Three days two nights

I just returned from a 3 days 2 nights kursus at Hotel Seri Malaysia Bagan Lalang, Sepang. The kursus entitled Kursus Kepimpinan Pelajar involved the 21 student representatives or Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar, but one of our friends here did not turn up dued to some personal problem.


Setting out for the location early last Friday morning, we did not know what was in store for us. A hint given by our ustaz was quite positive. His opinion was that we are going to enjoy this trip and it's going to an enlightening one. But we thought otherwise. Considering the years we know our 'lovely' ustaz, we anticipated nothing more than a boring course, or a full-course ceramah and speeches from the top for three-full days.


We set off for Sepang after receiving an 'amanat' or blessing from our deputy director, Mr Yong. The journey took more or less 2 hours along winding and hilly roads. When I woke up, we had reached at our hotel already.


After checking into our own room, we had our first morning seminar. It was about the mission and vision of IPBA. Besides being entertained with the boring fact of IPBA's vision and mission, there was something else prepared for us. Something that requires us to think reflectively. The presentation that morning questioned our or particularly my personal vision and mission. With the help of some graphics in the presentation, i was asked, 'Imagine 20 years from now - you are surrounded by the most important people in your life. Who are they and what are you doing?' I will be 43 yo by then. and i will either be a well-known lecturer at one private college, or a hotelier who owns plenty of resorts and hotels. Not sure if it will turn out to be a success or not, but in the meantime, this is my vision to continue develop more knowledge, skills and expertise.


Perhaps, 20 yrs are too far ahead, what about five yrs from now, your local paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people... a parent, a brother or sister, and a friend. What would you want them to say about you? That's the question we were asked. It's surprising to see that though we have a vision distant away, it is good for us to be realistic about our goal or mission. And one good way is to ask ourselves this question. To me, i want those who were interviewed to say that i am a person who has gone through the ups and the downs moments in life; a fighter who never gives up; a do-er who turns plans into action; and more inspiringly, they will tell stories of when and how i have stood up from failure.


On Saturday evening, all of us went to the beach nearby. The beach is just a walk away from the hotel. It wasn't really a commercialized beach, but it's starting to gain attention from people. why? because of its name. I was stunned when i first heard its name: Sepang Gold Coast! Gold Coast? imitating Australia's most commercialized beach? tat's a long way to go man.


The beach is beautiful. But i despise the sea-water. Not only is it dirty and yellowishly-brown in colour, my legs and my feets became itchy after stepping into the water. Now, i regretted for stepping inside the water. We all did some physical activities there, while most girls took most of their time taking pictures.

a time to relax and smile

a time to play touch-rugby

When it's time for everyone to leave, i excused myself to stay for a little longer on the beach. It was 6 something in the evening, and slowly, i watched the sun setting behind huge patches of clouds. It was as though night came but there was still a ray of sunshine radiating from behind those clouds. I found myself a spot to sit down and enjoy the sea breeze and the sound of the wave breaking against the shore. There came a total peace in my heart, a feeling of calmness watching some making their ways down the water and splashing in the water.

us

sunset at Sepang Gold Coast

That night, after our last session at 11pm, some of us went to the beach. I was one of them. It was low tide, hence we were able to walk on ground that was covered by water evening ago. During the way there, we saw thousands and thousands of small crabs sideways away from us. My friends and i managed to catch a few of them and played them on our hands. It was great but we didn't get to take photos of it. The night turned out to be a lovely night out as that was the last night we stayed in Sepang, and that was the night that we don't have any curfew to abide by.

Sunday came and morning came, we all gathered in meeting room for our last two session. We learnt about SWOT - Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat - in relation to ourselves, MPP, and IPBA. As i was trying to figure out my weaknesses in relation to the many things i dared not do, i realized that i lacked of confidence to stand up in some situations, especially when it comes to voicing issues with the authority. This is just one of my weaknesses. Indeed, there are others too.

a time to work

Reflecting on this three days two nights trip, i think i dare say it has been an enlightening experience for me. It was beyond my imagination and thinking to know that i have learnt more than i have expected: having a vision and mission, proactivepassion and action, teamwork, trust, faith, strategist, smart, creative, critical, accountable, dedication, commitment, and most importantly, having the confidence in me to realize that nothing is impossible for me to achieve!

What i need now to constantly and continuously review what i am doing and to always remember my goals, mission and vision. Failure after all is a test for me to grow stronger and more persistent in my actions.

a time to pose