Baju raya surprise no more

Assalamualaikum,

Petang tadi dalam pukul 3.00pm macam tu, geng-geng bujang di Wollongong berkumpul beramai-ramai sebab nak amik gambar untuk dihantar ke segmen salam perantau dalam suratkhabar di Malaysia.  Eh, rasanya macam tiap-tiap tahun jugak lah muka ni keluar newspaper.hahaha. Tapi apa salahnya kan? Sementara kat luar negara ni boleh la buat, kalau dah balik Malaysia baru nak buat mau kena lepuk dengan sedara mara nanti. hehe. :p

Kalau tahun lepas kami buat sesi fotografi yang sangat meriah di Wollongong Harbour seperti yang I dah pernah tulis DI SINI, tapi kali ni, dengan penyertaan yang lebih ramai, kami semua bergambar di Wollongong Botanic Garden je. Dekat dengan rumah masing-masing dan jugak uni. Dah macam jadi aktiviti tahunan pulak buat photo session ni rasanya kan? I like!:)

Disebabkan sesi fotografi tu petang, I pulak datang ke uni pagi, gasaklah haku berjalan ke hulu ke hilir dengan baju raya. hahaha. Baju raya pun tak raya sangat lah. Dah lama dah En. Tunang bagi tapi tak pakai-pakai. So, tahun ni I bawaklah sini buat jadi baju raya.hehe. Eh, habis lah tak surprise dah baju raya awal-awal lagi dah pakai. Tapi takpe, ada lagi satu. muahahahahaha. Memang dasar perempuan! :p

Lagipun kalau dah nama pun raya kat sini, takde maknanya ada baju baru banyak-banyak. Cukuplah satu untuk pakai masa pagi raya, esoknya dah mula pakai baju biasa masuk office macam biasa balik. T___T. So, sementara ada peluang nak pakai baju lawa-lawa, I pun belasah la. Lepas ni confirm takde dah. huhu.

Untuk kali ni I letak gambar suka-suka kitorang amik sendiri sebelum sesi fotografi bermula ye. Gambar ramai-ramai yang lawa ada dekat Official Photographer, Paitheartsoul dengan Zaki. Kalau I dapat copy dari diorang nanti I tunjuk. Tapi kalau tak, kena tunggu keluar ruangan Salam Perantau je la ye. :)

Fatin - Me- Didi (MAS UOW new member)

Housemate! :)

Yours truly. I malu letak gambar sorang yang tengok camera.
Muahahaha. :p

My simple living in Wollongong

Assalamualaikum,

Pejam celik pejam celik, satu pertiga daripada Ramadhan dah pergi meninggalkan kita. It has come and now it went by, as quickly as it feels. Sejauh mana kita dapat manfaat daripada bulan yang mulia ini, we can't really tell though. Semuanya urusan Allah swt. Tepuk dada, tanya iman sendiri ye? :)

Anyway, awak-awak semua buka puasa makan apa hari ni? Kepada yang di Malaysia mesti tak payah risau kan? Pilihan terlampau banyak silap-silap sampai habis 30 hari berpuasa pun tak termakan semua benda yang ada dekat bazar tu lagi. Kepada yang di perantauan, worry you not! Nanti balik kita enjoy makanan sedap-sedap okay? 

Hidup sebagai orang bujang di perantauan ni mudah aje as I rarely cook on weekdays. Hari-hari biasa, I akan pergi berbuka di MAWU ataupun sekali sekala pergi rumah Kak Fish. Bukan apa, biasanya I keluar pergi uni pagi, then balik pulak dah malam, I'd rather grab something fast and easy for my iftar. Bunyi macam malas kan? But that's the most convenient way to best schedule my daily timetable.

Whereas for iftars on the weekends, I'd prefer to have something home-cooked. Maknanya kena masak sendiri la kan?? Sedap ke tidak tu letak sebelah, yang penting makan di rumah sebab feel dia memang lain sikit. hehe. Tapi minggu ni ngelat sikit sebab import chef Kerul untuk masak. Maklumla dah lama tak makan hasil air tangan masterchef orang bujang dekat Wollongong ni. hihihi. :p

Kuey teow goreng udang bergolek Chef Kerul!!

My very first kuih bakar ever!  Orang utara panggil bengkang.
Easy peasy!

