Friday, November 26, 2004
Last night, Rosliah came to my house for Raya visiting. She didnt come alone. She came with her "tunang". I was shocked. She didnt tell me she got "tunang"? Hmm..but then again, according to wat my mum said.. engagement is nothing. Marriage then is something.. (Dun get it? Well,dun ask me coz I dun understand either)
So last night we chat and chat and remember Siti Zackyah? I did write a little abt her on August 31.. I knew tat she is already married on 15 February 2004 (Sunday). She forgot to invite me and since I wasnt invited, I went to work form 12 to 3pm at KFC.. haha.. Well, the reason y she didnt invite me was becoz I am not close to her. She is close to Faridah and Rosliah. I am close with Faridah and Rosliah, so they told me.
Wat abt Siti Zackyah? (Zack is wat we usually call her in sch) Well, she is pregnant and next month, akan melahirkan anak lelaki.. Woah.. U know i LOVE babies.. mcm nak gi tengok je.. hehehe..
Semua sudah besar..dah nak kahwin. Alhamdullilah aku ucapkan kepada kawan2 ku yg sudah mendirikan rumah tangga seperti: Siti Zackyah and Siti Hamidah. Hey..kesemuanya Siti eh.. hehehe.. Bagaimana dgn diri aku? Jodoh itu di tangan Tuhan..
Anyway, wats the rush? I'm still 21 (by next month on the 7th) It runs in the family that I am not supposed to marry or "tunang" at the age of 21 n below. Studies or work comes first. Even my mum married at 26. So, wats there to rush abt?
I know some ppl out there who have no maturity thinking or doesnt know abt God's fate, will say: "Maria..siapa yg nak". Maybe there are some silly ones who will say, "Kawan kau laku, kau tak"
Lets just c in 9 years time. When I am 30 years old. Will I or will I not be a bachelorette? Hey..if I happen to be a bachelorette, I am not the ONE. I have one more aunt who is in her mid thirties who hasnt married yet... So, if in 9 years time..she is still not married.. there are 2 bachelorettes in the family.. myself and Aunt Ayu. Hehe
Thursday, November 25, 2004
I was having a short conversation on the above topic with an Informatics friend of mine, Hamka in MSN. Below are our conversation. I changed our nicknames n just replace it with our names instead. After u read it, u tell urself, who do u think will win Singapore's very first Singapore Idol...
Hamka says: who do you think will win? Taufik or sly?
ME: Taufik
ME: Wat abt u? Who do u think?
Hamka says: sadly, I find it hard for a malay to win the tournament. So I'm going to be a realist and say sly.
ME: quite true too
Hamka says: Sadly, I think, it will not be base on talent but, race.
ME: but actually altho Taufik is malay..if it is hard for malays to win, how come he can make it to Final 2? It shld be Olinda n Sly instead of him n sly
Hamka says: yah, but when push comes to shove. Its the final now. Not the final two. The last thing they need is to know that the first singapore idol is a malay.
ME: err..i dun get u.. u mean they do not want the first singapore idol to be a Malay?
Hamka says: yah, I think the last thing they need is for the world to think that the better artist in singapore is a malay.
ME: ooo but american idol..the season 2 n 3 winners are negrians.. Rubert Studdard and Fantasia.. they got more votes than Clay and Diana.. so, I think..it will be the same for Singapore Idol..
Hamka says: and look what happen to them? They are not the superstars. The last I heard, the clay aiken sold more albums than the guy who beat him.
(*Yeah, quite true coz I only heard Clay's song on radio more often. I dun even hear any Rubert's song..*)
Hamka says: Sadly, to be an idol, you'll have to be the dominant race.
ME: ic
Hamka says: sigh....don't want to say to much. Deep down inside I also want taufik to win. I'll be overjoyed if he does.
ME: yah..me too...
