Philominalighter's Blog

March is coming to its end and I’m just about to start with my first post for 2013. Life has been hectic for me since the semester began in February. January was the month of jollying with my family at home. 🙂

I have a very tight schedule this semester. The classes are not packed, but the assignments and projects are really time-consuming! 90% of my group assignments this semester involve outside parties, in which we need to conduct interview at the companies and come out with a report. Apart from conducting interviews, we are also exposed to assignments on writing literature reviews. Plus, we are encouraged to start with our Final Year Project too, and I haven’t find my topic yet!

Thus, that explains the less time I spent on entertainment, such as movies and karaoke. Believe me, those were like a compulsory weekend routine for me during the previous semesters! Besides having to spend more time on my assignments, the reason I cut down on entertainment is because I am financially tight. I am blessed to be given the opportunity to travel to two Asian countries this semester; Korea and The Philippines. Thus, I am trying my very best as not to spend lavishly, especially on entertainment.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, or should I say, all work and no play makes Philo a dull girl. I find that there are numerous ways for me to enjoy and pamper myself. Here are some of the things that I did since February:

1. Be active. Being active does not mean that you have to be seen around campus all the time. It means that you get yourself involve in activities organized by the clubs that you join. As for me, I have two big families in UTM; GIFT and KFK. I’ve attended my college dinner, KFK’s Family Day and also GIFT’s Theology of The Body in March itself. GIFT’s Easter Dinner awaits me the end of this month. There is no better feeling than to be surrounded by your lovely friends.

2. Be friendly and start socializing. Participating in activities gives you the chance of meeting new people. Besides enhancing your interpersonal communication, you get to widen your group of friends. You will never know the person you just met today might be your life partner in the future. 🙂

3. Burn those calories. A tight schedule should not stop you from working out. At least exercise once a week, be it jogging, heading to the gym or even doing light exercises in your room. Studies have shown that exercise is one of the ways to relieve stress. It really works.

4. Watch drama series/movies on your laptop. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Korean or Japanese drama series. However, I force myself to watch these series as means of learning some of their basic languages. I don’t want to be the only tourist among my friends who do not know a single Korean word once I reach Seoul later. And since I’m taking Japanese language this semester, I force myself to watch some of its drama series too. Well, they are not that bad after all. It has become my entertainment when I have my breakfast, lunch or dinner since then.

5. Go out! After a long day of class or discussion, my course mates and I would go out and have dinner sometimes. Or during the weekends after church, I would spend my time shopping for groceries or even window shop with my church members. As for today, I had my alone time by pampering myself at the saloon and bought some sushi. I even ate my McChicken set and read a book at McDonalds. It feels so great to be able to roam around alone and do whatever you love to do once in a while.

These are my motivation in completing my job. Bear in mind only to do these once you have completed your important tasks. This does not mean that for one complete assignment, you straight away go out for a steamboat with your friends! Do it moderately and set a benchmark for yourself. Make sure the benchmark is achievable. As human beings, we may astray from our goals sometimes, but be sure to pray and seek for guidance from God. Thus, NEVER EVER ABANDON GOD IN ANYTHING YOU DO.

Have a blessed day, peeps! 🙂

College Dinner. Malam Puncak Perdana. From left: Nira, myself, May Chee

GIFT’s Theology of The Body. A fruitful weekend with the Lord.

KFK’s Family Day 2012. At The Legend, Cherating. From left: Cheng, Amin, Ed, myself

Hey hey! The last time I updated my blog was November 2011. My hectic schedule held me back from updating it. And the reason why i update it NOW is because I’m bored studying and I felt like writing, more to blogging actually.

Exam is just around the corner and I’ve been cracking my head doing some reading and revising. Nevertheless, I feel quite excited as I have ample time to do my revision. Others sit for exams for one week or less, but as for me and my coursemates, ours would consume exactly two weeks.

Tadaaa! This is how my exam schedule looks like.

It’s an advantage actually to have big gaps between the exam dates although many claim that we’ll get tired of studying eventually. Well, hopefully, i’ll utilize my time well enough to do my revision. 🙂

So, all the best to those who are sitting for their final examinations. Bear in mind that all your hard work will be awarded later.

Now, you decide whether to STUDY HARD or STUDY SMART

GOD BLESS EVERYONE 🙂

Let me give you a situation.

You are damn hungry and you have been waiting for your food for more than an hour. Impatiently, you call the waiter.

=.=”

CILI API HABIS????? That’s the most hilarious, not to mention, idiotic answer that I have ever heard! Tsktsktsk.

When I was 13, I went to Johor Bahru for a program and I was asked a question, which I find it to be quite silly, by a girl from the Northern part of West Malaysia.

