Saturday, January 31, 2009

Ada Apa Dengan KPKM


I am sitting in my new office with a much better view than the one before (or so I thought). My staff outside are plotting to kill me for the hell they have been through in the last few months (but they won’t do it ha ha because they know it’s a case of “saya yang menurut perintah"). The amount of unsolved mysteries and masalah dunia piling on my desk can literally crush me.

Outside our little world, the real world is crumbling down. The dynamics of power in Malaysia is too fluid that even I sometimes begin to wonder what will be the long term effects. The question of ethics of party hopping will haunt this country for a while. Erdogan stormed out of the Davos Forum; disgusted that despite the human sufferings the world at large is still sympathetic with the oppressors. The economic reports filling my mailbox every day are getting very trite – it’s a continuation of one gloomy story after another. As more and more central banks in the world lose the effective influence over the fiscal policy, the backlash to the domestic job market is beginning to show its ugly head. It is as if the shadow of Sauron is slowly creeping to Middle-Earth.

In spite of all this, the one thing that attracts my interest more (than all these complicated issues that could have excited many bloggers out there – but then I don’t even consider myself a blogger, let alone someone with a brain worth sharing ha ha) is not from Davos or Washington, Gaza or Putrajaya.

It’s from the tiny little dead town called Kuala Kangsar – and the issue is even pettier and tinier: the election for the Students Union (ha ha ha how petty we can be these days, but ignorance is a bliss!)

I came across this posting.

The excerpt is here (in case you are too lazy to click and read):



H. Ross Perot once said," that inventories can be managed, but people must be led."

Alhamdulillah, In the name of Allah the Almighty God, with his blessings, a new president of Malay College Student Union has been selected. The official announcement was made this morning by the Vice Principal of Student Affairs Mr Fairuz Bin Leman.Here's the positions that have been filled in:


President:Aiman Haziq Bin Zainuddin


Vice-President I:Muhammad Aqwa Aliff Bin
Jasmi


Vice-President II:Amirul Ariff Bin Sazali


The 3 positions were given to us with the power of the Mr. Principal himself. He gave us the mandate to lead one of the highest organization in college. The appointment was a legal one as it is stated in the constitution of Malay College Student Union that the principal has the power to appoint any excos if the situation is out of control.


As i was the only exco who won the last election ( i was the only f4 who won a seat last year. The other seats were filled by last year's f5 who had left the college), i am the most eligible to be the new president.As the new president, i will try to improve things in college without interfering the school rules. I will try my utmost best to ensure the welfare of the people of the east and west will be taken care under me.Insya Allah, the positions which are still empty will be filled soon. The election will take place on the 27th of Feb. Good Luck to those who will join the election!


"Fiat Sapienta Virtus"


May the force be with you.

What do you think?

I am quite sentimental about KPKM (Kesatuan Pelajar Kolej Melayu).

First, because I devoted a good part of my 5 years in MCKK for KPKM – from the time as a Junior KPKM EXCO, to my time as a crew member of Warta KPKM and its Chief Editor; and finally as the President in 1994.

Second (and most importantly), because I learnt so much from the politicking and maneuvering involved in KPKM that much of the bull-shitting skills that I have now (and I bull-shit a lot), originate from the days of KPKM. By the time we left the school, we were quite good at the art of politics, because the demand to survive as a popular KPKM EXCO requires you to manage different parties so adroitly that without the right people’s skills, you would have been miserable.

KPKM taught me the magic of compromise and swallowing our pride. KPKM convinced me (at the age of 16) that at the end of the day, the electorates always go for “results” – whatever they think of you, they will try to balance between those who they like, with those who they think can deliver the job. KPKM sealed my faith in the wisdom and foolhardiness of the electorates – and it is the fusion of their wisdom and foolhardiness; when met with the right response and leadership by the leaders they elect – that will create an everlasting legacy to an organization. That is why electorates and the leaders they choose come in pair; their destinies are intertwined – or to put it more crudely “we always deserve the leaders we have, because they are a reflection of our society”.

