#Throwback 1 - Australia Halal Food Experience

Assalamualaikum and happy fasting~

As I've mentioned earlier in the previous post, I am now officially jobless until the moment I will be called to serve the duty as a pharmacist, which I doubt will be any time sooner. So, here I am, serving as a full time daughter, sister and aunt to 3 adorable kids at home. Now, since it is in the month of Ramadhan, I am trying my very best to perform as a good Muslim, at least better than yesterday.

Enough of the introduction, let's proceed to the main topic of this post, Australia! It's been almost a year after I traveled to Australia (Melbourne-Sydney-Wagga Wagga) and the memories still remained in my heart. Well, it has to be since it was my first overseas trip and I couldn't get any more excited than this. So, after reading few of other bloggers who write their experience overseas, I've noticed that I haven't shared any individual experience being a tourist there, especially as a Muslim tourist.

I've to say, at first I was a bit intimidated with the perception of the Australian there, as we were traveling in a large group, and all of us were wearing headscarves. I think it was a rare sight for them to see as wherever we go, we managed to catch everyone's attention on the street. However, the people there were very friendly, they respect our religion, and most importantly, sometimes they are the one who is more concern on halal food than us.

In Melbourne, we met a few of Malaysian students who took us for a leisure walk nearby their university. It was almost dinner time and since some of us wanted to buy Malaysian foods, we were separated into half. As I wasn't interested to eat Malaysian food and wanted to eat something other than rice, the students recommended us to the Pancake Parlour, where they served delicious and affordable pancakes. There, we chose a new menu, with a chocolate ice cream. The waiter who took the order was a middle-eastern man (or Indian? I'm not sure), and he told us that the ice cream contain gelatin which might not be originated from Halal source. He admits that he is a Muslim and it is his responsibilities to inform us as a fellow Muslim. However, he offered us to make the ice cream without the gelatin. And the result is really good! I love the waffle and the ice cream. We're very thankful to the waiter as if he doesn't inform us, we wouldn't have known about it.

inside the cafe. pic cred to google

the waffle that we ordered. 

The next experience that happened to us was at Sydney. Before shopping at Paddington Market, we decided to have our lunch at a fast food outlet, Oporto. (Menurut sumber dr pelajar Malaysia kat sana, makanan kat cni halal.) So, dengan confidentnye aku pn pergi order kat kaunter. Sebab nk jimat punye pasal, kitorg order family set utk 4 org. On the menu, it said chicken burger. Ok fine, we'll order that. So, the waitress took the order at the counter. Suddenly, her friend whispered something to her. Then, she asked me back "Are you sure u want to order this set, because actually there is a slice of bacon inside the burger." Masa 2, the rest of the girls yg kami pakat order skali 2 dah pergi cop meja, so aku sorg2 kat c2. Aku pn tgh fikir sambil tgk menu lain, pas2 dye cakap "Or if u still want it, we won't put the bacon in the burger." So, I agreed with the recommendation. Again, I was very thankful to the staffs who are very considerate towards us seeing that we are wearing hijabs which shows that we are Muslims. Alhamdulillah, we managed to indulge the burgers and the fries happily accompanied by a flock of birds in the background.

lbey kurang camni la rupe kaunter dye. pic cred to google

nampak x burung2 kt belakang 2? skali skala baling gak fries kat dyorg.. hehe

For the rest of the journey at Melbourne and Sydney, we just decided to go to the certified Halal restaurants, so there is not much of a problem there. Then, we continued our journey to Wagga Wagga, where we met Dr Hassan and his family, from Egypt. He's the one who told us that all of the chickens in Australia are slaughtered in Islamic way, so they are halal. So, u don't have to worry if u want to cook the chicken. 

