Back into the game (?)

Alert: Another postponed entry (More postponed entry is coming up!)

After promising myself that I 'll never join anything here, I decided to join events, again. And, what is more surprising than that is, the event is sport events. Haha. My campus organized Inter-faculty Bachelor Sports Assembly last week, and there were some teams that have no enough athletes. Well, as a supportive member, I wrote my name in the volleyball team (The only sport that I am confident with. huhu).

Lesson learned: Sports is the best thing to unite people

In line with the tagline: Play & Unite, the event organizer achieved its main objective with flying colors. Bravo! You know, I never know people from another batch & really have no interest to know others here. But, this event really made us together. There was a problem occur at first, and since I was the only final year student that played for the volleyball team, .....of couuurse, I have to settle it. We have to accept that everyone on the team almost never all agree or like each other, but when push comes, we know that we have each other. It is normal guuuys, we have just only get to know for two days, and then, boom! Play!

It was very unexpected that we managed to go to final. It was more disappointing when we lost to BAFIN at the third set during the final, but to be as one of the medal contributors to our course, the feeling was awesome! Ah, finally I have something to show to everyone apart from my academic record. hehe.

......Wait, MUBIN WHY YOU SLEPT ?!!

Nasi kerabu gathering party

Postponed entry.

This is my second time fasting far away from the family (The first one was in Puncak Alam, during my foundation years). Just like others (Read: students), the culture of eating outside are something my friends and I have already getting used to. But, this time is quite different. As my housemates are all finished their examinations a week earlier than me: which means only Sya & I are left in this house, we decided to invite our close friends over for iftar. 

We never expect that we manage to host a nasi-kerabu gathering party (As requested by Fami & Chombee). Everything is cooked on our own, following the recipes & numerous phone calls with the master-chef at home. haha. & to be honest, we are quite nervous (We eat nasi kerabu, but we have never done it before). You know, with the long list of the ingredients....... T__T Everyone knows that one of the key ingredients of Nasi Kerabu is the fish, but both Sya & I are all not specialized in recognizing the fishes. So, we just went to the market......but, too bad we really have no idea which one to buy as everything looooks so familiar to us! 

De-bone the fishes to make the fried coconut. Phew! This work is really no joke, man. We spend one whole night to boil & de-bone the fishes (We personally asked the pakcik kedai at the market & he recommended ikan kembung for us). Sya does the frying part of the grated coconut (1 skinned coconut that has been grated is more than enough. We buy 3! Haha). This part involves frying the grated coconut without oil until it turns into slightly brown color. Don't forget to add in some seasonings and adjust it accordingly.

Perhaps, we can say that kerabu of the nasi kerabu is the Malay version of salads. It is the mixture of various types of vegetables and spices. We use long beans, cucumbers, torch ginger bud (bunga kantan), and bean sprouts as the kerabu. Without all these spices, the recipe of nasi kerabu will never complete. With the basic nasi kerabu, we served it with the turmeric fried fish (I use Gogi instant flour), fried chicken, fish crackers, and salted eggs as the side dishes. Not many people know that nasi kerabu comes in a few colors other than blue. Since our classmates are mostly from the north part of Malaysia (Kedah & Penang), they are all very surprised to see the rice in yellow (We put in some turmeric to make it yellow).

As nasi kerabu requires a very tedious preparation, we are very lucky to receive help from our classmates. Some of them even come earlier to our house in order to help in preparing the food and setting up the place. You know what did I learn from hosting this party ? Get help. People love to help. In my experience, this is so true. We get other friends involved in the preparation of the food (we ask Zarep to bring tupperware from his house, get help from Huda & Nisa in frying the fish crackers & turmeric fried fish, and even ask for help from other classmates in doing some simple things). The point is: no one is expecting you to be perfect. Everyone just wants to have a good time together!

As for the overall, I guess everyone is very happy that day! We even teach almost everyone on how to really eat nasi kerabu. "Put some rice, pile on some desired amount of the fried coconut, some sauce, and the salads. You can choose any side dishes that you like to eat with, and don't forget to mix it well with the rice". REPEAT. haha. Till then, back to study-mode, guys. Another paper to go T__T

The adventure is worthwhile.

