2009

Note: The following entry is just things going on in my head... so it's full of nonsense and ramblings :P you have been warned... the author shall not be responsible for anything that may happen due to reading this.

2009 has been one of the most interesting time of my life... interesting in the sense I was continuously challenged and thrown out of my comfort zone, and I get to experience new things. There are so many good and bad memories. Although I may not enjoy everything that had happened (certain things that I do NOT wish to re-live again!) , but I'm thankful since every bits and pieces that had taken place has helped me to grow and develop.

I know I do NOT wish to re-live final sem again~!!! hahaha... that was nightmare. The amount of workload and reading to be done, the lack of sleep, the dependency on caffeine... aww, good old times :P hehe. Oooh... also don't forget the most horrifying presentation I had to go through! haha. But then again final sem was also filled with so many great memories... going to Cameron, procrestinating and watching series, the good times with housemates and rumet terchenta, my 1st encounter with Suju and WonderGirls ;)

Other times that I also do not wish to re-live: rumah kene renovate (sgt menyusahkn~! I smell like paint for a month), the little car accident (that cost me RM400), all the misunderstandings I had with loved ones. There were times when my relationship with my parents, my family and my dear are tested... but at the end we emerge closer =)

Graduation was a memorable time... I can still remember the proud look my parents had on their faces =) love you mak abah~!

I got my 1st job in July 2009 at TNBR. My boss had great expectation (possibly due to the fact that I'm UTPian). I gave my best effort... partly coz I love the job anyway, and partly to jaga nama baik uni (ala2 patriotik gitu :P hehe). The experience and exposure gained from working there, eventhough for only 5 months, is priceless.

At TNBR, I was thrown out of comfort zone a few times... masuk hutan paya bakau, naik sampan (which they say ada buaya dlm sungai tu!), presenting proposal to MD, had to drive to meetings around KL on my own (got lost a thousand times... En. Azizan, lack of ferum in the brain ye ;p). I had the chance to get to know and work with great ppl, and I was touched by their friendliness and the amount of trust they had on me and my capability.

Then I got into PIPE. Surprisingly PIPE taught me a lot... my 1st thought was to only go there, spend time with rumet and eat up the food haha. But turns out apart from the ROTI BALDEP, LOGMOC, vision, mission, shared values, etc... I learn to look at ppl differently. So many of the ppl there suprise me, most of the 1st impression made were all wrong haha. I'm blessed to get the chance to know everyone from PIPE52, some of whom I wld like to consider as good friends now.

I was also happy to spend time with Gta, Na and most of all to be sharing a room with Alin. It was our last chance together before we each go off in separate ways. Alin if u're reading this, I'm happy I got to know you bter... u're now my BFF... huhu. I'm sorry for 5 years in UTP I never made the effort to do so.

My parents were away for hajj for about 40 days... that was a big responsibility. Eventhough there wasn't much to be done, I did feel the weight on my shoulder... nak jaga rumah, jaga adik, make sure they take their meals, having to cook at times, manage the money, make decisions when krete and gate breakdown...hmm. I'm happy mak abah are back now.... the house feels like a home again =)

Oooh... I'm particularly proud of myself for volunteering for the Mercy conference. Been wanting to join Mercy since I was in school, so one goal achieved =D huhu. Thanks again to my mom and my dear for their encouragement.

Any regrets? I only manage to read about 16 books this year... so an average of about 1.33 books per month. I hope next year to actually manage to read 2 books per month. Plus, there's no progress in learning aikido or mandarin or french or arabic... I hope to master those by the age of 30, so better hurry up. I also have to be more rajin mengaji.

In terms of career, I know I'm not a fan of doing research, tp dah rezeki kat sini... Allah knows what's best, so let's make the best of it =D Looking forward to year 2010 ~!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

P.S.: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right? hehe...

Just sharing - 90/10 Principle

I came across this article (while pretending to be busy at work =P hehe) ... it's call the 90/10 Principle by Stephen Covey (the guy who wrote 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Just want to share it and hope it inspires us all to be a better person:

What is this principle?
10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.

You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is "D". You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

---

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off. Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It CAN change your life!!! Enjoy...

