~ what's your note taking method? ~

A) pen&paper?

B) laptops?

C) smartphones?

D) other gadgets?

which from d above that u use d most when u r taking notes? I prefer taking notes using pen/pencil & paper. no doubt smartphones nowadays are smart. u can use ur smartphones to scribble, draw arrows to connect similar points, draw lightbulbs/stars to mark important points, etc2. but I still prefer pen & paper.

 

my notes

 

 

I actually read an article recently about note taking. that's how i got the idea to write this entry. you can read the article here (source: http://m.chronicle.com/article/The-Benefits-of-No-Tech-Note/228089/#).

 

I'm not saying whether i agree or disagree with the points and findings in the article. to me what's important is to write (or draw, when necessary). I've been trained that "taking note is important". it doesn't matter whether on paper, or using smartphones, tablets, etc2. "taking note is important". just so happen that I prefer to do my own note taking using pen/pencil and paper. and in my uni days, students bring notebooks and pen/pencil to class because laptop blom cukup byk masa zmn tu (sape la nk bw PC g class, kn?). and the phones students use were just basic handphone - to make call and send SMSes. so, we took our notes dgn pen/pensel + notebook.

 

& sometimes i draw when the points involve diagram. still, using pen/pencil and paper =)

 

i am not against taking notes using laptops/smartphones/tablets, etc2. but i have issue when people don't write anything when i teach them smthg (this is already work-related). or, when they don't draw diagrams bila keadaan memerlukan lukisan diagram (also work-related). or, when in a discussion with a vendor and the vendor, thinking that it's just a DISCUSSION, do not write down anything that we were discussing (again, work-related).

 

sekarang i ada additional device bila i gi meeting. when i go to a meeting yg i rs important, i'll borrow a recorder from my colleague to record whatever it is we are discussing + at the same time i tulih the points in my notebook. in case i missed out any points from the discussion, i still have the recorded discussion to refer to.

 

tak kesah la apa cara pun, janji "taking note is important".

 

I'm still traditional - set calendar dlm notebook (mirror it from calendar in my PC).

 

 

p/s: I'm not for or against the article and the comments given by the other readers.

 

~ knowledge seeking activities ~

have not been updating for quite some time sbb nothing interesting to update. very low-key lifestyle + social life not so huhuhaha + been re-adjusting here and there.

 

Anyways, just want to share some knowledge that I've gained from two religious talks that I've attended in December 2014 and last month (February 2015). Alhamdulillah, badan sihat and umur panjang to sit and listen to reminders from the speakers.

 

Twins of Faith Conference 2014

 

it was 2-day conference, packed with talks and workshops on the unseen world (tema adalah "World of the Unseen"). we listened to topics about angels, syaitan/jin, the hellfire (neraka), the jannah (syurga), the day of judgement, the Qadr, and many more. sangat, sangat, sangat berilmiah. the two topics that I like the most adalah about the Angels (Malaikat) and the Jannah (syurga). smbil dgr speaker berckp, smbil tu berangan about betapa cantiknye & bestnye syurga tu. tapi bak kata Sheikh yg bg talk about Jannah ni:-

"we'll enter Jannah through Allah's mercy" ~ Sh. Yahya Ibrahim

kalau rasa2 diri byk buat amal, jgn terus rs "aku byk buat amalan ni, CONFIRM masuk syurga". jangan ye ada rs cmtu sbbnye nak masuk syurga tu is with Allah's mercy/rahmat Allah. byk2 berdoa supaya kita sntiasa dpt rahmat Allah + amalan2 kita tu akn diterima utk kita masuk syurga. Amin.

 

and Sheikh yg bg talk pasal Angels ckp:-

"there's also angel who looks up at Allah's throne without blinking" ~ Sh. Tawfique Chowdhury

so, Malaikat apakah itu... yg pndg kpd Allah tnpa berkelip? itulah Israfil, peniup sangkakala. nak tau sbb apa tak berkelip? sbb, Israfil awaits the command from Allah utk tiup sangkakala pertama. bila Allah kata tiup je, terus Israfil akan tiup & semua menda kt alam ni akn hancur. begitulah taatnye Malaikat sebagai makhluk ciptaan Allah.

