That time of the month.

I hate my ugly mood swings. PMS has turned really ugly this time!

HELP!

My European treat

Hello, fellow bloggers/internet-savvy people/bored citizen!

I've been busy reconnecting with the holiday spirits that I totally ignored blogging for awhile.

I guess that's what people do in order to have more stuffs to write about. On second thoughts, maybe it's just me?

Anyway, my London-Euro trip was so much better than expected - covered 4 countries in less than 3 weeks! Our first stop was London which I'm thankful for cause I've managed to make it in time for Boxing Day - Selfridges and Harrods were (especially) crazy and everyone was literally boxing their way through every possible item that they can get their hands (or feet) on.No wonder it's called Boxing Day!

We then flew to Paris via Gatwick and well, Paris is Paris. A city of love indeed, you could tell by its people (or the many thousand tourists that flocked in). Everyone suddenly became so in love in Paris and there was this air of sophistication which I believe comes from the rich culture, the inexplicably beautiful and historic buildings and a very well-planned system from its metroline to its city planning. We spent 5 days there, 2 of which were completely devoted to sightseeing and I'm happy to say that we've covered Notre Dame, Pantheon, Eiffel Tour, Louvre Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Champs d' Elysee, and of course, the LV house ; ) I've never been in a city where everything is so... nice and proper. Too fairytale-ish for me but I like it noneheless. Everything's so proper that it's even hard to find a fat person in France (they are, after all, well-known for their slim figures) Even their McDonald's serve ONLY coke zero and all the burgers are relatively smaller in size. These Frenchies, they eat in small portions and it shows. The fashion is as proper and high-end as it gets that just by looking at the shops are itself an art - it's all about quality, style and precision. All in all, I had a really good time apart from getting chickenpox on my last day there before flying off to Berlin. Not joking y'all! I guess the chickenpox did agitate me a bit but I'm glad I had gotten it overseas because as my mom said,the cold weather was of big help and it's true. It was bearable and I'm lucky I didn't have fever, flu or anything else.

Anyway, back to Berlin! OMG, I absolutely loved Berlin! And I find it weird cause the shopping was pale in comparison to London and even the buildings were not as grand as Paris, but there's something utterly serene and beautiful about Berlin that I can't possibly put in words. There's just something about the Germans that give you a sense of discipline - something I imagine would derive from their history and hardships and you could tell by it. It was so cool to see Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin wall, the flea markets and restaurants, but my ultimate highlight would have to be the trip to Potsdam - an hour drive from the city of Berlin. It was said that Brangelina had stayed there for a few months while they settled in Berlin and I could see why they chose Potsdam. Imagine woody scent and naked brown alpine-like trees, clear blue flowing rivers, thick white snow but with the a sunny backdrop that gives the most amazing natural lighting, cross-architectural influences of the Dutch, Russians and Germans. No traffics, no huge shopping malls - just real people in an amazing place.

I still don't know what is it about Berlin that I really like, but I think it's the dark history behind it that although already eradicated, has given the Germans a sense of realness and genuineness that's so hard to find elsewhere.

On our 3rd day in Berlin, we took a train to Prague or better known as "Praha" by the locals (capital city of Czech Republic). Believe it or not, we survived a -22C morning while waiting at the train station in Berlin and Prague was about -10C at night. Prague's such a small city with big wonders. It's one of the few European countries that still maintains their own currency (although Euro's used everywhere). The main tourist attraction is at the heart of the city and it's easy to move about as you could just walk seeing how small it is. Let's just say that it's picturesque - a perfect definition of a fairy tale land you thought only existed in fairy tale stories. It truly is a wonder, especially at night and especially at Charlie bridge which has the best view of Prague and the Vltava river. As if custom-made to be a tourist place, Prague is a tourist's haven and anyone with a knack for antiques/chandeliers/decor/puppets/paintings would fall in love with this place. I sure did! A word of advice, it's enough to stay in Prague for 2 or 3 days max, you'll probably cover almost everything. We stayed there for 2 days, 1 night and it was fun! : ) After Prague, we went back to Berlin also via train and I must say that for those of you planning for a holiday in Europe, traveling by train is a must-do cause you get firsthand experience just like the locals and first-class views that no aircraft could compensate for. After staying in Berlin for a few more days, we jetted back to London again to meet up with my cousins who live there and had the best time ever with more shopping done before heading back to KL ; )

Overall, it's been a very humbling journey right from the start to the end. It's impossible to tell it in words as no justice would be done. There's so much to absorb in that little time I was there but I loved every minute of it. Now I'm so pumped up to travel all over the world and see everything that life has to offer. I'm sure most of you have new years resolution - I don't have any but I do wish for better things to come insyaAllah. And I surely hope that I get to travel more, which means that I'll save up for my Aussie trip 09'! But for now, thanks mum and paps! : )

Happy holidays, everyone!