One evening, Prof Ball ordered Fish and Chips for our dinner. Untuk memastikan kehalalan makanan 2, Prof Ball even provided the restaurant with a new cooking oil so that they won't be frying the fish and chips in oils which was used to fry pork/bacon before that. See how considerate he is, right?

us having the fish and chips on the same table with Prof Ball

After we spend days at Wagga Wagga, it's time to go back to Melbourne as we would be departing to Malaysia from Melbourne Airport. At the airport, I was given the responsibilities to take care of our belongings while the others went food-hunting in the airport. I asked one of my colleague to buy me a Subway Sandwich, (we can order the seafood one only, because we're not sure about the status of other sandwich). After a while, he went back and brought the sandwich and telling his story. According to him, upon seeing his appearance which may appear as a Muslim (my colleague is a male, of course he's not wearing hijab =P) the staff even change her(?) plastic gloves to a new one to avoid mixing with the rest of the non-halal food. He said that she (?) didn't even change it when the person before him ordered their sandwich and the staff did this without my friend's request. 

Thanks to Allah, whom I believe allowed us to encounter these type of people who are considerate towards us as Muslims and I really cherished these experiences. Hopefully I'll continue to meet good people along my journey in the future. Till then, bye!

p/s: special kred to kimi and k.dhobit (kot) for all the photos!

End of the Journey

Alhamdulillah.. I'm writing this entry as to commemorate the end of the journey of an IIUM pharmacy student with the hope that me and all of the members of Rx8 will pass this exam, InsyaAllah. Looking back through the past, I have to say that I have learnt a lot and gained so much experiences that can't be obtained elsewhere. Honestly, I never imagine walking in this path 4 years back.

At CFS, I was never interested in pharmacy course and never intended to change the course. Oh yes, I was in the foundation of Allied Health Sciences. At that time, my interest was actually in Dietetics course. Partly because I want to know the correct way to gain weight and ideally achieve the target BMI. Hehe.. Alhamdulillah, I was one of the dean list students and few of us were offered to join Pharmacy course few weeks before we entered Kuantan Campus. And at that very moment, I made the decision that changed my life.

When I first entered the pharmacy course, I was quite intimidated with all the classmates since they were basically from pharmacy course during foundation. I still remember, the few of us, who 'convert' courses, we form our cliques together for the first few weeks and we were very enthusiastic to know more about pharmacy by attending Pharmacy Talk and etc. Later, we fit in with the rest of the classmates and we learn together, going through the hard moments of being a pharmacy student.

~The first few weeks of being a pharmacy student~

My lovely roommates from 1st year.. Tq for putting up with all my acts and laziness.. 

The girls at K.Aimi's wedding

Going through the journey is tough,  since we have to deal with a lot of assignments, reports and quizzes. And I don't know how I managed it, but I was quiet active in the society. Honestly, when I was in MRSM and CFS, I was not active. It was all started when I decided to  volunteer for the National Pharmacy Quiz as the quiz moderator. Then, I started to join charity programs such as COHSAS and Ihya' Ramadhan. Among the programs that I have joined as committee are Taaruf Week, NPSC, RXQuiz (I was involved in all three quizzes), Aussie Visit and IPhA. I was glad that I was part of something big. Being active in society has actually thought me a lot, how to deal with people, how to manage time and how to work and communicate effectively in a team. In the end, I was grateful that I was given the chance to enter pharmacy course since I was able to join all the activities and met a lot of people that I met today. 

Taaruf Committee 2011

Futsal Team Interbatch 2013

I will remember what Madam Halimah says to me during the graduation dinner:

"  Arina, I will always remember you. You are one active student, and please keep it that way.."

I will, Madam. InsyaAllah. Please pray for me.

Pre-Graduation Syndrome

18 May 2013 (9 days before the final exam)

"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory"

Assalamualaikum.. Now we've left with 1 month to finish our studies in Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, IIUM and just a few days for the final exams as a pharmacy student, InsyaAllah.. At first, I have been feeling excited on the thought of graduating but once the moment has become closer, I feel sad.. Sad to be leaving the friends, the lecturers, the juniors, and life as an university student. Yeah, this is the moment that we've been waiting for since we entered the university. Well, I guess most of the soon-to-be graduated students will feel the same way as we did. And since this week is the last week of classes, we start taking a lot of photos together in order to cherish the last moments together. And the funny thing is, the facebook newsfeed has been full with the pictures of friends uploaded with 'touching' statuses.

