In Full Smile!

I can never be happier to know that Allah SWT has granted my doa. Thank you, Allah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

A week ago, I met one of the RMIT University's representatives at the Australian Education Fair held in PJ Hilton. I received a notification email from the International Relations Officer of the institution regarding the education fair and he asked me to meet their representative, Kenneth Eu at the event. So I did.

I am good to submit my application letter to both University of Adelaide and RMIT University, but can't do so, not until I receive a consent from the potential supervisor(s) at those institution to take me as a student under their supervision for my Ph.D.

I wasn't devastated but quite sad when he told me so.

But I kept reminding myself that it's not that easy to get things done. "Kejayaan takkan datang bergolek tanpa usaha", Ayah once said to me and each time uneasiness and sadness seized me, I remind myself of Ayah's piece of valueless advice. And on top of that, I have always told myself of HIS promise- 'Allah SWT hanya akan membantu umat yang membantu dirinya sendiri'.

So I did as being told by Kenneth. When I was writing the email, I prayed very hard to HIM in my heart. I remember Kenneth told me that it's not easy to get a supervisor to approve the proposal, especially in this festive season since most of them are on long Christmas leave.

As soon as I got back, I sat before my laptop, writing emails to those potential supervisors from both University of Adelaide and RMIT University. Deep in my heart, I kept telling myself that I might need to try again and again as it's not easy to get their consent. So I prayed again.

I checked my email the following day. It's the biggest surprise in my life receiving a reply from one of those potential supervisor I contacted on the other day! The surprise gets bigger he told me that he's very interested in my proposed research topic and gave his consent to take me as a Ph.D student under his supervision. Without I'm actually realizing it, tears dropped down my face. Ya Allah, terima kasih!

I would also like to thank the person I meant, Dr. Chika Anyanwu, for his willingness to take me as one of his students. The opportunity given by Allah Taala to me will never be wasted, that's my vow. InsyaALLAH.

Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah.

I've promised myself to be a better person everyday. Ameen.

Mission Accomplished. Alhamdulillah.

Yesterday was a big day for me and all of my classmates, I believe.

Alhamdulillah, I got my final examination results at around 9.55pm. From that moment onwards, I finally know that I've graduated my master's degree- Master of Mass Communication, to be exact. Alhamdulillah again and again.

I can't be explaining how relieved I was looking at my GPA for final semester and overall CGPA. I feel so blessed knowing that I managed to increased my CGPA as that's what most important for me in qualifying me for Ph.D candidature next year.

When I first viewed my result slip online, I was jiggered and stunned. I hardly believed what my eye balls saw on the laptop screen. I had never imagine getting such a result. Thank you, Allah Taala. Though I was happy with my GPA, my I am happier knowing that I've improved my CGPA. Alhamdulillah.

I've been told by my classmates that senate will release our examination result yesterday, but yes, it was so hard for me to squeezed into the congested network to check my result. UiTM has more than half a million students checking their results nationwide, during the same hours. So, tell me about that ;p

There is no word to explain how bad I suffered waiting for the moment to check my final result. I couldn't make a single guess about it, not even a rough target of what I'll be getting as I had no idea of how good or how bad I did my assignments and examinations. It was a jittery day for me, anxiously waiting for the senate to release the students' results.

My mentors continuously explained that the victory is due to my own works. But to me, and I know for sure, I won't be here and I won't be the person I am today without the help, doa, guidance and support from my beloved parents, my mentors (Assoc. Prof. Dr.Halimahton, Prof. Dr.Bukhory, Assoc. Prof. Dr.Haidar, Prof. Roslena & Assoc. Prof Rosni), my best friends (Alys, Farha, Tiqah, Elena & Hazah plus the rest of the girls!) and also my dearest classmates in Mc770 batch 2007-2009.

I am nobody without them. Seriously. So, I would like to congratulate them as well for being the greatest parents, greatest mentors and greatest friends on planet earth! I love all of you, wholeheartedly.

