What a month! :D

I am HOME! Hohoho, after 5-days (actually it was supposed to be a week, but more on that later) of pure fun and sometimes hell, BCTA is nearly over, save for the closing ceremony tomorrow. For those of you who dont know, BCTA stands for Belia Cinta Tanah Air. Its a programme introduced by our very own Pusat Belia dan Sukan to expose the youth to "Bruneian" activities and morale.

Since I am not feeling well right now and all that I have been doing this whole day is sleep, I am going to write my experiences during the programme. When I first joined BCTA, we were briefed on the two phases of the programme.

First phase involved the National Day celebration at Padang SOAS. So, all of us have to undergo 3-weeks training for the celebration. Inda pulang tiap hari kami practice, almost every other day lah, but still it was very very tiring.. Fortunately, Zudin and two other good friends of mine from MD also signed up for this event so the trainings were not as boring as I thought it would be. Overtime, I get to know more people and started to talk to random people (including Blogger J's Ex ;), yes, he signed up too, hahaha ) After all the trainings, the actual event came. The day before the celebrations, we were asked to sleep at this place called Games Village. The weird thing is, it is called Perkampungan Sukan in Malay. haha..

So there, we have to sleep in groups with people around Brunei from all the 4 districts. My room was room 307, on the third floor which I shared with Didi(Temburong), Salihin(Tutong) and two other guys from KB. The non-KBians were OK, we mind our own business but the same cannot be said for the KB people. They were, uhmm, weird? haha.. Yes, at least to me. You know what they did the first night? Well, all of us got to the hostel around 12 midnight after trainings and prayers at SOAS mosque. Obviously, we were all tired and sleepy so most people went to their rooms to shower and then sleep. The KB-ians, weirdly enough, decided instead to gather in MY/our room and..... drink some alcoholic drinks that they brought from home. As if that was not enough, they then smoke. Haha, what a luck. Then, one of our supervisors came and they all went chaotic. Waking me up in the process. Shesshh, what a bunch of morons. HAHAHA, actually, after getting to know some of the during the later phase, they were quite ok lah, and they are also non-muslim, which explains a lot of things.

The national day came, we were asked to be prepared at 3.30, then have our Subuh prayer together and then zoomed to Bandar. The actual event was a breeze, except for some minor imperfections. The trainings were worth it, no doubt about that.

Then comes the last phase, we were randomly selected to be sent to districts other than ours. Me, Zudin and one of my friends from MD were chosen to be sent to Tutong! haha, what a luck. It was very fortunate for me though, as without them, I don't think I would enjoy the experience as much as I did.

Day 1: The participants being sent to Tutong were brought to this small rest house with 3 bedrooms and 3 toilets. Within each room there are 2 queen-sized beds. Imagine this; there were 22 of us boys and we have to share the same house. hahaha. So, Me, zudin and my friend Zul, decided to sleep in the living room. Actually, Zudin got his own room but he decided to join me and Zul. I have no idea why.. But I am glad he did cause otherwise I would not have anyone to talk to during the night. Zul, as i know him, is never a talkative person hahaha.. The first day, we have to go through some more trainings for an opening event the next day. It was very tiring.. Imagine having to train after doing the National Day celebrations. Then the night came and I get to know almost everybody else. They were great people and I was pretty sure that the coming days will be full of fun.

Day 2: We have to wake up at 3.30 to get ready for Subuh prayer at the mosque. It was then that we discovered a MAJOR problem, the water pressure is terribly low. So either we all have to use the bathroom one by one or we would have to use the pipes outside on the ground floor. Since time is very limited, most opted to shower downstairs. Me on the other hand, decided to wait until most people are ready and then use the bathroom. It was a right decision as I get to enjoy my shower in private hahaha, although it was very brief (less than 5 mins). After the Subuh prayers, we then attend the opening ceremony for Tutong BCTA. It rained, we have to be-kawat in the rain and stand for like almost 15mins. As if that was not enough, we then have to "kawat" some more going around Pekan Tutong. Then, we went to Penanjong Camp and again kawat from the beach to the mosque. It was approximately a 2KM journey. Very tiring but we had fun. We went back to the hostel around 5 and then at 6 we went to the mosque. There, we were forced to lead this one type of dikir. Most of us (including me) were pretty much clueless hahaha.. We got home around 11.

