tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44720255368923173022024-02-22T01:05:51.316+08:00excel^^adorableA journey~Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger471125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-56099020771209372172023-09-17T15:21:00.010+08:002023-09-17T15:31:39.637+08:00The bird's tale...<p>Bismillah...</p><p>As I tuned in to a podcast on nurturing discipline yesterday morning, one particular segment deeply resonated with me. It was a part where the podcaster told a story about a little bird that decided to come down to a lake to have a rest. With the lake's peaceful water and its reliable source of food, the bird grew fond of the lake and decided to stay longer. What would only be a few days turned into weeks, then into months and then into years. It began to think of itself as part of the lake and it forgot that it could fly. When the water turned rough, it either waited for the water to be calm again or it tried to control the water. It forgot about its capacity to take flight, soar through the air and explore the rest of the world.</p><p>I was getting ready for work at that time. Shuffling between where my skincare and make up were placed and the mirror, my mind wasn't fully on it. But then it suddenly dawned on me that I was once this 'bird'. The girl who used to score her exams with flying colours and actively involved in extracurricular activities became a person who is content with the comfort of her daily routine, who no longer feel the need to strive for more. She forsaken her dream, the self-image that she crafted in her mind.</p><p>For many years I focused on meeting societal norms. I aimed and successfully secured myself a good paying job. I used to be like any other woman in their twenties, seeking for the right partner to start a family with. And I used to be a person who believes that life should be lived in a slower pace from thirties onwards after the whirlwind adventures of the twenties. </p><p>My perspective shifted when I turned 30 in 2017.That year I crossed paths with many people who are in their forties and beyond, who are still chasing their dreams. Some of them were still advancing in their careers and some were checking off items on their bucket list. They appeared joyful and was in excellent shape, with age posing no apparent barrier to them. It made me realized that perhaps the key to happiness and longer, meaningful life lies in embracing life to the fullest until the very end. </p><p>The following year, I charted out my plans in detail, listing all the necessary steps in their order. I decided to refresh my Japanese language skills and joined a Japanese class. I also committed to an online course to gain an internationally recognized certificate in my chosen subspecialty. But as life often demonstrates, it is inherently unpredictable. Two years into the journey, my well-structured plans were disrupted by the pandemic. I then opted to pursue my master's degree first because the certification exam was unavailable during the pandemic. However, as you probably already know, upon my return I was sent to a place where I couldn't leverage my new acquired skills and knowledge.</p><p>I came to the realization that I used to be that 'bird' who was once content and reluctant to fly away. However, when I finally mustered the courage to leave, I soon found myself trapped once more in that very lake. The fact that I have no authority to steer the course of my career scares me. And now being a 'bird' with bigger and more powerful wings, I know this time I need to take flight once again and this time leave for good.</p><p>It was actually a surprise to me when some friends revealed that they were deeply inspired by my pursuit for a master's degree. I was holding back tears when they said my actions and my perseverance prompted them to reflect on their own lives and subsequently take decisive steps. In a way, they gave me a renewed motivation to gear up for another flight. I'm well aware it won't be a walk in the park. It will demand immense courage, unwavering determination and resilience to navigate through frustrations. But, isn't that the very essence of life? For as long as we are breathing, it's going to be an ongoing process of navigating the unpredictable twists and turns that live presents.</p><p>I'm all set to begin with this new journey and I'm starting from a place of aspirations rather than animosity~</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQyk9k6nc6AWN6STbqxjUvPdUIkaINaNrbaUr1fowcuU9kWccGzhBsiw98Xf8H8wl-udWnPGV-9t_ClIu2wB5woT1x2sNCXHAH7jZXHebKcIYTPNcUrbPoPh4NAlsUprslgVtuQTpEllWVuyJUW7j8rFTVYop4QCLnqhkqPQ14Q20XswTcB6t3Rq4_SB3B" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQyk9k6nc6AWN6STbqxjUvPdUIkaINaNrbaUr1fowcuU9kWccGzhBsiw98Xf8H8wl-udWnPGV-9t_ClIu2wB5woT1x2sNCXHAH7jZXHebKcIYTPNcUrbPoPh4NAlsUprslgVtuQTpEllWVuyJUW7j8rFTVYop4QCLnqhkqPQ14Q20XswTcB6t3Rq4_SB3B" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-65045531778133105912023-04-30T15:12:00.041+08:002023-04-30T16:13:13.812+08:00Life after London.... Long Pasia: 21st-24th Oct 2022<p>Bismillah...</p><p>I remember I have written somewhere in this blog that I will only write positive things. So, I will start writing about what I have been up to since my return last October. I will try my best not to vent my eternal frustration with my new role at work haha Here goes!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7_JJYpyYUY3ftMAXbXFTspX4gX9j2Sskel8Qt9TkZQADeo6a8vhLQEIXdl5GJ3xwRgQjx-JbpDvzcVlMdQhI4ITPzF7uUKJp1lvkAtTF55q93wBanMGxrv9zm-FFCSbnCJjJ7ZGv0fzuNpY1jZQ6EkKlOkkqylQ7d0VSYn7smuau_aDEnJ3xjS2uEYw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7_JJYpyYUY3ftMAXbXFTspX4gX9j2Sskel8Qt9TkZQADeo6a8vhLQEIXdl5GJ3xwRgQjx-JbpDvzcVlMdQhI4ITPzF7uUKJp1lvkAtTF55q93wBanMGxrv9zm-FFCSbnCJjJ7ZGv0fzuNpY1jZQ6EkKlOkkqylQ7d0VSYn7smuau_aDEnJ3xjS2uEYw" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>One of the things that I miss the most while in the UK was going for outdoor adventure in rugged places. Therefore, I just can't resist joining this one although I had to report for duty at the east coast on the 26th October.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgruH324Q11GK8yHEGH0iKs_LaEgoF2Z1cIk45jK6K159lEe0HbXZnvnw2Q8p_661ZRkf-1LEeWIHZ-y0iHjWiwccydxSxjgejnHsCsrTZH1_Y1P8o1YeRcLOLzDogG1ZMLf142ygt-7oyxmSkI1mSiJvAgIvJ-7Ldkfx6IWiVLUhLSsJN7zEmfLxVt3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgruH324Q11GK8yHEGH0iKs_LaEgoF2Z1cIk45jK6K159lEe0HbXZnvnw2Q8p_661ZRkf-1LEeWIHZ-y0iHjWiwccydxSxjgejnHsCsrTZH1_Y1P8o1YeRcLOLzDogG1ZMLf142ygt-7oyxmSkI1mSiJvAgIvJ-7Ldkfx6IWiVLUhLSsJN7zEmfLxVt3A" width="400" />
</a>
</div><p></p><p>Long Pasia is a small village in the rural area in south of Sabah. It can only be accessed via an untarred oil palm plantation road, making it not easily accessible. It rained the day before we arrived. Most parts of the road has dried, but there were still parts with puddles in addition to the bumps and potholes. I found it funny that you have to continuously turn the steering wheel left and right while driving to make sure the car moves in a straight line. If you don't, the car will swerve to the side of the road. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbnHb9ctNDo6ieI6dvsszgBaSjbZQ_C_wkvr2TXkIti_wF6MkDqHdZujBjXhydyFJH-4yKAlw30ZCwPWYPn3qrJUoQ64vHcxZ2W0KI6yUGPEXaUzZYbIp3pW6ZoThh9gtUuVtMnGFZbtfribgo9Fz8Am4pe4hUIUzxAWsRv6QOP9qA3FzYmXfo6d_i-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbnHb9ctNDo6ieI6dvsszgBaSjbZQ_C_wkvr2TXkIti_wF6MkDqHdZujBjXhydyFJH-4yKAlw30ZCwPWYPn3qrJUoQ64vHcxZ2W0KI6yUGPEXaUzZYbIp3pW6ZoThh9gtUuVtMnGFZbtfribgo9Fz8Am4pe4hUIUzxAWsRv6QOP9qA3FzYmXfo6d_i-Q" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>It took us more than 5 hours to reach Long Pasia from Sipitang. One of the tire blew out midway and I was amazed that the uncle only took 15 minutes to change the huge tire! I had a torn tire about a month ago because I hit a sharp kerb, and it took me half a day to settle the issue! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1g_l2_rfmptIGfyoobMLO_uxxBNn_7YDKmk4Y6YiYQsCMjtwILkXSRYofjMXqqMdEICW0gjJH0ywSl7IBzP-9IT_9iup5yYrIS3PinyiQrUltoXpDhZanRMsGtHgsHprWUBt7owy672hlTi1nyuvLZ_k2Tp1daty8Gjl6KV7JABsr-qLzAUP9bR-XaQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1g_l2_rfmptIGfyoobMLO_uxxBNn_7YDKmk4Y6YiYQsCMjtwILkXSRYofjMXqqMdEICW0gjJH0ywSl7IBzP-9IT_9iup5yYrIS3PinyiQrUltoXpDhZanRMsGtHgsHprWUBt7owy672hlTi1nyuvLZ_k2Tp1daty8Gjl6KV7JABsr-qLzAUP9bR-XaQ" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>We arrived when the sun was setting. That night we stayed in a beautiful wooden homestay strategically set on a hill, giving us a bird's eye view of the village. We were introduced to our guide, Lait, and the porters, had a short briefing and then packed our stuffs for the hike. We went to bed early for an early start the next morning.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn_1N_jui41nuVZiNWGZK3_1wCSDXJJqLPiYB2cw5y-rsMUzFl02wbUKEZW8utoWoZVR9asS0qDjuZorA5Ozw-jrsSpXlJkd75lVMS4keID2UqrAXdfx00eFENeCaDq9Ro1JMT0HsdJBrxGgV8tKvH7CqLuOeNjaMDKwynoOO5gvNduhQce1MQucmc9A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn_1N_jui41nuVZiNWGZK3_1wCSDXJJqLPiYB2cw5y-rsMUzFl02wbUKEZW8utoWoZVR9asS0qDjuZorA5Ozw-jrsSpXlJkd75lVMS4keID2UqrAXdfx00eFENeCaDq9Ro1JMT0HsdJBrxGgV8tKvH7CqLuOeNjaMDKwynoOO5gvNduhQce1MQucmc9A" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>On the first day, we hiked about 11km to the Maga Fall. It's not tall but still a huge, powerful waterfall with tea-coloured water. I found it unique, because the bank lining the stream is a large area of sloping rock surface. We rest there for a while, soaking in all of nature's beauty that was surrounding us. We had our lunch further upstream, where there was a fire place for boiling water.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKXV9KWpbtAgHn3ocx4x_IT2fq49UVaf04NgPYc4lmg1PrMxiRHMrfXwe3Rb9E-XQcFfcbmwFZZEUQLFd5hhUNS32RKzJvLydjJ-wA4r3aPACH-t25IpBBcA9Wls__Dcmd12pFEDmaQph7RTJwl_1C-TAT0QjFD22-bQDXLcPHZRtmYtFZmartXdCx9w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKXV9KWpbtAgHn3ocx4x_IT2fq49UVaf04NgPYc4lmg1PrMxiRHMrfXwe3Rb9E-XQcFfcbmwFZZEUQLFd5hhUNS32RKzJvLydjJ-wA4r3aPACH-t25IpBBcA9Wls__Dcmd12pFEDmaQph7RTJwl_1C-TAT0QjFD22-bQDXLcPHZRtmYtFZmartXdCx9w" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>Again, that day we reached the campsite near sunset. There were two wooden sheds and our group was given the bigger one of the two. There was a small river running just below the cliff where the campsite was set. It was our source of clean water and our bathing spot. It was such a perfect place for a refreshing bath after the long hike. At that time I was still adjusting to the humidity. Since I hadn't sweat so much for a year, I was feeling rather uncomfortable.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfRClPg21_C5mr65Id8em0XXaBhWwJtXDQVejHVKvGDPFp4_YO32Ms30cpJZqlu77Nw6z_nsCbU5EHcqG12t25ACnVF3R5Yt8d3zrN13zQKL7fy6bL6TghevxI_GKlC-cGbF4LspZp2IxJaoP4ieE15K7by2Vj3rMnNWIX8VMdDBGWcqE98-dc9GinxQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfRClPg21_C5mr65Id8em0XXaBhWwJtXDQVejHVKvGDPFp4_YO32Ms30cpJZqlu77Nw6z_nsCbU5EHcqG12t25ACnVF3R5Yt8d3zrN13zQKL7fy6bL6TghevxI_GKlC-cGbF4LspZp2IxJaoP4ieE15K7by2Vj3rMnNWIX8VMdDBGWcqE98-dc9GinxQ" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>On the second day, we hiked about 13km towards the Mount Sinupung base camp. On the way, we had a stunning panoramic view of the Rekong waterfall from the top of a hill. On this leg of the trip, we were already a few hundred meters above sea level. So, the forest landscape was different from the one we encountered on day one. The plants were smaller and there were mossy areas too. We also encountered some plants that are believed to be exclusive to the area.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC6xU-mmMM31g55dhj9ZmvUyG1quwKDs38w0ufzye9pbML9_B7H2_DkYLS46lB6yqjiBfk-YWCyJQgYih9v9Y2MsuYfGpOzl3j73CAkpZxhU0zYPjmNfKlCI7ueX3jxbTpQRtZRcEVA6kndhXcnq4-naxL_-R-cid3fsnvCF0GAuju4GR7v4LhBdB0qA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC6xU-mmMM31g55dhj9ZmvUyG1quwKDs38w0ufzye9pbML9_B7H2_DkYLS46lB6yqjiBfk-YWCyJQgYih9v9Y2MsuYfGpOzl3j73CAkpZxhU0zYPjmNfKlCI7ueX3jxbTpQRtZRcEVA6kndhXcnq4-naxL_-R-cid3fsnvCF0GAuju4GR7v4LhBdB0qA" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>Mount Sinupung base camp has only one wooden shed without walls and we were sharing it with another smaller group of 5 people. Since we only had one day left, we decided to indulge ourselves in a feast that night. We finished off all the food that we have brought with us except for those that were set aside for breakfast and lunch on the last day.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI6cmZ3p22id-WUsNe6hlWK7PvzHPi4EXPLc65tIx07YZ3EPmUG0ANwbcS7L3VCAaMNL4zUU2C_e9oz97wCN4W4UmWfb3P0JuSnnQDndCE0m7omY367OMXgmZmD0Wuw4-qgozi1xZ_GUjR2YQNgcjjBinSuznifMj5Rc-v0lNRzPV2YDXimh08SInWiA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI6cmZ3p22id-WUsNe6hlWK7PvzHPi4EXPLc65tIx07YZ3EPmUG0ANwbcS7L3VCAaMNL4zUU2C_e9oz97wCN4W4UmWfb3P0JuSnnQDndCE0m7omY367OMXgmZmD0Wuw4-qgozi1xZ_GUjR2YQNgcjjBinSuznifMj5Rc-v0lNRzPV2YDXimh08SInWiA" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>On the last day, we started our hike around 5.30 am to catch the sunrise on top of Mount Sinupung peak. We arrived just in time when the sun just began to rise above the horizon, casting its warm glow over the blanket of clouds. It was so breathtaking that I felt like nature was welcoming me home and infusing in me the fortitude and strength as I was about to embark on a new journey (unwillingly lol). Some of us continued to hike to Sinupung lake which was another 30 minutes hike from the peak. The extra hike, to me, was worth it as the lake itself was a stunning sight. The stillness of the lake water created a pristine mirror-like reflection of the surrounding scenery.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS-4q_LUgiEQtLBY-7avOxyYkKjUjm57Y2JFIiOJQbhNT97ffr4H32FpW01kzAJDi41VOIBGcuCHEeeNgSXDZTvjko22G-Gkyi8hwGlYdgk6Nb2nIOHOI8StSbP9rTE7iw7T8KyzAhuKM38V23P1dby7JSAoP7_ytiXj0mL7LJIRNJK98qU0h2LeHDHA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS-4q_LUgiEQtLBY-7avOxyYkKjUjm57Y2JFIiOJQbhNT97ffr4H32FpW01kzAJDi41VOIBGcuCHEeeNgSXDZTvjko22G-Gkyi8hwGlYdgk6Nb2nIOHOI8StSbP9rTE7iw7T8KyzAhuKM38V23P1dby7JSAoP7_ytiXj0mL7LJIRNJK98qU0h2LeHDHA" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><div>Long Pasia is truly a hidden gem that no outdoor enthusiast should miss. Our trip was a perfect combination of natural splendour and exhilarating adventure. Oh ya! Before wrapping up this post I must mention that Long Pasia is not only a beautiful destination, it is also the birth place of many of Sabah's greatest football players. Lait, our guide, himself is a very gifted artist in his own right.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigIMq-0tX2tmE0z93oPDx0fPucOUpr12uwFojetNuOptBtUScfwGjNO6ExdTIMhiQFBm1L8UIgebyCY8gIf5_NtAFgNCurBUbERKsI4qDvWIKbTSsZxqL_Br4wtzPK2E0WB_lnqOEIxW20a53WFyGRiNLLPz3uEropT7DIfy9Y2_gpE08Dy3AoGtT3MQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigIMq-0tX2tmE0z93oPDx0fPucOUpr12uwFojetNuOptBtUScfwGjNO6ExdTIMhiQFBm1L8UIgebyCY8gIf5_NtAFgNCurBUbERKsI4qDvWIKbTSsZxqL_Br4wtzPK2E0WB_lnqOEIxW20a53WFyGRiNLLPz3uEropT7DIfy9Y2_gpE08Dy3AoGtT3MQ" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-32954978246210523412023-01-23T21:43:00.002+08:002023-01-23T21:43:54.406+08:00First post 2023....<p>Bismillah...</p><p style="text-align: left;">I just realized I only posted 2 posts last year! The worst record ever! I guess there were already too many writings to be done throughout the MSc program that I subconsciously decided to take a break from blog writing for a while hahaha</p><p style="text-align: left;">Anyway things haven't been going as planned upon my return. I was sent to a far flung place (by my definition) and currently live in a wooden house infested by a tenacious colony of ants and flying cockroaches. Why I described them so? Because I literally have been doing mass murder in daily basis, and still I don't seem to get anywhere near in putting a stop to their activity. Not just that, I am also sharing the room with a family of house lizards!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Of course, I did protested over the absurd placement. The first time I ended up being lectured on belief in Qada and Qadr (The divine decree). I was accused of not believing in what God has planned for me followed by an almost an hour long story of how life was harder back in the 80s and 90s for pharmacists. I refrained from retorting although I have lots of brilliant points in my head already hahaha And after 3 months, I launched my 2nd 'attack'. Having failed my first attempt, I wasn't expecting for things to be undone. I just wanted to get my points across. The people who sent me away believed I would bring about change, but in fact I am negatively impacted by deeply ingrained norms and overwhelmed by the resistance from people. I can't feel the sense of belonging when my values are not aligned with the place and its people. </p><p style="text-align: left;">What happened after the 2nd 'attack'? Several pointless conversations over the phone and more irrational excuses given to justify the already proven wrong decision. I am extremely tired dealing with these people. After the things that I had to go through to make it to the UK, and now THIS, I'm desperate to get out of this system that no longer serves me. I have made it clear to them that this is a very powerful catalyst for me to take the next big step in my career.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I can feel that I have returned home as a changed person. My time in the UK has opened my eyes to the vast opportunities that I never knew existed. It has also taught me that people who have pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones and taken on a bigger adventure have survived and thrived. It made me questioned myself, even before my return, why am I not brave enough to take that step? What is holding me back? </p><p style="text-align: left;">Even when I have decided to shift my focus to the next big plan, I can feel this huge resistance within me. The self-sabotaging feeling of not being worthy of something perceived as too prestigious. I have been seeking words of encouragements, been listening to self-help podcasts and finally this weekend I feel I needed to get myself into an unfamiliar, enriching environment to clear my mind so I can see clearly the path that I have chosen to take. I took my time to read my writings when I was dealing with scholarship and university applications. Recollecting how I overcame the frustrations and marched forward. I know I can do this again!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Although I have totally given up on this system, that doesn't mean that I don't recommend pursuing masters as pharmacist in Malaysia. I grew a lot in one year and I want others to experience that too. Despite things not going as I had hoped, I built networks and connections that continue to inspire me. There might be a lack of clarity on what to do with graduates within the system now. It may change for the younger generation. But I won't be sticking around to wait for that change because I know it won't be soon....</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-61802649127979736082022-07-01T04:16:00.001+08:002022-07-01T04:16:45.379+08:00London: 3 months left!<p> Bismillah...</p><p>Oh my God! How time flies! It's almost time to go back already and yes, I already have my one-way ticket back to Malaysia. Looking at how seldom I posted on this blog during my postgrad program reflects just how occupied I really am. Although my socmed doesn't seem to suggest so hahaha. So lets talk about my learning experience here...</p><p><b>The course...</b></p><p>My course is an intense one, I would say. In term 1 and 2, I had classes on Monday to Wednesday, from 1000 to 1700. And on Thursday to Friday was the hospital placement from 0900 to 1700. The good side of being in a course with a full schedule like this is that the nature of assessments are somewhat tolerable. Some of my friends who had lesser classes had more assignments and their final assessment was one essay that carries 80-100% of the course's total mark! This one essay is either a final submission at the end of term or to be submitted within 24 hours (Which I think is insane!). For my course, the marks are distributed between essays, exams, presentations and interviews. So, if you don't do well in one, you can try to do better in the others to make up the marks. </p><p>One thing that surprised not only me but also my other Malaysian friends who are not familiar with UK grading system is how difficult it is to pass the 70% mark! When I saw 70-79% as distinction in the course's grade descriptor when I started this course, I thought "That's not too difficult to achieve..". I was wrong! Apparently, 80% is rare, and to achieve >70%, your work has to be near perfect! LOL I literally just got a feedback on one of my report in which I made some careless mistakes that had cost me some marks. From my rough calculation, I might get an overall total of 69.5. How close is that!? hahaha </p><p><b>The placement...</b></p><p>My favourite part is of course the hospital attachment (Yes, partly because of my very charming supervisor *bat eyelashes*). I love how our rotation was set up where we were placed in different specialties for 4-6 weeks rather than going to different units every week. This enabled us to learn in depth as we only spend 2 days per week at the hospital; so we had at least 8 days per specialty. My rotation was at Nueurology, Liver, Renal, Cardio and HIV. There were some disruptions while I was in Liver and Cardio, though. When I was in Liver, UK was severely hit by Omicron so we were not allowed to enter wards and see patients for 2-3 weeks. In Cardio, the team was constantly short of staff that we didn't get to learn much. We were then sent to Pediatric instead which I personally love although it was overwhelming to watch the preterm babies fighting for survival inside their incubator.</p><p>The HIV rotation was initially not in the schedule but then we had 5 extra weeks in term 3 before we start with our project. So, we requested for the specialties that we are interested in. Lucky me, W managed to arrange HIV for us! I was the happiest during that 5 weeks. I felt like I was 'home'! They have more treatments here that I had to have the list of the brand names with me all the time because I can't remember all of them. I really love how the team engage with patients in the community. They have all sorts of supports here like providing homes, protection for victims of abuse and they even have a team that follow up patients at home. Although I'm not at all ecstatic to return to work (although I'm dying to get my salary back), I do miss managing HIV very much! I was just casually talking to the team lead and she said what made her stay for decades in the specialty was because of the patients. That totally resonates with me...</p><p>Oh ya we had a physical examination class with W for an hour. I enjoyed the cardiovascular examination using the Student Auscultation Manikin or SAM. I think that's a very effective teaching method because you perform the examination on SAM and you could choose what kind of heart sound you want to hear. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKtLE6-hvYtu-OY4YQezrbFwJ0fUfz_8mHD5G6IPng0H86Cw9vLO_R16--S6pcjib5HWvOycO8va2xUhWSiXucOGSmI5B5Exp5xyTV80xEGk25EySOGyAym4A7iDONcB1rWmjSd0ROngYGLHCjPHObj_8GzBik9cYUI0qw7Nzlo7xyof2KolUS8t6MA/s2048/IMG-20220311-WA0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="test" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKtLE6-hvYtu-OY4YQezrbFwJ0fUfz_8mHD5G6IPng0H86Cw9vLO_R16--S6pcjib5HWvOycO8va2xUhWSiXucOGSmI5B5Exp5xyTV80xEGk25EySOGyAym4A7iDONcB1rWmjSd0ROngYGLHCjPHObj_8GzBik9cYUI0qw7Nzlo7xyof2KolUS8t6MA/w400-h300/IMG-20220311-WA0035.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Si baju biru yang boleh dipuja tapi tak dapat dimiliki...😌</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>The conference...</b></p><p>I had the opportunity to join the 2 day Clinical Pharmacy Conference in ExCel London. Their pharmacy conference, I say, is at a different level than what we have back home. I can't help but compare! There were so many booths and the program consist of various fields in Pharmacy. Pharmacists have more options here and their skills have expanded to not only as drug experts, but they also polished other transferable skills which make them a more universal workforce that could switch from one field to another. I went back feeling like I learned a lot! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiamopYCs8-RgzPwszOJqZ9F-ZGqV-hKEYKoLjRPyCL-JYbgpMes5JpSKjBr7CS0gJbzPphP36z6-lxb3TMETrBEpeb99g8e8CsInF1nxCnJcpie7MRx1UrruQe1OCSQO3sQEnysWkFs5riUhvMh4N6FZ8E67bWI31ZVa_28EuST8Ck29xbWTVjxQnw/s2048/IMG-20220513-WA0058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiamopYCs8-RgzPwszOJqZ9F-ZGqV-hKEYKoLjRPyCL-JYbgpMes5JpSKjBr7CS0gJbzPphP36z6-lxb3TMETrBEpeb99g8e8CsInF1nxCnJcpie7MRx1UrruQe1OCSQO3sQEnysWkFs5riUhvMh4N6FZ8E67bWI31ZVa_28EuST8Ck29xbWTVjxQnw/w400-h300/IMG-20220513-WA0058.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The pretty girls who have made my MSc journey a wonderful one</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4wZ6FvX5x46DClKnZEx5c9RDREhNO0pnpNLEkN48j-5KnXkw92RfSZIb_ObzAVAMAV5trnsvFlwKC72EHXrvxRNhV818sTy-ryFf2y_DolJjylTji5gNBbULHDd_xFoC3kzxMksP3Zc1UjkFg0zzS23DebsGOD_7W5piOXCfVMOqCyQzz-2gPDMxRA/s2048/IMG-20220514-WA0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4wZ6FvX5x46DClKnZEx5c9RDREhNO0pnpNLEkN48j-5KnXkw92RfSZIb_ObzAVAMAV5trnsvFlwKC72EHXrvxRNhV818sTy-ryFf2y_DolJjylTji5gNBbULHDd_xFoC3kzxMksP3Zc1UjkFg0zzS23DebsGOD_7W5piOXCfVMOqCyQzz-2gPDMxRA/w300-h400/IMG-20220514-WA0031.