Awesome-possum!

Awesome-possum!

As dictated by Faranza Syns

I think the impulse that I have to constantly be around awesome people has lessened lately. Because I'm already so awesome! =D

Lol. Masuk bakul angkat sendiri.

I used to feel so attracted to witty, humorous people, wanting to be close to them, to get to know them (and impulsively add them on Facebook. After either challenging them, or joking with them in comment boxes, of course. I'm no cheapo stalker), to drink in the essence of their joie de vivre.

But lately, since I seem to be constantly surrounded by that type of people without me even bothering to look for them, I don't feel the need to trawl profiles on Facebook to feel awesome (whoa, how much more Life-less can you be?).

Kudos go out to Madam Adibah: "I hate humans. I don't even like my husband. Don't worry. He knows it." - her Ta'aruf (introductory) speech for Oral Communications class.

Madam Azimah : "No, sister, BLEEP, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BLEEP AT THE F-WORD PART! Hahahahaha!" - to me as I read the character "Person" for Drama class on the drama Tape. I had forgotten to *BLEEP*, and said out the F-word with much passion instead. Well... I was on a roll. Couldn't stop myself. Haha.

Madam Anisah: the best Human Sciences teacher on earth. I like how she uses touch to make me feel good. ... That sounded wrong, but I meant it in the most platonic way possible. Haha.

BEN Core Course, Group 6: We are the Awesome Possum ;D

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Madam Adibah says the funniest things. And sometimes without meaning to.

It was Oral Comm. (Public Speaking), and we were reorganizing the Speech Outline that Madam Adibah had jumbled up as an exercise. The speech was about a jump shot. Something related to basketball. Naturally, since the class has mostly girls, a lot of us got the answers wrong, but what the hey.

Madam Adibah: Alright, let's go through the answers. Oh, does anyone play basketball here?

Azham (Am): *silence*

Class: AMMMM!

Azham: *acts shocked*

Madam Adibah: Oh, so you play basketball, then?

Azham: *nods*

Madam Adibah: Hmmm... no wonder you're so long.

Zaffan: Soooo LONG.

Me: HAHA.

If you didn't get it, you'll never get it. ;)

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She also sometimes veers away from the main subject... and say some funny things without meaning to. Again. We were discussing Architects, blueprints, and how much it costs to just sign a blueprint (RM 5000!) and then somehow, we got to discussing her husband's snoring habits.

Madam: My husband snores. ALL THE TIME. There are people like that, you know. And there are idiots who married them.

Class: HAHAHAHA.

And there's also Zaffan (a girl, by the by) who always sits in front of me, and seems to be the only one besides me who understands the double entendres in Madam's words (ref: the "LONG" conversation above)

A few seconds later...

Madam: I like Sketchers. My husband has to wear Crocs though. He has big feet.

Zaffan: Whoa... BIG FEET *looks at me suggestively*.

Me: HAHAHA.

I love my class. It's just so awesome.

They Mentioned Your Name.

They Mentioned Your Name.

As dictated by Faranza Syns

It never really occurred to me what my family's latent response to me studying English would be. I suppose it was no big deal - something that would not make ripples, much less waves - that I am studying English. Heck, I've been studying English since I was in preschool, so going to college to study English felt almost... normal.

But yesterday, I got the first indication that my family really feels the impact of me doing BEN at IIUM (Bachelor of English).

We were all going out for dinner with my relatives. While everyone was getting ready to drive over to the restaurant, one of my cousins, Abang Arnez, walked over and charmingly reminded dad about where we were all headed to (since his parents are the ones who planned the outing). As he walked away, I admired his profile and smiled. Abang Arnez was such a good guy, you can't help but want to give him a huge bear hug. He was so unlike my other male cousins that even my sister could not help but comment.

Jaz: Abang Arnez is a good example.
Me: Mmmhmm.
Mama: What? (she didn't catch it because my sister mumbled)
Jaz: Eh, no, nothing.
Me: Just say it out loud. Jaz said that Abang Arnez is a good example.
Mama: Yes. He is.
Me: Yes, yes. *nods enthusiastically*
Mama: Very dependent.

It struck me as odd. Being dependent meant that he was dependent on people to survive. That he needed help consistently. Which could not be further from the truth.

Me: You mean, independent?
Mama: No, dependent.
Me: Oh, you mean dependable?

There was a general moment of 'Aha, yes, that's the word' in the car, then Mama laughingly turned and said "I'm the mother. You keep quiet."

Dad then said something along the lines of, "We have a pro in here now."

It clued me in that in their head, I'm most probably very, very good at English, just because I'm doing BEN now. But to be most truthful, I think I'm still the same as before. I do correct people's English occasionally - it's what I've been doing for years. Yet somehow, the knowledge that I am one day going to pursue a degree in English - the fact that I've narrowed down my studies to just learning English - would make people somewhat intimidated, or a bit defensive with me when I correct them. Like I know too much, and I'll find all their faults, and bring them down. A few months back, they would not have put too much weight on my off-hand correcting habits, but now it seems the impact of my correcting people are just increasing two-fold.

I don't want people to be too intimidated by me. It's bad.

And to be really honest, I'm a bit scared that even my family will think that I'm full of myself, when it's the last thing I want to be.

I'm still me, despite BEN.