***

I travel a lot in airplanes. Not to brag, but that is how I travel back and forth from Bintulu to Kuching to Johor Bahru to Labuan to Kota Kinabalu and to Kuala Lumpur as well. I love travelling alone because I get to do what I want to do. And the best thing is (if you’re lucky), you get to meet new people. Here are some examples that I have experienced myself:

…First incident…

This happened in 2009. I was on my way back to Kuching from Kota Kinabalu. At KKIA, I was sitting alone at McD and I noticed that there was this dude in white t-shirt kept on staring at me. Nevertheless, I ignored that feeling because Mumy always say, “Wek, don’t be excited if guys look at you. It doesn’t mean you’re pretty“. Okay. To cut the story short, he was the one sitting next to me in the plane. He interviewed me. What’s your name? Where are you from? Where are you heading? How old are you? What book are you reading? What were you doing in KK? Blablabla. Lucky for me, this dude was heading to Bintulu and our flight transit there first. Before we left the plane, he asked for my phone number. I refused to give him. Then he asked for my Facebook. I gave him. Later at home, I had a friend request from him, I approved, a few weeks later, I removed him from my friends’ list.

…Second incident…

I think this happened when I was on my way back to Bintulu from Kuching last year. I sat next to a Chinese businessman (I assume he’s in his mid 40’s) in the airplane. He started the conversation first.

Then, blablabla. Where are you from? Where are you heading? How old are you? Are you still studying? etc.

I found him to be very friendly and chatted with him. Asked him questions and answered his questions as well. Then…

In the end, he managed to persuade me and I ate his meal. Thank God, because seriously, I was damn hungry at that time. I was just being polite when I rejected his offer earlier. :p

…Third incident…

This happened recently. Flight from JB-KK with the rest of my club members. I was sitting next to a Chinese man in his 50’s. He’s a principal in a school in KK. A very friendly guy, he started our conversation too. We talked about our families, the education system and a lot of other stuff. Then, when the flight attendants started to sell food and drinks, he asked me,

Before we left the plane, he gave me his Facebook and he asked me to contact him if I need anything in KK. I still keep the paper but until now, I haven’t check out his Facebook. I think I should. 🙂

***

It’s fun to meet and know new people when you travel. Nevertheless, bear in mind not to reveal to much about yourself. Safety first but at the same time, be polite to others. There’s no harm in being friendly. This is one of the reasons I love to travel alone. I do hope to meet more new people upon boarding the plane again next time.

God bless everyone. 🙂

God works wonders in our life. When He noticed that you’re getting astray, He’ll do something to make you realize your mistakes.

I was selected to be in UTM. God answered my prayer by granting me what I wished for; to learn Accountancy at that university. And so, my first semester there went well. I excelled in my final exams although deep down inside of me I knew I could do much better. What the heck, I’m still thankful anyway.

However, things were the opposite for my second semester. My result dropped. A lot. I was not surprise upon checking my result. I have expected that. And surprisingly, I didn’t cry. Instead, I thank God for my result.

When I told people my result and they asked me what happened, I just kept silent. I know what I’ve done throughout my second semester; I was involved with too much activities, enjoyed myself a lot and books became strangers to me.  Maybe that was the reason I did not cry. I got what I deserved. Yea, I was frustrated with myself but one thing for sure, I knew this happened for a reason. God made me realized my mistake.

And so, I vowed to myself that I’ll improve for my short semester. I seriously needed an A for both my short semester subjects. There were life conflicts in between but I knew God gave me strength to still focus on my studies. Last Monday, the result was announced. Yes, He answered my prayers. Thank You, Lord. 🙂

You see, when you fall, it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Look at it positively. God reaches out His hands to you and it’s up to You whether to accept His hands or not. Everything happens for a reason. I thank God for my bad result in my second semester because He had taught me to struggle harder for my short semester. And I seriously believe He will work more wonders in the future.

God gave me mouth to thank Him and lips to smile for His wonders.

He is always there by our side; in happiness and sadness, He will never leave us alone. For Christians and non-Christians alike, there is only ONE God to whom we pray to.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone. God bless.

Have you ever heard of the term ‘jiwa kacau‘? Jiwa means soul, kacau means disturbed. But it’s not really disturbed soul. It basically means that you are not at ease; be it your mind or soul. We experience this usually when we encounter with problems, such as family problems, peer problems or even your-boyfriend-is-actually-someone-else’s-boyfriend problem. It sucks, right?

So, what can you do in order to make yourself relax? Well, besides praying, hang out with your friends because you will never know what crazy stuff might be done when you’re with them. Here are some solutions to what you guys can do together:

1. Go to the beach and enjoy the view. To me, that’s the only place where I can find peace and tranquility. When the cool evening breeze hits your face and blows your hair, that’s when I get to say, “Damn! I want to bring this place to JB!” since JB doesn’t give me this kind of satisfaction.

