Monday, August 31, 2009

Orang Bongok Main Mercun


Disclaimer: Kalau tak nak sakit hati, jangan baca ya.

Sejak masuk bulan Ramadhan, sudah ada kes-kes kekantoian pengedaran mercun dalam berita. Pada aku, padan muka! Padan muka kepada yang mengedar, dan padan muka kepada yang tak dapat main mercun pasal tak ada stok.

Tapi aku hangin betul dengan orang-orang yang masih licik mendapatkan bekalan mercun ni. Aku dah tengok mercun tu macam dadah la pulak. Sama je tarafnya daripada segi undang-undang negara. Haram jika disalahgunakan.

Aku nak kecilkan skop orang-orang yang main mercun ni kepada orang-orang Melayu Islam yang terlalu mengikut kehendak hormon adrenalin dalam darah masing-masing untuk melunaskan kehendak nafsu. Sia-sia sahaja puasa jika nafsu masih gagal dididik.

Kau tahu tak main mercun tak ubah macam kau bakar duit? Cuba bayangkan apabila mercun tu meletup, macam tu la meletupnya duit pendapatan kau, atau mak bapak kau. Kau tak sayang ke dengan duit tu? Daripada membazir membakar mercun tu, baik kau sedekahkan kepada orang-orang yang memerlukan. Takpun kasi je kat aku. Aku pun termasuk dalam golongan orang-orang yang memerlukan. Aku tengah kumpul duit nak kahwin. Ok itu dah masuk cerita lain.

Aku faham. Kau rasa seronok apabila dapat dengar bunyi meletup-letup. Tapi boleh tak kau bayangkan yang meletup tu kepala kau? Tak kan? Pasal kau tak nak bayangkan macam tu. Kau tak fikir bahaya main mercun. Kau cuma fikir nak seronok je.

Aku rasa pelik. Kalau betul nakkan keseronokan mendengar letupan, kenapa apabila kau nyalakan mercun tu, kau campak jauh-jauh? Bukan ke kau nak dengar letupan? Cuba lepas kau cucuh, biarkan kat tangan. Takpun letakkan sebelah telinga. Lepas tu dengar lah bunyi letupan tu puas-puas. Ini tidak, lepas cucuh dengan api, campak dan tutup telinga. Bongok. Tahu pula menjaga keselamatan diri?

Aku paling bengang dengan ibu bapa yang membelikan anak-anak mereka mercun-mercun ni. Eh pakcik eh makcik, itu tak ubah macam pakcik dan makcik belikan motor untuk anak-anak lepas tu biarkan diorang merempit kat jalanraya. Lepas tu kemalangan. Lepas tu mati. Lepas tu pakcik dan makcik juga yang merengek-rengek sedih, konon. Lepas tu menyesal, konon. Susah-susah buat anak, senang-senang bagi diorang mati. Ibu bapa sekalian, tolong lah didik anak-anak tu betul-betul ye~

Aku tak nafikan masa aku kecil aku juga main mercun. Tapi mari bercakap tentang sekarang. Korang yang baca ni pun orang-orang zaman sekarang. Pada usia aku kini, aku lebih nampak bermain mercun tu tak ubah macam orang yang tak bertamadun. Maksud aku, orang-orang Melayu Islam. Aku tak nak komen pasal orang-orang yang bukan Islam. Diorang ada kepercayaan diorang sendiri. Tapi kepercayaan orang Islam lain!

Kita percaya bahawa membazir itu amalan syaitan. Kita percaya bahawa kita wajib menjauhkan diri daripada apa-apa yang boleh mendatangkan mudharat. Kita ada cara tersendiri untuk menyambut perayaan kita.

Ada juga yang kata, main bunga api tak apa kan? Bunga api dengan mercun, lain. Pada aku, tidak. Sama je. Membazir. Tidak ada faedah langsung. Mercun dan bunga api tidak menyumbang apa-apa langsung kepada mana-mana aspek dalam hidup melainkan keseronokan, yang boleh diisi dengan aktiviti lain yang lebih sihat dan berfaedah malah yang paling penting dalam hal ni, tidak mendatangkan mudharat.