And on top of all that, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Allah SWT for according me with knowledge, inspirations, patience and health throughout my studies and I know very well that I won't be able to stand up to this level without the helps from HIM. I feel so blessed and I can't stop thanking Allah Taala for the blessings he has given to me, amidst the wrongdoings and all bad things I've done in my life. Thank you, Allah for granting my doa.

Last but not least, I would like to exclusively thank one person- a man who has been there during my ups and downs. I know I can't thank him enough for all patience, moral supports, doa and helping hand he lend to me so far to make things easier for me. You know who you are :)

To the rest of my classmates, CONGRATULATIONS y'all! See you on the convocation day in May 2010. I can't wait :)

Great Foods, Great Time Together!

I would like to personally thank Kak Sarah and her beloved husband for hosting a house warming party yesterday.

And for those who have no idea about the name, Kak Sarah was my one of my classmates during the master's degree and we are going to be related since my second cousin is going to tie the knot with Kak Sarah's twin sister, Kak Nasirah.

How small the world could be for all of us, right? And that reminds me of one of Ayah's most precious advice, "Jangan pernah berbuat jahat pada sesiapa. Dunia ni kecil sahaja...", he said to me a few years ago. True enough, I'd came across a few experiences which have proved that piece of advice to be true. "Tak rugi dengar nasihat orang tua", I told myself repeatedly.

Coming back to the main topic, Kak Sarah has moved into a new house in Klang with her beloved husband. And her generosity has allowed us to be invited to their house warming party and we were served with lots of dishes, delicious ones, to be exact! Here, I would like to congratulate Kak Sarah and Abg. Sham (the husband) for successfully organizing a simple yet meaningful party.

I tell you, people...the foods were great! And they were coupled with great moments spent together with classmates attending the party- Kak Azwa, Kak Yan, Kak Mimi, Kak Mira, Zue, Ina, Jay and Shikin including me who wittingly came with an empty stomach as much I knew that Kak Sarah would be serving good foods to stuffed my big-empty stomach!

In the first place, I was quite upset knowing that the host was not cooking laksa ala Kedah for us. Oh let me tell you something, Kak Sarah's laksa is one of the best 'laksa experiences' I've had in my entire life. She's originally from Kedah, so we can't beat her 'air tangan' . So do I still need to mention that? ;p

But, I was all cheered up knowing that she has prepared the very special 'ayam masak serai', which is definitely one of her specialties. People, you guys gotta try this, it's super delicious. Take my words, y'all. Considering that I'm not the one who came with big-empty stomach, I left some for orang belakang, after 'swallowing' six big pieces of chickens. Big-time eater, tell me..~

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate (again) Kak Sarah and Abg. Sham for successfully moving into the new house. My prayers will always be with you guys, insyaALLAH. May Allah SWT bless the home with lots of happiness, eternal love, wealth and adorable kids, ameen.

To the rest of the classmates, you guys are awesome!

Time Flies...~

It was the end of December 2006 when I first registered as a postgraduate student in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam.

I can clearly remember moments that took place during the day. Amidst the fact that I was not so well on that particular day, happiness was mushrooming inside me. "I am finally back to school!", I spoke to myself.

Two years flew just like that. I still remember the painful-yet-exciting-journey I had experienced throughout the duration. What is life without challenges, right?

One thing for sure, I have learned a lot, more than the years can count. All I know for sure, the challenges and happiness- both delineated great experiences that will permanently remembered in my whole life!

Before the enrollment, I was haunted by all sorts of daunting thoughts and questions- "Can I make it throughout the two unpromising years?", "Am I going to be able to mix up with new classmates, many of whom I had no idea about their interests and preferences?", "Who is going to be my tablemate?", etc. Oh yes, I had more than those worrying thoughts, more than reasons could explain.

I did ask myself, "How does it feel being a postgraduate student who have to reach 3.75 and above in order to be in the Dean's list and have to be in the list for two consecutive semesters to be eligible to graduate with distinction?" Strewth, those questions haunted me horribly!

I attended to those worrying questions myself. I was reluctant to share with anyone else, especially my beloved parents as much as I do not want them to be worried. Moreover, I was out of a clue of how I can explain the state of feeling I had at that time to others.

