How to Ensure Time is Well Spent

Warning: This post poses questions and puts the author's first-world problems into perspective. It does not provide a solution as the title might have suggested.

I have finished a semester (also finished a two-week break) and am already a bit anxious of how other breaks will be spent. Not because this break was bad. Not at all! I had a great time. However, it does make me think about how will my other breaks be like.

There is so much to do in the States. I guess I would have a lot to do back home too if I set my mind to it. But here, I guess because my I live apart from my family, decisions are mine. Lol. Just kidding. I still ask my parents for permissions to do stuff, but being here alone makes me best at deciding since I, myself is the best person to assess my own situation. Then again, I am not the best decision-maker in town.

How much travelling do I want to do? I keep reminding myself that I have only two summers here. That is not much time. When do I go back to Malaysia? Can I do all the things I want to do? It feels too much, but then again is it?

Culture Shocks?

Wow, I wrote this post back in September, when I had just started schooling. But I saved it to drafts thinking I would improve this post and publish it after a few days. I only came to do it after a few months. Finals soon! I added commentaries today to reflect on what has changed.

So I have recently started school at U of M.

Doors are heavy!

One of the first things I noticed was that doors are really heavy. I couldn't even push some of them. Many times I would be fumbling to open one of the many doors available, giving up, about to attempt opening the door when some stranger just opens the previous door easily. If anything, I am appalled at my own weakness. But to justify myself, in Malaysia doors are really light, so I never really give a big push at doors.

Comment: I guess doors are still heavy, but I can push them fine now ;)

People trying to bless me after I sneeze

From watching movies, I know that Americans say "Bless you" after hearing someone sneezing. If you know me well, then you would know about my allergies. So imagine myself on a series of sneezing episodes, and the more sneezes I churned out, the more people trying to bless me. I find it odd to live that experience. Because I don't really understand the concept of it. I appreciate the thought though guys.

Comment: I guess it's pretty obvious Aifa, that people are asking God to bless you!

Pizza Party all the time

I love pizzas. I don't know how many slices I take ever since I came here. Sometimes I consider going to club mass meetings just for the pizzas. They are awesome. I am aware, though, like many other Malaysians, I'll probably get bored of it soon.

Comment: I don't get that many free pizzas anymore :(

School spirit is crazy

I had never thought about coming here because of "U of M" has a big name in college football. Honestly, I forgot how big sports is here until I came here. And heck, I never expected that it is that big of a deal. The fact that is that there are so many Blue Merchandise Shop never fails to surprise me. I mean, wow people really buy these stuff. One time, when I asked my classmate who we were against the next day, she went, "AIFA!". She really couldn't believe I was that indifferent. By the way, people cried when we lost to MSU. When my lecturer asked another classmate " What did you think about the game?",  he replied, "I don't wanna talk about it". Guys, chill.

Comment: I still haven't bought a single Blue merchandise.

Shopaholic's Sister: Most Influential Character

I am currently reading "The Art of Thinking Clearly", which is thought provoking, but not necessarily new to me. This was especially true on thinking fallacies related to money. I realised that these were habits or ideas that were already stuck in my head. Ironically, it was inspired by one of the characters in "Shopaholic & Sister" by Sophie Kinsella. I think I can be quite thrifty on certain types of expenditure.

Honestly, I don't even remember Shopaholic's sister's name (As you can tell, Shopaholic's name too) but I have always thought that her character to be remarkable. I felt that I identified with her thoughts and beliefs of being thrifty and not to mention, waste-averse. And soon, I began to adopt her ways too.

Oh, I just googled her name. It's Jess.

I think I read  the book when I was thirteen but I remember the parts when Jess imposed  these questions to her sister, and now to me ;

a)Why do you need to buy books when you can just borrow from the library?
b)Why do you need to go to the gym when you can just exercise at home?
c)Why not use a pencil to write on birthday cards so other people can give to another birthday girl?

Honestly, I am always repeating a) to my ex-roommate. She disagreed because she claimed that she writes notes and refers to her purchased books. I have no argument against that. But come one, who (except a few) does that?

