Silent Scribbler: Friends

Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts

Emee comes to Ohio!

Last week, Emee came down from Chicago to visit us. She just started her Masters program in UC and her school follows the quarter system so she doesn't have much time off. When she told me she would squeeze in some time to visit us during her spring break, I was really happy to accept.

She spend the first two days at shopping malls, and visiting my campus. We took her to Aurora premium outlet and the Summit mall to get some stuff that she needed for school. The third day, we took her to Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Entrance was so expensive (e.g. adult fee = USD 22); I dare say if you are not a music lover you might not really enjoy the museum. I mean I like to listen to music, but learning about the history of jazz and rock is not really my cup of tea. I did like though some of the displays (e.g. costumes people wear when they perform, giant guitar replicas, original music lyrics scribbled on tattered paper). Dah lah tak boleh amik gambar dalam museum tu. They did though have a decent souvenir shop at the lobby and I got something for someone ehem ehem.

Outside Cleveland R & R Hall of Fame. Source: Google Images

Also outside of Cleveland R&R Hall of fame. Beautiful day!

Sad near the lake

Cleveland town

More enjoyable was the scenery outside the museum. It was located next to some sort of lake (since we don't have beaches in this state, that is the closest thing!) and you could feel and smell the sea breeze close by. On hindsight, maybe it would have been better to go to the Great Lake Science Center next to the R & R hall of fame! The entrance fee was cheaper and they probably had equally interesting displays. Near the two museums, you could see the Amtrac train station across the road and also the Cleveland Browns Football stadium, which was huge! For lunch we took her to Pacific East Japanese/Malaysian cuisine restaurant in Cleveland. Sempatlah Emee merasa mee sup kat US ni. Walaupun tak sedap mcm kat Malaysia jadilah. He he he. Waitress kat restoren tu pun Ipoh mari and she happily chatted away with Emee about their hometown.

Cleveland Browns Stadium. Source: Google Images

On the fourth and final day, we took her to Pittsburgh, to visit the Grove city outlet. I think she was happy coz she found a duffel bag (to carry all her stuff back!) and a good spring/fall trench coat that she was looking for at such a reasonable price. She came by Metrobus, but decided to go back by train since the ticket was reasonable and the schedule for Metrobus was weird. Her train was at 3.45 am and luckily there were other passengers waiting at the station so it was not too creepy to be waiting there alone. So all in all, she stayed for four very short but packed days. I wished she had more time here though. Nanti kalau free turun lagi naa....

It's not often that I get friends visiting me. When they do, it's so nice to catch up and to reminisce. I hope you had a good time while you were here, and that you can come again!

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Chicago the windy city!

Last year, I found out that one of my closest uni friend, Emee would be in the US to continue her Masters. I was very happy to hear that! It's nice to have a friend from back home to talk to. So we decided to help her out when she came to settle down. We knew how hard it would be to settle down in a foreign country without a familiar face, as we had gone through the same process. I was luckier because I had a husband with me, and I was located in a very small, university town so getting around was not so hard (except in winter). She came last month, and as soon as both of us had some free time we packed our stuff and headed to Chicago last week!

University of Chicago: Image courtesy of Google Images

It takes about six hours to get from Ohio to Chicago. She got a place in the University of Chicago, which is actually located in the middle of town, very much like University of Akron, I think. Her apartment is minutes away from her school building, so that was good. Build in the 1890s, its really one of the more established private universities in the US. Transportation was very complicated; it is after all one of the biggest cities in the US also. She had access to subways and LRT but you have to get your bearings right and learn how to navigate the area before even attempting to get on the train. Even getting to the next neighborhood was very confusing for me. And coming from a small town, I was really, really scared in Chicago. Her apartment was of course in university campus, but it's open campus so next door was not a very safe neighborhood. As with Kent, you have police escorts walking with students after dark, but I've never seen so many police car patrolling the neighborhood at such a frequent rate! And of course, I was struck with the living expenses. Where I am, USD600++ for a one bedroom apartment is considered expensive, but she is staying in a studio apartment at the same rate, and that is considered cheap!!! And if you are used to small town driving, it was quite a shock to be back in a big city. I think hubby was given the horn more than once; people are so impatient! You rarely see drivers in small town being impatient. I guess life is much more laid back where I am currently living in. The diversity of the city was evident; you can see people of different races walking around in different parts of the city, and some university cafes even sold food catered to Muslim students.

Another thing that surprised me was the prevalence of halal @ zabihah food in her neighborhood. She had at least one good halal store (Valley of Jordan, I think it's called) and the food pricing was relatively inexpensive too compared to our halal store (perhaps due to competition, they probably had a larger market to cater to there)! Plus, the owner was super friendly. We also found a halal restaurant right near her neighborhood called Numeca. I had the Chicken BLT there which was really, really good. The owner is African Muslim, and there was even a Masjid there near the restaurant.

