Idiots of the same feather never behave, hahah

You know I don't fancy waiting for people, right. So Iema and I decided to sneak out without a chaperon but we stalled at the main gate, just in case we could grab a guy to walk us home now. I was fidgeting like mad to move when a batchmate caught sight of us. He is one of the only two people who actually really scold me for walking around without a chaperon (even Bapis, Sufwun and Jack snided me instead, haha) and I respect him for that.

We made eye contact and I grinned. There was no way we could sneak out now.

"Hah Hana wait." He gave me the I'm-watching-you two fingers gesture like some kind of punk, hahaha.

"Hurry Acap walk us home." I was fidgeting hurry I must move now.

"Waaait. Abul's ready already."

Abul was behind him with a group of girls living in Sayyeda, but they were stalling. My legs were by then doing some weird dance. In my head was a whiny girl throwing a tantrum "Walk us home now Acap we're going in the same direction anyway why wait for Abuuuul" and she was going to manifest anytime sooner, but that was when Bapis showed up carrying a projector.

"Bapis! Let's walk home!"

Bapis looked between us and Acap.

"Send them back la, look Hana's already walking off."

"Yes! Bye Acap!" So I ran off expecting Bapis and Iema to follow me.

Bapis as usual let this monkey lead the way. We chatted as we walk and were turning the corner to Iema's place when she notified us that Acap was behind us. I turned around and there was him walking with Boq just three meters behind us. See I told you we take the same direction!

"Wow JAKSI." JAKSI is the social police in our community in Egypt and Acap is one of them, it suits his eldest brother attitude. The high proportion of chaperon was amusing. "Lucky I didn't try anything indecent hahah."

The most indecent thing I ever did with a chaperon was kicking him twice because he was annoying (hahah), and although I kick my big bro when he deserves it, I'm not sure Bapis will tolerate me if I kick him. He might go super sadist on me.

Iema laughed and we took that corner, but I think they heard me.

---

After we sent Iema off, I asked Bapis on something I overheard them saying.

"What was this prank you said you were playing on me?"

"I asked the guys to come up to you one by one and say "Wah Hana is handsome today-" with a thumb up "but they refused to. Prank failed."

I chortled. The people I am closest to in our BPP family are crazy people and I deal with them all the time, my brain nearly equate BPP as an asylum. It was reassuring to know the majority are still socially sane.

What happened was I was throwing thrash outside after dinner and a few guys were hanging around the area, Ame and Bapis included. As I was leaving Ame called out to me.

"Kak Hana were you wearing lipstick? You look handsome today."

"Hah?" Usually I would return the compliment but Ame was wearing pink when the theme was blue so I scoffed instead.

"We nearly didn't recognize you. White face, red lips."

I laughed. That didn't describe my lip balm at all, he needed to work harder to bait me into giving him my money.

"Yeah, you look pretty today." Bapis said.

"Thanks!" Bapis wore a colour-appropriate checkered shirt layering a white tee and so was someone I could return the compliment to. I grinned and gave a thumb up, sort of like what Gai-sensei would do. "You're handsome too!"

Moments to capture

I'm more a reporter (nowadays editorial inclined) than I am a photographer, but after working one year in BPP and having to deal with my news got published late because the photographer was late with the accompanying picture, I had to take up some basic photography. Just the simple rule of thirds and whatsit.

But the most important thing to photography that I learn is to capture the moment. That is why we must know of the tentatives and any VIPs in advanced.

For a noob photographer to worry about lighting and whatsit it might be too advanced for me, I can only operate the most basic of Photoshop. But to this day, this is the most basic thing I keep with me.

Kepercayaan Kunci Kualiti Kerja mediaPERUBATAN - Radin

Dedikasi buat Saeed Zubair bin Zahari wartawan lagenda kebanggaan Jabatan Liputan khususnya serta krew yang tidak berkesempatan hadir pada Gathering Krew LeGEN07.

Dengan musim kembalinya para graduan perubatan kelas 2012/13 Universiti Kaherah ke medan bakti Malaysia, krew mediaPERUBATAN tidak melepaskan peluang untuk mengadakan perkumpulan terakhir bersama para senior yang menggerakkan mediaPERUBATAN seawal zaman tatihnya. Perkumpulan yang dinamakan Gathering Krew LeGEN07 telah berlangsung hampir dua jam pada petang Rabu 5 Mac 2014 di Markas PERUBATAN Abou Rish dengan kehadiran 10 orang lagenda yang diraikan dan kira-kira 20 krew mediaPERUBATAN dari Universiti Kaherah, Ain Shams dan juga Al-Azhar.

