The KYS Lingo

After much difficulty and the foundering attempt to finish my Econ problem set on Intertemporal Choice, I've decided to practice just that--Intertemporal Choice. Choosing to consume now versus later. Today or tomorrow. This minute or the next. And as of now, you can tell that I've evidently chosen to consume my time for leisure right now as opposed to tomorrow. Egad, economics say I would have less time for leisure the day after (not to mention the interest rate I face, say repercussions in this case) but who is this science to dictate how I shall live my life?!

Suka hati tuan punya badan kecik ini lah to MAKE time for leisure or not. I'm already anticipating the panic state I'll be in come Friday after the Thanksgiving four-day break, so why bother? I believe in the credo "bersusah-susah dahulu bersenang senang kemudian", but "berhen-joy hen-joy dahulu berpanic-panic kemudian" (to quote my cousin, Farah) seems more fun, spontaneous, and more living-life-to-the-fullest. My dad, Encik Ahmat Ab. Wahab would probably exclaim "What for?" (with the slightly raised tone at the "for"). I think the answer to all those times should really be "Why not?". Alas, with all due respect, this time should not be an exception. Why not?=)

Okay, well, that was digression. I really wanted to go down memory lane and talk about the KYS-tongue I horribly miss. I get the chills just reminiscing the way those words caress my tongue; the way they massage my feelings; and the way the phrases tackle the meaning and appropriateness of the context just the way I want them to. There's just so many indescribable feelings/things within the conventional diction, and I'm telling you, this KYS jargon did wonders addressing just that! I can't believe nobody can understand me when I slip into that old, familiar lingo now. Heck, I can't believe I'm slowly undermining the importance of those words little by little, too. Smack myself there! *Slap* So, this shall be a reminder to myself (and a documentation of some sort), of the words we KYSERs used, circa 2000.

1) Muck-off= Dating
This is by far, the most indigenous word to KYSMians, and of course, the most rampantly used=) Origin is unknown, but I can offer that it was perhaps coined due to the nature of the "wrongness" of the "activity"; especially in a co-ed boarding school run by vigilant pak guards, feisty Ibu (warden), "walls have ears"-Cikgu RZ (who is one of my favorite teachers, btw=P), "magically popping" Mr. Rama, Cikgu KZ and Cikgu Shahar.

We, KYSERs in the early 2000s, solemnly believe in mucking-off everywhere from theatrettes, specialist rooms (bilik geog, sejarah, accounts, music room) to the "Tangga Kecemerlangan" and the dozen other tangga-s. And boy oh boy, to be seen mucking-off at the locker area right after Maghrib prayers (tsk tsk tsk) was something one could be proud about, especially if one was with a handsome "abang" or with a hot "adik". Yes, I mean it literally and figuratively--mucking-off can happen between couples, and also pet brother-pet sister relationships. We do it in groups; we do it dispersed but still close (reaffirming "You scratch my back, I scratch yours"), we do it solo. And it doesn't matter what time of the day it is--night or day, going to sports or coming back from sports, after sahur, after exams, before preparation classes, weekends--we had it bad like a case of scabies!

To denounce mucking-off as unhealthy is a one-sided argument. I think part of adolescence should be used to explore this puppy-love phase so as to better prepare one for the bigger heartbreaks in life; not to mention to equip one with the right ways to treat one's significant half. But to harp on that should be saved for another entry on another day.

e.g. "Diorang tu, tak habis-habis muck-off"

"Eeee, jealousnye I ngan you Copieee, bile lah I nak muck-off ni?", exclaimed yours truly when that spirit of "Jom muck-off sama-sama" pervades the mind.

Really, when and where can I now say "Dah lama gila I tak muck-off" and receive understanding oohs and excited suggestions? Those were the days. Sigh.

2) Snaptwist. Jinx. Shut up--said one by one as two people or more exclaim the exact same word at the exact same time.

e.g.

"Sangat!", said A and B, together.
"Snaptwist" said A and B, simultaneously.
"Jinx" said A and B, simultaneously, yet again.
"Shut up" said B, finally ending the awkward conversation.

