Butterfly week

by with No Comment blogdrivingeventsfamilyfoodfriendsholidayschoolTravel

The Holidays have started and I intend to make the most of them. This week has been filled with activities, going out and socializing and meeting people and going places and doing things. not my average week, but definitely enjoyable šŸ˜€

4-7 June – Pulau Perhentian Kecil

more pics below šŸ™‚ most perhentian pics from rahsia studio and phy

A lot of uncertainty building up to the trip but boy was everything worth it. From ramai jadi sikit until I was the only girl then nego2 til there were 5 girls on board. I didn’t know what to expect from Perhentian, of course there are those glossy tourism pictures but I’ve been let down by advertorial images too many times to believe what I saw on the internet.

But Perhentian was really really breathtakingly beautiful Masha’Allah. Air macam lumion. And it was nice to not have to be the one organizing things, as I’m very prone to doing. can’t really help it…I just like making the most out of my travels. like when we went to Hong Kong and Melbourne, no one else seemed to know where they wanted to go but I researched the hell out of everything, and Alhamdulillah, both trips were quite enjoyable. But I digress.

Perhentian was delayed a few times, because the days leading up to it were jam-packed full of finishing up thesis reports and external portfolios and whatnot. Once we got going at 3am though, minus a small but scary hiccup early in the journey, we got there safe and sound. We stayed at Maya Chalet, and for our 3day 2 night package which included island transfers, snorkeling trip (equipment and boat) and accommodation, we only paid rm140, which was a total bargain.

Our chalet was on coral bay, the chill, quiet side of the island, good for food and chilling out, but for swimming and playing on the beach, a short trek across the island to Long Beach is recommended. Long Beach is kind of the party beach though, so by dusk it was starting to get rowdy with bars and loud music and dancing, so we made our way back to our little haven where it was jack Johnson and calm waves all night long. Mafia wars that night after dinner and for the first round I was the mafia, and in the second round I was the angel. Fun times.

The next day after a morning stroll on the beach with Puteri and breakfast of twiggies and roti potato on an upside-down kayak, we hung out on Mye’s balcony and had second breakfast, before getting our flippers on and heading out for our snorkeling trip. This was by far the best snorkeling trip I’ve ever ever been on. Felt like I was swimming in an aquarium, so so many different types of colorful fishes, coral, and even sea turtles! we went to the shark point but unfortunately I didn’t see any sharks since I was too scared of swimming near the rocks (takut terhempas dgn ombak). swimming was so tiring but so completely absorbing once you got into the rhythm of breathing and paddling and following fishes around.

After snorkeling for a few hours we headed back to our island and had lunch, and then had some rest before hanging out on the balcony again. towards the late afternoon we all decided to go explore one of the other beaches, a more remote one called Romantic Beach lol. It wasn’t that good for swimming since there were lots of sea cucumbers which kind of grossed me out. Didn’t want to step on those slimy things. so I just sat on the beach, borak2, chilllllllll~

That night we had a bbq dinner, and it was deeeeelicious! I had shark (of the non-endangered boleh jumpa kt giant variety) which was soft and succulent. Cheap too! RM15 for the bbq set which included a meat of your choice (barracuda, barramundi, squid, blue marlin, stingray, prawn, lobster, chicken, etc2), choice of dipping sauce, rice, big slice of juicy watermelon and pineapple, a slice of banana cake, and drinks. Nyummmms :-9

That night we played ‘kotak beracun’ which is kind of like a pre-prepared truth or dare + hot potato. It was hilarious and I definitely learned a lot heheh. The next day we packed up and after a last bit of pictures-taking, headed back to the mainland.

We stopped by Kuala Terengganu to buy keropok lekor at Kg. Losong and then Pasar Payang for a bit, then started on our journey back to KL, which turned out to be quite the adventure. Kak. Fiza’s car started acting up, or rather, wouldn’t start, so we jump started it but it kept on dying, even after driving. That happened a lot of times and nighttime was closing in, and they couldn’t turn on the headlights because the car would die and we took the kampung road so there weren’t any rest stops along the way. Managed to slowly drive in convoy to meet up with An’s uncle who bought a replacement battery in Kuantan, and after that the car was ok, Alhamdulillah. Eventually reached KL at 3am, just around the time we left šŸ™‚


8 June – textbook meeting which I came late to because I was so tired. eh wait. that’s true but also because I had to go meet our course coordinator and receive the bad news (will talk about this later)

9 June – Helped Salmoon clean up their new house. Tiring. Then Haneef has been wanting to get his glasses made, and for some reason insisted on waiting until I was available to go with him, so we went. That night we went to Mariam Sano’s Henna party. Dance dance. Well not so much. haha

bebola ikan said salman…

 10 June – Went to clean up the studio while waiting for the studio mates yg nak pergi visit Jannah and her baby in Shah Alam. Convoy around 7 cars because everyone was going home straight afterwards. Stopped by Faiz/Yeop/Paih/Boss’s house first where it was like raya, makanan penuh satu meja, kuih raya bagai. Nyums. Ate til our stomachs were bursting then headed over to Jannah’s to coo and gush over baby Qurratul Hayah.

