Snow !

It's snowing ! Again. But this time, I never expect it because according to the weather forecast that I saw before I went to bed last night, it's only raining today, not snowing. So, when I went out to class early this morning, I just wore 2 t-shirts, a sweater and a raincoat. It was snowing at around 10 am after Immunology class. Within an hour, the snow kept on falling and made the outside environments covered in the snow. Then I went to class again for Organic Chemistry and Tissue Culture. After those classes had finished, I could see things outside were mostly white. All covered in snow. Then, I went out with Yin Peng to take some pictures with the snow. We also made a small snowball. That's also my first time walking on a snow. It was wet and I didn't wear proper shoes. The temperature was cold, not extremely cold, but I had already shivering especially when I talked to Yin Peng. Perhaps because I didn't wear thick clothes. Yin Peng also said that it was snowstorm when we were outside. I could feel the snow landing on my face, and it's really a memorable experience ! But, after some time I couldn't stand the coldness anymore. Hopefully I can survive in this season. Good luck, Faseeha ! ^_^

p/s : I'm sure my bike is covered by snow now...it's still under a tree that I usually park my bike at.

Trip to Penn State (3)

It's already Saturday which means my Thanksgiving break is reaching to the end. This also means I need to get ready for winter classes to start on the day after tomorrow. Ahhh, the break is really short ! I want it to be longer...

Anyway, staying in Penn State for a week plus plus (around 9 days) was not that bad. At first I wonder what I'm  going to do when I go there because Penn State is not located in a city. Instead, it's in located in "kampung" area, according to Penn State pals. I was thinking maybe I'll spend time in Atikah's house (free accommodation & food =P) wasting time like watching movies, dramas or sleeping. But, it turned out that the time spent here was filled with lots of activities with lots of friends.

On Monday, I went to eat ice-cream at Berkey Creamery. People said it's a must to eat Creamery's ice-cream when you come to Penn State. Why ? Because of the great taste ? Maybe. Also, it's special because it's produced in Penn State. For me, I like it because it's cheaper and more flavors than the ice-cream I had in RIT. After eating ice-cream, we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. This is the first movie that I watched in a theater in US. No comment about the movie because there are lots of pros and cons of people's opinions on that movie.

On Tuesday, I went to Beaver Stadium of Penn State, a very big football (football here refers to American football, not soccer) stadium. Penn State is very famous with football and people can go really fanatic with football games. However, I couldn't go inside. I took pictures with Joe Paterno's statue. Joepa was Penn State's football coach. I don't really know his contributions to Penn State, but definitely he's a great coach for Penn State's football team. After that, I walked around downtown State College to buy some Penn State souvenirs. For lunch, Atikah brought me to eat at Indian Pavilion. There, I ate different kinds of Indian foods. I ate naan and tandoori ! I really miss those foods because I really like to eat them when I was in Malaysia. At night, we baked dark chocolate cake, chocolate chip and walnut cookies, and chocolate brownies. '

On Wednesday, we went to Muru's house for breakfast. Cookies from last night were for this breakfast gathering. Sharma cooked roti canai. That's a request from me. Ohhh, it was delicious ! It looked like capati, but tasted like roti canai. So, that's the first roti canai that I ate in US. More special because cooked by a friend. He also cooked curry with potatoes and fried eggs in it (new recipe...never eat curry with fried eggs). As for Muru, he tried cooking masala potato for the first time. Not bad, just need to cut the potato smaller. After eating, Sharma and I played Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), a game for Xbox 360. As usual, I am not good at playing video games at all. Sharma even had to help me to score by leading me to the goal post for a few times, but still I couldn't score at least a goal. Nevertheless, as we played, I had progressed from "cannot defend and attack" to "cannot attack but can defend". I really defended Sharma from scoring goals. I defended my team very well that I could hear him sighed a few times for failing to attack my good defense team. That was nice. I got tired after some time because I didn't play quietly. I made noise when I was playing that game. In the afternoon, Shahril and Dzul came to Atikah's house. The chocolate cake that was baked last night was specially baked for them. But, Dzul didn't really eat. Dunno why. It was Shahril who really ate the cake. Perhaps because he requested it.

