Genetic Algorithm - 5 Generations  

Posted by Sue

import java.util.*;

public class Chromosome
{
private String [] chromosome;
private int [] value;
private int [] fitness;
private int no;
private int size;
private int parent1;
private int parent2;
private int xoverPoint = 0;
private String offspring1;
private String offspring2;
private int fitnessOS1;
private int fitnessOS2;
private int valueOS1;
private int valueOS2;
private int probC;
private int probM;
private boolean crossover;
private boolean mutation;
private int choose1;
private int choose2;
private Random r = new Random();

public Chromosome(int noNew, int sizeNew)
{
no = noNew;
chromosome = new String[no];
value = new int[no];
fitness = new int[no];
crossover = false;
mutation = false;
size = sizeNew;
}

//method for executing generations - somewhat like a semi-main method :p
public String doGeneration()
{
int generation = 1;
String output = "[ - G E N E R A T I O N "+generation+" - ]\n\n";
String xoverStatus = "";
String mutateStatus = "";
int size;
int sum;
double average;

randomPopulation();

size = chromosome[0].length();

calculateFitness();

sum = calculateSum();
average = sum/no;

for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
output += "NO - "+(i+1)+"\nCHROMOSOME - "+chromosome[i]+"\nVALUE - "+value[i]+"\nFITNESS - "+fitness[i]+"\n";
}

while (generation&#605)
{
selectParents();
performCrossover();
calcOffspringFitness();

if (!crossover)
xoverStatus = "NO CROSSOVER OCCURED.\n\n";
else
xoverStatus = "CROSSOVER OCCURED AT POINT = "+xoverPoint+"\n\n";

output +="\n\n\n- s e l e c t e d p a r e n t s -\n\nPARENT 1 - "+chromosome[parent1]+"\nFITNESS - "+fitness[parent1]+"\nPARENT 2 - "+chromosome[parent2]+"\nFITNESS - "+fitness[parent2]+"\n\n\n";
output +="- c r o s s o v e r -\n\nPROBABILITY OF CROSSOVER = "+probC+"/100\n\n"+xoverStatus+"OFFSPRING 1 - "+offspring1+"\nFITNESS - "+fitnessOS1+"\n\nOFFSPRING 2 - "+offspring2+"\nFITNESS - "+fitnessOS2+"\n\n\n";

performMutation();

if (!mutation)
mutateStatus = "NO MUTATION OCCURED.\n\n";
else
mutateStatus = "MUTATION OCCURED\n\n";

output +="- m u t a t i o n -\n\nPROBABILITY OF MUTATION = "+probM+"/100\n\n"+mutateStatus+"OFFSPRING 1 - "+offspring1+"\nFITNESS - "+fitnessOS1+"\n\nOFFSPRING 2 - "+offspring2+"\nFITNESS - "+fitnessOS2+"\n\n\n";

generation++;

output +="[ - G E N E R A T I O N "+generation+" - ]\n\n";

replace();
sum = calculateSum();
average = sum/no;

output += "REPLACED "+(choose1+1)+" WITH OFFSPRING 1: "+offspring1+"\n";
output += "REPLACED "+(choose2+1)+" WITH OFFSPRING 2: "+offspring2+"\n\n";

calculateFitness();

sum = calculateSum();
average = sum/no;

for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
output += "NO - "+(i+1)+"\nCHROMOSOME - "+chromosome[i]+"\nVALUE - "+value[i]+"\nFITNESS - "+fitness[i]+"\n";
}

output+="\nSUM = "+sum;
output+="\nAVERAGE = "+average;

}

return output;
}

//method for generating a random population. will be run once in goGeneration method
private void randomPopulation()
{
int part;
for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
chromosome[i] = "";
for (int j=0; j<size; j++)
{
part = r.nextInt(2);
chromosome[i] += "" + part;
}
}
}

//method for calculating each of the chromosome's fitness
private void calculateFitness()
{
int part;
for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
size = chromosome[i].length();
value[i] = 0;
for (int j=0; j<size; j++)
{
part = Integer.parseInt(chromosome[i].charAt(j)+"");
if (part==1)
{
value[i] += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
}
}
fitness[i] = (value[i]*value[i]) - value[i];
}
}

//method for calculating total fitness of all chromosomes
private int calculateSum()
{
int sum = 0;
for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
sum += fitness[i];
}
return sum;
}

//method for selecting parents with the highest fitness
private void selectParents()
{
int maxfitness1 = 0;

for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
if (fitness[i] > maxfitness1)
{
parent1 = i;
maxfitness1 = fitness[i];
}
}

int maxfitness2 = 0;

for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
if (fitness[i] > maxfitness2 && fitness[i] != maxfitness1)
{
parent2 = i;
maxfitness2 = fitness[i];
}
}
}

//method for performing crossover
private void performCrossover() {
probC = r.nextInt(100);
if (probC>70)
{
xoverPoint = r.nextInt(size);
offspring1 = (chromosome[parent1]).substring(0,xoverPoint);
offspring1 = offspring1 + (chromosome[parent2]).substring(xoverPoint,size);
offspring2 = (chromosome[parent2]).substring(0,xoverPoint);
offspring2 = offspring2 + (chromosome[parent1]).substring(xoverPoint,size);
crossover = true;
}
else
{
offspring1 = chromosome[parent1];
offspring2 = chromosome[parent2];
crossover = false;
}
}

//method for calculating offsprings' fitness
private void calcOffspringFitness()
{
int part1, part2;

valueOS1 =0;
valueOS2 = 0;

for (int j=0; j<size; j++)
{
part1 = Integer.parseInt(offspring1.charAt(j)+"");
part2 = Integer.parseInt(offspring2.charAt(j)+"");
if (part1==1)
valueOS1 += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
if (part2==1)
valueOS2 += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
}
fitnessOS1 = (valueOS1*valueOS1) - valueOS1;
fitnessOS2 = (valueOS2*valueOS2) - valueOS2;
}