kuih raya~
posing with the sleeping baby shhhhhh
little angel~

11 June – Finished cleaning up my stuff at the studio and loaded them up into the old Volvo, then makan2 and jalan2 at Wangsa Maju with the baby brother, then visited Yang at her house, chatted for quite a while, then drove brother home, then headed over to Ayesha’s for a surprise bday party bbq sleepover. Successfully manned the BBQ and it was the best bbq chicken I’ve ever had, hehehehe. Potato salad was scrumptious, and lots of laughs all around. Singing and eating and laughing, Good times.

 
muka selekeh semua orang yg baru habis berbbq

12 June – Went to UIA to settle some more stuff (more on that debacle later) then went back to Ayesha’s and just hung out. went to Dr. Cafe in the afternoon, then back to Ayesha’s for dinner (we call her house our holiday retreat. bliss!) then picked up my mom from work, and finally headed home where I finally got to talk to Muhsin who’s in Japan for three months, yay!

my girl, talkin bout myy girllll

13 June – ran around doing errands and driving people around and then finally got to the initial plan of the day which was the long awaited DOCTOR WHO MARATHON finallyyy!!! Picked up some (fake) jammy dodgers, lychee soda, and fish fingers, drove over to Aziza’s and made custard and fried the fish fingers, and made the TARDIS blue drink. Fish fingers and custard was actually not that bad. an acquired taste perhaps. then it was time to catch up on the last 4 episodes of the season. OMG.

jammy dodgers, homemade bounty bars, fish fingers and custard, tardis lychee drink, and episodes šŸ˜€

14 June – More driving people around and errands, had to save my mum from ISTAC because her car battery konked out. Felt extra manly this week because of the barbecues and driving and battery changing. Went to watch Man of Steel afterwards with Ilham, Nadiah and the Khatibs, can’t say I enjoyed the movie really. Actually felt quite bored.

15 June – Don’t know what got into me but I found myself in SS2 Mall early in the morning to attend an Improv Workshop held by AI:IA. Maybe because someone said it probably wasn’t my kind of thing I felt challenged:p maybe because I really was in the mood to try new things, maybe because the place was near food foundry and I’ve been wanting to get my hands on some mille crepe. I didn’t know what to expect at all, and came in to find people stretching like they were going to go for a run. erk. Turns out the stretching was a good idea because it turned out to be very..physical? I’m really glad I went though, it turned out to be really really fun and it was nice to meet new people and just be crazy with random strangers for a bit šŸ˜€ I enjoyed the last exercise the most, and apparently I was quite funny heehee ^_____^ Food Foundry afterwards where we split a smoked salmon sandwich and a pulled beef sandwich and ALMOND SALTED CARAMEL MILLE CREPE :9

pic from @iedilputra http://instagram.com/p/akQLS7xNXH/
heavenlyyyyyy..pic from http://lwinlee.blogspot.com/2013/01/mille-crepe-indulgence-food-foundry.html

16 June – lazy dayyyy~ Spent most of it either online, asleep, eating, or reading. Picked up ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’ around 2.30 and finished it (including an hour long nap in between) at 6.30. Good books really are too short oftentimes. played the flash version of portal after maghrib but got stuck on level 14. researched Japan and got :/ over how expensive it is, then chatted, then played Zelda: A Link to the Past but kept dying although I did make progress and got to fight the boss before dying again, battery of the gameboy micro was dying and it was late but I felt like writing, and here we are.

 
Ethan keeps on dyinggggg

A fun, fulfilling, but very tiring week. it was awesome šŸ™‚

Embarkation

by with No Comment architectureemotionsexamsschoolthoughts

So the second semester of my B.Arch started today…and from the looks of it its going to be more packed than the last semester.

Last semester’s exam results came out. the semester I felt that there was a real possibility that I’d fail every single subject. It’s always worst right before the exams. But after sitting for them, they didn’t seem that bad. And Alhamdulillah, berkat doa atok, kawan2, parents, I managed to pass with quite good marks.

This sem though, honestly, I’m scared.

I messed up a lot of things last semester. I screwed things up. I was so busy it seemed like I didn’t have time to manage my own life and my relationships with people around me. I’m scared that this sem will be the same, or worse.

It’s the end of day 1 and already I have 2 assignments, have to think of a topical studies area, thesis, synopsis, Kyoto protocol, add, drop, move in, research on high-rise, polish up holiday assignment.

Yesterday I was feeling very down. I really didn’t want to go back to school. but towards the end of the day, I slowly tried getting myself mentally prepared. I ended up thinking, this sem is going to suck real bad. but I’m going to try my best anyway and I’m going to be great!

By the end of today, that flame has all but died off.

Oh Allah, give us strength to face your challenges
Wisdom and courage to make the right choices
Patience for when times get tough
And focus when our minds wander

Holiday to do list

by with No Comment eventsfamilyfriendsholidayplanschoolTravel

Ok I’m procrastinating again. My exams are not over yet but I already have a list of thing I want to/have to do this holiday šŸ˜€ I have a month. I’m sure i’m being over ambitious, but here it is, in no particular order:

