The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Assalamualaikum wbt.

Occasionally, I remember my colorful childhood through my young brother who resembles me a lot

UniKL- Enrolment of the first younger sister

Bismilllahirrahmanirrahim

"On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector; help us against those who stand against Faith."

Surah Al-Baqarah, (2:286)

This post is not about MCKK, but about me when I was in MCKK.

1. It is weird that when there are many things in my mind to write about, I finally picked this subject, which is rather a memoir of a young version to the old Ibnu Hanaffi. But I hope this is timely and at least triggers more motivation I need to continue with plethora of issues and ideas inhabiting my mind.

2. After the result of UPSR (Malaysia's Primary School Assessment Test) for Standard 6 came out in 2002, the family started to think about my next place of study. My eldest brother, Along, was already in his third year at MCKK by then. However, there were several reasons why MCKK was the first to be eliminated from the list- certainly nothing to do with any bad testimony about MCKK though.

3. As far as I can remember, they already decided to send me to any Islamic school (where Islamic teaching is the main stream) and possibly also a boarding school (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh, SBP). So, schools like Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah or KISAS (but KISAS only has Form 4 and Form 5 students), Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan (SMAP) Kajang and SMAP Labu were what I was expected to be going to the most. Mind you, there was an option in the application form whereby my parents already ticked on the one that reads Islamic stream, but as the saying goes, what happened to you, could not have missed you- God knows if it was a technical mistake, but the Ministry eventually sent us a letter informing that MCKK was my next home of education.

4. That was the first reason. The second reason was simpler, that my Along didn't want me to be there, for reasons until now I don't know what. I think he knew me well, and like my parents, wanted me to be in a school with better Islamic environment perhaps- though again, this does not suggest that MCKK is not a suitable place to groom people like me, because I was eventually a Malay Collegian myself.

5. It feels like writing a journal. I used to, but that was during a time when I was in love haha but now I guest I have a better way to keep my past stories. It was a thing of the past, and now I promise myself that the next time I were to be in love is when marriage is in plan, insya Allah- which could be in the next 4 years from now.

The Big School- Main attraction to MCKK (Now hostels to the senior students)

6. The first day was the registration day and it was March 8, 2003. It will be time-consuming for both you and me to be encyclopedic and too detailed here, so I will jump to relevant stories I have in my mind and narrate only what I think is the most important to remember.

7. Judging by what remains with me until now, I would therefore admit that it was my debating career that was the most significant page, if my life in MCKK was a book. I started as early as in my first year in Form 1 and was brought into the Malay Language Debating Team by the seniors. It was, for the record, the beginning of a whole new life that (with Allah's permission) paved the way to a better and smarter me.

I'll miss this team and the brotherhood it carries, no doubt about it

From left: Aslam, Me and Fendy

8. My first exposure to the real (school) debating world or battle of mind started as early as in the year 2004, when I was 14, and in Form 2. It was among the best experience of my life, not only for the chance to be trained as a debater, but also for the unique one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet wonderfully highly intelectual people with great eloquence and values like Allahyarham the late Adlan Benan Omar (Abg Ben) and Rafizi Ramli (Abg Raf) whom are great legendary debaters themselves. Praise be upon Allah for it is Him who creates mankind, the best of creation.

One of the schools we debated- I think this was SMS Kuching

9. Those who have just recently known me though, should know that I was in the Malay Language Debating Team, not in the English team. This is important because as a matter of fact, it was being in the debating family that inspired me to learn English better, though indirectly because again, I debated in Malay Language. So, it was not an easy process, and it was because of this challenge that I think I felt more motivated to improve on my language and communication skills especially in English, and Arabic Language- to a certain extent.

10. I can still remember how we journeyed through the battle every year (beginning 2004) and lost in final rounds for three consecutive years before we finally made it in the year 2007. Those tears were unforgettable and the most remembered. People can only see what we had achieved, but may never feel or experience the whole process we lived with together, through thin and thick. It was from this moment onwards that I happened to finally understand, a true achievement is not only worth a long wait, but also worth an infinite sacrifice from a true warrior. The best narration of all these stories were composed by our respectable couch, Abg Raf on his batch blog under the subject: So it is done. 

Appeared few times in the local newspaper after the victory

Note: Can't find the archive of my humble success story in Utusan online but thank God there's a copy in The Official MCKK website here.

11. To sum up, it was again, this experience and my encounter with extra-ordinary people that make me whom I was back then, and mostly whom I am now. I am indebted, and for that, I pray to Allah as a sign of gratitude so that He grants these people I know a good place in Paradise in the life in the Hereafter insya Allah.

12. It was the year 2007 that marked perhaps the most glorious year in my life thus far, and it is because of how later things turned upside down that I now shall explain a few more achievements I made as a Malay Collegian. I was blessed with trust and respect from teachers, either academically, or in leadership aspect and attitude. It was these gifts from Allah that made me the Headboy of the school and became the Hassanal Bolkiah Award recepient  in the same year. When the SPM result came out, I was by right the first in my batch to know about my result because I were told to come to Ipoh instead for the result release, as I was among the best students in the state of Perak for that particular year- and this took place in 2008. I could still remember the warmth of a motherly hug from my lovely mother, and the glowing proud face of my hardworking father after we received a call that brought to us the terrific news.