//method for performing mutation
private void performMutation()
{
int size = offspring1.length();
Random r = new Random();
String temp;
int part1,part2;
int hold1, hold2;

probM = r.nextInt(100);

if (probM<20)
{
part1 = r.nextInt(size);
part2 = r.nextInt(size);
hold1 = Integer.parseInt(offspring1.charAt(part1)+"");
hold2 = Integer.parseInt(offspring2.charAt(part2)+"");
if (hold1 == 1)
{
temp = offspring1.substring(0,part1) + "0" + offspring1.substring(part1+1,size);
offspring1 = temp;
}
else
{
temp = offspring1.substring(0,part1) + "1" + offspring1.substring(part1+1,size);
offspring1 = temp;
}

if (hold2 == 1)
{
temp = offspring2.substring(0,part2) + "0" + offspring2.substring(part2+1,size);
offspring2 = temp;
}
else
{
temp = offspring2.substring(0,part2) + "1" + offspring2.substring(part2+1,size);
offspring2 = temp;
}
mutation = true;
}
else
mutation = false;


valueOS1 =0;
valueOS2 = 0;

for (int j=0; j<size; j++)
{
part1 = Integer.parseInt(offspring1.charAt(j)+"");
part2 = Integer.parseInt(offspring2.charAt(j)+"");
if (part1==1)
valueOS1 += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
if (part2==1)
valueOS2 += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
}
fitnessOS1 = (valueOS1*valueOS1) - valueOS1;
fitnessOS2 = (valueOS2*valueOS2) - valueOS2;
}

//method for replacing 2 of the original chromosomes with the two offsprings
private void replace()
{
choose2 = r.nextInt(no);
choose1 = r.nextInt(no);
int size = chromosome[0].length();
int part;

while(choose1==choose2)
{
choose2 = r.nextInt(no);
}

chromosome[choose1] = offspring1;
chromosome[choose2] = offspring2;

for (int i=0; i<no; i++)
{
size = chromosome[i].length();
value[i] = 0;
for (int j=0; j<size; j++)
{
part = Integer.parseInt(chromosome[i].charAt(j)+"");
if (part==1)
{
value[i] += Math.pow(2,((size-1)-j));
}
}
fitness[i] = (value[i]*value[i]) - value[i];
}

}

}

A Tribute  

Posted by Sue

I believe the passing of great artists whom we had all adored and cherish this past month had shocked us all - Michael Jackson controversial death on 26th June 2009 and Yasmin Ahmad's passing just a month later on the 25th July 2009. I grew up with MJ's songs and Yasmin Ahmad is my favourite director. Despite being criticised for their work/behaviour, they're an absolute inspiration to all of us.

I stumbled on this piece of article online. I don't know whether it's true. But I just want to share it with all of you.
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim..

Michael Jackson (MJ) was known as the most loving person in the world. He gave up most of his assets for charity and all his life, he fought for equality of the African Americans, AIDS victims, Against Drug Abuse, Against Abortion, Against Child Labor and secretly channelled his properties for the hungry children of the world. However, he wasn't peace at heart. He always think of himself as a child trapped inside a man's body. Being Peter Pan is all his dream, never to grow up, forever a child. That inspires him to build Neverland - a heaven for children. Children of all ages and races are welcomed to Neverland. MJ had so much love to give.

However, he made a mistake which he didn't know of the consequences. He saw the peaceful life his brother, Jermaine (Muhammad Abdul Aziz) had as a Muslim - true, Jermaine faced so much pressure that he moved to Bahrain.

In 1989, MJ made a press conference which shocked the world, "I have seen the Islam in the life of my brother, I have read the books about Islam. And I'd love to someday feel the calmness and peace of Islam...."

Since that, MJ's life was never the same again.
He was accused of so many accusations against child molestation. MJ was not someone who can deal with much pressure as he is a 'delicate child'. All the extortion and black mail followed after that. Everything he did was being seen as wrong in the eyes of the Media. All these are to influence his fans to hate MJ. If he is hated, then he would not be influencial anymore.

For several years, he stayed in England. Getting motivation from a long time friend, Cat Stevens, who had converted into Islam - named Yusuf Islam. From him, MJ learnt how Yusuf had survived being Muslim. He made friends with a song writer, Zain Bhikha too, who wrote a song titled, "GIVE THANKS TO ALLAH", which he wanted MJ to sing whenever he is ready.

Following his trial, MJ withdrew to Bahrain, where he was the special guest of sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Bahrain’s king. It was then that Michael began to give conversion more “serious thought.”
MJ stayed in Bahrain for approximately 3 years. He studied Islam, the prayers and learn to read the Koran (al-Quran).



Finally, he came back to Los Angeles and in November 2008 MJ had formally converted to Islam in a ceremony at a close friend’s house in Los Angeles.
He perform Haj with the King of Bahrain and son on December 2008.



He had a hidden agenda when he wanted to make a final comeback. He announced in a press conference on March 2009, "This will be my final concert. I'll see you all in July...."

He planned that during his concert, he would announce that this is the FINAL concert as he wouldn't be performing anymore. He will declare that he is a Muslim and will only sing with Yusuf Islam and Friends.
At the end of the concert, he will be singing the song, "GIVE THANKS TO ALLAH" with Yusuf Islam. That is the reason why he chose London as his final concert venue instead of the USA. It was because he thought he could escape the USA's extortion, and that he could perform with yusuf Islam who is in England.

At 12.30am, 25th June 2009, he hugged his production manager and said, "After reherasing for 2 months, I am finally ready for the concert..."
Before leaving to sleep, he waved his dancers, "It was a good night everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow..."
The next thing... He was pronouced dead at 2.26am....

When 911 was called, there are so much questions asked. It is as if they didn't know who MJ is and where he lived. The questions asked are more towards to delay time.
The hospital said the autopsy result can only be obtained after 2 months - very illogical as even the worst African technology could obtain the result in less than 2 weeks.

MJ's family members opt for second private autopsy as they started to feel something fishy is going on. The result came out in about 4 days - MJ was drugged with high dosage of anaesthetic - drug that brings about a reversible loss of consciousness, if used to much could stop the heart from beating.

Another result which was not aired in the media was, MJ's stomach is empty of this drug, but his blood were filled with it - same case as the death of Marilyn Monroe.
The private doctors also found many needle marks, afraid to be forced injections given to MJ on his bed.

In CNN Live after a week, Barack Obama was interviewed. And he said, "I love MJ, I grew up listening to his songs. It is a great loss, but rest assured that there is no conspiracy in his death..."
Now, why must a President made such statement before the official autopsy result came out? How would he know that there is no conspiracy without the post-mortem result? Seems like someone is afraid of his shadows.

MJ was known to the world as a person who is against drug abuse. Why must he be addicted to drug, then? If he wanted to commit suicide, why rehearse for his concert? And why will he want to see his dancers the next day?

Enough about his death. I am sure people around the world is not stupid anymore. These supreme power can fool us during the Marilyn Monroe conspiracy, Martin Luther King and Princess Diana. But in this MJ's case, they left too many loopholes for those who think...!!

