MY NEW BLOG!
Written on March 2, 2008 – 3:16 am | by tanakwagu
This is my new blog. http://isaacalfred.blogspot.com/
Come and read my posts there.
Written on March 2, 2008 – 3:16 am | by tanakwagu
UMS SUCKS!
Written on February 29, 2008 – 6:22 am | by tanakwagu
OK. Here’s the story about what had happened to me during the day on 29th of February 2008. Before that, I wish to all birthday peoples who are celebrating their special birthday today a happy and blessed celebration of life, since they can only celebrate it once in 4 years.
I had my mock teaching and interview today at Bangunan Canselori, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Kota Kinabalu. The building located on the tip of the hill and is the most significant building of the university which is the very own ‘twin towers’ of the university. It was my first time to meet Jannah and Arsih since August 2007 and we were really happy to be able to meet each other again. I can say that the three of us are bestfriends since 2004.
I was the first candidate to do the mock teaching in front of 2 panels which Dr. Micheal Wong was one of them. I knew him from BRI’s website and eventhou he’s not from a bioinformatics background, but he himself is very much actively involve in the bioinformatics research areas undergoes by BRI-UMS. BRI stands for Biotechnology Research Institute. The mock teaching was done in the morning and I did my best for it where I gave good explanation to the panels which supposedly to be assumed as ’students’, about phylogenetics trees, local area network (LAN) topology, bioinformatics databases, genome sequencing, plant Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, and etc. I was really happy with my performance.
Next, we went to have lunch at Jannah’s family’s restaurant at Kingfisher, KK and I had my lunch set for free due to my belated birthday a few weeks ago. Thanks to both of them. Then, we went to Giant and bought few things for ourselves. At 1pm, we went back to UMS for another session - Interview.
It pissed me off twice! I was well mannered and well prepared for the interview. I spoke with them in English eventhou at first they uttered words in Malay, just because I wanted them to be impressed with my effort to try to speak in English as the second language. Well, what can I say, this is a university and once a graduate, people expected you to be able to converse in English. Well at least, broken English if you please. I didn’t dare to utter even a single Malay word and I can say I did converse with a proper grammar and pronunciation.
Yes. It pissed me off twice. One was because the university’s Registrar dared to questioned the credibility of my supervisor as well as Universiti Malaya on the reason why she and UM accepted me to work as an RA. He even asked on what basis and reasons that made her and UM to make such decision. I told him that Universiti Malaya accepted me based on my transcripts of bachelor’s degree and not by SPM. Yet he objected that "but you haven’t get your degree certificate so I assumed that she accepted you based on your SPM results." NO SUCH THING! I was there when my supervisor interviewed me on behalf of UM and she herself agreed to take me as her RA based on my transcripts and not by my SPM and she said that it doesn’t matter for the university to accept me even if I haven’t get the degree certificate yet. I emailed my supervisor and told her about it.
Second thing was when the Head of BRI told the three of us that UMS and practically all public universities, cannot accept graduates from private universities to work at IPTA. WHAT THE HECK MAN! UMS already awared that the three of us are graduates from Management & Science Univeristy (MSU) which is a private university in Shah Alam. If what the Head said was true, so wasn’t it a waste of time for them to interview us? Wasn’t it a waste of energy for us to go for the interview? If at the end of the interview, whether we performed well or not, we will still not be able to get the job afterall!
The Head then told us to go to BRI at once. The good thing happened after the meeting was when she told us, "I really hope that the three of you could at least register as Master students at BRI and from there we will try to absorb you to the teaching department." What was that supposed to mean? Is that how IPTAs in Malaysia treat graduates from private institutions? SO PATHETIC! Yet, we did go to BRI and looked around its’ bioinformatics lab with the accompany of Mr. Adrian. Oh, I met him for the first time there. I knew him from Friendster.com, yet I don’t think he recognized my face then.
I don’t think we will get the job! SO WHAT! With that kind of things that pissed me off? Nevermind.
We went to Warisan Square and had our Frozen Yogurt. It was really yummy!
