Dia tnyaaa jugaaaakkk 😒
I refuse to answer properly for today's challenge sbb I simply cannot choose ONE! 😫
Those who know me, will know why.. Especially the certain friend whom I tk berani nk whine takdak duit lest she'd go to my bookcases and pi kira total cost of my books annnndddd the tukang bayaq buku semenjak kawen.. Ehhh 🙊
So no, I will not be answering today's challenge as I should.
Nnt buku² lain merajuk pastu lari gi Batu Belah cemmana? 😝
#30dayswritingchallenge
Do I really have to choose one? 😅
I only started watching tv again after I graduated. We didn't have tv at our home eversince I entered secondary school so any tv series then, I mmg tatau. The TV room at the hostel pun I had never entered until one day when I was bored.
There was this girl in the tv room watching something so I decided to see what was on the tv. In a matter of minutes, I was hooked.
It wasn't love at first sight though. In fact I thought it was gonna be about boring science stuff (that episode was full with all things chemical and I hate chemistry 😅) and labs (my FYP puuuunnnn I avoided labs. My MSc too.. My lab was out there in the open, NOT in room.
And that's how I fell in love with CSI 😁
I devoured all the spin offs too.. Miami.. New York. I hate all kinds of lab work but what they did was fascinating 😱
Then of course came other series like Third Watch, NCIS and my favourite: Criminal Minds. Almost never missed an episode at all 😁
One day, the students were all hyping about Prison Break and you guessed it, I didn't miss that one too 😁 Though masuk season 3 kot, dh mcm slow skit sbb terasa merapu dh skit 😅
A suprise favourite (or let's say 'among my favorites') was this series called Grimm. I wasn't sure what it was about when I first watched it and the first episode seemed a bit slow to me, but it was interesting enough to keep me curious. It's not about the grim reaper we're used to but its about this cop who is a descendants from a long line of hunters for supernatural creatures who live among us. He had this ability to see these creature for who they are but not all are bad and some become his friends and allies.
I'm not good at describing it but you should check it out, if you haven't already 😁
Speaking of supernatural creatures, of course I was one of millions who loved the Winchester Brothers in Supernatural. And like half of those millions, I stopped watching bila dia mula merepek sgt 😅 I still sometimes watch it but only the earlier seasons where is still made sense in its merepekness, if you understand what I mean.
Comedy series pun ada jugak yg I follow long term like How I Met Your Mother which I think shouldn't be the title sbb misleading 😂 But I guess that's what makes people remember it.
The Big Bang Theory pun bes jugak but since I only had normal channels dulu, I couldn't watch it much. Now? Netflix di hujung jari so me and the ExBoyfriend finished watching it balik dh aritu. It was our go to series untuk tengok sambil makan so we didn't waste much time choosing what to watch 😝
Now we just started on Young Sheldon pulak and I love trying to find easter eggs that connect both. Mcm yesterday kot, we saw this episode where Missy was finding asking Sheldon's opinion on a boyfriend for her doll and she told him that guys was Blossom's brother.. And we all know who Blossom grew up to be in TBBT kaaannn 😁
Ohhh.. Also not forgetting Brooklyn 99 (I had to look up the name sbb I just call it 99 😂). Ini Exboyfriend yg introduce and it was our sambil makan tv show before TBBT. Most memorable scene is of course the Tell Me Why scene 😂
I know for this post I was supposed to choose one but choosing only one is hard 😅 Cumanya if I had a gun to my head and was asked to choose only one tv series to watch for the rest of my life, I'd choose House.
