Happy Birthday Shana!

Walaupun tahu dah terlambat..nak post jugak! hehe

RE: Penang

Aaa, Ati! Yes, I need help!? *sputtering and drowning*

Sorry for the delay guys. Sangat sibuk tak ada masa nak duduk menulis. End of the year is always a busy time. Lit review, labwork, thesis.. yeah, I'm currently reviewing a Masters thesis draft for a friend, three very long chapters on bat ecology and distribution. Akak volunteer just to know more about bats..

Anyway, about the trip..

Erm, kita dah decide nak tunda ke bulan Januari hari tu. Well, sekarang dah pun Disember, and we need to figure out when we'd like to go in January, so that I can book us a venue. Imbas kembali: kita nak duduk tepi pantai kan? Like I said there are a few possible places, tapi bukan hotel lima bintang la.. ala, asal bley tidur da la kan? Kalau korang dah survive Pergau, Pulau Pinang should be no prob.. ^^

Sebelum kita discuss tarikh, I'm putting up a few links here of the places that I think would be interesting to visit in Penang. Sila beri feedback tentang tempat-tempat ni ya, so that I can plan out where to go on what days.. Note: these are just a few places. Tak larat nak link semua. Kalau ada tempat yang akak tertinggal, give me a head's up. Kalau nak lagi banyak info, mu research sendiri la...

1. Pulau Jerejak trails, historical sites & outdoor activities

2. Penang National Park

3. Georgetown/UNESCO Heritage sites

4. Fort Cornwallis

5. Bukit Bendera

6. Tropical Spice Garden

7. Clan Jetties

8. Gurney Drive / Plaza

Now, bila nak pergi?

Akak cadangkan 15 - 18 Januari 2010. Kebetulan waktu tu akak nak kena register di USM - trying to kill 2 birds with one stone, heh heh.. Wey, tak senang nak dapat cuti dari FRIM. Diaorang berkira sungguh.. Kelih!

But, we don't necessarily have to go on these dates. Kalau ada masa yang lebih sesuai, do let me know. Lagi satu, please let me know soon. Next week da new year. Kalau boleh akak nak minta persetujuan semua by early next week, so that I can make bookings ya. Kerjasama anda semua amat saya hargai.. Minnasan, onegaishimasu! ^^

PS: Er, just wondering.. how possible is it for us to move this trip to, say, Feb/March 2010? ;p

PSS: Ati, mu online dok? I seriously need a discussion about now.. (-_-)

Bila kita nak pergi Penang?

PS. Kak Sofie, I'm jobless at the moment - I can help you organize the trip! :)

PPS. Latest info: Still recuperating from cold, by far the longest cough I've ever had. Anak saudara baru nama Alia Qistina, kakaknya yang kedua, Zulfa, sebjik macam mak cik dia perangai - kalau tak dapat barang mengamuk, lembik atas lantai, baring barang - I cringe every time. :p Still looking and applying for jobs endlessly. I hope to see you all soon!

Akhirnya~

My mom said
"You should be grateful."
And I replied
"Hmm...let's see"

I don't know how to react properly. Happy? irritated? grateful?
Anyway, my scholarship applicatication is a success. Yes, but after a year i'm in yuu keyy emm.

Gahhh~bukan senang nak ambik duit kerajaan.

Best part is, the scholarship effective starting Disember 2009 till Disember 2011.The main higlight is my university offer letter stated Disember 2008 till Disember 2010.

To make it more dramatic, the fees for my first 2 semesters (Dis 08-Dis 09) i gotta used MY OWN MONEY!!!

Damn it!

I planned hard for my savings and yet... Since the money goes for some good things my heart doesn't felt really painful..but again ~there go my moneyyy~

yuu emm tee? i really don't wanna write bout it.

Penang II

Pantai kat Bt Feringgi (atas Tanjung Bungah)

p/s: insy allah ada rezeki kita jumpa di Penang...k op ^^ thanks alot inviting me with you..it was absolutely fun! yelah akak belanja kan?

Perhatian: Penang

Salam peeps!

Akak tau semua orang sangat sibuk sekarang ni. Maklum la, dah akhir tahun. Mesti banyak yang nak kena settle. Nak siapkan projek; nak sedia untuk finals students-students korang yang ramai tuh; nak settlekan research dan report akhir tahun. Macam-macam songeh..

Anyway..

Minggu lepas akak ke Penang for official purposes - if you've read my blog, you'd know how that went (-___-) - and akak sempat gak usya a few of the places. In a few short words: Penang is SO worth it! ^^ Tempat dia sangat cantik, and lots of places to visit. Akak serius cadangkan kita duduk kat Batu Feringghi. The view is.. Subhanallah! Kut tak percaya, mintak Ann hantar MMS satu. (Punya la dia kemaruk amik gambar pantai aritu.. kan Ann? ^^)

I've been scouting some budget motels and guest houses around the area. There's a few of them yang betul-betul kat pantai, and they're quite cheap. Anywhere from RM30 - RM80 per night (depending on room size, utilities and number of people). But, like all good things, they won't stay available for long. Kalau kita tak buat booking awal-awal, tepi pantai won't be an option..

