My Estonian friend Rasmus :)

Two years ago I met a guy who is from Estonia, his name’s Rasmus Joseph and he’s 26. He lives in Tallin, he’s married and he’s got two sons. 


I met him because he came to malaysia two years ago; he's a businessman and at that time he was working for a laboratory equipment manufacturer company. The UM needed at that time some Stomachers, which are an effective systems for homogenization of materials to analysis, providing a pollution-free process and eliminating the potential aerosol formation. Before he arrived to Malaysia, I knew that he would be here, I was in the Welcome Comite for him. The Faculty of Science was in charge of negociate with him, so, after two days, the UM made the purchase of the equipment and they were renewed the laboratories.


Once, I asked him: Sir, do you ever touched the snow? He laughed and told me: Yes, I did it. 

Me: And how is it? 

Rasmus: Cold. I was confused, but then I laughed too.


We were talking about our countries for a moment and he said me that he would like to go ith his family to Pulau Redang. Pulau Redang is an island, is really beautiful. To get to Pulau Redang Island, one of the largest on the coast of Malaysia, you have to arrive from Kuala Terengganu or Merang through boats, even on the island there's a small airport.


When I’ve got free time, usually at night, after doing the homework, I connect by MSN and if he's connected too, we start to chatting for awhile. I hope see him again and meet his family. For the time being, we are chatting by MSN and we're knowing deeper the country of each.

Rasmus and his wife

15 interesting facts about Malaysia

1. Malaysia shares with Qatar the world's lowest death rate of respiratory diseases, at 7.5 death per annum per 100 000 people.
2. Sabah is home to the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.
3. Malaysia has 65,877 km of highway. This is more than the Earth's circumference of 40,075 km.
4. Cinema came to Malaya in 1933 with the screening of Laila Majnum, based in a Sanskrit play of two ill-fated loves, directed by B.S. Rajhans and produced by the Singapore-bsed Motilal Chemical Company.
5. The largest insect egg in Malaysia comes from the 15 cm Malaysian Stick Insect (Heteopteryx dilitata), which lays eggs that measure 1.3 cm, making them larger than a peanut.
6. Malaysia produces a meagre 15 feature films annually but churns out 300 to 400 television dramas and serials. There are 250 movie theatres and cineplexes nationwide.
7. The life expectancy of Malaysian men and women is 71 for men and 74 for women.
8. Malaysia is home to 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees, more than 200 species of mammals, 600 species of birds, 140 species of snakes and 60 species of lizards.
9. Malaysia has 18 ports : Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town, Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong and Tawau.
10. The first railroad in Malaya was between Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang) and Taiping, built by the British in 1885 and covering a distance of 13.6 km.
11. Many global brands are produced in Malaysia, including Intel Pentium chips and Brooks Brother's shirts.
12. Bank Negara (Malaysia's Central Bank) has been managed by six governors since its establishment in 1959.
13. The Penang Bridge is the third longest in Asia at 13.7 km
14. The word ringgit means "jagged" in Malay, and originally referred to the separated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the region.
15. The Mapping and Survey Department has been maintaining the Sultan Abdul Samad Clock Tower for 108 years.

Breaking news: Amira is taking art classes @MIA!

In Cell Anatomy's class, the professor always assign me the task of making a drawing about a cell. I'm not a very good artist, so I decided to take art classes. I want to improve the way how I drawing because my accuracy to copy a drawing is horrible.


I don't hate drawing, but sometimes I want to throw the notebook through the window. It's really frustrating to me not to know drawing even a circle.

My art teacher told me: "You need to be patient". I am attending to Drawing & painting course on saturdays at the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA).

The MIA was founded in 1967 in Kuala Lumpur as a non-profit making organization. This institute provides a range of Diploma courses in the field of art, design and music with comprehensive and well designed course contents. 

I'm doing my best for improve my drawing techniques in order to surprise my Cell Anatomy's professor presenting him cells pictures more similar to reality.

My university and my career

As you know… Or maybe you don’t know it? Well,  I study at University of Malaya (UM) which is in Kuala Lumpur. I’m in the third year. When I was looking a university to continue my studies, I caught my attention the fact that UM gives you the opportunity for industrial training and undertake research studies.  This gives students working experience and enhances their practical skills. I chose Microbiology because I always liked Science, since school. I always participated on science fair and twice I won the first price.  Microbiology at UM is not like a Science fair, is most a science contest. You always must be prepared for classes and you must read a lot.  Science is something changing, everyday has a new discovery.  For get high grades I need to know whole subject, the professors are severe but for our good and for keeping discipline.  I am in the field of Medical Microbiology.  I like helping people, and someday I hope establish a medical center in Marudi for low-income people.

