We had a family gathering in Raub during the long weekend Wesak holiday recently and celebrated 2-in-1 Mother's and Father's Day celebrations. Not all family members were able to make it (including my husband who was unfortunately stuck with office work and deadlines), but the number of siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews and grandchildren who were present was quite impressive.
The preparation of lamb, chicken, prawns and squids for BBQ. Salad and black pepper sauce too.
Yang diraikan, my parents.
The menu prepared by the younger generation.
The younger generation also took the role as waitress. My daughter Syahidah was asking her nenek, nak makan apa.
The presentation of the Mother's Day and Father's Day cards followed by cutting of the cake.
The cards. With photos of all of us pasted inside the cards.
It was fun and enjoyable for the family. Even though we should appreciate our parents every day and not just on any designated day, but a once in a while event such as this would remain in our memories forever and strengthen the bonding between us. InshaAllah.
It's finally over. Seriously, penat layan politik ni. Tapi if tak layan, it's the future of the country at stake. So kena jugak ambil peduli. And it's really mental exhausting. (ha ha... mengalahkan calon yang bertanding).
Kenangan PRU13 050513. Besides inai, I have never got my nail colored. I think. Ke masa budak2 dulu pernah kot kaler kuku dengan magic color.:)
I stayed up quite late last night accompanied by my whatsapp friends discussing and updating each other with the current results while ironing clothes. The ironing took longer than it should since my hand kept reaching for my handphone..he he... Mujur tak de baju yang terkorban kena panas seterika.;D I finally went to sleep after Najib gave his speech.
So the verdict:
Full results of GE13 can be accessed here:
Today, waking up to a new day. Selangor has announced that today is a public holiday. So my kids have another day to laze around. I had to take leave since I am working in KL and I can't send my youngest kids to the nursery. Sebab nursery pun tutup. So I too have an extra day too laze around.... yeah right... boleh la sangat nak laze around. Chores awaiting.
Anyhow, let's move on and look forward. Let's pray for a better Malaysia. Let's pray that all MPs and states assembly members that have been appointed will do their job honestly dan sentiasa menjaga kebajikan rakyat disamping tidak mengenepikan hukum-hukum Allah. Amiinn...
Some people measure it by how many As you scored in the exam.
Some may measure it by how many medals you got in sports.
Some may measure it by the type of car you drive.
Some may measure it by the size of the house you live in.
Some may measure it by the rank you are holding in your organization.
Some may measure it by how many kids you have...;)
Well, talking about kids, I have 5. Each one different from the others. And you just cannot generalize your kids.They have their own personality, uniqueness and skills. They developed at a different pace too.
My eldest, Syakila, has always excel in school. Every year, she will be up there on the stage to receive her certificates of excellence. Last year she started her secondary school. And alhamdulillah, her good performance continues. We went to her Prize giving ceremony recently. And as parents, we are really proud of her.
My second daughter, Syahirah, is an average student. Kadang2 dapat score A, kadang2 tak. Unlike her Along, she never receive any prize or certificate of excellence. Of course, we would love to see her on the stage but we tried not to pressure her and compare her with her elder sister.
So, recently, we were surprised when we received the letter that she will be receiving a prize for her last year's performance in sekolah agama.
Even though the class she was in was ranked either 4th or 5th, and her total marks are no way near the students from the top class, I am still proud of her. Because the increase in 1 mark is still a success. Going up one class is still called a success. In our enthusiasm to observe bigger and greater success, we tend to overlook small success one has achieved. Because every success starts with small steps.
So, how do you measure success?
I came across this poem last year during the year 1 orientation week. The poem was printed on the programme book. I was so impressed with the verses and the wordings, and the meaning of its lines. And after a year, when I read it again, the feelings are still the same.
I copied the poem from here and not sure the exact source and who's the author. But one site mentioned that this poem is from Khazanah Adat Perpatih. The poem is about how one should behave, act or talk. Berbudi pekerti.
HIDUP SIFAT BERSIFAT
Hidup dalam pekerti
Mati dalam budi
Bila duduk, duduk bersifat
Bila tegak, tegak beradat
Bila bercakap, bercakap berkhasiat
Bila diam, diam makrifat
Kalau bercakap di bawah-bawah
Tapi tidak ke bawah sangat
Nanti mati dipihak gajah
Kalau duduk di tepi-tepi
Tapi jangan ke tepi sangat
Nanti tercampak ke pelimbahan
Kalau mandi di hilir-hilir
Tapi jangan ke hilir sangat
Nanti hanyut ditelah gelombang
Kalau makan berjimat-jimat
Tetapi jangan berjimat sangat
Nanti badan tinggal tulang
Kalau berlabuh pada yang tenang
Kalau berhenti pada yang teduh
Kalau bersandar pada yang kuat
Kalau bersila pada yang rata
Nice eh? Well, even though I have some queries on the words such as 'dipihak gajah' and 'ditelah gelombang', but the message is loud and clear. And if you share the same feelings as me, then I can be assured, there are still hope for this country/world.;)
Anyhow, besides describing the guide on how one should behave, the poem also stressed on moderation in everything that we do. Bersederhana dalam bab makan, bersederhana ketika bercakap... I guess it can also be extended to bersederhana dalam shopping, bersederhana dalam memuja seseorang (..oopps!) or bersederhana dalam berkempen..(double oopps!!)