So to those ppl who read this? Who do u think? For those who support Sly will say Sly, for those who support Taufik will say Taufik but think more openly.. This is Singapore we're talking abt.. Singapore is quite a bias country. There are more Chinese in Singapore. So, of course I think Sly will get more votes.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Till now, I havent had a job! And my grandma points the blame to me. She said, I want to study and study but cant get a job. She told me tat I'm Malay, very difficult. She said, Im stubborn. Wanna study, study without thinking the circumstances such as have enuff to pay for the course fees or not.
My class is in the night. I can register for full time class(in the day) if I am not working or no job BUT the thing is, I do n ot know when will the payment starts. I was told tat I will be informed by letter. Today is 24 November, no letters yet.
If by 30 November, the letter hasnt been sent out to me, tat means my payment will start on January. The other day, I mentioned the payment is $800 without GST. I do not want to worry my mum n grandma so I told them $700. To think it is still so much for them. They asked me to bargain 2get $500 if cant, they wan me to QUIT! Huh?! Quit while im in the middle of the course? NO WAY!
I did negotiate with the sch of I can pay $500 per month. They told me I will be informed through letter. This is wat worries me. If i cant get $500 n have 2 pay $700 or $800, I will have to quit!! NO WAY!
Since young, I have told myself this: I want to study till degree. And I MEAN it!! NO ONE AND NOTHING CAN EVER gonna STOP me!
I do not allow/want my family members 2ever try stopping me from studying. So the same goes to other pple who are not my family.
Well, I was asked a question not by 1 person but by a lot of ppl. The question: "Y do u quit your previous job? Your salary of $700 per month without CPF deduction is enuff to pay for your degree fees. "
My answer to you(shld u b reading this): YES, I know. My previous' job's salary of $700 per month is ENUFF to pay 4my fees. BUT u didnt know wat I have promised my mum.
I told her, "Once I have started working, I will give you money, even if u r still working." So for 4 months, my $700 salary, I gave $100 each to my mum and Khalid and Atikah's dad, $50 each to my grandma n granddad. Left $400 for me.
Next, some of u will be asking: "Why do u have to give ur granddad money? Your granddad has 58K in his bank account(last time was 60K..now left with 58K). He has given you 12.5K for ur studies but not enuff, instead of u giving him money..he shld be the one giving u the remaining 11.8K n u dun have to think so much abt job!"
My answer: I felt guilty using my granddad's money. Lagipun dia perlukan duit untuk hari tuanya. So I gave him $50 ofr 4 months 2repay him back. I know its not much but its the thoughts that counts.
Some of my friends did ask me: "The payment for ur degree will be confirmed 2u by letter. U can work in ur previous place until December or January 2005."
My answer: The company I was working for is a private company. I was the only clerk. Actually, the manager does not want a clerk; he can do the paper work himself but becoz he and my mum's A.I.A Insurance agent's are golf partners, the manager accepted me. When he accepted me, he did tell me tat he will take me as temporary- 4 months at least n it us up to him if he wans to extend me.
I know I shld have told u this when some of u came asking me straight to the face but I do not want to tell u everything from A to Z. Its easier to write and explain than 2 say and explain.
So on 15 October was my last day. The manager does not wish to extend me further. I'm OK with tat. My mum also O.k with tat.
Now, its over a month and I have not get a job. They got worried coz I cant pay my fees. My grandma said the easiet sentence but hurtful (She kept on repeating it, cant she stop?)
I did told her the letter is still not sent to me on when to start payment n how much so I can stay at home first. But, my grandma..she just dun understand la...
Monday, November 22, 2004
The amount of messages I get from my friendster account got unbearable especially on weekends. I really wonder what's the point of adding so many friends when you only have time for just a few. Unless of course if I could multiply myself into many Amy Marias, there wouldn't be much of a problem.
I'm not saying that I'm a celebrity. Really, I know that I'm just an average girl-next-door leading a very ordinary life.
Hm... what am I going to do to those messages at my Friendster account? Should I change my account settings to private? But then again, what fun would it be? I mean Friendster is an available network created for the sake of meeting new people & making new friends. (I have 225 friends and 9 of them are still pending!)
