Roommate + Coursemate = Best friend

       Today post is about my roommate which also happened to be my course-mate and one of my BFF. We lived together for almost 3 years that when we were undergraduates at UTM. So within this period we have creates many memories including fun, sad, unforgettable and even unimaginable! =D

       To begin with, we become roommates after we get ‘quota pengetua’ which enable us to choose hostel dorm earlier than other students. Knowing the advantages of having the quota, we work very hard and join many collage activities in order to get credits for the quota. I love to join activities especially when it involve sports or games, however in this case we even dare to join a day of lecture program just to get a credit of quota pengetua. Hehehe… The credit is given in the form of program certificate or slip that has principle sign on it. So we will collect as many slips and certificates, count each of it and treasure them like important items. In one occasion where some college committee distributing slips to participants, not sure how or why but she offer us to get bundle of slips as many we want. Though it seems fishy and confusing but me, my roommates and many others takes more than 10 slips with a happy heart on how we easily get many credit in just one night. As soon we arrived at dorm, we laugh when we figure out that even we have 10 slips, only one is useable because all of them are same that mention about program name, time and date. Haha.. =P

One of the program we join to get credit for Quota pengetua

 

       After a hard work we both finally listed as qualified student for quota pengetua. So the next step is to find the most suitable and strategic room for us. At UTM all students are encouraged to live inside university, so not like other university we have no problem of getting hostel inside UTM but it was the hostel strategic locations that make it different. So after some discussion, inspection and visit to many blocks we finally choose block G9 2^nd floor as our dream dorm.

       As so called DREAM dorm, it was just a dream for us when on ‘booking day’ we find out that we are too late that all rooms in block G9 has been booked. It is all because we decided to fill our empty stomach first rather than fight for a victory. After all, we are very hungry after 9am class. Huhu.. After struggling with hundreds of people that waiting, we finally reach hostel warden when she tells us that our dream dorm is all booked and we only have few choices left. Alhamdulillah finally we get a dorm at Block G11 3^rd floor which is just next to our dream block. Feeling funny, lucky and grateful, we went straight to our future dorm to see the place where we will become roommates. 

Dream dorm G9 2nd floor	Our real dorm G11 3rd floor
Estimated distance: 20m to bus stop, 30m to Meranti and about 200m to faculty 2nd floor so we will not tired climbing up stairs everyday Not as noisy (sound from car at street) like the 1st floor Beautiful view of main street, meranti, and other hostel under the hill Good and new facilities but no washing machine	Estimated distance:15m to bus stop, 40m to Meranti and 230m to faculty 3rd floor but considered as 4th floor if based on building structure Less sound heard from street There are absolutely no inspirational view where form our window, we can only see bricks of wall =p Facilities are ok where we have washing machine in our block

 Our dream Block, G9 Kolej Rahman Putra UTM

       The next semester, we officially become roommate. So how is the new dorm? IT HAS SOO MANY mosquitos that I think I might get dengue for it! Luckily UTM do fogging once in a while when there is complaint and the residents will do spring cleaning as needed.  Yet it was not too bad, the floor we lived has place for drying cloth, more toilet and has washing machine in the hostel. Allah give us for what we need and not what we want, we eventually live happily in the fated dorm with me as block leader and my roommate is the assistance. hehe =)

       So what I like about my roommate is because she is very cooperative as what our BFF reward her. We are close but we never step into each other sensitive issue and respect each other private life. We enjoy chitchatting about issues surround us and I always amazed on how she is very sensitive and well-informed with new issues. However what I love most about her is that she is kind hearted, knowing that I like cat she willing to involve in cat talk and even make jokes about cat. There are times when we play and make jokes about the cats that live in our hostel. Nevertheless we also experienced common things that all roommates do; Wake up late for class and even there is one time when we both late for exam; Stay up late for study especially during exam week; Discuss about assignment; Went to meranti for dinner; Help each other to transfer things to store room when semester break (HEAVY things yet funny experience) and celebrate birthday in our dorm. 

Mr. Korea and his mum are among resident of G11. 

We sometimes play with them =' . '=

       So that's the story, I'm really grateful to Allah for giving me chances to know her and become roommate with her. So my beloved roommate, not sure what you think about me, but I sincerely miss the old days and thought that we are best friend. I have make a poem on your birthday, but unable to post it on time due to server down. Anyway, this poem is specially for you.. hehehe =D

<<<>>>

My roommate, 
She loves books that have many pictures of foods,

She loves thriller and horror movies which is not my type,

She never complained when at night I forgot to switch off light,

She is not a fan of cat but we laugh happily for that,
 We take bus when class not so far,

Tired from class we chit chatting about everything,

She knows most stuff and we will talk and talk..