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 2</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Has staying in the UK made me want to move and work here? Hurm I always know that I'm not the type who could live away from my family this far. I refused to go to Russia for my undergrad study because I can't imagine not being there to watch my niece and nephew grow and I don't want to not being able to be with my family if anything happens. And I think I did mentioned before that it took me a long time to decide to do my MSc abroad because I 'm just too attached to my family. Whenever I'm asked this question, my answer has always been the same, "The only reason that will make me migrate and work in another country is if I have to follow my husband..." Hahaha </p><p>And I do feel I appreciate my religion and culture even more since I left home.... </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-66850849101387552752022-01-10T01:29:00.002+08:002022-01-10T03:23:47.334+08:002021 Italy: Ciao!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bismillah...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I literally just accidentally deleted a post that I was working on since this afternoon when I added pictures into it with the blogger app on my phone... And this is a rewritten version. I felt like crying because it was a lengthy one~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm currently self isolating and have been struggling to make my days stuck indoor productive. So, that was why I started writing about my trip to Italy while it is still fresh. And I really do need to write more often to maintain my writing skills.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I always have my eyes on Italy. Considering it being a huge country with so many things that I wanted to see, I was in constant dilemma on how much time should I spend there, where should I start, what can I forgo etc. I always end up going to another European country instead because of my indecisiveness. But now it is made possible because I'm a student in the UK which essentially means Italy is closer to my current home and I have the privilege of a long term break!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, travelling during a pandemic is extremely challenging. With the new variant ravaging the world again and all eyes are on the UK due to the surge in its Covid 19 cases, there were a lot of uncertainties before our trip. My friends had to cancel their trip to France because non-essential travels from the UK were banned. And there were even positive cases in the hall where I'm staying. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fare for the return ticket cost me<span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">£</span>145. I think, I could have gotten a cheaper price if I bought it earlier. But the fare was also slightly higher than usual because it was the Christmas holiday. The additional budget during this pandemic actually goes to the Covid 19 test that I have to take before and after the trip. Luckily, Italy accepts antigen test but what makes it difficult was it must be done within 24 hours before entering Italy. Since it was Christmas, most of the test centres have shorter operating hours so we decided to do the test on our day of departure. The antigen test cost</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">£35 and the result was emailed to us after 2 hours.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">For our return, we had to take an antigen test within 48 hours before entering the UK. It was quite difficult to find a pharmacy that offers the test at first. Luckily, we found one which was about 50m away from our lodging in<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Rome and it cost</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">€22</span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">. And upon arriving in UK, we need to repeat a PCR test and I opted to do with <a href="https://www.expresstest.co.uk/">ExpressTest</a>. Although it cost me </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">£65, I already have the confidence on this company since I previously did my PCR here when I first arrived in London. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5wsgLO2oXhKMKjPXzM6jEvv7Yn8XEhlpdYTAVXHcWorm6QokWcPpNtxqI-Ts9QcV6L4F6VTcNPI75OYPuSxsYXSAurUWJd7Mxz_YadQ3zDzrdubEzn0caZsm-h3HoMoUmLSPVFbQcqUy/s1600/1641676942968582-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5wsgLO2oXhKMKjPXzM6jEvv7Yn8XEhlpdYTAVXHcWorm6QokWcPpNtxqI-Ts9QcV6L4F6VTcNPI75OYPuSxsYXSAurUWJd7Mxz_YadQ3zDzrdubEzn0caZsm-h3HoMoUmLSPVFbQcqUy/s1600/1641676942968582-0.png" width="400" />
</a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, lets move on to the trip. It went like this</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">London - Milan - Aosta Valley - Venice - La Spezia - Rome - Naples - Rome - London</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Italy is just like most European countries in which all the regions are well connected by railway. I used the <a href="https://www.trenitalia.com/">Trenitalia</a> website to plan the journey and book the tickets. I think the price was quite reasonable where the whole trip cost me about <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">£197 and this includes the high speed train.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMn8DUJY88fhg7Egp85rIGhBPNB9o-ue5yCFW9m_0dYpNW700UrwOjQPOsJy88PmxP1dIC-DlGpn7ECDWPG_sH4rkP7hoTK42b1DaWYbSCDZg3dH34Z0v149eburG_FwC77XKs0VxjlTc/s1600/1641676934959904-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMn8DUJY88fhg7Egp85rIGhBPNB9o-ue5yCFW9m_0dYpNW700UrwOjQPOsJy88PmxP1dIC-DlGpn7ECDWPG_sH4rkP7hoTK42b1DaWYbSCDZg3dH34Z0v149eburG_FwC77XKs0VxjlTc/s1600/1641676934959904-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Milan, to me, is a place that I can do without in my next trip to Italy. It has numerous shopping areas which is not my cup of tea. But there are beautiful places just a few hours away from Milan such as Lake Como and the mountainous area near the Swiss border. I might only come back to Milan to enter Italy if the ticket is cheapest when arriving there hahaha </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD9HNh1E6rEyTpVgXpYVb7iYmDQZEm4q_MWFiWVu7m3EnotJP5xHWrS9wO9wZC0iMFHMSJclTZNCUneCbBlOmQ5ephhPM4gbw7tSZmAsz2kev-u3RP7sX3-03lGTC3D71SOdF6Xld3wfX/s1600/1641676928587668-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpD9HNh1E6rEyTpVgXpYVb7iYmDQZEm4q_MWFiWVu7m3EnotJP5xHWrS9wO9wZC0iMFHMSJclTZNCUneCbBlOmQ5ephhPM4gbw7tSZmAsz2kev-u3RP7sX3-03lGTC3D71SOdF6Xld3wfX/s1600/1641676928587668-2.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The train journey to Aosta Valley from Milan was just over 2 hours and it was not without drama. It was the first day when the Italian government made it mandatory to wear KN95 mask in public spaces and transportation. So, everyone who was not complying to this were denied entry into the platform. We only realized this 15 minutes before the departure so we had to run down to the pharmacy to get the mask. And apparently the pharmacy staffs were unaware on the urgency of the people queueing outside. The service was so slow. I only got hold of the masks 8 minutes before our departure and that was thanks to the Moroccan lady in front of me who let me cut the queue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had one exchange in Chivasso. The train from Chivasso to Aosta was surprisingly small, it only had 3 coaches. This part of the journey was where I met a lovely Indonesian lady who was on her way to a skiing trip with her Italian husband and two kids. She started the conversation after hearing me sending a voice note to a Whatsapp group (And I'm sure my tone was rather gossipy although I was actually telling them about the mask drama). Even in such a short meeting, I find her being an inspiring figure. She shared how it is like to live far away from home, adapting to an entirely different culture and how it opened her eyes to different opportunities and understanding about the world. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0WO-GOsThS8GT-jnSLVhXC9lBWDC0lX0tYLlk44paRt-TvuWDSB0o6Ij1SrJ2LUs5f0-od_Qic-gTBmZ8JC67_0PukJ1gf62eUSAI60HzZ-_Odk27OiMt4FKkdmeDoUp881XxUhxSD8L/s1600/1641676922424016-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0WO-GOsThS8GT-jnSLVhXC9lBWDC0lX0tYLlk44paRt-TvuWDSB0o6Ij1SrJ2LUs5f0-od_Qic-gTBmZ8JC67_0PukJ1gf62eUSAI60HzZ-_Odk27OiMt4FKkdmeDoUp881XxUhxSD8L/s1600/1641676922424016-3.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></div><div>Our main destination was the Skyline Monte Bianco in Courmayeur. However, we were not that fortuitous while we were in the area because it rained for two days and only stopped the morning when we were about to leave Aost<span style="font-family: inherit;">a Valley. We decided to call off our ascend to Punta Helbronner because the visibility was really bad so it was not worth spending</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">€55 that day. I still have the tickets because they are valid until November 2022</span>. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Since there were not much to be done in that weather, we went to feed ourselves with good food instead. And we were highly satisfied with this Asian restaurant called Origami and went there twice! The sushi was so good and the price was relatively more reasonable than the sushi in London</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuKHkWPhtW-FtJtSVQm_ZAN1ERrUILMH1h8gN4wFEJrIc3tDWaOkAPsV8lCbUSYn9BxJUezfjfDzB8hyphenhyphen90gKwRu1c0bUVeCCD7mPgdKL53gQLO7s-dZ-tLhPa4k4GKNzLE1F4aBNDKI5w/s1600/1641676915445784-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuKHkWPhtW-FtJtSVQm_ZAN1ERrUILMH1h8gN4wFEJrIc3tDWaOkAPsV8lCbUSYn9BxJUezfjfDzB8hyphenhyphen90gKwRu1c0bUVeCCD7mPgdKL53gQLO7s-dZ-tLhPa4k4GKNzLE1F4aBNDKI5w/s1600/1641676915445784-4.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then left for Venice. On the train, I spent my time watching some documentaries on the Roman empire and Venice on YouTube. I remember very well about Venice being one of the major seaport in the world in the past but I could not recall Venice being one of the most influential naval powerhouse and I'm sure I have never heard of the republic's role in the Crusades. So, when I was there I was more intrigued to discover this side of Venice.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_08QJup7ACXKj6o-oc_5hncLoOxiFGdDSpLqlJMqdhGSsR0f2suVBU_pLUFpZix-FGMTOX6HpmPpvYUsABHhjMVR-pPIr-sl_hPLdoO9-KQvRoRw-4P_50x22KBr5-8_U65NaEHVrlXD/s1600/1641676900526952-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_08QJup7ACXKj6o-oc_5hncLoOxiFGdDSpLqlJMqdhGSsR0f2suVBU_pLUFpZix-FGMTOX6HpmPpvYUsABHhjMVR-pPIr-sl_hPLdoO9-KQvRoRw-4P_50x22KBr5-8_U65NaEHVrlXD/s1600/1641676900526952-5.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Venice could be explored by foot but the water bus is also a very convenient option. We bought the 1 day pass for <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">€20 </span>and this allows you to travel on the water bus for 24 hours, starting from the time you first tap the card at the gate.</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hZC6NSBzYUVD_xB6C_gqs0ew1JYWwQmIabGbibirWM7yC7QlQoYEhs2onyh89gN0DbOUAJOHKZ70EPtVpY0BTDhPm4qbCGTU_HF1FS0W5LUDj_VRJufgqAqHJAS2D7inVSDLAuBHuBmo/s1600/1641676894812482-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hZC6NSBzYUVD_xB6C_gqs0ew1JYWwQmIabGbibirWM7yC7QlQoYEhs2onyh89gN0DbOUAJOHKZ70EPtVpY0BTDhPm4qbCGTU_HF1FS0W5LUDj_VRJufgqAqHJAS2D7inVSDLAuBHuBmo/s1600/1641676894812482-6.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I read a lot about Venice being overrated and you can find so many vlogs on YouTube saying you could just skip Venice. I beg to differ. To me, Venice is a classic beauty that you won't get anywhere. Everywhere you turn was like paintings brought to life. Traces of the Venetian republic are well maintained and the buildings are well preserved. My ideal kind of city, the kind which is unspoiled by modernity. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was pretty excited to try the gondola. However, it's too pricey and the frigid weather was not the best time to enjoy a gondola ride. The temperature dropped to as low as 2C and on our second day there, it was already too cold by noon and Venice was covered in thick fog. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMPCBLW-9781PXhGRj1OCZcmAYo03nV3cQtvYA3w3FytW9rZCP7-BvIsV7fEUX4XtnrlDbB8iOfOwxWQzk0K70Dp1pMyOdWtZM4nRRZ-gzUCPwa5GsbOj8PiRuTqHV0VsaJxRjpvRxsQC/s1600/1641676887107444-7.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMPCBLW-9781PXhGRj1OCZcmAYo03nV3cQtvYA3w3FytW9rZCP7-BvIsV7fEUX4XtnrlDbB8iOfOwxWQzk0K70Dp1pMyOdWtZM4nRRZ-gzUCPwa5GsbOj8PiRuTqHV0VsaJxRjpvRxsQC/s1600/1641676887107444-7.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We tried two restaurants in Venice, Osteria Da Poggi and Orient Experience, the former being my favourite. The food was really good but the plus point goes to the waiter who was very affable in nature and cared enough to not recommend anything with alcohol inside. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz15Ju_Z8ZdmsiGAJT8h39F76jWA6QeIpT5yMp1mPHbNl49e4ByVJ77fLLRCEGYpseogijKfUGL6idlHgHSw0yH7MBC1UTNmOLZrweMUWyfw8PzqTNfkG-FxArl645X9BvOEWCkAtYyuW/s1600/1641677594458082-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz15Ju_Z8ZdmsiGAJT8h39F76jWA6QeIpT5yMp1mPHbNl49e4ByVJ77fLLRCEGYpseogijKfUGL6idlHgHSw0yH7MBC1UTNmOLZrweMUWyfw8PzqTNfkG-FxArl645X9BvOEWCkAtYyuW/s1600/1641677594458082-1.png" width="400" />
</a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From Venice we head west towards La Spezia. The only reason we were there was because the accommodation in Cinque Terre is expensive and it is actually easy to get to Cinque Terre by train from La Spezia. We were warmly greeted by our airbnb host, Diego. To my surprise, his house was very antique. Just like the ones you see in old English movies. But it was complete with everything that a traveler needs. There was even a space where Diego pasted all the important information on trips to Cinque Terre on the wall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I couldn't find much information about halal food in La Spezia via google so I thought it might be challenging for us to find food in this area. But in reality, the area that we were staying has a Muslim community. We discovered this restaurant, Chicken N Chicken, that not only sells fast food but also Indian food. Most importantly, that night we found white rice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The funny thing was when I ordered chicken wings and white rice, the Bangladeshi cashier asked me, "How are you going to eat the white rice?" And I excitedly went, "Oh! With the chicken wings!" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZJfn1u9wbRgZa11QHpwf_SnlpaKgENXmCBQVWDNs9djN6JwrB_dLEojZbDSEw2oSbxFBr2-fV0KsoCamWZpjbJV3WVT0psbXZEr8e6RL7reO8MIMQF-kYM3OgGU-iZo2ooOxITB9JjvC/s1600/1641676879739824-8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZJfn1u9wbRgZa11QHpwf_SnlpaKgENXmCBQVWDNs9djN6JwrB_dLEojZbDSEw2oSbxFBr2-fV0KsoCamWZpjbJV3WVT0psbXZEr8e6RL7reO8MIMQF-kYM3OgGU-iZo2ooOxITB9JjvC/s1600/1641676879739824-8.png" width="400" />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In Cinque Terre, we bought the 1 Day Cinque Terre card for <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">€14.80. One day is not enough to explore all 5 villages. We only get to stop at 4 villages; Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia and Vernazza. We decided to skip Monterosso because shops closed earlier during low season so there was not much left to do after the sun sets. </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It would've been prettier if it was sunny. But we were grateful enough that it was not raining. Cinque Terre is very pretty and tranquil which made it worth to visit. I enjoyed standing on the cliffs, watching the horizon, listening to the sounds of waves and feeling the sea breeze. Anyway, it has been 3 months since I last saw the sea!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLR00ePDeqhcf_7qa7rLuL1MgLe2cixcQRDUDmzcsrAzR6JQyJ-XLEYqri97qKJyK__K2Eh49rKB0d5s8bZaffvdVMED8XNYzoNMksAIkRda22XYUyGmo8mypRhoSj1rdxmtGOgfmFBKZ/s1600/1641677632312200-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLR00ePDeqhcf_7qa7rLuL1MgLe2cixcQRDUDmzcsrAzR6JQyJ-XLEYqri97qKJyK__K2Eh49rKB0d5s8bZaffvdVMED8XNYzoNMksAIkRda22XYUyGmo8mypRhoSj1rdxmtGOgfmFBKZ/s1600/1641677632312200-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I underestimated Rome, took the words of people who don't appreciate history and unwisely decided to spend only a day to explore the open-air museum historical city! We were staying at a dodgy looking neighbourhood but the good side of it was, it was very close to Roma Termini. On the day of our arrival, we decided to spend the evening roaming around central Rome and I instantaneously realized my mistake as the historical sites loomed from afar as I exited the metro station!</div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS37wF5cZDLoYQyts850xcJcDeK9kmNetPEwfTJgphja1uaZOnL6FL0AxiWe49vmtp-NJy0jdajN1pf5yWIZaR6cU8UIcEvFxPaZ4sbA_5HegBzRj0itg-Wzl_hMARSHskG8aRSb4_MOc/s1600/1641677587678728-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS37wF5cZDLoYQyts850xcJcDeK9kmNetPEwfTJgphja1uaZOnL6FL0AxiWe49vmtp-NJy0jdajN1pf5yWIZaR6cU8UIcEvFxPaZ4sbA_5HegBzRj0itg-Wzl_hMARSHskG8aRSb4_MOc/s1600/1641677587678728-2.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At least I made it into the Colosseum where the most grueling and bloody game in human history was once held. Looking at the immense size of all the ruins of Roman empire, it is really hard to believe that such formidable power could collapse many centuries before the fall of its counterpart in the east, the Byzantine. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zWtqj4axQdbtFqHsNbGkHo3cgIbUnu4adO4iaadMkjTLAujo4iuIjPPIMNd87wn36KIoOrzLFA0Avfk079f6EfSCVhfUHZmG4yh88QseG4LxJ5y4v6jI4XvUkdmQRM9QeiIVA9TP2qKR/s1600/1641677581324235-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zWtqj4axQdbtFqHsNbGkHo3cgIbUnu4adO4iaadMkjTLAujo4iuIjPPIMNd87wn36KIoOrzLFA0Avfk079f6EfSCVhfUHZmG4yh88QseG4LxJ5y4v6jI4XvUkdmQRM9QeiIVA9TP2qKR/s1600/1641677581324235-3.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One new thing that I learned from this visit was, the blood of slain gladiators were believed to have healing powers. One of the use was as an antiepileptic!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiFoUO4owhT384Bcw9dwinHE_KyELJY_nBcbE1wdvQQZG4Jdtepla5luG_yoWYtKiqjL4qGbhLGul9nnxq1dhyYRgHUknS5iSv9FGG7pGSIfagheshjHYsq1Xzs3YHLf1-USNP4d9gIPP/s1600/1641677574594482-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiFoUO4owhT384Bcw9dwinHE_KyELJY_nBcbE1wdvQQZG4Jdtepla5luG_yoWYtKiqjL4qGbhLGul9nnxq1dhyYRgHUknS5iSv9FGG7pGSIfagheshjHYsq1Xzs3YHLf1-USNP4d9gIPP/s1600/1641677574594482-4.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I learned that it was feasible for a daytrip to Naples from Rome, I just can't resist visiting Pompeii. Yet, I felt my visit was incomplete without visiting the museum and hiking up Mount Vesuvius. It took about 1.5 hours to Naples by high speed train from Rome. And then we had to change to a local train to go to Pompeii Scavi station. We almost got on the wrong train but the handsome Trenitalia staff gave us the direction after I explained that we are heading to Pompeii Scavi not Pompeii.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnhhVAt5QZh8m09stRH5_lcbHkOhUctyGT8Lk2YilQFxz2EHUS1kMKGeDIPJRJmPTDRSGHGSxQMzgCDtfS3EuBqsatEopiNfGRvj-EztzmnL5x9XqtQS3e1vw9pWxhPPd7lXCQPdkhfyS/s1600/1641677565922035-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnhhVAt5QZh8m09stRH5_lcbHkOhUctyGT8Lk2YilQFxz2EHUS1kMKGeDIPJRJmPTDRSGHGSxQMzgCDtfS3EuBqsatEopiNfGRvj-EztzmnL5x9XqtQS3e1vw9pWxhPPd7lXCQPdkhfyS/s1600/1641677565922035-5.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Again, Pompeii is a very big archeological site and it is easy to get lost inside. The surrounding view was magnificent! Pompeii is speculated to be in peace and prosperous when the calamity happened. I imagined, Pompeii must have been a very nice place to live in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh ya.. The statues are not real people. Back in the 17th century, the archeologists discovered that the bones of humans buried under the ashes didn't decompose and left voids that retained the original posture. So, they poured plaster into the voids to make the statues. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9SOmvph_P95SvUUsMOPJh2B2jHkShhZm21HDFU6JsE17uKlUBdZe152k8GtfkYwgDo5uJWjay4c6OQvq83V3tXzY4gP3f-gTKA4sqIQkmUB-AANvcVzNpJn4OG-oxF3XYM8q5-Yfsb9v/s1600/1641677553880037-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9SOmvph_P95SvUUsMOPJh2B2jHkShhZm21HDFU6JsE17uKlUBdZe152k8GtfkYwgDo5uJWjay4c6OQvq83V3tXzY4gP3f-gTKA4sqIQkmUB-AANvcVzNpJn4OG-oxF3XYM8q5-Yfsb9v/s1600/1641677553880037-6.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And of course, trying pizza at its birthplace is a must!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ax4oLL51rZ_9NewcP2RxfzXg64dNGWCSKDjakEDvruIwUuL9-rLdfEaBNElr7mk6b99C9aKJnE_Y_0E5MHarkLaBo8vUsUMHXW2OF1mTaNVEWU2-DfmSLiC9l-fdeUOPwgfLnDXwrrG6/s1600/1641677544453921-7.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ax4oLL51rZ_9NewcP2RxfzXg64dNGWCSKDjakEDvruIwUuL9-rLdfEaBNElr7mk6b99C9aKJnE_Y_0E5MHarkLaBo8vUsUMHXW2OF1mTaNVEWU2-DfmSLiC9l-fdeUOPwgfLnDXwrrG6/s1600/1641677544453921-7.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have too many reasons to go back to Italy especially with the two tickets worth <span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;">€55 each in my possession. If you love history, Italy is definitely your type of place. How I felt after I left Rome was the similar feeling that I had when I left Istanbul. If you don't know much about the ruins, they are just meaningless fragments of the past. But if you know the stories behind them, to finally stand in front of them will blow you away!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-40738979817817751002021-12-24T01:05:00.004+08:002021-12-24T01:09:27.137+08:00London: After almost 3 months here....<p>Bismillah...</p><p>Gosh! I haven't updated anything for the past 4 months!!! Truth is, 3 days after the last post, I received an email saying that my study leave was not approved and from then on I was fully occupied until the day of my departure to the UK. It was a period full of frustrations. To be honest, I have never thought of leaving the system. Serving and giving my all for the public is a passion. However, I'm starting to think that the system is not for someone who wants growth. It's a system that 'celebrates' mediocrity. As long as you keep to your routine, do as you are told and not challenge it, you are very secured. Well, I guess some people would say it's normal to go through the obstacles that I experienced. But it left me thinking about exiting the system every day. Especially when I've discovered that in this part of the world, career advancement is greatly supported. But the delay actually was a blessing in disguise. I managed to go back to see my Mom. If I were to go as planned which was on 19 September, I would've left without seeing my family in Labuan.</p><p><br></p><p>Okay.. Now lets move on to my life in London.. This city is undoubtedly very expensive! And I am very glad that I decided to bring a lot of my necessities from Malaysia and paid extra for the luggage. It is this particular move that I currently able to live more comfortably with my study allowance. I have a whole year stock of skincare. I brought all the basic kitchen utensils too. Although you have Poundland and other £1 Asian shops, they can't beat the price you get back home. They can't beat Shopee!!!! So if people question or mock you for bringing so many things, don't be affected by what people say and just stick to your plan! Hahahaha </p><p><br></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">HOME</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ObRMSzowCtI/YcR9wwD4SJI/AAAAAAAAJgY/4sA2R5y_8lM1K4wRyZxPaqUCPG_M_JLzACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640267264897300-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ObRMSzowCtI/YcR9wwD4SJI/AAAAAAAAJgY/4sA2R5y_8lM1K4wRyZxPaqUCPG_M_JLzACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/1640267264897300-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">This is my studio in the university's residence. It cost me £229 per week but the payment is made per term. The shared flat room type is much cheaper by about £20 per week but at this age I cherish comfort and privacy too much that I'm willing to pay more hahaha. You could get a better price if you're living in Zone 3 or 4 but then again you will have to calculate how much is the cost for transport. Sometimes it might not save you much. I chose this one because all bills are included, the tube station is just 50 m away from the entrance and I don't have to change line to go to class. We have many choices of convenient stores just downstairs and the nearest shopping area is about 15 minutes by foot. The wifi connection is superb and I can log in directly into all database since we are using the eduroam wifi. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">TRANSPORT</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qGkFDIvuNKY/YcSH8ndZepI/AAAAAAAAJgg/bfXws7iO-2AQnqbF4t7oeYJbD0E5yHG-ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640269874614659-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qGkFDIvuNKY/YcSH8ndZepI/AAAAAAAAJgg/bfXws7iO-2AQnqbF4t7oeYJbD0E5yHG-ACNcBGAsYHQ/w228-h320/1640269874614659-0.png" width="228">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">During my first week here, I spent a lot on transportation! One journey by tube cost me £2.50. I purposely took some time to decide which type of discount that I want to register to because I want to see the pattern of my commute first. So in the end I decided to take the Railcard and linked it to my Oyster card (the card you use for public transport in London) which reduced the fare to £1.65 per journey during off peak and weekends. The 18+ oyster card seems appealing at first, but there are times when I just want to stay at home, or just walk so it doesn't really suit me. As you can see there, this card is for those aged 16-25 years old . Because I was not eligible for the 26-30, so I have to apply for the student age group as mature student but it's not written there, which is good! hahaha</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">GROCERIES</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Luckily, there are a lot of supermarket options to shop for cheap groceries here in London; </p><p style="text-align: center;">Iceland, Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury</p><p style="text-align: center;">I cook most of the time since the kitchenette is just next to my bed, so there's no excuse not to do so hahaha But it did took me many weeks to adjust how much to stock to avoid wastage. At first I was buying all fresh things from the market. But since hospital attachment started, I started having microwavable food on certain days to save time. Dining out is a once a week compulsory activity for my sanity hahaha</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fdl540ECYuU/YcSQwVPQRoI/AAAAAAAAJgo/mKkp-YgTsrc23K1Mk1TlYyqix0HcKuWywCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640272126320080-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fdl540ECYuU/YcSQwVPQRoI/AAAAAAAAJgo/mKkp-YgTsrc23K1Mk1TlYyqix0HcKuWywCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/1640272126320080-0.png" width="320">
