Survivors

Im fasting today. Which is going to seem irrelevant until the day continues.
Let me start off by saying what a wonderful day it is today. Well, the day started good. I watched Step Up 2 on my handphone in the morning. When it was time to assemble, there was only 7 people in class. I was astonished as to the near silence of the class. When assembly ended, the student leaders on duty returned to class. With an addition of 4 more classmates who were late, it seemed a bit more full. So it starts with 17 students from a total of 25 members.
Start of the day, delved into an Al-Quran quiz paper given by Ustd Ruzi. It was ok. Recess announced and I went to the canteen bringing a book named 'Myths & Legends' which I borrowed from Taufiq. There, I sat beside Luqman Nur with Luqman Hakim facing me. He offered me food which I denied. He thought I wasnt eating because Abdul Rahman Aziz didnt come so I revealed the fact that I was fasting. He kept on saying sorry after that. Went upstairs to continue reading. Recess ended with the beginning of Tafsir. Ustd Ruzi wanted us to memorise any texts or verses from our notes, page 17-20. I felt like reading a book in class was rude so I had to do justice before doing so. I memorised a page which took a rather short time. All just to read a book. And might I say, it had 298 pages and I had to finish it by today... AND I borrowed it just today too. Ustd Ruzi commented from afar what I was reading. Fine... I guess I'll memorise another page. And I did which took around 10min. Not so bad. Finally, I curled up in my corner and started reading. Malay lessons was next. At that time, one of "us" left... it was Hanafiah. He had to go home cause he had high temperatures. I changed today's board readings from 17 present to 16. "16 more...", said Taufiq. The whole class laughed. During Malay, we did our exercise books. Not too much info on that. Afterwards, it was Chemistry class. Today, we went to the lab. Did experiments on 'Covalent & Ionic Compunds'. I did very hard in trying as much as I could to help. And I did! One time, when I was using the sugar for mixing, I took a pinch of it... I forgot and when I finaly realised, I was so ashamed. Sigh... When Chemistry class ended, I did my Chemistry worksheet during Lunch. Then, there was Lughah class where, due to the shortage in numbers, we played games. '007Bang' and '123Boom!'. I had a blast playing. After Zuhr prayers, another of the brethren left. Umar had to go home cause I think he also had high temperatures. Then there were 15. Haha... it was so funny. Learned some Mathematical-type Faraidh with Ustd Mahzan. I understood a bit. Lastly, Tauhid class was relieved by Ustd Khalid. Maybe Ustzh Rabiah was sick. We had a fun time listening to Ustd Khalid's history speech about the Khalifahs.
So, I fear for tomorrow cause its my Maths test tomorrow. Also, please read Al-Fatihah for the mother of Hajar, whose mother died yesterday. May Allah s.w.t accept her. Oh and my neighbor's dog, Yuki, died a few days ago. The first dog I ever had a liking to has died.
Well, wish me luck for tomorrow's test.
Wassalam...

