My Embarrassing Moment

1. The elevator fart

I tend to be very gassy whenever I have a seafood meal. For my 17^th birthday dinner, we had satisfying and mouth-watering seafood that was so good that I didn’t want to leave that place. As usual, I started farting when I got in the car all the way back home. My dad decided to join in and it became a fart war. When we got into the elevator, me and my dad plotted plans to release our ultimate atomic fart that is toxic enough to kill all the brain cells because it makes everything worse when it’s an enclosed area. It was my turn to release the gas. But when I did, at the same time, the elevator door decided to open. I looked up and saw my neighbor. To make things worse, my fart was a loud one. He covered his nose and gave me the “what died in your ass” look. I panicked and ran as fast as I could. From that day onwards, I could’ve sworn that he avoided me                                                                                             because I never saw him again.

2. The first time I peed my pants

This happened when I was in standard 1, so no judgment okay?

Do you know when we were young, we were always so terrified about going to the school washroom alone because we’ve been told stories about toilet ghost that would appear from the toilet bowl and drag you down to god knows where?

It was pouring outside. I needed to pee so badly but no one was willing to accompany me to the washroom. The loud and sudden thunder made it worse. Each time there was a thunder, I peed myself a little. I couldn’t gain enough courage to go to the bathroom all by myself. Finally, all hell broke loose when my bladder couldn’t take it anymore. I just let it go. Yes, you read that right. I peed my pants. I remember it so well like it happened yesterday. That warm liquid flowing down your leg and then the chair and finally the floor. It took 3 minutes for the class to realize it and turned into a chaos. 

There goes all my dignity, but if you do see my dignity along the way, please send it back to me. 

The most important trait of all

Confidence ~ 

Perhaps, most of the people out there thinks the most important trait of a person is kindness, loyalty, love or even generous.

But in my opinion, confidence is by far the most important trait we should train.

This is because of the simple fact that a person's good trait will be useless without confidence.

For example, one can have great vocal or debating skills, but all that is useless if you lack the confidence to join a competition, show it off or even practice with others because they FEAR the judgement people place onto them. 

So what, if a person has a million ideas, but lacks the confidence to express the ideas or suggest it out. 

So what, if you're a very curios person, but lacks the confidence to ask your teacher in FEAR that it was a "stupid" question. 

I'm speaking this from my own experience. I used to be the guy who sits silently in the backseat waiting for the opportunity to roll towards me. 

But the problem do not lie in the opportunity not coming to me or everyone else ... it lies in the person waiting for it. We shouldn't wait for the opportunity, we should stand up and grab it !!

After I've became more confident, I realize my life became much more interesting ~ especially since I became more involved in many more things ~ 

And there is this one thing I cannot stress enough. In my opinion, confidence is a very hard thing to build up, in my case, it took me longer to build my confidence than the judgement of right from wrong, 

However, with the extra dose of confidence, comes another problem ..... "arrogance "

As the saying goes, "too much of anything is never good" 

Same goes with confidence. 

When one is loaded with confidence, one becomes blind to the truth or the opinion of others. 

That is no doubt a very dangerous trait one can own. 

That's why we should be someone with confident with your own ideas and opinion, but at the same time practice an open mind to be able to accept the ideas from others which might be better than yours. 

As always,stay open minded, be confident and stay frosty.  =D 

Self defence

Seni Silat Terlak Empat

       

       
           Self-defense is very important for us to protect ourselves from being attacked by enemies or in dangerous situations.There are many types of self-defenses such as Tae Kwan Do,Kungfu,kickboxing,Muay Thai and Silat is one of the self-defenses that can be learned.However there are many types of silat in Malaysia.For examples Silat Gayung,Silat Tongkat,Silat Tapak Suci,Silat Terlak Empat and many more.

