amin inspired™ (moved to wordpress)

due to popular demand, amin inspired is back for season 3

2008-03-07T18:51:00.004+08:00

(Season 3: xyz: Where inspiration meets with the beauty of islam)

Season 3:xyz

arsenal new world-record signing...

2007-12-29T20:25:00.000+08:00

London, 29 Jan - Arsenal opened the January transfer window by forking out 73.6 million pounds, a new world record signing, for teenage star Muhammad Amin from Tours FC. Despite denying that he'll sign anyone, Arsene Wenger suprised everyone by making the move for the young striker, who originated from Malaysia.

"Amin is a very versatile attacker, he is very two footed, and can play on the left, right, or even behind the main striker. He has excellent pace, good techincal abilties and an intelligent mind.

We have huge expectation from him, and we believe he can make a big impact on this year's title race"

Amin will share the No11 with Van Persie, and is included in the first 16 of Today's encounter with Everton.

Strive for excellence not perfection...

2007-12-20T23:56:00.000+08:00

ever since Rapidshare came to my life, i've watched almost 30+ episodes of House...

and if there's one thing I've learned from House, is that it better to strive for excellence than perfection.

don't be afraid to take risks and to be wrong.. learning from mistakes can be a wonderful teacher...

Bonnes vaccances tout le monde!!! :)

ps: enjoy life... Life can be absoltelly phenomenal, and it will, only if you start believing it should be.....

Probably my best photo yet...

2007-12-20T23:49:00.000+08:00

Me giving birth (jeu de roles)

2007-12-18T01:22:00.000+08:00

application of "Don't reinvent the wheel..." studying en france

2007-12-17T22:55:00.001+08:00

My dad is someone who's crazy with motivational books, and as his son who lived with him for 17 years (i never went to boarding school), each day i was stuffed with his inspirational quotes and life theories...

and one of his favourite was.... "Don't reinvent the wheel..."

Looking at the metafore, it means that you don't need to invent the wheel to use the wheel. As it has been invented by people before us, one does not need to go the long process of creating it, but simply learn what has been learnt and improve on it.

So, how to apply to real life? well, one easy example, as a student of the 8th batch, instead of making the same mistakes made by my seniors, I should learn from their experiences to make better choices in the future.

Almost every senior i meet, i have asked them to share thier experiences in France, especially regarding studying, and here what i know so far:

- we are sent to here to graduate with diplome d'inginieur, equilavent degree + masters

- after 2 years of the special preparation program, there will be limited 'back-door' opportunities to enter the prestigious grandes ecoles, as a result of a governement-to-governement collaboration.

- there's only 15-20 grandes ecoles to choose from and you need to score a minumum of at least 13

- if one misses out on the GE, one will enter IUT for 2 years

- to enter the GE after that, one will need to compete with les français and be among the top certain percentage of the class. There is no loss years taking this route.

- if there's one advantage of taking this route, is there are unlimited choice of GE to choose from.

- if after IUT, one fails to enter the GE, then they'll need to a licence and normal masters in a normal université

- Some students from the early batches failed in thier first or 2nd year of GE and had to drop into IUTs

Donc, the real question is, is it better to go straight to the hard-life of grandes ecoles after 2 or is it better to take the easier route of IUT??

Les vacances starts now...

2007-12-13T23:33:00.000+08:00

think i flunked my exam, but who cares, it's all over now. and with Arsenal winning, what better way to start your holiday...

I can now peacefully enjoy watching the hightlights of yesterday's game and a whole season of House... grace à Rapidshare :)

Mardi : Cinéma
Mercredi : Marché (Did you know there are over 30 marchés à Tours???)
Jeudi : Pre-holiday celebration en class
Vendredi : Blois + Bus trip to Londrès

enfin les vacances!

Exclusive interview with the man himself... part I

2007-12-11T00:35:00.000+08:00

Almost 3 months in France so far. How's it been going?

It's been going really great. It's getting quite cold, but overall, it's been quite enjoyable.. My mum adviced me to first settled down when i arrived here, and i think that adaptation process is over.

Tours does feel like home now.... :)

and The French classes?

ça va. the classes with madama guinielle (hope i got that right) = tons of laughter... She is really that funny, while still being effective in her teaching... I'm glad we have a teacher like her.

Em, Tours is well known for the small room.. Is it really that small?

haha, unfortunetely it is, 9 mettre carré to be exact. According to Jepp, we don't have enough space to even play wii...

but it's not really that bad, 90 euros per month including water, electricity... means i have a little bit of extra cash...

JPA scholarship is coming in a few weeks time... Thinking of any christmas presents??

Hmm.. good question. It really depends on how much i will spend in England this Noel, but I'm definetely buying myself a tripod for my camera. France is so beautiful at night, and i need a tripod to really take good pictures.

Besides that, I'm probably looking around for a new manteau and a pair of puma shoes.. oh, yes, i've been dying to get one of those... and peut-etre an arsenal jersey!

to be continued...

Few Photos of Tours...

2007-12-09T05:49:00.000+08:00

Click Here for more....

The need of having a clear goal in life....

2007-12-06T22:20:00.000+08:00

My mum recently gave a speech, and in her speech, she talked about the importance of knowing where we want to go, and what we want to do in life... and she ended her speech with a very special and inspirational quote i'd like to share

"If you know where you are going, the world will sidestep for you ..... (i.e making your way easier)" - Mum, 6 Dec 2007

btw, if u have some free time, go up n and click the mon inspiration for more inspirational stuff... :)

Enfin, les vaccances

2007-12-04T02:14:00.000+08:00

just arranged my tickets for the vaccanes.. Going to England, insyaAllah! yahoo.. :)

On sat, maybe i'll go to the masaf motivation seminar. That night, a 6 hrs bus trip to England... hopefully not too tiring...

The MSM gathering is on the sunday, after that, aller à Londres! I need to meet up with up my old mates, frencesc, hleb, arsene etc.... and see the Emirates with my own eyes!

environ the 28th, a cruise back to France.. probably be staying at my brother's place for a few days..

and then, hopefully i'll be celebrating new year's à Paris... If I'm lucky, i'll maybe get to see a modified PS3... :)

Enfin, les vaccances!!!

