One of my regrets is not reading much non-fiction books during my college years apart from the books that I have to study for my electrical engineering degree.
Now I have discovered more and more as my passion for reading grows bigger.
And kindle plays a part in helping me to finish reading the books too. I listen to my books while driving. Believe me, when you’re driving in traffic jams, kindle is a godsend. Previously I have managed to finish one whole book while driving from kuantan to kota bharu in traffic jam to attend my colleague’s wedding. (Besides listening to books, kindle helps me to get the books that are not available in Malaysian bookstores)
These are some of the books I have read. I have finished reading/listening almost all of them, and I am at second round of reading them to get the ideas presented (that I found during my first reading/listening) to be implemented in my life and our company.
If you’re in university now or freshly graduated, nurture your interest in reading. You can be surprised of how much knowledge there is in the world and how much they can help you in your life. Even if you are not fresh graduate anymore, it is not always too late to start picking up a book and read.
Today I brought my 3 kids to Kidzoona at IOI City Mall Putrajaya for them to enjoy indoor playground. It’s been a while since we last visited an indoor playground – so I decided to bring them so they can release their energy.
Alhamdulillah since they all have grown up a bit (Adam is 7, Meena is 6 and Azmi is 5), it’s easier to manage them when going out on my own since Afiq is working today. Previously it was a nightmare if I have to manage all three of them alone at a shopping mall 😅.
Kidzoona is located in Molly Fantasy, near to the ice skating rink at IOI City Mall. Entry feea is RM18/pax for unlimited playtime during weekends and public holidays.
Kidzoona has various types of games and toys such as bouncing castle, magnetic sand and more. Suitable for younger kids but might be a little boring for kids that are more than 8 years old.
At Kidzoona the kids can also play pretend as shopowners and doctors. I remember I used to play pretend at home with diy stuff 😅
What I like about indoor playground is that I can have a rest while they play as much as they want. I don’t have to worry about them running off somewhere like during playing at outdoor playground. And hopefully once they have played their hearts out, they will sleep earlier at night (haha).
My kids love Kidzoona and the price is quite reasonable when compared to other indoor playground. It’s been 3 hours now and they still don’t want to leave yet. Haha.
Are you a student? Are you currently going through your internship program or thinking to join an internship program?
One thing that I observe, and someone has taught me this too previously, is that when you are a students, all the stress that you undergo such as studying, preparing for exams, etc, is not as big as it seemed once you enter the real working world, especially once you assume more responsibility such as taking care of your family – even more so once you are married.
This is the same as when you undergo your internship program. If you are too stressed out or depressed during the internship duration, that is a sign that you’re not managing your time and stress well enough.
5 reasons why internship program is important to a student (of course, besides getting a pass in the course):
1. This is the time to actually discover your interests
You might think you like what you’re doing or going to do while you were in the university, but it might be a totally different world out there. University’s main point is to teach you how to communicate, think and bring yourself in the real world. Probably not so much on the work hands-on type of experience. Internship program allows you to have a hands-on experience in the area that you are assigned in.
2. Learn to communicate with your colleagues and superiors
Communications between friends, colleagues and superiors might be different depending on the situation(s). This is where you learn how to communicate and express your thoughts and ideas.
3. Learn to manage your time
Trust me, if you think you have too much things to do as an intern, you might not be managing your time well. So if you feel this, it is time to learn and improve your time management skills.
4. Learn to manage your stress
There is almost no company/organization in the world that you can work at that will have absolutely no pressure or stress. Sometimes stress can be a good motivator for you to complete your job.
The most important part is you have to manage your stress and learn how do you de-stress and motivate yourself to achieve more.
5. Opportunity to build your network
Take this opportunity to develop your network in the industry. Get to know people. For your information, besides you learning about the company and the mechanics of business, the company is also learning about you.
If you work hard, successfully give good impression during your internship program and get to know a lot of people whether your company’s employees or customers/suppliers, there’s a very high chance for you to secure employment / other opportunities in the future. And this goes a loooong way.
In the Ventures Internship Program that we have at our company, Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd, we learned a lot about each students that join us. Some of them actually take the good opportunity to learn more and have achieved quite good results in the program. However some also struggled and probably need more guidance in understanding the mechanism and benefits that they get from internship program.
At Authentic Venture, we provide a lot of trainings, learning opportunities and networking opportunities with other companies’ management and CEOs. It really boils down to the interns themselves to make full use of the opportunities provided.
Are you interested in our internship program? Feel free to send your resume to careers@ventures.com.my. Thank you!
Thank you for dropping by. Today while I am waiting my clothes to dry at this diy laundry dryer (due to very damp season – my clothes takes longer to dry at home), I would like to share about Tadika Vonad Bandar Baru Bangi.
We first enroll Adam at Tadika Vonad when he was almost 2 years old. We had issues with maids keep running away (haha) and decided to stop taking maids and sending them to nursery instead.
We have chosen Tadika Vonad Kajang Impiana due to its location, cleanliness and very spacious area for kids (probably the most spacious nursery we have seen). So the kids will happily run and play around.
Picture credit to Google images.
So we ended up sending all our kids Adam, Meena and Azmi to the this nursery. The teachers are good too.
They divide the kids into the groups below:
1. Baby
2. Toddler (babies that can walk) usually 1-3 years old.
3. Playschool – usually 3-4 years old.
4. Kindergarden – 4-6 years old
However when Adam turns 4, we enroll him into kindergarden and unfortunately, the kajng impiana branch does not have kindergarden yet at that point of time, therefore he was transferred to Tadika Vonad Seksyen 7, while Ameena and Azmi stayed at Tadika Vonad Kajang Impiana.
When Adam was 5 and Ameena was 4, the Kajang Impiana branch introduced kindergarden so we decided to let Ameena stayed at Kajang Impiana.
