Dear friends, I'm no longer active in blogspot.com. Do visit me at my new blog - www.nisadottie.com
Love,
Nisa Dottie
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
MEP Review
A general question to all – do you read magazines to improve your general knowledge or just to read about celebrities’ latest gossips? If you do read magazines to improve your general knowledge, vocabulary and grammar, the best magazine to read is MEP – The Magazine Towards English Proficiencies. The name itself explains what this magazine is all about. It has a complete package – useful information on what’s going on (no, not about who Kim Kardashian is currently dating or with whom Paris Hilton is shooting her next porn movie with) but what is really happening around the world.
The magazine is divided into few sections, in which four of them are published every issue. The four sections that I mentioned are Feature story, Medicine & Health, Profile and Language Matters. There are also sections on entertainment, history, leisure and also teen stuff but these only published in any other issues.
It is a norm for magazines to publish the feature stories in the middle of the magazine but unlike any other magazines, the first section in MEP is the feature story itself. So far the feature stories that have been published are very informative. From the global warming issue to skyscrapers, oh and also Robert Pattinson (yes, the pale not-so-bad-looking vampire that everyone’s talking about). Mind you, this magazine is not targeted to nerds only.
Medicine & Health section is also very useful as it writes about what symptoms are associated to what diseases and how to prevent from getting sick. In one of the issues, they wrote about acne problem and that is something that would definitely attract girls (and boys too) to read. In Volume 4 for example, the topic was about what we need to know about Influenza A, or better known as H1N1. This topic comes in handy since the second outbreak has just started recently.
As I mentioned earlier, MEP is not restricted for nerds only. Why did I say so is simply because they do have a special two-page profile on selected celebrities (if you’re hoping for gossips, keep on dreaming). They write about the celebrities’ background, their achievements and what are they planning to do in the future. So far, they have written about Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza, Mokhtar Dahari a.k.a SuperMokh (the famous football player) and Robert Pattinson just to name few.
History is one of the interesting sections in MEP. One can learn a lot by reading the articles on leaders that have conquered the world such as Julius Caesar and Ganghis Khan. The history writes about the background of the kingdom – what happened before and after these leaders was born, also about what they have done that contributed to the society and how they changed the world.
Searching for words that you don’t know in the dictionary while reading an article is time consuming. Therefore, it is very convenient for readers to understand the articles published in MEP because translations and meanings to some of the hard words used in articles are provided. Readers can learn new words everyday. Apart from that, there is also Language Matters section. It has word games, English idioms & expressions, problem solving cases and also language exercises. To me, the hardest English exercise in this section would be the problem solving. In some problems, the story line is quite long and really cracks your head before you even solve the case.
You can get all these at a very reasonable price – RM10 (West Malaysia) and RM12 (East Malaysia). Get your copy today and learn English the fun way!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
FAREWELL LOVE
Debate. Why do I love debate so much? Honestly, I don’t. I LIKE debate. I LOVE the work behind debate. Two very different things. How did I get involved in debate in the first place? Well, it all started in school when I joined the English Club ever since primary school. I went to 2 different schools, Tarcisian Convent School (TCS) and Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) but I wasn’t really active in debate then, instead I was active in public speaking and story telling competitions, Girl Guide Association, swimming and bowling. So, when did I exactly become actively involved in debate? Here’s my story.
The year was 2007, and I was in my first semester. Few weeks after I got into UiTM Penang, I met one of my seniors in school and now was a senior in UiTM Penang – Nurul Hidayah Ghozali a.k.a Nelly. I still remember the first time I met her on campus at the food court. She smiled and asked me was I from MGS Ipoh and I said yes and she said she and her sister were from MGS too and I trained bowling with her sister in 2003, 2004. At first I did not recall and finally I remembered I used to smile at her in school and also my mom knows her mom and and and not to forget, she’s the best debater in school. So we talked about school and other stuff and finally she asked me if I would be interested to join the debate club and I immediately agreed.
Few days after our so called ‘reunion’, I attended the Annual Grand Meeting. I was elected as the assistant secretary to Amanda Tahir, who was the secretary at that time. I was so happy. I had learned a lot of things from her and also the other seniors from writing letters to the protocols. The next semester, the 2nd semester I was elected as the secretary. I became the secretary for one year and at the same time I was the secretariat for the Setiausaha Agung, Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP). From there I learned more things and I’ve met a lot of people including the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor of UiTM. I’ve gained a lot of experiences when I was the secretariat.
During the 3rd semester in 2008, the Debate Society of UiTMPP organized our very own first debate tournament, the Occupational Safety and Health Intervarsity Debating Tournament a.k.a OSHIDT (Oh Shit!) Nelly was the program director along with Fatasya (Acha), Emir (Mok) and I was the program secretary. It wasn’t easy for us to organize such huge tournament for the first time. I’ve experienced organizing bowling tournaments before but not as huge as this. OSHIDT was our baby and we had to make sure that everything turns out as planned. It took us more than 3 months to organize OSHIDT whereby we had to find sponsorships, participants, hotel for the grand dinner etc etc. Lucky for us, everyone cooperated. I still remember Nelly, Acha, Mok, Iylia Anis, Fattah, Nia, Arm, Udin, Faiz, Dayah Maksom, Yang and myself stayed in Penang for 2 weeks during our semester break to settle everything. We had sacrificed our holidays to make sure that our baby goes well. Take note that we were working in Penang and the tournament was held in Shah Alam. Allowances were given to us but none of us took even a single cent out of it as the money went into OSHIDT account. After 3 very busy weeks in Penang, finally it was time for us to go to Shah Alam. The 4 day tournament ran smoothly and at the end of the day, we were very much delighted and overjoyed with the outcome of our work.