I embarked my first under-budget travel experience last week to Sabah! This trip was very different compared to my previous trips. For this time, I really went to travel (on my own). No proposals attached, no compulsory university visits, and absolutely, no sponsors given to us! Haha. It all started when Sya did a to-go-short-list & finally booked a two-way flight for three to Sabah (The tix costs MYR250/person), direct from KBR. 

Sabah's trip was really under budget. But, still.. it can't be called as backpacking. Em, perhaps should I say.. I have no plan to backpack ? *I couldn't left my luggage behind* haha. Since this was my first under-budget-travelling-experience, I could say that it was a very wild-ride. But so fun!! Sya did everything from the start (I went there with my two friends from diploma years). Thank God. I was too busy with my family matters weeks before (I even burnt my reunion trip to Jkt-Bandung) T__T Besides of settling the accommodations, she even checked the beautiful spots, and what poses should be taken there! I know, cray craaaay, right? Well, she is. 

We thought long and hard about this trip before sticking up to our plans. We planned this trip since May. & the unexpected earthquake happened in June. The issue of decreasing value of our currency and GST were another thing. The first thing that acrossed our mind was this trip must not be over-budget (In anything we did, it must not exceed the cost that we drafted). Earlier, we were pretty nervous too. We kept on eye on the news almost everyday in order to ensure the real situation in Sabah. We calculated & talked about how much does everything costs million timeess, just to ensure the trip run smoothly.

Guess what ?! We survived with only MYR300/person (6 days 5 nights). The total was  MYR550/person. wow. Of course, a lot of things can be cut off, still. Some people who have been there told us tips to Sabah (We even google-d some reviews about this state too), but we didn't really know what to expect and what not. After all, this was our first time. We were very happy to challenge ourselves to go out of our comfort zone (The international trips that we handled before were hundred times easier than this trip). The most important, throwing ourselves outside of the normal circumstances made us discovered more about ourselves. I am picky! Very picky! And really have no patience when I am hungry!! Haha

As I looked back on my trip last week, these are some things that (my friends) and I thought would be useful for everyone who have plan to try travelling (under budget) tooo!

1) Plan & organize your trip

We did pretty good at this. Personally speaking, planning and organizing take a huge chunk of time before we even arrive. Our aim is to go visit as many places as possible and take a lot of photos since we never know when will we come here again. Thus, we listed all the places that we would like to visit earlier, divided them into several sections: wajib (compulsory), sunat (it is better to go), tak pergi pun tak apa (nvm, we don't have to go), so that we knew what was the best route we should take in order to get to see all the attractions. Guys, don't forget to take the travel guide book or at least, the map as soon as you arrived at the airport. Trust me, it will help you a lot!!

Basically, I am really good acting as a co-pilot. Hehe

2) Try couch-surfing

I rarely prefer this thing (due to lack of privacy), but I cannot deny that it is a great way to travel on a tight budget. As far as I know, there is one website consists of community of travelers who share their space rooms with strangers for free. But of course, our family won't let us to join it for some safety reasons (It is understandable).

We stayed at Kak T's (Sya's cousin) house in Kota Belud for two nights before moving to stay at Yana's house in Kota Kinabalu for another three nights. Our first plan was to book cheap hotel in KK and went to all the places from there. But, as Kak T offered her place, and as we re-checked the map, Kundasang & Kudat were nearer from Kota Belud (not as far as we traveled from KK), we accepted her offer. Lucky us to accept Kak T's offer to stay at her house. We saved a lot of money here. Kak T even packed us food, and borrowed us her car for free in KBelud (We rented Myvi in KK, costed only RM 80/day! The owner was sooo kind!) Lesson learned: Make friends!! Everyone has potential to help you :)

A picture with Kak T (We stayed upstairs). 

3)  Food

This part is the hardest. The thing that made we regretted the most during the trip was regarding food. We forgot to survey what and where to eat (especially during our stay in Kota Kinabalu) & ended up to eat at pizza (For the first night) and the following days at hm, not-recommended restaurants (The taste & the price were unreasonable). But, the seafood at the stall that we visited the last night (near to Pasar Philippine was quite good). I brought some snacks & maggi, but finished everything in the first three days. Our finance manager (Akmal) calculated our budget and realized that we wasted our money on food the most. Argh we should find 7E earlier!!

