Shades of Purple

4 weeks of practical has passed. I still have 6 weeks to go. There’s a lot to learn in the hospital but I’ve lost 1 whole week tho’ huhu. My 4th week is spent boring myself away at "home" (a.k.a my aunt’s house) and falling behind on my practical schedule. All thanks to Varicella-zoster. Yep, that’s none other than chickenpox virus.. what a nice name huh, Varicella..

Looking at the bright side of it: at least next time i won’t get the disease so easily anymore. They say you only get it once in your life, or at least the 2nd time won’t be as bad as the 1st time. I don’t wish to get it for the 2nd time though. Fancy getting chickenpox during practical. Well, who would’ve thought I catch it at this time. My mom called the other day and said how lucky I am to be in Sabah and not in KL or Shah Alam. If I were in S.A I’d have to look after myself. I guess she’s right but when she asked me to "enjoy the experience" and "take a picture".. hahahaha well… How do you expect me to smile and say cheese when I feel sick and terrible huahua.. I don’t know if my mom was trying to make a joke but she sounded quite serious about the picture part haha..

Luckily I didn’t get chills and fever, which my aunt and grandma said are the usual symptoms of chickenpox (yep now we’re learning, doing actual practical and case study ;p ). However, the first symptoms that appeared was headache, followed by lower-backache on the next day. There was probably a mild rise in temperature but I don’t really feel feverish. I had a few spots coming out on my arms n back, which suggested of chickenpox but I still felt very much healthy until the backache striked and my aunt took me to the doctor because I couldn’t stand still more than 30 seconds at church.. it hurts! Doc confirmed it was chickenpox ‘cos he could see that it’s started even in my tonsils but i’m still wondering about the backache… aunt said that it probably hurts because the virus also attacks the organs (now that’s something that concerns me). No wonder "molohing" (a.k.a elder people) like my grandma would advise u not to "kena angin" huhu..they say the sickness would be kept inside your body if u get cold so it’s better to let it all (i.e the spots) to come out.

Anyway, I’m getting better now all thanks to my grandma, aunt and uncle, cousins. Of course I have to take medicine (antiviral tablets) 5 times a day at regular interval hours huhu. Mind you, it’s tiring counting the hours and not forgetting waking up at 4am just to take a tablet but I’ve no choice if i want to get better do I? Luckily my aunt’s a staff nurse at the hospital so she could get the antiviral tablets for free at the hospital. Otherwise, i would’ve to pay an expensive price for it at the private clinic. Oops..it’s time to take my med again, two tablets left yeah..

I’ve been going to college less these days. No, not because I’m skipping class but because we only have 3 subjects this final semester and only the subject Co-curriculum has classes plus the Medical Diagnostic presentations session once a week, the third subject being Research Project II. Imagine, no class but we still have exams for MD haha.. my mid semester exam was really an experience.  At least we had the Ekplorasi KUTPM project to add to our final marks in Co-cum.. Now that was quite fun although it was tiring.. that was the only time you could see students of our batch running around together..I think at least 1/3 of us never knew each other’s names hehe..

Anyway, I feel so like a lazy bum these days because we have less classes although we still have so much paper works to do at home. My sleeping pattern has totally gone yo-yo until I feel dizzy at times. I thought I was imagining illusions of a cow in the middle of the college last Wednesday..hahaha it turned out to be a REAL COW, sitting on the small patch of grass the college people called "field" *LOL*. A cow in KUTPM. What on earth was the cow doing there anyway? Somebody tied it onto a post at the edge of the field hahahahahahaha… I nearly took pictures of it. *lol* as if i never saw a cow before, silly.. we get plenty of that in kampung where my grandparents live..yup, the roads are covered with cow-shits hehe.. You don’t need tar ..Okay, that was an exaggeration hehe.. but did anyone see the cow in college that day? Who brought the cow there? (Cheh sakai betul haha) Okay, i should go to sleep now. It’s 4am. Yesterday i blissfully experimented with SPSS until I heard the Azan..oops.. wouldn’t want to repeat that today, it’s as good as not sleeping at all. Signing off..

