End of year post

Because this is like a yearly tradition.

So, here it is. 2012. I have great memories of 2012. I can't list them all, but oh well, a lot of significant things (for me). 

1.  Went to Taiwan with my friends. First time abroad WITHOUT any of my family members/relatives.
2.  Won National Novel Writing Month 2013. Yaay! 
3.  I-Mag Magazine 5th Issue is published and it's the most awesome issue so far (which many people praised it) and I was the assistant editor (LOL, nak jugak bagitahu). I-Mag is iPhA's (IIUM Pharmacy Students' Association) Magazine. 
4.  Managed to survive my first semester of 3rd year without getting permanently deranged. I was temporarily deranged throughout November and December 2012.  Yeah.
5.  I got full marks for my swimming test. Yaay! I can swim with proper techniques now! No longer gaya berenang kampung-cikgu yang cakap :P 
6.  The praises I received from a very important person, assuring me that I am actually a good emcee. :')  (immediately happened when I was feeling down, doubting and questioning my own abilities)
7.  Went snorkelling at Pulau Payar. It was AWESOME! 
8.  Family vacation at Batam, Indonesia and it was awesome as well! :) 
9.  Jalan-jalan cari makan with my cousin and brother in Singapore. Want to do it again! :)
10.  Weekend getaway at Cherating, where my parents came to Kuantan to visit me and I was in the midst of studying for a series of quizzes but hey I was really happy they came :')
11.  Read a total of 46-47 books (can't remember) this year. My target is 60 books per year. Oh well, let's achieve this target in 2013! :) 
12.  Volunteered for English Reading Programme 2012. Had fun and satisfaction sharing stuffs with the kids and teens! xD. 
13.  Had great fun at our batch's Annual Grand Dinner, whereby I was awarded with 'the Jedi Award!'. Haha.
14.  Participated in a forum and well, I crapped a lot! xD
15.  2012 is the year where I started to get health-conscious and I took care of my diet and started exercising regularly tapi tak istiqamah sampai sekarang :((
16.  Someone had stolen my bicycle. Apa jadi dah entah bicycle tu.. T__T
17. Watched Star Wars Episode I, II, III, IV, V, VI and I love Star Wars. :)

Well, there are A LOT of other things that happened in 2012. Of course, 365 days! Wait, it's 366 (leap year, kan?). And at the end of this year;well, I got to confess that I could sense and see that I've changed, I am more matured than I was before, and I learned a lot of things about myself, yeah. I've made new year resolutions, but let's just keep them to myself (unless I actually managed to cross out the things that I've planned!). 

So, hello 2013. Another 365 days filled with adventures, insya-Allah. 24 hours a day. There is simply A LOT of things that I could do! With Allah's wills, yes. Beneficial things. Doa supaya panjang umur, murah rezeki, sihat tubuh badan because there are many things that I need to do, many things I want to change, and that includes myself. For the betterment, Ameen.. 

24 hours

Salaam'alaik and a very good day to all. 

24 hours a day. So far, there is not even a single day that I fully utilized the 24 hours that is given to me throughout these 22 years of living (fine, minus zaman kanak-kanak Ribena). Wow, only now do I finally manage to comprehend the meaning behind 'Time is a Gift' or Gold, something like that. 24 hours, you could do so many things! You can change the world in just 24 hours! You could win a war for 24 hours. You could save a patient in 24 hours, You could finish your Literature Search if you allocate a full 24 hours for it.  

You could get Dean's List if you study for 24 hours oh this is irrelevant isn't it.

This is a matter that we have known all along but had never been meticulously pondered on before; and now I realized it. There's a reason on why Allah gives each one of us 24 hours. Not more, not less. Equal opportunity for all. Allah is Just and Fair.

Let's give a simple analogue. 

A mother gives each of her children RM24 (katakanlah ni zaman 80'an boleh beli banyak benda dengan RM24). She tells her children "You can do whatever you want with this RM24. Spend them wisely". And off one of them bought a lot of candies, another bought a new games or something, etc etc. And when the RM24 had been spent, then only they would feel regretful of the things they had bought. 

"If only I keep this in the bank," or "If only I save this money and collect more so that I could buy that thing that I really need," and the list goes on and on.

So let's ask ourselves "What have you done with the 24 hours that Allah had given you?"

I tengok internet, tidor banyak kali (kan sekarang musim hujan sangat kondusif untuk berhibernasi), lepas tu I belek-belek notes je, lepas tu bukak internet, belek notes lagi and then eh dah malam, tidur balik. Apa nak jadi ni haihhh...Sekarang baru tersedar. Nasib baik. Kalau leka je sepanjang masa? T__T

Oh, this reminds me of an unfinished book (wajib baca sampai habis!) 

  24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim by Harun Yahya. You can download the PDF version here. 

Okay, so now I have less than 48 hours until my first paper (Subject: Dosage Design II) for the finals. I have to:

1. Finish studying this particular subject (banyak laaa notes dia)

2. Finish my second draft of Literature Search

3. Finish my part of the Ophthalmic Preparations Lab Report

Okay, this 3 je. Fret not, I still have 30 hours! Erkk... please pray for me. :D 

General Penicillin and the Wise Witch Cordyline

Salaam'alaik.

Initially, at the beginning of the semester, 90% of the 3rd year Pharmacy students of IIUM had added the subject 'Literature Search' to their study plan. 

But then, just last week, 40% of them had dropped the subject, due to several reasons such as limitation of time, etc. 

 I'm not one of them, alhamdulillah. Come what may, whether I have to sacrifice my sleeping time and do not sleep at all throughout this study week, I MUST finish this literature search THIS semester so that I could proceed to Research Project about my Literature Search NEXT semester, insya-Allah. Ameen ya Rabb'al 'alamin. 

Literature search in this context is not a research about the works of Charles Dickens nor is it about how to interpret the deep meanings of William Shakespeare's poems and plays; it is about how you have to read more than 20 research articles, journals and academic textbooks and piecing them all up together, integrating them into one research paper---> hence it is called literature search! I seriously have no idea on why would the scientists call boring research articles as 'LITERATURE'. It might be probably due to the reason that they wanted to minimize the degree of boredom and mundanity, of which they failed to do so. *sigh*.

So, what is my literature search all about? It is actually quite interesting, if I put it this way. I couldn't afford to tell everything about it from A to Z, but this is a brief explanation about my so-called research work. Muahahaha.

