To divert my mind from thinking any other issues, I have decided to write about my newly-renovated room.
I have arrived in Manchester for about 5 days ago and really don't have much anything to do. The main thing on my mind was that I need to settle down and had a long to-do-list to prepare myself for the new academic term. And the first thing on that list was renovating my room. For me, it's important to have a neat, tidy, clean and comfortable room as it is the place where you would study, do your work and get a good night rest. It is the best sanctuary in your home.
Before this, I admit that my room looks kinda boring and dull. I don't have much stuff for decoration and the lighting in the room was not that good. The only source of bright light in my room was my desk lamp and it shines much brighter than the ceiling lamp. Thus, I brought my own light bulb from home to solve this issue. It's a Philip, an electronic brand that you can trust, and use 18 Watts to shine. Trust me, my room now looks more clearer and I could see any dust or clutter on the floor with this kind of light.
Then, it's the duvet cover and pillowcases. Since my bed is a double-sized bed, it is undoubtedly the main attraction in my room. People would surely have a look at my bed first before scrutinizing everything else. Before this, I have used a bright red silk duvet cover and pillowcases which didn't work out very well. Now, I decided to change all of that and replace it with a more 'metro' kind of style. Look at the pictures below!
The furniture arrangements in my room also needs a change to instill a new environment in this room. The new arrangements made my room looks a little bit smaller than before. But, I think the new available space would suffice for me to pray or do some indoor exercises. That's good enough for me. Let's just hope that there won't be additional furniture in my room later on.
Have a look at the pictures below and you can imagine how comfortable and neat my new rooms is! :)
View from entrance
My stuff
Look at how bright my room is now!
p/s: There is more to come. Some finishing touches still need to be done. :)
I felt intrigued after reading a news article a few days ago about the Kelantan State Government introduced a new currency only for its state called Dinar and Dirham. Each dinar is worth RM180 and one dirham is RM4.
Whichever way you look at it, the fact remains that the opposition party of the Malaysian government has introduced a new system of currency. This new currency is really interesting as the last time an Islamic country used this syariah currency was the Ottoman Caliphate, dated back about more than 100 years ago.
The dinar and dirham are said can be used in more than 1000 shops in Kelantan and are accepted to be used to pay zakat and dowry.
As expected, Bank Negara Malaysia issued a statement, claiming only Ringgit Malaysia is the legal tender in this country.
Then, the Kelantan state governement said that their administrative staff will be paid in this new currency. Problem would certainly rise later on because if the staff were to spend outside the state, they need to change their money first which I would think most (possibly all) money changers would not accept as it is not an official currency of a country.
Some might see this act has something to do with politics and I do not doubt that. Maybe PAS also wants to create a sense of belonging to the Kelantanese and to show the world that they are serious in upholding the Islamic most prestigious currency.
The Kelantan Dirham
In terms of practical reasons, how much of the currency of one state can be minted and circulated widely? Lets just wait and see what happens next!
My brother just showed me a video clip of a song, made by an Indonesian group called Project Pop. I'm not sure whether this group is famous or not in Indonesia as this is the first time I've heard of their name, but by the looks of number of views for this video, it is really promising. I know I'm maybe a little bit behind in publicising this video because my brother told me that this video has been popularly known since few months back. What the heck!
What attracted me the most about this video is the way they imitates top superstars of Indonesia in a much candid and funny way. Watching them copying the style and habits of Ariel Peterpan (currently known as Peterporn due to his involvement in a sex video), Glenn Fredly and Mulan Jamilah in this video is simply hilarious! You guys really have to watch it! Enjoy!
When we have reached a certain age in adulthood, our mode of transportation is one of the most important matter in our life. Your choice of transportation is essential as people would perceive your financial status based on that (at least that's how Malaysian thinks). If you are still riding a motorbike in your twenties or thirties, people would think that you are broke and they would look down on you! I had my own episodes in this matter which I think suitably to be comprised of 3 parts as follows.