MJ left us with this unfinished studio-recorded song, GIVE THANKS TO ALLAH. You can download this song here:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/ahb80ff/n/Micheal_Jackson_-_Give_Thanks_To_Allah_mp3

MJ's family was about to give him a Muslim burial with the help of The Brotherhood of Islam. But, the CIA showed up at Neverland's door - blackmailed them that if they do so publicly, Katherine (MJ's mother) would be pull off from MJ's 3 children's custody as well as MJ's estates. Instead, they'll hire Debbie Rowe for the purpose, and the court will be in their favour. So much for democracy and fairness...

Finally, they agreed to let MJ have a Muslim Burial in Neverland. But in condition, must show to the public a Christian Memorial Service, as to prove to the world that MJ was never a Muslim.

So, Staples Centre was just a normal show. That's why the coffin was closed and sealed.

MJ was buried days earlier. The Gold Coffin was empty. They were about to bury the Coffin according to Christianity ways in Hollywood - as in their deal with the USA Government.

These happened, because the USA is afraid of the rising numbers of Muslims in the world.

(Sheikh Ha**d)
The Brotherhood of Islam
Buletin of Bahrain

I don't know about you and the rest of the world. But my family thought that it is indeed suspicious about his death - the ongoing autopsy, his burial place, Neverland, the coffin during his memorial at Staples Centre, etc... But I do hope Michael was Muslim when he died. Al-Fatihah to both him and Yasmin. I guess we could no longer read any of Yasmin's interesting posts anymore. ;(

Beadworks Feature  

Posted by Sue

I posted our beaded bracelets designs on Al-Fareeda Bazaar. Come and take a look at them. And try to order, will ya? :p


(Disregard the "COMING SOON" text. They're already ready to be ordered. I'm too lazy to edit. :P)

Price ranges from RM18 to RM20.

They're colour customisable - it means you can choose whatever colour of bracelet that you'd like to have and we'll make the bracelet for you. We can also shorten or add some length to your bracelet! I'd insist guys to buy these remarkable bracelets for their girlfriends. ;) Luckily my friends had the urge of doing so... I provided free delivery and even purchased a RM2.50 gift box for them with no extra charge! haha~ for friends' sake.

Simple Fettucini Carbonara ... My Supper + Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner  

Posted by Sue


I don't know what's wrong with me.. Recently I don't have the urge to eat. Hmm.. Anyway, since I realised I haven't had any meal today, I decided to pamper myself with some Italian food, malas style. ;D (malas means lazy in Malay)

Ingredients:
1/2 onion chopped (bawang besar yang warna kuning tu, biasa orang putih pakai ni untuk memasak)
1 sausage sliced (I use Ramlee's Beef Hotdogs)
250-300gm fettucini pasta
1 can of Prego's Cheese and Herbs
some oil, salt and parsley

Directions:

  1. Bring some water to boil in your cooking pot.
  2. Put the fettucini into the simmering water. And a pinch of salt.
  3. While the fettucini cooks, heat some oil in your saucepan. Stir in your chopped onions.
  4. When the onions are fragrant, pour a cup of water.
  5. Open up the Cheese and Herbs can and stir in the entire content into the saucepan.
  6. Put in the sliced sausages.
  7. Stir and wait until the sauce mixed well and thickens. Make sure the sausage is cooked.
  8. By the time you finished the sauce, your fettucini should be soft and ready to be drained.
  9. Mix both the drained fettucini and sauce together into a bowl.
  10. Sprinkle some parsley and you're done!

By the way, lately I've been receiving visitors from various countries. Hmm.. :)

Grab a Burqini for only RM100!  

Posted by Sue

Al-Fareeda Bazaar is NOW OPEN!

Jom beli burqini...! :D

Bead-Crazy  

Posted by Sue

The title says it all.

Sorry to myself for not blogging enough. I'm currently joining forces with Mak.

Both of us love handicrafts and jewelery. So... Instead of buying them, we're now making bracelets and selling them for a change!

love + passion + a little bit of work = $$$

We sell for around RM18 and RM20 (depends on the size and quality of the beads). Usually people would sell them for RM25. So our price suits students who want to pamper themselves a bit and needs to budget their expenses as well. (Plus, I let my friends book a few because PTPTN belum masyuk lagiii... ) I sold 2 already and I have to make another 2 custom-made bracelets for my classmates. - DONE!

NEW IDEA: I thought of including our beadworks in Al-Fareeda Bazaar. Pre-order. Where our customers can choose which design and colour they wish and order. And after receiving their order, we'll make them the bracelet they want and ship them up the next day. Good idea, eh?

FYI, Last night, I designed one bracelet, if you wear it, it'll look as if there are butterflies around your wrist. *proudness*


Well, that's all for now, dearies.. I have to finish the 2 bracelets, get ready and go to class in less than an hour. *sigh*

P/S - I'll post some photos here later. - DONE!

Can someone please explain to me what this means?  

Posted by Sue

Hmmm... PPL Petaling Jaya, PPL Kuala Terengganu, PPL Kota Kinabalu, PPL Kuala Terengganu. It reached Kuala Terengganu and shipped off all the way to Kota Kinabalu, SABAH and back again to Kuala Terengganu in less than 4 hours, is it??

Susah-susah je, Poslaju. Terima kasih ye.

At least the parcel reached Ila's resident college office. Alhamdulillah. Huhu~

So, at the end of the day, we can make a conclusion that...

Poslaju is a mystery.

Hahaha..

Sneak Peek: Al-Fareeda Bazaar  

Posted by Sue

There's a new blogshop in town!

(But it's still under construction...)

It'll be officially open for the public by this coming week. We're going to start with selling burqinies and my aunt's famous biscuits. To promote the biscuits, our family agreed on giving out free samples to burqini buyers.

You might be wondering:

"Why Al-Fareeda Bazaar?"
Fareeda: Because my mom provided the modal for the burqinies. Hehe~
Bazaar: Because we decided not to sell only clothing and accessories. Plus, 'Boutique' is so ordinary. :p
Al: It just makes the name sounds better. ;)

"What is a Burqini?"

Well... It is a swimwear for Muslimah that covers the wearer from head to toe.
Our burqinies consist of 3 pieces: which are the head cap, tights and the main swimsuit. They are all imported and we can safely say that you will not be disappointed - because we ourselves wear it with ease, comfort, confidence and modesty. Best of all, they are by far the most affordable (low in price) burqinies you'd ever come across. While others may sell at a whopping RM200, our burqinies are priced at only RM100! That is 50% less.