(Ehhh, tiber tringt, I also loved The Good Doctor)
Why House? Sbb among all the long standing TV series that I love, House yg I tk pernah bosan wpun his department bertukar² orang dh. Well, aside from Criminal Minds la tp Criminal Minds is mostly gory, House is a complete package 😁
Masa Pojie suruh tgk mula² tu I wasn't sure if I was gonna like it sbb I never really liked Grey's Anatomy but it turned out that House is a totally different kind of show. Made me Google a lot of things lah jugak but entertaining yg amat too. I made him download the first and second season tp all the seasons afterwards, gigih ku cari 😁
So there. Here's my take on Favourite TV Series so please, pleaseeee laaa lain kali jangan bg tajuk favourite something² sbb I always suck at choosing one 😅 Hopefully tkde laaa topic Favourite Book or I'm quitting this challenge 😅
#30dayswritingchallenge
I'm the eldest of 9. I have 6 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters. At the age of 40, I gained another sister, who is a year younger than me, when I married her brother 😝
Bet you thought it was a baby sister, huh? 😝
Anyway, I've always been known to talk non-stop about my siblings to a point that all my friends know about them. Sometimes when I start a story with, "Adik sy kan..", when I end the story, some friends siap boleh teka which adik I was talking about 😂
So since I don't want to bore anyone with recycled stories of them, I wanna talk about my other set of siblings. These are the siblings I got to choose 🥰
During my postgrad years, days can sometimes be a bore especially when it's repetitive. For the first year of my MSc, I stayed in the RO room upstairs since it was easier. However, one day we got news they were revamping the current postgrad room to make it more organized with personal cubicles for us. Erwan, a fellow RO turned postgrad, told me to go choose a cube quickly so I won't get the unwanted ones. At first I refused but when I realized we were gonna have to give up the RO rooms, I reluctantly went down to choose my own space.
I didn't know anyone in the postgrad room (except Erwan) and wasn't really sure where I wanted to sit. In the end I chose the 2nd cube from the front door. Why not the first cube? Sbb nnt kene jadi tukang bukak pintu for those yg lupa bwk access card 😝
My cube was near abg Fadzil & Choong's cube. Beside me would one day be taken over by Yee (tp dia masuk lmbt skit) and around her cube would be Abdullahi (Somalian) & Ramadhan (Acheh) .. And an Iranian student that I just can't remember his name 😅 But like I said, I didn't know them but in no time did they make me feel welcome 🥰
Itu yg abang², yang adik² pun ade a few but they were further inside the large postgrad room. There was Farah, Pojie, Puga & Ramlah. There were others more like Lie, Rashwan & Fared but they had rooms upstairs.
We were are like a big family. Literally ketawa bersama & menangis bersama. We got nervous collectively when one of us needs to mengadap SV 😂 We rejoiced together when someone's paper got accepted for publication. We would not be able to sit still or even do our work when one of us was doing their viva.
We got to know each other's family. We were close to kak Nor, abg Fadzil's wife. I met Choong's wife jugak since he always helps me send old newspapers & coffee tins to the recycle centre. He told me his wife said I was cute & I blushed. Then he said, "You tau kan selalu org panggil cute sbb dia tkmo tipu kata you cantik?" Kuang asam 😂
I had lunch at Quazzi's (Bangladeshi) house once and we met Wesam's (Palestinian) family too when they came to Malaysia to be with him for a while.
We celebrated everyone's birthday complete with cake and other food. Any excuse to do something fun during our mundane postgrad days 🤭 Sometimes even rushing of to Kulim to borong Nasik Ayam Periuk Besar for everyone 😁
When I needed help with my data collection or Prof Meor's project, they were the first to volunteer (since I need A LOT of people to do this). When Farah needed help at her concrete lab pun, ramai would go help provided we weren't busy lah. Then we'll go have lunch ramai² after the heavy work done together.
