Rite. Write. Right.

Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.

Nobody deserves to die the way she did. Nobody should ever go through what she went through. Much less an innocent child.

What has become of our society and our people? What has become of the police who vowed to safeguard the public? What has become of compassion and humanity? Are we no longer afraid of God and what He can do to us?

Inhumane. Cruel. Even animals would never have acted the way he did. May Allah punish you for what he did to that little girl. Amin.

"Ya Allah, berikanlah kekuatan kepada keluarga Nurin untuk menghadapi semua dugaan yang Engkau telah turunkan kepada mereka. Berikanlah balasan yang setimpalnya kepada sesiapa yang terlibat di dalam pembunuhan kejam ini. Lindungilah kami dari malapetaka dan bencana sebegini. Hanya kepadaMu kami memohon dan berdoa."

Adik Nurin, semoga adik gembira bersama bidadari di syurga, tidak lagi mengenal kesengsaraan yang adik alami di dunia kejam ini. Kami di sini akan sentiasa mengingati adik dan mendoakan kesejahteraan adik.

Al-Fatihah.

How’s the first week of work?

Hehe.

Honestly, I spent hours alone in my room, doing what I do best: reading and snoozing. Hahaha.

My boss, Dr. Zalina said she doesn’t want me to start teaching now as it is now the middle of the semester and these kids are facing the final exams really soon so it’d be destructive to introduce a new tutor (especially inexperienced one like yours truly here) to them. So, I’d be ‘eating pay blindly’ for the next few months! Ugh. As much as this may sound great to some people, but believe me, it is not as ‘pretty’ as it sounds. Haha.

The thing is, most of the members of the academic staff are much older, much more experienced and they all either have a PhD or at least, a Master’s degree. I think I’m the only one with just a first degree there. When I mentioned that I am a graduate of IIUM, they would immediately recall the names of my own lecturers, asking if this lecturer or that lecturer is still in IIUM or if he or she has gotten his Associate Professor title or whatever academic achievements that academicians strive for. My big boss, Dr. Ruzi is a good friend of Dr. Faridah, one of my own lecturer. Another lecturer said that he evaluated Dr. Subra who taught me Semantics in my third year for his Associate Professorship. The staff are the colleagues of my own mentors: the people who educated me, who taught me, who graded my assignments and my final exam papers and who decided if I should get an A or a B! And to think that I am now their colleague rather than their student! Talk about a daunting experience! Especially since I am very much ignorant about a lot of things that I thought I know about.

Which means, I desperately need to do my Master’s and Doctorate ASAP. Dr. Ruzi said I might have to do my Master’s locally but I refuse to be a part of the Malaysian education system again! I refuse to be inbred! Thus, I am going to apply to all those universities overseas, and if I get in at least in one of their programmes from a high-class university, I doubt that UKM will refuse to pay for my education. Especially since I am thinking of doing my Doctorate in Arabic Literature in English. I don’t think there are many experts in that field in Malaysia itself. Perhaps, Dr. Umar who taught me Islamic Literature and Literary Criticism back in IIUM is one of them.

By the way, I took TOEFL earlier today and the exam sucked. I think I screwed up the Speaking section. I was babbling most of the time and I didn’t have enough time to say what I really wanted to say. I mean, time was hardly sufficient as everyone was only given 45-60 seconds (not minutes, mind you!) to respond to the questions that they asked. Oh yeah, not forgetting that we were only given 20-30 seconds (!!) to organize our thoughts and think about what to say! Basically, I had no idea what I answered. Oh dear… if I get lower than what Afif got for his TOEFL, I’m never going to hear the end of it from everyone in my family! Especially since I am an English graduate!!! God, help me!

Oh yes, happy Ramadhan to all! Hope this Ramadhan will bring out the best in everyone and everyone will make the most out of its wonderful days ahead. This is the first time in five years that I am not in IIUM for Ramadhan and I’m already missing the days I spent going to the bazaar, buying food, breaking fast and sahur with dear, dear friends. Oh well… those were the days (and now they are over!). But, the good thing is, I get to be with my family and my mother is an excellent cook! And of course, praying Terawih with them is also wonderful.

Wishing all of you the best in Ramadhan and the best in everything you do! InsyaAllah.

I met the man of my dreams today.

I went with Syima to Program Pengambilan Tenaga Akademik Secara Berpusat in KL Convention Centre today, hoping to spread the luck I had with UKM to Syima. I applied for that post in UKM at the first round of the programme held in KL Sentral, back in May. So, I hope Syima will get a similar post coz no one deserves it better than she does. Lagipun, best la kalau both of us dapat pegi wat MA and PhD sama-sama! InsyaAllah.

Anyway, to apply for those academic posts, applicants need to take a test where they are to write two essays (one in Malay and one in English). So, while Syima was taking the test, I was waiting at the back of the hall, playing with my phone. Suddenly,
a guy came and sat next to me saying, "Nasib baik la test bukan dalam Bahasa Iban ke pape untuk orang yang nak mengajar kat Sabah Sarawak." I laughed politely and he struck up a conversation. And he turned out to be, possibly one of the most charming man I’ve ever met in my life. Hahahahahahahaha.

