Life is just beautiful!

The haze has gone. The sky is clear and shiny. The morning sun looks glorious with its piercing rays. What a beautiful morning. The smell of fresh morning dew and its welcoming voice has woken us from the deep slumber. Today is another chance to excel and be better than yesterday. We have our faults and missteps, but today is a new day. Let us make full use of it, and fill it up with sincere efforts and stern resolution. 

The haze has been coming in and our annually. When the burning season comes, the haze will be the direct product of it. There is no way for anybody to control the haze. The wind will blow the haze far and wide. Far and wide enough to affect all the neighbors. The choking and uncomfortable irritation in the throat and eyes are typical symptom of the haze. Sometimes they are just too thick until it is no longer safe to go outside. There is no where to run except we stay indoor and pray that the rain will fall the soonest. Humans are too weak and vulnerable. We have no where to turn to except to God. To Him we put all our trust and hope.

Yes, the haze will come again next year. We just need to be prepared for any contingencies. But of course, no matter how much we prepare, the element of surprised will always be there. This is life. The variables are too many, and also too unpredictable. In this life of uncertainties, we must learn to adopt, adapt and be grateful. Life is just beautiful!

Attending a briefing...

I’m attending a briefing session on how to apply for industry-based research grant. I can see many young faces in the room. The professor speaking is already very established in his own right – no doubt. The money being discussed is provided by the government of the day. The amount is huge, amounting to millions. It has been going-on for the past two years and apparently many have benefited from the grants. I’m sure those early pioneers have gained much from the initial stages. Normally, in the early stages the rules are a bit lax and the chances to get the grants are higher. This is very typical. So, early birds catch the worms – so they say.

Now, I’m still in the room, listening to young researchers asking mundane questions about the amount one can get, the type of equipment one can buy, the amount you can actually get from the funder etc. Yes, they are certainly very excited about the opportunity of getting ‘free’ money. Yes, you can smell and see the adrenalin rush around you.

But wait, why am I here? Well, I was hoping to apply for this grant with the hope that I can work on one or two projects that will actually produce a marketable output. And, in pondering on this matter I’m struggling to find a niche area which I can work in. Yes, differentiate or die. I need to differentiate in the product I intent to develop and later, hopefully, to commercialize them.

Ok. I’ll stop now and focus on the slides...

Hazy times..

The hazy season is here again. This time around, the haze is actually quite thick. Muar and Ledang in Johor have just been declared to be in state-of-emergency, i.e. the Index of Pollution (IP) value is now at the dangerous level. Schools have been instructed to go for holidays. Probably for a few days until the haze level goes down at  a more tolerable level. The mask's seller is having a day with the sales. People have this assumption or notion that, somehow, the mask they are wearing will save them from the hazards and perils of living in thick haze. We just cannot run away from the haze. It is everywhere, and it is sticking into our nose relentlessly. We just have bear with the uncomfortable situations. Just imagine those with asthma or any other breathing-related problems. They must be having a worse time than the majority of us. For us, it is more about not having the luxury to breath clean air and admiring beautiful scenery. For those unfortunate individuals, they may not be able even to breathe. Each one of us take the haze problem in our own stride. We even responds to its effect differently. 

In this hazy time, please wear the appropriate safety and protective gears. As much as we can, we should filter and not take in the polluted air. But then we can only do so much, the rest we will leave it to God. Amin . InsyAllah...