Chinatown, Chicago. Image courtesy of Google Images

We only spent two days there so I can't tell you much about the great tourist attraction there; I was told they have great museums (Museum of Science and Industry), the aquarium (Shedd aquarium) and the Millennium Park (which I think we drove by on our way to the premium outlet). We did however, see the sears tower from afar, and dropped by Chinatown (to go to the Asian store). (sorry, no personal pictures. I took some, but quality wasn't that good... plus, all three of us were not cam-whoring type of people he he he).

Sears Tower. Image courtesy of Google Images

To Emee, hope you have settled down properly, and we will see you again soon when we have the time. Don't worry, as long as we are still here we will help you the best way we can. It was nice to see a familiar face in Obama land. He he he he. As for me, I am glad to be living in a small town! Sure, it's less exciting, but much less expensive and a lot more 'tame'. Plus, my studies would not be any easier even if in a different place!

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"What a classless airhead!"

How fast Ramadhan is going: I can't believe there's less than two weeks left before Raya! Sebab cuti, I've been spending some time catching up on leisurely reading and going on You-tube. Found the P Ramlee documentary directed by Shuhaimi Baba on the History channel. Maybe most of you caught it already. I found it extremely fascinating, and of course sad. It's a classic case of not appreciating something/someone until they are already gone. What's intriguing to me is also the conspiracy theories and allusions to the reasons for his downfall upon returning to Malaysia. I've seen it a couple of times and am still not bored with it. For some interesting titbit on reactions to this documentary, go to this blog. You can read between the lines in the blog post and comment box, and get some clues as to who the author think is a major player in P Ramlee's downfall.

Class is also starting in two weeks. I am only taking one class but I am not really looking forward to it;I have yet to think of a suitable topic for my preliminary paper. Plus, it's my last semester of coursework so I will really be on my own after this. It's hard to keep motivated but I have to keep telling myself that I want to get everything done on time, Insya-Allah...

We also managed to have iftar with an interesting lady here, who really epitomize the meaning of 'sojourner'. Being away from home and family requires every bit of strength you have, and this lady did that with very little support! You are worth ten of them, OK! There are things that I wish I could just ignore, and I am glad somebody agrees with me, and is able to see past the shenanigan, plastic behavior and saccharine smiles. When the idea of 'collectivistic group' is abused so liberally and wantonly, why would you want to be part of it? Her similar tales of woes convinced me that we are doing the right thing.

While I spend the final vestiges of my holiday, I need to clear my head of all rubbish and regroup. Enjoy the rest of Ramadhan, people!

PS: Tajuk post takde kene mengena dgn kandungan blog. Ha ha ha.

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Our 'college' road trip

Indiana university: a typical American campus

Although I still have an ongoing online summer class, we still wanted to take short summer trips to relax. So last Friday, me, hubby and Haru packed our bags and headed to Indiana.

Why Indiana? Sad had a colleague there who's also doing her PhD and she and hubby welcomed us to stay. She was very helpful; we managed to book two apartments which were not only cheap but comfy enough per her advice. We debated whether we wanted to stay at her house (she initially insisted that we did) but I wasn't comfortable with it. She already has three kids (one, a newborn) and we didn't want to impose. I've had people who attempted to 'impose' on us a couple of times already and I know how that feels. And I'm glad we didn't. When we arrived, her student apartment was so cramped! Although it was two floors, the kitchen was tiny and they had just enough place for a sofa and dining table in the living room. And I was amused to see that although the place she stayed in was in the outskirts and far away from town, it was more expensive than our place! The impact of the recent tornado was also evident; a huge tree was cut off outside the house and the roof of the apartment appear bent as a result.

What I loved the most though was that she had other Malaysian families staying nearby and also some twenty odd undergraduate students in the same complex. It's really helpful and their camaraderie was genuine enough. You could tell. Students dropped by her apartment late at night and they even played with her two young sons. She's very lucky! We aren't as lucky; having other students in the same boat really will help you, I think. At least you have others that can share your experience and help you in case of trouble. And yes, they might be less judgmental when you tell them you have lots to do and aren't able to entertain them if they drop by or if you can't participate in certain events.

