part of my world
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
It is almost the end of the month. August seemed to be full of excitement. What initially perceived as a dreadful month turned out to whoosh pass you in a blink. First there was the day where the posting letter arrived which created a buzz in our mundane sendentary life for a week. Everyone was busy updating themselves with who got where and who is going to appeal. Cupidlun (our class email/ update portal) has never been busier. Everyone was scurrying to look for those who got posted to the same state as them for arrangements of some sort.
Then come the convo which caused much hassle (but worth every bit of it). Everyone came home with a hangover and hibernated for the week.
Next, is the exodus. The most exciting part. Almost 90% of us will be packing and heading to some unknown land and settle down there for at least a year. We are literally dispersed all around Malaysia for goodness sake. All except Perlis. The beauty is that whichever state we visit, we'll be guaranteed a friend there.. who could probably house us and perhaps feed us too =P
Here, I wanna wish all my fellow comrades the best in their new working place and may them find fulfillment in it.
We are now officially pharmacists!! Difficult to believe because frankly I don't remember anything. Like anything at all. Don't ask me doses, don't ask me logarithms, don't ask me MOAs, don't ask me side effects, don't ask me the drug of choice, heck.. don't even ask me the indication of the drug. I really don't remember!
Now, I am worried for the patients.
Will be out of action for a while because probably will not have internet connection there so soon. Will post as soon as I can or whenever I am home.
This is gonna be exciting... I hope..
posted by Charis at 3:56:00 pm
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(2) comments
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Friday, August 25, 2006
Finally. After..
4 years of slaving,
8 semesters of endless report datelines crammed with mad quizes,
52 subject with mania inducing finals,
many great moments,
some totally pointless attachments and lectures,
several great lecturers (whom without them, we will be totally clueless),
a few pain-in-the-ass (yes, i still think i want to shoot him),
and ONE great class..
We have officially graduated!
What initially started off as a hassle (to me) with the convocation being held not in my own campus in KL but in Penang, turned out to be one of the best days ever! The happiest..
You might be wondering why I think it is a hassle. Well, for start we have to travel 4 hours plus to Penang [thanks Elaine who made the trip enjoyable =)]. After that, we had to rush to USM campus for gown collection which was at 4-6pm. We reached Penang at about 4.30pm. To make the adrenaline running, we were lost in the campus itself! It's sooo big! Sorry for the ooh-ahh(s). Coming from a private uni in KL where land is scarce and expensive, this is a big big campus plus it was our first time there. The signboards wasn't helpful because roads were cordoned off due to the convocation. The directions provided by the guards were ermm.. vague. The signs on the building weren't visible from the road.
But anyhow, we managed to find the Perpustakaan Sendut 1 (note that there are 1 and 2 and the beauty is that they are located miles away from each other) and hence the Bilik Jubah. Collected our regalia and catched up with the rest who were already there. Phew!
Then there was this totally pointless rehearsal at 8.30pm. Yeah, they call it rehearsal.
What we thought was that they will seat us accordingly and let us practise going on stage and accepting the scroll but what it turned out to be was a inaudible briefing! We just sat in the crowded hall and can barely hear the guy telling us what to do. To those who didn't bother to attend.. smart!
Anyway, that was Friday.
We have the entire Saturday free. Well it turned out, not exactly..
Initial plan was to bring home the robe and do my studio shoot in KL where it's more familiar and collection of the photos was easier plus I engaged May to paint the face because I am a make-up dunno (that was when I was not tech-savvy enough to think of things like photoshop laa). Hehe. But when I stepped into USM on Friday, I realised it was impossible for me to go up to Penang and returned the robe without a car! The distance between the Bilik Jubah and where I am to collect my transcripts and scroll will crippled me!
While we were dinning near USM on Friday while waiting for the rehearsal to start, we stumbled upon really good packages offered by studios around USM. It's cheaper too! Boy, were we surprised considering the studio is just right opposite USM, one would thought they would hike up the price to slaugther desparate lambs like us. Even with the hike, it's still waaaay much cheaper than KL. So had my studio shoot there on Saturday. Went around Penang for a short while but I was in no mood and tired due to lack of sleep thanks to mamak sessions. I make such a bad traveller!
Then come Sunday!!
