Grace

It's nearing the end of December and today is such a bright day that I thought we are in spring.

I decided to be productive today. Whipped up bakeless chocolate cheesecake, went grocery shopping and urm, made sliced radish kimchi, which I suspect is not sliced radish kimchi.

I went to Harrachov at the beginning of Christmas break for heaps of snow and ski lesson.
Boy, was it mesmerising. I almost forgot that the snow is so sparkly and white.
Skiing is err, a mix of everything.
I mean it's great when you zoom down and still on both your skis.
And then there are times when I, the lanky one, had a hard time to adjust my pizza and ends up on my back, sometimes with both the skiis off.
Sledging is also a fun thing.

Anyway, I thought it's just not my luck to attend weddings and instead of attending weddings, I directly jumped to the next thing on the agenda ~visiting friends' newborn.
I went down to Olomouc to visit Ahmad Wafi Husaini, a tiny, sepet, nocturnal, adorable bundle of joy.
Man, newborns are sure small it puts me off from holding them.
But then, Dalila wrapped him up in a bundle and just then was I confident to hold him.

I think I am slowly getting to understand why people decide to have baby in the early stage of the marriage. It feels so good to hold a baby in your arms.

I feel so good, about everything, and about being a Muslim in particular.
I may not be accelerating in making a good progress as a Muslim but I am progressing at a slower pace.
I have been reading the forty hadiths and found each one of them really close to my heart.
I guess, its the element of wanting the best in the human me that recognise the familiarity.
Islam is definitely one thing that I am sure about and it is my greatest hope that I'll die a Muslim, just as I was born as one. Ameen.

Gambar ihsan mama Ahmad Wafi Husaini.

Stars

I went on trip to the observatory last evening. While my friend from high school is welcoming his firstborn in Olomouc.

So yesterday has been a good day.

Catched up with some friends on the way there by foot.

Watched the town from the top. Town looked pretty and at the same time lonely.

Gave some mixed maruku and cold hard (tuhy) bilis fritters which were hit among the Czechs.

And sat down in a small dark auditorium to listen to the Czech introduction about stars, tectonic plates, moons and planets.

Good thing there's 2 videos in english.

Went out on the roof to watch Jupiter, the king of all planet.

Really I thought it was just another star on the night sky, albeit more bright than the others.

It's winter and the wind was blowing the president said nah, this is cryotherapy.

I said, stay another 3 hours cryotherapy will become cryopreservation.

Got the joke?Good.

Do not?Go study the biology book.

Sky was rather cloudy, still I see more stars than I do back in Nerudova.

Looking at stars is just looking at the history.

Looking at stars can also be interpreted as looking at the place where the dreams are born.

Looked through the telescope and saw one of the Jupiter's moons.

Then went down into the hemisphere where the giant telescope is.

Dome is made of panelled wood and it's opened for obvious reason.

Flashes from camera made me feel like I'll get epilepsy anytime ~ medical school has turned me into hypochondriac.

This telescope is superb, I saw Jupiter in it's glory, milky brown with 2 brown stripes and also two of its moons.

Then went into the planetarium cinema, watching the artificial night sky, made to look just like the sky outside at that time.

Explanation in Czech, didn't get to know anything but one thing ~ my Czech command is not poor, it's rather, abysmal.

Seems like at different level of darkness, some stars shine brighter and some stars get dimmer.

Don't know how the ancient people can say this group of stars is a fish and that group of stars is a dragon.

People from the time before used stars as a reference for direction in their physical journey, especially those seamen.

Would it be nice if I let my future kid to learn about it? But then, is it reliable? I mean we know the stars that we see today is their shine from thousand or million years ago and the star that we are looking at may have not exist anymore. So it would be possible, that in some time, the star will dissappear from the night sky forever.

Nothing is immortal, except Allah.

But then, we can still see the shine of a bright star, for some given time, eventhough the existence of the star itself has become questionable.

They told us in 35 billion years (if I am not mistaken), our milky way will collide with andromeda, the closest galaxy and the two will fuse together and there will be no more spiral configuration of milky way.

But before that, we all will already die from bitter cold.

Come to think of it, the sun is already beyond prehistoric it will shut down before we reach 35 billions years start counting from now.

Don't worry, I am believing in the day after tomorrow.

It's told that usually two galaxy will casually brush each other and stay close to each other before the great gravities of both draw them to each other where they will fuse together.

And really I should be studying about drugs for diabetic right now.

p/s : one of the thing that I want to do is watching aurora borealis.

