When I was a young senior (or an old junior) in form four, my lovely house, Razak, organized a writing competition. They made it compulsory for all students to take part…although I hardly remember all the details now.
The undisputed “King Of Writing” at that time was no other than a certain Hazri Azizan. He scored a good, above-average mark in every monthly test of Bahasa Melayu. His composition always made it to the top, regularly photocopied and circulated among other students as a benchmark. He was often praised by Mr Kipli Ali, our Jaafar Onn look-alike teacher at the said time.
Hazri was indeed a good writer. He followed the teacher’s instruction very well…and he possessed a rare creativity. His “3 warriors” piece, which he wrote for the competition, was a hard proof for his talent.
In 1999, when I was a raw form two student, under the guidance of Mr Kamarudin Othman (KO), I wrote something about a lifecycle of a housefly’s life. It was a totally useless piece, a crap composition, and up to this day, I still couldn’t figure out how on earth I got the nerve to write it.
It was a short story centering on a sorry housefly born in the morning, got married in the afternoon, divorced shortly after that, back to his wife again not long afterwards, and then in the evening was brutally hit to death by a woman when it accidentally landed on a so-called “Puding kelabu”.
A total crap however you look or read it, Mr KO rightly failed it almost instantly. He remarked that it was a negative composition…and the whole class altogether was having a good laugh back then. There was no hard feeling…because I wrote it purely for fun, not for grade.
In another case, we were doing a grammar revision, and we were instructed to construct a sentence out of a certain word. In one of the exercises, I wrote
"Gerakan mencari dan menyelamat mangsa banjir di kampung tersebut gagal kerana kampung tersebut memang tidak banjir”
I was a playful boy back then, and Mr KO hilarious approach to teaching wasn’t much of a help. I took a lighter side of learning, unlike my peers who faced it on a serious note. All this nonsense stopped once I was preparing for PMR examination. Mr Taufik was a somewhat serious character…and it was during this period that I endured a change to my personality.
In form 4, we were having a period of uncertainty. In the first BM class ever under Mr Kipli, he asked us to prepare a composition of 600 words. 600 words! That was a very long and tiring writing. Form 4 was a distance memory of form 3, where I was having a smooth ride. SPM was after all, a different league compared to PMR.
Back to the essay episode, the deadline for the writing competition was drawing nearer. Yet I still hadn’t prepared anything. Forced by the pressing deadline, I reluctantly headed to my locker one night to pick necessary items for writing. On the way up to the preparation class, I spotted a couple chatting and having a good laugh just under the stair.
And so I decided to write something about them. Just halfway through the essay, I felt very sleepy…and I wrote “ Kepalaku terasa berat seperti diikat setandan kelapa…”. In short, I was writing a true story just as the things happened!
In the end, after putting in some fictions towards the end, I wrapped up the composition with great relief. I was among the last person to hand in the essay to Mr Kipli. It was done in such a hurry. No way could it match the likes of “3 warriors” piece by Hazri. 3 warriors was a short poem about our three wardens at that time, Mr Safri and his two other members, the comical Mr Razali (Ragi) and Mr Yogi-B (because he is a drop bit like Yogi-B)
When the result was announced, how surprised I was. I beat Hazri to the second place, with the winner went to Hikmah, if my mind served me right. 3 warriors was down to third place. And my essay was printed in Razak’s monthly circulation. Quite an achievement for me…and I truly never expected that.
* Originally written under the title of "English : The Farcical Fuss"
* "3 Warriors" is a loose translation of "3 Sekawan", a Malay poem originally written by Hazri
Monday, March 9, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
My life so far...
1. Hafiz moved out three days ago...but left his garments. Maybe he still wants to stay here.
2. Tide of recession is coming onshore. My monthly salary is cut by half...I was even forced to take an extra day off. Already struggling to make ends meet, this surely struck me as a big blow. Can I survived?
3. Hafiz, on the recommendation of Abang Salim, took the job at JM. I was not very keen on him picking up that job. As I mentioned in my earlier entry, my workplace is "politically infected". You have to be shrewd enough to survive. But I'll assist him as far as I can.
4. My cough gradually subsided. I don't know what kind of virus that had bugged me all month long, but it did put me into an uncomfortable condition.
5. I surfed Firdaus the 'Papa's blog. Came to know about this talented Yuna. I heard she hailed from Kangar. Terrific talent...one of a kind. Hope to meet her in person someday.
6. Shuhada was sacked. It was terrible...and the way Yana mentioned about her sacking was terrible as well. They weren't visibly at loggerheads with each other...but I think there was some 'envious' feeling entrenched in Yana.