Akan ku bawa bersamaku sebuah diary, ke mana-mana ku pergi supaya "pemikiran" yang datang begitu saja atau tanpa diundang akan dapat kekal bersamaku.

Unjust Peace will happen after the crisis

I was lucky to have had a tutorial session in the morning for my Public International Law class where Zaimah raised some very good points on the UN Security Council & General Assembly during her presentation. It was a moo point in the tutorial to discuss whether or not there is International Law (IL), as IL has been effective in situations where it's easy to get a consensus on issues like health and pirates. It's effective when states ratify and adhere to it. The question is ; What if states does not ratify it, and even if they ratify it, can they still get around it somehow? Political clout and will is half of international law and unfortunately, if you're one of the Big 5, you can  get away with anything. Therefore, is it really 'law' in this instance when the rule of law has been undermined ; when you can be selective in the application as to what laws you want to impose and the parties to whom the law should be imposed upon.

An extension to the day, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Chandra Muzaffar this evening, when he was there in IIU to give a talk on Gaza : International Response. He suggested proudly that JUST Malaysia and some other counterparts will work very hard to establish a tribunal - to trial the injustices done by Israel in the recent Gaza event. As much as I applaud the initiative to do something about it ; we can't escape the question of "what's next?". Even if you can establish the wrongdoings (somehow you can get get Israel to co-operate in this?), WHAT'S NEXT? Forwarding such ideas must have an end result, and objective. What will JUST achieve from this?

If one thing that I appreciate from the talk is noticing the similarities of my view pertaining to the recent issue with his, and it's good for him to spread the message around especially in IIU, where some people just don't want to listen to the other side of the story. What's happening right now does not only concerns Muslims and Jews, the injustice done by the Israeli Government and it's system is one that affects us all - regardless of what religion you're from, or even if you don't believe in a religion. It is a humanitarian crisis, and this is the aspect that we need to look into if we want to make this fight more inclusive to others. And not see it as a personal struggle of religions that wouldn't bring a step further to peace.

All time fav

Absolute stillness

Hey everybody,

I just realized that I haven't been listening to any songs other than my iTunes which are really really outdated songs. And it doesn't help that I put the exact same song on replay =/ Maybe I should start bouncing back to the mainstream music?

Or maybe not. (I don't mean to sound whiny and all that, but it was the first time in like 6 months since I last tuned in to the radio stations here in KL, and I can't believe how shitty it is. They play the same song for more than 20 times a day!?)

Anyways, I'm back in KL now! Aaaaaaah...it's always good to be home. I haven't met up with any of my friends yet. To tell you the truth, I don't go out much. Probably not enough at all. I know, I am a complete couch potato who spends her whole day watching TV, if not sleeping or reading or on the internet. Don't be fooled, I'm not even reading any worthy articles as of now - no political articles or novels, just pure bimbo-ness courtesy of Hello, OK!, Vogue, Perezhilton.com, Bazaar, fashion blogs and any of the likes. Yes, I have become worse off since attending uni. The last thing I wanna do after say, reading Management of Financial Institution or Deegan's Financial Accounting or the 800-something-page Corporate Law textbook is to have more heavy readings. So I'm happy to be in this position where I feel smarter than ever by dodging myself with completely irrelevant and trivial information. I love it! =)

I do, however, have a mental list of what I'd love to do this holiday. Just really simple stuff like hanging out with friends, and maybe attend some events, like the Rantai Art Event in Ampang next week or perhaps some plays? (Do they have any?) I was really looking forward to hanging out at my aunts' place but one of my aunt's in LA with her whole family and the other one's in Mecca right now for Hajj with her family. And Naseeha and Muneeba are going to Egypt in less than 2 weeks. Then it's Euro trip for me Insya Allah : ) If everything goes well, I'll be leaving on Christmas day for around 3 weeks. It's been almost 4 years since my last trip to London and it'll be my first time in Paris, Prague and Berlin so I'm especially looking forward to that *fingers crossed* Which explains why I'm brushing up on my rusty French so that I'll be able to speak with the locals and make the most out of my time there. Then there's the PETRONAS camp which will be a few days after I arrive back to KL. I just saw the program outline and I must say it looks pretty damn good - kayaking to and fro Pangkor Island, camping out, rigging/sailing/rowing, expedition planning, cooking whilst camping out and all that. I'm so diggin it- finally get to do some cool stuff which I love =)

Having said that, I guess my holiday would be pretty much packed in a non-crazy kinda way which is good cause I still want to be able to laze around doing nothing. My mom wants me to do internship with PWC, but seeing how limited my days are in KL, I don't think it'll be viable after all. We'll see how things go...

