Christmas in Sydney

I'm really glad I went to Sydney for xmas. :-)))

Quality time spent with my sister, Yan; BIL, Michael; little miss squeaky, Ayisha; Tom and Imelda, Vicki and Darren and baby Jack, as well as Adam and family. Not forgetting Jess the best that made the Tiramisu cake for dessert last night (yummsss!). Hehe... Thank you so so much everyone!!! xoxoxo ;-)

Did not take photos at all which I'm blaming it on the pregnancy hormones that makes me oh so lazy. Haha! Well, all I did was eat, sit around, eat, watch tv, eat, sleep, eat, play with the kiddies, eat, help around a bit when needed, eat, oh and yes, shopping! :-) Huhuhu... Oh well, I was really just happy to be surrounded by familiar faces. Didn't realize how much I missed them until I'm there. And starting to miss them all now. Isk isk... Huhuhu..

It's the last day of the year 2010 today. Already??!!! Hurmmm... My mind's suddenly going into a reminiscing-the-year-2010-mode. Huhuhu... How was your year?

Cheers!

Old and New in the Land Down Under

An old friend came to Oz for her holiday recently. Cik Lina was one of my many Microbiologist friends (undergraduate's major). Fun times! :-) She came with her friend, Zila. I've met Zila before but this time around, it just gave us more time to get acquainted. And I also met a new friend. It's a Malaysian family living in Oakley near Brisbane City. Kak Mar's doing her PhD and there's also her husband, Mr. Zie who's quite active within the Malaysian society in Queensland. They have two wonderful boys; 8 and 6 years old. Love them! I've heard of them before from Cik Lina, spoke on the phone once or twice but not until Cik Lina came that we finally met. I just spent a night with them due to limited time but it was great! I almost cancel my plans to catch up with Cik Lina but glad I didn't. Just realized I only have a few photos taken then. But I guess it's more than enough.

From left: Cik Lina, Kak Mar, the boys, Zila and me.

The next day (last week Thursday), another old friend, Jaja, came to visit. She's currently studying in Melbourne and is on her summer holidays. She came with one of her friends, Zan. They are currently living together in Malaysian Hall in Melbourne. They arrived at Sunshine Coast Airport at 10 am and I was just in time. I took the bus to the airport. The buses now stop in front of the airport entrance. Cool! We decided to have to rent a car due to the bus strike announced to be taken place on Friday and Saturday. Not cool!!! Although having a car is definitely handy. :-) After having some fried rice & fried chicken at my place, I went to Uni and Jaja and Zan embarked on their Mooloolaba and Caloundra exploration. Neither of them expected to be caught up in a hailstorm later that afternoon. Once in a lifetime experience? There was however a beautiful rainbow afterwards. 

The very few hail stones after the storm.

The grass field was at one point white: covered in ice... Huhuhuhu..

The rainbow after the rain. :-)

They made it safely to Uni to pick me up before heading home. The next few days were full of sightseeing and shopping at Montville, Maleny, Sunshine Plaza (Maroochydore), Eumundi Markets, Noosa and Brisbane City. They headed home for Melbourne Monday morning.

Zan and Jaja having Turkish kebabs at Sunshine Plaza

 I hope they had a pleasant stay. I really enjoyed having them here. Thanks for putting up with this pregnant lady at times. Still not used to being pregnant. Will I ever be? Huhuhu... 

Oh yes, Jaja and Zan also had a chance to go to a Xmas party. My landlady invited us to her party. A Xmas party; complete with Santa Claus! I didn't managed a photo of Santa but there's also the clown. ;-)

Love watching the kids! So much fun!

I'm heading to Sydney today. Yeay! Ooppsss!! Better get ready now. Happy holidays peeps!

Cheers!

From UTI to Pregnancy

September 23

The day I reached Coolangatta, Gold Coast. I had 2 weeks of time off from Uni and spent it at home, Malaysia. It didn't feel like 2 weeks, more like few days! Huhuhu... :-(

Thought of going to the lab right after I reached Sunny Coast, but opt on staying home instead. Blame it on the holiday mood! Heh... I went to the lab the next day anyways and yeah, my dear supervisor decided to take sick-leave the day I came back, and she's still on-leave for another 2 weeks. I was a bit lost!!! *Sigh*

I've planned to work in the lab that weekend but I got sick. Excruciating pain; similar to my period pains/cramps all night, Saturday. Couldn't take it anymore, went to the clinic on Sunday morning. $70 for a consultation??!!! Huhuhu... I had an infection. Astaghfirullah... Felt better and was in the lab the following Monday and Tuesday but I felt sick again and went to the clinic on Wednesday afternoon. (Thanks, Denni! You're my life saver.) It turned out that the previous antibiotic prescribed couldn't kill the bacteria infecting me. The bacteria was resistant to the antibiotic! After a few doses of a different antibiotic, I was feeling much better. Hope that was the only time I'll have to go through any UTI! 

October 4

Desperately trying to get my working momentum full-on again!

Work! Work! Work!

Study! Study! Study!

Cook! Cook! Cook!

East! Eat! Eat!

Hehehe... ;-)

October 10

Just because it was 10.10.10

Hahaha!

October 12

I was 9 days late. There was one time when I didn't have my periods until the 36th day. About a week late. My periods came the day I decided to buy a home pregnancy test. Huhuhu... This time around, Mr. Hubby said I should take the test, immediately! Being a good wife, I did as told the next morning. I was pretty nervous. The results;

Two lines??? Couldn't remember if this was the 1st or 2nd test. Yes, I did 2 tests. Huhuhu...

