31/10/2019...and a year after (2.0) -How to apply to Oxford University?

 Part 2.

I had only about 3 weeks, from the time of the last interview to the due date for submission of the postgrad application, which was on the 10th of January 2020. I had to work on few crucial things all at the same time: (please browse here if you are interested https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate)

 IELTS  a must pass mission with one attempt and ensuring a minimal band of 7.5 for total band and minimum 7 for each component which was writing, reading, listening and communication. Please choose Academic IELTS, not UKVI. The latter is for different schemes.

 Completing the Personal Statement  need to write my best PS that do justice in reflecting my own self since it will be used as the medium for evaluating my justification to pursue DPhil.

 Study Research Proposal 

 Tracing, and certified all the required documents which included

o Own Passport

o Birth Certificate 

o Undergraduate transcript

o Postgraduate/ Specialist degree transcript

o Undergraduate Cert

o Postgraduate/Specialist degree cert

o Awards Certificate

o 4 referees 

o Curricular Vitae

o Research Proposal

o Other relevant certs on accomplishments

To complete all these within 3 weeks was a daunting and stressful task. For a few reasons, one was due to the time factor. When you work against the ticking clock, it was always stressful. Secondly, it was so close hence I did not want to miss the golden opportunity or get knocked out merely for technical reasons. Thirdly, the personal statement(PS) and the proposal. It took me 3 weeks to complete a PS and going through draft after draft as I wanted to make it reflective of my pure intentions and solid enough to be considered for the final process. Fortunately, I had my wife to check on the content and my  English teacher since my time in SMAPK, Teacher Dr. Husna Khadir to proofread my English. And I was glad I did 😊. Thank you, teacher Husna, for your help. Going to remember that for a lifetime. 

Developing the proposal was another story. It was honestly embarrassing at the initial stage. The initial 22 pages proposal was submitted to my potential SVs and it required major corrections. They wanted it to be only in 6 pages. I was like, phew…from 22 to 6 pages. How do I do that…But that was part of the learning process. Summarising and simplifying things which were redundant and unnecessary, making complicated things simple and concise were the key in this process. I truly learned a lot just from the process of applying alone.

I had registered to sit for the IELTS exam in December,  and it cost me around RM 800. All bookings can be done online: https://ieltsregistration.britishcouncil.org/test-chooser. You can visit the link if you are planning to sit for it.

I did my last minute revision particularly on tips on how to score each component. These last-minute steps were crucial since I had not been able to do much practice or revisions on the format and etc. Most of the revisions were guided by online teachers via youtube channels. One of them which I found very useful was FASTtrack IELTS. For the first-timers, the format can be quite confusing but the British council and IELTS website provide sufficient materials for you to be familiar with the format. 

As for me, the previous experience of sitting for  IELTS  during A levels, prior to the undergraduate studies was very helpful at this stage. It did alleviate some anxiety knowing the Dos and Don'ts. Alhamdulillah, I achieved the required band of 7.5. Reading: 7, Writing:7, Communication: 7.5, listening 8.5, hence the overall band: 7.5. So IELTS ✅. And please bear in mind that different universities may set a different IELTS requirement, so it is advisable that you check on all beforehand.

I had overwhelming support from my superiors. I am eternally grateful for that. The application required 4 referees so I managed to get 2 from my current workplace; Senior Professor and Consultant of Emergency Medicine; Prof Dr. Ismail Saiboon and my head of dept than, Assoc Prof Dr. Johar Jaafar and another 2 referees from the Ministry of Health which were the current national head of service Datuk Dr. Mahathar Abd Wahab and my sifu in emergency ultrasound Dr Adi Osman. I can't thank all of them enough for helping me on this journey. May God bless all of them. 

On the new year's eve 1st Jan 2020, once all the checklist had been ticked,  I submitted the application via the online portal and continued to pray hard....... 

31.10.2019…and a year after. (Part 1.0)

Today is 31.10.2020…..I am writing this on my plane MH 0004 heading from Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow. Against all odds, despite all the obstacles and difficulties of the current pandemic situation, Allah has made it a reality today.

 This happened exactly a year after me, my wife, and kids flew to Manchester, United Kingdom. Just that this time around it is for a completely different purpose.

We came last year to Manchester along with the whole batch of final year Quantity Surveying (QS) students of University of Malaya, who came for a week of an outbound program with Manchester Metropolitan University; which my wife Dr. Nurshuhada supervised.