So, this is the end of October. Kita cadang nak bercuti in Disember. Kalau boleh, akak minta kerjasama semua untuk bagi tentative date dulu. And by this I mean specific dates, people.. akak tamau ada yang bagitau, "Awal bulan/tengah bulan/hujung bulan, saya free Kak Sofie!"

I want, "Akak, pada sekian haribulan, sampai sekian haribulan, saya free! Sekian." Bleh? ^^

I know this is asking a lot. Korang sibuk, akak pun sibuk. Akak boleh organize, no problem. Tapi nak kena minta kerjasama semua, ya?

I will post up a list of interesting places to visit in Penang and their entry fees later on, so korang boleh pilih mana satu tempat nak pi, ikut sesedap bajet korang la, kay?

Till then I need them dates... Ciao! ^^

Update!

Salam! ^^

Alright, next step... I'm forming a consensus of what you guys want based on the answers you gave on the comment post. And they are:

1. Budget should stay at or below RM300.

Um, does this include food? Keep in mind guys that food - as abundant as it is in Penang - will be expensive. Biasa la kan, tourist town.. To take some of that burden off, Kak Sofie plans to sponsor the BBQ. In her mind she's thinking chicken, sausages, hash browns, potato salad, fried macaroni, and a surprise treat... iidesuka? ^^ (Note: You guys CANNOT say NO to this. I'm the organiser! I do whatever I please, LOL!)

2. Two to three nights sounds good for a vacation.

I'm leaning more to three nights.. Lagi banyak masa nak foya-foya ngan korang! Lagipun kalau dua malam, the first day will be spent just getting there. Penat, tak aci! As for the dates, please let me know ASAP ya. I personally can't do the 12th of December. Sepupu kahwin..

3. Ramai yang nak duduk tepi pantai.

Sebab kita dah decide taknak masak sangat, akak cadangkan kita duduk motel tepi pantai la. Senang nak bbq, buat aktiviti. There are many of them, and some are cheap. How does RM30 per person per day sounds? It's the cheapest I've gotten so far. I'll try to find more, but many are booking up fast... so again, I need to confirm dates ASAP!

4. Soalan 4 ngan 5 rujuk atas. Selain pada tu, tak ada lain dah kan. Or is there?

Apa yang tak puas hati, atau tak setuju, tolong la cakap. Akak nak semua orang enjoy kat sana nanti. Let me know now if there are any problems..

Kay, that's all for now. What you guys need to do is give me a date in December when we can do this. aside from that, I also need to know what you guys as individuals might be able to help out with on this trip. Ann dah taknak jadi ceti, so someone else will have to fill in. Pojan, I need you to be a tourguide, bley? I'm assuming you know Penang, right? Hm, what else? Interact with me, people!

Wassalam n slamat berbuka! ^^

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Dearest friends,

I'm due to arrive in Malaysia the morning of 21 November 2009, 5.25 a.m.

Kak Sofie, Cik Ann, and Mun (and whoever happens to be in KL) - if possible I'd like to meet you girls before I fly to KB sometimes in the evening. I can take a quick ride to KL Central and we can hang out to have lunch or something (it's Saturday, if you're wondering!)?

Cheers, Ati. (^_^)v

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia!

Salam..

Kengkawan yang dikasihi, kalau tak ada bantahan atau cadangan lain dari mana-mana pihak, cuti-cuti Malaysia tahun ni akan diadakan di Pulau Pinang. Ramai antara kita yang belum pernah jejak kaki lagi ke pulau ni, and for the first time boleh la kita berfoya-foya dengan Sitot sekali! :) By the way, kalau nak maklumat lanjut, bley check out Penang kat sini.

Anyway, since all of you are quite busy this time of year, I took the liberty of scouting us a place to stay and coming up with a list of activities. But I need your input in this, because right now there are a lot of options and I'd like to narrow it down to something we all want.

So, take a few minutes to answer the following questions. And please do this as soon as you can, because I need to book us a place soon. Accommodations tend to fill up fast towards the end of the year. Bukan kita je yang nak cuti my frens.. ^^

1. How much are you guys willing to spend?

2. When will you guys be able to take leave, and for how long?

Note: December is Peak season for most of the hotels in Penang, esp. as it gets closer to Christmas & New Year. This means paying more for accommodations, people! So kalau boleh akak cadang kita awalkan sikit trip kita ni. Somewhere in early December, perhaps?

3. Which would you prefer: Hotel rooms or service apartments?

Note: Hotel rooms are cheaper, but most only provide breakfast. Other meals kena cari sendiri. Apartments are a little more expensive, but bigger space complete with kitchen. I repeat, kitchen.. ^^

4. Nak tido tepi pantai or in town?

5. Kalau la kita nak masak, korang nak makan apa? nak buat BBQ ke tak?

6. Apa lagi yang korang nak?

Kalau rasa ada apa-apa nak tambah, atau ada soalan lain, sila la contact akak ya. Ataupun bagi komen kat blog ke. Whatever suits you.. Kalau boleh akak nak jawapan by end of next week. Orait?

