Cutie Pie (3)

Lucas boy with his new toy.

My first Biodynamic Chromatogram

My first Biodynamic Chromatogram, the preparation was somehow awesome and awful.

Another biodynamic chromatogram, i did it in duplicate. Thanks a lot Prof.Sultan for teaching me how to do it.

Love

Love is everywhere, even it's in our ordinary ice lemon tea.
Photos taken at Khaleel, Gurney Drive on 24 July 2011, during a sight seeing trip with Parveen, Hassan, Asha, and Prof. Sultan

Cereal hamper

Koko Krunch Cereal Hamper Pack

The unpacked, have gradually turning into my breakfast

Got a hamper of cereals from Prof. Sultan. It's the healthiest hamper that i ever received. It comes with variety of cereals and milk. I now have been eating some of them as my breakfast. Anyway, would like to thank prof. for this. :)

Snake Temple

It was all out of the blue, me and my brother were talking about where could be actually visit at this time, that was around 1.45pm on Sunday. Then we think of the Snake temple, a place which i will never ever go alone, or go with someone that cannot be depended on as i worry that they will use all those snakes and start to terrify me. My visiting prof has been here for sometime, and i know he haasn't has chance to visit most of the places here in Penang. So i text him and asked was him available around 3pm. He replied me really soon. Then we just started to pack up all my stuff and leave my home at BM.

We picked up Prof. around 3.15pm. Then went straight to snake temple. We took this very funny photo which i have to kept distance with the snake, and still trying to maintain my smile and covering all the fear. Luckily the photo came out quite nice. Frankly speaking, snake is never my thing....but it is my brother's thing. He just love them. Prof. did receive a lot of Wows after posted his photo on facebook. I feel glad and i am rally happy that just by doing something simple, i had actually made some differences.

Visited Snake Temple with Prof.Sultan and my brother Felix

The presentation day

We, all the students under supervision of my supervisor were called to do a internal presentation on our work that we have done so far, especially on what we have done during the visit of our lovely visiting professor, Prof. Sultan since May. I was kind of last minutes, struggling with the data that collected here and there. I didn't even have a title to start for the presentation until yesterday afternoon. Prof gave me a good and proper title regarding what i can do yesterday afternoon, and all i have to do was just ask.....haha. I know that is a good title, and i know that if anyone question about my title during my presentation, my Prof. will stand up and defend it for me. I finished yesterday lab work, and went for the High-Tea Party that specially organized for us, the student helper and rapporteurs for the previous conference that we attended. One of the memorable was that during the high-tea, i saw the worst coffee that i ever seen. Luckily i did not taste it.

Started my presentation preparation at night. I had to sit on my chair and working on the slide for like 2 and a half hour straight. In the process, coffee and tea were consumed. The most problematic slide was in fact the slide that i should have identify the problem and difficulties of my work which i had to do it at last. After finishing the slides, i didn't even have energy to go through them again. I just saved it in a pendrive and said that's it...i am done. I slept around 1.30am, and woke up 7am the next day. I was really tired so despite the stress that i had, i still get some "real" sleep.

I actually woke up before 7am by the super heavy rain. I now trying to wake up early everyday, and will give my Prof. a lift on the way going to USM. I kind of following his schedule now, reaching school at 8.30am and come back around 4-4.30pm. I got early sms from Asha discussing about the crazy rain. Then i got another sms from Prof. saying that he aware of the traffic on heavy rain day, said that he will wait patiently. I prepared myself, took my morning coffee with bread and i left at 8am. I reached Prof. place around 8.15am and he was surprised that i can even make it on time under the heavy rain. I told him i left 10 minutes earlier than usual.

The presentation started at 9.30am., and before that, Prof. visited my work station for the first time. We suppose to follow a ballot number that some of us have drew a day earlier, a total of 1o students, i was so lucky until i got the worst number that i imagined, the 10. I hate being the last as i will have to be highly stressed while other friends have done with theirs presentation. Prof. even asked me what was my number for presentation and i refused to tell him anything. As the girl who got number 1(Siti A) was really upset and hope that she could have it changed. I was thinking that if she really don't want to be the first presenter, then i will do it.

9.35am, all things ready, but only 5 students showed up. Prof. was really disappointed. That was when we all decided we should just start as we couldn't wait for them like that. I volunteered to be the number 1. The first time ever that i be the number 1, not to mention is volunteering. Another thing was, i really cannot imagined how could students be late at their presentation day especially they didn't even know their number of sequence in presenting yet.