So wait for the opening of Al-Fareeda Bazaar!

For Today's Lunch...  

Posted by Sue

... I had Pan Fried Glazed Sutchi Fillet, served with Broccoli, Carrots and Chips. Yummy~

I'm currently busy making a layout for our family's blogshop. This Sunday me and my sis will be having a photoshoot modeling session at some condo's poolside. Woohoo~

P/S - I'd like to shout out:

Happy Birthday to Atie!!
Semoga setiap detik baru dalam hidupmu diberkati dan dirahmati Allah sentiasa.
May you always be happy and successful in Life, dear~ dunia akhirat.. insyaAllah.

Ila @ UDM  

Posted by Sue

I just got back from Kuala Terengganu. It was a 6-hour trip and we spent 2 nights at Seri Malaysia Hotel. My parents and I sent my younger sister to UDM Kampus KUSZA. It was a magnificent campus. She was lucky to be accepted there, despite its distance from home.

She has never been this far away from us.

All the best, Ila.. Belajar rajin-rajin!

When I was younger...  

Posted by Sue

One day, I had nothing to do. I decided to scan and edit some old photos of moi...








I think I should turn this (which is actually my sister's new) laptop off... It's raining quite heavily despite the El Nino.

A Triple Celebration: 2 Birthdays and A Father's Day  

Posted by Sue

We had a massive celebration yesterday.

When you mix Fathers' Day and two birthdays celebration at the same time, you get super duper CHAOS plus extreeeeeemeee FUN! :p

We celebrated Adam and Maira's birthday, as well as our very own Ayah in accordance to Father's Day (that should be today but we instead celebrated it yesterday because Ayah went to Jakarta this morning. huhu~). The day ended with a splash! Me and my elder sis, Shazuin shared some money and gave Adam a big water senapang (water gun). He practically aimed and sprayed water at everyone at our lawn. Others started to join in the fun and get chased by Adam and Maira as they both take turns to soak us up. haha~ It was really really awesome... We are so glad we planned a birthday that made them feel like they're the happiest kids on the planet. ;)

Here are some of the photos I captured:

I'm not really good at capturing memories using DSLRs. So, that's the best that I could do.

Anyway... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Ayah!! We hope you'd wear that shirt during your weekly golf outing with your friends. Hehe~

Thanks for being a caring, responsible and supportive father. I wonder what we'd do without you.. Words can't describe how thankful we are to have you as a father. We love you so much! Have a nice and safe trip to Jakarta!

Bizarre Phobias  

Posted by Sue

I had a urge on searching about phobias... and I ended up founding these types of fear that I've never known before they might exist!

  • Androphobia - fear of men.
  • Anthophobia - fear of flowers.
  • Anuptaphobia - fear of being single.
  • Arachibutyrophobia - fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth.
  • Aurophobia - fear of gold.
  • Automatonophobia - fear of anything that falsly represents a sentient being (eg: wax statues, dummies, etc).
  • Barophobia - fear of gravity.
  • Basophobia - fear of walking.
  • Bibliophobia - fear of books.
  • Botanophobia - fear of plants.
  • Caligynephobia - fear of beautiful women.
  • Cenophobia - fear of new things/ideas. (might neo-Luddites have this?)
  • Chiraptophobia - fear of being touched.
  • Clinophobia - fear of beds or going to bed.
  • Coulrophobia - fear of clowns. (must be after watching the movie, "IT")
  • Decidophobia - fear of making decisions.
  • Dextrophobia - fear of objects at the right side of the body.
  • Dikephobia - fear of justice. (there is actually such a phobia?)
  • Domatophobia - fear of houses or being in one.
  • Ephebiphobia - fear of teenagers.
  • Euphobia - fear of hearing good news.
  • Gerontophobia - fear of old people.
  • Heterophobia - fear of the opposite sex.
  • Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia - fear of the number '666'.
  • Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - fear of long words. (the name itself is super long!)
  • Hypengyophobia - fear of responsibility.
  • Kainolophobia - fear of anything new. (does this include a new day? a new hour? a new minute, second...?)
  • Levophobia - fear of objects at the left side of the body.
  • Liticaphobia - fear of lawsuits.
  • Lockiophobia - fear of childbirth.
  • Logizomechanophobia - fear of computers.
  • Logophobia - fear of words. (I thought this was fear of logos)
  • Macrophobia - fear of long waits.
  • Melophobia - fear or hatred of music.
  • Metathesiophobia - fear of changes.
  • Mnemophobia - fear of memories.
  • Nostophobia - fear of returning home.
  • Novercaphobia - fear of your step-mother.
  • Numerophobia - fear of numbers.
  • Octophobia - fear of the figure 8.
  • Omphalophobia - fear of belly buttons. (Kyle XY doesn't have a belly button!)
  • Optophobia - fear of opening one's eyes.
  • Ouranophobia - fear of heaven. (heaven?)
  • Panophobia - fear of everything. (everything? That's so sad...)
  • Pentheraphobia - fear of mother-in-law.
  • Phobophobia - fear of phobias. (a type of phobia of phobias?)
  • Scriptophobia - fear of writing in public.
  • Siderophobia - fear of stars.
  • Soteriophobia - fear of dependence on others.
  • Syngenesophobia - fear of relatives.
  • Teratophobia- fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people.
  • Theophobia - fear of gods or religion.
  • Urophobia - fear of urine or urinating.
  • Verbophobia - fear of words.
  • Wiccaphobia - fear of witches and witchcraft.
  • Xanthophobia - fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
  • Zelophobia - fear of jealousy.
Hey, don't laugh at them... It's not nice!

People would laugh when others would be sobbing and have nightmares over them because of these phobias. Don't think that they're silly. People could get heart attacks due to encounters of their fears.

This source stated:
It doesn't have much to deal with willpower, either. People think, "well, just get over it." It's literally like trying to hold your hand to a hot burner. Your mind says no and is much more powerful than your conscious logical mind. The side effect of this is depression. There are two reasons for it in my opinion. First, they get depressed, because they have a phobia. It's depressing to be out of control. Second, if you have a phobia that keeps you in fear most of the time, your body cannot maintain the chemicals coursing through your blood stream. You just crash. The good news is that when the phobia is gone, the depression is gone. Having any constant source of anxiety can create depression.
I have Katsaridaphobia, that is, fear of cockroaches. A couple of my friends decided to make a prank on me one day... What they thought would be a laugh turned out to be me crying on my favourite bolster for about 20 minutes and have this feeling of anxiety all day - I felt like cockroaches were swarming all over my body as an aftereffect.