In my 4th semester I was elected as the Senior Vice President of my beloved club. We did not organize any tournaments but we took part in debate tournaments. In 2009, I took part in only 3 tournaments, Novice Cup, Arau Open and VC Cup and it was during Novice I met this lovely guy and surprisingly during Arau Open I found my true love with the same guy I met in Novice (cewah! poyo:P) Apart from that, I’ve also been to KLiUC Invitational Debate (KIND) and also World’s Universities Peace Invitational Debate (WUPID) and I must say the best ever debate tournament that I’ve been to is WUPID. It is truly a world class tournament and it would be ashamed NOT to take part in it.
My debaters and I never had problems in going to any of the tournaments. The only problem is getting our proposal approved by our admin. I’ve been arguing with them for not letting us participate in few tournaments, but that is simply another story. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve gone through all kinds of things such as begging, arguing, yelling, scolding etc etc. I’ve begged the admin to approve our proposals, I’ve argued with them for not letting us go, I’ve yelled(wait. Yelling doesn’t sound right. Let me rephrase it) I’ve scolded my juniors for not wanting to cooperate or do work properly. I finally became the President of the Debate Society in my final year. For those who don’t know me, I’m a strict person, not that I want to brag about it but it is the truth. Despite being a strict person, I’m NOT bossy. I work with my juniors and friends but in the end I do all the work myself.
I love this club so much that I want everything to run smoothly. I noticed that the number of juniors wanting to join the Debate Society has been decreasing each year, in fact, each semester. This saddens me as we used to have a lot of juniors who were committed, enthusiastic , and supportive. Same goes with the AJKs of the club. I can clearly see that the number of people who really are committed to the society can be counted by half of one hand. This disappoints me a lot.
Before I end my story, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had worked with me. I truly am sorry if I’ve scolded or shouted or even screamed sometimes to some of you, you know who you are, especially Abdul Fattah Ahmad. I know I’ve scolded you a number of times, Faiz Hassan you too. You’ve seen me shout and the ugly side of me when I’m angry. I really am sorry for the things that I’ve done to hurt your feelings but please know that I’ve done that for your own good, for the sake of our beloved club. To the juniors, please take care of this club, please organize things well. Do remember that I’m always there for you whenever you need help or guidance. Miss Darina, Shaz, Fattah, Aina, Amirul, Faiz, Firdaus, Dean and the rest of the Debate Society (sorry if I have left out your name, there are too many of you) I will cherish the wonderful moments that we’ve gone through as a family and I hope you will never ever forget me. I LOVE ALL OF YOU!
So, that’s it from me. This is Nisa Dottie. Officially signing out from the much loved Debate Society of UiTM Penang.
The year was 2007, and I was in my first semester. Few weeks after I got into UiTM Penang, I met one of my seniors in school and now was a senior in UiTM Penang – Nurul Hidayah Ghozali a.k.a Nelly. I still remember the first time I met her on campus at the food court. She smiled and asked me was I from MGS Ipoh and I said yes and she said she and her sister were from MGS too and I trained bowling with her sister in 2003, 2004. At first I did not recall and finally I remembered I used to smile at her in school and also my mom knows her mom and and and not to forget, she’s the best debater in school. So we talked about school and other stuff and finally she asked me if I would be interested to join the debate club and I immediately agreed.
Few days after our so called ‘reunion’, I attended the Annual Grand Meeting. I was elected as the assistant secretary to Amanda Tahir, who was the secretary at that time. I was so happy. I had learned a lot of things from her and also the other seniors from writing letters to the protocols. The next semester, the 2nd semester I was elected as the secretary. I became the secretary for one year and at the same time I was the secretariat for the Setiausaha Agung, Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP). From there I learned more things and I’ve met a lot of people including the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor of UiTM. I’ve gained a lot of experiences when I was the secretariat.
During the 3rd semester in 2008, the Debate Society of UiTMPP organized our very own first debate tournament, the Occupational Safety and Health Intervarsity Debating Tournament a.k.a OSHIDT (Oh Shit!) Nelly was the program director along with Fatasya (Acha), Emir (Mok) and I was the program secretary. It wasn’t easy for us to organize such huge tournament for the first time. I’ve experienced organizing bowling tournaments before but not as huge as this. OSHIDT was our baby and we had to make sure that everything turns out as planned. It took us more than 3 months to organize OSHIDT whereby we had to find sponsorships, participants, hotel for the grand dinner etc etc. Lucky for us, everyone cooperated. I still remember Nelly, Acha, Mok, Iylia Anis, Fattah, Nia, Arm, Udin, Faiz, Dayah Maksom, Yang and myself stayed in Penang for 2 weeks during our semester break to settle everything. We had sacrificed our holidays to make sure that our baby goes well. Take note that we were working in Penang and the tournament was held in Shah Alam. Allowances were given to us but none of us took even a single cent out of it as the money went into OSHIDT account. After 3 very busy weeks in Penang, finally it was time for us to go to Shah Alam. The 4 day tournament ran smoothly and at the end of the day, we were very much delighted and overjoyed with the outcome of our work.
