Getting Sinovac (CoronaVac) Vaccine @ MITEC, Kuala Lumpur : A “Jihad” for the Ummah (In The Name of Herd Immunity).

It has been more than a year now since COVID-19 first reached our shore. I recalled vividly the first few cases in Wuhan, China when several people suddenly collapsed and died circa December 2019. At that time, my sister and I were already about to venture our European trip & we prayed that everything would be alright (and not cancelled!) until the end of our wanderlust journey. Fast forward to 2021, cases in Malaysia are reaching the alarming phase after the Sabah State election last year – I am not going to comment much on it as there are so many cybertroopers and political fanatics who won’t think twice but simply bash anything they read as antagonistic against their own stances; now Malaysian government is implementing its National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme with the mission to get as many Malaysians as possible to be vaccinated so that herd immunity would be achieved. 

The vaccination digital certificate issued by the Malaysian government. 

Like many good Malaysians “marhaen” (Plain People), I too registered my name in the MySejahtera mobile application circa February 2021. Three months passed by without any hint my name would be called upon soon – a few colleagues who are tagged as those prone to comorbidities were given privilege getting earlier jabs. Then, there were for the Frontliners and defense force teams; and then leaders of public organizations; then the politicians (which I still don’t understand although the reason given was that they “serve” the people and thus will constantly be outside of their residences – BUT, they should ask themselves and their accountability to God – have they been really serving the Rakyat?); and then there were few questionable news that celebrities were using shortcuts to get their jabs, etc.

The vaccination centre (PPV) at MITEC, KL. The venue is spacious; the Frontlienrs were professional – it was a smooth-flowing process. 

Well, after so many complaints in the social media (I think that is the good channel as these days, viral is powerful AND whistleblowers can never be denied anymore like they used to be during the days of pre-social media, no?) and mixed reception by the public, government decided to open slots for the AstraZeneca vaccines circa May 2021 – with the concept of “first come, first served”. With the registration website crashed and unwarranted brouhahas circulated in the social media leaving many people frustrated including my sister and I, our only hope was to wait and wait and wait faithfully. Nevertheless, we were thankful that our parents were already vaccinated in Jitra, Kedah as the elder citizens. Being the independent pensioners, Alhamdulillah both my parents were able to manage themselves to go through the vaccination process alone – assisted by the health officers there – unlike other parents who are very much dependent on their children due to illiteracy, etc. 

Since I was too shy to record or taking that “live moment” while I was injected with Sinovac as I found it awkward and kinda “mengada-ngada” (I didn’t want to cause discomfort to the doctor!), I asked permission to snap a picture of the vaccine bottle that is licensed to our local Pharmaniaga. LOL! The doctor was alright with that. 

So, four months after my registration – on 14th June 2021; which was on Monday. I was busy preparing my lesson videos for the online classes I was about to have for my 5 Samudera (English) and Year 4 (Moral Education). I have been reading in Facebook that several people tried their luck to “keep refreshing their MySejahtera profiles every two hours” as there were possibility that our names to be included to replace those who did not turn up or refuse the vaccination slots offered to them! As corny, cliche and baseless assumption as it sound, I did that just to ease myself – I mean, I’ve got nothing to lose, right? So while waiting for the videos to be completely uploaded and encoded online, I nonchalantly refreshed the MySejahtera profile and – OMG!!! I saw my name in the vaccination slot for the first dose! AND it stated that I was supposed to get my jab that day itself at 10.00 a.m. when it was already circa 10.45 a.m.! SHIT!!! It was all topsy-turvy and very rushing! So many things to do within that so little time:

• I settled the two videos for my pupils (with online hiccups, it took me around an extra hour to settle that! Out of all days for hiccups! LOL!);
• I messaged my Headmaster asking for “Kebenaran Keluar Dari Stesyen Bekerja”

By the time I was ready to make my way out for MITEC, KL (vaccination center), it was already 12.30 p.m. I have to say that with all the sudden news, I was agitated and anxious. Felt like I couldn’t drive – I was nervous! But of course, I could not rely to anyone – I had to drive the car on my own, no? So, plucked up the courage and drove to MITEC from the idyllic Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor. Thankfully, I only encountered one road block as I was about to enter KL from Selayang. I arrived there circa 1.30 p.m. The process was all smooth. I wanted so badly to take picture of me getting the jab but then I thought it was too “mengada-ngada” and I didn’t want to cause any discomfort to the doctor. Haha! But of course, the doctor was professional and nice to me. 

LOL! I had that feeling of being “beautiful” after first being jabbed with Sinovac – hence the Selfie! Probably another placebo; psychological effect. Haha! I haven’t peruse any academic journal on that, though. Anyone finds anything on that “perah-santan” mood? Haha!

I managed to drive my way back to Batang Kali without any major glitch! The first few days of the first dose, I felt that my body became somewhat warmer – but no to the extend of catching a fever; thanks to the Panadols (paracetamol). I also experienced fatigue and drowsiness. Nevertheless, I was lucky that I did not experience any joint pain like what I’ve heard and read from my friends’ experiences. On 5th July 2021, I got my second dose of Sinovac and this time around, I was already prepared mentally and physically. Alhamdulillah, so far the symptom of the vaccination is somewhat milder in comparison to the first one – but I cannot deny that the URGE TO EAT is eminent! Hahahaha! So, my weight fluctuates from 59 kg to 57.9 kg to 58.3 kg and 58.8 kg! Well, yeah at this age – every decimal point is essential! Haha! I guess we all should remember that getting vaccine does not mean that we are all invincible towards the virus! It only serves as the final filter in our bodies – thus, we have to abide the rules; follow the SOPs and practice social-distancing. Have y’all heard a hadith by At-Tarmizi about how we should not simply “rely to the fate” but to practice “curb is better than to cure”? :-

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, the hadith outlines the story of a Bedouin man who was leaving his camel without tying it. The Prophet (PBUH) asked him “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then replied, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in Allah.”

The timeline of my vaccination. I think there are still some people out there who thought that Pfizer is the “most powerful vaccine” with its promotional info on 95% efficacy. I, myself was bought into that as well. However, as I read, I noticed that these different vaccines were tested in different countries (hence, different population) during different times. Hence, the many existing local variables may contribute to the efficacy rate. And with the uprising mutation of the virus (new variants), it is likely that the “efficacy rate” become insignificant. The best option for us, as right now, is to get vaccinated, regardless of any vaccine (Of course if you want to boast to those who are insufficient in knowledge that you got the valuable Pfizer; it is all your prerogative! Haha!)

Hopefully one day, everything will be back to normal and we are to be reunited with our loved ones, once again. Amin YRA. 

Being 37 Years Old @ A Late Bloomer to Rumi : My “3 Minutes Thesis” Competition Story – From Faculty to University to National Levels.

This is my first entry for this year! OMG! I used to be an avid blog writer. Hahaha but I guess as age is catching up (though the heart still feels young!), the drive to document everything fades. LOL! But, I am still the same person – with more enriched life experiences and colours (that is the way I see myself, at least). Anyway, it has already been a month now that I am a legit 37 years old! Gosh, time flies, innit? Since Malaysia is having its lockdown and especially Selangor with its PKPD, everything is just “Seindah Biasa”, I guess. Anyway, just a quick dash on a side-dish. By the end of December 2020 until earlier May this year, I’ve developed a certain “affinity” towards a person in a way very unlikely me. Let’s be honest, my style usually initiated with promiscuity and naughty flirtations. But I was drawn to this person for the intellectual magnet and bibliophilia. Through this person, I was introduced to wise philosophers I used to pay no heed prior to this such as Rumi. I felt there was some sort of spiritual connectivity (as opposed to the usual physical ‘thang’ I am used to) and I felt at peace. However, I noticed that things started to turn cold after Ramadhan and of course being me, I wrote what I felt. I still don’t know what went wrong but I could only guess that it has something to do with the red tapes of taboos and Status Quo. The reply was diplomatic (I am good in reading between the lines!) but I sensed that ‘the time has come to put a stop’. It was bewildering as it was not even a physicality-connection but I was devastated because this person somehow inspired me to make it good and achieve things in the scholarly world & I was drawn by the humility of that ‘Kampung” origin despite being one of the honchos of the industry. For the first time, I was initially drawn to a person not because of the physical attraction; so it was kinda pure for me. But then it was what it was. I can’t deny that I still basking for some sort of recognition or presence every time I announce any of my little victorious moments, hoping to get signs that this person is seeing me from afar like it was used to be – but I guess everyone has his/her own reason to bail out. Like who am I to say “No”, right? Life goes on though it is kinda hard because for me it was pure. But alas, heartbreaks inspired Rumi to be a great poet, no? Sigh. 

Secured the 2nd place in Faculty level (FBMK, UPM). Can you see the Teacher’s Room as the background? I had to ask permission from my GPK1 and the help of my colleagues to look after the Pendidikan Moral class. Tried to focus while my colleagues audibly chatting! Haha!