Lets start at the beginning, shall we?I could still vividly remember that when I was 10 years old, I wanted a bicycle! A bicycle with changeable gears! Not just the normal, cheap ones. But my father objected my wish because he said that I do not need a bicycle as my school was only a mere 5 minutes walk from my home. Hey, I was a kid back then and didn't really understand about the things that I want and the things that I need. I made a deal with my dad, that if I were first in class again in the exams, he would buy it for me. In the end, I won the deal and my father had to buy it for me. I felt really satisfied and happy and continue wandering of throughout my 'kampung' with pride on the first day I got that bike. Really, I admit that I was a big ass show off back then!
Then, when I reached the age of 16, the craze for motorbike started. Well, this fanatic for motorbike didn't really hit me, most probably because I entered a boarding school. Being stranded in exile, away from this 'pointless influence'. Thus, I can see it in my brother and some of my friends who study in daily schools. The obsession of wanting a Yamaha or Honda motorbike was a priority, other than academic achievements of course. If you had a Modenas or Egos motorbike, you just barely make it to the par because your country-made motorbike is regarded as 'second class'. The more expensive it is, the more look-of-awe that you'll get! Whats even worst is that if you were still riding a bicycle to school, you could be mocked or teased by those idiot people. And having a 'first class' motorbike is also considered a 'tool' to catch some high school 'chicks', (Takkan nak ajak awek jalan2 naik motor kapcai aje kot? Tak hingin i! :p)
The final part of this ridiculous transition is when you have reached your early twenties. Then, the desire to have a car mounted up within you. You will then tell your parents that you feel as if you are getting tired of riding a motorbike. You will use excuses such as the weather is always rainy and your college or university is too far to be reached by a motorbike. With a puppy-lost look face, begging and hoping that your parents will agree on buying a car for you. But the irony thing about this part of transition is that the first choice of car would be the one made in Malaysia such as Kancil or MyVi, with the latter being the one most sought for. Not the Japan-made or Germany-made vehicles as before. Obviously because of the price of course. Then, the funniest thing about this part is that you will be filled with pride with your 'own' car and upload pictures in your Facebook the trips that you have done with 'your' car and posed with various styles to show the world that you now have owned a car. Even though the real fact is that the car that you are driving is under your father's name, haven't finished paying the installments and you still asking money from your mom to fill up the petrol. That is the reality and I do think some of you out there might dislike me for stating the real context here. Bummer, huh? Oh! and another thing, no doubt having a car will act as a 'magnet' to attract all those college and university chicks because now you look macho in a car to attend an event, rather than riding a motorbike soaked in rain.
In all, I would agree that having a vehicle is important to commute from your home to your workplace or university. But, it must come and be used with modesty and do not ever ostentatiously drive your car in front of your friends filled with pride and obnoxiousness because it is not you who pays up the installment of that car which does not make it your car. Yes, that is the fact! If you really wanna do that kind of act, just wait till you get your own job and source of income. Then we'll see the real car that you really capable of using. Adios!
As some of you guys might have already know, I was about to undergo an operation on my right knee. I had injured and tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a rugby match during my years back in KMB. It is painless for most of the time but succumb to the fact that I can't play any rough sports due to this injury is something that is difficult for me to take. And for me to regain full recovery and strength, I need to have that surgery.
But, guess what? Yeah, you're right if your guess is based on the title of this entry. It got cancelled!
Why you ask?
The answer lies on the specialists. There are only four orthopedics specialist in the hospital and believe it or not, they are all fully booked till August. I was surely in a dismay state at that time and tried to plea if I could ft in any slot for the surgery. But my effort came to no avail. There was even this one specialist, he even opened up his diary in front of me to prove that he has at least 2 surgeries to be done each day till August. If I really wanna have the surgery, I need to stay back till August and extend my summer holiday till September. That is something I can't afford to do.