4) Get lost on purpose (But always take precautions)

I am a person who dislike big risk. Sya is braver than me. She always comes out with a lot of plans.. "Let's go there..and there. There! And... there too..." that sometimes, Akmal & I have to whoa.. whooa, can we please slow down a little. Let's do one thing after another slower. Haha. But, can't deny that breaking away from the norm is good too (sometimes). On the other note, always be prepared and take extra precautions, especially when you are all girls. As in the case of us, we traveled by car on our own to Kota Belud, Ranau, Kudat, Kota Kinabalu, and some other places too. It was very fun. We were told not to go to Sandakan and the areas nearby there as they were not really safe. Not sure whether the stories told by our host were true or not, but we decided not to go.

As we did not go to the Poring (The first day we arrived, it was raining heavily in the evening), we decided to try to find waterfall in the Kota Kinabalu area. We eventually followed the signboard of Jeram ..I-forgot-the-name.. after visiting the Tamparuli Town (Managed to see the view of Tamu there) and ended up with the scenic view (The last picture). Very beautiful! We were the only three Malays from Semenanjung that were there. The local that I asked told me that we can swim there. Too bad we didn't bring any spared clothes :( (It was quite risky to seek the unusual places that didn't see much tourism, but most of the views were totally worthwhile). Keep your eyes on everything. Use common sense (Make sure your waze works well too!!) and insya Allah, you 'll be ok.

Rumah Panjang Rungus. This place didn't appear in the Waze. Lucky us to find this place manually. Phew!

The sun set view in Rang Bulan Beach, near to Pulau Mantanani. Kak T brought us here! It feels like we are in Semporna!

The view on the way to the Jeram ..I-forgot-the-name.. My most favourite!

5) Keep good notes

I am so frustrated and regretted for not jotting down every single details of the places that I have traveled before this. That's why, one of the reasons I force myself to write this entry and post it as soon as possible (I have a lot of entries that haven't been posted yet). I may only see these places and meet these people once in a lifetime. So, I took a lot of photos during this visit (There were about 2k++ photos) just to ensure that I won't forget any single moments there. After all, they don't cost anything. Except your phone battery kept drained just like water (We charged three powerbanks full every night). haha

6) Enjoy it

Be excited with your trip, guys. Don't sweat yourself with the stuffs that you can't control. We too, did argue on some small matters along the 6 days journey, but ended up with laughing to each other. Haha. Akmal hit a mirror in the 3D Museum at Rumah Terbalik (She thought it was a door), I was once carelessly to open and sit in other's car, and many other silly things that actually embarrassing. hehe

....

I really have to thank these two friends for this trip. Till the next (educational) trip, perhaps ? :)

Nobody said it was easy

Assalamualaikum!

I am very excited! I have a lot of things that make me proud today. You know, my best friend had his first outstation this morning & will be home tonight (Career man sangat!), most of my friends passed their semester results excellently, and of course, I 'm graduating! Finally! I am very happy. I don't know what does this mean for you. Perhaps, this achievement is nothing to be compared to yours (I am one year late from others, I changed my major course from Science to Social Science)... But, as for me, this is a big milestone. At least, this is a stepping stone to other future life achievements. Phew, what an adventurous life I lived in! 

The moment you realized if you had not failed miserably, you will never learn your lesson

Life is riddled with a lot of tough questions. Are you dismissed from your foundation ? What did you get for your degree ? Why did you choose to make a u- turn ? Long sad story! Most people don't talk openly about their failure, how can you expect I can tell you happily ? T___T Before being accepted again here (Read: UiTM), I still remember the feeling of lost and depression. Life seemed so hard that time. Until at one point, something triggered me. I should wake up. This place has given me another chance, why should I waste it ? (If any of you follow this blog from the start, you will realize that I temporarily stop writing. hihi). Now, if there is one thing that I should thank is; of course the failure that I experienced last three years. The failure reminds me on how imperfect I am -It shows the weakest part of me *I lost half of my ke-machoan during that time. haha*

