Esprit et Âme

Punishment of Alcohol Consumption

2009-08-30T23:11:00.001+08:00

Press release by the Muslim Professionals Forum on the subject of the punishment of alcohol consumption28th August 2009While Mr. P. Gunasegaran (No to whipping for drinking, 28 Aug 2009, Star) and those in the similar vein are entitled to their freedom of expression, it nonetheless needs to be pointed out that his abrasive intrusion into the intoxicating whipping debate is in extreme bad taste

Civil Society Joint Merdeka Message (RE: Cow head incident)

2009-08-30T23:07:00.000+08:00

Please spread far and wide.Civil Society Joint Merdeka Message2009-08-30The Cow-Head Lesson for Merdeka: Deligitimize Violence and HatredWe, the undersigned civil society organizations are shocked, angeredand saddened by the “Cow-Head protest” in Shah Alam last Friday, 28August 09, against a proposed Hindu temple in Section 23 of the city.The carrying of the head of a freshly slaughtered cow, a

Leave Your Name and Number

2009-03-06T20:47:00.005+08:00

At the end of this please leave me your name and phone number so I can begin to get back all the numbers that I have lost. You can leave a comment or send me an email/Facebook message. I haven't gotten my old number back yet so don't text me with your number just yet.Last Saturday I left my phone at a restaurant in JB. I went back the next day and they hadn't found it.My phone is a 2 and a half

The JB Chronicles - Part 1

2009-02-21T10:58:00.003+08:00

I'm back in KL this weekend and this is about the only time I have to update everyone on what life is in JB.Well I have this view.The daily routine involves waking up, getting ready for uni, going to uni, having lunch at uni, spending the afternoon in the wards, back to the apartment, either doing housework or going out for a run/swim, getting dinner ready and then studying.I get up at 6.30am and

And Your Happiness?

2009-02-05T20:31:00.004+08:00

I once read that in order to feel happy you should just be happy. Or was it the other way around? It made no sense until I made a list.Listening to head-banging awesome music that is devoid of emo-nesRemembering the summers of my youth where Nadiah and I would sunbathe in the garden and wash our hair in front of the neighboursDancing in the privacy and comfort of my room.Spoken wordPlaying in the

I Feel Like a Caterpillar

2009-01-31T18:49:00.005+08:00

Ella Fitzgerald says "In my dreams you call me sweetheart". I wish I sang like Ella and not like this.After the summer of my life I am bored, agitated, annoyed, restless, lonely, jaded, tired, lethargic, bordering on the insane, lazy, hazy, dazy, crazy.So I'm sitting, waiting, wishing (yes, just like the song because my creativity is not quite as it is usually) for my life to kickstart again. And

Australian Universities Rankings Part 2

2008-10-15T23:08:00.003+08:00

Part 1 is here.The second part of the Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings ranks the top 100 universities according to subjects.So I'm looking at Life Sciences and Biomedicine. Once again 2007 rankings in brackets.Melbourne is 26 (17), Sydney is 27 (23), Monash is 30 (22), Queensland is 32 (30), Australia National is 37 (27), New South Wales is 50 (49) and Western Australia is 81

Friends with Testosterone

2008-10-13T10:53:00.001+08:00

I'm making a list of all my friends who I either consider my best friends, spend a lot of time with, whose company I enjoy tremendously, whom I email or chat with regularly, whom I am most comfortable with and with whom I can let go completely. They don't have to fulfill all the criteria. One is sufficient.Just a quick mental count gets me to 50-50. Half of them are male. If I look at the ones

Australian Universities Rankings

2008-10-09T18:19:00.003+08:00

So the Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings for 2008 are out.Monash prides itself on being a top 50 university. I go to a top 50 university. That's pretty cool.In 2006 we were 38. In 2007 we were 43. Now we're 47. Next year we're not going to be a top 50 university anymore. You'd think we'd rank better this year with one of our lecturers disproving Einstein.So out of the other

Democrats

2008-10-05T10:24:00.002+08:00

As you lay down to rest, democracy is not yet at hand. But don't you ever believe those who say that your fight on earth was irrelevant and personal. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have inspired an entire generation of Singaporeans and we will keep the fight going.We will keep on reaching for that star in the black sky, that shimmering distant star of liberty. If we are closer to

Armani Men Love Affair

2008-10-02T11:49:00.003+08:00

It doesn't get any better.Armani, Armani men, Josh Hartnett (first love!), men's cologne, black and white cinematography, vintage cars, skinny ties, floppy hair, facial stubble, Interpol's Slow Hands.Emporio Armani's Diamonds for Men.Official site with the Making of video.