Catching Up

Sorry I haven't been updating much. Im either too busy or too lazy to bother blogging. But hey, I am doing it now. Where to start?
Well, let's start with Friday. I saw the Student Leader Pledge and the new SL's. Good luck to them... Owing to the change in schedule for that day, our recess was pushed back 1 and a half hour later. Mostly everyone in my class whined about the late dismissal but after some time, they only grovelled on their desks. Had Mustolah Hadith. Got half of the info being said but I'll need some revisions. Only half hour of Faraidh and after the "long-awaited" recess, continued with the day with Maths. After that, Friday prayers and sermon which was about "Tawadhu' in a Leader". It was ok. Planned on going to Abdul Aziz's house at around 4pm. We (Luqman Nur, Haziq, Abdul Rahman Aziz and I) parted ways midway. I went to visit my grandmother at Toa Payoh, promising to meet my mother there. Luqman Nur stayed at school. Haziq had dzikir barat practise and Abdul Rahman had to go home. I left my grandmother's house at around 3.45pm and went on my journey. Arrived at Abdul Aziz's house somewhere around 4.20pm. Luqman Nur had arriced already. Sigh... basketball was full so we just played SuddenAttack at Abdul Aziz's house. Haziq arrived last. Well, that was all history.
Saturday was... well, bit sad. I was at home, alone. My cousins went to watch 'Harry Potter 6'. My mother had gone out with my other cousin. My father was working and well... it was just me. So, no need to talk bout it much. Ooh, and I chatted with Shazaa for a long time... Thats going into my phone bill...
On Sunday, I went to the Career Awareness Program. 6 hours of talks. It wasnt so bad. The most memorable talk was from this Malaysian guy who works on RTM and TV3, if Im not wrong. Mr Ahmad Fadzli Yusof. He reminded me very well of Gilderoy Lockhart with his bouncy way of speaking and his... you know, umm, uniqeness. Got a certificate of praticipation at the end of the session and I took a photo of Bukhara's class using Ruzaini's camera. Rode Bus No.8 with Haziq. The both of us slept through the journey because we were so tired. Arrived home, did my prayers and then went to the 'Pasar Malam' around my house area. Again, returned home and watched 'Lord of the Rings' on my computer.
Today, had a bad day, all because of my runny nose. Dont worry, I dont have... you know what. I have morning signus (Is that how its spelled?) and unfortunately, it became not morning sickness but a whole day. During the reading of the Ma'thurat, the class was being rowdy. I wanted to raise my voice but I had to be patient and wait for the right time. When I couldnt take and felt like I was on the verge of crying, I instantly ran for the toilet but some of my classmates were in there. When I returned, Mr Roslan had entered... lucky me then. Tilawah was no different. Which reminds me, I left my Quran at school. Gonna get it back tomorrow. Recess and afterwards had English class. Boy, was I uncomfortable. Ms Amnah scolded us because we were misbehaving. Malay class wasnt so bad. Maths was a blur. I was trying my best not to let my sleepy head take me. I fought it as hard as I could. I succeeded after about 15min and was a bit dazed. Luckily, I got what Mr Roslan taught us. Hifz class was ok. Lunch and then Hadith class. Wasnt so bad. After Zuhr prayers, I had Lughah classes which was awesome. Groupwork. Got to see just one episode of 'The Arrivals' which was ok. Luqman Nur sent me the movie 'Step Up 2' after school and now I am better. Ate my medicine just now and am currently watching 'Kingdom of Heaven' whilst blogging this very entry.
Wassalam...
P.S.: I am quote writer for my class...hehe. Maybe I'll upload a few photos in the coming entries.

An Omen?

The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st Century occurred today. For the first time, I did a total solar eclipse prayer. It was ok. Heard the khutbah after the intense prayer and then went back to class shortly afterwards. With Fiqh lessons gone, English class started. We had discussions about money and all the words associated with it. After English, had an hour of Geography. Studied the last few topics about climate change. It was interesting. Had lunch and after that, while waiting for Ustd Salehin, Abdur Rahman Yassin, Adam and Ziyan talked with this African guy who studied at Damascus. The man and Abdur Rahman Yassin talked fluently in Arabic. I didnt even understand a word they said, which made me feel terrible. Awfully terrible. Went back inside class and a few minutes later, Ustd Salehin arrived. Memorised words from the story about Singapore. After that, I had Tafsir class, only half an hour though. Then, Zuhr prayers before I spent my White Space period to practise my dikir barat moves with the other boys of Andalusia. Went home alone... Sigh... life is passing by so fast.
Wassalam...

