Tag Archives: A

12.28.18
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I Challenge: Boho Berry Challenge – December: Year-End Review (28 December 2018)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Wowsies. I actually did a challenge and completed it! Yay! It is the Boho Berry December Challenge!

Just click on the picture to know what it is all about. I’ve linked it to Boho Berry’s site regarding the challenge itself. I’m psyched to share my answers to the challenge right here.

Firstly, of course, I would like to thank my husband, Beedin, for supplying me with the notebook in which I did the journalling challenge.

It is just a small pocket notebook with blank pages in them, which proved useful in letting me doodle here and there. Thanks, Bee!

Secondly, I copied the list of topics in the challenge so I didn’t have to refer to my phone each time.

Yeah, I had a little fun handlettering the title but as you can see, I clearly lack spatial awareness. Just crammed the entire title up there on the page.

Next, I proceeded to do sort of a cover for the challenge. Was inspired by Amanda Rachel Lee’s December 2018 Bullet Journal set-up. Have a look at the following video.

Now have a look at my doodle. Bwahahahaha! So far away from her creation.

Then I went ahead with contributing to all of the topics.

1. Introductions

2. 2018 in Three Words

3. Favourite Memory

4. Biggest Accomplishment

5. Biggest Challenge

6. This Year, I…

7. Time Well Spent

8. Successes

9. Could Have Gone Better

10. Money Well Spent

11. Progress Towards Goals

Not going to share a sharp image of the above as I feel those goals are quite personal. But you can see them anyway if you put in the effort. HAHAHAHAHA!

12. New Skills Learnt

13. Breakthrough Moment

14. Smart Decisions

15. Good Habits Formed

16. Bad Habits Broken

17. Unfinished Business

18. Theme/Word for 2019

19. Start Doing

20. Keep Doing

21. Stop Doing

22. Out of My Comfort Zone

At this point of sharing, I believe I became less retrospective and more prospective instead. I think this topic should cover an event in 2018 where I got myself out of my comfort zone. Instead, I recorded what I would like to do in 2019 that would take me out of my comfort zone. But for the record, yeah, going on The Mummy ride for the second time sure was a step out of my comfort zone. All done for love’s sake! Hahahaha!

23. Setting Intentions

24. Something New

25. Self-care

I’ll just continue the sentence here: to…remain soft and smooth all year round.

26. Contribution, 27. Education & 28. Career

Once again, these turned out to be less retrospective than they were supposed to, I feel.

29. 2019 Will Feel Successful If…

30. Top Three 2019 Goals

31. Lessons Learned

There we go! Finally Huda has successfully completed a challenge! Yippy!

I must say that doing this exercise really helped me to have better ideas on how I’d like to plan out my 2019 Bullet Journal. I was really forced to sit and think through some of the topics. You can try it and you will also find that it can be tedious in certain aspects, especially when you are forced to think quite hard on life questions that you would sometimes prefer to leave unanswered. Muahahaha!

I hope everyone reading this would feel drawn to journalling and picking up similar challenges and more importantly, complete them. It would really organise your thoughts better and help you see your life from a different angle and reassess it.

Fun fact: It took me 40 minutes or so to do up this post, mostly in snapping the photos of the entries and positioning them under each heading. I wanted to start on my 2019 Bullet Journal but I’m starting to feel burnt out from just doing this post.

Yes, I have been feeling burnt out from doing little tasks recently. I think my depression is worsening but the reality is, I can never get it checked.

Because no one would believe me? Not sure. But I think it has been so overly glamourised that I much rather not deal with it.

Simple things have become so difficult to do. I take a longer time to do things that can be done in a minute or even a heartbeat.

And I feel so downright tired all the time.

Or maybe it’s just my diarrhea.

Welp.

And Allah is Ar-Razzaq, the Total Provider. – MM

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12.28.18
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I Ramble: 27 December 2018

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Meowsies.

Where do I even begin.

About ushering in 2019? Summarise 2018 and wrap up the year? About games and gaming? About being ill? About my husband? About life? About journalling? Ai yai yai yai yai. So many things yet so little energy for anything.

Maybe we’ll start with the following photo.