For years, the wicked and notorious Mr. Staphyloccous aureus had brought destruction towards the residents of a great country called 'The Human Body', and the native defence armies of the country (the Leukocytes) failed to protect their fellow citizens from this harmful invasion. Many had died, and the Human Body died as well (WTH?) 

Then came General Penicillin, the saviour that they had been waiting for all these long. The brave, gallant and courageous General Penicillin bound to the Penicillin Binding Proteins of Mr Staphyloccous aureus and stopped the synthesis of its cell wall (which serves as their Achilles' Heel), rendered them helpless, unable to survive. 

This immense success had brought General Penicillin to its worldwide recognition. But.... that was until the last descendants of Mr.Staphyloccous aureus secretly devised a plan, which later manifested into the form of an indestructible army, which is the Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Penicillin and Methicillin (who is his brother in law) could no longer stop this new army's aggression.

And so, Mr Staphyloccous aureus and his comrades are in their glorious reign again, but as powerful as they are, they could still be defeated by some newly formed penicillin-based armies. Still, they continued to become resistant and resistant as time goes by.

General Penicillin then realized that they could not defeat Mr.Staphylococcus aureus all by themselves. They need help! 

By that time, words had spread across the 'Cells World' on the existence of the fair and wise Witch Cordyline terminalis who could definitely help General Penicillin to defeat and destroy Mr.Staphylococcus aureus forever through their synergistic effects.

So, the question is, could they defeat Mr.Staphylococcus aureus? Will Mr.Staphylococcus aureus and his men continue to build new, resistant army? Will the brave and good looking General Penicillin fall in love with the beautiful and wise Witch Cordyline? The answer lies within my research paper. Muahahaha. 

Oh yes, macam ni lah best kalau nak buat Literature Search. Wakakakaka. 

Christian the Lion

Salaam'alaik and a very good morning to all.

Deranging December is almost over, alhamdulillah we managed to survive without getting permanently deranged ourselves (I think)! xD

Anyway, I started my first free day by watching youtube (whaddya expect? we have got no television here in our room :P) and being random as I always am, I decided to rewatch this video that my friend Syau had once shown in our class for tazkirah session.

When Syau showed the video (different one than what I've watched in youtube) I admit that my eyes had gotten all watery but I controlled my emotion because come on, do you expect me to bawl my eyes out in the lecture hall, filled with human beings?! haha, no. 

Anyway, about 1 year later, I felt the sudden longing (whatever you call it) to rewatch this. Well, actually it is not that sudden. When I logged on to facebook this morning, I watched a video about the relationship between a special Down's Syndrome toddler with a dog. I almost cried la.. haiyoo..

That got me thinking (and remembering) about this story, Christian the Lion. I went to youtube, typed 'Christian the Lionheart' and tadaaa, I watched the first video suggestion. 

And I BAWLED MY EYES OUT, I cried to my heart's contents (not that loud of course, you know that I'm exaggerating, I still have room mates). 

In other words, if it weren't for the box of tissue papers that is available on the desk, I would have cried buckets! 

I cried throughout the video, the choice of music fits the heart warming scenes extremely well! Excellent, just excellent!
I stopped crying and then my roommate, Diba came into my compartment, asking "What are you doing?" and off I showed her this video and the both of us cried.
Then, another roommate, Sharifah came and watched this video together with us. The three of us took the tissue papers and started wiping the tears off our own faces. HAHAHA. 

I cried watching this because this shows that Allah's power encompasses every living thing, just every thing between the heaven and the earth, and beyond the heaven and the earth. His mercy is shown in the most unlikely creature, in this case, the unconditional love from a predator towards its potential prey, the human beings! Allah is great, indeed! I feel deeply touched, extremely comfortable and relieved with Allah's Power to do everything, because I know that I could just depend on Allah, I could rely on Him. I could ask everything from Him. I know that He would protect me if only I put my faith and trust towards Him. Watching this makes me further acknowledge on the supremacy of Allah s.w.t and I cried because Allah is just soo... GREAT. 

My wise, philosophical-thinking mother once told me "Don't worry, we are in good hands," referring to Allah who had taken good care of us all these while, Alhamdulillah. 

An-Nisa' Verse 147. 

So, believe in Allah, be grateful for everything He had given you. :)

On another note. remember the previous post about my Korean Drama addiction? I have stopped, completely stopped watching Gaksital right after I have published that post. It was hard at first, but the first step is always the hardest step to take. (LOL) and look at me, I'm completely cured of the addiction! :P

Though of course, I would watch it after the final exam. xD

Please pray for my success in this world and hereafter! :D

Drama Withdrawal Symptoms

Salaam'alaik.

A very important (extremely!) reminder (and warning!) to anyone who's going to sit for final exams in 2 weeks time. 

DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO WATCH EVEN A SINGLE EPISODE OF A DRAMA YOU HAVE NEVER WATCHED BEFORE!!!

You will get addicted to the drama series! That is, if the drama is the most amazing drama you have ever watched!

In my case. it's GAKSITAL known as 'Bridal Mask', a period drama based on a Korean manhwa (comics/manga) by Huh Young Man.

Yes, a KOREAN DRAMA huhh..

To tell the truth, I prefer Japanese Dramas MORE than I do of Korean Dramas. Korean Dramas have TOO  MANY EPISODES! But Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (having 54 episodes) is an exception! 

Dae Jang Geum is by far, the BEST Korean drama I have ever watched. 

But that was until....

I WATCHED BRIDAL MASK!!!

You know, I thought it was a harmless action, to watch only one episode when I was having lunch. I thought that I would not be interested to watch the following episodes.

I WAS WRONG.

I was intrigued, excited to know what happened next, even after the first episode, and I continued to watch the 2nd, the 3rd, the 4th and the 5th. Without me realising it, I have actually spent FIVE HOURS watching this drama! What a waste of time!! Oh, this happened last week, by the way.

I felt very guilty and I stopped watching. 

And right now, I've already reached the 12th episode!! T__T (there is a total of 28 episodes in this series).

I tell myself "Sarah, it is time to stop. It is now or never! The series just get better with more episodes to come. You'd better stop watching now or you will never stop watching it until the end!!!"

So yes. I stopped watching. And I couldn't concentrate on studying. HAHA.

It is clear that I am having the 'Drama withdrawal symptoms'.