Rehearsals and Games

Today, I had a good time.
We started the day with the rehearsals for the Irsyad carnival. It ended around 9am. There, my class went for recess. I dunno if it was but I just bought a drink and then went back up. When Fiqh classes started, Ustd Mahzan was so surprised that about 2/3 of the class was not present. I offered to find them. I knew exactly where they were... sneeking peaks at the Auditorium. I told them and we all rushed back, me being fine cause I wasnt late. Had a good session studying. Then came Mathematics class which wasnt so bad. We learned 'Profit & Loss' and 'Taxation' with Mr Roslan and I quite enjoyed the period. After that, Abdul Rahman Abd Aziz and I went straight to the mosque. Did our sunnat prayers and then started to zikir. It was ok. Got a glimpse of Mr Yaacob Ibrahim, the Mufti and this one other person-in-charge. Can you believe that whilst they are praying, the photographers take dozens of photos? Talk about no privacy...
Had a Friday sermon concerning the topic 'Compassion of a Leader'. I learned a lot from it. May I be good enough to be a leader.
At the end of the day, Abdul Aziz invited Haziq, Luqman Hakim and I to play basketball as usual. Luqman Nur couldnt come cause he had some other business outside. But first, Luqman Hakim, along with Haziq and Luqman Nur were at Multi-Purpose Room 1... playing with the Nintendo Wii, again. I grabbed a book from one of the racks in the room and read it while waiting for them to finish.
At the court, it was blistering hot. We got tired easily. But the game was memorable. Here's what happened...

"We were choosing to see who was teaming up with who. We decided to see who could score first, like always. The first two would be the first team. I got teamed up with Abdul Aziz, whereas Haziq paired up with Luqman Hakim.
I got really active, running everywhere. 5min passed and still the score was [0-0]. When I got the ball this time, I thought quick. Luqman Hakim was just in front of me while Haziq was marking Abdul Aziz. I ran towards the direction of Abdul Aziz, feigning a pass. Instantly, I whizzedto the left but spun back to the right to shake off Luqman Hakim. It worked. I did my 'signature move' and fortunately, I scored. The score was [1-0]. And to think we wanted to end the game at 7 points. We started and tried to capitalise the match. With great tenacity, Haziq managed to get the ball and scored a spectacular throw, earning his team a point. Abdul Aziz and I had to win. We tried to shoot from far, the other person being at the other end of the hoop. It failed and this time, Luqman Hakim took the opportunity and scored another point. The score was [2-1]... in their favour. I signalled time out. The four of us sat down and drank our drinks. 5min later, the game resumed. Abdul Aziz fought back ferociusly, whilst I chased the ball. Amazingly, Abdul Aziz was in a great spot. He jumped and sent the ball flying... into the hoop! We scored!!! The score was [2-2]. All of us decided that this was going to be the last point. The first to 3 was gonna be the winner. We ran and ran and ran but eventually, I got my moment and shot the ball, aiming the inner box of the board so that the ball would bounce into the hoop. It did! We won! Woohoo!!!

Then we packed our stuff and headed for the residence of Safudin."
Phew... it was tiring. VERY tiring. I was shaking. Arrived at his house and started playing Sudden Attack Sea. It was awesome. Got a taste of being a sniper. Once, I sniped a guy in the head just with one shot. Lucky, I guess. Did my Asar prayers afterwards and after that, more playing. Luqman Hakim left at 5.35pm. At about 6pm, Haziq and I decided to go home. It was a fun day. Tomorrow... Sudden Attack!!!
Wassalam...

King of Pop

Michael Jackson, King of Pop... finally rests. As said by millions of other fans in the world, I will miss you, Michael Jackson.

I remember when I was still young. I especially loved watching his concerts. I danced and sang along to his music. It was he who brought the love of singing to me. My childhood, then, was always revolving around singing. At that time, I wanted to grow up to become a singer. If Im not wrong, I sang in front of my class when I was Primary 2. It felt great.

When I first heard the news of him passing away, I was so shocked and of course, devastated. The person who I felt was going to be there forever, died. Rumors circle if he did become a Muslim. All I can say is that may Allah the Most Gracious, Most Merciful accept his soul.

Since then, the world seems to be missing something. Even though I never met him, its like part of my childhood went away. Alas, life goes on.

So, my prayers be with this great man who brought music and love to me.

Wassalam...

