Naik pangkat.

Assalamualaikum and a very good afternoon to all. 

Caption oleh Fatin Kamarulzaman via FB: 27 September 2012. Boys at the front! Hari ini dalam sejarah. Yay!! Ps: sarah dekat belakang sekali weyh!! Haha

(well, not really. duduk row 2nd last -____-) 

Since 1st year (we had our classes at the auditorium) up till 2nd year and now the 3rd week of 1st semester of 3rd year, MY PLACE had always been there, 

FIRST ROW on your right, the 3rd seat.

I love sitting in front of the class, as it puts me into direct eye contact with the lecturers and it refrained me from falling asleep in class; sitting in front builds confidence within me, and it's really easy for me to ask questions during lectures.

But yesterday, on the 26th of September 2012, 3rd week of 1st semester of 3rd year, the batch leader had said

'Brothers have requested to sit in front. So, the first two rows on both right and left sides of the class will be reserved for the brothers'.

The reasons:

1. Brothers are supposed to be the leaders to women. 

Before this, the sisters were the ones who occupied and conquered the first 6 rows on the right and the first 5 rows on the left. Brothers semua duduk kat belakang. What to do? The unofficial 'system' had always been there since the 1st year. 1st year dulu bagi chance tak nak duduk depan. HUHU. 

2. To 'menjaga pandangan'.

I don't know what's with guys and their 'pandangans'. LOL. 

3. Brothers dah ada kesedaran nak membaiki diri dan to be a better man (better men)! (nyanyi lagu Robbie Williams) (my own opinion, LOL).

Of course la, dah 3rd year, mestilah ada kesedaran untuk jadi lebih baik supaya boleh menjadi bakal suami dan ayah yang mithali!

And so, sadly and reluctantly, I was forced to move to the not third, fourth nor fifth, but the SIXTH row!

The funny thing is that the next day (the day of which the 'system' commenced),  everyone (the sisters) tried their best to come early to class to reserve the 'frontest' place possible!

One of them includes yours truly. The class started at 9 a.m and I went out of my room at 8.30 am!

Upon reaching the class, I was dismayed that the 3rd, 4th and 5th rows are fully occupied!!!! NOOO!!!!

The sisters made a pact with the brothers. If they came any later than 5 minutes after the lectures had commenced, then the sisters will move to the 1st and 2nd rows.

Surprise, surprise!80% of the brothers came early (8.55 is early for them) to class and so, yes, their rights to take the front seats are justified.

Throughout the 3 hours classes, I was squirming uncomfortably at the back, not to mention, feeling rather sleepy but then, an amazing thing had happened.

I COULD ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND BETTER of what the lecturers had taught when I'm SITTING at the BACK as compared to when I was in front. ALHAMDULILLAH!!! 

I guess sitting behind with lots of obstructions (people's heads in front of me) and distractions (the sound of my other friends talking) actually exert positive effects on my concentration. 

My concentration power is levelled up as I tried my best to focus despite all those hurdles.

Another good thing of sitting at the back.

YOU COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANTED TO DO!

Nak menggeliat bila mengantuk, nak menguap luas2 (tapi tutup mulut), nak gelak, nak duduk dengan cara yang tidak keperempuanan, nak tengok handphone ( I tak tengok handphone), you nak makan nasi lemak, roti canai, hatta semuanya bolehlah (cuma jangan bising sampai distract kelas dan lecturer yang mengajar). 

I gotta admit, my movements were a bit restricted when I was sitting at the front. In front of me was the lecturer and there were BROTHERS at the back who could see what the sisters are doing at the front. So kena control behaviours, pergerakan semua tu la.

And as for the brothers, HAHAHA.

After the class, I asked one of my male classmates with syrupy sweet sarcastic manner. 

'Best tak duduk depan?' 

He laughed and said 'Rasa macam ada boundaries. Tak boleh nak menggeliat, etc'.

Hehe, see? 

My friend, Liyana who had been sitting at the back since 1st year (LOL) even commented,

'Budak-budak lelaki ni bila duduk belakang ramai yang tidur, kepala terlentok semua tu. 

But based on what I've observed, tak ada seorang pun yang tersengguk-sengguk kat depan tu!

Another classmate, Sharifah who was sitting right behind the brothers said that 'H**** tu tidur sebenarnya. Tapi dia pejam mata je'. LOL.

Conclusion: the brothers had shown more positive behaviours when they are sitting in the front rows as compared to the back rows.

I can't wait for Prof Noriah's class! Dia suka tanya orang duduk depan. :P 

So, Sarah. Whatever happened, it's for the best. Believe it!

This is the story of how a front bencher turned into one of the backbenchers. HAHA. 

Oh Jupiter, I'm going to the West

I don't know if any of you who's reading this is a classical music/orchestra fan, like me....

But either way, I'm going to share some of my favourite songs. 

1) Gustav Holst's The Planets Op 32 Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolity. 