Majlis santai dipengerusikan webmaster agung serta ikon mediaPERUBATAN, Saudara Muhammad Hafizuddin bin Mamat Azlan yang mesra dengan panggilan Dinmat telah bermula dengan sesi pengenalan dan perkongsian pengalaman ringkas oleh lagenda mediaPERUBATAN yang berkesempatan hadir, rata-rata merupakan ketua jabatan zaman awal Jabatan Penerangan dan Penerbitan (BPP) yang mengemaskini batu asas bagi gerak kerja mediaPERUBATAN semasa. Mereka tersebut adalah:

Mohamad Safwan "Pemenang" bin Roslan, perintis bidang kewartawanan PERUBATAN dan Ketua Unit Berita 2007-2009;

Asyraf "Jack" bin Zuki, webmaster PERUBATAN Online dan perintis coding dalam kalangan PERUBATAN;

Mohd Ihsan bin Hamdan, Ketua PharmaComic 2008-2011; 

Abdul Adzim bin Mohd Yusoff, Ketua Jabatan Jurnalis 2009-2011;

Mohd Najib bin Mustaffha, Ketua Unit Edaran Tibbians 2009-2011 dan Unit R&D 2011/12;

Mohd Fais bin Mohd Azli, Ketua Jabatan Liputan 2011/12;

Mohd Hazwan "Hazu" bin Mohd Salleh, Ketua Jabatan Grafik 2011/12;

Radin Rahmah binti Radin Monawir, AJKT BPP 2008/09/10 yang setia menasihati mediaPERUBATAN 

pada tahun-tahun mendatang;

Noor Asyila binti Ismail, Setiausaha BPP 2008/09/10 dan penggerak Unit Hebahan sesinya;

Sharifah Syahirah binti T Syed Manso, Timbalan Ketua Unit Grafik 2008/09/10 juga penerima pertama Anugerah Kualiti PERUBATAN kategori BPP Akhawat.

Turut menjadi tumpuan adalah bekas AJKT BPP yang turut hadir, Nur Humairah binti Che Ibrahim sesi 2011/12 dan Nur Hanisah binti Naspu sesi 2012/13, AJKT PERUBATAN Cawangan Kaherah sesi 2013/14 Afiq Zulhimi "Boq" bin Zairudin serta AJKT PERUBATAN Cawangan Kaherah sesi 2014/15 yang baru dinaikkan Aimi Asrina binti Noh.

Ucapan kemuncak telah disampaikan Saudari Radin yang menekankan kekuatan mediaPERUBATAN adalah pada para krewnya yang proaktif dan saling membantu serta menyokong satu sama lain. Saudari Radin berkongsi bagaimana beliau pertama kali menangis semasa bertugas dengan BPP adalah ketika reka posternya yang pertama telah dikritik tajam oleh ahli PERUBATAN dari Mansurah. Beliau pada ketika itu hanya mengetahui tentang perkara tersebut setelah ditunjukkan thread kritikan tersebut dimana hasil kerjanya telah dipertahan oleh antaranya Saudara Dinmat dan AJKT Biro Sukan dan Aktiviti Luar ketika itu, Saudara Muhammad Nazrul Syazwan bin Kamarul Arifin yang kini sudah bergelar doktor.

"Saya menangis bukan sebab dikritik tetapi sebab terharu."

Beliau turut memuji persekitaran kerja mediaPERUBATAN yang mana ahli bawahan sentiasa dijaga dan disokong oleh AJKT dan ketua masing-masing. Kepercayaan ini membolehkan krew bebas belajar ilmu baru dan bekerja dengan selesa dalam konteks tertentu kerana disokong oleh pihak atasan masing-masing. Saudari Radin percaya bahawa kepercayaan yang diberikan sesama warga mediaPERUBATAN merupakan kunci kualiti kerja dan kerjasama erat krew mediaPERUBATAN.

Pesanan terakhirnya buat krew mediaPERUBATAN khususnya mereka yang masih aktif dalam penglibatan, "Jaga ukhuwah. Jaga 'bridging the community' moto kita. Teruskan memberikan penerangan yang baik dalam kerja berpasukan kita dan kepada masyarakat.