Things came out quite well, and Prof even offered that if there was any explanation that i couldn't make, he would help to explain. That's really nice. 4 of us, the gang of more seniority students( if according to our postgraduate registration date), me went as the first presenter, Parveen the 2nd, Asha the 3rd and Azhani the 4th. I am very lucky that we have done it that way.

After the presentation was a session of research methodology followed by a session of soft skill workshop conducted by Prof. Sultan. I was surprised that 2 of the students didn't present on that even though they were still in school compound and i was even more surprised that Prof. told me that someone was sleeping during that. That's rude (no offense).

As the day end, i felt i am motivated and have learned a lot of things other than research. It's a great, wonderful and awesome day.

Cutie Pie (2)

Cutie pie photo collection number 2.

Cutie Pie: "This is MY dolphin."

This is the photo taken a week after he has his hair cut.

6 July 2011( Part 1)

Photo taken under a flower dome in Penang Botanical Garden. It came out real nice with a little magic touch of flash light.

3 days on Decolonising Our Universities

Day 1

Woke up super early in the morning from a so called "sleep", or rather should be called "rest with eyes closed". At least i wasn't really up the whole night. Breakfast at very early morning as we will be helping out at the registration counter for participants before the conference starts at 9.30 am.
The breakfast was provided by the hotel, came with the conference accommodation package. It rained in the morning in the middle of my breakfast. I was basically having breakfast under the rain as i was sitting at the outdoor. Although it was not an open air space but the wind just brought in the rain to right on top of me and on me.

The conference officially started after the arrival of USM Vice Chancellor, the deputy ministry of Higher Education department and the Mr.Ambassadors of India at Bhutan. My team mate told me something regarding how the VIP felt about the student helpers and had said it in quite an offended and rude way. Although i didn't hear it in person, but it was really kind of rude on saying that. That's when i have decided to be rebellious (sort of) later at the conference, which was not that obvious at first. After the inaugural session, another student helper and i were assigned to usher those VIPs to the VIP lounge so that they can have their tea break there and the Press Conference will be also held there. The first thing our excellency done was asking me to make a coffee for him. I was surprised at first that my job scope as the student helper has included coffee making for the VIP but i asked politely on how he would like his coffee, with milk or without, and with or without sugar. He replied with some milk and some sugar. While making the coffee, i was thinking how will he react if he doesn't like the coffee that i prepared? Anyway, the answer is never known because i left after making that coffee when he was already in the press conference.

That night, we were invited to dinner at residence of chairman of CAP( Consumer Association of Penang), Mr. Idris. We went there in 4 buses, 3 of Rapid Penang buses and 1 from USM. Around 70+ participants together with 16 student helpers, 17 rapporteurs and some other people were all invited. It was funny seeing those highly educated scholars giving excuses on wanting to wait for his/her friends so that they can get on the same bus etc. I was assigned to handle bus 2 with other 2 student helpers, Ray and CJ. It is actually my first time on Rapid Penang. The buses left around 8pm. On the way, i realize one thing. We were actually breaking a lot of peoples heart when i saw the expressions of people waiting at the bus stop for bus. 3 Rapid Penang buses passed by in front of them without stopping or slowing down at all. Imagine you were the one waiting for bus to go home in rainy day and 3 buses passed by in front of you just like that. I think you might want to shout out loud.

The dinner were fantastic. Food were awesome, so was the drink and the dessert. We arrived at the hotel around 10.30pm, a lot of the participants gave us compliments on doing a fantastic job which were basically ushering them to the bus, greeting them when they arrived for dinner and saying good night to them after arriving at the hotel.

Day 2

The next day, we were allowed to wake up a bit later than the first day. I was in charged on the first session of both second day and third day. I didn't wear the cloth that have given to us for wearing on the conference. I was wearing a traditional long sleeves sort of malay style cloth with some light make up and my hair tied up. As we were all advised that traditional clothing are highly encouraged. I thought not wearing the shirt that with TEAM USM written on it was not a big deal. Until before the session started. it happened when I was talking with my roommate, sitting at the chair that were prepared for observers. One of the participants walked to me, stood right in front of me and start greeting to me with good morning, how are you, where are you from etc with his right hand in front of me for a hand shake. I shaked his hand, and started to reply him back, i am....i am from Malaysia, followed by the sentence, "I am the student helper from USM". Then, here came the best part. He had this strange expression and said :"Ah.....you are not wearing your t-shirt today, why?" i don't really remember what i have him replied. But i knew that he thought I am one of the participants for the conference. That was why he acted very polite. You don't really get to see those highly educated scholars approached a student helper and start doing little talk, unless you approached them. We as the student helper, are not at their level, that is in my opinion.

