Tutorial: How To Organize Your References (Journals)

Saya sebenarnya dah lama nak tulis pasal cara nak susun atur jurnal-jurnal yang kita gunakan dalam research, tapi terbantut niat tu sebab saya terfikir macam tak perlu. (Lagipun masa tu terfikir, nanti takut ada suara-suara sumbang mengatakan saya nak tunjuk pandai buatnya saya tak mampu menghabiskan PhD dalam tempoh 3 tahun). Dua minggu lepas, ada seorang kawan yang sama-sama sedang buat PhD datang melawat saya kat opis dan bertanya hal tersebut. Maka, saya rasa perlu untuk berkongsi sedikit organization skills yang saya ada ni.

Masa saya buat master dulu, mula-mula tu tak reti pun nak organize jurnal-jurnal ni. Saya Search-Find-Save-Print/Don’t Print. Lepas tu ada seorang kawan yang saya panggil Kak Ju, dia bagi tips supaya saya asingkan jurnal-jurnal mengikut topic dan kemudian nomborkan. Saya buat tapi bila ada lebih dari satu topic, numbering method yang saya gunakan dah bercampur aduk. Yelah Topik A, ada jurnal bernombor 1, di bawah Topik B pun ada jurnal yang bernombor 1. Melalu Trial& Error method, saya fikir saya dah jumpa satu cara yang berkesan untuk saya simpan jurnal-jurnal yang saya gunakan sebagai references. Cara-caranya saya jelaskan pada setiap gambar. Cuma satu peringatan ye, TIADA JAMINAN anda berjaya menghabiskan research anda dalam tempoh yang dikehendaki oleh penaja anda OK ;P


Tentukan TOPIK-TOPIK UTAMA. Buat 1 folder(dalam computer atau laptop) dan sediakn 1 file untuk setiap topik. As your research develops, your main topics may expand. Semasa PhD saya bermula awal tahun lepas, saya ada 3 topik utama seperti dalam gambar gambar di atas.


Sekarang bila dah faham sikit tentang objektif kajian, topik pun bertambah. Tak dapat dielakkan isi kandungan jurnal ni akan bertindih antara topik-topik utama. Cara saya, saya tengok sekali imbas kecenderungan isi kandungan jurnal dan tempatkan dalam folder yang berkenaan. Masalah redundancy insya-Allah takkan terjadi sebab saya gunakan EndNote software untuk katalogkan semua references saya.


Gunakan document separator untuk asingkan jurnal-jurnal jika kita menggunakan satu fail untuk lebih dari 1 topik utama.


Pilih kod yang sesuai untuk jurnal kita. Kodkan setiap jurnal.


*klik untuk besarkan gambar

Tanya kawan saya,”Aku kadangnya ada [jurnal] yang diprint dan ada yang nggak, gimana tu?” Oh! Ini solutionnya mudah saja. Bila saya kodkan jurnal saya, saya akan letak p untuk mewakili telah diprint, dan x mewakili belum diprint. Rujuk gmbar di atas.

Contoh: JN14 x_Title untuk mewakili Jurnal Near Infra-Red Spectra bernombor 14 yang tidak diprint.

**Satu peringatan kat sini, katalah beberapa bulan selepas kita save jurnal tu, baru timbul keperluan untuk print. Selepas print 2 perkara perlu dibuat:
1-Pergi kepada folder tempat jurnal diletakkan, tukar kod x kepada p.
2-Pergi kepada EndNote, gantikan jurnal yang telah ditukar kod dalam File Attachment.

Tukar kod x...

... kepada p (both in folders and EndNote File Attachment)


Satu lagi kelebihan menggunakan kod untuk jurnal ialah bila kita nak tulis sikit nota ata isi penting dari jurnal dalam research log book kita, kita tak perlulah tulis keseluruhan tajuk jurnal yang kadang-kadang tu panjang sedepan. Kita tulis je kod jurnal tu, rujuk gambar di atas.

Rasanya, itu saja yang dapat saya kongsi setakat ni. Semoga member manfaat.

