Welcoming 2010

The arrival of 2010 was celebrated in a very quiet manner, just dinner and hanging out with close friends. Heard the fireworks outside but it was too foggy to see anything and plus it was too cold to go out anyways. So we opted to welcome the new year at my place.

I have stopped making any new year's resolutions since, ermmm forever I think, but surprisingly this year it was as if something clicked in my brain and unconsciously I began to promise myself to try doing things that I've been wanting to do and to look forward to the future instead of keep looking back at the past. It was nothing specific actually, just little little things that I know I need to change/accomplish in my life so that it would be improved for the better. Well, the aim here is to TRY, we'll see how well that'll go shall we...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

May 2010 be a prosperous year for us all..

p/s: I've finally managed to sort out all my friend's request on FB that I've been neglecting because I really dunno where they all came from. Aduhai, kelakar la pulak bila ada budak baru lepas spm antar msg nak berkenalan hanya selepas tgk gambar profile tu. Dik oii, gi sambung belajor dulu lah ya...

BIrthday Wishes

There seem to be a lot of December babies in the family, and here's two more...


Khas buat adinda ku Ely & anak buah ku Eiman,

Allah selamatkan kamu

Allah selamatkan kamu
Allah selamatkan Ely & Eiman
Allah selamatkan kamu...

Panjang umurnya
Panjang umurnya
Panjang unurnya serta mulia
Serta mulia
Serta mulia...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELY & EIMAN!!

Kak Eva doakan Ely sekeluarga murah rezeki aman bahagia hingga ke akhir hayat, amiiiiiin

To My Dearest Mom...

HAPPY 56th BIRTHDAY!!

May you be blessed with all the good things in life and more...

Thank you for everything mak, I owe my life to you.

Miss you & Love you lots and lots!


Hugs & kisses,
From your (slightly deranged) daughter ^_^

He's 31 Today!

My dear bro,

You're getting old, hehe...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMRAN!!

Wish you all the best and may your life be blessed with an abundance of love, laughter, health & wealth...

With lots of love,
Your sist ^_^

1431H

SALAM MAAL HIJRAH 1431

Tahun Baru, Buku Baru, Azam Baru

Home Sweet Home

I'm hoooooome!! Been here almost 3 weeks now, and there were so many things have happened, so much to tell but so very little time. And all the running around + the weather is making me feeling sickly with the usual coughing fits and runny nose. Haiyo, manyak susah lor...

It was only tonight that I could actually sit at home and surf the net leisurely. Seriously, I don't know how the time just flew past by; from the exam session to the packing & room cleaning to the 2-days journey back home to the 3-days leadership training to the wedding preparations plus family time, I haven't had a full day rest as yet. Not that I'm complaining because all of those moments are precious and memorable (except for the packing part) but even though I don't feel my age my body seems to be constantly reminding me that I am getting older.

I had to pack all of my stuff before leaving coz I might have to move to another place when I get back to Romania. Thanks to some misunderstandings and kecoh-ness I could only start packing a day before leaving. 1 DAY. Apa lagi, memang speed packing la jawab nya.

I wish Iasi is nearer to Malaysia, because traveling for 2 days is just too much. Although there are other airlines that offer a much direct and simpler route, but the fare is higher of course. So to be economical I took the one with 3 transits (the last one in Dubai was 10 hours), left Iasi Thursday afternoon & reached KLIA Friday night. Memang pancit by the time sampai rumah.

And then out of the blue mom told me that she had already signed me up for a 3-days leadership training by ESQ 165 in KL. At first I was like "What??!!" and was really annoyed (to say the least), but after it was over I didn't regret it one bit. I am now proud to say that I am an ESQ 165 Alumni Angkatan KL-36. It was really a soul-cleansing and mind-stimulating training that I feel everyone should attend for a better understanding of what our purpose is on this earth. And the best part is, once you have attended the basic training and become an alumni you can come again for recharging sessions for free! You can visit their website for further info, and they have trainings all over the country plus they even do in-house trainings. I have went and recharged once at PICC last weekend, and planning to recharge again for the coming training insyaallah. Maju satria ESQ 165!