On Thursday, I followed Atikah and her seniors to go shopping at Leesburg, Virginia for Black Friday shopping. At first, it was planned to go to Hagerstown, Maryland. But, they changed the plan. On the way to Virginia, we passed by Washington DC and Maryland. We didn't stop at Washington DC. I could see National Monument, but didn't have the chance to take a good picture because I was in a moving car. The pictures were blurred when I took them. We had dinner at Mandarin Chinese Halal restaurant at Springfield, Virginia. We reached there 10 minutes before it closed, but they still accepted us. The foods was good, but they served a very big amount of chicken/beef with very small amount of rice. It'll be really good if there's a halal chinese restaurant near RIT because I like Chinese foods. After that, we stopped at an Islamic center to pray. Still full, we met some Arabs there who served us with lots of Arab foods. There were having Thanksgiving dinner. No choice, we felt really bad to reject the offer so we ate some, and brought back some. They served us with hot chocolate drink with ginger. Some of us didn't drink it at all, some just sipped a little bit because couldn't stand the smell of the ginger. As for me, I just drank it. I could stand the ginger smell and taste because I ate something sweet that they served. Maybe that's the way to drink the hot chocolate with ginger. We reached Leesburg premium outlet around 10 something. There were so many people there. We wasted time in finding parking spaces because no more parking spaces available. Some people just parked illegally behind the outlet's buildings. So, we just followed. The first shop that I went to was Coach factory. Duhh, such a long line of people that it just made U shape. Tired of standing and waiting, but I don't care because I really want to buy a handbag for my mom. Finally after an hour plus of waiting, I made it to the shop. There, I spent time on looking for a good handbag for my mom. Found one, so I bought that. I don't buy for myself because I don't really like to wear handbag. It costs me...ahh, don't want to mention it. Some people knew anyway. After Coach, I bought 4 pairs of Nike shoes for my siblings. For my dad, I bought a leather belt and a wallet from a leather shop (forgot the name). For myself, I bought a pair of Skechers shoes, 2 pairs of Levi's jeans, 2 pairs of long john pants, and 1 set of 30 pcs cutleries.

I didn't sleep the whole night. I was too into shopping that I didn't realize how time flies. On Friday, on the way back to Penn State, we stopped at Baltimore, Maryland. It was a very nice city with lots of high-rise buildings. I think, what's really interesting about Baltimore is the nice view from the harbor. We went to Hard Rock cafe to buy some Hard Rock cafe merchandises. We also went to Cheesecake factory to buy some cheesecakes. The cheesecakes were really good. The prices suit the taste and size. Also, we got to taste free samples of their new cheesecake (forgot what flavor). Along the journey back to Penn State, I slept all the way. I was extremely tired from shopping last night. At night, some RIT pals (Nana, Nadiah, Ika & Paan) came to Penn State for their last destination of campuses road tour before going back to RIT.

Today, it was snowing when I woke up early in the morning. I was wondering for a few minutes when I looked outside the window to see white round-shaped thing flew around. Then I realized it was snow ! When I went outside to check out, it was really snow ! Since it's snowing in Penn State, I bet it's snowing in RIT too. In the afternoon, I walked around downtown with snow still falling down. My first time walking with snow falling. Nice experience. But, it was really cold. Now, I'm waiting for the time to go back to RIT. I can't believe it, my Fall break is almost over. Feel kinda sad...I'm not ready to start class on Monday.

Trip to Penn State (2)

I ate really a lot yesterday. Starting with potluck dinner at Ron Nie's house in Parkway, then we went to a seniors' house at College Park for Aidil Adha dinner. At Ron Nie's house, I met lots of old friends from INTEC. I also met Jessica, one of the people that I'd really want to see when I plan to come to Penn State. She hugged me as soon as she opened the door when I just reached Ron Nie's house. I've been missing her and her warm hugs ! Besides that, I'm touched by the way my Malaysian friends treated the 3 of us (me, Atikah & Hazreena) because they're really concern about the foods that we can and cannot eat. "This one can eat ka ? What about this one ? Ahh, this one ?" I love them so much ! Thanks, my dear friends ! We also played card games but I don't know what's the name because I simply played for the enjoyment of playing it. We ate until we felt really full. There were a very delicious cheese cake made by Kelvin, mashed potatoes, fried mihun, curry made by Muru (thanks for keeping the gravy for me !), pizzas and others.

At the seniors' house, we stuffed our stomachs with a lot of foods too. We had soto, kuah kacang, banana pudding, spaghetti, popia, kuih raya, air bandung and others. I felt really full ! We also went to another seniors' house to try out a new game from xbox which was just released recently, Kinect. It was totally fun because of its special feature which is human as the controller. Awesome ! We control by using gestures and commands. Cool, right ? 

