Le Tour de Perak

I'm going for Perak until Monday- for some medical check-ups, community services and a lil bit of fun.

Until then, don't miss me!

P/s- we spent a week having classes with our new friends who came to visit us from National Ribat University, Khartoum, Sudan. When I got a hold of some pictures, I'll tell you the tale, yeah? ;)

Tiredness

At times like this, I wondered why I volunteered in many different things that would only make me feel more tired and have a lot more work than I have. But then, the answer is always the same- I want to give back what I know.

No, that philosophy of mine does not come from Petronas' brand essence (Energy Received, Energy Returned, Aspiring People Everywhere), rather it's something that I wanted to do even while I was back in Perth. It's just that, I didn't get the chance to actually do something about it. Now that I see many opportunities to do so, I simply grab the chances.

Maybe it's something that I enjoy doing; or perhaps it's one way for me to test if I've really understand something but teaching other people is something that I think a two-way partnership, not only the other party get something out of it but it's also for my banefits.

Anyhow, only one week before semester break! I've a few plans to execute, couple of promises to fulfil and a number of mission to accomplished. Pray for me yeah?

Memory bites

They came home in December, yet we couldn't find a common date when all of us could sit down and chat all day long. Just for around half an hour in the morning with Yan and then about 45 minutes in the evening with Fhad; both in two different places- a bus station and an airport, yet those less than an hour meeting were ones I would really remember want to cherish for the rest of the year, until the time we can meet face to face again.

There were so many things to talk about, yet so little time. Believe it or not, it's been a year since I last stepped my feet in Perth. Things moved on and changed- and so am I; yet the friendship and trust we have in each other are still the same.

Let's pray it stays like that for the rest of our lives, insyaAllah...

Guys, I'll still be here when the time comes for you guys to come home, yeah?

Priceless Rewards

Last weekend was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. We went to PD on Friday afternoon; two busses with the whole lot of us 2nd year- except for some like Nabil and Ummu Salamah- they had their basic life support training. Where I had mine, I had no cert to prove it because mine was done under UWA. Nevertheless, it was good to be reminded again on how to do CPR and correct technique of first aid.

Though it was fun, the real eye-opening experience on the weekend had to be going on Mercy's banjir relief mission after we got back from PD. Initially we were supposed to go to Bera, Pahang but the place changed afterward to Klinik Desa, Kertau, Maran, Pahang. We reached Maran's Kompleks Rakan Muda around 10.30 p.m on Saturday and were briefed about tomorrow’s mission and that the whole Pahang’s water supply was cut since banjir time and that we were to meet in the car park area at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.

I supposed it was a good training for us, as part of Young Mercy in CUCMS and as a volunteers ourselves. On the way to Kertau, which took almost an hour from Maran town itself, we could see the devastating left-trail of the flood- the muddy colour of the flood covered half of the trees by the side of the road and washed the paddy field in murky brown. Even judging by the level of the water, it could cover up our cars and more! Being a city girl, I've never been in a place where it flooded and it just made me humbled by how powerless we are as human. When we reached Pusat Kesihatan Kertau (situated right by the river bank) –where we were to clean the area- we were saddened by the thick mud that covered the floor of the buildings; everyone agreed that if we feel heavy-hearted seeing the disaster, what more with the people who actually lived there. On our way, we could see people were washing and cleaning their houses for those who had return from temporary flood relief centre.

Mercy had gotten 2 truckload of water supply and we began work promptly. UEM's volunteers were also there and Dr. Jamilah herself were there with us. By the end of the day, we were all sweaty and tired but CUCMS students being CUCMS students, we headed for the nearest waterfall- Air Terjun Teladas before heading back to Cyberjaya.





That was my first volunteering experience and seeing how small contribution if combined and united would make even a slightest difference, my sister and I determined to join more if we could in the future.

It's tiring and the next day your body would be aching in many places, yes, but the experience itself, the unseen rewards in your heart- it's priceless!