The thought of b) has always been in my head. But I don't think this applies to me since I don't exercise voluntarily much.

About c), hmmm I am not sure if I dreamed it, or it really happened in my family. If it really did, it had nothing to do with Shopaholic.

After my explanation, it seems like I only learnt to frequent the library. I beg to differ, I feel like I learnt a lot from her. However, I cannot support my reasons. My memory is not that great but lets hold on to the thought that Jess really did influence my thriftiness, I supposed I expanded Jess's ideas from the books and applied to other things as well.

Note: I am not promoting the Shopaholic series, I am so over it. But I would recommend "Shopaholic & Sister" since it made me reflect on myself. And sorry if this post seems a bit off. I realised to day was the deadline for my self-imposed blog challenge. So, I quickly typed, a few hours before the deadline. I am sleepy. Night! I'll fix this post when I am more motivated (which might be never).

When to Say Sayonara

If you think I got the title from a book, you can't be anymore right!

Anyway, tomorrow is finals for ACTP, and then I can bid INTEC life farewell. This is the first time ever that I only have one day of final examination! Honestly, I can't believe how nostalgic I'm feeling already. One of my housemates had just gone back this morning. It feels a bit surreal. I don't know when is the next time I would see her again.  Tomorrow, I'll be the only one left at home (yes, I call  my apartment in Cemara home too).

This just feels like leaving Asma. I don't remember if I was this sad. But at least I get to see them when I'm back in Alor Setar. Well at least most of them la.

Yesterday, after getting off the bus, I saw a friend. And after smiling and passing by her, I kinda looked back, wondering if that was the last time I was going to see her. I am just relishing moments in INTEC. Honestly, I can't wait to finish it, but I know I will miss it. Maybe not so much of INTEC itself, but the people. Nah, I am bound to miss INTEC too. Oh, the paradox.

Words Hurt

Not everyone is nice. Well everyone has a good or bad side. It is just that when people say a person is nice or bad, they are describing the dominating personality of a person, or the perceived dominating personality.
Honestly, only God can judge, and he judges correctly.

My point for today is actually, despite being brutally frank is always honest, I am thankful that I am not like that. Being frank can be hurtful. if I were brutally honest, I would be a lonely person. I know I am not the only one.

Besides, being frank also means speaking what is on your mind then. But sometimes, you only mean some things at a point in time. And those they could be really ugly thoughts. This mostly applies to moments of anger. And once, your words are out, oh it's out. I guess this is the best time to include some Malay proverb.

Terlajak perahu boleh diundur,
Terlajak cakap buruk padahnya.

Hey, bukan selalu nak berperibahasa haha.

Honestly, I don't ask questions I think I might not want to hear the answer. This post is pretty ironic for me since it is recently that I felt that I've learned to be more frank.

If you feel I am generalizing things, it probably is true. But that is what writers do! (I saw this from a columnist in reader's digest, or did he say that is what columnists do).

But essentially, I don't mean honesty is not the best policy. It is. Don't get me wrong. I think the word I must highlight today is frank. Being frank is not always the best policy. How did this end so cheesily?

How I Spend My Book Vouchers

I tell my friends that the best time to buy expensive books is when you have book vouchers. And by that, I mean educational (educational is subjective no?) books of course. When I said I wanted to buy books in Kinokuniya, a friend told me it is better to buy at the Big Bad Wolf Sale since it's "more for value".

But honestly if I did shop there, I would value the books less. Not because they are cheap, but because BBW sale, ironically has a limited range of books in certain genres. Well, it doesn't sell books on Islam.

Which reminds me how much I love Kino.

I am speaking from my 2013 experience okay. So excuse me if things are different now. Actually, I'd be glad if they are. After all, it's not like I didn't find any good book at BBW.

10 Minutes

It's around 10 minutes before the new month begins so I decided to write a post, albeit a sloppy one. I have a few posts in mind but have not really done anything. Anyway life zooms so fast. I'm scared, excited for the future,

Wow, can I be anymore predictable with my words.

