Fashion Trend

I've decided to write something in this blog although I know I should be writing my assignment instead. Owh well, this blog needs some attention too.

Anyway, I watched a video clip by a Korean female group the other day. For those of you who are familiar with Korean/Japanese singing group, you'll know how they typically sing/dress/dance. Yup, with cute-looking makeup and costume, they act cute while singing, and dance cute too. However, although they sing/act/dance/dress that way, I bet most of them are around 18-22 years old.

Now, compare this to western singer. Take Hillary Duff, or Miley Cyrus for example. Once they hit 16 years old, their singing/dressing style turned into something that is completely different. They became sexier. They act more like an adult. It's like they became a whole new person with a whole new image. Image that, for me at least, doesn't match with their age. I agree that someone who is 16 years old is not considered as a child, but s/he is not an adult either.

It's kinda amusing to me to see the two different, cultures, I must say. Somehow, the fashion trend in the Eastern world tends to be cute. They like something that makes them look younger. Too young in fact, some of them dress like I would dress if I was 12 or younger. Vibrant colors, all frilly and cute looking clothing, headbands with cute little ribbon, ponytail at one side, or even ponytails at both sides (what do they call that?). Whereas in the Western world, the fashion trend tends to be sexier. They like something that make them look sexier, more appealing, more mature. Too mature in fact, sometimes a 16 year old could be mistakenly thought to be a 20 year old. Figure hugging, skimpy dresses, mini skirts, dresses with V-neck or anything that will definitely show the cleavage. Makeup style is different too. Easterners tend to wear makeup that will make their eyes look bigger and cuter, while the westerners tend to wear makeup that will make their eyes look more sultry and sexier.

So, how do women in Malaysia dress? Hmm.. kinda hard to say. I believe since Malaysia is located in between both worlds, women in this age group tend to dress either way depending on preferences, or somewhere in between, which is completely fine, since somewhere in between would mean they dress their age. However, taken into account that religion and culture play an important aspect in our lives, i'd say, fashion trend in Malaysia has developed its own identity. Different people dress differently, and sometimes the same person may dress this way today, and different way tomorrow. Maybe there isn't any typical fashion trend in Malaysia. Or maybe we don't really care how we dress. As long as we wear something.

So how do I dress? Hmm..I am naturally not a stylish person. I tend to wear clothes that are comfortable, and don't get in my way when I want to do things. T-shirts and Jeans are top of my list, although I feel like wearing more skirts now. However, when I do feel like dressing up a bit, I would pick something that is simple, yet looks elegant/sophisticated at the same time.

Recently I've been thinking about changing my dressing style. Since I am now someone's wife, and maybe someone's mother in the future, I would like to improve myself. To be a better person, spiritually, especially. To be a role model for my future kids. So I am thinking of changing my dressing style into a more modest look. Less jeans, more skirt. Less tight T-shirts, more loose blouses. But here's the thing. Most modest clothing in the market are not my style. They don't portray me very well. I don't want to wear something that is not me. It makes me feel wrongly represented.

So when I go shopping, or surf the Internet, or observe people, I constantly look for something for inspiration. Something that is modest. Something that is me. Something that could be my next dressing style.

Then I found this. And I am in love. Her style is simple enough, elegant enough, and modest enough. Most designs that she shows cover all the parts that need to be covered, yet she does so in a subtle way that it looks natural, stylish, and not looks as if the cloth is there to cover this and this.

Maybe I would dress somewhat like her style in the future? ;)

Apa yang penting? KERJA-SAMA!!

Hari ni malas. Dah berturut2 buat assignment. So, malam ni nak lepak.

Tulis blog lah. Dah lame tak tulis. Hmm..

Selamat hari raya aidilfitri 1431 hijrah! :D Semoga amalan kita semua pada bulan Ramadhan hari itu diterima oleh-Nya. (Speaking of which, terkilan tak dapat berpuasa 15 hari terakhir kerana ini)

Anyway, hari raya pertama pergi solat raya di Rumah Malaysia di Canberra. Itu rumah duta katanya. Btw, khutbah raya kali ini berkenaan silaturrahim. Kita diingatkan supaya tidak memutuskan silaturrahim dan bergaduh. Bukankah Islam itu agama keamanan? Mengajar kita menyayangi saudara seperti diri sendiri?

Tapi bila terbaca (atau sengaja membaca) artikel2 berunsur kebencian dari satu pihak kepada pihak yg lain, rasa sedih pula. Lagi2 pula dari satu muslim kepada muslim yang lain.

Dimana hubungan persaudaraan kita sebagai saudara sesama Islam?

Kadang2 rasa tak faham bila ahli2 politik bergaduh. Bukankah semua ahli politik (secara idealnya) mempunyai matlamat yang sama--ingin memajukan negara? Bukankah semua ahli politik (secara idealnya) mempunyai semangat patriotisma yang kuat dan cintakan negara sepenuh jiwa raga mereka? Dari bergaduh, sepatutnya ahli2 politik ini cuba mencapai kata sepakat demi kedaulatan dan kemajuan negara. (Secara idealnya) Pihak yang kalah dan seluruh rakyat sepatutnya memberi kerjasama kepada pihak yang menang, yang pada ketika ini memimpin kawasan/negeri/negara. Bantulah mereka menjalankan kerja mereka untuk memajukan kawasan yang mereka pimpin. Kalau kita asyik menekan mereka dengan kutukan2, susahlah mereka nak buat kerja. Kita suka ke kalau dikutuk tak pandai buat kerja kita, sedang kita sedang semangat nak buat kerja? Tidak suka, bukan? Jadinya, jangan buat kepada orang lain.

Tidak puas hati? Bukankah kita sudah diberi kebebasan untuk memilih pemimpin kita pada pilihan raya? 'Bersuara'lah pada kertas semasa pilihanraya. Bukannya bersuara pada waktu kita tidak mempunyai pilihan untuk 'bersuara'. Atau bersuara kepada orang luar yang tiada kena-mengena dengan negara, sehingga orang luar yang tiada kena-mengena ini memandang serong kepada negara. Bukankah negara ini negara kita? Baik buruk negara ini, kita perlu sayang, bukannya mencanai2kan kepada dunia tentang keburukan negara. Tidak malukah, membuka pekung di dada sendiri?

Tapi apakan daya. Kebanyakan ahli politik terlibat dengan politik semata2 kerana kuasa dan pengaruh, dan bukannya kerana kecintaan kepada negara. Orang2 yang cintakan negara yang terlibat dengan politik pula tidak begitu kelihatan kerana terbelit dan tersepit di tengah2 ahli2 politik yang gilakan kuasa dan pengaruh.

Owh, sedihnya!

Bersatulah wahai rakyat Malaysia. Cukup2lah menunding jari menyalahkan sesama sendiri. Apa kata kita semua duduk diam2 sebentar, berhenti bercakap, kemudian buat kerja yang sepatutnya dibuat dengan tekun. Tangan bergerak tetapi mulut diam. Bukankah itu caranya untuk memajukan negara? Bagaimana jika mulut tak berapa nak diam? Tampallah duck-tape yg tebal tu. Buka balik bila masa sudah hampir dengan pilihanraya. Tapi jangan tabur fitnah2 dan janji2 palsu pula, ya?