The biggest impact that KPKM had on my upbringing is the notion of fairness that we must uphold in everything we do. Of all the things I learnt in that stinky place called MCKK, fairness and justice are the two values that I think define MCKK most. MCKK operates on fairness and natural justice (or at least used to). There were many times in my junior years that I felt I (or my batch) was not treated fairly that I vowed when it would be my time to call the shot, I would try my best to be fair.

Fair to the teachers who had to tolerate our antics. Fair to my batchmates who had to be boys (and therefore they needed to sneak out, to smoke, to play, to have fun and to be defended when they were right). Fair to my juniors who deserved an equal share of say just like anyone else, as long as they know their place. Fair to the workers who long had been ignored and were as part of us as any one of the teachers.

I would like to think that we had always tried to be fair from day 1.

There was a time in the first few weeks of 1994 that things were about to explode. I was not the anointed leader of the under-achieving bunch – the President of the batch was Toy, in fact I was 3rd in the official hierarchy. But as little politicians and little Napoleons, we all had our own group of followers – in those days, I was more of Muhyiddin than Najib (ha ha). I would have stood regardless of whether the other person backed down or not – and though I was quite sure I would win, I would have dragged the whole school in my path. It would have divided the school till the end, with two opposing factions always at loggerheads with each other (we were not that smart if you remember, so the only thing we excel is to be at each other’s throat ha ha).

But it is the fair-mindedness and maturity of the other two people higher in the hierarchy, who made way for me which had saved the day. KPKM elections put them on the spot – in retrospect it was as if they had to choose between what could be construed as our respective personal interest versus MCKK’s interest. Both of them made the decision in a split second that it was in MCKK’s interest for me to stand as President, Toy as Deputy President and Amoeba as the Secretary General.

That was the value of KPKM election back then – I don’t think it was exaggerating to say that it separates the men from the boys. I had never forgotten the graciousness and gentleman manner that we concluded the “negotiation” for the EXCO seats. Each faction, each group was represented and given a seat, with the most qualified person nominated from each faction to occupy the secretariat that matched their capabilities. Therefore we had a fair representation of all the jungle dwellers – the ones hanging from the trees: Toy (Deputy President) and Cop (Penerangan), the ones barking and guarding the farm: Mpro (Treasurer), Che Mad (Kebajikan) and Hairul (Sukan), the centre-left ghimau hutan: Amoeba (Secretary) and Capoe (Asrama), the centre-right kucing hutan (both ghimau and kucing hutan represent the silent majority): myself (President), KNO (Auditor), Pak Tuan (Ekonomi) and Chamat (Penerbitan). I was very proud of that grand alliance and we have been loyal to that grand alliance of jungle dwellers to this very day.

The reason I cite all this boring recollection is not for pompousness or unnecessary reminiscence down the memory lane.

I wonder whether we understand the value and function of KPKM to the character building and development of MCKK boys. KPKM is the epicenter of the political culture that MCKK boys are exposed to from the very beginning of their time there. Tampering with KPKM’s due process is inadvertently tampering with the conducive environment that had contributed to MCKK’s politically-oriented upbringing all this while.

The boys need to experiment with democracy.

During our time, the outgoing EXCOs were grilled for the little things that they were supposedly accountable to. The toughest question which I could not answer on stage, as a BRU President during the AGM, was when Madad (who had planned all along to make fun of me ha ha, not enough of doing that in the class) nonchalantly went to ask the question:

“Berapa banyak sumbangan derma telah dikutip dalam tabung di surau dan bagaimana ia telah dibelanjakan.”

(I had no clue and was quite sure Gadap used it as a capital for his nasi goreng order business).

Through KPKM, when it was allowed to operate on its own devices, budak koleq would have tasted what it feels to be accountable to your electorates. They would have been pressed to the wall to make difficult choices. And because they make difficult choices, they become men – not boys.

For them to operate on their own devices, they must be allowed to make mistakes – because only from mistakes they can learn.