Yes, we are the 8th batch!

Last week, we already ended the PT hospital attachment at Hospital Kemaman. I was supposed to finish the report by tonight, since I don't want to use the revision week to finish the assignments instead of studying. I'm glad that I have great groupmates which does not cause any trouble at all. Thank you guys!

Group B5. It's nice working with u guys..

p/s: I'm planning to write a post dedicated to my besties (eventho I know they'll probably won't read it..) and the journey of a pharmacy student after the final exam. I think I'm used to write sentimental things now since I've been invited to write the batch report which InsyaAllah will be published in IMag and an article for the Class Magazine which I hope the editor will include it in the magazine since they're the one requested me to do it.. Hehe.. Till then, good bye and wish me luck for the final exam!

Don't You Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, 

When care is pressing down a bit, 

Rest if you must -  but don't you quit.

Life is a queer with its twists and turns,

As sooner or later everyone learns,

And many a failure turns about, 

When he might have won had he stuck it out,

Don't give up when the pace seems slow-

You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer

Than it seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down, 

How close he was to the Golden crown.

Success is failure turn inside out - 

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt - 

And you can never tell how close you are,

It may be near and it might be far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - 

It's when things seem worse that you musn't quit.

This is a poem I've encountered when I read a motivational book when I was in high school. I can't remember the exact title of the book, but I really love this poem I decided to write it down on a piece of paper and pasted it on my board during my matriculation years. Now, after 4 years of studying in Kuantan and while digging into my 'treasure boxes' under the bed, i finally discovered this poem again. I wondered why I only found the paper till now, when I only have around 1 month to graduate.. Haha.. Never mind, I can always read it when I'm down and that's why I decided to write it here on the blog. 

p/s: FYI, most of my coursemates are having trips to USM and UPM. Since I didn't take both of the elective subjects, I was left out here in Kuantan for two days (3 days to be exact, since I only have VIVA on thursday and my CBL is cancelled) and our plan to Genting has also been cancelled, so here I am, doing nothing in the room except for digging into old stuff and getting ready to clear the room.. Sad, huh?

SPA Interview

May peace be upon you..

It's been a long time since I have written a new post.. Bukannye sbb bz, tp sbb malas nk update n xde mende interesting enough to be updated about.. Tp skrg, aku nak update psl SPA interview.. FYI, kitorg as pharmacy student under scholar JPA kena melalui proses interview oleh SPA utk determine penempatan mase PRP nanti.. So, here goes my experience last Wednesday..

FYI, sebelum interview, kitorg dgr bykla rumours on how dye susun turn utk interview.. Antaranye, dye susun giliran ikut no. IC.. Since aku ni bdk lompat, dgn yakinnye aku expect turn aku akan jatuh pada last day, which is Jumaat.. Tup2, sehari sblm interview, list name baru kuar.. and guess what, nama aku ade dlm list utk 1st day.. OMG, aku xexpect langsung! Betapa cuaknye la time 2, dah la aku xstudy langsung.. =_="

So, mlm before interview, kitorg buat small discussion discuss mende2 yg most probably ditanye oleh panel.. Termasuklah GTP, NKRA, PSD, PRU, and of course pharmacology aspects of common drugs.. Honestly, I've never heard of those things before, never knew about GTP, NKRA.. huhu.. nasib baik la ade interview ni, at least terpaksa la amik tahu about those things..

Tibalah hari kejadian.. Lps register n isi borg penempatan sume, tetiba panel datang and akak yg handle registration kitorg tetiba kelam kabut susun 4 kerusi dlm satu blk.. Ah sudah, dye buat group interview plak dah.. Dah la aku satu grup dgn best student RX8 merangkap best participant RXQuiz baru2 ni.. Mmg aku rase inferior gak la time 2.. huhu..

My group members.. TQ Nuraidah for answering most of the clinical question.. :)

Waiting for their group to be called in...