And after that there was the wedding of my beloved cousin. Hah ni satu lagi. I was really surprised and touched that she would asked me to be her bridesmaid for both the wedding receptions, but seriously woman, why lah so late. I was worried that I couldn't find anything suitable to wear for the occasion but luckily I have managed to find the perfect baju kurung (a traditional malay costume) for both our side and the groom's side reception. It wasn't that easy to find a nice silver and rosewood pink dresses with matching scarves but somehow or rather I've managed to find really pretty ones at reasonable prices. And what's funny is that I found it all under one roof. Convenient eh?
The wedding itself deserves its own post so I guess I better save the juicy details for another time.

And fyi, that was the first time I was a bridesmaid, first time that I had (allegedly) caught the bouquet, and first time that I wasn't really bothered by the most dreaded question that I seem to get every time there's a family gathering. I guess I've gotten used to it kot. Abis nak wat camno, senyum je la...

Sigh, the downside is, whenever I come back home I always get sick. I guess the humid dusty weather is just too much for my body after so long in a dry cold climate. Fever I can handle, but the chesty dry cough is the one that I most dreaded because it usually takes me several weeks for the cough to disappear. As I'm typing now I am barking like nobody's business that I think it can even be heard next door at my aunt's house. Yup, that loud I am and it has been so bad that I have lost my voice since yesterday. Oh and I don't think it's H1N1 because it's been 2++weeks since I've been home so there's no possibility of imported transmission. But then again local transmission oso got right? Hmmmm......

All in all, it's really good to be back home again. I've realized I miss having the family and friends around, the family outings and makan-makan get-together, and of course, the fooood! Here I am spoilt for choices, but nowadays I can't really eat that much anymore. And since I've been sick some more lah got no appettite. Tapi tak jugak turun-turun, rasa badan macam kena pam-pam je ni ada la. Isy, bahaya bahaya ;p

NB: Tak tahan tgk deghoyan, pulasan, rambutan, ciku, manggis, jambu batu, mangga...& sushiiiii.....cedapnyaaa.....

Another year older...

...and none the wiser... *sigh*

THE day when I turned another year older was eleven days ago. Yeah I know, this is 'stale news' already, but I seriously didn't have the time to write about that day before this due to the exams.

When I was younger birthdays were anticipated events. You kinda looking forward to add that extra year in your age. But when one gets older one tends to stop counting the candles on their cake. Well, at least I did. Especially this year when my beloved classmates actually put my age's worth of candles on the ice-cream cake. Go figure the cake started to melt even before I blew out the candles, heheh...

And another first for me this year, is that we actually had an exam on my birthday! Luckily it was Pediatrics Surgery, which for me is a subject that is kind of interesting. The Qs? Undescended testis, esophageal atresia, Ortolani & Barlow maneuvers in congenital hip dysplasia etc etc. And alhamdulillah things were good during the exam. If not I don't think I'd enjoy the day as much as I did.

By the time I reached home after the exam it was already 2pm. After my (very much needed) short nap, the girls served me home-cooked pasta, some jemput2-like thingy (what was it ah Shrn??) and a birthday cake! Cho chweet of them, especially the cake part. It was sooooo my type of cake, and was made by my dearest roomie. Vanilla-flavoured-strawberry-swiss-rolled-up cake. Y.U.M.M.Y... Thank you Ms.JZ!! I wuv it! I'll upload a photo of it when (or if) one of you Gummus decided to send me the photos ok.

That afternoon was even merrier when Ms.Rv and Ms.KG came over and hang out. I missed hanging out with Ms.KG especially, as things weren't what it was like before after a misunderstanding/disagreement between us. I really appreciate the fact that she made an effort to patch things up between us as I am keen on doing it too. Well, we'll see how things go after this shall we.

And then later in the evening, my darling classmates gave me a dinner treat at a very nice eatery just nearby my place. Never knew of the existence of this place before, but the decor was so cozy I loved it. I was so touched that most of them came even though all of us were still pretty exhausted after the exam. We ordered, we ate, and then came the candle-full ice-cream cake. Honestly, I only realized that I am already THAT old when I saw the number of candles that they've managed to squeeze onto it. Gee, thanks for reminding me of my age yet again you guys... ;P

All in all, even though it was just another day in my calendar, it was definitely not just an ordinary day. I had fun, laughter and a blast with my friends and colleagues. They certainly made the day more bearable and something to be remembered back fondly.

