Frozen Mississippi river

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A picture worth a thousand words

Here we are! From Dallas to Little Rock to Memphis to St Louis!

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Malas vs Rajin

Salam,

Anda pernah tak rasa malas nak mengadap kerja research, duduk depan PC kerja chatting dengan best friend yang anda kenal dari sekolah rendah, blog-hopping, tengok-tengok website Macy's kalau-kalau ada sale item yang mampu dibeli, baca semua online paper dari Malaysia, dan tiba-tiba anda sedar jam sudah pukul 5.00 pm? Kalau anda tak pernah, anda memang layak bergelar pelajar tekun, cekal dan tabah. Contoh di atas ialah saya. Saya mengaku. Saya telah jadi pemalas sejak dua menjak ini. Research progress saya amatlah perlahan macam lembu yang dah kena sebat sebab disuruh berjalan pon tanak (lebih tahan kulit berbirat dari kena jalan). My first international oral presentation dalam bulan Feb depan, by end of January dah kena finalized material sebab masuk competition, tapi hampeh tak buat apa satu pon lagi.

Owh dalam pemalas-malas saya tu, saya rajin update blog walaupun tak kerap. Bila saya tade update, maknanya saya rajin pulun kerja sekolah. Bila ada update, maknanya saya rajin update blog tapi malas buat kerja sekolah hahaha. Sehari dua ini saya insaf sekejap selepas mendengar cerita kawan saya budak America yang sibuk nak baca buku sekolah walaupun balik kampung sambut Xmas. Dan buku itu untuk preparation semester depan yang hanya akan start pada 14 January. Budak Serbia gradlab-mate saya nie, balik-balik cakap, My research makes sense, finally!! I am writing my manuscript. Boleh tak rasa nak p PC dia dan delete manuscript itu huhuhu? Apakah dosa saya dikelilingi orang2 psiko macam mereka?

Orang lain pernah tak ek rasa malas macam saya? tetiba rasa letih saje belajar? Ke saya seorang aje yang bergenetik macam itu?

Kuih talam

Apa perasaan anda apabila pulang ke rumah dan mendapati kuih talam yang anda buat dah jadi macam ini?

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A same question that being asked countless times

Salam,

Perhaps when a same question being repeated so many times, especially a personal one, in spite of being asked by different people, can easily cause someone to behave like a bear with a sore head. Insanely, for me, that's not a big deal, especially that question. When I chat with my friends, after warm greetings, they would pop that question out. The same question that my immediate family members asked me during my short break  in Malaysia last October (They haven't seen me for 2 years, so I bet that they think two years should be sufficient for them to answer that question figuratively). In a long conversation with my lil pet sis, she politely asked me if she can ask a question, which turned out to be the same question that being posted to me now and then.

Envy, definitely. I guess that's always women nature. Ala, kita tengok orang rembat gerabak baru pon kita rasa terus nak kan hahaha.  Worry, surprisingly not at all. I believe in Lord's willing. After all, I have so much taken from me, and Allah have compensated that with something better. Yes, I once complained, when I was a brainless kid, about my nightmare childhood and the family that I never have, but He graciously replaced those with great experiences where I pick up the true meanings of life, a great man called a husband and a small crowd called true friends. I believe that He decides the best for me. When I think about it right now, I often complain about my busy schedule, so not having any at this time would give some air to breathe.

My final words, for all the moms out there who are juggling between research, exams, families: I am taking my hat off to you guys!!     

Suami saya

Salam,

Walaupun suami saya cakap bubur asyura yang saya buat kurang sedap, saya tetap sayang dia, walaupun bila suami saya balik dari kerja, badan dia bau macam chicken shawarma, saya tetap sayang dia hehe. Saya sangat kesian tengok dia balik dari kerja, dia sangat tension setiap kali balik dari kerja. Kenapa? Anda tension tak kalau dapat boss Pak Arab yang macam ini?

Kisah 1

Tokey Arab: Imran, dah pukul 2 pm nie. Apesal tak balik lagi? Nie musti nak claim duit lebih
Imran: Ada meja tak kemas lagi. Lagipun, saya dah tulis kat punch card saya balik pukul 2pm (Skrg pukul 2.30 pm)

Maka Imran pon kemas-kemaskan diri untuk balik. Tetiba,
Tokey Arab: Hey Imran, kan ada 2 meja tak kemas lagi tu. Kenapa dah nak balik?

Kisah 2 

Tokey Arab: Minggu depan nanti kamu kena datang pukul 10 am. Tapi tak tahu hari apa lagi.

