Confronting an old enemy with new allies

25 October - As I hauled my rear end out of my nice, warm bed - or should I say, rack (In the United States Marine Corps, rack is a term describing bed), I was feeling horribly down and miserable as I was dreading yet another stressful day of the first semester week (I will not go into the details; chances are you've probably run into this all-too-familiar crap of  a subject registration process, if you're an MMU student. The long-ass hours of agonizing waiting in the MRT-length queues, all over a piece of document/form/verbal enquiries which probably takes a few minutes of processing, and then having to do them all AGAIN if you do something wrong), and having to awkwardly face my former lecturer all over again (Don't get me wrong, he's one of the nicest, most genuinely helpful guys out there, it's just that my presence might make him feel as if he didn't do a good job tutoring me) as a result of having lost in a long-forgotten battle (aka my Principles of Finance subject). I REALLY hate it whenever a vile, repulsive reminder of my demoralizing past comes back haunting me; a foul remnant of my past mistake or failure which comes back to bite me in my rear end, to torment me, to shame me.

BUT SADLY, to add salt - no, salt simply doesn't cut it - acid, to my semi-healed war wounds that morning, some crap popped up and the whole faculty had to put us on hold, in regards to retrieving our subject registration slips. Just great. Now I have to go through that ordeal ALL over again - and the best part? I literally have to WAIT for Monday to have to go through all that stress (you don't say). Bummer. After confirming my worst fears with the faculty administration, I dragged myself off to the library, hoping to pick up a couple of good books to shake off my doubts - and hopefully, as a temporary fix from all my accumulated stress and exhaustion which had been compounding over the course of the past few days. I picked up a couple good books and plopped myself down onto a sofa and transported myself to the-land-of-no-sorrows, no worries and no crap, and started the process of healing. Truly, it felt like I had subject myself to treatment in a bacta tank (What's bacta, you ask? Go to wookiepedia and look that one up, I won't deviate from my post here) ... all the way up to 3.45pm. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did manage to chow down some lunch too.)

With some of my war wounds beginning to open up again, I sighed dejectedly and dragged myself out of the library - out of la-la land - and into the real world, where pain and strife ruled supreme. With each step I made to XR1005, I felt it like a knife wound to my chest. Not only would I have to fight a past battle I lost to all over again, I would be all alone this time, with no friends by my side. That feeling of isolation and loneliness WILL get to anyone occasionally, even to long-time loners such as myself.  However, I comforted myself, saying that regardless of how much shit would be thrown in my face, I would neither run from my destiny, nor would I cower in the face of adversity, no matter how heavily the odds stacked against me were. After (temporarily) re-igniting that resolve, I entered the designated battleground that would contain me for the next 14 weeks, I picked a seat while playing a mental recap all of my past events ....

And there I saw it. A friend I knew from last semester's Microeconomics class. Thank God! He looked as if he was someone whom I could relate to! We saw each other, I waved to him and sat next to him. Before we knew it, we were chatting away like long-lost friends. At least I would no longer be alone in this nightmare! My good luck didn't end there, however. I even met Angee, too, who wanted to retake this subject. Now that I know I'm no longer alone, I feel so much better. Truly, confronting an old enemy with new allies isn't so bad after all. This is all of course assuming that our registering for this subject goes off without a hitch ...

Author's comment: Thank you for taking the time to read this, and sorry if I sounded rude at times. It's just that I've been through so much these past few days.

