"The One with being an RA...and making DECISIONS that COUNT.."

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Today concludes my first week in Peninsula soil, and frankly I think it was a very fulfilling one!

My introduction to life in UPM has been swell; the people were very inviting and friendly. Sometimes it's hard to think that you're in an academic institution at all, yeah with the serene ambience and energetic environments. The varsity itself is a breath of fresh air; completely different compared to UMS and as much as I respect my alma mater, I can't help but think that UPM is a much more conducive institution towards education and research.

At the moment work is not so demanding; I've yet to receive a few vital chemicals but by next month I can expect more hectic stuff coming. Max, the current RA I'll be replacing as I continue my MSc next year has been nothing but a great help towards introducing me to the lab; the faculty's inhabitants, my research project and well, my job description....:-/ Prof Kathy's also been very nice and warm. Sometimes she exhibits this more 'motherly' vibe than her lecturer-ish exterior. At the end of the day, things have taken off at a very promising start.

And yes, I still miss KK very much. I miss Fifah even more, so applies to my family as well. Thank the heavens PakTam and MakTam welcomed me into their lives as much a family accepts a new member. They've been very supportive and kind all these while - much to my hopes of showing my gratitude by being as helpful as I could with the household. It's great to have relatives as accepting and as sweet as them.

Mom's coming over to KL on Monday, something I'm looking forward to very much next week.

I've come to believe that I'm at a stage of which life now will be steered by the hands of ye' own, a fact so dimly flows by back in my much younger years. And sometimes, being very new walking into this phase it might seem so difficult to see rationale past the choices we make today. We're condemned by this guilt and fear we've stacked on ourselves that the smallest mistakes we make in our choices today will be great mishaps for us costing our future.

The rule of thumb is, sometimes you just have to trust your guts and go with your feelings. Many successful entrepeneurs started off small, and sometimes they ended up doing something absolutely different from what they started with. I mean, J.K Rowling started off poor and lived by crumbs through the day but look where she's at now. Bill Gates started off with a small idea, with a capital even smaller on how a great operating system can revolutionize the way we work our PCs but he ended up being the wealthiest person on the planet. Their resemblance? They BELIEVED in their decisions, and they worked their butts off to realize their ambitions. Something all of us should be learning from.

Therefore, don't despair if you're not doing something as un-lavish and unimportant as the person next door, because if you believe in your ambitions and capabilities you'll always come out of the corner a winner. Remember, big achievers start small; and everyone is given the same opportunity to make someone out of themselves. Just make the right informed decisions, trust your heart and always believe in you. God works in mysterious ways we've never known.

A wisdom I've learned through the funny 'Wonderfalls' show on Astro's StarWorld...:-)

-JeP