Akhir sekali, aku berani kata: Orang yang main mercun ni orang bongok.

Kan aku dah kata jangan baca kalau tak nak sakit hati.

Aku pernah menulis pasal hal ini juga dulu.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Kenangan di UIAM


Aku tidak boleh berbohong kepada diri sendiri, mahupun kepada orang lain. Hati ini rindukan suasana ketika belajar di universiti.

Tidak, aku tidak mengeluh kerana sudah menjadi sedewasa ini. Tapi aku perlu mengeluh jika aku tidak sedar akan hakikat bahawa hidup perlu mengalami proses perubahan daripada masa ke masa.

Ketika di universiti, banyak pengalaman yang telah aku lalui yang tidak aku ceritakan di blog. Jadi, dengan peluang masa dan memori yang masih tersekat di minda ini, ingin aku coretkan beberapa kisah dahulu.

Ada yang sengaja aku biarkan tidak ditulis kerana tidak mahu ada hati yang terluka. Ada yang tidak sempat aku tuliskan kerana masa senggang tidak kutemukan ketika itu. Ada juga yang sengaja aku simpan dalam hati dan ingin biarkan aku tulis pada kemudian hari.

Mungkin kemudian hari yang dimaksudkan ialah hari ini?

Aku ada beberapa pilihan untuk aku ceritakan:
  1. Kisah aku masuk ke kelas tahun satu Biomedik tanpa malu. Hehe...
  2. Saat mula aku kenal dan saat mula kutemu Fiza.
  3. Bengang dengan rakan sekelas.
Kamu rasa, nak dengar cerita yang mana satu dulu ye?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Lorong Belakang yang Gelap


Dengan menaiki kereta MyVi, aku pergi ke lorong belakang yang gelap itu. Sunyi, tapi aku tahu banyak yang menghuni di situ, berkeliaran bagaikan tempat itu mereka yang punya.

Hanya berbekalkan lampu keretaku, aku kecewa dengan penemuanku. Tidak berapa banyak yang berjaya disuluh dengan lampu separas itu.

Lalu aku nyalakan lampu tinggi.

Mak datuk! Banyak gila kucing kat sini rupanya!

Aku biarkan lampu terpasang setinggi itu. Aku memerlukannya untuk memilih mana-mana kucing yang aku berkenan.

Ya. Aku dahagakan kasih sayang seekor kucing sekarang.

Aku turun daripada kereta menuju ke arah mereka. Tidak pula mereka lari daripadaku. Mereka jinak-jinak belaka. Atau mungkin aku yang kelihatan seperti orang yang boleh mereka harapkan untuk mencurahkan kasih sayang.

Maaf. Siapa yang perlukan kasih sayang siapa ni?

Semakin aku dekat dengan mereka, semakin gatal tanganku untuk mengusap mereka. Ada beberapa ekor yang lari daripadaku, tapi ada aku kesah?

Kupilih yang muda-muda sahaja. Mungkin boleh dibentuk menjadi kucing belaan yang patuh dan taat kepada aku sebagai tuannya. Yang tua-tua, not my taste. Berambus kau situ. Ada juga yang muda, tapi badan berkurap-kurap. Ada hati nak bergesel-gesel di kaki aku. Haisy! Tak sedar diri. Berambus kau situ. Ada aku jumpa kucing yang muda dan cantik. Tapi malangnya tidak berbulu tebal.

Memang. Aku demand lebih. Ingat senang ke aku nak bagi kasih sayang aku sesuka hati?

Ok. Mari berhenti di situ.

Cuba analogikan:
  1. Aku ialah pelanggan.
  2. Kucing ialah pelacur.
  3. Kasih sayang ialah... ok tengah puasa.
  4. Situasi di tempat yang sama.

Monday, August 24, 2009

How did I Get My Job?


One of the commonest question asked by people about my current job is: How did I get the job?