Does this happen so frequently that there was a need to come up with such linguistic system to address the phenomenon? Yes, absolutely. Scientific studies have shown that females who live together will tend to share the same menstruation cycle (aww, c'mon now, don't cringe or snicker, let's be adults here=P). So why not saying the same exact thing at the same time, and often? Just proves that "Great minds think alike", especially minds who share the same room, sleep on the same pillow, and share the same hairbrush. Ooh, this is one of the things I keep slipping onto with my non-KYS friends only to receive weird looks or even worse, no acknowledgment at all!

3) Abuden--depends on the context
It's not truly a KYS invention and imagine the shock I got when I heard Singaporeans here in the UofC using it. But it's used back then *smiles* and I'll just talk about it all the same. I would say it is used in multiple contexts, one of which is rather quizzically, e.g. "Abuden?". It carries the succinct meaning of "So what do you propose?" or something along those lines, especially when you are striking off different options.

Can be used to express frustration and exasperation too, especially when someone disagrees. Alas, it would be the shorter way of exclaiming "So you think you're so bright, tell us how else to do it lah!" and can be thought of as "Abuden?!!".

Overall, abuden can be used in the middle of sentences to exclaim "then" or "after that".

4) Smarted= sangat smart, great, uber cool, fantastic
This word definitely carries a positive connotation. It's usually paired with "siot", i.e. "Smarted siot", with the emphasis on "siot" to exclaim one's enthusiasm, awe, or interest about something. Ehem, call me perasan, but I really think I was the proprietor of this term in KYS=P It is interesting to note that apparently the kids in Hartamas use smarted to denote "has been", and in a way you could say we KYS kids misused it since -ed does mean past tense (thanks for the additional info, Kimbu).

5) Apekah?-- read below
Uttered alone, it's generally used to express sentiments of dislike. Think "Euw", "You can't be serious?" or "I just can't believe this!". Extremely handy when discussing about the screwed policies the KYS management implements or when bitching about the unbelievable actions of a disagreeable person. And should I mention that this word is accompanied by a trademark in-and-out head roll?

6) Sodom-- Solat dalam dorm
I know what you're grinning about. Owh pooh, I wouldn't be writing about sodomy cases back in school (if there were any) on the web, now, would I?=P I can't even begin to tell you how this word was so integral in our daily lives. Throughout my last two years in KYS (yes, maybe because that taiko feeling of being a senior kicks full drive), I must say I performed sodom 90% of the time. Crucial times when sodom is badly required would be for Asar (because it is right before sports hour) and Subuh (because we woke up just 5 minutes before sunrise and there was no way we'd get our lazy asses to the girl's Musollah). But mainly, just because=P

7) Gebang= "Barks louder than one bites", cakap besar, berlagak
Pronounce it correctly: it's Geybang. Bitching about people never sounded any better than saying "Geybang sial si polan tu". It was a crucial word; a word that channeled one's anger and annoyance towards someone who's owh so standoff-ish. I think you get my point.

8) Sangat!= Absolutely, I can't agree with you more, You got that right
Take off the exclamation mark and it'll be the usual, monotone sangat, which means "very". So yeah, what makes this a KYS jargon is the exclamation mark; you say it just like that "Sangat!". As obvious as it may seem, this term is used when one wants to vehemently agree with a statement. It's more a girl thing than a guy thing, I assure you (before you go thinking that the KYSER guys seem a bit queer).

9) JB= Jilat bontot, direct trans. lick ass, trying to win some favors
You shouldn't be too happy if people say you "JB". It's one of the deadly sins one can ever commit in KYS because we just hate people who JB, and we'd bitch about that person so persistently that life would be hell for that poor fellow. . . Relax, just joking. But generally, we do tease friends for being so kiasu trying to JB teachers, seniors, etc. We don't like it. If you wanna get good grades, work for it, don't JB your way through, no siree!

10) RC= resource center
Similar to the global tendency to "brandize" things, like calling all instant noodles Maggi, all toothpaste Colgate and all plastic containers Tupperware, I used to refer to the library as RC. It took me a long time to get rid of calling the INTEC library RC, and now I tend to slip up once or twice. But booy'all, my RC was better than yours! Hah=P

11) CL= computer lab
Read 10, apply to 11.

12) Mundom= inactive
I have a sneaky suspicion that this word was cleverly derived from "dormant". Kudos to the first person who coined this term, because it shows that careful thought was actually given when coming up with new slang terms! Back then, we referred to boy A as mundom if he was the lazy type who skipped Sports hour or the boy who did not play any sports. Am I being sexist here? Well, I've never actually heard of an instance when a girl was called mundom, but I could be wrong.