My 2nd year PostGrad Conference

Every year, the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials of the Newcastle University hold a Postgraduate Research Conference (PGRC) for its 2nd and 3rd year PG students. The PGRC is a two days event where all 2nd and 3rd PG students present their work to their peers and to the Postgraduate Panel Committee members. Each PG students are given about 20 minutes to do his or her presentation. A brief question and answer session should also be included in that 20 minutes time.

I know that I am already in my 2nd year , but it has just been about 2 months since I passed my 1st year evaluation. So somehow I think I probably does not have to do it, hehehe... So I e-mailed the chairperson of the PG Panel Committee and asked him. Hemm... His reply is:

Dear Nor,

That depends on when you first registered. If you registered
well over a year ago before your panel interview, then you need to give a
presentation.

So, last two Fridays, the research group I am attached to replaces our weekly seminar with a mock presentation for the members who have to present during the PGRC. I was err.. only 70% prepared for the mock presentation. In my terms, I only considered myself 100% prepared when I have perfected my pitch and I can sail through my presentation without glitches. The mock presentation was good actually because I can improve my presentation based on the constructive comments from my supervisors as well as my research group members.

Anyway, the actual presentation took place last Thursday. From the schedule which I received the week before, it looks like I was going to be the last presenter. Ughh... Being the last presenter has its own pitfalls as well as its advantage. People might not be interested in what you are presenting because they can't wait to get the he** out of the conference room. The advantage of course, you will not get that many questions compare to other presenter.

I was doing alright for my presentation although I have hoped for a slower rate of words coming out of my mouth. I was quite nervous actually considering I wasn't really sure how to interpret my results from the principal components analysis. You see, my research combines two methods, wavelet transform and principal components analysis. So far, I am quite confident in explaining about the wavelet transform methodology. But when it comes to the principal components analysis, I am very unsure of my result. One because, the result is still fresh from the oven and two because I have not yet fully understand principal components analysis theory itself.



The chairperson during my presentation is the same lecturer who 'interviewed' me during my 1st year viva. After the conference ended, I bumped into him and we started chatting. He asked me whether I as nervous because I skipped my last slide. Haha... Very true! Well, actually that slide is not necessary because I have explained it in my previous two slides. He then said my presentation is quite good. Alhamdulillah :)

Preparing for the presentation is actually a good practice for me.
- I gained more confidence talking about my research
- I discovered few angles of which I should probably analysis my data
- I found more and more uhuk... journals to read, reviewed and of course critically think of their contents.

E-book Reader-Wowee! :))

The e-book reader with its power cable & usb cable.

The library put together guideline on how to use it. They have to! Us (renter) are liable to pay for any damage if there's any when we return it.

Much closer look.

I just got back from the university library to borrow an e-book reader. Haven't tried it yet. Will do so soon because I have to return it by Thursday next week (April 8). I'm loving our university library for all sort of services it provides. I sound like a nerd, don't I? I am never going to be able to be a nerd because in my dictionary I associate nerdiness with being a computer whizz. And I am sometimes go green with envy at those computer whizz. I guess I just settle to be a bookworm then :)

Blossoms of Our Love

If this look very familiar to you, look no further. I like my blog template so much that I used it as a basic idea for my stitches. I stitched those stitches onto our fleece blanket. It is supposed to be a present from me to us for our anniversary. But then I changed my mind and got us a print of our picture with our love song on it, using the idea here.

My husband and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary this month, Alhamdulillah. Funny thing is I always feel like we have just got married. Most of the times when people ask when did we get married, my instant answer is 'last year'.


I am not a marriage expert but through the three years so far, I have learned few things which I believe keep the flame, romance whatever you want to call it alive.

1- Perform salat in jamaah (this include reading the Quran together as well)
~After the salat, hug each other. Let's say I'm somehow in one of my sulking moods (merajuk), the salat itself and of course the hugging help to resolve things.

2- Hugs (& kiss) each other before going out to work.

