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?