7. Shuhada was getting close with Adli. Yana seemed to have a feeling for Adli, before Shuhada made her unprecedented move. Wahida asked me about Shuhada and Adli's relation, but I asked her to refer to them instead for a clearer answer. They politely dismissed the speculation as rubbish.
8. Shuhada did came once in a while, but I haven't seen her for over a week. Really hope to see her again.
2. Tide of recession is coming onshore. My monthly salary is cut by half...I was even forced to take an extra day off. Already struggling to make ends meet, this surely struck me as a big blow. Can I survived?
3. Hafiz, on the recommendation of Abang Salim, took the job at JM. I was not very keen on him picking up that job. As I mentioned in my earlier entry, my workplace is "politically infected". You have to be shrewd enough to survive. But I'll assist him as far as I can.
4. My cough gradually subsided. I don't know what kind of virus that had bugged me all month long, but it did put me into an uncomfortable condition.
5. I surfed Firdaus the 'Papa's blog. Came to know about this talented Yuna. I heard she hailed from Kangar. Terrific talent...one of a kind. Hope to meet her in person someday.
6. Shuhada was sacked. It was terrible...and the way Yana mentioned about her sacking was terrible as well. They weren't visibly at loggerheads with each other...but I think there was some 'envious' feeling entrenched in Yana.
7. Shuhada was getting close with Adli. Yana seemed to have a feeling for Adli, before Shuhada made her unprecedented move. Wahida asked me about Shuhada and Adli's relation, but I asked her to refer to them instead for a clearer answer. They politely dismissed the speculation as rubbish.
8. Shuhada did came once in a while, but I haven't seen her for over a week. Really hope to see her again.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tunjangman!
Almost a year ago (March 31, 2008), I left a comment on BigGuy's personal blog (zakhir.blogspot.com). The comment read as :
Pancasara said...
I'm from Tunjang...a small cowboy town next to Jerlun. You must have passed through it on your way to Jerlun.
Been following you and your thoughts since the last two years...you have my full respect and admiration.
Perjuangan memang belum selesai...cuma kena wat sesuatu dengan golongan-golongan muda...terutama pelajar IPT.
Banyak sangat yang dah kena rasuk anasir pembangkang, kalau tak diperbetulkan, tak mustahil satu hari nanti UMNO akan berkubur.Teruskan berjuang...bro!
March 31, 2008 2:42 AM
Guess what his reply was?
Zakhir's Zoo said...
Tunjangman,
Terima kasih.
Ya, Tuan memang betul. Perlu banyak dilakukan untuk mendekatkan diri kepada golongan muda, terutama anak Melayu dikawasan desa dan luar bandar.
Apa pun, Perjuangan Memang Belum Selesai dan tanggungjawab kita bersama, untuk menentukan Perjuangan itu diteruskan, demi kepentingan anak bangsa dan generasi akan datang.
InsyaAllah.
April 4, 2008 10:29 PM
http://zakhir.blogspot.com/2008/03/mukhriz-won-in-jerlun.html
Tunjangman?
Sounds cool...
Pancasara said...
I'm from Tunjang...a small cowboy town next to Jerlun. You must have passed through it on your way to Jerlun.
Been following you and your thoughts since the last two years...you have my full respect and admiration.
Perjuangan memang belum selesai...cuma kena wat sesuatu dengan golongan-golongan muda...terutama pelajar IPT.
Banyak sangat yang dah kena rasuk anasir pembangkang, kalau tak diperbetulkan, tak mustahil satu hari nanti UMNO akan berkubur.Teruskan berjuang...bro!
March 31, 2008 2:42 AM
Guess what his reply was?
Zakhir's Zoo said...
Tunjangman,
Terima kasih.
Ya, Tuan memang betul. Perlu banyak dilakukan untuk mendekatkan diri kepada golongan muda, terutama anak Melayu dikawasan desa dan luar bandar.
Apa pun, Perjuangan Memang Belum Selesai dan tanggungjawab kita bersama, untuk menentukan Perjuangan itu diteruskan, demi kepentingan anak bangsa dan generasi akan datang.
InsyaAllah.
April 4, 2008 10:29 PM
http://zakhir.blogspot.com/2008/03/mukhriz-won-in-jerlun.html
Tunjangman?
Sounds cool...
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Books, work, and life...
Just finished reading "China : The Gathering Threat". At 514 pages (excluding endnotes, index) this giant book remains the thickest book I've ever read. I have a bad habit of reading...I failed almost every single time to put the finishing touch everytime I read a particular book. Sayang nak baca sampai habis. Very bad habit...
