Frictional Blog 24 [The 4th Annual Thank You Edition]

BAAAMM!!!

And just like the previous 23 Frictional Blog posts, we kick off with a bang. Booya! Well, happy new year everybody, and welcome to the 4th (that's "fourth", for those of you who, for reasons uncertain, couldn't read numbers or whatnot) annual "Thank You" edition of the Frictional Blog baby! As a side note, if you will, this is my 24th Frictional Blog and, overall, my 41st post. Just saying. Now, take your boarding pass and come and join me as we take a ride through ten entities whose support and help I'm most thankful for this year. Shall we? [Author's Note: I'm not good at writing speeches, let alone a "Thank You" list, so bear with me...]

#1 – Allah swt (God). Self-explanatory, but nonetheless, I'm super thankful for all my many blessings, strengths, and for all the weaknesses You gave me not only in 2013, but throughout my whole life, which motivated and are still motivating me to grow and better myself. For another year worth of oxygen that kept the spark of my life glowing. Seriously, there's so much that You have given me for over the past 20 years that I couldn't finish typing this sentence without having all these small drops of tears hanging by the corner of my eyes. I could never thank and love you enough, but for all these reasons and a whole lot more, I thank You, and I love You.

#2 – My family. My mother, my father, my big brother, my late sister, my uncles, aunts, cousins (an extra "thank you" for Lisha, Bob and Haikal for making my 2013 Aidilfitri the best one ever… so far) and any and every single one of my family members. It's not cool to be alone, and you guys prevented loneliness from illuminating me, and for that I thank you all.

#3 – My lecturers. And the list keeps on growing. Hahaha. There are too many names to be listed, and quite frankly, most I'm unable to recount at the moment, therefore I decided to just mention them by the subjects they were/are teaching me. I'd like to amount bunches of gratitude, and then some, to those who have been teaching and lecturing me throughout 2013 on Calculus, Linear Algebra, Statistics, Operational Research, Numerical Method, Basic Economics, Insurance and Takaful, Self-Development and two subjects that I beg and pray to God to never have to take again (hahaha. But seriously, please God), Human and Nature, and Asian and Islamic Civilizations. Also for all the teachers and lecturers who have been helping me since I was a seven-year-old newbie, I sincerely thank you for contributing in my development. Without all of you, I'd definitely not be one of, if not, the best in the world at what I do. But then again, what do I do?

#4 – My friends. Dropping each and every single one of your names here would take a lifetime and a half, if I decide to do so. So I won't. Hahaha. But that's the truth. I have a lot of friends, and this year I've made (and lost, but this is a "Thank You" list, so that's another topic for another blog post) a whole lot more to the bunch, and each of you have been playing a massive role in my 2013. So yeah, thank you. I love each and every single one of you. I'm just writing random words right now, because this passage looked too short and you guys probably won't think it's fair. There. Long enough, I guess. Hahaha. Hey, thanks again!

#5 – Vince McMahon and the WWE. I've been watching since I was three, and now it seems impossible to pull myself away from your product. So I thank you for not making me regret my decision to stick and stand up with your company. Thanks to Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) for providing me with some of my favourite moments of 2013, including his matches that are always superb, his ridiculously funny skits with Kane (and Dr. Shelby!) as Team Hell No and of course, his WWE Championship victories, among many more. So talented. Very entertaining. I wish I can be half the man that he is (I guess I’ll have to wait until I grow my beard first), and he is a living proof that hard work and dedication can be ridiculously rewarding. Thanks to CM Punk (Phillip Brooks) for your exciting matches and for being an awesome straight edge role model. I mean, this guy cracked his skull and still refused to use any form of drugs. I'm not that strong, but I wish I could be, and he keeps on pushing me to be. Thanks to AJ Lee (April Mendez) for, well, being AJ Lee. Hahaha. For personifying the second W and the E in the WWE Divas division. The only reason for me to watch a Divas segment/bout. Also thanks to Antonio Cesaro, all three members of The Shield, Big E Langston, Cody Rhodes, Goldust (the comeback kid! He still got it), Dolph Ziggler, Wade "Bad News" Barrett, William Regal (he sent me best wishes on my 20^th birthday!), Sami Zayn, Paige, Emma and the rest of the roster, staffs and crews. I'll always stand up for and with the WWE.