      Silat Terlak Empat is one of the art of self-defenses.This self-defense originated from Kampung Terlak,Minangkabau,Sumatera Barat by Abu Taman bin Indera Muda.Then he emigrated from his city to Brunei and finally reached Kg. Laut / Sg.Pinang , Kelantan.After he passed away,he left three of his children in Kelantan.They were Ali Muda bin Abu Taman,Siti Hasanah@Saanah binti Abu Taman and Siti Zaharah binti Abu Taman.One of his daughters,Siti Indariah binti Abu Taman was in Brunei.

      Abu Taman then bequeathed this self-defense to Harun bin Daud from Kampung Puteh , Kelatan.Then it was bequeathed to Haji Ismail bin Yusuf who known as Pak Mail Ayer Lanas and to Mohamad Yusof who also known as Pak Mat Ayer Puteh.

Tuan Hj. Mohd Noor Mahmood a.k.a "Pak Su Noor"

      Then Silat Terlak Empat is led by Tuan Hj. Mohd Noor Mahmood or is well-known as Pak Su Noor.This self-defense was officially registered in 1977 and was named as ' Pertubuhan Seni Silat Terlak Empat' in conjunction with the name of the founder,Pendekar Abu Taman.

     As I said before, self-defense is important in our life.I have learned Silat Terlak Empat since I was in secondary school.At first I did not want to learn it but my family encouraged me to learn the art of self defense.They said that I was physically weak and I must become stronger so finally I joined Pertubuhan Seni Silat Terlak Empat.After joining this society I can say that I experienced a lot of changes in my life.I am more confident and learnt to be independent.

      As the conclusion,learning any self-defense  may help us to be more courageous,confident and stay motivated.So I hope all of us learn the art of self-defense.

Only Child

People are always asking me the same questions. “Do you ever feel lonely being the only child?”, “Don’t you feel bored?”, “How does it feels like not having to share everything?”

The answers are always the same. NO, NO and NO. Of course, I do dream of having an annoying, mischievous younger brother or an older siblings to look up. I do have a step sister but I will get to that part later. However, my parents brought me to this world at their late 30s. I understand the reason why I have no siblings. I wouldn’t want my parents to risk their life just so that I can have a companion and not to mention there are also financial issues.

Do I feel bored? No, not at all. I have a great father who is technically a 5 year old boy stuck in a 60 year old body. He was the one who educated me with the kind of knowledge that you will never learn in classroom. He is also my companion when I feel like playing. We are always goofing around. For instance, we wrestled and fought with all our might just to get our hands on the remote control because he who controls the television is the most powerful ones in the house. We even had underwear fights occasionally. So here’s how it usually goes. We would each  grab a broom or a mop stick and we would tie my mom’s g-strings and bras on the other end of the stick and the war begins. The fun stops until my mom walks in only to find her favourite branded undergarments hanging on a stick.  Well, that didn’t stop us from doing it again and again.

Another reason why my dad is awesome.

The picture says it all. This was his first Whatsapp message to me

                       

When it comes to my mom, I can say that she is one of a kind. My dad gave her a nickname “Ultraman” and she was stuck with that name among her friends ever since. She lives in her own world and do things that no normal person in their right mind would do. She has no sense of humour but her actions and lifestyle are all pretty odd and sometimes hilarious. For example, she likes to swim and jog in the middle of the night because she is not very fond of crowds and sun lights. One day, there was a rumour circling around from one of the resident in the apartment claiming that there is a lady ghost in white with long hair running around. Well, everyone had a good laugh when they found out that it was just my mom. There was once when she was about to go for her daily swim at an ungodly hour, she wore her bra over her swimming costume just like how Superman wore his underwear over his blue suit and walked out of the house without realizing it. My dad and I could not stop laughing for a good straight 15 minutes.

I present to you my mama!

How does it feels like?

All my life, God has blessed me with so many amazing friends that sometimes I forget that I have no siblings. I took the chance to build my personality as I grew older from every friend that have touched and changed my life in so many different ways.