Owh, 'kerja yang sepatutnya' bukan 'menunding jari menyalahkan pihak lain dan memburuk2kan negara', ya? Tetapi kerja2 yang boleh memajukan negara. Alah, seperti saya yang sedang belajar dengan harapan suatu hari nanti saya boleh mencipta sesuatu yang boleh menaikkan nama negara disamping melahirkan generasi akan datang yang berpengetahuan dan mempunyai dedikasi untuk memajukan negara. Sekurang2nya insyaAllah, usaha saya yang kecil sekarang, akan terus berbuah di masa hadapan. Cuba bayangkan kalau saya belajar kurang dan sebaliknya asyik sibuk menyalahkan universiti kerana pelajaran terlalu susah. Sudah tentu saya tidak pandai2. Tetapi jika saya berhenti menyalahkan universiti dan tingkatkan usaha belajar, insyaAllah saya akan pandai. Susah kalau nak buat dua benda dalam satu masa ni. Jadinya, berhenti mengutuk, dan banyakkan bekerja, ya?

Owh, kan sudah terbebel. Tapi saya sudah penat. Penat membaca kutukan. Penat melihat orang menunjuk2 dan menuduh2. Penat melihat negara diburuk2kan di negara lain. Penat melihat rakyat Malaysia yang tidak pernah sayangkan negara.

Sudahlah, cubalah sayangkan negara. Ingat negara lain nak sangat dgn kita bila kita ke negara mereka?

Negara bagaikan rumah. Bila kita mengutuk negara kita, ia bagaikan kita mengutuk rumah sendiri. Bila kita mengutuk pemimpin negara, ia bagaikan kita mengutuk ibu bapa sendiri. Bila kita mengutuk rakyat2 negara kita, ia bagaikan kita mengutuk adik beradik sendiri. Sanggupkah kita berbuat begitu? Memburuk2kan rumah dan ahli keluarga sendiri?

Kalau kita sanggup, bermakna kita tak sayangkan 'rumah' kita. Pergilah ke 'rumah' lain. Mengharapkan belas kasihan dari 'isi rumah' di situ. Tetapi mahukah mereka. Kemungkinan besar kita akan tidak be'rumah'. Atau jika bernasib baik, kita dibenarkan menumpang di 'rumah' orang lain.

Tapi mahukah kita? Hidup menumpang?

Sudahlah, marilah bersatu. Bekerjasama. Sayangkan negara.

Bak nyanyian anak2 kecil (hingga ke orang dewasa):

"Apa yang penting?? KERJA-SAMA!"

(Popularkan kartun itu? Wonderpets?)

Salam silaturrahim.

p/s: mesti kelakar jika ada kanak2 tadika bertanyakan kepada guru mereka kenapa orang2 dewasa asyik bergaduh sedangkan di tadika diajarkan supaya bersatu dan bekerjasama. Lagi best kalau selepas itu mereka bertanya, "orang2 dewasa tak pergi tadika ke?" har har har.

p/p/s: marilah kita masuk tadika semula. har har har.

6th August 2010

Yesterday was Friday, the 6th of August 2010.

It was our half-year anniversary. Wow didn't realize it.

So, we decided to eat out at Iori Restaurant -- what claimed to be the best Japanese restaurant in Canberra (but Davis' Zen Toro is still the best). We had to make a reservation since it's IMPOSSIBLE to go there on Friday night without reservation. We reserved a place for two at 6:30 pm, but we showed up at 6 pm anyway since we were too hungry.

After taking our table, we looked through the menu, although we had decided what to get while waiting for the restaurant to open haha (they put their menu up at the entrance). We ordered a regular size sashimi for the entree (I hadn't eaten good sashimi for years!), and a combo meal for the main dish. The name of the combo meal was "This is what I'm talking 'bout!" (I'm not kidding), and it consisted of a soft-shelled crab sushi roll, salmon and vegetable in miso broth, unagi, unagi tempura, and unagi braised in egg. We didn't order any rice since the portion was big enough for two, although I think a bowl of rice would be perfect to complete the meal. Anyway, I had my usual green tea, and Mr. Husband had a bottle of coke. The whole meal cost us $74.50, and that's huge for our August budget. But hey, it's not that every month we get to celebrate our half-year anniversary :)

Owh, forgot to mention--it was a quadruple celebration actually. Other than our half-year anniversary, we were celebrating my not-bad Semester 1 result, Mr.Husband's potentially get a job (we need to provide a couple of documents, and insyaAllah, it's confirmed), and something that I will announce later when it's confirmed. So, what if it's not confirmed? Well, I guess you'll never know. Hehehe.

Owh, here's the chronological pictures we took at the restaurant. (Just realized we didn't take a picture with two of us in it :/)

arriving at the restaurant. hungry face.

can't wait for the food

the entree -- sashimi

the main dish -- this is what i'm talking 'bout

muke semangat nak makan

Ajoy dah tak sabar

muka kenyang..tapi takleh lawan...

muka kenyang ini!

doctors and patients

My friend's status on Facebook today made me think.. Her status was about her wanting to do medicine, but her senior doctor told her to do other thing instead since the patients in medicine like to lie. It's funny, really, and true to a certain extent. But another friend of mine commented, saying sometimes it's not that the patients lie, it's just that the doctor doesn't want to believe the patient. Which, sadly, is also true. She has a first hand experience, and so do I.

I remember having a dislocated pelvic once, and 2-3 doctors did not believe me. I told the first two doctors I'd fallen and hurt my spine about a year before. They told me, without checking my back, "The pain will go away. Give it some time," and gave me a warm massage oil. But when the pain worsen and gave me trouble when walking, sitting, even lying, and made me cry in the office just because it hurt too much, I knew it would not go away. But another trip to the doctor did not do any good, as the third doctor did and said the same thing and gave me the same oil. At that point, I knew I had to see a specialist. But since to see a specialist in a government hospital would require me to have a reference from a doctor, and a specialist from a private hospital would cost me a fortune, I opted to see a chiropractor. And thank God the chiropractor was good; she checked me thoroughly and identified that my pelvic was dislocated, and she corrected it during the first visit.

Another experience was when I had shingles. It was still in the early stage, and I didn't know it was shingles, but I knew it's not just a normal rash since it was red and had bubbles. When I went to see a doctor, the doctor looked at it for a bit and said, "It's just a normal rash. I'd give you antibiotics for you to apply to the rash." And of course the antibiotic did not work on the 'rash'. When it got larger and weirder, I went to see a specialist straight away, which cost me a fortune, but at least the doctor did look at the 'rash' closely and told me what it was. After a round of antiviral, it was gone.

And not to forget when I had, which I believe, chikungunya, since all the doctors whom I went to see did not care to find out what's wrong with me. So, sorry if I'm wrong, but I had all the symptoms. Anyway, even after 4 trips to at least 4 different doctors, and 4 blood samples taken, left me perplexed and confused since all of them told me I was okay, although clearly I was tomato-red, swollen, and had a fever and a strong joint pain. Owh, did I tell you they were even skeptical to give me a medical leave, even for a day or two? For God's sake, I was sick for more than a week. (I think they took my blood samples to check if I had dengue, and since I didn't have dengue, they didn't care).

