Answer Sheet

S:
I wanna get a semi-decent CGPA
Study pulun all-nighter baby crash with me (I love it)
Luck and intuition play a very important part
And after you have answered lets just hope you get some marks

D:
Oh, oh, oh
This question's hard, show me what you've got

R:
Oh, oh, oh
This question's hard, show me what you've got

S:
Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

S:
Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

S:
I wanna knowledge share a hard pair we will be
A little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love it)
Tembak-ing a test is not the same without a gun
And baby when that test isn't tough it isn't fun, fun

I:
Oh, oh, oh
This question's hard, show me what you've got

A:
Oh, oh, oh
This question's hard, show me what you've got

S:
Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

S:
Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

S:
I won't tell you answer A
answer B or answer C
Cause I'm covering with my arm and
I'm not lying I'm just selfish with my answers

Just like a chick in the exam room
Blocking your view of her sheet
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand cause I'm marvelous

Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

S:
Can't read my, can't read my
No you can't read my answer sheet

Background:
(She's kiasu like nobody)

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

A-a-a-answer sheet, a-a-answer sheet

{Repeat X3}

* * * * *

... Yes, I'm bored. And blame the Usual Suspects (Rusydi especially) for inspiring this parody. lolz

I can totally imagine the music video for this. hahahaha XD

Assignments are for Suckers

It's a bright and sunny Friday afternoon. Shira wants to go out and play.

But, no, Shira can't. There is a group Corporate Communications assignment due today.

The requirement is 16 pages. Her group submitted 10 pages to her, in total. So that means she has to contribute 6 pages to the assignment before she can compile it.

She has already finished 3 pages last night. That means another 3 pages to add, in total.

Time to put your bullshit on, Shira. Let's crap all over this paper and get it over with.

And then Shira can go out and play.

Yay~!

Little Miss Lazy

My FYP II oral presentation is in less than 9 hours, and I've only just started working on the slides. My procrastination at its finest, I tell you.

tralalala~

I'm lazy. Oh so lazy.

Last sem I was rajin. Study notes for all my lectures were generally up-to-date and stored neatly in binders according to subject. Lecture notes were sorted and printed. Work was done generally on time. My desk was relatively neat.

Now? Lecture notes are in soft copy and stored all over the place so I can't find them, and I don't even bother printing them. Study notes are only made the night before a test, and after that they promptly go missing. Work gets done on time still, but just barely. My desk looks like an earthquake hit it, I haven't made an effort to clean it since like... oh, whaddaya know. I've never cleaned it. >__>

In conclusion, this sem I just can't be bothered. I have no mood to do anything really productive. The only time I can get my mind off him is when I'm with my friends. When I'm in my room and supposed to be doing work... I just can't.

I just want to get this sem over with. And then I'm outta here, and I don't have to be reminded of him over every single little thing I see or do.

I'm so not built for long distance relationships. There's a reason why I'm a koala, you know. I'm clingy. =___=

I'm A Gamer, Dammit

Geram tau bila org ckp I bkn gamer. I may not play PC games, but I've spent countless hours on the Playstation. And granted that I mostly play turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy, Suikoden and Arc the Lad, but does that make me not a gamer? >__> I still remember playing Wolfenstein 3D on the very first PC my dad bought. And I was in preschool then! That's dedication for you!

But of course, one needs solid proof. How much of a gamer are you?

Try this quiz here.

I guarantee you it's hard.


I scored 56%. Not bad, I suppose. It's a passing score. Admittedly I guessed a lot. I've never played Nintendo games, and I'll be damned if I know what a Sega Dreamcast looks like. tralalala~ I wasn't expecting much, I'm not a pro gamer after all. I just geram that I got the Tetris question wrong! After all the high scores I set I can still get it wrong?? graaaaghhhh!!

ahem. Anyways.

Try the quiz, try the quiz!

I Wish I Could.