  1. Sew something! because i’m a total absolute noob, probably something simple. like a handkerchief. haha. ok maybe a pouch/purse thing.
  2. Continue to work on my knitting/crocheting – even out the stitches, edges, and make something instead of just incomplete pocket squares which turn out looking like triangles.
  3. Write more – here, there, everywhere. to myself, to friends. on this blog.
  4. Sketch things – whatever ideas i have basically. could be about the above mentioned projects, architecture, crafts or anything else. 
  5. Papercrafts – make cards and other fun things
  6. Clean my room – ohoho yes
  7. Fix my clock face – its broken so i want to make a pretty new one
  8. Organise my year by putting things into a calender
  9. Maybe tinker with this blog design
  10. Research on highrise – services, structures, examples, green tech applicable, materials, case studies
  11. Do the assignment madam told us to do – what setbacks i experienced this year, how i plan to improve upon them, and what my expectations are for B.Arch
  12. I also want to travel
  13. Hang out with friends. this can be done together with item no.12
  14. Bake. or make bagels.
  15. Finish my Zelda game. By finish I mean win, of course. Come on Ethan you can do it!!
  16. Continue those french lessons I long abandoned.
  17. read more Qur’an and its translations – review those surahs that are fading /have faded from memory 

Twenty Twelve

by with No Comment Abstractarchitectureblogemotionsopinionplanschoolthoughtswork
I had planned to write a recap of 2011, I already took down notes for January and February, and a little bit of march. But in the flurry of busyness surrounding the last few months at my job and the nonstop busy during my semester, it didnā€™t get done. You can read the half baked blog post at my scraps blog for posts that didn’t make it, here.

Also, not that I was any good before, but my writing skills seem to have dwindled down significantly. Probably because of lack of practice. Maybe I should work backwards, start with where I am now. The new years. As it so happens, Iā€™m currently procrastinating. I should be studying for my exams that are just around the corner but although I find economics and all the related stuff fascinating the horde of new concepts and specific terms tend to confuse me, just like it did in high school. Business studies was the only subject I ever got a C for and because I just couldnā€™t grasp what was being taught I dropped it the next semester. Also perhaps because our teacher was pretty lousy. I still sat in through the classes though, because I was the only one in my grade who wasnā€™t taking business studies, so even If I did have a free period, there was no one I could hang out with. As it turns out the next semester we had a different teacher who was slightly better but then if my memory serves me right he felt underappreciated because people didnā€™t respect him in class, so one day he exploded and never came back to finish the syllabus. I mean exploded in anger.

Oh. I should mention that Iā€™m having exams because I decided to continue my Part 2 in architecture. It kind of a difficult concept to explain, whenever I say Iā€™ve taken up studying again people always say, oh, youā€™re doing your masters? And I have to try and explain that itā€™s not a masters degree even though itā€™s at the masters level. For the benefit of anyone randomly traipsing through the web and happened to find my blog by searching for Part 2 bachelor of architecture in UIA (IIUM) Iā€™ll break it down

In Malaysia, to become a licensed architect you need to pass three parts or stages. The first stage is Part 1. In IIUM, Part one is called Bachelor of Science (architectural Studies). Itā€™s mostly the same for other public universities in Malaysia, except some universities combine part one and part 2 into a 5 year course. But in my case, after completing part one; you would have graduated with your first degree.

Then you can either choose to enrol in Part 2 if you want to continue immediately or work first (as I did) or just not continue at all, or continue in other fields. With a part one degree your position in an architecture firm would most probably be that of an assistant architect, though the specific workload youā€™ll receive as well as the pay differs from firm to firm. I worked for a year before deciding to continue my Part 2.

Part 2 in IIUM and generally most public universities in Malaysia, again, is called Bachelor of Architecture. Even though itā€™s technically almost a masters degree level/postgraduate course. Well actually, it IS a postgraduate course since we already graduated the first time around. But anyways. In Australia, part 2 is called masters of Architecture, whole in the UK, they donā€™t have a standard name for the degree, which I think makes it even more confusing, in some universities it is a masters course, while others might call it a postgraduate diploma, postgraduate degree, etc. I guess the confusing part is just the naming. Because it is another undergraduate degree in the eyes of the university, but at postgraduate level, while we have to register as double degree holders. Yeah I donā€™t think this is helping very much.

Anyway, after completing part 2, you graduate again, and have to work in the architecture industry for a minimum of 2 years before you are allowed to take the part 3 professional exams. Thereā€™s no official course you have to go through (I donā€™t know of any anyways), although there are study groups conducted. If you manage to pass the part 3 exams (if Iā€™m not mistaken there are 2 parts of the exam, written and an interview/oral exam) then you finally become an architect with an Ar. In front of your name. Iā€™ve heard many horror stories about the part 3 exam, and they all seem to be true, the passing rate for the exam is less than 10%!!

Erm yeah so thatā€™s basically it. I canā€™t be entirely sure what Iā€™ve written is 100% correct and I know itā€™s definitely not comprehensive, but thatā€™s what I understand anyways.

Where was I? Oh yes. Part 2. I decided to continue part 2. Like my first degree, I planned to do it elsewhere, to have a different experience and to move out of my comfort zone. Applications were filled; certificates and transcripts photocopied, and sent to various universities and scholarship organisations in Australia and New Zealand. My dad told me to try for the UK as well but I found their application systems to be confusing so I didnā€™t. One by one the offers came through, each one bringing up a little sparkle of excitement which I had to squash down in order not to be thoroughly disappointed like I was in 2007. Didnā€™t really work because I got disappointed anyways. So again, I sent in local applications, and UIA accepted me and I went. I donā€™t think Iā€™m quite over it though, because whenever I hear of people flying off, I get a little pang of jealousy and yearning that brings my whole mood down.