 I was back then accompanying my wife for her duty calls and basically to look after the kids while mommy was at work. It was an awesome time with the kids, I guess.  Brought them to many interesting sites throughout Manchester while mom was at work, such as the Manchester Uni museum, Football Museum, Science Museum and of course to the Old Trafford stadium. Here are the links to video clips: snapshots of those trips: www…..

 

Interestingly, it was during this period as well that things get really serious. Although me and wife have always talked about my intention to pursue my studies and by that time,  I have already started sending emails to University of Edinburgh months prior to that UK trip, it never reached to the point like, “ok, I-am-definitely-going-to-pursue-this-year” kind of tone. I just went with the flow. However, one day perhaps after 2-3 days being in Manchester (we stayed at Travelodge for a week by the way), my wife came back from work and started saying,

 “Yang, why don’t you try to ask the potential supervisors again, since now we are here.”

 Partially interested, I responded, “Yeah, ok I’ll try and see…, maybe ill survey a few more potential  universities first”

 So, the next day, I started doing my online hunting for potential SVs. The interest kept on growing and the thoughts keep coming, telling me that I

must do the online search, like seriously doing it. So I spent a good few hours online searching while my wife was away with her students. I managed to shortlist 5 universities that have cardio-related Ph.D. projects which included the University of Edinburgh, University College London, King’s College London, University of Cambridge, and The University of Oxford.

Feeling hopeful and thrilled at the same time, I drafted the email stating my intention and interest in these potential SVs and eventually clicked send to all other Unis except for Cambridge and Oxford.

I was not confident that those Universities will even care to look and read at my emails to be completely honest. Later, when my wife came back to our hotel, we discussed the progress, and she uttered a statement which I will never forget.

 “Why don’t you just click send to Oxford and Cambridge, you can do this trust me. I believe in you more than you do believe in yourself, and you will never know what lies ahead,”

 That left me speechless for a few seconds, and made me reflected on how in life you just need a great support from the individuals around you and how words can transform people’s view on life and on your own self.

 Without hesitation henceforth, I clicked send……….

 LoI and behold…

12-24 hours later, only 2 potential SVs from 2 universities had responded and the most promising one was The University of Oxford.

 I was like ‘Wow, is this for real?’. They asked me to come down to Oxford to meet up on Friday if I am interested. That email came on Wednesday. Thursday was the last day of my wife’s formal function. Saturday was our flight back to Kuala Lumpur. So it was more like a crazy ad-hoc kind of decision if we were to take that trip down to Oxford. So I and wife decided to go on with the crazy idea. Thus we booked a one-night stay at Travelodge Oxford and prolonged our car rental duration and to Oxford, we went.

 Alhamdulillah, it turned out to be a great last-minute decision in fact. For a few reasons. First, the kids got to taste and experience Oxford, firsthand. Let them smell the air, witness the greeneries and the tranquility of the historical university. So, when I fight for my place in Oxford, they will be fighting for me too. ( ill tell you why I said this ). Secondly, having the opportunity to enter the university, talked to the team there, and being considered a potential candidate alone was already a Win for me. I rather died trying. To the very least, I can tell my children later that I tried to apply, but perhaps not meant to be there😉. In fact, since it was a Cardiology Unit at John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, during the initial meet they have made it quite clear that they never had a fellow from the Emergency background attached with them. It was always Internal Medicine and Cardiology background all these while. For obvious reasons, I did not put much hope ever since.

 However, days after reaching Malaysia, I received an email from the same department, asking me to submit my CV and ideas in a simple proposal format. I was surprised, thrilled, and more importantly grateful. I took that opportunity as a huge ‘sign’ from God that my prayers may be answered.

 A week after that, I received feedback from the team offering an online interview. This was when it got really interesting and nervy, the interview will be via skype with the presence of the whole research team and in particular the head of the unit, Prof Stefan; a world-renowned Consultant Cardiologist and a distinct professor of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and an editor of the European Heart Journal. Yes, that was exactly my reaction..” wow, omg I am nervous now”. The seconds I received this thrilling news, there was a strong sense of adrenaline rushing in my body. My neurons began synapsing all over the brain cortices figuring out what should I prepare for the interview? What should I read? How should I dress? What if I don’t get it and not able to impress them during the interviews? Well to be fair, you would be nervous also wouldn’t ya?