Of Grace

2008-09-12T22:59:00.003+08:00

This is the part of grace that I hate.I don't like giving someone a reason to hate me. So if they already do I don't return the sentiment. For some stupid, idealistic reason, in my stupid little mind, I feel like to be above it all I should be nice and treat them the same I would anybody else.At least I should do that when they can see.Call it doing unto others what you would like them to do unto

How do you like your coffee my sweet?

2008-09-11T22:18:00.001+08:00

I love coffee but I try to keep my intake down to only a few cups a week. Why? Because it's bad for me. No seriously - palpitations, increased heart rate, jitters, alertness that lasts for hours and I can't sit still or think straight. And also because I foresee a day when I'll need it at regular intervals and so I want to delay that even if only for a while.During Ramadhan I give up coffee but

Tak Cukup

2008-08-26T18:20:00.003+08:00

I have brown eyes, brown skin and brown hair. I am not entirely tall, have a flat nose and a round face. I am from Johor and I love Malay food. I'd pick nasi over pasta any day.And still Amin looks at me funny when I wear a baju kurung.

Post-Tokyo, While Slogging it Out

2008-08-12T21:35:00.002+08:00

I remember a night I drank grape juice and was up too late. I told someone, via IM, that grape juice gets me high and that if I closed my eyes long enough I get woozy. Who was that person? Shaun?I love food and I'm not skinny. So what? I don't care. And when I get bloated from indulging on homecooked Malay food there's always mint tea to calm me down.Trance and progressive gets me high.I miss

Tokyo Day 1

2008-07-22T11:06:00.001+08:00

If you're reading this on Facebook click the original link above for photos. Gaijin. Faheem was in Japan last year, Rashaad went to Manila after our Middle East trip. It hadn't struck me that they had had solo trips before I had. I've been meaning to go travelling on my own ever since Saika moved to the US (and that was 5 years ago). But I don't earn money and travelling is expensive so I

Four Days

2008-07-13T22:42:00.002+08:00

If you're reading this on Facebook click the original link to see the photos. Four days, six girls and then some. Kuala Lumpur like we live it. Like high school, only five years later. With cars, money, clothes and makeup. If I had my way there would be more candid shots. But I don't. Khatija, Neha, Noura, Saika, Shazeea and Yasmin. Shabrina in spirit. Until December when

The Seven

2008-07-11T04:58:00.002+08:00

Shabrina calls from Toronto. She's on speaker phone and we're telling her to story of our night out. We went to one restaurant where as we were about to put our food into our mouths we saw two rats scurrying across the ceiling. Squealing and disgusted we left without paying, headed off to another restaurant where the kitchen was closed and then finally to another where they were hurrying to get

Battleships

2008-07-08T14:56:00.003+08:00

Shazeea is drowning in a sea of love and hate and internet code.Battleship down.If you don't like the widened layout let me know. I will take your comments seriously. I will also kill you because I've spent the last two, yes TWO, days figuring it out. And while you say it's just a matter of increasing numbers, it's not. Why? Because my stupid template has images which use fixed widths.

Insomnia and the Cure

2008-07-06T04:12:00.003+08:00

It's 4 in the morning and I'm wide awake. I've been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last 3 hours. It's the ice tea I had at 11pm. Caffeine will be the death of me. That and the randomnest of thoughts that skip through my head, none of them making any sense.Explosions in the Sky is on repeat. I'm hoping, praying, pleading that it will trigger some inexplicable sleep mechanism, maybe

Captain

2008-07-03T20:15:00.003+08:00

The political situation in Malaysia is heated to say the least. A change in government appears to be inevitable and the stakes are high. The result is slander, lies and allegations. I get myself involved because I love this land.Sea ofbrown, black, yellow.Malay, Chinese, Indian.Theist, atheist, Buddhist,Taoist, Muslim, Hindu.One. True unity.Waiting for leader.Enduring youth leader, vice leader,

Round Up

2008-07-02T23:49:00.003+08:00

Annoying 3rd place Poetry Slam girl is brother's school mate. Yuck. Makes me feel inadequate.Cousin's blog has videos I thought never existed (posted below) from my other cousin's engagement and wedding. See, we're Punjabi (and then some). That means we dance and dance and daaance.Weddings are the only real time I can splurge on an outfit. The outfit I wore to the other cousin's wedding hasn't

Little Miss Mak Nenek

2008-06-26T22:03:00.004+08:00

If you're reading this on Facebook then you won't be able to see the photos. Click the original link above.I told you I'd do it. And I did."Mak Nenek" is Malay for mother of grandmother. It is a term used for people who talk a lot. I was bestowed this title the day I started talking. My first word was "flower", after "mama dada" of course.Decided to paint rather than print. Resulted in a few

