Just For Who Cares About Patriotism

Stolen from Google

I’ve just discovered a new way to make you a patriot. Toward your beloved country. In my case, Malaysia for sure! As I know sharing is caring. Plus there’s no good for me not to expose this so new discovery to you guys out here. AHA. One question: How much do you love your country?

I know the government has been giving their best shot, just to get us all patriotic toward our country. Thanks Gov for making the effort – really appreciate it.

Well… I know this might sound a bit odd to you, really. Only did I learn the very meaning of the word ‘patriotism’ ever since July 2006. Don’t get puzzled yet. That’s actually when I first migrated to Petaling Jaya in the state of Selangor. More precisely, I took Foundation of English at Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) of International Islamic University Malaysia, Pee Jaay campus. Its location is somewhere at Section 17, Jalan University. Full stop!

Now I figure I’d never know how much I love my state, Terengganu if I didn’t pursue my studies. Since it’s so much accurate that one gets loving someone/something once they’ve lost them all. Too good to be true, anyway! And that’s when one begins to realise they’re already too late to get ‘em back. There’s no use crying over split milk, right?

As a matter of fact, I’d been to Kuala Lumpur for, at least, four times prior to that huge migration. Recalling the past all my way to the Gate of Garden Knowledge and Virtue (IIUM), it’s initially more like a trip. Sort of a family trip.  


Moreover, I felt thrilled to bits, I think, to further my studies. Looked way impatient to be a part thousands of varsity students that I forgot the coming ‘risk’ I gotta undergo later. Wake up Mr Khairul!

The day before my registration day, we stayed overnight at my Mom’s neighbour’s son’s at-the-village rented house in Rawang, Hulu Selangor. Slightly miserable to tell you he passed away a few years ago. Al-fatihah. I feel sorry for his family too. Everything was just fine. That night, we had dinner at a restaurant nearby. Surprisingly, my Uncle living in Hulu Klang was down to come over on his own. Thanks Uncle for the short visit.  

Next morning, we’d stopped by at somebody’s house before leaving for Kuala Lumpur. To be perfectly honest, he’d been taking the driver over all the way to PJ. First of all, we headed to Ampang. What the hell were we up to? We went to the National Zoo for a couple of hours. By noon, we started moving to Kampung Baru in the city centre for lunch. My registration was actually scheduled at two P.M. Still got a plenty of time.

By 2 o’clock prompt, we then headed straight to CFS IIUM in Section 17, PJ. Took about an hour long for me to go through the kiddy registration process. And the next thing we had to do was carry all my stuff into my hostel room. All in hands! Holy shit. My room was in the fifth floor (Called Level 4). Guess what, there’s nobody in and really thought I was just in time OK. I wasn’t the early bird caught the worm after all. Sigh.

Shortly afterwards, my parents told me they’re gonna leave so they wouldn’t get stuck in traffic jam. They must get themselves out of KL before 5. And that’s when I was feeling rather sorrowful, suddenly. Just like everything occurred too fast. Time flies, indeed. Then I knew I wasn’t yet ready for all this new world, was I? I wept like a little kid that evening. In my room. Alone. Don’t tell anybody, promise?

No next-door dwellers. No-one to chat with. No-one! Only the white-painted wall and dusty furniture. It freaked me out! I cursed the university management for placing me in that wrong place. Alone? On the fourth floor? Later on, I found out there’re few other dwellers whose rooms were about 10 doors next to mine. Bloody hell! OK. Don’t wanna talk about that. Seems I missed up pretty bad! Let’s get back to the main topic, shall we?

One year or so in PJ made me a new KLite. I never had chances to explore the Capital City myself previously, ever! Only did I begin exploring KL on my own since then. I ‘studied’ about LRTs, commuter, monorail routes. Reckon it really counts for newcomers or visitors like me to get familiar with all train-stop stations. Need to sort of memorise a little.  So one won’t get lost in the middle of the city! Or somebody, HELLLLPPP MEEE!!!

Aha. Know I could get pretty shamefaced if I filled you in with all this. But, it’s fine to me. Anyway. FYI, I’d been in dilemma for approximately 3 months on campus in 2006. All I knew was I wanna go back home! I mean, my home in Terengganu! I couldn’t stay there any longer. Since I became a victim of the very lousy varsity management. They’d apologize to me for that unforgiveable mistake! Ya, it’s truly a mistake!

I was constantly dropping my family a line, asking for their permission so I could go home? When I’d gotten desperate enough, my ex-schoolmate helped keep me company and we both went to KL Sentral. What’re we up to? Believe it or not, I bought Airasia flight ticket for me. And that’s the first time I did that kind of crazy thing. 


