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. !