The process of leaving Malaysia was not easy. There were some bumps on our way to the plane but it was all resolved. It was exciting to go home and depressing to leave. The four of us boarded the plane and I was lucky to have a window seat.
It was a very long wait but finally the plane took off. It was a 4 hour travel to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
We were fetched by our friends who arrived earlier than us. It was a bit hard to fit inside the van because of our stuff but we managed to arrange it. We headed home right after.
We had to stop by after a while at Chowking to eat before we continued our journey. We finally reached Agoo, La Union around 8:30 pm and I was fetched by my Brother. It was unbelievable but I am now back home.
It is the end of my internship. Thank you so much for reading my blog.
Today is our last day in the hostel. I prepared all my things and checked if everything was ready. Mr. Wan Salmizi contacted me and asked us to drop by the hostel office for a while. He asked us if we already had our lunch and he treated us after knowing that we haven’t. He also gave us a shirt which we will give to our coordinator Mr. Farland.
While having lunch, Cimok arrived and I needed to hand him the external hard drive that I borrowed from Zam. It was our farewell moment with him. He made our stay here in Malaysia memorable even though he was not an official buddy.
Just as I was about to return to he hostel room and fetch the hard drive, Mr. Mohd Fatah was already there. Cimok and Mharck followed me and I successfully returned the item. We baded goodbye after taking a few pictures and quickly returned to the room.
We placed everything at the back of the car and we headed on our way to Mr. Iskandar’s house. Mr. Iskandar invited us inside where his wife prepared some snacks for us which we really enjoyed. The food was similar to our very own empanada. It was a great home. Cozy and really clean.
After having our snacks, we headed out and started our journey to the airport. It suddenly started raining and on the way, we picked up Mr. Navi. Mr. Iskandar, Mr. Navi, and Mr. Mohd Fatah brought us to several more places before heading to the airport.
We visited a grape farm and a hornet honey farm. Too bad that the grapes were not in season so we only got to see a few. On top of that, the owner of the honey farm was also not around.
Upon reaching KT Airport, we immediately tried to check-in and we rearranged our stuff because we exceeded the limit of our luggage. Mr. Navi also gave us a paper bag full of gifts. Good thing there was extra in our booked luggage and we managed to fit all our stuff.
It was a short 1 hour ride. The view was magnificent as you can see from the very first picture of this post.
We arrived at KLIA and we headed straight to KLIA2. I could not contact our friends at first but we eventually found them. Now, only a few hours left and we will be back at Manila.
It is our second to the last day here at PSMZA and we decided to have Mee Champa again with our buddies. This time, we had our refills.
After getting full, we decided to buy some more stuff so they brought us back to the store where we first bought our jogging pants. It was a great place. Then, we went to another store to buy shirts with a ‘Malaysia’ print but unfortunately, we did not find any. I bought a pair of shoes instead.
Nothing was out of the ordinary. After reaching home. We decided to do some laundry since tomorrow will be our last day. I prepared my things and almost completed my packing.
We were supposed to eat outside but since it was cancelled, we decided to use this night to rest since we will be waiting at the airport tomorrow night for our flight.
Today is a different day. I can say that for sure. Why? Because I woke up only after a few hours of sleep yet I feel so fresh and energetic compared to other days. I just took my time fixing some of my stuff until 8:00 am came.
Mharck and I went down to the ground floor to take our breakfast. At the hall, we saw Mr. Roswady, Mr. Saiful, and the driver. They were already done for breakfast and they reminded us to be ready by 10:00 am.
We went back to the room and prepared ourselves. After getting ourselves clean and all our stuff ready, we went down to the ground floor. We left Nouvelle Hotel after a few minutes to reach Putrajaya to attend our event.
Luncheon Meeting with Director General
The room was already half full when we came. A lot of guests have arrived and after a few greetings and some commemorative photo, we went to a table at the back. Already seated at the table was Dhura and Aziza.
We also met the Anne Louis Jalando-On, Philippine Embassy Representative who is also the Deputy Chief of Mission and Consul General. We took our chance to have a photo with her.
The program started with an AVP showing how beautiful and diverse the culture of Malaysia is. After that was the opening remarks which was quickly followed by a presentation from two Indonesian students sharing their experiences from their internship.
Next, the Director General gave his remarks which was quickly followed by a Q&A.
I asked him about his vision for Politekniks and Community Colleges with regards to internationalization. To which he answered vigorously. A few more answered questions and the host declared that the buffet is open. We had our fill and then we took the opportunity to grab some photos with our newly found friends.
I was even interviewed about my stay in Malaysia. Check this out!
I met Arymas, Tata and Resa to mention a few. The event ended but the journey will continue. We went to a famous place in Putrajaya that features all the state flags and took a lot of pictures there. Putrajaya offers a lot of places with great backgrounds.
After that, it was a long 6 hour drive back to PSMZA.
Mr. Roswady knocked at our door and gave us our itinerary for our flight on the 14th of September. In addition to that, he gave the coffee we ordered to us for free as his souvenir.
We then started our journey to Putrajaya. We stopped by R&R Temerloh for lunch. On the way, we talked about not being able to see Genting Highlands back when we arrived. We tried to catch a glimpse of it when we reached a high area but the haze was too thick. Right then and there, Mr. Roswadi decided that we will drop by Genting Highlands.
Genting Highlands is a place for fun and relaxation. There were cable cars and great shops that will surely attract tourist. Theme parks and casinos are also present that will make a family’s stay worthwhile.
After reaching the top, we traveled down and headed to Kuala Lumpur. There we explored the KLCC Tower. We took some great pictures and bought some souvenirs. After that, we stopped by before we headed to the hotel.
On the way to the hotel, I was already contacting my brother who was working at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Kuala Lumpur. I told him the name of the hotel and the estimated time of our arrival.
We arrived at Nouvelle Hotel but did not enter yet. We took our dinner first. When we got back at the hotel, my brother arrived too. We headed to our room and shared stories after not seeing each other for years. He brought a lot of stuff that I can bring home.
It was an emotional moment. After catching up, I accompanied him downstairs and waited for him to ride the ‘grab’ car. I fixed the stuff he gave me before going to bed.
Right after our time in, we went to have a breakfast with Mr. Falihin and his friend Mr. Ridzwan.
They have been friends for quite a while now (I think more than 15 years if I’m not mistaken). I learned about their friendship during our internship days and I was really moved hearing about how they help each other. Whenever they feel alone, sad, or they simply need a friend, there will be no doubt that they would at least eat their breakfast together.
It was our last day of internship. We went back to Paka to pull out a machine at an office near Top Wave. It was not an easy job. It almost took all the male staff to bring the machine down.
Then, we went back and fixed some settings from the Corel Draw we installed. It was about the photo grid settings so they can produce passport sized pictures with borders. Next, we fixed the wifi adapter of Athirah’s laptop. It was not easy because the adapter was already faulty.
Finally, I took pictures with everyone and I made them sign my shirt. Mr. Falihin also gave us a milk tea and I gave a testimonial about the taste. It was really good. A must try in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
We were given our certificate and a plaque of farewell and thanks.
Before the day ends, we brought up machines to the 1st floor. It was our last task here at Top Wave. I will surely miss coming here and working with the people who cared for us and taught us a lot of stuff.
We were picked up by Mr. Wan Salmizi and the driver and along the way, they asked about our stay in Top Wave.
Upon reaching PSMZA, we rested for a bit and went straight to the venue for the closing ceremony. Miscalculating the time, we went too early so we headed to where our buddies were located. There we met Sing and Atiqah.
Since we are already present, we helped in preparing the venue for the closing ceremony. Tables were placed, chairs were dressed, and food was plated. They prepared so much for us. We were in the presence of the Executive staff and we shared about our experiences in Malaysia.
We were surprised because they gave us a lot of gifts. It was truly a memorable night. It made me feel a lot of mixed emotions. Here are some more moments from that night.
Only a few days left and we will be heading back to the Philippines. To make the most of it, we will be toured around Kuala Terengganu today.
To start it off, we had our breakfast with Mr. Iskandar. He brought us to a place where we could eat Nasi Dagang. It is a delicacy that we tried for quite a lot of times but was always unavailable for some reasons. We then continued our travel to KT. It was a long journey and I could feel that it would be hot today.
After about two hours, we reached our first destination. The first one is the Draw Bridge. We have learned that this bridge has been opened to the public for just recently and that means that we are lucky to visit it. It was a marvelous piece of architecture.
After that, we went to Pasar Payang Market to buy some souvenirs. I bought a pack of keychains and three fridge magnets which totalled to 18 ringgit. I was trying to save some money so I did not buy a lot.
Having bought some souvenirs, we then headed to the next destination – Masjid Kristal. This is a mosque made out of crystals. It looks really cool and attracts a lot of tourists.
Then we went to the Losong Museum where we got the chance to imagine the rich history of Malaysia. We were even lucky enough to see the authentic boat they used back in the days and also their “Kampung” which is magically enticing because it has no nails. Imagine the architectural level of that structure. Having finished our three destinations, we were invited by Mr. Iskandar to dinner.
