LabbaikAllah humma labbaik!

My parents are currently somewhere among the millions of Muslims gathered for Hajj in Makkah. Their plane left for Jeddah last night. Please make dua for them both, that they may return as better Believers than when they went.. Amin.

PCR will run for three hours, so in the meantime...

... I'll continue with the tag!

10. Made for a boss

Secara peribadi, aku lebih suka jadi team player daripada jadi team leader, because I like doing the work more than delegating them. Dalam satu-satu tugasan, aku akan lakukan apa yang termampu untuk menjayakannya, sebab aku hanya akan puas hati bila ia sukses atas usaha aku sendiri. Bila jadi team leader, semua benda kena delegate; aku tak boleh buat kerja sendiri. Needless to say, I am very bad at this.

On the other hand though, aku ni jenis yang broad dan holistic.  I don't like nitpicking a problem (finding out the who, what, when, where and why of it); but I like putting together a solution. Dalam erti kata lain, aku tak kisah dengan perkara kecil atau spesifik, sebab aku cuma akan fokus kepada the bigger picture. Unfortunately, this trait - and my general ease with the public - is perhaps the biggest reason why I almost always end up leading a delegation rather than working for one... (-_-)

11. The power of saying something.

Aku dibesarkan dalam suasana di mana aku harus pandai bersuara. Seawal 8 tahun aku dan adik-adik ditinggalkan ibubapa yang sibuk dengan kerjaya; kami sering berpindah randah antara rumah suadara-mara dan grandparents yang tak putus memberi sokongan dan ihsan. (Please don't get me wrong.. I have great parents. Apa yang mereka lakukan, bila diteliti semula adalah untuk kebahagiaan kami.) 

Namun, ada kalanya ihsan itu punya had. Adat orang menumpang lama, ada masanya kehadiran aku dan adik-adik dalam keluarga mereka menjadi beban. Dan bila beban itu terasa, keluarlah kata-kata yang tak enak dan melukakan hati. Sebagai anak sulung alias kakak, aku harus petah memujuk dan beri penjelasan pada adik-adik, juga cuba mempertahankan mak abah sedaya mungkin, baik kepada keluarga mahupun orang lain. 

Pendek cerita, aku sangat bersyukur atas pengalaman yang satu ini, kerana banyak mengajar aku untuk tidak takut bersuara dan mengutarakan pendapat.   

12. I'm a lunatic at heart

Kak Sofie, kamu ini rasional. Terlalu rasional...

Sekali pandang, ramai yang rasa aku ni garang dan serius. In fact, at rest my face seems to be eternally frowning.. (-_-) But don't let that fool you... I am friendly! If you get to know me, I am actually insane! ^^

Secara fizikal, aku seorang yang sangat stabil, mungkin kerana peranan aku sebagai anchor kepada keluarga. Aku jarang sekali out of control dan negatif, sampai kadang-kadang hidup aku terasa terlalu terancang dan bosan. tapi secara mental, I am more of a free spirit. Aku suka kepada perkara-perkara yang spontaneous, ephemeral, and closer to oblivion. Jadinya, aku sangat tertarik pada entiti yang pelik atau separa gila.. I have an affinity for people with these characteristics because they compliment my soul, and I am myself when I am with them.

Jadi, kalau kamu pelik atau gila, dan kamu kawan saya, sekarang kamu tahu kenapa...   

Argh!! Tak cukup masa! Sambung lagi nanti ya! 

Dua tiga minggu ni aku ditenggelami kerja. Lantaran tugasan dan tanggungjawab family, tak terluang masa untuk menulis. Sebab tu aku sangat kagum dengan kawan-kawan yang boleh update blog everyday or every other day, siap dengan topik-topik dan penulisan bernas, kelakar, etc. Syabas kepada anda semua!

Maaf ya kawan-kawan. Saat ni aku hanya sempat habiskan tag. More will come later on. Enjoy! ^^     

1. Aku suka nature.

Da explain..

2. Aku suka kucing.

Pun da explain.. 

3. Aku kakak

Tanya la kepada sesiapa pun yang kenal aku. 999 dari 1000, jawapannya ialah "Kak Sofie."

4. I'm reasonable

Ada orang pernah tanya: "kenapa Kak Sofie suka jadi lilin?" Sebenarnya, aku tak sengaja. Aku cuma play by certain rules.. Kalau kamu ikut prinsip di bawah, kamu pun akan jadi lilin juga: 

1. Neutrality; always take the middle path. Bila kita ambil jalan tengah, orang akan susah sikit nak rasa tak puas hati dengan kita.

2. Always put yourself in other people's shoes. Rasanya yang ini dah cukup jelas. 

3. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Kalau kita nakkan sesuatu, tentunya orang lain pun nak juga. Kalau kita tak suka, chances are orang lain pun tak suka juga.

4. Turn the other cheek. Susah nak explain ungkapan ni, tapi maksudnya senang saja: hati kita sakit tak bermaksud kita pun kena sakitkan hatinya..  

Namun hakikatnya, manusia a.k.a aku tak lari dari menjadi seorang yang judgmental. So aku kena selalu ingatkan diri: I don't know what they have been through. Bila kita ingat ini, insyaallah kita akan fokus kepada perkara baik-baik saja dan terima kawan-kawan seadanya.

5. Aku hopeless romantic

Ah, mungkin kamu kata, "la, semua perempuan pun macam tu apa!"