Questions: Sara

1. What time did you get up this morning?
8:30 which is a miracle. I don't usually get up early in the morning. :D
2. How do you like your stake?
Umm..well done?! I've never tried any other way.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Stolen.
4. What is your favourite TV show?
Well if I want to list down my favorite TV shows it's going to be a very loooong one! :D so I'm just gonna write a few of them. Dexter, The vampire Diaries, Castle, The Mentalist, Lie to me, Sherlock, Community,How I met your mother, American Horror Story
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
San Francisco, CA...I guess. 
6. What did you have for breakfast?
A Chinese biscuit.
7. What is your favourite cuisine?
I love Iranian and western food.
8. What foods do you dislike?
Spicy food and probably many more I can't recall now.
9. Favourite place to eat?
Somewhere quiet. 
10. Favourite dressing style?
Casual. I don't like dressing up. I always prefer wearing something that I'm comfortable in.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
No driving licence yet!!
12. What are your favourite clothes?
 I always prefer wearing something that I'm comfortable in. I love hoodies, jeans and loose shirts.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Everywhere!!!! Europe and America first then Asia. 
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
1/2 full? :D
15. Where would you want to retire?
When I reach that age I would like to be somewhere peaceful and quiet.
16. Favourite time of the day?
Night! It's when life begins. Lol.
17. Where were you born?
Tehran, Iran.
18. What is your favourite sports to watch?
I'm not really into sports...but I used to watch Football here and there.
19. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
No one specific. :D
20. Bird watcher?
This would be a guy question I suppose. But no.
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night person. 
22. Pets?
No I can't handle pets. I get scared...even though I love animals.
23. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
Nothing exiting more like horrible news which as you all know is Iran's financial crisis.
24. What did you want to be when you were little?
Can't really remember...but I think I wanted to be an Architect at one point. 
25. Are you a cat or a dog person?
Neither one! But if I had to chose I'll definitely choose dogs! 
26. Always wear your seat belt?
Nah...but I try. :D
27. Been in a car accident?
Yes but it was a teeny tiny one!
28. Any pet peeves?
When someone keeps asking questions about the movie while I'm watching it. It's annoying as hell.
29. Favourite pizza topping?
Chicken.
30. Favourite flower?
Daisy, Rose, Daffodils...I don't know really I love all kinda flowers.
31. Favourite ice cream?
I think everyone here knows the answer! obviously Chocolate but I love all the other flavors too...it's hard to decide.
32. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Umm...Carl's Junior. I like the Chicken Sandwiched there.
33. From whom did you get your last email?
My Uncle.
34. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Anywhere with Chocolates,cookies,ice cream, cakes and pancakes etc. inside! :D :D
35. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Nope.
36. What was your favourite vacation?
Thats a hard question but if I want to choose over the past two years its definitely going to Penang this sem break!! I had the best time!
37. Last person you went out to dinner with?
My friend Leili. (she's a UM student.)
38. What are you listening to right now?
Linkin Park, Castle of Glass.

A new beginning! :)

Goodbye my beautiful mouthwatering pancake and hello diet! 

Minutes of Meeting 1

TEAM IX MEETING: 24 October 2012 at FCI Cafe

ATTENDANCE:
1. Yvonne Yunying (President)
2. Darryl Chin (Meeting Conductor)
3. Sara Malakouti (Miss Secretary)
4. Angee Fen Fen (Treasurer)
5. Adam Idris (Activities Coordinator)
6. Beh 'Clever' Chun Chuan
7. Yeansee Leow
8. Ong Shu Ying
9. Dursharl
10. Tyson Tang

AGENDA:
1. Election of posts
2. Discussion on allocation of group members
3. Resolutions
4. Other (general) discussion

1. ELECTION OF POSTS

2. ALLOCATION OF GROUP MEMBERS
AIS - 2 groups of 5
Auditing - 2 groups of one 4, and another one 5
MA2 -

3. THIS TRIMESTER RESOLUTIONS
YVONNE
i) GPA 3.7
ii) Being able to swim
iii) Post on blog on a weekly basis
iv) To get Sara to be fit by the end of Trimester

SARA MALAKOUTI
i) CGPA 3.8
ii) To find a part time job
iii) To lose 10 kg

ANGEE
i) CGPA 3.7
ii) Overcome public speaking fear.
iii) Not to be late to class

ADAM
i) CGPA 3.5

DARRYL
i) Not to say F word at all
ii) CGPA to increase from 3.54 to 3.67

BEH 'CLEVER' CHUN CHUAN
i) GPA 4.0 (OMG BEH!)
ii) To buy a car
iii) Zero grammar mistake in English (Tyson will print screen this)

TYSON
i) GPA 3.5
ii) To lose 4 kg
iii) Get into cosplay preferably as your favourite Anime characters

SHUYING
i) GPA 3.67
ii) To lose 5 kg

YEANSEE
i) GPA 3.5
ii) Learn to swim
iii) Join charity run

DURSHARL
i) GPA 4.00
ii ) Never Say Never
iii) Gain a new skill (anything, as long as it brings me a benefit)

4. OTHER GENERAL DISCUSSION
- Colour of official Team IX Hoodies


- Suggestions of activities for this trimester (Minimum 3) You can add your suggestion.

When registration becomes a problem

             Now, I am up for a new dilemma as I have one subject left for registration. And we have our lecturer(whom his name should remain a secret) saying students have the rights to register and no one can stop us from doing so. 

             But all this shows that all the fees that we pay (although I am not the one actually paying it, to be honest) is not worth as compared to the service being provided. We were advised to jam up the office counter to show our protest and how desperate we were in getting into the classes. 

          So, I have come up into the thinking of taking Management Decision Science if the management comes up with a negative result. Maybe it will just balance off everything and I wont be left out. And hope there wont be a need to extend another year just to complete all the major accounting subjects which is offered only once a year.

          After all, I will still hope that the decision to be made in behalf of the students. 