Oh, did I mention that my exam results are coming out THIS friday? (What, already?!) OMG. I just hope I do well enough in all to have a good holiday without a clouded mind (Amin to that). I'm a bit scared for Cost Management and perhaps ACE since I did badly in my mid-sem but I hope it turns out OK.

Oh wow, I'm sleepy right now. Had a late jog with my sys and mom.

See yous! =)

I'm not feeling too well today and Royal's will start tomorrow. Yikes. I'll promise to blog on Royals, whatever the outcome is, as I have this gut feeling that this would be my last Royals!

ps: Semua dijemput hadir!

Just another day

This coming Tuesday and Wednesday - 2 of the most important exams yet.

Stressed out.

Exhausted.

Back and joint pain.

And now, HUNGRY. No food at home yet the weather is 15' outside (plus rainy and windy) so it will take a hell lot of will power for me to brave the cold just to keep the growling noises from my tummy silent for a minute.

Don't you feel sorry for me?

I feel sorry for me.

Someone, feed me and give me a back rub please. Sigh.

I wanna go home.

Slumdog Millionare

 

I just saw the trailer and read the reviews of this movie, and I must say - I'm having great expectations already. I hope this movie will hit our shores, tho I'm a bit skeptical that it would happen. Can't hardly wait...

I am officially SAD

Someone's going to Bangkok for THREE WEEKS next Tuesday and will only come back 2 days before my flight back to KL ='(

I'll put on a smile and try not to do anything stupid, like cry (don't think I will though)

I just hate saying goodbye.

Making sense of Shahril

by Zuhri Aziz

A motion on education at the Umno Lembah Pantai division meeting last week caught my interest. It was for more emphasis on the subject of history in schools a direct response to the Prime Ministers call to make the subject compulsory at primary school level. It ultimately found unanimous support among delegates.

The rationale: History can fill the gaping vacuum that has been preventing the majority of youth from appreciating the socio-cultural development of the various communities in Malaysia.

Admittedly, I too have struggled to find a satisfactory explanation as to why this has happened. After all, I underwent roughly the same syllabus the history of Malaysia's road to nationhood and learnt the importance of harmonious race relations. So, why the sudden need to re-educate our youth?

I met with Shahril, 23, a former student leader. As a representative of his young peers and a proud second generation product of the New Economic Policy, I was hopeful he would be able to provide a thought starter. I was also aware that a conversation with Shahril would not (by a mile) constitute a comprehensive picture of the issue.

As we spoke and I found out more about the diet Shahril and his friends grew up on, it reinforced my initial belief that an important reason behind the different ways we view Malaysia was because of access to information.

My generation had relied heavily on the textbooks, teachers and of course the Government-controlled media. In many cases, whatever information churned out was taken as unquestionable truth. Shahril, on the other hand, had grown up with the Internet.

It was his medium and a strong substitute for traditional information dissemination. His understanding of historical and cultural realities were influenced by the many analysts and pioneer online socio-political commentators like the late journalist MGG Pillai and current MP Jeff Ooi. Although Shahril said he had abandoned most local forums and blogs because of their increasingly tabloid-esque content, the Internet connection was and nonetheless still is the major influencing platform for his generations strong views on issues. Views that were not necessarily the same as those in the mainstream media.

His political awakening, he remembers, came circa 1998 the controversies, and commotion surrounding Anwar Ibrahim. The extensive coverage of subsequent court cases via alternative telecommunications platforms guaranteed that Shahrils generation was arriving at political cynicism much earlier. As a result, although an Umno supporter, Shahril admitted to still feeling some degree of sympathy towards Anwar.

Shahril also seemed focused on the intangibles of a host of different issues including race relations, equality, freedom of speech, and injustices in politics. For example, he couldn't fathom why much of the Barisan Nasional campaign rhetoric of the last General Elections insisted on looking backwards by focusing on physical development. To Shahril and his peers, the physical developmental prowess of the BN was old currency.

In his eyes, Bangsar has always been a thriving entertainment and shopping district. The North South highway has always connected people from faraway places. In a way, this embodies the fact that Malaysia is taken for granted by many and especially by our youth as a constantly developing country. Physically anyway.

So, Shahrils generation is looking out for explanations on certain current issues relating to nation-building and race relations that will shape their future. Specifically, they feel the traditional rhetoric must be modified. The thirst for answers for their analytical and Internet influenced mind must be quenched by laying out the facts, toning down the spin.