4 cousins, An Aunt and An ABC Place

Friday night. After 9 p.m. Somewhere in KL.
3 cousins, an aunt (or the mom for two the two girls) and another cousin to join a bit later; sitting on a round plastic table by the road, eating ABC and having Girls Night Out- 'The Cousins-Aunty Style'

Drawn by the topic of marriages (one of our cousins just got married last week and another would be by next year, insyaAllah), we talked about the food served- and it made us all laughed like anything: satu bungkus nasi lemak, teh tarik and cucur pisang as favour! That would be most cost effective and easy, ain't it? Give plastic fork and spoon and paper/plastic cups, there'd be no issues of having to wash the dishes. Ok, one may want to serve some kuih around too.
There's no rules saying we have to have nasi minyak, right?

If just someone's brave enough to set the trend, maybe in future we'd have morning tea instead of lunch hour kenduri =P

*P/s- this entry's meant for jokes, unless you want to perceive it as serious topic.

Returns

One by one they return home.
There's small spark of jealousy, she shamefully admits.
And at times like this, it's part of her favourite passtimes to look at old photos.

Or maybe she just misses flying again.

3 A.M.

3 A.M.

It was dark outside; pitch black and cold for a land that had nothing much except buildings and trees and not-so-big roads. Her eyes avidly looking for more information to be included into her assignment; yet something prompted her to check her email- just to rest her eyes for a moment.

There was an article -a story was more like it- sent into her inbox. Not wanting to spend too much time into the story, she just read it through. And then it clicked in her mind; the night before she spilled her worries and stresses and whether she had the strength left to go on to a colleague and now she's left with a question:

Was it really too much for her to handle?

It was like a peace for the mind- to know that someone in the past had endured more, physically and mentally and it was someone that she had been looking up to very highly and admirally. After all, hadn't it always been a reminder to her that "Allah tidak membebani seseorang melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya..." [Al-Baqarah (2):286]?

She took a deep breath,
at 3 A.M in the morning.

Threading on a thin path

Slowly, her eyes opened; though there was some feeling of relief, instantly there was a flood of what she had yet to do. 2 days of weekends would not be enough, unless you have superhuman strength.

At times like this, she felt like she's being thrown in too fast, too quickly and too abruptly that everyone's expecting too much of her. One minute she'd been told to do this, and the next she's told a different thing, then another moment she'd been accused of being ignorant.

When she agreed and accepted the fact that it would be a rough, tortuous path, she didn't expect that it had the power to break her spirit. There were a lot of people around her, yet none she felt could hear her truly... Or perhaps it was just her, unable to voice it out.

She wondered how long she could hold on to a thin thread, before she would finally crumbled and break...

I Miss... (2)

The lake opposite on Mounts Bay Road. Mounts Bay Apartment (where I lived before) is just across this lake, on the other side of the pond if you can see the buildings. The right picture: Black swans- just as what Western Australia is known for.


Study area of mine and Alia's (before I moved the table and bookrack into my room) and our kitchen area- I miss...

I miss my Perth days… not because I was 'forced' to come home 2 years earlier than expected, but more of nostalgic memories I shared with my neighbours a.k.a. the girls of ex-Taylors Perth. I have to say those memories with them are ones of the craziests and most memorable I'd ever have.

In the first month of us living in Mounts Bay (after 2 years living in Currie Hall- one of UWA's residential collages)- Alia's putting together the stool that we bought in Ikea (in Osborne Park, in which Ansar kindly drove us there and helped us to put together the shoe rack too)

The stop for Blue CAT that would take us to Perth Esplanade Busport (and we changed bus to UWA) and into the city. CAT = Central Area Transit- free bus ride in the city area.

Fast Eddy's- where we'd love to linger and have hot choc!

I miss my old bedroom in Mounts Bay.
I miss the times where after tired looking at the computer, I could lie down on the couch browsing the tv channels for something good to watch.
I miss the time when I would walk with Alia or Zura or Diana to the city and it took us only 10 to 15 minutes to walk, compared to taking the Blue CAT.
I miss the time when I felt lonely studying alone at home, I'd go up and joined Zura and Diana upstairs.
I miss the time when Alia and I would laze around the living, watching Air Crash Investigations, Seconds from Disasters, Will and Grace or Megastructures.