Life WIthout DC++

(Disclaimer: This entry conveniently ignores the ethical issues of illegal downloading. That particular issue may be discussed at a later time.)

It's been a few weeks now since all downloading networks here were shut down. Previously, if you wanted a song, a movie, or an episode of a TV series, all you had to do was connect to DC++, run a search, double-click, and download.

Some might argue that DC++ is evil. After all, if you have free access to download anything you want at any time, you'd spend all your free time downloading and watching, and you'd never get around to working and studying. It's really a matter of your self-control. Because even if there wasn't DC++ (and there isn't now), you can still distract yourself any number of ways. Where there's a will there's a way, but we will elaborate more on that point later.

In a campus located in the middle of nowhere, where the internet connection is so slow that watching Youtube is impossible, let alone downloading torrents, entertainment is scarce. Contrary to popular belief, we students study to exist, but we do not exist to study. Being human beings, we need some form of entertainment. Everyone knows that you have to balance work and play. But how to play?

Televisions in this place are hard to find. Either fight with other people for control of the lone television in the common rooms (there aren't many), or be content to watch whatever Malay singing/talent program or Malay drama serials or Malay - whatever, you get the picture - that they're playing at the cafeterias.

As you most probably understand, people have varied tastes in entertainment, and such programs might not cater to everyone's tastes. One also gets cravings for series that they have been following at home and would like to continue following. Or perhaps movies that they've been wanting to watch. The nearest cinema is 40 minutes away. Not everyone has the time and the money required to go watch so frequently.

Hence DC++ was created to help students trade and share files easily. For years since it was started, it became an integral part of the student culture here. It even became a sort of bragging point to friends and family, who didn't have access to such downloads. When it was announced that DC++ was to be discontinued due to management crackdowns, the general reaction was one of deep dismay.

So what has life been like without DC++?

Firstly, trading of shows still occurs, although at a lesser rate. It's more or less a style of barter system, people trading things over GoogleTalk, or visiting friends' rooms with their external hard disk in tow. I guess in a way, this is a bit better. People are less likely to get greedy and download for the sake of downloading; they only download things as and when they really need them. Actually communicating with the people you are trading series and music with also helps you become closer with others, in a way.

And when you're bored in your room and you can't think of anything to do, you end up resorting to other means of entertainment. This past week when I was bored out of my mind, I ended up actually taking a brisk walk around campus (I can't jog for peanuts), or going swimming. Healthier? I suppose so. A bit more time consuming than simply watching an episode of whatever for 40 minutes and then resuming work, but healthier nonetheless. Will we see an increase of weight loss on campus? Time will tell.

And like I said earlier, even without DC++, people will still find other means to entertain themselves. Some of my guy friends have started fishing as a hobby. Although in the case of some, I would say it appears to be more of an obsession than a mere hobby. And there's still DotA and WoW, for all those PC gamers. I prefer console games myself, but those are a bit harder to come by here. =___=

The internet connection, however, is still slow. It may be slightly faster, but not by much. And some nights, the connection is so completely unstable that I get logged off every five minutes or so. So much for management arguments that the slow connection is caused by student downloads. Now that the downloading has ceased, the connection is still slow! What excuses now, management people?

In the end though, the demise of DC++ affects me little, as this is my final semester (unless I fail Data Mining, in which case I would be here for another semester - choi!).

So, no DC++. Good or bad? It's really up to you.

Just One of Those Days

I got up at noon, my head still a little foggy. Plopping myself down in front of the laptop, I did the usual e-mail checking, browsed for blog updates. Bored, I played one round of Plants vs Zombies, read two chapters of Haruki Murakami's Wind-up Bird Chronicles. And then there was nothing to do.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel like an empty shell? This was one of them for me.

I lay down on the bed for about an hour, just staring at the ceiling. I thought about some things, some of them random, some of them sad, some of them nostalgic. And then I just stared at the shapes the shadows made on the wall. I suddenly felt like a Matchbox Twenty song.

