It's been a year!

Dear All,

It's been a year now since I enrolled myself as a research student at QUT. Time really flies. 12 months of ups and downs, the joy and laughter, the sorrows and tears and I must say that the whole journey is like a real roller coaster ride.

What have I achieved so far? Hmmm... not much, but hey-look at the followings- which otherwise may not be attained if I don't enroll as a PHD student here at QUT; (aren't they considered as achievements too)?

I have produced a book chapter - I am so proud of myself for this
My article has been published
My abstract(s) has been accepted to an international conference(s)
I have my "adik beradik sepusat sepusing" - and brizzy kiddos whom I adore so much~ farhana, aqil, mardiah, najmi, zahim, izwah, aiman, mia, alya, ammar, hanna, hamzah
I make new friends from all over the globe - Ausies, Sri Lankan, Singaporean, Turkish, Chinese, Iranian, Indian, Brazilian
I feel much closer to my husband and my family- guess this is what they called as "absence makes the hearts grow fonder"
I have read (printed and downloaded-more likely) tonnes and tonnes of journal papers and articles
I am an avid public transport user - I am more environmentally conscious now, I am sad when they almost cut down a big tree behind my flat.
I have polished my cooking skills- I baked my own cakes and cookies, and the MYRESEPI url is a must visit daily
I discover new hobbies - blog hopping, internet surfing is my daily routine; i did some online shopping too..hehe
I am becoming a more tech savvy person- i-phone, wii, facebooking, wifi, lappy, blue rays <-- they are my best buddies now
I am polishing my writing skills, and the vocabs too
I read Quran almost everyday - and thanks to the digital Quran from i-tunes

And more importantly, I feel much closer to Allah the Almighty. And I guess - the solitude has made me a stronger person ever, internally. I am still an old me, but I feel much stronger inside. Oh Allah - I am so grateful for this.

Bukankah Kami telah melapangkan untukmu dadamu?,
Dan Kami telah menghilangkan dari padamu bebanmu,
yang memberatkan punggungmu?
Dan Kami tinggikan bagimu sebutan (nama)mu.
Karena sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan,
sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.
Maka apabila kamu telah selesai (dari sesuatu urusan), kerjakanlah dengan sungguh-sungguh (urusan) yang lain,dan hanya kepada Tuhanmulah hendaknya kamu berharap.


Maka nikmat Tuhan kamu yang manakah yang kamu dustakan?