I am a person who thrives on staying busy. My promise to never involve into any extra activities can get lost. Haha. I am an annoying perfectionist who challenged myself to be part of students' council team and in the mean time, struggling to maintain my pointer. It was hard. My gpa dropped to 3.7+ in semester 4 (My CGPA was the highest in semester 3). At that time, I felt like, OMG is it coming again ? Why didn't I learn from my mistake ? I should never break my promise :( My final year was the hardest (I was chased out from my class once, I failed my quiz & test, bla bla). With all the classes and programs, staying up until 3-4 a.m. seemed like a must. Just imagine, my night activity was full of meetings & discussions and morning class started as early as 8 a.m. Therefore, after all these hard works; I am very grateful with the results. Maintaining flat for four semesters out of six semesters & graduated as one of the ANC(s) are very unexpected. Of course, they are never an easy job. Alhamdulillah!

My highest gratitude goes to everyone who are always by my side during these three years in Mache. Thank you for not running away when I need help and giving the courage and pride to do things that I have never done before :) Sungguh, hutang budi dibawa mati.

My favourite team- mates: The risk takers w/o Shahrul, Akel, & Fathul

My favourite school

My favourite classmates

My favourite club, INDYBS

My so- called siblings

This place is entirely different than high school. I learn to discover myself here (Deep inside, I have to agree with friends harsh statement: Fety tak pernah tahu apa maksud kehidupan). Well, I started to be more open in building new friends in semester 3, before that I 'm used to be a lone-ranger. Haha. Surprisingly, these people have shaped my life tremendously and help me to grow as a person. UiTM really allows me to spread out my wings in order to challenge the limits. Thank you UiTM for all the chances given. I appreciate each one of it. College was one of the best time in my life. hehe, while I know this statement is not really true; I have to admit I had a lot of fun here. So, what 's next ? :)

Spend the day laughing. We had fun. :)

Thank you, friends. 
For being my rock, thank you.

Me love yuols! 

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 Ya Allah! Ingatkanlah aku selalu 

Mencari Harta Qarun – Kenapa Qarun? Siapakah Qarun? Dalam sejarah Islam – Qarun ialah salah seorang dari pembesar di zaman Firaun dan beliau tersangatlah kaya. 

Abah opened up this topic just now. "I have only been given it because of knowledge I have..." (Quran, 28: 78). Phew, itu lah kata yang diucap Qarun. His arrogance brought him nothing but harm. He was so ungrateful to Allah, and arrogantly believed that all his possessions were earned semata- mata because of his hard work. Jangan anggap semua barang yang kita punya hari ini milik kita, semua ini amanah Allah. That is what Abah always reminds us. Insya Allah Insya Allah. :) Indeed, we have to always remember that Allah does not look at our forms and possessions, but He looks at our hearts and our deeds. 

Pimpinlah aku selalu Tuhan,

Apabila aku beramal terjauh dari riyak dan megah

Pimpinlah aku selalu Tuhan,

Bila dipuji hatiku menolak 

Jika aku dikeji itu memanglah bagiku layak

-Abuya Ashaari Muhammad At Tamimi.

Catching up

Salam alaik, hai hao! :)

Sorry, it had been a long time since my last entry. Life really has gotten in the way. I have just been busy with normal things around the college. First and foremost, let us welcome Ramadhan Kareem. The month of Ramadan has approached with His mercy and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months, the days are the best among the days; the nights are the best among the nights, and the hours are the best among the hours! Subhanallah. Our good deeds also are accepted during this month, Insya Allah... May Allah bless us. I 'm aiming to do some things during this Ramadhan. Mudahan Allah bantu, permudahkan segalanya. 

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 A relationship is a serious matter that must be considered and evaluated well

Leaving your childhood memories behind, and becoming a wife is one of the most important event to happen in one's life. Marriage is half of the religion. Our relationship with our life- partner and family.. Definitely all that have to be taken into accounts. Tough.. Very tough. haha. Phew, how time flies! I am very happy to announce that some of my friends had been into more kind of serious relationships. One had settled! Two or three will be coming on the way! hihi. May Allah bless you and bring you and your chosen partner to a long and happy life till jannah together!

Nadia & Bro's wedding: Pengantin..... mana ? Haha!

