~ gratitude ~

I'm grateful that 2013 has been another great year... thank you untuk:-

 

1. good health throughout the year. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah.

2. umur yg masih dipanjangkan

3. rezeki yg masih tak diputuskan

4. akal & minda that r stil functioning. with it, I'm truly grateful that I'm able to help others

5. parents who are still alive

6. existing family members yg mengasihi & menyayangi. anda2 juga dikasihi & disayangi =)

7. new family members to cherish

8. close friends who keep me (in)sane =)

9. friends for which with their wisdom, patience, love, courage, honesty, and anger, have enlighten my path

10. colleagues who have been the source of inspiration, regardless of umur/experience/pgkt

11. new people/friends whom I've met

12. another year that allows me to travel

13. the job that I still keep

14. rumah yg still kukuh

15. kereta yg still boleh bergerak utk bw I pegi mana2

16. the spare time that I have. with it, I'm truly grateful that I'm able to dream

17. the creative mind that has been awaken

18. ........

19. ........

20. ........

 

I'm thankful for every single thing, whether big or small. each of it has affected my life this year. thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

if I have offended u in any ways, pls accept my apology. if I have inspired u this year, i'm glad to know that. pls continue by being a source of inspiration to others.

 

looking forward for 2014. new project on the pipeline =)

 

terima kasih. thank you. shukran. xiexie. doh-tje. em-goi. nandri. arigatogozaimasu. kamsahamnida. grazie. merci. salamat po. danke.

 

.welcome 2014.

~ creativity... terhad (Pt. 2) ~

continuing from the previous entry...

 

 

tried to empty some "storage" space dlm kepala by getting it out on paper.

 

.update as of today: the branches are expanding from this initial drawing.

~ creativity... terhad ~

i always like to scribble/conteng... that's why i always have a pen in my beg. it's a mechanism where i let go of what's in my mind. kdg2 while doing A, masa tu la terigt ada B, C, D and E yg nk kna buat. so, supaya akn igt, i'll write down all those B, C, D and E. kdg2 masa tgh dgr ceramah/seminar, ada perasan cm "ok nk dgr, tp slides mcm bosan"... so, i'll start conteng dlm kertas apa jelah yg i jumpa. telinga mendgr tp cz visual x menarik, can't help it bila bosan. kdg2 masa tgh duduk2 bosan2, ada mcm2 gmbr imaginative mcm drawing yg i rs cm terpandang2... like, it's really dpn mata, pdhal sbnrnye dlm kpale. so, i'll take out my pen & akn mula conteng.

 

i usually conteng/scribble kt blkg resit - resit Touch&Go, resit Giant/Tesco, resit kedai mkn, etc2. i don't conteng/scribble dlm kertas besar sbbn tujuan asal conteng adalah just utk let go of what's in my mind, whether it's in list form or drawing. mcm grand sgt je sebut drawing...hish...

 

kalo conteng/scribble kt blkg resit2/kertas2 kecik, ada possibility amat tinggi yg kertas akn dibuang by sape2 yg terjumpa. yelah... hasil conteng/scribble, org sure igt mnda xpenting. so, i decided to buy a small notebook supaya memudahkan i conteng/scribble when i feel like doing it. this small notebook is now a must-have thing in my beg, selain drpd wallet, henfon, pen and kunci rumah =)

 

so, inilah hasil2 contengan dlm d small notebook, each of it i bg nma sukati2... sma gk mcm contestant Master Chef bg nama kt food yg diorg masak...

 

started with this... (on d plane from Melbourne to KL)

 

then this.... MAPPING

and then this.... ROLLING

followed by this.... TURBULENCE

and this is the latest conteng... COBWEB

 

i mmg bkn jns yg creative/artistic. sbb tu bg nama/tema pn sukati2 je. melukis lk mmg out. tp hoping that dgn kerja2 conteng ni will improve my drawing skill (now leh ckp drawing, hahaha). berangan ni... kalo dh lma2 i conteng nnt and i makin terer, hoping that adalah among d drawing (masa tu dh jd proper drawing la) yg akn attract org to make it into design for wrapping paper or design kain or cards or book cover.

