'You write like an RJC student...'

After thinking and thinking :), I think there'll be more good than bad to have this post, so here goes:

Conversation between Hadi's Geography Tutor and him:

GT: You're very quiet, gentle and intelligent...
Hadi: (smiling and saying something unintelligible back)
GT: I've read your paper and you write like an RJC student..
Hadi: (smiling and saying something unintelligible back)
GT: Must participate more in class, share the gems in your head...
Hadi: (smiling and still saying something unintelligible back)

Alhamdulillah...
Well, that's Hadi for you - in public. However, at home...hmm, well, my samurai-sword-wielding son....

To all madrasah students out there, including my sons, be confident.
You're as good as the rest, if not better.
Make small ripples first in the national arena, those ripples will cause beautiful waves soon enough.
History is witness to that.
Tengku Syamil is now Mr President of the Malay people in TPJC. Saiful Firdaus is one of the top students in his cohort too- he has been sent overseas for study programme attachments, the latest being to Hong Kong. Atiq is the best student for his year, winning the Dean's Award. I remember Ma'mum - shy but artistic. He left us to become a Student Leader and a top student in Art in his school. Halim's confident (and entertaining..) oratorical skills have made his lecturer commented on the quality of madrasah students. He scored a distinction with credit in his 'A' Level Malay Oral examination. Sis Syifa' Mansur is now in UK, on a scholarship. And I am sure, somewhere out there, we have our dear twins, making their mark quietly at SAJC.
The list goes on.
Point is, you don't have to be like the rest in order to achieve. You don't have to use the lingo -curses nor the swearing nor the multi-coloured eyelenses in order to make your mark, to feel belong. There's either too much respect for you out there, or too much misunderstanding.
You must earn that respect and correct that misunderstanding.
There is a lot of goodness out there too. A lot. Observe and learn from people. Sieve, collate, synergize the inputs. You will be a better person, insyaAllah.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, just remember who you are.
You'll always have the madrasah's institution to your name- tagged to that student particulars form and tagged to that job application form you'll be filling up, for example.
It can be a curse, if you deny that existence, that past.
Or a blessing, for it will always remind you of who you are, why you are here.
Remember who you are, always. ")
So people - in the name of Allah and for the sake of Allah - go out there with grace and tawakal, make your mark and make it well.
Do good.
Be good.