This is me taking a shot of my television, showing a gameplay of The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on PS3 by my husband.

Yup, it’s close to eleven PM when we were playing a bit of POTC. I firstly want to express that I enjoy being married to someone who not only shares my hobbies but also engage in them. Best part is that neither of us were overly particular about how each other play. I must admit that I wanted him to save his gameplay on a separate file but then my better judgment got me to realise that hey, I can always replay the level if I ever feel like immersing myself fully in the game or being a completionist through collecting every single item and unlocking every chest and so on. There isn’t any pressing need for me to not share the gameplay anyway. But yes, if I was working on unlocking achievement seriously, I wouldn’t let him have the controller. Hahahaha!

The game was a fortuituos buy. Remember, I wanted to buy the first installment of Uncharted? Well, my husband and I stumbled upon a copy at Games Resort @ Compass One. It costs $30. My husband was telling me to just get it as PS3 games have noticeably dwindled in the shops. But when you’re the sole breadwinner of the family, you will obviously get sensitive about the price. $30, albeit half the price of what PS3 games usually cost, is still a pinch to me. So I decided not to get it from Compass One. Then, just yesterday, I jio-ed mum to go to Tampines Mall to look for a bullet journal. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the journal I wanted to get but then I remembered there were two game shops at one of the levels. The first shop that I went to didn’t carry Uncharted so I decided to try the adjacent shop, GameXtreme. I found a copy and it costs $25. So I thought I might as well get it because I don’t know when my next trip to Tampines will be and that I probably couldn’t get a better deal anyway. Lo and behold! Just as I wanted to make payment, the dude noticed a sticker on the case and said, “This one three for $10. Go and get two more with a sticker.”

Gnarly! What a deal! So I grabbed POTC and Assasin’s Creed: Brotherhood because nothing else interest me. For POTC, I played it on Wii before and I really enjoyed it so I thought I’d play it again on PS3 instead. Then I simply chose AC because my husband likes the franchise. Wow. It’s so different when you’re a single gamer and when you’re a married gamer, huh? Hahahaha!

So yup! Lucky me bought Uncharted for just 1/3 of $10 instead of $30. That’s like…errr…my fractions is not good. 1/3 of 1/3? Cos you know, it is like three times less of three times less? Oh, bollocks, nevermind me. Point is, it pays to be frugal. And nice. Cos nasty customers won’t get good recommendations. Muahahahaha!

So that’s about yesterday and games and gaming. It’s been a while since I’ve touched my console so I feel the vertigo pretty damn badly this time. My head just fucking hurts all the time now. Sheesh.

Oh, yeah, I mentioned about wanting to get a bullet journal. I know, I can just use any old notebook but I really wanted to emulate the creator of the bullet journal and I think that the dots would be pretty helpful in making markings and estimating the amount of space I need for certain sections of the bullet journal.

So there goes the dream. I know I can just get it online but like I said, I have to be frugal as I am the only person who is holding the money.

But yeah back to gaming, I haven’t started on Uncharted yet ironically enough. Hahahaha! That shows just how much I enjoyed playing POTC on Wii. To be honest, I can’t recall going through the same sort of experience on the PS like I did on the Wii! Let me just check for a moment if my instincts are true. Both versions really feel a whole lot different to me! Or is it I’m demented? Let me just check for a sec.

Oh yes, they are indeed different! Oh, my God! I recall smashing crates a lot more in POTC Wii and spending more time in the sea prison in the beginning chapter. POTC PS3 is like a super condensed version of the movie and I didn’t spend as much time in the beginning chapter.

Oh, wow, wow, wow! Nonetheless, this PS3 version that is new to me, is still enjoyable. It does have that Uncharted feel in terms of having to figure your way out and scaling walls and shimmey-ing ledges. So I figured that POTC is a great warm-up game to gear me up for POTC.

I found out about the versions being different from GameSpot. Man, it has been a while since I’ve been there and blog there. Now, I miss blogging there about games and all that jazz. Really takes me back given just how much I have rambled on about games in this post! Felt like the good old times!

For a proper game post, I should write about the differences I experienced in both versions and whether I enjoy one more than the other. Apparently the Wii version is the same as the PSP and PS2 versions but the PS3 and XBox360 versions are different, with the XBox360’s varying slightly from the PS3’s.