We spent 2 years traveling to both branches and boy does it consume some precious extra time 😅 so when Adam turned 6 and Ameena turned 5 and Azmi 4 (azmi now has to enroll into kindergarden as well), we decided to move Ameena and Azmi to Seksyen 7.
We saved tons of time and they are very happy at Tadika Vonad Seksyen 7! (Well they were happy too in Kajang Impiana previously).
Here are some of their pictures from last year:
Aren’t they cute?
Well from my observation, I think Tadika Vonad has managed to build a good system and provide quality education to the kids at an acceptable price. My kids love their teachers and they have very low turnover of teachers when compared to other places.
My kids learned a lot and improved a lot at Tadika Vonad. Even Azmi who at times will teat my patience due to his excessive activeness, his teachers adored him as he brings joy to the kindergarden and brightens up everyone’s day! (He’s a very friendly kiddo).
I highly recommend Tadika Vonad for those of you searching for a good nursery and kindergarten for your kids =)
Thanks for visiting my blog. Here I would like to share my weight loss journey with you.
For the past few months (I don’t remember exactly when), I have put on weight quite a lot. I remember when the delicious nasi lemak stall opened and I bought nasi lemak almost everyday for breakfast, I have put on weight for almost 10kg in just 2 weeks! Can you imagine that?
I don’t remember how much did I weigh at this time. I think it was 90+. This was about late last year:
I have started to seriously reduce weight since about past 2 months. Some of the main reasons are to look beautiful for my husband, to be more healthy (I have read a lot about obesity, diabetes and heart problems – I hope to stay away from those illnesses) and to improve my image in the corporate world.
What did I start with?
I reduced my nasi lemak consumption. However, in the beginning, I have this gas problem when I do not eat which will make me very gassy and dizzy. So I have to substitute it with something else – I bought oats.
Next I try to reduce my calories intake. However, counting calories is really not my forte. I have tried multiple times and I can only count calories – for maximum of 3 days at most. It is very hard to count calories with malaysian food.
So instead of counting calories, I reduced my dinner. Instead of eating my normal plate of rice, i will either substitute with bread or reduce the portion. At this time, I ate lunch normally.
Alhamdulillah, after 2-3 weeks, I managed to reduce about 4kg of my weight.
And then it stuck there. I hit a plateau.
I stayed at 88kg for a few weeks. I have tried adding some physical activities such as brisk walking and jogging but it stayed there.
Me at 88kg (sorry, but I don’t seem to have picture of myself alone). Still quite large and very rounded face and cheeks:
I almost felt demotivated. Almost.
But, wait! I have just started for less than 2 months! And losing 4kg in 2 months is already an achievement.
So during this Ramadhan, I wanted to be a bit more aggressive.
I do not eat sahur. Just water and sometimes milk.
And i will only eat less than a plate (reduced portion) for my breaking fast. Although, I still like sugary drinks so I am not able to cut that one out yet.
Surprisingly and alhamdulillah, this is the first Ramadhan that I felt very energetic (except of course when I was at Stevens).
After that, I increase my physical activity by enrolling in a gym. Which gym? Secret. Haha.
Alhamdulillah, after a week of fasting with increased physical activities, I managed to break the plateau and reduce weight to 86kg!! I finally get back all my motivation.
So total number of kgs that I have lost as of now is at 6kg. I am planning to reduce my weight to reach 60kg. So, I have another 26kg to go.
I plan to shed off all this kg in less than 6 months. Wish me luck! I will share my progress with you here. Do come back yo read more!
It’s the kids’ Tadika Vonad Sports day again! Although this post is a bit late. The sports day was held about 2 weeks ago.
Adam and Meena enjoyed the day. Look at their faces! Unfortunately, Azmi did not enjoy it and ran away from joining the competition and sports day activities.
Ameena is such a big girl. She talked to her friends, took selfie with them and even walked around with them once their activity is completed! I felt so left out haha.
Adam is still a quiet boy and enjoy his aunties’ company more than his friends. Hehe.
All in all, I hope they grow to become strong and friendly.
Alhamdulillah hari ni Adam dah selesai pergi ke kelas trial Superkids di Padang Mardi UPM Serdang. 2 jammmm. Alhamdulillah dia berjaya complete the session dengan jayanya.
Actually sekarang sebenarnya kami tengah mencari kelas-kelas utk develop skills Adam, Meena and Azmi. Tapi Azmi masih belum berjaya mendengar arahan dengan baik, so susah sikit nak cari kelas untuk dia.
Awal-awal ni Azmi join sekali. Tapi lepas tu orang lain semua lari straight, dia dah lari belok arah keluar padang. Pening coach nak suruh dia lari arah yg betul. Haha. Last2 main bole dengan bapaknya dan aunty2 nya sahaja.
Alhamdulillah Adam seemed to enjoy himself during the session. Walaupun cara dia lari agak kelakar (mungkin sebab kami pun kurang buat aktiviti fizikal bersama mereka), tapi Adam berjaya habiskan aktiviti tersebut dengan baik. Insya Allah bolehlah enrollkan Adam masuk kelas bola sepak ni. Moga by the time masuk sekolah nanti dah pandai main bola.
Tengok gambar atas tu, macam dah pro kan? Hehehe.
Tadi ada satu scene tu agak kelakar. Diorg tgh main bola sepak. Adam tgh cuba nak dapatkan bola tu. Mungkin tengah kelam kabut or panik agaknya, dia pergi tangkap bola guna tangan. Semua parents kat situ gelak termasuklah kami sekali.
Hehehe.
Okay, sbnrnya tengah tulis ni sambil tunggu Ameena tgh mencuba kelas piano (trial class). Nanti saya updatekan tentang Meena pula dalam next post.
