Manchester United and the MSA AGM and Election, scribblings of the x-prez...

i woke up early around 5am to catch Manchester United vs Celtic on SBS channel...in OZ, where soccer on free tv is almost non-existent and you dont have mamaks to supply free screenings of matches...i definitely can't miss it - seng chee rightfully pointed out that this is the first man utd goals i've seen live, and not from youtube.com. thank you SBS for showing the champions league on tv!

well, Man Utd won a sumwhat thrilling 'battle of britain' by 3 goals to 2. goals by Louis Saha (2) and Ole Solskjaer. Made me feel like gathering ppl n go play soccer as morning exercise =P so, eventho i slept for approx near 4 hours, i dont think im goin back to snoozyland...sleep less, pumped up, wake up early - soccer isnt bad when it helps you do all this rite?

i have been thinking about the Macquarie Uni Malaysian Students Assoc Annual General Meeting and Elections for the past few days...it was a chaotic day really, with unexpected problems arrising at the last minute, and rain to amplify them to a certain degree...hence, it was a lot improvisation to make sure it goes on the way we planned it as closely as possible...

Since a few weeks ago, i kept reminding myself - sunny, prepare your speech properly...this is a very very important occasion to think that you could get away with the usual impromptu yada yada....well....i didnt prepare early, and when things didnt go as smooth as i expected (hence, no time to prepare speech)...i had only about few minutes before the AGM to scribble out some points - nervously.

why nervous?

i pointed out that this was 'the day' that i have been waiting for since i first took over last year as president...not coz of i want it to end quickly, but coz this would be the reflection of how the members think of the work this MSA team had done....all this while this IS my motivation to do work to the best possible level...my agm would reflect on my work...and i dont ever want to have to end my term on a low note...

so questions were rushing thru my mind....will people come?do they care?did i slack?what if members didnt come?what if...

yes i was nervous...and so i didnt actually get to deliver all that i wanted to convey to everyone that attended the event...the biggest thing that i dont think i mentioned (or more suitable, 'praised') enough, is some members' volunteering and participation in sydney-wide events...not just normal volunteering, but volunteering with sheer class and quality...you don't get that too often - i must be the darndest luckiest prez to have you all in MSA...

about attendance...i cant really hide my dissapointment...turnout number from MSA members is nothing to be proud of...only about one-fifth of the whole MSA population...the situation i had wished didnt came did become reality.i could go on and blame the rain or that its just normal malaysian mentality....but really - i view that as my failure as a president to deliver a year that's worth the members coming to the AGM...

while i can take blame for that...i dont think what happened was fair to my other comm members...a lot of em worked hard, and deserved a better farewell...sigh..

i also think many members dont care enough to attend the election...many ppl think that what they have from this society will always be there...many dont care who will continue to steer MSA's growth...too comfortable...well, newsflash, it takes members' votes to determine how strong or how weak, how dedicated the leaders are...you dont show interest, they dont have motivation, if things go wrong - dont go around bitching about it...i thought you didnt care?

i must also say that i am very dissapointed with particular groups for some reasons...i wont go into details..you can ask me personally if you wish to know...

enough of the negatives...im taking the positives to move on...

some members DID come, and i thank you all from the bottom of my heart...it is really people like you all that keeps the organization alive...as you all can see, not everyone is as responsible, or as brave as you are - you are a class above the rest...i'm sure the future committee will strive to deliver their best, for members like you all...thank you..

i also had many colleagues from other associations, and seniors, that came to the AGM...and i thank all of you for being there to show support for MSA and myself all these times, to give me guidance and advice...its been an honour working with everyone...it was really nice to see you all there...

it has been a wonderful experience working with my mates on MSA...i feel like we all are family...its kinda sad that this part of my life has ended...and i didnt choose 'if only i could turn back time' for no reason...we all learn stuff...much or little, that depends on how much we put in...but definitely, we've learnt...myself, i have learnt about living a busy life having to juggle many things, i've learnt to deal with so many people, to control my emotions, i've learnt politics, i've learnt to improvise...too many things that i've learnt - altho many of them i havent mastered, MSA had definitely kick-started it all...

thank you dear committee members for your hard work, your support, and the opportunity to be your friend that you gave me...

thank you msa for the wonderful experience..for being my family here, and for giving a boy - once lonely - a life...

this is not goodbye...but rather, an end to one chapter of my life, and a beginning to a new one...

p/s - yes, happy belated birthday to huixieng - whose bday fell on the day of the agm... and you travelled so far up to attend msa's agm...i feel really really bad for not mentioning this during the AGM...eventho i actually reminded myself many2 times to give special mention to you =( don't get me wrong when i say 'wa bo lui'...i didnt mean it...sorry...i will make it up to you...promis...

p/s - happy belated bday to shim and devan - who wud've tot...our president candidates both share the same birthdate!