September 2015, I was still in my first year of Foundation in Multimedia University of Cyberjaya (MMU). One of the classes that I enrolled was Photography.
For its last assignment, all the students have to take a picture of the Sun with a scenery.
Unfortunately, Malaysia was hit with the most horrendous haze in many years. The haze started in late June 2015 and finally ended on October 2015.
It was NOT the perfect time to take pictures of the Sun during those months.
(Ironically, vaping was a popular trend during that time period...)
I was so worried about it that I stayed up all night wondering if tomorrow’s weather is gonna hazy again.
I decided to stay up late, planning to get a picture of a sunrise. At 4:30 a.m, I head out and walked around Cyberjaya and waited at a spot where the Sun usually rises.
Unfortunately, the haze was too much (even in the morning) and I only got a picture of a small orange dot surrounded by smoky skies.
10 a.m, I finally came back to my dorm. First thing I can think off was to lie down on the floor, face down.
I was fatigued as hell.
I didn’t even eat breakfast and all I think was the Sun and cursing at the damn haze.
As I cursed and ranted about the haze, I suddenly remembered a student showed a beautiful sunset photo in class a week ago and he got it during the haze too. I remembered a familiar looking mosque was in that picture too.
It was Putra Mosque (or Masjid Putra)!
Putra Mosque is one of Malaysia's famous landmarks, located in Putrajaya near the Perdana Putra where the Prime Minister of Malaysia's office complex is housed. Many tourists visit the mosque to see its beautiful interior and sometimes to see the sunsets there.
I got up from the floor and said to myself, “Oh shit, I know that place!”
In an instant, I immediately packed my camera and other stuff and rode a taxi to Putra Mosque ASAP!...
(Of course, I had to eat my breakfast first. My energy was downright empty.)
I headed out to Putra Mosque around noon. The trip took about at least half an hour. By the time I reached there at 1:30 p.m, it was still hazy but I can still see the Sun.
It was just enough for me to take some shots of the Sun but most of them looked horrible, unfortunately.
(Thanks a lot, haze...)
5:30 p.m, the Sun was finally engulfed by the haze entirely. The sky was just smoking grey. I could barely see the Sun anymore, not even the slightest ray of light.
I was disappointed…and got really tired from taking pictures for hours.
I decided that it’s finally time to go back home. I planned to go back by bus this time cuz I didn't really wanna waste my money on a taxi. They cost hella lot.
Again, I was really tired. I looked for a place to sit and managed to find a star-shaped tile seat.
(This is the exact location where I was taking my rest. From this picture, you can still see the haze that was happening during that same year in Putra Mosque.)
Click Here To Explore [Putra Mosque] in Google Maps.
There were 4-5 people sitting on the star-shaped tile seat. So, I thought I was safe enough and decided to lay down for a while. I was planning to take a quick rest while waiting for the bus.
I made sure to hold onto my camera and my messenger bag closely, so no one could try to steal it.
I closed my eyes and tried to take some rest.
The crowd noise around me suddenly faded into a serene atmosphere.
I felt a blissful calm. At that moment, I feel so relaxed.
Way too relaxed.
It was a mistake of trying to 'rest' when your body feels like a rag doll.
What should have been a 5-minute rest actually turned into 40 minutes nap.
I finally woke up. I looked at the sky and noticed it was almost dusk. I checked my phone for the time and it’s already passed 6 p.m.
When I got up, I did a quick check-up for my items right away. It was a relief that my camera and my bag were still with me…but then, I tried to feel my wallet in my right pants' pocket.
My wallet was missing!
The feeling of nerve-racking, uneasiness cold tingling on my neck, left me with goosebumps.
I was flustered!
Then, I thought, “Wait, maybe I put my wallet in the bag?”
I checked inside my bag. Nothing but stationeries and a book.
I checked my pockets again. Nothing. I was done for.
My wallet was really gone...
