Meanwhile.

A miscellany of events (especially EATS) taken place in my part of reality while everything else is going on.

-5 September Monday-

Briefing for student of School of Humanities' Postgraduate Mix-Mode Programme.

Registration happens on the following day (Tuesday 6 Sept) so the school had a briefing about their course structure and such before their life as postgraduate starts. Here's speech by Prof. Dato' Abu Talib Ahmad. Saw quite a few familiar faces. And oh, I hate club work. Here, I said it. Especially when I, a victim of paksa rela last semester has to paksa rela other people to become course rep. Especially when most of the MA student here are actually working adult and I am younger than most of them. Especially when some of them didn't show up and I had to force the only one for their course that bothered to attend this briefing to be course representative (which I failed for Bhg. Sejarah because failing to utilize coercion from higher up). I am never good dealing with people and I probably never will be. That's why I suck in club work.

Though in officially sanctioned event like this, one can always expect food which can fill you to heart content. This is breakfast or the first bits of Raya that I had sinc Raya started: Ketupat in savoury peanut sauce. For some reason, I forgot to take picture of lunch which had beef rendang, curry chicken, veges in peanut sauce and more ketupat with peanut sauce. I guess this is the only bit of Raya I have this semester. I think first bit of Raya I had since my postgraduate life commenced last year. Last year. It has already been a year and my junior one year younger had joined the rank of postgraduate. I am old.

-7 September Wednesday-

Bakti Cafe finally fully operational (means available for lunch and dinner with majority of stalls open) after months of hiatus since the new students comes in on 6 September (Tuesday).

Tried the roti canai stall over Bakti Permai for the first time with Roti Telur as breakfast. Still not as good as the mamak fare though but somewhat feels healthier.

The Chinese Economical Rice stall auntie is back after remained close for the whole four month hiatus. She really know how to do business. Anyway, looks like it will be my place to be again for lunch for months to come for austerity measures. Will lay off meat that's for sure because it jacks up the price tremendously.

-8 September Thursday-

The rental notice is here. The invoice is for August dated in July and apparently it took the notice one whole month to travel 150m from the Bakti Office to my room. Oh well. It's because they're busy with the undergrads and postgrads coming in this September. At least for this year onward, I don't need to made the arduous walk up to hill to the area behind Chancellory again because USM had finally centralised all their student service department over the newly renovated/completed Kompleks Cahayasiswa including Bendahari Payment Counter! They're still working in settling in though with absence of numbers machine, nonoperational self-service bill printing kiosk at one corner and awkward Raya Card corner at the door.

Off-campus Dinner Time at Gil Korean Cafe: After snooping at first years junior over Walkrobik Kampus at Stadium. 

Bulgogi dupbap, beef stew with rice and date tea and morsels of kimchi at the side.

Date tea with actual dates. Still feel it's kind of expensive though but it's because they had their material shipped in from Korea.

Bulgogi stew is a bit on a sweeter side but otherwise alright. Still the same verdict for me: homey.

While waiting for the meal to come, I read through the magazines shelf and spotted this magazine which aimed for expats in Malaysia. What surprises me is that that edition included a feature about Prof. Muhammad Haji Salleh, National Laureate and Prof of Literature in Universiti Sains Malaysia. Wonder will it arouse the interest of expats in Malay/Malaysian Literature.

A few more pages down and more surprises: Kuching, with Sarawak Regatta gracing the majority of the page. Sarawak Regatta is the oldest event of its type in Malaysia with more than a century of heritage stemming from the White Rajah Era as an event for different ethnic communities in Sarawak to compete healthily and peaceful under the auspice of the monarch. Definitely one of the best and most memorable remnant of the romantic bygone era of Brooke Dynasty. Yes, most of us in Sarawak look at that era favourably despite what the Federal Government has been trying to demonise all Western colonialist as scheming bastards. Brooke Dynasty is just different and we love that bits of Sarawakiana in our heart.

...and imagine my anger when I saw this bit of misinformation. The editor of this magazine didn't bother to do a lil fact check, isn't it. Tarikh keramat 16/9 iaitu Hari Malaysia akan tiba tidak lama lagi dan masih ada orang di Malaysia yang tidak faham dan tidak mengendahkan sejarah Malaysia dan penglibatan SabahSarawak dalam pembentukannya. "Incorporated in Malaya?" "The rest of Malaysia in 1957?" MY FOOT. The Fed LIES.

Bought immediately after I went into Majujaya Minimart. In fact, I had been eating chips quite often lately succumbing to urges. Definitely negated whatever austerity measure I tried to accomplished. Still, CHIPS.

-10 September Saturday-

The weather in Penang has been quite unpredictable lately which ranges from clear blue sunny sky such as this one (usually occurs after rain) to intermittent downpours (which made the weather cool) to SCORCHING hot with THICK HAZE. Especially for the last few days which finally saw relief when it rains again. Sunny blue sky with slight wind is exactly the kind of weather will encourage me to go out during day time. Otherwise I wouldn't bother to budge at all.

For once, CAMWHORE. Finally got my unruly hair cut to tolerable length (ie without sideburns that irritates your faces and earlobe and bangs that droop down every now and then not to mention the ridiculous bouffon bed hair everytime I woke up.). In a way it marks the start of the semester too but kinda feel that the handiwork of the Indian barber uncle over Bali-Bali is a bit...not enough. My hair looked rubbish when it's wet and combed up. Got to have it frizzled up a lil bit. So anyway, first camwhore in months.