The first semester of part 2 proved to be extremely extremely trying and tiring. The stream of assignments never seemed to stop, and the expectations were very high. I donā€™t think I coped well at all. After having gone through one semester of it, Iā€™m seriously wondering if I want to continue or not. Iā€™m seriously considering quitting. Because even though I like architecture, I appreciate it and all, I donā€™t see myself enjoying any aspect of it in terms of a job. I wanted to continue my part 2 to see whether Iā€™d want to really be an architect, and to learn the things I needed to know to become a good architect in the field, since when I was working, there was so much that I didnā€™t know. But now, one semester wiser, I think I might be inching closer to a definite answer. I donā€™t think Iā€™d want to be an architect like the ones I have worked with/for. If I was to be one, I donā€™t think Iā€™d open up my own form or even work in one. Iā€™d work on projects that I liked, without chasing clients and so on. I donā€™t know if thatā€™s a feasible model to work on but I donā€™t think the stress of the whole architecture industry would suit me. Not just the stress, but the whole business side of it. From what I observed, the priority in the architecture industry was to make money, not to design functional and beautiful buildings that would benefit the community or help people. Of course thatā€™s a narrow perspective having only worked in one firm and heard stories from my colleagues/classmates who have worked as well. Maybe Iā€™ve just yet to find a firm that suits me, and whose main aim isnā€™t just to make money.

Well I think this post is long and rambling enough as it is, so Iā€™ll save my abstract thought for another time. I have to get back to studying anyways.

I have kitties available for adoption if you want one! they are all super cute and cuddly šŸ™‚

l-r: 1. BonBon Mignon, the curious adventurous one
2. DimSum (not available for adoption) the cuddly fluffball
3. Souffle, the blue eyed boss
4. Kimchi, the little cutie with puss-in-boot eyes
5. Truffle, the handsome, active and playful one

Welcome back to life

by with No Comment school

Or a semblance of one anyways. For a short period only.

Woke up with a skip in my step and a song in my heart. Oh, and well rested but STARVING and THIRSTY. Amazingly did not eat a single thing the whole of yesterday. In fact my last meal was on Tuesday afternoon. Kuey teow goreng basah tak nak sayur. So I submitted my final project yesterdayā€¦I donā€™t know if I am fully satisfied with it but I couldnā€™t bear to look at it any longer. Seems surreal. Boards are all different coloured, because I printed in so many different places. Kinda disappointed with my last(and most expensive) one, since it was perspectives I wanted to print it A0 terus. The shop we went to first was so damn expensive!! RM98 for coated paper A0! So in the end we went to Jun, friendly people but lacking in the print quality department. Also quite pricey at RM50 for A0. Final say is Baiduri UIA so far offers the best prints, but takes a loooong time and is always full. The prints are clear and correctly color balanced, contrast is good and paper is sufficiently thick. Also cheap at RM35 for a full colour print, cheaper for half coloured etc. a big congrats and thanks to all my studiomates for submitting on time and showing honest to goodness teamwork, and helping each other out. Terharu~

boards yg x berapa nak cantik huahua

The Final stretch

by with No Comment school

Went to watch IPAC yesterday night. Before that me and qil went to OU to watch Valentineā€™s Day haha. selamba je mcm xde kerja. Well we knew we had work. the plan was to wake up early, get some work in and catch the 12.30 screening or the movie. buuuut….we slept late, and woke up late, so no work put in and missed the 12.30 show. the next one was at 1.30 but the seats sold out. in the end we watched it at 4. ate and then shopped (again? geez Maryam…dah2 la tu shopping) and then watched the movie. It was…nyeh. only liked the whole Julia Roberts story. it rained really heavily on our way back.

IPAC…hmm. well it was okay i guess, could use a bit of glossing over i think. the slideshow accompanying the performances though, were bad. I guess a ot of technical issues and not enough artistic input? especially enjoyed the arab nasheed and dikir barat. the music was a bit heavy at times, not enough solo’s for my liking. but anyways, congrats to the organisers and performers.

hmm finals are looming…should be putting in 200%. not blogging/fb-ing/etc. focus!

Lets take a breather…

by with No Comment Abstractholidayschool

Mid-semester break is finally here, not that there will be much holiday-ing going on. There are mountains of work to be done huhu…

Letā€™s see…so this semester started a while back, and I really didn’t know what to expect. It is our final long semester (if we pass insha’Allah). New Yearā€™s came and went, uneventfully but rather kinda depressingly. 10 years into the new millennium and I have yet to really accomplish anything. Tick tock Maryam, tick tock.
OH

But I must say I was extremely pleased and thankful that I passed my JPJ test, first time round AlhamdulilLah. As soon as I came out of the test car I was beaming like a Cheshire cat, a huge goofy super excited beaming expression. I guess all that practice, even if in an auto car, did help. So thanks so all my tutors, qil, yam, jannah, nadz, and anyone else who helped me along the way. Canā€™t wait to get my P. And muz – thanks for your brilliant idea. Iā€™ll see if I can beat you to it.

Unrelated: A lot of times I really wonder what people see when they look at me, what assumptions they make and what do they base those assumptions on. In their heads, which girl am I? Which category do I fall into? It’s intriguing, mainly because most people Iā€™m around now will voice out what they think to their friends, but I don’t. Maybe itā€™s because I think it’s terribly unfair to judge someone without even knowing them. Iā€™m not saying I do sometimes jump to my own conclusions, but I am sure that if the person proves otherwise I am quick to see the err of my ways. At the very least I don’t disclose what I might assume to other people. Because I am fickle that way. *shrug*

I suppose itā€™s time to get back to work. Moroccan embassy is callingā€¦

Sit. Write. Run

by with No Comment natureplanschoolTravel

Taking a short break from my working drawing assignment – don’t even know how to proceed with that.

