January-February
The year started when I was still in a denial mode.
It was slightly just a month after I left school. I left Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman, in Ipoh, where I spend most of my growing up adolescent years. Frankly, it’s kinda difficult to leave school just like that. In fact, some of us STARIANS, felt that we have never left, for some, until so many years later.
This time around, I was staying for a longer period, more than I could remember, in my kampung, in the same house I grew up during my childhood.
That fact alone was a bit awkward, as most of the time during school holidays, I came back home just for a short duration as I was always traveling. Either with the school cricket team, touring other SBPs (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh) or while playing with the Perak State age-group cricket team, touring KL and what not.
So, spending an extended period of time in my kampung with practically nothing to do nor schedule to meet, or school homework to be done … that was awkward indeed.
I then made a point that I shall be making myself useful. Every day, I swept the house clean, with brooms and mop. No cobwebs and no ‘tahi cicak’ will be present under my watch. I will ensure that the carpets were dusted and the sofas were properly aligned. I even developed a method of cleaning the glass window panes by using wet old newspapers.
I started a habit of staying a bit late at night listening to the radio for DJs Pokpok and Tutu. Listening to their melodramatic chitchats, proses and couplets and of course, those wonderful love songs played on air ...
March-April
It's my birthday month.
I remembered scribbling 'Happy 18th Birthday to Me' using a marker pen on the mirror of a 'set-board'. Recently, when I visited the old house in my kampung, I still saw that piece of neat writing (albeit tarnished a little), as if 30 odd years have passed, but it was just like yesterday.
I bought myself a cake with candles and whatnot (kinda sad, wasn't it), made a mugful of hot tea (yes, I'm a tea-guy) and celebrated my birthday alone in the house.
Well, nobody was in the house anyway, and nobody remembered.
No wonder, up until now, when my birthday comes ... I have taken out the reminders of my birthday from the social media and will take a day leave from work, and will spend the day on my own, pretending that I didn't care. The fact is, my birthday is THE MOST IMPORTANT day of my life.
Towards the end of March was the time the SPM result came out.
I did relatively well. Not the best, but good enough to deserve the government Public Services Department (JPA) scholarship. I was given 2 choices initially. The first one was for the study of Medicine, but I have to choose to enter Matriculation Courses in the local universities namely UM, UKM or USM. The other was to study any one of the technical and engineering courses in the UK listed by JPA.
The choice was very clear indeed, I knew that I have no interest in becoming a doctor (never crossed my mind), even though my handiworks are normally very precise, and I could be if I wanted, a brain surgeon.
So the UK it was, and Aeronautical Engineering sounds good enough (and later on, Tom Cruise's Top Gun, partly became my inspiration, no, not just the F14 Tomcat aircraft, but those lovely ladies as well).
May-August
... I was enrolled for the Sixth Form classes at SMK ACS in Sitiawan. Guessed what, I came back to the very school (I was in the adjacent SK ACS) after 5 years. Initially, it was a bit awkward as it was a co-ed school, but I adjusted myself soon enough. Very well adjusted, to be honest.
I borrowed my elder brother's Vespa scooter for commuting from my house in Batu 7 Lekir, to the school about 5 km away. Those days, I don't even have to wear a helmet. However, that fun riding on the scooter reminded me of the movie Roman Holiday I saw during the cinema weekend shows in STAR, of which I plan to do it in Rome, one fine day, God willing.
One of the nicest things for the Sixth Formers was the freedom to go to the canteen whenever there's no class, or at your convenient time (so not just during recess). The other differences were that their uniform was all whites and with black leather shoes. These could be privileged to others, but for me, I had enough of five years of wearing all whites and black leather shoes while at STAR. It was nothing new.
I remembered I had a little crush on one of the girls there, in the same class. Wavy hair and fair looking girl. Reminded me of Hazlina. But, I was hopelessly not equipped with any flirting skills. Moreover, I saw a childhood friend of mine (also in the same class) who happened to be a long distant cousin of mine, had an eye on this sweet lady. So be it. So I moved on ...