This is my schematic answer:

  1. I have a junior in IIUM Kuantan campus. I knew her from her Friendster and blog. It was my habit and hobby to initiate a relationship, so... Hehe...
  2. She has a brother who also wrote blog that was linked from his sister's. Then I started reading his blog and gave comments few times while in the same time did the same in his sister's blog. That time, I didn't know who actually the sister's brother was. Hehe...
  3. Amazed with the style and contents of his writing, I sent him an email asking how he started writing. That time, I called him Saudara Kelana. Hehe...
  4. He replied my email and he asked me to send my resume. I still didn't really know who he was actually that time. Then I sent my resume in my reply to him. He asked me to call him Abang Shaikh instead of Saudara Kelana. Hehe...
  5. Then, no significant development after that till I finished degree study. In the meantime, Abang Shaikh and I chatted few times through Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook but I never actually asked him what he did as his full time job. We only discussed things related posts in our blogs.
  6. I didn't do anything at home after I finished degree till that I posted a line in my Facebook saying "Szakif Ramli melalui hari-hari yang tidak produktif". Abang Shaikh commented on it saying "Kalau nak kerja, call abang". And I called him. Hehe...
  7. Abang Shaikh offered me a part time job. That time, I didn't know much yet about the institution he worked with. I just came to the office after he treated me a lunch at Cheng Ho. Only after that I know about Yayasan Ilmuwan and who Abang Shaikh was actually in the institution. Hehe...
  8. Then I started working as a part-time worker at Yayasan Ilmuwan for about 6 weeks.
  9. During that time, Yayasan Ilmuwan posted job advertisement and I was informed about that matter but I didn't pay much attention to it since my focus was just to do part time and that's it.
  10. However, due to problem with my application to pursue study, I decided to send application for a job at Yayasan Ilmuwan as Research Executive.
  11. I was called to the interview and I came. Although technically I was known to the panelists during the interview, I still did my best.
  12. On the very same day of the interview, I was informed that I got the job.

Alhamdulillah~ :)

My point is: Berkawan biar seribu, lebih lagi lah bagus. You have all the internet social networking portals. You can name it, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Friendster, Hi-5 etc. Make use of them. Don't only use it to connect with people within your physical range, but open up.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Getting the Full Transcript


In my last visit to IIUM Kuantan Campus, I went there to get the full transcript from the administration of the university. In order to do that, I had to go to few offices to get stamps and signatures. They were namely the Legal Unit, Finance Division, Library, Residential College and the Security.

If you have no problem with those offices, they shouldn't have problem to immediately give you the stamp and signature. In my case, I had no problem and I finished doing the thing just within 1-2 hour.

Unlike some of my friends, they didn't know that they still had debt with the Finance Division that they need to settle before they can get their full transcripts. Surprisingly, the amount of debt was umimagineably high that they didn't notice that they had that debt (you tounge might twist I suppose :P).

Back to my case, since I knew a person from the Finance Division, I referred to him/her prior to the visit so that I could prepare the amount to pay. Yes, I got some unsettled balance from the study fees and that was fully under my knowledge. Every semester I checked my financial statements from the portal and I intentionally let the balance to be paid later. So, it's highly advised to check the portal occasionally in every semester.

I think it's good to give examples. A friend of mine, he/she didn't know that he/she got debt as much as RM690! And another one, +-RM900!

After finishing everything, I went to the start point at One Stop Centre again to submit the form and finally got the full transcript, alhamdulillah~

(Tapi dalam hati sebenarnya menyumpah gak tengok kertas tu pasal perkara ni)

Well... Not much about the clearance. But one thing I will never forget during finishing the thing is when I met a junior in one of the offices. As far as I knew, to me at least, she was not very close with me. She was a cute girl, shorter than my chest, wearing nice long tudung. With an innocent face she asked me this question:
Bro Zaki buat apa kat sini? Menyebok je!


