.. malu betul!! Marah, geram, lawak, rasa nak tumbuk dan macam-macam lagi rasa di hati.. Ingin sahaja aku lempang muka si abang... Huhu.. Akan tetapi, rasa sabar masih menebal di hati.. kita perlu berakhlak mulia dengan sesiapa pun walaupun mereka menyakitkan hati kita.. hmmm.. bagiku, amat susah juga untuk meredakan api kemarahan ini.. Alhamdulillah, aku akhirnya mampu juga membendung rasa geram tersebut setelah mendengar nasihat daripada beberapa orang kawanku.

Malam itu, sebelum tidur, aku menulis terjemahan 'nice to meet you' ke dalam Bahasa Melayu sebagai 'seronok bertemu awak' di atas sehelai kertas kecil. Aku menambah lagi beberapa perkataan mudah yang selalu digunapakai setiap hari seperti apa khabar, sihat, terima kasih, dan sama-sama. Kesokkan harinya, kuberikan kertas tersebut kepada si adik untuk diserahkan kepada si abang. Ketika si abang menerima kertas tersebut, lantas dia membacanya dan cuba menuturkannya kepadaku. Aku kembali ceria. Maruahku seolah-olah dibela kembali. Sebutan si abang agak baik, aku kira. Memang tidak dinafikan bahasa Melayu agak serupa dengan bahasa sepanyol dari segi sebutan perkataan. Jadi, agak mudah untuk seseorang yang tidak tahu Bahasa Melayu dan Bahasa Sepanyol menyebut sesuatu perkataan walaupun maknanya tidak difahami.

Aku juga memberitahu si abang bahawa aku tidak lupa bahasa ibundaku. Cumanya, jarang 'seronok bertemu awak' digunakan dalam kehidupan masyarakat melayu apabila berkenalan dan berjumpa untuk kali pertama. Si abng menegaskanbahawa walaupun dia sudah menetap di Tucson selama 5 tahun, bahasa sepanyol tetap tidak dilupakan malah dia masih mampu bercakap dalam bahasa tersebut. Ingin sahaja aku membalas, " Memanglah kau tak lupa sebab dekat sini banyak orang Mexico!! Apalah!!??"... tapi aku fikir, lebih baik aku mediamkan diri. Jadi, pergaduhan dapat dielak.

Yang hairannya, pada hari yang lain, si abang begitu ghairah mempraktikkan perkataan-perkataan tersebut apabali bertemu denganku. Aku sebenarnya ternyata berasa gembira. Ada juga orang yang ingin belajar bahasa ibundaku. Pangajaran yang aku peroleh melalui peristiwa ini adalah aku perlu memartabatkan bahasa Melayu ini dan tidak melupakannya. Aku berasa kagum melihat bangsa lain yang begitu bangga dengan bahasa mereka walaupun kepentingannya tidak setaraf dengan bahasa inggeris. Selain itu, penguasaan bahasa asing perlu dipertingkat dan dipertajam sentiasa kerana banyak kelebihan yang bakal diperoleh dengan mengetahui banyak bahasa.

Alhamdulilah, aku mampu mengajar bahasa Melayu kepada kawan Mexicoku dengan terjemahan bahasa sepanyol dan inggeris. Walaupun Spanishku tidak selancar bahasa Melayu, aku bersyukur ke hadrat Allah kerana dengan kebolehan berbahasa Spanish, aku mendapat kawan dari Mexico. Insya Allah, Aku akan terus berusaha untuk merperbaik kemahiran komunikasi dan menulis dalam ketiga-tiga bahasa ini. Yang penting usaha, dia dan tawakal!!

Aviso para mis amigos que aprenden Spanish

Alhamdulillah...siempre gracias a Allah por todos en mi vida!!