I then searched the whole area of Putra Mosque for one solid hour.
I traced back where I have been, hoping to find my missing wallet. I even asked for help from the security guards that were near the place I took rest and told them everything that just happened.
To put salt on the wound, they said to me that my wallet is gone for good, no hope finding it.
What a way to get demotivated.
First the haze, now these assholes...
At 7:12 p.m, I finally stopped looking as soon as the Maghrib’s adhan (call to prayer) was sounded. I went to Putra Mosque to do my Maghrib prayers in there.
After I was done with my prayers, I planned to continue looking for my wallet again but it was dark already. There was no way I could find my wallet in that condition.
I tried to call for my roommate to pick me up but my phone had no credit to make a call.
I'm really stuck in this place.
I remembered seeing security guards near the entrance of Putra Mosque but their uniforms were different from the ones that I previously encountered.
I figured they were the mosque’s security guards.
I tried my luck and asked them for help.
Luckily, they were willing to help me out.
They asked about how my missing wallet looked like and even asked for my phone number.
They told me they would call me if they found it.
It was kind enough to let me know they would do that but it didn’t stop there.
Knowing that I don’t have a ride back home, they let me used their phone, so I can call my friend to pick me up.
When my friend finally arrived, I thanked the security guards for helping me out. It was really nice of them to use their time to solve my problem.
Not gonna lie, I did teared up a bit because I was overwhelmed by happiness.
May God bless those generous gentlemen.
Until today, I never got my wallet back. I really wish I did but for now, I just have to let it go.
I have to consider this as a lesson for me. As for you guys, I hope that you can learn something from my story too and try not to make the mistake like I did.
And as for the assignment, I managed to get a B+.
I did go to Putra Mosque again to take a photo of the sunset but this time, with a friend. Lesson learned!
FEEDBACK!
Aight, I think I overdid myself here. I didn't expect to make this post a really long one. I'm really sorry for that haha 😅
But still, what do you guys think about the length of this post? I was hoping the amount of comics compensates enough for the really long text, so you guys won't get bored reading the whole thing.
Let me know what I should do to improve. It would help me a lot! 💗
Anyway, thanks for reading my comic. Hope you guys enjoyed it!
I'll see ya guys in my next post. Ta-ta!
Previous Episode of [My Sleepless Nights]
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Assuming your main content is the article, it's above average length? Might be just me who prefer quick short info, but i think you can shorten the writing just a lil bit more.
The comic strips are way too small & crampy? I'm viewing this on phone, not sure if its any different when viewed on pc. Perhap reduce panel amount or arrange it vertically.
Btw, my condolences to your wallet ='(
Yeah, it is actually way above average. This post is about 1000+ words in it. I'll try to maintain somewhere between 400-600 words next time.
As for the device viewing, I'm glad you mentioned that. I guess this post does favor more to PC users since most of the comic I did are horizontal.
I think it is better to go more vertical next time.
Thanks @leoblaze, I really appreciated the well thought out feedback!
No prob!
Hey there @izziqbal, it's a shame you couldn't get your wallet back.
Yeah for me at last I found the post a little on the long side, it could have been better (for me at least) if the story was divided in two posts or just summarized a little more.
I have to agree with @leoblaze regarding the format, I'm also using my phone and find it hard to appreciate the art. Vertical panes are really the way to go here, even more if you're doing a comic strip. But still the art is solid, I liked it.
Yup, I was actually thinking to do an episode with 2 parts.
I think can try this in Episode 4 later but for now, I'm gonna start simple for the next episode :]
Thanks for the feedback @cobmaximus
yeah keep up the good work!
Whoa ;; You're really had to put up with all that. I seriously have no idea. Poor you pats pats
I survived with my laundry money coins for 3 days, fortunately xD
Awwh! you had such a journey TT at least you got a fairly decent grade 🙏🏻
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger :)
The haze was definitely a challenging one, sir 😖
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