And the end of the year comes so fast..

So i just checked on my last post, which was astoundingly more than 6 months ago.

Sometimes i think the world is just zipping by and i'm just sitting staring dazed out the window. But then to say that I've been idle for the last few month wouldn't be fair either. Life just has a way of tugging you away from certain things that you love to shove you back into reality.

As always, my masters is still in its ever evolving process. Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel seems to pierce through the darkness, but it's evaded me more than once, so can't be too sure if i see it next time.

Atop that, filial duties will always and forever clash with anything and everything that i have planned out. Having two homes is taxing physically, financially and emotionally. It's amazing that i'm finally feeling my age. Ahahhah.

On the bright side i have finally come clean about my uh 'namja'. Which has been kind of a big burden on my shoulders. It takes a lot to keep something under wraps apparently. Your memory has to be spot on, which i can safely say, mine has failed me many a time -_-. This all seems so trivial though seeing that 2014 has seen so many of my school friends tie the knot, or get engaged, or expecting new additions to the family. ^_~ below are just to name a few not in chronological order because i'm just lazy like that

Ct's wedding

My housemate kak piza getting engaged 

Schoolmate Zuhair tying the knot

Close friend Hana from college tying the knot

Schoolmate Mun getting engaged with a very pregnant Ct in the back hehehehe.

Moving on... the other day we went to the zoo. I know, it's so primary school. BUT, guys.. the zoo is freaking awesome. Like i didn't remember it being so awesome when i went the last time. Aaaaaaaannnnnddd i got to see PANDAS! It is so surreal to see them swagger and eat their veggies i am not kidding. It's like you expect them to go all kungfu panda suddenly. But cute overload, i was practically squealing the whole time. (horrid pictures i know but i forgot the bring the camera).

Of course like every year, I celebrated my birthday at the lab. This time with several other close birthday girls..Having your birhtday close to the end of the years has its cons. I mean in just 3 months I'll have to say that i'm 27 already. Yikes..

Putri and I also attended out first international conference. Which unfortunately has amounted to a few headaches and heartaches, but i guess the both of us will just have to take that with a pinch of salt. My poster looks like dirt in the picture because it wasn't printed according to its original color specs. sobs.

And.. yesterday I went to the Big Bad Wolf sale 2014, on the very last day of their promotions. Luckily the hall was not packed. I was hoping to score me some fantasy, medieval, historic fiction, but I was too lazy to scour every single book at hand. There was however  literature section where i scored these classic babies (pardon the pixelation)

I thought they were pretty awesome to keep. I mean when i have children, i want them to know these classics Ecewah,

Welpz thats about it i guess. No so much to story. My life is currently void of heavy drama, and i am intending to keep it that way. In March i'll be heading off to Sabah for a bit and tentatively vietnam sometime in the future. So heads up for some pics. My rebleshot has been hanging in my room since forever without much playtime. -___-

adios muchachos!

Update

Wow I haven't been on here for around 2 months.

Busy would have been an understatement really. I'm actually still kinda up to my hairline with deadlines and a few other more personal matters which have intensified over the course of this year.

Yeaap.. life doesn't get much easier neee...

So quick catch up

1. I'll be flying to Turkey at the end of June, which is just a few days before ramadhan actually, so it will be quite an experience to fast for 18 hours a day. Though i'm in the midst of my second chapter i couldn't really say no when my mom is sponsoring the ticket. Chance of a lifetime. Soo be prepared for another whole load of picture spam, which brings me to my second point....

2... Rebleshot has been upgraded to a 18-200 zoom lens. Yeay!!!!! This was made possible with the kutu money i have received combined with my sis. Its a much heavier lens and it takes a bit getting used to since i'm noticing our pictures tend to get a little blurry. Most probably cause we're so used to standing so close to the subject which is not so necessary anymore. ^^v

3. Im finally on instagram mwuahahah. So yeah, just wanted to put that out there. User name is furashah if any of you would like to follow me which you probably wont so whatever. ahahaha

4. I'm attending The Second International Conference on Agricultural an Food Engineering (CAFEi 2014) to present a poster for my first chapter in December. Preparation for the paper has been downright hell. But I am looking forward to it i guess. My first exposure of my postgraduate life.

5. I will be no longer funded for my studies by the end of September, which kinda scares the bageezes out of me since i have never been without income since matriculation. So yeah, maybe a part time job? There's no motivation to finish like lack of financial aid i'll tell you that much. 

So far i think that's about it. At least all i can recall anyways. Hopefully i'll have more time for this blog in the near future. It breaks my heart to see it stagnant. =( Welpz, tata, I'll write you when i write you ^^ 

Hello 2014

Happy New Year ^^

forgive me for being 10 days too late. But we're still not even half way through, so I guess you can consider this as being fashionably off the mark. Mwuahahahaha.