And then I realised that I have a Data Mining test two days from now that I'm supposed to be studying for. But I just can't get into the mood.

One of those days when life itself seems meaningless. And I wonder if what I've been planning to do with my life is really what I want. But if it's not what I want, then what is? And if I'm meant to live my life some other way, how would I know? How would I know if the choices I make are the right ones? What if I end up regretting them later? What if I waste several years of my life chasing after something that I end up not wanting anymore?

Times like these, taking an aimless walk around campus is nice, if just to distract myself for a while. But then again, it's 2 in the afternoon. It's hot outside! Maybe I'll save it for my usual midnight walk, but it just doesn't work that way.

Why oh why is life so confusing? Or is it just us humans that needlessly complicate it?

Love For A Bunker Boy

After 4 years of nudging Don to start a blog, he finally started one. It's not about himself, though. Nor is it about his girlfriend.

It's a story blog, a work of fiction very loosely based on a true story. It began as long-ish status messages on Google Talk, and then finally ended up becoming material for his blog. Go have a look at his first attempt at blogging!

I'm glad that he finally found a creative way to express his favourite hobby. I may not necessarily like it, but at least it's not an unhealthy hobby. *coughunlikecancerstickscough*

I am also amused at the fact that this is something that he's doing for himself. For the four years I've known him, he's never once opened e-learning. I manage his PRISM entirely. His friend Lydon and I used to manage his Friendster profile. Just this morning I signed up for a Google Groups for him using his account. And now he's writing and uploading blog posts entirely by himself. I feel so proud. It's like he's finally growing up. *sniffles*

haha wth. Anyways, since my blog is running steadily out of actual content, you may indulge yourself in his story blog. I myself am quite into story blogs now, my current favourite being the Singapore Taxi Driver's Diary, about a scientist resorting to working as a taxi driver to make ends meet after he was laid off from his job. It's an interesting read, and non-fictional too.

tralalalala. Maybe I'll post something, anything, sometime soon. But like it says in my blog header, this is where randomness prevails. I can post a story about green peanuts jumping over the moon to meet Princess BunBuns and her magical entourage of leftover coffee beans from Starschmucks, and it would still fit the blog description. wth. I'm going to sign off now before I say anything else that doesn't make sense. see ya~

Kanye West DIED??

... Not.

Read more here.

I can betcha that the perpetrators of the hoax were probably Taylor Swift fans. =P

On the other hand, these internet hoaxes are confusing. Like when Steve Irwin died, my reaction was like, "Huh? Didn't he die ages ago??" And when Michael Jackson died, I nearly thought it was a hoax at first. hmmph.

Internet hoaxes aren't funny. I guess.

Don't You Think It's Strange?

Sometimes, you think you've changed. You think you're entirely different from what you were before.

And sometimes you're wrong, and just one little thing will make you feel like you're right back where you're started.

No matter how much you change, the more you stay the same.

But I still sometimes miss being Little Miss Ami Boba, or Harriet Potter, or whatever else people called her. Her life was a lot simpler.

I'm not anymore, though. Acting like schoolgirls is for schoolgirls. Time to act like an adult! ... Now, if I were a grownup, what would I do in this situation?

... I have noo idea. Darn.

The Book

My favourite book is one I have read and re-read, cover to cover. Admittedly, one does get bored of it occasionally, but then again each time I re-read it I discover something new that I missed before, something new to love. The cover and its pages are a bit worn by now, but still no other book can compare.

Lately, I've been pondering other books as well.

There's this book that I have read casually several times and never really thought much of, although I quite like it. Of late I have found that I am growing more and more attached to it.

Then there's this book I saw the other day that looks really interesting. Well, at least the cover does. I haven't got the chance to even peep into it, so I don't know what it's really like. I doubt I will ever get the chance to though, it seems really expensive.

And my friends have been trying to recommend me some books as well, but so far none of them have really caught my eye.

But my favourite book is still the best after all. =)

Insomnia and Random Ramblings

Of late, there has been little to blog about.