Standing: Third from right

13. It didn't stop there. I was also awarded The Full Colors Award by the Ministry of Education (at SBP level), for students who excelled high in academic and co-curricular activities, plus with some outstanding contributions to the SBPs as a whole, such as through international program. It was my parents whom felt tremendously appreciated and touched when I was conferred such an award during a big event in Kedah with the Sultan of the state, partly (or maybe mostly) because they, like me, are ordinary people from a small village in Kuala Terengganu- whom never thought of sharing tables with extra-ordinary people with great titles and positions.

But it was also because of that that we feel special and we thank Allah for His unparalleled bounties and love.

Yes mom, I hate flash too hehe- LOVE YOU BOTH! ;-)

Down Under

14. OK, this is the climax of the story. And yes, the above may appear much like a self-flattery, but it is there so that the story will be coherent before it leads to this part- down under.

15. The next thing I knew was that I will enrol to the International Education Center (INTEC) to do Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT). It was a double shock. First, because we never heard of the word AUSMAT (we mistakenly thought that it's worse than A-level) and secondly, my parents and I had always aimed for an A-level in UK for my medical degree. We however felt better after knowing what AUSMAT was all about and well, we thought Australia didn't sound bad at all, did it? A country down under huh?

16. Cutting it short, after a year and a half, I ended up with the most testing moment ever in my life, and it was exactly immediately after those glorious years in MCKK. The result wasn't good enough for me to do medicine in any universities in Australia and yes, that was about it. The question now arised. What happened, headboy?

17. Certainly you are not going to know what exactly happened because to be frank with you, I  am myself puzzled by this even until today. But it is unfair to say that without really looking on the bright side and reflect on some self-investigation isn't it? It is for this reason that I finally decided to write this post- that in life (which sometimes is represented by a wheel), we are sometimes on top, and at anytime, we can always be at the bottom. If I were to draw a graph of my own life, then it is this period that will give the steepest depression on the graph line and this is the reason why I will describe this phase of my life as 'the down under.'

18. There are certainly many other lessons I grabbed along the way, and despite being the hardest time in my life, that phase was also the best, the most valuable and the most unforgetabble chapter of life that has taught me to become a real man living in a real world. After careful thoughts and scrutiny, the furthest I can go was to attribute all that took place to my own contentment and preoccupancy with my successes and achievement in the past- which now I realized are only a history and will bring me nowhere unless I am aware on the challenges ahead of me and keep on striving for the best.
 

19. Nevertheless, that was never an absolute answer to what happened to me. I think it was somehow too complicated to explain even to myself, but what made me regret the most was when I knew I have not been up to my standard and failed myself in the most unwanted and avoidable way- which I swear never should happen again (unless if He wills it such). The best conclusion to rest on is that all these plots and paths in life are already there in store as a plan from Allah, who has the utmost power with regard to everything that He wants. And as a Muslim, I strongly believe, He does this, for good reasons, insya Allah and all praise be upon Allah alone, my One God and Only. (SShhhh..who knows if I were destined to be where I am now because maybe I'll find my life partner here? hehe) =p
 

20. Allah already made it clear that what is already decided can't be changed and He does not do injustice to His servants when He says in Surah Qaf, (50:29), "The Word changes not before Me, and I do not the least injustice to My Servants."

Download here

21. Now I am in my second year in International Medical University (IMU) and struggle really hard to become a good doctor, because I know I should not just be an ordinary guy. It's unfair to me and my family, and it is a waste of all the talents and gifts that Allah has given to me. I know full well that I was not born genius, and all this while, it's hardwork and commitment that keep me alive- achieving dreams that I dream of. So I hope all of us could reflect upon what happened to me and never take anything in life for granted. He (Allah) can always take back (in a blink of an eye) what He has blessed us with, so please always pray a lot to Him and never feel comfortable with what we have done as a proof of effort to Him, the All-knowing, the All-seeing.

22. I am fully aware that my parents are most affected by what had happened, and for that, I hope I can become a good son whom can pray for Paradise to both of them, as no matter how much I try, I will never be able to return back all the sacrifice that they had done towards me.

23. Dear friends, all of us could always become friends today and enemies tomorrow. And friends come and go. However our parents and family, no matter wherever they are, whatever they feel towards us, they will always share the same blood and flesh with us, and for that, they are eternally our family, so please love them more than we love anyone else.

Love them all with the greatest love Allah blesses me with

May Allah bless us all.

Wallahuaklam and wassalamualaikum wbt. Take care and thank you for dropping by. ;-)

"O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded."

Surah At-Tahrim, (66:6)

Best regard from the author (haha this was upon insisted by Eddo Dido) =p