Seven Days in Sunny June

2008-06-26T01:33:00.003+08:00

Going to a British school means summer is at the middle of the year. Going to an Australian school means summer is at the end of the year. Living in Malaysia means it's summer all year round.I am the queen of wasting away. In 2006 I took 12 months off from school and I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. The closest I ever came close to productivity was teaching, a couple of hours a couple of

French Anthropomorphism

2008-06-21T23:44:00.001+08:00

If you don't know the meaning of the word anthropomorphism I suggest you click here before reading below.I won't forget his accent, especially how he never pronounces his Hs. And of course his rolling Rs. I won't forget his airs and graces. I'll never forget his nose.For what are the French but their noses.We had been together for 10 years. Sometimes they felt like eternity. Sometimes it felt

Med Student Chic

2008-06-21T19:24:00.002+08:00

Tongue in Chic has a contest for KLue's Urbanscapes.I'll never win (because if you haven't noticed I'm not really a fashionista) but this Polyvore thing is cool.So anyway, I wish I had these kind of clothes to wear to uni everyday and even to wear when I have any patient contact. Being a medical student does not mean we can't look pretty. We just have to be subtle and practical about it.

Tokyo - Food

2008-06-21T13:14:00.000+08:00

One month to Tokyo.I haven't actually explained how and why I'm going. In January of next year the med students at Monash University Sunway Campus are organising the East Asian Medical Students' Conference, a yearly conference hosted by the Asian Medical Students' Association. So a couple of us in the organising committee are heading to the sister conference in Tokyo to promote our conference and

When Chinese is Black

2008-06-20T20:19:00.004+08:00

Olisa Achike is a Nigerian born in Hong Kong the former British Colony and currently part of China. He speaks with a British accent despite his parents and his older and younger sisters Nigerian ones. A self-proclaimed "subject of her majesty the Queen of England" Olisa is, in actualy fact, a commie.I came across the term blackinese in one of the Rush Hour movies and I found it absolutely

Creative Writing

2008-06-19T00:02:00.004+08:00

I participated in KLX last Saturday, a flash mob event organised by RandomActs. Today it appeared in the papers. Somehow I remembered it being a lot more quirky than it appeared in the paper.It is frustrating that even when a newspaper writes about something that is inherently different and one of its kind, the style in which the article is written follows an A to Z convention. There is no flair,

Tokyo - Accommodation

2008-06-16T16:39:00.002+08:00

I need to find a place to stay for two nights in Tokyo. I have 4 options.Take the post-conference accommodation at 6000 yen per night (RM 180). One hotel is in a very good location, the other is far off and not worth it. I can't guarantee that I'll get the hotel I want.Stay at a youth hostel in a single room for 2000-3000 yen per night (RM 60-90). Most of them are far off.Find a hotel in the city

C'est Magnifique, Non?

2008-06-13T23:55:00.003+08:00

I was looking for a link to a song and I knew I sent the link to a friend, in an email, not too long ago. I had forgotten the email was in French. Tis nice to read something you write in French, even if you used a dictionary. I'm not sure how the sender reacted to my email.Plusieurs de mes amis avec qui je peut avoir des conversations intelligentes n'habitent pas en Malaisie. Ainsi, je peut

Photo Etiquette

2008-06-12T16:41:00.006+08:00

This happens everywhere I go and it ticks me off. It's been done by people I know and I scream in silent frustration at their lack of logical thought processes.When you take photos of people, strangers, while in a foreign country it is imperative to remember why you are pressing the shutter. I was in an Asian country on holiday when a group of locals wanted to take a photo with two little

S and N

2008-06-11T00:18:00.000+08:00

A typical medical student thing to do is to worry that you're sick with a million and one diseases or syndromes. I can imagine myself actually being sick with something terminal - cancer usually - but I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like when someone I know and love gets sick.In 2005 I sat in 5 operations at my normal hospital as part of work experience. Surgery was the most

Clarification and The Way I Will Always Be

2008-06-08T23:19:00.004+08:00

Firstly. It's one, two, three times a rumour. Let's get things straight. I am not getting married. I have no idea how that one came about.On Accents.A while ago I wrote about my accent. Recently two things happened that made me feel less like an alien and a little bit redeemed.Ikhwan mentioned that the art of communication is speaking in a way that is comfortable with the person you are

Darling Won't You Ease My Worried Mind

2008-06-06T22:58:00.003+08:00

30% Doctor, 70% Medical Student.They say second year is one of the hardest out of the 5 (the other being fourth year). I'm only halfway done.There's no room anything else besides medicine. Your life has to be in such order so that when physiology/anatomy/pathology/microbiology/immunology throws a curve at you, you can either hit back with all the strength you have or duck and cover to hit back on

