Syed Mohamed Nur Bin Sayed Aladdin was a final year mass communications student who was on the very last leg of completing his studies in August, 2008.However, fate took a cruel and unexpected turn when he suddenly collapsed while having an ice-cream at Astro's Executive Dining Room after a recording session. He passed away a few minutes later in the ambulance.

 He was brought to the Serdang Hospital but could not be revived. According to doctor in charge, Syed Mohamed’s heart failed minutes after he collapsed. He passed away around noon on Saturday, 19^th July 2008.

The Syed that I remember was this nerdy-looking and awkward student. He always felt that no matter how well he performed, it was “not enough, not enough” for his parents, his lecturers and especially not enough for him. But he worked hard and tried his best and that’s how he will be remembered …

 The very afternoon I received the news, I was in shock. I’ve never had a student die on me, to put it bluntly. I drove in a daze to the Serdang Hospital. I met Syed’s parents and my friends from Astro who were with him during those last moments. His friends began trickling in. They were Steven Tan, Stephen Anand, Wai King, Ayu, Niveena and a few others from other schools. Some arrived later to wait for the post-mortem to be completed. Everything was moving in ‘slow-motion’.

The next day we were at his house for the funeral. Other than a slight bruise on his forehead, he looked very peaceful. Daliza and I sat with his mother trying to console her but ended up crying together. Emotions were running high that day. I could not bring myself to look at him when we were asked if we wanted to see Syed for the last time. It was just too devastating …

More so when Suhaimi told me that he had offered Syed a permanent position at ASTRO AWANI just the day before, something that Syed was looking forward to.

Syed came to my room occasionally, either to discuss assignments, views or family issues. He wanted desperately to graduate and help his retired parents. This is an abstract of one of his last emails to me;

“Suratan ini mungkin mengandungi perasaan terpendam saya tetapi ia bertujuan untuk menjelaskan akan betapa kemahuan saya memerlukan pencarian rezeki. Harapan saya agar dapat membalas jasa kepada PapaMama sementara mereka masih disini untuk melihat. Kini saya redha dan bersabar menunggu gengaman Ijazah B.A. (HONS) IN MASS COMMUNICATION dengan satu harapan malang berganti tuah. Sekian terima kasih atas kesudian membantu saya.”

The following week was equally difficult for all of us at School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies (SSLA). My room turned into a crisis centre when fellow students and friends dropped by to reminisce about Syed. Everyone left my room with puffy eyes.

Conducting classes was even more heart wrenching. How do you give a lecture to the same faces who were at the hospital and the same faces who were at the funeral? I guess it was fortunate that I was summoned to attend the ELC (English Language and Communication) accreditation exit meeting, so Pei Lee took over my Media Law & Ethics class.

With everything going on that week, Syed was weighing heavily on my mind. I guess it wasn’t a surprise when I ‘saw’ him in the corridor across the SSLA office. I thought I was hallucinating, but I actually saw him; he smiled, nodded and walked away.I asked Erin Victor, one of my graduates about the incident. She said this to me: ”You’re going to be alright Miss Lina. He knows you’re been thinking of him. It’s his way of saying that he’s okay coz he’s in a better place”.

Yes, I believe he is indeed in a better place ... Syed, you will be missed dearly and remembered always by friends, lecturers and colleagues…

Here are some excerpts from them:

“I didn't praise Syed Mohamed Nur enough. He was the best intern ever that I have worked with. At 23-years old with just one more subject before graduation, he was even better than some of the producers that I have worked with. He was a great guy. Very polite and ever willing to help others. I didn't praise him enough.” -- Suhaimi Sulaiman, Producer, ASTRO AWANI.

 

“Syed was a guy of few words with a thoughtful look. Whenever you crack any jokes, you would want to get a cue from him of whether it’s worth telling or not. If he kept still, you would have to give the joke another go. Yet when he smiled over it, you know that it’s genuine and the joke was a good one. That’s how I remember Syed from day one in my class, Introduction to Psychology 1.” – Norul Hidayah, Head of Department Psychology.

 

Honesty and perseverance are his strongest traits. Many times he would come to me sharing his struggles (academic & financial). When he had finally adjusted to the campus life here (he was a transfer student), you would recognize that he was the 'uncut diamond' now slowly flourishing and refining. His burst of creativity and constant humility provided the successful impetus for his team projects and class presentations – Yeoh Pei Lee, Media Law & Ethics lecturer.

 

Losing somebody with such a serious face that hides a beautiful, warm and meaningful smile is something very difficult to digest – Nur Daliza Dohat, Mass Comm. lecturer.