Some people might think these phobias are silly and they should not even exist. But there are actual people who are struggling to cure themselves. Some fears are even so simple that we might not think they'd exist. Respect and support these people all the way... Including me, of course! ;)

Phobia names courtesy of The Phobia List. Thanks!

Ethics Class (Intersession 2009) Photoshoot  

Posted by Sue

Not all came to class yesterday, but I thought if maybe the whole class would attend this morning's session, I'd like to bring the camera this morning and snap a few photos.

I completely forgot about bringing a tripod... *sigh* But by looking on the bright side, that would mean MORE PHOTOS! Hihiii~ These are a couple of the photos we AI-ans took (I'm too lazy to post all of them out =P):

(click for a larger view)

This class was one of the best classes that I've ever taken. Hmm.. I never had a short-semester (we call it intersession) classes that was not both fun and educational. Alhamdulillah... They're not a waste of the larger amount of money I paid (in comparison with what we usually pay during normal semesters). So I wanted to keep some memory in the form of digitized photos for this class.

I don't know about everyone else. But to me, it was a fun photoshoot... for the 6 of us, at least! ;P

Weddings, Weddings and More Weddings  

Posted by Sue

It's only 1 wedding actually...

For your information, 3 of my seniors and 2 of my batch-mates from Diploma (each of them gave birth to a baby girl) are already married.

This is one of the weddings that I went to...

Ah, I love weddings. The atmosphere is filled with good 'ol reverie and novelty (another word for newness). I'm absolutely fond of anything new. Newly weds, newborn babies, a new day, new books, new dresses, new shoes, new bags, newly withdrawn money... erkk~ back to the topic!


I went to a senior's wedding yesterday - Kak Suhaiza & Chot. She looked beautiful and radiant. It was a spectacular event, held at Damansara Heights Community Center (I had to drive that morning to search for the place because I was not familliar with it and had no map due to the absence of the invitation card. huhu~ thank goodness it's just 20 minutes drive away from my house). The theme was white and blue. I especially love the blue coloured lychee drink (even though I was totally aware that the blueness was made by colouring agent) and the Pelamin, of course. hehe~ At all of the weddings I've attended, I'd be observing the Pelamin first. This one was one of the garden weddings type of Pelamin.


We had fun meeting 2 of our friends that we haven't seen for a while. We had most fun during taking photos using a borrowed DSLR.


The Kebaya that I'm wearing in the pictures is my favourite formal dress despite the fact that I only wore it 4 times - during graduation, dinner at UiTM Hotel, my Ayah's company dinner, and for this wedding. I don't want people to have the impression that I have nothing else to wear. :P

I simply love this photo:


another great day... ;)

"Subject: Your List of Things to Do"  

Posted by Sue

Dear Sue.

Please do these things to prove that you're definitely not a waste!

  • Check your exams result.
    DUE DATE: whenever you're ready
    DONE!
  • Take Poor Rama to the vet. He has been ferociously bitten by an unknown being - maybe a dog or another cat (he likes to pick fights with the other male cats, so, no surprise there). The bitten area is already infected now. Lazy Rama is probably too disgusted to lick himself... (As if he ever felt responsible of keeping himself clean! Hairball-phobic, I guess...) Whatever... Urgh, that Lazy Irresponsible Smelly Female-Butt-Sniffing RAMA!
    DUE DATE: 15 June 2009 @ 8AM
    DONE!
  • Figure out a name for our family's own online boutique! (Can you believe it?!)
    DUE DATE: 16 June 2009
    DONE!
  • Go to Toys 'R' Us and get your dear nephew & niece some toys for their birthday party this weekend. PSstttt... buy a nice gift for Father's Day as well.. :P DONE!
    Wrap them up nicely!
    DUE DATE: 19 June 2009
    DONE!
  • ETHICS - Individual Assignment 4
    DUE DATE: 19 June 2009(before midnight)
    DONE!
  • ETHICS - GROUP ASSIGNMENT!!!!!
    DUE DATE: 22 June 2009
    DONE!
  • Create a logo for the online boutique using Illustrator or using whatever tool that could encourage your creativity. And start developing the e-boutique website! *the excitement just keeps growing and growing!*
    DUE DATE: 29 June 2009
  • Plan & handle out a picnic for the whole AI batch at the beach or nearby a waterfall
    Ideas in mind = Gabai Falls or Bagan Lalang (preferred!)
    DUE DATE: estimated within the month of July/August (when your friends got tons of money, of course!)
Thanks in advance!

Best Regards,

Your Deepest Inner Conscious
;)

P/S - I'll be sure to add more in time!

Reasons why I haven't checked my exam results already  

Posted by Sue

I am petrified.

Why?

  1. My Reading and Research [English subject] report was MESSED UP (particularly because of something I wouldn't want to bring up here). I carries 40% of the total marks. And I just found out that 2 of my classmates failed. I could bet that the whole class weren't expecting that. And as for me, I am completely horrified to check my results after knowing about that!
  2. My exams schedule was a NIGHTMARE!! Seriously, try having to face 6 papers crammed into ONE week! Believe me, you'll feel the agony.
  3. The last time I checked my results during intersession period (May-June), I ended up crying because I didn't manage to get the Dean's List (DL) award. And that was also the only DL I missed of all 6 semesters of my Diploma.
  4. I liked the fact that I am now capable of managing my own finance. My parents praised me for being independent, which means not asking them for money. I want to keep my JPA scholarship so BAD. If I lose it, my confidence and pride will go with it.
  5. I need good results to boost up my confidence and mood for a good headstart this coming semester.
I have a tab on my Firefox. It says 'http://istudent.uit...p/resultv2/main.asp'. I've already entered my student number and IC number. All I have to do is to click 'Semak'... I have been staring at it for about 2 hours before I'm writing this...

...

I'm pulling myself together...

...

still trying...

...

trying...

...

failed.

...

My parents are away from home. They went for their dunno-th honeymoon. I dunno who to talk to. I tried calling my Sayang for some spirit-boosting talk. He's still asleep.
(Dang, did I just admit that I've been trying to wake him up by calling him several times? I'm such a baby!)

Well, there's always tomorrow. I can still bother him when he's working! =P

Kenapa Tuhan ciptakan nyamuk?  

Posted by Sue

Psst... The title above translates to "Why do God create mosquitoes?".

