Semester 3 means less time for play, and more time for academic stuff. for medical students in Manchester. Neurology has always been the 'killer' subject for medical students (well, maybe not for some, but certainly most of us). A full block in second year has been allocated for this particular subject which means that this subject is really dead serious. Even the brightest minds may succumb to the amount of workload that have to be done for this semester.
However, not all are as bad as most people think. Within this semester, I am able to explore the wonders of the most important organ in our body - the brain. Have all of you ever wondered how a do we obtained memory capabilities? How even the slightest damage to your brain can cause your limbs to be paralyzed? Something to ponder upon.
Anyhow, I knew that I had long ago lost my way. People do make mistakes. and there is no more time to fooling around and wasting time. I must dedicate the rest of my life to righting my course of life. Now, the moment is fast approaching.
It is always darkest before the dawn. Stay strong.
The reason i'm writing this entry is that I accidentally came across a very attractive and appealing phrases. Here, I present you some of the phrases:
"Bloggers are the new journalists of this era". Ever heard of this phrase before?
Another one which sounds catchier- "Keyboards are mightier than swords". Now, this one I heard it the first time being said by our Minister of Home Affairs, Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Bin Tun Hussein.
These two phrases are very sweeping, and very revealing also. It is true that blogs have the power to influence and change other peoples way of thinking. Just look at Raja Petra's blog for instance. The government is so afraid of his entries in his blog, that they had to find him and wants him to be remain detained.
Hmm...but what makes a blog becomes succesful and popular? I know most of you veteran bloggers measure success and popular in terms of website traffic of your blog (the number of people who visit your blog, regardless by accident or on purpose..hehe ;p).
I think, if you want to be a successful blogger, you have to write something you enjoy and interested in. It doesn't matter whether you blog about the current condition of the political world or even write an entry about your day-to-day activity in your university. As long as you love writing about it, just proceed.
When you do something you enjoy, the ideas and passion will come through in your writing. And passion is what gives your writing the edge and an extra spark. It is that one special ingredient that captivates people and draws them to your blog. Plus, obviously, when you are passionate about something, you naturally will be good at it. Without even you realizing it, you'll be writing the things that you know, and giving people an even more compelling reason to read your blog.
Above are few familiar sentences that we could hear everyday in our daily life as a Malysian - a Malay or Chinese, trying to speak in English (the Malaysian way, of course - Manglish). The words in the sentence are usually arranged according to the Malay Language grammar with an addition of few words at the end of the sentence, such as 'lah', 'maa', 'arr' and 'lorr'. There's a lot of debate regarding this issue, and it seems that this dispute is far from end.
For me, it is utterly amusing to hear those sentences being spoken everyday between my friends. Once, I have asked one of my Chinese friends why she didn't use proper English when conversing or writing a message on Facebook's walls to other Malaysian colleagues. She simply answered that she felt comfortable and fit-in with the others by using Manglish. I know that all of my friends are capable in writing and speaking excellent proper English. Otherwise, all of them would not be studying in respected higher education institutions all over the world. Thus, whenever I talk to my friends, I will also use Manglish because I do not want to sound like a pompous cow - trying to sound British or American when I'm actually 100% Malaysian!!
I, personally, am totally against anyone or any idea that criticize Manglish. If some people got the guts to say something against Manglish, why don't they criticize Americans for speaking American English and UK for using the Queen's English? I think it is common knowledge to all that both of these countries speak different versions of English. So, which community in this whole wide world that is using the most correct and accurate English? The Americans? Or The British?
In all, the purpose of me writing this entry is merely to approve the existence of Manglish. My TOK teacher once said that language defines us and therefore, Manglish is a symbol of unity among Malaysians. It is what makes us Malaysians. Don't you all realised? We have made our own version of English!! A splendid achievement!! So, be proud!!
I had an affair last night. It was just a one-off, though. Just once. And it certainly didn’t mean anything.
That’s right! I went to see City play Hamburg in the UEFA Cup. Why? Well, tickets were only £5 and for one reason or another I have only been to Eastland of Manchester once before. And I admit, part of me was utterly curious to see how the Blue half life of Manchester feels like.
In fairness, the City fans generated a decent level of noise the whole evening. For any of you who are not so into football, this was their first appearance in the quarter-finals of a European competition since 1979. A thousand congratulations I dedicate to City for their finest achievement so far.
After taking my seat, it took only a minute to register a full house on a checklist that I’ve made about things that might I found that evening. Inflatable bananas? Check. Fans wearing City head dress? Check. City’s blue flag? Check. Anti-Manchester United chants? Check. I could swear that I even heard a few London accents, although I must be wrong on that one because everyone knows City fans only come from Manchester, don’t they?.
As for the action on the pitch, it was refreshing to watch a game of football that I’ve never seen before since I came to Manchester. The atmosphere was completely breath-taking; City’s fan singing their traditional song for their team endlessly, thousands of City’s fan waving their flag at the same time, and everyone would stand up from their seats when there was a shot to score a goal. Watching as a neutral, not being a fan of either sides, allows me to analyse the game with an unbias head, to acknowledge and appreciate good football no matter who’s playing it.