So I'm kicking off 2014 with a short trip to Jogjakarta with a couple friends since we have a bonifide local as our tour guide, and she's taking care of our logging as well as our food and drinks (So anticipate the posting of many tourist pictures in my next post. My rebelshot has lacked exercise these past few months) There is of course concern to whether i should be off cajoling while my 1st chapter still flounders helplessly underwater. But maybe a little time away can give me back some motivation to finish. Though it may not seem like it, I am targeting to finish lab work by the end of this year. Sponsorship will only last so long. And i need to focus to really get on with my life.

Along the lines of getting my life on track is the management of my meager funds. I've recently started cataloging my expenditures in a useful little website known as thebirdy.com. I've been on in for about 3-4 months and already I can see where most of my money is going into:

Surprise surprise that big orange chunk points to home (not my rental) without feeling sorry whatsoever. Though it takes a bit of will power to record your every expenditure every day it does help to budget yourself. Especially in this day and age when the taxes are increasing and shopping ain't what it used to be no more. Even buying ordinary toiletries is already becoming cumbersome with toothpaste reaching an all time high -_-v. I mean honestly. The birdy allows you to see your expenditure in this purty little pie chart or in calendar mode to see your daily/weekly and monthly expenditures. So for those of you trying to keep tabs on your spending, give it a go, since it free ^^

The new years has also shown me not to be too trusting of people. My roommate for the past 6 months gave me less than 24 hour notice that she was leaving the house. What's worse she refused to pay the balance of her stay, quoting that her parents and lawyer said there was no black and white and thus she wasn't obliged to pay. I guess legally we were on the wrong end, but as one considerate human being to another I had honestly expected better behavior. And then suddenly out of the blue she calls asking if we are home because she had left some of her things in the house. We didn't answer her messages or calls. I mean what would you have done? I was short of throwing her things out on the curb. Perangai sungguh -_-. So, learning from our previous mistakes, i immediately drafted a house agreement for our subsequent renters complete with a copy of their ic and have taken full responsibility for money matters. It's sad sometimes people make you consider the ugly sides of themselves so that you can no longer look at people without suspicion. I know deep down inside you would know if your conduct is acceptable or not. I can't accept that she wholeheartedly believed that up and leaving without notice and not paying her debts was in any way the correct thing to do. Luckily my new roommate looks promising. But as i said, i'm becoming too weary of new strangers in my life. It's a bit tiring to consider all possible scenarios of being cheated.   

I've also realized the importance of insurance recently, since my brother suddenly came down with an infection causing his lymph node under his armpit to swell. Lumps and swelling is really a sensitive issue in my family since cancer runs strong on my mother's side. You can imagine my scare when he confided to my sister and I. What's worse the first doctor he met told him it was lymphoma. We advised him to get a second opinion from our family cancer specialist in tawakal, who told him the the rapid swelling was not characteristic of cancer. But nevertheless he's currently under the knife to have it removed. I'm still a bit worried about the whole thing, but if anything it calms me a little to know he's insured. You never know the graveness of the matter until your faced with the possibilities.  

So much..stuff

Syukur alhamdulillah,

I've finally finished drafting my first paper for publication. Even though i'm not even sure its publishable material, I have to say i'm pretty satisfied with the work i've put into it. Writing is no joke though. Especially when you have to back up everything you say with someone else's work. 1 whole day looking for one line to add into a 14 page paper. The joys of life. Now i'm kinda stumped on what to do next. Need to get planning on my next chapter.

On other matters, my sis and I went to the TVXQ Catch Me Tour in Shah Alam on 18/5/13. It was perfection beyond belief. My boys were flawless on stage and it was just a whole mixture of emotions. Needless to say i shed a few tears where it was needed. I'd do it again any day. Didn't get to bring my Rebel shot, so these were the best we could manage.

Moving on, last week or was it two weeks ago.. I dunno i'm bad with dates, i went to Muar to help out with Kak Ann's little sis's engagement. It was pretty enjoyable helping out. I was particularly proud of the sirih junjung that we managed to whip up the night before. And to my horor i was also asked to help with the make up for the bride to be. Honestly, i have the least credentials to do anything of the sort, but at least she didn't look like a clown when the guests finally arrived ^^v.

And finally, I have come down with a serious case of contact dermitits which i was suffering with all through out the concert and the engagement. So my hands and feet are swollen and itching like hell. I can hardly step on my right leg, and my toe is perpetually enveloped in gauze. Tomorrow i'll actually go see a specialist about it. It's probably cuz i'm so stressed out plus the excessive use of Axion. My hands look horrendous ='(. And they weren't all too pretty to begin with anyways.. *wails*

Welpz, that's all for now.