you ain't heavy, you can't bring me down

last friday, we had to do a "fashion parade" to be criticised on our way of dressing and the way we bring ourselves to the public. this came up due to the circular that came from the hospital (HSAH) regarding on how students should dress to the hospital. see, my campus has its own dresscode. but now, we have to follow the hospital dresscode even while we are in campus. what the hell? we are a private institution and have no connection to the hospital. but we have to follow the rules of the hospital?

i was the first to walk the "fashion parade". i don't even know what was i supposed to do or say. since i think this is a waste of time and does not relate at all in terms of our studies, i just selamba go there and said a few words. then, i took off as i seriously do not see any point in doing it. the time for us is so precious that we should have used it to finish up our work rather than parading like a bunch of ass-kissers.

this morn, the PROFESSOR, who is not local, who conducted the "fashion parade", and who also always lecture us about time wasting, said that he wanted to see me afterwards. ok, so, i went to see him.

he asked me why i left after the parade. i said cause it was a waste of time and i see no relevance in it. and then, the "counselling" (as he put it) started. he said he is doing it for a reason. by me leaving, i wasn't following his instructions (but there were many others who didn't even attend the damn thing, why only me that he wanted to talk to?). the way i dress was inappropriate (pakai seluar hitam putih and blouse biasa pun salah? a girl was wearing t-shirt, above knee skirt and slippers, ok aja), when i went to speak, i was arrogant. he asked me, "do you know why people are arrogant? because they are intelligent. but they shouldn't be boastful. i am a professor, i am ahead of you people, why do you think i want to waste my time like this?" <- isn't this sentence arrogant?

prof: "apparently, someone went to complain to the director of HSAH when she was reprimanded by the doctors there. therefore this is happening"
"just because you came back from europe (he said the country that i was in SPECIFICALLY), you should not act like this in malaysia. but i am not specifically talking about you." <-then, how come he knows that i was from there?

i told him that over there, ppl just dress as they want, so long that they are performing well. then he started talking about india la pulak. seriously, i wanted to kick him in the face.

i am not living in denial, but i am definitely not arrogant. kalau betul la RED ni sombong, macam mana when i am doing comm med, the ppl wanted to talk to me more than to talk to the others? kalau RED ni sombong, kenapa RED leh ngam ngan uncle guard ke, warden ke, uncle kedai ke? yes, i asked around if they think i am ARROGANT. the answer is NO. i may appear to be arrogant at first because of the way i look. but once they get to know me, they know what kind of person i am.

jadi macam mana? haruskah aku robek muka aku supaya tak nampak sombong? aku nak berlagak apa pun aku tak tahu cause aku ni ada kekurangan.

takkan la kalau orang terjun lombong, just because i think it is a stupid thing to do and i want to stand on my own 2 feet, aku tak terjun sama, aku dikatakan ARROGANT?

aku rasa, aku lebih rela orang cakap aku ARROGANT dari orang label aku STUPID kan.

btw, prof ni siap cakap lagi :"do you wonder why i am picking on you?" haaa.... tau pun yang dia picking on me. "because there are other people who break the rules, but you do double." WTF?? apa benda yang aku buat? kalau aku ada byk break the rules, kenapa aku tak kena ban aja from this place?

pergi mampus la... iye, RED mmg geram. but i know, he is not worth my anger. lantak la.

patience is KEY

this is hafiz, my "student". i am voluntarily giving him math/science/english tuition for his upcoming UPSR in september. trouble is, he is such a playful kid. yeah, it is normal. he hardly concentrates and he is rather lazy. but deep in his noodles, he is one smart boy.

as we all know, i am a little low in patience. but somehow, these days, i have learned that to make something work, i have to do it myself and i also have to learn how to wait to see the results. i have to be the same with hafiz. his mom however, she ain't got any of this thing we call patience. she is rather kasar with hafiz and i keep on telling her that this is not gonna improve his learning skills neither is it gonna do him or her any good.

once, i went to their house to teach him. the cute part was that the other brothers wanted me to teach them too. i don't ask for money, although she felt guilty and wanted to gimme some. she wanted to take me out to dinner la, she wanted to get me some food la. i simply just tell her: "kak, saya ni nak tolong aja. kita sama2 usaha untuk hafiz k".