Maxwell hall: Indiana cut limestone building

Saturday we spent having a barbecue in the nearby state park. It was sweltering hot! The food was good and the park was beautiful so we had a really good time. We wanted to visit the lake nearby but it was closed because the recent rain had raised the water level and it was considered dangerous to be in that area unless you had a boat with you. After lunch, they also brought us to see the campus. I loved it! As typical as most other US campus, it had tons of trees and undisturbed animals (e.g. squirrels, rabbits etc) running around campus grounds. The unique part about the campus was the preserved Indiana-cut lime stone buildings. I also loved the student center (unfortunately it was closed for the weekend) which came complete with cafes (we spotted one Star Bucks and Burger King), bookstore and even a bowling alley! The downtown was even more interesting. I loved the food fusion there; they had not only American restaurants (e.g. little Italian pizzerias, burger joints, fast food) but also Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and three Thai restaurants! For a small town, it was impressive (and better than Kent!). I saw a theater there too, but apparently it's not a movie theater, but showcases old films and things like that.

After Indiana, we stopped by in Columbus. Again, I am struck with the community unity and am pleasantly surprised with the hospitality of the Malaysian and Indonesian families there. Other people are so lucky! There were about 3-4 families there and even though we didn't know them we certainly had a good time getting to know them! They were friends of Haru that she met during her previous Fulbright conference. Columbus is a much bigger town than Kent, and more expensive. The university housing was comfortable but costly. From one family we met, the wife had to work part time at a nearby hotel as a cleaning crew just to make ends meet. And she did it so cheerfully too, and I respected her for that. Instead of complaining of being bored by having 'nothing to do' and lack of money etc (like some people we know! ha!), or being ashamed at having to work in such jobs, she said simply 'I have no choice, I have to help my husband'. On top of that she had two young children to take care of. Her patience, humility, and cheerful disposition really humbled me. We also met a very nice young Malaysian couple just embarking on their PhD program, with two young children. Needless to say, we will probably be dropping by there again now that we have people to visit! (and it's only two hours away). Plus, there is a halal fast food Popeye restaurant there that I will want to go again. Ha ha ha ha. We didn't have time to visit the OSU campus (reportedly also beautiful) too so that's also a good excuse to come back!

This short trip was tiring, but in a way refreshing. I was really going on a downward spiral of being totally drained with my studies. Meeting other people who successfully juggle family and their studies, intercultural challenges and still being able to maintain a positive outlook was definitely inspirational. I also appreciated the hospitality shown to us by the Malaysian and Indonesian families that we visited. See, there are nice people out there! Plus, US is really pretty during summer. We will plan more short road trips in the near future.

ps: Kalau rajin nanti upload lagi gambar. Heh.

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Berita Sedih

"I'm going to miss her so!"

My colleague was here for three days and we had so much fun with her around! She had a conference in Cedarville, which was three hours away. So we took a road trip on Saturday to pick her up at the house of her host. Cedarville is a very small town, farming community and along the way through Dayton you can see the corn fields, cows, and charming farm houses alongside the road. I dare say it's pretty boring though, and if you want a quiet life, that would be perfect. :-) What was funny though, on the way we saw a town called "London". I was amused to see their signage around town. Even the fire station is called "London fire station". Kalau tak percaya sila rujuk gambar dibawah. :-P

Before she got here, we weren't quite sure where to take her. The host suggested going to the Amish community in Kent, and rather ashamedly I admitted we haven't been there yet despite already staying here for a year! The next day though a friend of ours had a daughter who was graduating from high school. The ceremony was in my campus, so we took her there for a short tour. The graduation was quite interesting; it was novel for me because in Malaysia high school graduation is not that big of a deal, but yet here it's done so informally that the students were just there to celebrate and enjoy, and most parents didn't bother to dress up. You can imagine how formal a convocation would be in Malaysia so that was a nice change. :-) That night, we just had fun catching up. I think we must have spent hours chatting, it was 4am when both of us fell asleep!

Today we took her to an outlet just to get a few stuff for her kids, as well as souvenirs for other family members and friends. Of course, no trip to the US is complete without a quick run to Walmart. He he he he. I am glad she had a chance to look around and shop, but the time was so limited! What's nice about having a familiar place here? I haven't seen her in two years almost so that was so good! I have a nice bunch of colleagues back home, and it struck me that I really missed their support. Of course, it was good to hear that everyone goes through ups and downs for their PhD and I am really not a unique case. :-P How I wish she stayed longer! Sigh.

It also made me realized that true friends are actually not easy to find so treasure the good ones that you have...

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Excited!

Feeling the blues...

First hurdle

Selamat Pengantin Baru, Maidin & Izmi!

Updates... among other things...

Nur Insyirah Batrisyia, isn't she just adorable? :-)

I had a really nice weekend.