 

.should start somewhere so let's start with berangan. hehehehe.

 

~ ad-hoc JB-USS trip ~

not very long after I came back from Melbourne, my friends ajk g weekend trip to JB and Spore (Universal Studio Singapore). kitrg nk synchronize kn cuti masing2, mmg susah sgt. kalo wiken pn sma...ada yg kna kerja on Saturday (including me), personal commitment, family commitment, buat business, ahli sukan, etc2. so nk set weekend mna nk g kuar berjimba/jln2 mmg susah. mmg last minit sggh plan trip ni, main pilih je 1 weekend ni & finally sume org agree utk pegi from jumaat-ahad.

 

my friend nk g sgt Universal Studio ni after dia tgk de promo kt USS py website - buy 3 tickets, free 1. normal price for ticket is $74. tp bila amik promo yg buy 3 free 1 ni each ticket jd $55.50. disbbkn sume org tgh membajet ms tu, jdnye percutian ad-hoc ni mmg jd percutian bajet sebaik mungkin. plan asal nk bertolak tghri on Friday. tp sbb de yg xdpt nk halfday, maka perjalanan start dkt2 kul6ptg. by d time smpi hotel dh kul11lbh mlm pn. let me share how we budgeted our JB & Spore trip:-

 

1) xnk naik flight

we thought of various options utk smpi ke JB. last2nye decided drive je pegi JB on Friday. sbnrnye decision nk drive pn cz terpikir nk stop kt JPO jp on d way blk KL. sj je nk tgk JPO tu ada pe sbb masing2 xpnah smpi. kalo naik flight/bus/train, xleh nk stop mana2. utk minyak keta, I xreti la nk bg hint brp yg boleh dibajetkan cz it depends kpd cara driving & jns kereta gk. tp utk kereta my fren, pegi balik total RM98 just for minyak. sorg around RM25. tol pulak depends tol gate mna korg enter and exit. kitrg py tol pn trmasuk gk la enter and exit tol ms nk g JPO tu. amount utk tol je RM77.60, tp share ber4 jd la RM19.40 sorg.

 

2) xnk stay kt Spore 

we booked 2 rooms at Tune Hotel Danga Bay for 2 nights, with minimal facilities. by minimal facilities I mean xde toiletries (bw sendiri sabun, shampoo, ubat gigi, tuala), xde aircond, xde tv, xde wifi. haaaa.... kata percutian bajet =) in my opinion, kipas je pn dh ok utk bilik. ms kitrg pegi sna aritu, d weather biasa2 je...xpns, xsejuk. afterall bknnye nk dok kt bilik allllll d time, takat nk tido je. tp depends gk kpd ur body heat. kalo rs sntiasa panas, request la aircond. x sure brp la rate if cmpr aircond. tp kalo xtahan sejuk macam I, kipas je pn dh cukup. total stay in 2 rooms adalah RM378.16. so, sorg RM94.54 for 2 nights.

 

3) naik bus JB-Spore-JB

kitrg naik shuttle bus by company Odyssey from JB to Spore and back to JB. kalo nk book tiket shuttle ni dgn Tune Hotel pn boleh. tick skali nk tiket shuttle bus masa wt online booking Tune Hotel. tp sbb dr pembacaan kt blog2 org len de tulih psl better book dgn company Odyssey ni trus if nk book timing, so we decided to book trus dgn Odyssey and requested for shuttle yg kul7.30 am. tp if book trus dgn Odyssey d ticket costs RM30 sorg. if nk book dgn Tune Hotel lk, RM25 sorg. tp xleh la nk book timing nk naik shuttle la. kitrg ni nk g seawall boleh, sbb tu book yg kul7.30am. kalo korg google "shuttle bus to USS", sure kua result Odyssey ni & dh bg nmbr tepon siap2 (072323092). kalo tgk kt blog2 org len, d cntact person is En. Sufian. tp I deal dgn org len, sorg kakak yg baik. mslhnye dh xigt nma kakak tu (oh nooo, bad me).