We went to Ayam Mad after buying Nasi Lemak on the road. It was indeed and enjoyable dinner that really fills you up. The chicken complimented the Nasi Lemak wonderfully. It was time to go home but then Mr. Iskandar remembered the Floating Mosque. We dropped by for a while to enjoy the scenery while we were briefed about the story of this Masjid.
I can really feel how we got loved here in Top Wave. We were treated to breakfast by Miss Ayu who bought Nasi Lemak for everyone. We enjoyed it and I will really miss this food when I get back to the Philippines.
After 30 minutes, Mr. Afiq called us to the first floor and we tried the King Kong Burger he made. It was really delicious. I have never tasted a small shop burger like this. It had three patties and egg on each side of the bread with tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber. Fulfilling is not even enough to describe it.
Being full with food, it was hard to do the job. I was a bit slow compared to other days and a bit sleepy. Nevertheless, I still did my best to show how energetic I was whenever we are outside of the car.
Compared to other days, today’s job was not so taxing. A few schools after lunch and we went back to the office. I printed out the evaluation forms for our supervisors to fill up and waited till 5:00 pm came. We were delivered by Mr. Din, our driver for today, to the hostel and we took our rest.
Our buddies invited us for dinner outside. It was an emotional night after they told us that this might be our last dinner outside together. We went to a shop in the town which sells western food and we chose the Nasi Goreng Chicken Chop.
Then, we went to the arena to try and look for something interesting. We wanted to try and ride some bicycles but they were not available at the time.
We took turns singing our national anthem at the park and shared some of our funniest moments from our stay. At the car, we enjoyed western music until we reached the gate of PSMZA.
Rul came along with us to hang out in our room. He stayed and we talked about my friends. He also copied some software which I introduced to him two weeks ago. When he returned to his room, I took a bath and went to bed.
Although it is our second rest day, I woke up early. I read a manga and I also studied some of my missed lessons back in the Philippines.
At 11:00 am, I tried to do my laundry but the machine is still being used so I came back at 11:30. After placing my clothes inside the machine, I immediately went back to the room and asked Mharck if he wants to grab lunch quickly.
After eating, we went back to the room and I took care of my laundry. We were then informed that we will go to rental house so we got ready.
It was around 2:00 pm already when we arrived at the rental house. I played TFT using Cimok’s computer until 5:00 pm came. They all prayed and we went to town. Accompanying us today is Anis, girlfriend of Cimok, who helped us choose Batik.
After that, we went to DIY but we did not find what I was looking for. Lastly, we went to Azak’s Computer Shop but Mharck didn’t buy what he was looking for since the price is similar to that of our home country.
We headed home and on the way, Zam bought us a Nasi Bajet. I was feeling so tired that I went to sleep really early after eating dinner.
Being a rest day, both Mharck and I spent most of the morning in bed. We browsed the net using our phone and just waited for any activity to come.
Having nothing else to do, Mharck decided to do his laundry. After that, we went back to making our blogs and other requirements before going back to bed.
I woke him up at 12:00 nn because I already felt my hunger. I told him I was going to the cafeteria and he tagged along. After we got back, we were informed by our buddies that we will go to their rental house.
Finally, they arrived at our door at 4:40. We prepared a little bit and we traveled by motorcycle. We met new faces at the rental house and we headed out again immediately to buy some stuff.
I bought a shirt and two jogging pants for 35.5 ringgit. I also bought a pouch for 18.75 ringgit which I will use to hold my passport and my phone.
After getting back at the rental house, I played mobile legends and league of legends with them. Cimok cooked meatballs and an omelet for our dinner. It was super delicious. I will miss having dinner with these people.
Azam’s Laptop and he is watching a movie
When 9:30 came, we headed back to the hostel. This is because if we stay outside for too long, we will be scolded by the guard.
Having said our goodnights, we headed to our rooms to sleep.
Picked up by Mr. Falihin again, today we continue the unfinished business yesterday. Dungun area again which is why we were picked up.
Although there were some bumps on the road, everything went generally well today.
The fun began after we were picked up. Fnc, Dr. Sharifah’s husband came to pick us up. He asked if we are hungry and we said yes. This made him decide to take us to the night market.
At the night market, we circled around almost every stall looking for interesting food we haven’t tried yet. First, we all bought a mango juice which has become my favorite already. Then, we chose two desert looking food that we brought home and we ate chicken burger which was a treat from fnc.
Having filled our stomachs, he brought us to the seashore. It was really beatiful. Take a look:
We were both thankful for this opportunity. Dungun has become a part of us. It will indeed be part of this internship program that will be missed.
We got back at the hostel and tried the snacks we got. At 7:30, we decided to go to the cafeteria. I was going to buy ice only but after meeting Jai again, I joined him and Mharck for dinner. We had a fun talk about our countries, our similarities and how our religions were different. After that, we came back to the room.
It was a rather noisy night and we found out that it was because the Malaysian Football League has a game. It settled down after a while and I fell asleep right after.
Another day in Top Wave and today, we were delivered by Mr. Hafiz. We will now perform MMC on the Dungun Area.
Just like yesterday, people we interact with usually thinks that we are malaysian at first sight. It is funny to see their reaction suddenly change when Mr. Falihin decides to tell them that we are students from the Philippines.
It was a bit of a stressful day as some of the clients this time have a bit of a problem. Sometimes, it takes 40 minutes to settle the business in one place which will affect the plan for the day. Our strategy to save time is that, Mr. Falihin will tak care of the paper works while we check if there is an error, check the toner level, print the meter charge, and clean the machine.
After getting as much work as we can, Mr. Falihin dropped us off at PSMZA since we are already in Dungun. I decided to take a rest first.
Mharck made some progress on his project and I give him some advice. I also assist him sometimes. While we were doing that, I also took this chance to settle my other functions in my home university. Being the college mayor, I asked how the other officers are doing and how they are handling everything. What a great way to end the night by hearing that they are doing well.
The day is Tuesday and we are picked up by Mr. Falihin at 7:00 am. We are headed to Hulu, Terengganu so we had to be early.
We had our breakfast on the way and today we will conduct a Monthly Meter Charge (MMC) on 24 machines. It was an easy task but can also eat up your time.
The good thing about this is how we can observe different people and different situations. We interact with the locals from different places as we do our job.
One school gave us freshly harvestes fruits like mangosteen, rambutan and durian. Others also offer lansones. People of Malaysia has made me feel like I belong.
While Mr. Falihin settles the documents, we check the machine for errors, we check the amount of toner, and lastly, we print out the counter/status report.
I even got the chance to play with these kids. They were making paper airplanes and I got the chance to meet them. They were so happy to see me and they thought I’m just another big brother. It was a painful goodbye knowing that I might not see them again.
The day went on and we were delivered back to the hostel by Mr. Falihin. Being back early, we both decider to rest a bit. Having noticed that the internet is back, we updated our blogs until the night came and I got sleepy.
Waking up on a Monday is never easy. Today is our rest day but we have a schedule of activities waiting for us. Our first one is to have breakfast with Mr. Navi at 9:00 am. Rul came to our room and fetched us at 8:50 and we all headed to the hostel office.
Our destination is Dungun City to eat Nasi Dagang but we were informed that it was not available. We ordered Nasi Minyak Daging instead. We stayed there for quite a long while talking about our experience in Malaysia so far.
Moments later, we found ourselves heading to the Dungun Museum. Here we learned a lot about the history of Dungun and how it came to be. We even learned about how the name of the city became Dungun.
After a lengthy discussion about Dungun, we parted ways with Mr. Navi and we went to the ecoshop and bought stuff to bring back home to the Philippines. I bought cookies, a notebook, a belt and some gadgets for only 2 ringgit and 10 cents each.
Tired and hungry, Nasi Bajet was the only thing on our minds. Rafiqi brought us to a restaurant at the beach. Azam ordered for us and we decided to eat it at the hostel. It was already a long day so we decided to go straight home.
Mharck went outside the room after we ate dinner and he received some fruits from the other students. As for me, I hopped to my bed and started fixing the stuff I bought.
When I was satisfied, I slept for around two hours and the rest of the night after dinner became my family and friends time.
Our day started quite late. We are waiting for lunch time which was scheduled by our buddies. First we went to their rental house so we could all go together to our destination today.
A very generous offer and an opportunity to learn about it firsthand, we accepted the invitation passed to us by Dr. Sharifah to attend a Malaysian Wedding.
As surprising as it may be, I was shocked by how the wedding system works here in Malaysia. I was also told that sometimes, they celebrate twice. One for the bride’s side and another for the groom’s side.
The place was already packing with people when we arrived. I counted, 1…3…37…120…300, and I lost track. It felt like they can feed a thousand people and food is still coming.
Either there was no ceremony or we came late but people can already eat as soon as they arrive. It was like an eat all you can buffet. There was even ice cream. I was so full I can only eat one.
After eating, we went to the bride and groom to congratulate them and have a commemorative photo with them. We got surprised because there was two pairs. We even received a souvenir from them. A flower with an egg and a box of chili oil.