But, I know we cannot 100% blame the doctors for being very skeptical towards the patients. I mean, even if we've never done it, we've at least known one person who has lie to a doctor to get a medical leave, to run away from work or skip a class. So blaming the doctors 100% will not do them justice.

But please, fellow doctors, although I don't look as honest, believe me, I am one of the most honest people you'll ever find. I have never lied to a doctor before. So, please believe me when I say, "I'M IN PAIN!"

forgive and forget

Sometimes I wish I remember what I forget, and I forget what I remember.

Ahh..so much for being someone who forgives but never forget. These unnecessary memories take up my memory space, which I desperately need for other more important stuffs, like the exact mechanism for DNA transcription, translation, post-transcription, and post-translation. (Do ignore the jargon).

O well, what the hell. I need chocolate.

choosing a digicam

although i am terribly busy, i still want to sneak into this blog a bit haha this blog has started to get covered with spider webs anyway.

so my husband and i are trying to look for a camera. we both have no camera at the moment, and are relying on the camera function on our samsung jet mobile (yes, coincidentally we both have the same mobile). so we are trying to figure out which camera to buy.

of course, looking at the popularity, dslr is the most tempting option. good quality pictures, slightly expensive, but affordable. but of course, with dslr, one needs to be knowledgeable to be able to use it properly. knowing me, i don't think i am up for that. every time i buy a new gadget, i never read the manual before using the gadget. i am more to try-and-error person. even with my old camera, sony t-10, i took 2-3 years to actually understand the functions and actually used them properly. so, i don't think dslr will do me any good.

so i am opt for a digicam with some good functions. yup, i am not a photography master, but i like to take good pictures, and i do use functions in a camera. i am not one of those people who use auto setting for everything. so, an affordable digicam with good functions.

i was looking at this harvey norman catalogue. they have discounts on cameras now. i was attracted to olympus sp600 ultra-zoom, just because it has wide-angle lens and 15x optical zoom. it's on sale for aud$268 now. fuji finepix xp10 is on sale for aus$237. but i don't think i will be using its waterproof function on a regular basis, so maybe olympus is better.

but then yesterday my husband was showing two more olympus or fujifilm model that really caught my attention. ah, i forgot the model now, but i'm pretty sure it's something like s2500..a compact camera with good functions 18x zoom, wide-angle lens, hd video recording..and all for under rm1000. wow.

but, all that said, my husband just texted me saying he found another model which looked good. a canon. aaa~ i don't know which one to choose anymore. i'll let my husband, a.k.a my technology master, to choose.

or, do you have a recommendation?

To all my friends

Dear friends,

Here, I want to congratulate all my friends who are

(1) done with their owh-so-time-consuming medical school and now are doctors,
(2) done with studies, whatever it is
(3) got new jobs
(4) got engaged
(5) got married
(6) pregnant
(7) got babies!

I am so happy with all of you, really, but there are just too many of you for me to congratulate everyone personally. I just want to say to all who are done with school, an end of something is just a new beginning of something else. May you get the dream job soon, may the success be with you, and may the skills that you have acquired will help elevating our country to a better level. And to my friends who are now doctors, may you guys be the greatest doctors ever and do good to the society. Everyone else wants to be you, really. To those who got new jobs, hey, good luck in building your career! and don't get too caught up with the stress, and don't ever lose your passion! To those who got engaged and married, congrats in entering the new phase of life, and remember, tolerance, love, and trust are the keys. And to those who are pregnant and just got babies, may you be good parents, and hopefully your babies will grow up healthy, smart, beautiful, be good sons and daughters to you, good muslim (to my muslim friends), good citizens to the country, and good person to the humanity.

And to everyone else who are still waiting for anything (bachelor, master, phd degrees; career; soulmate; babies), like me, let's do our best and never lose hope! Just believe God has something for us, and we just have to work and pray hard to find what that something is. Usaha! Usaha! Usaha! :)

And to those who just lose something or feel like a failure, remember, life goes on, and the end of something is just a new beginning. Life is a journey after all; sometimes you are up, and sometimes you are down. The process of going up again is really the thing that makes you grow. The hardship will only make us stronger and remember, don't ever lose hope! :)

And lastly, I want to wish everyone a Happy (belated, now, or advanced, whichever applicable) Birthday! I am never good at remembering and checking everyone's birthday, especially when there are hundreds of people on my friends list, but hey, I am not the only one, am I? hehe. O well, anyway, have a superb year ahead, and may all your wish come true! :)

Ok, I think that's all. Have a good day everyone :)

<3 Pushie

Obsession

Dark chocolate. Yummy yum.

Owh, this is my biggest obsession.

and since he's my biggest obsession, I just have to put more pictures of him haha

tgk tu dah besar pon makan ice-cream macam budak2. sungguh comel. rase nak picit2. hahaha

Owh, last Sunday was his 25th birthday. So I went out to the mall and celebrate his birthday. Bought a piece of Black Forrest cake and a Macchiato. Next time, please remind me that Macchiato is not Caramel Macchiato without the caramel. Speaking of which, I still haven't found any cafe selling Caramel Macchiato. I mean, seriously, where the hell is Starbucks? Anyway..

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY MY LOVING, ROMANTIC, COMOT, COMEL, HANDSOME, AND OWH-SO-ADORABLE MR.HUSBAND! :D

Hopefully we'll grow old happily together with dozens of children and grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

I love you.

p/s: I went out to celebrate his birthday but I totally ignored mine. haha. O well, we practically have the same birthday anyway. The celebrations are always combined :)

p/p/s: chocolate picture googled. Mr.Husband's photos credited to Lun. I took the cake picture myself, of course.

Life

Do you know how smart our body is?

Do you know that each cell in our body is like a very complicated and complex factory, making sure everything goes alright?

And every time I learn about how this enzyme works, how this gene is regulated, how this enzyme communicates with another enzyme..it has never failed to make me think about how amazing the whole system is. And also how this whole thing totally proves the existence of God.

I mean, such a very complex and very smart system totally need an extremely smart creator as well. I mean, even if we ever do learn about everything in a cell, even if we ever isolate and gather everything together to make our own cell, we still cannot make it work like the real cell. Even a real cell can stop working once it's dead, although all the components are still there.

SubhanAllah.

Lawak semalam

Ketika waktu rehat semalam, aku menelefon En.Suami untuk bertanya khabar and mengubat bosan.

En.Suami: Sayang buat ape tu?
Aku: Owh, tgh rehat. Tengah tunggu gel beku..
En.Suami: Ooo..tadi buat ape?
Aku: Tadi dah isolate DNA (plasmid) dari E.coli. Pastu dah potong-potong DNA tu gune enzyme. So skrg ni tgh tunggu gel beku sbb nak separate DNA tu ikut saiz diye. Gel tu agar je..cam agar-agar masak tu haha
En.Suami: Hmm...
Aku: Baby tak paham ape2 pon yg I cakap kan? Banyak gile scientific jargons haha
En.Suami: Busuk~~
Aku: Hahahah (terus gelak)

Susah betul kan nak explain benda2 biotech dekat org pakar IT?

Hahahaha

High IQ?