Microtrends should follow suit...just few pages remaining. So too Zoom. Deep down, I still hankered for Naomi Kleinn's "A Shock Doctrine"...but I don't have enough money left.
Regarding my daily life, nothing much has changed. My workplace is still blanketed by heavy politics..you have to be prudent in your every move to avoid any unnecessary backlash.
I'm no master in politics...but by playing my cards right, I dodged every problems that fall on my path up to this day. I don't how long will all this continue...but I enjoyed my life now very much.
I am at the crossroad of my life...still looking for a tinge of hope. Do I have the necessary ingredients to sail through this chaotic life? And I miss somebody very much...although she would have forgotten me completely by now. All in all, life must goes on...so I don't have much choice then...
Microtrends should follow suit...just few pages remaining. So too Zoom. Deep down, I still hankered for Naomi Kleinn's "A Shock Doctrine"...but I don't have enough money left.
Regarding my daily life, nothing much has changed. My workplace is still blanketed by heavy politics..you have to be prudent in your every move to avoid any unnecessary backlash.
I'm no master in politics...but by playing my cards right, I dodged every problems that fall on my path up to this day. I don't how long will all this continue...but I enjoyed my life now very much.
I am at the crossroad of my life...still looking for a tinge of hope. Do I have the necessary ingredients to sail through this chaotic life? And I miss somebody very much...although she would have forgotten me completely by now. All in all, life must goes on...so I don't have much choice then...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Virus
Awal bulan ni, aku kena serang selesema.
Ingatkan biasa-biasa...mula-mula amik Panadol Soluble.
Tapi selesema tak jugak hilang.
Lepas dua minggu, mula surut sikit.
Tapi masih tak keluar sepenuhnya "Virus" nih.
Dua minggu lepas, pi main badminton.
Habis main, rasa macam nak pitam.
Dalam tengah pening-pening, rasa macam nak tidur.
Hafiz ajak keluar minum.
Kepala rasa panas, kepala rasa pusing.
Dah habis minum, cepat-cepat balik.
Selang berapa hari, batuk pulak menjelma.
Kronik jugak, sampai sempat tinggal wasiat kat Hafiz.
Dia tanya nak wasiatkan awek mana kat dia.
Macam mana nak wasiatkan benda yang tak ada.
Tolong jaga bilik ni sudah la kot.
Dengan motor Wave yang dah banyak berjasa tu.
Ipin sampai tak lama kemudian, nak cari kerja.
Lama betul tak jumpa dia.
Tapi, jumpa pulak tak lama.
Hafiz balik rumah, Ipin pun sama kemudian.
Ubat 'inhibitor' plak dah nak habis...kena keluar duit lagi.
RM160 bukan sikit, kalau aku sedara Bill Gates takpa jugak.
Dah la tiap-tiap bulan kena tempah.
Tapi aku terima semua ni sebagai takdir.
Mungkin aku dah banyak berdosa sebelum ni.
Kalau boleh patah balik masa, kalau boleh aku nak tukar semua.
Batuk makin kurang dari hari ke hari.
Hari ni dah minimum, esok mungkin hilang.
Ni sakit paling teruk dalam tempoh dua tahun.
Jangkitan virus komputer?
Mungkin...
Ingatkan biasa-biasa...mula-mula amik Panadol Soluble.
Tapi selesema tak jugak hilang.
Lepas dua minggu, mula surut sikit.
Tapi masih tak keluar sepenuhnya "Virus" nih.
Dua minggu lepas, pi main badminton.
Habis main, rasa macam nak pitam.
Dalam tengah pening-pening, rasa macam nak tidur.
Hafiz ajak keluar minum.
Kepala rasa panas, kepala rasa pusing.
Dah habis minum, cepat-cepat balik.
Selang berapa hari, batuk pulak menjelma.
Kronik jugak, sampai sempat tinggal wasiat kat Hafiz.
Dia tanya nak wasiatkan awek mana kat dia.
Macam mana nak wasiatkan benda yang tak ada.
Tolong jaga bilik ni sudah la kot.
Dengan motor Wave yang dah banyak berjasa tu.
Ipin sampai tak lama kemudian, nak cari kerja.
Lama betul tak jumpa dia.
Tapi, jumpa pulak tak lama.
Hafiz balik rumah, Ipin pun sama kemudian.
Ubat 'inhibitor' plak dah nak habis...kena keluar duit lagi.
RM160 bukan sikit, kalau aku sedara Bill Gates takpa jugak.