Addiction Signs and Symptoms

All addictions [...] involve both physical and psychological processes. Each person's experience of addiction is slightly different, but usually involves a cluster of some of the following symptoms of addiction. You can still be addicted even if you do not have all of the symptoms.

There are many different addictions, but similar symptoms span them all.

Some of the common symptoms of addiction are:

1. Tolerance- the need to engage in the addictive behavior more and more to get the desired effect.

For Example: A drama addict might feel the need to watch more dramas.

2. Withdrawal happens when the person does not take the substance or engage in the activity, and they experience unpleasant symptoms, which are often the opposite of the effects of the addictive behavior

For Example: A drama addict may feel withdrawal symptoms once a drama has ended or between episodes of a drama.

3. Difficulty cutting down or controlling the addictive behavior.

For Example: A drama addict may find it hard to cut down on how much they watch.

4. Social, occupational or recreational activities becoming more focused around the addiction, and important social and occupational roles being jeopardize.

For Example: A drama addict may start referring to dramas on a daily basis or may end up watching dramas at work.

5. The person becoming preoccupied with the addiction, spending a lot of time on planning, engaging in, and recovering from the addictive behavior.

For Example: A drama addict may set aside time for their addiction or work on other dramas to keep their QC status.

Signs of Addiction

Extreme mood changes - happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc.
Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night.
Changes in energy - unexpectedly and extremely tired or energetic.
Weight loss or weight gain.
Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times.
Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual.
Secretiveness.
Lying.
Changes in social groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations.

Taken from here 

Why is Gaksital so awesome?

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIES IS AWESOME!!

It tells the story about this 'superhero', known as Gaksital (Bridal Mask- because he wears a mask) who fought against the Japanese Imperial Army and the Japanese occupation on the whole in Korea during the 1930's.

It's like Korean version of Batman!! And I love BATMAN!!

I love ALL THE soundtracks of this series.

I love ALL the actors and actresses. They have impeccable, highly commendable acting skills!! They are really GOOD and they really got into their characters, if you know what I mean and thus, I was so moved by  their acting and I couldn't stop watching! 

You know, there's a saying that if you do something from your heart, you'll touch people by their hearts too! 

I love everything about this series la!! 

But I have to stop watching it.

So yes. It's always hard in the beginning. But I will get over it. Please pray that I will overcome this torturous addiction... :(

Byee...

Post NaNo Part 2

Salaam'alaik and a very good day to all.

So, Nauseating Awesome November was finally over eh?? YAAY!

But yeah, here comes the most difficult month of this semester, the DECEMBER. I call this particular month as DERANGING DECEMBER.

I started December 2012 with a huge zit just popping out on my face out of nowhere (I attributed it towards stress and hormonal fluctuation, LOL) , with my team mates and I currently struggling towards the completion of our BIOSTATISTICS AND PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY research project!!! 

I hate SPSS, seriously. 

Anyway, something VERY FUNNY happened just now. Make sure that you read this till the end. :P

During recess, I was on my seat in the lecture hall, talking with my friends when Aisyah Iman, our assistant class representative suddenly asked me. 

"Sarah, Sarah menang competition apa? Madam tanya," she said as she looked at her handphone while standing up.

I looked at her incredulously and with utmost confusion, later asking her back "Madam mana?"

"Madam Bux, tadi kat admin meeting," Madam Bux here refers to Madam Siti Halimah Bux, who is the Deputy Dean of Students' Affairs.

"WHAT??" I literally shrieked. 

"Macam mana dia tahu?"

" Madam cakap suruh Sarah jumpa dia bagitahu Sarah menang competition apa,"

T___T

After I have successfully regained my composure, I went to her seat at the back and asked 

"Aisyah, macam mana Madam tahu? Madam cakap apa?"

Aisyah laughed a bit (probably upon seeing my expression) and asked "Sarah masuk essay competition apa? Dean yang tanya madam, madam tanya kitorang. Tadi ada meeting untuk class reps dengan Madam Halimah and Prof Haniki (Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs),"

WHAT? THE DEAN OF KULLIYYAH OF PHARMACY ASKING THE DEPUTY DEAN OF STUDENTS' AFFAIRS ABOUT WHAT COMPETITION DID I ENTER AND WIN??

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

SERIOUSLY??!!!

I was a bit frantic (drama queen, duh!) and off I asked her again. "Madam nak apa?"

"Madam cakap, kalau ada achievement luar universiti, bagitahu dia, dia nak letak bawah achievement (don't ask me, I don't know what achievement did she mean),"

Okayy...

I returned back to my seat and laughed out loud with Syau and my other friends who had been enlightened on what National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo really is.

Raihanah said "Akak,lebih baik akak bagitahu madam NaNoWriMo tu sebenarnya apa,"

Hahaha. Tak nak bagitahu boleh. Tak nak letak dalam achievement pun. Suka-suka je letak kat facebook. Did not expect that it would get exaggerated to this extent. Hahaha. 

The most puzzling thing is, how did the DEAN of KULLIYYAH of PHARMACY know that I won NaNoWriMo? He is not my friend on facebook and I don't even know whether he has a facebook or not. LOLZZ...

News spread fast eh? Just by a mere change of your facebook cover picture, then everyone in Kulliyyah of Pharmacy knows that you had won something that is not even worth mentioning. HAHAHA. I did not even tell my mother that I won NaNoWriMo because I don't think that this is such a big and important matter. I only tell her major things like getting the highest marks for the quiz, the marks for other quizzes, getting praised by lecturers for... LOL.

Anyway, though extremely funny this incident is, it also further spurs my determination towards becoming a REAL, PUBLISHED author one day, insya-Allah. 

CreateSpace's giving me 5 free paperback copies of my novel! :P And I haven't even completed my novel, yaay!! (not!) and so, I have to complete and rewrite my novel during these 3 weeks of semester vacation, then I'd ask some of my friends to read and criticize it, so that I could improve and rewrite, then I want to send it to CreateSpace. huh..

I also need someone to design a cover for my so-called novel. LOL.

The procedures are quite tedious but I'll see it to the end, insya-Allah. 

Ni post berangan. But hey, it's true. CreateSpace's giving me 5 free paperback copies of my novel because I won NaNoWriMo 2012!

Waktu tu barulah boleh jumpa Madam Bux letak dalam achievement. Haha (insya-Allah. Ameen). 