I bet all of you have taken IQ test at least once. I still remember my first IQ test. It was the last 'exam paper' that we had to sit during UPSR. It was not that bad I think. Since we'd actually 'practiced' for it in class before. My teacher provided us with past exam papers and we did them and discussed the answers. I remember arguing with my teacher on one of the answers. I did not agree with the answer she provided, because I was sure I was right. She ended up saying that if I didn't want to listen to her, I might fail the exam. But o well, I still answered the answer that I thought was right during the real exam. Yup, I am that stubborn when I am sure I am right. It even showed when I was 12. Haha.

Anyway, the second formal IQ test that I took was when I was 18 or 19. The Malaysian MENSA club organized IQ test at the University I was at (INTEC, UiTM Shah Alam). I had to pay RM32 for it. I was reluctant to take it at first because I hadn't been doing any IQ test for a long time, and I was scared I might fail. But my curiosity forced me to take it anyway. So I paid the RM32 and took the exam. The questions did not have any number or alphabet at all. Everything was in the form of figures. One question on one page.I don't really remember how long the test took. What I remember is on average we only had less than one minute to answer one question. I didn't finish them all, of course. I am one of those people who spend a lot of time on one problem at a time. If I am not mistaken, I left more than 10 questions unanswered. Haha.

A few weeks later, I got a letter from Malaysian MENSA. It was my test result. I was scared to open the envelope but I opened it anyway, of course. There it was. My IQ test result was 156. The minimum score to join the club was 148, if I am not mistaken. So I joined it. I had to pay RM50 for a year of membership.

However after a couple of years, I started to not see the meaning of joining the club anyway. Usually the activities were going for some gathering, which involved alcohol. And I felt that I did not fit in a way (although I have never gone to any gathering, but I can tell through email and magazine) because most of them were working and successful and rich, unlike me who was (and still am) studying, and not yet successful and not rich. And I am not that social either. I stayed in the club just because I thought having the membership might help me in getting a job or getting into graduate school. So, after some thinking, I just stopped renewing my membership.

So anyway, does having a high IQ make me special? Nahh~ I don't think so. I still got C and nearly failed in my classes haha. But maybe it helps in understanding some things that require imagination (I remember teaching my friend chemistry in high school and I kept telling her to imagine the process in order to understand it better, and she didn't get me haha). But still, I am still an average student.

I strongly believe although having a high IQ may help in certain things in life, it still doesn't promise a successful life. Motivation and serious effort still are the most important thing to achieve success. One can have a high IQ and having no future, and one can have a lower IQ and being all successful.

But still, it does feel good knowing that I have a high IQ. It's like a confidence boost. A motivation. Whenever I feel like failing, I would tell myself "You have a high IQ, you can do this!" Haha. But of course the sweetest thing of all is when I know that my IQ is higher than the smart student who always makes me feel stupid. It's like indirectly telling, "You know, you're not all that." Hehehe >:)

Eh, agak kejam di situ.

Canberra, from my eyes

It's been 6 weeks since I arrived here. So far, everything went well. It's the mid semester break now. Two weeks of break. If I was an undergrad student, I might have been somewhere in Sydney or something. But o well, I have 6 days for lab practical during the holiday, so, no trip for me. Owh, I'll be going to Sydney on the 10th though. Will be staying at Sheila's place for a night, then come back here on the 11th because I have the lab practical on the 12th. Huhu. Hmm and tomorrow I'll be going around Canberra with Fazira and her friend. Since all three of us are new here, we'll be exploring the city quite aimlessly. Let's see what we'll find tomorrow. What an adventure.

Anyway, I went for groceries shopping today. I was really out of food. I was left with less than one cup of rice and a few chicken wings. And an onion. And that's basically it. So I went for quite a huge groceries shopping today. Ended up spending almost $70 for everything. Not including rice since I couldn't find the rice that I wanted. And also eggs, since they were out of eggs. It's unbelievable how Easter can do to the store's stocks. Anyway, it's expensive, isn't it? When I was in the States, I only spend about USD 80 at most for groceries per month. Here, one trip of groceries shopping can easily cost me AUD 50-70. And don't let me start talking about how much it costs for rent here..To think that USD and AUD have almost the same value... Isy, I want to go back to the States.

Anyway, let's talk about the classes. Hmm..classes here are okay. Much like Davis. Only I think the advisor is more caring about the students. For example, last Tuesday we were supposed to submit 3 assignments and sit for a quiz. Then our advisor gave us an extra day to submit one of the assignments because he said we had so many to do already. And some of us had another assignment to send on Monday, but we did not have to because they said we had too many workload. I was like, wow. I mean, when I was in Davis, they had never cared if we had 2 lab reports, one or two midterms and a paper to submit within the same week. And my labs are once in fortnight, so there are some weeks where I don't have to attend any lab at all. And so the report is also due every fortnight at most. So it's less stress here compared to when I was in Davis. I mean, I used to write 2 reports every week..a total of ~20 reports for the whole 10 weeks (that's for one class hoho). Here, ~10 reports for 16 weeks (that's for 2 classes hoho)? haha

So anyway, all in all, it's fine here. Although I can't deny I prefer Davis more. Smaller town, everything is accessible by bicycle, and I felt it's safer, since there were less crime and the cars were not that fast (unlike here..the cars are so fast like pelesit and they don't really care about pedestrians). But o well, life goes on. Take everything as it is. As long as I am satisfied with my study environment, I am happy enough.

I can't wait for my husband to come. I have been looking for a one bedroom apartment/flat/house to rent. Hopefully I will get an affordable, beautiful place soon.

Of men and self respect

Have you watched the movie "He's just not that into you?" I liked it. In my opinion, it's a good movie and all women should watch it. Although I didn't agree with some things in it..I guess that's because the difference in cultures and values. O well~

Anyway, I bet most of you (women) have had your heart broken at least once. And I bet some (or most) of you have experienced relationship where you felt like you were the only one making all the initiatives to make sure the relationship worked, but your partner did nothing?

I have. Let me tell you my story. (this is my blog anyway, sukati la ahaha)

I met this guy, A, in January 2003. Seven months later, we got together. Yep, he asked me first. I make it a rule..the guy has to be the one who initiates it..I am traditional in that way. So anyway, everything was okay, until about maybe..7 months later, if I am not mistaken. He started to not calling me or texting me. Being someone who was loyal and really wanted the relationship to work, I tried my best to keep in touch, to text him everyday, or call him at least once or twice a week. I did not care if I had to go down to the nearest public phone in the middle of the night and spending RM20 just to call and talk to him for half an hour. I did not care even he did not sound excited to hear my voice. I did not care if I texted him and got nothing back. I did not care, because I really liked him (although before I told people that I loved him, but when I think about it now, I am pretty sure it was not love) and I really wanted the relationship to work. After all, he did tell me that he loved me. He did give me a ring. He did talk about having a family with me. He did tell his parents about me. He did everything that made me sure that he really wanted me. But then, his act of suddenly ignoring me left me hanging.

It was a terrible 3 years, alright. He kept on coming and going. I kept on telling myself that the relationship would work. I had faith in us. I had faith in him. I believed that he must had his own reason to not properly keeping in touch with me, and I believed that he had his own reason to not telling me what the reason was. I also believed whatever the reason was, he would solve it, and everything would go back to what it was before. I believed we would go through it. I strongly believed that he loved me. He told me that, didn't he?

