i can

Hiya! You're alright?

Well, I'm currently in the 2nd week of Sem 4 and the workloads just keep coming in. So basically, I did get to know the modules of this semester and they are freakingly exciting! Guess what? There's still another module to be introduced tomorrow. Sweet! (I know I sound like a kid in candy store and I do know that some people just couldn't stand when other people are happy because they are suffering from some kind of congenital depression. Poor sad people ;P)

But I'm not going to comment about my modules (well, at least not for now). Instead, I'm going to let you know about my 2nd module for the Nottingham Advantage Award (I'm so active this semester, I wonder why). The module is:

Source: NUSA

NUSA: Insight into Education

If you realize something, both of my modules are closely related to teaching. I don't know, I probably miss school..probably miss my teachers. And I actually went to J Club 7's blog just to read some of the silly stuff that we actually wrote and published on blogspot. 

So anyway, NUSA stands for Nottingham University Samworth Academy and it was opened in 2009. It's a school basically and also one of the first in the UK to have "direct sponsorship and academic links with a University" (Source: The University of Nottingham). In this case, they have links with my university =)

At first, I thought it would be similar to Student Associate Scheme. After attending the 1st session today, I guess it would be so much different. If a Student Associate would work with cute, adorable children in a classroom; a volunteer for NUSA will work with the staffs of the Academy - the teachers :O

And you know how it is going to be assessed? Yes, just because it's volunteering work, doesn't mean I'm not going to be assessed :P

At the end of March, there will be a presentation. COOL! You know, I have always enjoyed doing presentations. You can ask anyone of the J Club 7 (M07J) as you can actually see me glowing whenever it's time for presentation. Being a presenter is fun cause you're trying to engage yourself with the audience and make them interested with what you're talking about.

Oooooh, but that's not all. Do you know what it means to be a volunteer in this module? This would be the best part - I would be conducting a research!!! Best gilerrrrr!

That's why I tweeted: "x menyesal ambik module ni, alhamdulillah :D"

And as a researcher, we were given 4 types of research to choose from. Well,  I would have to discuss this with some people. (Lutfi, sat lagi aku datang rumah kau. Haq, get ready jugak. Syakir, I'll see you in your room) And I might want to ask my seniors as well cause I'm going to do a research anyway next semester for Medical Sciences.

Probably because the types of research were interesting so that's why I seemed to be in a very bubbly mood, hihi.

Well, that's all for now. I'd better focus on my FBN (Functional Behavioural Neuroscience); the module with the potential of becoming a favourite.

With that, I'll end this post with the attitude which is being promoted to all the students of NUSA - "i-Can"

Source: NUSA

And I know I can, insyaAllah...

something to look forward to

And so it's the end of Sem 3. And during the exam period, some of the things that I planned to do when it's all over were:

"I'm gonna eat ice-cream, one tub of ice-cream, probably strawberry cheesecake"

"I'm going to have a duck dish for my dinner"

"I'm gonna runaway without telling anybody (well, except someone or some people. but not the ones in my house)"

"I'm gonna make my day by myself :)"

And so, that's what happened. Running away is fun. It's doing something impulsive. It's something that an adventurous person would do. So, I ran away to Leicester yesterday and I actually wore the exact same attire - the Nike and Nottie; the Jacket and Hoodie. Hehe.

The first stop in Leicester was Subway! And for dinner, I had Nando's. Truth be told, one of the reasons why I chose Nottingham is because I thought there would be halal Subway and Nando's restaurants at some corner. Apparently, not. I guess I made the wrong choice (ok, kidding ;P). I don't think it would have change my decision even if I found out about this earlier. Btw, yeah, I love jalan-jalan cari makan. And I don't mind going to a certain place just to have a meal; but it must be something that I look forward to. I don't want to go somewhere far just to eat a plain burger.