Even if you HATE classical music, do at least try to listen from part 3:15 to  5: 13 Isn't it beautiful? :')

Oh yes, the melody of this song is incorporated into one of Britain's patriotic songs 'I Vow to Thee My Country' which is also late Lady Diana's favourite song.

2) Joe Hisaishi's Journey to the West (Princess Mononoke OST)

The song is quite similar to 'Jupiter' in some parts. It has a more melancholic tune. Unlike 'Jupiter', this song had managed to capture my attention even from the first beat. 

I love most of Joe Hisaishi's songs that I couldn't afford to put every video here. 

3) 

>50 million cm from Le Home

Salam 'alaik...

 I am here, typing in my new room situated in a mahallah in the boring land of IIUM Kuantan. How I really wish that I'm studying in Gombak instead (still taking Pharmacy), instead of being stuck here in the far away land of the eastern region, away and awaaayyy from the land of Merong Mahawangsa. No offence to the 'native people' of Kuantan. Kuantan is more developed than Sungai Petani, in my parents and siblings' opinions. It's just that it's so so so far away from home. You see? And I'm not going to take back my words which said 'IIUM Kuantan is boring' for it is indeed... Boring. *put hands over chest dramatically*

As contrary to a particular blog post which I have posted one year ago, I am not going to rant about how 'homesick-ish' am I feeling. Why is that so? The answer is, ladies and gentlemen, I DO NOT HAVE ANY FEELING OF HOMESICK AT ALL AND THIS IS VERY EXTRAORDINARY AS MY FAMILY MEMBERS REGARD ME AS A 'FAMILY-WOMAN' LOL.

The more peculiar thing is that, I even felt (feel) really excited and enthusiastic upon starting my brand new 3rd year study in the land of the nerds! This is really astonishing, isn't it?

After unpacking my bags and boxes, I have discovered several things
1. 'Unpacking' is indeed an easier work as compared to 'packing them all in boxes'.
2. I couldn't find my camera charger which I thought I brought it home but couldn't find it at home and so I thought it was left in IIUM in one of the boxes which later turned out to be untrue as well sigh so I'm gonna hunt for the charger in ecm or whatever store sigh sigh.
3. I lost my spoon. I is sad. I loveth that spooneth. :((

Oh yes, how I lost my homesick feeling.

a) To tell the truth, I felt the homesickness about 2 weeks before returning to UIA. Haha.  I could say that the feeling had been drained over until none is left by the time I returned to UIA. That is the first reason.

b) The second reason is that, I am very determined to make my parents proud by giving my very best for this semester. And I know Allah is helping me and He wants me to succeed as well! In other words, I know that Allah is together with me on this journey towards success. I don't really feel alone then. :D
Also, I have re-watched Dae Jang Geum during the semester holidays and I was (am) struck by her perseverance and diligence. After watching the whole series, I could derive a conclusion:

Just focus on your goal straight ahead, don't think of the things on your left and right that tried to distract you and pulled you away from your path towards your goal. In this case, the 'things' could be emotional feeling and all those negative stuffs.

So, I am going to make Jang Geum my inspiration! YEAH!! LOL.

c) I good-naturedly told my brother that whatever it is 'I can always come back homeee' *sings Jason Mraz's songs*



93 million miles from the Sun, people get ready get ready,
'cause here it comes it’s a light, a beautiful light, over the horizon into our eyes
Oh, my my how beautiful, oh my beautiful mother
She told me, "Son in life you’re gonna go far, and if you do it right you’ll love where you are
Just know, that wherever you go, you can always come home"

240 thousand miles from the Moon, we’ve come a long way to belong here,
To share this view of the night, a glorious night, over the horizon is another bright sky
Oh, my my how beautiful, oh my irrefutable father,
He told me, "Son sometimes it may seem dark, but the absence of the light is a necessary part.
Just know, you’re never alone, you can always come back home"

You can always come back…back…

Every road is a slippery slope
There is always a hand that you can hold on to.
Looking deeper through the telescope
You can see that your home’s inside of you.
Just know, that wherever you go, no you’re never alone, you will always get back home


Indeed, Jason Mraz's '93 Million Miles' had managed to lift up my spirit, to even inspire me to do my best in what I do (so that I'd end up loving it LOL) and....

Whatever happens, wherever I am, I would remind myself that I still have Allah, I still have my family and that I could always come back home (or home(family) will come to me when I need it- it happens once.

So Sarah, you have your family to turn to, why should you be sad/feel homesick? Haha. Have faith that Allah will look after your family and that whenever you're alone in a faraway land without any of your family members with you, He will always be there *sings Maher Zain's song*

In return for the countless bounties and blessings that Allah had bestowed on me (and that includes the wonderful blessing of having a loving, complete family), I'm going to give my very best, to utilize my utmost capability, to express my gratitudes by studying hard, to help the less fortunate; those who are not as fortunate as I am.

 I know that I can do it. Insya-Allah. Amiin.. Please pray for me, everyone. :D

Bought Haruki Murakami's 1Q84!!! :D

Different cover, though.