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are also some phone apps that can help you save money. I'm only using Getir because I don't want to have too many apps on my phone. I have been using the £10 discount for any £11 purchase and the £15 discount for £16 purchase. You just have to check whether the promo is available on that day to use them. I have no idea if there is any limit to how many times you will get the promo. So far I've used it for 5 times and I made use of it to buy pricey items and cleaning products. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The one above cost me £3.15.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;">HOSPITAL ATTACHMENT</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pqEzJbxrGl8/YcSitdue_1I/AAAAAAAAJgw/Wgg3-B6USO0d4i61r_6_Ulg4YUfRBV9RwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640276706375667-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pqEzJbxrGl8/YcSitdue_1I/AAAAAAAAJgw/Wgg3-B6USO0d4i61r_6_Ulg4YUfRBV9RwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640276706375667-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></span></b></div><br><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">The placement started on our 5th week which was a relief to me because I'm not used to sitting in class all day. While most of my classmates struggle with the new schedule and environment, I was really happy to get up early, go to hospital and see patients which what I've been doing for the past 11 years.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">When we were first assigned to our placement sites, the distance got me making mental calculations of how much the fare will cost me. But now, I don't mind about the distance anymore because it is the best place for my learning experience. It's a huge teaching hospital and the staffs are so used to having students that where ever I go on a particular day, the staffs are very warm, attentive and was happy to teach everything they can. Plus our supervisor is such a charming gentleman. I'm so lucky to have him as my dissertation supervisor too! Bersemangat terus hahaha</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of my lecturer approached me asking whether I'm okay with the course or is it too basic for me and she even asked if I needed more stretch. I spontaneously reacted, </div><div style="text-align: center;">"Oh please no! I'm okay! Everything is fine!" Hahaha</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since the placement is very much self-directed, it is really up to you to plan your own learning. We were given the emails of people in different units in a discipline hence it is up to us to arrange when is our shadowing at that unit. And you can even ask if you need anything extra which what I did. That was why I have no intention to have more stretch from the university hahaha</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm already in clinical for the past 6 years so it was just me familiarizing myself with the other subspecialty rather than starting from basic like most of my course mates. But I wouldn't say I'm having it easy at all because I don't intend to learn just the superficial stuffs and go back with another degree. Plus they have too many drugs here! And yes this is one of my struggles, getting to know all these new drug classes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;">I think that's all for now. I'll try to write more in term 2!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oK5GVCs7_L8/YcStRVR98oI/AAAAAAAAJg4/NdHdHEvtVmgjP3ZgBEPrlr3JXYvNU7DkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640279425867788-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oK5GVCs7_L8/YcStRVR98oI/AAAAAAAAJg4/NdHdHEvtVmgjP3ZgBEPrlr3JXYvNU7DkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1640279425867788-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-27803261911401909872021-08-22T11:56:00.002+08:002021-08-22T12:08:44.691+08:00Academic Journey 6: Settling mountains of documents <p>Bismillah...</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hXj9WkreURg/YSG14EgdHEI/AAAAAAAAJYg/7rjbjQ8K9t4PMz3WtHVontJh3p_gXbrnQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Screenshot_20210822_091249_com.instagram.android_edit_127253980000894.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1080" height="472" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hXj9WkreURg/YSG14EgdHEI/AAAAAAAAJYg/7rjbjQ8K9t4PMz3WtHVontJh3p_gXbrnQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h472/Screenshot_20210822_091249_com.instagram.android_edit_127253980000894.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Lets continue with my study journey story. Which stage am I in now? Currently, I'm still waiting for my study leave approval and my visa appointment is scheduled in 2 weeks. What happened after the TB test? CHAOS! Hahaha</p><p><br /></p><p>First, there was a glitch in my application portal. Although I have received my unconditional letter, my application status was not updated in the system that the autogenerated email to confirm my visa details was not sent to me. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I needed the CAS to proceed with MARA so I wrote to the university (again). The problem was finally sorted after 5 exchange of emails, I think. At first the reply told me that I should complete the form inside the portal which actually was non existent in my account yet. I had to describe my problem again; probably how I described it the first time was not clear enough. My first communication dated 2nd July and I received my CAS on 7th August! I understand very well that UCL was getting a high volume of enquiries so yeah if you were to go through this same journey in the future, I'm prompting you how much PATIENCE you will need hahaha</p><p><br /></p><p>Then, there was a problem with the visa appointment booking. I was actually very hopeful that they will reopen the office in Sabah but I think that is not going to happen soon hahaha I couldn't start with the visa application without CAS and earlier this month, the earliest slot was in December. It sparked outrage and a second petition was started. The first one was urging the application center in KL to reopen and it did thereafter. The second one was to urge to increase the number of appointment slots. Alhamdulillah, Wisma Putra responded to this and on 17th August more slots were opened. I manage to secure mine the next morning because the website eventually crashed due to heavy traffic. I was not resilient enough to stay up for it hahaha Beauty sleep is imperative!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-51WTETn_les/YSHMKjLx9mI/AAAAAAAAJZA/qhkJzNvB9aU387vWswJeMWPe37iynR4PwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1629604904257109-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-51WTETn_les/YSHMKjLx9mI/AAAAAAAAJZA/qhkJzNvB9aU387vWswJeMWPe37iynR4PwCNcBGAsYHQ/w291-h400/1629604904257109-0.png" width="291" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>So, what is this mountains of documents about? They are the documents that I have to settle for MARA hahaha I think the list is almost the same as the previous batches,</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">2 Set Surat Tawaran, Akuan Penerimaan Pelajar</div><div style="text-align: left;">Borang kebenaran menghubungi LHDN/KWSP/BANK/PENJAMIN</div><div style="text-align: left;">Laporan & Surat Akuan Penjamin</div><div style="text-align: left;">5 Set Surat Perjanjian Pelajaran MARA yang telah dimatikan setem</div><div style="text-align: left;">Borang Payment Instruction </div><div style="text-align: left;">Borang Pemeriksaan Kesihatan</div><div style="text-align: left;">Letter of Consent</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salinan E-vetting</div><div style="text-align: left;">CAS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Borang Kemasukan Fail Induk Pelajar</div><div style="text-align: left;">Borang Maklumat Peribadi</div><p><br /></p><p>Everything has to be handwritten in capital letters. As someone who struggles with perfectionism, it took me the longest time (2 days) to complete the fields because I keep on throwing those that I thought was not neat enough hahaha I found it difficult at first since we write lesser and lesser these days. But after a few hours, it became more natural and it started to feel like doing calligraphy hahaha</p><p><br /></p><p>The Surat Akuan Penjamin must be done in the presence of a commissioner of oath. Alhamdulillah, as KK at that time was already in Phase 2, this was easily arranged. At first I went to search for the service in KK and incidentally found out that there was one near my house! I called prior to my visit to check for the opening hours. It cost me RM 20 for two sets.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K9y18vDx1pE/YSHMJUZ_V-I/AAAAAAAAJY8/vPvSfuXJxhEhMzbmxlVASEbRibAX2v1iwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1629604899629394-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K9y18vDx1pE/YSHMJUZ_V-I/AAAAAAAAJY8/vPvSfuXJxhEhMzbmxlVASEbRibAX2v1iwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1629604899629394-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>I did my medical check up at the staff clinic but I had to do urine PCR for gonorrhea at Gribbles (088-230149) which cost me RM 147.69. It was easy for me as a clinical staff since I could get the pathology form and container at the hospital. The urine sample should be the first void, meaning the first urine in the morning. I took a day off to send the sample and spent the rest of the day settling other affairs at the bank. O ya, all the reports should be printed and be sent to MARA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since there are too many papers to deal with, to get them organized, I placed each of the documents inside its own clear folder and compiled them together inside a simple clear folder file organizer. So I just have to take out the specific file that I wanted to settle at a particular day without having to disturb and mess up the order of the other documents. Some people used the expanding file folder type. At first I thought of using that too but then I will have to buy a new one hahaha So I decided to use what I already have which proved to be super convenient as well.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi9IIBdn-o7q-lxDh-ggaTbnGz-fkNfeQC3t1X3RQNVzBX3uRROHHLPSC37mEZVR6F86N97znHoZRToqmLTOya7mEPVfNCAutmBgg_yuXPti8fneb1kNRkkkdKhR1R-d1WGDxltwsHjw/s1600/1629604895047118-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi9IIBdn-o7q-lxDh-ggaTbnGz-fkNfeQC3t1X3RQNVzBX3uRROHHLPSC37mEZVR6F86N97znHoZRToqmLTOya7mEPVfNCAutmBgg_yuXPti8fneb1kNRkkkdKhR1R-d1WGDxltwsHjw/s1600/1629604895047118-2.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /><p></p><p>I have not submitted these documents yet since I'm still waiting for my leave approval which is one of the attachment required in Borang Maklumat Peribadi.</p><p><br /></p><p>Although I'm facing many delays but so far actually all the processes have been smooth, Alhamdulillah. I will definitely make a special appreciation post for the people who have assisted me with all this. Without them it would have been more difficult. For me, doing all this during pandemic has its pro and cons. For instance, I decided to utilize the moratorium so I wouldn't burden my parents with my commitments. And I've been thinking, if I went at a younger age, it would have been a disaster. The current me is better at juggling my responsibilities, better with time management and better with handling pressure. Too relaxed that I questioned myself, "Should I be more worried..?" Naaaahhh.. This is okay. It actually helps me to think clearly.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc3a8OlO5lw/YSHJsT8hkJI/AAAAAAAAJYs/PH4X9P8ElJUZu0njICrxbNnwW94XCe3EACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210821_093231_edit_127362932237336.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="2048" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc3a8OlO5lw/YSHJsT8hkJI/AAAAAAAAJYs/PH4X9P8ElJUZu0njICrxbNnwW94XCe3EACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h328/IMG_20210821_093231_edit_127362932237336.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Where I spend most of my time these days Hahaha </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-51678489686366959942021-08-15T12:22:00.004+08:002021-08-21T10:45:39.354+08:00Thorong La Pass; Annapurna Circuit Trek 2018<p><span style="background-color: white;">Bismillah...</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;">I happened to be quite free this weekend as I took a day off after the awal Muharram public holiday. I have no pending chores and sadly, the Olympic Games has ended. I was busy catching up with all the finals last weekend. So, I have been spending this weekend to settle my UK Visa, did some cleaning up on my YouTube channel, put up a new banner there and edited some videos. I'm not planning to monetize the channel. I just want to make it a proper place to store and share my travel memories. Here is a video I made on our trip to Thorong La. I just realized I never write about it. Partly because I went straight for a week course right after that, another trip followed and then life went on hahaha</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ltLysITU1yw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><div><span style="background-color: white;">We went with the same company that organized the trip to Gokyo in 2014 but they have changed the company's name to Himalayan Hub. The arrangement was easy as I already know how they deliver their service. I did make price comparison with some other companies and still this company gave us the most reasonable cost which was USD 295 per person. However, we did not opt for full board service thus we allocated a separate budget for food. Why was it not full board? In my previous experience, the food was wasted because we were too exhausted to eat after a hike. But..... it was the opposite with these guys whose appetite increased as we go to higher altitudes hahaha </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our itinerary goes like this</span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1FFTopTM1dw/YRj2ynCqyGI/AAAAAAAAJVY/bdLNad_oBJ4F3_FOng8b6d5_rIAtdMumACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1629025996079041-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1FFTopTM1dw/YRj2ynCqyGI/AAAAAAAAJVY/bdLNad_oBJ4F3_FOng8b6d5_rIAtdMumACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/1629025996079041-0.png" width="640" />
</a>
</span></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu</span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4Ag_7vvhNl5vj4J8uCPWWR0bVFnwNvtfw_LP2cjTsHW5Xpajd5Xv8yjTo0Lr4sEpxXJWkbKVOoVKbfFGwhlx6RIZIW03jm0RdJhbW_urQMlQjdM4eZUE60Mq-__WPjGpwXmRuRzhYQQ/s6000/DSC00980.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3376" data-original-width="6000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4Ag_7vvhNl5vj4J8uCPWWR0bVFnwNvtfw_LP2cjTsHW5Xpajd5Xv8yjTo0Lr4sEpxXJWkbKVOoVKbfFGwhlx6RIZIW03jm0RdJhbW_urQMlQjdM4eZUE60Mq-__WPjGpwXmRuRzhYQQ/w640-h360/DSC00980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We arrived during Holi Festival which explains why those two had their faces all smeared in red.</span><p></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day 2: Drive from Kathmandu to Chame (2600 m)</span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tqW_zT0BdU6MUenH5PvrZp0kQ8daMF5C8oLXbsHtwhJMjt7rzrOviV9P_i9AEKCJqIgMvEZGazvk0E_mb9Zk4SPq6dalZ-rSEy_hfaon1kU2bKqq3mHxEThG9Hao313kfi6Yp7y20uc/s5472/IMG_5980.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="5472" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tqW_zT0BdU6MUenH5PvrZp0kQ8daMF5C8oLXbsHtwhJMjt7rzrOviV9P_i9AEKCJqIgMvEZGazvk0E_mb9Zk4SPq6dalZ-rSEy_hfaon1kU2bKqq3mHxEThG9Hao313kfi6Yp7y20uc/w640-h360/IMG_5980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">t </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">was not a comfortable drive, to be honest. The five of us were squeezed inside a small jeep. We had to switch seats towards the end as LH was having a bad motion sickness. It was a scenic journey as we approached the mountainous area, though.<span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"></p>Day 3: Trek from Chame to Pisang (3250 m)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY3rdLJFI2k/YRiKQT8TLgI/AAAAAAAAJUA/UJhDw9LBA4U4vRw0E69_lcRZZHy-hdC7ACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF7826.JPG" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY3rdLJFI2k/YRiKQT8TLgI/AAAAAAAAJUA/UJhDw9LBA4U4vRw0E69_lcRZZHy-hdC7ACNcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/DSCF7826.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Manang can actually be reached by car. Some hikers start there but of course going to higher altitude faster means a higher risk for AMS. Since we were walking on the gravel road, I remember it was quite hot as there were no trees shading the path. This was when I immediately notice that this circuit was less populated than Everest region. Although there were villages, but they were further apart and relatively small.</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 4: Trek from Pisang to Manang (3519 m)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_f-bDu6Z6A/YRiMZ7KMc1I/AAAAAAAAJUI/226VEa6BGXskomyt9Ul3rxaGETTSyrQ6wCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF7912.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a_f-bDu6Z6A/YRiMZ7KMc1I/AAAAAAAAJUI/226VEa6BGXskomyt9Ul3rxaGETTSyrQ6wCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF7912.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">What was unique about the circuit to me was the contrast of its landscapes. At the point where I was standing to take this picture, in front of me was this barren land with all those dwellings on the clifftops and actually behind me were lines of snowcapped mountains. To think of it now, I should have put more effort to capture that hahaha</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 5: Acclimatization day</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Leisure hike to this vantage point and Gangapurna glacier lake</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uy8zV6nxW-Q/YRiOSn8CJZI/AAAAAAAAJUY/HkZJ6MaHqkQHQ39IjU-Uf53vqsPfxxUsgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF7955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uy8zV6nxW-Q/YRiOSn8CJZI/AAAAAAAAJUY/HkZJ6MaHqkQHQ39IjU-Uf53vqsPfxxUsgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF7955.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 6: Trek from Manang to Yak Kharka (4000 m)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IOWdOg44e9M/YRiPHsPe11I/AAAAAAAAJUg/YQcGIlzv-C0zJO2mfwBxfb-NRwel0jA0gCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF8128.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IOWdOg44e9M/YRiPHsPe11I/AAAAAAAAJUg/YQcGIlzv-C0zJO2mfwBxfb-NRwel0jA0gCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF8128.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">The snow covered mountains that I just mentioned above. At this point, we were standing in the dry barren area. This was the day when we started to cover more elevations; 500 m elevation per day. That was why we needed a day for acclimatization. However, personally, I think the climb was still okay.</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 7: Trek from Yak Kharka to High Camp (4925 m)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rot-0LWj878/YRiRkGhH6dI/AAAAAAAAJUo/0Zp0NNgCjIUOcb0NTsbU3DSdyJCMXaTVgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF8239.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rot-0LWj878/YRiRkGhH6dI/AAAAAAAAJUo/0Zp0NNgCjIUOcb0NTsbU3DSdyJCMXaTVgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF8239.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">The above is Thorong Phedi. Some hikers, those who stretched their climb over several more days than us, will stay here before going to the High Camp. As for us, we had lunch here and then went straight to High Camp after that. I say, the most strenuous climb was from Thorong Phedi to High Camp.</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7wIkvRBMV4A/YRiTgfNZ_kI/AAAAAAAAJU4/XiVJvxh73xcn9AeV17BoT9sXfBZjA0-UQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF8243.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7wIkvRBMV4A/YRiTgfNZ_kI/AAAAAAAAJU4/XiVJvxh73xcn9AeV17BoT9sXfBZjA0-UQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF8243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">This is High Camp and this place is extremely cold at night. We were huddled together just a few centimeters away from the fire and I was still shivering! That morning, when we went to the toilet before we start our hike to the pass, we had to break the ice layer inside the pale to get water beneath it</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">Day 8: Trek down to Mukhtinath (3800 m) via Thorong La Pass (5416 m)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OcLDJpSnEbc/YRiUqBra78I/AAAAAAAAJVA/vrwrvsExlREdoQxxg5DrXeaNT0OiWIfAgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCF8258.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OcLDJpSnEbc/YRiUqBra78I/AAAAAAAAJVA/vrwrvsExlREdoQxxg5DrXeaNT0OiWIfAgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/DSCF8258.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">This was the condition of my shoe as I trek to the top! I was scooping snow and rocks all the way. I tried to catch up with the porter boys because I had my extra shoes inside my bag but of course they were too fast for me despite those loads they were carrying. And the rest.. is history~</p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRcLZ4CsgXA/YRiWGHPhy-I/AAAAAAAAJVQ/VuIcs0IOpk0scMIsp4Q9FjCeHvKd_xihgCNcBGAsYHQ/s6000/DSC02323.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3376" data-original-width="6000" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRcLZ4CsgXA/YRiWGHPhy-I/AAAAAAAAJVQ/VuIcs0IOpk0scMIsp4Q9FjCeHvKd_xihgCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/DSC02323.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="color: black; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-70936317892886812472021-07-10T11:37:00.004+08:002021-07-10T11:44:47.960+08:00Academic Journey 5: TB test for UK Student VisaBismillah...<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xCkKSLCi2AsCjLbm-8QO7m5EaDcZK6T1c6wX3-3W4O1BdEK5-KvBXitwwrNU8X_lstaEGx5GH5oJ0dQTAHlJsmjWw9UfgARnSqVBNiTasIwuqrTSlOCAijkbwgAOCXXh7We2OG5w4cM/s1600/1625541917288561-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xCkKSLCi2AsCjLbm-8QO7m5EaDcZK6T1c6wX3-3W4O1BdEK5-KvBXitwwrNU8X_lstaEGx5GH5oJ0dQTAHlJsmjWw9UfgARnSqVBNiTasIwuqrTSlOCAijkbwgAOCXXh7We2OG5w4cM/s1600/1625541917288561-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></div><div>The image above is the ceiling decor right in front of me right now. Half an hour left until my x-ray film is released so I thought it's more productive to write something on my blog while waiting. </div><div><br /></div><div>As of today, I have recieved a positive result from MARA, my university offer has been converted to unconditional and I have submitted my application for study leave yesterday, Alhamdulillah. I have to admit that all the delays were nerve wrecking but I have done my best to resolve all issues and thank God everything just fall into places at the right time for me. One thing that I learned from this journey so far is <b>DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I never have any problem with this, though. But I know writing a simple email of enquiry can be a difficult task for some people. Last Monday, exactly 3 months before the date of my admission, I literally had nothing settled! However, I know I had done all the necessary so I prayed hard and waited patiently. What did I do.. </div><div><br /></div><div>I emailed the person in charged of the convertible scholarship and explained my situation. Alhamdulillah, she responded the next day and my financial affidavit was issued 2 days later. </div><div><br /></div><div>Converting my offer was the most challenging part so far. At first, I have problem uploading my IELTS and registration certificate into the portal because the tab for uploading disappeared from the portal. It took several weeks to be resolved. Then, 4 weeks after uploading the documents, I still didn't get any news from the university so I started writing to the admission team. Another 2 weeks passed, still no news hence I then wrote to my course's program director and the School of Pharmacy postgraduate team. The department cannot do much since the offer conversion is handled by the admission team but they did assist me to 'chase' for it. Alhamdulillah, the offer was converted to unconditional on 26th June. However, I had to write to the admission again because the offer letter was not yet generated. And on 2nd July, to my relief, the offer letter can already be downloaded from the portal. Hahaha do your own maths on how many times I wrote just for this one issue! </div><div><br /></div><div>And as for my study leave, I still don't have my MARA offer letter so I contacted the Unit Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan and sought for their advice. Alhamdulillah, they understood my situation. I was then instructed to submit the application with the documents that I have first and to forward my funding offer letter once it's in my possession. I think that's very reasonable considering the current pandemic situation here.