And let's see what else is great in Leicester? Well, duhh! It's the famous slide!! Ok, maybe it's not that famous as some of the Leicesterians have not even tried it. Try la korang! And it was actually Syamil's first time riding it. And I went on it for 3 times ;)

Plus, there's one article which I read about a boy who went out with his father in Leicester, and when asked about what is the best thing about the day? He replied, "The big slide."

And the feeling...it's like a rush of adrenaline.

And it was a great day, alhamdulillah. Got to meet some friends, tried making their day as well, hihi.

(I wanted to upload a picture of the slide from my W995 but something's wrong with it)

So, that was it. Anyway, I told my plans like I want to eat ice-cream after ending my exam to Lut and Bear. Yes, Bear as in this one:

picture courtesy of Animal Planet

They said I can always have the ice-cream during the exam. So I said, that's true but I need something to look forward to, something to keep me going. This is because I was probably influenced by that Reader's Digest article - the one entitled "25 Ways to Be Happy" and yeah, I've featured it already on this post. And then it struck me while I was browsing the ice-cream catalogue at a local supermarket - "Something to look forward to..."

What do you look forward to in your life, Adlan?

Heaven?

You betcha!

So Adlan, if you can look forward to attaining Jannah, shouldn't that be motivating enough to keep you moving on throughout your life?

Indeed, that is something to look forward to...

turn my swag on

This semester...

It's just the same really.

The time provided is exactly the same.

I had 2 weeks last year and so is this year.

The number of modules are reduced from 5 to 3.

The number of credits are lesser, 40 compared to 50 in the 1st semester.

Perhaps, the level is higher.

Perhaps, the modules are much harder.

Perhaps, I'm freaking out as time is running out.

And I should probably turn my swag on.

i'm chasing the rainbow...

adlan wafi, you've already met some morale boosters over the weekend. 

and Allah told you that he will always be there.

this feeling is natural, so just face it bravely.

and let's stay here for the next 4 years shall we...

andalusia

Cuak, cuak, cuak. Exam's coming and I'm publishing a post O_o

Firstly, I planned not to write that much cause my ASN, SF and REN are in dire need of being read. So, I'll just write as simple as I can.

Andalus, Spain

Adlan - Hosni - Syahmi - Ameer - Fikri - Ahmed - Syahir - Syamil - Adib

17-22 Dec 2010

Day 1, Gibraltar

 

Since the Leicesterians haven't arrived yet, we chose Gibraltar as our first stop.

Europa Point, Jabal Tariq (Gibraltar Rock), Tariq bin Ziyad, the southernmost mosque in Continental Europe, the day I learned to start using my DSLR extensively and how I wish I could go to Morocco!

Day 2, Granada

 

We went to the Granada Mosque, watched Alhambra from afar at night and had dinner at a restaurant where we met a brother from Morocco (lupe nak mintak nombor, hehe) and a lovely mak cik that allows us to have milkshakes included in our meals.

Oh yeah, we picked up the Leicesterians from Malaga Airport and headed straight to Granada afterwards. By the way, if you looked at the design featured in the Granada Mosque, you will actually see some resemblance with the arches at Mezquita in Cordoba.

Day 3, Granada

 

It's the day we go to Alhambra. 

Highlights include the pool which can reflect the moonlight, the court of the lions (thanks lah orang yang rosakkan!), the motto of Nasrid dynasty in Arabic calligraphy being written and sculptured all over the place and the encounter with a sweet lady by the name of Hope.

"...Don't you see how water overflows the borders 

and the warned drains are here against it? 

They are like the lover who in vain 

tries to hide his tears from his beloved..."