Anyway, this blog is to focus on my experience in participating the “3 Minutes Thesis” Competition. Last year, my supervisor suggested to me to participate as he could see the potential with my communication skill but unfortunately the competition was pun on halt due to the COVID-19 lockdown 1.0. So this year when the advertisement was issued, I told my SV that I wanted to participate the competition although I was a bit skeptical on how to construct the narration on my rhetorical analysis of speech so that it would sound interesting. I then recalled in either a communication book or journal that past Greek scholars often compared persuasion strategies (since rhetorical communication / persuasive communication derived from ancient Greek) to monstrous creatures. I remember Plato described :-

• in “Phaedrus” that speech was like a living creature with head, body and feet;
• in “Republic”, human’s appetitive parts (desire) was likened to Hydra, the many-headed Greek mythical creature

So initially I thought of incorporating Hydra as the metaphor to the three Canons of Rhetoric (Inventio, Dispositio and Elocutio) but then I was also aware that not everyone was into Greek mythology, right? Then I remember “Godzilla” and coincidentally, the newer version was released earlier this year so Godzilla should be the more recognizable “monster” in comparison to Hydra! Since the competition was about explaining your research to the laypeople, I decided to use the contemporary Godzilla as opposed to the mythical, classic Hydra – as the analogical monster mirroring to the three Canons of Rhetoric related to my research.

Haha! My amateurish ala cut-and-paste slide for my faculty level competition! Well, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do to persuade the audience, no? Haha!

So circa March 2021, I entered the faculty level (Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, FBMK) and managed to get the second place! I remembered that on Monday, FBMK called me around 10.30 a.m. that they wanted me to participate the Zoom session at 11.00 a.m. I told them that it would not be possible because I was at school and about to have my Pendidikan Moral class with the ever-active Year 4 pupils at 10.50 a.m.! The FMBK officer was adamant as she said I needed to be in the presence for the briefing if I were to win the competition. Thankfully, my PK Pentadbiran, Cikgu Shamsul and my colleagues were willing to tolerate and helped me out with the class (talk about the struggle of pursuing PhD while working full time! The schedule always collides!). Initially, I thought that only the first winner was to represent the faculty but it turned out that all the three winners would represent the faculty for the university level. 

The new polished slide by Kakak! Impressive, right? I am such a noob! Haha! So after comments from the faculty level, I’ve roped the help of Kakak to upgrade my slide. She is such a gem! Love you, Kakak! The victory is not just mine – for both of us the Ramli Siblings, actually!

The UPM “3 Minutes Thesis” Competition – university level was held circa April 2021. This time around, I enlisted the help of my sister, the IT maestro (hahaha!) to help me with the solo slide to be shown throughout my presentation! Hahaha! Kakak was simply a Guru in this – my previous slide was really a “noob” (cut-and-paste amateur! Haha!). Her slide exuded that ambiance of professionalism. Thanks Kakak! There were 25 participants from all over UPM and the session was divided into two rounds. I make it to the second round with 12 participants competing against each other. During the Question-and-Answer session, the Head Panelist enquired:- 

1. How am I going to gauge that the audience were really swayed / persuaded by Tun Mahathir’s usage of Elocutio (Style) of rhyming?
2. Using Godzilla was confusing as it connotates notoriety and to affiliate it with Tun Mahathir is not compatible. What is the relevance to the research?

Being me, I was so ever eager to trump my way out (purely because of the Prize Money! Haha!). So, I adamantly told that my research is using Neo-Aristotelian rhetorical analysis which is a classic methodology and it only concerns with the way the speaker to construct his/her speeches in a most convincing way.The Head Panelist obviously was there to grill me – “So what about the audience?” In my most “ready-for-battle” momentum, I said that the classical approach purely concerns on the speaker him/herself; however, the contemporary rhetorical analyses would be more comprehensive in encompassing the perspective of the audience. I also added that – since past rhetorical analyses research in Malaysia predominantly used Neo-Aristotelian, then it was decided that the methodology suits with my research and the question was actually out of my research spectrum! Well, it was quite a heated discussion – and later Kakak who watched the session live told me that I seemed a bit ‘pompous’ and should ‘toned down the arrogance” and exercised diplomacy. Haha! With the second place, I have secured RM800. Well, we are living in a material world! 

I was shocked but thankful because my aim was more on the money. Haha!

Throughout May 2021, the three of us were given 7 times of virtual coaching sessions by the UPM School of Graduate Studies. Associate Prof. Dr. Noritah Omar was appointed as our coach. Initially, it was planned that we were to have our last coaching session face-to-face with Dr. Noritah and then had our recording session by the professionals at SGS but we had to cancel the idea as Malaysian Government abruptly announced the Movement Control Order 3.0. In the end, I had to do my own recording in my own home in Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor and sent it to Encik Hafiz, the SGS Officer via Telegram. Under Dr. Noritah’s coaching, I was asked to “tone down” my naturally-animated style of presentation and also to enunciate each word clearly as this was after all, a professional presentation. Maybe because I was so used to my story-telling persona! It was also tedious as I had to prepare 5 videos to be selected by them – but it was worthwhile experience. Thanks Dr!

The coaching sessions with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noritah Omar. Well, my favourite is the black Batik. Heck, I even wore it during my National Level Question-and-Answer session. LOL!

So on 9th of June 2021, the National Level of “3 Minutes Thesis” Competition was conducted via Zoom due to the MCO 3.0. Well, in a way it was “luckily” because I didn’t have to apply for a day off from my Headmaster in school. There were approximately 50 PhD candidates and we were then segregated into separate rooms according to our own category; I am with Social Science, Akhlisah with Engineering and Dr. Diana with Science. For my own category, the 16 Social Science participants were divided into 4 clusters and then each winner would make it to the second round. After the lunch break circa 2.30 p.m., the session resumed and the final round participants were announced. The three of us made it to the final!

The contestants and crews. I noticed Professor Dr. Kamila Ghazali is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) of Universiti Malaya there as she is an expert in rhetoric and she wrote about Mahathir’s rhetorical devices as well but from the perspective of Critical Discourse (CDA). I however, look from the perspective of Neo-Aristotelian. I was excited to see her as I cited her in my Literature Reviews. 

I’ve noticed we were told that the elements of Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) are to be taken into account for deliberation of winners. I also noticed that the participant from UM who finally emerged as the winner emphasized during the Question-and-Answer session that her research on the taboos of female circumcision was relevant to SDGs. When I heard that, I was like -“Ohhh, shit! How am I going to sway my Tun Mahathir’s persuasion strategies to fit into that SDGs mould??” And to tell the truth, I didn’t even know what were SDGs all about (I know!! Haha!) up until this UM contestant talked about it AND by the time I’ve finished googling the information, it was too late as my turn was up next and I didn’t have time to concoct the “swaying plan”. Haha! So, I thought – What the heck? Just go with the flow! So, the Question-and-Answer session was conducted by the emcee; and I wasn’t sure whether the answers given would be taken into consideration as part of our marks. Since I remember that Kakak told me to “tone down” my “combative alter ego” as per the one I demonstrated during the UPM level, I opted to be more casual and projected sense of naivety. I was asked by the emcee:-

• Did you incorporated those persuasion strategies implemented by Tun Mahathir into your presentation just now?

My answer wasn’t serious and I giggled like a child (a tactic I used when I tried to feign innocence). I didn’t specifically singled out any rhetorical devices – alliteration, anaphora to support my answers so that they would look “professional”. In my mind, I thought this was just a filler session before the turn for the next contestant. After my session, I noticed that the other contestants were treating the Question-and-Answer session like VIVA! They were adamant to share the technical jargons and philosophy of their research and that somehow unveiled the sophistication of their research! Bummer! But I also could not deny that their research do sound more “sophisticated” as opposed to mine – though, yeah, people keep telling that be proud of your research title, no? Haha!

Third place in Social Science category on National Level of “3 Minutes Thesis”. I think OKlah. Haha.

The UPM poster. I am glad I have contributed something to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) as a student. 

In the end, it was somewhat a joyful thing that the three of us managed to claim a spot in the Top Three for each category. It was also a great contribution as a PhD student who works full time as a primary school teacher to clinch such accolade. At least, this should be a PhD memory of mine for UPM and hopefully will inspire and motivate me to keep walking along this PhD journey with its ups and downs. Amin YRA. 

The Star excerpt dated 4th July 2021. A good zenith as finale for this whole 3 months journey of Malaysian “3 Minutes Thesis” competition.

The Year 2020 : A Capsule of Colours : My PhD Thesis & Articles, Death of A Friend, 7 Books Read & Gratefulness During COVID-19 Pandemic.

