Silent Scribbler: Life in the US of A

Showing posts with label Life in the US of A. Show all posts

Recently we went to NYC to renew hubby's passport at the Malaysian consulate. It was a really short trip but my impression of NY is not too good! Ha ha ha. It's a busy city. Everybody's rushing. People are not too friendly. Taxi cabs are everywhere. Food is surprisingly cheap and plentiful, if you are not too fussy. I liked that they had little carts everywhere selling halal meat. There was also many charming cafes selling all sorts of pastry and sandwich. We found a halal biryani restaurant; I had chicken which was quite good but the portion was huge! It was also rather aggressively spiced so I couldn't really eat the whole thing. Hubby had lamb I think and it was swimming in ghee!

The good thing about the Malaysian consulate was the relatively short time it took to make the passport. We were in by 9am and out by around 12. The officers were rather err... business like and aloof. None of that Malaysian muhibbah attitude. Ha ha ha. You didn't even have to provide passport sized photos; they had an officer armed with a digital camera so that was handy.

After settling the passport, we just walked about but it was so exhausting. The Malaysian consulate was situated near the Empire State Building. We crossed Broadway and Madison Avenue looking for Time Square but the GPS was wonky and we got lost. We tried asking for directions but unfortunately some people did not speak English clearly (e.g. reminded me of London, that had a huge immigrant community), while others were too busy on their way to entertain us. On the way back, in the taxi cab then only we saw Trump towers, Time Square, a huge Macy and Zara store (among others) and Central park. It was too short of a trip to do much, and I did not sleep for two days so I was really feeling grumpy so we headed back to La Guardia since we didn't want to miss our flight. Definitely we needed to take another trip back to NYC for a longer and more leisurely trip. The highlight of the trip was meeting some friendly Malaysians (college students from Iowa), also waiting at the consulate. They made me feel at home (even just for a brief minute).

All in all, I don't think I miss much not living in a big city in the US. NYC is not unlike Chicago. The vastness, noise and frenzied pace scares me a bit. I prefer a more laid back kind of life I guess...

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Overdue update!

For me unfortunately, 'lazy not just today but almost daily! he he he Source: Google images

It would seem that I am blogging less and less lately. :-P Therefore, this is my half-hearted attempt at trying to update my blog. Short spurts of updates is about all I can manage right now. He he he.

It's winter... going into spring. I am so grateful that this winter has been really kind. Very few snow storms. Not too cold. Even some sunshine once in a while. Today, it was snowing briefly but I think it will stop soon. Yeay!
I've given my SV an outline of my prelim paper. She hasn't given me a feedback yet, but I am writing my paper in the meanwhile and hoping that the corrections aren't too bad. I am OK with my topic and I think I won't be bored of it by the time I defend my prospectus!
Emee is probably coming during her spring break. I am very looking forward to it, and I hope it materializes. We have visited her in Chicago so it's time for her to return the visit. I will also use her visit as an excuse to get a little break he he he
Sad has to renew his passport and we might have to do it in NY. I am not sure when we will go but hopefully sometime when the weather is more forgiving
My brother got married last week. It saddens me a bit not to be there but it can't be helped and I am glad we have a new family member. Welcome to the family, Nani!
The Oscars is tomorrow, can't wait to watch it. Haven't seen any of the movie in the list, except for The Help. Though, am rooting for Meryl Streep FTW! (can't stand smug Rooney Mara; don't care how good the movie was! And I did like the Swedish version)
Did you guys read about the father who shot his daughter's laptop because she was rude to him on FB? Moral of the story: A bit OTT, I know but be careful what you say on social networking websites, OK! Dr. Phil berated him but I am not sure how I would react if my kid badmouths me on social network so I am in no position to judge. :-P If you didn't, you can read about it here.
Enjoy the weekend, people. :-)

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All-American Muslims @ TLC

This is a new show on American Muslims that debuted in TLC a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't had a chance to watch it until this week. I was very excited to see a show about Muslims in American in the midst of all the anti-Muslim sentiment in the US. This show follows the lives of Arab Muslims in Dearborn. You can watch the trailer I posted above.