 

Marriage Conference 2015

 

it's a 1-day conference, lg padat & berlari2an la nk follow talk & workshop at different rooms kt PICC tu. it's typical for ppl to think that this conference is meant for org2 yg di alam perkahwinan je. No, no, no... walaupn namanye MARRIAGE conference, yg blom kawen pn leh join, yg dh kawen & berpisah (sbb kematian or perceraian) pn leh join. the points delivered by the speakers/panels ada yg berkaitan dgn our life sbgi INDIVIDU. bak kata Sheikh yg ckp about Broken Hearts:-

"the only one who'll never disappoint you is Allah" ~ Sh. Omar Suleiman

mksdnye, even if you are facing difficulties/disappoinmnt, your response twrds the prblm/issue should be smthg that will mean "I'll please Allah". nk tau sebab apa? sbb, dlm kita tgh susah/berduka, Allah will never disappoint us if we put Him first. if our heart is filled with Allah, we'll be able to respond to the hardship better. see? ni kn nasihat utk semua org as INDIVIDU.

 

kita ni bkn tak tahu, tp as human we need constant reminders to improve ourselves. jgn be judgmental to others and don't worry too much about nk jg/maintain our reputation. ada bgsnye ada social media nowadays. tp bila social media jd platform for us to b jdgmntl of others and also we become more and more conscious utk nk maintain our own reputation, itu dh jd tak perlu lg dh. ni nsht from Prof. Muhaya herself ye (she was one of the speakers). org yg worry too much abt what others think of him/her, that's the sign that you are an ego-conscious person. ni pn Prof. Muhaya yg ckp.  and when Prof Muhaya asked the audience, "who here doesn't have Facebook account?", wanna guess who put up her hand? (correct answer: saya la tu, hehehehe.)

 

Promo: The Straight Path Convention 2015 will be held on 28 & 29 March 2015 at SACC Mall. Click here for details and to book your ticket.

 

 

~ hoping for a better tomorrow ~

it's d 2nd day of 2015. things have been good for me in 2014 & therefore i'm hoping for more good things to come in 2015. 

for those of you who have been directly affected with the recent tragedies that came to us (the flood, hurricane, the MAS and AirAsia flight tragedies in March, July and December 2014, etc2), be strong and pray that there'll be good things that come out of the whole situation.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

 

 

My prayer for 2015:-

Protect us, O' Allah, from disasters when we are flying in the sky, walking on your land, or being at the sea.

Guide us, O' Allah, for we are lost without your guidance.

Bless us, O 'Allah, for with your blessings that we'll enter Jannah.

 

Semoga semuanya baik2 untuk 2015. Amiiiiiinnnn!!!

 

~ what's your reading habit? ~

it's October... and I'm reading my 12th book this year. yeah, u can say "wth??? baru 12?", but I fall into d category of "people-who-read-several-pages-a-day-depending-on-the-daily-schedule". sometime I can finish up a book in 3days, often times it's about a month. so, October and now in my 12th book, not bad.

 

i read mostly chick lit because i consider it as light reading. i don't want to read something that requires too much brain-work. i love John Grisham's works (thumbs up) but i can only enjoy his books when I'm on a holiday for 20 days. yeah, yeah, keep on dreaming!!! hahahaha (who's gonna gimme 20-days holiday and just chilling while doing nothing except reading John Grisham's?). when i read chick lit, i can just pretend to be the main (or supporting) character and imagine myself laughing/crying/dreaming/going crazy over things. once a while, tersenyum sendiri2 on d train/in the car/on the plane. crying? not when I'm in public places laaa... kalo nangis sambil baca atas katil/dlm bilik, most probably have done that.

 

i like motivational books as well. but nowadays i prefer listening to inspirational videos online. my ideology is that even if I'm not listening to it (because I'm so into doing my work walaupun headphone melekat kt telinga), the unconscious brain will still register the message. i believe that. daku percaya kebolehan minda separa sedar =)

 

i just came across this survey on the internet: http://survey.pnm.gov.my/. at the moment, the National Library of Malaysia is conducting an Interim Survey on Malaysians Reading Habit. This effort, which is in collaboration with the Dept. of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Educational Technology Division of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Librarians Association of Malaysia (PPM), the Malaysian Public Library Directors Council (MPAM) and Conference of Academic Libraries and National Library of Malaysia (PERPUN), aims to identify number of books read by Malaysians based on demographic and the trend of reading habit among Malaysians.