But wow, was I wrong. That day when I saw him running away from me, was the day everything had shattered but becoming clear at the same time. He saw me, I swear. He was talking to someone when he saw me. But then as soon as I walked towards him, he was gone. The next thing I knew, I was looking at his back, walking away from me. I was struck. Then everything came into me. It was real. The silence was real. The unreplied messages were real. He really did not want me. Why didn't he tell me straight to my face? Why didn't I realize it sooner?

It was hard. It was terribly hard. All the things that I thought real, were actually fake. All the happiness that I felt, was actually my own imagination. The image of me and him getting married, the image of him sitting, reading a newspaper while I was cooking, the image of us in a car going somewhere together..those were all my imagination. My own imagination. The imagination that I thought I shared with him, but apparently it wasn't shared. I was imagining it alone. ALONE. Why didn't I realize it sooner? Why?

Right after that incident, I was with another guy. He was a rebound--we got together the day after I saw my-ex walking away from me. And I regretted it, of course. He dumped me in the end, which made me relieved as we really weren't compatible, at all. That's the perfect example of the first rule of relationship: never get into a new relationship shortly after a breakup. (Remember!)

After being dumped, I had a fling with another guy. But it did not work out. Of course it wouldn't. I knew from the beginning that it wouldn't work out. After all, he had a girlfriend. Who was I kidding?

After all those failed romances, I found myself single, unhappy, and still looking. But seriously, how the hell was I gonna find a good man? It's a rare species after all.

However, a couple of weeks later, I sat down, and I realized that I was actually tired. I was tired of failed relationships. I was tired of trying, chasing, hoping, and not getting. I was tired of looking. I was tired physically, mentally and emotionally. I was tired, and I knew I'd had enough.

As I sat down, I started to think about myself. I thought, "I am not that bad. I am not beautiful, pretty, and cute, but I sure am not ugly. But actually, I think I am quite beautiful. I have a good body proportion too, although I am not a model-perfect. I know how to cook. I know how to sew. I know how to take care of babies and children. I am smart, although I am not a genius. I am ambitious. I am strong-willed. I am independent. I know to do almost everything, although not much, but enough for me to live. I am not gedik. I am not becok. I am a matured person. I am not demanding. I am not a high-maintenance-d person. I am not pious, but I am religious enough. I am loyal and I am full of love. I am romantic. I am a good candidate for a wife. I am a good person. And I deserve a good man as well."

After I told that to myself, I felt some kind of strength started to build up inside of me. Then I decided, "Since I deserve a good man, I will wait for the good man to come. Until then, I will not let any less good man to have my heart, even a small fraction of it. I will not give my heart to a man who will almost certainly break it again. I will not give it to a man who doesn't take me seriously. I will not give it to a man who will not chase me, fight for me. I will not give it to a man who doesn't know how to treat me well. I will not give it to a man who does not want to take me to be his wife. I will not give my heart to anyone, until the good man comes into my life and fight for it. Until then, I will keep on living my life, and building my career." And only with that, I felt so much better, and I started seeing the world with a new perspective. Yep, I was alone, but I felt content, because I strongly believed one day the good man would come to my life, and until that time came, I would just wait.

Approximately two months after that, I met an old classmate which I hadn't met for 11 years. About two weeks later, chemistry started to kick in. A week after, we got together. 14 months after, we got engaged. 2 months later, we got married. And now, I am proud to say that I am happily married to the good man whom I had waited.

It sounded as if I did not give my husband a hard time, didn't I? O you bet I did. The night he confessed to me that he liked me and wanted to be in a relationship with me, I told him I did not want to be in a relationship, because it didn't guarantee a happy ending, although I did tell him that I liked him too. Instead, I told him to come to my house and see my parents if he really serious about wanting me. And he actually did. A few days after. Looking at his effort and sincerity, I accepted him with arms wide open. Because with him, everything felt right. And it still does.

So I guess what I am trying to say is, in order to find love, we have to love ourselves first. In order to find respect, we have to respect ourselves first. We need to know ourselves. Identify our strengths and weaknesses; and accept them, embrace them. Only then we'll see what kind of people we actually deserve. Only then, we'll protect ourselves from unnecessary heartache.

I hate seeing women wasting their time trying to keep a relationship when their men do nothing. I hate seeing women trying their best when their men seem not to care. I know they deserve better, and I also know that their men deserve a punch in the face. At least.

Tolak jatuh gaung lagi best.

Simply beautiful

I've seen so many beautiful things in my life. But still, the most beautiful thing I have laid my eyes on was the sight of him trying to hide his shyness when I asked him the reason he didn't want me to study abroad. He was there, sitting on the passenger seat of my small Kancil, trying to act comfortable when he was obviously not; removing his eyes off me as soon as I looked at him. He was there, so big yet so small, so masculine yet so cute.

That, to me, was the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. That sight, although lasted no longer than a second, has permanently been engraved in my mind, in my heart.

Simply beautiful.

Ice-cream flavor

I was reading Kakak's blog (no, not my sister, it's a nickname for my high school friend) and she posted something about this quiz on how personality relates with favorite ice-cream flavor. So I thought I could give it a shot since my brain had gotten all confused with all these genetic stuffs.

So anyway I did it. The quiz had 9 questions on your preferences/personality basically. Typical stuffs. After I had finished answering all the questions, I hit the result button and seconds later...

TADA!

*copy pasted from here*

-------------

Note: Scores are rounded to one decimal place and therefore may not total 100%

You scored 33.3%

Strawberry

Strawberry ice cream types are naturally loyal, honest and trustworthy. No doubt you have a devoted circle of friends who rely on you for the right answer to any moral dilemma. Like Chocolate Chip types, you tend to set high standards for yourself, but you are also somewhat shy and reserved. And you don't like to admit it, but you're also a tad pessimistic. Maybe you're just disappointed that no one can seem to live up to your own sense of responsibility and forthrightness. When it comes to romance and relationships, Strawberry types do well with optimistic, outgoing Chocolate Chips. Fun fact: Strawberry is tied with Butter Pecan as the third most popular ice cream flavor.

You scored 22.2%

Butter Pecan

Butter Pecan ice cream types are organized, put-together, and generally valued for their fairness, efficiency and lack of pretension � you won't see a Butter Pecan type putting on airs. In fact, it may be hard for a no-nonsense Butter Pecan type like you to express yourself at all, even though you're privately quite sympathetic and observant. No doubt you like to plan ahead and take charge, which means you're often over-committed. When it comes to romance and relationships, you're most compatible with your own kind � other Butter Pecan types who appreciate hard work and good sense. Fun fact: Butter Pecan is tied with Strawberry for the third most popular ice cream flavor.

You scored 22.2%

Chocolate Chip

If you're a Chocolate Chip ice cream type, you're a creative force to be reckoned with. No doubt you've got a competitive streak a mile wide. The good news is that it brings out the best in you by forcing you to live up to your own demanding standards. Still, you can be rather unforgiving at times with those who don't share your vision and drive. Friends value your magnetism, charm and originality. When it comes to romance and relationships, Chocolate Chips are best off with high-achieving Butter Pecans and empathetic, insightful Chocolates. Fun fact: Chocolate chip ice cream lovers tend to also indulge in other "chunky" flavors, such as Cookie Dough, Mint Chip and Rocky Road.

