A Thousand Splendid Suns -Khaled Hosseini

I have just finished reading the abovementioned novel. It's about the life of two women, two separate individuals, separate life with a huge age difference, whom eventually came together sharing one roof, enemies at first and sisters at the end...Just like Kite Runner, the story runs in Afghanistan, before and during the influence of Taliban.

Again another touching story...heartbreaking.... people being very judgmental on illigetimate, denying women's rights on everything other than slaving to the other so defined as superior gender! i would say it is a total denial on existence and living in general.........crazy....very difficult to comprehend, that this happens in that side of the world.

Like a normal scenario, women in polygamy fight with each other when they should go against the husband--my personal opinion. Thank god, both the main characters Mariam and Laila came to their senses towards the end and became sisters...and finally get rid of the abusive husband...ohhhh i love the ending........Not a totally happy ending but definitely a satisfying one.

Having read 2 novels of Khaled, I still prefer Kite Runner--unlike Kite Runner, I have no tears reading this Splendid Suns but a racing heart!

On a separate note , my dear friend Soba ...just came back from her New Zealand vacation and bought me these 2 novels...Thank you so much dear...just started the Sandra Howard's...interesting...

Sambungan Posting PPP Ejin.

Aku just nak sambung...in point form.

Perkara perkara yang aku tak leh lupa dari PPP yang melibatkan adik beradik blog 30 smthg ni.

1) Masa orientasi - Seperti di komen...telinga menanah...hari hari hari hari room mate aku dok cerita pasal hos rancangan remaja...anak ngasri sain yang aku takde sekelumit klu pun masa tu...yang la ni dah jadi wife best fren aku and kak long aku. GGG.

2) First time bertegur sape dengan Liz...masa tengok result english exam...dua dua speaking london ok...tak nak kalah...masuk PPP katanya...kena la cakap London. And ramai orang dok berebut nak tengok markah memasing...kak long mintak tolong aku yang gentleman ni tolong tengokkan markah dia. Malu nak tepek berapa markah kak long kat sini...larikssss...(mati aku kena e-carut dengan liz lepas ni)

3) First time kiter buat outing...aku, duan and room mates dengan korang ber empat...naik van. Kitorang punya pro nak impress korang...siap beli air kotak soya bean simpan dalam compartment van tu...yang macam peti ais. And korang memang impress pun kan kan kan.

4) 1 day...Lepas dinner...kiter kena sound dengan 1 of the ustaz...siap kena dengar ceramah 2 kali sebab nak dapat kan card ID balik. Cam siut je yang ni. Very the kolot ustaz tu.

5) Korang pedajal aku...bagi hadiah kain buruk for birthday...sib baik aku buka masa dalam bilik...duan ada masa tu. Kalau aku buka dalam class...mahu aku resign dari PPP. Pastu hadiah sebenar ialah baju merah yang aku dah ada. Very tak alertnya korang ni...bagi aku baju yang aku dah ada.

6) Part kiter gaduh kejap...pastu baik balik...lawak lawak. Hanya kerana "seluar zebra". GGG

7) Kita sewa keta pi PD...pastu masa balik kami drop korang 1 batu (simbolik je cakap 1 batu) dari asrama takut kena sound dengan guard...well no 4 kan mengajar kiter untuk berhati hati. he he he.

8) Kiter ber 6 kan....3 yang bijak pandai dapat fly straight ke UK...yang kureng sikit kena bertapa 1 tahun lagi kat Shah Alam. (sekali lagi aku kena e carut lepas ni...GGG)

9) Masa mak ejin sakit and ada treatment kat KL...first time aku jumpa Ayah Ejin kat pasar malam seksyen 17. Ejin just tunjuk dari belakang pastu buat signal mulut kata itu ayah dia. Then aku terus cakap sambil tunjuk jari kelingking...kenapa ayah nko camni...pastu tunjuk ibu jari...nko pulak camni? Budak budak tesl yang tengah ramai ramai dok beli nasi tomato ikut gelak sekali. Heaven kalau dapat usik ejin masa tu...bayangkan la muncungnya....ha ha ha ok...aku dah siap kapas dalam telinga...nak tahan e-carut...larikssss.

itu je aku ingat buat masa ni...tapi memang lawak nak tergelak giles masa type ni. layannn.

Minggu Orientasi - dua dekad yang lalu ...

Disebabkan aku join Minggu Aluan Pelajar semalam, teringat plak aku ngan my very first minggu orientasi (i think they called it minggu silaturrahim masa tu) kat Pusat Pendidikan Persediaan, Shah Alam where I did my A Levels ...and that was 20 years ago ...maksudnyer dah 20 tahun aku kenal Liz, Abang Long, Fendi and Eat ...sebab PPP lah yang menemukan kami semua ...hehehe kenal liz and eat sebab beratur sesama masa nak register asrama, and so happened we got the same flat! To cut the story short, aku ngan Liz satu room, and eat, sha and ina in another room ....we were very close since minggu orientasi...since that very first day in fact...pi mana2 berkepit 5 org (ke 6 org? ada sorang flatmate kitorang masa tu - yang akhirnya tarik diri from A Levels  abis jer minggu orientasi) ...pas minggu orientasi pun sama...berkepit ke sana ke sini ...breakfast sesama, lunch sesama, tunggu bus sesama...sampai tak geng ngan org lain!