Finally saw the deans list pinned up behind the lift, and most of the 2nd year architecture students who were on it were in my section. Cool. This semester all those who were on it are in our section too, I think. Also cool.

Had a daytrip to Ulu Yam yesterday – very fun. Went hiking up some mountain/really tall hill there and there were about 100+ of us and the peak of the mountain was about the size of a hostel room, with steep drops all the way down. Views of the dam from up there, pictures later.

Going for a 4 day trip to Cameron Highlands/Kelantan on Thursday – no rest for the super weary! Wish I had more music to accompany me – I’ve only packed 1GB. Not enough for the looooong journey. Note to self – pack earplugs also. And chocolate, but that goes without saying.

Collected dontions from 2 blocks yesterday night even though I was sooo tired from the hike. Didn’t even bother sitting down when I got back because I knew I’d just fall asleep. Decent collection, and interesting people. Thanks you to residents of Block E and F for your generosity!! Anyone interested in donating some money, clothes, books etc for Yayasan Kemiskinan Kelantan please contact me before Thursday morning. Ask around for my number – I’m sure its floating around somewhere.

Now back to work. Ugh.

Week 1 – Not So Bad

by with No Comment school

Week one of My 2nd semester of my second year of university is fast coming to an end. So what have I gotten from it? Well, here goes.

Firstly, the newbies this semester are non-existent, or much less conspicuous compared to before. Either that, or my eyesight is really beginning to fail me. That said, its harder this semester to really see what’s going on in uni because of the huge green barrier that separates and thus blocks our vew of the bridge. Also, I haven’t been doing my usual rounds at the library and ITD so I don’t pass the more densely populated areas of UIA.

What else…? Ah yes – I moved into my hostel on the second day of uni. Shocking I know. But I didn’t want to be late for my 8 a.m. class the next day. Now that I think about it though – studio is also at 8a.m. that means I’ll probably be late every Monday.

Not forgetting, of course, the terrible accident that happened on Wednesday. Please refer to my last post.

Thursday was Christmas – so I went back home. Thinking I would relax. but instead I was edgy all day long. hmm..

It felt weird – usually the first week of studio we are rushing around doing site analysis and minor projects et cetera, but this week – nothing. Monday was a short brief, and today we started the day off with a Long Tazkirah in the Main Auditorium, delivered by Br. Yusuf Estes on DVD. Studio will resume at 3p.m. later today with input lectures on Precedent Studies and Site Analysis. I have a feeling I’ve already been to the Site Analysis lecture, but it’s compulsory. Oh well. Time to load up on some chocolate šŸ™‚

I got 7/10 for this quiz I did just now – my guessing skills are quite good I guess lol!

Tomorrow – I’ll be doing this insha’Allah.

should be a spot of fun right?

So this is what a credit card might look like

by with No Comment designholidayinternetschool

I’ve been testing out this service on squarespace.com, its a 14-day free trial (no credit card number required for the trial), at the end of which, I can either opt to continue, but if not, then all this will simply be deleted. Too bad – just when I start falling in love with the flexibility and simplicity of all this. I could very well ask my dad for this as a birthday gift – but hen I’d have to explain. Too much work. Unless there’s some other way to pay for this? Anyone know?

Ah well. If you actually checked this out, then congrats, you’ll be one of the few to witness what I spent the majority of the last day of my holiday on. It’s not much but I still had fun.

Now back to the tedium of architorture.

Random

by with No Comment eventsschool

In studio last Friday one of my classmates came up to me and said someone needed to see me in the deputy deanā€™s office, right now. Okay, I thought. Even though I had no idea where the deputy deanā€™s office was. So I went to my studio master to get permission to leave the studio, and when I told her I had to go see someone in the deputy deanā€™s office, she said, ā€œWhy? What did you do?ā€

What did I do? I did something? Something wrong? Now I was freaked out. I donā€™t recall ever doing anything remotely compoundable by the kulliyyah or anything else, so far this semester Iā€™ve only skipped one non-kulliyyah class, but anyways, I asked my lecturer where the office was and she told me.

When I got there (it was in the main office. Duh) I was made to wait a fair bit before that person came out, carrying a big brown envelope and some smaller ones. I relaxed a bit then, because the small envelopes were not letter sized, so it probably wasnā€™t a warning letter or anything.

Turns out I got an invitation to some program in the C.A.C that will be held on October 13thĀ at 8p.m. Iā€™m going, but I donā€™t know anyone else who is, so it might be a lonely dinner for me. Even worse if Iā€™m seated with a bunch of freaky guys. But hopefully not. If any of you are going please let me know! This is what the invite looks like (its gold-edged!)