I guess I'll just have to know how to deal with them.The amount of messages I get is still manageable. So I'll go on this way till it gets unbearable. Then I'll think of how to manage this problem.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Some of u may be wondering where is my doodleboard ryt? Well.. Farah, my pri sch mate send me a reply msg via friendster after i said sorry abt Anonymous had to call her a B**** for no apparent reason at all.
Her reply was: Well, its okay for that anonymous to call me whatever he/she wants coz in my eyes, he/she is a very shallow person. Just remember nobody can make u feel inferior except urself. I see u have remove ur tagboard..It's a wise move though.Oh n next time if ppl call u a B.I.T.C.H just treat it as a compliment as what i always do; coz it stands for Babe In Total Control of Herself..Muahahaa..
Yeah, u r rite.. B.I.T.C.H is babe in total control of herself!!! Haha..So Ain, u shld be proud tat someone called ur mum a Babe... *Winkz* Btw Farah and the rest..the anonymous, if u want to know is not a HE but a SHE...
Anyway,to my other friends out there.. I AM MAKING A WISE DECISION TO REMOVE MY TAG BOARD.. But not Permanently..only temporary.. I WANT SOME PEACE IN MY MIND. After, my exams, i will put in my tag board again.. However, can i assure that Anonymous will NOT strike again?! hmm...
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Mus be wondering wat the title above is? Well, the above title is in Chinese Hanyu Pinyin and i will do the translation: I can speak Mandarin but...
I hate IT!!! Luck wasnt on my side for jobs! It has been closed to a month and i still havent get a job! Whenever, i go for an interview, I was told this: We will call u back. I waited and waited and i didnt get any calls, tat means i didnt get the job.
Then whenever, the job advertisement said to call the specific number, i did call and the first thing they will ask is: Are u Chinese? When i said no, they said, "Oh sorry, we want Chinese" Argh... There's one occasion when I call and speak to the person on the phone and after mentioning my name (Maria), they assumed, i must be a Mandarin speaking person or an Eurasion and hence asked me to come down for an interview then... when i went there, the moment they c my face is a Malay(i am Malay)
They do not want to be rude so they asked me to fill up a form, go for interview and then i know its wasted coz i was asked if i can speak mandarin fluently. I told them: I can speak Mandarin only a little bit. So, they do not want to accept me coz i am not speaking fluently in Mandarin. Well, I have approached help from others to help me look out for one and I get a reply from one of them. The reason Y Malays are not wanted in working industry! Malays!!! Buck up!!!
Malay Muslims are to stop sitting around and get off their collective butts and start up their own businesses etc. Only then will you have a more level playing field. Look at it this way, what you experienced was purely economic driven. The employer wanted a Mandarin fluent speaker because the vast majority of his customers are..... Chinese. Over 78 % ofSingapore's population is Chinese so that is what he is chasing the chinese (statisticly chinese earn much more than theaverage malay and / or indian) so who has the greater spendingpower? chinese.
Another driving factor is that there are a lot more Chinese tourists coming over from Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mainland China etc. Hence the need for more Mandarin speakers..
Later today, i will be going off for another interview at Jurong East Avenue 1 as an Admin.. The requirements are : Ability to speak English and Tamil or Malay.. Hey, tats interesting... We'll c the outcome...
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Today is 3rd day of Hari Raya. Where am I now? At Aloha Cybercafe, as usual. My laptop is still "sick". 3rd day of raya... no one came to visit as yet becoz today is tuesday...pple has start to work already. But at nite will have my other relatives come for hari raya visits.. i have many relatives.. from my mum's sidea,alone already have many..my dad's side not tat many.. Below are some of the photos i took from my camera phone during the first 2 days of raya. The one below is me and my cousin, Haziyah. Haziyah is Pak Ngah's 2nd daughter. Pak Ngah is my mum's elder brother.
Raya money? Haha.. C'mon, me big already no more collection money but i still do get collection money coz my relatives' custom is: as long as u r still studying, u will get coolection money..