So I told myself that it is just a matter of time. I strongly believed that time is the best healer and with careful steps, everything will always be in place.

I kept telling myself that it was my decision to pursue master's degree, no one forced me to do so. In fact, I should be thankful to Allah SWT for granting my doa to be there and I am forever thankful to my parents for their continuous doa and moral supports which helped me to pull through.

Alhamdulillah, from the first day I walked into the class, I knew that Allah SWT has granted my doa. Not to mention the nitty-gritty incidents that happened especially during the first semester, I wholeheartedly loved the classes I attended throughout the two years in school.

My exciting and beloved classmates were among the reasons which have encouraged me not to miss class unreasonably. And above all, I cannot be thankful enough to my dear mentors and lecturers who have continuously given to me their restless supports and best wishes, thus injected me with strong spirit to work harder from time to time.

I have learned something precious from my master's degree experience: "We won't be able to really be sure about something, not until we did it".

It is all right to anticipate things, but just make sure that we won't be carried away too far with the thoughts. Always expect for the worse, therefore we will not take things for granted and never be too confident is always the rule of thumb to seize victory, I believe.

Alhamdulillah, me and my classmates have accomplished our two years studies. A few of us went straight from bachelor degree to master whilst the rest entered postgraduate studies with bountiful working experiences from different fields. I believed that I was the one with least experience, but with constant contact with my classmates, I have picked experiences from here and there, from time to time. Alhamdulillah, again.

Everything I had with my classmates have added meaningful colors into my life and will be forever appreciated. I just hope that the friendship that has been built will stay there ever after, ameen. Finishing school does not mean that we are no longer connected. People come and go, but friendship lasts forever, innit? :)

To all my dearest classmates, CONGRATULATIONS for making it up to this level! All the best in your future endeavors.

An Official COMEBACK!

It has been AGES since my last post. Fine. Fine ;p

To all dear friends and followers, my deepest apology for not being able to update my blog in real time as I was badly caught in real tight schedule all these while. But hold on to my words, I will be continuously update my blog from now on as I am so in my SIX MONTHS holidays! Weee-weee...!~ ;)

Tonight I will not be writing anything serious anyway. I just need a perfect kick start for me to re-embark on my blogging activities like I used to be. Since I finished my studies couples of weeks ago, it was quite hard for me to pilfer some minutes for this as I have been 'fully booked' by family members and friends for quite a number of occasions.

So, I decided that I need to do it- even just a brief one- for the sake of bringing back the ideal momentum in me. Alhamdulillah, here I am :)

Will throw more updates very soon, insyaALLAH. At least now I know that I am already here, again.

Catch y'all later!~

English is for Everyone. Make Rooms for It!

I hope that it is not too late for me to talk (to write, actually) about this.

I really want to put a discourse for this one particular issue which have stirred much pandemic in Malaysia, especially amongst the scholars, school teachers, parents, the government and everyone who cares, really.

Recently, the government has announced the reversion of Mathematics and Science subjects to be taught in Malay language, in stages, starting in 2012. For those who deprecate this very decision (including me!), we have to realize that the kids in school have less than three years to enjoy the hidden benefits of learning English.

Why did I say less than three years? It was very much because I strongly believe (I might be wrong, though) that as soon as the government made the announcement, the struggles and motivation to still teach those two subjects in English would decrease enormously. Yes, it is undeniably true that our schools will still conduct the subjects in English, but I am talking about the 'spirit' now. That is why I said that its going to be less than three years.

And those who have been dearly waiting for the government to make such a reversion would consider teaching Mathematics and Science in English as pivotal no more. Slowly but surely, the pupils are so getting back to the old track, and this situation is taking its place in the driver's seat even before 2012 says hi.

The government has its very own justifications for making this decision. And in today's newspaper, our Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, reiterated that the government's decision on the reversion is final. When justifying, the government explained that research done on the effectiveness of the usage of English in teaching Mathematics and Science have somehow jepopardized the overall examination results of pupils, especially those in the rural areas.

But then again, I am not so sure whether they have disclose the full research for the public to witness, or I might have overlooked at it. We can say that this decision is a benevolent action on one hand, yet daunting on the other.