KLIA - LCCT
Written on February 27, 2008 – 12:29 am | by tanakwagu
I’m so lucky to have parents that really support me and care for my
needs, especially when I’m facing a financial difficulty. Well I guess,
that’s what parents supposed to do, right. Soon or later, I’m going to
be a father and a husband and of course I must love, care, and support
my children according to my own way of living as a father and a husband
- according to my own cup cake. My parents had given me a lot of time
for me to search for my own identity, my own life, my own dreams. Even
thou most of the time, I made them angry, sad, disappointed, and
sometimes happy too, they were always be at my side. Few of my
housemates told me that I’m a lucky child because within 5 months I’ve
been flying back to and fro of KK and Kuala Lumpur. The flight
expenditure is a total of RM5000 and above just for the air tickets, so
what more if inclusive my pocket money which most of the time my
parents gave me more than RM1000. I’m so lucky eventhou I might think
and I believe that I’m the black sheep of the family. I don’t
understand why God is so gracious towards me ever since I was born. He
could have just take away my soul from this mortal body. And what more
to my parents who really worked hard just to make sure that all my
needs will be catered. God could have just take their lives away in
their 50s. My dad is now 64 years old and my mom is 3 years younger
than him.
Well now I’m waiting for my flight at currently
writing blog because I feel to write. I wanted to write about LCCT, my
journey back to KK today, my plans when I’m back there, my interview
session which will be on this Friday morning (which I’m a bit shaky.) I
haven’t prepared slides for the mock teaching and I keep thinking of
which neck tie should I wear to match the new shirt I bought yesterday.
I’m listening to Vitamin C - Graduation which
reminds me of the coming convocation ceremony this end of March 2008.
I’m not sure where will it be but for sure it’s somewhere in KL. This
is the moment that I’ve been waiting for since 5 years ago. I didn’t
have the chance to join my batch for my diploma convocation ceremony
dated on June 2004. I was having my 1st semester at MSU and it wasn’t a
holiday for us. So practically I never have gone for a graduation
ceremony yet I already got the certificate. My plans for this memorable
day of my life would be, I shall bring my parents to Melaka. It’s
because they never been to Melaka and I miss Melaka very much since I
like the place a lot. Apart from that, Kuala Lumpur will always be the
main place to be. So what would I do after the graduation? Well
practically at this point, I’m doing my Master’s degree at UM. At the
same time, my purpose of going back to KK today is due to the interview
session on Friday. If I get the job at UMS, I’ll be leaving KL for
good. If not, I’ll come again to UM and resume my research. Thanks to
my colleagues and especially my supervisor A.Prof.Dr Jenny.
It’s
now 4.12pm and the boarding time is at 4.40pm, tentatively. Most of the
time, it’s not what it is due to many reasons for examples: time
management and passengers management. It would be my first time to cast
vote on this 8th of March 2008, the 12th Malaysia’s General Election
where eligible Malaysians by law, will be casting their votes to elect
the political candidates of their interest. Well, I can say that the
opposition candidates and their political propagandas are not as havoc
as it were in Peninsular Malaysia since based on the current situation,
the people of Sabah favored developments and changes and the federal
government has been helping the state to grow and indeed we saw a lot
of good changes has been brought to this state which was long ago and
still in the same ground in few sectors for example the education
sectors, the poorest and slow state in the country. Well, it’s not the
usual ‘Sabah’ anymore. It’s now better compared to Kelantan and
Terengganu. I can say, even Kuching. Come and you’ll see for your self.
I
wish that the aircraft has at least one electric point so that I can
easily connect my wire and switch on my laptop, for my battery is no
longer can support the laptop even up to 5 minute. I need to buy new
battery.
Planet Hollywood, KL
Written on February 26, 2008 – 9:05 am | by tanakwagu
Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur! It was my first time to go to this famous bistro in KL which attracted a lot of Hollywood artists ever since its’ opening few years ago. I was reluctantly to go for this place but since all of them were pretty much persuasive towards me of following them, so I just gave it a try and wore my new shirt which was supposed to be worn during the coming interview session. Well, what the heck. I dressed up nicely bearing in mind that I was about to go for a place I’d never been before in my entire life - PLANET HOLLYWOOD, KL!
The foods were very nice except Sheena’s Lamb Chop which was so expensive. We were there not knowing that it was a birthday bash for Gilda’s friend who turned to be 18y/o this year. Happy birthday to her.
Next, the performance was damn good I can tell you. I like their songs and they really sang very well especially the lead singer whose voice was so fit for my ears. And he was attractive too (hehe…).
Thanks to Gilda who initiated to dance on the open floor. I wanted so much to go and shake my body for the first time but, I was pretty much a shy cat. Gilda started it all and eventually I was really triggered to dance and I did. I and Beat went to the site and danced like crazy. Surprisingly, all of them later on joint us too, which made the whole night went funny and crazy. Peoples around us were happy too.
