(For some people) coming into 2008 could be just a normal periodic transition. From one year to another. Like its was for me -- the last couple of years.

This time, it is more than just a plain 'Happy New Year' -- for me. A 'Happy New You' would probably more like it. On personal level, the change has been (quite) dramatic from 2007 to 2008. New place. New job. New surroundings: climate, culture and people. And obviously: some new challenges.

Well, a new life. Almost.

(i)
The first four days in Norwich, I was squatting staying with a Malaysian friend. A PhD student in the same department where I did mine six years ago. Good thing about Norwich: the Malaysian community might be small in size (less than 30 families!), but big in everything else. J

Big, as in 'semangat': tolong menolong, bantu membantu. Something you probably won't see much within the Malaysian community in big cities like Manchester, Leeds, et. al.

The same spirit is still very much in place, as it used to be when I was here few years back. Sikap ambil tahu. Ambil peduli. Terutama bila ada warga baru yang datang.

After the Christmas + New Year break, on the 2^nd January of 2007 2008, I moved into my own self-contained apartment in the university. This is how it looks like. A very futuristic architecture. Yes, one of UEA's famous signature landmarks.

You better believe it -- this super-contemporary building was erected in the early 1970s. Simply way ahead of time!

(ii)
Another bonus, this apartment is overlooking the varsity lake.

Dari celah jendela, boleh nampak padang hijau saujana. Ketika summer, bunga daisy putih-kuning mengerna merata-rata. Di hujungnya ada tasik. Swan dan itik liar berkejar-kejaran. Ketika autumn, pepohon maple yang rendang, akan jadi meriah semarak dengan daun berwarni-warni: perang, jingga dan merah kundang. Kadang-kadang ungu.

But hold on. This is neither summer, nor autumn. It's winter. Through out my stay here, the view will be neither scenic, nor panoramic. What you really get? Gloomy and foggy -- almost all the times. Depressingly dull, at its best.

Never mind. Forget the exterior ambiance. Let's get inside this tiny apartment.

(iii)
And, it is only two-minute walk from the office where I will be working, the next four months. How convenient!

How much the rental is? Some of you may be curious to know.

£497.40 per-calendar month. That is somewhere around RM3481.90. In Malaysian currency. So, the total amount for my 4-month rental will be very-very close to RM14K. And that is just for accommodation. Bench/attachment fees and living cost have, yet, been included.

Malaysian tax payers -- please don't jump on me!

None of you has to pay any of those expenses. Not a single cent. It's all taken care by my Chevening Fellowship, courtesy of British Council and the UK's Royal Society. Yes, a truly noble commitment (by British people!) in promoting cultural diversity and knowledge. Can you disagree?

(iv)
Try to compare to this.

When I did my PhD, JPA paid me (only) £435 monthly. With such minimal cash, you can hardly find a decent place -- deserved to be called 'home'. Belum lagi kira belanja makan-minum.

May be that's one of the major reasons why we (read: Malaysia) have relatively high percentage of PhD drop-outs failures. Especially those sponsored by the government (and doing it in UK). What do you expect? These poor students are given this small plate full of everything. They got so many things to worry about, apart from their demanding PhDs!

Bila kita (read: PhD students, yang juga merupakan pegawai-pegawai kerajaan!) memohon mengemis supaya JPA tambah biasiswa, macam-macam alasan dibagi. Most of the times they would insist that the current rate was sufficient. Padahal, kadar tersebut (ketika itu) lebih rendah daripada apa yang diberi oleh kerajaan Ghana dan Nigeria kepada pelajar-pelajarnya sendiri. Can you believe it? I can't.

Yet, Malaysia is ambitious enough to send this fake astronaut wannabe for some leisure trips (in)to the space. How much did it cost the tax payers? You go figure. L

(v)
Don't read my message, wrongly. I don't mean to bite the hand that feeds me. Of course, I'm very grateful that JPA (read: the gomen) gave me the opportunity. But I think they could have done much better to make the struggles here less painful.

These para pegawai-cum-pelajar are not here for fun. Mereka mahu mengisi impian negara: i.e. 80% tenaga akademik universiti berkelulusan PhD menjelang 2010. You have no idea how much some of these PhD candidates had sacrificed: to the extent that some had to sell their souls and comoditise family values. I'm not joking.

So, whether they (we) come back with or without PhD -- don't you dare to judge them. Please don't, because you would never understand the mental misery and brutality they (we) went through. Atas nama mahu mengisi aspirasi pembangunan negara.

(vi)
Good news is, JPA has finally (after all these years of begging!) increased the scholarship for government officials pursuing postgraduate studies overseas. Starting from September 2007. Almost 100% increment. Too bad, it didn't happen during my years. Never mind.

I'm happy for my friends, especially those studying in UK. I know how difficult life is (as a struggling PhD student) -- and this certainly can ease some of the pains.

(vii)
Move on to something totally unrelated, here are some bold wild predictions for 2008. Please-lah, nobody gets upset. These are NOT my wishes. They are just my personal instinctive visions. J

The good ones:

• Malaysia akan menang pingat emas Olimpik yang pertama
• Kerajaan akan kuasai pilihanraya umum dengan majoriti lebih besar berbanding pilihnraya sebelumnya
• Jeff Ooi bertanding sebagai calon DAP dan akan tewas cemerlang hingga hilang wang pertaruhan
• Pembunuh Nurin berjaya ditangkap dan dihukum gantung

The bad ones:

• Ratu pop tersohor tanahair akan menjadi janda
• Indonesia buat kesekian kali, akan menjana jerebu untuk ASEAN
• Seorang (lagi) politikus profail tinggi akan meletak jawatan kerana skandal seks
• Kes Antaltuya akan tamat tanpa sebarang keputusan pengadilan yang konkrit

(vii)
Saya masih menunggu salji pertama gugur di Norwich. Belum-belum lagi kunjung tiba. Sepanjang winter ini.

Wahai salju utara, mari dinginkan Norfolk. Putihkan daerah terpencil ini sempena tahun baru. Jangan biar kami terus ternanti dan menanti.

Cukup jiwangkah ayat itu?