How I screwed up a national event

Assalamualaikum and hello all. :)

So, throughout my one year study in IIUM, I've been emcee-ing and quiz moderating some events. 

 Quiz Moderator for IIUM National Pharmacy Quiz.

I could say that this is hellish. The peak of doom. The worst of the worst. Here is how it goes.

So, I have passed the audition and become the quiz moderator together with Kak Nisah, Usher and Yusri. I got paired with Usher (we take turns to moderate the quiz and become the time keeper) and Kak Nisah with Yusri.

Everything went well during the practice sessions. And we have made our decisions. Usher's going to moderate two sessions of quarter finals and I'm going to moderate one session of semi finals. Is it fair? Yes it is as I've been bestowed with an important and arduous task of moderating the FINAL session of the NATIONAL Pharmacy Quiz, at the auditorium, in front of lots of people which included lecturers and students from FOURTEEN Pharmacy schools all over Malaysia! 

Well, I'm not really scared talking in public so I accepted the task merrily.

Then there was divine intervention.

In the morning of the quiz, I suddenly contracted high fever. I was feeling extremely cold. The lecture hall was effin cold because the air conditioner controller was not functioning. You either switch it on or off. No regulation of temperature. 

So for the Semi finals session I really had to force myself to smile as you see, 'HIGH FEVER!' My body was aching all over and I couldn't stood still. I felt like I was about to faint. Luckily not.

No, there are no other substitutes as Usher got to be the Time Keeper and I insisted on moderating the semi final quiz because I need a bit of practice before proceeding to the final session.

Besides, I was the only one who practiced a bit with the final session text ,which was only given to me the night before the event, full of scrawls of notes from the previous quiz moderator!It was an old text and  The format was changed and everything this year so it's not really my fault, is it?

So, I went ahead to moderate the final session and I could tell you, that it was a disaster, performed 'spectacularly' in front of my lecturers and hundreds of students in the auditorium.

Some of my lecturers were pitiful of me. Prof Noriah even said that it was not my fault because there were like, EIGHT participants on stage and the orders of answering the questions was a bit complex (for me as I got demam panas) so I mixed up the orders a couple of times *facepalm*.

The orders are like this : There are 2 teams, 8 participants. The old format: 2 teams, 6 participants. I was using the old text so you get what I mean. 

First session:

Participant A Team 1(could answer)

Participant A Team 2 (could answer)

Participant B Team 1 (")

Participant B Team 2 (")

Participant C Team 1(")

Participant C Team 2 (")

Participant D Team 1(")

Participant D Team 2 (")

Second session

Participant A Team 2

A Team 1

B Team 2

B Team 1

C Team 2

C Team 1

D Team 2

D Team 1

Third session

Team 1 again 

Team 2

Fourth session

Team 2

Team 1

See, complicated right? And no, they are not as genius as Einstein so they could not answer some questions and that further complicated matters.

1st Session

Participant A Team 1(Tak dapat jawab)

All Team 1 (tak dapat jawab)

Team 2 (tak dapat jawab)

Then YOU, the quiz moderator had to ask the judge 'What the heck is the answer then?'

Then back to Participant B Team 1 balik!!!

Judges would sometimes give obscure marks.For example, 

Judge: Bla bla bla? (question)

Student: Bla bla bla (answer)

Judge: It's not really correct

Me: So, is it partially correct or what? (oklah, ni informal)

Judge: It's partially correct

Me: (Pftttt) Okay, 5 marks to Team 1

All these had to be done by a single person on stage aka me! I was all alone on the stage, humiliated! The audience laughed when I said 'Sorry!'

The Programme Manager even glared at me during the quiz. 

When it was over, I had to wait for the participants to return to their seats.

And I was about to make a closing remarks + apologies. Guess what happened? 

' I profoundly apologize for' I talked to the microphone. Eh, why the heck did they SWITCH IT OFF???

And so, I yelled to the stupid microphone which did not amplify my voice.

'I PROFOUNDLY APOLOGISE FOR THE bla bla bla' it was a comical effect, really.

Then my dear lecturer passed me his microphone with a sympathetic look on his face.