13) Pub= Publisiti murahan, cheap publicity, attention-seeking/seeker
Equivalent to Capub in the other boarding schools, pub means just that, "Cari publisiti murahan". If a person is always (and I mean always) seen on stage, getting his/her act on dramas, debates, Union Night (bi-weekly events held in the KYSM Great Hall on Friday evenings) shows, he/she may be dubbed as pub. Depending on the context, pub is not necessarily meant to be a condemnation. We jovial lot actually enjoyed putting up friends' pictures on the board, and teasing him/her as being "pub". Yes, we lived in a tiny community in a small school, we just gotta live with pub, JB, geybang and the likes! Albeit some may allege these kinds of nicknames as derogatory or malicious, I felt that it added to the flavor of being in a boarding school. Heck, I lost count how many times I've been said to be very pub!

Noone else but your

Ronald McDonald is Me

Abstrak
Edisi blog Nurjannah Iman Syaqirene Ahmat kali ini akan dikarang sepenuhnya dalam bahasa Melayu. Ini adalah laporan ringkas tetapi penting tentang sesuatu penemuan diri yang agak mengejutkan. Beberapa gambar telah disertakan sebagai pemerhatian dan diharap dapat membantu anda dalam turut melihat penemuan istimewa ini.

Hipotesis: Kasut-kasut Nurjannah sering haus di hujung tumit kerana cara Nurjannah berjalan.

Inferens: Nurjannah mempunyai cara berjalan yang pelik.

Pembolehubah
a) dimalarkan: Si pemakai kasut (Nurjannah)
b) dimanipulasi: Warna kasut, stail tumit kasut, jenis kasut (tutup atau terbuka, kasut sukan atau kewanitaan, kasual atau rasmi)
c) bergerak balas: Kehausan pada hujung tumit kasut

Kaedah:
1) Koleksi-moleksi kasut Nurjannah dibelek dan sepasang kasut dipilih.
2) Keadaan awal kasut dicatat (khususnya keadaan di tapak kasut).
3) Kasut dipakai oleh Nurjannah ke kelas, ke bandar Chicago, ke mana-mana dan segalanya.
4) Pemerhatian akhir dijalankan. Gambar turut diambil.
5) Langkah 1 hingga 4 diulang dengan kasut-kasut lain.

Pemerhatian:

Kasut 1

Kasut 2

Kasut 3


Kasut 4

Kasut 5

Kasut 6

Kasut 7

Kasut 8
Jika diperhatikan dengan teliti (minta maaf tentang penataan cahaya yang kurang baik dalam sesetengah gambar), semua kasut di atas mengalami kehausan di hujung tapak kasut, yakni di tumit. Ini konsisten tidak kira jenis apa kasut yang dipakai. Turut diperhatikan adalah bunyi seretan kaki apabila Nurjannah berjalan.

Kesimpulan: Nurjannah Iman Syaqirene Ahmat sesungguhnya mempunyai cara berjalan yang pelik. Ini mungkin akibat malas angkat kaki dan suka seret kaki di lantai. Dia boleh diumpamakan seperti Ronald McDonald yang gemar berjalan tumit dahulu.

It's Long Due, But This Is For You Sara Aziz.

Wan Maisara Wan Abdul Aziz--more fondly known as Ser or Sara--was just a name, a handful of stories, and snapshots to me about two years ago. First stumbling through her pictures from Aziana's (a close friend back in primary school) Friendster pictures (apparently they went for a vacation to great ol' London together), I found glory in putting a name, Ser, to that sweet face I envied, when I met Ainul in INTEC. It so turns out that Ser went to MRSM Langkawi for her last two years of high school and as Allah works in mysterious ways, three of my close friends in INTEC-- Ainul, Shahrul, Isa--were all Maresmawians. Also, Myra, another close companion in my SKBD days, was her best friend in MRSM Langkawi. Thus far was how my life got intertwined with Ser's.