So today is 31st December 2020. Marks the last day of the year 2020. For Malaysians especially 90s kids like me, the year 2020 was pictured as the year where Malaysia would achieve its ambition to be a modern sophisticated country; a brainchild vision of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad which was unveiled in 1991 encompassing a 30-years-plan with projection that each year, the country’s GDP was to be circa 7% consecutively. However with 1997 financial crisis and 2008 credit crunch and COVID-19 pandemic 2019-2020, that ambitious Vision 2020 was considered to be a failure. As kids, we used to visualize that there would be flying cars and robots living with us in the year 2020 but instead that fantasy was greeted with the lethal virus! Haha!

The  images we were used to visualize for the Year 2020 – as 90s kids!

After the Movement Control Order commenced in March 2020 until October 2020, Malaysia was considered to be one of the world’s best in confining the widepsread of COVID-19. Nevertheless, maybe God SWT wanted to teach us lesson; wanted to remind the power-hungry leaders (but proved to no avail, I see!) – Wallahualam. On September 26, Sabah held its state election despite Semporna dubbed as “Little Wuhan” as so many people reported to be infected. Of course with politicians flooding in Sabah to “support their parties”, they brought along entourages of “side-kicks” as well. And once these people travelled back to Peninsular, the nightmare began. It was the dawn of COVID-19 Third Wave. And as of today, 2525 positive cases were reported with that being the highest number ever announced in Malaysia. Hope that the new year will bring better news for all of us. Amin.

Anyway, as for myself; Alhamdulillah. I am so grateful that I am not affected financially by the pandemic. Being a government school teacher, the quality of life is unscathed. My heart goes out to people who are working in aviation industry (pilots, stewards, stewardesses), hoteliers / tourism industry players or those who are doing SMEs businesses – this pandemic has jeopardized their lives. People lost their jobs, business operations were downsized and negative profit margins started to take a toll upon the entrepreneurs. All these humbled me and make me reflect more about the situation – and honestly, I feel blessed and grateful. I pray that those who are affected will be able to make their ways out from the mess. I know that it is easier said than done – but the least I could do is to offer a Doa. Amin.

Condolences. You will be missed, Francis. We will be with you, chica.

Another sad news I received this year was the death of Francis, Kat’s husband on 19th November 2020. After a year battling esophageal cancer, he passed on. Efy (Efisius) and I had been following the routine of his treatments in Korea via WhatsApps and we often chatted with Kat while she was in the hospital accompanying Francis. That was the least we could do as friends. Hence, it was no far-fetched to say that we were so affected by the news – we became somewhat demotivated and dispirited (Efy also confessed that to me) and for me, I couldn’t sleep properly for almost 3 days. Our hearts go out to our dear chica, Kat. Certainly, it was not an easy feat to arrange for a sick person to fly out from South Korea back to Malaysia especially during the times of pandemic. However both Kat and Francis were strong-willed couple. They managed to weather the arduous 6 hours-long journey especially Francis who was eager to be back home. Nevertheless after a week in Institut Kanser Negara (IKN) and with Kat forced to be quarantined, Francis’ condition deteriorated. To cut the story short, he was buried in Kuching on the same day as his birthday which was on 23rd November 2020. There were so many heart-breaking episodes along the way but I guess let that just be our secrets. As a friend and a brother, I pray that Kat would be able to recoup her loss. Amin.

Co-authored a psychology paper that was published in Asian Journal of Psychiatry entitled “Psychosocial Support for Healthcare Frontliners during COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia” with DOI 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102272.

Anyway, what about my own achievement? Well;

• My PhD thesis is going well ( I think!) and I am in the process of analyzing the data as well as making corrections on previous chapters as well (you know qualitative research with the emergent ideas popping out, like daisies!). I have faith, Insya ALLAH;

• My articles? Well, I have been working on two articles during the MCO and unfortunately they were rejected by many journals (I have to say that initially, I was feeling very demotivated by that but after a while I got the hang of that “normalcy”!). As of today, I am still waiting for the final verdict for these two articles from external examiners from yet another two journals. So, I’ll just have to wait next year. On top of that, I have also contributed to a psychology paper that was published in Asian Journal of Psychiatry entitled “Psychosocial Support for Healthcare Frontliners during COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia” with DOI 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102272. Well, yes my name was also included but I didn’t play big part in it. Simply put, it was just more on the cosmetic aspect – language, terminology, etc. Don’t get me wrong! I was grateful for the opportunity but yes, it would be more satisfying to see my own ideas to be published, no? But my sister said that “a small achievement is also an achievement” and therefore I should be happy for this, too. I guess she’s right!

 

And so, to recap whether I’ve achieved my 2020 KPI based on my blog entry dated 3rd January 2020 https://undomiel84.wordpress.com/2020/01/03/shahrill-ramlis-vision-2020-personal-kpis-healthy-lifestyle-of-a-phd-candidate-primary-school-teacher-avid-bookworm-amateur-fun-runner-addicted-wanderlust/ :-

• To publish my second article in journals; – (only as co-author; still waiting for the verdict of my two articles).
• To attend 2 conferences; – (I didn’t attend any conference due to MCO COVID-19).
• To give my best to my school responsibilities – teaching Science for Year 4; and English for Year 5 and Year 6 – (Alhamdulillah, I feel that I have diligently carry out my task as teacher throughout 2020).
• To read at least 5 books from authors around the world (YES!!! I have read 7 BOOKS this year – “The Myth of the Lazy Native” by Syed Hussein al-Alatas; “The Garden of Evening Mists” by Tan Twan Eng”; “Uncle Tom’s Cabins” by Harriet Beecher Stowe; “Legends of Condor Heroes” by Jin Yong; “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins”; “Sex and Vanity” by Kevin Kwan; “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman)
• To join two running events; (I did not join)
• To travel either local or abroad (Countless of local wanderlust – but no abroad trip due to COVID-19).

On whole, I am quite satisfied with my 2020 KPI given the circumstances. May 2021 brings more good news. Amin.

Shahrill Ramli Is 36 Years Old @ The Year 2020 : A Grateful Caterpillar In The Chrysalis.

I am now a legit 36 years old! Thanks to Mak and Ayah for all the food galore – Laksa, Nasi Ayam and Durians. I try not to upload the pictures as sometimes I feel like such sharing would offend those who have been missing their own demised parents. Gasp! Last year, I celebrated my birthday by doing a spiritual journey to Seoul, South Korea during Ramadhan. It feels surreal to even reach the Year 2020 when my childhood was all focused on this year as Malaysia under Tun Mahathir had launched Vision 2020 in 1991. Thus, Malaysians were encapsulated with the ideas that Malaysia would be a modern nation by the Year 2020 – which was not impossible; if it wasn’t for the 1997 financial crisis and other global threats. I really hope I could finish my thesis write-up by this year or next year. The clock is ticking, really!

A 36 years old. Can I still use the name “childlike” for this blog? Haha!

Today also marks the 76th day of Movement Control Order (now elevated into Conditional) which is set up due to COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, we are at the fourth phase of the MCO and so far, Malaysia has done very well! Alhamdulillah and kudos to the Ministry of Health! It is during this very time that we feel VERY LUCKY that we are Malaysians and I heard that hundreds of Malaysians who are residing abroad are planning to “come back”. Well, who am I to question such – but I guess other average Malaysians could not contain their disgust as well. But then still, even after all the “Malaysia-sucks-while-countries-abroad-are-better” comparisons, Malaysia still opens her arms. Politically wise, Malaysia is having another dark period involving subsequent drama of Sheraton Move. I used to be very candid in my blog about politics – perhaps I will write more once I am back to Batang Kali, tomorrow – with Rifqi.

Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, our national unsung hero during this COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you Dr and to all Malaysian health practitioners!

The feud. Muhyiddin Yassin Vs Tun Mahathir. I will write on this in upcoming entry, Insya ALLAH. 

So far during these 2 months of MCO, I have completed two articles and I have been corresponding with my supervisor, Prof Muati through WhatsApps and emails. We have been sending the two articles to various Rhetoric Journals but so far most of them are futile missions. Still, never lose hope. If the current submission do not crystallize, we would try the local ones. I hope that these two papers would get to be published although I already have one paper published last year. The first paper is on Ustaz Azhar Idrus’s rhetoric and the second one is about Muhyiddin Yassin. Hopefully, they would be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tedious. But hey, every academic experiences this. Publish or perish?!

Becoming 36 years old seems surreal. Yes, although I don’t really look like my age; the reality is as the reality does. I still have another 4 years to go prior to becoming a 40 years old! Haha! But I actually like growing older. I realize that the old cliche expression that “age makes you wiser” is true. I have noticed some changes in the way I think and the way I speak in comparison to my then-self 10 years ago. I have also become more realistic and practical – although deep down that inner childlike positivity still keeps me energetic! I know that even after securing PhD, it is not going to be easy to penetrate the university to become a Communication Lecturer especially with the recent pandemic. Still, I rather focus on the PhD first. Amin. Hopefully, everything is going to be OK.