Errrr.... What's next???!!! Told Mr. Hubby and I immediately went to the clinic. 

It was a bit funny. I told the Doctor that I did 2 home pregnancy tests and the results were positive. And then he said "Positive pregnancy tests? Well, you are pregnant then!" WTH? Hahaha!! He asked me if I was experiencing morning sickness (which I don't.. Alhamdulillah..), sore and tender boobs (itchy too!!!), frequent trips to the toilet (maybe not yet??) and feeling more tired than ever all the time!!! Huhuhu... I was weighed, got my blood pressure checked and I was sent to the pathology lab for all sorts of testing. The Doctor said in 2-3 days, if there's any problem, they'll call me. It was nerve-wracking! No calls from the clinic till Friday, October 22 (about 2 weeks after the tests). Had an appointment on Monday (October 25) and all's good. Alhamdulillah... Next appointment; November 23. 

Oh and yes, I received a card! All the way from the States. Again, I almost cried!! I miss you so much, Ellie! When can we Skype again??

October 26 - November 23
Apart from labwork, 3MT competition, confirmation seminar and school/Uni stuff, I was starting to get use to being pregnant (so i thought! huhuhu...). Not as tired as the first few weeks, but definitely still need at least 8-10 hours of sleep. Was starting to experience headaches (really bad ones at times; berdenyut2!!!). It was probably because of stress, didn't eat as soon as I got hungry, spent too long in front of the computer or just being too tired. I was 11 weeks when I went for the next Doctor appointment. He just asked some standard questions about my pregnancy and arranged for me to have my 12-14 weeks scan.

November 28 - December 10
Fera came to the Coast and was by my side for my scan. The scan... I was speechless. Although it was a bit challenging as I was trying to hold it in all through the scan. Talking about a full bladder!!! Huhuhu...

I was banned from the lab right after I told my supervisor I'm pregnant. The lab people are doing a risk assessment for me to work in the microbiology lab. And yes, I miss the lab eventhough it has only been a few days.

Went to the Doctor yesterday to discuss the outcome of the scan and blood tests. From the measurements of the lil un, as of November 30, I'm 12 weeks and 6 days pregnant. They also measure the Nuchal Translucency and it shouldn't be a worry. InsyaAllah... It's something to do with chromosomal abnormality diseases risk assessment; probability of having a Down Syndrome baby, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Nowadays, I have to make sure I pack enough food to Uni and not let myself get hungry. Nasty tummy aches if I get hungry! I've only vomitted twice; ate too much and didn't let all the food to fully digest before getting on a car through a rollercoaster kinda road, and drank 500 ml of water in 30 seconds. Huhuhu... Hopefully I wouldn't vomit anymore. I really need to remember to eat and drink slowly. My bum starts to feel sore; sitting too long, when walking too much or it just gets sore whenever it wants to. Huhuhu... I also get brief cramps when I sneeze or cough and when I try to sit up quickly while lying down. I think I just have to slow down and take my time. Betol tak??? Huhuhu.... Oh yes, I can't walk as quick as I used to and I feel so fat!!! Haha! Ultimately, I feel that I'm more sensitive. Super sensitive. Get offended and teary very easily. *Sigh*

Anyways, today, the Sunbus drivers decided to go on a strike. Walk to Uni? I would if I can. Therefore, I'm WFH (working from home). Hehehe... (Pina, my eldest sister's favourite quote). Well, better get back to work.

Cheers!!!

reality bites~

Who comes to the lab at 7 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday?

That's my reality.

"Haih... Back to reality..."

That was what Fera said whilst packing her bag for home yesterday, after spending 5 days in the Coast. She came to Oz to have her long-overdue-holiday and of course, to visit me! ;-) (Perasan! Heh..) It was really really nice having her around. I never had a Malaysian friend or family member visiting me at the Sunshine Coast before (except Mr. Hubby). And Fera flew all the way from Malaysia! I remembered she commented on one of my blogpost before, saying she'll definitely come and visit me anytime, anywhere if she has the money. She did, indeed.

We could be considered as besties but I think people don't really see it. (I don't really see it either sometimes. Haha!) We knew each other when we were 13, were in the same class throughout our secondary school years and back then we have our own life and interests; she has her own 'group' of friends whereby I'm friends with everyone (Huhuhu..), she's one of the school's dancer while I'm with the school marching band, she's a cadet while I'm with the school marching band (Yes, the school band was my life!) and people don't see us together that much. We did however studied together every morning at 4am for a few months before our PMR exams, have our heart to heart sessions on life whenever it's needed (at the corridor outside the class?!) and went on a backpacking-sort-off-trip for a week to Langkawi 2 years after school. I supposed we did got closer after school ended as we lived nearby each other then. After 10 years since our crazy backpacking-sort-off-trip (mandi kat surau malam2 buta before naik bas!!!), we still have that closeness feeling eventhough we don't talk on the phone every other day or meet up every other week. We just try to be there for each other and hope for the best.

Enough about our out-of-this-world-friendship, let's see how fun the Coast can be! Hikhik!

Fera arrived Sunday night. I was lucky enough to be able to pick Fera up personally and greet her as she enters the international arrival hall. BIG THANKS to Ana & Cindy and also the sister ;-), Nubia, for their help! Ana drove me to Brisbane airport and Cindy as the co-pilot, accompanied me to greet Fera at the arrivals, drove us back home to Maroochydore and even stopped for food eventhough it was kinda late.