Not that it's been boring lately. The Usual Suspects have me laughing my ass off constantly. (Never mind that the butt of most of the jokes is yours truly =___=)

Sometimes it goes a little too far. Like yesterday, when Don went a little overboard with the teasing. I threw off my wedge heels so that I could chase him across the IRC parking lot and beat the living daylights out of him. I ended up not beating him, but now he owes me an icecream, which is fine, I suppose. The hot tar and the soft grass felt good, though. Running barefoot can be almost therapeutic sometimes. Just don't let my mum know, she would be horrified. =P

Also, apologies to Rezz... I threw my shoes at Don, missed, and it landed on his car and left scuff marks. Note that said car had just been washed. >__> I owe you a car wash, bro.

Truth be told, I'm only typing this because I woke up around 6am and couldn't go back to sleep. It's 7.30am now as I am writing this. I've spent an hour and a half rolling around in bed, surfing blogs, playing Mafia Wars, staring blankly at the computer screen. And now this.

I don't know what's with the sudden bout of insomnia. But I guess it's kind of nice, watching the sun rise, and being bundled up nice and warm in his sweater. I miss him... He's probably fast asleep while I'm writing this, but a part of me wants to think that he's thinking of me too.

'k, enough of the sap. I'm going to roll around in bed summore until 8am, and then hit the showers and get ready for Malaysian Studies at 9. ahhhhh... 2 hours of the lecturer rambling on about Malaysian history. I can't wait. =___=

Teylor Switch

This video totally made my day, although I'm sure half of UTP has seen it by now.

Watch it, and die laughing XD

Malaysian Studies Test

... was like a shooting range.

Seriously. I think there were very few (if any) people who didn't tembak during the test. At some point I was hovering my pencil over the answers and randomly circling. lolz!

Completely unrelated to the test, though, I notice some people have been leaving flames on my blog post on the batch dinner. I warn you people that I have very thick skin and that negative comments bounce right off, so you're really wasting your time. On the other hand, flames are entertaining. I am temporarily removing comment moderation to accomodate you.

Have fun! lolz

P.S. is blogging about the batch dinner the new 'cerita pinggan'? Do I have to spell out your names? =P

Exam Timetable

I have no idea what my exam timetable is.

Because whenever I try to access it from the UTP website, it won't load.

On the rare occassion that I make it to that stupid page and select "View student individual timetable", the following message comes up:

"Cannot find student with ID number 8218"

Apparently I am not a student here. wth. =___=

Efforts to view the master timetable are rewarded with the exam timetable for the July 2003 semester timetable.

Again, wtf?? Did I step into a time machine?? Do I care what people took what exams SIX YEARS AGO??

=___=

*is super pissed*

I have no idea how it is that some people managed to access the thing and I can't. But wth. Universiti TEKNOLOGI my ass.

* * * * * * *

Illy informs me that my schedule is as follows:

15th Nov - Business and Cyber Law
16th Nov - Malaysian Studies
17th Nov - Data Mining
22nd Nov - Corporate Communication

Nice. Three papers back to back, two of which are killer subjects for the semester. And no study week. We're gonna dieeeeeeee~~~

Owh, and Malaysian Studies on my birthday. meh.

Batch Dinner

Just came back from the Rockstars of 2010 Dinner (our July '05 batch dinner). My personal view of the event:

Likes:
- camwhoring
- the food
- hall decorations were pretty
- Excuse Me performance
- Nedy singing Lucky =P
- looking at the creative outfits people wore to fit the theme
- the impressive souvenir gifts

Dislikes:
- bored; spent most of the time just sitting still, watching ppl syok sendiri nyanyi lagu rock kapak on the stage
- mostly performances, very little activities
- felt more like an engineering/pasukan ingin berhibur dinner - a lot of us IT/IS people felt very left out
- event finished way way late. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I normally feel that when one group of performers does more than three songs it's overkill. Go karaoke or something.
- sitting at the "couple's table" by myself =___=

Overall though, I think the organizing committee did an awesome job, considering their limited time and resources. And I know a lot of people had fun. Nice one, guys! =)

oh, and much thanks to my roommate for lending me her dress and shoes, as well as her fashion expertise. I wouldn't have had any idea what to wear otherwise. >__>

Won't be uploading any photos here, because I simply don't have a camera. Hence no photos to upload. Check them out on Facebook, I'm sure some people have posted photos by now.