And so, he asked me why I did not apply for the teaching jobs so I told him I already have a teaching job. He asked where and I told him. And he smiled and he said, "Bolehla kita jumpe nanti ye…" Wah, wah, masa tu hatiku dah berbunga-bunga. Muahahaha. "Boleh aje nak jumpa kat UKM." Hahahaha. I asked him if he’s working there and he said no but he’s doing his MBA in Fakulti Ekonomi dan Perniagaan. Wow! MBA plak tu! He told me about his experience working in a private company, why he decided to do his MBA, what he expects after finishing his degree, macam-macam la jugak bercerita. Hehe. Coincidentally, his family also lives in Kajang.

So, after my short conversation with him, I could see that he’s kinda cute, nice, caring, educated, very motivated, very inspiring and matured. The kind of guy any girl my age would be looking for but sadly, not many like him are available. Haha.

And then I asked him, "Abang teman siapa datang sini ni?" He said, "Ooh… isteri abang…"

Damn! There goes my dream guy! =(

Hehehehe. I should have known I wouldn’t be so lucky! =p

I was contemplating on transferring my blog to blogspot.com as I’m getting a bit fed up with Friendster’s lousy blogging services but I decided against it. It’ll just be too much work and anyway, through Friendster, my friends can reach me much more easily. So here I am. Loyal to Friendster. (Yeah right!)

Anyway, I am here feeling elated and happy with a good news! After five months of boring and frustrating job-searching, I am proud to say that I will soon be employed! Not only that, I get to do what I’ve always wanted to do and I get to further my studies! Yippie! The sun can’t shine brighter! =)

UKM has agreed to take me as one of their tutors in Pusat Pengajian Bahasa dan Linguistik (PPBL), Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan (FSSK). I received their letter of offer yesterday and if my medical check-up goes well (InsyaAllah), I’ll just need to sign some agreements before I can report for duty. It’s a temporary post and I have a contract with them for 5 years and within these 5 years, I have to get both my Master’s and PhD to become a permanent staff. Which means, if all goes well, I’ll get my PhD by the year 2012 at the age of 28. If not, UKM will have to dismiss me. Scary, huh?

Anyway, things are still hazy now. I still need to do a lot of tedious paperwork before everything is confirmed but I am hoping for the best! After all, I waited 5 long months to get this job, didn’t I? I went through a lot of frustration and disappointment and I was actually ready to give up my dreams as I didn’t think I’d actually get this job. But Allah knows best and He has answered my prayers. Alhamdulillah, I am thankful forever to Him. And also thank you to my father, whose suggestions, wisdom and experience helped pave the path for me to decide what I want to do with my life; my mother who told me not to give up after each disappointment and who never stopped praying for me and my siblings; my sister, Kak Lin who advised that I should wait for what I really want rather than jump at any meaningless job opportunity; my little brother, Anas, who, during his long holiday, helped me prepare for my many, many interviews and even accompanied me to them; Anas’ twin, Afif, who told me he believes that I will land that UKM job even though I was very skeptical and also to Abang Min and Abang Lan for simply being there (walaupun hanya untuk menyengal - hehe). Wow. I have the best family! Hehe.
And I also have the best friends! They stood by me every time the sun failed to shine and when it seemed that the rain won’t stop pouring. Thank you, guys! I pray that all of us, will be successful and happy in whatever we do here in the world (be it in our careers or personal lives - jadi anak-anak soleh dan solehah, cepat bertemu jodoh, cepat dapat zuriat - hehe) and the Hereafter.

Keep on praying people!

Wow… tomorrow will be exactly a week since my long-awaited convocation day. I waited for it to come ever since I first entered IIUM. When it came, it was as wonderful as I expected it to be. Cuma sayang la tak dapat ambik banyak gambar with my bestest pals sebab everyone was busy with their own families.

As I was walking towards CAC for the ceremony that morning (I was running quite late… jam truk kat luar UIA!!), everyone whom I passed acknowledged my position simply because I was holding that robe and had the UIA stripe on my tudung. Graduate la katakan. Best gile! Haha. The ceremony itself, was solemn and even though quite boring (yelah, kata nak tunggu hundreds of graduates amek their scrolls kan?? hehe), it was meaningful and serene. Especially the nasyid at the beginning of the ceremony. Ramai orang ingat tu recording jek tapi sebenarnye dorang nyanyi ‘live’. Sangat merdu!! As the Senate and Academic processions passed, we were all trying to catch a glimpse of our lecturers. I saw Kak TJ and Bro. Mazlan. Prof. Quayyum was also around but I didn’t notice him. Hehe. Then, when it came to our turn to go on stage, hanya Allah saje tau betapa nervousnye kami semua time tu. Lebih teruk dari time exam! I think we were silently praying to God to please let us not make fools out of ourselves. Hehe. Actually, in truth, I was already preparing about what to do should I trip and fell down in front of the Rector. =p