After that, we went to another senior's house for girls sleepover. Activities were watching movies, hair makeover, and sleeping. We watched a hindi movie entitled I Hate Luv Storys. Around 1 a.m., I already felt very sleepy and started yawning, but I still tried to open my eyes so that I could watch the movie until the end.  Two of us stayed awake to watch another movie. I slept at 2 a.m., couldn't stand the sleepiness anymore.

Today, we had a delicious lunch at Shahril's house in Vairo Village. He and his housemate, Dzul cooked chicken rice and shepherds pie. They were marvellous ! After that, I went to Kelvin's house which was nearby Shahril's. There, I ate a chocolate flavored ice cream from Creamery, one of the best ice cream vendors in US known for their mouth-watering ice-cream. I also learnt how to play a very simple song by pressing a few keys on a piano taught by Amy. That was really an unforgettable experience for me because I never know how to play piano before. 

Then, I went back to Shahril's house. Shahril and the others were playing Guitar Hero. So, I joined them and got addicted to it as I had progressed from don't know how to play at all to can play "easy" mode. Haha...easy level only. I tried playing medium level, but it's difficult. Perhaps I need more training...haha =P 

When we went back to Atikah's house, I helped Atikah to bake a butter cake. Atikah said she felt like doing something with cooking and baking so she decided to bake a cake. It wasn't hard though because there's instant flour for baking. Looking forward for tomorrow and the next following days until it's time for me to go back to Rochester.

Trip to Penn State (1)

After 4 hours journey from Rochester, New York, finally I arrived in State College, Pennsylvania. Thanks to Kak Muni who gave me a ride. If not, perhaps I have to go to Penn State by bus instead of the very comfortable  car, Toyota Prius Hybrid. I'm staying at Atikah's house for the whole week until Kak Muni fetch me back on the next Saturday or Sunday. So, I'll be spending the whole Thanksgiving break at Penn State. Last night, I joined Malaysian students in Penn State for their activities which were dodgeball and volleyball. There, I met lots of new friends and my old friends from INTEC. I joined the event just as a spectator. They had battles among themselves according to their sports house. After the games finished at 11 p.m., we had pizzas from Canyon pizzas. There were plain, mushroom, and pineapple pizzas. I tried mushroom. Never eat mushroom pizza before. Usually I just eat plain/cheese pizza. Ahh, the pizza slice was so large that I could hardly finish it. It was really cold too in Penn State. But, if compared to RIT, RIT is colder. Obviously, since RIT is nearer to Canada.

Today, I went out for sightseeing around Penn State campus and State College downtown with Atikah, Muru and Hazreena. Penn State is a really big campus with lots of nice and unique buildings. I took a lot of pictures too ! One day I'll upload in Facebook. There were very few people around the campus. It's because of Thanksgiving break. Lots of people either went back home or went for vacation (like me!). Tonight, there'll be a potluck event at Ron Nie's house, followed by Aidil Adha's dinner at a senior's house, and a sleepover at another senior's house. What a busy day ! ^_^  

貴方のためのヒント (Hints for You)

I like to give hints. Kalau nak tau, translate. ^_^

とても嬉しかったよ

君が笑いかけてた

すべてを溶かす微笑みで

春はまだ遠くて

つめたい土の中で

めぶくときをまってたんだ

たとえば苦しい今日だとしても

昨日の傷を残していても

信じたい　心ほどいてゆけると

生まれ変わることはできないよ

だけど変わってはいけるから

Let's Stay Together 　いつも

~ ♥ ~

どんな 言葉に変えて

君に 伝えられるだろう

あれから いくつもの季節が

通り過ぎたけれど

いつも 傍で笑ってる

私にも言えないことが まだ ひとつだけある

Secret of my heart 疑ってもないね

いつだって少しの未来があれば

真実は 手に入れられるはず

I can't say もう少しだけ I'm waiting for a chance

こんな 穏やかな時間(とき)

もっと 繋がっていたい

全てを見せるのが 怖くて

少し離れて歩く

君の横顔がなぜか

壊れそうで 守りたい もっと近づきたいよ

Secret of my heart 理解(わか)ってくれるよね

誰だって 逃げたい時もあるけど

それだけじゃ 何も始まらない

I'can't say きっと必ず I'm calling for a chance

Can I tell the truth? その言葉言えず 空回りする唇に

Feeling in my heart 隠せない これ以上 'Cause I love you

I will be with you　Wherever you are　Can you fell my heart?

