One Heck of a Week

Assalamualaikum

Okay, this post might be a bit crazy and pointless. But I've experienced one heck of a week lately. Yet, as I said, this is some pointless posts among others in my blog. So, I'm going to keep it simple and short as I can.



14/4/2014
It all started on Monday, where I did my everyday things and checked my news feed on Facebook, and suddenly stumbled upon a post shared by this awesome page called 'Kami Budak 1996'. Earlier this year, I liked this page because the admins here shared some useful informations about what to do with your life after SPM ends. Either finding jobs, or laying down lazy at home doing chores, or starting to browse the Net for any available scholarships or courses provided by both public and private universities.

So, about this post, it says that we can already find out whether if our applications to UiTM for various kind of courses are accepted. Luckily enough, I found out I've been called by the university for an interview to qualify for the TESL foundation program on Saturday. I was on cloud 9 on that moment, so proud, the first person I ever informed about it is my mom. She smiled gracefully and said this is what I meant for. For all this while, she wanted me to embrace education as my next course in university for many reasons. (refer here)

So the next thing I did, is to tell this to my friends in Whatsapp. They were expecting me to get this and congratulated me. I just can't stop smiling at that time. Then I found out, Hakim (one of my friends back in HS) also got informed that he is up to an interview the same day as mine. As I asked, he was called to qualify for 'Diploma Perancang Bandar & Wilayah'. My mom joked that he would one day become a D.O (district officer). I hope he will.

15/4/2014
On Tuesday , as I was preparing for the big day on Saturday, I was determined to trim my hair a bit, just to keep it nice and neat. I went back home from work at 5 pm, already set on mind to go on 5.15 or 5.30 something. Yet, the iPad and virtual social life kept distracting me from fulfilling those wishes. Suddenly, a call from my mom asking whether I've been to the barber shop yet. I wasn't as I still on the couch scrolling through FB and twitter and instagram. I rushed out to the barber at 6 pm and finished trimming my hair at 6.15 pm, just enough time to fetch my brother from 'sekolah agama'.

But then, the sky was gloomy and dark, thunders were applauding. A sign of a great storm. By this point, dear readers, this thunderstorm and heavy downpour was one of few storms ever hit the town of Yong Peng, since the whole Malaysia was plagued with extreme heat that caused drought for nearly three months. Needless to say, it was fortunate to have a tropical thunderstorm in the middle of hot evening.

And yet, it was unfortunate for me, since I was not prepared for the storm. I only brought a sweater to cover myself from dust, wore it reversed (much like any other Malaysians would do) but not a storm. Hence, I rushed to the 'sekolah agama', as I thought there's still much time to fetch my brother. But no. Halfway there, it was raining cats and dogs. I can even barely see the road itself. So, I went directly to the nearby Petronas gas station, protecting myself from the storm.

There were like two or three other motorcycles with people trapped there to shelter themselves, like me.
It was harsh and cold. No way out from there. It's like I was doomed to be trapped there overnight.

And worst, I forgot my phone.

So, I gathered my confidence to approach the cashier and asked to borrow her phone. She was kind enough to let me borrow it. I called my dad, informed him of my current situation and asked him whether he already fetched my brother. He already did, and he advised to wait for the rain to stop temporarily before heading back home.

It was 7 pm and I had no choice. I stormed myself through the downpour and against all odds, finally made it back home.

16/4/2014
As the big day was approaching, I was determined to spent that Wednesday morning by rushing to the 'Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara' (National Registration Department) in Batu Pahat to renew my IC since it was last taken when I was 12 years old. After 5 years passing puberty and self-consciousness towards childish acts, I decided to take a new photo of myself and make a new one.

As I wrote these lines above, regardless of the grammatical error, I found that this event meant something significance to me. This is the day where I escaped my childhood and teenage years and stepped into the adolescence stage into adulthood. The day I realized I was ready for the big world out there. The day I don't have to lie to myself and admit I am eligible and responsible for my own act. (if you know what i mean)

That morning, my mom told me to take my brother's IC from the JPN Yong Peng as it was done. Somehow, that information didn't reach me. So, I rode my motorcycle to Batu Pahat and waited for nearly one hour for my turn. After that, it would take another hour before my new IC is done.

Then, I informed my mom about that long wait. She said that I should get back to YP as it was nearly working hours. At 11 pm I have to be at my mom's warung to assist her to open the warung. And me being the only assistant she have, as an excuse to make me work instead of laying down lazily at my bedroom for the entire post-SPM off-day. (which means no school anymore, you're graduated, high school's done for you.) So, I went back from Batu Pahat to Yong Peng.