(I just love this part of the poem which was encrypted on the basin of the Court of the Lions)

At the Palace of Charles V (the only Christian building in the whole fortress), it was destined that we found Hope. Working in the museum, she offered us a tour and it was complimentary. And throughout the fine, expressive elucidations, I just can't deny that she somehow illustrated her izzah towards Islam, masyaAllah. And among the things which I could recall (that was originally from Islam) include the order that we dine during a meal (starting with soup and end with sweets) and even those platform shoes; that were the cutting edge of fashion at that time.  A short story on Ziryab was also presented to us by Mak Cik Izzah (yeap, I call her that). And Mak Cik Izzah was so overwhelmed by the crafts and artwork produced by the Muslim men as they were clearly made by meticulous hands. She even said that Muslim men prioritize cleanliness and they even have perfume for the mosque. Ok, this maybe a bit irrelevant but she said that white and blue had always been the colour of royalty. And I said to myself, "no wonder I love blue" :P 

Anyway, the main thing is, everything that we found out from this tour, it all traced back to Islam. Before we go, she asked us to translate her name to Malay and we said, "Harapan"...

Day 4, Cordoba

 

So, we then reached Mezquita where the once majestic mosque is now constructed with chapels at the sides and the middle is now filled with a cathedral. Even Mak Cik Izzah agreed that it is a shame really that the cathedral is built within the mosque. We did go to other places as well but my battery was low so there weren't that much of pictures. And also, a lot of places were closed on Mondays. Anyways, I just want to say to Ahmad Shahrul Kamal and Muhammad Hakim Razali that I don't really mind that I didn't go to you-know-where :P

Day 5, Sevilla

The Great Cathedral of Seville, Giralda (the remaining part of the Mosque which was a minaret, now a bell tower), Real Alcazar (the royal Moorish palace) and we even stopped at Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza (a bullring; since Syahir said it was his childhood dream of going to the place).

Day 6, Malaga and adios

Didn't spend much time here. We stayed for a night at a hostel that uses my card as the key for all the rooms. Cool giler!

The next morning, we went to the beach despite the rain and wind that continuously making our paths more treacherous. And the beach? It was dainty. The black sands and the turquoise water served as a good ending to this journey of ours.

-END-

And so, that is it.

I know that Arabic is very useful cause apparently, some of the people that we met prefer to converse in Arabic after Spanish.

I know that Allah has blessed this place to be the location for the Umayyah Caliphate once upon a time.

I know that Muslims rule!

I know that there is Hope...and I know there is hope...

kembali

I have never heard such a loud groan from the members of the audience whenever it's time to sing the theme song, hehe.

Anyway, I'm back in Notts and I have to get ready for the thing that's coming in the next couple of weeks. Seriously, I need to be ready.

Firstly, don't worry. The post on Spain will be coming soon insyaAllah. For now, let me enlighten you with something else.

I went to the city this afternoon in the hope of finding a knitwear or a vest and to get 3 chicken wraps for myself. Instead, I found 3 vests O_o. But that's not the point. I accidentally went to the city with the jacket which I wore during the winter gathering in Sheffield. The thing is, I've put on a very cool looking badge on the jacket during the event and the badge looks like this:

Hahaha, too bad no one realized that badge (or did they?); if they did, it would have been a very funny experience. So yeah, I got to see lots of lovely faces during the past few days. I've always have this predilection of meeting them...probably because being with them made me stronger. And I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying it gave me that fervent passion to go on. Cause I think it's important really for someone like me to be constantly reminded.

Other than that, a friend of mine flew back to Malaysia several days ago. I actually made plans to meet him but I don't think it was that practical (see Hosni, I'm realistic...sheesh). So yeah, he's back in that place called home. I just hope that he'd be fine...always.

Besides that, I've been reading this book which I borrowed from Fikri (Mat) of Sheffield when I was sleepless in Birmingham, waiting for the flight in the morning. I found this in the novel:

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

Mitch Albom, tuesdays with Morrie, page 43

Which reminds me, I haven't actually tell this to the ones that I care in Nottingham. I probably need to do this soon.

And thus, I proved once again that my style of writing is multi-definition!

