salam...
alhamdulillah, i am finally done with my Fall 2011 semester..
*except for 2 more final papers
in total, i had 3 final presentations, and im having 2 final exams tomorrow
alhamdulillah, i have never felt happier after 1 whole semester
a great deal of why that is, is because i have really learnt a lot in just one semester
comparing to what i learnt back home, i actually learnt things that i can use ! which is really awesome
this semester alone, i was able to work on some really great stuff
ie :
1. Tetherless World Constellation: world's leading research center for Web 3.0
2. Student Sustainability Task Force: for my composting project.
3. Presented in front of an Executive from General Electric (ranked #1 of top 20 most admired companies)
Overall, i find my experience here in RPI being very, rewarding and full.
prior to this, i have made a promise to myself that i'll get the most that i can with my experience in the US.
indeed my first semester has been fulfilling in many ways
being somewhat alone in America, coming here, i only knew abt 8 people whom were all malaysians
to be honest it was hard to get used to American accents when speaking. and they kinda find it hard to understand me at first.
a lot of times in the day, i'd walk alone to the library, spending countless of hours studying and reading in the library(as well as facebooking)
it kinda got me thinking; why am i here ?
at first, that was kind of a difficult question to be answered.
after one whole semester, i finally understood the answer to that question.
it was my last day (today)
and i was listening to a 'Hotel California' song
idk why, but i had the urge to buy the Hell Freezes Over album.
and i did.
after a long time contemplating, i finally understood the ONLY reason why i liked that song so much
and it doesnt just stop there.
that reason is probably the main reason why i am studying here in the US
why i want to work
that reason changed my perception of the world
it was my Dad.
my dad was one of the most successful guy i had ever met (yes, i am the cute dude in red)
he came from a very poor family.
his mom was a nurse
his dad was a security guard.
throughout the years, he earned money the hard way
and he was offered a JPA scholarship to the Lock Haven State University, Pennsylvania.
he was studying and working at the same time, partially because he had to send money to his mom
that is where, she met my mom
my dad finished his degree in Computer Science in just three years
then he got married with my mom and did his Masters in University of Pennsylvania in his fourth year. my mom was the same case.
he started his career at some government organization, after a few years, he got a job offer to start up Oracle; a US based company. he later became one of the directors of the company
back then, i barely knew what Oracle was, and i also didnt know what a director is. so i didnt really see him as that big of a deal
considering that we're living in a terrace house, and both his cars were company cars, i didnt actually understand what his position was.
coming to the IT industry, i finally understood how big Oracle really is.
apparently Oracle is the company that makes your JAVA. you know, the thing that runs your internet.
and Oracle is the first company to develop a cloud operating system. err, basically windows without installing windows. err idk how to explain this. haha
and i also come to understand that a director is actually the highest rank in a company. directors control CEOs and that means a lot.
what im saying here is, he was a BIG SHOT. but he never showed people any signs of being a BIG SHOT. as his son, I didnt even know about that.
he remained very modest and raised us to be very moderate people. i remember back when i was in Malaysia, my most expensive phone was RM350.
I never had any iPads, any laptops. all my stuff were either passed down from my mom or my siblings.
but that didnt became a problem because i didnt have any urge to even get one. and i thank my dad for that.
at the back of my dad's mind, i knew that he didnt want to spoil us, and he's just saving the money for our future. he didnt even buy a car for himself. what man would do that ??
when my eldest brother finished SPM, he didnt get a very good result, but my mom insisted on sending him to study in the US without any scholarship.
apparently my mom was just a government officer and my dad died in 2000. so it didnt make much sense that my mom funded my brother's education of about RM60,000 per semester.
it was my dad. he saw it coming and saved money.
but the thing that really inspired me to change was, that my dad died when he was 43.
he didnt have the chance to get close to God like most retired person do.
he didnt even retire.
his life was all work. it was 6am to 12pm. 5 days a week
on Saturdays, he would bring me to work because he couldnt leave me at home.
he didnt really had much time with his family, but when he does, he would maximize the time he has with his family.
i remember how i was doing my homework while he was doing work on the same table as i was.
he even taught me to use Excel and powerpoint. at 8 years old. he made me the person i am today
so what does this have anything to do with Hotel California ?
my dad liked that song so much. I used to watch the Live version with him; just the two of us.
every time i listen to that song, it reminds me of him
it reminds me of how lucky I am to be born with a father like him
it reminds me of what I want to be
it reminds me of the importance of living with a purpose.
it reminds me of becoming a better person.
What I got from my dad's life :
1. its never too early to think ahead. prepare for the next 30-40 years as if you're gonna live forever, prepare for akhirah as if you're gonna die tomorrow.
"Berusahalah untuk duniamu seolah-olah engkau hidup selama-lamanya, dan beramallah untuk akhiratmu seolah-olah engkau akan mati esok hari." - syair
2. be moderate. living a lavish life is not good for you, your financials, nor your family.
"And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace," (25:63)
"And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate" (25:67)
3. Dont be selfish. think about ur kids(even if u have none). some people just want a car and a house and they dont care about anything else
4. savor the experiences in life. its gonna make you more mature. BUT that doesnt mean that clubbing is gonna do the same to you.
insyaAllah, let us all work hard to achieve success. for success does not come without effort.
this is Yusri, signing off.. last day of Fall 2011 :)
salam wrhmatullah
