Jolly Bolly! Happy Birthday Dee!

a nite of missin, reminiscin, surprisin & celebratin.
as how the Birthday Girl described:

"It was aussie day..26th Jan...it was a year exactly since we came back from sydney. called wei wei who is in sydney and they were high after Darling harbour's fish and chips and fireworks. Sophie, June, Linda and I wore a bit of something from aussie or related to aussie.we remembered vividly that sophie bought that gold top from Supre on aussie day and June wore that dress on aussie day, Linda was wearing a top which became Tommy's scruntinization haha..and I was wearing the wrap dress from Tightrope and basket bag from Target. Wonderful...I've got teh inkling that they were gonna celebrate my birthday..(how shameless..) haha..but since it was at Vansh and there was no cake on the menu, I didnt expect the royalty treatment of the gulab janum on a royalty gold-red tray..hahaha..once again u ladies, surprised and touched me on my birthday..thank you ladies..love y'all...(hugs)..wei wei, we miss u =)"

yeah Weiwei...we missed u and it was great to hear u were out & abt Darling Harbour on Aussie Day! we sooooo wished we could join u there too!!

and Dee..HAPPY SHOPPIN SPREE IN JB BIRTHDAY TO U!!! ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY my Lesbo Partner!!!

Second Stab? Take Initiative & Be Prepared!

Having had my contacts ask me whether I got the Creative Kid job, I decided to finally give the ladyboss a call after waiting for 3 weeks. She said some NUS graduates applied for the post recently and she was still sifting through candidates for the job. She told me that she will email me the schedule of future trips on the evening that I called, so that I can join in and have a feel of what the job will be like, but 4 days on, still no email from her. I tried reaching her again yesterday but no respond. Hmmm what lukewarm follow-up after such an excitin potential of employment...I was really hopeful but...

In a twist of fate though, I had another interview tis week! Initially I was not very keen abt applying for the job because I was highly anticipating for Creative Kid to call and it involves tissue culture but Liza (formerly peanutgal) talked me into it, that I decided to just give it a go. So my CV landed into her Prof's hand and an interview session was set up. Gulp! My first 3-man panel interview, 1 Professor and 2 Doctors..oh God! My CV was scrutinised and read out by the Prof. and every now and then he shoots me questions of what I have studied and done in the past. I didn't really try to recall the technicalities that I have done in the previous research lab before I went for the interview but somehow, i cruised thru! Phew~

Surprisingly, as nervous as I was, I was rather collected and felt comfortable being in the same room as these 3 "big shots". One of the most memorable question, which stunned me for awhile was tis, by the Prof: "Do u noe the word INITIATIVE? Has the lab people in ur current job or previous used tis word? Tell me what is ur perception of tis word?" I almost laughed out loud upon hearing tis question...EHH?? Testing my English or what?? But I replied  and he was rather happy with it. And then he started advising me saying that in research work we need a lot of initiative and people in my position must help to drive and wind up the PostDocs to move the research works forward. Wahhh not the easiest thing to do but Inspiring! And before the interview was over, one of the Doctors asked, "So u were a Girl Guide? What post did u hold? And what company did u belong to?" Another stunner..what has Guiding gotta do with tis post??? took a couple of seconds to get over it and in one breathe "I was the Commander and I belonged to 3rd COY SOUTH!" and out came my silly proud smile. Hah! To think i was really sheepish when the Prof read out my ECA in the earlier part of the interview. The Doctor gave that approving "ok-u-noe-ur-stuff" smirk and started to tell me abt the Guides motto and that she believe I would apply the values I learnt during my Guiding days in my work. Hah! The Doctor was previously a Guide too as I gingerly asked if she was. So..brownie points? hehehe

And the next day, the other Doctor called and congratulated me cos I was picked to be the best candidate around! SERIOUSLY?? He said I did really well and was impressed by the way I presented myself during the interview and they want my service ASAP. Wahhh! Now I'm in ONE BIG DILEMMA, i told myself after puttin down the phone!

These past couple of days, kept questioning myself which job do I really want and I had to weigh out the pros n cons of them both. While Creative Kid would be so ideal for my personality, travel desires and money growth, I realise that there's still a part of me that wanna take on the research challenge, improve myself on where I left off when life was not too smooth few months back and see myself excel or live through my adolescence dream ambition. To be honest, I am still kinda traumatised with my past experience but I wanna face it all again and hopefully drive myself to be better and replace those demoralisin memories with positive ones! And gettin a Rose after the interview (given out by some NUS students who were organisers of V-Bash -whatever that might be!?-), sure seems like a good sign...make me feel like one..waiting to BLOOM!