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="color: #666666;">(This part of the post was resumed on another day lol)</span></i></div><div>After much rambling.. So, here's how to do TB test for UK visa hahaha</div><div>Firstly, you can only do it at an approved clinic. Here's the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-test-for-a-uk-visa-clinics-in-malaysia/tuberculosis-testing-in-malaysia" target="_blank">link</a> to a full guide on TB test for UK Visa in Malaysia.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Sabah, it can only be done in KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital. You have to call to make an appointment first. When I called, I was given two dates to choose, 6th or 14th July. It seems like they only allocate certain days in a week for the TB test. I think it's wise to call them earlier so you can plan your time. I'm not sure if it can be done in weekends, though. I eventually picked 6th July, 10.15 am.</div><div><br /></div><div>The things to bring along were:</div><div>1. Passport</div><div>2. IC</div><div>3. 2 copies of passport (Details page)</div><div>4. 2 visa photos (White background, no reflection)</div><div>5. The address in UK (Some clinics request for offer letter)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I was not familiar with the hospital so I decided to arrive earlier. Using the lift in Block A lobby, the Executive Health Screening Centre is located on the 5th floor. I was entertained immediately. After making RM 150 payment, I went to the Diagnostic and Imaging Department at ground floor of Block B. After the x-ray, I waited for an hour for the film. Then, I went back to the health screening centre to process all the documents. The whole process took about 3 hours. It was hassle free but I'm not sure whether that happens everyday or if I was just lucky hahaha I took a whole day off and having nothing to rush made it a pleasant experience haha Well, having nothing else to do during this endless lockdown makes me appreciate new things more; even the simplest ones. </div><div><br /></div><div>So... What's next after TB test? I still can't proceed with UK Student Visa application until I receive the Confirmation of Acceptance for Study from UCL. And it is only safe to apply for visa after my study leave is approved because that involves a lot of money!!!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Please continue praying for me.... </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-71117941905351776502021-06-13T10:52:00.002+08:002021-06-13T10:56:45.898+08:00Academic Journey 4: Applying for MARA Education FinancingBismillah...<div><br /></div><div>The current MCO 3.0 has been extended to 28th June and here I am at home, trying to figure out what else to do to make the most of my free time. In the previous lockdowns I was busied with my study and scholarship applications. When I wanted a short break from all that, I obsessively purge and reorganize every nook and cranny of my space at home. By early of this year, I have nothing much left to sort out. I was just done with my 45 minutes stretching and full body work out. While waiting for my Nasi Lemak to arrive, I think I could start with a few lines on this post.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mlmlzIMwSjSpON2mMDXQfou3Zl5zapK014kvmXC6DXlJgC1UuXI71xrKEnANOQrNe2RLNi5GIJxw0fDHiTMgn6f58ENrEEF0CrwDHcBfKE1g3sSpFK1PnwYSZRUAqW09lMhQj7iuJ5s/s1600/1623552028904809-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mlmlzIMwSjSpON2mMDXQfou3Zl5zapK014kvmXC6DXlJgC1UuXI71xrKEnANOQrNe2RLNi5GIJxw0fDHiTMgn6f58ENrEEF0CrwDHcBfKE1g3sSpFK1PnwYSZRUAqW09lMhQj7iuJ5s/s1600/1623552028904809-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Practiced my Kanji and did jigsaw puzzle yesterday~</div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As of today, I still haven't got any email from MARA. However, I manage to contact the person in charge last Friday. I was very lucky to get through on my first attempt, Alhamdulillah. Well, there is nothing much to do other than wait, actually. I explained to her my situation in which I need the offer letter for study leave application 3 months before the university admission date. She was kind enough to reassure me that she will try her best to speed up the process. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, what makes the whole process very complicated is that the requirements and timeline for MARA, UCL and KKM study leave does not align with one another, you know.</div><div><br /></div><div>For MARA the sequence is like this,</div><div><br /></div><div>Application → Issuance of Financial Affidavit (FA) to be submitted to the university to get Confirmation of Acceptance (COA) → Issuance of offer letter, financial statement and agreement</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For UCL,</div><div><br /></div><div>Application → Result → Issuance of CAS (The COA) 3-4 months before admission. FA or deposit is not required</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For KKM study leave application, the scholarship offer letter is a prerequisite. So there is no way I could submit my study leave application 3 months before the admission because UCL has fixed the CAS release to be 3 months before admission. You see, there is nothing much I could do in my position other than be patient and pray for the best hahaha </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now lets proceed to how to apply for MARA...</div><div><br /></div><div>For the one that I applied in March, there has been major changes in the application process from the previous ones. Here are the <a href="http://online.anyflip.com/oxlss/rnyx/mobile/index.html">infographic</a> and <a href="https://www.mara.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Panduan-GREP-edited03032021latest.pdf">full pdf</a> guidelines. Well, it was written there that the application was for those who are currently studying and for those who will start in May but I submitted mine anyway. I wasn't being adamant or whatsoever. It was just that I only knew that September intake is suppose to apply in June somewhere in May when I discovered the GREP MARA FB Page. I was worried that my application would be rejected after I found out about it but Alhamdulillah, it was accepted for consideration.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was actually surprised to see the online form because it was the simplest of all the applications that I had undergone. Besides my personal details which includes my income tax number, it also asked for my parents details, my dependents, my SPM results, the course that I'm applying and in which university. The following are the documents that need to be uploaded as a zipped folder. When I went back to the portal to upload my IELTS result, there was a new instruction to name the folder with your full name and IC number.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QI3VMAKcRCI/YMVqsA4RueI/AAAAAAAAJNE/gk1KUsGTjCAE5nhPiF21D_-xvOQOavjvwCNcBGAsYHQ/s516/3d75c2d2-5864-4b31-a1aa-4a09ecc87436%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="516" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QI3VMAKcRCI/YMVqsA4RueI/AAAAAAAAJNE/gk1KUsGTjCAE5nhPiF21D_-xvOQOavjvwCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h296/3d75c2d2-5864-4b31-a1aa-4a09ecc87436%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>As you can see, for IELTS it was mentioned there that it should be emailed to MARA. I emailed it immediately upon receiving the hard copy result. Well, I did check the portal every now and then but after not seeing any changes since I submitted my application, I stopped doing so. I thought the sole purpose of the portal was only for application and all updates will be conveyed via email. AND I WAS WRONG! Luckily after about 2 weeks or was it 3 weeks of no response to my email, I decided to check the portal again. And there it was, a change in my application status and an instruction to upload my IELTS result into the portal! I think this might be one of the factor that caused the current delay. The ones whom I knew have received their FA have completed all the required documents when they submitted. <div><br /></div><div>That's about it! My batch of applicants don't have to go through any psychometric or personality test, no medical check up is requested so far but maybe later it will be and we haven't received any instruction for guarantors too. But ya, we have to bear with this long wait in uncertainty although many steps are omitted. </div><div><br /></div><div>In previous years, MARA did allow course and university change but from what I saw in the Telegram chat group, those who have received FA will have to reapply in the next round if they opt to defer or change the course or university. So, I guess you will have to firmly decide to which course and university before applying with the current system. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for the application process. Again, please pray for me! I will share what are the subsequent tasks after I get through this stage, inshaAllah...</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-34981974585399389632021-05-31T20:15:00.001+08:002021-05-31T20:17:39.097+08:00Academic Journey 3: Preparing Financially To Study in UK<p>Bismillah...</p><p>Here we go again with another MCO in Malaysia but this time the cases are even worst. We hit 9k cases 2 days ago, but luckily today it's down to 6824 cases. Alhamdulillah. However, a very frightening outbreak is happening in Labuan and the cases recorded have been more than 150 cases for the past 3-4 days. I'm worried for my family in Labuan; keep reminding them to stay at home and praying hard for Allah's protection from afar.</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jFATMBoWw1c/YLTTogUSm9I/AAAAAAAAJM4/14tsktPtphYihvzYMe1GUR9o6sC11e45ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1622463393785674-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jFATMBoWw1c/YLTTogUSm9I/AAAAAAAAJM4/14tsktPtphYihvzYMe1GUR9o6sC11e45ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1622463393785674-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>As of today, I have not received any news regarding my MARA application and still patiently waiting. The results are slowly being released via email and MARA is prioritizing those who are about to enroll in May and July. I just hope by the time the result is out, I still have ample time to prepare for my departure to UK. Alhamdulillah, I have settled all the other documents to apply for study leave but there are still two required documents that I have not obtained which are my scholarship offer and my Unconditional Offer Letter. I have written to the university and emailed them again today after about 3 weeks. The process is quite slow as universities are dealing with high volume of enquiries. I just wrote to them again to inform the urgency. I will write another post detailing how to apply for study leave, InshaAllah.</p><p>While there is not much to do at this phase, I decided to meticulously study how much money should I prepare and to my surprise, I will need to prepare more than RM 10k to be safe. Here is the rough breakdown </p><div style="text-align: center;">Student visa: £348</div><div style="text-align: center;">Immigration Health Surcharge: £470</div><div style="text-align: center;">Accommodation deposit: £250</div><div style="text-align: center;">One-way Ticket: ~ RM1500</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Student Visa and Immigration Health Surcharge</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I can't detail how the process is like yet but I will update in a future post, inshaAllah. But the process will differ depending on which university you are applying to. Here's the info page in <a href="https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/moving-uk/student-visas">British Council Page</a> and this one from<a href="https://www.gov.uk/student-visa"> </a><a href="https://www.gov.uk/student-visa">GOV.UK.</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">For the TB test, only a check up from an approved clinic will be accepted. In Kota Kinabalu, the appointed center is KPJ Sabah, the fee is RM 190 and you can contact this number to make an appointment 088-322000. Here is the link to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-test-for-a-uk-visa-clinics-in-malaysia/tuberculosis-testing-in-malaysia">TB testing guide</a>. I emailed KPJ to ask whether I can bring over a chest X-Ray from another medical check up since I'm going to do one for MARA anyway. The answer is no. You will have to undergo the whole process all over again hahaha</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just learned that <a href="https://www.idp.com/malaysia/">IDP</a> offers free consultation services that cover almost all aspects of studying abroad. I thought they only help with IELTS application hahaha. And you might be waived from the unibersity application fee if you apply through them so I guess you should give it a shot as the services are free of charge. Well, there might be some charges for document verification, courier service etc.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Accommodation</b></div><p>Well, London is famous for its high rental cost but I have no idea how much is HIGH. And when I went to do my research, the rental fees are shocking! There are rooms that cost <span style="text-align: center;">£150 per week but they are quite far from the university which means I will still have to spend a lot for transportation. Those nearby cost </span><span style="text-align: center;">£250-</span><span style="text-align: center;">£400 per week, undeniably comfortable too.</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">I finally applied for the university halls and I specified my preference for halls that house postgraduates only. I also opted for a single room; at this age I am willing to pay more for comfort hahaha But the thing is I might be taking an unpaid leave instead of Cuti Belajar Bergaji Penuh (CBBP) as this was a requirement by MARA in the past. There are rumours saying that the current scholars are taking CBBP. I really hope this is true so I have one less thing to worry hahaha</span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">For now, I haven't paid anything since the halls allocation will be done from 1st July. But after they emailed the result, you will have to respond within 3 days and pay the </span><span style="text-align: center;">£250 </span><span style="text-align: center;">deposit. You will not get a refund if you decide to cancel.</span></p><p>Another option that I found quite affordable is actually the <a href="https://www.beaumontstudentliving.co.uk/">MARA house</a> but an 8 weeks deposit is required and that alone is around RM9000. And the traveling time to UCL is approximately 35 minutes by bus so I rather spend a few more pounds to cut the traveling time hahaha </p><p><b><br></b></p><p><b>Flight ticket and travel</b></p><p>I am not a fan of long flights thus I will definitely make a transit in the middle east. However, UK categorized countries into green, amber and red and all categories have different rules and SOP for transit and quarantine during arrival. Here is the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england">link</a> and it is frequently updated. I will most probably buy my flight ticket a few weeks before because it will be such a hassle if suddenly the country at which I choose to transit switch to a different category.</p><p>The GREP Telegram members are currently discussing about whether or not to apply for <a href="https://mtp.imi.gov.my/myTravelPass/main">My Travel Pass</a>. But when I checked just now, it seems like it is not required for those intending to study abroad. And then again, this is subject to change.</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7qonN3bto7Q/YLTTnX8tFbI/AAAAAAAAJM0/QrvmC6n7SxUjTCa2oqmAp36TaI_SDGoZQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1622463389502796-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7qonN3bto7Q/YLTTnX8tFbI/AAAAAAAAJM0/QrvmC6n7SxUjTCa2oqmAp36TaI_SDGoZQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1622463389502796-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p><br></p><p>There are so many uncertainties since I haven't got any news from MARA. Whatever the result will be I will have to accept with an open heart despite all the efforts I made. That is all for now. I hope this will be helpful for others in the future. I will keep on posting on my journey, inshaAllah</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-25719559189201317942021-04-22T18:00:00.010+08:002021-04-22T18:00:00.195+08:00Batu Punggul, Nabawan: 12-13 Sept 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bismillah...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I almost forgot to write about this trip. But this one deserves a post on its own because I think this place is awesome and it is a must go for nature lovers! The picture below is the picture that a friend of mine shared when I asked for the contact. You can try any of the number to arrange for the trip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fi2UpheLxdI/YHLGKXwOWvI/AAAAAAAAJLY/UW3IhyWdFEYNitOj9EYTQOw_ZavNLRBwwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134570220126-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fi2UpheLxdI/YHLGKXwOWvI/AAAAAAAAJLY/UW3IhyWdFEYNitOj9EYTQOw_ZavNLRBwwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134570220126-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My advise is to first look for the location in Google maps so you can plan your journey because we only did so before we go! I was surprised it was actually very far from Nabawan. We would've left earlier if we knew. We had dinner in Warung Satay Lembah Brunei. I always wanted to stop here because it always seems like a full house every time I passed by. And wow! I think they have one of the best and juiciest satay in Sabah! And do try the char kuey teow too. We didn't stop to fill Baby Dragon's tank in Keningau and that proved to be a grave mistake. We were lucky enough to find a place that sells fuel at the side of the road that night!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_1RZs9mTR7w/YHLG9PRksKI/AAAAAAAAJL0/6OsUHkWrJhIzD0Byo1XN78aX6w7VZDqMQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134772687445-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_1RZs9mTR7w/YHLG9PRksKI/AAAAAAAAJL0/6OsUHkWrJhIzD0Byo1XN78aX6w7VZDqMQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134772687445-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The budget breakdown was like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Entrance: RM 45 per pax</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Boat: RM 70 per boat (Roundtrip)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Homestay: RM 35/room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When we arrived, we were surprised by the condition of the homestay and had a big laugh hahaha The 8 of us literally shared the same space and there was no partition to separate between male and female. So kami pun redha haha it was passed midnight when we arrived, anyway. All we wanted to do was sleep and get up early for our climb the next morning</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uhINfG06O6I/YHLGFknEy-I/AAAAAAAAJLE/9-xm2-q3JXUnx9JnVI8vnjebWrlbuANLwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134551074158-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uhINfG06O6I/YHLGFknEy-I/AAAAAAAAJLE/9-xm2-q3JXUnx9JnVI8vnjebWrlbuANLwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134551074158-5.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was rainy season when our friends went to climb here so they didn't get the chance to ride this boat. It was a 10-15 minutes ride and the boat was very thin and unsteady so I guess it is not suitable when the water level is high and the current is strong. The scenery along the river was very nice! This is one of those untouched parts of Sabah thus it will surely take your breath away!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KGZEEcRUvSA/YHLGIkAZiYI/AAAAAAAAJLQ/fUYxGkR0Dls7_xdmQ0oLFKk99txwnx12ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134563010180-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KGZEEcRUvSA/YHLGIkAZiYI/AAAAAAAAJLQ/fUYxGkR0Dls7_xdmQ0oLFKk99txwnx12ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134563010180-2.png" width="400" />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the starting point of the climb. Easy trail from where the boats docked to here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uhINfG06O6I/YHLGFknEy-I/AAAAAAAAJLE/9-xm2-q3JXUnx9JnVI8vnjebWrlbuANLwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134551074158-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HDpALhy9fVo/YHLGJmotT1I/AAAAAAAAJLU/bfUkYiA0U9Q2BqUptnYY90xwlhCX6qSQACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134566837739-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HDpALhy9fVo/YHLGJmotT1I/AAAAAAAAJLU/bfUkYiA0U9Q2BqUptnYY90xwlhCX6qSQACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134566837739-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The climb reminded me very much of our climb in Gunung Senyum during my undergrad. Climbing a karst has its own unique challenge and those with fear of heights and faint hearts should be mentally prepared. It took around 30-45 minutes to reach the top. The earlier the better because it gets really hot as the sun rises. In this kind of formation, there are very few vegetations for shade and the heat will be reflected by the rocks thus it gets even hotter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HWmZOCAaL1A/YHLGHv7mviI/AAAAAAAAJLM/2ORYwbR1MYUg0RtxISlU4JcnGm4psU-swCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134559161769-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HWmZOCAaL1A/YHLGHv7mviI/AAAAAAAAJLM/2ORYwbR1MYUg0RtxISlU4JcnGm4psU-swCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134559161769-3.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So here we are, all of us on top. We had a good weather that day. Just the right amount of clouds when we reached the peak hahaha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FOk0v_fuuh0/YHLG8Cf_IEI/AAAAAAAAJLw/ygTbLB_QhDA1V00SR_YI5oDLLZ5vAUNmwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134769358464-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FOk0v_fuuh0/YHLG8Cf_IEI/AAAAAAAAJLw/ygTbLB_QhDA1V00SR_YI5oDLLZ5vAUNmwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134769358464-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Alhamdulillah, syukur nikmat \\(",)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Malaysia maju, rakyat selamat~ that song we listened as kids lol)</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lTIXzoWA8e4/YHLG7cP1y9I/AAAAAAAAJLs/eoMbu6yGGKEnPGDQagFePp6jW3ACDpSfACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134765620589-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lTIXzoWA8e4/YHLG7cP1y9I/AAAAAAAAJLs/eoMbu6yGGKEnPGDQagFePp6jW3ACDpSfACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134765620589-2.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And before we head back, we took this picture below. This was the shallow part of the river. The boat was pulled and stalled there just for this picture lol The instagram era~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oRrGsAyOJys/YHLGG_XtvbI/AAAAAAAAJLI/gLuJD1I8fj0x-UGeD28o96yQxy0EvR4rQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134555203411-4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oRrGsAyOJys/YHLGG_XtvbI/AAAAAAAAJLI/gLuJD1I8fj0x-UGeD28o96yQxy0EvR4rQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134555203411-4.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the guy who took my pic went,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Kak, tiada orang ambil gambar pegang botol mineral.."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Eh dik! Pegang botol mineral la baru real. Panas pulak ni, haus!