Mathematics and Science are two very important subjects which will help our dear country to galvanize itself to be a country which can be deemed as a well developed one. When we talk about this, it is very much about going global (or glokal, whichever you think is best). To go global, the utmost thing is to speak the international language and Malay language can never be one, not even in 100 years to come. but English already is and will stay there permanently. Look, I am not depreciating my very own mother-tongue language, but this is about talking FACT, living in REALITY.

Well yes, on July 13, the government through the Education director-general, Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Don has made further announcement that to make way for English, they have decided to reduce the hours for three subjects (Music, Physical Education and Science) by 45 minutes each to accommodate for English language. Me myself thanked the government for this, although back in school Physical Education is one of my favourites! (Netball, softball, hockey and volleyball..Ouh, I miss those old days).

While this might be a pretty good news, but as a citizen, I am afraid still. First, we are talking about Mathematics and Science as the most important subjects to generate more desirable developments for Malaysia. Second, except English language, all subjects taught in local schools will be in Malay language and mother-tongue languages in national-type schools. Tan Sri Alimudin also said that the minister will encourage teachers to use English terms in teaching art subjects.

I think this is confusing, though. To use mix-language in teaching is definitely not a smart decision anyway. How can such an action encourage English proficiency amongst the school kids and Malaysians at large? Or are we leading ourselves to talk Mang-lish instead of pure Malay or English language? Please tell me that the answer is a big no.

The government definitely has heterogeneous interests to protect. So I guess, it is not merely on the government's shoulder to carry this thing. Parents, teachers and all individuals who care should really nail down this thing.

Do we really care? If the answer is a yes, then let's play our roles to cultivare English proficiency in ourselves, the kids and future generations alike. Let's encourage the usage of English in education as the course of learning goes beyond the clasroom.

Point taken. It's on us now. So good luck everyone!

Could You Please Return the Carts? Thank You.

I can count with my bare fingers how many times the shopping carts in most hypermarkets in Malaysia are heaped up properly. It's not too much of exaggeration if I say that at most times, the carts were found scattered all over the hypermarkets compounds, definitely not in proper places!

I can never understand the leading reason(s) for this condition. I am not condemning hastily, but I've been observing this for the past one year. Returning the carts to its proper places is another pandemic amongst Malaysians and this is a posteriori.

My mother is another Tesco, Bintang and Carefour's loyal customer. She has always got good reasons to go out for groceries shopping in those places but one thing for sure, she's not so fond with the idea shopping in Giant. So I bet I've made adequate observations on this very issue.

Well, the problem is not that severe in Bintang Hypermarket and Carefour compared to Tesco. The factor is simply obvious. The latter provides the carts for free. As for Bintang and Carefour, they require a Rm0.20 deposit from the customers to use their carts. So, for the sake of that Rm0.20, the people would take the pain to return the carts in proper places.

It made me ponder so bad.

How come it could be that hard for Malaysia to cultivate disciplines amongst its citizens? Remind you that we merely refer to this very problem now, let alone some other killing pandemics which could be the axiom of apotheosis of civility issues in this country.

Feel shame of our own people? But, if we fail to fix this very problem, shame on us twice!

We've always been proud living in a modern country like Malaysia. We claimed that we are highly civilized with the enormous technology advancement that have been taking place tremendously in Malaysia. But apparently, we've denied the very fact that we aren't acting enough like one.

Returning the carts to its proper places shouldn't be a biggie for citizens who proudly claimed themselves to be highly civilized. It's another form of social responsibility. We don't always think that the attendants in blue shirts should be doing that for us, right? Point taken now.

There's a common statement, "Orang Malaysia macamni la. Bukan nak fikir pasal orang lain. Janji lepas tengkuk dia, sudah!" I hate this statement. Neither you who are reading this, right? We aren't that selfish and we aren't cut to be heartless.

Come on, we can make a change. Let's start on this simple something. Or else, there's no use cursing others who depreciate and undermine our people.

To nurture good wills should cost less than Rm0.20. Innit true?