The best part of my years in MCKK was because I was allowed to explore. I explored many things – many were wrong things, some were good; but it allowed me to discover and understand myself, the people around me and my surrounding. With this understanding came empathy and a strong sense of justice and fairness (the last two are the best thing that MCKK can give to its students, on top of the academic results). That sense of justice and fairness had brought me (and some others) to many adventures; including been smuggled in and out of the country because our passports were blacklisted – but such was the impact of what KPKM could have mould you into.

It is ironic that we spend so much time trying to decide for others. The politicians crack their head trying to decide for us. The parents assume everything and decide for their children. Administrators choose to see everything from their perspective and enforce their views on the people they care for/administer.

I had a mock debate with the present MCKK team about two weeks ago. The topic was very apt (given the development in MCKK ha ha) – “This House Will Lower the Voting Age to 16 Years Old”. There were strong arguments that adolescents were not matured to decide for themselves; that they would choose the wrong candidates.

My first speaker, Sdr Rashad (Class of 2008) asked a very pertinent question that should be echoed all the way to Putrajaya, in Dewan Rakyat and in Hargreaves Hall: “who are we to decide whether the choices that the electorates make are right or wrong?”

I had also once written about 5 years ago on the importance of legitimacy in MCKK’s leadership culture. MCKK boys are trained to give the respect only when it has been earned hence the need to have student leaders with the right legitimacy.

There’s a lot to ponder. Sometimes I really feel that the time of the Elves has really passed – what has befallen our once globally admired Judiciary has permeated in other aspects of our nationhood too.

And to the newly anointed President of the Union in MCKK Sdr Aiman Haziq – my best of luck to you and may you do justice to the office that you occupy, for it is steeped in tradition all these years.

If you want to have a glimpse of what KPKM was not too long ago, maybe this short report can give you some ideas - but we did run most of the things in the school back then on our own (and the teachers trusted us enough back then!).

ps: For all the sentimentality about KPKM - I am surprised that KPKM actually has a constitution! I have never seen it in my lifetime!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Sepoyo2 Batch Kita, Poyo Lagi....




... Abang Man "The Jadi" Man!

Gambar2 Wong kelentong dlm Harian Metro (siap ada gambo Gadap lagi) and beraya CNY pakai samping koleq kat Gunung Tahan (aksi2 4U2C some more...)!

Gambar2 ini melengkapkan ke-poyo-an kami!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

10 Reasons Why Our Batch Is (Not) Kewl

It all started when one junior made this remark on Facebook:

“…i think our batch thinks that ur batch was the coolest form fives that we ever came across in koleq..”

I had a feeling he was pulling my leg – many people do that all the time after all – but the thought that it could even cross anyone’s mind that we were kewl given how lame and under achieving we were (and are); got us a bit more excited.

We had some discussions in the Male-ing List and e-mails came and forth arguing whether we were kewl or not – but it was not long before all of us unanimously concluded that it was un-Earthly impossible for us to be kewl in anything that we did (most probably we were the most laughed at Form 5 that these guys could have come across).

Once we had admitted our lameness, we went a bit further to agree on why we were not at all kewl.

These are the 10 reasons we could come out – we have finally come clean with our under achieving records in MCKK ha ha.

Class of 94 is not kewl because (not in order of lameness):

1) While other batches would have had their stories of great victories in games and studies, or producing great statesmen or corporate leaders – our only claim to fame is the havoc we created for almost 2 years in 1990 and 1991 with this ghost we called “Kak Ramlah”! Kak Ramlah (and her human side kick Nik, ala2 Batman and Robin) was the cause of so many nights sleeping in Surau Prep School, ghost hunting at night, dramas in Dorm 10 and many others. For the bad publicity that Kak Ramlah had inflicted on our batch, we had decided to make her our mascot.

2) Errr…. We did not get 100% for SPM, one guy actually failed his SPM because he was too busy trying to collate spot questions from all over the country on our behalf (what a sacrifice he did). And the panel in Hargreaves Hall got it wrong – we actually passed our SRP with flying colours (one of the better ones in koleq’s history, yet the board put us as not getting 100% passes), screwed up SPM (we didn’t get 100% passes but there were quite a few straight As, yet the board put us as getting 100% passes but no straight As). The fact that I have to explain at length about our academic records just shows how lame our academic record was!