 So on the 11^th December 2019, roughly about a month after my visit to John Radcliffe University Hospital Oxford, I had the interview done. Via skype, 11000km apart, 7 hours difference in time zone, 2200 Hours Malaysia time, 3pm UK time, just me and the team in Oxford who consisted of Prof Dr Stefan, Dr Masliza and Dr Betty Raman. It went on about half an hour covering a range of issues including my previous achievements, my research credible and experience, my writing and publications, family and dependants, possible funding sources for the DPhil, and more profoundly was exploring the deep question on what doing and getting the DPhil means to me. And I must say that time passed really swiftly that night. But I was extremely satisfied albeit some of my weaknesses were pointed out particularly on the publication and research aspects, which I had no choice but to agree. In fact, afterward, when talking to my wife about the experience, we realized how Oxford screened their potential candidates. They were able to point to the ‘Achilles tendon’ straight away…

 

At this stage, only a few persons in the department knew about the interview; my head of department at that time Assoc Prof Dr Johar, my partner in crime Dr Hisham Isa, Dr Kusyairi Harun Al Rashid and Pn Saadah from Crem. I kept it low because I thought it was too premature to announce since nothing was secured, or certain yet at that point. My biggest blessings had been my family; my beloved parents Mama and Bapak, my wonderful wife Dr. Nurshuhada Zainon and kids Tisyia, Aqeel, Hamza, and Ahmed, my beloved parents-in-laws Mama and Ayah, my siblings Liana and her husband Azizul, Fendy and wife Misya, 4g, Adik,  and all the family members who practically prayed for me throughout the interview. In fact, the hilarious part was when I was told that, my kids refrained from having any of their usual verbal arguments and boy fights and prayed on time, as they believed that will increase my chance of getting the spot. MasyaAllah, really, I owed them this experience. 😊

 

Waiting for the feedback email was also another nervy period. But alhamdulillah, a few days after that, I received an email from the department stating the outcome of the interview.

 

“The interview went well and the teams were impressed and happy to accept me as a team and be part of the the research team in RDM, Oxford”………😊😊😊😊 Alhamdulillah.

 

It further states “with this, you are allowed and advised to proceed with the official application via the Graduate Admission website of Oxford University for DPhil  admission for term 2020/21.”

To be continued...

 

New Chapter of My Life 2.0

More than a decade ago, I wrote somewhat the same title for my entry "my new life". Back then it was due to the fact that I became a father just 5 months prior to my final year exam as a Medical student. And of course, without a  doubt, it was a huge change! Alhamdulillah, in 2008 I passed my degree, earned my MBBchBao (Bachelor of Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics) from University College Dublin, Ireland.

Fast forward, 12 years down the line, I am now blessed with 4 children ( A girl and 3 boys ) and a wife whose supports and love have always been second to none. Alhamdulillah. 

Right after coming back to Malaysia from Dublin, in June 2008, I started my job as an intern (House Officer) at Hospital Kuala Lumpur until 2010. I completed 6 compulsory postings which included Medicine, Obs & Gynae, Orthopedics, Surgery, Pediatrics, and Anaesthesiology following which I was posted to Negeri Sembilan for my MO ship. It was a memorable 2 years in Negeri Sembilan, in Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Najihah (HTAN) to be exact.

At every level of my life, I came to the junctions where big decisions needed to be made. And without fail, I  put full trust in God in every step.  This is simply because I find it impossible to take decisions in life, based merely on our limited human knowledge. We have no knowledge of the future and let alone the unseen. Hence, I went on with the flow of my life, and pray to God to make it easy for me, should the steps are good for me, family, future, and the ummah.

In HTAN, Kuala Pilah, I was exposed to life as an emergency doctor for the first time which I then fell in love with. Though initially, I requested to join the Medical Department, after spending a year in ED, I took a big decision to U-turn and decided to stay instead. In 2012, I joined the Master's Program for Emergency Medicine, as an in-campus Ministry of Health candidate in the Department of Emergency Medicine, UKM Medical Centre. The 4 years period of training changed my life. I grew as a person, as an individual, and a clinician. Developed my early skills and interest in clinical research, having completed my own first research in the area of my interest; Cardiac Emergency. 

During the final year as an Emergency Trainee, I came to another junction. The offer to join as a Clinical Lecturer and Specialist was too tempting to resist, considering my passion to teach, to do voluntary works, and to the newly emerging interest in clinical research. I joined the Ministry of Higher Education from the Ministry of Health alongside another good friend of mine on the 1st of August 2016. 

I was once asked by a colleague, "Why did you join the University Hospital? What extra benefit did you get?" 

I answered her promptly, with a genuine answer that always wobbles in my mind. " I joined the University Hospital because it is not about what I get, it is about what I can give." I am not saying working elsewhere is less productive, but I personally feel that I could contribute more by joining the University Hospital. 