Optimistic Realists vs Pessimistic Realists

I've always pride myself on being able to see the brighter side of things in every life's events, to believe that there are good things to come after each disappointment, to try to carve a big smile early in the morning, believing that it will leave a permanent mark on my face throughout the day, to not really take things too seriously, to look at certain things that need to be looked superficially (by not digging deep into that matter that might brought devastation once uncovered), in other words, I've always been an optimistic person.

But of course, it is not easy to maintain your optimism if you're surrounded with pessimists and realists. The kind of people which could pulverize your dreams, blowing them to disperse in the thin air (what kind of terminology am I using?). To tell the truth, we are all realists, but whether we are the 'optimistic realists' or the 'pessimistic realists', the choice is ours.

Let's face it, there is no person in this world who is 100% optimist or 100% pessimist. There is 'a realist' inside us, because we're living in the reality, not in a make-believe world. 

For example, in the case of 'Sharlinie', the girl who went missing in 2008, 4 years had passed until now and she was never found and there is not a single valid trace that could lead us to her. 

The optimistic me still believes that she is out there, that she is still alive, that somehow, she will be reunited back with her family if God wills it. I couldn't avoid to brush out the bad things that might have happened to her, I'm a realist as well. Bad things could have happened to her, nevertheless I still believe that she is still alive out there, and my prayer goes out to her.

But the pessimistic realist would go... '4 years had passed. I'm sure that girl had died long ago'.

Of which kind of annoyed and saddened me at the same time.

You get the difference? Which one do you prefer? The former or the latter? I'm sure most of you would have picked the former. :P 

Nevertheless, an optimistic realist could turned into a pessimistic realist, if she is surrounded by a whole bunch of them, or if she's close to that pessimistic realist, often hearing the PR (pessimistic realist) complaining about things that she had never ever thought before.

Pessimistic realists often think too much, digging too much emotion that it affects her own moods. Which in turns, give out negative vibes to the people around her, turning the once optimistic realist into a pessimistic realist.

For example

'I couldn't go out for dinner with you today. I have to meet a important person,'

The optimistic realist would just accept the fact the way it is. Okay, couldn't go out for dinner. Well, being a realist, you're disappointed that she cancelled the dinner just because she wanted to have it with another important person. But the optimistic you saves your emotion by thinking on the bright side. She had to meet an important person. Possibly because the matter is very important that the dinner is cancelled. Fine, you accept it.

The pessimistic realist would also accept the reason. But being a pessimistic, she would begin to think of various other 'possibilities' on why she doesn't want to have a dinner with you. Things like 'It seems like that person is more important than I am,' or 'She cancelled a dinner planned long ago just because she wanted to meet a person for a newly scheduled dinner arrangement?' which later turns to 'She is not a good friend. She values that person more than she values me,'. and BAM! absolute pessimism 'I know that I'm not as rich as that person, not as successful, and that is why she chose to have dinner with that person instead of with me. 

But once the pessimistic realist said these following concise, thoroughly thought over thoughts to the optimistic realist, the optimism of the optimistic realist begins to waver. 'I've never thought of it this way before!' and she is angry of herself for only being able to see things the way they are, for being so superficial and shallow, angry that she had been deceived by the friend-who-cancelled-dinner. 

And that's it. Two pessimistic realists.

To think again, is it necessary to think too much? Is it wrong to look at things superficially without giving too much thoughts about them? 

Sometimes, when you think too much, you muddled your own thinkings. Would you rather to think that the friend think highly of you or do you prefer to think the opposite (even if the opposite is true).

As for me, I'll try my best to uphold my 'optimistic realist' principle, to look for the good in others, to avoid inner and external conflicts, I love peace and serenity, I hate conflicts, I hate being sad and I hate being angry. I could always avoid myself from having those negative feelings by CHOOSING not to have them, by choosing not to think about bad things that in a way, have some correlation with me, thus making me upset.

I'll think of the good in others. I'll practise 'Husnuzhon', which means having good thoughts about others. I have had some experiences of which Husnuzhon prevailed over bad thoughts. I know that Allah is testing me. I even felt bad of initially having some negative thoughts about the people. I'm sorry! 

Whatever it is, you have the choice to choose how you wanted to feel. The late Stephen R.Covey had countlessly stated in his book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' that you have the choice to choose your response after being exposed to the stimulus.

I hate having negative thoughts, I hate being a pessimistic realist. It makes me miserable, it changes my outer appearance, I hate being unhappy. I hate that I have chosen to become unhappy when I know that I could have chosen to become happy!

So, you the 'optimistic realists' out there, try to strengthen your qualities. Build a bubble shield that covers yourself so that no destructive amount of pessimism could penetrate through and shatter it, but allow the optimism to pass through the shield, and spread it around to others.

I really sound like a motivator right now. Pfttt...

Actually, I have had a brief moment of transition into a pessimistic realist, but a chat with my mother made me realize all these- these that I have written, reversing the transition and here I am, an optimistic realist again, Alhamdulillah. Surely, Allah worked out his wonders in ways that we, the mere, powerless human beings could never configure.

I'll try my best to stay as an 'optimistic realist'. Yups! 

