3 Achievements in a Week

My second week of the year was not very much enjoyable. I fought with some psychological disturbances which degraded and limited my career performance.

However, the third week was a blast. I got 3 personal achievements in a week. Thanks Allah!

#1 Third time on IKIM.fm

At first I was thinking of discussing topic concerning sugar and diseases related to it. With the increment of price of the high demand product in the market announced by the Government, I thought it would be great to share some knowledge on taking the development in a positive way i.e. by controlling (with that I mean by reducing) the amount of sugar intake in our foods.

However, with the more recent development on Facebook and Bra Color, I changed my mind and discussed the matter with the listeners. In the slot, I discussed the need to be careful and wise when it comes to promoting and involving in any types of campaign. In the slot also, I suggested a better way of promoting breast cancer awareness campaign which is through radio and telling directly to the public the danger of the disease.

#2 Being a Speaker

It was nice to come to the Center for Foundation Studies (CFS, formerly known as Matriculation Center) of IIUM, Petaling Jaya after about 4 years leaving the center. But this time I came as a speaker for a programme. The programme was held by the alumni of ex-students from Kulliyyah of Science and the Pre-Sciences Students' Society, PRESSS.

In the session, I was with other graduates from the faculty to explain to the students who take Biomedical Science about possible careers they may be interested to jump into when they have graduated from the degree course. In my session, I discussed a topic entitled "Finding the Bridge" and explained to them their roles to be the communicator between the Ulama and the scientists in the future.


#3 Article in Weekend Newspaper

It was awesome to see my article in the newspaper. I wrote and sent the article few days after I landed from UK. Alhamdulillah, it was chosen to be posted in the Kembara section of Berita Minggu of 24 January 2010.

Thanks to Berita Minggu for choosing my article. It is also available online.

La Tuzigh Qulubana

Salah satu perkara yang aku pernah bincangkan dengan tunang ketika kami membuat keputusan untuk ditunangkan ialah sama ada pilihan yang kami adalah yang terbaik buat kami berdua.

Ada aku bertanya kepadanya: Pernah tak dia terfikir sama ada aku adalah yang terbaik untuknya. Pernah atau tak pula, ada suara-suara yang menggoyahkan pilihan hatinya?

Bagi diri aku sendiri, bohong aku katakan jika sebelum ini tidak pernah terlintas dalam fikiran akan persoalan-persoalan seperti itu.

Namun dalam perbincangan kami, akhirnya kami bersetuju untuk tidak melayan ataupun mengendahkan hasutan yang boleh menggoyahkan pilihan hati kami. Tidak kira hasutan tersebut datang dalam bentuk bisikan syaitan ke dalam hati, mahupun bisikan seorang yang bernama manusia.

Ketika itu, kami belum bertunang. Ada aku nasihatkannya, dan juga aku nasihat diriku sendiri, apabila sudah bertunang nanti, fokuskan kepada persiapan perkahwinan. Ia bukan lagi masa untuk kembali berfikir: betul ke tak ni?

Ini kerana kedua-dua pihak keluarga sudah bersetuju agar anak-anak mereka disatukan dalam satu ikatan bernama perkahwinan. Jika apa-apa berlaku yang disebabkan hasutan yang menggoyahkan pendirian hati, bukankah banyak pihak yang akan kecewa? Ia bukan lagi melibatkan dua hati, malah banyak hati lain yang akan berduka sekiranya.... (ok aku tak berani nak sambung ayat ni. Takut jadi doa). Na'uzubillah...

Jadi, kerapkanlah berdoa:

Allahumma la tuzigh qulubana ba'da iz hadaitana....

Ila akh... selain berusaha untuk menjaga hati semua pihak agar tidak ada yang terguris dengan tindakan kita.

Ia bukan lagi berkenaan dua hati sahaja. Itu yang selalu aku sematkan dalam hati.

Toward the Gateway

As time goes by, the destination is getting closer and closer.

Alhamdulillah we've found the best dates for the big day. So here I announce;

6 June 2010 will be the wedding ceremony for my currently fiancée's part held in Muar, Johor

and 13 June 2010 will be for my family's part held in Banting, Selangor.