Amin.

On whole, I think the essence of now as a 36 years old is that Shahrill Ramli embodies that sense of being grateful. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful for my parents. I am grateful for my career. I am grateful for my financial independence. I am grateful that ALLAH SWT has been kind to me although as a plain human, I do sometimes led astray, away from the Path. But I think, the struggle is real and no harm’s done to keep improving myself from my setbacks. Amin. A letter from Shahrill Ramli to Shahrill Ramli; dated 1st June 2020 @ 36 years old. 

The Malaysian Movement Order Control Order @ COVID-19 Pandemic : The Panic-Buying, Thronging The Police Stations, The Two Weeks Isolation-At-The-Attic & The Challenges Attending A Semi-Senile “Nyanyuk” Grandmother!

Starting today, Malaysians are asked to coop ourselves inside our houses due to the Movement Control Order that officially commences from 18th March 2020 until 31st March 2020. Luckily, it is school holiday and I am now at Jitra, Kedah to spend the supposed school holiday. Nonetheless since COVID-19 pandemic is getting worse in Malaysia with spike in the number of infected persons reaching 790 cases and two deaths (a “tabligh” attending the mass get-together in Sri Petaling and a Sarawakian priest), government has issued the order yesterday to curb the spread of the viral infection.

Inalillah. Condolence.

Yesterday was really an eventful day for Malaysians. First, there was the panic-buying fever as people thronged the supermarkets to get themselves enough food ration for the next 2 weeks! You could see pictures of Malaysians “attacking” groceries and racks of breads, vegetables, biscuits and even condoms (lol!) were empty! Seemed funny because a month ago, a lot of Malaysians were trolling Singaporeans for doing that, labeling the Singaporean counterparts as the “insufferable Kiasu” – but now, it looks like Malaysians are licking their own spits, no? Second, people were thronging in police stations to get the “balik kampung” and inter-state movement permission from the policemen as Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador, the Malaysian IGP has made it compulsory for Malaysians to get the permission for anyone who aspires to travel. So naturally, the police stations were so packed with people (as well as the bus stations) that the IGP finally “surrendered” to the situation by retracting the policy! Phew!

The panic-buying!

Malaysians were thronging the police stations to get the permission for inter-state travelling. Unfortunately, this increases the physical contact between people!

As for me, luckily Rifqi and I arrived at Jitra on Sunday, 15th March 2020. Usually, I would go out with him venturing the rustic ambiance of Kedah but this time around, I have decided to coop ourselves in the house. True enough 3 days later, this Movement Control Order was issued. My parents’ Jitra house is a decent terrace house with a self-made attic (I stay here whenever I am in Jitra!) and three rooms. By right, it would be a comfortable one for my father, mother, nephew and I but now, my grandmother (Tok) who is turning into semi-senile is staying with us as the other uncles and aunts did not voice any interest to take care of her – so my mom being a devoted Malay Muslim bound with filial piety had decided to take care of Tok although my mother’s own health is somewhat fluctuates due to her diabetes! So, we give Tok the Master Bedroom as there is also a toilet specially for her inside it. Mak has to move to the third room where usually Kakak and her family stay whenever they come to Jitra whereas Rifqi and Ayah sleep at the second room which used to be my room. On the other hand, I usually coop myself up on the attic and sometimes Rifqi would come up to tease me and all. Personally, I am an ambivalent person (I am a Social Butterfly but I also prefer a hermit’s life!) so naturally this 2 weeks Movement Control Order is not a big deal for me as long as there is Internet and books! Haha! 

I took the opportunity to do my morning jog on the 17th March 2020, a day prior to the Movement Control Order. I plan to continue the health-regime routine during the 2 weeks Order. I did tabata today! Hopefully it would last till the end of the Order. Haha!

My grandmother, Tok. She is now experiencing the semi-senile (dementia) phase or in Bahasa Malaysia we call it “nyanyuk”. She now sees people who were already dead (my grandfather, her parents, her relatives, etc) and also creepy images like clock turns into devilish-looking snakes or vases turn into little boys. Apparently, this is the normal phase of dementia where the person would start to experience hallucination. It has been quite challenging as suddenly in the middle of the night, she would open the door and claims that people were coming to visit us or in the afternoon, she would don her Hijab and sits at the door “bickering with someone” she claims has been badmouthing her. I salute Mak for willing to take care of Tok although deep down, Mak is annoyed and angry that her other siblings are turning deaf ears on this. Well, I guess like other typical Malays, they would come back to kampung instantaneously when news that “Tok is terminally ill” or “it’s time to divide the inheritance via Faraid”? I hope I won’t be like that. As the male heir, it is my duty to take care of both my parents. Amin. 

On whole, I should be grateful as a teacher that this happens during school holiday and I do not have the dilemma as my other friends who are working in banking, medical or telecommunication lines as they still have to work throughout this two weeks period of the Order. Sometimes, I do get annoyed reading the complaints that some of my teacher friends and colleagues write in social media about this Order. It is time to stop complaining and reflect how lucky we are – we don’t have to work 24 hours attending the sick people at the hospitals; we don’t have to patrol around to disperse the ignorant Malaysians from flocking an area. I also aim to expedite my thesis writing and perhaps this 2 weeks Order is a bless in disguise? Amin YRA.

The Bird Poo Scam & Islamophobic Insult : The Europe 2019 Wanderlust @ Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Leeds & Edinburgh!

This trip was not exactly something I planned to have by the end of this year. I had my own solo trip to South Korea circa June 2019 for my birthday which coincided with the Ramadhan (REFER to https://undomiel84.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/rebirth-of-an-istiqamah-attempt-my-4th-solo-trip-to-seoul-south-korea-my-35th-birthday/) so there would be no possibility of having another abroad trip this year! Alas, circa September my sister buzzed me alerting that the price for Europe seemed quite affordable. I tried to shun off the idea but it has been three years since I last toured Europe so I guess that wanderlust urge was kicking hard. Spontaneously, I agreed and Kakak finalized the tickets (she likes doing all the comparison between flight tickets, transportation and lodging pricing!) from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam with Dubai as the transit airport. So for three months, this trip has been the object of determination for both Kakak and I. Whenever we felt down or demotivated with our works (I particularly on my school workloads and PhD where I had to finish a thesis chapter and articles for publication!), the idea of travelling abroad managed to arouse that fire to finish off our workloads prior to the vacation on 12th December 2019! Haha!

Waiting for our flight to Dubai, UAE.

So, on 12th December 2019, we flew to Dubai with Emirates at 7.10 p.m. from Kuala Lumpur. As usual, it was a comfortable flight (love Emirates!). We arrived at Dubai circa 10.00 p.m. (Dubai is 4 hours behind Kuala Lumpur) and had to wait for our connecting flight to Amsterdam at 8.10 a.m. the very next day. We arrived at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam around 2.30 p.m. and it was 4 Celsius (well, it was winter!). We took the train to Brussels-Zuid in Belgium circa 6.00 p.m. By then, it was already dark as the sunset at 4.30 p.m. We arrived at Brussels around 8.15 p.m. unknowing that there would be an experience waiting for us.

The historical facade of Amsterdam Centraal (something like our KL Sentral) and having coffee at Starbucks. That worn-off face, though. 

I went inside the toilet and while I was in, a Stranger No.1 approached my sister who was busy looking at the telephone trying to navigate our direction to the hotel. There was an instant touch upon my sister’s trench coat as if something was smeared very quickly! With broken English, he told my sister that there was “bird poo” on her trench coat (by acting out that it was smelly!). My sister doubted – “There’s no way a Caucasian would be too kind to a Hijabi Asian without any ulterior motives!” But of course being Asian, she politely (but curtly!) thanked Stranger No.1 and paid him no heed although she noticed there was something on the trench coat. Once I got out, she asked me to look and yes, I saw there was a chocolate-coloured liquid smeared on the liquid! I removed with tissue but it didn’t look like bird poo but more of cosmetic liquid (like facial concealer). Now, that rang the alarm. We just wanted to get out from there. So happened that while, I was facing my sister to remove the stain, Stranger No.1 once again approached us and this time, I noticed there was a brief touch on my trench coat. Using the same modus operandi, Stranger No.1 stupidly told me that there was (again!) “bird poo” on my trench coat! True enough, there was that cosmetic liquid on my trench coat and my sister removed the stain! By then, we understood this was a trick. The toilet area was a bit deserted at that time. So, we started to make a move without knowing the right direction. We were about to ascend staircase when I noticed a Stranger No.2 stood steadfastly there as if waiting for us to ascend before him. Well, my instinct was correct when suddenly this Stranger No.2 approached me and used the same “bird poo” modus operandi! By then, I became annoyed and signaled to him that “No, No! Just leave us alone” and at the same time kept walking forward to break free from this guy! Unfortunately we were heading to another more deserted, empty area! Damn! Reluctantly, we had to make a U-Turn and fortunately we saw someone was walking to another path heading to the correct area. Without hesitation, we followed and Alhamdulillah, it was a crowded area. But of course we were quite intimidated by that and we hurriedly dragged the baggage crossed the road, walked along the pavement and alleys heading towards our hotel. We became paranoid that we kept turning our heads back to ensure that these guys did not follow us and that they wouldn’t identify our hotel!