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hahaha that's called generation gap</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One generation that takes pictures for the likes while one takes pictures for the memory hahaha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PaARo4KlfjQ/YHLGEs-rjNI/AAAAAAAAJLA/VlnqK2XmSWshkHasLnTnJCdW7gH4tN1bgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134546628179-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PaARo4KlfjQ/YHLGEs-rjNI/AAAAAAAAJLA/VlnqK2XmSWshkHasLnTnJCdW7gH4tN1bgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1618134546628179-6.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-72192675702612408432021-04-17T12:18:00.000+08:002021-04-17T12:18:02.530+08:00I am Muslim first.... Part 3<div>Bismillah....</div><div><br /></div><div>Alhamdulillah, it is now the 5th day of Ramadhan but my first day of fasting. The possibility of Raya with family and friends, however, currently looks bleak with the rising number of cases everywhere. So, I decided to go back to Labuan tomorrow with accompanying my mom for vaccination as a reason for interstate crossing. It was a decision made in a hurry right after the announcement that I have to make all the arrangements in two days which include a swab test (RTK is suffice but I got myself a PCR), a written police permission for interstate crossing and also my ticket back. As I was walking under the scorching sun on my way to the swab test area I thought, "This used to be easy~". Indeed, we won't realize something is such a blessing until we lose it, right? But, I have to mention here that although the process is tedious, Alhamdulillah, for my case things were running very smooth. I just dread the swab....</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what's your Ramadhan routine for 2021? I don't know if it was just me, but I was fighting back tears on the evening of 1st Ramadhan when I passed by the mosques, looking at how full the parking areas were. It was such a solemn sight last year when all of us were in lockdown during Ramadhan and I even had several Tarawih prayers in the oncall room! This pandemic is a long, hard battle. Some might have it even harder than the rest of us. But we are slowly moving towards win, inshaAllah. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've written several times that Ramadhan is a month where I'll miss UIA very much. But I guess those 6 years have shaped the strong foundation for my yearly Ramadhan routine. I will stop all night sports activities for the whole month and will replace them with a brisk walk in the evening. I don't listen to music when I run because I like to listen to my breathing and also the sound of nature (although sometimes interfered by the chatters of uncles and aunties lol). Yet, during my Ramadhan evening walks I will listen to podcasts in Spotify or talks in YouTube. I'll make sure the volume is not too loud because I still want to have the birds chirping, and the rustling sound of leaves as the background. At night, I'm trying my best to be steadfast with the Qur'an 30 for 30 series. I started with juz 14 of the 1st season because that was where I stopped. Will try to catch up with the 2nd season, inshaAllah.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, we are so accustomed with this Ramadhan routine so the whatsapp group will be flooded by all the resources for Ramadhan. We love planners since forever! So for this year I'm trying this one from <a href="https://qalby.io/index.php/downloadable/">Qalby</a>. Here is how it looks like. I actually prefer a printed version but I'm trying to be paperless here so I'm making use of this PDF version on my tab.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XE80tYktFNc/YHpO5qidmrI/AAAAAAAAJMU/0pzpywNqiqEmNL1-axGlwODUn-7_hioXQCNcBGAsYHQ/s947/QalbyApp%2BPlanner.pdf%2B-%2BAdobe%2BAcrobat%2BReader%2BDC%2B%252832-bit%2529%2B17_4_2021%2B10_56_40%2BAM%2B%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="664" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XE80tYktFNc/YHpO5qidmrI/AAAAAAAAJMU/0pzpywNqiqEmNL1-axGlwODUn-7_hioXQCNcBGAsYHQ/w280-h400/QalbyApp%2BPlanner.pdf%2B-%2BAdobe%2BAcrobat%2BReader%2BDC%2B%252832-bit%2529%2B17_4_2021%2B10_56_40%2BAM%2B%25282%2529.png" width="280" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>And there is also this <a href="https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/books/quran-30for30-the-companion-reader" target="_blank">Qur'an 30 for 30, 1st season ebook</a>. After I listened and made my own notes, I'll spend a few minutes reading the explanation in the ebook which gives the concise summaries. And I also love this <a href="https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/books/a-dua-a-day-prophetic-prayers-for-ramadan">Doa ebook</a> which I downloaded into my phone for easy access.<br /><div><br /></div><div>So what I want to share actually are these 2 videos that I was listening to during one of my evening walk by Ustadh Wael Ibrahim. I jot down the notes here and my own thoughts on them for easy reference in the future.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGNxnkV7S-s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p><br /></p><p>Tips on how to be a productive Muslim</p><p>WHY we must be productive</p><p><b>1. Life is too short to waste</b></p><p><em class="ij" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.063px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“O Son of Adam, you are nothing but a number of days. Whenever each day passes, then a part of you has gone.” — Al-Hasan Al-Basri</span></em></p><p>In reality, our days are numbered and we have no idea when will be our last. Thus, time should not be wasted into things that are not beneficial because we are here to equip ourselves adequately before we are to meet the Creator. If we waste too much time, we might have very few to bring with us~</p><p><b>2. Quality time</b></p><p>By being productive and by having things or work done on time, we will then have spare time for other things that matter like time for family, time for hobbies, enough rest etc</p><p><b>3. Leave a legacy behind</b></p><p>This doesn't mean having your name on the wall of fame. Leaving a legacy here means being remembered and of course we want to be remembered as GOOD. But if we haven't been spending time productively, that's most likely will not be achieved.</p><p><br /></p><p>HOW to become productive</p><p><b>1. Keep your eyes on the WHYs. </b></p><p>The list of WHYs to me is never exhaustive and it is personal. I agree that if we are very clear with our WHYs it will be a driving force that will keep us steadfast</p><p><b>2. Fight one battle at a time</b></p><p>I'm a super monotasker since forever so I could really relate to this point. There was a point in my life many years ago when I realized multitasking was not getting me anywhere. I started on multiple tasks but very few were completed and they were not up to the standards that I myself have hoped for. That was how I started to focus on one battle at a time. That was when I totally start to understand that being busy is not necessarily being productive</p><p><b>3. Ignore the pain from great effort</b></p><p>I think this is something that many people find very hard to adopt even myself. We are more incline to comfort or quick gratification thus we ignore anything that could possibly inflict pain although that is the only way to greatness. This is, I feel, a very profound reminder. Nothing great is easy. The greater the challenges, the more rewards await at the destination.</p><p><br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q1a7-iHIPxw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p>Tips on how to make positive changes in our lives</p><p><b>E- Environment</b></p><p>Find a healthy environment that encourages you for the better. Avoid an environment that exposes you to negative activities or even negative emotions because we will eventually 'become' who we surround ourselves with.</p><p><b>S- Structure</b></p><p>Have a structure and system in place. Rasulullah s.a.w was a man of routine, he planned and strategized his day that every second of his time was always filled with something beneficial for him, the religion and the ummah. It's easy to waste time when one does not plan.</p><p><b>I- Implementation</b></p><p>Put things into action. Implementation of knowledge is power.</p><p><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #262626; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> العلم بلا عمل جنون والعمل بغير علم لا يكون</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Knowledge without action is madness and action without knowledge does not exist"</p><p><b>P- People</b></p><p>Have a support system which will help us grow in knowledge and character as well as people who will help us care for our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.</p><p>I'd wanted to schedule this post for later since I just posted 2 days ago but then again I should share this earlier so you can download as well as benefit from this sharing earlier in Ramadhan. </p><p>That's all for now. I'll try to share as much as I could on the things I learned this Ramadhan here and in IG story, inshaAllah. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-28044046901306350752021-04-14T22:48:00.003+08:002021-04-14T22:48:00.190+08:00Academic Journey 2: Applying to UK Universities<p>Bismillah...</p><p>So lets continue with my academic journey. First of all, it should be mentioned that this is my second time applying to UK Universities so I'm already familiar with the process and the requirements. At the end of 2014, I applied for MSc Clinical Pharmacology and received offers from King's College London and University of Glasgow. But 2015 happened to be not a good time to leave my family thus I did not continue with the whole process. </p><p>This time around, I applied for the following courses and I disclose to you the results;</p><p><a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/study/msc-clinical-pharmacy-international-practice-and-policy" target="_blank">MSc Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy, University College London</a> - Conditional Offer</p><p><a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/medicine/clinical-pharmacy-msc/" target="_blank">MSc Clinical Pharmacy, University of Exeter</a> - Conditional Offer</p><p><a href="https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/clinicalpharmacy/" target="_blank">MSc Clinical Pharmacy, University of Strathclyde</a> - Conditional Offer</p><p><a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/masters-degrees/control-infectious-diseases">MSc Control of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine</a> - Rejected. Well, it is always frustrating to face rejection of any kind but I guess since LSHTM is a research institute, I think it was my lack of experience in research that made me not a strong candidate for the course.</p><p><a href="https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/infectiousdiseasesantimicrobialresistance/">MSc Epidemiology of Infectious Disease and Antimicrobial Resistance, University of Glasgow</a> - Conditional Offer</p><p>So, what should you prepare to apply for UK universities.....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnEMCyz7eLs/YHLIcwkLPOI/AAAAAAAAJME/z3Kl3Ph3ytEz-xQYswBsh5zjj1zwxjx5gCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_20210402_190914_edit_125356255633996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2008" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PnEMCyz7eLs/YHLIcwkLPOI/AAAAAAAAJME/z3Kl3Ph3ytEz-xQYswBsh5zjj1zwxjx5gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210402_190914_edit_125356255633996.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>1. Build your CV!</b></p><p>I was told that it is not difficult to get a place for postgraduate studies in UK and that must be true since I always manage to get offers but I think if you are aiming for the world top universities, your CV is very important. I did apply for UCL in 2014, paid for the £50 processing fee and did not get any reply! Was it my CV? I don't know~</p><p>It was while writing my CV in 2014 that I started to realize that doing well in your 8-5 job does not add anything into your CV. My CV was very brief because I have no extra projects, I was not a committee in anything and I was not involved in any volunteer programs. I stared at the screen long and hard. It was crystal clear I was an extremely ordinary candidate who had nothing extra to offer, who only had her achievements in the past to impress the readers. And then when I did not proceed with my study plans that year, I started to build my CV. It took me 6 years to reapply for a Master Degree but actually I was intentionally, deliberately preparing for it all along. I always have it in mind and was waiting for my 'right time'.</p><p>Again, I think CV is important when you are aiming to enroll into a top ranked university. Logically speaking, it should be one of the thing that will help them identify that you are the stronger candidate than the others, right?</p><p><b>2. Personal statements</b></p><p>This is something that a local graduate would not be familiar with but since this is my second time so writing them was not as hard as the first time. But I did take my time to write, review and edit my personal statement for UCL. Basically, the admission committee would want to see our motivation, our suitability for that particular course as well as our future plans. And it really helps if you read through and understand the course requirements so that you can tally your writing to what they are looking for. I didn't use the same personal statement for every university because the course modules differ greatly. </p><p>There are many samples available online and there are even sites where people will leave constructive comments on what area need to be improved in your personal statement. </p><p><b>3. Referees</b></p><p>Most universities will ask for at least two referees; one academic and one professional. You can either upload the reference letter into the application portal or the referee can email the reference to the university. But for UCL and LSHTM, the university will send an email to the referees and they must respond within a given period of time. Your application will only be processed after your referees replied to the email. </p><p>I nominated my mentor in university as my first referee and my current chief pharmacist as the second referee. Alhamdulillah, both of them were very supportive, they responded to the emails immediately so my university applications were settled with ease. </p><p><b>4. Application fees</b></p><p>Well, the thing about applying for overseas Master program is it will involve a lot of money. My IELTS Academic UKVI paper cost me RM895. I applied to two universities that charged application fees. UCL's application fee is now £90 and I paid £50 for LSHTM so that's roughly around RM800. The application fee does not guarantee you a place and you will not get a refund if your application is not accepted. So this is one of the thing that you must consider and be prepared with if you want to enroll into top institutions. </p><p><b>5. English Requirements</b></p><p>Of course, the universities would want to know our level of English proficiency. For the courses that I chose, most universities required a minimum of band 6.5 overall with no less than 6 in all sections. But for UCL, the requirement is GOOD which means we will need a minimum of 7. So I've written a lengthy post on my <a href="http://exceladoable.blogspot.com/2021/04/academic-journey-1-ielts-is-no-joke.html?view=magazine">IELTS</a> experience and tips before this one. </p><p>When should you sit for IELTS? I registered because I needed something to nudge me to work harder but actually, MARA would want to see the result. Although you can sit for it later and send the result to MARA after the application is closed but then you have to bear in mind, what if you don't score it the first time? I met more people who had to take the test more than once. I don't think it was poor mastery. I think it got to do with the answering technique. Most of us haven't sat for a written exam for years so it make sense that we no longer know how to score with the correct technique.</p><p><b>6. Additional documents</b></p><p>Some universities may ask for additional documents. For example, for the University of Exeter MSc Clinical Pharmacy, there is a special form for the employer to fill to verify our current practice as a pharmacist. UCL asked for the Pharmacist Registration Certificate. Luckily, our license is now in English. If it was not like it was in the past, we need it to be translated by a certified body. You don't have to worry if you missed these additional documents because the university will send you an email to request for it.</p><p>I think I've touched all the basics and most important stuffs. </p><p>Why I insist on going to the UK? Yes it's an opportunity for travel but most of all, I want to experience the system. I want to see for myself how different it is from my own setting and is there anything that I can possibly apply back home. Why I'd waited for so long? Of course, there are things to sort out like loans hahaha but I don't want to have a Master just for the sake of having another academic qualification. I'd waited until I really know what I want in my field. But please don't wait for too long hahaha Except for Chevening, most scholarships have age limit and it happened that I have reached it this year so this is the last year I'm eligible to apply for them! Oh tidak! So I really hope I passed this MARA GREP thingy.. Please pray for me!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-74089658527716394722021-04-10T20:45:00.004+08:002021-04-10T20:47:59.208+08:00Academic Journey 1: IELTS is no joke!<p> Bismillah....</p><p>Alhamdulillah, at this point of time we are no longer in MCO and I have been fully vaccinated. However, I still can't get my family to come to Sabah because interstate crossing is only allowed for urgent matters and in the case of emergency. I haven't written much on this blog since August, partly because of me being all preoccupied with my university and scholarship applications. I anticipated the challenges but still I admit that this whole process is very very tiring.</p><p>I am currently in the tawakal phase, waiting for the result for Graduate Excellence Programme (GREP) offered by MARA. Although my departure to UK has yet to be confirmed, I'm very compelled to share this whole journey because I think one of the thing that have kept me going besides the support I received from family and close friends are the blog entries where bloggers shared the reality of their academic journey. </p><p>When I was applying for Chevening, I looked through the previous scholars' blogs and YouTube channel to look for tips. They were all successful applicants thus their writings were very positive. The narratives, I feel, were meant to inspire others and in some, they even make you feel to be selected as an awardee is easy. Having failed twice, I really haven't figured out what is it that the selection committee is looking for. I guess you must really have an exceptional writing skills to be able to sell yourself with just 500 words hahaha</p><p>Anyway, in this first entry I'm going to talk about the International English Language Test (IELTS). Yes, the one that I registered the day after I found out I didn't advance to the interview stage for Chevening. For my case, I needed the IELTS result to apply for MARA scholarship which requires a minimum score of 6.5 and also to convert my University College London's (UCL) conditional offer to unconditional offer where I have to score a band 7. Yes, I manage to get an offer from a top university, Alhamdulillah. InshaAllah, I'll share about university applications in another post.</p><p>The first thing to do is to make sure you register for the correct paper. There are 2 types of papers; Academic and General Training. And be sure to check whether the university you're applying to is a Tier 4 sponsor or not because if it is not, then you have to register for the UKVI which is slightly more pricey than the normal Academic paper. I think the <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.my/exam/ielts" target="_blank">British council website</a> is very helpful with the whole process as long as you take your time to read all the information that they've provided. I registered for the UKVI Academic paper since at that time I have not decide which offer to accept. </p><p>The next question will be how much preparation should you make?</p><p>I had about 28 days to prepare. Knowing that some people had taken the test several times before getting the band that they needed and considering that my last English test was MUET back in 2004, I decided to take this test seriously. After the registration, I received a confirmation email on my test booking and this was followed by several emails on how to prepare for the test and links to useful resources. </p><p>One that I found useful is this free live webinar on Thursdays. So, for several weeks I would rush home sharp at 5.00 pm to make sure I arrive at home just in time for the webinar. I highly recommend these webinars but do not solely rely on them because these webinars will only assist you to familiarize with the formats and the marking schemes but it is not a practice platform. I enjoyed all the sessions and they were surprisingly interactive and engaging. You'll receive the recording a few days later even if you can't attend to the one that you've signed up for.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct3c9Ar7-D4/YHFvJwoyyLI/AAAAAAAAJK4/cJ7EuUyvPBQHVH-BX8cW5D3C3tZkXDE2gCNcBGAsYHQ/s1919/Free%2BIELTS%2Bwebinars%2Bto%2Bget%2Byou%2Bstarted%2B-%2Bhaziahsalleh%2540gmail.com%2B-%2BGmail%2B-%2BGoogle%2BChrome%2B10_4_2021%2B5_18_56%2BPM%2B%25282%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1919" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct3c9Ar7-D4/YHFvJwoyyLI/AAAAAAAAJK4/cJ7EuUyvPBQHVH-BX8cW5D3C3tZkXDE2gCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h356/Free%2BIELTS%2Bwebinars%2Bto%2Bget%2Byou%2Bstarted%2B-%2Bhaziahsalleh%2540gmail.com%2B-%2BGmail%2B-%2BGoogle%2BChrome%2B10_4_2021%2B5_18_56%2BPM%2B%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Oh! I also downloaded the free study guide and adjusted the study plan into my 'busy' schedule. Yes, I was that serious! My money was at stake if I were to retake the exam. And the intermittent surge of Covid 19 cases caused irregular test schedules so I didn't want to risk it. </p><p>This is where you'll find the information on <a href="https://www.ielts.org/for-test-takers/test-format" target="_blank">the format </a></p><p>For listening and reading, I did some practice at this <a href="https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/" target="_blank">British Council Learn English website</a>. To be honest, in reality the listening test is much harder. Firstly, you'll be listening to native speakers of various accents. Secondly, the monologues/dialogues are lengthy so you have to maintain your attention. There was this part in which two architecture students were discussing about house designs from different era. They were talking without any pause at a considerably fast speed. I was sitting next to the radio, so it was loud and clear but still I have to quickly jot down the important points. The task was to match the characteristics with the correct houses and there were seven different types! Mind you, the conversations will not be straightforward and will only be played once. I scored a 7.5 for listening.</p><p>As for reading, although I scored 8.5 which means I only got 2 to 3 wrong answers, I wouldn't say it was easy. The articles given were long and the questions, from my opinion, are sometimes obscure. My advantage was I can speed read and process the information as I go hence I didn't need to reread the whole article to find the answers. However, I do think this is the section where you can score the highest.</p><p>The writing test is where many people had a hard time scoring thus affecting their overall marks. Two-third of the marks will come from task 2 thus more time should be spent on this one. I was lucky to get an easy topic for task 2. The question asked for my opinion on sharing personal details online. If you look through the past questions, many of them were on first world issues that we're most likely not familiar with. Like what's your take on space exploration? Which is better, punishment or rehabilitation? Eating meat vs eating plants? I did prepare for these kind of topics by reading articles in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/" target="_blank">BBC</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/international">The Guardian</a>, <a href="https://www.economist.com/" target="_blank">The Economist </a>and <a href="https://www.rd.com/" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>. I spent 1 to 2 hours per day reading articles on science and technology, economics, arts and even law. Well, I found it enjoyable to discover all these things that I never knew about like feeding cows with seaweed to reduce the amount of methane when they burp hahaha So I could keep up with the habit and I still read these websites everyday until today hahaha</p><p>For task 1, the question that I got was a bar chart. My advise for this section is to study the format, read as many samples as you could and do practice writing with different kind of diagrams. If you could get someone to check for you will be the best but for me, I practiced by writing within the actual time frame and then improvised how I organized my points and my language. The sites that I frequented for this exercise were <a href="https://ieltsliz.com/" target="_blank">IELTS preparation with Liz</a> and<a href="https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-writing-task-1.html"> IELTS buddy</a>. I stick to just these two because I found the techniques that they shared were easy to follow and they have hundreds of sample questions. I think they will also respond to enquiries. How much did I practice my writing? I took a 3 days leave before my exam and I actually manage to use up almost one whole exercise book to practice writing essays.