LIVINGBLOSSOMS

As 2009 draws to a close, most of us are probably reflecting back on the year that was. The good, the bad, the ugly. We make new resolutions, based on these reflections, in the hope that the next year will a better year.

So what do I have to reflect?

The major event amongst the many that coloured my year was the job change, I guess. Gone were all the late hours, stressful working environment and dealing with national security issues. Gone were the punchcards, MOUs and chic suits. Instead, I go to work everyday in a demure kurungs and the only stress I feel is when I'm dealing with the Registrar or when deciding where to go for lunch.Haha.

People have asked me often "Do you ever regret your decision to quit". They say to me "Don't you miss the glamour?" These people sometimes cannot understand why I stopped working at one of the best places a law graduate can work. Well, to answer this, no I don't have any regrets. The most important thing I learned is that your happiness is what counts. Even if you've got the best job in the world (like the guy taking care of Hamilton Island), but if you don't feel happy, then whats the point?

The rest of 2009 was mainly spent on my efforts to obtain a place and scholarship for my phd studies and I am happy that these efforts finally bore fruit. There were plenty of weddings and also a funeral. My first taste of death was a harrowing experience and I'll always feel that tiny jolt in my heart everytime I see a grey saga whizzing by. And I wonder, do we ever get over the death of a loved one?

In 2009, I also fell in and out of love with two really nice guys. Brief romances and I got to know myself a little better too. I now know that I'm not that ready to commit, still scarred by a previous relationship and very afraid to take the plunge. I've managed to suppress the ticking of my biological clock with thoughts about phd, but I can sense that one day soon, the alarm will go off and this time, the snooze button won't be there.

Ok, I think the reflections part is done. Overall, I can say that 2009 is one of the best years of my life so far.

Next on the menu, 2010. Resolutions?

A lot. From the biggies: to do well in my first phd year. To keep in touch with all my friends. To find love again. To be a better daughter, sister and muslimah. To be more financially wise. To the smallies: to stop playing mafia wars. To brush up on my Korean. To travel somewhere awesome. To blog more consistently. To drive more carefully. Like I said, a lot.

But most of all, in 2010 my resolution is to be happy-  isn't that the thing that all of us strive to find and keep?

With that, see you guys next year. Enjoy the long weekend and Happy New Year everyone!

Jingle Bells,
Batman Smells,
Robin laid an egg,
Batmobile lost a wheel
and Joker took ballet, hey!

I remember when I used to sing that song every Christmas with my friends when I was small. Christmas was so much fun, the mat salleh neighbours would give us presents like books and toys. I especially loved the books. I was an avid reader and would squeal with joy every time I got a new book. I also remember the snow. It wasn't really Christmas if it didn't snow. And in Boston, boy did it snow. With my friends, we would make huge snowmen and pretty snow angels together. We would have snowball fights until our teeth chattered from the cold.

In school, there would be all sorts of yummy Christmas cookies and cute gingerbread men given out by the teacher. We would all listen to her telling us how Santa would give presents to only nice kids while we quietly munched on the cookies dipped in cold milk. We would sometimes make a list of what we wanted and I would always made sure I included a book in my wish list. Yes, nerdy me. During nap time after that, I would whisper quietly with Ming Chee and Kimberly, my two best friends, about what each of us wrote in our list. I remember that they would always have Barbies and dolls in their list. And then during recess, we would play hopscotch in the snow and see who could jump furthest. These Christmas memories are among the best memories I have of my childhood.

So 17 or so years later, here I am. The tv is on, blaring Jingle Bells for the 20th time. Outside, the monsoon wind is blowing. Soon, I'm going to have to go out and get some lunch for the siblings before sending them off for Friday prayers. Today, one of my best friends is getting hitched. In about a month, I'll be off to a foreign land to study for a phd. Sigh~

I wish I could go back in time for a while, to the days when I would be whispering quietly to Ming Chee and Kimberly about my Christmas wish and then sing our version of Jingle Bells on top of our lungs later.


Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year.

As for the camera, the dad is all pumped up to help me purchase a semi-pro. Siap nak tolong belikan lagi (and I repay him of course..chiss) And a few other friends also told me to get one of these. The problem is, its so ugly! hahaha. That is, compared to the new sony point-n-shoot ones which comes in many bright colours (I only care for the pink one!) and its so slim and nice and pretty and trendy and fits in your wallet and its not quite as expensive and did i mention its soooo pretty? I did? But it is!!. Both my parents have semi-pros and I've used them. The pictures that come out are super best! But still....argh..its..bulky. Gonna think about this some more.
God, I'm sneezing my head off. Got the sniffles and my throat is all clogged up with you-know-what. What a great way to start the holidays, eh. I'd better go and find some pills and some breakfast, I am starving! I can hear the dad (who is also on vacay) downstairs hopefully fixing us something to eat? Let me check...........