Never thought we fight,

Because every misunderstanding we silent for a while...

Wake up and we best friend again.

We have lots of stories, that I miss her so much,

Thank you roommate for the great time we have,

Sorry also for anything that might hurt.

<<<>>>

 

  Miss u ~~ =)

Choosing a Compound Microscope

       Recently, my company bought a compound microscope for our lab. I have doing some research and survey on how to choose a suitable one. So I would like to share some important factors to consider when choosing a compound microscope. But before that, let us know basic parts of a compound microscopes.

 .....and factors to consider are.....

Magnification size. It is the most important subject when choosing a microscope. Magnification size defined as the ratio of enlarged image to the size of original sample. It telling us how many times the microscope can enlarge the image of original sample. So when choosing a microscope, defined your sample’s size, the purpose and the magnification size that you need.  

Purpose and user. Usually a microscopes for elementary and high school students is more simple and cheaper as it usually just for introduction or for observation of plant cell or animal cell. The microscopes usually have at least 400 X magnifition powers. On the other hands microscopes for university students, pharmaceutical, veterinary, biology professional and for research purpose are usually more advance. The microscopes have at least 1000-2500X magnification size complete with camera and microscopes software. Example of samples, purposes with suitable magnification size is as in the table below.

Sample	Purpose	Suitable magnification size
Onion skin	To see plant cell structure	100X-400X
Blood	To see the shape of red blood cell	400X
Insect	Insect anatomy	40X
Bacteria	To defined shape of bacteria	100X-400X
Nematode’s egg	To enumerate nematode egg	100X
	To identify nematode egg	400X
Coccid	To identify coccid	400X
Worm	For anatomy	100X
Aphid	For anatomy	100X-400X
Stool	To find parasite in stool	100X-400X

 

Power of eye piece and objective lens. It was the two types of lenses that work to produce image. Eye piece is the one that we use to see through the microscopes while objective lenses are the lens near the object. Eye piece usually presence in 10X or 25X power of magnification, while objective lens are 4X, 10X, 40X and 100X. The combination the power of both eye lens and objective lens give the total magnification of the image. Example of the combination is as in table below. Knowing the power of eye piece and objective lens is important for you to determined magnification size. 

Eye lens	Objective lens	Total magnification
10X	4X	40 X
	10X	100 X
	40X	400 X
	100X	1000 X
25X	4X	100 X
	10X	250 X
	40X	1000 X
	100X	2500 X

Types of stage. Stage is the part of microscopes to place slide.  You can choose a pin type stage or a mechanical stage. A mechanical stage is more user friendly where user can easily adjust the slide in the position they want and see the slide thoroughly while doing observation.

Monocular, binocular or trinocular microscopes. The three types will not effect on image result but it depends on the comfortibility of the user to choose how many eyepiece(s) suitable for them. Compare to monocular (single eyepiece), the binocular has two eyepieces which usually more easy to use as the brain do not have to choose the right or left different image seen by our eyes. On the other hand, trinocular microscopes also have only two eyepieces but have an extra vessel for external hardware such as camera. 

 

Microscope’s camera. Usually for research use a camera is important to keep picture or video of sample’s image which is important for documentation. If you buy a camera specific for microscopes, it usually comes along with complete software that enhance your analysis efficiency such as better image, measuring size and editing image. However normal camera also able to take picture and video of sample’s image. Just fixed your camera lens on one of the eyepiece and then zoom to the image to get picture or video. 

Source of light. There are few choices such as florescent, luminescent, LED and halogen light. Fluorescence and luminescent light is usually used for kids’ microscopes where it is yellow in color and less bright. Nowadays LED light is more popular as it gives white light, last longer, less sensitive and cheaper. On the other hands halogen lamp give bright white light but have short life and quite expensive. The halogen lamp also have very sensitive filament that it easily broken when there is movement while in used. 

       So that are the important factors, however there might be other things you might want to consider such as price, material that make the microscopes, size or brand of the microscopes.  I hope the tips can help you to find a suitable microscope for yourself. For me as I need it for microbiology research purpose, I prefer a trinocular compound microscope, have mechanical stage, image enlargement until 2500X magnification size, complete with microscope software and using LED light.