Thank you to Allah, the whole process of transferring ship was rather smooth. And at that same year, I received another unexpected yet huge news, that I and wife both were offered to go for Hajj. MasyaAllah, tabarakallah. It was a surreal moment for both of us. First due to the fact that we received the letter simultaneously. Secondly, knowing that our turn was supposed to be in 2027, we only had one word to utter; ALhamdulillah. And true enough, the journey had been one of the most memorable ones in our life. 40 unforgettable days on the blessed soil of Makkah and Madinah, and during the most blessed days in Arafat, we made the supplication to Allah SWT to grant us as a family to seek knowledge to the highest level we could get. I remember vividly the supplication, and the intention was only one, to please Him and to be more knowledgeable so that we could get closer to Him. 

Little that I knew, my wife's supplication was even more explicit which she only disclosed after coming back from Hajj; "Oh God, soften my husband's heart to consider doing Ph.D, and grant him the best university in the world, Ameen."

4 years later, Alhamdulillah. That supplication was surely answered. As I am writing this story, I am 5 days away from my flight to the United Kingdom, to pursue my DPhil (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences at John Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. It was a dream come true. Never thought this would ever happen. I believe that with clear intention (niyyah) and the eagerness to chase your dreams and most importantly  prayers from your wife and  kids, parents and parents in-laws, nothing is impossible.

In the next entry, i shall share all about the journey. How it started and what need to be done en route to Oxford. Till then...adiozz

my new life..:)

It has been more than 2 weeks since i last posted sth here, and that is on the 2nd of Jan.....the day my little darling Batrisyia was born. So today, is her 16th day, as well as my 16th day, as a daddy. Pre-Batrisyia period, i always wondered, how it might feel to be a daddy? How does it actually feel to hold your very own child in your arms?....Let me tell u now, it is absolutely WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!! If i could find more words or better phrases to channel out this feelings inside, i would..but no words can really describe it. Perhaps, tears of gratefulness and gratitude to the Almighty God, is the best way to express. Thank you Allah, for this precious gift. It is a gift, that changes your life, that alters your perception of the future, and of course completes you as a family. The minute she was born, i felt a very strong sense of relief and happiness. All because cikSHu n Batrisyia were both in good conditions, no medical complications whatsoever which substantially alleviated most of the worries i had earlier. I kissed Shu on the forehead and said, "U did very2 well honey, congratulations......and she is soooo beautiful," CikShu, mixed with super-exhaustion and slightly drowsy from the residual effect of the pethidine, can only manage to smile and asked, "Is she out yet?"...and few seconds later, the silence in the labour room was cracked by Batrisyia Safiyyah's first ever cry....."uweeek....uweekkk...uweekk" such beautiful sound of music in itself. They put her on Shu's tummy to have the first skin contact with the mother. The cord was cut, Tisyia was dressed and wrapped and later passed to me. I took her from the midwife, full with honour and full of love. Her eyes shut, I gave her my very first kiss and slowly i brought her close to me. The adzan and iqamat was recited to her ears, and gently, i applied few drops of zam zam water to her lips. She slowly opened her eyes, in a very3x cute manner, and looked deep into me eyes; and that was the first eye contact we had.so memorable indeed:) Being in the labour room that time was somewhat different. Having done few labours myself during my Obs n Gyne rotation, i thought i will be fine. But, seeing

4650 days later.......

(16th Oct 2020). 

I wonder...why the entry stopped there 😂, What did I see? Seeing what? Oh my goodness.

It has been sooo long since I last opened this blog. So much have changed. She was 16 days when I wrote the entry, and today she is already 12 years and 10 months old!!! hahaha...

In fact she inspired me to reopen my blog. I started the blog entry when she was only a little baby less than a feet long. And now she herself started to have a blog...here is the link tisyialanhelmy.blogspot.com.....

InsyaAllah  i will restart my blog writing again. After more than 12 years in idle mode. The blog started when I was in Dublin Ireland, as a medical student. Now, I have just started my DPhil journey. I will talk about more in my next entry......

This blog ended with the title 'my new life', and it will restart with the title 'my new life'....

im going home soon..

It has been sooo sooo long since my last post. Lots of things have changed. In the last post dated 2nd of Jan, my baby girl was born,Tisyia. Now she is already 4 months old and half. She likes to play..a lotttt..and she hates to be left alone. Soo cute!! I thank Allah for this greatest gift. Her presence really make our day as parents. Now i understand what it means or feels to miss the child of your own.

