Flashback : June 22th, 2004

Only around 3 weeks left till the end of semester. Till the end of INTEC. God, now that I think of it, time has past so fast. Life here in INTEC will soon become history, and I only wish that I can remember and keep in contact with some, if not all, my friends here. This week has got me thinking about the past even more. I see juniors walking into the campus and it reminded me of the days I first had in INTEC. First lunch, first roommate, first conversations and even the first people that I've met with.

I remembered our orientation. We were cramped in the cemara hall, filling up forms and listening to boring, sleep inducing lectures that lasted for ages. But thankfully there were these big iron standing fans at the corners to keep us, well, fanned and cool. Didn't know anybody at first, then I met my NS friend, Wendy and my old school mate since Standard 1, Johnathan. Next, got my room keys and YES! I'm staying with 3 other chinese guys! Relief. My room, however, was disappointingly dirty and ugly. But if you've endured NS, you couldn't possibly be complaining for more than 10 minutes. Boon Chuan was my first roommate. Alwiz the sleepy looking guy (he lives up to it). Hanming and Kokyee stayed at the other room, and they used to study alot, mostly SAT words while blasting the cd-player with great music (I loved them).

I wonder what food did they feed the juniors this year with. Remember what we had for last year? Mee Hoon. And they were super hot. And we had to chip of portions of the container to be used as spoons. After orientation we could hunt our own food, but only to find out that there's 10 mamaks around the area that serve exactly the same versions of the food. SAME I TELL YOU!

Guards are cows. They think they're the most powerful and influential people in the whole world. They strip you of your respect and confidence and push you into a pile of shit, even for helping a friend in wrong. I have to do the "be one with the shadow" thing everytime I walk past their houses in shorts. I hated them. Even till now. Beasts from hell.

Nighttime was fun. I got to meet seniors, and more friends of my age. I remembered Jun Xian was asking rather loudly : "Can I take Physics, Chemistry, and Biology for SAT II". But in a joking way of course. Similar to a junior I met this year, but he's dead serious about his academics. Seniors were crappy, other juniors were straight and serious. This time around we're the wacky ones. ATU changes ppl. It turns them crazy and wild. And to me, thats all I'd ask for.

YOU think we're serious?

Yea look what INTEC has done to us...

Can't ramble too much now I've got to sleep. I just wanna say that I love INTEC. This has been the best year in my life. Even if the place is dirty, the guards are useless, the food sux, the management is crappy, the lecturers are uninformed, the roads to school are bumpy, the drivers are crazy, the hostel room is lousy, the sink is leaky, calculus is freaky, ... what can I say... it's a place I won't want to leave.


/Skeith, jiwang

Where would YOU stop?

How do one get good at something?

First you must begin doing whatever you want to be good at. Nothing will happen if there is no beginning. You begin as an amatuer, not really knowing that what you are doing is right or wrong. If you are lucky, you could come across a trainer or a guide, someone who is better at that particular field so that you could learn to take the right path from that person.

Mistakes are often made. There would be no progress whatsoever if there are no mistakes at all. This is because people learn from making mistakes, and through them, comes an experience which can be reflected upon and which can be studied thoroughly so that you will not make more mistakes in the future. Would you stop if you notice that too many mistakes are made, and you feel that you are not made for this?

What happens when you get better at it? That is a sign of improvement. You are able to perform with little or no mistakes at all. What you do deserves accolades and even recognition by the people around you. You feel wanted and accepted and special. You then perfect what you are doing. Take it to a higher level, and compete. In a competition, you will feel the urge to defeat. You will work harder, train harder and push your limits to remove your opponent from the competition. You will get better than him. Would you stop when you win the world championships?

You are now near perfect, if not the best in your field. There is few who could actually stand up to your skills. Everything is for you to take. What else is left? The remainders. You seek out those who could and would stand in your way and show them whos boss. You beat the crap out of rivals, mock your friends and even dare bring it on with your own teacher. You show them defeat. You now OWN the world. No one is first if you are second. The world knows you and bows to you because you are indeed, the best. Would you stop now, knowing that you have everything?

Everything that has a beginning must have an ending. Your skills, power and influence would eventually end. So you decide to take a disciple and train him with the best of your abilities. He will be the one person who will succeed you, and continue to spread your name and influence when you are gone. You train him to such a great level that you are not afraid anyone would beat him, just like will ever defeat you. He represents you. Would you stop and let it all rest?

Teaching is an experience which is taken as a whole. The disciple not only learns the essence of the art, but also other things, such as character and attitude and even the mentality. Because you have not stopped, the greed that you show has unconsciously been passed on to your disciple. He is now younger and far more powerful compared to you. And we all know what is about to happen, so I'll skip the details. Use your imaginations. You land on the ground, clinging to your one last breath, with him laughing above you. All your hopes and dreams has come to a bitter end, not one that you have expected all along. Now, it is he who will take over.


Moral : Greed, of course, is one of the 7 deadly sins. If you have stopped somewhere before, the pain would not be as great. Twice the pride, double the fall. Stopping would not mean that you have given up, but instead it shows that you realize that things do end, and that it would be better to end it nice.

Wise words : Darn. This is in malay. Setinggi-tinggi tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga.



Game Over, baby.


/Skeith, been a greedy boy.

Become one with the Dark Side

Holidays! What a surprise. The MARA students had to attend BTN camp, which was announced out of the blue. Therefore, as a token of respect and honor, we JPA students and lecturers decided to cancel all classes the next week so that they would not find themselves missing out on the lectures. So I'm free next week, but unfortunately my Form 6 friends have to go back to school when my hols begin. Such bad timing.

Done with my first Psychology test today. It was simple. Downright straight to the point, and requires no thinking, just knowledge of the materials. I sat down and circled the answers, question by question without having a moment to reconsider my choices. It was the first time I didn't double check my answers because I was confident. A very good boost to morale and confidence it is.

So thats what life has been about recently. 2 weeks later, something big is going to unfold. Yeap, juniors are coming in, and I am ready to contribute in the orientation program. For what purpose?

Reason 1 : To search for potential new friends *ahem* pretty girls.
Reason 2 : To promote the great Northwestern University to them.
Reason 3 : To escape from boring psychology classes.
Reason 4 : To promote the ultimate salvation which is Dota.

I shall expand my web of influence within the juniors and bring peace upon them. With 10+ juniors already in reach, the task at hand would turn out far easier with their help. Soon the world will play good Dota and ace their SAT while at it.

Perfect. Simply perfect.

Let the holidays begin!


P.S : Check this out... http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html


/Skeith, long term planning