I think I’m addicted to such place already and if I got enough money, I’ll go for the same thing nearby where I am. I enjoyed dancing at Planet Hollywood and why shouldn’t I be afraid to dance at some other bistros and clubs and bars…
I need to pack some stuffs and get ready to fly back tomorrow at 5.10pm.
Good night.
Today
Written on February 25, 2008 – 8:43 am | by tanakwagu
Nowadays I realized that my English conversation and grammar are becoming worst and worst. I need to get back on the right tune. Peoples around me were talking about MBBS. Shit! I did badly for my SPM. I know that I cannot retake it. Thank God! I have Plan B despite still wanting to pursue for medicine.
I’m not really happy to go back to Sabah this coming Wednesday as I feel I won’t be able to laugh as much as I can when I’m back to my house. I can’t go out to places I like as often as I like as what I always do back in PJ. I’m loosing one close friend yet surprisingly gained few more friends. How I miss the friend which used to be my close friend, so much!
I’m waiting for my convocation this coming March or April 2008. I want to bring my parents to Melaka for holidays.
Owh GOSH!!! I haven’t packed my stuffs. I can’t do it tomorrow night - I’ll be going for a dinner with my housemates at Planet Hollywood, Bukit Bintang KL.
It’s 12.42am, Tuesday the 26th of February 2008.
Good night.
Amazing FearLESS Race
Written on February 23, 2008 – 9:39 am | by tanakwagu
I’m currently listening to Shayne Ward’s song If It’s OK With You through Youtube.com. I like this song very much because Shayne Ward danced pretty good and the song suits to my ears. I might not understand the whole idea of the lyric, or perhaps what it tells about. But at least, I enjoy watching his’ video clip everytime I tune to it.
It was a well spent Saturday with a fantastic Amazing Fearless Race organized by the LifeLine group of the parish. LifeLine is a community of tertiary students and an adults which aims for a moderate Christian living through friendship with God in daily living of each member. I just registered myself as a member a few days ago. To find out more about the group, click LifeLine. Thanks to Pris, Conrade, Shaun, Melvin and Sabrina. I did have fun being with you all and I’m looking forward to join such activity in near future.
What can you do with your face to peoples around you? What will happened to the other person if you give him a weird look or staring at her with a big question? I’m sure if there is a strong ‘frequency’ between the two of you, a connection has been made and data is clearly transmitted to and fro. It made one of my friend felt so defensive, uncomfortable, and… It was just a sincere facial reaction.
Since last week, I’ve been wondering about whether I should delete my Friendster.com account or keep it as long as I can. There are a lot of pros and cons from both sides - to delete or to keep it. But I’ve decided that I should give it another chance to stay in my life since I believe through Friendster.com I can keep in touch with my friends for the rest of my life, or at least until the moment when I’ll have to delete it. The contradiction was, a few days ago I’ve deleted my cousin’s account from the list just because I was fed up with what’s happening to him and absolutely I didn’t like to see his bulletins. He didn’t even reply my messages. Well, I don’t care anymore because I found that his’ bulletins were very frustrating - as if the world is ending up by tomorrow thou.
I’ll be going back to Sabah on Wednesday the 27th of February 2008 for educational reason - for at least until the voting day ends. This year I would like to try to fulfill my responsibility and citizenship obligation to vote for the coming general election. I believe one vote does make a big different. I’m not sure which party and who to vote for as I would still have to scrutinized for the political manifestos first. It’s my right to vote.
It’s now 1.37am, Sunday the 24th of February 2008. The current song is Don’t Stop the Music by Rihanna.
Bye.
Today.
Written on February 20, 2008 – 6:04 pm | by tanakwagu
I’m sick. Flu; and my back is hurt due to over workout at the gym. I can’t go to the lab because I’m sick. I didn’t go to the job interview at Cyberjaya because I don’t want to do so. I think, most of my postgraduate-mates think that I didn’t do my work since I came back from a long holidays. I guess my housemates think the same way too. Perhaps my supervisor is so good that she never force anyone to go to the lab everyday.
Well, what can I do - I can’t start doing the lab work unless the samples from SimeDarby Berhad already in the lab which at the moment they are too busy to deliver us the required items. My supervisor asked me to start doing the bioinformatics data analysis which actually I’m not good at it at all. I’m still stuck in one level of the flowchart. The only thing I could do now is keep reading journals.
I’ll be going back to Sabah on Wednesday next week. JennV will leave for Australia today at 10pm. I’m not sure what should I say during our postgraduates’ weekly Friday meeting. My RM2600 check is lost because someone took it away and I need to go to Jabatan Bendahari and ask for a replacement.