Trimas, guys! ^^

Nuruuul!!!

Kak Sofie has a very good explanation for missing your birthday, and it goes like this:

See, I thought your birthday was really close to Isma's birthday like in the same month and so I thought both of your birthdays was in July but when I wished Isma happy birthday last month she said I got it wrong and so I thought both your birthdays must be in August instead so I changed your birthdates on my planner and wait for August but then last night I felt something's not right so I messaged Ati to ask her about your birthday and she said your birthday was on 28th July and Isma's birthday is on 20th August and I said Oh crap I missed your birthday!!

So, Kak Sofie takes this opportunity to say,

Happy belated Belated BElated BELated BELAted BELATed BELATEd BELATED 25th Birthday to Dearest Nurul!! @>}---


PS: Nanti akak kasi present kat Penang ek.. Luv you much, sis! ^^

update! update!

Minna-san!

Hope u guys in a good condition..just to state that now i'm having some light fever..(not H1N1).

Kak op, i'm still breathing somehow. alhamdulillah. can't wait to hear what are u up to!

Shana, thanks a lot for always replying my email and give me awesome motivations.i reaallyy need that.

mun, how ya been doing in upm? senyap jer? nnt citer lah sket dlm blog ni. i reaallyy love to hear it from you.

it's been long time now..(agaknya..) or is it just my stupid and sellfish feeling and i reallyy wanna meet with yati and nurul and isma..

pojan and luppi, i reaally hope to talk with u guys again.

my world does not revolves properly right now.the system is red but still hoping my communication with u guys are excellent..

p/s: my project entered the second phase..sekali lagi sy berpoya2 ngan betik muda!

Haish, mana perginya semua ahli BTB??

I know everyone's probably busy with all kinds of things. Technically, I'm busy too, but I need to get this out of the way so that I can focus on other pressing matters.

I know this is a little early, but I'm sort of in the middle of planning for our end of the year trip. Tahun lepas kita gi Pergau. Tahun ni, akak ingat nak pergi pulau Redang atau Perhentian. Tapi memandangkan akhir tahun adalah musim tengkujuh, niat tu terpaksa dibatalkan (sorry Cik Ann..)

Anyway, Hajar ada suggest kita gi Bukit Merah Laketown resort. You can find more info here. Accommodations dia agak mahal, mungkin kita boleh cari hotel murah kat luar..? Bukit Merah ada 3 themeparks, 2 of it nature oriented (ecopark and Orang utan island). Wut do you think?

Sila la bagi suggestions yer.. I'd really like to get you guys' opinions on this. Pergau was a lot of fun, but I don't know any other place like that, unless you all nak gi Chini. Pulau Banding is also very nice, dekat Belum Temenggor Forest Reserve, Perak.

So let me know about your shcedules, where you wanna go, et cetera... kay?

Luv you guys!

My credit to shana.....=)

Thank you so much shana! You give me a gift of smile...

Reminder

Dalam kesibukan mengejar mimpi, kadang-kadang terasa macam ada yang tertinggal..

Adik-adik kesayangan, akak minta maaf sebab:

1. Terlampau ghairah dengan hidup
2. Lupa bertegur sapa dan bertanya khabar
3. Kurang menjadi kakak yang prihatin

Ati, Ann, Nurul, Isma, Shana, Mun, Sitot, Pojan, Luppi.. semua sihat?

Kak Sufi wants to say that she:

1. Misses you guys much
2. Would love to see all of you
3. Will always be around if you need anything

Just a gentle reminder.. ^^

Saya ada oven....

siapa nak try makaroni bakar???

Tuhan lebih sayang

23 Jun 09

Pagi itu tidak seperti biasa. Tidak indah seperti selalu. Dlm bersiap2 untuk ke lab, ada suasana yg riuh di luar. Sy fikir mgkn pendaftran pelajar baru bermula tapi sebaliknya. Namun, hati saya berkata ada yg aneh berlaku. Siap bertudung dan disapa rakan yg tinggal berhadapan bilik. Mukanya cemas dan gugup. Katanya "ada student terjatuh dr tingkat atas." Aku mula menggigil. "Dia dah meninggal. Dia jatuh kat tempat parking motosikal." Saat itu, aku mula memegang kuat tangan kanan yg terasa seakan kebas. Saya budak penakut. Semua orang tahu akan itu. Aneh, pada masa itu hati menjadi berani untuk melihat dan ingin tahu. Perlahan2 sy melangkah ke arah tangga. Sesampai saja di situ, sy gugup pabila mata sy memandang tepat pd jasad arwah yg ditutupi kain batik. Badan sy bertambah kuat menggigil dan jantung berdegup sangat laju. Tangan kanan yg tadi mula kebas terasa menggeletar.