I'm Bored, Don't You Know

It's 11.45pm. I'm sitting in my room, pondering Dr. Mahathir's Malay Dilemma and wondering what to bullshit on my Malaysian Studies book report that will induce the lecturer (self-dubbed "Lord Rairy" wtf) to give me good grades for. Searches on Google have so far proved to be fruitless, not because my darling search engine has failed me, but because the Internet connection is being a bit of a bitch. Again.

Today, four out of five Usual Suspects went to Ipoh, because one of us (US, get it? hahaha lame pun wtf) was catching up on some much-needed sleep. Another one wanted to retrieve his newly repaired phone. And another wanted to go back and get this gorgeous jacket which she saw in Ipoh Parade the other day. And the rest of us just came along to get out of campus and to eat something not UTP-ish.

So once Don had gotten his re-functioning smudge phone, and Reen had gotten her studded rockstar jacket, the four of us had lunch at the Ipoh foodcourt. In the spirit of cheapness and adventure, we hit the "Japanese" stall at the foodcourt and filled our tummies with the cheapest damned sushi you'll find anywhere. (RM4.50 for teriyaki don, anyone?? haha) So after we stuffed our faces with don (not our friend Don; that one isn't Teriyaki Don, just Yucky Don =P), we walked around for a bit.

Barely five steps after leaving the foodcourt, we found a stall selling crepes and us three girls immediately bought some chocolate ones. I was intrigued by the crepes, because, as I said, "I'd never eaten crepes before." At which my good friend Don emo'ed because this was actually my second time eating crepes; the first time was when we were hanging out at Sunway Pyramid and he'd actually belanja'd me my first crepe. I honestly did not remember, and still can't remember. I'm sorry!! T___T I promise I'll remember the next time you take my (food) virginity, okies?

After that we went back to UTP... fast forward... Cyber Law class... fast forward summore... nothing worth mentioning...

Ok, that was my whole day.

Owh, I watched the latest episode of Gossip Girl earlier while munching on Yummy Rocks (the keropok ikan in packets that you can find around UTP... they're yummy, but they're as hard as rocks!). Gossip Girl amazes me. They've left high school and have moved into college, but they're still hanging out with each other all the freaking time. And four of them are in the same campus? Wow, what a coincidence!

IRL (that's In Real Life, dear n00bs), most of us rarely, if ever, see our old school friends, even the really close ones. People go to study at various corners of the country (or the world, for some of the more fortunate ones). If we want to meet up, we have to book appointments way in advance so that we can coordinate our busy and conflicting schedules. And about people from the same school going to the same campus... well, the people from my school that came to UTP, I barely knew then then (if at all) and I know them even less here. So what the heck. Or maybe it's just me.

But Gossip Girl is still fun to watch, I suppose. Not, however, as fun as House. I want. more. HOUSE! XD I told my friends the other day that I'd rather watch House than have sex. (pandai2 je cakap, padahal I haven't tried sex yet, WTH TMI.) Ahem. Anyway, since there's no more DC++, I'm House-starved. Anybody has the latest Season 6 episodes?? I'd torrent them myself when I get home, but that's such a loooong time away!

... Just now, this really big ant-like bug with wings flew into my room. And into my shirt. WTF PERVERT BUG DIE!!

What was this post supposed to be about, again? Oh yeah. Me being bored.

People, I'm bored. End post!