Alas, 

It seems like the other committees were ignoring me after the quiz.  It was pathetic. I was so embarrassed.I screwed up a national event! 

Back home, I snuggled into my bed and cried. I cried when my mother called me. My fever got worse. I switched off the fan and lied on my bed in darkness, with the comforter covering my whole body. I couldn't really sleep, thinking of the massive blunders that I've committed.

I didn't go to class the next day (because I was really sick. I would never skipped class just to avoid humiliation and stuffs). I went to clinic and the doctor diagnosed me with high fever by just looking at my face. I couldn't even eat because I would end up vomiting. There was the taste of bile on my tongue so I felt the desire to vomit every time. It was really horrible. 

Syau came to my room at the afternoon to give me the week's timetable.

Prof Noriah then asked 'Eh, mana Sarah?'

'Sarah tak datang'

'Oh, sebab semalam eh?' (LOL)

Away she went, saying ' Memang agak memalukan UIA but we can't blame Sarah!'

And off she criticized the organizing committees, the emcees' texts everything. She said that I ought to have a partner by my side and such. And yes, I only got the final text on the night BEFORE the quiz. And that's an old text with old format. Pffttt.

The next day I came to class, she spotted me and asked 'Sarah dah okay?' LOL.

Okay so, here I am, survived to tell the tale of how I screwed up a national event. It is an extremely bitter memory, as it in a way, lowers down people's expectations towards you. They did not know (still do not know) that I was really sick at that time. They have no idea how was it like, to be on that stage, to be in my shoes. 

But of course, I believe that everything has its reasons. Allah has planned everything. I put my strongest faith towards Allah throughout that unfortunate duration. I cried out of embarrassment and pain and yet I believe that everything will be okay one day.

I also realize that you should not care too much about other people's opinions towards you and that only Allah's opinions matter. Allah knows what happened to you. It's hard to meet up to people's expectations because they only look at the results, not the efforts. But it's easy to please Allah because no matter how unpleasant the result is, he knows that you've done your best. He knows. 

And again, to those who did not know. I did not skip class because I was embarrassed and later on got sick AFTER the quiz. I got sick BEFORE the quiz and my fever got even worse AFTER the quiz. Thank you very much.

Your result for The Sorting Hat: A Comprehensive Harry Potter Personality Assessment [Test/Quiz]...

Gryffindor

52% Ravenclaw,  51% Hufflepuff,  45% Slytherin and  53% Gryffindor!

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

         Gryffindor's cardinal traits are bravery, pride, stubbornness and impulsiveness. Most people in the house of Gryffindor will be extraverted. (Remember, introversion is different than being shy: you can be a shy extrovert.) Gryffindors gain energy and life by being around people, grain strength from friends and enjoy working with those close to them. However, they are also emotionally volatile and can experience a wide range of feelings in a short amount of time, from unbridled happiness to deep depression to unrestrained rage. They are less emotionally stable than some of the other houses (such as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff); Gryffindors are also impulsive. They're also generally good-hearted and trusting, and for the most part like people at first sight unless they are given a reason not to. Gryffindors are Prideful, bad at taking criticism and easilyget into conflicts with others—this is the main trait that would bring their overall level of agreeableness from high to average.


         A Gryffindor's prideful nature coupled with their sense of justice and stubborn behavior causes them to be extremely set in their ways. They have a difficult time backing down from a fight or admitting that they are wrong. It's also very hard for them to get over a bad first impression or change their opinion on someone.

Take The Sorting Hat: A Comprehensive Harry Potter Personality Assessment [Test/Quiz] at HelloQuizzy

49 things i think i know about me.

