Hari raya

Hari raya has been great. But nothing can beat the environment back at home.

A place that is not yours

Assalamualaikum

Mengapa manusia selalu mengeluh? Tidak berpuas hati dengan sesuatu perkara? Perkara ini sering berlaku apabila seseorang itu berada di luar 'zon selesa' mereka. 

Contohnya: Selama ini saya tidak pernah berjauhan dengan keluarga, jadi sekarang tibalah masanya untuk saya meninggalkan rumah dan mula berdikari. Bukan sekadar perlu keluar dari rumah yang telah saya huni selama 20 tahun itu, bahkan juga inilah pertama kalinya saya perlu menjejakkan kaki ke tanah yang asing.

Apabila ini terjadi sudah pastinya kita akan merasa tertekan, keliru, teruja dan pelbagai perasaan yang bercampur baur. Tapi sedarkah kita yang semua perasaan itu wujud kerana kita terpaksa melangkah keluar dari zon selesa kita. Jadi persoalan yang seterusnya, dimanakah sempadan zon selesa itu? Dan siapa, dimana dan bagaimanakah zon itu diwujudkan?Jawapannya terletak pada diri dan persekitaran yang kita diami. 

Berbalik kepada contoh yang saya utarakan sebentar tadi, apabila saya, dalam cerita diatas terpaksa keluar dari zon selesa saya maka banyak perasaan yang bercampur aduk dalam fikiran dan jiwa saya. Apabila saya tiba di persekitaran baru tersebut, sudah pastinya saya akan membandingkan diri dan keadaan saya sekiranya saya masih berada di rumah. Di situ pastinya telah wujud satu situasi banding dan membandingkan. Apabila ini terjadi, saya pasti tidak akan merasa  selesa, perasaan sedih, homesick, dan macam-macam perasaan akan wujud yang akan mengakibatkan tekanan secara tak langsung kepada diri saya. Saya akan mula mengiyakan pepatah melayu "hujang emas di negeri orang hujan batu dinegeri sendiri". Tapi apa yang tidak saya sedari sebenarnya, apabila saya keluar dari zon selesa tersebut, saya telah melangkah ke satu fasa hidup yang baru. Di mana cabaran sebenar untuk membina zon selesa itu bermula dengan diri saya sendiri. Berikan saya masa, Insha Allah, saya akan mula mengenali persekitaran saya Dan perlahan-lahan, tanpa saya sedari saya akan membina sempadan baru untuk mencari zon selesa saya.

Nahhh inilah yang cuba saya maksudkan. Zon selesa yang akan dibina dan yang terbina itu muncul akibat daripada satu faktor yang dinamakan adaptasi. Namun, yang menentukan cepat atau lambat zon itu dibina bergantung kepada diri kita sendiri. Pelbagai halangan akan muncul apabila kita cuba hendak membina zon tersebut. Dan kita juga akan mempersoalkan kenapa orang lain suka, saya tak suka. Dan kalau kita bandingkan panjang waktu yang telah mereka habiskan untuk membina zon tersebut, barulah kita akan faham. Jadi, tak perlulah kita nak merungut dan menegeluh kerana perubahan yang berlaku dalam hidup kita merupakan cabaran yang perlu kita tempuh. Cabaran ini seolah-olah merupakan 'assignment' yang dieberikan oleh Allah swt ke atas kita. Untuk melihat selama manakah yang kita ambil untuk menyelesaikannya. Cabaran yang paling besar adalah untuk mebuang segala halangan (blockage) yang ada dan wujudkan satu toleransi atau tolak ansur supaya adaptasi akan mudah berlaku dan zon selesa kita akan cepat dibina. Ini amat penting kerana kita tidak mahu akibat yang ditanggung daripada perasaan ketidak selesaan itu berpanjangan dan menjejaskan diri kita dan orang sekeliling kita.

Wallahua'lam.