Insha Allah when the time comes, we'll ask friends and families to give their addresses so that we can send the invitation letter right to your house.

Note the dates in your planner! ^_^

Trip to UK

I know it's quite late to write about this but it's good for my record anyway.

I flew to UK last month from 26 December until 2 January this year. About 10 days spent there, I went to few places like London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The experience when I was there cannot be described with any adjective! Woa~

I have to thank my boss for bringing me there to accompany him to accomplish few things including meeting the indescribably nice Cunningham family in Glasgow and friendly Hakimi with Kak Ita's family.

Few facts about the trip:

1. My initial plan was not to spend a lot there except for things for my wedding (hantaran perkahwinan), but I failed to obey it. That was where I noticed I had shopaholic syndrome. Hehe...
2. I brought one bag-pack to go there but then came back with one traveler bag and holdall besides the bag-pack. Hehe...
3. I exchanged messages with my fiancee through Facebook and it was free of charge (except the weekly RM1 charge). But at least I don't have to pay about RM1.50 just to say few words with her.
4. For friends in Facebook, they might noticed that I always update my status when I was there. Mostly the updates were about foods. Haha... Most commonly I got comments that sounded "pegi UK, makan gak makanan Malaysia". But hey, it was not all about me la.
5. Teh tarik Tukdin... Pergh... I leave this to my boss to describe more since he was so in love with the creamily unforgettable taste.
   
6. It was not hard to find Malaysians especially in London.
7. Few famous people I found there: Azhar Sulaiman, Ziela Jalil and the CEO of TNB. I still remember how my boss's face looked when he was so curious at the time we first saw the CEO and his family at Tukdin.
   
8. I was surprised with my body's ability to adapt with the different climate between Malaysia and UK. I thought I was going to get fever there, but alhamdulillah I didn't.
9. I have new definition of the joy and fun of traveling in my life dictionary after the trip.
10. Finally I touched SNOW!!!
    

Facebook and Bra Color

So, what is your bra color today?

That sounds provocative right? But face it, we can ask that after what has happened recently.

It started last week when suddenly I felt really strange when some (or was it most of them?) of my female friends in Facebook updated their status with a word, naming a color. Not only that, the comments following the status were also able to build up more curiosity, especially among the guys.

It was where I had the idea to do some brief research from the Google with a keyword that sounds "Why women put color names in their Facebook status" from which I knew it was in conjunction with a campaign regarding breast cancer. Ok, fine I had no problem to support the campaign but I did have problem with how things worked: revealing what is not supposed to be revealed.

Please, don't think that guys are stupid for they wouldn't know how to investigate. We breath the same air, we live on the same planet and we use the same internet connection. Most importantly, we are friends in the Facebook.

So, when such a thing was posted in the Facebook status, I couldn't help but to disagree with it. Let alone you named your bra color, but did it help much in the campaign? Why didn't just preach what was important related to the campaign rather than begging for curiosity in Facebook? How far and how effective naming your bra color would increase the awareness among people? Would you rather sacrifice your dignity for the sake of the campaign?

What was more pathetic was that most of my Facebook friends were Muslim. But some were not even sensitive with what should not be discussed, or revealed openly. Did you even think what other people, especially the guys, would think and imagine if they know your bra color?

Put aside whether or not you actually tell your true bra color, but the fact that you support the campaign in that way, is to me unacceptable. As we are Muslim, we have our own way to do things, while this name-your-bra-color-in-your-Facebook-status thing, to me, wasn't an Islamic one.

Remember; end does not always and necessarily justify the mean.

Most pathetic of all, you just post your bra color without knowing what it was meant for.

Related link:

Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign: Bra Colour Facebook Status

Pasca Ijazah Sarjana Muda: Mahu ke Mana?

Sudah ramai dalam kalangan junior di UIA yang bertanyakan kepada saya tips-tips pasca ijazah sarjana muda. Ada yang bertanyakan peluang-peluang kerja, menyambung ke peringkat ijazah dan tak kurang juga yang bertanyakan sekiranya tempat kerja saya sekarang membuka peluang kerja kepada mereka pula.