3- If there is any disagreement, I try to cool it down first before talking to him about it. You know how irrational we can be when we are angry, right? I am sort of proud to say that we've never raised our voice towards each other. 90% of the credits must go to my husband; he is very patient and collected. Myself too has become a patient person.

Anyway, if you have other tips on marriage, I would like to know it. I would love to hear it from others who have been married far longer than we are.

I'm linking this post to Tea Rose Home link party. Pay a visit to her blog and I'm very sure you'll fal in love with things she makes :)

Muffin Pisang dan Cip Coklat

Saya buat muffin ni minggu lepas. Saja buat untuk makan sewaktu sarapan atau minum petang. Tak adalah setiap hari sarapan bertema roti je. Saya rujuk resepi di Epicurious. Salah satu yang menarik saya untuk merujuk resepi di laman web Epicurious ni ialah komen-komen yang jujur dari orang-orang yang pernah mencuba sesuatu resepi itu.

(Untuk 12 biji muffin)

Bahan:
1 1/2 cawan tepung naik sendiri (resepi asal guna tepung serbaguna, tapi saya tak ada)

2/3 cawan gula
1 1/2 sudu teh baking powder
1/4 sudu teh garam

1 cawan pisang yang telah dilenyek(saya gunakan 3 biji pisang saiz sederhana)
1 biji telur (saiz besar)
1/2 cawan mentega yang dicairkan(seeloknya unsalted butter)
1/4 cawan susu segar

1/2 cawan cip coklat(resepi menggunakan 3/4 cawan)

Cara Memasak:

1- Panaskan oven pada suhu 350F atau gas aras 4.

2- Aturkan cawan muffin ke dalam acuan.

3- Campurkan bahan-bahan kering: tepung naik sendiri, gula, garam dan baking powder dalam mangkuk besar.

4- Dalam mangkuk yang lain, gaul sebati bahan basah: lenyekan pisang, telur, mentega cair dan susu.

5- Masukkan bahan campuran bahan basah ke dalam campuran bahan kering. Kaup balik adunan hingga elok-elok je bergaul (just until blended). Masukkan dan gaul cip coklat ke dalam adunan.

6- Tuang adunan ke dalam cawan muffin hingga 3/4 penuh. Kalau lebih sikit dari 1/2 penuh pun ok jugak. Tak perlu gris.

7- Bakar selama 32 minit. Kalau dah masak, permukaan muffin akan berwarna keperangan. Cucuk dengan lidi, jika lidi yang ditarik keluar bersih dan ada melekat coklat cair, maknanya dah masaklah tu.

Selamat Mencuba :D

My 1st year PhD evaluation

Those scribbles are the questions the panels asked during the viva.

Here in Newcastle University, some call it first year viva and some call it Panel Progression Interview. This is the definition of viva from Dictionary.com.

vi·va
–noun
(in British and European universities) an oral examination; viva voce.
Origin: 1890–95; shortened form

After a year of studying and working on our research, all of us PhD students have to go through an interview session which is set up to mimic the real viva. I submitted my report on the week before the Christmas and New Year break. I was expecting for my viva to take place somewhere in January but somehow it got pushed to late February. So other tasks plus stuff to do kind of take up my priority. Of course I do not forget about the viva, it just got pushed to the back of my mind.

Then mid of second week of February, I received an e-mail informing me about the viva and its details. The possible outcomes of the viva are:
1-Candidate is passed for progression with no further work
2-Candidate is passed subject to completion of a further task
3-Candidate is asked to rewrite and resubmit the report for a further viva
4-Candidate is recommended to write up report for MPhil qualification rather than PhD
5-Candidate is not allowed to progress

Alright, NOT ALLOWED TO PROGRESS? That's really set my worry alarm on. To date, there have never been anyone from my school to fail. So I don't want to make history. Two days prior to my viva, I went to see my supervisor to discuss my current work and also to discuss about the viva. I let her know that I'm actually quite nervous and her advice is, "Nor, this is where you build your confidence. You know your work."