So yes, Lab Rat i shall remain and a Creative one i'll strive to be! 

Cosy Chalet Birthday Surprise!

Besides plotting for Raf's hen party, my cuzzins and i were secretly plannin up a sneaky simple birthday celebration for the Jan & Feb babies of the gang. Almost all the people in our guest list could not turn up as it was a Sunday and they have their own commitments already but the few of us had cosy fun for tis celebration.

Dee, Hafi & Mr Ross were pleasantly surprised when we brought in the ice-cream cake & handed them their cuddly presents which made horny noises. Hahah!

http://sitz.multiply.com/video/item/59/Triple_Bday_Surprise_-_Out_comes_the_cake
http://sitz.multiply.com/video/item/58/Triple_Bday_Surprise_-_Mr_Ross_Horny_Bear

Advanced Happy Birthday to YoU!

Shit Happens

i had a sudden fever and diarrhoea on last thursday and while the fever ceased the next day, the purgin continued till friday noon but stopped after i had Loperamide pill. Saturday & Sunday were a blast albeit a different form of shit occured on saturday mornin. yesterday as i was gettin ready for work and lookin forward to an interview some time before lunch, i had weird tummy pains! So instead of work, i went to the Polyclinic and told the doctor of my symptoms. she made me do a urine test juz to ensure that i do not have urinary tract infection, which of course i was cleared of, and she suspected i had appendicitis! i totally refuse to believe her cos the last time i was suspected of such in primary 4, it was actually stomach flu...and guess what she prescribed me?!  LIQUID ANTACID! EHHH????

i started purgin again after takin the antacid n still purgin every time i go to the toilet till now. bleurghhh...
juz what is wrong with my system?? has it gotta do with the chickens and teas i had???
is it stomach flu or food poisoning??
aiyohhhh

any remedies anyone, for my weak tummy at the moment?

and why does MULTIPLY provide only that Drag & Drop Java method for fast loading now?? It's Shitty ok! My comp can't deal with it and i have to load pics thru the HTML way...one by one..20 pics only at one go...CRAP AH!

Blessed 1429H!

Many non-Muslims have the misconception that Eid (Hari Raya) is the New Year for Muslims, let me just clarify that Today's the New Year's eve accordin to the Islamic Calendar, whereas Eid are 2 days/period celebrated for overcoming fasting in the month of Ramadhan(Eid ul Fitr/Hari Raya Puasa) & performing of Hajj (for Eid ul Adha/Hari Raya Haji). Our New Year starts in Muharram, which falls after sunset (yeah a new day starts after sunset, dun have to wait till midnite) on the 9th of January tis year and it is year 1429 Hijriyyah for us!

The Islamic calendar starts in conjuction of commemorating the Prophet's(peace be upon him) migration(Hijrah) from the land of Mecca to Madinah, running away from the clutches of Pagan tribes in his homeland. This is a Very significant day as it marks the Beginning of the Islamic civilisation where Islam is accepted more openly and if we look back in history, renewed ties between the Arab tribes in Madinah itself and also with some of those migrants from Mecca are formed. It is a Remarkable feat because these Arabs were so quarrelsome & are always attacking & blaming each other previously*and history repeats itself now*!

It is so apt how tis migration is marked as the beginning of the New Year for us, especially in the modern day. Even though we do not go migrating from one place to another just to become a better practising Muslim, New Year is usually a time for reflections and settin new goals/resolution. In our context, we could also set our hearts to "migrate" closer to God, by improving our spiritual connection with God and also improve our relationships with the people around us. So seek forgiveness for the sins and wrongdoings that you have done for the past year, repent & pray for renewed/revived faith and seek His guidance for a better year ahead & of course, give Thanx & Praise to the Lord for the experiences & strength that He has bestowed for the past year!

Here are a couple of suggested prayers (Doa) for the blessings we had for the past year & in preparin us for life in the New Year. My apologies though, I can't find the English translation for these to share with those who are curious but don't understand Arabic or Malay.

Doa Akhir Tahun dibaca 3 kali pada akhir waktu Asar atau sebelum masuk waktu Maghrib  pada akhir bulan Zulhijjah.

Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata"Kesusahan bagiku dan sia-sia lah pekerjaanku menggoda anak Adam pada setahun ini dan Allah binasakan aku satu saat jua. Dengan sebab membaca doa ini, Allah ampunkan dosanya setahun" 

 

 

Doa Awal Tahun dibaca 3 kali selepas maghrib pada malam satu Muharram. Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata

"Telah amanlah anak Adam ini daripada godaan pada tahun ini kerana Allah telah mewakilkan dua Malaikat memeliharanya daripada fitnah Syaitan".

So to all my Muslim brothers & sisters, SALAM MA'AL HIJRAH! May u find Peace, Joy & Blessings in the New Year ahead!!

The Norm is Not Tis

Yeah new year...new hopes, new job perhaps?

Today, I went for an interview...6.30pm at a retro flat (that reminded me of flats along River Valley Road) in Haig Road. I thought it would be an office space or perhaps somethin of a commercial set up *i had Dance Atelier & Star Horizon office set-up in my mind* but i got slightly lost & confused in my head facing the flats. Ok the address was definitely correct, and there were definitely doors on the ground floor. It took me awhile to find the unit number. Initially, jittery bit me even before I stepped out of my lab because my last interview was in March 2007, and that was at a research institute and here I am, tryin my luck again, tis time in front of a run down retro flat with nice grill & door?! I grinned as I felt a potential adventure with positive vibes ahead...even tho tis does not involve any backlanes *must be the retro atmosphere*. WoW!

My interviewer opened the door after my call cos she cannot hear the doorbell rang or my knock on that beautifully carved door. I looked in and i saw the interior was rather bare with juz white boxes on my right and white dining set on my left. EhH?!

Ok i was totally unprepared for tis bare scene of the living room but soon enuff, my interviewer welcomed me to her office in a room and we were literally caught up in the interview for 2 hours! yes 2 hours!! My Good Lord, what have u set me up to?

Firstly, prior to this interview, she read and shortlisted me after readin my not-so-formal cover letter which was basically an email telling the company that I am looking for a job that has scientific, educational & fun elements in it, and since the company was looking for a creative individual, I gingerly attached "a lil showcase of my creativity" (see pic). I had a 50-50 chance for the company to take in tis "nonsense" application seriously but yesterday when my interviewer called she said that she does not want me to be amongst the last people she wanted to interview, she wanted to see me soon and even volunteered to hold it for me at 6.30pm, after I knock off from work! Whoa!

And what I could not fathom was during that 2 hours interview, she did not even want to see my degree cert or any of my qualification papers!! She was only looking for this: A candidate who is passionate about nurturing minds and one who can contribute to put FUN into the learning of science & geography, especially in ecology & environmental topics!!

I still cannot believe that such employers actually exist here! she's like a hippie beatnik with so much trust & energy! fancy running an educational company in that retro flat, then, a no need qualifications interview and work is mostly FUN in the SUN! I WANT!!! I SO WANT THE JOB & THAT RETRO FLAT AS MY HEAD OFFICE!!!

I AM a CREATIVE KID!! PICK ME PICK ME!!!!! ME ME ME!!!

*psst my friends, pls pray that i'll get it ok!! hee thanks*

 

 

Melodramas Circa 2007

2007, what a year, what a year...Last year on the last day of 2006, i blogged abt how solemn a day it was...Saddam was hanged and it was also Eid ul Adha, a day to reflect on sacrifice, perseverance and struggles. Who would have known that the year that follows, paints that same picture for me. This whole year has been a rollercoasted ride, with me facing many many personal challenges, discoverin more emotions, making more decisions, taking more chances and perhaps shouldering tis overwhelming responsibility that impacted all aspects of my life and the people around me...

Many a time I felt helpless and wish to wake up to a brighter better tomorrow...many a time, it didn't happen and life goes on and despite feeling like i could juz crumble away  many a time too, I realise that tis year, had it not been for the Grace, Blessings, Patience, Strength & perhaps Luck bestowed on me from The Almighty, i would probably not grow & pull thru these difficult times beautifully, though yes, i make mistakes, bitch alot, felt so numbed, turned cold & probably hurt the ones dearest to my heart. 

Let me share with you, one of the most Powerful reminder & prayer from the Quran, that has kept me goin thru all these times tis year...and God willing, may tis be good for u too!

"On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."  [Al-Baqarah:286]

Amin amin ya Rabbal 'Alamin