My siblings

   I don’t know why, but I usually write here about the things that I miss. At the moment I am confused because I think that I miss my brothers. I don’t like my brothers, they are annoying. However, I miss their nonsense conversations and their silly faces. I miss chase them for hit them. That is a common treatment for us. If I said them: “I miss you brother”, they will laugh at me. 

   But, my sister nadhirah is my favorite, she is cute and quiet. Nadhirah is 9 and she likes playing as a housewife. She likes helping my mom at home and she knows cooking (even more than me). 

   When we are together at home on holidays, we enjoy the moment because there are not times like these very often since I moved to Kuala Lumpur.

Nadhirah

Ameer and Amin

My hometown: Marudi

   Last night I was crying because I really miss my mother and my home. It’s hard to be separate from family even if you are in the same country but not close from home. 

   My home is in Marudi, Sarawak. Marudi is situated on the northern bank of the Baram roughly 80 km from Miri. It is a busy bazaar town whose traders supply most of Sarawak’s northern interior, so you are likely to bump into members of dozens of different ethnic groups here. 

   The town’s main attraction is Fort Hose, a Brooke-era wooden fort named for Marudi’s most famous administrator, the naturalist, ethnographer and pioneer photographer Charles Hose. The fort is nowadays a museum, featuring some of Hose’s remarkable ethnographic photographs, as well as local textiles, handicrafts and ceremonial items. To get there, walk uphill along Jln Fort from the Main Bazaar (10 min). The nearby Taman Tasik (lake park) offers excellent river views from the hilltop. 

  Most places to stay and eat are within a block or two of the centre. An ornamental square with a longboat monument spans from Jln Cinema down to Jln Merdeka, the riverfront drag, and all boats moor at the adjacent jetty.  

  Marudi used to be a stepping stone to a well known tourist destination, Gunung Mulu National Park. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest. These are some pictures of Marudi:

My last holiday

In these days I've been busy with college, I have many tasks and I have to read a lot. I feel like I'm under pressure, I think I need a break because otherwise I will going crazy. 

A week ago a professor assigned to me a work about "Anatomy of Muscodor albus" which made ​​me suffer because it's a fungus discovered recently. I didn't have much information to carry out the research but then went to the library and found what I needed in a book called: "Microbiology today: Current issues". Anyway, I was able to do my research but I was exhausted. I didn't sleep well in four days. Because of that I have been very eager to finish the semester in college.

I want to go on vacation, I would to go back to Langkawi Island in Kedah. Last year I was there with my family. We were on vacation there for two weeks. We went to Pantai Cenang beach, we really enjoyed the trip because it was very beautiful there. Pantai Cenang is located about 18 kilometers from Kuah town and only three kilometers from the airport. It's bordered by coconut trees and casuarinas. The beach is home to many luxury hotels, chalets and restaurants.  

Pantai Cenang doesn't have many tourist sites, the mere fact of having most crystalline water, the finest white sand, the most colorful wildlife and beautiful landscapes, makes the site a place to want to stay there forever. But I guess one of the most beautiful things in this site are the sunsets. I was very impressed by how beautiful they are. I could capture an image of the sunset that time I was there. 

Sunset at Pantai Cenang beach

During that vacation I told my father to go to a place called Underwater World, I had heard that it is the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia so I wanted to know what it was. Underwater World is located at Pantai Cenang. It was very exciting to be there because there was a tunnel where you could go and see the fish and other sea creatures. In addition, there were other attractions: the section of freshwater fish, Concha screen, the koi pond, reptile Section and the Section of Coral Reefs. 

Underwater World Main entrance

My father and me

I really miss so much enjoy as I did on that vacation, I hope I can do it on my next vacation and go with my family again.

My secret love: A quiet boy in the library.

   Three months ago I went to the UM Library because of I was doing a research about "Waste biotreatment". I was alone in the library, well, that was I thought. I was reading an abstract about "Value of microorganisms on the modern societies" suddenly I heard a big noise coming from the next hall. I was scared but I got up from my seat and I went to see what happened. Well, those noises were some books dropped to the floor; I saw a guy picking up the books but I didn't saw his face. I asked him: "Do you need help?" He turned around and answered: "No, thanks. Don't worry, everything is fine" I returned to my desk to continue with the research and like 10 or 15 minutes later, I watched the boy again, but this time I saw his face. He sat in front of me, that is, on the desk next door, but he was placed in front of me. 