OK, choose wisely!

Story of a Good Relationship

       My first unofficial job is a massage girl, it was when i was about 6-7 years old. Off course it is not as it sound! My only customer is our neighbor (Allahyarhamah Haji Mak Jara@ Aji).  She is not just ordinary neighbor but more like a sister to my mother and granny to us. She has many sickness like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and always complained about the back-pain she have. As it was my routine to give massage to my mum, thus mum ask me if I can serve Aji. Mum know me! Just little bit praising will turn me into a GOOD GIRL. Oh Allah, what a sweet mum I have~ So actually me as a massage girl is not really a  career, but more about love and caring to our neighbor. Yet I still get my salary, a pack of 'hari2' cracker per service. I never ask for it, but Aji sincerely give it to me and we both was very happy.

       The neighbor-family relationship become stronger and even after we moved to another district, we still contact each other and pay visit sometimes. However Aji just passed away last month, we feel the grief but redha that she went to hers and our Creator, Allah S.W.T. But a little bit bitter for my mum because it is just a week after mum call her daughter to have teleconversation with Aji. Unfortunately she is at somewhere else that mum cant contact her. After receive the news, mum call and ask me to give doa and yasin to the late, we talk about the past and the beautiful memories with Aji. She really is a good hearted person, she have many children yet still adopt a child and rise him like her own. For more than one year, she willingly and happy to help and take care my sister during her school at Miri. May Allah bless her soul to rest in peace at the eternity. Amin..  

       From the experience, I feel how important to have good relationship with peoples around us. Help, be kind to our friends and never purposely make fight with anyone. With that when we are not around, they still have good memory about us and should forgive small mistake that we might done. It is like some phrase that I read somewhere.

'One day you'll be just a memory to people, so make sure you're a good one'. 

 'A good person is someone when shes around you feel happy and her absent make you missing. While a bad person is someone when shes around you feeling sick and her absent make you relief'.

       So which one you want to be labelled? Oh Allah, I want to be remembered as a good person. But there are times when I make mistakes and don't have courage to ask for forgiveness. To all my friends and family I am sorry for the bad things I've done, hope we can forgive the past and have only good memories of each other.

Friend Fight Tips

_____

In friendship, quarrel is unavoidable and it is path of a normal relationship. Sometimes it was just a bad day that the small fight began and its unworthy if it cause end to a friendship. Here are few tips when you trapped in quarrel with friend and how to handle after that.

Part 1: During quarrel

Don’t make a big fuss. Sometimes little things can bring war in friendship. Thus it is necessarily not to make a big fuss on little things. Instead being reasonable, tolerant and bring logical fact to be argue.

Use calm voice and avoid shouting. Whenever arguing or quarrel, try to control your voice at low tune and say your words slowly. Lowering your voice will help to calm yourself while saying words slowly will help you and your partner to hear and understand what you trying to say. This also to prevent uproar situation that lead to further misunderstanding.

Never curse. In a quarrel between friends, never curse especially when it is just because of your anger and you really not mean it. The curse is always something that extremely annoying, illogical and usually not related to the argument issue(s). Thus adding curse in a quarrel will just make it worst and uncontrollable. Always remember that any curse you said might be hurtful, unforgiveable and most important unforgettable.

Don’t see directly to opponent eyes. When both parties are in tense, try not to look directly in opponent eyes and you might also lower your sight view. However it is important that your body is still facing the opponents so it is not like you are trying to ignore her/him. A mad person usually have a red and sour face, thus avoiding eye contact will prevent you to see the terrible reaction of her/ his face which cause you more angry and tense. Also, a person tends to show more of her/his angry feeling knowing that you focus at her/him. On the other hand lowering your sight shows that you don’t want the argument to go further, you are trying to control the situation and you ready let go in the quarrel.

Choose to silent rather than fight. When the quarrel is something that is unimportant or maybe some of it is from your own faults, it is better to keep silent rather than fight. Silent will prevent the quarrel to go longer, getting tense and prevent unnecessary words come out from your mouth. When you keep silent, it shows that you definitely don’t want the quarrel to happen. In sometimes, your mad friend will realize it and she/he will follow your rhythm to talk calmly.