Bits and pieces ... #4

1. Finally got the shoes that I want~!!!! No, I didn't splurge mindlessly... I followed Gta's 'One Week Rule' (where if sampai seminggu still teringat2 bter beli je), plus my dear kata 'GET' and my mom kata 'tak salah nk merasa duit gaji sndiri' :P huhu... so anyway, ta-daa~!!!!:

2. I'm so happy I get to do something I've always wanted - to volunteer for Mercy.

Definitely a great experience - getting to meet wonderful ppl from different backgrounds, getting to see Dr Jemilah and Dr Faizal in person (sadly, my camera rosak, forgot to bring diff. camera and my phone wasn't canggih enough =P).... the most incredible thing is that the whole event was mostly put together by volunteers and it went so smoothly. Thank you for the opportunity, I look forward to volunteering more =)

3. Which brings me to fact that I'm totally grateful to my dear and my parents. My parents have taught me to be independent, especially my mom who encourages me to pursue whatever I want while I'm still young. My dear pulak gave me the best gift when dia paksa (yes, bukan ajar...paksa~! hehe) me to know how to drive around city centre. Thanks to them, the volunteering is made possible. Yes, I do get sesat once in a while... but you learn more when you're sesat rite? hehe... anyway, thanks to them I can look forward to joining all those classes I want to join.

4. Khalisah's mom just had a surgery...let's pray that she gets better soon.

5. Two weeks left to leaving TNBR... going to miss this place a lot.

6. Recently, I got to know a person who isn't used to be away from home. I guess I can understand situation dia not being used to it, but it takes time to get adjusted anyway. Lesson learnt: (1) don't expect others to put themselves into our shoes all the time, there's a limit to patience and being understanding... (2) you won't stay in your comfort zone forever (3) most importantly, the world does not revolves around you... if you think you have problems, trust me there are ppl out there with much worse problems that you do.

7. My parents and maksu will be going off for hajj soon. Hope all goes well... in the meantime, I would have to be the manager rumah (title ma'am besar dah diambik meow =P).

Must-visit site

While trying to read on world issues, I came upon the National Geographic website and ended up spending hours going through it. There's so much things that you read about... history, environment, cultures, space, animals.... you name it~!!!

In line with their tagline 'Inspiring People to Care about the Planet' the pictures are all breathtakingly beautiful! I do feel somewhat inspired =P huhu... for those who loves photography, you'll love it even more, click on this link---> Photography. I even downloaded a few of the wallpapers:

The one with the iceberg is currently my fave and up on as my wallpaper right now =).

Anyway, here's interesting articles regarding the 2012 theories... wonder what's with 2012 really? the source of all the hoo haa?!?!?! Click on this link ---> Countdown to Armageddon. You don't have to believe it, esp if you're a Muslim... but it's good general knowledge.

This one is also interesting: Green Guide. It provides tips, ideas and buying guides on what we could do to save the environment.

There's waaaay toooo much to see on this website~!!! Love it.

Time wasting ...~

Don't know whether these are real or photoshoped, but they're funny =D

P.S: Told you it's time wasting =P

Jangan marah-marah

1. When there's a huge lorry in front of you, middle lane, moving at a very slow speed sedangkan terang2 peraturan states 'kenderaan berat ikut kiri'...
Hmm... maybe driver lorry concerned about equilibrium weight of jalanraya tu kot... takut berat sgt kat kanan or kiri nanti rosak jalan plak.

2. When the car behind you follows so close barely 10cm apart
Ala... driver tu nak rush pergi toilet, sakit perut salah makan malam tadi... sian dia

3. When the car in front of you takes up both lanes
Driver tu baru je tukar spec mata baru, so tak nampak clearly lane mana dia masuk, dia baru nak get adjusted...xpe2

4. When cars change lanes and directions without giving signal
Dia nak save energy lampu bulb signal dia tu, nak save duit nak bawa mak ayah gi jejalan...baik dia tu pikirkn parents dia

5. When orang sibuk2 tanya or give comment to your personal life or non-stop tanya dah dapat kerja ke belum or sibuk2 risau you know how to cook tak
Ala... orang tu tgh boring sebab nothing exciting is happening, so you're the source of entertainment... leh je ajak dia join layan Super Junior or SNSD or drama2 korea or anime2 jepun... or tak payah layan pun xpe, nanti dia cari source of entertainment baru

6. When orang think you got the scholarship or job sebab guna cable ayah/ uncle/ mama/ auntie/ pakcik/ pakngah/ atok/ nenek/ kaklong etc...
Don't even bother listening, nanti when u're the GM, MD or CEO, blm tentu you wld recruit dia pun...hehehe

7. When your favourite show is on tapi hujan lebat so ASTRO rosak
Xpe... tu provide opprtunity to do some reading or borak2 with family members

8. When your meow poops bawah almari
Alang2 it gives the reason to mop the whole floor... jaga kebersihan tu baik

9. When your brother/ sister ruins your favourite baju
Dah slalu sgt pun pakai baju tu... now opportunity nak pakai baju lain plak, or even better leh gi shopping =P

10. When your boss gives you extra bertambah2 kerja when he found out you're resigning soon
Be happy... that means eventhough you only work there for 4 months, you're considered a valuable asset and reliable staff and all your works are appreciated... and will definitely be missed when gone =)

P.S.:

"Medical experts found that anger reduces the capacity of heart to pump blood. It will damage heart muscles. This is the reason why people get heart attack when they are extremely angry.