It is a whole different story when it comes to my step sister. Don’t keep your hopes up. It is nothing like the cliché story about the evil stepsister and stepmother Cinderella kind of story. She is my dad’s first daughter and we are 15 years apart. I love her to death. We have a lot in common like our Asian eyes, taste in non-mainstream, upbeat, gleeful songs, and we don’t take life seriously. I’d like to have more bonding time with her. Unfortunately, she is too busy with her life as she is a newlywed and we both live in different state. I am looking forward to her wedding ceremony too as she is planning to have a Christmas wedding! 

Long story, short. I would not be who I am today without these amazing people in my life. 

From hatred to love

   “People who hide their feelings usually care the most, Jean”.”No! That’s not true. He never loved me, he only loves you”, I rebuked my sister furiously. “All he cares is you, everything about you. He never loved nor pampered me as his daughter “.

  I came from a family which I would describe as depressed. My parents quarreled almost all the time over small matters. Sometimes, I just feel like I want to run away from them but I could not. All they have in this small house is me ever since my sister furthered her studies in USM, Penang. I would be their intermediary whenever both of them had a falling-out. All I can do is just be patient and listen to all their complaints without citing anyone. However, I am only a human and I cannot be as patient as Job all the times especially when my father exceeded my patience limit.

  Frankly speaking, I hate my father. He only showers his love for my sister. Why did I say so? My father used to be a chef. Whenever he cooked or attempted a new recipe, I would be his food taster especially when it comes to my favorite food, crab! I don’t really mind until he asked “How was the taste? Delicious? If it is, then I will cook for your sister when she comes back”. Oh my, somehow I feel like I am the food taster for the emperor in olden dynasty days. Maybe I should just look at the positive side. It is normal after all to cook something for his daughter that long did not come back and most importantly she is far from home. Aside from food, whenever he got free gifts from his friends, he will give it all to my sister without giving me a single piece. “Fine! He only loves sister more than me”- the tag line that keeps lingering in my mind.

  

Papa never compliment on my success either in studies or sports. He doesn’t even show his support in everything I did. He never turned up for sports day to watch me in 100m, 200m and 4 x100m sprints. Unlike my mother and my only sister, they encourage and give moral support in all the competitions I participated.  Here I must express my gratitude to my mother because it is her that makes me who I am today. She may not be the perfect mother in the world but she definitely is in my heart.

Posing with friends after finishing the race.

  

    My father does not like animal at all because he said they are all dirty which is very disparate from me who is a die-hard animal lover and whose ambition is to be a veterinarian. He does not allow me to rear any pets but being the rebellious me, I rear not one but two cats. I even feed and offer shelter when it rains for the stray dogs. He frequently scolded me and talked bad about my cats with my neighbor who also does not like cats and dogs. What I cannot stand any longer is that whenever he came home drunk, he will kick my cats or beat them. How I wish I do not have a father like him. I even scolded him silently in my heart. Worst of the worst, he always looked down on my ambition by saying that it is the most ridiculous career ever for being an animal doctor. Even most of my relatives said the same too. As the proverb goes, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’. I will not give up on my ambition regardless all the criticisms. I will do anything to achieve my ambition.

My polydactyl cat.

  16^th May 2014 was the happiest day ever! I was offered to pursue study for Diploma in Animal Health and Production in UPM, Bintulu campus, Sarawak. My father encouraged me to go but a few days later, he was signaling me not to go. He said that it will cost a lot of money and it will be better for me to enroll into Pahang matriculation which I already had it in my hand. This would be the turning point of my life. Where should I go? I felt so lost for several days. Finally with all the advices from my school teacher, I decided to go after diploma. I shall go far away from home so that papa will love me as how he loves my sister.

