Hello everyone, this is my very first reflective post for BMY4305, Microbial Ecology. This is my first week to enter this class, I was late because I registered to this course for the very last minute. My friend and I decided to take this course when our first choice for elective subject has to be dismissed and closed. For my first class of this subject, I was a bit confused and excited. I confused because on my very first day, lecturer @ Dr Wan already give the students assignments and works to be done. I mean, that was a lot for a first class! But as I stated before, I was excited too, looking forward about studying microbes again after so long. So yas, I was like, lets do this! I think that’s all for my first week. Thank you!

Week 4, but the second week entering Microbial Ecology class for me. On Monday, we were sat in groups to discuss and do research for some journals for our review article. My group chose airborne microbes, Bacillus anthracis. We divide the tasks, so we will work on it together. Oh my group mates are very cool, they are Aida, Farah, Alya, Kak Rehan and Kak Ain. Both of the “Kak”s are final year students, same course as mine which is Biotechnology @ Bioprocess. They are very friendly and helpful. So, to work in group with them and others was easy and quite smooth. I also learnt on how to find journals and review articles online. At first it was tough but somehow I learn, and become more practical on using and surfing through the webs. 

On week 5, the crucial week for me I guess, because on this week I have started on my first test for this semester. More, this week, my team and I worked on the Virtual Microbe assignment, which is a collaboration of UPM, UMT and UiTM. We did our first video conference @ discussion on March 15 and I guess it was fun as it is my very first experience doing a discussion online and meeting new friends from other universities which also studying microbes. In the discussion, we chose Clostridium Botulinum, a foodborne pathogen, which originally suggested by our UiTM friends at the first place. So we proceed by dividing the tasks and do the poplet. Other than that, on Wednesday of the week, our class had a trip to INTI College at Nilai for a carnival and talk concerned about antibiotics. It was an eye opening session with them, since I never care a lot of antibiotics and how much I took it when I fall sick. So now I know that there are pros and cons of taking it. The talk was very informative. I think that’s all for the fifth week. Thank you!

On the sixth week, we had our first test. It was tensed week as well, because I had to manage my time very very well on this week since I had a lot of other events running other than academically, so I had to sorts my focus and energy to which more priority such do revision of this subject, for test one! And more, before we sat for the test we need to submit our mind map of the revised chapters. My friend and I decided to work together since we all are quite busy on that week. So we did and submitted the same mind map that we all worked on (so, sorry Dr Wan if the mind map seem to be the same to my friends’, indeed, we did together! I swear hahaha). So back to the test topic, oh my, the test was so-so, some are easy, some are not (read: some are hard!), maybe because I didn’t revise enough on that topic, so it seem hard for me L but cross-fingers, hopefully the results of the will be just fine. That’s all for this week. Thank you! 

On week 7, for the first time, we met and entered Dr Amalia’s class. Was never met her before, not even jump into her at the faculty. So, really I didn’t recognize her as the lecturer at the first place, because she is too young and petite, she looked like a student for me! In her class, we proceed to the chapters that we stopped on the class before. I think that’s all for this week. Thank you!

This week was the week to get back on track after a week we all off from lectures and assignments. So yeah, lets get back to work. This week we explore aquatic habitats. I always wonder how deep is the sea and how scary an ocean can be, yet learning aquatic habitats particularly on microbes living in there is not that scary. All of them are similar to microbes habitats on land, just with different characteristics. And I guess there are more microbes under the sea, in the ocean that has not discovered yet. Maybe creepier or weirder than what we have found now. We wouldn’t know (curiousity developed!). The class started on Monday with a quiz on plant microbiome @ the lecture before and the lectures on Wednesday continuous as it is. That’s all for this week. Thank you ❤

ATMOSPHERIC WEEK! Yas, finally our week! For this week, my group and I prepared some quizzes on atmospheric chapters. On Monday, we had lectures on this chapter and on Wednesday we had our quiz done. Everyone is involved and it was fun, everything runs smoothly as plan (except for the part when Kak Rehan – my groupmate received a pick up line from a male student in the class during our quiz session  – I don’t know who exactly yet that part was hilarious and Kak Rehan was turning red @ blushing. Next, we proceed with our presentation on human microbiome specifically on lung ❤

WE DON’T HAVE CLASS ON MONDAY – okay gotta hold the excitement because we still have class on Wednesday.  Basically this week, we continued on the presentation on human microbiome (which my group had done). So we just sat back and enjoy our friends presenting in front. We gained a lot, like a lot of knowledge and fun facts on human microbiome – from gut, eyes and mouth. In the end of class, I just realized that everything created by God has its own function even to the tiniest thing in the world, and more the tiniest in the world could give or bring a huge impact on us if we don’t take care of ourselves. So, love yourself more, means you helping the good microbes grow and defeat the bad one ❤  

ANOTHER HOLIDAY ON MONDAY CS ITS LABOURS DAY ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ BUT, second test on Wednesday (facepalm). This week was crucial because we had three test paper in a week and two test paper in a day; which are Bioprocess Engineering and Ecology Microbes on Wednesday. My heart pumping, my energy drowning. To make it worst, when we get circuit shortage at our college. At that time, we had blackout for 3 days, but actually the total was for 7 days. 7 days no electric – no lights, no proper aeration in the room since the fan cant move. It was a struggle to study in that kind of environment, but say what, we made it. But yes, I am a little too nervous for the outcome, because I guess I didn’t perform well on the test. All we gotta do just cross fingers and hoping for the best. Thank you ❤  

The lectures for this week continuous as always. Dr. Amalia teach us on food microbiome. The interesting part is the lectures is on food. FOOOOOOOD. In the end of the class, Dr asks every group to study on positive and negative relationship of Fusarium sp. and we need to make a mind map out of it. That’s all from this week. Thank you ❤   

YAKULT YAKULT YAKULT. The highlight of the week is the Yakult trip and I forgot on whatever we do in class (lectures). So I proceed the Yakult trip instead. The trip was short but fun, gotta sat back and enjoy free drinks! But the main thing that I remember is how cool the bioreactors are! I was hyped and overjoy to see how cool the bioreactors are. I wish I could take some pictures of it but unfortunately we are not allow to do that, but trust me I fall in love with them. The experience looking at those bioreactors make me feel inspired and confident in what am I doing now. In biotechnology, bioreactors are the heart of everything. We studied months about and go wild on memorizing the structure and characteristics of each one of them. Now I know, this thing aint funny funny little things. Bioreactors really the heart of the factory, if not there is no Yakult, no factory, no yummy drinks, no use of Shirota strains! HAHAHA. I would like to thanks to Dr Wan to give me the opportunity to get there, learn and explore myself. Thank you ❤  

THE LAST WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. On the last week of the semester, I would like to thanks to Dr. Wan and Dr Amalia, fellow microbes fam in the class and my biotechnologists cliques to teach and help me in this course. It is an elective course but it is superfun. I hope each of every own will pass with flying colors in this course and see ya when I see ya. Bye. Assalamualaikum. Love, Zulaikha ❤