No, he's just banging the pots to wake us all up. damn.

Ok, better go down before the dad reaches for that pail of water. take care people!


p/s- Avatar was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday me and some colleagues were going through some application forms for entry into our masters and phd programs. There were also some who requested for job posts in the faculty. It was quite interesting to see all the resumes. However, there was this one guy who had good credentials and was more than qualified. The only problem was, his email...this 34 year old certified chemist asked us to contact him at dikcerdas@*****.com

OK. Me and my colleagues laughed so hard we could hardly stand up! After wiping his tears of mirth, the boss decided to just put the application in the k.i.v. box. He said that it portrayed the guy as immature and unprofessional.

So that got me thinking about the significance of e-mail addresses we put into our CV today. Where once e-mails were used primarily by geeks and techno wizards, it has now evolved to become the second most commonly used after snail mail and is extensively used today. It takes barely a minute to set up an e-mail account and its really rare today to find someone who doesn't have at least one email account.

Now, I don't think it matters what your e-mail is as its your right to create anything you fancy, be it adikmanja@yahoo.com or iluvtosleep@gmail.com. Its your e-mail and its your life. BUT, when it comes to job applications, I think that proper e-mails are very important. E-mails, like all the other personal information on your CV, will be scrutinized and judged. Your e-mail will give an impression on what type of person your are.

Takde kaitan but its funny!

For example, emails based on nicknames, which is probably the most common type of email today. However, one must be very careful when including it in the CV. if your e-mail is a nickname like ogy or fifi or ajai, this gives the employer a sense of informality, a sense that you are not afraid to divulge personal information to strangers. Some employers might like it, especially if you're applying for a job relating to arts. But in most cases, using a nickname for your e-mail may backfire and be seen as not professional.

Another example is the usage of cartoon or fictional characters. I knew a girl who used to love sailormoon. Her e-mail was something like sailormooncrazy@something.com. After years and years of using the same e-mail, she abruptly changed it. When I asked her about it, she confided in me that a company executive secretly told her that the ONLY reason she wasn't shortlisted for the company's job interview because her e-mail sounded too childish, compared to the other applicants. I've personally seen CVs which contains e-mails like supermanmelayu@&*&*.com, mashimarocute@*&*&.com and narutoforever@*&*&.com. Would you take in someone with these kinda emails? What picture does it convey? Certainly not professional.

Sailormoon..

Other examples of e-mails are those that depict a certain trait or hobby. These e-mails can give the employer a clear picture of you. Do you think they will be impressed with e-mails sounding like sayangabang@&*&.com, gadiscun@&*&.com, britneydiehardfan@&*&*.com or lawyerhappy@&*&.com. These traits are not the ones that employers are looking for. They will distract the one reading the CV and give the wrong impression. Even if you managed to obtain a first class degree in Oxford, got tons of relevant working experience and have awesome references, the sight of your babycuteypieluvsronaldo@somewhere.com e-mail would just ruin the perfect candidate image you're trying to convey through the CV.

And what about hobbies? warcraftforever@&*&.com would surely convey the message that this person loves playing warcraft, the most addictive MMORPG in the world, and might not be suitable for a job that demands maturity, leadership and commitment even after regular office hours. Even though the applicant is fully qualified and shows all these traits through other information in his CV, his e-mail can negate all this and convey a totally different picture.

People have turned into living zombies playing this.

The point is, a lot of people forget that people will judge you by your e-mail address. Its perfectly fine if you use it for informal purposes but when you include the e-mail in your CV, the e-mail will be a part of the total package you are trying to sell. An improper e-mail address will distract the future employer and convey an unwanted/unwarranted message.

You know it, Simon!

Then, whats the best e-mail address to use? I asked around and this is what I got:

1) If you have a job already, state the official e-mail. For example fatih@bankislam.com.

2) If you're using the normal sites like gmail, yahoo or hotmail, try using your full name. Using your common sense, try to make it look formal and professional, yet not too long or too stiff like professormadyadrwho@lala.com.

3) Try to avoid long numbers and weird spelling. Make it easy to type and remember.

Thus, I hope all of us can reflect back on our own e-mails, whether it conveys the right message to people when we use it to communicate. If not, then go ahead and create a new one. After all, its free and the two minutes you invest can save you from hours of future embarrassments.

Wouldn't want to end up like this guy, right?!