 

I've completed the survey in less than 10 minutes, it's that simple. so, let's contribute to the survey. who knows you might win a prize (every 50th entry will receive a prize).

 

p/s: the 12th book I'm reading now - "The First Muslim: the Story of Muhammad". I'm on page 7 and already think that it's awesome.

 

~ we mourn ~

we mourn the tragic incident of flight MH17. it is with very heavy heart that we have to say "goodbye" to the victims in this way. we don't know them directly, nevertheless we still feel the lost as they were our fellow Malaysians, our "family".

 

as for me, it's saddening to know that one of the victims was my junior at school. during those days, we didn't talk much but she was a closed friend to my juniors in my dorm. so when the news spread after sahur last month on my whatsapp group that "Shazana" was the flight attendant on board the flight that was shot down, I was stunned. her friends/my juniors will have a hard time to let go of such as "happy-go-lucky" and bubbly friend. her picture that's shown on newspapers with her bright smile, well that's who she was in person. at least that's how i still remember her, a girl with a bright smile.

 

Shazana, I knew you when you were in Form 1 (i was in Form 3 at that time). you were good friend to my dormmates and other juniors (your same batch) at my block (go, go Dang Anum). a friendly and happy-go-lucky girl, u'll definitely be missed by many of us. Ya Allah, semoga rohnya sentiasa dicucuri rahmat.

 

.Al-Fatihah.

 

p/s: let's pray that the other victims will be identified and be brought back to Malaysia.

~ 10 days in Turki (final) ~

I'm gonna share with u some (important/interesting) info about my Turki trip. this is gonna b d last entry for my Turki trip... berzaman nk perabihkan, hahahaha.

 

Money (duit)

currency used in Turkey is Turkish Lira (TL) but USD and EURO are also accepted. I brought USD & Lira with me (more USD than Lira actually). where to get Lira in KL? not all money changer sells Lira.yg i tau, the money changer in Midvalley & Ampang Park ada jual/beli Lira. disbbkn there's not many source to change to Turkish Lira in KL, some money changer operator sells it (a lil bit') higher than necessary. once u r in Turkey, u can go to d money changer, change ur USD to Lira. important tips from our guide, don't change ur money on Sundays. kita xnk rugi cz losing on d exchange.

Currency exchange

when we were there, 1 TL = RM1.60 (lbh kurg).

What to buy with 1TL?

1TL can b used to pay to toilet/restroom operator. other than that, I got 4 postcards for 1TL.

Food

for Malaysians who r used to spicy food, bring ur own chilli/hot sauce. I bw chilli flakes with me tp once there, I think it's actually not necessary. at every tmpt mkn that we went, they usually hv chilli flakes ready on d table. I bw jugak sos Nandos (beli Hot Peri-Peri Sauce kt Giant) ms g Turkey & I ate it when there's chicken in d menu. nk mkn ayam dgn chilli flakes mcm x cukp pedas je. I hv in my group yg bw McD's packet chilli sauce in d trip. ni bgs bila bab kalo mkn & nk bercicah sos cili (in our case, nk mkn sotong gorg tepung). bring small packs of biscuits if u r d kind of person like me yg sng lapar when in cold, hehehe. otherwise, can just buy jajan when u stop for toilet break/solat/mkn.

Weather

we were in Turkey when it's Spring time (end of March to early Apr). temperature changes in different parts of Turkey. sometimes it's 13 Celcius or 11 Celcius. other days, it can be 17 Celcius. depending on how well your body cope with the low temperature, wear comfy clothings.

Clothings

frankly, i'm not very comfortable when it's cold. smtimes can get a lil' miserable mentally, hahaha. so, I brought tshirts byk2 for d 10 days trip. and also long sleeves & inner. jacket I bw 1 je (sbbtu gmbr I sume dgn jacket yg sama, hahaha) and sweater (just d thin one) ada sehelai gk. konsep I to keep myself warm adalah dgn wearing layers. on most days during d trip, I wore 3 layers of baju at once. bila pki jacket skali, then it's 4 layers already =) wear comfortable shoes, seelok2nye yg xde high heels. kalo byk brjln, xde la lenguh. raincoat...ermmm.... I dnt see any use of it. ms trip aritu hujan skjp je & xlbt pn, tu pn 1 day tu jelah, hari2 len sume cerah. selipar...ermmm...I ada bw 1pasang, tp gna ms nk g mkn kt hotel je. lps chck in hotel, hntr beg dlm bilik, tukar fr kasut to selipar (kasihan kakiku seharian tertutup) sbb nk turun g mkn.