When someone vandalized my cube by splashing coffee all around it, semua jadi investigator wpun semua dh boleh agak sape especially when we realized Iz's printer was full of coffee too. The guys confronted the said person who of course denied everything. But then, we also didn't have proof except the day before, me & Iz both had separate unpleasant interactions with this person but Yee got afraid sbb this guy was disturbing her too in a creepy way jugak so we all bought pepper sprays. I didn't know how to use it so Iz took his girlfriend's (now wife) pepper spray to demonstrate. Silap besar laaaa sbb the postgrad room is an enclosed space. Berlari keluar kitorg semua pakat pedih mata pedih tekak semua 😂
When we all got bored with our daily routine, someone would suggest an activity. From serious activities like a colloquium (Yes! We actually decided to organize one because we were bored 😂) to fun BBQs where everyone chipped in 😁
Then when any one of us graduated, we'd all clear our schedules for the day just to drive beramai² to the main campus for them 😁
When a second wave of juniors came to register for the postgrad program, we gained new adik² too. By then we had 3 postgraduate rooms dh, so 3 times the fun? 😁
Most memorable was the River Rangers Camp we did together 💕
Ini belum lagi cerita the juniors I got to know earlier. Yun is the friendlier one between us so she knew these juniors early on. I was still delaying my MSc registration when she asked of I wanted to join these juniors 10 day program at Lenggong. I was reluctant at first sbb I didn't know a single person here but after the program, I felt as if I had so many adik² that I didn't know before 😁
Lily, Shitah, Nanie, Alem, Amer, Jutie, Salimin, Ajha to name a few. In reality, too many to name satu² here. Among the things tk boleh lupa was when we went to Lenggong prior to the project to meet with the schools and org kampung. It was Alem, Amer, Lily, Hasni & me. They knew I was waiting for my Atos then but also that I was scared of driving. Jenuh Alem pujuk suruh practice drive (I think we went in his car kot time tu) but I refused.
Tau ape dia buat?
When it was time for Jumaat prayers, we had agreed that us girl would wait in the car after he parked it near the mosque. Instead, he stopped the car tengah jalan and tarik Amer keluar while they laughed and lari masuk masjid. Mcm, oiiiii, ape ni? 😅
Nak tanak I had to take over and drive the car lah. There was no parking available dh masa ni so I drove slowly to a surau we had seen earlier. Sabar je lahh.. 😅 As my revenge, we went to pick up the guys after 2:30, biar diorg tunggu lama² 😝
I stayed close with them till they graduated. I could never forget the day we went for last dinner together ramai², Alem said to me, "Tu la kak Ayu. Sape suruh sayang kt kitorg. Skrg kitorg dh nk grad, dh nk keluar USM. Nnt kak Ayuuuu jugak rindu kt kitorg"
Banjir oiiiii lepas tu tanpa sengaja.. Pastu budak Alem tu gelak je.. Cisss
Tu tk masuk lagi cerita diorg ajak main mercun kt Lembaran. I was friends with kak Yun, penggawa Lembaran time tu so was a bit reluctant nk join tp Lily siap ckp, ni tahun last kak Ayu nk seronok² ngn kitorg so tertewas jugak laaa.. Pastu kantoi dgn kak Yun.
Then next time keluar dgn kak Yun with my housemates, dia siap perli lagi 🙈🙈🙈
Ooooohhh.. Then my housemates. My accidental kakak² 😍 Kak Shima & kak Kathy. When I first rented with them, I didn't even know them. Just one day kak Kathy saw me at the hostel & asked me if I had found a house yet. She told me the house they had found kosong satu bilik so if I hadn't found a place yet, I was welcome to it.
I don't really know why I said yes wpun I never really talked to them before but it was one of the best decisions I had ever made 😁
We stayed together for 3-4 years kot and its still among the best things in my life. Who would've known. We'd go watch movies together, try Ramadhan buffets together and since both kak Shima & kak Kathy were from sch Bahan, they took me along to their activities jugak sampai I kenal laaa kakak² lain kt Bahan 😁
They taught me about how good pekasam was. They took me along to their kampung and all. And when they both wanted to watch Tamil/Hindustan movies, they tell each other I was the one yg nak tgk sbb masing² tkmo ngaku hantu film Tamil/Hindustan 😂
When I was heartbroken, both of my kakaks here did their best to cheer me up 🥹
I missed them so much when they left. They left the same month. Kak Kathy sbb dh nk kawen and continue her studies in the UK and kak Shima sbb she had finished her MSc and had gotten a job in Intel, Penang.