Slightly homesick

Dear diary,

I talked to my mum all the way from home to uni just now. Macam biasalah bila dah sembang macam-macam dengan mak, then I started to miss home very badly right after we hung up our conversation. Ohh, kalau memang dah kenal I lama, masa-masa puasa and nak raya macam ni memang I akan drama sikit. Maklumla family jauh kan. hihi. But seriously, the homesickness rate increases very rapidly at this moment of time. :(

Hari tu masa skype dengan my darling babysister, Huda, she kept asking me to go back and spend Eid with my family at home. I said I can't and told her not to worry because this gonna be my final year abroad and I will be back home for goods by next year. Lepas je I cakap tahun depan kita boleh raya sama-sama, dia terus jawab, "Tahun depan kakak kan dah kawennnn!!!".

My ohh my, I must have totally forgotten and she reminded me about that. And that worries her soo much you know? For her, from next year onwards I dah tak boleh spend hari raya dengan family sendiri sebab kena balik kampung suami. Isteri kan kena ikut cakap suami? hahaha. Then I realize how innocent my sweet sister is and my heart melted by just hearing how much she's going to miss me then.

I love you, Huda!

Doakan saya diberi kelulusan untuk present paper di UK please...

Asslamualaikum wbt,

Hari ni dah masuk hari ke-5 bulan Ramadhan (mungkin hari ke-4 bagi tempat lain) untuk seluruh umat Islam di seluruh dunia. Alhamdulillah I masih diberi peluang untuk berpuasa dalam bulan mulia ni sebelum dapat cuti dari Allah swt. Kalau dapat peluang puasa penuh lagi syok sebenarnya. Tak payah risau dah cukup ganti ke tidak nanti. huhu.

Anyway, my day was so hectic today. Bangun sahur pukul 4.45am, makan roti dengan nugget & omelette yang Fatin buat. Thank you housemate! :) Lepas solat subuh I skyped kejap dengan Mr Fiance, pastu terlelap setengah jam sebelum siap-siap pergi airport ambik Kerul and Kash yang baru sampai dari Malaysia. Hujan lebat gilaaaa masa pergi tu serious rasa macam nak tumpang trailer angkut kereta yang lalu kat sebelah. Tapi trailer tu bawak Mercedes la I pulak bawak keta cabuk aje. hikhik. Alhamdulillah the sky cleared up on our way back to Wollongong.

Sampai je Wollongong I singgah umah Kak Fish jap jenguk Aydin, then terus ke uni uruskan pasal permohonan funding dari Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi (KPT) untuk conference dekat United Kingdom bulan September nanti. Harap dimudahkan la urusan nak dapatkan fund ni, kalau tak, mungkin next time je la rezeki nak sampai ke sana. Pray for me pretty pleasee??? Okay I setkan niat baik-baik nak pergi atas urusan pembentangan kertas kerja. Padahal meloncat-loncat nak pergi berjalan sebenarnya kan kan kan??? Huahuahua. :p

Lepas dah siap post semua dokumen yang KPT perlukan, I pergi student centre pulak nak mohon Conformation of Enrolment (COE) yang baru. Maklumla tempoh extension 6 bulan yang pertama akan mula hujung bulan ni. Time ni la kalut sikit nak kena renew segala benda, COE, medical check up, health insurans and visa. Apa yang pasti semuanya memerlukan dollar. Dalam dunia sekarang ni apa je yang tak kena bayar kan? Semua pun duittt. T____T

Lepas dah settled semua, I balik umah kejap sebab rasa macam otak tak berfungsi dengan betol lagi kalau nak sambung masuk ofis buat kerja terus. hoho. Lepak sejam dua dekat rumah, then keluar balik pergi berbuka dekat MAWU. Biasanya kalau weekdays memang I akan berbuka dekat situ. Senang sebab lepas tu boleh terus masuk ofis balik and yang paling penting tak payah fikir nak makan apa untuk bukak posa. hehe.

MAWU iftar day-5
I guess I'm so gonna miss this kind of food next year

Lepas dah siap solat terawih semua, now here I am, writing from my work station sambil ambil mood untuk buat kerja sikit malam ni. Lepas ni tunggu Fatin habis kelas then balik sama-sama, and that is how I am going to end my day. Balik ni terus rasa nak makan kuih raya tiramisu yang Fatin bawak balik dari Malaysia lepas tu baru boleh tido sambil senyum! hehe. :)

Spiritual reflection of myself

Assalamualaikum wbt,

Today marks the start of Ramadhan in Wollongong and also at some other parts of the world where the crescent moon has sighted. And this holy month will continue for 30 days until 18th of August 2012, InsyaAllah. Semua umat Islam di seluruh dunia akan berpuasa di siang hari dan merebut pahala ibadat sunat pada malamnya. This is why we consider Ramadhan as a blessed month.

The moment I stepped out from my house this morning, I was amazed with how beautiful the first day of our fasting month is. The sky is so blue without any shade of white clouds and the sunlight is so bright that it helps to balance the chilly winter breeze. Very very beautiful. So right after I found an empty spot to park the car, then I decided to have a short walk to Botanic Garden which is located right in front of my uni.

