Is this the one?

Jakson has been here for the last 7 years. He is originally from Brazil, and came to New Zealand for a brighter future. He did not know much English when he first came, so I assume he took whatever job he could in order to survive, and to help pay for his sister's university fees back in Brazil. He knew that the only way to improve his career was to master the language, so he took several short English courses along the way as he could not afford to go to school full time. After 7 years of hard work, he decided it was time to improve his skills so he quit his job and enrolled for the programme. He strongly believes that there is time for everything, you just have to be patient and you will get there eventually, one step at a time. He thank god for the opportunity for tertiary education as it never crossed his mind before, probably due to his hardship. He knows everyone in the school as he loves communicating. He was the first person who thanked me for teaching him and that made me smile the whole day ;)

Ricky was born in HK, but grew up in New Zealand. He went back to HK after his primary years, if I am not mistaken. He came back earlier this year to pursue his tertiary education as he is an NZ citizen. He says his English is rather rusty as he did not use much while he was back in HK as he was working in a restaurant - waiting tables, I assumed. Like most Chinese, he is very competitive. He strives to be the best and he worries too much about how he is performing in school. Yesterday for example, he asked me whether he has failed his first assignment after I commented on his group's presentation. I tried to comfort him but deep inside what I felt was auwwwww he he. He's just too cute to worry about something like that in the first semester!

Bhavan is the only girl who says hi to me in the morning. Other girls are still pretty shy to even greet me, let alone ask questions in class. She too, came to NZ 3 years ago to pursue her tertiary education. She studied for a while and left school after a year as she was unsure about what she really wanted to do. She told me it was very difficult to find a good job and ended up working in a supermarket for a whole year before deciding to come back to school and finished her diploma.

I don't know much about Jagdeep and Fernando, all I can say is that they are good students. They are both confident and aren't afraid to speak up. As for the others, I hope to find a way to connect to them too.

I have a new profound respect for them. They are motivated, they take time to really ponder about what they want in life, and they do it with a smile.

For me, there are tons to learn in this new field. I worry lots. I worry about them not getting it, I worry about going too slow or too fast, I worry when I go blank while presenting. Ha ha. I hope I can learn as much from them as they can from me. I thank god for this opportunity - an opportunity to see if I can really make it in this field, an opportunity to see if this is what I am looking for all these while.

:)

A clue on how to pursue your dream career

If you suddenly won the lottery and had all the money you would ever need for a secure and comfortable life, what would you do?

It's funny how things turn out sometimes

You can be so certain about something but in the end, it could turn out to be a total opposite of what you expected. And you can be so unsure about another, without knowing that you actually nailed it big time.

But that's life aye? If everything is so sure than life would be one boring, straightforward journey. Like the saying goes, the only certain thing is uncertainty.

This time around, it's regarding my permanent head damage application. Like I said before, I was so certain that I nailed Massey, but turns out the guy wouldn't sign the paper until I can proof to him that I can get the participants sorted out. Boohoo. As to Auckland Uni, I was given the green light to proceed with the formal application after the meeting with Dr G and Dr K. And I thought I was blabbing away during the meeting. Funny aye?

Whatever it is, it is still a long way to go. I am not sure whether this is the right path for me - my heart is telling me it's not. Hmmm. I am only doing this to kill some time. I'll give it a thought when the time comes!

The waiting game

The waiting game is daunting but at times, can be good for the soul. It gives me hope and keeps me going, though I must admit that at times, it drives me crazy too.

But what is life without hope and uncertainties?

Lots of stuff have been going on lately. I have a lot at hand at the moment and it's only a matter of time before I get them realized, Insyallah.

Yesterday was kind of an important day for me. I was supposed to meet both Dr G and Dr K last week on the 24th, but failed to turn up coz I got the days mixed up. I guess that's what happened when you're unemployed, you lose track of time, or days. Boo hoo. Nevertheless, they were both very kind, as all Kiwis are, and scheduled another meeting yesterday at Symonds's instead of at Epsom's. It somehow felt like an interview, a rather bad one. Ha ha. Some of my answers were too short, while some were rather winding. I did not know why I was nervous. Anyway, both of them are supposed to provide me with some answers before the end of this week. I am not quite worried as I think I've pretty much nailed Massey if I fail to get this one.

On another note, I am looking forward with the second round of interview with M*** sometime next month. It's pretty hard to get an interview with a foreign name and I am crossing my fingers for more opportunities to come. I know many are in deeper trouble than I am when it comes to career and moolah, so there are lots to be thankful for even in this situation. I should probably do some certifications while time permits as this might improve my chances for landing a good job.

I have rather good news with regards to my medical condition. My iron level has gone up to its normal range based on my blood test two days ago. My hemoglobin however, is still low despite the improvement in my iron level . That explains my fatigue and forgetfulness. The doctor has prescribed me with more iron tablet and I do hope with God's will that by October, all will be back to normal.