I have mixed feelings about it. It's exciting what they are trying to do... I hope that in the end, it educates and let people know that Islam is a peaceful religion. And just like they are many different kinds of Christian or Buddhists, they are also many different kinds of Muslims. Some Muslims are devout, some are less so. Some are even kind of liberal. I am just wondering though about the choice of location. Why Dearborn? And why Arab Muslims? What about African Americans who are Muslims? Indian/Pakistani Muslims? Surely, the Muslim community is more diverse than that. But perhaps, as somebody mentioned, they chose Arab Muslims for a specific reason.

I get asked this question a whole lot in class, too. How do you feel about being Muslim in a non-Muslim country? Honestly, it is a question that has not occurred to me much, meaning I do not lose a lot of sleep about it because I come from a Muslim country where the question of my religion is not made salient. Here, sure I stick out like a sore thumb because of my hijab. But to say that it's difficult to practice my faith would be a stretch. It's not hard at all. I do things like I would do back home. I pray. I cook halal meat. We go to the mosque for Eid prayers (kalau rajin he he he!) and Sad goes to the mosque every Friday for prayers. I am perhaps also rather lucky as I am located in a university campus where my identity, although not well understood is tolerated. Just last week a classmate of mine asked me very politely why I wear the hijab and other Muslims (that he has seen) do not, and I was happy to oblige. I dare say if I was in another part of the US, such tolerance may be limited, or might not even exist. So I am happy to be where I am.

And I find it easier to deal with non-Muslims who accept our faith tolerantly, and with an open mind compared to other pseudo Muslims who drink and dress scantily, and look down on other Muslims who do not! (and there are quite a few here, mind you! :-P). Practice your faith if you want, but do not look down, condescend, insult or argue with others who choose not to. That's my take on it. After all... la ikraha fiddin...

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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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Demam!

"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 summer activities

Source: Google Images

There's only a few weeks left for my summer holiday. Sigh. After enjoying myself for quite a bit without thinking about my PhD, I am feeling very sluggish. It will take a lot of effort to get back into study mode. Last year, we went back to Malaysia but this year we decided to stay. Summer is quite nice here; even though certain places in the US have been hit with terrible heat wave (e.g. Texas, Florida etc) we've been quite fortunate to have a rather breezy and windy summer here. That's been spots where we've had scorching hot weather, but it's been rather bearable. This short break has also been good to me; it feels good not to think about schoolwork for a while, and I've been feeling really happy and relaxed.

Here's a few things that we did to while away our summer holiday; for one, we took a short trip to Pittsburgh Zoo. It's about two hours from our place, and I've been itching to go there. It's pretty huge and tiring! Since we got there during the week day, it was not so crowded but the train service was not working! So we had to walk the whole way from the entrance to the exit. I think the best parts were the African Savannah exhibit and the aquarium. There were a lot of varieties of different animals, and I thought the way they organized each exhibit was very orderly, and they attempted to preserve as much as they could of the natural habitat of the animals. It was just rather disappointing that the polar bear did not make an appearance; it was too hot and they were probably sleeping instead of baking in the hot sun. Here are some selected photos:

The angry snow leopard

Yikes, sharks!

Can you spot the fish?

Sad's favorite place; the aquarium!

We also managed to visit some nearby parks. Monroe Park was nice. Sad wanted to take a dip in the lake but he changed his mind upon seeing the muddy waters! He he he. But it didn't deter others. There were plenty of kids and adults enjoying a cool dip in the lake, fishing or boating/canoeing. Since we don't have any beaches near us, this is the nearest body of water so it will have to do.

Lake Monroe

We also had some visitors from Athens and Indiana who came by for a short visit. After being entertained by the visitors in their respective homes, it felt really good to return the favor! Next in our plans is probably a visit to Lake Erie. Niagara Falls (the US bit) and Cedar Parks (an entertainment park) is also pretty close to us and we haven't been there. We only have two more years here so we plan to cram in as many things and visits to as many different places as possible. It would be a waste not to!