From afar, she was the pretty, affluent, classy girl--the typical Damansara teenager who (I perhaps stereotypically deduced) had a car and donned designer clothes. Fully upholding my keypohci status, and bewildered by how small this world is that I can know someone completely by coincidence, I began to learn more about Ser. My hypotheses were proven, and I amused myself by becoming friends with her on Friendster so that I can ogle at her pictures and seemingly hip and happening lifestyle. Yes, it may sound rather creepy but I just can't explain myself. I find comfort in catching up with Damansara friends from a distance, probably because I was never part of them, seeing how I skipped grades; and probably because I did not have a lifestyle that matched theirs.

Then there was Ser's relationship with A, of which I think was a match that could put Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to shame. Haih, an eye-candy, athletic, well-off guy dating an equally stunning, rich girl? Of course-lah the stories keep coming and going. Hm, and then it's hilarious how I relentlessly tried to trick Shahrul into admitting that he thinks Ser is pretty (though he impressively never succumbed to my guilt-trips, and would only answer "Entahla, lain orang lain taste. I think you're cuter-lah. Haha *smiles*). But truly, from deep within me, I think she was beautiful. Pretty, and perfect, and had everything one could possibly desire.

But that's just it. It's all in the past tense now-- -ed, -ed, -ed! She was. She did. She went. I can't quite fathom how fast everything went by since June 2008 when I heard of her battling with third stage of lung cancer. At that moment, I couldn't help but mengucap and think about all those times I wondered about being in her shoes. Of being that It-girl. Of being the girl that everyone talked about. Of envying her to the point of being bitter about how my life could never be as sweet as her's was (in regards to the physical and material aspects or hal-hal duniawi as people say).

And it is now, almost a month after her mourned demise on October 19, 2008, that I see how much time I wasted on harping and envying the wrong things about her. It was not her exterior and all things that money could buy that I should have doted on her about. It was instead, the life she led, the passion she possessed and the never-ending strength and spirit she portrayed that should have overwhelmed me.

When I thought that Ser had a better life than mine, it should have been about how she had true goals and passions. What I found out from reading her blogs (though it's too late now) was that Ser was a big fan of photography, cycling and architecture. She had two blogs, one on Xanga (the more personal one), and another, a portfolio on blogger. A third website she hosted was a photolog on flickr. All three displayed myriads of fantastic, quality pictures which she herself took and edited with the SLR she carries around everywhere. She was hands-down, a talented photographer. Take my word for that, it's not my guilt of never knowing her that speaks. Her works were featured in the Rantai Art '07 exhibition in KL and she also had a Thaipusam snapshot published in National Geographic! Her work truly speaks for itself as she gets plenty of constructive comments and praises, from acquaintances and strangers both.

In this regard, I find it astounding how coherent and seamlessly related her interests were. She was an avid photographer who documented her favorite cyclists in snapshots, and she was also an aspiring designer who blogged about architecture, photos and etc. They all come together perfectly, and I find that it just goes to show that Ser has found that bigger picture in life. She knew what she wanted to do with her life, and sought out to do it. She formed close bonds with cyclists (you can read her entries on receiving cycling momentos from Spain and whatnot). I am amazed at how she did that, but nonetheless she did.

She embarked to RMIT immediately after completing her SPM, because she knew architecture and design would be her path. She built portfolios online, submitted photos to magazines and websites (found some on chapayam, deviantart.com) because she knew her pictures had treasures of stories to tell. I can only aspire to be half the person she was--a person who would act upon something--instead of a person just wanting to do this, wishing she could do that, wondering if she could have done this and that. Ser just did it, period. And she met and touched the lives of so many others along the way (even strangers who "know of her" or "heard about her promising talents" dropped Al-Fatihahs on her various weblogs).

Throughout her battle with the cancer too, she never once signaled defeat. She listed out all the food she would gladly pig out on when she got better. She vowed to never go on a diet again (yes, she was like any other girl who had those weight anxieties, though I can hardly understand why she ever needed to worry about that) once she was free from the parasitic cancer cells. She wrote about how much she missed her life as a kick-ass, struggling, busy architectural student, but never once blaming God for her misfortune.

She took pictures of her ailments, of the bruises she carried from all the needles that had to be stuck into her. She even exclaimed that the (seriously painful looking) pictures where something she just couldn't wait to share with everyone because she "thought it was rather cool". She stated her trips to the hospitals, from one doctor to the next, as a matter of fact. She painted a picture to her readers of how annoying and mercenary doctors can be (she refused chemotherapy until towards the end of her struggle). She had an unyielding faith and trust in God that she would get better and displayed admirable resilience. Her last sentence in her last xanga entry dated September 18, 2008 read:

'i'm not a delicate little flower,
i'm a SUPERWOMAN ".