I took this opportunity to get some rest. Mharck was feeling hungry so he went out and contacted our buddies. He came back with water and some more stuff. We were then informed that we will have a dinner with Mr. Wan Salmizi.
We went through a lot of places until we reached a shop that offers rice since both of us are used to eating rice during dinner. We ordered Nasi Goreng USA which was similar to Nasi Goreng Daging.
After a few rounds of story telling filled with laughter and jokes, we headed home to get ready for the next day.
Truly, it is Merdeka. After the countdown, we continued our stories about how both of our countries fell into the hand of the conquerors. When I noticed that it was already just a quarter before 1:00 am, I brought up the idea of going home which everyone agreed to. This day we broke the rule. Sorry Mr. Iskandar and Dr. Sharifah. Merdeka!!!
We arrived at the hostel and collected our Z’s.
Today we will go to Kuantan and Pojo will be with us. He arrived at the kafeteria at 10:00 am and we were all ready to hop on to the car. We went to the rental house to pick up Zam and we headed straight to grab our breakfast. After breakfast, we went back to hit the road.
It was a long 2 hour ride before we reached Kuantan. On the way, we were given a brief history of the places and some information about other cities. We passed by Kemaman on the way too.
It was a different scene. There were bigger buildings, more people, and a bit more pricey stuff. It was a place that can be compared to Kuala Lumpur. We went to the zoo and there we saw different species.
A must-experience adventure for only 2.00 ringgit. We were only able to see 80% of the 18 kinds of animals there and here are some of the pictures I took. After that, we headed straight to a mall where we saw a martial arts presentation. There were many teams showcasing their skills and craft but I was only able to capture three. We needed to go to the next destination as fast as we can.
On the way to the next destination, we stopped by a famous place to grab an early dinner. Pojo brought us to this Vanggey which is a branch from his hometown in Ipoh. Having filled our stomachs, we went to the beach. It was really fun at the beach.
There were monkeys all over the place. A bit scary and exciting at the same time. Beware! They might grab your food or phone. Take a look at all these pictures we captured:
It was getting dark so we decided to get home. There were fire dancers at the beach but were short of time so we headed to the bundle store instead to check if we could buy some cheap stuff. Too bad, they were not as cheap as we thought.
It was again a long 2 hour drive and we were all tired. Props to Pojo for doing a great job in getting us home. We stopped by a simple mini mart along the road and headed back to the hostel after.
Mharck and I watched a movie from my laptop. It was the movie Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission. We ended up finishing the movie and went to bed right after.
Today is the hike! We always pass by the Bukit Bauk entrance and today is the day we will conquer it.
Rul picked us up from our room and we headed to the gate where we waited for Zam, Azrul and Liyana (guy and girl behind Mharck in the fifth picture). It was already a little bit over 10:00 am when we reached the entrance. Then and there, two of our companions stayed behind.
I was not that athletic and so was Rul which made us decide that we will both start a little bit farther from the entrance. Rul took us both as far as the motorcycle could reach while Zam and Mharck braved through the first part of the hike.
Speechless. The challenging Bukit Bauk lives up to its fame. Six times, I stopped. Six times, I tried to catch my breath. Six times, I had to think twice if I could still continue.
It was physically, mentally, and emotionally tiring yet it was thrilling, exciting and really satisfying to overcome.
I couldn’t count how many times I was about to give up but I pushed through until we reached the top. The telecommunications site we reached served as the end point where we took our rest. For 20 minutes, we took pictures and tried to catch our breath before hiking down.
On the way down, I took some more pictures which you have seen above from the areas we passed by on the way up. After reaching Rul’s motorcycle, we agreed that he will take Zam and grab another motorcycle and they will pick us up.
After a few minutes, we got picked up by our two buddies and headed back to the hostel. We decided to head back first to change our clothes and leave some of our stuff before having lunch to avoid getting sick. We ate at a place which serves food for only 3.5 ringgit just like Nasi Bajet. We were brought back to the hostel after our lunch so we could rest before heading out again.
Zam came knocking at our door at 4:00 pm. He took Mharck to the rental house first while me on the other hand, waited for Rul to finish his laundry first. When 5:00 came, Rul also came knocking and brought me to the rental house where I first met Adham who prefers to be called “Cimok” and Mizan who prefers to be called by his original name.
Me and Rul went to the market to buy ingredients first since we agreed that they should try the Filipino food called adobo.
Mharck cooked the adobo and we enjoyed the dinner with all the present people in the rental house. It was a fun-filled dinner. They asked us a lot of questions that trigger their curiosity.
We were about to go home when Cimok suddenly invited us to come with them to Dungun City. There, we went and entered the Fiesta Lamp Fantasy and enjoyed the lights together.
After taking pictures, we went to a nearby place to order drinks. We had to choose whether to head back home or wait for Merdeka. We chose the latter and the fun continued.
“The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise“
Tacitus
Early morning view from the Asrama(Hostel)
It was the last day of the working week and I woke up early. I have to use this time to do the assignment given by my Filipino instructor back in the Philippines. I finished 80% and I would need to work on it later when I come home.
I woke Mharck up and told him I am going to take a bath already. It was different today. It feels as if everybody is busy. Then I remembered, tomorrow is the start of the long weekend which is why students at the hostel will be going back to their hometown.
We arrived at Top Wave around 8:30 am. We headed upstairs and was adviced to wait for Mr. Falihin. We are going to Petronas to pull out a rented machine.
After a lengthy talk with the security guards and policemen, we were not given permission to enter. Mr. Falihin said that their are really strict and we cannot enter because we are not malaysian. Another thing to consider is we should not pull out the machine because we might get hurt in the process.
We waited at the car for a while until Mr. Falihin came back breathing heavily after carrying three machines with Mr. Azmi consecutively. Then, we went back to the office and helped them carry two of the machines inside. We went upstairs and took a rest.
We went to the ground floor to help Mr. Adli and we observed while he finished the wedding card invitations which is the request of the customer. Next he printed out several tarpaulins and we helped him finish them. We went upstairs after that because Mr. Adli said it was time for his lunch. We were advised to have lunch when we came back at the top floor but we said we’ll wait for them so we can all eat together at 1:00 pm which is their usual lunch time.
After lunch, I inquired if we can also learn something at the ground floor. Miss Aisyah said we could learn about rubber stamps at 3:30 pm and Miss Athirah will teach us. We waited at the meeting room until Miss Aisyah notified us that Miss Athirah will start. We came down and here is what I remember:
Step 1: Print a layout of the customer’s desired stamp Step 2: Cut a black filament paper and press it using the laminator twice or more if needed. Step 3: Place the filament at the machine and make sure there is no bubble. Then, place a clear filament above it and remove bubbles too. Step 4: Create a gate using wood sticks and make sure to cover the entire design. Pour the glue at the gate carefully and use the blower if the process creates bubbles. Step 5: Cover the whole thing and expose the top part for 7 seconds. Then expose the lower part for 65 seconds. Step 6: Remove the sticks and take the hardened material and plase it into the washer with soap. Wash the material twice for 70 seconds each. Step 7: Wash the material with tap water then return it to the machine inside the salt water chamber. Next, expose it for 165 seconds. Step 8: Remove the material and wash it again with tap water. Cut the excess material carefully. Step 9: Place the material on a pocket stamp and test for quality.
We are surprised that after learning how to make one, Miss fnc, admin and wife of Mr. Haidil, told us that each of us can make one for free. I used my name and my course and we went through the process again. We are very grateful for the stamp. Miss Atirhah even laminated the filament we used as a remembrance. We said thanks and our goodbyes to them. Miss fnc even gave us stickers for the holiday.
Mr. Hafiz, our driver for today, also asked a lot of questions on the way. We arrived at PSMZA and we were shocked that the Kafeteria was closed. We walked to the hostel and we quickly hit the bed after we arrived.
Our buddies checked up on us using WhatsApp and they offered to deliver food for us since the Kafeteria is closed. We received a Nasi Bajet which is rice and chicken from Rul and payed 3.5 ringgit each.
I had my dinner and was about to finish my assignment, only to find out that the internet was not working. I had no choice but to hold it off until tomorrow. I decided to use what’s left on my data to reply and talk to my friends back in the Philippines instead.
It’s another day in Top Wave and today, we are going to stay and help in the office. A very warm morning greeted us as soon as we reached the top floor because we were offered Nasi Lemak as our breakfast.
We continued the work at the ground floor right after that. The first thing we did was to arrange the 2 racks we left there and place them both adjacent to the wall. This way, a lot of space can be saved compared to the racks being perpendicular to the wall. After that, I went back to the top floor and helped Miss Ayu fix and arrange the supplies on the racks. (I asked Miss Aisyah to take pictures because Mharck is still doing some stuff downstairs.
We had our lunch at the usual place and came back after around 30 minutes. We helped carry this big machine from the top floor down to the parking area. We spent quite a lot of energy so we took our time to rest. Miss Ayu made us write our name and she modified our DTR. Back then, our name was only written but now, it has a sticker!!
We went home and tried to do our laundry. Too bad, the machine had so many customers. We decided to do our laundry some other day.
