Self-Improvement?

It's been so long since I've posted anything here. Blogging feels rather awkward. But I'll do it anyway, just to keep my thoughts flowing and I am dying to see tremendous improvement before next semester. My writing skills have deteriorated. Boohoo.

So did anyone miss me? *krikrik*

Waaay of topic.

Moving on to more important things. I am currently on my semester break which means I have lots of things to do. So much potential. *coughs* However, two weeks have gone by, and even though I did some teensy weensy bit of  stuff that I would actually call productive, I certainly need to do some major improvements on time management.

Essentially, what  is mandatory for us is to improve ourselves by the end of our holidays is our faith towards God.Our Imaan. Imagine having spent all your time only on watching tv, movies, games, you name it. They will make you happy but only for a moment. Whereas the remembrance of Allah brings us happiness and encourages us to focus on good things. Personally, these feelings become even more apparent when I over indulge in frivolous things.

Man, I cannot agree more! On another note, it's been so long since Starstruck, I can't remember if this is counted as plagiarism. Do tell. This caption is getting too long. Are you still reading it? Say lalala with me~

Hmm, this was time consuming. Which is a reminder for me: Don't ever stop writing!

MARA-JPA Interview

*Blows away all accumulated dust*
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.
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*coughs*

 I would love to make this post about tips on how to score the MARA-JPA interview but that would be out of my line since I don't even know if I will be chosen as a scholar. What I can really give you is a picture of what you may go through if you go for a MARA-JPA interview in the future. That is, if the format is maintained.

Well 2013 is the first year such a scholarship existed, really. There were a total of three sessions and all were done in groups.

 Case Study (English only)

We were given a two papers. One was of a  logo of Petronas and the other the instructions. The question went something like, " How can the picture (referring to Petronas) enhance a sense of belonging for younger generation towards Malaysia?". At first, nothing really clicked. But then we managed to extract some ideas from out rusty little brains. Basically our theme was somewhat "Being proud of Petronas's achievements", being it is a local company. Our presentation went quite okay.

Interview (English and Bahasa)

There were about seven in my group, we entered the room where two interviewers were seated across. And we sat infront of them in one line. It was pretty lax I guess, one of the two was always smiling, almost cynical. Anywhoo, the questions were

#1 Perkenalkan diri kamu. Kenapa kamu pilih MARA-JPA? Dan kenapa kamu pilih course kamu?

So this one was pretty  straight-on but seriously, get your course straight. Someone from my group was saying he wanted to be a doctor seeing a family member died and etc. That was pretty deep and emotional. The only thing wrong was that MEDICINE WAS NEVER OFFERED. Dentistry was the closest course.

#2 Adakah sistem pendidikan di Malaysia cukup baik? 

Wow, this is a dream question! I managed to pent up some of the frustration I had in brain but of course, berlapik. Someone did say, "Cukup bagus". Hah, I couldn't believe it when I heard it but then everyone is entitled to have their own opinion.

#3 What do you know about Tun Mahathir? (And also something about his leadership)

I think no one really went into deep on this topic. Someone even got caught not knowing what "Vision 2020" is really about. I had my fair share of doubt too. Well the thing is folks, know your leaders!

#4 Kenapa kami patut pilih anda?

Just sell yourself baby!

Penyelesaian Masalah (Bahasa only)

Basically, we had to present how to solve copyright issues in Malaysia or in Bahasa, cetak rompak. The presentation was alright but the questions were quite difficult. They asked which ministries and agencies are involved in solving the problem and etc. My knowledge in this department is laughable. It is official that a) this was the hardest session for me and b) my general knowledge needs real polishing.


Unwarranted Tips 

I guess I do have the right to give a few tips. Not on how to obtain the scholarship but rather on what precautions you must take. This is from what I observed from the mistakes some of us did.

• They want to hear that you will work for the government so don't talk about opening up your firm yet.
• You are to work locally. Don't talk about working overseas. You have to show that you are patriotic.
• Show that you are all about unity. Which yes, you should be! Don't talk garbage about other races and be so head-on fanatic about your own. In other words, don't be racist.
• Know your facts. Find out about Malaysian leaders. Update yourself with local news. And also know your ideal course!
• Talk. Say something different. Shine!

 It was pretty fun. Even if I don't receive this scholarship, the experience was still worth it.Well, I guess that's about it. May Allah guide you.


 Disclaimer 23/3/2015

Um, I don't know what caption I should put up here. Anyhoo, seeing the increasing number of views on this post, I'm guessing it's the interviewing season again.  I just want to let you guys know that this was two years ago. You might wanna check what happened last year and [the following year(s) if you're not reading this in 2015]. But I a little bit of advice can never get old. So self-censor(?). Can't think of the right word.

All the best!

Hand Me a Walking Stick

Lots of people talk about "Living life to its fullest" but I guess people say it more often than we actually witness them walk the talk.

I feel very old (technically, at this moment, this is the oldest I've ever been anyway). Well, remember how every year in high school  we felt youth abandoning us as we progressed form to form each year ? This time, it's pretty much the same but imagine that feeling intensified multiple times. When strangers ask which university are you studying at, you can't say, "I'm still a school kid" any longer. 

I know I sound very whiny and I hate sounding whiny but I can't help it. I feel a tad bit sad that I haven't accomplished much. This feeling only intensified after watching a documentary about Mehmed al-Fatih who conquered Constantinople at the age of 21/22 . Mind you, it wasn't any piece of land it was Istanbul, the land the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said;

"Verily you shall conquer Constantinople. What a wonderful leader will her

leader be, and what a wonderful army will that army be!"

