Tag: challenges

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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I Ramble: 28 December 2017

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

Here, play this song while reading this post:

I’m learning the song for Dry Magnum’s jamming session on 8th January 2018. Hehehe. We chose a very nice date, 080118. Kekeke. Obviously, I can’t sing like the legendary Dio so I’ll have to adapt accordingly. As usual. Hehe.

I’m just feeling knackered all over. Good Lord. This job might suck the living energy out of me! Very physically demanding but for some reason, I look forward to the adrenaline rush every now and then. I realise that I’m gaining a bit more momentum in my work efficiency. I’m starting to feel automated at the cashier and fitting room. I also feel that my tidying has sped up a bit but I’m still rather particular at it.

Anyway, besides updates on my work life, basically today’s agenda is to sit for SMC’s monthly meeting, with me not having done anything this time. Shucks. I’m going to get grilled by other partners for this. Then finalise the changes for our wedding card. When I received the first draft and saw my name on there, I must admit, it felt surreal. Like wow. Like it’s finally hitting me that I’m getting married. Just wow. And then I’ll also do a mini-review of what the Christmas Winter Wonderland at Gardens By The Bay experience was like for me via vlogging.

I foresee 2018 being extremely busy for me. I guess, I’m ready to step out a bit and step up my efforts for Metropolitan Muslimah, Rubber Bandits, SMC, and UNIQLO. So it’s going to be an uphill task, a mighty mighty challenge, but let’s go for it. Like le fiance tells me many times, we aren’t getting younger.

Okay, that’s all from me. Let’s get going. I’ll see if I want to come up with any new year resolutions or not.

And Allah is Al-Mawla, the Supporter. – MM

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.

romm3
Source: https://www.muis.gov.sg/adil/About/our-murabbi.html

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

I Ramble: 6 August 2017

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

Heyooo there!

So, I survived my dastardly long work week with a jump shift in the middle of it!

Well done, Huda!

Yup, I decided that my new workplace should address me as Huda because nobody is called ‘Huda’ there. Hahaha!

I received very encouraging feedback about my work performance throughout the week, which is very nice! ^_^

I’m really enjoying the vibes on level 1 of my workplace, where I’m situated at. Level 2’s vibes ain’t for me and to a certain extent, I think I simply invoke frustration in the superiors there. So I am really grateful to be in an environment that suits me. Don’t get me wrong; level 1 superiors are still firm and uphold standards but I find that they have more of the human touch.

Just don’t take advantage of their kindness.

And they emphasised on the importance of each and every individual putting in 100% because they find it unfair that the reliable ones are loaded with more work in order to pull the weight of those who only put in 50%.

That was one of my biggest issues with my previous workplace. The reliable ones get piled with more and more work while those who kept saying “I don’t know” and “I don’t want” always get away with it and earn the same Staff Appraisal Review grade as those who put in the shift.

So to have that kind of mentality at my new workplace… is very much welcomed for me.

I know I said I’d like to keep up my writing consistency but hey man, working long hours while standing throughout and commuting while standing throughout does take a toll on one’s body.

Even my mom got to witness how swollen my feet were this morning. I gave up and tried using the Watsons’ feet hydrotherapy machine thingy but my feet still hurt a bunch right now as I’m typing this at 7.30pm plus.

Hais.

Anyway, I begged the family to buy me a comfy pair of covered black shoes for my birthday this month. Trololol. I cannot take it anymore!

I am turning 28 on the 25th August. I don’t quite know what to feel about it because I’ve been wanting to completely ignore it…because I didn’t really see the cause of celebration for it.

However, right now, since I am in a good headspace and heartspace, I feel like having a ’28’ challenge.

Let’s just call it The 28 challenge. Hahaha! How creative! Basically, 28 things I want to do as a 28-year-old before I turn 29. HAHAHA!

The 28

  1. Read 28 books out of the ones listed in the 2017 Reading Challenge by POPSUGAR.
    dc049a522d84b84f_PS16_JP_Living_2017ReadingChallenge_List_R2
  2. Create 28 designs for Street MOB Clothing.
  3. Write 28 songs for Rubber Bandits.
  4. Achieve 28 sales for Street MOB Clothing.
  5. Write 28 articles for publications.
  6. Watch 28 films.
  7. Watch 28 television series.
  8. Listen to 28 songs I have never heard before.
  9. Exercise for 28 days.
  10. Go on 28 documented dates with le fiance.
  11. Wish 28 people a ‘Happy Birthday’.
  12. Write 28 letters to le fiance.
  13. Draw 28 portraits.
  14. Create 28 hand-lettering works.
  15. Present a photography collection of 28 photographs.
  16. Present a fashion collection of 28 looks.
  17. Produce 28 vlogs.
  18. Cook 28 dishes.
  19. Bake 28 pastries.
  20. Achieve $28 in savings.
  21. Visit 28 cafes.
  22. Watch 28 music videos I have never watched before.
  23. Watch 28 documentaries.
  24. Learn 28 new words in Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, and Tagalog respectively.
  25. Learn 28 new phrases in Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, and Tagalog respectively.
  26. Learn 28 new sentences in Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, and Tagalog respectively.
  27. Memorise 28 verses of the Quran and the meanings attached.
  28. Sing and record 28 covers.

