Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),
If there’s another place that I am somewhat familiar with (other than my hometown of course), it would be the exquisite Kuantan. If someone has accidently dropped me off there, I could have gotten myself survived at a percentage rate of 99.9% positively. Well you might say that I kinda knew the place like the back of my hand.
Funny if you should think that I graduated from a Kuantan’s business school. I am actually one of UNITEN’s alumni which its branch campus is located more than 100kms from Kuantan. I pretty had my five years of Accounting studies spent at Muadzam Shah; a brainchild of our Prime Minister’s dad. Frankly speaking, I had never heard of its name until I got there.
Instead of calling Muadzam Shah a fairly secluded area, I would prefer to portray it as a rather tranquil but well-planned town. The place was first built to become a fully established educational centre in serving the surrounding rustic provinces. So it kinda explained on why people (especially outsiders) would only find basic necessities close by.
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| 'At one of Muadzam Shah's park when I was merely 19. Phew!' |
Back then when I spent my time in Muadzam Shah from 2004 until 2009, the only shop to be available after 9 pm was 7-Eleven convenient store. Believe it or not, most of the shops would be closed as early as 7 pm onwards with no fast-food outlet to be found except some food stall and highway’s restaurants. And one of those few decent shops for us to get our groceries was a mini-mart called ‘Abadi’.
I could still recall its aloof owner who was not very fond of outsiders especially us students. At that time, most of us were having hard times with locals due to bad reps done by former students before us. I am not sure how things have changed now in Muadzam Shah after I left in 2009. Still haven’t got any opportunity to visit it yet though I would love to one day.
Since my friends and I could not find some appropriate places to shop in town except a pharmacy which sold limited personal stuff and toiletries, most of us had opted to go for Kuantan where fancy shopping malls resided and beach leisure was laid upon our eyes. I mean, who on earth did not find them alluring especially if you were a student. No?
During my first and second year in UNITEN, I did not have any cars with me. So every time we wanted to go for shopping, the only option for us was public transports like bus and taxi. It was actually pretty exhausting but the excitement shared with friends was beyond words. The best time to shop was of course when study allowances were disbursed. Bahaha!
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| 'During our final years in Kuantan's East Coast Mall' |
When I got my own car, I pretty much wandered around Kuantan all by myself. I learned to be independent during those times when I drove alone on that 106kms journey of 1 hour and 30 minutes (at average speed) either at night or day. And with trouble-free access to transport at that time, I was pretty sure that I headed to Kuantan most of my weekends. What a life, then! Teehee.
Anyway it was a fun life-phase for me; of which we tasted the freedom at rare and experimented life choices at most. Of course being in college/university wasn’t all fine and dandy; everyone must have some sad and sappy experiences to swallow. However it was probably the best time in life which no one could ever forget despite of how much our waist lines have increased nowadays!
Do live your life to the fullest, people!