Terus proaktif dalam cubaan yang datang dengan birokrasi PERUBATAN hari ini. Saya tidak menyuruh untuk memberontak, tetapi warga mediaPERUBATAN mesti mempunyai jati diri."

Diharapkan pertemuan yang ringkas tersebut dapat menjernihkan niat penglibatan dalam mediaPERUBATAN para krew sekalian serta menjadi batu loncatan untuk semangat yang ada. Selain daripada kemahiran yang digarap dan diasah, hubungan yang terbina diharap terus dikekalkan dalam medium perkongsian ilmu dan pembaikan kualiti kerja kita bersama.

"Once a crew, always a crew."

Dari kiri belakang: Amirul Zuhri, SU dan Jabatan Hebahan 11/12; Najib; Dinmat; Fais; Saifullah, wartawan dan penemuramah rasmi 2008-14, Amir Ashmunir, jurugambar dan Jabatan Liputan Pusat 2012-14; Ihsan; Afif Dimyati, Jabatan Grafik 11/12; Boq; Wawan, videographer 2009-14 dan Jabatan Audiovisual; Ahmad Zahari, wartawan dan Jabatan Liputan PCK 14/15; Adzim; Jack; Hazu; Safwan.

Amarlina, kartunis dan Jabatan PharmaComic 11/12; Ain Nabila, Jabatan Liputan Pusat 2012-14; Ruqayyah, Jabatan Grafik; Ainatul Mardhiah, kartunis.... Dah penat.

Bloopers:

Media in memory

When I was a first year the reporters and photographers were under separate units in Biro Penerangan dan Penerbitan (BPP) PERU*ATAN. I always complained to Paan the photographer boss that his unit was late with supplying the relevant pictures thus halting the process of publishing news on PERUBATANonline (PO). At the end-of-year meeting, he proposed that both units be merged and come my third year, Paan resigned and we have what we call Jabatan Liputan.

Despite the merge and promoted to deputy head, I didn't really get to appreciate the full extent of the work that the photographers had to put because I was a reporter myself and there were times we simply snap our own picture to go with our news regardless there was a photographer on duty or not.

Let's see if I remember this correctly...

2008 until winter 2010, first year until winter of second year.

BPP big boss was Damak and Kak Radin. My boss was Safwan and deputy was Kak Fathy. I was mostly tutored by Safwan, Abang Apis and Kak Radin and I learned a hell load from them. I was recruited as a photographer but writing suits me more, and my first official assignment was helping Abang Warouq with the 2009's graduation video. After sending the video off, I was to cover the winter's symposium at Hayyu Thamin, but I got lost and arrived late.

That time, Safwan kept calling me until I had to turn my handphone off because I'd rather get lost and find my own way than admit to a senior that I was indeed lost. I called Kak Radin and she picked me up instead, haha. We arrived safely at the venue and the first thing Safwan told me was to ask for food if I was hungry.

Serious level of kindness and a really good impression they left on me. The abomination that happened years afterward was another story, hahaha.

By summer of 2009, Safwan repeated his third year and thus cut off ties with us BPP. His post was left vacant so the unit ran with what we had until the end of that session. The bosses later promoted me to editor status on PERU*ATAN Online because they trusted my editorial work. Plus I used to edit Safwan editing my job a couple of times, haha.

Winter 2010 until winter 2011, second year until third year.

BPP big boss was Damak and Hani. It was the year I was exposed to the reality of bureaucracy and I didn't like how it smelled. Tong succeeded as the head but that guy was only on paper and Kak Fathy was hardly ever around. Truth be told, I only remembered Tong existed last night after asking Abang Apis. I think Damak played the role of head somewhere along this year, I was promoted, and we brought in Saeed and Adilah, our star reporters.

It was great that they were all very rajin and enthusiastic reporters together with Epul, and I got to play the role of news editor more. It was a fun time because we did a lot of brainstorming with our Alex colleagues and we also had a couple of cat fights with Baem who helmed the Academic Bureau that time.

I worked with Damak, Hani, Abang Apis and Jack supervising and helping me. There were a lot of times I had to ask Safwan and Kak Radin for pointers and guidance, too much I suppose that Safwan repressed me from his memory. I got a lot of "shoo shoo" and "ni siapa" back then, hahaha.

Winter 2011 until winter 2012, third year until fourth year.