In my 4th semester I was elected as the Senior Vice President of my beloved club. We did not organize any tournaments but we took part in debate tournaments. In 2009, I took part in only 3 tournaments, Novice Cup, Arau Open and VC Cup and it was during Novice I met this lovely guy and surprisingly during Arau Open I found my true love with the same guy I met in Novice (cewah! poyo:P) Apart from that, I’ve also been to KLiUC Invitational Debate (KIND) and also World’s Universities Peace Invitational Debate (WUPID) and I must say the best ever debate tournament that I’ve been to is WUPID. It is truly a world class tournament and it would be ashamed NOT to take part in it.
My debaters and I never had problems in going to any of the tournaments. The only problem is getting our proposal approved by our admin. I’ve been arguing with them for not letting us participate in few tournaments, but that is simply another story. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve gone through all kinds of things such as begging, arguing, yelling, scolding etc etc. I’ve begged the admin to approve our proposals, I’ve argued with them for not letting us go, I’ve yelled(wait. Yelling doesn’t sound right. Let me rephrase it) I’ve scolded my juniors for not wanting to cooperate or do work properly. I finally became the President of the Debate Society in my final year. For those who don’t know me, I’m a strict person, not that I want to brag about it but it is the truth. Despite being a strict person, I’m NOT bossy. I work with my juniors and friends but in the end I do all the work myself.
I love this club so much that I want everything to run smoothly. I noticed that the number of juniors wanting to join the Debate Society has been decreasing each year, in fact, each semester. This saddens me as we used to have a lot of juniors who were committed, enthusiastic , and supportive. Same goes with the AJKs of the club. I can clearly see that the number of people who really are committed to the society can be counted by half of one hand. This disappoints me a lot.
Before I end my story, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who had worked with me. I truly am sorry if I’ve scolded or shouted or even screamed sometimes to some of you, you know who you are, especially Abdul Fattah Ahmad. I know I’ve scolded you a number of times, Faiz Hassan you too. You’ve seen me shout and the ugly side of me when I’m angry. I really am sorry for the things that I’ve done to hurt your feelings but please know that I’ve done that for your own good, for the sake of our beloved club. To the juniors, please take care of this club, please organize things well. Do remember that I’m always there for you whenever you need help or guidance. Miss Darina, Shaz, Fattah, Aina, Amirul, Faiz, Firdaus, Dean and the rest of the Debate Society (sorry if I have left out your name, there are too many of you) I will cherish the wonderful moments that we’ve gone through as a family and I hope you will never ever forget me. I LOVE ALL OF YOU!
So, that’s it from me. This is Nisa Dottie. Officially signing out from the much loved Debate Society of UiTM Penang.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Hotel & Tourism Management in the Perspectives of Islam
When we talk about the Hospitality Industry, it is always about providing the best services to the customers, assisting our guests with their needs, and always put on a huge smile on your face. If you’ve read books related to the hospitality industry, I’m sure you’ve come across these words: “Customers are always right”. Well surely, as hoteliers, we must always bare that in mind. I, being a hotelier myself, still remember what my Hospitality lecturer told us in our very first class during our first semester. These are the exact words that he said: “Customers are always right. Bullshit!” We were shocked, but it’s the truth. So basically, what we can say about hospitality industry is satisfying customers’ needs and wants.
But what I’m writing today isn’t about who’s always right or wrong. I’m writing about what and how the Hotel and Tourism Industry truly is in the perspectives of Islam and I’ll show you that this industry is actually more than what have been said.
Why am I writing this? Simple. 3 reasons:
1) Because I attended a seminar organized by my University,
2) Because writing has always been my passion, AND
3) A young man with unbelievably good looks told me to do so. *wink*
Hotel & Tourism Management in the Perspectives of Islam Seminar was organized by the Jabatan Mufti Negeri Pulau Pinang and the Centre of Islamic Thinking and Understanding (CITU) of Universiti Teknologi MARA Pulau Pinang. The seminar was divided into 3 sessions. The first and second session were held in the morning while the third session was held in the afternoon, after the Zohor prayers.
I was only told about the seminar a day before and wasn’t really expecting this. When I entered the hall (still not knowing who organized the seminar), I looked around and I saw all the girls including my lady lecturers were wearing tudung (head scarves). So I asked my friend did I get into the wrong hall, and she said no. I asked her again, why are these people wearing tudung because I know most of the people in the hall and some of them don’t wear tudung. And she said it’s because the Jabatan Mufti Pulau Pinang is the one organizing it. So there you go.
The first session of the seminar was lead by Haji Razwan bin Resat, the General Manager of De Palma Hotel. The first thing he talked about was the current scenarios in the hotel industry. He said that the Bumiputeras and the Muslims are the least people who work in the hotel industry. Next he talked about Ruhiyyah approach, in other words, the spiritual approach in the application. There are no exceptions in terms of law, acts, ordinance and enactments which binded the hotel service industry. The Syari’ah approach is an obligation, not an alternative for the hotel service owned by Muslims. Throughout the 2 hour session, Haji Razwan talked mainly about the characteristics of Syari’ah compliance hotel. What are the characteristics you might ask? This is what I can summarize.
The Syari’ah compliance hotel status puts the Halal recognition as a pre-requisite to qualify the labeling compliance. The Halal Kitchen recognition alone doesn’t fulfill the compliance pre-requisite, if there are any on going businesses forbidden by Syara’. Any trade using the Muamalah method is accepted orally in all products selling and services contracts. There are no allocations for any business documentations which have Riba’ elements. All employees should follow the Islam’s dress code which requires us to cover our ‘Aurat. In addition, the Syari’ah compliance hotel also provides a lot of amenities and facilities for their Muslim employees and Muslim guests in order to perform their religion obligation such as their Solat (prayers) and Zakat.