Can't you see,you're my dream　失いたくないよ

大切な　君と過ごすこの時間

あきらめる位なら 信じて

I just wanna say もう迷わない

Can't you see, you're my heart どんな作り物も

簡単に壊れてしまう 日が来る

だけどまだ いつまでも変わらない

Secret of my heart　Our future is forever

Overslept + Unknown Bacteria + End of Orgo Lab

There were a few times I was late to class when I was studying in INTEC. One time I remembered, I was late to Mr Kamal's class which was Technical Writing class. Today, again I was late to class because of the same reason like the previous ones. OVERSLEPT ! The funny thing was that I was late to an afternoon class. =P The previous classes were morning classes. How come ? I wanted to take a nap. I always take a nap, but not at home in Colony Manor. Nap on campus in RIT. This time, I took a nap by nicely slept on my bed, complete with socks and full attire to go to class. I was thinking that it would be easier to catch the bus in 10 minutes time by getting myself ready. Hahaha...it turned out that I woke up at 2.20 p.m. instead of 1.20 p.m. ! As usual, I became extremely panic and quickly grabbed my bag to catch the bus (forgot to check the bus schedule). However, the bus left already so I had to wait for the bus to come back. As soon as I reach Gleason circle (bus stop in RIT), I ran as fast as I could and climbed up stairs to the third floor. I reached class at 2.40 p.m. and the lecturer was teaching in front. Slowly I entered the classroom and grabbed a place to sit - first row ==" . Trying to act normally when my heart was actually beating to the maximum rate, I listened to the lecture and wrote down notes (don't know what's going on actually >_<)

this is how I look like when I woke up from an overslept

After the class finished, I went to see my Microbiology lecturer to tell him that I would like to guess on my numbered unknown bacteria. I was scared to the death actually because that was my second guess. If I guess wrongly, then I would not get bonus points. The first unknown bacteria that I guessed was correct at first try because it was very easy to be differentiated. The first one was Staphylococcus aureus which sample I took from the skin of my arm. The second one that I had been holding on for a few weeks to tell my lecturer was Enterobacter aerogenes. I was not sure with my findings, so I made a lot of tests to identify that bacteria. Alhamdulillah, it was correct ! Yippee !! 40 marks scored for unknown bacteria.

Staphylococcus aureus

Enterobacter aerogenes

Today is also the last day for Organic Chemistry lab. Yahoo !! Why am I so excited ?! The end of Organic Chemistry lab means the end of night class for the rest of the quarter (winter quarter too!). If that lab wasn't at night, maybe I would not be that excited.

when I am very happy and excited !

Pics taken from :

http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2007/08/27/lucky-star-21-lucky-star-in-kyoto/

http://www.healthhype.com/staphylococcus-aureus.html

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Enterobacter_aerogenes

http://topyourfragileself.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

Capture the Heart of a Leo

I have ran out of idea on what to write. So, when I randomly read articles on the internet, a few articles caught my attention. The article below is one of them which somehow is related to me. Why ? That's for you to find out. ^_^

This article was written by Cortney Litwin.

Whether they roar like a lion or purr like a kitten, Leos are all heart. As a Fire sign, they are passionate to the core and love to play. They can also be proud, stubborn, and childishly dramatic. But that's just the beginning of what makes this sign tick. If you want to jump into the fire and capture the heart of a Leo, here are some things you need to know.

Heat of the Sun

Leo's warm-hearted, gregarious nature is hard to resist. They're ruled by the Sun, after all. With affection and respect, your Leo will shine like the sun, too, which in turn will ignite a bonfire in you. That's because their inner light is contagious. It draws people into their sphere like planets revolving around the Sun. When Leo's attention is focused on you, you'll feel like the center of their universe.

The World's Their Stage

Leo is a child at heart. This childlike energy makes them outstanding entertainers, whether it's for an audience of one (you, of course!) or a stadium filled with fans. They require plenty of attention and will wilt like a parched flower if they don't get enough of it. Mainly, Leo needs to be appreciated. You'll keep your Leo happy if you openly (and regularly) express your appreciation and devotion.

Playful Passion

Creativity is the force behind almost everything they do. In the bedroom, Leo's creativity especially shines. They can be outrageously sexy (think Mae West), not to mention flirtatious. As you would expect, they are generous lovers who take pride in their ability to give pleasure, and expect the same attention in return. Treat your Leo like royalty and they will reward you with a profusion of passion.