All in all, this long, relaxing and hot summer is definitely a much welcome break for both of us. How I wish the summer break would not end.

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Surviving wisdom teeth surgery

I had both upper and lower! Source: Dr. Howard Israel

Finally, I had the surgery, and I'm so glad I did. And I don't ever want to do it again!

I was really nervous prior to the surgery. I met with one general dentist who advised me to do it, one oral surgeon who barked at me saying it was 'risky, with permanent nerve damage!' and finally, one fantastic oral surgeon who told me 'the risks are there, but I am not worried about it'... Add to that, I read so many horror stories about the disadvantages of having wisdom teeth surgery. Don't even read horror stories on the Internet cause it will freak you out, and half the time it's people who've had extremely bad experiences who are venting. Each case is different so yours might not turn out exactly like the ones you are reading on the Net.

The morning of the surgery I was still nervous. I literally panicked when the two dental assistants called me into the operating room. They put me on IV and gave laughing gas to me and I was instantly out. I woke up about 45 minutes later, after the operation was done, and three wisdom teeth were pulled. I remembered nothing! (and I don't want to!). I was still a bit loopy though and now I know why they insist that a person accompany you to the surgery.

The first day was the worst. I felt like somebody literally sucker punched me in both cheeks and I could barely open my mouth and my jaws felt tired. That's not the worst; I hated having blood ooze out of my mouth and I could eat nothing except for ice cream sundae, mash potatoes and Ensure drinks. The oral surgeon called in the evening to check up on me, but I was still slurring my words and had Sad talk to him. It was nice though of him to follow up. The next day was better though, I had more appetite, there was not much blood but the swelling increased. My cheeks ballooned, a.k.a. chipmunk cheeks! I am also VERY, VERY fed up with soft food. Today, the third day, I am still being careful so I am still eating ice cream, but had a hearty soup and some chicken porridge that made me feel more human! I should be able to eat real food next week, since I don't want to risk getting infected or having dry sockets (which is reportedly very painful). Overall, it was not a bad experience, although one I would not care to repeat.

I am glad that I made the decision to go see the second oral surgeon. Although costly, he was competent, confident and reassuring. So important to go to the right person for these kinds of things. Like my dad says 'its a risk not worth taking'. You can't avoid oral issues, it's just my luck that it happened in the US where dental care is super expensive (although my mum did tell me that it's also expensive in Malaysia!). And I am glad I got it done during the summer break, so I can concentrate on getting better. Now I can study in peace!

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Warning: Wisdom tooth... (Part 2)

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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Update orang malas :-P

Warning: Wisdom tooth erupting!

Spring is finally here!

Don't be fooled with that angelic look!

Isn't that great? After suffering for about five months of snow, snow and snow, it's finally good to say goodbye to it all (at least until this October/November). It's nice to finally be able to walk the ground, and not watch each step that you take. It's also nice to finally be able to go out without layers and layers of clothing. Having said that I am amused that we are the very few who seem to be bothered by it. Mat Salleh kat sini selamba katak je keluar jalan merata rata pakai t-shirt walaupun kat luar sejuk. Kulit tebal kot... he he he he he.

Toby seems to sense the change in weather too. He's been bouncing around happily, stalking fat grey squirrels outside our window and sleeping a lot less. Speaking of Toby, he finally got neutered a couple of weeks ago. The first day he was bleeding quite a bit which got us quite worried. Thank goodness the next day it stopped and to my amazement he licked of almost all of the blood till his fur became quite clean. Recovery was pretty quick too, by the next few days he was able to jump and walk around as usual, and his appetite had recovered. I was hoping that by being neutered he would be screaming a lot less. True enough his meow has subsided slightly and he is more independent. It's quite difficult to get a good night sleep if you are being constantly interrupted by scratches on the door and low and steady screeching for 15 minutes! It's still there, but a lot less frequent. So I am happy camper with that. If only I can now wean him from scratching the sofa, but that is not possible except by de-clawing. We'll see. It will have to be done though before we go back home for good. Here pet fees although expensive is not too exorbitant. The Primary Pet Care we go to is really quite affordable and the doctors are good so we will take advantage of it while we are here. Cats and dogs are spoiled here; siap ada rabies shot segala. Kat Malaysia mana ada macam tu... idup jugak kan? He he he.