Saya tidak dapat menceritakan dengan detail bagimana rupanya kerana pada saat ini sy sedang berusaha untuk memadamkan ingatan itu. Sy jadi tidak selesa kerana kejadian ini berlaku di kolej yg saya duduki. Lebih tidak best, hal ini berlaku di blok yg sy tinggal.

Setelah beristigfar beberapa kali, sy teringat kembali tujuan pagi itu. Sy perlu ke lab. Beg dan kunci kereta dicapai dengan cepat aku menuruni tangga. Aku terpaksa menggunakan tangga yg dekat dengan jasad arwah itu kerana itulah satunya laluan untuk turun ke bawah. Belum sempat sampai ke level bawah, telinga sy dapat menangkap satu suara. Suara perempuan menangis. Sangat sayu tapi perlahan dan sekejap. Namun, tiada sesiapa yg berdekatan dengan saya. Sy kuatkan hati dan berserah segalanya pada Yang Maha Esa. Langkah makin laju.

Tiada apa yang akan berlaku ke atas diri kamu (baik atau buruk) tanpa izin Allah.

Di bawah blok, ramai orang berkumpul. Bermacam ekspresi muka. Polis, forensik, pihak yuu key emm. Sy mahu cepat ke lab. Cukup lah dengan apa yg dah sy nampak dan dengar. Sy akan lebih tenang jika tidak berdekatan. Sesungguhnya, Allah lebih mengetahui kenapa dan bagaimana.

Al-F atihah.

ann in the lab with sekaki

My precious samples; ah-ha..don't say a word now. wait till u see the rest.

I don't know whether i'm supposed to be happy or pissed off!! Now, can someone tell me which one of it?

p/s: sorry for the quality. the pics were taken at 4 in the morning. huhu~

Monologue; Trampt, S.C minus one.

Yesterday’s phone call over Kak Sufi has left me perplexed for about 5 seconds. 4 seconds considered too long. 6 seconds are overrated!

I rather put it this way;

blunt end would never be the sticky one! One cannot simply clone a gene without considering the right strategy.

Life is much more like that! As in, I didn’t need the sixth second to comprehend the situation.

Friends I wish you all happier and healthier life J

****

Hey did I mention about the most perfect phrase coming out from my mouth when I was a kid?

Yerp. I’m such a genius. I learnt a lot from TV.

“Mak kata, susu Dutch Lady baik untuk Bangcik”

For more fun, please repeat this “Mak kata, susu Dutch Lady baik untuk Bangcik” by imitating the kid in red shirt.

By the way, I was cuter than that kid during those days.

Pesanan dari Penaja

Assalamualaikum semua!!

Saya dah nak pi umrah insyaAllah, kalau tak de pape problem isnin ni. 1 jun..

Balik ke Terengganu dan pegi keja 17 jun.

Doakan perjalanan pergi dan pulang kami selamat dan diberkati ya.

Mintak maaf semua!

Shana, yanti, ann, muni, kak op, yati, sitot, haja, lutfi…

Jumpa lagi insyAallah =)

-Nurul

Dengan rasa rendah diri

Kawin masa sambung belajar memang payah. Banyak cabaran. Banyak benda teknikal yang tak tercakai akal AKU.

Maaf, mulanya sudah dapatkan alamat dari Azhane. Mahu saja pos pada semua. Tapi apakan daya. Nak pergi pejabat pos pun tak sempat. Malah nak susun disiplin tandas dua kali sehari pun sudah tidak sempat. Maaf kotor sikit. Kalau tak nak take serious benda kotor tadi. Ambil sebagai analogi sahaja. Boleh?

Ini lah.

Untuk pendekkan perenggan, aku dengan ini melancarkan jemputan walimah fasa satu.

Walimah fasa satu ini bakal berlansung di Ipoh. Pada 20 Jun 2009. Pada 19 Jun 2009 aku bakal bernikah. Boleh datang dua dua majlis. Tapi, untuk hari nikah tu, aku takut kalau benda benda tak expect terjadi, seperti aku mungkin secara tak sengaja termenangis ke, jadi macam agak segan. Sesungguhnya, aku amat berbesar hati kalau kamu semua datang untuk semua majlis. Susah senang kita bersama kan? Happy ker. Nangis ker?

Ha, sekadar pengumuman, hari nikah nanti baju tema color putih dengan pink. Hari kenduri nanti baju merah darah. Kalau siapa siapa nak dapat seri pengantin, faham faham lah yer.

Aku saja tulis bagi tambah poyo. Sebab aku sebenarnya sangat takut ni. Tak senang duduk. Tak senang hati. Tak senang kepala. Tiba tiba rasa macam jantung nak pecah.

Aku simply jadi paranoid bila ada kawan aku tanya bab kitar haid semua. Aku mana tau?

Jadi aku mula google lah.

Ni tak masuk lagi bab financial after marriage. Bab nak kasi komitment kerja masing masing dan keluarga masing masing.

Aku fikir, hari 21 Jun 2009 tu aku nak kidnap Dayah pi Cameroon Highland ka untuk meeting dan dating. Bincang balik cara nak susun hidup. Aku nervous ni.