And I really need to start with my anatomy...

burn

It was still winter at that time. The coldness in that room didn't seem to differ from the atmosphere outside. It was probably the air-conditioner, or perhaps it was that peculiar feeling of fear towards the unknown; that mixture disposition of excitement and timorousness. The module convenor walked into the tasking room along with his favourite biochemistry lecturer. The presence of the two lecturers seemed to illuminate the gloominess that appeared to be surrounding that dull room...

...or it might just be his imagination.

So basically, that was how I felt on the 1st day in the Dissection Room. And it was also the very 1st time I met my cadaver - the cadaver that my group members and I have spent so many hours with in this whole year right from 29th January till 3rd December 2010. 

At first, I have to say that I was quite nervous cause I was unsure of what to expect but after several weeks passed, I learned to be familiarized with the cadaver. Let me just explain some of the things that people could probably be wondering what's going on in that freaky room.

The Rumour

And the rumour that cadavers smell; well, they don't actually. At least, mine wasn't. The only odour that will stick to your clothes for hours and hours would be the chemical which we would usually spray at the end of the session. But I never really get nauseated by the smell, so alhamdulillah for that. And the rumour that there are male cadavers only; well, there are female cadavers as well cause we still need to learn about the fairer sex.

The Tools

And the tools that we used; well it ranges from a saw to a butcher's knife, or even chisel and hammer. Interesting, ain't it?

The Dissection

And the dissection; I would truly miss it. That's the best part of anatomy I think. I can still remember the parts which I managed to dissect and got the lecturer's attention - the skin (haha), the anatomical snuff box and the posterior cruciate ligament. The thing which most people dislike, is the last 30 minutes of every session - the assessment!

The Assessment

I have developed a skill on how to hide from my lecturer in his or her presence, thanks to this assessment part. Below is a list of dissection sessions that we had throughout the year along with the grade which I obtained and the topic that we covered. I don't really mind writing it down cause they're not that impressive.

Sem 2:

Week 1 - C - Mediastinum
Week 2 - B - Triangles of the Neck
Week 3 - A - Roots of Neck
Week 4 - Safe! - Flexor compartments of upper limb
Week 5 - Safe! - Wrist and hand
Week 6 - C - Extensor compartments of upper limb
Week 7 - A - Thigh (Anterior and medial)
Week 8 - Safe! - Gluteal region and thigh (Posterior)
Week 9 - Unknown - Leg, popliteal fossa, leg and foot
Week 10 - Unknown - Joints of the lower limb

In Sem 3, I decided to write down the names of my lecturers that assessed us for avenging purposes.

Sem 3:

Week 1 - Unknown - Abdominal Wall - BP

Week 2 - Unknown - GI tract - BP

Week 3 - Safe! - Pancreas, Gall Bladder, Liver - HS

Week 4 - Safe! - Posterior Body Wall, Kidneys, Diaphragm - LE

Week 5 - B - Bony Pelvis and Contents - WE

Week 6 - Safe! - Perineum - RG

Week 7 - B - Pelvic Organs - BR

Week 8 - Safe! - Back and Spinal Cord - BP

Week 9 - Safe! - Face, Jaw and Scalp - BR

Week 10 - B - Brain, Cranial Nerves, Skull - PR

Week 11 - Safe! - Oral Cavity, Nasal Cavity, Pharynx & Larynx - RG

Week 12 - Pending (it's this Thu) - Eye and Ear - RG (I think)

1 session is about 3 hours, thus 21 sessions means we've spent about 63 hours with the cadaver. Wow! And the very last session would be cadaver-less.

Anyway, it has been quite heck of a year. Truth be told, I enjoyed the dissections in the previous semester better. Truth be told, I'm scared that I might choose anatomy as my project for 3rd year. Cause I really like anatomy but I don't know, I never scored well.

Actually yesterday, I went to the funeral for the cadavers. My cadaver was scheduled to be cremated this morning but I didn't really have a friend to go with me today so I went to the funeral yesterday. Initially, I thought we'd be in a large room and we could see the fire being lit up as it engulfs the coffin. Me and my imagination~

It was quite pleasant I think. We all went into the chapel at the crematorium and sat to listen to the persons entitled to deliver the services. The interesting part is, our module convenor was one of the people and she was the last one. Cool giler!