Please please please, everyone who reads this, please pray for my success, and may Allah bless you always. :) 

P.S People still asked me "Did you get money for winning NaNoWriMo?" >_< Is money everything, no? 

Post NaNo

Salaam'alaik.

Putting the print-screened picture of NaNoWriMo committees saying 'Congratulations, novelist! You won!' on facebook had definitely sparked some huge misunderstandings among my friends. That is, those who do not know what NaNoWriMo is, and the ones who thought that I actually won an INTERNATIONAL novel writing competition. You know, that I really won the competition by submitting my novel? In other words, winning by talents? LOL.

In class, one of them asked

"What did you get? Did you get money?"

Me: No laaa...

During break at the cafe, when I went to the cashier to get several tissues, another friend approached me, asking

Friend: Where are those prizes? What did you get?

Me: Just a certificate, and other stuffs,"

Friend: It's a national level?

Me: International. But no big deal. Everyone could win it, even you!

Friend: Mantaplah Sarah!

Me: *grinned* (if only you know :P)

Friend: Bila nak keluar buku tu (when is your novel gonna get published?)

Me: WHAT? Tak siap lagi la! (I haven't finished it)

You see, 90% of them thought that I won a REAL writing competition. HAHA.

I could imagine the looks on their faces when they finally figured out what NaNoWriMo actually is. :P

I told this to my friend Syau, who is one of the few who knows about NaNoWriMo.

"Everyone could win this thing, but it is hard to win," and she agreed.

Anyway, it's a nice feeling, haha. This further spurs my determination to FINISH the third part and epilogue! 

Whether it will get published or not, well it depends.

You see, I'm starting to have doubts on my own novel. The so-called novel. I could not imagine anyone else besides me that would be interested in reading it. Sometimes I think that this novel is just a collection of bad ideas. And maybe, I do have good ideas, but I'm just not good in constructing sentences. So I need to read more! 

On the other hand, I think almost everyone around me had undergone sudden behavioural changes that include; being moody, easily getting angry, over-sensitive and other negative behaviours. And that includes me as well. :P But never mind, I know that all these are temporary, that their behaviours (and mine) are mostly attributed towards the hectic timetable and assignments' deadlines (and premenstrual syndrome :P) 

 Oh yes, another bad (or is it not?) characteristic that I realized I have and kind of hated that I have is:

"I feel guilty easily and I don't like it when someone is not pleased with me. I tend to love pleasing everybody around me. I often think that everything bad that happened is actually due to my faults'. 

Something happened and my friends assured me that it is not my fault. Haha. I'm just overreacting. 

Right now we're kind of struggling with our research project, which Dr.Shazia (our supervisor) said that she will get it published (our research article). I don't put high hopes on this. And we're required to present our research project at an international conference held in IMU next year. My groupmates voted for me to be the oral presenter. Again, I'm not sure. Later la, the event is next year (and we're still not sure whether we're going to go there or not) but the thing is, I must get this research article complete because this subject : Biostatistics and Pharmacoepidemiology carries THREE credit hours! *deskpalm*. The topic of our pilot study is : Self Medication among Final Year Allied Health Students (and the comparison with First Year Pharmacy Students). Sort of. 

Another project that I have long abandoned and feel guilty for abandoning it is my beloved Literature Search. It's about the 'Antimicrobial drugs and Cordyline terminalis combination for Treatments of Bacterial Infection'. Sort of. LOL. I'm going to focus on this after we have finished our biostatistics research project. 

I realized that I love research projects that involved working in a laboratory. Research that involves handing out questionnnaires and analyzing them using the complicated software of SPSS is not my cup of tea. If I were to pursue my postgraduate studies, I would choose to further my studies in pharmacology or any other subjects that require me to work in a laboratory. I dream to have my OWN laboratory one day, insya-Allah. :)

Till then, that's all from me. I have so many things to do and I pray that Allah will grant me strength and patience to deal with all these.

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".

I miss home SOOO much! 

I wrote a novel!

Salaam'alaik and hello all.

Let's get to the point.

Yours truly had won the NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH 2012!!!! 

I've completed my novel yesterday, on Day 25,  with a mere 50,060 words which I personally think as a mediocre, border-line pass achievement.

But it doesn't matter because the most important thing is, I WON!!! And I almost completed my novel! Almost? Yeah, I didn't realize that my novel would get this long. -___- 

Anyway, I am going to finish writing the next part this JANUARY during semester break!! :D

And, oh yes. Have you always been curious to know what the winners of NaNoWriMo would get upon writing a 50k words novel in one month? :P

1) A congratulatory video

2) A winner's certificate!! The one that I have always wanted since NaNoWriMo 2010!! :'D

3) and other special offers from 12 sponsors.

Well, that's all. I know that it is not much, but it's the SATISFACTION that matters! You know, the feeling that you get when you've finally completed the story that you had put on hold for SEVERAL YEARS?? Oh, you could not perceive the feeling? Then you should join NaNoWriMo next year!!! :D 

For this, I would like to say thanks to:

1. Allah the Almighty, for if it weren't for His help, than I could not finish this. I would end up writing halfway,  just like NaNoWriMo 2010. He gave me ideas, inspiration, courage, determination, strength!! Thank you!! 

2. LISA FARHANA aka my writing buddy/rival!!! Take a look at her blog on how we kind of competed with each other to win this thing. Hahaha.

3. My friend Syau- the one to whom I always updated about my daily word count, LOL. 

4. And the rest who were informally or formally involved in my journey towards completing my novel! LOL. Not many people know that I'm joining this thing. Haha.

Lastly, THANK YOU TO the Office of Letters and Light for creating and organizing this brilliant event! Thank you so much! Thank you for the pep talks and encouragements. :) 

So, November is almost over. I'm going to post an entry on 'How to win NaNoWriMo and still survive as a Pharmacy student in IIUM' sometime in the future. LOL. 