Ade dua bilik utk interview, aku kena kat bilik 2.. Panel dye Datuk Mohd Zain (org SPA) and Tuan Shaikh Nuruddin.. Bilik sebelah ade Datu Sepuan and sorg pharmacist dr KKM.. Kitorg group last utk ari 2, so ingtkan panel 2 da penat sbb da smpi time lunch.. Tetapi......................... Nah, bace jela dulu kitorg kna tnye ape..

Ketuk pintu, bagi salam, pass resume & sijil, duduk..

DZ: Ok, markah utk Bahasa Inggeris 7.5, BM 1
Kami : (Sume muke blur, sbb tgh nervous..)
DZ: Ala, saya gurau jela..
Kami: Oh, maafla, kitorg tgh nervous ni.. Hehe..
DZ: Introduce yourself..Pendapat psl gagasan 1Malaysia...
Kami: Bgtau psl raikan perbezaan tp satukan rakyat, bla3...
DZ: I nk tnye, ari2 I ade pergi kedai pharmacy, beli supplemen.. Balik rumah, I bace leaflet dye tulis ade gelatin.. Saya xmkn la, sbb xberani, xtau source dye dari bovine ke porcine.. Pas2, saya g blk kedai 2, tnye kat pharmacist 2, dye pn xtau nk jwb ape.. So, what do u think?
Kami:
A: xleh mkn
B: contact manufacturer dl, pas2 update ngn customer
C: Mase sales rep dtg jual ubat, supposedly kite mintak sijil halal...
DZ: (Ckp pasal isu halal haram, alcohol content dlm ubat, etc....) Ni wife I srh tnye, nape Panadol ade byk jenis, Actifast, Soluble, Children etc.. Tu sume utk tujuan komersial je ke?
Kami: API same, formulation je lain, so onset of action pn lain... Bla3..
DZ: Nape ade pharmacist xsebut pon psl S/E ubat, bila bace leaflet byk gile tulis S/E...
Kami: Sbb xsume org akan experience S/E, ikut atas org.. Maybe dye xckp sbb xsignificant, klu yg significant kna la ckp..
TS: Sepatutnye kna ckp gak wpon xbrape significant, utk educate customer..
TS: Tnye minat bhg mane kat hosp..
Kami: Outpatient, TDM
TS: Ok, outpatient... Policy kat hosp, bley dispense ubat utk refill, max kuantiti utk sebulan.. Ade patient dtg marah2, dye nak utk 3 bulan.. Nak buat cmne?
Kami:
A: Bgtao policy hosp xbg, so xley bg la..
B: Bgtao dye, klu bg byk2, takut nnti dye xpandai simpan, anak dye mkn etc.. (Jwpn ni salah, klu ckp cam2, patient lg marah)
C: Certain ubat kna titrate dose, takut strength lain2 etc..
TS: Depend on TCA date dye (to come again) bile.. klu next month, maksudnye dye akan jupe dr bln dpn, so refill tyme 2 jela.. Klu patient xpuas hati gak, panggil je org atasan..
TS: (Mule masuk soalan clinical susah2) Tnye psl antivenom, type ular yg bley bg antivenom, First line antibiotic sampai last, Cold chain temperature, drug for dengue and malaria, patented drug....
Kami: (yg mane tau, jawab, yg mane xtau, ckp xtau...)
TS: Ok, that's all.. TQ..

Before blah, kitorg pn amik kesempatan utk tnye few questions..
Q: Xley ke wat PRP kt enforcement?
A: Xley, tyme FRP baru blry g enforcement

Q: Btol ke batch kitorg xsume akan dpt tempat?
A: InsyaAllah sume akan dpt..

Q: Penempatan based on kekosongan kt hosp jeke?
A: Yup, based on kekosongan and nasib jek..

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So, itulah sedikit sbyk pengalaman interview ari2.. Aku pilih hosp Terengganu, Pahang & HKL.. Terengganu 2, xkisah la dpt HSNZ ke, kemaman ke.. Sbb byk sgt dgr psl heavy workload kt HSNZ, so aku redha jek klu xdpt HSNZ.. Sbb nanti tyme FRP, bley apply blk... Klu dpt Kemaman pn, syok gak... Bley jupe blk lecturer & junior tyme dyorg buat attachment.. Hehe..