Spring break is coming next week. I only have ten days off but it's luxury for me to be able to just relax and not compartmentalizing my day by all the things I have to do! We are thinking of taking a short road trip so we'll see how it goes. Hubby suggested going to Detroit to look for KFC halal, but I am thinking it's a waste of time just to eat KFC and take a three our drive. He he he. And oh... you know what? This August will officially be the start of our third year here. How fast time flies! I can't wait to get all this done for good.

P.S.: Isn't it horrible to read about what is happening in Japan? My prayers goes out to Malaysian students in Japan.... hope they will be OK. And yes, I am thankful right now not to be in Hawaii or Northern California. Although Ohio has horrible weather, thank goodness it seems to be void of any other type of natural disaster.

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Quick updates

Strange encounters

Source: Google images

A series of weird occurence this week...

Strange encounter 1

This is a second hand account, as hubby saw it, not me! A naked man was seen running around outside our apartment. Seeing as it was freezing cold (snow storm!) it was a bit strange. Somebody suggested that it was a sorority pledge being hazed but I doubt it was because hubby said he was old (had wrinkly skin!) When he saw hubby, he panicked and quickly ran into his car. My guess is that he was out to surprise someone (eh?) or he was drunk. Probably the latter!

Strange encounter 2

Well this one is not exactly strange but more like chance encounter. Entering the education building for my statistics class, I saw a lovely middle east (at least I think so) lady with jubah and proper hijab. It's not often that I meet a fellow Muslimah, so I gave her salam. She responded. Since she looked friendly I meant to just give her a customary greeting (i.e. how are you) in English but it came out in Arabic! (apa kes?!). Macam mana kalau: (a) salah sebut dah lah tak fasih pastu rudimentary phrases pun tak berapa ingat ha ha ha ha ha and (b) if she's not Arab, or an American Arab? I've learned not to take things for granted in this land of melting pot. I've been mistaken for an Indonesian, a Chinese or a Thai, and hubby of course has been mistaken as Hispanic (is that why we've been getting friendly smiles or curious looks in certain parts of town?). Luckily, she replied appropriately so I wasn't too far off!

Strange encounter 3

OK people here are a lot friendly than people back home. I've been schooled not to be friendly with strangers, nor do I carry prolonged and personal conversations (Dr. L calls it 'painful self-disclosure' ha ha ha ha ha) with sales clerk. Anyway, we were looking for a 24 hour diner yesterday. It was in a part of town that we weren't really familiar with. We found it but had to reverse our car and cross the road as we had accidentally passed it. When we got there, a stranger was barricading the door. I think he was smoking. Anyway, I was guilty of stereotyping as he looked like a trucker and he was red in the face and mumbling so I thought that he was drunk. He gestured to us and started talking. We responded politely and went inside the diner. Story end? Err... not yet. He followed us, and walked right to our table and proceeded to ramble for at least 15 minutes! I couldn't understand him at times as his speech was garbled. Hubby thought he was not drunk, and he was just being friendly. But he was quite menacing in appearance, and although I feel a bit shame-faced for assuming that he had something up his sleeve, he probably meant no harm. But, better be safe than sorry, right?!

Orang kat sini kadang pelik2, but always entertaining! Sekian cerita minggu ini. Have a good week ahead, people!

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Yang best & tak best

Note: Semester has started and I need to blog to distract myself for a bit from reading tons of journals!

Snow everywhere!

I suddenly realized that this coming August would be my second year in Obama-land (like Kak Lisa says). I've not written very much on what it's like being here (except for random bits and pieces) so here's the gist of it... what's good and what's not good here.

Yang best

1. Shopping lah apa lagi! Memang best kalau banyak duit. Ha ha ha ha. But since we are both penniless graduate students I do not entertain requests for things in the US (unless you are prepared to cough up the money for postage, mahal OK!). Apa yang best? Branded items for clothing, accessories and of course books. Which brings me to my next point...

