Caca-Merba

Msg from a friend - Berusahalah! Chayo2x!
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Gotta new hsemate who is just starting to work in the Computer Centre (yes2x! we’re thinking - all our IT/laptop problems are solved!). But she said, she’s actually more into electrical instead of electronics – so who is better equip to look into our current faulty wiring/lighting problem? Hah!
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For the past week -me & my Numero Uno are in the competition of who can sms & thus catch each other at the most odd time with the most odd questions regarding the T – like on Saturday evening during the recent long weekend? And when I wanted to postpone Monday’s meeting (before 8am), she said, “I takut you tak sempat abis semester ni…” Yes Dr, I really want to get this over & done with, since last year actually.
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Regarding my other committee members & the why-didnt-you-put-my-name business? Oh, I finally mustered enough courage to able to tell him, “Dr, it’s not like I don’t want to put your name in the paper or Dr.N saying so. It’s just that all this while she’s paying (from her own pocket lah not grants) for the data sets with the understanding that I can only use it for the T (read: but she’s in charge). I promised you, once I’m done with the submission of T, then only I’m free to write and I’m sure gonna put your name in my next paper!” (InsyaAllah –bukan sekadar janji2 palsu ini). He said (ala merajuk), “But normally, candidates put all the advisors’ name on papers…” Yes, normally but then our ‘working relationships’ aren’t normal, are they? Not to worry, I’m currently busy ‘arranging’ participants for a workshop going to be conducted by him – my chance of scoring marks!
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Another committee member? Oh, I know - it’s too much to ask that he be present during my presentation. After all, my supposed-to-be presentation last couple of months was conducted in such a hurry & in an informal manner. Instead of me given the chance to present my results – we’re stuck at the what’s your objectives of the study again? Contributions? So, being in a jovial mood that I was recently – I emailed him – quite a long paragraph I dare say- “…saya amat berbesar hati sekiranya Prof dapat meluangkan masa …..proses penambahbaikan so sebarang komen/suggestion adalah dialu-alukan….harap dapat maklumkan masa yang sesuai untuk tujuan perbincangan blahblah…”
Oh, Thank God - he did replied, “Ok.” Yes, honestly – ok for what? I don’t know!
At least, he’s better than my friend’s advisor who replied, ‘K’ –yes, a single capital K!
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I was pissed off on Monday – in class. Poor attendance (blame the long weekend balik kampung exodus) and the results for the first progress test sucks big time! I’ve this inferiority complex – am I not good enough to teach them? But then they’re saying that they understand the lessons so far only that when the questions came out (mind you, it’s just a 30 MCQs for an hour test – easy peasy lah!) they’ve difficulty in determining the right answers i.e. not so straight forward (Yeah2x, blame the questions now…). And then, there is also the language problem. Why didn’t you ask me during classes before? I purposely translated only the key terms coz I want them to improve their command of English too. Ya Tuhan, imagine the essays which are due some time end of this month…BTW, 17/19 are males, half of that are Malays. Got one Nigerian. And you’re saying you want to be an engineer? (it’s a challenge ok not to be taken as condescending tone!) Merdekakah anda apabila mengutamakan balik kampung daripada menuntut ilmu?
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After class – I cool off a bit – coz one guy came to see me & we discussed his problem (like above). I told him, you can’t improve your English by speaking Malay or by keeping quiet in class. You can’t improve your understanding of the subject by relying only on my lecture notes – read the textbooks, have group discussion (find a circle of good friends), ask questions in class, blahblah …Ironically, just then was (the drums beating) the opening ceremony of the English Week with the theme something like – let’s start now? And I’m going to give them more exercises for each topic!
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It’s been really busy lately –

My Numero Uno asked me to invigilate (she called it ‘procter’ – American term) her paper later in the afternoon – just now. So, if you think that studying is tough, think of working (or esp. teaching). And if you think that teaching is tough, try invigilating – it was the most boring job ever. You’re not supposed to do stuffs like reading or drinking, maintain silent for 3 whole hours (thank God for hp & sms) & always making rounds to make sure that the students are not cheating in exam – I thought it happens only in lower education system i.e. budak2 sekolah. To cut short a long story, I did catch my fellow postgrads cheating in exam during my first sem of masters programme!
BTW, she gave me some ‘saguhati’. Should I accept? You bet! (last time is different lah)
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A friend wanted to belanja me at S*cr*t R*cipe on Friday (the last makan besar before we start fasting next Thursday). There’s one outlet in BBB (all this while I thought the nearest one is in Alamanda). The location of this particular outlet is really unassuming, caught in between two repair workshops & it looks unappealing to me.
Off we went into the outlet and took our seat only to be told immediately by one of the staff, “Makan sini ke? Dapur we all baru nak panas…” (or something like that lah).
My friend is saying, “It’s oklah, we’ll have our cake first & then get proper lunch elsewhere (after all it’s only around 11am).”
Nobody entertained us. But there’re other customers at the cake counter.

Off we went to our second option (she’s craving for Western foods) – S.F. Pizza.

So, I’d a craving for fish n chips even though my friend warned me that it usually comes with a smell (fish smell lah – you know..). I can’t remember the last time I had a proper fish n chips dinner – fish sticks n chips separately & adalah goreng sendiri.
Since I’m taking neither carbonated nor cold drinks no more – and hot tea sounds so plain – er, I ordered a hot chocolate.
Yes, the fish did smell. The coleslow had too much dressing. The chips were tiny thin. And the hot chocolate combination make me feel, er, mual?
Anyway, nampak sangat tak bersyukur dengan rezeki ye tak? Alhamdulillah & thanks to my friend tu for belanja me. But, honestly give me a plate of nasi goreng kampung or char kue teow or mee goreng mamak anytime – more fulfilling – coz now I’ll need to find mee mamak for dinner (usually I don’t do dinner).
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Come today – What weekend?

2 whole days workshop on S*S Enterprise E-Guide ( personally it sounds like one of the Star Wars movie title though actually it’s a hands-on application of a software). I volunteered to the participants organized, get them to register earlier (paid for some of them, later one would like to tarik diri) etc. I like being in a democratic country so I opened the online discussion on when is the best date to have the workhop – by votings. Lesson learnt – never do that again coz it’s just causing me unnecessary headache. I brought forward the arguments to lower the participating fee – RMXXX is simply too much for any students (much more a poor student like me!). So, the office agreed to charge us after discount fee of RMxx (insiders) & RMxxx (outsider). Some are now saying, cannot get cheaper ah? Then, there’re those – hey, I’m ex-, why am not eligible for the bigger discount? Oh, someone kindly remind me – it would be much better if we’ve given a certificate of attendance! God, I need to remind myself again & again – why am I doing this? Coz the trainer is my Numero 2- heheheh! I need to score marks la (refer below)! And not to say how happy the office people when I agreed to take care of the minutiae details for the running of the coming 2-day workshop! (meaning they need not need to come lah)
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Oh, I forget to inform you – there’s a car boot sale in BBB!
Seection 9 (beside the road towards Kajang Toll –next to Kagumas building, on Sat & Sun – the trial run started last month so this weekend is gonna be the last weekend unless they renew the licence. How come I knew it? Coz the kepala was my senior – ex-UEL!
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Orang lain berblog, sayapun nak berblog jugak tapi taklah rajin mana. Will reply to whatever comments later today.