~ enjoying the time: full-relaxation mode ~

I've not written much. it's either that I have some spare time but it's fully utilized with watching movies/dramas online (or sometimes doing ntah apa2), OR that I don't have the time but things are spinning in my head like "I have to let this out now!!! nowwww!!!". but the "NOW" didn't permit. too bad.

 

what happened after June? let's see..... there was the fasting month (Ramadhan). and then Hari Raya. Alhamdulillah, masih lagi ada umur utk sambut Hari Raya thn ni. tp celebrate Hari Raya this year dgn sederhana je. prior to Hari Raya, some people I know were not well (pretty bad condition actually), some other were hospitalized. so for me to be healthy and celebrated Hari Raya, syukur Alhamdulillah (was unwell for a couple of days in the fasting month, I take that as penghapus dosa kecil).

 

after Raya, the "wedding season" started. or, was that DURING Raya season? every weekend during the month of Syawal ada je kenduri kawen. dh jd cm Open House Raya cum Kenduri Kawen, hihihihi. congratulations to all the newlyweds =) and I attended the wedding of my officemates. the ceremony was held at Kuantan. it was a short 3-days-2-nites trip yg quite last-minute arranged. went to Kuantan after 5pm on Friday (gigih tau nk tempuh jammed blk kerja on Friday from KL nk masuk tol kt Gombak). hotel pn book yg murah je. the wedding was on the Saturday. lps knyg mkn kat kenduri, we went back to hotel, tukar baju, solat & siap2 g jln kt Kuantan. emmm... not actually jln2, pegi tgk wayang sbnrnye. lain feelingnye bila tgk wyg kt kwsn luar fr KL ni.

 

 

after wayang, we went to Teluk Chempedak. saja2 nk g tgk pantai & take some crazy photo. we were there dari ptg around pkl6lbh smpai la membawa ke nearly pkl8. then it was just the right time utk MAKAAAAAAAAAANNNN, yeahhh!!! this was my 2nd trip to Kuantan after the first trip to Kuantan I made last year. and I will always come to Kuantan for its seafood. sedap & murah. mmg marvellous la. bersyukur dgn kenikmatan dunia yg sementara ni.

 

 ~ this is the most sopan gambar rasanye ~

 

on Sunday, we checked out early from the hotel, searched for place to have our breakfast and drove dgn sgt bertenang to enjoy our last day before heading back to KL. bertenang yg sgt2 py bertenang la, yg mmg enjoy tgk kiri kanan jalan. we stopped at Pantai Batu Hitam first. saja2 berdiri tepi pantai & enjoy the sea breeze. & of course took some crazy photo, hihihihih. sempat jgk beli air kelapa & duduk minum kt tepi pantai tu (we were really in relaxation mode). then we went to buy some keropok lekor & ikan masin kt gerai2 tepi jln. stopped for lunch dkt rumah abg kwn I. org dh ajak, rezeki jgn ditolak. after solat & waited a while for the rain to stop, we drove back to KL.

 

it was a trip yg mmg "bersantai-tak-payah-pikir-apa2-tapi-singkat-sgt-sbb-3hari-je" :( I'm really grateful for the time, place and ppl that I've spent the time with. it's a very short trip, but as they usually say, "it's short but sweet" =)

 

I forgot to tell you that that was middle of August this year (14-16). my schedule after that was crazier. will tell you that in the next entry...whenever that may be.

 

take care. be good.

 

~ Singapore - work-related ~

I just got back from Spore. travelled for work this time around.

 

 

I attended a 2-day conference on Monday & Tuesday. Then had meetings at IRAS & NTU yesterday. I find the conference and meetings very beneficial. there are techniques that I think can be applied and many info that I've never heard b4. my schedule was quite packed, but I managed to meet up with my friends who are working in Spore, just to do some catching up with each other. de-stressor =)

 

the organizer of the conference arranged for the international delegates/participants to stay at Park Avenue Rochester. the condition of the hotel/room is at least according to my preference (apa sgt nk preference beriye pun sekadar dok kt bilik bila mlm je, hahaha). it's not really located at the centre/heart of Singapore so it's quieter around the area. the hotel is connected to Rochester Mall. from outside, look's like there's nothing much at the mall (xmasuk lgsg pn sbb from outside pn mcm xbyk kedai bkk). ada la a few restaurants/café opened but musykil nk mkn, so takyah la masuk.

 

 

you don't need to worry about getting Halal food if you stay at this hotel 'cz Star Vista mall is very near to Park Avenue Rochester (5 minutes walking). I can see the mall from my room, so mmg consider dekat la kan =) you'll find nearly 10 Halal food outlets at this mall, such as Papa Rich, Nandos, Manhattan Fish Market, etc2. just look for the Halal logo from Singapore religious body - MUIS. by the way, iron & ironing board, flatscreen TV, free wifi, telephone, safe box, coffee/tea/mineral water/kettle/2 mugs and spoons & fridge are available in the room. I brought my own snacks and 3-in-1 drinks, in case I got hungry during odd hours/b4 I could find Halal food outlet. so I don't really mind not having anything in the fridge =)

 

the room

Star Vista Mall from my hotel room

getting around Singapore is easy if you stay at this hotel. the East-West Line MRT (Bugis station) is just next to Star Vista mall. if you refer to the Star Vista Mall image above, it's the building on your right hand side. so, it's about 10 minutes walking from the hotel (10 minutes yg x terasa lama pn). you can also get the Circle Line from this station. I don't have trouble getting cab 'cz I got help from the hotel. but if you are adventurous, can try to hail a cab on your own, taxi stand is not that far as well.

 

if you ask me whether I'm gonna stay again at this hotel the next time I come to Spore, I would say YES but with a condition. for my own holiday/vacation/jalan2 to Singapore, I think I might hv to save some money in advance if I choose to stay at the hotel. depending on the season (peak or normal) and also room type, the room rate is affordable/OK to some people but a little bit pricey to others (like me). as this is working trip, the company is paying for the stay =) so, for next holiday/vacation to Singapore, it's either I'm doing some saving in advance OR there's someone who would be kind to pay for my stay here. at the moment, it seems that some saving is required on my part, hihihi.

 

I wish to come again, Singapore =)

~ 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.