Interview.

I just got my first job interview after almost two months of being unemployed. Ah, the nerves! In reality, this isn't my first job interview. This is my second interview, and it is for a position that differs so much from my true nature, but it is best to learn something new, right?

To be honest, before the interview, my life was pretty bland. Nothing is exciting, and everything felt so out of place and so depressing. I guess I am really just the kind of girl who doesn't like to be inactive? Who knows. But that's how life was. The news of this job interview brought joy into my heart, knowing that this would be a chance to start anew and refresh. It is my first real job, and I swore to myself that I would try my best in it.

Unless you count being a trainee counselor as a job, I really don't have any working experience. After 3 years of studying counseling stuff, I had seem to cluster my mind only into the world of counseling, not giving it a chance to taste something outside of it. Which is pretty ironic, you know, since I am always the one who preaches and rambles on and on regarding people who did not widen their gaze and widen their scopes and interests.

Ah. I just hope this interview would go well. Because I will try my very best, far better than before. And yes, short update. Huzzahhhh!

Hospital stays

You know the thing about hospital stays for me?

It makes me reminisce the times where I took care of my late grandma. It was painful and sad to remember but other than that, it reminds me of how awesome nurses, doctors and everyone who are working in the medical field are.

Whenever I am staying at the hospital, whether for visiting purposes or to take care of someone, I would always make time to sit alone at the waiting area or go wander around in the wards and observe people. Hospitals are a nice place to observe people, because only there we are able to see people at their most vulnerable state.

I always like going to the hospital (mainly because I wanted to be a psychiatrist and work in hospitals -- but that ain't gonna happen now though), because there are so many people there. I love being in places with people, but hospitals are the best. Not because of the sick people, but just because of the pureness of the environment.

Hospitals can be very hectic sometimes (I think it would be all the time for the staff), but it is also a place to find solace -- well, that's how it is for me. You see, there's something unexplainable about hospital stays. I find it like a remedy for a broken heart, a broken soul, a broken spirit. In all my (little) experience of having to be at the hospital, I always come out from it with a higher sense of awareness about humanity.

I remember this one time I met an old lady who was at the hospital for her dialysis, and she was waiting for her son to pick her up. There was something in the way she talked that made me feel like life is all about appreciating everything, even the bad parts of it. And then while we were talking, there was this one staff who joined in as well. You see, there's nothing to be negative about when being in hospital.

There was also this one time when I was sitting outside alone, reading. It was quiet at the time, and I just needed some fresh air and some alone time. My mind was racing with thoughts, and I couldn't focus reading. At the time, there was not an atom of positivity inside my head. And then I looked around me, and I saw people with crutches, people with bandages, and there they are, still smiling. Still able to joke around and laugh.

Then I realize that life is how I perceive it to be.

Being at the hospital always reminds me about the little things in life. About being there for people. Being warm and loving. Being a person to another person. A person who shines the light in the life of others.

To all the medical staff, and hospital committee, thank you for shining us with the light of hope. Thank you for taking care of us, not only medically, but psychologically. Thank you for instilling positivity into our lives, changing our views into a wider vision and continuously giving us something to hold on to. When you're feeling tired of your work and job, remind yourself that you guys had given me a reason to keep on moving. A reason to still walk on this Earth and learn to shine for others just like how you had shined my life and gave it another breath.

PS : This is also goes to you, kakak. Congratulations on becoming a doctor, and hopefully you would be able to be a doctor for the Ummah as well!

Ho Chi Minh Trip II

I'll just let the pictures tell the story in this post today! And oh, I recommend Vietnam for your next trip! Hurhur! And no, it is not arranged in chronology. Too lazy to do that!

Inside the General Post Office.

The Cathedral, I think?

Free coconut drink after spending time at an island.

I love the food here; Out of this world!

Dusk. Well, I think so.

Urm. The opera house was it? Can't remember.

Community Hall.

The Cathedral again!

Again, inside the Post Office.

This park was beautiful!

The door was nice?

Hey, it's Ho Chi Minh city!

My mom's request.

Again. And oh, that's our tour guide's backside.