Wow, amazing! We all discovered something new!

Anyway, I feel like I rambled on long enough. Will definitely want to complete the games I started playing on both the PC and on the PS3. Also, will definitely want to get back to bullet journalling and be more life-organised.

I really like to make up my own words sometimes. Just how do you guys live with me? Hahahaha!

And Allah is Al-Wahhab, the Supreme Bestower. – MM

09.21.18
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I Interview: Hello, Husband! Part 1

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

I was inspired by my old post whereby I interviewed myself based on question from Seventeen magazine. I was thinking about whether I should interview myself again and compare new answers to my old ones but I decided to forgo it because what better way to introduce le husband to the world than to conduct an interview? And hey, I may just have found the inspiration needed for a vlog!

I’ll see if I can do a vlog with him but if he refuses, then I shall attack him with my barrage of burning questions! Well, not really, but just enough for you guys to know him on the surface.

So before I go all out to interview him, I need to prepare some questions, of course as the following:

  1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
  2. What are your goals?
  3. What is your favourite book?
  4. What are the common job interview questions you come across?
  5. Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
  6. What are your strengths?
  7. Why did you marry Baeda?
  8. Can you share with us a little bit about your work history?
  9. What is the minimum salary you think a Singaporean should receive?
  10. Are you a punctual person?
  11. If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to have with you?
  12. Do you prefer to shop online or in a store?
  13. What is your favourite hangout spot?
  14. Have you ever been to the emergency room?
  15. What is your preferred method of contacting someone?
  16. What weird food combinations do you like?
  17. Are you a risk taker?
  18. Would you rather be the smartest moron or the dumbest genius?

He would definitely say that all those questions are super loso. Whatever that means. HAHAHAHA!

Wish me luck!

And Allah is Al-Mu’min, the Guardian of Faith. – MM

12.15.17
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I Ramble: 15 December 2017

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Hi there! Nothing much happened for the past 30 mins of 15 December. Just that I’ve begun a new hair and facial routine. It’s getting more real now that I’m going to be a bride in less than five months from now so I really have to start prepping my skin for the big day.

Other wedding-related updates will be that we have secured the date, time, and solemniser for our wedding last night. I didn’t get my top three choices and I guess, it was meant to be that I had to choose someone quickly yet at the end of it, I feel rather satisfied with my choice. So Alhamdulillah for that.

In case if you’re wondering who it is, I managed to pull a snippet out of MUIS’s ADIL’s website.

It’s sort of a full circle for us because le fiance really wants to go to Kaplan to pursue a diploma in IT and that man graduated with one albeit in a different field. I went to PERGAS before, which led me to frequenting Masjid Kassim a lot back then and that man is an Imam there.

Like I said, perhaps it was meant to be.

So that’s another matter settled. It’s like we’re dealing with one matter every month nowadays. Next month, we’ll be heading to ROMM for document verification and statutory declaration. Basically they really want to ensure that we are who we claim to be and that we are within the right frame of mind for marriage. Forced marriages are a no-no in Islam so they will ask the bride if she really wants to marry the groom and vice versa. They are also particular about the person marrying the bride off, in my case, my father. He also needs to be of sound mind and judgment. They also want to ensure that polygamy doesn’t happen without the knowledge and consent of the women involved, especially. Hence, the need to declare our status clearly and truthfully. For those who have to pay maintenance to their ex-wives, they also have to declare the amount and produce the divorce certification. Marriage is a huge responsibility in Islam so it is pertinent that both sides are made aware of each other’s backgrounds and that both sides are willing to be married and are under no compulsion and the marriage has to be officiated and witnessed by mentally sound people who resonate the religion’s ethos.

So that’s that. A little bit of information for all to know about Muslim marriages. Well, at least for the ones in Singapore.

On to other updates in my life…

I am sad to say… I haven’t been doing anything I planned to do. Yep. I will admit that.

I have also yet to touch my now-super-dusty Quran. Huhu.

HOWEVER!

For some reason, I have become very thirsty lately, especially when I have my menses. So I’m happy to say that I have been drinking at least one cup of plain water! Huzzah!