Anger may also affect the skin. If any one has got anger often then they may suffer from rashes, acne and other skin problems. The facial skin will have wrinkles when one gets angry often.

So an extremely anger person will get aged look soon." quote taken from link

I Want ....

1. Platform shoe~!!! I accompanied my mom to Jusco yesterday and found the cutest and hottest (and not so very expensive, plus almost practical) platform shoe!!! Brand: SwissPolo, price: RM89 (before sale ok!)... no, I didn't buy them coz my mom marah I would hardly wear them. True, platform shoes are not the most comfortable things to wear, but they are gorgeous~!!! See...

Kesimpulan? I will definitely go back to Jusco before sales end to splurge on a pair... since start keje in July I have yet to splurge on a pair of shoes. I need to pamper myself jugak kn??? =P Hmm... shoe shopping seems more fun with Gta or my dear, they got good taste... tapi nanti sale habis~!

2. to get at least B on StepMania!!! Thank you to my dear for getting me the dancing mat... it's the least I do for exercise everyday, and it's fun, although tiring gler sampai nak patah pinggang. The highest I manage to get is C, and that's even after lots of practise... good thing Mubin can't beat my score, klau tak lagi malu..huhu.

3. to make time for taking classes. Since I stay at home, and don't need to cook or clean all on my own, I should have ample time to take up arabic, kelas mengaji and aikido. Need to manage time better to squeeze that in.

4. to make time to volunteer. It's been my wish since sekolah nak join Mercy... I have yet to submit my application form... hmm, klau tak dpt Mercy any other volunteering activities pun would do... tapi need to manage time better~!!!

5. to do a complete spring cleaning (we don't even have spring in Msia... hmm... iklim khatulistiwa cleaning la =P). Since Mubin just finished his PMR, all the books dari sekolah rendah to form 3 that belonged to all of us can be cleared away... that could create plenty of space. My room could also use a little makeover (bak kata Kak Zai: deko deko deko =P hehe).

6. to spend more time with my friends. Since dah tak duduk satu rumah, everyone is so hard to meet these days... at least Khal is working not too far away, and I could still try to meet with Illy. Gta...Na... datang KL pls stay over my house...~! Oooh... Raudhah and Aisha too~! Miss my schoolmates as well...

Bits and pieces...#3

When I'm too lazy to write but still want to update my blog, I would just do 'bits and pieces' :P hehe...

1. I wanted to write bout my trip to Kelip-Kelip at Kg Kuantan early last month... but then a picture is worth a thousand words~!:

The event was Kem Kesedaran Alam Sekitar for secondary school kids, and I was privileged enough to get to join. So much new experience... handle budak2, 1st time naik sampan kat sungai (En. Azizan and En. Harith... don't laugh!!!), gotong royong bersihkan masjid, 1st time masuk hutan paya bakau and most amazing of all: to watch keilp-kelip at night =) it was abosolutely beautiful...the kelip-kelip berlampu and padam serentak...~!

I would truly recommend others to go there as well... I think there are more foreigners than local ppl, maybe they know how to appreciate it more than we do. It cost only RM40 per sampan, and each sampan can accomodate 4 person.

2. Just want to share this piece of notice in case anyone is interested to join:

Hmm... I guess the notice is not very clear here... anyway, MERCY Malaysia is looking for volunteers for its humanitarian conference in Nov 2009. For more info, follow this link.

3. If a person is in a relationship, engaged or married, is it right for him/her to text, call, chat or email constantly with another person of the opposite gender, with the alasan: ala...kawan je. I don't think so~! Now this is NOT happening to me (repeat: NOT~! kang ada plak yg salah phm), but I see it happening around me during my internship and when I'm working now. If you have that much time to keep in touch with that person, why not with your own partner? No wonder there is rise in divorce cases in recent years.

4.

I watched Up~! and love it soooo much. It's cuter than Finding Nemo, nicer than Toy Story or Cars, and more exciting than The Incredibles~! Love it.... thank you for recommending it (you know who you are...klau mention name nnti kembang plak =P). And even better, after a great movie...a meal at Sushi King =D

Book Rental

Last week, while waiting for a meeting to start I walked around Amcorp Mall and found a nice book rental store on the 4th floor called My Book Place.