Another thing is that the doctors explained to me that my injury is not an emergency case. Which means that they will hold me back to give priority for the most needy ones. Get in the queue lad!!
I would have the surgery if I were to stay here till September, but that's not gonna happen because I will be leaving Malaysia quite early this year as my clinical classes will commence on the 1st of September.
I have thought of getting the surgery in a private hospital, but the doctor said that it would cost about RM6000 in total. My parents would surely stand against that idea as we are really tight in our expenditure for that kind of amount.
Then, the final resort would be having the surgery back in Manchester. UK has a really good welfare system for students because I don't have to pay a single penny if I have my surgery there. All of it will be taken care by the National Health Service. Sounds great, huh? Only the problem is, I'm not sure where I could fit in the time for surgery and recovery as my timetable would be really packed for next term. Bear in mind, starting from next term, I will be having my clinical studies in South Manchester Hospital from 9 to 5 for most of the day. Even commuting from my home to the hospital would take about 40 minutes one way. Will I have the time for the surgery then?
I am in a complete state of nothingness right now. I guess it's another year of 'sport-less' for me then. No intense running. No tackling. No kicking. Well, i could do for a jog, but that just wouldn't cut it. My closest friends sure knows how much I like to have my adrenaline and blood rushing through sports. Let's just hope that next year will fly past really fast and all goes well, shall we?
This is my new obsession! Glee's official theme song - Don't Stop Believing.
I've been listening to this song since I've started watching this TV show when I got back home from Manchester. Well, when you don't have anything to do, you would eventually find something interesting to fill up your time.
Enjoy this catchy song! It surely does made my day and could lift up a fainted spirit :)
My title for this entry may sounds harsh and could make any hopeful students worried, but the real situation is actually not that severe. The Public Service Department (PSD) is not entirely stopping giving out their scholarship but their scholarships will be given for those undergraduates who will be studying at local universities or postgraduates studies. If you would like to have a PSD scholarship at undergraduate level, you must get an offer from top universities in the world such as Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford, which I doubt will be easy as other foreign universities due to their extreme high standards and quota.
Now, let us reflect this kind of action taken by the current government. Is is fair to stop giving out scholarships to study abroad? I mean, the scholarships are actually taxes payed diligently by citizens of Malaysia every year. So, is it fair for the government to handle the people's money this way? Is this action considered as depriving the bright children from getting better quality of education abroad?
Every year, about 1500 bright students will get the PSD scholarship to study abroad. But it seems that this number is not enough as we will always see complaints from unsatisfied parents who thinks that their child supposed to get it. To tell you the truth, I think this incidence will happen every year because the number of 'intelligent' students are increasing day by day - blame it on the advanced technology and workbooks! 'Intelligent' here for me actually refers to student nowadays who are just memorizing past years questions and then expect to get an 'A' for every subjects. Not much of a thinker. So, let's just stop the scholarship and no one will get to study abroad. And no students who just memorized all their way get to fly overseas. It's much fairer that way.
And then, people might say that the number of universities in Malaysia is not enough. I think now there are many universities in our own country who could cater the needs of education for our own students. Lets say that most of the students in this nation wants to read medicine. Before this, there were only like 5 universities which offer this course, thus places are limited and highly competitive. But now, there are more medical schools than that - we now have IMU, CUCMS, MSU, AIMST and much more. Hence, the number of places is not a problem anymore.
There are still out there who might associates studying in a foreign university with a much more glamorous status. Yes, I admit studying oversea brings much attention to me. But that is only if this case is being looked by lay-minded people. The new generations now must have been aware that it doesn't matter where your degree comes from, but it is the passion and desire in the profession that matters. Maybe this action of stopping giving out the scholarships will shattered the dreams of many students who dreamt of playing snow during winter or travel around Europe, but it is for the betterment of the future. Besides, if you want to play in the snow, or go on a eurotrip, you can always do that whenever you have worked. It's much more worth it. Trust me ;)
View from entrance
My stuff
Look at how bright my room is now!
