A Letter to Pinky [I]

Dear Pinky,

Hope this finds you well.

You will be entering university soon and will be going overseas to continue your studies. I know that you would leave me behind, as you cannot bring too many things over, it will just add weight to your luggage. It is sad to know that you will leave me behind, especially after what we had been through.

A few years later when you come back, would you still remember me? Once, I was your favourite bag, but sooner or later, I will be buried deep inside your big pile of bags. What would happen to me? The thought of it scares me. I hate to be buried, hate to be forgotten, hate to be kept inside a so-called special box, forever.

Do you remember your promise to me? That you would keep me in your heart forever, that you would take care of me forever, that you would want me, that I am important to you, that I matter to you, that if one day you decided to throw me away, you would do it gently and tell me face to face.

I know each time you enter the baggies I will keep bugging you to bring me out, to spend time with me, to hold me; maybe I have been too pushy, hence you felt irritated and annoyed. Pinky, do you know how it feels to miss yet cannot do anything about it? Do you know how sad it is to miss and not to be missed in return?

Months ago, I had dreams that you pushed me away, and now it seemed that the dream has come true. You no longer call for me when you enter baggies, you are busy with Baby and always spend time with her. You know how it feels to be left behind? I overheard that you are bringing Baby along and yet time is always spent with her. Pinky, Elephy told me that for humans, if they know that they would not be around for a long period of time, they would want to spend more time with their loved ones while they are still around. Am I not in your list of loved ones?

I felt used. I felt neglected. I felt that you are just playing around with me. When you first bought me, it was just a temporary excitement and now that you have fully used me, you have known me inside out, you do not want me anymore. Do you know how that feels?

You ignore me, you avoid me, you neglect me, as though I am invisible; yet Pinky, I want to let you know that all I want is just a proper conversation between us, to sort things out. I do not blame you and I forgive you, I just want a proper goodbye. 

A bag is subject to fair wear and tear, when I do not serve my purpose anymore, where would I be in your heart?

Wish you all the best in your future.

Huggies,

LOVE ~

How I fell back in love with my husband

Falling In love is easy — falling back in love is another story.

Amanda Sparks

I fell out of love with my husband. He fell out of love with me. This was just six short years ago. And we are still married.

Thirteen years ago, I married a remarkable man. He was physically, mentally and spiritually strong. His stellar sense of humor captivated me from the moment we met. I knew I would laugh every day of my life with him. He was loyal and respectful. His brilliant mind aimed for a career in law and possibly politics. He was gentle and giving, patient and wise. Our future was bright and I loved him then.

Life's experiences, trials and opportunities have molded him into a different person. He has learned lessons from his own mistakes and the mistakes of others, including mine. He possesses different habits, qualities and characteristics today than he did all those years ago. No person can go through this life and not become a revised version of him or herself.

So when we marry, and we make vows and commitments to our loves, and for some even to God, do we understand in that moment, how very different each of us will be five, 10, 30 years down the road? Do we truly comprehend the adjustments and remodeling that will be required of us to remain in a unified marriage? I know I didn't.

We had fights about the important things, and lots of fights about nothing. We had losses — big ones. The biggest loss for me was my mother — a loss that changed me irrevocably. He was very patient and gentle. At that time I couldn't always give 100 percent; I was barely giving anything. Years of this exhausted him and inevitably changed him too. We struggled spiritually, physically, emotionally. We have individual pains and sorrows that have fused into one, both feeling the other's anguish. There are plenty of opportunities to hold on to mistakes and faults and to use them to disconnect, to give up and end what once was love.

We faced the choice to end or not to end. One night during a serious conversation, he said, "Do you still love me? Do you still want to be married to me? Do you still want to be a family?" Each of us, terrified of the other's response, asked these exact questions with calm and open hearts. I whispered, "I love you as a person and the father of our two sons, but I'm not in love with you." His feelings were identical. Unsure if things could be fixed, we both did still want to try.

We fought for our marriage, for our family. It has taken years to get to where we are today — but where we are is incredibly amazing and fulfilling. He is still all of the things he was when we married, just with altered and additional qualities. We are each other's priority, defending each other over our own family and friends. His career aspirations of old have vanished, replaced with dreams that have become reality and have taken him to places he never thought possible. He is so much more now than he was when I married him. He is so much better. And none of it is the result of my own attempts at changing him. He became who he is today because of his choices; his own desires to change.

In the years after that uncertain conversation, I have made a determined choice to step back and love my husband for who he is, just as he is, in any moment, every day. I simply let him be. Then I started to positively change who I was, who I had become. It was excrutiating some days and didn't come naturally. The more I focused on my own faults and correcting my behavior towards him, the less I saw his faults, and the more my love grew for him. Every day I made a conscious decision to stop and replace any critical thoughts about my husband that crept into my mind. As I did this, my natural thoughts regarding him became more positive and loving. Thoughts of his strengths, memories of love and laughter, and desires to serve him soon became constants in my mind. Malice and anger had been replaced with devotion and compassion. I had learned to love my husband once more, and even purer than I had before.