My PhD 1

Assalamualaikum

So far I have not written anything yet regarding my PhD research project. In this entry I would like to share what my research project is about. My project is about studying the transcription factors involved during flowering of the soybean plant. Well it sounds complicated to me as for now. But I am sure I will be able to be get myself embedded with my research area/topic soon. 

Generally I have started my lab work. In this beginning stage I started with learning the basic skills needed for the soybean tissue culture. Today is the fourth day of the process. By next week I will be able to view the result of my soybean. This is my second attempt of the experiment. I have done it before but that time was the learning stage, where I did  the experiment with a post doc, who have been assigned to be my instructor.

I have a very high hope in this PhD journey. I am hoping that the result of the experiments that I am doing will be a good one so that I can write a good thesis at the end of this journey. :)

Pray for me, all my love ones!!  Insha Allah.

Source

Iman

Assalamualaikum

This word that carries a lot of meaning came across my mind today. Iman. Faith. How do we check our Iman? How can we increase our Iman? How can we polish it so that it can brings us closer to the Al-Mighty Allah? 

Iman. 

A word sounds so simple yet gives a heavy meaning.

Iman.

Can't be acquired, can't be inherited. 

Need to be developed. Need to be earned. 

Iman.

Will be the stance in our life.

Look for Iman. Deepened it. 

Wallahua'lam

Ramadhan Bits & Bites 1

Assalamulaikum

So far, Ramadhan has been great. I'm loving it! Apart from trying to level up my Iman and Taqwa with religious activities, the second thing I love about Ramadhan in food. Not particularly eating food. But food as a general subject matter. It is during this month, I can see people talking so much about food. Food they cooked, food the ate, food the bought even the food they wished to eat. So do I! *grin^^

Today I just want to share some of the food that I've prepared for Iftar this year. I don't really like to do food blogging cause I am not an expert, but I certainly want to blog a little about what I've done so that I can look back in the future. 

Let's see what I've done so far...

 This is Ayam Masak Merah served with Nasi Tomato. For small housewarming with close friends.

 This is Kari Sardin with potatoes and carrots, served with white rice. For Iftar potluck at a friend's house

 This is Tiramisu. For Iftar potluck at a friend's house.

This is Kuey Teow ladna. For today's iftar. 

I'll keep updating if I have more. 

Sleepy

Assalamualaikum

Today is the second day of Ramadhan falls exactly on the second day of August. Howaaa... I feel really sleepy today. So not in energy. Not because of fasting, but because of I did not get enough sleep maybe. When I feel sleepy, really really sleepy, I always fall asleep even for few second and worst when I started to snore. I can't help it! My head gets heavy and I need to sleep. T__T

Insha Allah I will try to find some remedy or food or supplement that can help me boost my energy. Oh ya, we don't have kurma (dates) for our Iftar. I will get that. I will insha Allah. 

That's all.

Malaysian Hall

Assalamualaikum

Finally I am no longer known as the Malaysian Hall resident. I've moved out from the place. I am supposed to go straight away to my new home. But because of certain problem, I am staying in a friend's house tonight.

It feels different thinking that I am no longer known as the Malaysian Hall resident. Alhamdulillah, living there was not a problem at all. I love living at that place. it reminds me of my student life in UIA, KUSTEM and Taj. I met a lot of new faces and made a few friends. I love the laundry, love the food, and finally love the people.

So now a episode of the series of my life in this PhD Chapter begins. Remember, no more drama, no more issues, no more problems. Focus, focus, focus!!!

Insha Allah I will be fine. :)

New Nest

Assalamualaikum

After filling up forms, visiting realestate.com.au, countless house inspections, and exhausted phone calls, my friend and I finally made it to a place call home. This cute little house of ours will hopefully be our comfy nest to accommodate us for our PhD journey. I really hope that she and I can live together in harmony and may Allah will always be with us. 

I'm using my phone blogging this, I will update the picture and stories later..But we can't possibly do this by ourselves. So a big Heartfelt THANKS to all friends that were there to give a hand!!