The cathedral was too beautiful to resist.

Mekong River

Mekong River

Mekong River

It was like a camp something.

Honey, honeycombs and warm tea. Delish!

Tadaaaaa~~

Post Office again. HAHAHA

Unicorn Island, I think that's the name?

We thought the building was beautiful.

Ah, Vietnam's sky.

Inside Ben Thanh Market.

Driver on the left!

Simply beautiful.

And voila! Not many pictures, but hey, there's my HCM update! Adieu!

Ho Chi Minh trip

It has been a wonderful 6 days trip to Ho Chi Minh (for a non-shopaholic like me, 6 days is really too long, since we didn't manage to venture farther beyond Saigon).

The thing about Ho Chi Minh was, I felt at home. To be honest, this wasn't the first time I went international. I went to Australia for a few months after SPM (this, I will talk about sooner or later), and it felt great to be out of Malaysia and expand my views of the world.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

I went there with my mom and my little sister. It was somewhat a birthday gift for my mom, and I had to be the tour guide. Speaking of tour guide, choose wisely. I had a great tour group. Well, it was supposed to be only us 3, but somehow the plan changed when we were invited to join into another Malaysian group. It was awesome though. I quite enjoy it.

The people of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) really knew how to speak Malay. It was a shock to me, to be honest, at how well they can pronounce each word. Though some managed to get into Malay because of frequency, some manage to understand the language as a whole. It made me feel not far from home.

What I liked the most about Ho Chi Minh was the weather, the atmosphere and the coffee. Since I'm a coffee addict, my mom had to buy a few brands of Vietnamese coffee just for me. And to be honest, whenever she found any awesome coffee, she will automatically buy some for me, because I just love love love them! The weather there was nice. It rained once in a while, but it wasn't humid and yet the weather wasn't too cold. It was cool enough for me to enjoy every walk.

Another thing would be, I just love the architecture. Unlike Australia, I found the historical monuments and buildings in Ho Chi Minh to be very pretty and beautiful. They were created with such details, such craftmanship that I cannot help but to adore and be mesmerized. I even went twice to each building because it made me feel like as if the building is a part of my life. And it is now!

Our tour guides brought us to Cu Chi Tunnel. It was like a military place, or something. (I'm sorry, but I am really bad at remembering historical places. I can remember the name well, but not the story.) I enjoyed going there, but I am not a jungle person because insects creep me out. We also went to Mekong River and headed to -- I think I heard the name right -- Unicorn Island. It was an island adjacent to the port, and it took us only around 5 minutes to get to the boat port. And when I mean boat, I really meant sampan. As a person born in Borneo, sampan is something normal, but there was something different about the ride for me at the time.

I remember being mesmerized by that sampan ride. We were surrounded completely by only beautiful trees that I had never seen before -- or hard to see. I can still remember the joke that my tour guide told us before we went on our sampan ride : Unlike any other places where they have traffic jams on roads, we have traffic jams on this very river! Be very prepared for a massive hold-up!

It cracked us up, but it was true. We came across a standstill. It was hilarious, to be honest. After that, we went into the island and we get to taste the many wonderful tasty fruits on the island. I even bought some honey there, because it tasted so good! The island wasn't that big, but huge enough for us to venture. They even sold some souvenirs, some coconut candy (which is my favourite!) and other stuff. It was really awesome to be there, but mainly because we get to drink pure tea and taste some honeycomb honey!

Another thing that fascinated me was the position of the driver's seat. Haha. I know it's petty, but it was the first time I came across a left driver. It made sitting in the car or bus very awkward. The thing about HCM's traffic, there are more motorcycles rather than cars. Traffic jams aren't caused by cars, but rather, they are caused by motorcycles. It was a rare sight indeed!

6 days was awesome for me. Except, as I do not enjoy shopping, shopping places bore me. I enjoyed walking around Saigon, sitting at the park and watch people pass by. I simply enjoyed the views that I got from HCM.

Indeed, one day, I might go back there!

(And no, no pictures -- yet! Still too lazy to transfer any into my laptop!)