Quest for a laptop

Well..i’m a little undecided right now..Today, I had an entire evening spent on laptops survey at Lowyat. Endless list of products and brands available on market have left me confused on making the best decision. Each sales person at every visited booth will have his own say on the definition of an optimal choice although the specs are more and less the same. It is up to the buyer to make the selection and this shouldn’t really be a difficult choice for there are leaflets and extensive lecture of explanations willingly given by these ‘persuaders’. Unfortunately, I am yet to be able to decide upon the product which is most satisfying…well, ok..there is one..but it’s way too expensive than the estimated budget…it would costs me an entire year of starvation to invest on such a beautifooool and powerful laptop..aint talking abt apple’s macbook here, the precious one is still a darling at heart for I will(at least hope that) one day get it when I’m completely & financially stable..I’m referring to the hp’s latest stylish babe, the special edition hp pavilion dv2616tx..check out the pix..pretty right? Im so in love with the design and high-end specs, but the price is such a killer for someone jobless like me -- poor un..it’s more than RM5k, yeah..aint kidding..the truth is as written on leaftlets and websites in addition to spoken salesmen..aaawww, don’t remind me.. :( The attention seeker has winningly caught my concentration and has successfully guarded my thoughts with its appearance every time another potential product/brand appears..geez…I feel as if I’m on a witch’s spell! Ahahaa! Another part of my brain is transmitting information that I could perhaps gain better specs with other selections..and there comes the dell inspiron 1420..the best abt dell is that it allows customization, so it is definitely reconfigurable to the heart’s delight, plus a given selection of lid color (although the hp is still attractively award-winning!)- oh, the appealing cloud again…we’ll see which product wins when juries in the head make a decision…pray for the best, not to be fooled!

Happy 25th Birthday!

On this day 25 years ago, 12 November 1982, I was born on Friday at 7.28pm. The same date today, it's my birthday again! yep..it’s the day of the year where life is stepping my age ahead..alhamdulillah, god has given me a good life for the past quarter-century.. praise god for the good health and prosperous living throughout these years.

Tomet has always been the first person who sings and wishes me ‘happy birthday’ almost every year(without fail) for the last couple of years. It feels really good having someone as special as you are and I’m so thankful to have been taken care in a meaningful and wonderful way. You are, really, a sweet person as a friend and even more adoring as a partner. :)

This year’s birthday is significant in a special way..I finally had the chance to celebrate with my dearest tomet on the exact day after 7 years of knowing each other..long wait doncha think? Previously, we never really had the chance as we were in a long distance relationship for 4 years which resulted to a constraint to such celebration, but wishes, birthday songs and cards were never missed. Although tired due to long day of work(more tiring as it is on Monday)-poor tomet, as always..was cheerful and happy spending a few hours with me. I was surprised to receive a gift and a very lovely plus precious card. Opened the pressie at home and I’m very happy to find that I’ve been given a cute nemo mug. I promise to bring this mug with me to uk! We had dinner at Secret Recipe, the food was delicious. Even though it felt like an ordinary day going out together, I am so delighted to have the chance for a birthday dinner with you. :) Thanks too for the treat!

Many others wished and present me with great gifts. I’m not the kind who expects to receive gifts on birthdays, never have I requested for anything expensive. I think, this year achieves its record when unexpectedly, I receive the most birthday gifts than the past years, for as long as I can recall. Thanks to my parents for the thoughtful individual gifts and wishes. Mama gave me a necklace while I received a black jade bangle from papa. My brother ,taufiq, present me yesterday’s luggage bag, a big hug from my sister, nini and a sweet birthday message from my younger brother, taqi. Good luck for ur exams! My cousin & wife, ezzeddin & siti also gave me something special..I received a motivation book called don’t be sad and a cute birthday card with a badge attached. I appreciate all the effort for all of these.

To others who have wished me, thank u very much for the kind wishes! :)

Shahrizal Fadlie, Alyna, Che Nor, Abg Nua, Syameer, Khalidah, Osman, Brindha, Ayunie, Salhana, Elsa & Ruhil

Shopping spree

I had a half day shopping spree at ou with my parents and elder brother this evening. To my family, thanks for the concern and support for the preparation and needs for the coming studies. I was surprised to find that my brother actually present me a luggage bag which costs RM489…I know it’s a big amount of money and thanks thanks for the thoughtful gift! I appreciate it very much. My parents too spent a big deal of portion, they bought me a few pairs of new clothing and a very cute rice cooker. It’s a Philips product called Mini Fuzzy. Knowing the name of the rice cooker has enlightened my interest on it.