It's Saturday and compulsory Tesco Shopping + Pasar Malam. This was taken while I was on the way over: promotional banner for migration advisory agency (to New Zealand and Australia) with the word investment add on euphemistically. I look at this banner with a tinge of cynicism. While the government is actively promoting Malaysia to expatriate as second home (we are already a second home for millions of unskilled immigrant already though. Guess they wanna expand their appeal to the higher income migrants), private agencies such as this are promoting Malaysian to migrate, invest and settle down overseas. I bet these agencies are making loads of money from dissenting, self-hating Malaysian who would feel better as an migrant citizen in foreign countries than a citizen of own nation. Malaysia definitely had its shortcoming but dumping your own home, move to other country and continues to bad mouth Malaysia and claim will never come back? Wanker with bloated sense of entitlement and constant discrimination complex. It's all about the money is it?

Enough of rant, food. RM1 discount donuts fresh from the oven from King's Confectionery!

Nasi Kerabu with extra ingredient namely fish paste with chilli. Not exactly satisfying though when I bite one of the chilli seed and the keropok is a lil aerated for proper consumption. Little did I know though that Nasi Kerabu will be the source of my latent but noticeable stomach discomfort for the next Tuesday with frequent trip to the loo. My ring piece is burning at the end of the day. Is nasi kerabu really going to be the food that I will only on Raya but not on every other day?

The chicken cracklin is not exactly satisfying too because I got the smaller RM2 pack when they're out of my usual RM3 package and the chilli sauce packet leaked inside the plastic bag making a mess. Gah.

-11 September Sunday-

The very last day before a new academic year commences. *sigh* Oh right, it's the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 Attack. Condolences to all who lost their loved ones. OK back to Penang.

A rainy, refreshing morning it was.

Made a quick walk at night just to check out whatever preparation over DK foyer before the semester actually reopen the following day. Convex '11 counter is up. Glad they made correction to their slogan after I lambasted them over their Facebook page (with one of them trying to justify their choice of spelling despite me going through Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka for clarification) for their ridiculous spelling of aspresiasi instead of apresiasi. Still, I hate the clunky, forces slogan. Anekdot?

I think they reused the MDG goal from last years' CONVEX. Good in terms of reusing (remember sustainability) but still feels kinda ludicrous that they use this as their theme. Yeah, while I eat away over the food tent, I will try to remember to starving child in Africa.

I will never understand when did these banners went up. Mid-night?

 -12 September Monday-

First day of a new academic year! The campus is alive again!

1st years student up lining up over DTSP Foyer to retrieve their Matrics card. As usual for freshies, the matrics card with lanyard will be a fixture on their neck about a month or two before they realized other people don't really wear their matrics card all the time. I was in their shoes once. How cute!

To mark the beginning of the new semester, I made my way to Sakae Sushi at Queensbay! It has been a while! And oh boy, so many juniors heading to Queensbay already? Their freshieness is reflected with the quip "I never took bus before? Do I change bus here?". Oh you all will get used to it in no time.

The main reason for it: Promo lunch for the month September in conjuction with their 14th anniversary celebration!

The Sakae frog which bear the character of my name in its roundel!

The kaiten is luring me for more. I missed the teatime sushi buffet. Do they still have it?

Curry Katsu Don or Curry rice. Their portion is kinda disappointing somewhat so I had three more plates of sushi. YUM. Total up: RM20.75 (RM9.90 + (RM1.99 x 2) + RM3.99 which then add 16% tax).

Coincidentally, 12 September this year is Mid-Autumn Festival hence full moon. This is my attempt using a crap-at-low light camera to capture the full moon in the sky. I didn't had mooncake though but received a few chain mid-autumn messages from buddies. I can hear people screaming "HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL" from a far presumably with a lantern in hand and heading to Tasik Aman/Harapan. Hope they don't bump into any biawaks over there.

-13 September Tuesday-

 

Mustered enough cheekiness and shamelessness to drop by and eavesdropped at the BATI Senior-Junior meet. It's a great idea started the previous term (Sue-Yin's term. Good job.) to meet up and made announcement as well as sharing before the actual interaction day. Kinda glad and embarrassed at the same time when the Prez (Husna) and Veeps (Jan-shen) remembers me and holla back while I sit at the far back. Ahh I feel like an old ghost that refuse to leave, watching and haunting over the new generation. Did my duty to remind the seniors that their junior course structure has changed though to avoid telling wrong info about paper that should be taken. They've made radical change with longer duration as well as new subject arrangement: the 1st year junior will only take their major paper on 2nd semester which means this semester is used to fulfill U Papers and such! New U paper include Sustainability module which share the same level of importance as TITAS and SHE.

Went for the Excel Point Community Church over Sungai Dua's daily mom's cooking dinner which is a soup-kitchen operated by bunch of aunties providing affordable, healthy meal (for just RM2 donation) for students. It has been like forever since the last time I went there for dinner and I had to fight off the intense feeling of awkwardness when everybody else is eating in a group chatting away while I sit at a lonely corner eating alone. I miss human companionship. Anyway, dinner that night: meat patties in sweet and sour sauce, vegies and peanut soup. In case you've notice a book and a sheet of papers, that's my survey form for my research edited by my supervisor. Yes, it's finally back.

So that's it. It's the third day into a new academic year. Have to try to get used to the increased human presence and laggy wireless connection. Oh not to mention constant reminder of work to be done after the survey form is back. Some progress has to be done this semester or I will risk my own graduation. Two more years max. Meanwhile, expect posts and updates from time to time!