BPP big boss was Chip and Humairah. Fais joined us as the head and I was the official deputy head. It was the year I slammed into the wall of bureaucracy. It was pretty hard for me to keep up with Damak's bureaucratic ways that always ended up with me putting a stop to a plan yet to be executed. I always let Fais handle everything. 

This was the year I joined PERUBATAN-Today to publish the news Damak would surely reject.

2011/12, fourth year.

I had enough bureaucratic bullshits so I joined MedTeam and left Jabatan Liputan to the charismatic Ame and the very able Ain Nabila. I was mainly editor by this time with a couple of news written on days they were shorthanded or I was bored with ennui.

Over in MedTeam, they gave me the post of UPP which is sort of BPP for MedTeam, hahahaha. So I was still around messing with PO and also the other way around.

I admit I was running away. Apparently Ain used the same advisor (read: vent) as mine; Abang Apis. He told me later that Ain conplained of the same thing I complained, lulz. I guess some things are broken and done for.

2012/13, fifth year.

This was the year we split according to universities. Iqy was head for Cairo, right? With Fathinah from Gen11us as his deputy. I think Ame and Ain still helm the main Liputan for BPP.

2013/14, sixth year.

They haven't change the boss yet, right? But it felt quiet nowadays. The latest work I did was the news on the new ambassador Pak Ku meet with a security briefing by Sir Ishak around the third week of December, and back then I reported to Ame at that time.

Know how I got that assignment? Ame was photographing around my isle and the juniors beside me seemed interested in him, hahaha. So I went

"Yo Ame sape tulis berita kali ni?"

"Entah. Akak la."

I think they didn't bother me with news work because I'm a final student now. The downside is that I hardly know who's who nowadays. I blame this confusion from no proper new-sem briefing by the bosses.

MAG and Me

When I just started my first year, we celebrated Kak Battah's batch graduation during the winter and as a young reporter at that time, my assignment was to interview her on video and pass the clip to Abang Warouq who will be doing the compilation.

Assignment was delegated by Kak Radin, then big boss of BPP. So I called Kak Battah and she told me the direction to her house (take the Metro and stop at Ghamra, take the microbus towards Awwal Maqram and get down when you see a ministry building on your right. Walk into the street and turn at the first left, enter building number-I-don't-remember-now on your right).

Take note I was a first year student in Cairo, barely three months into my stay in Egypt and already wandering beyond the neighbourhood alone. I was a brave lass. Lol.

So that morning I went to Kak Battah's house she shared with Kak Nik. They were packing and there were also Kak Nik from Alex. I asked whether Kak Battah was ready to be interviewed, in which she told me to interview Kak Nik instead since Kak Battah will be giving a speech during the ceremony.

Interview taken, video edited and even subtitled. I dropped the video to my then boss Kak Fathy to be picked up by Abang Warouq before running off to catch the public bus towards Thamin to cover the MAG ceremony. I was dead late and Safwan had been calling me so many times wondering where I was (I reject his calls after a few times because I got lost and was too egoistic to admit that to a male senior).

Kak Radin saved me that day. All seniors I encountered were very kind I could cry.

---

When I was in second year, I got involved as an AJK for Kak Aniah's batch graduation. The rest of AJKs were the batch-after (Abang Ayep, Abang Aslam, Abang Faizal and Kak Bid) with the notoriously famous Kak Pink and this was how I get to know them and concurrently the close kinship, lol. Lucky me!

We had graduates from Cairo University and Ain Shams University, so I prepared the questions and asked Kak Fathy to interview the Cairo graduates, my housemates (haha bullied) to interview Kak Asma and I took the ASU graduates. Rahman took care of interviewing the male seniors.

So as last year, I called Kak Zawil up and she gave me directions to her house she shared with Kak Daing and Kak Laili (go to the bus stop at the end of Maarad and walk ahead along the big road until you find a chicken shop on your left. Enter the building next to it.)

They thought I would be coming with friends (because good girls don't go wandering to new places alone) and Kak Laili already prepared the best dhal gravy I ever had to be eaten with fresh fatiroh from the bakery. We had the shot while they were going through daily tasks and wrapping up the boxes to be shipped home.

It amazed me how easy for us to get along. They were seniors older than me and I was just a pesky kid running around with a camera and a notepad. They were friendly and helpful and I had no reason to be awkward at all. Naturally the leftovers were too much so I brought them back home, hehe.

