my life update

I've been busy after raya...most of my colleagues took 2-3 weeks off, so we have so many things to settle including course work marks, grants etc..also, so many gossip...hehehe..

I managed to spend my weekend at Kuna's place last week. Me and Syaf visited our 'sentimental places' e.g. Tasik Melati, MRSM Perlis, Taman Ular...A week before SPM, me and my classmates spent our time at Tasik Melati to study history...I never even got B and above in history, but I got A for my SPM....hahaha..Tasik Melati changed a lot compared to more than 10 yrs back while I was there-so fast..I feel like I just sat for my SPM last year hahahaha....young forever! When we visited MRSM, they actually had graduation ceremony..so we only wandering around to see familiar places such as Desamara Anggun, Ekhwani, Bukit Gondol etc...Hmm, I don't know either I do like MRSM or not since that place changed me a lot...physically and mentally...Best parts of our visit were foods and shopping...nice ikan bakar and seafoods in Kuala Perlis..Shopping at Padang Besar and Wang Kelian..Don't know how much I actually spend there...hehehehe....

Here is a note from my students...sweet haa?? :-) well, I never wrote to my lecturer though...

When the idiot talk

hmmm..the news in The Star today really make me want to vomit...:-D How on earth SIL said he will use 'protection' as PM's son in law..Well most of us alert how he already misused the connection to the Sleeping beauty PM...oh well I never believe he will use the protection to change UMNO for better...

His comment on myteam is another disaster. Those who watched Myteam2 vs Indonesia will definitely curse him for his remark :-) Started with opera singer Ning Baizura sang Negaraku song in her version. If her version was nice, I don't think I even bother..But she sang the song in God knows what version, very slow...no energy...I was very surprised when only 1 news paper commented about it since the event belonged to SIL..If the event belongs to me, no doubt even my friends will comment on it, am I right???:-) The game was a complete disaster. How on earth the team that was trained almost a year, recruited the player around Malaysia, trained for a week or so in Manchester-end up loss to Kampung-Trained Indonesian??? And then this people say it was a good game.....hello, are you guys deaf or blind??? Or kiss ass too much?

oklah, don't want to ruin my day..hahaha...

Raya datang lagi...

This year seems the 'fastest' Ramadan since years ago..hehehe...with unbelievable workload and so on, all I realize Raya next week yeehaaaa...

Since first day fasting, I think I barely missed pasar ramadan. Keep changing from 1 pasar ramdan to another. During weekdays, I always have colleagues to 'shop' with me...I use the word 'shop' because we really 'shop' :-D from 1 stall to another, taste almost all foods..which stall sell the best murtabak, lemang, ayam panggang, ikan bakar, kuih, nasi kerabu etc, you can just simply ask us..hehehe...Also, sort of unofficial role in my house, I have to cook over the weekend. I showed them my talent in cooking ranging from nasi arab, nasi ayam, nasi tomato, spaghetti etc...For a person who hardly cook before I went to NZ, it's quite amazing...:-))

About baju raya, technically I don't have baju raya. However, before Ramadan I sent several 'work clothes' to my tailor. Since I only got them 3 weeks ago, this raya I have 3 baju raya...Plus 2 kebaya which I only managed to fit it now, I have 5 baju raya...hahaha...quite vogue this raya...


About kuih raya, of course I don't make any. I ordered 10 types of kuih raya ranging from my favourite tat nenas, chocolate short bread, putu kacang, tempeyek etc...typical kuih tunjuk I would say.

I only take 2 days extra leave for raya. I have so much to do including lab reports to mark and quizzes..Also, I have to sit for Bahasa Malaysia exam after raya. It's unbelievable...So many changes in Bahasa Malaysia since 1990s....:-( Really have to put some effort to study tatabahasa...

Well, those people in HR sort of don't have raya spirit yet...They call me for interview in Minden Campus this Wednesday. They just called me last Friday. Thank God I don't have to balik kampung (since I live in kampung) or else I might miss this interview..ok, wish me luck for the interview!

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin!

Ramadan in Malaysia

This is my first fasting in Malaysia since years ago :-D Quite challenging coz I still haven't completely change..hehehe...