  A day before I left for Bintulu, papa cooked many of my favorite dishes. He said ‘this is the last meal that I cooked for you’. My eyes misted over. I was holding back my tears. I kept saying that the chilies are freaking spicy till I almost cry.  I really do not like when he said that sentence because I feel that as if we are not going to meet again. I understand his disturbance. He had a minor stroke years ago and his health has been deteriorating ever since that. He afraid that 3 years later,  I might not see him anymore. Then he asked “ Why don’t you have any reaction when I said this is the last meal I prepared for you?”. Pearl-shaped tears streaming down my face. I cannot hold it anymore. “Must you ask that question?”, I said. What surprised me most was my father. Tears strolled down his cheek like a small kid and a joyous lunch somehow turned into a crying session where papa, mummy and I cried like nobody business. I have never seen my father cried before. This reminded me of what my sister always said, “Papa loves you Jean. He just don’t know how to show it”. Everybody stopped eating and rolls of tissue finished in just minutes. Papa said that he is afraid that he might cry as well when he is walking my sister down the aisle on her big day. I can feel him. All he has are two daughters. One will be getting married soon and the other will be studying in ‘overseas’.

  A month later, it was my sister’s wedding in Penang. I was so excited because this was the first time I became the bridesmaid. When walking down the aisle, I can see Papa’s eyes were getting red but he managed to control his feeling. It was difficult to let go of his daughter to another man after all.

Happy family photo with a new family member!

  

  Martin Luther King. Jr once said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear”. I have repeated the word ‘never’ many times. What I can say now is that we must never say that we hate our parents. There is no time like the present. We should all fulfill our filial piety before it is too late. We might not know when is the last time. Parents love us, but in different ways. Just because their eyes don’t tear, don’t mean their hearts don’t cry. Appreciate and cherish every moment together with your family members. 

What’s more? 
Papa, mummy I love you!

The man I am today.

The man I am today, wasn't built in a day
Just like how Rome wasn't built in a day

This is a story of how I came to become the man I am today.

I was the "weird kid" while I was in form 1 ~ 4
I was pathetic, and lonely
There was no one I could really talk my passion about
My geeky passion
Games, Comics
Songs that aren't mainstream
Movie that barely anyone watches
I was pathetic to even try and change the part of me that makes me who I am
I tried to like the things others find interesting
K- Pop, dramas, latest scandal of some idol I don't care for, branded things
I was trying to be a social chameleon ~~
As time passes, I start to lose my own identity.
I can't even look in the mirror, knowing for sure who the person in the mirror is.

I have nowhere I belong to ....
I still retain my love for the geeky stuff
Yet, I do not have pure passion for the stuff loved by so people my age

This all changed when my brother rekindled my love for anime by inviting me to Comic Fiesta 2013
That event changed my view on life ....
There was so many people out there, loving the same exact thing I love
I was not alone, I found a place I belong to

I brought that bright warm love for my passion to form 5 and my life instantly changed for the better.
I became closer with some of my friends with the same interest and they are the best friend anyone could ask for.
My confidence started to rise and I felt empowered.
I became the treasurer for the Interact Club in my school
I was in the chorus speaking team of my school while we won first place for inter - zon
I was the team captain for the winning team of the robotics competition (Lego)

I became honest with myself, stand up strong and do not submit to the judgmental eyes of the public.
The biggest confidence boost for myself however ....
My girlfriend
My very first one, I must say,
She was understanding, loving and caring
She was the one that gave me the true answer to the one question I kept asking myself.
Will there be someone for me out there ?

However, we went on our different paths
Perhaps our time together has ended, but the time we shared in the past was true.
I couldn't thank her enough for making me a better man,
I was a pathetic, lonely, introverted person ~
But now, I am confident, happy, outgoing and extroverted person.

That is the story of how I became the man I am today

I would like to tell everyone out there that, you are never truly alone. There will always be someone out there for you, you just have to stick with your passion and be true to yourself. No good can come from lying to yourself and changing your behavior just to fit in with the crowd.

Dark Horse

The name is Ketty. A dark-brown Thoroughbred horse. Thoroughbred horse is a mix between any kind of breeds for example; An Arabian horse and Haflinger Horse. She had the conformation of a dark fetlock, dark hair and dark-brown color. She was capable of handling vigorous activities and performances. She can be rode for hours and still standing actively.

Preparing Ketty to be rode. Ketty wearing a bridle.

