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!