Malaysian students in France, proof of living monks??

2007-12-04T01:57:00.000+08:00

That's the sort of impression i get from the seniors..

Almost double the hours par semaine, compared to the universities in Malaysia and other countries. Everyday cours from 8-6, sometimes even on weekends..

No wonder, some looked really stressed out...

France = negara gile study?

But as my brother once told me

Always Study smartly and study consistently!!
and don't have too much distractions... you'll get through, insyaAllah

Cool sites..

2007-12-04T01:40:00.000+08:00

just like to share few of the sites i usually visit:
- LifeHacker , LifeHack- teaches the small stuff that helps u a lot in our dialy lives..
- Slashdot , Digg , Engadget - Updates on gadgets
- MalaysiaToday - News of Malaysia on a different perspective
- Flickr, Deviant Art - if u like photos

No torrents? no matter

2007-11-30T03:25:00.000+08:00

after 2 months of no torrents, enfin i've found a way to dload shows and movies... bienvenue Rapidshare...

merci, K :)

I came, I saw..... em, i left :(

2007-11-30T01:03:00.000+08:00

29 November. The date I've been eagerly been waiting for... After class, i immediately went to the Orange boutique store, and asked for the iPhone.

A sale assistant took one and showed it to me. It looked good in pictures, but trust me it's far more sexier in real life...

He then made a demonstration. After just 3 seconds, i was ready to sign up for 2 year-contract...

I asked "ça coute combien?".... "399 euros, 50 euros par moin..." DAMN!!!

" I came, i saw, and.... I dissapointedly left... " - amin, 2007

In dedication to my brother

2007-11-26T23:04:00.000+08:00

Taken by me in Oct 2007

Taken by my brother in Oct 2004

Haha.. I was browsing through my brother's photos, and i realised something really funny.

When we were on our way to encik yusry House on the first day in France, i came across a bridge. I look acorss the lake and saw the Eiffel tower, i told myself, that somehow, i've seen somewhere a picture taken exactly at that angle... Now i know where..

It's quite interesting for me to go through the life that he has experienced. and I'm really thankful that i have a brother as smart as him. It it's wasn't for him, i wouldn't be in France and studying overseas at this current moment...

Thank you hadi for giving me such motivation and being such a good brother :)

and Bon Anniversaire!!!

iPhone's coming to france

2007-11-25T03:49:00.000+08:00

Orange got the deal!!! been waiting for this moment for a very long time... a 2 year contract:

49€/mo Plan:
- 2 hours + 2 (late evening or week-end) hours of voice calls:
- 50 SMS
- 10 hours of Orange Wifi
- Unlimited VoiceMail, E-Mail and data

my latest chef-d'oeuvre

2007-11-24T00:40:00.001+08:00

a video of Tours coming right up... stay tunned!

::tagged::

2007-11-23T21:56:00.000+08:00

LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR:

(a) A guaranteed place in the heavens - need no expliqation

(b) A visit to the Emirates Stadium (and watching a live Arsenal game) - an absolute architecture marvel, it's been a dream of mine ever since it's been built. Hopefully this winter! (insyaAllah)

(c) Able to understand french completely NOW

(d) A place in the grande ecoles in 2 years time and a diplome d'inginieurs after 7

(e) Arsenal doing the quadraple - nuff said.

THE PERSON WHO TAGG-ED YOU IS : Khairi

5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER:
(a) the typical man-utd fan (not a good thing :)
(b) loves travelling
(c) Gentil
(d) em, peut-etre macho and romantique?
(e) have i mentioned he looks like the typical man utd fan?

MOST LOVED INVENTION -The iPhone (coming to france soon ^_^)

WHAT DO YOU DESPISE THE MOST: not yet being the person as i want to be...

JPA following the footstep of PEKOM

2007-11-21T00:52:00.000+08:00

According to a reliable source, JPA will from next year abandon its 3 months + 2 years preparation program and the students will fly straight away in the month of Jun only for one year, comme the PEKOM programme.

Only one year??? Is it enough??

The reason? I'm betting on the government is trying to cut up some cost

and thus, in 2009, I'll get to meet my juniors for a few months here in Tours.. ^_^

micro-climate

2007-11-17T03:31:00.001+08:00

according to mon professeur, the place where i live has a micro-climate.

C'est quoi, you might ask?? To put it short, sometimes it can get quite warm, 10-15°c, but like aujourd'hui, it was -4°c!!!! Damn cold!!!

but, fear not, i have found a way to keep myself warm in this bizzare weather of Automne...

the 1 million ringgit question...

2007-11-14T02:26:00.004+08:00

in my first week, in Paris, i overheard a conversation between En Yusry and another person...

"How much exactly is the government spending on each student to send to France??" he answered "about 1 million ringgit over 7 years...."

For me, it's important that each student realise this... for 2 reasons:

1. The huge amount of money and expectation the government is spending and expecting from us. For 1 million, just think how much development can be done or social problems that can be solved..

2. The big risk. If we fail in the middle of our studies, not only we will return with nothing with years of our life wasted, we will have to pay every single cent spended on us by the government in huge lump sum... Finincially, that will mean our future almost destroyed.

So, therefore i'd like remind myself and my readers that it's important that our studies is an important priority... may all of us finish our studies with diplome d'inginieur, insyaAllah.

But, then you ask yourself...

This is the obligation to JPA... but what about our obligation to God??? Are we on track in fullfing that?

and then you realise, isn't everything on this earth belongs to God??? Donc, that 1 million is in fact owned by God, loaned to JPA, and then given to us...

So, at the end of the day... Is never between us and JPA nor it is between us and the people, but ultimately, it is between US and God... ^^

"Dan ingatlah ketika Tuhanmu berfirman kepada malaikat... Sesungguhnya Aku hendak jadikan khalifah di atas muka bumi ini.." Al Baqarah 30

Video of Majlis Raya di La Rochelle...

2007-11-12T01:01:00.000+08:00

FP 8 Raya di Kampung Angouleme :)

2007-11-02T00:46:00.000+08:00

some of my best pics....