After Fera settled in and had a shower, it was time for bed. We didn't sleep until about 3.30am. Talking about years of catching up, eh?! Huhuhu... 

I woke up around 8 the next morning (I was hungry!!!), made breakfast and had to have it first coz Fera wasn't up till about 9ish. We just chilled for a bit and I initially planned to have Fera visit the Uni, Mooloolaba, the Plaza, etc for the day until I received a phone call from the x-ray lab. Oh yes people, I'm 13 weeks pregnant. Woohooo!!! :-) The lab wanted to reschedule my 12-14 weeks scan from Tuesday (7/12), to Thursday (9/12) and to another lab in Caloundra instead of at the Chancellor Park (the later is easier for me to go as it's near Uni). After asking for other options, I can actually do it on the next day, Tuesday (30/11). Yeay! I won't be by myself for my first ever ultrasound scan as Fera's gonna be accompanying me (Lucky she'd loved to be with me for the scan! Pepandai jek assume Fera nak ikut kan.. Huhuhu..). The only thing was I needed to get my blood taken for some tests to be analysed together with the scan results and I had to do it before the scan. So, Fera's Monday afternoon was spent with me at Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology lab, a tour of USC campus and groceries shopping at Coles. We didn't stay up too late that night. Heh...
I couldn't really remember what we did Tuesday morning. Kite buat ape ek Fera??!!! I could only remember I had to drink 1 litre of water at 1.30pm and hold it in till the ultrasound scan appointment at 3. Oh and yes, I kinda threw up a bit before we went out (probably because I was swallowing 500 ml of water in 30 seconds!). After the scan, we went to the seafood shop. Chips ahoy!!! Hahaha! Fera had fish cutlets & heaps of hot chips. I had potato wedges. It's supposed to be a snack but it turned out to be our dinner. We think the bloke at the shop gave us too much chips. More than it's worth. Oh well, we're not complaining. Hehe... After all the food, we chat and chat and chat until we fell asleep.

All the pictures are with Fera. She'll probably post them in Facebook sometime soon.
For now, let me show you the tiny being in me! Hikhik!



When I'm lying on my back, I'm about 6.61 cm. :-)

Ahhhh.. This is the life...



I have one hand by my side;



The other hand on my face. Or forehead?? Huhuhu...

How's my profile? Hehehe.. ;-)

Wednesday was a  half-day trip to Eumundi Markets. It rained when we got there but it didn't stop us to go shopping!!! Hehehe.. The weather did got better anyways. I had a meeting at 3 in Uni, so Fera went home and she had the house all to her self. We made pizza for dinner and kinda had an early night coz we need to catch an early bus for Brisbane city the next day. We nearly missed the bus for Eumundi that morning so, lesson learned! Huhuhu...

More shopping for Fera in the city and Fera's first words after setting her foot out of the train station; It's truly a city! (City nyerrr!!!). Brisbane city is truly a big one when compared to Sunshine Coast, eh?! Heh... I was kinda tired by the time Fera finished her shopping and we had lunch. Fera was being so understanding as I told her I wanted to take her for a stroll along the Southbank, etc but I don't really have the energy even after so much food. Huhuhu... We ended heading home by 1 and was in Maroochydore by 3. I slept almost all through the train ride and I think it gave me some energy afterwards. We went to the cheesecake shop and Bloomhill's Op Shop in town. More shopping! Hahaha! As we were heading home, Fera reminded me that we had to make bookings for her airport transfer the next evening. I totally forgot about that! We can do it on the phone but I had to get access to my bank account to transfer money to my Visa debit card to be used for the booking. We had to have internet access on a PC. We went back out to the Plaza, sort everything out, had a walk around the Plaza (luckily it was Thursday and the shops were still open at 6pm) and had kebabs. Fera sure loves the kebabs! :-p

Fera had a bit of sleep in Friday morning while I went to the lab. When I came home around 11.30, lunch was ready!!! It was the best feeling ever!!! Best betol ade org masakkan nasik & lauk!!!Sambal ikan bilis, lettuce masak air & telur dadar. Sodapppp!!!! :-) Although we were tempted to just lie in bed (coz the weather was just perfect for that!), after Zuhur prayers, we went to Mooloolaba beach and walk along the Esplanade. We were home by 5.30 and Fera did her last minute packing and got ready. I managed to cook some fried rice noodles (bihun goreng) for Fera in case she gets hungry while waiting to board the plane at the airport.



Waiting for the shuttle.. She came with a suitcase & a box. Went home with an extra box. Hehehe.. :-p

No drama, no loud cries (eventhough I got teary walking back to the house after the shuttle picked Fera up and cried when Mr. Hubby called to see if I was okay!!!Ishhh!!Blame it on the hormones!!!Haha!).

I really hope Fera had a wonderful time. I know I wasn't the best host but I hope I've given Fera the holiday she needed. I know she's happy coz she was eating none-stop while she was with me. Sometimes we wondered who's the pregnant one?! Hikhik! :-p

Thank you so much for coming all the way from Malaysia, Fera!!! It was one of the most amazing & unforgettable week. You know I'm always here for you and praying the very best for you. Love you so much my dear friend. Miss you already!!! Take care, Fera!

xoxoxo

Cheers!

PS: Really hope the lil one will be healthy and strong. Pray for us y'all!!!

