Fight till the end

Called MOHE this morning, asking about my letter. It went something like this:

(blablabla the same boring introduction)
MOHE: You sent the letter by yourself right? Not through your employer (UPM)?
Me: Yes, because the officer in charge is on leave for a week, and I am short of time.
MOHE: The problem is, you have to send the application through your employer, that's the only way for us to know that they have given you the permission to continue your studies abroad. And even so, we still have to see if there is a slot open for another scholar..
Me: Is there any other way? Since I am short of time now..
MOHE: No, you have to send it through your employer
Me: ......okay then. Thank you

This is my reaction after the phone call ---> ('___')

.....

Okay, I think I should think of plan B now.

Lets sort everything out.

Dateline for sending the Declaration of Acceptence to ANU: November 23, 2009 (I need to pay a fee deposit of A$5760.00 by then)

List of scholarships:
1) MOHE - no budget for oversea Masters study (although they sent a letter to the registrar, dated October 21, 2009 about the availability of a scholarship for tutors who are already offered a place in one of the top 20 universities). I can try applying anyway, although the whole process will definitely take at least a month and a half. By then, it's already past the dateline.
2) JPA - do not sponsor those who are working, having a CGPA less than 3.75, and applying for the scholarship more than 1 year after graduation. I am totally not eligible for it. But I can try applying for it anyway. Then again, the person said, the process would take around 2-3 months. It would be past the dateline, again.
3) MARA - application for Skim Pelajar Cemerlang will only be available at the end of the year/early next year. It will difinitely pass the dateline, still.
4) Endeavour Award (Australian Scholarship) - application will only open in December. And that's the second round of the application. The first round was last April. Percentage of getting: I don't know. But I'll try to apply for it anyway. Anyway, I think the whole process will take more than a month..so, it'll pass the dateline, still.
5) MOSTI - not for working people. I will need to resign if I want this scholarship. Still need to look deeper into this.
6) Shell, Sime Darby, and other private sectors - Haven't look into these, yet.

Hmm..it looks like all the scholarships will take more than a month to process. And I only have exactly 5 weeks from today to return the Declaration of Acceptance.

Hmm..I think I will gamble on this.

A$5,760.00 = RM18,027.21

I think I will make bank loan to pay for the deposit first. At the same time, I will apply to all scholarships available. Hopefully someone will sponsor me. Amiin.

Bismillahitawakkaltu'alAllah.

p/s: One main reason why I will fight till the end for this is because the day before I got the offer letter, I was thinking on registering for the GRE test the next day. And also, I did a serious solat hajat, wishing to continue my studies abroad and to get married soon. And of course, I also wished for a better, smooth life, and for a stronger iman. The moment I got the offer letter, it really felt like this is it. It was a very strong instinct. As if I know that this is the path for me. It felt like Allah had granted my wish. Now it's up to me to make it real.