DSC_1720

I’m hoping to increase my intake of plain water to two cups next month!

Speaking of habits, I really want to have more time. How do I get more time? By waking up early.

I used to be good at it. Setting resolutions in 2016 really helped me a lot. But for some reason, I just lost the momentum.

Well, actually, admittedly, after I got to know Beedin, all routines just went out of the window. HAHAHA! That’s because we were staying up all night talking, getting to know each other. We still talk at night quite frequently during his break time since he’s working as a Night Filler and I often get the closing shift, reaching home late enough to stay up for a chance to talk to him.

Buuuuut if I want to have great skin, I need my beauty sleep on top of increasing my plain water intake. I decided to go for a little motivation from YouTube:

I like the way she presented the topic. Really easy for me to relate and it’s useful and insightful. Props to her.

So now that I’ve gotten all the tips, the only thing left to decide is the time to wake up.

Because I’ve been struggling with the wake-up time, especially now that I’m working shifst. 5am is just not realistic if I work closing shift. On the other hand, I can’t afford to wake up at 6am if I’m working the opening shift because I need to be out of the house by then! For herself, she varies her wake-up time on weekdays and weekends. Should I do that too; vary my alarms according to my shifts? Or is it perennially better to set a constant alarm to acclimatise my body to a routine?

I think I’ll try the dual timings. The problem with setting a constant alarm is that my mind will go, “WTF WHY AM I WAKING UP EARLY WHEN I’M WORKING LATER ON IN THE DAY, I WILL BE DAMN EXHAUSTED”. And then I wouldn’t wake up early. And then it’s back to square one of lousy habits/routines.

So the timings will be 5am for opening shifts and 6am for closing shifts and off days.

Okay, so that’s settled then!

In order to see if this will work out, stay tuned for a post from me later at 6am onwards! It’s 1:35am now. I should be able to get some sleep. Laters!

And Allah is Al-Matin, the Steadfast. – MM

12.06.17
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I Ramble: 6 December 2017 part 2

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

So… FB pulled up an old post for me:

sookee

Apparently that was what I wanted for Christmas five years ago…2012. I find it very interesting that my wedding band is a far cry from my favourite aspects of jewellery. I like silver more than gold and I love diamonds. I especially love intricate designs because the creative side of me appreciates unique stuff. Guess what my wedding band is like?

Yes. A complete opposite of everything that I want in a jewellery. It’s gold and plain. However, it has more value compared to the rings that I would naturally prefer because it contains actual gold in it! When I was choosing my wedding ring, I was mostly thinking about having a safety net for my future family finances. What if one day we were both of out money and we needed to feed our children? So that was how I settled into the idea of buying a plain gold ring.

Image result for golden chance gold ring

I can actually feel the weight of the gold. We opted for about 5.9 grammes of gold. I actually love it although it is the antithesis of everything that I like in a ring! But yup, as much as possible, no matter how desperate we get, I hope this never gets sold off. Too precious and symbolic! Even if we were to sell it off, it’s to upgrade to a more valuable ring! Hehehe!

Whenever I look at my ring, it makes me think about how far we’ve come from being in the pits of poverty (we were pretty damn poor, ask Nora), to getting in a more comfortable zone.

Believe me, it’s not easy being resilient in times of financial hardship. Given the type of person I am, impulsive and to some extent, impatient, it’s quite a wonder that Beedin and I managed to survive a year of financial struggles. We’re still struggling but it’s not as bad as how it used to be. Alhamdulillah.

I just want to thank everyone for being patient with us and for continuing to be patient with us.

And Allah is Malik-al-Mulk, the Guardian of Empowerment. – MM

11.05.17
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I Ramble: 5 November 2017

In the name of Allah, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful.

I swear I’m turning into a minah at this rate. 😂

Look at the pic collage I made of me and le fiancé!

We really need to take more photos as a couple together.

Can’t believe it, we’re coming close to a year. Just last year today, we were at my old workplace setting up for the play.

Sighs.

He is soooo dreamy. Lubdub lubdub!

And Allah is Ar-Rahman, the All-Compassionate.