First day of freedom

It's such an irony when you wake up early and don't feel tired at all on a day when you have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO OR WORRY ABOUT. Yes, the FIRST day of freedom after completing my degree :) An irony much? haha. Kalau tak, hari hari time exam tu malas la, nak demam la, penat la. The body just comes up with SO many excuses :P Too many sometimes that I get fed up of my own body. haha!

So anyway, I slept really late last night ( first night of freedom ), cleaning up my room, catching up on British got talent and afterwards spoke to PaMa and Abang, all 4 of us on Skype till bout close to 3 am. Magically, I woke up at 8 automatically FRESH! 

and the day began so well...Today was simply brilliant! All of us housemates went for a shopping spree at Westfield, but sadly, I only got myself a piece of shirt dress from Bershka, but my housies surely did get some amazingly beautiful clothes and shoes :)) I loved their purchase. Wished I was as small and could fit in nicely like them too. hehe....So I ended up spending my money on food instead (As usual), so what's new with Alia Ishak apart from food?I really need to detox all those exam consumption. Maybe tomorrow. hehe...I just drank a whole huge cup of ice-cream-plus-milk-and-oreo-cookies milkshake at shakeabout today. So sedap!

It's an amazing feeling to walk around having nothing to think about or worry. Really....except for the fact that I was thinking HEAVILY about tonight's Britains Got Talent FINALE. OMG!!! It was more tense than any BIGGEST/ MOST CRUCIAL exam I have ever sat for ok. Everyone was just glued to the tv for a good 3 and a half hours! Oh my.... We're crazy like that. hehe :) It is the finals after all. When the lines were open for voting, all of us just became SO KELAM KABUT about who to choose as all 10 finalist were simply the BOMB, we were rushing for the phone to place our votes. Well, maybe not so for Shaun Smith. Even Phoebe and I felt like we were in the SAME ROOM watching AT THE SAME TIME. How's that? :P

Personally, I loved DIVERSITY ( DUH! Can I dance like them please :) ), Aidan, Shaheen and JULIAN! He's such a motivater, I was simply in my own world when he was playing. Feeling all the motivation build up and thinking how it would be superb if I could just "repeat" and "replay" his act on the saxophone during those exam days. I'm sure I will find my papers easier. I think he's the next upcoming Kenny G la :)

Diversity pulak, memang brilliant tak ingat punyela! I think they'll rope in Aidan soon enough. I hope so.  Prior to the results, all of us were just staring at the tv and hoping and praying that Diversity would win and like I said, it was SO tense that when Diversity was announced the winner, we shouted our lungs out like as if WE WON! :)) haha!

Such an amazing first day of freedom indeed. Excellent.

One day of freedom checked. Next please :) Tomorrow! It's all about Haris, the Adlis, The Aziz and Angels and Demons.

University of London Alumni

I'm DONE!!! 

I just completed my statistical modelling paper, and that marks the end of my exam period in this final year! So yes. I'm done with my DEGREE!

I'm out of the Uni and into the University of London Alumni :):)

Final push, finally

14 hours and 30 minutes.

That's all I have left... Before I enter that hall for the very last time ( Hope so! Better be so! ) and 

16 hours and 30 minutes later.

I'll be out ( whether I'll be relieved or sulking, depending on the level of exam difficulty ) and SMILING the WIDEST SMILE EVER! 

Yes, I'm anticipating the time I walk out of the hall. Time to go all out and dance that final routine now. With the apparatus in hand when the music ends :)) InsyaAllah. Pray for me!

Ps : Atuk and Awe are here already from Malaysia! Whoopdeedoooo :)) They're all waiting at abang's in Ireland for me to come on Monday before we leave for France for a camping trip. YIPPEE!! A final year treat from Abang Aun :)) A camping trip in France with Atuk, Awe, Abang, Kak Azura and my darling nieces, Sofea and Reana.

Quack-ing around London town

Dinner on Friday night was the BOMB! Adli treated us to a massive duck rice dinner. Yum yum! Clearly, because that seemed like the first halal duck rice shop in London, so we got a wee bit excited! So, don't even start asking what we ordered. I think we ordered at least one thing on every page of the menu? haha! Gluttons we are, I know. After our orders came, this elderly lady next to us told her husband ( in english! Yes we understand ) that "Maybe it's normal in their generation eat THIS much". But oh well, it was like our first one, so it's excusable :P The aromatic roasted duck was to die for.  Ve-li se-dappp worrrr!