my reward is to hear that he keeps on asking his mum : "malam ni kak alia datang tak?" . better than that is that when i went to their house the next afternoon, the other brother asked : "kak datang tak malam ni?"

all i could do is smile :) the only experience i have is teaching in KUMON. but the main skill that i have now is being patient. that is very important.

week 2 of community medicine : day 5 -so long, farewell. it's hard to say goodbye-

It is true what they say : TIME FLIES. it is amazing, TIME does not have wings, but it flies pass you without you even realizing. it is unfair, but we can't fight it. it is time to let go, it is time for goodbyes.

at first, i didn't have much thought on this. i was like going thru the morning, like any other mornings that we had in Kampung Hilir. i woke up, had my shower, got ready, and sat for breakie. mak made (especially for me and saras) ubi kayu rebus and insisted her children to go and hunt for kelapa parut in the early morning! kesian derang kena kejut pagi2 hari ni.

the morning routine wasn't so usual like the other 3 days. this time round, we had to pack our belongings and get ready to leave. my heart was still the same, i didn't feel much.

after breakie, we left for the dewan area and gotong-royong with the villagers to take down the stage that was erected for our farewell nite. although the sun was making its way straight up our heads, we still managed to have fun. drinks were served for us even after the little work that we done, how thoughtful of them.

a goodbye song just for batch 9

mak and the lady who caused my glasses to break while playing netball. she was damn worried right after, sian dia.

of course after the refreshments, we had to have a snap happy session. kenangan yang indah all captured on memory cards. but the most treasurable ones are those that are engraved in our hearts.

RED + wani. hitam hangit dah aku.... haiishhh....

RED + abang. dia ni macam teddy bear. but very shy.

the remainders of batch 9. some of them have left the kampung earlier. pehal la kan?

batch 9 + Kampung Hilir. not all of them of course.

ladies only : batch 9 + kampung hilir ladies

snap happy moments are over. it is time to move on.... we were escorted out from the dewan to the main arch near abah's crib. they were walking hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm. everyone was still smiling, although deep inside some of us, the sadness is creeping in.

diapit bunga manggar

diarak bersama paluan kompang

and finally when we reached the arch, the orang kampung made a line and we went along it to salam and say our goodbyes and thanks to them.i was still ok when i started the line, and then it happened......

.....when the Mak Yang (ketua wanita) hugged me. i was touched and i couldn't stop it. the tears start to flow. she start to cry also. as i progressed the line, more ppl hugged me and more tears flow. some were consolling me, some were joining in my sadness. i can't believe the effect this chapter had on me.

the drive back home was mainly silent. my tears has stopped flowing, but my heart kept on crying. tak sampai hati nak tinggalkan derang because they were happy to have us there. i was happy to learn loads from them and enjoying and understanding their way of life.

mak bekalkan RED with the ubi kayu that orang hantar to the house because they heard that i was craving for it. she also ordered maruku for the 4 of us to take home. and of course, we got the baju kurung from abah. malu gila ok, we didn't even have anything to give them in return. tapi takpe, cause we will be getting them sth for them to remember us by and for thanking them of their kindness.....

home made maruku. i am bringing back for yah and nana.

apart from the ubi kayu, i also brought back a nasty bruise. macam mana leh kena? well, it is not the only one, berlambak lagi lebam kat kaki RED ni. tu kira yang paling besar. dapat masa main netball, langgar kaki tiang gol :P

thanks kampung hilir, you will be in my heart forever.....

week 2 of community medicine : day 4 -dancing in the moonlight-

disclaimer: i have been trying to upload a video for this entry the whole day yesterday, but to no avail.... so, wait la haaa.....

after the many losses that we encountered during the day (tere juga orang2 kampung kan. don't underestimate them), we were tired. but rest was far from our imginations, although each and everyone of us NEED it badly. right after the game, we had approximately 2 and a half hours to get ready for the MAJLIS PERPISAHAN. at that limited stretch of time, we were supposed to:

• rehearse (cause we never had enough rehearsal time
• arrange the seating area
• finalize the order of program
• dance on the minute stage
• get ready, get set, and go..... (...and die... haiishhhh)

so, this was the outcome of it all....