It's been too long. Been thinking of blogging. Having thoughts of what to write i.e the entry title, how to start the entry, what's it about etc; but once I'm online, I'll just not feel like it. Huhuhu... (Malas sebenarnye!!!Heh..) 

I missed the 1pm bus home and because it's Saturday, the bus comes once every hour. Booo!!! Might as well write an entry, eh?!

Heaps happened these past few weeks. The highlight would be on the 10th. Presented in a competition in the morning and had my PhD confirmation seminar in the afternoon. Finally.
I didn't win the competition but my PhD candidature is now confirmed and it's not probationary anymore. Yeay! Alhamdulillah.



Before the competition started.



I froze!!! Blaming it on the nerves!!! Huhuhu.. Oh well, I had fun though and received a box of chocolates! :-)

Pictures courtesy of my dear friend, Nubia. Muchas gracias! ;-)

Time to go home!

Cheers!

~ for the rest of my life ~

I feel so blerghhhh!!! Been emotionally unstable; get sad easily, get all teary in a second... Especially when I think of my Mr. Hubby; face suddenly feels hot, like blood rushing to your cheeks and all over your face and the next thing you know, tears start to build up in your eyes. Urghhh!!! I'm actually crying as I'm writing this! I'm blaming it on the stress of doing research and the song For the rest of my life by Maher Zain that I'm currently listening to. That's it! No more sad songs or stories for me! Huhuhu...

Can't help missing Mr. Hubby though! :'(

Apologies for such a blerghhh entry!

Cheers!

F.L.O.W.E.R.S

You've got flowers!!! :-)

Thanks so much, Tara!!! She came in the lab this morning and told me she has flowers for me, fresh from her garden! My house is now very pretty. I've made small arrangements of the flowers. Well, at least I tried. Heh.. And now, I have flowers on the TV as I enter the house, the coffee table, on the dinner table and a rose on my bedside table in my room. :-)

The whole bunch of fresh wonderful flowers...

On the TV...

On the coffee table beside the lounge...

On the dinner table...

A rose next to the bed... Hope I won't knock it while I sleep.. Huhuhu...

I wish I know the names of them all. I suck! Huhuhu... I LOVE flowers nonetheless. Anyways, now I can 'watch' the TV without even turning it on. Ahaksss!! ;-)

Cheers!

PS: Wonder if I can get a part time job making flower arrangements?! Haha!

CONTEST MORTAR BOARD : The Beauty In Ugly

It's not complete but it's a great one nonetheless.. :)

What more can I say? Sharing one of my happiest days in my life with my family; PRICELESS! :-) They've been with me all through the challanges and hardship, encouraging and praying for me all the way. Finally, on the 29th of July 2006, I was presented with a Master of Science degree. Woohoooo!!! It was 4 years ago but luckily I've kept all the photos taken on that day (kudos to technology!!), looking back, it seems like it was yesterday. Thank you Mr. E.D.Y. Your contest made me looked through the old photos in my external hardrive and it kinda reminded me how blessed I am and gave me strenght to go on with my mission in Oz! Heh.. :-)

Now, one of the requirement of this contest is to tag other bloggers. Hope you guys do it with much fun as I did. No strings attached though! The lucky ones are;

1. My dear sister. (Bile nak update blog nih?? And also, ade lg ke gamba convo? :p)

2. My beloved S.I.L & hubby... ;-)

3. The Dreamer that made me wanna always dream.. :-*

4. Rakan seperjuangan di perantauan... :-)

and

5. My blogger inspiration.. Huhuhu.. :p

Wanted to tag more peeps but gotta rush back to the lab. Need to get those experiments done before the day gets dark!!! Hehehe...

I hate to go...

Packing for home is always a pleasure but packing for Oz... always seem to make me shed a tear. 

Leaving on a Jetplane tune always seem to linger in my mind everytime I’m packing for home or Oz. 

A happy note for home, the opposite for Oz. It’s not that I hate Oz. I love it there and I know I’m so blessed to be in Oz, living my dream. But leaving the people here, it’s just too much pain and heartache. 

I can’t seem to breathe properly, it’s like there’s a sharp object sticking through the heart and there’s nothing I can do about it. I guess there’s only one particular person that really has this kind of effect on me and that I wish I don’t have to say goodbye to; Mr. Hubby. 

Love does hurt sometimes. But I would never trade it with anything coz the happiness that I’ve experienced so far, Subhanallah... 

I pray that we would be strong and be able to be there for each other with lots of love, even from afar. InsyaAllah. Ameen.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go...

Cheers!

PS: I'm also missing Kempas & the Hasmonis so so much! Huhuhu...

Good to be home, even for a little while...

I'm home!

Hehe..Malaysia, home. But not quite back in my hometown just yet. Mr .Hubby has a one-day training in KL today so we spent a night at Corus Hotel, KL.

Arrived in KLIA, LCC Terminal at 3.15pm yesterday and we headed straight to KL. (What's with the traffic?? Urghh! Huhuhu...)

I'll be heading to my sister's place, Kak Long in a bit. Excited although a tiny bit lazy to drive. But Mr. Hubby reckons it'll be better for me to have the car with me, instead of leaving it parked in the hotel and going by train. Okie dokie! ;)

I'll be home for 2 weeks but it'll not be all fun & relaxing. Still have Uni work to be submitted! Huhuhu.. Oh well, I'm not complaining. It's good enough that my supervisor actually lets me have a break considering all the lab experiments yet to be done.