Alhamdulillah, im also now done with my studies here in Ireland. Wainting for my conferring/graduation day which will be on the 5th of June. The result was out last week and i passed. It was really a nerve-breaking moment, the exam itself as well as the result. The moment i knew i passed, it was really2x a huge relief. I kissed my wife and said, "Im a doctor, honey...thank you!!" then i took Tisyia and hold her in my arms and kissed her on her cheek yg tembam tuh..and i whispered, "Tisyia papa dah pass exam, we'll go home soon ok," :)
I would like to thank my wife for her continuous love and support, and without whom i would not be where i am now for sure...you are the best wife in the world and i am honoured to have u as my wife:)...now that my business is over, just waiting for the graduation day, it is her turn to focus on her business: The Thesis......so honey u go focus on your job, let me take care of Tisyia....
Im loving my job now!! WHich are:
-to pack the stuff to get ready for shipping..huhu can't wait to go home!!
-play with our baby girl
-mandikan Tisyia..she loves taking bath..probably it's her favourite by far, after going out of the house
and the best thing of all is that i dont have to worry about early morning lectures, studying, or hospitals anymore for now..what a great feeling to be free!!
I want to thank all the family members especially mama and bapak and friends too for the prayers...
To those who are in the same boat as i am now, congratulations!!! Those yet to sit for the exams, all The best!!
Tmorow im off the country for the 2nd time after the xm. Im taking Tisyia and Shu to Prague with some of my classmate. The first trip to Istanbul last week was really a superb one!!! Credit to Najib n k.Nadwah and their lovely daughters Iffah n Izzah. U guys RawKK!!hehe..till then wassalams

"Batrisyia Saffiyah...welcome to the world sayangku!!!" papa...

All the praise to Allah, The Most Gracious and The All Knowing. No words can desribe my feelings now..im speechless. MIxed with utter happiness, intense relief, and of course grateful. Shu and our new darling is still in The Coombe Hospital now, so im here just to drop in and share with u guys some fotos....of our little darling. With her being born slightly earlier, the launching of baby's blog will also take place sooner...=)..Thank You all for the prayers, support and company. May Allah bless us all with HIs Rahmah...to be continued insyaAllah..........

mata bertentang mata...

Today The Path jr's blog has been launched...it is Batrisyia's blog.More pictures...story of my journey to life...visit http://babyzshulan.blogspot.com/

sayonara ..2007!!!

Time flies so quickly that i feel like im still in middle of 2007. Obviously im wrong because approximately 24 hours from now, 2008 window will be opened. However, it is still clear in my mind, about a year ago in London, where me n my wife celebrated the new year by the Thames River, overlooking the The London EyE; near the Millennium Bridge...........

3......2.......1..the fireworks started, lighting the sky with beautiful colours...

Last year, the celebration was particularly a special one. It was the first time me n my hunny-bunny celebrated it together, and were accompanied by Dugi, Jeghui, Smoque, Ihab, Pet, and Husin who flew all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to visit his old friend, me..haha ye ke Husin??Thanx to Dugi with his sLR, or else we wouldn't have these pictures...Picture speaks more than words, so this time ill do less talking, i hope..and more pictures..hehe..

BUt one thing worth mentioning here, which i can never forget was one incident that happened that night. While we were on our way to a halal steak restaurant, we discussed on how bizarre the British accent could be, u know like water pronounced wok' er, later = lak' er..and suddenly................this conversation took place,

Dug asked,(it was dug who asked if im not mistaken), "how long will it take for the bus to get there(to the restaurant)?"......

Jeghui nonchalantly answered, "I think it's about Eleven mik'ett," or normally pronounced 'eleven minutes'.

That precious moment came with an awkward silence, and everyone looked at each other's face, thinking..."eleven mik'ett????" then all of us burst into lauhgters.Worse accent than English rite?And as far i know, it's the T that pronunciation changed..NOT ThE N!!! Haha.. good lough anyway...

The year went on brightly. I passed my Opthalmology and ENT(ear nose n throat) exam in february and come April, the Biggies began. First, 2 new family members were born in that month, Hasif and Aisyah from cikShu's n my family respectively. They both are 8months old now,and as usual, we both miss their growing up..how sad!!

Not long after that, on the 3rd of May (sacred date so to speak)...came the breaking news,......

"Abaaaaaaaangggg, it's positive!!!!!"..and that remarkable moment, marked the beginning of my legacy, The LanHelmy's family=)..Alhamdulillah, Praise be to Allah, The MOst Gracious, The Most Merciful, Thank You Lord for this greatest gift.