Busy Busy Busy

Due dates (for this week and the next)

7th Oct - Pre-EDX
8th Oct - Peer Group Presentation
9th Oct - Malaysian Studies Book Report due
- FYP Seminar
12th Oct - Cyber Law Mid-Term Test
- Corporate Comm Presentation
13th Oct - Malaysian Studies Mid-Term

Not to mention the batch dinner on the 9th. Owh, side mention about the batch dinner - total cost spent on outfit was RM15, for a necklace. Everything else is just random stuff I already own. Malaaaassss to spend a small fortune on the dinner, I'd rather save it for a road trip with friends after finals. =D

Other things on my to-do list:
- Clean the room, it's getting dusty and way too messy.
- Wash my bedding, I haven't washed it since before Raya break. Urgh.
- Do laundry, am running out of unmentionables. I haven't had time to do laundry since I came back from Raya! (wtf) Not running out of clothes in general, but I'm not at all comfortable with the fact that my laundry basket is overflowing. =(

It's been two or three days since I had more than four hours' worth of sleep. Am running on low batteries, I have no time to do anything except slog away at work. My room is making me cringe, I need to clean. But I'm so tired...

Looking forward to tonight, when I can happily collapse on the bed. And Thursday, when I can sort of relax while we teman Don and Reen whilst they go to Ipoh to get some errands done. And then hopefully get around to doing that damned laundry.

In the meantime, please pardon the scarcity of updates.

And now, back to my last-minute programming work. 85% complete, I feel almost relieved. And I love how my poster is so colour-coordinated with my system. hahaha. Hoping that everything will go ok this afternoon: My evaluators are P.D.D. Dominic, Ms Diana, and Dr. Rohani. Am worried that they will be very particular. My project isn't technical at all =(

Wish me luck - I'll need it!

Peer Group Crap

This semester I'm taking Peer Group Counseling.

I don't like it, not one bit.

Why?

1) It's BORING.

2) The class talks a lot about study methods, how to be a good student, time management... zzzzz... Hello, that phase of my life ends in less than two months. And even if by some miracle I pick up some amazing, life-changing study skills and tips, I'm in my final semester! They're not gonna help my grade point average much! Where are the tips on interview skills? And can we include one or two topics where we give tips to juniors on how to not be so skema? I was skema when I was a junior, but heck not that skema! >__>

3) And speaking of juniors, the class is full of them. And let me just tell you now, I do not like being called 'kakak'. Heck, my own siblings don't call me 'kakak'. =__= It feels weird being called that. Urgh.

After going for two PGC classes, one adjunct lecture, and working on one group assignment, I'm the one who feels like hurling myself off a really tall building. Urgh. So much for corrupting the minds of innocent juniors. I haven't got a chance to do that yet. *pouts*

tu laa... serves me right for taking the co-curricular elective late. I kept missing the registration dates. You know, back when the registration for co-cu courses was done manually using a 2B pencil and an OMR sheet at the Multi-Purpose Hall on some random day and time, the announcement for which I will conveniently not see because they were placed on notice boards that I never bother to notice. huu...

Also serves me right for not registering for the co-cu courses earlier the moment the online registration was opened, because I found out about it later once all the "fun" classes were taken.

Ah well. I suppose Peer Group beats Islamic Calligraphy or whatever the heck else. =__=

But I still want to corrupt innocent juniors. Hmmmph.

The Usual Suspects

Of late, I find myself belonging to a group of friends called The Usual Suspects.

We started to call ourselves that in casual conversations:

"Oh, I just came back from dinner. Who with? Just the usual suspects."

That kind of thing, you know.

And then just recently, we realised that the name has a deeper meaning to it, somewhat accidental you might say.

Because we've been labeled as various things by people, which we are the opposite of in actual fact. I don't know where people get these ideas about us, it's hilarious XD

One of us is the kaki clubbing or partygoer who's never been clubbing.

One of us is the slut who's never fucked, and is still completely intact. (sorry for being a bit vulgar, babe).

One of us is the junkie who's never done drugs.