Till then, bye and Assalamualaikum...

Spoken Word Poetry

Bismillahirrahmanirahim..

Today is the end of the CNY holiday and tomorrow I will be going back to class as usual.. However, compared to previous semesters, this semester is much more relaxing since in average, we've got like 2-4 hours of classes only.. And since I've finished taking all the 14 credit hours of electives last semester, this adds to the emptiness in the timetable slot.. Just imagine, last week I've no classes on Tuesday and Thursday! Oh, but of course, as a human, we (or is it I?) never feel grateful for what we have.. When you have too much classes, you might feel stressed but even with lack of classes, I tend to feel bored and also stressed since I dunno what to do during the free time.. Hehe..

Back to the topic, Spoken Word Poetry.. Last few days, I've encountered a video posted in Aiman Azlan's facebook about someone reading poem about "Hands". I don't really know whether the word "reading" is correct, since she's more like telling us a story but in the forms of poem. And that leads me to another video of her telling a poem entitled "If I Should Have A Daughter.."

Sarah Kay performing "Hands"

Honestly, I was captivated with her language, her self confidence and her way of expressing things that makes me want to google more about her (her name is Sarah Kay) and also about Spoken Word Poetry. Based from my 'on the surface' reading, spoken word poetry is basically not a traditional poem with a rhyme at the end of it, and it's more like expressing things in your own ways and it is performed in front of the audience, rather than writing it in a piece of paper. As Sarah Kay mentioned, "It is like when theater and poem gets together and gave birth to Spoken Word Poetry".

I really love the poem about the daughter and Hiroshima. I hope I can convey the message to my little girls in the future.. :P I guess now I've find a new interest, listening to Spoken Word Poetry. Hope it can brush up and improve my self confidence and also improve my English.

p/s: I'm trying a new thing for this semester by joining the futsal team for the Interbatch Sports Carnival.. Hopefully I won't be the cause for the team's failure.. Haven't started training yet, but I've started to jog (which I normally hates).. Wish us luck!

Sayonara!

Work Hard, Play Hard

Bismillah.. Assalamualaikum..

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD

ayat ni sebenarnye ade kt baju tshirt yg aku tgh pki.. so, saje je terfikir nk buat title.. yup, I've worked hard and played hard for this semester.. Worked hard to finish all the assignments, reports, presentations etc on time.. Played hard with the girlfriends to release stress and of course, enjoying our last moments together as final year students... Honestly, I think I've become closer with all the coursemates walaupon ade yg x 1 geng.. We can joke around each other tanpa segan silu.. Masak2 together.. Hope the ukhuwah last forever!

So, finally... U know what it means when u've finished classes.. That means it's time for FINAL EXAM!!! Oh Yes! The most 'awaited' moment for the entire semester.. Now, I'm in the middle of 1 week study period.. Hopefully, I'll spend the time wisely & study smart! =D

Oh, and even after the exam ends, I won't be able to get home yet.. Tetiba rase menyesal x balik rumah.. huhu.. This is my post-examination schedule:

28/12 - 13/1 : EXAMS!!!

14/1 - 17/1: SINGAPORE TRIP

18/1 - 20/1: NIKAH & WEDDING KAK AIMI

20/1: FINALLY GOING HOME.....

See? I'll only going home 1 week after exam finished.. And not to forget, another 2 wedding invitations at 26 Jan.. Congratulations Mat&Raihan and K.Muni & (xtau name...) Nasib baik both kenduri dekat ngn rumah.. InsyaAllah I'll be going.. Mmg tgh musim kawen skrg... dah final year katakan.. Guess it'll be hard to beat the title "Batch Paling Ramai Kawen..."

That's all I think.. Just writing this down since I dun have the mood to study yet.. hehe.. All the best & gud luck to all who will be taking the exams!

p/s: gonna have 2 days trip to Kota Bharu to visit Ain Medicare tomorrow.. hopefully it'll benefit us all especially in understanding Aseptic & Sterilization subject.. 

Bye!