With that, Assalamualaikum w.b.t, may peace be upon you! Adieu, Adios, Sayonara and if you're reading up till this point, then I must offer you a virtual congratulatory hand shake because you have proven yourself to be an awesome human being! Thank you! :D 

The Escape

You know, sometimes it'd be really delightful to just escape from all these things that muddled our thinkings and emotions, this thing called 'the reality' and just packed up your backpack to move into a totally different world and stay there for a while, as if you are enjoying your holiday, meeting totally new, interesting, quirky people, talking and listening to them, listening to what they have to say for a change, to listen to things that are actually not related to you, minor, measly things like why 'Suki always take the kettle off again after Polly put it on,', to actually fight the real monster, to save a damsel in distress, to witness anything extraordinary, to live a life full of real adventures, not the kind of 'life is actually a series of adventures of how you quickly stand up after falling down over and over again', to experience the kind of life you wish to have when you read the books, when you watch Hayao Miyazaki's films, to take a time-off from the reality.

In that case, I should write a book and mingle with the fictional characters, living in the fictional world that I have created. 

I guess that's the reason how JK Rowling got out of her depression.

No, I'm not depressed. I'm just a little bit upset. The Dementors had blown me a kiss, and all I need is a hot mug of Milo (my version of Chocolate Frog). 

Sometimes, you really need to be alone for a while, to reflect on your life. 

Of course, Allah is always there to listen to you. And it's easier to communicate with him when you're alone, knowing that there's only the two of you (of course Allah is there whether you're alone or not but you get the point, don't you?)

Okay, adieu. 

APPS Taiwan: Sky Lanterns

A picture speaks a thousand words. I give you EIGHT pictures. So, EIGHT THOUSAND WORDS!!!

The Wonder of Braces

A random post again.

No, actually it is not that random.

Today is the 2nd of Ramadhan 1433, 22nd of July 2012.

My phone is still alive, and so am I, alhamdulillah.

I went to the orthodontist at Metro Specialist Hospital for my braces appointment. It was supposed to be at 4.30 pm and it looked like I was the last patient who was waiting outside the room. I could hear the doctor talking and nagging inside the room, drilling something onto the poor patient's teeth.

I brought Cecelia Ahern's 'A Place Called Here', of which I have read 3-4 years ago, but decided to read again. I must say, this book is one of Ahern's boring books. I love Cecelia Ahern! I have read all of her books! (though I haven't bought the recently released one, which is half A4-sized and a bit expensive, gotta wait for the normal paperback size). I've reread 'The Book of Tomorrow' the week before, and I was so captivated with the storyline that I decided to revise all her other books. 

Okay, enough about Cecelia Ahern. Back to 'Braces' story.

So, I waited and waited patiently and hungrily for the nurse to call out my name. Then, at about 4.55, the patient inside the room came out. I waited for the nurse to call my name. 

Just when I was about to close my eyes, the nurse called me and smiled upon seeing me almost dozing off. 

Went inside, took off my glasses, put the 'sunglasses'. sat on the yellow dentist chair, the orthodontist lowered the chair, followed his every instruction:-

Open wider!

Close!

Bite!

Open!

Bite!

Then he twisted some sort of wires, tightened my braces, which made my teeth and gum feeling sore. Your teeth are moving, of course it hurts!

Back at home for iftar, my teeth hurt as I chewed the Rendang Daging. But my hunger overpowered my pain and I successfully sliced and chewed through the meat! Yeehaa!!

At night, I couldn't really sleep because it was very painful. But nothing could beat the pain I first felt when I first got my braces last year. I couldn't sleep properly and I almost cried because of the intense pain! ALMOST okay, almost. I did not cry. 

Anyway, I survived, woke up early for sahur. My teeth hurt still. You want to know the sensation?

Open your mouth really wide, expose your teeth, then ask someone to punch your teeth. Yeah, that was how it felt like, I think. Because no one ever punched me, haha. But majority of those who wear braces describe the pain as being like that- getting your teeth punched by someone, or getting your teeth being hit by a high-speed baseball. 

I checked out my teeth at the mirror, and I was surprised (still surprised) and delighted to find out that the gaps had been half-filled in just one night! The wonder of braces, you see? Haha, I guess it will take another two or three appointments for the gaps to be fully closed. Another year to go, or maybe another year after that. I only got my teeth checked 6-7 times in a year. 

My teeth still hurt as I'm typing this. No pain, no gain, right?

Phony death

It's the first day of Ramadhan!

Ramadhan al-Mubarak everyone!

I have read several blogs and I must say, those that interest me are the ones which the bloggers posted totally random entries just to kill their boredom. LOL. 

I'm glad that there's not many people out there who read this blog so I could write as freely (not quite, there's still restriction) as I could!

Yeah, just returned from the 12th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) held in Taipei, Taiwan. I'll post entries about it, insya-Allah. Maybe not in the short time period. Well, sooner or later. I shall post about my 8-days adventures and what I learned from the experiences! Yes!

