~essence of me~

i have been inspired by a fellow blogger and a IM friend to be more thoughts driven. and one thing that i firmly, solely believe in and that drives me from within is, women rights.

probably due to my family history, or mebbe the first hand experience i get from watchin the women in my life, or even from my instinctive connectedness with the plight of other women who are strangers to me but nevertheless important, i've developed a passion for these issues.

looking at this from a cultural perspective, being an Indian, i know and have read about how disadvantaged women have been in the past and even to a certain extent the present. what the future holds is no longer in the hands of fate but, in our own.even in the times of the RAmayan (a hindu epic) Sita had to burn herself in order to PROVE her chastity to the world, husband included. for those of you who don't know this story, the fire did not consume her, and the world acknowledged her chastity, however, she did not return to her husband, merely because she claimed that though the whole world turned its back on her, he should have known better.

contrary to my cinderella and snow white, as a child, this story frustrtaed me. but now, i look at it in a whole new way. even in those ancient times women were strong enough to endure obstacles to prove their worth. even in those times, women had the dignity and self respect to walk away from their husbands (it was a huge deal then) to stand their ground. even then, there were strong women around and i dont see any reason why, women of the modern age can't draw strength from their selfs.

i see girls who let their lives be dictated by their good-for-nuthing bfs, or aunties who have to do everything for their husbands (inclusive of removing their shoes and socks), ladies who agree to marriage to the wrong guy, just so they don't die alone, girls who allow themselves to be beaten up and abused and girls who simply just stand by and watch as life throws crap at them. i feel for them, i sympathize, i emphatize.

but then again, im sorry for them cause they expect respect from others when they dont respect themselves, they expect love from others when they dont love themselves, they expect others to defend them when they dont defend themselves, they expect others to make their decisions for themselves when the answers are obvious and finally, they expect others to be their voice, when they refuse to speak for themselves.

here's to the strong women in my life, who have and i believe will alwiz stay strong and stay true to themselves and most importantly, acknowledge the inner strength and self respect mother nature has blessed us with and which women across time have fought so hard to prove.

My grandma: for fighting through the near-poverty state and educating all your children. for keeping the family together and always being there.

My mom: for taking the "D" step that changed our lives forever and for the better.most importantly, for finding love again and being brave enough to go against the odds.

My Auntie: for being strong and independent, and brave. for enjoying life's simplest things.

My Mich: for deciding you had enough of a dormant relationship and being proactive and taking a stand, though it hurt.

My Ann: for following your heart and standing up for your rights to happiness.for tolerating more than your share and being the one to make the decision.

My Arathy: for mending the bits and pieces and moving on to achive bigger dreams.

My Kohilah: for not taking shit from people who take advantage of you, for being assertive , for knowing yourself and for now finding that someone special.

My Suha: for always being level headed and charging at live head first. for the confidence you carry within and the faith you have in ur loved ones.

My Shalina: for thriving in spite of the circumstances, for not letting ur past hold you back from the promise of a better future.

My one and all: for being the woman you are.

** i guess no matter how much i try, i'm still driven by emotions, they are afterall the easiest to convey **

<3

**fancy things, will
never come in between
You're part of my entity,
here for infinity
When the world has took it's part
When the world has dealt it's cards
your hand in mine, together
we'll mend your heart.**

**When the sun shine,
we shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other**

**for the friends who turned into family**

lazy me

its 4.10pm on a lazy sunday evening.
havent done one bit of my assignment for ethics class (except find a case).
and all i can think about is :"what shall i munch on while watching tv"
procastination at its worst!
ok mebbe not worst la.
i swear there are ppl worst than me.
**that thought makes me feel betta**
SMILES

uncle dearest

i had to blog about this cause i just found it sooooo funny.
my uncle, smart as he is, on the tech side he is....well, like most adults are i assume- not so good! haha

so uncle dearest bought a labtop. and put all his fav old-blaque-white songs in it. then one day some good for nuthin ppl go send him virus. what does uncle dearest do? he curses those ppl and gets his comp fixed. after that he is very careful with his labtop and never trust anyone near it. even us (those who can handle a comp well). trust no one with his DELL.