I just hope that the 5th pillar of the country does not change from Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan to Kesopanan dan Kesusialan... (pardon my language). Peace!
It is a known fact that men can't seem to understand women. Women love to communicate via hints while men tend to be straightforward. When women said they are fine, they may not be fine after all. When women said they are not that hungry, just take them to a restaurant. Bila kata tak kisah, sebenarnya kisah.
I read something about this in Facebook the other day. And I found the same article here. An excerpt of the article:
Begin copy -
Pada masa itu mereka sedang melalui deretan kedai-kedai makan. Terdapat beberapa ungkapan yang tidak terus yang wanita gunakan untuk memberitahu suami yang mereka lapar. Mereka tidak sanggup mengungkapkan perkataan, “Abang saya lapar, berhenti di kedai makan depan itu sekarang”. Mereka akan menggunakan bahasa tidak terus seperti berikut, “Abang tak lapar ke?”. Atau, “Dulu kita pernah makan di kedai depan tu kan, sedap masakannya”. Atau, “Tomyam kedai di depan tu sedapkan Abang”. Dan banyak lagi ungkapan-ungkapan yang kebanyakan lelaki tidak faham.
Maka suami yang romantik ialah apabila sahaja dia mendengar isyarat ini, dia telah tahu bahawa isterinya sedang lapar dan mahu makan. Tanpa bersoaljawab, dia terus sahaja membelokkan keretanya ke halaman deretan kedai makan dan mencari pakir yang dekat dengan restoren yang dia sebut tadi.
-End copy
Not sure who's the original writer. But yes, I guess there are some truth in it. Maybe I'm guilty of it some times and was not even aware of it.
Begin copy -
Pada masa itu mereka sedang melalui deretan kedai-kedai makan. Terdapat beberapa ungkapan yang tidak terus yang wanita gunakan untuk memberitahu suami yang mereka lapar. Mereka tidak sanggup mengungkapkan perkataan, “Abang saya lapar, berhenti di kedai makan depan itu sekarang”. Mereka akan menggunakan bahasa tidak terus seperti berikut, “Abang tak lapar ke?”. Atau, “Dulu kita pernah makan di kedai depan tu kan, sedap masakannya”. Atau, “Tomyam kedai di depan tu sedapkan Abang”. Dan banyak lagi ungkapan-ungkapan yang kebanyakan lelaki tidak faham.
Maka suami yang romantik ialah apabila sahaja dia mendengar isyarat ini, dia telah tahu bahawa isterinya sedang lapar dan mahu makan. Tanpa bersoaljawab, dia terus sahaja membelokkan keretanya ke halaman deretan kedai makan dan mencari pakir yang dekat dengan restoren yang dia sebut tadi.
-End copy
Not sure who's the original writer. But yes, I guess there are some truth in it. Maybe I'm guilty of it some times and was not even aware of it.
Recently, I made a statement to my husband how my S3 battery drains out very fast. And I blamed it on excessive whatsapping with my girlfriends. Well, maybe due to heavy facebooking as well...:)
Then after a few days he bought me this:
Powerbank! Cool... Now I don't have to worry about the phone dying out on me or having the hassle of bringing the charger along or to find for electric point to stick it in.
And then, on another day, I made a remark that my few-years-old Panasonic Lumix camera mcm dah tak sharp je bila ambik gambar. Alasan la kan... tak pandai ambik gambar salahkan camera. Ha ha...
Few days after that, he bought me a new camera. Double cool...
Well, in the first place, tak mintak pun beli powerbank or camera baru. Honestly those statements were made without any intention. Biasa la kot, org pompuan, semua benda nak grumble or nak whine. Sometimes words of sympathy pun dah cukup. Bukan mintak beli baru pun.
But reading the article about how women say things that they don't mean, well... maybe I sent the wrong signal unconsciously. And somehow my husband expertly read those unspoken signals. So, are men really from Mars? Yeah, maybe. But some men may have ventured to Venus and learn something about women.
Hmm.... lepas ni nak send signals pasal apa pulak eh...? Handbag? Kereta? ;D
1979-1984
Standard 1 until 6. Every year, we were asked, what we want to be when we grow up. The most popular ambitions were doctor, engineer, teacher. I remembered, my top 3 were doctor, teacher and some times police and at other times lecturer. But the occupation which appeared the most in my personal file was to become a doctor. Things look good when I managed to score 5As in Peperiksaan Penilaian Darjah 5.
1985-1987
I was lucky to enrolled in one of the best boarding schools in Malaysia. I still dreamed of becoming a doctor. I sat for my SRP then and scored okay la... Not that excellent though. Not straight As.
1988-1989
Based on the SRP's results, I continued to chase my dream and was put in one of the Science stream classes. I worked hard for the SPM, well, at least I think I did. Results: ok la, not bad, not excellent either.
