Rock Climbing

Today was the first time I went rock climbing. Well I've done it before but that was a junior one when I was 11. The place I went was called Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym, dubbed the biggest in Sydney. Well I was very amazed because it was so huge.

DAMN BIG

It was awesome. There were a few set of rules that we must follow everytime we want to climb but i won't bother covering that up. Initially Fazrul and I only did the straight up ones. Eventhough it was straight, the height caused it to become a very tiring climb. Then we tried steeper ones and ones that required you to jump and hang on a stalactite thingy. There were walls that have different difficulties and we choose ones in the range of 14-19 in the Australian Scale.

It was awesome. I wished my bud Nicholas Liu the Ape was there then he could help me out a bit. The one in the picture above was very gayat haha. Imagine u hanging on but when u try to look down to place your footing you only see empty space below you. There was even bouldering which is not as well known as climbing. The main difference was that it had no harness but lacked height.

You guys should try it. Just because your fit does not mean you can do this as it requires not only physical superiority but mental endurance and smart thinking. So far everyweek I have been involved in social activities and I hope it breaks the stereotype that medicine students are nerds. Or its just me being lazy

Cheers

Back In Businness

Well it has been a hectic week for me, finishing assignments while cursing for doing it in the eleventh hour. But there was so much more that was going on through these 7 days of March. The best day has to be today. Why? because I felt like myself. no, my REAL self. I was loud in class which I hadn't been since college. It was as if the instance i handed in my assignment, the burden on my shoulders lifted and opened a gate that is my big mouth. My groupmates said it might be due to my lack of sleep or something cause they never saw that side of me before. Hopefully it will continue and carry on through the fire and the flames style.

Possible the most important thing for you guys or your siblings/friends was on the 23rd. Yup SPM results. Enjoy while you can cause it doesn't really matter if you can't ace your interviews. Ever heard of this:

Well straight A's are like that, you figuratively completed the survey. and you STAND a chance to fly overseas/top local uni. I mean, for personal satisfaction, straight A's/A+'s gives an overwhelming feeling *momentarily* and gives joy to your parents. Sorry for my manners, I should have congratulated those who had achieved this feat. Well awesome job guys but the reason i didn't congratulate first was that i didn't want you to feel arrogant and what not.

The most important thing is perseverance and consistency. Do not think you can enjoy because you have reached to the top cause newsflash! You're just at the top of a small hill. Being spoonfed does not help you in your college/matriculation/foundation studies. It's a whole different world there so don't over-enjoy. I almost went down that path but thanks to a certain worm he helped me "dig" myself out of the hole. You should read his blog, he's the perfect example of perseverance  http://434209.blogspot.com/2011/03/expectations.html

Just because you didn't climb the hill till the top, doesn't mean you can't climb a bigger hill. I have friends who didn't climb high enough but managed to get into the Dean's List/1st class/4 flat categories. So why don't you get your climbing gear ready while the kings of the hill get complacent, that's the way to topple them.

One of my other good friends made an awesome video. At least a short clip of it. I was so amazed at his very first attempt. Kudos to you Ishaq Hakim hahaha may you live long and prosper.

Cheerios

Reflection

My medicine program focuses on reflection towards one self and of others around. We were told to keep a journal to see the progress of our emotional well-being. Then we can reflect back how we have improved, because test scores are for academics and trophies are for sports.

There was one thing however that i found quite offensive on one of my friend's facebook page, it wasn't his fault cause it wasn't created by him, he just passed it around. It may have been made up or it could be the real deal. The following picture really saddens me:




http://i.imgur.com/7kfyw.jpgJapan was struck by a natural disaster, a phenomenon so great that it shook not only the land of the rising sun but also the Asian-pacific region. Thousands of lives have been lost not to mention homes and shelter demolished. One cannot compare a natural disaster with an art of war? Surely those fools who thought so were mere bulwarks and bastards of this world. I am not saying that we should forget the pain and suffering that is Pearl Harbour but what if, god forbid, America had another mega-hurricane? Surely Americans wouldn't want Japanese to say "Hiroshima said Sayonara".