#6 – Paramore. Hayley Nichole Williams, Jeremy Clayton Davis and Taylor Benjamin York, for providing me (for being, actually) an escape route from reality. And for that awesome concert earlier this year! I will never forget that moment when my #1 celebrity crush EVER pointed her finger towards me, smiled, chuckled and beautifully stood (not really. She was jumping and hopping and headbanging and rolling and lying and so much more) in front of me. Jeremy did, too, I remember! Taylor was at the other side of the stage, so we didn't interact much. Happy belated birthday to Hayley! She turned 25 on the past 27. Oh, congratulations Jeremy for both your marriage and your baby girl. We're having a Parababy! I love you guys. Thanks a lot. You constantly push me forward whenever I'm stationary. I can never ever repay you. I forever am grateful for you. And after all this time, I'm still into you guys. (honorable mentions: the Farro brothers, Josh and Zac. Once you're in the Parafamily, you'll never leave)

#7 – Hani, Razik and Azra. Why? Just because. Hahaha. Nahh. This could be long, so be ready.

First of all, thank you guys for being really nice, kind, polite, respectful and every other adjective that can possibly be used to describe how you guys have been toward me. Which is what I've been saying to you guys ever since I started helping you guys out. Hahaha. Now, I'd like to share a secret with all you readers. Yes, I'm not fond to the idea of sharing my life secrets to everyone but my closest friends and family members, but then again, that's the exact reason I created this blog.

Well, long time readers (which are non-existent, by the way) should know that I have been in only one relationship in my whole life with she-who-shall-not-be-named (maybe I should refer to her as Lord Voldermort or Chris Benoit hereafter, eh? Ah screw it, her name is Siti Zuliana), and I have been totally devastated following my break-up with her. Ughh. But I'm okay now, thanks to my best friend who has loosened up all the knots that were tying me to the bottom of the blackest hole I've been in. Yet no matter how far I'd risen above the worst moment of my life, there's still a feeling that has long been lost from me. I lost my urge to teach. I had even promised my mother to never teach anyone again. Why? Simply put, she committed one of the worst ungrateful acts I have ever been put under, but that's another story for another day. This is a "Thank You" post, not a "Hate is a strong word but I really don't like you" session.

See, the thing is, I never really put 100% on teaching my friends ever since post-SPM. Nope, not even 50%. The reason? The exact same reason as to why I felt reluctant in claiming the profession "lecturer" or "teacher" as my main goal, my ambition in life. I don't want to create a whole new generation of ingrates. I can't afford it. My urge to teach was killed by the ungratefulness of a person who I deemed to be the closest to me. I chose helping myself instead of helping others. Then I met you guys.

My biggest problem in life is that regardless of the fact that some people couldn't care less about me, I care too much about them. I never thought it would be a blessing in disguise. Our juniors were giving Zafree a hard time (Zafree won't admit it, but oh yes they were), so I decided to relief him by offering my help in C++ to the juniors. I remember one day, I randomly asked Razik about his studies and he said he had some problems understanding C++. I just couldn't help but to offer my help (look at the overusage of the word "help" in this sentence. Hahaha. Oh wait, you're not laughing. Am I the only one laughing?). So I invited him to the PTSL, and he invited Hani along. And I went on to teach them a thing or two. I don't know why, but their personalities made me somehow attracted to teach them more and more. Their kindness. The respect they showed me. All the "sorry"s and "thank you"s. Their courteousness is ridiculous. It's somewhat addictive.

Now instead of them wanting to ask for my help, it is I who am eagerly looking for any chance to teach them again. The same feeling that I used to feel when my mother was giving tuition to my friends back when I was young. The same feeling that I was feeling when I told my Form 2 and 3 friends to never be lazy and do well in their exams (I also told them to leave all the bad things for me. Hahaha. Worst role model ever). The same feeling that I lost some time before I got my SPM results. I have once again found my urge to help others in their education. And by God, I'm telling you, it just feels so good. No blasphemy intended.

So yeah, I thank all of you for allowing me to help you. I cherish those times very dearly, and I cherish your existences just as dearly as those times. I love you guys so much. I love you all like you're a huge part of my family. I love you guys much more than I can tell how much I love you. I'm sorry for every single solitary one of my wrongdoings. I may have taught you guys a tad tiny little bit on C++, but you guys have indirectly taught me a lot more on life, and for that I thank you all. I had a lot of fun and felt very comfortable being around you guys and being able to somewhat help you guys. Go achieve your dreams, because I know for a given fact that you guys can. Here's to an awesome friendship.