Ya saque amigos que hablan espanol como Edgar, Elena, Vicky, Sergio, Marisa, Mariana, Prof Francisco y Jenifer. Para mi, ellos son simpaticos y buenos. Aqui, tengo buena oportunidad para hablar y mejorar mi espanol. Por eso, Insya ALLAH, voy a tomar la clase de espanol el inveirno de 21 de deciembre a 12 de junio. Aunque la clase empazara' muy temprano todos los dias a las 8 hasta a las 11.50, pienso que esta bien para mi. Ojala que pueda aprender y reciber mucha informacion de espanol en esta clase. A mi amigos que ya estudiaron este idioma en Sri KDU, no les olviden a continuar aprender y leer espanol. Si', estoy de acuerdo que estudiar nuevo idioma es deficil pero crea en ustedes.. y siempre rezar a Dios para ayudarles en entender la cultura, la gramatica y todas las cosas sobre el idioma. Insya ALLAH , si' se puede!!! Gracias a mi maestra, senora Rocio para ensenarme espanol. Entonces, Vamos amigos!! Vamos a continuar aprender spanish!!

It has been a week since I arrived in Tuscon, Arizona. Today is the second day of Ramadhan, Sunday Aug 23, 2009. Indeed, this is the second day I celebrate Ramadhan abroad, far away from my country, family and friends.

Alhamdulillah, I got a chance to talk to my mother and father via Skype this morning. I asked them to mail some instant food, a graphing calculator, a packet of anchovies and some bottles of minyak gamat because  I desperately need all of these things. However, the conversation with my parents did not last longer because I got a plenty of mosquito bites that made almost all of my body parts itchy!! (I made a Skype call with my parents outside of my apartment, so no wonder there's a lot of mosquitoes). These mosquitoes were really annoying and exasperating. I was really satisfied to have beaten and smashed a mosquito to the glass window. Fuhh..

I was worried about the food that I should prepare for breaking my fast. So, I asked my mum some recipes such as ayam masak macam turkey and fried rice with the cube knor (given by Khaliza). Alhamdulillah , I was lucky to have these recipes with me- I typed the ingredients on my computer while my mum was telling me the steps that I should do to prepare these dishes . I was relieved because today I managed to cook the fried rice, some fried chicken and some hot dogs. How about the drink? Well,  I made a glass of grape juice out of the grape concentrate. I poured some orange juice into the grape juice in order to make the drink taste a bit sour.

What a yummy menu today!!!

My roommate, Ridzwan, cooked spicy red fried rice together with some carrots, beans and eggs.

I suppose he has improved his culinary styles as the fried rice looked better than the fried rice that he cooked yesterday.

At night, we (aliff, ridzwan, wani, khaliza and Hariz) went altogether to the Islamic Center, which is situated a few blocks from the International Student Center, by foot in order to pray solat terawih in congregation. Even though the Islamic Center is quite far from the Sahara apartment (my "house" here in Arizona) I enjoyed the walk with my friends as we could observe and explore many interesting places around the university. Indeed, this night-walk  has helped us familiarize with this place.

Which University??

Once I got the IB result, I felt very joyful... Allah has granted my wish that is to pass the exam with flying colors. So, the next step is to mull over my university option. I put UBC as the first choice because one of the reasons is to travel in the beautiful Vancouver which I believe all people would like to enjoy their vacation there. No one can deny the panoramic view at the place.

What is my second choice? Absolutely, the university of Alberta. I don't really know why I've chosen this University. Perhaps...yup... I got Bijan over there, my old friend who is really helpful, cheerful and affable person. Furthermore, I am attracted to one of the accommodation provided that is the International House.. Not all Students can live in the house..Only the selected lucky one would be chosen to be there for 8 months..For I wanted to get a place there, I strived to finish two interesting essays about why I am eligible to stay in International House..The funny thing was I included about traditional games such as batu seremban, galah panjang, congkak , teng teng and tuju selipar. I promised to teach them to all the occupants and I added that I was impatient to cook Malaysian food once I got in..though I know that I am that good at cooking.

Alhamdulillah, I have been offered to live in the internatinal House at U of Alberta for 8 months starting from Fall term through winter term. I had told my parents and they were satisfied with my choice. For them, it is already fine as I have got a place there. Thus, this has reduced their worriness as Canada is a cold and far away from Malaysia. Besides, they have become more confident to let me go for Bijan is sudying at the Uni; they know Bijan and his family since I was in MRSM PDRM ,my secondary school.