Home, is where you can say anything you please :)

There is nothing so pleasant as coming home again

Hello! Now, I am in Kelantan, home sweet home - a place which is definitely a lot more than just a roof, windows, and door since yesterday. Well, just finished my foundation programme (Alhamdulillah, finally), and going to have a long long holiday, at least until to the end of August, before pursuing my degree. Yaww! :)

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Teringat di saat kita tertawa bersama

Ceritakan semua tentang kita

Er. I am missing my friends there. My housemates, classmates, and everyone. How I miss our time making prank to each other. Haha! And, yes! The model is included in the category of the person that I miss the most too. Hihi

Friendship can survive without love.

I have many friends. I had been in love with my friend, and had friends that I wished I could love, but can't. (Haha!)

In today’s world, friendship is the best of all relationships in the universe.

Friends are here to allow us to be human, accept, and care about us. But, at one point, love and friendship seem to cooperate all the time.

Friendship can lead to love,

but love never ends in friendship.

Yes, most friendships do end up in love situations. Sometimes, things work out. Well, as for me also, prefer to start everything out with friendship instead of moving right into ______ side, so that, we will have more time to get to know each other and things will work out better in the future!

Best thing about friendship?

You can't get divorced from a friend. Haha! Kan?

Well, my idea of a good friend is still the person who gives me the better of the two choices, thinks of me at times when I not there, reminds me of what I have forgotten, helps me to deal with pressure from others, most important helps me to become a better person. :) :)

Zainab (2) Number ONE

Friends are born, not made

Programme: Re- union of Zainab (2) Girls UPSR 04'

Date: 1st May 2010 (Happy labour day!)

Time: 12 p.m- 4 p.m

Yeay! The project was superb! Everything went on smoothly. Big congratulations to us, the admins (Big, Buyeen, Syasya, & Nuyin -so, very worth right? To climb up and down the school stairs :D) It was so so sweet to recall all the childhood memories. Ha ha. Best! ;) By the way, also special thanks to Asna (for being spontaneous. Hee), and Azrin (for the banner & drawing. Beautiful dearie!).

In my friend, I found my second self

Hurm. Hoping that this is not the ending of our friendship. As Asna said in her short speech, "Mudahan ini perjumpaan pertama. Dan selepas ini mungkin perjumpaan yang diadakan akan diraikan dalam suasana yang agak berbeza.. Bersama suami.. Juga anak- anak..". Ha ha ha

Rock the life! :)

Life is too short to waste a minute

Life is time we have to make the best out of it no matter what may come our way. Allow love to be the leader in our life. Love whatever we have to do, thus we will always be able to do what we love and to love what we do. I don't mean to be careless and crazy but I do mean to live each day to the fullest that we can. So, come on guys! Relieve the stress!

A life lived to the fullest starts with oneself

Well, check out how I live my life :)

Because of your smile, you make your life more beautiful!

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See, amazing right? Friends give you a different perspective on things and they can surely fill in any emptiness inside you. Come to think of it, how will you ever enjoy your weekend without your friends? Grow and aspire to become the person you have always dreamed of becoming. Then, you 'll master your life. Live with passion babeh! :)

Balasan dari pertolongan

"Jadilah engkau pemaaf, dan suruhlah orang mengerjakan kebaikan. Serta berpalinglah daripada orang- orang yang bodoh."

Memberi pertolongan kepada seseorang itu adalah dituntut supaya hubungan komuniti sesama manusia *highlight: kawan- kawan* itu menemui keharmonian yang berpanjangan. Namun, kita perlu berhati- hati dengan setiap pertolongan yang diberikan. Jangan sampai pertolongan itu menggalakkan kepada perkara- perkara berlawanan dengan norma- norma kemanusiaan.

Oleh sebab itu lah pentingnya memilih kawan. Bukan untuk membezakan status ketinggian sesama manusia. Ini adalah kerana dasar memikirkan sesuatu yang terbaik buat diri kita sendiri.

Sedarlah, tidak semestinya setiap pertolongan itu menjadi penawar bagi kedukaan dan kesusahan sahabat kita. Sekiranya ia dilakukan untuk perkara yang tidak baik, ia adalah racun untuk sahabat kita. Malahan, racun itu juga akan menular kepada diri kita sendiri.

