Post Eid update

It's probably a bit late, but Eid Mubarak to my Muslim readers! We had a pretty normal Eid. We cooked a simple Raya fare, had a few friends over and that was it. I used to feel a twinge of sadness in my first year, but it's now the beginning of my fourth year here so I am numb to it I think. Besides, I spent almost one month fasting in Malaysia and how glorious it was!

Post eid, it's back to the normal routine for us. For me, writing and reading. I have my prelim submission due date coming up in two weeks so I am ironing out the paper and polishing it up. I don't know how good it is, or if I am able to pass it or not but it has to be done. Wish me luck! The cat meanwhile has calmed down a bit. He got a bit hyper when we arrived and wouldn't stop meowing for two days. Now he's feeling more secure and is more quiet, but he's still following me from room to room. I think he's still not sure if we are going to walk out at any moment and leave him alone for three months! 

The weather has been pretty good here. It's been a bit sunny but not humid. Just nice. As we move into fall, I am crossing my fingers and hoping that winter will come late again this year. It's time to get back to work again, will write more time & mood permitting. 

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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

Picture courtesy of Shabby Blogs

This is the first week that I've had a bit of a breather. I think last week was the most hectic (1 annotated bibliography assignment, 1 statistics homework & 2 presentation in two days!) so the worst is over. Since I have a bit of time, here's some short updates during this never ending winter:

1. This semester is my second last for coursework, and I've yet to narrow my topic down but hopefully that will happen soon. This semester is a bit more difficult than the last but I think I'm doing OK (so far)

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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Fall 2010

This week, we are already approaching the mid-point of the semester, and things are getting more difficult. However, I feel that I am doing OK. We'll just see how the mid-term test goes! I want to do well in my stats classes! Halloween is also coming, hope to do something fun this year with hubby and Haru. Last year we didn't do anything because we didn't have a car, but now that we do, we are going to take advantage of it! I was hoping to take a look at the parade at downtown, which we didn't do last year.

Here's a couple of photos taken during fall this year, don't be fooled by the sun, it's very cold right now that we are using our portable heater most of the time to get warmed up. And yes, some funny pictures of Toby. He's the only one who 'likes' his picture to be taken in this family. Heh.

Tidur je kerjanya!!

Bukak lah luas2 lagi ha ha ha ha

Don't be deceived by the sun, it's freaking cold!

Enjoy the weekend, people!

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Phew....

 Doesn't he look funny in his picture? He's trying to take the tag off, with minimal success!

I can now finally take a breather for few days!

This week, one class was canceled while for the other one we were supposed to have a mid-term, but now the mid-term is postponed, much to everyone's glee and relief. So I have some time to blog and do other stuff. Today since it was a weekend, we brought Toby to the vet. He needed to be vaccinated. The vet clinic, which was supposedly one of the more cheaper pet clinics  in Kent surprised me. It's decor was tasteful, the staff friendly and doctor was very professional. Not bad for a place with discounted price on medicines and vaccination! I complained about Toby's propensity of being 'loud' and the vet said if he's well fed and not ill, then it's 'all in the head'. Just give him plenty of attention! Ha ha ha ha. Anyway, we pitied Toby because he looked so scared of the needle. But to his credit, he didn't struggle or scratch the doctor / vet assistant. He just gave one long, piercing yelp! Now he has a vaccination record, as well as a tag to remind us of the shot he was given. Isn't that picture of him funny?

Yesterday, we also had an event at school to commemorate some of the more well known alumni of our school as well as two centennial award winners. The centennial award winners are a prolific couple that started our school in 1982, and they were there until early 2000 before leaving for Arizona. The wife was even named the third best female scholar (and most published) in communication, in the US! It was a bit daunting, intimidating as well as an awesome experience to meet them. After thirty years in the business, they astound me with their enthusiasm for what they do. So it is possible to have a career, as well as have a family! I was also impressed with their team work, neither took too much credit for the other person's work and its obvious that they complemented each others strength and weaknesses.