Woke up at a graveyard hour.. 5 am! What a hassle! The Vistana entourage consisting of KO, KL and KY wanted to leave at 6.30 am so that we can reach USM and secure the nearest shady parking =P
It was like a mad mad mad house over at USM. Fleets of Barney look-a-likes were scattering around the hallway of the lecture halls where we are supposed to report ourselves. Eager parents all dressed up for the occasion were helping their kids with their robes, fastening the mortar board and trying to figure out how to wear that thing they call 'kalong'.
And there was this 'pesta' going on which I didn't have time to visit. It was akin to what you'll get at your high school's Hari Kantin except that the things sold there are cheaper.
Such a festive feel!
USM certainly made their convocation a helluva fuss.
It's a good feeling.. as if the whole world is celebrating with you.
Too bad we weren't allowed to bring cameras in the hall. It was a very grand. And we got front seats! Teehehe.
Our course was the first to go on stage. Those marshals at the side of the hall were... amazing. They will usher you, ask you to stand, sit and pull you out of the queue if you wear your robe wrongly. They'll be busy adjusting your robe. That's when you feel like a celebrity having people fuss over your costume before going on stage. Heh.
I can't even remember those 2 fleeting seconds I was on stage. All I remember was hearing my name (pronounced correctly..phew!) and I just walk looking out for the markers to stop walking. Haha.
After that, it was pure torment. Boredom.
The course that proceeds after us took up half the hall. So basically, it just went on and on and on... zzzz..
The many ways we kept ourselves awake ranges from looking (and critique-ing) at outfits worned by those going on stage as we have front row seats. Ha. Those saris are so beautiful! When i mention sari, I have to say, Prim beats them all! I forgot to take a picture of her sari =( Now it makes me wanna go buy a sari.. but I have to take care of my excessively buldging abdominal mass first. Oh.. and for goodness sake, green does not, NEVER EVER goes with purple!
We got bored of that after an hour or so, so we amused ourselves next with the music played by the live band. Most of the tunes are like what I told Ee Fern who sat next to me, are music that you'll probably get when you turned on RTM 1 though the traditional gamelan music was really cool. Oh.. and guess what music they play when it was our turn on stage?
..
..
..
..
My Heart Will Go On from Titanic!
We were like what?!?
What's the relevance? *raised eyebrows*
But aih.. since it's like RTM 1 which no one watches, so I guess no one pay attentions too.
Then, we proceed to checking out shoes of those on stage.
Even with all these, there were still so much time to spare.. and I dozed off twice....
Then I resorted to look for my parents in the hall. I have no idea where they were seated as we went in at different entrances. And guess what? I found them! Such boredom!
Admist all the boredom, a thought striked me. We are going to sit together collectively as a class for the very last time. In this convocation. In this very hall. It brought sadness to my heart. I am going to miss them, my fellow comrades.
When the ceremony was announced over by the pro chancellor, we thronged out to the designated meeting place to have our last class picture taken. It was a day where there were so many happy faces.. beaming parents, students glowing with joy, friends smiling. The atmosphere was just simply.. HAPPY!
Happy enough to sun yourself under the scroching hot sun at 12 noon to snap pictures with friends and family. You sweat for this- literally.
The faces were caked with oil and melted foundation. The guys had it worst with their blazer. Must be a sauna!
What was I thinking??
It was worth the hassle!
To see your friends again, to step onto USM ground which we were technically her students, to foster closer ties, and most importantly to celebrate with them what we have faught for together for 4 whole years.
Someone said this over MSN the other day and I just have to put in down.
I'm glad that I was in sedaya, althought I didn't get
all the best notes and best lecturers throughout the 4 years, but I have met
great friends there........we all are very cooperative and we unite as one!
-KL-
It was a happy day for me =)
posted by Charis at 4:11:00 am
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(4) comments
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Friday, August 18, 2006
Now you see, everytime those credit card people from booths set up at shopping complexes approach me, I would decline and tell them "I'm not working yet"
And they miraculously, like a skunk who has just let out a wisp of dreadful foul smelling BO, they would back off. It's natural, I have nothing to offer so they stop offering.
But the other day, this guy (too bad I can't remember the bank he is from) offered something.
He nicely approach me as I walk by and I nicely decline and say, "I'm not working yet" and continued walking.
He followed me and then said this loudly and accusingly:
"Jangan tipu la... Tak mau, tak mau la"
I was angry because I was telling the truth and I was accused a liar
I was amused because I realised I no longer look those teeny-booper and have aged over the years
I was sorry that he was so desparate
I was generally annoyed that he cannot simply take no for an answer.
So what if I look old and still a student? Cannot meh?