I’m glad to find out that without further research, I managed to understand the concept and functionalities of the fuzzy rice cooker. Thanks to the knowledge comprehended during the fuzzy logic subject taken during my undergraduate years. I’m even more contented to learn that my fascination on the idea of artificial intelligence, an area of computer science studies which I majored all this while, has been theoretically and practically applied to appliances for reasons of better living. A little bit of knowledge sharing, the idea of the fuzzy rice cooker is to cook rice at a correct time and temperature depending on the amount of rice and water placed in the pot..the more rice it holds, longer time is taken for it to cook. On the other hand, lesser timing is used for a smaller rice portion thus preserves the nutrients for fresh and nourishing meals...cool huh? This is what we call intelligent technology.. :)

A wonderful day for all..

Beep..we meet again! today’s been a memorable day for a number of people close to me..first, it’s zati’s wedding, secondly, it’s sara’s birthday, last but not least..my dearest tomet’s car has finally arrived and i have been given the honour to be the first passenger to sort of a launch the car..heeehee..i’m am very very honoured..thank you tomet!

It has been ages since I woke up really early in the morning, but today, zati should also be honoured as I actually woke up at 6:30am to get ready for a journey to taiping, zati’s hometown. 6 of us…haris and clans, sara, sal and myself met up as early as 8:30am and off we drove to taiping, perak. All of us carpooled with haris. The journey took approximately 4 hours where sara was dedicated with a birthday song along the trip there. We reached zati’s house at almost 12pm, they just settled the akad nikah at that time, we snapped some photos and waited for zati to get ready for the following event…although it rained for a while, the kenduri attended by families and friends was happening..it was full-house during the bersanding session..for the second time, I was assigned to be the video-camera-gal..it was cool tho’..followed them all around to capture the happy moment of their lives..and to interview a number of friends for wedding wishes specially dedicated for both of them..after lepak-ing a while, we finally made a move back to kl at about 4:30pm. Thank you very much to zati’s family for the thoughtful hospitality during our visit to the kenduri.. each of us actually went back with set of tapau food..

We reached kl at 7:30pm and sent sara home before haris dropped sal and I at the asia jaya lrt station. On reaching the station just before taking lrt, tomet called up and told that he was near-by and would like to pick and send both of us home. Having to see tomet’s car, I had my first opportunity to be driven in a myvi, a local car which caught my eye when it was first introduced, but never had the chance to possess one...it’s a black myvi and named wan qisreena by tomet after its plate number..how sweet and sure it is a sweet name! And then we thought, hey…that’s a nice name..and for the very first time, we were actually serious thinking of having qisreena as our kid’s name (if one day, we're fated to have a family together—by god’s will..insya Allah!).. Before signing off…congratulations to zati & majin! I hope u guys like the special pressie..hehee.., happy birthday to sara and as for tomet…take good care of wan qisreena..

Attitude of dealing

My face is still swelling with inner mouth feeling sore as a result of the previous dental surgery. How I wish I could just put this pain aside, but it’s ok lah! After all..when else would I experience(a.k.a. suffer!) the after surgery effects. (the best line I could think to make myself feel better..)

What did I do today? Wasn’t really a productive day for me..thought that waking up early would somehow lead me to a number of chores settled, but ended up not(exactly) doing anything..I was supposed to submit the visa application today, a critical task needed to be done as I’m left approximately 3 weeks before departure. However, it couldn’t be settled due to a delay on receiving the amended sponsorship letter from the human resource office.The person in charge could have the letter ready by yesterday and if so, the process wouldn’t come to a delay. But this is life..things sometimes don’t normally flow as planned. Dealing with ppl can also, at times be very challenging, even more taxing when it comes to support staffs. I’m not highlighting all support staffs can’t work well..that isn’t my point on this view. In fact, I have lost count on the numbers of easy-to-deal-with support staffs within various organizations and these ppl are tremendously helpful with any request made. Keep it up the excellent group!