Dik... Pandai kau kenakan aku STBB ye... Kalau kau jenis yang rapat dengan aku, aku tak terkejut kot. Haha...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Apabila Ulasan Ternyata Ada Kebenaran

Saya pernah membuat ulasan mengenai album Mawi yang berjudul Satu Dalam Seribu pada Mei 2007. Antara ulasan yang saya buat adalah berkenaan lagu yang layak ke Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) 22, Angan dan Sedar. Dalam ulasan tersebut, sangat mengatakan:

Angan dan Sedar
Mawi, sila bersiap sedia dengan idea untuk persembahan di Juara Lagu 22 dengan lagu ini! Jika anda belum pernah mendengar lagu ini, bayangkan sahaja bagaimana hebatnya Lagu Jiwa Lagu Cinta sebelum ini, dan begitu jugalah lagu ini. Atau, tidak keterlaluan jika saya katakan lagu ini lebih bagus daripada Lagu Jiwa Lagu Cinta! Suatu garapan yang mantap! Memang makanan Mawi la!
Kemudian, saya mencari video persembahan Mawi dalam AJL tersebut. Ini hasilnya:



Mawi memenangi persembahan terbaik dalam pertandingan tersebut. Wah!

Entri ini saya tulis bertitik tolak daripada satu komen daripada pembaca blog saya dalam entri yang sama yang mengatakan:

DULU X MINAT MAWI..
TAPI SKARANG MINAT PLAK..
MYB TGGAPAN AKU KAT DYE DLU SALAH XD

*PENAH HADIAHKAN MAK AKU ALBUM MAWI :)

DAN AKU MENYIFATKAN ORG YG MENGUTUK O X SUKE MAWI SEBAGAI PENDENGKI...
SLAGI KARIER MAWI XJATUH,SLAGI TU KEHIDUPAN DORANG X TENANG :)


Saya tidak pasti bagaimana pembaca tersebut boleh menjumpai entri lama tersebut. Malah Mawi sudah keluar dengan album baharu selepas album Satu Dalam Seribu tersebut. Apa-apapun, terima kasih atas kunjungan dan komen yang diberikan.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Kami bukan Drama


Kami dalam perjalanan ke Kuantan untuk urusan tertentu yang perlu diselesaikan dengan segera. Banyak hal yang dibincangkan, termasuk hal berkenaan masa depan.

"Ramai orang tengok kita ni macam watak-watak dalam drama. You heroin, I hero. Orang-orang yang nak tahu pasal kita, merekalah penontonnya. Mereka mahu tahu kesudahan cerita kita," aku memulakan topik.

"Yang peliknya, kenapa mereka sibuk sangat nak tahu?" dia bertanya.

"Itu tandanya mereka prihatin," aku cuba untuk menenangkan hatinya, mengajaknya supaya memandang ke arah yang positif.

Keadaan senyap seketika. Lalu aku menyimpulkan, "Masalahnya kita ni bukan watak-watak dalam drama yang mudah direka-reka ceritanya!"

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Letter to Centre for Postgraduate Studies, IIUM


I got a letter from the Centre for Postgraduate Studies, asking me to submit few documents that were not attached in order for my application to be processed. Ironically, one of them was the full transcript.

Alah... Malas nak cerita panjang la. Baca je la my reply letter to the office.

I have decided that I will do my postgraduate programme in other university since I have got a permanent job and have started working since early of this month. I changed my mind from doing master programme in IIUM since the application for July intake was delayed to November which I cannot wait for and which I was not informed by the office until I came on early of July. I understand and admit that I sent the application after the due date on 31st May 2009 but that happened due to some unavoidable problems including the closing of CPS office on 3rd and 4th June 2009. However, I was informed that for ex-students of IIUM, the procedure is easier. But to my disappointment, my application was not touched nor sent to Kulliyyah of Pharmacy just because I didn’t submit the full transcript together with the application. I did attach my partial transcript with the application but obviously it didn’t help anything.

For your information, we, students from IIUM Kuantan campus can only get the full transcript starting on 10th August 2009. That means we cannot apply for any postgraduate programme anywhere since the full transcript is crucial for the procedural sake. However, in case of registration with CPS of IIUM, can’t it be made easier for ex-students of IIUM by having some exceptions? It has to be known that willingness and interest for students to further their study in the same university is mostly based on their belief and confidence that the university can provide some proper settings and capacity for their postgraduate studies. Therefore, I think it should be made easier and more lenient for students from the university to register for postgraduate programme without concern too much with the transcript because sooner or later they will eventually submit the transcript which as far as I know do not has much effect on the application.