The time is 2:28am, January 1st, 2007 (^_^) Another year has passed. My third year celebrating Christmas and New Year in Shah Alam. This year’s.. oops.. last year’s Christmas celebration wasn’t too bad. Quite a busy Christmas (^_^) Still need a little bit of adjustment to 2007 hehe..a little more than 2 hours ago I was still in 2006. Attended the new year eve’s mass. I was thinking of going to this morning’s mass as well. Maybe at 10.30am, but looks like I won’t be able to make it anyway hehe..

Hmm my typical new year celebration used to include a silent personal reflection or recollection of what I did the past year and listing what I wish to work or improve on the new year. I guess other people do that too but it seem like a yearly tradition for me - to put things into perspective and arrange my priorities, to set goals and identify achievements.. and also to spend time with God and remember those who are dear to me.

This year I celebrate Christmas and New Year mostly with my friends. As I’m typing away here, my friends are in the living room watching Eragon (hehe..

Fast forward to.. 3rd February 2007

well anyway.. that’s how my new year post was supposed to be hahaha.. i stopped halfway through, i forgot why (^_^) I saved the draft and went through a full month before ever looking at it again haha.. I was thinking of starting a new blog actually

Anyway, the 1st month of 2007 went by just like that.. My my time flies so fast. I didn’t even remember what i did throughout the month hehe.. I guess i’ve been so busy.Slept less these past few weeks especially the last few days because I was, and still am, working on my final year project.. fuhhh.. Data analysis is tough. Period.

My Way by Frank Sinatra playing in my head..

"And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain…"

I can’t sleep. It’s not so surprising but the reason why I can’t sleep surprises me. I suddenly start thinking about people that I’ve known, met and seen around me.. who are no more in this world.

It always strikes me how people that you knew around you today, may suddenly be gone tomorrow. It could be people whom you like and love that you lost to accident, illness or old age. What strikes me even more is that the news often come unexpectedly and it makes me sad especially if someone pass away at a young age because most people couldn’t imagine anyone as healthy and as energetic to be around at one moment and be gone the next. To think that people around my age range, who are just embarking on a journey filled with hopes and dreams, would not get a chance to show what they could and would do in life.

"..I’ve lived a life that’s full,
I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway.."

Why am I thinking of this at this hour? I should be sleeping shouldn’t I? Well, people say life is short. You only have a chance at life (and cats have nine?). I always hear people say live today as if it were your last, but how many people actually do that?

"..Regrets, I’ve had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.."

If were to die tomorrow would I have regrets? That’s a scary thought because there are still a lot of things that I have yet to accomplish. Once in a while, I get these wake-up calls to remind me to appreciate myself, my life and those around me especially the ones I cherish and love. To be happy that I’m able to do the things that I’m doing.

"..I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried.
I’ve had my fill; my share of losing.."

If I were to be told that I have a terminal illness, one that is hard to cure, would I be able to take it well? After all these years, I still couldn’t forget the image of my late cousin sitting on a hospital bed with a bald head, an amputated arm and still greeting me with a smile. I miss him. I know what he went through will be far beyond my imagination. All those days of chemotherapy and pain in battling cancer, yet he still tried to appear happy when we visited him. If it were me would I be that strong? Standing in his funeral, I made a silent promise that I would do well in life. I would try my best to be strong, happy and achieve success he never get the chance to strive for. So when the day comes that I have to leave, I’ll have no regrets. But if the day comes sooner than expected, I’ll put my faith in God and think that everything happens according to His will and may I have fully served my part.. Amen.

"..For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!"