As I reached the warung, my mom asked me why it took so long from the JPN to the warung. I told him about the event earlier and she was shocked. She thought I was doing it at JPN Yong Peng. All this misunderstanding led to one solution: I have to go back to Batu Pahat today to take that new IC of mine.

And I tell you readers, this boy has hardly stretched any muscles or sweats out for the past months. So stamina and energy level was quickly falling down. I literally had no energy to even turn those throttle. But, with all might, I made it.

In one day, I managed to go to Batu Pahat, process a new IC, went back to Yong Peng to prepare the warung, went back to Batu Pahat to fetch the new IC, and went back to Yong Peng to work.

17/4/2014
It was a usual Thursday, as I did my everyday tasks when suddenly my dad urged me to replace my brothers's role of doing some errands: fetching his new L license. You see, in Johor, the government offices and its subordinates offices related to the state's government have to obliged the recent changes in weekdays and weekends that mostly annoys housewives, working men, and students: the sudden change of weekend holiday.

It was made known that states like Perak, Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia has practiced the a different kind of weekends than any other states in Malaysia: Friday is announced as a weekend, while Sunday is announced as a weekday. This may have tied to the Muslim tradition of performing Friday prayers and that, by announcing Friday as a weekend makes it easier for working men to perform this compulsory prayer and an easier way to spot those other men who doesn't perform the prayer.

But here in Johor, that odd form of weekend have no longer being a practice in Johor. Lastly recorded, it was some 30 years, when even my parent were in elementary school have experienced it. But for 2014, His Royal Highness Sultan of Johor pronounced this practice to be put into use once again. This irks some citizens of the state.

Well, back to the story...
Short to say, my dad asked me to take my brother's new L license card at the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (Road Transportation Department) in Batu Pahat. But, the JPJ is closing early in Thursday, and is closed on Friday and Saturday. My excited brother wanted the L license so badly that day. So, yet again, I forced myself to go to Batu Pahat, and performed those errands.

Despite some minor arguments between my brother and I regarding the passport photos (which he claimed the one I've made is very poor, so he decided to print them at a photo shop in Yong Peng, which takes about 10 minutes. why didn't he did that on the first place?) , I was able to sprint to Batu Pahat and fetch some documents in the Penggaram Driving Academy.

But, there was a bad news. By the time I passed the JPJ to go to the driving academy, I have already seen the clerks and workers in JPJ have going back to their cars and getting ready to head back home. This have worsened my already-tired body and spirit to even do those errands. In the end, I went back home to YP empty-handed, nothing but the documents to process the L license.

But still, going to Batu Pahat, and went back Yong Peng in one day. That's effing awesome!

18/4/2014
One day before the interview. On Friday night, I went all over Yong Peng searching for a new tie to buy. But not a single fashion shop in the town sold ties. This frustrated me, and I just went to the supermarket called 'Nirwana Maju'. I went there and as I parked my motorcycle there, I noticed a bike next to mine. It was Honda Wave Dash with number plate JMY-something.

I remembered who's bike is this. It was my childhood lover, Nurin Irdina. I don't know if there's still any connection between us since we never declared that it's official (although I honestly confessed to her and tied her to a couple relationship online on FB) nor it's ended. So, I regarded her to be my crush. Simply to say.

Once I saw her, I saw at 'sekolah agama' when I was about to fetch my sister. It was the same bike that day. But then again, the next day, a different person was on the bike. I think it was her dad.

So, I was searching for stuffs to prepare for the interview tomorrow. I did bumped to some acquaintances and known persons. But I couldn't find her. I don't know why I wanted to see her badly that day. But, I just do what I wanted to do: buy stuffs and head back home.

As I was heading to cashier, I saw her at the end of the cashier, taking her bought stuffs with her elder sister and went out of the supermarket. I quickly asked the cashier to checked those things out fast. I was kind of chasing her and as I saw her there, right next to me, on the bike, I decided not to say hi to her.

I don't know, maybe it's because it's still feels like I still have feelings for her and I was hoping the same from her to me. But, it doesn't feel like she's the one. Or, maybe I've watched too many How I Met Your Mother episodes that I have imagined myself as Ted Mosby searching for love. Ugghhhh~~~ Obsession!

So, there you have it. My one heck of a week experience. Of course, this is just some bullsh*t you would just read. So you can skip it. And if you do read them from the beginning, then I appreciate that. Thanks for wasting your time here. Sorry to annoy you with some terrible grammatical errors here and there. Bye!



Yours truthfully,
Ikhmal Zikry