One is the mualaf (Islam convert) who has no intention of ever converting to Islam.

And... one of us is the goody-two-shoes who's not so good? (according to them)

I actually have no idea what people say about me. hahaha If you want to leave Anonymous flames go ahead, honest opinions are appreciated (and highly amusing). Just watch the language!

hee... seriously though, I guess maybe it's because we talk a lot, and very loudly. And from what we talk about, I guess it seems that we've seen and done all kinds of things, but in reality we haven't. We're all talk, no action. =___= Basically, what we say is a lot worse than what we actually do. lolz

And people tend to make assumptions based on our appearances. Well, I suppose that I can't fault, since everyone judges other people based on appearances. But please try to keep it reasonable la. For example, just because a girl doesn't wear a headscarf doesn't mean she sleeps around. What kind of reasoning is that? I've heard of demure-looking headscarved girls who sleep around. Go and download some local 3gp porn, there's quite a lot of headscarved girls in there. =___= At the end of the day, a headscarf is just a piece of cloth that in reality most people wear from peer pressure and a sense of maintaining image, rather than from pure religious conviction.

But that's a rant for another day. =)

In the meantime, bedtime for The Usual Suspects. Peace out!

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

I've had this song stuck in my head for quite a while now. It's by Roberta Flack - you might know her for her more famous song, Killing Me Softly. I heard the song when I was watching Play Misty For Me starring Clint Eastwood the other day, and I've had it looping in my head since. If anybody has the original Roberta Flack version, please share it with me - the Leona Lewis version just isn't doing it for me.

Anyway, my addiction to this song got me thinking about the first time I met Hafez. Yes, be warned, this is a sappy post. Run away while you still can!! =P Let me rephrase that:

Warning: Post contains severe traces of MBLM syndrome. MBLM, defined by Dr. Chan of the Fictional Faculty of Psychology and Shira-Bashing of UTP, is My-Boyfriend-Loves-Me syndrome, a state of delusion whereby a person (namely Shira) is obsessed with her boyfriend. tralalalala~

But I digress.

The first time I met him, was during orientation week at UTP. The facilitators split us up into groups, and he happened to be in the same group as yours truly. That night, we sat outside of Main Hall in a circle, and introduced ourselves. And I remember seeing this tall, lanky guy in my group, wearing a red t-shirt with a black strip across the middle. It's really funny, but I don't remember a single other person in that group >__>

Since we were in the same group, we talked a little bit, though I don't remember much of that first week... my clearest memory of him from that week was when each group had to put on a performance for some event at the end of the orientation, and our group chose to perform the banghra dance. And I remember going to one of their rehearsals, and I saw them practice. For some reason, the whole time I watched them, I couldn't take my eyes off him. It wasn't that he was a particularly good dancer, it was just that he looked like he was having a lot of fun with it. He was smiling and laughing, and I think it was at that moment that I saw his smile that I think I started to like him. =P

ahhh... good times, good times. XD

At the end of the orientation week though, I figured I'd probably never bump into the guy again. UTP is small, but it ain't that small. Plus he was entering undergrad, doing engineering. I was starting off with foundation level, doing an information sciences course. What were the odds?

But it was exactly one week later, when I went to register for elearning (yes kiddies, way back then when grandma was young, we had to manually register for elearning by filling up a form at MPH). Unfortunately, when I arrived at MPH, the people in charge of the registration were late. And so I waited, along with a whole bunch of people. Guess who else was there? =P

We got to talking to kill time, Hafez, me and this guy named Ajit (whom I haven't seen or talked to since before intern, daymn). And by that point, I was kind of curious to know whether he had a girlfriend. I mean, I had no intention of trying to tackle him or getting him to like me - I was well aware that I was butt-ugly and had the sex appeal of an amoeba. But heck, it's a lot better having a crush on a single, unattached guy rather than a guy with a girlfriend - at least there's hope, even if it's futile, right??