37weeks plus....countdown resumed!!!

Summer 2007 was a special and memorable one too. With cikShu cruising through her first trimester uneventfully, it was just the perfect time for a family trip. So our parents came in July for a wonderful 2 week uK-eire trip.

Near the London Eye, i was taking the picture obviously...

Rombongan Cik Kiah to Leeds Castle, UK. Road trip led by Abg Rahman n Kak shida n family.....

CikShu was taking the picture of me taking the picture..(my sis yana posing 'poyo'fully..hehe)

On the left, is the breathtaking view of the Cliff of Moher, County Clare, Ireland. About 4hours drive from Dublin. To me it is a must-see place if u r in Ireland. That cliff u see is at least 200 metres in height and it ranges about 4-5km along the Coast. However, due to its notorious reputation as a common site for suicide, they have built a huge bricks barrier to the edge of the cliff where previously, we can crawl slowly to experience ourselves how it feels to look straight down from the edge..pretty scary huh!!

After 2 weeks of good fun, that family trip ended with a sad goodbye at the Heatrow Airport. But 2 weeks later, me n cikShu also went home to spend our summer in Malaysia for about 2 months.

As the school commenced again, it was time for serious business. I had finals coming in December and cikShu was heavily pregnant. Thank God cikShu syg was doing fine up to that stage until i finished my exam. To cut it short, December was quite a big month as i had passed my exams in OnG, Peads and Psyc and above all is that, my little baby in her mama's womb is now 38 weeks and 3days...and still growing strong inside!!

Honestly, now im really feeling that sense of fatherhood coming already. It is hard to explain but sooner or later, all father-to-be will understand. Anytime from now till the due date can be 'the moment'. It is just a matter of how and when it will happen. Me n CikShu was hoping for this cutie to be a december baby, but the prayers from parents of both sides are stronger n more mustajab apparently, that they want a January baby..=)..we dont mind, whenever the baby is happy to come out, we r happy too;). As there are 5 more minutes to 2008 as im writing this now, i know for sure 2008 n not 2007 will be the year for me n my darling to see the cute lil face of our soon-to-be born, Batrisyia Safiyyah if it's a girl insyaAllah.....

Happy new year to my honey-bunny CiksHU, my family and to all ma frens wherever u r!!
May Allah shower us all with HIs blessings and rahmah thruout the forthcoming months...salam

astronomy....and me!!

One of the subjects that usually catch my enthusiasm is astronomy. It is by far i think, one of the most, if not the most complex subjects known to human knowledge. As far that i can remember, this all started with a school trip to planetarium when i was in standard 5 or 4. A year later, when i was in standard 6, i was chosen to represent the state (Perak of course) to the National Science Camp. It took place in Taman Rimba Komanwel, Rawang for a week. Each state sent 4 reps making in total of about 60-70 students from all over Malaysia. It was pretty exciting, given the fact that it was my first experience meeting other students from other parts of Malaysia, and after a brief summary of the schedule for the week, it seemed to be getting more interesting as there were stuff like jungle trekking, birds hunting, secret of the jungle and the best of all was the Astronomy session. Im not lying, but during this session i got to watch the Moon and the Jupiter using a very2 big and high-tech telescope brought by the 2 reps from the Planetarium Malaysia that night.

I was amazed!! Never thought that i would ever get the chance to look at the surface of the moon that clearly. I felt so close to the moon as if i can grab it.(that was how i thought back then, u know standard 6 level of thinking:) ) That was when i learned few things about the Jupiter. As we all know that it is the largest planet in our solar system. And if observed closely, Jupiter has a small red dot on its surface in which 3 earths can be put inside!!! Remarkably that gave me a clear picture of the actual size of that massive planet relative to the one we are living on....Today, that knowledge has become the basis of my understanding about the concept of The Creator and the creation. Just sit and think about this and u will realize how small a creature we are.........

We are one of those creations of God called the HoMosapiens(human); the inhabitants of the planet called, the Earth. Our planet, among the 8 planets(Pluto is no longer a planet) in the solar system, is situated not too close to the source of energy, the Sun, but close enough to allow all the ecosystems checked and balanced hence to support lives living on it. The sun, undoubtedly is the most important object in our solar system without which all the physics, and the biological basis of life will come to an end. However the Sun is only another ordinary stars of that millions of stars that u see in the sky. Science has proven that, in the galaxy we live; The Milky Way(Bima Sakti), there are millions of solar systems like ours out there. Current knowledge of science also has led human to understand that the MIlky Way, is just one of the millions of galaxies known to exist in this world!!!So, how big actually is the universe?? Only God the Creator, the all knowing knows. We muslims learned from the story of Isra' and Mi'raj, the night when The Prophet was brought to see The Creator, there were actually 7 layers or levels of the Universe, and the one we discussed just now, the galaxies and all, encompass only the very first level!!So that may give us the clear picture of the concept of God;The Creator The all-knowing and us, the creation. Relative to the size of the universe, we are actually smaller than the size of an atom. So let us be reminded, who we are actually.......no body!!!