I had to rest after spending two late nights so I jumped quickly on the bed and grabbed my Zs.
It’s already 2:00 am and I finally decided to sleep. I feel accomplished after being able to finish my blog. I closed my eyes and slept for 4 hours. Then I woke up, fixed my things and slept again for an hour.
Mharck woke me up at 7:10 am today. I quickly went and took a bath. Having fixed my things earlier, I wore my clothes fast then grabbed my things. We went out at 7:55 am and was about to reach the cafeteria when Mharck realized he left his glasses at the room. He went back for it and I headed to the cafeteria.
When I came out of the cafeteria, Mr. Roswadi’s car passed by and I noticed that Mharck was already inside. Along the way, Mr. Roswadi asked how we were doing. He also gave some inspirational words just like he did back when he fetched us from the airport. We reached Top Wave at Paka after 10 minutes.
We timed in and headed straight to the top floor. We do not know if the briefing was done already or we are late. I saw Mr. Haidil and the others cleaning the pantry. A lot of boxes and a lot of stuff are being moved around. I helped but it was hard to give my best because I do not know which ones are important and which ones I should throw. I always confirm and ask Miss Aisyah about each item I was holding.
After a while, they told us that whenever it is about to be the end of the month like today, there is not much work outside. We were told that we can relax for a bit and continue our blogs if we want to.
A few moments later, Mr. Falihin called us and we went to Petronas in Dungun City with him. We were told that we are not allowed to take pictures and we surrendered our ID to the guards. Mr. Falihin went straight to the client and finished the transaction in less than 10 minutes. We went out and returned to Paka to have our lunch near the office.
Today, I tried the Nasi Sup Ayam paired with Kopi-peng. It was a great meal and we had to finish fast because we are going to pick up toners that will be delivered in Dungun Bus Stop. We brought the toner back to the office and rested for a bit.
Minutes later, they asked us to help with the placement of the racks in the pantry. I suggested a layout and Mhark agreed. We presented it to them and were happy that they chose it. In addition to that, we also helped to move the things in the other racks from the 1st floor to the top floor. We used a cardboard box to carry the contents of the rack before they bring it upstairs. Then Miss Aisyah will arrange the contents and we will fetch another set. We repeatedly brought up the contents of each rack like coupon bonds, shirts, cap, tapes, ink and other printing materials until there were four racks in the pantry. After reaching the goal, we both rested until 5:00 pm.
We timed out and Mr. Roswadi came to pick us up again. This time, he has his daughter with him. He interviewed us a bit and before we reached PSMZA, he gave us a pack of coffee (I love it!!!).
After reaching our room, Rul told us that we will be having dinner with the Director tonight. We were about to prepare when suddenly, the outlets stopped working. Good thing Rul fixed it before we left because we were worried that we might not be able to charge or do our blogs tonight.
We went to the cafeteria and we hopped on to the Director’s car. He took us to a restaurant that serves thai food. Mharck ordered a Deafood Tomyam while orderee the mixed Tomyan (chicken and seafood). I think it is the closest thing to sinigang. I paired mine with Neslo. A mix of nescafe and milo. We even had extra rice with respect to how delicious the Tomyam is. We were brought back to the cafeteria after dinner.
Back in the room, I discussed a lot of things with Rul. We asked him to translate some sentences for us and we even showed our place to each other using google maps. Time passed by and at 11:00 pm, Rul left. I was left to do my blog and make the most of what little time left.
Today, we resume our field training with Mr. Falihin. We rode to a school to change a toner. Mr. Falihin only took 7 seconds to change the toner. After printing the report, we went to a construction company to make a MMC.
A Mural in one of the schools we went to
After two jobs, we headed back to the office to wait for Mr. Rizal. He arrived at 11:15 and he rested for a while before we went to the next job. The next job was getting the payment so we waited at the car.
Next, we went to the college to set up their printing network. I made
the cable and we installed drivers at the units until everyone in the
room can already direct print. We finished the job and we headed back to
the office. We timed out at 5:08 pm but we were informed that the
driver’s car that was supposed to pick us up had a problem.
Good for us, Mr. Roswadi along with his wife came instead. This is the first time we saw him after our first day here in Malaysia. He explained to us what happened to the car and also asked about how our day went. After dropping us off, he also said that he will be the one to bring us to Top Wave tomorrow.
After reaching the room, I got sucked by the bed as if it was a vacuum cleaner. It was around 5:50 and I decider to sleep for a while before doing anything else. I replied to the messages on my phone and took the chance to rest.
After a few minutes, Mharck informed me that Dr. Sharifah will pick us up to grab dinner. He said that she will arrive at 6:15. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 6:15 and he read the message late. We quickly jumped into our jogging pants and shirts and went outside to meet them.
Dr. Sharifah came with her husband and children. We hopped on to their car and we were brought to (deer rock formation). It was a beautiful place with only a few people. We climbed up and took a lot of pictures. Here are some of them:
After that, we went to a nearby place which offers food. Dr. Sharifah ordered some appetizers for us and then made us choose what we want for dinner. While waiting, we were interviewed about our hometown and I ordered Nasi Daging. It was really good and the beef was finely cooked. I also enjoyed the Keropok Lekor and Fried Banana.
It was just the right food for the place. They dropped us off at the hostel and we both thanked them for the food, experience and the time they gave us. They were really nice.
After that, our facilitator Miss Ara Malaya started a videocall and the three of us along with Adrian talked about how we were doing. Rul came to accompany us anywhere we would like to go but I stayed at the room since I was still participating in the videocall. Time flew fast and I got carried away doing a lot of stuff that I failed to notice that 12:00 mn already came.
One, two, three. That is how I counted the number of alarms ringing at 6:00 am. I quickly got up and prepared some of my things. Then I headed to the bathroom right away.
Today, we requested to be early which is why Dr. Sharifah along with her husband took us to Top Wave because drivers from PSMZA start to work at 8:00 am. We went out at 7:35 am and we were greeted again by Dr. Sharifah who came out of a different car from what they used yesterday.
I glanced at the clock and I saw that it was still 7:50 am when we arrived at Top Wave. We saw Miss Aisyah, Miss Izza, and Miss Elyana. The shop was still closed. A few moments later, Mr. Rizal came and opened it for us.
We went to the top floor to wait for the briefing but unfortunately, Miss Aisyah informed us that we were not gonna come with Mr. Falihin or Mr. Rizal to Petronas today.
We were told to wait for further instructions at the Meeting Room. After a few minutes, Miss Aisyah told us that we are going to help at the first floor. We got up and headed to the Production Room where Mr. Adli and Mr. Afiq is. They were already doing stuff when we came down and we were asked to observe what they do.
Mr. Adli showed us what he is doing. First, he would print a sheet of credit card layout. Then he runs it twice (front and back) at the lamination machine. Then he brings it to the cutting machine. Mr. Afiq on the other hand is making bunting and banners.
We observed until lunch time came. Mharck and I headed to the shop we go to for lunch but this time, only the two of us. We ordered nasi ayam and had our fill.
We returned to Top wave and saw Mr. Adli preparing banners too. This time we went and helped him. He taught us to cut the corners and fold the banner sides and secure it with a super glue. After that we place “eyelets” at the corners which will be used to secure banners with a rope. After that, we did two more banners until there was no more work to be done. Mr. Adli explained that during sundays, there is less work.
5:00 pm came faster than we thought and the staff driver from PSMZA picked us up. He dropped us off at the hostel and I quickly prepared my things so I can rest. Our buddies informed us that at 8:15 pm, we were going to a place where the food is cheap.
I glanced at the clock and it was already 8:10 pm but there were no messages or sign that we should go outside. 10 minutes later, we went out and just as we turned towards the parking lot, Zam, Rul and Rafiqi was already there.
We went to a place called Warung King which also serves western food. Azhar also came and it became a really fun dinner. I ordered Nasi Goreng Ayam Chicken Chop which is basically 2x the size of fish fillet from McDonalds paired with fried rice.
It was a fulfilling dinner. Rafiqi brought us back to the hotel and we continued our blog. It was challenging to finish the blog so it took me all night until morning to finish.
“You have to explore to learn so first you must learn to explore.”
– Ry
Today is a different day. Well, everyday is a different day for sure but this time, we woke up late. I glanced at my phone and I saw 7:10 am. I glanced at the clock and it snapped to 7:11 am.
We were late. I told Mharck to take a bath he went on. After that, I
also went and take a bath. Dr. Sharifah was already waiting outside and
here I am running around the room making sure that everything is okay
before we leave the room.
We came out and we were instantly greeted by Dr. Sharifah with her
window rolled down. I and Mharck hopped on and we went straight to Top
Wave. On the way, Dr. Sharifah and her husband asked us questions. Most
of them was to check how everything was going. She also reminded us
that if ever we have problems, we can send a message to her.