The Nativity Scene display at Grote Markt, Brussels and the varicoloured waffles at a pastry shop not far from The Manneken Pis. This time around, Brussels was memorable for we nearly to be duped with Bird’s Poo Scam! Alhamdulillah!

Alhamdulillah, we arrived at our first lodging in Brussels named Euro Capital Brussels. It was a comfortable place, suitable for us budget travellers and most importantly, there was WIFI. On the way to Brussels from Amsterdam, we received SMS from Eurostar stating that our train from Paris to London has been cancelled due to the national strike (apparently Parisian drivers are demanding something about pension schemes). This was an absolute shocking news for us! Luckily we haven’t book the hotel and the bus tickets from Brussels to Paris. Initially, we planned to spend 2 nights in Paris but due to this, we had to revise the whole journey. Kakak decided it was the best decision to arrive at United Kingdom (the sooner, the better) as we already booked that quite expensive Harry Potter London Studio tour (the highest point of our whole trip! Haha!). After much deliberation, we had come to consensus to spend another night in Brussels and the very next day, to push off to London from Brussels Midi/Zuid (Brussels South Station) via Eurostar train.

Since this was not our first time in Brussels, the trip was a relaxing one. We didn’t really bother to cover the whole tourist attraction lots. On our first day in Brussels, we just hanged around at Grote Markt square and savoured the majestic view of Grand Palace Brussels. There was a high Christmas Tree at the centre of the square and a nativity replica placed not far from the tree. The Christmas ambiance was eminent. After that “bird poo” scam, Kakak and I became paranoid. We became sensitive when strangers approached us or perhaps walking or standing behind of us! Perhaps wearing “hijab” highlighted us as potential preys because there was this one gypsy girl approached us asking us for some donations while vividly uttering that words ‘Masya ALLAH!” LOL! Unbelievable, I say! We savoured Kakak’s favourite Belgian waffle and visited the Manneken Pis (not really excited as that wasn’t the first time! Haha!). We roamed around Brussels by walking through alley and cobbled streets. By 4.00 p.m., we retired as sunset was approaching due to winter and checked-in at our second lodging, Ibis Brussels Gare-Midi as it offered the most affordable pricing. We had to moved out from Euro Capital Brussels as we only booked it for a night for initially we planned to go to Paris by bus. Spent the night resting as we had the Eurostar train to catch at 8.00 a.m. on the very next morning.

The secondhand book store in Brussels, Belgium!

On the 15th December, we pushed off from Brussels to London via Eurostar train around 8.20 a.m. The journey took us circa 2 hours 15 minutes. We arrived at St. Pancras circa 10.00 a.m. and had our breakfast at Pret A Manger. We took the Underground heading to Bayswater for our London’s lodging, the Holiday Villa Hotel which is a Malaysian-owned hotel, located at Leinster Gardens. For three nights, I thought it was affordable and cozy with good WIFI connectivity albeit the designs were a bit outdated. Furthermore, it is not far from Malaysian Hall located at nearby Queensborough Terrace. We parked our luggage and backpack bags at the hotel and visited the Malaysian Hall for lunch. Then, we ventured out to Westminster Palace. There were a lot of people crossing the Westminster Bridge. We could see several men doing street-magic tricks along the pavement by using a few cups. Automatically, we could sense scams were being operated there but we ignored them but at the same being vigilant for any pickpockets lurking! Not far from us were two Malaysian youngsters who were so excited taking pictures. Perhaps that was their first time visiting United Kingdom. I knew what they were feeling, that was normal! But suddenly, one of the con-man approached the lady coaxing her to participate in the game. It was audible that the lady was hesitated but the con-man was pushy in a persuasive way. Of course, the lady had to give a money note for the game and you could hear a few “spectators” around persuading this Malaysian lady as well (no doubt, the con-man’s accomplices!). Kakak and I were hesitated whether or not to stop this lady as we didn’t know if this was a genuine game; or a scam?! True enough after 5 minutes, the Malaysian lady shrieked demanding her note back but the con-man refused to give, claiming that “lady, you have lost the game!” The Malaysian lady was stunned and angry but there was nothing she could do. We finally approached the two friends and told them that the man was probably a trickster. The lady narrated her story but we thought she and her friend would do fine as she unwittingly quipped :-

“Nasib baek I bawak banyak note!” (It is lucky that I still got plenty of notes!)

After that, we went to the Tower Bridge as I haven’t been there yet in my previous two trips to London. It was nice to see the iconic bridge of London and the famous River Thames.  Looking back as a Middle Class Malay boy who grew up in a modest two-rooms police barrack back in Penang, I still can’t believe that I had the opportunity to see these with my own eyes! Alhamdulillah! We called the day off at 5 p.m. Well, that’s the downside of travelling to Europe during winter as the sun sets earlier than usual.

Arrived at St. Pancras Station, London!

London Eye and Westminster Palace, 2019.

The iconic Tower Bridge. Although I’ve been to London 3 times, this was my first time seeing the Tower Bridge. 

On our second day in London, we commuted the train heading to Cambridge Central Mosque in Cambridge since that was my must-go location. Initially, Kakak was a bit hesitated as the journey alone took around 1 hour and return ticket would cost approximately 50 pounds per person (equivalent to RM250). She kept questioning me whether all this was worthy but I told her that this was one of the places I had in my mind for this tour and I didn’t mind spending money on that. Using Great Northern Rail was a bit chaotic as there was no fixed seating and we had to be really fast entering the train once the announcement was made as Kakak told me that train would only stay at the terminal for approximately 4 minutes before it pushes off – with or without you! From Cambridge Train Station, we had to walk around 17 minutes through suburban residences area before we finally reached the mosque. Initially, I thought that the mosque was closed since I found in the Internet that the mosque’s operation hour was at 11 a.m. However, we arrived there circa 10.20 a.m. It was truly a gamble as our train back to London was at 12.00 p.m.; so if the mosque were to be closed by the time we got there, our journey was absolutely in vain! I bid salaamed to the guard and he opened the electronic gate for me and Kakak. Subhanallah it was beautiful! Dubbed as the first “green mosque” and eco-friendly, the Cambridge Central Mosque was small but cozy. At the front yard, there was a fountain with garden. There was also portico and an atrium leading towards the prayer hall. The ablution area was so comfortable and chique-looking. There was also a vast car park at basement part of the mosque. How unfortunate that we couldn’t spend more time there. After performing the 2 rakaat Tahiyyatul Masjid Prayer (a prayer to respect a mosque), we then headed back to Cambridge Train Station. Kakak was amazed by the unique architecture of the mosque. So I guess she finally considered the journey worthwhile. Haha! Once arrived at Bayswater, we dined (more like lunch?) at the halal Chinese restaurant called Noodle Oodle (check the website at http://noodleoodle.com/) and feasted on the Roasted Duck. It was delicious but the Teh Tarik was just so-so.

Alhamdulillah, my wishlist ticked! The Cambridge Central Mosque. Had the opportunity to perform Tahiyyatul Masjid Prayer.

The frontal landscape of the mosque. Dubbed as the first green “eco-friendly” mosque, it was quite a controversial construction as some of the residents opposed the mosque. Nevertheless, the project was continued and finally launched by President Erdogan of Turkey. 

The ablution place and the atrium. Alhamdulillah for this chance I never imagined when I was young!

On the third day in London, we made our way early to Fountain Square, Victoria as it was Harry Potter’s time!!! We had to be there no later than 7.15 a.m. so you could imagine what time we pushed off from Holiday Villa Hotel in Bayswater! Haha! From Victoria, we had to take the Golden Tours bus to Watford and the journey was around an hour. We arrived at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden around 9.30 a.m. Though it was pretty chilly cold outside, the inner side of the studio was somewhat fiery! Well, at least for the Potterheads, like Kakak and I! Haha! There was a gigantic dragon replica hung at the atrium and at both upper sides of the walls, you could see ensemble of characters from Harry Potter team vs Voldemort team. It was really a magical feeling! Haha! We spent approximately 2 hours there. There were sections dedicated for Potion Class, Harry Potter’s room (with the four poster beds!), the Fat Lady portrait, Dumbledore’s rostrum, the gowns and dresses worn by the characters in Yule Ball and Slughorn’s Party, and many more (I could go on and on!). It was also mesmerizing to see the surreal facial prosthetic masks created by the CGI team. And as the icing to the tour, both Kakak and I got to taste the butterbeer! Some conservative lot might scream dramatically for the word “beer” but for y’all information, it’s just a soda, not beer per se, OK? LOL! We took the bus back to Fountain Square, Victoria circa 12 p.m. noon and arrived there around 2 p.m. Had luncheon at Malaysian Hall (technically, I brushed shoulder with Kak Zaharah but I didn’t notice her! On the other hand, she saw me but had to rush back! What a pity!) around 3.30 p.m. and by 4.30 p.m., the sun already set.

