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  ;)

Me, myself and antibiotics

More often than not, antibiotics prescribed to me and my children went to the bin unopened.  If not straightaway, they eventually went there after three days.  Here in Malaysia, doctors easily prescribe antibiotics to patients.  Based on my experience in the UK, antibiotics are the last in their prescription list.  Even when I once suffered from prolonged fever and on the verge of losing my voice, the doctor was still hesitate on giving me antibiotics.

I am currently suffering from eyesore since last Monday and when the condition did not improve after three days, I eventually took the antibiotics prescribed to me three days before.  Unfortunately, the condition worsened after I took them and yesterday, after four days on antibiotics, I paid another visit to the clinic.  The doctor said that the eyesore could possibly be because of viral infection rather than bacterial infection since it did not respond to the antibiotics.  Hu ... hu ...  Can you imagine?  I hate antibiotics and when I eventually surrendered and took them, it was for nothing.

End result?  I hate antibiotics even more!

UPSR holiday

I can't find a better name for it.  UPSR is an exam, but only for standard six students.  For other primary school pupils, it means additional holidays.  Along is one of them and I have to find a place for him to stay during the three holi-days.  Yesterday, he stayed at home.  Home Alone.  It was not the best option, especially safety wise, but he wanted it, so it was.  I only returned home in the afternoon to prepare for his lunch and mine too of course.  This morning, he wanted to go to the nursery with Achik.  I was fine with it because I did see a few other pupils who were also 'enjoying' their holidays there yesterday.  Angah will join the bandwagon after his kindergarten session ends at 12 and I can then pick them all up at one place this evening.  Nice.  Tomorrow is still a question mark.  Probably I will join him and take a holiday too :)