Before i end this entry, i would like to share with all of u one fact about the universe.....
Do u guys know when scientists talk bout the 'Lightyears' ,what exactly it means???
A Light-year is actually a unit of distance(not time as some may think).It is a distance that light can travel in one year. Light travels at a very top speed of 300 000km/sec, equivalent to distance covered if u circle the earth 7 times!!! So in 1 year, light travels 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers (about 10Trillion km) and this equal to 1 light year. Just to put things into perspective here, the reason why this unit is used, is simply because the universe is just sooo huge that km per se is useless. The next closest star from earth is 4.2 light years away.(4.2x10Trillion km). In other words, if the light travels from earth, it takes 4.2 years to reach to that star, and say if there is another solar system over there with a group of scientists doing the same calculation now, the light they are seeing from our solar system came in the year 2003. The nearest galaxy to ours Milky Way is Andromeda Galaxy, and it is 2.3 million light-years away. In other words, at this moment, they are seeing light from us that came 2.3 million years ago.......about 100million years post Jurassic period. And finally, if one day( which i doubt) men were to travel across our galaxy, guess how long do they have to take????....150 000 years... provided we can travel as fast as the light!!!!
So that's it. Fascinating isn't it?Hope u enjoy it....

Finals approaching....

The countdown has started.Not more than 120days from now, i will be facing the 'worst nightmare' for all the medical students. That time will come and the sole reason of the whole 5 years duration for me being in medical school will be 'JUDGED'. It could be the end, it could be the starting point. But for me, i hope for it to be my stepping stone for the next levels ahead. Different schools have different way of assessing their students but the basic principles are still the same. This may not be relevant but i just wanna share, there are 5 subjects for finals; Obstetrics n Gynaecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Medicine and Surgery. These 5 subjects give in total of 800 marks and in order to get the DR, all the 5 must be completed and passed. Last 3 weeks, 3 of those subjects had been assessed and alhamdulillah, i manage to pass them. So Obs n Gyne, Pediatrics and Psychiatry are all down, n 2 more to go!!! But these 2 subjects cover half of the total 800marks and they are the essence of medicine i must say,so to really grasp the whole concept and to get all the facts stored permanently in my mind is kinda impossible...hmm but anyhow wish me luck on this, and to others who will be facing the same 'nightmare' soon, i wish u guys all the best too....obviously my study mode has started a lil bit now but just find it hard to get goin fast considering this is the last winter break im going to enjoy as a student...so 3rd january ill be back into the normal hectic routine..haiyaa....

a glimpse of Malaysia thru my eyes....

im back again.. Discussing about Malaysia scares me.. worse when talking about the world. Yet anyone can talk about all the wrong things we see before our eyes but how many dares and have the gut or even care to do something about it? Good things do not come by itself with miracles but, out of collective actions and effort by group of people who persevere and fight for it....don't get me wrong, im not talking about changing the world upside down or anything like that..what i'm trying to say here is that ' to enjoy a good outcome in the end, the good acts must start now and from within'.

If we expect the world to change. WE first must change. I remember Ms.Madelaine my english teacher when i was in KMYS used to say, "do unto others, as u want others to do unto you". It simply means, if we want people to respect us, we first have to give other people the respect they deserve. This simple concept is by and large, lost in our society to some extent. Ironically, for the muslims especially, since this is the ground I am talking from, the Prophet had thought us and emphasize the importance of mutual respect soo long time ago but why can we not follow????
Now, lets focus on Malaysia...this year is our 50th anniversary of independence. Alhamdulillah, with the grace of God and with His will that today we are enjoying being Malaysian and benefiting a lot from her either. With the nation developing, and aiming for developed nation at some point...the main question we have to ask ourselves is 'WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY BELOVED NATION?"..the fact that every little things matter is crucial for all of us to understand. Helping the nation does not mean you have to be a minister, politician, or a successful businessman with big money…or to wait when ur 40’s!!…We can help the nation regardless of our age, background or location! Still vivid in my mind the ‘sembang-sembang politik’ I had in London with Jeg, Smq and Daus one night. One of the conclusions we came out with was that, ‘to act now, within our capacity and keep progressing as we go along’…..if we seriously want to take our nation to another level, then we all have to step up and do something.