With that said I hope the people involved in the picture, or if its fake, the creator of the picture, to realize his error and be more sympathetic to those who are less fortunate. Surely you don't want your past presidents' actions to result in karma. Then all those bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan might just result in Yellowstone Supervolcano and Mount St. Helen 2.0

Week two

Suddenly i'm in the mood to talk. While i'm writing this i'm eating gummies from The Natural Confectionery Co. which contains halal gelatine so i'm savouring it. Halal is such a big issue in Aussie but its a good thing Australians dont bother when we ask them whether their food is halal or not. Worst comes to worst you can always check the internet. Some people are just too paranoid that they would only eat JAKIM approved food but they don't realize that other countries have stricter guidelines. And some people are scared even of alcohol in their perfumes. I mean their entitled to their opinions but based on my logic it doesn't make sense. It's good to link what you know with what you see and I know that A LOT of things in the stores have alcohol. For example methanol, then you would'nt be able to even eat menthos or eclipse. I am not pious but not all alcohols are Khamr (translates into drunk-causing drinks). Hence they should change it to ethanolic drinks. Whateever this is boring stuff

My transition here is on a steady course. Initially there was this weird feeling where suddenly my mouth freezes when I talk to caucasions who made posies from their old school. But as time passes by I stutter less and less and now I can speak with my fluent speech. No more feelings of inferiority or intimidation by them. Now people from the hallways meet me and shout my name "wassup Aiman!" but they pronounce it like I men. I feel awkward in the lecture theaters when I look around and see everybody writing notes. Maybe it's the culture. Yeah I know what you're thinking I'm Malay i'm lazy but it seems like they have already got used to writing notes from school. But the best part is when you initially don't know anything but in the end everybody comes to you for reference, its an awesome feeling.

In my anatomy practical class consisting of about 20 people i felt like the dumbest ass in the class, everybody already pre-read the online notes. Me? Macam biasa la I didn't even take notes when the anatomist spoke. I rely on focus rather than notes and in the end I understood all that he said and could name all the bones in the limbs and head and i manage to assemble them from pieces. In the end a girl came to me

"do you have any doctors in your family?".
"err, I'm the eldest but my dad has a PhD. Why is that?"
"you seem to know a lot about anatomy"

In my conscience i was thanking god for easing my transition for that was the turning point.

Today I had to present to my scenario group (UNSW medicine uses scenario-based learning instead of the PBL methods) what I just learnt in the past week. SO I said i learned how to buy stuff online. I thought it might be lame but they all laughed an said it was funny hahah. It wasn't my intention anyway. Here are the stuff that I bought all in AUD:

Fixie Onza Uno Bike 350 from 999
LG HD 23' monitor 180 from 260
leather office chair 110 from 130
Lava lamp:))) 20
Sony Deep Bass headphone 29 (in Malaysia I saw it for RM300)
logitech wireless keyboard+mouse+speaker 39 I dont really give a care about keyboards

all this in less than a week hahaha. And BTW I can't resist looking at sliced prices.

Uni

Bla bla bla and tomorrow the first day of university. In the medical faculty's orientation talk it appears as if only Ian Teng and I who are Malaysians. Hopefully more will come. Well tomorrow also marks exactly 2 weeks of my stay here in Australia. So far it has been a hectic but enjoyable few days.

The 1st week was filled with bank accounts and applications. Settled with that me and my fellow YSD Sydneyites travelled around the Sydney CBD. Hence we went to the Opera House and Darling Harbour. Im not in the mood to write so here r a few pictures:

And yes, the lomo shots. We'll my new phone can do both lomo and panoramic view. So everyone go get a samsung galaxy s or any other android cause it beats and if not now, will beat the iPhone hahaha.