I felt ashamed of myself..i didnt tell my aunts tat i am studying nite time..if i said tat, i wont get the money. Its ok if i dun get the money coz im already 21, too big for collecting money. But, my mum said, i havent got a job yet and is now studying at nite.. So, apa lagi lah my aunts n uncles, they give out money to me lah.. Rezeki jgn ditolak.. 
Posted by Hello
Me and my closest cousin, Nadiah, Mak Long's daughter. Mak Long is my mum's elder sister.
Posted by Hello
This is me in my fav colour: RED. All dress up and ready for RAYA!!!
Posted by Hello
First day raya..after taking photo in my room, i asked my brother to take this photo in my living room. Looks like im camouflaging ryt? Haha.. red cushion and im in RED.
Btw, this is my first time, i smile showing my teeth. Usually, when i posed for phototaking, i dun smile showing my teeth. I tend to smile, closing my mouth.
So, which one is better, smile showing my teeth or smile without showing my teeth? Hehehe
Posted by Hello
Friday, November 12, 2004
Akhirnya anak Melayu ada company sendiri but it is not listed company yet. Just a small business. Siapa anak melayu yg dimaksudkan? None other than my friend: Firdaus. I did wrote abt him in my July archive, title: My secondary school friend. He is one of my 7 closest friends back in sec sch. Yes, he has a company of his own. He and another friend are partners of a Graphic Design company. Well done pal!
Since I havent got a job yet(it already has been a month), I popped out a question 2him. He said: "Kau minat ke design? Aku tgk kau punya art dulu in sec 1 n 2 YA Allah... Lain yg disuruh lain yg kau buat!"
Haha! Yeah! I still remembered tat. I HATE ART AND CRAFTS(since primary sch), DESIGN N TECHNOLOGY AND HOME ECONOMICS(lucky sec 3 to 5, i dun have to take these 2 subjects) Such boring subjects which make me sleep!
Hey, he mentioned graphics design ryt? Graphic Design uses computers to design but need software such as Adobe Photoshop, Macromendia...
My reply 2him: Aku tau nak design website.Kalau kau nak org design kan website kau, im just a phone call away.
Well, Firdaus told me tat if he happen 2 have the money to have another department n need pple to work for him, he'll look for me.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Read the article below.. then u'll knw why i go to private.. i go private NOT becoz I failed my Os..
Read on
Adapted from The Straits Times November 9 2004
Mansi Maheshwari attended Raffles Girls secondary School and like, most of her schmates, did well enough at the O levels to join a junior college.
But she surprised everyone by embarking on a degree course at the privately-run Management Development Institute of Singapore(MDIS).
The main attraction was that she would get a degree in mass communications from Oklahama City University in much less time. It would cost more: $30 000 in all three -year course, compared to $18000 if she had gone to JC and obtained a place in NTU mass communication course.
But she plumped for "The most direct route" and her parents backed her. Now, 19 and expecting to graduate at the end of the year(Good for u! Wish u all the best) she is among almost 8000 students pursuing degrees full time at six biggest private schools here.
Six private instituitions are attracting the bulk of full time degree students( who? me? im a part time student) - 4000 at SIM ( I knw Shirin Hushairi is in tat 4000 category), abt a 1000 each at MDIS, INFORMATICS, THAMES and TMC Academy (where Shuiyan studied), 400 at Stansfield and 300 at PSB Academy.
Their degree programmes, offered a partnership with foreign universities, are drawing students in their late teens and early 20s, arriving after their O levels, polytechnic studies or A Levels. Most polytechnic and A Level students come after failing to gain a place at the 3 universities.
So, what accounts for the boom in Singapore students? Cost is one reason. Spending between 20K and 40K over three to four years here is less than going overseas.
But what you hear more often is that the bigger private schools have shaped up markedly, improving on the quality of facilities,courses and teaching. As one student pit it, they have become "more respectable." (But I WAS NEVA RESPECTED! WELL, CHILDISH PPLE WILL NOT RESPECT A UNIVERSITY UNDERGRAD, I PRESUME!)
