I haven't been posting anything on this blog for a while. This, I can attribute to a number of reasons - laziness, lack of inspiration, no mood, et cetera.
However, as a direct consequence of this inactivity, I fear that some of my knack for writing may have worn off a bit (maybe the sharper ones among you may notice that this is what I have implied in the seemingly-uninspired title to this post). Usually, this wouldn't be much of a problem since I'm not exactly doing anything academic for the time being.
Unfortunately, one of the scholarships I am currently trying to apply for is requesting that I submit a 500-word essay as part of my application. Besides the usual "Why this scholarship is for you" dross I also have to write about "How would you contribute to the good governance practices and leadership development of Malaysia?".
Yes, it's the Khazanah scholarship. After a bit of research on Google I have reason to believe that for the past four years at least, potential applicants have been writing about the exact same thing while applying for this exact same scholarship.
"So, what's the big deal?" you may ask. Well, frankly my task has gotten a bit more difficult, thanks to this small bit of information. How on Earth am I supposed to come up with something original for this essay? Something eye-catching? Something that makes me jump off the page? Something that at least four years' worth of applicants hasn't thought of yet?
Well, firstly - chances are, the ones reading the essays this year probably aren't gonna be the same ones who did it last year, or even the years before that.
Secondly - everyone's got a different story to tell. If I can avoid the cliches, maybe I'll be able to set myself apart from the other applicants.
Thirdly - and this one's a very, very long shot - most people will have turned away from the scholarship because of the essay. Thus, the competition is narrowed down. Although this would quite likely mean that the ones left are the really good applicants.
Well, writing this post is one way to get the creative juices flowing again. The deadline for the scholarship application is April 1st, this Sunday. Hopefully I'll be able to carve out a masterpiece by then.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Down To Earth.
The 2011 SPM results were released earlier today, much to the anxiety of 468, 808 recent secondary school leavers. They were supposed to have been released as early as 10 in the morning, but at my school in Rembau we were forced to wait until almost three hours later.
The night before, my Facebook news feed had been filled with SPM-themed posts. Most of my batchmates had switched their profile pictures to the same one - an admittedly well-edited picture of our batch. A certain friend had spammed my inbox with messages telling me to do the same.
I'd actually just gotten back from Terengganu at the time, so I was somewhat pissed. But just a little. So, I ended up changing my profile picture anyway.
Now back to results day. Well, first there were the following announcements, among others:
Then the names of the top-scoring students were called out one by one. Three managed to achieve the coveted 9A+ target, and 66 others just about fell short, 'only' managing various A's for their nine subjects. All in all the Valedictorians had achieved a CGPA of 1.30, which isn't too shabby for a school with an age of just over two years.
Well, how did I do, then? I was one of the 66, with a result of 5A+, 4A.
"Wow, that's great!" "Congratulations!" "You did fantastic!"
I know, I know. But to be honest, I was in fact somewhat less than thrilled with my achievement. After receiving my results, I was overcome by a strange feeling, which I took to be indifference at the time. I lost my appetite, I lost my mood for social interaction, and worst of all I didn't even do any grammar checking while looking through the new, beautifully-made school magazine (Okay, maybe just a little).
Despite the fact that I had managed to better all my previous exam results, I just couldn't be happy with it. I had failed to get straight A pluses, and that one thought dominated my mind. Maybe others noticed, or maybe they were too happy with their own results to do so. But I knew what had inflicted me: disappointment.
A part in the back of my mind knew all along that I didn't deserve to get 9A+. I was much too lazy, and always too embroiled in my own non-academic thoughts most of the time. If anyone deserved that achievement, it was the bookworms. You know the type. Studying day in, day out; staying up late to study; hardly, if ever, coming out to play. And indeed, the three people who managed 9A+ ticked all these boxes (no offence).
And yet, another part of me stubbornly refused to accept that. This part somehow instilled in me a belief that I didn't have to sacrifice my fun in order to succeed. I often fantasized about what I would do if I managed to get 9A+, even with my unorthodox study methods.
But I was wrong, and this was probably what hit me hardest. I realised that no one ever amounted to anything by simply loafing around, and laughing at the ones who actually put in some effort. I had to stop building castles in the air, and I needed to come back down to earth. An immediate change of mentality was required in order to get through college and whatever else that comes afterwards.
Everything that happens is for the best. God, in His infinite wisdom decided to show me the error of my ways, and I am grateful for that. Alhamdulillah. Thank you for this, Allah.
Congratulations to the Valedictorians. And I'm sorry as well - looks like I won't be uploading any hair-free pictures on Facebook anytime soon.
The night before, my Facebook news feed had been filled with SPM-themed posts. Most of my batchmates had switched their profile pictures to the same one - an admittedly well-edited picture of our batch. A certain friend had spammed my inbox with messages telling me to do the same.
I'd actually just gotten back from Terengganu at the time, so I was somewhat pissed. But just a little. So, I ended up changing my profile picture anyway.
Now back to results day. Well, first there were the following announcements, among others:
- Semesra had come in third in the state, behind established schools Kolej Tunku Kurshiah and SMS Tunku Munawir.
- Semesra had come in first in the Rembau district.
- The Rembau district was the top district in the state. Well, it only has about 10 secondary schools, including Semesra, so this was not exactly shocking.
Then the names of the top-scoring students were called out one by one. Three managed to achieve the coveted 9A+ target, and 66 others just about fell short, 'only' managing various A's for their nine subjects. All in all the Valedictorians had achieved a CGPA of 1.30, which isn't too shabby for a school with an age of just over two years.
 |
| The top scorers. Picture courtesy of Semesra official blog. |
Well, how did I do, then? I was one of the 66, with a result of 5A+, 4A.