TheWeekends

I had all four consecutive weekends occupied. First had friend visiting from France. They covered 4 cities (of 3 different countries) in a week and by the time they arrived to Prague, they are pretty drained out. So, here I am giving you free tip ~ don't make Prague your last stop. The cobble stone road/alley will kill your feet. Anyway, apart from going to the same tourist spots, this time I went to Mirror Labyrinth. One word ~ fun. And I am so sorry to inform you of an outdated news, that the National Museum is closed for renovation for a whopping 5 years. I haven't really consider of going to visit anyway but when I heard about the closing, I became curious as to whether I've really lost an opportunity to visit.

The next weekend was Eid-ul Adha. It's a blessings to have a family away from family. The thing I love about Eid-ul Adha is that we can takbeer for 3 days (or is it 4 days?). We had potluck at Raudhah for girls, ignoring the fact that we have Igames on the next weekend. Food as usual was generous ~ bihun sup, bihun goreng, ketupat and rendang, sambal goreng, various jelly and pudding, fruit tarts, cakes and much more. Oh yes, even keropok lekor.

The Igames weekend didn't start off good. It didn't for contingent from Hradec Kralove. Motivation was rather low, plus the fact that we are significantly outnumbered by the other 2 localities. Still, Prague has this abilities to make the event enjoyable. As usual I stayed over at Vorsilka and it was really happening having Kirin, Kak Pia, some people from HK and the host themselves under one roof that having a proper hours of sleep doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, since we are short on people, we played more than 2 games per person (on average) and at the same time, trying our best to also be the supporters.

This photo is taken from CzeMSA group on Facebook.

Second day achievements was satisfactory and second day itself was so much fun even having cramped leg twice didn't lower my competitive spirit. Sadly the juniors from Hradec Kralove had to return to Hradec Kralove since they have to study for the daily tests which every international students in LFHK is well versed about. So, we gathered forced on the last day and charged forward. We swept gold for almost all the fun games ~ scrabble for both boy and girl, galah panjang, bola beracun and we managed to score even points with Prague and is just behing Olomouc by 10 points. We were ecstatic. People may wonder how can we be so happy for not being the last. But I pondered, that really, sometimes, less means more and I am proud of us. I really am.

After Igames, I was eagerly counting days for the weekend to come. Basically, we were expected to have motivation camp sponsored by MARA in Hilton Hotel, Prague. I was sceptical at first. I mean, are you kidding me? Were National Service and BTN not enough?But then, the prospect of seeing other people and going together on the same bus excites me. Yes, u are reading the right thing.

Staying in a hotel doesn't excite me but going together on the same bus does. I was so used to go on trip together with a troop of friends back in high school that I really wanted to do the same at least once with university friends. Anyway, the program was mainly about eating buffet and sleeping and staring around. And I got to know some people from other localities and also I got to know that I don't even know some people who are in the same batch from other localities exist all this while. Second day was so good that I left with heavy heart and I was unsatistfied that the bus ride back was so quick it took us only one hour to reach the faculty building. I mean, I didn't get the usual 2 hours sleep.

So, I guess it's time to get real and I hope life will get exciting this year.

What doesn't Kill You Just Makes You Stronger

Summer semester will start tomorrow.

I'll be going to class like usual and labs will start the next week.

Some people get boring by these but as for me, these are what that keep me going.

Honestly, if I've got another 1 week free, I'm gonna have fever because of boredom.

As I'm typing this down, I'm thankful for what I have right now.

It's just that I'm a bit worried if I forget what path have I travelled to get here.

I worry that I'll forget how I fret over my clothes when most of them didn't fit me anymore now that I always have the money to buy one if any of my clothes doesn't fit me.

I hope I'll never forget how I put on a pant 1 and a half inch too short for me and a vest that hangs down my torso for nearly 1 year.

I don't want to forget how does it feel to be on the inferior side, how hard I push myself to keep going.

Never will I forget, that I was the one who put the scarves that I wear to school when I went for games too.

I borrowed sport shoes from friends since mine were plain too big or too small for me.

I've been laughed at when I took part in a running competition because I had a small shirt and a track suit that is too big for me.

On weekends, I would be staying in my dorm while others have picnic or the sorts with their parents.

I would sat on my bed, the speaker blaring, calling for students whose parents were visiting.

Sometimes, I got invited over to have picnic with my friends and their parents.

For that, I'm ever so thankful.

Did it saddened me?

Of course it did.

People whose parents were visiting will never know the feeling of the need to put up with ever so lousy Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch for 5 years straight in a row.

And the feeling of needing to put up with the dirty corridor dotted with overflowed bins, KFC boxes and McD wrappers lying around.

There was someone who liked me in high school and keept sending notes and stuffs.

I put up with that for 3 years.

All the teachers knew and almost half the students knew too.

Despite knowing that I never take anything from someone I don't like, my whole class who are supposed to be my friends took every packet of candies that being thrown via the back door every evening of our prep malam.

Which eventually led to that person being in charge of my class.