And I love the pressies! I'll treasure them always. They're really cool and I especially love the treasure chests. Was just admiring them the other day in the shop while imagining how it would look on my vanity dresser and now I have them! Now that's truly the power of The Secret, teeheehee...

THANKS A MILLION guys!!

Hugs, hugs, hugs and more virtual hugs from me ^_^

n.b.: More piccas will be uploaded at a later date, haven't got the time to transfer them yet :)

Three Graduates and A Bride

Last Sunday was a very busy day. There was a graduation ceremony for the girls and a wedding of a friend. I was practically running around for both occasions, but in the end I'm glad that I did it although my feet were killing me by the end of the day.


The Wedding
Remember when I wrote about my friend, Ms.MCL's proposal during class? Well, they finally have all their papers in order and decided to register their marriage here legally. As she is of Romanian-American parentage and he is an Israelian, there were a lot of paperwork to get sorted out. But after all the hassle and running around, finally they were declared husband and wife on May 31, 2009 at the wedding registration place in town.

It was a really sweet occasion. Because it was all kinda last minute, they decided to forgo the pomp and frills and invited only close friends and family to the ceremony. I was deeply touched and honoured that she would include me in it and plus this would certainly be my first.

The ceremony itself was simple, short and sweet; practically hassle free and it took less than 30 minutes. The bride was really beautiful and glowing; she couldn't stop grinning all through it all, and I am really happy for them. As I said it was my first time in a Romanian-style wedding and was delighted to join in with the newlyweds-walking-under-flower-bouquets and rice-throwing thingy because before this we only got to watch how it was done from afar whenever we passed by this place while there was a wedding there.

It was a really really lovely affair, simple and sweet. No hassle no fuss. No frowns, only smiles all around. I wish I could have joined them after that when they went to Ciric to celebrate but I wanted to run back to the graduation ceremony before it's over. And so after giving her the flowers and gift I left the happy couple to join my friends in CUG.


The Graduation Ceremony
Got up early, got ready, and accompanied the soon-to-be grads to the university (5 minutes walk from our place) for a pre-graduation group photo taking session. After that we straightaway went to the Centrul de Providenta in CUG where the ceremony was to take place (which was very very far, according to Iasi's standard lah) and waited for things to get started. As I had a wedding to attend to at noon I had to leave and later on joined them again after the wedding.

The gummu girls :))

It was nice to see all of them happy and excited and seeing some juniors coming to show their support, but I was quite bummed coz didn't get to watch them actually walk onstage, receiving their scrolls and reciting the Hippocratic Oath. Rugi gila lah, tapi takde rezeki nak wat camno...
Eventhough people keep saying that our turn will only be next year, it's kinda hard for me to believe it coz it really felt like only yesterday that I had set foot in Iasi. Will I be ready to don the robe and cap and be a good physician in the future? Scary thought. Sigh, time flies so fast eh.....

I gave the girls white roses as a token of our (crazy) friendship which I had pre-ordered a day before and had asked the boys to pick 'em up for me and gave it to them because I wasn't sure if I could make it after the wedding. And after that we were just chilling out at the sistas place. Good times indeed, they were my travel buddies and also my partners in crime; I'll surely miss them when they've gone back home for good...

Oh, and I am really glad that I came back to the graduation place. Surprise surprise, I got to meet a friend who was with us for the first 3 years but had transferred to Bucharest in our 4th year. He told me before that he had exams the day before and couldn't come, so imagine my surprise when I saw him there. And apparently most of my classmates were there too, but only managed to meet some of them because they left early.

Wonder how our graduation ceremony is gonna be like? Compared to my first convocation several years ago in UM which was a very formal affair (DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah yg bagi scroll hari tu) the ceremony here is, I would say, semi-formal. Takde org kenamaan, cuma org2 besar & yg penting drpd uni kitorang je. Which is a good thing I think. Less hoopla, but a bit dragging also lah. Tak kisah la belalang, asal jangan tergolek doq masa kat atas stage tu nanti udah ler. Isy, malu giler tak terkata gamaknya.....

So, to the new bride and the new MD graduates:

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Update: Was asked to stand in line for the bouquet-throwing thingy, but the bouquet flew into the hands of Ms.MCL's bestfren. Fuhhh, nasib baik... :))

Birthday Girl

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY ELISSA!