I feel very exhausted. Coughing too.
Today
Written on February 15, 2008 – 6:43 am | by tanakwagu
I was thinking of deleting my Friendster account since few days ago. I thought, it had done no good at all serving my human needs. I felt that it didn’t overload my capacity of needs. I guessed, it was just a lousy web which has taken a lot of my time. Yet, until now I haven’t decided whether to delete it forever and ever and throwing away all my contact lists out of my ‘contacts book’, or to keep it still and stay in touch with those people whoever they are - relatives, friends or strangers.
I went to have a meeting with my supervisor, my colleague, and a representative from Sime Darby. The meeting lasted for 4 hours and we had a very friendlier discussion - it was like having a conversation with bestfriends, closefriends, family, etc - just o mention few - whereby each people was very open to everybody’s opinions, suggestions, comments and even jokes. I like it very much. Moreover, because of that meeting, my supervisor gave me an inspiration that I am doing the right thing by working as her Research Assistant and doing Master in plant molecular biology.
I came from a technology background and had very little knowledge in wet lab. So at the moment I’m struggling to learn a lot of methods and techniques for lab work in oder for me to do my research and eventually doing my work as a Plant Molecular Biologist too. Indeed in Malaysia, biotechnology and molecular biology are two very common fields in Malaysia and the job prospect is no longer a demanding item, whereby people with such backgrounds have to struggle to find a suitable job, yet many went to work on fields which are almost unrelated with their educational background. It’s now an era of globalisation.
I went to the Charismatic Prayer Meeting and I was happy to be able to go for it as I’ve been ’suffering’ severely from not having such methods of praying for such a very long period of time. HALLELUJAH! I made it tonight. At the end of the session, they had a little surprise for all people who were born on February as well as anyone who had any kinds of anniversaries on February. I met an old guy who was born on the same day as I was. Oh yes. The drummer was a 7 years old boy and the only Malay song was Hari Ini Kurasa Bahagia - which reminded me of CCR back in my home-parish.
ON the 14th of February 2008, I went to have a dinner with a male friend and we celebrated the day as Single Awareness Day (SAD) instead of Valentine’s Day. Oh. Don’t think that way. He and I are just good friends. Hehe.
I miss my aunt Santa and sister Ester. They are now in Philippines for a week. I always fly to and fro from KK to KL and I did it 10 times throughout 2007 which made my parents were so angry to me. Hehe. I never fly to foreign country.
What else could I tell you, Blog? Hurmmm… That’s all I guess. I miss my parents, Santa and Ester.
Tonight.
Written on February 10, 2008 – 10:15 am | by tanakwagu
Tonight. Well. We were watching some TV programs at the Common Hall and suddenly there was a very interesting topic that caught our attention - reading your palm to know your future. Well. I started the topic since it was because I saw the Heroes, a TV series which shows about gifted peoples in many supernatural and paranormal things that beyond the human sense. Perhaps, another stories of people of 6 senses. I told them what will they feel if a gifted person reveal to them about their future and I personally think that it would be a total messed-up for the person whose future is being disclosed. It wouldn’t be fun anymore if I already knew what my future will be since it must be either I will extremely freak out and my life then goes wrong, or maybe the future revealed might be another strong sort of a ‘moral support’ for me to really make it a reality.
Sheena throw a very interesting question - if the gift comes from God and what is the purpose of the person to have such gift and what are the benefits for other people then. I personally thought that, it’s either to really give some moral supports to the other person or in the other hand will freaking the person out. We even discussed about what should the gifted person do if he or she was to revealed some secret future to another person. In my opinion, such gifted person should first and foremost ask the person whether he or she would like to know about the secret or not. Otherwise, the gifted person would drive him or her into insanity.
I can still remember when I met Ibu after the Morning Mass on the day of my departure back to KL. It was on 31st of January 2008. She suddenly told me that she knew my future and it is a very good future. She was smiling broadly and she almost disclosed it to me. Yet I told her "please don’t revealed it to me. It will not be fun anymore and the life-challenges wouldn’t be there any longer." She nodded agreeing to what I said. Well, she was the second person who did see my future after one bomoh did the same thing when I was in my teen-age.
The good thing about tonight’s conversation was that we were able to jump from one topic to another few topics which were not connected at all. We were talking then about how to determine the virginity status of a guy and whether it is important or not in the society, excluding religion of any faith. My friend said, "of course they can. My friend who is a medical student told me long ago about how to know about the virginity status of a guy." Well, I won’t go beyond on that as it never crossed to my mind on how to know the virginity status of a guy. How to know from the guy’s physical appearance, or perhaps how well-experienced the guy is, etc, which I don’t know at all. I must Google it right away now.