"Wow, that's great!" "Congratulations!" "You did fantastic!"
I know, I know. But to be honest, I was in fact somewhat less than thrilled with my achievement. After receiving my results, I was overcome by a strange feeling, which I took to be indifference at the time. I lost my appetite, I lost my mood for social interaction, and worst of all I didn't even do any grammar checking while looking through the new, beautifully-made school magazine (Okay, maybe just a little).
Despite the fact that I had managed to better all my previous exam results, I just couldn't be happy with it. I had failed to get straight A pluses, and that one thought dominated my mind. Maybe others noticed, or maybe they were too happy with their own results to do so. But I knew what had inflicted me: disappointment.
A part in the back of my mind knew all along that I didn't deserve to get 9A+. I was much too lazy, and always too embroiled in my own non-academic thoughts most of the time. If anyone deserved that achievement, it was the bookworms. You know the type. Studying day in, day out; staying up late to study; hardly, if ever, coming out to play. And indeed, the three people who managed 9A+ ticked all these boxes (no offence).
And yet, another part of me stubbornly refused to accept that. This part somehow instilled in me a belief that I didn't have to sacrifice my fun in order to succeed. I often fantasized about what I would do if I managed to get 9A+, even with my unorthodox study methods.
But I was wrong, and this was probably what hit me hardest. I realised that no one ever amounted to anything by simply loafing around, and laughing at the ones who actually put in some effort. I had to stop building castles in the air, and I needed to come back down to earth. An immediate change of mentality was required in order to get through college and whatever else that comes afterwards.
Everything that happens is for the best. God, in His infinite wisdom decided to show me the error of my ways, and I am grateful for that. Alhamdulillah. Thank you for this, Allah.
Congratulations to the Valedictorians. And I'm sorry as well - looks like I won't be uploading any hair-free pictures on Facebook anytime soon.
 |
| Picture courtesy of Yasmeen Fazeera Shamsuddin, who also managed straight A's. Congratulations. |
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Sheer Bliss.
People are happy for a number of reasons. What strikes you as a happy event? Probably the usual - getting something you want, meeting friends and family, watching a funny TV show.
Why do these things make us happy? Well, I'm confident that there must be some sort of scientific explanation that involves the inner workings of the human body, but I'm not about to get into that. For me, happiness does not require an explanation, it shouldn't be needlessly complicated. You're happy because you're happy. That's it. Nothing more.
I myself seem to feel incredibly blissful whenever I'm playing a good game of football, be it with friends or otherwise. I don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure that I even have to.
Some people might not understand what could possibly be so fun about chasing a ball around and attempting to get it in between a couple of goalposts. Well, in truth I'm not exactly sure why I enjoy it so much. But I believe that you don't need a reason to be passionate about something. For me, it's simple: Don't get it? Don't care.
Football isn't simply about kicking a ball. There's so much more, if you actually bothered to find out. Football is a way of life for many, and (somewhat shockingly) even a religion for some. Football can, and has put whole nations to war. Football has the ability to amaze, to excite, to piss people off. All of this shows how much of an influence the aptly-named 'beautiful game' can have.
Every football fan has their own story - what football means to them. As do I.
Being a mostly introverted individual, life is harder for me socially than those guys on the other side of the fence. I find it harder than most to make friends. I despise spending time at social gatherings. Talking to people is something I'd rather not do at times.
But football helped to change that. Many of my friends and acquaintances were first met on the pitch, or the court. Playing football with bigger and better opponents taught me to fear no one, to be confident of my own abilities. Shouting for the ball while playing helped to raise the volume of my voice. Back in Form 4 at Seminda, I came in 10th for the 'Merentas Desa' without having done any regular jogging - all my training was done running around chasing footballs.
So am I a better, more well-balanced individual today because of football? Perhaps. All praise be to God Almighty for introducing me to the beautiful game. Who knows how I'd have turned out if I hadn't spent all that time playing?
Why do these things make us happy? Well, I'm confident that there must be some sort of scientific explanation that involves the inner workings of the human body, but I'm not about to get into that. For me, happiness does not require an explanation, it shouldn't be needlessly complicated. You're happy because you're happy. That's it. Nothing more.
I myself seem to feel incredibly blissful whenever I'm playing a good game of football, be it with friends or otherwise. I don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure that I even have to.
Some people might not understand what could possibly be so fun about chasing a ball around and attempting to get it in between a couple of goalposts. Well, in truth I'm not exactly sure why I enjoy it so much. But I believe that you don't need a reason to be passionate about something. For me, it's simple: Don't get it? Don't care.
Football isn't simply about kicking a ball. There's so much more, if you actually bothered to find out. Football is a way of life for many, and (somewhat shockingly) even a religion for some. Football can, and has put whole nations to war. Football has the ability to amaze, to excite, to piss people off. All of this shows how much of an influence the aptly-named 'beautiful game' can have.
 |
| Football brings people together. |
Every football fan has their own story - what football means to them. As do I.
Being a mostly introverted individual, life is harder for me socially than those guys on the other side of the fence. I find it harder than most to make friends. I despise spending time at social gatherings. Talking to people is something I'd rather not do at times.
But football helped to change that. Many of my friends and acquaintances were first met on the pitch, or the court. Playing football with bigger and better opponents taught me to fear no one, to be confident of my own abilities. Shouting for the ball while playing helped to raise the volume of my voice. Back in Form 4 at Seminda, I came in 10th for the 'Merentas Desa' without having done any regular jogging - all my training was done running around chasing footballs.
 |
| Way more fun than jogging. |
So am I a better, more well-balanced individual today because of football? Perhaps. All praise be to God Almighty for introducing me to the beautiful game. Who knows how I'd have turned out if I hadn't spent all that time playing?
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