Force of Nature

Leo's willpower fuels their strength. They can move mountains to achieve a goal they set their heart on. What's more, the combination of will and charisma makes them natural leaders. Your challenge is to know when to follow your Leo and when to suggest doing things your way.

On that note, being yourself is important, because although Leo likes to be in charge, they need a partner who is strong enough to deal with (and relate to) their fiery nature. They'll lose interest in someone who complies with their every whim. So if you hold the heart of a Leo, you'll need the courage to express your individuality.

The Lion's Dark Side

Does this generous, charming, creative sign have a weakness? Yes. In a word, it's pride. Leo has a difficult time with failure. Criticism, disrespect, and indifference from someone they love will bring out their dark side as well, which can take the form of an explosion (remember their fondness for drama) or sulkiness. The point is, Leo often needs to learn detachment when someone hurts their pride, so their self-esteem stays intact. You may feel as if you're performing a balancing act when confronting their ego, but if you can come from the heart during relationship challenges, you'll enjoy the love of your loyal Leo for a long time to come.

Sneezing + Blocked Nose + Voiceless = Great !

Someone said that I'm a weakling. This weakling here is in term of resistance against sickness. I guess it's true because the antibodies that reside in my body are not strong enough to resist the attacks from various sources. 

At this moment that I’m typing this, I’m not feeling well. I’m having blocked nose, sore throat, and at times sneeze. It might be caused by the seasonal change. You know, it was summer a few weeks ago, and now is fall season.  From hot to cold and windy. Besides, it’s raining sometimes. My body cannot stand the change. I know, I should have more vitamins in my diet. I’ll try…When I go to class; I could see that there are a few people who are also not feeling well. I can hear people coughing, and blowing their noses.  So, it’s normal during this time. It’s seasonal change.

However, I still hold the fact that I’m a weakling. I’ve been here in Rochester for about 3 weeks already. When I was still; in Malaysia 3 weeks ago, I had the same sickness; flu, sore throat, and sneezing.  But, it was worse back then that I had to wear masks at the airports and on the flights. My dad even bought me a very big pack of Strepsils (sore throat lozenges) which were very expensive as it was bought at the airport. I made my family worried because I was about to travel on a very long and far journey. I fall sick a few days before I fly. I think that was because I was sad to leave my beloved family for a few years. I even went to see a doctor one day before I fly so that I could get enough medications when I was on board.

When I already arrived in Rochester, my health condition remained the same. I wanted to greet the seniors who were very kind to pick all of us from the airport, but I just couldn’t do so because whenever I started to throw my voice out, I coughed.  So, I just kept quiet. I also had a slightly increased temperature from the normal body temperature on the first and second night I was here. Somehow, the fever went away when it was already day time.

Hopefully I’ll recover soon. I’m tired of wasting so many tissue papers. You know, the main sources of paper are depleting. My own storage of medications is also decreasing day by day, and I need to conserve them because they are not cheap in here!

Aidil Fitri/Eid ul Fitr (whatever spelling) in Rochester, NY

Obviously, the celebration of Aidil Fitri in Rochester is totally different from the one in Malaysia. There were a lot of traditional dishes and cookies, those typical Raya delicacies like nasi impit, rendang, kuah kacang, lodeh etc. I didn't cook all those. My friends cooked and I ate. Just ate, easy...hehe. However, the feeling is different. I wasn't that excited to celebrate Aidil Fitri here, unlike how excited I was when I celebrated Aidil Fitri for the past 18 years in Malaysia. Perhaps the exciteness didn't come due to the fact that I still had to attend classes during Hari Raya and the majority of the people here who didn't really know about such event called Aidil Fitri. Muslims are a minority in USA. When my housemates asked me why did I wear baju kurung on last Friday (first day of Aidil Fitri), I told them that I was celebrating Aidil Fitri, a special day for the Muslims to celebrate the winning of fasting for a month. Wearing baju kurung is just what we, Malays practiced in Malaysia on the first day of Aidil Fitri. The boys wore baju melayu, and the girls wore baju kurung.


It was raining on Friday morning. I had class at 8 a.m. It was very cold and windy. What's even worse was that I wore baju kurung. But for the sake of Aidil Fitri, I mean the spirit, I still wore baju kurung to class. Inside the bus, I realized that some people were looking at me. Perhaps they seldom get the opportunities to see girls wearing baju kurung to class. Well, this is not Malaysia where baju kurung is like a uniform to girls.