  As I could see, that boy was reading something refered to architecture. I don't know, maybe engineering. Well, the point is I saw his face and he looked very handsome. Sometimes I was stared him because I really thought was very cute. 

   When I came to my bedroom, I told Syahirah: "Syahirah, I met the love of my life!" She laughed and asked me: "How did happen?" I jumped to bed and I told her everything about that happened at library. 

   The next day we asked information about the boy, the librarian told us that he always came on Fridays and his name was Thivyan. Syahirah and I ran to our room. We were very happy for complete our task (find the name of the boy). Anyway, I can't go out with nobody because my religion don't permit that; I'm just having fun before I get married. 

   Until now, I don't have contact with that boy, I wish but I can't. I'm happy with just seeing it from afar.

Thivyan at the cafeteria. This photograph was taken by a friend, (he didn't notice that he was photographed!)

My favorite movies

   In Malaysia we have got many good films. When I’ve got time I rent or buy a DVD movie because I love watching them. Sometimes I go to the cinema with Syahirah (my roommate). I love watching horror films and comedy films. I don’t like action movies; I cannot stand violence, guns and all the stuff. 

   Four years ago I saw a movie with my friends called Chermin. This movie left me traumatized; I almost piss on my seat when I saw it, even so, is one of my favorite movies. It's about a girl named Nasrin, who was disfigured after a tragic car accident. His mother discovers an antique mirror that has extraordinary powers. This mirror reflects everything Nasrin wants to see. Nasrin is obsessed with the mirror in his quest to recover his latest beauty, Nasrin falls into an addiction to mirror, at the same time it is charged in form of blood and revenge.

   When the movie finished, I was frightened of every mirror. Oh my god, now I remember those times and it seems hilarious, but at that moment was terrible to me. Am I silly? I think that I am. Well, after that, I thought twice before to see another horror movie. 

   

   Another of my favorite movies is the comedy Baik Punya Cilok (in English: They have good actions) which is funny story about Wak and his friends, who plan to steal a pawnshop when the owner, Tauke Wong, refuses to allow Wak to redeem his grandmother's brooch. After numerous discussions and rehearsals for the big robbery day, the guys fall into a trap and there begins a lot of crazy adventures to achieve their goal. The whole movie was very funny. I laughed a lot!

   I really enjoy the Malaysian cinema, for me is very good. We have to support our local talent. The Malaysian independent directors usually have very reduced budgets and they recorded in digital format, they make a great effort to show us their art and for our enjoyment.

My friends

   When you are a kid, maybe you don't understand the concept of having friends, but I always have been very sociable. When I was 4 I went to Yuk Ying kindergarden and I met there my first friend, Dara. She was a hindu girl. The first day at school, she was hidden in a corner, I saw her and I remember I told: "Do you want play with me and my doll? I can lend you mine if don't have any doll" She looked at me and smiled. Since then we are friends. Right now we still talking and we're friends although she is studying at Sunway University in Selangor and I'm in Kuala Lumpur. I often call her on weekends. 

Dara (right) and her sister Latika (left). They were at my house to play and draw.

   My second best friend's name is Nashrin. I met him at primary school. There was a time in second grade when a bunch of idiots girls were laughing of me because I had yellow shoes with my white uniform. I never understood why they were mocking at me. Well, Nashrin realized the situation and he said: hey, you! dumb girls, leave her alone! He asked me: Are you ok? Don't worry. You look great with you yellow shoes, I like yellow. Since that day he is my defensor (laugh), he's my hero. At the present time, he's studying at PJ College of Art and Design in Petaling Jaya (Selangor too). He drew the background image I have in my blog. Supposedly that's me listening to music. We always talk by Facebook or Twitter. 

Nashrin and me (lower right corner) in a school party.

   My most recent best friend's name is Syahirah. She is from Kuala Lumpur and she is my roomate. Syahirah studies Biohealth Science. I met her when I came to Kuala Lumpur. She was very nice with me, she showed me the city and took me to see the whole campus. I was lucky to know her because she gathers the qualities of my former best friends.

Syahirah playing chess at university