Dah lah tarikh 19, 20 dan 21 Jun 2009 tu boss aku buat Conference TB. Student kesayangan yang dibenci pulak tak boleh datang. Sila rujuk perengan pertama untuk faham situasi pada perengan ni.

Korang doa lah yang terbaik lah yer.

Cis, entry nak jemput kenduri jadi entry luah hati pulak!

Maaf ya, tak dapat nak jemput dan kasi kad original. Aku ada simpan kad ni semua untuk korang. Kalau mcm kak sufi nak buat koleksi, aku ada few. 

Tgu jemputan part 2 di kedah pula nanti ya!

Kau tak cool!

Nota kaki sebelah kanan: Korang tak cool sebab tak der akaun Facebook. Kampung. Dan tua ranum.

Ps; Kami (yati, arshana, saya dan isma) tak hot, tapi kami cool!

.

.

.

.

.

tak tercabar dengan amirullah ker?

Tahniah!

1. AZHANE telah mempunyai akaun FACEBOOK!

Sebelum tidorr...

Masa begitu cepat berjalan. Sedari bila nak setting 'time and date' pd handphone yg br dibeli.
(^-^)V

Sudah 3 bulan di UKM. Sudah setahun tinggalkan UMT. Dan sy sudah berumur 25.
Isma sedang menghitung hari bergelar ibu, Fauzan akan bergelar suami dan Mun akan bertukar status jeng..jeng..(dr tutor ke student Msc UPM ler!)

Pada usia begini,sblm mata terlelap, sy akan fikir 'Apa yg telah aku kecapi/dapat/capai pd 25?'

Pengetahuan? Pengalaman? Perasaan?

Email blogging

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sofie
Date: Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 9:04 PM
Subject: Email blogging
To: Lutfi, Arshana, Sitot, Mun, Ann, Yati, Nurul, Hajar

Assalamualaikum.. How is everyone? Harapnya semua sihat-sihat dan happy-happy.. Akak sihat, just really missing you guys.. Last night for the first time in three weeks, akak dapat peluang jenguk internet. I figured, if I don't start keeping in touch with you people soon, I'm gonna miss out on more than just the demise of Pojan's infamous blog.. (-_-) Maaf akak diamkan diri beberapa minggu ni. I know some of you tried to call (Pojan, Ati & Ann, thanks for the call and SMS! ^-^) tapi malangnya ofis akak tak condusif untuk line maxis. Nak ada line kena ke letak hp kat tingkap.. Maklum la hutan. For those waiting for me on blog or YM, it's going to take a while. FRIM ada policy against entertainment during work hours. Blog sites, youtube and YM off limits.. They really know how to effectively isolate their staff from the rest of the world... ^-^ It's also one of those embarrassing reasons why I'm blogging on email... please bear with me! But to tell you the truth, I don't have much time for blogs or YM. Dari hari pertama tak habis-habis dengan meeting (7), workshop (2), kursus latihan (2) dan assignments (4). multi-tasking skill tak payah cakap. Nasib baik women are born to do it. Tiap-tiap hari akak punch out lepas maghrib.. Itu baru tugasan in-house (dalaman). 20-23 april dekat kuala selangor masuk mangrove plots; 30 april meeting dengan press, buat demo harp trap & biopsi sampling; 10-15 mei dekat hutan simpan Pasoh untuk latihan teknikal ngan jabatan hutan (GIS, GPS, compass, mapping); 18-31 mei masuk gunung angsi 2 minggu tangkap kelawar; awal Jun gi forest complex belum temenggor untuk site and plot investigation. Seterusnya belum ada tarikh lagi, but the list goes on and on... Cuti-cuti Malaysia without the cuti.. But I'm happy.. ^^ Dekat sini atmosphere dia lain sikit dari suasana akademik. People are actually knowledgeable and research methods sangat mantap. But they have high expectations of you, and they have no time for that saya budak baru belajar excuse. My supervisor keeps reminding me that she hired me because I can achieve things. So, the words I'm trying should never come out my mouth. I should be better than that. Hari pertama briefing dah dapat beberapa amaran: 1). Punctuality 2). Individuality. 3). Never staying in the pantry area for more than 5 minutes. 4). No cliques. 5). Work smart with excellent results. Haish.. I hope everyone else is having a good time too. - Mun ngan sitot, apa cer? Mun, da dapat ke IELTs score? - Shana, dah dapat dah beskalnya? Ah, nanti tak susah lagi nak jalan cross campus ;) - Luppi, how do you rate the answers to that questionaire you got on your blog? I can't believe no one got A.. Are you really that hard to figure out....? ;p - Nurul, nanti klu ada trip ke Tganu akak bagitau ek.. nak makan ban tuna nurul.. sedap! - Ati, I've been hoping to spare some time for GA, but right now that's not possible.. hope you're doing ok so far.. Ooh, environmental law! ;) Ann, i wish you could come to FRIM too. Keje memang banyak, tapi somehow stress free! ^^ - Pojan... sorry haritu tak dapat jawab call. I need your new number tho. And bro, what happened to your blog? sedih sangat BTV da RIP.. - Anyone got isma's email address n phone number? I'd like it please! Er, she's still pregnant.... right? So, that's all for now.. I'm sure that's more than enough updates. I'm afraid I won't be in contact for sometime since outstation work starts from next week onwards. But if you need to reach me, email's the best way for now. I'll let you know my office number as soon as I get my own fixed line.. ngehehe! Make du'a for me ya, and I'll make du'a for you too.. Salam, Kak Sofie