Day 3: After the usual Subuh prayer, we visited the Penanjong mosque for a talk on the history of Kampong Penanjong. I still cannot believe how utterly USELESS this talk was. Seriously, who cares about the history of somebody elses village? I dont, haha.. The speaker was the Ketua Kampong himself. He was very charismatic, he speaks slowly and clearly. Unfortunately, the talk was really really boring. The presentation slides were full of WORDS with just one or two pictures, and according to my memory there were about 15 slides altogether. Pure torture. hahaha.. At night there was a talk by 3-tokohs who have received some sort of award by his Majesty. It was a very longggggggg talk and ended at 1100PM. We got home at 1130. When we arrived at our house, ada tia kana announced that we have to go to Pusat Belia for something secret. CRAP/SHOOT was my exact thought that moment. We were sleepy as hell and the AJK decided to make a suprise. Great. Turned out, it was an unofficial ice breaking ceremony. I didn't enjoy this part a bit cause my contact lens were getting dry and I can barely see a thing. We were done at 1230 and since our buses were gone, we have to walk home. Aduhh, sedihh.. Baik jua the guys who walked with me yang siuk2, ada jua kan dicakap2kan walaupun aku inda kenal durang hahahah.. That subuh, I was supposed to help Zudin and Zul compose a speech for our leader, Amin, for the closing ceremony on the next day. But, I was very tired and selfishly decided to sleep instead. I am sure that some people were pissed at me for this haha.. But, I cannot stand having to sleep for such a short time. Usually, I get to sleep for 12 hours straight, now I only get to sleep for 4 hours AT MOST. Of course, I was cranky haha.. Around 2AM, I woke up to the sound of Zudin talking and told him to shut up. hahahaha, Sorry Dino... Apparently they had the most fun that night. HOnestly, i don't feel left out cause to me, I would rather sleep than spend time with people who you would only be in contact with for the next few days hahahaha..

Day 4: I woke up around 6 and to my suprise, I was the first one to be awake that day! hahahaha, happily I went to the toilet quietly and took my time enjoying the abundance of water. When I was done, it was nearly 7! hahahahahaha, we were asked to be ready at 730. So, I woke Zul up and left the task of waking up the rest to him hahahaha... It was chaotic, but at least I get to actually shower :D.. Yes, I know.. pretty selfish of me.. Baik jua durang inda tau hahahah.. Lapas atu we went to the mosque for the closing ceremony. Then, there is this closing ceremony for Fasa III. It was OK, at least we dont have to do anything wawawa... Then sembahyang Jumaat and back to the house. Then baruth arah Game's Village. Aku balik kerumah pasal abgku betunang the next day. Balik, tarus ku mandi and bagi baju2 untuk disasah, then tidur until the next afternoon. Sudah ku bangun ramai udah urang datang hhahaha..

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2/28: Today was the actual closing date for BCTA 2010. Yes, you guessed it. Mestilah ada crying session. Ughhh. Zudin cried. The girls cried and so did the boys. I can't fathom why they cried tho, do they really care that much about each other? I have no idea. I mean baru jua seminggu kenal sudah tia cani.. Apa lagi setaun ni haha.. No, I did not cry. Entah ah, maybe pasal aku didn't really get to know them well. If there is any award for the least attentive participant maybe aku kali dapat haha.. Cause seriously, aku inda berapa mix with them lah and I dunno why. They were great people and I am sure that it is totally my loss. Ganya I don't see the point bah, lapas ani inda jua bejumpa2 ni. Bahapath kan rapat2 haha.. Well, thats my view anyway. Throughout the programme, I talked the most to (in descending order) Zul, Faisal, Zudin, Faiz and yang lain atu maybe less than 15mins kali hahahahahaha.. I know, gila bitchy aku ah. I am sorry for that, tapi its too late sudah kan. Mudahan durang semua inda banci, amin.. hahahaha

End of BCTA. Chapter Closed.