Solat

ada yg sggst I bw selipar with me ms naik bus cz bila stop utk solat kt msjd, dh tukar pki selipar siap2 utk g wudhu (kasut tggl dlm bus). tp I ended with lap kaki dgn tissue lps wudhu, then pki stoking & kasut blk to walk to d mosque. tmpt wudhu sllnye in different building/place than d main building of d mosque (not like in Malaysia yg tmpt wudhu dlm msjd itself). xpelah, dh amik wudhu', doa la semoga setiap lgkh to enter d praying hall akn menghapuskn dosa2 yg ada =) Subuh adalah around 4lbh tp kul5.15 or 5.30 can pray dh. I wasn't aware of d timing for Zohor, Asar sbb everyday guide yg akn ckp dh boleh smyg. as for Magrib & Isya', once dh chck in hotel, br buat jamak ta'khir. or kalo stop for Mgrb kt msjd, buat je jamak taqdim.

Souvenirs

u can get souvenirs such as fridge magnet, table runner, shawls (silk or tak), bookmark, keychain, ceramic items, apple tea, Turkish delight, baklava, etc2. if u r only going to Istanbul, Spice Bazaar & Grand Bazaar r d two popular bazaars to shop. we didn't get much time in Spice Bazaar, so I don't really know how to compare d price of similar things sold at Grand Bazaar. kalo u jmp pe yg u berkenan kt Spice Bazaar & dgn limited time yg u ada, risau xjmp d same thing at Grand Bazaar, so beli jelah bila dh jmp kt Spice Bazaar tu. tp kalo de byk lg masa kt Istanbul, boleh la repeat byk2 kali masuk Spice Bazaar & Grand Bazaar... tinggal larat kaki nk jln/x jelah, hehehehe. important, Grand Bazaar x bkk on Sundays. suggstn, kalo nk bw blk baklava to Malaysia, beli la ms dh dkt nk blk M'sia. my experience, air ros yg gna dlm resipi baklava I x meleleh ms nk bw blk. ada yg beli ms awl2 trip, trpksa buang cz dh meleleh2 air dlm kotak baklava.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think those r some useful info that I hope will guide u guys who r planning a trip to Turkey. if u hv any info to ask, do leave ur question in d comment & I'll reply to it (if I hv d answer). so, sesapa yg dh cnfirm nk g Turkey soon, enjoy ur trip =)

.bye.

~ 10 days in Turki (Pt.10) ~

~ 9th day ~

(and 10th day as well)

 

it's our last day in Turki. sobsobsob...sedeyyy... huhuhuhu. I'm enjoying my time in Turki & enjoying my new friends. we started our day as usual after breakfast. first, we headed to the famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. (note: Grand Bazaar x bkk on Sunday. we were there on Monday). it's not very far from our hotel, so we just walked. sbnrnye xtau nk ckp jauh/x. mbe jauh tp x terasa sbb sebok sgt potpetpotpet sepjg jln dgn kenkwn&sebok bergmbr.

 

~ me, my friends & d places we passed by to Grand Bazaar ~

 

dari berjln kaki tu, kitrg masuk kt bhgn yg ada jual2 buku. dh mcm bookfair pn ada jugak gayanye. x jauh frm tmpt org jual buku2 tu, then tadaaaaa.... tu dia dpn mata Gate 7 to enter d Grand Bazaar. our guide gv instructions on d time that we should meet again at the same spot. so igt.... kt mna kita masuk, kt ctu la kuar blk. lpstu bertebaran la kitrg memulakn misi mencari brg apa2 yg ptt lg. we only hv 8.45 am 'til 11 am... not enough time =(

 

seeloknye last minit shopping dgn limited time cenggini kita dh set siap2 dlm kpale apa lg yg nk beli & dnt get influenced by ayat2 manis si peniaga kt cni. bknnya apa, ko ada 2jamsuku je & Grand Bazaar ni besor, tak dan la kalo sume brg nk tgk & br nk decide nk beli apa. kalo masuk Grand Bazaar ni pagi2 cm kitrg, bgs sbb org stil xrmi. kedai pn br bkk. nk memilih brg rs cmfrtble la sket sbb xyh nk sesak2 dgn org rmi. kalo ptg, cnfirm jd cm kt Spice Bazaar d day b4.