Kings Park- beautiful at night, breath-taking in the day (haven't heard from a couple of them in the photo for quite a long time already...)

Tasha's house- where I'd run to when I had problems and needed to stay away from Mounts Bay. Tasha's mom would kindly took me in (and fed me well =P)- I miss them...

These bubbly lot- I miss (Shila's not in the photo)
Ex-Housemates of G20!


I also miss these people...


Farah (in Manchaster at the mo') and Allahyarham my Grandmama...


Shikeen and Ila, two ol' buddies whom I've known since I was 8 and 9
Shaza and Faizah, two good friends who are more like sisters now

---------------------------------------------------
Listening to: "Make a Prayer" by Sami Yusuf

O people
In a hut made of tin and clay
A small boy dreams away
Of clean water and a meal a day
And not to fear mines as he plays each day

O people
Somewhere dark and out of the way
Aids has found yet another prey
To save his life he just couldn't pay
Tell me what we're going to do
For our brothers in Durban
For our sisters in Darfur

Show me what we're going to do
Are we just going to sit there?
Nice and cosy on our armchairs
Will we not even make a prayer?

You, you might ask yourself
Why should I help these people?
They'll tell you why
We're not so different from you
We have dreams just like you
But they were buried with the
bodies of our loved ones

O people
Are we deaf, dumb, and blind?
What is going through our minds?
Don't we care for the rest of mankind?

O people
We claim to love peace and justice
Why do we preach what we don't practice?
Let's help them out of this darkness

Tell me what we're going to do
For our brothers in Ethiopia
For our sisters in Rwanda
Show me what we're going to do
Are we just going to sit there?
Nice and cosy on our armchairs
Will we not even make a prayer?

Something The Lord Made

ESP (English for Special Purpose) is part of the subjects that I have to take; it's run closely with PPD (Personal and Professional Development)- one Thursday it's ESP, the next Thursday would be PPD.

Last Thursday, we watched an HBO film, 'Something The Lord Made' and I have to say it's worth the whole Thursday afternoon in the audi to watch it. It was based on a true story:

"...moving story of men who defy the rules and start a medical revolution. Their patients are known as the "blue babies" - infants suffering from a congenital heart defect that turns them blue as they slowly suffocate (Tetralogy of Fallot- if you're a med student).

Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) make a brilliant team. But even as they race against time to save one particular baby, the two occupy different places in society. Blalock is the white, wealthy head of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Thomas is black and poor, a skilled carpenter whose dream of going to college and becoming a doctor was ruined by the Great Depression, although he was naturally gifted with the intuition and dexterity of a great surgeon"
(More info: http://www.hbo.com/films/stlm/)

We learnt about interpersonal conflict weeks before and there were obvious examples in the movie; not just on that matter but also of ambitions, dreams, hardwork, discrimination and intrapersonal conflicts. People might say how you handle it is entirely up to the individual but then again interpersonal conflict always involves at least two parties and when another party apart from ourselves is involved, it means unless there's effective communication, both parties would feel dissatisfaction, anger and perhaps resentment towards each other.

Similarly I now find myself in perhaps a situation that could resemble somewhat of interpersonal conflicts and perhaps it's involving more than two parties. Sometimes even when we're aware of our surroundings, the different perceptions people are having on us and our own desires to do things our way, we might forget that people have feelings and that perhaps unless we say it out loud, there would be slight discomfort and dissatisfaction simmering around.

I've never been in this kind of situation before and frankly I'm kind of at lost of what to do.

Back in 2000 when we moved to Kerteh, I thought I learnt about life back then. But now 7 years after, life has never fail to throw me aback and ponder have I done the right thing. It was a principle back then that 'life is a great teacher, learn from it' and I think I'm still holding to the same principle...