Now, I want to share about the BSP Assessment Center lagi haha.. I know.. Panjang kan postku ani. Biartia bah, sekali sekala. Lapas ani nada ku mengupdate lagi ni since sibuk buat business plan.

Awal2, kami kana suruh bekumpul arah parking bukit Shahbandar. Sekali udah ku kesana, I met Zudin and another familiar face. Rupanya its Yusatiqah, my ex-further maths partner wawawa. Lapas atu I met Dibah from PTEM, then datang Hafiz. C Hafiz ani aku kenal pasal I met him masa one of the BSP talks yang aku attend for fun hahaha.. Ia duduk sebalahku. So kirakan aku kenal semua lah.

After semua sudah masuk van, ke Tutong lagi tu pick one chinese gurl. Namanya Candy. Ia ani muanya serius,tapi sudah kenal OK jua rupanya. Cool lah jua.

Sudah kami sampai sana, checked in. Lapas atu we had some problems finding our room ahaha.. Imagine, 3 students with 3As on their A-level struggling to find bilik haha. bari malu wah kami ah, but durang atu jua. Lain2an arahannya sorang2. Sorang cakap left, sorang lagi cakap right. Sudah tejumpa, impressed kami tarus. Lawa lah apartmentnya! Ada Astro Max! The one yang can record, forward and rewind broadcast ah. Siuk, sakai ku tarus wawawa.

Then, after maghrib ada briefing. Pasal ia punya assessment process. Ia ada 3 stages:
1) Group Discussion.
2) In-Tray exercise
3) Proposal

Malas ku kan explain detailsnya sal at this stage aku pun inda berapa paham. So malam atu we get to know batch kami yang kana assess sama2. the boys ada aku, Zudin, Hafiz and 3 KB-ians; Syuaib, Khalaf and one chinese yang aku lupa namanya, haha.. sorry2.

That night, the muslim boys ramai2 sembayang arah Masjid sana so we get to know each other better lah. Iatah aku inda berapa kenal the chinese guy jua. The boys were very fine indeed, I wouldnt expect less considering their excellent results (Y). Fun and at least durang paham jokes ku wawawa. Kami dinner arah dewannya, lapas atu kakaku yang keraja diBelait bawa kami jalan2 haha. Satu pulang ganya kadai kami aga tu. I think it was Supasave kali. Siuk lah kadainya, barang2nya lain2an. nada di Brunei Muara. Kami apa th lagi shopping sakan th tarus. Sayang jua kana lanja atu :P
Lapas atu balik ke apartment, lepak2 sama Zudin and Hafiz liat cerita sambil becerita2. Siuk lah malam atu. Akhir tidur. Aku susah sikit kan tidur pasal tilamku bebau haha.. Inda ku tau bau apa, masam lagi tu. Akhirnya tepaksa jua ku tidur since sofanya diluar atu inda berapa nyaman wawawa..

The next day, the assessment day! Bangun kul 7 then tarus chow ke Assessment Center durang. Aku sebenarnya inda nervous wah masa ani pasal I really2 don't want the scholarship. Aku datang pun pasal I read ada this previous Sultan Scholar's Scholar blog cakapnya yang assessment ani beguna banar untuk interview SS. So, aku mau experience plus c Zudin pun minta dangani kan. Why not, aku inda jua rugi apa-apa.

So the first one was Group Discussion. Kami kana bagi2kan dalam groups, 3 orang each group. My group mates were Dibah and Syuaib. For the exercise kami kana bagi 3 projects. Kana suruh imagine kami ani part of a hospital management yang mendecide how to allocate funds. Each of us kana bagi one project to consider then kami mesti decide within 30mins which project to invest in considering the limited funds and how to allocate the funds to the selected projects. It was okay lah, not great just okay since I did not get to talk much. I debated why my project should be chosen and how it was important and all. Syuaib acted pretty much like our leader. A very fair one. He encouraged me and Dibah to talk about our projects. Too much i think, sampai he only got 3 mins to discuss his while we got like 7 mins each. In the end, we decided to go with mine and Syuaib projects. Dibah willingly forfeit sal even she is not convinced of the importance of her project. So it was okay lah. Lucky for me to get these two as my team haha..