I'm not done yet. Matt Mullenwag started Wordpress at the age of 19, Avicenna (Ibn Sina) was a qualified physician when he was 18. The list goes on. And me? At 18, I've managed to consistently waste away my freedom by more-than-sufficient sleep and unlimited usage of the internet. Wohoo ~

Don't worry, I know that I am the problem. I think I know how to solve it but I just lack discipline. I don't know how to end this properly so asdfghjkl....

Between Mandom and Speaking Up

What does it take for one to be considered confident? We live in a country where "speaking out your thoughts" isn't necessarily a good thing. Considered rude even especially when it is expressed towards someone who is your senior. Do we lower our standards when we grade our confidence level then?

Sometimes, I think back and I just wish that I had participated more in activities that would have made me a convincing and charismatic speaker. Of course, it had all been Allah's plan. No room for regrets. School life is over for me. I've escaped from the safe cocoon I was in this past decade. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for the future. I was excited for the future even when I was in Asma. Perhaps just a bit intimidated by the people who might be in a different league than I am.

Alhamdulillah, not everything is a lost cause as I did participate in a few events. My confidence grew. Stage fright still dominates my thoughts though. Some friends say I'm not bad at all when I speak. I was baffled. Now I know that it was because of this "gift" I have:

A poker face. No, I think it's more of my blur facial expression. Some have called it muka cekang. Sometimes my blur face masks all emotions within. Not all times. I'm grateful to Allah for that anyway. Gone (maybe not fully) are the days when I wished I was more expressive. My blur side can get me into a lot of trouble to be frank. People think that I'm not sensitive enough, I look bored or people get bored talking to me. Well, you get the idea. As I said, Allah has planned it all.

“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (AI-Baqarah, 2:216)

I think I'm off topic. I didn't mean for this post to be so long. I just wanted to emphasize that it helps to have the confidence to speak up. Forget social norms that don't benefit you. We must speak up. Malaysians are considered reserved. Some say that we are shy. I think mandom is the word. Yes, that includes me. We should speak up when our rights have been taken. We should speak up when the older ones are doing it wrong. We should speak up when our religion has been taken for a ride. We have to learn how to.

Of Course We're Afraid

Now that the post-SPM jovial mood has settled down, everyone's staring to feel unsettled ey? And what with the rumor that results may be out in February, everyone is feeling rather edgy. (but really, when you heard it from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone.... lets just wait for the news shall we?).

People are asking around seniors and friends for future career options.I am no counselor so when someone asks me for advice I'd always give this link http://www.mymajors.com/ . It's not simply any career test. Lets just say its quite detailed. It lists about five career options and considers your strength and weakness as well. You have to register before taking the quiz and as I have said it's detailed so you gotta be patient. It's catered mostly for American students but you'll at least have an idea yeah?

Recently, a few of my friends have also me what are their strengths and weaknesses to help them decide on their future paths. Believe me, going on about their strengths wasn't really a problem because they've got great talents and personalities but the latter was quite nerve-wrecking. (I bet some of you are reading this)  Well, it's not really our culture to be straightforward so I deliberately chose my words. And Alhamdulillah, I managed and they weren't offended. Hopefully. 

So to those of you who are trying still confused, don't despair. Ask from guidance from our Creator and from those who can help. Mr. Internet is one of them. Please don't narrow your choices to really setreotypical careers such as medicine, engineering, accounting etc. They're not bad choices for careers, no I wasn't implying anything of that sort. Rather, I hope people would be more open to other options. Do your research and you might discover something. 

I realize that sometimes I talk as if I know a lot but that isn't the case. I'm also struggling to find the right path for my future. I'm planning to take humanities/social science for pre university. So foundation? A level? AUSMAT? SAM? ADP? What do you guys reckon?

People say it's only the beginning, nothing to be stressed about. They forget it's our future, how can we not be afraid?

Hit-and-Run in Malaysia ( Us Too)

Last time, I posted Hit-and-Run in China not too long ago. I was lamenting how some people lacked moral values. I was really hoping that never would anything like that occur in Malaysia. Unfortunately, it did. It broke my heart when I heard. Surely most of you Malaysians know of the incident that occurred in July this year. Seven people walked by 60-year-old Tan Kim Chuan who lied unconscious on the ground in the aftermath of a snatch theft incident.

Honestly, I was just so appalled when I read of the news. Is this what have we come to Malaysians? Perhaps it's good that the new curriculum will have community service a prerequisite to graduate from university. It's time to care for society.

Chronic Procrastination

I am seventeen and I suffer from chronic procrastination. Actually, to say "suffer from" just doesn't do because I know this is within me. And Insyallah, God gave us all willpower. So I know I am the one to blame. You think  that saying, 'I'll do it in five minutes time" won't hurt but it does.Hurt. In every sense of the word. You sit for days (while at procrastination) thinking what it would've been like if you had just made full use of your time, you would have had the results you wanted.

When I was in Form Three, I started having goosebumps about PMR in the second half of the year. I worked hard. And last  minute studying became irrelevant. But my motivation was to score A+. I've grown much more since then or so I think. I foolishly thought I could ace exams without being so obsessed with studying by learning for the sake of learning. Well, the intention was pure but implementation became another issue. I've also grown lazier, a remarkable change that I am not proud of.

If you're a child who happens to read this post (though I doubt that because I sound like such an oldie when I write) , remember that procrastination is a thief of time. Huh that was lame but it's true. Wow, this is my first time using a proverb in my blog I think. Ciao.