---

New Email addresses available on Yahoo!
Get the Email name you've always wanted on the new @ymail and @rocketmail.
Hurry before someone else does!

--
Nurhidayati Binti Abd Aziz
Postgraduate Student,
Master of Environmental Management
University of New South Wales, Australia

Dedicated to All my BTB Friends!

Yes, we rock babe! :)

Hope is a Tangible Thing!

Email 1 (Formal enquiry)

Dear Dr,

I hope you’re doing well. If you don’t mind, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.

I’ve been accepted for FRIM’s RAship Scheme and placed under the Zoology unit. My research area involves molecular studies of bats, and one of the project outcomes would be the formation of a barcode database of bat species, particularly from peninsular Malaysia’s Virgin Jungle Reserves (VJRs) where the samples are collected. The scheme will fully sponsor me for MSc at any university in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sawarak. My research project is funded by FRIM and GEF.

I’m currently looking for supervisors and a place to attach to for MSc, and Unimas is my first choice. Among the many Malaysian universities I’ve researched, Unimas has a broad range of expertise in zoology, and I’ve found the environment and academic community to be very positive and conducive to my needs (these insights I’ve gained through encouragements from Dr. Is, Br. Kamarul, and my involvements with e-ruai zoology).

The problem is that my overseer in FRIM seems to have reservations about Unimas. I’m not sure what her concerns are, but she asked me to look into Univ. Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and UKM instead. I’ve been to these campuses – I’ve visited UMT on several occasions and I’m currently finishing my RAship tenure in UKM. All I can say is that I do not prefer to be attached to either of these institutions at this point.

Dr, please advise on how I should go about finding a supervisor in Unimas for my project (if it’s at all possible, I’d love to work with you!). And if it’s not too much trouble, could I have a copy of your CV? I’d like to bring a strong case before FRIM and justify my reasons for choosing Unimas. My biggest concern is convincing my overseer. If she agrees, then everything else should fall into place.

Do tell me what you think. I’m sorry to be so much trouble. Thank you, and hope to hear from you soon.

Warmest regards,

Sofie

Reply 1

Dear Sofie;

It's been very political.. If they (your supervisors) don't like UNIMAS then just follow their their wish because its more important that you get the MSc.

This is the 2nd known case of FRIM not in favour of UNIMAS.

I could help remotely by reading your proposal & papers. salam

Email 2 (Panic attack)

Hi Dr,

Your message made me sad, because I am honestly really interested in doing my MSc in UNIMAS.

FRIM does not have a problem with me being attached to UNIMAS. It's my supervisor. Initially she agrees that you are an expert in the zoology field, particularly bats. However, she later advised me against you when one of her academic supervisors expressed a less than favorable opinion of you.

Bottomline, molecular research isn't something simple (at least not to me). I need guidance so that I can learn well and contribute something useful. You are well aware of our universities' position in molecular research, and you're also aware of politics regarding UNIMAS. I don't know anything about politics. I'm just a student looking to find the best education. And though that may sound naive, I am the type to fight for what I think is best for me, and right now that is UNIMAS.

Please help me! salam, sofie

Response

20 or so emails came into the author's mailbox the following morning, all from various lecturers and experts in UNIMAS, giving their enthusiastic encouragements as well as thoughts and feedback regarding possible research areas to work on.

The author was moved to tears.

Reply 2

So you see, we care so much about you and waiting for your reply...

Look Who's On The Bike!

Ada aksi professional tak? :p

Meriahkan lagi~ (^_^)

Wah! Meriah!~ Huhu.

Ingat nak update blog sniri. Tetiba ternampak blog ni. Dulu selalu bukak sunyi sepi je. Ingat ni pun takde update la. Lagipun sejak cuti blogging hari tu dah lama tak bukak blog kawan2. Rupa-rupanya dah banyak ketinggalan. Ampun maaf dipinta~ Huhu :p

Ok, a lil update!