The first exercise didnt really scare me cause kami beramai kan. Sekali sudah the second one kabak2 tia ku sal sorang2. Intray ani kami kana bagi like about 15sheets of information. Kana suruh imagine tani ani assistant arah boss kedai makanan, sekali one day ia sakit and tani kana suruh ganti ia. Yang keratas2 lain atu surat2an lah pasal mcam2. Ada yang kan beranti keraja, kan memohon keraja, mengcomplain tia macam2 lah. Then kana suruh assign priority to each task. Kana bagi 1hour to prepare. Then masuk dalam jumpa assessors mesti bagi 5min presentation on the task. VERY AWKWARD. haha, banar. I talked randomly. Gila, i think this one is the most difficult among all lah.. They asked questions like "How do you measure success" and things like that. And one of the most memorable moment for me is when they asked what would I do to this guy which handles my company's account after someone discovered some disparancies in the account. Sekali ku jawap, I would hire and independent investigator to further explain the situation. Sekali katanya would you go as far as sacking this guy? Ku jawap, Definitely no, I would consider sending him to some correction unit (antam saja tia) but I would not go as far as firing him. I firmly believe that everybody deserves a second chance. Esehh, aku pun inda sangka kan jawap catu haha.. Sekali durang cakap "S***L definitely does not believe in that" pastu ketawa tia, entah inda ku paham kenapa haha.. Maybe pasal safety kali, once you screwed up tarus kana kick tanpa ampun dan maaf. Also,in this session, i found some truth in what the HR officer words during the briefing, that the assessors are trying their best to find our talents not our faults. Its very true cause kan I didnt communicate effectively wah during this session. ENglishku beterabur. Everytime durang inda paham cakapku, durang bagi chance untuk explain and then durang rephrase and write down the better sentence. Baik lah durang ani!
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(Continuation)

NEXT is the Proposal exercise. In this exercise, we were given 5 problems to choose from. Pilih satu and you were given one hour to propose a solution to the
problem. Again, the first 5 mins masuk jumpa assessors atu mesti bagi presentation of your proposal. I carefully laid out my thoughts masa that 1 hour, then prepare the 5min speech. Masa ku prepare atu ngam2 ia 5min. Tapi masa sudah the real one, 4min saja tia! Belacan eh.. Then lapas ku abis baca scriptku, tediam ku sekajap. Then ku cakap "Actually that was supposed to be the end of my presentation.", sekali ketawa tia dua org assessors ah. Katanya kalau abis, abis lh. Apa blh buat. hahaha.. Then durang tanya lagi lagi details (details yang sebenar2 detailed) pasal your proposal. GILAA, the questions were hard! macam half of the questions aku inda bagi answer haha.. Most of the time aku cakap "can we.." blabla.. catulah, then aku slowly work out answerku based on their answers hahaha.I know, crap aku ah.. What to do, mun namanya udah inda ku tau jawapannya...

Lapas atu abis tia.. We get to eat lagi sekali beramai2. We talk and talk and talk then kana suruh balik tia. Durang gtau dalam mid to end of march durang announce results. TAPI kan, two days later, ada tia durang tipun.. First one inda ku tejawap since aku masih tidur. Then ku tpun balik. sekali sekali sekali, ia tanya "last time kau buat unsure of your course antara computer science and BSP courses. Ani sure sudah?", and aku answer "Ermm... yeah sure.." padahal inda hahaha.. Pastu tanyanya lagi "Uni2mu UCAS ani cemana?" ku jawaplah yang blh diemail minta tukar course(awuu, sitaie aku ah hahaha.. Chemical Engineering lagi beguna Physics tu hahaha) Then baruth ia cakap congratulations ah, you passed our assessment center. Aku tekajutlah since aku inda mau and honestly aku rasa I was super crappy masa session atu. Ku tanya lagi tu "Banr kah? Cana blh?" HAHAHA.... Then baruth ia gtau, since aku tulis last time yang aku considering Chemical, Mechanical and Petroleum engineering, durang kan meeting kan dulu which course kan offer aku. Masa dangar ani aku macam, banar2 jua ia kan mengambil ani. Aku main2 saja. hahahaha. But still, Alhamdulillah lah dapat. At least satu sudah dalam gengaman. Only things to do untuk fully dapat the scholarship is the MIB test sama work placement.