In conclusion, Muslims can work hard in order to work or even manage the hotel industry. But they would have to follow the guidelines already mentioned in the Qur’an in order to be more successful and blessed in whatever we do.
But what I’m writing today isn’t about who’s always right or wrong. I’m writing about what and how the Hotel and Tourism Industry truly is in the perspectives of Islam and I’ll show you that this industry is actually more than what have been said.
Why am I writing this? Simple. 3 reasons:
1) Because I attended a seminar organized by my University,
2) Because writing has always been my passion, AND
3) A young man with unbelievably good looks told me to do so. *wink*
Hotel & Tourism Management in the Perspectives of Islam Seminar was organized by the Jabatan Mufti Negeri Pulau Pinang and the Centre of Islamic Thinking and Understanding (CITU) of Universiti Teknologi MARA Pulau Pinang. The seminar was divided into 3 sessions. The first and second session were held in the morning while the third session was held in the afternoon, after the Zohor prayers.
I was only told about the seminar a day before and wasn’t really expecting this. When I entered the hall (still not knowing who organized the seminar), I looked around and I saw all the girls including my lady lecturers were wearing tudung (head scarves). So I asked my friend did I get into the wrong hall, and she said no. I asked her again, why are these people wearing tudung because I know most of the people in the hall and some of them don’t wear tudung. And she said it’s because the Jabatan Mufti Pulau Pinang is the one organizing it. So there you go.
The first session of the seminar was lead by Haji Razwan bin Resat, the General Manager of De Palma Hotel. The first thing he talked about was the current scenarios in the hotel industry. He said that the Bumiputeras and the Muslims are the least people who work in the hotel industry. Next he talked about Ruhiyyah approach, in other words, the spiritual approach in the application. There are no exceptions in terms of law, acts, ordinance and enactments which binded the hotel service industry. The Syari’ah approach is an obligation, not an alternative for the hotel service owned by Muslims. Throughout the 2 hour session, Haji Razwan talked mainly about the characteristics of Syari’ah compliance hotel. What are the characteristics you might ask? This is what I can summarize.
The Syari’ah compliance hotel status puts the Halal recognition as a pre-requisite to qualify the labeling compliance. The Halal Kitchen recognition alone doesn’t fulfill the compliance pre-requisite, if there are any on going businesses forbidden by Syara’. Any trade using the Muamalah method is accepted orally in all products selling and services contracts. There are no allocations for any business documentations which have Riba’ elements. All employees should follow the Islam’s dress code which requires us to cover our ‘Aurat. In addition, the Syari’ah compliance hotel also provides a lot of amenities and facilities for their Muslim employees and Muslim guests in order to perform their religion obligation such as their Solat (prayers) and Zakat.
In conclusion, Muslims can work hard in order to work or even manage the hotel industry. But they would have to follow the guidelines already mentioned in the Qur’an in order to be more successful and blessed in whatever we do.
Do cats become white butterflies after their death?
Very intriguing question, is it not? Why and where did I get this idea from? Simple. 2 nights ago, I had just reached my campus from the bus station. I’m sure many of you are aware that I am petite, so imagine myself carrying 2 luggage bags, a big paper bag and also a handbag - I looked like a retarded young girl walking alone in the street whose face looks like she really needed help with her things. So anyway, I was walking back to my hostel when suddenly a white butterfly flew across my nose. I immediately recall the white butterfly I saw about 6 years ago (obviously it wasn’t the same butterfly, duhh). You might be wondering what rubbish am I writing now and what do butterflies have to do with cats. Well, you might have guessed it after you first read my title. A little reminder for those who think that stories about cats or animals are boring or ridiculous, read no more. For those who do believe in miracles and have very tender loving towards animals especially cats, sit back and relax, and enjoy my story.
16 years ago, when I was 4 years old, my family adopted a Siamese kitten. My mom saw this mother cat who had just delivered 4 cute kittens and one of them had very beautiful blue eyes. One day, my neighbor saw the kittens in a small pot in her garden and called my mom asking her does she want a kitten? And my mom told us if possible, she wants the blue-eyed kitten. She said she doesn’t want to promise anything because she might not be able to catch that particular kitten. And so she went to catch the kitten and what do you know, lucky for us she caught the kitty that we wanted. I was so excited that I immediately bathed it and we discussed what name should we call it. At that time we thought that it was a girl (a female). When we were all cracking our heads thinking of what name should we give it, the radio was on and that particular moment, the radio announcer’s name is Tammy. So at the very spur moment my mom came up with this idea f naming our new kitty, Tammy. That is the very beginning of Tammy, my new kitty.
Few months after we got Tammy, it started to show its true ‘identity’. We noticed that Tammy is not a girl, in fact, it is actually a male. We didn’t want to change its name, so what we did was we added a new name for it – Boy. Its new name is Tammy Boy. My family and I had raised it to be the smartest, intelligent, adorable and lovable cat. I on the other hand, practically grew up with Tammy Boy since I don’t have other siblings at home. Let me just skip the years that I’ve spent with Tammy because if I carry on telling you what things that he had done and the wonderful times we’ve shared, my laptop might be drenched with tears as it is hard for me to even write what I’m about to write now.
