Antiques

Many-many months ago, our little books closet shelf collapsed being not able to hold the load it has to bear. After almost 2 months, my beloved handyman got it fixed and he willingly arranged back the books into the supposed shelves. Of course, it was not the same way of how I did it.

I am contemplating to re-shuffle the whole cabinet with noblest idea to create more space for more new coming books, especially for those colorful, full of pictures, less words books! This means some have to make way. I saw a section of my part ‘collection’ during uni time which by priority of usage, should not be accommodating the shelves anymore.

However, I so treasure my school books, notes and stuffs that some of them I still have today making me very difficult to put them away. Offer me to trade them with Zirkon jewelry, I would chose over my notes a thousand times. Offer to trade with Platinum.. I might consider only. J After every semester during uni, I would compile my notes according to subjects, bind and labeled them. Every single compiled notes has a story of it’s own.

For example this one. It was an elective subject under Engineering course that I took because of the lecturer. He was a handsome! Hehehehehe. Where got architecture student go and learn up about designing highway... So not cool ok.

See above assignment which I was supposed to get 7 out of 10 marks but being down graded to 5 marks because it was submitted later than the dateline. 7 is already not a big number... got cut some more! What can I say… I loaned the completed assignment to a class mate for reference which she promised to submit for me timely but she didn’t make it. My fault to trust. It was heart breaking right, to see that crossed. Lesson learnt!

There's one that has such an interesting story. Building Engineering subject and it is a compulsory subject that most students hated. Many hardly understand the lousy lectures and being architecture students whom always live in drawings and dreams, calculations and structures are so raw, boring and blergh!

We had our finals done, but results yet to obtain. A friend informed me that the lecturer wanted to see her, one other friend and me at his room. So we went. Lecturer’s name A***n Ch**bi.

When we met him, he went telling us about MLM, CNI products, he’s an agent… so on so forth. Then about our exam marks that we were in the A- range very close of getting A (border-border gitu as he said). The magic conclusion of the meeting was something like – join MLM under him/buy products = got A! Hah! Tu dia… I remember my two friends went out of the room with packets of CNI coffee, CNI soya drinks… Meanwhile I told him – “Just give me a ‘B’ or Fail me – I don’t really care”

That night I went to my class studio – Goodness…. There were packets and packets and packets of CNI products on many drafting tables, we had CNI feast.

I came to know almost everybody were called to his room with offer of B to A-, B- to B, C to B (if you buy more).. or even Fail to B-. I thought : I was so screwed up for not going with the flow and imagined the RED color mark on my results transcript. How were I gonna tell my mami about the to be Fail ? Not that she’d have a clue about it, scold me or be worried.

Results came out : I got ‘A’. Best part, I know I deserved it. Mek keras hati ok…..

Besides the stories behind each, I love my notes because they’re orderly and soothing to look at. So happened.. my handwriting is neat. I mean it. If I write, I make it a point to write properly. You should see my Geography notes during secondary school. I still remember how it was done very neatly. Too bad it’s no longer in my possession, lost somewhere along the line due to moving from one house to another. If it hadn’t for that, surely I’d still have it… even my primary school books! I sayang them all.

During uni, I hardly skip lectures. Ya-ya-ya.. Call me nerd if you want but I have reasons for it. I felt tensed up if I miss classes because I only trust my own notes! He he.

I was one who can’t stay late to study which is SO NOT an architecture student. Stay late to watch tv – can. Again unlike other architecture students the least my own batch, I was an active one. I like co-curricular, I got to hit something in the late afternoon. Usually by 5pm I was on turf with my hockey stick. I don’t spend much time studying. (The bad habit from school continues, I guess)

I did other things – panjat bukit – gunung, campings, sports - … And asal ada cuti, Mek balik kampong or down to kl to my cik ra’s house.

That’s why classes were so important for me. My studying time was mostly during classes.

For always attending classes, it made my notes were among the comprehensive ones and always being used by my piers as reference.

That’s the reason which makes me not very keen in joining study group because many times in a supposed to be group study, we’re referring to the same notes, and it’s my notes. I didn’t even know when they photocopied. Well, situation was… you owe it to one or two or may be three persons, then for all you know it’s already well circulated. Frankly, I don’t mind.

So, see.. I can go on and on and on blabbering whatever related to my school stuffs. These are my treasures money can’t buy. It may not be valuable to others but it cost so much for me. I’d rather carry all of them in a big-big bag rather than hanging big-big gold necklace to my neck, although I’m pretty sure no pawn shop would want to receive them in lieu of money! Tak laku….

But hey, I need not have to worry for burglars wanting to steal my precious belongings. Contradicting if I have a box of gold that every time I want to leave the house, the box has to follow me. Like the usual people do fear being stolen.

I don’t know what would be the end for the stuffs. May be again, I could pass them to Nada!

Ayat Drama : “Nada, Mommy tak punya emas-permata berkotak-kotak nak dibagi buat kesenangan Nada. Tapi Nada ambillah buku-buku dan nota-nota Mommy ini untuk dibuat panduan. Walaupun mungkin ia tiada lagi kaitan dengan keadaan semasa, lihatlah dalam perspektif berbeza. Akan kesungguhan Mommy dalam sesuatu hal."

Yup, when I always pray that she would inherit most of her dad’s values rather than mine… patient, polite, good temperament, soft spoken, stable, smiley, .. I hope she’ll get this one from me. The determination.

I do not need much external force to get things done on things that I want.

Relating studies – I never need my mami to breathe down my neck ever since I started learning A,B,C. Looking at these antiques, I am so unsure if there’s any significant for me to still keep them. Very much of me, I want to keep.. but I don’t want to be a hoarder ! Nanti Oprah datang interview Mek pulak!

Oh tough decision for me.

Clear the shelf. Clear the shelf NOT. Clear the shelf. Clear the shelf NOT. Clear the shelf. Clear the shelf NOT. Clear the shelf. Clear the shelf NOT.

I don’t know…