Jump!★

Its semester break now; came back on the 29th even though the official release date was 30th because our Komandan is just so kind-hearted. :) Went to MMU to pick up sis right after picking me up and people actually knows me because of her and some of our schoolmates. ._. As usual, they were really shocked at our similarity...

Omg Light is so big already! @.@ There is an outline of her previous shell size - its so small. Currently she's just smaller than my palm and I can no longer hide her completely under 2 palms like a house. Let her swim around in my uncle's aquarium and she actually analyses her surroundings now; she swims really slowly and look at the big fishes (can't put her with the little fishes cuz she'll eat them and their heads will be floating on the surface in the end).

22.04, Tues (Day 18)

Took my 1st ever Light Duty slip which progressed in vain because I did not have the chance to sit around while people are doing kawad or TTS. ;_; Everybody was resting and nothing particularly active or aggressive took place because it was raining.

Feel so wasted... OTZ Light Duty = no light duty.

I feel so tired nowadays - too tired. My hair is still wet now, so I don't wanna sleep first, but my eyes feel heavy. Its 23:05 currently.

Some people were chosen to perform an opening flower kawad performance in front of some important people sometime in the future. Of course, I was not chosen. It can be viewed in both perspective; I was not chosen cuz I'm not good enough (even though I do a whole lot better than most) and that is sad. But on another note, I don't have to do intensive training under the scorching sun.

Kept coughing and having sore throat nowadays. Almost everyone is coughing. My throat and abs hurt from coughing.

Today evening, we discussed amongst ourselves which jurulatih is cute. LOL I admit there are not-bad jurulatihs here, but I think they are married. Let me put it in another way; even if they look cute, I have no interest other than adoration and admiration. 

And as a common and general observation, the male JLs are fit, tall and some young. While on the other hand, the female JLs are a little bit more overweight. OK, some a lot more but I don't wanna be mean.

No class tomorrow~ We are doing Pertolongan Cemas! And probably, most probably, the Kembara Halangan on Thurs.

[Pertolongan Cemas - First Aid]
[Kembara Halangan - obstacle course]

The flower kawad is actually Kawad Senyap where they march without noise. And the KH didn't actually happened on Thurs as you will read later on. Nothing ever follows schedule here.

23.04, Wed (Day 19)

Its raining heavily now. The sound of people practicing for the performance this Fri reverberates throughout the dewan makan. Currently, I'm waiting for dinner.

We had practice (kawad) today that we'll have to do on Fri in front of the Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan when he comes to merasmikan our program. The jurulatihs said that we should feel grateful and lucky that someone so important is going to merasmi for us.

Its scorching hot; we have been practising since 9 until about 4 with breaks in between. We have to repeat the whole perasmian procedure a total of 4 times, and more for Alpha cuz the boys kept doing it wrong.

I can feel sweat trickling (maybe flowing would be a better description) down my body and legs - its like a shower. I take off my specs during kawad cuz if not, it'll leave a specs mark. XD Thinking of asking Mummy to bring contacts, but I can still see without specs...

My lower back started hurting halfway during kawad. Now its still hurting; I'm trying to promote blood circulation by massaging it. 

My request to change to Christian class has been approved; I feel so thankful. I have to see the Ustaz, who turned out to be fit and handsome, to discuss about my situation. We sat outside the medic on the chairs & because of this, I did not feel so tense.


For days, I have been pondering over this matter; it caused me to be restless & I have less appetite for food.

Now all I have to deal with is the awkwardness of being a new person & the questions friends will ask. But this is what I want, so I shall endure. がんばって、わたし！

p.s. I thought the Ustaz is gonna be some old dude, so I was gaping slightly & staring when he walked into the office. Its unbelievable. He was wearing a green army attire & it just blew my mind.

[dewan makan - canteen]
[Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan - Deputy Defense Minister]
[rasmi - to made official]
['がんばって、わたし！' - 'Try your best, myself!']

One thing I have to say: I really am grateful to be able to switch and I never regretted joining. It will then hold a lot of precious memories for me. I really, really like attending Christian class.

24.04, Thurs (Day 20)

Two days ago, there was a child bat perching upside down between the wooden beams of the jurulatih's pondok. It was so damn cute!! <3 <3 <3 I stood up on the pondok (which was not allowed btw), I can see its tiny head. Its mouth was opening & closing, the same way people do when they are taste-testing something. I was entranced; I never thought it'll be moving! >.<

I never thought that I'll be able to see a bat, let alone in a place like this. It wasn't even that dark, so I count that as a blessing. I'm not certain if I'd seen a bat before, but I'd never seen one this close.