Walking around it made me realize that even though I love books and novels, often when I buy them I would only read them once (exception for Harry Potter books - that's for collection too). Since I won't get to meet Gta or Illy that often anymore, I can't borrow their novels... so this is quite a good option. For a novel, I would normally have to pay about RM35 each... but renting cost RM5 each... so is it worth it? I think yes if you're only gonna read it once anyway.

This little store got a nice review by NST... and since I think I'll be having more meetings in that area in the future, it really was a nice discovery.

Another interesting store is Q'reazant Literary Rental Store. It's supposedly located not far from my office, but I have not yet try to find it. What's interesting is the fact it provides the service of rent-by-mail... for an annual fee of RM120, you could rent 2 books per time with no added post charge and no penalty for late returns. Its website even provide a complete catalog of whatever books you want to rent.

I have not tried this service yet myself, maybe not for now since I'm still living in somewhat bandar area (to En Azizan... ye, ni bandar ye, bkn kampung =P)... but it's a nice option to have in case if I have to work in some far-off area in the future.

Ramadhan Mubarak

To all Muslims, selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan dan selamat berpuasa =)

Here, I would just like to share a nice article by Yusuf Estes on how he reverted to Islam. Hope you like the article as much as I do, and appreciate the fact that we were born into a family of Muslims:

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/yusuf/priests_n_preachers.htm#story

Thanks Mak & Abah... =)

Last nite, after dinner, my parents start to bukak citer2 when we were small and how difficult it was to jaga each and every one of us. I found out we were eEeEevil as kids... hahaha.

To mak and abah,

I'm sorry for crying non-stop every night (without fail~!) for 6 months when I was a baby and disrupted your time (and maksu's, nenek's, maklong's and acik's time as well) to get rest and some sleep. It must had been a nightmare to bear that every single night (note: no, the Ahmad Al-Bab trick did not work :P).

I'm sorry that you have to chase after me everyday before going to work.

I'm sorry for quarelling with Afiq everyday bila balik from sekolah agama. I found it was easier to kejut him bangun tidur dalam bus by just main cubit...

I'm sorry for meletupkan budak lain punya belon masa kat pasar malam.

I'm sorry for sengaja ram my bike into Afiq's bike when he refused to masuk rumah. I didn't mean for him to fall off his bike, and luka and berdarah kepala sampai kene jahit.

Hmm... I'm sure the list of what I had done is a hundred times longer than that. To add to that, Afiq, Izzat and Mubin were no little angels either.

So... thank you for the tonnes of patience that you have to raise us up. Thank you for never spoiling us with money. Thank you for marah and rotan us when you had to. Thank you for all your support and encouragements. Eventhough we still have a very long way to go, we wouldn't be who we are or where we are today without you.

I love you both very much :)

P.S.: Hoping my own kids nanti won't be as nakal as I was :P huhu

Team building at Ulu Pangsun

On the 25th and 26th of July, I had to attend the 1st session of team building (made compulsory to all TNBRians) at Ulu Pangsun. Klau tak silap, the place was an old generation station. The place was beautiful... banyak pokok2 buah - rambutan, duku, durian semua boleh makan fresh dari pokok =D

The area during the day and at night

The main activities were very much relaxed - jungle trekking, gotong royong, creativity show and sukaneka... and food were available all time. The jungle trekking was a new experience to me... biasa sebelum ni masuk hutan ada path, ni main redah je semua pokok2 naik bukit turun lurah.

Duk tepi sungai lepas letih jungle trekking

Dipaksa jadi model untuk creativity show

The sukaneka was fun - memula race amik durian, pastu lawan buat highest tower, then lumba kopek durian, then lumba makan plak... then last2 lumba kemas biji durian =P hahaha. I never knew I could open durian that fast... calar2 tangan nak menang punyer pasal. Huhu.

My team punyer durian tower

Overall, eventhough the team building did take my weekend away, it was an enjoyable experience. It was also a good platform for networking and to get to know other people.

Bits and pieces...#2

1. Hmm... it's been a while since I update this blog. First of all, I wanna wish Happy Birthday to Spongebob Squarepants~! hehe. It was his 10th birthday last week... and Nickelodeon put on non-stop marathon of the cartoon :D Love this show... who would have thought a show about a sponge living in a pineapple under the sea would be such a hit~!

2. At last~! hasil tangan cross-stitchku (which took 5 years to siapkan~!!! :P) is finally framed and hanged on the wall... happy :D Credits to emak for sponsoring the frame. ..huhu :) next project bila pulak siap? :P

3. This is now the third week I'm working at TNB Research. It has nice working environment, and considering they don't have that much staff, I get my own room~! huhu... I was really really really suprised on my 1st day... no other company would provide a personal room for a new executive!

