The FRIM visit

Look at the pictures closely and tell me one similarity. Just ONE. Go on.

Info on Arapaima. Or whatever fish it was.

Um, a yellow blossoming flower? Other than that, not a clue.

An elephant-like trunk!

Some kind of mushroom perhaps.

Swirling tree?

Mimi a.k.a Mad Dog a.k.a Mushroom (types depend on mood)

Glad I'd missed these. Not complaining.

Exactly. There's no me. Not in any of those picture. Not even my shadow. Because at that time, I was eating ice-cream in Miri.

Re: Reason For Absence To FRIM Visit

Regarding to the matter above, I, Nurisa Bt Mohd Sabri, ID number 01200715 1257 would like to state my reason for not participating in the FRIM visit which was held on the 29th of December 2007.

1. That was due to the fact that my flight ticket from Miri to KL was dated on the 1st of January 2008. I'd tried forwarding my flight but they told me it was not possible because of the holidays season. I regret this matter deeply.

I offer my thanks for your co-operation and I hope no action will be taken against me.

Thank you.


Okay, so I bluff. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Unless they read my blog some time after I'm done writing it. Even then they couldn't do anything since my 44% carry mark for Biology is already definite. And if you look beyond my inability to write a formal letter (and it's only a year plus since high school too, shame), you'll be able to appreciate the excellent excuse I'd managed to come up with. There's no way they would call MAS and asked.

Imagine my shock when Mr. Azlan said:

"So?"

It's not exactly the 2-syllable word I was expecting (or hoping). It should be o-kay.

"Um, so you shouldn't deduct my marks?"


"You expect me to give you your marks when you didn't even attend your lectures? You were supposed to attend class! This will effect your grades greatly."

Not a good start.

"It's not my fault! The lecturers agreed to postpone the classes until after New Year. I even went to see them personally to make sure of that!"

There's no need to mention I only met Mr. Saleem to arrange that. But he did agree! And my Chem lecturer said herself she'd only start after New Year. As for Bio, um, well, I was supposed to miss only 2 classes max. Supposed to.


"Then how come you still missed your classes?"

He glanced at my Bio lecturer who happened to sit nearby. Please please please don't ask her. If he asked her, then BIG trouble wouldn't even begin to describe my situation.

"Because there's this student in my class who called all the lecturers last minute and insisted on classes."

And turned up late for most of them, that jerk. Like I didn't know.

"You were still supposed to be there. I gave you 5 days of holidays. You're free to do whatever you wanted in that matter of time but when hols were over, you were supposed to come back,"

5 frigging days weren't enough!

"My parents wanted me to go back. And they couldn't purchase an earlier flight because they were fully booked. I even asked my friends to scan the lecture notes and send them to me through email so I could study!"

When in doubt, mention your parents. And those bits were true. Except for the study part.

"But still, you weren't there during the FRIM visit! I couldn't possibly give you the marks."

Oh? Now we're talking about the FRIM visit are we?

Ding dong!
Round one: Nisa won.



"Why not?? I'm going to do the report and assignments. I'm only asking for the attendance marks."

"No, you'll not do those. You can't send them in because you weren't there. You don't know the details."

"But it's a group assignment! I can refer to my friends' notes. They have the pictures and everything!"

"Those are your friends' notes. They were there. If I excuse you this time, there'll be other students who'll do the same." He sounded as exasperated as I was.


"The FRIM visit was an experience to help students to grasp the theories better. If they missed it, it's their lost. It's my lost. Not yours. And I told you, I didn't do it on purpose. I tried changing my flight but couldn't. I can look up on the net on the things I'd missed. I can even do extra credit."


This was not the time for pride. It was the time for adding-up-every-bullshit-you-could-think-of-in-order-to-come-up-with-something-convincing. I was real desperate here. I would search on the bloody trees if that's what it'd take.

"But you weren't there."

WHAT DID IT MATTER EVEN IF I WERE THERE?

"I am a good student. I never skipped classes (well, except for you-know-when), I did well during mid-term and quizzes and I handed in all my assigments. For the FRIM marks to pull my grade down isn't fair. Even the world has the court and the judge system. You don't go to court and get thrown into jail straight away. You go on trials and are given chances to say your defenses. That's fair."

Court and judge? Where did I get those?

"You weren't there." He sighed.

He would never shut up about that would he?

"Yeah and it wasn't my intention. I didn't do it on purpose. Everyone deserves a second chance. I won't repeat this again, I promise."

He was quiet for a moment.

"Let's say I'll give you the marks, how much do you think you deserve?"


Was this a trick question? Whatever it was, it's the kind of question I hate.

"Um, I don't know. I suppose.......quite a lot?"

"I'll discuss this with your lecturer."

Ding dong!
Round 2: Nisa might had won.



Oh FYI, Mr. Azlan is the Program Manager. He's also the one in charge of our hols which so far:

a) he either made it so brief (name 5 days for mid-sem holiday)

b) or arranged it so it clashed with other public hols (5 days- Xmas day, Hari Raya Haji, Saturday and Sunday. Only one day of REAL holiday. 2 weeks of sem hols- one week of CNY hols)




Any other reason NOT to loathe him? Except that I think he's a good lecturer when he's not busy threatening to deduct students' marks. Whatever.

Oh yea, I saved the best picture for the last:

Nature at its best