But it was gone today. Have fun, little bat!


[pondok - resting hut]



26.04, Sat (Day 22)

Seeing that I have nothing to do now, I might as well write.

I started Christian class this Wed, upon the permission of the Ustaz.. We each got a bible in our preferred language and we have the choice of either returning it at the end of 3 months, or keeping it. Definitely I'm gonna keep it cuz

(1) Its an easy-to-read version.

(2) Its like a compilation of a lot of short stories.

The layout makes it easy to read & to navigate. Even a newbie like me can catch on. One good thing is that I don't feel sleepy & time passes quickly during class.

Yesterday, some of us that didn't have the chance to go to DSA, went to UPM. Even though I went to DSA, I still went to UPM cuz some people were on Light Duty. So, I make myself believe that I was fortunate to be able to go to both.

It was about 9pm, maybe, when we reached UPM. I was like what the hell are we doing there so late?? Then we went to a hall, up a stairs, & sat on a 'box' seat. OK la, its not a box, but its upstairs facing the stage, so its a 'box' seat.

The screens on the stage showed something 'Pidato', 'Bahasa Malaysia', and 'Piala Perdana Menteri'. I was still confused.

After a while, I heard the emcee announcing the arrival of someone, and by the sound of 'Najib', people stood up and we all tried to see if it was really him.

Then I saw that bald & white head of his; he was walking along the red carpet. Immediately, I was enveloped with a weird kind of feeling; touched. I have no idea why.

Perhaps it was because I never thought I'd see someone so important but it was a strangely touching moment for me.

Later, he gave a speech, and when he greeted "Salam satu Malaysia", we shouted "Malaysia Boleh!" like how we learnt in camp. The auditorium was immediately silent. Then claps and cheers rang throughout.

It was a surreal, important and thrilling scene. Nobody had expected that, and I'm glad to be there.

Oh yeah, yesterday too, in the morning, the Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan came to our camp to merasmikan our program. I wore my specs irregardless of the sun because I want to see his face. XD I wanted to see how he looks like.

Some girls from Bravo & Charlie joined us because our line was too short (about half the Alpha girls joined the performances). Renee from Bravo was beside me and secretly, I was delighted because I'd always thought that she was nice and friendly. She has that cool, but fun elder sister vibe. She's tall too.

She asked if I had kawad before & I told her no, except for the 1 or 2 times I simply joined (for the sake of Sports Day). Then she told me that my kawad was good, with a thumbs up, and I thanked her shyly. >.< But I was so happy for my effort in kawad was realized!

Unfortunately, she went home today, to start her studies. Another friend gone... Yesterday, we sang to her (me, not so much, cuz I don't know Mandarin songs) & we all got a bit emotional. I felt a spear through my heart when I heard that she was going back.

I hugged her yesterday, after taking her contacts and stuff, and again today when she was about to go back. I will miss her so much... ;_; Thank you for not hating me when I did such a noob job at giving commands on that one Friday (cuz I am the replacing OC for non-muslims).


Pics for duty day:






27.04, Sun (Day 23)

There is a boy; his name is Andrew. I like to look at him because when he smiles, his whole face lits up.

Today we went to the Catholic church; Holy Family Church. It is just directly opposite New Era College. The first thing I noticed was the huge amount of people - I had never seen such a festive church.

And much to my delight, it was those kind of church that has seats, semi-circle, before the stage and the stage was decorated with statues, portraits, pictured glass windows and some backdrop. It was very different from the modern churches that I have visited.

I had always wanted to visit one of these churches. Vintage, wooden, statues. What captured my interest and curiosity more than the set up of the church was the ceremony. There were actually priests that wears a long cloth that falls in front and back of them, and on each front and back, there was a t sign. It reminded me very much of Kuroshitsuji, that episode when they went to church.

When the priests walked in, the leading person was holding an intricate pole-like thing, behind him, bigger priests follow. They were even wearing a headdress; it was such a spectacular scene.

The songs and hymns they sing were also different from the churches I'd been to; their's were more musical and orchestra-ish, and I can't help thinking what a great melody it might have been for animes. To put it simply, it sounded like Yuki Kajiura's music used for BGMs and fighting scenes. Very, very different from the more upbeat music I've heard before.

