life according to andria - embracing the Big C

Forreset Gump’s mother told him that “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.” This is definitely true I feel. In life we encounter so many different experiences. Some have made us feel happy, some otherwise. But, what has life taught us thus far actually? When one starts to discover life, what actually is one discovering? How can one actually claim that he or she is finally discovering life after years of living on earth? Has he or she not discovered life before this? I have always asked myself “Have I experienced life enough?” every time a person comes to me and shares his or her experiences with me, sometimes asking for my views on certain issues or matters. Life, I feel, is full of surprises. It is always evolving, hence, making it rather difficult for a person to claim that he or she has learned enough and is now an expert about life. It is unfair for a person to declare that he or she is THE GURU about matters concerning life. Can life actua...

Today I heard a motivational talk and it was on 'Kopi & Telaga'. I would like to share it with you. The story is more or less like this... (will continue in BM) Ada seorang pemuda yang sentiasa merasakan yang dirinya sentiasa di timpa masalah & sentiasa merungut. Tiba2 datang seorang tua yang bijaksana bertanya kepada pemuda itu mengapa dia sentiasa merungut. Pemuda itu pun bercerita kepada orang tua itu yang dia sentiasa di timpa masalah dan merasakan ianya adalan beban yang amat besar. Orang tua itu kemudiannya memberi pemuda itu seggenggam serbuk kopi dan segalas air. Beliau menyuruh pemuda tersebut mencampurkan serbuk kopi tersebut kedalam segelas air dan mengacaunya hingga sebati, selepas itu disuruhnya pemuda itu untuk meminum air tersebut. "Apakah rasanya?" tanya si tua kepada pemuda itu. Tentulah jawapan pemuda itu, pahit.... Si tua bijaksana itu kemudian memberi lagi seggenggam serbuk kopi kepada pemuda tersebut dan menyuruhnya memasukkan ke dalam seb...

My son , Amin came home from school last friday evening looking very upset. He looked like he was about to cry as he pushed his bike. True enough, the second I asked him how was school, he shed a tear. He was beaten up by three form 2 boys. I was shocked.... Beaten up? On his 8th day of school? What surprised me more was that the boy who started the whole thing, kicked him from behind when he was on his way to perform his 'Asar prayer. He was surprised, so he turned & kicked the boy back. The boy then punched his face & when he wanted to punch the boy back, the other form 1 boys stopped Amin from doing so & adviced him to inform the teacher. He then went to look for a teacher & little did he know that the bully followed him with two of his buddies and punch his neck & head from the back. Again Amin was hit & the boys fled. Amin didn't even know the boys. He had never seen or met the boys before that Friday. He told his form teacher but she didn't do ...

Salam. I think it's not too late for me to wish everyone 'happy new year!'. It's already approaching to the third week of January. My youngest daughter, aina, is in standard 1 this year. She was very excited when i took her to her orientation day on the 31st of dec '11. It was me who was a bit emotional. I felt, and still feeling it now, that my daughter is growing up too fast. Not just aina, the other three too. My second son Amin, is already in form 1. On his first day of school i almost shed a tear.... He's all grown up. He's now a young man who is almost as tall as me and he has pimples too... My third son, Safwan is now in std 4 but we still call him 'adik'. He's a bit more sensitive now. I guess it's part of growing up, but he's still chubby and still has his babyface, and he's still manja to a certain extent. My eldest, Amirah, is now in form 2 & she's more cautious of her appearance. She can fit my shoes now. A young l...

poems by group J (surina & nurhuda) Now & Then we learn we hear listening to lectures facing pop quizzes!!! Now, keep folowing rules join discussion groups do calculus playing with plus and minus now going to class study really hard sleeping like a log exam... SCORE!!! then having nice grade facing different level of life an engineer we are to be right....? Things People Do Things people do when they in love their love story just as perfect as Romeo & Juliet things people do when they are in trouble the hospital is now full with sick and tense people things people do when they are in traffic jam the only perfect music played is just a honk song and yet after all people just have to face it and make it right

Poems by group I (Azlyn, Hafizah & Norayuni) Things people Do Nowadays, people want to do a lot of things Technology change human behaviour everyone come out with brilliant ideas to improve their lives Kids... so many things to do from kindergarten to playgrounds always...have curious about something their acts always make we laugh...hahaha teenagers? stage which consists of a lot of challenges always want to try something new social problems are familiar with them but, not all teeangers like that adult? they think more about responsibilities care about family like they care about themselves give 100% commitment to their work and career try to be a good listener as a friend Now & Then Ice cream soda, pepsi cola the silly little songs we jumped to those days now all i can see are kids playing around on their ipads and iphones love letters on scented papers i love you, you love me hehehe now replaced by *ping* from BBM messages books and paper away with you now the trees weep wit...