Imagine studying for PMR in a room with someone who U don't like.

I got preyed upon and my friends got candies!

Of how I managed to endure the 5 years, even I don't know.

Clearly it's a miracle.

Alhamdulillah, I went out sane and stronger.

Will I forget the journey that I had to take everytime I went home?

Journey back home would be ok though, since there were few girls going home by bus too.

And the number expanded as the months passed by.

In first year, I would go home sent by my friend's father.

I'll never forget the kindness.

It was not something that I wanted, going back home by bus.

It was scary and lonely.

A girl with a bag.

I used to cry most of the time.

U never know when the bus is coming and there'll be entah siapa2 sitting beside you in the bus.

Even I travelled the same roads for 5 years, it never shed the scary feeling.

Every journey was foreign to me.

Once I took a bus, praying that it goes to jetty because the usual bus that I take didn't come after 3 hours or so of waiting.

That is how I learn to follow my heart and be observant.

I've never took the ferry alone in my life and that was my first.

And I arrived to the security of home.

Going back home alone is nothing compared to going back to school.

It was the scariest of the two, with no one I know around me until I reached Summit.

The bag would be heavier and since it was always Sunday, the bus will be packed with immigrants.

In one event, the bus nearly crash onto the vehicle in front (that's how bad our public transportation is)

And once, the driver shouted police and almost 80% in the bus panicked and tried to run off.

Can U tell how I feel at that time?

And if U add another event when a man chasing another man with a knife on his hand passed just less than a meter in front of me, I'm amazed at how I'm still alive today. Wheww!

Everyone from my circle back in high school knows that I can't stand standing too long, be it hot or cool weather, but I preserved and never pass out when I waited for that tunggu masa nakroboh bas Rangkaian Setia to my school which comes, always every 1 and a half hour.

If people wonder how I don't give a fuss about carrying kilos and walk for miles, these people, are what that teaches me.

People can see me now and say, ah she's lucky, she's doing fine

People can say that I have everything that I want

People can be jealous and spread false stories about me

People can envy me for who I am now

Of course, as a girl, sometimes these get at me.

But upon reflecting, I know, I too like every other people carry my own burden.

It's just that I carried mine a bit earlier than others.

Swimming Pool Keeper

Back in elementary, we lived in remote Teluk Bahang.

Life was simple.

Abah was a watch at a hotel swimming pool, mom a full time housewife.

But back then, they already plan their future, they want to relocate somewhere else

And me, there was a fat chance my future secondary education will need quite some amount of money.

So abah took up few swimming pool maintenance contracts and by the time I was 12, mom went to work as a cleaner.

All three of us (Nazri, Nazir and me meself) know how to swim and swimming pool for us, is the most elegant place to go swimming.

We have been in the sea and small rivers and waterfalls but swimming pool with slides was a rare chance.

So, every evening, we would take turn to follow abah for the part time work.

Sometimes, greed took over and we would fight on who will go with abah

We don't have car, all we have is a motorcycle at our disposal

As soon as I arrive, I would change inside the pump room into short and shirt, took the penyapu jerami and penyodok and sweep the falling leaves on the poolside.

Done with that, I'll jump into the pool, exercising all my muscles

Sometimes, I went over to see what abah is doing.

He would be in the pump room or meddle with large filter near the pool

Twice a month, I would help with scrubbing the pool

I had baby pool for the longest of time before I'm allowed to scrub the main swimming pool

At nights, I would follow abah again to pour chlorine.

Along the way, I met few people.

First, a Chinese boy who taught me to walk upside down in the water

Second, a Caucasian girl about 9 year-old. She kept tagging me, even when I want to change inside the pump room just because she wanted me to walk her home, which is 2 floors up the building right beside the pool. Haish

Owh, in another condominium complex, I slide straight onto a little boy.

That was my worst nightmare, not because I got a bruise under my eye but because boy, I may give that little boy a bruise himself.

Then, there were giggling girls about my age talking about tuition and their achievements loudly to each other

I haven't tell this to anyone, but I suspected they wanted to make friend with me

Except that I thought they were the typical rich girls and in my humble opinion, am not suitable to be their friend

After all, the swimming pool at that time is the one in Tanjung Country Club, where riches frequent

I can still see the nice landscape, a round pool perched higher than the other larger two, with pohon kemboja n bougainvilla cricling it.

All three pools look out to the sea

Then there was a girl, who seret me to her mom and I ended up learning swimming frog style with them

I must look like a fool back then

Hahahaha

Abah continued taking up the part time job after we moved and when I got into high school

But cost of maintenance rocketed up, chlorine became expensive and it's not long before my dad stop taking the part time job.

Fond memories they are, that I remember them up till now (of courselah minus the final part =p)