Stop the Bullshit

2008-06-05T10:01:00.003+08:00

If you want to compare petrol prices compare it to oil-producing nations. Singapore does not produce oil you retards.I didn't realise that our dear Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Shahrir Abdul Samad, has a brother in the opposition. Interesting that his brother says this,I cannot accept that Petronas is selling to Malaysia at international prices. That should never have been

The End of the World as We Know It

2008-06-04T23:57:00.007+08:00

When I envisioned this post in my head it had a lot more vulgarities. I'm not proud of its style or structure. In fact I think it's pretty crap.Petrol 2.70 from midnight. Doom approaches.Just today during lunch a bunch of us were talking about the possible petrol hike. I had just gotten home and just settled down when I got Ikhwan's text. I took Mum's credit card, woke Rashaad up from his nap (

Dear Sid

2008-06-03T21:00:00.004+08:00

The first time I came across Sid Vicious was in CrazyTown's Butterfly.Girl it's me and you like Sid and Nancy.Then it was in a poem I came across by Paul Durcan (reproduced below). Since the poem Sid's become one of those dead people I look out for, much like Che or River Phoenix.The Independent ran this piece on Sid. What's eye catching is the photos. This one, in particular, is mind blowing. I

Se7en

2008-05-31T12:35:00.002+08:00

Shit. Kemi tagged me.7 Facts about me1. I had an operation when I was 6.2. I'm still friends with my classmates from kindergarten.3. I'm not from KL.4. I pick and choose my words and like saying different words in different accents.5. I deconstruct everything - people, prose, conversations, art, buildings, music, text - everything.6. At one point in time I could almost, just almost, do a

We Kill Ourselves with Our Clothes

2008-05-30T10:43:00.004+08:00

The 'Sex' Effect: Empowering To Some, Trashy to OthersIn case people haven't noticed, I'm a woman. I like clothes and jewelery and looking pretty and all those things that make me girly. I do. I like fashion. I don't necessarily follow it and sometimes I'm downright disgusted at certain aspects of it (more about that another day) but I like clothes.I LOVE Sex and the City and you can expect that

Death of a Family Member - Part Three

2008-05-22T23:06:00.005+08:00

I was dreading the call. Not so much because it would shock me but because I don't like shocks. Or surprises for that matter. I plan my life out as best as I can. I schedule certain things on certain days and try to stick to my plans.Today got thrown out the window at 8.53am when Mum called. Tok passed away. I dropped everything, turned the car around and headed back home. Within the hour we had

Shorty Got Low

2008-05-13T01:15:00.003+08:00

The other rural video. This one has a musical improvisation at the end.I am so bloody animated it is not funny.These videos are painfully embarrassing. Vin is going to kill me.One more "music video" and then another that we took.

Death of a Family Member - Parts One and Two

2008-05-11T19:31:00.001+08:00

I was home for 18 hours before being back on the road again. We traveled South, again. The same road, again. Different destination.My grandmother is sick. As I type this she's lying on my cousin's bed.Part 1I'm not quite sure what to do or how I should be feeling. It started when I got news that she was very sick on Friday night. When someone you love is sick you pray for their recovery. But my

For My Parents

2008-05-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

It's an emotional day for me. There are only 3 days left to my rural stay but I want to be home right now.Tomorrow is my birthday and for the first time ever I'm not spending it at home. I know I'll be 20 and 20 year olds routinely spend their birthdays away from home especially if they move away to study. But I didn't move away to study, I still live at home, I'm just away from home. I wasn't

Sniffles

2008-05-05T18:19:00.003+08:00

There's a bug going around. My nose started acting up on Saturday night. Sunday night, last night that is, I couldn't sleep. My body was determined to burn a hole in my bed. I remember glancing at the clock on my phone every hour, waiting for the medicine to kick in. It finally did at 5.30am. The lack of sleep meant I had to skip this morning's outing to a waterfall. It just wouldn't have been

Must. Get. Out.

2008-05-03T17:09:00.004+08:00

I miss my mum, the rest of my family and my friends in KL. It's been 6 days in Segamat but I'm such a homely person, it feels like more. The skin on my fingers is drying out and now I've got a blocked nose. The effects of air-conditioning. I was never a fan of air-conditioning.I live at home with the other 5 members of my family, my grandmother and my maid who's been with me since I was two years

My Hips Lie

2008-05-02T22:11:00.001+08:00

All throughout primary and secondary school people would make fun of me."Does your mother not feed you? Are you and your brothers from Bosnia or something?"My siblings and I were very very skinny. I wore the smallest size and could still wear pre-teen clothes (weird, I know but they were things like khakis and t-shirts).But then college started and we began each day with food, had a break each

Dirrty Pop!