Back to the title of the entry. I have been using my current phone for 4 years and 4 months. Yup. It is still functioning well. The screen, the keypad, etc are still intact. There are only minor scratches at the back, due to uncountable times of it falling to the ground, bla bla. 

The only problem is... the battery is weak! The heart of my phone is weak. I need to charge my phone once a day at least, because the power runs out very quickly.

Sometimes I got fed up and just left the phone lifeless for about 1 day or 2, which means that I couldn't contact anyone during that period. I'm so happy at home that I don't need a phone,yeah.

My parents are offering to buy a new phone for my birthday. That sounds agreeable, but not really. I couldn't bear to be apart with my fellow phone, the one who was with me through thick and thins. The one who woke me up every morning for Subuh prayer. Yeah, I love my phone.

So just now, I charged my lifeless phone again. It refused to come back to life. I tried pressing the 'On' button for 2 to 3 times, but to no avail. Hereby, I pronounced the time of death to be at around 9 something am on the 21st of July 2012, 1st of Ramadhan. 1433.

I was a bit sad initially, and after a few moments, I thought about my parents' offer. I was immediately comforted and delighted with the prospect of having a new, cool phone.

I went out from the room, thinking about the kind of phone that I'd like to have, and after I've made up my mind,  I came back into the room again to check out on my old phone. Imagine my surprise when I saw the screen was all lit up. 

Status: Charging

PFTTT. My phone faked its own death! Or perhaps it came back to live upon hearing that I'd be getting a new phone (we have 4 years worth of relationship, you see). So I couldn't get a new phone. Well, I could, if I wanted to. But no thanks. I'll use it until it is finally  unusable, then I'll buy a Samsung Android/Galaxy SIII or something (depending on the latest model at that time). Not Blackberry please. Blackberry is boring. Yup.

With that, thank you...

I think I shall make a wordpress account of which I could write serious stuffs on current issues or something. Something 'journalistic'. Haha. 

Okay, thank you. Assalamualaikum w.b.t. Eid Mubarak Ramadhan al-Mubarak to all Muslims around the world and happy holiday to the others! :) 

P.S. I miss writing these kind of stuffs. I don't have to check on the sentence structure/grammatical incoherence/spelling mistakes. Just write everything out. Ahh, it is so pleasant.

Stairs

Written during exam week (can't remember exactly when). Taken from my journal. 

I dreamed about stairs again. In fact, I have had countless dreams about stairs. 

In those dreams, I was really reluctant (AFRAID!) to take even another step up or down the stairs.

Why oh why?

Those stairs were depicted as being situated at a very high level, and there were spaces between each step where you could see the ground which further gives you acrophobia ( irrational fear of height) or just plain altophobia (fear of high places).

Macam mana kalau jatuh? Macam mana kalau kaki patah? Macam mana? Macam mana? Tinggi tahu!

What's more, the open spaces between each step are very WIDE. It's like, you'd have to leap or jump to reach to the next step.

Often have I succeeded in moving on to the next step, no matter how wide those spaces are, no matter how scary it was if you looked down, realizing that you're way too far from the ground. 

So last night, I dreamed of going to class with some of my close friends. On the way to our class, we had to climb up a series of stairs (that are widely spaced) up the way to the topmost rung.

I held on to the railings of the stairs firmly and ascended the stairs, trembling because of the height.

And voila! All of us reached the top of the stairs, where there was some sort of a landing. I reached there first. The stairs did not end there even thought it was the topmost step. In order to reach the class/ lecture hall, you were required to move another step DOWN.
 "Oh, no way!". The space between the landing and that lower step was very big. 

I couldn't do it! I thought, as I looked down to the ground between the space of the top landing and lower landing. My roommate, Dibah asked me 'Sarah? Kenapa tak jalan lagi?'

I said to her sadly 'Tak boleh! Aku takut!'

'Seriously Sarah?' bukan dah selalu guna ke tangga ni?

I felt like I should just descend the series of widely spaced stairs again and take the elevator instead. Anything but this, THE LEAP. But then again, I was scared of going down the stairs! 

Dibah then leaped to the lower landing with ease. Upon seeing her did that, I decided to try to take the leap. I told her 'Eh tunggu, tolong aku!' and she waited for me.

I slowly sat on the upper landing and I tried to reach the edge of the lower platform using my legs. Satisfied then, I quickly released myself. I almost fell, but Dibah caught my hands and I successfully landed on the lower landing.

As I looked behind, I realised that there were many people waiting to 'take the leap' as well. It's as though my indecisiveness kept them on hold. LOL. 

Dibah and I then walked through the door that was situated at the end of the lower landing and the rays of sunshine greeted us (I'm not kidding!) 

The dream intrigues me. What if this is a sign from Allah? I know I'm being ridiculous. But everything happens for a reason, am I right? There's no such thing as a coincidence, even if it's a dream (at least I think so, because this dream had been recurrent).

Climbing up, afraid of falling to the ground
Climbing up with fear, with every effort and courage I could muster
Nevertheless, the 'dream me' managed to reach to the top.
But that was not my true goal. To be so high up, far from the ground.
That is why I wasn't given any choice. It's either stay there or go down to reach your destination.

