He's a maniac on the floor!

Here are my Persian friends and I during our university's graduation ceremony last night. We danced to Persian music (photo below). After viewing the video that my brother recorded of the event, I realized how raw my style is and how much improvement it needs. You see, believe it or not, this was only the second time in my life that I had danced voluntarily. (Yes, once when I was a boy my cousin forced me to dance in an Iranian wedding in front of her hot young friends, lol.)

The first time I danced of my own free will was in Kuala Lumpur during my internship in a party held in my condominium on the night of the 2006 Soccer World Cup final. At first I was standing on the sidelines watching people go crazy on the floor, feeling dignified and different. Then I thought, "What the hell! I want to try this. I'm leaving this place in a week and even if I did make an ass of myself, nobody would notice, care or remember!" So I joined in and started clapping and moving slowly. In a matter of minutes I was jumping and swaying to the beat like crazy. I loved the raw energy that the music brought out in me. That night was amazing!

Forever Young

Last week I downloaded the complete version of "Forever Young" by Youth Group, a song I'd heard in "The O.C." It's beautiful! Some of the verses were new for me because they're not included in the series. In the song, the poet talks about his fear of growing old and losing the wonderful gift of youth. I found the following lines to be particularly moving:

"Many adventures could've happened today,
So many songs that we forgot to play,
So many dreams swinging out of the blue,
We let them come true."

It so happened that I was listening to this song at the end of the day. So I thought to myself, "He's absolutely right! Many adventures COULD have happened today. Why didn't they?!" It's true that my university has a fairly closed environment, but who says the days should pass by monotonously?

I should really make new things happen to me. ("We let them come true.") I need to get out of my comfort zone, stop being so conservative and do fun crazy things. Like crack a silly joke in class, hang out with people I normally wouldn't hang out with, taste that strange local dish I'd been avoiding, ....

Another example is that I'm here in the heart of South-East Asia and I still haven't seen Singapore, Thailand, or Cambodia. This is the closest I'll ever get to these amazing places; this might be my last chance. So I've decided to try to arrange a trip with my friends this mid-semester break.

I'm 21 and at the prime of my life; I should be going wild! That's what any wise youngster would do. :-) By the way, the things I mentioned above are not my idea of going wild. Believe me!

Euro-Girl

We met at our condo one night during my internship and talked for about an hour. Her first language is German. She is from South Tyrol, a formerly Austrian region that became part of Italy after World War 1. She spoke very passionately about the beauty of Meran, her homeland. She actually has a weblog with information for tourists who want to visit Meran.

She complained about guys hitting on her all the time in Malaysia. She believed it was because she's "blonde". But that's only natural here. I mean Malaysian girls are alright, but European girls are beautiful on a whole other level.

But what I liked most about her was the depth and substance of her character. She wasn't at all superficial. She took lots of pictures of all the places she visited in Malaysia and created a comprehensive weblog of her experiences. She left for home a week later.

This post should have been in my internship weblog (http://cdeb.blogs.friendster.com), but I only got the picture today, so I added it here. It was taken with her camera about two months ago, but she only uploaded it on the net recently. I should really get myself a personal digital camera so I don't have to wait around for pictures of myself! I should also tuck in my shirt properly before a photo so I don't look so fat! And I should stop being so self-conscious!

People Change

When you return from an 8-month internship, you expect your classmates and friends to have changed. At first, however, you're disappointed. Most people dress and act just like before. Their personality traits are exactly the same as they used to be.

When you start talking to them, though, the changes start to show. When asked, most will speak passionately about the projects they've worked on, how they want to continue studying those areas in their Final Year Projects and how they're already planning for their future careers. You also feel how they've all matured in every way.

Diary

Having returned from my internship, I browsed through my personal diary last night. I think reading an old diary is one of the greatest joys in life. Those of you who keep a journal will know what I'm talking about. It takes you back in time, reminds you of stories you'd completely forgotten about, and brings back all the feelings. You remember the way you were and realize how much you've changed since then.

It's also written proof that, although those years are forever gone, you've thoroughly enjoyed them. It's comforting to know that you've made the most of your life.

Writing in your diary feels great too. It's a place where you can express your most private feelings and thoughts. You create a personal world for yourself that nobody else knows about; it's for you, and you only. It makes you feel important and special.

I guess keeping a diary is a form of self-love. (No, don't be disgusting. I didn't mean it in that way!) You care enough for yourself to record your experiences and keep them for your future enjoyment. (Seriously, stop it!)

Welcome!

Hi everyone and welcome to my new weblog! The old weblog that I had during my internship in Kuala Lumpur was titled "Frankly from a Friendly Foreigner" and is available at: http://cdeb.blogs.friendster.com. You might want to take a look at it to see what kinds of things you can expect to read here.


Anyway, I completed the internship last month. I am in my university in Perak, Malaysia again, with one year to go before graduation. It's good to be back, but I miss KL too. I can honestly say I had some of the best days of my life there. This was probably because of two things:

1. Any internship is, in itself, enjoyable: Job satisfaction, getting paid (No, I said "Paid", with a "p"!), feeling really mature, doing whatever the hell you want after work (instead of having to study or do assignments after lectures), etc.

2. Life in KL is awesome: I got to meet all kinds of different people - like tourists, expatriates and really open-minded Malaysians - that I'd have a smaller chance of meeting in my university. (My uni is in the middle of a jungle, an hour's drive away from urban civilization!)


My university has improved. The internet is much faster than before. I listen to online radio every day without interruption. The IT department has tried to keep students from accessing streaming media, but they're half-wits; some radio stations are still accessible. And we've got newer, better hostels. Water pressure is great (the showers feel like waterfalls) and every house has a nice big hall and kitchen.


I'll try to make at least one post every week, so cheers and stay tuned to:

The Explicit Expatriate!