Till then, salaam and may you have a great day! :) 

Stamford Raffles and the Sultan of Johor

 An excerpt from Munshi Abdullah's 'Hikayat Abdullah. You can read more here 

"I have a strong desire of great consequence which I wish to make known to you, as well as to all present." On this the Sultan asked what it was. Mr. Raffles then said that the son of the Sultan and the son of the Tomungong, together with two or three companions and followers, sons also of chiefs, he wished to send to the Governor-General of Bengal in order that they might learn English, writing, arithmetic, and other kinds of knowledge, in order they might not remain ignorant, like other Malays who were not fond of study; arguing further, that while they were young they could learn quickly, and so that in four or five years they would be finished; -'thus in times hereafter' (addressing himself to the Sultan), 'when your son becomes Sultan, he will be one that is accomplished above all others.' He added, 'See, O Sultan, in Singapore, in all the races there are merchants, excepting amongst the Malays. This is owing to their not learning the more important duties; first, they do not understand accounts, nor writing; now if the sons of sultans were clever in these, the same would be entered on by other Malays. Now, I would be glad if your people could elevate themselves in this respect.' The Sultan was silent for a moment and did not answer, at length he said, 'Very good, sir. Wait a little till I think it over; in a few days I will give you an answer.' Then said Mr. Raffles, 'Don't be concerned about the passage money, and the other expenses, for I will make it known to the Governor-General, and he will have a nice house prepared, with clever tutors, who will teach your children, whereby in after times they will be able to understand and gain acquirements, experience, judgment, and knowledge.' On this the Sultan and Tomungong arose and left for their homes, accompanied by their chiefs and followers.

.... But my greatest anxiety is to advance the Malays, by easy degrees, in their own language -- otherwise, let each race have its assigned place, and all this without expense, but let the teaching be gratuitous; the country will increase in population in time, so if there be such an institute, its fame will spread to all races. What do you gentlemen think of my proposition -- is it good or not?' The Sultan and Tomungong replied that the proposition was excellent, as their children would thus be enabled to obtain instruction. All the European gentlemen also expressed themselves as approving of the scheme. Then said Mr. Raffles, 'Let us settle the matter by subscribing .to the erection of the edifice.' To this all replied assenting. On this Mr. Raffles took pen and paper, and by way of precedence to the East India Company he wrote down 2000 dollars, himself adding from his private purse the same sum. Then he asked, with a smile, what the Sultan would give; shall it be 2000 also? But he replied, with a loud exclamation and a laugh, that he was a poor man, so where would he get 2000 dollars? To this Mr. Raffles argued that he should give more than he gave, as the undertaking was of immediate utility to the Malays, and greatly more so than to the English; but let it be 1000 dollars. Then he asked the Tomungong to give 1000 dollars, Colonel Farquhar the same, Dr. Martin 200, and Lady Raffles 200. After this the various European gentlemen gave their quota, the whole amounting to 17,500 Spanish dollars.".

Reading this gives me the chills of a certain sort. @___@

40k

Salaam' alaik and good day to all.

Current word count: 40,002 words. Okay la tu.

I am sooo going to win this year's NaNoWriMo!! Insya-Allah, please pray for me! :)

Let's get to the point: I love these songs!

1) Pachelbel Canon in D's Dreams Come True by Michaelangelo and Jasmin Cruz

I love it because it's a mixture of Canon in D plus people singing the lyrics according to the melody (whatever that means la). Also, this is some sort of official song (really?) of HRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding! One year had passed, haha. 

and this!!! I totally hyperventilated when I found out that ThePianoGuys did a cover on this!!!

2) Lord of the Rings (Piano/Cello Cover) by ThePianoGuys

THE LORD OF THE RINGS MEDLEY!!! 

BUTTTT, halfway through listening to this song, I got a bit disappointed..... The truth is, I was (am) expecting something better. Good job anyway! :)

 And so, in my opinion, the best LOTR medley ever performed so far is the one by Lindsey Stirling.  Sorry you guys!! :(

3) Lord of the Rings Medley (Violin) by Lindsey Stirling. 

But on the other hand, I simply love thepianoguys' 'Cello Wars (Star Wars parody!!) :D

4) Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Lightsaber Duel by ThePianoGuys

That's all, I have GIT quiz tomorrow. Please pray for me, everyone who reads this!! :D 

Recent Book Haul

From yesterday's Popular Book Fair at Berjaya Megamall Kuantan, Pahang.

1. Emily Giffin's' Heart of the Matter' hardcover (original price RM120.10 got it from RM16.90!!)

2. Mitch Albom's 'For One More Day' hardcover (original price RM68.50 got it for RM9.90!!)

For my siblings and for me (haruslahh. I really want my siblings to love reading but they don't love reading as much as I do! Okay, they read the Hunger Games trilogy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, True Singapore Ghost stories or any other true ghost stories, Goosebumps, Fear Street, Mr Midnight and Roald Dahl's books. Oh, and they love comics and mangas. -___-. Other than that, no! I've never seen any of them buying books other than those listed above)

1. Edgar and Ellen High Wire by Charles Ogden hardcover (original price RM30.50 got it for RM4.90!!)

and, EIGHT Horrible Histories Books by Teary Deary!!!! I remember reading these books when I was very young and I love them dearly!!! They are very informative and entertaining!!! LOL

2. Horrible Histories 'The Gorgeous Georgians'

3. Horrible Histories 'The Blitzed Brits'

4. Horrible Histories 'The Terrible Tudors'

5. Horrible Histories 'The Smashing Saxons'

6. Horrible Histories 'The Stormin' Normans'

7. Horrible Histories 'The Rotten Romans'

8. Horrible Histories 'The Ruthless Romans'

9. Horrible Histories 'The Slimy Stuarts'

each for RM6 the most I guess. HAHA too lazy to count. I spent less than RM80, I'm sure of it, I have the receipt. :P 

Parents are coming to Kuantan and my siblings are on holidays so I'm going to give them these books to read at home. I'm a good sister kan? :P

I still have to read

1. The Hobbit  by JRR Tolkien

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell

3. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel 

Made a promise not to go to the upcoming 'Big Bad Wolf sale' then I feel like going. Hehhh... 

I love books so much that if I were to make a vlog, I would surely talk about books! LOL.

Okay, a favourite song from a favourite band (?) --> The Piano Guys.

Till then, assalamualaikum w.b.t and may you have a splendid day! :D 

Lord of the rings equals legendary!

I have watched The Lord of The Rings trilogy COUNTLESS times, since I was eleven (okay fine the third movie was in 2003 and I was thirteen) and it has been ELEVEN years now and up until now, I must say that no other movie could be compared with these three. *sobs*. Not even Harry Potter *sobs* or Star Wars *sobs*. Lord of the Rings trilogy is simply THE BEST movies ever existed in this world. LOL.

I don't know why I feel like crying (almost crying) whenever I watched certain heart warming scenes *sobs* with the appropriately placed, suitable music in the background *menangis*.