The best thing about fasting in Malaysia is Pasar Ramadan. Here, heaps of Pasar Ramadan. We just need to decide where to go. Several factors need to consider such as how easy to park our car, food price, specialty, distance, and not to forget how crowded..hehehe...as for myself, normally I can't stand crowded places...Either I go early or not going at all...I enjoy buying food. Unfortunately, my body seems cannot accept heavy food during breaking fast...since last few days, I sort of lost appetite. I only had kueh for breaking fast and bread for sahur. Well I guess, I just don't like white rice hehehe..maybe I should find other option...

Teaching during fasting is quite challenging...sometimes, i can see student sort of 'lost'..Not sure due to sleepy or hungry :-D or eat too much last night! hahaha...we tried to be patient though..Work wise, too many marking to do..hundreds of lab reports, quizzes, test, assignments to mark..all of them must be ready after raya. Raya break is actually study break for university, so we can imagine how much work need to be done during raya :-)..I don't think I will take extra leave for raya...

hmmm..time to order kueh raya..heaps of supplier...we can choose from kueh 'kampung' to modern. Since my area consider as kampung, the price is not too bad...can order more and more kueh...

Baju raya? next post....

KC's visit to USM

My SchoolLast Friday, KC visited my school. It was quite embarrassing because my office was in complete mess. hehehe..Actually, we've been busy with RU, research niche and also research proposal that due on Friday..He arrived 30 minutes earlier that's why I didn't have enough time to tidy up my office..full of files and papers everywhere...:-D

We had lunch together with my colleagues at Hotel Damai (the only hotel in this kampung). After that KC gave seminar. I brought him to visit our lab which is much better than UoA :-)
May be we could have collaboration in the future....

Here are several pictures..

How do I look in Baju kurung :-D

Here is the abstract of his talk.

Seminar on Progress in Polymer Electronics

Dr K.C. Aw

Mechanical Engineering Department

School of Engineering, University of Auckland,

New Zealand

Date: 30^th August 2007

Time: 2pm

Venue: Seminar room, SMMRE

Abstract:

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on solution-processible polymeric materials have shown impressive improvements in their performance during recent years. These devices have been developed to realize low-cost, large-area electronic products. This review gives an overview of the research work performed at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland.

Several topics covering the development of OFET’s non-volatile memory incorporating ZnO, polyaniline(PANI) nanotubes field-effect transistor as gate controllable diodes and newly synthesized functionalized polythiophene as OFET deposited using electropolymerization technique will be discussed.

Some pics...

Here are several pictures around engineering campus. The first two was fishing competition in REDAC pond. I did not fish though :-) I was there just to represent academic staff to give moral support to my school's team..The weather was very hot...

From my left Aida (assistant registrar), Khairol (technical staff) and Iezan (office)

Engineering campus in 'Kampung'

My OBE class (120 students)-group exercise

Office siapa la yg bersepah ni?? :-D

My new toys....

Ahaks....here are pictures of my new toys....Most of my friends laugh when I told them I bought these :-D

Treadmill and exercyle. Those abs trimmer and gymball were from NZ

My toys in my bedroom

My justification, since the past 3 months I barely have enough exercise..First, of course my routine work in which I finished work after 6pm. It's too tiring to go for exercise after work. Second reason was uncomfortable gym in USM. Of course the gym was not well equip compared to UoA. Moreover, very few exercise gadgets there or in bad condition. They were not well maintained. Probably , it's not our lifestyle here...:-) In the first place, I still make time to go for a jog, play netball or squash. However, nowadays it's almost impossible to make time to do so...

A couple of weeks ago, me and my friend went for PC fair in PISA Penang. As expected, the traffic was a nightmare to go back. We decided to detour Queens Bay Mall. That's how I decided to invest in treadmill. At that time, they had promotion-buy treadmill get an exercycle and slimming belt for free. It was quite a good bargain although I actually paid extra to upgrade the exercycle. The one for free was not my taste and too far from gym specs..hehehehe...

Now, I have enough equipments in my bedroom, treadmill, exercycle, abstrimmer and gymball (which I bought in NZ)..Next on the list will be a set of dumbbell...hahahaha


To date, I can't be sure either I really make a good investment or not. Of course I don't have time to exercise everyday, but I still make efforts to exercise several times in the morning. My main point is I would rather spend my money for a good purpose rather than save the money for God knows why... For me, I prefer to have all those things even if I don't use it. If something goes wrong with me in the future I know it's not because I'm too stingy!

*Kuna said my treadmill looks like Ferrari car hahahaha