Pada suatu pagi yang tidak dinyatakan,
Tokey Arab (tepon): Hey Imran, dah pukul 10 am nie. Kenapa kamu tak datang lagi? Kalau dah tanak kerja, bgtaulah!
Imran: Tapi boss tak pernah cakap dgn saya hari apa yg kena datang pukul 10 am tu!

Kisah 3

Imran sedang memasak kat kaunter depan, tetiba,
Tokey Arab: Imran, p isi botol sos kat kaunter depan tu. Yalla Yalla (cepat, cepat)

Imran pon speeding p dapur isi botol sos. 
Tokey Arab: Hey kamu duduk kat dapur nie, kamu tak buat kerja kat kaunter depan ke?

Kisah 4

Imran: Boss, chicken shawarma dua, take away
(Saya ada kat kedai waktu tu, maka saya dengar order Imran dengan jelas, walaupun saya bukan sebelah dia).

Tokey pon masak-masak chicken shawarma tp letak dalam pinggan.
Imran: Boss, saya kata take away
Tokey Arab: Hey kamu nie cakap lah betul-betul. Kan dah lambat nak kena tukar-tukar. Nanti customer dapat lambat, customer tanak datang lagi bla bla bla kamu nie ***** la!!
(Saya rasa nk tempeleng aje tokey Arab yang sengal tu, tapi Imran macam biasa kat kedai buat cool. Nanti balik rumah baru dia mengaruk dengan saya)

Nak dengar lagi? Oklah last ek

Kisah 5

Imran: Kat restoran sekarang dah ada orang baru. Ok lah sikit, tak kelam kabut sangat.

FYI, Imran ialah cashier, waiter, cook, sweeper, mop-er (bukan moper eh!!),  dan semua sekali. Restoran itu macam dia yang punya. Owh, hanya Imran seorang saje pekerja restoran itu hehehe.

Seminggu selepas itu:
Saya: Macamana budak baru kerja tu?
Imran: Owh budak tu dah kena fired semalam.

FYI again, restoran tu bukak pada February lepas. Selain Imran seorang, semua pekerja yang lain hanya bekerja selama 2-3  minggu paling lama. Semua kena fired!


Akhirnya, pada suatu hari,

Imran: Saya dah tak tahan kerja kat situ!! Balik kerja nie saya nak tanya dengan Ridhwan kalau dia ada kerja kosong (Ridhwan ialah orang Muslim yang tengah cari pekerja)

Bila dia balik kerja,
Saya: Jom, kata nak p jumpa Ridhwan.
Imran: Tak jadilah
Saya: Sudah, kenapa pulak?
Imran: Saya kesian dekat arab tu. Kalau saya benti, nanti arab tu bukan ada helper. Tade orang yang boleh kerja dengan dia.
Saya: Baik. Nanti jangan komplen2 lagi dengan saya (sebenarnya saya tak sampai hati nak dengar)

Suami saya (bak kata ramai orang) tersangatlah sabar. Tak komplen banyak (kecuali bila saya masak tak sedap eh, hunny hehehe). Dia kesian pada arab yang buli dia hari-hari, tapi dia tak kesian pada diri dia sendiri. Eh ada tak saya bgtau yang waktu bulan puasa, kita buka sedap2 kat rumah, lauk ayam panggang, daging masak black pepper, puding mango, Imran hanya buka puasa dengan tab water sebab arab tu tak pelawa langsung air manis dan Imran pon malu nak minta? Jangan salahkan saya, saya dah kata saya nak hantar makanan, tapi dia takut kena marah!

Current Progress

Tajuk entry nie macam nak hantar report kat ministry aje hehehe..by the way, to those who are sponsored by ministry (hinting to Ms Lurpak) report dah hantar ke belum? Karang allowance tak masuk, baru la gelabah hehehe.

Despite all the hardship and arduous fieldwork in Summer, I managed to get all the data necessary for my research. Unfortunately, I have to repeat the very same experiment next year (Malangnya, saya telah memadam entri pasal research saya awal-awal dahulu sebab terlalu banyak kutukan kepada penasihat saya hahaha). Thanks to the farm manager who refused to manage my trial plot necessarily. If only I can drive the complicated-to-maneuver fertilization tractor, I won't be complaining at all right now.  Alhamdulillah, I finally finished all the major processing work for my data. All left are minor data, waiting for the lab to send me the chemical test reports. So no more tight breath and boiling brain, at least at this time of the year where it is all about Shopping Holiday. I should, nonetheless start to write for my manuscript and dissertation. I am trying to graduate in July 2012, so I have thoroughly plan my schedule. 3 classes next Spring, research hours in Summer and Fall 2011, 1 class and manuscript and dissertation writing in Spring 2012.