Overall work has been ok... the only hard part for me is having to wake up much earlier than everyone else and leave home at 630am due to the distance and to avoid morning traffic jam. Balik pun another hour on the road. Tapi... bila found out Kak Zai pun kene leave home at 645am... it's good to know I'm not alone in such situation after all. Dr Fadhilah Kamsah kata (which we HAD to watch masa friday morning talk today) instead of complaining and being down bout the distance and bgun awal sume, be thankful and bersyukur you actually have a job and change your daily routine. :) I should be used to it soon...

4. Just finished reading Bidadari Dari Timur (borrowed from my dear). Nice book and gives great motivation :) Tuan Sabariah Tuan Ishak is definitely a good role model.. her kesabaran, ketabahan and modesty are amazing. Thank you for lending it... :)

5. I guess I've been thinking too much lately... bout my study loan, the new policy on marriage, career opportunity here... In the end, I guess better quit stressing and solve it when it comes nanti. I know what I want in life and money is not my main priority. Dapat this job pun rezeki and ada hikmahnyer... hmm... who knows... let's just see what happens next :)

6. Had great time eating sushi with my dear, since dah lama sgt tak makan... (sadly, my family members majority tak mkn) ...would love to learn how to make them... huhu. I guess we should have bought that sushi set at MPH after all :P nak minta ex-housemates tlg ajar~!

Bits and pieces...

1. I saw this iklan on Nat Geo, love it~!:

2. I know this is old news, but I can't believe that The Stig on Top Gear is Michael Schumacher?! I don't know much bout cars really, but I've always enjoyed watching the show... and I know The Stig mmg drive best gler. Hmm... interestingly, a lot of comments on YouTube are saying it's just a publicity stunt for TV ratings...

3. I finally get to tag along for Karnival Keluarga Petronas 2009, after a few years missing it. The food was great (ate too much keropok lekor & durian), the performance pun mmg nice (the best wld be performance by Faizal Tahir & Ramli Sarip la kn illy~).... but the best would be the feeling of sitting on tikar atas rumput with the whole family. Dah lama x rasa camtu =) teringat balik the times we would always go for picnic at Safa Park or Creek Park Dubai.

4. I just had to take this picture of my Meow (a.k.a Selamba a.k.a Chordel) sleeping... siap tangan atas kepala plak tu~! hehe:

5. I've just realized that I made personal record of reading more books and novels this year (up til June so far la... considering only light reading materials, tak termasuk bk2 engineering or study), compared to any other previous years!: Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon, Breaking Dawn, Shopaholic & Sister, Nobody's Baby but Mine, Chocolate Run, Princess Diaries Seventh Heaven, The 100, why men lie & women cry, Quran Saintifik, Kite Runner. Yes...the list mmg lebih bynk chic lit pun... tension final sem nyer pasal kot~

6. Congratulation to our dear friend Amira Rizwana! Moga bahagia ke anak cucu cicit =) :

7. Yes, I know it's July. No, I'm still officially unemployed =P

Interesting reads: The 100

I guess this book needs no introduction, as most of us already know that Michael H. Hart has placed our beloved Prophet Muhammad at the top of the list as the most influential person in history. The top 5 of the list is mostly dominated by religious leaders, while the rest consists of scientists, inventors, political leaders, philosophers and explorers.

It is interesting how these people became to be so influential. Some by sheer luck, like how Becquerel discovered radioactivity; while some through being ruthless and ambitious (like Hitler or Pizarro). There are also those through who achieved recognition through years of hard work and dedication (like Mendel who discovered basic principles of heredity, carried out about 21000 experiments); but most impressive and motivating are the story of those who raise above the odds... Beethoven was deaf, John Dalton suffered from color blindness... and of course our beloved Prophet who was orphan and illiterate.

Although the book did help to broaden my general knowledge on history, I'm rather disappointed that there are none of the Islamic scholar in the list. I believe Ibn Sina (Avincenna) and Jabir ibn Khayyan (Geber) deserve a place in the list more than Pablo Picasso or Gregory Pincus. Watching the documentary 'Science & Islam' on the History Channel, it is said that Copernicus obtained his idea from the works of Islamic scholar, but there is no mention of that in this book.

However, I think Hart has tried his best to come up with the list and gave good reasons on why his opinions or the rankings are as such. At the beginning of the book, Hart did challenge his readers to come up with their own list! Anyone wanna try???


