I Hate Goodbyes

Assalamualaikum and Greetings!

This is the first post I am writing after I have completed my undergraduate life. How time flies, three years has passed. I have been saving this post in 'drafts' since yesterday...so I think this is the best time to publish it.

First, I would like to thank my friends for always being there for me, for always giving me advice on things, for helping me when I needed them the most, for those crazy and stupid things we always did, thank you all. I love all of you. A special thanks to the McWankers United (me, along, ag and khye shern), for having me and for being more than a friend for me, each and every one of you. All the best for all of us and may our plan may be realised one day.

Being the host is not easy as it seems - 'cos I'm a Penangite. Yes, my house is just near USM, and I chose to be the last one to leave...and to consider the fact that I'm there to witness my friends, one by one to leave USM, is heart-breaking. But I know, we must move on, onwards and upward, as Ag put in his farewell poem.

As I am writing this post in my nearly empty room, I am hit with the sudden realisation that things will never be the same again, even if we were to meet again someday here. The feeling is like, when I go to my friends' rooms and realise that they won't come back to their rooms anymore - brings tears to my eyes. It is time, to move on to the next chapter in our lives. So, before leaving the place for good, I made it a point to go to each of my friends' rooms and take pictures (I asked them to not lock the room before they leave) - to preserve the memories that we have in each and every one of the place.Ag and Bob's room is quite disturbing since their room has lots of junk stuff. It is as if they're returning and will be gone in a short while only as it is messy as always. hahaha

I learnt a lot from my three years in USM. The learning experience extends beyond classroom activities tutorials and assignments - I made memories with friends, and the level of priceless-ness (if there is such a word) is more than the feeling of finding free gems in the bushes in Clash of Clans. Tonnes of memories were carved in my heart, in this place.

 I learned about life itself, about finding my true self, about love, meeting people from all walks of life with their different worldviews. I failed here also (in certain aspects), but in here also I find the strength to pick myself up and achieve more successes than failures. These are all priceless for me... I will remember the lessons learned to the next phase in my life, thank you. I will remember each and every one of you, forever in my heart.

We knew back then that this day will come someday. And now that we find ourselves in it, we were hit with the sudden realisation that we are not ready for this day. That each of us are all caught up with our own business; to settle work-related stuff, minor subject paper, getting a place to stay for work - a far cry from our dreams of doing things right before leaving, the things we had planned before we part ways. We were never ready to leave. We always thought that there will be tomorrow, there will be the trip to Qb to makan at Habanero's (yes, we call it Habanero's 'cos at first we thought that it was a person's name).
 The fact that we were caught unprepared for this, made parting ways even more difficult and sadder. Tears filled up our eyes each time we meet, knowing that it will be long before we can ever meet again.

I don't know why, but I find that the song 'The Funeral' by The Band of Horses fits this and I associate this song with the feeling that I'm having right now and the song is on repeat as I'm penning this post.

I hope that we will always keep in touch and may the bond that we built will forever stay strong with us. May the memories stay with us as we revisit them one day. 

"Goodbyes are not forever, 
Goodbyes are not the end, 
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again ! "

Until then sweet farewell my friends... 

Ends. 

A Tribute to Sollaters batch 2011-2014: SoLLaT Us Meet Again

Assalamualaikum and Greetings, 

This post is a tribute to my dear McWanker, Ag Mohamad Syahid. This poem was written by Ag and was presented during our Farewell Lunch at Sollat, near D10 building on 17/6/2014, Tuesday. 

Here it is: 

SoLLaT Us Meet Again

by Ag Mohamad Syahid Jaslan @ awangsome

I have to admit,
I didn’t know how to greet,
when we first meet.

I was thinking “Hey.”
“What a nice day!”

But I decided no one will care,
if the sun is fair.

Because maybe we were just strangers,
still very much afraid of the dangers.

But if I knew,
back when we were still new.

That we would be this tight,
sitting side by side,
Like Mr. and Mrs. Right.

I would’ve said “Hey” out loud so that you can hear,
“I’m here.”
“Let us start earlier.”
“And not in our final year.”

But the clock can’t reset,
so it’s okay to be sad.

Time doesn’t flow backwards,
so all we can do is move onwards,
and upwards.

But bear in mind,
you are all one of a kind,
and it’s okay to feel fine.

Though I do not ask you to forget,
and it’s okay to regret,
all those things those words unsaid.

So if in the future,
you see a posture,
not unlike my picture.