And the whole time we were talking, I was trying to think of some subtle and tactful way of digging up whether he had a girlfriend or not. But subtlety has never been one of my strong points. I was doing my best to somehow insert the topic of girlfriends into the conversation. But as I stood standing there, it just blurted out of my mouth before I could stop it: "Do you have a girlfriend??"

At that moment, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Hafez and Ajit were both staring at me funny. "Umm... yeah, I have a girlfriend... Why??" Hafez said, still looking at me curiously. "Ermm... no reason really... one of my friends wanted to know," I replied.

When I think back on that I just want to die. I was never good at lying. =___=

But by the end of that hour-long wait (yes, the blardy ITMS people were that long coming), my weird, stalker-ish question seemed to be forgotten, because the three of us exchanged phone numbers.

After that we kind of messaged each other once in a while, though not often... just as friends. He told me about his joining the Merdeka day parade, and the training at... Pangkor, was it? I remember that much, at least. And I remember telling him once about some small tiff I had with a friend (I don't remember who), and asking him for advice. Y'know... just that kind of thing.

And that Raya, I messaged him wishing him selamat hari raya and all. And I teased him a little, asking him if he was spending it with his girlfriend, or something like that. He vaguely replied "No", but didn't talk about it. It was a while after, maybe a week or two later, that he told me they broke up.

Around that same semester, Final Fantasy Advent Children was released, and I was dying to watch it. Back then, we stayed in Old V5 (now known as V6, my young Padawan junior), and there was no internet connection, much less DC++. Hafez on the other hand, was staying at V2, where they at least had MiRC or something. And so he offered to burn it for me and pass it to me over dinner at USM. I reckon that was the first time I met up with him alone. Kind of geeky when you think about it, really... united by our mutual love of Final Fantasy. lolz

Later that semester, we had our first so-called meeting up in Ipoh. It was just after finals, and my friends and I rented two cars to go to Ipoh for a movie and then dinner. Hafez was at home by that time, and he wanted to meet up with me and hang out for a while, since I was going to Ipoh. But one of the rental cars died on us in the middle of the drive to Ipoh, and it was a while before we got it fixed, so that by the time we reached Ipoh it was two hours later then when I said I'd meet him. But he was still there, having hung out alone at Jusco Kinta the whole time. Freakin' touched ok.

But it turns out he had some family thing later that evening, so he couldn't stay for a movie. He just ate with us at Kenny Roger's. That was kind of awkward, because he couldn't quite click with my friends, for whatever reason. >__>

And then over the end of semester break, we messaged each other a lot. I think that was the first time I'd ever messaged someone that much. Even my siblings noticed, and managed to pry it out of me that it was some guy at my uni I liked. I still remember Nina teasing me, and even taking my phone once without me knowing to message Hafez, faking a confession from me and getting to see how he would respond... to which he said he liked me. That was mean, Nina! But I'm kind of glad you did it. =P

The next semester, we met up more and more frequently; I went out for dinner with him and his friends, we went out once in a while... On 7th Frebruary that year, I gave the first birthday present I'd ever given to a guy I liked - as I recall it was a Nike t-shirt. And around the same time, he gave me the the first flowers I'd ever received from a guy. Ok la, all my firsts were with him. Kan I was an amoeba before that. =___=

On the 23rd of February, around 11PM while I was hanging out with my friends at the Old V5 cafe, he finally asked me to be his girlfriend. Over text message it may have been, but as I'd been waiting for him to ask, I was too over the moon to care. =P

And... that, children, is How I Met Your... Father? lolz Yes, this is indeed severe MBLM that I am experiencing. >__>

If you actually read through all of that, you must be as bored as I am. And for that, I congratulate you. Let us now go and get a life. I'm supposed to be doing my FYP. Supposed to be. Zuko, Toph, Iroh and Sokka are calling to me (I don't really like Aang and Katara). Ahhh... procrastination. You do plague my life so, but there is none to blame but myself. >__>