Time to sleep…zzzZzzz

What made me happier yesterday than on any other days? Hehe..I went to a hair salon! I love going to hair salons and what made me even more excited was getting a new hair-cut (^_^) As you can deduce from my reaction, it turned out to be a successful hair cutting session hehe..I like the outcome. I wouldn’t mind paying for a good haircut. The hairstylist said that my hair was very straight..Hm.. Did she mean it as a compliment? But i take it that i’m lucky not to have ideas of getting rebonding done because my mom warned me, long time ago, that my hair will look limp and "stick-to-my-head" like an octopus, after seeing the outcome of a colleague who straightened her naturally straight hair. Good advice from trustable mom heheh..(although I told her later that I never thought of getting it done, which was true v(^_^))

Oh ya, where in the world do we get to exfoliate and moisturize ourselves in a shopping mall? Hehe.. did u know they have testers for many types of products at Watsons and Guardian? Some people say, "if you can’t afford to buy at least you could try", (^_^) but since I really don’t feel it’s convenient to carry a moisturizer, lotion or hydrating gel around, it will be very beneficial to have these testers at hand to hydrate my skin when it gets dehydrated while shopping. All those sun and air-conditioner really make your skin feel dry at times..

So the conclusion is: it was nothing much compared to all other outings but I absolutely had good fun YESTERDAY (^_^) I’m even entertained during lunch by the waiter who thought we were Vietnamese hehe..as for TODAY, i spent a whole day of "rest" at home, being unproductive, oh what a sin huhu…Signing off for now. Me stomach’s making a live band performance, have to stuff with something to keep it quiet..

16 days to Christmas.. yes, we’re in the middle of advent. The season of waiting, patiently and excitedly, for the coming of Christmas or, to be more exact, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. (^_^) We’re going to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!! Eventhough I can’t celebrate it with my family, I don’t feel so sad. I guess i’m used to it. After all I have my friends, CSS and of course, now I have KUBM CDM to celebrate with.

My bro said he would probably come down to Shah Alam from Damansara in order to be with me for Christmas. That would be nice Besides, this would probably be the last year I’ll b celebrating Christmas in Shah Alam. I don’t think I’ll be around next year as I would have been graduated by then. Yup, 1 more semester to go and an industrial training to complete. By June I will officially be a jobless graduate haha..unless I get job offers before that. Not sure about my plans yet: further study or work? I’ll work through that one later.

For now, need to focus on research project and MD presentations every week. I still have time to relax and enjoy though hehe.. or am I just lazy? (^_^) Yesterday, I went to "bank-in" the house rent and stopped by at SACC Mall. It is a monthly routine but I had exceptional fun yesterday with Mitchel as the mall turned into our "beauty center". Well, we had a body massage, "exfoliating and moisture" therapy and entertainment. See? It was an enjoyable girls’ outing.

Hehe.. what actually happened was that there was an OSIM promotional fair taking place at the center of the mall. We were able to try out the various machines that OSIM had to offer: from the iMedic Pro to U-Zap. I must say that eventhough the prices of these equipments may be quite high, they really offer you comfort and relief your tiredness. I enjoyed my almost 30 minutes massage on the iMedic Pro but Mitchel probably sat down longer than that. She really enjoyed herself that I had to wait for another few minutes before she obliged to leave the chair hehe. Both of us walked away feeling light and easy after that massaging session.. (^_^)

Oh and if anyone asks about the U-Zap, I would say that it might probably work. (I’ve heard my friends interestedly talking about it before, maybe because it’s widely advertized). I tried it for about 10 minutes (it could be longer but I asked the promoter to turn it off hehe). It has 2 motors and a heating system that makes you feel like your abs has undergone a routine of sit-ups. I am more interested in the fact that you can use it on other parts such as your shoulders, thighs, hips, ankles or knees if you need/want to. This provides it much more versatility than just being an ab-slimming product. The normal price is (as told to me by the promoter) RM698 but for the promotion (which ends today) they sold it for RM598, RM100 less. I liked the iMedic Pro because it is a full functioning massaging chair but it probably costs a lot more than U-Zap. One product I did not try is the i-Gallop. Why? I wouldn’t want to look silly "galloping-off" in the middle of a shopping mall hahaha… Okay, it might not be that silly but Mitchel and I agreed that it would undeniably make us feel and look funny (especially to the open public). Guess we were not in one of our crazy mood days.