Winter is also in the air. I feel it coming. I know there are few sunny days left and I am feeling a wee bit depressed about that. It really makes you appreciate the summer-like year long weather we have in Malaysia! We took a tour today of the nearest shopping mall to check out the sale, but I didn't buy anything. It's just funny that winter clothing is much cheaper in the fall and summer, rather than in the winter. I'm all set for the coming winter with all my winter paraphernalia as last year's clothing will do just fine;  the only thing new I just bought  last week was a woolly type swing coat to add to my collection, which brings me to my next question: what am I going to do with all these winter clothing once I finish here?

Have a good weekend, people!

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I've been meaning to write...

 Boleh tak kalau jgn monopoly sofa?!

Really I have, but things are sooooooo hectic right now!

PhD Stuff & other adjustments

As usual I am still busy with classes. This fall, I am taking two statistics based course and my major: interpersonal communication. I also have new instructors that I have to work hard for. But this semester, one thing's different. I am learning to work with others more as we go through unfamiliar territory (nobody likes advanced statistics with confusing instructors!) and I am pleasantly surprised for the most part. Most of them on my study group are unselfish and they really are diving into the working together spirit. So that's good! I also met up again with my supervisor (as I mentioned in my PhD blog) and moving quite well. I have one more year to go to finish my coursework before starting on my comprehensive exams and dissertation.

Right now though, both of us are trying to get into a schedule that would work. Last year I was the only one busy with homework, assignments and readings. Now both of us are piled with academic work, there is a bit of adjustment on both of our parts. Alhamdulillah, we're managing alright now. I am lucky to have someone who is understanding, patient and also hardworking at the same time.

Raya updates

We had a couple of open house to go, and we are supposed to be hosting ours. But we're not sure yet when to play hosts, Sad is busy with his residency week this weekend and my homework's really piling up. However, we have met new Muslims here plus a few new people in my class so I will make sure that it gets done, at least before the Syawal is up. Kak Hana, if you are reading this I also miss my  adorable nephew and nieces and also especially my little brother, Aim. Terlupa plak nak kasi duit raya kat korang ek... tunggu nanti bila dah balik Malaysia for good ek? he he he he he.

Toby updates

He's big now at almost five months, with new antics everyday. Right now he's addicted to any keyboard in the house (sits on 'em anytime you start to work), wont' play with his toys, settled into a routine of play, eat and sleep quite easily. He also doesn't seem to miss the company of other cats, he only seems to get anxious every time we head out of the door; pantang dengar bunyi pintu! But after finally beating the tick problem during summer, there's no way we are letting him out anytime soon! And oh, why didn't anyone tell us that Maine Coons are loud, loud cats? 

Will write more when time permits. Enjoy the weekend, people!

p.s: There was a previous post that I uploaded and deleted now. I think I am finally feeling an inner peace, but that was after a long, long period of reflection, and of course after much discussion with Sad. I now know that all that frustration is not good, and I realized I have a lot to be thankful for!

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Finally!

After waiting for a few weeks, he has finally arrived. It's been a couple of days,  and he is still adjusting but he's doing well. One of our Malaysian friends here offered him to us, and we jumped at the chance to adopt him. We are glad he's here. At least tak lah bosan sangat. And I really think he will be a good companion to two stressed out graduate students!

Some of his antics so far that I observed:

• Sleeps a lot! (but I read on the Net that it's normal for kittens to cat nap or sleep a lot the whole day)
• Very active, kadang penat nak layan dia main (in between his bouts of naps and meals)
• Still learning how to climb. We've had to do a bit of retrieving and rescuing. 
  
• Very healthy appetite. Since he is not three months old yet, he can eat solid food but no kitty milk yet
• Affectionate, kuat merajuk and demands a lot of attention. He follows me where ever I go (so far) and when he wants to sleep, he will curl up to me on the sofa, demanding I pet him before sleeping. Ngengada! But he's good tempered most of the time, and adjusts very well to his surroundings. It took him only two hours to get familiar with our little apartment and to us
• Still potty training, only two accidents so far but want to completely get him to use the litter box
• He's very persistent. So far, when he wants something it has to be pronto. Or else, be prepared for a loud and piercing meow!

Thank you Abang Zack for this adorable Maine Coon! p.s: We've christened him "Toby". Shinichi, this time dia memang betul2 kucing jantan menggunakan nama yg sesuai. He he he he.

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