It's a BLAST!

It was a dark, dark Thursday night. The junior students of Kolej MARA Banting, still in their first week of their stay, in their formal attire, with no clue whatsoever of what was to happen, were gathered like sheep ready for slaughter, into two groups – one for the rams and one for the ewes. They were then told, by the senior sheep, to remove all valuable items and our bags – in the cold, dark night, under a tall building, with nothing but the faint moonlight to light our path. It was the 25th of June; I should have suspected something was wrong. Yet, we, the juniors, innocently followed ever command from the seniors’ lips. They tied up each group in nylon string, each senior with a gleam in their eyes; we were trapped.

The senior sheep then instructed us to sing Barney’s “I Love You”, with the guise of incalcating unity. He then instructed us to shout “It’s a blast!” to his calls of “IB!” So it went like this:

Senior sheep: “IB!”
Junior sheep: “It’s a blast!”
Senior sheep: “IB!”
Junior sheep: “It’s a BLAST!”

As we, the innocent and helpless juniors, declared those last words with astute confidence, suddenly a wave of cold water crashed down upon our heads. It was a wild chaotic scene of screams and flailing arms as the junior guys started running all over the place. Alas, it was a hoax; a scam; a prank! More water was being splashed upon us, and I was unfortunately directly under the building so I probably got the worst of it.

When the guys eventually plucked up the courage to return to the general vicinity, we realized that the girls were still huddled together in a tight circle due to the nylon bonds that held them. We, the guys, wondered in amazement at the girls’ bravery – that was, until the seniors splashed more water on them. The girls then started screaming and slowly trying to walk away: it was such a comical sight! We then concluded that the girls weren’t all that united; they just couldn’t break free!

“Welcome to KMB,” said the seniors, in a cold, mocking voice that will forever send chills down my spine for the next two years of my life. But it was all good fun; no one got hurt, and we got some junk food later to munch on. After that, all anger and grudges would disappear together with crunchy junk food that satisfied us hungry students who get nothing but a morsel or two of food each day.

Hello, From KMB

I have FINALLY found an Internet connection, after one whole week of staying at Kolej MARA Banting. That’s one of the most annoying things about being here, but I’m quite sure I will find some way to obtain some form of regular connection to the real world.

[Can you believe it? I wouldn’t have known Michael Jackson died if a friend’s friend didn’t tell the friend who told a friend, and then only news travelled to my ears, but I have absolutely no connection to the outside world, how sad is that?]

I love my friends here! There are (as of now, before the 2nd intake students arrive) 37 non-Malay juniors, as compared to only 16 for the 2nd year students. 12 are from Sarawak, and 6 from Kuching. Awesome right? There are also quite a number of Malays who are also from the said city. Kuching rocks!! Sadly, none of them are in my class, but I can cope and make more friends, amen!

As of now, I have my own room to myself (most people have one roommate), and thank God, because the rooms are absolutely crammed and tiny. [I just want to take this opportunity to thank whoever was in room C226 for keeping the room cleaning for me. XD] So I have had the liberty of messing up my room for the sake of convenience. It turns out that this was the case because I was the last non-Malay taking Medicine to register. So, it’s not always bad to be late. XD However I have recently found out that my privacy will soon be invaded by the likes of another student who has been told to move to my room for certain undisclosed reasons. I was so irritated the whole day, but I have come to terms with this turn of events, provided I cannot assert myself to prevent this catastrophe from happening.

To conclude my short update on my college life, (my mind still has not grasped the idea that I am officially and permanently studying in KMB for 2 years) the first week has been an exciting journey, and I’m sure the rest of the two years will be more fun, more challenging, more exciting and a daring adventure in which I can put all my trust in God.

Rainbow Sun

Did anyone see the sun today? I captured these pictures at around 1.30 to 2 pm today, 17th June 09. You see, I was playing tennis by myself, you know, hitting the ball on the wall as I have always done when I have nothing better to do and to lose a bit of weight. I wanted to practice my serve, so I threw the ball up, and as I was about to hit the ball with my trusty racquet, I noticed something peculiar about the sun. Then I saw the rainbow.

I wonder what this means. Is it a natural phenomenon that happens often? Or is it a sign of something to come? I heard my Filipino pastor in Banting say that in the Philippines, this was a sign of an incoming typhoon. But not in Malaysia, I hope not. Hmmm... Anyway I hope my eyes don't get damaged for staring at the sun for quite a substantial amount of time...

What The Lizard

If you're wondering what in the world a lizard-like creature is doing anywhere near my camera, that's because my sister found it wandering around the house a few days ago, and scream she did! Eventually my dad caught it, put it in the container, and so there it lies, awaiting its fate, and wishing every moment that it had been so wise as to listen to its mother's wise advice, but alas, it was too late. My dad said that it's a monitor lizard, but aren't those really huge things? This one looks like a baby crocodile or something. In case you're wondering what happened to it, NO we are not keeping it; my dad threw it out into the "wild" (which translates to: a different part of the neighbourhood to frighten our neighbours), and that creature should learn its lesson by now, to never wander into foreign territory. You know, people in some places actually catch these lizards for food! They include, for example, the Ibans. But this time, the lizard was lucky not to have become our dinner.

