Bismillah.. Kabare semuanyaa? Rase janggal pulak nak tulis balik kat sini hehe..
Just as how I had left this space abruptly for months, making a sudden comeback out of nowhere seems quite the way to return is it not? :D Well.. what actually struck me to write again was seeing the view of Raffles Hall just this morning, as Naadhirah and I made our way to NUS multi-purpose sports hall for a test we had to sit for. Yeps, the very hall that we stayed at for the Refuge Zero Aid FOC which ended a week ago. What quickly surfaced in my head then was simply, “Haiz.. Miss the camp la.” Hmmm but why eh Diy? Perhaps this entry could answer exactly that hehe.
Given the really long lapse of time I’ve not attended any of such events, I was a lil bit anxious of what to expect yet still hoping much to bring back an experience worth remembering. And syukur lillah, He had Most Kindly granted my hopes fulfilled in the way He deemed best. =) Right from the start it was a blessing to meet my dearest all-girls Amazon team – warm & sporting newfound friends and very supportive & friendly facilitator seniors! Best sangattt main2 games among us 12, searching for clues throughout the campus, snapping photos, sharing meals and stories in our hostel room during Girl Talk session till wee hours in the morning and more.. oooh great company indeed! ^_^
Aside from this, I’m aware of the fact that organizing any event poses a big challenge to engage in and the complexities involved to carefully tie things together may not be an easy task. But the satisfaction from doing it till the end truly makes a rewarding journey in itself; just as how I enjoyed being with my friends from RP malay cultural group. And having NUSMS and PBMUKS working together to make it happen was interesting to note. With more talents and strengths combined, what could possibly manifest out of these two forces united? I was keen to see the potential goodness I believe they could achieve; and they certainly did - for as a participant I’m impressed with how the camp was run really. =)
Throughout the 4 days the schedule was packed with activities which not only were they part of a well-designed concept and storyline, but also with a good variation of programs that were expansive and essentially targeting different aspects in a captivating way – adventurous, intellectual, spiritual, and not forgetting the fun factor added in.
There were those lighthearted icebreaker games and humorously entertaining energizers to cheer us up, group campus tours as we dropped by musollah hotspots at respective faculties and halal food outlets (with free dishes of yummy Malay and Western meals to savor at each school canteen!) How kind~ ^_^ Mission games against other factions to win clues and prize money, and also the super fast-paced night explorace that left me gasping real hard for breath and felt like collapsing at one painful instance.. Totally testing my endurance limits and patience huhu >_< But thankfully could still catch up with my team who’d been helpful all the way although I’m usually the last one behind running hehe :P Need more trainings diy~
Ahaa and then there were moments with a more serious touch to it but still made a much generous serving of insights to reflect upon – a good dialogue session on social activism by three Malay ministers, a refreshing morning talk on social entrepreneurship and success secrets by well-known Mr Abuayubul Ansari, and also an XY game conducted by Bro Khairu Rejal from Saff which clearly highlights to us the critical issues of trust, ukhwah (Islamic fraternity), and our collective role in the current system and world order. All these and more definitely gave much thinking points to digest and explore. =)
Oooh Day 3 was our uber fun hiking trip on the Southern Ridges trail! Exciteddd! That very morning was already much delightful to begin with – the bus was filled with our voices laughing hard from watching Suhaimi Yusof & his Kelakar Rabak video.. waduuuh sakit perut ketawe :P
Was all happy to set foot at the really beautiful HortPark (a very attractive floral & designs gardening hub.. so nice!) and tracked along the path of the elevated walkway meandering through the forest of Telok Belangah Hill, up on the cursive Henderson Waves bridge next, off to Mount Faber Park with Temenggong Mosque City as our final pit stop and Vivo City afterwards for clues hunting again.
Hmm it seems that really long walks in my green army sandals can result to quite a painful outcome with blisters & sore feet, but alhamdulillah if not for this trip I wonder if I would ever walk through this route someday and able to catch such panoramic views of the city, harbour and wonderful sightings.. What more when the seniors specially hold a concert at the main auditorium after we shuttled to HortPark again for maghrib prayers. Amazing it was seeing how they could juggle both event-management and fantastic performances on Silat, Dikir Barat and Tarian which were no doubt received with much cheers and roaring applause from us audience. Marha marha~ and syukran jazilan for bringing us here! ^_^
Aahh the mega war on the last day was one climatic stage where the freshies and seniors battled in total frenzy! Armed with plentiful of water bombs on both sides and all looking very eager to launch them, it was really a tad frightening to watch ‘cos I’d never been part of any before :D So was quite alarmed at how much pain it could cause hehe.. Knowing that I couldn’t run that well :P , I decided to handle the flag pole with Sofia instead which was the main target that they were supposed to hit. And once the whole thing kicked off, whoaa scaryyyy~ all the filled plastic bags started flying fast overhead and dropping heavily on the ground! Imagine the impact each potentially brings then huhu..
So while they were busy aiming at each other, I was however trying to dodge and cover my head from the attacks. But little did I know that soon enough one was coming right at me and *Whamm!* it slammed hard on my chest >_< ya Allah sakitnyeee.. macam kene hentak je. Nasib baik tak kat kepala eish. The game ensued for a good few rounds and finally ended with both competing on whose team could cheer best. Kecoh habes~ :D
In retrospect I felt that within the outward forms that we experienced out of the games, trips and gatherings from the camp, it had uniquely presented a series of fresh happenings that came with it a lesson behind every encounter. What took place was not merely the fun and laughter, but also a measure of just how much the human spirit could thrive through the moments. We watched as different roles were executed to ensure the plan would turn out well - beyond the formal positioning as committees, facilitators and helpers - they could take on, in essence, the higher challenge to really mobilize, energize and keep the enthusiasm up in people through the whole affair.
Yes, that was the very idea perhaps – of people and the possibilities that could ever happen. We watched as friendships grew out of the short span of time; as hearts engaged out of a given mission that was to be achieved; as souls stood in unison when brothers and sisters faithfully perform prayers together.. I was amazed by the depth of the human touch – of how the voices, characters and actions of the people I met there had indirectly reminded me of the beautiful intricacies within all those – and how moving it simply was that we could connect and reach out to one another – perhaps there is a hidden meaning, perhaps Allah Most Knowing had brought us together with a purpose to meet in the long run. =)
{ Amazon . Cicak . Free Radicals . Orange Julius . Red Terror . Wira . }
May a good journey awaits us all, may this meeting opens up new doors to many beginnings that would lead us closer to His immense mercy and love. Ameen ya Rabbal ‘alameen.. Thank you for the memories, dear Refuge Zero Aid friends. =)