So what if I am old, not a student but unemployed just simply because I am lazy?
So what if that was a downright lie?
I bet many MANY people used it (which I guess when the lie is in fact the truth, he does not buy it)
The thing is that I decline nicely (by telling the truth some more!!) and no, he can't take a NO
So what does he expect? Everyone to sign up?
Or maybe he prefers a simple "No, thank you" which most of the time they are persistant enough to ask you why. So to save their time and mine, I gave them the reason straight away.... only to be called a liar!
Don't you just hate it when you are telling the truth and then someone accuses you of lying... in public to boot
Sigh.
Perhaps he was just having a bad day.
Oh well..
posted by Charis at 2:09:00 am
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(6) comments
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Monday, August 14, 2006
Someone gave a very interesting theory yesterday..
He said,
"Musicians are moody..
Because they are governed by emotions..
Emotions moved them"
I ponder over it and somehow realised it is kinda true.
Musicians have to be moody. Moody in the sense that they are able to get in a certain mood depending on their emotions. They need to be sensitive to emotions, able to feel and express because emotions are the colour of music. Without it, music is nothing but a monotonous hum.
So does that means musicians are an emotional, touchy, sensitive lot?
Is that what defines a musician?
Is that cultivated through time?
Is that what music does to those who spend time with it?
Could it then be considered as a gift or perhaps a curse.. to be able to feel so much and affected so easily?
posted by Charis at 5:47:00 pm
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(2) comments
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Thursday, August 10, 2006
These few months...
I can sleep on my nice bed with my faithful pillow
I can sleep till the sun sets
I can go to sleep when the sun rises
I can sleep comfortably without bothering the alarm clock
The coming months...
I have to sleep on a new, foreign bed
I have to wake up when the sun rises
I have to sleep before the sun rises
I have to set the darn alarm
These few months...
I can sit around and stare at the ceiling for the whole day while waiting to be fed
I can sit in front of the television and catch every episode of House, Scrubs, CSI, etc
I can sit in front of the computer doing aimless stuff and yakking crap with equally crappy people
I can basically waste time
The coming months...
I cannot sit around and do nothing because I'll be fired
I cannot catch any episode of House or Scrubs or heck, even ExploreRace
I cannot or rather probably do not have internet connection... yet
I cannot basically waste time, I have to kill time
These few months...
I have home-cooked food
I have a car to drive around
I have my dog
I can blog
The coming months...
I don't have them all.. period
Man.. It sounds depressing.
Haha.
Somehow with the months of mental preparation and the fact that 90% of us going through this makes it somewhat exciting and bearable..
BUT bear in mind that I am typing this in the comfort of my home and have not started the exodus yet.
Oh man.. what awaits me over there?
posted by Charis at 1:10:00 am
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(4) comments
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Friday, August 04, 2006
Postman woke me up this morning with that annoying beep..
But this particular morning, it wasn't annoying. I was like a car being jump-start.
Ran down the stairs, open the door.. I almost flew.
Saw a Postlaju mail. o_o
Saw "Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda" printed across. o_O
While signing, saw a small chop which says "Unit Pengurusan & Professional, Bahagian Sumber Manusia KKM"
O_O
Crap!
It's here!!
No more false alarm. This is it... Surprised though considering the fact that we are to report only next month.
Whatever grogginess that I felt minutes ago was gone. 'Kan cheong' wei..
Ripped it open... la la la...
WHAT?!?
..
..
..
..
..
..
Pahang?
Ran and put on me glasses...
P A H A N G
I didn't write that.
I didn't expect that.....
Somehow as I was mentally preparring myself these few months, I imagined myself being posted to Sabah, Sarawak, Perak, Johor, etc.. but I seemed to miss Pahang. Hmmm..
I don't know what to feel.
I'm having a bunch of mixed emotions now.
I don't want to leave yet I want to or rather have to
There are so many things which I was only beginning to enjoy and love only to have to leave it behind now.
Things I cherish only to realise now I have to cherish them more
Felt like a terminally ill patient given a timeline. Everything has a limited time now (forgive the drama though).
Yet, God must have a plan for me there.
New environment and adventure somehow stir up a little excitement
To know that at least there is someone from the batch going there with me calms me
To know that I am not the only one going through this lifts me up
Oh, I don't know which to feel.... but at least there is a direction now.
I can start to plan things and pack!
posted by Charis at 6:55:00 pm
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(4) comments
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