(yang nie lepas minggu orientasi ...katil dirapatkan sebab dua-dua penakut!)

Aku lah yang paling "ngades" - bak kata liz - masa tu...yea lah, first time keluar from rumah and dok ngan org lain yang bukan nyer keluarga, yang lain tu plak mmg dah biasa dok asrama beb hehehehe thank God Liz and the geng tu ok ...boleh geng ngan aku ...akulah ratu air mata masa tu ....balik bilik jer nangis, balik bilik jer nangis ...sebaldi air mata semalam kah kah kah sebab teringat rumah punya pasal! Plak tu makanan yang diberikan tak sesuai ngan tekak Sarawak aku ...semua pedas...lagi aku ingat masakan mak! then bahasa plak lain ...adoiiii mmg rasa nak balik lah masa tu ...dah le masa minggu orientasi tak dibenarkan guna fon! Cannot call home ...giler kan???!!!

(not sure ini masa orientasi ke idak ...just saw this in my album PPP)

Masa tu lah kena bangun kol 6 pagi, and tido by midnight ....mmg tergelepek masing2 ...penat yang amat ...sebab tu kiter nie jiwa kental kot kah kah kah ....dapat plak OC mengada (kira cam wakil pelajar yang jadi liaison officers) ...soh buat macam2, ambik tandatangan lah ...out trick - Sha pi palsukan tandatangan OC - masa tu kami semua menyampah tahap cipan kat OC ....tah apa2 lah ....and pernah kami satu bilik lambat, kena berdiri kat depan sekali nyanyi lagu Negaraku kot ...with with other ppl yang sesama lambat (tapi aku pun ingat2 lupa jer kes ni)...whatever was thrown at us masa tu, we managed to survive ...walaupun byk sumpah seranah dikeluarkan ...now, tak tercapai akal ku kalau kena buat all these all over again!


But those were one of the most memorable years in my life ...sebabnyer itu lah titik permulaan persahabatan kami semua ...kini dah macam adik beradik ...kan along, kak long, abang ngah, kak lang ...and aku adik ok kah kah kah sentiasa muda remaja ....and, last but not least, muka minah yang paling ngades kat bilik 309 blok 1 masa tu ...sapa lagi kalau bukan aku kah kah kah ....lawak plak sekarang nie biler fikir aku yang trauma terpisah ngan family kah kah kah ...

Makan-makan kat opis

sempena minggu aluan pelajar (posting sebelum nie) ada le makan-makan sket ...yea lah kan, lepas ucapan semua tu, before the next thing on the agenda ada coffee break kat Dewan ....food was good, tapi kopi ngan teh tak dapat dibezakan ...sebab teh tu pekat macam colour coffee!!!

kuih Basong ....and close-up nyer (below)

and kuih apatah nie (kalau kat UK panggil kuih madeline)

and my colleagues ...very sporting, nampak camera terus posing!

cameraman merata-merata! hehehehe

our support staffs ....

my best frens kat sini: Moi Lina, Bemen and Elena ...

 and satu-satu nyer gambar tuan punya posting :-)

An insight to kekawan aku yang giler giler semua .... masing2 macam enjoy plak today ....this is the part when we are enjoying ourself before the real fun and challenge begins!

Minggu Aluan Pelajar Baru

Minggu ini adalah minggu orientasi pelajar kat Uni aku ....masa nie lah akan ternampak barisan-barisan students baru ke hulu ke hilir bersama-sama ...masing2 muka letih, sebab tak cukup tido ...yea lah, sebab byk aktiviti, maka malam tido lambat, tapi bangun sket punya awal ...pastu aktiviti byk ...mahu tak penat ....

Pagi tadi we had Hari Bersama Fakulti ....so pelajar2 baru ni di introduce pada tenaga pengajar (sounds mcm AF plak!), what programmes are available, who teaches what subjects, sapa ketua jabatan etc etc ... kira suai kenal ngan fakulti and jabatan lah ...

gambar kat Dewan, masa tuan Dekan bagi ucapan aluan

some of the students ...cian yang dok kat depan, kalau ngantuk tu ketara sangat!

pas makan-makan, ada satu lagi sessi perjumpaan plak...this time perjumpaan antara programme and perjumpaan mentor-mantee ....aku dapat 11 new mantees ...

my senarai mantee for this intake ...

masa Haslina bagi taklimat programme ....

overall aku rasa students kali ni ok dari before ...macam lantang sket bersuara, tak malu-malu ...and they are the our largest intake! we had 406 students for our faculty, and 72 for our programme ...kira byk le tu ...this means that sesiapa yang ajar first year tu akan ada 406 students in his/her class ...thank God aku ajar 2nd and 3rd year :-)

Bercanda Di Pasiran Pantai

Semalam masa kat PD...hujan almost sepanjang hari. Tak la lebat sangat tapi macam tak nak berhenti henti pulak. Aku mulanya nak bawa mak aku pi jalan jalan ke pantai ke, pekan ke...tapi baru bersuara nak keluar je...bersambung balik hujan. Ej yang dah bosan kat umah dah buat memek muka dah...sebab dia dah bersiap nak keluar masa hujan berhenti kejap dalam 30 minit.