Ada juga yang bertanya perkara-perkara yang perlu difikirkan sebelum kaki mereka melangkah keluar daripada universiti kerana kurang jelas dengan apa yang akan mereka lalui selepas itu.

Ada juga yang saya perhatikan meluahkan kegusaran mereka mengenai masa depan mereka dalam status di Facebook.

Mari saya kongsikan pengalaman saya ketika saya belajar dahulu iaitu ketika saya berada dalam keadaan yang sama seperti mereka sekarang.

Saya mula betul-betul serius memikirkan hal kerjaya dan hidup selepas bergraduasi semasa berada dalam tahun keempat pengajian. Pada masa itu, antara yang saya fikirkan ialah:

1. Menyambung belajar di UIA di bawah pembiayaan skim fellowship.
2. Bekerja di universiti mahupun kolej yang menawarkan pekerjaan yang berkaitan dengan bidang sains bioperubatan.

Berkenaan menyambung belajar di UIA, pada masa itu saya dimaklumkan bahawa UIA tidak membuka skim fellowship lagi kerana ketiadaan peruntukan. Namun selepas mendapatkan nasihat daripada Ketua Jabatan di Jabatan Sains Bioperubatan, Kulliyyah Sains, saya mengisi juga borang fellowship. Itu menunjukkan kesungguhan saya walaupun berita yang saya dengar memberikan prospek yang kabur kepada saya.

Dalam masa yang sama, saya ada juga menyelak dada akhbar dan melayari laman sesawang untuk mendapatkan maklumat mengenai peluang-peluang kerja lain dan tak kurang juga mendapatkan tajaan pelajaran daripada organisasi-organisasi lain. Saya tidak tertumpu kepada satu-satu peluang sahaja dan sentiasa memburu peluang yang ada. Saya juga tidak terlalu mengharapkan tajaan fellowship UIA sahaja.

Selain itu, saya semakin kuat membina hubungan dengan orang-orang yang sudah berkerjaya. Saya ada menghantar emel kepada beberapa orang dan salah seorang daripada mereka ialah bos saya di Yayasan Ilmuwan sekarang. Antara isi kandungan emel tersebut, saya bertanya mengenai perjalanan kerjaya mereka dan syukur, mereka membalas dengan panjang lebar dan memberangsangkan.

Apa yang penting, membina jaringan (networking) dan hubungan sosial yang luas betul-betul membantu dan meluaskan peluang, malah memberikan lebih banyak pilihan kepada saya untuk menentukan masa depan saya.

Justeru, sepanjang setahun dalam tahun akhir pengajian, selain sibuk dengan hal-hal akademik, persatuan dan projek tahun akhir (FYP), saya luangkan juga masa untuk menentukan arah hidup saya.

Alhamdulillah, tidak lama selepas kaki meninggalkan bumi Kuantan, saya mendapat dua peluang/pilihan yang besar iaitu tawaran fellowship dan kerjaya di Yayasan Ilmuwan.

Ia telah meletakkan saya dalam situasi sukar dan akhirnya saya telah membuat pilihan untuk bekerja di Yayasan Ilmuwan sehingga sekarang.

Itu kisah saya. Kita tak mungkin melalui pengalaman yang sama, tetapi saya yakin dilema yang dilalui kebanyakan pelajar tahun akhir sekarang sangat getir. Saya sudah melalui masa itu di mana segalanya nampak kabur dan membuatkan kita keliru. Bukankah begitu?

Di sini saya gariskan beberapa perkara yang perlu ditimbang tara:

1. Tentukan kecenderungan sebenar anda: bekerja ataupun masih ada keinginan untuk terus belajar?
2. Dengan keputusan Purata Nilai Gred Kumulatif (CGPA) anda sekarang, adakah besar kemungkinan anda boleh diterima untuk menyambung belajar di peringkat sarjana? Biasanya, jika di bawah 3.0, sukar untuk anda memohon mana-mana tajaan dan tempat pengajian.
3. Anda mungkin bukan jenis yang cemerlang dari segi akademik (book smart), tetapi anda cemerlang dalam bekerja (street smart). Jika begitu, seelok-eloknya anda lebih memilih untuk bekerja terlebih dahulu.