That night, there was a surprising amount of good football on show. Maybe not so much in the first half – both teams’ decision to defend high up the pitch, combined with City’s lack of out-and-out wingers, led to over-crowding in the midfield – but in the final 45 minutes the match opened up and the likes of Zabaleta, Elano and Hamburg’s midfielders were allowed freedom to express themselves. Robinho, as expected, produced moments of magic and always looked capable of unlocking the Hamburg defence.
Ultimately, however, the gulf in class between City and United is massive. For me, Rio and Vidic are cool under pressure and always attempt to play the ball out of defence, Dunne and Richards were nervy and usually opted for long punts forward.
Manchester City’s midfielder such as Ireland and Elano are all capable of turning the game, but they’re equally prone to a sloppy pass or a half-hearted tackle by Hamburg’s defender. Meanwhile, Caicedo, City’s huge striker, reminded me of Filippo Inzaghi and not because he has a superb finishing touch, but the comparison was made due to the fact that he was continually getting caught offside throughout the game.
Despite dominating in the second half and going close on a number of occasions to forcing extra-time in the tie, City found themselves out of Europe when the final whistle blew. Tough luck City. Maybe all of you would be more victorious in the years ahead.
On my way back home, I overheard some lads saying that in a couple of years time, City would conquer Europe’s football and would laugh when they look back the defeat they had that night. I wonder who would be in charge at that time. Maybe Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti? That might happen due to the large amount of money that the City’s owners have which could lure other excellent managers who could make a change to City.
Overall, the experience was absolutely great. Now I know how it feels like to watch a football game in the UK, live in the stadium itself. Everything that happened that night, was completely unforgettable.
p/s: I am a Manchester United fan. The views expressed in this blog are personal to me and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester City’s fan. It also does not mean that I’ve betrayed my loyalty to United.
Ok...i know....i know.... it has been a really long time since i posted anything on my blog. It's not surprising if some of you thought that my blog account has been deleted. Well, the thing is, i always intended to write something for my blog. However, my intention has always been brought to a halt by other important things i have to do (pbl notes, lecture notes, anatomy workbook, etc.). Prioritize is really important in my current situation. If not, i'll be left behind by all of my friends and have to act like a know what my pbl-mates are explaining during pbl session. For now, i'm glad all of that is over (at least for a while) and finally i have a relaxing time to write in my blog without distraction.
It is in my understanding that most of you guys out there have already finished your first ever exams in a university (including me). So, how was it? Mine was kinda okay. I mean, there were a few questions that i totally have no idea about it and don't even have a single clue on how to answer it. And there were also questions that i am really certain that my answers are correct. Overall, the my first semester test went quite well. My endless effort of studying till 3 am in the morning with my MP3 player, as my faithful companion was really worth it.
It really amazed me how time pass by so fast. Before you know it, you are already half-way through your first year here. A lot of things happened in the past few months in my life. MCOT (Malaysian Community of Old Trafford), the most prominent Malay organisation in Manchester has organized a lot of fun activities for its members. For instance, the Hari Raya Haji, Futsal, etc. But, the highly awaited event of the year is yet to come, The Manchester Games, which will be held in this February. Well, this event is not completely being planned by MCOT, as it also involves collaboration with MSSM and KUSMA. I dont mind about that because the most important thing is that Manchester will be the centre of meeting for Malaysians from all over parts of UK. This will be the most suitable time to develop friendship and an extensive network of new friends.
As exciting as Manchester could be, i still miss my beloved country Malaysia. Honestly, I cant wait to finish the other half of my course for this year and pack my stuff and board the flight to Malaysia. I miss Malaysia a lot, especially the foods. You cant get roti canai, nasi lemak and teh tarik in Manchester. All the foods that are in abundance quantity here are halal Pakistani foods,such as kebabs, lassi and milkshake. However, these dishes are not as good as Malaysian food. Come on!!! i want Malaysian food. I guess i cant do anything about it and have to bear with the foods here for another 5 months. I really envy some of my friends who got the chance to go back home in Malaysia during the winter. I was hoping that they would bring along some of the scrumptious delicacies from malaysia. However, things didn't turn out the way i expected it to be as they only showed up with packets of Berahim's and instant noodles..hahaha..
I guess that's all for now guys. I'll write again if i have any idea what to write about next time.
Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri bagi aku pd tahn ini sangat berbeza sekali dgn apa yang ku alami sebelum ini. Pada tahun ini, aku tidak dapat menyambut Hari Raya dgn ahli keluargaku di Malaysia. Perasaan sedih, rindu dan syahdu memang dirasai pada hari itu. Namun, aku rasa sungguh bertuah kerana dapat menyambutnya dgn 'keluarga baru' ku di bumi Manchester ini. Satu lagi pengalaman baru yg dpt ku timba dalam kehidupan di luar negara ini.