2008-05-01T21:09:00.001+08:00

We're in Segamat, on a two week rural attachment. Segamat is a small-ish town about 3 hours away from Kuala Lumpur.Being in very close proximity with others who are as stressed out and as kooky, quirky, ridiculous as you results in some moments that would never ever occur in any other time and place. We look silly and the camera is harsh on skin and body dimensions but putting these on the net,

La Rose

2008-04-30T21:23:00.003+08:00

The other day I saw a poet/spoken word artist from the UK perform in KL. Jacob Sam-La Rose managed to capture the things about poetry that I love.Beat. Rhythm. Sights. Touch. Subject. Alliteration. Imagery. Similie.Someone recorded his performance. My favourite is "Fragments", the second poem he recited.I bought his book and got it autographed. While reading poetry is a different experience from

The Literary Dilemma

2008-04-23T22:54:00.005+08:00

"I have not the slightest feel of humility towards the Public when I am writing for myself for the mere sake of the Moment's enjoyment, perhaps nature has its course with me...I never write one single line of poetry with the least shadow of public thought..."- John Keats, Letter addressed to J.H. Reynolds, 9th April 1818 (full quote here).This part of this letter has resonated with me since the

Freeze for World Earth Day

2008-04-20T22:10:00.004+08:00

I froze. Yay, finally!With a mixed heart the camera was left at home and the photography duties were passed on to Aiman, my meddie friend (last year, in the first semester, Aiman and I called each other MC Aiman and MC Shazee because we dominated our Thursday self-directed tutorials that I hated so much).I was a hippie tree hugger (or is it tree-hugger hippie) and Rash was my tree. He wore my

The Way I...Happen to Be

2008-04-17T22:55:00.000+08:00

While walking through campus the other day I listened to an audio recording of myself and boy, do I hate the way I sound. Shaun says everyone doesn't like the way they sound on a recording. If you do you're narcissistic. But I was horrible. Like every little quirk of mine that I already didn't like was amplified. On top of that it was a very animated conversation, with variations in tone and

Reward and Punishment

2008-04-15T22:17:00.001+08:00

I cannot study for long periods of time because I am easily distracted. Sometimes I think I crave that distraction if only to let my brain waste away for a few minutes.When I study I set an amount that I wish to finish before I take a short break. I get to the end of that amount (usually with mini-breaks in between) and then take 10 to 15 minutes off.I go on to something else. Sometimes I don't

KL Freeze in Unison - Photos

2008-04-15T01:00:00.002+08:00

Flash Slideshow

KL Freeze in Unison

2008-04-13T23:22:00.001+08:00

In the end, despite the various poses I was coming up with in my head, I captured the Freeze. I figured there would never be another opportunity for me to take the kind of photos I wanted.And as Daniel said "At least if you happen to have an itch you can scratch it."It was always going to happen. The only variables were where, when, who and how big. Everything just blew me away. I walked into Lot

SPC, SmashPeeCee

2008-04-09T16:46:00.003+08:00

It's 4.46pm and I'm still in uni. My classes finished at 3pm. Suaram hasn't called me back. I'm alternating between starring at my laptop and the projector in front of me where our group assignment is being projected (forgive the double usage, my literary skills have lost me). It's 4.47pm and I am so tired.We were suppose to be the kick ass group. Me, Ikhwan, Shaun and Vin. But then life took a

The Ideology I Don't Subscribe To

2008-03-25T11:05:00.003+08:00

"O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you" (Quran 49:13).I came across this article on "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay Superiority) for the second time, this time on the blog of my granddad's

Under the Weather

2008-03-24T18:15:00.003+08:00

My body's too hot.And the water, too cold.It aches behind my ears.My shoulders droop,From the fatigue.I'm coughing again.My eyes, my fingers, my joints,Everything hurts.I type, I click, I fidget,Everything hurts.My breaths are too heavy.And I move too slowly.I have to prop myself up.My speech is slow and deliberate.And its tone, annoyed.I'm pissing people off.I. Fall. On. The. Keyboard.And

PRU 12

2008-03-13T19:04:00.003+08:00

Validation.For all those times I've had to stand my ground and explain to people the opinions I have. For those long years when I thought nothing could ever change. For the losing, fading hope and the people around you who rally with you and stand up with you when you need a prod.I never thought I would live through it. And I'm just dipping my feet.This isn't a gloat. I wouldn't do that with

General Elections

2008-02-18T14:06:00.003+08:00

Edmund Burke, a famous 18th Century Irish political commentator, said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that ordinary men do nothing."Go VOTE!