#8 – Zafree and Faris. Or Zapzapus and Farisuk, as I like to call them. For being my best friends in the UKM. These guys know me like I'm the back of their respective hands. They understand me. And nobody in the UKM understands me. Nobody but them. They have been guiding me throughout the year and I could never repay them, ever. It's ridiculous. I don't really know what to say about them, but if I am to say anything about them, it would all be kind and nice, because that's how they have been toward me. They are crazy – CRAZY! They pushed me like no one does – they made me want to be as good as, or better than them – yet at the same time we played games, ate and basically wasted our times together. Faris is a great guy who I can talk to at any time and feel better, although I may not agree with most of the solutions he suggested. Zafree, on the other hand, is a gamer. Hahaha. Video games are to Zafree what pro wrestling is to me. And he taught me a lot about games. And he taught me a huge lesson in life, which is to chase what I'm interested in. He's really good in maths (not taking anything away from Faris), and I'd sit next to him in the very front row of the lecture hall every time just because a) I could correct every single mistake he made then and there and feel very accomplished in my life (hahaha), and b) I feel more motivated to learn things and gather knowledge with him by my side. But then again, he'd probably be uninterested with what's happening at the front and focus more on his mobile phones and 3DSes. Hahaha. They are arguably (but I won't argue. Oh hell no) my two best coursemates. I'm jealous. Hoorah? These two are my closest friends over here. We are like the Bermuda triangle – we're unapproachable. Well not really, but that is a really cool simile, so I decided to use it anyways. I love you guys like two irremovable pieces of Velcro – no homo.

#9 – My best friend ever. Nisa! She's my personal Facebook wall - my personal counselling centre. She's the truest, purest personification of a friend. Back in KMNS, she ridiculously flipped my life upside down, and I am forever grateful for that. I may never be able to thank her enough. Even if I help her nonstop for 100 straight years, I may never be able to help her as much as she helped me throughout our friendship, regardless of the number of English words I translated for her in 2013. Hahaha. Truth be told, I have recently reached the greatest level of laziness I've ever been on. All sorts of fear randomly popped in my bodily being. Yes, I talked to Faris and Zafree and they helped me in controlling my anger towards myself. Then all of a sudden she sent me one of the most motivating texts I have ever read. I'd type it here, but then I'd have to translate that text, and although time is all I have and I have all of the time in the world and a half, I don't really have time to do it. Truth be told, you are 100 times a better human being than I could ever be, so I thank you so much for even considering being a friend of mine. I may not be your best friend, but you certainly are mine. I will forever and always love you as the best friend I ever had, and the sister I never. I wish the best for you and your future endeavours. So yeah, thank you so much. Looking forward to see you and the whole S1CP7 again, hopefully real soon.

#10 – Me! Always saving the best for the last, eh? Hahaha. Thank you for being good to yourself. For not drinking Pepsi for... wait for it... 15 STRAIGHT MONTHS BAYBEE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!!! For not trying cigarettes, alcohols or any of those weird shiznits. I'm gonna be straight edge for my whole life! For being myself, standing on my two feet. Despite all the challenges thrown against me. Despite all the backstabbing and facecrushing moments throughout the year. Despite almost losing the ability to stand and walk when I was 7, and a whole lot other times thereafter. Despite being loved and hated for all my life. Yup, as always, I copied my last year's self-dedicated "thank you" wish. It's my blog, so deal with it. Hahaha.

And on that note, we've reached the end of my 2013 gratitude board! Hope to write (type) to you guys again real soon and more often. Sorry if this post doesn't meet your expectations. You know what? I think I'm not sorry at all. Yup, I'll do it all over again next year. *insert a smiley here* Thanks for reading! I love you guys with all my heart! Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the Glory be to Allah swt.

Faith. Follow that.

Frictional Blog. 

Frictional Blog 23 [The Most Memorable Moments of 2013 (a.k.a The Comeback) Edition]

BAAAMM!!!

I'm back, and better than ever! Welcome to Frictional Blog 23! First and foremost, I'd like to humbly apologize for not blogging more often. But then again, who am I apologizing to? Nobody knows the existence of this blog, let alone re... Oh wait. I NOW HAVE TWO FOLLOWERS! HAHA! Two small steps for a human, two giant leaps for yours truly! Anyway, I'd also like to thank you for clicking on the link leading to this blog. I mean come on, your time is wayyyyy too precious to be spent here. No wait, don't click away! Now, in this post, I'd like to recall some of the ridiculously great events occurred throughout 2013 that I deem to be personally memorable, so I decided it would be best for me to etch it in FB23 so that if one day I can't remember a single thing, at least these moments are still with me.