Seawal 6 pagi ku bangun untuk bersiap-siap bagi menyambut hari yg bersejarah ini. Aku memakai baju Melayu yg ibuku buat sebelum ku berlepas ke tanah air. Baju Melayu ku yg berwarna hijau, dipadankan pula dgn kain songket hitam keemasan. Sungguh kemas dan cantik pakaian ku pada masa itu.
Setelah selesai memakai pakaian dan mengemas bilik, ku bergerak ke McDougall Mosque utk program Fiqh Travellers. Ceramah dari Ustaz Erfino sungguh bermakna dan dapat menyelasaikn semua kemusykilan pelajar yg menjalani kehidupan di Manchester ini. Terima kasih diucapkan kepada Ustaz Erfino.
Kami bergerak beramai-ramai ke Moss Side setelah ceramah selesai. Sambutan Raya Se-Manchester diadakn di Moss Side Hall. Timbul suasana gembira apabila kami berjalan beramai-ramai, berpakaian baju Melayu bagi lelaki, dan baju kurung bg perempuan, menuju ke program sambutan raya itu. Hilang terus perasaan sedih dan syahdu ku kpd kampung halamanku. Perasaan ku begitu seronok sekali pada waktu itu. Suasana yg begitu berbeza sekali dgn apa yg ku rasakn selama ini. Tidak dapat ku ungkapkn dgn kata-kata bg menggambarkan perasaan ku pada waktu itu.
Ketibaan kami disambut dgn meriah sekali oleh mereka yg telah tiba lebih awal. Ramai wajah yg tidak ku kenal. Pada waktu inilah merupakan peluangku bagi menambahkn kenalan di Manchester. Makanan yg dihidangkan seperti ayam merah, kari kambing, rendang dan mee kari pula sangat sedap. Terdapat pelbagai pilihan yg disediakan utk para tetamu yg hadir. Suasana pula begitu meriah sekali dalam dewan pada masa itu. Aku berpeluang brkenalan dgn ramai tetamu yg bkn sahaja dr Malaysia, malah ada juga dari Singapura, Pakistan dan China. Diharap ku dpt bertemu dgn lebih ramai lg pada masa akn dtg.
Suasana yg meriah dan seronok, dendangan lagu 'Suasana Hari Raya' oleh Anuar Zain & Elina, makanan yg sinonim dgn sambutan Aidilfitri, saling bermaafan sesama kenalan; semua ini membuatkan ku rasa seperti menyambut Aidilfitri di Malaysia dengan meriah sekali. Tidak akan ku lupakn saat ini sepanjang hidupku.
Inilah pertama kalinya aku tergerak untuk menulis 'blog' ini. Selama ini aku hanya menangguhkn kemahuan ku untuk menulis blog. Tetapi, setelah ditunjukkan betapa hebatnya 'blog' ini dalam menyatakan buah fikiran dan pengalaman seseorang oleh kawanku, akhirnya aku menggerakkan juga jari-jemariku untuk mula menulis blog.
Bagi pengisian blog pertamaku ini, akan aku menceritakan serba sedikit tentang pengalamanku di Manchester.
Aku tiba di Manchester pada 14 September 2008 bersama 2 orang lagi kawanku. Tapi, mereka berdua ke Sheffield. Jadi, tinggallah aku seorang junior yg dibawa ke Manchester oleh senior Aslam (4th year Engineering). Aku menumpang di rumahnya selama 4 hari dan di situ jugalah aku bertemu dgn senior2 yg lain. Mereka semua sungguh peramah dan baik belaka. Bertuah aku mendapat senior seperti mereka. Sepanjang 4 hari aku di rumah itu, mereka telah membawa jalan2 sekitar Rusholme dan Manchester.
Oleh sebab hanya aku seorang sahaja junior lelaki yg smpai awal di Manchester, mereka agak senang utk mmbawa ku mana2 shj. Aku berkesempatan utk brkenalan dgn senior2 lain sprti Tomok, Awan, Zahir, Ben, Hasan, Pak Lah dan ramai lg. Mereka juga keluar ke ASDA bersama ku utk mmbeli brg2 keperluan seperti duvet, bantal, cadar, makanan & sedikit perkakas dapur.
Pd 18 september 2008, aku pun daftar masuk ke hall aku iaitu Aberdeen House, Whitworth Park. Agak kecil bilik aku. Tp, agak selesa sbb aku hanya tinggal seorg diri di bilik ini. Hanya perlu brkongsi tandas, dapur dan ruang tamu bersama 'flatmate' ku yg lain. Terima kasih kpd Pak Lah kerana mmbantu ku mengangkat barang2 ku yg berat dan byk ke bilik ku. Kurang sedikit bebanku.
Maaf kerana aku tak dpt letak gambar di sini bg tatapan ramai. Kerana minggu ini aku agak sibuk kerana kelas sudah pun mula isnin lepas. Agak sukar utk ku gambarkan suasana di sini tanpa menggunakn gambar. Maaf.
Sekian, sampai di sini sahaja buat masa ini. Jumpa lagi di kemudian hari.
A medical student, currently studying Medicine at The University of Manchester. A really easy-going guy and could put up a smile on your face in your daily life.