BTW Bondi Beach was awesome!!!We created an international scene but im too lazy to write about it, ask me later and I'll personally tell you about it

*Cheerios*

2 Days

Yesterday I had to go to Putrajaya to get a certificate of good conduct. It was bad enough that I have to do it during the last days in Malaysia but I had to go alone. But wait. That was the fun part. Putrajaya is one of the most beautiful places in Malaysia. Seriously one should travel there by foot to see all the different building designs and the numerous bridges. The people there are what most tourists say about Malaysians: friendly with high levels of courtesy. Yeah right I only see that in a few place. If you want to know how "friendly" they are please visit Subang Jaya. The housing arrangements mirrors that of USA and fond memories flooded my mind when I was walking through the neighborhood. I want to live there when I grow up. Better yet I hope Nusajaya can grow to become like that.

The trip was tiring but now I would have a story to tell my children. You see, my father always tells stories of him when we are at his kampung in Pahang. If we are in the car while passing the Pahang River he would say "Dulu Abah dengan arwah atuk selalu kayuh basikal dari rumah nak pergi memancing ikan patin kat sini" or something in that manner. Here what a conversation with my children would look like, owh ya forgot to mention that - like my  siblings - all my children will start with the letter A hahaah:

• Me: A go to Putrajaya, you have to get the certificate of good conduct.

• A: owh Abah, I'm lazy to teleport there. Warming up the machine takes too long. The neighbors all have faster teleporters, why do ours take 20 minutes??
• Me: A, dulu abah pergi putrajaya naik bas je, 5 jam tahu tak..
• A: What is 'bas'?
• Me: It's kinda like a hovercraft but with four wheels and is much longer
• A: Who would ride that??? Hovercrafts are antics these days!

Packing

As I started packing, it was then that I realized I only had a few more days left before I go overseas. Then small pieces of my past began stitching together, my first few birthdays, first bike, first farewell, all the bittersweet moments that can define how overwhelmed I am with my life. This will be the 1st time I will be staying overseas alone. I mean of course I am anticipating it to be a blast but one cant help but feeling that by doing so we will be leaving a large chunk of our past behind in our homeland. I guess this is what my parents felt like when they continued their studies in the US, and ever since then their original homes have only been a place for visiting their parents and close relatives whom they would only meet during holidays and long breaks.

It is only now when I am beginning to feel nostalgic and sentimental, only when I've realized that I have less than a week with my family, I've already said farewell to the majority of my peers anyway. As I said before, I am a family man so the bonds we share mean a lot to me. No more will I hear the shouts and fights between my two youngest brothers nor will I hear my sisters playing the keyboard in the morning, waking me up in the process. My mother has always been my "rebound" place. I never share my problems with my family but she always knows how to cheer me up if I'm down. Now she's pregnant. Yup, I've finally said it. On my early posts I've mentioned about a girl, well its not a girlfriend or some random Facebook girl, but my mom is pregnant with a baby girl, her seventh child, which is due this May. Due pray for her and the baby's safety during delivery. I wont be there to see it though. I always talk about my dad cause he is my source of inspiration.

Quotes. Especially his quotes. The bare words that come from his mouth every time there is a poor man passing by or a Maserati parking nearby, he would always say something. He came from a poor family himself and now rose to prominence at a relatively early age. Wont write what he said because there are countless but the two that I remember most happened in 2009 and 2003. In my mid year exam in Form 5, I sucked, he came to Seremban all the way from JB for the award thingy. After it finished, he came with a solemn face and said "Penat Abah datang dari jauh. Lama Abah tunggu Aiman naik pentas, tak naik-naik pun". Ask all my SASER friends, I actually wrote this line on my table after that so that everytime I was too busy looking at Miley Cyrus in Galaxy or Ayu Raudhah in Mangga, glancing at this line will remind me not to fail again.

Then there was the watch. My 11th birthday present. The moment he gave it to me "Aiman, jaga jam ni baik-baik tau, pakai sampai masuk kolej" Guess what, I still wear that watch when I was studying at Taylor's.I loved it, I cherished it. I dont usually get expensive stuff, nor I ask for them so I really took care of it. As I grew bigger, the watch became smaller around my wrists. From a heavy, cold time-telling machine, it became a weightless accessory. The watch has changed, from rubber straps to alloy brace, but the core is still the same. I guess the same thing is with me: I've changed a lot, but inside I'm still the same. Despite going to an ever-changing climate in Australia, I will be the same, no..better. Just like my watch