As much as they look at past history, they are also looking at the future.

People of my generation must admit that the goal post has changed. I feel we may well be playing a different game altogether. As the electorate becomes younger almost 50 per cent by the time the next election comes around there is a need to address the detachment.

Do not get me wrong; it is a good idea to inject history lessons at a younger age. But we need to look at the issue in light of today's realities. It would be simplistic to think the younger generations views are formed by their ignorance of the facts of history, or due to the case of young blood.

As Shahril took leave and walked away from our coffee table, I picked up the distinct youthful swagger in his stride.

I am unsure if we have failed our younger generation, but we have certainly failed to keep up with them.

● Zuhri Aziz is the Deputy Director of Akademi Pemuda. The views expressed here and in his recently set up blog (tgzuhri.blogspot. com) do not represent the views of the organisation he works with.

*Taken from today's Malay Mail

Dropping by

I had a bad week.

So i think i deserve today's delight - the good night sleep, the yummy sushi, the perfect sunny weather, the nice atmosphere outside. Suddenly everything and everyone look picture perfect in my eyes : )

Thursday's a very productive day indeed! Settled all my laundry, petronas claims, cleaned my room so at least I get to breathe fresh air for a start : ) All I need to do left is to vacuum my room (my vacuum cleaner's not working though) AND bring myself to study. Oh my. Okay, I HAVE TO start tonite. I can't afford to screw any one of my papers. Especially not this semester please. So yes Nabila, do yourself a favor and start doing some serious accounting work ok?

OK.

Anyways, that's it I guess.

More of happier days ahead, I hope!

Exams

My finals are coming up in about a week.

Yes, I am currently in the self-absorbed/obsessive mode where I think, eat and breathe Corporate Law and MFI. I wished it had come sooner than this but it's never too late right.

I hope this obsession stays till my exam. I need this sorta momentum going.

And NO, I will NOT drop any of my finance subjects just because some of my friends are doing it hence I will still stick to my old plan of majoring in both accounting & finance cause I love finance. Plus it's good to have finance to balance out the technical and boring aspects of accounting. The calculations and theory in finance can at least keep me sane and entertained for the whole one year plus that I have left.

Et pour votre information, je vais etudiante le langue de francais, encore! Je suis tres heureux! : )

Anyway, wish me luck in my exam! I'll be needing your prayers : )

Have a good night everyone

xxxxxx

I miss them!

Books Galore! MPH Warehouse Sale..

I'm not going to spend any money now on books. I think I spent quite enough money on it to last me for a couple of months especially after the finals. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't find George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm (since the waiting line on Zati's book is so long!). It was really HOT and there was so many people around but it was worth the time and money spent. Books of my selection are priced from rm8, 15 and 20.

I managed to get Zaimah The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger, and if she replied my msg, Dante's Inferno. Got 3 books for Mama - 2 by Lee Child and 1 James Patterson. She really digs into this whole mystery/espionage series and little sister got herself the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer which is said to be replacing the Harry Potter craze which I don't quite understand because it's nowhere as good as Harry and also Spark's A Walk To Remember. It's filled with raging teenage hormones (yes, I was doped into buying the first book..).

 

I managed to treat myself to classics, something which I want to get for a long time. Bronte, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Oscar Wilde and Henry James. I also managed to get some book by Grisham, Ahern, Zaid Ibrahim, and Picoult. I was tempted to get 1421 but I was trying not to be greedy.

This isn't the right time to be talking about fictions when final exams are coming up in less than 5 days! All the best in your respective finals, whoever you are and wherever you are.

God works in mysterious ways

My dear friend Sara has passed away at 9.15 pm malaysian time in her battle against cancer.

Al-fatihah.

Please extend our prayers to her and may Allah s.w.t. bless her and may she rest in peace, InsyaAllah.

I was so shocked (still is) after I received the news 15 minutes ago . A friend of mine told me 'it's a reminder to us that life is temporary, and can be taken away at any time'.....MasyaAllah.

I love you, Sara.


Prayers,
Your friend Nabila.

L.O.V.E.

Love offers no logical explanation, and it should stay that way.

I am, in love. Which is not necessarily all that good, or bad either. Just in love.

Lalala...

I am blogging from the Law library. You get the coolest view from where I am right now.

Anyways.Supposed to be catching up on my lectures and tute work, but what does a few minutes of blogging do? Well, I'll take my chances.

I admit that I am quite the hopeless blogger that I am when it comes to updating this blog (and I can say the same for you Pipon) =P But in my defence,there's nothing out of the ordinary to write about,particularly cause everything's been more or less the same so why bother boring everyone with the details?