As I was enthusiastic to know to which Uni Pet would send me, I called one of the officers at The EDU department. He told me that I must go to U of Alberta as this was the only Uni offer I got in the option. I had not been offered to pursue my studies in Vancouver-but it does not mean that I cannot visit the place. Perhaps, I' not cut out for it. Never mind. I have already forgotten about that. Get back to the story, I tried to ask the officer to place me at the U of Arizona as I have admitted there. Somehow, he asked me where I wanted to study.. Indeed, I was not sure. He later explained that The U of Alberta would be my choice for that time. Actually, I felt like flying to Arizona as well. I love Alberta but at the same time I care for Arizona.


So, I accepted the fact that I will fly to Canada. I started to tell my parents, relatives, friends and other people that I will study Geology in Canada. I imagined how my life would be in Canada-playing with the snow, taking pictures of the mountain rocky, teaching other people about Malay traditional games and admittedly traveling along with Bijan and my other friends throughout Edmonton Canada...

I had planned to apply for visa together with maryam and Lingges.. I was ready to commence my new international student's life in Canada...until one day, I received a call from Mr. zafril as I just went off the Maybank building, Balakong branch after I had made a bank draft to be given to canadian embassy. I was told that I would be sent to Arizona..My heart broke.. My dreams disappeared.. Everything seemed dim and dark around me... I was extremely shocked upon hearing this heartbreaking news.. At that moment, my father and I were in an eletrical shop, right in front of the Maybank, to fix his shaver.

As I had fallen in love with Canada, I gave him plenty of reasons why I must choose Canada.
" I have a friend there, who has promised to take me at the airport and acquaint me with the new environment. Furthermore, I have a permanent accomodation there and I have paid 500 canadian dollars to reserve a place. " He replied," we're just worried about you. Perhaps you cannot bear with the coldness and this might affect your health and study." What he said, made sense to me. Can I survive there? Can I bear the -30 degree celsius temperature during winter?
Khaliza and Ridzwan were also listed to fly to Arizona. To make the story short, I asked him to give me some time to mull over this matter.

Starting from the moment, my life had been so confusing. Both uni have lots of advantages and disadvantages. In order to ease this tension, I perfomed Solat Istikharah to ask help from The Benificent. Thank Allah, my mind became less tense and I could feel the equanimity and peace.
But still, I had no idea about my future university. I have asked many people about Canada and USA. As I expected, they got different answers and reasonings. Some say that canadanian culture is better than Arizona; some say that I will be more enjoyful to live in USA, and even some say people in USA are rough. Hence, What Uni is the best for me? The answer is in my hand. I myself must think in the long run because I will be staying there for 4 years not other people.

Lastly, I decided to leave it to Allah The most gracious. After some time, I started to think that Arizona is a better place for me. It is situated in a desert, it has hot and dry climate and it is ranked as one of the top Universities for geology. I am used to hot climate as I live in Malaysia even though the air in the desert is dry, not humid. I told my mum about my anxiety if I lived in Canada and Arizona. According to her, health is more vital. Most probably, my health may be affected by the cold weather in Canada and this may affect my studies. In Arizona, perhaps I will still be able to bear the hot weather albeit I have to use lip balm, apply lotion on my body, and buy sunblock to avoid sun burn.

After considering all the factors, I phoned Mr.Zafril in front of my family to seek help from him. I asked him about the education at both Universities-which one is the best for me. He was silent for a while. Later, he advised me to write an email to mr. rasyidi to register my name at the uni of Arizona. Finally, my university choice has been determined that is university Of Arizona. At first, I was startled as I hoped that I would not get a place there for I wanted to study in Canada as there are four seasons there. However, I had to accept this fate. My mum knew that Arizona was not my uppermost choice in my university list but she convinced me that I would be easily adapt to its weather as it is not as cold as Canada.

Alhamdulillah, I am already in Tuscon Arizona right now, living at Sahara Apartments with other malaysian students-Khaliza, Ridzwan, Wani, Winnie and Andrew. I wish that everything would be fine and I would be able to finish my four-year studies here at the university.

Aliff and Wildcat , the University's mascot

Old main Building at University of Arizona

My IB result

Alhamdulillah, finally I know where I am going to study after this which is at University of Arizona.
I was really excited when I passed the IB exams with flying colors. Though my point is not that high if compared to my friends, at least I passed the Petronas Cut off point.