P.S.: Thanks to Azizan for lending me the book =)

Lapang sebelum sempit...~

I just submitted my FYP report last week, so kiranyer I'm done with my responsibility as a student. There's so many things I want to do, so far I've only managed to finish the novel Kite Runner (thanks rumet bagi pinjam =D) and bake these:

Comments to my baking skill? Hmm... my mom and Azizan said "xpela... baru blaja" =). My brother, Izzat loves anything sweet, so he doesn't complain much. The best comments would be from my brother, Mubin. A few days ago, he said "When I look at your face kakak, I can taste failure"!!!! Hahaha. But then, just a few minutes ago (after baking that marble cake), he said "Honestly la kn...lg sedap dr mak punyer"! Hehehe... terharu~!

At the moment, I'm not allowed to look for any temporary jobs (I wanted to jadi guru sandaran), at least not until the exam results are out. The house is a complete mess thanks to the renovation, and I'm more needed to be home accompanying my mom and clean the house. So that kinda gives me plenty of time to do whatever it is that I wanna do. The only downside to that... no income.

And what are the so many things that I wanna do? Huhu. Here it goes: learn arabic, finish cross-stitch, finish reading novels (yg beli tp x baca2 lg), learn french, learn cooking, learn baking, learn mandarin, watch kenichi, learn adobe photoshop, watch full metal alchemist, do proper household account for my mom, finish reading the tafsir, complete house cleaning, do volunteering work for charity, learn sewing, learn aikido. Hmm... quite a list~!!!

Sementara still lapang ni... I'll just try to do whatever possible kn. Fighting~! =)


P.S.: That picture is edited through picnik.com and photoscape. Hehe. Mmg beginner's level of editting la... =P

Bargain hunt ~ =D

When I went out with my dear rumet today, I was surprise that the bus ticket from Bangsar LRT station to Midvalley is now RM2!!! It used to be only 50 sen (back when I was in Form 5) !!! That's 4 kali ganda dah naik harga!!! And uncle taxi (who was extremely nice) warned us that soon taxi starting charge would be RM3!

Adding salt to the wound... cross-stitch benang now cost RM1.50 each! It cost only 80 sen back when I first started...~ Sedihnyer, my mom commented it seems as though it's not worth it to continue doing it any more.

So, the more reason to go bargain hunting and aim for sales whenever possible. I read an article in The Star aper newspaper a few days ago about warehouse booksale and why consumers should take advantage of that. The columnist managed to buy 100 books with average price of about RM7 each! Giler jeles...

I just want to share these two websites I found... they give updates on where warehouse sales and stock clearance can be found around Malaysia (especially KL):

http://www.shoppingnsales.com/warehousesales/

http://www.bigsale.com.my/

The sites had made both Gta and Alin tension gler... hahaha... maaf~ =P


P.S.: Uncle taxi tu pesan klau nak go from Midvalley to Bangsar station naik taxi, exit from the South Court, it's cheaper coz closer distance. And rumet sorry... being guided by KLite yg sesat around KL wasn't exactly the plan =P

Educating?

Ok...let's play a game, spot which part of the scenes below is educating a student:

Scene 1:
Examiner 1: What is the boiling point of MEA?
Student: I'm sorry sir, I don't remember (ok, fine... the student's fault there), but you can refer to my report, I've included it there.
Examiner 1: Where? I don't see it!
Student: Please refer to so-and-so section sir.
Examiner 1: How is it you don't remember? I want you to guess the value.
Student: I don't have it memorized sir.
Examiner 2: Is it below 100 or above 100?
Student: Below 100 i think sir....
Examiner 1: Wrong! (duuuuhhhhh........I already said I don't remember) It's 170 degC ... so it's above 100!
Examiner 2: Do you even remember your own name?!

Scene 2:
Student is trying hard to smile, to hide the fact that deep down wishing the the Death Note is in hand.
Examiner 1: I'm talking to you, why are you smiling? This is no laughing matter. If you were my staff I would have fired you already!

Scene 3:
Examiner 1: Do you want to pass or fail this course? (hahaha... I though this guy is SUPPOSE to be smart?!)
Student: I would like to pass, sir.
Examiner 1: Why do you deserve to pass?
Student: Because I've put hard work and my best effort to it.
Examiner 2: In real world, hard work and sincerity are not enough. You did not produce good result, I think you should fail.
Student: Sir, bad results are still result. Thomas Edison tried about 99 times to create the light bulb... he didn't fail 99 times, he found out 99 ways of how not to do it!
Examiner 1: Yes...but he learned from his mistake
Student: So did I.... I've proven (bla bla bla ...)

As you might have guessed, that student was me. All that happened during my FYP final presentation. That would be the worst presentation I have ever done and provided me with a good reason wanting to grad ASAP. I can accept constructive criticism openly (as done in OM, Fluid Mech, PCS and PDP presentations)... but that?!