Dah la tiap-tiap bulan kena tempah.
Tapi aku terima semua ni sebagai takdir.
Mungkin aku dah banyak berdosa sebelum ni.
Kalau boleh patah balik masa, kalau boleh aku nak tukar semua.
Batuk makin kurang dari hari ke hari.
Hari ni dah minimum, esok mungkin hilang.
Ni sakit paling teruk dalam tempoh dua tahun.
Jangkitan virus komputer?
Mungkin...
Friday, February 6, 2009
A quiet change
I have a little brother, Fauzi. He is the fourth of the family, out of five. My siblings are quite unique…all were born in December, my sister and my youngest brother even shared the same birth date.
I am an exception, however. So too Fauzi. I was born on August, whereas Fauzi was on February, the same month of my mother. Fauzi has this one special trait…he will spurt out anything that crosses his mind. Anything! He doesn’t think twice nor has a second thought about what he will say. This causes him so much trouble…and he always ended up being in a fight or a quarrel with somebody over what he had said.
He never backs down on his words. He will say what he means, and means what he says…although sometimes he have no idea how serious the things he had just blurted out.
If somebody asked my friends who knew me after 2000 to describe something about me, I’m pretty sure 9 out of 10 will say that I am a man of few words…the one that hardly said anything. No one would have believe it if I say that prior to 2000, I was just like my little brother, Fauzi. Even my friends who had been around me the period of 1998-2002 forget this fact. People tend to forget easily…they say, mudah lupa.
I remember in one occasion, back in 1998, I was having a conversation with a certain Adi Saufi Mohamad Daud. I said to him, I feared being scolded by fellow seniors, as we were a fresh batch of juniors, and couldn’t quite understand the norm in boarding school. To my surprise, he boldly stated, which up until this day, I could still recall precisely his every single words…
“Engkau memang! Sebab mulut kau tu!”
His frank answer caught me by surprise. But I was so small and stupid that time, I couldn’t understand anything. And it didn’t stop there. On another occasion, I was saying something towards Ridhuan Zhafri (KLON, as we used to call him) which provoked him so much, and he simultaneously said
“Kau ingat badan kau kecik aku kesian nak belasah kau ke?!”
But it all changed in 2000. I couldn’t remember what really happened that changed me very much, but part of it was because the looming PMR exams. I studied seriously, and I became extremely quite. I didn’t talk to anyone for months…and when I started to talk afterwards, I couldn’t put up a proper sentence! I’d been muted for such a long time that I forgot how to construct a conversation.
In one occasion, to justify my state of silence, I said to Haikal Zakaria, one of my best friends at the time, that Allah created two ears, two eyes, but one mouth, so that we should listen more, see more, and talk less. Haikal didn’t quite agree with me…and the next day, he came up with a good reply. In an amusing way, he said we should berzikir more. I agreed with him…but I still hold my earlier argument true.
The tipping point was the year 2000. It changed me so much that I was never the same person anymore. I started to think carefully about what to say as not to hurt other’s feeling. Now, no one remembers what I was like prior to 2000. It is deeply embedded in their mind that I am a "quiet, non-talkative" person. Even Lan (Loqman Afiq) expressed his displeasure at me for teasing Icam somewhere in 2002, because he thought I was being unnatural. I used to be very quiet…he reckoned. Just 4 years earlier, that same behavior of mine wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows.
And up until this day, I hardly say anything to anyone. My eyes work twice as much as my mouth…as I am an avid reader. Some will say I am a quite man due to my fondness of reading…but I developed this habit long before 2000…since I was in primary school. I remember being a regular to my village library (Perpustakaan Desa), and read almost every book in that small library.
I’m not sure if Fauzi would follow my path…but for the moment, it is highly unlikely. He currently is in form two…maybe in a year or two, he will experience a massive change of personality, just like me. Who knows?
I am an exception, however. So too Fauzi. I was born on August, whereas Fauzi was on February, the same month of my mother. Fauzi has this one special trait…he will spurt out anything that crosses his mind. Anything! He doesn’t think twice nor has a second thought about what he will say. This causes him so much trouble…and he always ended up being in a fight or a quarrel with somebody over what he had said.
He never backs down on his words. He will say what he means, and means what he says…although sometimes he have no idea how serious the things he had just blurted out.
If somebody asked my friends who knew me after 2000 to describe something about me, I’m pretty sure 9 out of 10 will say that I am a man of few words…the one that hardly said anything. No one would have believe it if I say that prior to 2000, I was just like my little brother, Fauzi. Even my friends who had been around me the period of 1998-2002 forget this fact. People tend to forget easily…they say, mudah lupa.