Tammy had always been healthy and we didn’t even realized that it was coming. In the month of February 2004, Tammy had trouble urinating. Whenever he urinates, we could see blood. We thought it was just because of the worms in his stomach, but one day, Tammy really had trouble urinating. He tried to urinate but he couldn’t. We took him to the veterinary to check what seemed to be the problem. My mom and I were shocked when his vet, Dr. Inderjit told us that Tammy had gallstones in his bladder due to lack of water. She tried to take them out, all of them but it was too many. When she pressed Tammy’s bladder I could see the pain in his eyes. I couldn’t see no more so I turned around. Dr. Inderjit said that his condition was quite bad and he had to go through an operation. Mummy agreed so we left him at the veterinary for one night. I kissed Tammy goodbye and told him to be strong.
The next day, I went to school early in the morning as usual and came back at 2 something. I went straight home to see Tammy. When I arrived home, I ran to the back and looked for Tammy. Tammy was put in a white cage that papa had just bought for him for his recovery after the operation. As soon as reached his cage, I could see Tammy was no longer like himself anymore. He moved very very slow and his eyes were too droopy. Mummy said he was acting that way due to the anaesthetic and that soon he will recover. It was only in the matter of time. I could see the stitches on his stomach and his eyes truly sent the message to me that he was in pain. I opened the cage and stroke his head slowly and kissed him. I said “Adik, be strong, Kakak saying Tammy.” Somehow could see tears in his eyes. I looked after Tammy the whole evening, did my homework while accompanying him. That night, we put Tammy in my grandma’s room and I stayed there that night, never left Tammy out of my sight. Mummy was in front, in the family hall when she first saw a white butterfly flying out of Opah’s (grandmother’s) room. She was so impressed with the butterfly because it was really really white and beautiful, nothing like the butterflies that we’ve ever seen. Believe me. I saw that butterfly too.
The next day, on the 10th of February 2004, I went to school as usual, I kissed Tammy before I left the house. After sending me to school, mummy brought Tammy to the veterinary for check up. During my 5th or 6th period (I couldn’t really remember) around 10am, my father came to school to pick me up. He told me that Opah received a letter from the Jabatan Pencen Malaysia and we had to go to Putrajaya to settle some stuff. On the way back, I asked him what about Tammy. He said don’t worry about him. I said ok and we went straight home. I was very excited on going back home because I could see my beloved brother, Tammy. As soon as I reached home, somehow I had a very strange feeling about this. Mummy was at the porch, smiling unwillingly while arranging some things. Immediately after I got down the car and when I was about to ask mummy how was Tammy, mummy hugged me tightly and told me that Tammy was gone. There was a moment of silence for about 30 seconds and both of us burst into tears. I asked her where is Tammy, she said he’s at the back. So I ran to the back of my house where Tammy was at. I simply couldn’t stop myself from crying as I looked at Tammy’s lifeless body in the white cage that was supposed to be used during his recovery. I opened the cage and I could feel Tammy’s body was already hard and cold but it was still beautiful and perfect as ever. I could still see the stitches on his stomach and I still couldn’t stop crying, even now when I recall that moment. Even my parents and grandmother were crying. We were so attached to Tammy and he was really loving and pampered and some might say he was a spoilt brat. We buried his body at our house garden near the pretty flowers are at(I don’t know the name of the flowers).
You might feel this is a little odd when I say that his death really has a huge impact on my life. You might also think that I’m going a little too far on this and I’m being too extreme as some people might call it. My emotions and my feelings are real, and nothing is fake. I know it’s hard for some to believe this, but to those who had experienced the same thing will understand how I feel.
The night when Tammy passed away, mummy told me what happened at the veterinary. Mummy said when Dr. Inderjit was doing the normal check up, she said Tammy was not doing good. His heart beat was extremely slow and his condition was really bad. During his final moment, Tammy looked at mummy, deep in her eyes as though he was telling her that he was about to leave to a much better place, where he could not feel the pain any longer. That long look that had struck her deep in her heart was the last time she could ever see Tammy Boy’s clear blue eyes.
I’ve also heard numerous stories from my friends about the white butterflies found after their pet cats’ death.
After Tammy’s death, after the white butterfly incident, it kept me wondering,
Do cats become butterflies after their death? I know it is a bit silly but do think about it. Is it possible?
16 years ago, when I was 4 years old, my family adopted a Siamese kitten. My mom saw this mother cat who had just delivered 4 cute kittens and one of them had very beautiful blue eyes. One day, my neighbor saw the kittens in a small pot in her garden and called my mom asking her does she want a kitten? And my mom told us if possible, she wants the blue-eyed kitten. She said she doesn’t want to promise anything because she might not be able to catch that particular kitten. And so she went to catch the kitten and what do you know, lucky for us she caught the kitty that we wanted. I was so excited that I immediately bathed it and we discussed what name should we call it. At that time we thought that it was a girl (a female). When we were all cracking our heads thinking of what name should we give it, the radio was on and that particular moment, the radio announcer’s name is Tammy. So at the very spur moment my mom came up with this idea f naming our new kitty, Tammy. That is the very beginning of Tammy, my new kitty.
Few months after we got Tammy, it started to show its true ‘identity’. We noticed that Tammy is not a girl, in fact, it is actually a male. We didn’t want to change its name, so what we did was we added a new name for it – Boy. Its new name is Tammy Boy. My family and I had raised it to be the smartest, intelligent, adorable and lovable cat. I on the other hand, practically grew up with Tammy Boy since I don’t have other siblings at home. Let me just skip the years that I’ve spent with Tammy because if I carry on telling you what things that he had done and the wonderful times we’ve shared, my laptop might be drenched with tears as it is hard for me to even write what I’m about to write now.