It's clear that she never once crumbled inside. If I were placed in such predicament, I would have been wetting my bed every single night, screaming out in pain (she spoke of how her bruises hurt, and how the cancer was spreading to other parts of her body), and certainly not blogging at all. I would have been an emotional wreck and hating friends and people who could not be there for me. But Ser was indeed a superwoman, and I would give every bone in my body to have a third of her courage. A lot of people, I'm sure, were opposed to her refusing treatment, but we have to admire her maturity in making such decisions. She had only one life to live. It was for her to do things she loved, and which time was to be spent with people she loved, not on getting weaker as the chemotherapy eats a bit of her day by day.

In retrospect, Ser led a fulfilled life in the 20 years Allah has lent her. Given that there were so many more great accomplishments this young lady could have attained had she stayed with us a little longer, I still think she lived her life well. Try googling "Sara Aziz" and you'll be amazed, friends, that Google has pretyped search terms "sara aziz flickr", "sara aziz blog", "sara aziz lung cancer", "sara aziz passed away" and "sara aziz meninggal". There are copious amounts of tributes written, photo albums created and status posted for her, about her. She's a living legend and will continue to be so in many hearts!

Had my life been taken away from me at this day and time, I doubt that my life could have created as significant an impact as hers. Most importantly, I doubt if I have lived my live as fully as Ser did. There are still so many things I want to do, so many places I want to see, people I want to meet. I'm glad our paths crossed in this rather unique way, for I still had the opportunity to ponder on your beautiful persona inside out and think about my own life, about Allah and ketentuanNya. If anything, you've been such an inspiration, and I will slap myself and remember this day that I'm penning these thoughts if the thought of giving up ever crosses my mind.

It's been life-altering observing you from afar, and it would have been my pleasure had I the chance to meet you personally.

May you rest in peace, Sara Aziz. Al-Fatihah.

I'm to have discretely known you, even if it was just for a little while.

p/s: Feel free to click on the links. They take you straight to Sara Aziz's weblogs and related websites.

Chhinta itu Susah. Period.

Four boyfriends, four very different people, four different experiences, and four important lessons I've learned.

Through the first, I learned that if he/she leaves you for personal gains and further achievements, he is not worth your time. Through the second, I learned that your first boyfriend isn't necessarily your first love, and your first love is truly your first love when you keep thinking back on him/her although he/she has somehow wronged you. Through the third, I realized that relationships can't work if you can't be yourself in it.

And my latest lesson now is that sometimes relationships fall out just because. There's no reason, no formula, no answers to that. If you can't talk on the phone for more than 10 minutes without running out of things to say, you really have to work on it. "Let not the water runs dry. Let not the words go by. Let not the love fades by". All out the door. Sigh.

So I can't lie to myself anymore. I'm not happy. I may sound bubbly, and happy and oh-so-fine in my blog posts, but I am lonely. I'm getting pimples. And I'm losing weight. Well, a huge part maybe because of the other things I'm going through, but partly because of this. Before I lost you, o-present one, I lost a really good friend. Now it seems like I'm going to lose you too. Lagilah I've lost another place to whine;a number to immediately call and cry out; a person to tell my terribly complicated family episodes; and a friend for me to bitch to.

I don't feel you around anymore. I can't see you looking at me like I'm the only person in the world anymore. I can't picture how you are, or how you look when you act all poyo or make lame jokes. This may seem gross to some (particularly people whom we've had to fight with to be together, and people who just doesn't understand that you don't need someone perfect to be your lover because as long as they have goals in life and love you and can provide for you, they're good enough), but I keep smelling your perfume in campus, and I know that sooner or later I won't get that privilege to be close enough to that smell again.

Then the other day you brought up how much I've changed. I can't see where all that is coming from. Have I really changed? Or have our different perspectives and experiences changed us both so much? I should think the latter. We don't talk anymore because we don't see, do, listen to the same things. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to stay and not know what to say. I don't want to leave and not know how it could've been. Try again in the next couple of years? That only happens in movies, never in reality. Hm, chhinta itu memang susah.