so one day i happily log into msn and find a certain rosliehussin@hotmail.com (this is the nick) in my contacts list. and i'm like who the hell? then i put the cursor on it and it reveals the real email add, *gasp* uncle dearest!

on my trip to uncle dearest's hse i asked him

(in the car)

Me: uncle dearest, why is your email nick rosliehussin@hotmail.com?
Uncle dearest: (confidently) you know, my lil naive niece, ppl send you virus thru msn. so to trick all those virus senders, i have decided to put rosliehussin@hotmail.com. let those buggers send me virus now. its gonna go there. smart eh?
Me: ROFL!
Ppl in the backseat of the car: ROFL!!

ok it might not be funny 4 those reading, but believe me, i had a good time lauffin. and uncle dearest was just blushin away when we told him that his lil-plan aint gonna work. and obviously why so.

weekend-er

so its the end of a long weekend (oh no!). its back to coll tom. my first class of the day is at 3pm. wth??!! sheesh!
>>to recap wat i did over the weekend.<<

1) Bowling nite-16/05
dined in at d'lish mid valley before hittin the bowling alley. i went in late, kinda loose track of time when u have loads to eat and fwenz to gossip with u know. so it aint my fault :p played for an hour and was craving 4 more but since i followed my cousins, so must follow their schedule laa. anyway i'm glad i went coz even tho i'm not a shalin-zulkifli-comparable player (actually its not only bowling, i suck at all types of sport) i improved compared to the last time i went. so 3 cheers for me!!

2) Freshmen Luncheon-17/05
i have a whole post dedicated to this, so i'll elaborate no further.

3) me Uncle'z-18/05
at 12 we left 4 shah alam, my uncle and aunty's wedding anniversary, their 11th. thats a pretty long time to stay married to the same person u know. hehehehe..just kidding! we got a cake 4 my uncle..wait! i followed him but he gt the cake himself and wrote the msg himself. kasihan i know! but in my defense, im a student with no money coz my mom hasn't given me my allowance yet and i x carry my bank card everywer. :) as it always is in my family, there was loads of food to stuff our selfs with and lotsa chattering at the same time. that is wt happens wen e1 wants to talk at the same time=chaotic i tell u! but i still love my big fat INDIAN family! :P at nite i was in front of the tv with 2 of my couz and my sis all set to watch the Zee Cine Awards 08 (for those of you who dont know, Zee is a hindi broadcast network and the awards are for bollywood celebs). of course my 10 year ol couz was not happy with it. but hey, y would i miss watching shah rukh dance and strut his stuff to play monopoly with my couz?i x even like monopoly. i slept off while watchin tho :( and misssed the finale. haiz!

4) i'm back home-19/05
i think i'm gonna sleep la now. n probably go out later. oh i should mention that i kept up with my workload and so far have done evrything required of me =) *pats self on the back*

snoozeeee!

p/s: i still think taare zameen par was better than chakde india. sorry shah rukh!

~freshmen luncheon~

date: 17th May 2008
time: 12-4pm
venue: KPD E,Level 4, Exhibition area.