And so, if you haven't watched the Lord of the Rings. GO WATCH THEM NOW!! WATCH WATCH WATCH! I know, each movie takes a long time to finish (about 3 hours each) but it is worth it, I tell you!

And now, I am looking forward to watch 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' this December. I MUST WATCH IT! I MUST!!! 

If you're a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings movies and the soundtracks, then, it is COMPULSORY for you to listen to this beautiful piece of Lord of the Rings medley performed by Lindsey Stirling. I have listened to this for countless times already. It is just so beautiful! *shed tears away*. 

P.S. Current word count for NaNoWriMo Day 12 is 24,458 words. Gonna hit 30,000 by tonight (esok cuti, yes!) okay bye!! May peace be upon us all! 

Let's pretend...

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.  

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. 

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam? 

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

NaNoWriMo Day 4 and Day 5

NaNoWriMo Day 4

word count: 11,157

NaNoWriMo Day 5

current word count: 13,296

I'm going to finish Part 2 by Friday! In other words, gonna hit 20 k words at least by Friday!!! Insya-Allah.

Writing a horror novel and a song with a 'haunting' melody is necessary. At least I think so, LOL.

The title of the said song is 'Ochi Chernye' or 'Dark Eyes',which  a Russian Folk Song.

When I was in primary school, I played this song and it gave me the creeps! LOL. I had one of the characters playing this song really slowly (thus evoking fear! Muahahaha) on a piano when something *guess what* happened. *saying this in a mysterious voice.

The lyrics is equally haunting. Lyrics by Feodor Chaliapin.

Funny because it's supposed to be a 'Love song'. A tragic love song, that is.

Dark eyes, burning eyes
Passionate and splendid eyes
How I love you, How I fear you
Verily, I saw you at a sinister hour

Dark eyes, flaming eyes
They implore me into faraway lands
Where love reigns, where peace reigns
Where there is no suffering, where war is forbidden

Dark eyes, burning eyes
Passionate and splendid eyes
I love you so, I fear you so
Verily, I saw you at a sinister hour

If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't be suffering so
I would have lived my life smiling
You have ruined me, dark eyes
You have taken my happiness away forever

Dark eyes, burning eyes
Passionate and splendid eyes
I love you so, I fear you so
Verily, I saw you at a sinister hour

Eh, bila dengar balik, catchy la pulak lagu ni. LOL. 

NaNoWriMo Day 3

current word count: 6285 words.

If I continue writing 2000 words a day for the rest of November, I'd end up with at least 60,000 words. And win NaNoWriMo!

Please please let me win NaNoWriMo.

Important stuffs next week

1. Dosage Design 2 Quiz - Dr Saifullah 

2. Dosage Design 2 Quiz- Dr Farahidah 

3. Submit Lab Report for Capsules

Important stuffs for Nauseating Awesome November

1. Literature Search complete first draft

2. Biostatistics presentation 30th November

3. Pharmacokinetics Assignment due 30th November

4. Hospital Pharmacy Practice Report

5. Pharmacokinetics Lab Report due 2 weeks from last Thursday.

6. WIN NANOWRIMO!!! 

I've deactivated my facebook account. Available at Blogger, Twitter and Google Plus. Just search my name, Sarah Syahirah (Google Plus).I've abandoned my Tumblr. LOL. 

I love 'The Lord of The Rings' and I'm re-watching the first movie. And oh, I'm currently reading Yann Martel's 'Beatrice and Virgil'. It's a philosophical fiction. The author studied Philosophy in University. I wish I could take Philosophy as well. 

Adieu and salam! :) 

JK Rowling,

the first female novelist billionaire, recently lost her exclusive status because of some very good deeds.- according to The Huffington Post. 

I was scrolling down the facebook timeline when I stumbled upon a post made by one of my favourite facebook pages ' We Owe JKR Our Childhood' when I saw this, 

Yes, this! I was a bit surprised, but not that much. I've always known that she is a philanthropist who had donated a lot to charity but I didn't know that it is up to the extent of 'DONATING SO MUCH THAT MAKES HER NO LONGER A BILLIONAIRE'.

I wanted to confirm the validity of this post and so I googled and found several articles about this, so, no doubt that the news is valid. 

How do I feel about this:

First of all, well done Rowling! You have written the most beloved book series I have ever came across with, and you have created inspirational, memorable characters that I looked up to and now...you further lived up to  your reputation by doing this! 

When read Harry Potter, you know that Rowling is an intelligent, sensible, kind-hearted, philosophical women. There are so many quotes that touched your heart (and made you misty eyed). In a way, the characters of Harry Potter kind of represented the person who is Rowling herself.

You forever earn my (and your fans') respect! You will continue being a 'billionaire' in our hearts, because you have so much kindness inside you, billions of them. 

When I have children someday, I will force let them read your books and be nurtured with the values and virtues you have included in them, I will tell them that you are an inspirational person, the greatest author of our time. 

You know what, I think I'm going to buy your new book 'The Casual Vacancy' after all! :D

Because I feel like blogging.

Salam'alaik and good morning!

First day of NaNoWriMo and I managed to write 2000+ words. * heaved a sigh of relief*. Gonna add another 2000 today, insya-Allah. 

I just feel like blogging! Yeah! It's now 8.02 am and I have class at 9 am but I just feel like blogging! (yeah, told you!)

I love books. 

I love Harry Potter series which I first read when I was 11, and I've read Book 1 to Book 3 for about 5 times? And book 4 to 7 for about 2 to 3 times. Hehe. I'm going to read the whole series again someday. My favourite book of the series is 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'. 

I love all Harry Potter movies!!! My favourite one would be 'HP and the Deathly Hallows part 1 and 2. Okay, that makes it TWO movies! 

I love the Lord of the Rings. I bought the Fellowship of The Rings when I was 12, but never managed to finish it until now. >_<. I'm reading 'The Hobbits' and I found it tolerable. :P

I love the movie!!! My favourite would be 'The Return of the King'. In fact, I prefer Lord of the Rings trilogy MORE than the Harry Potter franchise. Those movies are just astounding and fantastic. The actors did excellent jobs! Well done, Peter Jackson!

I love Star Wars. I've made the reviews of all six movies before, on this blog. At first, I was quite sad to know that George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, but not anymore! I'm quite happy actually, because, Disney reminds me of:

THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN trilogy (Haven't watched the latest movie) and oh, I really adore CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow.