Suddenly we saw on TV a group of young guys and girls were doing a party as a tribute to the late actor of Brookeback Mountain. I was loudly saying, "I want to get that type of body. I want to get shaped. Come Melvin, let’s get shaped." Indeed. I’m on my daily basis of pushing up at least 50 times a day. Thous it is now day-3, I’m on the run baby!
Oh yes. My postgraduate-mate thought that I’m a Chinese and thus she wished me a Happy Chinese New Year. Well, I might have the look but certainly I’m proud being Dusun Lotud. "No, I’m pure Malaysian", telling her as soon as she said that I don’t have the Malaysian look. "You’re from Indonesia", she told me. That’s what I called a great joke. Well. Previously my housemate thought that I’m a Cambodian. Do I look too Asian by the way, huh?
Good night. It’s 2.14am, Monday the 11th of January 2008.
Lent, CNY & Valentine’s Day
Written on February 7, 2008 – 4:57 pm | by tanakwagu
It’s rather a difficult and complicated world that we lived in nowadays, especially when it touches about faith and religion. More and more people are towards the interfaith dialogue which means that a lot of new and critical questions arises due to the demanding sensation of seekers who want to know more and more about what’s the meaning of believing one’s faith as well as what’s the purpose of life as a devout Muslim, Christian, Jews, Buddhist, so on and so forth. It is as well have caused a lot of bloodshed due to the reason that some fanatic fundamentalists who really struggled to defend their religion from other persuasiveness of people of non believers. I guess, there will always be the good and bad consequences that flowed from such inter communication of faiths in the world.
Today is the first day (7th February 2008) of Lunar season and I was with two of my house mates and one of them was a devout Buddhist. My friend invited him to join us for the Chinese New Year Mass this morning and it actually made me a little bit awkward to have a non Catholic friend join us in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Well I supposed that this friend of mine is a very open minded person which is not always easy to find such person in life - where there is a strong appreciation of my faith by him throughout the Mass. He stand when the congregation stands, down on his’ knees when the people is kneeling, etc. It was such a great comfort for me to see him giving respect to the Catholic faith with his’ gestures of acceptance of the way Catholic worship.
I wasn’t a man who likes to convert people to my religion and my faith but rather a person who believes that God is Almighty ONE and this God is worshiped by all human regardless of religions. In fact, we are all the creations of God as what the Book of Genesis taught us and as what the Vatican Council affirmed to us through one of it’s most important documents - Notra Aetate.
It was a little bit difficult to connect between Lent and Chinese New Year. Lent is the season of repentance where there is no joy and happiness at all. It’s a time for all Catholics to start the denial of oneself for the sake of God’s glorious name on earth as well as the way to train our bodies to keep in accord with what the Law of Love demands. ON the other hand, Chinese Catholic are celebrating their Lunar Year which falls a day after the first day of Lent - Ash Wednesday. For the Chinese regardless of religions and faiths, Lunar Year is the time for joy and happiness and death is a "choi" for them during this festive season. It is not a time for repentance of sins and certainly not a season to fast and abstinence from everything, but rather a time of good tidings as they celebrate the goodness over the badness.
Valentine’s Day is around the conner. Most couples are getting ready to celebrate the joy of intimate relationship. Celebrating love and passion that they have for one another. Absolutely it will be a day of red roses, boxes of chocolates, bottles of red and white wine, tables of candle light dinner, romantic intimate kisses, hugs and sensational touching, moon light in the night, bright stars in the dark sky, and most importantly the greatness of spending time for the one you love the most.
So again, here we are having difficulty to connect between Lent and Valentine’s Day which, from the perspective of physical and spiritual. But it is certainly not too difficult to realize that both seasons shared the same emotion - LOVE.
Lent is the season of loving God more than loving our mortal bodies which corrupt, while Valentine’s Day is a day of love between man and women. Lent is a day of self denial, which means we tend to prohibited our selves from doing the things that make us fall into temptation and later on sinned. On the contrary, Valentine’s Day is a day to satisfy our human weakness by seeking compassionate love, and struggling to find re-affirmation from the beloved man or woman of his or her love for you and me.
Lent, Chinese New Year, and Valentine’s Day shared one very important common value of life - LOVE. The love for our God during Lenten season. The love for our God during cultural ceremony; the love for God that lives in every human person during 14th of February 2008.