I am very grateful to God, thankful to the government as well for giving me the opportunity to study abroad. It is very fortunate for me to get this chance because it is undoubtedly an ‘eye-opener’, ‘life-changing experience’ and is going to be among if not the most memorable 5 years in my life….However, that also reminds me to one of the verses in the Quran, Chapter One which means ‘God will not bestow upon you a responsibility or burden, unless He knew that you are capable of taking it on your shoulder’……..Fundamentally it means, we are simply being given the chance to see the other part of the globe and to learn from their people all the good stuffs to take them home and be reminded as well as cautios by learning the ‘less good stuffs’. Therefore, the best things that we can do to pay back our society, from whom the tax was taken to pay our fees here, besides finishing our degree, is probably to lead by example and to share with other fellow Malaysians the good elements we have learned.

We learnt that Malaysia is famous of ‘adat dan budi pekerti, kesopanan dan kesusilaan’…..the question is how far is this statement still true? Or has it ever been true at all?Some people say, if they come to Malaysia then only they know the truth….my view on this? Yes and NO!!!
We may treat the tourists better than we treat ourselves, as in to our fellow Malaysians. We lack the respect of individual’s right and principles….We don’t say thank you that much to other people…We argued and fight over petty things and sometimes ridiculously led to murder and death…We ignore or pay no attention when people are talking in front be it teachers, lecturers or friends.We don’t acknowledge students’ rights and importance that much. We take the road recklessly without caring about the safety of others. We curse and become angry when people point out our wrongdoings instead of saying thank you!!!We don’t dress modestly anymore as if there is nothing refraining us from doing ‘the show’. We love our job more than we do love our family. We became MP’s to benefit ourselves. We love money more than anything else to the extent of disregarding the purity of the source, and ultimately, we care soo much about ourselves now that we care soo less for the hereafter, which I think sadly enough, completes the ingredients for an impending dooms :( ………………………………………………………………..and those are just a short list of the things which crossed my mind.

Take it from here, that is the reality, Pak Lah said, ‘We have 1^st world infrastructure but 3^rd world mentality’….true enough with evidence before our eyes….but the good part is at least we have some world class infrastructure, it is just a matter of finding the formulae to upgrade the mentality????? My view, the most ideal way of progressing forward is to have both religion and economy to march hand in hand….or else we may achieve one temporarily, but collapse sooner due to the ignorance of the other…..as I always believed that other aspects of life are subsets to religion, the religion itself need to be holistically understood in order to complete the other important aspects of life and firmly upheld so that as an individual we become a better person and if achieved collectively the world will become a better place……..till then …bye

Eid Mubarak...

10th of zulhijjah every year...the muslims all around the world celebrate Eid Al Adha. Today for the 5th time in a row, i celebrate eid al adha away from home, my beloved country; Malaysia thus of course away from family too. But this year is my 2nd year celebrating the Eid with my wife and for the first time with da lil baby in the womb:)...
Probably to share as well as to remind myself and others about this holy month, Zulhijjah is also known as the feast of sacrifice. It commemorates one of the most important event in the history when Prophet Ibrahim alaihissalam was ordered by Allah to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail alahissalam, who was later replaced by Allah with a goat. And this event marked the start of all the sacrifice made to these days.
Zulhijjah is also more importantly, the month when muslims perform Haj in Makkah al mukarramah. Nearly 3.5 million muslims from all over the globe will gather in Makkah to complete this pillar of Islam. Here in the Holy Land of Makkah, in the central point of the Masjid Al-Haram, the Kaabah is located. Historically built by the Prophet Ibrahim alaihissalam, Kaabah even though some people may just see it as a black box, i must say it is to me objectively and subjectively, one the most beautiful structure ive seen in my life. Kaabah is circled 7 times during the act called Tawwaf and interestingly, the angels also have the same practice at the Baitul Makmur that is located right above the Kaabah in the sky. During this month of haj, on the 9th Zulhijjah, the pilgrims stop at Arafah. A place known to symbolise the condition at the day of judgement, Arafah is plainly a field of desert, dry, with temperature more than 45degree or probably more....and here all the pilgrims are gathered regardless of the background and nationality for one purpose and one purpose only that is to worship the Lord, The Creator of mankind........wallahua'lam
Hopefully those info help, and Eid Mubarak to all again.....