The Harry Potter Warner Bros’ Leavesden Studio! The mecca for Pottermania and Potterheads! LMAO!

We felt the magic in the air! Haha! The Hungarian Horntail dragon and The Weasleys’ Shop at Diagon Alley!

Samples of the characters’ gowns and attires during The Yule Ball, the Potion Classroom and the entrance to The Forbidden Forest.

Centaur in The Forbidden Forest! There was also Aragog! Haha! 

The replica of Hogwarts School of Wizardry castle; the colourful shower of Prefects’ Room and in front of Hogwarts Express!

Harry’s first “room”, if you could say that!

The beautiful Gringgots Bank! Spectacular construction! In front of the the Dursleys’ Privet Drive house and Butterbeer (it is not a beer. It’s just soda, so naturally, it’s Halal!).

The Potters’ house in Godric Hollow, a facial prosthetic mask of a goblin and scene at Ministry of Magic.

The realistic scene where a dragon gone berserk and destroyed Gringgots. The dragon was humongous! 

All kinds of chocolates! Fancy Chocolate Frog? At the corridor that supposedly connects the castle with the owlery (in the films, of course! lol!). And at the Weasleys’ quirky The Burrow!

On the 18th December, we took the train to Leeds. We stayed for a night at Ibis Budget Leeds Centre Crown Point Road hotel. It was comfortable but the arrangement was rather minimalist. Still, for budget travelers like us, we had nothing to complain about. Leeds was way colder than London. On the day of our arrival, it was 2 Celsius and imagine having to drag the luggage on the cobbled alleys while having your backpack bag on the big winter coat? No wonder I grew scrawny throughout the trip! Hah! We went to the shopping mall nearby looking for Raess’s Ryan Scooter (you know, the rich You-Tuber boy?) and Rifqi’s sport shoes. Then, we headed to Leeds Kirkgate Market to feast on the delicious crayfishes and oysters of Hayess Seafoods.

Hayess’ seafood at Leeds Kirkgate Market. Just loved the oysters and crayfishes! 

Leeds Kirkgate Market. Leeds City center center night view from Ibis hotel. Savouring this Scottish Highland cookies (OKlah…)

On the 19th December, we boarded the train to Edinburgh. The journey took us around 3 hour and 20 minutes. We passed through Durham and Newcastle Upon Tyne. By the time we arrived at Edinburgh, it was already dark at the Edinburgh Waverley terminal. Our lodging, the Cityroomz Edinburgh Hotel was 15 minutes walk along the Princess Street. The room was small, again a minimalist-arranged but somewhat very comfortable with a double decker. Simply loved it! I would say it is a strategic lodging as there was also a bus station heading straight to the airport at the very front of the hotel. Christmas was definitely in the air once we arrived at Edinburgh as there were many Christmas Markets tents with vibrant lights! There were also merry-go-round and artistic shops with quirky souvenirs and crafts. I could smell cookies and gingerbread in the midst of the cool winter night. The music was exciting! It was the kind of Christmas vibe that would make you so jolly and cheerful, really!

Edinburgh Waverley, the train station. Night view of Edinburgh Christmas Market 2019!

The festive ambiance. Christmas was in the air.

Interesting carriage for tarot-reading! I saw people were queuing up for this! Haha!

Kakak and I. For us it was surreal that both of us managed to crystallize our childhood dream to explore the world! As Middle Class Malay children, wanderlust was (and is, still!) a big deal for us!

On the next morning, we began our morning by having hot chocolate at Pret A Manger and then headed towards the Edinburgh Castle. The climbing was quite tiresome but the view was immensely breathtaking, Subhanallah! Of course as the cheapskate traveller (Haha!), we opted not to enter the castle but simply savoured the view. While we were busy taking pictures of ourselves, a couple with a baby approached us asking to take their family pictures. As we already had our bad encounter with the Bird Poo Scam, we became apprehensive and suspicious. But of course being Asian, it was hard to be impolite! So after taking a quick picture, we dashed away (seemed that the couple were lingering around us!). There was a souvenir shop nearby which happened to be three-floored underground lot. Pretty unique! Along the pavement, we saw street artistes playing bagpipes wearing the kilt; Scottish element was in the air! We then headed towards the The St. Giles Cathedral, a historical church lies at the centre of Edinburgh Old Town. It was so majestic. Well, although I didn’t get to visit Notre Dame as our train from Paris was cancelled, I guess St. Giles was a worthwhile compensation.

The Edinburgh Castle.

The views around Edinburgh Castle. Masya ALLAH, tabarakallah!

The quirky-looking Old Edinburgh and a street artiste donning some sort of Viking attire (inspired by Hollywood’s “Braveheart”?)

I wonder, what’s underneath the kilt? LMAO!

Interesting different design of the Scottish traditional attires. 

The Old Edinburgh’s St. Giles Cathedral.

Historical Medieval architecture. 

Anyway, as we were heading towards the Edinburgh Mosque, something unexpected happened! Kakak and I were walking along the pavement when out of the blue, a strange man (seemed like a gypsy as he was quite copper-skinned) shouted abruptly! Initially, I thought it was a random verbal attack but as we continued our walk, I noticed that his ferocious eyes were fixated upon Kakak! He was actually cursing Kakak! I stared at him and was stunned. Kakak noticed that but but she just lowered her gaze and continued walking. At the same time, she signaled to me to keep walking and to avoid any confrontation (she knew I am the kind of person who usually would retaliate back!). We purposely walked to the midst of the road just to deviate the direction BUT APPARENTLY this gypsy was determined to follow us! He kept cursing in loud, audible voice (but sadly, no one came to our rescue) :-

Fuck you! Go fuck yourself! Go back to where you come from! What, ye think I am crazy??”

I recalled that he was also mumbling about telephone and other things (when Kakak and I reflected on the fiasco, we came to conclusion that perhaps this gypsy guy thought Kakak was taking his picture as she was indeed holding her telephone while walking. Perhaps he felt it was a provocation?). As the path leading towards the mosque was somewhat an isolated alley and we hardly saw anyone there, Kakak had double thought on going to the mosque (well, we were just being verbally attacked with Islamophobic slur, hadn’t we?). Nonetheless, we kept walking and finally reached the mosque. I didn’t get to really explore the mosque as Kakak refused to spend more time there as sunset was about to approach and for safety reason, it would be best not to wander during nighttime. However, I have to say that the archway of Edinburgh Mosque was unique and the ablution section was neat. Nevertheless, we also were bewildered seeing two policemen guarding the gate of Edinburgh Mosque. We wonder whether there were to be any Islamophobic case in Edinburgh on that day and spontaneously, it reminded us of the New Zealand Mosque shooting tragedy! You know as much as it was an inconvenient experience, but it was precious nonetheless. I’ve got to experience what it must have felt like to be the target of Islamophobia. It was real. We then had briyani as lunch and then went straight back to hotel as by then, it was already 5.00 p.m.

The Edinburgh Central Mosque. Bittersweet memory. Sweet because I was able to add another feather to my #ShahrillsJejakMasjid lust but bitter because Kakak and I were verbally attacked by a gypsy on the way to the his mosque. What a precious life experience, it was!

The idea was to spend our night at Edinburgh Airport before our flight to Amsterdam at 6.00 a.m. (check-in at 4.00 a.m.). But once we arrived there, the airport seemed stuffy and crowded. Out of sudden, I became nauseous and kept burping and burping. I threw up and became unwell. I didn’t know what caused the sudden health setback but I noticed that it was right after the bus bumpy ride from Edinburgh Old Town to the airport. The outside was freezing cold and once you entered the bus equipped with heater, the winter coat make you sweat. On top of that, you have to squeeze yourself among the larger Caucasians! So… Haha! Initially, Kakak thought of just cooping ourselves in the airport as it would be dangerous to walk to any nearby hotels in the dark. Nevertheless in the end, we decided to book a hotel even if it was just for 8-9 hours; at least I could just lie down to rest. Thankfully with Agoda and our Samurai Wifi, we secured a room at a nearby Moxy Edinburgh Airport. Seriously, it was the right thing to do as I kept throwing up the whole night for couple of times (and I did force myself as well). By 3.30 a.m., we checked-out and by 4 a.m., we already checked-in at the airport. Alhamdulillah, the process with EasyJet was smooth.  I just slept throughout the 2 hours flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam.

The Edinburgh Airport’s meditation room catered for all faiths. I honestly think this concept is so good. If only the September 11 2001 attack or ISIS occupation on Syria did not occur and Islamophobia was not rampant in the West. Sigh. And of course the Moxy Edinburgh Hotel as by then, I had already threw up two times! 