2007-10-23T01:08:00.000+08:00

A Stranger's Advice - 1st encounter with The Old Man

2007-09-29T02:04:00.002+08:00

I'd like to share an experience i had. (This was a week before i left Malaysia for the first time to France)

It was a cold morning. There I was, all alone at the park, enjoying the cool fresh air of the mornings, like usual. I was playing on the swings, up and down, up and down, grinning, daydreaming about life in France.

Then, out of nowhere came a man in his sixties, jogging along the pavements. Etrange, i felt. he jogged, jogged and jogged, without having the slight of tiredness. Despite being old, "he looks very fit" i thought to myself.

After 30 minutes or so, after enough swinging about, I decided to leave and head home. Suddenly...

"You're Amin, right?" someone called.

I turned around. "oui, c'est moi" I answered.

"You're heading to France, aye?" "em, yes, but how do you kn- "

"Come. let's sit down, we'll have a chat..." I obliged, and we went to nearest bench.

"Studying overseas is great" he started."In fact it's fantastic, especially when you get to see a new culture, and visit new places. But, you know, is not as easy at it seems. En realite, it is a lot difficult than most people think. You will encounter many many problems, and to put it short, it's not for the faint-hearted. You must be very tough mentally!!!

But if there's one advice I can give to you is this: Keep your iman and studies in check, and everything will be okay. Always put your religion and studies first, and you can get through any difficulties.

Remember, a true Muslim will never fret or be disappointed of worldly problems, for he knows he is on a far more important mission, which is to obey God and seek a place in the Heavens..."

He continued "Life can be extraordinary if you you realize that it should be. The government is spending quite a lot of money on you, so be special! Be extraordinary! Aim for the mountains, and shoot for the stars! and don't forget to enjoy every second of your life.

and lastly, don't forget to use your mind. Your mind is you greatest asset, use it well. Visualize your success, and it'll be in your hands, insyaAllah. Always, always think, plan and act one step ahead. C'est tres important to always see the big picture.

"Vous comprenez???" he asked me "Oui, je comprend. Thank you very much, I'll always remember this... but can I know who you are??" I said.

He then smiled, "Remember my advice, and you'll be fine"

He turned around, and without saying another word, he left me.

but he left me with something to ponder upon, on the eve of my new adventure...

Click here to read my 2nd encounter with him

C'est Au Revoir... (this is gudbye)

2007-09-29T01:14:00.000+08:00

This will be my last post in Malaysia, and probably for quite some time, considering that i haven't yet bought my own computer.

Therefore, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my family, mon amis, my teachers, and everyone who has been very supportive of me during pre-SPM. Without your support, I wouldn't have gotten this chance to pursue my studies overseas.

here i am, 2 days to France, a destination I've been dreaming to reach for the past 18 months ago...

"Vive La France"

Videos of cemara n Intec

2007-09-27T10:30:00.000+08:00

As i said before, I'm in charge of the Souvenir Batch DVD... Almost every night on the last week, I slept around 2-3 hrs a night to finish this dvd. So far, everyone liked it, so i can probably say it's worth it!!

Here are 2 of the video's inside the dvd, a tour of the Cemara hostel and Intec. Enjoy!

Launched a new site

2007-09-25T02:53:00.000+08:00

it's a collection of stuff i find inspiring to me. Quotes, speeches, pics and others..

please check it out.... MON INSPIRATION

Hopefully after 7 years studying in France

2007-09-21T21:36:00.001+08:00

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence

Two roads diverged in a wood,

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference...

The Road not Taken, Robert Frost

My batch's Photo :fp8:

2007-09-21T03:57:00.000+08:00

c'est beau, non?

Excellent day, aujourd'hui :)

2007-09-20T16:50:00.000+08:00

woke up quite early today to watch the replay of Arsenal 3-0 maginicent win against Sevilla. Arsenal is so gonna win everything this season!! and Cesc can't seem to stop scoring nowadays..

at 7 am, all of us left for Putrajaya for the the Pre-departure briefing. Jpa gave some bits of imformation, and so did MAS, about our flight to Paris and stay in France. We'll be leaving insyaAllah on Sunday, 30 sept, at 1125pm. So, anyone who want to send me off, please come...

After that, I took some pictures and asked a few to give their 'ucapan raya' video. I'm in charge of doing the souvenir DVD this year, in which I compiled all the photos and of our 3 months stay in INTEC into a DVD, plus all videos i've made. I need to finish and burn everything tonight. I just hope everyone will enjoy watching it...

Tommorow, will be the last day in class... It's quite astonishing how time flies so quickly. without a doubt, I will miss Madame Adi and Miss Das. They have been very very kind to all of us, and been great teachers.

:10 days left in Malaysia:

ps: the 'special one' Mourinho has left the building... huhuuu!!!

Frencesc Fabregas

2007-09-19T16:52:00.000+08:00

It's been 5 weeks since the departure of Henry. Since then, we're now top of the table with 5 wins from 6. Ain't all doom and gloom is it? and that's mostly due to one person. Frencesc Febregas. 6 goals in many games, Cesc is now making Lampard look bad.

and wierd as it sound, this 20-year-old is one of the reason why i chose to study overseas and picked the french programme.

Cesc left his family, his friends and the sunny weather of Spain for a promising career at Arsenal at a age of just 15 years old!! Just imagine, 15 years-old, all alone in a foriegn country, cold weather and a totally new language. But Cesc knew what he wanted, buckled down and worked very hard. and today he's the main man of Arsenal.

Going to France, at the age of 18 shall be difficult, with the adaption of a new culture,language, and everything but i know exactly what i want to achieve in France. After 7 years, i know i will look back, and i'll tell myself that I've made the right decision... All i need to do is focus, work hard and have strong self-belief, and success will follow, insyaAllah.

We are created for one purpose, one mission and one objective...

2007-09-16T13:50:00.000+08:00

to Serve Allah the Almighty and Him alone...

chez moi. My place at Cemara Hostel

2007-09-14T03:43:00.000+08:00

la chambre (bedroom)

le sejour (living room)

My desks

My Kitchen

Le Tableau Blanc

went to European Higher Education Centre...