Dalam kol 6 ptg baru la hujan betul betul berhenti. Yang ikut aku pun EJ dan cousin dia...suhaila. Fid and the rest tak nak ikut. Aku pun drive sampai ke Eagle Ranch...atas sikit from Blue Lagoon. Kat sini ada resort yang macam Cowboy style. Macam "little house on the prairie". Kami pi berposing kat luar simpang je. Tak masuk pun ke dalam resort tu. Next time la...biler Fid ada baru aku masuk ke dalam.

Kat resort tu macam macam ada. Ada macam taman permainan. Tapi sebab baru lepas hujan takde pulak nampak orang bermain kat taman permainan tu. Ej yang sibuk nak main. Macam la dia duduk kat resort tu. Lepas dah pusing pusing tengok lebih kurang, kami terus ke Blue Lagoon. Nak pi Rumah Api tapi dah lewat sangat. Takut pulak aku nak masuk ke hutan tu.

Bagi can EJ and Cousin dia bercanda kat pasiran pantai. Aku lak macam gaya photographer dengan DSLR..(berangan tak sudah)...snap gambar diroang berdua. Blur sesado...ha ha ha...sebab guna phone je.
Tapi photo ni tetap meletops kan. Kalau dah ada bakat tu...camera tak canggih pun...gambar tetap cun melecun. Lariksss.


Lepas dah tu singgah kat teluk kemang beli barang barang yang kakak aku kirim terus cancel plan nak ke town. Malas pulak aku nak drive pi Town.
Sebelum keluar tu...sempat aku layan Laksa Sarawak ni. Kira macam makan untuk 6 bulan terus la. Maknanya dalam 6 bulan ni tak makan Laksa Sarawak pun takde. Sepanjang hari sampai ke malam aku layan Laksa Sarawak ni. Sempat tepek kat FB...pastu ejin tanya kenapa ada fishball? Aku pun tak ingat...laksa Sarawak...takde fishball ekk? Tapi sebab aku suka je fishball...letak banyak banyak. Seperiuk masak kuah laksa ni...paste courtesy of Ejin. Next year Ejin nak turun ke KL harus mintak souviner paste ni lagi...GGG. Layannn.

Tu je nak cerita.

Spotting

I had brown spotting (bleeding) yesterday. I first realised it at around 2.30 during my regular visit to the loo (yes, it is getting more frequent now)...then about an hour or so later, i had like minor cramp on my left leg...and at the same time my belly feeling hot. Went to the toilet and spotted more brownish blood and for that brief moment i was panicked and sweated.....I was like " ya Allah kenapa ni?" , packed my bag and off to the hospital.

Called my gynae, he's off for umrah--great! and other gynae had left at 5pm---ahhh awesome!!...so had no choice but to book an appointment with an MO. Tried to calm myself as i have read somewhere before about spotting during early pregnancy ....it can be harmless but still can be a sign of miscarriage....i was praying hard!

Duan waited for me at the hospital.....we were directed to a Locum-i felt like fainting!...Told her we wanted to see a gynae whoever on call for taht day...she called Dr Suraya, (the doctor who delivered Adib 6 years ago) - she instructed her to prescribed me Duphaston - i think this pill is to work with the changes in hormone - and told us if it's brownish it's ok can come back the next day to scan.

That was what we did this morning , met Dr Suraya, she scanned my belly ...moving the scanner left and right...and posted me this question "are u experiencing pregnancy symptoms? and when did u say uyour last scan" and she's having this expression " betul ke pregnant ni ?"
Her face expression made me lost myself for that second and I was totally blank and unable to think and ask Duan "when was my last scan?"

....and Duan had that blank look as well...

Then suddenly, the doctor spoke, "there u go---can u see the heartbeat--that tiny little moving things"...

Ya Allah....alhamdulillah......and we witnessed the heartbeat of our little one for the first time...

So folks, if you experienced this same spotting/bleeding during early pregnancy, it is actually a common thing. It could be due to various reason , the one i experienced is called Implantation bleeding can occur anywhere from 6-12 days after possible conception. Every woman will experience implantation bleeding differently—some will lightly spot for a few hours, while others may have some light spotting for a couple of days.

But still dont take it lightly, just get yourself checked and confirmed!