Back to my story, I was supposed to be given a sponsorship letter by the university’s HR for the submission with visa. The first was written with lack of information, so I requested for another from the officer I used to deal with. My request and urgency was fully understood and granted. Being a very busy officer and having to attend an entire day meeting, I was told to directly deal with the support staff just to make a few amendments to get it ready and signed by other officer on behalf of the one I dealt. However, the staff’s lack of sensitivity to even reach the slightest tolerance made the simple task a huge matter to be solved. The staff whom I have met infinitely(in other words, knows me), acted cold on my request though fully aware of the urgency. Perhaps this is a norm due to my status of a student and being young, a sign to show who’s the boss? – when the actual boss(officer) isn’t around…sad case.. It was no use of me arguing as the staff was the only person who could settle my asking. Thing’s would have been unsettled if I were to ‘participate in the play’. Although, initially, completely reluctant, my diplomacy worked moderately when I somehow managed to persuade that staff but was left waiting for 5 hours to finally get the letter ready…by then, the visa centre was already closed where I had to once again postpone the submission.

It would have made things so much easier and faster to settle if there was sufficient sense of awareness on certain matters, registered in their minds. How do we change this mindset/attitude? Well, my answer would be, we can’t… the person will have to realize and change the way of thinking themselves. It wouldn’t involve a single cent nor would it be required payment by others for such effort, but it pays more than what money can buy for the appreciation of the other person served in whatever scenario it may be. I feel it is worth for all of us to ponder about this as we meet people to satisfy constant needs everyday.

First surgery

Yesterday, 5th November 2007, was an unforgettable day in my life..I had my first ever surgery since I lived in the past 24 years. Ok..im not trying to make this too dramatic..but the entire procedure was really horrifying! It was only a minor dental surgery for which my left wisdom tooth was removed. The appointment with the dental surgeon was at 11:00am, someone was having a dental check when I arrived. Initially, the feeling was not like going for a surgery although I was fully aware that something had to be done to my teeth. My turn came and after a brief discussion with the doctor, he decided upon removing 2 of my lower wisdom teeth, having to operate one at a time, which means I have another visit to the clinic.. I started to feel the chill even though it wasn’t really cold...Nurses around started to lay all the surgical dental instruments on the tray beside where I was sitting..there were huge drillers, tweezers, tooth removal pliers and many other disturbing tools..my eyes enlarged! I have never felt scared going to a dentist but now I fully understand why kids are terrified to see a dentist. I now get the message of the typical joke I normally see on cartoons when it involves kids and dentists..

He then asked if I’ve had my meals, I did not and said “not yet”..and then the explanation comes..”If I proceed, u’ll feel tired and might faint”, hearing that, I was adviced and excused myself for a lunch. After lunch of a full plate of nasi kandar, I went to the clinic again and was called in after a while. Then the horrifying episode started, I was asked on which tooth to remove and decided upon the left..then, I was given 3 painkiller pills and 2 doses of local anaesthetic at the tongue, on the cheeks and around the wisdom tooth. The doctore told me that usually, he’d give 1 dose of anaesthetic to patients and I thought about myself.."Am I that strong?" .After abt 5 minutes, I started to feel numb around the areas…and there on..the operation follows. The doctor did what he was supposed to do..the noises of tooth drilling with all sorts of tooth extracting forcepts going in and coming out from my mouth left my entire body shivering! I was terrified..really..it wasn’t a pleasant experience at all..at that time, I regret not having someone close to hold my hands beside me. The 2 doses anaesthetic didn’t work quite well on me, although feeling numb, I could still feel the pain of removing the tooth. I heard the doctor saying “u have strong bone”..He was struggling to detach the left wisdom tooth and when it finally came out, he concluded that my wisdom tooth had 3 roots when others would usually have 2, which made it very difficult to remove..my o my…the surgery which started at 1:15pm went on for 45 minutes. I was advised to take medication every 6 hours, was told to come again the following week and did my payment..it costs me RM300(which I initially thought would only be RM30), a very big value that I had to sacrifice.