2007-09-14T03:31:00.000+08:00

it was at the KL convention centre, next to KLCC. We recieved a lot of informative and interesting informations there, especially from the french booths...

I met the guy from the universite Francois-rebelais Tours... and i told him I'll be studying in Tours in a months time.. (huhu... ^_^). He then got all excited and gave me his card. He told me to contact him when i reach there... 19 days left!

Ramadhan

2007-09-14T03:08:00.000+08:00

I'd like to wish everyone a happy fasting month... :)

"In the month of Ramadhan, the doors of heaven will be opened, and the doors of hell will be closed and the satans are being locked away..." Happy fasting!!!

tick, tick, tick... counting the days...

2007-09-06T05:10:00.000+08:00

decision to make!

2007-09-01T00:26:00.000+08:00

a macbook is sexy, non? but is it worth 1000+ euros???

My life in intec...

2007-08-30T07:12:00.000+08:00

I'm back home... There's nothing better than seeing your family again... :-)

Tickets back to Johor on thursday were gone, so i took the opportunity to ponteng one day of class..

Anyway, it's been a while since i updated, so it thought i summarise my two months stay in INTEC in one post... here's goes nothing:

My class starts at 8 everyday, until 4, with an 1 hr break at 1-2... (*phew* It's tiring, all right!) We have 33 hrs credit hrs, with 22 of them studying french and the rest are physics, maths and IES... The mood in class is sometimes quite too relaxed, probably due to our motto: confirm fly!! (regardless of our exam results)

about 4 weeks ago, all the seniors of FP 7 came to class. They were quite a bubly group of people... One of them told me almost toured the whole of West Europe, from England, to Holand, to Italy all in his first year! I guess that's the advantage of studying in France: the location, loads of cash and no visa problems to all of Europe.

and some time after that, we had a diner and a seminaire conducted by MASAF (Malaysian Students Association of France). On that night,I met a very special person, but i don't think I'll elaborate on that ^_^

The seminar was indeed very informative. Seniors of all batches came and explained to us the do's and don'ts living in France.. I found out that Tours is in fact a very interesting city. Unlike other places, we'll be living in the university's hostel. Not sure that's a good or bad thing, but i guess the integration with the french society will be easier.

The rent is only 90 euros. So, with the WIFI free, and minus, say 300 for food and clothes, I'll probably have 400 leftover per month. InsyaAllah, if I have a bit of money, I'm really hoping to visit the Emirates stadium this winter... can't wait to see the stadium in real life!

So, from today, it's still 32 days till departure, I'm a bit mix with emotions to be honest, excited to see a new culture, but at the same time, it's sad to leave my beloved country and my loved ones...

i got a french test this tuesday, so I'll better start studying.... untill next time, chaps. au revoir!

Video of Tours, my home for the next 2 years...

2007-08-26T07:03:00.000+08:00

Woman equal problems??? mathematically proven!!!

2007-08-25T17:53:00.000+08:00

current hit song in France...

2007-08-10T14:46:00.000+08:00

B.T.N

2007-08-06T22:31:00.000+08:00

just came back from a gruelling 5 day B.T.N camp, and i can tell you that I am so much relieved it is over... getting 4 hrs of sleep everyday and activies from 6am -12 pm for 5 straight days can really drain you out.

What is BTN all about?? well, it's mainly about patriotism, a bit of *ehem* *politics* *ehem*, if you know what i mean... HIDUP UMNO, HIDUP BN!!!!

Overall, desptie the tiredness, i would say it was quite a bit of an eye-opener, especially regarding merdeka. I had loads of fun and new friends too, but I'm really really glad this is over...

oh, just 54 more days to departure!!!

I've seem to picked up the Flu

2007-07-30T19:27:00.000+08:00

coughing all day long for the past one week... it's quite tiring.

ps: will post some pics soon.

bought myself a camera...

2007-07-23T01:00:00.000+08:00

canon powershot 750

harry potter -5th movie and 7th book..

2007-07-20T00:01:00.000+08:00

My class on Wednesday ends early at 2, so me and my friends decided to watch Harry Potter on the opening day... fortunetely for us, we're able to get some tickets.

The movie was in my humblest opinion compared to order of phoenix is a slight disappointment, it feels a bit rushed and too fast. and so many things from the book were left out.

Just hope the book (which is coming out this sunday) will be better..

Hoping to buy a camera....

2007-07-19T09:58:00.000+08:00

So, expect some pics of intec soon

Tours, here i come!!!

2007-07-19T09:31:00.000+08:00

Okay, I passed the interview with the French professors. 26 of us passed and one unfortunately didn't. We were then divided into two groups, one heading for Angouleme, and the other to Tours.

and i got...... *drum rolls* TOURS!!!

There's been quite a debate among us of which is better, but tbh i don't quite give a damn. Every place has their pro and cons, and as long I have a place to study, then it's quite fine. Anyway, to me, Tours looks a lot nicer and said to have a lively nightlife (!!!) It

It's a bit saddening that I'll have to split with Palie, Bucks, and Syazwan, Anati and Farah but at the same time Bib, Duan, Lan, Ajim, Ummu and Dla will all be going to Tours, It also gives me the opportunity to futher know the students from the other class.

Anyway, Tours is only 1-2 hrs from Angouleme, so it's not like we are totally far away.

So, insyaAllah, 1st of Octobre shall be the start of a whole brand new chapter with exciting challenges and new experiences... May Allah guide us to success...

tours

Etrange!

2007-07-07T07:31:00.000+08:00

I'm back home for the weekend. It's really great to come back and finally see your family again. I do miss them a lot.

Well, it's been 3 weeks in INTEC (but it feels like a year) and so far I'm loving every minute of it. In the first week, we had MMS (Minggu Mesra Siswa) at the collage, an orientation week which was surprisingly enjoyable.

the next week onwards, we started class in INTEC . The french programme is the smallest amongst others, 27 people to be exact for this year's batch. We are divided into two classes, Paris and Poitiers, I'm in Poitiers.