Carnival Preparations

Today, a starting period of Tilawah gave me a bit of a headache. I continued to read but the headache worsened. I stopped for a while and read the Quran, a few more pages. Had a short recess. Got a short talk about the carnival after recess. Unfortunately, I also have to help out. Not that I dont want to help... just that I wanted to take pictures. Anyway, I had Fiqh classes next and I had a good time listening. English next and also, good lesson. Had Geography afterwards and boy, that seemed a bit quicker than usual. Then lunch. Did nothing. Lughah period half hour after the start of lunch. Just discussed about this week's topic, Singapore and its new generation. After Lughah, I had Tafsir classes. I read out my translated verse which Ustd Ruzi told me to do. Zuhr prayers. Had a bit of a laugh with the Secondary 4 boys. Lastly, we had another talk but this time by Mr Muneer... regarding the carnival. Went upstairs after that, packed my bag and after assembly, went for my ICAS Writing paper. I did ok, I guess. After all that, I did my Asar prayers alone and went to Multi-Purpose Room 1. There, I joined Luqman Nur, Luqman Hakim, Haziq, Shazaa, Hijannah and her friend. I was in the mood to talk with them, you know... after a long while, kinda wanna just have a short chat. These people were the ones helping Mr Ismam cause they had Nintendo Wii which I heard was gonna be used at the carnival. I proceeded to look at the variety of games when Luqman Hakim said, "Oh no no, Dollah". Its like he's treating me like a child. Well, after just going through a test paper, I was a bit crabby and said, "I know when Im not wanted..." and I left. Zulfaqar asked me what I was doing for the carnival. Told him my duty and said that I wanted to help Mr Izzad take pictures. To my dismay, Ruzaini got the role. Not that Im mad at him but I never get that role. When Abdul Aziz was at Irsyad, he was the one. When he left, Ruzaini got the part. How many people must leave before I get to help?
Sigh, Im happy for everyone but at the same time, mad and crabby...
Wassalam..

Free Periods

Started the day with Nahu. Clueless but trying to understand. Sigh... Got a bit of what was taught. Spent my recess in the library reading about Winston Churchill. Ended recess and was supposed to have Malay classes when I was informed that Cikgu Iskandar was absent. So, I just talked with Taufiq, Bukhari and Abdul Rahman Abd Aziz. On came Mathematics were I learned about compound interest. Interesting...
An hour later, I had Physics classes. Again, another teacher was not present. It wasn't because Mdm Surianah was sick or anything, just that she was helping the "award-winners" rehearse for the Haflah, if Im not wrong. So, what was left of the class played word games... you know, guess what the person in front wrote. It was fun. I found out that guys were smarter than girls in general knowledge. I mean, who doesnt know Adolf Hitler??? Ok, fine... maybe they're not as interested as worldly events as guys but who cares. Had lunch but this time, I just sat outside in the corridors. English lesson but yet another teacher was absent. And yes, Ms Amnah was absent. About half an hour into the lesson, Cikgu Zainab entered and wanted to tell us a story. Ended halfway but I already knew the story. Told the others and then did some other meaningless stuff. Zuhr prayers. Did that and went back up to find Ustd Ruzi in class. Quran lesson, that was. Lastly, a serving of Nahu which made me tongue-twisted and mind-boggled as ever. Why didnt I concentrate when I was young?
On my way home from school, I saw that the sky was getting dark so I took Bus No. 13 and stopped at Bishan's Prime. To my delight, I met Abdul Aziz in his school uniform. Talked a bit and bade him goodbye, sending my good wishes to his family.
Today, I helped to stand up for the rights and justice of a fellow Muslim. My classmates will know though anyone not a classmate need not know of the worries of my class. And, I also sulked at the fact that the award winners were the same old faces. Ok, maybe the teachers think it will boost our morale by challenging one another... I dont think so. Its a bit demoralizing that the smarts get all the glory. Why cant we have awards for 'Best Neatly Dressed' or 'Most Punctual' or 'Best Conversatiionist'? These small things could make us lesser people feel like...
"Hey, I did do this. Im so glad that people recognised me" And it is these small things that can mean more. Its not always the smart and brilliant that get all the glory. Its those others behind the spotlight, those people dont look at. What people call... Hidden Talent...
Wassalam...