We arrived at Top Wave after a few minutes and to our surprise, Dr. Sharifah gave us food just as we are about to leave the car. According to Google, It is called Char Kway Teow/Kuey Teow. it is literally “stir-fried rice cake strips”, is a popular noodle dish from Southeast Asia, notably in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. It is also called Malaysian Stir Fried Rice Noodles
Briefing at Top Wave
Inside Top Wave, I saw Mr. Rizal and fnc at the receiving area. I sat with them for a while before heading upstairs. After a few minutes, I headed upstairs and I
I took pictures in the car with Mharck and Mr. Falihin before we headed out on our long journey to Kuala Terengganu.
We stopped by a cafeteria to eat breakfast. Mr. Falihin said that this shop is famous for its Roti Tempayan. We did not have the chance to try it because we already have the food from Dr. Sharifah. Maybe we’ll try it next time.
We arrived at Kuala Terengganu after 2 hours of travel. We circled around several times because it is hard to find a good parking area. We went outside and headed first to the _________ area where we met Mr. Mamat.
With Mr. Mamat
This is a part of Digital King where they receive customers
After that, we went inside the picture above and met Mr. Mira who resembles the hollywood actor Laurence Fishburne. I never thought I would find him here in Malaysia. HAHA. Just kidding!!
Mr. Mira of Digital King
Laurence Fishburne, Hollywod Actor
Mr. Mira has been a pillar in building Digital King. He has been a part of it while it was being built and during the company’s first years which were the hardest times. He showed us everything that Digital King could offer.
Digital King (DK) Tour
We visited four areas of DK. The first one is the showroom, where customers are received and a lot of the products available are displayed. It also houses a lot of machines that had to do with digital printing and cutting for paper.
Machines
Products
While at the reception area, we saw and met Mr. Diederick Brickman. Our first fellow foreigner that we met here in Malaysia. He said that he is a regular customer and DK has done great services for him.
Next, we went inside the __________ area where the cutting machines for other material (i.e. plastic, glass, wood) are placed. Mr. Mira also showed us the different materials used for their products.
After that, we went to the Finishing area. In the finishing area, products are given the final touch to make sure that it meets the client’s demands. This includes the binding, the card shapes, and the presentation of the product.
Showroom 2
To end the tour, Mr. Mira brought us to the second showroom. Here, we were amazed and taken aback by how wide the range of services DK can offer. Mr. Mira even said, “If we can, then we do”. Here is the part where I realized that the company is a solutions type. Whatever you request, they will try to make it for you with the best quality they can.
We were then shown products from the front part where we were given freebies. Yes! Thank you so much Mr. Mira. I received two key chains and one fridge magnet for free.
After that, we waited at the reception area until there was an available staff to attend to us. That staff brought us to Mr. Falihin and the others.
Stockroom/Workshop
We were brought to the Stockroom/Workshop where we saw a lot of printers. Printers of different shapes, sizes and of course, brand.
We tried to familiarize ourself with the workflow in this area. The machines that cannot be fixed here are sent to another workshop. Having heard the news that the machine we brought is scheduled to be fixed at another time, we must attend to other matters instead. Those other matters will take time to be prepared so Mr. Falihin brought us to the beach instead until they are ready.
The Beach (Pantai Batu BurukBeach, Kuala Terengganu)
After finding a good place to park, Mr. Falihin treated us to a buko shake. We sat beneath a tree and enjoyed our drinks. There was lots to do at the beach. When we finished our drinks, we took a walk across the sand back and forth. We even saw great kites and children blowing bubbles that is sure to make your heart warm and fluffy as you remember childhood days.
We went back under the tree and waited some more until Mr. Falihin confirmed that the other stuff he will grab is ready. We went back to DK at 4:00 pm. We left DK after 30 minutes and headed straight to PSMZA instead of Top Wave because of the two hours travel time. He even brought us straight to the hostel.
We said our thanks and goodbye to Mr. Falihin and went straight to our room. As soon as I dropped my things, I took my prepared bag of clothes and went to the laundry machine. Good thing, one of them is empty so I used it and Mharck waited for his turn.
We rested for a bit and decided told our buddies that we were already back in our room. They asked about our day and asked us what we wanted to do. We said we wanted to stay at home and rest for quite a while.
Evening came and we received a nice surprise from Zam. I thought he was joking but he really came and delivered food for us. I think he felt that we were hungry and tired so he went out of his way to buy food for us. How lucky we are that we got a buddy like him.
He and our new friend Azhar came inside the room and we talked about data packages. They offered that we buy a new sim card but we said we’ll hold on to that idea right now since we still have some data package left. They left to do their project and Rul came. He also checked how we were doing and left for a while to pray and do his laundry but he promised to come back.
I continued to do my blog after I took a bath and started writing about what happened today on my phone because the internet is fluctuating. Rul came back and gave us advice on the data package but we ended up talking about computer programming instead. We even talked about Differential and Integral Calculus. We had a long conversation and I showed him a lot of things he must learn to be ready for university. He left when he noticed that it was already 12:00 mn. I also went to bed right after.
What is that? Is that my alarm ringing? What time is it? Oh wait. It is Friday. I looked at the schedule and I saw that today is our rest day.
The bed was a sinkhole. I tried to get up but my body seems to love the softness of he foam and the comfort of the pillow. I glanced at the clock for the 3rd time and I saw that it was already 9:30 am. I checked my phone and I stood up quickly. It has 3% battery left. I took the charger and plugged my phone as fast as I can.
Well that woke me up for sure. I was preparing hot water when my partner woke up. Both of us started the day with a cup while facing our laptops. We had to write and edit our blog posts.
This morning, we went to the cafeteria to buy some snacks for breakfast. Well, actually, only I bought some snacks and Mharck only accompanied me. He said nothing caught his eye for breakfast.
Then, we headed back to the room to continue our blogs. It was quite a hot day and we stayed in our room for quite a long time. Suddenly, Rul sent us a message in WhatsApp. He said we can try the Mee Champa today provided that Rafiqi is available. Good thing he was!
2:00 pm came and Rul came to our room to pick us up. I took a shower then Mharck took a shower. Feeling fresh and clean, we all headed to the cafeteria where Rafiqi was. It was a short 10-minute travel.
We arrived at a place called “Mak Wan Mee Sup Melayu Champa” which is considered to be a famous place here in Malaysia for its Mee Champa. Rul ordered for us the medium size and I chose to pair it with Teh-O-ice.
I understood why Mee Champa is famous after a few bite. The noodles was paired with a vegetable they call Tauge. The beef was finely sliced and the bowl had a hefty amount which made it really enjoyable. The soup was really thick with umami and adding lemon to it makes you experience a newfound flavor that will really make you fall in love to the taste.
I have never spent 5.5 ringgit or Php 71/$1.4 on a meal like this. We even found out later that you can refill your bowl. We did not though because we are already full.
While eating, Mharck inquired about clothespin and Rul said he knows somewhere we can buy ones that are cheap. We headed to the RM2.10 shop that Rul is talking about and to our surprise, it really is a good, no, it is a great shop.
I bought all of these for only RM 14.7/Php 191/ $3.8
Each item in there costs RM 2.10. We found some items that are priced averaged and we also found some that shocked us. Imagine the belt, which costs around Php 150/$3/RM 11.5 can be bought here for just Php 27/$0.54/RM 2.10.
I am pretty sure we will be coming back here to buy more stuff before we leave.
We came back to the campus and headed straight to the hostel office. There we met Mr. Wan Salmizi along with his students. We introduced ourselves and Rul dropped off the Mee Champa he ordered for takeout. Then, we then went to the Cafeteria to buy ice for the soda I bought.
We came back to the hostel to continue our blogs. It was around 7:30 when Mharck asked me if I was going to grab dinner. I declined and told him I was gonna settle for cup noodles tonight. He went out to buy for himself while I prepared hot water.
I ate dinner and made a call to my friends to show them the things I bought. It was about 11:00 pm when Rul and Zam
sent us a message that they brought the water to the Gate. There is a
rule in the hostel wherein, after 9:30, no one comes in or comes out. We
headed to the gate to pick the water up and returned as quickly as we
can.
Right after we got back, I took a bath. Mharck took one too and right after he finished, students in the hostel gave us rambutan.
We continued to polish our blogs after that. I was gonna talk about how we failed miserably in doing our laundry today, but that would bore you wouldn’t it. Let’s just cut the story short about it by telling you that we waited for our turn to do the laundry since 2:00 pm but there is always a long line on the washing machine. Maybe I’ll do my laundry tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
“That’s the advantage of insomnia. People who go to be early always complain that the night is too short, but for those of us who stay up all night, it can feel as long as a lifetime. You get a lot done”
What is that? Is that my alarm ringing? What time is it?
Those are the questions running through my mind as I lifted my head up from the bed. Quarter past six and I still feel what seems to be the arms of the bed holding me tight. Here in Malaysia, even the sun wakes up late. I was about to close my eyes again but my subconscious mind told me to get up. I tried to wake Mharck up twice but he ignored me.
I went and took a bath. After getting ready, I tried to wake my partner again, but still he refused to wake up. He started preparing around 7:30 and boy was he fast. I saw a DC movie of Flash right in my room. I finished my coffee and Mharck drank his energen.