Rightfully expressing,

Dursharl

Questions: Adam

Welcome back to MMU for the new trimester! I could see that the development of new entries for the blog is very slow. And some members haven't posted anything yet. So I think we may start the 'themed post'. Instead of choosing theme like 'My favourite movie', I would start with questions that I saw from some other blogs, and maybe we can know each other better.

There are 38 questions all together. The best part is that, be creative to answer it! And answer based on your interpretation of the question. It would show what kind of person you are. Unleash that personality! Be funny too.

I would answer first, maybe you can copy and paste the question at your post. Don't forget to put two labels: One is the normal one, our names, and the second is "Questions" just like what I did. Later we can compare all the answers. For the time being, if you have anything else to post other than this question, yes you can! No restrictions but can all members answer this? Thank you.

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6.15 AM. Early?
2. How do you like your steak?
Well done
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Call me outdated, but I don't go to cinemas that often. My last movie at the cinema was...........can't remember! LOL
4. What is your favourite TV show?
New Girl, eleventh season of American Idol, Fear Factor
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Somewhere urban. New York maybe, it's where dreams are made of, famous for movie scenes and a city that never sleeps.  :p
6. What did you have for breakfast?
Coco Crunch and low fat milk
7. What is your favourite cuisine?
Most of the time I eat Malay and Malaysian dishes especially at home.
8. What foods do you dislike?
Can't name one now
9. Favourite place to eat?
Any place that won't make you sweat while eating. It's uncomfy!
10. Favourite dressing style?
At times simple, super simple just grab anything.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
I can drive both, manual and auto cars.
12. What are your favourite clothes?
Anything that flatters your body, comfortable
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Great Wall of China, NYC, Tokyo, Europe
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
Half full
15. Where would you want to retire?
I'm still a student
16. Favourite time of the day?
Morning, 7-9AM, when the sun radiates Vitamin D and it's not too hot
17. Where were you born?
Kuala Lumpur
18. What is your favourite sports to watch?
Swimming. I also watch Olympics, World Cups, Tennis
19. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
Anybody interested
20. Bird watcher?
Define bird!
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
I'm just normal human being
22. Pets?
I'm not anybody's pet! I'm not a cougar! LOL
23. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
A friend scored more than 4.0. Guess who?
24. What did you want to be when you were little?
An architect!
25. Are you a cat or a dog person?
Cattsssssssssss. I love cats
26. Always wear your seat belt?
Always! I'm a driver so it comes natural to fastened my seatbelt every time.
27. Been in a car accident?
Yes :'(
28. Any pet peeves?
What is that?
29. Favourite pizza topping?
Macaroni, anything chicken, and must be spicy
30. Favourite flower?
Rose. I know it's mainstream
31. Favourite ice cream?
I LOVE COOKIES AND CREAM from any brand!
32. Favorite fast food restaurant?
McDonalds! I know my answer is too mainstream but they are everywhere and relatively cheap.
33. From whom did you get your last email?
From Twitter. Is that counted?
34. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Can't think of one. By the way why must I max out my credit card? LOL
35. Do anything spontaneous lately?
I posed naked for a magazine. NOT!
36. What was your favourite vacation?
I can still remember the mesmerizing view inside cable car and on top of jambatan in between mountains in Langkawi. Singapore was not bad. And never been to anywhere else. :p
37. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Went out for dinner? I guess that would be with Yean See, Chun Chuan, Yvonne and Tyson at Oldtown.
38. What are you listening to right now?
My media player currently is playing Let Me Love You by Ne-Yo.

A Gloomy Evening...

My days during this holiday were fine at first. I've got ups and down in managing my business and constantly trying to expand it despite the capital constraint I'm facing. Today I launched my reconstructed website and I hope that it will bring more revenue in for the rest of the year.

I've been in and out of the gym everyday since I touched down in Penang and it was one of the best therapy that I could get myself into since I am always busy with DC Bodybuilding Clothing Co. lately just because I want my new Sem to start with ease and to have no heavy load from my working side.

Just when you think I am already finished complaining about my holidays. I'm not quite done yet.

One of the person that I loved the most in life, whom make up most of my chapters are about to leave us all behind. My grandma got admitted to the hospital last Wednesday and it did not get any better. Yesterday, she was admitted into the ICU and Doctors told my family that she has a few more days left with us. I thought situations like this only appear in the movie screen. It isn't easy at all to know that the one you love is about to be gone 'forever' and you have to brace yourself for what might come ahead.

God's willing, granny is still with us until now. I pray that she would be free from suffering, anxiety and pain.Your prayers for her means the world to me.

I won't be around for the first day of the Sem. I wish you all the best of luck in the new Sem and see you soon.

PS: I'm not secretive when it comes to results so if you do wonder, I end my first year degree with a CGPA of 3.54, I am happy with it based on the effort I gave in.

Love the ones you are with,
Darryl 'Ashton' Chin