And the event? The must have of every new semester, the Freshmen Luncheon. Loads of robe clad bodies,formal dress-codes, rows of tables decorated with flower petals, soft music, the tantalizing aroma of buffet lunch, pretty decorations and the icing on the cake? inspiring speeches from our fellow peers and lecturers. Apart from all these, the luncheon is symbolic in the lives of HELP University College freshmen as it marks the beginning of a new journey- the journey as the seeker of knowledge,the journey as a scholar, the journey of a psychology undergraduate.
This event is exclusively, as the name suggest, for freshmen of the May 2008 semester and was attended by the newbies along with their parents. The event was also graced by the lecturers of the Department of Psychology, among others Dr. Goh Chee Leong, Dr. Anasuya Jegathesan, Dr. Ng Wai Sheng, Mr. Franklin Morais, Dr. Graham Fulton, Ms. Yeo Pei Li, Pn. Fathimah, Ms. Vanitha Chandrasegaram and Ms. Serena Sinniah. Graduate tutors and staff of B.Psych, Ms. Farah Gulamoydeen, Ms. Joy Ooi, Ms. Josephine Gan, Ms. Sheryl Chong, Pn. Haslinda Islakhuddin and Ms. Serena In were also present at the event. Together with them, the B.Psych Student Council 08/09, tutors and volunteers were all there to help out where needed and join in the occasion.
Shortly after 11am, the guests started arriving at Block E and their first stop? Level 2 the robing area. Freshmen, faculty members and senior students were all given graduation robes (minus the hat) before they headed to Level 4 where the event was being held. Just for today, the guest who parked in KPD E were given a flat rate of RM3 for parking as long as their parking tickets were stamped. The tickets stamping booth was also in Level 2.
At level 4, the atmosphere and the arrangement of the seating was almost similar to the Opening Feast in Hogwarts, what with four long rows of tables and eager students and lecturers and all. The only difference was that we did not have floating candles, our food did not miraculously appear and our Dumbledore (Dr.Goh Chee Leong) does not have an overflowing beard and moustache :p what they (Dumbledore and Dr.Goh) do have in common, however is that Dr. Goh's presence as the emcee in the front of all the guest just demanded everyone's attention and who better to start off the event then the Head of Department himself. He's speech on his hopes of B.Psych students being scholars in their own right was a demonstration of the high standards he has set for us and one that all of us-juniors and seniors alike will strive to fulfill. Then, the president of B.Psych Student Council 08/09 Mr. Choo Kok Wui welcomed the freshmen to the psychology fraternity and gave a brief overview of the opportunities in HELP as well as an introduction to Careersense-which would have put all the parents' worries about job prospects for their children at ease. Next we had a senior student, Mr.John Kiat speak about his journey as a psychology undergraduate and what it takes to be an ace student- not books, not pens, not papers- but a dream and a will to achieve it. Finally, Dr.Ng Wai Sheng shared with us her own experience as a student and how she followed her heart and overcame all obstacles to pursue the study of psychology. She also gave an inspiring example of how obstacles can sometimes be blessings in disguise. After a series of speeches, the feast began!
The food was arranged by Banana Cafe and most people thought that it was pretty good with a lot of varieties and options. After eating, the guest headed back to Level 2 to hand back the robes and were able to leave. The disrobing marked the end of the event. A special thanks to Ms. Sheryl Chong and Ms. Serena In for organizing the event and for everyone who graced it with their presence. and to the newbies, Welcome to the B.Psych and All the Best! :)

improving life at HELP

HELP University College. a name synonym, if not to everybody, to me at least with self discovery, friends and the religion that unites us all- PSYCHOLOGY! its funny how that as psychology students, we are thought that a well balanced and stress-free life is of utmost importance to an individual. in abnormal psych among other areas in psych, its drilled into our minds that stress could be an important cause of mental disorders. however when the second half of the semester dawns on us, when the due dates are approaching, when the workload seems unbearable -among other problems- we loose our cool, we succumb to the stress which not only jeopardize our work quality but also has the potential to cause us to lash out at loved ones. all these due to the self consuming devil = S.T.R.E.S.S
what do we do about it, you ask?? well that's for you to decide. what can you do about it? you don't need psychology knowledge to know what to do, you just have to know your self well- what works, what doesn't.the most important thing that will need to change in order to have an improved life as an undergrad is the "tidak apa" (couldn't-care-less) mind set so pervasive among students. we go on and on about how stressed we are, how terrible the lecturers are for giving us loads to do, how inefficient the tutors are, but deep down u and i know that we are the cause of our on problems.our lack of planning and effort causes us trouble at the end of the day. then again this might not be true of everyone, but if I'm not wrong this is how most of us- students are.
having said that, there might be many ways to improve student life in HELP, through activities, clubs and what not, but no matter to what lenghts the student council, the club committees, the lecturers and anyone else tries to improve student life, it all boils down to the student at the end of the day if he/she is willing to take the responsibility for him/herself and improve his/her own life as a student in general and a psychology undergraduate specifically. if we open our eyes and ears wide enough, at present there are so many things that can improve student life all around us- sports,internship opportunities,events etc . I'm not saying that it cant get better, but it will need you, you, YOU and ME to bring about that change for the benefit of everyone.its time we stopped sitting around waiting, and entrusting someone else to improve our lives for us. u want a de-stress party? then plan one!see a prob in the way things are run? make your self heard! don't know how? ASK! could'nt care less? well, thats your choice. :)