Twisted Files

Hello again everyone.. i know no one ever reads my blog entries but hey, its one of the few ways i can get the weight of my chest…

Well.. had the first paper today, demographic analysis.. for the ill-informed, it has something to do with studying population patterns and how they are distributed geographically.. well to put it in a more correct way, it has EVERYTHING to do with population..haha and trust me, it ain’t pretty.. we had to do loads of calculations.. and being the ‘allergic-to-numbers’ type, its not doing me any favours..but im glad it went well though..after a gruelling 3 hours pressing away on the calculator keypad (something my fingers aren’t accustomed to), with Allah’s grace.. i managed to survive and sat the paper through..

Have two more papers to go.. well at least these two wont have mountains of numbers to deal with (except for the question numbers).. and i hereby would like to wish my friends who are doing Geography the very best of luck for the exam.. we’re gonna be fine guys.. don’t worry.. well thats it for today’s edition of Azem’s gut spilling.. haha well i am really careful not to spill to many of them though.. cya..

Hey everyone and assalamualaikum..

    Its been ages since ive wrote anything here.. well since this is the exam time and again stress levels hitting above saturation.. hehe anything i can do to get my mind off the exams is the best thing.. not that i could get it off my mind for that long.. or else i had to start all over again..(lame joke)

    Its been 5 months since i came back home.. and i would like to say it was the best feeling anyone could ever have in the whole world.. returning to the open arms of familiar faces.. family and friends.. and i’m grateful to say that im glad to be back in ubd.. ahhh im finally home.. now we’re back in business..

    Hmm but the immense workload in that we have to deal with was at the tipping point of unbearable. Now the question that arises in my, and perhaps the whole lot of ubd undergraduates is..how come our workload is heavier than mount everest? that was the very question forwarded to us by one of our esteemed lecturer.. why have u students been given to much work to do? well.. i can forward a few hypotheses to answer that..

    firstly, there is a lack of coordination among the departmental lecturers.. what i mean here is the lecturers dont come to an understanding in terms of the work that should be given to students that would suit the students’ time and capabilities.. mind you, students do have their limit and piling kilos upon kilos of work would affect their quality of work. What matters is quality and not quantity.. am i not right? So rather than each lecturer having to push us and demand that our work be handed in on time, whats the harm in negotiating with their fellow colleagues and discuss among themselves on who gives what kind of work?

    my point here is, if one lecturer already plans to ask students to do a semester project..then other lecturers dont have to and instead plan some other activities for their students. Maybe one of them could give us just a long essay, and some others could give us tests now and then, while the other lot could ask us to engage in constructive discussions and debates.. and some others can plan field trips and ask us to do reports.. in that way we students wont have to deal with the burdens of monotony and enjoy our time doing different types of works.. and please.. lessen the load for us.. we students are crying in silence..some of us has become a bit vocal.. but then our frequency only goes as far as the end of semester evaluation.. which ofcourse always go unheard and unheeded..

    i do not intend to offend any particular parties here.. but seriously, ubd need to engage itself in more student oriented discussions and policies.. because university is meant to be the perpetuation of academic bliss where we students can have fun while studying at the same time.. furthermore.. if all the lectuers gave us similar workloads heavier than all the wrestling superstars put together on one of those scales at the tutong tamu, how On God’s Green Earth and wide universe do we find time to do our own studying and self-research.. i know most would say that giving students less work would entail more frivolous engagement.. but then some of us do need time for self study.. and trust me with the current load, time management has been an extremely daunting task..

    Please ubd.. listen to our plights.. we desperately need a break..

Had my first exam.. well like the title suggests, i dont thnk u cn imagine just how horrific my first paper was, looking at the questions made my mind go all blank and my hand just froze.. the questions were unexpected and i never thought those types of questions will come out. Well depending on past year exam questions do have a disadvantage, expecially if you have a smart-aleck very inventive and creative lecturer who decided to change the questions at the last minute and give you one hell of an exam paper..

i did manage to answer the first question well but the second was a complete cook up. only a quarter of the answer was based on fact, but the other parts were completely made up.. thank you mr friedrichsen, you certainly made my day.. yeah rigth, made it into a disaster.

Adding insult to injury, i had a not so good experience at the information commons buildng right after the exam. well it went like this, i was about to go to the 4th floor and decided to use the elevator (4th floor is a tiring walk up the stairs).I pressed the button and waited for a few minutes bfore the lift finally came.when the door opened there were like 4 or 5 ppl inside. not waiting for them to step out of the lift i just went in and crammed my body into the already packed lift, making it hard for the ones inside to go out. and one of them said something to me which made my face go all red (needless for me to mention) bless you mister.. sorry for not being as civilized as YOU are

well ive got to study for my next exam which is tomorrow.. hope this one would go well and wont give us anymore surprises.. there are times when surprises aren’t welcome.