Auntie wishes you all the best in the world and here's a big hug & kisses for you, mmmuaaaaah!

Birthday Girl & Boy

Happy 4th Birthday BATRISYIA !!


&

Happy 1st Birthday RAYYAN !!

Auntie wishes both of you all the joy, luck and love in the world, and don't be notty ok.

Love you guys and hope to see you soon!

Welcoming the New Year with a Bang

Time flies so fast that 2009 is already here and there's only 1 more year to go for me to be done here! 2008 was a year of learning experiences and of growing up, and personally I am bidding it farewell with a large contented sigh. Hopefully this year will be better, and we'll finally get to fulfill our New Year resolutions (at least some if not all of them, hehe...)

So, LA REVEDERE 2008, and BINE ATI VENIT 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!

Birthday Boy

Happy 5th Birthday EIMAN !!

Here's a BIG HUG from auntie and a wish for all the joy and love in the world...

Love you and see you soon!

Maal Hijrah

Hari ini umat Islam menyambut kedatangan tahun baru, 1 Muharram 1430H.
Tahun baru, buku baru.
Azam baru?? Insyaallah.....

Teringat semasa di sekolah menengah dulu, kami diwajibkan untuk menyanyikan lagu Maal Hijrah setiap pagi semasa perhimpunan/senaman pagi sepanjang bulan Muharram.
Hasilnya, senikata lagu tesebut masih segar di ingatanku...

Satu Muharram detik permulaan
Perkiraan tahun Islam Hijrah
Perpindahan Nabi dan umat Islam
Dari Kota Mekah ke kota Madinah

Atas keyakinan dan iman yang teguh
Kaum Muhajirin dan Ansar bersatu
Rela berkorban harta dan nyawa
Demi menegakkan Islam tercinta

Hijrah itu pengorbanan
Hijrah itu perjuangan
Hijrah itu persaudaraan
Hijrah membentuk perpaduan

Oleh itu mari semua
Kita sambut Maal Hijrah
Tingkatkan semangat tegakkan syiar Islam
Untuk sepanjang zaman
Untuk sepanjang zaman!

Semoga tahun ini umat Islam akan lebih bersatu-padu, menolong antara satu sama lain dan bangkit membanteras ketidak adilan dan kekejaman di dunia ini....

White Christmas

Lo and behold, it snowed on Christmas eve! As I can recall, this the first in the 5 years that i've been here that it actually snowed on time. Before this it's either earlier or later, most of the time much later though. I'm glad that it's a white christmas this year, but frak it, the roads are gonna be pretty mucky in the days to come. Guess I should be putting on those winter boots from now on huh...

I'm dreaming of a white christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
to hear the sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
May your dreams be merry and bright
and may your christmases be white

I'm dreaming of white christmas
with every christmas card I write
May your dreams be merry and bright,
and may all your christmases be white

May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your christmases be white

And if I were to have a christmas wishlist, this one here is definitely in it...



Have A Very Merry White Christmas!!!

Holiday..... YAY!

Yes! We have started our Christmas break already and it's till 4th of January. What am I to do with all those free time? Well, I should be studying since we'll be having a rather busy exam session this semester with Nephrology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, ENT and Occupational Medicine papers this time around. Fuhhhhh....

Buuuuuttttt, it's the holidays!! Maybe a few days for recreational purposes won't be that bad, you know? So therein lies the dilemma; where to go this time? Anywhere outside of the country is certainly out of the question right now because we are not really financially able, but maybe somewhere around here would do too. Or maybe another skiing trip like we had last year would be great, although we should go somewhere else this time since I was informed that already the place is famous amongst the students and a couple of them might be flocking to that place. Hmmmm....

So, mana mau pigi lohhh? Bored as hell at home, and not in the mood yet to scour the books. Normally a bit of fresh air outside walking around would cure the boredom, but with the current weather I will be risking freezing my ass, extremities and face (not in that order though *wink*) if I wanna go venturing outside. Oh well, I guess for the time being I'll have to make do with completing watching seasons 3 and 4 of Battlestar Galactica. More Cylons running amok, frak me....

Happy Holidays!!

Eid Mubarak!