One of the things i realized during these few weeks, is that I'm no longer a big fish in a small pond. From being the only straight-a student in my school to being in a class of creme de la creme... It's a bit of culture shock to be honest. Everyone in my class is 9a's above but are a bunch of really good people and interesting characters. Every second with them has been an enjoyable moment.

What's dascinating is that you have a group of smart people from all over Malaysia, from Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak, Terrenganu, Johor, Kedah, some are from top schools like TKC and MC, all united under one programme to study in France.. and because our batch is small, we have become sort-of-like a family. Mind you, we'll be together for the next 7 years in a foreign country, so they are family whether you like it or not.

InsyaAllah, we'll get to fly on first of october, 10 days before raya and witness a brand new chapter in our lives...

of course, that is if we all pass the interview...

Moderation, Mediocrity, Excellence & Perfection...

2007-06-14T06:47:00.000+08:00

"One must be moderate in living his life, but don't confuse it with mediocrity,

and one must strive for excellence to succeed, but don't confuse it with perfection..."

anonymous - 2007

Happy birthday to me!

2007-06-14T06:41:00.000+08:00

yay, I'm 18 today!!... and it's also my last day at home.

As a matured fully-grown adult, I am now ready to take up new challenges and take up new goals.

My Birthday resolution until my next birthday:

- Pass The Interview
- Get an end-year mark 0f 18
- Hafal Juzuk 30

Bought myself a Nokia 1110i...

2007-06-13T19:03:00.000+08:00

My old handphone went broken 3 weeks ago and it took me a while to choose my new phone.

I had 2 option really:
1. to buy a sub-quality phone that can play a few songs, take crap pictures and have a short battery lifespan, OR
2. Buy 3 separate products, and have the best of 3 worlds.

I already have an ipod 2GB nano which satisfies my music needs, and InsyaAllah, if I do get to go to France, I'm hoping to buy a good solid 6-7 megapixel canon camera.

So, I decided to buy a phone which acts primarily as a phone. One that can only make/recieves calls and sms. The cheapest phone around, The Nokia 1110i...

- Cost me only RM 140
- Extremely light, weighs only 80g
- Ultra Durable and solid.
- Up to 14 days of Battery life!!

I'm so loving this phone...

A good guys day out...

2007-06-13T16:13:00.000+08:00

On Monday, I drove myself and my friends to cs to watch the Ocean 13. We set out early at 9 am in the morning, so that we get those RM5 early bird tickets. With 11, and 12 enjoyable, Ocean 13 turned out to be ridiculously disappointing.

We then decided to treat ourselves, eating lavishly at Kenny Rogers. Gotta love those muffins!

On the way back home, my friends decided to stop by at Danga Bay. We spent almost an hour in the Arcade and then explored Danga Bay from A to Z. The Danga Walk looks pretty cool...

With the traffic jam, I arrived home almost at 7. I was throughly knackered, but hanging out with friends like these is definitely worth it...

I said goodbye to them, knowing I probably won't be seeing them until next summer holidays... "I'll see you when I see you..." oh, I will start consider other people's feelings, don't wanna turn out to be like House, do I?

ps: If you need someone to talk to, remember I'm all ears... :)

Last post...

2007-06-10T06:50:00.000+08:00

I'm heading for INTEC really soon.

On Thursay, I'm following Mum for space in T'ganu, and staight to Shah Alam for registration on Sunday...

I shall be very busy studying, so I don't think I'll have any more time blogging. This is probably my last post.

Farewell, everyone... and Thank you for reading my blog!!

Au revoir, and Assalamualaikum...

Global Dimming?

2007-06-09T20:40:00.000+08:00

You may have heard of Global Warming, but Global dimming?

Rubik's cube

2007-06-06T23:08:00.000+08:00

Ever since I watched the Pursuit of happyness (which is damn good movie by the way) I've been dying to have one of these...

So, I searched everywhere from Jusco, Jalal and ToysRus, but to no avail. Imagine my joy when on my way back from Kelantan, I found one in one of those R&R stops.

I'm gonna try doing it tommorow. From what I can see, i require at least a bit of planning, the ability to think 10-15 steps ahead. A bit like chess, i think.

balik kampung again...

2007-05-31T08:27:00.001+08:00

If nothing unexpected comes up, i probably won't be celebrating raya in kampung this year. I missed last year, cos it was near to SPM and I'm a bit sad to be honest to miss this year as well (and the next 6 years for that matter) but thats' the price you have to pay for education!

So, my parents thought i would be right if I balik kampung for a few days before i go to INTEC. I found out that I have two female relatives going to INTEC as well, one heading for England, and another to Australia.

Didn't do much actually, think I spent the whole 5-6 days visiting relatives and studying french...

Exactly 17 days to INTEC.

Did my medical check-up

2007-05-31T07:43:00.000+08:00

and thankfully, my urine test showed negative on drugs! My kidneys, lungs is also fine,

My eyes is tested to be perfectly normal, Alhamdulillah. I look nerdy enough without any glasses, I can't imagine how hard it would be to attract chicks if i were to wear glasses :) I did a another test in Jusco just to double check, and it gave me a readings of -25 and 0 which was in the normal range.

I have a height of 171 cm, which shows that I haven't been growing for the past 2 years. I was hoping to reach 5 foot 8, which is 175cm , but i think that's quite impossible considering i stopped growing.

My weight was 62 kg, which gave a BMI of 18, the lowest level of Ideal weight.... Need to eat up a little bit if want to withstand the cold winter...

oh, and my blood is clean from HIV, Aids and other diseases...

ps: 14 days till I can legally buy cigarettes...

a very sad day for me....

2007-05-21T13:15:00.000+08:00

I accidentally dropped my handphone today, and to my horror, it wouldn't switch on....

dear Handphone,

I enjoyed some good times with you,
always giving me solid and reliable service,
being there whenever i need you.
You've entertained with your games, whenever I felt boring,
You've kept me busy by receiving messages whenever I felt lonely,
and you've waked me up every morning with your alarm clock.

