I'm sick of them!

Picture courtesy of People magazine

It's the weekend again, and I am relieved. Most of the things on my plate are done, except minor assignments for the teaching class. I just want to relax this weekend, spend some time with my dearest hubby and watch the snow fall. Ahhh.... temporary bliss!

In the meantime, I am really sick of these people, especially HIM. They are everywhere!! In the words of Perez, he is such a douchebag! I wished he would get out of my TV screen and the Internet. Why are people so fascinated with them?

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Stuck in a rut

This is my daily path to school. One of those perfect Autumn days. (P.S: Gambar ini tidak kene mengena dgn post dibawah :-P he he he)

These last few days I've been so lazy!!

There are a ton of things I can do, but I am not doing it. Instead, I am just relaxing, taking my time and watching a lot of telly. Plus, I ordered two new crime fiction book from Amazon, and I actually finished the first book in just three days! (about 670 pages!). I will try to review it later, but seeing that I am very lazy that might not get done in the near future. :-P

On Tuesday, I had taped a teaching session for our teaching video critique. It went alright, I think. The instructor in the class was nice enough to shift her schedule to accommodate me so I could not spoil it as I only had one chance. I was so lucky to have Sad with me to kindly video-tape the session for me, and I must say his presence sort of calmed me down. Thank you, sayang! I really have the best husband ever! :-)

I was antsy because I have not taught in a while, and I was wondering if the change in audience demographic will make any difference. In a way, it was still the same. I had to tailor my examples to American examples, but the students seemed to understand me just fine. There were a few questions, and they look interested enough in what I was saying. We'll see how it goes. The teaching class is really loaded with assignments so if I mess up one assignment, I still have other avenues to make up for it.

After the assignment, we went to see a movie, Zombieland. It was one of those really indulgent movies that you watch that don't require any thinking! But it's a lot of blood and gore, with bodies parts being yanked out so you might want to leave your toddlers out if you want to give it a go. All in all, both of us are still waiting for the premier of "Vampire's assistant" next week. We are so lucky that the cinema is actually just minutes away from our apartment, within walking distance. Sweet!

After that though, I still have this nagging feeling that I still can't shake. It's actually been there after the mid-term. I feel a bit sluggish, demotivated and slightly depressed. I don't know why. There are still tons of things to do! I also felt guilty for resting on my laurels when I should be doing work, but can't seem to get myself to do something useful. Sigh. One classmate was saying that perhaps we spent so much energy on the mid-term that we have gotten to the stage where we feel entitled to some rest, and not wanting to do much. Maybe. I think so. Let's hope I get out of this funk!

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Mid-term, weather and the rest

This week has been really hectic. I had one mid-term and I also finished one presentation the day after the mid-term. Next week there is more on the plate, I have to finish video taping my teaching session and a few assignments to complete. But the worst is over! When you haven't been studying for such a long time sitting for exams can get quite scary because you don't know if you can still do it. It was alright though, the instructor gave us a study guide and it was almost word for word what she said would be out. Even though I don't know my marks, I am pretty sure it's not horrible. :-)

The weather though, has been really horrible. It was projected to snow this weekend, something I am crossing my finger wont' happen! I'll just be sensible though next week and put on my scarf, my coat and my gloves. But not the woolly hat, that would just be too much don't you think? :-P (plus, I think I will look ridiculous!).I also had a nice conversation with a classmate yesterday. He told me that the rest thought I was 'precise' and 'analytical' and he also mentioned "we were worried that you thought we were a disorganized bunch of clowns!". Wasn't that the nicest thing to say? He he he he. I didn't expect that though. I guess sometimes our perceptions for other people can be totally the opposite of what we are thinking. I am sure they thought I was also quiet and proper, which I am totally not! He he he. As I am gradually getting to know my classmates, I am also shedding some of my stereotype that I might have had. :-)

This weekend though I don't want to think about school, I just wanted to relax. Aside from watching some trashy telly (yeay reality TV!), Joey took us to a Lowe's (something like Home Depot) and we got some house plants and other house stuff. The apartment looks really cozy now, especially the living room. We also got some new curtains to put over the blinds, but the stick that was supposed to hold up the curtains was too long so we have to buy another one. Other than that, me and Sad has been meaning to watch the Vampire's Assistant soon, but the cold weather has prevented us from going out. It's just too freaking cold!

Meanwhile, I had the nicest e-mail this week. I contacted an old teacher in my uni day, the one who taught me "Introduction to Mass Communication". I shan't mention him here (you never know who will read your blog with the power of Google!) but to me, he WAS THE BEST EVER. It was him who made me major in Communication, and he just had so much passion in it. I was glad to get a reply from him because I really wanted to tell him how grateful I was that I had the chance to study with him.