3) We would have liked if our years of breaking rules in MCKK was immortalised in unique crimes like Class of 93’s (hijacked the college bus in the middle of the night for a tour of KK, then parked it right in the middle of Padang Big School), but we had to settle for a commerce crime instead (kalau ikut Kanun Jenayah, crime besar2 fall under Kanun Keseksaan, kitorang masuk jenayah perdagangan je!). By the end of our stay in koleq, we had mastered the art of tapping into phone lines without paying – so during the SPM week it was like a free-credit weeks (only 10 years earlier ha ha). There were a few “hotspots” for free phone calls – New Hostel’s public phone, some idiot actually tapped Cikgu Sabri’s phone line ha ha and the most daring ones tapped HM’s line at the Admin Block. Many called their juniors and girl friends, Wong called his Japanese acquaintances in Japan, but one or two spent a lot of time trying to solicit leaked questions ha ha. Koleq finally figured out when the term opened; when the phone bill went sky-rocketing. One guy was decent enough to send Postal Order to Cikgu Nolita and Cikgu Sabri to partly reimburse all the phone calls made (so I was told).

4) If you see the list of Scholars of The Year in Hargreaves Hall’s panel, you should spot that Class of 94 is the only batch with 2 Scholars of The Year. We were so mediocre in our academic performance that koleq couldn’t decide one top student to be awarded!

5) We decided to leave a physical legacy in koleq so we came up with the Dataran Pemimpin (funded by Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi and officiated by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim). First, it received quite a strong protest for some old boys for supposedly ruining the big tree in between the blocks. Second, the workmanship was so bad (especially for the stage and mini sqaure that was meant to cater for a weekly Speaker’s Corner, which never materialised anyway). Thirdly, it got damaged in 1995 when koleq decided to re-build the canteen to make way for the current Medan Pelajar – that until today Dataran Pemimpin was left uncared for (with the leaves all over the place) giving the impression that it is “Satu Lagi Projek Terbengkalai Kerajaan XX”.

6) The most popular personalities from our batch are the musicians Loque, Kadaque (and Kalai at one point) from the band Butterfingers who are neither rich nor super-model like! They were not jambu when they were in koleq, and they are still not now despite being in the entertainment industry for almost 15 years already!

7) One would have thought that for all our lameness and under achieving record, at least God was fair enough to bless us with a bimbo who could go on and make it big on the screen – that would have salvaged something, at least people can argue that we were not smart because we were dominated by bimbos. Unfortunately we don’t even have bimbos – and the one who went to have an appearance on TV ads (he called it modeling, I called it misleading!) has so much pimples one would have confused that we was talking about facial cosmetics products, not Sensodyne toothpaste!

8) Being lame and under achieving put our feet on the ground when we were in koleq so we were very close to the teachers in 1994 (I always thought they liked us because we were dumb and therefore rarely objected much to anything). During our time (it started in 1993), koleq had this award called “Anugerah Pingat Emas” or Gold Award (yaaa haaaa) intended to be the equivalent to Colours, but where Colours was given to sportsmen, Gold Award was given to all rounders. When it was started in 1993, there were about 10 recipients of Gold Award. Koleq must have gone out of their mind when they decided to give Gold Award to EVERYONE in our batch in 1994 (most probably to help us in our scholarships ha ha since otherwise we didn’t have anything to show – or maybe a gesture of pity for our lameness and dumbness), including people like Aiwa ha ha (supposedly for his entrepreneurial skills through the nightly Order business!). When SPM results came out and we flunked big time, I am sure the teachers promised not to give anyone any Gold Award anymore – so we sometimes feel bad for devaluing the Gold Award so bad so much so that they decided to scrap it off ha ha (please see exhibits further down).

9) We had difficulty vandalising the school because we forgot to make a pronouncement of a scientific/latin name to associate our batch with (unlike earlier batches). I am sure when our juniors list down the name of each batch (from First Thoroughbred… to Crotalus, Esmarque, Eunectus etc. etc. ) they will be stuck at 1994 and have to leave it blank – what a spoiler ha ha!

