Welcoming the 2013 school session

It's the busiest time of the year.  Traffic to the office was extremely smooth this morning.  I think half of the population is on leave today.  For me, it is even busier as the beginning of the school session this time coincides with the end of the semester here.  I am not on leave today, and will not be on leave next Wednesday.  Abah will be accompanying Angah on his first day of school.  He had his orientation last Friday and everything seemed fine.  So, I'm not that worry.  Plus, Along will hopefully be around to peep him from time to time.

A pre-weekend away in Malacca

It is almost the end of the long school holiday.  We travelled a lot this time.  We went to Yan, Kedah for Pak Su wedding on the 7th of December and stayed overnight there.  The homestay was nice, facing the seafront, but there was no beach though.  On the way back, we stopped by at Ipoh for another night.  We planned it that way.  So that we wouldn't be too exhausted from the long journey back.  We arrived at the Kinta Riverfront Hotel around Maghrib time and the kids spent the whole morning in the pool the next day.  Two weeks later, we found ourselves on another holiday trip.  This time to Malacca.  I had to visit my students who were doing their industrial training attachments there.  One in Alor Gajah and another in the city centre.  We spent the first night in the AFamosa Resort Hotel.  Since it was a weekday, we departed after office hour and reached there at around 9 pm.  We were at the Equatorial Hotel for the second night. 

Alhamdulillah, everybody enjoyed every bit of it, especially the pool :)  I booked a premier room and the brothers really enjoyed the daybed and the view.  Both of them slept there throughout the night with no fuss and no sound heard.  Obviously fast asleep and surprisingly, none of them fall off the bed!

The daybed in the Premier room

Achik-the-little-princess, as usual, always gets the priviledged treatment and had the whole queen size bed to herself ;)



Also fast asleep

School holiday dilemma

For a working mother without a helper, end-of-the-year school holiday always poses a challenge, that is, how to keep the school age children engaged.  For this, I am very thankful to Mak Nah, the owner of Taska Al Humairaa for organising loads of activities for elder children whose siblings attend daycare at the nursery.  Angah is enjoying every bit of it, which is a great relieve to me.  As for Along, the first week was really holiday.  He just stayed at home with my mum.  Thank you very much wan.  Second week, he attended a robotics workshop, an introduction to robot for children.  He enjoyed it.  Starting this week, he is attending Littlescientist workshop for three weeks.  Till then, I will have to figure out what they will do for the remaining weeks of this school holiday.

"Don't tell me in UNITEN"

I am 'enjoying' a two-day breakaway from office work since yesterday, attending a research seminar and the launching of CREAM journal at Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian Tinggi (AKEPT).  I met a senior academician there, who was very frank :).  Here is a snip from our conversation yesterday.

She: Are you doing your PhD now?
Me: Just completed. Submitted and now waiting for viva.
She: Good for you.  Where did you do it?  Don't tell me [that you did it] in UNITEN.
Me: Nope.  I did it in the UM.

And the conversation continued.  Apparently she had just received her PhD from the UM last year and she shared her viva experience with me.  It is good sometimes to talk to a frank person like her because it brings you to reality.  UNITEN has a long way to go to establish its research reputation, that was the point that I got yesterday.  So, calling all PhD graduates from UNITEN, prove that this lady is wrong.  Otherwise you will only confirm her 'hypothesis'.

Off you go ..

My almost six and a half year battle with this part time commitment is finally approaching its end.  Four copies are on their way to the external examiners for evaluation.  I have tried my best.  Now is the time for prayers and complete reliance on Allah.

Please come back to me with nice comments  ;)