49 Question to Really Get To Know Someone
1) Are you a morning or night person?	Morning but I could get really active at night.
2) Which do you prefer, sweet or salty foods?	Sweet but I like slightly salty food like French fries. :P
3) Ninjas or pirates?	Ninjas, definitely!
4) Ninjas vs pirates, discuss.	If there's a war between ninjas and pirates, ninjas will win the battle.
5) Autobots or Decepticons?	Autobots FTW!! Can I choose the cutie-pie Bumblebee??
6) What was your favorite childhood television program?	Power Rangers!! LOL
7) Are you a collector of anything?	Erasers, stickers, stamps, hahaha, they're all gone.
8) If you could be any animal, what would you be?	A bird.
9) If you could have any superpower, what would it be?	I want to be invisible.
10) What is usually your first thought when you wake up?	Ouch, what time is it now?? *grabs cellphone, checks time*
11) What do you usually think about right before falling asleep?	I don't really THINK. I just go to sleep after brushing teeth, reciting prayers.
12) What's your favorite color?	Lilac.
13) What's your favorite animal?	Cat, though Moy could be annoying at times.
14) Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?	Nope.
15) Do you believe in ghosts?	They do exist.
16) Ever been addicted to a video/computer game? Which one(s)?	Plant Tycoon.
17) You're given 1 million dollars, what do you spend it on?	Spends some time in South Korea.
18) Have any bad habits?	I do.
19) Which bad habits, if any, drive you crazy?	I annoy people to the max, and I would regret it to the max, too.
20) List 3 of your best personality traits:	I don;t know, I don' think I have any.
21) List 3 of your worst personality traits:	I'm freaking annoying, crazy, rebellious, and can be random most of the times. Okay, more than 3.
22) Have any celebrity crushes?	Shim Changmin, Yong Junhyung.
23) List 1 thing you wish you could change about yourself:	Not to annoy people anymore.
24) Any tattoos or piercings?	None.
25) What's the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?	His personality, really. The appearance comes after that.
26) What personality traits do you look for in a partner?	Rich enough to let me shopping till I drop, cares for me, religious of course.
27) What personality traits do you dislike in other people?	I don't know, I'll figure them out later.
28) Are you mostly a clean or messy person?Do you see yourself getting married in the next 5 years?	Clean but messy at times. Next 5 years?? I don't know. No candidate for the time being, so it's kinda hard talking about marriage.
29) Are you mostly a clean or messy person?	Again, clean but messy at times.
30) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?	Switzerland.
31) If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?	South Korea, no doubt.
32) List 5 goals on your life's to-do list:	- Get the DEGREE!!! - Get married. - Business. - Travel around the world. - After I accomplish these 4, I'll add another one.
33) Name 1 regret you have:	Right now, it's over the hoodie I ordered, but have yet arrived.
34) Name 1 thing you miss about being a kid:	I could play most of the time, but could still score well in academics.
35) Name 1 thing you love about being an adult:	I have yet seeing anything good.
36) What's your favorite song of the moment?	8eight - Close That Lip.
37) What's your favorite song of all time?	I think, it's Mirotic.
38) What's your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night?	If there's no interesting TV shows, I'll just chat till I sleep.
39) What's your favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon?	Nothing. Because here in my home, it's the working day.
40) Have any hidden talents?	Talent to annoy people until they go all-crazy.
41) You're about to walk the green mile, what do you have as your last meal?	Chocolate chip cookies.
42) What would be your dream job?	A forensics scientist.
43) Which would you rather have, 100 million dollars or true love?	I'll choose money..and love. I want both, I know I'm greedy!!
44) If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?	- Let me travel around South Korea and stalk Changmin and Junhyung all I want. - Money, money, money!! - To be gorgeous. ROFL
45) Ever wish you were born the opposite sex? If so, why?	Nope.
46) Name 1 thing not many people know about you:	I hold grudges..and I find it hard to forget bad things that happened in my life.
47) If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to?	From my full name to Fikah Mus. Still, I'm happy with my current name.
48) Do you believe in the afterlife?	Yes, I do.
49) On the topic of abortion, how do you feel about cookies?	Tell me what the relationship between abortion and cookies, only then, I'll answer this question.

Testing My Memories

Remember those old days in the 90's, where there weren't that many book publishing company in Malaysia, the ones that mostly existed published translated books.

