My Day Out

It has been week since my last outing. There are loads of work to be done in so short a time. Almost asphyxiating as i can say. From anatomy to biology to biophysics to chemistry , not forgetting Czech and Latin language. Practically all the waking hours are spent with books , and also my new found joy - bones and muscles.Finally here came a weekend with less work , not to say totally free. So better grab this once in a month opportunity to explore Olomouc , to the new undiscovered territory.I must say we were pretty lucky that day. See the tram in the photos? It is one of the oldest tram in Olomouc, And it operates only a few times in a year. It's prefect timing and sheer luck to be able to get into one. Wa laa... Taking a tram back in time..The town of Olomouc still retain many of its glories of the olden days. Basking in the autumn sun , strolling along the brick path and taking in the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the town square , what a way of relaxation!

Not forgetting the existence of a small community of Vietnamese here in Olomouc. They live by selling cheap imitates of clothes and shoes. Pretty cheap. However , some locals ostracise them as they do not oblige by the Czech laws. In Czech , all products sold are under 2 years warranty. Obviously with such cheap price , we do not expect these comprehensive after sell services. It's just like our very own Petaling Street , boasting with international "brands" of Gucci , CK , LV... Everyone knows things there are fake , yet people still patronise them..

Olympia - the premier shopping complex in Olomouc, comparable to JB Aeon Tebrau , but relatively smaller in size. It's autumn sale now. Great bargains are on the shelves. I bought a jacket at only RM80 plus. Not imitate duh...
That's all for a day. Zzzz

Life in Olomouc 2

Celebrating Atmalia's birthday...

Malaysian Students...

At "Opera"

Pizza anyone?

It's one whole pizza for everyone.

Imagine their apetite here

Photo with Mdm. Shirley Abdullah

Bringing the warmth from Malaysia..

Eating Ice cream

AT 9pm!

IN THE OPEN!

AT 8 degree celcius!

Under the moonlight with Olomouc City Square as backdrop

A sweet memory captured

Mid Autumn Festival..

With this candle as my subtitute for lantern

Life in Olomouc 1

Waiting for bus after a long and tiring day of lectures..

Olomouc has dozens of statues to commerate almost everything and anything. This one is found beside the bus stop

Autumn at Vystaviste Flora..

Accomplishment -

pushing the whole trolley with groceries back to the hostel.

A crime?

Rainbow+Rain+Sunshine

Getting cold in autumn

Home far away from Home

Home is where the heart is. Being away from home for 6 years will almost stir up the homesickness in everyone. Mummy's cooking and Daddy's ATM are so far beyond reach. It's all by myself. Cooking on our own , doing our own laundry and living on string budget are just a few obstacles we meet in every day life.

And the only pillar of support is friends. Thankfully there are still friends around to back each other up. Malaysian students have formed our own Malaysian community here. It is a time when we see the rainbow of Malaysian races of varying colours and creed coming together as one. Coming from the same background and sharing many things in common , we have come to see each other as member of a family and not as individual of different colours. The bond has transgressed the border of race ,culture and religion.

The food and the festive seasons are what we miss the most. In compensation , we will have to celebrate it in our very own way , making use of what we have to dish out Malaysian-style curry , chinese-indian style fried rice and malay rendang.It is an assimilation of culture and custom. Though we might not have the grand open house,the spirit of sharing is still there. Spirit of "gotong-royong" is packed all the way from Malaysia to Czech.

The warmth of home can still be felt in this chilly autumn. The hot soup we share in one bowl , though lack the essence of Mummy's love , still warm the body up. The chocolate waffle which we substituted for birthday cake ,though pale in comparison to Secret Recipe's , still bring the joy to the birthday boy.

My room is just nice and cosy. It's a twin sharing room with our own fridge , well furnished and equipped with internet connection. I am sharing the same apartment with two other Malaysians , Esmond and Hamsath and also 3 other Czech students.We share two common WC and kitchen , with cleaner doing weekly cleaning. So no fuss , no worry.

And this is my second home....my second family....

