A teacher trainer by qualification, a second language specialist by profession, a researcher, a Drama Education specialist, a motivator, a traveller, a blogger, a dreamer and a creative artist who is drawn into passion in the things I do
It’s the first week of January 2012 and I’m already getting the blues. Too many deadlines to meet before I welcome February in my life. I have my phd thesis to submit by the end of January and papers to write.
One thing for sure, I have just completed writing a proposal to MOHE requesting for grants for my next research project.
And finally, more corrections to come before I finally complete my 10 chapters PhD thesis…I wish I have the strength to finish what I have started….
😀
Adios, Amigos….!!!
I bought 2 new BB to replace our phones 20 days ago. Our phones were working well, okay…but I just want a change. I have used my Nokia 5800 for 2 years now, it’s about time I have something new. I aimed for Samsung Galaxy s2 and BB Torch 9860, but finally rested on BB. When hubby said he wanted a BB too, I decided to order 2 phones and told him that it was an advance birthday gift for him.
I settled for Torch 9860…because I hate toying around with keypads. This is very similar to the Iphone in many ways….but it has a more “professional” look….(please don’t ask me to explain…but I love the look and the feel of the phone in my hand).
Great luck I have, my Torch hang in less than 20 days. I realized that this is one problem about Torch and the latest Bold version since they use the latest OS system. There are many complaints about the phones faulty operating system. When I read reviews before settling on this I did not come across these complaints. My Torch is now sent to Celcom (I mean SAMART) for repair…
My laptop crashed last Saturday. It was so frustrating. All downloaded programs, data, were gone and could not be saved. The laptop had to be reboot…what a big pain!
My 1st month electricity bill since we got home last month. It’s rather difficult for us to adjust with the heat here when we just returned from a country with 4 seasons. And when we left, it was autumn, and it was rather cool and breezy compared to the humid and blaring heat here. I have 5 airconds in the house, since we spent so much time in the living area, the one in the living room is always on 24/7. And everyone in the house sleeps with the aircond on. When I got the bill, I was stunned but this was expected. I wonder how our bill will fare us next month with the new tariff….I wonder??? 
This is our favourite fruit in NZ, the feijoas…I guess it comes from the same family of the Malaysian guava…The tissue is cream in colour, and the feijoa seeds are edible and embedded in a jellylike center.
Olive oil derives from the pressing or crushing of olives, found in abundance in the Mediterranean. Olive oil comes in different varieties and because my husband likes cooking with olive oil, I have to learn to understand what the different varieties refer to.
Extra virgin – considered the best as it is the least processed. It has the best flavor, odor and maximum acidity among all kinds of olive oils.
Virgin – comes from the second pressing of the olive oil.
Pure – undergoes some processing, such as filtering and refining.
Extra light – retains a very mild olive flavour (we don’t quite like this variety).
As I am writing this, we are slowly filling up our boxes with supplies of olive oils…not as a giveaway present…but for our cooking back home.
We learned to use olive oil in our cooking here in New Zealand and found that it’s good for its health benefits:
This is New Zealand’s natural sorbet. Hubby just got this for me on Monday, and it’s all gone now.
Dr Aisyah & Dr Hazrina
The graduates & us…
The other PhD candidates at the University of Waikato
Ayu with her last words of wisdom….
Ayu & Rina whom I befriended in 2007 have left home for good late Oct 2010. Rina survived her Phd and is blessed with a pair of beautiful twins right after her viva. She was the first person to teach me about surviving in NZ, taking me around garage sales and suggesting what to buy when I first started life in NZ. Ayu,on the one hand, taught me heaps about the philosphical of life. Though Ayu has left home and resuming her career as a lecturer at uum, she is still progressing in her phd…
Being in NZ for 3 years has taught me invaluable lessons about what true friendship means. In a foreign country, away from your motherland, your friends are your relatives. When yourfamily isn’t there to listen to you, your hardships, your heartaches, there is no place no turn to other than your friends.
Preserving those memories that we shared is invaluable…& I thank this blog for I could share my feelings publicly to two wonderful friends….
To Dr Rina & Ayu….thank you for the friendship….
Goodbyes are not forever,
Goodbyes are not the end,
They simply mean, “I’ll miss you”,
Until we meet again….
~author unknown
At Dr. Rina’s unit before she left home for good….
A farewell coffee session at Esquires coffee…
My farewell treat to Dr. Rina & family, and Ayu
The girls at the farewell party I hosted…
I enjoyed working with students from planning activities or just my mood on the go.
I found a few pictures here which I gladly like to share with my blog readers…ENJOY!!
The JKM members and staff of college 9 during our Buka Puasa event at Pulai Springs Resort.
These are some shots taken during the Buka Puasa event….
Life as a college administrator aka PENGETUA has never been an easy one especially for someone like me for many reasons:
1. I’m a family person who wanted my family members to be involved in whatever I do.
2. It required lots of attention and time from you, thus it somehow made me neglected my family in a certain way.
I was really blessed to have people around me who understood what this responsibility meant to me. There were valuable experiences that I cherished when I took on this post. Most importantly, I was thankful for God for making me what I am today.
I found these pictures of the memoirs when I was the so-called Pengetua, being around the ‘Pengetuafolks’ and the Dato’ TNCHEP.