I started walking back at 2:05pm having to bear with my gums bleeding terribly. On my way back, I stopped by at the Visa center for a number of enquiries regarding my application form and went to Amcorp mall to buy a bottle of Listerine mouthwash before heading home. I reached home at 7pm. My gums had not stopped bleeding since the surgery..this made me feel even more tired and soon after I discovered that I was having fever..After shower I took a short rest before having a mug of milo and the painkiller pills..bcoz my mom didn’t cook, dad went out for dinner and bought me nasi bubur.. I was resting on my bed trying not to think much on the pain and bleeding gums when told to eat..I thought of eating later. At that time, I could feel my body aching due to the antibody combating the fever virus. An hour passed by and I started to doze off..thinking of removing my lense and taking wudhuk for Isya’ prayers, I rushed to the toilet..after a while looking at my swollen cheeks in the mirror, I felt a gush of dizziness..trying to keep balance, I hold on tight to the sink..but loose control and in a less than a minute..i was helplessly lying on the bathroom toilet..my brother and mom heard the sound of the sudden fall and started banging the bathroom doors calling for me..a few minutes later, i could finally move my hand and reached for the knobs..they came for my rescue..Thank god! Thanks to my family..I fully regained consciousness in about 10 minutes and took a short shower.Apart from a minor bruise on the elbow, I was ok..By the time I came out from the bathroom, I had my heated nasi bubur on my computer desk in my room..My brother can be really helpful at times..Thank you for heating me the nasi bubur..I had them finished in less than 10 minutes and continued my rest for the entire night..

Yesterday’s experience taught me 2 lessons :

1. Never go to a dentist alone! The psychological feeling is worse if gone by yourself.
2. Never starve yourself. I should never neglect the feeling of hunger or I shall experience the fainting episode again..this is the 4th time I fainted because of starvation..ain’t gonna go though it again..

Today, my left cheek is swollen more than an extra bloated ikan buntal. I look terrible! But I’m so thankful that my gums had stopped bleeding and am feeling less painful than yesterday..My next appointment will be sometime next week..this time, the doctor will remove the lower right wisdom tooth..thinking abt going through another dental surgery is enough to make me shiver! Hope that I’ll be better than the previous..

Education : Local vs Abroad

time really flies..it's less than a month before my scheduled departure to a country i've been long wanting to step my foot on, the united kingdom..a place where i'm expected to carry on life with presumably (precisely, definitely!) even more hectic academic calendar struggling with various possible obstacles, a place that will test my ability to be independent in all aspects a foreign student is required to have…In those days, I used to be extremely excited with the idea of going to study abroad, but these days…my perspectives somewhat changed in a way or two.. having obtained and been fully educated in home country, Malaysia for the past 24 years isn’t a bad experience after all…I highly feel what’s more important is the individual’s aspiration to become academically successful in whatever course taken, regardless of education delivery, environment, institution’s fame and endless reasons one may list.. I admit that I’m proud being a Malaysian education ‘product’…thought that by having to complete another level of education, I would be the ‘pure product’, but request from the local institution responsible to fund my coming studies leaves me limited choice to carry on with the title...also, many motives were directed towards this(where fame was never in the definition)..after all, I’m also admitting that there are more than a lot to learn from well-developed countries around the world..so, why should we leave the opportunity unoccupied? As for me, I hope to bring home and educate the coming generations with better knowledge transfer for a better Malaysian education product, within the next 3 years.. insya Allah..

So, why did I choose UK? An eternal question asked from my surroundings, an even more significant question starting from the point I’ve been tested with stumbling blocks until the final say.. a simple answer is, I’d like to take up the uk challenge in the hope to prove that age is not a gauge for academic excellence..it is way of out my intention to be supercilious with the statement, but certain things, sometimes need to be proven to gain reasonable respect. This might be vague, but enough to explain my many unsaid reasons.

Ok, enuff abt academic talk…hmm..what’s happened today? After weeks, I finally had the chance to see Zati for I was given 4 wedding invitation cards for distribution to a number of ppl..thanks so much for the invitation, Zati! yep, Zati’s getting married..from someone who’s been listening(not so much of helping tho’ :p) the previous ups and downs, I’m very happy for u on this approval..now that part of ur dream has come through, don’t’ forget on another dream of coming back within 3 years…and by then, I hope to pass you my invitation card… :p (if it’s not earlier)... to zati, congratulations! :)