Informatics/Thames, which specialize in computer and business courses respectively, is moving 60,000 square metre campus in Jurong by March next year. Around the same time, MDIS expects to be at its new Queenstown campus, which will let it take in 15,000 full time students too.
The bigger campuses are no doubt aimed at foreign students, but they are also providing a draw for Singaporeans. But what counts more than facilites is the reputation of the private school's foreign university partner and the quality of teaching.
As for teaching staff, the school must meet the Education Ministry's minimum requirement, that lecturers must have at least a master's degree to teach degree programmes.
The schools say their advances are matched by good results too, and take out advertisements each year to celebrate their top graudates.
Students like Miss Maheshwari are upbeat about their prospects. Now aiming for a job in events management, she said: "I have been trained well and if an employer gives me half a chance, I am sure I can impress him with my skilss and capability."
Monday, November 08, 2004
8. Hasniza says:
hey maria!!! hehehe...knew her from jintai but nvr actually talk to her before..hahha...until now...yeah...a really nice frenly gurl...in sec skul when we saw each other we will jus smile..hahha...and yeap u look really sweet in the make over photos!! well maria...i hope u chat wif u again..and all the best in ur studies!!
9. Muhd herwan says:
hey sori 4 e late testimonial!!haha.. hmm.. where shud i start eh?? ok lah.. actualli i dunt quite noe her.. juz started knowing her at workplace... cn sae dat she is approachable n a good listener..... ermm.. i thnk dat is all for now.. hahah... i will keep u updated ok... AdIoZ!!..
10.
Shi Jun says:
I no her since 1996, Jan. She is my maths rival, but i always is the winner. (Jus Joking!) Actually, maria is a sweet n nice gal 2 mi. She loves 2 sing n she tends 2 sing well. Keep it up Maria, n always keep in contact ok!!
Friday, November 05, 2004
Cool! We siblings are very lucky! First, I saw Haizad... And guess wat? My brother saw him too! Where? When? On Tuesday! My brother was from Chevron Jurong East.. After a game of bowling, he went home. Thats when Haizad boarded the same bus!!They chit chat and my brother said something to him and I am still fuming mad!!!
I voted for Haizad 22 times ryt? I forgot to tell him tat when I met him at Tiong Bahru Plaza last time. Guess wat, my brother told Haizad?!He said to Haizad tat: HE VOTED FOR HAIZAD 25 TIMES!!!
WAT?!!! As far as i know..my brother voted for Sylvester for 20 times during the Wildcard show!!! How dare he go and exaggerate??!! Then I go and ask my brother this: DId u tell him tat at Tiong Bahru Plaza, u saw a girl ryt? Tats my sis..?
Wat did my brother answer? NO... We were buzy chatting abt other things!! Guy talk, u know!! Oh great!!!
Haizad was the second person he saw.. The first person he saw and they even have a game of bowling together... The person is.. Taufik!! How lucky he! I have neva met a single finalist yet!! They even had a game.. WHo won? My brother claimed his team won.. butI am pretty sure Taufik's team won.. haha..
Finally, I got a camera phone!! I had always want a Nokia phone BUT i still cant have the Nokia phone however, I am happy to have other brands of HP with camera function in it.. The brand is Motorola V220.. It is on offer till 12 Nov, so while stock last, I better grab it.. exclusive for SingTel subscribers only.. Usual price is $398.. Offered price is$98 and since I trade-in my LG HP, I only have to pay $58. $58 for a $398 HP? Amazing great value, u know!! Who pay? ME lah.. then who? Even if the phone is not on offer, I can afford it still!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
I dont know wat is going on between Anonymous and my Best friend Ainn..Wateva it is, ANONYMOUS HAS NO RIGHT TO CALL HER A BITCH? AND he is so kurang ajar.. IF HE WANTS TO INSULT OR SCOLD VULGARITIES TO MY FRIEND, JUST SAY IT TO MY FRIEND.. MUST HE GO TO AN EXTENT AS TO SAY she is a daughter of a bitch? dun u know wat it means?! Anonymous is scolding my friend's MUM! And how could he say that my friend is a bitch coz it runs in the family?! HE DOESNT KNOW MY FRIEND AND HER FAMILY.. SO STOP!!