I remember in one occasion, back in 1998, I was having a conversation with a certain Adi Saufi Mohamad Daud. I said to him, I feared being scolded by fellow seniors, as we were a fresh batch of juniors, and couldn’t quite understand the norm in boarding school. To my surprise, he boldly stated, which up until this day, I could still recall precisely his every single words…
“Engkau memang! Sebab mulut kau tu!”
His frank answer caught me by surprise. But I was so small and stupid that time, I couldn’t understand anything. And it didn’t stop there. On another occasion, I was saying something towards Ridhuan Zhafri (KLON, as we used to call him) which provoked him so much, and he simultaneously said
“Kau ingat badan kau kecik aku kesian nak belasah kau ke?!”
But it all changed in 2000. I couldn’t remember what really happened that changed me very much, but part of it was because the looming PMR exams. I studied seriously, and I became extremely quite. I didn’t talk to anyone for months…and when I started to talk afterwards, I couldn’t put up a proper sentence! I’d been muted for such a long time that I forgot how to construct a conversation.
In one occasion, to justify my state of silence, I said to Haikal Zakaria, one of my best friends at the time, that Allah created two ears, two eyes, but one mouth, so that we should listen more, see more, and talk less. Haikal didn’t quite agree with me…and the next day, he came up with a good reply. In an amusing way, he said we should berzikir more. I agreed with him…but I still hold my earlier argument true.
The tipping point was the year 2000. It changed me so much that I was never the same person anymore. I started to think carefully about what to say as not to hurt other’s feeling. Now, no one remembers what I was like prior to 2000. It is deeply embedded in their mind that I am a "quiet, non-talkative" person. Even Lan (Loqman Afiq) expressed his displeasure at me for teasing Icam somewhere in 2002, because he thought I was being unnatural. I used to be very quiet…he reckoned. Just 4 years earlier, that same behavior of mine wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows.
And up until this day, I hardly say anything to anyone. My eyes work twice as much as my mouth…as I am an avid reader. Some will say I am a quite man due to my fondness of reading…but I developed this habit long before 2000…since I was in primary school. I remember being a regular to my village library (Perpustakaan Desa), and read almost every book in that small library.
I’m not sure if Fauzi would follow my path…but for the moment, it is highly unlikely. He currently is in form two…maybe in a year or two, he will experience a massive change of personality, just like me. Who knows?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Virus Attack
My loyal computer has been infected by powerful virus almost 3 weeks ago. The screen went blank...and I couldn't start my computer. At first I thought the problem lied with the monitor...I even considering allocating some money for a new monitor.
But Izhar mentioned about the possibility of virus infection. Maybe he was right...as I was unable to open and view "Gokusen" movie in my hard-disk, before my the screen went entirely blank.
Saiful came to the rescue...he installed a new antivirus (Kaspersky) and rectified the lingering problem. But he's going back tomorrow...leaving me alone as usual. Hafiz still hasn't return...even I don't know his whereabout. I thought he spent the night in Yat's house.
I made second contacts with Shuhada today...the first being yesterday. She confirmed his liking for Tariq...a shocking revelation. I thought she was just playing around. It was my fault after all...my initial reaction towards her must have put her in a difficult and strange condition. I still couldn't get rid of my state of nervousness after all.
Shuhada is a young girl...even she herself doesn't sure about herself. Her contacts and friendship with Waheeda make things more complicated. But seeing Shuhada and Waheeda in a same frame delighted me...these two girls are quite special. I tried to convince Shuhada to stay...but would she follow my plea?
But Izhar mentioned about the possibility of virus infection. Maybe he was right...as I was unable to open and view "Gokusen" movie in my hard-disk, before my the screen went entirely blank.
Saiful came to the rescue...he installed a new antivirus (Kaspersky) and rectified the lingering problem. But he's going back tomorrow...leaving me alone as usual. Hafiz still hasn't return...even I don't know his whereabout. I thought he spent the night in Yat's house.
I made second contacts with Shuhada today...the first being yesterday. She confirmed his liking for Tariq...a shocking revelation. I thought she was just playing around. It was my fault after all...my initial reaction towards her must have put her in a difficult and strange condition. I still couldn't get rid of my state of nervousness after all.
Shuhada is a young girl...even she herself doesn't sure about herself. Her contacts and friendship with Waheeda make things more complicated. But seeing Shuhada and Waheeda in a same frame delighted me...these two girls are quite special. I tried to convince Shuhada to stay...but would she follow my plea?
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