In Malaysia, there was a state named Shahputra Darul Kayangan. Located between the state of Pahang Darul Makmur at the east and Selangor Darul Ehsan at the west, the state was a mix of remarkable nature. Most of its land was rather hilly than flat, as it was located near the backbone of Peninsular Malaysia - the Titiwangsa mountains.

One of the districts was called Dirgantara - which was more like a valley, a smooth levelled land surrounded by greenery hills. The pinnacle of the district was the official state palace of Shahputra Darul Kayangan, named the Mahkota Puri Palace. This palace was where the Sultan of the state resided -  Sultan Muzzammil V. He was the Sultan with no queen, as his spouse - Sultanah Aryana Azrina had passed away due to complications during childbirth.

During the Sultanah's child labour, the state was blessed with the childbirth of Shahputra's crown prince and only heir, Raja Ahmad Ashraf ibni Sultan Muzzammil V. He grew up to be a very handsome prince. An eligible bachelor prince eyed by numerous suitors either among close royal relations or as massive as the commoners in Malaysia.

With the father and son duo living at the Mahkota Puri Palace in the district of Dirgantara, Dirgantara was deemed as the royal city of Shahputra - just like Klang in the state of Selangor and Pekan in the state of Pahang.

Located just beside the Mahkota Puri Palace, was Sri Mahkota Form Six College. (Form six was a local Malaysian pre-university education, equivalent to A Levels.) The Sultan granted extra land near his palace to the college, which was initially to enlarge his palace surface area - to expedite the facilities growth of the college instead. Eventually, he wanted Sri Mahkota to be the best form six college in Shahputra and overall, in Malaysia.

Two kilometres away from the college, stood the most extravagant school ever built in Dirgantara - the Heah Nee Chinese School. It consisted of three, 10-floor blocks of yellow in colour buildings, connected between them, two bridges, on level five of the institution. It was a secondary school, offering Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to its students. UEC was the qualification earned by Chinese secondary school students, before they embarked on their bachelor's degree journey.

Most Chinese Malaysians in Dirgantara sent their children to this school, to apply Chinese values to their offspring. Even the most fluent Indonesian-spoken Chinese Indonesians flew their children from Medan and Jakarta, Indonesia to have an education there, so they could grasp their skills in communicating in Mandarin.

Behind the tallest education institution in Dirgantara lies the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (that was how government secondary schools in Malaysia was addressed or SMK for short) Tengku Medina Intan. SMK Tengku Medina Intan was established in 1963. The opening ceremony of the school was officiated by Sultan Muzzammil V's late father himself, Sultan Muzzammil IV's. The construction development was fully funded from the Shahputra's royal household and was named after Shahputra's former queen and Sultan Muzzammil V's late mother, Sultanah Medina Intan.

The school had its twin sister, Sekolah Kebangsaan (that was how government primary schools in Malaysia was addressed or SK for short) Tengku Medina Intan. Both SMK and SK Tengku Medina Intan were the education jewels in Dirgantara. Located beside each other, both schools have produced students with flying colours in national examinations. Their extracurricular portfolio was highly praised, with outstanding achievements in competitions and tournaments, in sports, arts, and soft skills.

Finally, just beside Heah Nee Chinese School, opposite of SK Tengku Medina Intan - was where the British occupation in Malaysia was established in Dirgantara. Victoria Shahputra Institution was built in 1901 for British expatriate children, who lived in Dirgantara, to gain their British education. Even though in the 21st century, the school was already fully controlled by Malaysia's Ministry of Education, the name remains - Victoria Shahputra Institution, a well-known all-boys school in Dirgantara.

Victoria Shahputra Institution was not the only British influenced school that existed in the state of Shahputra. With the vast hilly mother nature of Shahputra, district of Dirgantara was not the only circular valley there. Separated just by the Arjuna Permata Hill, there was another valley, another district, called Megaputra.