10) KPKM in 1994 introduced a cheering t-shirt to replace the not so practical practice of wearing school uniform to cheering. Our design must be so bad that the juniors immediately after us (Classes of 95, 96 and 97) didn’t continue the practice and when it finally made its way again to koleq in 1998 (by our Form 1), they decided to change the design completely! I blamed it on Bochap who was partly responsible for the design, for the unprofessional choice of yellow for the colour just because he was in Md Shah!

EXHIBITS A – sijil GOLD AWARD and the accompanying school leaving certificate in 1994




Ha ha because I have a feeling the list of lameness associated with our batch is longer than this, I give you the readers the choice to vote so that we can come to terms with our un-kewl-ness :-)



Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Debate Camping 2009: Change

Nothing sums up the 6th instalment of MCKK’s annual debating camping better than the word CHANGE.

The change of guards was made effective this year, after a run of five years in the old hands. Everything was managed and directed by the junior coaches led by Izzat (Class of 2004); even to the level of logistical arrangement and finances (which previously was our domain). We (or whatever remain of the “we”) can finally rest knowing that with or without us they will continue.


The landscape was also changing – the first batch of debaters whom we picked up 4-5 years ago have all left. While we are still as fond of the new batch of debaters as anyone of their predecessors, the age gap is too big that I begin to wonder whether I can bring my level down to theirs. If the age gap is too big, the coaching is no longer effective as it gets less and less personal over the years.

We started the camping with one simple question – “Do you think you deserve to be called a budak koleq and why?”.

Half of Perak was cut off from electricity that night, so we went through the motion of questioning the boys one by one while surrounded in a total darkness; with only the stars and a small torch light providing a glimmer of light.

I was extremely harsh with the boys – I imagined that nobody had ever driven a point to them in such a harsh manner in their life time. Yet they were also steadfast – they were brave enough to come back and argue; for I wanted them to fight back when they were cornered; but sensible enough to stop when they got my point.

“You don’t like us anymore?”

“It doesn’t matter whether I like you or not, it’s never about my liking you anyway. It’s always about you. Do I like you? I don’t care. But if you ask me whether I respect you, I don’t. You have not earned my respect and until you earn the respect of others, you should not call yourself a budak koleq”.

At the end of it, I was glad that they took everything as an adult and resolved to change what needed to be changed. Of course it remains to be seen whether they deliver the changes they committed themselves to, but at least they were resilient enough to stand up to harsh feedback like a grown up.

Things will change around them – even they themselves change by the day (I remember how little Aqwa was in 2005 and now he is taller than me). We too will change as age takes its toll on us – yet there is one thing about MCKK debaters that I feel will stand the test of time in the future: it’s their devotion to honour the pact they have made when they were young – that they will not abandon the people after them.



Annual Debating Camp 2009, Lenggong (17th – 19th December 2008)

Izzat Jonid (Class of 2004)
Shahir Tahir (Class of 2004)
Zaim Yusoff (Class of 2005)
Aslam Abd Jalil (Class of 2007)
Amirul Asyraf Hanafi (Class of 2007)
Adli Shamsudin (Class of 2007)
Affendy Hasni (Class of 2008)
Rashad Tajuddin (Class of 2008)
Zulikhwan Ayob (Class of 2008)
Ahmad Firdaus Arul Hisham (Class of 2008)



PS:

"Hi guys,

Assalamulaikum....

I told Raf that I wanted to attend the ‘get away’ program planned for this weekend but unfortunately I would not be able to make it, so thousand apologies. There's also this 'age' factor thingy (rasa tua dah) but will make a point to join/come along/menyibuk/jengok the the next event/activity.

Raf is right and 'wayanging’ is the way of the real world. But we all know that besides the talent and the determination of the boys, which assistance is actually the beneficial one. To relate own experience and to put the talent of these boys into context, these for me are the essence for success. Too bad for the waste of money though……

I am actually amazed at the sheer determination and dedication of former debaters or non debaters alike to continue contributing to the ‘tradition’ of going back to Koleq for debaters. You cannot find this elsewhere but with Koleq boys (or maybe old boys from other schools have started to copy this?). When I was representing Perak for Pidato Piala Di Raja in Wisma Belia, I remember hoping some old boys would show up and give support.