Please say, “Hi, how do you do?”
and I’ll reply to you too,
“I’m good and it’s good to see you.”
Because I haven’t seen you in a few,
So it really is good to see you.

Ends. 

DIY Project: Wira Roof Soundproofing

Assalamualaikum and Greetings! 

We meet again for yet another DIY session! This time around, what I did was I soundproofed the roof because I am still not satisfied with the fact that I have not done the roof. Plus, when it rains (especially the heavy ones), the roof will produce the 'Tak Tak Tak' sound, forcing me to shout in order to talk to my friends riding with me. 

Previously, I did all four doors in January last year. The result was satisfying - solid door thump, less outside sound intrusion and better sound reproduction.

A special thanks to Along for taking the photos in this post and for helping me take out and put the roof back in! (Y) 

Here are the things that you'll need: 
1. Phillip head screwdriver
2. Flat head screwdriver 
3. Deadening material (for this DIY, I'm using a local brand) 
4. Forceps (optional) 
5. Cutter 
6. Measuring tape (I used A4 paper in lieu of this to measure) 
7. Masking tape (optional - used to hold the screws in its place so that I won't have to put them in a small box or sth). 
8. Plank - to even out the deadening material's surface so that it sticks firmly. 

Next, here is the step-by-step procedures which I'll try to simplify. 

Note: To take off the roof, start from the front to the end. To put it back in place, start from the back to the front. 

Step-by-step guide: 

Taking off the roof trim 

1. Starting from the front, unscrew the sun visors and rear mirror, along with the roof handles, to the back of the car. 
Note: You can use the masking tape to secure the screws in place, so you'd not be afraid of losing them (optional) 
2. For the driver's side where the roof hand should be, there are 2 clips - take them off gently, prying with the flat head screwdriver, then using forceps to GENTLY pull it off. You have to be extra careful with this as it could break. 
3. Pull the A-pillars to reveal a small pin, pull it out and put it somewhere safe. 
4. Pull the B-pillars and do the same thing as in (3) 
5. Pull the C-pillars and do the same thing as in (3) 
6. On the roof trim, pull the pins out the same way as in (2); GENTLY - there are 3 pins on the roof trim.
7. Unscrew the room lamp in the middle
8. Get a friend to help you pull the roof trim out. If you're working under a tree, make sure to cover it - risk of bird droppings. 

Applying deadening materials 

1. Clean the surface of the roof if necessary - I skipped this step 'cos it's already clean. 
2. Measure the spaces in between, then cut the deadening materials accordingly. 
3. Knock the roof first, then compare when you're done. Remember how the sound is like then compare when you're done. 
4. Make sure the deadening material is spread even and sticks firmly on the roof - use the plank (cheapskate)
5. Repeat until you cover the whole roof. Take selfies if possible. Hey, it's not every day that you take off the car roof trim! 
Note: it is better to cut the deadening materials and paste it in a piece wise manner to make it easier to handle. 

Putting back the roof trim 

1. Again, get your friend to help. Belanja him makan later.
2. Reverse the steps in 'Taking off the roof trim', as in literally from Step 7 to Step 1 - This is called cheating or plain lazy. Hahaha 

Aaaanndddd....you're done! Now wait for the rain to fall, then quickly go into your car and take it for a ride, have a conversation in your car without any annoying sound from the roof! 


The whole process took me about 2 - 3 hours to complete and as with the other DIY sessions, it leaves me feeling accomplished. 

Here are some pictures for reference. Credit goes to Along. 

The deadening material (LANF Brand). Last time I used Kewei. 

Securing the screws in place, one hole at a time. 

The empty roof. Not anymore! That's not my P sticker by the way. It's hers. 

Putting the first deadening material on! 

It's like playing with a large sticker - only heavier 

Did this DIY project at my hostel during study week. Prevented a few cars to park in the empty spot nearby in the process. #yolo 

Use the plank to even out rough surfaces, also to make it even. 

Little by little... 

....and done! I covered up the gaps with the extra deadening materials I have in hand

The roof trim with some soundproofing+insulation materials. it's made up of cardboard. 

Nota kaki: 

1. This will be my last major DIY, for now. If there are any changes in the future, for sure I'll be updating it here. 
2. If you have money, it's better to send it to an Ah Beng shop and skip all the trouble. But, you won't get the same feeling when you do so as opposed to DIY 
3. If you have any questions/comments, feel free to do so 
4. I just like smileys. That's why I put them here. Hehe 

Ends.