Very beautiful day. Don't you think so?

Madoline Street and an entrance to University of Wollongong

I spent some alone time walking and thinking and I am glad how I was reminded about the spiritual reflection of this holy month. Ini mungkin Ramadhan yang terakhir I dekat sini. I really have to spend it wisely. I need to enrich my Ramadhan in many ways and make it different, for the better. Let's everybody join me is this spiritual journey yea! :)

RAMADHAN MUBARAK EVERYONE!

Young, smart, and beautiful PhD holders

Assalamualaikum semua,

How's everyone doing today? Excited to welcome Ramadhan again, don't we? There is one more day left in Syaaban before the holy Ramadhan is taking place. Oh yeah, kami dekat Australia ni akan berpuasa awal sehari berbanding Malaysia ataupun negara lain. So, insyaAllah Jumaat ni I dah akan mula berpuasa. What a good day to start with right? Semoga Ramadhan kali ni menjadi Ramadhan terbaik yang pernah kita semua lalui sepanjang hidup ni. InsyaAllah.

Anyway, sampai je uni pagi tadi, perasaan I dipenuhi dengan aura-aura positif? Why? It is UOW's July 2012 Graduation Ceremonies today!! Masuk je kawasan Unihall tadi penuh dengan orang-orang yang pakai jubah graduasi muka berseri-seri sebab akan terima award dari Canselor. Seriously, I can't wait for my own time to come. I envy them you know! Tapi ni envy in a good way la. :)

So I went to see two of my friends who have graduated today. Dr Klairung Samart and Dr 'Atikah Zulkiffli. Seeing them, I imagine myself to be exactly at their place, making me want to complete everything the soonest possible. They are young, they are smart, they are beautiful, they are blissfully married (Dr 'Atikah even has a baby bump if you notice). It seems like they have it all!

Dr Klairung Samart
PhD in Statistics

Dr Siti Nor 'Atikah Zulkiffli
PhD in Business

So I told myself to keep working hard, get my research done, submit the thesis, go back and get married, and come back again with my husband for graduation ceremony. Kalau murah rezeki, bawak baby bump macam Tikah terima award sekali atas pentas. Comel kan? hihihi. Hmm, tak salah kan kalau berangan-angan? Yang penting diiringi dengan usaha dan doa. InsyaAllah one day. Do pray for me yea!:)

Mathematical simulations turns vanilla-chocolate cake?

Assalamualaikum semua,

I hope you guys are doing great today. I am working from home now sebab pagi tadi dalam pukul 10.30 macam tu ada agent datang buat inspection rumah. Dekat sini memang sentiasa akan ada regular inspection just to make sure that the house is well-maintained. Bagus kan macam tu? I think we should do the same back in our country. Mungkin dapat kurangkan masalah penyewa yang tidak berdisiplin kan? :)

So far, rumah yang I duduk ni tak pernah ada major problem apa pun. Setakat tap leaking sikit-sikit tu biasalah. Sekejap tap dapur, next time shower tap pulak. Kalau setakat dripping sikit-sikit boleh tahan lagi. Tapi kalau sampai mengalir tu tak best la kan sebab rasa macam membazir je air. So tadi tu je la yang I complaint dekat Sandra. Hopefully dia datang fix cepat-cepat.

Then bila dah separuh hari dekat rumah, mula lah rasa malas nak pergi uni. huahua. Bukan apa, petang nanti dah nak siap-siap angkat barang untuk shipping esok. So rasa macam tak berbaloi je kalau setakat pergi office sejam dua kan? Hence here I am, accessing my office's desktop from home. Satu skrin run simulation, satu skrin lagi layan youtube. Good girl! kehkehkeh. :p

Tapi bila dah duduk rumah paham-paham aje lah. Mana boleh concentrate buat kerja je. Elok-elok je tengah focus, tiba-tiba boleh pulak bangun pergi godek-godek almari dapur. Boleh pulak time ni jugak lah terasa nak baking. T___T Amirah?? baking?? Memang wonder of the world!! haha. Eh, I takde la teruk sangat sampai tak reti buat apa-apa. Kadang-kadang kalau ada mood and cukup bahan, I rajin lah jugak. Cuma mood tu hanya datang sekali sekala ikut suka hati dia. hahaha.

Eh okay lah. bau kek dah harum semerbak dah ni. I better go check on it now. Sat lagi kalau lambat jadi kek dayang senandung menangis tak berlagu pulok. hahaha. So, get ready everybody, vanilla-chocolate marble cake is on it's wayyyy!! :) 

Vanilla-Chocolate. Bukan yang drama Melayu tu tau!
Setakat nak hidang minum petang dekat mak mentua lepas lah ni kot. kihkihkih. :p

Till I see you guys again next time.