I later said to others that, why must i wear the shirt just to show me i am the student helper. I wore my tag with my name on it and the colour of the tag indicated that i am a student helper. So, why i need to be in that T-shirt? Aren't uniform wearing a contrary of decolonising? I still do my job no matter what i was wearing. I didn't run away from any thing that i supposed to do. That's good enough isn't it? Does what i am wearing really matter?

That day, at lunch, i was really not in the mood of eating. I ate some because i have to, but those food that served were really killing my appetite at that time. I kind of fall into "hotel food phobia" that day. That day, the dinner was not served for participants, but we, the student helpers and rapporteurs were served. Funny isn't it?

Day 3

The last day of the conference. I was surprised again as in that morning, while i was talking with my prof. a chinese guy came and asked why am i not wearing the USM T-shirt. I really cannot understand why that t-shirt matters so much? What is the difference between waring it and not wearing it? At that time. I didn't really know how to answer back, luckily prof was there, he helped me out with this awkward moment. The last day of the conference, we checked out the hotel room at 1pm, had our luggage gathered at secretariat room and i left around 5pm that day. Here end the participation of International Conference on Decolonising our Universities.

International Conference on Decolonising Our Universities

Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, Penang Malaysia

View from my hotel room's balcony at Paradise Sandy Beach Resort. Penang

A 3-day-2 night international conference was held in Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, Penang on 27-29 June 2011. I am pleasured to be one of the team as the student helper/observer. Being a student helper means the whole team will be hands on fully from the preparation work of the conference to the tiny little stuff during and after the conference.

A total of 16 peoples were in the student helper team, leaded by our person in charge, Poh Chuin, and a powerless management intern that working at the IPS, Sylvester. Our team were consisted of post-graduate students came from all around the world, 7 of us from Malaysia. 2 from Nigeria, 1 from Yemen, 3 from Iran, 1 from Philippines, 1 from Palestine and 1 from Indonesia.

Day before conference

We have been working on the preparation of the conference days before, prepared those conference kit, a very tedious work that require good organization and team work. From labeling the file to slot in all the papers accordingly to the files with coloured dividers. All need a lot of time even with many pairs of hands. Loading the stuff from the office to the loading zone of the lorry that handled the delivery was also part of out job scope. Loading always comes with unloading, so we all have to help to transfer boxes and boxes from the unloading area to our temporary secretariat room set up near the conference hall. That tiny little room were where we work on 180 files for the very last minutes paper slot in on the afternoon of the day before the conference date. The lunch were served at 1pm that day, i remember it very clearly as all of us were starving by the time the last file of the conference kit done with slotting in the last paper. The food served was not in a lot of variety, but we were all starving, so everything just tasted good for us.

After the lunch, we were allowed to check-in out hotel room respectively. I were staying at the room 1503 through out the conference. Sharing the room with me were our team photographer, Eeling. The room was spacious, with a king-size bed and a small kitchen. After taking a quick shower, we were back to work. Most of the things had been done.

At 4pm, i was waiting for a friend at hotel lobby. At that time, most of us were already feeling hungry. That was temporary solved when Ray bought some chips and we just opened them up and ate it at lobby. That was when i met my visiting Prof. from India who were invited as a participant for this conference. Him being invited is actually one of the reasons that made me applied for being a student helper even after i missed the date of submitting my resume for applying as rapporteurs for this conference apart from wanting to be a part of this conference. He gave me and my friends some 豆沙饼 after founding out that one of us missed the lunch and most of us were actually having growling stomach. He purposely went up in his room to take it and came down again just to give that to us. Sweet.
After that was when i finally have the time to take a stroll at the sandy beach. The weather that day were good. Warm and nice. Lounged at the sun bathing chair and chatting, making fun of friends were awesome.

At night, after the dinner i went to lobby to do some net surfing and of course, took the opportunity to cool off my tooties. Sandy beach is somehow has the ability to cool off whatever anger you have and calm your mind. Some of my friends joined me at the beach later that night, we were having fun chating and taking crazy photos.

My day ended with a hot shower and struggling in bed.