Quali vs Quanty

Assalamualaikum

Today we had a sharing session with Prof Ramayah on the Quantitative Analysis. This sharing session was organized by the VMPGA, the Victoria Malaysian Postgraduates Association particularly for the PhD and research students. I was at the session today not as the participants but I was asked to join the committee members organizing the session. I wan invited to be the Asst. Secretary of the association. Well of course I said YES. My passion in getting involve with societies and clubs is always there. And whenever possible I'll make sure I will get myself involved. 

My research will not use any of the tools discussed today since my work is all about Lab Lab Lab! But I give my eyes and ears to the session at least for few minutes to get the basic understanding of it for my sister. As least I have something to discuss with her about her research topic. 

Qualitative data VS Quantitative data. Which one is better? Well, I don't know. haahaha.. Don't ask me. Ask something about DNA band on gel electrophoresis or protein band on SDS PAGE I can answer that. There have been debates going around of which method is better. It doesn't matter which method we choose to use as long as the data is enough to answer the research question, research topic and doubts. If all of these questions answered, walla there you go, EXCELLENT! No doubt you can be awarded the honorary Degree and get yourself to be called a Dr. 

SMILE. heh.

Orientation Day

Assalamualaikum

Believe it or not, PhD students also have their own Orientation Day. And today is for the Uni Melb Research Grad students Orientation Day. Well, out of all orientation days that I have to attend in the past, I found that I am eager to attend to this particular one. Maybe it is because this will be the last orientation day for my academic life as a student. I escaped my Master orientation day at La Trobe last time and I don't want to miss out this one. Why? Well I realized that I missed a lot when I did not go the LTU orientation day especially in making new friends. And I redeemed that today! Yeah.

Although I did not exchange contact details with them, it is good to get to know few new people in the campus. To learn from people around you is something that I believe in. There are lots of things that need to be learned in life and I can't possibly learn all of that myself. Thus I have to learn it through people around me.

I learned a lot today. Especially on how to become a good, matured, graduate research student. It takes a lot of thinking and planning of what you want to do rather than waiting for your supervisor(s) to give orders to you. It is your research! You have to take it seriously. Something that need to be learned by yourself during this 3-4 years journey. No classes, no exams, no assignments! Unlike the undergraduate studies where you just need to do things that you were told. Nothing else. Just put a little bit of thinking on the thing you were asked to do (i.e:assignments), that's it! 

But being a research student, you have to think from the beginning till the end. Supervisors are there just to guide and get you trough it. They use their expertise and capabilities to help us. But it is up to us to ensure that we learned what we are supposed to learn during this journey. There were two talks given by the students and the one particularly stuck in my mind was given by Lilian. When she talked, I can see her passion in her research area. I want to have that passion too. Insha Allah, one day I will be like her. Confident and in love with my research.

Well basically nobody says that being on this road is going to be easy but it will be an interesting one of you steer your wheel properly. There will surely be lots of bumpy roads ahead but insha Allah with guidance and perseverance the journey will be fine. Just remember I am the 'driver' not the passenger and my SVs are my co-pilots. Insha Allah I can!!

half through 2011

Assalamualaikum

After half a year has passed, now I am writing my second entry.

It has been a hectic half-a-year. With work and all. I'm teaching 1 class this semester. So, I'm busy! haha..
I'm wondering how the senior lecturers juggle between teaching, research, supervising, writing, administration, conference and etc. Well as a junior lecturer, I am learning.

And as part of the learning, here I am in Melbourne once again for my study at the University of Melbourne. PhD is a BIG word, so let us just say study. heh..

Victoria is a place to be and that's why I choose to study here again.

Currently, I miss home. I miss mom. I miss the hectic world. Seriously?? haha Well, the transition from very hectic to such a slow motion pace world I am right now have caught me in between. I hope I can speed up this slow pace soon.

Will post up some pictures later. Till then.. take care!