</p><p>And finally, the speaking test which consists of 3 parts. The 1st part is said meant to make us relax where the examiner will ask questions about yourself. I was asked about my work, why I chose my career and what I don't like about it. In the 2nd part, you'll be given a card asking about a particular topic and the points that should be covered as you elaborate the subject. Mine was on telling the truth to a friend and how it affected our friendship. I think the biggest challenge for this task is you must continue talking for the entire two minutes. And in the final part, the examiner will ask more questions related to the question on the card and an additional issue. I was asked on my opinion on cheating in sports and the importance of farming in your country.</p><p>There was a moment when I can't recall this farming method and paused for a while. Then I just admit that I can't remember the name and went on to describe it instead. For speaking, to improve my pronunciation, sometimes I read aloud articles. For the second part, since I have no partner to practice with, I record myself speaking on sample topics. I actually planned my answers ahead. For instance if I were to be asked about an object like my favourite book, I already have which book to talk about in mind. If I were to talk about someone I idolize or a family member or a friend, I already have in mind the people that I should talk about so this save me a lot of time during the 1 minute preparation period.</p><p>Alhamdulillah, I manage to score a band 8 which was my actual target although I only needed a band 7. I purposely targeted a higher score so that I can push myself like the above. Honestly, I think IELTS should not be taken lightly. Take a class if you must. And even if you're confident enough with your current proficiency, do adequately prepare. I was mentally exhausted when it finished and IELTS was the most difficult English test that I've ever sat.</p><p>I hope this post will be useful for future test takers (^^)/ Yes we can! </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-6151724972555016062021-02-24T20:55:00.000+08:002021-02-24T21:00:28.217+08:00The taste of failure... <div>Bismillah... </div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7cWMZBXpP7I/YDH9Op7v2VI/AAAAAAAAJKU/47F8OJ0rWHMb4lra0JyymwtiHVJyXCmoQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1613888825638036-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7cWMZBXpP7I/YDH9Op7v2VI/AAAAAAAAJKU/47F8OJ0rWHMb4lra0JyymwtiHVJyXCmoQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1613888825638036-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><div><br></div><div>This is the view as I was having these thoughts...</div><div><br></div><div>When someone said about wishing to achieve a smooth sailing life, I was confused of how can that even be possible. How can life be smooth sailing? Human will always be tested...</div><div><br></div><div>But to think of it... Perhaps what I have is a 'smooth sailing' life afterall....</div><div><br></div><div>I started to gradually realize this when my response to failure was NO RESPONSE . I was not in the verge of giving up nor all fired up for the next move. Then I recalled, when did I ever fail...? Fine.. I failed my N4 JLPT and that was my first ever failure in an exam at 32 years old. There were areas in life when I really had to put a fight but eventually I always won the battle after going through the blood, sweat and tears.</div><div><br></div><div>I failed to advance to the next stage of my scholarship application, and yes I was not disheartened at all!</div><div><br></div><div>I was startled by how I reacted. After that, I lied down with my eyes closed. Started to ask myself how badly do I want this? I recalled all the challenges and dismay that my friends faced as they went through the process. They eventually got what they want most and all the difficulties felt worth it at the end.</div><div><br></div><div>I then rose from bed, switched on my laptop and booked for an IELTS exam. I needed another thing to look forward to so I could keep going. And it was during my mindlesss browsing after that that I came across my 'ideal' institute of learning, a place I wanted to be most, in a field I'm most passionate about but I've set aside the idea because the course that I wanted was not listed in the scholarship.</div><div><br></div><div>Could this failure be a blessing in disguised?</div><div>Is Allah trying to lead me to my passion rather than let me settle into something that I don't wholeheartedly wanted?</div><div><br></div><div>Haih.. Seriously I can't believe I'm literally struggling to be preserver because I always had it 'easy' (in academic) </div><div><br></div><div>\\(",) Ya Allah, give me steadfastness in my journey to gain knowledge and success. Ameen....</div><div><br></div><div>"You're meant for bigger things, Haziah"</div><div>Said one of the first person to know about the unpleasant news. Haha I remember he made a face expression when I told him what course I was applying for the scholarship so I kind of get the message from the encouragement.....</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-77223685809238687362021-02-02T20:41:00.000+08:002021-02-02T20:41:52.020+08:00Sulawesi 2020: Tanah Toraja Part 1<p>Bismillah...</p><p>There is currently a staggering increase of Covid 19 cases in west Malaysia and here we go again with another nationwide MCO. My goal for this MCO is not to get fat and stay productive! Lol I haven't been posting much about my travels for the past few years so tonight I think I will start with our one and only trip in 2020 to Makassar. This 1st February marks its one year anniversary! Which essentially means it's been a year since I've been abroad....</p><p>I thought of going there out of a whim one evening. I studied the route first before suggesting it to my travel buddies and Alhamdulillah MR said yes to it despite knowing the date that I've chosen is less than two weeks away after her trip to Kyushu. We spent 8 days in Makassar and our route goes like this</p><p style="text-align: center;">KL - Makassar - Rantepao -Ramang-ramang - Makassar</p><p style="text-align: left;">We arrived in Makassar at noon and had plenty of time to go around the capital city before our night bus to Rentapao. We had lunch in a food court that faces the marina and went to the Fort Rotterdam which was just across the food court. There was a family selling snacks and drinks in front of the fort. The husband offered to drive us around town before sending us to the bus stop with a cheaper fare compare to Grab. To our surprise, he sent us not to the bus stop that we intended to go but to a nearby bus stop in which the departure is much earlier. He gave me his number so he could fetch us from the bus stop when we're back in Makassar. But since he was not so trustworthy after all, I decided to ghost him although he did text me many times after that. We end up arriving in Rentapao at 4 am. And the most horrific thing was, Rentapao has many stray dogs that like to bark ferociously at you!</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xf6B5cv_smk/YBksF2FgqoI/AAAAAAAAJIw/xiVCFrEN5a0AUI63UyEh9joWsvj5LRBOACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612262422666508-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xf6B5cv_smk/YBksF2FgqoI/AAAAAAAAJIw/xiVCFrEN5a0AUI63UyEh9joWsvj5LRBOACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/1612262422666508-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">We were afraid to wake the host up so we waited until the sun was about to rise to ring the bell. She felt guilty that we have waited in front of her porch for hours but we were okay. We were extremely happy to find our comfortable beds after the long journey and after facing the fierce intimidating barks. That afternoon Sarah, our host arranged for us a meeting with a senior local guide, Pak Saleh, who is an expert in Torajan history and culture. The best! Hahaha</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NiZH2FoXInk/YBksFTXmX9I/AAAAAAAAJIs/JqX81DUaRBobttZs63tDh9vuExOw7oeMACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612262419193342-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NiZH2FoXInk/YBksFTXmX9I/AAAAAAAAJIs/JqX81DUaRBobttZs63tDh9vuExOw7oeMACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612262419193342-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">I think our itinerary was brilliantly arranged and to me it was the way how Pak Saleh explained about the history and culture that have kept us constantly curious and intrigued for what was next. On our first day in Rentapao we went to visit Kete Kesu Village to have a look at one of the oldest traditional houses in Tana Toraja known as Tongkonan. According to our guide, a Tongkonan symbolizes a strong family bond because building Tongkonan requires labourious efforts from all family members. It is also a symbol of family status. The Tongkonan outer walls are adorned with delicate carvings and buffalo horns. The more horns you see outside, that means the higher the homeowner's social status. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kORuch1kEfU/YBksEfIeg9I/AAAAAAAAJIo/Zd9EGPqwOfMBu2aaSObRv7fofKDuTfFkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612262415410891-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kORuch1kEfU/YBksEfIeg9I/AAAAAAAAJIo/Zd9EGPqwOfMBu2aaSObRv7fofKDuTfFkgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612262415410891-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">We then went on to visit nearby burial sites. Most of the sites are set on the walls of limestone cliffs. The coffins were either hanging from the side of the cliff or placed inside caves that were carved by highly skilled craftsmen. How high the coffins are positioned is the symbol of the deceased social status. The noble family members are placed in higher places while commoners will rest at the foot of the cliff. </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bg-Auu1idgU/YBkuuxQ0SZI/AAAAAAAAJJE/QyoVw9AYG9c2D98kocS9bIGCmLib91MdgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263097580417-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bg-Auu1idgU/YBkuuxQ0SZI/AAAAAAAAJJE/QyoVw9AYG9c2D98kocS9bIGCmLib91MdgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263097580417-0.png" width="400"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture above is a burial site in Kete Kesu which is estimated to be around 700 years old.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see there are skulls on the coffins. As this is an ancient burial site, most of the bodies have completely decomposed. The bones of members of the same family will be placed in the same coffins and the skulls will be put on top like in the picture</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0gwmMxt7zeA/YBkvU3MaUyI/AAAAAAAAJJY/ytJoeIJGDCkH3TYKgclNdgP_0j46qq_XgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263249718737-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0gwmMxt7zeA/YBkvU3MaUyI/AAAAAAAAJJY/ytJoeIJGDCkH3TYKgclNdgP_0j46qq_XgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263249718737-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a burial site in Londa. If you look closely on the left, you can find a white coffin hanging on the side of the cliff.</div><br><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrdXaCoACU0/YBkvUKpZGNI/AAAAAAAAJJU/YfTNo1JPyBcM5TJijfOBaGd0w7dToUiaACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263246316844-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrdXaCoACU0/YBkvUKpZGNI/AAAAAAAAJJU/YfTNo1JPyBcM5TJijfOBaGd0w7dToUiaACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263246316844-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a cave in Londa which is another burial site. You can see there are wooden hearses that were used during the funeral ceremony being left there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wr-3GEQ89F0/YBkvTNY6s7I/AAAAAAAAJJQ/eOnWc2csu3EdOFrXJd2NVTRHrl68pqwwACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263243183085-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wr-3GEQ89F0/YBkvTNY6s7I/AAAAAAAAJJQ/eOnWc2csu3EdOFrXJd2NVTRHrl68pqwwACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263243183085-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Those effigies are called Tau tau. Pak Salleh told us this was to eternalize the physical appearance of the deceased as there was no such thing as photography in the past. The noble families' effigies are usually better crafted that details like wrinkles, moles are visible on the effigies. These effigies wear clothes and ornaments owned by the deceased</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e95orkBM0oE/YBkvSF9Mm6I/AAAAAAAAJJM/CH_p3s0U-74VdJKthg8upawWTvj-pXaxgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263237692259-3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e95orkBM0oE/YBkvSF9Mm6I/AAAAAAAAJJM/CH_p3s0U-74VdJKthg8upawWTvj-pXaxgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612263237692259-3.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><p style="text-align: left;"><br></p><p style="text-align: left;">Our last stop for that day was Bori Kalimbuang where more than a hundred megaliths which are called menhir can be found. This place is where families from the highest classes in Toraja hold their funeral ceremonies and the hut in the above picture is where the slaughtering ritual is performed</p><p style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0FxShvyNF89sV2j0gEnYplo5GYiXXTLUfnW0TorQ8w4T1crdbKGlepl0ng45f3iFyzM8xwsX7_wGR4xrj-x9sDW25_LKY-p7j_6u5mOw_CC1URpfPJr4TXn1x7IgBTY9t5vkv6IInLQ/s1600/1612269706985987-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0FxShvyNF89sV2j0gEnYplo5GYiXXTLUfnW0TorQ8w4T1crdbKGlepl0ng45f3iFyzM8xwsX7_wGR4xrj-x9sDW25_LKY-p7j_6u5mOw_CC1URpfPJr4TXn1x7IgBTY9t5vkv6IInLQ/s1600/1612269706985987-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p style="text-align: left;">These megaliths are stones obtained from the mountains which were then carved to its current shape and later underwent several rituals before they were finally erected here. It was not too crowded here and there was this unexplainable peaceful ambiance to this place. Most of the tourists posed with the structures but MR and I thought that it was kind of inappropriate then. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LC_YlX_YE8A/YBlIiUOarPI/AAAAAAAAJJs/74t0O7rGC1saOmwWdnNIsL_DH40XhmexgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612269703405367-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LC_YlX_YE8A/YBlIiUOarPI/AAAAAAAAJJs/74t0O7rGC1saOmwWdnNIsL_DH40XhmexgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1612269703405367-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p style="text-align: left;">The burial site in this area is unique. The coffins are placed inside holes that were carved into huge boulders. We saw one that was still under construction but there was nobody working then. It looked extremely laborious because they are hand carved!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhYoV9ViR7eeKY0lkeznF6wOpyMF1-lJR82yR0iobl4z29DD6wRReLpeCQPm1PG4j32IdHSnNNWsx9KGSu2Dofj_me3RbaCa65LE2m2ZPKSofqnULYP8yZzhhmA7T6Z-dCbgM3_J1_Ts/s1600/1612269699786946-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhYoV9ViR7eeKY0lkeznF6wOpyMF1-lJR82yR0iobl4z29DD6wRReLpeCQPm1PG4j32IdHSnNNWsx9KGSu2Dofj_me3RbaCa65LE2m2ZPKSofqnULYP8yZzhhmA7T6Z-dCbgM3_J1_Ts/s1600/1612269699786946-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p style="text-align: left;"> That' all for now! To be continued...</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-7373589282368348182021-01-10T21:56:00.004+08:002021-01-10T22:03:30.549+08:002021~<p> Bismillah...</p><p>Before I started with this one, I was looking back at my posts in January last year when I was very hopeful that 2020 would become a better year than 2019. I even posted the recap and the goals in two separate posts! That was just how excited I was about 2020 since in 2019 my grit was consistently tested in all aspects of my life. On the surface, it's easy to conclude that 2020 was such a lame year in which all we did was 'STAY AT HOME'. But when I took some time to look closely at what really happened in my life last year while thinking of what to write for a first post, 2020 was actually not that bad after all. I couldn't even come up with a wordy caption for my annual new year Instagram post because I actually exited the year feeling whole, Alhamdulillah...</p><p>I have been living in a fast lane since forever. My childhood were filled with sports or art classes (in which I end up with the least mastery hahaha). Same goes for my teen years; I am perhaps one of the most active student of my batch. I was in the debate team, public speaking, choir, played volleyball, played basketball... Name it, I most probably have tried and trained in it all~ Being busy has always been part of my life that I just can't sit still. Even when I was still blurry of what I wanted to pursue in my career, I manage to find distractions to keep myself occupied. And even in my 30s, when priorities became clearer and I consciously desired a slower pace in life, I still didn't get the time to sit down to quietly and fully reevaluate and restructure life as a whole. But, yes, 2020 has given me that slow pace for reset! </p><p>The best thing would be the spare time I have to learn how to break bad habits and replace them with new positive ones. Since there was not much going on, I could repetitively execute them without disturbance, eventually stick to the routine and have guilt when I skipped. I think one of the habit that was severed since I left university was my spiritual and religious commitment. I forgotten when I last completed reciting the whole Al-Quran (khatam). Being too tired after work and unable to focus became an excuse to not open the Al-Quran but then I would still have the energy for sports bleurgh~ So, ya, I tried to improve in this department; by hook and by crook I must open and read the Al-Quran every day! </p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c6Ugc7NO5Kc/X_sJMPNFnHI/AAAAAAAAJH4/9E84UcqXK5QfXwA9I09TcfU0O9bG3z9qgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287408647771-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c6Ugc7NO5Kc/X_sJMPNFnHI/AAAAAAAAJH4/9E84UcqXK5QfXwA9I09TcfU0O9bG3z9qgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287408647771-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>One of the biggest challenge was MCO entirely disrupted my exercise routine because my main activities for these past few years have always been jogging and playing games like futsal, badminton and volleyball. Tabata was only an option when I can't be outdoor because of the weather or I was up to something that I can't go for the activities in most days of a week. In 2020, I have no choice but to commit myself to self indoor training in my tiny humble room. I am so grateful that this happen when the internet is already fast enough and there are a lot of workout videos in YouTube to try out. And as the result of this, when restrictions were lifted, I came back to the court without losing my stamina! And nowadays I am also back on the walls twice a week. I did gain weight though after the MCO in October. I blame the variety of food choices since restaurants were still allowed to fully operate hahaha but I am on my way shedding these extra kilos!</p><p>And one that I cherish most is, although I don't get to see my family in Labuan much in 2020, I manage to reconnect with many of my girlfriends from school. It started right before the second MCO in Sabah when one of them organized a birthday party in one of the resort. From there on, more staycations and meet ups have followed. We reminisced, we updated each other on our current lives, discussed current issues and shared knowledge and insights on topics like family, financial etc. It is very refreshing to be surrounded by people who knew us inside out from living and growing up together for five years. We just talked and talked and talked ceaselessly hahaha</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-llAuE9kDsHc/X_sJLQxMxiI/AAAAAAAAJH0/vOsIKnSzR10CuE3UnVVCKqgktArw4RgQQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287405203917-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-llAuE9kDsHc/X_sJLQxMxiI/AAAAAAAAJH0/vOsIKnSzR10CuE3UnVVCKqgktArw4RgQQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287405203917-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>As for 2021, the only thing that I am looking forward to is my Masters application. My application in August didn't past the first screening because I missed the section that tells about the required documents to be emailed. The application was converted to be done fully online last year and there were a lot of confusions. Subsequently, only a small number passed the first screening. I am still hoping to get the University offers and most importantly a scholarship because these are actually the deciding factors that will allow me to make another application for study leave. Like I said I already put my best foot forward hence all I have left is to pray hard for this and leave the rest to Allah~</p><p>Ouh.. I also aim to improve my Japanese this year! I don't want what I learned a few years ago to be buried and lost....</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vfsZAIccC8w/X_sJKcFphQI/AAAAAAAAJHw/HQTsIlxQJBY5NzVD6UiHrEI5g2i2pv4iACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287401222730-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vfsZAIccC8w/X_sJKcFphQI/AAAAAAAAJHw/HQTsIlxQJBY5NzVD6UiHrEI5g2i2pv4iACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1610287401222730-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-48523430714535351782020-11-14T21:56:00.000+08:002020-11-14T22:04:13.780+08:00COVID19 Diary #9<p> Bismillah...</p><p>I feel it's harder to write when I aim to share substance rather than pour random thoughts from my temple hence the slow update of this blog. Alhamdulillah, the number of new cases in Sabah is starting to decrease this week. Today MKN came out with a new SOP and yeay! we are now allowed to dine in and do sports again. </p><p>I have been busy after I was released from quarantine. I was struggling to juggle between work and my scholarship application. The deadline was last week on 3rd of November. Alhamdulillah, I managed to complete the essays. Although writing is quite second nature to me which come rather easily when I put my mind into it, but 'selling' myself on my writings is another thing altogether. I was very much affected by the essay samples from previous scholars too. Their achievements were way beyond mine and their writing skills were impressive. </p><p>There were four essays to be submitted in which you have to show your leadership qualities, your ability to build network, your reasons for choosing to study in the UK and what are your future goals. Having failed to advance for interview before, this time I took the time to read blogs of previous scholars and watch their videos too. And, Alhamdulillah, my boss was the one who personally informed me regarding the scholarship briefing approximately an hour before it started. Compare to 6 years ago, now I have a clearer idea of what the panels are looking for in selecting the awardees. </p><p>To think of it, I could actually exaggerate because the panels will not investigate whether what you are writing is true or not hahaha. But that is against my principle. If I want to win this award, I want to win it with integrity, I want to win it because I truly deserve it rather than try to curate a false image of myself. Eventually, rather than imitating the bombastic paragraphs of the previous scholars' essays, I chose to stick with my own style of writing: fairly highlighting the best parts of my career and honestly projecting what are my future goals. I put my best foot forward to meet the deadline and now I leave the rest to Allah~</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8gkGccMKHcs/X6_j3FlyX3I/AAAAAAAAJHA/KQzDGB7FizkGd50xW8AKmZjblwTGq6VvACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1605362648989975-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8gkGccMKHcs/X6_j3FlyX3I/AAAAAAAAJHA/KQzDGB7FizkGd50xW8AKmZjblwTGq6VvACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1605362648989975-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><i>Me.. After preparing Remdesivir on a weekend.. </i></p><p><br></p><p>There was this very beautiful piece written by sister Aliyyah Mohammad Khuzaini on FB that I shared on my wall about women who achieved great things because the men in their lives, the fathers and the husbands, believed in them. Their spouses didn't perceived their extraordinary capabilities as a threat to their ego hence they became their greatest support. She also mentioned that marriage is not a power tussle but a lifelong companionship to propel each other to excel in every aspect of life. What sister Aliyyah wrote completely resonate with my conception on marriage. I have mentioned somewhere in this blog that my thirst for knowledge, my appetite for success, my eagerness to become a person of action is never to prove to the world that I'm the best or better than anyone else. I'm not wired in such way. That was why I never cared if I get first place in class or not as long as I scored straight A's hahaha </p><p>I have not given up on love lol but I have come to a point where I am extremely exhausted of letting 'people' into my life, subsequently being put down and forced to submission. I have to state it clearly that he-who-doesn't-know (faithful readers will know this character lol) was the only one who didn't treat me so. I sometimes do wonder, does my outer appearance misleadingly display myself as someone who is timid, coy and unambitious. Or did these 'people' regard me like a trophy, like someone they wanted to be seen with because I do noticed one similarity in them is that they will tag the pictures of themselves with me on social media and one even shamelessly told me to post on my wall that I was with him! Sometimes I feel like I should have prompt these men earlier on, "If you're insecure and will feel intimidated by my zest for life, please stay away from me..." Hahaha</p><p>Currently, I just want to focus on bettering myself like preparing vigorously for my certification exam, being attentive to my university applications and my search for funding while efficiently keeping everything else in life in order. Life is not a race. The only person that we are competing with is our past selves. I will patiently wait for 'him' who sees me as a challenge but instead of trying to clip my wings or drag me down, we soar~ together.... </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-13135067279496007202020-10-10T15:38:00.000+08:002020-10-10T15:38:26.064+08:00COVID19 Diary #8<p> Bismillah....