Basilica of Saint Nicholas located just a stone-throw away from Amsterdam Centraal.

Winter morning at Ibis Amsterdam Airport. A few elder Dutch citizens serenading the crowd with countless Christmas oldies. The iconic structure at The Dam Square. 

At one of the Amsterdam Canal Rings.

Prostitution and sex services are legal in Netherlands. I guess it is like Europe’s Thailand where horny pricks frequent here to get laid. Not that I am promoting such “tourism”! Haha!

Once arrived at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, I slowly recouped my strength. We headed to our last lodging for the trip at Ibis Amsterdam Airport. It was reachable simply via shuttle bus ( a recommended lodging!). We just lazed around in the room and after a good night sleep, Alhamdulillah, I finally recovered. On the last day, we just toured around Amsterdam. As it was my second time, the excitement was not as paramount as 2016 but it was always nice to see the Christmas fiesta mood during winter! We went to Dam Square and came across the Cannabis Museum (I was intrigued to enter but Kakak refused as the place was full with people seemingly so gung-ho!). There were also a few sex toys shops that form the famous Amsterdam’s Red District area. By 3 p.m., we went to the Indonesian restaurant called Iboenda and satisfied our crave for rice (Haha!) there. As Maghrib was about to approach at 4.30 p.m., I had to find a musolla or a mosque nearby to perform prayer. According to Internet, there was a mosque called Mosque El-Tawheed located at Jan Hanzenstraat, which was around 15 minutes away from Iboenda. The road leading to the mosque was somewhat isolated, practically away from the main road. As we already had a few misfortunes throughout the trip, we were a little bit hesitated and always be on alert. The facade of the mosque wasn’t as what as we expected. If I didn’t noticed the miniscule word “moskee” etched on plaque-on-the-wall, we wouldn’t have known that was Mosque El-Tawheed we were looking for! The entrance was equipped with an intercom and luckily, it was opened when we arrived. It was quite deserted (later we learned that mosques in Amsterdam would only be opened during prayer hours and not all the time!). However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the inner compound of the mosque was quite wide!

Satisfying our crave for rice at Indonesian’s “Iboenda”.

The “moskee”, mosque. Masjid El-Tawheed in Amsterdam. The entrance was quite ordinary without significant facade that reflected Islamic building but in the inside was somewhat wider compound. However mosques in Amsterdam are opened only around time of prayers. 

Our flight to Dubai was on 22nd December 2019 circa 10.00 p.m. We kept our luggage and backpack bags at the airport and then went to a boat house cat shelter named Poezenboot.  Entrance was free but it was encouraged to donate for them. The cats were lazy, fluffy and ferocious! Hahaha! While waiting for the queue, we bumped into an Indian named Vicky Varun who was doing his MBA in Latvia. Initially, we were a bit skeptical as he loquaciously started conversation (we admitted that we became rather paranoid during the trips. Anyone could be a potential trickster!). But turned out that he was quite a friendly chap. Haha! After that, we dined at Iboenda and then made our way back to the airport. Again, it was a comfortable flight to Dubai. With 19 hours to our connecting flight (Kakak purposely adjusted to that so we would have adequate time to explore Dubai)! We arrived at Dubai circa 8.30 a.m. Honestly, there were so many places to discover but in the end, we ended up choosing the ones that were accessible by METRO train which were Burj al-Khalifa and Burj al Arab.

With Vicky Varun, an Indian who is now studying in Latvia. It was great meeting someone who initiated honest conversation rather than having any ulterior motives (pickpocket, scam) while waiting for our turn to enter the Poezenboot, boat house for cats!

Kudos to the people behind this project! Thumbs up! Do visit the shelter if you are in Amsterdam. Entrance is free but you are encouraged to donate for the cats!

Initially, I thought of ascending up the skydeck of Burj al-Khalifa but in the end, one had to pre-book the entrance and the price was circa 200 Dirham. So in the end I thought, why wasted money on that? Perhaps next time – this time around, having the majestic view would be sufficient enough. So we roamed around Dubai Mall and had luncheon there – and went to the fountain side where we could see the high towers of Burj al-Khalifa! It was really spectacular. Nevertheless, I felt that familiar vibe; it seemed that Dubai Mall – Burj Khalifa was modelled to the similar concept as per Suria KLCC (big mall with fountain and tallest building located as the frontview). Around 2 p.m., we then try to locate Burj Al Arab. According to various information the internet, we had to change our METRO train to a tram and then to take a bus as the building is located near Jumeirah Beach. Somehow we boarded out at the wrong bus station (out of no where!) and had to walk circa 15 minutes across the congested traffic of Dubai to get to Burj al Arab! In the end, of course we made it but since it is a luxury hotel, obviously we could not enter. So like many other middle class travelers, we simply took picture with the building from afar! LMAO! We simply spent around 15 minutes there (along with other thronging tourists!) and decided to call the day off as the winter sun was about to set. Unfortunately, we got confused with the transportation way back to the tram station! We walked, and walked, and walked along the pavement at the side of the roads as the twilight now became nighttime. Finally after half an hour of walking (gulp! Haha!), we finally found a bus station and Alhamdulillah, the bus led us to the METRO train.

In front of Burj al-Khalifa!

The Dubai Mall Waterfall and the interior. Apparently, there is another tallest building in the world set to be under construction namely Dubai Creek Tower!

Interesting Dubai. I hope one day I would be able to have wanderlust specially just for Dubai!

Twilight in Dubai (we were literally walking along the pavement trying to locate the bus station. Approximately half an hour! Phew!). And at front of the famous Burj Al Arabia.

I noticed that only the immigrants, blue-collared workers and tourists were using the public transportation. There were no signs of the Emiratis with their Arabic garments or keffiyeh! I wonder why? Perhaps they prefer using their own vehicles? But I noticed that the vehicles flocking the roads were big and they liked riding their cars fast and furious! Anyway, Dubai was really interesting. I think I would certainly be back for more to discover this metropolitan gem of Arabia. On whole, it was more of a layback trip for both of us. But I managed to shed off 3 kg; from my 60 kg to 57 kg throughout the 2 weeks. Well, there is no better way to lose weight than a backpacking travelling, no? Haha!

Shahrill Ramli’s Vision 2020 @ Personal KPIs : Healthy Lifestyle of A PhD Candidate, Primary School Teacher, Avid Bookworm, Amateur Fun Runner & Addicted Wanderlust!

It is the 3rd January 2020. 3 days in this highly anticipated new year. Today I am not feeling that well as the weather is so scorching hot (34 Celsius). My head throbbing and I could feel phlegm building in my throat and lungs. During my Europe tour with Kakak (will update that in the upcoming entry!), I had also developed phlegm due to the winter. My body isn’t equipped to extreme weather. But I guess it is a normalcy when you are travelling here and there.

KPI No.1

KPI No.2 & KPI No.3

2019 has been a good year for me, Alhamdulillah. Although I have been away from my blog, it has been a spiritual period. But one thing I am quite frustrated with myself was that I did not enter any running event (my 2019 KPI was that at least I enter 2 events!). So, this year is a new leaf with new determination. My KPI for the year 2020 :-

• To publish my second article in journals; focus on my thesis and hopefully to sum up the whole PhD journey this year, Insya ALLAH;
• To attend 2 conferences to sharpen my scholarly persona (prior to viva);
• To give my best to my school responsibilities – teaching Science for Year 4; and English for Year 5 and Year 6;
• To read at least 5 books from authors around the world;
• To join two running events;
• To travel either local or abroad (but I have this vision to perform umrah for 2nd time).

KPI No.4

KPI No.5

KPI No.6

But most importantly is my health. I pray and hope that my body will be in good condition. That I am healthy. For health is undeniably the greatest wealth a man could ask for. Especially now that this year I will be 36 years old! Gasp (I know!)! Haha! I am trying to be BMI conscious now; drink water a lot and this year also, I am trying to eat more greens and fruits, Insya ALLAH. Amin.

My 2019 Accomplishment & Accolades : 1st PhD Article, 2 Conferences, Being Brave, Honest & Transparent in School Meeting, New HRV Honda Car, Twice Abroad Trips (South Korea & Europe) & 5 Books Read!