This Tiny Seaside Town

2008-02-10T22:34:00.000+08:00

This tiny seaside town has changed since the last time I was here. This is the closest place I can call a kampung. My grandfather died in this town, on the street that's named after his father, in the house that's just opposite the one I'm in now. Or was it this one? I can't remember the story.Dad has an agricultural farm now. He's slowly extracting himself from the business world and going back

Like Us

2008-02-07T10:30:00.000+08:00

You'll probably only understand this if you understand Malay and if you know my family and how un-Malay we are and how each person's Malay is vastly different in style and expertise from family member to family member. If you get it, or you don't, let me know.Faheem was lying down on the floor and Shakeel was sitting on an adjacent couch, playfully kicking him. Faheem was starting to get annoyed.

Yea, I Hate You

2008-02-02T22:40:00.000+08:00

I had a pretty decent day today. Class was fine, I got my lovely Sunburst tickets, went to the gym, went out for dinner and crawled into bed with my brother's iPod and a book.Then one tiny little thing that really shouldn't be bugging me anymore just through everything off. Now I'm like a zombie. Ugh.I hate this.

My Favourite Things

2008-01-30T15:22:00.000+08:00

I'm still high from yesterday. When William sent me the YouTube video of Brandon Boyd telling Malaysia he'll see us at the Sunburst KL International Music Festival I started to shake. Then I checked the website and started jumping up and down. Now I don't have to go to Singapore to see them. The whole night I was all delirious and ecstatic with a whole bunch of people; William (who last year

Her Royal Tastebuds.

2008-01-29T20:36:00.000+08:00

The adjective HRH was used on me today. But I enjoyed my lunch, both the food and company.I realised this blog has gotten a tad more cynical than it was say, 2 years ago. I also realised I haven't written anything that could be called an "article" in a long time.From now on I will consciously remember to be positive and happy in my writing. It's not that I'm not positive and happy, I just forget

The Elephants Went in Two by Two

2008-01-28T21:21:00.000+08:00

We have elephants at the farm.OK. Maybe I should start with "We have a farm".And elephants like to roam there.So much so that they stole the best yield from the banana crops.So we dug an elephant trench.8 feet wide.Then a baby elephant fell in.And the animals went in two by two. Hurrah! Hurrah!The animals went in two by two. Hurrah! Hurrah!The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the

Randoms

2008-01-26T22:18:00.000+08:00

Old people retire in the south of France which is why the north has a younger population.I have issues with French grammar. Celui, celle, ceux, celles, whaat?Washing hands with soap dries the skin. Scrubbing hands covered in engine oil does even more damage.Instead of spending so much money on buying new printer cartridges you can just get it refilled at Cartridge World in SS2 PJ or Subang Jaya.

Computer Woes Part 2

2008-01-26T00:11:00.000+08:00

I accidentally downloaded a virus when my cousin's infected computer sent me a link via MSN. I'm really use to the Mac where I have no fear of dubious email attachments that I don't think twice on my PC. OK, maybe that's just an excuse. No sane person would do what I did. So I'm waiting for my virus scan to finish and then re-check for any updates and if that still doesn't pick the file up then

Computer Woes

2008-01-25T11:48:00.000+08:00

Back in November (or was it October) a few weeks before my exam I accidentally dropped my laptop and me screen went. So from then till a week ago I had to use and external monitor from Dad's office. Last week was when I finally got around to sending the laptop to HP to get it fixed. But HP doesn't work in very effective ways.The lady at the counter said I should be looking at "upwards of a

Travels Part 1

2008-01-01T13:00:00.000+08:00

The Egypt and Dubai posts from my other blog.Too many links.OK so time for Dubai and Egypt. The following is purely a personal observation and an opinion that only I myself hold. It is not meant to offend anyone.After what felt like an eternity waiting for our flight in an airport that's eery past 12am we got on the plane, ate a little, watched in-flight entertainment a little, slept a little and

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T19:41:00.001+08:00

I survived 2007 and if you're reading this it means you've survived too. Doesn't matter how battered or not we've turned out.As tradition dictates I am going to be with my family tonight. All the past years have been with the family save last year when I was with my extended family and brothers (and spent 12.00am of 1st January in the bathroom because I had to pee right at that moment).I've

The Hopeful Cynic

2007-11-22T15:40:00.000+08:00

Hung out with Dahlia and Petra yesterday. Dahlia read my future using her tarot cards, Petra did my numerology. I stared blankly.Me the cynic.Husain says politics is the new sex. Haha. If I have a conversation with him it's actually discussing politics but I'm tired of rehashing the same statements over and over again to Malaysians who are just waking up to the political situation in the country.

Past and Present. Future?

2007-11-15T15:18:00.000+08:00

It seems ridiculous, now, to go back to my ramblings about unimportant happenings in my life. Not when I'm so politically charged.