The next day, I went back to IIUM to return my robe and to meet some friends whom I did not have a chance to meet. I told Daus that I wanted to see him before he left for Perak the next day and said that I wanted to take some pictures with him. Rupa-rupanya, dia ajak sume kawan-kawan dia yang graduate skali untuk amek gambar sama-sama. I was just wearing jeans, t-shirt and sneakers but those guys dressed up as if we were on back on our actual convocation day! So, instead of taking only several shots with them, we spent almost 3 hours taking pictures all around UIA with all sorts of pose. Students who saw us were laughing at our antiques and Asma’ (who was forced to be our photographer - thanks dear! hehe), macam agak malu nak mengaku dia kenal kami semua. Hehe. Dinner in Kubur with followed that night as Adi wanted to see kami-kami yang dah graduate ni. Hehe. You still owe me my convo present Adi! Seronok sangat lepak sama-sama sebab dah lama tak jumpa especially Kaba. And we were the loudest group at the restaurant, I bet. Hehe. And not surprisingly, after dinner, Daus memberi idea agar kami pergi bergambar lagi! Hehe. This time, we stopped only because both cameras that we had with us habis bateri. If not, I bet we would have went on sampai lewat malam! Hehe. Syima yang masa kat Kubur was constantly checking her watch sebab tak nak balik lewat sangat pun terikut-ikut amek gambar gak. Hehe.

A few days later, we were forced to say goodbye to the founder of Fat Kingdom, Hanim. She left to be with her family in Sweeden for a year and we won’t be seeing her until some time next year. But she did say that she’ll come back if Mar plans to hold her ‘kenduri nasi minyak’ next year. Hehe. Asma’ and I accompanied her to the airport. We left before Subuh and sampai awal gile kat KLIA. We then, found out, Hanim rupa-rupanye tak sampai airport lagi at that time! Ceh! It was like Asma’ and I were the ones leaving for Sweeden instead of Hanim! So, ape lagi, kami pun pergila melantak McDonald’s breakfast seperti yang selalu dibuat di campus dulu. Hehe. Before she left, sempat la jugak kami bergossip. Takpe, I bet next year bile dia balik, makin banyak gossip yang boleh dikongsi. Hehe. Missing you babe!

Finally, yesterday, I asked some friends to come over to my house for makan-makan. Kira macam hadiah graduation la. Hehe. And it was also to keep a promise to Fader and the rest that I would treat them for sate after my graduation. Around 20 friends graced the ‘makan-makan’ yesterday. It should have been more tapi sebab kebetulan, UIA pun tengah cuti sekarang so some of my juniors balik kampung. Tapi sate sampai tak cukup tau! Bayangkan betapa mereka melantak. Hehe. Thanks for coming, you guys. I hope korang semua cukup makan semalam. And kalau ada apa-apa yang kurang, I seek for your forgiveness. Next time, I panggil korang datang lagi ye… Hehe. Oh ye, after being cajoled by Adi yang sengal, a few of us went to Putrajaya after that to catch Floria. Bukannye ada ape sangat pun. Tapi syok amek gambar la because the flowers were so pretty!!

And so… after such hectic week, our lives have gone back to normal. For many of us graduates, leaving IIUM is one of the hardest things we ever had to do. Yelah, after spending almost 5 years with each other, we are forced to say goodbye to each other, forced to lead different lives from each other. After going through so many ups and downs, now, my dear, dear friends won’t be around all the time like they used to be. They will no longer be able to cheer for me, to smile with me and to wipe away my tears and fears as they had continuously done for the past few years. And it is very scary to think that all of us are on our own now. But like Mar said to me, we must keep on praying for each other and hope that Allah will give all of us the very best in life.

I would always remember IIUM as the best time of my life and the people I met there as among the best people I’ve ever had the chance to be acquainted with. And the success I achieved in IIUM, I credit it first and foremost, to Allah, Who has blessed me with this wonderful opportunity to be in IIUM. If JPA had accepted my scholarship application to study overseas, I would have ended up reading Law and perhaps, not liking it and not doing as well as I did taking BENL. Hehe. Also, never forgetting my great mentors and teachers of DELL, especially to Kak TJ and Kak Mei (who are possibly the coolest lecturers in IIUM - hehe). I will definitely miss all the wisdom, knowledge, guidance and ideas that they shared with us. And also, my parents and family members who stood by me no matter how rotten I could be sometimes. And of course, my friends especially Mar, Atih, Syima, Hanim, Iza, Asma’, Kerun, Humaira, Khai, Ezrin, Fader, Shakirah, Adiputra, Bob, Daus and so many others who supported me all the way! Thanks for helping me out in my assignments, giving great ideas, sharing notes and even entertaining me in classes. Entertaining?? Hehe. Sounds fishy kan? Hehe. What we did in classes shall not be mentioned here. Hehe.

Hey Class of 2007,

                            WE DID IT!