150, are you blind?

by with No Comment healthschool
Last night aka this morning while I was doing my work my eyes decided to take a short trip back to the 60’s. I started seeing psychedelic, colorful spots, swirls, and lights. Far out. Turned off my study lamp for a while hoping it would go away. It seemed as though I was looking through a kaleidoscope and no amount of blinking would make it disappear. I guess that is what happens when you’ve spent the whole week looking at lineslineslineslines.Ā 
Ā 
As I remember it, I had iftar and went straight back to work. And when sahur time came, it was very weird, because it seemed as though I just ate, when actually, it was yesterday. Not sleeping really messes you up. My brain was not functioning at all today, if you can’t already tell by this jumbled up post.Ā 
Ā 
after sahur I prayed and told my sister to wake me up in 15 minutes because I wanted to take a short nap on the floor (so I wouldn’t make myself too comfortable, but anyways Iā€™ve been sleeping on the couch for the past week since my bed is full of papers) I woke up and saw that it was already 7.30.
Ā 
Rush rush rush
Ā 
Head was pounding but had to stay awake in the car since I was trying to think of what to say in my presentation. Like I said, my brain was on leave so nothing came to me.
Ā 
Also felt strangely nauseous today. Maybe it was nerves. Was afraid I might throw up on my project, which would have been funny but devastating at the same time. Ā It felt like motion sickness, I guess because I spent so long in one position that even walking made me feel dizzy. Not that there was much to upchuck anyways. Whatever energy I might have gotten from a banana and half a slice of pizza I wasted crying for no reason. Just suddenly felt so overwhelmed and sick and tired and frustrated and pitiful. Mentally unstable, like I said, my brain vacated me.
Anyway, presentation went good, thanks to Ilda who helped me figure out what I was going to say.
Ā 
Died in the musolla afterwards, and woke up at 6-ish to even worse headaches and nausea.
Feeling a bit better now, but still…weird.
Ā 
While doing my work I was thinking of all the weird ways an architecture student could die.Ā 
Morbid but kept me entertained. one of the ways was inhaling too much UHU glue fumes, and another was getting so many paper cuts and then subsequently falling asleep in the bath/shower so that you s l o w l y bled to death.
Ā 
I felt very sad. first of the last 10 days of Ramadan and Iā€™m up all night, not praying or making du’aa but drawing lines, cutting boards, measuring, erasing.
Time to get back on human time. Time to get back on track. Time to recover.
Ā 
Ā 
by with No Comment Abstractschool

I was thinking of an idea, of something i want to do but can’t because i don’t know how. I have this idea in my mind to create this website which is like a classified ad website, but for UIA. so in it would be housing for students (houses wanted, roommates wanted, house for rent, etc), car rentals, lost and found, services, promotion, etc. at the very least it would save people paper…!

for example, the lost and found.
when people put a listing under lost they specify what it is that they lost, eg, a handphone with the descriptions and all. then somehow the system would match up the ‘losts’ and potential ‘founds’. obviously there is security to think about as well…

just one of the random ideas i got while wandering around UIA aimlessly reading the notice boards full of ‘illegal’ posters and advertisements.

a post about the posters in UIA
http://anisahshurfa.blogspot.com/2008/08/spotted-english-mishaps-in-posters.html#bookaholics%20unite!

6 degrees

by with No Comment eventsfamilyfriendsschool

My social networking skills were called into play a few days ago – a friend asked me if I knew any service apartments and if I knew where to find a DJ since her friend wanted to throw a party.
Service apartment? The only one I know is the Ascott where we stalked the Manchester United youth team last summer. That is near KLCC, and will probably be very expensive.
DJ? Well… one of my friends met and fell in love with a DJ in Sunway, but thatā€™s all I have.
She then asked if I knew this other girls’ phone number since she had a party recently, but I had no idea. But I could refer her to another friend with more contacts…
I asked her when the party was going to be held and she replied, “Tomorrow..!”
!

—-

At my cousin’s wedding some of her sister’s friends were also there and they asked me where I studied. I told them in UIA, and in Architecture. Turns out her sister was my classmate… They were in the Kuantan campus, and I asked if they knew my Malay classmate, and they didā€¦

Hello…

by with No Comment AbstractfriendsschoolTravel

I have been told time and time again that I can be very unfriendly when I feel like it. I know this to be true, but only on rare occasions. The truth is, I’m just embarrassingly shy and self deprecating. If I don’t say hi to you when I see you around campus, its not because I’m stuck up and snobby. Its usually because of one of these reasons:

1.I don’t want to disturb you when you are with your friends
2.I don’t want to disturb you when you are enjoying your solitude
3.I don’t know if you remember or recognise me since we met randomly through friends of friends and only ever said hello once, in passing.
4.I don’t know if you even want to see me around, let alone start some small talk with you
5.I’m not sure if you’re the person I think you are. Some people look so alike.
6.I don’t remember your name (sorry!) or I don’t remember how we met, or if we ever even met at all, or if you are just one of those faces I see every day.
7.I’m terrible at small talk and socially awkward. And shy, like I said.
8.Etc.
9.okay sometimes i just can’t be bothered or am too lazy or i’m in a hurry.

Another thing ā€“ if I say hi to you once, does that mean I have to say hi to you always and forever? Even if we just saw each other a while ago and will probably see each other around again soon?

So if i don’t tegur you please don’t take it personally…

(I blame constantly moving around the world for this)

The Homecoming

by with No Comment eventsfoodfriendsschoolTravel

Firstly, I’m sorry the pictures aren’t up yet – Facebook refuses to upload my pictures for some odd reason.