I might sound like a 5 year-old. But really, this question has been stuck inside my head for days. It's actually because I couldn't get a good night's rest because of the agony of bearing all the mosquito bites I've been having for the past week. And all my life, God forgive me, I have been whining a lot about them. That's why I've been thinking why did God create these organisms called mosquitoes. When I was younger, I thought angrily that all mosquitoes do was torment me and their bites resulted in me scratching my skin and leave ugly bite marks all over my body.

But now, I realised the uglier fact that we could get diseases such as dengue, malaria, (once there was) the Japanese Encephalitis J.E. and et cetera. So, in my opinion, there's a good reason behind the creation of mosquitoes besides being the source of food for many kinds of animals. Mosquitoes transmit diseases! And that's a good thing? Well... If we humans never get sick, we tend to forget who we are to Allah, that we are only His subjects. It is His way of reminding us that we are not supreme beings and being sick automatically remind us of death. Muslims believe that being sick means that our small sins are being forgiven. Senang cite, penyakit mengingatkan manusia kepada keinsafan.

He made mosquitoes survive since the very beginning of time and it'll be likely to survive until the end, with His will, of course. We can make a conclusion that mosquitoes cannot easily face extinction due to their nature - they fly, they mate on air and lay eggs easily on water. So no matter how many you smack to their oh-so-sudden death, there will still be more mosquitoes coming to have more bites on you!

I believe in Allah SWT. I believe He creates all things for a reason and He has plans for each and every one of us, and they too happen for reasons in which we may or may not understand.

SubhanAllah...

Video Gaming Effects on Youths  

Posted by Sue

Note: My first ethics assignment.
(Word Count: 886)

The origin of video gaming stretches out from as early as 1947 with the creation of a device called the Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device. It simulates a missile firing at a target using 8 vacuum tubes and contains knobs to adjust the curve and speed of the missile. Small targets were drawn on a simple overlay and placed on the screen because electronic computer graphics are not yet invented during that time. Now, video games are fused with Artificial Intelligence, so that the computer would determine the game player’s pattern of play, learn his strategies and hence, the computer will attempt to defeat the player. Next, the method of interaction between the game and game players has developed dramatically. Now, video games are integrated with controllers equipped with the technology of motion control such as DualShock, which sends a vibration feedback to the game player. In addition, nowadays there are also portable video games that we can fit into our pockets. But as the youths embrace video games as one of their main source of entertainment, I worry about the risks and consequences on their social life and also their health. Sure, playing video games is fun and releases tension and boredom, but it has also its drawbacks.

Hard core gamers would isolate themselves socially from other people, and they could be confused between fantasy and reality due to the real-like gaming experience thanks to the advanced graphics and audio technology, which might cause a change in behaviour. I’d like to emphasis on the likeliness of the gamer to exhibit aggressive behaviour due to the frequent exposure of violence during playing games. These days, video games are usually based on violence, aggression and gender bias. Gender bias, in this context, refers to games usually portray women as weaker characters that are helpless or sexually provocative.

I watched a documentary once, about the relation between violent video games and aggressive behaviour, there were alarming findings made by researchers, that young juveniles commit murders were being driven by video game playing. They seem to lack of compassion and feels that violence is normal. Youngsters who see a lot of violence would see that violence is the most effective way to solve conflict.

I have experienced gaming a lot myself. I used to play PS2 after my SPM exams. I played a game called ‘Need for Speed: Underground 2’ quite heavily and became rather good of playing it that I really wanted to finish the game. And I did after a week of unorganised sleeping time and meal time, that sometimes when I close my eyes, I could see the visuals of car racing that was portrayed in that game. When I finished the entire game, I determined that it is the first and the last time I will be addicted to any video games.

Now, I worry for my younger brother and nephew, who are now addicted to playing games on the computer. I would nag them a lot about using the computer for educational purposes and how games could affect how they behave and that there is no point of playing games that makes mass murdering look cool. There was a case on news about 18-year-old Devin Moore kill people because of a game called ‘Grand Theft Auto’ (GTA) dated June 19, 2005. His attorney said, "What we're saying is that Devin Moore was, in effect, trained to do what he did. He was given a murder simulator.” Murder simulator - that what I would also describe this game, GTA, that both my younger brother and nephew love playing. This game gives people the thought that it is okay to shoot police officers, it is okay to steal and destroy other peoples’ cars and it is okay to pick up a chainsaw and massacre everybody that gets in your way. This game also shows the nightlife of people in Miami, with prostitutes walking about the streets asking people if they want their “service”.

Do we want our future generation to become less humane and corrode them morally by exposing themselves and let them “be” people who deal drugs, steal cars and mass-murder others? Kids nowadays who see people get shot and see blood scattered everywhere don’t feel anything anymore. They have lost their compassion and fear towards violence. They feel that it is normal.
Many other video games have this same effect on other youngsters as well. Parents should mind what their children are viewing and playing. Nowadays there are lots of media that promote aggressiveness being produced and easy to be reached by the mere hands of our youngsters with the existence of the Internet. People who are responsible in producing these materials would do simply anything to sell them. Do they care about our future generations becoming less humane? No is the answer.

That is why parents should set in their mind that not only in video games that there is violence, they should also be cautious on what movies, music and other medias that their children are reading, watching or listening. Let’s face the fact – there are parents who never mind of what their children get their hands on. They must not wait until their children become monsters that they come to their senses. As we all know, prevention is definitely better than curing.

News Reference:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/17/60minutes/main702599.shtml

Cyber-Bullying  

Posted by Sue

Note: This is my ethics assignment. :p
(Word Count: 1,283)