It's a bit weird, but I'm kinda missing Oz! Well, it's more of the exchanges of smiles, and Hi! and Hello!, or Good morning! from total strangers as we walk pass each other. I thought Malaysians are friendly? No one even smiled at me at the station, in the train or as I was walking from the train station to the hotel. And one more thing; I miss the cool breeze even when the sun's shining bright! Huhuhuhuhu... Mr. Hubby said stop dreamimg and waiting for that to happen here. Err..

Nonetheless, really glad to be home!

Just in case I'm too busy (or lazy!) to blog anytime soon,

Eid Mubarak everyone! Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin!

Cheers!

August 27th~

It's my birthday!

Been in Uni all day.

Has a dinner date, but still couldn't decide what I want to have! Help me?!! Huhuhu...

Cheers!

ouchhh!!!

I burnt my thumb! :'(

It wasn't as painful when it happened as it is now. Huhuhu...

The culprit! Huhuhu...

The victim~

It was definitely my fault.

I was wearing nitrile gloves and the glove caught fire from the bunsen burner.

I wasn't doing a new experiment or anything extraordinary.

I guess I was just not fully concentrating on my work and it was probably a gentle reminder.

Worst things could have happened, huh?!

Any tips to make it better, faster???

Cheers!

Oishii~

Just had my iftar! :-)  

Alhamdulillah.. 

I'm still in Uni though. At the Graduate Centre. I've realized that I can get more things done if I'm in Uni compare to at home. Like if I were to go home early, say, around 4 pm, I would have just sat around, watched TV, cooked, cleaned or do other things but not school work. Huhuhu.. Thus, I should just stay back in Uni eventhough it's Ramadhan. I've packed my food for iftar this morning, so I'm good to go! Heh... 

A glass of hot choc drink, dates, banana cake and my very basic NASI LEMAK!!! (coconut rice + prawn sambal + cucumber)

One word to describe my iftar...

Japanese word pronounce as OISHII which means delicious. :-)

Hehehe...

I'm so into Hotaru no Hikari 2 at the moment. It's a Japanese drama on mysoju.com. Can't wait for the next episode!

Cheers!

When happily ever after seemed like a lie...

At the age of 25, with a MSc degree in hand, having a stable job, steady income and engaged to be married, everything seemed to be going very well for me. Little do I know, my tiny little happy world was starting to fall apart. I kinda loved my job then. Working with the wildlife and being in the wild for weeks was very new to me but it was very intriguing. I did get bored with the endless meetings and proposal writings in between, but I was enjoying myself very much.

Having taken the job offer then meant that I had to be apart from my then, fiance. He was not happy at all but he didn't stopped me from taking the job offer. He said it was up to me (I later learned that 'up to me' means NO!). He was a very jealous type of guy and me working in a male dominated environment did not help at all. Long story short; after 3 years of dating and a year of being engaged, we broke off. Surprisingly, I was the one who broke it off. Being left not knowing what our relationship has become for more than 6 months just gets to me. I gave up. He was caught cheating with another girl but I still want him to explain himself. I want to give him a chance. If he had offered me any kind of logical explanation, I know I would have just forgive and forget even if he had lied to me. But he didn't answer my call or reply my text messages. I still remember the night I burst out crying to my sister, Kak Long telling her what had happened. She must be shocked to see one of her bubbly-always laughing-sister break into pieces as I could still remember her surprised-not-in-a-good-way-face. And after my own father asked me what's going on, I know I have to decide. I still loved my then fiance and I still wanted to be with him after all that happened but the Almighty knows best. In the end, it was not meant to be.

Going through a break up is not easy. I personally lost all hope of finding happiness and lost all self-esteem as a woman. I hated myself, cried till my tears dried up, blaming myself for everything, always trying to be alone and just struggling to live. As my family isn't the type that confronts each other that much, we didn't really talked about what happened to me. A broken wedding engagement, it was the first in the family. I kept most of my feelings to myself. Putting on the mask of the cheerful, happy and no worries face of Wa,when I'm around people and cry myself to bed when I couldn't take it anymore. I was lucky though, I had Him. God is great and with time I learned to love again. But this time, I learned to love myself first and foremost. Learning to love myself was definitely a crazy journey. I did some pretty crazy stuff along the way that I wished I didn't do but at the same time, everything that happened lead me to my Mr. Hubby. Now, we are both learning to live and love, together. Alhamdulillah.

I received an unexpectedly sad news yesterday. I almost cried when I heard the news. It reminded me of what I went through 4 years ago, and the thought of my friend having to go through it too, is just heartbreaking. Nonetheless, I also know she'll be stronger and she's going to be a better person. She'll also find a greater love and more happiness in the future, InshaAllah. My prayers and love are always with her, and everyone who feels like there won't be a happily ever after for her/him. 

Everything that happened, happens for a reason.

"Allah tidak membebani seseorang melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya. Ia mendapat pahala (dari kebajikan) yang diusahakannya dan ia mendapat siksa (dari kejahatan) yang dikerjakannya. (Mereka berdoa): "Ya Tuhan kami, janganlah Engkau hukum kami jika kami lupa atau kami tersalah. Ya Tuhan kami, janganlah Engkau bebankan kepada kami beban yang berat sebagaimana Engkau bebankan kepada orang-orang sebelum kami. Ya Tuhan kami, janganlah Engkau pikulkan kepada kami apa yang tak sanggup kami memikulnya. Beri ma'aflah kami; ampunilah kami; dan rahmatilah kami. Engkaulah Penolong kami, maka tolonglah kami terhadap kaum yang kafir." Al-Baqarah: 286

Cheers!

a reason to bake~

Hehe..  