For example, Enid Blyton's books in Malay

1. Malory Towers -->Seri Melur

2. St. Clare's -->Tengku Ashikin

3. Famous Five --> Lima Sekawan

4. Secret Seven -->Tujuh Penyiasat

5. Five Find Outers --> Lima Penyiasat

Not forgetting,

1. Nancy Drew --> Siri Salma

2. Hardy Boys --> Siri Hadi

And lots more. Now, it's really really very hard to find these books in bookstores because they are really really rare. 

Know what, I miss them! I really do! I spent my childhood reading these books. I spent my duit raya buying a whole set of 'Lima Penyiasat' or something. I reread them over and over again.

I usually borrowed Siri Salma from the public library. I reckon I've read almost all books in the Siri Salma. 

I was delighted to find those original English series of Siri Salma, Seri Melur and so on because truthfully, I read the Malay versions first. Malay versions are much cheaper, you know.

But there is one particular series that I really really adore. It's called Siri Kumpulan Penjejak. A total of 10 books in the series. I love this particular series because the adventures are... how do you call it? Okayla, lain daripada yang lain! 

1. Berjaya Lagi. I forgot what happened. Teehee. But it's the first book that tells about their first adventure.

2. Desa Yang Mengajar. They went to their cousin's house. A farm, something like that.

3. Misteri Alur Guntur. They went to another cousin's house.

4. Misteri Bakawali. Went to a friend's house. Found a secret room.

5. Misteri Ekspedisi. Went on an expedition on bicycles, together with their friends, cousins and family members. AWESOME!

6. Misteri Hantu Pulau. Went to Tanjong Pagar with friends to stay at the family doctor's huge house. Adventures! Went to he Pulau Hantu. Or Pulau yang berhantu, something like that.

7. Misteri Sungai Senang. Stayed at their grandaunt's huge house in Muar. SO COOL!

8. Perkelahan Aneh. Went to cousin's house. Participated in the festival there.

9. Rahsia Gajah Diraja. An elephant kena kidnap something like that.

19. Rahsia Rumah Rakit. Embarked on an adventure naik rumah rakit with their family and cousins.

Of course, they are amateur sleuths, always bound to solve whatever kind of mysteries in every place they've been to.

I bet this Kumpulan Penjejak is the Malay version of whatever English series.

The reason I really like this series is because it shows 4 siblings and their close knitted relationships with their parents, cousins, relatives and friends. And the fact that they are always together in every adventure! 

It's impossible to find a rare not so popular Malay book now. So sad, you know!

I miss another series. Sarah Latif Mystery Series by Matilda Xavier. No image is available from the internet. Hmmphh!

Thank you, dear books for helping me to imagine and getting A for my Penulisan Bahasa Melayu subjek for almost every exams and yeah, UPSR.

I stopped reading these books when I entered secondary school, I guess.

I just want to say that I mostly read MALAY books in my early years. English books are mostly those of Enid Blyton's and Maltilda Xavier. And yeah, Sweet Valley. Those books created a very happy and pleasant childhood years for me. Imaginative, even. And I'm very proud to say that I am much much better in Bahasa Melayu than English. Of course, I'm a MALAY! I can become more poetic and strings sentences that rhymes together in Malay, rather than English. English is quite complicated as I forever have to take note of the correct usage of grammars and sentence structure. 

Almost kidnapped

My mom told me that when I was 3 (1993), I was almost kidnapped by a man. Well, a strange man. A stranger. 

My parents brought me to the pasar malam and suddenly while in the midst of buying stuffs or something ( I dunno), my mom realized that I wasn't with her. They looked frantically all over the pasar malam for me. My mom was extremely worried.

Luckily, my dad spotted me walking with a man.  He was holding my hand and seemed oblivious to the surrounding. He wasn't even looking anywhere else. Only straight ahead. You know, to at least try to locate the little girl's parents.

I wonder what might have happened to me if my father didn't find me. *shudder*

Here are the probabilities:

1.  He (stranger) might sell me to some sort of gangster group where I'll be forced to beg for money and food on the streets. They might even chop off my limbs to show that I'm not an able person, to gain sympathy from people.

