Jon's Pox-attack

Jon had a bad bout of chicken-pox on the second week I was away for the QA course. Kesian anak aku...

*Priceless*

... his expression when told that he will get a new "K' Bean" (Mini Cooper) toy car if he does not scratch his "poxies".

Quantitative Analysis 1/2009 in Perlis

Greetings from PTSS Perlis! Have been here since the 15th of March to attend the first-ever, Quantitative Analysis Course for DPPCE scholars. I'm not alone, though. Sharing my fate are 47 other HLP (PhD) recipients from all over Malaysia. We will be stuck here for another 4 weeks.

The view of PTSS from Pauh Inn

How's the place? Well, not too bad, really. The polytechnic is a breezy, scenic and serene campus (maybe because the students are still on holiday). It reminds me of my own poly (reminds me of what we don't have lah! He! He).

How's the lodge? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. My room is equiped with TV, air-cond, mini-bar and most importantly, hot shower! The sheets are clean and crisp. Had two fluffy pillows. The lodge also offers laundry service which has been fast and satisfactory so far. My only grouse was the slow and limited access to internet. That's not a problem now - I've subscribed to Celcom 3G. As they say: ada duit semua boleh jadi. But of course, I'm RM XXX poorer now!

Food is simple - basically 3 to 4 lauks to go with the rice but the ulams are abundant! Move aside ulam raja. Introducing daun putat, pucuk kedondong, daun cemumar, daun this and daun that (more of this, later). The drinks seem to be recycled, though ... he! he! Hey, I'm not complaining. Just an observation ...

Prof Madya Dr. Yuserrie with the ladies

The first part of the course - intro to research - was interesting and no doubt useful for us dummies. The lecturers from USM, Prof. Madya Dr. Yuserrie, Dr. Azizah and Dr. Siti really knew their stuff. They shared with us their experience, and gave us many good advice - from writing our proposals to tackling fussy supervisors.

As for sight-seeing, I've been to the nearby towns such as Pekan Pauh, Changlun and Jitra. Talking about Jitra, wow, what a change! Sooner or later, I'm going to pay a visit to my alma mater, Jenan. Bukit Kayu Hitam, Padang Besar, Langkawi , and God-knows-where are also in my list. Tunggu ...

BTN Bits: Kenegaraan Luar Negara 26 Feb - 2 Mar 2009

"Dah kena brainwash...?"

Hubby gleefully greeted me when I came back from U.S. on Monday evening. For those who are wondering, no, I didn't go to the U.S. I was in Ulu Sepri, N.S to attend Biro Tata Negara's (BTN) Kem Bina Semangat (literally translated: Courage Building Camp :P).

When I went to work blur and serabut the next day, speculation was rife that I have been fixed.

"So, were you brainwashed?" asked my sister who called on Tuesday evening out of curiosity rather than concern.
YOU THINK?

I hate to disappoint, but the truth is: BTN was pretty harmless.
"So", they asked, "What's with the blur look?"
I said "It's because I slept for 4 hours only everyday. That's Why!"

BTN camps have always been perceived by many people as the place where "they brainwash you". I myself have heard of this. Therefore, when I was ordered to go there, I was actually looking forward to experience being brainwashed. He! He! Anyway, I was also feeling a wee bit uneasy because I've also heard people saying that the place was "keras". Indeed it was. Huge rocks here and there. He! He! But on the first night there, the person sleeping next to me actually kena usik... I actually felt tak sedap hati but forced myself to sleep only to wake up at 2.00 a.m wanting to pee!

the jungle behind our dorm

Anyway, going to the BTN camp was like going back to boarding school. We slept on doubledeckers, wore uniforms, were on roll-calls, ate and bathed together. Yeah, some of the ceramahs can be pretty mundane but others were informative and fun. Who would have thought that a ceramah on Malaysia's struggle for independence became a tengok wayang session? Yep, folks. We watched Shuhaimi Baba's "1957: Hati Malaya". Wow! A touching movie that moved some of us to tears.

from left: gorgeous mum, WWW, and Dr. Laksmi

In another ceramah, the presenter drove home the fact that ethnic-cleansing (of the Malays) actually happened in our country as early as 1511. Most of us were stunned because we never really saw it that way. Based on records found overseas, literature and historical research, it was deduced that the conquerors killed the Malaccans, burnt their homes to the ground and destroyed places of worship and tombs (no prize for guessing where the stones used to build the A-Famosa came from... ). I mean don't you ever wonder why you can't find any historical evidence that shows that Malacca was once a great Malay sultanate? (Do I sound like I've been brainwashed now? Hu! Hu!). Come to think of it, I learnt more about the country's history in the 5 days I was there, then those years in school! Social contract, Perkara 152, 153, 181? Bring 'em on, (poyo)!

From left: Faye, WWW, Nurul & Sazuliana

LDK came next after a few days of ceramahs. Our guards were high because we thought nak kena basuh. Heard one or two complaints from other groups but my own group was O.K. Got a cool facilitator who listened patiently to all our views and never once forced us to accept his opinion or values. He was totally impartial. Bangga jugak sebab he was an ex-Jenan (ever heard of Jasmi Ismail, class of '76?). Talking about Jenan, met many people with the Jenan "connection". Husaini, our Penghulu was the elder brother of a school mate (Mat Da @ Hazril). My dorm-mate, Sai was the wife of a Wira junior.

From left: Raman, Husaini, Yang & Fadzly

Moahzam and Harry Porter @ Ong

What I like most about the BTN camp? I met lots of people from different backgrounds. I slept next to an anasthesist; the person sitting next to me during the ceramahs was a vet; youngsters as young as 24 going for their PhDs; our joke-cracking Dr Love@ George of the jungle; our sporting Pak2 Trainer (siapa kata diorang garang?), etc.

With the Pak2 Trainers on the last day

The riadah sessions in the evening was fun. We wiggled and jiggled to Poco-poco and some traditional dance moves. Tapi ada jugak yang tak best. For instance the session where the trainers called Latihan Tembak Kaki. Ingat apa ke bendanya. It was a series of exercise which made us sore all over especially our legs. In the end, everybody was limping as if shot at (different parts of) their legs. I was also very disappointed when the trainers called-off the kembara due to bad weather. Dang! Dah berangan-angan nak naik flying fox. Hu! Hu!

the murky river after a heavy downpour

Anyway, at the end of the day, we were there to be assessed. Ya lah, all of us were scholars bound for foreign lands. Mestilah kena nilai samada patriotik atau tidak. There were physical , oral and written tests. The ultimate test? The patriotic song presentations. He! He! My group didn't win but we sure made jaws drop with our rendition of "Tanah Pusaka". Berguna jugak pengalaman nyanyi choir kat Jenan and UPM...

With Fadzly, bakal "Master" chef

So, folks, what do you think? Have I been brainwashed???