Tata! :)

Our love story after 9 years

Assalamualaikum,

Finally dapat jugak jenguk kamu wahai blog ku yang sentiasa terabai sejak kebelakangan ni. Ampun ampun. I tried a couple of times to write, but every time I was about to start scribbling something, the guilty feeling came through, and I concentrated on producing more and more Fortran results instead. T__T 

However, when it comes to today's date, I think I really really need to write something to commemorate a special occasion that happened today 9 years ago. hahaha. Apakah itu? It's the day when Amri and Amirah became an item! Masa tu masing-masing muda remaja lagi, baru lepas sekolah tapi dah gatai nak bercinta. hihi. :p

Nak kata cinta monyet pun tak lah sangat sebab masing-masing serious tau, and Alhamdulillah the love stands strong until after 9 years and hopefully it's going to be stronger until forever, and even until Jannah. After all the years, we can't deny that we have gone through a few up and down phases, but as all praises go to Allah, I am glad that we survived.

Kisah cinta bermula di UTM Skudai, walaupun hampir 5 tahun belajar sama-sama dekat situ, kami bukan jenis pasangan yang berkepit doplohpatjam. Tak tak. Memang tak. Kalau macam tu mampoih bosan dah mengadap muka masing-masing. Biasanya jumpa untuk lunch atau dinner, kadang-kadang study sama-sama, sekali sekala keluar jalan-jalan. 5 tahun yang ada pasang surut, and we survived.

Then bila dah habis belajar, dia mula bekerja, I pulak datang ke Australia sambung belajar lagi tak habis-habis. Mula lah episode bercinta jarak jauh, Malaysia-Australia. We suffered quite a lot for the first few months. Mana taknya, hari-hari tengok muka dalam skrin ja. Tamat sudah kisah dating-dating. Jumpa sekali sekala hanya bila I balik bercuti ke Malaysia. 2 tahun yang sangat mencabar, yet we still survived.

Hujung tahun lepas, 31 Disember 2011, kami ditunangkan, dan kemudian dia pulak perlu bekerja ke luar negara. Maka bermulalah episode bercinta jarak yang lebih jauh. Australia-Austria. Ejaan nama je dekat tapi jarak dia perlu melangkah benua tau! Local time yang totally opposite, cost nak berhubung making meningkat, (thank God ada whatsapp!), keadaan kerja masing-masing pulak yang terlampau sibuk, namun Alhamdulillah, until today's date, we proudly survived!

The way we communicate while we both at work. hahaha.
Thank you technologies! :)

We have a few months to go before this love story comes to it's end, and then we will start with a new sequel, which I believe will be more interesting and not to forget, challenging as well. Do pray for both of us, and also our journey in cruising our love story yea! :)

Beautiful memories keep you going

Assalamualaikum,

It is only 10 minutes past 11pm, and I was all ready to go to bed before I decided to have something written in here first. I am now sitting on my bed, staring at my computer screen with my swollen eyes and suddenly it feels like dejavu. Amboi sejak tengok cerita Aqasha nyanyi lagu Butterfly sedap pandai pulak guna perkataan dejavu. kehkehkeh. Eh, serius ni, rasa dejavu.

Teringat-ingat je ayat Kak Fish masa dinner tadi. "Akak tau, balik kang ko masuk umah je mesti nangis dulu sebab takde orang, lepas tu ko update blog sikit, and terus tido sambil  mata bengkak", she said earlier. And suprisingly she was ALL right!! See, sometimes other people could understand us more than we actually do.

I miss these girls.
Mala, Fatin, Aimy and Laili

Snowy Mountains 2011

Aidilfitri 2011

Football match Malaysia VS Australia 2011

Punya la masa bawak kereta on the way balik tu, I said to myself, balik nanti terus tido, balik nanti terus tido. But the moment I stepped into my house, huwaaaaa, sedihnya rasa!! And once again, I failed. hahahaha. Amirah ohh Amirah, your age is more than quarter of the century already, and you keep crying some more?? Adoiyai!!

So I gave myself half an hour untuk layan perasaan a little bit and that was it. Hari ni sepatutnya gembira sebab Alhamdulillah, there is a promising milestone in my research progress and I need to focus more after this. Ingat, ada two important things nak kena submit before 12th and 16th July, so jangan nak buang masa lagi dah. Keep on going, everything will turn out smooth, insyaAllah.

Till I have time to come back again soon. 

If not, don't miss me too much yea! :)