When my friends bought one of your siblings,
i kept loyal with you,
knowing you'll always be loyal with me,
You don't have a camera, an mp3 player, or even gprs,
but you will always be special to me.

We've gone through a lot together in these few years,
you were there when I took my SPM,
you were there when I went to Korea and Pangkor,
and you were there the day I got 10a's,
and told mum and dad the happy news,

I know everything good must come to an end,
I just hoped you could've be with me in France....

3 years since we've met, and today i say goodbye.

May you rest in Peace

AMIN.

okay, forget this romantic stuff, I need a bloody new handphone!! I was hoping to use my untouched SPM money to buy a good sony camera, now i have to use it to buy a handphone, don't think I'll spend over RM 500.

That Motorola L7 looks nice.

Why I chose France...

2007-05-20T11:04:00.000+08:00

Many of my friends or other people i meet, they often ask me this question... Why the **** did you picked the French Programme where you could've gone to US or the UK??? So here goes, why i did picked France....

My Reasons:

1. The opportunity to study in the same country as your brother is once-in-a-life-opportunity that i couldn't pass

2. get to fly early this September (insyaAllah, if everything goes well)

3. There's no risk of not going, i think... Many have failed their A-levels and had to continue in IPTS..

4. many would see as burden, but learning a new language has a been an enjoyable experience so far.

5. France has the 3rd highest amount of international students in the world

6. The French is the 2nd most-widely spoken language in the world, being the official language in 41 countries. By being able to converse in English, French, and Malay, imagine the advantage, opportunities, and possibilities i would have when i work, especially in this globalization era.

7. France's diplome d'engenieur is, if I'm not mistaken, recognized by the Malaysian government as a degree plus masters, and The Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) as a professional engineer.

loads of new words

2007-05-20T10:40:00.000+08:00

huhuuu! In just a space of few days, my vocabulaire francais (French vocabulary), has skyrocketed from 50 words to 3-5 thousands....

I've found out that Anglais (English) is in fact a mixture of the Anglo-Saxon language and French, and almost 60% of the words found in the English language actually comes from French. Most of have a slightly different spelling or just a difference in the pronunciation. For example, any words in English with the ending -icle, -acle, -ary, -ant, -ent comes from French.

Amazing, isn't it??

27 more days to INTEC...

"sleep early, wake up early' relived

2007-05-18T11:29:00.000+08:00

After reading this article, I've decided to start doin what I've always wanted to do, which is joining the world of the early-risers.

My target is wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning everyday, while sleeping at around 10-11 pm thus giving me 7-6 hrs of sleep every night.

One of my main problems before is disciplining myself to sleep early, and i point the blame entirely on the computer. Therefore, new rule: NO COMPUTER AFTER ISYAK!!

Come on.. Amin. High-Productivity awaits you!

Learning French + Cooking

2007-05-17T09:10:00.000+08:00

So far, learning the French language is proving to far more difficult than I thought it would be. I think I managed to learn around 50 words up to date, and hoping to reach around 500-1000 before I move to INTEC.

but my intensive cooking lesson with mum is going smoothly. I bought a book to write down all the instructions/ingredients. Right now, I've learned how to fry and boil eggs, do cheesecake and apple crumble, do 2 types of vegetables dishes, steam fish, and cook fried rice, without using those instant perencah...

If everything goes well, in 3 months time I'll have my own apartment, living alone without my family, in a foreign country, preparing 3 meals a day for myself.. even thinking about it makes me wanna laugh!

It's a daunting prospect, but if Cesc Fabregas can do it, so can I. At least I'll my brother over there...

But the most important thing, is that I always remind myself that I'll be going there to get an education, and come home with that diplome d'engenieur after 7 years.

Why it is important to have friends!!

2007-05-16T10:52:00.000+08:00

Click on it to enlarge...

France and it's higher education system

2007-05-13T22:09:00.000+08:00

The JPA France Engineering programme is quite complicated in many ways. It's a government to government programme that will start with a 3 months language course in INTEC, uitm.

After that, it'll be a 21 months course in France that will continue the teaching of the language and also the core subjects such as maths, physic, chemistry. Then, hopefully depending on the student's marks it will be 5 years in Grande ecoles.

What's interesting about France is that it's the only country in the world to have a dual system for it's higher education system; normal Universités and these Grandes Ecoles,

Grandes Ecoles is said to be more prestigious and in the same bracket as oxbridge and the ivy leagues in the us. It accounts for only 5% of all students, but receives 30% of the national university budget. The graduates from Grande ecoles are considered to be elitist.

If I'm able to graduate from these Grandes Ecoles, I will be accredited with a diplome d'engenieur, which is, if I'm not mistaken equialvent to a degree plus masters combined.

So, that is it then. The next 7 years in France (insyaAllah)... Wish me luck, everyone and please doa for my success!

Opened a friendster account...

2007-05-13T21:52:00.000+08:00

The link is above... Add me, k?

My Parents Top 5 most memorable advices/quotes

2007-05-12T13:59:00.000+08:00

5. "Do things one at a time..." (mum)

4. "Be Proactive..." (dad)

3. "Expect for the best, but always prepare for the worst..." (mum)

2. "Be grateful for what you have, and enjoy every moment of your life..." (mum and dad)

1. "Don't reinvent the wheel..." (dad)

jpa results is finally out...

2007-05-11T09:24:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, i got France Engineering...

I've dreamed of studying in France since I was in form 4, and it feels really really great seeing that dream finally fulfilled.

and with that, I have achieved all 3 main targets set for this Holiday, a good spm result, my driving licence and securing a place to study overseas...

It'll be only 2-4 weeks before I go to intec, so I need to intensify my cooking lessons with mum!!

I just hope I'm not too rusty to start studying again...

Spiderman

2007-05-02T21:57:00.000+08:00

The summer of sequels starts off with Spiderman-3.

I went to see it this morning. Seting off from home early at 8am hoping to get good seats, and good seat we got.

The movie turned out to be quite awesome, some good action, a nice storyline with a lovely touch of romance.

As the first movie is famous for "With great power, comes great responsibly", this one was all about "There’s always be a choice for us to make, to do what's right or what's wrong, and those choices makes what we are...". or something like that.