Sometimes, I felt guilTy.. Why? Well, coz of me, Anonymous has to scold my friend's mum. Anonymous... I thought he has stop but ever since a guy named Azrul tagged, he also tagged and 2 of my friends, one of them is Ainn, tagged as well, and battle it out with Anonymous..
Me? I saw the tags by Azrul and Anonymous first but I didnt want to have any say or comment coz i dun want to care. Its my studies that I have to care abt not other things. I was even shocked when I viewed my blog a few hours later and saw tat 3 pple has tagged.. 2 of them are for Anonymous and one is for me..
Remember on 7 Sept, there was a comment from someone who scored A1 for
O Level English? I thought i can put it aside. To think, the person tagged again. But the person didnt leave his/her name. The tag msg was just: Kawan_Maria i.e my friend.. But who? The person didnt even leave his/her email.. WHO? WHO? is he/she my primary sch friend/mate? Or a secondary sch friend/mate? Or from Informatics??
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Huang Na, 8 year old Primary 2 student of Jin Tai Primary. My sister knows her. Huang Na was attached to her for a buddy system. Alfred, member of WESSC, i teach him tuition, was Huang Na's friend and classmate. Alfred once said to me this: "Teacher, my friend lost." At first, I dun know tat Alfred was saying abt Huang Na, the missing girl until I realised it from other Jin Tai pupils.
Then, news about her death came. It was shocking for me. How could a young girl like her die a tragic death? Which inhuman did that to her?! He is a year older than me and he did that to a young, innocent girl?!
I bought the The Straits Times yesterday and was shocked to see her photo! I know her! She and her mum were regular customers of KFC! I read the news about her. I cried. Its the Ramadhan month, we shldnt cry but I cant hold back those tears. Huang Na is 8 years old, same age as my 2 young cousins and a niece. I felt the same way as how Huang Na's mum felt. I will adapt the news from the straits times and post it her in my blogspot.
Adapted from Straits Times November 1:
The search for the missing 8 year old Huang Na drew to a close yesterday in the worst possible way: Her naked body was found badly-decomposed, unrecognisable and stuffed into a box less than half her size.
The box was found in dense undergrowth at Telok Blangah Hill Park on Sunday morning, just hours after Penang-born Took Leng How 22, had been questioned by police.
The search ended 3 weeks to the day Huang Na, a China National, disappeared on Oct 10, sparking the biggest hunt fora missing person in 5 years.
The girl's clothes - she was last seen wearing a long-sleeved blue denim jacket and bermudas - were no where to be found.
The box had been sealed with masking tape, but the odour that emonated from it left police investigations, who combed the area fo about half an hour before finding it, with little doubt as to its contents.
When pathologist opened the box at the mortuary, they found that Huang Na's body was so badly decomposed that it could initially be identified only as belonging to a "young girl with long hair".
Becoz of this state, there was also no way immediately identify any wounds, or whether there were any signs of sexual assault.
Adapted from The Straits Times, November 2:
Huang Na was good in her maths, won a prize at school for good work and dreamt of becoming a doctor. Streetsmart, independent and precocious, Huang Na, whose body was found on Sunday morning, was the darling of Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre.
Aged just 7, she took a flight by herself from Changi Airport to spend a holiday with her family in Fujian, China. Then she came back here, alone.
And when she started to celebrate her 8th birthday on Sept 28, she took a bus to Clementi Central and bought herself a birthday cake.
That was just how independent she was; so independent that the adults around her thought nothing of allowing her to fend for herself, sometimes for the most of the day.
Said Mdm Huang, sobbing: "I brought here her and told her it was so she could have a better future. And she said she would study hard and that she wanted to be a doctor so she could give me a better life."
Very tragic. Sometimes, I wonder is it safe in Singapore? Because of those pple who did tat to anyone who is already dead, my grandma is being over cautious and over protecting me...