A DeJa Vu weekeNd

awatif hannah lai
athirah hannah lai

the twins....

After almost four weeks in Stirling, today is the 'finest' weather we have. Sunny throughout the day! with 'mild' temperature between 5 - 7 degree. I said it 'mild temperature' because the twins seems having no problem adapting with 'the scottish weather'. Sunny day in the freezing Stirling is something rare hence need to enjoy it to the fullest. So, we decide to go around Stirling and it become easier since we already bought a second hand mercedes A class.

Our first destination was the "Good Green Fun' a charity shop which sells recyled baby/kids stuff for a very cheap price. This shop sells items that being donated by individual who are concerned about conserving the earth. Its more like 'rumbingan' in Sabah. The only differences is that the items in this shops have been clean up and was selected carefully, means the condition is almost new. The income from this shops were used mainly for promoting recyle culture. Well, after spending about 15 minutes inside the shop we leave with a steriliser and two jackets for the twins.

We proceed to the Thistle Centre. Thistle centre is the one and only shopping mall in 'the small city of stirling'. It looks small from the outside but it was huge inside. Walking from one end to the other end especially with a growing baby inside the carrier makes it even 'harder'. As i mentioned earlier, sunny day is very rare in the freezing weather of stirling. So it was not a surprise to see car queueing to enter the thistle centre car park. We have to be in the queue for almost 10 minutes before we manage to get into the car park, luckily once we enter the car park there is a car leaving an empty space for us.:)

Now come the dejavu feelling. Once inside the thistle centre I see my self and a good friend of mine-Dr Shafiek, walking around the thistle doing window shopping. That was 7 years ago. I was still single that time and so is Dr Shafiek. It feels like me and Dr. Shafiek were here yesterday.
And, now after 7 years, here I am, coming back doing the same thing-window shopping. The shops are still the same, Mark and Spencer, Dabenhams, Primak, Tie Rack, JJB, still there. The only exception is there is no more Dixon.

The differences now and 7 years ago are; (1)-now am coming back here with my wife and the twins. (2) 7 years ago we (me and Dr Shafiek) can spend lots of time doing window shopping but now I cant do that anymore. After all our main mission into coming to the Thistle is to go to the Argos which is located just outside the Thistle. We need to buy a Sat Nav (that's what the local call it, actuallt in full it means Satelite Navigation), a device which is very helpful in providing direction if we wanted to go to another place which we are not familliar with. I saw my friends using it when we go for 'car hunting' three weeks agi. After that we went to Primak just to look for the twins socks.

Next destination..TESCO. after two weekend we bought our groceries at Sainsbury, today my wife says that lets visit Tesco. We reach home after shopping around 2.30pm..the twins looks tired-sleepy. But when we tell them that we'll visit auntie and uncle A, they look excited. Around 4.30pm we move again. I started using the Sat Nav and it was very helpful, it help a lots, every turn and corner there will be clear direction. we reach our destination with ease. After enjoying 'bihun goreng' and 'Grill Chicken' we go back to the Uni.

Guess what? the twins looks happy, because for five days (weekdays) they only saw and hear their mama's and papa's faces and voice and today they have been to many places, seeing more new things, meeting another people and hearing more different type of sound (good for developing their learning skills). However, at the same time they also looks tired. Tgk lah kat gambar the twins...selepas balik dari rumah auntie and uncle AA.

I Dream of....

Everyone has their own dream. People who doesn't dream or says that dreaming is bad then they better go and meet any qualified psychiatric for them might be diagnosis with some sort of abnormality. In brief, people who doesn't dream or did not have dreams are 'crazy'. However, people who are dreaming a lot are also in danger of being categorized as having 'mental problem', they are far worst than the people who doesn't dream. Sorry for my boring introduction of dream, but this post is all about dreams. OK, you might think that I'll talk about my dream last night or what are the meaning of certain dream. NO, I am not gonna talk about that.

I dream of my undergraduate student back home (Malaysia) can initiate changes. When i mentioned 'change' it doesn't means that it need to be revolutionary in nature. It doesn't have to be like that. Evolution can do. Slowly but consistent. There is no use to have the 'instant noodle' culture. It bring no good to the society. OK, some might started bored reading all this philosophical sentence. Hang on!