Tammy had always been healthy and we didn’t even realized that it was coming. In the month of February 2004, Tammy had trouble urinating. Whenever he urinates, we could see blood. We thought it was just because of the worms in his stomach, but one day, Tammy really had trouble urinating. He tried to urinate but he couldn’t. We took him to the veterinary to check what seemed to be the problem. My mom and I were shocked when his vet, Dr. Inderjit told us that Tammy had gallstones in his bladder due to lack of water. She tried to take them out, all of them but it was too many. When she pressed Tammy’s bladder I could see the pain in his eyes. I couldn’t see no more so I turned around. Dr. Inderjit said that his condition was quite bad and he had to go through an operation. Mummy agreed so we left him at the veterinary for one night. I kissed Tammy goodbye and told him to be strong.
The next day, I went to school early in the morning as usual and came back at 2 something. I went straight home to see Tammy. When I arrived home, I ran to the back and looked for Tammy. Tammy was put in a white cage that papa had just bought for him for his recovery after the operation. As soon as reached his cage, I could see Tammy was no longer like himself anymore. He moved very very slow and his eyes were too droopy. Mummy said he was acting that way due to the anaesthetic and that soon he will recover. It was only in the matter of time. I could see the stitches on his stomach and his eyes truly sent the message to me that he was in pain. I opened the cage and stroke his head slowly and kissed him. I said “Adik, be strong, Kakak saying Tammy.” Somehow could see tears in his eyes. I looked after Tammy the whole evening, did my homework while accompanying him. That night, we put Tammy in my grandma’s room and I stayed there that night, never left Tammy out of my sight. Mummy was in front, in the family hall when she first saw a white butterfly flying out of Opah’s (grandmother’s) room. She was so impressed with the butterfly because it was really really white and beautiful, nothing like the butterflies that we’ve ever seen. Believe me. I saw that butterfly too.
The next day, on the 10th of February 2004, I went to school as usual, I kissed Tammy before I left the house. After sending me to school, mummy brought Tammy to the veterinary for check up. During my 5th or 6th period (I couldn’t really remember) around 10am, my father came to school to pick me up. He told me that Opah received a letter from the Jabatan Pencen Malaysia and we had to go to Putrajaya to settle some stuff. On the way back, I asked him what about Tammy. He said don’t worry about him. I said ok and we went straight home. I was very excited on going back home because I could see my beloved brother, Tammy. As soon as I reached home, somehow I had a very strange feeling about this. Mummy was at the porch, smiling unwillingly while arranging some things. Immediately after I got down the car and when I was about to ask mummy how was Tammy, mummy hugged me tightly and told me that Tammy was gone. There was a moment of silence for about 30 seconds and both of us burst into tears. I asked her where is Tammy, she said he’s at the back. So I ran to the back of my house where Tammy was at. I simply couldn’t stop myself from crying as I looked at Tammy’s lifeless body in the white cage that was supposed to be used during his recovery. I opened the cage and I could feel Tammy’s body was already hard and cold but it was still beautiful and perfect as ever. I could still see the stitches on his stomach and I still couldn’t stop crying, even now when I recall that moment. Even my parents and grandmother were crying. We were so attached to Tammy and he was really loving and pampered and some might say he was a spoilt brat. We buried his body at our house garden near the pretty flowers are at(I don’t know the name of the flowers).
You might feel this is a little odd when I say that his death really has a huge impact on my life. You might also think that I’m going a little too far on this and I’m being too extreme as some people might call it. My emotions and my feelings are real, and nothing is fake. I know it’s hard for some to believe this, but to those who had experienced the same thing will understand how I feel.
The night when Tammy passed away, mummy told me what happened at the veterinary. Mummy said when Dr. Inderjit was doing the normal check up, she said Tammy was not doing good. His heart beat was extremely slow and his condition was really bad. During his final moment, Tammy looked at mummy, deep in her eyes as though he was telling her that he was about to leave to a much better place, where he could not feel the pain any longer. That long look that had struck her deep in her heart was the last time she could ever see Tammy Boy’s clear blue eyes.
I’ve also heard numerous stories from my friends about the white butterflies found after their pet cats’ death.
After Tammy’s death, after the white butterfly incident, it kept me wondering,
Do cats become butterflies after their death? I know it is a bit silly but do think about it. Is it possible?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
It's Not Too Late To Change
I know I’ve said too many sorries
I know that you’re sick of listening to my sorries
I know that sometimes I’m immature
I know that sometimes I do get into your nerves
But I also know
Deep dark in the darkest pitch in your round tummy (sounds familiar)
You do love me
Even when I don’t really express myself too well
And when sometimes I don’t tell you what’s bugging me
You have been patient with me all the time
I like your coolness
I admire your patience
I love your advices
I promise to change
Not myself totally
But my immaturity
My jealousy
My anger
I have to be more understanding
More patient
More reasonable
More lovable
It’s not too late to change
I know that you’re sick of listening to my sorries
I know that sometimes I’m immature
I know that sometimes I do get into your nerves
But I also know
Deep dark in the darkest pitch in your round tummy (sounds familiar)
You do love me
Even when I don’t really express myself too well
And when sometimes I don’t tell you what’s bugging me
You have been patient with me all the time
I like your coolness
I admire your patience
I love your advices
I promise to change
Not myself totally
But my immaturity
My jealousy
My anger
I have to be more understanding
More patient
More reasonable
More lovable
It’s not too late to change
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Z Thousand 9
2009 has been a great year for me. Although at the beginning of the year I had gone through quite a tough time for awhile. I struggled with my studies and also with my previous relationship. My ‘good’ time of the year only started on early March when I attended a debate tournament that was held in Shah Alam. It was the National Novice Debating Championship 2009. I did not debate but I adjudicated instead and nothing much happened on the first day. The championship was held for 2 days and it was only on the 2nd day, the unexpected happened.