I let Mom know soon after that and they could well accept my decision. Or they had no choice? I already purchased the ticket. What else were they to do, then? Asking me to call my ticket off? That’s bullshit! Impossible!

To tell you the truth, I never got on a plane but yeah, being on board used to be my dream as well. After a while, I couldn’t believe my eyes that state of affairs helped me realise the dream. Oh my God. So thankful to Allah for the miracle. Yes, kind of.

Although I was home for only 2 days and a half, in less than 36 hours, things turned out just fine since then. I didn’t really miss Terengganu so much that time but my family. Eh? Or maybe I was actually escaping from…. urm, scratch that.

1 year in PJ and another 4 years in Gombak seemed I spent my whole time outside the state of Terengganu. As though I was no longer a Terengganuvian, was I? If I’m not mistaken, the saddest moment happened just last year. I was on Airasia flight and the plane was about to touch down at Sultan Mahmud Airport in KT. The reason was I guess that’s the longest time I’d been out of town. I mean, I was in UIA, so far from family. I was doing my teaching practise.

I was supposed to be home over the CNY break but I didn’t. As I just had a three-month holiday that moment. And after the first week of the practical elapsed, the CNY break then got started. It could be a huge waste of money for a two-way express bus ticket, could it not? Mom too hardly supported me to have a homecoming either. Plus I intended to spend all the week long studying. Yes, I really did!

With the more excellent WiFi available in my quite lucky room, I got connected to the world at all times. I facebooked, read people’s blogs, of course googled all literature stuff online. Got to make sure I must’ve properly comprehended and read all of the literature texts for lower and upper forms so I could go teach well. 

At least, I’d be well prepared with what I would be teaching in future. The students wouldn’t think I was dumb or whatever. The literature textbooks were new. All of the poems and short stories written in were all new to me also. I didn’t even study that stuff back in my high school OK. Thinking I’d tend to be a busy bee when the school commenced, so staying on campus all week was such a great idea after all! Hey, I was real smarty-pants. LOL.

Can’t tell you a lie that I was suffering too over the whole week! What’s wrong? Cause there’s only one male café open. I had no problem with that – but what pissed me off was the food! Sorry, no local food available. Damn! How can I tuck me in all the week long? Having this Mediterranean food? I’m sorry, ain’t one of ‘em! My tongue is so Malaysian. I can’t eat the food. I can’t! Oh come on! This isn’t funny. I missed Malaysian food since then.

So at the end, what came about? I ended up having Mediterranean food for lunch. Oh God! I felt bad. I felt like vomiting whilst having the meal. Shortly, I left the remainder just like that for I didn’t wanna let those foreign students around know I disliked their tasty food. Really had a bad feeling about that. What was I to do? 


I had no motorbike. Couldn’t get Malaysian food off campus. Should I catch a bus and have meals outside? At Mc Donald’s? At any restaurants? Mamak stalls? JJ maybe? Urgh! No way!

I spoke to the owner of the café, Sis Azah and begged her to serve local food. I was fucking ‘starving’ for that. Thank God, she listened. She convinced me the local food would be served on the following day. Alhamdullilah. No more problem!

When the school break was over, I seemed to be getting busy with my hectic schedule. Lesson plans, record book…formal attire? Definitely, I wished I could wear T-shirts to school every day. May I? Just because, frankly speaking, I loathe ironing clothes. HEH HEH HEH. So irritating.

My concentration was all upon the teaching practise thing that I forgot how long I had been there in KL. Counting back the grand total of all practical duration… oh dear! Been almost 5 months already. Completely incredible!

Freshly keep in my mind, obviously when Airasia was about to touch down at the KT airport, I burst into tears, turned gloomy dramatically. Dunno why. Maybe, yea, I’d missed my family as well as Terengganu so much! It’s 5 months people! A very long time. Nonetheless, hey, I didn’t cry. Hello, I didn’t yet go mad, guys.

Hmm….why have I to tell you all this, anyway? Because…uh, you know what? That’s when I knew I am a patriotic guy. I adore Terengganu much more. As if I wanna spend the rest of my life in this wonderful state.

Thus, in my two cents, suppose you wanna ‘measure’ how much your love is towards your own country, I’d love to recommend that you go abroad. I’d like to go abroad too. Someday. Every time you’re away from your beloved country, then you’ll realise how much you love your country. In other words, how patriotic you are.

Sounds strange, at the moment, I’m stuck here at home, getting freaking fed up. What’s up with me? I’ve stayed at home for nearly 8 months already! I repeat, 8 months! Such a long time. Now, I miss this state no more. That urges me to think of going sightseeing. And, you know what? I shall!