Kak Fathy had me to accompany her during interviewing Kak Aniah since it was done at the futsal pitch of Zinhoum; Kak Aniah the good wife was cheering for her husband during the final match of LiQa 2010 and it was Waadul Haq versus Fawwaz at that time.

Supposedly I just interview them and Rahman do the video compiling, but later he asked me to compile them as well.. Truthfully I am better at interviewing than doing the technical job, but we need to be outside our comfort zone sometimes, right? Well actually had he not been a neighbour and a senior from Hadi's batch, I would never had given him any slack.

At that time, I had the worse time trying to edit the video. Abang Ayep and Abang Aslam kindly called time after time asking me was it done yet and was there anything they could help but I was probably too stressed out to give an honest answer.

But the video did turned out okay, at least Abang Faizal seemed to be happy with it. During post-mortem meeting/party I took a lot of beating but nevertheless, I had fun.

Kak Zawil, Kak Daing and Kak Laili later came over to my place and they made friends with old Yuuno. They even registered themselves to be in Kelab Sahabat Yuuno, haha.

Previously in 2010

January

I ended 2009 and started 2010 on a falsely-perceived good note. Taught me to be wiser in dealing with people. We perceive things differently and that differences could easily mess up a lot of relationships if treaded recklessly.

Was the Promotion and Registration Committee for PERUBATAN Bahariya Explorer 2010. Had fun meeting people from all over Egypt and learned to be diplomatic, to ask for favours, that people are actually nice creatures and I have really cool seniors. Plus I realized my intolerance to unsupportive leader who wouldn’t back us (me) up.

Also was the Preparation and Multimedia Committee for PERUBATAN Graduation Appreciation Ceremony (MAG) 2010 along with the neighbour. Was in the meeting with a whole room of seniors and I was exceptionally delighted :D

Opah passed away on the 16th. I wasn’t as tough as I expected, we all have our moments.

Found an older ‘brother’ on the 22nd and that kept me in high spirit for the rest of the month.

Midyear exams commenced on the 24th and I opened a Twitter account for my personal quote bank.

Two juniors from my high school returned back to Malaysia at the end of the month and I realized I haven’t been a really good senior to them.

February

Finished the midyear exams on 3rd and was aghast with the prospect of winter break which was not a break at all. Watched the final match for LiQa while interviewing one of the seniors for MAG.

Gen08 had a get-together which I forgo in favour of MAG meeting at ARMA. Plus I had already missed the batch’s SC Gabungan on the day I departed for London thus I started to doubt my loyalty to our batch, haha.

PERUBATAN 6th Annual Meeting (MAT) on the 6th in which I went as a representative and reporter for mP. It was HOT and the issues presented were more than what we could handle. Plus we had MAG on the next day and darn my part had yet to be done with. On this very day also, an issue arose on my commitment to our cause.

On the 7th we had MAG! Actually I remember writing an account on this but I deleted it later out of reasons I forgot. It was etched upon my soul though and I shall not coat this memory with the dust of forgetfulness.

That very night we had our Bahariya briefing for we were departing on the very next day. Three consecutive programs resulted in my deviated focus; my duty with mP was thus forgotten.

Bahariya from 8th to 10th was superb :) Mansurah people rocked my socks and I swore to never come near ish baladi ever.

On 16th we had PERUBATAN Medisal Cup 2010 and I played futsal on the Cairo II team with six first year students against Cairo I team of my peers. I remembered posting about this on Facebook, asking for tips and Abang Ayep kindly advised me to sujud upon scoring and of Surah Ibrahim verse 7. We lost to a team from Azhar though (they had a coach, ouch!) but the fun was endless.

That night we had our final meeting for MAG plus a party with food to feed a small town. The seniors were very much supportive and helpful I succumbed to embarrassment :”> Let it be known, Gen04 will always be my most favouritest. Plus some of the Gen06, haha yeah I am biased.

On the 20th, our webmaster proclaimed his disappointment with the non-functioning News Department. It was a very pitiful moment for us, especially to me since disappointing people was death to me. It started since MAT; then it was me and Saifullah with Abang Hafiz helping us out; Safwan resigned earlier this semester and the new head and vice head were, I don’t know, missing?

I decided not to become PERUBATAN program’s committee member as long as I am still with mP (it is hard to write up any news when you have to help run any program within the same time frame), except for MAG maybe.

27th came and marked my succumb to abandonment; the biggest challenge for 2010.

March

There rest of the year went downfall. Not worth finishing this post. Reviewing the year made me depressed.