 

~ tshirts, keychains, wind chimes, shawls, brg ceramic, lampu2, leather products, bags, table runner... u name it ~ 

 

 

~ see those plastic bags I carried, sikit je brg I beli fr d Grand Bazaar ~

 

2 hours and 15 minutes later, we waited outside Gate 7 of & walked to our bus. pegi berlenggang, so boleh jln kaki. blk dh de plstk beg brg2, so kna naik bus, hahaha. once we reached d hotel, it's time for final packing and to bring our bags to d lobby. beg drpd nipis jd tebal aftr 10 days. ada yg dr 1, jd 2. kt lobby hotel ada penimbang. so masing2 dok menimbang beg masing2 sbb takut overweight. kalo overweight, kna tumpang dgn brg org len.

 

for final Zohor (and Asar) prayer, we walked to a mosque nearby d hotel. it was not yet Zohor time, so we took d opportunity to sit in d mosque and wait. ada ceramah kt dlm msjd ms tu tp sbb xpaham ustaz tu ckp bhs Turki, kita dok diam2 baik2 je ye dlm msjd =) smpt amik gmbr interior sket, hehehe...sket jelah tpnye. sket as in 2 je.

 

~ outside & inside ~

 

dh semua2 settle solat, semua2 jln sesame blk hotel & wait for d bus. we had our final lunch together b4 d guide send us to airport. for our lunch, we went to Neden Urfa restaurant and had kebab. as usual, kita ada starter yakni lentil soup & roti & gabungan tomato&timun&bwg, plus distime ada cm air asam yg cicah dgn ikan bakar tu (anyways, itu sedap) lpstu main course dpt kebab & nasi. fuuhhhhh.... I can say that it was d best meal ever for me. Nasi dia rs cm nasi goreng, sedaaaaap sgt smpi x amik gmbr, hahaha.

 

finally for dessert, kita ada surprise surprise!!! it was d birthday of our fren d day before (6 April) & guide telah dgn baik hati bought a birthday cake for her on this last day. nk potg cake ms bday semlm mcm xsempat sbb aktiviti packed. we decided that it's best if d guide join d cake cutting skali bcz his bday was on 1 of d days masa dia bw kitrg berjln2 ni. dh la xde org bg adiah kt dia ms bday dia, dia pulak baik hati belikan kek utk my fren. so kasihan if x celebrate sesame.

 

 

then, it was time for group photo. sedih bcz of 2 reasons: 1)sbb dh nk blk, 2)sbb de grp mmber yg dh balik cz their flight was in d afternoon. so, diorg xde dlm gmbr, huhuhuhuhu...

 

 

finally it was time to say goodbye. kt airport after dh settle2 chck in bag semua, we said our goodbye to our guide. rs cm terharu. dia tgg smpi la kitrg sume dh lps d immigration gate. yg kitrg ni, kt dlm tu borak2 lg mcm2.... citer mcm xabis2, hahahaha. our flight to Doha was at 7.30 pm and once landed at Doha, we had to quickly catch our plane to KL. transit time was short, distance from aeroplane nk masuk building to transfer to another gate pn jauh. dh lps chck in for flight to KL, naik bus lg skali to d aeroplane pn jauh. serious rs cm Amazing Race. nk g toilet pn x smpt weh, huhuhuhh.

 

we arrived at KLIA d next day at around 2.10pm (this was our 10th day). br la npk masing2 dh letih ms ni. I couldn't get much sleep on d flight so mmg mengalu2kn waktu utk tidor, hahahaha.

 

it was indeed a very special holiday for me. I'm grateful that I got to know these good people. I'm grateful that I got to see beautiful places in Turki. I'm grateful that I got to hv different experience in a different land. sooo looking forward for another holiday like this. even though I've completed d story of d activities for my 10days Turki trip, i'll share in another post some tips or other useful info ya.

 

.enjoy your holidays.