Many of my classmates are back from their overseas studying, so today we had a mini-reunion in the middle of the hustle and bustle that was Mamma Mia. For the uninitiated, Mamma Mia is an eatery in IIUM where many students choose to hang out for lunch in. This is because not only is it air-conditioned (not that you can feel it when its packed) it also caters to international tastes, i.e. people who can’t eat spicy food. Prices are on the steep side for students, but most are willing to pay albeit grumbling a bit. The lady at the cashier always seems apologetic when quoting prices, but oh well. Bagging a table is a matter of great importance if you plan on eating in the air-conditioning as by 12.30 it starts to fill up extremely fast, and by 2 it empties out. You can usually see the same faces there every day but once in a while you get fresh blood, always recognizable by their raised eyebrows, widened eyes and generally incredulous looks when reaching the cashier.

Anyways, I arrived at our mini reunion quite late since I had no idea it was going on. So in the end I only spent 15 minutes with my friends before huffing off to studio, but not before indulging in an Oreo J.Co. These things are dangerous. Before, if you wanted J.Co donuts, you’d have to drag yourself all the way to Pavillion to satisfy your cravings. Now, every time there is any sort of fest/carnival/stall setup in IIUM, a J.Co stall sprouts up. This time its even worse, because there are two. One in my Kulliyyah, KAED, and one in the Center near the bridge. Also there is a Big Apple stall. All these factors do not positively contribute to any weight loss diet anyone might have, but as for myself, yes, I might gain weight, but at what artery clogging cost? Today I was guilty of binging on two donuts, Oreo and banana-choc. Yesterday I had Tiramisu, as I did the day before. Come to think of it, my sugar intake has been abnormally high this week. I’ve had chocolate for breakfast on three straight days, plus a handful of sour nerds every time I get back to my room. then of course the donuts. and the other day I bought mango juice which was half sugar water. Oh and in my desperate attempt to stay awake in class, I finished 3/4 of a sour mentos tube.

Falling asleep in class. I seem to be doing that regularly these days, and I don’t know why. Its extremely annoying because the moment the lecturer opens his/her mouth, I get drowsy, and the moment class is over I’m fresh as a daisy. Add to this the fact that I always sit in front (supposedly so I can pay attention) which means any nodding of the head or drooping of the eyelids is blatantly obvious to the lecturers if they cared to look up. I have tried almost everything – eating candy in class, texting. doodling. writing, squirming in my seat, even trying to strike up a sleepy conversation with my neighbor. None of them work more than a few seconds. I’d like to blame on my lack of sleep last week due to so many assignments but I have to see if next week is any different to make any conclusion.

This post was supposed to be about my classmates returning. But I haven’t really talked to them yet. Oh but I did go out to the airport to fetch Nadiah, along with Ilham and Ayesha. I love going to the airport., but thats another topic altogether. Anyways Nadiah told us her adventure with MAS which left us feeling “how in the world did that happen!?”

Finding a lunch buddy is getting harder as the semester progresses. Not everyone has time or wants to have lunch anymore, but I need to have lunch or else I’ll starve. And I hate eating alone. Especially in UIA.

*Update
I looked up ‘drowsiness’ and being a hypochondriac, I believe I’m suffering from Narcolepsy

Fun, and then craziness

by with No Comment eventsfriendsholidayschoolTravel

I have a cold, resulting from either eating rambutans or from the rain and a/c combo. Or both.

On Friday I woke up at 3.45a.m. To get ready for our site analysis trip to Lumut. We were supposed to be in front of KAED at 4.45 a.m. got there just in time, groggy and freezing, and boarded the bus, which was like a freezer! Drove for about an hour and then stopped in Rawang for Subuh prayers. Drove some more and stopped somewhere for breakfast. Then we drove some more till we got to Kellieā€™s Castle. My mom was telling me about it when we went to Sentul, how the old abandoned house there reminded her of the Castle. But that place was gorgeous! So out of the blue. In front of it was a river flowing calm and steady, and then the castle itself. You can read the full sad story behind it here, although the version that is posted up in the castle is slightly different.

I never knew I was afraid of heights until I went there. Usually I just feel like jumping, be it my hostel or the KLCC sky bridge. But here there were no rails to prevent you from tumbling over. But it was an awesome experience all the same. Oh, Perak is lovely by the way; I just love the calm feeling of the place, so contrasting from the madness of the Klang Valley. The mountain/hills, caves, and especially the vast expanses of land.

After Kellieā€™s Castle we headed to UTP, and this is another awesomely gorgeous place but in a totally different way. Just as a measure of comparison, their Chancellery building won the Aga Khan Award! What I loved most was their library, mind boggling when you first set eyes on it but ingeniously simple when you see how itā€™s done. I was going to meet up with some friends there but didnā€™t get the chance to. Oh well, next time. We prayed at the UTP mosque (the one I had to draw for my Graphics assignment) and then finally made our way to Teluk Batik where our chalets awaited.

Chalets. Donā€™t they sound charming? Believe me they were not. Livable, but only just. The toilet was a mess and that night we didnā€™t have any water supply, so we had to trek out to the public loo some ways away. Awkward coz the boys used the public toilet right next to it. One evening I was going to the washroom by myself, and like always I looked around at stuff, but when I looked ahead, these two boys had just emerged from the showers. They were only in their towels, poor things. Mustā€™ve been embarrassing. So I turned around and let them have their peace/space.