You scored 22.2%

Chocolate

If you're a Chocolate ice cream type, you are flirtatious, charming and even a little dramatic. No doubt you're an intuitive and sensitive person who puts a high value on family, relationships and romance. But your instincts may sometimes steer you wrong: You tend to be easily influenced in directions that you know aren't the best for you, and you have a tendency toward self-indulgence. Still, your liveliness and your trusting nature have earned you many admirers and friends. When it comes to romance and relationships, Chocolate types are compatible with reliable Butter Pecans and high-focus, high-energy Chocolate Chips. Fun fact: Chocolate is the second most popular ice cream flavor.

You scored 0%

Vanilla

Contrary to what you may expect, Vanilla ice cream types aren't bland or boring. Rather, you're probably quite gregarious, impulsive, fun loving and expressive. You may have a hard time making up your mind � Vanillas are known for never saying no, even when they probably should. Vanilla types also tend to take a romantic, hopeful view of life. Your motto: Live for the moment, and everything will work out fine. When it comes to romance and relationships, Vanilla types are happiest with your own kind � only someone equally spontaneous and energetic will do. Fun fact: Vanilla is far and away the most popular ice cream flavor.

----------

So there you go. I am a mixed. I must admit I have never bought a strawberry ice-cream and butter pecan, although I have tasted both. I love strawberry yogurt though (does strawberry frozen yogurt count as strawberry ice-cream? haha). I like chocolate chip and chocolate ice-cream. Occasionally I'll get McD's vanilla ice-cream, because other vanilla ice-creams don't taste as good. But I must say my favorite ice-cream tends to have coffee and some chunky things in it. Like the Lowfat Espresso 'N' Cream from Baskin Robbin. Light enough, chunky enough, sweet enough, bitter enough. Yumyum. Owh, I love green tea ice-cream too, although it doesn't have any coffee or chunky things in it.

As for personality that each flavor represents, I don't know..I personally think that I am reserved, outspoken when I need to, ambitious, laidback, blablabla.. (too sleepy to think). Anyway, whatever, you know me, despite whatever this quiz says (budget dikenali). Haha

Ok, nak bervideo chat dgn Mr.Husband sat.

Good night everyone (;|

*that's a sleepy face, in case you didn't notice*

weird people

Now, can that be any weirder? Haha

But o well, I love Lady GAGA. Her music is catchy and I particularly love this one. And I also love her because she's weird. Haha

Yepp, I tend to like weird people--Lady Gaga, Johnny Depp, M.Nasir. Ok, maybe I need to explain the last two people. Hmm..I know Johnny Depp is handsome and all, but to tell you the truth, I have started to like him before I noticed his handsome face. I was more attracted to him because he played all the weird movie characters available. And he seems to do it effortlessly. And plus, he's quiet. It's like, all these things that he does and his quiet and reserved character make him a mysterious person..to me. It makes me think, "What does he think actually? 'Who' is he in person?"

M.Nasir is not as weird as Johnny Depp, of course, but his terrific music and his quiet and reserved character, make me attracted to him. Same as Johnny Depp, he makes me think of 'who' is he in person? What does he think?

And the same reason applies to Lady Gaga. Although she's not as quiet and reserved, she's still mysterious to me. It makes me want to know more.

So I guess I tend to like mysterious people, who tend to be weird at the same time.

So, motive of the post?

None.

Hahaha good morning people~ :)

p/s: Lady Gaga is coming to Canberra on 29th March 2010 I think. I want to go..but I think I won't be comfortable with all the people that will be coming. I don't like packed places and although I am attracted to weird people, I don't know how to mingle with weird people, who I think will be the majority of the crowd. I know, it's weird..haha

I wish..

I am at the computer lab right now, trying to study (konon), but failed. So I thought, I could make use of the time by updating this blog..at least I have something going, than nothing.

So, a few days ago I watched this orchestra-and-ballet performance on TV. I think it was from Venice (for some unknown reason there's a TV channel here that shows art stuffs from all over the world, particularly Europe, on a weekly basis). Watching it brought back memories. I felt goosebumps all over my body. The music and the energy from the players penetrated into my body, and before I knew it, my body was moving according to the music. Ahh..it really made me missed the old times.

I guess I always have the artsy side in me. I grew up obsessing about painting, and drawing. I drew whenever I could with whatever thing that I could put my hands on. Let it be a pencil, pen, marker pen, a stick, crayon, water color..you name it, I had used it. And of course, I used to draw on the wall of my house too. And luckily my parents just too tired to bother about it. They even let it be there until I was 11. They said it would bring back memories when I grew up. They sure were right. Just by looking at the wall, I saw how my drawing had evolved.

But of course, the drawing is not there now. The house was renovated when I was 11, so the drawing had to go. And starting at around that time too, I stopped drawing or painting as much, as I know how expensive drawing/painting materials could be. And plus, I couldn't draw on the wall anymore.. And also at around that time, I started to build interest in music. Not really in listening to it, but in playing it.

I remember watching marching bands playing during Independence Day Celebrations on TV, and I thought, "When I go to secondary school, and if the school has a marching band, I want to join it." And boy, I was lucky. My secondary school had one of the best school marching bands in Malaysia, and of course, I joined it. The experience was awesome. For the first time in my life, I played other instrument--a real musical instrument--other than the recorder we used to play in primary school. For the first time in my life, I studied the music score. I learned how to play the Euphonium properly. I learned to distinguish a good, clean, and solid sound from a bad, airy sound. I learned how to tune. I learned the difference between a flat sound and a sharp sound. I just learned everything that I could about music..mostly on my own (of course the seniors told me the basics, but other than that, I learned by try-and-error).

Being in the marching band was a big part of my secondary school life. I think, that's the only thing that made me feel alive when I was in secondary school. It got better when we also formed an orchestra ensamble out of the band. Playing long and more emotional pieces..it was heaven. I fell in love.

But then, after leaving school, my artsy side has been basically surpressed. I couldn't join any musical ensamble because I have never taken any formal music class, other than the one they taught at school, and who am I kidding if I were to compete with those people who have this and that certificate from this and that art school. And of course, after years of not drawing or painting, I have lost the skills too. I do draw sometimes, of course, but I don't know if doodling is considered an art.

Maybe if people ask me do I have any regret, I think I do, and that is, I regret losing and not being able to do things that I love doing. Things that make me feel alive. Things that able to transfer me into a trans state. And those things are, playing music and drawing/painting.

Watching orchestra performances and spending hours in art galleries have never failed to make me think, "I wish, I wish.."

I wish.

Perihal anak

Ramai org telah mula bertanya bila saya mahu ada anak. "Perut sudah berisi?" ke.. "Wah, nanti anak kau org Australia la!" ke.. atau "Mama, k.fizah dah kawin eh? Nanti k.fizah ade anak tak? Anak diye laki ke perempuan?" Soalan yang terakhir itu adalah soalan pertama tentang anak yg saya terima, dan soalan itu ditanya oleh sepupu saya yang baru sekolah tadika..

Tidak dapat saya nafikan, naluri seorang ibu telah lama ada dalam diri saya. Tatkala memandang bayi2 yg comel, terdetik hati "Nanti aku ade anak, hopefully comel jugak!" Kanak-kanak kecil di bawah umur 7 tahun juga mungkin boleh merasakan naluri keibuan saya. Tak dapat saya terangkan bagaimana, tetapi kanak-kanak dari kumpulan ini sering menunjukkan tanda2 yang mereka senang bersama saya, walaupun saya tidak pernah memberi 'rasuah' gula-gula atau sebagainya. Mungkin saya pun senang dengan mereka. Masih naif dan manja, masih tidak pandai melawan kata.