On the first day of Aidil Fitri, I cooked for my housemate, Wenxuan. She had been requesting me to cook for her since a few days before Aidil Fitri. But I always didn't have time to cook. I cooked roasted BBQ chicken and vegetable soup. In the evening, I went to Buffalo with my friends to celebrate Aidil Fitri with our friends in SUNY Buffalo.


On the second day of Aidil Fitri, MySA (Malaysian Students Association) RIT organized a Raya event for all the members. That's the time when I ate quite a lot of Malaysian dishes (potluck). We also had photo session. Whoa, Malaysians are actually a big community in RIT. Big as if bigger than some other universities in USA that have Malaysian students. 


So that's how I spent the two days of Aidil Fitri in Rochester. I would love to write more, but I need to stop. Should continue doing my organic chemistry homework which is due today at 11.59 p.m. !

Journey from KUL to ROC (post)

On August 25 at 9.10 a.m., I left my house in Seri Kembangan. Since I slept very late last night, I slept inside the car on the way to the airport. At around 1 hour later, I reached at the in front of the Departure Hall of KLIA. I tried to remain cool, despite the feeling inside was the vice versa. I knew that I won't see my family for quite a long time. My brothers helped me to push the trolley full of heavy luggages. When we went to the check-in counter, there were very few people there. I was early. But, it's a good thing. At least I didn't have to join the crowd when the counter went crowded around an hour later. After checking in, we walked around the departure hall while waiting for the JPA officers to come and gave us briefing on the departure stuffs. I was still not feeling well at that time. Seeing me coughing badly until my eyes became watery, my dad bought me a big pack of Strepsils. It was very expensive because it was sold at the airport. I wanted to wear a mask, but I had the feeling that people might look at me one kind.

While gathering to listen to JPA's briefing, I was attacked by the bad cough again. So, I ran away from the crowd to my family and tried to control the cough until I almost sat down on the floor. The worsened condition made it hard for them to let me go.  Around 5 minutes after the briefing, suddenly the JPA officers said that we were had to go now. As if ready to say bye to our family and friends. It was so soon. I didn't even have enough time to record a video for my sister. In the rush, I had to make myself strong not to cry in front of my family, but that came naturally when we knew that we won't see someone whom we love for a very long time. Finally, the time had come and I had to say goodbye, with the accompany of tears. I left my family and went down the escalator to the immigration checkpoint. That was the last time I saw them for this year. 

Done with the immigration, we waited for the time to board the aeroplane. Right before I boarded the aeroplane,  I called my mom. The journey from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Taoyuan International Airport took about 4 hours and 35 minutes. In the flight, I sat next to a Taiwanese lady. She's teacher in a secondary school in Taipei. Even though she's not fluent in English, but she's very friendly and talked a lot. I thought she's 26 like that, but she's actually 31 years old. When we reached Taoyuan International Airport for transit, we got only 1 hour to walk around, then had to board the aeroplane again. I thought of buying souvenirs or at least postcards from Taiwan, but the time was too short for that.

We continued the journey to Los Angeles International Airport and it took us for about 18 hours and 30 minutes for that. Throughout the journey, I watched movies, played video games, and listened to music from the entertainment screen attached on the back of the seat in front of us. Started the journey at night in Taipei, we reached Los Angeles on the same day (August 25), but in the late evening. It's like we returned back in time.  

Los Angeles international Airport is where the conflict began. Lucky for me, I could easily passed the custom check right after we got out of the aeroplane. However, for some of my friends, they were asked a lot of questions by the custom officers. Some even were had to wait for special inspection (boys). Most of the boys had nearly missed the conecting flight which was in 4 hours time after we landed in Los Angeles. Because of that, 2 of us missed the connecting flight to Detroit. We got separated because they couldn't catch the flight. Without handphones, it was really hard for us to catch up with each other.  

Flight to Detroit took about 4 hours. The aircraft was very packed and not so comfortable compared to the previous flight. I couldn't sleep well. But, I forced myself to sleep because I knew I was very tired. I could see the whole view of Los Angeles at time. Also, on the journey to Detroit, I could see Las Vegas, and Michigan Lake. Some of my friends said that they saw the Grand Canyon. I didn't see. I think I might be sleeping at that time. I could also see the yellowish orange horizontal line at one edge of the earth, which indicates the starting time of Subuh prayer. The view was truly awesome.

At Detroit, we rushed just like when we were in Taipei. The connecting flight left about an hour and half after we landed in Detroit. Everyone seemed to be worried about our 2 friends who missed the previous flight. But at the same time, we were all very excited to reach Rochester. Our next aircraft was a very small aircraft with only 1 stewardess. 