I'm stopping my rambling here. I have me some cekodok to fry! Take care guys, and have a good weekend. I know I am going to. :-)

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It's been a month!

Some Malaysian and Indonesian friends in Kent and Akron

Wow... I can't believe it's been a month that I've been in Kent. Here are some short updates (to those who have been wondering :-P):

School etc

Things have been improving. I am no longer scared in class, just a tad intimidated. He he he he. Assignments are piling up but I am taking it a day at a time. No point getting too stressed out about it. It's a learning curve, hopefully soon I will get the hang of things. By the end of this semester though I am supposed to decide what specialization area I should be heading because the subjects I take will determine my comprehensive exams. I think I am almost sure what to do, but lets give it some time till the end of this semester to see. My school is good in Interpersonal, and there are about 2-3 good supervisors in that area. People here are quite nice really, and I don't really get stared at. In fact, there are a few Asian students in my program.

Apartment etc
We've moved in comfortably. I am sure some of you have seen the pics in FB. Today, we actually got a sofa bed and rugs. So we have some decent furniture now! He he he he. Some of the other furniture were donated kindly by our friends (i.e. Joey, Na) and we even got some nice dishes today from Devi, an Indonesian girl we met at an open house last week. I don't see the point of getting really expensive stuff since we are only going to be here for maximum four years. We haven't even bought our own car yet. Probably that will be sometime in December, when the winter time starts. Apparently, winter here is quite vicious so we have to get a car to get around and buy groceries. We don't have an awful lot yet, but the apartment is cozy and comfortable so I am grateful for small things. :-)

Friends
We've made a few new friends here, mainly Malaysians in the Kent area. There are so few of us so that when we meet up it feels almost like home. Seeing a Muslim face is also something I normally look forward to. Automatically, if you run into a women wearing scarf on campus (usually Arab or Pakistanis) they will look up to me and give salam, complete with a warm smile. Now how often do you see that happening in Malaysia? :-P

Funny observations
I am still trying to get their slang here. Once or twice, I've had to repeat myself. My English is still not American. I don't think I want to adopt a slang. Perhaps I will just adjust myself when I am speaking to American friends and classmates, but other than that, I am happy to retain my 'lah'. He he he. Cultural differences? Americans are very diplomatic in the way they talk. I.e. everything is 'have a nice day' 'how are you doing' 'good to see you', for one. The professors treat their students like friends, at least at the post graduate level. They way they joke also differ. It's a very sarcastic, quip-ish way of joking, and once or twice I have been caught of guard because I never know if they are joking or not. And oh! my friend warned me never to extend an invitation to an American friend if you don't mean it, a.k.a. "ajak2 ayam", they really expect to turn up if you invite them at their houses! And of course, customer service here is really fantastic. We are always greeted professionally, and I have yet to meet an irate cashier.

Guess this would be it for now. I've had an exciting day today, so I must turn in early tonight. Have a good week, all! :-)

p.s: Frea, pop quiz. At what stage am I in intercultural adaptation? He he he he. :-P

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Letter of the week!

Usually, there's nothing exciting in my pigeon hole. I have the usual credit card bills that I have to sort out, insurance notice, and of course not to forget boring administrative letters (calls for meetings, workshops, warning letters from top management to pursue PhD etc). But a couple of days ago one letter broke the trend.

The first paragraph read:

"Dear sister in Islam, Assalamualaikum Wbt... I hope I do not disturb you, and above all, apologize if the message below (MARRIAGE PROPOSAL) is not appropriate for you, because you are already married, engaged or simply not interested. If so, you can stop reading and tear down this sheet immediately"

Should I continue reading? Of course I did! Ha ha ha.

"So I hope I am addressing a single woman who has never been married. I am so sorry I could not find a better approach, even though I was very reluctant and had no idea on your identity, background etc. I learned that many Malaysian highly educated Muslim are unable to get married because of many social factors, so I hope you understand my situation. I just opted for addressing your good self directly, hoping that may be our common destiny prescribed by Allah SWT to be fulfilled in this way. This attempt for marriage proposal is sincere, pure, innocent and I have no evil nor game plans"

He went on to explain his background, why he came to Malaysia and reasons for wanting to settle down here, and of course why marriage is important, i.e. Surah Hujurat, verse 13. I have no idea whether he is sincere or not, nor am I in any position to judge about his rather er... unusual method. I only have ONE question: just how many letters did he sent out? It certainly wasn't personal because my name could not be found anywhere in the letter and it was just slipped inside my pigeon hole at the office.

Oh well, at least it certainly merits as the most interesting letter to make its way into my pigeon hole this week! He he he he. Have a good week, people!

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