Anyway, I just want to quickly highlight that I am aware I don't speak up my thoughts much because I believe this is not the time. Soon. And may I have the courage to do it.

Yes, I know I make no sense. Allahualam.

Hear from me soon, Insyallah!

Rain

This is one of the random moments when I type away about my day on evernote. I didn't edit this. Thus, the numerous spelling errors.

Bitten apple with floor background

Bitten apple with rain and floor background

Enjoying my apple while waiting for the rain to reda. Well it has, couldn't eat it while typing. Now i'm at the pi. Had a nice short nap in the library although interrupted a few times. Yeah, bertuah betul. Pergi library tidor. Did some work on mcd econs report but mostly unprodutive. After waking up i kept on daydreaming and guessing whether or not the rain would stop before Asr adhan. Lol. What a waste of time thingking bout stupid thibgs like that. Gonna pray and later attend kk training.

Blackwood Cafe Food Review

I wrote this post late last month but never got around to posting it. So here! 

Hiya, if you don't already know , there is a new cafe in Alor Setar ...Blackwood. 

1. Spaghetti aglio olio (can't remember full name haha)

One of the best olios i have ever tasted. A rich amount of olive oil, fresh succulent fresh prawns and spices that makes your throat burn.

Well, at least my throat burned. But then again i can hardly stand spicy food. According to my mum and sister, there would ususally be more spices. So this was apparently not their best serving. This olio is good for the Asian tongue I suppose.

Rating: 4.4

2. Vanilla chocolate drink

Craemy and chocolatey. Yum. It's good but nothing more than the ordinary. I hope they start using glasses. Plastics are a waste, not to mention bad for the environment.

Rating: 4

3. Oreo crepe

I wanted to try nutella cuz my mom said that was the best. Oreo crepe was pretty tasty but i was kinda full from my meal so my taste buds probably weren't doing justice for the crepe. Although, it is creamier than i would have preferred.

Rating: 3.7 stars

The ambiance of the cafe is lovely. This sort of design is in huh. I like it. The internet connection, however was terrible. I don't know if the internet was down or what but...i couldn't even load one single page! I gave up after 5 minutes. Shame.

I can't remember the price but it is pretty expensive compared to the usual eatery outlets in alor setar but it's worth trying. Definitely would come again. More pictures!

War Against Procrastination

Hey guys, this is one of the moments when I think a lot about how procrastination has gotten me nowhere...... again...

Yes, I have work but I am not finishing it..as fast as I should. It is the mid semester break currently and I haven't been vey productive. But mind you, I am slowly ticking off the things I need to from my to-do list. Hello to progress!

I know some of you do this: You have decide that you finally are gonna start working, and so you sit on your desk and turn on your laptop. But instead of finishing that essay, you realize you are not in the mood. But at the same time, you realize this lack of mojo is wasting your time. So what do you do? Waste time anyway by finding out how not to waste time.

In other words... procrastinate by finding out how to not procrastinate. Haha hambar

Well, before that I decided to find out how bad of a procrastinator I am by answering 77 questions from a web quiz. That took me about half an hour. Well, I found out that I am not too bad. Although, I am quite dubious of the results. Proof was I still hadn't carried on with my work.

I didn't just take quizzes, I also watched some videos. I must say that they are pretty good. Did I waste time? Yes. Did I learn how not to? Yes. Did I procrastinate anyway? Yes but less...

Fair enough.

I decided that I like Wellcast videos :)

The Football Review

I had already accepted the fact that I am quite "lembut" when playing sports. I remember my netball coach shouting at me to toughen up, because yeah, I was quite dainty for the sport. Which is a sad thing, because netball is not a sport that requires much toughness. But this week, ATUSA hosted an American Sports Week and I found out that I'm not that bad. The last game, "Touch" Football made up for the everything else that was lacking in the event.

I say touch with inverted  commas because in the end we didn't stick to the rules. It was quite liberating to be running loose in the field. In contrast, touch football (and even netball) is full with the blowing of whistles.