Then there were my adiks jiran 😁
Salleh, Arep, Rashid, Sepul, Duwe ngn Faizal 😁
When there was a Mr K in my house, Salleh came to save the day. When there was a place we both needed to go, Rashid was the one who would volunteer to drive. When PFK masuk workshop I didn't have sny transport to go to class, Sepul yg tlg hntr. Siap pesan suruh tunggu dia lepas class so dia boleh bwkkn balik.
When there was a huge Mr K right in front of my front door that refused to budge, Arep came to the rescue. Tp kene tahan telinga skit la bila Arep yg dtg 😝 Ini juga adik yg sama² sukaaaaa jelajah bazaar Ramadhan. We went to almost all bazaars yg dkt² sini. Paling jauh (and kerap) was the huge one in Perda. Siap boleh remind each other next time dtg nk beli ape 😂 Pasal gossip tgh² mlm jgn ckp laaa.. Sbb our houses were so near each other, we'd hear the same sound. One night, my neighbour gaduh ngn sape tatau.. Tk lama lepas tu masuk notification Arep nk bergossip pasal tu 😂😂😂
Never a dull moment 😂
So you see, I might have 8 siblings related by blood tp yg tk related by blood ni ramai sgt sampai I can't even write about all of them. Yang pasti, all of them are responsible for making my heart bigger just to make room for them. I pray for only happiness for them 💕
Sayang semua 😘
I met my very first best friend when I was.. 3? 4? 5?
I don't really remember but we were family friends. Close enought that we call her parents Mummy & Daddy while she calls mine Mama & Abah. We weren't really neigbours but we must have me up often enough because my childhood is filled with memories of her with photos to prove it.
We met again in Standard 1. She was among the first to talk to shy little me. Both our fathers worked in the same school in USM and we hit it off in no time. Her parents bought me my first pembilang when Abah refused to buy one for me (he thought it was a waste but we really did need to use it in class) saying they had an extra one.
When we were in Standard 3, I welcomed my new long-awaited sister into the world. I was so giddy with excitement that when Cikgu Noerida asked me to tell the class what my new sister's name was, I was still speechless. It was this very friend who excitedly answered for me because, of course, she was the first to know and she memorized my sister's name because she knew it was important to me.
Each year from Standard 2 to Standard 4 we'd vow to wear the hijab together but being kids, it usually lasted only a few weeks since we were always misplacing our tudung or more often than not, burnt it while trying to iron it 😂 During that time, it wasn't that easy to find a kids white hijab so we'd sheepishly wait for next year to start the debacle over again until I finally wore it for good in Standard 5 😂
In Standard 5 and 6, me and my best friend were always on the phone right on the dot at 3pm. I don't even remember what we talked about but we almost never missed our 3pm phone call to each other.
In secondary school, we were in the same class. She was talkative and really smart. I was, well, not appreciating my full potential then 😅 I got to know her Mama & Mak and always felt welcome at her house.
She was one of the cutest beings I have ever met and seemed shy at first but once you get to know her, jaga² lah tudung tu. We both had a crush on the same celebrity and fought over him macaaaamm la the said celebrity kenai sgt pun 😂
She kept my secrets, and I kept hers. We sat at the back of the class, never really wanting to sit with anyone else 😁
After SPM, she worked at an arts & craft store. So unlike her.. What was more unlikely was that she developed an interest in it. She made me a turtle plushie and made my sister a fabric photo frame. Now, she makes bags as a hobby and side income. 25 years ago, none of us would've believe this haha..
We planned our studies together when I was accepted in UiA with the same course as her. But our joy was shortened when Abah told me to send an appeal to USM. I begged him to reconsider but he didn't want to so that night, we cried together knowing we weren't headed the same way.
Then in my first year, we met again as Geometric group members. When we realized we were both from Penang, I guess that just sealed our fate for the next 3 years. She introduced me to the Chicken Soup series and to her dear, dear parents. We had classes together, chose the same major and all. She always laughed at me at my reluctance to go to my English classes (I was the only freshie in that class.. Stress!) sbb I was always bernazar if the class was cancelled, I'd fast hahah.. Aci ka main dgn nazar camtu? 😅
We repeated classes together. Getting C- or D at first than both getting A+ the second time around 😁 Sometimes we'd go watch movies together when we had free time on our hands. This was one girl who I can share anything at all without hiding the trurth.