"And surely to our Lord we must return."

(Az-Zukhruf, 43:14)

So, the coffins which were brought into the chapel were put behind the curtains and later, when the curtains were drawn and reopened, they vanished...

say my name

I have always wanted to make this post. I planned to do it on my next birthday but that would be another year to wait and by that time who knows? I might not see the world filled with butterflies and rainbows anymore. Kah3.

Anyway, here's a special post by Adlan Wafi:

and now, i have a friend in a nearby county who loves calling me wafi

At the time when I was little, I had always have people around me who call me by the name of Wafi - Mak, Ayah, Opah, Nenek, Atuk...well you get the idea. There were hardly no Adlan-callers :P So, you can tell why my expression lit up when people call me by the name of Wafi. So basically, I had always known by the name of Wafi until I got into primary school. That's the beginning of the era of Adlan.

Did you know that my colleagues in the University of Nottingham call me Wafi? They do actually and I have the tendency to introduce myself as Wafi in the UK just to ensure that Adlan won't dominate. Cause most of my friends call me Adlan and I do want some Wafi-callers around. Essentially, my family calls me Wafi so everytime I hear the name Wafi, it reminds me of home :)

Little did you know that I can remember the people who call me Wafi; cause this would fall under the category of sentimental events so I should have a good memory on that :P

And when people call me Wafi, it sure makes me feel good. I just love the sound of wafi, especially wafie. I just love phonetics! Thanks to Ms Nora Azany, ihik2. You see when people say Wafi, they're pronouncing ˈwɒfi and if you put an "e" at the end so it'll be Wafie, it would sound ˈwɒfiii (^^,)

Nicknames! Now, where do I start? In my life, I've encountered lots and lots of nicknames being thrown at me ranging from tabby cat to telur, and so many others like woff, cute, comel, botak (Irfan calls me botak when I start to become a nuisance to him :P). And not to forget, lan and wafer. I have to say, I've grown quite fond of the latter although I can't imagine being called by that on a daily basis.

Wafi! Call me by this name and you have a high chance of making my day :)

But I have to say that there are several past events which I find quite funny. For example:

HTAR - When I introduced myself as Wafi during CAS when I wanted to donate blood, the nurse exclaimed, "Wafi?? Kamu ni lelaki ke perempuan??" LOL

MRSM TGB - "Jangan panggil dia Wafi! Panggil dia Adlan!" Cikgu Mimi was just being protective I guess, haha. (Jasin students should know why she reacted this way) She gave this remark when other teachers in the Science Unit at the staffroom started calling me Wafi. Lots and lots of them. You can imagine myself in the state of euphoria when I hear my name floating in the air over and over again and I'm just filled with glee.

And I actually decided to publish this post now because of the recent events that took place in November...such as:

3rd - I changed my Facebook profile picture to my name written in khat by a friend from a nearby county who calls me Wafi =)

6th - I was walking along the roadside at Powerleague when someone hollered "WAFI!"  with a smile engraved on his face. Little did he know that he made my day =)

14th - Someone from afar who calls me Wafi dropped by my house to see me =)

21st - Someone (I do know who it was ) woke me up for Subuh by calling me Wafi =)

22nd - Overhearing a conversation via the phone when they refer to me by the name of Wafi =)

Frankly, I love greeting people by their name. It's simply a trait which I learned. Thanks to Ms Devasara, my Modern Mathematics teacher whom highlighted the importance of this little thing. It was one day in SSAAS when she came to the class for the 1st time and said, "Greet me by my name." It's interesting really, to greet people by their names. So I brought in the tradition to KMB (cause it was the first AND only time where I became a class rep, thus more power to influence the style of organisation in class ;P). So, it was fun and all to annunciate my teachers' names everytime they came and left the classroom despite the fact that Ms Iliani didn't like the idea. I bet she enjoyed it deep down inside, heh :P

I guess that is it. Call me adlan, call me wafi. I'm fine with both. You can even call me by my full forename - Adlan Wafi! Like how my Additional Mathematics teacher, Cikgu Juraida from Jasin would usually do. It sounds so cool when people call you by your full name! So that's the story of my name. I'm sure you have yours. Being me, adlan wafi...

teenage dream

Do you remember the time when you're a teenager?