2. Get sold to another gangster group where they would kill me and took out my body organs to be sold in black market.

3. They might torture me like they did with Nurin Jazlin and other missing kids. *shudder again*. Stupid pedophiles!

4. Sell me to those filthy rich people who do not have any child and I'll be pampered with lots of toys. :P

5. Maybe when I reached my teenage years, they might sell me to Bapak Ayam whomsoever and work as a prostitute. NOO!!!! I pity those prostitutes. You think they would want to become one? They are forced to, okay! 

6. Got adopted by the head gangster and being raised as his own child. This might be due to the fact that his wife had taken a great liking towards me because I was so cute *cough cough* and that his wife once suffered from ovarian cancer and could not conceive any child. The head gangster, though tough and mean, loves his wife so much that he relented on the idea that I'll be his adopted daughter. His future plans include having me to inherit his position as head gangster. MUAHAHAHAHA

I'm so glad my father found me. I'm so grateful that Allah helps me. Alhamdulillah. 

P.S Sila tengok Kasih Alia,  Isnin hingga Khamis 7 malam hanya di TV3. LOL. Cerita dia lebih kurang sama. Hilang kat pasar malam, kena culik, kena mintak sedekah, kena ambik organ badan, etc. Okay tapi sekarang diorang dah besar. =___=

EBOOKS

Being a self proclaimed bookaholic, I have downloaded so many e-books from 4shared. :P

 The only device available for me to read the e books is my faithful laptop. The thing is, reading stuffs on my laptop had proved to be a bit uncomfortable, as I have to squint my eyes once in a while, sometimes putting my hands above my eyes, as if to shield the bright sunlight that shines from above. In this case, the bright backlight of my laptop screen.

I wanted to buy an ebook reader but it is quite expensive!  No way. And it's not a necessity anyway, LOL.

So, I racked my brain for a solution. How could I read e-books on my laptop without being constantly blinded by the oh-so-bright light?

And, tada! 

Ceh, it's very simple, really!

                                                               (image googled)

So I took the sunglasses and wore it over my half-blind eyes (I'm wearing glasses, so I placed the sunglasses OVER my glasses. Picture it! The weirdness!)

Yeah! I could read the e-books more comfortably now! xD

Almost lost a brother

I almost lost my brother, Syafiq when I was 6 and he, 4.

We were at home and Syafiq suddenly contracted high fever. A really really high fever. He could not breathe properly and his body is all blue-ish because the oxygen could not reach to his body parts (because he could not breathe properly la!)

My father quickly brought him to the hospital next door (luckily our house was located beside the hospital) and he stopped breathing. My father got really sad. I bet he cried at that time. 

This is what he said "Ingatkan Syafiq dah takde dah waktu tu,"

And suddenly, miracles happened! Syafiq breathed again!

He got admitted to the hospital and stayed there for quite a long time. I still remember him in his hospital clothes which looked like a pyjamas, with some sort of tube inserted to his hand.

He was only four!

I remember being all sad having to leave him at the hospital. My parents took turn taking care of him every night. I had my Opah at home to take care of me and my siblings. 

In a way, the miracle that Allah had shown us, make us believe that He is giving Syafiq another chance. Maybe he would change the world someday. Who knows? There's a reason on why that miracle happened. 

He grew up, becoming quite lembik throughout his childhood, maybe it's the post effect of the high fever. He got bullied at school because he was small. He got bullied by me at home because I'm his big bossy sister. He cried a lot. I always spanked him. We quarreled a lot.

Then when he was 13, his life started to get better. He no longer got bullied by me (because I got transformed into a kind, nice sister :P), he stood up for himself, fought when somebody tried to bully him at school. He gained many friends, he had his own circle of admirers from the girls, he was one of the popular boys at school, he got good grades and now is in his first year at IIUM pursuing Bachelor of Architecture. 

Syafiq is one lucky boy. He's the closest one to me out of my other 3 younger siblings. To think that I almost lost a brother. I'm glad that he is still here. 

He's turning 19 today. Happy birthday, dear brother! 

When you have gigi besi...

" Hewhoo, I'm sheeking sponshorship from your company for the upcoming nashional pharmashy quish that will be held at my univershity. May I know whom should I be djealing with?" 

You can't speak properly for the short time being. 

P.S UniverSHITy? LOL.