There we go! Now that should be fun!

And Allah is Ash-Shakur, the Grateful. – MM

 

I Ramble: 4 June 2017

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

When it rains, it really pours.

My personalised Ramadhan challenge suddenly pales in comparison to the real life challenges I am facing in Ramadhan right now.

Received worrying news about le fiancé’s current health situation. He had to quit smoking cold turkey, which is causing him to relapse into a mild stroke. His hands are starting to be numb. I feel more frazzled right now. I truly hope, in case of an emergency, I would be able to respond accordingly and promptly.

Now I have to replan. The plan now is to make sure I don’t break under pressure. It is a race against time now and we have to pray hard that our situation right now does not worsen further.

I haven’t been able to sleep well for a couple of weeks now and even if I do, they’re mostly mares. I know for a fact that this is caused by the stress that is overloading my head. And my heart is ever oh so heavy.

Suddenly, I have to grow up overnight, overwhelmed by the prospect that I might lose him but at the same time, I have to accept my fate if all of my efforts fail and if Allah wills it to be.

For now, I am still trying.

It is back to those times when I had my cancer scare in 2015. I hope everything right now is just one big scare and nothing more than that.

I hope when I wake up tomorrow morning, both of our lives will turn around for the better. I need to hustle a couple of people tomorrow and if they do not deliver, I will have to march down and pray that I can walk in for an interview at Uniqlo.

Bright side though, I have finished reorganising my closet. So that is one Ramadhan challenge met. And that we all know that it takes Nurul Huda three days to do so.

Will update the ‘CHALLENGES’ page when I use the desktop computer. Right now, I am on my mobile.

If anything, I am most probably being tested for my readiness to be a wife; to see if I have it in me to be someone’s lifetime partner, to ride and die with. So far, I haven’t been doing well in the test, really looking like I’m flunking it but I don’t want to cave in yet. I am determined to the point of absolute stubbornness.

Ya Allah, please make it easy on me. I just need that greenlight…so near yet so unreachable. It all hinges on that one lifeline I have been counting on for some time to be fair. Ya Allah, grant me strength and resilience in asserting my rights. I waited to be interviewed for the job for hours only to be stood up and even after being interviewed, I am still waiting to be given the online test that was agreed to be given to me two months earlier. For this alone, I know I am one who has been done wrong. My prayer as someone who has been done wrong is for me to get the job tomorrow in order to sustain my livelihood and my families, both current and future. Amin.

And Allah is Al-Mu’min, the Guarantor. – MM

I Ramble: 14 June 2016

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

I woke up feeling a whole lot better this morning. Sleeping on things help sometimes. Panic level is brought down a notch. Still feeling the urgency but calmly dismissing negative thoughts.

When I went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands, I realised that the dishes were left unwashed. Usually after breaking fast, I would wash them but last night I didn’t as I was really anxious to find out more about the GRE and to get a measure of the commitment level it requires from me. So looking at those unwashed dishes reminded me that I would definitely have to compromise a lot of things in merely applying for PhD. You see, even if I give my 500% to this application, the institution may not want me in the end. Am I prepared to receive the bitter outcome mentally, knowing that my efforts were at a certain cost?

Yes. I am prepared. In fact I reminded myself I should put in effort to maintain my usual good habits while pursuing a passion. Let that be the last time I neglect my duties.

That was one lesson learnt this morning.

Another lesson learnt was when I asked my mum if she would like to have a pan washed as I noticed there was substantial oil in it. I knew it was used to fry eggs for the pre-dawn meal but I was not sure if she wanted to re-use the oil. I mean, I am no cook and I don’t help out with the cooking so I am very blur when it comes to such things. I was expecting a direct yes or no. Instead, her face lit up and said, “Why, Dada? Dada nak tolong cuci? Syukur, rajinnya anak aku”. I must admit I was not only amused but my heart was warmed as well. Then a moment later I felt spooked. A’s words rang in my head, about how my parents would feel when I finally learnt how to cook.

Spooky wooky, seriously.

So, okay, A. I shall accept your challenge to cook fried potato slices with sambal tumis ikan bilis with a little bit of bee hoon as my 2016 Cooking Challenge. Muahahaha! The ‘Challenges’ tab above has been duly updated.

The final lesson learnt is related to my current position at the sea of life. Friends shared this video on FaceBook about a former CIA who gave insight into the varying perceptions shared between counter-terrorists and terrorists, which in the end, turned out not to be so different after all but based on similar interests and hopes. It reminded me of my Honours research…. The passion I felt for the subject… I could have chosen to research on my plethora of interests such as gaming, music, movies, or animations, and so on. However, I decided to work on quite a serious matter instead of a recreational one like the above.

I realised that although I am now involved in Early Childhood, I am still quite rooted to Communication and Islam. I have indeed been looking at things all wrong as I have suspected in my previous post. I do not actually have to worry about which area I should research on and that no matter what I choose to investigate, I am not going to lose my touch in my previous studies. I do not have anything to fear or worry about. I also do not have to be so gan chiong and try to force Communication, Islam, and Early Childhood together.

So yeah, Alhamdulillah. All my concerns and worries that made me panicked were addressed all at once within a short period of time and in one morning.

And He is most definitely the one and only Knower of all things. – MM