What we did this Raya Haji:

- Went to the mosque for prayers. Dapat lah makan harissa sket, yummmm...

- Walked back home from the mosque with my baju kurung. Sejuk seh...

- Buat masak-masak sket. Last minute planning with Ms JZ...

- Main dishes: Nasi himpit, lontong, kuah kacang.
- Dessert: Kek pisang, Biskut kacang.

- Mak called tanya takde daging korban ke this year? Told her lembu mahal nak sembelih, and kambing tak dapat nak cari (kambing semuanya hibernate time winter ni kot, heheh)...

- Kemas dapur, mandi, tengok movie dan tidur.....

So, basically that was how our (almost) vegetarian raya haji went. Tak berapa rasa sangat raya kali ni, maybe sebab dah puas beraya kat Malaysia hari tu kot, siap balik Johor lagi tu. Nasib baik lah dapat jugak cuti from classes, kalau tak memang beraya kat kelas lah nampaknya...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA

Eid Mubarak

After one month of fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan now comes the most awaited celebration (well, at least for us). Eid-ul-fitri. For 4 years now I haven’t had the chance to celebrate eid with my family and friends back home due to study commitments. One would say eid is eid, no matter where you and whom you spend it with, but as most of my countrymen would tell you the eid celebration back home is, in another word, "havoc lah"…

The day would start with getting up, cleaned and dressed with our newly bought clothes, going to the mosque for the eid prayers and then back home for some heavy-duty breakfast feast. Well, I don’t know about the others, but when my family gets together we’ll just eat and eat and eat. One can be sure that there’ll be no shortage of food supply at my grandparents’ place when we congregate there, be it eid or almost every weekend. Don’t you all agree, my darling cousins?

And after (or sometimes before) that, the most important part of the day starts. It’s the part where we will all sit around and go to each person to ask for forgiveness for all of our wrongdoings from each other. The sequence would be starting from the oldest son/daughter right up to the youngest. Oh, and another important thing to note, our traditional clothes MUST have pockets with ample space. And for the girls, handbags, preferably . Why? Because while we’re going around shaking hands and hugging our beloved we’ll also receive small, flat packets filled with some money. Yup, I think for me personally this part is the part that most of the small kids will get excited about. Well, actually, not only the younger ones, even the older ones are in for it too. Who wouldn’t? Extra pocket money for us? Hello….

But there’s a downside to it though. Not like the chinese where you will have to give angpows only if you’re married (am I right here?), for the malays the ones who are already in the workforce (i.e.earning an income) will have to set aside a small sum of their salary just to give out these "duit raya" to the younger and non-working/studying ones. Hehehe, like what my cousin said to me that day, "Alah, koyak lah poket camni kalau keluarga kita bertambah besar…" Well my dear, don’t worry. In 3 years time I’ll be contributing too, insyaallah. Hey, you know what, maybe we can pool our money and combine it to give to them. Whaddya think?

And after all the "I’m sorry for everything" session which would sometimes, or most of the time for my grandmother at least , be accompanied with the release of the tear flood gates (banjir, lah…), the guests would start coming to the house. You see, during the month of Syawal for us it’s the time where we would visit our relatives, be it near or far "untuk mengeratkan tali silaturrahim". Sometimes it’s the only chance for us to meet with our distant relatives and get to know them. And more food and hogging. Honestly, by the time we’re done visiting for the day we would be so full that our clothes would start to feel a l’il bit tight in certain places . But being here during eid I do miss the traditional cakes and biscuits back home that are normally only available during eid. Best nya makan kuih raya…..

Oh well, all in all, that’s the Eid celebration at home. And not forgetting also, we Malaysians celebrate Syawal for one whole month. So do expect to be invited to open houses hosted by family and friends, and that explains also why one needs more than 2 pairs of new clothes (for some people anyways) as they would get more invitations to these functions compared to others. But actually, how many is enough? Personally I’ve stopped buying new ones for me as I’m using my current ones over here. Nobody would know any differently, right? Ooppsss…shouldn’t have let the cat out of the bag, now everyone would know. Silly me …..

So, to all of you…

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
MAAF ZAHIR BATIN
Mohon maaf jika ada tersilap kata terkasar bahasa, Halalkan makan minum
&
EID MUBARAK !!