I also love BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY!!!! They are simply amazing!!! I love the first part! :D 

As for the Hunger Games, I've read Book 1 and 2 and didn't finish Book 3 because I find the last two books  BORING! I've watched the first movie as well and I love it as much as I love reading the first book (I read the first book twice!). I just hope that the movies for both Book 2 and 3 will turn out better than the books itself. 

Then, moving on to 'The Chronicles of Narnia'. Honestly, I don't find the books nor the movies enjoyable. I have all seven book but I only managed to read only 2-3 books. I've never finished watching 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' but did so for 'Prince Caspian' and 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. I find the latest movie enjoyable. Maybe I should read them again. 

And then... Muahahahha. The Twilight Saga! My cousin Liyana introduced it to me. I really enjoyed reading 'Twilight' and 'New Moon'. I even fell head over heels over Edward Cullen, believe it or not! But that was before the crappy first movie came out. As much as I love Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, I just think he doesn't suit the part of Edward Cullen. In other words, he totally ruined MY fantasy of Edward Cullen!!!asdfkadsfh;dj's!!! I don't like Kristen Stewart as Bella as well. The whole movie is really weird, with the inappropriate, weird soundtrack and all. Sheeshhh.. And I had to force myself to finish reading 'Eclipse' and 'Breaking Dawn' because I have already bought the books before Robert Pattinson ruined my fantasy of Edward Cullen. Blurgghh...I really wish I haven't seen the movie. Bad decision! 

Lastly, it's DIVERGENT!!! I've read Divergent and I really love it. At some point, I even think that it's better than Hunger Games! :P Haven't read the second book, which is 'Insurgent' but I'm looking forward to it. Yup! Hope it is better than the second book of 'The Hunger Games!' 

There's less than 5 girls in my class who actually read all 7 books of Harry Potter and watched all movies.

I doubt that there's even 3 of them who love 'The Lord of the Rings' as much as I do. T_T

Girls who watched Star Wars and actually wanted to own a light saber are very rare. 

I guess they would love 'Back to the Future' if they watched it.

I'm sure they love Pirates of the Caribbean because Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are in the movies. :P

I know 5 girls from my class who have read/watched Hunger Games. They are Amiirah, Jay, Syau, Aina and Rai.

I'm not sure whether there's any of us who love 'The Chronicles of Narnia' because I don't really love it myself. 

Twilight Saga is the MOST popular movies and books among us girls. Enough said.

I think I'm the only one in my class who have ever heard of and actually read 'Divergent'. HAHA

I got to read more good books!!! Gotta be like my friend, Lisa who read more than 150 books in a year! And she's not even a Literature student! She's an ENGINEERING student! Haha. 

That's all from me. Adieu! 

(gonna put pictures for visual aids :P) 

It's 4.25 pm

Assalamualaikum and hello all.

First of all, I'd like to say, ALHAMDULILLAH, praise be to Allah for giving me the determination and willpower to STUDY STUDY STUDY until my brain becomes saturated (which I highly doubt it, LOL). Yes, it's all because of Him, I was at the midst of giving up reading because I was feeling upset for no reason (hormonal fluctuation ZzzzZZZ) and instead of studying, I really wanted to finish reading a very 'emo' book, 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower. ZzzzZZZzz again. But I didn't relent to what my heart wanted and I forced myself to study study study all the ELEVEN notes (which consists of hundreds of slides). 

So, Alhamdulillah, I could answer the Endocrine Quiz smoothly. :) It's not that freaking easy, but I feel relieved and relaxed after answering them. 

Let's pray that the marks will be awesome as well! Ameen.

Surah al-Insyirah Verses 7-8

So when you have finished (from your occupation), then stand up for Allah's worship, 

And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your intentions and hopes and) your invocations. 

The very lesson that we could learn from this is:

"Jangan layankan perasaan emo tu sangat" (translate sendiri, wuhuuu)

Ok, now I would want to continue with 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. ZzzZZzzz..

Hello, it's almost 4 in the morning.

And I'm up, supposedly studying for the endocrine quiz. -___-

I really enjoyed my one-week holiday staying at home, mostly. Adventurous as I claim I am (LOL), I'm more towards a homely kind of person, a Bilbo Baggins who was very comfortable living in his hobbit hole, not interested to meddle in anything out of the ordinary (until Gandalf set him up on an adventure!)

What I really wanted to say: I MISS HOME!!! I WANT TO GO HOME!!! I HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER EIGHT FREAKING LECTURE WEEKS AND THREE FREAKING REVISION+EXAM PERIOD!!!

I don't know why, I just enjoyed staying at home. In other words: I'm feeling homesick-ish, Allah please help me.

On the other hand, things/events I'm looking forward to in these horrific 11 weeks -____- : 

The beginning of NAUSEATING AWESOME NOVEMBER (what I called November) and,

The end of AWESOME NAUSEATING NOVEMBER (notice the reversal, because I expect November to end spectacularly, with my goals achieved and fulfilled).

Why do I call it nauseating? Because it's gonna be a month full of trials (of deadlines and brain storming, nerve-wrecking) and dreams (thus the reason why it's called awesome) LOL. I'll tell more about this next time.

And yes, right after the NAUSEATING AWESOME NOVEMBER's OVER, I'm looking forward to the BIG BAD WOLF SALE IN DECEMBER!!! :D 

I just feel the immense desire to spend at least an hour in the leisure section of the library. *sob*

EVIL DEVILS

Salam'alaik.

There's just too much (yes, uncountable) evils in this world, those things that opened up both my mind and eyes wide, things that make me forever eternally grateful with the blessings and bounties bestowed upon me and my family, things that have succeeded in making me looking at the so-called problems that I have as so thoroughly insignificant. 

And things that make me asked myself 'Why there's so many evil doings on this Earth?' What prompted the evil people to commit these evil things? Is it because of the influence of their family members? Even so, does that JUSTIFY their reason to commit these actions? Actions like this: 

A picture of oh-so-cute-I-bet-when-he-grows-up-he's-gonna-be-handsome-and-deelish Robert Middleton in the 1998, when he was 8. I was 8 in 1998, and my youngest brother Haziq is also eight this year.

Nope, no longer handsome physically. On his 8th birthday, he was raped (more like, sodomized) by a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD BOY. The boy then tied him to a tree and threw gasoline (?) towards Robert and lit him on fire.