 
I was assigned by the stable manager which is also my friend; Fauzan. He assigned me to take care of Ketty while the other stablemates took care of 2 horses per staff. I was special because I was not as professional as the other staff members so I was only assigned 1 horse which was Ketty and I was grateful because I was given the opportunity and chance to prove that  I can handle the responsibility. I thought to myself, "how could they trust me with such a big task that they are willing to assign me the fate and health of a horse."

From that day onwards, I took care of Ketty. she was quite hard to deal with at first. She stomped my foot and I screamed silently. On that particular day also, when I was grooming her body and I was looking at the leg, I was kicked in the eye and luckily it wasn't too bad. It was my bad because I groomed a little too rough at her wound which I didn't noticed before. At first I was frustrated but when I felt that she was also trying to be at her best behavior, I was touched and I didn't blame her at all for what she did to me. I tried my best to hide my bruised eye from my family, especially my parents . I don't want them to think that Ketty is dangerous, and even worse, stop me from taking care of Ketty.

Day after day, I trained her. Training a horse can be done in 2 ways; lunging and riding. Lunging is a method in which a person stands in the middle of a circular fence at least 8m radius and a lunging rope which is a simple rope just specialized for lunging, tied on it's head collar. The training session for lunging is done for about 30-40 minutes. Frankly speaking, I only did for 20 minutes because standing on a field under the scorching sun is seriously killing me. And I can only make Ketty race trot which is the next step after walking trot and before canter. Canter is the previous level of speed before gallop.

Basic lunging diagram. Red dot shows the instructor, green is lunging whip, pink defines lunging rope that connects
the instructor.

Until one day, when a staff is trying to get Ketty back to it's stable, she slipped and fell, cracking it's hind and legs like a splattered pie. She was wounded at the barrel, foreleg, and her buttocks was also heavily wounded. The staff member put on Skin heal and wound spray for veterinary purpose. She couldn't stand still for long and was damaged severely. The training is halted and the situation worsen when we could spot fleas and lice on her body. The stable manager called University Putra Malaysia(UPM) Serdang for veterinary assistant and they came and inspect each and every horse we have at the stable. We have 14 horses including ponies.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine came to our stable.

Practical students from UPM Serdang briefing moment.

Ketty was confirmed to be pregnant by the veterinarian from UPM Serdang. The bad news is Ketty couldn't sustain her life any longer. We have no money to afford for her treatment as it is too costly. The wound has entered her bone and to make matters worse, parasites started to enter her body. The open wound has made a lot of internal damage to the body. The stable manager made the toughest choice, to put her down, as there was no chance of survival for Ketty

Ketty undergo Rectal Palpation to check whether pregnancy is positive or not.

The day for her "treatment" is decided. On the day before she is taken away, Ketty fell down and could no longer muster the strength to stand up. She lied down in her stable, weak and  in agony. The pain and sadness of looking at her weak soulless body is still fresh in my mind. I could picture myself sitting beside her like it was yesterday. The lice swarmed her body, my poor Ketty, she can't even catch a breath at her final moments. My stablemates cried and I felt really sad, she looks really terrible. Her muzzle is stunned and couldn't even move. From time to time, she would try her very best to find the strength to stand back up, but she just couldn't find the strength. She was hungry and very dehydrated at that time. She needed water to drink. We tried all we could to ease her suffering. We even tied clothes at her face because her face is lying against the rough wall of the stable and her face was bleeding. I couldn't bear to watch and I went back home, sadness overwhelms me at the time and I was so sad that I didn't dare to attend the day Ketty's misery comes to an end (euthanasia) at the next day. I felt powerless, frustrated and sad that I couldn't change the outcome of the scenario no matter how much I wished for it to happen.

So I would like to remind everyone out there that no matter who is your partner, a cat, a dog, a horse or a human, they will walk down this road of life that may collapse anytime. Cherish all the time you have together no matter what you're doing together.

DKHP'14 student ~ "HOUSE OF ANIMALS, WHERE ANIMALS ARE FAMILY"

My stablemates and Ketty; June 2013