When she got married, I was the pengapit bidan terjun during her nikah. We thought she didn't need one then masa tu sbb it wasn't for the kenduri and since I was there, they told me to fill in. I wasn't ready and the photographer even laughed and asked us, "Awat muka pengapit lagi merah dari muka pengantin?" 😂
She was always there for me when she's near. We're different, like night & day and more than once have I had people ask me how come we are friends 😂 During my postgraduate years, when I moaned about not having enough money, this cheeky girl would actually sit in front of my bookcase and calculate all the money I had spent on books.. Ewaaahhhh kauuu 😂 But that shut me up quickly 😂
When I got my heart broken, she could be there in person for me since we were 200km apart, but she sent me a heartfelt card that I still keep till now.
Once when we were separated by the Selat Melaka, she messaged me. Told me she had dreamt of me and felt that I was sad. I'll never understand how she knew but I was so grateful for it. I didn't want to talk to anyone then but somehow with her, I let it all out.
Till now, she has that knack of knowing something about me even when I never told anyone. Most recent was a few years ago when she reached out to me because she felt in her heart that something was wrong. I was keeping things bottled up inside, distracting myself with outdoor activities but she somehow guessed and more suprisingly, she guess the 'who' too.. She even said she was gonna ask her dear hubby to go pukul the said 'who' and that made me laugh.
When I was getting married, I had the misfortune to not be working at that time due to the lockdown. I was panicking a bit since I didn't really have much savings and I had to pick and choose what I could have for my nikah instead of being able to afford everything I wanted.
Know what my bestfriend did? She secretly ordered a beautiful cake for me as a gift to us. What I didn't know was that Mama also wanted to sponsor my cake when she heard that I might not have a cake for nikah (I could only buy ONE cake so I chose one for my engagement 1.5 hours before the nikah. Tu pun last² tk byr sbb my sweet lil' Ija just gave it to me 🥹) In the end, instead of no cake at all, I had 3 😁
If you've read till this paragraph, I think you've already realized I'm not talking about one exclusive person. I'm talking about almost all who have been my best friend at different stages of my life. I say almost because there is so much more to share but if I do, I won't finish this post by today 😅
But to each and everyone of you, I'm sending a great big hug and a big chunk of my heart to let you know how much you mean to me. My life would surely be dull without you guys 😘
Happiness is when you wash a huge load of laundry on a bright sunny day and your clean clothes turn out crisp and dry and smelling heavenly.
Happiness is trying out a new recipe that you were scared to try out before and it turned out great.
Happiness is being greeted by bright, vibrant blooms in your makeshift garden despite always feeling like you don't have green fingers.
Happiness is having the each and every light turn green just as you get near a traffic light intersection.
Happiness is being lost in a great book that you don't even notice the passage of time.
Happiness is a good night's sleep, uninterrupted & really, really restful when you are so used to being insomniac.
Happiness is accomplishing something you thought was impossible for you, be it another success in your education or even making an actual wedding cake for your friend's brother (and having her mum praise it until you blush)
Happiness is finally graduating when you never really wanted to continue studying anyway. Extra happiness is when the lecturers (even the ones not in your field) personally tell you how they enjoyed your thesis 😁 Really, really proud moment 🥰
Happiness is seeing (almost) everyone that you love under one roof celebrating your wedding, knowing most of them made a looooooonnnggg trip just to be there on your day.
Happinesss is hearing the laughter and seeing the bright gleam in the eyes of your nephew after not seeing him in a very long time.
Happiness is always feeling safe with the one you finally gave your heart to.
Happiness is seeing people share their own happiness and feeling giddy with joy for them..
..and wishing everybody else would be just as happy (or more!)
In short, happiness is in the little things..
..and in the big things too
..and in everthing else in between ❤️
#30dayswritingchallenge