I should be thankful and grateful because there are many other scholars who did not pass 35 point. I feel sorry for them. I don't know what I would do if I were in their position. Whatever happens, we have to carry on our life as usual. Furthermore, we are still young and have lots of time to fix anything that we are not satisfied with. This is only my opinion. If other people do not agree with it, it is alright; everyone has freedom to opine what they think is right but it must be bound by the rules and regulations and the uppermost is by Islamic laws.

My body shook and my feelings were mixed on the day my result came out. At first, I logged on the IB Results website to check the exact time to see the results. The time was 9 p.m. sharp. However, it appeared that the result time would be released at 1.20 a.m for Malaysia time. My mother insisted to see the result with me but I refused to let her know it for I was nervous and not confident with myself.... I suppose I was really restless that night; I could not even close my eyes though my bed was tender and soft for me to relax on.

Several minutes before 1.20 a.m, I went to my parents 's room to switch on my computer and indeed to get my results. Thank God, the rest of my family had fallen asleep except my third younger brother. I emboldened myself and told myself to accept the result even if i did not pass the cut off point. Slowly but in full of zealous, I key in the username and password and subsequently logged in. Abruptly I pulled down the laptop screen before I could see my result.. I did this as I was really scared, frightened, insecure and flustered... Only Allah Almighty knows how nervous I was at that moment.

Trying to summon my spirit, gently I pulled the screen up and continued looking at my result.
My Malay A1 teacher was right; I attained 7 points for the subject. Immediately, I scrolled down the online transcript to have a look at my overall point. Alhamdulillah, I passed the cut off point. everything has paid off.. Excitedly, I woke my mum and told her about it.. She hugged me tightly. I was really touched. Later, I showed her my result and I called my younger brother to see it as well. My mum congratulated me and I knew she was grateful and joyful with my unexpected result.

Right after that, I signed in YM and joined a conference invitation from my friends who were still awake. Obviously, they were satisfied and truly contented with their IB results. Nonetheless, not all of my classmates passed 35 point. I pity them. Alhamdulillah, they could accept the fate. I hope the best for all of my IB friends. Allah's blessings and bounties are everywhere. Do pray and strive for what we want, insya Allah He will reward us.


Here, I would like to thank all my parents, teachers and friends who continuously give me support and useful advice. Without your help, I don't know whether I could achieve this triumph. Muchas gracias todos!!

Dear diary,

Even though my parents asked me to go to the mines shopping center, which is located in Serdang, for having fun and ‘peace’, i refused to go there. Actually, I have my own reasons why I was reluctant to hang out with them. Today, I was quite happy as I have almost finished my university applications – UBC and the University of Minnesota win cities. I could say that I nearly became insane and lunatic as I had to translate all the documents such as certificates and testimonial to English. At the same time, I feel grateful because this situation has trained me to become a translator-my second ambition in my life.

Translating a document is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes, when we translate word by word, the sentence would not make sense. However, sometimes, it does work. I realized that I need to read more English and Malay news so that my vocabulary in both languages would increase. Today I got up very late in the morning – 11 p.m. Lately, I went to sleep quite late at night. I don’t know why it happened to me. As the school reopens this coming Monday, I have to correct my sleeping time so I could wake up early to school and sleep before midnight. I think that getting rest and enough sleep is vital in my life as an IB student; I would feel fresh, vigorous and energetic to do all my works.
Thank God because I have taken supplement which is fish oil capsule. It contains vitamin A, E and D. What do I feel after taking this capsule? Hmmm.. I still need to wait for the result.

I am afraid to get back to school because I have not finished homework that my teachers gave me last year. Huhuhu.. What to do now? No turning back. Whatever happens, I am compulsory to get it done because I don’t want my teachers to be upset with me soon. I have heard one saying ‘burning midnight oil’. Perhaps, it is time for me to practice as what mentioned in the saying. I wish I could get 35 points in mock exam which is around the corner. Practice makes perfect. I still remember, last time, one of my friends used to say this “Bukan senang nak senang, bukan susah nak susah”, and I agree with her. Imagination is one of the ways to encourage yourself to be more motivated. I have always imagined that I am in my future university and there are lots of other students who are around me studying and talking to each other. Then, I would be full-spirited and full of zeal to continue doing my homework and revising the subjects that I take in IB.

I have got to go because I feel very sleepy now. I wish I can have a better life from day to day. Insya-ALLAH.