I think we hogged the restaurant for quite long, even after some has come and gone, we were still eating. Typical Malaysians kan kami kami ni. Sungguh! hehe :) and to think that this all started with Yan offering to cook a hearty chicken rice meal after my paper on Friday. So sweet of her. I agreed of course! :) After all, I just finished 2 papers in a row, it's friday and I was looking forward to playing with Haris and walk down the 7-days-6-nights memory lane with Yan too! In the end, the discovery of the halal duck rice shop tempted us instead.

Last Thursday I had one of the toughest Geometry paper just because. Well logically because time was against all of us, since previously out of 7 questions, students are to choose 4 to answer, whilst we had it worse this year. We had to answer ALL SEVEN OF THEM! How cruel...Well sometimes lecturers need to be cruel to be kind. hehe...If we need to answer all means we cannot spot questions, so we will come out more knowledgeable just because we HAD to study the extras, agree? haha :)

But a good friday more than made up for the stressful Thursday

, because the Algebra paper on Friday morning, the one I was most scared of in this final year, turned out to be one of the best, I felt, InsyaAllah. What more, after a good paper, Yan invited me over and I went to Yan's to play with Haris and catch up with Yan and then Pial came over (Stress over exams too like me, and Yan was our point of destress at that time) and off we went for some duck rice, the 4 of us, and two of Pial's friend's sisters, and good catch ups over dinner. From baby talks to working life, the upcoming summer hols and even "a website for bidding"! (Siape punye idea ni?) haha! and I'm going to spend much more time with Haris soon, yay! :) Babysitting Haris should be very nice coz he's just so adorable and sociable! Geram!! So whilst daddy go to work, and mummy has some work to do, I will play with Haris with the hope that he won't vomit on me. hehe

We just felt like we could quack after that... A good friday and a massive dinner! Thank you Adli. Happy thoughts and ending to the week it was :) I've got one more week of Uni and exams left now, time to power through, after having gone through 4 weeks, I can go through this last one! Next destination you'd see me in would be the pretty canal by the college, swimming and celebrating the end of Uni. ( A senior's idea of celebrating, seriously *hint hint* ). 

Mama pulak said to make it easier, "Next week suruh Yan message you". LOL!  I'm such an easy target to motivate. Haih...She does know me best :) Mothers do. Always.

7 days and 6 nights

It has come and gone in a glimpse. A wonderful period of time, especially when all you need during an exam period is familiarity-love.

So Aizat and Ili arrived for a stop-over in London after his competition in Bulgaria, and wasn't I glad that they made it here, AT LAST! After anticipating since many months back when abang used to be with General Electrics Italy. We did a countdown starting the day after I left Malaysia on the 11th of April :P Excited ber-iya. Like as if mase easter hari tu tak cukup. haha!

What we did during those 7 days and 6 nights was just about EVERYTHING! I don't think I can finish typing all of em down if I were to list it here anyway, so I won't even start. It was an amazing that-one-week-whilst-AizatIli-were-here-I-had-the-MOST-exam-papers week. There you go...what a mouthful.

The greatest most significant thing was when I created a HISTORY. A history of GOING OUT DURING AN EXAM MONTH like as if I had none. *faints* 

I might have accidentally thought I'm Albert Einstein kan?

The day they arrived, I was filled with many questions and guilts before going to meet the both of them who arrived in Gatwick from Varna coz I have a paper the next day. Ok, actually, Mama, daddy and abang were more worried than I was. HAHA! Talk about being overprotective. They're just amazing aren't they? Constantly worrying bout me. And wasn't I glad and thankful I did go, coz I was in love with my public economics paper the next day. It went well, Alhamdulillah. So I got both! I had fun the night before with good food and great company, and I had an ok paper to the next day :) An excellent deal

So I decided to fulfil abang's wish and also on the way get some Hummingbird cupcakes for the Adlis and Amdans. It's Ili's favourite after all. The night before, Yan gave me her address ( Ili's best friend of 11 years whom Ili and Aizat stayed over with in London. Including me! haha! and to think that that was my first time meeting Yan ok! ). And in no time, it was just me, with the Adlis ( Yan, Adli, Lil Haris and Babu), the Amdans and many catching ups and Ikan bakar special Yan and Jason Adli and Aizat Mraz jamming their lungs out. The warmth and familiarity...Motivated me :) I'm weird that way, I know. We stayed up till bout 2 am, and GOSH! Did Adli and I forget that we have exams tomorrow?! GILER AH! It's worse for Dr Adli who has 2 papers the next day. I only had one and there I was thinking, I will kill myself if I cannot do my paper tomorrow whilst Adli was calmly playing WOW. haha...Boys were born smart weren't they? It says it all in Adli, or he wouldn't have been the Doctor at St Mary's that he is today, would he.

