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It was a wet, wet convocation day at MMU Cyberjaya today. Shortly after exiting the Grand Hall, it rained cats and dogs! Having been confined to our seats for more than 3 hours straight, we couldn’t wait to put our cameras to good use.

Those are among my closest friends when I was in university. If they look familiar to you, that’s probably because you’ve seen them in this video I made a coupla months ago.
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Recently, I was somehow made to recall an experience I had during one of my lab sessions in university. We were required to complete a task and then request for an evaluation, after which we would be allowed to leave. As expected, many of us finished around the same time but there was only one lecturer to go around evaluating everyone.

And then the lecturer came to evaluate someone seated not far away from my table. The moment that student signed on the evaluation-cum-attendance form (which meant that the evaluation had been completed), I promptly raised my hand and said, “Sir…”. At the same time, there were at least 5 others who were trying to get him to evaluate them.

That soft-spoken lecturer then told us something which I can still remember clearly until today. He said, “Be patient, okay? Patience is a virtue”. At one point, he was looking at me. Although I didn’t mean to be impatient at that time, I strongly felt the message. That’s because, this lecturer of mine had only one leg. He walked with a pair of crutches all the time.

I don’t know what happened to him in the past (that resulted in the lost of his leg), but coming from him, those words couldn’t have hit me harder. It wasn’t just about that lab session. It made me reflect on my life, how many times had I acted impatiently, and how many times had I complained about my inadequacies when in fact, I have been very lucky in many ways.

I didn’t raise my hand for the next 30 seconds or so, as my mind was still registering the words, his facial expression, and his soft vocal tone. That is why I can still vividly recall that moment, which happened more than 2 years ago. Although my job now does not require much of the subject he taught us, that simple utterance will stay and guide me for the rest of my life.

Footnote: Btw, this Sunday will ceremoniously mark the end of my university studies, and I have only one thing I wish to tell all my lecturers, lab assistants, tutors, primary and secondary school teachers: Thank you for shaping me into who I am today!

[Edit@30th May 2007: The slideshow has been updated with a newer version. Some rearrangements have been made, and all transition, zooming and encoding settings have been improved for better quality.] When the invigilator announced, “Students, you must stop writing now,” I saw many of my coursemates shook hands, and bade each other farewell. It was quite a sight, knowing that some of us may not be seeing each other again. Some others, however, will be working together in the same company. In any case, what’s for sure is that everyone will be leaving the university with mixed feelings: a heavy heart, a tinge of sadness, a little bit of joy, and maybe some sense of pride. I, for one, will definitely miss my former housemates and friends, the times we spent together and the happiness they’ve given me. I’ve had some of the best moments in my life with this bunch of people.
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The E-Nite is an annual event organized by the Engineering Society. It has always been one of the most anticipated and celebrated events of the year. Attendees are usually students from the Faculty of Engineering (FOE), although it is open to all.

The pictures here are mostly group-pictures. The rest are available for private-viewing (you know the deal with ladies - some might not like the attention!). Details are at the end of this entry.

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I need to hand in a report in both soft and hard copies. Email attachments are not accepted (welcome to my 21st century, aspiring “world-class” university). Instead of using a CD (where much of the 700MB capacity will be wasted), the good ol’ floppy came to mind. I went to my sister (I consider her ‘quite’ net-savvy; she’s 14) and asked if she has a floppy disk.

Me: Do you have a floppy disk?
Sis: What is a floppy disk?

And I swear she meant it. It seems like floppy disks are steadily making their way into museums.

I was rummaging through my old files when I stumbled upon this. I put together this video slideshow in March last year, using photos taken during Fai’s 23rd birthday celebration (those cartoons at the ending were drawn by Steph). This is the first time a video is embedded on Narrowband.org.

(Wong Kok Cafe is pretty common for birthday celebrations, don’t you think so?)