My point in this post is, I dream of some changes in the way the student election on campus in Malaysia being carried out. For the last few days, there is an election campaign going around in the campus here in stirling university. Being a post grad student, this election has nothing to do with me. But, what interest me a lot is the way the election being carried out specially the campaign part. I happen to drop by in a election rally conducted in 'the atrium'-the open space outside the library where student normally hang out while enjoying their fish and chips, coffee or sandwich- after performing friday prayer at the chaplaincy.

It was a semi formal event. Few chairs with full audience, many of them just standing listening to their aspiring candidate debating. There are this two young man standing in front. It just like the presidential debate. This two gentleman will take turn in expressing their views, or their manifesto. From my own calculation (i might be wrong in this), each candidate were given about 5 minutes to say their points. After that, they were given another round questioning each other manifesto, while in the third round, this two gentleman have to answer question from the chairperson which i believe was a question from the audience. OK, so you might argue that it is very simple. we can do it here in Malaysia. Fine. That is only the first part.

What concern me a lot is the ability of this aspiring candidate to debate with facts in hand! I say it again, with FACTS! in hand. The very facts that being mentioned by one of the candidate was based on a survey which was conducted in stirling uni campus. To make things more interesting is that the survey was conducted by an independent body commission by the student.

If this group of undergraduate students can say something or can argue with facts, I did not see any problem with our own students to do the same. But. I means a big BUT with questions mark hanging around this BUT is the situation back home. I don't think the situation in our very own campus will permit this kind of debate. I wouldn't elaborate further on the meaning of 'this situation'. I leave it to you to find it out by yourself.

Again, I have to admit that I can only dream about this. When I say, I can only dream, means it wouldn't be a reality in any near future. Until then, you who agree with me and myself too can only dream. Hoping that we wouldn't be categorized as a dreamer who needed the psychiatric attention!

WeLcoMe

WeLcoMe.

Seven characters word. seven is a mystical number associated in most society around the world. This seven character word is the first word i type in my very first posting for my very first blog. This blog also created and born on a windy and cloudy spring sunday morning. the seventh day of the week. What a coincidence. Luckily i was not born on the 7th.:). Do not ask me why i choose this seven characters word to be appear as a first word in my very first posting.

Perhaps, it was embedded in our culture (typical malaysian) to say welcome to our guest. I am also aware that 'welcome' can be interpreted differently by different group of people. For me, 'welcome' means you are most welcome to visit, read and give your response to my future posting. 'Welcome' means you are most welcome to express your own opinions. 'Welcome' means you are allow to say anything you like, however it must come with responsibility and respect to others. That is my definition of welcome.

Shameful and FunnY!

Its a shame as well as a funny things to admit. First, as a lecturer in media studies I've been discussing about blog with my undergraduate students, few of them took the extra miles by choosing blog as a research topics in writing their academic exercise. You may say, well there is nothing shameful and funny about that. Tell you the truth, the funny things is I don't even have my own blog!

Second, I love reading my wife blog! I envy her because she can write interesting topics no matter how small the subject is. Again, you may say, what a big deal about that? The truth and you may find funny is, I teach my undergraduate student how to write!, not only how to write news but also how to produce fantastic articles! but at the same time I only write occasionally.

Perhaps, this two admissions serve as a very good ice breaking for myself. With this blog (again, shame and funny because it was my wife who teach me how to create this blog!..poor me), first, I can now tell my students proudly..'look, i do have my own blog'.Second, I don't have to envy my wife anymore.:)

MySpectacles.

I choose this as a name for my blog. MySpectacles, i means from my own perspective. That's it!

This blog created for few reasons;

First to serve as a platform that I believe may help me in my research. I'll post anything about my research from my very own perspective and hoping that someone out there that include you who is reading this blog right now, to give constructive comments that will very much help me.

Second, I'll use this blog to share my perspective about Scotland. I'll be here for three (3) years which I think a plenty of time to explore and understand about Scotland. I'll write about its people, places, weather and anything that I think interesting.

God willing, I'll be able to do that.

last but not least..., welcome to Myspectacles and please 'welcome' me to this blog world.