Hidup sedikit sukar akhir-akhir ini. Tapi hari-hari esok macam makin sukar je... Nurul pun macam dah stress je. Tiap-tiap hari buat tudung gaya bibi indon. Muahaha. Tugas utama kat sini kena jaga kelas amali dan kena buat lab research. Tapi ni macam banyak sibuk dengan benda-benda lain je. Newsletter la website la pegi ladang la. Kelas amali tu terjaga la, tapi research tersangkut-sangkut sikit. Tu pun nasib baik amali tu ada beberapa orang lagi rakan sekerja. Pastu nak kena gi kenduri kawin lagi. Minggu ni saja dah ada 3 kenduri~ Petang semalam pun ponteng kerja pegi kenduri. Huhu. Sabtu ni plak our old classmate masa matrik azrul zabidi kawin kat penang. Tu pun ada 2 orang kawan lagi on the same day. Huh, can't please everyone~

Yep, sukar la nak puaskan semua orang. Nak puaskan diri sendiri lagi. Kerja ni pun nak kena puaskan ramai pihak. Everybody wants result. Tapi nak tak nak kena buat jugak. Bunyi macam stress je kan? Haha. Takde la stress sangat. Ntah, as always, in the end things are not as bad as u thought it'd be. Lagipun waktu kerja tak strict sangat. Dan tak perlu menempuhi traffic jam macam kat KL! Pegi kerja paling-paling lama pun 10 minit je. Sila jeles! Haha. And of course, everybody here is nice, so I really can't complain much. It's nice to be here! (^_^) I'm sure I'm on the right track, I'm just not sure whether I'm at the right pace. Macam biasa la, suka bertangguh, siapkan kerja last minute. Ni pun banyak kerja bertimbun tertangguh. Nak siapkan on weekends, tiap2 hujung minggu pulak takde kat umah. Anyhow, gotta speed things up a bit, I guess. Kerja!~ Kerja!~ Cuma takut nanti tak disambung kontrak je :p Hahaha. Nauzubillah~

Okay, that's all for now, guys. Oh, btw, nurul sekarang makin keji dan poyo. Muahahahaha :D

Tag Gambar

As tagged by CST, kilang memproses manisan di http://janganbersedih.blogspot.com, the 6th picture in the 6th folder.

Anyway, this is Aminah Zulfa (named after her paternal grandmother) doing some reading session with her aunt. She is my second niece and an absolute apple of my eye. I still remember looking after her when she was a wee toddler, as her mom had to go to a seminar or something. I practically looked after her 9/5 (when her dad was out to work), giving her milk, putting on the Einstein CD to make her sleep, and played with her. And my wasn't she a pleasure to behold.

She has grown now, almost catching up to her big sister Aqilah Auni, apparently a tad wilder now too (she likes to just collapse on the floor if she doesn't get what she wants, and she could give you a slap if she thinks you deserve it :p).

But yes, it's the big smile and those sparkly eyes which tug my heart every time. My favorite moment with her? Just when she wakes up from sleep and as she searches the room and she catches your eyes, she will give you the widest, the warmest, and the most beautiful smile you feel like you could melt right away. Seriously, I think it's my two nieces who taught me how to love again, with my whole heart.

Another year older!

Happy Birthday Ann!

Happy Belated Birthday K.Sofie and Sitot!

Friends, Please Visit Green Advocates!

Hello everyone!

I recently built a new blog called Green Advocates with aim to serve as platforms for Malaysian youth to discuss environment and sustainable development issues. The main objective of the blog is information sharing and exchange of ideas between Malaysian youth in all over the countries working on different environmental services.

The website is open for participation from anyone interested to write about their environmental work/experiences/issues, etc.

Please have a look and I'll be glad to answer your comments and questions, or even better, to have you on board as a part of the team!

Ati Aziz, Green Advocates blog administrator
http://greenadvocates.wordpress.com.
thegreenadvocates@gmail.com

P/S: To the Class of 2008 team members, I know there are many of us whose research concern environment/agriculture/sustainable development, I'd be glad if you write an article or two about your experiences, and Arshana in Japan, you cannot say no to me! :p

I'm hoping the blog could be a self-sustained not-for-profit youth/environment organization/publication in the future, so I'm thinking positions like Contributing Editors, PR Officer, Graphic Designer could become a real vacancies at GA in the future, so I'd be happy if you want to join in the conversations with me to dream further!

Ahh, you know me. :) Cheers!

My Safe Haven

I told Mun I would put up the pictures once I finished (technically speaking) furnishing my room. I had gone all out this time because (1) I'm going to stay here until the end of my course, which means about 9 months away, (2) unlike the last house, this apartment allows me to fully express myself, hence I practically put in stuffs to the best of my liking, and finally (3) anyone who knows me knows I'm quite big on having my own space - so yeah.

Apart from the bed and the desk and the swiveling chair, I bought all items from eBay. Some are a real deal (like the lamp on my desk I bought it for 8 AUD and the arm chair for 50 AUD), while others are brand new and pretty much the same as buying off the store. Nevertheless, despite having to settle with the brand-new, mass-produced stuff, the antique lamp on the bedside table for example, although a bit costly (AUD 26), is something I couldn't resist.

So yeah, this is practically my attempt to create the shabby, country look of my room, the place for me everyday, where I go online, read books, or practice my guitar (you can see the handle of my guitar at the side of the chair).

It's a drag my quilt didn't really fit in, but let's not go overboard with the spending now shall we? I already have a problem with my money management as every week on my way back from my guitar lesson I pass a second hand book store and I always seem to fall to temptation. But alas!