It was there. I need to jump! (in my case, I slowly go down) to the lower landing to reach for the door (my ultimate goal). Please note that the door was not situated at the top landing but instead, at the lower landing.

visual aid (because I'm really bad in describing T___T)

Sometimes, true happiness, your goals and dreams might not be achieved on the topmost level. For example, being the richest, most famous, cleverest, prettiest, in other word, by being THE BEST.

True happiness might be situated a bit lower than that level. Above the middle level, almost to the top. Well, it depends on people. At least that's how I interpret it.
Maybe Allah is trying to tell me that ultimate happiness is not by being the BEST. It's suffice to be AMONG the best, and that you are surrounded with people that you love and love you.
But then of course, you'd have to give your best, take your chances, carefully, not impulsively (or else you might fall to the ground) and NEVER GIVE UP.

Whatever it is, move on.
No matter how hard it is, no matter how uncertain you are of the future. No matter how big those gaps between the stairs is, just climb up slowly, carefully.

Don't just stay at the same place.
In life, there comes a time when you'll have to take chances.
Take a risk to move on towards your goal.
Or if you don't dare to take the risk, you'll just stay where you are.

Looking at the people behind me, I feel a sense of pride within myself for being able to take the leap, the chance.
Are those people feeling apprehensive on taking the leap?
Or are they just waiting patiently for me to take the leap so that they could move on? LOL.

Yes, work hard, Sarah!

On the other hand,

I'm off to this place, staying there for 8 days. Hint: The place of the second tallest building in the world.
Please pray for the safety of our 8-days journey there. Pergi dan pulang dengan selamat, insya-Allah. :)

With that, may peace be upon you! 

Al-Baqarah verse 155

 “Berilah khabar gembira kepada orang-orang yang sabar, iaitu orang-orang yang ketika musibah, mereka berkata; Sesungguhnya kita adalah milik Allah dan kepada-Nya kita kembali.” (Al-Baqarah ayat 155 )

Yup, Alhamdulillah!

Just got my results. I'm happy!!! Kegembiraan bukan datang daripada result yang gempak, tapi datang daripada kesyukuran. 

Alhamdulillah again. Nampak sangat Allah tolong. Betul! If you asked from Him, if you just have FAITH in Him, he'll help you!

Again, I couldn't believe it. My prayers had been answered. Diri yang banyak dosa ini pun Allah sayang, Allah makbulkan doa. I feel soooo.... touched! :')

Bersyukur tak bermaksud being complacent with what I have. I have to work more! Work harder! We need to have this certain degree of dissatisfaction with ourselves, with our own efforts. At the same time, give thanks to Allah for the results!! :D

RT @ShahilaShaifful "Yang penting bukan Dean's List, tapi Deen's List, I'd have to agree on that!". 

...... and If your prayer is not answered, He has something better for you. 

One thing for sure, He will never let you walk away empty-handed, feeling disappointed. If only you believe in Him. :) 

Pulau Payar aka Pulau takde Freshwater

Assalamualaikum, hello there!

Okay so, my mom's school's Persatuan Sejarah dan Geografi organized an educational trip to Pulau Payar Marine Park. It is located within the vicinity of Teluk Benggala , situated near Pulau Langkawi. My mom tagged along bringing yours truly, and my three brothers Syafiq, Danial and Haziq. My father and sister couldn't come. The five of us plus other schoolteachers with their family members, also 100 students from Form 3-Form 6. So ramai gila orang. (Guna simple English je malas nak check grammar dan google words). 

That 'important person' said this particular island is called 'Payar' because there is no natural fresh water available on the island. And thus, we have spent 3 days bathing in seawater that leaves your body feeling sticky afterwards.  When you turned on the water pipes, clear water would come out but don't be deceived by its look because as you tasted it, it was salty!! HAHA.

Oh yes, the rate is RM200 per person for 3 days and 2 nights. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, provided. For the ladies, you could choose to sleep in the closed area of information centre-of which they said could be quite hot and musty at nights (plus with the 50+ students of various races and religions- aurat, aurat) or you could live your life in the nomad way, aka sleeping in tents, of which we (my family and I) did. 

The tourists who came from Pulau Langkawi had to pay RM100 for just a 4-5 hours stay at Pulau Payar. Ok fine, expensive. But still worth it la. T__T

BABY SHARKY!!!! 

Five stars hotels overlooking the sea...

 Walking along this track, and you'll find,

Abandoned old hotels at its end... O__o

And a really nice private, secluded beach!!!

Three musketeers...

POSE!!!

SWIM! 

POSE!!!

POSE AGAIN!

POSE!! My favourite picture!! xD

Small fishies, if you look closely. 

Nampak cetek tapi sebenarnya dalam okay!!! Especially waktu air pasang.

 I only took pictures of them snorkelling on the 3rd day. I've had my fun share snorkelling from morning till evening the day before. All of us went hiking up the Pulau Payar's Hill and went to the Langkawi Corals. While swimming along the rope, I could see the corals beneath me and I even beckoned over to touch them. Hehe.