2013 is one of my favorite years I've lived thus far. It was fun, happening, triumphant, challenging, and hopeful. Thanks to everyone who made this year what it is to me personally. But I'm not here to show my gratitude today. Oh no, that's another story for another day (FB24, perhaps? Oh, just saying that I'll post it by December 31st. It's the annual "Thank You" edition, so mark your calendars). I got some wonderful ideas floating around in my head for a while now, and I thought if I ever am going to post them, then today would probably be a nice day to do that. So here are 5 ("five", if, for an uncertain reason, you don't read numbers) moments or memories from this year that I know I will never ever forget. In no particular order, of course.

2013 ACM-ICPC Malaysia Al-Khawarizmi National Programming Contest. Yeah, I know. What in the blue hell is an ABC-DEFG-HIJKL ACM-ICPC? Well, ACM stands for "Association for Computing Machinery", while ICPC is "International Collegiate Programming Contest". Now it sounds cool, right? No? Ah shut up.With only the basics (possibly and probably even less) of computer programming skills, I joined this competition. My teammates? One of them joined with only the basics of programming skills, just like me. The other one, with none at all. With the slightest hope of solving only one of the ten problems throughout the allocated five hours, I sat on the provided office-ish chair and spun myself round and round while my mates stared at me as if I was one of the most bored individuals, if not the most bored individual in the world at that very moment. And I probably was. 

Ladies and gentlemen, a bunch of rookies representing the UKM known as the Nexus (I hope Wade Barrett, Vince McMahon and the whole WWE are not suing me for copyright infringement) has solved three problems and ranked 13th out of all 53 participating groups, subsequently getting themselves an honourable mention in the 2013 ACM-ICPC Malaysia Al-Khawarizmi National Programming Contest. Yeah baby! Woo! My friends got better rankings than me, but who cares? #13, Honorable Mentions, woohoo! Congrats to Ideen and his Integral teammates, who ranked #10 if I'm not mistaken. The guy who persuaded me to join this contest, Zafree (personally referred to as Zap, Zapzap, Zapzapus and many other ridiculous nicknames) and his whole CariMakan team were the stars of this competition though. They answered four questions, and they were the first to answer all of those questions correctly. Hell, they were the ones who got the first "YES"! You guys should be there and join me laughing out loud as the Honorable Mentions slideshow flashed the name CariMakan on the big projector screen. At one point, the whole screen was filled with CariMakan, it's absurdly ridiculous! They owned the competition! However, they just ranked #3. But that was an awesome achievement nevertheless, and I congratulate them for that. And thanks Zap for inviting me to join you guys there. Hey, now that we're at it, you've helped me so much this year, so thanks Zap (expect more "thank you"s for Zafree on my next post)! I'd give you a friendly hug and kiss you in your forehead, but nope, maybe not. Hahaha. I love you - no homo. Priceless experience.

The return of Paramore, LIVE in Kuala Lumpur. February 17th, 2013. I'll never forget the date. I was there when they came the first time (October 19th, 2010), and I was surely pleased to be there on their homecoming. 

Paramore was at Stadium Negara. My brother and I were there too. We were the only ones who were jumping off the cheapest seats during the opening act by MewithoutYou, so the security guards told us to jump off the balcony and slip through the guard rail into the Rock Zone. I jumped up and down the whole show. Jeremy, Taylor and most importantly Hayley were feet from me. Jeremy pointed and laughed at me throughout the show. Hayley stuck her tongue at me between the first verse and chorus of Misery Business, after I made a heart sign with my fingers at her (cheesy, I know. but it's Hayley Nichole Williams, so that justifies it).

That night was surreal. That night was awesome. It surely was a temporary escape from reality. Hayley seems extra-beautiful when she's standing right in front of you. My #1 celebrity crush, hands down. I love her. I thank God for this wonderful experience. 

I even posted a blog entry on this concert, so why don't you guys check Frictional Blog 22 [The Paramore Experience Edition] out if you guys have an ample amount of free time? As I am typing this, FB22 is still my second most viewed blog post ever. 

Teaching my juniors some computer programming. What? How? Why in the blue hell is this being referred to as one of my most memorable moments of 2013? Here's why. The juniors I was referring to were Razik and Hani (and sometimes Azra), and this set of ridiculously respectful teenagers is simply two of the kindest people I have ever met. Period.