2. Amazon, I love you! I've been buying text books here, and recently signed up to Amazon Prime, which allows for two day free shipping. What's good about it is that I also get to buy used text books, because sometimes hard-cover text books are pretty expensive, and why spend so much when you can get a used one in quite good condition? and of course I managed to get my hands on novels that are not sold in Malaysia (or way overpriced).

3. TV shows. I get to see everything, and I mean there's so many to choose from that I am spoiled for choice. We have over 200++ channels here, and some of my favorite channels include Food Network, Lifetime, E channel (Kardashians anyone?), Investigation Discovery (crime shows and documentaries!), Bravo (Top Chef!) and of course ABC Family (I am currently hooked on Pretty Little Liars right now). And yes, they rotate shows very often like Astro so if you miss anything it's OK because there will be repeats.

4. Customer service par excellence. Being a capitalist society, the customer is always right. I really love that here. I think I've said in many posts, I've never met a rude salesperson here. Ever. Which makes tipping a very sensible practice, and very much expected here. And of course, even if they are not friendly, the service is always efficient and helpful.

5. Safety on the road. Here, pedestrians are always respected, I rarely meet impatient drivers even when it's snowing heavily, everyone goes at a moderate pace and maintain respectable distance with other drivers. But perhaps that is true because I'm living in relatively small town. It might be different say, in New York or Chicago.

Yang tak best

1. Nine to five, is really nine to five. Well, almost! The shops here are closed pretty early. Which means late night snacking and sudden urges for McDonalds fries will be futile. I miss the 24-hour mamak stall in Malaysia OK!

2. The people. OK, I am generalizing here. It's not really fair. Not everyone's like that. But the people here are different in the sense that everybody minds their own business. That's OK in some cases, but I really miss the close friendships I have back home. My classmates are pretty nice, but it took me a long time to get really close to any of them, and even then relationships are pleasant rather than personal. The ones who I am really close to are actually students from Asia, rather than Americans. They are the ones I whine to when I have problems, and they are the ones I can count on when I need help. It reminds me of the individualistic versus collectivistic orientation in intercultural literature, they are pretty accurate.

3. Being in a non-Muslim country, I think I don't have to say much. It's hard. The other day, a pretty well educated lady offered me beer; not that it's done on purpose or to insult, but that goes to show you how little they know about us. I just smiled politely, I could have explained but that would be tedious since she was the host, I did not know how to phrase it diplomatically, and of course I did not want to offend her.

4. The weather sucks! I know, I know. It's what you get for going to Ohio and not choosing somewhere warmer. But a wise lady I met last week told me that there is no point. You avoid snow and you encounter earth quakes. So there you go! The only good thing is that school gets postponed during snow storms. Ha ha ha. It's not so much the cold, but the dryness of temperature that causes your skin to itch terribly, putting layers and layers of clothing on before going out, and carefully measuring each step to avoid from slipping (yes, snow is slippery!)...

5. Being far away from family and friends. I didn't realize that would be so critical before I came. The loneliness can get to you. I am lucky to be here with my husband, it must be worse for those who are here alone.

Well, being here can be exciting at times. It can also get depressing at others. It is also valuable experience, and makes me appreciate what I have back home, and I know it's plenty to be grateful for.

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Happy birthday to me! :-P

It's been quite some time since I updated my blog, here are some random bits and pieces.

Studies

It was OK although much harder than previous semesters. I put it down to increased expectations, difficult subjects as well as lecturers who have been extra meticulous. I've learned a lot, but I have to admit this semester has been a roller coaster; swinging up and down. I find myself being demotivated more often too. And I just can't wait to get this done once and for all! Or does this happen to all PhD students at all stages? Those of you who are going through the same thing, any advice??! And I've had two exams which were postponed due to bad weather. And speaking of bad weather...

How do you spell 'squall'?

You can barely see anything!