Because he lives and loves to the fullest.

Because he lives and loves to the fullest.

As dictated by Faranza Syns

LOL. My dad just forwarded me a link to my Uncle's (who's now actually 50 plus) youtube video account.

OMGAH, I rolled on the floor laughing at a short video clip he made of himself and his daughter lip-syncing to "Don't Lie" by the Black-Eyed Peas. The daughter is now only in form one, but the video was taken when she was in standard 4. Lol, in one part of it, it showed them both wiggling their bodies, dancing in the most cute manner to the song.

I can't believe Pak Teh (or some of us occasionally call him Uncle Malik) has time to do all these cute things. There was once he sang "Sway", and sounded a lot like Michael Buble. I was definitely awed.

Pak Teh is in some ways very awesome. But to know that he's already more than 50 years old, I sorta stopped short for a while.

I swear, he has the vitality of a someone much, much younger. I always think of him and my dad as being nearly the same age, but the age gap is actually very big. Of course, my dad is more handsome (ahem), but Pak Teh is still quite a catch (gah, these fair-skinned males. They turn pink when the sun hits).

I heard from mom that Pak Teh once never wanted to come back to Malaysia, wanting to spend his life in Australia, even after he has long finished his studies.

But I'm glad he came back. I would've been one awesome uncle short had he stayed there.

And of course, I'd probably never be able to see those videos coming up. xD

Of the Mushroom Fritters and the 5-year Delusion.

Of the Mushroom Fritters and the 5-year Delusion.

As dictated by Faranza Syns

My first direct close encounter with a male at CFS IIUM:-

Me: *Spots a boy who looks like a BEN-ner*
Him: *sees me spotting him, and tries frantically to avoid eye-contact*
Me: *wants to find out if the boy got an exemption. very determined, approaches, smiles* Eh, awak budak BEN kan?
Him: Um. *stares at me, stares at my Matric Card* Bukan. Saya budak Econs. *stares at my matric card again, reading the details there*
Me: OH. Ya? *smiles beatifically* Sorry! *walks away*

I must've blown a fuse in my mind for not sticking around for a bit and making a male friend. Sigh.

But just for shits and giggles, the next time I see the bewildered boy, I'll wave at him. That should probably make him start thinking that one of us has lost his/her marbles.

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I got the upper bunk of the double-decker in Room A-1-8 of Mahallah Ummu Salamah (MUSA). The funny thing about the dorm is that all the beds are lined up against the wall, and the fan is placed smack dab in the middle of the room, nowhere near the beds. And OH MY LORD, I think someone raped the ceiling fans till they're lifeless because apparently speed 5 feels like speed 3.

Have I ever mentioned that Nilai is hot? I got blacker just by standing outside in the sunshine.

But despite these trials and tribulations, I've survived (by chickening out and going home every weekend).

The upper bunk is hot as hell at night. What with my bed being so close to the neon-green EXIT sign that flashed eerily at night. After Night 3, I gave up, and dragged my mattress down on the floor, sleeping with Alifah who had also placed her mattress under the merciful cool wind of the fan on the first night. We put our mattresses together and slept peacefully till the Subuh prayers in the morning.

At Night 4, Kinah and Mira dragged down another mattress, and all four of us slept on the 3 combined mattresses.

Is it any wonder that I love the girls with all my heart now?

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Anah, from Kelantan, somehow likes having someone else reply her text messages for her. Or so I'm assuming from her blase attitude towards Dilla's question of "Anah, aku jawabkan, eh?" when her phone flashed with a new message.

And Dilla... omg, Dilla.

She replied the text messages in the Kelantanese dialect at first, getting guidance from Anah.

Next, she went full-throttle Javanese.

Then, it became Mexican (getting much inspiration from the telenovela, Rosalinda).

Laughing our asses off, we then composed a sentence in Hindustani (which translated into "I'm sorry. Do I know you?")

There we all were, cackling like a bunch of loons on the three mattresses on the floor, the sheets untucked at most places, limbs sprawled on top of each other, each of us full from eating Kulat Goreng (our nickname for mushroom fritters) and reading novels.

A few days before, I cried in frustration of not having anyone whom I could relate to.

But yesterday, my heart was so full, it was bursting.

The sixteen of us: Fathimah ("Ada H, ya. Bukan Fatimah, tapi Fathimah."), Awatif (we call her Awat, just for fun), Mira (a BEN-ner like me), Wani (with her checkered pants that she wears everywhere), Rosmah (the gal who always waits up for her friend), Dilla (of the broken phone key-pad persuasion), Anah (the youngest of the lot, and always being teased that she'd take 5 Tahun 5 Bulan to finish a novel), Alifah (the quiet girl with goo-goo eyes and a welcoming smile), Syima (the other quiet girl with the big, big heart), Pija (the adorable Econs girl), Yati (the one who pretended to be me by wearing my Matric Card when she goes out), Ain (the one who compulsively grabbed me to take a picture with me), Mirya (with the hard to pronounce name. And we both love Big Bang. Wheee!), Sakinah (with the incredible humour, and so-awesome warmth), and Mastura (our lovely Sabah-Kedah BAR student).

Singularly, we're pretty quiet, pretty normal. But when combined...

I think I busted my gall bladder.

Is it any wonder why I love 'em to bits?