I mean, it was just besides MCOBA building. Show some support damn it! Their help I didn’t need, I had Ben with me :-) Heck, at least I could blame the lack of support for losing that one!

Anyway, good luck for the event and have fun! Again, sorry I could not make it……

Salut,
Dany"

"No worry - you don't want to be poisoned by their cooking (ha ha).

I think this is the only way that they could have honoured Ben - for the privilege of knowing Ben in the first place.

These kids are after all Ben's creatures - we were just the custodians.

May they grow up and do wonders; while we set sail to the West where we belong."

"Raf et all,

I know you being humble there. Ben too was amazed at everybody’s dedication to Koleq debate teams. He knew that for all the seconds and the minutes he spent when some of you were in the team, hours and days you guys gave back. By the time he was often sick, this small little tradition of giving back was already in place.

A few things I know Ben was always fiercely proud of, this one is even more than others!

In our idealism of teenage years, we thought that winning was everything. Bila kalah, frust tonggeng.... Don’t get me wrong, winning is extremely important. But in debate as platform, it’s the nurturing that comes top….. all MCKK debate teams must be worthy of winning. We win it or not, that’s just the reality of life. Hopefully this tradition will pass on to generation of debaters, some old faces go out, new faces come in.

No ‘wayang professional’ can compare to all your efforts. Yours are heart to heart, guts to guts. Seek no reward, satisfaction in the sense of pride! Surely if the team won this year, you could write the script of what XXXXX would say……but that matters not. There is no value to it.……you get me a bit emotional here…sigh

Have
fun guys!"


PPS:

Someone asked me why I still bother to do this, especially when the baton has been passed to the next generation.

I was very particular about plans previously – when exactly we should come in and when exactly we were supposed to pull back. All was drawn up.

But while I was too busy trying to stick to the plans we drew up, so many unplanned things got in the way that caught me by surprise. Shahrol and Ben’s going away put things in perspective and after a while I get more casual about things nowadays.

These days if people ask me why I still bother – looking back, Ben was perhaps the single biggest influence in my life during my formative years (apart from my parents); why would I not want to be the same with these kids?

More photos @ Facebook

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

JJ (JasmanG dan Januari)


January 6 nearly came and go without an event (apart from the temporary euphoria in the Male-ing List) because everyone was just so busy, yet it was saved by an unexpected presence of a batchmate whom most of us have not met since 1994.

Ja (for JasmanG HassanG) came back for good from Japan after all the years in the Land of the Rising Sun. He has not changed a bit size-wise (maybe we all ought to move to Japan to be slim) and is a perfect real life imitation of Nobita (the cartoon character, not the one from Class of 97).

Spontaneously we decided to have a small gathering (which was also timed to coincide with the Mighty Ducks meeting to discuss the camping next week) - this time in Shah Alam since we do not want to argue to much with the new Pak Haji (Abang Mang the Jadi) who insisted that we started off with a wall climbing do (he actually brought all the harness and stuff – most people were more interested in using them for bondage rather than the wall climbing).

I had to fetch Ja (who is now staying at Wisma Belia – dia OK la duduk Wisma Belia muka macam belia, kalau aku duduk Wisma Belia orang kata paedophile) but was delayed by almost 2 hours as I was stuck in office till 9+ pm. Considering that Ja was the celebrated VIP that night, such a delay was tolerated as a part of the grand entrance.

By the time we reached Shah Alam’s Extreme Park (ye ke ni Wong?) it was nearly 1030 pm. Mighty Ducks meeting started soon after (which I will blog later) and before long Ja was left on his own ha ha ha catching up with others.

At least we did meet up this year and I promise 6 January 2010 will be a lot bigger than this (for 20th anniversary I see Prep School…… he he).