This year is relatively worse than last year. We had the lake effect; snow storms and squalls that descended upon our place rather suddenly, and caused drastic drop in temperature. There were some abnormalities compared to last year; for one thing, winter is really quite early this year. Secondly, the effect was more monstrous this year. Campus was actually closed for two days, it was very windy and you couldn't see anything except white everywhere! We were basically snowed in and couldn't move outside our apartment for at least two days. For those of you who think winter is fun, sadly it is not. But if you think I have it bad, other people had it worse; my classmate poor thing who had to travel down to class for the exam, found it postponed and couldn't go back home as she stayed two hours away. She had to find lodgings in town, and let me tell you renting a motel isn't cheap! It made sense that somebody told us to always have an extra batch of clothes and your shovel in the trunk of your car, just in case.

Happy birthday!

Looks good, and tastes good!

To me. Ha ha. I can't believe it's that time again. In just another two birthdays, hopefully Insya-Allah I will be home in Malaysia with my beloved family and friends. This year the celebration was more low key, but I think more peaceful and happier. We had a friend over, and I cooked some comfort food. Hubby even got me a lovely ice cream cake. It's really good! Looking back a year, I think I've come to peace with a lot of things. There are always going to be nasty people around, and you can't stop what comes out of their mouths. What you CAN do is never to stoop to their level. So go ahead, say what you want about me but I don't care. You can recruit as many 'sheeps' as you want but at the end of the day, I am not afraid of you, or your blind followers, I am more afraid of Allah and what punishments He will dish out if I act exactly like you. And yes, I have a lot to be thankful for this year; I am married to a good man and things are good, Alhamdulillah. What better birthday present than that?

Toby updates

That blanket is mine! Give it back!

Ni untuk peminat2 kucing. Ha ha. He's growing really fast; at the age of 7 months, he's packing on the pounds. I am not sure if it's because of winter, and he sure isn't eating a lot but the growth spurt seems to be relatively surprising. And for a cat with thick fur, he seems to like cuddling under fleece blankets. Teruk betul! And oh, right before winter he had a 'friend' waiting outside our window. It's a beautiful Russian blue cat who comes almost daily and plops himself comfortably outside our window, and these two cats have a staring contest for at least 15 minutes. In the end, Toby will pace up and down, as if begging to be let outside. No way that is happening!

All in all, it's been a pretty good month. I have about three weeks just to vegetate before the next semester. begins Perhaps a book review will be forthcoming if the right mood prevails. We are also planning a short road trip close by if the weather permits. In the meantime, have a good weekend, friends and readers!

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Aduh Toby....

Takut lah tu kene mandi. Tak usah buat muka cute, we are not amused!

It was supposed to be a relaxing Sunday morning. But it didn't to turn out that way. Sigh.

Toby is a good kitten for the most part but he really tested our patience today! He's growing at a really fast rate; Maine Coons are supposed to be huge cats so we expected him to grow very fast. Poor thing is almost out growing his litter box; he's had to twist his body a bit to get comfortable and today, in his haste to clean himself, he accidentally stepped on his own poo and left a trail of cat poo across the apartment. I noticed it suddenly when I caught a whiff on unpleasant smell wafting through the air and some suspicious stains on the white kitchen tiles. Geramnye!

We ended up spending quite a bit of time cleaning the floors of the whole apartment, toilets and washing the toilet rags & carpets. Toby also got a good wash! Good thing was he was tired after all his shenanigans and fell asleep for the rest of the evening.

Apart from that, I still have tons of work to do though. We have a proposal due in two weeks and I have two major assignments to settle. While browsing for information today, I was curious to check out this website. Kelakar tak? Students in the US can rate their lecturers to deter or encourage others to take classes with them. Besides ratings, they can also give comments. Some of the comments are pretty brutal! Kalau kat Malaysia pun ada tau lah macam mana. But I noticed some difference with US students; they like it if lecturers give them good grades, yes but they are also happy if lecturers are friendly and treat them like friends. Some even mentioned that they were happy to learn a lot in that class even though the material was hard and grades were not so good!

Anyway, my paper is calling me again. I thought this was going to be a short update. Heh. To my friends and family back home, Selamat Hari Raya Haji. I cannot wait to celebrate mine in Malaysia, cepat2 lah habis PhD nih!

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