J/BLØG

  The last time I was in New Zealand was in the year 2000 – before that, it was in 1997. Before I fell in love with Norway, New Zealand was my first love – after Australia and Singapore, it was the third overseas country that I visited outside Indonesia. The nature and the seemingly [...]

  The past two weeks have been really hectic for me – at least it seems to ease down a bit this week. I had to resubmit my proposal by Friday last week, and on top of that there are also a couple of projects that I am involved in. They all require my undivided [...]

I came across the Chinese proverb when I was researching the origin of the so-called Chinese curse of ‘May you live in interesting times’ – apparently, the saying is incorrectly attributed as a Chinese curse and that the closest Chinese proverb is ‘It’s better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a [...]

The royal blue sky outside has turned darker by the second now that the sun is facing a different part of the globe and I’m still at the office, spending time before I meet my friends for the Wednesday prayer meeting over in the Rowland Rees building. It’s been quite a productive day today with [...]

  If anybody’s wondering why I’ve been so quiet for the past couple of weeks, it’s because I have been focusing on my proposal presentation. As part of my Masters degree, I had to present my proposal and had it assessed by three panel members. I did it today and although it was considered good [...]

If you’re wondering why I haven’t updated my blog recently, it’s because I’m in the thick of writing a paper for an upcoming conference in New Zealand at the end of the year, as well as finalising my proposal for this Friday. I’m fast reaching the six-month point in my study, where I need to [...]

My body’s probably trying to tell me something about my expanding waistline (ahh, the joy of getting old!). I went to the loo today at the university (stay with me, I know – this is way too much information!) and after I finished the numero uno, I heard a quick “Kerplunk!”. My first reaction was [...]

  Six minutes to midnight and I’m about to call it a day – take a shower and head to bed. It’s getting colder as we move closer to winter – it’s scary to think that we are nearly half way in 2010. I’ve had quite a productive day today even though it was a [...]

  Starting afresh always carries a risk that people around you are unaware of your previous accomplishments and experience. Of course there is an art in sharing those information over time – you don’t want to be branded a know-all snob. On top of that, having a look that is younger beyond my actual age [...]

  Ahhh – the weekend. It’s finally here. Hurrah! I can hear the faint chattering and laughter from across the hallway where staff and postgraduate students mingle over some nibbles and drinks. I only had one San Pellegrino mineral water and as I’m feeling a wee bit bloated, I bailed out earlier and chose to [...]