At Greater Rochester International Airport, RIT International Student Services picked us up and sent us to our seniors' houses. Moreover, our seniors also came to fetch us. The seniors were very nice. From that day we arrived Rochester (August 26) until now that I'm typing this, we are still living in our seniors' house. Of course, guys with guys, gals with gals. The whole journey took about 1 day and a half. If it was Malaysia time, we arrived Rochester at 9.10 p.m. like that on August 26. 

Journey from KUL to ROC (pre)

Since I'm quite free and curious, I actually made a research on the extremely long journey that I'll have starting this Wednesday, 25th August. The research is about where and when I'll be throughout the journey across the oceans from Kuala Lumpur to Rochester, New York.

Since JPA asked the scholars to be there by 11 a.m., so I guess I'll leave the house at around 9.30 a.m. like that. Basically, these are my research findings. hehe...(feels like doing a research for an assignment...)

1) Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

- Malaysia Airlines

- depart at 3.15 p.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 25

- transit at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

- expected to arrive at 6.45 p.m. (California time) on Aug 25 = 9.45 a.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 26

- KUL to LAX takes about 18 hours 30 minutes

KUL - TPE (3225.20 km)

about 4 hrs 35 mins

TPE - LAX (10900.77 km)
about 13 hrs 55 mins including transit

2) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)

- wait for 4 hours 10 minutes for the next flight

- Delta Airlines

- depart at 10.55 p.m. (California time) on Aug 25 = 1.55 p.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 26 

- expected to arrive at 6.16 a.m. (Detroit time) on Aug 26 = 6.16 p.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 26

- LAX to DTW takes about 4 hours 21 minutes

LAX - DTW (3183.01 km)

about 4 hrs 21 mins

3) Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) to Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)

- wait for 1 hour 54 minutes for the next flight

- Delta Airlines

- depart at 8.10 a.m. (Michigan time) on Aug 26 = 8.10 p.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 26 

- expected to arrive at 9.35 a.m. (Rochester time) on Aug 26 = 9.35 p.m. (Malaysia time) on Aug 26

- DTW to ROC takes about 1 hour 25 minutes

DTW - ROC (452.36 km)

about 1 hr 25 min

In conclusion, there are a total of 5 airports and 3 flights.

Total distance = 17761.34 km

Total time = 29 hours 20 minutes

A = KUL; B = TPE; C = LAX; D = DTW; E = ROC

depart from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Aug 25 at 3.15 p.m.,

arrive at final destination - Rochester, NY on Aug 26 at 9.35 p.m. (Malaysia time)

Hopefully, we'll have a safe journey. What's more, it's during fasting month. May Allah bless us with His bountiful blessings in the month of Ramadan. Amin...

PreRaya

I've been busy lately because of the preparation to go to Rochester, NY, USA. Alhamdulillah, after two years in INTEC preparing myself academically, finally the time that I've been waiting for has come. It's just around the corner. AUG 25.

This year is the first time I'm celebrating Eid ul Fitr not only outside Malaysia, but also away from my beloved family. Since I'll fly on the 15th day of Ramadan, so it's clear that my Syawal celebration will be on the land of Uncle Sam. I wonder how it's like. Lucky for me, there are other Malaysians in my university who'll also celebrate Eid ul Fitr there. So I guess it wouldn't be that sad celebrating Eid ul Fitr there. First class starts on September 6 which is on the 27th of Ramadan. This year, Syawal 1 is predicted to be on September 10, Friday. September 10 is my dad's birthday and I won't be there...

Due to the fact that I'm leaving my beloved family and country before Eid ul Fitr, I made some preRaya stuffs e.g. ate lots of Malaysian delicious foods (the ones that I favor), ate lots of  Raya cookies, took family potrait with all in Raya attires, and ate ketupat palas.