This is not the first time of us snorkelling. So, we are kind of experienced in this. Acece. Thus explains why Haziq, my 8 years old bro was so confident swimming up to the deep places in the sea with his brothers.

Syafiq even wanted to take a scuba diving license. I wanted to but I feel that it is not necessary. At least not for me.

To tell the truth, it is quite difficult for the girls to go camping in places like this. You share toilets with 50 other people, soaking wet in seawater (no fresh water, remember?) your hair sticks together and your scalp itches. Of course, you couldn't go around sitting by the beach and let the wind dried up your hair. Yup, aurah. So I suggest that you cut your hair really short to avoid feeling uncomfortable.

Even when you sleep in a tent, wearing a long sleeved T-shirt and pants is a must. You need to open the tent to let the wind comes in because it was really hot at night. People will walk to and fro, passing in front your tent. So, cover your face/head with towel or just wear tudung la.

Your feet are wet and there is sand between your toes, so quite uncomfortable to wear socks right? So buy a fully covered Crocs- like shoes. Beli sandal ASADI je. HAHA. Or just wear socks after you cleaned your feet. Wearing socks can prevent sand from accumulating between your toes. It makes your feet clean! I really want a plastic socks!!!

Nevertheless, I didn't complain at all throughout my stay there. I like this kind of thing. Adventures. It had been quite a long time since I went camping. The last time was in 2004. At the foot of Gunung Jerai. Kem Kepimpinan Pengawas.

Freshwater is so valuable and precious there. This experience taught you not to use water unnecessarily and to be grateful with what you have. Try picturing our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters in Palestine living in conditions worse than this.

I often woke up in the morning feeling dry, dehydrated, thirsty! But oh, no freshwater. The only solution is to buy the mineral water there, which costs a freaking RM3 for a SMALL bottle! Oi, mentang-mentangla ni pulau takde fresh water hang nak charge mahal mahal pulak.

Oh yes, silalah buat LASIK Surgery atau Ortho-K treatment jika anda rabun macam saya kerana ianya menyukarkan pergerakan dan quite impossible lah kan nak pakai contact lens dalam khemah dan dalam tandas yang dikongsi 100 orang. Pakai contact lens waktu snorkeling oi bahaya tahu tak seawater masuk mata pun dah pedih.

Tapi nasib baik saya masih boleh nampak dan bukan rabun teruk sangat sampai terlanggar tunggul (kalau ada tunggul) waktu jalan. Alhamdulillah.  

Next time my mom wanted to bring us (the whole family) to:

Pulau Tioman!!!! CANTIK!!!  Confirm ada freshwater!!! Yup, I tak pernah pergi Pulau Tioman. You dah pernah pergi ke? Tahniah!!

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia je. It's cheaper and affordable. :D 

Distinction

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful. 

I love this quote, SO MUCH! Allah is testing me right now. Currently, I'm not just taking the Pharmacy final examination, I'm taking the exam of 'Iman-Trust and Belief' as well.

Even if I do not get what I want in the former exam, I hope I could get distinction in the latter which is much more important.

Come what may, I will always love Allah and Rasulullah more, more than good grades and CGPA, more than everything else in this world, insya-Allah. 

Thing goes up, thing goes down, but at least Allah is always around. 

I could always rely on the words of Allah. Words from Allah to His believers. To comfort us whenever we're in distress. To let us know that He is always there for us.

"...sungguh, Allah mencintai orang yang bertawakal," (Ali-Imran: 159)

"Jika Allah menolong kamu, maka tidak ada yang dapat mengalahkanmu, tetapi jika Allah membiarkan kamu (tidak memberi pertolongan), maka siapa yang dapat menolongmu selepas itu? Kerana itu, hendaklah kepada Allah saja orang-orang mukmin bertawakal," (Ali-Imran: 160)

" Dan milik Allah-lah kerajaan langit dan bumi; dan Allah Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu," (Ali-Imran 189).

"Sesungguhnya keadaan-Nya apabila Dia menghendaki sesuatu Dia hanya berkata kepadanya, "Jadilah!" maka jadilah sesuatu itu (Yassin:82). 

Yes, He is just testing me. Insya-Allah, I'll be strong. Please make me strong dear Allah.

Again,

Whatever it is, whatever happens, you have Allah. Remember that, Sarah. 

May Peace be Upon You! 

P.S. SIX subjects for MCQ tomorrow!!! The final battle!!! Please pray for me, thank you and may you be blessed always! 

'THE LEAP'

Interpret the picture above.

Hint: How I Met Your Mother Final Episode Season 4. 

And everything happens for a reason. GOOD REASON, that is!

Imagine this. I'm working as a clinical pharmacist at Hospital X.

One day, there is a chronic smoker with chronic obstructive airway disease coming to the hospital, complaining of fatigue and weakness. The doctor diagnosed him with hypertension of 140/90 mmhg and his heart beat reads 110 b/m. The smoker had been given Salbutamol and also Furosemide before. But now, just after the diagnosis, the doctor then decided to prescribe him with  Metoprolol for the treatment of Hypertension.