So armed with the confidence that I. KNOW.MY.WORK., I face that day with all the bravery I can mustered. I tried not to be nervous but my heart was pumping faster than usual. The viva started with self introduction by both of the panels. Then I introduced myself and talked about my research for about five minutes. Yes, you read right, 'talk'. No need for Power Point presentation whatsoever.

The worst was during the viva; I was so nervous (this is what one of the panels told me a day after the viva) to the point where I cannot recall a lot of information in order to answer the panels questions. Both of the panels are lecturers within the school and they are nice. I mean nice as in they do not look fierce or arrogant and they tried to make me feel comfortable. As they said at the start of the viva, "We will try to make this as FRIENDLY as possible." Some of their questions were answered with "I'm sorry, I cannot recall." The whole time I was wishing they asked me something I can explain. Obviously they just want to make me aware that I have to remember EVERYTHING that I wrote as they stressed this at the end of the viva. Hemm... a lesson well learnt there.

That are sort the sort of questions (which I have not prepared for because IMHO I thought they are trivial) but that are what the panels were asking.

Also, another lesson well learnt is EVERYTHING I put down in the report/thesis is subjected to questions. Meaning, not just my core work/research will be questioned. Honestly, I wasn't 100%prepared for the kind of questions they asked. I was expecting them to ask about my work but as we go page by page of my report, they asked me about equations and sentences of which I thought are just basics and not as important as my core work.

Oh! I need to mention this. My style of answering some of the questions which I was not sure about is by saying "To my knowledge..." You know, to be on the safe side. The panels adviced me not to use that phrase because that report is my work so I have to speak with authority. So that is lesson number 3. Actually it is hard to speak with authority when you are not sure because your answer may lead to another question which probably will put you in a greater danger of 'I-don't-know-the answer'.

This is one of my returned report. See all those flipped pages? OK, there's where the questions come from. I think just few pages were left unflipped.

The duration of my viva took more than 2 hours. I cannot be grateful enough when one of the panels said that we have to cut it short because he had a meeting to attend to. Truthfully, the viva should last no longer than 1 hour and 30 minutes. At the end of the viva session, the panels asked me if I have anything to say. I just said that I wish I have prepared better and I also wish they had asked me about my core work which I believe I can explain better. One of them asked me if I would like another chance so I said "Yes, if that is possible." They said "We'll see about it." So after 5 dreadful minutes of waiting (5 minutes after the viva session ended), the panels delivered the verdict of my viva. Alhamdulillah I passed but undoubtedly in preparing for my final viva later on, there are areas and things I need to improve and do.

As I walked home that evening, I start wondering and and questioning myself, "What am I doing here? Do I really know what I'm doing?" and all sort of self-doubting questions. By the time I got home I was so depressed, then I cried. Surely I am relief that I passed but I was just so tense and depressed that I need to get it out. Thanks to my husband for lending me his chest and sorry for the tear-streaked shirt.

Anyway, throughout the whole viva process, despite my nervousness and 'forgetfulness', I really think it is a good learning experience. What I like about it is the panels did not ask me questions to degrade or belittle my work. Rather they give constructive critics which will definitely help me in my final/real viva later down the road.

So now, I am already in Year 2 ( macam Darjah 2 gitu). I feel like time is running out and there are massive works to do and stacks of books and journals to read. Ya Allah, please give me the strength to follow through. Aaamin.

Pelajar PhD di UK dapat Elaun RM14k sebulan?

credit

Dua tiga minggu lepas agak kecoh jugak kat FB kawan2 seperjuangan buat PhD saya tentang artikel PhD bukan syarat naikkan pangkat tulisan Pemerhati Kanan katanya. Sekanan mana dia memerhatikan kami pelajar-pelajar yang sedang membuat PhD ini, saya pun tak tahu. Baiklah dia perhatikan gaji minimum rakyat marhaen Malaysia yang nak bayar sewa rumah dan tampung perbelanjaan anak-anak pun seperti kais pagi makan pagi itukan. Siapa entah tuan punya blog tu, sah-sah glamor macam Perez Hilton kaedahnya selepas tajuk yang begitu kontroversi itu. Walaupun posting tu dibuat pada penghujung tahun 2007 namun sehingga sekarang masih ada yang meninggalkan komen.