I am looking forward for a weekend getaway with FRW and A's family. 2nd July 2010 will mark our 6 months anniversary and we are celebrating it in Matakana, a small winery town north of Auckland with a few good friends, just how we like it. I was surprised to know that hubby planned the getaway in commemoration of our anniversary as I have only recently remember. He can be quite a romantic at times ;)

I am officially 6 months old wifey tomorrow, how time flies!

Puan Seri

Somebody pointed out today that I am a Puan Seri.

In what way may you ask?

We were in the middle of a conversation with some acquaintances. Hubby was telling how happy he was that he managed to sell our second car at a reasonably good price.

Then the acquaintance asked,

"Kereta lagi satu?"

I told him no, we are keeping that one.

And he said,

"Yang tu mana boleh jual, tu kan kereta Pn Seri. Hahahaha..."

I know some people around here have the impression that hubby bought that car for me. And when I say people, I meant the Malays. It is rather luxurious for their standard, so they made assumption that I 'requested' for it, for my personal use after we got married.

Truth is hubby's had it with him for several years already. The only reason that people hasn't been noticing is because he prefers to drive the other car, an old 2-seater because it has an open roof top - he likes having the wind in his face. After we got married, he obviously continues to drive that car simply coz he loves it and the fact that as a husband, he wanted me to have the better ride - no rocket science there. So when people see me driving a more luxurious car, they made assumptions that I am a queen who wanted nothing less than a German ride.

Sometimes it boggles me, don't they have enough on their shoulders? Between managing families and pursuing their PhDs, they still have time to jaga tepi kain orang.

Good friends are hard to come by

Friends are those precious angels who stick by you through thick and thin. They lift you up when you are feeling low. They laugh at your silliness but never ridicule you. They listen to your insecurities and thoughts but never judge you. Acquaintances are abundance, but friends? They are hard to come by.

Yesterday I met someone with a quality of a friend. She's married too, and oh - jobless like me! So that's one thing in common. Ha ha. She is a qualified industrial designer but fails to secure any job due the niche market and her unwillingness to resort to generic art simply due to her passion in what she does.

There was one particular gesture yesterday that made me feel an immediate connection with her. We were talking about traveling and she mentioned how different things are after marriage as she has to consult her husband first. "You know how it is Cikitita, we have responsibilities now..." while rolling her eyes. Ha ha!

Some of you might get the wrong idea and think she is being disrespectful. But if any of you were there yesterday, you would have realized what a nice and cultured person she really is. To me, what she said signifies individuality, and determination of being her own person despite being married to a man. For those who have crossed the marriage-dom, you'd know what I mean. It is easy to lose yourself as you strive to be the perfect wife, especially in our culture.

I loathe ladies who are so clingy to their men. I loathe ladies who stop seeing their friends just to make herself available to her men 24x7. I loathe those who are full of jealousy. I know a person who did not let her husband do manicure because she was uncomfortable with the idea of another woman touching him (read: his fingers).

K I L L M E N O W .

On another note, I was out with another person today. It is sometimes difficult to understand someone and it is hard to categorize them as a friend or an acquitance. I know there are possibilities of her 'using' me, but I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, at least for another month. I shall not blog about it as I do not intend to ruin the positivity that I am having right now.

Till then, signing off with love.

Now I can put on my smiley face

My last post was on the 3rd of March. I thought of writing from time to time but nothing came to mind. So today while going through the blog I thought hey, why not publish some unfinished post just for the sake of it? So I did.

While browsing through the list, I came across a particular entry that I wrote prior to the wedding. A 'cold feet' entry. All brides get this, I know I did based on what I wrote that day. But boy, am I glad that I married him ;)

Ok enough mushiness.

And enough of whining too.

So for a change, I would like to share with you a few good news. Firstly, I am glad to announce that I have gotten the work visa which is up to the 18th of November. A short duration, but enough to get the residency application done, or so I hope. I have completed the expression of interest, lost 50 marks due to MMU not being recognized by the NZ government, hence eliminated me from the 'auto-approved' group. I refuse to get it assessed by NZQA as I see no point in giving away 750 NZD for recognition purposes so people, do pray for me!

I do have two other good news to share, but both are on initial stage so I thought I'd give it a pass, at least for now. Will definitely share it with you guys once all is confirmed. Good things are definitely coming my way, and I thank Allah and my lucky star (read: darling hubby) for giving me hope when all seems dark and gloomy.

Did I told you guys that I am loving the weather? It has been raining cats and dogs for the past two weeks but I doesn't bother me, really. Auckland has mild temperature, no winter, and half of the time it feels like summer. I know things will only get better, and no matter how bad it gets I know it is a lot better than other places. You'd say that too if you've experienced the hot, humid weather in Malaysia and the crazy four-season-in-a-day in the UK. The weather reminds me of Madrid too, gosh how I miss those carefree days!