What if I, the pharmacist just agreed with the doctor's decision?

What if I just carried on, giving the patient Metoprolol without any awareness of the side effects that might occur?

Even after I've graduated from IIUM with a Bachelor of Pharmacy, even after I had my clinical practices for two years, what if I still think that Metoprolol could be given to Asthmatic patients because it is a Beta One selective antihypertensive and thus it does not block Beta Two receptors at the bronchial smooth muscle? That it will not give any effect of bronchoconstriction at all??? 

I think Allah had just saved me from committing even severe mistakes in the future. The mistakes that involve humans' lives. The mistakes that might make my patients died because of my own ignorance and carelessness! *shudder*. Mistakes like this! *deskpalm*. 

It's okay to commit mistakes now. At least you learn. That is the true value of knowledge. You could still gain knowledge from your mistakes IF ONLY you learn from your mistakes. Yup!

So, Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah! In the future, if I encounter such patient, I'll offer another alternative, which is ACE Inhibitors! Please let the doctors be competent enough as well! :P

With that, may peace be upon you! 

EDIT: Some of my friends are still debating about this. Among the significant answers: METOPROLOL could be given to Asthmatic patients but their conditions need to be monitored. Okay, gonna ask Prof Tariq for the answers pronto! This is a matter of life and death! *gasp*

From Last Week...

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

Last weekend, I had taken the opportunity to get involved in the English Reading Programme (ERP) as a facilitator.

Actually, it was a requirement for the section 3 students to handle it. I'm not from Section 3 but yes, I volunteered because I have nothing else to do on that day (HAHA) and I thought 'Teaching students how to read/ English huh? Why not?' Besides, I love teaching small kids. In fact, I had a very memorable experience of teaching Primary schoolers English for 1 month (everyday!) when I was sixteen and definitely, it was very rewarding when the mother of the kid thanked me, saying her son seemed to have taken some interest in learning English to a greater degree, and that her son said 'Kak Sarah best!' LOL. I don't clamour for the praises and compliments, seriously. I feel that it is my job, our job, to give even a bit of benefit to people who need it. Yeah, jadilah orang yang bermanfaat.

Why do I love teaching small kids? Because they're still not conformed to the typical Malay society where shyness and the feeling of inferiority clouded their hidden sense of confidence and curiosity. Kids are curious, the nearest example would be my littlest brother, Haziq who is only 8. He loves asking all sorts of questions, some of them mind-wrecking, some of the really funny. Haha. Of course, I'd try my best to answer all of his questions. I wanted him to keep asking for more, I don't want to diminish his confidence by saying 'Haziq ni banyak tanya lah! Diam lah!'. Yes, it is probably one of the reasons of most Malay students developed a low confidence level.  I don't know. It's just my theory.

Okay, moving on! This time, let the pictures do the talking. Yes, PICTURES!!! :D

Madam Hayati briefing the students. She reminds me of my mom. LOL

The group of kids from kindergarten to Standard 6? I guess. 

Yang hujung dua orang tu bukan Standard 6. 

Zimah and Fatin handling the games

My other group. I was involved with two groups, the first one- kids from 6-12 years old and yes..this second group, Form 1 students. Seriously, mereka sangat malu, especially the girls! Most probably because of the presence of those guys there. Normal la tu. 

Actually, there are lots of pictures. Ni je yang termampu untuk upload. Muahaha. You get the gist la kan?

Overall, I am very happy, really satisfied! Eh, no, not that satisfied, upon seeing their level of speaking in English, with their confidence level. 

My friend Najwa said 'Mula-mula nak kena handle program ni rasa macam terpaksa. Tapi bila dah buat rasa macam tak puas hati. Simple words pun diorang tak tahu'.

Yes, she's right! But that was the least that we could do, passing even a tiny bit of knowledge that we possess to the people who need it. It's one of 'amalan anak adam' yang takkan terputus walaupun kita meninggal dunia.

I stressed on the importance of reading to them. Reading is very very important. If you love reading so much, trust me, you can survive in this world. Why is that so? Through reading, you could gain knowledge! And having that particular knowledge is even more important and beneficial than having a degree. Just watch 3 Idiots la (though that Amiir Khan was not portrayed as somebody who loves reading, LOL).

Oh yes, just had our batch's 2nd Annual Grand Dinner last night. It was awesome, seriously! To think that stick through thick and thins with your comrades for 2 years, and there's another TWO YEARS left. Sedih, kan? The dinner was held at the Megaview Hotel. The foods, not bad la. :D

Everyone of us who attended the dinner received our own distinctive award. LOL.

Look what I've got:

LOL! It shows that I'm a true Star Wars fan! Muahahaha. 

There's a cactus in the bag! =) I hope this cactus will live for a very long time, so that when I look at it in the old times, I'd remember the great time I had during my undergraduate years :') 

Till then, au revoir!