Setelah itu, barulah anda mulakan langkah seterusnya iaitu mencari peluang-peluang belajar ataupun kerjaya yang anda minat. Walaupun anda mungkin lebih cenderung untuk menyambung belajar, ia tidak bermakna anda langsung tidak perlu membuka peluang untuk berkerjaya. Biarkan pilihan sentiasa terbuka (Bos saya selalu kata: Keep your options open). Jangan terlalu taksub dengan satu-satu pilihan sahaja. Anda tidak tahu apa yang akan berlaku pada masa depan.

Seperti dalam kes saya, walaupun saya sudah nekad untuk menyambung belajar, namun disebabkan faktor-faktor birokrasi, apa yang saya rencanakan tidak menjadi. Mujur saya beroleh peluang lain hasil daripada jaringan sosial yang saya wujudkan semasa belajar dahulu, lalu saya diterima bekerja di Yayasan Ilmuwan.

Selain itu, saya suka untuk mencadangkan supaya anda tidak malu untuk bertanya pengalaman dan pendapat daripada senior-senior anda. Bagi yang sudah bertanya kepada saya, saya jadikan entri ini sebagai jawapan umum kepada persoalan mereka.

Bagi yang pernah bertanya kepada saya, tahniah saya ucapkan. Teruskan usaha anda dan selamat berjaya dan moga beroleh petunjuk dalam menentukan hala tuju hidup anda selepas ini.

Dusta

Ko tahu pasal kes dia?

Erk? Apakah?

Bohong. Berlakon. Tak tahu konon.

Ape kes ni~

Lama kot dia buat macam tu. Takkan la ko tak tahu. Ko ni pakat-pakat berdusta dengan dia ke apa ni?

Ok. Macam ni la. Aku tak nak burukkan lagi keadaan. Yang penting, dia dah sedar kesilapannya.

Aku sangat benci dengan pendusta dan orang yang berkomplot dengan pendusta. Dah la!

Mari belajar sesuatu. Cuma kawan-kawan di Facebook yang boleh membacanya. Mahu dijemput? Tinggalkan mesej di Facebook aku ya. Aku perlu jernihkan suasana, dan paling penting namaku perlu dibersihkan.

Jangan menghukum jika belum tentu siapa benar dan siapa silap.

Dan, jika ada yang buat silap, siapakah kita untuk menghukum? Berilah peluang sesama manusia. Kerana kita sendiri tak tahu, bila pula masa kita akan berada di bawah dalam roda kehidupan masing-masing.

A Thousand Friends in Facebook

I always believe it's always best to have a lot of friends in life. Life is short, make it sweet. That's what people say. But I'd love to continue the line with: It'll be even sweeter when you share with friends.

The definition of friend may vary between one to another. Even some take their parents (in case of children) or their children (in case of parents) as their friends.

In Facebook, today on 1 January 2010, I finally have 1000 friends in Facebook. Not to say that it's something that I am proud of, but it's something I am happy with that there are 1000 people become my Facebook friends. You may question about the quantity versus quality, but I don't really care much about it.

People add me as friend for some reasons and I always hope they have pure and good intention for doing that (husnuzzon). Note that I always observe the mutual friends when people try to add me. If I found the mutual friends are not close enough and not strong enough to give me reasons to accept the add, I will gladly send a message to the person and ask how he/she knows me. If the answer is like "sesaje je~" or so, that adds a weight to my decision to reject the add.

On other side of this discussion, having more friends means we are building up our connection and networking. As I put my step into career life, the definition of networking is better to my understanding. I have better practical definition of the word and I use the Facebook as one of the ways to strengthen my connection with people, namely my school friends, my university friends, officemates and not to mention my relatives.

And today, on 1 January 2010, I learn to be more careful with building relationship with people. Something happened today that made me reconsidered about a thing in my life. To whom it may concern, learn something. People are watching.

It's always best to be truthful. :)