1990-1992
The dream of becoming a doctor began to realize when I was accepted to join the UKM's matriculation programme. Gedebak gedebuk, after 2 years and after the final exam, it turned out that my results were not good enough to enter the medical programme. Was I frustrated? Was I disappointed? Was I down? Of course. Especially when most of my best friends from the matriculation sailed through and get a place in the medical faculty.
1992-1993
Life goes on. I was placed in Life Sciences Faculty (Fakulti Sains Hayat) in Bangi. The disappointment and the feeling that I was a failure haunted me. It did affect my studies then. I lost interest in most of the courses taught. Just imagine having to learn about botany, zoology, organic chemistry etc etc etc. I am not looking down on those topics, it just that I had no passion for those topics. But Allah Maha Adil dan Maha Bijaksana. When He closes one door, He actually opens another. A group of lecturers were setting up a new faculty with new programmes such as Biomedical Sciences and Optometry. They were enrolling new students and invited applications from interested and eligible students of Life Sciences. Well, cutting the long story short, I applied. And I got a place. Tak dapat medic, dapat biomedic pun was good enough at that time. At least, some of the frustrations were washed away.
1993-1996
Being the first batch of students in the new programme, we enjoyed it very much. There were very few of us. We were very close, like brothers and sisters. We know our lecturers quite well. And we had quality teaching-learning session. However, as I approached the final year (Year 4), the worry about the future began to fill up the mind. Nak kerja apa nanti? To become scientist? To become science officer? Or to become sales executive of laboratory supplies company? Those were amongst the prospect then. I remembered on my graduation day, the person who presented me the scroll, asked me nanti nak jadi apa. My impromptu answer was, nak jadi saintis. Ha ha... No more to become a doctor. That dream shattered in 1992.:)
1996-1997
I tried to look for a job. Every day, tengok iklan dalam surat khabar. Once, I even went to the extent of trying to attend a walk-in interview kat kilang apa ntah and kat mana ntah. Only to find out, there was no walk-in interview on that day. Maybe they have filled up the post or whatever. Penat je pergi. I even applied to become a temporary teacher. Because I have seen my older sister became one when she finished her studies. And nampak mcm best je, tanda2 buku kerja and kertas exam anak2 murid. Well, I was then offered the job but I did not report for duty. Because at that time, I heard from a friend of mine that there's a lecturer who required a research assistant and I thought that will be a better option. So I became a research assistant to Prof Ima, in the Dept of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, UKM.
1997-2001
Alang-alang dah jadi research assistant and buat research, Prof Ima offered me doing Masters under her supervision. Well, since I have nothing else to do, why not. So I became a student again. And lucky for me, after 1 year plus of doing Masters, Prof Ima recommended me to upgrade to PhD. So, I converted from a masters candidate to PhD candidate. I got married during this period. I got pregnant with my first child while I was doing my final laboratory analysis. In fact, I was pregnant with my second child when I received the PhD scroll in 2001. Alhamdulillah, rezeki Allah beri. Looks like I had a smooth ride eh? Not really. I had my ups and downs during these years. Frustrations with the PhD work, financial problem and the stress of being a mother. But those hardships made me stronger. Alhamdulillah.
2000-2001
While I was doing my PhD, the department had a vacancy and I applied for the tutor job. It was a golden opportunity and I would be crazy to let it go. Thus, began my career at the Department of Pharmacology.
2001-present
After I have graduated for my PhD, I became a lecturer and slowly trudging along my career pathway. I have finally fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor, but a different kind of doctor. I am also a scientist and involved in numerous research work. I love my job and I think the failure to get into the medical school was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
I was reminded of this song when I wrote this entry:
'Que sera sera,
Whatever will be, will be,
The future's not ours to see,
Que sera sera'
Yes, whatever will be, will be. Kun faya kun... Allah is indeed Maha Bijaksana. He knows best.
My 3rd daughter, Syahidah, celebrated her 9th birthday last Saturday. We had a small cake and a simple candle-blowing ceremony at home.
Then we dined out. Syahidah already mentioned that she wanted to go to the Upin & Ipin's place. So, Upin & Ipin it is.. Located in the Taman Melati area.
The dishes in the menu are named according to the characters in the Upin Ipin series. Such as Set nasi ayam Upin & Ipin, set nasi putih Opah, set nasi lemak Kak Ros, set mee Mail, set Atuk, set Fizi... Set Jarjit dgn Mei Mei tak de.:) Besides nasi ayam, nasi putih and mee, got soto, bubur nasi, chicken & fries, and nuggets too.
Taste not bad. Tak ambik pulak gambar food but I had the Kue Teow Tomyam. Inside the shop, there's a TV playing the Upin Ipin show. Upin Ipin momentos and souvenirs are also available for sale.
The place was packed. Luckily, when we arrived, there was an empty table. Some of the customers, kena beratur tunggu meja and some just left and go somewhere else.
The birthday girl got this magic set as a gift.
Adik dia pun tumpang sekaki trying the magic hat.