2019 will be leaving soon. And will never come back, ever again. This year has been somewhat a spiritually-cleansing year for me (although I did have my few setbacks). But on whole, I am very proud of myself for taking that intervention step to alleviate that wilderness in me. Anyway, there are a few accomplishments that I am very proud of myself this year. More like grateful, Alhamdulillah :-

• I have published an article for my PhD. This means I still have another one to go and of course with the thesis. I will try to really push myself hard this year, Insya ALLAH;

• I attended two conferences to polish my “scholarly” persona in this PhD journey;

• I have come clean with issues in my school and I am glad I was brave enough to speak up in front of my colleagues to speak my mind instead of playing around the bushes. Not to make anyone feeling less significant but to express my mind in a most respectable way without wanting to disgrace anybody. Alhamdulillah!;

• I have new car. I am not really a car fanatic. Frankly speaking, I was quite OK with my fuchsia Myvi but since it had started to have problems here and there – and I am a frequent traveler either to UPM or around Malaysia; I guess the best option was to buy a new one. So I got myself a Honda HRV, which is at the range that isn’t too significantly affecting my monthly budget;

• I traveled abroad twice this year. First, I did my 4th solo trip to South Korea during Ramadhan and visited Kat. And secondly a trip with Kakak to Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, England, Scotland and UAE). I shall cover about it in the upcoming blog entry!

• I have finished reading around 5 books :- “China Rich Girlfriend” (Kevin Kwan); “Farewell My Concubine”(Lilian Lee); “Heroes of Olympus” (Rick Riordan); “Kafka on the Shore” (Haruki Murakami) & “Doctor Sleep” (Stephen King).

This year marks my lowest blog entries. But it has been a therapeutic one. Looking forward for Year 2020! Amin.

The 2019 Ordeal Of My PhD Article Publication : Predatory Journal, Presentations At Conferences & 1st Article Publication!

A lot of things had taken place in my #ShahrillsRoadToPhD journey since my last entry in September 2019. Where do I begin? First, the conference I attended in UUM as stated in previous entry was quite ambiguous. Sure as you can read down there (in the previous entry), I was so excited when the chairman of the conference told me that “SCOPUS editor has given green light on my paper”! Come on, as a novice researcher desperately needing a paper to publish in order to graduate?! Are you kidding me? Of course I was so excited! So, I’ve been waiting for the news about it for the whole month of July (I attended the conference on July) and August. There was no clue although it was initially claimed that my paper was OK. Then in September when I finally gave the ultimatum either to respond or I will pull back the paper, I received the SMS that everything was perfect (as per my previous blog entry) and SCOPUS editors were “satisfied”. Nevertheless, the catch was that, I have to pay the processing fee of USD500 which was equivalent to RM2000++; and my paper would be published under a journal called “Opcion”. Now, when I first saw the name; I had bad feeling about it. The name, simply didn’t sound legit. I googled and found that Opcion is :-

  

The details of the Opcion and its Scopus coverage years when I searched in September 2019.

1. A journal by Venezuelan University named Universidad del Zulia;
2. Scopus coverage years were from 2008-2018;
3. It is mentioned in Jeffrey Beall’s tweet as a corrupted journal (Beall’s List is famous as the ensemble list of predatory journals where researchers are tricked into giving their writings to a supposed journal to be published provided a certain sum of fee is paid and the articles usually received nonchalant or no reviews from editors, at all! 

Jeffrey Beall is a controversial scholar but his “Beall’s List has gathered a lot of questionable and ambiguous journals deemed ‘predatory’. You tell me, how could I ignore this tweet?!

I messaged two lecturers; my Co-Supervisor Dr. Moniza and Dr. Akmar. Both told me that if I sensed red flags, I should redraw the paper. After all, it is important for UPM to recognize the journal in order for me to graduate. After thinking about it; and read about traits of these predatory journals, I decided not to continue with the “publication”. The paper entitled “A Rhetorical Analysis on Tun Mahathir’s Speeches During His Political Hiatus” was then pushed to another journal namely Pacific and ASEAN Communication Journal (PACA) by the end of October 2019. So happened that Dr. Moniza who was the editor was so patient by aptly corresponding to my emails, WhatsApps and inquiries about it. There were a lot of amendments I had to make (how come UUM said my paper was “perfect”?? Haha! Another RED FLAG!) and the  truth is, my article still needs a lot of improvement in order to “be on par” with the other published articles. But Alhamdulillah, after two months the article was finally published in PACA December issue. Thank you so much Dr. Moniza for your patience and guidance although I know you have so much in your plate! Will never forget that!

     

Reading these traits of predatory journals have strengthen my hunch not to continue with Opcion. Although tonight (dated 26th December) when I search in SCOPUS I did found that the coverage years are now renewed to “2018 to present”, I think it’s better that way. I did not want to take risk of UPM not recognizing the journal!

But of course to give Opcion a fair view, tonight I once again googled about it and well, I have found that its Scopus coverage years are being renewed to “2018 until present”. Well, I may have lost the opportunity to get published in a SCOPUS journal but then again, it is quite questionable = paying RM2000+ and my paper was “perfect”?? Too good to be true! Well, that’s a lesson learned!

As presenter in ICRGD 2019 Conference in UIA. 

Secondly, I attended another conference in UIA namely  the International Conference on Religion, Governance and Sustainable Development (ICGRD2019) on 16th-17th October 2019 where I have presented another conceptual paper  entitled “A Rhetorical Analysis on Azhar Idrus’s Ethos in Gender-Provocative Selected Sermon”. It went well. I was hoping for Question-and-Answer to sharpen my upcoming viva session but there were no questions. But I did have a great time discussing with the other speakers and that experience boosted my confidence. I guess I need to attend more conferences for that. Anyway, I am still waiting for the verdict whether the paper will be published or not. Already sent an email asking about it. If there is still no answer, I am going to push it for another journal.

 

I am so emotional seeing the email and the snippet of my published article. Not polished, not perfect but it is a good start for 2020. Alhamdulillah! Aiming for another article and the thesis. Amin!

Anyway, whatever it is Alhamdulillah at least I have published an article this year. And I’ve completed another chapter in the thesis. I am looking forward for 2020. I will be working my ass off for it, Insya ALLAH. Amin.

My Own Personal PhD KPI for 2019 As Full-Time Working Student : Two Conferences for Two Articles Publication @ Graduation Requirement!

A very delayed blog entry. But I feel like I need to immortalize this experience. This year, I have taken new approach for my PhD. I don’t want to push myself that hard anymore. I am going to take it slowly with my own pace while delegating my full time job as a primary school teacher (seems easy but loads of clerical stuffs to be executed! It feels rather frustrating when your focus in PhD is already at its zenith that suddenly you have to channel the focus into school workloads. But then, it is what it is! Suck it up, Shahrill!). But, I have been making my 2019 resolutions that I will strive to write and publish two articles in academic journals – and one of the way is to join conferences!

On the 27th June 2019, I have attended the 1st International Scholar Conference 2019 at School of Multimedia Technology & Communication, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). I presented my conceptual paper on “A Rhetorical Analysis of Mahathir’s Malay Dilemmas Speeches During His Political Hiatus (2003-2018). On whole, I’ve received positive feedback from the audience but of course, there are rooms for improvement suggested by Dr. Manvinder and others :-

• The duration from 2003-2018 is a vast period (Answer : It is the period where Tun Mahathir was in his political hiatus. The term political hiatus itself is defined as the transition period between his 1st premiership into 2nd premiership);
• 16 speeches are a lot to be transcribed. How the researcher (Yours Truly) is to analyze the speeches without human error? (I proposed to use the traditional approach (listen and transcribe verbatim;- Dr. Mahvinder suggested to me that corpus analysis software tool will be much help to eliminate human bias).

It is important for me to sharpen my academic presentation delivery. It is quite challenging serving as a primary school teacher where I have to simplify my lingo to be in sync with the kids and then as a PhD candidate getting immersed with all the Aristotelian terminology and sophisticated demeanour!

I took note the recommendations to be discussed with my Supervisor. It was also encouraging to receive positive feedback from a few scholars there who are looking forward for my writing as UUM is known as the hub research on Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Apart from that, I also had a chit-chat with a doctor from Iran who took keen on my presentation.

The abstract.

Since I only took a day off from my school by flying to Alor Star on 26th June, I flew back to KL after the conference was over as I had to assist my colleagues to co-train the Action Song for Year 4 pupils in the STEM Carnival (which by the way, unraveled its own DRAMA and the dirt of organizational politics – but I won’t dish it here! But then again, perhaps after I leave the school! Hahhaaha!). Nevertheless, I am happy to hear that the editor of Scopus was OK with the article for the first assessments after I made some adjustment according to Dr. Manvinder’s recommendations. . I am looking forward for the update on the publication progress as that was the main reason why I joined the conference, as well as to fulfill the requirement for PhD graduation! 

Hopefully everything will be eased, Amin. 

So now, for the second conference which is the “International Conference on Religion, Governance and Sustainable Development (ICGRD2019)” that will be held at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa on the 16th-17th October 2019, I am planning to present my paper entitled “A Rhetorical Analysis on Azhar Idrus’s Ethos in Gender-Provocative Selected Sermon”. I have already sent the abstract and after a few adjustment made recommended by the assessors, it was accepted by the committee. I am looking forward to strive for another potential in publication. Hope everything will be OK. Amin.

My next conference, Insya ALLAH.