 

info on bus #1: mode of payment

I made d payment through cimbclicks a day before we travel. asal2 dh ckp kt kakak tu yg mbe smpi JB around kul8 tp cz xdpt arrive awl, so xleh la nk collect ticket on d day we arrive (ofis Odyssey ni tutup kul8 mlm). tp bila dh buat online payment, amik ticket d following day je. just tnjk proof of payment kt abang yg jaga masa tu & 4 bus tickets were issued to us.

info on bus #2: package offered

kakak yg I dealt with tu bg options kt kitrg, nk ticket bus sahaja OR ticket bus + ticket USS. I xigt la pulak brp hrg ticket bus + ticket USS yg diorg offer. disbbkn kitrg dh dpt ticket USS, so i pilih option amik d bus ticket je. see??? kan I ckp dh yg kakak tu baik =)

 

4) surf for interesting package in USS's website

we managed to get the buy 3 free 1 ticket. jdnye each person's ticket is $55.50. in addition to that, kalo byr gna mastercard masa buat booking for the entrance ticket, dpt lg food voucher $5 per person. suka...suka...leh guna voucher tu utk pay for your food. we ate at Oasis Spice Café kt Ancient Egypt section.

 

my food selection costs $20. tp byr $15 by cash, lg $5 tu dgn voucher. menu sihat ada buah, hehehe. 

--------------------------------------------

 

we went back to our hotel by the same bus (Odyssey). naik je bus td kat platform mana uncle tu dropkan masa kita br sampai. turun je bus kt Tune Hotel, trus g cari kedai mkn. kalo naik bilik & mandi manda dulu then br nk turun cari food, cnfirm la tak kan punya. we had dinner at Chamek Kopitiam, xjauh from Tune Hotel (leh jln kaki je, xyah lintas highway). my dinner was RM20 sbb food 1 tp air 2 jns cz haus melampau. d next day, breakfast pun kt d same spot (RM8.50) before we left utk pulang.

 

sebenarnye xde lah pulg betul pn. singgah menyinggah la pulak dulu -- menyinggah beli Otak-Otak Kempas, menyinggah JPO, then kul2 br la btul2 bertolak blk KL. I bought la beberapa jns frozen food kt kilang otak2 tu. d costs RM48. then ms kt JPO, I beli choc Daim cz de org nk. kt Langkawi brp eh 1bgks choc Daim tu? xsmpi RM20, kn? kt JPO, ya rabbiii...RM31 for 1 pack.

 

I purposely x include my story kt dlm USS tu cz ni 2nd time dh I pegi USS. xde la beza sgt pn from my 1st time at USS. just that activity2 kitrg kt dlm USS ms ad-hoc trip recently adalah lbh padat. I pun xde nk include total expenses I for this whole trip cz... aku pn dh xigt brp RM yg betul2 aku spent weh, hahaha. korg refer la kt yg I dh bold&ltk kaler kuning tu. tu prbelanjaan besor. kalo kna renew passport, add la lg to the list of expenses. I beli air mineral dlm USS sebotol $2.80. food len yg I menyinggah beli kt 7E I xkira pn. lunch I kt JPO pn I x include. tu sume korg masuk la dlm LAIN2 PERBELANJAAN ye. brp Singapore dollar I bw? I tukar kt money changer to get $100. lpstu my sister py duit Spore pn dia soh I bw gk, incase duit xcukup. that's another $70 (kalau xsilap la). exchange rate ms I tukar duit was $1=RM2.22.  

 

oh ye, tips about the ride... if korg nk naik "Jurassic Park Rapid Adventure" kt The Lost World, beli la disposable raincoat fr Msia & bw g sna. kt USS pn ada jual, tp if beli kt Msia lbh murh. kalo rs2 nk adventure trlbh & xnk pki raincoat, pn dipersilakan. tp lpstu ko dok la kt dlm tmpt yg nk keringkn baju, bdn, kasut & suar ko tu. muahahaha... another tips, "Transformers d ride" is a must. terbaekkk! mmg rs nk pgsn tp giller cool!!! prasan diri jd robot jap, hahahaha.