Movies coming up are harry potter (13th july), Shrek 3 (May 18), Pirates of the caribbean (May 25), but the most awaited movies for me are Ocean 13 (8th June) and Bourne Ultimatum (August 3).

note: click on the link to see the trailers.

my trip to labuan (video)

2007-05-01T19:05:00.000+08:00

tiger, bird and me

2007-04-24T22:31:00.000+08:00

"Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly;
Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?'
Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land;
Man got to tell himself he understand."

Shit happens, and it's awful, but it's okay. We'll deal with it because we have to... and I'm beginning to understand.

Harry potter special...

2007-04-23T10:45:00.000+08:00

7th book due on the 21st of July, the movie on 13th. I'm bloody excited, can't wait.

Trailer (is it just me, or does hermione looks very em...pretty?)

the words that kept me through spm

2007-04-22T01:23:00.000+08:00

Live each day as you would climb a mountain.
An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind,
but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.
Climb slowly,
steadily,
enjoying each passing moment;
and the view from the summit will prove to be
astonishing...

Thank you, Hadi for passing these inspirational words to me...

a bit of motivation wouldn't go amiss.

2007-04-22T00:04:00.000+08:00

Learn to sharpen the saw
Two guys were ordered to cut down a tree each. One went straight away with a blunt saw and took 8 hours to cut down his tree. The other, spent his first hour sharpening the saw, and took only 3 hours to cut down his tree. Sometimes, we are too busy with our hectic lifestyles, but with a bit of planning and organazation, we can save a lot of time on our hands and do things more efficeintly.

Do the right things, and do the things right, everytime! There's such a big meaning to this famous saying. It's important that anything that we do is done not 70%, not 80, not even 99% but 100% correctly. But at the same time, it's important we are on the right track and be doing the right things. Everytime i go up the stairs to class, reading this saying on the wall never fail to motivate me.

Learn to visualize. As my dad use to say, "things in life happens twice, once in the mind, then in real life.." All great men have always visualize of thier success before it actually happens. Dennis bergkamp has always played a short video clip in his mind of what he will do before the ball reaches his feet.

labuan, ere' i come...

2007-04-19T14:58:00.000+08:00

Tommorow, i'll be off alone on a voyage to Labuan for a one-week stay at my brother's home.

a bit excited to be honest. to finally be able to get out of the house for a few days and experiencing something else for a change. It'll be great goin to a new place, new environment, new people... If i can bring the camcorder, i probably can do a mr bean-esque movie too..

the only downside, on sat, there's supposed to be some kind of award-presentation for the high achievers at school. and i won't be able to be there... :-(

If only they told me sooner, i could probably delay my trip... oh well, you can't have everything.

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives..."

2007-04-18T22:30:00.000+08:00

masyaAllah!

apple crumble

2007-04-18T19:59:00.000+08:00

Two days ago i had one of my more productive mornings.

Got up quite early, 5.30 am i think, went for subuh, then managed to do the laundry, dishes, sweep the porch, and run 5km on the treadmill all before 10 am. after that, i ate 3 half-boiled eggs which is part of my body building program :-)

at 11, i made apple crumble. took me an hour to prepare and another hour to bake. It turn out to be so awesomely delicious.

served with custard.

Results for Metrikulasi is out

2007-04-16T15:38:00.000+08:00

Shockingly, at first it stated 'permintaan anda tidak berjaya', then to my relief i notied that i wrongly typed in my ic number... *phew*.

I got Tangkak, Johor, 1-year course, yahoo!!!

Tarikh mendaftar 15 mei 2007.. I hope Jpa results comes before that. Don't want to go the trouble of registering then having to back out.

check here

3 negative influences on the malay society:

2007-04-15T10:08:00.000+08:00

1. Akedemi Fantasia (and Astro Ria) - It's saddening to see this show being so popular in Malaysia, a so-called Islamic nation. Surely, as muslims we have more important things to do than idolizing artists...

2. Metro - This rubbish newspaper is full of sensational crap. The stories is mainly about sex, artist's gossips or controversies, and the Malay language written compared to the likes of Berita Harian is so bad, you could be mistaken for my writing. No substance, the malaysian equalavent of The Uk's Tabloid The Mirror or The Sun.

3. Cartoon shows aired at 7 pm - Wtf? The people who chose this time slot for the cartoon shows should be sacked. No wonder so many people neglet thier prayers, when the government allows popular shows to air at Margrib times.

Busy month ahead for me

2007-04-13T18:51:00.000+08:00

My grandfather is rather ill right now, so me and mum will hopefully be visiting him very soon. We're probably gonna take a bus trip to Kelantan either on Sunday or Monday night.

Then on Friday, I'm hoping to visit my brother in Labuan for a one-week trip. I should be back here on the 27th..

I love traveling!! Expect many boring photos and videos to come..

Spaghetti

2007-04-12T16:47:00.000+08:00

After makin cheesecake, i wanted to try making apple crumble. So, i printed the recipe and off i went to jusco (now that i have a car n a driving license, it's been really easy goin anywhere) to buy the ingredients.

cos it was lunch time, and i invited my friends over that afternoon, i also took the opportunity to buy some speghetti and prego to cook this excellent dish above... (looks yummy, doesn't it??) :-)

and then, i was all stuffed and tired doin the dishes ... so, apple crumble awaits me for another day.

Pulau Pangkor music video

2007-04-12T07:15:00.000+08:00

note: Viewer discretion is advised. Rated R, suitable for 17 years and above

SPM 2006 100 top students

2007-04-10T22:52:00.000+08:00

You can check the list here.

Sadly, I am not in that list... :-( I really wanted that meeting with Pak Lah.

It'll be interesting to see how they were shortlisted... It's surprising that most of them are from daily schools, only a few are from MRSM and sek. sains.