3 weeks ago, somehow I felt like eating ketupat palas and char kuey teow. I told my parents and they gladly replied that they'll look for them. Char kuey teow is easily available, unlike ketupat palas. But, I don't want ketupat palas that is bought because the taste is different from the ketupat palas that is made by my dad. I really like the ketupat palas that my dad made. The taste...ah...very delicious ! Especially when he put small cut beef/chicken inside the ketupat palas. Speaking of ketupat palas, it's is normally eaten during Eid ul Fitr in the Northern region of peninsular Malaysia. They can be eaten by themselves, or with peanut sauce, chicken/beef curry or rendang. As for me, I like to eat them by themselves if they contain beef/chicken. Else, I like to eat them with rendang. Back to my case, my parents were having difficulties in fulfilling my wish because it's hard to find palas leaves in Klang Valley. So, they took the opportunity when we went to my grandmother's house in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah to get palas leaves and made ketupat palas for me. Special for me ! Last night, I ate lots of ketupat palas made by my parents and my grandmother. Despite her not-so-well condition, my grandma still wanted to make ketupat palas for me. I'm touched !

the making of ketupat palas

ketupat palas ready to be served

At my grandma's house, I saw lots of Raya cookies that my aunt (Cu) made for sale. Well, since I request, she gladly gave some to me for free ! hehe...Her pineapple tarts are delicious. They are very soft and sweet.

Last week, when all 7 of us (my family) were present at home, we took a family photo wearing themed Raya attires. The theme for this year is orange because that is my favorite color.

the 7 of us - ayah, ibu, abang, me, baby, eman, ami

Kenduri Doa Selamat + 19th Birthday Celebration

I just recovered from fever. I guess I didn't have enough rest and sleep for a few days before and after the kenduri which was held at my house. This is normal though, whenever people organize events in their houses be it birthday parties, open houses, or kenduri (a kind of religious feast). 

July 31, 2010

The purposes of organizing this kenduri on last Saturday (July 31) night were to :

                          1. pray for my safety in pursuing my studies in USA

                          2. pray for sister who'll sitting for SPM this year

                          3. tahlil (pray for dead people) for relatives

                          4. my 19th birthday (my birthday is on August 1)

Lots of people came to the event. There're 2 slots. The first slot which was before Maghrib prayer was for my relatives. The second slot which was after the Isyak prayer was for my neighbors and friends. However, some of my relatives stayed back until 11p.m. My birthday celebration was held at around 10.30 p.m. To my surprise, my cousin (Kak Ika from my mom's side) baked a chocolate cake for me. As from my family, it was chocolate cheese cake (my favorite cake from Secret Recipe). As a token of appreciation to my friends and neighbors who came, I gave them a goodie bag each which contained a muffin (I made by myself), jellies, and a small snack. 

chocolate cake made by Kak Ika

Secret Recipe's chocolate cheese cake

blow out the candles

There're varieties of food on that night. My dad cooked a very healthy vegetable soup (mushrooms + labu air (I don't know what's that in English) and made his famous tapai pulut (fermented glutinous rice); my mom made mango salad,sambal belacan (blended chillies with prawn paste), and ulam segar (fresh herbal vegetables); my mom's friend cooked ayam masak lemak cili padi (chicken cooked with coconut milk and blended chillies, turmeric, etc),  very famous Malay food originated from Negeri Sembilan; one of my aunties cooked udang masak sambal petai (prawns cooked in blended chillies), specially requested by me because I like it; another aunt keladi masak asam pedas (yam cooked with blended chillies and tamarind), very famous Malay food originated from Malacca; other aunties brought Malay traditional desserts like tepung pelita, seri muka, apam, and lepat. As for me, I baked muffins. However, there were only 60 muffins that I managed to bake due to time constrain. Some of the muffins were a bit overcooked on the top, but the bottom is still good. Somehow, people liked my muffins. My neighbors, relatives and friends said my muffins were marvelous. A neighbor and one of my aunties even asked me for the recipe to bake those muffins. Not bad, my muffins...hehe  

August 1, 2010

My 19th birthday ! Well, when I woke up, I felt very sleepy and tired. The whole body ached.  There're hundreds of messages from Facebook and my handphone. What else could it be ? Birthday wishes of course. I took quite some time to reply to those all. 

In the afternoon, my family and I went to Muar to visit my sister in her boarding school, MRSM Muar. She couldn't go back home for the event that was held last night. Even though all of us were still tired from last night, we still went to see my sister. We had our lunch there, and accompanied her for shopping. She also asked me to help her in preparing for her mock interview tomorrow. Mock interview for scholarship application.

On the way back to Serdang, there was a traffic jam on the North-South Highway on the lanes to Kuala Lumpur. We reached home quite late, around 9 p.m. When I checked my Facebook account, again there're hundreds of birthday wishes on my wall. Actually, some people even wished me on July 31 or August 2. Anyway, thanks to all the wishes. It was a great day to remember. My last birthday as a TEENager. Next year, there's no more TEEN on my age.