Aku mau DANA masih sebenarnya... Indath kira mesti keraja sama kerajaan, pasal I really2 want to do computer science wah for my degree. Tapikan, towards the end of the phone call ada ia cakap "HECASmu sudah kau antar?", then ku jawap "Sudah", pastu nya "Ahh, bah nanti kami menarik balik.".. FYI, HECAS ani macam UCAS tapinya untuk apply locally di Brunei for Scholarships, UBD, ITB and etc. SOOO, if ia tarik balik nada jua ku apply for scholarships tu. Tarusku bangang, tapi inda jua ku cakap apa2. Mudahan saja ia inda tarik awal2. At least tunggu lah DANA interview orang ah.. Entah eh, aku pun inda sure. Nantith ku email durang lagi tanya whether kami blh tunggu for other scholarship or not. Hmmm..

And lagi satu, Imperial bagi aku conditional offer! Atupun lapas ku email resultsku. TAPI TAPI TAPI durang talur ah! Tau ia udah physicsku B, baginya jua conditional Physics(A), Maths (A*), sama Chemistry(A) or COmputing(A) and Merit in AEA maths. CRAP jua tu offernya ah! Tau udah physicsku B. A* pun alum wujud masa batchku. I have no idea cana durang kan grade A* for my case. Paper maths ku semua plg A but A nya atu brapa inda jua ku tau tu. And pasal AEA maths atu, inda ku tau dimana kan register diBrunei ah! Lain lagi tu syllabusnya. Sedih ku ih :( .... Inda apa lah, nya mamamku mun bukan rezeki atu bukan th tu......

Speaking of my mom.. Tadi aku cerita2 wah sama ia didapur.. Aku cerita lah pasal BCTA ah.. Mamaku ani urang tutong. Iatah ku gtau masa ku di TUtong atu semua bini2 sana ku liat macam nampak mua mamaku wah. Luan rindu kali hehehe.. Aku atu saja2 kan share2 kan, sekali mamaku becerita tia jua. Nya masa ku disana, ia balik2 macam tedangar suaraku becakap padahal abg2/adi2ku becakap. Tarus ia cakap "Balik jua sudah c *my name here* ni", sekali siblingsku heran tarus. AWWWWWWWW, :') , cam sedih ku tarus mendangar. Rasakan ku paluk wah mamaku ah hahaha.. :)) baik jua tua udah aku ani hohoho.. Tarusth ku becerita lagi. Kataku macam ragu2 jua ku kan ke UK. Mun seminggu sudah kecarian, apath lagi 3 tahun.. Ku gtau jua yang aku consider BSP lagi sal of the 1 year in Brunei. Mau jua ku be-elaun untuk balikkan ia hadiah this year :D Sekali nya mamaku, "awu bagus plg tu setaun di Brunei ah. Manasaja lah, ikut apa yang kau mau. Nanti2 biasa jua tu diUK ah.".. Mamaku ani biasa ni.. Ia cakap manasaja plg selalu, tapi selalu ada hint apa sebenarnya yang ia mau. Hehehe, yang banarnya maybe ia inda mau aku belayar langsung kali :P But, I think I have to go abroad at least once lah. To prove something to myself :))

Nah, thats the end of my post. 3 hari composing baruth siap! HAHAHAHA....... Bubye.. See you next week :P