Bullying is simply a deliberate act of causing harm to other people. There are a few ways of how a person can bully another: verbally, physically or manipulation of certain things. Cyber-bullying is a type of bullying under manipulation of the information and communication technology. It has started since even before the Internet was made available to the public. People often associate cyber-bullying with kids, preteens and teens. It has to be them on both sides of cyber-bullying, or at least it is initiated by them. When adults are involved, it is just cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking. There are records of kids killed each other and committed suicide due to this issue. It may take place to the level of misdemeanour cyber-harassment charge. But if the child is below 18 years of age, he/she may be charged under juvenile delinquency. Why do kids cyber-bully? When we relate them together, we often hear that these kids are influenced by the feeling of anger, revenge or frustration. There are many reasons on why these young bullies perform such misdemeanour. Some do it for mere fun or because of having too much time in their hands and lots of gadgets to play and explore with. Some do it by accident and kids are known to do something without thinking. Some do it because of ego and they like the feeling of being the tough guy or girl. Some think that they’re doing the right thing by standing up for other kids. These kids could use almost all types of technology against their target. These manipulation of technology for bullying intentions include text messaging, phone calls, blogging, instant messaging and interfering with web pages and sites. The most significant technology being used for cyber-bullying nowadays would be through social networking and instant messages (IMs). There are two types of cyber-bullying that they could carry out, which are direct attacks and indirect attacks. Direct attacks are acts of cyber-bullying direct to the victims, whereas indirect attacks (also known as attacks by proxy) are the ones using other people to attack their victim, with or without the consent or awareness of the accomplice. On top of that, because indirect attacks usually involve adults in making the attacks, it is actually more damaging to the victim. Technologies can be used to terrorize, stalk and prey on unsuspecting individuals. These problems resulted in a jumble of newspaper articles on paedophilia activity (any sexual activity between an adult and a child, which includes sexual urges, fantasies, and behaviours), cyber stalking and cyber-bullying. These stories later have resulted in a wave of moral panic and there are requests and demands from concerned parents and others to regulate these technologies and to protect the children and other victims from these predators. Predators use the Internet to search for potential victims, win their hearts, set up a meeting and lure them to a trap. This is a scary fact of what has been happening since the emergence of the Internet.

The first time I used the Internet, which was somewhere in the year 1997, I have been exposed to ICQ – the most popular instant messaging service in my group of friends at that time. Afterwards, I found IRC, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Ever since I was exposed to the Internet, I have received direct sexual messages, like people asking what was my “inner” size was, or have I cyber-sexed before. I have also received a harsh comment from an angry, anonymous reader of my blog at Blogger.com. I immediately asked for advice from my trusted friend (whom is quite an expert in IT) and by following his advice, I deleted the comment (to avoid myself reading it again and get upset unnecessarily), turned off the anonymous comment feature (I never thought it was important before) on my blog and went on writing other posts and receive comments from people that have Google account. I was glad that I took all the necessary actions and the emotional pain didn’t last more than a week. Those incidents lead me to realise the importance of education and awareness of how technology may affect us. Even though I have yet received threats from other technology users, I have read a lot regarding cyber-attacks on children. This creates fear within me for my siblings and friends who use technology in daily basis. Because of my previous experiences with the Internet, I usually advice my younger siblings and close friends about the danger of cyber-attacks whenever I see them using this media.

Cyber-bullying is a very complex area and there are actually many issues to consider. As this issue arise from the lack of monitoring and control of these technologies, I wonder if the obligation of monitoring and stricter controls is the solution to this problem. Whose rights would be protected and whose would be violated if this solution is executed? If the authorities regulate such technologies, we might protect the right of our youngsters but violate the rights of involved companies and organisations of the technology. Controlling technologies might even infringe the privacy of youngsters. If certain authorities or organisations (such as school boards) interfere with these technologies and restrict youngsters’ access to them, parents would be furious and claim that the authorities violate their children’s freedom of speech. I’m not saying that this problem cannot be resolved at all nor this issue can be fully resolved. In fact, parents play an important role on preventing and protecting their child. In my opinion, this problem might be reduced if the following are taken into action by parents:

  1. Parents must first and foremost be the first teachers of their child and educate them about what is right and what is wrong, and promote awareness in cyber-bullying to their child.
  2. Parents should take this matter seriously but never become overacting. Usually parents tend to overact when they know their child is involved in cyber-bullying. That is why children usually avoid telling their parents about it. Thus, parents must always be supportive to their child while monitoring their actions. They must remember that children are very vulnerable to cyber-attacks even though those attacks are verbal. The mental and emotional pain could affect their child very badly and it could be lasting. It is important for parents to be friends with their child to encourage the child to be open with their parents about anything.
  3. Parents should let the school counsellor informed about this problem so that he/she could keep an eye on their child.
  4. If private contact information was intentionally or unintentionally disclosed to the Internet, this matter must be brought to the police immediately for proper investigation. Printed proof regarding attacks are very helpful.
Besides parents, children need to be addressed of this issue by the school or perhaps the community. Having a cyber-bully awareness campaign is a good idea of getting children together and this is important to help them understand that bullying really hurts them and other people. We must make them understand the term “don't treat others the way you don't want to be treated”, which is also a way of telling them “treat others the way you want to be treated”. Children should also grasp the fact that keeping private information is important. They need to be educated that it is not okay to hurt others and don’t be silent if they know that their friends are suffering because of cyber-bullies, even that they are afraid. Once they heard of any sign of cyber-attacks, they should report it to their superiors (e.g: their parents, teachers, siblings, etc…).

Empowering ethical attitude in everybody is the fundamental step towards a better community in this digital era.

Excuses Excuses Excuses!  

Posted by Sue

Sorry for not posting frequently. Do you have time for excuses? If No is your answer, skip to number 6.

  1. I don't have my laptop with me at all times - only during weekends, and that only if my brother comes back from Melaka, and that also depends on when his friend comes back.
  2. I'm enjoying the company of little Amer in the house. Oh, I LOVE the scent of babies!
    [P/S - I love doing my dad's Mamma Mia (repeated kisses) to Amer. I pity Amer for being so adorable and he has to endure every minute with me.]
  3. I have 3-hour classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Short-course thing. I'm studying 'Social, Ethical and Professional Issues in Information Technology' and my lecturer is really cool and has this radiance because her baby bump. How cool is that?!!
  4. I had a 4 day cold and fever. I was dead afraid of being infected by AH1N1 (in case you didn't know - it's swine flu; Google it! ) so I quarantined myself on bed with-OUT going ANY-where at all and swallowed a few types of medicine according to the doctor's prescription and I ended up being light-headed and only eat when it is time to take my medicine and sleep most of the time and wake up when I have to take my medicine... When I was awake, I feel like the world is taking a twirl and my eyes went all blurry.
    Now I'm feeling kind of weird. I feel so tired all the time, even after sleeping. So this is what a drug addict feels like? This is what medications give me, so that's why I normally do NOT eat them. I'd just go to the doctor just to know if I'm alright. That's all. *wide innocent grin*
  5. I've just submitted my first assignment. It was late. Really late, because I couldn't get access to the URL my lecturer gave to the whole class. I was the only one who failed to do so, but my assignment was ready to be submitted 2 days ago. (Excuses, again?)
    I asked my friend again for the URL and guess what? I only have to chang its610 to all caps, and I managed to submit my assignment! What a silly mistake... Silly Sue.
  6. I'm sorry for being so lazy to update my blog! T_T
I can't keep up with the time. Gah~ I have 7 reviews on 7 different articles to submit on Monday! NOoooOOoooooooo!!!!!!