As every channel on the Oz TV are buzzing with the election heat at the moment, my oven is buzzing with heat from baking. What??!! Hahahaha.... 

Ramadhan is a good reason to bake? Nah.. I just love to eat cakes, cupcakes, cookies and anything that spells desserts! Thus, to save money, I chose to make them myself (apart for the once in a while treat for myself..heh..). I supposed during Ramadhan particularly, baking and having some sort of dessert do make me feel less homesick of the kuih-muih and bubur-bubur (local cakes & sweets & puddings/porridge type desserts) that are available in abundance back  home. And so, every iftar, I'll have some dates, a drink and some dessert first. I'll usually then pray before having the main course. Hehehe...

Earlier this week, I baked Kiwi fruit muffins.

Trying to be creative with the Kiwi fruit slice?! Haha!

And I've just finished baking banana-choc-chip bread. Well, the recipe said bread but I did modified the recipe a bit for I lacked a few ingredients and I think it became a cake batter. And also I just felt it's easier to bake it in a muffin tray. It's easier for me to eat too! ;-)

Oh yeah, I've also baked it in mini-loaf baking tins. I love all these minis!!! ;-)

Planning to make bubur jagung (sweet corn porridge dessert thingy) soon. Have been craving for it for some reason. Huhuhu...

Cheers!

Suddenly...

I MISS MR. HUBBY!!!

While I was munching away my muffin, I thought to myself how this is my first Ramadhan as a wife, but I'm without my husband. Well, he's not physically here, that is. Huhuhu...

Je t'aime beaucoup!!!

Sometimes I wonder the day we can actually enjoy the muffins & cupcakes that I bake together.

T_T

Cheers!

YoU gOt mAiL!!!

Received a package today! I went to the Post at Duporth Avenue to collect it because no one was home when the mailman came last Friday. 

I LOVE YOU, Ellie Wilson!!!!

The mystery box... :-)))

Candies, PJ/lingerie, cards, photo & a jumper/sweater for Mr. Hubby!

I was smiling all the way home holding the package and was so excited to open it. I forgot how good it can make you feel when you get a package. I feel so special! Hehe... 

I love the photo and the note Ellie wrote the most. I just love how Ellie would always managed a great pretty pose while my face will somehow look retarded in one way or another. Huhuhu... 

It made me realized how much I miss Ellie, though. It's not even a year since I watch Ellie leave for the US on the airport transfer shuttle but I feel like it's been ages. *Sigh*

Well, we'll definitely meet again, soon!!! ;-)

Cheers!

Do you have a dollar?

What is it with Oz teens randomly asking money from strangers in bus stops? 

Or is it just Queensland's teens? Or maybe just Sunny Coast's teens? 

I've been asked a few times while I was waiting for the bus at the plaza - "Do you have a dollar?", "Can you give me a dollar?", "I don't have money to go home. Can you give me some?" 

There was one time that I know for sure the teenage girl was a bit drunk and probably being dared by her friends. But on other occasions... Why? Is it a common thing? 

Just yesterday, a girl probably about 14 years old came to me and asked for a dollar. She was with 3 other friends probably the same age as her. They were swarming me like bees and it was pretty intimidating. When I said I don't think I have a dollar, they asked me to check my purse. They wanted to see if I really don't have a dollar. When I said I only have a 10 dollar note (which I know for sure that's what I have in my purse. I don't carry much cash. I always use my bank card), they wanted the $10. What??!!! Hhrrmmm...the somewhat like 'mugging' took probably close to 5 minutes when I finally say I'm sorry that I can't help her. But before the group of girls left me, one of them said, "I don't think you're sorry." WTH???!!! I was too tired and definitely couldn't be bothered. So yeah.. Do you have a dollar?

Cheers!

Dear diary...

7 August 2010

My supervisor planned for us to go water sampling today. In hopes of finding Monsieur Phages, we went all around Kawana, Caloundra, Alexander Headland and Maroochydore. We started at 1 pm and it was 6 pm by the time we arrived back in Uni. I accepted my supervisor's offer for a ride home and surprisingly, she treated me dinner. Four-cheese-pizza and mushroom risotto at il secondo, an Italian restaurant in town. Yummmmm-my!!! I supposed it's a really nice treat after a long and tiring day. But then I got to thinking... maybe it's for me to work harder?! Huhuhu...

PS: remember to ask dear supervisor for the photos she took during sampling...

8 August 2010

Eventhough it's a Sunday, I'm at the lab by noon. Processing all the samples took longer than I expected and so, I wasn't home until 7.30 pm. Although, just in time to watch Talkin' 'bout Your Generation. It's an Oz TV Game Show on Channel 10. I can't get enough of it! What gen are you? Heh...


9 August 2010

It's getting harder and harder for me to get out of bed in the morning!!! I've tried sleeping really early (staying up late sure doesn't help), but I still end up getting ready and catching the 9 or 10 am bus to Uni. What's happening to me??!!! Huhuhu...


10 August 2010

I was confident that Muslims in Queensland and the whole of Oz is going to start fasting tomorrow just because Malaysians are going to be doing so. I was in such a rush today to get my labwork done so that I can do my groceries shopping. There's nothing to eat at home. None. Zilch. I bought rice, bread, vegies, fruits and smoked salmon.