Oh right behind our chalet there were two horses. All they did was eat, so we mustered up some courage to go and pet them the darker one, Along, was sweet and came to us to be petted. The chestnut one, Angah, was a sour old Meanie that snapped his teeth when we tried to give him a loving pet. Sheesh.

The chalets were quite near the beach, so that was good. Being all enthusiastic, my housemates and I went straight out to the beach after we dumped our things in the room. The wind was so strong and refreshing! Kicked off our shoes and waded across a small stream to the other side of the shore. Big mistake. The wind blew my shoes and my friends slippers and wallet into the murky stagnant stream =0 so began our adventure of trying to retrieve our belongings and in the end Missy was our hero of the day after recovering all the flotsam and jetsam. One of my shoes was quite dry since they floated, but one bobbed upside down so was wet. Thus I went around the whole of Lumut (and Pangkor and Pasir Salakand back to KL) in my bathroom slippers.

Our site was a park by the waterfront at Lumut jetty. Nothing much to say about it except it has some potential but is poorly maintained. The second day we spent the whole morning analyzing it. In the afternoon we went to the mangrove park and were hounded by monkeys. At night we ate out at some unreasonably priced place across from the naval place.

Third day we had to check out by 8.30, so we did and then went to Pangkor. Not for long though, just a short tour round the island, which I would recommend only because of the amazing rollercoaster-like roads there. And the beaches of course.

Then went to Pasir Salak to the museum of history of Perak (or something ā€“ we were rushing since it was actually already closed so didnā€™t get a name or any pics) lovely place and awesome dioramas which make you feel like youā€™re there if you stare long enough. Outside the museum they decided to have a durian party, I personally did not join in but instead feasted on goreng pisang courtesy of Ilda and rambutans courtesy of Mdm. Zaiton. Got on the bus (which now was like a freezer filled with durian ice cream) and went to Tapah rest stop for maghrib. We went to Tapah mainly to look at the bathrooms and surau actually. It was raining so hard there and we got soaked. Had maggi for dinner, got on the bus and tried to sleep but the smell and the cold were too much. Soaked + freezing bus +durian smells + unwashed rambutan = sickly feeling and a cold. Got back to my hostel at 11, immediately did my laundry and died on my bed at around 12.45

Next day I had to submit 15 sketches of the trip. Thank God Madam said we only needed to come to studio in the afternoon session and not at 9.

Tuesday had to submit a Building construction & Materials report as well as present it (group work)

Wednesday had to submit an environmental services assignment as well as an intro to landscape architecture report

Friday was the presentation of the site analysis and also submission of our project A, a 24ā€ x 24ā€ painting. On Thursday I managed to stumble back to my far-away hostel room at around 5.30 a.m. even though my work was done by 3 a.m., i had to wait for the others to finish up so I could read their parts. spent that time cleaning the studio with Ilda and harassing the first years. btw, its amazing, KAED, at 5 am every floor is still full of people. Funny looking at their haggard faces. especially the first years. Lol.

Crazy! After Friday I thought Iā€™d be able to relax a little bit, but no.

Monday have to submit another 5 nice sketches of the trip, A3 size. Also have to have gone and studied at least 2 art galleries complete with reports. Also have to re-do site analysis for our own personal use. Also must have a preliminary design idea or bubble diagram.

Tuesday I have anther BCM report/presentation due

Wednesday must submit our CAD 3S assignment. I donā€™t know how Iā€™m going to do that since I donā€™t have the software on my computer. Need to then print it, bind it (hardcover!) and make sure it looks professional.

Pictures of the trip to follow soon so check back in a while…

Exploration and Discovery

by with No Comment AbstracteventsexamsfriendsopinionschoolTravel

I think in my previous entry I mentioned how I was done with my exams. Today however, my Intro to Built Environment class had an assignment to do, Urban Trail, which brought us to Petaling Street and Jalan Masjid India. It was my first time in Petaling Street, much to the surprise of our senior who was acting as our guide.

Letā€™s just say the day was full of discoveries, not necessarily related to the assignment itself. Actually, not related to the assignment at all. This much Iā€™ll say, innocence can be deceiving – and I should know. On the flipside, you can’t judge a person on certain actions that they do, however disgusting those actions are. Somewhere, sometime, that person is better than you. Another piece of reflection – someone’s good image can go out in smoke in a matter of seconds, just the same amount of time it takes for impressions to be dashed. Also, some people are quite contradictory, even within themselves. Chivalry vs. destruction and disregard, for example.

Ok. Enough for now.

Chinatown

Bye Bye Birdie…

by with No Comment blogdesignexamsfamilyschool

I had my last exam today, it was Land Surveying. I read through everything a zillion times, paying close attention to engineering and construction surveying and GPS. The first two parts of the paper were easy peasy, i finished it in less than 20 minutes.but then i turn the page and read question # 3, and all my hopes of an A start flying away….
doesn;t help that i think question 4 was faulty, but when i tried to ask sj he said it was right. ok then…
anyways i’m done with my exams,
but
i still have homework can you believe, even when the semester is over. which we’re gonna do on friday.
this is for a non-credited course. huh.

my parents came back from umrah today. my dad is flying off to sudan tonight. a waste of time i you ask me, flying from saudi to malaysia and back that way to sudan. but he needed to restock his clothes and get some stuff from his office..

so i edited my blog design…probably gonna be tweaked/revamped again sometime soon. have the ideas, but not the time/patience and/or skills!