Megaputra was where it housed another two British influenced Protestant girl's schools in the 20th century. SMK Mary of Teck and SMK Margaret Snowdon. No longer a Protestant school, the school's status as an all-girls school still remained. But, same as Victoria Shahputra, it was fully-owned by the Ministry of Education of Malaysia.

Both SMK Mary of Teck and SMK Margaret Snowdon were the best schools in Megaputra and no other schools could defeat that. Especially in the district's choir competition. SMK Mary of Teck always got number one. SMK Margaret Snowdon always got second. Always.

Except in 2008, when SMK Margaret Snowdon snatched the first place title of the choir competition from SMK Mary of Teck. The Megaputra education scene called this - the tsunami of the choir competition.  It was a sweet victory for SMK Margaret Snowdon, but definitely, a tragedy for SMK Mary of Teck.

SMK Mary of Teck girls were crying in agony on the competition day, in May 2008, outside of the great hall of SMK Dato' Malik, when SMK Margaret Snowdon choir team sang their encore song in the hall, to commemorate their victory in the competition. SMK Mary of Teck's own rendition of Brian Kennedy's You Raise Me Up eventually could not top SMK Margaret Snowdon's unique aria of Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time.

But, it was definitely a one moment in time for SMK Margaret Snowdon, as SMK Mary of Teck reclaimed their choir competition title again in 2009 and the years after that. However, the 2008 choir tsunami was still a huge blow to SMK Mary of Teck - a defeat that they pledged not to... ever... happen... again.

Outside of the great hall of SMK Dato' Malik, when SMK Mary of Teck's choir team was wailing because of their loss, the choir team of SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan witnessed SMK Mary of Teck's girls from afar while waiting for their bus to return back to their school. The soprano, alto, tenor, and bass singers of SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan were also wallowing in their own grief. They had lost their usual third place spot.

In the battle between which choir team was the best, either SMK Mary of Teck or SMK Margaret Snowdon, no other schools, not even the competition's host, SMK Dato' Malik, could stand a chance to win second or first place.

But, everyone knew, who would always sit on the third throne. It was SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan. A very humble school, also established in the same year as SMK Tengku Medina Intan, in 1963. It was the best mixed gender school in Megaputra, but their victories in extracurricular achievements were always overshadowed by the girls from SMK Mary of Teck and SMK Margaret Snowdon.

In the choir competition, no one claimed the third place spot, except SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan. Unfortunately, just like SMK Mary of Teck's choir team, who met their demise in the choir competition tsunami in 2008, SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan had also received the destruction of the tsunami - for not bringing back home their usual third place cup. It was claimed by a new school, established in 2002, by the name of SMK Kota Jaya Bana.

While the victory of SMK Margaret Snowdon in 2008 was justified, as they sang a powerful Whitney Houston's song, SMK Kota Jaya Bana's choir team was singing staccato like they were in a choral speaking competition. This had infuriated SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan, on the credibility of the judges judging the competition.

Unlike SMK Mary of Teck, wailing and moaning of their loss in the choir competition, SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan was rather in a shock of their loss, turning them to be speechless. They had used 110% of their energy in singing, they just didn't have the energy quota anymore to weep and moan. Because, it brought them nothing. They couldn't question the judges decision. They could not bring up the matter to the Megaputra District Education Office. A bunch of SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan teachers knew the office was quietly famous for its biasness. They always favour SMK Mary of Teck, SMK Margaret Snowdon and SMK Kota Jaya Bana. Till the doomsday. Only god knows why the Megaputra District Education Office consented to be their lap dog.

However, with perseverance, success resurfaced. While SMK Mary of Teck raised their first place cup in the choir competition every year after the tsunami, SMK Tengku Simpulan Intan raised their deserved third place cup, leaving SMK Margaret Snowdon with no other choice but to keep possessing the second place cup. Nothing, not even dust, could be brought by SMK Kota Jaya Bana, to their new polished school after every choir competition.

Well, not until years later after 2008, when SMK Mary of Teck's fate in winning first place was jeopardised again, when the choir's conductor was found murdered, just outside of the Mahkota Puri Palace. Below the nose of Sultan Muzzammil V's official residence.