</p><p>I'm going to be very very careful of what I wished for with regards to this pandemic from now on. It was just in my last post that I mentioned I kind of miss the slow pace life. Now here I am, on day 3 of my hotel quarantine. I haven't really figured out how to spend the rest of my days here but so far this is very very challenging hahaha</p><p>I'm actually at low risk to get it from the positive contact. However, the fact that I'm living with my parents and the dining table is right in front of my room, I thought it's not wise to risk it until my results are out. The expanses is paid out of my own pocket but yeah having my family infected would be an even greater price to pay.</p><p>The MCO was from 18th March to 9th June. And the RMCO was supposed to be until 31st Dec. Then unexpectedly, Sabah had to undergo a state election and boom! another national outbreak. Currently, the east coast and here is on another cycle of CMCO until I don't know when. I'm actually thankful that I have lived June to September to my fullest haha and for this post I actually want to 'document' what I manage to do after MCO until the current outbreak hahaha</p><p>My first activity was trying out the paddle board when ZA came for a short trip to settle some stuffs here</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FDTsxULlu5Y/X4Fk7yBLzuI/AAAAAAAAJGA/7LTRc7c82WgvpjTgRADPg6dETTHzYh4ewCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315445822942-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FDTsxULlu5Y/X4Fk7yBLzuI/AAAAAAAAJGA/7LTRc7c82WgvpjTgRADPg6dETTHzYh4ewCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315445822942-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Then we went to try the sunrise kayaking. I partnered with NN. The activity was quite a distance; 12 km. I enjoyed it nonetheless since my kayaking techniques have been unused for years so it was kind of a revision. But I had my blades upside down at one time muahahaha and that's the most basic thing. I love the conversation we had as we cruise along the river that morning.</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6VXP5dTQd-Q/X4FktT58ZGI/AAAAAAAAJF0/D6UPA_QmQOMoN01lpgxqantjIOYeDMAMgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315425754277-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6VXP5dTQd-Q/X4FktT58ZGI/AAAAAAAAJF0/D6UPA_QmQOMoN01lpgxqantjIOYeDMAMgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315425754277-1.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Next was our via ferrata trip on the 10th of July. Can't believe I'm back at Mt K after 8 years. I, just like other Sabahans, do have this sense of belonging to the mountain. Honestly, I'm not very fond of the trail though. It was a very fun trip with these crazy bunch, as always hahaha</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MbURS8NtkzI/X4FkoUkjphI/AAAAAAAAJFw/f4Bj2WBYd6If8YkvSpLnbFeEuQHgW8n0QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315404365581-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MbURS8NtkzI/X4FkoUkjphI/AAAAAAAAJFw/f4Bj2WBYd6If8YkvSpLnbFeEuQHgW8n0QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315404365581-2.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Next we went to ride ATV which was originally should have been a special request water rafting activity. The water level was not sufficient so this was a plan B. It was a simple activity yet enjoyable. That suspension bridge crossing was thrilling. On my way back, there was a local crossing the bridge and he didn't even care to stop. I got nervous, stopped at the middle and let him passed first hahaha</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B6hFU_EbS1Y/X4FkjESf6kI/AAAAAAAAJFs/cVwKDWOke-ElaE5dk_vqUGJ29BWhyvoRwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315343943333-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B6hFU_EbS1Y/X4FkjESf6kI/AAAAAAAAJFs/cVwKDWOke-ElaE5dk_vqUGJ29BWhyvoRwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315343943333-3.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Manage to fly to the Peninsular and had a short reunion with the girls. There should've been more of us, but suddenly there was an outbreak in the northern states so many had to cancel on short notice. In hindsight, it would've been chaotic if the original number had turn up. So, if we were to do this again, we'll just book one place and get everything sent to the venue rather than moving from one place to another.</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PPWzjDECrAs/X4FjX0doC2I/AAAAAAAAJFg/qa-ogPEo0KknSKKz5L14Erne813YBWs1QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315036644445-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PPWzjDECrAs/X4FjX0doC2I/AAAAAAAAJFg/qa-ogPEo0KknSKKz5L14Erne813YBWs1QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602315036644445-4.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Tried out the Zip Borneo rope course. For someone like me, who is rather accustomed to high places, the course was quite scary haha I enjoyed the flying fox most!</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fhHUmZBFn5o/X4FjHKnsg5I/AAAAAAAAJFY/QJF8eFBNKJsA9kbjaz5BKgAplIEyeZFGgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314960149201-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fhHUmZBFn5o/X4FjHKnsg5I/AAAAAAAAJFY/QJF8eFBNKJsA9kbjaz5BKgAplIEyeZFGgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314960149201-5.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>Then our trip to Batu Punggul in Nabawan which I'll write in detail in another post, inshaAllah</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kfnd4EvUhIo/X4Fizm0oDTI/AAAAAAAAJFM/ln7qoeLYQMUN1gdQTu0V50u72eNXZ7mnACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314909972025-6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kfnd4EvUhIo/X4Fizm0oDTI/AAAAAAAAJFM/ln7qoeLYQMUN1gdQTu0V50u72eNXZ7mnACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314909972025-6.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>And finally the staycations I had with family and friends!</p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gG1XyRXyQM4/X4FinJDMPlI/AAAAAAAAJFI/Xwd96gERc-Y48vHmI2jywLXSBwAFvXA5wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314839190676-7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gG1XyRXyQM4/X4FinJDMPlI/AAAAAAAAJFI/Xwd96gERc-Y48vHmI2jywLXSBwAFvXA5wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314839190676-7.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TiZRC0YXL0c/X4FiVtPgwDI/AAAAAAAAJFA/o4CiBqoIFn4-Qd3atn1V2Bpk1479VBrrwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314822816643-8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TiZRC0YXL0c/X4FiVtPgwDI/AAAAAAAAJFA/o4CiBqoIFn4-Qd3atn1V2Bpk1479VBrrwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1602314822816643-8.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br></p><p>It's really easy to be resentful, to be depressed with what's going on right now but I'm choosing not to be affected by all the noises. I want to focus on the good things that are happening in my life and most importantly center my attention at my role in handling this pandemic....</p><p><br></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-56647736293037148662020-09-15T22:37:00.003+08:002021-01-22T21:15:53.107+08:00COVID19 Diary #7<p> Bismillah...</p><p>It's raining cats and dogs outside and I'm currently down with a low grade fever. I kind of miss living life at slow tempo. Now that everything is back to normal, I haven't been able to find time to sit and write. I just realized it's been more than a month since my last post! And I'm currently having difficulty getting around my own blog because everything in this window look so different!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1xPG3h4g1Q/X19lYphqLGI/AAAAAAAAJEo/yKiYzFSrP_E7Lo4y8CaikF0a8blT8NiHQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1254/21e992f0a439189d37ef4611c064be49.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1254" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1xPG3h4g1Q/X19lYphqLGI/AAAAAAAAJEo/yKiYzFSrP_E7Lo4y8CaikF0a8blT8NiHQCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h181/21e992f0a439189d37ef4611c064be49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is a very famous excerpt from surah Al-Baqarah, verse 216. But I'm going to share with you the beautiful translation of surah Al Baqarah from verse 214 to 216....</div><div><br /></div><div>Do you [believers] suppose that you will enter the Garden without first having suffered like those who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misfortune and hardship, and they were so shaken that even [their] messenger and the believers with him cried, "When will God's help arrive?" Truly God's help is near (2:214)</div><div><br /></div><div>They ask you [Prophet] what they should give. Say, "Whatever good things you give should be for parents close relatives, orphans and the needy and travelers. God is well aware of whatever good you do (2:215)</div><div><br /></div><div>Fighting has been ordained for you, though it is hard for you. You may dislike something although it is good for you,or like something although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not.(2:216)</div><br /><p>Before I go on to share how these verses resonate with my latest resolve, I just want to make clear that verse 216 is actually about encouraging jihad against the transgressors. Where Allah acknowledges the difficulty; that it could be a burden in one's heart to leave their family and endure the hardships of jihad. And then Allah reassures that He has better knowledge on how things will turn out in the end....</p><p>Life.....</p><p>My friend and I was having a small talk inside my car while waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive for dinner. And he went on rambling in disbelief why I was so easy to let it pass and quickly move on. "I have a life to live, you know..." I simply replied.</p><p>If I were to name the events that changed me forever, I wouldn't hesitate even a second to give my answer. The first would be when I can't walk for 4 months because of a fractured femur and the second would be when I lost Nurul. I still remember how I used to bury my face on a pillow in the evening and started to cry my heart out after a tiring day walking around to attend classes, or do lab works or even go for hospital attachments. "Ya Allah, grant me strength.. Grant me patience.. Please help me to go through this.." was my daily plea. </p><p>During my disability and in my state of hopelessness, I was just like the believers mentioned in verse 214. When I finally triumphantly pull through, I had two things in mind. One was I should not waste my time because I will never know when I'll be in such state again; immobilized and extremely dependent. Secondly, I aspire to be someone who is part of an answered prayer, part of this 'help' that comes from Allah to those who are being tested. And Nurul's passing sort of refined and affirmed the whole intention; that when it's time to return to the Almighty, I hope I leave this world in the state of husnul khatimah, a beautiful closure...</p><p>I did allow myself to grief. I didn't go through that one particular thing that upsets me recently without shedding tears. I confided to my closest friends that I was to an extent perplexed, hurt but at the same time I know it's not yet the end of the world for me. I prayed my istikharah, I prayed as much as I can for guidance and for what's best for many months. Then why would I be in (prolonged) despair when the answer to my prayer initially hurt me. "...God knows and you do not".. And guess what, it didn't take long for things to unravel and I started to see Allah's protection in what He'd planned for me. Alhamdulillah....</p><p style="text-align: left;">Focus...</p><p style="text-align: left;">Again, what's meant to be will find its way to you... Meanwhile, I need to focus on my current goals that need a lot of things done. I'm glad that I managed to summon the courage to call someone I highly look up to. I was actually calling to ask for a big favour but then it turned into a lengthy conversation. He was not only happy to help me out, but he was also giving away tips and offered to connect me with some people who he thought could be of assistance to ease the journey. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I guess that popular quote that says we shouldn't reveal our next move is not always applicable. In this thing that I'm about to set on, actually by letting (select) people know of this plan of mine have helped me a lot in getting the necessary information and resources. Alhamdulillah....</p><p style="text-align: left;">Set the intention... Do the work... And leave the rest to Allah~</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-37335796019896956332020-08-04T23:43:00.006+08:002020-08-04T23:52:51.965+08:00I am Muslim first.... Part 2Bismillah...<div><br /></div><div>Alhamdulillah, despite reemergence of new Covid19 cases, by Allah's will, I was able to spend this year's Eidul Adha with my family in Labuan, However, my time there was short because initially my friends and I planned for a short getaway but we decided to cancel it instead due to the increasing number of new cases. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As I was saying in my previous post, I 'slipped'. A minor test got me questioning Allah harshly. I still feel guilty for the words that I uttered and has since become all sensitive. I'm not that sad anymore about the thing that burdened me at that time. But my eyes are so easily filled with tears these days whenever I recognized the blessings that I've been given and my answered prayers. I was fighting back tears when my uncle was reciting du'a for our family before dinner and I start to shed tears inside my room when I heard my brother's voice leading the congregational prayer. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I recall, it was just a normal school day when I was in form 3 and we were, as usual, chatting endlessly during prep. Then somebody brought up the topic about learning how to recite the Al-Quran and most of my friends there were actually taught by their own parents. "I was sent to attend classes since I was in kindergarten", I told them. But what I didn't reveal that afternoon was, I was the only one who can recite the Al-Quran in my family. I was very very envious. You know, at that age we are so conscious about not having what other kids have. I was also slightly enraged and remember thinking, why do they send me but didn't learn it themselves? I remember staying back at the musolla after Isya' prayer that night. The musolla was unusually empty and I was alone. That was the night when I started asking Allah to open our hearts and ease our journey in seeking the knowledge of Islam, to always guide us in the straight path and I asked for us to remain steadfast.....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I waited so many years for the answer to my prayers. When I was in UIA the jealousy was still there because most of my friends were from (I don't know how to precisely say this) religious background. And then suddenly somewhere after I graduated, my uncle initiated the idea to call for an ustaz to teach Islam and the Al-Quran for the whole family and from then on things started to fall into places. And when we we were tested with Nurul's passing, we already could recite the Al-Quran as a family and all of us understood that all the pain and sabr will in return be a reward for us in the Hereafter, inshaAllah.... That was why I got so emotional when my uncle recite the du'a and my brother being an Imam. That was something I prayed hard for. May all of us always be His grateful servants....</div><div><br /></div><div>I briefly allowed myself to grief for the thing that has burdened me; although it was minor, I don't want to deny it, cloak it and let it swell inside. I told myself, "Haziah, tomorrow you're going to wake up as usual. Do the things that you do best. And do good~"</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTgiIwgx17U" width="320" youtube-src-id="lTgiIwgx17U"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the thing that I'm grateful of amidst this pandemic is that the MCO has allowed me to sort of 'reset' spiritually. I was looking at my posts back in UIA and a few years after I graduated before I started writing this one, how my writing was actually full of reflections during those days. I think it was around 2014 that I started to write lesser, most posts were about my travels and some were random short ones just so this blog don't stay dormant for too long. I decided to start actively writing again last year for the love of writing itself and I noticed that there are still loyal visitors so I wanted to share things that are beneficial instead of rambling too much about my worldly affairs and frustrations lol</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I've mentioned so many times how in my 30's I've learned to prioritize, manage to be more productive and already able to find balance. But truthfully, when it comes to practicing religion, there were lax here and there. Like performing solah in lightspeed, uttering du'a out of habit rather than uttering it by heart.. Things like that~ But, Alhamdulillah, Covid19 and MCO has allowed me to reconnect with Allah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />So I'm still exploring the videos in the Yaqeen institute website and for the one I shared above, my favourite part would be the ending where he said about if you have money and position, be like Abu Bakr r.a, And if all you have is time, be like Abu Hurairah r.a. Abu Bakr r.a as we know was from a noble family, the closest and most loyal companion of the Prophet pbuh and was later the successor of the Prophet pbuh as the first khalifah ar-rasyidun. And Abu Hurairah r.a as we know was poor and utilized his strong memory for the service of Islam. This brother's last remarks made me want to know more about Abu Bakr r.a. There are 3 videos where Sh. Omar Suleiman talked about the life of Abu Bakr r.a and I manage to finish listening to them on my way from Menumbok to KK today.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to retell what the 3 hours lectures was all about, of course. I like everything about the lectures; from how he gained the title as-Siddiq which is the same title given to Prophet Ibrahim a.s. to his roles at the beginning of Islam and as the Khalifah. But what I want to share are the things that wowed me the most of all the wows hehehe</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The extensions of Abu Bakr r.a good deeds...</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Abu Bakr r.a was the first man to embrace Islam and right after he embraced Islam he went to invite others to embrace Islam such as Uthman r.a, Abdul Rahman Ibn Awf r.a and Saad ibn Abi Waqqas r.a. These are among the sahabah with immense contributions in Islam. Uthman r.a and Abdul Rahman Ibn Awf r.a are known for their generosity while Saad ibn Abi Waqqas r.a was the one who went to China. It was Abu Bakr r.a who have led them to become among the first to accept Islam. And for every good deed that they performed, Abu Bakr r.a has a 'share' in it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>His love for charity and his humility...</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Before he was a khalifah, he used to help milk the goats belonging to widows and orphans. And when he was appointed a khalifah, his officials advised him to stop doing it so he can focus on more important matters. He refused and said he doesn't want his position as a khalifah stopping him from doing the small deeds that are dear in the eyes of Allah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Doing good deeds in secrecy...</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Umar al-khattab r.a always aspire to emulate Abu Bakr r.a so he was always curious to what else Abu Bakr r.a is doing to attain jannah. He noticed that Abu Bakr r.a would walk to the outskirt of Madinah everyday after the fajr prayer and one day he decided to follow Abu Bakr r.a. And then he saw Abu Bakr r.a entered a small house and only left the house before noon. After Abu Bakr r.a left, Umar al-khattab r.a went to the house and found a blind elderly lady with kids staying there. He asked the lady who was the man who came to her house and what was he doing there. The lady said she didn't know the man because the man never bother to tell her his name. The man came everyday to help her clean the house, do chores and cook for her and her orphaned grandchildren and will only leave when everything is done. Nobody would've known this if Umar al-khattab r.a didn't follow Abu Bakr r.a that morning. I believe there must be so many other good deeds of Abu Bakr r.a that is unknown to anyone except Allah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Abu Bakr r.a was promised jannah by the Prophet pbuh but knowing that fact didn't make Abu Bakr r.a complacent. He kept doing the things that pleases Allah regardless of how his social status was raised to become a leader in Islam. </div><div><br /></div><div>To think of it, we actually can become like Abu Bakr r.a. If you're in healthcare like me, maybe our effort to keep our patient healthy can grant us the 'extension'. Perhaps we could get some 'share' of their good deeds when they are in good health. Abu Bakr r.a also taught us that we shouldn't stop doing the small things that of benefit just because we have bigger things to attend to. And some good actions should only be known to us and Allah. The last point is actually a very good reminder in this era of excessive sharing...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-54917868004308650722020-07-25T18:00:00.002+08:002020-07-25T18:00:53.777+08:00COVID19 Diary #6Bismillah....<br />
<br />
I initially intended to continue with my I am a Muslim first 'series' but tonight I'm too mentally exhausted that I don't think I can resume with that. It's been 3 weeks since I'm back to my own station and life is back at full throttle by now. Although the number of beds in my ward has reduced, but the cases that came in are mostly complicated ones and I've been actively seeing patients for counselling everywhere in the hospital as well. I'm still trying my best to keep life in order. Alhamdulillah, as of today my room is still neat and tidy lol that's a benchmark.<br />
<br />
Well, as what I've written in many of my recent posts, I've been battling with self-doubt since the early of the year although I'm highly motivated to achieve something more in my career. And finally, I found the courage to just go for it, take the risk, put in the effort and then leave the rest to Allah. Lo and behold, I've purchased the academic module of the professional exam that I wanted to sit and I'm going to tell you how much it cost me... I can buy a return ticket to Europe with that amount of money! Not a promo ticket ya~ Hahaha And that doesn't include the exam fee and there's actually a second supplementary module that I feel is also important. But I'll have to save some money again before purchasing that one. And MR actually shared with us such a timely quote for me,<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7GaRzHWUP-E/XwXN8ADZ37I/AAAAAAAAJDc/D9ePvSyc_sQSJvXde1-bGXv_pN9PwQFGwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1594215920524081-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7GaRzHWUP-E/XwXN8ADZ37I/AAAAAAAAJDc/D9ePvSyc_sQSJvXde1-bGXv_pN9PwQFGwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1594215920524081-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
<br />
<br />