Hari-hariku seindah biasa...thehehe

Ahhh...how am I suppose to say it? How u guys been doing? Good?

Mama-to-be Isma, bukan niat nak menyepi tanpa cerita tapi a lot of things happened and I got my hands full. Somehow I'm still breathing. Yeahh...i'm a survivor!

Mun, lama benor kao tido yea? Alih-alih udah mampir ke UPM. Tahniah! Before that, ada lebih baik kalo kao dapat belajar sedikit ilmu menghindar diri dari heart attack or kidney failure. Hehe...lah ni aku tengah meng'apply' semua tu untuk MSc kat UKM.

Arshana and Yati, don't hang out too long but don't let go too soon key! Saya doakan siang malam yang paling baik untuk kamu berdua di luar sana.

Citot, apa cer???last message kao tanya aku berapa watt elektrik seterika guna?jadik aku assumed kao sibuk mengira bil TNB bagi. Bila nak ke UKM? You still haven't changed ehh? gahaha

Nurul, kawan saya yang paling 'baik' dan beriman antara semua. Awak pasti ok kan di UDM? itu tak termasuk suka pakai baju warna 'pudorr' je. Kerja banyak? Sometimes you have to say NO to certain people dan buat yang termampu key...jangan paksa diri...Go Go Power Tok Batin!

Pojan, biasa nye scope scholarship yang saya cakap dengan nya. Tapi saya tau biasiswa KPT/UMP dah masuk kan? Tak tahu kenapa, awak selalu setapak lebih depan dari saya no matter how hard i tried. Luppi pernah cakap camni "Pojan lain cerita, itu dah rezeki dia." Betul jugak kan? Keep up your pace my dear friend!

Luppi, heyy...still hot stuff as usual eh? Sampai kat UDM pung? (nurul bgtau). Kalo kat UMT mesti lagi glamerrr dari saya. I heard alot of things bout you lately. Bila la agaknya nak dengar cerita dari awak sendiri yerk? Ehemm...

Oh yaaa...tentang Dark Story of Mine tu, agaknya saya tak leh nak teruskan menulis. Atas sebab-sebab menjaga nama baik semua pihak terutama yuu emm tee. Tak kira macam mana layanan yang diberikan pada saya, mereka tetap insan2 yang bertanggungjawab menolong saya.

I worked with them means I worked for them. I can't think otherwise. Right?

That's all for now!

Hola!

It’s been a while kan? Life is pretty hectic la sekarang ni. Since the other day Isma asked “Kenapa kau menyepi Mun?”, so I thought, I might tell you guys what I’m up to these days. First off, I had the chance to listen to a short talk by Prof. Craig Williams of University of Wolverhampton this morning. He’s a visiting professor at my faculty. An expert in zeolite. I must say, I wish I could be like him. I convinced myself that once I got my PhD, I’ll probably be able to talk like him. It’s not easy to inspire people right? Way to go Craig!

Oh, last Saturday, I watched Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical! Again! Worth every single cent I spent on the ticket. Tiara is amazing as always and Stephen Rahman Hughes a.k.a. Hang Tuah is perfect! What can I say? He made me swoon! I actually believed that he was singing to me instead of Gusti Putri. I could practically see every crease on his face as he sings. That’s how close we were. Hehe. Arshana, wish you were here girl.

Insya-Allah, this July I’ll begin my MSc at UPM. Can’t wait! Excited giler ni! Pray for me will you? I miss life as a student…..What else ya? Itu je la kot. I’m signing off. Petang ni my students ada test. So, I have to get ready. Adios!

p/s: Korang semua apa khabar?

Rumah Baharu Saya

I thought I might membuat kacau di sini and introduce to you guys my lovely new house. For your information, I've already moved in to the university apartment, which is closer to uni and shopping areas. It feels more like a student establishment, I must say.


The above is the living hall cum dining room. Notice the plastered walls, it's filled with pictures and various posters about social change and safe sex. I know, it might sound daunting at the first mention, but I've learnt to accept it as a fact of life (it is a fact of life, right?). There's also the United Nations flags we recently purchased on our trip to the weekend market. Notice the purple and pink pom poms? I did it to give a feminine touch to the house, I brought the flowers too at the beginning of my stay, as an offering of peace to the my new house members. I particularly adore the grandpa chair, and I spend most of my time working on the white couch. We usually spend our evenings watching news or movies while having our dinner. I'm being endlessly fed, unfortunately, as one of my housemate is a chef, and Fred from Italy likes to cook his own food. So think pasta, cream, cheese, and all those things which conveniently increases the number on the weighing scale.


We have a modest backyard, and I am lucky to be placed on the ground floor as we gain access to the greenery and the occasional visit of possums. My housemates usually spend their time smoking at the backyard, while it's my favorite spot for breakfast, reading and writing at the little round table.

Moshi moshi?

Haven't heard from most of you guys for quite a while now. What's up?