The First Meeting.
I stayed with my friend, Didi (Diana Lia Thomas) together with some other girls from other institutions. We woke up very early that morning just to make sure that we bathe and get ready before others. When we were just about to leave, one of the runners came to our room and told us that we have to bring along all our things and check out from the hostel immediately. Lucky for us (Didi and I) have already packed all our things so we went straight to the bus with our bags but we have to wait for almost half an hour for the rest of the girls and boys to check out. The minute we reached the venue, we took all our bags and put them at a hall where the rest had kept their bags. We had breakfast straight away and went to the hall for the break announcement. As soon as they announced the teams qualified for the octo finals, my friends and I planned on going somewhere. After we watched the octo finals we had lunch and discussed about our plans for that evening. When I was munching on my food, I saw this guy with straight, shoulder-length hair walking towards the lunch tent with his friends (I must admit though, his hair was really nice and I wish I could have hair just like him). I immediately recognize this guy the minute I saw him – it’s the guy from VC Cup 2007! When I took part in VC ’07 (which is another debate tournament), this guy was giving a talk on debating styles. But that was it, the first time I saw him and never thought that I would ever gonna meet or see him again. I admired him from afar and I wasn’t the only one who was. So back to the lunch tent, I saw him and that was it. I never saw it coming. I chatted with my friends and we finally decided to go to Midvalley and watch a movie or something. After lunch, it was time for quarter finals. I called our driver and told him to pick us up and go straight to Midvalley.
We spent few hours there and the driver picked us up at the exact time as promised. When we reached UiTM, it was already time for the semi finals. So all of us went to the hall to watch the debate. In the middle of the debate, my friend Kara came up to me. She whispered something to my ear but I could not listen clearly as the sound of the debater was quite loud so I turned and looked at her. She told me that there’s this guy, a senior, one of Shafiq’s friends (her boyfriend at that time) wanted to take me out for dinner. I asked her who he was but unfortunately she doesn’t know. I was quite surprised, really. She asked me would I go out with him but I was a bit reluctant at first, so I said no. Later on, she convinced me on going by telling me that Shafiq and herself will come along if I was too scared to go alone with him. And so I agreed. At that point I started to do what I do best – thinking. I started to think of a lot of things. Who this guy was? How this guy looks like? Where did he see me? How did he noticed me? Where is he taking us? Just to name few. So I asked her what time is he planning to take us out and she said now. What? Now? Wow this guy must be very eager to know me. I said to myself. So I followed her and Shafiq down to the lunch tent. When I got out from the elevator and was walking towards the tent, Oh my God. Am I seeing this clearly or am I dreaming? I know that I’m short-sighted but I could immediately recognize that figure and that long hair just about anywhere. There he was with another guy sitting, chatting and were like waiting for someone.
Shafiq went up to them and they shook hands and they all looked at me. That guy came towards me and Shafiq introduced us. My heart was thumping as he came closer to me. “Yunus, this is Nisa. And Nisa, this is Yunus”.
YUNUS. So that’s his name! The guy from VC ’07! God knows how excited I was at that time. I couldn’t help smiling. He introduced his friend, Mac and we all went to Mac’s car. All five of us got into Mac’s car and my heart started to thump again and this time I wasn’t excited but I was really nervous. I thought they were kidnapping me! So I controlled my emotions that could be clearly seen on my face and chatted with them. They took us to a Thai restaurant at Seksyen 9, Shah Alam. We were shown to our table by the waitress and ordered food. There were 6 of us, Kara, Shafiq, Mac, Wani, Yunus and I. Of course, Yunus sat next to me and we chatted about a lot of things. Well, he’s not really that bad actually (I thank God for it – luckily he’s not a psychopath or anything like it). He’s sweet, gentle and really soft spoken (well, at least to me he is) and which something we girls can’t really trust guys acting that way on the very first date. We ate, we chatted, we laughed and before we knew it, it was time for us to go back. And when I say back I mean back to Penang. So Yunus paid the bill, we thanked him and headed straight to UiTM.
When we arrived, Yunus, Mac and Shafiq went to the men’s room. As we expected, my other friends and our lecturer were already waiting for us. So Kara and I went straight to the hall where the bags where at to take our belongings. When I was just about to carry my bag down the stairs in the hall, Yunus came towards me. At that time he was sweating and I assume that he was running just now. He, being a gentleman, offered to carry my bags down to the foyer where the van was waiting for us and I let him do so. On the way to the van, he asked for my phone number so that we can contact each other the next time. As I suspected, the reason why he ran back to the hall was to ask for my number. And so we exchanged our numbers and I got into the van. I waved at him and the driver drove away. And that my friends, is the very beginning of a new important chapter of my life.
The Boyfriend.
Few months after our first meeting, Yunus and I declared ourselves as a couple. How, when and where are simply another long story. If you desperately (which I doubt you would be) want to know, just ask me personally. Having known him for almost a year now, only one long word can describe him as a whole – sweetlovablekindsoftspokencaringrespectableunderstandingcrazysupportive person. I know, I know. These are just few words compiled into one word. Well, it’s just so hard for me to describe Yunus in just one word. I know some of you might think that it’s far too early for me to say things like that about him, but if you’re in my shoes you would understand why. He is such a wonderful friend, wonderful companion, and a wonderful partner. I’m blessed to have him in my life.
