What KWN and PMR did to change me

Hi there. It's Afif. Writing... on this dead blog. I wouldn't say it's a revival, because it isn't dead. Just left on hiatus for a few months whilst I get busy with KWN and PMR; Two biggest things in my life.

With all the biggest things, big number of changes are sure to follow. As such, both of these two things did their part to change me, physically and mentally.

But before we get down with these changes, let's go ahead with a recap of my life prior to KWN, then off to PMR.

KWN


It was a competition. A video competition. It was the first serious one in my life. And let me tell you, the last month was very hectic. We're talking about 3 hours of sleep here and occasionally, no sleep at all. What drives me is fully the atmosphere of the training camp back at Putrajaya, and the fact that I'll be seeing my future as a movie producer bright as sunshine.

Our video title? Heck, if I could, I would've just told you here. But the fact that I'm an editor of the greatly awesome Echo Films makes it so that I couldn't, thus, I wouldn't. Sad fate, eh?

PMR


I've been waiting 3 years for this. Yes, 3 years. I've been waiting for this exam. Truthfully, I slacked 2 months before PMR, KWN and my decided future (Movie maker/writer) made it so that I wouldn't care much about PMR. I mean come on, Law of Gravity don't come into a writer's life.

But the month before PMR, I lost sense of all those future and KWN thing, and started to strive for PMR. Let's just say I've been a huge nerd and stop there. It was all studying, studying, studying, until the big day came along. I admit, the night before, I was afraid. I was very afraid. My heart was literally beating like a drum in a rock band.

So, I prayed to Allah. I prayed so hard so that Allah can make me feel relaxed. Thank Allah I did. During PMR, I feel relaxed. Really relaxed. The questions came in easy, I spent half the time looking at Ms./Mrs. Lily (A very beautiful invigilator). Just kidding. But in reality, I was relaxed.

If you ask, yes, the questions were easy. Even Science Paper 2, all you Form 3 folks. Go ahead, say that I'm boastful, but I'm just stating my opinion towards the question and no insults or condemnations are going to change my opinion on the papers.

And yes, I did scream when PMR is finally over. I mean, I got a PSP a week before PMR, and wasn't allowed to touch it. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE PRESSURE?

So what did these two things change in me?


Okay, so I guess this is what you people are waiting for. Just what in the world did KWN and PMR change me so much so that I'm writing one of the longest posts in my life? List form, firetrucking yes.

1. Procrastination is not gold

I admit, the first few months of KWN, I procrastinated. I thought 'Hey, it's just a 5-minute piece of video, could do it in no time, heh!' and played Assassin's Creed II. I was wrong. This 5-minute video took a labor of more than 50 hours. And no, those 'more than 50' hours do not, I repeat, do not, another time! Do not include sleep, eat, rest, drink, nor any other activities related to not facing the computer.

2. Closer to Allah, yes I am.

The hopes of winning KWN, and my terror to PMR made me closer to Allah. Everyday, I would do my five Solat Wajib (That I often tend to do less than that in the past), add Solat Sunat Hajat and Taubat after or before the Solat Wajib. I prayed that I could be closer to Allah, and Allah had given me such.

3. 1Malaysia rules.

EchoFilms, SMK USJ 13's KWN team for this year, is composed of 3 Malays, 1 Chinese-Indian, 1 Indian, and 1 Chinese. Yeah, you read that right. Our team is 1Malaysia. And we work well too. We work so well that our brains are naturally channeled like a computer network. Every idea that we have in our brains is automatically transmitted to the other members. Don't believe me? Go ahead. I'm speaking truth, right here, right now.

4. Why so seriuz?

I figured that being serious is never the way to go in this life. Throughout PMR, I've decided to become a loner, and would wear a black hoodie if I could. But I couldn't, so the green suit stays. Anyway, being a loner would mean that I become a silent, agile (Okay, perhaps not), serious person, only thinking about PMR. Guess what? My friends changed that perception. We played the fool during PMR, talked about the beautiful invigilator, and even talked about our post-PMR goals despite the fact that the next paper is 5 minutes away.

5. Your life's goal isn't everything

Truth be told, few weeks after KWN, PMR was never a bother to me. I've been a person that kept thinking "I'm gonna be a writer/movie producer someday. Geo, History, Maths, Science never account to that!". Luckily, I woke up. And studied the hardest that I could. I know, my life's goal is to become something that doesn't even require any academical achievements, but, I would rather be a knowledgeable person, than a successful person. It's like choosing knowledge or money.

I've learnt five of these lessons and many more throughout the two biggest periods in my life. Admittedly, this, yet again, have brought the deepest change in me. So, instead of getting all emotional and eye-teary and say goodbye, might as well say; Thank you for reading!