For now, this keeps me happy:

New Soul * Yael Naim

From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive

Lost at what to do, (minus the smile this cartoon allusion of mine has on)

Computer Nerds Make it Big in Life

Dazzled. Amazed. Stupefied. Kagum. Tergamam.

In the last 5 minutes or so (obviously wasting my time on this blog when in reality there's so much reading for me to do) I have been googling for free widgets I could add to my blog. Maklumlah the over-aspiring IT illiterate wants to snazz up her blog. So I got on this blog, Mashables: All That's New on the Web, where they've listed 50 Great Widgets For Your Blog.

If you're patient enough to scroll all the way down, you'll find the recommendations for AnswerTips and Answerboxes. I figured that since I've been using so many Manglish terms and English campur like lah-s, kiasu-s, senget and such, something must be done for non-Malaysian readers (if there's any, haha, which is highly unlikely). I mean, I get kinda annoyed when I read sites which have some Chinese characters or Spanish words because it feels like I'm missing out on the good stuff. And now that I'm writing likewise, I understand the satisfaction they get, because some things are better said in one's mother tongue.

That's only half the point. So I got the html codes and applied it, and boy, am I pleased! Just click on any, any word in my blog and you'll get a definition/explanation about it. They even have "kiasu" in their database! Impressive! Only they linked bebel to Augustus Bebel, some guy I don't care two hoots about. But, haih, the wonders these programmers/IT people can create! And to think all the big bucks they'll get out of writing those codes or running a website, and getting high traffic and being hunted down by companies who want to advertise with them. Jangan main-main. Those big guys with thick glasses, funny habits and idiosyncracies may seem like losers and wimps back in school, but in the real world, they rule! Football jocks may have picked on them and punched their noses and dumb blondes may have relentlessly rejected them, but in the end we see a marvellous display of karma. The stupid athletes get beer bellies, permanent knee injuries and drink beer all day long, and those biatches run after the nerdy-guys-turned-superheroes-with-big-bucks.

Interesting, this life.

But seriously, double-click on the words in my blog. Try the Malay words, might be funny what English word they try to link that word to if they don't have it in their database.

Just trying to be

Alang-alang Update Blog

This is me. Once I start to write/bebel, I can't stop. Well, if you must know, it's been so long since I wanted to update my old blog. Kept a list of blog posts that I wanted to make in my organizer, tau! Sigh, and now that I'm starting on a fresh new sheet, the kiasu in me kicks in. I must ensure there're at least 10 posts by the end of this week. (We'll see, we'll see). Hehe, so competitive. Really dislike that now the world must think I'm a newbie to the blogosphere. Tidak sama sekali. Only technical difficulties and my laziness have brought this predicament upon me, sadly.

Okay. So, back to the whole point of this entry. Again, the kiasu part of me needs to show the world the poster she designed. Yes, I made one, from scratch, using Photoshop. I know, I know, yes, I do deserve that gasp. Such an IT illiterate like me creating a poster--which looks awesome all over campus, if I may add=P--using all those layers and vector masks and whatever not? Big shock to myself, in fact.

It took me half an hour to actually get the hang of the layers, and about 3 hours later to come up with 3 different posters. They're simple, lacking the graphic details like different pictures blending in and having "gradients" or "feathers" and god-knows-what, but I'm still really proud of this baby. I think the colors work really well, and it certainly beats the usual, dreary oh-I-don't-wanna-read-flyers the MSA usually creates.

Oops, no offense there. But this certainly isn't very alim-looking, you must agree with me. My first draft got rejected because the VP hated the pink I used in the now-turquoise section. He/She probably thinks it's too striking, feminine and too inviting. We have to uphold the MSA ideologies now, don't we? *snicker snicker* Ceh, it's pretty obvious I'm still pissed about that person telling me to use a different background, use a different girl, use different fonts and change the layout of the text.