The wonderful two 

and finally, I have someone who has something in common with me. Someone from Queen Mary who is NOT DOING MEDICINE OR DENTISTRY. Nik Izyan Mahmood. Yan's amazing indeed! Full of warmth and love, she made me feel like I've known her for long eventhough that was my first time stepping foot into flat 8, at Oxford street ( Danger Zone betul! ) and being introduced to her and the little bundle of love, Ak Nik Haris Adli. Their 2 month old gem. They're such an awhhh-some two, Yan and Adli. Btw, I stayed at Yan's house for the whole 7 days and also another day after Ili left back for home.

Imagine, I came at 7.30, and by 10, we were comfortably lazing on the couch looking at her wedding albums, high school days pictures whilst the boys sang and played many many songs, and catching up like old friends. That's how welcoming their family is.  Thooothweeet please :)

So i went to bed, feeling like I was back at home in Malaysia, but this time, I felt like I was sleeping over at Ili's instead of just the usual visit to her house with abang to play Wii or watch movies and 'makan atas bukit' with her and Cuki, Alif and Aizat or even play with anak anak Iris, with a smile and instead of falling asleep, we ended up talking about graduate jobs and opportunities. not until an hour later that we decided to take the day off and get some rest.

So for 7 days, 6 nights,

- I wake up and shower

- See Yan, Adli and Lil Haris before I leave for Uni

- Pulls myself away from getting sidetracked by the street that I have to take in order to catch the train to Uni, that had many distraction. Oxford street.

- Library was my destination

- Getting random motivational messages from Ili and Yan before an exam ( coz they know I'm weird that way. hehe... )

- Come back home to Yan's and either we'll be cafe hunting. Laduree visiting, shopping-street-walks, games night in, or just being plain happy being in their company.

- Play and spoil the cutest baby boy Ak Nik Haris, yang so comellll and handsome, so geram.

...and to be truthfully honest,'distractions' like these, further motivated me to study everyday and turned out, my papers went ok, Alhamdulillah :) I know it's weird. Yan, Ili and Adli thought so too :P

p/s : A day before Ili's flight back home, Yan, Ili and I were sitting in Laduree having tea, and I think it must have been the macarons. Coz Yan and I got pretty excited bout realizing Ili's wishes not wanting to go back, we EXTENDED HER TICKET! :P hehe... Giving her more chores to tell Aunty Fina and abang bout her stay, more motivation for me and more according-to-mama-"Your happiness is Abang's misery" moments.

The history I created for myself was indeed a fruitful beneficial one, thanks to them

Ili, Yan, Adli, Aizat, Lil Haris and Babu :)

Poof!

I think it's the exam period....and I also think I've been spoilt for the past one week. Spoilt oh-to-the-max with constant familiarity. Oh well...

I don't have that many more days to go. I know it's just the feelings that is getting the better of me. But I must say, their presence was so significant that it motivated me to study and I found papers last week not as cruel as I thought it would be.

Ili and Aizat came on Monday last week, stayed in London till Sunday. In which I have been staying at Yan's the whole week with them. An amazing family full of love and warmth :) Yan, Adli, Lil Haris and babu :) Thereafter, on Monday when I am supposed to start being on my own....Abang Aun came to visit and we went around London town Japanese food hunting, added with a lil bit of Abercrombie & Fitch and lil visits to the Apple store. So Abang's style, and of course whilst at it, he got me an Apple accessory and now I can call home using my iPod touch! Shankks abang. ( Not to mention how Adli and Yan has also turned me into an Apple application junky!! GAH! hehe... ) Oh technology! :):)  Abang has just left back for Ireland.  So today...felt like my first day away from home. I miss them all.  

Note to self : Do not study whilst listening to Adli and Aizat jam and sing their hearts out...DOESN'T HELP.

They're here!

Adli, Ili, Yan, Aizat

 First night dinner with Hummingbird cupcakes, Ikan bakar and jamming sessions :) Bliss!

2 Hours, 3 Questions and a Plaster

NEVER EVER try to be smart and do everything that you did ( read: wrote ) for the past ONE MONTH, in half a day! That's pure insanity.

Not that I got anything extra seeing that the exam is just countable minutes away. Instead, a numbness feeling in the fingers and a swollen thumb, covered in a plaster and hours away from and Investment Analysis paper. Oh Alia, Why?

It's only natural though that you try to brainstorm your brain before exams, righttttt? Don't lie! Pffftt.

But writing it down? I suggest light reading before the final paper is more than sufficient...or you'll be going to the hall for a 2 hour written exam, to complete 3 compulsory absolutely long questions with a freaking plaster that's annoyingly uncomfortable holding your fat thumb together. not to mention...the torture Alex had to go through listening to me groan and twiddle with my thumb. HAHA! 

But now, I WAS 2 hours, 3 questions and a plaster away....