SO...what's going on,you ask? Well, I just finished my 2-week break which, like most cases, suck big time. That simply means sticking back to the vicious cycle of classes, work load and whatnots. And cutting back on wasteful activities which I favour over the one I'm having right now. Nonetheless, I've got to stay focus and keep myself grounded for the remaining part of this semester. I don't wanna screw this one up (God forbid) plus I'm quite looking forward to what would be a probable Europe trip with my family InsyaAllah.

Oh, I forgot to mention about my trip to Mornington Peninsular, which is a 2-hour drive away from inner Melbourne. For the first time, I actually swam with the seals and dolphins in the ocean and it was freaking freaking AWESOME! The beach water was crystal clear and not quite like any beach I've ever seen before and fortunately for us, the wheather was sunny and perfect (though the water temp was a freezing 10 celcius). I'll post up some pics as soon as I get them from the rest :) Other than the trip, I just spent my days just going out, a bit of shopping here and there, PetroVic dinner and of course, raya feast...which reminds me SELAMAT HARI RAYA,MAAF ZAHIR & BATIN to everyone! :) My raya here wasn't nearly as fun as the ones I had with my family and friends back home but I guess it's what you make of it.

Speaking of family, did I mention that my aunt's coming this Sunday? I'm ecstatic! I'm actually missing Malam Gemilang to hang out with her but c'mon,let's be realistic
here: Malam Gemilang over staying at a 5-star hotel with your favorite aunt? Not a chance! So yes, I wish her a safe and sound journey to Melbourne :)

Tun Mahathir's coming this Saturday for the Seminar Pembangunan Ihsan and I'll be expected to be up so early that morning cause me and a few of my friends will have to take care of the registration, which starts at 9am. Uh-huh. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to that event and I'll let you know on the insights on that day.

Well people,I think I've said what I wanted to say..or at least most of it. Gotta start on my work now. Till next time, ciao!

xxxxxx

I'll be Back

I promise..... .SOON!

This time I'll try to be me again after SPM. If you know what I mean, good for you!

Nothing in particular

I've given up trying to find a maxi dress.

Everything that I've been eyeing either isn't maxi enough i.e. a tad too short, or caters only for those with "too small" or "too big" a bust.

I'm starting to feel like they have something against me. Or maybe it's just the 20 or so shops that I've been to. Sigh.

Nonetheless, I managed to buy this gorgeous emerald green summer dress from ishka this evening and I'm really happy with it! Considering the weather in Melbourne is still very much in the winter-cum-spring zone, I think I'd give it another month or so before I can wear it. I guess the beach would have to wait.

Anyways, can't believe September is almost over now and October's on its way - gosh it'll be such a hectic month and by that, I mean raya celebrations, the Seminar Pembangunan Ihsan (something like that) with Dr. Mahathir (yup,the big old man's coming to town) then there's Malam Gemilang on the 12th Oct which will be on the same day my aunt's visiting me (especially looking forward to this). Then of course there's my birthday on the 19th (I'm afraid I'm not gonna be all modest about it...LOL) then there's also exam preps and whatnots. I hope it'll be a good month ahead! Amin to that.

Oooh did I mention that I'm on a 2-week break right now? One word: HEAVEN. Just what I need after a not much sought-after first half of the semester. But I suppose I cant complain much cause so far things aren't that bad, academic-wise. I got a H1 for my cost management mid-sem test (yeay) but on the other hand, sucked badly in ACE (Accounting for Corporate Entities). So bad that I thought I was gonna fail the test so I'm really thankful that I didn't! But that's not an excuse for my shitty result so I really have to start putting more effort into ACE.

Anyways, I've got so many things that are bugging me right now. My mind is in such a mess and not in its best state yet since these last few days. In fact, I'm quite surprised at how NORMAL I seem to be blogging. I do not and will not mention it here but I'm thankful to have this blog as a leverage for me to vent out some stuffs that people consider to be so trivial yet so significant and important to me (like the maxi dress that doesn't fit me, for example). That's the only way I know on how to help me deal with a bad day - writing. It helps me focus on other parts of my life and the more trivial it is, the more I tend to take things around me lightly and with a sense of humor. Maybe that's why I'm a sucker for stupid sites like perezhilton.com or online shopping like e-bay or gojane.com (girls, you HAVE to check out the shoes!!!! It's bloody nice and filthy cheap). It helps me shift my attention from the problems that I have, even if it's temporary. It works for me...

Hrmphhh I'm sleepy as ever hsjfhfhsgdfhsdgfhgsdhfgs....so sleepy that I can't type right. Heh.

Will update some other time. Until then, later!