The First Meeting.
I stayed with my friend, Didi (Diana Lia Thomas) together with some other girls from other institutions. We woke up very early that morning just to make sure that we bathe and get ready before others. When we were just about to leave, one of the runners came to our room and told us that we have to bring along all our things and check out from the hostel immediately. Lucky for us (Didi and I) have already packed all our things so we went straight to the bus with our bags but we have to wait for almost half an hour for the rest of the girls and boys to check out. The minute we reached the venue, we took all our bags and put them at a hall where the rest had kept their bags. We had breakfast straight away and went to the hall for the break announcement. As soon as they announced the teams qualified for the octo finals, my friends and I planned on going somewhere. After we watched the octo finals we had lunch and discussed about our plans for that evening. When I was munching on my food, I saw this guy with straight, shoulder-length hair walking towards the lunch tent with his friends (I must admit though, his hair was really nice and I wish I could have hair just like him). I immediately recognize this guy the minute I saw him – it’s the guy from VC Cup 2007! When I took part in VC ’07 (which is another debate tournament), this guy was giving a talk on debating styles. But that was it, the first time I saw him and never thought that I would ever gonna meet or see him again. I admired him from afar and I wasn’t the only one who was. So back to the lunch tent, I saw him and that was it. I never saw it coming. I chatted with my friends and we finally decided to go to Midvalley and watch a movie or something. After lunch, it was time for quarter finals. I called our driver and told him to pick us up and go straight to Midvalley.
We spent few hours there and the driver picked us up at the exact time as promised. When we reached UiTM, it was already time for the semi finals. So all of us went to the hall to watch the debate. In the middle of the debate, my friend Kara came up to me. She whispered something to my ear but I could not listen clearly as the sound of the debater was quite loud so I turned and looked at her. She told me that there’s this guy, a senior, one of Shafiq’s friends (her boyfriend at that time) wanted to take me out for dinner. I asked her who he was but unfortunately she doesn’t know. I was quite surprised, really. She asked me would I go out with him but I was a bit reluctant at first, so I said no. Later on, she convinced me on going by telling me that Shafiq and herself will come along if I was too scared to go alone with him. And so I agreed. At that point I started to do what I do best – thinking. I started to think of a lot of things. Who this guy was? How this guy looks like? Where did he see me? How did he noticed me? Where is he taking us? Just to name few. So I asked her what time is he planning to take us out and she said now. What? Now? Wow this guy must be very eager to know me. I said to myself. So I followed her and Shafiq down to the lunch tent. When I got out from the elevator and was walking towards the tent, Oh my God. Am I seeing this clearly or am I dreaming? I know that I’m short-sighted but I could immediately recognize that figure and that long hair just about anywhere. There he was with another guy sitting, chatting and were like waiting for someone.
Shafiq went up to them and they shook hands and they all looked at me. That guy came towards me and Shafiq introduced us. My heart was thumping as he came closer to me. “Yunus, this is Nisa. And Nisa, this is Yunus”.
YUNUS. So that’s his name! The guy from VC ’07! God knows how excited I was at that time. I couldn’t help smiling. He introduced his friend, Mac and we all went to Mac’s car. All five of us got into Mac’s car and my heart started to thump again and this time I wasn’t excited but I was really nervous. I thought they were kidnapping me! So I controlled my emotions that could be clearly seen on my face and chatted with them. They took us to a Thai restaurant at Seksyen 9, Shah Alam. We were shown to our table by the waitress and ordered food. There were 6 of us, Kara, Shafiq, Mac, Wani, Yunus and I. Of course, Yunus sat next to me and we chatted about a lot of things. Well, he’s not really that bad actually (I thank God for it – luckily he’s not a psychopath or anything like it). He’s sweet, gentle and really soft spoken (well, at least to me he is) and which something we girls can’t really trust guys acting that way on the very first date. We ate, we chatted, we laughed and before we knew it, it was time for us to go back. And when I say back I mean back to Penang. So Yunus paid the bill, we thanked him and headed straight to UiTM.
When we arrived, Yunus, Mac and Shafiq went to the men’s room. As we expected, my other friends and our lecturer were already waiting for us. So Kara and I went straight to the hall where the bags where at to take our belongings. When I was just about to carry my bag down the stairs in the hall, Yunus came towards me. At that time he was sweating and I assume that he was running just now. He, being a gentleman, offered to carry my bags down to the foyer where the van was waiting for us and I let him do so. On the way to the van, he asked for my phone number so that we can contact each other the next time. As I suspected, the reason why he ran back to the hall was to ask for my number. And so we exchanged our numbers and I got into the van. I waved at him and the driver drove away. And that my friends, is the very beginning of a new important chapter of my life.
The Boyfriend.
Few months after our first meeting, Yunus and I declared ourselves as a couple. How, when and where are simply another long story. If you desperately (which I doubt you would be) want to know, just ask me personally. Having known him for almost a year now, only one long word can describe him as a whole – sweetlovablekindsoftspokencaringrespectableunderstandingcrazysupportive person. I know, I know. These are just few words compiled into one word. Well, it’s just so hard for me to describe Yunus in just one word. I know some of you might think that it’s far too early for me to say things like that about him, but if you’re in my shoes you would understand why. He is such a wonderful friend, wonderful companion, and a wonderful partner. I’m blessed to have him in my life.
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