Namun apakan daya, saya masih belajar untuk mendapatkan Master degree. Mendapat anak pada peringkat ini, pada saya, agak menyukarkan saya untuk pergi ke kelas, membuat assignment, membuat kajian dan sebagainya. Mungkin bagi sebilangan org, itu bukanlah alasan. Saya tahu jika kita inginkan sesuatu, kita pasti boleh melakukannya. Tetapi saya juga tahu tentang kemampuan saya. Ya, saya boleh membuat banyak kerja pada satu2 masa, tetapi saya tidak yakin dengan kemampuan saya berjalan laju menaiki tangga pergi ke kelas dengan perut yang memboyot, dengan emosi yang tidak stabil, dengan tekak yang loya tanpa alasan.

Mungkin nanti, bila saya sudah tidak perlu mengambil banyak kelas lagi, bila tanggungjawab saya hanyalah membuat kajian di makmal. Pada waktu itu, mungkin saya tidak perlu untuk bergegas ke kelas dan berlari-lari untuk menghantar assignment. Pada waktu itu, saya yakin dengan kemampuan diri saya untuk menjalankan tanggungjawab kerja saya dengan perut yang memboyot. Pada waktu itu, saya tidak akan menolak sekiranya saya diberi rezeki daripada Allah untuk mendapat anak. Pada waktu itu, saya yakin untuk menjalankan tanggungjawab saya sebagai seorang bakal pendidik dan juga sebagai seorang isteri yang bertanggungjawab melahirkan zuriat suaminya. Saya tahu suami saya juga menginginkan zuriat daripada saya.

Tetapi bukan waktu ini. Pada waktu ini, saya masih tidak yakin.

Nanti, ya?

updates on wedding preparation and flying off

Suddenly I have some spare time and I've decided to write updates of my life.

Currently there are two big things happening in my life. First, is me getting married in 3 days. And second, is me flying off to Canberra in 2 weeks.

Let's go to the first thing first. Eh, thinking back, I'll write about it in my wedding blog.

So let's skip to the second thing--me flying off to Canberra.

I received the offer letter for my scholarship last Friday, January 31, 2010. A whole lot of things have to be done--acceptence of offer, contracts, visa, medical checkup, etc. Yesterday I went to IDP to accept my offer, and now I have to wait for a necessary document for visa application. I went to do my medical checkup last Monday, but since I'm having that-time-of-the-month, so I have to postpone it to next week. My mom and brother had done getting their bosses to sign the contract, and now my mom is on her way to send the contract to me. Next step is getting signature from any officer in my office. Then I will be done with the contract, I think. So tomorrow I can go to LHDN to endorse the contracts.

I have no other choice but wait for Monday to do my medical checkup before submitting everything to the Registrar. Urgh.

Anyway, despite having whole loads of things to do, Ajoy and me are going for our honeymoon on Monday. Hahaha! Well, I need some quality time with him before having to fly off without him, don't I?

Anyway, I am tired. (@o@)~

Mari menulis!

I chatted with Mas minutes ago, and being me, most of the things that come out of my mouth (or in this case, fingers) are crap. For example, this is what I wrote:

Seekor anjing menggonggong tulang. Kemudian, semasa tiba di atas sebuah jambatan, anjing itu terlihat akan bayang-bayangnya di atas air. Anjing itu berasa tamak dan menginginkan tulang yang digonggong oleh bayang-bayangnya, lalu ia pun membuka mulut untuk mengambil tulang itu. Tanpa disedari, tulang yang digonggongnya tadi terjatuh ke dalam sungai. Akhirnya anjing itu kehilangan tulang yang dipunyainya tadi. Lalu terjadilah peribahasa, "Orang tamak selalu rugi, bagai anjing dengan bayang-bayang." ~tamat~

Reading it again, I though, "OMG a standard 4 student can write better than me!" (Fyi, that was the best that I could write. I actually had to think when writing that! Unbelievable!). Look what a 4-years-of-living-abroad has done to me. Hohoho.

Anyway, looking at how bad and funny and stupid my short essay is, I thought it would be fun if we could share our bad/funny/stupid short essay with each other. It could be the thing that will lit up our Monday blues this coming Monday! hehehe

So people, feel free to share your short essay here! :)

Of dosa-pahala, sincerity, and keredhaan

Yesterday I went to see a pharmacist to ask about a suitable supplement for my lightheaded problem. He said I might not be having enough rest, and he suggested that I took a multivitamin+multimineral supplement. Basically something that has iron in it to promote red blood cells formation.

Anyway, I kinda disagree with his statement that I might not be having enough rest, because as we all know, my work doesn't require a lot of energy. But o well, I've decided to not come to the office next week anyway to get a good rest at home.

By the way, I think the real reason I've been sick a lot of time after I came back to Malaysia is because I've been doing a lot of sins (ceh konon before this baik sangat la hahaha). Let's face it. Being in a relationship like this alone makes me commit sins everyday (nak kawin skrg jugak). And as people say, being sick helps our small sins disappear (This is what I hear, I don't know any dalil for this).

Speaking about sins, since we were small, we've been told about dosa-pahala. If we do something good, we'll get pahala and go to heaven. If we do something bad, we'll get dosa and go to hell. We've also been told that if we do jemaah prayer, we'll get 27 times more pahala compared to doing it alone. If we do this, we'll get this amount of pahala. If we do that, we'll get this amount of pahala. Before I knew it, I've been counting my pahala and tried to do things that would give me more pahala.

Then one day it striked me.

When we do something, thinking about the amount of pahala that we are going to get, wouldn't that makes us be not-that-sincere in doing it? I mean, we'll be doing it for the promised pahala, instead of doing it in search for keredhaan Allah.

That thought 5-6 years back marked the stop of my pahala counting/comparing.

I've stopped counting pahala now. I even tried to not know how much pahala one good deed would give me. Instead, I try to do good deeds because I know Allah loves it, and I try to not commit any bad things because I know Allah hates it (although buat jugak tu huhu). After all, I just want Allah's love. His redha. All the things about pahala and heaven, those come second to me (I'm still scared of the hell, though, of course).

As the first step, I'm trying to strengthen my prayer. After all, it's the most basic thing, and also our invisible 'shield', isn't it?

One step at a time.. :)

p/s: Sedang berazam menjadi muslim yg lebih baik ni. Semangat ni. Tak tipu! :P

Who said I've never been fat?

16 years old - after a band rehearsal somewhere, 2001
weight: 48kg, waist: 26"

17 years old - the usual chitchat session in class, 2002
weight: 53kg, waist: 27"

19 years old - in san diego, winter 04
weight: 55-56kg, waist: 28"

20 years old - fisherman's wharf, san francisco, spring 05
weight: 55-56kg, waist: 28"

21 years old - raya celebration, fall 06
weight: ~58kg, waist: 29"

22 years old - hawaii, spring 07
weight: 59-60kg, waist: 29-30" *gasp*
started jogging and eating less during summer

23 years old - with my boss and a colleague, spring 08
weight: 55-56kg, waist: 28"
had to buy several new pair of jeans at the beginning of senior year

24 years old - hanging out with then-boyfriend-now-fiance at putrajaya, 2009
weight: 54-55kg, waist: 27-28"

24 years old - the engagement, dec 2009
weight: ~54kg, waist: ~27"
weight seems to not want to increase after being sick for 2 weeks, which is a good thing.