I feel like I was travelling, instead of going there just for the sake of going to church. I see it as a touristy kinda spot because its so cultural and beautiful. And not to mention that they seem to be more intensely focused; its interesting. I'll treat this as a study.



28.04, Mon (Day 24)

Just finished breakfast & I'm leaning on the pondok while waiting. The air is kinda chilly, so its comfortable. Ah, we have to baris now.

[baris - line up]



29.04, Tues (Day 25)

This week will mark my one month stay here, time really passes by so quickly. In a blink of an eye, everything will be over.

Currently, its about 6:30am, or earlier. We had an early breakfast cuz we have a photography session later. I came out to write on the jurulatih's pondok instead of eating cuz I had eaten in the dorm. I'm kinda in a neutral hungry-full state now, but I don't wanna eat in case I get too full.

Yesternight while I was wrapped in a towel in the dorm, ready to go have my bath, the teacher was there. She said I'm very fair. >.< Now I'm known for my fair complexion.

We have Kembara Halangan today!! =D I have waited for this moment! The boys are doing Pertolongan Cemas for today. And for the sake of the obstacle course, I wore contacts. Its so comfortable...

This Friday, I'm going back for cuti to check my braces & I get to come back on Sunday before 5. I have got to use this chance wisely & to the fullest! I wanna have a family dinner, I wanna surf the net, I wanna see my friends! I'm planning to stay up a lil bit late to type out my 2 weeks in NS in my blog~ /talk now/

***

We just had a photography session just now; 2 photos; 1 for company, 1 for wirawati. I was at the front standing row for company and the front-center person for wirawati!! XD

Now all our flags have been suspended cuz everyone forgot to keep their flags after the photography session. Merit, gone.

***

Luckily the teachers didn't suspend the flag... Now its raining heavily. We had just finished a mentor-mentee session. For the first time, I didn't mind opening up about myself & my background. I feel fortunate to know the friends I know now; it didn't feel forced or awkward cuz to me, they are friends, not just company mates.

[cuti - holiday/break]

I like the mentor-mentee sessions cuz they are fun; but we didn't have much of them.

01.05, Thurs (Day 27)

We had a holiday today as it was Labour Day. Finally, a promised holiday that is like a holiday. I woke up at 4:30am, even though we have to assemble by 7, because I wanted to pee. XD 

I saw Mushroom waking up & going to the toilet so I followed. Later I went back to sleep & woke up at 5:30. Too much time, as it was raining so I don't have to wash my clothes.

After breakfast, we get to go up. Did some spring cleaning (the whole dorm), made our organisation stuff (duty rooster, organisation chart, decorations, etc) & I rearranged my whole locker. Aisyah went back all of a sudden 2 days ago & now we have to move our beds one bed forward because we can't have an empty bed in front.

I remembered the shock a lot of us felt when she discovered that her father suddenly came & fetched her away. She wrote us a letter with her phone number & a message. I cried. Not as much as some though, but I felt sincerely sad because she was very attached to us (because she was learning Chinese) & we to her. She was the closest Malay friend I ever had.

In this one month alone, 3 friends were gone. Cried - teared - twice. 2nd batch is unfair, ultimately.

Back to today. After lunch (we came down), I rested a little, bathed & chatted with friends. I laid on my bed with Ying & Cindy was on her bed, which was next to mine. The other day, the teacher questioned why 2 Chinese were sleeping next to each other, I shrugged. I did wonder too. Later, Ying went back to her dorm (she's in 1, I'm in 2) & I slept. For 3 hours!

But it was kinda hot & there were mosquito bites all over me when I woke up. Arghhh. /spams mosquito cream/

***

Just went out to the pondok to sit for a while just now & Big Head was having her 3rd nosebleed today. She was reluctant to go to the Medic & just had a tissue stuffed up her nostril.

Suddenly Cikgu Ng appeared (I seriously don't know from where) & the others told him about Big Head. Big Head kept saying that she doesn't want to go; then Cikgu Ng gave her 2 choices:

(1) "You either go to the Medic,"

(2) "Or you go back home for penangguhan."

We all "Hah?!" so loudly. Then Big Head still had no response; he added

(3) "Or you marry me."

We "Hah?!" even louder and laughed!

Then she went to the Medic.

[Cikgu - teacher]
[penangguhan - deferment]

Even now I still think that 2nd batch is the most unfair. I feel so lonely whenever I think of the friends that went back and all the time we spent crying (OK, I mostly teared only). You will read more about this later...