US educational system for graduate studies, interestingly, compared to UK's, just like comparing an apple to an orange. I believed, people are more acquainted with UK's system, which mainly consists of research work (sebab tu research work depa power-power hehehe). In US, it is compulsory to complete certain number of credit hours of coursework (I am talking about classes, exams, quizzes, homework, term papers, etc - no auditing classes here, folks) and research hours (total of these should make up at least 60 credit hours, at least for my university) before you can submit an application for graduation. Basically, it is juggling acts between class commitment, research work and marriage (Balik rumah nk kena masak, kerja sekolah tak siap lagi, esok ada group dicussion bla bla bla. Fortunately, I can cross out baby from the list). You will be just damn lucky if you can manage to graduate within 4 years or less. You need more than crossed fingers, lucky charms for this.

Last nor the least, I care to take pictures of my cold, gloomy, sumpek graduate room that I shared with other 8 students.

  The quiet, dark graduate room that haunts me every now and then, keep asking me, Kenapa malas sangat nk ke sini dan buat kerja kamu????

 Care to guess which of these desks is mine?

(A) Meja hari-hari dikemas

(B) Meja berkepah-kepah dan serabut - tak pernah kemas

Let me give a hint. Those 8 aforementioned, never show up except for my funny-yet-kekadang-terlampau-laser Serbian friend. It is totally weird because every time the department kerani comes and checks for vacancy desks for new enrolled students, all these desks are occuppied. Kan betul saya cakap, graduate room nie berhantu, semua orang tanak datang buat kerja tau!! Bilik nie haruslah mandi bunga!!

Salam sayang.

Kisah benar

Wife: hari nie saya masak bubur asyura. Cuba awak rasa,apa yg kurang ek?
Husband (without hesitation): kurang sedap
Wife: :l


Wife: alamak, lupalah nk simpan air soya nie mlm tadi. Mesti dah basi.
Husband: belom lagi. Saya dah rasa.
Wife: bila yang awak rasa x basi lagi tu? Kenapa tak simpan terus lepas rasa tu?
Husband: saya tak rasa pon.
Wife: confuse!


Wife: I am so grateful to have a great husband like u. Bla bla bla I love u so much bla bla bla
A few minutes after that,
Husband: were you talking to me just now?
Wife (dalam hati): bole tak nak tarik balik kata-kata saya tadi?


P.S: yang mana satukah pernah anda lalui?

Ini ialah Imran suami saya selepas pulang dari kebun kapas. Beliau tidak semestinya husband dalam kisah di atas. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Of Khir Toyo and New Year Resolutions

Salam,

Haihh dah lama blog tak berupdate, tetiba blogging pasal Khir Toyo? (Nor I am trying to justify my busy schedule and tremendous amount of research data collected last Summer, by the way ada sape-sape yang buat phD tak busy? hehehe) After his controversial facial lift up (according to him, consuming tempe can give the same effect to the skin boost up by botox - aku yang hybrid jawa + cina sejak dari kecik dok makan sambal goreng, lodeh, kopok tempe, tahu, taufu fah, air soya, kulit tak cantek mcm dia pon!!), news on YB Khir, again filled up the mainstream newspaper columns and also (I much believed) opposition party-friendly blogs. Well, I am not into politics that much, but he's being charged of the corruption, I believed many cheers with the SPRM actions. My sincere two cents, the government should TOTALLY get rid of this type of YB, who is taking his position and title for granted, in order to gain (again?) the trust of people (especially whom are against them, hari2 komplen dalam FB). I am not against the government at all (it is not the fact that the government is generous enough to award me scholarship(S) - please note the S, plus they were not only to me, but thousands of the rest, that instead can be used to build low cost houses) but corruption among the leaders is truly a constraint to fair development and of course, unacceptable, unreasonable manner. Period.

For my new year resolutions, I decided to stay awake after subuh (which I can only do in Summer - sebab kena p kebun hehehe). Elders selalu cakap, tido lepas subuh rezeki tak masuk :( (sebab tu agaknya bila buat research byk problems hehehe)The very first day, I failed hahaha. Nevertheless, I managed to go to school 3 hours earlier than I usually did. Secondly, takmo malas-malas nanti kena extend lagi setahun babab and nak cuba khatam al-Quran at least setahun sekali. Cukup la tu ek, banyak-banyak karang bukan terbuat pon :p Pada sesiapa yang pasang azam tahun baru, semoga azam anda tercapai juga!

Salam sayang.