A New Dawn (Insya Allah)

Tajuk entry auntie ni bunyinya ala ala tajuk buku2 Mills and Boon yang auntie suka baca masa masa muda-muda dulu. Pada kawan2 and adik beradik auntie dan juga AH yg kurang arif pasai buku ni, ia adalah buku cintan-cintun omputih. Kat situ lah phrase "tall, dark and handsome" dan sewaktu dengannya boleh kita jumpa in almost every other page. It described the hero la, of course, not the heroine (kalau describe the heroine, parah la).

So, buku2 ni suka dibaca oleh young nubile girls sambil2 bermimpi depa akan dapat partner macam dalam buku tu. Tapi auntie tak pernah terpikir macam tu pun. Auntie baca buku2 tu untuk upgrade auntie punya English jek sambil dok imagine tempat2 yg auntie akan pergi bila study kat England nanti (nasib baik dapat pergi UK to study). Of course, the reality is jauh panggang dari api. I never get to stay even in a cosy, self-contained London flat macam pompuan2 dalam buku tu. In fact kena duduk bilik sewa dalam rumah buruk kepunyaan second generation migrants of UK. And sometimes kena ikat perut (walau pun tak jugak kurus) kerana cost of living yg tinggil. In any case, auntie memang tak dapat 'tall, dark and handsome' for life partner. Instead auntie dapat 'medium-height, tubby, fair but ala ala hensem la jugak', which suits auntie jes fine coz auntie rasa auntie lebih sesuai hidup dalam shrek kingdom daripada posh, fine-dining lifestyles sold in the books.

Contoh buku Mills and Boon zaman sekarang.

Eh, panjang pulak auntie merapu pasai benda yg tidak berkaitan dengan tujuan sebenar auntie buat entry ni.

Actually, 'a new dawn' tu of course refers to the new years that we are celebrating. And also, the first birthday of auntie's blog. Auntie baru notice that on the 28th December baru2 ni, blog auntie setahun umurnya. The date just passed me by and auntie terlupa nak blog on that day. No hal la coz auntie tak la sentimental with the date. Lagipun blog ni bukanlah menambah apa-apa kepada kesejahteraan dunia, so no need to celebrate with cakes ke cupcakes ke yg ada tulis 'happy 1st birthday, blog'. Blog ni is only an outlet for auntie to cerita-ceriti kehidupan auntie with adik-beradik and kengkawan yg jauh dan dekat coz kadang-kadang even when we chatted on the phone or during meals together for hours, we still manage to forget to share certain things in our lives. And sharing is so therapeutic kan?

Auntie baca one article in the papers recently that 'blogging' is actually passe now ie old fashioned already (read also this and this) [hehe auntie nak show-off ni coz baru tahu linking]. Ramai org yg started their blogs a few years ago are rarely updating them now because there are newer avenues for self-expression on the web, namely facebook dan benda2 sewaktu dgnnya. Auntie ada facebook jugak tapi auntie feels blog is still my preferred domain to catch up with friends. When people posted in their facebook what they are currently doing eg "Minah Karan is...thinking how to avoid electric shot to her hair", it sounds so pretentious and showy. Dalam blog, we normally update our lives with more honesty and deeper thoughts. So, auntie thinks I will continue blogging for at least another year.

Ok, on to new years. On the 29th Dec we celebrated the dawn of a new Hijrah year and tomorrow, Insya Allah, we will see the light of 2009. Other than thanking Allah for keeping auntie alive and to continue with auntie's reasonably good life, auntie does not normally have specific aspirations for the new years, either of them. Sebenarnya auntie berazam baru setiap hari dan tak tunggu any special date. Sama ada azam tu dipenuhi atau tidak tu cerita lain la kan? Tiap-tiap hari sebelum tidur auntie berazam untuk bangun awal, buat sembahyang sunat sepertiga malam dan sembahyang subuh on time. Tapi, masih lagi many times Subuh gajah mammoth. Tiap-tiap pagi auntie bangun dan berazam untuk menjadi orang yg tenang, sabar dan lemah lembut. Tapi bila naik jek kereta nak pi kerja pagi-pagi auntie akan jumpa pelbagai wallies on the road yg membuatkan all my good intentions go down the drain. Tiap2 minggu auntie pi kelas dan berazam utk amat bersabar dgn students auntie bila mereka sambil lewa jek buat preparation for tutorial presentation tetapi, half way through their presentation, auntie's blood pressure is already shot to the roof dan berasa ingin menjadi singa pompuan. Tiap2 waktu sebelum auntie nak pi buat transaction dengan pelbagai manusia, auntie berazam utk menjadi seorang pompuan yg paling berhemah tetapi bila terpaksa deal ngan various service people yg macam siut, auntie terus jadi pompuan paling rude dlm dunia.

So, pendek kata, auntie mesti ulang balik azam-azam auntie tu setiap hari untuk setahun lagi akan datang supaya tidak begitu ramai org akan terbunuh tahun 2009 ini. Tapi kalau tahun ini students auntie juga berazam menjadi org yg lebih resourceful dan diligent, kalau the service people juga berazam menjadi lebih responsible, responsive dan polite dan kalau pemandu2 Malaysia juga berazam menjadi manusia biasa (dan bukan manusia bengong), harus azam2 auntie tu akan dipenuhi, Insya Allah.

On a more serious note, 2008 has been quite colourful for auntie and auntie has achieved many things professionally and personally. Auntie managed to secure a few research grants, complete a few materials for publication, continue more strategically with USM's campaign against sexual harassment on campus and obtained more postgraduate students. Auntie also went to Mekah for umrah for the first time (major achievement, not only because Auntie get to see rumah Allah, but also because auntie got to help Wan and Aki to go about with their ibadah too), got myself and AH an apartment, baked a few trays of brownies for kith and kin, did qurban in Cambodia, paid some overdue zakat and helped a friend or two in times of need (at least, I think I've helped!). Towards the end of the year, there were a few downturns for auntie. Auntie thinks auntie did badly in the stupid PTK and there were a few glitches with our apartment renovation. But as Auntie tells myself, Allah yg menentukan rezeki kita semua. Let the dissapointment and glitches be lessons. Maybe auntie alpa sikit dalam ibadah auntie. Maybe too much of a good thing is bad for auntie. So, takpa lah. Auntie terima dugaan Allah.

And there is much to look forward to in 2009. Our 'new' nest. Starting a new couple-routine there. Hopefully, being successful in getting a baby or two (maybe not more than one in the same year, unless twins). My sabbatical. Yes, I start tomorrow. For the next 5 months auntie does not have to teach or attend official meetings (unless I want to). Just have to concentrate on my research and publication and catch up on readings. Do more bonding things with self-confessed-deprived-husband AH, like go to Sushi King at 2.30pm on a working day and catch a movie on couple seats (we must take two of the couple seats, not one) at the cinema (rather than just watching Astro movies on the bed). Take Wan and Aki to come live with auntie and AH for a few weeks (if they can last that long away from their groupies) and pamper them to bits. Try my new oven. Learn to bake bread like Mamachupan's Mr Baker.

Pendek kata, rejuvenate! With some caution of course.

So, Awwal Muharram Mubarak and Happy New Year, my lovelies jubblies!