We marched out at 7:55 am thinking that we might be late. Little did we know, we will be waiting until 8:40 before the driver arrives (maybe they overslept or something). We arrived at Top Wave around 9:10 and we witnessed the Boss giving instructions for the day. Mr. Adli told us to wait upstairs where we found Miss Aisyah and Miss Ayu preparing documents. Mr. Falihin arrived shortly and away we go to provide services again.
The first job we had was to deliver a printed tarpaulin banner and some other printed documents at the Student Affair Department back at PSMZA. We spent quite a little time there and Mr. Falihin told us that we were waiting for them to check everything first and sign a document stating that everything was delivered as they requested.
Next, we went to a school. I tried replacing the toner of one machine this time. Here is a video of how I did it.
After that, we went to a small shop at the side of the road to eat roti
canai because we drank coffee and energen only and did not take
breakfast. Mr. Falihin payed for our snack. He is not only fun to be with but also generous.
Now that we have eaten, back to the road it is. We went to a place that looks like a warehouse and there he replaced a cartridge. He showed us the way to do it and how to check if it is already working.
Lastly, we headed to one more school where he only needed to collect payment. It was quite a big school and the atmosphere inside the office was formal.
After doing all the job in Dungun area, we headed back to the office in Paka to have our lunch. Today we ordered Nasi Ayam, which you may have read in my previous entry was rice and chicken(fried). I also ordered water with ice but it was not enough so I ordered water with calamansi after. I payed 6 ringgit and 70 cents in total.
After eating, we headed to the next place with Mr. Rizal added to the team. It was the EHKLASS International School and it took us 45 minutes to get there. We found out that the job was a MMC or Monthly Meter Charge and Mr. Rizal took care of it. We talked to the headmaster which was very accommodating. Here is a part of our conversation.
We headed back to the office and on the way, Mr. Falihin asked us if we already tried ice cendol to which we responded “not yet”. He bought 6. One for me, Mharck, Mr. Rizal, Miss Aisyah, Miss Ayu and one for himself. Ice cendol is a bit similar to halo-halo in the Philippines. It had coconut milk, corn, red beans, glutinous rice and the cendol itself. It was very sweet and yummy at the same time but be careful when drinking it too fast. Drink it fast and the cendol will overpower the flavor.
We were then picked up by Miss Sinah from PSMZA. She was from the Mechanical Engineering department and we found out that she was the one who handles our transportation. She explained to us that the drivers were scheduled on a half-day only so she was the one who came for us.
After reaching the hostel, we took a rest quickly. We were informed that our buddies will take us to the night market at 8:00 pm. Rafiqi took me, Mharck, Rul and Azam there using his car.
We circled around and around until we found what seems to be a good choice for dinner. I took the same one as Rul
which is a Nasi Crabu. It was a chicken and rice dish with so many
toppings. One more unique feature of this dish is that the rice is blue.
Yes! The color is blue. I will have to make a research on that because Rul, Rafiqi and Azam
could not settle with an answer when I asked why the color is blue. I
also bought some more street foods because I simply wanted to try them.
Here is the variety of street foods that peaked my curiosity.
After having our dinner, we walked back to the car and was surprised that the market was already closing. It was a night market that ends in a not so night time. Rul bought this Telinga stuff and had us try it. It tasted like Moby but had a texture of bread. We hurried back to the car while taking pictures to so we could have a remembrance of this night.
Upon reaching the car, I requested to drop by a 7-Eleven store to buy some soda because I was missing it already. We went home right after that.
We arrived back at the hostel at 10:13. Back in the Philippines, specifically Baguio City, the night market starts at 9:30 and ends around 1:30 or 2:00 am. I made a call to some of my friends and replied to messages before finally heading to sleep.
The day seems short but it is also tiring. The night was still young but I need to get some rest. Tomorrow will be my first rest day here in Malaysia since I started my internship. I cannot wait to see what will happen tomorrow!
An opportunity to learn is an opportunity to grow.
– Ry
It’s a new day in Malaysia, and waking up at 5:00 am is a great way to start.
I went out and observed how silent the hostel is. The students are still sleeping and which is why this is usually the time where monkeys from the forest invade this quiet home and search for food.
You’d see trash bins flipped over, fallen clothes below from where they were hung, and slippers everywhere. But what amazes me is that an hour later, the area is fixed. The bins are clean, the clothes are hanged or collected, and the slippers are organized again.
Students here have been receiving support from the government. They only spend 60 ringgit for the whole semester to avail of this settlement. That means 10 ringgit per month for your room, electricity, water and all the facilities available. They have learned to love this place. Not in a literal way, but it shows and I think that is nice.
I took a bath at 6:15 am and I woke my partner in the room from his deep sleep as soon as I got back. We both got ready after I sipped my coffee and Mharck finished his energen. After that, we headed to the cafeteria where we will be picked up and transported to Top Wave.
We arrived at Top Wave 10 minutes after 8 o’clock in the morning and we missed the briefing. I learned that they conduct this briefing everyday to fix any issues and get a clear instruction on what to do for the day.
Mr. Falihin told us to follow him. Get it? Falihin, follow him. Nevermind. We followed him outside and rode in his car. It is a bit similar to Rafiqi‘s car. He asked us if we already ate breakfast and we answered that we only had time for coffee. He brought us to a cafeteria and we ate rice topped with chicken and beef. The process to order was similar to that of Philippine’s Turo-turo. He paid for our meal and we went back to his car with another guy named Rizal.
Breakfast with Mr. Falihin
Rizal,
who is named just like Philippine’s national hero, is a dynamic guy who
can accompany anybody in the office for their work. This time, he went
with us as the guy who generates report and collects payment. We visited
three different schools to fix their photocopy machine.
What do we fix?
Photocopy machines are generally suffering from two major causes which we observed today. First one is the empty toner. All we had to do is replace the toner and then everything will work again. (a little wipe here and there is sometimes part of the job). After making it work, we generate a report about the usage of the machine which contains information like the number of pages copied/printed. This gives the company details and is also a way to monitor if what the machine needs, should it make an error in the future.
The next one is the error code. The error code shows you what the machines problem is. This will be displayed by the machine on the screen and all you have to do is clear the error code. After clearing, you check if the problem is fixed. If not, you will need to get assistance from the machine’s company (like Canon) itself.
After fixing three issues, we went back to Top Wave and rested for a bit before grabbing our lunch. Our lunch this time was pretty expensive. We spent 12.5 ringgit for the dish called Nasi Sup. It was a dish composing of rice, fried egg, and beef in broth kind of like the Bulalo dish we have in the Philippines.
Nasi Sup
RM 9.00
After having lunch, we headed back to Top Wave where we quickly started to work on the task we failed to do yesterday – fixing the faulty Corel Draw. I installed on two computers successfully.
It was already around 4:00 pm when we finished the installation for three computers and we were waiting for what to do next at the 2nd floor. Miss Aisya approached us and asked if we knew how to troubleshoot a laptop. She showed us the laptop and told us that it does not work anymore.
First, we tried to switch it on but we failed. We asked if the laptop was not used for a while and Miss Aisya told us that it was two months since it was last used. Second, we changed the cords and we found out that the plug was faulty. The laptop turned on and we were immediately notified by the startup that the Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) already has a problem.
We also found out that the battery has decayed already and it only lasts 30 seconds. After troubleshooting the laptop, we started to get ready since 5:00 pm was fast approaching. We headed downstairs and recorded our time and quickly headed outside. We saw a lot of stalls being put up. Miss Aisyah told us that it was part of the night market here which opens every Wednesday and Saturday. We bought milo for 2 ringgit and headed back to the entrance of Top Wave. Our ride arrived moments later and we headed straight back to the hostel.
We both rested as soon as we arrived after having a long day of work. When 7:00 pm came, I ate noodles and a few biscuits for dinner. I continued to rest and I will take a bath before I head to bed later.
Today is our first day of internship. The morning started fast because we overslept. Remember that we went to bed late last night.
Mr. Iskandar came to pick us up and we met him at the parking lot at around 7:50 am. We arrived at Paka where Top Wave was located at 8:11 and we had enough time to grab breakfast. We were introduced to roti canai. It was a breadlike stuff that will be dipped into a sauce. It tasted better than I thought. The texture of the sauce blends well with the texture of the bread which gave a feeling of satisfaction with every bite.
After having our breakfast, we headed to Top Wave. Inside, we were directed to go straight to the top floor where the administration and head/boss were located. We all sat inside the meeting room where Mr. Iskandar officially turned us over to Mr. Haidil. After that, we talked to Miss Aisyah and she and Ms. Ayu guided us into using the company DTR.
Moments later, we tried to troubleshoot the faulty Corel Draw software installed in one of their computers. I was scared at first since the computer was placed at the front desk and every incoming customer was approaching me like I was a regular staff. I got scared because I still cannot speak Malay fluently and I do not know how to respond to them in a conversation.
I failed to fix the software and I just promised to try and work it out on the following day. After that, we went back to the meeting room to wait for our next task.