Excuse me, that would mean making an entire new poster kan? Tak perlu lah cover by saying "I like this one the best.. BUT CAN YOU (insert the above stated sentence)". And did I mention that the person only asked me to make the changes 1 day before they wanted me to mass-print them? When I gave her file a week before, and way ahead of time? That hamba Allah could have emailed me right away and notified me of all the things she didn't like, instead of printing the posters, bringing them to the Shura meeting, pretending to ask the others for opinions before finally actually dictating how he/she wants it to be?
I'm not bitter about the changes I had to make (the fonts were boring, I agree, and the title could be bigger), though changing everything is truly unreasonable given such short notice, I was just pissed by the way the person tried to kononnye beralas. But nonetheless, I stood up for what I believed in--that the background design worked--and played around with the colors.

Hm, and through all that, I'm really satisfied with the final version. I don't know what the VP actually thought about it (she said " Thanks Nurjannah, I loved it", perhaps because I told her I spent 3 hours just modifying the colors to suit his/her taste) and I seriously didn't care. All I know is now, the posters are all over campus boards, on lamp-posts and dining hall tables and the stripes are certainly grabbing attention!

Little Miss Angry,

Of the Obama-rama and Being in Chicago

I gotta say it. Heck, I'm proud that I'm living in Chicago in this unprecedented moment, when America elects its first African American President! And studying in the UofC, where Mr. President, Barrack Hussein Obama once taught constitutional law in the Law School? Or living in Hyde Park, and in fact just a few blocks away from Regents Park, where Obama resides? And the fact that I've been on the 21st floor of Regents Park when the Obama family is just 15 floors above? Tres cool, tres cool, indeed! It's times like this when the pain of being in "The (hell yeah) Windy City" (that makes your lips crack and leaves your freezing ears begging to be kept under the hood/scarf/ear muffs) is discounted. And what beats having your dorm as the one of the polling locations in Hyde Park?


I must confess I didn't follow the 2008 US Elections as closely I should have. But talk about lam-pi (stands for lambat pickup), I just ordered some Obama magnets because I know my mom would be euphoric if she got one of those. Hah, but my thoughts of outsmarting businesses by buying the election paraphernalia after the election did not work. I repeat, did not work. They got rid of the election momento-s and replaced them with "Obama: 44th American President"things instead. So I didn't get to buy election goodies for cheap, and in fact paid more as I had to fork out for shipping costs as well. Little girl thought she could outsmart those shark, sharp, profit-first businesses, who was she kidding?

I got side-tracked, never mind. But I meant to say, I was never disinterested. I took time to listen to the students at the Quads campaigning for Obama, handing out fliers, prepping volunteers for out-of-state campaigns, etc. I took time to google the names I saw being chalked on the pavements on campus-- Ron Paul, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Joe Biden. And I saw, heard and learned aplenty. The night of the election, I joined the hundreds on campus in watching the big-ass screens they sat up on campus.


When they shouted, I shouted. When they stood up and applauded for Obama, I gave him a standing ovation too. When they cried and hugged, I could understand why. The air was so charged with emotions of hope and of fear, of relief and happiness, of pride and thrill. Obama represented everything people thought was impossible, not to mention the best change the whole world really vouched for--becoming the first Black president, and marking the end of the darkest phase America has gone through.

The ambience the day after was inspiring! In the dining halls, I saw the happy grins and twinkle in the eyes of the cooks and helpers. I heard the excited chatter about Obama's historical win and the amazing night at Grant Park (which I *sobsob* missed). In the hallways, knowing smiles were passed, as if students were greeting each other with "Yes, we did!". Hang on, you may say, why am I so excited about a foreign country's president elect? Of course I must care! Whatever America, the powerhouse of the world, decides, the whole world is affected too! Here's to hoping that Obama would bring some good change to the world. He's undeniably got skyhigh expectations to live up to, especially with the American economy plummeting and its past foreign policies creating damage to say the least. Good luck, sir!

The political activism here is a stark contrast to that in Malaysia. Any person, young or old, in an educational institution or not, is given agency to voice out and be heard. Students are in fact, the main driving force in the Democratic campaign this elections. People in America wants out from Bush and his ilk policies, and they show it. They rally, they wear badges, they create catchy banners and wear sassy political tees. Even kids in preschool and elementary school are so involved! I tutor first graders (who are super cute and amazing, btw) at the St. Thomas the Apostle School and listen to them:

"My mommy says Obama will be the next president".
"Granma says Mr. Obama is going to be the best president ever!"