Peranan seorang sahabat sebenarnya terhapus setiap kali dia membantu untuk melakukan kejahatan. -Chit Chat Remaja Mengenai Sahabat, M. F. Abu Bakar.

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Saya rasa: *Mengeluh*. Ya, saya dan teman- teman lain tidak sanggup melihat teman saya itu kesusahan ataupun dianiaya walaupun jelas hakikatnya teman saya itu sendiri yang mula melakukan kesalahan atau sikapnya sendiri yang mengundang kecelakaan.

Saya dan teman- teman lain ikhlas membantu. Namun, saya dan teman- teman lain risau teman saya itu semakin agresif melakukan perkara yang salah dan tersalah erti pertolongan yang diberikan. Mungkin, teman saya itu beranggapan saya dan teman- teman lain menyokongnya.

Saya dan teman- teman lain juga risau, pertolongan yang diberikan selama ini lebih menghanyutkan teman saya itu dan sekali gus menyebabkan saya dan teman- teman lain terhanyut bersama.

Justeru, bagaimana ya? Tidak perlu mengambil tahu langsung perihal teman saya itu? Kami sayangkannya :) *sekali lagi, mengeluh panjang*.

As promised, the happiness projects ;)

Beauty is power, a smile is its sword.

Whoever is happy will make others happy, too

That is happiness, to be dissolved into something completely great! :)

Ohh. Thanks friends. What can I say is ALLAH makes lots of people in all colors, shapes, and sizes. He loves them very much. Instead, we need to look on them in love and sing this song: I can be your friend. I can be your friend. Any day in any weather. We can be friends and play together.. :)

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People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading. - L P Smith

Received this book from Umi on my 18th birthday last February. I do have to say, this was a sweet and surprisingly heartwarming book. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be a ghost story!

In Twenties Girl, Lara Lington attends the funeral of her 105-year-old great-aunt, Sadie Lancaster, whom she never knew. Then all of a sudden, Sadie's ghost, at the age of 23-years-old, appears to Lara. Lara is the only one who can hear or see Sadie. Sadie begs Lara to stop the funeral and to help her find her dragonfly necklace.

I thought there were some funny moments between Lara and Sadie. My favourite moment was when Sadie dressed Lara for her date. Check this one out! It might not be the Shopaholic series or Can You Keep a Secret. But definitely read it and let me know what you think. I think this is one of those books that some will love and some will not love but like. You won't hate it, that's for sure! :)

Kegelisahan yang melampau. Ya, sangat.

Semenjak dua menjak kebelakangan, banyak rasanya perkara bersarang di minda. Baik sahaja memendam rasa. Mahu diluah sekalipun, tidak tahu dari mana harus dimulakan.

Apa yang saya tahu sekarang, rasa gelisah ini tidak wajar dibiarkan menghantui diri. Berserah diri kepada takdir dan redha terhadap pilihan telah ditentukanNya adalah jalan yang terbaik buat masa ini.

Okey. Case closed.
So so, happiness project please?

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Always remember to be happy because you never know who's falling in love with your smile

Well. I’ve been noticing how little I smile these two or three days -my face stays pretty serious, for the most part. And I think I should change that! Bobballe, SKJP, or whatever it is; come on come on! Plan something please? Seriously, need some therapy right now.

Permulaan sebuah persahabatan

Pendapat saya: Persahabatan bisa bermula di mana sahaja; pada bila bila masa sekalipun. Namun, yang paling penting sebenarnya adalah nilai persahabatan yang terjalin itu. Persahabatan itu terjadi secara berperingkat; bermula daripada hubungan yang paling ringan ; sebagai kenalan. Mereka yang jujur dan tidak mengambil kesempatan pasti merasai nikmat keindahan serta ketenangan sebuah persahabatan.

Sapaan demi sapaan semakin memesrakan pergaulan, dan seterusnya terjalinlah sebuah hubungan yang dinamakan teman ataupun kawan. Pada tahap ini, teman masih belum berhubung sesama jiwa kerana perasaan saling mempercayai masih belum terbit antara mereka.

Konklusi, apa yang menjalinkan sesebuah persahabatan itu adalah tempoh atau masa. Melalui masa itu lah perhubungan menjadi semakin intim dan saling memahami antara satu sama lain.