of course the nite started with the arrival of all those VIP (very indifferent people), speech, welcoming words, more speech, boredom.... and all those. so, while those uber boring segments were taking place, we took the chance of snap-happy leyy....

vijay (my dance partner) and i. clearly i was tired...really, can't you tell from the face?

the malaysian idol tryout contestant. he ADORES britney spears.

dr. MC Yap. apparently, i am his 9th wife?? haiishhh... who were the others? wani and the gang thinks he'll be a good catch for me. hehehe... i don't think so.

wani and the gang. they are so damn camera shy. i had to practically beg them to take this pic.

ganeson aroson. kesian dia. terlalu tinggi that the baju melayu that he had on was so senteng (singkat). brainy, but no guts.... haiiishhh....

saras, anita, RED : abah bought us the kurungs for us. how sweet is that. rasa macam segan gila. i mean, we baru kenal, and he already buying gifts for us.

i super LOVE this pic. he hardly takes a decent picture. this is considered feasible.

*penat.... penat..... ngantuk.....bowsan.....*

finally, after all the boring segments, the food served, it was time for action. the performances finally begins....

i can't quite tell what was this all about simply because i don't understand what the narrator was talking about. apparently it was about some bees and some ants, and they all lived happily ever after. they have to go slow on the makeup tho... hehehheeh

the redance of the chinese fan dance, a direct copy from our skit on DANCE of DESTINY that we had months earlier.

timang burung remix. this was the vid that i wanted to upload so much tapi tak berjaya. i looked so damn cacat as i only had 2 days to practise. hehehe

i am clueless about this one. but i am pretty sure it is about making new friends despite the differences in culture, religion, and race.

a nasyid performance by the women of kampung hilir. it was purely a capella. can you see mak there? she has a nice Qur'an reading voice, and to hear her in this nasyid, it was bliss.

the 2nd performance that i was in. a combo of maahiwe + aja nachele (some hindi songs le). the punjabi suit was borrowed from sindhu (the girl in orange). you won't believe how fast i changed and i nearly missed the dance!!

there were also the sajak declamation by pakcik shuib, an indian dance by our girls, and dikir barat (which i am too embarassed to put up because it was such a flop! thank GOD i wasn't in that one).

the night finally ended ..... ahhhh.... at last! and you'd think that we were about to get some rest?? NOT!!! more work to be done although it was nearly midnight. we had to gotong-royong kemas that area, and boy, that was alot of work. so, while cleaning up, we also took some chances to snap happy :P

group 8 : the most efficient group.... really!!

my foster family : abang (wan), anita, RED, saras, yi jiun, adik (wani), abah, and mak.

week 2 of community medicine : day 4 -the game-

i can't believe that it has been 4 days already!! it felt too soon to be true. in the early morning, we were practising for the farewell performances that we were to have later at night. i was dancing for 2 performances, and i only practised for 3 days!! my steps were so cacat, i felt like pulling out. but i can't. simply because, i didn't wanna upset my fellow dancers.

dikir barat : thank GOD i wasn't in this one. it was a total flop and embarassing to say the least. they were not coordinated and the lyric was so blah.

come noon, around 1500hours, everyone was psyched! this is because the telematch part of the program has finally arrived! we had to start a little after 1500 hours as abah was too bz "make-up"ing himself before attending the match. aiiiyooo......

this is BBP. his spex broke during the telematch, and guess what, mine did too while playing netball. the ball was thrown to my face, the spex broke, and it scratched the corner of my eye in 2 places. i was bleeding but it didn't hurt as much as the fact that my spex broke :~(. lucky only the lense, not the frame.

kids that were joining in the fun

the first match : tarik upih

the ones who were on the upih had their asses burned down to a crisp!

kereta sorong : my partner was azmi. this was when i noticed that he had a bad wound on his feet that wasn't taken care of properly. he got the wound from collecting scrap metals to be sold to get some pocket money. i was so worried that i cleaned his wound thoroughly. i kept on cleaning his wound even in the night as i was afraid that it might get infected. the next day when he came around to change his dressing, the wound looked tonnes better than before... alhamdulillah.... biarla orang kata geli or what, i just want it to get better. nothing more.