Poem by group F (syafeeqa, rahimah & amalina) Things People Do Social, bullying, independent thinker, depression huh.. normally we are getting bored to hear about the bad issues according to teenagers smoking??? teenagers included... why should this happen lack of education and moral maybe influencing by people of surronding we should follow the right on what people do positive attitude that's the best way of real life

Poems by group D (afiq, asyraf, nasarudin) Things People Do Why are some people cruel and rude? So mean and crude They walk all over others And why? I ask Why have they grown so heartless? Why are they bitter and cold? What reason do they have to do that? It is because they've never been told? Maybe someone should tell them That no one truly likes their action Why do some people act As if they've so much better that others? They are no different than anyone else Not a bit different at all God made them with some mold He saw the same love within everyone one of them He made each and every person with equality So when will they realize what they're doing? That their life has gone all wrong? That instead of living a good, nice life They're off by miles long Maybe someday they'll see That they are no better than you or me Now & Then Now… we are happy But then… can we still be happy? Now… we may be rich of money But then… can the money give us happiness? Now… we enjo...

Poems by group C (aisyah, syairah & suhailah) T hings People Do I wake up in the morning I brush my teeth I take a shower I wear clothes I ride the bus Pit pit pit Rapid card I go to class Study study study Back to college Eat eat eat Sleep sleep sleep Now & Then When I was young It's seem the light was wonderful Miracle, beautiful and magical My mom teach me It's like this It's like that I got know I got your love Now I know how to be sensible Logical, responsible and practical And I know when you show me A road that I can be Intellectual, cynical and fluctual Then When you were leaving me alone Leaving me to live half alive Deep took so long just to feel alright Remember how to put back The light in my eyes I really miss The first time you teach me Cause you will never let me go astray Mom Even now and then I will always put you Deep in my heart and soul Forever Lot's love to you Mom

Recently I've assigned my students in the Engineering Faculty to use their creativity to come up with something interesting for the first 2 units of their textbook (unit 1- 'now & then', unit 2 - 'things people do'. This morning all ten groups presented in class and I was pleasantly surprised that they were all very creative and they came up with beautiful poems and some of them sang, as well as acted. I truly enjoyed their presentations and I would like to share with all of you some of the poems that my students have written. No changes or corrections are made to the poems. These are their original work. Poems by group A (Azam, Haziq & Adam) Now & Then Your pictures are in frames Hanging on my walls Life is hard without you by my side To have you here again I would give them all A picture cannot capture The beauty of your skin Or the radiating glow I'd feel when you grin So I look at you, my soul mate A picture in a frame I cry my tears of sorrow, ...

Sometimes in life we feel that what's happening to us is not fair. We feel that people are not being fair and good to us. We feel betrayed. Sometimes we feel that we do not know whom to trust, we feel that we've given and done our best, yet, our best is not enough for others. At times we question, why some people have all the luck in the world and we don't. we feel as if we are always on the losing side. Sometimes we wonder do other people actually go through what we have gone through, do they feel the sadness, the disappointment , the frustration that we have felt. We wonder and we question. When we keep wondering and questioning, we tend to come up with our own answers; we complain. We complain on each and every issue that we could find. We try to make others feel miserable just because we are not happy. We envy of others' happiness. Little do we realise that everyone in this world would have gone through and will eventually go through what we've gone through. Al...

It has been a year or maybe more since my last blog. A lot has happened. For starters, I am no longer a lecturer in JAD, I am now happily lecturing in UiTM Shah Alam. I must admit, it was pretty difficult for me to adapt to the new surroundings and environment at first, but, a year has passed and I think I am adapting to things here rather well. Although I do miss being in JAD and miss teaching the students, I find that being a part of UiTM is interesting. I meet new students every semester, this is certainly a plus point seeing new faces every semester, but I have to figure out a way on how to overcome my weakness though - my failure of remembering students' names. It can be rather frustrating at times. Perhaps my long-term memory is getting shorter by the day, hm.... My colleagues here are nice and very helpful. Two things that I find myself still trying to tune to are the 18 hours of teaching and also working in a big group. I was the only English lecturer in JAD for about 7 yea...

Recently there have been many cases of people 'throwing away' their babies...no, 'throwing away' sounds so mean. But, then again, it IS an extremely mean thing to do. The government has launched many campaigns to educate the society of this issue. They are encouraging the spirit of love and awareness. Even the celebrities are taking part in the campaigns. However, what I want to share with you today, is not about the campaigns, it's more of my personal views on this horrific matter. What has been playing in the society's minds is 'who is to be blamed?' Some would blame the parents, some would blame the girls / young ladies and the boys / young men involved, others would blame the government. I say all of them are to be blamed, even the society (including me). Why? There are a few rationales; Firstly, education starts at home. It is the parents' responsibility to nurture their children and provide them with food and shelter. The children are supposed ...

Salam. Happy New Year to all (i hope it's not too late). I haven't been writing for quite some time. Why...? Actually, there were a lot of things that I wanted to share, but too many things that I had to do last year. So, now, as part of my new year resolution, I will try to update my blog as often as I can, or I will at least try :) Hm... 11 days in this new year, a lot of things had happened... to me, my family and also the world. So many stories and views to share. Don't know where to begin. Hm... Let's start with the bombing of the three churches in Malaysia. When I heard the news and read about it, I was...'Woo... this kind of thing could actually happened here? In Malaysia?' To me, it was a very stupid thing to do. Even if the people responsible were trying to show their protest on the use of 'Allah', what they did will not portray what Islam really is. Islam does not teach us to be terrorists. Islam does not condone act of violence. Islam teaches...