An Eye Opener

As the popular Malay proverb goes by saying "Seperti katak di bawah tempurung" , we have been kept in our own shell of self contentment , self satisfaction and self pride for all these while until now that we are brought back to reality to realise what the world around us is like. Since young , we have been brought up , cultivated , nurtured and taught to appreciate our eastern cultures and our values. At the same time , we are incessantly being brain washed to believe how morally decadent the western cultures are. Those derogatory remarks are publicly disseminated through our text books ,in our moral lessons and even in our essay writings. So that was the case before we see the real pictures with our own eyes. Naive mind can be easily manipulated. But having experienced their culture and lived in their society for merely a few weeks , the brain is suddenly enlightened to see the other side of the coin. There is no culture that can claim superior to the others. Ours is not as good as we think , and at the same time theirs is not as turpitude as we believe. Below are just a few scenarios that compare our budaya Malaysia with the Czech's culture:
Scenario 1:On the road

Our Malaysian government are seriously obsessed with the superlative-termed achievement. Tallest tower , tallest mountain , first astranout , largest silicon city , best airport so on and so forth. Of course we also boast about our high rate of road accidents , among the HIGHEST in the world. Our drivers , our Mat Rempit are well too popular for their driving skills and driving etiquette. Oblivious of traffic lights , ignorant about zebra crossing , unaware of double lines and a long list to go. When i first walked on the road here, i just could not believe that zebra crossing still means a thing in this part of the world.Cars do stop at zebra crossing for pedestrians. Red light still means "STOP" unlike us who perceive it as "increasing the acceleration".We can walk on the road with peace in mind without worries of being sent into the hospital. Up till now , i have not witnessed a single car accident on the road.

Scenario 2: In public transport

In Malaysia , we squeezed ourselves into public transports without bothering about the safety of the others. We elbow through the way , occasianally stepping on others feet , shoving the weaker ones aside as long as we make it ourselves. It will be even better if we get a seat despite the stickers showing "seats reserved for the old , pregnant and disabled". Everyone wants the privilege of the "senior citizens" ( the same case as when queuing to board the plane when anyone with a strand of grey hair can coin themselves senior citizen). Here , surprisingly people like to stand. Even without the presence of real seor citizens , people still rather stand than grabbing for seats.

Scenario 3: Shopping at the supermarket

In Malaysia , CCTVs have to be set up at every corner of the shop to prevent petty thefts , looting and any other dishonest acts. People take advantage of every loophole they can think of.When supermarket impose ration for the number of oil per customer during promotion , a whole family consisting of 90-year-old great grandfather and 1-month-old infant will throng the supermarket to increase the head counts. When the price tag is wrongly attached to the packet (of course cheaper) , people will hope that the cashier won't discover it when paying. Here , customers are entrusted to weigh their own fruits and vegetables , pack their own groceries

and state the number of buns they take without the need for rechecking.

Of course there are more differences between our very own culture with theirs. And this is not to say that we have to embrace theirs, as theirs have their own flaws as do ours. It is a matter of respecting the others to gain others' respect.

Anyway,as a Malaysian , brought up ala Malaysian , and live a Malaysian way , i am still a pure breed of Malaysian laaa!

New Page

Winter semester has just started. And it is a new chapter in life , a new page on the diary and new experience in a foreign land.

I am currently reading medicine at Palacky Universiy , Olomouc , Czech Republic. Just in case anyone is interested to know more about the university , you can visit the website at http://www.palacky.com/




Chronicles of events..
School commenced on the 11th of September on which we had our Immatriculation Ceremony. A simple ceremony attended by all 1st year students to officially accept us into the university.














After that , everyone is swung into the study mode. Anatomy , Biochemistry , Biophysics , Biology , Czech Language , Latin Language ,everything is coming in full force. "Early bird catches the worms" , so it's better to start well then struggling in the end.

Stuying here is not just about attending lectures and tutorials to gain credits. It also includes pre lesson preparations and post lesson revisions.Digestive system must be in top condition to take in , digest and assimilate all the information and new found knowledge in such a short time . So most of the times , we will be engrossed in chewing up the books. Having said so, it is actually not that miserable and pathetic. It can be quite fun and interesting , to explore and excavate those serendipitous surprises through reading.

Of course it is not all about study. Life is not that dull after all . Everyday there will be new posters of latest clubbings , parties in town on the dorm notice boards. But for non-partyanimals like us , our haven for relaxation will be to have a decent, proper meal. The right ambience , the right food and the right price Even chinese food is easily accessible here.





And of course we also have our PalackyEnglish Program Association to guide us through the ways , to help us in our daily problems as well as our school work. We are also given a mentor from second year student to assist us in anyway that they could.

So , live it up!

Bouzov

Visit to the Bouzov Castle...
To the Arboretum where 'exotic' plants are planted. But seriously their definition of exotic plants are just those found in our backyard.