Therefore, I would like to forward these suggestions to the CPS of IIUM:
  1. Allow application to be sent and processed without the full transcript. Usually, students apply for postgraduate programme because they believe they can finish their undergraduate programme successfully within the expected time. They do not want to waste time and they want to start the postgraduate programme immediately.
  2. Establish a branch office in IIUM Kuantan campus for students can reach the office easily without having to go to IIUM Gombak. Therefore, they can get and send the application even before they finish their undergraduate programme. It is not convenient to go to IIUM Gombak to get the application form since usually final year students are busy with their Final Year Project (FYP) and not to mention academic classes. They usually extend the semester up to May even.
  3. Set up online application for postgraduate programme as what done in University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
  4. Allow students to apply directly to the kulliyyah at which they will do the postgraduate programme. This might need some rearrangements with the current procedure. This is especially advantageous for students and kulliyyahs in IIUM Kuantan Campus since they stay there and no branch office for CPS has been established yet there. Each kulliyyah has its own Deputy Dean of Research and Postgraduate and therefore I think registration could be made from the office.


I hope they'll do something to ease the procedure in the future. Takpe la. Zaman aku, aku mengalah. Asalkan junior-junior nanti terbela nasib mereka.

:)

Update: Thanks to Hafizah Reh for the information about the online application. With that, I think point no. 3 has been answered.

Friday, August 07, 2009

I am Now a Research Executive


On 3rd August 2009, I stepped my feet into Yayasan Ilmuwan, not as a part timer anymore but as a permanent worker - a Research Executive.

And today I've completed the first week of the job with calm. It's calm because there's not much to do yet since the other 2 Research Executives are still on their ways.

I've never expected I would work in this field since my focus initially was to be an academician, spreading knowledge through lectures and classes to the students. But now, I think I can share and spread knowledge also but not through classes but through reading and writing to a wider spectrum of readers.

It had been my passion to write since I was a child and that explains a lot why I write blogs. During primary school, I wrote stories. During lower secondary school, I joined Sidang Redaksi Sekolah which prepared magazine for the school. I even won a place in a writing competition organized by Selangor state government. During upper secondary school, I didn't write very much and it longed until I entered Degree level back when I was in first year in Gombak at which I started blogging. It was there and then that I continued writing until today. Not to mention, during studying in Kuantan campus I got involve in societies and activities that required me to write proposals, reports and such.

And now I'm working with something that needs me to read and write and I am so grateful with it.

I pray this job to be the best for myself and for my future.

Note: You might want to know what I do actually as a Research Executive, aren't you? Yes, I write, but what do I write about? I save that for later. Hehe...

Appreciation: It's very rude of me if I don't thank my boss. Thanks Abang Shaikh! :)

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Tips for FYP Students


This is an entry by request from Wardah Puteh. Although she's currently a third year student who will start the project by next year but she asked me to write this entry for her reference later. However, to all other juniors out there, you may take this entry as your reference also.

Before the project
  1. Set and bear in your mind, it's a 12-credit hour course. Whatever grade you'll get in the end of the project covers both semesters although it's actually divided into 2 parts - FYP I and FYP II. Once you have correctly configured your mindset, you're ready to go.
  2. Search as many as possible journals that would help and support your project. However, you also have to know your own limit. Having said that, it doesn't mean you cannot stop from searching because too much information would cause your time to be wasted whereas you have something else that need more attention than journals.
  3. Ask the lecturer which online database is the best to search for journals related to your project title.
  4. Prepare yourself with some knowledge about statistics. This is most applicable for projects that involve using the statistics for generating results from the data collected.
  5. Of course, most importantly, you must have knowledge and interest about the field that you're going to do research on. Don't just randomly select topic or field that you have no knowledge nor interest at all. You must know what you're about to do, or at least you must have rough idea about what you'll go through throughout the year for completing the project.

Preparation for the project
  1. Arrange your project accordingly and schedule it in a proper table so that your project will run in an organized manner and you know what to do and when to do it.
  2. About booking of chemicals and animals, you must state clearly how much you need and why you need that much. If possible, name also the company you wish the things to be bought from. Don't forget to explain also in written form why you need the things at the expected time (of course since you have your own schedule and the lab management also has theirs).
  3. Always update the status of purchase of your bookings. Therefore, it's advised to keep all documents sent to the management for future reference.

