From Then until Now 3: Straight to the Present

• While I don't quite remember the past very well and what happened exactly, I know I can remember fourth year and now.

 Fourth year was a real journey. It was a complete experience different from level one middle school and fourth year was probably not what I expected before I got into it.

There were so many new things to get a grasp of. For example, the added subject History and, let me tell you, I was NOT pleased with my exam results back then but now I'm getting a hang of it.

 Anywho, fourth year also showed me the often kokurikulum that I was unpleased of going to every Wednesday. Back then I was so confused and I didn't know what the clubs were so I just picked the ones that my dad told me were easier.

Either that, or since I recall, I just wanted to be with Ahilia since she was always the "leader" of our friendship. (Unfortunately some of my chosen clubs aren't the same with Ahilia's due to the sake of my crippling worry of things being too hard.)

 The first day of kokurikulum was rough. I can only remember the confused face o' mine that I had expressed while others stayed calm as if it was a normal day which didn't make sense to me since some of them were also newer to this sort of thing and yet they were calmer than me, which I admit made me jealous.

Once the teachers started calling out the clubs and where they should go, I had listened intently (more than I do usually, anyway.)

From Then until Now 2: (A Flood of Friendships)

 I apologize for not remembering quite well of my past grades, but I'm talking about first year while in the present, fifth year.

I might mix up my stories about first year with second or third, but you can't blame me now, can you? Anywho, after Ahilia I was a bit more social. I told all about her to my parents (at least I think I did) and my dad understood me and her's relationship but not really my mum who works at the school that she teaches at full-time which means getting her to pick me up from school was a bit rare.

From that day on, me and Ahilia are still friends but I proudly admit that I've gained some other people to be (unfortunate) friends (who have gotten into my life and had to listen to me yap about books and such like a baby babbling about milk). 

For example, I've grown a bit close to some of my classmates. Don't consider them friends, but rather more companions. A girl that got in the middle school in second or third grade, that I won't mention whose name since her parents have already signed 'NO' for the borang our head teacher gave us about the parents wanting to or not to let their kids show their faces in school photos, has already been my friend. Very introverted, but still helpful and fun to be around.

Then there's Embun, my second best friend who (I'm sorry Embun) I don't even know how we met but the rest is history. Next there's Sufiyya and Mischka (I think that's how to pronounce their names) who I met because of Embun who introduced me to them. Honestly, Mischka doesn't exactly talk to me a lot cause we're not that close, but Sufiyya likes me since I write a cool story that she keeps asking for me to finish since she wants to read the whole thing.

Oh, and this one might be the most odd. Funny, but odd. Tia was in the same class as Ahilia (after me and Lia got separated into two classes) and it was one random day in maybe third or fourth grade where after my family had gone to Ipoh (if I recall), my dad bought me a cool Golden Snitch keychain that had a watch in it and when I showed it to Ahilia, she said “You should show it to Tia.” as she gestured to Tia who sat at the bench beside us eating chicken as usual.

I was nervous-excited at the thought of getting to talk about things that I love but also scared-hesitant to actually talk to someone that I rarely knew. Like that one time when I had to pay for the canteen food and I had to talk to the lunch lady without knowing what to call her without getting any stares or offended looks like last time with my teacher.

But once I really started talking to Tia, there was a spark that I knew couldn't fade. (At least that's what I thought before she started getting obsessed with Genshin Impact *sad face*).

First it went from Harry Potter. Then LOTR. Then a Rick Riordan book I found at a book fest. And then suddenly to Percy Jackson. And all over back to square one! Quite an interest journey, eh? And only in two or three years.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention Sara, who I met alongside first meeting Tia. (Sorry)

Long story short, I had become much more confident in interacting with people and had even had the guts to talk to a sixth year. (Honestly she just waves to me time-to-time and not much more, but still).

That's it for today's blog. I'll continue either later or tomorrow.

From Then until Now: Pt. 1

 For any relatives seeing this continued work, do not judge me for being curious. I'm merely, dare I say bored, and this is a great opportunity to let out what I've been keeping with me my whole life.

Now, I know I don't really have anything to blog, so I suppose I can talk about my first day at school. (If I can still remember even the faintest details.

Hi. (Again). If you don't already know, or, might just mistake me for one of my other siblings, my name is Safiyyah. That is all I will say for anyone who isn't related to me.

 Kindergarten was so blurry. But you can't blame me, middle school has been for five years and already it's 2024! Haha. Oh, and I remind to anyone seeing this that despite the fact I am still eleven and a young girl who has a lot more vocabulary yet to discover: I DO NOT KEEP A DIARY. Honestly, it's very offensive.

Anyways, Brainy Bunch was too much of a faded memory for me so I will only talk of my middle school days. (Sorry to any of my old teachers from kindergarten).

Middle school. Around 2020 after I had graduated from Brainy Bunch (while being the child of the year in 2019, if I may mention with pride) and I had no idea what to do at this bigger school with newer and older people. I know I had always bragged about having lots of friends back then in kindergarten but JEEZ was it hard to even get a glance at someone in SK BUD(4). 

I remember my parents standing beside me as I begged them not to go away, not wanting them to leave me in such a crowded and big place. But they were only paying attention to the teachers and asking them what class I was supposed to line up at (if I recall as I whined).

They finally left and I was alone, confused and looking around with bewilderment of my new surroundings. The first time we had to stand up and sing the usual perhimpunan songs on Monday, I recognized the first two but was obviously confused with the third one.

Later on, we were ushered into class by some of the prefects and we had finally met our teachers.

“Selamat pagi, cikgu.” all the others said, but oh, with my oblivious knowledge of it all and being taught at an English kindergarten and not the prasekolah right next to the middle school that my parents sought me to go to, I had foolishly called the teacher AUNTIE. 

Yes, auntie was what we needed to call our teachers back then in kindergarten and I was so inexperienced that once I had blurted that out everyone looked at me with those judging looks and I probably looked like a tomato back then. After the teacher told me to call her ‘cikgu’ I had nodded in embarrassment and stayed quiet the whole time.

After that, we had been told to start colouring. Of course, I was unprepared and only had the littlest colours. But then, it was as if something clicked.

That was when I met my first ever friend which I used to bashfully admit she was my only friend. Ahilia. 

She looked over my shoulder and as far as I can remember, she had teased me for not having a lot of colours before noticing, “You have the same colours!” she pointed out the brand of our color pencils and indeed, they were the same.

I don't exactly know why we became so close just because of that, but yeah.

Beginning of a Wasted Talent

 Hi.

If anyone who has seen Shah Baharudin's work before, no, this is not him. I introduce myself and hope I don't disappoint any expecting people waiting for my dad's old work. Instead, I'll try to continue what he had lazily ended.