E-Shopping Wish List  

Posted by Sue

herkk~ I'm so into shopping online now. I wish I have tons and tons of money to buy these:

  1. Arabian Abaya
    Two options:
    • from Miss Abaya [RM180]
      The site looks inactive for a while - lots of questions from customers are left unanswered. I'll email later to ask about the details on this gorgeous piece:



    • from Maratussolehah Abaya [RM245]
      The length of Abaya that complements my height is 53".Notice the Abaya on the mannequin looks body fitting? They pinned something behind the Abaya. Hmm, I wonder why...Sleeve design options:


  2. Arabian Saree Shawl from Multi Top Shop [RM12 only!]


Beautiful, aren't they? *sigh* too bad I have to really control my spendings right now...
(to be continued... :p )

Would you be so kind to buy them for me? *makes bright sappy eyes*

Beautiful Song  

Posted by Sue

Kris Allen - Falling Slowly



I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

* Learning the guitars of this song from my younger sister. Now she's teaching me... ;)

Baby Boy Cupcakes  

Posted by Sue


Made this especially for welcoming a new born baby boy into our family. This is my best work on cupcakes, yet!

Awsome, right? ;p

P/S - I really really want to learn how to make fondant & fondant gum. Should I go to decorating classes? Hmm...

A Baby Was Born Today...  

Posted by Sue


... and his name is Amer Zafran. He's a healthy baby boy, born at 8.43 this morning. Before I forgot to mention, his mother is well.

Weight: 3.25kg
Head Circumference: 35cm
Length: 58cm
Yaw, those cheeks! Pipi loyot, hidong peset --- This baby has our family's DNA written all over his face. Haha~

This is my sister's 3rd baby, by the way. I can't believe it, I'm already a proud makcik of 3!

FYP: Decisions.. Decisions..  

Posted by Sue

I have to develop an intelligent system for my final year project. This coming semester I have to make a proposal on my thesis. From the very start, I had trouble on choosing a topic. I'm always like this. Indecisive, because of fear of choosing a wrong choice and forgoing the better choice. Well, I have to sacrifice something, but I have to really think about the choices I have. Their pros and cons...

So, my artificial neural networks lecturer messaged me and asked if I have a supervisor already or not. And he said he has this project title - "Online Thesis Supervision Using Data Mining Technique". And the one I came up with was very vague - "Speech Emotion Recognition Using ____ Technique" (Please fill in the blanks). Haha... I have yet determined a technique to be used for it. *lazy grin*

Well, wish me luck on making a decision on my project title! And that obviously will require a massive amount of RESEARCHING over and OVER again!

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies  

Posted by Sue

Ingredients:
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 grade A egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix sugar, brown sugar, butter and egg in a large bowl by hand.
  3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. The dough will be very stiff.
  4. Stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto non-stick tray or on ungreased cookie sheet lined on a tray.
  6. Bake until light brown. The centers will be soft.
  7. Let cool in tray for 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet.

Cookies and Dreams  

Posted by Sue

I made some cookies yesterday. They don't have the looks but they sure got the taste! At least, that's what my Mak said. I intended to give some to my bestfriend as a gift. I promised to give something sweet, to appreciate our friendship with hope that it'll last until the end. So I kept a few aside. I wanted to bake some cupcakes, as well. Kalau murah rezeki, ko dapat la ye... ;)

So, what did I do today? I woke up, cleaned my room. Lunched with Mak, my bro and sis. Then Mak, sis and myself went to KL. Mak bought some cotton fabric for my sis's Baju Kurung. She had very little of them in her wardrobe. We head off to Pertama Complex and I gave them both a treat at KFC. I (heart) KFC and I never got sick of their O.R. Chics. When I'm at the counter, ordering, I'll make sure that I get a snack plate with both parts as thighs. Eating with my hands + a pinch of thigh + some Life's Thai Chili Sauce + equal parts of coleslaw and mashed potatoes =
H E A V E N - O N - E A R T H !

:b

Well, we got home and ever since 8pm, I've done a lot of surfing online shops. It interests me. One day I want to make my own handcrafted stuff and sell them (only if I have the time. huhu~). I've thought of charm bracelets and I'd like to "play" around with beads too, perhaps also to learn how to make silk-ribbon embroidery. I hope those plans are not just new additions to a bunch of silly dreams of mine. haha~

My Studying Necessities  

Posted by Sue

I'm quite meticulous on the condition of my studying area. Currently, I have to really have to study to the extreme for my coming exams because the fact that all six (yes, six [6]) of my final exam papers are all crammed into just 8 days. Hence, I almost do not have gaps between my papers. *sigh sigh sigh*

So, in order to maximise my inputs for my review of all 6 subjects, I need my study area to be tip-top! These are the things I need:

  1. A good typist chair – the most important thing, ever, that I need whenever I study! It’s to prevent back and neck pains during the hours and hours long of studying.
  2. My laptopI'd listen to some classical music while I'm studying. Sometimes I refer to digital notes and past semester exam questions. Also, I’d look through the Internet to find answers I can’t find in books. My notes, assignments and projects are all stored in here. I'd simply DIE without my laptop!
  3. Calendar I need to keep track of assignment/project deadlines and how much time I have left until my next paper during this week.
  4. Abundant of stationeries – I want to be the type of person who’s always prepared, just in case. People still call my pencil case “Poket Doraemon”!
  5. Water bottle – It’s always summer here in Malaysia. But sometimes it gets so hot that I – a native Malaysian – could not bare the heat. So I have to keep a bottle full of water near me and drink plenty of water so that I don’t get dehydrated easily. I also placed a bottle of body lotion nearby my desk. If you can see, it’s on the orange striped box.
  6. Post-its , cue cards and highlighters – essential items to make these cute notes! (The cue cards are actually plain coloured name cards, which I bought at Jusco for just RM4.50.)

  7. A bit of entertainment – sometimes, I play my sunset coloured guitar in order to reduce stress.

So let’s hope I am always in the mood to study.

CGPA is just a number but I know I have the potential of getting 3.50, or perhaps more, when I am at my best! It really gets me when certain things keep holding me back from doing my best. I know blaming the past is not going to make me feel better about my performance this semester. I need to let go of the past and concentrate on the future… I want to achieve my goal, that is to get first class (CGPA 3.50) when I graduate next year, insyaAllah!

Meet Minty the Hamster