There is no specific date for this occurrence. I taught them in numerous occasions, and believe me when I say this - I will never forget each and every single solitary moment of being around them. They really wanted to learn and understand more, and it really eased me. They were (and still are, and by God I hope and wish will always be) very nice, kind, polite, respectful and many other positive adjectives that I can't think of right now, and it super-duper-ultra-hyper-mega-giga-kilo-tera eased me. Sometimes it entertained me too. But most of the time, it humbled me. It made me aware of how rude I am. Oh, and you might never know how pleasing it is when they understood and appreciate what I were teaching, telling, sharing, guiding and helping them on. One of the best feelings ever. They made me want to be an educator more than everything else in this world. 

I have a lot of things to say to these two, but I always couldn't really separate them from the huge mess in my brain and spit them out of my mouth. I don't know why, but I always have the urge to motivate them the way my best friend motivated me, although I know I probably can't. I mean, how is one of the most unmotivated man known to mankind going to motivate others? This fact actually motivates me. Hahaha (you may not be able to hear me right now, but I am screaming "What the hell am I saying?"). 

I wholeheartedly am sorry for every wrong I do, did and will ever do to you guys. I hope you guys do well not only in C++, but in every other subject as well. You have a lot of potential, and I really hope that you'll will reach the highest of heights someday in your lives. I love both of you like you're my own younger brother/sister, and I don't have any younger brothers/sisters, so you can consider that a huge accomplishment, I suppose? Hahaha. But seriously, I honestly love you guys. I thank you both for giving me the opportunity to help. Thanks for bringing this feeling to me again - a feeling that I have not felt, not since post-SPM. What feeling? Well, that's another story for another day (a Frictional Blog 24 cheap plug is imminent here, don't you think? It'll be the 4th annual "Thank You" edition, so don't you guys miss it. December 31st).

Daniel Bryan defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Those who know me also know that I'm one huge - HUGE - wrestling fan. Hence, it is a given that this is one of my favorite moments is sports and entertainment history. Daniel Bryan vs John Cena, with Triple H as the special guest referee and the WWE Championship on the line.

The match was fun, emotional, back and forth, to and fro. Those saying that John Cena is a bad wrestler were silenced. Those saying that Daniel Bryan is the best damn technical wrester in the world today were chanting "YES! YES! YES!" all night (day, local time) long, me not excluded. I have been supporting both the performer Daniel Bryan and the human being Bryan Danielson as soon as I heard that he was a participant of the first season of WWE NXT. I've heard so much about him, and after some research, I just can't help but to pour every ounce of respect and love for Bryan. From wrestling in high school gymnasiums in front of 13 people to performing in stadiums and arenas in front of thousands of attendance, regardless of a dislocated shoulder or a busted eye socket, he has wrestled and outwrestled his way through his adversaries, and now look where he is today. A WWE Champion. I was watching this live via an online stream (I can't afford buying it on PPV. I'm a student, for God's sake) and was legit shocked when he pinned Cena after the running single leg high knee (made famous by Kenta, who calls it the Busaiku Knee Kick) for a three-count. I'm not going to lie, I shed some tears. Manly tears.

Daniel Bryan is a living proof that hard work and dedication WILL lead to success, and I was greatly motivated and moved by this event. Such a beautiful scenery to witness, as the crowd were chanting "YES! YES! YES!" along with Daniel Bryan with the gold in his grasp. He even thanked his parents off-microphone, but into the camera so you can still hear it although not very loud as he celebrated while confetti and fireworks are filling the arena. However, his title reign was cut short a few minutes later when Triple H performed a Pedigree on him, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and pin Bryan to become the new champion. And again, I shed some MANLY tears, this time in sadness and sorrow. 

Aidilfitri 2013. I need to start studying now because my final exam is coming, so I'll keep this one short and sweet. This is my best Aidilfitri ever. With my cousins Lisha, Bob and Haikal, we had the greatest amount of fun we, or at least I, have ever had. If only I could spend every 1st of Syawal like this. I'd be the happiest person in the world. We did so much together and we had so much fun that I don't think I can type each and every single thing we did here without cramping my hands and my whole body. I have never felt as blessed as this day, and every single day thereafter I have been thanking God for this wonderful huge family I was born into. 

And that's it! Thank you for your ever-so-precious time. Honestly, you could have spent it anywhere else and gained more out of it, but you are here, so I am really grateful. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And if you haven't, you can add me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter to hopefully hear more from me - I'd love to hear from you guys too! So yeah, thank you, and see you guys in two days, as we're (you're not? At least I am) anticipating my fourth annual "Thank You" edition of Frictional Blog. I love you guys. Until next time. Make sure you'll be there.

All of the Glory be to Allah swt.
Faith. Follow that.
Frictional Blog.