Surprise, surprise.. i find myself less attracted to food today. I’m not even on a slimming diet heheh..not funny. The first day of my final semester. I was so hungry after registration today and had lunch around 11am. Hm, it’s 7pm now and i wonder why i don’t get the urge to grab something to eat eventhough my body is telling me i’m hungry. There were times when i feel full but my mouth still wanted to munch or bite something and regardless of my bloated-full stomach i kept on eating haha (happened everyday throughout the whole of last semester hmm..scary).

Well, maybe that’s a good sign (^_^) at least i can save some money and at the same time not risk getting double-sized that i have to buy a whole new wardrobe ‘cos the current one doesn’t fit anymore..hehe that’s even more scary ‘cos then i’ve to spend some more money buying bigger clothes and "donate" the rest to my sister hahaha who, by the way, already has lots of clothes since her slim and tall figure enables her to fit nicely into almost anything ;p. The truth is…. hehe… i seldom give a thought about my waist size when i eat haha, although the money factor does manage to make an appearance before my mind sometimes hehe.. my mom said i look better when i’m rounder then when i’m skinny but maybe i’ll look shorter than i already am huh? I should look from the ‘health’ point of view hehe.. it is a fact that eating too much and eating too little are not healthy practices (^_^).

Actually, i find nothing much to do today so i decided to "mengarang" a bit hehe.. maybe just to show what a boring person i am? huahua… To all my coursemates, Happy Studying!!

hehe..i find it ironic.. while most students are just starting their holidays, i’m getting ready to pack my bags and head back to college this weekend huhu.. I’ll be facing my final semester.. wahh can’t believe that i just breeze through college life. I’ve been in college for 2 and a half years but it seems as if i just registered for the 1st semester yesterday.. (^_^) have to make the last few months in college memorable then. Looking forward to work and enjoy with my friends and CSS, at the same time anxious about my final year project as well as my application for industrial training.. Trying to be positive here.. sure S.A can be a stressful place to live, plus the hectic and tiring schedule i’m bound to wear myself out..but i’m determined to enjoy myself because i know someday i may miss all that and on top of that these may turn out to be memorable experiences.. who knows there are opportunities waiting for me as well rite? (^_^)

I didn’t do much during holiday this time. I stay at home most of the time helping out with house chores while my parents and sis are out. I watch a lot of tv shows haha, something which i don’t get to do in college. Perhaps the highlights of my holiday this time is Sr. Florence’s Silver Jubilee celebration, parish dinner in conjunction to the anniversaries of both the priests of St Mary’s Parish, a whole day out with my little sister, my little cousin’s birthday,..and of course all those outings and lunches with my parents (i eat a lot this holiday, i won’t be surprised if i turn out chubbier after this..). I was beginning to feel like an only child sometimes because my brother is still in KL sitting for his final exams and my sister is always out for school or church activities or simply going out with her friends.. but of course, when her school break started this week i began to see more of her at home haha. Oh well, a few more days then end my days of lazing around on the sofa in front of the tv..hehe..i’m not quite ready to go back to Shah Alam yet but i’ve no choice do i? (^_^).. Well, at least i’m excited about my exam results for last semester.. Let’s pray i get good grades (^_*)

..Oh, and to friends who sent messages but did not get replies from me.. i’m sorry dears ‘cos my credit expired wokay.. God bless u all!

Okay how do u expect me to react when I just noticed my precious pendrive was missing and, after such a long night, wake up to the horror sight of a red swollen eye?!

"Last time I saw my pen drive was last friday", I kept repeating to my housemates. I searched all corners, compartments, pockets, bags, etc..practically all of the living space i accommodated in this small 3-bedroom flat i shared with 7 other girls.. to no avail. I half accepted that I won’t see it ever again..plus all d folders and files (journals, poster draft, pics, etc) stored in it and went to sleep thinking of possible other places i could search in the next day. "At least", i said to myself, "i didn’t lose my pc or anything else more valuable..hmm.." (as if a 512mb pendrive bought at rm100+ wasn’t valuable enough for a student with no income..)