I wonder if I'm even in the Johor top 100??
more of it, here.

first attempt at cheesecake

2007-04-10T09:37:00.000+08:00

all i can say is that it taste deliiicciooouss!!! No offense to Secret recipe (and their current and former workers) but my cheesecake taste better and a lot cheaper too. :-)

Here's the instructions to make a simple lemon cheesecake:

1. Put an apron on. we don't want to get dirty, do we?
2. Now, put some music on... Not loud rock n roll, soothing jazz would do.
3. Okay, first of all, crush 8-10 digestive biscuits to powder form
4. Next, add in around 2 oz of butter and mix it with the biscuits to make the dough for the base.
5. press the dough into the bottom of a greased 9 inch Pie Dish.
6. Mix together a tin of condensed milk with a small (250g) packet of cream cheese (e.g. Kraft Philadelphia).
7. Whisk for one minute and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Continue whisking for another 20 seconds.
8. Pour it in the pie dish.
9. Leave it in the fridge overnight to set.
10. Enjoy the delightful taste of a simple lemon cheesecake. ^_^

note: maybe a bit of gelatin or jelly is needed. The cake, whilst taste excellent, didn't quite set so well.

a place no one knows...

2007-04-10T08:35:00.000+08:00

O' where o' where is this place i see upon my eyes;
such beauty in perfection and detail;
it feels so close yet so far away;
not it be on earth to be so heavenly;

where is this place?
such loneliness fill its heart;
no life, but full of life
a mystery;

a place with peace and quiet
a place no one knows....

amin

Lost in Translation

2007-04-09T16:32:00.001+08:00

just finished watchin the movie, lost in translation.

When Affan recommended it to me, i was expecting some kind of thriller, but it turned out to be the most weirdest movie I ever seen. It's about two lonely adults away from their spouses in a foreign country, havin fun and getting close, without actually being romantically involved.

Not sure whether I even enjoyed the movie... but Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson) is quite pretty though.

Interview / Driving

2007-04-08T23:03:00.000+08:00

The jpa interview 2 days ago turned out to be quite simple and very informal. Unlike my friends who had a debate and some even had two discussions, mine was a simple 3 minute self-introduction for the 5 of us in the group plus a 15 minutes discussion about junk food. Anyone could give their opinion at any time, and I said something about Malaysia needing to follow Jamie Oliver's effort to bring in healthy food to school canteens.

The only worrying thing is that socio-background counts for 10% of the overall marks, and parents wages plus the fact I don't have any other sibling still in school will be a slight disadvantage for me... but without counting the chicken before it get hatched, I'm pretty confident I can get this scholarship (insyaAllah). If it turns out that i don't, and with my petronas application also been turned down, it'll be either metrics or UIA then.

Since I got my license last Thursday, in these past few days, I've also been driving around Taman U and it's been a very enjoyable experience so far....

Here's what i wore to the interview.
(affan, learn from the best ^_^)

I look like a clown?? an executive more like...

my new motto

2007-04-05T15:58:00.000+08:00

early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

no more ym-ing until late night anymore, then.

ps: Just got my driving license.. hoping for a bright future F1 career!

ps(2): Tommorow's the interview... cuak2.

play mini golf

2007-04-05T01:01:00.000+08:00

Mini Golf

Complete all 18 holes in as few strokes as possible.

Play this free game now!!

hurray!

2007-04-02T10:47:00.001+08:00

I finally pass my jpj test.. Alhamdulillah.

A week from now, when i get my driving license, the world will be at my feet... wuhahaaaa!

Back to reality. At the start of my holiday, i set out 3 main objectives that i wish to achieve in this 6 months: first was to get a good spm result, second was to get my driving licence and thirdly was to get a scholarship to further my studies overseas.

So, now it's 2 down, 1 to go... the interview is this friday. I'm currently doin a lot of research, cos I've heard there's an essay as well as a group discussion. I need to be prepared as much as possible.

Wish me luck everyone.. (and please doa for me, k?)

too much time wasted!

2007-04-02T10:36:00.000+08:00

I've realised that my productivity levels is too low, and much is down to spending too much time on the net. Therefore I'm taking some drastic measures;

I've deleted my Friendster account, which i feel is totally a waste of time. I'm also limiting myself on the internet to only twice a day (1.5 hrs max). and banning from using the computer at night unless it's to chat with my bro.

to success and productivity!!

how i wanted my holiday to be...

2007-03-31T08:51:00.000+08:00

by the beach

2007-03-29T17:18:00.000+08:00

jpa interview

2007-03-29T06:19:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, i got called-up!!

The interview is next friday... So, I got exactly 9 days to prepare.

It's my first time being interviewed, i wonder what i should wear???

France, here i come.... (insyaAllah)

Mr Bean, France & moi

2007-03-27T17:01:00.000+08:00

just came back from town to watch Mr. Bean's Holiday.

overall, i think it's a damn good movie, with a very good storyline. It doesn't really have the bean-series witty humour, but it does makes you laugh from start to finish.

The movie is basically about Mr Bean winning a beach holiday trip to Cannes, France. He then got stranded with a kid, and that's where all the adventure starts. He goes all round France to return kid back to his father. oh, he also meets this hot French chick.

Amin's Movie Rating: 4/5 starts

The most interesting part of the movie is that it is in France, a country I hope to study and live for the next 7 years of my life (*phew*, 7 years!). From the movie, you can see that France is a very beautiful country, with beautiful people and a fascinating culture.

The only worrying part for me is that the French knows zero English. and i know zero French. To learn a language from scratch would a be a challenge i never faced before, but nevertheless it's something i dearly look forward too...

The moment of truth is this Friday, where JPA will release the names for the interview.. (let's hope i'll be called up, insyaAllah)

au revoir.

****

2007-03-26T21:01:00.000+08:00

for not taking me along with you... :-(

Questions...

2007-03-24T19:09:00.000+08:00

What is the objective of life? and are we on track to achieving it?

...

Pulau Pangkor photos

2007-03-23T19:12:00.000+08:00

pulau pangkor pics : LINK

cinta

2007-03-17T19:03:00.000+08:00

cinta...pada bunga, kan layu akhirnya...
cinta...pada harta, pasti kan musnah binasa...akhirnya...
cinta di dunia pada manusia, tak akan kekal untuk selamanya...
cinta Ilahi...tulus suci dan abadi...harum mewangi...

...