Saya malas nak komen pasal isu kenaikan gaji tu sebab dah ramai sangat yang komen. Isu yang saya nak sangat komen dan juga beri penjelasan pada sesiapa yang singgah dan membaca blog saya ialah tentang elaun pelajar PhD di UK ini. Di bawah ni saya copy&paste dari blog tu.

... Mungkin disebabkan ketiadaan persaingan, maka ramai daripada mereka gagal menghabiskan PhD dalam jangka masa yang diperuntukkan, yakni tiga tahun dan memerlukan pertambahan masa sehingga satu atau dua tahun. Dengan pertambahan elaun sara hidup sebanyak dua kali ganda mulai tahun ini [2007], seseorang yang berada di United Kingdom, misalnya, menerima RM14,000 sebulan di samping gaji lumayannya sebagai pensyarah. ...

Ewah-ewah, sesedap jari je dia menaip surat dan mengemel (atau mengepos) kepada Berita Harian pasal elaun yang kami terima. Siapakah gerangan yang dapat elaun sampai RM14k sebulan tu? Tak pasal-pasal je rakyat Malaysia yang membaca surat Pemerhati Kanan ni mendapat maklumat yang salah tentang kami di sini. Elaun kami di sini setakat 748 pound je (Elaun Kadar C). Kalau berpasangan atau ada anak-anak, adalah lebih sikit. Macam saya contohnya, dapat tambahan elaun pasangan dari majikan, dalam lingkungan jumlah 200 pound. Kalau dicampur kedua-dua elaun ini dan ditukar kepada matawang sekalipun, jumlahnya hanyalah dalam lingkungan RM5200 (1 pound = RM5.50). Musykil betul saya di UK ni bila membaca surat Pemerhati Kanan tu.

[Selingan: Mewah sangat ke gaji pensyarah yang cuti belajar ni? Mesti banyak menonton drama-drama dan filem-filem arahan pengarah Malaysia yang tak memberi gambaran sebenar tentang hidup. Kerja biasa-biasa & hidup di KL mampu hidup di rumah banglo. Itulah yang sering dipaparkan dalam drama Melayu kan? Itu sampai boleh fikir yang gaji kami ni berkepuk-kepuk. Huhu...]

Andai kata ada yang beranggapan bahawa dengan +-900 pound tu boleh hidup mewah, harap lenyapkanlah tanggapan itu. Di tempat saya Newcastle yang bukan bandar besar seperti London ini pun, sewa rumah dah mencapai antara 400-550 pound. Ada juga yang bernasib baik dapat menyewa rumah dengan kadar 350 pound. Itu memang benar-benar bernasib baik. Kalau yang berkeluarga dan punya anak 3 hingga 4 orang, takkanlah nak duduk rumah 2 bilik seperti yang saya duduk bersama suami sekarang. Rumah yang kami sewa ini ada 2 bilik dan letaknya di kawasan perumahan kelas ketiga ini pun sewanya dah mencecah 400 pound. Saya nak tekankan kelas ketiga tu. Tak adanya kami kat sini duduk di villa pun. Majoriti pelajar-pelajar dari Malaysia memang duduk di kawasan perumahan yang cikai saja.

Tolak sewa rumah, tinggal lagi 500 pound. Bil elektrik dan gas(untuk heater dan memasak) saja boleh mencecah 100 pound sebulan. Kadang-kadang lebih jugak, terutamanya pada bulan-bulan di musim sejuk, sebabnya asyik on heater je. Bila tiba musim panas, dapatlah berjimat dalam 30 pound gitu. Kemudian bil-bil lain seperti bil air, telefon, internet dan lesen TV pula adalah dalam lebih kurang 120 pound.

Kiralah berapa yang tinggal? [900 - 400 -100 -120 = 280]. Hah! Tinggallah 280 pound. Dengan 280 pound tulah nak beli ubat gigi, sabun mandi, sabun basuh baju, cecair pencuci pinggan mangkuk, ayam, ikan, beras, sayur dan segala mak nenek lagi. Nasib baik kat sini ada pasaraya seperti ASDA, yang mana kebanyakkan generic items under ASDA brand ni boleh dikira murah.