The biggest change that we both have made has been this: We deeply, without judgment, accept each other as we are. We accept each other's weaknesses, faults and annoying habits. Supporting each other through struggles, whatever the nature, without holding judgment, has been marriage-changing. It is a gift to be able to sit across from the man you love and say, "I am seriously struggling. I can't do this alone. I need help," and then to have him hold you, wipe your tears and love you even more than he did an hour prior to your confessions. This is what we fought for.

And today, we have a new love; a different and genuine love that has been strengthened through both joy and difficulties. It is a love only he and I could ever understand. I am a better woman because of him, and for him. He is a better man because of and for me. My hope is that my own actions and love for him will only ever encourage and allow him to be who he is destined to be. Only he knows my soul so deep and has captured my heart once again. Only him have I ever seen; only him shall I ever love.

Top 14 Hardest Courses to Study in Malaysia

By FunnyMalaysia

Studying in Malaysia is becoming a thing of choice for most students within and outside the country. This is due to the high standards and average price education offered by Malaysian Institutions as regulated by Malaysian government.

1. Urban and Regional Planning

The profession of urban and regional planning is concerned with planning, designing and managing properties and the environment. It is interdisciplinary in nature and integrates both the art and science of creating a better quality of life in a sustainable environment. To study this course in Malaysia you have to be at your best in terms of strategic reasoning and implementing of projects. At the local level the profession deals with the planning and designing of neighborhoods, towns and cities, and at the national and international levels, bigger projects.

In Malaysian Institutions, the profession seeks to balance between society and environment by managing developments through policies, strategies and plans. Students are expected to study hard to show themselves approved and worthy of being awarded Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning [BURP] at the end of their study year. 

2. Accountancy 

Accountants are known for accuracy and integrity when it comes to calculating and handling digits. Studying Accountancy in a Malaysian Institution is very hard as they have a high standard of programme features, curriculum and award requirements. Accountancy which is the measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities, in University of Malaysia Kelatan offers full-time mode based on an 8 Semester Academic Year with several subjects being delivered and assessed in each semester.

The course requires students to undergo 6 months of industrial training during the short semester of their third year. Assessment is strictly based on a Maximum of 60% final examination and the remaining allocated to coursework. Students who do not achieve a total of 146 credit hours with minimum CPA of 2 and do not Pass the Industrial Training which is equivalent to 8 credit hours will not be awarded at the end of their study year-Difficult task indeed.

3. Quantity Surveying 

Malaysia has several ares still undergoing building and construction. One will see it lucrative to study a course that will be relevant to the development of the country. However, the discipline of Quantity Surveying fits into such line of thought, irrespective of its tasking nature. Project development is an investment that involves considerable sum of money and time. The role of quantity surveyors through their education, training and experience will contribute to the effective management of construction cost, project procurement and contract administration as well as giving advice on development economics and contractual matters.

Malaysian Institutions offer graduates the opportunity to operate within the existing framework of the Quantity Surveying discipline, the construction industry and related fields. At a personal level, the undergraduate will be stimulated to adopt a professional and ethical approach that will allow personal development, foster self-respect and improve career aspirations. If you find this field interesting, look up easier ways to study it in Malaysia.

4. Law

Law is one hard course to study any where in the world, Malaysia inclusive. The course entails certain system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, culture and tradition. It is a professional study that usually comes with a white crown (wig) on graduating from Law School, and most parents find it prestigious to have a Lawyer as a child. Nevertheless, studying law in Malaysia is one of the hardest journey to embark on.

Law as a course has so many terminologies, acts, and by-laws that are constantly in use even in the course of studying. Most students in Malaysian Universities find it hard to assimilate these information as a result of its weight and complexity. Also Law fees in Malaysian Universities are higher than fees of other faculties, and this sometimes adds to the frustration of students who now have two things to worry about – How to pay fees and how to pass Law examinations. In a nut shell, studying law in Malaysian Universities require a lot of concentration, assimilation and dedication.

5. Bioinformatics 

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combines computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering to study and process biological data.

Studying Bioinformatics in any Malaysian Institution will need you to first understand biology, biotechnology and information technology, as they all make up the course. Common uses of bioinformatics include the identification of candidate genes and nucleotides (SNPs). Often, such identification is made with the aim of better understanding the genetic basis of disease, unique adaptations, desirable properties or differences between populations. Students who intend to study this course are considered bioinformatic scientists and as such needs to put themselves in the place of a scientist which makes studying more difficult.