You kinda have a list of possible future careers:

- a professional badminton player

- a renowned food critic

- a cool CSI agent

- a fit and healthy dietitian

- an articulate lawyer

And you even have this aspiration of getting married young so the age difference between you and your firstborn would not be that large, you're going to open up your own restaurant even if you already have a job just because you love the food industry, you'll be one of the most influential video makers and each of your masterpiece will touch the hearts of many, you want to memorize the Quran by heart, you planned to become a composer or a lyricist so you can produce songs that you had always wanted to sing but you can't because you don't have the gift, you wish to capture lots and lots of inspiring shots with the camera that you have or you hope that you would publish several creative writings just simply because you love to write and you're expressive in that way.

Yeah, the good old times huh? Well, I am impressed really with the human mind. We can have so many wishes especially when we were younger.

But really, what's so different now compared to back then? You're still you. And all those dreams were yours. Sorry, I meant all those dreams ARE yours, insyaAllah.

Did you get the point? Dreams will be dreams as long as you want them to be. You've dreamed them for so long; and it's about time to realize them =)

The Nottingham Advantage Award

Anyway, I'm gonna talk a bit about Nottingham since some of my readers complained that I talked too much about myself :P


Basically, I am now an Award student and thus, I'm gonna complete at least 3 modules during my stay in Nottingham before I graduate in the year 2014. And hopefully, I'll attain the Nottingham Advantage Award along with my double degree. So, my first module is:

Student Associate Scheme!

Actually, I got an email yesterday saying that I got the job, alhamdulillah =)))

I guess I'll be working alongside teachers then, at a local primary school with all those lovely kids (^^,)

I guess I'll be going back to classrooms then, the place where I had always enjoy spending time in (the place where i can actually focus unlike the lecture halls where i'd rather skip and study on my own).

I just can't wait to go back to school!

Frankly, I do relish my teenage years. I was aspired to go further, take a chance and don't ever look back...

smile

Long, long time ago, there was an innocent boy by the name of Wafi. He was at the hospital as his parents had just been blessed with another child; which means a little sister for little Wafi! It was at that time when he saw his Opah performing tahnik on Mira; and Wafi, being a curious young lad asked what that was for. Opah thought about the simplest thing to say to her little grandchild and remarked, "so that she would always smile". Little did Opah know that this past event was responsible of her grandson's well being in the present.

From that day forward, I promised myself that I shall smile to the rest of the world...

"Keep the smile" 

"You have a lovely smile"

"Aku suka dengan senyuman kau"

"Geez Adlan, can you please stop smiling?"

"Adlan, senyum la bagi nampak gigi" (my response - tak nak :P)

"Fill in the blank: Adlan Wafi Ramli has never been able to _____.

Stop smiling=)

"Kau banyak senyum, so aku akan panggil kau slimey smiley. Eh, tapi kau pon selalu senyum (while looking at another person who was also in that room)"

And the most popular,

"Adlan, asal kau senyum sorang-sorang?"

Last year, I got a text from my morale booster in Nottingham. "ok no wonder ***** tu ur friend. sama je dua-dua :P" Guess what? This is something that we both share :)

As I go along many phases of life, I apprehended the noteworthiness of smiling and learned that Rasulullah smiles a lot. That made me want to smile even more :)

It's not that hard really...to smile and all. Besides, I practised since I was a kid. Hehe.

(Just happen to love the colours in this photo)

I smile continuously...