Change your position. It is a guide from our beloved prophet Muhammad S.A.W on how to reduce anger. When you are mad, try to change your position. For example, when you are angry while standing, try to sit down, if you are still angry lay down and if it still not working gets wudu to cool you down and perform a solat to make your mind in peace.

Part 2: After Quarrel

Forgive but may not forget. As friends small quarrel should be forgivable because friendship is more important than that. However forgiven does not means forgotten. Forgiving your friends means you not keep grudge on him/her and you are sincerely accept the past. However a memory is something that inerasable and sometimes you have to remember the bad things so that it gives lesson to both of you and the same problem will not repeating.

One step she/he tries to recoil, you should work 100 times to save the friendship. This is because your friendship is very meaningful towards her/him that she/he willing to overcome her ego for it.

Have some times apart. Even when the quarrel ends and both of you forgive each other, still you and your friends need times to cooling down and reflect on what just happened. Just give some times to both of you, but never purposely avoiding each other.

Act like it never happened. After forgiving each other, both should act normally like it never happened. This is to prevent uncomfortable situation in the relationship and it can help both parties to sincerely forgive each other. If necessary, you may need to pretend in order to cheer up the situation, by times the incident will be forgotten.

Never bring back the bad memories or tell it to other person especially when your friend is not around. This is because she/he might misunderstood that you are badmouthing about her/him and in worst condition it may lead to another quarrel. Just in case you are burst in heart, you might share it to your sibling or the best solution is write it in your diary.

As a conclusion it is all about your emotion to control a quarrel. Just be the one to surrender in the war of friendship. Its not mean that you are the loser, instead you should be proud to save a friendship. In addition, Islam love peace and a good Muslim is the one that treasure every relationship. 

p/s: I have been using this method to myself, it usually works and there will always not a long fight between me and friends. However in life there are sometimes when things just going wrong and bad things unavoidable. Just give your best, and if she/he is a true friend your friendship will never end. =)

A happy blogger =)

Today I am a happy blogger! It is because I have download a widget for Garfield comic strip on my blog. I am someone that quite naive in computer, gadget and etc. so I never knew that it is possible! Hehe.. Other than Garfield comic strip, I also download a cat clock widget which I found very cute and I named it as ‘Troy & Olen’s clock’ taken after the name of my new kitties. 

Another widget that amazed me is feedgit. I found it after visiting my friend's blog (puteri bongsu). Feedgit report about the visitors of our blog. What make me really amazed and exited is, because it telling me that there are visitors form foreign country that visit my blog. It is quite laughable to say that the visitors might accidentally just click on my blog because of matching key words. Haha.. =P Then I will try to be a good blogger that the visitors will visit again. =)

Anyway, blogging is quite useful and fun! I started blogging because of assignment, but I think I will active in my blog again. InsyaAllah.. =)

Interesting @ Important??

We have learned about creativity and innovation with Dr Siri Roland. Different from Mr. Barjoyai, he stressed more about creativity and innovation in scope of business. Creativity is coming up with idea, while innovation is bringing idea to life. In business creativity leads to innovation in order to fulfill the needs of customer and market. Innovation can arrive from unexpected occurrence, incongruities, process needs, market changes and knowledge based concept.  

       During Dr Roland class, he assigns us to think about a business that we want to do and tell the class whether the business is important or interesting. Important business is such as the grocery, petrol station, public transport, pharmacy, and restaurant. Intresting business is such as the magazine company, handphone business, fast food restaurant, boutique, and jewelry shop. The important business will easily maintain their business because the product that they offer is important and necessary in everyday life. On the other hand, the interesting businesses have to make strategies on how to keep their business on going and able to compete with the important business.  For example the handphone businesses have to always come out with different style, function and trend in order to attract customer to buy their product.

       When we were given such question, I would like to build a boutique for women. I want the boutique located at my hometown, at Sabah. At Sabah, tailor shop is very popular and busy especially during Eid season. Different from other tailor shop, my boutique will have more design for traditional wear, office attire and also wedding dress. Other than that, my boutique will have ready made cloth, tailoring services, shoes, hand bag, accessory for women and also offer fashion guidance. My shop will also have own brand for our product which I called “sapina”. I would like to be more focus on woman as I think it is more profitable because women are more concern on their attire. In addition I want my shop to be special by more focus in women attire.

       Actually boutique is classified as interesting business where human can still live without using beautiful dress. But nowadays when most people are more care about their attire, the boutique business are become more significant. In addition wearing suitable suit is important when going to interview, work, at meeting, conference and for wedding. So, I think my shop is an interesting business, but yet important and profitable.

