dream on

So, here I am in Nottingham, in my new room. It's cold~

And this is my new blog name: denial/redemption (DR).

Cause in some ways, DR helped me to get through most of the dramatic events whilst in the UK. And the name reflects whatever that has happened in the past 2 years or even before that.

Anyway, I'm in my 3rd year now. You know what that means..a whole lot of drama with new twists and surprises.

Firstly, look at my exam dates between the 1st and 3rd year:

Year 1: this is a typical timetable for most universities (look at the reds)

Year 3: Look at the butterflies!

The cool thing is, the exams are distributed over the academic year instead of cramming it into one duration like during Sem 4 which was the worst exam experience ever in my life. I'm so grateful to make it through last semester. Having all of these dates means I'm going to rock and roll sooner than you think and more than you expect. So you see that this is actually one of the many hardships of Medicine.

I actually went to the introduction lecture for the 1st year Medics yesterday, just to hear the words from Prof Lowe. It's very inspiring really. Reminding me of the times when I was one of the freshers 2 years ago.

But what I want to highlight is something that Dr Burr said during the lecture. He said that although we are all brainy, most of us will be average and that's something that we're not really used to. And that's going to be difficult for some people.

Well, Dr Burr didn't tell me this when I came to Nottingham in 2009 :P

Cause that's what I am right now, average. But my dreams are high. Really high. Sometimes I wonder why I dream so high when eventually, I'd end up upsetting myself when I can't reach it.

Because Wafi, that is what Allah wants you to do. He wants you to dream big and He doesn't expect you to become a mediocre. I have to bloom out of mediocrity (BOOM).

Tetiba ada iklan. But the point is, we need to aim high. Kalau kita nak masuk syurga pon, kita kena aim masuk syurga firdaus kan? ;)

And 3rd year is the year to make it or break it. Duhh, I prefer to make it, insyaAllah.

It's truly going to be one heck of a ride.

This time around, I'm bringing Wafi back...

shut up and drive

I'm leaving Malaysia today and this year, I drove a lot more than I did last year. Probably because I have a car to myself for this whole summer, ihik2. Anyway, I actually just found out the reality of driving in Malaysia. It's distressing! 

You know, I really enjoy adrenaline rush..like when I go down the large slide in Leicester or run against the wind in Nottingham. But the adrenaline rush that I'd usually get when I'm driving on Malaysian road is different. It's the bad kind. It's like you're trying to survive a disaster. And here are some of the characters that I would usually find on the road.

The immortalized motorcyclist

There was only one encounter -  I was moving into the fast lane when suddenly, this motorcyclist appeared at the right side of my car. It's clear that this motorcyclist was accelerating as I have made sure that it was really safe before moving into the lane. So, I let him pass since he was immortal and there's no need to drive with him side by side as if we're a couple. He went past me and the funny thing is, he actually turned his head around to face me. Too bad I didn't have a camera installed at the front of my car; I would have displayed his face on my blog or on Facebook. He was giving me a look that said something like "Don't you know I'm immortal?". My response: "Dude, I know. That's why I let you passed." In Australia, motorcyclist deaths are approximately 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles. In Malaysia, this motorcyclist believes 30 times more than other motorcyclists that he is immortal.

The lane keeper

This is a normal character on the highway. If you haven't meet them, you need to drive more :P

There was one time when I looked at the lane on my right during a traffic congestion. There was a gap of about 3 cars next to me and the cars on that lane was moving slowly. I said to myself, let's perform an experiment.

Research question: Is the driver on the right lane a typical lane keeper?

Hypothesis: Adlan Wafi believes the driver is a lane keeper and would not allow him to get into the fast lane. In addition, he believes the driver would accelerate as if he was on an assassination mission.

A normal driver would definitely let me get into the lane. And so this is what happened as the experiment was preformed..

I gave a signal and moved into the lane on the right and the car behind (the person being tested) accelerated as if he needed to go to the nearest toilet or he'll wet his car seat. In addition, he honked his car furiously. Hypothesis proven and experiment was successful. I only smiled when he honked. Yelah, takkan nak mencarut kot. That is so not cool. I'm just a bit disappointed with his behaviour.

The hired assassin

Did you know? I actually met a lot of these assassins on the road. There was one day where I think it would have been a total massacre if I had not use the horn. 

These assassins originate from the slow lane or the middle lane. They attempt murder by driving so fast and close to their victim on the fast lane, forcing the victim to slow down his/her car and let the assassins get in front of them. Of course, the victim who did not survive this technique might be unfortunate enough to suffer an accident, naudzubillah.

So yeah, when I was driving in Malaysia, I didn't use the horn that much as I find them offensive. But when I finally discovered these assassins. I just have to use it for my survival.

You see, when you horn the honk at these assassins, they would finally realize that killing is wrong. They would stop from trying to get into your lane and stay on their own lane. They would probably go and see those who hired them to return the money. Honestly, there was one day where everyone was out to get me.

The telepathic lane stealer

These characters are everywhere! At first, I thought their signal lights were broken or they're trying to reduce the consumption of their car batteries but no, that can't be it. They must be telepaths.

 Let me read your mind! (Source)

These telepaths; I envy them. They can move into any lanes that they want without illuminating their signal lights. All they have to do is to use their ability by getting into the head of the drivers on the other lanes and said something like, "Hey, I wanna go into your lane". And they go into their lanes without any signal lights. However, they forgot that most drivers (like me) wear those head protectors like Magneto. Telepaths can't get into our minds silly. You need to use the signal lights like normal people. My heart skips a beat when these telepathic lane stealers are on the road.

And that's reality.

You might think it's easy actually. I can just turn into any of these 4 characters any other day and survive the treacherous roads of Malaysia. Be them and live!

But I beg to differ.  I choose to be myself. 

Be who you are and not what others are forcing you to be (provided that these other people are not portraying good qualities)

You see, when Rasulullah was trying to touch the hearts of others, he didn't fight fire with fire. Let the people throw anything bad that you could ever imagine upon him but no, he didn't throw it back to them. He was a man who displayed good traits; qudwah hasanah. Rasulullah was being himself.

And that's what I believe. I believe in portraying good qualities which I hope others would be inspired to follow. I believe that the act of illuminating signal lights and giving way to people on the road may be a small step for the drivers of Malaysia to actually do the same thing. 

I believe that small good deeds may be minimal in the eyes of men, but they are noteworthy for Allah.

Be the change that you want to see in Malaysia. 

It starts from an individual. It starts from you.

And this is the importance of being me...