10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT JASMANg HASSANg

1) Bapak dia nama HassanG dari Terengganu.

2) Antara mangsa pertama keganasan seorang prefect Prep School 1990. Ada satu malam tu, rasanya Ja ada excited semacam so dia terlompat-lompat macam pocong (dalam surau ke ni?). Lepas tu dalam keenakan tidur sebab tak puas tidur dalam kelas Sejarah Cikgu Shaharudin Mat Asek (HEM), tiba-tiba satu malam tu dengar loceng (kring, kringgg, kringggggggggggg...). Common Room la pulak malam2 ni. Di fast forward kan, Ja salah seorang criminal utama malam tu sebab melompat-lompat macam pocong. Prefect yang sorang ni suruh lah Nobita dari Teghanung ni demo balik macam mana dia lompat2; tengah-tengah dia lompat, pada ketinggian 2.31 kaki dan kecondongan ke depan pada 21 darjah, PAAAAAANGGG tangan kasar si prefect ni jatuh ke muka Ja. Tercabut spek bulat Nobita Ja jatuh ke lantai Common Room – tapi bagaikan ada magic Doraemon, Ja terus melompat-lompat sehinggalah disuruh berhenti.


3) Oleh kerana kepakaran Ja melompat pada ketinggian dan kecondongan yang tepat untuk ditampar tanpa dia jatuh tersungkur, dia nak patentkan bentuk lompatan dan hukuman yang dia kena jadi satu modul latihan ala2 BTN. Kitorang akan test kan keberkesanan teknik melompat macam ni dalam semua camping2 yang akan diadakan dan diuji ke atas anak2 itik di Kuala.

4) Ja juga adalah pemegang rekod satu-satunya budak batch yang dihukum stapler di tangan, oleh seorang lagi prefect. Aku rasa masa inspection kot, mula aku dengar hikayat penglipur lara (tapi perawinya Wonggek je pun, so banyak nasi tambah kot) prefect sorang tu gelak2 (“..awak boleh gelak lagi...panggg”) kat Ja, lepas tu dia letak stapler kat tangan Ja (ni ala2 nak check kuku la ni kot), dalam gelak-gelak tu.... PAAAAANG dia stapler kan tangan Ja (aku tak tahu nak nangis ke nak gelak – tapi selalunya gelak laa....). Modul ini pun akan cuba dipatenkan.

5) Ja adalah ahli Hexagon-tet (kalau 4 quartet, enam apa aah?) Klik Terengganu masa Form 1; yang dikira ancaman utama kepada semangat UniteFect! (“kami unite fect!” “Awak unite ke tak unite” “UNITE FECCCCCTTTTTT!” sambil mengiringi salakan anjing pada pukul 3 pagi di depan TAR Hall) dalam tahun 1990 kerana kepekatan spekong Terengganu yang hanya difahami oleh ahli2 Hexagon-tet sahaja. Contoh-contoh ungkapan yang dikira ancaman utama – “astaga wagelebeknyeng wastepekwek” dan “bang beghayuk mok mung” yang hanya dipopularkan oleh Haji Abang Mang the Jadi Man. (Tengok2 bila besar banyak la pulak nak kahwin ngan orang Teghanung kita e.g. Pyan @ Abu Harraz, Mattop dan lain-lain)

6) Sebagai ahli Hexagon-tet Teghanung, Ja jugak bernasib kurang baik kerana terpaksa menyertai ekspedisi menjejaki Kak Ramlah di satu pagi di Prep School. Cerita lanjut ekspedisi ini boleh dibaca di blog Cerita Bell. Aku rasa kitorang diselamatkan oleh gadget ala Doraemon malam tu, kalau tak dah lama dah KR jatuh hati ngan Wonggek yang hitam manis (compare ngan Nik kan ha ha ha).

7) Ja kelas PK2, belajor bahasa Perancis. Tengok bila besor pi Jepun and jadi orang Jepun la pulak.

8) Kalu dia gelak masa F1 dia keluar urat semerih.