BERSIH RALLY

2007-11-12T23:35:00.000+08:00

Rashaad's impeccable account of the day's events. Please read it as even though I went through everything with him his story gets me every single time I read it.I was tear gassed. 10 feet away from me a canister fell. I turned to run and slammed into the back of a like minded individual. While my eyes, nose and throat were already stinging from the chemicals that sprayed out of the water cannons

Exams

2007-11-09T17:55:00.000+08:00

IT'S OVER! Period.

Aurora

2007-11-07T23:10:00.000+08:00

When I get stressed out, like I am now, I start rambling and babbling and doing stupid things that raise my stress levels to heights they would never normally reach. Like hanging around not doing anything, binge eating (because I bloody hell feel better when I eat! But then feel guilty and pathetic.), taking insanely long showers, spacing out and dilly dallying with all my work.So I needed to

BERSIH RALLY

2007-11-06T22:45:00.000+08:00

Saturday, 11th November 2007. Dataran Merdeka to Istana Negara. Organised by BERSIH, Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections.If you're free this Saturday afternoon and want to be a part of history make your way to Dataran Merdeka.From the place where our independence all began 100,000 people will march to the royal palace to submit a petition to the King demanding cleaner and fairer elections.If

Clinics

2007-11-05T07:59:00.000+08:00

Objective Structured Clinical Examination or OSCEs (pronounced OS-KEYs)A mouthful of a name for a brain full of an exam.6 stations where you pretend to be a doctor, separated by "rest stations" where you get to catch your breath. Each station is a few minutes long and once you're done you're mentally preparing for the next one.Wish me luck.

Cleaning Out My Closet, Literally

2007-10-31T18:26:00.000+08:00

In between studying for an exam that will determine just how well I fared in the first year of the rest of my studying/professional life I got annoyed with the mess of clothes that littered my room. See my closet is small and I have too many clothes. As a result clothes hang from my bed, the hooks on the wall, my exercise bike, my chair and God knows what else. So I opened up my closet, took out

Musicology

2007-10-23T18:45:00.000+08:00

RULES:1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc. on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name. <- if you feel like it.(from http://aivana.vox.com)• If someone says "is this okay?" you say,Blacking Out the Friction - Death Cab for Cutie•

The only way you'll get rainbows on a gloomy day.

2007-10-22T18:58:00.001+08:00

Radiohead's released a new album so I torrented it. Shhh...I'm a serial downloader. But then Izuan told me it's free off their website anyway. So I checked and true enough it's the sort of thing where you type in whatever amount you feel like paying. So I typed in "0" and then re-downloaded the album. Why? Because we should support acts like this. Radiohead proves that they're doing it for the

I like them tagging things.

2007-10-22T13:49:00.000+08:00

5 things found in my room1. The softest bed you'll ever find2. An exercise bike.3. My laptop hooked up to a stand alone monitor (because my laptop's LCD screen is gone)4. Some nice artwork on the walls (none of them my own)5. Clothes everywhere.5 things I've always wanted to do1. Watch a movie on my own2. Visit Cuba (I will one day)3. Dye my hair pink (I've already done purple)4. Eat a whole tub

Izuan's Open House

2007-10-21T20:06:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning and had to rush to pick up my dry cleaning. While walking down the stairs I felt a hunger pang but pushed it aside. And then I remember I wasn't fasting and that I could eat. So I gobbled down a slice of plain white bread and lost my appetite. Human beings don't really need that much food.Funny, I could eat no problem at Izuan's open house. His house, by the way, is lovely

20% Doctor, 80% Med Student

2007-10-19T21:04:00.000+08:00

I am 20% done with med school. Granted I have 2 exams in about 3 weeks and I'm no where near prepared (I will be though!) but it still feels good to be done with 1 year out of five. Even if each year it gets tougher and longer and then real life and real work kicks in when you start working. Shit. Suddenly 20% doesn't seem like anything at all.So I'm home on a Friday night with no presentation to

Translating emotion to film.

2007-10-16T18:30:00.000+08:00

OK I finally have some decent photos from Raya/Eid.Ibtissam and me at my open house. I don't look so white here but it's still pretty far from my normal complexion. Sigh. But doesn't Ibti look so pretty?At Le Meridien, Dad's friend's hotel open house. Bizarre photo but nicely candid. Rashaad and me decked as Pakis.Me lovely cousin Farhan. He's the cutest 4 year old boy alive (the girl would be my

Raya/Eid 2007

2007-10-14T00:02:00.000+08:00

I suck at taking nice photos. And in a monumental effort to cover my dark circles my face goes white in a camera flash. I won't even bother putting photos up.PUCAT!So the first day of Raya/Eid is over. We went to one open house (at a hotel, not at a house) and had our own. My lovely henna that I painstakingly redid in the morning faded by the time I was done cutting fish, washing rice, cutting