During the project
  1. Follow your schedule accordingly. You have to push yourself because no one would but yourself.
  2. Never expect that you'll get the admired results with only one trial. You may be surprised with the findings.
  3. You may need to reset your procedure or method of your project. Maybe you need to change your project title totally even! This is why it's always best to start the project as soon as possible once you get your equipments, materials, chemicals, animals etc to prepare yourselves for any worst case scenario.
  4. Never forget to update with your supervisor at least once a week and seek for his/her advise regarding your project. Never be malas or malu to do that since they are the ones who propose the titles in the first hand and quite a proportion of the FYP mark comes from them.
  5. Prepare a special log book for your project in which you write everything related to your project.

After the project
  1. When you're done with the lab work/field visit/data analysis, it's time to write the report/thesis. Therefore you have to know the right style for writing a scientific thesis. You may refer from the seniors' thesis or you may ask your supervisor directly. The latter is the best and again don't be malas or malu to do that.
  2. Never expect your draft have everything needed as a great thesis. You're in learning process and making mistakes are common and thus you must learn from it.
  3. Do not be surprised if everytime you see the supervisor he/she'll always make correction again and again and he/she'll add/suggest more and more things to make your thesis better.

Keep on reading this post since I may add new tips from time to time. Should you also have anything to add, leave it in the comment room.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Salted Egg Crab


Tajuk sahaja dalam bahasa Inggeris, sebab kalau menulis resepi aku memang menulis dalam bahasa Melayu. Hehe...

Maka, jadilah nama makanan ini dalam bahasa Melayunya Ketam Ikan Telur Masin. Pelik kan? Tidak sebenarnya. Cuma kita sahaja yang sudah dibiasakan dengan apa-apa yang mahu berbunyi glamour, mesti dinamakan dalam bahasa asing. Kan?

Ok itu sudah masuk bab PPSMI.

Berbalik kepada resepi tadi, sedikit pengenalan. Aku mula diperkenalkan dengan makanan ini oleh bos tatkala perjumpaan kami yang pertama kali dahulu dan beliau terus membawaku makan di Restoran Cheng Ho, Wangsa Maju milik penyanyi Amy Search. Antara makanan yang ditempah ialah Salted Egg Crab. Beliau suka, aku lagilah suka sebab dibelanja. Hehe... Tak cukup dengan itu, aku bawa pula ibu bapa aku ke situ ketika dalam sessi melawat adik aku di SBPI Gombak. Kami menempah makanan yang sama sebab aku yakin mereka pasti suka. Benar, mereka sukakannya.

Menjadi fitrah seorang tauke kedai makan, haruslah mak aku kaji apa yang dia makan. Dia minta aku tafsirkan maksud Salted Egg Crab ke dalam bahasa Melayu dan apabila dikatakan Ketam Ikan Telur Masin, terus timbul ideanya untuk mencuba di rumah. Aku sokong!

Maka mak aku mencuba dan jadi! Inilah resepinya:

  1. Ketam dibersihkan dan disiang ikut suka korang. Selepas tu goreng sehingga masak dan asingkan daripada kuali.
  2. Pecahkan telur masin (biasanya telur itik) lebih kurang 2-3 biji dan pukul sehingga kembang. Bahagian kuning telur mungkin keras dan anda mungkin memerlukan mesin pengisar untuk tujuan ini.
  3. Dengan sedikit minyak, tumis sedikit bawang merah dan putih.
  4. Masukkan telur yang telah dipukul tadi.
  5. Masukkan sedikit daun kari dan cili padi.
  6. Siap dan ngap.
  7. Bersyukur.
Nota:
  1. Tak payah garam. Dah masin kot.
  2. Kalau nak manis sikit, tambah la gula. Nak kena ajar jugak ke?
  3. Aku tak mahir bab memilih ketam. Pandai-pandai la korang.
Sekian.

Terima kasih The Makan Sister untuk gambar itu.
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