On wednesday was Micheal Jackson's memorial in LA. When i first heard the news of his death over the radio, i thought it was just a hoax. You know, peole over there they like to come up with stories of celebrities being dead when they actually not. So, i thought it was one of those stories. Only when i saw it on the news did i believe that he's actually dead. A lot of his fans, die hard fans were and still are (as far as i can see) trying to accept the fact that he's dead. They cried, gathered to mourn his death by singing his songs and doing his dance moves. Me... no effect actually. Not that i wasn't a fan... I still am a fan of his songs, to me...yeah he's no longer with us, but his songs still are. But i do want to share some of my views on the King of Pop. Firstly, i actually pity him. He was famous at the age of 5, that means he had had no life at the age of 5. He didn't have a normal childhood... he grew up to fast. I guess being in the entertainment busi...

What's wrong with the world today?Influenza A is the latest fear. It seems like we are being 'attacked' by many deseases lately, one after the other. I wonder why. The weather also is not really 'normal'. It's really, really, extremely hot in one minute, then it'll rain heavily in another. Something is definitely wrong. What's wrong? I believe i can come out with a few logical theories or explanations behind this phenomena (at least to my view point). Religion is my first point. Lately i feel that people are 'playing' with religion. We can see that today it's difficult to actually differentiate between the malays and the non-malays; Muslims and the non-Muslims. Just look at the way people dress nowadays...need i say more? Some claim that they are Muslims but they do not act like Muslims... drinking, free sex, drugs, killing new born babies, murder,...the list the goes on. There are even those who do not fall under 'male' or 'femal...

People always come to me and ask why do i do what i do, i.e. teaching. My answer is very simple... i love to teach. i have always known that teaching is my 'thing' since primary school. i'm not the 'office material'. i can't picture myself sitting in an office 9-5 and do office 'thing' (whatever it may be). Why do i love to teach? Hm.... there are thousands of reasons for me to give, but most importantly is because i love sharing my knowledge with others. i love to share my experiences with others with the hope that they would get something from it. I love it when i go somewhere and i would always bump into some one who knows me and he / she turns out to be one of my students whom i used to teach. i love the feeling inside me when i know that i have touched someone else's life and contributed in some ways in their quest to achieve their dream. Well... those are some of the many reasons on why i love to teach. One important lesson that i learn in my j...

It's February 2009 already...how time flies. What have happened so far? A lot actually. Let me share with all of you. Me & family: 1. Safwan enrolled in school this year...yup! Std 1. He's pretty excited about it :). 2. I've gone back to being a student:). Doing my PhD in Language. Now I have 4 roles in my life; a wife, a mother, a lecturer and a student...woo... that's a lot of role switching ...tiring but worth it:). 3. I'm coordinating the Japanese & English Language course for English subject this year...rather interesting actually. This year, for the last batch, we have 190 students and 90 out that we'll be chosen to join the ever prestigious JAD. 4. A tragic and traumatic incident happened to me on Saturday,31st January 2009 at about 3pm. I was on my way to Sunway Pyramid from Shah Alam with my daughter, Amirah, and as i was navigating my Avanza up the curve to enter Subang, my car skidded and i lost control of the car. My car hit the left divid...

November was a rather hectic month for me. I had to pack the whole house because we were moving to a new house. Unfortunately, my dearest hubby was away on work most of the time so I had to do the packing myself. However, on the actual moving day, Alhamdulillah, hubby was around. Moving is no easy task. A lot of things that one has to do... packing, loading, unloading, unpacking, clean up old house, cleaning up new house, decorating new house... and the list goes on. I was very fortunate that on that moving day, some of my students (JAD U1 boys) came to my aid :). I was very touched and happy with their presence. They help meant a lot to me (and still do). So I'm now settled in my new home. My kids are happy with the new place, so does my maid, Dewi. More spacious i guess. I do, however, miss my old house. Even though it's 'petite' in size, it carries a lot of memories. It was the first house that we bought after we got married. I believe new memories will be created i...

I've been wanting to share this for quite some time, but i've been rather busy lately. Last November, Safwan had his first 'gig'. His first concert. Every year, towards the end of the school term, Safwan's school (pre-school), holds a 'Majlis graduasi & Penyampaian Hadiah'(graduation n priz giving ceremony). So, this year, though he didn't get any prize, he was selected to perform a nasyid and he was the lead singer :) He was very excited about it. WE were excited about it. Our son's first concert. Ha ha ha. Everyday he would practice at home. The nasyid was in English, one of the nasyids that Yusof Islam's composed. Fortunately for Safwan, he has been listening to the nasyid before he was seleted to perform. So, he was very familiar to it. So, the day finally came. His performance was the first performance for the day. My hubby even recorded it. I was nervous for him. I was afraid that he might experience stage fright and fo...