We found out that lunch here in our company starts from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Miss Aisyah along with Miss Atirah brought us to a nearby cafeteria. There we ordered Nasi Cucus, a dish made of nasi lemak, cucumber and ayam (fried chicken) and Iced Teh-Peng.
Nasi Cucus
We timed-in on our DTR and we were instructed to go to the first floor which is the Production Office.
On the first floor, we met Mr. Adli, a
24-year-old hotel management graduate, who was using the digital printer
at the time. He showed us the different types of machine they use.
Also present in the room is Mr. Afiq, also 24 years old, who was busy making a wooden framed tarp.
Mr. Haidil was also there. We were astonished as to how the head/boss here in Malaysia is admirable. He is not the type to just order around employees. He went and bent his knees cleaning the faulty machine himself.
We asked him a few questions while we were there. We found out that he has been in the industry for 20 years and he has established Top Wave 14 years ago. Now at 38, he is the head and owner of a continuously growing and expanding printing company.
We observed for 2 hours before we were called to the 2nd floor. There we catered to Miss Aisyah‘s request. She said her computer was slow and would sometimes hang. I browsed the specifications of the computer and found out that it has an old processor with low capabilities. I told her that I would set the computer’s preferences into “adjust for best performance” but it will look like an old computer because the effects and design would be minimized. We will now observe if the computer’s performance would improve.
After a few minutes, we were ready to go home. We went to the ground floor to punch into our DTR our time-out when we were suddenly greeted by an energetic staff which we found out was one of the technicians. He is Mr. Falihin and he told us that we would accompany him tomorrow on his assignments outside of the office. After that, we went out and Rafiqi was outside to pick us up. He offered to bring us anywhere we like before we go home but we declined so we can get back early and do our laundry.
We were lucky that we are the first ones to arrive at the machines which Rul showed us. We spent 2 ringgit per batch of clothes we wash and only waited for 30 minutes for the machine to finish. The clothes came our “(fnc)” way which means that it is something between a little wet and almost dry.
We went to the cafeteria to eat right after. I chose to eat fried chicken and plain rice which amounted to a little bit over 3 ringgit. We went back to the hostel after that to rest and be prepared for tomorrow.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. ”
— Henry Ford
Getting ready for the Welcome Ceremony with Mharck.
Our day started with breakfast at the Cafeteria. I spent 6 ringgit for a meal that is composed of egg, chicken curry and fried rice. A little bit expensive compared to the normal meal in the Philippines but the good thing is, it blazed up my day. Time check: 8:10 am.
Curry here in Malaysia has a standard. REAL SPICY CURRY I tell you!!! After having breakfast, our buddies Zam and Rul picked us up and we went to the Industrial Training Unit.
We met Mr. Nick, Ma’am Siti and Ma’am Norizad. They prepared kuih and bread along with tea for us. They were really fun to be with. They asked questions and we shared stories from our country. After that, they gave us a souvenir notebook. Time check: 9:30 am.
Then, we went to the Student Affair Department. This department is in charge of the registration of the students. Time check: 10:40 am.
We filled up a form, photographed and moments later, we received a student exchange card.
Next, Mr. showed us the organizational chart and explained to us which is which and who is who.
We also met our fourth buddy here. His name is Faizur but he prefers to be called “Pojo”. We also met Ainsyu, Ainur, and Epul. They are not our buddies but they are really excited that we are here. They are very accommodating which made it easier for us to feel welcomed.
Ainsyu and Pojo
with Ainur
Zam and I went back to the Industrial Department where they gave us a box of doughnuts for free. It was very delicious. A highly recommended type of doughnut in Malaysia for sure.
Doughnuts!!!
It is already starting to become a long day yet I was not feeling tired. Zam brought me to a room full of students who are ready to present their final project to the roaming panel. This time, electrical engineering students are scheduled. Time check: 11:40 am.
On the left is a sample presentation by one of the electrical engineering students.
We also saw Ainur taking pictures and she tagged along with us. Little did I know, she is a president of a club about multimedia and she was the photographer for the next event which is our Welcome Ceremony.
The Welcome Ceremony
Welcome Ceremony
I headed to the meeting room where I saw Ain, Pojo and Rafiqi were already waiting for us. If you are wondering why I said “I headed”, Mharck went back to our room to change into something formal. In the meeting room were high officials of PSMZA like Mr. Sr. HAJI Mohd. Fikri Ismail , Dr. Sharifah, Mr. Iskandar, Mr. Navi Berahim, Miss Sharipah Anisah, Miss Rosmida and Ms. Aida Azmila to name a few. Also present in the room was,Mr. Haidil, the head and owner of “Top Wave” which is the industry company we will be rendering our internship to. Time check: 12:07.
As the program started officially, the emcee welcomed Mr. Yaswadi and us exchange students. An audio video presentation about PSMZA was shown to us which was quickly followed by the speech of Mr. Yaswadi.
In this picture, both of us are getting ready for our own speech.
After that, the emcee asked Mharck for his speech and then my turn came.
Good afternoon everyone. My name is Ryan Bel Joshua S. Soriano, 24 years old and taking up Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University. First, I would like to the Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin for the warm welcome. Second, I would like to thank everyone who made this possible. I hope that this program would bear a fruitful partnership between PSMZA and my home campus. Thank you very much, that is all.
– Ry
To end the program, the emcee called on Mr. Sr. HAJI Mohd. Fikri Ismail and Mr. Haidil to award the certificate of appreciation with respect to their participation in this student exchange program as the partner industry.
Next, we received a welcome token in the form of a PSMZA shirt. I look really happy in the picture above because the shirt looks cool and comfy. Afterwards, we all went outside to take a commemorative photo of this event.
(L to R)
Front: Rafiqi, Faizur, Mharck, *RY*, Fakhrul, and Azam
2nd Row: Mr. Iskandar, Mr. Abdul Razak , Mr. Haidil, Mr. Sr. HAJI Mohd. Fikri Ismail, Mr. Hazni, and Mr. Navi
3rd Row: Miss Aida Azmila, Mr. Yaswadi, Mr. Zaharuddin, Dr. Sharifah, Miss Rosmida, Miss Rosmida
4th Row: Miss Zahirah, Miss Sharipah Anisah, (fnc), (fnc), (fnc), Miss Ainsyu
Photo captured by Ainur.
Afterwards, we all headed back to the meeting room for refreshments which I consider as our lunch already. We sat down in front of Mr. Sr. HAJI Mohd. Fikri Ismail and we were asked several questions (most of which are about the TVET program) that we gladly answered.
More pictures from the ceremony
After that, we were scheduled for a department briefing at 3 in the afternoon so we made use of this chance to take a power nap. Zam and Rul had classes so Pojo picked us up. He accompanied us up to the department but left afterwards. Time check: 3:20 pm.
Department briefing
We were shown a power point presentation on how the department works with regards to the information about the department and the programs offered, staff, students, and achievements.
Then, we were brought to another location where we saw the classrooms and other students. To my surprise, their Computer Laboratory was really huge. On top of that, one computer is for one student. This promotes better learning and this pushes each student to accomplish activities on their own.
Finally, as the last part of today’s agenda, we were brought to the canteen where we were treated to a heavy snack. How heavy you might say, we had Bihun Singapore, Keropok Lekor, and Keropok Keping. Mr. Navi also promised to take us out to dinner.
I thought that was the end of the day until Rul told us that we are heading out to shop. Rafiqi came shortly after that. Me, Mharck, and Rul followed Rafiqi who brought his car to take us into Dungun Town. Time check: 5:20 pm.
In the shopping district, Rul suggested this place where we can get three polo shirts for just 5 ringgit. I took three shirts and one long sleeve reaching a total of 15 ringgit.
Next, we went to a grocery shop. We bought a big pack of laundry soap so we would not have to worry about it again. I also bought a pack of mango marshmallows because I loved it the last time I bought one in the Philippines.
Then, we went to a shop that generally sells clothes. Mharck is struggling to find pants at this point. Everything he finds is either too large or too long. Me on the other hand, I bought a jogging pants for 15.9 ringgit. I needed one before I can go jogging around the campus.
Mharck failed to find a good one so just like me, he bought jogging pants instead. It was starting to get late so we headed back to the car. We are expected to be ready around 8 oclock. Time check: 7:05 pm.
We took a bath and prepared ourselves quickly. Rul and Zam came knocking five minutes before 8:00 notifying us that Mr. Navi was already in the parking lot of the cafeteria. Mr. Navi took us to Medan Ikan Bakar. It is a beautiful restaurant beside the beach. We ordered Nasi Goreng Ayam which is actually fried rice with chicken. After placing our order, we went to the beach for a moment and enjoyed the scenery.
The air was soft and the sand was fine. The lights were shining as we spend our time. We loved the food and we loved the place. Malaysia just keeps putting a smile on my face.
– Ry
We ate our dinner while sharing stories from our country. I had fun introducing the jeepney and bangus to them. It was getting late already so we headed back to PSMZA.
When we reached PSMZA, we thought we are heading to bed already but then we passed by the -place- and we saw students practicing. Mr. Navi decided to stop by and have us watch their cultural presentation. We enjoyed watching it and was amazed by how much energy they can produce even though its 11:00 pm already.