Sombre

2007-10-13T07:46:00.000+08:00

The house is really eerily quiet. Most Raya/Eids Mum's sister and her family of 7 stay over. This year they've gone to the other side of their family. I was chatting with an extended cousin in Singapore yesterday and I realised that half of me wants to be there. Raya/Eid in KL is one with friends that are like your family. But Raya/Eid in Singapore is one with the people who share your blood, no

Food, Glorious Food

2007-10-12T20:40:00.000+08:00

Meet the Raya cookies (I say "Raya cookies" because "Eid cookies" sounds weird). Excuse the bad photography.Love letters, Cornflakes cookies, muruku, pineapple tarts (kuih tart), Italian Christmas almond cookies (go figure), kuih Arab, kuih makmur, peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies. They're all homemade except for the love letters and muruku.Raya/Eid food is really complex in my

Busy, Busy, Lovely

2007-10-12T16:08:00.000+08:00

I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I feel like jumping up and down. There's a permanently smile plastered on my face. It's like I've never been this excited in my life. Which is weird because somehow I can't remember how I felt about Raya/Eid last year.I got home, went looking for my laptop that wasn't on my desk in my room (because Mum likes listening to a Singaporean Malay radio station while

Front Page Splash

2007-10-11T11:06:00.000+08:00

WHHHEEEEE! I'm on the front page of a newspaper!!! Go get Malaysian Today. It's free.Not bad this year huh? Fashion show, short film, newspaper cover.If you couldn't guess I'm suppose to be sad on Raya day. I'm not suppose to be a maid.

Politik

2007-10-10T20:40:00.000+08:00

I was described as a leftist today, something that I wouldn't wholeheartedly agree with but nevertheless something that I can be proud of. At least I wasn't called a capitalist.

Alone, Walking the Shops

2007-10-10T10:37:00.000+08:00

Last night was probably one of the weirdest buka puasas (break fasts) I've had. I was meeting my friends for dinner but they got stuck in traffic. So I had my dates while walking about 1Utama watching other people break their fast in couples or in families. I tried calling home to see if it was time yet but no one was picking up so in the end I waited 1 minute after the stated time and dove in.I

Council Elections

2007-10-06T17:42:00.000+08:00

Blog's back online. I apologise for not making it known that I was going to take them down for 2 weeks. I had student council elections in university and because blog's were a problem last year I took mine down so that nothing I've written can be twisted and used against me.We won. We won BIG. 17 out of 22 posts. It is completely unprecedented and we're the first ticket to win in consecutive

On the Eve of Our 50th Independence Day

2007-08-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

It's the day before Malaysia's 50th Independence Day and it's only just smacked me. I was so busy studying that I'd forgotten the 31st was around the corner. Not that the 31st is a day I mark on the calender. For a long time it was just another day that happened to be a public holiday and which meant that I'd stay home from school. But the past couple of years...for some reason the significance

IDon'tKnowWhattoCallthisOne

2007-08-23T08:01:00.000+08:00

Shite.I thought I had class at 8am but apparently it was canceled. I'm lacking sleep and I look like an idiot. But at least I'm not the only one.

A Whole Lotta Woman

2007-08-16T22:52:00.000+08:00

Call me pathetic, childish, idiotic, what-have-you. I haven't watched a good chick flick in ages. And then I just did (see I was meant to be studying but the coffee I had in the afternoon was still in my system and it was ruining my attention span so I knew I had to watch something that didn't require a lot of intelligence). I watched Because I Said So which I actually wanted to watch and which

I Won't Be Like You

2007-08-16T13:15:00.000+08:00

I'm on the Cuban embassy's mailing list and get messages from Fidel and invites to certain embassy functions. So last night I attended the ambassador's farewell dinner and cocktail with Rashaad despite being extremely nervous about being in a place where I knew no one and would stick out like a sore thumb. It didn't turn out too bad, the dessert was alright, the live music entertaining and I

From the Passenger Seat

2007-08-14T19:10:00.000+08:00

I remember watching Madonna's music video for Frozen when it came out in 1998. It's my favourite song and video of Madonna's.Anyway the reason I mentioned it is because I was playing around with the little amount of henna that I have left from Eid last year and it stained my fingers and I was reminded of the video.In any case, I'm at the end of my threshold for everything. Because I spent my

Monday Morning Blues

2007-08-06T08:36:00.001+08:00

BLAAAAAARGH!!! I don't wanna be heeeeere!I need a week to recover from last week.

And all the roads we had to drive were winding.

2007-08-04T22:14:00.000+08:00

It's called rural week but your hotel has air-conditioning that can rival a snow house and wireless broadband that comes at no extra charge.You visit a house for a home visit and it turns out to be a house bigger than your own.It can only be what's called "rural" in a country like Malaysia.I could go into all the interesting things I learnt about rural healthcare but that would probably bore you