9) Seluar pendek dia dulu ala2 fit di paha sikit, bukan fesyen kelambu macam Loque. Aku rasa kalau kau ukur, size kat peha dia tu konsisten je sampai kat atas.

10) Aku dah ngatuk la nak pikir item ke-10. Sebab semua kena relate ngan F1 masa kat Prep School bersempena mengingati 6 Januari. Korang tambah sendiri la kat bawah.

ps: Satu lagi rekod yang bakal dipegang Ja – adalah budak batch pertama kahwin ngan orang Jepun (padahal Bobo selalu tengok porn Jepun dulu, dia siap animatekan kat aku dengan sound sekali). Bulan March ni dia nak balik Jepun, kahwin and bawak bini dia balik sini. Aku awal2 cakap aku tak leh gi wedding dia kat Jepun!


Tuesday, January 06, 2009

6 January 1990

I can’t remember how Kuala Kangsar was the night I made my way there (and by mistake ended up at the Christian cemetery in Bukit Chandan).

I remember Prep School was full of lights and how majestic Big School was. I remember the emptiness and the fear that I had to part with my parents for good.

I can’t even remember what was it like on the registration day, except that Capoe made a complete fool of himself wearing the school uniform (ha ha ha). I remember Fadli (and Uncle and Auntie) looking very busy.

I remember the tears when my parents finally left.

The rest of the days are blurry now; not as vivid as we used to remember them. I know we constantly talk about the same stories and jokes over and over again, but mostly because we desperately want to remember them. Age does this terrible thing to us – it makes us forget.

I think I know the pain and long nights doing the push-ups, half way downs, all those duck walks, the Common Room session – the frustration (and loathing) when the prefects or seniors did the most terrible thing to your class during night preps. But I don’t remember how they were exactly.

I don’t even remember the greatest days of my life in MCKK – when I won PPM; or when I was splashed all over the newspapers with the then Deputy Prime Minister (and an heir apparent) for winning Carey Award. I don’t remember clearly any one of the Speech Day that I received prizes.

Age does this terrible thing to us.

But what I do remember is as follows.

I remember every single kindness that every single one of you had done to me. The early days with Awie and the Terengganu boys when we were inseparable.

I remember the random kindness that was small in deeds but big in virtue – the surprise birthday party your close friends organized for you, the small pat on your back by your bedmate telling you that all would be fine.

I remember the feeling of togetherness that if we were to go down, we go down as brothers and we would withstand pain and laughter as one. I remember the pride (and not anger or frustration) when I had to take the fall for my friends.

What I will not forget is how we have come a long way as friends and brothers – that the tie we knotted on that day is stronger than what we could have imagined when we were in koleq. I will remember how we grow up and learn to respect each other and accept people as they are.

I remember how for the last 19 years, there has always been someone who was there to catch me when I fall; without fail and unconditionally.

I remember because the kindness and the strong bond do not wane with age, it only gets stronger.

Thank you for the 19 years of the best part of my life – to be a part of something so humble and kind.

Happy 19th Anniversary Class of 94.


Fadli:
Lama sungguh aku sudah mengenali kalian semuaaaaaaaaaaaaa
19 years is it??So esok aku akan beREUNITE Fekt dengan Sheppe di Temasek sambil mengimbau kembali zaman aku masuk Prep School dengan Seluar Fluorescent colour hijau Pisang Muda.

Any other plans??19 years mannnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Tuanya akuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Sila lihat file attached


Bochap:
Hepi besday semua!

Dah tua dah kita..
yang dulu bujang, sekarang dah kahwin..
yang dah kahwin, dah beranak..

luv u all..
Long Life Yengko94!

Fadli:
Long Life (sic) Blood brudazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Boleh tak??


[long live laaa Fadli…]

Mpro:
Selamat menyambut ulangtahun ke 19…..

Epit:
selamat panjang umur. murah rezeki.

awie mana? sibuk penamaan calon ke? awie ke, kno ke - buat la satu entry colourful kat foyer, blog bell dan blog noni kapet untuk mengingati hari ini.

sekadar mencadangkan.


Chibiok:
selamat ulangtahun semua budak2 90-94 ..