We told Mr. Navi that we are scheduled to have the first day of internship tomorrow which is why we would not be able to watch them finish their practice. We headed home after we had a photo session with them shown below.
The plane took off and I could not resist to giggle after seeing Mharck experience a take off for the first time. The air was cold and I know for sure that my partner is feeling anxious, excited, happy, and nervous at the same time. The flight lasted for 3 hours and 20 minutes. It was goodbye Philippines and hello Malaysia.
Posing together with Mr. Roswadi
Travel from Airport to PSMZA
Here is a video while travelling on the way to PSMZA
Picking us up at the airport is Mr. Roswadi. He is very knowledgeable. He has a lot of stories to tell and he entertained us with the history and the famous spots in the country. He also brought us to R & R Genting Sempah where we had our first coffee in Malaysia. Time check: 5:07 am.
R & R GENTING SEMPAH where we had coffee and had our first “tandas (comfort room)” experience in Malaysia.
The view outside R & R GENTING SEMPAH
Along the way, Mr. Roswadi asked questions in an interview-like manner. He also shared stories and history of places we pass through. What we liked most from him is how particular he is when he talks about food and how he encourages us to try them.
Nasi Lemak
Kuih Ketayap
“After you graduate, you ask yourself what you want. If you can, do not stop learning. Look at me, I’m still learning. Age is just a number. Learn as much as you can”
– Mr. Roswadi
He brought us to another R & R in Temerloh and we had our breakfast there. I really enjoyed the Nasi Lemak. It was simple yet it was the kind of food that Filipinos love to prepare. It contains an egg with rice and milk, mixed with onion and spices that complement the anchovies inside very well. This type of dish in the Philippines could already stand on its own and many Filipinos would be satisfied by eating this specially since it only costs 2 RM/around Php 24.00.
He also mentioned a lot about the famous places in Malaysia. One of them being the Genting Highlands as gambling capital of the area.
A nice view of the road on the way to the campus from the airport
Our journey continued and Mr. Roswadi entertained us all the way. We learned much about the history of the places and we also asked questions about the things we observe.
“The 13 lines of the Malaysian flag represent the 14 states of the country. 11 here in Malaysia main island and 3 in Sabah.”
– Mr. Roswadi
What we noticed here in Malaysia is how the sides of the roads are filled with trees and plants. Also, we noticed that here in Malaysia, the drivers are on the right hand side of the car. The journey was worthwhile because of all the information we are receiving.
After a few more hours, we were dropped off at the Polytechnic Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. We were welcomed by Mr. Iskandar along with Dr. Sharifah who instantly introduced us to our buddies. Seconds later, they showed us our room as they expected that the journey we took has tired us out. We then rested for 4 hours before we headed back out.
Meeting the Buddies
First, we met Fakhrul and Azam. They are both very eager and hardworking students of the Polytechnic.
Fakhrul who we now call “Rul” was a little bit shy at first, but turned out as a really fun guy to be with. He likes pictures and he loves to talk about things he does or likes. Rul is a great buddy for us because he can express his intentions easily and treats us like his brothers.
Azam who we now call “Zam” on the other hand is very energetic. For me, he is a reliable buddy. Everything we need and ask, Zam provides or finds a way for us to get them. He also has great communication skills which made it easier for us to learn the basics.
While resting at our room, we met Jai who we found out later is actually the committee manager for the hostel we are staying at. He actually said that we are part of his responsibility so he would take care of us.
With Dr. Sharifah
“We will disturb you. But only when we can disturb you so don’t be afraid. We will be in your care for the duration of our internship here. We hope you can bear with us for 1 month.”
– Ry
Our buddies brought us to some of the different sites in the campus that particularly involves with food and sport. They brought us to the cafeteria to buy some snacks then they showed us soccer, badminton, table tennis, sepak takraw, volleyball and there is even wall climbing.
After roaming around the campus for quite a while, we went back to the cafeteria to buy some refreshments. Dr. Sharifah found us and gave us our schedule for the internship.
Just as we were about to head back, we met Rafiqi who is our 3rd buddy for the internship. He came out of his car carrying an extension and adapters for our devices. I cannot really describe him at the moment but I do hope to befriend him soon enough. We then went back to our hostel to prepare for dinner with Mr. Iskandar.
Chicken Noodle soup and Teh Peng(milktea)
Mr. Iskandar and his friend brought us to a place that’s a little bit far from PSMZA. We ate chicken noodle soup that had a really good broth. I enjoyed it since it was similar to noodle soups in my home country. They also taught us how to order tea with milk by saying “teh-peng” and without milk by saying “teh-O-peng”.
“It’s a new day. A new adventure. Leaving a home country is never easy. On top of that, living in another country will be a challenge. Regardless of what may come, here I am, ready to learn, grow and experience a new world.”
– Ry
Me!
Hello everyone! My name is Ryan Bel Joshua Soriano but you can call me Ry for short. I am 24 years old and currently taking up Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University.
Luckily, I was one of the chosen few who would undergo a student exchange program. It is called Southeast Asia – Technical and Vocational Education and Training (SEA-TVET) which is headed by the Souteast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Appreciation and thanks to Ms. Ara Rivina Malaya, our College Coordinator for this program, and Mr.Farland Valera, a core coordinator for SEA-TVET.
I received a Letter of Acceptance from the Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia and was contacted by the coordinator Mr. Iskandar through WhatsApp.
Ryventure
My companion – Mharck Jon Polintang
First Photo of the Journey
I created this blog to share my journey during this program. The picture you see above is taken right after we arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. Beside me is my companion who is from the same university I attend. He is Mharck Jon Polintang, a 4th year Information Technology (IT) student and he will be my partner in Malaysia.
We shared the ride with Stephanie, Minah, and Joselyn, who are all from the College of Community Health and Allied Medical Sciences and also a part of the SEA-TVET program. They are headed to Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hours before the flight
Before we start our journey in Malaysia, we had to experience first how it feels to accept students from other countries. We arrived as early as 4 am to wait for the first two Indonesian students, Olivia and Dita that will be accepted by my university — DMMMSU. Time check: 7:20 am.
Our first set of indonesian friends
At KFC in NAIA
We bumped into an alumnus of the university
“Meeting new people is one of the hardest things a human can go through but being able to surpass the hurdle of difference in culture and language, it sure is rewarding.”
Little did we know that this short-lived time together will create a lasting mark in our hearts. Moments later, we also met another Indonesian named Atnin who was shy at first but showed how sweet she was right before we parted ways. We all ate at the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) which is famous for being the second-largest fast food/restaurant chain in the world.
Next, we met Mr. Adi, an instructor at the Universitas Mhammadiyah Ponorogo, who came here in the Philippines to drop off two students of their own who will undergo the SEA-TVET program too. We met Rizqy and Mudiya, who are both under the IT department.
Second set of Indonesian friends
Sir Valera and Ma’am Ugay joins the fun
A commemorative photo with Mr. Adi.
We had our lunch at Bacolod Chicken Barbecue at the Mall of Asia. We interviewed Mr. Adi and had a lot of fun having our lunch with his funny stories. Time check: 12:50 pm.
Me and Mharck sharing the table with Sir Valera and Mr. Adi during lunch.
After our lunch, we went to fetch the last two inbound students, Natasya and Navila at NAIA Terminal 1. Time check: 3:25 pm.
Finally, we have fetched all the students who are scheduled to arrive that day. All that is left is for us to take our flights too. Time check: 4:00 pm
The Flight
We were dropped off at NAIA terminal 3 where the five of us will part ways. We waited till the three girls have checked-in successfully first since they’re flight schedule is earlier. We had dinner at Jollibee before they went to the immigration officers. Time check: 6:00 pm.
Check-in and Boarding
I, along with Mharck, payed our travel tax amounting to Php 1,620.00. Then, we went straight to the Air Asia counter to grab our boarding pass and have our luggage checked. Time check: 6:30 pm.
We spent another hour the Passenger’s Holding Area to make sure our phones are charged and unfortunately, we received a notice from Air Asia that our flight was delayed. We immediately informed our coordinators (Mr. Farland Valera of DMMMSU and Mr. Iskandar from PSMZA) of this incident to make sure that the communication between us and the receiving institution will be fine. Time check: 7:40 pm.
We went to the immigration officers after that and there we showed our LOA and Travel Orders and were asked a few questions about our trip.
Next, we headed to the final check and I was flagged for having canned goods inside my cabin baggage. The officer pulled me to the corner and my bag was checked. He told me that if the canned goods were the easy-to-open type, he will confiscate them. I showed him that the canned goods I was bringing was sealed and I was given the signal to pass through. Time check: 8:25 pm.
We waited for hours at the Gate 101 of the airport We were feeling sleepy by this time and was anxious about the status of the flight. We decided to eat cup noodles which we needed to help keep us awake. Time check: 11:35 pm.
Aboard the Flight AK 585.
We boarded the plane and I was seated at 18C while Mharck was at 18D. I can’t wait for the plane to take off and see the look on Mharck‘s face. Time check: 12:00 mn.
RyVentures 