charades, MALAY style. guna peribahasa as the sentences to be guessed.

lawn NYIURling. susah juga nak main game ni sebenarnya. the coco that you bowl must hit the cocos in the circle until it comes out from the ring.

our team was so hyped with their shoes, their shin guards, and shaites. their team, anything oso can la! and THEY won by 4-0!!

kupas kelapa, parut kelapa. please don't mess with her!!

must kupas using a parang.

very susah to do actually. nampak aja senang.

kampung girls VS kampung boys. obviously the girls won because they had good support team from batch 9 girls!! hehehe (actually, the girls outnumbered the boys :P )

batch 9 girls VS the kampung women. gawsh!! they are damn strong weii. tak sempat nak pull, they already got the tag across the midline. what do these kampung women eat!?!?!

lambung kasih, sambut sayang. i was playing with abang (abah's son). kalah ni... haiishhh...

prize giving ceremony. non of them got in batch 9's hands. tere sungguh oranga kampung ni. haishh... malu .... .malu......

most importantly, we had F.U.N!!

week 2 of community medicine : day 3 -hocus focus-

thank GOD, by day 3, my group's survey area has all been covered (altho not thoroughly, we cut some corners.but it was all just some minor informations, so it didn't matter much). the 3rd day is solely dedicated to focused group interviewing whereby we chose certain people to sit in a group and discuss with them the issues in hand. i am in 2 groups: one of the group was the group that i was initially assigned in, and the other group was the group that i voluntereed myself to be in. this is because the latter group was discussing on the topic of female circumcision, something that not many ppl know about and always misunderstood or get it mixed up with female genital mutilation. and because of the fact that female circumcision is practised only by the malay muslim people in malaysia, i had to be in.

DELL and i, together we recorded the key points during the interview session.

mak piah: guest of honour. she says what she feels and she is very blunt about her choice of words. i don't blame her, she's ancient! ehhehehe

funny part was, the head of the female circumcision discussion group (FCDG) wasn't even present during the interview. instead, she was swept away by her prince charming to see the mak bidan (which btw, will be coming the day after for the whole ritual). if i were the leader of FCDG, i would like to hear for myself the opinions that the villagers have about this matter. i would actually go to their level and try to understand why they have come up with such opinions, instead of being away, just to spend time with the prince charming. now, the members who have conducted the interview asked me to write a full report on the interview as they have other things to attend to. please la, do i look like a slave to you? you want a good name, and just because i am known to write a good report, all burden falls on me? well, you are in for a hell lot of surprise!

at the same time, there are other focused group discussions that were going on at different venues. one of the focused group was reading the random blood sugar (RBS) of selected villagers. since not all the invited ppl can attend the morning RBS reading session, they will have to come for the one that is held at about 1400 hours.

i never knew that RBS testing was so easy to perform

see azmi. he doesn't go to school simply because he doesn't want to. his parents are away at work and his elder sister and brother also do not go to school. i am really saddened by this.

on the 2nd day itself, i have noticed that there were many school going children who weren't in school. instead, they follow us around and waste their time playing. when asked, they say that they woke up late. some said that they can't go cause it rained. some, just simply didn't want to go. where are the parents? they really couldn't be bothered actually. what kind of mentality is this right? the penghulu has noticed this sometime ago and he has requested that we conduct a study motivation activity for these kids.

not many students attended, but we still went on with the program. i took azmi under my special attention and gave him an initiation that if he goes to school, come look for me right after school and i'll give him sth. true to his words, he WENT! so, i gave him rm1 and he was really happy. i want to give these kids more motivation, and i know how to other than giving them money. problem is, i need some funds to conduct this. i wish to do this program while we will be doing the health campaign in 2 weeks time. anyone wants to donate? lemme knoe ok. thanks!!

my foster sister wani, and her BFF maisara

at the same time, the males of the village were working together in building a stage for the fairwell dinner that will be held the day after. we didn't ask for it but they insisted to make the stage for us.

team work at its best

ringankan la mulut tu tanya if ada benda yang boleh ditolong atau tak. bukan diri sana macam tuan besar. segan la sket oii!