Who said I've never been fat??

Hahahaha

Spreading love

While watching Anugerah Juara Lagu last night, my mom said, "All the songs are about love."

I thought, "Well, I guess love makes people write songs/poems. The emotion is just too much to bare, that you just want to sing." (I did not say it out loud because I was too lazy to say anything haha)

Anyway, click here for the proof for the statement. K.z said I just wrote a poem in that post.

I did?? Really??

Hahahaha

Well, I guess I was (and still, and will always be, insyaAllah) in love :)

<3

p/s: To people who burn/plan to burn churches and other things. Stop, please? It doesn't solve anything, instead it makes it worst. Spread love, not hate, okay? Thank you.

The ultimate cure for hiccups

I'm sure all of us have had hiccups before, and it was annoying, wasn't it?

I don't know what's with my body, but everytime me or someone else (not a professional) massage me, I will burp, which is later followed by hiccups. It is very annoying because I will burp and hiccup at the same time. It is a disaster. And I did not know how to stop the hiccup, until finally my fiance told me the ultimate cure for hiccup.

This method of curing hiccups works for me everytime. It has never failed on me even once. Now I'm going to tell you the ultimate cure for hiccups..

*drum roll*

Take some water, gargle it for a few seconds and swallow it right after. If you do it right, you'll feel like hiccuping (<--does this word exist?) right after that, but the hiccup just doesn't come out. It will just stop.

Try it the next time you get hiccup! You'll be amazed by the result :)

p/s: Or do you have your own ultimate cure for hiccups? Care to share? :)

Friday afternoon randomness

We are so random.

Jinan, K.z and I went to Mines this afternoon for lunch. Jinan wanted to get her friend a gift.

After having lunch and buying gift, we headed back to the car. Then we saw a Thai Massage salon next to the exit. Before we knew it, we were in the salon, having our feet washed.

Jinan and K.z got the foot reflexology and upper body massage. I got the full body massage. Both services cost the same (RM55/hr).

We left the salon an hour later, laughing about how the workers literally folded our bodies. Jinan and K.z were wondering how I could manage to look all calm when the worker twisted my body. Hmm..maybe because this is my second experience, so I knew what to expect. My first was when I went to the one in Setiawangsa with Ajoy :)

Anyway, we went back to the office feeling refreshed. Now I can get back to work!

Or can't I??

Haha

p/s: lesson learned, go to the restroom first before getting a massage. I seriously thought my bladder would burst. haha

Wishlist

Friday, January 8, 2009. Weather: Raining

Mari kelihatan gedik dan menglistdown barang2 yg diingini:

1) Clinique Simply perfume 100 mL
2) a good eyebrow pencil
3) a good nude lipstick
4) eye-smudger brush
5) black eyeshadow (owh and other colors too XP)
6) a good dslr camera
7) a whole new wardrobe since my sister wears everything (except jeans) that I have and I am left with nothing (apart from the fact that I have been wearing the same clothes for 3-4 years now)
8) a pair of pretty, cute, and comfortable white sandals/heels (should be sturdy too)
9) a pair of comfortable black sandals. The ones that I own are too high to be worn often (these too should be sturdy)
10) a couple (or more) of fashionable and comfortable flats (and these too, sturdy is a must)
11) a new cellphone, installed with a good organizer in it. and also gps. easy to use, and no touch screen, please.
12) sturdy and fashionable handbags. and more handbags
13) a cute laptop
14) a whole life supply of complete spa packages
15) a good service for my kancil
16) a sponsor for my study to Australia, or any part of the world other than here.
17) nak kawen skrg jugak.

Okay dah. Now, where can I find the money??

*peeping outside the window, just in case it's raining money*

The usage of the word 'Allah'

I want to voice out my opinion on the controversy on the usage of the word "Allah" in Herald Catholic (that's the correct name of the newspaper, if I'm not mistaken).

Yes, I respect the court's decision, but I think this case is larger than it looks. Maybe based on the constitution, the newspaper has the right to use the word (according to the judge), but the effect of the usage would be huge. This will make those with low understanding confuse, and who knows the confusion it will bring to the children, especially. This issue has touched the sensitivity of the Muslim.

They say they want to use the word "Allah" as a translation to the word 'god'. But please, the translation to the word 'god' is 'tuhan', not 'Allah'. The word 'Allah' refers specifically to the God of the Muslims. Not everyone knows the word 'Allah', anyway.

Even if we look at the translation to the syahadah of the Muslims, "Aku naik saksi bahawa tiada tuhan yang disembah melainkan Allah, dan aku naik saksi bahawa Nabi Muhammad itu pesuruh Allah." If they say god=tuhan=Allah, we can modify the translation to "Aku naik saksi bahawa tiada Allah yg disembah melainkan Allah"? This is wrong, isn't it?

Let's look at the translation of surah Al-Ikhlas:

"Katakanlah bahawa Allah itu maha Esa. Allah adalah Ilah yg bergantung kepadanya segala urusan. Dia tidak beranak dan tidak pula diperanakkan. Dan tidak ada seorang pun yg setara denganNya."

I mean, really, the word 'Allah' is a kata nama khas, the name of the God of the Muslims, whereas the word 'god' is a just a kata nama, a general noun. To the Muslims, yes, when we say 'God', we refer to 'Allah', but not to the followers of other religions.

If they say 'god'='tuhan'='Allah', then it should be applicable to the other religions as well. For example, "Allah agama Buddha ialah...., Allah agama Hindu ialah...." This is totally wrong. I bet other religions do not want to associate their Gods with 'Allah' as well. I mean, really, 'Allah' is the God for the Muslim.

When we say 'Allah', we refer to The Allah. There is only one Allah in this world. Allah is one.

Allah is the God of the Muslims.

Just because you can do it, does not mean you have to do it.

Please.

p/s: Read Tun. M view on this here.

Happy New Year! (which is not so new)

Happy New Year, everyone! (although it's already January the fourth today haha)

Anyway, I don't know if I'm gonna reflect on what had happened in 2009..hmm..thinking back, maybe a little bit.

Hmm..nothing much happened I think. Just the failed plan of getting married in June, the disappointing Masters program, the acceptance into ANU which was followed by the fight for scholarship (which I'm still fighting for). 2009 would have been one of the worst years of my life, but thank God for the never-ending love and care by my then-bf-now-fiance...which reminded me that that's the only (very) good thing that happened to me in 2009.

Now I am eager to know what 2010 have for me.

Anyway, now that it's a new year, people always talk about new year's resolution. The truth is, I don't have any for 2010. It's because I've already made one during Maal Hijrah. On 1st Muharram 1431, I've promised to myself that I would try to be a better person this year and to be a better Muslimah. It's that simple.

I hope 2010 will bring me (and all of us) joy and happiness. May we all be a better person, insyaAllah.

p/s: I've added a new life principle--Life is what we want it to be. So stop blaming, start working.