Gosh! When I was that age, I don't think I recall even knowing if the elections were on, though I do know Dr. Mahathir was the PM, and that he was/still is a leader extraordinaire!=) Anyhow, here's a picture of them making an oh-so-messy-but-it's-thought-that-counts banner for Obama. The banner reads "Thank you Mr. Obama for becoming our new president. We love you".


I just think that perhaps this is the reason why some young Malaysians don't break out from their cocoons (hell, I think a part of me is still, anyways) or open their eyes to important issues. We don't get the exposure. We're told to be quiet and be complacent. We're taught in school that we can't discuss openly about politics (though we still do). And it still bewilders me how fantastic the SPM and PMR results turn out to be anytime the country nears an election. Can't be a coincidence can it? I'm probably not the most qualified person to be talking about politics and all that jazz, and I certainly don't want to, but I do know that I think students, especially in universities should be given the chance to participate in such important movements like campaigning and canvassing for politicians. We're after all the generation who's going to live through the years and face the effects of the constitution and policies, so why must we be silenced?

But of course, the big part of this problem is on the part of the youngsters as well. You know, where person A gets too distracted, joins the rowdy gang, and goes marching up and down to uphold "Reformasi" at Jalan TAR, and completely leaves studies. Or young, person B who maliciously attacks (verbally, and even scarily, physically) people of different political stands. And uninformed student C who only comments and talks big at mamak Ali Maju or Syed Bistro but knows no shit. That's when the reading and being informed comes in--pick up newspapers (and don't believe everything it says, hehe), read blogs, master two sides of a coin before you open your mouth lah, then only you're not that mentah, "tin kosong" people will condemn. (That was a note to self as well).

Alas, there's no dispute there that getting to the stage of political awareness like in the USA requires moderation and respect for others, which in Malaysia we may lack of, seeing to how many university students who were violently involved in the last political turmoil back in 1998. It doesn't have to be through fights, or slander fits and fist-action. All you need is a rational argument and the gift-of-the-gab, so you can actually get people to listen to your two-cents worth on why you think YB A is hampeh or why YB B is the bomb. And all the government needs to do in its part is to is trust the rakyat. Amin.

You Know That Little Miss?

This is great, just great. After maintaining my blog of 2 years under this same URL (though rather badly, haha), I DELETED it. I effing deleted it. Why you ask? Ntahlaa buu, I couldn't create new posts! Which is weird. And annoying. Downright frustrating because I tried for one bloody hour before I realize I've been had.

This same, chatbox kept popping out, it was a widget I wanted to add once upon a time ago. Weird how that showed up. Haha. And ooh, everytime I wanted an apostrophe, a "Quick Search box" pops out at the bottom of my firefox toolbar. Of course lah, being the OCD girl that I am, how can I live with that? No proper apostrophes for my "can't-s" and "don't-s"? Mana boleh! Dah senget agaknya my old blog.

Hehe, I was a bad blogger anyways--4 whole months and no single entry. Ooh, and if you followed (though I doubt it 'cuz I prolly had very very limited readership, say Kimbu sorang je kot, hahah) this blog, you might have noticed the 1 year gap. Blog posted in 2006, then jumped to 2008. Hehe. My apologies.

Well, I'm not gonna lie like I did way back in 2006. We both know that I know that you know that this blog isn't going to be very well-updated. Give me three weeks then I'll leave you hanging. But come back in two month's time, I might pen something new!

Anyhow, let me tell you about this cute new concept I'm gonna be using for this new little blog. Of course lah, it's still not as canggih as I want it to be, and still not laid out the way I want it to be (eee, can I pay someone to find me a nice, simple template without those really ugly tight border boxes?). But I'm gonna be giving myself one little miss "sticker" for each entry. It's like if my post is something about my losing my phone (hehe, highly likely, right, for those who knows me?) for the 97th time, or about my dropping my wallet somewhere, I'll give myself a Little Miss Scatterbrain "sticker". Haha.

And when I'm on cloud nine, a Little Miss Happy'll be there in my post. Ooh, but seeing that I have an aversion for Little Miss Sunshine ('cuz I think it's just fit for immortal, too-good-to-be-true, little miss perfects of the world, which I'm not), you'd never catch me using that one. Haha. As the malay biatches in tv dramas say while rolling their eyes, "Jangan harrrap"! Hehe. Should be cute. Look out for them little misses. And you know that no matter what, I'm THAT Little Miss Chatterbox.