Note to self: Need to get chicken or beef soon!

Ramadhan Mubarak!!! :-)

11 August 2010

It was kinda easy to wake up for Sahur today. A phone call  at 4 am from Mr. Hubby was a definite power booster for me to get up! Hehe... I tried so hard to stay awake after my morning prayers but to no avail. I went back to sleep and was only in the lab by 11 am. *Sigh* Oh well, I did do what I needed to and oh yeah, it's not Ramadan in Oz just yet. After a phone call and some readings, I decided to keep on fasting and treat it as a Sunat (Praktis2!Huhuhu..). There was also an early pleasant surprise in the mail! Birthday cards from Mama & my sister, Limah from Malaysia. Smiles all night and everytime I looked at them (Macam budak2!!!Heh..).

Miss my Mama!!! Oh, Limah kept reminding me of my age in the card. I hate U!! Hehe.. No heart feelings??!! :p

Ramadhan Mubarak!!! ;-)


12 August 2010

I woke up for my Sahur with my eyes barely opened. Huhuhu... And then I found out I don't have to fast after all. *Sigh* I was wide awake at 6 am and my body starts to feel funny. I was kinda aching all over. Luckily I made the decision to stay in bed and not go to the lab today. I had excruciating period pains and cramps. It got worse in the late morning and the early afternoon. I was fine later on but the idea of going to Uni at 3 pm seems like a little bit waste of time. I stayed home, read some school stuff and I started to read a long overdue book; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm halfway through India. Can't wait to watch the movie!

13 August 2003

My heart can't take it anymore and thus my mind made the decision to buy a mobile broadband modem. Now I can Skype at home and see the handsome, cute and funny face of Mr. Hubby every night!!! I was having a tiny meltdown this morning though. Had to wait an hour to finally be able to get my hands on the modem and when I brought it home, I had trouble setting it up! I cried in the living room in front of my laptop! Hahaha! What??!! Anyways, I then called the service support line but had to go back to the shop to get it fixed. Luckily the service technician was very friendly and helpful. Everything was all sorted out in less than 20 minutes. Thank you, Drummond! Because the chaos took up all morning, I was a bit behind on my work in the lab. Oooppppsss! My bad! But I did managed to catch up and get the important stuff for the day done. I also had a meeting with my supervisor and we sorted some things in the lab together. My supervisor gave me a picture today. A transmission electron microscopic picture of Monsieur Phage that previous student manage to isolate (he stopped halfway through the project). Why am I having such a hard time to find it?!! *Sigh*I had another meltdown, again! This time, it was in the lab in front of the Biosafety cabinet. Don't worry, I was alone. 

Monsieur Phages... Vous etes ou???

On a happier note, I have a parcel to be collected. I'd probably go to the Post on Monday. Wonder who sent it?!!

What could it be??!!! T_T

14 August 2010

It was a long day today. I went to the lab around 9 in the morning and did some work. Then I realized I need to get some sea water for a new method/technique of isolation I want to try. At first, the thought of carrying bulky and heavy bottles of sea water is just impractical and unbearable (ngada2!!!huu..). Then I found these bottles.

1 L plastic bottles. Tiny, light-weight and very practical!

I decided to get some sea water right away and come back to the lab to filter and autoclave them. I ended up at home though. Haha! Well, I did collect the sea water. It was from across the street from my place. Sea water = Salt water, right? :-)

I took some water near the water banks around here. It's very near the bus stop so that I can catch the bus easily! ;-)

I was in the lab again by 3 pm. I underestimated how long it would take to filter the sea water. It's pretty time consuming and on top of that, I still have to prepare everything else for the experiment. I did however finish what I needed to do and managed to catch the 8 pm bus home. After 2 pieces of salmon-avocado-melts, I had a Skype session with Mr. Hubby! Miss him heaps!!! Really glad we can see each other now. Huhuhu...

A summary of a week's happenings in a form of a diary. Cool, huh? Love how you can insert photos as you write! Haha! 

Hhhmmm... I should really go to bed now. Have to be in the lab tomorrow and continue with the experiments. Oh yeah, there'll be an Open Day for USC tomorrow. Been watching the lab techies preparing posters, equipments and apparatus for the School and listening to my supervisor talk about how fun it's going to be. Pretty exciting stuff, huh?! Wonder where I was during the open day last year?? Anyhow, will definitely make time to join them tomorrow (nyibokkk!!!!hehe..).

Cheers!

GUiTaR

It's the time-of-the-month again! *sigh* 

I've got millions of stuff going on in my head and my mood changes every 5 seconds! Huhuhu...
To avoid getting too stressful, I have been giving myself time-out once in a while though.
After a long day in the lab or after mountains of information and inputs to the brain, I treat myself to watching Japanese dramas (DVDs specially mailed from Malaysia. Domo arigato Een-chan!!!) and Japanese anime K-On! (pronounce "kei on"). I'm not really into anime but I do watch it once in a while. I started watcing K-ON when I was in Malaysia for my wedding. The series started on Astro just before I went back to Oz, somewhere around March. I've only watched a few episodes and basically forgot about it. I was suddenly reminded about the series few weeks back and started watching them online. And now, I think I want to take up the guitar! Heh..

From left: Mugi-chan, Yui-chan, Mio-chan & Ritsu-chan. They then have another member, Azusa-chan as the show progresses. I love them all!

Cheers!

