Looking back the later half of September...

Prologue: It's already October and what am I doing all the time?

...from the start of October. Yes, after a series of random filler/aside blogpost as well as erratic blogging schedule back in the month of September, finally I have enough motivation to blog about what's happening in my actual life. So here, all condensed and mish-mashed in a single blogpost, looking back on what I did for the later half of September (approximately starting after 16 September or something)!

And what else could possibly remind me more about October than this neat little piece of invoice that was tucked into my room from under my door! It's rent time! *pfft*

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Source. A lil story background: the girl there, Tajel is doing her doctorate in Anthropology (or something), which is basically almost the same school of thought as mine. I could almost picture exactly this situation in my mind when I meet my lecturer eventually. It has been quite a while since the last time I got in touch with my supervisor and to be frank, my research proposal is having a hard time taking off by the way I work right now. So I did read up a couple of journal which is related to my topics and I did borrow a couple of books regarding Qualitative Research which is related to my topic research but whenever I try to read any of those, my brain will immediately turn off and go into hibernate mode. Maybe because I was reading it on my bed. And the awful lot of free time (which I am not supposed to regard it as that) is tempting me to slack and procrastinate. Hence, here I am, blogging about it. *sigh*

Source. While my supervisor isn't as elusive as Tajel's, my supervisor's technically not around for this semester because she's having her sabbatical this semester. But another thing is, she still come around campus from time to time (in which sometimes I will spot whether her sleek SUV is park outside her office whenever I am around the school.) but sometimes she's really not around campus too. This leaves me in some sort of dilemma (just some sort of, maybe just me) on when can I actually keep in touch with her. One major way of course is through email but for some reason, I haven't penned my email in updating her about my current progress. Which is not much. Oh random sort of dilemma!

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For the past two week of mid-semester cum Raya holiday, with all the cafe in USM closed, I pretty much survived off the diet of Instant Noodles + Milo & Biscuits and at the end of the day, it wasn't a great experience dietarily speaking. But at least I could call myself instant noodle connoisseur of sort by tasting random brands and flavour of instant noodle! And my, they sure have more unique flavours these days!

Mee Sedaap Sambal Goreng flavour! Sound's interesting for those who like to tickle there tongue with a little spice! (Even though it's all artificial flavouring)

It comes with the reddish sambal oil, chilli sauce as well as dried onion as condiment beside the usual soy sauce and the bumbu/seasoning powder.

Result. It does have a slight tinge of red instead of the usual soy sauce brown due to the spicy sambal oil and such. In the end, it wasn't that spicy at all, just a tinge of it's flavour.

Here's another very interesting flavour: Spicy Chicken Flavour. Actually on the same shelves over MajuJaya Minimart at Sungai Dua, I also spotted Seafood flavour by Indofood. Can't exactly imagine how is it going to taste like but this shows that Indofood as the market leader in Dried Instant Noodle in South East Asia is keen to explore new market by exploiting on the taste buds of Southeast Asian.

The condiment is basically...the same as the Mee Sedaap sambal flavour that I had before including chilli sauce and spicy oil thing. The magic here lies in the bumbu/seasoning powder: it comes in a tinge of yellowy-orange just like curry powder!

Result: This one comes with tinge of orangey-yellowy instead like a curry mee should me. Taste-wise: err...not spicy at all. I guess all instant noodles are bound to taste the same in the end with their pack of MSGs and artificial flavouring.

As for milo and crackers, the only brand of crackers that I would fervently follow is Hup Seng's Cracker.It's cracker made right? And this is the reason why Hup Seng's Cracker is among the most expensive one in the cracker market. But who cares, it taste great with Milo!

But then again, one could only stomach the instant noodle diet for so long until he fed up and worried that his arteries will clogged by the extra fat faster than usual so I was mightily glad that the semester starts again which means I can have "proper" food. My first plate of "proper" food is the Bakti Chinese stall auntie's nasi campur again. This is around Rm 3 I think which still left me to wonder why her food was so expensive.

This is nasi goreng daging merah from the nasi goreng stall. RM3, reasonable and filling. But not too long later, reality struck me: the money left in my JPA/Bank Islam account fell into 3-digits. Which left me very insecure because I am getting closer to skint.

Luckily for fellow USM-ers who's tight on budget/skint, there's a place which you can eke out the smallest bit of your budget to get a proper meal. Introducing (again), Indah Cafe over Indah Kembara (the lower one)! The food is subsidized by PALAPES/ROTU (IK is the base camp for ROTU/PALAPES) and their choice of dishes as well as quality is spartan at best but it's definitely wwaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy cheaper than any other cafe in campus. It's packed to the brim during every lunch time! One thing though about this cafe: they didn't open at night.

As an illustration on how cheap the food is, here's a plate that I had the first time I came over this semester: Tofu, fish balls cooked in sauce and sliced potato and long beans. All vegetables? RM 1.50. At any other cafe, this plate could easily go to RM 2 and above.

Usually for any other nasi campur stall in USM, any piece of meat in your plate and the price will hit RM 3. This plate of rice with beef, egg omelette and long bean only cost RM2.50. It's UNBELIEVABLE! Looks like Indah Kafe will be the must visit place for me for the rest of the semester now...