       For me, the topic "important @ interesting" is an important topic rather than an interesting subject. I think that we must really think of this issue before running a business. If we want to run an important business make it interesting to attract more customer, while if we want to run an interesting business makes sure it is still important that at least you have customers to maintain your business.

Industrial Visit

On 5^th January 2011, we have an industrial visit to Stellagen SDN BHD. Stellagen is a biotechnology  company with the primary objective of identifying, developing and commercializing technologies related to animal health, consumer health, microbiology and biochemical industries. The company was established at 2003 and the founder is Tan Sri Dr. Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim which is now holds the position as Chairman of the Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia and Chairman of the UPM Board of Directors. From the year of it establishment at 2003 Stellagen have corporate with University Putra Malaysia (UPM) in doing research of the production of probiotic for poultry. Started with research and development at lab scale, finally at 2008, they build their own factory for the production of probiotic for chicken in large scale.

            Recently the European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO) are more cautious on the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in animal feeds. This is because of growing concern that AGP may leave antibiotic residue in animal products, promote the development of harmful antibiotic-resistance bacteria and may cause human disease become resistance to bacteria. Because of this problem, Stellagen raise an idea on the use of probiotic as alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in chicken. Probiotic is refer to friendly bacteria that can improve a chicken’s intestinal bacteria balance by restore the presence of beneficial bacteria and thus help the digestion system of chicken.

            Now, Stellagen has comeout with their own product which is called StellarLac ^TM which is a probiotic product for chicken. It contains multi-strain probiotic bacteria which are Brevis, Salivarius, Reuteri, and Gallinarum that isolated from intestine of healthy chicken. The benefit of using probiotic over AGP for broilers are it increase growth performance, improves feed efficiency and immune system, reduce body fat and cholesterol, reduce pathogenic bacteria in intestine and also lowering mortality rate. While benefit for layers is it increase egg production, produce heavier egg weight, improves egg size, reduce cholesterol in egg yolk, improves feed efficiency and improves immune system. In short, StellarLac ^TM serves as an effective natural substitute for AGPs and leading to the development of safe, healthier and premium-value chickens.

            Another company visited by the other best participant is InnBio Venture. Compare to Stellagen SDN BHD that produce product for animals, InnoBio venture is a company that provides biopharmaceutical manufacturing services, and thus they were provided with clean room. InnoBio venture has a capacity to produce 1000 liters of drugs and built to confirm to US FDA, EMEA and PIC/S regulations. Other than that, InnoBio has do research and services on cell line development, yield improvement, cell banking, scaling-up, antibody development and also analytics. Compared to Stellagen that is in its early phase of developing their company and product, InnoBio venture are more established and well known Biotechnology Company in Malaysia. However, Stellagen have comeout with their own business product while InnoBio is more focus on the services on production of pharmaceutical.

            Now Stellagen is the only supplier of probiotic for poultry in Malaysia, in my opinion with their experience and technology, in the future Stellagen will be a successful leading company that supplies probiotic in Malaysia and internationally.  Stellagen will have wide market demands as poultry business is a worldwide and continuing business. Nowadays, the EU, WHO, United States, Japan and some developed country already started to ban the use of AGP in poultry. In addition, people today are more alert and educate about the impact of AGP and the benefit of using probiotic in poultry, thus they might be the soon-to-be customer in the future. At this moment, Stellagen already made joint venture and promote their product to foreign company form India, Iran and China, so in the future they would be able to penetrate the international market.

            From this industrial visit, I feel proud that a Malaysian company likes Stellagen SDN BHD able to produce an innovative idea and comeout with their own product of StellarLac^TM. StellarLac ^TM is really significant invention to help and improve the poultry industry as well as very important for human health. Starting with only five members of company, they already receive four award and recognition which are gold award at Biotechnology Asia 2005 exhibition; gold medal and best biotechnology award at 14^th International Invention, Innovation, Industrial Design and Technology Exhibition 2003; and also gold medal from Universiti Putra Malaysia Invention and Research Exhibition 2003. At the beginning, there are many obstacles in their business and currently they have only 2% of market share. However for a new starting company, it is a good enough and Insha’Allah with their passion, hard work and experience they will become a successful and well established biotechnology company in Malaysia.GOOD LUCK STELLA!=)