This part is written 2 weeks after the above...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2-7gig8fW58/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2-7gig8fW58?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm still trying my best to continue with the tadabbur every week but there were weeks when I didn't get to watch the videos too since I get too mentally exhausted after work to fully concentrate. I was surprised that the tabs were arranged differently one day and realized there were new tabs added. That's when I found this very inspiring video by Mohammad Ouyon, the founder of Roll with me, an app that helps people with wheelchair get around.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I always have this soft spot for people with special needs especially after I get to be involved in an International Paralympic event during one of my semester break during university. The athletes were either born with congenital disorders or for some, the disability were acquired. In our naked eyes, they are people who will need a lot of assistance to make do with life however during that event I discovered how Allah actually blessed them with greater gifts that are not found in normal people. I was constantly amazed and inspired and I don't know, perhaps I repeated 'Subhanallah' zillion times that whole week every time I witnessed their extraordinary capabilities. So, when I watched this video, the same feeling came rushing in again. MashaAllah... If we really really ponder, the creation of Al-Khaliq (The Creator) is never deficient. Brother Mohammad Ouyon, for instance, not only he is given the intelligence to design an app that will benefit many, he was even given the chance to inspire a random stranger by doing what's normal for him..... If this guy sitting on a wheel chair can do so much for our ummah, why can't we do the same?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivKaeIQ5-bM/XxvZv5ajEyI/AAAAAAAAJDw/A6t6WYkgEL0bfKQnKtakPCyjmWakdQZzQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/japanese-actor-haruma-miura-in-attack-of-titan-dies-in-suicide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="600" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivKaeIQ5-bM/XxvZv5ajEyI/AAAAAAAAJDw/A6t6WYkgEL0bfKQnKtakPCyjmWakdQZzQCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/japanese-actor-haruma-miura-in-attack-of-titan-dies-in-suicide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And then we were shocked by the death of Haruma Miura. A very talented actor who seem to have it all. I remember in that same week, I was listening to an interview by Aida Azlin with Daud Kim and the part that drew my attention was when they touched on the purpose of life. Being born Muslim, we are all ingrained with the concept that if we don't get what we want in this life, we will reap the fruit of our efforts in the Hereafter, that some gratifications we sought in this life is delayed but promised. So, honestly, I don't understand why people are so easy to give up on life until after I listened to the interview. Daud Kim mentioned about how in his culture, life is like a race and the aim is to be number one. Thus when this is not achieved, it's easy to believe there's no meaning in staying alive after that. So Daud Kim found one of the beauty of Islam is it gives you meaning to strive for the better and if you don't get the result here in this world, inshaAllah, the rewards await in the Hereafter...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lopCoDcvRs4/XxvexuRLjrI/AAAAAAAAJD8/tGhs1r9l_0k7PBnuKm0wdhGFK5PEv9X2wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/B54PbaQCMAI1iyz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="500" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lopCoDcvRs4/XxvexuRLjrI/AAAAAAAAJD8/tGhs1r9l_0k7PBnuKm0wdhGFK5PEv9X2wCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/B54PbaQCMAI1iyz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I believe this is everybody's favourite verses at the times of trials and tribulations. Very concise but the meaning is very deep and the message is immediately reiterated.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Something is burdening my chest, I talked to my cousin about it a few days ago and she attentively listened to me and supported me. Little did I know that she is also facing a slander which is an even bigger test as compared to mine. I actually felt ashamed after that. And then we went on to remind each other that this sadness is how Allah wants to reward us through Sabr. This is another process of being stronger, an opportunity to learn and also to make us closer to Allah through our sincere prayers. Don't you think during the time of sadness, we really really communicate with Allah? Hehehe</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I felt guilty that for a short while, I actually 'slipped'. I subconsciously questioned Allah "Why do You always do this to me? bla bla bla..." it was quite peevish, to be honest. But Alhamdulillah, I snapped out of it shortly after that. "Astaghfirullah.. Haziah, this is not you, this is not how you talk to Allah. Allah owe you nothing..." Indeed Allah owe me nothing....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I might not be born with a silver spoon in my mouth and my family tree can be a bit confusing hahaha but Allah blessed me with a family that is just perfect for me. We are not rich, but our rizq is never inadequate. We might not have millions, but inshaAllah, the rizq that Allah bestowed upon us is protected from syubhah. I'm luckiest to be blessed with a very supportive family; we were brought up to believe in hard work, to love attaining excellence, to be accountable and responsible to our own mistakes, to live within our means and to be useful and of service for the betterment of the ummah. My cousin and I had the opportunity to participate in a lot of community service programs since childhood because mommy was working at JBS and those days Rakan Muda was still very active. I guess that's why both of us land in jobs that are second nature to us; me in healthcare and my cousin in education. My best friend said to me that night during my breakdown, "Wealth and status is fleeting. Allah can take that away from us in one night if He wills..." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
InshaAllah this grief shall pass.... We shall all continue to walk in our paths. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "AL-Mohanad Bold"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: purple;">عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرْ رضي الله عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : أَخَذَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبَيَّ فَقَالَ : كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيْبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيْلٍ. وَكاَنَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُوْلُ : إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "AL-Mohanad Bold"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><span dir="RTL" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: AL-Mohanad; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span><span dir="RTL" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span>[رواه البخاري]</span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><u style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: purple;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span></u></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: purple;">On the authority of Ibn Umar (R.A.), who said: The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) took me by the shoulder and said:<o:p style="box-sizing: inherit;"></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">"Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler/wayfarer." </span></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Ibn Umar added:<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"> "When evening comes, do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from your life for your death." </span></span>(Bukhari: 6416)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll end this post with this hadith...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A powerful message that reminds us that the dunya is only a temporary abode and we should spend our time here to prepare ourselves to return to our 'permanent home'. While we are in good health and still able, we shall focus in performing our duties as Allah's vicegerent on earth as best as we can.. InshaAllah...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-46201857991641276932020-06-25T22:48:00.000+08:002020-06-25T23:07:19.826+08:00I am Muslim first.... Part 1Bismillah...<br>
<br>
Malaysia has now transitioned into recovery phase since the 9th of June and I think our lives has, in most parts, turned to (new) normal. The ward I'm in charged of is back in operation since last week although with lesser patients and so is the clinic. My life is back to its pre-covid19-era pace and that basically explains why I haven't been updating the blog.<br>
<br>
I'm currently imposing my version of PKPD, although with a different definition. PKPD in my context means Perintah Kawalan Perbelanjaan Diperketatkan hahaha I felt obliged to help the country move the economy when the recovery phase commenced. So I sort of overspent and now it's time to get back on track<br>
<br>
For the past few weeks MR shared with us some podcasts that she thought was relatable. The topics were...<br>
<br>
Sense of self<br>
Walking contradictions<br>
Boundaries in social media<br>
Working woman and her money<br>
<br>
What's unique about the podcasts was, instead of listening to a speaker conveying a speech, we actually listened to a conversation between two friends on the above topics. They shared their personal experiences, what they'd learned from the books they read or from other individuals, which part of the Al Quran and hadiths that touch on these topics etc. As I was listening, I actually felt like I needed to join in the conversation and shared my thoughts as well, so I decided I should just write them on my blog...<br>
<br>
<br>
In the first topic they talked about how the changes in our lives could lead into us feeling that we've lost ourselves and become something else that we were previously not. And sometimes, this fear of losing the sense of self cause us to be afraid to step out from what we are familiar with. Some changes are inevitable such as from being a student to being a trainee and then attain the status of a full-fledged pharmacist. By hook or by crook, we have to adapt! But then the real challenge, I feel, is how do we advance to the next level on our own when the course is not something that is obligatory but is dependent on our options, decisions and efforts. And as I get older, I have to put my thoughts a lot into these kind of things.<br>
<br>
<br>
Yesterday I received some email alerts related to my plan to further study. Surprisingly, my heart was racing as I click them one by one and read through the content. I sighed to the tedious requirements and processes described in the emails and even asked myself "Do I really want to do this?". There is this battle inside between my strong desire to pursue a masters degree and my discomfort about leaving behind the usual, the customary. It's really tempting isn't it to clock in before 8 am, clock out sharp at 5 pm, get paid at the end of the month and plan for activities with familiar faces. Why would I want to change that when I'm completely in control and most importantly happy with life?<br>
<br>
<br>
And then later in the afternoon I received two Whatsapp messages from two dear friends. One was about a news that I already knew over the weekend; about one of the person that I'm working with got awarded (again) with a highly prestigious scholarship. Having worked with him in person, knowing his work ethics and the standards that he put for himself, I think he really deserve it. He has been for years one of the person that I'm comfortable to have academic and clinical discussions with and from whom I seek advice. In those early years of working together, he often talked about my potentials, about how I shouldn't be shy to shine and make full use of them. He said, "Haziah, you must learn to sell yourself or these potentials in you will not be recognized and worst wasted!" I shrugged, turned to him and replied, "I'm just not as ambitious as you." And he was beaming with pride when he learned that I got offers from high ranking universities in UK back in 2015 (which I had to defer due to some personal reasons). Perhaps I was too young back then to understand what he meant.<br>
<br>
<br>
The second message was a pdf document containing information about a scholarship application. We just had a conversation about her going for her subspecialty program this October. For her, to get to that was a two years winding journey. She had an offer from a university abroad and even secured a scholarship last year but despite of multiple attempts, her application for unpaid leave was rejected. She tried again this year but applied to a different program and a different scholarship. Alhamdulillah, this time everything went smoothly. She was accepted by the program, she succeeded with the scholarship too and best of all she was granted a full-paid 4 years study leave without her even trying as hard as she did the year before!<br>
<br>
"Wow! That's definitely Allah's timing.. MashaAllah.. You actually got something better than what you've worked hard for and failed before, I would say.."<br>
"Yes Alhamdulillah.. Perhaps Allah wants to see my effort before answering my prayers.."<br>
<br>
<br>
After reading the messages my thoughts drifted to some of the scenes in the Omar al-khattab series that inspired me. How the companions left the beliefs of their forefathers, firmly chose the truth and held firm to their new belief although they knew it will cause them to be cast out and even tortured. How they continue to uphold the amanah given by the Prophet pbuh to spread the message of Islam although that means they will have to travel to corners of the world which, during their time, was not only unfamiliar but also treacherous and perilous. How Sayyidina Omar r.a. was open to trying new things but still in accordance to the Al Quran and Sunnah when the society and the economic structure became more complex during his rule. There were so many examples in that series that tell us that the readiness to CHANGE is imperative to attain greatness.<br>
<br>
I opened my organizer, start writing the important dates and designed a timeline of what's need to be prepared.<br>
<br>
<br>
The women in the podcast also talked about how it's normal to feel that your sense of self will be threatened after you got married since you're not just you, your parents' daughter and a sister to your siblings anymore, you'll add new roles into your life as well as new people. You're a wife and then, inshaAllah, comes a role of being a mother. And also with one man into your life, he comes along with the in laws and new relatives. I like how they explained how they coped with that and manage to maintain their own identity. That is to be always aware that, despite the sacred bond tied between the husband and wife, each of them are still an individual. While loving, sharing and giving to each other, it is still possible to prioritize both parties' happiness, celebrate differences and it is still possible to do some things independently. Oh I definitely will extra extra extra love my husband if he is the aforementioned type lol. Like I said in some of my posts before, I always believe that the hopes and dreams of both parties are equally important and must be achieved together! Hahaha semangat~<div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qtU8szrIF9k/XvS5xwB5jnI/AAAAAAAAJDE/9Mrd94yyiJkVrrkYtBDaMzYPVcXNkkSvgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1593096650256132-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qtU8szrIF9k/XvS5xwB5jnI/AAAAAAAAJDE/9Mrd94yyiJkVrrkYtBDaMzYPVcXNkkSvgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1593096650256132-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br>
<br>
I actually didn't write this in one go. I just finished with the juz 8 tadabbur session and still found some energy to finish this post. The theme the sheikhs chose to focus in this juz was 'Guidance'. Some points of the discussions were very related to my current circumstances that I actually felt like crying as I listened and wrote my notes. I felt like, wow, Allah made me watch this at the right time. I was not free after the last one. He gave me the time and the energy tonight when I'm in a situation where I can deeply connect with the parts of His message that is being discussed.<br>
<br>
"If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would lead you away from the path of God. They follow nothing but speculation; they are merely guessing" Surah Al-An'am, 116<br>
<br>
This surah is a Meccan surah hence this verse actually talks about the people of Quraysh. But the wisdom in this verse is so much more whereby Allah is actually telling us to not be complacent; not only in the pursuit of religious matters but in all aspects of life. This ayah is to empower us to be willing to pursue the truth, pursue for the better although it is not common. It encourages us to be willing to take the necessary step forward, to make sacrifice if needed and to even challenge our intellect to become so much more.<br>
<br>
I've been doing a lot of thinking about changes and this sense of self thingy for the past few days. More than when I first listened to the podcast, I think, about 2 weeks ago. I think the scarier the path, the greater the impact of that path to our life. And Allah didn't just make that path scary for nothing, it's the choices we make as we walk that path, the efforts we put to complete the journey and who we eventually become after we manage to pass that path that matters.<br>
<br>
I questioned myself,<br>
<br>
What is it in my current life that I'm afraid to leave behind? My freedom? The nights out? The routine? The comfort? The fun?<br>
Are they worth to let go so I can take up a new role?<br>
Are they worth to let go so I can learn more and do more?<br>
Are they even the integral part or the core of my happiness?<br>
<br>
Sometimes the things that we are afraid to lose are actually not even the important things in life...<br>
And most importantly are not the important things to present to Allah when it's time to meet Him...<br>
<br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4472025536892317302.post-85988954885799236662020-06-06T22:56:00.001+08:002020-06-06T23:10:53.738+08:00Book Review: The Quran, A new translation by M.A.S Abdel Haleem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bismillah...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another long weekend with few things to do. I was thinking the other day, why hadn't I booked any ticket to travel somewhere during this period. It's quite unusual for me to not notice an opportunity to go for a long holiday with just a few days leave from work. Perhaps Allah spared me from the hassle and stress of cancelled bookings so I can focus on responsibilities hahaha</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm trying my best to fill my time with beneficial things these days although of course I'm screaming inside waiting for the day when I can do outdoor activities freely again. But this is still bearable although I've always been an outdoor junkie. To me travels, activities and also writing is a way for me to recharge and recalibrate. It's an important part of my life but I never see it as a life purpose. Rather those are the things I do to find balance between what I can offer to the world and what I 'earn' from this world.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have some friends who confided that they are quite reluctant to start with beneficial things such as working out, Al-Quran classes etc. because they are afraid that they won't be able to commit and end up stopping midway. I think I started my routine somewhere during MCO phase 3, when the number of cases started to come down and my workflow started becoming more stable. Every day, I manage to allocate an hour in the morning to check on any medical updates on Covid19 except during holidays LOL. And since I don't have ward rounds these days, I'll spare about 2 hours for online CME for pharmacists. If I don't have enough time to finish the session in one go, I will find time to finish it the next day. And as for Al-Quran recitations and tadabbur, I'm trying my best to make sure I read the Al-Quran every day without fail and I aim to finish a minimum of two tadabbur videos or online talks every week. And I've been steadfastly going for my runs too. I can say I'm a moderately disciplined person, not too hard on myself but I always ensure that life is orderly. So far so good hahaha</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm not sure if I can stick to these routines because life is ever evolving. To me the most important thing is to start doing. If you could keep on doing all the valuable and constructive activities come what may, then that is very good! But if you stop, that is not at all that bad. At least you did spend some time for good stuffs while you were able. Or perhaps, one day you'll go back again to doing them when the circumstances is more convenient for you. Well, honestly, I'd slowed down in gaining Islamic knowledge for the past few years myself. There were times when I even signed up for a free Islamic Studies diploma and stopped midway! And now that I'm able to go back again, it is somewhat refreshing. Okay, I think this 4 paragraphs rambling is going to be habit now haha so here's the book review~</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Oz1NbphlVgQ/Xtr_sN3DR2I/AAAAAAAAJB8/UwJDPJSlYAkMYcu9vPaLC89jDI-0jsZbACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410608145922-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Oz1NbphlVgQ/Xtr_sN3DR2I/AAAAAAAAJB8/UwJDPJSlYAkMYcu9vPaLC89jDI-0jsZbACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410608145922-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While watching the videos I always have with me the Al-Quran and also this English translation book. Every IIUM student used to have this black cover English translation of the Al-Quran for our Islamic input classes and the language was poetic that I found it quite hard to decipher. But for this translation by M.A.S Abdel Haleem , the language is simpler and more fluid which you can see in one of the picture below. I read reviews about this translation and this is realized after many years of meticulous hard work. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aYz3cOtxp4k/Xtr_rCT2Z1I/AAAAAAAAJB4/EJv_Zm21bSU9pLLOIdgViIPw0m2vKZAXQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410604515343-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aYz3cOtxp4k/Xtr_rCT2Z1I/AAAAAAAAJB4/EJv_Zm21bSU9pLLOIdgViIPw0m2vKZAXQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410604515343-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the table of content. I actually missed that Introduction part of the book and just read it last week although I've been using this book since earlier this year. This is a very concise introduction but, to me, it touches all the important aspects needed to understand the Al-Quran. I read the stylistic features twice; I always find this very hard to comprehend even when listening to talks. The historical account of how the Al-Quran was compiled and the initiatives taken to preserve the Al-Quran by the khulafa al-rasyidin has always fascinated me. The third caliph Uthman r.a ordered that copies of Al-Quran be distributed to different parts of the Muslim world during his rule and we saw one of it when we were in Uzbekistan!!!!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K9mdIhTeFOY/XtukTDFeVpI/AAAAAAAAJCQ/MITvJzuYXeUyOYZxGv9ZJVzZPqHXxI0HgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591452748442044-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K9mdIhTeFOY/XtukTDFeVpI/AAAAAAAAJCQ/MITvJzuYXeUyOYZxGv9ZJVzZPqHXxI0HgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591452748442044-0.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
<br />
<br />
Below is an example of the translation. This is surah Al-Fatihah. As you can see, below the translations there are footnotes that further explain certain verses. Having this book while watching the tadabbur videos works very well for me. Since I watch the recorded ones and not the live session, I get to rewind the points that I didn't pay attention to and also pause the video so I can read further in this translation book. I think this active learning is much much better than just listening. I stopped listening to Islamic podcast during my commute to work because I keep on wishing I could write down what the sheikh is saying hahaha so I only listen to TedTalks podcast these days.</div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d3MDtZHfajU/Xtr_qWpqL8I/AAAAAAAAJB0/XdmJftBxUEAU7ocS86TJ-TIxVG8BtK66gCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410600601166-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d3MDtZHfajU/Xtr_qWpqL8I/AAAAAAAAJB0/XdmJftBxUEAU7ocS86TJ-TIxVG8BtK66gCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1591410600601166-2.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div>
<br />
<br />
I actually just finished with Juz 7. Quite slow there but I think it's okay to not rush as long as I grasp the input properly. The guest speaker for that session was Dr Nazir Khan from Canada, He summarized on the objectives of Juz 1 to 7 which I will post, inshaAllah, in the future. But what I want to share here is what he said at the end of his discussion that the journey to Allah, to seeking the truth does not only call for spiritual growth but also for moral and intellectual growth.<br />
<br />
My friends and I recently are quite obsessive about studying the history of the Islamic world; from the Prophet's pbuh time to the khulafa al-rasyidin and then to the rest of Islamic empires. Having also visited some of the Islamic historical sites made it even evident to us that all these greats names in Islam, who are not only known for being pious and righteous servants of Allah but are also known as excellent people in their respective fields were, during their lifetime, motivated by none other than iman (faith) and taqwa (fear of God). If we truly understand our amanah as the vicegerent of Allah then perhaps we won't take the many roles that have been bestowed upon us lightly.......<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0