2010 is like any other year, perhaps more, maybe less, but so far it has been memorable to say the least. This year, probably, has been the year that I've thought on so many things and made drastic changes to my plans and the way I've been thinking about issues. Metaphorically speaking, 2010 has brought me a fresh set of eyes and opened another side of my brain, idled for too long for a lack of attention or necessity.
And here I sit, in front of my computer writing my piece for my blog with a Nikon mug in hand filled with a creamed Folgers coffee, not too sweet, not too bitter, perfect the way it is while also thinking of the irony that goes with how it symbolizes the end of this wonderful year. Relaxing, serene and bringing a slight smile to my heart.
Not much can be said about the start of 2010, except for the experiences I had spending my holiday in Miami and my West Coast trip. Miami was an extension of my winter plan the previous year, and though it was a glitz and glamorous place, I see it as a relaxing vista to enjoy the weather and to escape from the thoughts of anything save for the sand, sun and waters. The highlight of my west coast trip was of course Seattle though I am not sure why. The atmosphere of that city was sort of for hippies, yet it has that certain vibe of freshness that is hard to find in a US city. One that I found before in Milwaukee perhaps, a vibe of comeliness I can't define. Or maybe it's just because Microsoft was there and I think Microsoft is cool. Heck, it might just be because I drove an RV (Recreational Vehicle) most of the way from San Francisco to Seattle, which feels like driving a yacht on land and was awesome!
Spring 2010 rekindled and reaffirmed my interests in EE (electrical engineering ALSO environmental engineering) after having taken a class in signal processing (includes digital signals, speech, and image processing), a class in power electronics (about converters: dc-dc, ac-dc, dc-ac), and a class in environmental sustainability. Though signal processing was cool, I feel more strongly toward the energy industry, seeing as the future demand for it will be massive and that story is to continue through the year with me taking another plunge into that side of EE.
Coming to the season of summer, I was treated with the warmth of the sun as well as an offer for an internship in Purdue and nanoHUB.org. Working with Prof. Klimeck was a real wonder and it definitely opened my way forward into academia. Yes, looking at graduate students working hard every second was discouraging, but then again, it's passion like that which drives humans forward. That and also knowing that there are colleagues who we can refer and relate to, to share and combine knowledge, to further the purpose of discovery and enlightenment. That, by itself brought me to acknowledge that, there is a sense of satisfaction in knowing the unknown.
Lest I forget, I also had fun doing a side project right before the summer, one that involved my imagination. It had been so long ago that I've played around with creating videos that I've nearly forgotten the joy of being fresh. Though it was not my own work that I wrote, it was great having to read a script, a story, and seeing it in my mind's eye as if it was a camera capturing the atmosphere of the moment. Many times have I read a book and have "lived" it but never to have the initiative to try it for myself. Many times have I thought of a certain scene in the back of my mind, which can capture a feeling, an emotion, though never having the canvas to display it on. Perhaps that is why I have taken into photography (and to some extent videography), to capture that fleeting moment, and perhaps that is what I have been seeking thus far. My thanks goes to Hanif Kamis for that, and I enjoyed our chat in the car while rushing from Ustaz's house back to Purdue. That was fun and interesting.
As the days blazes off during summer, and even though the hot and humid climate seems to persist on end, the SURF internship served to be a great experience in my life. Meeting with new friends from other universities, from diverse backgrounds, helped with the FIFA 2010 World Cup, was very fun. Even though my team lost (and I did not put too much into it) in the soccer tournament amongst ourselves, I still think it was fun with myself proving that I suck at soccer/football and probably any other sport due to my stamina. Touring Chicago, watching the World Cup at Giordano's as if it was a mamak stall back home, kayaking and having fun in the river, celebrating the 4th of July at the Professor's house, eating a new delicacy (somewhat new) from a Tanzanian and cooking roti telur in return, doing the fountain run and sliding off the engineering fountain; summer has been an eventful season, one that is the most memorable summer in the states thus far (well..it has only been 2 times).
Fall is the season of leaves, in a way symbolizing the beginning of the year's end. Departing leaves, somber skies, and washed out weather. It was a bad start for Fall, since me and my friends were involved in an accident during our trip to the American Southwest, but Alhamdulillah, we were okay and well in the end. Having taken the minimum amount of credit hour for the semester, I was happy enough to also finally gotten a side income from the Windsor dining court being a student associate. Also, I was thrilled to take an Android application programming project class and another E&PS (energy & power systems) class with a Malaysian-born professor. The Android class taught me to be motivated throughout the semester to co-develop an app for the Android OS mobile platform, while the E&PS class motivated me further on to entrust my future on research and discovery.
The Malaysian professor is also known to me as the Ipoh professor. He, for a lack of description, has this certain way of teaching, one that I have not seen for a long time, who delivers his lectures as if passing his knowledge to his own children. One that I have seen so familiarly from my parents, especially my father. It might have been his tone, it might have been his delivery, it might as well be his body language. It might have been the three combinations that has caused me to like his class, even though at times I can't really understand his teachings until the very end, just like how a father teaches his own son but the son could not yet comprehend until it is naturally in him. Somehow, in him, I can see myself eventually in the distant future maybe and that is my source of inspiration and aspiration. Somehow, in him, I see why educators are the way they are, how they should be and what they truly mean for those who find meaning in life. I am not sure why, but in him I see why my parents are educators and why, as far as I know, my grandfathers are educators, for there is that sense of personal satisfaction upon seeing a student smile and benefit from the knowledge that we have passed on to them. And for that sense, it is also the reason why I should never forget my past transgressions while also redeeming myself to help the future generation to not repeat my mistakes. Professor Ong, thank you.
Not to forget, is a little surprise, even for me. Unbeknown to most, at the end of 2004, I guess my reputation as an Alam Shah student was up and thus I got to know of my then-girlfriend, who I was happy with until we finally ended it prior to me reaching Purdue. We had a lot of good times together but that was, well, that. But also, at the end of 2004, there was also another girl who got to know me even though for only a short while, online. And that same girl, found me yet again after about a 5 year hiatus. And that same girl, we chatted online and got closer in the meanwhile, eventually becoming friends. And that same girl, who eventually confessed me of her feelings that I have sensed for sometime but kept secretive about it. And that same girl is now someone I feel strongly I am able to share my life with. Yeah, and that same girl, she was somehow tied to my family via her mother who once worked with my mother in the so distant past in a school in Gombak. Ironic how the world is big yet small.
...and that is the story thus far. As for the future, for 2011, plenty is not certain. My application for Shell has not been replied yet. Also in waiting is my application for graduate admission in Purdue for Fall 2011. Though it was not in my initial five year plan upon entering INTEC in 2006, a lot has changed since then. Humans plan, but it is Allah's will that makes or breaks it. Now, I am looking forward for my grand Alaskan trip and also for my PhD application reply. Because if I am able to get admitted for doing the PhD program in Purdue, I am able to go forward with my future plans, one that hopefully can enable me to get married soon, sooner than you think, in July insyaAllah. :)
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