 

p/s: my other friends pergi 2weeks after we came back. their tips -- pusing lwn arah jam once u dh lps section "Hollywood". korg ikut tips diorg tu, korg leh naik Transformers tu 2 kali!!! gempakkkk!!!

 

~ 2nd time Melbourne (Pt.5) ~

they say "save the best for last". so, i'm saving these pictures on my work trip to Melbourne as the final entry. enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the actual scenery...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally, creativity ran wild on the 8-hour flight back to KL =)

 

 

.alhamdulillah. thank you, Allah.

 

~ 2nd time Melbourne (Pt.4) ~

apart from attending the training and the conference sessions, the organizer ada masukkn activity melawat libraries nearby. the libraries we went to - Queen's College library, Ormond College library, and Trinity College library.

 

we took the tram from the conference venue to the nearest stop not far from Queen's College (can't remember the name of the stop). from there, we walked to our first library, Queen's College.

 

~ Queen's College's entrance ~

 ~ with the other members (** pic from Mr. Neil Johnson) ~

 

~ pic from Mr. Neil Johnson ~

 

there's a section at Queen's yg simpan the collection of one paderi ternama... which I can't recall the name (i can't recall most of the information mentioned during the visit cz i was too busy mengambik gmbr, hahahaha). it's a Special Collection room yg smpn mcm2 buku2 lma & also some artifacts. in fact ada items in this room dibungkus dgn plastic.

 

~ see those items in the plastic wrap? ~

 

the Special Collection room is quite small actually. but with control temperature, xde lah rs cm sesak nafas masuk beramai2 skaligus.

 

~ still managed to squeeze for picture =) ~

 

next, we walked to the next library at Ormond College. some info of the college - it's to cater for students from a specific sect (can't recall whether it's for Catholic or Protestant). dan tu jelah fact yg I tau, hahahaha... d rest, blur cz sibuk amik gmbr (sgt kagum dpt tgk tmpt cntk. so, telinga xleh lk nk sync together dgn mata). ok, ok... ada fact yg I tau... they separated some collection from the library sbbnye kna banjir haritu...so I did pay attention, hehehe.

 

 ~ d building on the right is the library ~

 

Ormond College's library xde la canggih sgt in terms of the library technology. tp dia punya interior, dahsyattt!!! cntk & very comfy. mmg sesuai environment cmni nk bg org study dgn aman. and ada pulak tu kerusi dia bkn made from wood. it's actually kerusi yg made from getah, so bila duduk rs alahai cmfrtable sgt, hahaha. mmg rs xnk bgn la, boleh study lma2 kt library =)

 



 ~ ni kerusi getah ~

 

~ books on display ~

 

next, the librarian in-charged brought us to the next building yg ada area buku2 rosak cz kna banjir tu. and in this next building la ada tempat2 yg ala2 cm studio to shoot classical movie. ada bilik tu cm dining hall kt Hogwarts! and the hall mcm castle dlm citer Merlin. haaa... now u understand la knp I xdpt nk dgr explanation, kn? ngehehehehe...

 

 

 ~ this looks like Hogwarts, right? ~

 

 ~ & this looks like in citer Merlin ~

 

 

finally, our last library visit - Trinity College. kwsn compound campus pn dh cntk, mmg la org appreciate nk dtg library.

- OUTSIDE -

 

 

 

- INSIDE -

 

this was the last stop b4 we walked back to the tram station. by d time hbs visit, org pn dh blk krja. bila ptg2 rmi la sikit org naik tram. d other members went back to the conference venue for welcoming drinks. tp I chose to get my dinner at...

 

~ PappaRich ~

one Nasi lemak + cincau bandung = happy me =)

 

had to request for more sambal & was charged anthr AUD1. but nvr mind... asalkn perut gmbira, hehehehe.