6. International Business

Undergraduate international business programs in Malaysian Institutions is quite uneasy. It prepare students to conduct business or manage companies in a variety of global markets, by studying different cultures, learning more about a country’s culture,values, business history, labor relations, legal-economics and political systems.

At Olympia College Malaysia, Studying International Business is comprehensive and provides students with a broad introduction to management, international business, foreign culture and global business environments. Entry enrollment requires: A minimum 2 GCE A levels passes, or equivalent qualifications, Demonstration of English Language proficiency with a TOEFL paper based test score of 500, and a Computer based test score of 173.

7. Information Technology

With the world becoming increasingly borderless, demand for IT specialists is increasing. If you are interested in studying Information Technology in any Malaysian Institution, be ready to stand up to the task ahead. Olympia College and other institutions in Malaysia offer Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) to develop students with computing as a scientific and technological discipline, preparing them as programmers and software developers. IT students are considered brain box and computer gurus, to be one, you need to read all required school texts and materials 24/7.

8. Medicine 

Studying Medicine usually comes hand in hand with studying surgery operations. This course can be extremely tough in Malaysia owing to the fact that its MBBS has different phases every semester. A student must pass all the examination required in every phase before proceeding to another phase of another level/year. More so, MBBS exams are usually complex. Intensive study is needed and most times students substitute their social life for studies. Medical students are always put under pressure because their job entails human lives, one tiny mistake and a soul is gone. The studies can be scaring at times when students get to work with carcass, blood, and wounded people. It takes courage to study Medicine and Surgery in Malaysia.

9. Molecular Biology

Biomolecular engineering is the application of engineering practices and principles to purposefully manipulate molecules of biological origin. Chemical engineering involves manipulation of non-biological molecules. These two courses are interrelated and usually taken together in most institutions in Malaysia.

The entire subjects studied are quite challenging. It involves studying structures, functions as well as properties. The hardest part includes bio-medical engineering of molecules (recombinant DNA, site-directed mutagenesis, bio-immobilization and bio-conjugation, polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-ELISA). You will have to love the laboratory if you wish to pursue this course in Malaysia.

10. Political Science 

Political science is a social science that deals with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and political behavior. It deals extensively with the theory and practicals of politics which is commonly thought of as the determining of the distribution of power and resources. To study Political science in a Malaysian Institution, you should observe the political scene of the country and attempt to marry it with politics as it were on paper. The mistake most students make while choosing this course is that they assume all Political Scientists will end as Politicians in the Government – which is not far fetched though.

11. Hotel Operations and Management 

In Olympia College Malaysia students who intend to study Hotel Operations and Management without the required SPM credits can only obtain a Diploma in Hotel Management via the Certificate in Hotel Operations (CHO) programme. The institution offers the following course modules: Principles of Front Office, Introduction to Hospitality Industry, Computer Application, Bahasa Malaysia, Safety & Hygiene, Food Studies, Pengaji Islam/Pendidikan Moral, Housekeeping, Pengajian Malaysia and Industrial Placement. Through rigorous evaluation, extensive training and advanced technological implementation, students are constantly lectured on how to run hotels at optimum levels.

12. English Language 

An English language Student is a person who is learning the English language in addition to his or her native language. The instruction and assessment of students, their cultural background, and the attitudes of classroom teachers towards English Language is one basic training students require (especially those from non-English speaking countries). Swinburne Sarawak Malaysia offers two types of English Language courses: intensive and supplementary. The Intensive English runs in the months before the foundation or degree course. The Supplementary English units runs during the degree course. Most English language courses in Malaysia can help students with Reading and writing English, Speaking and listening skills and Progressing to higher levels of study.

13. Graphic Design 

Graphic design is the process of visual communication, and problem-solving through the use of type, space and image. The field is considered a subset of visual communication and communication design. The Sarawak Malaysia among other countries in the country offers Diploma in Graphic Designs. Studying design at Swinburne Sarawak allows you to combine your creativity with business sense and industry insight. Harness your imagination and take part in the innovative design thinking that will define the 21st century.

Swinburne Sarawak Malaysia multimedia design course offers creators and innovators any number of possible careers: advertising/art director, animator, cinematographer, design manager, exhibition designer, graphic designer/illustrator, packaging designer, post-production visual eff. Multimedia University Malaysia also offers a Bachelor degree in Multimedia Design.

14. Engineering 

Engineering means to apply scientific and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes. Several Institutions in Malaysia offer this course and it is difficult to both get an admission entry and to survive the heat of the course while studying it.

In a nut shell, the above 14 courses mentioned are therefore considered top hardest courses to study in Malaysia. In case you are interested in pursuing any of these courses, brace up to give your best because you would otherwise be frustrated in the course of study.