September-December
I was selected as the recipient of the JPA scholarship to study Aeronautical Engineering in the UK, provided that I pass the university entrance requirement i.e. the GCE Advanced Level exams. I was placed at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Teluk Intan (SEMESTI) for a period of two years (September 1985 to June 1987) for this. I did enjoy my time there, to the fullest.
--00--
March-April
It's my birthday month.
I remembered scribbling 'Happy 18th Birthday to Me' using a marker pen on the mirror of a 'set-board'. Recently, when I visited the old house in my kampung, I still saw that piece of neat writing (albeit tarnished a little), as if 30 odd years have passed, but it was just like yesterday.
I bought myself a cake with candles and whatnot (kinda sad, wasn't it), made a mugful of hot tea (yes, I'm a tea-guy) and celebrated my birthday alone in the house.
Well, nobody was in the house anyway, and nobody remembered.
No wonder, up until now, when my birthday comes ... I have taken out the reminders of my birthday from the social media and will take a day leave from work, and will spend the day on my own, pretending that I didn't care. The fact is, my birthday is THE MOST IMPORTANT day of my life.
Towards the end of March was the time the SPM result came out.
I did relatively well. Not the best, but good enough to deserve the government Public Services Department (JPA) scholarship. I was given 2 choices initially. The first one was for the study of Medicine, but I have to choose to enter Matriculation Courses in the local universities namely UM, UKM or USM. The other was to study any one of the technical and engineering courses in the UK listed by JPA.
The choice was very clear indeed, I knew that I have no interest in becoming a doctor (never crossed my mind), even though my handiworks are normally very precise, and I could be if I wanted, a brain surgeon.
So the UK it was, and Aeronautical Engineering sounds good enough (and later on, Tom Cruise's Top Gun, partly became my inspiration, no, not just the F14 Tomcat aircraft, but those lovely ladies as well).
--00--
May-August
... I was enrolled for the Sixth Form classes at SMK ACS in Sitiawan. Guessed what, I came back to the very school (I was in the adjacent SK ACS) after 5 years. Initially, it was a bit awkward as it was a co-ed school, but I adjusted myself soon enough. Very well adjusted, to be honest.
I borrowed my elder brother's Vespa scooter for commuting from my house in Batu 7 Lekir, to the school about 5 km away. Those days, I don't even have to wear a helmet. However, that fun riding on the scooter reminded me of the movie Roman Holiday I saw during the cinema weekend shows in STAR, of which I plan to do it in Rome, one fine day, God willing.
One of the nicest things for the Sixth Formers was the freedom to go to the canteen whenever there's no class, or at your convenient time (so not just during recess). The other differences were that their uniform was all whites and with black leather shoes. These could be privileged to others, but for me, I had enough of five years of wearing all whites and black leather shoes while at STAR. It was nothing new.
I remembered I had a little crush on one of the girls there, in the same class. Wavy hair and fair looking girl. Reminded me of Hazlina. But, I was hopelessly not equipped with any flirting skills. Moreover, I saw a childhood friend of mine (also in the same class) who happened to be a long distant cousin of mine, had an eye on this sweet lady. So be it. So I moved on ...
--00--
September-December
I was selected as the recipient of the JPA scholarship to study Aeronautical Engineering in the UK, provided that I pass the university entrance requirement i.e. the GCE Advanced Level exams. I was placed at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Teluk Intan (SEMESTI) for a period of two years (September 1985 to June 1987) for this. I did enjoy my time there, to the fullest.
- I was the Headboy
- The recipient of Tokoh Pelajar award
- Founder of SEMESTI cricket (even selected to play for Perak State U-20)
- Represent the school at the district level in 100m (my personal best was 11.xx seconds)
- Lots of friends, girlfriends and adik-angkat(s)
- Close with the great teachers there