A new sight for me in USM: the pathway situated behind Indah Kafe that connects directly to School of Pharmacy's compound, complete with foot bridge that crosses the river/ditch. School of Pharmacy is indeed very isolated for the rest of the campus for having their own lecture theatres and tutorial rooms and labs and such within their own compound just like faculties in other public university.

And of course with the campus back alive with the end of holiday, it almost feels like an obligation for me to follow the rhythm of campus activity and follow a proper sleeping and wake up cycle. Hence, I am back at waking up around 8-9am again. This is the sun at 7:45am, among the earliest time I woke up and step outside of my hostel this semester. The air felt so fresh and cool!

Morning glory or glaring sunlight blasting straight into my room. That's why most of the time I choose to close off with curtain.

And campus is indeed alive with people playing ball games over Bakti Baskerball courts.

And where else could I be other than back in McDonald! McBreakfast which comes with free flow of coffee or tea. But I think I won't be visiting McDonald for quite a while now until my financial condition is secured.

This means I will need to bade goodbye to McDonald Lunch time Value meal too in which they have an new addition: The McShaker fries are back (with the purchase of large McValue meal!)

McShaker Fries is basically a paper bag and seasoning. The seasoning this time: Cheese powder! Just pour your fries in the bad, add in the seasoning and shake it like mad!

The resultant fries are covered in powdery cheesy goodness! Da yum!

 

My fellow SISTAHHOOD, still remember this plate of porky goodness? Yes, the wantan mee over Plus 2! I still remember very fondly of brunch trip to Plus 2 with fellow SISTAHHOOD during class interval. Went there twice this semester: the very first time alone (this picture was taken during the first time I came back to Plus 2) and the second time, with the residual member of the SISTAHHOOD namely BeeSze Chuah and Tailou Lawrence Wong. Ah Pheng and ChiaMin, want some?

Talking about the residual member of the SISTAHHOOD in Penang, here's two of them who's actually still in USM (because they choose to go for Student Exchange instead), Chan Poobee and Chuah BeeSze. I really need to be thankful for the fact that these two are still around the campus and these two are the main motivation for me of walking out from my lonely and pitiful room and both of them sure did give me the company and fun that I silently yearn. So yes, thanks to both of you, PooBee and BeeSze, I can have foods other than those over cafe or instant noodle. Not exactly sure how am I gonna cope next semester when both of you are truly gone from campus probably forever. Will have to digest it anyway.

And of course there are these two people who already graduated but still around the vicinity: AhBui who's currently working hence is very hard to invite out and Tailou Lawrence Wong who's currently waiting for work which for some reason I always forget about him. (sorry.) Last but not least, those who wasn't around which I am just gonna be mention by name, AhHan's who currently working back in Alor Setar in which inviting her out alone is pretty hard because she always want to tumpang her Bf's car and AhPheng and ChiaMin, the people down under (note: KL) and who's currently working which makes meeting them even more impossible. I do miss you all!

For the various foodtrip that I had, I will choose to highlight this one because this is one of the time in which the SISTAHHOOD is nearest to full set and without any other outsider. Hokkien Mee stall at Lebuh Presgrave (三条路) which was right down the street from Guanghua Daily's printing plant in Georgetown. It actually occupies one of those really old chinese row house abundant in Georgetown and turn it into a premise that solds solely Hokkien Mee. Of course there are other stall owner but they are not considered a part of that shop itself because they operate from stall like the beverage stall and wantan mee stall etc. This trip's success have to be credit too ChanPao who borrowed a car from her cousin in order to fetch us around. It does live up to it's name as the best place for Hokkien mee as it was filled to the brim!

While waiting for the hokkien mee to come, Chanpao bought these buns for us to fill our stomach first. The bun is filled with meat floss and jerky which taste quite nice for an ordinary looking bun.

AhBui ordered this plate of Penang style Wet OrhJien for us to share. I don't think she anticipated how the orhjien's gonna be. Penang style Orhjien as you can see is wet and sometimes gooey with the orhs/lala/kupang unlike Kuching style Teochiew Orhjien which is dry, keropok like.

The main highlight of it is of course the Hokkien Mee. Forgot to take pictures while it was just first hence it is usual form and by the time I remembered, I already had a couple of mouthful. It comes with a spoonful of sambal which we have to mix in hence for those who can't really handal sambal spice, you might need to think twice. It wasn't that spicy for me though or maybe because I ate too fast until I didn't manage to taste its spiciness.

And what else could cool us down more with cool drink like chrysanthemum tea or herbal tea or iced tea. There you have it, all in full glory of food.

I wonder when will it be the next time for us to gather again and spend time together chatting away about every single thing on the surface of the earth. Ahh how much I miss the good time we had. Hope our friendship remains til the end of time...Last but not least though, I wonder who will be the first to get married among these bunch of people (including those down under!)

I guess that's all for now. For those who want to see more other random updates in the form of pictures and such, just hop over to my Facebook profile for up to date rants and thoughts and even more photos!

Epilogue: I don't believe it. One semester's one month away from over and here I am still dilly-dallying. Am I an idiot? I have a feeling I am turning more sociophobic than ever as time passed. People seems to be scarier than ever. Back to my safe cocoon I go!