Truth is, it doesn't take a lot to impress me. Simple things like flowers and candy is enough to win me over. Heck, just jumping out of nowhere saying "HI!" would've completely made my day! For me, it's the little things. The fact that someone cares enough to spend what little money they have on me or to sit around the corner just to surprise me is something truly amazing. You can call it low maintenance, easy, cheap... I appreciate it all! ^^

6. Tak suka emas.

Mungkin sebab aku ni gelap dan kulit tak cantik, maka emas pun nampak buruk... Tapi aku sangat suka silver dan platinum! ^^

7. I'm gullible

Aku ni senang percaya kat orang. I'm trusting to a fault, and this undying faith usually puts me in a position where I'm easily used or bullied, so much so that for a while my mom labeled me a doormat... (-_-) 

Haish, sekarang ni dah kurang sikit, maklum la dah pandai. Dulu... lembu terbang pun aku percaya..

   

8. Muzik 

Aku ingat lagi masa kecik-kecik menggeledah koleksi piring hitam dan kaset abah. Tak dapat aku bayangkan keseronokan melompat-lompat di atas sofa dengan adik-adik sambil mendengar lagu California Girls dari the Beach Boys. Needless to say, my love for music begins here... 

Sebagai anak seorang forester, hidup aku banyak dipengaruhi nyanyian dan alunan gitar akustik. Dulu abah selalu bawa aku pergi tengok kugiran orang kahwin yang buat band practice di kelab FRIM. Jadinya, aku boleh menyanyi dan bermain piano, flute dan gitar ala kadar. Impian aku? Nak kumpul cukup duit untuk ambil kelas piano atau violin secara formal. Or singing lessons, perhaps? ^^

9. Bahasa

Sama la ceritanya. So far, aku boleh bertutur/menulis/membaca/paham BM, BI, French and Japanese. Aku pernah belajar bahasa Arab dan juga Korea, but the results were less than satisfactory, probably because I'd never really studied them in detail (-_-) Nanti kalau ada rezeki, aku ingin mantapkan lagi peguasaan bahasa ni.  

Haish, sampai sini saja ya. Dah penat perah otak fikir tentang diri sendiri. Nanti kita sambung lagi... 

I Am....

... feeling good today.

The sun is shining and I'm busy with labworks, finally! ^^ I've been dying to start my wet lab, but that process was hindered due to the delay in equipment delivery. So, for the past few weeks I've done nothing but observe my undergraduates do their labwork, while slowly trying to patch together a decent masters proposal to FRIM. In summary: not fun!

So, to commemorate my uplifted mood and returning good health, I'm going to start on the first couple of things about me. God knows I've put this off long enough, so here goes...

The first thing: I am a nature lover

Awalnya, I wanted to put the title as "I am a cat lover." But that title didn't quite fit, since there are many things I love in life, and not all of them have whiskers and meowed ^^ (I also thought of the title "I am in love with the world", but that's just going overboard..)

So, why is this the first thing? Because, this is what has largely shaped me as a person. I spent most of my life immersed in nature. Both of my parents made forestry their career, and inevitably raised me and my siblings in its appreciation. If you've ever visited the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) where I grew up, you'll understand where I'm coming from..

I have become so much a part of forests that to live without trees or a substantial amount of greenery around me would be a death sentence. I get distressed when I see logged hills or cleared land; I keep thinking about the wildlife that has to suffer because of that, and I worry excessively of what became of them. Heck, I even get angry at those DBKL people trimming trees by the side of the road! (I know, they're just doing their job..). But I just don't see the need. let it grow wild! It's a tree, dammit!

And what is with people throwing things out of car windows?! (even if they ARE organic and will decompose at some point -_-). We all drive big cars and expensive SUVs, but apparently have very small brains. Some people go through all the trouble of having garbage bags stored in their cars so that they can keep their vehicles clean without chucking things out the window. What is so difficult about that? For heaven's sakes, it's your garbage keep it to yourself!

*sigh* Yeah, I get pretty worked up over these things..

But, every cloud has a silver lining, no? These ignorances have inspired me to dedicate my life as a conservationist. That dream isn't yet fully realized, and I must say I have a long road ahead of me. The thing is, there's so much I know I can do, but most of it requires me to first make a name for myself. Like the wise words of a friend:

" No one will fight for your cause if they don't know you. So work hard, get rich, live big... Then all your hopes and dreams for the world will fall into place."

I'd hate to agree, but at this point I don't exactly have a choice...

The second thing: I am a cat lover

Felines are the love of my life, and I've owned close to a hundred in my lifetime. There is something about the way they meow that makes my ears tune in and immediately takes my attention. Most people will probably go, "Owh, it's a cat."

Me: "Where is it!?"

I share this funny behavior with the rest of my family excluding my dad, as well as with relatives on my mother's side. whenever there is a gathering of my mum's family, a cat show and forum will ensue. In my family cats are not pets, they are siblings; they are not 'it', they are he's and she's; they sleep with us on our beds, and they can even eat from the same plate. And when a cat has run away with food from the table, the common retort will be, "that's a smart one, that is..."

We are honored to provide a home for them. This year alone my family has picked up 6 lost kittens (much to my father's chagrin), and my mum will go as far as finding fresh fish for them at the pasar malam every other week, on top of five packets of catfood I bring home every three weeks. Money? My mum believes that part of her monthly salary belongs to her cats! ^^

For the cats we don't own, there is a bag of catfood we keep in our cars these days in case we find them. And I will not stand for any kind of cruelty against them iether. I got angry at my brother for abandoning a kitten he'd picked up and cared for. I've personally reprimanded a man once for raising his hand to a cat begging for a bit of his meal. It didn't go very well, so these days whenever I eat out, I'll call the cats over to my table instead just to save the trouble...

Personally, I don't get it.. God gives us our daily bread; why can't we just share a bit, even if it is with a cat? How could we as human beings find it in our hearts to turn the poor things away by inflicting pain on them, or ignore them when they cry out for food? Seriously, something's wrong with the world when such things are taken for granted..