A Walk To Remember [Gawai 09]

Hari Gawai: Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai - I have no idea what that means. But anyway, ashamed as I am for not knowing much about my culture and language, who's up for some exotic food? Here are some sago worms for you!

We had quite a lot of visitors on the first day of Gawai when my family drove to Kampung Seruit. The ride from the main road up the hills and plains for a good 7 or 8 miles was terribly bumpy becaue of road contruction, so I doubt that any of the city dwellers who came to visit had much fun on the road. For example, my very pampered cousins from Kuching who never tasted the rough side of life.


On the other hand, my other cousins staying at the kampung know the area like the back of their hands, and I'm pretty sure even the youngest of them are a lot more hardy than all of YOU.




Some of them really had no clue where they were: They came for the ride, expecting jungles, rivers and insects; they are surprised to see technology far more advanced than their initial expectations of primitive sticks and stones; they then happily seat themselves down to watch TV. Below are the two said city kids.


Then, of course, there's my darling [bitch] Baby, who's growing all the fatter every year, but still loves my family so very much although we abandoned her, left her at the kampung, and only visit her twice a year. That, my friends, is called loyalty, that only a dog can give. "Dog look up to us, cats look down on us, and pigs treat us as equals." XD XD



On the second day of Gawai, my family went to other kampungs to visit people; somehow everyone around the area are related in some way, so my dad kind of knew most people there. There was this cute baby whom Esther (my sister) came to adore. Later my mom commented that the baby looked quite like how Esther herself did when she was that age. Especially the curly hair and cute chubby face. XD


Lastly, to reconcile the strange title and the content of this post, the following picture is a boy who has Down's Syndrome. He's actually my age. He was a part of my mom's research for her PhD, so I can't show his face nor his name due to ethics and confidentiality whatnot, but I must tell you that these special children are really, really friendly and cute. I hope the society can view them as human beings who just need extra care and attention, for they deserve a normal life like you and me.

French Open 2009

Finally, after three years of heart-shattering defeat after defeat at the hands of Rafael Nadal in the previous French Open finals, Roger Federer stepped up to the plate of history by defeating Robin Soderling (who graciously bombed the said King of Clay Rafael Nadal to his first ever defeat on the red French clay) and claiming his first ever French Open title, tying Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams, and becoming only the sixth man to have won at all four Grand Slams.



Yeah, I know, he lost the Australian Open this year and his Wimbledon crown last year to his nemesis Rafael Nadal, but that did not stop him from displaying his very best on clay, winning Roland Garros with a 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 thrashing of Robin Soderling, who has powerful and fast ground strokes that beat superb players like Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Gonzalez, so that this time around Federer did not have to face Nadal, but a bigger opponent - that is, history.



And if any of you wish to say that Federer's prime has ended, think again! If it weren't for that bully Rafael Nadal, Federer could have won, what, five more Grand Slams. But that is the past - Federer must reclaim the Wimbledon crown he lost to Nadal!!

We Are One - 1Malaysia

This is a song I wrote and recorded for the 1Malaysia songwriting competition. However after I finished it I found out that the song had to be in BM, and must be less than 2 minutes long. Writing a song in BM was hopeless, so I gave up. So, anyway, enjoy the song! [By the way if the verses sound like "To Make You Feel My Love"... then I was listening to too much Kris Allen. XD XD]

We Are One
by Samuel Kana Anak Lis 2009

Verse 1:
This is a land of flowing rivers
This is a land of vibrant trees
This is a land of diverse nature
All swaying to our tropical breeze

Verse 2:
This is a land of smiling faces
This is a land of unity
This is a land of many races
Yet all live in peace and harmony

Chorus:
This is Malaysia
We are one
This is our nation
We are free
Whether rain or shine
Through the stormy sea
We are one
We are one

Verse 3:
This is a land of hardworking hands
This is a land of determination
This is a land with dreams and visions
To be the best and serve our nation

Verse 4:
This is a land of moral values
This is a land of integrity
We’ll fight the fight and win the battle
This nation belongs to you and me

Bye Bye KMNS, Hello KMB

My GOD. I just heard from the man himself, that Mr. Ryner Lai, the ever-speechful, religious faithful, musically very-much-inclined from my very own SMK Batu Lintang, has gotten the very same college that I did - Kolej MARA Banting (a.k.a MARA College Banting a.k.a MCB) - and thus will be with me for the next two years. God forbid, we might even end up in the same university in UK!! Amidst the shock, I am secretful thankful to God that I will have some company in MCB, and that there will be a good Christian friend to support me.

Anyway, I left Kolej Matrikulasi Negeri Sembilan for good on Friday, hitching a ride from my Maths lecturer Mr. Wong who also lives in Banting. I was greeted by a great deal of insufferable heat, and with no air-conditioning in my Banting house, it was a lot of suffering for two days. Then I flew back to Kuching on Sunday night - what a relief!

My best friend in KMNS, Alexander Lee


My mentor, Pn. Juliah






My roommate, Ahmad "Kuchai" Qusyairie


Maths lecturer, Mr. Wong Yong Geng

Meanwhile, I cannot believe that Rafael Nadal lost on the clay courts of Rolang Garros (French Open) for the first time, in the fourth round, to the 23rd seed Robin Soderling of Sweden!! I was so very, very pleasantly shocked that the king of clay has finally lost, after winning four consecutive French Open titles. Now, make way for Roger Federer!!