It did, however, reminded me of the incidence around a week ago where my laptop was infected with a deadly virus causing it to restart over and over again until at last it could not even boot. That was before I submitted my proposal and I imagined jumping off the fifth floor huhu..I spent hours and days of late nights to prepare a hopefully-more-than-satisfying proposal for my research project and i lost all of it in just a second right before I even submitted the proposal or presented the poster? It was a hard fact to accept and i took a long time digesting the seemingly unreal situation. Luckily I had my pendrive then. How ironic now that i have my laptop back functioning my pendrive is gone missing (which would be a better situation to be in compared to before, is it not?)

Okay, what was the worst that could happen? I’ll lose all the "quite" important files in the pen drive, I’ll have to buy a new one (a cheaper one?).. or myb not buying at all (cheh merajuk..where to find money at this time? it’s almost the end of the semester for goodness sake!)..but at least I didn’t really feel all that bad. I could still sleep soundly eventhough I felt a little discomfort due to running nose and sneezing (thanks to the search and clean operation earlier)..that is, until I woke up with a red and swollen right eye huhuhu.."something" appeared to have entered my eye and cause it to be irritated (badly). Just great! Now i have to go to college with a scary infectious-looking eye..Don’t tell me that people won’t notice!

After a long, tiring and boring day of sitting in the theatre hall listening to presentations in the BFST Students’ Symposium, my friends finally got enough and suggested going for a drink instead. I agreed, half-thankfully hehe. I thought about the last two possible site I could do my search for the precious pendrive - Giant and cyber cafe (where i went for printing).

"At last!! Hoho.. the pendrive is finally back in my hands!" I thought as I unbelievingly took the white pendrive with red straps from the expressionless cybercafe operator. Well well, should I believe what was stated in today’s horoscope prediction then? As my friend was holding the newspaper he read out loud "You will get lucky today", and my response was "it sure feels like the other way round". Now, maybe i feel quite lucky after all..

Huhu..Been spending the last two weeks preparing the proposal for my research project and doing assignments. Well we just had our 1 week holiday but that was how i spent my holidays anyway - reading journals, typing away on my computer (and "once in a while" play some games hehe). I did manage to "hike" around Bukit Cerakah with a couple of friends though. It was quite a nice experience hehe.. especially the part where we stumbled upon a troop of monkeys and almost got attacked hahaha..luckily we didn’t. Next time i think i’ll want to bike around the park instead of walking. Although i find it funny, i miss riding the bicycle haha.. not sure when was the last time i ride one.

Anyway, back to topic about my proposal, i decided to do a survey on the occurrences of common cold and flu among consumers and non consumers of vitamin C; and make a comparison to see if there are differences in the frequency, duration and severity of symptoms. I find it ironic that i finally catch a cold myself (in the process of doing a proposal dealing with common cold?) as a result of many sleepless nights, reduced level of immune system etc. (well, well i made a conclusion by myself huhu). And surely enough, i suddenly remembered the bottle of 1000mg vitamin C on my shelf haha..talk about self-demonstration. Anyway, after struggling with ‘running’ nose, watery eyes and sore throat for a few days; i’m finally getting better YEAH..i continued not going to sleep early at night when i was having fever though. I got myself more sleep, however, by sleeping in the afternoons heheheh something which i wouldn’t let my mom know through the phone when she called me. What’s the point of getting her worried when it could save her loads of credit not lecturing me right? hehe.. She knows i’ll take care of myself anyway, i just can’t let the assignments wait right? Over-Procrastination always kills me.. Yup!..

I wonder if that vitamin C really helped reduce the severity of cold because it was not as bad as the previous cold i experienced last semester when i didn’t take my supplements but I slept early and drank lots of water.. Or maybe it was just a mild infection this time.. whichever it is, I have yet to determine and i still had to skip choir practice on friday and saturday because..uhuk,uhuk.. i’m not about to kill my throat and work is piling up.. Oh, which reminds me..Have to get back to work. signing off..