Hey everyone.. stress masani hehe.. i just got back from lunch and dont feel like studying at the moment.. so what better things to do when you dont feel like hitting the books but blogging.. haha.. well i really need some chilling time away from studying, but my exams are in a week’s time so i guess i’ll save the fun for later..

I think this goes to all bruneians who have or is curently and those who are bound to study overseas.. eventually your international friends will start to ask you.. so where’s brunei? don’t be surprised, almost half of the people that ask you might have never even heard of our tiny nation. so this is where all your knowledge about mib and local culture comes in.. and some people will find our tradition weird and old-fashioned.. well screw them we’re proud of our roots right guys? hehe…

And the question that you will find very difficult to answer will be "so since you alcohol is banned in your country and the night life is basically nil, what DO u do for fun?" and you’re first reply would be "erm….." a long erm at that.. thats where i started to wonder, what does brunei offer for its youth in terms of enterrtainment? well let us look at the list of entertainment based facilities that we’re familiar with..

Firstly,there’s the MALL.. the so-called congregation center for almost all bruneian youths.. its where most people would have their first dates (wink wink liat wayang.. lol), its also where a lotof computer exhibitions are held, its where we have our best (in my opinion) cinema, there’s the arcade center and the karaoke box.. there’s also a foodcourt available(top floor).. and others would find the MALL a nice place to loiter around.. the shopping there isn’t grand, but i wouldn’t say its bad either, thats up to individual opinion..

other than the mall, there’s kiulap, there’s yayasan oh and wait, there’s a little known place which used to boast itself as being the only free theme park in world (well not anymore) called jerudong park.. so the next question would be is jrudong park any good? well lets give it some credit. It USED to be good, it has provided the platform for famous artists such as michael jackson and many others and there was a lot of rides to choose from.. and they would say hey great i’d love to go there.. hmmm.. i dont think that would be a good idea.. why they say?

Jerudong park now is not really in a good condition, many of the rides are closed, some of the places there are left to rot and is a very big eyesore and also there hasn’t been any new rides added for the last 4-5 years or even more.. i would say jerudong park still has a very big potential to prosper and offer us and tourists the same thrill and excitement that it gave us when it was just opened.. why the tourist authorities in brunei can’t build on this and try to revive the glory of JP God only knows..

Now don’t get me wrong here, im not trying to shoo tourists away from our beloved country as we can still offer our heritage and kg ayer as well as our flora and fauna for their pleasure and unique tourist experience,

Brunei’s also blessed with an bundance of beaches as we’re situated just on the coast of borneo island.. and some of the beaches are quite happening e.g. muara beach and pntai sri kenangan where they buggy rides are available (dont know if they still do though)..

im just trying to broaden our horizons and get our minds working as to what can be done to resolve the ‘entertainment crisis’ of our nation.. so that the next time someone asks what we in brunei do for fun, although alcohol and nightlife is still out of the equation, you dont have to start with a long "ermm……"

yeah.. two more weeks before my flight home..the impatience that we’re feeling is just unspeakable.. where’s a time machine or doraemon when you’re in need of one?

I was just talking to my friend azrul this evening and talked about how after months and in some cases years of being away from our beloved brunei we learn to appreciate it. Brunei might not be as cool, hip or as exciting as london or maybe new york.. but hey.. its home right? its where your social network is at its widest, its where you have your family and friends. and most importantly its the only place which sells nasi katok.. nyaman nyamu hehe..

like they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.. and yep it hasn’t been more accurate.. i miss brunei so much… and  cant wait to go back…

The oxford dictionary would say an exam is something that tests how good you are or to analyze something.. but in azem’s dictionary exams=pressure,headaches,confusion, and more pressure.. yep exams are perhaps the worst thing a student could ever face in his/her life.. at least next to presentations and getting caught sleeping in class..

my exam is exactly  a week from now and already i can feel the tension brewing up.. the tension is so overwhelming that it sometimes reach to the point of giving up.. it does sound silly, but yeah the thought do at times cross my mind.. BUT, and we’re talking of an enormous B.U.T here, the outcome of the exam isn’t just for my benefit, i also have to consider my lecturers’ expectations as well as that of my parents.. sometimes i just feel like im doing all this to please other people..

My point here is, at some point of your lives, you’re struck with the realisation that the course or the job that you’re doing at present don’t really make you feel fulfilled, like there’s something else out there that that makes you say ‘eureka’.. i’ve found what i’ve looking for..

but that’s just saying things in a very idealistic context..we live in a real world where not all the things that you expect or dream always come your way.. so.. what solution would Dr Phil give you in such situations? i dont know.. but i would say try and appreciate what you have now, be contented with the opportunities that you have no matter how limited they are.. some of you might not agree, but in a world of scarcity today, there are times that you need to save what is in your hands rather than throwing it away and chase some wild dream which you might not be able to achieve.. and thats exactly what i tell myself everytime i have the exam blues..

thats enough said for this edition of the twisted files.. i’ll update it if i feel i have to hehe..