This is the place which is 10 minutes drive from my house. You should come here and see it for yourself. Breath-taking indeed.

2. In the mean time, look around you. Observe the surroundings. Who knows you might find something interesting, such as the jellyfish! Yea, we found some jellyfishes somewhere between the big rocks. That was the first time I saw this creature right in front of my eyes. That’s what I call, THE MOMENT. :’)

My two peeps, Rex and Is were trying to take one of the jellyfishes out of the water. Oh, memang sangat gigih!

There it is. The JELLYFISH. We were afraid that it would suddenly jump into mid air and sting us. Stupid. :p

3. Camwhoring. It doesn’t matter whether you are using your DSLR, compact camera or even your phone camera, I suggest you take a few shots. It’s for remembrance.

Rex and I were hungry but Is was fasting. So, we tried to eat the Sun instead of eating food. 🙂

 4. Wait for the sunset. This is what I love the most. The view is simply mesmerizing. That’s when you will praise God in your heart for His wonderful creation.

God's wonderful creation

🙂

Well, I do hope you guys out there could try the things that I’ve mentioned to reduce your ‘jiwa kacau‘ feelings because it did help me to AT LEAST lessen it. But most importantly, don’t forget to PRAY because only He alone understands you.

God bless everyone. 🙂

For spiritual strength, pray to God. He will surely hear you. It is either when you pray, then He will answer your prayer instantly or nothing happen. When nothing happens, it is probably due to these 3 reasons:

a) You are being selfish. What you asked is only for your own good. It is not according to what He has planned for us.

b) He wants you to wait. Now is not the right time to have what you want. He is teaching us to be patient there.

c) He has something BETTER for us. I wonder, probably He says, “Why do you ask for this yet I can give you more?”

You know, it’s hard for us to know which of these three is the answer to our unanswered prayers. Nevertheless, you will know it someday. So, pray ceaselessly and don’t give up.

God bless everyone. 🙂

Morning, readers. I’m currently having my holidays and seriously, I do not know what to do. Actually, there are a lot of things which need to be done before I go back to JB but what the heck, I still fool around Facebook-ing and stalk other people’s profile. (Stalker!) Well, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, don’t you think?

Okay. Here are the list of things I want to do to kill my time instead of Facebook-ing 24-7:

1. Settle my tasks for the upcoming UTM 47th Convocation. The minutes of meetings, letters and list names of the committees need to be typed down and send to the person in charge of this. (Philo, you need to get this done by the end of this week!)

2. I’m making handmade Raya cards for some of my friends in Semenanjung and some for my besties here too. It may not be as nice as the cards sold at the supermarket but it’s the thought that counts. West Malaysian friends, do check your mailbox next week, okay? 🙂

3. Guitar lessons. Browsing through the internet searching for chords and YouTube for tutorials is how I do it. I want to ask Rex to help me out too since he has been doing nothing. Besides my family, guitar is my only companion now.

4. Reading. I have 3 books at home which I haven’t finish reading yet and I MUST finish them before I go back to UTM. I have Hugs to Brighten Your Day by Ashley Moore and Korie Robertson (I’m halfway reading it), The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (I started reading this months ago and have not finished it yet :p ) and Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett. The last two books are Rex’s and I’ve not given them back since he lend them to me.

5. Exercise! This may sound lame but yea, so far I went swimming, jogging and rope-skipping. I don’t get to work out that often once I’m in UTM.

6. Quality time with FAMILY and FRIENDS. I have exactly 30 days before leaving Bintulu and I want to enjoy my time with them. Bintulu may not be as happening as JB but spending time with them worth much much more. I know that once I step at Senai International Airport, JB, I’ll surely cry. LOL! Such a cry baby but I’m not ashamed to admit that.

I’m going to start with no.3 in a short while. Have a nice day, peeps!

How I wish that the world live in peace and harmony, where countries do not fight against one another, where there are no broken families, where leaders of the countries do not have misunderstandings with each other.

How I wish that there is only one religion in this world, where two people who are in love can be with each other without having to worry about the differences of their religion.

But we are all humans. That’s why religions are divided into many beliefs. That’s why husbands and wives quarrel. That’s why wars occur. That’s why misunderstandings happen.

I believe there is ONLY ONE GOD no matter what religion you are – Christian, Muslim, Buddha, Hindu etc. and all of us pray to that same ONE GOD.

Lord, I pray that you grant us Your peace despite our different races and beliefs. That may we respect each other and live together in peace and harmony. I’m just a tiny creation of Yours, hear my plea, Oh Lord.

AMEN.