Mini Cuppies

I can't rotate the photo!! Oh well, these are the mini-cuppies I made for Bonnie's birthday... :-)

I was invited to a birthday party last Saturday afternoon at Mudjimba. It's near Peregian Springs and the Sunshine Coast Airport. Only 15 minutes drive from my place. It was one of my lab-friend's birthday. Happy birthday Bonnie! I had a wonderful time and thank you so much for having me. Hope all your wishes come true and many happy returns! Thanks a million to Nikki too for driving Aycan and me to Bonnie's. I can say my carrot-cake-mini-cuppies and vegie-curry-puffs was a success. Very tough competition from Aycan; very yummy Turkish cookies and cheese Turkish bread! I don't think I can beat that. And Nikki's Pavlova was just to die for! There was so much food and because Bonnie's vegetarian, I had no problem not being able to have the BBQ sausages and steaks. Although the smell was very tempting! Huhuhu...

Cheers!

cuteness! heh...

It's been a while since I've procrastinated on the world wide web. So, since it's a Sunday and I did do some labwork this morning, I think it's okay to procrastinate a bit. One of the outcome - daisypath. I've seen many bloggers and friends on Facebook displaying them on their page. They are so cute! This is my version. Heh...

Cheers!

Sense of belonging...

Someone once told me getting here, to the Sunny Coast, is hard and it's just too far away from Brisbane city. Long train rides and limited bus services. The traveling is just too tiring and time consuming. Unless you have a car, it's not really worth coming to the Coast. In other words, I'm not that much worth of a company or as a friend to go through all the hassle of traveling? *Sigh* It's kinda sad because I have been traveling via public transport from the Coast to Brisbane city a lot; gatherings, birthday celebrations, giving support and just to hangout. Does it all not count for something? *Sigh* I try to make the best of my traveling coz after all, what's life without a little bit of hardship, right? I know, I know... I made the choice to do all that. No one forced me to! *Sigh*  (Hehehe.. that was me being all dramatic and feeling sorry for myself!) 

I guess when you're always with people from different culture and background (and not from your own country, that is..huhuhu..), you would do what some people wouldn't even think of doing to get a sense of belonging that you sometimes don't get where you are. I've been living in the Coast for 15 months now, but I still get stares all the time (freakish and strange ones too sometimes), I only speak my own language when mr. hubby calls me everyday (or when I talk to myself?!Heh..), I can't go out with other people so much coz sometimes I'm scared I will annoy them when I need to find a place to pray every few hours, I'm always by myself doing shopping, walking and just about anything and I even think in English most of the time now! Huhuuu! Having said all that, I still love where I'm at. Yeah, maybe I'll be alone and sometimes miserable. At least, I have a comfortable granny flat to go home to everyday after Uni, I'm still able to feed myself decently everyday, I have Uni to think and work of and I'll always have mr. hubby, me familia and friends who loves and appreciates me for what I am (errr..friends...not that many, but I think I have.. Don't I?Hikhik...) (Comforting myself and making myself feel good session! Hahaha!)

So... now that's all out of the way, just want to share more pictures of my crib and the surroundings...

the lounge / TV area and the front door front inside the house

accross the street from the house

about 200 metres walk to the bus stop

Anyone who feels like visiting the Coast and have extra time to drop by my place, you're always welcome.  (Do you dare to? ;-) Heh..)

Cheers!

Lost and Found

I've kinda lost a bunch of friends.

Hmmm..staright to the point, huh?!

Anyways, it's all my fault so I'm giving myself time to think about it and change for the better.

Things happened for a reason and only yourself can work out what to gain from all that happened.

As I was sulking and walking to Uni in the rain this morning (without an umbrella?), it made me think and asked myself...

What am I doing? 

Why am I here?

What's the purpose of moving thousands of miles away from everyone I love the most and miss out on everything I enjoy??!!!

Hey!

Maybe this is a wake up call??!!

Maybe it's just to remind me how weak and fragile I am as a human being, still learning and will never stop making mistakes. (Hopefully mistakes that I can't help myself from making. Not stupid ones!!!)

.............

Am I happy?

Surprisingly, I am.

Not over the moon happy but I'm not deeply saddened that I want to leave everything and quit.

What can I do?

I'm now going to seek refuge in the world of tiny beings which I've not been fully paying attention to for a while.

Cheers!

... granny flat ...

granny flat = accessory apartment / a self-contained living area within a single-family home, as for an aging parent (source)

Hrmmmm..living area for an aging parent, unit for elderly parent... I guess that's how granny flats got their name. Well, nowadays heaps of granny flats particularly in Oz are being rented out to just about anyone. Mine is built just beside the garage. It's still within the main house but I have my own entrance, lounge, kitchen, bedroom and ensuite. It's not huge but would be ideal for me and when mr.hubby comes and joins me.

Entrance to the flat

A tiny part of the lounge / tv area and the kitchen

3/4 of the room (mind the mess..huhuhu..)

Shower (and I get a washer! yeay!)

Own toilet with heaps of space! Heh.. ;)

I'm still getting used to going home to an empty house and having my very own space. Feels a bit weird maybe because I've been living with 3 other people since I came to Oz. It's not like I hate having my own place but I supposed I just need time to adjust. It's easy to get a little bit lonely as it is. Huhuhu...
I'm also still getting to know the place. Am going to make it as homey as I can.
Next entry; the wonderful view from across the house and where my driver picks me up everyday. Heh..
Till then...

Cheers!