I honestly don't see which part of it is educating. Plus, if I'm so smart and can produce excellent data given the condition I was in, I wouldn't be terhegeh2 trying to complete my degree, would I?!



P.S.: Thousand thanks to my dearest and bestest friend for the happy food... roti naan with ayam tandoori and Sushi King the next day really cheered me up. See what happy food can do... turns you from sad to happy and if you're already happy to happier~! =D

Interesting Read: why men lie and women cry

I just finished this book, borrowed it from IRC the other day while studying for Ethics paper. Very interesting to read. Most of the facts are amazingly true~!!! Hahaha. We really enjoyed reading this one.

Although not all facts are relevant, here are some of the interesting excerpts from the book:

1) How a man should give a woman directions:

If he tells her to go to the road with the giant oak tree, then head to the pink building beside the National Bank opposite the lake she is likely to reach her destination. If he tells her to take the third exit at the West turnoff on Highway 23 and drive five kilometres North, she will possibly never be seen again. (hahaha...true~!!!)

2) If a man buys his partner a single rose, for example, she'll give him 1 point. If he buys her a bunch of six roses he still only gets one point. But if he bought her one rose every week for six weeks, then he'd score 6 point. Regular gifts of a single rose show she's always uppermost in his mind. (note: the more reason to call mak always~!!!)

3) When most right-handed people are recalling an event that actually happened they engage their left brain and look to their right. When they are inventing a story they engage their right brain and look to their left. In simple terms, right-handed liars look toward their left, left-handed liars look to their right. This observation is not foolproof but is a strong signal of deceit.

4) Indirect talk at home:

• When a woman says: I'm not upset ---> Meaning: Of course I'm upset!
• It's your decision ---> As long as I agree
• How much do you love me? ---> I did something you won't like

5) A dictionary of male speech patterns:

• When he says: I can't find it ---> Meaning: I can't see it, it didn't fall into my hands, so it must not exist!
• We're going to be late ---> I have a legitimate reason for driving like a maniac.
• Can I help with dinner? ---> Why isn't it already on the table?
• You really look terrific in that outfit ---> Please don't try on one more outfit, I'm starving (witnessed this being used by my brothers bila letih waiting mak shopping =P)
  

The book is informative, yet fun to read!!!

Sudut mari belajar~!

(di suatu program TV kanak2)

Adik-adik, hari ni kte akan blaja tentang 'considerate'~! Adik2 tau tu apa? Bukan...takde kongsi-the-rate... and ni bukan kuih yg penguin suka makan tu... ni adalah salah satu characteristic yg PATUT ada pada setiap manusia (klau takde tu tak perlu mengaku manusia), proven by the following equation:

human = considerate behaviour
if, u = not considerate
therefore, u = not human

Senang kan? Mari kte pahamkn lagi... being considerate is to put yourself in others' shoe regardless of your own (unless u're really in life-death situation,come on...common sense, bdk skolah rendah pun pandai). This is in line with the Kantian theory (which might be asked dlm paper Corporate Ethics rabu ni...blaja ye adik2).

Mari kte lihat the following case study:

A ada habit suka call B dan mengadu tentang problem dia pada B... nasib baik la B ni orang yg baik hati dan layan je. Tetapi, disebabkan response B yg non-aggressive itu, A merasakan ia adalah appropriate dan decided to call pada bila2 waktu dia suka, tidak mengira B nak tido, rehat, study dan sbgnya. Tambah lagi problem2 yg dikemukan oleh A adalah sgt ridiculous sampai bdk darjah 1 pun tau jawapan (ye adik2 kecik di luar sana...anda kadangkala lebih pandai drpd org2 yg ada SPM/diploma/degree tu~!).

In the situation above, we see that A is being inconsiderate. Eventhough B is being nice, doesn't mean dia care that much pun...klau A kene langgar basikal, jatuh longkang and gigit anjing...pasal la...hidup je lagi. So tak perlu ngada sgt...the world DOES NOT revolves around you (adik2 take note ye, the earth revolves around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth, electron revolves around neutron...tp human takde gravitation pull whatsoever to make other objects to revolve around them)!

So adik2... tak susah kn~?! Nanti episode lain kte blaja benda lain plak ye =)

This show is brought to you by the letter C!

P.S.: This entry is written secara general, maybe it's meant towards someone, maybe it's not. Tapi kalau terasa tu...you might be human after all ~

I am an engineering student....