Anyway, I discovered two things about myself.

1. I am quite okay with hurting other people. That sounds so morbid but what I mean is that I remember thinking that maybe I wouldn't be a good player because I probably wouldn't have the heart to hurt anyone anymore. Well, I proved myself wrong when I tackled an opponent and friend, wringing her arms off me when in fact it I was the one holding her in the first place. Yeah, I was really into the game.

2. I am stuck in an old woman's body. One day after the game, my arms started to hurt badly. It actually still hurts, even today but it has gotten better. Right after the game, I had a cramp, which lately, has become the rule rather than the exception. Whenever I over exert myself I'd get a cramp attack at the same spot!

Anyway, cheers to rugby! The pain I suffered during and after the game was worth it.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to have played a specific type of football because we initially followed the 'touch football' rules but when it was clear that it wasn't feasible, we decided with "no rules". So yeah.

To Kill a Mockingjay

What do Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird and Hassan of The Kite Runner have in common? They are my two most favourite fictional characters. Probably some of you might think that that is so cliche, but I can't help it. They really struck me as awesome characters!

It's not often that I am awed by fictional characters. Well, partly because I rarely read fiction. I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird (One time, I accidentally typed To Kill a Mockingjay). I must say that it was a very enjoyable read. It really changed my perspective on fictional books. I stopped reading fiction avidly ever since I started picking up a book on Nelson Mandela. And I decided to abandon said genre for good. Once  a while I did pick up some fictional books but only if they were really famous and had good reviews.

Now I realize before Mandela, I had been reading lots of trashy fiction books which were fun to read but did not give any real satisfaction. After so many Shopaholics, I felt empty maybe. I don't quite remember. However, I do remember feeling very good after finishing the Mandela book. And thus, I was resolute with my decision.

But To Kill  a Mockingbird made me feel like picking up more good literature like this. I still prefer non-fiction, but you can say I am more open to different type of books.

The Novelty of Loneliness

 I have been wanting to write my experience with loneliness. I just finished reading the late Marina Keegan's essay, "The Opposite of Loneliness". I just brought that up for those of you who want to read an essay written by a Yale magna cum laude. Plus, it sort of fits today's topic.

I can't believe how fast the holidays went by. And now I am back in my room in INTEC, worrying about applications which I totally ignored during the holidays. So much happened the past year, even towards the end of it. The night does change, huh. But lets leave it at that. It is a new year and lets hope my new mojo lives long.

When I wrote my last post, I was living alone in my apartment/house. My housemates are in a different program and so they had left for their one-month break. I don't know how to describe what I felt back then. At first, I felt really good about the amount of privacy I enjoyed. Imagine four people staying in one house. I did feel a bit cooped up. And so, I found being alone was refreshing. Don't get me wrong I love my housemates but I had been looking forward to live "independently". ( During my friend's mum's time in Akasia, there were a total of eight people in one house. EIGHT! That is double of us. I can't imagine.  but  I guess I am an introvert at heart.)

Things were lovely at first. I turned my other two housemates' room into a prayer and dressing room. I hogged all four study tables. I controlled the level of hygiene in the house. I liked it all. But soon, the novelty wore off. Not entirely. But enough to make me crave for human company. I came to dread being alone on my last few days at my college residence.Classes and eventually, exams went on as usual. They kept me sane, I guess.  But coming home to an empty house and knowing I would spend my time alone till class next morning just made me feel...really lonely.

 Due to circumstances, I was one of the last few to go home at the end of the semester. My last night in Shah Alam was spent at a dear friend's house. And it was great. I got time to catch up with some friends. Knowing that everyone else was leaving the next day, I left my for my aunt's.

I used to think I can stand being alone. I still do, but I don't think I can bear going through that experience again. I know I may sound like I am contradicting myself, but I sort of cherish that experience. It really wasn't all  that awful. It is really a mix of good and bad memories. It is just that the dreadful feeling I felt at the end of my stay mitigated the wonderfulness of being alone. Lets just say, I knew myself better after being lonely for so long.