Saturday was a weekend with friends. In the afternoon, me, Ben and Ezza went to Rudy's open house. We thought it would be a gathering of HS1 members since some of them were supposed to come over. Bad luck, Rudy himself was rushed to hospital due to an asthmatic attack. Dude, hope you're doing OK right now! Anyway, the three of us spent almost 5 hours after that just chit-chatting. Both Ezza and Ben left Matriculation and did not make it to the Main Campus for reasons of their own. But I was very surprised (or perhaps I should not be) that conversation flowed very easily between us. There was very little inhibition between the three of us, despite the long hiatus. But that is typical for most of the HS1 members (these group of friends that I've had since entering university for my undergraduate). We had always got along very well as a class, and most of us tend to behave with each other in a manner that is not always seen in other situations. We tend to be loud, comfortable, and sarcastic with each other at the same time. Thanks to both of you, I really had a blast! :-)

And owh, since I promised Zaza, here are some latest updates on HS1 members:

Are @ Marziana just gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, and Along just gave birth to her second child, a baby boy also I think.
Nazir is teaching somewhere in Sri Gombak.
Some people have relocated back to their hometowns (Emee - Ipoh; Nita - Selangor) while others are thinking of moving back (Yasir - Penang).
Izam Shafinaz (remember her?) is now a stewardess with MAS.

If you guys hear of anything else, update me lah... I also post a recent picture here of Jab's daughter, with her permission of course. :-)

Later that night, I met up with Ni and Faisal at the Curve. Congratulations on your convocation, dearest Ni! I am really happy for you that it's done and I am glad we had the chance to meet walo sebentar doank. Ya gpp ntar lain kali kita ketemu yah? Tunggu yah saya maen ke sana! (hug).

On Sunday, I had two open houses invites and I decided to accept it. This semester, I seem to be receiving a lot of open houses invites from students, and I've had to pick and choose the ones that are close to me or within convenient locations. Besides the danger of over eating, I am simply too exhausted to go to all of 'em! Thanks to Dini as well as my favorite student siblings (:-P), Iera and Kodoq for the invitation to both open houses today. I had a fantastic time at both!! There was delicious food, good company, (thank you to Muaz, Fadly, Grace, Faried, Syaza and Wani for accompanying me) and I was honored to meet both your parents. :-)

Plus, I got to meet Faizal Tahir at one of the open houses! Ha ha ha ha. BTW, a) he's very nice, polite and obliging b) His wife keeps scrutinizing female fans who wants to take photos with him (which wife doesn't?! :-p) and c) he's not that tall. Yup, its official. TV adds ten pounds , and makes people look taller than they really are. :-P

Have a good week ahead, people! :-)

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She's gone!

Things haven't been too good this week.

I 'lost' a very good friend. She flew off to do her PhD in Stirling. I know I'm going to miss her so very much and I feel really terrible that I am not going to see her for quite some time. But I couldn't tell her that. I am not sure why. Sometimes, strong emotions make me feel uncomfortable, and I don't really express myself too well when I get in that state. But, the good thing is that I know that she knows. She's been a very good friend, my one and only support at the office for the past few semesters (refer to more sappy stories about this person in my earlier entry entitled 'My wet Wednesday') :-P We kind of got thrown in together a lot because our boss liked to, (as he puts it) 'burden' us with administrative jobs since he felt that we were the ones who completed the work without protesting! Ha ha ha ha. She was also the last of the 'younger' ones who was left helming the fort, and I feel a great sense of loss of which I am acutely aware of. She did however, deserved to go as she has been waiting for so long to go, and she was still working right up to the day before she went! That's how dedicated she was.

Seeing all my contemporaries fly off one by one to continue their postgraduate makes me feel sad. I feel sad because I feel like I am not putting in enough effort to complete my Phd application. I've only sat for the English test, and I've tons of other things that should have been settled (such as the scary GRE!). But with ever increasing amount of admin jobs that I am doing right now, plus lecturing, academic advising and taking care of the student's association (while my colleague is on maternity leave) I've little time for personal pursuits. I am hoping to get something done during the break, I really hope I can do it. I have to. Last week's meeting when I went a bit 'off' in front of the big boss really highlighted my resentment and frustrations, which I had carefully kept hidden all this while. I had hoped that I can cope, but I don't think I am doing very well. My mum tells me I don't have to feel guilty; just work on my application and just leave when the time comes. That's what everyone else is doing! :-P Maybe she is right. We have to do what we have to do.

On a brighter note, this week I managed to meet a couple of old friends for a long awaited reunion. The short session with them really cheered me up, even though not many turned up due to family commitments and job hassles. It's funny how things haven't really changed that much even though it's already been 10 years! He he he he. That is certainly very assuring!

To my readers, have a good week ahead and good luck with living this holy month to the best of your abilities. :-)

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