Oh! Lupa nak sebut petrol dan maintenance kereta pun termasuk dalam 280 pound tu. Kalau ada yang kata, tak ada kereta tak boleh ke? Bukan tak boleh, tapi kalau nak pergi kerja takkan asyik nak tumpang orang sajakan. Lama-lama kena pelempang pulak nanti.

Alhamdulillah, saya menetap di Newcastle yang boleh dikira agak rendah harga makanannya. Kalau tinggal di Southampton yang dapat Elaun Kadar C jugak tu, tapi cost of living dah nak menghampiri cost of living di London tu, macam mana? Saya sebut Southampton sebab ada kawan di Southampton, kawan-kawan di tempat lain saya tak CSI elaun mereka. Itupun tahun ni, cukai dah naik kepada 17% kalau tak silap saya. Makin mahallah harga segala bil dan barang-barang keperluan. Geram jugak sebenarnya dengan orang yang menulis surat tu. Timbul rasa di hati ni nak titik-titik aja jarinya macam orang bermain Gamelan tu.

Untuk menokok tambah pendapatan, kebanyakkan pasangan bekerja part time. Di tengah-tengah kegawatan ekonomi UK ni, amatlah payah nak dapat kerja part time apatah lagi full time. Kalau ada yang bekerja full time pun, rasanya boleh dikira dengan jari. Kalau di Newcastle ni kebanyakkannya jadi Floor Engineer a.k.a Cleaner. Suami saya sendiri puas mencari kerja sehinggalah Ramadhan tahun lepas baru dapat kerja. Alhamdulillah ada kawan suami bagitau ada kerja kosong di tempat kerjanya. Setiap hari jam antar jam 5-5.30 pagi saya dah bangun nak buatkan kopi untuk minuman suami sebelum pergi kerja jam 6.15 pagi. Bayangkanlah sewaktu musim sejuk, dengan udara sejuk bersuhu -5 C gitu, kebanyakkan para suami (ada juga para isteri) yang meredah suasana sejuk demi menambah pendapatan keluarga. Ada juga pelajar-pelajar PhD yang bekerja sebagai tutor dan lab demonstrator.

Saya tak malu mengaku, jaket-jaket yang saya pakai di sini, saya beli di kedai charity saja. Kalau harga sehelai jaket baru, paling cikai pun dah mencecah harga +-35 pound. Itu kat kedai yang paling cokia, NEXT namanya. Bandingkan dengan harga jaket yang saya beli di charity shop, boleh dapat antar 7-12 pound. Takpun tunggulah Summer Sale dan Christmas Sale, ada 50% offer atau offer seperti Buy 1 Get 1 for 1 pound offer gitu. Bukan jaket saja, banyaklah barang-barang dalam rumah kami ni dibeli di charity shop, carboot sales dan tentunya ebay. Kalau tengok rumah-rumah pelajar di UK ni ada TV besar gedang atau ada set meja makan ala Itali gitu, janganlah cepat sangat buat andaian bahawa kami ini hidup mewah. Tak lain tak bukan, beli di ebay kebanyakkannya tu. Ada yangbernasib baik, boleh dapat TV, sofa atau apa-apa aje secara percuma melalui freecycle website.

Kalaulah benar kami ni dapat RM14k sebulan, lebih kurang dalam 2500 pound (1 pound=RM5.5), tentunya saya dah tak pandang charity shop, carboot sales ataupun ebay tu. Mesti setiap 2-3 bulan, saya mampu beli hobo bag jenama Prada yang sebegini

credit

ataupun beg nan cun jenama Gucci ni kan.

credit

Ada satu komen kat artikel yang saya linkkan di atas tadi. Komennya benar-benar menunjukkan dia ni tak tahu apa-apa tapi nak buat penilaian. Ini komennya:

Saya mempunyai ramai rakan yang sedang menyambungkan pelajaran di luar negara; dari degree ke master degree dan PHD. Saya lihat mereka mampu berjalan-jalan hingga ke sekitar Eropah bersama keluarga. Mereka mampu membeli kereta di sana. Mereka mampu membeli telefon bimbit yg mahal harganya. Mereka juga mampu membeli lain-lain barangan mewah di sana. Kebanyakan mereka sudah pun
berkeluarga.Soalan saya, sekiranya benarlah elaun & biasiswa yg kerajaan (dan rakyat) berikan kepada anda tidak mencukupi, bagaimanakah rakan-rakan saya ini mampu utk menikmati barangan mewah atau pon barangan bukan keperluan?
-FJ January 30, 2010 12:19 AM

Adoiila... Duit yang kami guna untuk berjalan-jalan tu hasil dari jimat cermat kami la Dol! Duit dari hasil pasangan bekerja jadi Floor Engineer tu. Lagipun, kami bila berjalan tu, kebanyakkannya sama ada bermalam di rumah kawan atau di Travelodge. Takdenya kami tidur kat hotel berbintang-bintang tu. Makanan pula kami siap bawa beras, sardin, maggi tau. Periuk nasi pun kami bawa juga. Memanglah banyak restoran Pakistan di sekitar UK ni, tapi demi untuk berjimat, kami bawa bekalan sendiri. Adalah sesekali singgah beli kopi gitu di R&R. Itupun dikira mewah ke oleh si Samdol ni? Huh!

Pasal pakai telefon bimbit mahal tu, telefon bimbit jenis apa yang mahal sangat tu? Blackberry? iPhone? Sony Ericcson? Kat sini kebanyakkan perkhidmatan rangkaian telefon perlu diambil beserta telefon. Maksudnya, kalau nak beli telefon dan nak jimat, kita perlu ambil beserta line telefon. Kita bayar setiap bulan untuk telefon yang kita beli tu dan dapatlah 600 minit free minute utk calling-calling, unlimited messages, free internet access, etc. Ada jugak prepaid seperti di Malaysia. Tapi perkhidmatan prepaid kat sini memang hampeh sangat. Tak pasal-pasal je, tak boleh nak buat call dan tak boleh nak terima call walaupun ada lagi baki duit.

Si Dol yang menulis komen ni memang tersangat Dolnya. Kat UK ni harga kereta bukanlah beribu riban macam kat Malaysia nun. Dengan 600 pound, Insya-Allah dah boleh dapat kereta terpakai yang OK. Ada orang yang beli kereta dengan harga rendah dari itu, dalam 300-400 pound. Adalah sedikit sebanyak yang perlu dibaiki, tapi tak adalah harganya beribu macam harga kancil 2nd hand kat Malaysia tukan. Kereta kami pun kami beli di Ebay saja.

Barang-barang mewah apa lagi agaknya si Dol ni maksudkan? Kalau nak tau, di UK ni banyak carboot sales. Setiap hari Ahad (ada jugak hari Khamis atau hari Sabtu) ada banyak tempat yang buat carboot sales ni. Pergilah mana-mana carboot sales di UK ni, mesti jumpa muka Melayu punya. Sebabnya kat sinilah nak dapat barang-barang yang murah. Ikut nasib, kalau nasib baik, bertemu penjual yang baik hati, boleh dapat barang branded dengan harga yang murah. Seperti dinner set Royal Daulton ke, atau jaket kulit ke, atau barang mainan Fisher's Price yang kadang-kadang tu boleh dapat dalam 2-5 pound je (saya tak pasti sangat sebab tak pernah beli). Buku-buku cerita kanak-kanak yang harganya berpuluh ringgit di MPH Malaysia tu, kalau di carboot sini, kadang-kadang boleh dapat 20-50 pence saja. Itukah yang dikatakan mewah? Si Dol ni pun patut diketuk-ketuk sikit jarinya.

Kalau korang baca sampai habis, terima kasihlah. Saya cuma nak tunjukkan realiti sebenar kehidupan kami di sini.