A few days ago, I came across a medical student's blog... she was writing on how much she learned everyday, through classes and her clinical experiences. I was damn jeles la... I've wanted to become doctor since skolah rendah lg... n every time I do those personality career test masa in skolah menengah, I always end up with medical care field (confirm test tu tipu!!! =P).

Anyway, when school ended, i got the choice of either go to matriks, do law at UIA or chemical engineering at UTP... (no present provided klau dpt teka which one I picked =P). Not that I hate law... I'm just not convincing enough in debates (lose a lot to Jijan) and I'm not a fan of hafal2 subjects. I had no idea what chemical engineering even was at d time, Uncle Farid and Auntie Junie were kind enough to help explain and motivate me... but in the end, the duit scholar was the main reason why I chose it (haha...bkn free pun...kene bonded...tp still thankful la gak). At that time, I was still sad that the ministry of education (or whoever responsible la) didnt think I was good enough to do medic...

But, looking back, after 5 years doing this course in UTP, I dont regret it a single bit. I found that possibly my brain is suited for these engineering & technical stuff better than medical. Everything is about concepts, theories and getting good grasp on basics... no more menghafal different types of bones (mcm SPM dulu). I believe in the following verse even more:

"...and it may be you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know." (Surah Al-Baqarah: 216)

I've honestly enjoyed studying engineering here, even with all the pressure and stress. Yes, I still do get jeles with the medical students, but I know now I'm way suited for this. I would love to walk around in chemical plant rather than hospital any day (masa start intern, I got excited gler nampak tanks and columns, my mom thinks I'm crazy =P haha... maaf mak).

True... there's no drama on engineering (klau medic ada grey's anatomy or house), tp those engineering shows on Discovery and National Geographic are fun gak. Hmm... the closest thing wld be Big Bang Theory la kot... sbb Howard is an engineer =P (watch this show!!!). And true... most of my relatives dun know wat exactly I'm studying... they think I mix chemicals in lab and did intern kat kilang (ala2 assembly line kat kilang kasut...huhu!). Tp so what... I love this field! =D

ooh... I found this on the Net!!! enjoy~!:

You Might Be An Engineer If...

• You have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically.
• You enjoy pain.
• You know vector calculus but you can't remember how to do long division.
• You have memorized the program schedule for the Discovery channel and have seen most of the shows already
• You've actually used every single function on your calculator.
• It is sunny and 70 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer.
• You know the direction the water swirls when you flush
• You look forward to Christmas only to put together the kids' toys
• You think in "math".
• If the microphone or visual aids at a meeting don't work and you shove up to the front to fix it.
• You have used coat hangers and duct tape for something other than hanging coats and taping ducts
• You carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of a test that actually takes five minutes to run
• You see a good design and still have to change it
  
• Your 4 basic food groups are: 1. Caffeine 2. Fat 3. Sugar 4. Chocolate
• You can't remember what's behind the door in the engineering building which says "Exit".
• You have to bring a jacket with you, in the middle of summer, because there's a wind-chill factor in the lab.
• You are completely addicted to caffeine.
• You avoid doing anything because you don't want to contribute to the eventual heat-death of the universe.
• You consider ANY non-engineering course "easy".
• When your professor asks you where your homework is, you claim to have accidentally determined its momentum so precisely, that according to Heisenberg it could be anywhere in the universe.
• The "fun" center of your brain has deteriorated from lack of use.
• You'll assume that a "horse" is a "sphere" in order to make the math easier.
• The blinking 12:00 on someone's VCR draws you in like a tractor beam to fix it.
• Your lap-top computer costs more than your car
• The salesperson at Circuit City (in this case Low Yatt) can't answer any of your questions.
• You can't help eavesdropping in computer stores... and correcting the salesperson.
• You're in line for the guillotine... it stops working properly... and you offer to fix it.
• You go on the rides at Disneyland and sit backwards to see how they do the special effects.
• You have any "Dilbert" comics displayed in your work area.
• You have a habit of destroying things in order to see how they work.
• You have never backed up your hard drive.
• Your three year old son asks why the sky is blue and you try to explain atmospheric absorption theory
  
• You think that when people around you yawn, it's because they didn't get enough sleep.
• You've ever tried to repair a $5.00 radio
• You've ever calculated how much you make per second.
• Your favorite James Bond character is "Q," the guy who makes the gadgets.
• You understood more than five of these jokes.
• You make a copy of this list, and post it on your door (or your home page !)

Peer Helper Memories

This post is dedicated to the pioneers of Peer Helper Programme in UTP... you all are the best ... we could marah2 n kutuk2 each other to get the job done... but at the end of the day still gelak2 at lawak2 bodoh =) thank you to each of you for the friendship and all that you have taught me. Just a bunch of pictures to remember the good times =)