I’ve nothing much to update, except to say that next week is going to be hectic. Gone are the days when we could be so carefree, so blissful and relaxed. In less than 3 months, we’ll be leaving the university, walking separate ways and chasing our dreams. (I actually have mixed feelings because of that).

Good luck with your midterm papers, peeps.

It was the beginning of a long night. We had no plans, no arrangement and we hadn’t even decided where to go for dinner. All we knew was that the occasion must be celebrated. We finally went down to Marche (strictly, it’s Marché), at The Curve.

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After the unsuccessful attempt at winning a free copy of Bill Gates-autographed Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition at the launching in Low Yat Plaza early this month, I thought that that was it, there goes the free Vista. I spent about 10 hours in Low Yat Plaza that day, and the parking fee came up to a whopping RM21. That’s twenty-one freakin’ ringgit, a record for me. I came home totally exhausted. As if failing to win any prize wasn’t bad enough, the parking fee sure as hell made it an experience to forget.

Yesterday, however, I had another chance of getting a free copy of the much-hyped Vista. And I got it - but not before having to queue for close to five hours. It was hard-earned indeed. The event, organized by the Microsoft Student Ambassadors, was called the Microsoft Vista Campus Launch. I didn’t intend to get it, actually. I passed the Multi Purpose Hall and noticed a crowd at the entrance. Then I saw Pik Jian. He happened to be there after a class. We had chat and before we knew it, we were already in a queue, with more people standing behind us. We just stood and talked and then the crowd built up. I told myself that I’d have another go at getting the Vista.

It was the Business Edition they were giving away. About 6000 free copies. That’s six-thousand, free, cold-hard copies of Windows Vista Business Edition to be given away in two days. But I didn’t bring along an empty DVD-R. Yes, that’s right. We were supposed to bring our own DVD-R, and burn a copy on the spot. It was the CD-key that was the main focus of this giveaway. What does this mean? It means that we do not get the fancy packaging that normally comes with the Vista CD. What we were there for were simply a copy of Windows Vista in a DVD and an original CD-key. Thankfully, I bumped into Rajah, Murali and Chiva, who had extra DVD-R’s. And hence began our long, hard journey of getting our free copies of Windows Vista.
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Man, I’m beginning to miss the holidays already. The past 7 days or so had been so relaxing and blissful, so much so it felt almost like a sin. I’ve not put on weight (I told you I have excellent weight-balancing metabolism), but I’ve developed an ulcer in my lower gum. I applied salt - it was so good that I almost teared. But salt always works ;)

I’m suffering from what some people would call ‘the jobseeker’s dilemma’. I read somewhere saying that if you have a blog, include the URL in your resume so that the HR people could read it. I still don’t quite understand how a blog could help secure an employment (professional blogs, maybe - but personal blogs?). In fact, I have also read that it’s best not to let your colleagues and bosses know you keep a blog.

That said, I’ve sent a number of applications (not many lar, about 5 nia) and am still scouting for vacancies. I was chatting with Joyce last night about this and I said that I could deal with looooonng working hours. I told her, “Good thing I’m single”. Then she replied, “I think it (the job) also keeps you single too”, which kinda brought me to my senses. Money is nothing when you don’t have a balanced life, right?

I’m finishing my studies some time in May. And I actually got sounded by Yian for being ‘too early’ on the job applications. But securing a job prior to graduation is not uncommon, isn’t it? Yian’s got a point too actually. It’s not like I’m idling my time away shaking legs at home. I’ve still got my Final Year Project and two more final subjects to handle. It’s a stressful final semester, to say the least.

And my post-holidays syndrome hasn’t gone away yet :(.

By the way, I received a terrible news two nights ago. The house belonging to a close friend of mine had caught fire. The second floor, including her bedroom, was badly damaged. Fortunately, no one was injured. That, I think, is what’s most important. Apparently it was caused by a short-circuit somewhere in the house, when its occupants were busy playing mahjong. I hope her family gets through this in no time.