He suffered more than 90 degrees burn and miraculously survived.

AN EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY, GET IT? EIGHT!!

I could only imagine him (the same age as my brother, naudzubillahiminzalik) crying when he was sodomized ( I SOO HATE THIS WORD), crying in unimaginable excruciating pain as he was burned alive.

Imagine what his mother had to endure?

To think that the little boy that she had taken great care of from the moment he was conceived to when she gave birth to him,the one whom she raised with love and affection throughout the 8 years had turned out to be like this! 

(I AM SO OUTRAGED BY THE FACT THAT THE MANIAC KID WAS JUST THIRTEEN!) 

The cute boy had transformed into the person in the second picture!

He endured countless numbers of skin transplants and surgeries and died 13 years later, in 2011, at the age of 21 years old. 

I feel very sad. 

This is sad.

Sedih.

Sad.

You can google to know more about him. :(

This is one of the real-life cases in this world. This is the one that I've just read about just recently. 

I feel sad. 

I don't know what to do.

It is impossible to totally eradicate evils on this earth, as long as the devils are still here.

This case reminds me of Junko Furuta's case of which I am STILL ANGRY AND UPSET. 

So, let's recite in Arabic 'I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan'. And also, I seek refuge with Allah from those who have been 'influenced' by Satan'. 

DOUBLE TWO

I woke up in the morning and saw a new Google Doodle. Surprised to see that it was for me (perasan gila+ noob).

So, Alhamdulillah. I am now 22. Double Two. A woman physically, always a child inside. HAHA.

Infinite thanks to Allah the Almighty for creating me. 

Thank you for my mother who gave birth to me on this particular day. Millions of thanks to my parents who brought me up to the way I am now. 

I kind of questioned myself lately 'Why am I being born a woman?' and I know that there's a reason for everything that happened. 

Being born a woman is quite restrictive. My parents are so overprotective of me as compared to my younger brother. It is for my own benefits, I know.

Yes, I know there's a reason on why I was born a female, a Muslim, a Malay, a Malaysian. I just have to find out that reason. I have to start looking for it. Please pray that I'll finally find it! 

I love being a woman, yes. And I'm so grateful to be born a Muslim woman in MALAYSIA. 

I turned off the Facebook notification for my birthday, so no one on my friends' list know that TODAY is my birthday and it feels awesome actually, it's like you have a secret. (oh, pleaseee)

I have friends, family members, my roommate who do not need the facebook notification that today is my birthday and they wished me privately through the phone.

Also thanks to those who wished me on other social networks! :D 

My uncle gave me the BEST ORIGINAL birthday message:

"Happy birthday my dearest Sarah. You deserve a ride on a magical cobalt dragon through a golden sky filled with raspberry star dust that will make you happy for a thousand years. Soak it in all up! Stay fearless. Love,"

Always so poetic and descriptive, he is. Remember him, the architect aka my younger brother's mentor?

Also, the youngest son of my arwah Nekwan and Tokwan, my mom's youngest brother.

Remember the email that he gave to me two months after my grandma had left us all? 

My Dearest Sarah,

thanks for your email, it did cheer me up. :)

You know, i have always told my friends that my mother is so special because she may not understand anything but she understands everything.

They find this amusing..

See, Nek Wan might not be well-educated and she didn't understand a lot of things around her- how to operate the cable, how to use the mobile, even how to tune the radio.

She came to Singapore with Tok Wan only with her courage and determination. But miraculously with Allah's guidance, she was able to raise 6 children in the most unfamiliar environment, and by God, she raised each and everyone of her children well, with good education - duniawi and ukhrawi. This, despite all the odds- a feat not many women can take on these days.

I thought about it and i concluded that your arwah Nek Wan was so special. She had the gift of understanding her children and giving them the tools they need most for the soul. She might not be able to help us with our algebra homework or English assignment, but she was able to give us the determination, persistence and courage to live life to the fullest. She equipped us with lessons you will never be able to find in the classroom. She had the incomparable ability to adept to circumstances and make the best out of the situation. She didn't let anything or anyone bring her or her family down with her weaknesses, rather she mustered every strand of strength she had in her to trudge on. Until today, when i feel weak and troubled, i think of what Nek Wan would do if she is caught in the same situation and from there, i always find strength.

When I was down and felt that the whole world was against me, I just needed to go back home to her. She was able to discern every sorrow in me, even without me telling her, and she never failed to heal every single one of my wounds.

At night, she would sit and watch all the English programmes on TV with me even though she couldn't understand a word! But at the corner of my eye, I always caught her not watching the TV but rather looking at me, and i could feel the warmth of her smile and every word of the doa she sent to Allah for me.

Every day when i went to work, she would sit at the sofa and bid me farewell, and her sight never left me until i turn the corner at the staircase. I knew she was praying for me and my safety. I knew she was aware, the day will come she will not be able to see me off work anymore and prayed Allah will still be with me for always...

I miss Nek Wan so so much, and i pray i will be able to see her again soon. You are right, she would most likely want me to keep praying for her, and stop mourning, and one day InsyaAllah, we will see Nek Wan and Tok Wan again. Till then i just wish i have half her strength to go through the rest of my life without her. Even to the day she passed on, your Nek Wan was one strong lady. 

I've never felt so loved and cared for, and i guess that's the magic that mothers have. You still have yours. Cherish every single moment you have with your parents ok, and make every moment matter. Always remind Mak and Abah how much you love and appreciate them.

Keep in touch, all the best for your results and may Allah be with you always.

Whenever you remember Nek Wan, sedekah Fatehah ok?

Lots of Love,

Busu

Eh, why does this post turned out to be about HIM, my uncle instead of my so-called awesome day of birthday? I don't have any awesome day. I have to study for THREE quizzes tomorrow.

His birthday is on the 12th of October, which is 2 days ago. I forgot to wish him for his birthday. I'm sorry, Busu Din! Here is a birthday wish for you! ( I don't know whether you still read my blog or not. I hope not!).

Happy 37th Birthday Busu Din!

Stay handsome and stay awesome!

Get married quickly, will you!

And don't ask me to get married first whenever I voiced that out -___-

With love, your niece, Sarah Syahirah/Sarah E.Beth Darcy/Syaheira Skywalker/WizardNox159.

He is my biggest critic so far. >_< I'll improve my English, yes! *saying this meekly*

Wassalam.